[
  {
    "movie": "yu_gi_oh_the_movie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "yu-gi ouch ! rare is the movie experience as painful as it is here",
        "if your pulse quickens when you hear lines like , ` not so fast ! i still have two cards face down , and they 'll bring down your life points to a measly 1000 ! ' , then yu-gi-oh is the movie you 've been waiting for all summer .",
        "a feature-length sales pitch aimed at kids .",
        "kids will eat yu-gi-oh ! the movie up . the rest of us will have to wait for the translation .",
        "the latest kiddie con job to float over from tokyo .",
        "a shabby , joyless , 90-minute slab of ` advertainment ' designed to sell booster packs for a popular trading-card game .",
        "watching it is vaguely like watching someone explain how to play poker when you have never played it and in fact have no intention of ever playing it .",
        "it was mostly over my head but the kids in the audience knew what was going on and loved it . if you see this movie , take a kid and let him guide you through it .",
        "although the movie is n't bad , would n't kids probably have a better time playing yu-gi-oh themselves than watching others play it , cartoonically ?",
        "a treat for the fervent young fans who remain , and a true test of devotion for their accompanying parents , who may need all the help they can get figuring out the storyline .",
        "feels like a 91-minute infomercial selling the popular collectible-card game .",
        "there 's nothing inspiring about yu-gi-oh ! the movie , unless you count the way it compels kids to continue to support the yu-gi-oh franchise .",
        "nothing in yu-gi-oh ! will make the inscrutable more scrutable , as it were . and anime being anime , this one could be nap-time for accompanying adults .",
        "a fantasy kitsch tale .",
        "like harry potter , shrek and spider-man , it will become part of the currency of grade and middle school conversation .",
        "yu-gi-oh translates from the japanese into ` intense migraine in elders . '",
        "yu-gi-oh ! the movie , a hyperventilating feature-length advertisement for japanese trading cards , would be hilarious if it were n't so dreadfully cynical .",
        "i suspect even children will be sophisticated enough to understand that a film should feel more alive than a trading card .",
        "looks like ` transformers on speed : the autobots take japan . '",
        "tecnicamente limitado , o filme n\u0433o \u0439 esteticamente melhor do que uma anima\u0437\u0433o produzida para a televis\u0433o .",
        "a feature-length anime commercial .",
        "it 's a lot like hearing the play-by-play account of a heated game of bridge . only not half as gripping .",
        "it 's essentially an advertisement for a similarly titled trading card game .",
        "the popular kiddie cartoon show comes to the big screen , looking exactly like a tv cartoon blown up to colossal proportions .",
        "more infomercial than movie . for series fans only .",
        "feature-length animated movie based on the television series , and manga comic book of the same name , is like watching a japanese video game being played on a movie screen .",
        "a 90-minute advert in search of a storyline .",
        "the artwork has the familiar saucer-eyed look of japanese anime but with a scuffed angularity that 's a long way from hayao miyazaki 's sublime magic .",
        "effectively a strategy guide and commercial in vaguely filmic form .",
        "only fans of the series will be able to follow the largely incomprehensible plot -- and the bog-standard animation wo n't win it any new ones .",
        "-lsb- b -rsb- eyond the clear aim of getting kids to separate their parents from cold hard cash in exchange for ... yu-gi-oh game cards ... the film is thoroughly incomprehensible ...",
        "while this probably constitutes a good tutorial in the trading-card game 's lingo and lore , it 's tremendously boring to watch an animated series in which most of the fighting does n't even involve combat , just characters looking at cards .",
        "like the gods , the trading cards are capricious , with ever-changing rules and strategies so intricate that only yu-gi-ohlogists will fully enjoy this adventure .",
        "unless you are one of the japanese phenomenon 's army of devoted young followers , much of the film 's story line and machinations will be greek , or at the very least egyptian , to you .",
        "with yu-gi-oh ! , a japanese animated film , the line between entertainment and advertising has been emphatically erased .",
        "no one without a working knowledge of the fabulously profitable manga-turned-gamer phenomenon will find it easy to enter here .",
        "yu-gi-oh ! will make you go ugh !",
        "the only thing missing is a 1-800 number flashing on the bottom .",
        "adults : if your child forces you to go to yu-gi-oh ! , remember that there 's no law against ipods in movie theaters .",
        "with the possible exception of espn-televised poker , watching somebody else play a card game is incredibly boring .",
        "toward the movie 's climax , the characters start spewing clich\u00e9d drivel about the power of friendship , lines that will make all but the youngest viewers shudder .",
        "much of the movie is devoted to the boys dueling card-to-card . and so most the dialogue , forgive me fans , sounds something like this : `` i 'm going to thwart your egyptian god cards with my rare metal dragon card ! ''",
        "a pay-for-admission commercial for its own empire , it stretches the definition of a movie into something so ugly as to be unidentifiable",
        "yu-gi-oh ! is so flat as to make the card game on which it is based seem positively three-dimensional .",
        "i sacrificed 90 minutes of my life points to sit through this and nothing i can summon is going to make up for that .",
        "it 's a painful , ponderous experience that 's not helped by being weighed down by lengthy explanations of the esoteric duelling rules .",
        "this is n't even a movie . it 's a commercial .",
        "this may be the first mainstream movie to have more in common with an infomercial than a screenplay .",
        "the artwork by director hatsuki tsuji and his team of animators is sharp , but it pales before state-of-the-art cgi .",
        "the characters are thinly sketched ; and the sense of adventure is mediocre at best",
        "this lousy animated feature not only looks like bargain-basement tv animation blown up to big-screen proportions , it also feels like a round or two of the trading-card game .",
        "it 's a pretty deep dive off the high board in the world of anime , but there 's no depth there .",
        "the film is simply part of a synergized income stream , more deft revenge upon us for having won world war ii .",
        "this cartoon based on the popular and complicated card game might as well be written in another language .",
        "yu-gi-oh ! the movie keeps the kid-friendly spirit of the show while raising the stakes enough to justify a serviceable big-screen treatment .",
        "a feature-length promotion for the trading cards your kids will beg you to buy all the way home .",
        "some of the dialogue is unintentionally funny . early on , for instance , the narrator bellows : ` even eternity does n't last forever . '",
        "games should n't be movies . yu-gi-oh ! is the -lrb- barely -rrb- living proof .",
        "from the endless product placement to its attempt to reel viewers in with free trading cards at the door , it all adds up to a 90-minute commercial .",
        "the imagination and audacity behind the game are wildly fascinating , and the same is true of the movie .",
        "i took one for the team this week ... if your kid is a yu-gi-oh fan , then god help you .",
        "the quality of the animation certainly has n't improved and the dialogue is typically basic and repetitive .",
        "no doubt its small fans are thrilled , but even young kids will have to be pretty undemanding to enjoy this mess .",
        "various other minuses for the uninitiated -- the changing powers of the cards , the intricate strategies of the participants , the almost-lethal nature of gameplay -- are great pluses for aficionados ."],
    "summary": "do n't watch the tv show or play the card game ? then this movie is not for you .",
    "id": "10953"
  },
  {
    "movie": "volver",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the late fran\u00e7ois truffaut was frequently described as a filmmaker who loved women , but not even monsieur truffuat could come close to se\u0144or almod\u00f3var in his intelligent , perceptive and creative appreciation of women in MOV .",
        "almod\u00f3var retorna ao mundo das mulheres com seu talento e sensibilidade particulares e , no processo , retoma tamb\u00e9m sua habitual paleta de cores , cuja intensidade \u00e9 proporcional \u0155 dos sentimentos que representa . ''",
        "-lsb- almod\u00f3var 's -rsb- once-kitschy obsession with color and surface continues to deepen into a big , bold , almost painterly style .",
        "it 's very moving , it 's beautifully done .",
        "cruz is glorious to watch here , all voluptuous emotion and energy , a sure fire best actress nominee .",
        "almodovar delves deep into the darkness of a woman 's maternal instincts , finding alternate humor and harrowing emotion in one of the year 's most fascinating films .",
        "almod\u00f3var is still one of the few directors worth watching just for how he uses color on the screen . but the pleasures have always run much deeper , and now they run deeper still .",
        "though its humble pleasures give cause to pause and reflect on the spanish filmmaker 's occasionally overpraised output , MOV is a diverting melodrama ...",
        "you do not want to miss this one .",
        "crammed with outrageous turns of fortune and quicksilver shifts in tone , almodovar 's film is held together by performances so subtle and complex it 's hard to single out only one as exceptional .",
        "MOV -lrb- literally , ` to return ' -rrb- finds spain 's favorite cinematic son pedro almodovar at the peak of his powers .",
        "one of the few artistic highlights in cannes fest , MOV finds almodovar in top form with a personal movie that celebrates powerful mothers , while paying tribute to italian neo-relaism and the strong heroines played by anna magnani and sophia loren .",
        "richly entertaining fantasy from a cinematic master .",
        "cruz has never been better or looked lovelier . the same could be said of almodovar -lrb- well , at least the talent part -rrb- .",
        "almodovar treats even the most eccentric of the film 's females with compassion , empathy , affection and appreciation . he seems almost to envy them , like a kid who longs to be one of robin hood 's merry men .",
        "MOV is far from a paint-by-numbers , mad lib of a movie , but rather a fresh and touching exploration of family , tragedy and second chances .",
        "in this hand-stitched , gentle giant of a film , return is recovery -- by its very nature -- and all ghosts are friendly if you 'd only let them in .",
        "the spanish master brings his own story to the screen with intense emotion , vivid characterization -lrb- so rare in too many of his colleagues -rrb- and a marvellous sense of magic ...",
        "even if MOV sounds too high-concept for you , know that almod\u00f3var is smart enough not to rest on laughs alone , extending his premise to dark , though occasionally tidy psychological territory .",
        "almodovar 's latest is an emotionally rich film about forgiveness , atonement , and second chances that either sex can relate to .",
        "it feels like a chabrol film .",
        "pedro almod\u00f3var gives penelope cruz a great woman 's role that recalls the classic performances of italian actress anna magnani .",
        "comedic soap opera meets ghost story in `` MOV , '' a haunting and often surprising story about a woman who faces challenges at every turn .",
        "the way that almodovar 's resilient women rise above their traumatic pasts to serve one another and their community is a microcosm of idealized reality that welcomes scrutiny .",
        "this is a movie about mothers and children that dispatches with the usual goopy sentiment . MOV reassures us that you can go home again -- if only in the movies .",
        "the characters in MOV are complexly drawn , with intricate relationships and motivations . even the theme of death is more than it seems on the surface .",
        "richly evocative .",
        "red , in every conceivable shade , is , not surprisingly , a key color in MOV , a movie about the towering virtues of high heels and the indomitable power of good old 35 mm celluloid .",
        "will leave you with a smile on your face and a tear in your eye that cinema can be this gorgeous and glorious .",
        "what a run this millennium for pedro almod\u00f3var : one strange and fabulous feature after the next , each in a different style , each so deftly controlled that you hardly register its subversiveness until after you 've been hooked by its story .",
        "... the film , against my wishes , left me unmoved .",
        "one of almod\u00f3var 's more subdued works , ` MOV ' mixes genres but in the end achieves neither serious drama nor serious comedy .",
        "the mad spark which is almod\u00f3var 's alone is only improving with each passing film",
        "MOV admittedly remains a rather slight work , neither as flashy nor as wildly unpredictable as his past few films , preferring instead a quieter elegance and more intimate tone than almod\u00f3var 's more elastic marvels of screenwriting architecture .",
        "touches the heart with its wonderful portraits of spanish women whose nurturing and loving powers are a stay against the powers of violence and death .",
        "mildred pierce won joan crawford an oscar , and almod\u00f3var 's quaint riff on the michael curtiz classic may do the same for pen\u00e9lope cruz .",
        "what we have here is an at-times plaintive love letter to women : a paean to their humor , their loyalty , and especially their ability to survive their encounters with cheating , lying fornicators who employ their penises as weapons of submission .",
        "the humour and the heartstring-pulling hit the mark , as do most of the cast , not least cruz .",
        "pedro almod\u00f3var regresa a terrenos familiares : la mancha , la comedia , la fortaleza femenina y , por supuesto , carmen maura . un regreso esperado y satisfactorio .",
        "... it 's some achievement that the film is both funnier and more moving on repeated viewing , when its pervasive dramatic ironies emerge .",
        "a mature and beautifully told tale of family and the ghosts that haunt us .",
        "proves to be one of almod\u00f3var 's most temperamentally restrained efforts , though such a muted tone does n't detract from its emotional power .",
        "penelope cruz has never looked more beautiful and she gives a sensational , career best performance as raimunda .",
        "a touching , beautifully plotted film , full of memorable images and jokes , it zips along without a wasted second in its 121 minutes .",
        "almodovar infuses proceedings with a horrible sense of self-satisfaction and also has a disconcerting habit of lots of lingering , leery shots of his lead actresses ' bodies , including a pervy close-up of a teenage girl 's groin .",
        "pedro almodovar 's `` MOV '' stars penelope cruz in a comeback performance that 's so good , it recalls the film 's title itself . in spanish , `` MOV '' means `` to return , '' and that 's exactly what cruz has done here . she 's fantastic .",
        "if ever there was such a thing as grand melodrama , many of pedro almod\u00f3var 's works would certainly fit the description , and MOV -lrb- accent on the second v and long last syllable -rrb- is the grandest of them all .",
        "a mixed bag , albeit one with significant signature style .",
        "almod\u00f3var has described MOV as a blend of mildred pierce and arsenic and old lace , which is to say essentially urgent but wry .",
        "MOV is one of his most self-assured works , nestled into a style and filmmaking breadth that has officially become synonymous with the almodovar brand .",
        "MOV has it all : comedy , drama , penelope cruz , death and unexpected life , perfectly strung together with a little old fashioned intrigue .",
        "a movie with more in its heart than on its mind , pedro almod\u00f3var 's MOV does n't approach the brilliance of his recent films talk to her and bad education .",
        "the primary source of `` woman troubles , '' men are , in the end , also irrelevant to women 's patient , purposeful , and proud survival .",
        "does n't have the emotional impact of almodovar 's best films , nor the whacked-out lunacy of his most outrageous ... but it 's a satisfying and enjoyable film nonetheless .",
        "it 's a lovely little movie , but also sort of a wispy one .",
        "one of the amazing things about MOV is that almod\u00f3var once again manages to make a preposterous , overloaded plot seem sublime and organic .",
        "what a distinctive filmmaker almodovar has become .",
        "the women are left to do the best they can . that turns out to be enough to keep you watching through to the final twist -- as unlikely as everything else in this nonetheless extremely likable movie .",
        "the result is intoxicating ; a free-spinning story that 's by its end enormously satisfying , creating its own kind of magic .",
        "a celebration of what women can and will do to survive this mortal coil . penelope cruz is transformed into a classic woman for all the ages .",
        "a feast of colours , swooning camera movements , lushly orchestrated musical cues and meticulously fetishized symbolism .",
        "cruz delivers an award worthy performance in this delightful comedy .",
        "the movie is almost unbearably slow at times , and it was way too long at a little over two hours .",
        "i am a huge pedro almodovar fan , and his latest offering , `` MOV '' , is another gem in his repertoire of films about women .",
        "pedro almod\u00f3var has returned to his abiding , psychologically prescient adoration of women with what is his strongest film in years .",
        "if almodovar is in great form , cruz is even shapelier , with no small number of gags involving her cleavage .",
        "typically unpredictable almodovar surprise , but this time it 's enjoyable .",
        "once almodovar gets all the nasty men out of the picture , he 's free to create his utopia of women , whose chronic widowhood must have been achieved by boring their husbands to death .",
        "a rare success in the overcrowded -lrb- with formulaic disappointments -rrb- field of movies about estranged mothers and daughters who , at last , find a way to understand each other .",
        "far and away the best and most convincing work that she has ever done .",
        "pedro almod\u00f3var whipstitches a movie from patches of those mother-daughter melodramas mildred pierce , bellissima and two women and makes it seamless and original , funny as it is fierce , breathtaking as it is life-affirming .",
        "penelope cruz lights up the screen in a role that she seems born to play ; she 's vibrant , funny , strong , and vulnerable .",
        "MOV is rich , crazy , ambitious and filled with heaven and earth in a way that no other filmmaker can touch . it is a flawed beauty , but the beauty is so much more important than the flaws .",
        "whatever the director asks of cruz she delivers with poise and sincerity . it 's easily her finest work , and one of the year 's best performances .",
        "the return rattles its chains for a spell , but it does n't linger -- it quickly leaves .",
        "i have always felt that almod\u00f3var was at his best as an artist when he was at his most playful . MOV is about deadly serious matters of the heart , but it often has a screwball spirit . the darker things are , the funnier .",
        "pedro almod\u00f3var has made yet another picture that moves beyond camp into a realm of wise , luxuriant humanism .",
        "cruz has never been more radiant and funny : comparisons to sophia loren in her vittorio desica heyday are flying about , and richly warranted .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- vibrant film that 's pure class , pure imagination and pure almodovar .",
        "the characters ' situations may be dire , but almod\u00f3var knows how to present them in a way that is humorous without ever seeming condescending .",
        "the movie is enjoyable , but not passionately engaging in the way we 've come to expect from almod\u00f3var , and it leaves you somewhat cold in spite of the warmth of cruz 's galvanic performance .",
        "watching MOV , pedro almod\u00f3var 's latest poker-faced extravagance , you realize just how far his women have come from the days when they were living on the verge of a nervous breakdown .",
        "once again , the director confronts women on the verge of a nervous breakdown in a film full of humor and affection .",
        "although MOV has a tendency to stray too far down tangential paths , it is ultimately satisfying .",
        "almod\u00f3var 's generous vision is n't just unique , it 's color-coordinated .",
        "spanish director pedro almod\u00f3var always has fun toying with our perceptions and expectations and does it yet again with MOV , a darkly comic look at mortality and family secrets .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- gritty melodrama tempered by surreal black humor .",
        "its buoyant script and zesty cast make a convincing argument that you ca n't fully appreciate life without having a healthy respect for death .",
        "a deeply entertaining experience that engages our hearts as well as our funny bones .",
        "ripe with female characters and embroidered with flourishes that hint at hollywood 's golden age , MOV is one of almod\u00f3var 's finest films . it is also one of his most emotionally delightful .",
        "MOV qualifies as a must-see movie for the director 's fans or for those who wish to admire one of the greatest living cinema artists .",
        "a wonderfully talented cast led by the best performance cruz has given in years , but i am not convinced it is the oscar-worthy turn some have been promoting it to be .",
        "the new film by pedro almod\u00f3var is less ambitious than its predecessors , but all the more delightful in its smallness .",
        "the cannes film festival jury threw up its hands and gave this year 's best actress award to all six of the film 's stars . they 're so fine that refusing to choose between them was the only sensible choice .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a rapturous , freewheeling valentine to the -lsb- female -rsb- gender as a whole , and as luxuriously voluptuous as the women who populate it .",
        "almod\u00f3var milks this premise for all it 's worth with witty dialogue , terrific performances -- and less-flamboyant-than-usual visuals that are still a red-accented treat for the eye .",
        "for a black comedy whose tangled sequence of events is completely improbable , pedro almod\u00f3var 's MOV feels absolutely authentic . so , think of everything as metaphor and enjoy one of the year 's most delectably twisted treats .",
        "in another director 's hands , MOV could have been as heavy-handed as those films , yet almodovar maintains a buoyant , lighthearted , and often comic mood .",
        "almod\u00f3var is a great filmmaker , and his skills remain intact -- MOV is polished , well-acted , completely personal cinema . yet it still feels slight -- more a tapas than a meal .",
        "... for a couple of hours , i was transported to pedro 's spain .",
        "from the very first shot of MOV ... you know you 're in masterful hands .",
        "MOV is really cruz 's coronation as the spanish sophia loren .",
        "a women 's film -- about women , fueled by the instincts of women -- that does n't resort to obvious melodrama or push-button emotions .",
        "MOV is suspenseful , clever , gently funny and always emotionally resonant .",
        "like most homecomings -lrb- or at least most good ones -rrb- , pedro almod\u00f3var 's MOV is warm , emotional and forever on the brink of tears -- peppered with bouts of pique , old resentments that flare up and moments of intense and lyrical longing .",
        "... if MOV turns out to be more conventional than we might first suppose , almodovar lets us down easy , with a deep and generous wit that forgives even the worst crimes humanity can commit .",
        "... almodovar 's most accessible and empathetic work yet .",
        "... a dark comic thriller with at least as many twists and turns as your typical spanish ` telenovela . '",
        "when the film does work itself up to a boil , it 's worth the wait .",
        "almodovar at his warmest and most accessible .",
        "supplying dialogue for multifaceted female characters is n't almodovar 's lone specialty , but it 's safe to say he does it better than most people in the film business today .",
        "nothing short of moviegoing nirvana .",
        "it 's clever and entertaining . it 's marvelously deft , but never daffy . it works well enough , despite feeling like the most conventional film this great , envelope-pushing spanish director has ever made .",
        "although no director has ever been as fascinated with and supportive of women as almod\u00f3var , in MOV he outdoes himself . though the plot is fictitious , the characters are designed as a memory and tribute to the women in almod\u00f3var 's childhood .",
        "a light , charming comedy with three murders and a death .",
        "so how good is spanish writer-director pedro almod\u00f3var 's latest effort ? `` MOV '' -lrb- to return -rrb- is so mesmerizingly quirky that i sat through a screening with an injured right arm writhing with pain as i became immersed in the film .",
        "... a knowing treatise on the currents that run between mothers and daughters .",
        "pedro almodovar 's MOV is amazingly bright , fresh and clean for a film dealing with murder , adultery , incest , malignant disease and the occasional supernatural apparition .",
        "with all its unexpected twists and turns , the story still unfolds naturally , like some gaudy mediterranean flower .",
        "until now , you may not have considered penelope cruz the modern-day successor to barbara stanwyck and joan crawford . but director pedro almodovar 's delightful ` MOV ' could change your mind .",
        "hollywood , take notice : if you hand penelope cruz a role with more depth than the paper it 's printed on , this is what you 'll get .",
        "almod\u00f3var 's maturity navigates not only the thin lines between comedy and drama and between body and spirit , but also between rebellion and acceptance",
        "almod\u00f3var 's phantasms are emotionally anchored so the story never gets away from its characters -- just when you suspect he might have overplayed his hand he stages a clever , surprising inversion to tie the film together .",
        "at the center of this hectic universe , -lsb- cruz -rsb- never misses a step and may even elevate what almodovar originally conceived .",
        "it 's up to charm to twinkle our attention away from the loose threads and daytime tv plotting .",
        "MOV shifts effortlessly from suspense to pathos to giddy humor ; the cast members negotiate all these changes while delivering low-keyed , reality-rooted performances .",
        "almodovar finds unusual camera angles to break up the straightforward storytelling . but for the first time i recall , not a single male character is crucial to his story , and no actor has a leading role . you wo n't miss them .",
        "i 'm not supposed to say this , as a woman , as a film critic , and particularly as a woman film critic , but i 'm not a fan of pedro almod\u00f3var .",
        "the unpredictable way all these stories begin to weave together makes it impossible to know where MOV is going until the final act . but it 's the exploration of the ties that bind mothers to daughters that offers the real substance .",
        "by the time it gets back to raimunda and paula and their never-too-heavy plight you 've all but forgotten about them , and really could n't care much either .",
        "almodovar 's in a playful mood here , yet there 's no mistaking the seriousness with which he takes the movie 's theme of empowerment through sisterhood .",
        "-lsb- almod\u00f3var -rsb- raises some intriguing and moving ideas in MOV , but the plot strands are not woven tightly together , remaining loose and frayed . it 's a shame , because the potential was there for a great film . instead , we merely get a good one .",
        "the film is realistic , yet almod\u00f3var 's touch of the absurd and the madcap infiltrate everything that occurs while his candy-colored visual palette lends a brightness to what in other hands might have taken the form of a sordid tale .",
        "it is an impossible hybrid , -lrb- in the words of at least one observer -rrb- an epic comedy .",
        "moderately enjoyable , but a step back rather than forward .",
        "one excellent performance does not a captivating drama make ; this is just a colorful , great-looking but weepy telenovela that will require three cups of coffee to endure .",
        "from start to finish , there is just nothing to MOV .",
        "is there another male filmmaker who so celebrates the mystery of women as much as pedro almodovar ? only maverick director george cukor similarly delighted in the intricacies and moods of the female sex .",
        "the pleasures of the new pedro almodovar film MOV , and they are many , have less to do with deep wells of feeling than they do with mastery of craft and a magnificent sort of artifice .",
        "the general rule in hollywood is that an actress can give either a glamorous performance or an ` important ' one . but pedro almodovar allows his actresses to do both .",
        "for all of the film 's pleasures , it 's missing the daring creativity that distinguishes the director 's best work .",
        "compared to something as extraordinary as his talk to her , MOV may seem like a light little soap opera , but its strength , grace and resiliency should not be underestimated .",
        "pity pedro almod\u00f3var . he 's so good so often that the world has come to expect a masterpiece with every new picture .",
        "almodovar is back ! not that he ever actually left ...",
        "as perfect moments go , this one was odd and incomplete ; and yet , when a plump droplet spilled across cruz 's eyelashes , tears came to me , too .",
        "a deeply resonant , thought-provoking story about how making sense of the past can help clarify our present and future .",
        "MOV is pedro almodovar 's latest joy to behold .",
        "... there 's a lot here that works , but there 's far more that 's simply interminable .",
        "there 's enough intrigue and good humor that you barely mind the clich\u00e9s , the misdirection , and the easy capitulation to formula .",
        "almodovar-land may not be as familiar as hollywoodland but give it a chance and you 'll apply for a passport .",
        "the story is too conventional , ghostly presence notwithstanding , but watch penelope cruz 's best performance to date .",
        "a tale of sisterhood , told with playful affection and abiding gratitude .",
        "what seem like needlessly digressive plot strands in the first hour are eventually knitted into a moving melodrama .",
        "though it may seem churlish to knock a film-maker whose only crime has been a naked desire to please audiences , MOV really is one of pedro almod\u00f3var 's weaker efforts .",
        "MOV -lrb- roughly translated : `` to return '' -rrb- is a magical film , but that magic is in the filmmaking -lsb- ... -rsb- itself ."],
    "summary": "MOV catches director pedro almodovar and star penelope cruz at the peak of their respective powers , in service of a layered , thought-provoking film . this magical tragicomic melodrama may be almodovar 's most restrained work to date , but it still features his trademarks : a strong attention to color and detail , a celebration of the trials and tribulations of women , and , of course , the inestimable carmen maura . the lovely penelope cruz has n't shone more brightly as she does here .",
    "id": "151436540"
  },
  {
    "movie": "sleepwalk_with_me_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as an off-beat movie that depends on his conversational delivery , MOV manages to avoid many of the standard romantic comedy pratfalls .",
        "i liked sleepwalk with me-just not nearly as much as i would 've liked to have liked it .",
        "birbiglia has an affable screen presence , and there 's an appealing authenticity to the characters and their relationships .",
        "a pretty flimsy piece , but a likable cast and a laid-back attitude make it moderately agreeable .",
        "birbiglia 's easygoing style makes even his oft-told tales affecting on the big screen .",
        "the jokes are never quite funny enough , and the situation -- aside from the sleepwalking gimmick -- does n't feel quite fresh enough .",
        "dizzying navel-gazer about a desperately unfunny comedian .",
        "like any good stand-up comic , birbiglia works best when playing off an audience - or , in this case , the camera .",
        "mike birbiglia adeptly navigates the comic , self-mocking confessional terrain .",
        "a movie that will likely have greater resonance for his fans -- and for fans of npr 's this american life -- than more casual moviegoers .",
        "birbiglia is boyish , a calm talker , and just meek enough to keep his punch lines surprising but not so meek that he 's unlikable . -lrb- if anything , birbiglia is extremely likable . -rrb-",
        "modestly amusing autobiographically inspired work of fiction .",
        "full of shaggy self-deprecation and wistful romantic realization , MOV is an amiable tale of beta-male discovery .",
        "it 's slight .",
        "even if comedian mike birbiglia does n't have more stories worth telling on film , he 's done one movie that sneaks up on an audience and earns its attention .",
        "it is n't the typical romcom with a happy ending and rosy outlook all around , but it spins its wheels in familiar territory too often and takes a lazy approach to its central relationship , even as its sleepwalking scenes hit all the right notes .",
        "so do hang on and tough it out through the early awkwardness : once the truth starts hitting the fan/fans ... it 's a production that no one will sleep through .",
        "from start to finish , his character , called matt pandamiglio , is all by his lonesome -- reaching out of the fog . he 's a funny fog person .",
        "the film acts as both a diary of a sidewinding comic stylist finding his style , almost by accident , and a reminder to all post-collegiate boyfriends and girlfriends that `` ok '' probably is n't good enough for either party .",
        "even though the story does have its serious elements , it is very funny .",
        "this is a movie for anyone who 's ever been unsure , and surely that 's everyone .",
        "it 's not the most novel character arc in the world , but sometimes a story does n't need to break new ground . sometimes it 's enough for it to feel comfortable , maybe even familiar , and make you smile .",
        "yet another film about an underachieving -lrb- but bright and talented -rrb- character trying to make it in world of straights who do n't immediately recognize how wonderful he is .",
        "this is unquestionably the funniest movie you 'll ever see about a doomed relationship coupled with a life-threatening sleep-disorder .",
        "the movie is hilariously funny and witty . although messy at times , matt 's relationship with abby is sweet and endearing . the sleepwalking incidents are the weakest links in the narrative , because it is difficult to show on screen the vividness of ...",
        "an amusing but innocuous movie that wants to be liked , loved , perhaps even hugged -lrb- birbiglia is n't shy about exposing his love handles -rrb- .",
        "ultimately , the film becomes an admirable , but flawed piece of work . the comedy bits work well , but the overall story leaves something to be desired .",
        "there is something worthwhile about a comic who has the guts to admit not everything that arises from his lips is worthy of mark twain .",
        "... pleasant entertainment with overtones of personal confession ...",
        "it 's not until the movie 's second half that it really picks up momentum and builds drama . but by the time MOV crosses the finish line , it 's difficult not to genuinely like everyone involved .",
        "as entertaining as the movie can be , it 's the smaller , more poignant material in between the big laughs that makes the final product so charming .",
        "though the sleep-walking episodes are funny , it 's the way mike birbiglia captures the pains of performing comedy to tiny rooms that really fly .",
        "rarely these days do you come across a comedy so wholly warm-hearted .",
        "this is a great radio bit . problem is that somebody decided this was a movie , and it is certainly not .",
        "birbiglia humbly finds gold in his unassuming story .",
        "this self-deprecating comedy would make both larry david and louis c.k. proud ,",
        "the mix of broad laughs and excruciating truths makes for a highly watchable and intuitive experience .",
        "however , there 's something ultimately unsatisfying about the experience of listening to stand-up comedian mike birbiglia tell the true story of his inability to marry his longtime girlfriend -lrb- played by the far-too-hot-to-be-with-him lauren ambrose -rrb- .",
        "walking a fine line between darkly compassionate comedy , biting reality , striking low-budget fantasy and harsh psychological honesty , this modest but most disarming offering from funnyman birbiglia is one of those pics that unexpectedly grows on you .",
        "a riotous breakthrough for mike birbiglia , whose humanist comedy says a lot about modern relationships that many of us wo n't be prepared to admit .",
        "when it comes to mining a medical malady for laughs across multiple platforms , standup comic mike birbiglia is a master .",
        "matt 's learning curve is probably supposed to be entertaining , or endearing , or something , but mostly it just sends the movie lurching into inertia .",
        "a thoughtful adaptation of birbiglia 's hit one-man , off-broadway show .",
        "more than just a glorified stand-up act .",
        "birbiglia 's gift , really , is one of reassurance . it 's nice to know that we can fail spectacularly and still be okay .",
        "feats of raconteur storytelling are always tricky to translate into something effective and fluid enough to be movieworthy . but MOV sticks the landing .",
        "MOV sets itself apart from other movies about standups . the moral he learns is to face up to the truth , or else he 'll be miserable . that 's a life lesson that will hit home with anyone , not just comedians .",
        "mike birbiglia 's wonderfully deft `` opening up '' of his stand-up routine is a rare achievement in this genre and a supremely self-deprecating delight .",
        "sleepwalk holds together as a story that , like a particularly good episode of this american life , is both laugh-out-loud funny and somewhat melancholic .",
        "an amiable , sometimes surprising movie about chasing your dream while you 're wide awake .",
        "charming and occasionally insightful .",
        "birbiglia 's take on relationships is irreverent , which makes it better than the usual guy complaining about his pretty fianc\u00e9 movie .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- `` MOV '' is lightweight to a fault . yeah it 's strange that this marginal comedian has a kooky sleep disorder , but that does n't mean it makes for a very entertaining comedy .",
        "the crux of the story offers sharp practical wisdom in the modernist vein , regarding the comedian 's confrontation with the danger and the challenge of self-revelation , but it 's served up too smoothly and sweetly .",
        "this is an adorable film based on the story of a comedian struggling to break through in the business while bartending in a comedy club .",
        "the movie is so good that if you were n't a fan of mike birbiglia beforehand , you will be afterwards .",
        "-lsb- rides -rsb- a weird tonal line , maybe aiming to split the difference between comedy and terror but coming off as afraid to really go for it on either .",
        "MOV embraces its toughness and emerges with a sharp comment about evasion .",
        "the funny thing about the movie is n't its failure-to-launch humor , but the weird mess of life that rushes in despite it .",
        "birbiglia is a fresh new comic voice in the world of indie film and it will be interesting to see where he goes from this clever movie .",
        "the idea of the man-boy who ca n't commit is rather '90s , and neither the film 's narrative nor style brings it forward two decades , to where it should be .",
        "MOV is implausibly appealing . the idea of someone not liking this picture is implausible . it would be without plause .",
        "based on an off-broadway play and novel , the humour is cumulative , emanating from the characters and situations and resulting in a bubbling feel-good snapshot of life from the view point of an aspiring comic with an oddball slant on things",
        "moments of comedy and drama are preserved , but even at 81 minutes the film seems a tad long",
        "... just like the most memorable stand-up routines , there 's a twinge of tragedy and pathos in the mix that make the laughs linger and the story stick .",
        "it takes a while to find its feet but MOV develops into an interesting film about an interesting person .",
        "i guess there are only so many times you can tell a story - even a great story - before even you are tired of hearing it .",
        "really , this film lives or dies on the charm of its protagonist . luckily , birbiglia is very charming indeed .",
        "a film that expertly paddles through the complicated subconscious and repressed feelings of a faltering comedian",
        "MOV is a disposably sweet ` annie hall ' rehash that achieves its minor ambitions with unremarkable efficiency .",
        "MOV is a remarkably assured directorial debut for comedian and storyteller mike birbiglia , based on a stage monologue about his journey of self-discovery as a performer and the challenge of dealing with a rare sleep disorder .",
        "this sharp romantic comedy began as a one-man show , and you can tell : the hero 's voice-over narration wraps around the entire movie , and the scenes are mainly verbal .",
        "MOV is never anything less than awfully likable . but i so wanted it to be more .",
        "funny and fresh - leading man/director/writer mike birbiglia is one to watch .",
        "`` MOV 's '' transition from stage to screen primarily works because birbiglia continues to carry the weight .",
        "it all adds up to a fine , funny exercise in disheveled self-deprecation : a self-portrait of a guy who ca n't control a major portion of his life .",
        "birbiglia proves to be as engaging a presence on the screen as he has been all these years onstage and over the radio waves .",
        "the real find , above all else , is mike birbiglia himself . he 's as sure of a natural in front of the camera as he is behind it .",
        "the semi-autobiographical tale is appealingly low-key and alternately funny and melancholy , informed by birbiglia 's casual delivery .",
        "is there reason to be concerned that so much popular culture is about young men not wanting to become adults ? probably . and yet `` MOV '' makes the subject palatable , funny and maybe even touching .",
        "i like this movie . more important , i like mike birbiglia in it . whether he has a future in stand-up i can not say , but he has a future as a monologist and actor .",
        "it is a likable , warm film that brings a welcome reassurance : even if you fail spectacularly as a comedian or as a human being , it really can turn out ok in the end .",
        "`` MOV '' is the perfect movie for fans of `` the daily show '' who actually stick around for the second-half interview .",
        "`` MOV '' traps birbiglia inside his own head . he desperately needs a movie or cable series that wakes him up and sets his material loose on the outside world .",
        "the film may not be as laugh out loud funny as one would expect from a guy who makes his living telling jokes , but mike birbiglia has made an insightful film on how he got there .",
        "... a very personal story from actor-turned-filmmaker birbiglia and gives an honest account of matt 's two very different lives ...",
        "for all the first-film jitters ... MOV is a canny and heartwarming comedy that rarely sells the audience short .",
        "familiar problems with a funny , likable spin , much like birbiglia 's easygoing , anecdote-filled comedy style .",
        "sleepwalk is oddly soothing , like a cup of camomile tea before bedtime .",
        "it 's far too similar to every other star-is-born sob story the entertainment industry churns out with ease .",
        "with a sure visual sense despite a clearly limited budget , and most importantly a rock-solid understanding of storytelling , birbiglia crafts a romantic comedy that 's utterly unique , but also satisfying in a primal , familiar way .",
        "an endearing indie feature about the day-to-day indecisions and nocturnal perambulations of a commitment-phobic new yorker .",
        "this storytelling is n't particularly intriguing , but birbiglia 's charisma carries them with a personable brand of self-deprecation .",
        "MOV very much reminded me of a take on high fidelity with comedians instead of music snobs .",
        "a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging film .",
        "crowd-pleasing comedy from stand-up mike birbiglia .",
        "the extent to which his stand-up improves and his insecurities worsen ... seems to stem from a very real place of ambivalence and ambition .",
        "birbiglia has a very matter-of-fact charm about him and gives the simplest of observations wonderfully sardonic weight .",
        "MOV is as charming as it is winningly modest , but it 's so incredibly slight a stiff wind would knock it into a different hemisphere .",
        "birbiglia has been a unique voice on the standup comedy circuit for several years now . `` MOV '' indicates he could make an even bigger impact at the movies .",
        "mike birbiglia showcases the mindset of a comedian trying to find his voice , and the film has a surprising amount of heart .",
        "it 's a film of great humor and insight , but most importantly , it retains birbiglia 's personality , keeping the master of ceremonies and his whirlwind life of heartache and nocturnal activity beautifully intact .",
        "it 's like nothing i 've ever seen , sort of funny people crossed with annie hall by way of lost highway .",
        "there is n't a single thing this movie attempts that every episode of louie does n't do better .",
        "`` MOV '' is a good movie , but it could have been a great one if it cared as much about the woman as it does the man .",
        "`` MOV '' puts a laudably offbeat new spin on the familiar story of the slacker guy with the commitment problem .",
        "birbiglia 's pleasingly nasal delivery and agreeable presence holds it together .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "notwithstanding its storytelling stumbles , `` MOV '' points in a positive direction for this likable comedian 's career .",
        "a smart , neurotic slice-of-life comedy about a stand-up comic with confidence issues , commitment issues , and career issues ."],
    "summary": "laugh-out-loud funny and endearingly messy , MOV overcomes its tonal inconsistencies to deliver a sweetly melancholic , amiably reassuring indie crowd-pleaser .",
    "id": "771267283"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dogtown_and_zboys",
    "reviews":
     [
        "when these guys were headed down the street at 50 m.p.h. , you got out of the way .",
        "the overall effect is awe and affection -- and a strange urge to get on a board and , uh , shred , dude .",
        "delivers a thrilling view of an era when a group of kids , almost by accident , defined ` cool ' for a generation .",
        "the subjects are all charismatic and interesting - any of them could have been the focus of their own documentary",
        "fast-paced and wonderfully edited , the film is extremely thorough .",
        "you may see more important , more moving , more meaningful documentaries in your time . but you will never see one cooler .",
        "a very entertaining documentary , further proof that a good doc can be as much fun as a fictional film .",
        "an exhilarating , breathless , must-see chronicle of the skateboarder revolution and evolution .",
        "peralta 's product may have the whiff of sell-out , but you may find that you 're too busy buying it to care .",
        "this engrossing , definitive documentary on the birth of southern california 's outlaw skateboarding culture is a jaw-dropping piece of work .",
        "about nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the american dream .",
        "this documentary by stacy peralta makes a convincing case on behalf of skateboarding , of all things , as a catalyst for this change , and for some delinquent youths in a derelict los angeles neighborhood as its agents .",
        "poetry in motion captured on film . while it can be a bit repetitive , overall it 's an entertaining and informative documentary .",
        "enormously enjoyable , high-adrenaline documentary .",
        "an informative , nostalgic trip back to a fascinating era , told by those who knew it best .",
        "at times , however , dogtown and z-boys lapses into an insider 's lingo and mindset that the uninitiated may find hard to follow , or care about .",
        "a uniquely visceral -lrb- if inevitably self-aggrandizing -rrb- piece of documentary filmmaking .",
        "the story of how santa monica 's zephyr skate club created a bridge from the ho-dad '60s to the rad '80s is fascinating stuff .",
        "this is pop history that blows your hair back .",
        "blatant promotion aside , the chronicles of dogtown make for fascinating insider cultural history .",
        "infectiously exuberant .",
        "using the zephyr team 's creation , its sudden fame , and death by defection , dogtown documents genuine 20th century tribalism .",
        "raw , baby , raw . that 's what this documentary is , and that 's why it 's not meant for blu-ray .",
        "before tony hawk , skateboarding had the z-boys .",
        "skateboard-legend-turned-filmmaker stacy peralta rips open the paradigm of the documentary form in much the same way that he and his young santa monica zephyr competition skate team revolutionized skateboarding in the mid - '70s .",
        "marred by a self-importance and heavy-handed assertion of mythic status that some may well find misplaced or just downright ridiculous .",
        "you want to know more about their private lives than you get . but most viewers may be too stoked by the sheer adrenaline rush of the subject to care .",
        "package is lively , if loosely structured .",
        "this propulsive , highly satisfying 2002 documentary concerns a group of daredevil skateboarders from an economically depressed and dangerous area of santa monica known as dogtown who reinvented the sport in the 70s .",
        "i know exactly nothing about skateboarding , but this wild , exuberant documentary puts it all in perspective , outlining a crew of 12 surfers-turned-skaters who pioneered the sport -- and , some say , the art form .",
        "peralta 's filmmaking is nearly as audacious as his skating . the movie often looks like an underground document .",
        "seeing how 99 % of movies are designed to keep you on your keester , you have to respect one that inspires you to get off your ever-widening behind and do something real .",
        "although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , dogtown and z-boys has a compelling story to tell .",
        "... this is a great document , and gives due credit to those who truly invented vertical skateboarding which is the predecessor of all the ` vertical ' sports . god bless the z-boys , every one .",
        "suitably energetic but thoroughly egotistical .",
        "it 's impossible not to admire his joie de vivre -- and this movie 's joie de vivre , as well .",
        "few sports films catch their time , place and sport so well .",
        "has all the depth of a wading pool .",
        "a truly fascinating case study of just how an underground sport ascended on the world .",
        "what there 's too much is interviews with middle-aged , self-proclaimed radicals indulged in endless back-patting sessions for having spawned ` a revolution . '",
        "quite possibly the best documentary about youth and sport since hoop dreams .",
        "the film fearlessly gets under the skin of the people involved ... this makes it not only a detailed historical document , but an engaging and moving portrait of a subculture .",
        "the straight cuts illustrate how the zephyr team 's revolutionary , riffing style was both an extension of surfing and aesthetically beautiful .",
        "there is something i find deeply disturbing about a documentary made about one 's own life that never acknowledges its first person status .",
        "an affectionate look back at those heady days .",
        "despite its lack of perspective on history or the evolution of the sport , dogtown and z-boys does what documentaries do best : it makes even viewers who have never touched a skateboard feel a part of the action .",
        "it 's an entertaining study for anyone , as it makes you believe that skateboarding is the ultimate guerilla sport -- taking something that exists and is shrugged off and turning it into something amazing .",
        "an enthusiastic ode to a few of the pioneers of extreme sports .",
        "it also paints a vivid portrait of a place , time and tribal gathering where environment , attitude , innovation , athleticism and emphasis on style spawned an accidental revolution of sorts .",
        "dogtown and z-boys does precisely what a documentary movie should do : it makes its subject fascinating whether you actually give a damn or not .",
        "the rebellion , the rock music , and the frenetic introduction to skating culture all combine to make -lsb- this -rsb- one of the most entertaining and fun movies of the year .",
        "a wild ride with eight boarders from venice beach that was a deserved co-winner of the audience award for documentaries at the sundance film festival .",
        "a fine , interesting documentary .",
        "dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean .",
        "its sheer dynamism is infectious .",
        "a thrilling experience , and one that can be thoroughly enjoyed even if you 're unable to discern a ` kickflip ' from a ` frontside air . '",
        "if you think a documentary about the birth of modern skateboarding sounds like something worth missing , think again .",
        "at its core is a truly human tale of how a bunch of kids who had everything going against them unintentionally created a cultural phenomenon .",
        "dogtown and z-boys more than exposes the roots of the skateboarding boom that would become `` the punk kids ' revolution . ''",
        "a fast-paced but narrowly-aimed look at the outlaw skateboarding movement of the '70s ... disappointingly bland and adulatory .",
        "peralta 's mythmaking could have used some informed , adult hindsight .",
        "this is one fantastic , enthralling film .",
        "its spirit of iconoclastic abandon -- however canned -- makes for unexpectedly giddy viewing .",
        "the movie has an infectious exuberance that will engage anyone with a passing interest in the skate/surf culture , the l.a. beach scene and the imaginative -lrb- and sometimes illegal -rrb- ways kids can make a playground out of the refuse of adults .",
        "a thrilling look at the mostly unknown history of the original extreme sport .",
        "even people clueless about skateboarding can enjoy dogtown and z-boys .",
        "a dazzlingly crafted documentary .",
        "it is impossible not to be seduced by its hard-edged vision of an endless teenage summer .",
        "you do n't need to know or care about the skateboarding culture to enjoy this free-wheeling ride through a dog-eared section of '70s - era los angeles .",
        "whether you 're a grind god or an ollie newbie , you 'll want to watch this doc like a tony hawk .",
        "if the sign of good documentary is its ability to enthrall you regardless of your prior interest in the subject , then stacy peralta 's hugely entertaining film earns high marks .",
        "energetic and fun film ... the most memorable parts of the movie are all of the editing tricks .",
        "gives a detailed and fascinating picture of the z-boys phenomenon .",
        "does a terrific job of evoking the electric magic of an extraordinary era .",
        "a high-flying kick for anyone who enjoys a good road rash and wind rushing through the hair .",
        "watching dogtown is like discovering a secret history of america .",
        "despite its faults , this is a fascinating look at a subculture .",
        "this flick is about as cool and crowd-pleasing as a documentary can get .",
        "peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the dogtown experience .",
        "the people in dogtown and z-boys are so funny , aggressive and alive , you have to watch them because you ca n't wait to see what they do next .",
        "more than simply a portrait of early extreme sports , this peek into the 1970s skateboard revolution is a skateboard film as social anthropology ...",
        "unless you come in to the film with a skateboard under your arm , you 're going to feel like you were n't invited to the party .",
        "filmmaker stacy peralta has a flashy editing style that does n't always jell with sean penn 's monotone narration , but he respects the material without sentimentalizing it .",
        "the rare and wondrous nonfiction film that transcends its subject to become a thing of beauty in itself , a slice of pop-cultural history that shimmers with life .",
        "a wonderful demonstration of how employing the aesthetic values of a subject can produce a raw , jagged exciting style in cinematic nonfiction .",
        "fascinating .",
        "watch this , and the next time you see the x games or a skateboarding video game commercial , you 'll think of the z-boys and how it all began .",
        "the problem is that peralta wants it all , and that it does n't all add up .",
        "voracious visually , unswerving narratively , and stylistically brave .",
        "the film has an infectious enthusiasm and we 're touched by the film 's conviction that all life centered on that place , that time and that sport .",
        "even if you could n't care less about skateboarding , dogtown and z-boys serves up an intriguing slice of american culture .",
        "exhilarating but blatantly biased .",
        "an account that 's as raw and colorful as the misfits it mythologizes ."],
    "summary": "dogtown and z-boys is a colorful , exhilarating look at the skateboarding subculture .",
    "id": "11563"
  },
  {
    "movie": "that_thing_you_do",
    "reviews":
     [
        "hanks evokes astonishingly precise memories of the time .",
        "light and peppy , this filmmaking debut by tom hanks is as harmless as a puppy dog waiting to be petted .",
        "a romantic romp as sweet and bubbly as a coke float .",
        "tom hanks ' writing-directing debut is a sweet valentine to rock 'n' roll .",
        "it 's concerned with a very general notion of the corrupting nature of stardom , and it does n't push any of its ideas far enough to invite its audience to invest in the issues it raises .",
        "MOV ! is a credible first effort .",
        "... a movie that , like many a pop tune , has a cute idea but a simpleminded lyric .",
        "... is a pleasant film perfect for a brain-dead matinee .",
        "uma hist\u0437ria simples , contada de maneira tamb\u0436m simples , que acaba agradando por suas boas inten\u0443\u0448es .",
        "with its exuberant tempo and danceable beatlesque theme song , MOV will win the hearts of a broad audience .",
        "a simple , rather sweet and uncomplicated , rock and roll fable .",
        "sweet nothing , then , but what would you expect of a rock movie devoted to the drummer ?",
        "mr. hanks 's debut feature , written and directed with delightful good cheer , is rock-and-roll nostalgia presented as pure fizz .",
        "short on substance but long on charm , MOV ! is a lively , entertaining fable about a makeshift rock 'n' roll band that enjoys a brief moment of fame in the summer of 1964 .",
        "an amusing directorial debut by hanks",
        "hanks sacrificed character complexity , but at least some period details are right .",
        "rock on , hanks .",
        "it 's a pleasant little film with a big profile , thanks to tom hanks , who wrote and directed and gave himself a plum role as the band 's hard-nosed manager .",
        "the strange thing is that even though hanks bungles the big moments , he does so many things right with the small moments that it is easy to walk away with a smile .",
        "you will likely leave the theater feeling happy for no particular reason .",
        "... the film has a contagiously exuberant atmosphere , and you 'll most likely leave the theater happily humming the title tune .",
        "has all the qualities you would associate with the most beloved screen actor of the moment : fun , lively , and oh-so-nice .",
        "hanks has good `` thing '' going .",
        "the film definitely does its own thing and often does it well .",
        "hanks ' film is about how all good things come to an end . the important thing is to enjoy it all while it lasts .",
        "it may be too happy and sweet for the cynical crowd , sort of a `` have a nice day '' movie , but if feel good films are your fancy it would be hard to go wrong with this one .",
        "the good old days look good indeed in this movie .",
        "in short , this is a lightweight but utterly loveable affair which proves hanks is as assured behind the camera as in front of it .",
        "in the end , the movie simply clicks . it is a class act all the way .",
        "leaving audiences feeling good is very much , and very successfully , on its mind .",
        "hanks or no hanks this gem of a movie is definitely worth the time .",
        "... nearly everything has incredible , subtle depth and this just make the movie that much more enjoyable .",
        "passable entertainment , but still trite and superficial",
        "in his first effort at directing a feature film , hanks chooses his material wisely and writes it with witty , beguiling charm .",
        "... a larky but observant comedy .",
        "hanks has crafted a highly entertaining film . it 's young cast are all superb",
        "... a brightly entertaining blend of humor and heartbreak about four fresh-faced guys in a band from erie , pa. .",
        "first-time writer/director tom hanks stays about a half-beat ahead of the cliches with rim shots of boyish enthusiasm and deft comedy . the movie 's also buoyed by the title song , whose beatles sound is infectious enough to merit a real hit .",
        "a barely there-tale of rock 'n' roll dreams , driven by the infectious title tune .",
        "though hanks keeps the satirical and critical aspects of this look at show biz fairly light , there 's a lot of conviction and savvy behind the steadiness of his gaze .",
        "whereas dances with wolves was an epic cultural tract , MOV ! is a piece of entertaining bubblegum which , like its director , making his feature directorial debut , is high on charm and style .",
        "a movie as catchy and likable as the title song .",
        "sweet , sleepy take on flash-in-the-pan '60s band .",
        "tom hanks directorial effort is a decent film overall , but nothing that would ever inspire to re-visit again and again with fondness .",
        "` MOV ! ' has an air of nostalgia and likeable characters that make us believe their story and their time , and a strong narrative backbeat to power this light musical comedy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the rise of the wonders is fun to watch , does n't require a lot of probing analysis , and should make a great date movie , especially for boomers .",
        "a sweet , likeable tale of the quick rise to fame and then demise of a small town band . set in 1964 , hanks ' film offers a sanitized , gump-ish look at a mythical period when boys were boys and girls were girls , with no references to the sex-drug subculture",
        "an undeniably delightful film . it makes you smile and want to dance , and -lrb- for better or worse -rrb- it 's titular theme song wo n't leave your head for days .",
        "though hanks does n't serve up much context , he 's solid with details , and the wonders ' performances ring truer than most .",
        "without hauling in a lot of deep meanings , it remembers with great warmth a time and a place .",
        "in this story about the rise and fall of a pre-beatles rock band -- written by , directed by and starring hanks -- his true colors shine ."],
    "summary": "a light , sweet , and thoroughly entertaining debut for director tom hanks , MOV ! makes up in charm what it lacks in complexity .",
    "id": "10233"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bicentennial_man",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV misses the big picture .",
        "a good time .",
        "the film is cute , saccarhine , overlong , at times overbearing ... but not completely unpleasant .",
        "tries to win our hearts without doing much for our brains or our funny bones , and it just does n't work .",
        "relies too heavily on the inconsequential silliness that ensues from the robot 's simplistic and transparent manner of communicating with the more complex and fallible humans .",
        "MOV is crusty , dusty , and musty . metal or flesh-and-bone , robin 's rusty .",
        "it 's a step in the right direction for both its star and maker .",
        "MOV too mushy , heavy-handed .",
        "those who get a catch in the throat just thinking about valentines day might not mind slogging through this epic ... everyone else will emerge from `` bicentennial '' feeling about 200 years older than they were when they went in .",
        "this tin man has a heart , but his movie needs a pulse .",
        "the lack of any real conflict makes MOV seem even longer than it is .",
        "an impuissant and confused movie .",
        "sci-fi fans expecting awesome effects and an interesting vision of the future are bound to be disappointed .",
        "a nice try , but overall , no dice .",
        "like crossing the sahara to get to the water , this film has a lot of dry spells and the prize may not be worth the trip .",
        "this is one tin man with neither heart nor brains .",
        "even though it takes too long to make some of its points , MOV boasts thought-provoking ideas about the nature of humanity , the blessings and curses of emotions and the meaning of mortality .",
        "so coldly calculated it could give you frostbite .",
        "click your red slippers dorothy ; here comes holiday ho-ho-hokum sprinkling with cheer , but devoid of pressing issues , y2k fears , and anything closely resembling controversy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in a perfect world , i would have gotten sick with a stomach virus 45 minutes into this film , ran out of the theater , puked all over the place , and then proceeded to leave with a smile on my face .",
        "the film should please those looking for a somewhat sentimental and clearly different sort of story .",
        "gradually becomes more and more penetrating",
        "canned emotions .",
        "if anyone 's going to animate a machine , it might as well be robin williams .",
        "it 's a bit strange , and strained .",
        "an ambitious tale handled in a dawdling , sentimental way .",
        "an underfunded inventor makes enough snide asides about ` relentlessly unfashionable android technology ' that you half expect williams to start speechifying about the merits of cloning .",
        "there are some impressive special effects , but the picture is more a charming character study than a futuristic adventure .",
        "by relegating the story to a disappointing level of superficiality and never attempting to venture more than skin-deep into some intriguing themes , MOV comes across like recycled , diluted star trek .",
        "a cornball drone of greeting-card sentiment .",
        "almost always convinces and involves the viewer .",
        "MOV 's few simple pleasures ca n't make up for its shallow philosophizing .",
        "but i 'll be darned if , by the end , my heart did n't reach out a bit to andrew as he tried to understand the workings of his own .",
        "MOV 's heart may be synthetic , but it beats strongly , nonetheless .",
        "is it incest or insurrection ?",
        "whatever truly thought-provoking sci-fi or philosophical concepts the original material contained have been watered down to sentimental blandness .",
        "robin williams continues to demand attention .",
        "without a doubt , a manipulative picture . but director chris columbus , schmaltzmeister that he is , makes no bones about it .",
        "one of the greatest features of the film is the realistic aging of its characters .",
        "this film is everything a good film should be .",
        "more a meditation on the nature of life itself than anything else , and a welcome respite from robin williams , the emotion sponge .",
        "part of the deep appeal of this film is its undercurrent of yearning beneath surface ironies .",
        "this movie gives families a good opportunity to talk about what makes us human .",
        "this is n't a perfect movie , but it entertains and touches the heart , and it 's certainly a big step up from patch adams .",
        "a shiny houehold robot becomes an exemplar of the spiritual practice of kindness in this film that must be taken to heart .",
        "the worst kind of movie -- one with no direction , no identity , and above all no heart .",
        "gives up too early in its search to say something authentic .",
        "... nothing but a sappy , shameless , and morbid production that wastes talent and time in a script designed to line the bottom of a bird cage .",
        "lacks urgency .",
        "feels like 200 years of dullness .",
        "you wish that the film unfolded on a more modest scale and in the real world .",
        "mr. williams latches onto every cheap laugh he can find .",
        "columbus ... has a suffocating sense of family values in which all problems are plot-deep and there is no familial crisis ... that ca n't be fixed with a motown sing-along .",
        "MOV has heart , but lacks bite .",
        "the music in MOV is excellent and williams ' performance is heartwarming .",
        "essentially the adventures of pinocchio with a lot of bells and whistles , except that kazan and columbus neglect to give pinocchio any adventures -- or , worse yet , any flaws to grow out of .",
        "williams has lost almost every last ounce of charm on screen .",
        "in addition to its provocative dialogue , MOV features some cute scenes of the future city .",
        "it 's frequently witless and entirely lacks conviction .",
        "a likable movie .",
        "we have a decent little film trying desperately to escape from the vicious grasp of a hokey hollywood formula . as a result , we get a pretty average film .",
        "patiently directed -lrb- occasionally too patiently -rrb- , warm and cuddly , but not the over-the-top kind of comedy we 've come to expect from robin williams .",
        "-lsb- robin william 's -rsb- most grandiose holiday greeting yet .",
        "robin williams cae en el tipo de personaje que ha venido interpretando hasta el cansancio : el del hombre bueno que es todo emociones y que es capaz de llorar amargamente",
        "a male fantasy with artificial intelligence .",
        "the most bland , laughless film to come from the artist formerly known as manic in , well , months .",
        "it 's the tin man without much brain .",
        "it 's one thing to ask an audience to love a mechanical man , but quite another to love a mechanical performance .",
        "best left on the shelf to collect dust .",
        "you long for -lsb- williams -rsb- to break the metal mold , if only for a minute , to remind you that you are watching the best improvisational comedian of this millennium .",
        "becomes a somber , sentimental and rather profound romantic fantasy that is more true to the spirit of the golden age of science-fiction writing than possibly any other movie of the '90s .",
        "columbus lays on the sentimentality thickly , sometimes letting it get in the way of the storytelling . the longer the movie continues , the more overt he becomes in his emotional pandering .",
        "virtually every emotion , motivation , idea , character and plot point in the movie is flat and perfunctory -- except for those that carry the invisible subtitle , ` cry , dammit ! '",
        "MOV is sometimes sweet , but it 's also a phenomenal waste of talent , and a continuation of a williams ' trip down the wrong road .",
        "the film swiftly settles into an unevenly paced , episodic structure , unsure whether it 's a family saga , a sci-fi drama or a children 's comedy .",
        "film about robot who wants to be human is so-so .",
        "... aspires to an almost adult level of seriousness .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is ruined by a bad script and ends up being dull and mawkish .",
    "id": "10593"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bronson",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the `` doing crime for fame '' theme is more than a little played-out , but hardy 's so boisterous -- and refn 's filmmaking so dynamic -- that it 's fairly easy to buy in to the inherent entertainment value of bloody fisticuffs .",
        "refn tells his story in a gripping , genre-breaking way , introducing broad theatricality and surreal animation . in some scenes , peterson delivers monologues in a clown 's whiteface ; in others , we 're in an asylum as mad as its patients .",
        "tom hardy is pure dynamite in the role , beefing up 35 pounds to play britain 's most notorious prisoner .",
        "MOV is an explosive , theatrical , fourth-wall-busting project that will strike some viewers -lrb- like me -rrb- as prodigious and others as unbearably pretentious .",
        "refn films much of the violence in slow motion , accompanied by classical music , which adds impact to the brutality .",
        "a bit like stanley kubrick 's clockwork orange reimagined as a one-man stage show and stripped of any political implications .",
        "an invigorating , refreshingly stylish biopic brimming with dark humor , surrealism and an unforgettable , brave performance by tom hardy .",
        "tom hardy proves more than ready for his close-up , cackling , snarling and head-butting his way through pusher director nicolas winding refn 's mercifully unconventional biopic .",
        "hardy delivers a committed if showy performance , but there are some awful smaller turns which smell dangerously of homophobia . the whole thing made me want to scrub my brain with vim .",
        "hardy 's portrayal is more than a real-life impersonation of MOV ; it realizes the stunt movie opportunity to present an actor 's thoroughly romantic admiration of force .",
        "an unnerving , barking-mad black comedy surveying the fractured mind of `` the most violent prisoner in britain , '' the picture is a divisive beast , shimmying between cracking wise and cracking skulls , often erratically so .",
        "in a film closer to a clockwork orange or blue velvet than to chopper , brutal ultraviolence and arthouse oddity make for an arresting mix , while it is impossible to take your eyes off hardy 's intense serio-comic turn .",
        "-lsb- tom hardy gives -rsb- one of the best performances of the year , maybe . it is certainly one of the most committed .",
        "tom hardy gives a disgustingly excellent performance .",
        "a weird and wonderful anti-biopic",
        "britain 's got talent never looked so good .",
        "MOV does n't have much to say , but it 's a very fun exercise in bad behavior that 's neither glamorized nor bemoaned .",
        "... an anthropological study in human viciousness , like a nature film done by stanley kubrick .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "the movie 's giddy brio can leave you punch-drunk , and oddly unsatisfied .",
        "an overstylized mess , with a brave but pointless performance from tom hardy as a lifelong prisoner who just wants to destroy everything around him , most of all himself .",
        "hardy does an admirable job of making this monster human , which he achieves with surprising wit and a visceral , attention-grabbing passion .",
        "... the film can barely contain tom hardy 's performance . it 's a method turn so bloodily immersive it 's hard to imagine the actor getting his head straight afterwards .",
        "has `` cult hit '' written all over it .",
        "it 's content to be a kind of freak-show character study of a man who embraces anarchy , not for its own sake but for the fame and adrenaline that it brings him .",
        "this is psychotic behavior as performance art , and hardy makes it irresistible .",
        "a stylized portrait of a criminal famous in his native britain as perhaps the most violent man in her majesty 's prison system , MOV serves primarily as a showcase for tom hardy 's undeniably brilliant performance .",
        "strap yourself in for a jaw-dropping performance from tom hardy as he completely inhabits the role of britain 's most notorious prisoner in this highly stylised piece of mischievous cinematic vaudeville .",
        "stylish kick ass sympathetic but revealing biopic of the notorious and pitiful british felon michael gordon peterson .",
        "writer-director nicolas winding refn uses some inventive theatrical interludes and soliloquies to diversify what might have otherwise been a rather one-note depiction of prison life .",
        "the film does a good job of presenting in bloody detail the misdeeds of a misanthrope while italicizing his underdeveloped artistic abilities , but it is obtuse when it comes to character development .",
        "MOV just keeps coming , straight ahead , like a bull charging through the slaughterhouse door .",
        "he 's spent 34 years behind bars , mostly in solitary . when the movie ends , you 'll feel you 've done hard time yourself .",
        "the movie takes on a fearsome purity , refusing to find reasons , indifferent to motives , not even finding causes and effects . it is 92 minutes of rage , acted by tom hardy .",
        "part literate black comedy , part surrealistic character study , part horror movie , MOV is a sophisticated confection , rich and dark , sprinkled with bitter little jokes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "for such a potentially exciting subject matter , MOV hits way too many lulls .",
        "in the end , `` MOV '' is a beautiful , intense film about a man that may or may not be insane , based on events that might actually have occurred in his life .",
        "director and co-writer nicolas winding refn strives mightily to match his star crescendo for crescendo , which can be exhausting . but the film is nimble and spare enough to absorb most of the director 's outr\u00e9 inspirations .",
        "it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s a meditation on the art of rage -- an action painting passing itself off as an action movie .",
        "done differently , the cat-and-mouse brawling could get tiresome , but tom hardy as MOV -- with his shaved head , handlebar moustache , and glittering eyes -- is mesmerizing .",
        "if you want to spend two hours with a psychopath who loves nothing more than getting naked and brawling with prison guards , this is for you . i prefer vintage kurosawa .",
        "hardy chomps down on his once-in-a-career role with stunning ferocity and never lets go . he 's extraordinary .",
        "animalistic",
        "if it 's to be remembered for anything , it will be as the romper stomper to a next generation 's russell crowe .",
        "not among the best movies this year , but arguably the most creative and novel so far .",
        "i. . . found this repulsive ; and the endless brutality of MOV 's so-called art became numbing and tedious .",
        "the kernel of an idea -- brutish antihero as irrepressible life force -- is trampled into dust by the showy sturm und drang of refn 's filmmaking .",
        "kubrick 's a clockwork orange is an easy in for those looking for comparisons in terms of tone and mood and style .",
        "MOV is a fast , ferocious , wickedly funny portrait of one man 's acceptance of his bone-deep animalism .",
        "a kind of second cousin to paolo sorrentino 's `` il divo '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- , `` MOV '' shares that film 's mechanical sense of ambivalent regard for its subject '",
        "like a cross between a clockwork orange and an extended music video ...",
        "tom hardy is just outstanding , actually all the performances are pitch perfect for the material . it 's a class act this film , it just will not appeal to audiences who do n't want to be confronted with violence when they go to the movies .",
        "an example of a film that is , in all likelihood , considerably more intelligent and interesting than its subject .",
        "do n't let tom hardy turn MOV into a caricature of what we expect mad people to be like .",
        "dark , intelligent and disturbing , supported by a force-of-nature lead performance and a clever screenplay .",
        "refn directs as a series of episodes , each set up for maximum weirdness and black humor , always emphasizing large , blocky spaces and fluid motion .",
        "in addition to celebrating violence , this most brutal of biopics is virulently homophobic . and its other disagreeable overtones of pretentiousness and precious fringe-theatricality make it a uniquely gruesome experience .",
        "while i ca n't say MOV is - to lean on a running gag of the movie 's - `` my cuppa tea , '' i ca n't say it is n't art either .",
        "MOV resembles a clockwork orange or jubilee : brutal , arty . tom hardy is exceptional , snarling and uncompromising , alert and always impenetrable . we are not asked to pity MOV , only to spectate at an exhibition of criminal creativity .",
        "a figure this luridly fascinating , a personality this ludicrously outsized , warrants something more than your typical biopic .",
        "nicolas winding refn -lrb- `` the pusher '' trilogy -rrb- takes an experimental approach to the biopic , letting his subject guide the way through his life so far as if it were a piece of performance art .",
        "... not a great film but garners a strong performance from its star -lsb- tom hardy -rsb- .",
        "`` nuffin ' wonky about my upbringing , '' MOV says , early on . nothing wonky about hardy 's performance , either .",
        "hardy 's range is impressive , and he makes refn 's latest an arresting spectacle , if not a particularly enlightening one .",
        "charles MOV seems like a bit of a sweetheart , when he 's not trying to gouge someone 's eyes out .",
        "the tone is surreal , at once visceral and clinical , making MOV an unsettling experience : savage , disturbing , and yet somehow fascinating .",
        "MOV is one of those `` based on a true story '' dramatizations where the theatrically staged drama only gets in the way of the more interesting truth .",
        "a pointless exercise in morbidity .",
        "it 's impossible to deny hardy 's astounding performance , which partially redeems the picture . looking like a mad circus strongman , his moustache seeming to twirl all by itself , he 's so fully immersed in his character , you fear for his sanity .",
        "refn presents this jolly madman in a variety of showbiz fantasies -lrb- wearing clown makeup , addressing a packed theater -rrb- to tease out the weird disjuncture between his penal isolation and his tabloid fame in the uk .",
        "the problem with MOV - and the movie is certainly a problem - is how hard it wants to be a visceral tour de force , and how stunted this objective ends up feeling .",
        "the career of a real-life recidivist hardman gets a highly stylised theatrical treatment , matched by virtuoso direction and a career-making lead performance .",
        "winding refn has created a gripping tale of the institutionalised madness of this violent criminal who relishes in his new found alter ego .",
        "it is a mesmerising performance from tom hardy . but as a study of this man , it did n't interest me at all . i thought it was rather facile .",
        "a determinedly ugly movie , as brutish in its delivery as its subject is brutish in character , MOV fails to offer meaningful insight into the life of a singularly idiotic individual .",
        "gripping and visceral , ugly and beautiful , terrible and haunting , MOV is quite brilliant ."],
    "summary": "undeniably gripping , MOV forces the viewer to make some hard decisions about where the line between art and exploitation lies .",
    "id": "770783965"
  },
  {
    "movie": "around_the_world_in_80_days",
    "reviews":
     [
        "trippy , goofy , and nearly senseless concoction -lsb- is -rsb- one of the more entertaining cases of ` what-in-the-heck ? ' out there .",
        "amiably dorky redo .",
        "jackie chan ... is undermined by the film 's lack of direction .",
        "the heart and soul of it , the story and the casting , are a complete mess .",
        "it 's ironic that this film is less about traveling and more about beating the crap out of people all over the world .",
        "i was amazed at how little actually happens for a movie with so much action .",
        "mildly amusing jackie chan adventure .",
        "this purely satirical version sometimes works , and sometimes does n't .",
        "... just another adventure comedy built around jackie chan , this time with verne 's travelogue tenuously holding the action scenes together .",
        "... fogg essentially winds up playing second-banana to passepartout - a disastrous choice that simply does not work .",
        "se eu fosse descendente de verne processaria os produtores desta adapta\u0437\u0433o pavorosa por mancharem o nome da fam\u043dlia ao inclu\u043d-lo nos cr\u0439ditos iniciais .",
        "... a pleasing mix of martial arts and madcap comedy , with a string of big-name cameos thrown in for good measure .",
        "jackie chan stars in this fast paced remake of the famous jules verne story .",
        "the gargantuanly funny performance of jim broadbent as a deliciously greedy , quill-whipping maniac is worth the admission ticket alone .",
        "it was exactly what i expected and that 's something i did n't really want to see .",
        "it 's not as classic as the novel .",
        "this live action cartoon creates a world that has nothing to do with the real one , so it can be as exaggerated as it wants to be without getting lost in earthbound details .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- feeble and flighty excuse for family fare . it 's too bad that this inflated romp does n't have the intended impact of a jackie chan animated chop to the head .",
        "only a devotee of the original film or a hardcore sourpuss could find serious fault with this world romp .",
        "MOV is never as delightful and silly as it needs to be .",
        "this is something slightly different , but only because it 's offensive at so many levels .",
        "consists almost entirely of people falling down and/or being hit on the head .",
        "... conviendra peut-\u0119tre aux tr\u010ds jeunes enfants alors que les parents voudront certainement passer leur tour .",
        "-lrb- owes -rrb- more to verne ` mini me ' troyer than author jules verne .",
        "despite the rush to get everyone from place to place , director frank coraci luxuriates in colorful visual detail and gives the locals their due .",
        "coraci makes every location -- london , paris , istanbul , wherever -- feel like the same cheap backlot , and has trouble getting laughs out of the most surefire jokes .",
        "it 's fairly fast , zips some good zingers at the audience through steve coogan , and is just the sort of instantly forgettable fun parents can have with their kids .",
        "there 's a disturbing savagery amidst the cotton-candy fluff and crayola colors ... the cruel mirth with which the film distributes its comic violence ...",
        "the feat of making it MOV seems all too simple . it 's getting through the movie that 's difficult .",
        "even the 1989 made-for-tv version starring pierce brosnan possessed more spark and steam than this lazy , lackluster take .",
        "MOV is like eating a candy bar -- loaded with empty calories but also light and fluffy with a sweet jackie chan in the center .",
        "if director frank coraci wanted to rehash rush hour 2 and shanghai knights , was there any need to drag jules verne into it ?",
        "days represents everything that over-budgeted hollywood can possibly get wrong in a period piece .",
        "... chan 's random kung-fu sequences feel like just another plate spinning in the air .",
        "a colorful , fast-paced , and enjoyably old-fashioned adventure comedy .",
        "the gags are physical but rarely funny .",
        "devoid of genuine wit , urgency or suspense .",
        "a colorful disappointment .",
        "works more often than it does n't .",
        "jackie chan 's colorful fight during a visit to an art gallery in paris is one of his best .",
        "modest kid fare guaranteed not to make you think .",
        "spends about an hour getting past its casting and screenwriting hurdles before finally settling into an even , enjoyable pace . that first hour , though : man . it 's pure death .",
        "jackie is great , his choreography flawless , his comic timing spot on , but he 's doing it in the wrong film .",
        "compared to the torture of sitting through garfield , this ... is a family movie that is the perfect summer distraction .",
        "hackneyed is one thing ; embarrassing is another ... but if you 're enough of a fan to see it for the action and only for the action , it 's worth your while .",
        "a leaden excuse for family entertainment .",
        "plays like a listless '60s overseas co-production .",
        "this second bigscreen version of jules verne 's 1873 novel takes plenty of liberties with the material and never generates much genuine excitement , but provides an agreeable ride without overloading it with contemporary filmmaking mannerisms .",
        "has that cheesy , chintzy mid-florida feel that we all know and love , despite its $ 110 million budget .",
        "i do n't know why they call it MOV . watching it feels like it takes only five , maybe six days .",
        "jules verne is rotating in his grave worrying about his other works ripe for plucking from the public domain .",
        "feel -lsb- s -rsb- like a future ride at the magic kingdom .",
        "a journey worth taking .",
        "offers only snooze-worthy action scenes .",
        "a two-hour version of the jules verne story that is only intermittently fun , despite lavish expenditures on cgi and stunt work .",
        "wonderful family escapist entertainment .",
        "if you 've remained a chan fan despite the action hero 's obvious concessions to age and you 've enjoyed his recent family-style films , ` MOV ' will entertain you ... most other people , however , may want to make different travel plans .",
        "properly silly and slapsticky .",
        "an energetic and enormously good-natured family movie .",
        "the world already knows about jackie chan . but thanks to this irreverent remake , british actor steve googan appears set to become an international movie star .",
        "this $ 110-million fiasco is the sort of movie that gives family entertainment a bad name .",
        "plays like a suicide note : full of references to past glories , past fight scenes played at half-speed , and an implacable patina of obliterating self-pity .",
        "as he hit the long home stretch , i could n't help but wish that fogg had managed to shave a week or two off his itinerary .",
        "it 's as though the crew is traveling through an oversize , even more irritating version of disney 's it 's a small world .",
        "see it if you 're looking for an excuse to sit in an air-conditioned theater for two hours",
        "a flawed reworking of the jules verne classic that runs out of creative energy early in the story and relies too heavily on tiresome martial arts sequences",
        "is it any wonder -lsb- chan -rsb- is aching for something different ?",
        "this comedy is billed as being ` based on the novel by jules verne , ' but ` suggested by ' or ` borrowing the title and character names of ' would be more accurate .",
        "it 's light as a fly , but springs some genuinely funny moments .",
        "a peppy , fast-moving , wafer-thin amusement that 's fine for kids if you do n't mind a lot of three stooges-style martial arts . for grown-ups , it 's the equivalent of a 59-cent tin globe .",
        "the colors , costumes , and sets showed that disney has n't lost all of its magic yet .",
        "to say that all this is painfully contrived is to suggest that verne 's tale was n't , but at least the novel had some tension .",
        "as the tourist on a time budget , the usually brilliant coogan merely mugs and flails ... while he and able straight man chan enjoy scant opportunity to develop any comic rapport .",
        "wholesome for the most part , this rich robust family film -lrb- with the flair of yesteryear -rrb- clips along fast . it plants a smile on your face that lasts for the duration .",
        "coraci belongs to a hollywood faction that believes children wo n't be entertained unless a movie pushes them to the edge of hyperventilation .",
        "seeing this movie is like being seasick on your cruise to the bahamas - you 're going to see some cool things , but it 's an adventure without a lot of laughs .",
        "verne might have a hard time recognizing his source material , but it 's easy to forgive the many liberties taken in this funny , fleet-footed summer-matinee romp .",
        "sure , it 's silly , but at least it knows that it 's silly and runs with it .",
        "this comic riff on the verne classic loses altitude as it proceeds , closing with a crash landing in more ways than one .",
        "MOV is modestly diverting summer fare , but at about the halfway mark you 're going to start wondering , ` are we there yet ? '",
        "the modern-day equivalent of the cannonball run .",
        "completely mediocre .",
        "one of the lamest remakes of a classic film i 've ever seen .",
        "solid family entertainment that alternates plenty of laughs with plenty of adventure .",
        "this new , family-friendly adaptation of jules verne 's novel can hardly be called a travesty . but it ca n't be called a very good movie , either .",
        "the major problem with around the world is that there 's just not quite enough chan , or at least the chan we want to see , which is the acrobatic clown .",
        "passes the parental test in that it has wit , is cinemagraphically loaded with scenic eye candy and moves along at an energetic enough pace to keep seat-squirming to a minumum .",
        "despite all the audience-pleasing laughs and derring-do , it fails to take us anywhere we have n't been before .",
        "a total hack job .",
        "chan seems tired , even distracted , impatient to get it all over with . i was , too .",
        "it 's yucky .",
        "this flick attempts to take its audience across the entire spectrum of hollywood genres in 80 minutes -lrb- give or take a few -rrb- ... bad idea .",
        "the end result is about as thrilling as spending those 80 days stuck in cary , illinois with a broken axle .",
        "a waste of time .",
        "silly and energetic ... it 's pure fluff , but it 's cute .",
        "the first american jackie chan movie that does n't make fun of him , that lets him be the cool guy .",
        "mayhem substitutes for wit .",
        "an unexpectedly buoyant spectacular .",
        "any resemblance between jules verne 's marvelous science fiction novel or mike todd 's enjoyable 1956 movie is pure happenstance .",
        "plays like a three stooges travelogue .",
        "a dead-on-arrival movie idea .",
        "anyone who has not seen the original movie will wonder why chan is gadding about in the bowler derby of an english valet , and anyone who has seen the cantinflas version most likely will long for the real thing .",
        "not even chan 's imaginative fight choreography redeems this folly .",
        "the movie equivalent of a mustache scrawled on the mona lisa .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- sweeping adventure tale just left of center , a family entertainment with sprinklings of offbeat humor",
        "a satisfying slice of old-fashioned storybook entertainment .",
        "if -lsb- verne -rsb- saw the movie with youngsters , he 'd appreciate how much they enjoyed it .",
        "except for little kids and relatives of the cast , there 's not much appeal to this numbing remake .",
        "basically an excuse to give jackie chan a hundred different places to beat people up .",
        "we should consider ourselves lucky his film does n't run the three hours that its predecessor did",
        "you may be pleasantly surprised by just how good this remake of the jules verne classic really is .",
        "director frank coraci plays fast and loose with jules verne 's classic tome MOV , but his adaptation never runs out of gas .",
        "the style of humor - with its forced high jinks and pathetic attempts at farce - is so aggressively outrageous that it ultimately becomes abusive to the audience .",
        "all my critical faculties tell me i should n't recommend it . but when i think of how often it i grinned -lrb- once a minute -rrb- and how often i checked my watch -lrb- never -rrb- , i give up .",
        "the absolutely scariest scene in MOV features arnold schwarzenegger .",
        "once it settles down , 80 days becomes a pretty enjoyable comic-action romp that 's ultimately twice as much fun as a lot of technically better movies i could name .",
        "jackie chan is in a tiny tub with a man . again .",
        "true to walt 's original vision for walt disney pictures ... you can taste the corniness .",
        "everything about this production seems tired .",
        "phony , unfunny family entertainment ... packs in almost every racial and cultural stereotype in the world .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "hit-and-miss family fare that bares only the slightest resemblance to verne 's novel .",
    "id": "11425"
  },
  {
    "movie": "three_burials_of_melquiades_estrada",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film works on three levels : as a visually appealing modern southwestern saga , as an old-fashioned cowboy story , and as a compelling , slightly troubling look at modern ideas superimposed against an old-fashioned lifestyle .",
        "like richard farnsworth , l. q. jones or even steve mcqueen in his later performances , jones ' world-weary western masculinity transcends `` movie acting . ''",
        "if you 've seen and loved lone star , you will not want to miss this similar character study and mystery .",
        "a beguiling and fast-paced tex-mex western saga of transcendent meaning and beauty",
        "tommy lee jones makes a sure-handed feature directing debut and gives one of the best performances of his career .",
        "crash by way of cormac mccarthy .",
        "what , exactly , is the devil in mr. jones ?",
        "tommy lee jones ' feature directorial debut is probably much as you 'd expect : a blast of nostalgia that nonetheless accepts the realities of modernity",
        "begins deep in peckinpah territory , but soon forges its own unique , queerly beautiful path ... a masterpiece , flat out .",
        "at times , burials seems to be arguing that ` civilization ' is a joke and that we 're kidding ourselves if we think we believe the world makes sense .",
        "a parable , buddy movie , western myth and road movie all rolled into one % u2013 one excellent one",
        "the MOV features some solid , if not spectacular , performances , as well as a bizarre and dark sense of humor -- which come in handy when the film starts meandering and runs out of steam .",
        "burials barely has one plot : grizzled texas cowhand pete perkins -lrb- tommy lee jones -rrb- wants to give his pal proper internment in mexico and make his killer pay .",
        "with all due respect to that important , quasi-controversial , most-honored film of last year , this is the best western of 2005 .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- long , kooky , immensely absorbing picture , which forges the elegiac cruelty of a cormac mccarthy novel with the two-fisted machismo of a sam peckinpah movie , and comes up with an altogether new brand of western mythology .",
        "that burials works on multiple levels makes it great , and the fact that it 's great says a lot about -lsb- director-star tommy lee -rsb- jones .",
        "in true peckinpah fashion , the harsh , involving three burials showcases lawlessness , heartlessness and gallows humor on the frontier . but this modern western 's prevailing themes are propriety and friendship .",
        "funny , tough , filled with cut-to-the-bone moments and bleached in the heat of the texas sun , the MOV is a movie that sears itself into the viewer with uncompromising vision and stark approach .",
        "it boasts genuinely and uniformly fine performances -- a credit to jones the director and the actor , as well as his costars -- some stunning cinematography by the great chris menges and a uncompromising script by -lsb- guillermo -rsb- arriaga .",
        "sam peckinpah is no longer with us to stir up south-of-the-border madness , but tommy lee jones has taken over the franchise .",
        "tommy lee jones ' directorial debut is an extraordinarily complex , robust tale . deceptively , it looks like a violent modern western but the undercurrents and intelligence behind the story elevate this to art .",
        "this is n't a film that demands to be enjoyed in order to be remembered -- one way or the other , it will stick with you .",
        "`` the MOV '' is rugged and quiet , absurd and humourous .",
        "the film is finally more successful in bits and pieces than as a whole .",
        "the sweep and classic themes of the MOV make it a rare modern western , and a good one , too .",
        "strong characters that nurse us over rugged horse paths and through craggy nooks",
        "this is a modest , low-budget , and low-key film but jones shows a sure hand and real directing power with handling his actors .",
        "it 's a scorching journey alongside stubborn fools like us as they stumble awkwardly toward grace , or run headlong in the other direction until the wages of sin catch up with them .",
        "jones ' theatrical directorial debut is imbued with all the intensity , compassion , fierceness and sly humor that mark the actor 's best performances",
        "do n't let the near-impossible-to-remember title keep you away from this singular and slightly surreal tommy lee jones scorcher .",
        "i wanted to scream at the screen , ` just bury him and be done with it ! '",
        "without the wise and well-crafted words of screenwriter guillermo arriaga , it 's just so much posturing .",
        "wily , sad , funny , and full of life .",
        "a satisfying little morality play about prejudice and responsibility .",
        "the MOV can at least rest on its laurels from cannes .",
        "among the movie 's many grim figures , mel 's decaying corpse -lrb- badly preserved with anti-freeze -rrb- serves as metaphor and reality , an occasion for respect and the limit of legend . % u2014 9 february 2006",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- echoes in its weary bones end-of-the-west films by the likes of sam peckinpah , john ford and clint eastwood .",
        "may not be a perfectly polished diamond , but it is one treasure worth digging up .",
        "jones holds it all together like old chaps glued by sweat , and if you want a modern offshoot of the western even beyond the risks of brokeback mountain , here it is .",
        "gives us little information about pete and mequiades , but plenty about the loathsome border patrol guy .",
        "while compelling in its own right , three burials is more an homage to a past master than an original work .",
        "exerts considerable , groggy power",
        "tommy lee himself must be mentioned , as he pulls a nuanced role with a craggy , sunburnt face that 's impressive to behold . he 's at the top of his game in this flick , all the more remarkable as he 's literally wearing many hats on the production .",
        "in the MOV , there is heartbreak , loss , and adultery , all of it general and all of it far more affecting than any self-righteous ethics or anachronistic western codes .",
        "an offbeat , tonal take on the western , tommy lee jones ' the MOV is best described as soulful and creative , if scattered and overambitious .",
        "a stunningly offbeat and finely controlled directorial debut .",
        "the MOV is a spiritual exploration so profound and complex that it 's impossible to take it all in with one viewing .",
        "part character study , part peckinpah-esque border western , part mystic epic , three burials traverses its uncharted territories with a humour and humanity that lighten the burden of its sadness .",
        "breathtaking tableaus , colorful characters , and a moving message about redemption end up overshadowed by wanton insanity one might normally associate with a sadistic snuff film .",
        "i 'm afraid that this small but potent film may be lost in the shuffle and be pushed to the wayside by the big guys on the block .",
        "three burials is just a cluster of symbols , and what they symbolize is this : a director who has seen too many european art films .",
        "one of those offbeat dramas that would never have gotten produced without the clout of a major star behind it . ... a challenging , unpredictable film that never allows the audience to get too comfortable .",
        "like most westerns , the action is slow and the dialogue slower , but that only helps to ratchet up the drama .",
        "it 's worth a wary look before it attains midnight cult-movie status .",
        "has a type of quiet grace that 's out of step and perhaps out of style with modern hollywood convention .",
        "tommy lee jones has crafted a modern western worthy of peckinpah with a message of racial understanding that 's as relevant -lrb- and subversive -rrb- as anything you 'll find in movies today .",
        "ignore the rotten title ; make jones -lrb- and yourself -rrb- happy -- see this movie .",
        "a seriously promising directorial debut from an already great actor .",
        "few films have ever captured the feel of the desert southwest better than tommy lee jones ' the MOV .",
        "as ` brokeback mountain ' and now ` burials ' demonstrate , filmmakers continue to find usefulness and meaning in the mythology and iconography of that most american -lrb- and masculine -rrb- of self-critiques , the western .",
        "jones gives himself the plum role , not out of vanity but to do justice to arriaga 's story . ... the only actor capable of playing a man like perkins is tommy lee jones .",
        "the strange odyssey that ... forms the heart of the movie covers emotional terrain as stark yet as varied as the borderlands themselves .",
        "by turns brutal and sadistic , humorous and moralistic , jones weaves a tale that has the moral heft of a fable and the gritty realism of 1970s cinema .",
        "tommy lee jones ' big-screen directorial debut might not be the easiest film to watch , but its payoff makes it one of the better trips to the movies of the past year .",
        "a brooding , narratively brusque tale of the modern west , as unvarnished and stripped of pretense as bones bleached by sun , wind and drifting sand .",
        "three burials is a film with a lot on its mind , but it succeeds best when it leaves ideas behind and focuses on simple beauty .",
        "... a smart and beautiful movie that touches on the nature of borders , actual and mythic .",
        "as a vision of the american west and the wide country around it , tommy lee jones 's western strikes both fresh and familiar chords , most of them pleasingly dissonant .",
        "takes the finale of lonesome dove to new levels with his directorial debut ; a poetic tribute to a dying breed and a peckinpahesque examination of friendship and kept promises .",
        "tommy lee jones makes the year 's most assured directorial debut .",
        "jones carries pete 's weight of grief but without betraying the character 's emotional impenetrability or slack conscience .",
        "a small movie that plays like a western epic .",
        "a well-structured and literate yarn that employs the classic qualities of older films with a simplicity and sincerity that makes them fresh again .",
        "the MOV may not be a love story per se , but it is , for my money , the most deeply affecting portrait of cowboy camaraderie to be found on movie screens this season .",
        "jones handles his fellow actors well , drawing a hard , anguished performance from pepper and allowing january jones -lrb- no relation -rrb- to bring a touching vulnerability to mike 's bored , vapid , baby-doll wife .",
        "incisive yet supple , wrenching yet deeply pleasurable , the MOV easily ranks among the year 's best pictures .",
        "a smug lesson posing as a peckinpah deathfest .",
        "it is a brave look at the distortions created when an international border bisects what natural law intended to be a cultural melting pot .",
        "the MOV tells the kind of story that john huston or sam peckinpah might have wanted to film .",
        "it 's a disorganized journey of redemption and a wandering study of prejudice and promises .",
        "the acting is so good throughout , and texas native jones does such a sharp , unforced job of directing a story dear to his geographical and spiritual heart , the three burials is the rare film that gets better and better as it goes .",
        "-lsb- jones has made -rsb- a rugged modern-day western that evokes the spirit of sam peckinpah -- and reinvents it through his own perspective .",
        "... the most impressive directorial debut the american cinema has seen in some time , a contemporary western both rough and poetic , laconic and passionate .",
        "melquiades ... is meant to function as some sort of potent symbol , but ` three burials ' is too oblique to give his presence -- buried or otherwise -- much significance .",
        "when it stays on track , the MOV turns into a thing of musty beauty .",
        "jones , screenwriter guillermo arriaga and a crew blessed with pristine vision have delivered a tale of friendship and ethics worthy of greek tragedy .",
        "tommy lee jones makes his feature directing debut here , and the film is as weathered , subtle , and sympathetic as the actor 's own face .",
        "this is the real deal , kids .",
        "fascinating road-and-buddy adventure story on the tex-mex border .",
        "three burials is finally a little smug -- jones , despite a best actor nod at cannes , undergoes no ethan edwards corruption-of-the-soul , no ambivalence , no ordeal by rectitude .",
        "ultimately affirms the value of all humans , privileged and poor , good and evil , all of us -- and that 's quite an achievement",
        "... hurt by an overlong running time ...",
        "my enthusiasm for the MOV knows no bounds .",
        "sam peckinpah lives !",
        "an excruciatingly boring morality tale with poorly developed characters and a big spiritual finale that sputters .",
        "tommy lee jones ' bracing bigscreen directorial debut , which copped acting and writing awards from the cannes film festival jury , connects with both the head and the heart .",
        "the helmer 's subtle work with his excellent cast and chris menges ' widescreen vistas of merciless west texas landscapes help to temper the story 's excesses .",
        "a loose , generous , funky little oater with a deliciously ghoulish sense of humor , it 's probably the sweetest movie i 've ever seen about taking a road trip with a rotting corpse .",
        "for a movie about the policing of borders , could n't this one have maintained a firmer one , between credulity and incredulity ? between seriousness and self-seriousness ?",
        "part homer , part dante , set on the texas/mexican border .",
        "new filmmakers are often told `` do n't mistake motion for action . '' this is why .",
        "three burials still reaches the kind of pungency it seems to be seeking , and it touches on issues of alienation and distance very relevant to the reality of countless migrants .",
        "all this edginess , combined with the grandeur and sweep of a classic western , demonstrates that jones clearly knows how to tell a story -- and how to confound us at the same time .",
        "as satire , the MOV is n't funny or illuminating , and as a drama it has only a few scattered moments .",
        "jones , directing his first feature , finds the right note in every scene , bringing arriaga 's elegant cipher to life .",
        "a wry and sometimes alarming contemporary western .",
        "behind the hype lies a banal morality tale told in needlessly jumbled flashbacks and gorged with gruesome atrocities out of a sam peckinpah flick .",
        "jones displays a firm hand at the helm -- you sense that he is well within his comfort zone in this environment -- and performances including his own are lively and convincing .",
        "a revenge western that will do peckinpah and eastwood proud , this is a morality tale with political overtones about the culture clash between white americans and mexicans",
        "... a beautifully crafted and original piece of work . hats off to mr. jones .",
        "worth seeing as a hickory-smoke tale of contrition and redemption .",
        "a beautifully written and acted mini-epic about life and death , although it might be somewhat enigmatic for many viewers .",
        "this , despite the brutality and diversions -lsb- two of the most boring sex scenes this year -rsb- , this is well worth a look .",
        "believable performances , excellent cinematography , and it is mixed with little oddities and humor that keep it from being overly oppressive .",
        "a literally slow-moving western that plays out as laboriously as its title .",
        "a simple , rugged tale about friendship , loyalty , keeping your word , and the importance of human life . it 's also a must see .",
        "what does a masterpiece look like ? like the MOV , one of the best movies of the decade so far .",
        "a simple , stoic , well-structured contemporary western that brings a humanist point of view to bigger issues .",
        "tommy lee jones ' stirring and deeply felt three burials proves one thing : sometimes the most compelling films are the ones closest to the heart .",
        "beautiful , authentic and brutally observant of human nature .",
        "a satire that touches deeply even as it amuses so richly .",
        "the essentially sanctified melquiades ... is the least developed character ... jones and arriaga instead focus on the redemption of estrada 's white neighbors .",
        "a fotografia ressalta a secura e o aspecto rochoso das loca\u0443\u0448es como forma de estabelecer uma met\u0440fora visual da pr\u0437pria exist\u0436ncia daquelas pessoas retratadas pelo roteiro .",
        "intriguingly structured , beautifully shot and superbly acted western - this is one of the highlights of the year .",
        "this gripping film about real people is well-worth excavating .",
        "they say good things come in threes : burials , for one , and tommy lee jones -lrb- for another -rrb- .",
        "you owe it to yourself to saddle up with them .",
        "a stiff shows up with gruesome repetition in the MOV , and some will be surprised to learn that it is n't tommy lee jones ' former college roommate , al gore .",
        "it attempts to cover a lot of territory just like the american border patrol in texas , but its results are mixed , perhaps , not unlike the border patrol .",
        "the film skitters along the lives of sad people in low places .",
        "a messy drama that digs up a made-to-order villain -lrb- the racist u.s. authorities -rrb- and a dead hero -lrb- an illegal mexican immigrant -rrb- ... jones doubles-back on the story repeatedly , running roughshod over his characters to shovel in his political points .",
        "a safe , satisfying drama steeped in classic notions of loyalty and friendship ."],
    "summary": "tommy lee jones ' directorial debut is both a potent western and a powerful morality tale .",
    "id": "24222"
  },
  {
    "movie": "paranorman",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it is a herculean task to create a stop-motion film like MOV , so it 's too bad the story and the characters in this adventure tale are so weak .",
        "the movie has its moments of dark whimsy and cheeky wit , but most of what it has is body parts .",
        "one of the most original films of the year .",
        "the main plot - about combating a witch 's curse - is less fun than the gothic gags on the margins .",
        "it 's an engaging entertainment , with a solidly constructed storyline .",
        "MOV confirms that laika is an animation studio worth watching out for . as with coraline , they 've crafted a film that truly respects its young audience",
        "anyone who 's robust enough to enjoy roald dahl will surely appreciate MOV 's playfully pg undead action .",
        "an exceptional amblin film made for that slightly weird kid with the nightmare before christmas lunch-box and the disconnected snark .",
        "there 's no meat on the bone of this skeleton . witty and fast-paced , sure , but the film lacks substance .",
        "a few decent gags are not enough to keep this 3d stop-motion film alive .",
        "tweens , rather than children , will savour its snarky bite , although like the shambling on-screen cadavers , the story needed a bit more meat on its bones .",
        "it 's fun but a light on plot and not quite funny enough .",
        "unlike the polished universe of pixar 's `` brave '' or countless other recent cgi efforts , `` MOV '' maintains a delicate , handcrafted look that underscores its ideas .",
        "solid storytelling , clever humor and incredible craftsmanship and animation skills puts MOV a few steps above the normal kid-friendly fare .",
        "a striking marriage of form and content .",
        "-lsb- while MOV -rsb- takes stop-motion animation to an entirely new level ... on -lsb- the -rsb- surface -lsb- it 's -rsb- a beautiful piece of work that 's -lsb- actually -rsb- rotten at its core .",
        "it 's creepy , it 's funny and in spite of its weirdness it resonates with those of us doomed to live our own lives in the real world .",
        "not only the best animated film of 2012 by a large margin but it 's better than anything that came out last year as well .",
        "i certainly would n't go so far as to call it a bad movie , it 's just a movie that could have used a little improvement in the story department .",
        "gorgeously animated and beautifully designed , this is an entertaining adventure with strong characters , a handful of very funny gags and an important central message ...",
        "like monster house , this animated feature taps into horror movie history to tell a story that 's both genuinely creepy and a lot of fun",
        "co-directors sam fell and chris butler will please a broad crowd , striking a consistent balance between morbid slapstick and fabulously droll wit .",
        "it 's rather gross in parts and a bit scary , but kids aged about eight and up will love its dark , ingenious humour and impressive stop-motion animation .",
        "ghoulish ? yes . funny ? you bet .",
        "the result is never dull , does n't overplay the peril , and respects the art of stop-motion so there is always something interesting going on visually .",
        "ingenious and wonderfully detailed , though better in its imaginative horror than its slightly too-broad comic knockabout .",
        "unequivocally original with breathtaking stop-motion animation -lrb- stay to the end of the credits for a very brief demo of norman 's creation -rrb- , `` MOV '' is easily the best animated film of the year .",
        "gorgeous animation and inspired set design help patch over a lacklustre script .",
        "comically macabre and beautifully intricate ... destined to become a halloween perennial .",
        "it 's as slow as a corpse , and half as interesting .",
        "it has its entertaining moments , but this paranormal stop-motion animated comedy-chiller cries out for more activity .",
        "few movies so taken with death have felt so rudely alive as MOV , the latest handcrafted marvel from the stop-motion artists at laika .",
        "i love that in a summer where some of the biggest and most hyped films have disappointed , a small under-the-radar charmer like ` MOV ' has the ability to surprise completely .",
        "MOV is one of the best films of the year , animated or not .",
        "the story may be thin , but the project , a feat of stop-motion animation , is made with generous care by the same impressive laika studio artists who conjured up the gorgeous coraline .",
        "as a summer movie for the kids : protect your progeny . nightmares and bedwetting are bad . but teaching your kids to take death casually is just bad parenting .",
        "MOV , despite some uninspired trailers , is exactly what it wants to be - a family movie that does n't pander , pushing boundaries without being inappropriate .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- fans of aardman 's handcrafted style of animation will find much to enjoy in this wonderfully stylized stop-motion comedy-horror-thriller ...",
        "the tagline for the film reads `` you do n't become a hero by being normal , '' and the film mostly lives up to that assertion , but only up to a point .",
        "films like this are few and far between - emotional , exciting , and endearing .",
        "the impoverished story line and murky amber tone make for a slightly depressing experience .",
        "stories about real heroes of this kind are very rare in movies today , but this is one of those rare stories , and it is to be cherished .",
        "MOV has a unique look that 's equal parts old school and cutting edge .",
        "incredible animation unfortunately paired with a preachy , recycled story and unpleasant character design .",
        "good stop action animation but the storyline and characters all have a been there done that feel .",
        "... contains an appealing hero for kids and provides a nostalgic kick for adults .",
        "a sumptuously rendered and freakishly fun monster story for kids that should have been saved for halloween .",
        "the film avoids the pandering of many animated features , bringing an acerbic edge and a thrilling intelligence to its story .",
        "quite probably the most sophisticated stop-motion feature ever made .",
        "rankin/bass never made me feel so detached .",
        "... if you 're any kind of animation or graphic art fiend or even mild enthusiast , the visuals are sure to stagger you . MOV is an extrasensory delight for sure .",
        "with infinite warmth toward its characters , whip-smart humor and a plea for human compassion that feels especially necessary these days , MOV is a movie worth wrapping yourself up in",
        "as beautifully crafted as any pixar or aardman picture and as funny and emotionally satisfying as the best of them ... another laika triumph .",
        "new supernatural tale from the stop-motion studio behind coraline is a rollicking good time until its jarringly somber and earnest final act .",
        "truly , this is one animated film that would work just as well as a live-action movie .",
        "animation is stunning ... voice cast would n't need to be stellar if the writing were better . instead , film climaxes with a lengthy sermon on the psychology of bullying . whee !",
        "in any given year , it would stand as a lovingly crafted animated endeavor made up of equal parts creepiness and caring , mercifully spare in its use of potty humor and pop-culture references . in 2012 , it ranks as one of the year 's best .",
        "an animated marvel ... oscar worthy .",
        "this is the kind of grim fairy tale , equal parts midnight-movie macabre and family-round-the-hearth compassionate , that scars in all the right ways .",
        "butler called it `` john carpenter meets john hughes , '' and that does just about sum MOV up , though the actual math still feels a little fuzzy .",
        "a genuine emotional core at the heart of this glum young outsider 's world . especially as to just how otherworldly adults can seem in a solidly cartoonish universe from the ground up , and all those magnified bulging bellies and backsides surrounding him .",
        "an inventive and visually engaging melange of coraline , monster house and a nightmare before christmas that , its own small way , is also a salvo against modern-day sociocultural nastiness .",
        "might be described as the little brother of its predecessor from 2009 , ` coraline . ' it 's ruder , rowdier , somewhat dumber and a good deal more gross and obvious than its sister ; but smarter and more likable than the average movie .",
        "balances visual wit and genre reification with genuine pathos and generous humor",
        "i appreciate any flick that so capably merges survival horror with throwbacks to '50s b-movies .",
        "comes so damned close to perfection that many will be willing to overlook its obvious flaws . and that 's great .",
        "the look of the film is great , and the anti-bullying message works . this would be a fantastic introduction to scary movies for the kids .",
        "`` MOV '' took a huge risk on a scarier concept , and it paid off enormously .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- clear-headed and touching film about finding your own purpose , accepting others as they are and , most importantly , forgiveness .",
        "MOV is created with stop-motion animation rather than computer animation , and so it has a much warmer more organic feel ... it 's almost as if the textures and tone make the story spookier .",
        "it 's filled with clever detail , both old-school and state-of-the-art .",
        "butler and fell are diehard fans of the horror genre and they have peppered the film with an endless array of subtle homages and gags .",
        "what works about `` MOV '' is its subtle interweave of the stoical and the heroic .",
        "`` MOV '' is brilliantly animated with an amazing cast and clever writing . it 's the animated film horror fans have been waiting for and the one `` frankenweenie '' is probably aiming to be .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it delivers a potent , multipronged fable that touches on meaty themes , from bullying to dealing with death . it also delivers an especially resonant message about not succumbing to a cult of fear .",
        "though the narrative is slender , the stop-motion animation is impressive and the concept of a small-town hero original .",
        "clever and sweet , funny and spooky ... the best animated movie since toy story 3 .",
        "the quick-witted script and visual puns -lrb- check out norman 's bedroom -rrb- make this a zombie movie for kids , but one parents can enjoy .",
        "gleefully twisted fairytale about a small medium with large problems . if only the script were as deeply textured as the beautiful stop-motion animation .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- darkly charming , at times forlorn , snarky little movie that both kids and their wised-up parents will love .",
        "it 's a major studio release with the charm and personality of a hand-crafted art project .",
        "beautifully rendered in 3-d stop-motion animation , the film combines ghoulishness and hilarity in a way that suggests evil dead 2 for the nickelodeon set .",
        "visually vibrant animation and terrific use of 3-d .",
        "if it stumbles a bit , it 's during an ending where the movie over-explains its themes , but that ending is also surprisingly emotional - and the multimedia animation technique and subtle use of 3d are pretty remarkable .",
        "in the wake of toon hits like brave and the ice age & madagascar sequels , this charming and often very funny piece is bound to get lost in the crowd . but in the chance it makes it to blu-ray/dvd by halloween , it 's a sound choice to pop into the player .",
        "the results are breathtakingly chilling , but it 's easy to wonder what heights MOV could have reached by doing one thing that well throughout , instead of 10 things at once , haphazardly .",
        "spooky story about an adolescent medium 's morbid `` sixth-sense '' encounters ... perhaps it should be pg-10 , not pg .",
        "a smart , contemporary monster movie that does n't talk down to its young or adult audience .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he animation is divine . highly detailed , purposefully designed , imaginatively executed , it is more vivid that reality itself , delighting in imperfections and sight-gags while also attaining heights of pure terror and from the most unexpected sources",
        "the script is smartly written , offering plenty of loving jabs to the horror genre ... it 's heart 's in the right place , even if that place happens to be outside of its ribcage",
        "what 's truly marvelous about the stop-motion fantasia MOV is the way it acknowledges adolescence as a daily horror show .",
        "i admire its character and production design , which achieve the kind of look that sets stop-motion animation apart from cgi .",
        "stop-motion ` MOV ' as ghoul as it gets .",
        "the folks at laika seem to be making an art form out of good-naturedly scaring the underoos off of pint-sized viewers while simultaneously delighting their parents .",
        "a thoroughly delightful movie that will entertain kids and adult horror buffs alike .",
        "for a movie grounded in fear , MOV stands out as a movie for audiences young and old that 's truly fearless .",
        "the originality of the script saves the experience , along with widescreen splendor , but there 's a lot about MOV that 's unsettling , and it 's not all tied to the boy 's interest in gore and ghostly pals .",
        "cool-but-creepy monster flick is too scary for little kids .",
        "not as daringly , disturbingly original as coraline , but the dialogue and visuals are peppered with wit ... most of the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes drawn without much affection .",
        "if `` MOV '' were a recipe , it would be roughly three parts funny , two parts tender , one part scary and one part sad .",
        "any misgivings about the plot are eased by the handcrafted visuals . catch it in 3d if you can .",
        "a really enjoyable amblin-like adventure comedy that will make for a fantastic halloween family double feature with the nightmare before christmas .",
        "from a visual standpoint , MOV has set the bar for stop-action animation .",
        "good movie but a horror movie for children ought to be more fun . kids also like creepy and missing is that nice dash of the willies they love so much .",
        "what was the last animated movie you could relate to german expressionist cinema , alfred hitchcock , night of the living dead and b-movie horror of the 1950s ? that 's right -- none .",
        "this swell stop-motion animation operates on a wavelength similar to that of laika 's debut feature , coraline , with assured character comedy counterbalanced by a solemn sense of macabre wonder .",
        "employs stop-motion animation to provide hand-crafted appeal to the clever and surprisingly scary story of a massachusetts town whose witch-hunting past catches up with it on its 300th anniversary .",
        "chances are most kids , and most adults , will find `` MOV '' perfectly horrible in the best possible way .",
        "if the story lacks the consistent psychological depth of coraline , another tale of an outcast finding solace in a parallel world , amends are made during the lovely climax .",
        "`` MOV '' is never less than entertaining , but you 'll have to follow it into a strange purgatory between two opposing genres .",
        "for the most part , it 's a brisk , funny and engaging movie that does genuinely exciting things with little bits of string and wire and such .",
        "a clear and solidly entertaining effort from start to finish . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "norman 's world is a visual and technical marvel , but the plot drags down in elongated chase sequences and a third act fizzle .",
        "the emotions -lsb- the film -rsb- raises are quite complex and mature and MOV handles them in a refreshingly unironic fashion .",
        "`` MOV '' finds a way to make this night of the living dead play essentially as a comedy ...",
        "`` MOV '' has plenty of rambunctious thrills to give the kiddies goosebumps , while older connoisseurs of stop-motion animation will appreciate the laika studio 's inventive visuals .",
        "the spirit of great stop-motion animators like george pal and ray harryhausen lives on in MOV , and not just as a ghost : it 's so real you could almost reach out and touch it .",
        "the story , an amusing if not especially fresh tale involving a witch and some puritans , is principally a vehicle for the movie 's meticulously detailed pictorial beauty , which turns each scene into an occasion for discovery and sometimes delight .",
        "it 's rare to find a movie brimming with this much talent that finds a way to so consistently kill its own narrative momentum .",
        "it 's not just pixar that kicks ass in animation . there 's magic in MOV , a small miracle in stop-motion 3d from the wizards at laika .",
        "it celebrates the gothic outsider in familiar fashion , though it does so with a wisdom and gentleness that burton seems to have lost .",
        "a colorfully macabre stop-motion animation comedy that embraces the sociopolitical allegories of george a. romero 's zombie pictures and reworks them into a feature-length episode of `` scooby-doo . ''",
        "like its hero , this smart , funny and beautifully animated film achieves great things by daring to be different .",
        "the inner horror fan is accessed via the child inside in this quirky stop-motion animation treat",
        "norman -lrb- kodi smit-mcphee -rrb- loves zombie movies , monster movies , and all other kinds of movies about dead people , the grosser and gooier the better .",
        "funny , frightening , exciting and extremely thoughtful about the nature of the conflict at the core of the film , MOV is a standout feature animation .",
        "bristling with energy , here 's a delectable 3d film that 's inventive , funny , devilishly ghoulish , loaded with splendid effects and a heartfelt story at its core",
        "i still liked MOV and it deserves to be seen for its wit and the work of its passionate animators .",
        "MOV demonstrates - as did films such as coraline , the corpse bride , wallace & gromit and the nightmare before christmas - that stop-motion animation has a texture and warmth that ca n't -lrb- yet ! -rrb- be replicated by computer .",
        "MOV is style , substance , -lsb- delicious -rsb- brains and a huge -lsb- cold dead -rsb- heart .",
        "kids who can handle the bumps should find much to love in this beautifully animated ramshackle parcel , one that 's packed full of detail , humour and positive messages .",
        "an extremely strange blend of genres and styles , MOV somehow manages to pull it off ... sort of .",
        "movies that set themselves firmly against bullying are great , but ones that play to horror fans are even better .",
        "MOV is ambitious and inventive , marvelously conceived , but the bulk of its value lies within the movie 's open-minded philosophy .",
        "the thrilling finale is a terrific blend of heartfelt emotion , surreal visuals and inventive ghostly spectacle , and the film 's timeless message is put across in wonderfully ghoulish and surprising ways .",
        "MOV treats its viewers with respect , and is all the more wonderful for it .",
        "it 's sort of like what the goonies might 've been , had the goonies been beautifully animated and not terrible .",
        "sweet , morbid , funny , clever , and occasionally brilliant .",
        "the only thing animated about it is the animation , which is so spectacular that you begrudge the script for not being equally inspired .",
        "i ca n't imagine any kid who enjoys halloween -lrb- i mean the holiday , not the movie -rrb- not being delighted by MOV .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- inema is nothing if not a fluid creature that has the power to affect us based on any number of variables . the climactic action sequence of MOV is too busy from a visual standpoint , but its message shines loud and clear .",
        "is there such a thing as a gateway drug for horror films ? if so , MOV might be just the ticket .",
        "MOV , blessed with otherworldly animation , ca n't escape the demons of story .",
        "the world of blithe hollow exists in real space . the residents have real bags under their eyes , real bellies at their belt buckles . ugliness alternates with rapturous beauty ...",
        "blithe and hollow",
        "a morbid film but gleefully so .",
        "it may be the most fun you 'll have with ghosts and zombies all year .",
        "easily the most ambitious and creative animated film this year .",
        "simply put , it is no less than the most confident , fully realized , and just plain imaginative stop-motion animated feature since 1993 's holiday classic `` the nightmare before christmas . ''",
        "`` MOV '' expertly balances scary and funny elements of the story , with a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion .",
        "humor depends on character , context and continuity , none of which is in abundant supply in `` MOV . ''",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "beginning with a zombie-movie-within-a-zombie-movie , this sweet retro paean to kids who love their monsters also has a message for kids about tolerance and bullying .",
        "an entertaining and visually attractive family-friendly story .",
        "laika , the animation outfit behind 2009 's marvelous stop-motion adaptation of neil gaiman 's coraline , scores another one for the dark side with this endearingly sweet and spooky-ookie ode to the living , the dead , and the in-between .",
        "a kids ' film horror fans can sink their teeth into ...",
        "kids will be very frightened and then end up sympathetic to zombies .",
        "... this is truly edgy for children 's fare .",
        "it 's probably a tad too scary for really small humans , but anyone from seven upwards will find MOV 's adventures firmly stick in their braaaiiinnns .",
        "charming stop-motion lumps chase a witch",
        "for moviegoers who tend to look down their nose at horror films , MOV offers proof positive that the genre that gets us screaming can also have real substance .",
        "a savvy , intelligent , well-crafted animated horror comedy for kids should also appeal to adult horror fans as well .",
        "... not so much creepy as simply unpleasant ...",
        "MOV proves that laika entertainment has some great talent , great ideas , and a bright future telling dark tales about uplifting and insightful life lessons .",
        "dismal , yet profound and pungent ... -lsb- m -rsb- ake -lsb- s -rsb- its points in ways more sharp and brutal than other ` children 's ' films ..."],
    "summary": "beautifully animated and solidly scripted , MOV will entertain -lrb- and frighten -rrb- older children while providing surprisingly thoughtful fare for their parents .",
    "id": "771242305"
  },
  {
    "movie": "once_upon_a_time_in_america",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a lazily haullucinatory epic that means to encapsulate approximately 50 years of american social history into a single film .",
        "the perfect swan song for leone .",
        "pure cinematic bliss .",
        "hugely complex , achingly sad and splendidly gorgeous .",
        "at its restored 229-minute cut , leone in his directorial swan song proves in its first half-hour how he 's the master of cinematic hypnosis .",
        "masterfully edited .",
        "seeing what leone always intended is like getting your dirty glasses washed .",
        "the film seems to be too ambiguous for its own good . but somehow it holds together , and becomes a masterpiece , and a wonderful little exit piece for the genius mr. leone .",
        "while the godfather delivers certainty and a comforting dramatic resolution , MOV delivers a profound kind of mystery .",
        "every gesture is immediate , and every gesture seems eternal .",
        "leone is less interested in arousing an audience 's easier emotions than in presenting , at a dispassionate distance , the horror of two men warily walking toward each other on a tightrope suspended above the snake pit of their , deepest compulsions .",
        "handsomely mounted beyond a shadow of a doubt , but as the final statement in leone 's career , it mostly makes me think of how fantastic his westerns were .",
        "sergio leone 's cut is wonderful ! avoid the butchered theatrical version unleashed in the u.s. -- i actually walked out on that indecipherable mess .",
        "spaghetti western master sergio leone turns his eye toward an american gangster epic spanning 50 years with surprisingly positive results .",
        "a disappointment of considerable proportions .",
        "in a post the godfather world , for leone to even consider taking on an epically scoped new york gangster film took tremendous courage if not foolishness , coppola had set the bar at an impossible height .",
        "the film slips easily back and forth in time , dancing between the decades , often making the connection from one era to another solely by means of brilliant cuts that work like magic .",
        "sergio leone shot the film with such style , grace , and patience that it is impossible not to get caught up in the story .",
        "great scene follows great scene with inventive direction for almost four hours .",
        "as one would expect from leone , the film is a brilliant stylistic accomplishment .",
        "visually stunning , rich in detail , and filled with outstanding performances .",
        "a cinematic masterpiece .",
        "a obviedade da meia hora final compromete o impacto do filme - que , ainda assim , impressiona por sua escala \u0436pica , por suas elegantes transi\u0443\u0448es de tempo e \u0437timas atua\u0443\u0448es .",
        "i 'm as big a fan of misogyny as the next guy , but how did this hateful and often tasteless godfather ripoff become a classic ?",
        "haunting , thematically complex .",
        "there are times when we do n't understand exactly what is happening , but never a time when we do n't feel confidence in the film 's narrative .",
        "while leone 's vision still has a magnificent sweep , the film finally subsides to an emotional core that is sombre , even elegiac , and which centres on a man who is bent and broken by time , and finally left with nothing but an impotent sadness .",
        "sergio leone 's swan song is an undisputed masterpeice , a self-reflexive crime-gangster epic with towering performances from de niro and tuesday weld .",
        "here was a filmmaker who specialized in pure , blistering images , and this operatic earthiness just does n't play as well as the horrifying , salacious stuff .",
        "a work of tremendous intellectual depth and emotional range",
        "sergio leone explores the seamiest byways of urban americana through the story of two gangsters who start their partnership as brooklyn kids in 1921 and tragically end it in the late '60s .",
        "a striking tale of loyalty , love , friendship and ambition , once upon a time is a work of technical beauty and sombre emotion .",
        "just gasp at the scale , at the immaculate period reconstruction and at that incredible opening with its endlessly ringing phone .",
        "the film , photographed by tonino delli colli , is striking to look at , especially its new york street scenes , which were shot in manhattan , montreal and a back lot near rome . the acting is stunning .",
        "while sergio leone 's `` MOV '' is not quite the masterpiece that some make it out to be due to its excess , there are still plenty of things to recommend about it .",
        "adding 22 minutes only enhances leone 's brilliant saga of guilt and betrayal",
        "sad and vast yet compelling throughout , this remain leone 's most towering achievement .",
        "sergio leone 's languid , lovely and lengthy ode to lower east side mobsters -lrb- more specifically , mobster films -rrb- ..."],
    "summary": "sergio leone 's epic crime drama is visually stunning , stylistically bold , and emotionally haunting , and filled with great performances from the likes of robert de niro and james woods .",
    "id": "13113"
  },
  {
    "movie": "final_destination_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "fd2 , despite some imaginative fatalities , is less a movie than a slick video game .",
        "a gory good show for fans of r-rated horror mayhem .",
        "they 've run the idea to staleness with only two films .",
        "the movie mandates complete gullibility and vacuous attention in order to work on any level .",
        "it 's a soulless affair that has little of the panache and intelligence of 2000 's final destination .",
        "bloody , graceless and surprisingly effective .",
        "it 's a race to find out who 'll get into number three and this is good enough to rate one .",
        "the carnage should leave horror fans laughing , groaning and squirming in their seats .",
        "opens with a horrific traffic accident , which seems apt since what follows is the cinematic equivalent of rubbernecking .",
        "suffers from the same rancid dialogue and acting problems as the original but with a much funnier pulse .",
        "entertaining enough to make you forget that you 're watching little more than death warmed over .",
        "it has a sense of humor ... but in the end is overwhelmed by its silliness .",
        "it 's gory . it 's fun . it knows how silly it is .",
        "it 's some sort of classic .",
        "once you get past its supremely nonsensical title , MOV , a smooth and sharp slice of teen-gothic cheese , is kind of fun .",
        "the formula is so rigid that no matter how clever the variations , they 're still fundamentally predictable : any character around long enough to acquire a name is bound to wind up resting in pieces .",
        "innovative offings are about the only thing MOV has going for it .",
        "just a series of grand guignol skits played for mean-spirited laughs .",
        "where else have you seen a death scene that involved a leaking aquarium , a crane , pigeons , a mobile , a sheet of glass and nitrous oxide ?",
        "the movie is a real jolter for horror fans who like the charge of gory images but also demand a certain level of intelligence in the proceedings .",
        "the measure of it comes down to whether you can buy the idea of 100 minutes devoted to just how creatively people can be sliced , diced , broiled , crushed or dismembered .",
        "it 's like death and ingmar bergman sitting around playing six degrees of kevin bacon .",
        "it 's hard to root for a heroine ... who wails , ` it 's a sign ! nora and tim are going to be attacked by pigeons ! '",
        "surprisingly good of its kind ... if you like gross-out gore , that is .",
        "we do n't want logic or complex characterizations in a horror flick - we want to see violent death and dismemberment on the most in-ventive and disgusting scale imaginable , right ? on its own terms - elusive as they might be - ` MOV ' delivers",
        "the film does mostly follow its predecessor?s routine , a wise choice ; although it has become a less enticing , second lap around the same track .",
        "history has shown us - quite brutally at times - that sequels are often little more than shameless cash-ins . ` MOV ' conforms ruthlessly to this trend .",
        "ali larter is a fine performer and all , but when she 's the big celebrity guest star of a movie , you know there 's desperation in the air .",
        "same concept , more fun ... if you 're the kind of moviegoer that thinks creative carnage and watching frantic , screaming people die horribly is fun .",
        "the most well-rounded character in this movie is death himself .",
        "fully aware that this is a rehash of what was supposed to be a one-trick pony , the filmmakers have upped the ante by delivering some gratifyingly gruesome death scenes .",
        "premoni\u0437\u0433o 2 certamente n\u0433o \u0439 t\u0433o tenso quanto seu predecessor , embora seja igualmente divertido .",
        "it 's filled with scenes laden with irony and coincidence that the audience can anticipate and snicker at with just a bit of nervousness .",
        "gets more convoluted and thus less involving as it goes along .",
        "` make no mistake , without the slicing , dicing , filleting , and pureeing , this flick is a recipe for boredom . but like its predecessor , i was expecting a bloodless teen snorefest and got something several sanguineous degrees better ! '",
        "decent at best this is a lighter , campier , but gorier sequel to the original .",
        "now that the ground rules have been established for the final destination movies , the fun lies in seeing the inventive ways in which the writers dispatch the various characters in the sequel .",
        "gruesome , ridiculous , really bad waste of time .",
        "just the fact that it manages to keep the viewer involved despite the plot 's general ridiculousness makes it the most effective vancouver-shot horror flick in years .",
        "perhaps you ca n't cheat death in MOV , but apparently you can kill originality .",
        "albert einstein ... noted , ` god does not play dice with the universe . ' -lsb- t -rsb- he makers of ... final destination ... have ... decided that death likes to play mouse trap .",
        "one by one these people get bumped off , one by one the people in the audience laugh their asses off .",
        "even more than part 1 , the real stars of this movie are the elegantly choreographed freak accidents .",
        "... a wet wick of a film never able to ignite .",
        "one of the rare horror sequels that actually helps the movie that inspired it .",
        "if that 's what you came for , you wo n't go away disappointed .",
        "as grisly as the movie is , you have to admire its twisted invention and the way it plays the audience like a piano .",
        "once you get past the immediate question of how many ` final ' destinations there can be -lrb- what 's next , the really final % u2013 no fooling % u2013 destination ? -rrb- , this is an efficiently trashy horror flick of the creative death school .",
        "`` MOV '' is , in a word , a hoot .",
        "as a half-hour `` twilight zone '' episode , it might have been able to hold your attention , but at almost one-and-three-quarter hours , it just tests your patience .",
        "death pretty much takes a holiday .",
        "the killings are n't exactly slapstick , but they 're surprisingly close , and some of them turn out to be fiendishly funny .",
        "how the movie-going public has n't become bored senseless with such tediously low-standard , so-called scary movies is beyond me .",
        "if my mini-anxiety attack driving home following the film is any indication , MOV if nothing else , may just give you nightmares for days afterward at the mere thought of getting onto the highway .",
        "and when a group of folks narrowly escapes dying in a particular order , expect them to be knocked off , one by one , in the exact sequence they would have died originally . in other words , not only is death relentless , it 's also anal retentive .",
        "this sequel to the surprise 2000 horror hit final destination takes scream and squirm levels to new highs .",
        "MOV repeats just about everything from the first installment , only with tighter plotting and more enjoyable chills .",
        "what a novel conceit : take exactly what 's wrong with modern horror movies -lrb- i.e. boredom and predictability -rrb- and flip the proverbial script on 'em . the beauty of the final destination flicks is that anyone can die at any time - and often do .",
        "part of the fun here is anticipating the rube goldberg-style machinations by which death catches up with its targets .",
        "that there is an audience for a movie in which innocent people suffer hideous accidental deaths is troubling enough , but that a group of creative people chose to direct their energies on this repulsive spectacle simply provokes disgust .",
        "the filmmakers clearly set out to make a film that featured lots of footage of really disgusting annihilations , then threw together a haphazard script and hired a few hot actors to play the corpses .",
        "it 's sick , stupid stuff , and intentionally so .",
        "with most every ounce of effort and imagination going into figuring out ` creative ' ways to kill the various characters , the film is otherwise an empty exercise in brutal and sadistic horror humor .",
        "a sloppy and graceless but fun sequel that serves to illustrate the difference between having a great story and a good screenplay . still : a matinee idol in a world of false pin-ups .",
        "when a horror flick gets tedious , it 's doa .",
        "` MOV ' exploits the universal fear of death -- but it does so with a creepy , creative flair .",
        "... one of the most purely enjoyable films out there right now .",
        "with every killing played for comic effect , MOV negates terror because it 's not concerned with survival .",
        "it 's simple , but effective .",
        "it skillfully accomplishes the horror genre 's most basic goal : scaring the hell out of you .",
        "the sequel repeats exactly the far-fetched plot of the original , complete with elaborate chain-reaction deaths visited on the hapless characters and equally elaborate mumbo-jumbo about the fabric of death 's continuum to try to keep the suspense up .",
        "in director david r. ellis 's feeble and rancid offering MOV , we 're treated to more of the same nonsensical gory goings-on . this disjointed display of recklessness is bluntly overwrought , blatantly numbing and downright laughable .",
        "the moviegoers most likely to enjoy this aggressively stupid sequel will be those lovers of over-the-top gore effects who cheer out loud when a character is sliced into three pieces that slowly slide apart .",
        "let 's not even get into the awful script or the numbingly awful performances .",
        "though the complicated carnage is competently filmed and staged , the acting and the dialogue are often risible enough to make you wonder if the film is n't a spoof brought you by the folks from scary movie .",
        "if you think of all this as an elongated three stooges short with bones breaking and membranes splashing , maybe it will go down easier .",
        "you 'll gasp , you 'll flinch , you 'll cringe , but mostly you 'll scream .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- uncomfortable combination of giggle-inducing absurdity and disgustingly graphic visions of death .",
        "it turns the squirm factor up to 11",
        "the inventiveness of the death scenes is n't quite enough to compensate for the dullness of the rest , but it comes close .",
        "it contains some of the most brain-dead people a screenplay has ever produced .",
        "definitely not for the squeamish !",
        "gory , disgusting and stupid . ... but , heaven help me , it 's entertaining .",
        "it does n't matter that the logic is nonexistent and the characters lack little more substance than paper dolls . this is a funny lark for lovers of cheesy horror .",
        "MOV '' is a real scream . this sequel to the surprise 2000 hit will jolt you yet tickle your funny bone with its audacity and grand flair .",
        "the premise is thin , the deaths are very graphic - this would be unbearable if it did n't add up to comic value .",
        "joyeusement morbide .",
        "while some of the slaughters one-up amanda detmer 's bus-to-body experience from the first movie , you 're basically just waiting for the next nonbeliever to die .",
        "MOV does n't pretend to be anything other than a robotic repeat of the first film .",
        "what is most shocking about director david r. ellis ' clever and extremely gory film is that it 's one of few horror sequels to outdo the original .",
        "takes a good idea from the first film and pounds it into the ground , not to mention decapitating , electrocuting , skewering , blowing up , incinerating , drowning and gassing it .",
        "the audience in a very direct way becomes that invisible cold wind that announces the arrival of doom -- MOV is almost interactive .",
        "`` MOV '' may not be on the level that its creepy , unnerving and effective predecessor is , but what it lacks in thrills it nearly makes up for in delicious-if gratuitous-absurdity ."],
    "summary": "this sequel is little more than an excuse to stage elaborate , gory scenes of characters getting killed off .",
    "id": "13166"
  },
  {
    "movie": "back_to_the_future_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a rush job from filmmakers who should have left well enough alone .",
        "satirically acute , intricately structured and deftly paced , it is at heart stout , good and untainted by easy sentiment .",
        "an entertaining but hollow picture .",
        "another fantastic voyage in a thoroughly entertaining contraption .",
        "this is a sequel for sequel 's sake - all title , no content .",
        "the effects are even better than in the first film , and the actors certainly enjoy themselves in a baffling array of roles .",
        "fans of the original should relish going back to back to the future .",
        "glum , claustrophobic and often oppressive .",
        "a surprisingly oppressive , rapid-fire , noisy , gadget-filled action picture lacking the emotion of the original film .",
        "the most important point is that the new film is fun .",
        "after a few good scenes , the plot gets too tricky , and the filmmakers keep walloping us with one chase scene after another .",
        "a dismal and mean-spirited sequel to one of the best movies of the 1980s .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "one-half a very bad movie and one-half a very good movie",
        "the movie is fun , mostly because it 's so screwy .",
        "lackluster yet benign time-travel sequel .",
        "taken as a pair , the first two films ask a number of unresolved and unresolvable questions about causality , order , and intention ; and taken as a pair , they 're also a hell of a lot of fun .",
        "the one thing the film got right was the crushed effect the media 's growing omnipresence has had on human existence .",
        "see website for more details .",
        "solidly entertaining .",
        "an ambitious film that fails to recreate the warmth or excitment of the first back to the future .",
        "has the spirit , but it lacks the heart of the original film , and more importantly , much of the humor .",
        "the idea and the execution is so good that you could applaud .",
        "does n't surpass the original , but tosses a whole lot of gee-whiz gizmos and concepts at the screen . it 's a whole lot of fun .",
        "the latest must-see , peer pressure , carve the logo on your head , designer blue jean experience .",
        "cleverly plotted , but commercially overloaded .",
        "the film ultimately relies on too many cheesy make-up routines in which characters play their older -lrb- and female ! -rrb- selves which makes it not exactly the best movie in this series .",
        "part ii incorporates both the staple features of the first film and , at its base , a more mature theme . the film is ridden with questionable violence , and contains an awkward moment of oedipal frustration .",
        "unfortunately , the story is not as novel or as funny the second time around .",
        "it manages to be giddily and merrily mind-boggling rather than confusing .",
        "sure , -lsb- back to the future ii -rsb- has a clunky first act - which takes place in a hilariously overblown futuristic society - but the film knows just how , and when , to entertain us , and it does so in spades .",
        "there are definitely aspects of laziness to the script -- jokes which have n't been fully considered , simpleminded characterizations , subplots which have no life outside of the narrative -- but at the same time the movie has a spirit of exploration and daring ,",
        "zemeckis ' fascination with having characters interact at different ages of their lives hurts the film visually , and strains credibility past the breaking point , by forcing him to rely on some very cheesy makeup designs .",
        "by the end , you may feel that you 've just sat through a feature-length commercial for both part one -lrb- which has to be seen to make this sequel comprehensible -rrb- and part three -lrb- a trailer for it literally ends part two -rrb- .",
        "the film works best through its magnificent technical achievements -lrb- the visual effects received an oscar nomination -rrb- and the inherent charm of fox , lloyd and , especially , the delightfully menacing thomas f. wilson .",
        "the relatively quaint and simple time travel arc from bttf gets far more confusing and , in some ways , more fulfilling .",
        "it turned off most viewers , but fascinated me .",
        "a weak , convoluted attempt to cash in on the original 's charms .",
        "it 's impressive entertainment , and best of all , it never degenerates into spielbergian sentimentality : you can laugh , be thrilled and think without feeling embarrassed .",
        "uneven but still enjoyable , delivers a darker scenario than the ending of the first film would imply .",
        "` de volta para o futuro 2 ' \u0439 uma continua\u0437\u0433o \u0430 altura do original e merece ser visto - antes que o velho biff altere tudo novamente .",
        "more frantic , noisy , and overproduced than funny",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "back to the future ii is far more uneven than its predecessor , but its madcap highs outweigh the occasionally cluttered machinations of an overstuffed plot .",
    "id": "23533"
  },
  {
    "movie": "im_not_scared",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- i 'm not scared -rsb- is a nicely crafted coming of age film by salvatores and he deftly shapes the story into an appealing package .",
        "connects everything in a lovely and terrifying way .",
        "salvatores ' classically illustrative treatment should open arthouse doors for the visually sumptuous production .",
        "it offers a fresh , stylish , and considerably more intelligent treatment of familiar genre material .",
        "i 'm not scared is n't a perfect film , but petriccione 's cinematography and cristiani 's performance make it well worth seeing .",
        "odd coming-of-age movie is gorgeously shot and emotionally involving , and features some truly exceptional performances from its young cast .",
        "a well-crafted cross-breed that utilizes cruel power-plays of both youngsters and adults to support the ominous mood of a first-rate thriller .",
        "a beautiful , exciting and challenging film about survival and a child 's cold realization that adults do n't always have the right answers .",
        "haunting and suspenseful .",
        "rana 's anxiety , stacked on top of that of the politically tense region , creates a pitched emotional drama made more gripping by its real-world setting .",
        "excels at interpreting the peculiar currency of childhood .",
        "nature and animal imagery dominate salvatores ' stark , moody film , which suffers from an overreliance on mutely beautiful imagery to express its themes .",
        "this spare and haunting italian thriller is about innocence lost , and how a small world can be made smaller when you 're alone in it .",
        "salvatores and director of photography italo petriccione 's gentle , meditative approach ... masks the menace laying within the seemingly peaceful village .",
        "proves once again how accomplished italian cinema is at seeing the world through a child 's eyes .",
        "the performances are all terrific . each one suggests an entire story that we can only glimpse .",
        "the director reminds us that not all films require a breakneck pace or ridiculous twists to be effective .",
        "this pleasant italian offering is a suspenseful and heart warming story of a heroic 10 year old boy who risks his own life to save another .",
        "by far the most gorgeous slice of sunlit sadism so far this summer , i 'm not scared also manages to be oddly sweet : a boy 's life , with treachery .",
        "hauntingly beautiful -- when it 's not harrowingly disturbing .",
        "cristiano is completely believable as michele , and , as the confused kidnapped boy who believes he has died and that michele is an angel , mattia di pierro is unforgettable .",
        "yet another sad tumble from promise into violation , from the white-heat of bliss to the ashes of banality .",
        "a well-mounted movie , i 'm not scared is good but it seems even better because of its evocative setting .",
        "it 's the kind of stomach-churning bedtime story that encourages us to be afraid , without ever being able to reassure us , like a parent , that it 'll all be okay in the end .",
        "both atmospheric thriller and heartbreaking coming-of-age tale .",
        "makes bland international entertainment out of specific historical trauma .",
        "a visually magnificent film in which the camera will help you remember just how the world looks to children .",
        "a beautifully shot and compelling blend of thriller and coming-of-age drama .",
        "watching it is like being lost in somebody 's richly moody campfire story .",
        "a reminder of true childhood , of its fears and speculations , of the way a conversation can be overheard but not understood , of the way that the shape of the adult world forms slowly through the mist .",
        "the primal intensity of emotions and settings takes the story well beyond generic elements .",
        "a collection of juxtapositions : bucolic countryside opposite jangling nerves . innocent childhood opposite a boy subjected to unspeakable horror . love opposite fear .",
        "a small movie but , like the thematically similar to kill a mockingbird , it leaves with you a sense of children 's vulnerability and their incredible resilience .",
        "salvatores remains admirably literal throughout the story , but his camera evokes all kinds of mystical possibilities .",
        "a good story told with energy and efficiency .",
        "an italian drama that restores the overused phrase ` loss of innocence ' to something meaningful and memorable .",
        "an accomplished and evocative thriller from italy .",
        "this is a different sort of horror film , where the known is infinitely more frightening than the unknown .",
        "unlike most boys in films these days , michele is n't your typically cloying blabbermouth . he is a quiet kid with a strong sense of imagination .",
        "... one of the purest movies you will see , unhindered by the conventions of cinema and built completely on the essence of feelings .",
        "what is excellently captured in salvatores 's film ... is the look and feel of those long-forgotten freeform summer days of childhood .",
        "the muddled motivations of the film 's adults to one side , scared scores -- and even soars -- when looking at the world through the eyes of its 10-year-old protagonist .",
        "delicado em seu retrato da inf\u00e2ncia , peca apenas pela conclus\u0103o frouxa , quando o pr\u00f3prio filme torna-se infantil .",
        "`` i 'm not scared '' suffers from ill-conceived staging and sluggish pacing . the film 's theme that altruism and ignorance are punished is a careless postulate drawn from a kidnapping spree in italy during the late '70s .",
        "this is a visually stunning film , an intelligently consummated marriage of genres resulting in a movie that is , if not unique , at least very special .",
        "harmoniously blends elements of a coming-of-age story , a crime drama and a mystery together in something of astonishing power and scope .",
        "... a fascinating , if frustrating , look at the relative lack of power and security and place a child has in our modern world .",
        "few movies evoke the wonder and terror of childhood as this film does .",
        "a lyrical throwback to such movies as ren\u00e9 cl\u00e9ment 's forbidden games -lrb- 1952 -rrb- and other works of the humanist european cinema of a half century ago .",
        "visually striking and exceptionally performed by old and young alike , i 'm not scared plucks the nerves .",
        "a remarkable italian drama that elevates a thriller to the artful level of deeply affecting drama .",
        "a middle-brow work posing as an art film .",
        "those who stick with it will be richly rewarded .",
        "this sounds like prime fodder for a fast-paced thriller , but the movie is actually something more special : a tender-hearted rumination on the loss of innocence among children .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- first catches your attention -lsb- with -rsb- the crime ... but what you 'll remember long after is the terrible dilemma of a young boy being forced to face the real world .",
        "to watch gabriele salva-tores ' i 'm not scared is to be whisked into childhood .",
        "a terrific attempt to express a young boy 's moral awakening using intense colour schemes , wide-angle lenses and unforgiving close-ups",
        "the beautiful photography will have you booking flights to sicily , while the unsentimental rites-of-passage drama ca n't fail to touch your heart .",
        "brilliantly shows the frivolity of childhood and the joy of summertime -- an effectively contrasting background against which to set a kidnapping drama , you must admit .",
        "it 's the exchanges between cristiano and di pierro , children caught up in nasty business they ca n't understand , that hit you in the gut .",
        "a fierce , frightening and deeply moving study of childhood .",
        "an engaging italian film about a pint-sized hero in a poor small village where the adults are acting very strange and hiding something .",
        "with a graceful confidence salvatores has made a movie in which good and evil flow into each other as easily as day and night .",
        "cleverly structured and smartly acted .",
        "with its unique perspective on both the coming-of-age and thriller genres , the movie deserves to be seen by a wider audience than the one that normally frequents subtitled movies .",
        "well-scripted story about the end of innocence .",
        "with a taste for dark lyricism , the director delicately emphasizes the contrast between surface innocence and subterranean danger , and between grown-up secrets and boyhood bravery .",
        "acted in one flavor of broadly sliced prosciutto , and marred with familiar digital punctuation , i 'm not scared need n't be prepped for hollywood recycling -- it is its own homogenized remake .",
        "an eloquent coming-of-age tale about a young boy with uncommon courage",
        "offers a startling mix of genres : a memory piece drenched in nostalgia for a lost childhood , clothed in the form of a thriller that grabs you by the throat .",
        "... perfectly captures kids at play , as well as something related , but darker .",
        "a coming of age story with some very interesting twists . the film moves a little slowly but it does engage you .",
        "in the end , its elements come together with the kind of genuinely thrilling , deeply satisfying climax that even the better hollywood movies just ca n't seem to pull off anymore .",
        "a thriller of conviction , class and deceptive simplicity .",
        "both a spooky reverie about childhood and a slow-burning suspenser in which conspiracy and betrayal shake the foundations of a boy 's life .",
        "reminiscent of the live-action disney films of the 1970s - if wes craven directed one .",
        "a virtuoso piece of dark storytelling .",
        "loss of innocence ? yeah , maybe . but there 's so much more at play here that it seems absurdly reductionist to stick i 'm not scared with such a clich\u00e9d label .",
        "rivet -lsb- s -rsb- attention to its expertly woven storyline with appealing and believable characters about whose fate it is impossible not to care .",
        "a thriller , but a gorgeously lyrical one , an entrancing exercise in hyper-realism ... like a cinematic dream , hazy and suggestive , atmospheric and moody , almost operatic .",
        "certainly a heartfelt film but it 's also melodramatic and weighed down by heavy-handed direction and a sappy musical score .",
        "taps into the terrifying rush and excitement that accompanies a child 's loss of innocence : the dislocating realization that the world is not the safe , neatly ordered place it once seemed to be .",
        "lovely to behold and almost as lovely to reflect upon .",
        "salvatores draws strikingly unsentimental performances from his young actors , all making their film debuts , and juxtaposes the petty meanness of children with the calculated cruelty of desperate adults to haunting effect .",
        "at the bottom of it all lies nothing more than a by-the-numbers hollywood thriller .",
        "few movies purporting to chronicle loss of innocence convey its jolt and sadness as effectively .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- so perfectly written and paced .",
        "... salvatores has made a film reminiscent of spanish masterpiece , the spirit of the beehive .",
        "agreeably gripping coming-of-age thriller .",
        "io non ho paura reveals the reasons children ca n't help but be afraid , despite the efforts of most adults to protect them .",
        "this satisfying adaptation of a popular novel is mostly an artistic reflection on youthful loss of innocence .",
        "although this visually dazzling movie from italy takes on many of the characteristics of a conventional thriller , it refuses to go for cheap , vicious shocks .",
        "powerfully and palpably capturing the isolation , confusion and unnameable fears of childhood ."],
    "summary": "a well-acted and thrilling coming-of-age tale that captures a child awakening to the frightening world of adults .",
    "id": "770678574"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mr_deeds",
    "reviews":
     [
        "slackly directed , but there is n't a mean bone in its body -lrb- even the bad people are n't all that bad -rrb- , and its good nature rubs off on you .",
        "in `` mr. deeds , '' there is no ambition , no pretense whatsoever ; it is inexplicably proud of its forgettable nature . ''",
        "surprisingly sweet and , dare we say it , old-fashioned .",
        "it ranks among -lsb- sandler 's -rsb- better work . frank capra would not approve , but he 's not rolling in his grave , either .",
        "it 's not that the gags are n't funny here and there ... it 's that they do n't add up to a movie , or really pretend to .",
        "makes the capra film , labeled cornball by some even in 1936 , seem like shakespeare .",
        "while brill 's direction is crisp , herlihy 's jokes are n't much .",
        "a half-good update of mr. deeds goes to town .",
        "what 's next ? rob schneider , dana carvey and sarah michelle gellar in the philadelphia story ? david spade as citizen kane ?",
        "comically flat and flawed on many levels .",
        "adam sandler is to gary cooper what a gnat is to a racehorse .",
        "mr. deeds is , as comedy goes , very silly -- and in the best way .",
        "fortunately for sandler and audiences , it hits more often than it misses .",
        "mr. deeds is n't bad for an adam sandler film , which is as backhanded as a compliment can get .",
        "sandler has none of coop 's magic .",
        "with the sandler company in full force once again , one certainly ca n't accuse deeds of straying from formula . it 's the formula itself that is highly suspect .",
        "though it 's enjoyable , you ca n't help but feel the squandered situations and talent , flattened by mediocre writing and direction .",
        "the otherwise good-naturedness of mr. deeds , with its embrace of sheer goofiness and cameos of less - than-likely new york celebrities ... certainly raises the film above anything sandler 's been attached to before .",
        "anyone who has responded to the sweet side of adam sandler 's growing comic screen persona is sure to be delighted by mr. deeds .",
        "it 's crippled by a complete lack of chemistry between the two leads .",
        "sandler 's poorest film to date .",
        "there 's a price to pay for the guilty pleasure steven brill 's film affords -- a relentless process of dumbing down that tells the audience it 's cool to be a doofus .",
        "the plot is moth-eaten , the jokes lame , the action sequences idiotic to disgusting , and the whole adds up -lrb- or subtracts down -rrb- to a complete waste of time .",
        "no amount of spastic-colon jokes , cartoon violence or good-buddy cameos -lrb- al sharpton , john mcenroe -rrb- can distract from the fact that gary cooper -lsb- sandler -rsb- ai n't .",
        "a very stupid film that 's almost watchable but does n't really have any reason to exist .",
        "when you 've already made something as execrable and universally loathed as little nicky , why stop there ?",
        "a remake so bad it will make your gums bleed . orphanage fires are funnier .",
        "the film delivers as promised on most levels ; however , it does help to be an adam sandler fan to begin with .",
        "the only saving grace about mr. deeds is its functioning as a wise and timely cliche ' : money ca n't buy everything -- especially for a clunky comedy with no spirit or no spark .",
        "... perpetuates -lsb- sandler 's -rsb- penchant for idiotic , schoolboy humor , misunderstood-nice-guy characters , and plots which insult the intelligence of anyone over 12 .",
        "he 's still the same persona in every movie .",
        "adam sandler comedy is more of -- and less than -- his previous `` little guy makes good '' films .",
        "sandler strives for an awkward blend of sight gags , comic violence and smarmy sentiment that might even have sent capra himself retching to the nearest lavatory .",
        "it 's not his best , but it is far from his worst .",
        "sandler -lrb- reminiscent of his wedding singer character -rrb- is sweet , touching and very funny .",
        "sandler is ready to be himself again , which means veering between his usual devilish savant and a newer post-adolescent gentleman .",
        "the story is predictable , the jokes are typical sandler fare , and the romance with ryder is puzzling .",
        "sandler has never seemed less inspired and merely goes though the motions in a bland movie that limply recycles bits from his other films .",
        "a surprisingly funny movie .",
        "sandler 's gonzo charisma keeps this weightless souffl\u00e9 from levitating too often out of the laugh zone .",
        "an unfunny , careless piece of trash riddled with directorial , editing and acting mistakes .",
        "perfunctory is the word .",
        "capra 's deeds was n't all that good to begin with , and modernized casting here does n't improve on it .",
        "boba . sosa e innocua hasta morir ...",
        "no good deed goes unpunished - and punishment you shall feel after watching mr. deeds .",
        "adam sandler is not funny . nothing he does is funny . his movies , with a couple exceptions , are n't funny .",
        "nothing in it adds up logistically or comedically . it appears to have been photographed by volunteer carwash attendants .",
        "mr. deeds has more impromptu punchouts than a source awards get-together .",
        "although the premise opens doors to many comic opportunities , the film resorts to cheap , random jokes that do not grant sander the right material to explore .",
        "if this disposable tissue has one wild card , it 's john turturro , who 's simply fab as a spanish butler with a foot fetish .",
        "if your expectations are very low , there are some decent laughs and the film makes for a guilty pleasure .",
        "if you 're over 25 , have an iq over 90 , and have a driver 's license , you should be able to find better entertainment .",
        "i may be too old for adam sandler movies , but it seems to me that he 's getting too old for them , too .",
        "mostly terrible , a shambles of a comedy that looks as if it was shot by a tabloid news crew .",
        "this is a terrible movie in its own right , tasteless and condescending -- if sandler 's character is an everyman , than the everyman of today is a boorish jackass .",
        "fans can rejoice that mr. deeds is a close third behind happy gilmore and the wedding singer on sandler 's list of quality credits .",
        "a witless and wafer-thin remake .",
        "sandler 's worst effort to date .",
        "sandler does n't do much we have n't seen before , although he 's wisely scrapped the annoying showboating he did throughout `` little nicky , '' in which he insisted on trying to upstage everyone else onscreen .",
        "it 's a film that is n't there , 91 minutes of celluloid without a movie .",
        "neither charming nor funny and risks disappointing even the most ardent sandler fans .",
        "comparing frank capra 's mr. deeds goes to town and adam sandler 's new remake is like viewing a rolex against a cheap knockoff .",
        "... nicely fills the void between special-effects blockbusters and predicatable thrillers while still being something you can send your kids to .",
        "it 's neither as sappy as big daddy nor as anarchic as happy gilmore or the waterboy , but it has its moments .",
        "what 's surprising about mr. deeds , a remake of capra 's mr. deeds goes to town -lrb- 1936 -rrb- , is that it tries to be as earnest as its predecessor .",
        "capra 's ... common crowds too often degenerate into mobs ... . we like the mild mindlessness of the re-make a bit better .",
        "while it is n't nearly the equal of the original , sandler 's deeds is an entertaining time-waster with a couple of great laughs and many more chuckles .",
        "no longer can a classic movie go silently into the volumes of film history without someone thinking up a sequel or remake .",
        "films like big daddy and the waterboy aggravated me by being actively obnoxious ; mr. deeds is merely bland .",
        "typical adam sandler fare , but pretty entertaining nonetheless .",
        "this heavy-handed , dimwitted , dumbed-down version ca n't decide whether it 's a parody , a slapstick comedy or sappy romance . rent `` mr. deeds goes to town . ''",
        "directed with the panache that only the creator of the mighty ducks can bring to your project , mr. deeds is a poorly made and charmless affair .",
        "frank capra played this story straight . but the 2002 film does n't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate ` comedy ' scenes .",
        "mr. deeds '' oddly enough is enjoyable while it follows capra 's outline . only when it goes its own way in the third act does the comedy fall apart .",
        "the story is only a loose thread formed to link a string of comedic pearls .",
        "this movie would n't be worth paying to see even if you had 40 billion dollars .",
        "never decides whether it wants to be a surreal farce , a satire , a romance , an homage or all of the above .",
        "it virtually defines a comedy that 's strongly mediocre , with funny bits surfacing every once in a while .",
        "it 's all a saggy , inept mess .",
        "utterly predictable , thoroughly sentimental and -- worse -- not all that funny .",
        "how could adam sandler , of all people , remake capra ? well , shoddily , as it happens .",
        "this is a remake which will vaguely satisfy the sandler faithful and have capra fans gritting their teeth .",
        "sandler barely expends any energy trotting out the `` average dude who shakes up stodgy high society '' schtick , and director steven brill and scripter tim herlihy follow lazy suit .",
        "the star and his numbskull cronies piss on capra 's grave with acrid insincerity .",
        "the end result is n't dreadful , but it is patchy .",
        "pretty awful , but teen sandler fans may like it .",
        "just another sandler movie , nothing more , nothing less .",
        "click to read review",
        "peter gallagher must 've been hard up for cash .",
        "anyone with an iq over 85 should stay away .",
        "there are about four laughs in the thing , and that 's not good when you 're adam sandler ...",
        "just another dumbed-down comedy , although it aspires to social satire",
        "the problem is that sandler just is n't as fresh or as funny as he used to be .",
        "so incompetently filmed that they ca n't even manage the production values of dude , where 's my car ?",
        "nothing about this movie works .",
        "` god help us , but capra and cooper are rolling over in their graves . '",
        "sandler 's still owns the deeds to sweetness , sentimentality , and sitcom skill .",
        "sandler ai n't no gary cooper . with his rumpled clothing , boorish behavior , and his circa 1952 jerry lewis haircut , he comes across more as a pathetic 30-something who never got past hanging out in shopping center parking lots with his `` buds . ''",
        "there 's a sense of genuine , naive good will accompanying the material that almost , but not quite , makes up for the far more than occasional lapses of successful comedy .",
        "it is a movie that is so dumb it 's funny . unfortunately , it is also a movie that will make you wish you went to see something else .",
        "the second tier performances in mr. deeds are worth the price of admission .",
        "overall , ` deeds ' proves that sandler 's comedy is showing it 's age . while not as horrid as ` little nicky , ' ` deeds ' remains outside of sandler 's circle of great comedies .",
        "returning aggressively to his formula of dimwitted comedy and even dimmer characters , sandler , who also executive produces , has made a film that makes previous vehicles look smart and sassy .",
        "mr. deeds is not really a film as much as it is a loose collection of not-so-funny gags , scattered moments of lazy humor .",
        "too whitewashed and generic ... it 's like watching chris rock in bad company .",
        "` if you 've seen the original ... steer clear of the new knockoff , lest your heart be broken . '",
        "let 's cut to the consumer-advice bottom line : stay home .",
        "there 's nothing funny about this .",
        "so painfully and relentlessly unamusing , so chockablock full of desperate mugging and witless silliness where truly funny stuff should be , that it appears to be work of people who never made another movie comedy .",
        "adam sandler is an extremely likable man who knows his limitations and works within them .",
        "it 's not just that the movie itself is wicked awful , it 's that mr. deeds brings out the worst in adam sandler .",
        ". . there were a lot of elements in the film which just did n't work at all . .",
        "look who 's out of the courtroom and on the big screen in what may be the worst performance of her career , it 's alleged kleptomaniac winona ryder !",
        "a surprisingly sweet picture , it is n't quite funny enough to be able to recommend it , but it is n't a bad film .",
        "it 's filled with charm .",
        "this is very much of a mixed bag , with enough negatives to outweigh the positives .",
        "i 've never seen -lrb- a remake -rrb- do anything as stomach-turning as the way adam sandler 's new movie rapes , pillages and incinerates frank capra 's classic ...",
        "mr. deeds goes to town updated for the big daddy crowd .",
        "foul , putrid cesspool of a movie .",
        "the people who made this movie ... -lsb- crammed -rsb- so many product placements into the action that you feel like there should be an 800 number at the bottom of the screen .",
        "yes , the acting is atrocious -lrb- possibly the worst i 've seen this year -rrb- , the romantic chemistry non-existent and the morality struggle endured by ryder 's reporter laughably manufactured .",
        "this is sandler running on empty , repeating what he 's already done way too often .",
        "people who just call 'em as they see 'em need only note that this remake of one of frank capra 's most famous pictures is a perfectly dreadful film and leave it at that .",
        "see it with someone you love ... or at least someone who enjoys sandler .",
        "a lost puppy of a movie aimlessly in search of approval .",
        "it 's all over . we 're doomed . hightail it to a bomb shelter , if you can find one . otherwise , just insert your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye .",
        "sandler is back to form in a movie that has its share of over-the-top moments , but is likable for its underlyingly sweet love story .",
        "you 'll laugh , hard too , and in this world , why would you want to turn down an opportunity like that ?",
        "anyone who can count to five -lrb- the film 's target market ? -rrb- can see where this dumbed-down concoction is going .",
        "frank capra 's 1936 classic mr. deeds goes to town is bashed senseless by adam sandler 's particular brand of classless bombast .",
        "the picture is a primer on what happens when lack of know-how mixes with lack of give-a-damn .",
        "what would i do if i inherited forty billion dollars ? first of all , buy out adam sandler 's contract and put him in more movies like ` the wedding singer . '",
        "mr. deeds could have used another round of editing and some beefed up comedy",
        "`` mr. deeds '' is suitable summer entertainment that offers escapism without requiring a great deal of thought .",
        "formuliac , but fun .",
        "i loved the laughter , but i hated the boredom in between the laughs .",
        "turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a ` very sneaky ' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing/reappearing acts",
        "it 's sweet , harmless , dumb , occasionally funny and about as compelling as a fishing show .",
        "lacks almost everything that made the 1936 movie an enduring classic : idealism , heart , social and political savvy , convincing romanticism , robust ensemble acting and humor .",
        "` mr. deeds ' turns out to be the perfect vehicle for sandler , a common man 's comedian who fits quite nicely in a farce celebrating common wisdom .",
        "a leftover casserole of sandler 's previous films in which his performance seems detatched and bored .",
        "a surrealistically bad movie , one of those astonishing clunkers you watch agape at its awfulness .",
        "i 'm just too bored to care .",
        "the latest adam sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year .",
        "i ca n't recommend it except to die-hard sandler fans , and even they will have to admit that this is one of his lesser efforts .",
        "all in all , this baby makes you ever more eternally grateful for amc and tcm on the cable . that 's where the real movies have gone to hide .",
        "the projectors in the theater practically shut down with boredom .",
        "it 's still adam sandler , and it 's not little nicky . and for many of us , that 's good enough .",
        "you do n't have to be a tree-hugging pacificist to be sickened by the constant sight of sandler putting his fists and boots to someone , or of others imitating his psychotic behaviour .",
        "in addition to the lame retreading of the original film 's underlying fish out of water plot , the performances help sink this effort .",
        "it 's nothing more than a money maker for the filmmakers and a pointless star vehicle for sandler .",
        "it has finally happened , a small miracle of miracles : i actually like an adam sandler comedy .",
        "a stink bomb of a movie .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "this update of capra does n't hold a candle to the original , and even on its own merits , mr. deeds is still indifferently acted and stale .",
    "id": "11234"
  },
  {
    "movie": "iraq_in_fragments",
    "reviews":
     [
        "because -lsb- director -rsb- longley uses a technique that forgoes interviews and voiceover commentary in favour of observation and revealing juxtapositions , his movie puts you both in the chaos and just above it .",
        "what MOV lacks in fresh reportage or sending a political message , it makes up for with unique insight .",
        "the first third is so intense -- a masterpiece in miniature , really -- that audiences may not have much emotion left for the rest .",
        "MOV ... appears to be asking a simple , but often unmentioned , question : oh yeah , what about the people of iraq ?",
        "bafflingly , the threats in an occupied country consistently come from within , not without or overhead : what has the effect of the us occupation and hussein 's vicious rule been on these people ? offers a fragmented , obscuring picture of iraq .",
        "too bad james longley could n't have broadcast this insightful documentary immediately after he shot it in 2003 and 2004 .",
        "visually , the director 's flair is impressive . but longley 's clear intention of using children 's faces to better tug at our heartstrings would be more admirable if it did n't feel as shamelessly staged .",
        "the film is both gritty and lyrical , showing how tanks share the baghdad streets with donkeys as well as the quiet beauty of the kurdish countryside .",
        "the film is terrific at providing a kaleidoscopic sense of life unfolding , with imaginative editing and colors that seem to leap off the screen .",
        "the technique is more expressionistic than naturalistic , but it makes the film far more vivid and emotionally satisfying .",
        "a timely , lyrical and candid look at daily life in a post-invasion iraq .",
        "in the end , the movie is more than the sum of its fragments . the montages are intense , the images ravishing . the movie is tactile . when you finally feel this place , you understand just how little you understand .",
        "a heartbreaking assessment of iraq 's reconstruction from the point-of-view of its intended beneficiaries .",
        "james longley 's haunting , oblique film , MOV , presents a collage of images , sounds and characters in an intimate , partial portrait of an unraveling nation .",
        "working with v\u00e9rit\u00e9 patience and no scripted narration , longley looks and listens , with nonjudgmental sensitivity , as sunni , shiite , and kurdish iraqis explain their colliding , intractable , invaded worlds , and their rising frustrations .",
        "it 's head and shoulders above the rest in its clarity , intimacy and poetry , and it illustrates the dreadful predicament america has created in iraq , which drove so many angry people to the polls on tuesday .",
        "people talk about the country being split into pieces , but there 's not much shown to articulate how , when or why that is the case .",
        "brings back nothing journalistically substantial from the war front .",
        "raw and powerful .",
        "a visually startling , patiently observed and deeply humanist film .",
        "style comes occasionally close to taking precedence over its heartfelt humanistic intentions , yet the film 's deep respect for human resilience and hope ultimately renders cynical accusations of touristy condescension moot .",
        "an engrossing award-winning documentary about the chaotic and bloody situation in iraq as seen through the eyes of sunnis , shiites , and kurds .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- longely 's real strength lies in his ability to draw from the observances of children .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- longley shows a poetic , almost elegiacal artistry . after two years , he might not understand the iraqi people fully , but they have won his heart and mind .",
        "visually arresting and deeply disheartening , james longley 's impressionistic documentary explores the pain of a shattered country by homing in on a few tiny shards .",
        "longley 's access to public and private developments in the wake of the u.s. invasion of iraq is often stunning .",
        "the imagery is poetic and beautiful at times . meanwhile , the haunting legacy of the documentary is that people still are being pulled apart by religious differences and ethnicity .",
        "james longley 's MOV is a visually stunning documentary that looks at that country through the eyes of its own people -- a novel enough approach at a time when everyone else has had their say .",
        "told in tones both wondrous and horrible .",
        "... a beauty and a richly textured palette rarely seen in such video documentaries .",
        "watch the evening news and you get a view of iraq from high above the wreckage . in this fascinating doc , director james longley shows us how things look on the ground .",
        "james longley 's sundance-winning documentary puts the camera uncomfortably close to scenes of abuse , violence , terror , cynicism and racial hatred amid the rubble of u.s.-occupied iraq . but at the same time , its texture is frequently beautiful .",
        "there are embedded journalists in iraq , and then there is `` MOV '' director james longley .",
        "there are some striking images , but the film is less useful for not having any commentary on the confused events depicted .",
        "what makes MOV so distinctive is its impressionistic and at times lyrical imagery .",
        "a work of beauty as well as horror , MOV is one of the best of the many documentaries to come out of that ruined country . it 's powerful , enlightening and necessarily depressing .",
        "in a series of stunningly filmed sequences , longley and his camera seek out the real lives outside the frame of conventional tv news , and he succeeds in creating both compelling journalism and superb images .",
        "there 's something of a period quality to this beautifully photographed documentary snapshot of iraq in transition .",
        "the film provides specifics , details of hectic life among ruins , faces filled with dread , desire , and defiance .",
        "... this one demands to be seen .",
        "in addition to the interesting camera work , the documentary 's undeniable appeal comes in how close longley gets to the characters , who are all male . they speak openly of the past , the u.s. forces , the uncertain future .",
        "a vivid , poetic evocation of life in post-invasion iraq that works both as impressionistic collage and candid portraiture .",
        "of all the documentaries to come out of the current war , MOV is the least violent and perhaps the most disquieting .",
        "documentary filmmaker james longley -lrb- gaza strip -rrb- has a flair for cinematography and editing and a poetic sensibility that informs both these talents .",
        "much of what is captured will be familiar for viewers of frontline or other recent documentaries .",
        "when the war is long gone , this deft construction will persist in relevance , if not for what it says about the mess we once made , then as a model of canny cinematic construction .",
        "what justifies the film , and makes it compelling , is the corresponding subjectivity of its iraqi narrators , who lend this movie not only their voices but their eyes and ears .",
        "shot over three years , this is one of the more considered and insightful iraqi documentaries - although some may find its stylistic contrasts a little self-conscious and distracting .",
        "a remarkable example of the conjunction of a burningly topical and newsworthy subject with a brilliant filmmaker .",
        "MOV opens a window on the world of the war 's casualties in a narrative triptych that 's profoundly haunting and often ravishing .",
        "the frequently gorgeous footage , culled from some 300 hours shot over a two-year period , provides ample compensation for any narrative .",
        "this visually sumptuous movie richly deserves the cinematography , editing and directing prizes it carried off at sundance last january .",
        "a documentary of stunning immediacy and marvelous images ...",
        "although the film does n't make any earth-shattering discoveries , it at least attempts to put a face on an ` enemy ' that few americans have considered .",
        "longley 's journalistic discipline is as impressive as his artistic eye : he 's content to show , not tell .",
        "longley is a strikingly effective director",
        "the film is unusual among iraq documentaries for its impressionistic , frequently gorgeous cinematography and for its structure : it 's split into thirds , one about a sunni -lrb- the boy -rrb- , one about a shiite mob , and one about the quiet kurds up north .",
        "the struggles -lsb- documentary filmmaker james longley -rsb- recorded in his dazzling MOV are n't battlefield conflicts , but the personal , religious and political efforts of iraqi citizens to reassemble their shattered lives .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "director james longley does n't say anything new about the politics of iraq , but he leaves us with a vivid impression of its people , its places and its seemingly irreconcilable contradictions .",
        "by turns tender and shocking , MOV strikes a rare balance between impromptu fluidity and feature-film narrative control , in the process resisting both partisanship and predigested points of view .",
        "james longley 's devastating documentary MOV has neither narration nor obvious political ax to grind , but it manages to tell us something about iraq that we are n't getting or ca n't get from standard news coverage .",
        "we 're used to seeing iraq through the lens of washed-out digital video , so it 's striking how sumptuous and elegantly-composed the shots are in `` MOV . ''",
        "MOV sometimes feels random , but it is a well-crafted , thoughtful study of the dueling divisiveness and hope that will define the region long after foreign troops leave .",
        "stands up as a classic war documentary , in its unusual poetic form and by its extraordinary access to the lives of ordinary iraqis .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- evocative , heartbreaking documentary told from three disparate but equally compelling perspectives : the sunnis , shiites and kurds ."],
    "summary": "a stylistically bold , humanist take on the difficulties of post-invasion iraq .",
    "id": "157954279"
  },
  {
    "movie": "paprika",
    "reviews":
     [
        "satoshi kon 's glorious visuals are the driving force of a rather strange and surreal sci-fi experience that 's often hard to follow .",
        "in MOV , a gorgeous riot of future-shock ideas and brightly animated imagery , the doors of perception never close .",
        "sit back and enjoy the detail-rich visuals while appreciating the unfettered imagination at work in constructing them .",
        "an animated fever dream sure to haunt long after the lights have come up .",
        "all i can say about MOV ... is : whoa ! and , i mean that in a good way , a very good way .",
        "could -lsb- director satoshi -rsb- kon 's fanciful cure for the blockbuster blues have come along at a better time ?",
        "MOV tries to do too much and does n't do any of it especially well .",
        "despite the jumble , kon 's eye-popping , surreal mastery of the japanese dream is awakening .",
        "the anything-goes dream logic is confusing , and the question of why , late in the game , the nighttime fantasies start becoming real , is left mostly unexplained .",
        "a spectacular experience , full of bizarre , frightening and beautiful dream logic .",
        "... the experience is as beautifully baffling as any that you 'll have wide awake .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- dizzying , ambitious excursion into the subconscious .",
        "kon rarely cares about the stagnant old real world that his films so frequently transcend . his characters fuss endlessly about fantasy 's gripping , consuming power , but he himself seems blissfully unconcerned with where his gorgeous illusions take them .",
        "the movie keeps flooding us with strange , scary imagery .",
        "soulless characters in remarkably flat animation talking epistemological gobbledegook among watered-down psychedelia .",
        "with a conventional invade-dreams/bend-reality plot , it 's a bit of a bore .",
        "watching anime is like hearing a foreign language in which you are fluent but not native : however much you believe you understand , you can never be sure you totally get it .",
        "offers both eye candy and mind candy -- it 's a thoughtful visual treat .",
        "solely as a magical mystery tour of sights , sounds and surrealism , however , it 's a unique animated blast to the senses .",
        "MOV fills me with such overwhelming enthusiasm as to leave me gibbering .",
        "its visual collision of mindscapes , films within films and dreams within dreams cascade into a dizzying rush that easily washes away the humdrum dialogue and somewhat sketchy plot .",
        "the animation shows brilliant imagination by the filmmakers .",
        "plays like the end and the beginning of japanese cinema : it contradicts itself and contains multitudes .",
        "though it 's not quite up there with the cream of anime feature films , MOV is a distinctive , quality addition to the genre .",
        "reality and fantasy leak into each other in short-circuiting jolts in kon 's cosmos",
        "i ca n't claim to have followed the story line of MOV any better than i did pirates of the caribbean , but this mind-blowing , adult animated adventure from japan is half the length and maybe five times as much fun .",
        "MOV expands your notion of what animation can achieve . you wake from it as if from a dream : spooked , provoked and exhilarated .",
        "smart , electrifying , and proudly unhinged , this japanimated gem definitely belongs in the fold , and might even win over a few older art-house patrons with its very adult , transhumanist premise of interactive dream therapy run amok .",
        "my advice ? enter your own dream state , and surrender your brain .",
        "this is without question a unique and superior achievement .",
        "whatever it is you 're looking for -- comedy , horror , parades of singing frogs and dancing kitchen appliances -- you 'll find it in satoshi kon 's anime adventure , a jaw-dropping feat of imagination .",
        "the latest eye-popping and surreal anime from satoshi kon -lrb- tokyo godfathers -rrb- .",
        "MOV offers a breathtakingly surreal journey . it 's a film that may serve up mass destruction and ponder some nightmarish scenarios , but underneath it has a warm humanity and humor that 's utterly endearing .",
        "does n't do much to free itself from the trappings of the anime genre , which one supposes is n't necessarily a bad thing for actual anime fans . but for the rest of us ? that 's more nightmare than dream come true .",
        "a relentlessly hallucinatory experience that only just manages to leave a dozen or so left-brain cells intact , enough to more-or-less support a plot .",
        "as a showcase of the limitless power of the imagination , MOV never fails to delight the eye and engage the mind . we are never sure exactly whom we should be cheering for , or even if we 're rooting for real characters or their avatars .",
        "this one jacks you into cyberspace , involving you psychically and physically .",
        "style 10 , substance , maybe 2 .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "what keeps the picture percolating is the stream of hallucinatory images , both nightmarish and oddly alluring , that kon conjures .",
        "the movie bombards us with so many overlapping fantasies , it 's hard -- and in many ways , beside the point -- to keep up with the plot . it 's best appreciated by assuming something of a dream state ourselves and enjoying the giddy flow .",
        "MOV stays in your mind as pure freedom and pure exhilaration .",
        "MOV , while certainly not suitable for kids , manages to capture the childlike , helter-skelter chaos and curiosity of the human mind better than any other animated film .",
        "a masterly example of japanese anime , intended for adults .",
        "manages to create a comfort zone for both tarzan and freud .",
        "the mostly 2-d animation is top-notch quality , and it is a fascinating idea .",
        "visually fantastic , logically flawed and incredibly dull . just like your friend 's dreams .",
        "MOV adds quite a dash of spice to the anime genre and offers a fun ride .",
        "MOV is yet another incoherent anime that 's more interested in its warmed over visuals than in indulging in any kind of storytelling or character work .",
        "MOV is for dyed-in-the-wool anime fans only . others will likely see it for what it is -- a pretentious piece of animated nonsense .",
        "-lsb- satoshi -rsb- kon mixes visual beauty with disorienting perspectives for a cautionary tale about machine-influenced soullessness and the persistent japanese popular love of the cute .",
        "some have suggested that taking drugs first would enhance the experience , but really , i do n't see how hallucinogens could make the movie any weirder than it is .",
        "you could sit through the film two or three times to nail down the details of the story , but the film is n't interesting enough to warrant a second look .",
        "for an alternate set of exciting alter egos , see satoshi kon 's MOV , a brilliant anime feature .",
        "that the supposed bad guys are actually intent in preserving the sanctity of dreams adds to the disorienting exhilaration of kon 's best work yet .",
        "you stagger out of this one both grateful and ready for a deep and dreamless nap .",
        "MOV is a fertile delta of forms and colors , wildly inventive , shape-shifting , jiggly with fat jokes .",
        "while the story may make this kon 's least inspired film , the animation is his most inspired .",
        "is it sci-fi ? fantasy ? idiocy ? mostly it 's a droning mess -- pretty to look at but confounding to the point where you just do n't care any more .",
        "the \u00fcber-dream is both gorgeously animated , in kon 's shimmering , hyperreal style , and sickeningly scary .",
        "the animated blast of the summer - a rowdy , racy , brilliantly executed sci-fi psychedelic head trip that may just blow you away .",
        "a slick , accessible and thoroughly entertaining piece of japanese anime .",
        "fiercely provocative , MOV shames hollywood 's use of animation as a kiddie pacifier .",
        "kon is a spectacular filmmaker , although not quite of the same warm , humanistic nature as hayao miyazaki .",
        "as valentines to the power of cinema , big dreams and the inner child go , it does n't get much more exhilarating than this .",
        "just go with it , drink in the rich and innovative images , and wish that you could remember your own dreams as well as you 'll remember `` MOV . ''",
        "simply the most refreshing piece of cinema i 've seen this year .",
        "an intelligently written piece that only falters during the finale , where kon sacrifices the film 's logic for an explosive ending .",
        "the idea of cinema as irrepressible bogeyman might be kon 's own confession .",
        "becomes far more enthralling ... the more one simply surrenders to the awe-inspiring beauty of kon 's images of flesh , metal and unhinged mental delusions .",
        "overflowing with dazzling images , many of which walk that thin line between beautiful and terrifying .",
        "we 're so used to current cautious commercial formulas , it comes as an enjoyable shock to see something like satoshi kon 's japanese film , MOV , which reminds us that with animation , almost anything you can imagine can be represented .",
        "kon marries visual dazzle to unblinking pop existentialism in ways that make viewers ' heads hurt so good .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- above-average japanese anime sci-fi pic .",
        "... a distinctive experience .",
        "the standard stuff of b-movies comes to life under kon 's playful imagination .",
        "as a purely sensory experience MOV is a spicy dish , but one that does n't deliver much nourishment for the mind .",
        "if less thematically dazzling than millennium actress , it 's suffused with a giddy sense of the seething , mutable landscape of the mind .",
        "especially for fans who understand how movies are put together , MOV grabs you from the get-go in a series of flowing images and transitions that follow the skewed logic of a dream , jumping from a three-ring circus to a swinging jungle vine .",
        "if an animated scattershot clusterfuck tweaking under the influence of a determinedly japanese mindset sounds like a good way to substitute a cinematic drug experience for the real thing , then go right ahead to satoshi kon 's overflowing excess .",
        "a film that should appeal to more than just devoted fanboys .",
        "kon signe son effort le plus ambitieux \u0155 ce jour et rejoint les katsuhiro ` tomo et hayao miyazaki dans les rangs des cin\u00e9astes d'animation les plus importants de son \u00e9poque",
        "MOV probably wo n't win many converts to anime , but the faithful should be satisfied .",
        "as anime goes , it 's not the most freakish of entries , but it 's one of the more surprising and scintillating .",
        "this is how post-modernism should always behave : like an acid trip narrated by derrida ."],
    "summary": "following its own brand of logic , MOV is an eye-opening mind trip that is difficult to follow but never fails to dazzle .",
    "id": "351527066"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1213718-did_you_hear_about_the_morgans",
    "reviews":
     [
        "adorable if adulterous and agnostic salad-fancying nitwit city slickers save their marriage with the help of a god-fearing , meat-eating ` sarah palin ' and her sheriff husband in what could be described as ` green acres ' in red state drag , plus guns .",
        "MOV ? if so , you might wish you had n't .",
        "a comedy with mostly likable , broadly drawn characters ; tart , nonthreatening social satire with sharp enough teeth to leave an impression while not breaking the skin ; and well-timed , modestly sophisticated repartee .",
        "mostly it 's an invitation to spend an easy 108 minutes with some very likable folks -lrb- grant , sam elliott , and mary steenburgen -rrb- as they amble through a laid-back fish-out-of-water comedy .",
        "so now you can say , indeed , you have heard about the morgans , smile politely , and move on to the next movie playing at the multiplex .",
        "predictable , leaden , unfunny and unnecessary .",
        "clich\u00e9-ridden , stereotype-stuffed and clunky at every inevitably false turn , it 's so bad that star hugh grant , usually the most relaxed of actors , actually seems to be in pain throughout the film .",
        "as much as these two characters talk , there 's little worth sharing with the wider world beyond hey-you-slept-with-somebody .",
        "fish-out-of-water romcom is teen-friendly but a real snooze .",
        "yes , comedies thrive on broad strokes . but selling americans lame images of one another as if we have n't traversed the country -lrb- if not in actuality , via television and film -rrb- is dispiriting .",
        "not even the estimable comic chops of hugh grant and sarah jessica parker can lift it above the level of ordinary .",
        "a fish-out-of-water story with a bit of a freshness issue .",
        "grant 's familiar , pained and rueful expressions start to look like an actor 's commentary on the film , not a character 's response to events within it .",
        "like sitting under the dentist 's drill for 100 minutes , there 's not a single , solitary laugh in the whole damn thing . in fact , it 's a film so bad you actually start to feel sorry for the stars .",
        "the trouble with his new film , though , is not its lack of grit , but its lack of ambition and originality . it 's one of those films that you 've seen before - even before you 've seen it .",
        "perhaps this new decade could be the one in which female audiences are treated as something other than a dumping ground for the lazy , complacent idiocy that has passed for chick flicks of late .",
        "the jokes come thin and slow , the thrills are non-existent .",
        "the cinematic equivalent of throwing buckets of money at a house with no foundations . the worst thing is , and sadly for cinema , this house shows no sign of falling down any time soon .",
        "a hellish rom-com bereft of chuckles and charm . a good screwball comedy should have laughs , heart , sexiness , rapid-fire banter and , most importantly , chemistry between its two leads - MOV ? has not one of these things .",
        "considering how rarely grant works , you 'd expect genuine excellence in the scripts he picks . we 'd expected more than this merely serviceable , not very believable hollywood romcom .",
        "we 've seen this a hundred times before ... only better .",
        "parker and grant sleepwalk their way through a flatline comedy in which old jokes can be seen coming a mile away .",
        "you know the line about what a bear does in the woods ? not only is that wittier than all of MOV ? , it describes the movie as well .",
        "it 's not great art , but it has a certain goofy effervescence , mostly thanks to hugh grant .",
        "did you hear about MOV ? really , you do n't want to .",
        "this alleged screwball comedy is almost laughless . it 's one of the most surprising comedy duds of the year .",
        "there are countless moments throughout the film when writer-director marc lawrence pauses for a laugh line , but the jokes hang there for an eternity while grant winces apologetically , like he 's just shattered a dish .",
        "it would be acceptable if all this fakeness lead to something legitimately funny . instead , we 're left bemused and bored .",
        "always fully aware it need not involve big words or ideas to offer light entertaining fare even if there 's only so far you can take such a predictable premise .",
        "might have been called witless protection , if that title had n't already been taken -lrb- damn you , larry the cable guy ! -rrb- .",
        "MOV ? has no room for surprises .",
        "toss this one on the ever-growing pile of failed hollywood romantic comedies , and wish grant and parker better luck next time .",
        "this ultra-mild frolic follows the ` fish-out-of-water ' comedy formula so closely its lack of surprise is almost , well , surprising .",
        "hugh , what a stinker ! mediocre sit-com humour does n't help an unoriginal premise and a star pairing with less believable chemistry than a pebble and another slightly smaller pebble . where 's a straight-to-video distributor when you need one ?",
        "potro % u0161eni hugh grant i antipati % u010dna izvedba s.j. parker u komediji koja je trebala biti slasher horror",
        "you 've seen it before , and you 'll see it again . in one way or another ` MOV ? ' is the same old fish-out-of-water story that 's been put to film dozens of times .",
        "to end my assessment on the level of the film 's writing , you 'll wish you never heard about the morgans . -lrb- ha ha ha -rrb-",
        "the mediocre material gets a boost from a hardworking grant , who uses his trademark bumbling formality to deliver dry commentary and wring out the most laughs possible .",
        "i wish i could answer ` no ' to the movie 's title question .",
        "despite a breezy premise , this rom-com displays lazy filmmaking at almost every level of the production",
        "in a silly way , it is entertaining , the mismatch is actually weirdly plausible , and try as i might , i could n't be grumpy about it .",
        "parker is better , injecting a note of rawness and authenticity into an otherwise misconceived subplot about adoption . even she ca n't fake any curiosity in , yet alone sexual chemistry with , grant .",
        "parental content review",
        "the movie does n't just quickly run out of its fish-out-of-water jokes but does n't have any unique or funny gags in its arsenal the moment the couple from new york city lands in wyoming .",
        "a fish-out-of-water comedy that flops around on the dock for a while before eventually , and mercifully , expiring .",
        "a painful failure , lumpish and crude .",
        "an exercise in foregone conclusions so dreary as to hardly qualify as comedy .",
        "there 's no sense of affection . no passion , even when they fight . their dialogue rings hollow . these two are n't believable and their relationship is a black hole . who cares ?",
        "a somewhat amusing yet trite example of the modern-day screwball comedy .",
        "the jokes were old when `` green acres '' was new .",
        "this is what happens when you throw reliable talent at an awful script .",
        "it does n't pretend to be an awards contender , and yet , oddly enough this year , it 's far more entertaining and astutely written than the majority of recent releases that are .",
        "sweet and funny , this is more suitable for a tv movie than a big screen feature",
        "there 's a scene where hugh grant confronts a grizzly bear and i 've never rooted so hard for a predatory mammal .",
        "yes , i 've heard about the morgans . i 've heard about matthew mcconaughey morgan , debra messing morgan , gerard butler morgan , renee zellweger morgan , john cusack morgan and kate hudson morgan . all the damn morgans .",
        "the movie is like a car wreck in which no one is injured but the onlookers .",
        "with less edge than soup , MOV ? is a proud , plain , rom com .",
        "you 've already heard every joke it has to tell .",
        "a friend in hollywood told me last summer to expect a lot of `` recession '' movies - movies contrived to provide all those involved with a quick paycheck - in the coming months and i 'm guessing this is what he meant .",
        "where are billy crystal and the rest of city slickers gang when we need them ?",
        "the cast is in such fine form that everything seems funny .",
        "while it fails on nearly every conceivable level , as a textbook case in everything contemptible in the studio system , MOV ? is as good as it gets .",
        "grant and parker ... are so boringly civil that there must have been a marriage guidance counsellor standing just out of shot .",
        "while at times the pair sparkle and most importantly have chemistry , entire scenes are laugh-free zones as far as the dialogue is concerned .",
        "let down by a script that 's not funny enough and a plot that 's so formula it came from a baby 's bottle .",
        "writer-director marc lawrence 's film delivers some halfway decent lines for grant to gobble up gratefully enough up until this point , but from here on in it gets worse and worse .",
        "neither good nor bad . scales dizzying new heights of okay . aims for mediocrity ... and nails it .",
        "punishingly lame and containing little romance to compensate for the absence of comedy .",
        "`` hair balls are prettier than what 's coughed up here . ''",
        "disappointing romcom with a lazy , predictable plot , irritating characters , lacklustre performances and painfully unfunny set-pieces .",
        "morgans not worth hearing from .",
        "... a lightweight but entertaining comedy deftly performed by some old hands .",
        "it 's clearly parker 's movie , and that 's a shame .",
        "grant has never been less charming and parker never less fashionable or more grating than they are as paul and meryl morgan .",
        "it 's as if the film is a no-humour zone , and any attempt at a laugh gets sucked into a cinematic vacuum of mirthlessness .",
        "trades on hugh grant 's charm , sarah jessica parker 's fan base , and the general good will of the audience . at least one of those three has been sorely tested by the time the end credits roll . possibly two",
        "here 's yet another movie that should be neither seen nor heard .",
        "the romantic-comedy equivalent of a genetically-tweaked slab of meat , an over-engineered counterfeit whose marketing tells us a lie every instinct we have disputes .",
        "in one of those perfect cinematic storms , everything is wrong about this film , from screenplay to casting to performances and especially directing .",
        "the romantic pairing of grant and parker has no zing , the script is dead in the water and if we were asked us whether we cared about the morgans , the answer would sadly be no",
        "if you are expecting a pleasant evening of escapism , you will be cruelly fooled . the editor responsible for the trailer is clearly a genius .",
        "hugh grant and sarah jessica parker ply their cute trademarks -lrb- his befuddled british grimace , her la-di-da new york sass -rrb- like grim , incompatible partners in a hollywood business deal .",
        "forget witness protection , with this one you need protection % u2014 ` witless ' protection .",
        "intimates crime as the ultimate aphrodisiac , when it comes to rekindling doomed conjugal bliss . move over , viagra and sex toys .",
        "hugh grant and carrie bradshaw -lrb- yeah , i know -rrb- go to the woods . it 's by the numbers , harmless and almost without charm .",
        "bland , charmless and witless - trust me , you do n't want to hear about the morgans .",
        "most bad comedies plod from scene to scene . this one plods from sentence to sentence . grant and parker stand around as if they 're waiting for someone to yell , `` cut . ''",
        "hugh grant and sarah jessica parker are assigned to a witness protection program , flown to wyoming , and installed in a one-horse town where there are no bistros , art galleries , department stores , or funny jokes .",
        "i grant you hugh grant and sarah jessica parker evoke charm in the right screenplay . this is the wrong screenplay .",
        "it 's a pity there 's no witness protection program for movies that commit crimes against audiences .",
        "the clich\u00e9-ridden dialogue is delivered with no feeling or conviction and a predictable ending leaves you wanting more . the supporting players are given little to do , but outshine the marquee names .",
        "a really dumb romantic comedy with the trendy storyline of someone falling in love with somebody who has been betrayed .",
        "lawrence clearly has a talent for the genre if he can write a story that includes a murder , not one but two bear attacks ... and a climax at a rodeo and make the whole thing feel unforced .",
        "... the uptown , house-hawking , vegetarian meryl gets to flex ms. parker 's typecast , cosmopolitan dependency act ...",
        "did you hear about the worst rom-com of 2009 ? it 's this one !",
        "where is richard curtis when you need him ?",
        "not even the clumsy title bears any evidence of inspiration , which actually makes it a nice fit for writer-director marc lawrence 's dud of a script .",
        "this is a film that does roughly the same thing for the concept of star-powered romantic comedies that tiger woods has done for the concept of marital fidelity .",
        "if it was n't for hugh grant , MOV ? would be competing for worst comedy of the decade . instead , it 's just in the running for worst comedy of the year .",
        "MOV ? is about as stereotypical as a stereotypical romantic comedy can get",
        "sometimes it 's unpleasant , sometimes it 's insincere , and for long stretches it 's boring . there are good parts , too , but they all come in the first 10 minutes .",
        "a smug , new-york-is-the-center-of-the-universe comedy that does n't have enough humor to compensate for its misplaced sense of superiority ...",
        "it 's hard to imagine why you 'd want to pay to be talked down to and coddled like a baby .",
        "it 's a thoroughly delightful throwaway -- the kind of movie for which cable tv was made .",
        "i 'm not sure what entertainment itch morgans is supposed to scratch , but as an obnoxious , poorly performed , and distastefully executed comedy , it 's near the bottom of the barrel for 2009 .",
        "it 's not just the sound of crickets you hear watching this movie . it 's the sound of dead crickets .",
        "why is n't there a federal program to protect people from witnessing movies like this ?",
        "you see , city folk are like this , and country folk are like that .",
        "hugh grant and sarah jessica parker are supposed to pass for a married couple , but they have all the chemistry of two actors who just met and shook hands moments before the cameras rolled .",
        "a serviceable but uninspired romantic comedy with a familiar fishes-out-of-water backdrop .",
        "this fish out of water rom-com is predictable and sappy but the contrast between new york and wyoming , filmed with fine production values , makes for some interest .",
        "lawrence 's recycled observations of the virtues of rural life , his struggles to find something funny about local `` types '' -lrb- an unworldly doctor and his na\u010fve-nitwit nurse -rrb- , his `` grizzly encounter '' scene , are painful to watch .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "it gets a certain amount of mileage out of the inherent likability of its stars , but with an unfunny script and a lack of onscreen chemistry , MOV ? falls flat .",
    "id": "770805258"
  },
  {
    "movie": "queen_of_earth",
    "reviews":
     [
        "hell is other people - especially the ones who know you best - in alex ross perry 's acidly funny and unnerving portrait of a psychological breakdown .",
        "this dual character study , featuring a balls out performance from moss and an eerie one from waterston feels like so many other movies , everything from `` 3 women '' ... to `` rosemary 's baby '' and `` repulsion , '' yet defies coming into its own focus .",
        "almost subliminally upsetting , `` MOV '' touches viewers ' primal fears by continually messing with worries embedded in our subconscious .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... the result is an earth-shattering performance in a film that solidifies perry 's place among the most exciting filmmakers working in american cinema today .",
        "ms. waterston , a modigliani in motion and often in black , easily holds your attention , but it is ms. moss , with her intimate expressivity , who annihilates you from first tear to last crushing laugh .",
        "not all of MOV gels perfectly , but when it does , it can be breathtaking .",
        "it 's a midnight movie that turns out to be a rainer werner fassbinder chamber drama .",
        "... both a self-conscious homage and a frustrating dither .",
        "those new to the helmer 's grainy , consuming , self-absorbed worldview are welcomed with a chilling portrait of disintegration , cementing perry 's reputation for unflinching , raw nerve work .",
        "perry 's movie may not be easy to watch , but that does n't mean you should n't .",
        "this is a lovingly rendered , feel-bad chamber piece chock-full of elliptical psychodrama .",
        "writer-director alex ross perry conjures such a strong atmosphere around his characters -- and elisabeth moss and katherine waterston are so powerful in the leads -- that one gets sucked into their emotional conflict .",
        "`` MOV '' is one of these special , mold-breaking occasions , dipping itself into grotesquery with such sneaky abandon it frequently catches one off-guard in the best way possible .",
        "it may sound unpleasant to watch , and there are moments of discomfort , but perry and his performers draw you into this raw chamber piece .",
        "while the film might seem like an actors ' showcase -lrb- it is that , too -rrb- , to deem it exclusively as such would undermine perry 's command of tone and structure .",
        "watching MOV , you realize that every single aspect of its production is reflective , meant to refract or clarify the dual personalities at its center .",
        "alex ross perry continues to find new ways to make bitter break-ups strangely enjoyable .",
        "is alex ross perry america 's best contemporary filmmaker ?",
        "it 's rare when a psychological drama gets us into a character 's head without tricks or a voiceover . this drama from alex ross perry burrows so deep that it 's scary .",
        "a standout star turn from elisabeth moss enlivens and deepens alex ross perry 's extended roman polanski homage .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- delicately calibrated portrait of dissolution which points to the versatility of writer/director alex ross perry .",
        "throughout the film moss traverses an astonishing range of emotions , from bliss to complete mental disintegration . she is fascinating to watch even when the film turns into a frustrating head-scratcher .",
        "interesting , arty riff on early polanski and bergman 's persona .",
        "it is a character study of a woman 's decent into madness that is not a pretty picture but a potent one .",
        "privileged , self-obsessed , and unsympathetic , every character was purposefully unlikeable to the point it was used for humour .",
        "every beautiful , resonant image in writer-director alex ross perry 's film is fraught with neurotic , diaphanous riddles .",
        "`` MOV '' is a cold picture and may be a little obscure for some audiences , but watching this thrilling new filmmaking step and an auteurial voice grow is exciting stuff to witness .",
        "this is vigorous , frightening , electrifying stuff . even minor perry outclasses most contemporary majors .",
        "a solid stab at channelling its influences into the horror of modern self obsession",
        "a startlingly audacious departure for the writer/director that also feels like a natural progression for an auteur in the making .",
        "an open wound , moss is terrific , yet MOV feels a touch brittle and precious , like the swirly pink-hued script perry employs for his end credits .",
        "the film is n't a thriller per se , but it has the tension and atmosphere of one , only with emotional violence substituting for the physical kind .",
        "tautly written and performed with intensity , MOV is n't afraid of portraying unlikable characters , exposing their flaws and insecurities to the viewing audience .",
        "queen is as much about the bitterness of women as it is about the cruelty of men .",
        "for some viewers , the acidity level of perry 's movie will be too high to stomach . for others-anyone who thinks that there are too many warm hugs in strindberg , for example - `` MOV '' awaits .",
        "MOV is an unnerving , intense experience , but you ca n't turn away from elisabeth moss .",
        "the bitterly hilarious barbs that defined -lsb- alex ross perry 's -rsb- prior work have curdled into something darker than black comedy -lrb- but not totally without humor -rrb- .",
        "psychological horror ensues , and how . i 'd hate to reveal a single teardrop in this sharp chamber drama . it 's all chill , no pill . the sun shines bright behind that vale of tears .",
        "perry may never make a movie for the masses , whoever they are . but his truest work burrows into weird , blackly comic places few other filmmakers would dare explore .",
        "the filmmaker creates a bitter , chilling mood , the score 's strings less musical instruments than choking devices .",
        "-lsb- perry 's -rsb- gracefully disturbing execution conveys a tangible sense of the emotional violence and attrition that can underlie seemingly placid social surfaces ...",
        "it 's that tension - will catherine really go off the rails , and how far will she go when she does ? - that makes `` MOV '' such a transfixing experience .",
        "its effects will stick with you , even if you do n't quite understand them .",
        "MOV is one of the least recommendable films of the year . this is a film that chooses to ride a tidal wave of agitation and bitterness instead of portraying any sort of amusing or enticing qualities .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... throws acid on its off-putting characters and their hopeless situations and rubs moviegoers ' faces in it rather than offering any substantial insight or depth .",
        "if you 're gon na go hard to the closeup , you 're gon na want to work with a face like elisabeth moss 's .",
        "well made , written , acted and crafted , it 's the sort of movie that does n't go down easy , takes no prisoners and leaves you hoping your own life will never resemble theirs .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't a laugh riot , not by a long shot . but it is a good movie , and a fascinating study of descent .",
        "a good try at a difficult story but a lack of character development leaves us in a vacuum .",
        "the film would be nothing but a hollow exercise if its hollowness were n't so hauntingly precise .",
        "anchored by incredible performances from elisabeth moss and katherine waterston , this is one of the most mesmerizing pictures of the year ."],
    "summary": "led by a searing performance from elisabeth moss , MOV is a demanding -- and ultimately rewarding -- addition to writer-director alex ross perry 's impressive filmography .",
    "id": "771413838"
  },
  {
    "movie": "how_high",
    "reviews":
     [
        "for better or for worse , MOV knows what its audience wants and serves it to them , straight up , without any sort of moral or ethical chaser .",
        "despite the comedy 's reliance on drug humor , first-time director jesse dylan is actually less interested in getting high than in seeing how low he can go .",
        "the jokes are n't funny , the characters are n't fully developed and poor editing only makes a humorless story confusing .",
        "silly , sloppy , and liberated from any sense of pacing or plot",
        "sinfully tasteless cinema was everywhere in 2001 - but this movie is so bad it 's freudian .",
        "as it stands , a movie like MOV does nothing more than perpetuate the belief that marijuana is enjoyed solely by idiots .",
        "not all the gags work , not all the gross-outs serve the greater good , but MOV is funny , quick , and the very definition of a pleasant surprise .",
        "you 've seen it before .",
        "this is one clumsy cannabis comedy that could n't give the late timothy leary a natural high worth experiencing ! nip this `` joint '' session in the bud !",
        "can they go any lower ?",
        "maintains a consistent level of a swaggering , semi-anarchic silliness reminiscent of '70s youth-skewing comedies .",
        "too lazy to be a comedy , too conventional to be a head movie .",
        "less outrageous than simply desperate .",
        "feebly crafted in virtually every way imaginable -- directing , cinematography , acting , scriptwriting .",
        "features a fine mix of several generations of comic talent plus a terrific soundtrack from its stars .",
        "a bad saturday night live skit blown up to feature length that will make some viewers long for the far funnier days of cheech and chong back in their day .",
        "the proceedings are n't quite as annoying as expected , but it has been sloppily made , and feels about twice as long as its 91 minutes .",
        "its unremitting coarseness and utterly amoral attitude will be excruciating for most viewers to sit through .",
        "a hip-hop cheech and chong picture crossed with animal house that 's about as cheerfully vulgar as you might expect .",
        "it begs the response that seems to have been the moviemakers ' mantra : ` whatever . '",
        "MOV does n't look like a movie somebody made . it looks like a movie somebody hallucinated and put up on the screen .",
        "MOV is n't just the title of this new ganja comedy , it 's a question of how chemically altered you should be before you walk into the theater .",
        "this marginally funny cannabis comedy only proves how funny cheech and chong movies were in their day .",
        "the chemically-induced farce scrapes the bowl for cheap laughs from sight gags and sporadic jokes .",
        "the biggest problem , ironically , is that even though the plot and the action center on smoking pot , it 's not enough of a stoner flick .",
        "the fact is that this movie has no real plot , paper thin characters and totally unfunny jokes .",
        "most of the movie is simply a series of sex-and-drug adventures as method man and redman romp through campus and play pranks on the dean .",
        "mark this one down as a matinee for fans of method man & redman or of weed itself .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the idea sucks on paper , and it does n't get any better when it 's on the screen .",
        "bling bling !",
        "comes blanketed in a toked-up haze through which no one seems able to read their cue cards .",
        "totally witless .",
        "lowbrow , vulgar , and certainly formulaic , it 's also creative , absolutely hilarious , and ... knows better than to shoot over its audience 's heads .",
        "even when aiming low , MOV is too stupid or stoned to hit many marks .",
        "in small doses , the movie 's outlandish , unapologetic gross-out humor works ... taken in all at once , though , MOV can be daunting .",
        "either you find this stuff funny or you do n't . i do n't .",
        "as for redman and method man , neither should give up his day job in music .",
        "if -lrb- it had -rrb- hung on to the consistency of comedy ... `` MOV '' might have been funny enough that its pointlessness and incongruous storytelling would n't have mattered .",
        "if ever there was a movie whose message we did n't need , it 's jesse dylan 's MOV , which glorifies drug usage .",
        "cheech and chong they ai n't .",
        "there 's ... enough cheery mockery to amuse even non-tokers .",
        "a string of gross one-liners about ho 's , white-man university , ho 's , marijuana , ho 's , the sexual inadequacy of orientals , ho 's , amazingly clueless white people , and ho 's .",
        "aims low but smacks the funny bone considerably more often than it misses .",
        "the infectious high spirits amid its cartoonish chaos compensate for the film 's bald deficiencies and gag-inducing gags .",
        "a spottily amusing showcase for rappers method man and redman .",
        "like its lead characters , this movie is smarter than it sometimes acts .",
        "a slapdash collection of tired drug jokes , fish-out-of-water clich\u00e9s , projectile vomiting and gross-out humor .",
        "this chaotic mess of a film ... has the disjointed quality of a stoned-out fantasy .",
        "sample what you want . doze through the rest .",
        "i doubt that method man and redman , the two joint-puffing stars , would watch their own movie without chemical assistance . for that matter , i expect they had plenty while making it .",
        "i could feel whole chunks of my brain dissolving , my cinematic standards being lowered , and my desire to send a check to norml grow as i watched this movie and loudly laughed my ass off .",
        "method man ... proves to be a likable performer as he tosses off and wanders through MOV 's gags .",
        "a hip-hop comedy that succeeds even when MOV tests how low it can go ."],
    "summary": "MOV is a sloppily constructed stoner movie filled with lame , vulgar jokes .",
    "id": "13565"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10008991-informers",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV becomes that rare movie that is so tedious it dares you to keep watching .",
        "brazenly befouling cinemas with its sub-soap-opera acting , melodramatic dialogue , and thoroughly unlikable characters .",
        "this just felt like a bunch of people in 1980s l.a. with blonde streaks in their hair listening to wang chung .",
        "gorgeous people and some well written dialogue are n't enough to make this a movie you should see .",
        "... a dreary , loosely connected parade of drug - , drink - and sex-sodden lost souls .",
        "imagine `` crash '' with a social disease and you pretty much have `` the MOV '' in a nutshell .",
        "filled with narcissistic twits who never say or do anything of consequence or interest .",
        "life is a bitch and then you go to l.a.",
        "despite a terrific ensemble cast , the MOV suffers from an uneven , chaotic screenplay with forgettable , poorly developed characters while none of the actors or actresses get a chance to shine . it never really gels into a sharp , compelling or e",
        "if you do n't require anything more profound ... in your movies , then the MOV may well be a satisfying experience .",
        "characters become real enough to draw you in , yet are not deeply drawn enough to make you care .",
        "people sometimes had ordinary , reasonably polite conversations , even in the '80s . not absolutely all the talking was affectless mumbling , angry recriminations , drug deals or tv news about ronald reagan .",
        "i do n't find the MOV to be without interest -- unlike most critics -- but neither do i find it successful enough to recommend it .",
        "sublimely awful , director gregor jordan 's adaptation of bret easton ellis ' dystopic vision of '80s era los angeles bounces between a slew of unlikable reckless characters .",
        "there 's plenty of incident , but not much plot . as befits a tale of absolute self-absorption and unconscious revelation , the MOV often seems to be telling on itself .",
        "a rancid load of swill called the MOV , from a depraved 1994 book by bret easton ellis , is , like the soloist , a look at the underbelly of l.a. , but the resemblance ends there .",
        "perhaps the only use this film has is to give philosophers who sit through it some way of experiencing what eternity truly means .",
        "an ugly , blank slate of a film , one that feels like a rough outline for one of the better ellis adaptations .",
        "-lsb- features -rsb- a ludicrously concocted , thoroughly unconvincing narrative and the pervading sense of style supplanting substance .",
        "gregor jordan and bret easton ellis take no prisoners in this uncompromising , expertly crafted shocker about hedonism in early - '80s l.a.",
        "imagine absolutely fabulous without edina and patsy , or dynasty without alexis , and what have you got ? the MOV .",
        "much of it remains purposefully pointless , and ellis and jordan never attempt to reframe the dead-eyed hedonism and solipsism that makes these characters very hard to care about .",
        "the MOV proves once again that ellis 's stories are difficult to realise for the big screen and perhaps best left for the printed page and the imagination .",
        "watching people live such vacuous , clone-like lives of privilege and decadence , it 's impossible to feel anything for them .",
        "none of the characters are particularly appealing and it ultimately fails to engage on an emotional level .",
        "the film has a slick surface sheen and evocative soundtrack -lrb- simple minds , a flock of seagulls , etc -rrb- but those are just incidental pleasures in a languid condemnation of soulless excess .",
        "director gregor jordan seems to have gone into reverse since his 2001 buffalo soldiers , aiming for the la rondeau of altman 's short cuts but missing all the vital ingredients - wit , humanity , charm , nuance and meaning .",
        "bret easton ellis pens a mean tale , in all adjectival senses . his prose is artfully maleficent ; he is a laid-back severus snape of the sex-and-drugs generation . you need a smarter directing hand , though , than gregor jordan 's .",
        "a chilling , brutal film that is a lot more than the sum of its one dimensional parts would suggest .",
        "what an a-list cast : mickey rourke , winona ryder and kim basinger . interesting enough , all stars of the eighties , which is exactly where this movie should have stayed .",
        "if the MOV does n't sound to you like a pleasant time at the movies , you are right .",
        "an outbreak of '80s nostalgia is the best explanation for the MOV , a worse movie based on a worse bret easton ellis book .",
        "the MOV is a beautiful picture of misery , but the surface quality is never penetrated to satisfaction . in the end , it 's a mess of smeary mascara , mix tapes , and hair mousse in search of connective tissue .",
        "in spite of the title , the MOV does n't get below the surface of the era of reaganesque excess to tell us anything new . but it 's way cool to look at .",
        "excels in the mysterious tension found when someone who does n't care talks to someone who does .",
        "the MOV should be more aware of its own unsavoryness , and revel in it a little . as it is , the movie is far too weighty , as though it were honestly trying to convey some kind of cautionary message .",
        "perhaps the film 's biggest mistake is that after more than an hour of proving how pointless and vapid these characters are , it leaves us with a parting shot indicating we should care about what happens to them . we do n't .",
        "the result turns the novel 's cynical satire into a facile morality play , in which these privileged children want to be told the difference between right and wrong .",
        "occasionally , some fool gets the idea that his literary wretched excess would make for a good film .",
        "the MOV is the kind of movie that , upon leaving the theater , provokes the urge to take a shower .",
        "there is a weird , almost comic absence of insight and perspective here . but it is a joke without humour and without a punchline .",
        "this self-penned adaptation of his 1994 short story collection - a period piece set in 1983 los angeles - has supposedly been cut to ribbons , and it shows .",
        "a lurid , soapy , moralistic melodrama so mucky you 'll need a shower .",
        "directed by gregor jordan , ellis 's aimlessly dissolute collection of stories just does n't hang together as a coherent whole .",
        "for diehard ellis completists only .",
        "it 's an empty shell entertaining a nasty streak of misogyny , a single note ensemble piece that 's very much less than zero .",
        "jordan gives all this an entirely appropriate sheen and the cast play well through glazed eyes . the film will fascinate those who love to see the tormented lives of those who seem luckier than the rest of us .",
        "failing to work on so many levels , the MOV operates as a time capsule of 1983 and a time when substance was negated in favour of style . sadly , this movie is severely lacking in both of those departments .",
        "this film is bad - really , really bad .",
        "a star-studded mess .",
        "a nihilistic , narcissistic , knuckleheaded move about nihilistic , narcissistic knuckleheads , the MOV might have been an interesting exercise in satire , if it only had a sense of humor . which it does n't .",
        "the dialogue is laughable . lines are spoken so languidly that the actors seem bored . shattering revelations are delivered in the same monotone as casual patter .",
        "it 's a movie with altmanesque pretensions , but under gregor jordan 's flat-line direction amounts to flipping through an out-of-date fashion magazine , one that barely spurs the energy to point and laugh .",
        "this sprawling , wanna-be short cuts tale is so over-the-top and so insufferably unpleasant that it makes even his infamous `` american psycho '' seem tame by comparison .",
        "ellis , director gregor jordan and a cast that 's hollow but only occasionally empty , manage to anticipate excess ' hangover , a headache we 've become intimately familiar with -- all over again .",
        "tmz with phony gravitas . ellis ' stories had more oomph before drug-crazed screwups like britney spears , lindsay lohan and amy winehouse became the center of the internet news cycle .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in the buff naughty boobs 'n buns bad parenting sex and drug addiction romp . and a weird cry for help cinema probing wasted la youth without adult supervision in sight . though with sly hints on where all those hallucinatory hollywood plots arise .",
        "ellis ' book , though a grim read , had a satirical edge to it that made it darkly enjoyable ; the movie is simply dark and dull . and vampireless , more 's the pity .",
        "the piece had better have something fresh to say . the MOV does n't , nor does it seem to want to .",
        "there 's no real structure to jordan 's film , so stories haphazardly begin and disappear without ending",
        "heaven protect us from any more bret easton ellis versions of tales of the empty lives of los angeles .",
        "brad renfro in his last movie role , playing a wannabe film actor who sprays out filthy perspiration like a collie emerging from a sewer . it 's possible this role killed renfro .",
        "rating less than zero on the sophistication scale , the MOV is thus a totally faithful adaptation of bret easton ellis ' novel -- and an accurate look at early '80s - era los angeles .",
        "imagine american psycho with less violence but more nudity , transplanted from new york to california and stripped of all self-awareness . that 's the MOV .",
        "... a ninety-eight-minute snooze-fest .",
        "bleak , boring and bloated .",
        "it has a good cast and a terrific 1980s soundtrack -lrb- devo , simple minds -rrb- , but it also has the superficiality of a tv soap . the MOV is not so bad that you ca n't sit back and enjoy it , but nor is it good enough to go and see .",
        "in structure and location the film resembles robert altman 's short cuts , though it 's much inferior and far less interesting .",
        "while it 's an occasionally unsettling piece - and comes with a big-name cast - the story never goes anywhere .",
        "we may not care about these cokeheads , but only rarely does jordan fall into knee-jerk retribution .",
        "do some blow . curse humanity . convert to nilhilism . reread american psycho . but do n't for the love of god and cinema see the MOV .",
        "the MOV delivers a muddled message .",
        "the MOV is grimy , nasty and graphic in its depictions of excess , and those are its good points .",
        "remember the '80s ? after sitting through the MOV you may wan na burn your rubik 's cube and `` where 's the beef '' t-shirt .",
        "an aimless mess . but at least the mess is sexy and exciting .",
        "just because your characters are vacuous , less-than-zero types , it does n't necessarily mean that the tone and structure of your movie has to adopt the same conditions .",
        "it 's haute trash , faux crash , a series of interlocking plotlines which are meant to convince the viewer that something more profound is taking place . it is n't .",
        "parental content review",
        "i wish they 'd kept the vampire . i wish they 'd given him a rocket launcher .",
        "this is nothing more than short cuts with shortcuts",
        "open endings work for some movies , but a story this depressing needs some resolution .",
        "has an air of detachment and sadness , enhanced by the movie 's being set a full quarter century ago . like new cars in an old movie , these people may glow with youth , but we watch them in full awareness of the beaters and wrecks they 'll become .",
        "the movie has more dead scenes than a monday night in magnitogorsk .",
        "ellis 's big notions are less insightful than they pretend to be .",
        "though name actors and the involvement of a cult author may eventually get the MOV attention , there 's nobody who loves the '80s enough to knowingly pay good money to suffer through all 98 minutes of this .",
        "the performances run the gamut from twitchy to catatonic , and the stoned stiffness of the actors seems to have less to do with the affectlessness of the characters than with their own confusion .",
        "the MOV is such a wretched piece of garbage that there 's a certain amount of guilt attached to even writing about it .",
        "a grim , open-ended study in smooth surfaces , skin and 25-year-old pop-culture references .",
        "there seems to be no point to this derivative bret easton ellis retro-wallow . it 's all sex , drugs , rock 'n roll and boredom - with the emphasis on boredom .",
        "an awful film about an awful time .",
        "is there an easier target for satire than hollywood ? or a duller one ?",
        "it 's by far the most slack , ho-hum movie ever made from ellis ' material .",
        "aesthetically pretty , subjectively ugly , and emotionally incisive , the picture celebrates the passing of a not-so-innocent era and mourns the victims left in its wake .",
        "the MOV is a movie so seamy it makes you want to take a bath afterward . rarely has so much sin seemed so boring .",
        "it 's actually pretty funny if you do n't feel the need to care for or sympathize with anybody onscreen .",
        "this one 's a certifiable soul-sucker , dining out on its characters ' venalities while wagging a finger at the horror , the horror .",
        "ellis does n't create a single authentic moment or sympathetic character in this lurid pastiche of disconnected vignettes .",
        "it 's almost a relief when one of the characters comes down with a deadly disease .",
        "gregor jordan 's pointless adaptation of a bret easton ellis book is successful only in the sense that it accurately mimics the emptiness of its subject .",
        "the film is as flat as the hollywood sign , with beautiful young people , all blonde , mostly naked , trying desperately to get up the energy to order something else from room service .",
        "repulsive 80s flashback .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "as miserable and insipid as its protagonists , the MOV fails to provide anything to think about after the sheen of fake blond is gone .",
    "id": "770785473"
  },
  {
    "movie": "to_sir_with_love",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it beat dead poets society to the punch by over two decades .",
        "sentimental reflections on an inspirational teacher are often the makings of weak dishwater films , but in james clavell 's to sir , with love , a strong cast and an unforgettable title song make this an undeniable classic .",
        "sydney poitier at his best ; teens and up .",
        "even the weak moments are saved by poitier , who invests his role with a subtle warmth .",
        "one factor in the picture 's popularity and its sustaining charm is the tuneful title song , which was a top hit for lulu and is heard throughout the film .",
        "sidney poitier stars in an excellent performance .",
        "incessant cockney street market vignettes and shots of london buses seem to suggest that it was all primarily intended for american consumption anyway .",
        "a cozy , good-humored and unbelievable little tale .",
        "sidney poitier is a beleaguered english teacher in this multi-cultural mr. chips",
        "generally effective comedy drama with standout performances .",
        "the film has gone in and out of fashion , but it 's old enough now to return to it with a clear eye , and see the strength beneath the kooky sentimentality .",
        "good performances elevate the material .",
        "the charisma of poitier and the energetic performances of a groovy-looking cast of high school hellcats -lrb- some of whom look like they 've repeated year 12 at least 5 times -rrb- compensate for the shortcomings .",
        "poitier is good , but the film is memorable mostly for the song .",
        "well-meaning tripe .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while it 's a bit dated and overly schmaltzy , to sir , with love remains compelling because of sidney poitier 's outstanding performance -- and the catchy theme song is a classic .",
    "id": "17055"
  },
  {
    "movie": "real_cancun",
    "reviews":
     [
        "who 's to say what is appropriate since the only pov the filmmakers have is the one where dead presidents are staring back at them .",
        "you could argue that the MOV is n't worth shelling out seven bucks for when you can get the same thing on tv , and you would be right . but it sure beats fear factor : the movie .",
        "reality land is a village built on lowest common denominators -- the cheapest , the dumbest , the wildest -- that bunim and murray well know often leads to the most fun .",
        "this is a youth comedy without humor , a porn web site without porn and reality without a trace of the real .",
        "surprisingly dull , a tired rehash of those cheesy spring-break movies from the 1980s .",
        "the simple fact of the matter is that there is nothing new here .",
        "strip away the glittery facade and turn down the music , and what 's left is very little substance .",
        "there 's a case to be made for the MOV as a document of the mating dance as well as an unintentionally poignant film about the brevity of youth .",
        "i do n't want to say that the MOV , is boring , but i fell asleep on my arm during the last 45 minutes and chewed it off rather than wake myself up .",
        "for some of us there is a certain anthropological appeal to the mating rituals -lrb- not to mention the actual mating -rrb- on display here .",
        "real , all right . real stupid . real predictable . a real dud .",
        "politically incorrect , gleefully tasteless and extremely entertaining .",
        "a few of the people we meet appear to be so brain-dead , you wonder how they manage to breathe without assistance -- and this is before they hit the bar !",
        "even with the wet t-shirt contests and faux drama , the MOV does n't deliver a whole lot .",
        "it 's fascinating stuff to watch , as well as enlightening -lrb- especially if you 're a parent paying for college tuition -rrb- .",
        "if you let yourself be immersed in its irrelevance , it actually has some enticing moments , which to some moviegoers might be the nipple-pierced twins ' incestuous striptease .",
        "some nebbish 18-year-olds may be inspired by alan 's transformation into a party animal . others may find it sickening .",
        "difficult to believe these these kids , mostly in college , have ever cracked a book . full of life and fun .",
        "the MOV is , i believe , the sixth sign of the apocalypse -lrb- the seventh comes june 13th with the release of the american idol spawn from justin to kelly -rrb- .",
        "an exploitative piece of low-ball , high profit movie making that 's not as titillating as some might be expecting and not very good beyond all of that .",
        "more closely resembling a `` girls gone wild '' video than a work of traditional cinema , `` the MOV '' delivers a unique brand of glossy sex appeal , thanks to a fairly developed array of variously sordid characters .",
        "no matter how ` real ' things appear , scenarios and story arcs are relentlessly imposed upon the partay-cipants so as to finesse a narrative as crudely overdetermined and howlingly predictable as any studio-manufactured fiction .",
        "if you 're a fan of reality shows you 'll probably enjoy this movie . but do you really want to pay $ 10 to see something that you can watch on tv for free ?",
        "there 's an interesting story in every person -- that 's why ` reality tv ' is so popular .",
        "grown-up adults who are honest with themselves will find themselves yearning to relive their youth .",
        "an exercise in bad taste .",
        "cancun is our collective punishment for enjoying jackass : the movie so much .",
        "a lot of hard bodies with soft heads -- vain , shallow , vacuous , selfish , stupid , and well on their way to being puffy , pathetic drunks by the age of 40 .",
        "... i found it fascinating .",
        "the possibilities , endless as they may be , never explode into the realm of bacchanal .",
        "may be more at home on a television screen once it goes to dvd , but it is admittedly a lot of fun all the same .",
        "an artificial contrivance that does n't tell you much that you did n't already know , but does so loudly and garishly .",
        "`` girls gone wild '' meets `` the real wold '' in miniature , with snoop dogg 's seal of approval .",
        "with its shimmering cinematography , the MOV is better at hiding the city 's grimy exterior than at being fun to watch .",
        "... one tequila shot experiment gone terribly bad ... this 97-minute cheap thrill is a stilted and juvenile sociological misfire that 's every bit as tedious as it is tacky ... -lsb- a -rsb- fruitless fleshy fable",
        "it 's a document of the decline of western civilization , and no , it 's not because everyone in it drinks , has sex , and parties but because when asked if someone could film it , they said yes .",
        "perversely , disturbingly entertaining , and as much of a glimpse into the dark depths of human nature as a dostoevsky novel .",
        "with a strangely irritating editorial sensibility , the filmmakers work desperately at juicing up a narrative , but mostly meet with failure .",
        "never has the word `` real '' been used in a more liberal way , because this reality movie seems to have a tighter script than american pie - or at least one cloned from it .",
        "terrible , explicit movie -- beware !",
        "true exploitation filmmaking . watching it is getting fleeced .",
        "it 's not quite the end of civilization as we know it , but it 's not a good sign .",
        "as if we needed feature length versions of mtv 's `` the real world , '' served up this weekend is two hours of cancun hysteria . is it real ? yup - real dumb .",
        "a 90-minute confessathon minus the bleeped-out cuss words and pixelated breasts .",
        "though it does deliver naked breasts and binge drinking , `` cancun '' also spins a surprisingly funny tale . seriously .",
        "like the average spring breaker , i enjoyed every minute of it , but felt totally despicable the minute it was over .",
        "shoddy craftsmanship and uninteresting subjects ... sink this spring-break movie faster than an outbreak of leginnaires ' disease on a vacation cruise liner .",
        "the need for writers who can create character and excitement remains unthreatened by efforts to dredge drama from dullards by saturating their environment with cameras and microphones .",
        "it actually works as a sometimes funny , occasionally scandalous , but mostly involving narrative .",
        "delivers what it 's intended audience wants in large doses ... boobs , booze , and hooking up .",
        "rw vet and director rick de oliveira 's well-placed music and snappy cuts stir up plenty of action , once again proving that edited reality is often stranger -- and funnier -- that fiction .",
        "that no one survives with a shred of dignity should n't come as a surprise .",
        "a surprisingly funny , engaging , and entertaining 90 minutes of almost real entertainment , which in a way comes closer to resembling john hughes ' the breakfast club than the usual survivoresc reality crud .",
        "those who sit through this mindlessness get the booby prize .",
        "works , in its sleazy-chintzy - lively way , as a documentary version of the american pie films with a character for everyone in the target demo to claim as his or her own .",
        "somehow the movie -lrb- which could easily have been titled dude , where 's my underwear ? -rrb- managed to scrape up 16 college-age kids who are so callow they make this fantasy lifestyle look unattractive .",
        "at best -lsb- the MOV -rsb- is 90 minutes spent with a group of mind-numbingly uninteresting exhibitionists who would have served themselves , and america , better with a half-hour on the jerry springer show .",
        "who 's more shallow , the people who want to be in a reality movie or the people who pay to see one ?",
        "purports to be reality tv 's first major incursion into the movie world , but this is n't just loathsome cinema ; it would be terrible television , too .",
        "the quick cuts , swooping aerial shots , and images of wet t-shirt contests do n't change what this is - a bunch of self indulgent 20-year-olds massaging their egos on camera .",
        "... scene after scene of flirt , tease , posture , preen , rebuff . i 've seen animal shows on discovery that present their subject material with less clinical detachment .",
        "whether you see it as a more-raunchy the real world or a toned-down girls gone wild , the reality of this reality movie is it 's nothing we have n't seen before .",
        "a fascinating document about the hollowness of contemporary youth culture .",
        "hardly qualifies as a movie .",
        "although filmed in cancun , it might as well take place in the less appealing regions of the jersey shore , as the camerawork is so dingy and the entire production lacks the appealing gloss of the real world as it appears on mtv .",
        "unfolds with the same simplicity as any multitude of teen films that are honest about being fiction .",
        "if you want a movie in which teenagers have a lot of sex , then rent a larry clark film . these `` real '' documentaries contain far less truth than christopher guest 's `` mock '' documentaries .",
        "few truly compelling stories and disappointingly little debauchery ensue .",
        "what good documentaries have that the MOV sadly lacks is a good story .",
        "spring break is meant to be wild and self-serving , packed with embarrassing , even shocking , memories . but when six camera crews follow every step of it -- ` dude , too much information ! '",
        "the unscripted result is undeniably entertaining , though calling it ` reality ' is a bit of a stretch .",
        "while some may find the film off-putting like the other tv reality shows , the film itself is quite appealing and funny and should make a boatload of money from individuals who want to venture into someone else 's world .",
        "a hopelessly , shallow ` reality ' movie .",
        "this is the kind of fare that would be at home on late night cable , where its repetitiveness and mindlessness might offer channel surfers a cure for insomnia .",
        "like the end of most long vacations , it felt good to be going home .",
        "as forrest gump once intoned , stupid is as stupid does . stupid does it up big in the MOV .",
        "it 's all smarmy in a voyeuristic way that makes you want to reach for the lysol as you sit there watching it ...",
        "somewhere between jackass with girls and an r-rated version of mtv 's the real world ... better than the bachelor , joe millionaire or american idol .",
        "six , if you must know . that 's how many pairs of breasts get bared in the MOV .",
        "when young people get drunk and chase the opposite sex , funny things ca n't help happening ."],
    "summary": "the footage is predictable and rather tame , and most of the people are uninteresting .",
    "id": "15787"
  },
  {
    "movie": "coyote_ugly",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an authentically spirited popcorn movie .",
        "MOV is a howler .",
        "you wish that nearly everything but the two main characters had been scraped and replaced with a new and much improved script .",
        "gina wendkos ' screenplay manages to make `` flashdance '' seem plot-heavy by comparison . ... we see the lovely faces of perabo , miko and moynahan and the swinging hips and stomping feet of three anonymous dance doubles .",
        "solamente es recomendable ver en uno de esos d\u00edas en los que no hay absolutamente nada que hacer . para dar pena ajena .",
        "as slick and mindless as one might expect ...",
        "there were certain aspects that i loved ... . it had to do with hot , sexy women dancing on a bar in a wet t-shirt contest .",
        "sexist , shallow and silly . teens + .",
        "the cast fleshes out the cliches exuberantly and with little irony , which is something of a relief .",
        "a movie about a bunch of effortlessly attractive , empty-headed people who manage to constantly have fun at even the most menial of jobs ... give me some reason to care !",
        "MOV is neither bad enough to be a cult film , nor good enough to be interesting .",
        "i would n't necessarily recommend MOV to anyone , but i would n't use the dvd inserts as toilet paper either .",
        "what an amazingly bad movie this is .",
        "all hope is lost .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie should appeal to anyone who likes films as mushy and unsurprising as baby food .",
        "what talent ! what brilliance ! what complete , utter bulls ** t !",
        "it 's `` cocktail '' meets `` flashdance . '' and boy is it ugly .",
        "MOV 's main flaw is that it just is n't bad enough .",
        "the picture is only pretend-sexy .",
        "the result is underwelming .",
        "the father-daughter subplot packs all the emotional heft of madonna 's papa do n't preach video .",
        "a really awful story that feels ripped from the bold and the beautiful .",
        "formulaic to the extreme .",
        "ugly is kind of like an all-night drinking binge - it 's a fun blur while it 's happening , but you 'll barely be able to remember it the next day .",
        "the performers nearly sabotage the effort .",
        "jerry bruckheimer will prudishly remind us that enjoying this stuff -- the very stuff that puts cash in his wallet -- is a very bad , bad thing . give me a break .",
        "the film seems to have been made for no other reason than to prove that 2000 was a lousy year for movies .",
        "this is one of those films that you feel ashamed you saw .",
        "it 's a terrible movie .",
        "a more than decent debut .",
        "fabulously bad , thuddingly sexy and brilliantly stupid .",
        "a rather likable and very sweet-spirited story .",
        "piper perabo , in the updated jennifer beals role , is sweet and charming .",
        "i would probably recommend this movie to anyone who does n't mind being titillated for little bits and pieces .",
        "with all of its contrivances , clich\u00e9s , and preponderance , MOV might have well been taking place on mars .",
        "a shameless but very watchable piece of youthful romantic fantasy .",
        "makes self-debasement in pursuit of self-fulfillment not just legitimate but fun .",
        "turning on to a bar movie like MOV is not possible unless you enjoy being in one .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i 'm left to wonder if this movie might end up seeming like cocktail with girls instead of tom cruise . not that that 's an inherently bad thing .",
        "it does have an infectious spirit .",
        "yes , there 's lots of eye candy to go around , but you have to endure suave , non-descript dorks hitting on them , which includes the viciously awful dialogue .",
        "plot gets in the way .",
        "a movie that 's the ` follow your dream ' equivalent of singing karaoke along with a dvd of flashdance .",
        "manages to create interesting situations that hook onto its attractive main characters with ease .",
        "we get the same old small-town-girl-in-the-big-city-seeks-fame routine .",
        "when movies are this bad , it 's almost hard not to recommend them .",
        "MOV is so filled with movie cliches and focus-group-tested ideas that it 's hard to believe it happened any other way .",
        "the acting is amateurish , the dialogue is painful to hear and the plot is about as spontaneous as the republican national convention .",
        "this story is so tired i was shocked someone took a writing credit .",
        "more like coyote awful .",
        "its inability to follow through simply underscores the filmmakers ' cynicism and gutlessness .",
        "everything about MOV is taken from the clich\u00e9 catalog .",
        "sappy story about a struggling songwriter set in and around a manhattan bar that certainly is n't in the meat-packing district by accident .",
        "a mangy dog of a movie .",
        "before the opening credits are even done rolling , MOV establishes early on how bad it .",
        "its view of women as objectified but unavailable sex toys is so retrograde it would be maddening if the movie were n't such an utter piece of fluff so conceptually barren it might as well be a music video .",
        "a scarily stupid mix of flashdance superficiality and small-town-girl-conquers-the-music-biz cliches .",
        "a soundtrack pretending to be a story .",
        "turns out to be a duel between the tawdry and the maudlin , and the latter is , unfortunately , victorious .",
        "MOV may be the most disappointing movie of the summer .",
        "the kind of excrescence that makes you wonder if the taliban , the french and all the other foreigners who whine about the awfulness of hollywood `` product '' might actually have a point .",
        "meretricious excuse for an inspirational tale .",
        "it goes down easy , like a wine-cooler shot with a chaser of yoo-hoo .",
        "simple-minded , trashy , and a masterpiece .",
        "a talented young cast in service of a project that 's every bit as shrewd as it is shrill and silly .",
        "does jerry bruckheimer have the same nagging feeling of deja vu as he compares each new screenplay to those that have gone before ?",
        "it 's no picnic .",
        "piper perabo , who already used the adventures of rocky and bullwinkle to prove she ca n't act , solidifies it here .",
        "MOV is profoundly stupid , earnestly inept at conveying a story and hellbent on wallowing in its shallow emotional manipulations .",
        "the thin plot , which makes soap operas seem profound in comparison , has an utterly predictable conclusion .",
        "a homogenized and humdrum cinematic .",
        "a simpering love story .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it looks like a big-budget version of a miller 's genuine draft commercial .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "well , the women in this film are incredibly attractive and flaunt that fact quite a lot . unfortunatly , that 's all there is to the film . the script is almost as big a joke as the charactors , and everything else follows the same path . if you 're looking for a tease then see this flick , otherwise stay as far away as possible .",
    "id": "10913"
  },
  {
    "movie": "walk_hard",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a sharp parody worthy of mad magazine . -lsb- it -rsb- runs through every tired showbiz biopic plot point with a shiny new skewer .",
        "so is it a satire or a spoof ?",
        "it 's not pee in your pants funny , but it does have it 's moments and for the most part it works .",
        "if only for the music numbers , this movie deserves a standing ovation . much of the credit goes to john c. reilly , an actor with a rubbery face and the voice of an angel .",
        "tone is crucial here , and kasdan and apatow manage a good balance , delivering silly and often crude comedy combined with sincere performances and a sense of smart craft .",
        "the result is a film that has a few winning and entertaining moments , but ultimately feels like a will ferrell comedy and/or a ` saturday night live ' skit that managed to grow out of control",
        "at very best , someone will recognize the good work here by the star of the show , john c. reilly ... what 's taking so long ? give the man an award already !",
        "this gleeful skewering of american popular music works because of the talents of director jake kasdan and a cast led by john c. reilly .",
        "it may be utter nonsense from start to finish but at a time when your moviegoing choices are limited to deeply serious oscar bait and silly family froth , its appearance comes as a raunchy relief .",
        "very funny when focused on being a parody , but goes for the cheap laughs and shock jokes too often",
        "like the drunk guy who squeezes your arm and tells the same joke over and over until you laugh , goddamn you , laugh !",
        "the only gale-force laughter in later scenes comes when the hero meets the beatles .",
        "throughout his entire acting career , john c. reilly has always played second fiddle , and his choice in movies has never really allowed him to show off his comedic talents . that is , at least , until now .",
        "the entire film has three repetitive jokes : dewey cut his brother in half , dewey ca n't smell , and he 's going to take drugs . so it 's kind of amazing how well the film works .",
        "awfully uneven , sometimes not funny at all , but john c. reilly is so goofily sincere and jake kasdan and judd apatow include enough comedic gems to make it worthwhile .",
        "... starts out brilliantly playing with the tired tropes of musical biopics before utterly losing its way .",
        "fantastic fun",
        "MOV brings the funny and a keen observational sense",
        "como s\u0431tira \u0430s in\u044ameras e formulaicas cinebiografias de m\u044asicos c\u0439lebres , o filme funciona maravilhosamente bem . pena que recaia com tanta freq\u044c\u043ancia na par\u0443dia , que peca por um exagero que embara\u0437aria at\u0439 mesmo o trio zucker-abraham-zucker .",
        "john c. reilly does dewey cox as a hilarious stoner , beer gut middle-aged teen , with a touch of imus . move over , britney spears .",
        "with a fearless sense of silliness and a savage swipe at the conventions of the genre , it forges a brilliant parody that is relentlessly funny and musically acute",
        "MOV would be funny anyway . it 's just even more amazing because it 's so right about the musical biopics . if they need a cheesy quote from me , i 'll say MOV rocks hard .",
        "reilly is fantastic , the music is right on , and the commentary is obnoxiously accurate , so while MOV may not go to 11 , it 's definitely worth a seven or an eight .",
        "... an off-and-on thing ... but it 's on more than off ...",
        "is MOV funny ? sure ; very much so , in places . at least i think it is . it might just be the date movie talking .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- restores the good reputation to the genre spoof , which has been so long sullied by juvenile garbage like scary movie .",
        "this is a glorious tribute to the shape-shifter , a film that captures all the clich\u00e9s of the musical biopic , then rises above them .",
        "MOV is the kind of movie that you want to love and not just like , but liking it is good enough .",
        "MOV : the dewey cox story may have its share of flat spots , but it 's also a very canny send-up of the tried-and-true genre of showbiz biopics .",
        "MOV does n't know when to quit .",
        "raunchy , often hysterical parody of overplayed musical biopics ironically sags just when its targets do but hits several right notes thanks to the sturdy presence of john c. reilly as a none-too-subtle riff on the man in black .",
        "the songs are as great as the story is cute and imaginative .",
        "apatow proves he knows how to reach audiences with a truly funny film aimed at adults who love their r-rated comedies to have some real bite .",
        "that savory mix of satire and sentiment that worked well in apatow 's two summer hits is largely missing here .",
        "MOV is a disposable film that offers its share of small pleasures and amusements .",
        "MOV is apatow 's undistinguished -- in fact , shamelessly derivative -- contribution to the mockumentary genre .",
        "that the picture walks and sometimes crosses the line into the products it parodies is a measure of its zealous thoroughness and also its central pitfall .",
        "never stops sprinting from its snickering start to that big finish .",
        "reilly has an absolute sincerity - especially in the many musical numbers - that 's essential for something this goofy .",
        "rolls out a procession of one-liners , toe-tappingly hilarious songs , stunning sight gags and dead-on parodies , all with tear-inducing humor , providing an easy ride to comic bliss .",
        "-lsb- judd -rsb- apatow has always told loose and improvisational stories , but the work he 's done here with -lsb- director jake -rsb- kasdan just feels lazy and unfinished .",
        "does n't produce belly laughs so much as steady smiles of recognition over how accurately it 's nailing its target .",
        "when they run out of clever ways to be funny , they fall back on their old standbys : crude , rude , nude , and lewd , which just shows that they did n't have enough material .",
        "after ` superbad ' and ` knocked up ' , judd apatow has now pulled off the movie equivalent of the triple crown .",
        "there are a few too many lazy jokes played off dewey 's last name , but not nearly enough to wipe that grin off your face .",
        "in a season filled with so many feel-bad movies , do n't underestimate the appeal of something as silly as MOV .",
        "its comic riffs are simple jingles that always seem to outstay their welcome .",
        "writer-producer judd apatow , star john c. reilly and director jake kasdan eviscerate the genre gleefully .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV limps soft .",
        "the comic brilliance of MOV is so ingrained in its subject matter that it probably wo n't be appreciated until years after the fact .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- razor-sharp dissection of the new archetype of modern mythology -- the rock star -- and how we interact with him on a societal level ...",
        "offers a few inspired moments in a sea of mediocre gags , fumbled opportunities and that great foul among contemporary comedies -- unnecessary grossness .",
        "milks the pat formulations of its brethren , such as walk the line , for all the laughs they 're worth . and then some .",
        "it 's the role of a lifetime for reilly , who plays cox from a teenager to an old man -lrb- older actors playing kids are a running joke -rrb- .",
        "for half an hour or so , MOV : the dewey cox story is hilarious . problem is , the movie lasts an hour and a half .",
        "judd apatow can do no wrong , apparently .",
        "reilly , imitating early beatles , johnny cash , bob dylan and brian wilson , shows more range than ever in the role that should catapult him into the a-list .",
        "there 's a laziness to the entire affair , as if the writers never went further than a first draft and never found anything unfunny enough to trim or remove .",
        "MOV is 100 minutes of fun , and for pure , uncomplicated enjoyment , it 's the movie to see right now .",
        "MOV is one of those fish-in-a-barrel comedies that mine a rich comedic vein but manage to come up with few genuine gems .",
        "in many ways outrageous % u2013 but not outrageous for long enough % u2013 MOV has tremendous appeal and entertainment value",
        "the musical biopic gets a much-needed smackdown in the fitfully hilarious MOV",
        "the latest from the apatow comedy factory abandons the relative realism of ` knocked up ' and ` superbad ' for mad magazine-esque , ` airplane ! ' - style spoofery ...",
        "goes through the motions of a satire with numerous references to pop music history , but remains flaccid throughout .",
        "knocked up hurriedly , you feel , in between apatow 's other projects , MOV is the feted writer-producer 's first fumble . as spinal tap 's nigel tufnel might have put it , this one only goes to two-and-a-half .",
        "reilly , one of our best supporting actors graduating to star status , finally bound for glory .",
        "the one area where ` MOV ' does manage to hold its own against classics of the genre such as ` this is spinal tap ' or ` sweet and lowdown ' is the music , all of which is expertly written and performed .",
        "john c reilly just about holds together a funny but patchy comedy that puts a ten-megaton bomb under the cliched rock biopic - and never detonates it .",
        "for all of the care and creativity put into MOV 's original songs , the rest of the film feels less inspired and maybe a little lazy .",
        "... this is the best batch of songs written for a comedy since paul williams penned the tunes for `` ishtar . ''",
        "MOV is n't merciless -lrb- except for maybe one wicked sequence with the beatles -rrb- , and that 's because it so loves what it 's sending up : the pleasure , ego , and sheer exhaustion of what happens behind the music .",
        "the tricky thing about parody movies is that the jokes get old fast and they 're hit-and-miss . MOV is guilty on both counts . how lucky that when the jokes do hit , they kick major ass .",
        "cox rocks and apatow 's streak continues in this spot-on biopic parody .",
        "in a spoof that contests all the visual and thematic cliches of hollywood musical biopics , from elvis to buddy holly to ray and walk the line , reilly finally gets a lead role , which he plays with gusto .",
        "the pugnacious john c. is gifted and knows no bounds . walking hard , for him ... effortless .",
        "hey , bay-buh ! there 's a whole lot of funny goin ' on in MOV . it 's got sex and drugs and elvis and giraffes and members only jackets .",
        "it 's kind of nice to see -lsb- john c. reilly -rsb- get a showcase role like this .",
        "it 's afraid to leave its comfort zone , and its primary joke wears thin in a hurry .",
        "raunchy biopic parody is n't for younger teens .",
        "call me a cynic , call me a curmudgeon , call me perverse -- i loved every moment of dewey cox 's story .",
        "the glory of the movie is reilly 's performance , which is executed with a perfectly straight face and no hint of self-consciousness .",
        "cox rocks .",
        "reilly is recklessly funny .",
        "there are certainly a lot of laugh-out-loud moments , which is more than can be said about a lot of alleged comedies .",
        "MOV runs down quickly , and suffers further from having the wide-eyed and weightless reilly as its star .",
        "this one pokes some fun at the conventions of the musical biopic genre instead of just replicating famous scenes from other films , and that 's a much more satisfying way to go because it actually has a perspective on the topic .",
        "paul rudd stole this performance in the beatles sequence and had to be one of his best comical pieces to date . the only reason i could recommend this film is to see this scene .",
        "the genius of jake kasdan 's fourth and best film lies in the fact that it starts out as a very faithful spoof of walk the line but then slowly evolves into something much cooler .",
        "a pitch-perfect musical comedy that at long last moves the talented john c. reilly up the billing ladder from second banana to top banana .",
        "borat 's influence shows . perfectly mocks the fantasy of johnny cash 's cinematic life story . the man in black 's fans will be furious .",
        "the film gets some mileage out of mocking fatuous biopic conventions .",
        "a rambunctious and funny musical spoof of musical biopics starring john c. reilly .",
        "do n't MOV , run to see this .",
        "this burlesque of biopic cliches flounders from one setup to the next without the engine that drives the genre : a strong central character .",
        "... not all the bits -lrb- among them a `` yellow submarine '' - like acid trip -rrb- work equally well . fortunately , there 's a general exuberance and fondness for the musical material that eases the rough spots .",
        "making parodies can be easy , but kasdan , apatow and their wonderful cast take their jobs seriously .",
        "reilly is well-cast in this hit-and-miss spoof of both rock singers and american social history from 1950 on .",
        "MOV : the dewey cox story has a good beat and you can dance to it , though mostly you 'll probably just tap your foot .",
        "nothing can prepare the senses for MOV , a parody feature that stumbles around like a maniac , ruthlessly ripping apart the conventions of the musical bio-pic but leaving plenty of breathing room to enjoy a little insanity of its own design .",
        "... almost entirely devoid of elements designed to hold the viewer 's interest .",
        "merrily deconstructs the conventions of the genre with subtlety and -lrb- where required -rrb- blatant outright mockery .",
        "a filthy little pic that seeks to shock and offend it 's audience throughout .",
        "i 'm glad the artform that zucker-abahams-zucker brought us in the 1980 's survives . it 's gotten raunchier , meaner , maybe rougher , but it lives on .",
        "kudos to the hilarious dance moves of john c. reilly and paul rudd 's fabulously goofy take on john lennon .",
        "MOV offers a quantity of laughs that few comedies could match .",
        "one of the awards season 's silliest -- and most satisfying -- surprises .",
        "good ensemble acting , a sometimes laugh out loud screenplay ... great music and staging and a solid performance by john c. reilly are all good reasons to see MOV .",
        "a dismal indulgence .",
        "some laughs , but you expect more from apatow .",
        "this biopic rocks - well , the first half does .",
        "in many ways outrageous -- but not outrageous for long enough -- MOV has tremendous appeal and entertainment value .",
        "the end of a golden run for judd apatow .",
        "another comedy winner ; if you have to ask why , it 's because it involves the knocked up guy . hilarious - even the beatles bit , this looks set to be a hit .",
        "who knew that judd apatow , the master of sex comedies , also spoke jive ?",
        "a perfect storm of incompetent idiocy that might kill off mockumentaries altogether .",
        "you 'll laugh hard during `` MOV . ''",
        "MOV is not making a mockery of the music or the musicians . it only playfully takes the teases the filmmakers and the conventions that have developed in telling these tortured artists ' stories . it 's only matinee price because it is occasionally a l",
        "MOV looks and sounds so much like a real musical biopic that you could make a good drinking game out of naming all the movies that get spoofed .",
        "a bawdy , rib-tickling , anything-goes spoof of such recent music biopics as ray and walk the line , and here 's the kicker -- it 's actually a better movie than both of those .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- erratic , but enjoyable goof from the judd apatow hit-making machine .",
        "apatow and director jake kasdan deliver a fair number of laughs , though nearly every good idea is pressed into service as a running gag . the biggest disappointment is their survey of rock history , which has all the depth of a time-life book .",
        "`` MOV '' is a spoof with wit as well as heft .",
        "reilly is likably goofy , which goes a long way to redeeming the film .",
        "while `` MOV '' makes for a fine soundtrack , it 's less entertaining as a movie .",
        "a movie you can simply walk out of , say ` that was really funny , ' and go back to your day .",
        "john c. reilly is not anyone 's idea of a leading man -lrb- which is part of the spoof , people -rrb- .",
        "an snl sketch may have been a better vehicle for such a spoof . on the big screen , it ends up having a film life of its own becoming a music bio pic in order to sustain .",
        "the songs -lrb- written by a slew of artists , including reilly , apatow , and kasdan -rrb- are genuine , ridiculous , and often very funny .",
        "it 's a one-man show telling one-joke , but it 's a damn talented man and it 's a pretty funny joke .",
        "MOV is funniest in its first half , when you 're not quite sure where it 's going , and drags in the second , by which time you realize it 's going nowhere .",
        "at least it 's not as bad as it could have been .",
        "in a season loaded with serious films about war and loss , there 's bound to be an audience out there looking for some undemanding holiday laughs .",
        "this smart new spoof works because its makers ... obviously love the genre they have so much fun sending up .",
        "instead of sending everything over the top at high energy , like top secret or airplane ! , they allow reilly to more or less actually play the character , so that , against all expectations , some scenes actually approach real sentiment .",
        "jake kasdan and judd apatow lampoon the entire genre of the true-story biographical movies and fall nothing short of brilliant all the while .",
        "chances are , after seeing MOV , it 'll be years before you can sit through a serious musical biopic and maintain a straight face .",
        "it 's the flintstones vitamin of spoofs ."],
    "summary": "a parody that pokes fun at rock stars and reductive biopics alike , this comedy sings in large part because of stellar performances and clever original music .",
    "id": "770675029"
  },
  {
    "movie": "one_true_thing",
    "reviews":
     [
        "streep shines !",
        "streep 's work elevates what is otherwise a middling melodrama that 's part coming-to-terms-with-your-family story and part ` few-months-to-live ' plot .",
        "streep 's performance mesmerizes , but it is zellweger 's engrossing portrayal as the selfish daughter that sells her as a serious hollywood actress .",
        "MOV has the most honest , layered and authentic family dynamic of any american movie in recent memory .",
        "instead of being just about coping with cancer , it tells an interesting story about a young woman coming to terms with the fact that her parents are not who she always thought they were .",
        "even director carl franklin ... ca n't prevent MOV from descending into chick-movie hell .",
        "the film is helped , by wonderful performances by two of the top talents in the business in streep and hurt , and zellweger stays right with them .",
        "MOV demonstrates that the power of simple things , the transcendent nature of the ordinary , can make for riveting filmmaking .",
        "thanks to carl franklin 's clever direction , which always stays real close to the characters , what could have been a tv movie-of-the-week becomes a thought-provoking and touching film .",
        "brings extraordinary honesty and keen emotional pitch to the family drama .",
        "a heart-affecting film that challenges us to confront some of the myths and meanings we have constructed about our parents .",
        "a well-oiled machine manufactured to tap our welled-up ducts .",
        "zellweger gives a rich performance !",
        "an emotional drama !",
        "a lot less black-and-white than it could have been .",
        "pumps new life into the dying-nobly-of-a-horrible-disease genre",
        "it 's a sad film that deals with tragic events . but the appeals to emotion are wholly honest and not the least bit crude .",
        "the MOV to remember about this film is how worthwhile it is .",
        "poignant , heartfelt and moving ...",
        "we 're here for the acting , and we get it .",
        "the actors are all phenomenally affecting , and carl franklin 's direction and declan quinn 's camerawork make the most of the little moments that pass between people .",
        "its strong cast and restrained direction lift it above the kleenex .",
        "the film rests firmly on the shoulders of streep and , to a lesser degree , zellweger . their performances , and carl franklin 's understated direction keep the tears and life-affirming revelations from congealing into chicken shmaltz for the soul .",
        "carl franklin 's understated direction keeps the tears and life-affirming revelations from congealing into chicken shmaltz for the soul .",
        "probably wo n't appeal to teens .",
        "the script shifts audience sympathies about quite adroitly , though it 's a pity all the men had to be such humbugs .",
        "there is n't one schmaltzy moment in the entire film , and any tears the viewer sobs into their hankies are well-earned .",
        "streep , zellweger , and hurt are outstanding .",
        "there 's a lot of oscar timber here ...",
        "one of those rare films -- a movie that is genuinely sad and moving without being melodramatic , sentimental or hokey .",
        "the movie ultimately belongs to streep , who illuminates the extraordinary soul inside an everyday woman .",
        "as finely wrought a drama as one could ask for .",
        "streep 's performance will probably secure her another oscar nomination .",
        "MOV is real enough to be a film you can believe in .",
        "streep manages to transcend the material and outshine her other fellow cast members to such a degree that you wish they and the material were at least as good as she is .",
        "honest , perceptive and moving !",
        "streep is luminous as the hypermaternal kate .",
        "it 's streep to the max !",
        "in a time when most movie families are hopelessly dysfunctional , it is refreshing to see one that does n't quite fit the mold .",
        "heartfelt acting and imaginative filmmaking transform soap-opera into an affecting screen experience .",
        "franklin is a rare , undeniable talent whose special abilities again shine through .",
        "a convincing but restrained melodrama , at times attaining true emotional power .",
        "typical meryl , as streep streeps her way through another wintry family crisis movie .",
        "streep and hurt , two of the best gestural actors working , let the showboating tics fly fast and thick .",
        "franklin seems ill-suited to this cast and this material .",
        "unfortunately , director carl franklin paces the film with a dirge-like rhythm . and its lengthiness is hardly mitigated by william hurt 's lackluster performance .",
        "renee zellweger , in particular , is captivating ; she is irresistible as an actress , while meryl streep is luminous , perceptive , and courageous .",
        "how effective can a tear-jerker be if you 're waiting for them to be jerked ?",
        "zellweger and especially streep both bring their roles to vivid life with a multi-dimensional blend of warmth , vulnerability , and underlying strength .",
        "yes , meryl streep is phenomenal again !",
        "streep 's performance makes the movie worth seeing .",
        "MOV celebrates the very things you do n't miss , or even know exist , until they are gone .",
        "meryl streep is an actress of such transcendent skill and sympathy that she regularly elevates her material , taking it up several notches and giving us feelings , insights , feelings and textures the original writer may have just missed expressing .",
        "superb cast , excellent performances , well-written script and great direction !",
        "sensitively written , fluidly directed and expertly acted !",
        "it is the craftsmanship that elevates MOV above the level of a soaper .",
        "although the plot rarely excels , the actors bring enough to their roles to transform this motion picture into a satisfying weeper ."],
    "summary": "solid performances lift this drama to a higher level .",
    "id": "14183"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dukes_of_hazzard",
    "reviews":
     [
        "one big , uninspired failure .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV better have a big opening weekend . once the dukes remake hits thousands of movie screens , it 's got to win its own race .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV is a movie that makes you feel unclean as a result of having seen it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        ".",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "certainly not the worst of the endless stream of tv remakes , but given the unassuming , easy charm of the original , still wide of the mark by a country mile .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "after about 20 minutes , you 'll start wondering just how many times we 're going to see our two moronic leads doing handbrake turns and going `` whoooo-hooo '' . i counted at least 30 .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's a film made specifically and entirely for the purpose of extracting money out of unsuspecting customers ' wallets , all marketing plan and no artistic vision .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "seems to take pride in being as loud , obnoxious and moronic as humanly possible .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "satire by satirists who just do n't get it -- approaching the silly outlaw charm -lrb- which satirized itself in the tv show -rrb- with the subtlety of an f5 tornado in a trailer park .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "mental garbage , a picture that 's so foul we question its reason for existing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "crass and obnoxious where the show was affable and even rather sweet-natured .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "super troopers , club dread , and now this . chandrasekhar can not be stopped .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "b-movie pabulum within an a-level marketing plan .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's dumb as rocks and thoroughly unnecessary .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "big dumb fun . you can actually feel yourself getting stupider while watching it - but it 's such a sunny , upbeat , eager-to-please movie , the silliness becomes infectious .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "remember : friends do n't let friends go to the MOV sober .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a black hole of a movie without anything original to do or interesting to say . that it is n't outright terrible only makes its utter pointlessness all the more glaring .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the plot involves the boys ' attempt to thwart hogg 's secret plan to turn hazzard county into an open coal mine , but it 's really just an excuse for endless car chases .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with no plot , character or dialogue worth experiencing , let alone remembering , the film merely occupies space on the screen and hopes for the best .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "stupid enough to make smokey and the bandit part 3 and cannonball run 2 suddenly seem like paragons of wit and high comedy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film is marginal for what it is -- a takeoff on a farce . there are only so many layers of sendup until the movie simply spins in the mud , kicking up gravel but going nowhere .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "too much blah-blah , not enough ` yeeehawww ! '",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a weird , moonshine-and - marijuana-fueled yee-haw fest based on the '80s tv show .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "straight viewing could result in brain damage .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "whether you find all this inane or offensive will probably depend on whether you buy the dukes ' defence of ` never meaning no harm ' ; either way it 's pretty hard going .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "jay chandrasekhar -lrb- of the unfunny comedy troupe broken lizard -rrb- directs without wit or style .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "instead of the promised lighthearted tone of the tv series , the big screen update avails itself of its pg-13 liberties and comes stuffed with a barnful of profanity and enough marijuana references to satisfy even the most stoned out cheech and chong fan .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the only thing the MOV has in abundance is hate .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "n\u0103o \u00e9 apenas sem gra\u00e7a ; \u00e9 , tamb\u00e9m , moralmente ofensivo , sendo povoado por personagens desprez\u00edveis , ignorantes e preconceituosos -lrb- o que inclui os ` her\u00f3is ' -rrb- .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's got a few laughs and some impressive car chases , but mostly , it 's just a puzzling jumble of gags and exhaust fumes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- jessica simpson -rsb- literally could n't act if her life depended on it - she appears to only be there to provide eye candy and , frankly , she 's not all that attractive in the first place .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a spirited , high energy romp that is naught but yee-haw nonsense , the MOV is a rev a second .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "comes reasonably close to -lsb- being -rsb- finger-licking good .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's either hell being a hillbilly or a hell of a lot of fun being a hillbilly . here , it 's hell .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "`` the dukes '' are back ... and the film happily hits the right balance between stupid and fun : you know , everything we loved about the television show .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a gigantic disaster",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "escapist entertainment , but little else .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it boasts a few good laughs , a few cool action sequences and a few gratuitous eye candy shots that will have nick lachey punching holes in a wall .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's not intolerable or offensive so much as it is just plain stupid .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this foolhardy hazzard upgrade may be appealing to its tv fans . or it could just remind you how ridiculous it was the show ran for six seasons in the first place .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's a stink coming off the big-screen MOV that even fans of the tv series -lrb- 1979 to 1985 -rrb- wo n't be able to shake out of their nostrils .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "ca n't decide whether it 's saluting the series or spoofing it . ... the yee-haws start to give way to yawns ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "over here , dukes . park the general lee in the weeds between the big-screen beverly hillbillies jalopy and the mchale 's navy pt-73 .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "when a movie 's misogyny is battling its racism for screen time , you know the project is in trouble .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "` when i sit down , i say , when shall i arise and the dukes be gone ? and i am full of tossings to and fro unto the ending of the movie . ' -- not job 7:4",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "will the boys fall into boss hogg 's trap ? how will they get past the roadblock ?",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's simple , kinda crass and more fun than jumping into the creek while daisy is skinny dipping .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a comedy that knows just how smart to be about just how dumb it is .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there were two big boobs i wanted to see in this movie , and they were n't johnny knoxville and seann william scott .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the remake truly represents the most evil of hollywood ideals , and tarnishes a south-of-the-border television treat that is still standing over 25 years later .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i really did n't mind MOV . it 's just a whole movie of almost getting somewhere but staying a little bit behind .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "considering how funny it could have been -- either as a faithful big-screen adaptation or as a winking parody -- this sloppy mix of both styles is a disappointment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "anyone who does n't love the dukes and their repetitive adventures wo n't find much of interest , and anyone who does is better off watching old episodes on cmt .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "injecting enough solid laughs and car chases to make dukes precisely what it is - an uncomplicated friday night distraction .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "two dudes and a cool car is n't a lot to base a tv show -lrb- much less a movie -rrb- on , and it 's no more substantial here .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this is n't the hazzard county i remember .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "bo and luke duke were better off when they were replaced by two other unknown cousins for a season than they are being played by seann william scott and johnny knoxville .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "for some reason people in massachusetts are supposed to be ashamed of being educated , but the people of georgia are to be proud of their rural morons .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV aims awfully low .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV is a cheap , greasy time at the multiplex .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "broken lizard ... brings a subversive streak that sneaks some genuine humor into what would otherwise be an assembly-line collection of car chases and frat-boy ogling .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... intentionally mindless and as reckless as an open moonshine jug left on a steaming heater ... shamelessly uneven and not very smart about its heralded idiocy",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "at one point in the film , scott turns to knoxville and says , ` there 's a lot of smart people out there . ' with the MOV , warner bros. is apparently banking on the opposite to be true .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "has some of the same fratty energy as wedding crashers .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "half the jokes land on the screen like dead armadillos .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "meanders from one overblown action sequence to the next , without bringing along for the ride the goofy charm of the show on which it 's based .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "hard to imagine a movie more mind-numbingly pointless and instantly forgettable .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "not even a sexy , toned and blossomed blond can distract from the vapid ugliness that is the MOV .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "park your brain in the garage , shift gears into stupid and put the pedal to the metal . then maybe , just maybe , you might find some funny moments in the MOV .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "mindless piffle .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "for a movie that posits itself as a celebration of rebel excess , dukes is pretty tame .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "witless film .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a lunch box in cinematic form : another half-assed excuse to slap a label on something and shill it to the crowd .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV feels like hollywood 's last idea , a wan desperate wave of red meat redneck humor marketed to red state america .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- an -rsb- episodic , cartoony romp .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a series of rowdy antics instead of a sustained storyline , the MOV is all about the car .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's no reason for these good ol' boys to be in a movie this bad .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "why fans of the series would pay good money to see something they can see free in tv reruns escapes me .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV is the latest evidence that , for hollywood studios at least , there can never be too much of a mediocre thing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "broken lizard 's biggest mistake is to update this story to the present .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "flatter than a two-lane blacktop , the movie is awfully unfunny , which it compensates for by being awfully loud .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in the age of media immediacy , well-connected computer systems and helicopter pursuits -- to say nothing of the same watchful government that spawned the patriot act -- all this seems nonsensical .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the storyline is so dumb and predictable it would n't have even made the grade for an episode of the original tv series .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "fans of the television show will find a lot to like here . so will fans of the broken lizard comedy troupe .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "purports to be a remake of a tv show but is more accurately a remake of jessica 's vapid modeling career .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in lieu of a movie , we get a series of car chases rudely interrupted by the occasional smattering of dialogue .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "amazing . incredible . unbelievable . astonishing . painful . all these words come to mind in just the first 10 minutes of viewing this film , none of them in a good way .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "bo and luke are played by scott and knoxville with a backwoods brio that makes ma and pa kettle look like alfred lunt and lynn fontanne .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... neither the frantic slapstick nor the we-don ` t - know-what - to-do-so - let 's - have - another-car-chase sequences alter the movie 's gear-grinding desperation .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "simpson recites her lines as though english were a language with which she is completely unfamiliar",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "filming jessica simpson 's *** is easy , but the car was always the real selling point of the show and it 's no different here .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "nowhere to be found here is any of the goofy charm of the original .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "great it ai n't , but it entertains for stretches .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "even by the lax standards of tv show adaptations , though , this one is a disappointment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "so loud , so long , so dumb .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "you ca n't blame the millions who will fantasize about gen. sherman burning the movie 's negative , but when it comes to the home market , this will be a good one for its target audience to pass out to .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film 's ambitions are so low that it 's hard to imagine how it fell short of them .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "delivering exactly what it promises -- car chasing , girl gazing and yee-hawing -- it takes the high road to low art by remaining faithful to the tv series that spawned it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV is just plain awful .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the good-ol ' - boy humor mostly is dated and redundant , the low-tech car stunts are unlikely to thrill today 's jaded audiences and the plot -- the dukes saving the county from being turned into an open-pit mine -- is a yawner .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in stiff competition for the lamest thing ever put on celluloid .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "haws follow hees as hayseeds rip around in fast cars , churning dust and making faces very close to the camera .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "who can forget jessica simpson ? you will , if you 're lucky .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "hillbilly heaven , if you even want to go there .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "you ca n't say those involved in the film did n't have fun -- sure looks like they had a blast . shame is as an audience we ca n't say the same .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this must rank as one of the most hollowly formulaic hot-weather blockbusters ever let out of the can .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie goes extra lite on the comic fluff , while doing the usual heavy handed thing when it comes to hayseed caricatures .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's really nothing to enjoy here other than a lot of stale dialogue , and a pitiful grab for a franchise .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV only works during the chase sequences , and just sits there the rest of the time . there are some moments of inspired visual lunacy , but that 's it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if rubber-burning car chases and short shorts are your thing , this is the summer remake for you .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "good , stupid fun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... you ca n't say the movie is n't lively , like a big old-fashioned warner bros. cartoon .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "do n't bother with this movie . if you 're just itching for more dukes , stick to the original series on dvd .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "even as the film tediously tends to its arbitrary plot , chandrasekhar displays almost oneiric reverence for the iconography of the tv show .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "heck , suck the exhaust fumes from a 1969 orange dodge charger . but whatever you do , no matter how big a fan you were of the show , do yourself a favor by skipping the movie .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a lapdance , a fifth of cheap whiskey , and a lube job would offer the same elements and be a hell of a lot more fun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "bound to make you smile , even if you do feel guilty about it afterwards .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... offers the same nostalgia value as using the theme song as your ring tone .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the balladeer always sang that the mountain might get the duke boys someday . with this movie , they crash the general lee into it and explode .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's every bit as bad as you thought it 'd be . only worse .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a lame-brained , outdated wheeze .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's as dumb as a bag of hammers and as cheesy as , well , macaroni and cheese . but it 's a movie that knows how inconsequential it is at the outset and does n't care much whether you can party with it or not .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as a salvo in the culture wars , MOV is a dud , and as an actual movie it does n't rate much higher .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this is one unusual case in which aiming for a middling c grade turns out to be a-plus work .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "features low-rent humor and high-speed chases .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a decent-enough rambunctious southern-drive-in sort of time-waster .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "bringing this hit tv show to the big screen must have seemed like a good idea at the time . too bad it did n't work out .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "car crashes !!! wowzers ! then we get to see daisy in a bikini in order to sexually harass the cops . how cute !!!",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV does such a textbook job of pandering to bubba q. public that it ought to run for political office .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "should be called dukes of hazardous to your health if you 're forced to watch it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's just not much going on in these 106 minutes of ai n't - it-cool quasi-nostalgia .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "burt reynolds fired his agent after boogie nights . if he has a lick of sense in his head , he 'll kill his agent after MOV .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "assuming that someone was determined to remake this mediocre but iconic tv show , this is probably as good as it 's going to get .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "after the first chase scene , it 's obvious that scott and knoxville do n't have enough charisma to carry the film , or to even make anarchic destruction and evading the law into something if not sexy at least endearing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "prepare to witness an amazing feat of filmmaking : shocked and delighted will you be to see real hollywood actors and real musicians outperformed by your favorite inanimate objects !",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "herbie for adults .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with a hideously fake tan and an eerie smile , simpson recites her lines with a chipper hollowness that makes it seem like she has just barely memorized them .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "like most movies based on old television shows , dukes is all concept , with a few jokes written into its crevices .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's a negation of cinema . you would actually become a better , more complete person by not watching it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as h.l. mencken said , `` no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the american public . ''",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i could barely make out a word of the ` dialogue ' them there duke boys kept a-hollerin ' over the roar of the general lee and their movie 's soundtrack of ineptly edited swamp rock .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "dumb , mindless filmmaking at its most mediocre . but so was the tv show .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if this is how bo and luke translate to the big screen , i 'd hate to see the movie versions of coy and vance .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "like being stuck in the middle of a nascar race ... without a car .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "stupid , meandering , generally unfunny attempt .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "basically it 's like a rural south edition of jackass . but not as funny .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "one broken down lizard",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it all backfires worse than the general lee before a tune-up by cooter .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "forget the drill core , the dukes should have had willie nelson 's blood analyzed , because every time that guy has a blood test science adds a new element to the periodic table .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "fan -lsb- s -rsb- of the ... tv series ... -lsb- will -rsb- likely want to see this just to find out if it 's a travesty ... -lsb- others , however -rsb- will surely wonder what they 're doing watching this movie .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the biggest hurdle for the MOV is that the humor is extremely hit-or-miss .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... a barely-entertaining light action adventure with glimpses of the fun that could have been had .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a coupla times this here 's kinda funny . but the rest of the time it 's dadburn dumb",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "folks from this side of the mason-dixon line may be more forgiving of this sometimes fun , if often mindless , bit of entertainment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "even as a non-fan of the series , i am fairly certain that the original was never quite as low as this obnoxious celebration of stupidity .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i hated this movie . it represents everything that 's wrong with the studio system .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "movie-goers would be better off spending their movie ticket money on the dvd box set of the television series .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV is a movie in the sense that it is composed of recorded events , gets projected on a screen , and can be viewed as a continuum .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this movie is hazardous to your entertainment health",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a raunchy hazzard . lame-brained but unpretentious fun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "sure , it 's simple but for a longtime MOV fan , it 's a funny and nostalgic dose of southern comfort .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "motorheads who want nothing more than a handful of chase sequences may enjoy the MOV , but everyone else should observe the cautionary yellow flag .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a movie about absolutely nothing -lrb- eat your heart out , seinfeld -rrb- , based on a show made when your target audience was n't even born yet . and they say hollywood is running out of ideas .",
        -1
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a dumb , goofy , and vacuous adaptation of a tv show where plot is simply an excuse to string together the car chases .",
    "id": "1971"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_president",
    "reviews":
     [
        "neither bad nor unwatchable , the MOV is nevertheless the second straight disappointment from director rob reiner .",
        "when it comes right down to it , high office does not guarantee high comedy .",
        "the MOV becomes a pretty darn entertaining and affecting movie after its first simpering 20 minutes .",
        "a well-modulated charmer .",
        "painless fun .",
        "great entertainment .",
        "got the same zip as when harry met sally .",
        "frothy .",
        "the MOV will make you laugh and make you smile . but it probably wo n't make you change your vote .",
        "you ca n't dislike this movie , but you wo n't be swept away by it either .",
        "rob reiner seems to have found his calling .",
        "the image of a chief executive as moonstruck single guy taps something buoyant and touching in our collective democratic imagination . and douglas , wearing a fast-break smile in place of his usual frown , strikes a tender rapport with bening ...",
        "the MOV is a bright , witty romantic comedy with really good dialogue , but at the same time it is a statement about politics , and about politicians , some who are idealists and some who are opportunists .",
        "douglas and bening are both wonderful .",
        "apart from its too-obvious political bias , the MOV has romance in its heart , smarts in abundance and class to spare .",
        "an extremely savvy observation on politics in the media age .",
        "good romantic comedy . some funny irreverence about the white house , and a well-meaning political message .",
        "predictable and pc , but fun .",
        "light , fluffy romantic comedy , well acted by michael douglas .",
        "a genial and glossy middle-brow rom/com blended together with corny capra-like political drama .",
        "as the 1995 film veers away from the romance , into definable -lrb- and dated -rrb- political issues , it loses some of its magic .",
        "witty , wise , and idealized political romance .",
        "a potentially good adult romance is undone by a preachy left-wing agenda .",
        "part romantic comedy , part capra-corny political drama , this movie exudes so much sympathy , it sweats .",
        "glorious romantic comedy .",
        "sorkin starts his west wing warm-up with a winning political rom-com .",
        "leve , divertido e gratificante .",
        "registers as a polished and delightful romantic comedy about soulmates .",
        "genial and entertaining if not notably inspired .",
        "genial middlebrow fare that coasts a long way on the charm of its two stars .",
        "with great looks , a dandy supporting cast , a zinger-filled screenplay by aaron sorkin and mr. douglas twinkling merrily in the oval office , the MOV is sunny enough to make the real presidency pale by comparison .",
        "the casting is inspired , with uniformly crisp performances all around .",
        "so-so fantasy about what a more courageous bill clinton might have been like .",
        "while there are a lot of funny lines in the film , well-delivered by an all-star cast , the film 's politics are funniest of all .",
        "a shrewd new depiction of ` office sex , ' as well as an utterly positive view of the idea that a president 's character is important .",
        "peppered with terrific performances from a bevy of familiar faces .",
        "a super cast injects it with teddy roosevelt vitality .",
        "as bustling and impassioned as the best sturges and capra movies .",
        "michael douglas is plausible as president , and he delivers yet another solid , if unmemorable performance .",
        "` capraesque ' has inevitably been affixed to the MOV , but that phrase , with its implications of facile hokum , does n't do the film justice .",
        "charming but flawed leftist romantic comedy .",
        "director rob reiner strikes a good balance between drama and old-fashioned love with douglas and bening suitably understated in their roles .",
        "essentially a by-the-numbers hollywood romance in the dopiest melodramatic tradition .",
        "simplistic , full of stock characters and easy solutions to difficult problems , and i absolutely loved it ."],
    "summary": "a charming romantic comedy with political bite , rob reiner 's MOV features strong lead performances and some poignant observations of politics and media in the 1990s .",
    "id": "10129"
  },
  {
    "movie": "alone_in_the_dark",
    "reviews":
     [
        "thanks for the surgical enhancement , tara reid . as i always say , if saline made you a great actor then sean penn would have gills .",
        "actually has an entire group of adults call out to a lost comrade , ` marco ! ' what does he expect the audience to do when they hear that ? i mean , come on .",
        "-lrb- christian -rrb- slater and -lrb- tara -rrb- reid share quite possibly the most awkward love scene ever recorded on film .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- n instant classic of cheeseball cinema , an orgy of overblown dialogue and hammy overacting , 90-some-odd minutes of cheap-looking , jaw-dropping incoherence ...",
        "they say that even ugly babies have faces their mothers love , but this is truly a film that not even hardcore genre fans could appreciate .",
        "on the short list of worst movies ever made .",
        "there 's a point in the movie where it 's best to stop trying to make sense out of this unintelligible story ... right after the opening credits .",
        "perhaps hoping to be a sort of hybrid matrix meets indiana jones meets alien , unfortunately , MOV is just a bad movie .",
        "worse than you can imagine ... see 1997 's the relic instead .",
        "... asking the viewer to accept tara reid as a scientist is pure insanity , requiring a staggering leap of faith that i ca n't even begin to contemplate .",
        "reid delivers her lines as though she is calling for another round of mai tais for the house .",
        "MOV is n't going to set the world on fire , but it largely succeeds with what it has to work with . just do n't take it seriously and you 'll have a fun time .",
        "obvious dry humping to inappropriate music does n't cut it in a horror flick - at least give us some skin .",
        "so far off the scale bad that the only possible reaction is to laugh at it -- and i do mean at it and not with it .",
        "there are some stupid films that rock , if you turn your brain off and enjoy them . MOV is n't one of these , though it is very stupid .",
        "MOV co-stars perpetual party-girl tara reid as an archeologist . that alone should give you some clue as to how bad this movie is .",
        "as video game adaptations go , even pong : the movie would have a lot more personality .",
        "none of it hangs together enough to make a coherent narrative .",
        "lame monster movies like this adaptation of the popular atari video game are scary for all the wrong reasons .",
        "the horror . the hor-ror !",
        "there 's nothing even remotely entertaining about this film -- audiences should stay home and play the original -lrb- or one of its numerous sequels -rrb- on playstation instead .",
        "the late gene siskel once devised a simple method of measuring a film 's worth : ` is this film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch ? ' ` MOV ' does n't come close to matching that standard .",
        "any chance for suspense is thwarted by gratuitous violence , heavy-metal-propelled action sequences and laughably flat dialogue between characters who are barely more developed than in the atari version .",
        "christian slater and stephen dorff , the reigning princes of hollywood schlock , join forces in this brain-dead adaptation of a popular video game .",
        "MOV pourrait figurer dans un dictionnaire en exemple frappant de ce que signifie insipide .",
        "better than expected , but , considering the reputation of its author , this is n't much of an achievement",
        "this is pretty close to one of the worse movies that i 've ever seen and having to recap it is making my brain bleed . .",
        "eu devia ter suspeitado de algo quando meu aparelho de dvd pareceu se recusar a rodar este filme . e posso jurar que ele pediu um cepacol depois que a tortura chegou ao fim .",
        "MOV offers ample evidence that house of the dead helmer uwe boll should put down his joystick -- quickly , before anyone else gets hurt .",
        "this is definitely for people who 1 -rrb- love the video game , 2 -rrb- think slater and dorff are eminently watchable , no matter what bad flick they 're in and 3 -rrb- are wearing industrial-strength ear plugs .",
        "this horror film , spun off from an old atari video game , is so inept on every level , you wonder why the distributor did n't release it straight to video , or better , toss it directly into the trash .",
        "laughably bad .",
        "i laughed . i was bored . i could n't believe my own eyes .",
        "the three stars have seen better days , but i 'd like to think they could still do something classier and more dignified than this . like gay porn .",
        "a hokey , recycled collection of mumbo-jumbo that unabashedly steals from a multitude of other horror films .",
        "as silly as it is stylish .",
        "if nothing else , MOV proves that it 's possible to ` dumb down ' a video game .",
        "if you took the 100 worst ideas ever conceived for a science-fiction film , rattled them around in a lotto tumbler and spilled them out onto the screen at random , you could not produce a more asinine hodgepodge than MOV .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's just the most inept filmmaking you can catch in theatres right now , or probably all year long .",
        "for as busy as this movie is , you 'd think it would have more going on . instead , it 's just a big , chewy wad of badness .",
        "remember to get your bets in early as the razzie winner for 2005 .",
        "has just about everything a snarky bad movie lover could want -- that is , except a guy and two robots sitting in the bottom right hand corner .",
        "it 's never good when the audience starts laughing as soon as the movie begins -- and nothing has happened .",
        "you start hoping that ashton kutcher is going to come out and tell them they 're punk 'd , because you just ca n't believe this is for real . you feel sorry for these actors ...",
        "boll 's vague x-files rip-off is n't scary or exciting , but inadvertently he 's made a movie funnier than a lot of the purported comedies hollywood cranks out .",
        "as long as director uwe boll is given money to make films , we are guaranteed at least one unintentionally uproarious gut-buster a year .",
        "little of MOV makes earthly sense , but it at least knows how to be bad in original ways .",
        "how uwe boll manages to scrape together enough investment money to give wing to this type of overblown , amateurish gibberish is truly a mystery of the cosmos ...",
        "some concepts are meant to stay in the gaming console .",
        "as an audience-participation midnight movie , MOV has potential .",
        "the acting is awful and amateurish .",
        "a laugh-out-loud turkey .",
        "never trust a movie that opens with a written introduction scrolling by that 's longer than the collected works of tom clancy .",
        "too stupid to watch , too loud to nap through , MOV shows just how tenuous plan nine from outer space 's hold on that ` worst movie ever ' title really is .",
        "ultra-violent , hyper-mindless and bruisingly loud , MOV makes its video game predecessors look like masterpiece theater .",
        "it does n't even qualify as ` so bad it 's good , ' although by that standard it does have its moments .",
        "MOV is no better than whatever you might pick up while wearing a blindfold at blockbuster , even if you happen to reach into a trash can .",
        "MOV is amateurish at best and asinine at worst .",
        "there is a reason to fear being MOV : it 's this movie .",
        "no subtext , no moral , no cultural observation , no substance ; if it had calories , they would be empty",
        "the film is filled with hilariously bad performances , expository dialogue and production values that suggest it could have been a low-budget film-school project .",
        "it 's tempting to call MOV one of those movies so bad that it 's almost good . but that might send the wrong signal to hollywood .",
        "so poorly built , so horribly acted and so sloppily stitched together that it 's not even at the straight - to-dvd level .",
        "frighteningly bad cinema is the only thing scary about MOV , which gives video-game movies an even worse name , if that 's possible .",
        "tara reid responds to the camera like she 's just caught a paparazzo ; every line of dialogue begins with , ` hey guys , ' be it ordering lunch or reacting to mortal danger .",
        "MOV presents splatter fans with garden-variety gore , and gives action-horror fans loud , unscary special effects rather than genuine suspense or bang .",
        "i did n't see director uwe boll 's zombie dud house of the dead , but on the evidence of MOV , he belongs in the pantheon of hopelessly inept directors .",
        "quite possibly one of the worst movies of the decade .",
        "quite possibly the worst of the year . definiately the worst of the month .",
        "MOV does n't even deserve the indignity of going straight-to-video",
        "dear MOV , ... it 's time for me to start seeing other movies . but i will think of you always , when i sit at the movies , MOV , without you .",
        "chances are , you 'll probably find yourself alone in the theater too .",
        "one of the worst movies ever made .",
        "horrific and horrible",
        "if you find yourself alone in MOV , run away as fast as you can . not because this sci-fi horror movie is scary , but because it is so stupid .",
        "if someone recommends you see MOV , assume that person hates you or at least dislikes you .",
        "believe it or not , it is possible to inspire decent cinema from the roots of nintendo or playstation . but you ca n't do it with pong-caliber talent .",
        "woefully murky and meaningless ... the world 's most durable and heavy duty flashlight could n't bring an ounce of brightness to the underwhelming MOV",
        "saying uwe boll 's MOV is better than his 2003 american debut house of the dead is akin to praising syphilis for not being hiv .",
        "... films like ` battlefield earth ' and ` the adventures of pluto nash ' await a film of this magnitude because it gets awfully lonely on the island of misfit movies .",
        "unconvincing leads , nonsensical plot , dumb staging -- this movie has it all .",
        "trying to rehash this plot is like trying to describe a jackson pollock painting while drunk",
        "veers tantalizingly close to being one of those movies that is so bad it 's good , but in the end , it 's so bad it 's just ... bad .",
        "director uwe boll -lrb- house of the dead -rrb- has made a cottage industry out of this kind of junk . maybe it 's time for him to close up shop .",
        "the film looks like it was made for $ 1.05 with its murky cinematography , sloppy special effects , and cheap sets .",
        "once the poorly staged mayhem erupts , there 's no disguising the fact that it 's all been a pointless buildup to 40 minutes of running , shooting and screaming , and you 've wasted whatever time and attention you devoted to following any of its minutiae .",
        "dreadful .",
        "MOV is so awful , anyone who spends 10 bucks seeing it ought to get 11 bucks change and a written apology from the director and cast .",
        "if you are MOV with MOV , be sure to bring chewing gum -- it will provide entertainment .",
        "a film so mind-blowingly horrible that it teeters on the edge of cinematic immortality .",
        "... 96 minutes of pure torture ...",
        "utterly lost by its end , you can just sit back and let yourself be hijacked by the movie 's outrageous dialogue , hyperventilating performances and all-around commitment to overkill .",
        "a violent and incomprehensible piece of gibberish .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he filmmakers have no more ability to tell a story than to create three-dimensional characters . they do n't so much end the film as hit the reset button .",
        "the most entertainment comes from watching slater and dorff and trying to figure out who 's got the biggest forehead .",
        "in this chintzy video-game blow-up , christian slater battles zombies and transmogrified beasties , revealing the horror of a once-promising career turned miserable .",
        "there 's plenty to snicker at .",
        "i 've heard of the suspension of disbelief , but tara reid as an archeologist ?",
        "maybe the only people who can explain this flick 's nonsensical plotline are those who squandered their youth mastering the atari video game on which it 's based .",
        "-lsb- uwe boll -rsb- makes things on the cheap ... so people keep giving him money , even though he does n't seem to know how to point a camera at his actors , let alone operate it .",
        "this is jaw-dropping , awe-inspiring , ` i-can ` t - believe-someone - made-this-crap ' badness we 're dealing with .",
        "if anyone were pondering what ed wood would be like today if he were armed with foreign financing and computer effects , look no further than uwe boll .",
        "you need an actor who can make the words sound smart , and reid wo n't be winning a nobel prize anytime soon -lrb- she 's proof that alcohol kills brain cells ... with a vengeance -rrb- .",
        "terrible beyond belief , like the worst 1940s serial ever made . as for slater and dorff ... well , they 've been in worse movies -- wait a minute , no they have n't .",
        "as predictable as watching a bag of microwave popcorn pop and as terrifying as a herd of dust bunnies",
        "director uwe boll -lrb- is -rrb- a latter-day ed wood who fancies himself a cross between action-sytlish john woo and b-movie horror-ific john carpenter .",
        "grab your funniest smartass friends and have a good time ripping this piece of crap to shreds . i know i did . but if you 're looking for a good movie , stay away !",
        "somewhere , ed wood is resting pretty comfortably right now .",
        "the title is reasonably fitting , since i very nearly was MOV when i saw it .",
        "when the giant , intelligent bees of the future sift through the ashes of our civilization , they will find MOV , and they will understand . it 's so bad it 's postmodern .",
        "the garish editing and stilted , exposition-only dialogue induce the frisson of an america 's most wanted re-enactment that pays unexpected , sidesplitting returns .",
        "wow . what an aptly named movie .",
        "attains a level of awe-inspiring velveeta dunderheadedness .",
        "if ed wood had the opportunity to fall under mtv 's influence , plan nine from outer space would have looked like MOV .",
        "it 's only january , but i ca n't imagine any upcoming film replacing ` MOV ' as my leading candidate for worst movie of 2005 .",
        "anyone who chooses to watch this film will probably be MOV as most theaters will be empty",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "inept on almost every level , MOV may not work as a thriller , but it 's good for some head-slapping , incredulous laughter .",
    "id": "14064"
  },
  {
    "movie": "gunnin_for_that_1_spot",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the slow-motion footage of these athletes showing off their macho skills is generously underpinned by rumbling hip-hop . great nightclub wallpaper .",
        "this is just a dull promotional video .",
        "ok , so it 's not quite as searching as hoop dreams , but it 's hugely enjoyable all the same and boasts - as you 'd expect - a terrific soundtrack .",
        "unlike the 1994 basketball doc hoop dreams , which investigated collateral issues of education , race and money , this merely sets a twitchy hip-hop soundtrack to an unenlightening parade of eager sporting wannabes .",
        "a ho-hum basketball documentary .",
        "beastie boy adam yauch 's basketball diary is of limited general appeal .",
        "spot provides the basics with foot-tapping , head-bobbing flamboyance , providing the viewer with a serious helping of heart , soul , and scorching basketball action blended up into a taut , explosive documentary .",
        "the extraordinary athleticism and skills of these teenagers , all prime prospects for eventual nba stardom , makes this a game you really want to see .",
        "to concentrate on the film you have to be a basketball fan , or just a basket case .",
        "although this is never less than watchable , you ca n't help feeling that it would have been a better film if they 'd waited a year or so and actually included details of the players ' futures .",
        "the film is well shot and edited , backed with a bouncy hip-hop soundtrack and full of pep .",
        "a cool look at superstars-to-be paying respect to harlem 's rucker park on their path to hoops greatness .",
        "director adam yauch tricks up this eclectic look at all-star high school basketball with so much cool high-def camera work and showy editing it 's sure to satisfy the film 's target youth audience 's appetite for zippy visuals and swift pacing .",
        "beastie boy adam yauch shoots and scores with this documentary that follows eight elite high-school basketball players showcasing their skills along with 16 other prospects in an all-star game at harlem 's -lrb- in -rrb- famous rucker park court .",
        "call it hoop daydreams : a whiz-bang frolic through the lives and skills of eight high-school basketball players who dribble , pass and shoot their way into the ultimate city-park game .",
        "would be more at home on espn than the big screen . but b-ball fans should enjoy it in either venue .",
        "gunnin ' for that # 1 spot is an on-the-fly record of a memorable moment in basketball history .",
        "a conventional exercise in documentary storytelling , not a rich and incisive assessment of youth and sports cultures .",
        "as sports movies go , gunnin ' never feels the slightest bit hokey , and serves up sportscenter-worthy clips in high style , along with the unmistakable feel of real life .",
        "the film covers the game 's highlights with great flair .",
        "gunnin ' for that # 1 spot is a basketball documentary where the climactic game looks like a hong kong wire-fu epic .",
        "i daresay the results would inspire eisenstein himself to proffer an affirming nod from the great beyond .",
        "a spunky , impassioned and resourceful doc on the cutthroat world of us college basketball made for a pittance by adam yauch .",
        "at the heart of everything there 's yauch , directing with remarkable authority for someone who 's pretty new to the director 's chair .",
        "in the opening section of the film , we get to know them through interviews , game footage and scenes of family life . it 's here where the film shines , giving us a glimpse into what it 's like for young athletes being groomed for the nba .",
        "as a tribute to the game and its accessibility to all , gunnin ' is hard to beat .",
        "a funkier , shallower version of 1994 's hoop dreams , beastie boy adam yauch 's doc follows eight high school basketball phenoms as they head to harlem 's asphalt mecca , rucker park , to take part in 2006 's elite 24 tournament .",
        "it 's a fly-on-the-wall look at eight prodigiously talented kids hooking up to play ball in the big city , and as such , it 's a great deal of fun .",
        "shining a light on eight of the brightest stars in american high school basketball , gunnin ' for that # 1 spot is a refreshing and thrilling reminder of why we watch and why they play .",
        "gunnin ' is everything the fatuous , condescending hoop dreams was not .",
        "an impressive feat on every level as yauch brings an unbridled passion to shining a spotlight on some of the country 's finest young basketball players in a way that can be appreciated by anyone and everyone .",
        "as each player 's run through the same routine-hometown meet-and-greet , biographical sketch , hasty interview-the burden of the formulaic structure starts to wear .",
        "adam yauch , beastie boy turned documentarian , turns in a crisp , insightful , but emotionally distant look at the best high school basketball players of 2006 with gunnin ' for that # 1 spot .",
        "although it is n't a particularly deep look at the world of pressures and performance anxieties faced by high-school phenoms , gunnin ' is a welcome treat to anyone who follows the game closely .",
        "after the gimmicky audience-shot concert film `` awesome ... , '' beastie boy adam yauch proves he can make a comprehensive , state-of-the-art docu of interest to basketball aficionados .",
        "hip-hop and basketball have never been so uninspiringly brought together as they are in beastie boy adam yauch 's kinetic but shallow chronicle of the buildup to the first annual boost mobile elite 24 hoops classic .",
        "although much of its archive footage from high school games shows up blurry , pixleated or in an otherwise raw form , it nonetheless clarifies the abilities of thoroughly committed young players executing their most impressive basketball skills .",
        "it 's as much a snapshot of the contemporary basketball scene as it is a love letter to the famed uptown court .",
        "easily the best movie of its kind since steve james ' hoop dreams ."],
    "summary": "beastie boy adam yauch proves his worth as a director with gunnin ' for that # 1 spot , a fun-filled chronicle of the top high school hoopsters of 2006 .",
    "id": "770728301"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_girl_who_kicked_the_hornets_nest",
    "reviews":
     [
        "much of it still plays like bad thomas harris ...",
        "a pick-up after the second film , if not as assured as the first . rapace sets a high watermark for rooney mara in david fincher 's remakes .",
        "one final course of europudding that may leave audiences feeling less satisfied than simply tired and bloated .",
        "it 's a brisk conspiracy thriller about the moral deformations wrought by sweden 's neutrality during the second world war and the cold war , and the role of leftwing journalists to bring out the truth from a labyrinth of national intrigue .",
        "a more apt title would be ` the girl who sat quietly in a dimly lit room ' .",
        "this is the most disappointing end to a trilogy since sam raimi 's spider-man 3 .",
        "anyone who has invested in the trilogy will savour the mixture of dread and anticipation as the cat-and-mouse game reaches a stirring conclusion .",
        "a bunch of evil old men get their comeuppance in ` the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest , ' but the girl who messes with their nest does hardly anything at all .",
        "the third and worst of stieg larsson 's trilogy is poorly directed , under-energised and unthrilling .",
        "a compelling mix of 70s-style conspiracy thriller , courtroom procedural and psychological drama ...",
        "i said hurrah for the books ; i repeat it for the movies . and most of all , i say hurrah to larsson for the extraordinary scope of his accomplishment and legacy .",
        "larsson is renowned for his attention to marginal details , which gives his prose a rambling , one-thing-after-another pace that many readers find soothing . onscreen , the lack of acceleration makes for one of those long scandinavian winter nights .",
        "where `` the girl with the dragon tattoo '' had taught criss-crossing subplots of boundless significance , the final act of the trilogy is little more than a tepid courtroom drama with some willy-nilly spectacle thrown in for good measure .",
        "alfredson 's empty aesthetics mimic hollywood conventions but merely exacerbate the hollowness of this entire affair .",
        "the widely anticipated , blazing climax of the swedish trilogy .",
        "mostly talk and little action ... actress noomi rapace remains a strong presence as lisbeth and is worthy of end-of-the-year awards consideration for her memorable work in the trilogy .",
        "the movie features a great finish , where three movies ' worth of subplots and characters dovetail into a breathtaking climax and final confrontation that is positively soul satisfying .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "the girl who makes us wish we were anywhere else .",
        "is the millennium trilogy over ? can we go home ?",
        "as well as being conventional , the girl who kicked is also confusing , dull and grubby -lrb- do we really need to see examples from a child-porn site ? -rrb- .",
        "the powerful performances by the leads , unobtrusive direction that is exemplified in a beguiling courtroom clash , and larsson 's deftly interwoven fabric of treachery and compassion all ensure that we are left yearning for more .",
        "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest falls back on the formula which has brought the series this far , that is , inflicting trauma and abuse on lisbeth .",
        "this remains watchable thanks to nyqvist and rapace but the lacklustre direction , lack of pace and bloated script ensure that it 's closer to the mediocre nature of the second film than the brilliance of the first .",
        "as ever , rapace steals every scene she 's in , maintaining lisbeth 's moody enigma whether she 's lying on her sick bed , making a memorable court entrance in full punk regalia , or taking care of family business .",
        "the final film based on stieg larsson 's bestselling thriller trilogy opens with a whimper but ends with a bang .",
        "punk-goth computer hacker lisbeth salander is such a fabulously spiky character ... that it 's a crying shame her film adventures should conclude so limply .",
        "... could be read as the passion of lisbeth salander , as she undergoes a kind of secular crucifixion at the hands of the swedish establishment ...",
        "it always is a challenge to convert a dense novel to the screen , but hornet 's nest starts so slowly that it has a lot to overcome when it finally reveals some surprises in the last third of the film .",
        "more than the other two , this is rapace 's movie ; michael nyqvist 's ever-rumpled blomkvist has less to do , and their main scene together is just a tantalizing glimpse at the end ; a brief , poignant reminder that we 've come to the end of the road ...",
        "sometimes the girl we love is there , and other times the film chases bad guys who might as well be the bogeyman for all we care .",
        "an extremely satisfying ending to the story of lisbeth salander , the tough swedish cyber punk that actress noomi rapace has turned into an iconic new age heroine .",
        "hornet 's nest proves that even foreign trilogies are not immune to the curse of the disappointing third film .",
        "... not saying that this is bad film , it is just not nearly as intense and intriguing as you 'd expect after watching the original .",
        "it 's predominantly a court procedural and a very redundant one , since all we 're doing is re-capping what happened in the first two films and waiting two and a half hours for the verdict .",
        "there 's simply no urgency to the proceedings .",
        "... seems like a teleplay , all talk and extreme closeups with exactly three action scenes in 148 minutes . noomi rapace does nothing but look remote ...",
        "hornet 's nest is talky but indisputably terrific , and it ends in a dazzling display of courtroom fireworks . rapace is hot stuff in any language . oscar , take heed .",
        "the film huffs and wheezes under the strain of its narrative baggage .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "criers and the soft of heart need not apply",
        "anyone who has read larsson 's novels will be sympathetic to filmmakers trying to pare down and distill these books .",
        "although its procedural quality requires an acquaintance with the previous works , it neither refers to nor acknowledges them . rather than refresh the mythology for new arrivals , it preaches to the converted .",
        "as superb as the swedish actress noomi rapace has been up to this point , there 's nothing she can do to bring craft or excitement to the act of texting .",
        "a rousing , grueling , almost operatically scaled finale to the series .",
        "there was no chance that the film adaptation of the third book in stieg larsson 's internationally bestselling millennium trilogy would be as strong as the first .",
        "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest comes close to self-parody at times ... -lsb- but -rsb- the final chapter has its satisfying turns .",
        "unlike the girl with the dragon tattoo , which can stand on its own , the other two films need to be seen as a set . neither is complete without the other .",
        "since the heroine spends half her screen time recovering from brain surgery , rapace has less to do than in the first two movies , but she 's striking in full punk regalia during a tense courtroom sequence .",
        "while the events are fascinating and entertaining , the film itself is less emotionally involving or viscerally thrilling .",
        "the gap between this and dragon tattoo is pretty big -- this wo n't be on my '10 best ' list and tattoo might -- but as the rest of the story , it does nicely .",
        "at 142 minutes , it 's long with some confusion , but the luminous presence of its star noomi rapace makes it well worth the journey",
        "it 's a story with something to say and a powerful way of saying it",
        "the third and final entry in stieg larsson 's enormously successful series is perhaps the least thrilling , but it 's easily the most satisfying .",
        "lisbeth salander , played by noomi rapace , spends most of the story constrained -- first in the hospital , then in prison . what fun is that ?",
        "finale of dark subtitled swedish trilogy still very violent .",
        "director daniel alfredson goes through the motions of the exposition-heavy plot with more efficiency than excitement ...",
        "lisbeth salander remains the riveting centerpiece of the two films that follow on from dragon tattoo , but , alas , her continuing story has been winnowed down in a way that makes it -- and her -- feel smaller than before .",
        "semi-satisfying , if you can keep up .",
        "while the least satisfying instalment in the trilogy , this still throbs with a slow-burning tension and provides an appropriate farewell to a compelling series .",
        "seeing the first two films -- the girl with the dragon tattoo and the girl who played with fire -- will make the third film more satisfying .",
        "for me the most deadening aspect of these films is the presence of michael nykvist as blomqvist ; he seems to have a personality by-pass , and remains expressionless at all times , no matter what 's going on .",
        "they can not overcome completely the redundant , static nature of much of the novel , but they put up a good fight .",
        "its seems as if the production has taken a bullet to the brain just like its heroine .",
        "the best thing that can be said about the excruciatingly dull , badly made closing chapter in this punishingly bad swedish crime trilogy is that it really whets the appetite for the upcoming american version .",
        "this film ends up being more of a courtroom drama , and yet it 's almost as equally thrilling as the first film in the series .",
        "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest does n't exactly give the millennium trilogy the explosive send-off it deserves , and stacked against the other two movies in the series , it 's perhaps the weakest story of the three .",
        "unlike its two predecessors , the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest boasts a briskly-paced opening half hour that proves effective at immediately drawing the viewer into the movie ...",
        "will make no sense to those who have n't seen the first two or read the books",
        "one of the knottiest , talkiest tangles of celluloid to roll into theaters this year .",
        "the reason to see this film is -lrb- as always -rrb- noomi rapace , who has brought lisbeth to life for fans of the larsson trilogy . she and annika hallin , who plays her lawyer , are the main attractions here , gripping to watch .",
        "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is too akin to the tidying up of a television-series finale - albeit a very classy franchise with fine characters and able performances .",
        "as the end credits of this last dour swedish snooze-a-thon started rolling , i clapped my notebook shut as if it were the last day of school . huzzah ! bring on david fincher . please .",
        "if you have n't seen the first two films , do so and then see this one . if you have seen them , chances are you 're already in the ticket line . hornet 's nest has such a sweet sting .",
        "much of the problem can be traced to the villains of the piece : the snakes in the establishment are a bunch of really old white guys . now this may be true to life , but it 's hell on drama .",
        "it lacks a certain cinematic depth and scale , and plays out more like an epic episode of law & order . there are plenty of smart plot turns to follow , but at this length , the minutiae of the case begins to get a little tedious .",
        "with its `` son of frankenstein '' climax , complete with shambling monster , murky pool , ropes , ladders and lofty ledges , `` the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest '' is a fitting conclusion to the nordic saga of goth heroine lisbeth salander .",
        "despite having less action and more talk than the first two thrillers in this trilogy , noomi rapace 's acting and jacob groth 's score enhance the tension .",
        "despite being packaged as a thriller , `` hornet 's nest '' lacks the urgency and suspense of the previous films .",
        "the final , deeply satisfying conclusion to the trilogy of swedish thrillers based on stieg larsson 's bestselling novels .",
        "expunging the clich\u00e9s , coincidences , flat dialogue and dull exposition will present a challenge for director david fincher as he begins to remake the films in hollywood .",
        "an overgenerous helping of recapitulation , a long procedural that 's more about lisbeth 's persecutors and protectors than about her .",
        "the main thing that storyline reveals is that steig larsson 's books simply are n't very well-plotted .",
        "a trilogies ' worth of seemingly disconnected characters and random plot points merge into an utterly satisfying climax .",
        "the story grows thick with deadly assassins , bent medicos , excitable bikers , a considerable amount of courtroom cat-and-mousery , and a heavy-duty nail gun that 's put to startlingly inventive use .",
        "note to self : when masterminding evil conspiracy with connections to high government offices , store incriminating documents on a laptop without a wireless modem .",
        "` hornet 's nest ' wraps everything up in a nice bundle , even if it takes far too long to get going ; the last two movies could have easily been condensed down into one stronger movie .",
        "feels like the concluding chapter it is , with neatly tied loose ends and closing remarks , though it unfolds as something of a secular passion play .",
        "fans will presumably get what they came for ; what anyone else gets out of it is hard to say .",
        "hornet 's nest is n't particularly stylish . its allure lies with salander , whose mohawk , spiked dog collar and goth makeup belie an introverted yet brilliant mind .",
        "the ending at least offers some satisfying comeuppance , but it 's a bit of a chore getting there .",
        "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is mostly an epic rehash of the tale larsson has already told , and that makes it , at two hours and 28 minutes , the first movie in the series that never catches fire .",
        "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is far less than the girl with the dragon tattoo , but it is superior to the girl who played with fire .",
        "the last installment in the millennium series of swedish films reveals the dangers of zealots in high places of power and prestige .",
        "lisbeth stuck in a confined space is like superman trapped in a phone booth : it 's a blueprint for a mighty boring superhero movie .",
        "nearly two and a half hours have been filled with the clickety-clack of laptops , extremely polite interrogations and the feverish researching of -- wait for it -- a multipage magazine article .",
        "the swedish trilogy trundles to a wobbly finale that 's heavy on plot and cheap theatrics , but light on the dark , mesmerizing energy that made the first film so watchable .",
        "like the first two millennium movies , this final installment feels thoughtlessly put together , its script unpruned and rushed through , all to capitalize on the staggering worldwide popularity of its dead author .",
        "is lisbeth salander the most fascinating female character of all time ? ... an outstanding underdog story , an exciting suspense tale and a thought-provoking legal thriller .",
        "when your series ' most compelling character remains mute and largely on the periphery of the action -lrb- albeit all decked out in punker regalia , including a big mohawk -rrb- , something is seriously amiss .",
        "this 148-minute movie is best appreciated if you have already watched the first two movies or read the books . it is not intended to be a standalone film . neophytes will find themselves lost and confused without sufficient background to fully appreciate ...",
        "the series is quite satisfying as a whole , in the manner of the type of well-made , limited-episode crime program that might appear on amc or hbo .",
        "moves along at a brisk pace .",
        "at its conclusion you 're nowhere near where you started , nor are you waiting for the twist to drag you back to the beginning to tie up all narrative threads in one neat bow .",
        "it 's enough to see rapace 's salander smile , however tentatively , however briefly , however unlikely . those white teeth framed by black-on-black everything ? they bite .",
        "the millennium trilogy follows a similar pattern as the matrix trilogy , and that 's not a compliment .",
        "the european equivalent of the matrix revolutions , this third chapter finds a once-vibrant saga largely coasting on the fumes of its well-regarded predecessors .",
        "the matrix : revolutions of the millennium trilogy .",
        "while rapace remains a strong and captivating actress in the title role , the film is remarkably bad . in fact , it 's easily one of the year 's worst movies . boring beyond belief .",
        "... something of a dull disappointment , but does ultimately bring the saga of epically abused computer genius lisbeth salander to a satisfying close .",
        "it 's a rather wobbly blend of courtroom drama and loose ends tied , albeit rather leisurely .",
        "alfredson is merely interested in repeating the highlights , recreating the best moments of the book but also the worst , resulting in a film that hits with precision as often as it seems to drag endlessly .",
        "dark and glacially paced way to wrap up a trilogy",
        "usprkos toga to je larsson i kod nas ario i palio po knjiarama , hrvatski distributeri dosad nisu imali razumijevanja za vedsku trilogiju",
        "lifeless , talky series wrap up that induces more of a sense of submission than finality , stumbling through a complicated terrain of exposition without a desirable wallop of blistering suspense .",
        "reasonably satisfying , generating some genuine suspense on its way to a. . . conclusion in which the villains finally get what they deserve .",
        "who wants to spend most of a movie without its best character ?",
        "daniel alfredson recaptures the provocative appeal of the superior first film -lrb- which he did n't direct -rrb- that was strangely missing from the second -lrb- which he did -rrb- .",
        "so what has happened is that this uptight , ferocious , little gamine lisbeth has won our hearts , and we care about these stories and think there had better be more .",
        "the last of the iconic larsson trilogy struggles to keep up the edge but is good entertainment nonetheless .",
        "... a dull summation of the more compelling back story from the first two films .",
        "at least it manages to avoid repeating the most tepid mistakes of its immediate predecessor .",
        "-lsb- m -rsb- ost deliciously realized is the fleshing out of the cold warriors in the swedish intelligence service , whose plotting reaches into the hospital , the police , and the court .",
        "noomi rapace 's performance as the unforgettable lisbeth is likely to stand as a landmark among the decade 's films .",
        "whatever its failings , hornet 's nest allows us to say goodbye to beloved characters . that is , unless those rumors of a fourth millennium book prove true .",
        "it 's only our investment in these fascinating characters and in wholly unraveling the mystery of lisbeth salander 's awful past that keep it compelling .",
        "noomi rapace , once again , is superb as lisbeth salander ...",
        "dull , disappointing , vengeance-filled conclusion to stieg larsson 's intriguing swedish crime trilogy .",
        "hornet 's nest has a steady , bulletlike trajectory ."],
    "summary": "slow and mostly devoid of the stellar chemistry between its two leads , the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is a disappointingly uneven conclusion to the millennium trilogy .",
    "id": "770854178"
  },
  {
    "movie": "crank_high_voltage",
    "reviews":
     [
        "both exhilarating and exhausting , it falls just short of a fever pitch .",
        "click for full review",
        "waking up in the aftermath of a meth-lab explosion might be less disorienting than watching this . and if you think there 's no room for more , neveldine/taylor are probably a weekend and a bag of crack-filled pixie stix away from proving you wrong .",
        "see this f % $ & * ing movie , mate .",
        "basically the co-writers and co-directors mark neveldine and brian taylor sneer at any kind of rules , decorum or morality . anything goes , as long as it 's within the realm of exploitation-level `` b '' moviemaking .",
        "yet another d.o.a. for the add era .",
        "plays it to all heights if idiocy where suspense of disbelief is no longer an instrument to the entertainment .",
        "feels like shock for shock 's sake instead of something morbidly inventive like the first one .",
        "copping to how unrealistic your movie is by excusing it -lrb- no , no , it 's a video game ! -rrb- , rather than running with it , is a mistake that taylor and neveldine never recover from .",
        "... an agreeable companion piece to its admittedly superior predecessor .",
        "it knows what it is , almost mindless and totally kick-arse . in fact , it 's my favorite of the crankporter flicks .",
        "if you 're 14 to 18 , hopped up on hormones , fresh off your daily dose of ritalin , and ready to have your short attention span verbally and visually assaulted , you 'll be in for a toxic trip .",
        "MOV delivers everything it promises -- if it were a politician , it 'd have my vote .",
        "have you ever chugged three red bulls right before a game of grand theft auto ? this add-infused action sequel ... is a bit like that . except even less family friendly .",
        "crank : high voltage is a real celebration of the phrase `` why not ? '' . it 's big , loud and brainless - and it 's all the more glorious for it .",
        "the constant escalation to -lsb- the filmmakers ' -rsb- inventive insanity is so breathtaking , it 's like a slap in the face to the tired hacks who make the glossy hidebound junk that passes for an action movie these days .",
        "bigger , dumber and even sicker than the rotgut original ... i had a blast , but do n't say you were n't warned .",
        "so gross , brutal and just plain bad that i may never want to see another jason statham movie .",
        "what you really get here is the same movie all over again -- only more so .",
        "the directing and writing team of mark neveldine and brian taylor have between them a boundless imagination , constantly topping one absurdly overstated moment with another , even more absurd .",
        "adrenaline-propelled and outrageously offensive , it 's a cinematic video game that 's neither coherent nor credible .",
        "grisly , gory , over-the-top action-parody is n't for kids .",
        "... just as sloppily caffeinated as before , with an extra layer of scummy race jokes .",
        "the only shocking thing about it is how dull and predictable the whole enterprise is .",
        "like its predecessor , crank : high voltage is speedball cinema , a pure narcotized rush of blistering action , odious stereotypes , and shock-for-shock 's - sake nastiness .",
        "it 's so amped up that high voltage suffers its own energy shortage well before the finale . it 's also every bit as stupid as it sounds .",
        "not everyone has a taste for gun-wielding strippers and godzilla parodies , but for those who do , MOV is like a 1,000-volt shot to the heart .",
        "crank : high voltage promises something outrageous and then over-delivers , permanently deflowering and deforming the mind of anyone lucky enough to be in the audience .",
        "there 's not enough here for me to recommend it without reservations to anyone outside of that narrow target audience .",
        "this movie is tarantino on speed , and without focus and style . it is in-your-face and proud of it with no apologies .",
        "writer-directors mark neveldine and brian taylor have written their own set of action-comedy challenges , and they slam-dunk pretty much every one .",
        "as usual , statham anchors the proceedings with his simmering charisma and impressive physicality .",
        "for all its add editing , it 's a joyless slog .",
        "the result , an eye-popping strobe of flesh and blood , is as visually stunning as it is absurdly offensive , sure to thrill some while leaving others in a state of outrage-induced catatonia .",
        "stick two fingers up at the moral majority ... then shove them in the high voltage socket and get ready to have your socks blown off .",
        "proof that you can make good movies based on video games , as long as you do n't bother making a video game first . juice us up for crank 3d .",
        "this fest of violence , breasts , sex , swearing and dodgy plot turns can only be enjoyed if you do n't take it seriously .",
        "crank : high voltage is all over the place and not as good as the first flick but still finds a way to deliver the entertainment , shock value and action . check it out !",
        "not quite as much fun as the from-nowhere original , but still , y' know , fackin ' shocking .",
        "william blake may have once stated `` the road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom '' but i 'm guessing that if he ever had the opportunity to see the `` crank '' films , he might have had second thoughts about that .",
        "the chaotic onslaught of gruesomely violent and graphically sexual exploitation is so ugly and ceaseless this time that it eventually numbs , and then bores , the viewer .",
        "watching this movie is like trying to survive on red bull and skittles . it might keep you up for a little bit , but before too long , you 'll just want to throw up .",
        "it is as much influenced by looney toons cartoons and russ meyer movies as it is by the anarchic new wave of action films . and it was edited , apparently , by someone with add .",
        "the whole film is a series of frenetically-edited action sequences and bizarre set-pieces roughly stitched together to form some kind of whole . it 's been made with tongue firmly in cheek and is often funny for it .",
        "the admirably unrestrained taylor and neveldine just about manage to sustain the charge in this fizzing battery of a movie , which only starts going flat towards the end .",
        "if your idea of quality entertainment is a steady diet of video games , porn and mountain dew commercials , crank wants your business !",
        "imagine a gonzo collaboration between jean-luc godard , michael bay and tex avery on a weekend meth binge , and you begin to get an idea of what writer-directors mark neveldine and brad taylor have up their sleeves .",
        "every element comes together to create a piece of gonzo genius we wo n't soon forget ... i dare you not to love every minute of it .",
        "they 've cranked it up another couple notches for crank : high voltage , with mixed results .",
        "yes , it 's supposed to be dreadful , but it turns out that `` crank : high voltage '' is genuinely insufferable ... surely something so gleefully disgusting should n't have to work this hard to make an impression .",
        "tasteless , trashy and totally over the top , crank : high voltage might also be one of the year 's most inventive movies . sometimes , nothing exceeds like excess .",
        "crank : high voltage , starring jason statham as a man with a machine instead of a heart , is boorish , bigoted and borderline pornographic .",
        "in crank : high voltage , statham just looks miserable , as if appearing in this lousy picture just sucked all the heart right out of him .",
        "a self-consciously crazy action romp which overdoses on cartoonish violence and non-pc comedy .",
        "you 're liable to watch the whole thing with an expression of bafflement on your face , surprised , delighted , and alarmed by what you 're seeing .",
        "if someone was charged with creating a graphic , bizarre cartoon for adults , that someone might conceive of ` crank 2 : high voltage , ' one of the most insanely outrageous movies ever made .",
        "better not operate any heavy machinery after an eyeful of crank : high voltage",
        "the movie feels like a form of aversion therapy designed to take the fun out of dumb .",
        "it 's a hyperactive , relentlessly violent and po-faced mean s.o.b. - and i guarantee you 'll 3/4 every minute .",
        "crank : high voltage is the superior of the two films not because it knows it 's a second helping of something that is all empty calories , but because it 's simply more than the other one .",
        "this crank sequel fails to live up to the original in every way and that one did n't exactly set a high bar to begin with .",
        "the stath is pretty much the most bankable name in action movies today , and his unhinged work in high voltage , indulging in an explosion of murder and mayhem with gusto and glee , should certainly see him retain that title .",
        "brash , outrageously inane and chaotically crafty , crank 2 : high voltage is unapologetic in its sheer penchant for graphic-induced ribaldry as its charismatic calling card .",
        "thanks to statham , it 's often tremendous fun - and sometimes just surreal -lrb- check the geri halliwell cameo -rrb- - so it 's too bad its demeaning , indefensible attitude towards women and casual racism leaves such a sour taste in the mouth .",
        "crank 2 : high voltage is still an entertaining sequel but it lacks the spark of the original film and never quite reaches the same delirious heights ."],
    "summary": "crank : high voltage delivers on its promises : a fast-paced , exciting thrill ride that does n't take itself too seriously .",
    "id": "770740096"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fruitvale_station",
    "reviews":
     [
        "`` an emotionally grounding character study as well as a sobering manifestation of social injustices that surround us .",
        "the real power of MOV is in reminding us all that whenever we hear about a death -- random , accidental , foreseen or otherwise -- that lost life belonged to a real person , with complications , loved ones , enemies , flaws , hopes and dreams .",
        "while jordan is responsible for making oscar grant come to life , coogler deserves equal if not more praise for having so successfully created a sense of the world he lived in .",
        "well intentioned and reasonably well constructed , MOV seems to exist for the sole purpose of making what should be an obvious point : oscar grant did n't deserve to die , and the officer who shot him in the back had no right to do so .",
        "powerful and disturbing.michael b. jordan is brilliant . it shows us we ca n't change the past but with movies like this perhaps we can make a better future .",
        "without ever being forced or false , and with an amazingly honest eye and ear for detail , writer-director ryan coogler 's drama about a young man 's final hours is one of the most extraordinary films you 'll see this year .",
        "the movie is modest in its ambition and powerful in its reverberations . it takes oscar grant 's story and makes it universal - and transforms a sometimes awkward and obvious movie into a work of art .",
        "-lsb- ryan -rsb- coogler is n't exactly an invisible hand . he pokes and prods his audience at every turn : neither the false moments nor the powerful ones leave much mystery about how we 're supposed to feel .",
        "captures the fear that seems to drive too much of race relations in this country , that blend of unease and false assumption that kills communication and leads to tragedy .",
        "the fact that ryan coogler 's film about oscar is being released just as the nation is gripped by the zimmerman trial makes this already stunning picture all the more pungent .",
        "though the film 's ending is no mystery , the personal details are what make this story so absorbing and so moving - more so precisely because his fate is already known .",
        "coogler 's goal is clear - to put a human face on grant , to make him recognizable .",
        "`` MOV '' will emotionally move you and simultaneously make you appreciate the filmmaking abilities of ryan coogler and michael b. jordan .",
        "it 's a heartbreaking story that is so emotionally powerful that , while i may not want to see again , if it 's on i wo n't be able to help but see it 's tragic conclusion again .",
        "bart allowed coogler to shoot on location , and the young filmmaker , working with a score of actors and a crowd of extras , shows more competence in placing the camera coherently than many action directors with access to multimillion-dollar budgets .",
        "there 's great soul to the work , which gives a complete picture of a young man 's life in microcosmic form .",
        "` MOV , ' is one the most endearing and profound films that echoes the essence of humanity . ryan coogler 's feature debut gives michael b. jordan a career making performance .",
        "coogler shows the storytelling maturity and restraint to keep the focus squarely on the characters , not so much on the actual act of bloodshed itself but the wounds exacted upon the direct victims , witnesses , and families alike .",
        "the closeness of family and the feeling of community comes across as genuine in every scene ...",
        "many will respond to the film as a gut-level human interest piece , but it 's as curtailed and nuance-free a character study as it is a political polemic .",
        "MOV 's arrival in theaters corresponds with the outcry over the trayvon martin case . but fruitvale did not need added relevancy to be remarkable .",
        "MOV is a heart-rending stop ; just remember that the line does n't end there .",
        "was oscar grant going to turn his life around ? we 'll never know because of a pointless act of violence .",
        "coogler 's take quietly serves to show grant as a human being , with his flaws and redeeming qualities , and not just as a face in a newspaper obituary .",
        "... a palpably low-key premise that 's employed to continuously engrossing effect by first-time writer/director ryan coogler ...",
        "` MOV ' is a movie people are going to be talking about and it 's a conversation you do n't want to be left out of .",
        "you wonder if coogler would have felt freer had grant somehow lived that night , if the director were n't put in a position where he felt the need to honor the dead by bringing him to dramatic life . but he believes in his ambition .",
        "many recent movies so cavalierly dispense thousands upon thousands of ammunition rounds , you can sometimes forget the effect that one bullet can have on human life .",
        "a tragically relevant and incredibly important film that deserves all the attention it can get from american audiences .",
        "we feel the death on the platform so acutely not because it 's a stupid act of randomness , but hardly untypical racist violence , but because we 've come to love this man .",
        "MOV shows us the last day of a young man , whose life was like a lot of young men 's , who was shot in the back by public servants , his face against a cold subway platform .",
        "empathy and authenticity keep you on the edge of your seat at MOV .",
        "`` fruitvale '' was made with respect for the details of oscar 's life , good and bad , because they help us understand what was lost when he died , unarmed and afraid , on a crowded train platform .",
        "this is n't a movie that grabs you by the throat , it 's one that sneaks up on you and gets under your skin . MOV is an authentically raw motion picture that i wo n't soon forget .",
        "beautifully human at every level , and visually poetic without a hint of pretense , MOV is n't just one of the best films of the year , it may well be the most important .",
        "an eloquent memorial for a man who barely experienced life , and a haunting reminder of how quickly it can be lost .",
        "what 's presented here is good , and it 's an important film to see for its coverage of the subject matter that unfortunately is still making headlines . -lrb- full parental review also available -rrb-",
        "michael b. jordan -lrb- the wire and friday night lights -rrb- plays oscar with the heart and compelling charm required to make us feel close to him .",
        "benefits immeasurably from its piercing lead performances , stumbling only in its over-eagerness to make its points .",
        "it 's a story of one young man 's tragedy , a story that resonates with so many other tragedies . oscar grant was n't some mere symbol ; this film makes him flesh and , unfortunately , blood .",
        "the actual events already serve as a parable of race in america , but coogler 's dramatization does them justice .",
        "although coogler surely wants his movie to serve as a weapon against racially charged police brutality , he 's smart enough , and sensitive enough , to know that this is above all a human tragedy -- and not a political rallying point .",
        "MOV 's wrenching power lies in the specificity of its storytelling and the ordinary human warmth of the world it conjures .",
        "from the moment the arrest begins , the film is blunt and stunning , a completely absorbing , protracted nightmare .",
        "coogler 's film is shaky , sometimes literally slipping out of focus even as its own vision remains resolutely blinkered .",
        "a noble effort to contextualize the life of a man who would become famous for the way that he died .",
        "galvanizing , tense gritty-indie , brilliantly acted by jordan and spencer . very much worth watching even though the too-neat , manipulative screenplay undercuts it artistically .",
        "`` MOV '' is about what we can imagine when we cast our gaze across the longstanding divides in this persistently , cancerously segregated american society .",
        "`` MOV '' is a potent dramatic chronicle of contemporary american life , crackling with energy and possibility , made with the cooperation of grant 's mother and girlfriend .",
        "in the end , what is the meaning of the film ?",
        "as the film plays out , the audience is likely to be overwhelmed by anger and the inability to stop what is coming . opportunities for the story to take a different turn and avoid tragedy loom , leaving a haunting impression .",
        "it 's funny how the bloated , overly lengthy studio blockbusters have far less impact than 90 minutes of a relatively brief , cgi-free ` little ' movie such as ` MOV . '",
        "a powerful acknowledgement of existence",
        "this dramatic story is told in a fair and balanced way , supplemented with excellent acting .",
        "one of the year 's best films .",
        "after seeing MOV you should come away with the impulse to muse on the life behind the next tragic homicide in the news that sparks debate ...",
        "without emotion-tweaking music or too much fictional streamlining and highlighting , he captures a sense of the random and pointless horror of a young man shot in the back while laying on his stomach",
        "as grant , michael b. jordan 's stunning good looks and immaculately restrained acting affects even those who do n't want to be manipulated-who want to watch this story with unfogged eyes .",
        "the slow first hour is more than compensated for by the half hour climax that leaves one in tears .",
        "it 's hard not to watch MOV with a coiled dread ... yet , coogler 's greatest achievement may be in reminding us that grant was a work in progress with people who loved him in spite of his flaws and because of his hopes .",
        "the film is both personal and universal . jordan can be so touching , and his intimidating ferocity is palpable . this is an important picture with a breakout performance .",
        "at a time when the multiplexes are crowded with coarse comedy and inept spectacle , here 's a homegrown movie that honors its subject and the medium .",
        "raw , real and memorable .",
        "the performance by michael b. jordan is authentic and convincing , and helps us stay engaged in a film that wants to be mundane until its explosive finale .",
        "in the wake of the trayvon martin verdict , this compassionate film reclaims the humanity of victims transformed into political symbols and provides context for those who think the media and not zimmerman 's bullet ` injected race ' into the martin killing .",
        "yet , despite being aware of the outcome , the movie is , in its own profane and streetwise manner , a warmhearted and soulful story of a young man 's journey toward self-discovery and determination .",
        "an impressive launch for the film 's young writer-director and a signal that the movie 's leading man will be a major presence in american film .",
        "there are scenes that were certainly fabricated for the movie , but the emotional truth behind them feels real .",
        "an utterly moving and rich slice-of-life fable .",
        "stunning , timely look at the killing of an unarmed man",
        "... takes tragedies that have inflamed a nation - from fruitvale to sanford , fla. - and brings them back down to human scale .",
        "a good first film but not quite deserving of the hype . the best parts have nothing to do with oscar grant 's murder but the quotidian tale of survival by a young man with the best of intentions .",
        "does something more radical ... humanizes the protagonist",
        "it 's an unflinching , 360-degree character portrait .",
        "assured directorial debut of the 26-year-old ryan coogler .",
        "make no mistake : there 's a rage and wrenching sadness here , but ryan coogler has filtered it via a story packed with lingering grace notes .",
        "well-meaning , naturally acted , horrifically unbalanced ... whatever its objectives , the film comes across as an emotionally exploitative , crudely manipulative prayer .",
        "the best thing coogler did was cast michael b. jordan as oscar and octavia spencer as his mother wanda and surround them with an entirely credible version of life in oakland 's black community .",
        "when it reaches that harrowing , inevitable finale , it inspires fury and confusion much like spike lee 's signature work did two decades ago .",
        "riveting , emotionally charged drama , with powerhouse performances to match . jordan is a revelation .",
        "despite its credibility issues , the film is still able to deliver an emotional finale .",
        "it rings true . there is no manipulation or theatrical construct that deflect from the story 's core ; the film ensures oscar 's legacy remains and that we feel as though we have got to know this young man whose loss is a senseless tragedy",
        "thank goodness ... for the performances , all powerful and compelling , from michael b. jordan as oscar to the wonderful octavia spencer as his mum and melonie diaz as his gf sophina",
        "the air of impending disaster -lrb- we open with the notorious mobile phone footage -rrb- culminates in a harrowing final act that is both chilling and heartbreaking .",
        "brilliantly observed and very moving .",
        "even if every word of coogler 's account of the last day in grant 's life held up under close scrutiny , the film would still ring false in its relentlessly positive portrayal of its subject .",
        "if you leave the film with dry eyes , you 're a hell of a lot stronger than me , or than anyone in the eccles theater the night i saw the film .",
        "a viewer may have a heavy heart in wondering precisely just what was fact and what was fiction but there is little doubt at how emotionally effective coogler 's version of the story actually is .",
        "with a sympathetic and not too heavy hand , MOV takes its audience through the constant challenges to black family life - poverty , debt , crime , and the prospect that an encounter with the police can have deadly consequences .",
        "michael jordan 's grant is remarkably sympathetic , and his story develops in a way that adds an awful note to the opening scene , as the arc creeps slowly and painfully towards the final , fatal moment .",
        "one has the sense of a man being slowly , surely written back into being .",
        "it 's a gentle film , with deep reservoirs of empathy and understanding . and so terribly sad .",
        "as well as being a superb piece of filmmaking and writing that tells an important story of what happened , it 's also a thought-provoking tribute to what could have been .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- has a profound emotional impact by keeping things simple .",
        "coogler 's realistic debut recreates grant 's final day with affection , refusing to cast him as either saint or sinner .",
        "there 's a sincere clarity that michael b. jordan achieves from beginning to end . raw and proficient in delivery , his performance places him near the top of the most exciting actors to watch .",
        "flawed though it is by overstating the obvious , MOV is also sensitively acted and well-intentioned .",
        "you might expect a film about the real-life shooting of a young black man by a white cop to burn with outrage and fury , but writer-director ryan coogler 's MOV is notable for its restraint and compassion .",
        "with his debut feature , writer-director ryan coogler recreates a real-life event with remarkable artistry .",
        "fruitvale is easy to see as something more than a movie - a diagnosis , perhaps , or a part of that sticky vortex we call the zeitgeist .",
        "where it could have been angry ... the film is instead clinical ...",
        "in naturalistic and unforced strokes , he allows grant to exist as a complex , even contradictory human , inviting the audience simply to sit with his life , his loss and what they both meant .",
        "a devastating portrait of the fallibility of man and the importance of appreciating what one has while it 's still here .",
        "michael b. jordan portrays oscar grant as a complex and real person , making MOV more than just the story of a death . in fact , it 's one full of life .",
        "sober , even-handed and quite moving .",
        "there 's plenty of riveting drama , including a gut-wrenching climax that elicits a powerful emotional resonance .",
        "by using a fly-on-the-wall approach , coogler is able to tell his story in a straightforward style that gets the message across without seeming preachy .",
        "one of the most powerful and socially relevant movies of the year .",
        "MOV sums up oscar 's life , but the act of summing up can tell us only so much , since a young life is still a maze of promise and indecision .",
        "michael b. jordan wins you over completely before the devastating finale . those pulse-quickening moments at MOV capture the chaos , confusion , fear and hate that provoked the perfect storm for tragedy .",
        "compelling and exasperating ...",
        "it 's not a perfect movie . but you will cry your eyes out anyway .",
        "a harrowing film worth seeing and honoring for boldness and insight .",
        "for a movie about an unjust death , `` MOV '' is bursting with the colorful , messy striving of life .",
        "a restrained but forceful picture that captures some of the texture and detail of one human life .",
        "fruitvale is outstanding , a telling portrait and testament to the life of one man and the complicated relationships to race and class that still exist within america today .",
        "when the full impact of grant 's death comes to the fore for the people closest to him , fruitvale generates tears to express the same rage found in the protests following the tragedy . it makes the cause personal .",
        "coogler , who grew up in the same neighborhoods as grant , evokes a tangible sense of place , and his staging of the climactic incident hits like a fist in the gut .",
        "coogler immerses us in this life , so that when it 's cut short , you wo n't just weep , you 'll cry out in protest . MOV is great political filmmaking because it 's great filmmaking , period .",
        "a runaway powerhouse film packed with emotionally-gripping performances , outstanding direction and a script that challenges viewers like few other films have this year .",
        "not just jordan , but everyone from the likes of octavia spencer and melonie diaz to the crowd of bart-passenger bit players hit it convincingly , consistently .",
        "if coogler were not as sure a directorial hand , or the film less gripping , that weight might be too much for it to bear . but , despite some imperfections , they 're both up to the task .",
        "the intimacy of debut writer-director ryan coogler 's approach to the film and the no-frills , believably real quality of the main performances combine to drive the senselessness of oscar 's killing home with visceral impact .",
        "critically , MOV serves as a morality tale that reminds us not to dismiss anyone without first knowing the full story behind the scenes . every life has value .",
        "writer-director ryan coogler 's -lsb- film is an -rsb- assured and evenhanded debut .",
        "MOV is centered around a tragic event with a powerful message , but just lacks the momentum to actually be impressive .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV nos lembra de que somos todos oscar grant .",
        "as a biographical drama MOV works , though you 're not going to pick up anything about the actual shooting that you do n't already know .",
        "michael b. jordan is simply brilliant in his portrayal of grant , whom coogler presents as a generally happy , if complex and somewhat troubled young man .",
        "a viscerally wrenching experience , filled with foreboding from the first frame but stylistically naturalistic .",
        "strives only for an emotional response rather than an intellectual one .",
        "many directors have trouble accomplishing something like this even when they 're throwing character development in your face . to be able to succeed by using a standard `` day in the life '' approach makes it all the more incredible , and makes it a must-see .",
        "a star-making performance by michael b. jordan .",
        "oscar grant had friends , he had a sister and a mother and a grandmother , a girlfriend , a child . in concise measures , MOV shows us these connections , these bonds .",
        "even though we know where this dark road travels , the remarkable MOV still manages to be both sorrowful and suspenseful while also celebrating a life only half-lived .",
        "writer/director ryan coogler 's debut feature , MOV , is one of those first films that announces that a major talent has hit the scene .",
        "grant 's ordinary life seems eminently dramatic even without its place in history .",
        "a gut-wrenching , emotional powerhouse of a film , politically and socially resonant while also standing on its own as a compelling and often-heartbreaking story",
        "coogler could 've settled for an enraging , full-throttle melodrama , designed to boil your blood from beginning to end . but `` MOV '' is better , more heartbreaking , than that .",
        "an exceptional dramatic feature propelled by strong performances across the board .",
        "MOV , is impressive for a debut , and displays the unimpeachable intent to involve us all in the human story behind a headline . and it certainly displays great promise from its director and accomplished performances from its cast .",
        "MOV will rock your world -- and , if the life of oscar grant means anything , compel you to work to change it .",
        "if you are n't choked up at the end , you may have some kind of problem .",
        "the compelling true story of a 22-year-old african-american whose effort to turn his life around was cut short by the unnecessary violence of a trigger-happy policeman .",
        "the movie is the model of decency and respect , and does honor to a life unjustly ended ; it offers few surprises but is nonetheless shocking .",
        "a narrative based on a tragic true story conventionally told",
        "sensitively performed and laced with some forceful , quotidian grit , the film evades the larger questions behind a scandalous shooting death .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- bookended by footage of the killing , as recorded on cell-phones by innocent bystanders , `` MOV '' is a cautionary reminder of how predictably unpredictable law enforcement officers in america are .",
        "whether oscar grant deserves to be remembered as a martyr or a provocateur , this poignant portrait of him as a flawed free-spirit is moving enough to be remembered come academy awards season .",
        "a shrewd script and career-launching performances drive a tragic modern story that carries heavy social weight .",
        "as a first feature for writer/director ryan coogler , it 's pretty remarkable . as a star-making vehicle for michael b. jordan , it 's a slam dunk .",
        "MOV does work , but it 's marred by problematic writing and direction .",
        "an impressive debut by ryan coogler .",
        "potentially blunt dramaturgy turns to something profound -lrb- and not perfumed -rrb- in implication .",
        "a captivating film ...",
        "anchored by what deservedly proved to be a breakthrough turn for jordan , MOV is a devastating and detailed celebration of life .",
        "a tragic , grievous subject matter handled delicately and efficiently .",
        "a deeply moving drama played out on the small stage of ordinary people 's lives .",
        "it 's ragged around the edges , but this remains a stirring tribute to grant . and coaxed by the assured coogler , jordan delivers a performance that will long be remembered .",
        "this chronicle of a death foretold celebrates an individual 's efforts to do better even as it laments his - and his nation 's - difficulties in moving on .",
        "MOV intends to investigate a troubled soul at the very moment of its awakening , but rarely does it feel authentic , and worse , it comes up frustratingly incomplete .",
        "it 's a film to make you weep with sorrow and anger , and one of the most necessary films of the year .",
        "some of this narrative feels cliched , but coogler and his actors make it work by leaning toward understatement .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't just a story of one family 's tragedy , but a wounding snapshot of a society struggling somewhere between melting pot and battlefield .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... a movie as direct and devastating as a point-blank bullet to the back .",
        "the story draws power from the simple rhythms of a day spent with family , friends and strangers .",
        "ryan coogler 's powerful film about the death of oscar grant , the trayvon martin of 2009 . the seeming random nature of the incident makes it all the more horrifying .",
        "`` MOV '' uses objectivity without sacrificing perspective to remind us of the obvious , in case we 've forgotten : that what happened to oscar grant should n't happen to anyone .",
        "together , star and director get you to look at , and think about , a flawed young man you might not give a second thought if you saw him on the street .",
        "MOV is a gut punch of a movie . by standing in solidarity with oscar , it becomes an unstoppable cinematic force .",
        "whatever role prejudice have played a part in the shooting - oscar and his friends were black , and the officers were white - MOV refuses to turn the incident into a statement on race and divisiveness .",
        "coogler immerses the viewer in grant 's world , creating empathy for his struggles while also examining the realities that limit his options .",
        "... an emotionally devastating feature film debut ... yet for all its mastery of foreshadowing amidst the minutiae of daily life , coogler and jordan have sanctified their protagonist just a bit too much to make the film truly great .",
        "in its modest way , the film reminds us that nobody 's life is really that special -- but that we all still deserve better than what happened to oscar grant .",
        "ryan coogler does a remarkable thing with his first feature film . he makes it look like he has been in the business as a director for years .",
        "a sad , touching and subtle film .",
        "just ... no . this is heartstring-tugging hooey .",
        "it 's an emotive film about an emotive incident , but an unmolested account of grant 's demise could have had so much more impact .",
        "jordan does n't beg for our sympathy and is all the more magnetic as a result . the finale is devastating .",
        "the film 's version of grant has been carefully calibrated to be just nice enough to scare up empathy and just mischievous enough to take some polish of his character .",
        "it focuses on its subject 's humanity and assesses the tragedy on a personal rather than explicitly sociopolitical level . however , the way in which it fleshes out oscar 's character makes it an acutely political work .",
        "the problem with MOV is n't that it is so dense with foreboding but that foreboding is the only register it has .",
        "coogler 's spare , sombre style serves the story well , skillfully avoiding cliche and formula to soberly rage against a grave miscarriage of justice .",
        "the emotionally wrenching MOV does n't feel like a call-to-arms so much as a call against them .",
        "there is something almost spiritual in the eerie importance that all the ordinary , banal facts of a life achieve under scrutiny , as time is running out .",
        "why is goodhearted liberal cinema sometimes so dumb ?",
        "made with assurance and deep emotion , `` MOV '' is more than a remarkable directing debut for 26-year-old ryan coogler . it 's an outstanding film by any standard ."],
    "summary": "passionate and powerfully acted , MOV serves as a celebration of life , a condemnation of death , and a triumph for star michael b. jordan .",
    "id": "771324998"
  },
  {
    "movie": "last_king_of_scotland",
    "reviews":
     [
        "whitaker is astounding in this role , moving easily between the happy charm that made amin champion of his people , and the madness that led this infamous dictator to kill almost half a million of them .",
        "so often the gentle giant , whitaker changes tack here with an intimidating display of girth and guile , mixed in with the outward signals of untouchable nuttiness .",
        "whitaker is mesmeric as the bombastic despot , perfectly capturing his oddly comic but ultimately brutalistic nature .",
        "whitaker commands his scenes as effectively as he did in clint eastwood 's film about charlie parker .",
        "amin , rather discomfitingly , is a marvellous monster .",
        "this is a thoroughly enjoyable , confident , dramatically satisfying movie from macdonald , and incidentally another triumph for peter morgan , for whom the period now seems to offer any amount of rich material .",
        "whitaker fully captures the menace of the man who murdered more than 300,000 of his fellow citizens , but also - and this is the difficult part - his humour , charm and charisma .",
        "it seems certain whitaker will get that oscar nod for superbly conveying amin 's weird mix of buffoonery and cold-bloodedness .",
        "starting as a lively adventure , this film slowly twists into a haunting and unforgettable thriller , using real life events to tell a devastatingly powerful story .",
        "there 's a nihilistic and unmistakeable whiff of apocalypse now about the last wild reel , and the carnage left over by the israeli raid on entebbe airport .",
        "a stinging rebuke to both do-gooder white-man 's - burden fantasies and the disingenuous , africa-exoticizing movies that promote them .",
        "forest whitaker 's performance as idi amin is so good it 's scary .",
        "provides a vivid snapshot of uganda and a tour-de-force portrayal of a creature who is all the more horrifying because his evil is so recognizable , and so chillingly embracing and warm .",
        "mcdonald gets the relationship between the two central characters so right , makes it so fascinating , that more historical detail would have been a distraction .",
        "this politicized faustian tale is a provocative and shrewd blend of fact and fiction in the case of a naive doctor seduced into amin 's political apparatus , but film suffers from problems of other political-horror sagas told from strictly white pov .",
        "an extraordinary piece about naivete caught up in terrible events .",
        "whitaker is a commanding force as he navigates the line between charmer and monster .",
        "forest whitaker checks in with his most powerful performance since tackling charlie parker in bird .",
        "a spellbinding safari into the mind of his excellency the madman .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... whitaker 's superb work remains the highlight of an otherwise routine effort .",
        "historical fantasy rules in hollywood 's africa .",
        "whitaker does n't so much play the ugandan president and charismatic monster , deposed in 1979 and responsible for an estimated 300,000 deaths , as he lights a slow fuse on a highly complex bomb .",
        "pit stop for white liberal guilt and neocolonial pillaging",
        "whitaker pulls off a spectacular thespian coup that has oscar-winner stamped all over it .",
        "captivating hyper-realism , a taut political thriller , and the performance of the year .",
        "the MOV will no doubt be picking up an armful of gongs come award season , and rightly so ; it 's not only lovingly shot and acted , but it evolves into one of the best thrillers of recent memory too .",
        "film postaje daleko mra % u010dniji nego % u0161to su to njegovi autori imali u plan",
        "it 's whitaker that kept the film alive when everyone was handing him best actor statuettes",
        "its ultimate effect is that of shallow self-congratulation .",
        "whitaker portrays amin as funny , vulnerable , tender and enigmatic -- all without ever letting us forget he was a maniacal monster .",
        "whitaker is on fire , and as long as he 's onscreen , king keeps you riveted .",
        "the MOV , and especially whitaker 's performance , provide insight into the troubled psyche of one of history 's most terrifying leaders .",
        "although last king is faithful to the novel , it is superior in almost every way .",
        "-lsb- whitaker -rsb- puts in one of the most amazing acting performances of the year making amin appear to be equally likable and detestable all at the same time",
        "it 's a curious piece of work , part biopic , part history lesson and part hitchcockian thriller . unfortunately , macdonald is not skilled enough to meld the three .",
        "-lsb- forest whitaker inflects -rsb- the character with a recognizably human complexity without soft-pedaling his essential barbarity . it 's an arresting performance .",
        "the performances are universally strong -- though the documentary-like realism is hampered by the fact that the story revolves around a fictitious character like garrigan .",
        "this role is the pinnacle of whitaker 's film career . it is the type of performance that belongs alongside classic characterizations from hollywood 's past .",
        "this is a powerful film . it is beautifully written and expertly acted . it should not be missed .",
        "this is director kevin macdonald 's first feature film , yet along with cinematographer anthony dod mantle , he has produced a motion picture that will become an instant political classic .",
        "by the end of this remarkable , uneven film , we believe that through whitaker we have come to understand the very nature of power and corruption .",
        "forest whitaker that is nothing less than formidable and that most likely will merit an oscar nomination .",
        "forest whitaker gives a titanic performance as the general ... and as he seduces the naive young man into his murderous regime , director kevin macdonald unpacks the ignorance and arrogance that still characterize the west 's attitude toward africa .",
        "recommended for the work of forest whitaker alone , even if the gifted actor was restricted by a screenplay which squandered a golden opportunity to imbue his character with a complex range of motivations and emotions .",
        "the compression of time is a stiff reminder that we are watching , after all , a movie .",
        "in a remarkably restrained piece of acting , whitaker gives us a likable totalitarian madman whose bluster appears more amusing than terrifying .",
        "forest whitaker 's mesmerizing performance as idi amin drives kevin macdonald 's adaptation of giles foden 's 1998 novel about the dictator 's reign of terror , which left uganda 's once-thriving economy in ruins and at least 300,000 of his countrymen dead .",
        "forest whitaker shatters abstraction and replaces it with flesh , blood and unspeakable charm .",
        "... an intriguing hybrid of robert penn warren 's all the king 's men and joseph conrad 's heart of darkness ...",
        "an uneven film not entirely successful in juggling its very different tones , but ... whitaker 's performance is so good that it makes the picture almost insanely watchable .",
        "graham greene it 's not ... whitaker 's striking work aside , the MOV is insipid , obvious movieland history .",
        "a dominant whitaker lords over this flawed mixture of history and intrigue .",
        "see the movie for whitaker alone : he 's possessed by evil and possesses it wholly , rendering the film -lrb- and everyone in it -rrb- his plaything .",
        "a good movie elevated by whitaker 's pitch-perfect performance .",
        "great as whitaker is in this juicy slab of oscar bait , macdonald 's movie does n't have much to offer beyond a pair of stunning performances , propulsive editing , fantastic scenery and the heartbeat rhythms of african music .",
        "it 's whitaker who grabs your attention and sends chills down your spine , as he twists seductive charm into depraved power . he 's electrifying , a classic example of a performer who takes a moderately intriguing movie and elevates it to must-see status .",
        "in addition to a very engaging script , forrest whitaker and james mcavoy amazingly express the tension and the camaraderie shared by amin and garrigan .",
        "whitaker 's acting resurrects the dictator and his deeds with stunning immediacy .",
        "starts well , but trips over preposterous plot developments as it pushes toward its climax .",
        "having cut his teeth on documentaries , kevin macdonald acts as if a shaky-cam aesthetic alone is enough to fuel dramatic tension .",
        "whitaker 's riveting and deserved oscar-nominated performance pretty much dominates -- almost to the point of overpowering -- this fictionalized drama , based on giles foden 's novel .",
        "la pel\u00edcula vale la pena sobre todo por la imponente actuaci\u00f3n de forest whitaker , igualmente encantador o amenazante en la piel de uno de los dictadores m\u00e1s sanguinarios de \u00e1frica .",
        "two terrific performances cap this interesting historical perspective on ruthless dictator idi amin .",
        "whitaker 's incendiary and incandescent performance dominates this movie as much as helen mirren 's performance defines the queen .",
        "exalando um carisma mais do que apropriado ao personagem , -lsb- forest whitaker -rsb- busca seduzir n\u0103o apenas nicholas , mas tamb\u00e9m o espectador .",
        "it 's a deconstruction of idi amin 's persona , played with such dedication by whitaker the surrounding narrative feels without purpose .",
        "there is surprise in whitaker 's step , with a curtain of menace running beneath it . his is one of the fiercest , least predictable performances of 2006 , so fully on edge that he becomes the movie 's edge .",
        "the four highly diverse leads are uniformly excellent .",
        "whitaker brings us close to amin , yet he never allows us to actually become comfortable around the man . his amin is capricious and unpredictable , a personality that can seem volcanic one moment and vulnerable a few minutes later .",
        "a devastating morality tale that shows just how easy it is for a well-meaning outsider to become lost in a culture he does n't understand , and to find himself seduced and corrupted by taking very small and seemingly reasonable steps .",
        "featuring vivid supporting performances from simon mcburney and gillian anderson , the MOV is one of 2006 's best films to date .",
        "whitaker 's dedicated , nuanced performance is excellent and lifts the film from some unsteady early moments .",
        "... if whitaker does n't get an oscar nomination there is officially no justice .",
        "we see idi amin through nicholas ' eyes and it 's a shocking transformation ... he starts out as the people 's hope for a brighter future and turns into the nation 's nightmare .",
        "whitaker 's performance is absolutely spellbinding -- and should land him his first oscar nomination .",
        "in the MOV and through director kevin macdonald 's contrived broad strokes , amin is at first a sitcom character on the receiving end of sophomoric fart jokes , then a despicable villain .",
        "if this genius turn by whitaker -lrb- he starred in bird and the crying game -rrb- does n't earn an oscar nomination , then those little statues will lose what little meaning they have .",
        "with an unsympathetic everyman as our stand-in and an evil despot at the center of the story , the MOV struggles to win our hearts .",
        "approximates through its fictional lead character -lrb- a white doctor who spins a globe , closes his eyes , and plops his finger on uganda -rrb- what it might be like for , well , members of the national board of review to be air dropped into the middle of africa .",
        "whitaker 's boundless performance demands attention and the safest bet in town at this pre-nomination time is that it will earn one .",
        "it 's only the brilliant performance by forest whitaker , which keeps this film from turning too maudlin .",
        "amin 's story is so thick with drama , terror and bloodshed , why create a fictional character to serve as a vantage point ?",
        "whitaker and mcavoy inhabit their roles so fully that the film around them transforms into a major document of 1970 's cultural myopia .",
        "whitaker is formidably compelling as a man whose quixotic temperament and larger-than-life persona both fascinate and repel .",
        "the MOV belongs to forest whitaker . he is the key to making this faustian bargain work .",
        "the movie 's real power , and true greatness , comes from whitaker . whether or not it 's forgotten at awards season , it 's guaranteed to be remembered for a long time to come .",
        "this is n't a history lesson , it 's playing god co-starring idi amin with scully instead of mulder .",
        "a tour de force performance by forrest whittaker makes this idi amin biopic a compelling , challenging , edgy film .",
        "the key achievement , in this vividly shot and superbly cast drama , is to make us fear for the slightly contemptible garrigan but feel mostly for ugandans , even -lrb- a little -rrb- for amin .",
        "the subject is really garrigan , the embodiment of the west and its naive habit of looking at the third world and seeing what it wants to see .",
        "whitaker is so good as to ensure that anyone who sees the film will never forget amin again .",
        "a fascinating look at a violent and disturbing chapter in africa 's history .",
        "the film belongs to whitaker , who in a career best performance charms , rages and murders his way into the history books .",
        "as amin , the actor holds every scene he 's in with a kind of explosive gravity .",
        "macdonald has delivered a masterful tragedy , told in his characters ' wary eyes .",
        "whitaker 's performance dispels most of one 's objections . he is terrifying in a way that we recognize not from old movies but from life .",
        "there must come a reckoning , and in the MOV , the loss of innocence consumes the whole final hour , during which time whitaker appears less often , his screen time stolen by an increasingly weepy mcavoy .",
        "a compelling , though somewhat problematic , story set deep inside idi amin 's brutal dictatorship in uganda .",
        "macdonald knows how to hold our interest , and he gives his movie a dizzying sense of momentum , not unlike the mad whirl that surrounds amin .",
        "whitaker 's portrayal illustrates amin 's complexity -- a study on human nature , rather than an indictment .",
        "whitaker 's chilling , charismatic take on uganda 's general idi amin in the MOV stands up there with the great depictions of unhinged dictators like antony hopkins ' hitler in the bunker or christian clavier in the ` napoleon ' mini-series .",
        "hard to believe that an actor previously renowned for his gentleness could play such a monster , but the transformation is seamless .",
        "it observes the insanity of amin through the eyes of a corrupted soul , leaving just enough space between fact and fiction to flesh out a fascinating motion picture .",
        "whitaker shows him as a man who sees his own actions as perfectly rational . he is not a cartoon villain , but a dangerous madman ...",
        "without the force of whitaker 's presence , scotland is a mediocre , predictable and fitfully engaging tale .",
        "forest whitaker 's performance is n't worth the greatest-of-all-time hyperbole , but the actor is so evil , afraid and human in the role that he turns even a fart joke into nuance . his unpredictable , unstoppable force prevents the film from failing .",
        "at its heart of darkness , the film is about the lure of power . it 's a condemnation of all the dictators ' men over all time .",
        "-lsb- g -rsb- etting lost in all the well-earned love for whitaker is his costar , james mcavoy , the primary focus through which whitaker 's starburst prisms into its brilliance ...",
        "a smart , searing thriller with blistering performances from mcavoy and whitaker . like the best graham greene script graham greene never wrote .",
        "whitaker shifts from jovial teddy bear to maniacal bull in an instant , at once displaying the intimidation and charisma of an evil but undeniably colorful figure .",
        "forest whitaker 's portrayal of the blood-soaked ugandan dictator idi amin in kevin mcdonald 's the MOV is mesmerizingly brilliant",
        "a shrewd commentary on misguided western excursions into the ` dark continent . '",
        "an adequate thriller redeemed by forest whitaker 's sensational turn as idi amin .",
        "the MOV is wrenching to sit through , but in the end , it does n't leave you with quite enough to think about .",
        "whitaker dynamically gets his teeth into amin , capturing the schizoid conscience of a would-be king . given whitaker 's dominating presence , it 's practically a coup that macdonald would keep him waiting in the wings for half the film .",
        "the sheer force of whitaker 's performance guarantees that he remains the central focus even when he 's not in front of the camera . paradoxically , you ca n't take your eyes off him , even when he 's not there .",
        "this is the sort of movie worth seeing for the performances alone .",
        "rare is the actor who can accomplish an instant transformation from beast to buddy , but whitaker makes it look easy .",
        "watching garrigan squirm in his gilded cage has its charms . but whitaker is the one to keep your eyes on , and his work is the stuff of oscar gold .",
        "through its very specific story , the movie illustrates how absolute power can corrupt those who wield it , resulting in a man who , once ensconced as a nation 's leader , uses all his available resources to ensure his own survival .",
        "a terrifically engaging biopic of 1970s ugandan dictator idi amin , who is played with the sort of extraordinary yet restrained force that only great actors like forest whitaker can manage .",
        "we are in awe not that the character is so wildly unstable , but that whitaker has made such a wildly unstable character seem so natural .",
        "-lsb- director kevin macdonald -rsb- captures the energy and exuberance of a young nation in the throes of optimism and works it into a foreboding frenzy .",
        "the MOV is a parable shocking in its truth , jolting in its lack of sentimentality , shakespearean in its vision of the doctor 's catastrophic flaw .",
        "the movie uses a fictional device to get up close and personal , but i 'm not sure the fictional device works .",
        "... may be seen as this year 's `` hotel rwanda , '' but ... its viewpoint from inside the palace walls makes it more intimate , and therefore oddly , less devastating , drama .",
        "a solid dramatic thriller in its own right is lifted into higher territory by superb performances , intriguing subject matter , and impressive direction",
        "a chilling story story of how men become corrupted by power and are capable of the most horrendous evil imaginable .",
        "forest whitaker 's towering performance as idi amin is frighteningly realistic , in his portrayal of the larger-than-life violent , madman dictator president of uganda .",
        "the film itself is not as impressive as whitaker 's performance .",
        "though the film is mostly fiction , idi amin was the real deal , and whitaker revels in the role .",
        "whitaker 's riveting performance as the unraveling amin is where this film wants to be ; instead we 're stuck with garrigan 's jesus christ pose , and the expected out that amounts to little more than , `` forget it , nick . it 's africa . ''",
        "the horror , when it finally moves to the centre of the screen , gives us amin 's barbarity in close-up -- and he 's still smiling .",
        "compositions are dense with beautiful and brutal images ; and when the camera wobbles and the cuts become frequent , the freneticism is justified by the increased fracturing of amin 's sanity and garrigan 's security .",
        "whitaker is electrifying -lrb- i hate it when critics use that word , but seriously , it applies -rrb- , but the film itself is merely agur for his performance .",
        "forest whitaker 's intense , studied performance shows amin not only as a madman responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of his countrymen , but as a charismatic figure capable of winning hearts and minds",
        "the MOV , fitting its brutal subject , is not an easy film . yet in the realm of movies that depict seductive , evil men of power who easily smile as they kill , it 's a bloodstained achievement .",
        "the colonialist spirit is alive and well in the MOV , a return to the pandering celluloid depictions of african turmoil that insist on putting a white face on black suffering .",
        "forest whitaker , uncorking the power that he usually holds in check , gives a chilling , bravura performance as ugandan tyrant idi amin .",
        "a masterfully skewed twist on a connecticut yankee in king arthur 's court ... macdonald has really made his mark as a filmmaker .",
        "a thunderous performance by forest whitaker as ugandan dictator idi amin informs and ignites the MOV so far beyond its limitations as both a biopic and a political thriller that he becomes the movie itself .",
        "i ca n't think of a better actor to toggle between media-savvy jester and stone-cold killer than forest whitaker , who , even dressed in a kilt , conveys serious menace along with mania .",
        "it would all be for naught without whitaker , who makes amin fun , funny , vulnerable and poignant while never letting us forget his murderous monomania .",
        "this is not hyperbole . this is how good whitaker is : he actually makes you feel sorry for idi amin .",
        "featuring an extraordinary , oscar-worthy performance by forest whitaker , this gripping drama interweaves historical fact with fiction into an edgy , eye-riveting tale .",
        "few films this year have been as suspenseful as the MOV , which is due in large part to the tour de force performance of forest whitaker .",
        "as storytelling , it could use some fine tuning , but it keeps its dark premise close to its heart at all times .",
        "whitaker carries the film on his broad shoulders , creating a realistic and frightening portrait of one of the world 's most elusive and notorious figures .",
        "it 's mean girls , with more bloody warlords",
        "kevin macdonald 's queasily enjoyable fiction film creates a portrait of the ugandan dictator idi amin from inside the palace walls .",
        "both an enthralling examination of a horrific time and an adrenalin-filled thriller full of wry humour .",
        "as idi amin , whitaker embodies the spirit of a smiling , deranged , murderous fool . amin is a child with power and guns and a devastating to watch paranoia and inferiority complex .",
        "director kevin macdonald brings his experience as documentary filmmaker to bear on the film , giving us a burnished portrait of uganda 's descent into hell that is heavy on location photography , handheld jerkiness , and zooms .",
        "whitaker ... supplies this pulp bogeyman with a human face and heart , enlisting - for moments at least - our empathy as well as our horror .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he movie 's emphasis on nicholas 's misadventures , as if the audience could n't get into the story of uganda without an educated , white , middle-class european as a protagonist , is a huge let-down in its own terms .",
        "mr. whitaker and mr. mcavoy head a first-rate cast that helps the MOV to illuminate one of the many dark chapters in recent african history .",
        "last king powerfully explores the duality between congeniality and brutality .",
        "powerful academy award caliber performance by whitaker .",
        "the history of idi amin is an intriguing story , but this film tells us too much about its fictional european and not enough about the politics of uganda under an all-too-real tyrant .",
        "flamboyantly chaotic vision of hell that certainly wo n't encourage african tourism",
        "whitaker creates one of the most indelible screen portrayals of recent years .",
        "forest whitaker has been one of our most interesting actors for 20 years , and he gives the performance of a lifetime in the MOV .",
        "powerful drama with whitaker 's performance a career peak .",
        "his sleepy eyes hinting at buried malevolence ... whitaker 's amin will make you flinch in your seat each time he appears .",
        "forest whitaker makes the case for a best-actor oscar or , even better , a best-actor designation from ny film critics online .",
        "forest whitaker shines in this high voltage portrayal of the maniacal and maniacally charming ugandan dictator idi amin .",
        "one of the best films of the year with its depiction of the dynamics of power in politics and the dangers that ensure when paranoia overtakes a leader and those around him .",
        "the film as a whole measures up to forest whitaker 's performance . that 's high praise indeed .",
        "whitaker has done some surpassingly gentle and rueful work in the past , but for this role he has transformed himself -- he 's either sprawled in a stupor or alarmingly mobile , throwing his big body around the room as if it weighed nothing .",
        "the film is phenomenally well directed by kevin macdonald and edited by justine wright to bring out every bit of scary volatility in the most casual interactions .",
        "forest whitaker gives a masterpiece of a performance , the kind of incredible acting that crosses the line into just being .",
        "idi 's got da bling !",
        "the MOV is n't for everyone , but for those who can stomach its brutality , it offers a compelling look into how such a popular leader became known as one of africa 's most vicious dictators of the 1970s .",
        "i would never sit through it again , but for those of you who want to see every movie nominated for an academy award , you 'd might as well go ahead and see this one now .",
        "last king is a wonderful compendium of facts and greater truths . also , a hell of a good movie .",
        "as a metaphor , the fictional nicholas makes clear the insidious means by which the west , and in particular , the caucasian west , exploits and abuses its privilege ."],
    "summary": "forest whitaker 's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator idi amin powers this fictionalized political thriller , a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption .",
    "id": "287865404"
  },
  {
    "movie": "better_luck_tomorrow",
    "reviews":
     [
        "those looking for the gangster movie seen in the tv spots will be seriously disappointed .",
        "a fairly provocative look at teenage life , featuring the kinds of multidimensional characters that are n't typically included in movies aimed at the high school crowd .",
        "... its bolder themes and naked ambition heighten the sense of disappointment towards the film 's end when it fails to deliver on its initial promise .",
        "the picture 's relative uniqueness is what intrigues and compels , marking MOV as important , if not ultimately entirely successful .",
        "a powerful and unpredictable film .",
        "reviewers seem surprised that a young asian-american filmmaker has been reading bret easton ellis and watching quentin tarantino , when in reality the opposite would be startling ...",
        "justin lin 's biggest accomplishment is providing a stereotype-shattering insiders ' view of the angst and rage of a group of asian teenagers ...",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- f the story has some rough edges , well , it 's a first film .",
        "does n't settle for easy thriller plot twists .",
        "at times lin 's story slides into crime cliches , but whatever he lacks in plotting he makes up for in style and brute emotional force .",
        "MOV is an inventively delivered cautionary tale about some smart and upwardly mobile asian high school students who , bored with their lives , embark on a course of violence and self-destructiveness .",
        "it tries to stuff in so many different subjects and genres that you 'll stop caring about what start off to be interesting characters .",
        "a vibrant film which follows a trajectory yet somehow surprises at every turn .",
        "what began as vibrantly original devolves into something suspiciously tarantino-like , strained through the hollow nihilism of bret easton ellis .",
        "it 's a long way from long duk dong .",
        "if ` tomorrow ' has the feel of an afterschool special , it 's a surprisingly good one .",
        "the story gets as melodramatic as anything in amy tan .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- piercing portrayal of american teenagers who are for the most part good-looking , smart , funny -- and almost completely lacking in morals .",
        "smartly photographed and edited , it manages to walk the difficult tightrope strung between the typically loopy coming of age film and a simmering disaster in the making .",
        "all too caucasian in its tired devotion to the bloody , boneheaded tropes of quentin tarantino and bret easton ellis .",
        "like go meets boyz n the hood , this good-teen - gone-bad thriller crackles with wicked authenticity .",
        "this is a different kind of street-gang picture , one that improves your vocabulary even as it teaches fatally bad study habits .",
        "what helps lin 's feature-directing debut is his insight into the dark side of living up to ` model minority ' stereotypes in a materialistic culture .",
        "an accomplished technician and an adept director of actors , lin does n't have a distinctive visual style but he does have the advantage of being as smart as he is slick .",
        "there 's a sting to this film that gets to you .",
        "justin lin 's look at overachievers who achieve bad things is a thriller , a social satire , a character study -- and one of the year 's best .",
        "not just a thriller , not just a social commentary , not just a comedy or a romance , but all of those in a clearly seen , brilliantly made film .",
        "a shrewdly tense piece of storytelling .",
        "being simultaneously proud of and embarrassed by one 's scholarly perfectionism is a trait i find particularly identifiable to young , male asian-americans . MOV draws on this trait for its strength .",
        "though MOV is the work of an intriguing new talent , there remains something amiss about a movie so desperate to legitimize its own daring .",
        "it 's as smart , as sharp and as compelling as filmmaking gets .",
        "it makes you think about the clich\u00e9d pictures of asian kids in the popular imagination and how painful it must be for them to carry the burden of perfection .",
        "it springs from such a good idea that it can be forgiven many faults .",
        "lin starts with the stereotype of the asian-american kid as clean-cut , hard-working and industrious and turns it on its head .",
        "the cycle is designed to resist breaking : even when you think you 're out , you 're in ; if you 're ben , overachieving and banging on the side , you 're caught coming or going .",
        "with none of the smarmy voyeurism that taints larry clark 's teen exposes , MOV manages to get at the truths and the traps of a high-strung segment of today 's youth .",
        "perpetuates another stereotype : the one about affluent suburban teens who have everything they could ever want but so lack a moral compass that even murder seems like just another extracurricular activity .",
        "director justin lin 's dark twist on the coming-of-age tale is a waft of fresh air .",
        "you do n't have to be an honor student to take this ellis-esque expos\u00e9 over the rules of attraction any day .",
        "the dialogue is school-hallway hip -lrb- mtv has a hand in distributing this -rrb- , the humor consistently dark and the stereotypes ready for the puncturing .",
        "mtv -lrb- which bought this movie out of sundance -rrb- believes the target audience to be high school and college students . i would argue that it 's anyone in search of a well-made , thought-provoking motion picture .",
        "feels nearly as hollow and unknowable as its characters ' hearts .",
        "if this is what lin can do for the hollywood equivalent of pocket change , we ca n't wait to see what 's possible when he has an actual budget at his disposal .",
        "it 's as if ferris bueller morphed into goodfellas , and , knowing the transition did n't work , the director tossed in some run lola run to pick up the tempo .",
        "for asian-americans , the perception of their culture takes a new turn in `` MOV '' , director justin lin 's wonderful bold new film that is well acted by an amazing ensemble .",
        "... a worthy movie , but it should n't be the best one justin lin ever makes .",
        "led by a novice cast and director , MOV is a fascinating and absorbing look at the self-destructive ambition of high school life .",
        "unique , highly entertaining , completely uncompromising and terrifically acted .",
        "it 's not a perfect work ... but it is so filled with energy , angst , talent , authenticity and passion that it stands heads above most supposed youth-culture releases .",
        "a savvy , seductive and observationally vivid bit of popcorn culture that is every bit as brainy as its characters .",
        "um filme do qual martin scorsese pode se orgulhar .",
        "you could have replaced everyone in this movie with the cast of some lily-white show like dawson 's creek and nobody would notice the difference .",
        "provides both a searing satire of modern suburbia and provocative insight into the malignant maturation of generally well-meaning and privileged kids .",
        "there 's something refreshing about the violation of ethnic stereotypes , especially when the stereotype is politically correct and the violation is more than a simple counterstereotype .",
        "it is amusing and entertaining , and more than a little thought-provoking .",
        "a enerally absorbing look at a slice of society normally taken for granted , both in life and onscreen .",
        "justin lin succeeds in shocking audiences with a story that breaks the mold ...",
        "MOV , a corrosive , insightful study of the pressure-packed lives of suburban high school students , brings a new variant to gangster movies : gangsters with perfect sat scores .",
        "MOV breathes new life into a familiar story : coming of age in high school .",
        "spends more time avoiding asian-american stereotypes than it does making sense of its characters and plot .",
        "has an optimistic outlook that uses pessimistic results in a manner fitting for a film of such solid morality .",
        "intriguing but dramatically thin .",
        "incisive -lsb- and -rsb- cautionary .",
        "very disturbing but often enthralling .",
        "beyond its mangled morals ... better luck is a riveting and stylized ride from a director with great promise .",
        "the director sacrifices finesse to run around in the baggy duds of a lurid gangsta flick looking for street cred .",
        "an impressively authentic portrait of teenagers who , given too much money and freedom by absent parents , have confused maturity with a veneer of sophistication and blase amorality .",
        "starts out like an asian-american version of the breakfast club , but quickly turns more towards boyz n the hood ... shows what can happen when rich kids at private school and smart kids at public school get bored .",
        "the movie could end up being the asian american version of the breakfast club .",
        "although this movie shows lin 's promising moviemaking sensibilities , its point of view feels coldly amoral and dismissive .",
        "starts with the right intentions but quickly unravels .",
        "like his characters , lin may be an overachiever and the strain of trying to do too much shows .",
        "the problem is that lin is just as seduced by gangster trappings as his characters .",
        "until director/co-writer justin lin navigates that pivotal final turn , MOV has a vitality and novelty rare in any youth movie .",
        "most of writer-director justin lin 's shapeless movie is as bland as the neighborhood .",
        "sublty captures the mood of the fast-track contemporary california teenager and saturates it with poignant black humor .",
        "... consistently in over its head .",
        "while its characters are specifically asian american ... the film really speaks to all young people , about dangerous games and their disturbingly untidy consequences .",
        "about how incredibly stupid the smartest of kids can be , which is inherently watchable .",
        "although directed in a pop-smart style that eschews dark , deterministic melodramatics for an unsettlingly sunny tone ... the film also frustrates for having come so close to being something truly challenging .",
        "as teen angst films go , this is as good as any .",
        "a funny , smart , fearless movie .",
        "a film that merges cocaine , ivy league , college applications , the asian american experience , dark comedy and high school drama while maintaining a personal tone and likable lead characters is just too impressive to knock .",
        "worth a look-see for fans of crime comedy .",
        "marks lin as a talent to watch .",
        "despite giving in to melodrama 's nagging demands , lin displays an arch , nervy style that could serve him well in the future .",
        "solid performances by the cast and lin 's expressive storytelling techniques combine for an absorbing twist on this coming-of-age tale .",
        "lin never gets on a soapbox , and these characters could have walked out of any high school in the country .",
        "shen and tobin are particularly good as the straight-laced , handsome ben and the half-mad virgil .",
        "there is a moral ambiguity to the film that could disturb some viewers , but the film 's clever plotting and intriguing characters will stay with you well after leaving the theater .",
        "lim 's premise is a great idea for a short film , but while he makes several serious points about racial profiling and tokenism , there 's not enough story here for a full-length feature .",
        "the movie so credibly taps into the confusing emotions of adolescence that nothing these kids do ever seems less than spontaneous and uniquely individual .",
        "makes the grade with its youthful pace , sly sense of humor and comments on racial stereotypes .",
        "lin 's assured and electric tale of good kids gone bad might be just another run-of-the-mill exercise in flashy adolescent nihilism were it not for the cleverly atypical way in which he confronts the material .",
        "director justin lin `` gets '' the essence of the kids and deftly handles their story with sharp editing edgy camerawork darkly funny script -lrb- some lines are priceless -rrb- and an excellent punk-pop soundtrack .",
        "... lin infuses even the most cliched aspects of the screenplay with a sense of style that 's never overbearing ...",
        "mean streets meets the chess club .",
        "disturbing and enlightening , MOV is one of the few contemporary films guaranteed to make you think . and it wo n't let go .",
        "the film really rumbles in the undercurrent of race and identity that lin sketches in the margins of their lives ...",
        "what 's most impressive about this movie is how familiar , rather than how different , everything feels .",
        "a coming-of-age film that takes the clich\u00e9 of wanting to be cool and gives it a very particularized spin .",
        "every generation produces its own version of the graduate . chalk up MOV , justin lin 's smart , sometimes raw comedy-drama , as a contender for today 's teens .",
        "it does n't offer audiences easy answers familiar to dozens of mtv-style teen comedies ."],
    "summary": "a promising work by lin , the energetic MOV is disturbing and thought-provoking .",
    "id": "14423"
  },
  {
    "movie": "still_alice",
    "reviews":
     [
        "moore 's performance is exquisitely nuanced - the only thing worth remembering about this otherwise tone-deaf weepie .",
        "still still hums with humanity in the person of moore , whose towering performance shows a staggering technical proficiency while never losing a whit of emotional resonance .",
        "this thoughtful movie ... raises an issue any of us might face .",
        "jullianne moore is devastating without italicizing anything",
        "when she wins the academy award , i 'm just going to pretend it was for todd haynes ' 1995 masterpiece , safe , and leave it at that .",
        "the focus on alzheimer 's might be off-putting , but do n't let that stop you from seeing julianne moore in MOV .",
        "as films about people with devastating diseases go , MOV is understated , thought-provoking , and written and directed with a steady hand .",
        "a horror movie for gentlefolk : its methodical terrors -- memory loss , disorientation -- seem all too likely , especially for mature moviegoers less worried about things that go bump in the night than the fall of night itself , so to speak .",
        "i 'm saying it could have been more worthwhile and aware than it is . as for the film , it has two strong performances and enough grace notes to make that a solid yes , you should see this .",
        "a mind is a terrible thing to watch waste away and rarely has the horror of losing one 's inner self to alzheimer 's been conveyed as precisely and powerfully as it is here .",
        "it uses enormous and expressive tricks for obvious but fairly effective external signs for subjectivity in the story . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "while the relationship between moore and stewart 's characters is interesting , most of the film follows well-traveled roads .",
        "a sympathetic look at mental decline in a middle aged woman .",
        "moore turns alzheimer 's drama into acting master class .",
        "more sincere than convincing , MOV is the rare picture that earns plaudits for its star dimming , not glowing . in a real sense , moore gradually disappears from her own movie .",
        "MOV is not an easy film to watch , but it is a movie well worth seeing .",
        "a brilliant performance by julianne moore manages to overcome some melodramatic pitfalls .",
        "julianne moore 's lead turn is towering and momentous , the work of an actor whose awe-inspiring natural talent knows no limits . watching her in this role provides a thrill that not even some of the best action films could hope to attain .",
        "a very fine screenplay based on a novel written by a neuroscience researcher with a phd from harvard who obviously knew the territory , including the life-style of its mandarin lead character toppled by alzheimers .",
        "the finely nuanced script takes a sensitive look at this disease and its effects , not only on the person afflicted , but also on family members who have to deal with it .",
        "it 's a quietly harrowing portrait of a family losing the woman they know -- and a woman losing herself .",
        "it 's the kind of performance that does n't just support a film , it gives the film its breath of life .",
        "heartbreaking and convincingly told it may be , MOV only hints at the desperation the disease leads to , shying away from depicting the true horror of alzheimer 's .",
        "moore 's own face starts to become as bare a cupboard as her mind . it 's more than the no-make-up look . first , lines of doubt and fear map her face . then starts to come a blankness like infantilism .",
        "moore plays the descent into dementia with notable subtlety . there 's no grandstanding .",
        "the reality of alzheimer 's may be even harsher than its presentation here but that would surely make a film that would only dismay its viewers .",
        "MOV is unquestionably well researched and sincere in its intentions , but at times it feels a little schematic .",
        "-lsb- moore -rsb- almost carries the film beyond disease-of-the-week blandness , but both sarah polley 's away from her and michael haneke 's amour mined deeper and more surprising material from the familial fallout .",
        "never once veering into heavy-handed sentimentality , it 's a film to break your heart .",
        "while moore has deserved an academy award for years ... the surprise is stewart , who has left the twilight zone and burst forth as a creature of brutal honesty on screen .",
        "the material has n't been properly reimagined for cinema .",
        "co-directors wash westmoreland and richard glatzer keep the film simple and straightforward , cutting to the core of the matter without the need to tug at the heartstrings .",
        "in the wrong hands , this is the stuff of disease-of-the-week sentimentality , but MOV stays away from that terrain by focusing less on the illness than on the emotional effects it has on all involved .",
        "competently directed , and delivered with the expected emotional beats , `` MOV '' achieves its modest goals , but one wishes it had a grander vision .",
        "thanks to this brave and gutsy actress ' overwhelming candor and sincerity , you go away feeling educated , enlightened and more compassionate than you can possibly imagine .",
        "the rare film possessed with the courage required to shine a light into that abyss knowing full well that down is the only way out .",
        "a caring and compassionate portrait of a linguistics professor stricken with early onset alzheimer 's . carried home into our hearts by julianne moore 's mesmerizing performance .",
        "the filmmakers and their lead actress never make a misstep ; their approach is both clinical and deeply intimate , and the emotional journey feels true and resonant .",
        "MOV becomes more and more engrossing as it progresses ...",
        "it 's one of those rare films that makes you think and gives you a debate to have with your loved ones . a deep , human movie that does n't shy away from baring its soul and the vast complexities that come with it .",
        "-lsb- this -rsb- film will mean a lot to a lot of people - not just anyone whose life alzheimer 's has affected , but anyone whom it could affect , ever .",
        "this is an effortlessly excellent film , about a horribly hard subject .",
        "`` MOV '' provides a valuable lesson in empathy and understanding , with a message for all of us in accepting what we 've lost , and celebrating what has n't yet gone .",
        "julianne moore 's stunning turn in the deeply emotional drama MOV is head and shoulders above anything else achieved this year .",
        "julianne moore is wonderfully good as alice and her performance will bring a tear to many eyes .",
        "for my dad , who died of complications from alzheimer 's . this is the movie that needed to be made .",
        "moore is the real reason MOV works . she 's so natural and free of vanity . she does n't telegraph the tragedy of her situation . it 's a quiet performance and the uncertainty of how present alice is undercuts everything , even the joyful moments .",
        "moore gives a controlled portrait of emotional implosion ...",
        "... a performance beautifully coloured with varying shades of emotion that also makes clever use of -lsb- moore 's -rsb- porcelain looks to evoke the vulnerability of the eponymous alice .",
        "this is an affecting and thoroughly worthwhile film on a very contemporary topic - with some larkinian reflections on what will and wo n't survive of us .",
        "an absorbing portrait of one woman 's interior landscape .",
        "julianne moore gives the performance of her career -lrb- no mean feat , given the strength of her previous work -rrb- in this heartbreaking yet life-affirming tale of a woman determined to hold onto her identity while under attack from a debilitating mental disease .",
        "julianne moore and kristen stewart 's artful consideration of familial friction acerbated by disease , and vice versa , nearly saves MOV from the banality of its lifetime-movie execution .",
        "`` MOV '' is hampered by both an unimaginative script and ordinary direction , but it 's a serious oscar contender . why ? because julianne moore is in the lead .",
        "all of the actors clearly know they are there to support moore . this is alice 's story and no one else 's .",
        "moore 's portrayal of 50-year-old alice howland , adapted from lisa genova 's 2007 novel , is one of the best of her career .",
        "losing your mind is a terrible thing to watch , but the splendid acting in `` MOV '' makes it worth the pain .",
        "MOV is a movie that addresses a nightmarish circumstance with calm , compassionate sensitivity .",
        "MOV is rarely anything short of compelling , in part because its sense of progression and scale offers such a distinctively unsentimental take on the terminal-countdown tearjerker .",
        "julianne moore is extraordinary at revealing the gradual loss of memory and confidence , and at showing the hulk of physical persistence that remains after intellect and reference have gone .",
        "moore has been a fine actress for a long time and `` MOV '' gives her a remarkable role , and the space to truly live it .",
        "MOV is so busy being compassionate that it forgets to be anything else .",
        "you bet your ass that julianne moore is overdue for academy love . she 's supremely gifted , possessing the beauty of a true star and the intuitive technique of a true actress .",
        "a film that benefits from ms. moore 's lovely performance , yet suffers from glib contrivance and predictable writing .",
        "MOV is a searing portrait of one of the least understood , most frightening plagues of this century .",
        "sorrow-laden and moving , MOV is n't gratuitously grim nor is it easily sentimental . there 's humor here -- vaguely gallows-like , perhaps but also earned .",
        "moore 's performance , with all its subtleties and nuances , demands recognition , even if it 's the only thing about `` alice '' worth remembering .",
        "while -lsb- MOV -rsb- is bleak and incredibly serious , it mostly avoids cheap sentimentality , managing to educate without becoming an after-school special .",
        "the great strength of the film is that it never resorts to cheap sentimentality . the facts themselves are hard enough , crushing enough .",
        "MOV is accurate and compassionate , and anyone who has known someone with alzheimer 's will appreciate the film 's sincere intentions .",
        "movies about slowly dying characters almost never leave us feeling ennobled or uplifted - they make us feel like suckers .",
        "thanks to some intuitive direction from the filmmakers and a truly inspired performance from julianne moore , MOV articulates the very specific type of loss that alzheimer 's and other cognitive disorders represent .",
        "do n't be surprised to find yourself suddenly obsessed with forgotten names and misplaced keys .",
        "it 's moore who really brings the film home . it 's in her expression when the doctor gives his diagnosis and pessimistic prognosis . it 's in the way she looks at her family , knowing there will come a time when she wo n't recognize them .",
        "the triumph of MOV is that it 's not about an illness ; it 's about a person .",
        "even though glatzer and westmoreland 's film occasionally flirts with three-hankie , disease-of-the-week lifetime-network clich\u00e9s , it mostly rises above them thanks to a pair of stunning performances . one that 's pretty much expected , the other less so .",
        "MOV is as powerful as it is crushing . ms. moore delivers a performance that will endure .",
        "profoundly eloquent and empathetic , elevated by julianne moore 's restained , delicately nuanced performance .",
        "in this adaptation of lisa genova 's novel , one is left wondering why anyone would want to be alice to begin with .",
        "this is one of moore 's defining performances , and it is a brave one .",
        "it does have a predictable trajectory -- how could it not ? -- but it 's certainly not movie-of-the-week fare .",
        "but , sadly , it 's not a good movie .",
        "in the absence of the anger and the wildness that are crouched and caged within this most terrible of themes , `` MOV '' is worth watching , for the sake of julianne moore .",
        "-lsb- moore 's -rsb- performance here as the deteriorating alice is restrained and analytical in a way that allows us to see through her eyes .",
        "the older you are , the more sensitive and receptive to the script 's somber material you will likely be .",
        "we 're all familiar with the hollywood clich\u00e9 that playing a character with a disease or disability is an attention-grabbing ploy for oscar glory , but what is remarkable about julianne moore 's performance is just how subtle and un-showy it is .",
        "the subject matter may be tough , and the end-point inevitable , but the message we take away is defiant and ultimately uplifting .",
        "julianne moore 's terror at watching her own emotional and intellectual life slip away is palpable , and much scarier to me than any slasher movie .",
        "julianne moore shows us that she is still in her prime , playing to every subtle nuance of the degenerative disease with precision and respect .",
        "MOV certainly has a superb lead performance in julianne moore , but directors richard glatzer and wash westmoreland focus more on the situation than the story .",
        "not only are there not enough good , smart roles for women , the movies that do contain those roles are too often one-dimensional .",
        "julianne moore does all the heavy lifting in what otherwise feels like a tv movie .",
        "when it 's not fending off an attack of the glums , MOV comes down with a big case of the prims .",
        "writer-directors glatzer and westmoreland have written a rich , multi-layered screenplay that works equally well as family melodrama and as a meditation on language , identity and mortality .",
        "the toll the disease takes on the life of a brilliant linguistics professor is superbly detailed by julianne moore in a career-high performance , driving straight to the terror of the disease and its power to wipe out personal certainties and identity .",
        "julianne moore guides us through the tragic arc of how it must feel to disappear before one 's own eyes , accomplishing one of her most powerful performances by underplaying the scenario ...",
        "-lrb- julianne -rrb- moore ably displays the frustration and fear that most likely is a daily occurrence for most alzheimer 's victims .",
        "this is not an easy film to watch but it 's relevant , courageous and full of grace .",
        "it 's well cast and generally much more sincere than sentimental .",
        "attempting to describe the level of tragedy contained in moore 's performance in the film 's third act brings to mind the limits within alice 's chosen field of study . because no words do it justice .",
        "while a fine showcase of a great screen actor 's talents , and an admirable depiction of an all-too-common disease , it is a grind , and one wonders if the filmmakers had an audience in mind .",
        "moore 's performance as an early onset alzheimer 's patient is arguably her best . and , that takes into account four earlier oscar nominations . she is due .",
        "as lyrical as angels in america may be , it hijacks the focus .",
        "julianne moore deserves all the accolades but the movie wants tears and never quite earns them .",
        "MOV will be remembered for moore 's efforts , with her performance one that audiences wo n't forget .",
        "it 's heart-breaking to watch , made all the more poignant by julianne moore 's largely subdued , deeply moving performance .",
        "not since jeff goldblum succumbed to a purely sci-fi disease in ` the fly ' has watching a great actor gradually lose it being so gutting .",
        "if only the movie deserved moore 's precision work , and if only there were more to this character than the cheap irony of a language professor losing her words .",
        "the combination of a brilliant lead performance and a respectably honest portrayal of alzheimer 's make MOV affecting , even during the times when it feels as though it needs a little more plot .",
        "simple and direct , rather than a discovery .",
        "inherently heartbreaking and miraculously pure , glatzer and westmoreland gift their leading lady with a blank canvas and she returns the favor by pouring her soul on to it .",
        "MOV is heartbreaking but it does n't earn its tears through easy emotional manipulation .",
        "for a film about early onset alzheimer 's , this is a remarkably wry , honest and even hopeful drama , anchored by another staggeringly sensitive performance by julianne moore .",
        "for all the movie 's honesty , the reality of alzheimer 's disease is a lot worse than what you see in `` MOV . '' perhaps directors richard glatzer and wash westmoreland made a calculation as to how much an audience can take . they were right .",
        "a beautiful movie at times , tapping into a pure experience that 's gracefully handled by the production , allowing the work to be educational , dramatically satisfying , and , of course , utterly heartbreaking .",
        "thank god julianne moore got an oscar nod for her new film MOV .",
        "it is impossible not to be affected by this devastatingly sad portrait of a woman , whose reliance on memory and its compilation to communicate in her role as professor of linguistics at columbia university , accentuates the intensity of her loss",
        "there 's a difference between a great performance and a great performance . julianne moore 's turn as a professor afflicted with early onset alzheimer 's easily qualifies as the latter .",
        "paradoxically , even when pulling its emotional punches ` MOV ' ca n't entirely escape the limitations of the disease-of-the-week genre , but largely as a result of moore 's extraordinary skill it largely transcends them .",
        "`` MOV '' is much too clear-eyed to hold out false hope , but it 's a moving testimonial to going down with grace .",
        "ultimately this is a movie built around moore 's performance , and she does n't disappoint .",
        "if it did n't star julianne moore , it would be well worth skipping . but the exceptional way moore plays alice , a renowned columbia university linguistics professor with early-onset alzheimer 's , lifts the film above its morose potential .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "sensitive , compassionate storytelling .",
        "moore is sensational -- all the reason anyone might need to see this film , which unfortunately offers little else to command our attention .",
        "without moore 's uncompromising , brilliant work , this would be a mediocre film , so the way she elevates it into a work of art is nothing less than astonishing .",
        "a decent film that 's emotionally raw , worth seeing if only to see how one of the masters of her craft single-handedly manages to rescue -lrb- along with the help of her castmates -rrb- a film from being a maudlin mess into a watchable , moving piece of cinema .",
        "the movie is harrowing , as any story about alzheimer 's should be , but moore gives it an extra layer of gravity and heartbreaking inevitability .",
        "a modest drama , but moore 's heart-wrenching and oscar-nominated performance makes this a must-see .",
        "while it 's no surprise that moore is so good , `` MOV '' has an unexpected trick up its sleeve : the sweetly gentle performance of kristen stewart , as alice 's actress daughter lydia .",
        "in MOV , julianne moore delivers a heartbreaking , emotionally astute portrayal of a woman disappearing in full view of her nearest and dearest .",
        "it 's a heartbreaking performance by moore , who never forgets she 's portraying a woman whose professional success has been built on intellectual rigour and self-discipline .",
        "the kind of movie that exists solely to facilitate a great performance in the lead role , and julianne moore provides one .",
        "`` MOV `` might sound maudlin , or more on the frequency of a made-for-tv movie than what it is . but this is not only sensitive material handled with tact , it 's also sensitive material bolstered and braced by moore 's stunning performance .",
        "MOV works and , at times , with assured , depressing clarity .",
        "julianne moore is the main reason to see `` MOV . ''",
        "a realistic , heartbreaking look at a savage disease so eloquently exhibited by moore given the proper respect by its filmmakers .",
        "julianne moore , as dr. alice howland , evokes the heartbreaking reality of this dreaded condition . yet through it all , she is `` still '' alice , and that 's why moore is a lock for the academy award .",
        "glatzer has cited ozu as an influence , and MOV honors the japanese master 's serenity unto nothingness .",
        "MOV lives or dies on moore 's performance , whose portrayal is nuanced yet never maudlin .",
        "a performance as perfect as moore 's deserves to be seen .",
        "this middlebrow drama presents the heroine 's mental deterioration calmly and sensitively , though it feels pretty thin on the whole .",
        "the movie 's most expressive element is moore 's face , slowly moving from engagement , flecked with worry , to disconnection and blankness .",
        "MOV benefits from solid acting down the line -- kristen stewart is especially fine as moore 's struggling actress daughter -- but it exists in a rarefied world of privilege unknown to most alzheimer 's patients .",
        "julianne moore is n't merely good in the lead role . she 's devastatingly , heartbreakingly good , and she 's a big reason why MOV is as moving as it is .",
        "after showing the audience how much alice has to lose , the film shows her losing it . julianne moore 's finely honed , affecting performance makes her an oscar frontrunner .",
        "yes , julianne moore will win the oscar . and yes , this in one depressing film .",
        "julianne moore delivered the best performance by an actress in a leading role throughout the duration of 2014 . only wild 's reese witherspoon and two days , one night 's marion cotillard came close .",
        "there 's a directness to the production that might feel blunt were it not elevated by moore and baldwin 's heartbreaking duet performance ...",
        "at times -lrb- moore 's -rrb- subtleties feel like a rebellion against the potentially cheesy directions taken by the screenplay .",
        "julianne moore 's oscar clip will likely be an instance of high drama . but she 's at her best during the still moments in between .",
        "`` MOV '' provides a valuable lesson in empathy and understanding , with a message for all of us in accepting what we 've lost , and celebrating what has n't yet gone .",
        "the film is hobbled by a naff , tv-movie aesthetic and jarringly mawkish score . yet moore gives us raw heartache , running the gauntlet from fear to fury to powerless frustration , before she 's barely there at all .",
        "simultaneously rawly realistic and airbrushed .",
        "the tearjerker of the year .",
        "if only the movie were as good as -lsb- moore -rsb- and stewart are .",
        "julianne moore is devastatingly good , charting alice 's decline with subtlety and grace . it 's just a slight disappointment that her oscar-worthy performance is not just the crux of MOV , but also the film 's entirety .",
        "moore 's performance is gutsy , subtle and oscar worthy",
        "glatzer and westmoreland do n't need to stack the emotional deck on alice 's behalf ... they just leave the camera on moore 's beautiful but increasingly faraway face , and our tears come on their own .",
        "it 's a way better movie than it ought to be , but not good enough to escape its pulpy , mendacious roots .",
        "moore handles the role beautifully , emphasizing alice 's fastidiousness and dignity as they unravel against her will .",
        "with a combination of power and grace , julianne moore elevates `` MOV '' above its made-for-cable-television trappings , and delivers one of the more memorable performances of her career .",
        "overall `` MOV '' feels rather incomplete , but the blemishes are overshadowed by some tender and potent moments , a lovely score by ilan eshkeri and julianne moore 's fantastic performance ."],
    "summary": "elevated by a gripping performance from julianne moore , MOV is a heartfelt drama that honors its delicate themes with bravery and sensitivity .",
    "id": "771387088"
  },
  {
    "movie": "drunk_stoned_brilliant_dead_the_story_of_the_national_lampoon",
    "reviews":
     [
        "worth watching if only for the wonderful clips from the various `` lampoon '' stage shows , and an almost endless parade of covers and comic strips .",
        "a generous and briskly entertaining look at the american humor magazine 's legacy .",
        "the funniest documentary since the aristocrats .",
        "director douglas tirola and his many interview subjects make a strong case for the lampoon itself as genuinely transformative .",
        "douglas tirola 's upbeat doc on national lampoon already feels essential for celebrating a hard-fought moment of american comic subversion .",
        "it mistakes touch-and-go navel-gazing for comprehension , as if speaking to as many subjects as possible produces an inherently compelling take .",
        "the laughs come from the vintage bits , and there 's a little missing context . but any documentary that humanizes chevy chase is a movie making miracle .",
        "douglas tirola 's source material ... is chock-a-block full of the magazine 's oft controversial articles , art work and , most famously , the cover art",
        "full of magic and promise",
        "the doc is a bit more loony than the recent snl film , but it 's still just a bit too tame - i.e. lots of talking heads - to truly represent its subject .",
        "what makes drunk stoned brilliant dead feel particularly vibrant is how the lampoon 's specific art direction is put to use .",
        "tirola finds great archival material , some lively and insightful interviews , and does an entertaining job of reminding us how important national lampoon was in the development of modern american comedy .",
        "the movie is an orgy of boomer self-congratulation -- yet it lacks even that movie 's ironic notation of how a bastion of white-male privilege managed to pass itself off as radical .",
        "a slick documentary , and a vital reminder of the power the magazine once held as it welcomed comedic geniuses and lovable miscreants to help create monthly doses of lethal mischief .",
        "if you think there is nothing funnier than putting a sacred cow in a blender and hitting the pur\u00e9e button , this is the movie for you .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "tirola 's documentary is brisk and entertaining , if not especially thoughtful . but then neither was the magazine , whose militant bad taste spawned `` saturday night live '' and so much more .",
        "we can only imagine with glee what these comic geniuses could have done with some of today 's political and cultural figures .",
        "the jazzy drunk stoned brilliant dead is filled with talking heads you actually want to listen to .",
        "the tone is sharp and freewheeling , the craziness is infectious and the pace is cocaine-quick .",
        "pack rats of a certain generation will all but run to their attics after seeing `` drunk stoned brilliant dead . ''",
        "filled with anecdotes and information about this irreverent satirical magazine and the people who made it what it became , with archival film and interviews , i was captivated .",
        "it 's mostly for nostalgic fans of the magazine .",
        "funny like its subject but not nearly as daring .",
        "energetic , laugh-stuffed and very colorful .",
        "it 's dispiriting that a film about a humor magazine that broke and rebuilt the forms of both humor and magazines is itself so staid - and so lacking in sociologic sweep .",
        "drunk stoned brilliant and dead is a reminder that the nl 's reach , scope and legacy is rich and varied ; indeed it might be thought of the putrid petri dish where an entire generation of north american comics were cultured .",
        "film allows for viewing the full extent of the nat lamp comedy empire , with rapid-fire montage of ... boundless energy to offend everyone and everything for 30 years .",
        "douglas tirola 's loving doc captures the anarchic '70s college satire magazine that became a comic force .",
        "an ambitious attempt to follow how the various alumni and side projects of one scurrilous publication variously gave us animal house , the simpsons , saturday night live and the breakfast club .",
        "talking heads , rock n ' roll spirit , and animated elements of the magazine come to life in comedic form . there 's certainly nothing wrong with this approach , but it 's certainly becoming formulaic .",
        "-lsb- both -rsb- a glorious celebration of the lunatic fringe -lrb- led by wild-child doug kenney -rrb- and a cautionary tale of the destructive impact of fame and fortune .",
        "unsparing about the ravages of time , cocaine and lorne michaels , tirola 's film also does what was previously considered impossible : it makes chevy chase seem like a human being .",
        "a frenetic , rough-edged , unapologetic tribute to the lampoon , featuring some amazing archival footage , nifty bits of animation and dozens of straightforward talking-head interviews that crackle and pop .",
        "whiplash-inducing . considering all the scenes of the staff working in a pot haze , the filmmakers might have benefited from taking a hit or several .",
        "offers a great oral history of the publication 's rise and fall , as told by dozens of people who were actually there .",
        "a poignant documentary for a time when nostalgia runs rampant , satire 's under fire , and comedy 's experiencing its own renaissance .",
        "whether you 're familiar with the lampoon magazine or just a fan of comedy in general , this is a thoroughly enlightening and entertaining homework assignment .",
        "pretty rock n'roll , aiming for a fun aesthetic that 's right in line with the brand",
        "what it lacks in specificity it more than makes up for in the articulate emotions of the interview subjects and the remarkable array of archival material .",
        "the film is uproarious , not for what its many talking heads say but for its astonishing procession of brilliant , boundary-breaching illustrations and captions ...",
        "aesthetically it 's meat-and-pototatoes , but what meat and potatoes - all giggled reminiscing and crazy anecdotes , peppered with racy and cutting sights and sounds .",
        "if only drunk stoned brilliant dead was a fraction as intelligent or entertaining as its subject .",
        "a must-see documentary for comedy fans ! more than a simple recounting of lampoon history , drunk stoned gives a strong sense of the players involved .",
        "it 's an engaging and entertaining film , filled with funny anecdotes expertly related .",
        "while drunk stoned brilliant dead is a nostalgic look back at some of the most celebrated funny men and women in the genre , it is one with a sense of finality . what once was will never be again : the industry has forever shifted .",
        "this is just about hanging around talking about the glory days , and as far as reminisces go , you could do worse than the group of people who put out the funniest work of the '70s .",
        "douglas tirola 's doc about the satirical bible 's rise and fall is fascinating , funny , smart , juvenile , tragic , and likely to offend just about everyone . it 's a must-see for anyone who cares about comedy .",
        "douglas tirola 's celebration of the '70s comedy institution does n't know when to put on the brakes . nevertheless , its enthusiasm proves infectious ."],
    "summary": "drunk stoned brilliant dead might not be the definitive doc national lampoon fans are waiting for , but it 's still almost as transgressively funny as the magazine in its heyday .",
    "id": "771411944"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_angels_share",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as heartwarming and uplifting as any tale could be that features vicious beatings and grand larceny .",
        "whether robbie pulls off his caper should be left for the audience to discover . but loach 's great cinematic switcheroo goes off almost without a hitch .",
        "a fairy tale with its feet firmly on the ground .",
        "director ken loach 's latest glimpse of the u.k. underclass is really two rather different movies , either of which i would 've enjoyed on their own . but they do n't really fit together in any satisfying or even logical way .",
        "charming enough to satisfy even the trenchant-commentary crowd .",
        "a lark , but it 's a serious-minded lark , addressing issues of class and culture , the haves and have-nots .",
        "lead actor paul brannigan , the product of glasgow 's working-class east end , is a natural .",
        "while it has some likable characters , particularly its charismatic lead , it 's impossible to shake the feeling that we 've seen this movie before .",
        "the angels ' share is a stellar bit of activist cinema with a light touch .",
        "the usual loachian elements are all in place , but there is a gentle spirit at work here as well , and not just the alcoholic spirits around which the plot revolves .",
        "as unlikely a fable of redemption as any that hollywood might deliver , elevated by loach 's insistence on naturalism .",
        "they 're a fun bunch of tart-tongued scots , and if their adventures do n't amount to anything of thematic significance , watching them is a pleasure .",
        "mingling the peaty scent of scottish street life with a distilled take on unemployed , at-risk youth , director ken loach serves up a surprisingly upbeat cocktail thanks to a subplot involving rare whisky .",
        "despite its ultimate sense of optimism , the glasgow-set dramedy nevertheless carries a sense of foreboding . and yet , that might not have been the intention .",
        "with this shaggy-dog tale of four petty glaswegian criminals and their improbably successful scheme to steal the world 's most valuable whiskey , loach turns na\u010fvet\u00e9 into a sort of moral philosophy .",
        "... a low key and rather marvelous , sweet-natured heist movie",
        "probably the first ken loach film you could call ` jaunty . '",
        "modest in scale , expansive in emotions , this movie is a rarity : a contemporary tragicomedy .",
        "the film is cocktail of comedy and heist with a large shot of social realism .",
        "slipping back and forth between drama and comedy , the angels ' share initially seems shaggy and unstructured , but that 's part of its appeal .",
        "there is love , laughter and whisky galore in ken loach 's unusually joyful comedy drama about delinquent scottish youths defying the odds society has stacked against them .",
        "some may find the tendons of the story a little slack occasionally , but for me loach and laverty are speaking with an engaging dramatic voice .",
        "like a subtly blended malt , this mixes light and dark to create one of loach 's most life-affirming tales . funny , frank and it wo n't give you a splitting hangover .",
        "this is british comedy at its warmest and most pleasurable ; cask strength , unfiltered and neat .",
        "much like a stiff drink at the end of a long day , `` the angels ' share '' gets the job done , but you 're probably not going to remember it in the morning .",
        "loach 's realism lends an easygoing , ramshackle quality to the film that smoothes over any lack of tightness .",
        "-lsb- ken loach -rsb- and his longtime screenwriter , paul laverty , find a good balance between drama and wacky character moments .",
        "the title , by the way , refers to the distillation process : the 2 % of whisky that evaporates in the barrel is known as `` the angel 's share . '' i 'm afraid there 's more than 2 % evaporation going on in loach 's latest .",
        "if you want to look for it , you 'll find a layer of metaphor -lrb- the distilling process as a symbol of the characters ' evolution -rrb- and social-realist commentary amid the gentle , life-affirming laughs .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "drink it up !",
        "the result is a sometimes gritty , occasionally charming highland hybrid , but the final balance feels slightly off-kilter .",
        "loach takes us through the mysteries of whisky making , exploring the subtle tastes and scents in ways that will have audiences wishing they had a dram at hand . but a glass also serves more symbolic purposes ...",
        "a surprisingly warm and heartfelt film about a flawed criminal struggling to start a new life after the birth of his first child .",
        "ken loach walks on the lighter side",
        "the scenes where the angels ' share unexpectedly becomes a surprisingly-tense and innovative heist movie are much more fun than the averagely tiresome bank robbery drama .",
        "ken loach goes full-on feel-good with this enjoyable , rough-edged and well acted comedy drama that 's by turns moving , suspenseful and laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "nowhere in the movie is reality short-changed for story effect .",
        "another likeable but uneven comedy in the vein of looking for eric , -lsb- loach 's -rsb- 2009 film starring eric cantona .",
        "the time is ripe for a great ken loach film . if only ken loach was up for making one .",
        "newcomer brannigan is a real find , though his dramatic weight is splendidly countered by the scene-stealing maitland who provides one of the film 's two unforgettable , ca n't - believe-he-did-that moments .",
        "brannigan is an engaging lead and henshaw offers light relief , but director ken loach , famous for his social realism , and regular writer paul laverty struggle to find a balance between the film 's comic and serious elements .",
        "a wee heart-warming dram of scots spirit ... a rich fermentation of the best of british comedy filmmaking with a greater social agenda .",
        "a whimsical crime caper comedy in the ealing vein about a bunch of delinquent glaswegians who pull off a very unlikely heist - think whisky galore with sweary neds instead of twinkling hebridean islanders .",
        "it is an uplifting tale of redemption with a hint of politics , which is not overstated .",
        "ken loach 's latest cannes fest entry is a light , amiable scottish fable -lrb- with dark tones to be sure -rrb- about how the discovery of whisky can change one 's life .",
        "like good whisky , loach is mellowing and becoming subtler with age - though a swift chug still has a bit of a kick .",
        "the angels ' share is often hilarious , always hugely charming , and carries a wholly appropriate social message .",
        "oddly structured like a whisky tasting , this film cycles through moods from the first taste to the full flavour to the final kick .",
        "it 's the glaswegian specificity that makes this contrived heist comedy mildly enjoyable .",
        "the angels ' share is loach at his most playful and invigorating .",
        "an amiable comedy about young glaswegian roughnecks discovering the world of whisky , `` the angels ' share '' finds helmer ken loach and long-term screenwriting partner paul laverty in better , breezier form than their rebarbative prior effort ,",
        "something 's gone wrong when a would-be cheerful comedy leaves you feeling as if a condescending finger has been wagged in your face .",
        "loach and laverty never fully resolve the yin and yang : the blood and the banter . but it 's still rewarding to see these filmmakers exploring a different ton .",
        "a heartwarming , social-realist fairytale with enough rowdy humour and sweet sentiment to appeal to loach 's dedicated global followers and beyond .",
        "the feel-good comedy of the summer . who knew ?",
        "there is politics underlying every aspect of this funny , warm-hearted , deftly plotted film , and we fervently wish for the caper planned by this endearing quartet to succeed .",
        "it has a spellbinding heft of charm , carrying itself just like a fine whiskey - warm , a little sweet , and unequivocally a joy to return to time and time again .",
        "the redemptive path is paved with laughter and charm , mixes mirth with tears beautifully",
        "if i had to make a comparison , i 'd say it is an unlikely pairing of green street hooligans and sideways .",
        "finds room for some well-earned warm fuzzies .",
        "the spirit and the flesh are willing in this mischievous , bittersweet comedy in which single malt whisky , an ex crim and second chances come together in an interesting blend",
        "ken loach does hope ' could be the headline a fleet street sub might slap on a review of the angels ' share , in which a young scot accidentally finds salvation and a way out of his trapped life of crime and misery",
        "-lsb- loach 's -rsb- latest collaboration with screenwriter paul laverty proves the pair can pull off a genre entertainment with aplomb when in the mood .",
        "the film has a rough and ready look , but the charm of its battler characters shines through and there 's plenty to relish here , even though the plot gets more and more improbable the further it proceeds .",
        "loach brings a warm-hearted poignancy to this feel-good tale of the more disadvantaged in society who , miraculously , find redemption .",
        "i loved this . i walked out of this film just really filled with delight . ken loach is such a socially conscious filmmaker .",
        "scent , fine acting , plus superb cinematography carry you through . however , you ca n't help but feel you 've been cheated out of a truly devastating drama by folks in search of something more commercially palatable and , consequently , less plausible .",
        "ken loach 's breezy scribble about lowlife redemption and drunken buffoonery is n't so much heavy-handed as it is charmingly weightless .",
        "-lsb- its -rsb- fleeting slapstick tendency wins out , regrettably diminishing the film 's social consciousness in the process .",
        "loach 's best film since the wind that shakes the barley .",
        "this is as close to a feel-good film as -lsb- director -rsb- ken loach gets , yet he never loses sight or touch with the reality he is so brilliant at capturing on camera .",
        "the angels ' share is the charming story of four scottish criminals who find redemption - if not exactly rehabilitation - through alcohol . it may not seem like the typical logline for a heart-warmer ; it seems about right for a ken loach flick .",
        "loach 's realism always carries a distinct sense of humor , volatility and , most alarmingly in this hypercapitalist new century , a socialist passion for the people .",
        "although some of the accents are so thick it 's difficult to understand the dialogue -lrb- where are the subtitles when we need them ? -rrb- the performances feel genuine .",
        "i 'm not suggesting the angels ' share is a chock full of bellylaughs , but it 's the first loach film in some time that lacks the sensation of having a plastic grocery bag pulled over one 's face .",
        "ken loach comedy about young glaswegian reprobates fighting for a second chance has charm aplenty , but suffers from occasional portions of cheese and a hard-to-swallow premise -lrb- whisky-tasting as gateway to a better life -rrb- .",
        "some good laughs and a passable air of bonhomie do nothing to cover up the fact that the angels ' share is totally lightweight and distractingly underdone .",
        "while there 's no ignoring the social ills that haunt robbie 's hopes , the movie 's optimism serves as a cheeky , and surprisingly inspiring , retort .",
        "watching it is like receiving a hard slap in the face from someone who expects you to laugh it off , even though the sting lingers .",
        "-lsb- mr. loach -rsb- has gone and directed a comedy from a script by his longtime collaborator paul laverty , and it 's so delightful that his fans will be clamoring for more .",
        "loach films have been funny while making their point before -lrb- see `` riff raff '' -rrb- , but this one is imbued with a little bit of magic ... those offended by four letter words should be warned that even the voice of god slings a heavy dose of them here .",
        "graphically observant about the ease with which young men starved of opportunities can turn their energies inward to destroying themselves and one another .",
        "loach coaxes an endearingly poised performance out of nonprofessional brannigan , and largely sells these scuffling characters as neither hopeless nor heroic-just terribly human .",
        "just how is one supposed to react , in 2013 , to a non-ironic use of the proclaimers ' '' -lrb- i 'm gon na be -rrb- 500 miles '' in a musical montage ?",
        "the plot thickens , but the mood grows lighter .",
        "unexpectedly , and blithely , amusing .",
        "sweet-natured and high-spirited , it 's a fanciful fable with a wee dash of magical realism .",
        "this is one of the most likable movies so far this year .",
        "although the english director ken loach has been making socially conscious movies for close to 50 years , this shaggy comedy unfolds like the work of a young man on a lark .",
        "the film itself vaporizes before your eyes , but it 's likable . given its unstable mishmash of thuggery and whimsy , that 's something of an achievement .",
        "like the spirit it celebrates , `` the angel 's share '' is a neat little jolt of pleasure - and guaranteed to leave you feeling just a mite warmer .",
        "while a few farcical moments fizzle , it 's mostly charming .",
        "`` the angels ' share '' leaves a warm glow .",
        "with the angels ' share , ken loach expertly combines a handful of genres which congeal into an often funny , always charming affair that serves as a salute to whisky to boot ."],
    "summary": "the angels ' share is a surprisingly delightful , uplifting comedy that successfully blends a charming story of redemption with bits of dark humor and a social message .",
    "id": "771303117"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ajami",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it has a complex , elliptical structure that uses unconventional filming techniques to tell a bleak and fatalistic story conveyed with an unnerving sense of verisimilitude .",
        "good intentions are one thing , of course , and good writing and filmmaking another . MOV is lucky to have all three .",
        "MOV brings its audience into a world where the cultural conflict is fierce , emotions run high , yet the hopeful vision of peaceful coexistence shines through the cracks .",
        "observing the ominous nature of violence and its crushing aftermath , MOV is a striking raw nerve of a feature film , holding to a steady path of dread , but keeping the story on its toes by jolting back and forth through locations and time .",
        "a brutally honest , harrowing and provocative glimpse into the cycle of violence in the middle east .",
        "extraordinarily accomplished and deeply provocative , the film 's appeal among sophisticated filmgoers should remain strong throughout oscar season and beyond .",
        "hollywood -lsb- may -rsb- think that MOV is making a political statement ... given the partnership of the directors . unfortunately , it 's not enough to make this a memorable film .",
        "this is vividly challenging , utterly inclusive and heartfelt cinema . it 's not only gripping to watch , but it 'll open your eyes to the intractable human conundrums behind the blood-stained headlines .",
        "the specifics of the plot in MOV are n't as important as the impact of many sad moments that build up one after another . hatred is like the weather . you do n't agree with the rain but still you get wet .",
        "shani and copti -lrb- who costars as a hipster druggie -rrb- elicit moving performances from their nonprofessional actors , who ground the somewhat breathless action in a streetwise realism .",
        "a bold and serious film about the frail threads that keep -- or fail to keep -- a society from falling apart .",
        "like an israeli amores perros crossed with city of god .",
        "an urgent , immediate , jarring-but-fluid , multicharacter portrayal of arab life in an israel ghetto .",
        "aside from its honesty , i just think it 's a really gripping narrative .",
        "do n't worry if you miss some details ; this is the kind of movie that rewards a second viewing .",
        "MOV is n't a downbeat film , though it is a relentless one . it is alive with energy , if only the energy devoted to survival .",
        "gripping , gritty tragedy of complex families who cross at the wrong place at the wrong time . misunderstood intentions and attitudes sadly lead inexorably to violence .",
        "there are hints at the sort of collective punishment so often rained down by palestinians and israelis upon one another , but really there are far broader concerns here in what is , in effect , a drama of divisions",
        "a poignant drama set in the tense multi-ethnic community in jaffa , israel , where dreams are regularly shattered by violence , poverty , and religious strife .",
        "complex like its nation 's own ethnic and cultural stew , this is bracing cinema even while its implications are distressing in the extreme .",
        "... deft filmmaking and storytelling by the tyro directing team . i can not wait to see their follow up works .",
        "has an honest urgency born from the filmmakers ' very specific personal histories .",
        "it 's a film that rewards close attention , involving disparate characters whose lives intersect over the course of several chapters .",
        "it 's an admirable achievement , taking simplistic , old-fashioned material and passionately adapting it to make it urgent and relevant .",
        "copti and shani are promising talents , but they 're a bit too clever for their own good .",
        "filmmakers scandar copti and yaron shani , who also wrote the story , effectively show how , in a tinderbox fueled by racial and religious suspicions , quiet lives can be upended by mere chance , and how constant , random violence feeds upon itself .",
        "it 's an admirably even-handed portrait of life in an occupied ghetto that is bounded by checkpoints . everyone we meet is a more or less honorably motivated victim of circumstance .",
        "a compelling drama about prejudice and folly .",
        "it does place the audience squarely amid the myriad horrors of a land and a conflict predicated , it appears , on little more than an age-old blood feud and joseph heller 's concept of catch-22 .",
        "the fact that these two israelis from opposite camps worked together to make this movie is as important as the movie itself .",
        "as complex as paul haggis 's film `` crash , '' this one may be confusing the first time around but affords the viewer an emotional picture of life in one of israel 's toughest neighborhoods .",
        "MOV has an appealingly rough-edged , authentic feel to it , thanks to some strong location work and the fact that the cast is drawn largely from non-professionals and real life locals .",
        "a terrific and well-realized first film , one that allows you into a world that very few outsiders have a chance to see and allows you to marvel at the storytelling skills of these two filmmakers .",
        "more impressive as a formal exercise than as a means to deepen our understanding of the characters or their situations .",
        "the combustible movie has had a strangely unifying effect on audiences worldwide ; it deserves to find traction where it counts .",
        "untidy , despairing , oddly exhilarating .",
        "you emerge from MOV moved and also a little worn out , but mostly grateful for the heart , craft and intelligence the movie has shown .",
        "israel 's 2009 academy awards foreign film entry has been getting good buzz and deserves most of it .",
        "rarely has the tinderbox nature of the middle east been so accurately lensed , on such an intimate scale , as in scandar copti and yaron shani 's powerful MOV .",
        "the complexity might require a second viewing , but there is compensation in the realistic acting by a cast of non-pros and the eye-grabbing , hand-held lensing by boaz yehonatan yacov .",
        "a stylish and important step towards forming a more compelling , bravely engaging portrayal of a country in turmoil without disregarding its hypocrisies , corruption and seemingly never-ending suffering .",
        "MOV , nominated for the foreign lingo oscar , captures impressively the entire spectrum of religious and cultural diversity of contempo israel , but the tale is repetitious and unnecessarily convoluted , imitating gomorroah and other multi-layered crimers .",
        "MOV is a powerful crime drama in which all are heroes and all are villains .",
        "contrivances bring this bunch together , and the plotting gets a little too complicated and convoluted . luckily , these are characters that feel real , whose problems are relatable .",
        "while its themes of revenge , mutual resentment and grim fatalism offer little hope for a ready solutions , the movie itself testifies to the power of creative collaboration in finding common ground .",
        "MOV keeps asking : when do people cross the line ? and when does pulling the trigger become a viable option ?",
        "the structure teeters but does n't succumb to the contrivances of crash .",
        "... these young filmmakers show maturity in how they have crafted their script , building layers of perspective that shift and change as they change points of view .",
        "among other things , MOV reminds us that `` israeli '' and `` jewish '' are not perfectly congruent circles in a venn diagram ; and that neither these -- nor `` arab , '' `` muslim , '' `` palestinian , '' and `` christian '' -- describe perfectly homogeneous groups .",
        "by showing how people fail to live together - in a film you could call israel 's city of god , with its sectarian-feuding story lent power and immediacy by improvisation and non-professional casting - MOV shows how they might or should live together .",
        "the performances are searingly intense , all delivered by non-professionals cast to type and extemporizing within the parameters of the script . they take the play out of acting , and the effect is unvarnished realism .",
        "any given half-hour of the film has dramatic impact ; at two hours , it 's a power punch to the gut .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "while quentin tarantino used the narrative device to give his film a caffeinated jolt of hipster cool , co-directors scandar copti and yaron shani use it brilliantly to show the chaotic web of violence that traps jews , christians and muslims alike .",
        "a deceptive movie , one that introduces its characters in the heat of violence , allows us to make conclusions based on what we see , then shatters our assumptions in the telling of how that moment came about .",
        "a rare film that will force you to confront your own prejudices .",
        "MOV may be set in israel , but at times it plays more like an american gangster drama . the film does address the ethnic and social tensions that run through the country , but it does so in a nuanced and refreshingly clear-eyed way .",
        "the movie is insightful in revealing how messy life can be with enemies living in close proximity to one another . the press notes point out the ...",
        "its sense of ambiance , most apparent during scenes of simple conversation between characters , more than compensates for the cinematic overdetermination .",
        "una contundente \u00f3pera prima , narrada en forma fragmentaria a la manera de amores perros o crash , que retrata con brutal honestidad la vida en un conflictivo vecindario de jaffa . estupendo elenco de actores no profesionales .",
        "gripping modern-day drama about crime and tensions among the israeli jews and israeli arabs .",
        "... acutely insightful about the social divisions within israel , but it examines them without scolding or sentimentality .",
        "a confident contemporary crime thriller that , yes , may rely on perhaps a few too many plot coincidences to hang together , but otherwise offers a bracing insight into a troubled situation without hectoring us with insipid platitudes .",
        "stories of violence , revenge and corruption smartly told by next-gen foreign filmmakers",
        "the actors , every one of them new to their craft , make the everydayness of the picture indelible and real .",
        "the pattern of connections and coincidences is a little overschematic , but the movie has energy , especially in the grippingly real shooting scene at the beginning ."],
    "summary": "this multi-character drama balances intimate portrayals and broad political implications to paint a bracing and moving portrait of the middle east conflict .",
    "id": "770811529"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1196221-quarantine",
    "reviews":
     [
        "` MOV ' is a solid horror movie and one of the better to be released this year . the last 15 minutes is hardcore suspense that redeem any cheap movie making flaws .",
        "develops into a legitimately unnerving experience .",
        "... one could surely do far worse as far as horror remakes go .",
        "a respectable , if uninspired , adaptation of ... -lsb- rec -rsb- , a blair witch-style variation on zombie movie cliches that might seem fresher had it not opened after veteran george romero 's grimly pared-down diary of the dead .",
        "i do n't care how dedicated a tv journalist you are : when a rabid , shrieking hellion lunges for your neck , teeth a-gnashin ' , it 's time to hit the standby button and defend yourself .",
        "MOV is symptomatic of a broken industry ; one that would rather remake a perfectly good foreign language film with nice , safe , recognisable american faces rather than plough any money into original concepts .",
        "the best thing about this cheesy rip-off mockumentary-styled horror pic is that i did n't catch its virus or vomit after following its shaky developments .",
        "works as every bit the disposable jolt dispenser it 's assembled to be .",
        "good news for those who missed the spanish zombie horror -lsb- rec -rsb- when it opened here a few months back . here comes the inevitable fast-tracked hollywood remake , which covers the same ground without the burden of all those subtitled hysterics .",
        "real no frills filmmaking . anything that gets in the way of the main idea is stripped to the bone . this includes certain niceties like character , humor , and even story .",
        "not as frightening as it should be , but still better than the average hollywood scare-a-thon .",
        "delivers a pleasingly high quota of decent jolts as the body count mounts and the tv airhead becomes increasingly hysterical .",
        "the spanish film worked better than john erick dowdle 's remake , which is , if possible , even more chaotically filmed to the point that you often have n't got the slightest idea what 's happening -- you just know that it 's nasty .",
        "the premise is n't bad ; i like the fact this hysteria happens in and around people 's homes , because it 's an excuse for the filmmakers to uncover secrets normally kept behind closed doors . a pity there are no great revelations here .",
        "it 's one of those rare movies where you ca n't quite ascertain as to whether the filmmakers are trying to create scares or laughs .",
        "an affair that aims low and succeeds well in such .",
        "the camera bounces along , its path blocked frequently by the back of some fleeing figure , so that you 're never quite sure where you are , where you 're going or what you 're looking at ...",
        "we are saddled with the limitations of the ` found ' film premise - seemingly endless screaming and scrabbling around in the dark , filmed from just a single angle .",
        "an eye-popping both metaphorical and literal genocidal rat race scare scenario made especially haunting when it kicks in , with its post-9 / 11 domestic terror lurking around every corner , hyper-paranoid sensibility .",
        "jennifer carpenter is terrific as the news reporter who gets swallowed up in her own story , and leads an excellent cast , all of whom bring a veracity to this remake in the hands of the talented dowdle brothers",
        "unlike so many other jerky camera horrors , and even zombie film shockers , MOV escalates the tension with a perfect sense of fearful exploitation . one of the best chillers of 08 .",
        "what 's a smart , well-crafted horror movie like MOV doing in today 's marketplace ?",
        "MOV is worth seeing for its solid first two acts , some terrific acting by some favorite character actors , and a several solid spook-show scares .",
        "despite the cronenbergian themes , the film is relentless and singleminded : it just wants to scare you , and it succeeds .",
        "good halloween-type fun for the fans of adult thrillers , ` MOV ' is a cleverly done scare flickt aht will keep you wondering who 's going to get it next .",
        "as a visceral , camera-shuddery ride into foamy-mouthed zombie hell , it 's efficient enough - but if you 've already seen -lsb- rec -rsb- , steer clear ...",
        "an american remake of the spanish horror movie ' -lsb- rec -rsb- ' that adopts the same basic recipe , but removes any hint of flavour or texture , reducing cutting-edge catalan cuisine to bland , bite-sized mcnuggets .",
        "MOV , yet another pseudo-documentary horror movie , delivers the heebie-jeebies with solid acting and perfectly calibrated shocks .",
        "i have seen many execrable films -- plan 9 from outer space , disaster movie , batman & robin -- but never has a movie made me so physically ill .",
        "MOV is based on the 2007 spanish thriller -lsb- rec -rsb- . like any imitation , the quality 's not as good , but this is about cheap thrills , of which there are not enough .",
        "give MOV credit : without resorting to computer-generated monsters or supernatural explanations , it uses consistent logic and confinement to find new ways of being scary .",
        "this is n't as good as cloverfield , but it does a pretty decent job at generating some thrills . unfortunately , the movie is ruined by carpenter 's distractingly awful performance .",
        "MOV is a hugely satisfying film , if you 're the sort of person who likes hanging around on the edge of your seat .",
        "MOV is the type of movie that is made to see in a theatre . the film is brutally realistic and shot in such a way that you feel like you are watching real footage .",
        "a vertiginous , nauseating , unscary mess of a film .",
        "as the first-person pov conceit goes , it 's not the nocturnal nightmare of `` cloverfield , '' but it 's more compelling than the dog-eared `` diary of the dead . '' it 's stylish , and the sound design is superb , but it eventually gets too dumb to be very scary .",
        "in some ways ` MOV ' is better than ` rec , ' not only xeroxing all its shocks but managing to add more .",
        "grows increasingly repetitious and tedious as the same cinematic tricks are played over and over ... the effect is suffocating rather than enjoyably spooky .",
        "actress jennifer carpenter of exorcism of emily rose fame surely deserves some kind of award for giving the most hysterical over-the-top performance in a horror movie since marilyn burns in the original 1974 texas chain saw massacre .",
        "... a movie that did n't need to be made and which no one needs to see .",
        "my suggestion is to see the original first and then skip this one altogether ...",
        "a rote reproduction of a more effective film .",
        "rarely more than competent and never inspired . but it more or less passes for a few cheap thrills if you 're not too demanding .",
        "despite tweaking the format , MOV successfully replicates the claustrophobic tension of -lsb- rec -rsb- and cranks up the sudden eruptions of frenzied violence , making it as much of a white-knuckle terror ride as it was the first time around .",
        "horror movie fans can enjoy the visceral experience . the core purpose % u2013 to make people jump out of their seats % u2013 is executed with intense precision .",
        "too much information in the trailer spoiled some of the suspense of the film",
        "carpenter and harris are able to pull off the whole charade with impressive energy and convincing bursts of sheer terror during some very long , uncut takes .",
        "... this is what the resident evil sequels should have been .",
        "if a remake must be made in lieu of original thoughts and ideas , one could do far , far worse . MOV is the real deal -- a primal , uncompromising vision of insanity run amok .",
        "MOV is a well-acted , competent remake that does n't betray the original , though it 's somehow less scary and slightly longer than it needs to be .",
        "the spanish did it all a little better but carpenter rivals her european counterpart in hollering blue murder .",
        "MOV feels awfully familiar , and it grows less convincing with each passing moment . at its worst , it abandons realism entirely and flirts with gory kitsch .",
        "when the month 's horror options boil down to a modestly clever exercise like this or yet another saw sequel , you know you could do worse .",
        "despite MOV 's theft from nearly every film in the subgenre , there are parts of the film that just plain work , no matter how much it does n't seem like they should .",
        "rather too hysterical to be coherent , but it 's still jittery and thoroughly unnerving",
        "MOV is a lucrative steal by dowdle . the spanish original is arguably the best v\u00e9rit\u00e9 fright movie since the blair witch project . the american version is not quite in the same league .",
        "just like its forebear , this is bluntly effective exercise in first-person horror .",
        "if you did n't catch rec fever first time round , let yourself get bitten by MOV . such brilliance is an isolated incident in modern scary movies .",
        "i raved about the oddly-titled spanish horror -lsb- rec -rsb- , saying it turned the terror up to 10 . now , as night follows day , it 's time for a hollywood remake - and the result is n't half bad .",
        "the downside is that for the final half-hour the camera shakes so badly i started suffering from motion sickness .",
        "underdeveloped and predictable , there is little compelling about the film other than the premise and a few of the kills .",
        "this derivative horror flick can be confined along with its numerous inspirations .",
        "MOV is a modestly inventive , sporadically exciting thriller that nonetheless proves too faithful to its central conceit for its own good .",
        "claustrophobic , jittery at times , and electric in pace , MOV is a stripped-down bloody thrill ride that -- while certainly not catering to everyone 's tastes -- should satisfy gore-hounds looking to step up their theatrical horror cuisine .",
        "no , the script is n't anything special and the novelty long ago wore off in this style of movie making . but the execution in this film from john erick dowdle is amazing , the camera work and cutting perfect .",
        "MOV fails to correct some of the problems evident in its predecessor while also incorporating a few defects of its own .",
        "if you are looking for a film that will scare the wits out of you , even briefly , you ca n't wrong from seeing this one .",
        "disregarding its xeroxed pedigree , it 's easily one of the best american horror films of the year .",
        "even those who despise remakes will have to admit that director john erick dowdle 's furious retread is scary as hell .",
        "there 's never a dull moment in ` MOV . '",
        "visually , this one mirrors cloverfield right down to the dropped camera left to record what happens when the humans in the vicinity have been , uh , quarantined .",
        "... feels as if someone had videotaped their trip through a haunted house run by the local jaycees .",
        "what director john erick dowdie has done is veer away from the supernatural atmosphere of the spanish version and ramped up the bloodletting - it 's more gory than ghostly .",
        "effective scares make up for some dodgy storytelling in this horror v\u00e9rit\u00e9 about a tv crew trapped in an apartment building teeming with plague victims .",
        "MOV director john erick dowdle and co-writing brother drew wisely stick close to the told-from-the-cameraman 's point-of-view template of the terrific original .",
        "MOV is the unavoidable american replica , only this version has ingested a bottle of idiot pills and washed it all down with a full glass of directorial incompetence .",
        "the original spanish thriller -lrb- rec -rrb- is no doubt better acted and executed , but considering the bad `` prestige '' movies recently it 's hard to understand why screen gems decided not to press screen the cheap , quicky horror flick that delivers the basic goods",
        "a solid , suspense-filled 90 minutes",
        "considering how worthless most horror remakes are , the fact that this `` carbon copy quickie '' actually works is fairly impressive ."],
    "summary": "MOV uses effective atmosphere and consistent scares to stand above the crop of recent horror films .",
    "id": "770684110"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10012136-winters_bone",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a tough tale of survival in a harsh environment , this adaptation echoes through the emotional chill and connects with us",
        "the tone and the mood are consistent , the wintry setting forbidding , the characters silhouettes in a world of lean survival . it 's the kind of filmmaking that shows off the talents of all concerned",
        "... a deeply naturalistic brand of high lonesome noir .",
        "a rewarding , richly detailed exploration of the strength of character required when confronted by ugly truths .",
        "it 's the kind of movie that pulls you into its setting and does n't let go .",
        "a masterpiece , and a gem worthy of oscar gold ...",
        "as ree , 20-year-old lawrence is an absolute revelation ; her performance easily ranks amongst this year 's best .",
        "winter 's bone is indeed harrowing , but it is also fun . it 's fun , because it 's excellent , and after enduring the mostly-disappointing hollywood blockbuster season , simply seeing an exquisite piece of work such as this brings a smile to my face .",
        "a southern teen navigates dangerous blood ties , and a new star emerges in the revelatory thriller winter 's bone .",
        "from the moment you meet ree dolly -lrb- jennifer lawrence -rrb- in winter 's bone , you know what she 's capable of .",
        "strikingly unsentimental . winter 's bone has no time for backstory , moral lessons , or other cute stuff .",
        "serious , sensitive and stirring , it reveals a gritty , cruelly uncompromising world within the confines of our own country .",
        "the way lawrence captures a young woman 's fear and resolve , often non-verbally , well ... this is a considerable talent well on her way to a great career .",
        "there is a hazard of caricature here . granik avoids it . her film does n't live above these people , but among them .",
        "chilling as the woods in the dark , this quiet mystery has kindness and humanity sprinkled across hopelessness so constant you forget to breathe .",
        "a riveting exploration of old-society notions of responsibility and obligation , loyalty and betrayal",
        "... slow but fascinating ...",
        "a good deal of the credit goes to actress jennifer lawrence , playing the kind of character you start out quietly rooting for , then end up backing , like some world cup soccer hooligan .",
        "winter 's bone is the best film of the year .",
        "the social detail of a 21st-century mountain community is completely persuasive , heightening the drama immeasurably .",
        "... consciously attempting to avoid clich\u00e9s can erode authenticity . to director debra granik 's credit , realism permeates every frame of digital imagery",
        "a gripping movie that graphically portrays poverty as the worst form of violence in the life of a 17-year-old heroine struggling to save her family .",
        "there is a profound sense of neorealism percolating beneath winter 's bone 's noirish mystery plot .",
        "debra granik 's bleak little film is as tough , unflinching and fascinating as the characters who eke out a life amid its cold , gray hills .",
        "un retrato realista , crudo y duro de ambientes y personajes que viven al margen de la sociedad , de la ley y la moral , y que crece en intensidad como un thriller de suspenso . estupendas actuaciones de jennifer lawrence y john hawkes .",
        "uma narrativa densa e multifacetada que permite que aquelas pessoas desafiem nossos preconceitos e se apresentem como indiv\u00edduos imperfeitos , sim , mas jamais unidimensionais .",
        "an acutely gripping , grimly authentic thriller .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "winter 's bone is boosted by a stellar cast of characters who engender both scares and occasional sympathy .",
        "winter 's bone is as quiet as a snake . it 's a chilling and challenging visit into a remote -- perhaps alien -- world . but while winter 's bone has anguish and fear , the film is ultimately life-affirming and real .",
        "while winter 's bone hardly exploits the poor in its depiction of them , its decision to focus on bree while showing audiences their world seems like an artistic compromise .",
        "take it from a genuine hillbilly that this is a true and powerful statement on the tragedy of ozark life .",
        "it 's a tough , no-nonsense film , with a tough , no-nonsense protagonist , and the kind of slow-burning , ominous atmosphere that gets under your skin and lingers for days .",
        "granik also manages to make viewers care about characters who would n't think twice about betraying their own families for a few bucks or maybe another hit .",
        "kudos to debra granik for making a film that packs as many surprising punches as this one , and doing it in a refreshingly cinematic idiom .",
        "this emotionally scarring , pain-wracked character study/missing person mystery plays in a parallel brick-like environment with its own language and code of conduct .",
        "in an impeccable act of sympathetic imagination , director debra granik has entered into the soul of debt-ridden appalachia .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a scorching drama of grim traditions , meth-cooked justice and a teen 's desire to survive",
        "winter 's bone boasts one of the strongest , most authentic , most fully realized heroines i 've ever encountered . jennifer lawrence is revelatory .",
        "with a level-gazed approach to its milieu , empathetic but clear-eyed , winter 's bone practically makes up for 40 years of deliverance-style hillbilly cartoons .",
        "lawrence is outstanding as the young girl stepping up to do whatever 's necessary to save her family , not allowing herself the luxury of even the smallest smile to deter her from the job at hand",
        "both a whodunit and a coming-of-age tale , dominated by jennifer lawrence 's luminous performance as the resourceful , much-tested ree .",
        "highlighted by a knockout performance by jennifer lawrence , granik 's direction and mcdonough 's cinematography make this tense thriller as compelling as a documentary .",
        "what we 've been waiting for : a work of art that grabs hold and wo n't let go .",
        "the result is a film and a character of unusual strength . pity ree , question her decisions , wonder about her future . but the girl does not quit .",
        "with winter 's bone , granik has morphed from a director worth watching to one who demands our undivided attention . she 's got mine .",
        "a masterpiece of sparseness .",
        "jennifer lawrence gives a stirring turn in a gift-of-a-lifetime role .",
        "the setting , which i do n't recall ever seeing on film , is menacing , unsettling and so foreign-seeming i kept forgetting winter 's bone is set in present-day missouri .",
        "winter 's bone is the kind of film that should be offered to us more often .",
        "deserves to be the major commercial breakthrough for both director debra granik and jennifer lawrence , its luminous , moon-faced star .",
        "the picture offers a rare look at a region that will seem as foreign to most moviegoers as the forest moon of endor .",
        "by its towering ending , the movie feels like a feminist reworking of a classical heroic myth .",
        "winter 's bone sometimes feels like a haunted house , where only extreme deference to scary people will save you .",
        "winter 's bone perfectly captures a hardscrabble setting some of us drive past on two-lane roads , wondering how people live that way .",
        "leavens its worst moments with a sense of compassion and tenderness that reminds us to understand and empathize with , rather than judge , the characters",
        "jennifer lawrence is superb in debra granik 's graceful film about gritty people .",
        "an altogether astonishing film , not in the least because winter 's bone lives up to the hype -- or so nearly that it makes no difference .",
        "` winter 's bone ' is a movie to be experienced , not merely watched . but be forewarned . it 's powerful stuff .",
        "it won both the grand jury prize in the u.s. dramatic category and the waldo salt screenwriting award , and is well-deserving of both .",
        "brilliantly rendered story of a girl falling into a dante-esque descent in search of her prodigal father .",
        "for all the horror , it 's the drive toward life , not the decay , that lingers in the mind . as a modern heroine , ree dolly has no peer , and winter 's bone is the year 's most stirring film .",
        "the film 's succinct , well-paced plot avoids narrative convention and cheap sentimentality . it 's the anti-frozen river .",
        "a coming-of-age story that is not entirely about breaking free .",
        "director debra granik has the grace to approach the film 's grim material and run-down , depressing setting with genuine humanity and curiosity , and the movie offers gripping suspense and uniformly excellent performances .",
        "the main reason for winter 's bone to exist is that it delivers a little voyeuristic thrill -- a bit of poverty porno -- for the critics who awarded it their highest honors at this year 's sundance film festival .",
        "employs a conventional amerindie template ... without ever feeling stale , forced or phony .",
        "if you enjoy good movie-making , excellent characters and a tightly wrought story then winter 's bone is the film for you .",
        "this lead performance -lsb- from jennifer lawrence -rsb- is excellent .",
        "together , lawrence and granik have created a heroine as tough as she is pretty , with a smart mouth and brazen attitude that give way to glimpses of scary vulnerability .",
        "lacks adequate suspense and intrigue , occasionally drags , and leaves you feeling underwhelmed despite strong , well-nuanced performances and a richly atmospheric setting .",
        "winter 's bone is a welcome reminder that thrillers do n't have to be loud and boisterous to grab the attention and keep it captive .",
        "granik makes something real out of all of it . and even , against all odds , hopeful . because , yes , this is a hard and stony land . but the life that manages to take root there tends to survive .",
        "gothic in tone , and unapologetically downbeat , `` winter 's bone '' is a film that turns over a rock of backwoods american reality and studies the beautiful and ugly things that crawl there with equal interest . it 's the strongest drama of the year , so far .",
        "america at its bleakest is on display in this hard-hitting look at hill people that does little to counter the stereotypes .",
        "winter 's bone is a genuine triumph , a great movie with astounding performances so natural , so genuine , that you forget it 's a movie .",
        "i think every teen who 's ever watched `` the hills '' should get to know ree , just as a reminder that being a girl is about more than mumbling and accessorizing .",
        "a spare but riveting drama built around a raw , revelatory performance from jennifer lewis , it is one of the best movies to land in theaters to this point this year . by far .",
        "this unblinking look at america 's red state crystal meth belt is an instant southern gothic classic .",
        "every once in a rare while a movie gets inside your head and heart , rubbing your emotions raw . the remarkable winter 's bone is just such a movie .",
        "the sound of rarely heard voices and a portrait of a world all but forgotten except by the people who live there .",
        "the film explores the crushing poverty of america 's rural regions , a grapes of wrath-style story with a country noir twist -lsb- that -rsb- feels authentic and original immediately .",
        "there are so many unforgettable scenes , in which i found my heart racing at not knowing what was about to happen , that i found myself forgetting to breathe .",
        "the temptation to call debra granik 's latest film , frozen river jr. , will be great . but the longer the buzz builds for it and for jennifer lawrence 's star-making performance , it will become abundantly clear that this is the senior of the two films .",
        "vivid , punishing , craggy-faced",
        "an absolute knockout .",
        "noir may be the msg of genres -- a little pinch makes almost any film tastier -- but does it work for ozark gothic drama ? yes .",
        "might have been more gripping if it had embraced its status as an utterly distinctive detective-genre effort instead of presenting itself with such determination as an ` art film ' ...",
        "a character study , not only of ree , but of a place and way of life , which shows that there is a lot more to what most people think of as ` hillbilly culture ' than the stereotype .",
        "intense , immersive and in control , winter 's bone has an art house soul inside a b picture body , and that proves to be a potent combination indeed .",
        "grim backwoods tale takes its time building momentum .",
        "spectacular for its humanity , austere beauty and heart-stopping urgency .",
        "following its brave heroine -lrb- an outstanding jennifer lawrence -rrb- as she seeks to uncover the truth behind her father 's disappearance , the film employs the structure of a whodunit to take a tough , unflinching look at an impoverished ozarks community .",
        "an extraordinary picture ... a chilling portrait , but one with human warmth pulsating beneath the surface .",
        "with its rugged performances and bleak sense of place , granik 's midwestern gothic is definitely going somewhere , and will take viewers with it all the way .",
        "impressively directed , superbly written and featuring an oscar-worthy performance from jennifer lawrence , this is a thoroughly riveting , naturalistic thriller that exerts a fierce emotional grip .",
        "sobering but unfailingly engrossing , uncompromising yet not without a certain hope by the end , winter 's bone is the kind of original , blessedly independent work that major studios simply refuse to make .",
        "sadness radiates authentically from every scene , with the narrative 's slow advance mirroring the glum conditions of ozark life .",
        "winter 's bone is one of those movies that ca n't quite make a distinction between profundity and plain old bleakness .",
        "something of a minor miracle",
        "austere and grimly realistic .",
        "make no bones about it , this is first-rate stuff .",
        "it 's a film full of mounting tensions and an atmosphere of dread and incipient terror that will make you uncomfortably familiar with the edge of your seat , which is where you 'll mostly watch it from .",
        "like a botoxed face , the movie never shows an interesting wrinkle or passion-attesting lifeline .",
        "it 's a tight , gripping mystery with a well-chosen supporting cast and countless great little moments , such as a supremely spooky sing-song at a birthday party .",
        "easily one of the best films of the year thus far .",
        "this movie is a real tour de force for writer-director debra granik . this is the best movie i 've seen this year and it will make my top 10 list for this year .",
        "as bleak as it sounds , winter 's bone has a special quality that makes it an unmissable film , and deserving of the grand jury prize that it received at this year 's sundance film festival .",
        "it 's bleak , slow moving ... but in its gradual , aimless way it ratchets up the tension to terrific heights , and its climactic twists come home with the force of a shotgun blast .",
        "keeps things authentic and chilling .",
        "granik deftly creates a film that 's both a suspenseful crime drama and a pitiless portrait of a part of america that 's usually ignored .",
        "winter 's bone ... constantly surprises you , not only with unexpected twists in the story , but also with the complexity of the moral and ethical decisions made by the characters . .",
        "for jennifer lawrence , she 's probably the most gifted actress of her generation . how wonderful that , so young , she has already found a role worthy of her talent .",
        "this is a world out of time and , despite the trappings of flinty realism , the film too unfolds like an elemental myth from the stormy past -- a greek tragedy driven by dark fates and struggling toward a catharsis .",
        "it 's visually arresting . from scenes of ree frying potatoes in bacon fat to discussions of deer stew and squirrel meat , the combination of poverty and insularity that defines this particular socio-economic group is quietly and carefully established .",
        "the gritty , desperate ozarks milieu of winter 's bone feels so real , so right , that you only slowly realize you 're watching a detective movie .",
        "the dialogue is so sparse and the plot is so lean in winter 's bone , it requires acting of exemplary strength , and the movie delivers in spades , chiefly in the performances by lawrence and hawkes .",
        "has genuine urgency in the conflict between the younger ree 's old-fashioned ideas of family and the older generation 's newfound awareness of the need to abandon such ideals .",
        "watching `` winter 's bone , '' one is not as impressed by the turns and twists of the plot as by lawrence 's willingness and ability to carry the film , and by the way in which her face , a work of biological art , holds the camera 's attention .",
        "no movie is perfect , but this sundance winner comes close .",
        "it 's been a long time since a film has conveyed a culture , and a sense of place , with such telling precision . at the same time , winter 's bone thrums with suspense .",
        "gritty and real ...",
        "granik ... proves a dab hand with the camera , capturing the starkness of the ozarks and ree 's situation in a free-flowing and pensive way that transfers the chill of it all on to the screen .",
        "not having been to this part of the country , i ca n't say for sure whether granik has captured it accurately . the point is that it feels genuine .",
        "granik pays deference to the curious ways of the mountain folk , rejecting the prevailing hillbilly clich\u00e9s to depict people with hardy survival instincts in the grip of financial hardship and addiction .",
        "peyton place meets deliverance in a meth lab .",
        "in moments of confrontation -lsb- jennifer lawrence 's ree -rsb- is as fearsome as sigourney weaver in aliens , taking on monsters to protect the small and the vulnerable .",
        "jennifer lawrence is dazzling as the film 's protagonist as she struggles to uncover the truth between her addict father 's disappearance .",
        "winter 's bone is an absorbing and socially conscious piece of work , underwritten by the constant threat of violence .",
        "the darkness that surrounds winter 's bone almost overwhelms the entire movie . fortunately , the thriller ends on a somewhat optimistic , even positive note .",
        "an unflinching portrait of shabby life in the ozarks , this powerful indie drama features an oscar-caliber turn from jennifer lewis , a real discovery who 's only 20 , in the lead .",
        "winter 's bone certainly has its redeeming qualities , particularly its cinematography and a superb lead performance by jennifer lawrence , but man , does it feel empty until a gripping sequence near the end .",
        "even when winter 's bone feels like two different movies playing at once , they 're both engrossing .",
        "it will be a crime if jennifer lawrence is n't on every best-actress list at the end of this year .",
        "winter 's bone is a rewarding watch that does repay a fairly slow-moving narrative with heightened tension and twists at the end .",
        "director debra granik has captured a female performance of such rare , career-defining intensity that the film actually has a life-affirming effect .",
        "lawrence gives a guarded and watchful performance .",
        "with a face as impassively beautiful as the landscape she trudges through , ree dolly is a heroine you wo n't forget . tenacious and stoic , she holds her own in a vernacular that 's equal parts hillbilly and hard-boiled .",
        "lawrence 's mature and inspiring determination makes this much , much more than a grim skid-row whodunnit .",
        "granik balances the pace and intrigue of a mystery thriller with total compassion for ree , played with much skill by lawrence .",
        "a vivid reworking of daniel woodrell 's novel that brings the book 's conflicted heroine to searing life in a piece of unhurried filmmaking too rarely seen these days .",
        "it is all given unironic dignity and power due to the outstanding lead performance from 20-year-old jennifer lawrence as ree , a young woman who must take on some scary neighbourhood types to protect her family .",
        "a sparse , engaging film perhaps easier to respect than love , but by any measure hugely compelling .",
        "think a film like trash humpers offers insight into a crappy life in the poor south ? winter 's bone will make you see the light .",
        "it will wow anyone who thinks grimness equals profundity .",
        "winter 's bone is raw , real , understated , fiercely intense and surprisingly gentle and decent amid bursts of ferocity in the rural crime culture where the story 's set .",
        "lawrence is the movie 's blooming discovery , a mesmerizing actor with a gaze that 's the opposite of actress-coy and a voice modulated in the low , almost monotone cadences of local ways .",
        "bleak as hell yet stubbornly optimistic , this low budget knockout is the best picture of the year so far .",
        "granik has no taste for noir archness , opting for a chilly , shot-on-decaying-locations naturalism that feels as lived-in as lawrence 's performance .",
        "every so often a film gets under our skin with its haunting authenticity , reinforcing our faith in the wonderfully transporting power of cinematic storytelling . winter 's bone is unquestionably that film .",
        "the film , adapted by director debra granik and anne rosellini from the novel by daniel woodrell , establishes a formidable tension between mystery and matter-of-factness .",
        "there is poetry here -- as artists as diverse as walker evans , james agee and harry smith have found -- of the rawest , most desperate kind .",
        "-lsb- debra -rsb- granik 's rich sense of place and culture has the convincing detail of authenticity , and it avoids any sentimentality of southern rural poverty or kin loyalty .",
        "these spooky woods are a dangerous setting - here we find desperate , brain-dead trailer-trash , with moral centres as hollow as the burnt out shacks of their meth misadventures .",
        "if the film lacks a certain pinch of mesmerizing drama , it makes up the difference with an exquisite lived-in quality . a frightening , yet crookedly poetic realism .",
        "a chilling reflection of nature 's darker side .",
        "a chilling look at american poverty .",
        "the coen brothers ' o brother where art thou ? was the last film to make such delirious use of mountain music . the rest of the world can start drooling over lawrence . i 'm gon na git me a copy of that soundtrack .",
        "the film continues to grow in the memory months after it was first seen which is always a sign of something great .",
        "movies do n't come much duller than this .",
        "... a relentlessly bleak tale that in some ways echoes charles portis ' classic true grit , another story about a young girl who takes on adult challenges ."],
    "summary": "bleak , haunting , and yet still somehow hopeful , winter 's bone is writer-director debra granik 's best work yet -- and it boasts an incredible , starmaking performance from jennifer lawrence .",
    "id": "770856649"
  },
  {
    "movie": "flammen_and_citronen",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a polished , dazzlingly photographed tale of resistance heroes that is curiously devoid of tension .",
        "a captivating , engrossing and character-driven thriller filled with solid performances along with palpable suspense , intensity and intrigue .",
        "-lsb- amidst -rsb- corruption and complicity ... a no-frills male friendship to fight against impossible odds -lsb- where -rsb- life during wartime is seen as the precursor to postwar noir -lsb- yet -rsb- stirringly vivid .",
        "a deeply involving look at people living permanently on the knife-edge of danger .",
        "a very well-made and engrossing ... cinematic tribute to two danish freedom fighters",
        "a satisfying thriller interestingly complicated by its study of character and compromise .",
        "... shocking ... constant tension ... great performances by mikkelsen , lindhardt , and stengade . this captures what it really must have been like in the resistance .",
        "throughout this compelling film , the assassins want to believe they 're doing righteous work : they 're fighting nazi occupation forces , after all .",
        "the action scenes are well-staged and the performances are aces .",
        ". the persuasive force of the film falls squarely on lindhardt 's and mikkelsen 's shoulders as experienced actors whose gifts for sustaining layers of motivational subtext is utterly satisfying .",
        "a classic piece of historical action narrative told in a lean no-nonsense manner with riveting action sequences . a great war story .",
        "the twists and turns of the plot keep you on tenterhooks throughout , even if this competently made film sometimes looks as if it were shot in a denmark depleted of ordinary citizens .",
        "in its depiction of the crucial tests of nerve , and of their rooting-out of traitors , the film recalls l'arm\u00e9e des ombres , which similarly examines the psychological conflict between killing and the gravitational pull of one 's humanity .",
        "some effectively staged action and decent turns ensure this is a solid addition to the growing canon of european-made second world war films .",
        "as you 'd imagine this is not exactly a laugh a minute , but whilst a little shapeless in places , it manages to engage and inform on many levels .",
        "the film 's so stodgy that you quickly lose any interest in the national socialist-baiting pair , making a long film seem much , much longer .",
        "a heady take on the wartime resistance tale that drags you right into the dismay felt by its heroes .",
        "a bold , riveting tale of wartime resistance borrowing the form of a noir thriller .",
        "a tension-filled , yet intellectual nail-biter focusing on activities of the danish resistance during world war ii .",
        "a bold , riveting tale of wartime resistance borrowing the form of a noir thriller .",
        "mads mikkelsen is one of the most charismatic actors working on the international scene today . just indulge yourself in the pusher trilogy and after the wedding and you 'll rejoice . you might also recall him as a bond villain in casino royale .",
        "a luscious , evocative period piece .",
        "this noir in underlit blacks and blues grows too complex for its own good .",
        "you can feel the shadow of steven spielberg 's munich hovering over flame & citron , a danish drama of resistance fighters in copenhagen during wwii .",
        "as a film about the underground resistance movement in denmark during the nazi occupation , flame & citron 's spies are the historical equivalent of superheroes .",
        "of all european nations , denmark enjoys the nearest thing to a heroic record of resisting the nazi occupiers -- which adds both poignancy and punch to ole christian madsen 's fact-based drama about two posthumously honored danes .",
        "as you 'd imagine this is not exactly a laugh a minute , but whilst a little shapeless in places , it manages to engage and inform on many levels .",
        "ole christian madsen directs with crisp conviction , however , and strong crescendi . and a truth-based story always helps .",
        "a well-made , satisfying film .",
        "even with all the script 's moralizing about the killing of innocents , madsen still loads up his climax with truckloads of nazi soldiers and a hail of bullets and grenades",
        "it 's hard to argue with such primal filmgoing pleasures , especially once the film introduces notions of how good people lose their morality during wartime .",
        "despite the panache , flame & citron maintains a generally dour sensibility .",
        "madsen 's action sequences are beautifully choreographed and shot , and the movie is packed with slick shootouts and narrow escapes , but it all lacks a certain oomph .",
        "straightforward , brutal and exciting , a gripping tale of men ready for death in the face of unknowable treachery and a vicious enemy .",
        "a consistently serious , well-acted effort . it 's also , at 130 minutes , a bit of a slog at points .",
        "the director ole christian madsen 's flame & citron is a fictionalized film , based on fact , about two danish resistance fighters .",
        "the film is based on true events : flame and citron -lrb- both noms de guerre -rrb- became national heroes . but it 's really a meditation on the nature of heroism , and the quest for purity of purpose .",
        "as directed by ole christian madsen , the thriller features well-choreographed shootouts and assassinations . but the script is too melodramatic and complicated for its own good .",
        "rich with espionage intrigue , period perfect world war ii details and fascinatingly complex lead characters .",
        "a suspenseful , often riverting drama of world war ii resistance that combines old-fashioned virtues of craft and style with a more modern sense of nuance and complexity .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- atypical and moody noir war film .",
        "this film is based on a true story that director ole christian madsen feels must be told with earnest noir and war-movie clich\u00e9s .",
        "... a fascinating dual character study lodged within a somewhat stodgy film .",
        "the filmmakers do a terrific job in placing us in 1944 copenhagen under nazi rule .",
        "`` flame and citron '' is a spine-tingling war drama with superb acting .",
        "the film evolves into a mystery about who the two men can trust , besides each other , and the results are often nail-biting .",
        "flame & citron examines the moral shadings of the danish resistance during world war ii without turning into a revisionist bore .",
        "maintains a high level of suspense for more than two hours .",
        "flame & citron , based on the lives of two actual resistance heroes , is a taut , handsome production -- the most expensive danish film to date -- and it looks like a film noir , as indeed the costumes , cars , guns and fugitives force it to .",
        "it 's episodic and lengthy , but on the whole this is a well-sustained and surprisingly understated drama .",
        "impressively directed , sharply written wartime thriller with strong performances from its two leads , though it drags considerably in the middle section and is at least 30 minutes too long .",
        "director ole christian madsen has opted rather to make a kind of action thriller-meets-film noir hybrid , and yet visually , at least , it works .",
        "viewers expecting the heroics of black book or female agents may be surprised at the subdued , procedural pace madsen opts for .",
        "this is a sprawling but thoroughly absorbing saga that reminds you of the classic french resistance drama army in the shadows .",
        "the moral horror and charismatic performances leave a deep impression .",
        "writer-director ole christian madsen delivers plenty of excitement , but misses the tragic resonance of jean-pierre melville 's recently re-discovered resistance masterpiece army in the shadows .",
        "noirer-than-thou wartime drama , which wants terribly to show the movement in a murky light , perhaps explaining the murky lighting .",
        "unfortunately , although it was supposedly inspired by the morally conflicted french resistance masterpiece army of shadows , flame fizzles more than it flames .",
        "to its credit , the film gives full weight to the confusion and ambivalence of war ; the struggle for liberation from tyranny rarely looks so dubious .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "madsen makes the most of his budget , and he keeps pulling his camera back for long , visually sumptuous overhead shots .",
        "a drop-dead gorgeous period noir , rife with paranoia , femmes fatales , and good men inexorably sinking into the bloody mire and opaque texture of life -lrb- and death -rrb- during wartime .",
        "it winds its way through a tricky , fact-based plot that 's sometimes reminiscent of film noir . at the center is a bewitching femme fatale whose allegiances and motives are less than clear .",
        "while it may not be a smorgasbord of red herrings and red meat , flame and citron is often chilling .",
        "... a film noir set in wartime where there 's moral ambiguity almost everywhere you look as well as large measures of heroism , treachery and ordinary human failings .",
        "it 's fast-paced , stylish and thrilling . but it also raises one tough question .",
        "a hard jewel of righteous political fury .",
        "madsen has acknowledged a strong debt to pierre melville 's 1969 classic army of shadows . this one deserves a seat at the same table ."],
    "summary": "the true story of the danish resistance in ww2 , though lengthy and sprawling , is gripping and competently made .",
    "id": "770728092"
  },
  {
    "movie": "devils_rejects",
    "reviews":
     [
        "if one is hip to the references -lrb- and , proudly or not , i am -rrb- , it 's amazing to see how precisely the metal-punk - turned-moviemaker zombie channels the gleefully nihilistic tone and even the low-budget bleached-out quality of his disreputable inspirations .",
        "despite some giddy humor and a soundtrack of '70s top-40 hits , this is ` entertainment ' for sociopaths , occasionally effective but impossible to recommend with a clear conscience .",
        "the first 15 minutes and last half hour are terrific , and the stunningly violent middle part is only a partial waste .",
        "a reject indeed . zombie horror film unwatchable .",
        "in a league of classic films that are legendary for how disconcerting they are .",
        "thirty years ago this would have been dismissed as drive-in fare and , frankly , it 's not much more than that today .",
        "the movie turns quickly into a somewhat clumsily handled chase structure , with no clear point or end .",
        "one of a handful of sequels that both improve on their sources and play perfectly as stand-alones .",
        "the devil 's rejects does n't just deserve to be rejected , but to be buried in a hole so dank that no one will discover it .",
        "zombie ... should n't be allowed to make any more horror movies until he learns the difference between what is horrifying and what is merely disgusting .",
        "zombie looks beyond the horror genre for influence and creates a film that does n't exactly shatter expectations but at least sidesteps them with some degree of verve .",
        "hear this futile plea : look in the mirror , zombie . show some class . making people sick is no way to make a name for yourself . even a fake name .",
        "... belongs to that perversely misogynistic subgenre of horror films that believes the only thing better than a nude woman is a dead nude woman .",
        "despite its nearly nonstop torrent of gore , the devil 's rejects is not really a horror film . it 's a compendium of tributes and references to horror films of the past .",
        "the movie features some of the ugliest people and most disgusting behavior this side of i spit on your grave .",
        "this is a perfect b-movie , full of wicked dread .",
        "rob zombie is improving as a filmmaker . maybe someday he 'll outgrow his extended adolescence , too .",
        "zombie does n't appear to have any other goals besides assaulting the viewer with gore and callousness .",
        "if the sun allowed me to give a star rating of less than zero , this one would earn a minus-infinity . it is that stupid , that vile , that violent , that hateful , that disgusting , that dangerous .",
        "the longer the devil 's rejects drags on , the more obvious it becomes that zombie has no ideas of his own and is simply riffing on what other people have done .",
        "while , to be fair , there 's no sense that zombie finds creating carnage to be zippy fun , it 's also true that he 's made his victims more vapid than their antihero executioners .",
        "robert cummings -lrb- ok , trick or treaters , sorry ; it 's rob zombie -rrb- has officially become the jerry springer of the horror movie set .",
        "... for those who can stomach the violence , it is destined to become a classic .",
        "replete with sordid visuals and bereft of redemptive values , the devil 's rejects is a rebuke to what 's become of genre filmmaking .",
        "certainly different from much of its modern cinematic brethren , if not necessarily a tasteful match for most audiences .",
        "revives the gangrenous spectacle of its grindhouse models but lacks the moral compass and originality that can transmute even representations of sadistic cruelty into art .",
        "that wydell 's efforts to get even are so hypocritical raises questions about vengeance as a pop-cultural theme , in that the pay-off is so meaningless .",
        "rob zombie proves he 's a filmmaker to be taken seriously -- or at least not to be considered a total joke -- but he still has n't figured out how to fashion something more than the sum of his enthusiasms .",
        "much better than the cinematic cesspool of substandard 70s horror remakes we 've been seeing lately .",
        "if we 're supposed to hang out with these creeps in order , eventually , to like them , well , we do n't .",
        "`` the devil 's rejects '' will repel many but will thrill the fans and the daring . i think rob zombie has an instant horror classic on his hands .",
        "this is a violent , body-strewn road movie . and unless you 're a fan of this kind of camp viciousness , it 's pretty unbearable .",
        "captures the visual texture , spontaneity , and mania of 1970s shock cinema classics like last house on the left and the texas chainsaw massacre .",
        "the kaleidoscopic fun-house atmosphere of corpses is gone , replaced by a more gritty , less inventive approach .",
        "the devil 's rejects plays out like the kind of film everyone thought house was gon na be - a retrofied , nasty horror homage .",
        "a wild , grittily authentic , nihilistic jaw-dropper of a film !",
        "gets the cult midnight movie vibe down cold .",
        "`` a bad film , but its badness has little to do with adjectives like sickening , repulsive , disgusting , etc. . ''",
        "it 's the framework of an exploitation tribute tarantino could love ... with a little polishing and a lot more backbone .",
        "better than the first one , and twice as nasty , the rejects should get the approval of horror fans -- or else !",
        "there 's nothing worthwhile about a single moment of it , not even in a prurient , i-love-to-wallow-in-debauchery sort of way . it is simply rancid , unbathed , country-fried filth .",
        "crass , vacuous exercise in grind-house stylistics .",
        "one of the most unpleasant movies i 've ever seen . i respect it for that ... makes natural born killers look like harry potter .",
        "an exhilaratingly sick joke",
        "a reprehensible and loathsome journey of excess ... any redeeming value is well hidden .",
        "for the right audience , this movie is the butt-kicking , dirt-talking , blood-spurting equivalent of beautiful music .",
        "a little of this will go a long way , and besides , who wants to see someone torturing three 's company 's priscilla barnes in a roach motel ?",
        "by rubbing your nose in this hillbilly mayhem , zombie all but dares you to acknowledge your liberal elitism .",
        "ca n't be classified as a good movie , but if you have a taste for this sort of thing and a strong stomach to go along with it , this could be the dish for you .",
        "zombie 's characters are , to put it mildly , undeveloped .",
        "every theater showing this film should be contractually obligated to smell bad . it 's a toxic little picture -- and also something of a masterpiece . see you in hell .",
        "zombie has made a film not so much out of reverence for the images that shaped his youth but out of fear that he may never get to make another one ever again .",
        "fans of 70 's exploitation horror get ready to get jazzed - `` the devil 's rejects '' is the real deal - a gritty , nasty , stylish piece of work",
        "a gloriously wicked psychobilly thriller that unfolds like a crystal meth soaked drive-in movie nightmare .",
        "in the genre of low-budget hillbilly slasher movies , it 's a masterpiece .",
        "appeals to our blood-lust but slapdash .",
        "pic is a brutal , punishing yet mordantly amusing work that far outpaces its predecessor in its grisly single-mindedness of vision .",
        "irredeemable trash , plain and simple , gratuitously violent and sadistic and aimed at people who derive entertainment from watching other human beings suffer .",
        "all told , it 's fair to say the devil 's rejects is one of the most disappointing films of the year thus far .",
        "horror-punk , outlaw entertainment , an exploitation pic with a '70s aesthetic and endless scenarios of white-trash unpleasantness ... -lsb- not for -rsb- merchant-ivory fans .",
        "beyond the sheer creativity of zombie 's sick imagination , there 's little pleasure to be found in a movie of this nature .",
        "it is possible to be repulsed by the devil 's rejects while acknowledging it as an effective , high-quality piece of work .",
        "a kind of heedless zeal transforms its horrors . the movie is not merely disgusting , but has an attitude and a subversive sense of humor .",
        "horror fans will find what they 're looking for .",
        "one nasty , brilliantly constructed scene after another .",
        "there is no anchor to this madness . the authorities are just as psychotic and sadistic as the villains . everyone on tv is a polyester buffoon .",
        "this follow-up unwisely pretends to seriousness .",
        "has its articulate moments but for the most part rob zombie 's grisly , nasty '' ` MOV '' is mostly just grisly -lrb- and nasty -rrb- .",
        "the family that slays together ... stays together . if you like movies about redneck psycho serial killer families and do n't mind a lot of profanity , this is for you .",
        "as the body count rises , the devil 's rejects tries hard to stay funny and nasty , but the effort shows ...",
        "a damn fine '70s homage flick with a western-horror touch that you wo n't find in many movies nowadays .",
        "disgustingly gruesome tale that people have been clambering for since the original `` texas chainsaw massacre ''",
        "a sickening , socially-irresponsible glorification of depraved and sadistic behavior ... the worst film of 2005 .",
        "if you dig this sort of gross-out throwback to the horror movies of the '70s , by all means , accept `` the devil 's rejects . ''",
        "in a disconcerting shift from campy horror to ultra-naturalistic violence , cinematic conventions gives way to depravity and cruelty of such intensity as to be beyond genre .",
        "it 's an audacious piece of filmmaking , but after a while it grows exhausting to watch , particularly when it becomes clear that violence is going to lead to more violence without much story or conscience surfacing .",
        "one of the best , most chilling slasher films ever !",
        "it makes for one sicko spectacle .",
        "a labor of love sheathed in the shabby clothes of hate .",
        "i f ****** loved this .",
        "the devil 's mercy : housing crisis horror with typical clueless ones who never think to dial the cops , cancel their lease , or even summon a doctor for the weirdly ailing hubby , but with enough shockers to make you not think about moving any time soon .",
        "interessante ao propor uma invers\u0103o de pap\u00e9is entre algozes e v\u00edtimas , exibe uma seguran\u00e7a tal em sua narrativa que chega a surpreender que tenha sido dirigido pelo mesmo zombie do p\u00e9ssimo filme original .",
        "... it 's best to quote captain spaulding himself . `` you like blood ? violence ? freaks of nature ? '' then you 're going to be satisfied by rejects .",
        "rob zombie semble d\u00e9sormais poss\u00e9der tous les attributs n\u00e9cessaires pour en devenir l'un des artisans les plus importants de sa g\u00e9n\u00e9ration",
        "gut-bucket filmmaking at its most lurid-and most fascinating .",
        "it 's an exceptionally well-done sophomore effort from a man who made one of the worst movies i 've ever seen . that 's a pretty decent accomplishment .",
        "the look and feel of this film is a total nightmare , and some of the most effective american mood-making in years .",
        "i have a soft spot for movies that are this sick and twisted , and rejects is the real thing",
        "lots of people are going to find it utterly abhorrent . crazy drunken rednecks , however , will wear out their dvd copies .",
        "it 's like having excrement thrown in your face at a gg allin concert .",
        "much of its aesthetic is recycled , but zombie uses such grabby devices as slow motion , freeze frames , and burned-out grainy film stock with such flair and intensity that it rachets the whole endeavor up an extra notch .",
        "while nailing the style and look , zombie proves that the substance of the devil 's rejects belongs in a film school course on 70 's horror .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- catalogue of loving references to lowlife gore films of the past ... all-encompassing sarcasm and general screw-you attitude lift -lrb- or sink -rrb- the movie to another level .",
        "the film ups the stakes on armchair support of underdogs vs. the system , asking , `` now how much do you like them ? ''",
        "one disorientingly demented trip through the terrain of 1970s outlaw grindhouse .",
        "lynyrd skynyrds ` freebird ' will never be the same again .",
        "not for the faint of stomach and definitely wo n't appeal to everyone but it 's worth seeing if you like this sort of thing .",
        ".",
        "having had the misfortune of sitting through -lsb- house of 1000 corpses -rsb- , i can say that the second film is quite an improvement , though no kind of masterpiece .",
        "the devil 's rejects is meanspirited , graphic , and bubbling over in ultra-realistic viscera , but it is n't without sociological merit .",
        "offensively inhuman , uninspired and cruelly unoriginal .",
        "like some gritty 70s cinema artifact that fell through a timewarp , -lsb- it -rsb- rings with the unholy dread of early tobe hooper ...",
        "i 'm all for horror fans having their go at the genre and paying respect to the classics - but affection does n't equal execution .",
        "it is grim , unrelenting and savage , and it is destined to become a genre classic . after seeing this one , you wo n't just lock your doors , you 'll nail planks over your windows .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the salt-baked , smoke-cured dialogue makes up for a lot , especially as it 's delivered by such canny veterans as lewis , haig and forsythe , who 's savoring his meaty caricature of a bent lawman .",
        "it 's not a perfect picture , but the overall effect is incredibly satisfying .",
        "indefensible on a moral level , rob zombie 's perversely watchable follow-up to his much-reviled cult hit house of 1000 corpses is loaded with filmmaking energy .",
        "if there 's one consistent thematic lesson to be culled from `` the devil 's rejects '' it 's that we should embrace abhorrent and ruthless murderers as outlaw saints.lers .",
        "we 're supposed to feel bad for these people , as they did n't do anything so horrible , just tortured , killed and dismembered a few dozen innocent people. , right ?",
        "casts light on what it is about the way we are that make wickedness so damnably attractive .",
        "while -lsb- the film -rsb- does contain a number of genuinely creepy moments ... zombie bogs things down with a plethora of broadly-played , overly wacky supporting characters .",
        "the movie 's violence is used to explore the ties of family , both by blood and by bonds of personal history .",
        "the results are for seasoned -- even hardened -- horror-movie fans only ; anyone else need not apply .",
        "a hardcore horror film that will appall as much as entertain , the devil 's rejects is both impressive and repugnant .",
        "it has to be the sickest , the most twisted , the most deranged movie so far this year . and i 'm giving it thumbs up because it 's very good at what it wants to be .",
        "i have come close to walking out on four movies in my 18 years of reviewing . `` the devil 's rejects '' is one of them .",
        "despite the clich\u00e9s and the profanity , there are some hilariously wicked moments .",
        "yes , the devil 's rejects had me squirming in my seat and looking to darkened corners of the theater for respite from the on-screen violence , but so what ?",
        "gore hounds will love it , this is the genre at the top of its game , but there 's not much here for the rest of us .",
        "the only conceivable way this toxic heap could benefit mankind is if every print were melted down and had its celluloid content rendered into guitar picks .",
        "if tarantino 's first film was an homage to '70s grindhouse horror films instead of reservoir dogs , he probably would have made this picture .",
        "a twisted cross between the texas chainsaw massacre and natural born killers , with some pseudo bonnie and clyde sentiments thrown in .",
        "the year 's most viciously entertaining psycho-road - movie-revenge - 'n' - wreckage - romance .",
        "rob zombie has taken a form of filmmaking that was of questionable repute and elevated it by putting the pieces together better than most of the form 's original practitioners .",
        "free from studio baggage and delays , zombie has created the semi-sequel , the devil 's rejects , and he 's found a crackerjack vehicle for his particular brand of madness .",
        "smells of expired milk , impacts like a deer hitting your car , and tastes of moldy pizza . i do n't think rob zombie would have it any other way ."],
    "summary": "zombie has improved as a filmmaker since `` house of 1000 corpses '' and will please fans of the genre , but beware -- the horror is nasty , relentless , and sadistic .",
    "id": "2133"
  },
  {
    "movie": "donnie_brasco",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- pacino 's -rsb- turn as a low-level mobster is his most relaxed and charming work in years .",
        "tarnishes the shiny veneer of the mob we 've seen in earlier movies , holding up its players not as criminal heroes but as cogs in a criminal machine , more worthy of compassion than cheers .",
        "in the tired figure of lefty , manifest in the craggy icon of pacino , our sympathies are definitely enlisted , and the theme rings a poignant note .",
        "the humor and tragedy that pacino and depp put on the screen will stay with you .",
        "it 's a good story and an interesting take on trust and friendship , but MOV only works for the first hour .",
        "for all its treacheries , twists and turns , nothing really comes as a surprise .",
        "remains a bore for much of its running time .",
        "pacino 's performance is great and the story seems to have an interesting take on human nature , but the bland , mechanical direction make it not quite worthy of a full recommendation .",
        "MOV is 120 minutes of riveting filmmaking .",
        "in almost every respect , MOV is an original , the unexpected rebirth of an old and oft-told tale .",
        "MOV manages to sidestep the obvious and dwell on the intriguing .",
        "shows that solid acting and writing can salvage even material that has been covered by much better filmmakers .",
        "it 's hard to develop any sympathy for the film 's nasty manipulative humans , despite the best efforts of all involved in this newest slant on the mean-streets crowd .",
        "a first-class mafia thriller that is also , in its way , a love story .",
        "it 's gritty , real and totally engrossing .",
        "unfortunately , the story is n't inventive and newell 's methodical approach to it verges on monotony .",
        "the movie has many human qualities and contains what will be remembered as one of pacino 's finest scenes .",
        "an affirmation that the director , mike newell , has a gift for talkative , intelligent films that make his actors shine .",
        "depp is as good as i 've seen him , and pacino is simply astonishing .",
        "you get something far richer , if more unsettling , here than conventional crime drama 's romanticism and easy analogies .",
        "takes us into a world that the movies frequently open to us , but somehow this trip seems more real and less glamorized than most .",
        "a consistently absorbing and intelligent adult entertainment .",
        "pacino cans the showboating bluster and gives a gently nuanced portrait of a simple man in decline .",
        "the performances are terrific , especially pacino . but when has he not been ? but here he 's even better than usual , even showing a vulnerable side that is almost heartbreaking .",
        "pacino 's performance is sweet , crude , funny and haunted , and gives MOV an unexpected emotional pull .",
        "it is pacino who holds our attention .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- powerful mafia genre film with impressive star leads and emotional punch .",
        "a standard-issue mobster movie that rises above the mire of its shopworn genre by showing the cracks in its characters ' armor .",
        "may be the best mob movie in years that was made by somebody whose name is not scorsese or coppola .",
        "a pleasant surprise .",
        "a tight , character-driven drama -- a rarity in today 's hollywood , it 's not to be missed .",
        "two powerful performances and a glimpse at the inner workings of the lower levels of the mob make this a must see .",
        "though the outline of what the film has tried to do is visible , so little feels at stake emotionally that anyone intending to care about these characters would be well advised , for want of a better phrase , to simply fhuggedaboudit .",
        "i do n't know if i can emphasize enough how much i enjoyed the fine performances of depp and pacino .",
        "at 34 , depp has finally scored a film that does n't ask him to play down his intelligence .",
        "powerful , driving , incisive and fascinating , MOV paints a convincing portrait of a man 's life undercover .",
        "one of the most moving and insightful gangster films ever made .",
        "depp is convincing as the role-playing agent who loses track of his real identity .",
        "a classy piece of work that may disappoint those looking for something more conventional .",
        "a tense , sharp and compelling character study , newell 's film is a worthy addition to the mob-movie canon .",
        "just misses ranking in the upper echelon of mob movies .",
        "-lsb- newell and attanasio -rsb- pay as much attention to emotional details as to the clockwork details of mob life .",
        "although perhaps familiar in its outer trappings , pacino 's fine work is the key to the film succeeding to the extent that it does .",
        "it 's tempting to think pacino stopped trying sometime in the mid-1980s . but watch lefty 's elegiac final scene and you might conclude that it 's not al 's ability that 's dimmed , rather it 's the imagination of casting directors that 's grown stale .",
        "depp 's tight , guarded performance is almost painful to watch , and newell seems to have reined in the flamboyant pacino , whose portrait of the mobster as a grumpy old man may be his best work in years .",
        "a gritty and humorous crime drama about an undercover cop infiltrating the mafia .",
        "MOV is a fine movie but it might just be best remembered as johnny depp 's coming-out party . a star -- check that , an actor -- is born .",
        "a blue collar gangster movie that succeeds on all attempted levels , particularly acting .",
        "this underrated mafia film ranks at the top when it comes to emotional intensity , character development , and revealing the inside nature of the mob .",
        "pacino 's outstanding work elevates this to the crime movie pantheon .",
        "one fine little character study about crime , friendship and loyalty in gangland new york city .",
        "together pacino and depp turn in two fascinating performances with believable macho chemistry between the two of them .",
        "pacino and depp are a match made in acting heaven , riffing off each other with astonishing subtlety and wit ."],
    "summary": "a stark , nuanced portrait of life in organized crime , bolstered by strong performances from al pacino and johnny depp .",
    "id": "16820"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1007141-fatal_attraction",
    "reviews":
     [
        "two absolutely riveting performances and a smart reversal of the usual male-female stalker scenario leave behind a nasty taste and an unforgettable cinema experience .",
        "because the good things in the movie -- including the performances -- are so very good , it 's a shame that the film 's potential for greatness was so blatantly compromised .",
        "irony like this does n't make its way into many movies these days",
        "overpraised : yes , but still worthy of a decent amount of it .",
        "MOV has an inescapable pull to it ; it 's suffocatingly exciting .",
        "very intense .",
        "close should take pride in her performance . she should also expect a depressing avalanche of scripts requiring a she-wacko .",
        "while billed as a romance and a thriller , the film strictly qualifies as neither , appealing to our prurience , guilt , hatred , and dread .",
        "an extremely well-directed and acted -lrb- particularly by glenn close as the career woman -rrb- thriller that also functions as cautionary tale about sex in the swinging 1970s and parable of aids in the 1980s .",
        "a predictable dog 's dinner of pavlovian thriller clich\u00e9s , this will appeal strongly to those who think women should be kept on a short lead .",
        "the movie 's sexual politics are a little acrid , but its construction is so persuasive and the lead performances so inspired that the film is hard to resist .",
        "close attention reveals plenty of flaws but for sheer heart-in-the-mouth excitement it remains a triumph .",
        "-lsb- the film brings -rsb- horror home to a place where the grownup moviegoer actually lives .",
        "this story of an extramarital fling that turns into a nightmare begins as a well-crafted psychological thriller but degenerates into a misogynistic thrill-fest in its closing moments .",
        "the screws are tightened expertly in this suspenseful meller about a flipped-out femme who makes life hell for the married man who scorns her .",
        "this movie is pretty stupid , really . i only felt for the rabbit .",
        "relentless thriller that quickens one 's pulse as it startles the mind .",
        "a crowd-pleasing sensationalist jejune romantic thriller .",
        "adultery-obsession thriller is n't for kids -lrb- or bunnies -rrb- .",
        "under the direction of adrian lyne , most of the picture 's situations seem like randomly chosen place holders , flat events that just fill time until the final bizarre confrontation .",
        "solid direction , , thrilling set pieces , and an iconic performance from glenn close . it 's a sleazy movie , but an extremely watchable one . the entertainment value for this one is very high .",
        "an exceptionally well-written , well-acted and well-directed thriller that extends beyond the boundaries mainstream films typically set .",
        "... remains a reasonably efficient thriller , building tension slowly and releasing it , if too melodramatically , at least excitingly .",
        "a pure film for adults , and it manages to walk a tightrope between reprehensible behavior and business as usual",
        "has the makings of a serious examination of adult relationships and interactions under duress , only to end as a seriocomic slasher film dictated by popular taste .",
        "see website for more details .",
        "big , fat , juicy suspense .",
        "sure , alex may be little more than a bunny-boiling stalker but MOV is still notable for close 's resilient , complex performance .",
        "overflowing with artistic flair and piercing sexuality , director adrian lyne 's MOV is a psychological horror film that dwells on reality instead of fantasy .",
        "suspense at its finest . this is the granddaddy of erotic thrillers !",
        "tense and terrifying .",
        "one of those rare films that became a true cultural phenomenon",
        "crackling and intense ... even with the cop-out ending .",
        "no love for you dr. jones -- rabbit stew anyone ?",
        "years hence , it will be possible to pinpoint the exact moment that produced MOV , adrian lyne 's new romantic thriller , and the precise circumstances that made it a hit .",
        "unforgettable , chilling , thrilling and damn sexy !",
        "it 's nothing but a friday the 13th flick for people who would n't be caught dead at one .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a potboiler in the finest sense , MOV is a sultry , juicy thriller that 's hard to look away from once it gets going .",
    "id": "13251"
  },
  {
    "movie": "i_still_know_what_you_did_last_summer",
    "reviews":
     [
        "director danny cannon knows how to give a hitchcockian air to an island-style bates motel .",
        "this is a really stupid movie and that 's really disappointing since i really did enjoy the first one .",
        "it 's not a bad film for what it is .",
        "i was more afraid of what was in my popcorn 's butter-flavoring than i was of what was up on the screen .",
        "some thrills and chills are provided , but as audiences realize they 've lived this summer before , early , strong b.o. returns are also likely to die .",
        "the only thing terrifying about this clunker is the thought of having to sit through it .",
        "there are many things wrong with this film , starting with title .",
        "when i heard the sequel 's title , i strongly considered resigning this post .",
        "a better-than-average slasher movie is that it understands exactly the sorts of cheap thrills its audience is looking for and delivers them with a minimum of distraction and a maximum of energy .",
        "it 's frustrating , not to mention insulting .",
        "irredeemably dire .",
        "a more appropriate title would be who cares what you did last summer .",
        "neither trey callaway , who wrote the script , nor danny cannon , who directed the sequel , bring any new ideas to the genre . cut 'em some slack : that surely was their marching orders .",
        "this one 's for die-hard genre fans only . and even then , it 's only good to snicker at the obvious cliches and overall predictablity .",
        "there are enough jolts to unsettle , and a chilling music score , but too many bloodied bodies and screaming , and the filmmaker is constantly telling us how to feel .",
        "the completely formulaic script by trey callaway is directed by the numbers by danny cannon .",
        "the prospect of a third installment of this derivative series is much scarier than anything that happens in the movie .",
        "throws all logic out the window , raises the gore quotient and offers more offensive racial stereotypes than any wb or upn sitcom .",
        "it 's just another formulaic fright flick .",
        "the ending of the film inevitably leaves the door wide open for a third part , but judging from this amazingly lackluster first sequel , everyone involved should have quit while they were still ahead .",
        "the movie 's r rating mentions ` intense terror violence and gore , ' but only its publicity team could consider it intense or terrifying . gore it has .",
        "thanks , kevin williamson . thank you a whole lot .",
        "a 100-minute festival of stupidity .",
        "the movie soon abandons its nascent psychological explorations for formulaic body pile-up .",
        "we know what sequel should n't have been made .",
        "completely wraps itself around the film 's utter moronic plot elements and red herrings at every turn ...",
        "i have seen many stupid movies in my life . but -lsb- this -rsb- would still count among the stupidest , had i seen twice a many movies in half again as many genres .",
        "needless to say , logic takes a holiday , just not in the bahamas . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "as mindlessly engaging as its predecessor ...",
        "like a rotten vaudeville act , this one deserves the hook .",
        "heartfelt thanks must go out ... to actor jeffrey combs , whose brief , amusing appearance is the only reason this loser does n't get a zero-star rating .",
        "this followup to last year 's successful teens-in-jeopardy opus piles on the chills , thrills and body count .",
        "our enjoyment is supposed to lie in making fun of the obvious red herrings , contrived opportunities to show cleavage , melodramatic dialogue , gullible characters , and inevitable to-be-continued ending .",
        "the attractive youngsters run , scream , declare that this ca n't be happening and repeat as necessary .",
        "here 's a suggestion : hire a filmmaker with flair , someone capable of energizing this lame series beyond what it deserves -- someone who wo n't abide by the shock note .",
        "when bad things happen to stupid people might have been a better title .",
        ". the door is left open for another sequel . i have an idea for it : a movie studio is about to greenlight yet another subpar teen slasher pic , but the fisherman comes in and hooks everyone before production can start . sound good ?",
        "you want real terror ? if this second outing proves profitable , we 'll be looking at yet again i recall the summer before the summer before last . now that 's scary .",
        "not that watching jennifer love hewitt and brandy flounce around in skimpy shirts is a bad thing -- it 's just not enough to carry the film .",
        "a lazy , hasty effort that offers little beyond a few jack-in-the-box startles and a high body count , including hewitt 's bouncing about in a shirt half-unbuttoned over a bikini top .",
        "the original film , itself no masterpiece , at least had a strong premise , from lois duncan 's novel , and complicated its characterisations by an unusual class awareness .",
        "about as dull and unoriginal as the title suggests .",
        "i still do n't care .",
        "the movie shoots itself in the foot with a gimmicky ending .",
        "how are we to be frightened or afraid of these things when they have repeated themselves over and over again for the past two decades ?",
        "the film does effectively pump the audience to the point of being ravenous for the hook-handed villain to start his spree .",
        "only five movies into the latest recurrence of the slasher flick fad , and already it 's run out of ideas .",
        "the dialogue was standard and dull , the acting was there but not fascinating , and the mystery of the killer was n't as cool as it could have been .",
        "this is the kind of film you go to for only one reason : you 're a teenager , you 're on a date , and you 're ready for an excuse to grip someone tightly .",
        "i did n't care if any of these characters lived or died .",
        "merely a fairly silly and ultra-gory schlocker/shocker .",
        "one could forgive the film 's shortcomings if it was at least scary , or achieved some kind of creepy atmosphere , but it fails that test as well .",
        "a box office-driven sequel that re-hashes the already-tired approach and storyline of its predecessor .",
        "MOV is n't the end of the line for the series -lrb- a third movie is already in the works -rrb- , but it deserves to be .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "boring , predictable , and bereft of thrills or chills , MOV is exactly the kind of rehash that gives horror sequels a bad name .",
    "id": "14749"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mission_impossible_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "m : i-2 ultimately delivers the goods and is certain to be a huge hit .",
        "john woo takes over the director 's reins this time , bringing his accomplished visual flair to the proceedings .",
        "an utter disappointment and a delusion of a film . stay away -- far away .",
        "we can finally put the aging james bond to rest . he 's been replaced as cinema 's best spy by ethan hunt of the mission : impossible films .",
        "trust me , this is the real thing .",
        "they blow up things real good and cruise can cruise into my garage any old day !",
        "breezy , breathless , brainless fun .",
        "a thoroughbred racehorse of a movie : sleek , fast , graceful and utterly devoid of intellectual content .",
        "just like with the first film , the action sequences are stronger than the actual story .",
        "defiantly brainless , but it 's still big-time eye candy .",
        "anyone who 's followed woo 's career knows he 's better than this material .",
        "a quantum improvement on mission : impossible 1 .",
        "if pyrotechnics and chases are all it takes to satisfy a summer movie audience , no one can accuse ' 2 ' of shortchanging its viewers .",
        "starts off with a bang , downshifts into some pretty long and surprisingly tedious exposition , but ultimately regroups and punches you in the face during its last 30 bone-crunching minutes .",
        "cruise se juega sus mejores cartas y sale victorioso gracias a su carisma y al talento y visi\u00f3n de john woo",
        "mission : impossible-2 is such a feast of outlandish pleasures it 'll send you home steam-cleaned and shrink-wrapped .",
        "an overload of non-stop , gravity-defying action sequences .",
        "m : i-2 more than meets the challenge of summer sequeldom .",
        "m : i2 is mighty sexy , especially in the first hour , when even the cars appear to be making love .",
        "a dizzyingly enjoyable retro rollercoaster .",
        "brains will be checked at the door ; a good time will be had by some .",
        "once woo unleashes his bad self and ignites the proceedings here , once the glass shatters , the flames erupt , the gunshots ricochet and the doves fly , all is well with m : i-2 .",
        "woo is a singularly graceful filmmaker , a true believer in the power of elegant stunt choreography and the infinite allure of the human face .",
        "the action sequences are truly breathtaking , and woo 's attention to detail pays off in a film where computer keystrokes are as vital as huge explosions .",
        "the bottom line is that it delivers all the excitement and adventure it promises .",
        "to his credit , woo milks every last ounce of poetry from this mission , filling out robert towne 's anemic script with his trademark doves , slo-mo acrobatics , and double-fisted gunplay .",
        "cruise has hit his stride as an action hero with such confidence that he can completely take over any scene the script requires him to .",
        "the script , by robert towne is n't just coherent , it 's also occasionally funny in self-referential ways .",
        "woo beats brian de palma 's direction of m : i all to heck .",
        "mission : impossible 2 lacks emotional punch and the center section sorely tried my patience , but the film remains a hell of a ride .",
        "the movie plays better than its predecessor to audiences that are not turned off by human emotions .",
        "mission : impossible looks poised to take over as the spy series moviegoers can get excited about .",
        "check your brains at the popcorn stand and hang on for a spectacular ride .",
        "if you 've ever wished that a really good action director -- john woo , say -- would make a james bond film , you can stop wishing .",
        "mission : impossible 2 is pure escapism and never pretends to be anything else .",
        "cruise makes a convincing hero .",
        "while there is n't anything in m : i-2 as memorable as the first film 's scene with cruise dangling over a computer terminal , it 's a more visceral experience overall .",
        "a very good summer movie .",
        "i generally do n't like my action movies so action-free .",
        "a sleek , stylistic adventure thriller , a fun-filled popcorn picture that will not self-destruct .",
        "an extremely entertaining vehicle , a testosterone-filled escape . it 's a slam-bang way to begin the summer .",
        "there are graceful woo touches even outside the action scenes , like the swaying of sheep as a helicopter buzzes their pen in the outback . but it 's not enough to get over the blandness .",
        "it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s hard to generate suspense when the audience has no reason to believe a character is ever in danger .",
        "if mr. cruise peeled off his face and turned out to have been chow yun fat all along , the picture might be saved .",
        "best of all about mission : impossible 2 is that its story is actually easy to follow , and therefore what happens means more to the viewer .",
        "the action and the intended-to-be-graceful moments are more silly than stunning , prompting more laughter than applause .",
        "where cruise 's deference helped elevate his previous two films to artistic heights , his egotism has deflated his latest .",
        "without any suspense the film just looks like it 's an extended commercial for dudes who think they look cool in throwaway sunglasses .",
        "at times he gets carried away , still true , woo is cool . this mission would have been next to impossible without him .",
        "woo is not able to make the action scenes believable or enjoyable .",
        "... yet another routine action thriller designed to showcase the star appeal of tom cruise .",
        "as a complete film , it 's not as great as one would hope and ca n't help but come off as not much more than a revved up , but nonetheless , mediocre bond wannabe .",
        "the problems here can be summed up thus : ` produced by tom cruise . '",
        "the silliest movie you 'll see this summer .",
        "god bless john woo .",
        "MOV offers a bit of escapism and a hefty shot of cinematic adrenalin .",
        "woo outwits , outgadgets , outstunts and outdirects the original with one hand tied behind his back .",
        "rather than a groundbreaking piece of new gadgetry , this thriller is like an old , well-oiled machine .",
        "a more coherent and romantic script .",
        "this sequel seems afraid of confusing people , so much so that it dumbs down the plot to an insulting level .",
        "tom cruise 's superspy outing is pure summertime satisfaction !",
        "by any reasonable measure mission : impossible ii is a successful action-adventure film .",
        "despite cruise 's attempts here to be byronic , there 's something strenuous about his soulfulness ; he turns everything , even repose , into calisthenics .",
        "fans of straight action/adventure may enjoy this film ; fans of tv 's mission : impossible may not recognize it .",
        "a disappointing foray , a generic piece of very expensive filmmaking that lacks the james bond wit and eclat while at the same time highlights a romance that is as sexless as it is inconceivable .",
        "a coy and hollow parody .",
        "even the most spectacular things woo unleashes here feel strangely impersonal .",
        "mi2 not only has minimal action , but minimal gadgets , which are essential to any spy film .",
        "kimball 's work is always appealing to the eye yet never too noticeable so as to draw attention away from the movie 's plot .",
        "a few nice moments does not a movie make .",
        "m : i-2 does have a more understandable story than its predecessor -- robert towne gets sole credit for it . but it is n't told well .",
        "ends up being just another schlock fest with high speed hi-jinx and more stunts than anybody should ever throw money at .",
        "-lsb- john woo -rsb- sacrifices logic and narrative coherence with less hesitation than one of his villains would display in shooting an accomplice to avoid apprehension .",
        "had there not been a battlefield earth i 'd say this was the biggest turkey of the summer .",
        "if not the worst movie of the year , the most insulting and infuriating .",
        "capraesque . hitchcockian . add wootastic to the lexicon .",
        "becomes disastrously bogged down in an interminable second act that is joyless and inert and from which it does n't begin to recover for over an hour .",
        "a strained sequel to a feature rip-off of an old television show with a stealable theme song . on screen and off , no one 's getting marks for originality here .",
        "tiene malas actuaciones y dilogos que pudieron ser extrados de cualquier comic , pero ... qu bien me la pas vindola !",
        "john woo utiliza a hist\u0443ria como uma mera desculpa para brindar o espectador com seq\u044c\u043ancias de a\u0437\u0433o absolutamente eletrizantes .",
        "it 's fun . it 's laughable . it has moments of excitement , moments of sheer idiocy and moments of sheer idiotic excitement .",
        "everything has fallen into place for an action megathriller that should please everyone except those still smarting over the jim phelps betrayal .",
        "if you 're into movies that constantly make you grin like an idiot and mutter `` oh yeah ! '' over and over , you 'll be satisfied .",
        "m : i-2 takes itself far too seriously .",
        "any minute now , it 'll stand up and pull off its mask and voice chip and be revealed for what it truly is : a rejected bond script .",
        "once again , so many talented , smart , wealthy people are selling the slam-bam of sadism and an idiotic plot that could be the senile fantasy of klaus barbie .",
        "the plot lacks the deftness of the first film .",
        "m : i-2 is just another summer stock item , like sunscreen and barbecue coals .",
        "in the end , mission : impossible 2 is really the tom cruise show , and it 's not an entirely successful endeavor .",
        "the sequel has exposition to spare , but it resembles someone talking to a person who does n't speak their language and thinks he can make them understand by talking louder and slower .",
        "kimball 's work is always appealing to the eye yet never too noticeable so as to draw attention away from the movie 's plot .",
        "dull , routine , and not much fun .",
        "this flick has little intrigue to tie it to its namesake and it comes off more like a very expensive john woo spoof .",
        "the movie as a whole is a leap backwards , assembled out of a story as thin as noodles , and stunts so overproduced and bloated that they leave us staring on in disbelief .",
        "those hoping for a solid flick using the full talents of people like woo , cruise , rhames , etc. will sadly be disappointed .",
        "the crashes , action sequences and effects are all accomplished pretty much seamlessly and professionally though one criticism of this movie is overabundance .",
        "how the mighty have fallen .",
        "m : i-2 's visual assets triumphantly lift its otherwise stock material to grade-a levels .",
        "woo is in fine form .",
        "this is the action movie of the year , maybe the best in several years . it is trying to be the next bond-type franchise series and if the next one is anywhere near this good , it may succeed .",
        "as popcorn thrillers go , mission : impossible 2 has set the bar high for the summer blockbusters .",
        "is n't bad as summer action fare goes .",
        "it 's eye candy that detonates .",
        "forget 1996 's often-confusing series kickoff . even without the lit match and fuse , this sequel is a distinct improvement .",
        "woo 's hysterically hyper visuals and boytoy gimmickry ca n't camouflage the emptiness of the enterprise .",
        "for all my profound reservations about the whole project , i wound up liking it more , or , at least disliking it less , than i had anticipated . thandie newton is the biggest reason .",
        "with all this having been done before , making mi2 interesting or suspenseful truly is an impossible mission .",
        "here , woo just seems to fall back on slow-mo whenever he gets bored , which apparently is often .",
        "woo lays on his own particular high-octane stylishness so thick the results edge perilously toward self-parody .",
        "this will go down on my list as the better sequels .",
        "good thrill ride of a movie for teens and older .",
        "still a fun movie even if it does n't match the high standards of the rest of the series thanks to woo bringing his trademark over the top action sequences .",
        "the makers do n't go out of their way to make this original in any way , but the quality comes through .",
        "it does n't matter how many extra months the director spends creating impressive action scenes . if the audience is not emotionally invested in the fate of the heroes , no amount of explosions will make them care .",
        "a vaguely absurd epidemiological thriller filled with elaborately superfluous setups and shamelessly stale james bond riffs .",
        "the movie is good for its minimal escapism , but little more .",
        "m : i-2 ai n't bad , but it sure is n't as great as it could have been .",
        "second-string woo .",
        "mission : impossible 2 suffers from the imbalance produced by excessive action and little drama .",
        "with every fiery explosion , m : i-2 moves further from its source inspiration and closer toward a preadolescent action orgy .",
        "loud , technically proficient , very expensive , and pretty much soulless .",
        "the film continually halts the action to repeat the plot to us , sometimes word for word .",
        "instead of being the next great john woo masterpiece , it is yet another in the growing roster of action flicks that merely seem to reek of his influence .",
        "m : i-2 is , at its best , more like two-hours of x-games highlights , with an extremely flaccid story and visual fun .",
        "quite simply , woo is to action what fred astaire was to dance and john wayne was to winning the west . nobody does it better .",
        "old-fashioned entertainment liberally coated with flair , style and an explosion of action .",
        "it 's still entertaining and fun , in a check-your-brain-at-the-box-office kind of way .",
        "if you 're the type of person who is drawn to action movies and james bond thrillers , then i hope you 're going mostly for the adrenaline , for the action , and for the fun of it . if so , i feel safe in recommending mi2 .",
        "a terrific thrill ride of a movie .",
        "dazzling spectacle in high-tech and hand-to-hand combat , compelling romance between gorgeous leads , and well-crafted story make mi2 a highly satisfying action film .",
        "m : i-2 is the ultimate summer blockbuster , a giant spectacle of shooting and smooching with action sequences so magnificently put together that they alone are worth the price of admission .",
        "action fans will get a kick out of it . mark this one as strictly for the testosterone set .",
        "bottom line , m : i-2 seems destined to create the kind of excitement and box-office punch that insiders have been predicting since the turn of the century .",
        "an effective spectacle of violence .",
        "entertaining in its own wacky way ."],
    "summary": "your cranium may crave more substance , but your eyes will feast on the amazing action sequences .",
    "id": "10840"
  },
  {
    "movie": "casino_jack_and_the_united_state_of_money",
    "reviews":
     [
        "abramoff and a few others landed in jail , but there 's little joy to be had from this saga , since a long list of other crooks from the bush-cheney glory years never served time for their crimes .",
        "disheartening though , at times , dizzyingly entertaining , . .",
        "alex gibney pulls the same feat he achieved with `` enron : the smartest guys in the room , '' making complicated financial chicanery first understandable , then entertaining , then completely maddening .",
        "picture a dry powerpoint presentation , divided into chapters with a fade-to-black screen scrawled with cutesy titles . are we short-changed with this doc ? you can bet on it .",
        "abramoff documentary is appalling , entertaining",
        "that the film is overlong ultimately testifies to its importance , though after a while , the outrageous details start to run together like surreal satire . except , of course , that it 's all true .",
        "a lot of the film is rambling . points are n't connected very well , and it feels needlessly convoluted . worse , the tone seems completely inappropriate . if gibney ca n't take the subject of human slavery -- in the marianas islands -- seriously , how can we ?",
        "gibney takes a labyrinthine , detail-laden story and crafts an attention-holding film , polemical without ranting .",
        "most of the anecdotes -lrb- and there are many -rrb- are as juicy and compelling as they are plain-old horrifying .",
        "gibney laudably launches a withering attack here on the pay-to-play relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers . but this viewer felt withered , too , by the end of his battering ram of a movie .",
        "you ca n't make this stuff up , folks . gibney does a fine job laying it out on the table for what it is .",
        "move over , tea party revelers . abramoff 's already been there , done that in this political porn in the raw . nearly casting himself as loathsome lobbyist in his own favor factory reality show , with a perpetual smirk and a blackberry in each hand .",
        "audiences already numb to the staggering amount of america 's ongoing governmental corruption will have a tough time digesting the cynical climate of greed that allows abramoff 's brand of manipulation of congressmen and senators to still go on under a radi",
        "it makes plain , from the outset , its position as an expos\u00e9-cum-condemnation of our political system as inherently flawed with regard to the relationship between lobbyists , politicians , and policy .",
        "if the inner workings of washington , d.c. interest you , especially in terms of how politicians and lobbyists work the system to make money , gibney 's latest can be accepted as a fine addition to his filmography .",
        "invokes as much mild outrage as a presentation of lobbying gone wild can . it 's not exactly an earth-shattering revelation .",
        "it 's a story well told , but abramoff 's voice is missing : gibney interviewed him in prison but could not film him . you wonder what this sweet-talker might say for himself , looking back over that long , ugly money trail .",
        "superlobbyist , republican wheeler-dealer , and convicted felon jack abramoff may seem like old news right now -- he 's been trumped by bernie madoff et al. -- but what he represents , alas , is all too evergreen .",
        "the snarky tone , use of musical puns and jokey graphics -lrb- was keith olbermann an executive producer ? -rrb- undermine the impact of the story .",
        "the picture is briskly edited , and the energy never lags . but the amount of information the viewer is asked to process is voluminous -- and never stops coming .",
        "it 's an informative , interesting documentary that just barely comes together enough and tells an important enough story to merit a look , but it 's not the film that it could have been .",
        "casino jack is designed as an indictment of a whole culture of influence peddling , a beltway way of life where a pat on the back often comes with a kickback .",
        "had someone fire-bombed an annual college-republicans ' meeting in the early 1980s , he would have spared this country a lot of pain and strife .",
        "almost two hours in length , academy award-winner gibney 's documentary - archival footage , re-enactments , talking-head interviews , new footage - is a devastating indictment of the greed and malfeasance perpetrated by convicted lobbyist jack abramoff , the c",
        "gibney is a busy boy , and he draws the lines between abramoff and his friends -- and his friends ' friends -- with the documentary equivalent of a highlighter .",
        "alex gibney 's new documentary on how jack abramoff sleazed his way to power is not just an incisive look at an insurgent branch of the conservative movement , but a strong return to form .",
        "if alex gibney 's documentary on the notorious lobbyist jack abramoff is a little dense , it 's with good reason . this now convicted felon mover and shaker played his power in a lot of arenas . and his story is not an easy one to tell .",
        "casino jack and the united states of money is indispensable viewing .",
        "gibney has enough material for a dozen movies here , but his attempt at an overview , however unwieldy , paints one hell of a nauseating picture .",
        "it should be required viewing for anyone who wants to vote in the 2010 election and has teabags stapled to their person .",
        "i do n't know about you , but the moment i hear the word lobbyist , my brain glazes over . casino jack and the united states of money woke my brain , and my outrage , right up .",
        "the big absence here is the man himself ; gibney could n't get the jailed abramoff on camera , either due to unwillingness or a justice department intervention . whatever the reason , it 's crippling .",
        "watching casino jack and the united states of money made me sick to my stomach .",
        "i do n't know which is worse , how much money was taken from the unsuspecting clients or how little it took to get crucial support from key members of congress .",
        "gibney is as good as it gets at making complicated political material come alive on screen .",
        "fascinating viewing as you start to root against the dastardly villains who had more ego than ethics .",
        "offers a wide-ranging look at abramoff 's antics , from promoting sweatshops in saipan to cheating indian tribes out of casino revenues .",
        "the subject matter is likely to enrage and for all the appropriate reasons .",
        "you need to see this movie . you need to see it not just from an historical perspective of hypocrisy laid bare , but as a cautionary tale .",
        "there 's not much new in casino jack and the united states of money , but it is a lucid , entertaining documentary .",
        "a morose but instructive story about the destructive influence of money -- and fanaticism -- on american government .",
        "the narrative trots all over the globe , including stops for labor exploitation in the marianas islands , dealings with russian mobsters , ripping off indian tribes in the desert southwest , and jetting to scotland to golf with impressionable politicians .",
        "auds will feel info-glut over the course of the two-hour-plus film , which is hardly the desirable response for a piece of reporting on the vital issue of the corrupting effect of money in american politics .",
        "a filthy toad of a human being whose every wart is revealed in this hard-hitting documentary .",
        "dully tells the blood-boiling story of the convicted disgraced conservative superlobbyist jack abramoff .",
        "buying votes in congress , illegal then , legal now .",
        "with considerable attention to detail , the doc takes the view that congress is influenced by cash . what a surprise !",
        "ultimately , it becomes a rorschach test of the viewer 's cynicism : does it shock you ? you must not live in washington , read the newspaper or follow politics . are you horrified ? congratulations , and now wise up .",
        "mr. abramoff may be in prison , but there are no signs that his kind of high-powered lobbying , which one talking head describes as `` legalized bribery , '' is a thing of the past .",
        "those compelled by secrecy in washington will find a devastating , disturbing examination of political back-scratching .",
        "the crimes of conservative superlobbyist jack abramoff are already receding into the hopeless murk of congressional history , so this epic documentary by alex gibney is even more welcome for its reach .",
        "it really is compelling .",
        "unable to film jack abramoff in prison , casino jack finds a series of ingenious solutions -- elegant , funny , and preposterous ways to sort out the man 's thinking and contexts .",
        "casino jack is audience-friendly without turning into a michael moore-ish clown show .",
        "it 's very entertaining as well as appalling .",
        "entertainingly and usefully ties all the far-flung pieces together to comprehensibly show his consistent pattern of corrupt operations that was n't the lone rotten apple .",
        "occasionally drags and offers nothing surprising or new , yet it remains intriguing and provocative thanks to gibney 's easy-to-follow and comprehensive assessment of abramoff 's rise and fall to power ."],
    "summary": "casino jack 's subject matter is enraging , but in the hands pf director alex gibney , it 's also well-presented and briskly entertaining .",
    "id": "770859269"
  },
  {
    "movie": "marine",
    "reviews":
     [
        "low-budget , logic-free action shlock...explosion-laced , fisticuff-heavy , utterly brainless stuff .",
        "a big , hilarious , stupid meathead of a movie , destined to be a huge hit on the violence channel .",
        "this is a supersize movie : supersize guns , supersize knives , supersize muscles , supersize boobs and supersize explosions !",
        "harmless , tongue-in-cheek , mayhem-filled fun .",
        "the MOV will trigger a strong sense of deja vu for anyone who recalls the slapdash , slam-bang action fare that was standard-issue drive-in fodder during the 1970s .",
        "kicks *** at being totally lousy",
        "the genius of the film is in its unapologetically obvious crowd-pleasing moments .",
        "such bizarre touches remind one of the appeal of wwe televised bouts .",
        "if there ever was a reason why studios do n't screen films , this is the rosetta stone .",
        "the MOV proves a poor showcase for the homeboy charisma cena shows week in and out with the wwe .",
        "there 's not much about the MOV that 's even slightly diverting . including , alas , john cena , the film 's villain-dispatching star .",
        "there are people who will see `` the MOV '' just because it features john cena , and those people will not be disappointed : the movie does , in fact , feature john cena .",
        "cena 's dialogue is held to a monosyllabic minimum ...",
        "the MOV often feels like an oddball black comedy about a dysfunctional band of sociopaths , just masquerading as an action movie about one tough ex-marine .",
        "it is not particularly a bad film . it is just nothing special .",
        "the MOV subscribes to the notion that there 's no such thing as a gratuitous explosion .",
        "it has the air of garbage , but is kind of cute , despite the awful dialogue .",
        "derivative in the extreme , but some good stunt work and humorous touches make it a lot more tolerable than it could have been .",
        "the story is minimal and the action is preposterous , but it does n't try to be much else .",
        "some crazed jewel thieves get trigger-happy in a gas station , and kidnap john cena 's wife . this is useful , as it adds the dangerous excitement of having an angry pro-wrestler chase them through south carolina forests .",
        "it 's a shame that the MOV did not receive a theatrical release in australia . not only was much of it shot here , but as an action popcorn adventure , it has reasonable merit .",
        "already used to bad acting , lame action , and unbelievably stupid stories cena 's fans will love it .",
        "absurdly over-muscled wwe star john ` the franchise ' cena makes his bid to be the next schwarzenegger in this lunkheaded but entertaining action flick .",
        "while the MOV 's real-world connections to the war in iraq are brief and incidental to its minimal plot , that fact does n't make its reductive attitudes any more pleasant to swallow .",
        "what 's a muscular guy like john cena doing in a flabby movie like this ?",
        "an unrepentant b-movie , the MOV features the sort of bare-bones plot that would in previous years have served as a vehicle for the likes of charles bronson .",
        "the MOV proudly admits that it 's junk . who am i to disagree ?",
        "if you 're the kind of fan who digs movies like road house and waxes nostalgic for the heyday of seagal and van damme , you owe it to yourselves to at least rent this one someday .",
        "it 's as fast and loud as you 'd expect , but where it catches you off-guard is in its breathtaking stupidity .",
        "these guys do n't much about making movies , but they know how to stage a smack down .",
        "apparently -lsb- cena 's -rsb- some wwe superstar ; for the uninitiated , he looks kinda like matt damon , if matt damon got freakishly buff .",
        "the MOV settles for action pieces performed by broad character types . in other words , it 's a lot like a night of wrestling .",
        "so bad that it 's very nearly sublime .",
        "a delectably bad '80s - style actioner .",
        "brimming with testosterone , `` the MOV '' explodes and punches its way onto the screen .",
        "a movie so dumb it may actually cause brain damage .",
        "a happy surprise .",
        "a movie so dumb it may actually cause brain damage .",
        "yes , virginia , there is a john rambo . but he lives now only in our memories .",
        "it 's not a good film by any practical standard , but the MOV is bad in just the right way , a mindless throwaway that 's at least smart enough not to take itself too seriously .",
        "this brain-damaged action mistake is about as understated as a mortar blast .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "overblown in every possible way , the MOV is either so bad it 's good or just really , really bad .",
    "id": "314387382"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_dreamlife_of_angels",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as raw and immediate as it is heartfelt .",
        "film portraiture of rare intelligence and subtlety",
        "while that 's not enough to make me go crazy over this one -lrb- like some people -rrb- , it is enough for me to genuflect quite a bit in awe of good characters and good details done .",
        "using decidedly unglamorous locales and stars , director erick zonca has given the story what amounts to an almost documentary feel ; isa and marie seem so true-to-life at times you might feel a bit voyeuristic .",
        "it mopes around most of the time with not much to say .",
        "just a bunch of uninteresting characters who spend their time co-existing in an uneasy friendship , smoking too much , and having sex with people who are even worse than them .",
        "it 's a compelling work about loneliness and two ways of dealing with it .",
        "we are n't just watching isa and marie endure the tiny triumphs and hardships of their lives ; we 're experiencing those ups and downs alongside them .",
        "completely absorbing , almost rudely poignant .",
        "heralds a humanist cinema that neither shortchanges our minds nor cheapens what 's in our hearts .",
        "zonca shows an extraordinary ability to get into the female psyche .",
        "bouchez and r\u00e9gnier manage to make every scene ... crackle with a static charge .",
        "there 's not a single encounter in MOV that is n't vivid and emotionally full .",
        "at once an intriguing mix of naivete and world-weariness , bouchez and regnier make us care about two young women .",
        "these days it 's so rare to find a movie that even works on anything more than a superficial level that it 's a real moviegoing pleasure to discover one that works on many levels .",
        "the two gifted young women -lsb- bouchez and regnier -rsb- are the best thing about this quirky drama of friendship and survival .",
        "frank , intimate , touching , with an emotional immediacy that is killing .",
        "an engrossing , occasionally revelatory experience .",
        "zonca 's lyrical cinema verite style magnifies the small tensions and flare-ups that can blow apart a friendship in the blink of an eye .",
        "MOV -lrb- la vie r\u0119v\u00e9e des anges -rrb- is a story of capitalistic and sexual exploitation , rage , rebellion , and the search for meaning in everyday things .",
        "two unforgettable characters are revealed , and the truth resonates powerfully through their stories .",
        "allows the viewer to not only see , but experience the pain of these characters .",
        "remarkably well-acted and poignant .",
        "it 's so graceful and intelligent and complicated in its depiction of human interaction that it takes the notion of a remarkably assured directorial debut to a new level .",
        "-lsb- bouchez and regnier have -rsb- fleshed out portraits of a depth rarely seen on screen .",
        "the movie understands what few american movies admit : not everyone can afford the luxury of following their hearts .",
        "this slow-moving film would have been a sleeper-literally -- were it not for leads bouchez and r\u00e9gnier .",
        "a sensitive , straightforward film that thankfully avoids sentimentality but nevertheless leaves a visceral impact on its viewers .",
        "who finds in life what they dream ?",
        "in an american indie , the two girls would be cute slackers ; in dreamlife , they 're imbued with the inchoate sadness of feminine existential loneliness .",
        "sad and thought provoking , and the performances of its leads make it well worth watching .",
        "there is an inspiring freshness to the film , even with the real-life pain and angst the characters endure .",
        "not overly bad , just not a lot going on in this sleepy melodrama .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "showcasing excellent lead performances , MOV is an intelligent , absorbing character study of two women .",
    "id": "15518"
  },
  {
    "movie": "field_of_dreams",
    "reviews":
     [
        "together with moments of dry humour and fine performances , the political element lends the film gravity sufficient to counterbalance any sense of whimsy . pure magic .",
        "the conception is sentimental , but the storytelling remains assured and effective .",
        "instant baseball classic for whole family .",
        "too idiosyncratic and witty merely to wallow in sentimentality , MOV will surely stand as a classic update of what made old hollywood so magical . it 's still a wonderful life .",
        "one of the best films of the 80s",
        "widely regarded as a modern populist classic , the film is both a fabulist fable and a celebratory baseball movie that acknowledges scandal within the sport but also the game 's transcendent ability to rise above attempts to damage its integrity . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the life-equals-baseball masterpiece still packs an unexpected kick .",
        "that rare thing , a poignant movie which manages to drain the tear ducts without ever resorting to cheap manipulation or clich\u00e9d sentiment .",
        "MOV sustains a dreamy mood in which the idea of baseball is distilled to its purest essence : a game that stands for unsullied innocence in a cruel , imperfect world .",
        "a rare choke-up movie for guys and one of 1989 's biggest hits .",
        "a manipulative but still moving look at the power of myths .",
        "quaint , amusing and charming little baseball parable .",
        "if you 're in the right mood this movie will bring a tear to your eye .",
        "the finest and most sentimental baseball movie ever made . if the ending does n't bring tears to your eyes , you are made of stone . a must-see .",
        "a dedicated cast acts out this gooey fable in deadly earnest .",
        "an engaging film that uses baseball as a launch pad for musings on human aspirations , righting old wrongs , and going the distance .",
        "the themes of this movie are dreams , family , and baseball .",
        "kevin costner nunca esteve t\u0103o bem como em ` campo dos sonhos ' .",
        "this film is n't just for baseball fans and soft touches . it 's also for people who 've experienced loss and want , just for a few minutes , to dream of regaining what was lost .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1989 -rrb- is a fairy tale celebration of the love of baseball .",
        "jones 's performance is quirky and brilliant . mann 's first meeting with ray is worth the ticket price all by itself .",
        "MOV will not appeal to grinches and grouches and realists . it is a delicate movie , a fragile construction of one goofy fantasy after another . but it has the courage to be about exactly what it promises .",
        "the movie may steal a base here and there , but there are no homers .",
        "a magical , often funny , utterly delightful movie , one that will stay with you for some time to come .",
        "poesy , pointlessness and baseball worship aside , the movie is easy to get along with .",
        "directed by phil alden robinson , who treats the fantastic story with admirable conviction but allows the action to become so sugary that it 's hard to swallow after a while .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "quite simply one of the best sports movies ever .",
        "whether you view it as capracorn or capraesque would depend on your values , but there 's no denying the film evokes the vastness and grandeur of middle-america",
        "the best baseball film of all time .",
        "a movie for a thorough tear-duct cleansing - the only film that makes tears stream down the cheeks of this hardened critic , and it gets me at least twice every time .",
        "robinson 's whimsical sports saga is nostalgically engaging ... guaranteed to load the bases with sentimentality",
        "anyone who loves their father or baseball -- or both -- will find it difficult -- no , impossible -- to resist this hokey , wonderful film .",
        "say what you want about kevin costner , but you ca n't say he never played jesus christ .",
        "original and moving fantasy about the things that make guys tear up .",
        "it seems much easier to fall into MOV than to resist its warm , intelligent , timely appeal to our most idealistic selves .",
        "one of the best baseballmovies off all time",
        "despite a lovely cameo turn by burt lancaster , MOV is the male weepie at its wussiest .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- special experience , sort of an it 's a wonderful life for the late '80s .",
        "alden 's script goes from charming to preposterous to preachy .",
        "MOV is n't a home run . it 's more like a suicide squeeze : if it had n't been perfectly executed , it would n't have worked . but as they say in baseball , a run is a run .",
        "the sentimentality , of which there is plenty , is nicely balanced by a humor of ironic pragmatism , as when ray , having built his baseball field as a monument to human dreams , decides to charge tourists $ 20 a head to visit it .",
        "all of this would work better if robinson built up the reality of the town more , made the citizens a more palpable presence , as frank capra did in hollywood 's greatest fable-fantasy , it 's a wonderful life .",
        "if you like to think of every time at bat as a new hope , if you can taste a kind of poetry along with the hot dogs they serve at the ballpark , if you like to imagine that life is meant to be good , and miracles are n't out of the question ... go see -lsb- it -rsb- .",
        "... view baseball as much a business as a sport and ca n't imagine getting gushy over such mush .",
        "this fantasy drama from director phil alden robinson is a delightful blend of the blind-fate story and the more fanciful feel-good corn of frank capra .",
        "rightfully a ballgame classic , this is sentimental nonsense , sure , but charmingly so ."],
    "summary": "MOV is sentimental , but in the best way ; it 's a mix of fairy tale , baseball , and family togetherness .",
    "id": "11618"
  },
  {
    "movie": "meeks_cutoff",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is the sort of film critics love to praise because the filmmaker has done good work before ; and well , there must be something there . well , there 's not .",
        "thanks to brilliant directorial decisions matched by a cast that was clearly inspired by this unique effort , this will surely be one of the most memorable films of 2011 .",
        "a promising , intermittently entrancing film that the viewer wishes could have made more of an impact than it does .",
        "we watch them trudge for miles , growing tired of listening to the squeaky wheel of a wagon .",
        "an existential nightmare of maddening uncertainty , a notion only emphasized by reichardt 's commitment to ambiguity .",
        "whatever allegory of pre-feminist roles that reichardt hopes to achieve is slowly put to sleep along with the rest of the audience with a less-is-less narrative style that , like meek , is too stubborn to realize how lost it is .",
        "a film ponderously slow in pace yet kinetically charged with insight ; starkly realistic yet allegorical too ; psychologically astute yet politically resonant .",
        "stripped of hollywood embellishment , meek 's cutoff examines issues of leadership , trust and ` the other ' in ways that suggest it could be taken as a metaphor for the american way of thought , then or now . well , maybe that 's just us .",
        "those with the courage to explore uncharted territory will be rewarded with a rough gem of a movie .",
        "`` meek 's cutoff '' is more an experience than a story .",
        "a mesmerizing cinematic journey that is often as arduous and spare as the lives of its hard-bitten protagonists .",
        "if there 's a genre even more suited to political allegory than horror , it 's the western . and if you can make it through this grim , grimy wide-open-space odyssey without thinking of iraq then it 's because you 're not thinking hard enough .",
        "there are stretches that are , frankly , boring . but the vivid details and intimacy you develop with these travelers sticks with you , leaving you in awe of the insane feats people had to accomplish in order for us to enjoy the world we know today .",
        "-lsb- rides -rsb- a thin line between the intangibly graceful and the merely frustrating in its rejection of narrativity .",
        "returns to the craft of the deconstructionist western , ... stripped bare of the mythmaking , shiny spurs and hero worship , leaving a reality so stark it makes the coen brothers ' harsh take on true grit seem like an episode of gunsmoke .",
        "the subtle ways in which reichardt explores how these characters have been playing their socially and religiously assigned parts throughout the movie , and likely their entire lives , is the core of an absolute masterpiece .",
        "yes , it 's sharply shot , and its stark realism is refreshing . but meek 's cutoff never gets anywhere .",
        "it will definitely divide audiences . some may find it a graceful and understated master class in observation . others may be put to sleep .",
        "greatly enhanced by the performances of michelle williams and bruce greenwood , director kelly reichardt 's film quietly becomes engrossing - it almost sneaks up on you .",
        "imagine a collaboration between john ford and wallace stevens and you might get a sense of what kelly reichardt pulls off here : a sincere re-creation of the pioneer experience , brought to life through careful , often unexpected detail .",
        "at once gossamer and purposeful , it 's terrence malick with a map .",
        "amounts to a master class in the power of observation .",
        "`` meek 's cutoff '' is earnest and sober to the point of suffocation , which often happens when the decision is made to shut off the air of entertainment .",
        "the cinematography , by chris blauvelt , captures the rugged landscapes and rainless skies with a homespun elegance .",
        "told largely in long shot , it 's a painfully , beautifully slow film , which is understandable given the time , place , and situation .",
        "reichardt serves the broccoli of historical pedantry , deliberately withholding the delicious cheese sauce of entertainment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this is the arid equivalent of werner herzog 's aguirre , wrath of god . reichardt offers the minimum of genre conventions and none of the genre 's satisfactions or resolutions .",
        "the prose of jack london has been effectively translated to film via the sparsity of reichardt 's intensely detailed neo-western .",
        "violence -- potential and inevitable -- shapes each moment in this extraordinary film . rarely visible and never cathartic , this violence is instead like the land that offers possibility and lays down limits for the emigrants .",
        "williams also starred in reichardt 's last , and best , film , wendy and lucy , and she clearly has a special affinity for the director , for whom she shows off her subtlest shades .",
        "vast and mysterious , the american west of kelly reichardt and jonathan raymond 's `` meek 's cutoff '' is not quite like any other landscape .",
        "boring .",
        "of time and place : an interview with john raymond on meek 's cutoff",
        "it 's the anti-western western , a story stripped of zane gray romance , sagebrush and mythic heroes .",
        "meek 's cutoff , certainly a deliberate title for a story touching on fear of the unknown , is the human experience stripped to its bones .",
        "if you allow its windswept silences to work on you , `` meek 's cutoff '' gathers its own snakelike sense of momentum ...",
        "i guarantee you that , in a decade or two , it will be regarded as an enduring film classic .",
        "this revisionist western -- intellectually , aesthetically , and narratively absorbing -- rattles to the bone , but never quite rends the heart .",
        "demanding , ultimately mesmerizing variation on an antique theme wanders off into a wilderness of its own where the essential stoic loneliness of what we call the american character comes into focus .",
        "the movie gives thoughtful viewers plenty to ponder , and plenty of situations in the story have two right answers , but no definitive one .",
        "a cinematic immersion of both modest and cosmic proportions , beautifully enacted by a cast that makes you fully believe that they are these beleaguered characters , and make you glad that you are n't .",
        "it challenges patriarchy and racism , but it never risks questioning received political ideas .",
        "with its mythic , dreamlike atmosphere , hints of feminism and a subversive touch of political allegory , meek 's cutoff is a bold new take on the old west .",
        "a monumentally awful movie . pretentious , uninformed , boring , and enough to drive one to a steady diet of adam sandler movies .",
        "recalls jim jarmusch 's dead man and even werner herzog 's aguirre : the wrath of god in its evocation of frontier surrealism and manifest-destiny madness ; the reichardt approach is , however , more stringent and pointed in its weirdness .",
        "austere and unforgiving ... a picture of extraordinary detail and deliberate execution , rewarding the brave with a rare screen realism that 's hypnotic .",
        "who goes to the movies for 104 minutes of punishment ? where is john wayne , now that we need him ?",
        "meek 's cutoff may not match reichardt 's previous two works in emotional heft , but it continues to cement her as a young director to watch closely .",
        "a slow , methodical , carefully researched look at traveling the oregon trail before stagecoaches became extinct .",
        "a more subversive than revisionist feminist western , and with a title intimating iconic macho cowboy metaphorical castration . while touching on current persisting and troubling questions about imperialist incursions , labeled manifest destiny back then .",
        "it delivers a patient , swoony account of itinerant tribulations in which conflict and intrigue bubble up only occasionally , and always gently .",
        "simultaneously a compelling allegory and a hallucinatory fable , meek 's cutoff is the most ambitious and accomplished film reichardt has yet made .",
        "kelly reichardt 's gaunt , mysterious and superbly calibrated movie about pioneers and the old american west appears to have come from another age - from the early days of malick or antonioni .",
        "under oregon skies , there 's political subtext for the taking in this terrific , unsettling film .",
        "not an easy journey for the characters or their audience , reichardt 's film demands respect for its sheer bloody-minded determination to leave its own questions frustratingly up for debate .",
        "reichardt 's boldness in eschewing a sprawling retelling of how the west was won should be applauded , but she has n't yet earned the right to take this long saying so little .",
        "the ending will divide opinion between `` hauntingly ambiguous '' and `` cop-out . ''",
        "it 's an intriguing take on actual diaries kept by women pioneers of the time , but their journey may be as punishing for some viewers as it was for them ...",
        "reichardt 's parched tale builds up a pressure cooker of tension and loyalties are strained and doubts are sewn ... but then does n't seem to know what to do with it .",
        "while i would love to fully appreciate this circular , feminist , counter-cinema perspective , no payoff makes for an audience that feels cheated .",
        "... a maddeningly dull drama ...",
        "presented people who were so devoid of personality , humor and interest that i did n't care if any of them made it out alive",
        "beautifully shot and impressively directed , this is a haunting , contemplative western with terrific performances from bruce greenwood and michelle williams , though reichardt 's relentlessly minimalist approach might prove hard going for some .",
        "reichardt 's film is - to put it simply - a masterpiece .",
        "filmed with a rapt severity worthy of ermanno olmi 's the tree of the wooden clogs , hers is a horror-western where the minimalist subtly grows into the hallucinatory .",
        "i was hypnotized from the opening sequence .",
        "meek 's cutoff is a thoughtful , and intimate narrative that is beautifully shot and has outstanding direction .",
        "a better complement than ` the big trail ' would be ` the blair witch project , ' another film that taps into an american unease with the wilderness that is the shadow twin of the country 's bold sense of manifest destiny .",
        "i felt like i was trapped on a slow-moving wagon train to nowhere with a bunch of people i wanted to escape from .",
        "the film 's most powerful performance belongs to williams , who shows a spirit and resolve seldom seen before . her scenes confronting meek are explosive and give the film a strong emotional core .",
        "i rarely feel the heart-in-my-throat suspense that i felt as reichardt 's characters sent a covered wagon down a steep hill ...",
        "a story about people facing both physical adversity and adversity within a group",
        "reichardt puts such an unequivocal spin on this well-trod territory as to make it feel heretofore uncharted and of her own reckoning .",
        "offbeat and most interesting western about emigrant pioneers lost in the prairie .",
        "in this quiet , beautiful and terrifying fable about a group of lost pioneers , reichardt combines epic ambition with a focus on intimate , personal detail .",
        "you might be tempted to call meek 's cutoff an exercise in feminist , multiculturalist piety if these two latter characters had any clear idea of what they were doing , or an overriding motive other than self-preservation ; but they do n't , and you wo n't .",
        "reichardt has stripped `` meek 's '' down to bare essentials and careful emotions . the cast captures that quality beautifully - like the water that is running out , everything is conserved .",
        "like the bits of home life its pioneers have brought with them to an alien landscape , the careful craft grounds the film in a reality that is as much felt as it is observed .",
        "it 's reichardt once again subtly overturning the myths that have sustained american cinema for decades ...",
        "reichardt trusts her audience , encourages her viewers to feel comfortable in the stillness and the quiet , and to draw their own conclusions from an ending that 's as profound as it is enigmatic .",
        "... a reinventing of the -lsb- western -rsb- genre where nothing seems to happen but lots does .",
        "meek 's cutoff is simultaneously cerebral and astonishingly cinematic , a historical road movie that stretches the inhospitable landscapes and marginal living of wendy and lucy in intriguing directions .",
        "in reichardt 's latest , she takes the great american film genre - the western - and makes it her own by making the point of view distinctly feminine .",
        "it enlivens and illuminates a genre that once dominated the american cinema and still holds a considerable grip on our imagination .",
        "a sterling effort , determined to tell some of the truth of the times .",
        "at once an intimate drama about a group of emigrants led dangerously off-course in 1874 oregon , and an epically ambitious think piece about nothing less than the fate of western civilization .",
        "highlighted by precise performances , simmering tensions and unforgiving landscapes , this odd rarity - an arthouse western - will help broaden reichardt 's rabid but select fanbase .",
        "a realistic slice of pioneer life that offers a disquieting alternative vision of america 's most mythic location .",
        "the film , which clearly owes a debt to terrence malick 's days of heaven , proceeds at a snail 's pace .",
        "one of the finest american films of the year , and one that 's going to infuriate as many people as it enthralls . that does n't matter , as long as they see it .",
        "may well be truer to what the migration west was like for many settlers than hollywood 's romanticized and sanitized version of such stories .",
        "michelle williams is now the only dawson 's creek cast member with a chat-worthy film career .",
        "`` meek 's cutoff '' works wonders even if you do n't buy the political metaphor , instead appreciating the film as a historical survival tale and a meditation on the nature of trust - how others win it from us and why we give it to them .",
        "exhausting and ambiguous , it 's for moviegoers who relish a quiet , arduous chronicle of bleak hardship , seemingly portrayed in real time .",
        "... a primal piece of filmmaking , wrought from dirt and rock , calico and splintered wood , and illuminated by natural light and campfire .",
        "be warned . some stretches are almost as much of a slog for the viewer as they are for the pioneers ... but meek 's cutoff conveys a far more realistic account of what life was really like on the frontier trail than john wayne or clint eastwood ever did .",
        "this is a film where life and death decisions are made at every turn ; where the very concepts of religion and humanity are dissected in gorgeously subtle yet devastating ways .",
        "kelly reichardt 's extremely modest film is slow , but it is also intriguing , moving and meaningful .",
        "sparse , uncompromising and bewitching . reichardt has stripped back all but the bare essentials , scattering the characters across the sun-bleached landscape like marbles .",
        "by privileging the dynamics between the characters over story , reichardt has created an extremely rewarding cinematic experience that is rich in political commentary , pathos and visual beauty .",
        "meek 's cutoff is an ambitious feat of visual storytelling that 's alive to both its landscape and the actors who people it . this is a big movie masquerading as a small one , fully awake in even its quietest , slowest moments .",
        "a meditative western that focuses on the spiritual transformation of a female settler into a leader as she journeys west in a covered wagon caravan .",
        "forget that old computer game you may have played in middle school : kelly reichardt 's fourth feature is a beautifully evocative portrait of life on the real oregon trail .",
        "kelly reichardt has crafted a haunted dream of a movie to get lost in .",
        "it is an american independent in the true sense of the word , and it may well be the best homegrown movie we 'll see this year .",
        "less western or anti-western than it is a masterful bad trip littered with foolish expectations and `` we should have '' regrets",
        "it 's a deceptively small piece of onscreen art that resonates afterward with such insistence that i felt positively nagged by it .",
        "one way or another , there will be blood .",
        "a bracingly original foray into territory that remains , in every sense , unsettled .",
        "meticulous and immersive , meek 's cutoff feels like history in three dimensions .",
        "the film is both evocative and provocative ; atmospherically and conceptually , respectively .",
        "meek 's cutoff is an act of inversion , a western that reverses the genre 's traditional forms and dynamics to create something new and startling , yet still familiar .",
        "without exception , the actors give understated but compelling performances .",
        "reichert really captures what it must have felt like to venture off the edge of the world in search of a new life",
        "upgrading her production values without compromising her minimalist style , kelly reichardt has nonetheless made her most accessible movie .",
        "our interest is constantly stoked by reichardt 's choices as a director .",
        "fans of kelly reichardt 's minimalist portraits will adore her stark western , but others may be taken aback by the bold lack of traditional filmmaking .",
        "-lsb- kelly reichardt has -rsb- taken on her biggest budget -lrb- essentially a thicker shoestring -rrb- and most recognizable cast yet , while fully retaining her patient , deliberate approach to narrative and attentiveness to nature as a character .",
        "there is n't a fully developed storyline , and there are n't enough ideas in a movie that film snobs will congratulate themselves for adoring . pshaw .",
        "reichardt 's westward-ho is a world of confusion , geographical and moral , a dislocation beyond the remedy of water or bibles .",
        "it 's a pleasureless , anti-sensuous aesthetic , but the movie , in its thorny , grudging way , is stirring , with many startling details .",
        "this impressionist western wo n't be everyone 's slug of bourbon but it 's a slow burn that will richly reward the patient ."],
    "summary": "moving at a contemplative speed unseen in most westerns , meek 's cutoff is an effective , intense journey of terror and survival in the untamed frontier .",
    "id": "771203826"
  },
  {
    "movie": "house_of_the_devil",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV is really a romance : a love letter to the kind of gal we thought had given up the ghost .",
        "west 's assured way with widescreen framing , long takes and silences followed by sharp if explainable noise are almost cruelly funny in their heart-stopping pleasures .",
        "more concerned with stretching nail-biting suspense to the breaking point than finding new ways of making heads explode .",
        "although the payoff is creepy , it takes a little too long to arrive -- and when it does , it 's about as worn-out as the movie 's title .",
        "part of the film 's off-kilter surreality comes from its retro look , tone , cinematography , and even music .",
        "the MOV is not only set in the early '80s , but director ti west chose to shoot and structure the film in a way so as to make it feel like it was made in the early '80s . in a way , this throwback style is reminiscent of what quentin ta",
        "the MOV could have certainly turned out stronger with a shorter buildup and a more drawn out climax , but who am i to argue ? i have n't been this scared watching a horror film in years .",
        "those of us who remember that strange and marvelous era when the grindhouse gave way to vhs pajama parties are apt to see a kindred spirit at work here .",
        "as much as the slow pacing , the out-of-time quality creates a sense of dislocation , that makes what 's coming for her even more unpleasant .",
        "impressively directed with impeccable production design , this is a note-perfect pastiche of a 1980s horror film that 's both suspenseful and scary without resorting to cheap tricks .",
        "a first-rate chiller .",
        "it may not completely succeed as a horror film , though i would take its deliberately funky and low-key vibe over the hard-sell nonsense of `` paranormal activity '' any day of the week .",
        "even the familiar tropes of the MOV are familiar in the right way , like an old , bloodstained sweater .",
        "the cinematic equivalent of foreplay . it 's all about building mood , teasing us , and , in between the lines , promising an eventual payoff .",
        "if you like horror movies that actually have some artistic merit to them , this is definitely one of the more noteworthy pictures of the year .",
        "the film may provide an introduction for some audience members to the hitchcockian definition of suspense : it 's the anticipation , not the happening , that 's the fun .",
        "if you love a nerve-stretching build up to a seriously creepy payoff , you 'll want to see for yourself .",
        "the film is a perfectly pitched old-school horror homage to a '70s / '80s - era of cinema that should have been .",
        "... there is one scene early on with mr. a.j. bowen that is as creepy as anything you 're going to get this summer .",
        "ti west knows how to set up his prey for the kill",
        "in keeping with his models , west is concerned with not suspense exactly but the ritual withholding and ultimate lavishing of bloody chaos .",
        "fans seeking the immediate gratification of random shocks and sudden gore will be disappointed , but anyone savoring a sense of dreadful anticipation and menace will be enthralled .",
        "west , a rising young director of minor cult pleasures , comes clean here about his love for all things bava -lrb- mario -rrb- and carpenter -lrb- john -rrb- .",
        "less is more , and writer/director/editor ti west knows it -- until he forgets near the end of this babysitter-in-peril nailbiter .",
        "al\u0439m da excelente ambienta\u0437\u0433o de \u0439poca -lrb- e da pr\u0443pria est\u0439tica setentista -rrb- , west concebe uma narrativa bem constru\u043dda e tensa , resultando num filme tenso e eficiente .",
        "in today 's ironic age , a movie like the MOV that wears its homages proudly % u2014and wears them this well % u2014is something to be celebrated , and this blu-ray release should attract it the fanbase it deserves .",
        "a very impressive formal exercise in style and restraint ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the heroine walks about campus doing errands for about 20 minutes , then some semblance of a plot begins . just too slow for horror fans . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "there 's a payoff in the MOV , if you have the patience . some of the scenes seem draggy , but the characters are complex , and their motivations are explained .",
        "there is a lot about the MOV to admire but west ultimately likes the slow burn a bit too much and it fizzles out .",
        "not a bad venture into the `` girl meets devil '' genre but a few rock songs short of a hit .",
        "yet another of this year 's homage-facsimiles , the MOV forgoes campy self-awareness in favor of reverential faithfulness -- and in doing so , implicitly critiques contemporary horror cinema .",
        "puts to shame most major studio horror releases . classy even while getting down-and-dirty , unusually savvy about the importance of tension and character nuance over viscera and a soulless body count .",
        "director west gets credit for delaying the mayhem to the last 20 minutes , but fails to evoke a necessary tension until then .",
        "made for those who have fond memories of low-key '70s devil chillers that focused on mood and atmosphere",
        "west is going to do something outstanding someday , as soon as he figures out something to say .",
        "the problem with it , and with MOV , is that it 's mostly pedestrian stuff leading to a pay off that 's just not enough .",
        "sam 's end is disturbing but also banal , even silly , but the end is not the point . the point is your anticipation .",
        "the MOV is n't just a movie : it 's an experience . it joins the league of rosemary 's baby , the exorcist and the omen as one of the most diabolical entries in the modern horror library .",
        "in this era of torture porn and slasher pics , MOV is a shining example of how to build atmosphere and tension the old-fashioned way .",
        "if you do n't get a kick out of watching doomed babysitter samantha put on that portable cassette player and dance around that creepy house to the strains of the fixx 's `` one thing leads to another , '' you might need a course in horror appreciation 101 .",
        "laden with dread and executed with a musician 's sense of timing , the MOV is better than a substantial number of the films it resembles .",
        "a virtual refutation of all of the conventions of contemporary horror that manages to be terrifying precisely because it refuses to give you that gratification until you 've almost given up wanting it .",
        "the sudden climax is a gore-drenched bonanza of satanic delirium that seems to be making up for the calm that came before , if not spoofing the very idea of cinematic payoff .",
        "a truly superb throwback to eighties horror . .",
        "while its furnishings may be old and not a little worn , in this house , genre fans will feel right at home .",
        "slow-building dread rather than all-out splat , house keeps you guessing which way the sneaky plot is going , all adding up to a satisfying shocker .",
        "like paranormal activity and let the right one in , ti west 's shocker favours old-school tropes - plot , character , suggestion and suspense - over gorno extravagance . seems like the devil has great taste in films too .",
        "both an authentically scary turn of the screw and a stunningly meticulous retro homage .",
        "the film 's nostalgic design is subtle enough not to dampen the seriously sinister atmospherics .",
        "things quickly get silly and unscary .",
        "although the last reel is a little disappointing , the twist ending is a scream .",
        "by trading in loud and increasingly low-dividend `` shocks '' for well-earned dread and fear , west immerses the audience in a genuine shared experience .",
        "it favors tension over spectacle while delivering a palpable sense of helplessness .",
        "... despite his fine attention to detail , a great cast and a deliciously edgy build , west ca n't bring his film to the finish line .",
        "slow , yet oddly spellbinding , horror film ... a living , breathing nostalgia piece oozing period authenticity",
        "start -lsb- s -rsb- to add up after a while to a faintly unbearable level of dread .",
        "this pitch-perfect genre throwback would be right at home among the creaky and weird supernatural thrillers of the 70 's and 80 's . -lrb- and yes , i mean that as a compliment . -rrb-",
        "that 's the problem with this sort of homage : unless you 've got a startling new take , you wind up with a movie that 's been done hundreds of times before , to much better effect .",
        "a horror film with no punch .",
        "carefully , perfectly , beautifully built occult horror follows the roadmap of the early '70s and '80s indie screams with reverent precision and the occasional , wise reference to the cannon .",
        "an old school vintage terror yarn that comprehends how horror rules when simmering to a slow boil percolating in its own solidly crafted narrative juices , as opposed to a kneejerk reaction slice 'em up overcooked brew .",
        "call it the best '80s babysitter-in-peril movie never made .",
        "a group of people old enough to remember vhs parties may very well have flashbacks of the old days - for better and for worse - should they visit the MOV .",
        "recreates the feeling of 80s horror ; less cgi , more imagination and a whole lot of corn syrup .",
        "it 's full of meat and marrow . i 'm going in again .",
        "the MOV takes itself and its cinematic heritage seriously , and is made better by this earnestness .",
        "now this is how you make a scary movie . the MOV is a delicious throwback to the golden era of hollywood horror -- one that is unapologetically earnest and overwhelmingly committed to the task at hand .",
        "the power of this film lies in the approach to the inevitable final act , rather than the realisation of the act itself .",
        "the finale descends into predictable mayhem , but it 's the build-up that 'll haunt you .",
        "... there 's simply never a point at which the almost distractingly uneventful narrative becomes as compelling as one might 've hoped .",
        "the pay-off is a little far-fetched , but by then we have had our emotional workout .",
        "a master of the slow-burn , west carefully creates an atmosphere of clammy dread through noonan and woronov 's off-kilter performances and dialogue , and direction that encases donahue in shadow or squeezes uncomfortably close-in .",
        "imagine a bad ken loach film invaded by monsters from a george a. romero movie that 's run out of cash , and you 've already visualised a movie better than this one .",
        "you have to wait for the MOV to deliver on its promises -- but when it does , holy crap .",
        "ti west has been building a reputation among horror fans as an expert in the art of the slow burn , and more power to him for exhibiting something that seems to be increasingly rare in filmmakers in any genre : patience .",
        "70s-savant writer/director ti west has come up with a satanic-panic stroke of genius with the MOV .",
        "in the end , this homage to '80s horror is little more than a faithful flashback -- authentic in execution but about as scary as something you saw again and again way back when .",
        "gravely gorgeous in the style of a storybook snow white , donahue gives eloquent reaction shots and nails west 's pi\u010dce de r\u00e9sistance -- a bounding , walkman-soundtracked , jazzercise dance through the house .",
        "from his era-appropriate soundtrack to the visual style of his opening credits and his slyly reverential camerawork , west gives his movie the look and feel of a 25-year-old relic , yet nothing about ` devil ' seems stale .",
        "the main reasons to see this deliberately retro and derivative flick , which borrows freely from satanic cult and babysitter-from-hell subgenres , are iconic actors tom noonan and mary woronov in their first teaming .",
        "a fine example of how a talented filmmaker can tackle a horror sub-genre in a way that 's stylistically reverential but also original in its own way .",
        "the classical structure slowly builds tension before erupting into a decisively gory finish , harkening back to a smarter and more nuanced era of spooky storytelling .",
        "written , directed , and edited by ti west , this movie is an old-school tension builder , slowly ratcheting up the anxieties of the audience who , of course , is fully aware that something bad is going to happen .",
        "when the karo syrup finally hits the fan , the film loses its footing some , but only because no concrete explanations could possibly do justice to west 's expert buildup .",
        "writer-director ti west 's crisp , economical , satisfying little horror pic reclaims the pleasures of the kind of old-school formula that the jokey scream franchise deconstructed into satire .",
        "this is scary in a way that unrelenting brutality could never be .",
        "west avoids clich\u00e9 and cheesiness with wise casting choices . donahue 's naturalistic performance is as persuasive as the subtly sinister portrayals by tom noonan and mary woronov .",
        "after years of vivisectionist splatter , here is a horror movie with real shivers .",
        "with the suspense cranked so high , it 's almost inevitable that the bloody finale comes as a bit of a letdown .",
        "skims away so much of the noisy and excessive clich\u00e9s of today 's terror flicks that it feels like a breath of fresh air",
        "devil is generously unassuming , making the film more of a secret handshake than a blood-spattered , deafening gorefest . the attention to mood and setting is marvelous .",
        "from the opening statistic about documented instances of devil-worship , west aims for a mix of the plausible and the ridiculous ...",
        "a slightly faster set-up , and slightly more drawn-out climax , would make this even better ."],
    "summary": "though its underlying themes are familiar , MOV effectively sheds the loud and gory cliches of contemporary horror to deliver a tense , slowly building throwback to the fright flicks of decades past .",
    "id": "770806327"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10008621-run_fat_boy_run",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film is better than expected . it 's directed with warmth , humor and intelligence .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's much too much of everything in run , fatboy , run . every ounce of comedy is so forced and full-on ridiculous that when characters express even a smidgen of sentiment , it feels like a parody .",
        "the sort of flat-footed studio film that takes the basic ingredients of an underground hit , drains them of personality and style , and spits them out as a situation comedy .",
        "this is a romantic comedy light on romance but heavy on comedy , and it 's well cast to skew in that direction .",
        "tere 's nothing edgy or new about run , fat boy , run .",
        "run fatboy run is largely content to follow the formula , guide us on a sunny tour of downtown london 's tourist hot spots and transform pegg from paunchy schlub to runderella with a few decent laughs along the way .",
        "thanks to a jaunty brit-rock score and likable characters all around , the movie 's easy to watch and occasionally pumps up the emotions .",
        "the kind of movie that 's apt to be dismissed a goofy lark . it is that . but it 's also a rare comedy that believes in its own message , and that could inspire the depressed and the demoralized to grit their teeth and keep running .",
        "enough already . i mean , i do n't have anything against comedies about dopey guys who win the love of a good woman by competing in ridiculous olympian contests . but if i wanted to see a really funny one , i 'd rent a rocky movie .",
        "the humor tends toward the mildly crass -- bare buttocks and inappropriate scratching are schwimmer 's go-to comedy staples -- and the story is ridiculous .",
        "pegg has staked out a peculiar slant on genre material that ventures beyond irony toward rehabilitation -- and nobody plays blithe humiliation with more style .",
        "i would n't believe that MOV was co-written by simon pegg if he were n't up there on the screen in teeny briefs and with his gut stuck out , trying to endear himself to the american audience in material maybe a notch above rob schneider 's .",
        "-lsb- star/writer pegg -rsb- ladles a deeper understanding of why men screw up into dennis than we usually see in romantic comedies ...",
        "it has meaning and sentiment and a nice pay-off for its finale . but without more laughs , run fatboy run is awfully winded by the time it crosses the finish line .",
        "the presence of simon pegg and dylan moran elevates what might have been merely a pleasant , harmless but ultimately forgettable romantic comedy .",
        "clumsy and inept in demeanor but a whirlwind of comic energy , with an air of self-congratulatory winsomeness , simon pegg steals this otherwise minor but enjoyably unpretentious little comedy and pockets it like a mars bar .",
        "a thin premise undermined by rampant stupidity at every turn .",
        "predictable losers-are-people-too jesting raised a notch by the quality work of consummate professionals .",
        "director david schwimmer bloats this slapdash concept into dim , witless overkill .",
        "brit romcom mixes laughs with swearing , smoking .",
        "thin-on-laughs fatboy stumbles more than sprints .",
        "there 's a cheeky , cross-continental exuberance to run , fatboy , run that lifts it over its predictability and keeps you laughing louder than you know you should . it 's an upfront guilty pleasure without pretense ; what a pleasant surprise .",
        "this is not a film with blazingly original ideas or a groundbreaking script - i guessed the ending before the movie even started - but it has a sweet nature , an abundance of laughs and plenty of pegg to spare .",
        "from storyline to characterization to style of comedy , everything about the directorial debut of former friends star david schwimmer is a nod to accommodation , compromise and consensus .",
        "while this movie lacks the screaming energy and consistency of shaun of the dead and his hysterical hot fuzz , pegg is able to keep things interesting .",
        "a movie that is smartly written , boasts plenty of funny lines and rides hard on pegg 's ability to look and act like the most stoically put-upon person on the planet .",
        "pleasant but unfocused , a romantic farce , trying very hard to be sweet when it needs to be a bit more cheeky .",
        "the material is n't any more inspired than the protagonist is inspiring . run , fat boy , run should have been whipped into better shape before the starting gun sounded .",
        "run , fatboy , run is n't going to win any prizes for fresh questions . but it 's just fleet enough to hold its own in the middle of the pack .",
        "MOV might as well have been written by a rushed piece of software . the program calls for a surprise engagement , a street fight complete with crotch punches , an apartment eviction , and a runaway child -- all in about five minutes .",
        "for all its faults however , this is a romantic comedy that works - if just barely .",
        "deserves credit for not working us over the way so many modern comedies too . it brings us to the finish line with energy to spare , instead of leaving us feeling sapped .",
        "an overlong over-conventional under-funny romantic comedy . to put it in its own terms , it might make it as a 100-yard-dash , but does not have the stamina for a marathon .",
        "a near-miss , a film with some funny scenes that will probably work significantly better on dvd , but , ultimately , it quite simply does n't have enough laughs to elevate it to greatness .",
        "it runs out of steam - and you 'll likely run out of interest - long before the finish line .",
        "MOV would n't make it to the finish line without simon pegg 's winning performance .",
        "simon pegg is almost brilliant with his slapstick comedy and dedication to goofiness .",
        "outside of a couple of moments of self-conscious shock humor , the most surprising thing about the film is how square it really is .",
        "ends up feeling like a boring limerick told over and over again .",
        "this brand of unfailing comic timing and expressive physicality is rare , and it 's why pegg , in particular , is a star . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the project represents an uncertain britification of a script by chicago native michael ian black , and the result finds itself stranded somewhere out in the atlantic , mid-crossing .",
        "so pathetically average that you can barely muster the energy to have an opinion about it .",
        "... lacks the invention of -lsb- simon -rsb- pegg 's comedies with edgar wright , which buzz and crackle with ideas and energy . this one simply plods through ...",
        "run fatboy run is n't particularly hilarious or moving , but it 's got just enough humor and pathos to render its myriad flaws almost forgivable . almost .",
        "could a better combination of collaborators have produced something greater ? definitely . but this cheerful mix of juvenility and grown-up-relationship angst goes down smoothly enough to be worth watching .",
        "MOV is hard to love , thanks to the tedious romantic-comedy cliches to which it subjects its characters -- and us .",
        "schwimmer is wise to keep his camera trained on pegg at all times , as the actor can make any sequence worthwhile with his unexpected , jittery retorts and reactions .",
        "fatboy may be more welcome than the latest matthew mcconaughey-kate hudson vehicle , but only by a nose .",
        "while -lsb- pegg -rsb- gets some mileage out of this sketchy material , he 's undermined by story and character problems , as well as the limp , uninspired direction of actor-turned-filmmaker david schwimmer .",
        "it looks like british writers simon pegg and michael ian black have been studying the romantic comedies of adam sandler .",
        "this feeble premise limits the movie to perfunctory gags about the hero 's sloth and some canned underdog drama .",
        "far from the gut-busting brilliance of pegg 's other , self-made starring vehicles .",
        "nothing to be embarrassed about here . though the kick-in-the-balls scene does run on a bit .",
        "about as funny as ross on `` friends . '' david schwimmer -lrb- ross on `` friends '' -rrb- directs .",
        "schwimmer completely lacks what it takes to ever get this movie off the ground . the story is fairly formula and the actors are basically on mark , yet the jokes -lrb- most of which are so predictable they are telegraphed a mile in advance -rrb- land with a virtually",
        "... cuter and sweeter than i expected , a mildly pleasant surprise .",
        "the picture manages to juggle both the silly and the sentimental without falling flat .",
        "the film , like its flabby aspiring marathon runner protagonist , feels shapeless and exhausted from the sheer effort of trying to please audiences .",
        "it 's a good formalic romantic comedy . nothing more .",
        "it 's a generation x movie in a way very few movies are any more ; it is unseemly to admit that our generation is about as slackery as we had promised to become . go with your ex and smile .",
        "it 's a lazy effort that offers little encouragement for the future of schwimmer 's directorial career .",
        "run fatboy run n'offre rien pour r\u0439volutionner le genre , mais pr\u0439sente assez de bonnes intentions pour justifier son existence , et nous faire passer un bon moment",
        "run , fatboy , run winds up being as immature and exhausting as its protagonist .",
        "turn and run , no matter what size you are .",
        "em sua estr\u0439ia na dire\u0437\u0433o , schwimmer atira para todos os lados : com\u0439dia f\u043dsica , escatologia , estere\u0443tipos , besteirol , e por a\u043d afora , falhando consistentemente todas as vezes . e pegg jamais esteve t\u0433o artificial , o que \u0439 uma surpresa desagrad\u0431vel .",
        "-lrb- run , fat boy , run -rrb- is your nice , fun , romantic film that is not necessarily worth spending your money to see in theatres .",
        "-lsb- the protagonist is -rsb- a petty , unlikable loser .",
        "schwimmer offers generic rom-com conventions in his feature directorial debut .",
        "warm/funny film about a man trying to re-win his true love by running a race",
        "it is neither as funny nor as wickedly subversive as ` shaun of the dead , ' but it respects its characters enough to make them thoughtful and surprisingly complex , unlike the sitcom stereotypes inhabiting lesser romantic comedies .",
        "friends star david schwimmer proves that nothing wins over a crowd like a barking underdog and bags of below-the-belt humour - his directing debut is a wheeze .",
        "what should be dreadfully synthetic actually plays as a pleasant time-passer , thanks to a goodly supply of one-liners , and pegg and newton 's facility for investing a string of hokey plot devices with genuine warmth . formulaic , yet disarmingly enjoyable .",
        "pegg pitched shaun of the dead as `` richard curtis shot through the head . '' run , fat boy , run comes on more like `` richard curtis kicked in the nuts '' - a refreshingly honest britcom that never really threatens the ribs but which is amiable company throughout",
        "enjoyable , sharply written and frequently hilarious comedy with strong comic performances from its cast . this should strike a chord with slightly overweight men everywhere .",
        "predictable sitcom but delightfully feel-goodish .",
        "this is yet another parody that falls victim to the desire to become what it 's intending to satirize .",
        "pegg is brilliant , pratfalling his way through heartbreak and indignity",
        "pegg 's dennis is lazy , insensitive and unhygienic . yet his most defining quality is blandness . i could barely rouse myself to dislike him .",
        "depends on the charm of its leading man . but that proves a commodity which , in pegg 's case , proves to be not only in short supply but positively out of stock .",
        "it may be the kind of film that will make you smile more than laugh , but you 'll smile a lot . and although it practically forces you to root for its hero , you wo n't mind a bit because the hero is played by simon pegg .",
        "anyone hoping for the lean meat of the fast , furious , and riotously funny shaun of the dead or even the popcorn fancy of the lesser hot fuzz will do best to look elsewhere .",
        "there are so many scenes of him running , it 's surprising pegg did n't just take off and never come back to the set after he saw how things were going .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- david schwimmer takes the sow 's ear of a script given him by -lsb- simon -rsb- pegg and michael ian black and deep-fries it into a burnt pork rind of a movie .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- schwimmer shows some skill by keeping the mood light and making no notable missteps , but he still comes away looking like someone trying , and failing , to play judd apatow , the reigning champion of realistic , emotional comedy .",
        "snarkiness and sentiment are in constant battle for supremacy throughout MOV with no chance of a comfortable draw .",
        "... a bit rude and uncouth , but sweetly affecting ...",
        "simon pegg gives it the old college try , but his character is n't worthy our cheers . maybe pegg should resurrect his most famous character , the resourceful , much funnier shaun , and do battle with the zombies of london rather than the marathon runners of lo",
        "certainly not the worst movie of the year , not in a year that brought us over her dead body , one missed call , fool 's gold , snow angels and mad money . it could be the most mediocre though .",
        "predictable and clich\u00e9d as run fatboy run is , it is an entertaining romedy that , unfortunately , does n't have much staying power after credits roll .",
        "neither original nor packed with surprises . it is , however , entertaining and thoroughly likable .",
        "simon pegg has a great face ! not since jerry lewis has anyone been able to look pathetic , adorable and stupid , all at the same time .",
        "a fine work of craftspeople both in front of the camera and behind ... whose chief mistake is that every one of them appears to have forgotten that it was in fact a comedy .",
        "a fry-up of american , british and irish comedy sensibilities that will have no trouble satisfying mainstream movie appetites .",
        "give me this type of writing any day over some of the inane scripts that plague a will ferrell or adam sandler flick . simon pegg can hold his own with any comic working today .",
        "schwimmer 's sliced cheese mediocrity gets him off the hook ; not so for the usually inventive pegg and black and their arms race of bland jokes and cheap male nudity",
        "an enjoyable if patchy and predictable ride , but simon pegg shows he 's more than capable of going the distance .",
        "pegg exudes his usual air of faint self-congratulation playing an unlikeable prat whom nobody in their right mind would prefer to the high - flying azariah or indeed to anyone .",
        "schwimmer often resists an easy laugh in favour of a poignant moment and thereby heightens the sense of urgency during dennis ' last dash for glory .",
        "you 'll laugh a bit , but not much , while your interest in the storyline will hover between mild interest and vague indifference . needless to say , all memories of this movie will evaporate on contact with daylight .",
        "... despite lacking marquee stars could do well with the date-night mainstream .",
        "predictable and conventionally anti-american .",
        "... excessive product-placement has turned the film into one enormous ad for nike , with all the chilling humourlessness that this implies .",
        "there are no surprises here -- just broad , frequently slapstick gags that do n't avoid but do tamp down a bit on the bodily-function school of yokkery .",
        "when schwimmer managed to get pegg on board , his good fortune became ours .",
        "pegg proves agreeable company in a lightweight britcom whose biggest laughs emanate from its supporting cast .",
        "amiable . bland . cute . formulaic . inconsequential . run fatboy run goes down with ease , but it 's awfully slight .",
        "while some moments rely solely on pegg 's natural on-screen goofiness , he & m. i. black have simply written a very funny script that spreads the fun evenly throughout .",
        "pacing is brisk , the laughs frequent . with an ending corny and capra-esque , ` run , fat boy , run ' charms right to the finish line .",
        "seldom laugh-out-loud funny and the script does n't have the witty insight of pegg 's last few films , but pegg 's bumbling charm is just enough to make this movie run .",
        "simon pegg is a wonderful physical comedian . and he 's able to take off with his talent in `` run fatboy run , '' a comedy that 's not up to par of his other starring roles but one that nonetheless provides quite a few laughs .",
        "it 's clear in the scene where they try to scam the marathon officials that dylan moran would be a good candidate to play the grown harry potter in the harry potter and the deathly hallows film . somebody take note !",
        "the jokes land softly , but run fatboy run moves at a sitcom-like clip that keeps it watchable even when it is n't especially funny .",
        "when all is said and done , you 're better off renting the friends season four finale ... that was brilliant . this is like a bad farrelly brothers movie .",
        "overcomes its occasional stumbles , thanks almost entirely to the charm of its cast ...",
        "sure it 's predictable . sure it 's a slight effort , but i still think it 's pretty funny and charming .",
        "formulaic and thoroughly conventional .",
        "it is an immensely likable , big-hearted romantic comedy that has a wide-ranging appeal as unpretentious feel-good escapism and a perfect date movie choice .",
        "run , fatboy , run is the type of romantic comedy apt to be described as `` nice '' or `` sweet , '' both of which are codewords for `` unexceptional '' and `` useless . ''",
        "it 's not hysterically funny , but this british comedy is sharp enough to keep us chuckling right to the predictably sappy conclusion .",
        "simon pegg 's considerable skills can only do so much to enliven the mediocre text of actor david schwimmer 's feature directing debut , a mildy humorous trifle with some heart but not enough hilarity .",
        "run , fat boy , run shows that simon pegg ca n't rescue a derivative dud .",
        "schwimmer and pegg have scored a win -- largely due to tasteful choices in the subplotting and providing such a rich ensemble to tickle the shenanigans to a higher level .",
        "it 's as if -lsb- director david -rsb- schwimmer managed to shoot himself in his foot with the starter 's pistol .",
        "seems to lack the aspirations necessary to overcome its failings .",
        "... a mess of sentimental cliches ...",
        "amiable , consistently amusing and surprisingly affecting , it has the flavor of a nick hornby novel , with its focus on an overgrown boy struggling to grow up and be a man .",
        "run , fat boy , run is the directorial debut of actor david schwimmer , who is much better behind the camera than in front of it . here , he 's taken material best suited to sketch comedy and turned it into a feature of no small heart and humour .",
        "although you can see the finish line from the starting shot , pegg elevates the movie from eye-rolling to forgivably genial with his ace delivery and genuinely entertaining pratfalls .",
        "it ambles along pleasantly , produces a few chuckles , and is forgotten by the time you pass the popcorn counter on the way out of the theater .",
        "i wish the script credited to michael ian black -lrb- the pleasure of your company -rrb- and -lrb- simon -rrb- pegg had a little more intrigue along the way to its predictable finish .",
        "a hackneyed slacker scenario reduces this film from an entertainment marathon to a plot treading water . the feel-good message comes around , but there is too much packaging for the product .",
        "-lsb- the movie -rsb- may not -lsb- provide -rsb- an onslaught of gut-busting laughs , but the humor that does come forth is heartier and more authentic .",
        "for his debut directing role , schwimmers steers a safe `` pg-13 '' date movie that roots for the underdog and has a good overall message .",
        "it would have been funnier if , instead of pegg , his frequent collaborator , nick frost had taken the role . then we would have a film worthy of its name . and maybe even a few more genuine guffaws .",
        "one thing schwimmer does do right is keep the story moving swiftly . you 're in , you 're out , no harm done -- unless you want that hour and a half back .",
        "this is an amiable film that will provoke some chuckles .",
        "run , fat boy , run stays out of sitcom quicksand long enough to make you think that schwimmer has a knack for this comedy-directing thing .",
        "well enough crafted to keep you in stitches while on the edge of your seat for the duration , even if this laff-a-minute escape is more mindless than cerebral .",
        "`` run , fat boy , run '' is a cut-and-dried formula comedy slightly elevated by its more than competent cast .",
        "pacing and suspension of disbelief aside , i had fun with the heart-felt moments and the sheer comedy . plus , it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s great to see pegg jump out of his edgar wright-zone for a bit and try making a movie with a different group for a change .",
        "credit pegg for inserting his smart brand of character-driven humor everywhere the script needed him -lrb- he polished up an old script by michael ian black -rrb- , and credit schwimmer for keeping things moving quickly and efficiently .",
        "an unapologetic throwback to the days when comedies did n't have to be all that original -- just as long as they were funny .",
        "using conventional slapstick gags and inventive crosscutting , david schwimmer scores as a creditable , if not memorable , director ... but the innocuous script is totally predictable .",
        "although i did enjoy the incongruity of the characters , this well-intentioned low brow co-production does not quite make it to the finish line .",
        "schwimmer just does n't have the directorial wit to elevate the intermittently amusing script , and none of the cast seems dedicated enough to raise the bar either .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "run , fat boy , run features sporadic laughs , but is ultimately too formulaic and predictable .",
    "id": "770670572"
  },
  {
    "movie": "good_hair",
    "reviews":
     [
        "who defines good ? this doc never quite finds the source , but it sure shows us the damage it 's done to wallets , egos and follicles .",
        "the subject matter would still be fairly interesting without rock 's involvement , but the comedian brings a accessibility to the material that no amount of facts and figures can replace .",
        "chris keep the action rocking , the beautiful women and not so handsome men in the cast sometimes matching his humor , joke for joke .",
        "rock never misses a beat and here 's hoping he continues the documentary chapter of his career . there 's nothing wrong with a little competition for michael moore .",
        "MOV is a raucous and rigorous inquiry into the subject of african-american hair -- the stigmas , the secrets , the shocking price of maintenance -- that gets at universal but rarely discussed truths about black femininity .",
        "a wise and wacky dye-laughing doc about black female high maintenance hair that is no laughing matter , the movie finds a pg-13 rock channeling michael moore , while nearly tumbling into a jumbo vat of processor goo .",
        "that many of these hairstyles derive from standards of beauty laid down by white tastemakers is a question that hangs over MOV .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- breezy , superficial doc .",
        "whether you have MOV or not , there 's plenty to appreciate in chris rock 's rollicking documentary about what goes on when african-american women hit the salon .",
        "rock takes aim at the truth and humor of this potent cultural question with a sharp wit and lively curiousity , even if he does n't pursue vigorously enough its uglier side .",
        "a surprisingly fascinating subject that ... yields lots of laughs .",
        "MOV , directed by longtime rock collaborator jeff stilson , is such a rollicking , thoroughly entertaining ride that it 's easy to take for granted just how easy rock makes it look .",
        "unlike most documentaries with a message , ` MOV ' invites moviegoers to a conversation , not a lecture .",
        "full of sweetly sardonic observations , the docu-comedy is one of the funniest movies of the year .",
        "chris rock 's MOV is one of those rare documentaries that works on two seemingly incongruous levels at once : it 's both social commentary and pure delight .",
        "rock is not only funny , he 's an affable and intelligent host in a documentary that is accessible , breezy and highly informative .",
        "one of the best movies of the year seems to be lost in the halloween-time shuffle .",
        "it 's an inside look at an offbeat , under-examined corner of american life -- one of the things that documentaries do best , and MOV does it well .",
        "despite the padding , there 's enough interesting sociological digging here -- not to mention the easygoing presence of comic chris rock -- to keep us entertained and even enlightened .",
        "MOV ... uncovers a multibillion dollar industry relying on misinformation , misrepresentation , and misguided personal opinions about fashion to maintain its beauty salon stronghold .",
        "hair-larious !",
        "the `` girlfriend , ya got ta see this movie ! '' of the year for an entertaining and provocative tour of some of the permutations of african-american women with their hair .",
        "MOV stands as an informative and entertaining documentary , and one that 's pulled off with no small measure of style .",
        "educates more than it entertains , even though there 's plenty of colorful subjects -lrb- chris -rrb- rock could have gently lampooned .",
        "provocative and funny at the same time ... a window into a world most white people -lrb- or most people in general -rrb- know nothing about , one that is not quite what it seems to be .",
        "part of the fun here is the way our narrator gets at complicated questions in his characteristically glib way . ... -lsb- but -rsb- real answers will have to be teased out elsewhere . MOV is n't selling anything but a good time .",
        "MOV is certainly no arid anthropological study . rock 's queries are loose and quippy , but his instincts are as sharp as an investigative journalist 's .",
        "superficial doc .",
        "some of this , a lot of this , is preaching to the choir . but it 's still pretty compelling no matter what perspective you 're coming from .",
        "scattered as it sometimes seems , MOV is a real eye-opener ...",
        "should be seen by everyone , especially mothers and daughters , to remind us that all hair is MOV and that beauty is more about how we feel than how we look .",
        "though its production values are on the low side and it flounders a little as it bounces from hollywood to india , overall it 's a fascinating , energetic and enlightening film that 'll ensure you 'll never look at hair the same way again .",
        "rock imparts a comical look at the desire to keep the natural state of black hair a distant memory . funny stuff , though a few nuggets of information he stumbles upon introduce a semi-horror film element to the documentary .",
        "MOV is a film that will make your head itch to know more .",
        "chris rock 's deeply funny and very serious documentary about the african-american obsession with straightened tresses .",
        "-lsb- rock -rsb- conveys a lot of information , but also some unfortunate opinions and misleading facts . that does n't mean the movie is n't warm , funny and entertaining .",
        "funny , fascinating docu explores african-american culture .",
        "a wonderfully insightful and entertaining , yet remarkably serious , documentary about african american hair culture .",
        "an amusing , poignant and surprisingly candid look at the topic with a disarming rock coaxing answers and opinions from an eclectic cross section of african americans .",
        "in chronicling the permutations of black hair , the filmmaker ends up making a breezy statement on the universality of narcissism .",
        "... a surprisingly in-depth documentary in which a niche subject - black women 's hair - turns out to touch upon all type of societal issues from self-esteem and ideals of beauty to economics to sexual intimacy .",
        "quite brilliantly , rock skillfully peeled back archaic layers , opening up a dialogue that could 've been volatile . his natural talent made the doc hilarious and thought-provoking , rising above race and gender .",
        "a generally superb model of how to make a pop documentary",
        "a funny , head-scratching doc with a few loose ends .",
        "rock takes his MOV job as a documentarian seriously enough to be interesting , but not so seriously that the film groans with earnestness .",
        "it 's funny , clever and marginally educational . you can tell your friends you went to a documentary without having felt as if you saw one .",
        "whatever rock 's impetus for exploring the wallet-busting , day-consuming , sometimes chemically dangerous desire of black women to achieve european hair , he 's never wanting for laughter .",
        "it 's rich food for thought , though you wonder why little attention is given to the idea that perhaps some women relax their hair because it 's easier to style that way , or that elaborate attention to hair is hardly exclusive to black women .",
        "in the end , all we 're sure of is that vanity makes people do idiotic things .",
        "hair is personal . it 's also political .",
        "rock sheds new light on this old story through a poignant mix of interviews , investigation and his trademark satire .",
        "... subject is interesting , -lsb- the -rsb- treatment is entertaining , and the movie has thoughtful things to say ...",
        "`` MOV '' rocks ! one of the year 's best documentaries .",
        "the result is a pop documentary in the morgan spurlock mode , cheeky and smart without being too serious .",
        "a stylishly-edited , often amusing and funny documentary that 's too euphemistic and poorly synthesized to be truly enlightening or revelatory .",
        "rock 's impressive multitasking pays off in a lively and entertaining documentary about the styling conventions , beauty-product companies and flamboyant hairdressers that make up african-american hair culture .",
        "morgan spurlock , look lively . sacha baron cohen , watch your back . chris rock 's bright , wisecracking expos\u0103 -lrb- c -rrb- MOV is the mane event .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if you arrive at MOV never having thought about the complexities of black hair , bring a notebook . if you are a black woman wearing a weave , bring a tissue .",
        "it 's more tv special material that theatrical release . but thanks to rock 's laid-back humour , MOV is also good entertainment .",
        "... an amiable and mostly funny spotlight on a part of black culture ...",
        "mr. rock and mr. stilson do n't beat you up with a tiresome polemic a-la michael moore . never does he put himself at the center of the film , condescend to the audience , or insult his interview subjects regardless of their views ...",
        "parental content review",
        "who would have thought that chris rock would make one of the best documentaries of 2009 ?",
        "the film succeeds as a vehicle for rock 's personality .",
        "chris rock hosts this exploration into hair issues in the african-american community , talking to celebrities , experts and hairdressers . what 's surprising is that this is such a big issue , although the film is n't much more than entertaining fluff .",
        "all christopher guest-allusions aside , this is a crucial documentary about race and gender today .",
        "though rock 's affable nature and probing comic instincts ensure the tone is always light and jocular , his discoveries are sometimes jaw-dropping ...",
        "it 's an eye-opener , if a blatantly chauvinistic one : rock 's main beefs seem to be that men have to pay for it , and upkeep of such a coveted accessory is a barrier to intimacy in the bedroom .",
        "it 's just about sharp and funny enough to make you wish it was a bit sharper and funnier .",
        "this entertaining exploration of black hair issues will get your dander up .",
        "despite dozens of interviews and rock 's personal agenda , this is n't the hard-hitting expose it should have been .",
        "rock fronts this informative rummage through the $ 9 billion us black hair industry in a style much like his stand-up comedy : hilarious , insightful and charming enough to let him get away with the flammable stuff .",
        "i 've never been much of a chris rock fan , but i was riveted by the on-screen interviews he conducts with celebrities like nia long and al sharpton , as well as regular folk , to explore african-american women 's very complicated relationship with their hair .",
        "rock is our quick-witted empathetic guide in the film about black women 's hair , a topic you might think would be of interest only to black women . you 'd be wrong .",
        "spirited , probing and frequently hilarious , it coasts on the fearless charm of its front man and the eye-opening candor of its interviewees .",
        "this movie just does take what seems like a kind of a superficial topic and really does go into it with great depth .",
        "rock and his director jeff stilson have clearly touched a nerve that was ready to blow ."],
    "summary": "funny , informative , and occasionally sad , MOV is a provocative look at the complex relationship between african americans and their hair .",
    "id": "770802637"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hidalgo",
    "reviews":
     [
        "every time someone opens his or her mouth , out comes something asinine .",
        "it 's a bit of an oddball story , but surely there was a less plodding way to elaborate on it .",
        "delivers great-looking people and animals and action to stir your most youthful blood .",
        "it 's not as if we have n't seen movies like MOV before -- the cowboy , the horse , the hat -- and yet there 's something fresh about it all the same .",
        "although MOV is frequently exciting and has been handsomely produced on a grand scale , you ca n't help but wonder what either spielberg or cameron could have done with this material .",
        "a rousing popcorn adventure , old-fashioned and rather innocent .",
        "it 's an extremely handsome movie , and it has an abiding love of horses .",
        "`` MOV '' is a barely entertaining movie ; what it does best is prove that viggo mortensen has legs",
        "suffers from weird shifts in tone , offensively outdated stereotypes , a cumbersome subplot -- and a supposedly fact-based story that bears only a nodding acquaintance with reality .",
        "it 's a flaccid affair , a movie that could stand to lose about 30 minutes right off the top .",
        "MOV 's often-sweeping vistas of a foreign land commingle with the beauty of its star , viggo mortensen , to deliver an interesting , multi-genre yarn .",
        "total cheese .",
        "if you 're in the right mood , this can be diverting , partly because viggo mortensen is ideally cast as MOV 's owner .",
        "falls far short of the epic grandeur to which it so obviously aspires because it ca n't shut up .",
        "opulent , overlong and uneven .",
        "too hokey and predictable .",
        "feels like an old-fashioned western , but not in a good way .",
        "the touches of shocking physicality impart a genuine sense of consequence to a potentially trivial horse opera .",
        "this primitively plotted family action adventure is one of the few movies that seem to be making up their plots as they go along .",
        "... will probably be good for the kiddos who see that there 's a ` horsey ' movie playing at the cineplex , but for any adults wanting a sweeping epic , look elsewhere .",
        "the action is often gorgeous , but the screenplay is a collection of clich\u00e9s , and mortensen 's performance hits one note at the beginning and stays with it for the whole movie .",
        "all the characters ... are either saints or devils , with no attempt to explain why any of them behave the way they do .",
        "a big , beautiful film that 's thoroughly enjoyable even if it never tries to be meaningful .",
        "an exciting , colorful and very appealing movie .",
        "slow , plodding and arduous , though spiked with occasional hiccups of excitement .",
        "it is pure popcorn fun , whether there is a grain of truth in the story , or if it is merely an entertaining western tall tale .",
        "an entertaining western adventure that radiates simplicity .",
        "it 's a widescreen saturday matinee movie gloriously resurrected .",
        "the picture plays out with the robust character of the old flash gordon movies .",
        "the stereotypes and blatant propaganda would n't irritate so much if the action itself was n't so relentlessly dreary -- a desert of imagination , parched of original ideas .",
        "an adventure that never met a cliche it could n't saddle , mount and ride for a butt-numbing two hours and sixteen minutes .",
        "completely lacks the nobility , statue , and credibility due such an amazing story , even if it is an old man 's folly .",
        "certainly has its problems , but they 're outweighed by the simple pleasures of a picture that takes its cue equally from old-fashioned adventures like gunga din and newfangled ones like the mummy .",
        "fans of viggo mortensen 's performance as aragorn in the lord of the rings will find at least one thing to like about MOV : the movie 's a veritable viggo-a-go-go .",
        "like last year 's seabiscuit , the movie spends too much time harping on ancillary bustle , and not enough watching the title character put his hoofs to work .",
        "an entertaining but far-short - of-epic popcorn romp that 's equal parts indiana jones and the last samurai .",
        "dances with seabiscuit of arabia ... of the rings",
        "mortensen attempts to channel the ghost of clint eastwood westerns past .",
        "a thrilling race with cartoon contestants .",
        "the hero feels old poop to find out how far behind he is . he steals water from evil military guys , but ... the sandstorm turns his water to mud.these are all intriguing elements .",
        "a rousing if occasionally overwrought adventure saga that plays like a cinematic buffet table , piled high with seabiscuit , bite the bullet , lawrence of arabia , the last samurai and the black stallion .",
        "the events of hildago are so far-fetched you wonder why the filmmakers maintain the pretense this story was based on fact .",
        "an intermittently savory stew of pecos bill , laurence of arabia , and spirit : stallion of the cimarron .",
        "one horse movie that 's just lame . and that 's straight from the horse 's mouth .",
        "there is a lot for the eyes , but not enough for the heart .",
        "hokey though it is , with a horse-hugger ending thrown in to boot , MOV has a sweet-natured appeal that welcomes sentiment without overdoing it .",
        "as sheer popcorn-munching fun , it 's an often-rousing action-adventure that confirms mortensen as a star .",
        "MOV could have been a real eye-roller in the hands of a director of less sincerity and dexterity , but in johnston 's hands it 's crowd-pleasing gold .",
        "mortensen does an exquisite job of revealing just enough of the bottled-up angst to make us aware of the internal turmoil his character battles .",
        "... why were n't the disney folks content simply to tell a good story ? could it have been because they knew they did n't have a very good story ?",
        "the film 's most harrowing scenes are predictable and utterly unoriginal .",
        "... the movie is best when mortensen keeps it on the level of a genial , saturday-afternoon serial .",
        "the event around which the movie revolves is a desert mirage , since there is no record of any such race ever being staged . nonetheless , those able to ignore this outrageous historical distortion might enjoy this triumph of an underdog aganst the odds .",
        "even if the story were true , the film 's events have been fictionalized beyond belief .",
        "whether or not the events depicted really happened to hopkins , it 's still a damn fun story .",
        "formulaic , overly simple , too violent for tweens .",
        "fitfully entertaining hokum as long as it is n't taken too seriously ... remarkably , disney does n't whitewash the more politically incorrect elements of hopkins ' tale .",
        "this is grand cowboy fun , a wild adventure with a glorious sense of excitement and wonder .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- so careful about being inoffensive that it never has the guts to suggest much of anything except ` be nice to others and especially to horses . '",
        "will MOV survive the brutal desert to demand more creative control over his next film ?",
        "starts like last samurai , looks like mummy , and ends a la seabiscuit ; gorgeous-looking hokey horsey drama high on ambition but low on plausibility despite its true-life tale .",
        "far too tolerant of cliches and too seduced by its own special effects and battle scenes .",
        "a horse is a horse , but MOV is a legend . the movie almost lives up to his name . it 's just too much of the same thing , it becomes a test of endurance for the audience .",
        "an old fashioned grade b action pic at heart , MOV tries too hard to be an important epic .",
        "a popcorn movie of unexpected depth and a rare blockbuster that wo n't cause much eye-rolling when it does cash in .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- s grand as old hollywood and as fun and as breathtaking and as touching as anything you 'll see at the movies today ...",
        "MOV is like the desert itself -- long stretches of boredom occasionally interrupted by brief oases of frenzied activity .",
        "like frankenstein 's monster , stitched together from parts of so many great movies that director joe johnston wishes this overstuffed movie could be .",
        "can viggo mortensen carry a movie the way his trusty steed MOV carries him across the desert ? you betcha , partner .",
        "mortensen ... carries himself like gary cooper here , radiating earthy charm and easy humor , as well as a quiet determination .",
        "so long as he 's on the horse the movie works , but whenever he dismounts so does the story .",
        "long on adventure and short on logic , but kudos must be given to the filmmakers for making a horse movie that really celebrates the horse .",
        "never quite settles into its paces .",
        "MOV is the sort of old-fashioned popcorn entertainment that has become increasingly rare on the current movie scene .",
        "bogs down in its midsection with a needless kidnapping subplot that ultimately becomes quite tedious .",
        "a fun/schmaltzy action adventure disney flick .",
        "it 's hard these days to associate viggo mortensen with words like ` adequate , ' ` competent , ' or ` workmanlike . '",
        "why am i so surprised that a movie about a grueling endurance race takes so long to reach its own finish line ?",
        "a facile tall tale of race and a race made by disney in decline .",
        "leave it to hollywood to turn an amazing true story about courage and self-redemption into a shameless action extravaganza .",
        "popcorn for us and oats for the horses , delivered by the tall drink of water that is mortensen .",
        "chose certaine , apr\u010ds le film , vous aurez aussi l'impression d'avoir parcouru chacun ... des ... 3000 ... p\u00e9nibles ... miles de cette suppos\u00e9 course ...",
        "viggo mortensen nails the archetypal cowboy .",
        "mortensen 's charisma ca n't tame MOV 's runaway plot",
        "this is the film seabiscuit should have been .",
        "a hybrid of both traditional and revisionist contradictions .",
        "the visual effects are almost seamlessly integrated and very effective , especially in the claustrophobic brutality of the dust storm sequence . it 's brief , but terrifying .",
        "... filled with cliches .",
        "rarely has a horse race movie been so lethargic .",
        "MOV '' only stumbles when it tries to be something its not -lrb- an indiana jones type of action film -rrb- .",
        "it 's a manqu\u00e9 of a rousing adventure tale and not the real thing . you 're constantly aware of the gulf between how the movie wants to excite you and the halfhearted execution .",
        "it could have been a good adventure story . disney should have stuck to hopkins 's story whether it was true or not .",
        "horses ca n't act .",
        "sidesteps most of the pitfalls of the genre while delivering thrilling action , vivid characters and a memorable story .",
        "the screen language of MOV invites nostalgia for adventure films without satisfying it .",
        "at its most effective when it distills everything down to the love story between a man and his horse",
        "entertaining , although it suffers from uneven pacing , one tangential and overlong plot development near the climax , and several mediocre process shots .",
        "memories of movies past trot through MOV , but with all the substance of a mirage ... mortensen plays hopkins , a cross between the marlboro man and indiana jones .",
        "`` MOV '' does n't even come close to `` seabiscuit . ''",
        "you know exactly where the story 's going , and you know exactly what frank 's going to do in any given situation , though i admit he generally does it with panache .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- n spite of the scenic desert vistas , this is a cliche-ridden film about the feisty upstart who beats the establishment .",
        "it 's certainly not an embarrassment to anyone , but it 's the sort of cinema that evaporates from your mind - like a mirage - when you walk out of the theatre .",
        "bogs itself down with overplotting and a languid pace .",
        "one rousing , if rote , adventure .",
        "... for those who do n't mind a bit -- well , more than a bit -- of cheerfully preposterous hokum , MOV offers a rip-snortin ' , sporadically diverting ride .",
        "lawrence this ai n't ; not by a long shot , and certainly not by a dromedary 's nose hair .",
        "limited by one-dimensional , even stereotypical characters and a predictable and drawn-out plot .",
        "mortensen 's charisma makes hopkins ' ` aw-shucks , ma'am ' mannerisms surprisingly palatable , but he 's still in constant danger of losing the spotlight to the personable MOV .",
        "whether it 's true or not has little to do with whether it works as a movie , and overall it does , thanks to mortensen 's slightly hesitant charm ... and some dazzling visual work from director of photography shelley johnson .",
        "... essentially seabiscuit minus the cheering crowds",
        "if you are in the mood for an old-fashioned adventure in exotic locales with magnificent equines and lots of familiar action , then this may be the movie for you .",
        "overwrought , overacted , overlong .",
        "an enjoyable ride , as long as you do n't take it seriously .",
        "capitulates to weak dialogue , poor pacing , and a half-hearted performance from mumbler viggo mortensen , leaving it to be remembered more for a few scenes than as a total film",
        "had it not been pg-13 , this would be classic disney-brand entertainment .",
        "i know seabiscuit . seabiscuit was a friend of mine . MOV is no seabiscuit .",
        "a big old chunk of horse poop .",
        "director joe johnston ... screenwriter john fusco ... and god knows who else have packed it with clumsy endorsements of america 's current adventures in the middle east .",
        "worth seeing just for sharif , too long gone from the screen .",
        "true or supersized to legendary proportions , the story is n't especially well-told , and it 's definitely void of nuance and depth .",
        "bold , exuberant and swashbuckling , it has the purity and simplicity of something douglas fairbanks or errol flynn might have bounded through .",
        "it takes a thoroughbred star like mortensen to make the bond between man and horses believable , and to keep MOV from straying too far into fields of corn .",
        "little more than a subpar rip-off of the indy films with some mild -lsb- david -rsb- lean flavoring .",
        "even considering its derivative nature , MOV offers adventure , exotic locations , magnificent horses , a love story and heroics at every turn and that 's what great matinee-style entertainment is all about .",
        "johnston definitely does justice to the moroccan desert vistas . just remember to bring some cold bottled water .",
        "intermittently entertaining slog .",
        "even when it stretches credibility to the breaking point , MOV is a larger-than-life adventure with a brisk pace and a charismatic star .",
        "an excruciatingly long 133 minute rough-cut with little truth and little meat between the bones",
        "the dunes flow but the narrative lurches in this based-on-fact tale striving for grandeur .",
        "like most movies about men and horses , MOV spares no expense in matters of corniness .",
        "the american western becomes a middle-eastern in this otherwise routine horse opera .",
        "i do n't object to ` MOV ' because it may fudge facts ... i object to it because they are used in the service of a story that is , frankly , quite boring .",
        "there is a fun , scruffy little b movie buried under the expensive packaging , and it surfaces just enough to make MOV a reasonably diverting popcorn event .",
        "a crowd-pleaser .",
        "this is a bigger-than-life , feel-good yarn with just enough dramatic charge to keep it from floating away .",
        "a popcorn film in every way , those who are already struck by mortensen 's charm and good looks will have a hard time saying neigh to MOV .",
        "if i bought tickets at arlington park and made a wager , the last thing i want to see is a jockey leave his mount to go rescue someone 's daughter",
        "if there 's one thing i learned from MOV , it 's that americans are better than arabs .",
        "`` lawrence of arabia '' locations , `` the mummy 's '' sandstorm , a rescue a la `` raiders of the lost ark , '' and a scrappy horse besting bigger thoroughbreds like `` seabiscuit . ''",
        "MOV is an old-fashioned adventure yarn that works well and will appeal to equine lovers ."],
    "summary": "the scenery looks great , but this overstuffed horse story contains too much cheese .",
    "id": "10229"
  },
  {
    "movie": "catwoman",
    "reviews":
     [
        "here 's a movie that has nothing going for it except good bone structure .",
        "maybe if MOV did n't take itself so seriously , the filmmakers might have been onto something .",
        "benjamin ` box office ebola ' bratt is in this movie . the last time ben was in a star vehicle it was julia roberts ' cadillac escalade .",
        "instead of basking in the considerable charms berry has to offer , the director , pitof ... treats them like accessories to the picture 's flashy , senseless cutting and overused special effects .",
        "overall , the performances of berry and stone are the only things one can sink their claws into here .",
        "utterly devoid of merit , fantastic or otherwise , a more exasperating descent into the feline world is difficult to imagine .",
        "MOV should be a fantasy fest enjoyed by every fetishist and dominatrix in the country .",
        "the worst superhero movie to date .",
        "goes on my ` worst ' list for the year , and quite possibly for all time .",
        "it 's a spiderman ripoff , where commerical artist is bitten by a radioactive ***** ... okay , breathed on by the egyptian cat goddess bescht . same damn thing !",
        "oops ! a costume catastrophe .",
        "this hilarious , sexy , exciting farce is instead so consistently surprising and dazzling that i 'm still not sure if it 's a good-bad movie or a good-good movie .",
        "having self confidence is one thing , but MOV commits burglaries and constantly assaults people , whether they deserve it or not .",
        "the summer that gave us what is arguably the best comic book movie of all time -- spider-man 2 -- has now choked up what is arguably the worst .",
        "much better than it had to be and a lot better than many internet critics , eager to hate it , wanted it to be .",
        "get out the kitty litter .",
        "MOV is dragged down by a paper-thin story , the predictable number of fight scenes executed at equally predictable intervals and stock , unmemorable characters .",
        "an odd , idiosyncratic movie -- dark in look and dark in spirit -- that plays as a kind of pop culture investigation into the meaning of feminism and the options open to women in the modern world .",
        "most respectable comic-book plots rely on a genius scientist gone insane , an alien invader or the like as villainous foil . in MOV , the bad guy is a cosmetics company .",
        "this film is just awful . a kitty cat-aclysm .",
        "this hairball on the soiled rug of the summer blockbuster schedule is gruesome enough to have been ejected from the esophagus of bill the cat ...",
        "watching claws being scraped against a chalkboard apparently is n't any more enjoyable than listening to it .",
        "MOV is almost unbelievably dumb .",
        "halle berry 's MOV is a dog . and no amount of tight black leather outfits , nauseating cgi effects and good-looking actors and actresses is going to change that .",
        "this MOV 's super power is dressing up halle berry in a sexy leather number and still leaving audiences snoozing .",
        "MOV is fully as terrible as you guessed it might be .",
        "MOV is n't really bad enough to be one of those awful movies we ca n't resist , nor is it incompetent enough to be the female daredevil .",
        "this wretched film is nothing but an excuse to show -lsb- halle berry -rsb- wearing that skimpy leather suit .",
        "so bad that i actually recommend you see it . it 's the movie you and your friends will rip on all summer long .",
        "there is nothing redeeming about this film .",
        "widely considered a terrible movie , but if you enjoy the camp genre , it 's a must-see . it is , in fact , camp on a catnip high .",
        "watching -lsb- halle berry -rsb- run around in that getup i felt embarrassed , the way i do for people who put on makeup before climbing a stairmaster -- it 's too much .",
        "-lsb- provides -rsb- a safety net for every person who ever directs a superhero movie for the rest of time : `` well , that completely sucked , but it was no MOV '' .",
        "a soulless amalgamation of quick edits , computer images and swooping , nausea-inducing dolly shots .",
        "from the looks of french director pitof 's poorly realized effort of bringing dc comics ' `` MOV to the big screen , it seems unlikely that a sequel for the feline superhero/villain .",
        "this movie is kitty litter .",
        "if cats , those snootiest of creatures , went to the movies , they would be appalled and mortified . what did they ever do to deserve having their good name and mannerisms dragged through such dingbat fluff as this ?",
        "a flashy but uninvolving batman spin-off -lrb- of sorts -rrb- with halle berry starring andone-named french talent pitof directing .",
        "relentlessly gaudy and in love with its pg-13 approximation of kink , MOV is essentially an excuse to pose berry in ever-skimpier outfits . it 's all too pre-fab to register as sexy , though , and even the fight scenes look like fashion shoots .",
        "another hundred million dollars down the drain .",
        "a dopey , confused production .",
        "swordfish ; gothika ; this howler . best actress winner halle berry is getting dangerously close to exhausting her nine hollywood lives .",
        "most of the movie has the cruddy lighting and generic , death-by-franchise atmosphere of a third-rate spectacle that 's been worked over by too many hacks .",
        "over-the-top and mostly preposterous , MOV just might be the mommie dearest of comic-book-based movies .",
        "a feline rehash of the spider-man origin story , with a whole lot more rump-shaking . -lrb- tomato squeaks by as edible . -rrb-",
        "this cat does n't purr .",
        "this plodding , by-the-numbers superhero flick has all the feline grace of a walleyed mastiff .",
        "feels as if it 's been pieced together from a dozen or so ally mcbeal parodies posing as hip-hop videos .",
        "it is just , for the most part , another run-of-the-mill craptacular destined to be forgotten in a couple of weeks ...",
        "another phony story of female empowerment .",
        "so much talent wasted . so much money squandered . so much opportunity missed .",
        "after gothika and now her turn in this MOV , it seems like berry 's career may be headed toward the litter box .",
        "the screenplay is flat and predictable , and bad dialogue prevails .",
        "plays like a lifetime movie on estrogen overdose , barely held together by a script that should have been tossed out with the kitty litter .",
        "as for the story , which details how meek , gentle patience philips -lrb- berry -rrb- came to be MOV , met a sexy detective -lrb- benjamin bratt -rrb- and defeated a skin cream empire , it goes down -lrb- and comes back up -rrb- like a hairball .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- laughable disaster .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- sloppy , dull , brain-dead waste of a movie .",
        "MOV mixes its messages , but it mixes them with style .",
        "the film drags at 91 minutes , filled with dead air that should be crackling with pulp energy .",
        "they had me at the random basketball scene .",
        "eww , it smells like cats in here . not that i do n't love cats , but i do n't want my supposed-to-be sleek and stylish comic-book movies reeking like that .",
        "if you 're a drag queen and loved `` showgirls , '' your newest source of inspiration has arrived . everyone else : skip it !",
        "MOV has nothing on its mind but random movement and the airing of every lipstick shade from revlon 's fall collection",
        "the latest comic book adaptation is marred by contrived plotting , self-indulgent direction , a campy vibe and a weak villain .",
        "the movie is deadening because it 's visually and aurally overdone in a lazy , scattershot manner .",
        "-lsb- the early -rsb- segments of the film are deadly dull , but once berry suits up , the movie enters mst3k territory and never looks back .",
        "when is a cat a dog ? when it 's MOV .",
        "the kind of movie that almost guarantees the loss of a few i.q. points .",
        "i 'd rather change a dirty litter box than think about this movie anymore .",
        "what 's not to love about a gal with a whip , stilettos , and sharp rhinestone claws ? guilty pleasure be thy name !",
        "it 's not nearly as awful as batman & robin , but it 's worse off than , say , steel . so you can see we 're in a fairly terrible area here .",
        "los fans del personaje se tendr\u00e1n que enfrentar -lrb- duramente -rrb- al hecho de que se trata de una versi\u00f3n - muy - libre que la aleja del todo de batman .",
        "the haphazardly cut-together action scenes have been ` enhanced ' with laughably bad digital effects ; you could find screen savers with better animation .",
        "tired and dated .",
        "law & order : feline investigations unit .",
        "yes , this is a movie about killer cosmetics . once you stop laughing at that , there 's much more nonsense to endure .",
        "when you have berry in a MOV costume and stone in a catsuit , and you ca n't even stage a decent catfight , why make a MOV movie at all ?",
        "if you like `` van helsing '' and `` the punisher , '' then you 'll enjoy this . MOV is worth seeing for its camp value and is better than it has any right to be .",
        "every odorous frame before and after -lsb- the ` outfit ' -rsb- can be safely consigned to the litter box .",
        "... makes me long for the quiet dignity of arnold schwarzenegger 's performance in ` batman and robin . '",
        "french director pitof exhibits an approach to filmmaking as one-dimensional and pretentious as his own name .",
        "hate is a strong word , but nowhere near fierce enough to describe the ear-steaming loathing MOV deserves .",
        "MOV does n't belong on the big screen . it belongs in the litter box or to be scraped off the bottom of our shoes as we head quickly for another theater .",
        "the complete absence of a distinct visual style robs MOV of its imagination and wonder . it looks and feels utterly flat , which is the kiss of death in this genre",
        "MOV is not necessarily the year 's worst movie , but it is 2004 's most pathetic .",
        "not beautifully bad so much as just plain terrible .",
        "this flick is so giglicious ... i laughed so much i almost forgave pitof for being in heat and spraying this cinematic violation all over dc 's trademark vixen",
        "-lsb- berry -rsb- is giving a performance much too earnest to have been intentionally campy , setting herself up as a veritable shoo-in for this year 's ` worst actress ' razzie . me-ouch !",
        "overtly bad -lrb- and unintentionally funny -rrb- enough to become a camp classic .",
        "me-ouch ! this is going to hurt halle berry 's reputation as a serious actress .",
        "an adolescent fantasy run amok that owes more to drummer peter criss than to julie newmar .",
        "this is barely a film -- it 's more like a music video-slash - tv-commercial - slash-computer game .",
        "halle is berry , berry sexy even if the script is less than purr-fect",
        "not even the sight of halle berry brandishing a whip while wearing a barely-there black leather catsuit is enough to excuse this campy exercise in bad filmmaking .",
        "cheesy special effects , under drawn characters , simplistic writing -lrb- by a committee of scribes -rrb- and music video direction will likely draw the attention-deficit crowd",
        "those looking for anything approximating a storyline along with their jigglefest will just have to keep dreaming .",
        "any way you look at it , MOV disappoints .",
        "this movie is not dark enough , campy enough or smart enough to succeed on any level .",
        "the showgirls of superhero movies .",
        "cartoonish effects and overacting make this more corn than catnip .",
        "there is n't an original bone in its body , but that is n't even the problem : no one in the production had any idea how to rip off better films with any degree of competence .",
        "MOV is destined not for a mystery science theater 3000 fate but for immortality as one of the subtlest , most thorough parodies i 've ever seen .",
        "halle berry is doing herself no favours with a screenplay so routine it seems to be trying to go unnoticed .",
        "MOV looks and feels like something culled together by a committee of greedy and inexperienced first-time producers . and horny 14-year-olds .",
        "you got ta be kidding me .",
        "exactly as awful as it was rumored to be .",
        "a milking of the mediocre but after this fall from grace , berry 's got eight career leaps to go .",
        "a thriller you would n't inflict on a laboratory rat .",
        "a profusion of typical comic book storyline clich\u00e9s we have all seen a thousand times before in other films .",
        "halle berry parece estar numa daquelas aulas de teatro em que o professor insiste para que os alunos finjam ser \u00e1rvores , nuvens ou bicicletas ergom\u00e9tricas .",
        "gratuitous action , ill-defined characters , goofy plot . and moments when it 's great fun .",
        "badly directed , horribly scripted , dismal mess of a film that is every bit as bad as you 've heard . poor , poor halle berry .",
        "this is only worth seeing if you can handle shallow characters and dull , plastic action scenes for the sake of unintentional laughs .",
        "for about 40 minutes MOV is campy , trashy and fun . then it 's just trash : dull and depressingly empty .",
        "... does n't quite cut it as the escapist comic caper ... this tepid and tired movie has all the appeal of a box of stale tender vittles",
        "if one good thing can come out of this film , it 's that this should provide an everlasting blueprint for what not to do with a comic book film .",
        "big-budget cheesiness built around the idea of getting halle berry into a sexy outfit",
        "you 'd never know berry is an oscar-winning actress -- her performance as patience is downright amateurish .",
        "seems destined to join showgirls and its ilk as a fast-starting and even faster-fading theatrical release that could enjoy an afterlife as a midnight movie and video/dvd item where viewers supply alternate dialogue .",
        "the movie suffers from the opposite of a syndrome affecting most comic-book spin-offs .",
        "the result may appeal to berry 's fans but is MOV in name only .",
        "the stench of the litter pan is all over this big-screen $ 90 million disaster-in-waiting .",
        "if things begin to go south for the actress careerwise , berry can use MOV as an audition reel to land a part in a road company of cats .",
        "MOV is stillborn in this resurrection , no matter how sweet the berry .",
        "a sloppy , schlocky piece of work .",
        "not everybody will be able to swallow its heady romanticism , yet its french director , pitof , has brought sophistication to a comic book sensibility .",
        "i 've never cared much for cats anyway , but this clinches it . next time i see one , i 'm going to kick it into the river .",
        "MOV meows , purrs , and hisses , but mostly just sucks .",
        "french visual-fx expert pitof directs , so the overuse of cgi is understandable , though even that ca n't conceal the insipid plot or berry 's ham-fisted performance .",
        "... a monumental waste of your time to see .",
        "so much emphasis is put on style and coolness that good , honest storytelling goes down the drain .",
        "if movies were kitty litter , MOV would be the kind that does n't absorb very well and fails to clump . and it would be stinky . really , really stinky .",
        "as i said , i know most people do n't like this flick , but i think it is worth at least catching the matinee .",
        "touches on feminist ideals that are all but contradicted by a pair of skimpy leather pants .",
        "obviously , no one involved in this disaster cares anything at all about MOV .",
        "another story of female empowerment written and directed by guys who think `` empowerment '' gives a woman the courage to shop from a fetish catalogue .",
        "it 's really painful to watch .",
        "dump it off at the dumb friends league",
        "it 's painful .",
        "its over-edited style smacks of panic , the cgi cat woman is plainly not real , and the broadside it fires at the beauty industry is only limp at best .",
        "MOV is worse than bad -- it 's boring . so boring it 's not even laughable .",
        "bereft of excitement and with action scenes similar to those we 've seen a dozen times before , this is a very poor effort indeed .",
        "not as over-the-top as you might hope , but also not as bad . daft and moderately entertaining .",
        "halle berry is a lovely woman with charisma to burn and definite acting ability -- but even the best actors sometimes need to be told when they 're making fools of themselves .",
        "a lumpy , unexciting mel\u00e9e , as satisfying as a bowl of sour milk .",
        "poor special effects -lrb- with weak echoes of better superhero outings such as spider-man -rrb- and an uneven central performance contribute to what was one of the flop blockbusters of 2004 .",
        "MOV 's director , a visual-effects specialist named pitof , is not contained by the rules of filmmaking . scenes that make sense ? nonsense . characters with inner lives ? utterly passe .",
        "the screenplay 's a hodgepodge of witchcraft , ancient egyptian lore , pulp feminism , and a dash of s&m .",
        "spayed and declawed update of the oft-told dc comics tale .",
        "halle just hacked a hairball all over the summer boxoffice . and it ai n't pretty .",
        "berry , bodacious bod on constant display in a variety of odd contortions , moves as though she were choreographed by a low-rent version of bob fosse",
        "worst of all is how it never defines MOV - is she fighting for good and balancing that with cattish outbursts of bad , or just looking for an open can of tuna ?",
        "despite its feline pretensions , MOV belongs to another animal family -- it 's either a dog or a turkey . take your pick .",
        "a cynical and taxing trip through a thoroughly artificial world of obnoxious action , empowerment cliches , r&b cross-marketing and teeth-gnashing asides .",
        "pure catnip for people who are partial to campy , stylish chick-flicks ...",
        "entertaining , if not the cat 's meow .",
        "directed by a frenchman with the single , not uncatlike name of pitof , MOV is a howlingly silly , moderately diverting exercise in high , pointless style .",
        "she can do everything a spider-man can , but worse . much , much , much , much worse .",
        "i 'm pretty sure an actual cat could have made a better film .",
        "if you 're going to junk the character , then why not just flip through a dictionary and pick a new animal altogether -- say , aardvarkwoman , or buffalogal ?",
        "you 're left with flashes of mis-spent promise : the feline mysticism ; the cosmetics-industry intrigue ; the idea of electrocuting lambert wilson 's unctious corporate cad .",
        "one life down , eight to go .",
        "hide this MOV on a hot tin roof -- or anywhere else no one is likely to see it .",
        "rated nfd -lrb- not for the discerning -rrb- .",
        "where is batman when you really need him ?",
        "an almost unmitigated disaster , this major studio production with a major star in the lead -lrb- the oscar-winning halle berry -rrb- comes across like a direct-to-video production , complete with ultra lame computer-generated effects and clueless direction ...",
        "an avalanche of de-clawed idiocy .",
        "` claro ejemplo de la forma en que no se debe gastar el dinero en caprichos de productores a los que les importa un comino la inteligencia de la audiencia '",
        "it 's bad enough that not only are careers over , but somebody should be slapped .",
        "... a repeat viewing of spider-man 2 would undoubtedly be a better idea ...",
        "MOV is not destined to have nine lives .",
        "putting halle berry in a tight leather suit is a good idea . the rest of the movie is not .",
        "less like a comic-book movie than a feature-length s&m video ... let 's just hope warner bros. gets this feline spayed to prevent a sequel .",
        "MOV has all the appeal of a hairball .",
        "wildly entertaining -- but for all the wrong reasons .",
        "campy , smart-and-dumb fun .",
        "a purr-fectly ridiculous and boring cat-astrophe .",
        "a movie needs more than a few sexual innuendos and throaty purrs to keep us from taking a catnap .",
        "it 's not even campy enough for a good laugh .",
        "the cinematic equivalent of a cat box .",
        "i was pleasantly surprised with this new outing for halle berry .",
        "if halle berry keeps this up , she 's going to have to give that oscar back .",
        "a clawless cross-breed of comic book movie cliches .",
        "she stands on ledges , peering at all the buildings , or at the moon ... she might be hoping one of those places holds a better script .",
        "the story is n't bad , but the script -lrb- for which three people get credit , john brancato & michael ferris and john rogers , always a bad sign -rrb- is occasionally bromidic .",
        "if ` the star has a great rack ! ' is the best one can say for a movie , it better be a porno .",
        "tries to be funny , tries to be s&m . directed by a guy called pitof . me-owwww !",
        "silly but not-nearly-campy-enough .",
        "no other MOV has looked so good in a cat suit . beyond that , the whole affair is pretty dumb , even by the goofy standards of superhero flicks .",
        "the least i was hoping for was something so bad it would entertain me on a whole different level . i was disappointed on both accounts .",
        "the main question to ask is why did we need this project ?",
        "arguably the worst superhero film ever made .",
        "the cosmetics at the plot 's centre do at least serve as a convenient metaphor for everything which is wrong with this shallow , superficial film .",
        "and what would the film be without its performances ? better .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "halle berry is the lone bright spot , but even she ca n't save this laughable action thriller .",
    "id": "10994"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ne_le_dis_a_personne",
    "reviews":
     [
        "slick , deliciously complex murder mystery .",
        "it feels like an american movie , dubbed in french ... or perhaps , better put , it feels like a bunch of french people trying to act like americans .",
        "a french thriller that teases the intellect , shocks the senses and is sometimes simply too suspenseful for comfort .",
        "these classy people are put to the trashiest ends , and , for the most part , it 's a pleasure to see them rooting around in the garbage .",
        "tell no one is a classic modern-hollywood thriller , a movie with a layered murder mystery , a frame-up , gangsters , conspiracies and one dazzling chase .",
        "tell no one feels like a novel , rich with character and incident , unafraid to demand attention from its audience while unspooling a twisting , suspenseful story .",
        "actually too clever by half , but also so skillfully played that it carries you breathlessly along for the duration .",
        "cluzet 's brooding performance propels the movie , and writer-director guillaume canet ... skillfully orchestrates the cascading revelations .",
        "a man wakes from unconsciousness to find his wife dead and himself the center of suspicion as strange forces and deadly assassins close in from all sides . so many twists and turns it would hard to encapsulate spoilers for this one .",
        "if hollywood has all but given up on making clever genre exercises for adults , let 's be grateful that a few filmmakers from across the pond have n't",
        "tell no one is an intricate puzzle for a summer evening ; a thriller with a rare touch of bittersweet romance .",
        "for all of its insanity of supposition , familial discord and the often-explored theme of the corrupt nature of the rich , tell no one is something rare and original .",
        "a story of upended love with a mystery that exerts its power till the very end .",
        "canny , refreshingly emotional and intuitive thriller .",
        "the story becomes so convoluted and contrived -lrb- pursued by police , alex just happens to run into a patient 's father , who owes the doctor a big favor -rrb- that much of the tension dissipates .",
        "`` more twists than a barrel of pretzels '' ? take that barrel and put it through the zigzag of a taffy-pulling machine and those results might be able to straighten out the labyrinth of circumstances in tell no one .",
        "i think it 's one of the best movies of the year .",
        "a thriller with no missteps .",
        "tell no one maintains a rewarding balance of genuine emotion and high-tension entertainment . see it and tell everyone .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "tell no one darts its way past all the improbabilities and clich\u0103 -lrb- c -rrb- s that weigh down most mysteries , shooting toward a conclusion that 's both endearingly old-fashioned and satisfying .",
        "blending the hard-boiled and the innocent with a sly dexterity , this is a riveting piece of filmmaking that never relies on the obvious or the clich\u00e9",
        "an over-plotted , 2 hour crime caper offering those blessed with patience a denouement well worth the wait .",
        "thriller , love story , whodunit ; an unwieldy trio made whole by an up-and-coming mastermind .",
        "i have n't enjoyed so much pleasurably intrigue-laden suspense in ages , and it is charismatically acted , too .",
        "under the direction of guillaume canet , who adapted harlan coben 's english-language best seller with philippe lefebvre , this is a splendid ensemble doing its level best to keep the audience guessing all the way through an increasingly knotty narrative .",
        "a terrific mystery , equal parts haunting love story and nimble thriller .",
        "there will be times you think it 's too perplexing , when you 're sure you 're witnessing loose ends . it has been devised that way , and the director knows what he 's doing . even when it 's baffling , it 's never boring .",
        "the sometimes confused story % u2013 with so many players , a who 's who checklist is needed to keep things clear % u2013 is aided with the oft-thrilling chases that punctuate the film .",
        "now that i have let it settle in my head for a few days , i have come to sort of embrace it after all , not despite the lunacy of its plot but because of it .",
        "it attempts no improvements on the basic suspense formula . it just does everything really well : perfect pacing , lovely camera work , spot-on acting and an ingenious plot .",
        "hardly anyone can make good old american suspense thriller like the french .",
        "a sharp , efficient package .",
        "although it might make your head spin , this case of vertigo in cyberspace keeps us spellbound .",
        "canet has a good feeling for lowlife atmosphere and he works up a few fine hitchcockian twirls .",
        "by and large , tell no one is more interested in telling a knotty story than pondering its meaning , but in those rare deeper moments , canet evokes how a tragedy can gather around a man and linger there , like a cloud of gnats .",
        "easily one of the best films of the year .",
        "initially complex , the piece 's grip loosens with the introduction of a transparent villain , but it remains an entertaining thriller bolstered by cluzet 's appropriately angst-driven performance .",
        "tell no one has shades of hitchcock 's vertigo -- and not to its detriment . -lsb- an -rsb- extremely gripping and fascinating suspense film .",
        "canet has covered his bases with enough swooping camerawork , narrative smoke-and-mirrors , and quick-sketched supporting characters for a dozen thrillers",
        "this twisty yarn is meant to leave you as discombobulated as its hero , an innocent man on the run from cops , thugs and killers . hitchcock would have liked seeing him squirm .",
        "while it 's hardly a great film , tell no one is the rare convoluted thriller that actually makes you want to keep up with its far-fetched twists and turns .",
        "until an exposition flood so mammoth it has cresting waves , `` tell no one '' is as eloquent as it is intricate - a superior depiction of crime , corruption , shame and secrecy . a french-language `` fugitive '' with wind-sprint intensity and immediacy .",
        "this superbly acted and directed french thriller is eerie and suspenseful . but it 's convoluted , complicated storytelling with an abrupt , anti-climactic resolution .",
        "this twisty thriller nicely avoids hollywood formulae , keeping us gripped to the complicated story and characters",
        "among the movie\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s many delights are the fluctuating rhythms of its pacing , an atmospheric volatility that sets off the doctor\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s blooming paranoia against his sunlit , leafy surroundings , and a terrific cast .",
        "hot-blooded , haunting and packed with the pleasures of the unexpected .",
        "a crackerjack thriller . a stylish and riveting nail-biter that holds us in its spell from start to finish .",
        "the film delivers the requisite twists and turns , along with car chases , gun fights and soup\u00e7on of thug life , paris style .",
        "guillaume canet 's delicious contemporary thriller tell no one is vertigo meets the fugitive by way of the big sleep . that is meant as high praise .",
        "all the clues make sense when pieced together -- but only on the surface .",
        "a classy and sophisticated french murder mystery that is well-acted .",
        "tell everyone about tell no one . not just because this is a top-notch thriller so twisty you may forget to breathe , but because for a long time it looked like you would n't be able to tell anyone at all .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he best movie i 've seen this year .",
        "overpacked ... technically proficient and will be sure to delight mystery fans , but despite cluzet 's centering performance , the film moves too fast to engage with the lives at stake .",
        "hitchcock 's `` wrong man '' scenario gets an invigorating french update in tell no one , a long-winded but gripping thriller based on american author harlan coben 's bestseller .",
        "you 'll leave wondering why hollywood ca n't seem to make a romantic thriller so simply satisfying .",
        "thrillers are n't always so thrilling , but tell no one is -- and absorbing , sometimes perplexing and often stirring as well .",
        "never comes to grips with its standard-issue plot mechanics , delivering neither the icy thriller that its cool detachment edges towards , nor the pulse-quickening potboiler that its story would seem to demand .",
        "this hollywood-level suspense thriller never goes where you expect it to go , but often gets bogged down in over-exposition as the plot thickens ... and thicken ... and thickens ...",
        "even when tell no one 's story gets a bit too convoluted for its own good , the cinematography , the acting and especially the action will keep you glued to the screen .",
        "this smash-hit french thriller starts slowly -- and builds into a sharp action flick , though an overload of plot twists threatens to bog things down midway through .",
        "we know the material is artificially -- even deviously -- constructed , and we enjoy being manipulated by people who know what they 're doing . but it 's cluzet 's intense performance that makes this genre piece a heart-wrenching experience .",
        "an intricate , intelligent , and very watchable thriller .",
        "in short , tell no one is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller with a cracking plot , superb performances and exciting action sequences . how come hollywood ca n't make thrillers this good anymore ? highly recommended .",
        "... a superb and entertaining thriller .",
        "... a top-drawer thriller ...",
        "a gem of a thriller , the best film i 've seen this year , by far .",
        "a delicious outpouring of upper-crust malevolence , hovering cynicism and ever-deepening ambivalence that zigzags dizzyingly among its many characters , locations and plot turns .",
        "an ingenious puzzle driven by the need to recover the central emotional connection of one 's life . the author and the auteur captivate the mind with a firm grip on that theme .",
        "thanks to the style in which -lsb- director canet -rsb- carries off every unlikely twist , it 's a lot of fun all the way to to the decidedly creaky denouement .",
        "it becomes an intriguing game of chess with each of the players making moves we ca n't always follow but in which we 're always interested . it 's a murder mystery , but the murder -lrb- indeed , murders -rrb- is not what it seems .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a thriller in which all of this information makes sense , falling into place as pieces of a coherent puzzle .",
        "tell no one retains all the slick dynamism and tension of a classic hollywood thriller without ever seeming anything but french .",
        "christophe offenstein 's fluid camera tracks the action well enough , but any pretence to subtlety or sophistication seems lost in translation .",
        "the supporting cast of nathalie baye , kristin scott thomas and francois berl\u00e9and supply gloss to the picture , though its plotting becomes so convoluted that tension drains away",
        "chopping back and forth in time , it 's dynamically shot but overreaches with a flurry of dramatic revelations .",
        "shot-through with emotional intensity , a muscular , brooding direction , and a plot that -lrb- just -rrb- stays on the right side of ludicrous .",
        "an array of gallic stars who fill small roles and know how to make the best of them .",
        "a gripping thriller , this deserves to cross over from the subtitled bracket into mainstream cinema .",
        "brilliant action set pieces .",
        "the supporting cast , including kristin scott thomas and nathalie baye , are strong . it 's a watchable thriller",
        "it 's exhausting but enthralling from start to finish . once you 've seen it i guarantee you 'll want to tell all your friends .",
        "this is one of the most intelligent , satisfying , beautifully plotted adrenalin boosts you 're ever likely to experience at the movies .",
        "as brisk as things become , clarity wins out , as the hand-held camerawork bourne for many a chase sequence has no place here .",
        "... the pleasures here are more visceral than cerebral or emotional . it 's really more of a thrill ride than the sort of art-house talkie you might expect",
        "an absorbing thriller , one that works its narrative complications over a genuinely moving emotional foundation and is spiked with just enough dark humor to keep it from becoming overly serious .",
        "the french thriller tell no one shows hollywood how to make a knotty mystery that 's both logical and deeply satisfying .",
        "a whodunit so nicely crafted that you 're tempted to forgive the byzantine plot -- hell , you 're even tempted to pretend you actually understand its twisting obscurities .",
        "a well-paced journey through knotty conspiracies and ever-shifting alliances , executed with great style and grace .",
        "tell no one is a thoroughly absorbing whodunit with more twists and switchbacks than the le mans racecourse .",
        "it 's a potboiler -- not groundbreaking or brilliant , but solidly entertaining .",
        "canet stages some breakneck chases , particularly one where alex crosses a busy freeway , and corrals an array of fascinating characters to populate this twisty but entirely logical plot .",
        "tell no one is good enough to warrant not only a long run in art houses , but considerable attention for a director who dared to tweak a hugely popular novel and made it work .",
        "tell no one , french director canet 's excellent adaptation of harlan coben 's bestselling novel , has everything a great personal-paranoia/persecution movie needs .",
        "a wonderfully entertaining , occasionally very funny , always involving thriller that never insults your intelligence .",
        "feels like an episode of the fugitive turned more darkly into the big sleep .",
        "it has a terrific setup that keeps us interested -lrb- it 's based on a well-regarded novel by harlan coben -rrb- , and there 's at least one really great , thrilling action scene that makes the whole thing watchable .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- engaging , well-acted french thriller based on a novel by american writer harlan coben .",
        "constructed like a calling card for hollywood employment , as when a montage of funeral and wedding memories is underscored with ` lilac wine ' by jeff buckley .",
        "sews us tightly into a story that not only challenges the brain but engages the heart .",
        "tell no one is a french action thriller and murder mystery that does n't cheat .",
        "a stylish , commercial , tautly paced thriller ."],
    "summary": "an intense , well-crafted thriller , tell no one is equal parts heart-pounding and heart-wrenching .",
    "id": "425745053"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fletch",
    "reviews":
     [
        "far too silly",
        "a snappy , inventive comedy with chevy chase .",
        "one of the more quotable comedies of the 1980s",
        "a lightweight , breezy experience that , by never pretending to be anything more than what it is , disarms criticism .",
        "moments of humor that still have legs today . and many moments that do n't .",
        "if you like chevy chase , you 'll like this movie . if not , it 's just a time killer .",
        "one of chase 's best",
        "whenever the move threatens to work , there 's chevy chase with his monotone , deadpan cynicism , distancing himself from the material .",
        "a quick , smart , slick piece of comedy filmmaking that features a once-great comedian at the very top of his game .",
        "this could be bob hope material c1942 and chase does acquit himself well -lrb- though with cool reserve -rrb- in the gags-to-plot transitions . what dulls the enterprise is that ritchie so keeps his distance from every character .",
        "michael ritchie 's 1985 mystery comedy has the pleasant , modest feel of a fox b picture from the 30s .",
        "twenty-two years later , i get all the jokes , but i remain only pleasantly amused , nothing more , nothing less",
        "a breezy , peppy frolic and a tour de force for chase .",
        "fast-paced and witty , this is chase 's best solo venture to date , and will hold almost anyone 's attention for its well-edited 98 minutes .",
        "what truly holds MOV together is n't the somewhat off-putting chase -- whose screen presence was always defined by a love-it-or-hate it smugness -- but his time-tested collaborators : screenwriter bergman ... and director michael ritchie ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it 's not all about wacky disguises and goofy aliases . at its core , the film is a top notch mystery thriller .",
        "a sparkling light comic mystery of the kind that hollywood does n't make anymore -- pity .",
        "one of chevy chase 's better comedies , which admittedly ai n't saying a whole lot .",
        "my favorite comedy of all time"],
    "summary": "quotably funny -- and fast-paced enough to smooth over the jokes that do n't land -- MOV is one of the best big-screen vehicles for chevy chase 's brand of smug silliness .",
    "id": "10276"
  },
  {
    "movie": "valiant",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as education by anthropomorphism goes , maus this ai n't .",
        "... serves its purpose as end-of-the-summer entertainment for the young ones ... it will likely be viewed once and forgotten in favor of other films with better repeat value .",
        "the slapdash construction and narrative inconsistencies , however , are n't nearly as damaging to this aerial adventure as the general mediocrity of its animation .",
        "a cornucopia of british character actors enliven this flashback to the war movies of yesteryear .",
        "a nice half hour documentary on the discovery channel would have sufficed quite nicely and been much more entertaining .",
        "people who liked the shrek flicks may actually try to prove their sophistication amongst themselves by rejecting this pale imitation of an embarrassing cultural artifact .",
        "modern kids wo n't get any of the world war ii references , and to be honest , the rest of the adventure is mediocre at best .",
        "will engage your little ones minimally while in the theaters but will leave them without any desire to get the dvd later in order to see it again .",
        "doomed by its script to a sort of tedious mediocrity , this pigeon 's as dead as a dodo .",
        "this movie 's aesthetics seem governed by its bottom line : the cg is on the rubbery side , and the backdrops are jarringly 2-d . but MOV is n't so hard to look at -- it 's hard to listen to .",
        "... this spunky little film does n't let the minor matter of a bland central character and a lackluster script get it down .",
        "an ok kids ' movie with a decent story",
        "a mildly engaging but thoroughly forgettable piece of work .",
        "vanguard animation anda volando bajo .",
        "not the finest hour-and-a-half of british animation .",
        "unoriginal , boring , and not all that cute .",
        "the film soon proves to be not only unfunny , but something worse : boring .",
        "a computer-animated movie from disney about the contributions of carrier pigeons in world war ii . good topic , fair animation , but the story quacks like a duck .",
        "where are the real fairy tales -- the ones without the relentless number of jokes aimed at grown-ups ?",
        "unfortunately , the dazzling colors and inspired vocal performances are n't enough to make the whole thing soar like an eagle .",
        "it 's a movie that will be good enough , but not memorable or worth seeing again -lrb- like a date with me -rrb- .",
        "so $ 40m will buy you a film good enough for cable ... well , that 's depressing .",
        "adults will be bored and irritated by this thin film .",
        "the movie dashes through its obstacle course plot run with all the refinement of a straight-to-video rescuers down under spin-off .",
        "strictly for the birds .",
        "MOV does the job of providing some suitable entertainment for youngsters but not much more .",
        "the depth of vocal talent squandered in ` MOV ' is staggering .",
        "` fall in , featherbrains ! ' it 's a funny , high-flying , family-friendly flick .",
        "MOV is sadly boring , and while its rote mechanics may function nominally on children , it 's going to be a long 76 minutes for the adults .",
        "no matter how hard the cgi animators try , the idea of ricky gervais as a bird is not as funny as the idea of ricky gervais as a human being .",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- xactly as cozily silly and as charmingly touching as you 'd expect from a nation that gives medals of valor to birds .",
        "too dependent on a knowledge of raf-inspired cinematic derring-do like ' 633 squadron ' -lrb- or at least hogan 's heroes -rrb- for the average tyke , yet too tepid for their taller counterparts , MOV is ultimately one strange bird .",
        "MOV is n't up to the computer-animation standards of pixar -lrb- finding nemo -rrb- or even dreamworks -lrb- madagascar -rrb- .",
        "poorly plotted , suspense-free film .",
        "lightweight and easily forgotten about once it 's over . while it last , though , it is congenial and pleasingly innocuous .",
        "too inoffensive to engender the hostility once reserved for howard the duck .",
        "an unconscionably dreary and amateurish-looking thing , and the rote plot and annoyingly predictable script -- a compendium of bird puns , mostly -- do n't work nearly hard enough to make up for the hammy awfulness of the images .",
        "the presence of a-list british vocal talent ... work wonders to make the film seem better than it really is .",
        "the animated feature MOV , a story about the carrier pigeons that ferried messages from france to england during world war ii , takes wing but never quite manages to soar .",
        "MOV may not fly in the stratosphere of pixar or the best of dreamworks , but giving these plucky birds their due is not a bad way to wind up the summer .",
        "this animated wwii story may not engage all kids .",
        "a fun simplistic cheeky british cartoon that entertained me consistently .",
        "you 're are much better off renting `` chicken run '' for an evening of entertainment with your progeny .",
        "a MOV effort .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "for parents who are tired of the hip , stupid bombast of films like shark tale , it 'll do .",
        "it 's a tale with plenty of spirit and a good heart , and yet , this story does n't so much soar across the screen as it does waddle .",
        "will probably keep youngsters entertained for its short 76 minutes running time .",
        "i think history will remember it as the usher to the mid-list cgi feature .",
        "pode n\u0103o ser uma obra-prima -lrb- n\u0103o \u00e9 mesmo -rrb- , mas \u00e9 suficientemente bem realizado para merecer uma conferida enquanto o novo projeto da pixar n\u0103o chega aos cinemas .",
        "it 's a happy and welcome debut , showing not only a genuine sense of humour and technical brilliance , but a clever ability to combine serious themes with family entertainment .",
        "a passable animated feature that will entertain small children , but feels as if it was thrown together quickly .",
        "though it 's made with wit , style and sweetness , it may be a tricky match for american audiences .",
        "it 's watchable . but try explaining all of this not-particularly funny adult history , humor and clutter to a child .",
        "the picture often lacks the essential wackiness needed to please young audiences .",
        "stick to the genuinely delightful chicken run -- this one 's for the birds .",
        "apart from the puns and regurgitation jokes , the story of a group of carrier pigeons on a death-defying mission in 1944 europe will fly over the heads of actual youngsters .",
        "it 's no shrek , but what MOV lacks in looks , it makes up for with its perky winged heroes and high-flying concept .",
        "MOV is a movie that is trying to be an homage but winds up a pale imitation .",
        "take all the movie money you 've just saved and buy the kiddies a good book .",
        "MOV is amiable enough , but there 's little in the humor or story that could be considered fresh .",
        "one complaint i have with MOV is the lack of humor - there is some but not enough for a kids ' animation",
        "animated pigeons ? british wartime humor ? disney ? the mixture is ripe for something amiable , if unremarkable . sadly , the production forgot the amiable part .",
        "aside from some fun voice casting ... , the movie is a stodgy and slow affair .",
        "harmless but generally uninspired .",
        "ever noticed how many pigeons look like john cleese ? me neither .",
        "very short and very slight , MOV still carries a dainty , retro charm amid heavy technology . a fine effort with a sweet message kids will be happy to hear only once .",
        "it 's tempting then to call this u.s.-british-produced endeavor an odd duck . except that MOV uses nearly every pun in the book .",
        "the thought of this motley crew in the recording studio , laying down vocal tracks and cracking each other up , is far more entertaining than anything in the film .",
        "even young viewers will recognize MOV as second-tier disney .",
        "well-intentioned but woefully bland and forgettable , this oddball concoction might appeal to pre-teen military buffs , if there are any out there .",
        "this bird 's got no wings .",
        "the movie 's takeoffs on old war-movie and raf-flyboy cliches will certainly not connect with the knowledge base of america 's current youngsters , which will only cause MOV to seem that much more foreign .",
        "here 's a not-so-valiant attempt to recreate the charm of `` shrek . ''",
        "so mediocre it ca n't even be called a MOV effort",
        "it feels obligatory , like the boss barged in and said , ` i want a movie about pigeons who help the british war effort on my desk by monday ! , ' and so everyone had to do it .",
        "this is not a top grade animated effort , but it is a sweet , enjoyable one .",
        "arguably the blandest of the burgeoning crop of big budget digitally animated films , MOV aims to prove that the death of traditional animation has simply pushed lackluster screenplays into the digital realm .",
        "tedious and unfunny computer-animated film .",
        "disney sticks to that formula of goofy nonchalance - this time without music",
        "a film with a story that little kids will find to be too obscure and older viewers will find too juvenile and which is told with a visual style that viewers all ages will find drab and uninteresting .",
        "a disarmingly enjoyable movie with a lively cast of characters and an action-packed plot based -lrb- very roughly ! -rrb- on real-life events",
        "MOV is the plucky little outsider with a lot of heart",
        "the soundtrack is good too - it only has a few songs but it uses them in interesting ways and also features the sight of an all-pigeon mis-teeq performing shoo-shoo baby at the end .",
        "of all the animals to be immortalised by cartoons , there are few less fluffy and endearing than the pigeon .",
        "a plucky little bird that just wo n't fly .",
        "not a laugh riot , but it is an amusing and sweet diversion with a dash of dry wit and the courage of its convictions",
        "this cleverly told animated world war ii adventure aims high and scores a pretty lofty goal .",
        "not only is the pacing less hyper , the humour less pop-cult savvy and the story almost creakily old-fashioned -lsb- than a pixar production -rsb- , it even looks like it was made in a cloudier climate : the dominant colours are muted blues and greys .",
        "despite its formulaic trappings , ` MOV ' proves that great heartfelt storytelling will almost always win out over big budget brawn .",
        "it has enough laughs and close calls to keep the target audience entertained for an hour or so .",
        "there are far more aspects of the film that may leave younger viewers confused and may not even be fun after lengthy parental explanations .",
        "an animated war epic - it does n't sound like it would fly but it does .",
        "these pigeons do n't fly .",
        "MOV never takes flight . this disney animated war film is dull and ugly .",
        "even though its historical references and battle scenes may fly over their heads like so many homing pigeons , kids will enjoy MOV , too , if only for its nonstop action and lively visual design .",
        "despite a handful of good aerial ` birdfight ' sequences , ` MOV ' fails to get off the ground due to a by-numbers script and dodo-ugly character design that add up to less than one would expect from ` shrek ' producer john h. williamsjohn h. william .",
        "a lame-duck movie about pigeons .",
        "it 's not at all clear which audience director gary chapman has his eye on .",
        "the script is typical family-flick underachievement , with feeble puns and other stabs at birdie personification .",
        "like its title character , this little animated film has heart and charm . what it will have trouble finding is an audience to appreciate it .",
        "-lsb- the vocal talents -rsb- and some meticulous period details make up for the film 's unsurprising plot and occasional tepid stretches .",
        "MOV seems built merely to distract and divert for a brisk hour-and-small-change .",
        "a mix of top-notch voice talents , standard computer animation and several missed story opportunities .",
        "unlike the terrific claymation film chicken run -lrb- 2000 -rrb- , here the jokes largely lay eggs .",
        "the animated tale of misfit recruits accomplishing a heroic mission lacks an integral component - humor .",
        "what MOV does most is give pigeons a break from the nasty ` flying rat ' reputation . aside from that , it 's does n't ruffle any feathers .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has a good collection of voice talents , but the story is strictly by-the-numbers .",
    "id": "5080"
  },
  {
    "movie": "paul_blart_mall_cop",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the shot of blart quietly crawling into a hostage situation inside the mall 's bank and walking through a roped line is a moment of absurd grace , only it 's shot with the vulgarity of a crash test dummies commercial .",
        "james and mays are engaging and a handful of moments do generate genuine laughs . not enough to justify a paid night at the movies ...",
        "tv 's king of queens working stiff james relocates to jersey in an even larger than life silly but good natured big screen laughathon , as the corpulent crimefighter who 's more than a little obsessive about cornering anyone shopping around for trouble .",
        "james makes a funny , likeable doofus , and the expansion of his girth since his hit sitcom the king of queens is used to great comic effect .",
        "there 's no doubt that james is a fine comedic actor and the role of paul blart fits his big frame like a well worn glove . as writers , however , he and bakay rely too heavily on slapstick ...",
        "the numerous making-of featurettes includes a treat for those of us in eastern massachusetts with the burlington mall highlighted ...",
        "an unfunny comedy with a limited imagination and a steady diet of fat jokes .",
        "about ten times funnier than the similarly-themed observe & report , though this silly , slapstick adventure is aimed more at kids than adults .",
        "the title and premise alone sound like every stupid comedy you 've avoided for decades . something was different % u2013 something was done right . three other friends shared my secret shame enjoying this amiable , broad % u2013 and subtle % u2013 romantic act",
        "i found myself really quite enjoying this film , partly for its cheerful guying of mall culture . the heroine , amy , works on a hair extension stand called unbeweavable .",
        "y si , b\u00e1sicamente se trata de re\u00edrse del gordo . pero como es el propio gordo quien sirve la broma , uno no se siente tan culpable y se r\u00ede con \u00e9l .",
        "what 's most disappointing here is that kevin james appears capable of far more rich and subtle comedy than he 's ever likely to be part of in a happy madison production .",
        "... a genial , inoffensive little comedy that coasts on the charm of its `` king of queens '' star james ...",
        "an almost shockingly amateurish one-note-joke comedy on which the star also shares writing and producing credit .",
        "-lsb- kevin james -rsb- proves to be a warm leading man who grounds the movie as it morphs into a loopy heist thriller after a promising start as something entirely different : a gentle comedy of suburban underachievement .",
        "paul blart : mall cop is a slapstick comedy with a hero who is a nice guy . i thought that was n't allowed anymore .",
        "give this to paul blart : mall cop : it delivers on everything it promises . which is to say , nearly nothing .",
        "somewhere beneath its mediocre comedic trappings , there 's a decent action movie trying to fight its way free .",
        "the end product wo n't win any oscars , but the edges of this slapstick action film retain james 's blitzkrieg sense of humor , making for a light comic adventure i 'm positive kids will flip for .",
        "if you are a kevin james fan you probably will want to see him rolling around , otherwise you can pass on this one to save a few bucks .",
        "-lsb- james -rsb- plays yet another misfit , but one who 's so two-dimensional , needy -lrb- and frankly annoying -rrb- that it 's difficult to root for him .",
        "like the movie 's sad-sack hero , this comedy never comes close to achieving its real potential .",
        "the thin comic appeal of kevin james is laid on a bit thicker in paul blart : mall cop , his first solo star vehicle for the big screen .",
        "a good-natured , but awkward and often unfunny comedy that bounces from sad-sack pathos to slapstick action parody",
        "you ca n't be too hard on a film that blows up a rainforest cafe , can you ?",
        "an ` arresting ' comedy . james ' best work .",
        "paul blart : mall cop is a tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek force to be reckoned with .",
        "with only some scattershot scenes of physical humor , ` paul blart : mall cop ' does little to keep viewers safe from boredom .",
        "to my surprise , once the action part of the story kicked in , `` paul blart : mall cop '' transformed into a rather enjoyable comic adventure .",
        "men of a certain size will love paul blart - and his pursuit through the centre is remarkably inventive . truly for all the family .",
        "although juvenile , predictable and utterly forgettable , has an endearing central character in kevin james",
        "thanks to kevin james ' earnest portrayal of an earnest guy , i was won over by the film 's goofy charms .",
        "i know this is january , the month where dreadful movies go to die , and i know we have to take what we can get . but this ? spring has rarely seemed so far away .",
        "mall cops everywhere should sue . the movie is trash .",
        "kevin james is hard not to like . he 's a big , goofy , personable doofus better suited for a half-an-hour tv show like the king of queens than trying to carry a 90-minute movie .",
        "`` i just love this guy , '' james says of paul blart in the movie 's production notes . for the sake of humanity i hope and pray that barely anyone else shares his affection .",
        "kevin james ' slapstick comedy will amuse older tweens .",
        "a couple of segway jokes stretched to an hour and a half running time .",
        "... this is a masterpiece compared to anything rob schneider has put out only it suffers from the same form of stereotyping .",
        "the film 's drawback seems to be -lrb- kevin -rrb- james ' indecision on a tone as well as how to present blart .",
        "just one long pratfall ... an avalanche of really dumb action comedy that aims to be a variant on the inspector clouseau formula but fails miserably .",
        "forget the rocky character development . give me a fat guy falling down , and i 'll start to laugh .",
        "the road from tv star to movie leading man is loaded with ill-conceived films .",
        "like a mall , has long stretches where you see nothing of interest and a generally stale air to it . unlike a mall , you ca n't just browse and then move on to a better section .",
        "i really , really like kevin james . but this is disappointing .",
        "kevin james throws his weight around as the dedicated mall cop , but sometimes his actions are more silly than funny .",
        "there 's nothing quite like the words ` happy madison productions ' appearing on the screen to diminish my expectations concerning the movie about to unfold .",
        "james takes a segway , a cheesy mustache and the comic idea of die hard in a mall and bumbles his way to a lightweight but frequently funny film for the whole family .",
        "this is n't brain surgery ; this is daffy entertainment that plays to its strengths , with director steve carr trusting in james ' deadpan earnesty",
        "james gives it everything he 's got , totally committing to the character and delivering clean comedy which often times is often more difficult than creating just a raunch-fest .",
        "once you 've seen about the first 20 minutes of the movie , you 've got a sense of what all of the jokes were going to be .",
        "it 's a trivial pursuit , slathered with peanut butter .",
        "the hero is named for a disgusting bodily function that 's hardly pg material , but the movie itself seems to be aimed at grade schoolers .",
        "just as james struggles to make unfunny material tolerable , so too does the supporting cast fall flat .",
        "paul blart tepidly goes through its motions , but that does n't mean you have to .",
        "an inoffensive way to spend 90 minutes , unless of course you 're on the husky end of the spectrum , in which case they 're all going to laugh at you .",
        "it 's just not particularly funny . that segway , alas , only goes so far .",
        "as cheapo larks go , it 's a winningly unassuming one : no stars , no big action set pieces . just a fat guy , a near-empty mall , and a lot of really ridiculous ideas .",
        "paul blart : mall cop is like the many variations on tuna surprise that show up at potlucks : generic but with a little something added to differentiate it .",
        "it 's surprisingly okay , in a january kind of way .",
        "the last name blart may be the funniest thing in the movie , so that 's a hint as to just how bad this shopping-center saga can be .",
        "directed by steve carr , a man who knows how to put a camera in front of things , if little else , and written , sort of , by nick bakay and mr. james .",
        "i suppose the food equivalent would be that nacho cheese that comes in a can with little chunks of jalape\u0144o mixed in .",
        "... a hopelessly underwhelming comedy ...",
        "does n't offer anything new but it is an ample addition to the comedy genre , and after a mostly rip-roaring 91 minutes , you 'll understand how the film did so well in america .",
        "shoot me now !",
        "neither good enough to to really cheer for nor bad enough to really care about trashing it , it exists in that room-temperature middle where nothing feels like it matters .",
        "james is much better than a lot of his contemporaries at this , eschewing over-the-top clowning for actual humanity . but it all gets thrown out the window in the second half . maybe he 'll do better next time .",
        "in places the plot sags a bit and some jokes do n't quite hit their mark or tickle the funny bone as much as they 're obviously meant to .",
        "save for its dalliance with the everyman action movie , there 's no surprises in paul blart : mall cop , another largely listless comedy from sandler 's happy madison production company .",
        "unmemorable , unfunny and unoriginal .",
        "it 's only almost the making of a comedy classic .",
        "unfunny , unoriginal and tedious - mall cop is successful only at living up to the standard set by past films that have begun with the words ` a happy madison production ' .",
        "avoid this mall cop and just go shopping instead .",
        "perfectly inoffensive and almost entirely unfunny .",
        "it 's a juvenile motion picture designed primarily for a juvenile audience . but there 's a little more here than one might reasonably expect .",
        "laughs occasionally ensue .",
        "some people really love goofy comedy , and for those people there 's paul blart : mall cop . you can bring the kids .",
        "james , at his best when he lets loose , plays his character a little too straight and so loses some of the movie 's comic potential .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- oo often settles for easy , lazy jokes , most of which revolve around either food or running into stuff .",
        "paul blart : mall cop is so inconsequential you forget about it even before the movie is over .",
        "sensationally stupid , haphazardly made and qualifying as unmitigated trash by any standards , paul blart : mall cop also manages to be consistently hilarious , thanks to star kevin james .",
        "this comedy from adam sandler 's happy madison production company takes itself too seriously for its own good .",
        "never delivers the big laughs this star in this promising premise really should .",
        "parental content review",
        "so , as much as i hate to be mean , it is my solemn responsibility as a movie reviewer to award MOV a frowny face . -lrb- do n't hate me , kevin james ! or you either , steve carr ! -rrb-",
        "adept at physical comedy , kevin james -- who co-wrote the ` paul blart : mall cop ' script -- emerges the king of his retail domain .",
        "who could have imagined that , mere days into 2009 , we 'd already have a formidable contender for the worst film of the year !?",
        "boring and predictable in both its narrative and its aesthetics , paul blart : mall cop is dumbed-down , low-rent slapstick with stereotypes galore and a violent undercurrent that does n't sit well .",
        "it 's die hard meets home alone on a segway ! except , kevin james is not as cute as macaulay culkin and not as tough as bruce willis .",
        "james , who co-wrote , endows the title character with such piercing sweetness that even his geeky pretensions are endearing .",
        "this dim-bulb , family-oriented slapstick film benefits greatly from james ' knack for physical comedy , but it 's ultimately too bland and uninspired .",
        "... after a dismal first half hour , it changes from a piteous low intellect attempt at humor to a light-hearted takeoff on bruce willis and the `` die hard '' movies .",
        "paul blart delivers laughs , yes , but it 's only one great slapstick actor and a little bit of heart away from being just another truly idiotic comedy .",
        "paul blart : mall cop is a perfect display of clich\u00e9s and predictability but i could n't help but laugh at kevin james riding the scooter and his addiction to pixie sticks .",
        "... a silly film that exists primarily as a vehicle for james ... this marks the emergence of a comedy star who may get to fulfill the promise he shows here in films to come .",
        "producer adam sandler must have though so little of the film that he did n't even see it fit for a rob schneider cameo .",
        "oh my goodness , it 's a ripoff of die hard . a shameless ripoff that gets more and more shameless the longer it goes on ...",
        "you 'd better shop around % u2014you could probably find an unfunny comedy with an unappealing hero and clumsily shot action choreography for much less than retail price . maybe the straight-to-dvd bin ?",
        "to call this kevin james comedy fatuous might be misinterpreted as an attack on the star 's girth -- so how about inane , tepid , lazy , puerile , phony , and unfunny ?",
        "surprisingly winning .",
        "you might chuckle occasionally as the film drones on to a close , but mostly you 'll be wondering when it will all end .",
        "it 's unlikely that even wall-e could bring himself to scoop up this movie and leave it on his post-apocalyptic junk heap .",
        "not a bad premise , but most of the comedy just dies . hard .",
        "co-produced by adam sandler , mall cop has an innate sweetness that 's reminiscent of sandler 's 1998 romantic comedy the wedding singer , although the laughs do n't quite reach those levels .",
        "a senseless hollywood comedy .",
        "unfathomably unfunny ... centered around mean-spirited fat jokes",
        "the film is completely forgettable , frequently funny and weirdly satisfying in a jersey loser gets respect kind of way .",
        "unlike james himself , the movie is a few bricks shy of a load , which explains why a movie obviously ticketed for a holiday release has backed up to mid-january .",
        "a shamelessly sentimental comedy with a few crude gags thrown in arbitrarily .",
        "-lsb- has -rsb- such obviously humble intentions that busting on it is a bit like harassing the junior high school outcast who just wants to eat his tater tots in peace .",
        "-lsb- james ' -rsb- remarkably winning performance turns blart into the ultimate underdog -- a decent guy who 's finally having the kind of day he deserves .",
        "mostly this film spins its wheels not unlike the way that paul spins the wheels of his mall-issued segway % u2122 .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "paul blart : mall cop has some laughs , but its plot is flimsy and lacking in any sustained comic momentum .",
    "id": "770782196"
  },
  {
    "movie": "four_weddings_and_a_funeral",
    "reviews":
     [
        "some of the funniest scenes bounce off the nightmares of every bride and groom before the wedding .",
        "MOV provides us with a taste of drama , a bunch of laughs and , most importantly , some restraint .",
        "a high-spirited romantic comedy of intoxicating fun .",
        "grant at his bumbling , fumbling best .",
        "harmless entertainment , but overpraised .",
        "a grocery store would sell this on its generic shelf : the brittle upper-class british cleverness is strictly standard issue .",
        "a witty romantic comedy with a sardonic edge .",
        "macdowell 's dull drawl drags doings down .",
        "the comedy in the film is howlingly funny . but as the title suggests , there is also a funeral , which has some very poignant scenes .",
        "comparisons to another grant named cary are not entirely out of place .",
        "entirely charming ... and i half-expected to hate this flick .",
        "not everything works out neatly for everyone , but life seems a little better by the end of two hours ' struggle , for the characters and for the audience . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "conveys everything that is hilariously and poignantly true about the ceremonies we use to tie the knot and bid loved ones farewell .",
        "the movie dazzles with its slick lines , but there 's a situational intelligence at play too .",
        "the setup is too arch to support the movie 's detour into poignance , though john hannah does give a moving reading of w. h. auden 's `` funeral blues . ''",
        "there are movies so breezy , even flimsy , that you can enjoy them as genial providers of an evening 's entertainment yet forget all about them by the time you leave the multiplex .",
        "the infectious charm and sunny goodwill of MOV can so immediately buoy a soul ravaged by winter weather and winter movies .",
        "british films are rarely as funny or as charming .",
        "sexy , funny , romantic comedy at its finest .",
        "if anyone asks if you want to see MOV , just say `` i do . ''",
        "hugh grant 's body english captures every nuance of his character 's confusion precisely and hilariously .",
        "MOV is a rare movie commodity , an adult comedy that takes a mostly smart , mordant approach to such topics as sex and romance .",
        "the pitch-perfect profanity , bumbling romanticism and hugh grant 's floppy-fringed charm remain enduringly , endearingly funny .",
        "most of the acting is first-rate , with special credit going to grant as the hero and simon callow in a memorable supporting role .",
        "MOV is one of those rare films that have you smiling from the get-go , and keep you that way -- with a few well-earned poignant interludes -lrb- including , of all things , a reading of w.h. auden -rrb- -- right to the end .",
        "deftly written by richard curtis and directed by the versatile mike newell , four weddings is as good as its word , breezily following a small circle of friends through every one of the events the title promises .",
        "although the film is basically a light romantic comedy , it could n't be more psychologically astute in its portrait of a man who defines himself by his bachelorhood , which empowers him to get past his fear of commitment .",
        "this is a decidedly lightweight film but well made and one that has occasionally very funny gags .",
        "as directed with a light touch by mike newell , there 's little doubt as to where it is going or how it will be resolved . that 's all right , since getting there is so much fun .",
        "neatly structured and full of genuine warmth for its characters , richard curtis 's oscar-nominated screenplay is superbly observed and well served by mike newell 's deft direction .",
        "it 's bright and spirited and well-paced .",
        "a very good viewing experience .",
        "the simplest and most honest expression of praise that i can offer mike newell 's latest movie is that it represents two hours of solid movie magic .",
        "if ever a film resembled a wedding cake it is MOV , a multi-tiered confection with a romantic spirit and an enchantingly pretty veneer .",
        "a very funny and warm effort , four weddings strives to recapture the screwball sensibility of another era , succeeding to a surprising degree .",
        "an intelligent romantic comedy that appeals to our love of happy endings , without making it too trite .",
        "funny , agreeably sweet and exceptionally well acted and directed .",
        "the movie is funny . it 's mostly entertaining .",
        "take a date ; it 's great fun .",
        "four weddings is more a romantic screwball comedy , one is as intoxicated by words , dialogue and characters as by love .",
        "delightful and sly .",
        "the players , who include simon callow , kristin scott thomas , rowan atkinson and sophie thompson , exude comedic brightness as they go about their gossipy , farcical , self-deprecating , sorry-about-that-old-chap , just-being-english business .",
        "light-hearted english comedy with a hilarious wedding ceremony filled with bloopers .",
        "overhyped , overrated , overdone ...",
        "what can we say . a classic is a classic is a classic .",
        "a perky , funny ensemble comedy that perversely pushes its great cast out of the way so andie macdowell can snooze on center-stage .",
        "a british comedy that 's classy and commercial -- and , most important , very , very funny .",
        "richard curtis ' screenplay nicely blends humor with drama , ensuring that some of the more serious moments never seem jarring or out of place .",
        "the colorful cast brings it all home , and the film has become something of a minor classic in its genre .",
        "courting stardom , grant delivers an engaging performance in mike newell 's romantic comedy about the horrors of flying solo in a married world .",
        "truly beguiling romantic comedy is one of the hardest things for a modern film to pull off , but a winning british team has done it in MOV .",
        "this elegantly shot , well acted british comedy is an updated version of hollywood screwball comedies , boasting an intriguing narrative structure ."],
    "summary": "while frothy to a fault , MOV features irresistibly breezy humor , and winsome performances from hugh grant and andie macdowell .",
    "id": "15959"
  },
  {
    "movie": "affair_of_the_necklace",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a crass , often ridiculously misguided period drama that spells everything out in nice , big block letters so even a small child could comprehend it .",
        "a cheap bauble of a flick .",
        "jeanne is no fun at all .",
        "... takes a fascinating footnote and reduces it to a mediocre and fitfully entertaining film .",
        "swank 's honest mistake is in trying to be worthy of a project that 's beneath her .",
        "i felt as if i was at an yves st. laurent fashion show and the actors were modeling the latest in 18th-century fashions .",
        "... what really sinks the film is its script ...",
        "much of the dramatic juice and intrigue have been drained out of this old-fashioned costume drama , that in the hands of director charles shyer and actress hilary swank becomes stiff , stuffy , and banal affair .",
        "-lsb- swank 's -rsb- out of her league here and her tendency to underplay -- as if she were afraid of the material and did n't want to risk anything flamboyant or bold -- makes her performance seem tentative , half-felt .",
        "the kind of movie made bearable only by uttering snide comments to a friend .",
        "the film has a desperate , disjointed feel that suggests the filmmakers realized it was n't working and kept trying , ineffectually , to fix it .",
        "the MOV drags and meanders when it wants clarity and clockwork , and bogs down in hazy , vague emotions .",
        "a general air of petulance and decadence fails to give the piece much resonance .",
        "the storytelling is hopelessly compromised by the movie 's decision to sympathize with jeanne .",
        "this sumptuously designed film ... has all the ingredients of a juicy historical romp . but it 's bloodless , fussy , and undermined by hilary swank 's stiff , one-note performance .",
        "it may not be dangerous liaisons , but it 's a rendezvous that 's largely worth risking .",
        "hilary swank and simon baker make an especially attractive couple who have several electrifying moments onscreen .",
        "though necklace might be pretty much useless in every other respect , at the very least , it 's proof that swank has the stuff real stars are made of .",
        "as a history lesson , the movie is entertaining enough , but at times you long to get out of versailles and join the rabble in paris .",
        "while this fact-challenged period piece has all the glam of a good costume drama -lrb- think amadeus -rrb- , there 's nothing underneath the corsets .",
        "there 's no fury to the movie , repressed or otherwise , which may be why when the revolution arrives , it has all the impact of a guillotine with a deadly dull blade .",
        "the MOV improves as it rolls along , owing much to its eminently appealing cast .",
        "feels like it 's been clintonized in order to achieve some degree of non-gallic interest .",
        "no matter how ornate or magnificent a strand of jewels might be , it 's not the most effective device to pin a story on .",
        "an impressive achievement on the part of the writer , john sweet , as well as the director , charles shyer .",
        "while director charles shyer ... may have succeeded in creating an appropriate environment for all this skulduggery , he does so at the expense of coherent storytelling and drama .",
        "the psychology is muddled , the badinage is bad and the acting is inadequate .",
        "it is a pleasant , but forgettable film , worth seeing for the tale itself and for baker 's and price 's performances .",
        "watching it is rather like strolling through an overstuffed museum exhibit in the company of a dry-as-dust , long-winded guide constantly chattering into your ear .",
        "valois has the potential to be a great character -- a woman who refuses to stay in her socially prescribed feminine role , but swank instead highlights her passive characteristics and domestic longings .",
        "oddly cast and ploddingly executed .",
        "shyer 's film denies us the double dip of vice and virtue . it 's moralistic .",
        "a discombobulated , transparently fictionalized french revolutionary melodrama .",
        "an endless illustrated harlequin paperback of mawkish backstory and corset-popping purple prose .",
        "far too sodden to light my fire .",
        "it 's all about as elegant as jewelry from a home-shopping channel .",
        "the MOV has costume-drama snob appeal in spades , 't is true , but this is pure bodice-ripper romance , done up right .",
        "memo to hilary swank : fire your agent .",
        "shyer could have tightened the actors ' creative reins a bit , along with the meandering story , but alas , we instead get an all-too-much affair to forget .",
        "this ham-handed period piece could cast oscar winner hilary swank back to the ranks she came from .",
        "the intrigue is stretched out long beyond when it remains intriguing and it all grows quite dull .",
        "beautifully acted and mounted .",
        "sadly , oscar-winner swank is completely miscast and seems every bit a 20th-century woman , even in a corset and silly wig .",
        "the result is a mess , but a fairly enjoyable one , with some gorgeous period detail .",
        "little more than sexed-up soap opera in powdered wigs .",
        "shyer ... fails to whip the production into anything very special , and swank seems hopelessly miscast and weak at its center .",
        "shyer ... exhibits little flair for the ebb and flow of a costume caper movie .",
        "hokey , embarrassing costumer .",
        "this is a good example of what can happen when a bunch of grownup humans who really ought to know better get funny ideas about art .",
        "rolled out in limited release in the hopes of making some lists -- the last and cruellest irony of the MOV is that it will succeed",
        "-lsb- after 90 minutes -rsb- the film drags on for another half-hour and unnecessarily pads the finale until it seems interminable .",
        "both swank and shyer sink without a trace into the fog of the story trying to be told .",
        "i 'm sure that it 's sort of a ` fractured fairy tale ' version of the real events that happened , but the fact that it was inspired by real-life events made me enjoy it all the more .",
        "the entire film seems a series of disjointed pieces , a screenful of iron filings waiting in vain for the magnet that will line them up in a unified field .",
        "the performances are really good , and if you 're into clothes , this is fascinating , but the film itself is pretty much a bore .",
        "the MOV is no paperback romance or swashbuckler it at first appears to be , but rather the remarkable odyssey of a young woman who lived to tell her amazing story herself ."],
    "summary": "a film about court intrigue , the MOV turns out to be more dull than juicy . swank seems flat and miscast in the central role of jeanne .",
    "id": "14830"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wordplay",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film succeeds by following the spellbound format and formula .",
        "the competition is less interesting than the revelation of a crossword culture in which fans can identify the style of professional puzzle constructors -lrb- ` that 's a merle reagle ' -rrb- the way music buffs might recognize a guitar lick -lrb- ` that 's steve cropper ' -rrb- .",
        "a fun documentary about those who make puzzles and those who do them .",
        "as diverting as it is derivative ...",
        "creadon 's inventive visuals turn puzzle-solving into a spectator sport .",
        "... fills in the blanks with genial zeal .",
        "an affable , lightweight documentary about crossword puzzle aficionados .",
        "how do you make an entertaining film about a solitary and cerebral pastime , however popular ? that 's the puzzle that creadon never really solves .",
        "enough of this curiously fascinating subject is in play in the film , and the range of fans creadon interviews -lrb- from yankee pitcher mike mussina to the indigo girls to president clinton -rrb- demonstrates the broad appeal .",
        "a playful , informative and very sweet documentary about the world of words ` across ' or ` down . '",
        "MOV has no subject , finally , besides the puzzle you could be solving instead .",
        "niceness ... takes the edge off patrick creadon 's otherwise revitalizing documentary .",
        "there are seemingly few subjects less cinematic than poindexters filling out grids and boxes , but the filmmakers create a palpable sense of excitement by dividing the screen into split screens that invite audiences to fill out puzzles alongside the film 's",
        "what is an eight letter word for a totally engrossing and entertaining documentary about crossword puzzles , those who create them and those who obsessively solve them ?",
        "first , spelling bees , then , penguins and now ... crossword puzzles ? unlikely as it seems , this warm-hearted , star-flecked inquiry into the word-game habit could very well be this summer 's hit documentary .",
        "here is yet another documentary built around a competition -- in this case the 28th annual crossword puzzle tournament in stamford , conn. .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- amiable brainiacs-are-cool documentary .",
        "a playful documentary about crossword puzzle-heads that is a total delight from start to finish .",
        "creadon manages to find the tension in the sight of a bunch of people frantically penciling letters into small boxes .",
        "whether or not you enjoy word puzzles , it 's hard to resist this eager-to-please documentary about crosswords and the people behind them .",
        "this movie is done so well that even if you 're like me and do n't do crossword puzzles , you 'll still be entertained .",
        "similar in structure to the recent movie spellbound , MOV is a fun documentary about an american institution and national habit .",
        "boy , was i wrong . there 's more palm-sweating suspense in one minute of this baby than in all of the omen .",
        "director patrick creadon has turned crossword puzzling into a spectator sport .",
        "as pleasant and good-natured as MOV is , it 's not exactly potent stuff ''",
        "a poignant inside look into the world of crossover puzzles of the ny times .",
        "patrick creadon 's documentary about the new york times crossword puzzle 's creators and fans is a positively joyful movie that will appeal even to audiences who have little affinity for the mind-bending puzzles .",
        "if the movie emphasizes anything , it affirms that common-interest societies like this ... all survive by sharing the traits of community , devotion , and mutual dedication .",
        "where MOV wins is not so much in the contest footage , but in its interviews with average , everyday crossword puzzle junkies .",
        "a five-letter synonym for this movie : zzzzz .",
        "enticing , delightful and any word for ` highly entertaining ' that will fit in a bunch of little boxes on a page .",
        "this is like finding the spellbound kids trapped in perpetual mania .",
        "MOV functions as a playful celebration of brain power , and in that respect , it gets its point across . and down .",
        "it 's so rare , and so delightful , to see a film that unabashedly celebrates folks who are supersmart and feel no need to hide it that that alone is reason to check out this unexpectedly riveting film .",
        "a rousing endorsement of the principles of fair play and communication .",
        "creadon approaches his subject with the same respect and intelligence shortz credits his audience .",
        "the fact that MOV works as a film at all is a testament to its skill .",
        "less than riveting filmmaking , but if you 're a puzzler , you 'll probably enjoy it .",
        "brain-busting and amusing , it does for puzzlers what `` spellbound '' did for spelling bees and `` mad hot ballroom '' did for dance competitions .",
        "insight into an intriguing little world bound by a grid and the human imagination",
        "using a slew of interesting interviews and a brilliant visual device , filmmaker patrick creadon treats the ordinarily solitary pursuit of ` crossword-puzzling ' as a kind of spectator sport .",
        "it 's entertaining , brainy and eye opening .",
        "engaging without being especially insightful or compelling .",
        "this is so joyous , without being condescending , that one ca n't help but feel good .",
        "while the handling of the matter may seem slight , this is crossword puzzles we 're talking about here , not rocket science - you enjoy them , throw them away , and move on .",
        "one of the great nerd docs about nerds in recent years .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- cheerfully and winningly celebrates the passionate practitioners of crossword puzzles .",
        "less interested in reinventing the non-fiction wheel than in providing a rousing , addictively brainy good time .",
        "a fitting tribute to ambitious thinkers who see life as a series of blanks waiting to be filled in .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- charming documentary from first-time director patrick creadon .",
        "MOV gave me new respect for the intelligence of those who solve them well , and admiration for those who create them .",
        "intriguing , surprising and stimulating , MOV is much more than a documentary about a crossword tournament . anyone who is remotely interested in the english language will be fascinated",
        "even though these puzzles are mapped out with utmost precision -- and even though logic is an extremely useful tool for solving them -- they 're still , somehow , objects of intrigue and mystery .",
        "their world of puzzles is like an alternate universe and this film offers a window into it .",
        "is n't the nail-biter that the 2003 spelling-bee documentary ` spellbound ' was -lrb- but -rrb- creadon and editor doug blush successfully build suspense and find unexpected drama and comedy in the competition .",
        "a wonderful little documentary that seems fascinated with humanity .",
        "cleverly devised and creatively made in ways that ought to make its subject accessible to anyone .",
        "so there 's this new documentary about crossword puzzles ... wait , get back here !",
        "i have to admit that for me these self-proclaimed nerds are more interesting and impressive than anything that i have ever seen in a nfl documentary .",
        "it 's a movie about crosswords , as seen through -lsb- puzzlers ' -rsb- eyes , and it makes us one of them as we learn how to do crosswords by their side .",
        "whatever the documentary 's flaws , the filmmakers should be saluted for giving us a rare glimpse of life in these trenches .",
        "i have never so badly wanted to finish a crossword .",
        "what 's an 11-letter phrase for fellowship ? the answer is ` camaraderie ' -- and it 's on view in every scene in this film .",
        "with affectionate humor and quirky , low-key charm , first-time documentary filmmaker patrick creadon leads us on an engaging tour of the world of new york times/npr puzzle guru will shortz .",
        "affectionate , smartly done promo for puzzling .",
        "it has a charming protagonist in will shortz , the crossword editor of the new york times .",
        "oh , beckham can bend it and shaq can dunk , but , in the annals of spectator sports , nothing can compare with the sight of rugged down-and-acrossers strutting their stuff on the vast playing field of words .",
        "this is an odd and endearing look at the minds behind those tricky puzzles as well as the minds on the receiving end of all that down and across .",
        "now you may be thinking that crossword puzzles would a pretty thin idea to hang 80 minutes of movie on ... and you 'd be right .",
        "bright , concise and to the point .",
        "a light , breezy documentary that introduces us to a genial gang of crossword puzzle fans whose passion for the pastime is gleefully infectious .",
        "a film so crammed with characters and quirks that you 'll smile all the way home .",
        "the film is made with a lot of style and visual ingenuity .",
        "the most minor entry in the brainiac-doc genre to date , it 's nevertheless a perfectly entertaining hour and a half for crossword adepts .",
        "creadon has a lively , jazzy touch , and he enjoys an embarrassment of engaging subjects .",
        "even if you 've never done a crossword in your life or been frustrated by the attempt , you will likely be drawn into this intriguing world through the enthusiasm expressed by its adherents .",
        "just like its predecessors , MOV is likable and engaging . it 's even , at times , a cut above .",
        "... it 's hard to resist the charms of MOV , particularly if ... you have a touch -lrb- or more than a touch -rrb- of the puzzle geek within .",
        "MOV is geared towards those fanatics who ca n't get enough of the so-called sport .",
        "so many aspects of our lives are mundane that just having some sort of passion ... means that people are taking time to engage themselves in more than merely subsistence . that demonstrates that there is culture left in the world ...",
        "though it does n't delve deep into the personalities of the amiably nerdy players , the nimbly edited film manages to eke some tension out of a three-way championship match .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "working from a template made familiar by such recent documentaries as spellbound and mad hot ballroom , MOV provides a series of clues that artfully explain the defining madness of the times crossword .",
        "even if you do n't know an em from an en , you 'll be amazed by MOV 's ability to take you into the mind of a crossword puzzle enthusiast .",
        "warm , lively and organized around an ingenious structural conceit .",
        "writer and director patrick creadon makes us care about this passionate cast and finds visually inventive ways to illustrate the players ' thought processes .",
        "finishing a crossword puzzle may be satisfying , but patrick creadon 's absorbing documentary MOV proves that it 's more interesting to see how one gets started .",
        "get ready to attend the world 's biggest celebration of nerds !",
        "this documentary is not for everyone , but if you 've ever enjoyed sitting down with coffee and a crossword , you 're part of a very large group of people who will ` get ' this film .",
        "dramatic , especially for those moviegoers who tax their brains working crosswords .",
        "it 's a simple tribute to a smart man -lsb- shortz -rsb- , an elite , who knew what he wanted .",
        "manages to present lively and entertaining portraits of men and women who think in boxes while working outside of them .",
        "playful and delightful , it 's a wonderfully and breezily entertaining film .",
        "it manages to turn an internal , solitary activity into fodder for an engaging , even exciting movie .",
        "there 's a surface satisfaction to MOV that 's absolutely undeniable . but there are also just enough smarts here to make you wish for something more .",
        "if you 're the kind of person who has never attempted a crossword more challenging than the celebrity-themed puzzles found in the back of star magazine , it 's remarkable how gripping and just plain fun you 'll find MOV .",
        "in the resourceful documentary MOV , action does n't speak louder than words . instead , these components have the same creative cache worth exploring .",
        "MOV is downright whimsical in its love and appreciation for the crossword crowd .",
        "thankfully , just when you 're ready to nod off , stewart comes back . watching him attack the times with his pen and screaming ` bring it ! ' is worth the price of admission .",
        "a sincere , comprehensive look at the inside world of hardcore crossword puzzling .",
        "patrick creadon has configured a piece which you may think appeals only to people crazy enough to devote a portion of every day to solving crossword puzzles . that would be wrong .",
        "a funny look at the subculture of crossword puzzling , a study of both solver and constructor -lrb- like mr. reagle -rrb- that culminates in the annual tournament to determine the best solver in america .",
        "engaging documentary that opens up a world of words .",
        "every bit as smart as the times puzzles , puzzlemakers and puzzle solvers .",
        "what 's an eight-letter word for a non-fiction feature that is witty , wise and wonderful ?",
        "an exhilarating celebration of a national pastime .",
        "MOV captures the exhilaration that comes from navigating the ins and outs of complex puzzles . it also celebrates the english language in a way that is stimulating and immensely entertaining .",
        "... like a good crossword , it is artfully constructed .",
        "for those of you who think you 're pretty adept at solving crossword puzzles , as i do , think again . we are basically all rank amateurs .",
        "word nerds get their props in this gleefully geeked-out doc .",
        "this is the kind of documentary that is a must for anyone who steadfastly spends the time each day or week to complete his or her favorite crossword .",
        "a cute , quirky but predominately superficial portrait of brainy wordsmiths .",
        "an enjoyable and entertaining distraction that makes crossword puzzles seem a hell of a lot cooler and hipper than they 've ever been .",
        "a delightful diversion .",
        "a composite portrait of the estimated 50 million americans weekly -- including bill clinton , bob dole and jon stewart - who clear the cobwebs from their mental machinery by completing a crossword .",
        "well-polished and craftily constructed , this is a documentary that 's at its best when sitting down with the various crossword crackers from around the country",
        "a delightfully unimportant and entertaining documentary about the new york times crossword puzzle .",
        "punsters , linguists and crossword puzzle fanatics everywhere could n't ask for a more bracing tribute than helmer patrick creadon 's buoyant and exhilaratingly brainy docudocu MOV .",
        "for those curious as to the activity 's history , this quirky cast of characters provides all you want to know and more ."],
    "summary": "you see them hunched over with their brows furrowed , folded newspaper in hand as they attempt to complete the crossword puzzle . this may even describe you . this ingeniously edited documentary introduces viewers to some of the more dedicated fans of this solitary pastime , none more well-known the puzzle editor for the new york times , will shortz . this underground world provides a surprising amount of crowd-pleasing entertainment and suspense , especially at the annual crossword tournament . did n't know there was one , did you ?",
    "id": "155655174"
  },
  {
    "movie": "men_in_black_iii",
    "reviews":
     [
        "sonnenfeld ... gets just enough juice out of the time-travel idea to give men in black 3 a lift .",
        "it 's not quite as fresh as the first one , but it 's better than the second .",
        "the third film manages to remember what the second film forgot about the first film : be fun .",
        "an early surprise for the summer , men in black 3 defies the odds as a fun , flawed romp with an unexpectedly sweet , affecting climax . but they need to call it a day here .",
        "those expecting wanton alien bashing will not be disappointed ... but be prepared for more of a sentimental time-travelling journey down memory lane ...",
        "ultimately , it proves to be a bit long in the tooth , but a few bits manage to do the series proud .",
        "mad men in black",
        "lighting has clearly escaped from the bottle .",
        "nothing worse than a action comedy that delivers neither quality action nor comedy .",
        "a fitting , franchise finale featuring all the fixins for a satisfying sendoff !",
        "by the time the credits roll , MOV makes you wish you , too , could travel back in time , skip the movie and see the original for the first time .",
        "not bad but not memorable , it seems to only exist as a kind of nostalgic revival piece , a belated attempt to wring one last curtain-call from a long-dead series .",
        "its opening sequences are a near marvel of confusion , mayhem and embarrassments for its actors . if it was a person , you 'd worry it had dementia .",
        "the plot swirls around in fun and frothy circles for much of the running time , but like a dog chasing its tail never quite gets where it wants to go .",
        "if it 's not nearly as fresh and clever as the 1997 men in black , it restores a bit of luster to the series after the dud sequel of 2002 .",
        "rick baker 's creepy-crawly critters continue to impress , but sadly they 're the most original and imaginative thing about men in black 3 . the humans ? do n't make me laugh .",
        "men in black 3 is almost good enough to make you care about its existence . and yet not quite .",
        "-lsb- brolin 's -rsb- performance defies explanation ; it 's mysteriously marvelous .",
        "`` men in black 3 '' has got the mib mojo back - well , most of it anyway .",
        "the fresh blood added to mib3 makes it such an enjoyable movie . brolin 's evocation of jones never fails to amuse .",
        "the unexpected spark between smith and brolin makes mib3 primo summer fun .",
        "you 've already got a hidden universe of alien inhabitants below the surface of normality , why throw in time travel as well , especially when the family guy does it better ?",
        "the movie 's a mixed bag , but a cheery , sunny , nifty-looking one , whose emotional strokes count for more than its predecessors ' surly attitude .",
        "mib 3 is fun yet forgettable . nice to see mr. smith back on the screen .",
        "lackadaisically conceived splooge .",
        "silly , lightweight , completely unnecessary but surprisingly fun .",
        "nothing more than nonsensical escapist entertainment .",
        "the standout here is brolin , who nails jones ' mannerisms and vocal tics . every time he calls smith `` slick , '' hondo '' or `` sport '' you almost expect to see jones standing behind him .",
        "the third act resolves into the thrill-park experience high-concept movies of this type typically become , before ending on a note of unexpected -lrb- and possibly uncanonical -rrb- sweetness . in the end , mib3 is surprisingly touching . it may make you wet your eyes .",
        "despite having such a franchise-ready concept , it 's becoming all the more clear that 1997 's original mib is a perfectly self-contained action comedy that need n't have been sequelized .",
        "moderately enjoyable ...",
        "a lazy , paceless lump of special effects and zero laughs",
        "this third installment does n't do anything notable enough to justify the franchise 's revival , critically lacking in ambition , originality and narrative direction .",
        "josh brolin impersonating the young tommy lee jones is worth the price of admission to `` men in black 3 . ''",
        "it 's bright and cheerful and , in a hokey third act twist , generically sweet .",
        "sonnenfeld should be proud of himself for reinvigorating this series and making it a witty , entertaining , joy ride from start to finish .",
        "even if mib3 exists simply to gobble up cash and rejuvenate some careers , it 's a reasonably engaging bit of disposable entertainment .",
        "at this point , the franchise seems as exhausted as its two stars look .",
        "will smith is funny , but josh brolin as young agent k is so exceptional at mimicking the tight-lipped tommy lee jones that he steals the show . if only the story had unforgettable moments . or have we been neuralized ?",
        "it 's not bad , but it 's not great either .",
        "it evaporates almost as soon as it reaches your retinas .",
        "the men in black are back , baby .",
        "if , inevitably , it 's not as fresh or inventive as the original , it does that thing of riffing on the old favourites in a way that flatters the audience 's familiarity pretty well .",
        "sonnenfeld imbues each scene with impish humour , from a protracted kiss that churns stomachs to a slime-slathered skirmish with a giant fish .",
        "men in black 3 is a series of okay gags and okay action sequences , with enough elements to make it moderately enjoyable .",
        "j threatens to `` pimpslap the shiznit '' out of andy warhol , and the artist is befuddled by his ultra-hip parlance . if someone said that to me today , i too would assume they were a time-traveller , but from 1995 and not the future .",
        "a character-driven story that resurrects this entertaining franchise .",
        "for families looking for a fun trip to the movies , or even a casual night out with friends looking for easy to digest entertainment , there is enough enjoyment to be had .",
        "although it still remains the threequel nobody was demanding to see , MOV works as a solid creature feature filled with memorable performances and remarkable visual effects .",
        "mib 3 does justice to the fun and whimsy of the original , and gives you a surprisingly emotional insight into the characters - it travelled back in time to save this franchise from dying .",
        "in a summer hardly starved of comic-book properties , this redundant extension of a series that ran out of gas a decade ago does n't need a neuralyzer to be forgettable .",
        "there is genuine heart in the reteaming of j and k , certainly sufficient to warrant mib3 's existence ; enough , perhaps , to even trumpet it .",
        "sonnenfeld and cohen move their baby along with an integrity and gait that ought to serve as a blueprint for other filmmakers faced with the particular challenges of reviving big-ticket and time-dated hunks of pop culture .",
        "brolin 's performance is funny , masterful , confident , and more than a little unsettling . if one human being can sample another , that 's what 's going on here .",
        "it 's better than the first one .",
        "sonnenfeld 's mildly overachieving film is n't essential , but it finds just enough ways to justify its existence beyond the insatiable demands of commerce .",
        "the franchise is no doubt a little dated , yet will smith 's first film since 2008 's seven pounds is a likable dose of brain-neuralising entertainment .",
        "josh brolin 's hilarious turn as the younger version of the character made famous by tommy lee jones is alone worth the price of admission .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't bad , certainly not as bad as it might have been . but it 's not exactly good , either . mostly , it 's something else : unnecessary .",
        "like an alien trapped in a human host , a better movie is itching to burst out of `` men in black 3 . ''",
        "most of the special effects are repeats of those seen in the first `` mib '' movie and the only new element is brolin 's amazing performance as the young tommy lee jones .",
        "the back story plot works fine , but fans will enjoy what they love best about the mib series - the visuals .",
        "a clear improvement over its nigh disastrous predecessor ...",
        "sonnenfeld wisely plays to the strengths of the series ' longevity , drawing some genuine emotion out of the buddy routine between slick-talking j and granite-faced k",
        "third time 's the charm ; director barry sonnenfeld finally nails a story cool enough for the men in black .",
        "while it 's fairly watchable , it 's not a particularly memorable film .",
        "the main draw is the hanging out and goofing around , something smith does really , exceedingly well .",
        "same silly sci-fi premise as before , but with much , much better special effects .",
        "mib3 is n't as good as the original , but it has a sufficient number of enjoyable moments and a delightful homage to tommy lee jones ' agent k by josh brolin .",
        "brolin is brilliant in his portrayal of agent k in 1969 . the interplay between will smith -lrb- agent j -rrb- and josh brolin -lrb- agent k -rrb- is very entertaining . smith uses his wide repertoire of facial expressions to great advantage .",
        "a palatable reprise of men in black",
        "third alien adventure is fun , less memorable than the first .",
        "almost good enough to neuralyze your memories of mib2 .",
        "i would have liked to have seen a more imaginative script , especially considering the premise and all of the possibilities it presents , but there 's enough decent material to warrant a slight recommendation . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "you stop questioning the sight of hairballs launching scorpion boomerangs or shopkeepers dropping their trousers to reveal they 're teddy ruxpin 's pal , grubby .",
        "a nice throwback to the original and a fun film in its own right .",
        "the world has n't been craving another men in black sequel as much as will smith 's agent .",
        "if there ever is a `` men in black iv '' -- and at this point , it 's hard to imagine one -- let 's hope it finds that delicate balance between the yuks and the yucks .",
        "is the goofy mib formula - a mix of deadpan acting cool and eye-popping creature effects - still funny ? happily , director barry sonnenfeld 's ingenious sequel proves the answer is yes .",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- ven though it manages to escape the been-there-done-that feeling of the second movie , men in black 3 still never fully justifies its existence .",
        "even a film with great eye-candy like this one fails to satisfy as it lacks a solid screenplay .",
        "a harmless bit of summer entertainment that does n't require a lot of heavy thinking and should offer fans of the original enough of what they hoped for to not be considered a dud .",
        "so much of MOV just kind of sits there .",
        "the time travel conceit is not as fresh or smart as the fans would have liked , but the film is more entertaining than the second chapter , and will smith 's charismatic performance dominates the polished package .",
        "it 's hard to imagine it wo n't be a hit , and hard to begrudge that success , no matter how saturated we are with comic-book properties and sequels .",
        "this only mildly bloated and convoluted action comedy has enough inspired moments to wipe out memories of the abysmal 2002 first sequel as surely as one of the black-suited heroes ' nebulizers .",
        "stars smith and jones deliver a few scenes of enjoyably antagonistic banter but neither seems as fully committed to this kind of comedy as in the earlier films .",
        "in this age of blockbuster bloat , sonnenfeld 's willingness to wrap things up well before the two-hour mark , as well as his eschewal of sledgehammer product placement , count as gestures of considerable mercy .",
        "never inept , but almost completely inert .",
        "engrossing and entertaining , sizzling with comedy , suspense and intrigue .",
        "enjoyable sequel with an engaging plot and superb performances from smith and brolin , but it 's not quite as funny as it should have been and certain scenes seem to have mysteriously gone missing .",
        "what makes the film work is a marvelous performance by josh brolin as a younger 1969 version of k.",
        "the thing is still too loud and too big in many respects , but it offers some satisfactions that the average blockbuster rarely even bothers to imagine .",
        "when even the most charismatic actor on the planet ca n't fake excitement , you know you 're in trouble .",
        "more like an attempt to reenergize a franchise than rebottle the lightning that electrified the original .",
        "this is a heartless , cheerless mess , a meandering 100-minute excuse to enter the already overflowing summer movie fray . here , the hipster irony that made the first film fly is all but dead . in its place is a flat feeling of deja vu .",
        "is there any big movie star performance more genuinely charming than will smith 's agent j ? even when this latest chapter in the series is at its sloggiest , smith saves the day .",
        "it 's been ten years ... but it 's been worth the wait .",
        "if you are a fan of the mib franchise , you should enjoy this movie . it 's a bit cartoony at times but overall it is a fun ride .",
        "it 's just not good it 's bland , it 's dull . you would think you 'd have an interesting story after all these years , think again . the aliens in this movie make alf look like james bond",
        "in many ways , mib3 is an old-fashioned , alien-hunting saturday matinee movie - and that 's how we saw it .",
        "director barry sonnenfeld was the cinematographer on misery , raising arizona and blood simple - and there is no doubt he has a signature , comedic camera style that works for his material .",
        "not nearly as silly as the others , the time warp gimmick works .",
        "the oversized sci-fi fantasy , the super cool weaponry , the ultra cool humour , the adrenaline rush of action -lrb- and those iconic sunglasses -rrb- that have spawned millions of fans is back .",
        "it 's the exploration of the cool , unfathomable yin-yang relationship between will smith 's j and tommy lee jones ' k that elevates this third film of the franchise beyond its quirky and inventive expectations .",
        "intelligence and wit make mib 3 a winner .",
        "though there are a few highlights , surprisingly , megastar will smith is n't one of them .",
        "as far as unnecessary sequels are concerned , men in black 3 is a serviceable addition to the series .",
        "the actor and character that most humanizes the movie is michael stuhlbarg as griffin , the alien with the gift of seeing potential futures . griffin is both knowing and insecure . stuhlbarg gives an affecting performance of warmth and fearful anxiety .",
        "dials down the creepy-crawly alien effects and ups the human element for this trip down the time tunnel , with a running theme of mortality , fatherhood and uncovering the mysteries of the past .",
        "`` men in black 3 '' arrives in the multiplexes of the world with no particular agenda . which may be part of the reason that it turns out to be so much fun .",
        "it really is too bad that smith could n't go back in time and stop this thing .",
        "as in previous iterations , j and k investigate places where humans appear to reside only to discover a veritable ` star wars ' cantina of alien whatchamacallits .",
        "with the exception of the special effects department , i get the sense that just about no one in any aspect of the production tried , at all .",
        "has no msg . i mention this because many will probably want to make a meal of it and , it should be said , it 's both pretty tasty and will leave you feeling hungry an hour later ...",
        "... rehashes old themes without really bringing newbies up to speed , then plunges into a time travel plot that introduces ideas only to leave them dangling ... the film 's biggest asset is michael stuhlbarg as new character griffin",
        "the franchise is no longer the zenith of blockbusterism , and the gooey effects from hollywood veteran rick baker look overly familiar , but `` men in black 3 '' remains an amiable comedy with some fondly familiar faces .",
        "few things in life are worth waiting a decade for , and this is n't one of them , but after witnessing so many big-screen sci-fi comebacks go so hideously wrong in recent years , men in black 3 emerges as something of a triumph .",
        "look into this device and wait for the flash and forget any talk of sequels , please . move along . your work is done .",
        "`` men in black 3 '' is all surface but , as with the moon , the surface can steal our attention",
        "there 's a zippy and clever movie going on all around the two lumps with their names above the title .",
        "looks cool , seems promising and goes absolutely nowhere .",
        "despite some good moments , agents j , o and k are missing an e.",
        "apparently , it 's okay to be nostalgic again , especially when the emotional payoff is this big-a wonderful surprise .",
        "if you opt to rent the 3-d glasses , men in black 3 will be $ 14 ; the product has not , otherwise , changed significantly .",
        "i 'm still not convinced anyone really needs it , but this is a respectable effort in the circumstances .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- t 's funny , it 's thrilling -- the actual sequences of travelling through time are intense and inventive -- and it 's even poignant .",
        "exactly what you 'd expect : amiable mediocrity and nicely laid-back performances with pricy special effects plugging in the gaps where jokes should be .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- go ahead and eat some popcorn . `` MOV '' is a great excuse to do so .",
        "tommy lee jones deadpan stoicism and will smith 's quasi-hip parlance does n't add up to much in this film .",
        "fun , fast-paced .",
        "the first follow-up to ` men in black ' , ten years ago , seemed to be running on empty . it was the embodiment of everything that 's wrong with sequels , whereas this one won me over completely .",
        "not even a melodramatic last minute twist or a reminder of race relations from half a century ago can inspire us to feel much for this parade of cheap humor and intentionally gaudy special effects .",
        "sonnenfeld strikes a rich vein of comedy in production designer bo welch 's imagining of the mib in the 1960s .",
        "mib3 defines how a smart summer tentpole extravaganza should look and act .",
        "it 's summer movie smack , and it leaves you hungry only for more of the same .",
        "despite a rough start , `` men in black 3 '' is still decent . it 's mostly due to the likes of josh brolin and michael stuhlbarg 's fantastic performances along with rick baker 's exceptionally creative creature designs , but the ending packs an emotional punch .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "mainly rollicks along , keeping a nice balance between grotesque-alien playfulness and badass secret-agent seriousness . the story does n't have as much fun with the near-alien weirdnesses of 1969 as it could have but the ending comes with a poignant twist .",
        "beneath all the polish -- and will smith 's considerable charm -- is a mediocre , lazily written story .",
        "nowhere near as exhilarating as the first , a triumph compared to the second , MOV offers one sci-fi alternative to a moviegoing summer front-loaded with caped avengers in tights . but not much more .",
        "smarter than its predecessors , and better-looking , ` men in black 3 ' is an entertaining and -lrb- i hope -rrb- touching wrap-up to the buddy film science-fiction franchise that began 15 years ago .",
        "here 's a case of a second sequel being better than the first because , well , it had to be ... thankfully , reliance on visual effects has been dialled down this time around for the sake of a decent story .",
        "consegue divertir gra\u0437as a josh brolin e a alguns instantes de maior inspira\u0437\u0433o na maneira como a trama envolvendo viagem no tempo \u0439 conduzida .",
        "you may be wondering what thrilling , creative idea caused the filmmakers and stars to resurrect this franchise . the answer : none .",
        "a solid plot , one with credible sci-fi twists but also heart . it throws off the jokiness in which this series has been mired to create action-adventure in service to story .",
        "there are some hilarious moments and sublimely silly asides , but the film never shifts into full-speed .",
        "they used to protect us from the scum of the universe but now they 're the scum of the cinema-verse",
        "a small movie in a blockbuster suit ... with enough emotional pull to rise above irrelevant , if south of necessary .",
        "in the mists of the past , damned if an old tune does n't find some new energy . delight , a modest yet palpable measure of the stuff , is restored .",
        "men in black 3 is so dull and empty , it 's the first movie that has ever made me think `` thank god this is in 3d . ''",
        "if itv had made doctor who then it would look something like this .",
        "brolin 's performance gives comedic heft to this three-peat of the franchise about a group of dark-suited federal operatives who oversee the presence of extraterrestrials on earth .",
        "it 's that rare threequel that does n't suck . great special effects , surprising amount of heart .",
        "`` men in black 3 '' is fun and entertaining and shows hope that the series is not as dead as it seemed .",
        "like so many sequels , `` mib3 '' lacks the charisma of the original `` men in black . ''",
        "too often sci-fi epics miss the balance between spectacle and storytelling . while men in black 3 is n't always consistent in humour and pace , sonnenfeld , with a well-considered script from david koepp , manages to make it work .",
        "this mostly solid sequel is a return to form for the series and just stellar enough to make it a must-see for fans of summer popcorn fare , no matter your age .",
        "discerning viewers will find problems with a few of the film 's twists and turns , but moment to moment , there 's still plenty of fun to be had with the men in black .",
        "the effects and direction make this a pleasant diversion , but with a bunch of clunky one-liners and half-baked scenes this is a film that wo n't be remembered long .",
        "funny , if familiar . energy and pacing are reasons it 's able to skate by . it actually deepens the relationship between j and k , but it 's still really a showcase for more of the same offbeat humor and imaginative special effects the first two are known for .",
        "`` mib 3 '' does n't have the same see-it-for-the-first-time magic that the original had , and tonally , with boris , it 's a totally different animal . but it 's just as strong of a film .",
        "keep you interested enough to leave the cinema without feeling you 've been cheated",
        "at some point in the future , probably not more than a couple of weeks , you 'll realize that you barely remember seeing it .",
        "third entry in the popular series satisfies on every level .",
        "it may sound good as a screenwriter 's pitch , but it 's not much fun to watch .",
        "did the world need another `` men in black '' ? no , not at all . but if there had to be one , then it 's certainly a relief that it should be one as agreeable as this .",
        "it 's like a cross between looney tunes and the naked lunch - a hallucinogenic popcorn movie you can safely forget the moment it 's over . so bring on men in black 13 !",
        "happily , it far exceeds the second effort . and while it does n't quite match the first , it 's still a good time - extraterrestrial warts and all .",
        "sonnenfeld depends on crashing action and hyperventilating camera moves to puff up the slack blimp of a story . unfortunately , there 's one effect that computer-animation technicians can never duplicate : a genuine sense of fun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a film made by committee that does n't display the touch of anyone with any remaining actual interest in the characters . in the pipeline for years , the film has been fine-tuned to the point that all of its personality was buffed out in the process .",
        "it 's all acceptably diverting , not actively unpleasant like the 2002 sequel . there are no grand twists or revelations comparable to the truth about the `` galaxy '' in the original .",
        "but MOV proves that it 's always fun to save the galaxy with agents j and k , even when bravely facing down the law of diminishing returns .",
        "i would n't recommend taking mib3 's tortured path to success ; i 'm just really glad it got there .",
        "`` men in black 3 '' is a bore .",
        "the most important thing is that MOV is actually fun .",
        "smith continues to make the goofy plot , wild spectacle , and crazed alien antics look good .",
        "proves two out of three acts ai n't bad",
        "that memory-erasing neuralizer used by agents j and k comes in handy with men in black 3 ... forgetting the scattershot second movie is easy . not recalling how wonderful the original was is a necessity . mib3 will leave few fond memories of its own .",
        "an eclectic cast and stellar visual effects coalesce to make men in black 3 a quintessential kernel of summer popcorn cinema .",
        "smith tries hard here , but that 's part of the problem - beads of sweat are all over this thing .",
        "`` MOV '' is an efficient hollywood summer blockbuster product .",
        "while they probably needed the decade-long gap between films to make us forget mib2 - this third installment is actually quite decent .",
        "josh brolin seems to have inhaled tommy lee jones ' grumpy essence and to be exuding it through his pores . it 's a flawless comic performance .",
        "not just the funniest film in the series , men in black 3 has the best story , too .",
        "smith looks younger than ever , and remains impossible not to like , just as it is impossible not to like ice-cream or the first intimations of summer .",
        "this sequel is so lifeless and pointless that it moves beyond `` unnecessary '' into the realm of `` unwanted '' and `` insulting . ''",
        "gone is the spark that made the relationship between the exuberant smith and buttoned-up jones so much fun .",
        "this is n't nearly as satisfying as something like the avengers , but it 's not trying to be . it 's a breezy popcorn movie that 's supposed to entertain you while you 're in the theater , then you return to your normal lives when it 's done .",
        "the basic plot is so lame and uninvolving that it would have gotten tossed out of a story meeting amongst little kids playing with action figures in a sandbox .",
        "some big laughs and an air of sweet melancholy get you through the slow spots . but enough is enough .",
        "with a budget reported at $ 375 million , the latest project to incorporate apollo 11 into its sci-fi rewrite of history represents one small step for cinema , one giant leap for creative accounting .",
        "brolin is such a perfect match for jones , and smith so confidently charismatic , that everything else seems like a distraction .",
        "this messy , overbearingly loud and barely diverting action comedy happens right in front of you . then high-tails it out of your memory for good .",
        "MOV is a perfectly acceptable summer blockbuster , with all the frenetic action , visual inventiveness and lack of substance that has come to be associated with the phrase .",
        "surprisingly funny , smart and , dare i say , tender . the first great blockbuster of the summer .",
        "did a third installment in this series need to exist ? no , but it offers enough new variations on the formula to make me glad it does .",
        "the smith-jones duo 's return as the titularly clad operatives , while not exactly essential , comes with the charms of reprised , well-liked characters and a `` did n't - see-that-coming '' conclusion that makes up for the first hour 's sequelitis .",
        "it turns out to be reasonably entertaining , though not enough to make me crave men in black 4 .",
        "a funny , exciting , spectacular and surprisingly poignant thrill-ride -- definitely worth two of your earth hours .",
        "it 's not a sequel that needed to be made , but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original , it 's a pretty enjoyable trip .",
        "MOV is far better than we had any right to expect .",
        "a lackluster , overly cheesy film desperately trying to grasp hold of something that was hip and cool more than a decade ago",
        "the good news is that it is an improvement over the previous film .",
        "the movie represents at least a partial return to form -- not as inventive as the first , but surely better than the recycled materials that made up the second .",
        "men in black 3 is n't a spectacular summer comedy nor is it the worst comedy you 'll see this year .",
        "the addition of josh brolin as the young agent k proves to be a brilliant stroke .",
        "the customary assortment of mib aliens is in full flower . kudos to more than 285 special effects and visual effects crew members who had a hand .",
        "brolin captures jones ' essence to such a high degree that he falls right into the old chemistry with smith . it 's a smooth transition , and happily , the old comedy team is back .",
        "high action , slick humor , raucous fun , mib 3 is also a surprisingly thoughtful paean to the higher implications of pie , and to the miracle of chance that makes up the unified fabric of the past , present , and future .",
        "director barry sonnenfeld is as over-caffeinated as ever . his frenetic tone changes between comedy , action and pathos are quick enough to induce whiplash .",
        "enjoyable enough that you wo n't need neuralising afterwards .",
        "this is far from -lsb- smith 's -rsb- finest hour but , rather like the film itself , he ticks all the right boxes , does more than enough to justify the price of a ticket and delivers more than a few genuine laughs .",
        "as in most successful fantasy blockbusters , there 's a comfortable balance between technological wizardry and human talent .",
        "if you 're looking for cinema verite , look elsewhere . if you 're looking for a fun , fizzy sequel in a franchise left for dead 10 years ago , have at it .",
        "this spirited three-quel comes close to the exuberance of the first men in black and is a distinct improvement over its limp 2002 follow-up .",
        "ups the ante ever so slightly by incorporating some fireworks and daring to the typical gags , but it 's still more often than not no great shakes .",
        "they probably should n't make a fourth men in black , but then again , they probably should n't have made this one either , and it turned out all right .",
        "mib 3 is n't a bad movie at all ; it 's simply a vapid one .",
        "it 's a massive film with a chewy center , yet the effort does n't sink under the weight of its elaborate intentions . it 's intermittently pleasurable , getting the franchise back on track .",
        "does n't amount to much with josh brolin , but it would be a lot less fun without him .",
        "josh brolin and a dose of back to the future breathe life and laughter back into the franchise .",
        "while it 's a little thrown together , `` men in black 3 '' seems focused on recapturing not just the style but also the soul of the original .",
        "the script was enough of a mess to stop the shooting for high-priced rewrites , but you know what they say about washing garbage .",
        "it 's been ten years since the last underwhelming men in black movie and 15 long years since the brilliant original - and no one particularly asked to have it back .",
        "whilst mib iii wraps up the series neatly , there 's talk of a fourth already and you ca n't help but feel the joke is wearing a little thin .",
        "a decade-late three-quel anticipated by nobody .",
        "it 's not a totally unpleasant way to spend an escapist evening , but considering the talent involved , ` mib3 ' should have been more out of this world .",
        "this is the proper sequel to the 1997 original , and not the 2002 laugh-free abomination , men in black ii .",
        "mib3 is dumb , flashy fun , and if you simply ignore its obvious shortcomings you may in fact find that being back in the saddle with the boys in black remains an enjoyable , frivolous ride .",
        "the hip , knowing backdrop of these films - their winking acknowledgment that what you suspect about aliens is true - is more interesting than the run-of-the-mill plots scampering around in front of it ."],
    "summary": "it is n't exactly a persuasive argument for the continuation of the franchise , but MOV is better than its predecessor and manages to exceed expectations .",
    "id": "771041419"
  },
  {
    "movie": "baghead",
    "reviews":
     [
        "much of the fun of MOV is that it 's unclassifiable , by turns a movie-movie lark , an eric rohmer-like relationship comedy , and a surprisingly effective friday the 13th kids-in-the-woods slasher film .",
        "once the threat arrives , i was praying to return to the childish mating rituals of these monotonous characters . watching lousy actors try to express heartache through limited gifts is far more frightening than any masked , crazed killer .",
        "a very short and cheerfully scruffy comedy-thriller by the duplass brothers .",
        "i want to persuade you to see MOV , but i do n't want to overhype it , because in many ways it 's a delicate construction best served as a surprise .",
        "satire , you see , requires the sort of artistic discipline that is anathema to mumblecore filmmakers .",
        "while the acting is uneven and the focus wavers , the duplasses take several well-aimed potshots at their bloated industry .",
        "delightfully unpredictable .",
        "one of the year 's standout indie efforts .",
        "the semi-improvised performances , which seem so natural that it is tempting to confuse the actors with their characters , bring MOV into the realm of group therapy observed through one-way glass .",
        "what could have been an amusing short subject , the duplass brothers ' not-quite-horror/not-quite-comedy drags its one note premise out to an almost mind-numbing 84 minutes .",
        "the movie 's concern with its characters ' shifting alliances and petty vanities also evokes early john sayles and , at times , eric rohmer .",
        "simple , minimal yet charming and original , MOV should be included in courses like indies 101 , as demonstration of the democratic nature of the filmmaking process and the viability of low-budget guerrilla cinema .",
        "... you 're not quite sure what to make of MOV , though in a good way .",
        "MOV is an original , confident piece of filmmaking that is n't easily categorized or even summarized .",
        "a raw , wickedly clever comedy that also includes moments of genuine terror .",
        "the movie 's cheap , it 's clever -- it 's even a little scary in places .",
        "a funny , scary send-up of filmmakers .",
        "it 's a relationship movie , a horror film and an independent hollywood insider satire , all three elements winking at each other the whole time .",
        "mark and jay duplass -lrb- the puffy chair -rrb- once again show how you can make a good , cheap movie with a good idea , some strong characters and one , simple visual motif .",
        "he -lsb- MOV -rsb- is obviously simply a device to make the movie long enough to qualify as a feature , and the denouement will be one of stunning underwhelmingness .",
        "MOV is a mumblecoreish meditation on the increasingly permeable boundaries between movies and life .",
        "jay and mark duplass know better : it is n't how much you spend that determines a picture 's quality , it 's how you spend whatever you have . the brothers are master strategists .",
        "what do four young film makers and a demented savage with a bag over his head have in common ? they all want to be stars , and they almost make it in this super-indie horror satire .",
        "it 's very funny , it 's smart , and it could be really scary . and it really has some nice performances as well .",
        "MOV does n't strike with the same impact of puffy chair , but it does provide proof that the duplasses are as talented and unpredictable as they are clever and resourceful .",
        "the balance is weighted in favor of character-based laughs rather than scares , but the deadpan tone is maintained throughout",
        "although it displays some mumblecore characteristics , such as a performance from hannah takes the stairs star greta gerwig , MOV distances itself from the movement by being well , watchable .",
        "hats off to MOV .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the directors like dissonant relationships : here , their spectacularly self-absorbed protagonists step on each other , jockeying first for position and ultimately for survival .",
        "the duplass brothers ... get some decent mileage from their cassavetes-lite , semi-improvisatory filmmaking approach , capturing authenticity in their cast 's fumbling gestures , half-spoken lines , and stumbling advances .",
        "you 're never quite sure if you 're supposed to laugh or shudder , which is saying a lot at a time when most movies drop their seventh veil before the trailer has even come to an end .",
        "it 's entertaining , often funny and ultimately endearing , thanks mainly to its ensemble cast .",
        "for the duplass ' film about these talentless slackers to work - both as a drama and then as a horror film -- it 's essential that we care about the characters . i could n't do it .",
        "if you find slasher films and endless saw sequels too predictable , it 's worth giving this offbeat comedy a look .",
        "it 's an indie about indies -- meta , right ? but also mighty effective if you 're into idle , drunken chit-chat about getting laid while waiting out the bogeyman in the bushes .",
        "but what makes MOV more than just a hipster version of the blair witch project -lrb- young filmmakers in the woods , being terrified -rrb- is the bromance at its core .",
        "sibling writer-directors jay and mark duplass have figured out how to use their meager resources to intriguing effect . after watching `` MOV , '' i 'm not sure if i 've seen a horror film or a comedy , and i 'm sure that 's what the duplass brothers intended .",
        "directed by jay and mark duplass , it 's very broad , but the satire -- and its attendant babble -- actually heightens the scares .",
        "seems as though it 's made up as they go along , which is part of its charm .",
        "however talky and handheld , the story is deceptively strong ,",
        "the co-directors and co-writers , jay and mark duplass , appear to be saying , ` hey , we are the new emperors of the independent cinema . and guess what ? we have no clothes . '",
        "MOV is best in its first half , when it 's just about a group of four friends trying to escape the ruts their lives have become .",
        "a refreshingly brisk and modest salvo from the american independent film front , proving there 's still interesting life in the scruffy , shot-on-video genre .",
        "jay and mark duplass -- the brothers who wrote , directed and produced this bauble -- take literally two-thirds of the film to come to a very small point .",
        "alternately funny and scary , ` MOV ' suggests that ` the blair witch project ' may be as responsible for mumblecore as any of the self-consciously anti-commercial movies that usually are credited with jump-starting the trend .",
        "the truth eventually comes out , as it must , and it 's not exactly a stunner .",
        "i want to shout , not mumble , that the duplasses are a couple of the most promising filmmakers out there .",
        "MOV 's got exactly one joke to exploit -- it 's a relationship movie masquerading as a horror movie -- and proceeds to beat it to death .",
        "alternately hilarious , subtly sinister , and finally poignant , MOV is not quite like any other film in memory .",
        "MOV is at its best when it captures the subtleties of romantic machinations , macho power plays and the indignity of women aging in hollywood .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- generally charming , funny and sweet movie that 's far more accessible than past efforts -lsb- from the duplass brothers -rsb- .",
        "a sly poke at indie filmmaking , a non-stop roller-coaster of sexual and romantic politics , and -lrb- yes -rrb- a slightly scary thriller when all is said and done .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- clever insider 's riff about life on the lo-fi end of the indie spectrum .",
        "being creative is scary and personal and when you involve other people in the creative process you have to trust them or find a way to get what you want . and that happens here as do laughs , gasps , confusion and terror both real and internalized .",
        "a blast of fresh air . it has warmth and innovation , and the mischievous good sense to subtly make fun of the type of film that it is .",
        "what the duplasses are really adept at , and what truly sets them apart from their lo-fi american indie brethren , is an almost antiquated kind of physical comedy .",
        "its horror is n't anticipated because there 's nothing about these people that justifies harm ; they 're just people , not pawns . but this , as with perception of what sort of film this is , is n't ultimately certain .",
        "for all the use of first takes and jerky camera moves , the john cassavetes invoked by MOV is not the indie pioneer saint but his faustian thespian-husband character in rosemary 's baby .",
        "... there 's a sly wit to the way the filmmakers mix and match and upend genres .",
        "very uneven super-low-budget exercise ... the sort of thing that 's usually referred to as ` showing promise . '",
        "even in the spookiest woods in the dead of night , there will be no difficulty figuring this one out .",
        "although the final act telegraphs the endgame a little too obviously , MOV is nevertheless a late summer treat .",
        "the problem with MOV is n't that it 's cheaply made but that it 's sloppily composed .",
        "this is the kind of imaginative and witty filmmaking that brings us that scarce commodity : a little movie gem .",
        "takes an ingenious -- and perhaps necessary -- shift into more accessible filmmaking . okay , it 's less of a shift than a sort of yawning amiable slouch , but you get my drift .",
        "in this interview , filmmakers jay duplass and mark duplass talk about the road to their first distributed feature , the process of their filmmaking and the meaning of the term mumblecore .",
        "a sweet little movie , it does n't have a pretentious bone in its body . the four lead actors are uniformly likable , so the thinness of the production never detracts from our enjoyment .",
        "keep your eyes open , and there are lots of other , subtler things going on .",
        "there are some humorous and touching moments in MOV , but the actors lack the finesse needed to make us really feel for their characters .",
        "the duplass brothers waste a perfectly good porno premise by getting meta on our asses",
        "something -lsb- that -rsb- is both impressive and thrifty is jay and mark duplass ' MOV , unquestionably the most inventive horror film in years -- one that puts character first and genre expectations last .",
        "... an intriguing premise that 's employed to predictably subdued effect by the duplass brothers ...",
        "an extended navel gaze .",
        "a wildly funny parody of low-budget horror cinema .",
        "that documentary-like naturalism might be a bit much for some viewers , but MOV is still an intriguing film , as the duplass brothers construct genuine suspense while toying with their audience 's expectations .",
        "MOV delivers more scares with its paper masked stalker than jason and michael myers combined in their respective reboots .",
        "just when you think the film is about to zig , it zags and heads another direction . and it 's smart enough to cut things short before it wears out its welcome and before it gets too predictable .",
        "the plot is tired , the actors are not much good , the situation is way too familiar , there is no humor or fright in sight .",
        "trouble is , it 's never really funny or really scary , and a lot of it is hugely predictable .",
        "when the origami model of the plot finally unfolds , and the well-justified surprises are disclosed , there are still a couple of revelations up the duplass brothers ' sleeves .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV works on the same principle lucy used when she kept promising she would hold the football for charlie brown but kept moving it before he could kick it .",
        "he brothers duplass have a knack for the to-and-fro of modern relationships . their horror sense is less acute , but at least they understand that when the budget is low , it 's best to keep the villain in the shadows .",
        "i felt like putting a bag over my head .",
        "too bad the characters are so rote . the women are almost nonentities , and the bond between the men borders on the maudlin . the actors are often better than their lines .",
        "the coda , even if it does n't wholly work , should have some sobering lessons for would-be filmmakers who see this . kids , try this at home .",
        "compared to films such as tropic thunder and the blair witch project , MOV 's poke at the film industry and attempt at verite horror are a little like making vroom-vroom noises next to a porsche .",
        "it 's clear that horror is n't really the duplass ' forte : the simple scenes of these four aspiring filmmakers sitting around a table , brainstorming ideas while tearing each other apart are more interesting than all that running and screaming .",
        "MOV is at once a terrifically smart and scary piece of entertainment , an embodiment of the mumblecore aesthetic , and a sly commentary on the challenges aspiring and independent filmmakers face in finding an audience for their work ."],
    "summary": "pitting actors against murderers in a self-aware struggle for stardom , MOV successfully skates the borders of horror and comedy .",
    "id": "770682459"
  },
  {
    "movie": "constantine",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- a -rsb- stylish and moody thriller that actually sort of works , despite everything that seems poised to go wrong with it .",
        "keanu reeves surfs through his acting in this otherwise excellent demonic film noir .",
        "sometimes dense and impenetrable , but it also contains an unusually thoughtful consideration of the difference between faith and belief .",
        "the matrix meets the exorcist -lrb- with a little chinatown thrown in for good measure -rrb- in keanu reeves 's just-below-okay supernatural adventure .",
        "i 'd argue that MOV could be watched with the scenes rearranged in any order and still make sense , like episodes of the simpsons .",
        "despite the professionalism of its stars , MOV is another rip-off of the matrix , the omen and a hundred other films , gussied up with 21st-century effects and attitude . it 's a mess .",
        "a grab bag of bits from the whole demons-and-angels spectrum .",
        "lawrence directs with energy , humour and an amusing eye for bizarre details - such as the fact that hell can be accessed via the judicious use of a cat and a puddle .",
        "groovy , sexy , well-crafted adaptation with just the right casting to make it fly when it could have sunk .",
        ". . outside of some nice cinematography , MOV has few of the matrix 's virtues .",
        "reasonably satisfying cinematic junk food ... enough crackerjack sequences and admirably trippy rhythms for a recommendation .",
        "despite some witty special effects and a appealing concept , MOV meanders in too many directions to make much sense even to itself .",
        "the definition of a mixed bag , MOV has the potential to both grasp your attention and lull you to complacency .",
        "man 's interpretation of god is so often ground for war or denial of personal responsibility , it 's nice to see it used for good entertainment as well .",
        "the film is chock full of pleasures ... perhaps too many for its own good .",
        "here 's hoping that keanu reeves begins to get a bit of respect with MOV , and that francis lawrence does n't get sold short for doing a tentpole film .",
        "lawrence keeps the story on track and does n't cheat the world of MOV , which embraces good , evil , unforgiving judgment and the human ambiguities that offer the possibility for forgiveness .",
        "so where are we ? in two hours of dullsville , as sinatra used to say .",
        "the much-maligned reeves gives a subdued , convincing performance .",
        "reeves once again bears the sins of man for heavenly good , this time with attitude",
        "a cut above the typical apocalyptic thrillers that rolled off the assembly line with regularity in 1999 .",
        "i especially enjoyed the great special effects as MOV battles the demons . be sure to stay through the end credits for a special scene .",
        "MOV provides a novel twist on the typical comic book movie until it collapses under its own goofy logic",
        "save yourself the cash on this one ; it 's too silly to be scary and too stupid to be watchable .",
        "a solid if less-than-satisfying popcorn movie .",
        "you can just picture the meeting : a few guys in prada suits sit around an l.a. boardroom table going , ` the matrix meets the exorcist , huh ... ? with keanu ? i like it . no wait - i love it . '",
        "reeves 's performances is nuanced and offers multi layers of character that we 've not ever seen from him .",
        "keanu reeves is -- let me just get this off my chest -- very good .",
        "this movie will satisfy reeves fans in search for a good-looking action flick .",
        "trying to effectively depict hell is a daunting task , but director lawrence and production designer shohan manage to do more than a decent and credible job of it .",
        "MOV seems to share more of the right wing 's agenda than just an apocalyptic point of view .",
        "-lrb- MOV -rrb- fails to capture the imagination . it is what it is , a cinematic comic book .",
        "MOV does generate some mid-level amusement and f/x interest in the epic battle it 's based on , but has very little to show for it once the final credits role .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't about the people of the story and only uses the story as a reason to blow things up .",
        ".",
        "simplified and predictable plot that uses every pseudo-religious cliche imaginable",
        "reeves has created a unique character that has the potential for future installments .",
        "by every standard of good filmmaking , MOV is a mess . yet i did not find it one of those so-bad-it 's - good affairs . i honestly enjoyed it .",
        "let 's drop the bias and negativity and cut to the chase here : reeves is good in this role .",
        "despite all the bad acting jokes made at poor reeves ' expense , his slightly wooden , straightforward delivery has a powerful charm backing it .",
        "it just so happens that i always had a theory on how to visit hell , too : sit in a chair and watch a keanu reeves movie .",
        "MOV is n't a good movie . but it 's reasonably fun , and its silliness is its saving grace .",
        "the story is a retread of the old exorcist and omen formats , but it delivers as much action and spectacle as fans of the genre could want .",
        "this supernatural , super-noir thriller has been shot beautifully -lrb- by philippe rousselot -rrb- , and directed with enjoyable , crazy-angled aplomb by francis lawrence .",
        "keanu reeves plays a haunted , expressionless traveler in an overblown theological thriller based on the dc/vertigo comic book hellblazer .",
        "MOV deals , at least in part , with its title character 's attempt to cross over from hell to heaven . but there 's no uncertainty about the movie 's fate . it quickly heads south .",
        "takes too long telling a story that could have delivered maximum impact in less time .",
        "the screenplay by frank a. cappello and kevin brodbin is only interesting for a few characters , hardly the story .",
        "it 's all about the visuals and the attitude , and both are are cool and striking , reflecting its comic book origins and music video sensibilities .",
        "keanu reeves brings a gravity to john MOV that makes neo -- his cheerless character in the matrix movies -- now appear to be the height of the actor 's madcap jerry lewis period . hey hayyyy-deees !",
        "occult detective john MOV -lrb- reeves -rrb- has seen it all and responds to the most hideous threat with a puff on his cigarette and a self-assured leap into the abyss .",
        "borderline incoherent , theologically unsatisfying , and short to the point of dwarfism on suspense .",
        "devilishly more entertaining than it has any right to be .",
        "a stylish energy sustains this film even when it begins to drift into draggy incoherence .",
        "plays more like a bunch of vaguely realized ideas strung haphazardly together than it does as a coherent story with rhythm and purpose",
        "a tacky , cgi-driven action-horror flick with some of the most vacuous writing and wooden acting to ever torment damned theatregoers .",
        "keanu reeves is a chain-smoking , tough-talking , and *** - kicking exorcist , taking out the demonic trash like a hybrid of father karras and mike hammer",
        "maybe some of the audience should wonder if they are n't performing the devil 's work by sitting so quietly through movies that turn wonders into garbage .",
        "where the exorcist , the prophecy , and ... dogma have all ventured , MOV gives the middle finger and delves into darker territory .",
        "a construct of heaven and hell that makes no sense , and changes when the plot requires it , is the least of its problems .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't heavenly . but it 's an interesting enough look at what lies beyond .",
        "... entirely miscast ...",
        "i deeply loathe the heaven-and-hell genre to which this cinematic comic-book spectacular belongs .",
        "it 's just sad that a movie ostensibly based on a frequently intelligent comic book should end up a no-brainer .",
        "blazes few new trails and bogs down in a confusing narrative muddle .",
        "rachel weisz gives it her best shot , but she ca n't save the messy script from its own feelings self-importance .",
        "a very satisfying film .",
        "the prime conceit of the movie is its gallows humor that seeps out like clotting blood from a decomposing corpse .",
        "visuals and attitude -- not for kids .",
        "an enjoyable revelation .",
        "halfway through MOV , a fully clad keanu reeves steps into a shallow pail of water , sits on a chair next to it and holds a cat in his lap .",
        "this film combines elements of comic book fantasy with horror to create an enjoyable brew - sort of a film noir version of the exorcist , crossbred with the stylization of the matrix .",
        "it may not be the first great movie of 2005 , but it is certainly the first really entertaining one .",
        "the stylized , almost film noir design uses extreme close-ups and bizarro angles to give us the feeling you get from the best comics , the feeling that we are seeing everything from an angle that is perfect , unexpected and new .",
        "though the story is potentially fascinating and the visuals sometimes spellbinding , the movie itself is stranded in the purgatory of the second-rate .",
        "hellacious , audacious , visually stunning and deeply wiggy , MOV is a miracle , a comic-book movie for smart people .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i do n't know about the rest of you clowns , but there 's something about the whole heaven/hell thing that , when it 's done really well , becomes incredibly captivating .",
        "it 's sort of like the matrix minus all the cool stuff .",
        "... an entertaining ` exorcist ' for our computer-generated , action-movie age .",
        "... one of this year 's cooler ` must-see ' flicks for all lovers of the genre .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- has tilda swinton giving a marvelously androgynous turn as the angel gabriel",
        "lawrence is a skilled copycat , and his adeptness at creating a mood of otherworldly unease helps make up for his story 's familiarity .",
        "reeves has a deliberately morose energy level in the movie , as befits one who has seen hell , walks among half-demons , and is dying .",
        "all style . no soul .",
        "intelligent , wildly entertaining nerve-jangler .",
        "reeves wears essentially the same black wardrobe , does the same moves , shows off the same galling lack of acting ability , but with a slightly different haircut .",
        "swinton 's presence proves as strange as the rest of this sometimes-stimulating but often-ludicrous endeavor .",
        "takes itself just seriously enough to put on a good show . reeves earns some theatrical redemption , the demons put a scare into the waywardly righteous , and there are plenty of evil-duders left over for a sequel .",
        "admittedly , a big bunch of supernatural mumbo-jumbo , and it 's also a cool looking big bunch of supernatural mumbo-jumbo garnished with a healthy dollop of religious cynicism .",
        "makes repeated visits to a hell that looks to have been designed by hieronymus bosch in collaboration with gianni versace for a marilyn manson arena tour .",
        "occasionally , reeves forgets what movie he 's in and strikes a neo-like pose .",
        "the movie pulls no punches when it comes to biblical prophecy , black comedy and artistic visuals . and that 's totally killer .",
        "an imaginative , if overstuffed attempt to chart the boundaries of american spiritual life .",
        "peppered with so many neat touches , it almost does n't matter the story is a muddle .",
        "a pretty good set up for what could be a franchise that has potential to get better and better .",
        "reeves is more wooden than the cross and is about as sexy",
        "... a spiritually spry yet lumbering fantasy ... the technological flourishes are a marvel to behold but the film 's erratic journey is as choppy as a country dirt road",
        "brimming with good ideas but fails to exorcise the demons of audience pandering .",
        "while haters might go into the movie hoping keanu will go to hell , MOV is not so bad as to make you continue to feel the hate .",
        "MOV 's incoherent plotting ruins the comicbook 's frazzled , hard-bitten edge .",
        "... stuck in a plane between deliberate laughs , and filmmaking that 's laughably bad",
        "o roteiro impede que MOV fa\u00e7a jus ao interessante personagem-t\u00edtulo .",
        "it 's difficult to understand what MOV is about , or indeed , whether it 's a good movie .",
        "obviously toned-down from the comic , it 's still a pretty provocative piece - a slyly funny biblical detective story -lrb- sort of a sunday school film noir . -rrb-",
        "the biggest problems with MOV all seem to stem from keanu reeves . the problem is that reeves really ca n't act . sorry , keanu , but the truth hurts .",
        "... a stand-alone , rapturous good time-craftily and accurately captures the straight-faced camp , wry wit and episodic structure of its source material .",
        "a moody mystery movie that moves from questions of faith to demon beat-downs to fatalist humor with the compelling , churning appeal of a hard-boiled b-movie ride .",
        "a clever fantasy/horror noir with a dash of broad comedy , the big-screen adaptation of the `` hellblazer '' comic books certainly has an original if loony vision .",
        "imagine if bosch and dante were 21st-century geeks and they collaborated on a graphic novel ... holy crap , but there 's some imagery here that will stalk your nightmares ...",
        "a riveting piece of suspense and action , and one of the strongest horror films in recent memory .",
        "... slow , silly and stupid but tolerable when funny .",
        "per usual for the genre , the cast is tops , the action contrived , the effects and design state of the art , and the writing strictly bottom feeding .",
        "the end explanation seems as reasonable and metaphysically valid as a pok\u00e9mon card battle . that 's ok , though , because MOV is all about look , sound and feel .",
        "you 'll either love it or hate it . i loved it .",
        "gives a gothic , grotesque twist to `` the road to hell is paved with good intentions . ''",
        "reeves is back to his usual monotoned self ... as a routine demon-slayer who plays second fiddle to expensive special effects .",
        "viscerally , i feel shut out of the fun .",
        "memo to keanu reeves : it 's time to get away from the metaphysical .",
        "there is , though , an undeniable pulse and momentum .",
        "you have to die a little to catch a glimpse of the depths of hell ... or this movie . bless them father , for they have sinned .",
        "there 's something seductive and irresistible about it .",
        "in the end , MOV is an intense theme park ride into the abyss of hell -- for no reason other than to feel the heat .",
        "there is no person in movie history who has devoted more time to defending civilization from evil and obliteration than keanu reeves , or who has spent more time shifting between spiritual , perceptual and historical planes to do the job right proper .",
        "the year is young , but it 's never too soon for the worst of the year party . crashing through the door , a balloon in its ear and a plastic devil doll up its nose , comes 2005 's early achiever .",
        "has enough subtextual codes to spawn its own cult .",
        "reeves plays one of the comic-book world 's most intriguing antiheroes in an adaptation that is n't the massive screw-up fans rightfully expected , but has a cool-to-silly ratio that 's just barely acceptable .",
        "the movie is n't hellish , because there 's always hope of leaving it . it 's more like purgatory , two whole hours of it .",
        "the actor 's black-on-white getup makes it plain that MOV is one ` whoa ' away from neo-dom , and that MOV likely represents the start of another hollywood franchise with diminishing returns in its future .",
        "an achievement of both story and technique , MOV is one of the finest comic-based films ever made .",
        "the film resembles nothing so much as a punctured tire with a slow leak , letting all the air seep out until what 's finally left is flat and fairly ineffectual .",
        "an uneven amalgamation of the brilliant and the preposterous , MOV left me by turns intrigued , confused , and wary .",
        "once you let yourself fall into its rising hellfire , you 'll get caught up in its thrilling storyline , ominous ambiance , and wild and weird action sequences",
        "this is n't the hell that just kinda sucks . this is the hell that puts fear in your heart and makes you want to head to church directly after leaving the theater .",
        "keanu 's back in black , and in a ` hell ' of a fun movie ... what 's not to love ?",
        "apocalyptically awful , end of days bad , the order bad , lost souls bad . religiously it 's blasphemous , but as a movie it 's just plain lousy .",
        "MOV is a pretentiously muddled , emotionally hollow , nonsensical film about catholic angst , and a cancer-ridden hero who 's been to hell and back .",
        "it has the grace of a tumble off a ladder .",
        "MOV does have its pleasures .",
        "great-looking but torturously slow .",
        "for all its spiritual angst , MOV is about as silly as fantasies get .",
        "every time weisz and reeves share the screen , ` MOV ' goes weirdly out of whack , since she 's doing some actual acting while he seems to be playing ` let 's pretend . '",
        "this is nonsense , of course , and the trappings surrounding it only typify the absolute worst of comic books .",
        "it 's all so well-paced and cool-looking and mordantly clever that you may forgive the film 's transgressions .",
        "it 's a ponderous bore . dull dialogue , dull situations and a serious lack of urgency hinder what should be a high-stakes slice of pseudo-religious heresy .",
        "any movie that casts tilda swinton as the angel gabriel has its heart in the right place and a serious screw loose -- two things worth wishing for any time you lay your eight bucks down .",
        "under -lsb- reeves ' -rsb- laconic surfer-dude exterior lies a performer capable of seething rage and even some wit .",
        "toto , we 're not in kansas anymore , and we 're not in hell . it 's only california .",
        "i believe in satan , hell , demons walking the earth , and keanu reeves as a cancer-ridden exorcist . stay until after the credits for a denouement .",
        "good-looking , but decidedly hollow . misses the opportunity to explore its evocative central conceits by attempting to do too many other things at once , and failing .",
        "one of those rare pulpy page-to-screen translations that actually gets it right .",
        "the idea of a guy trying to buy his way into heaven is good , but this movie does n't take it anywhere other than the usual set of world saving scenarios .",
        "at a time when big-budget movies are focus-grouped and diluted into oblivion , MOV dares to dream .",
        "there may be a special room in hell for such filmmakers , but it 's the audience that suffers the agonies of the damned by having to sit through it .",
        "say what you will about reeves , but he 's a unique creature . even when he 's bad , he can be pretty fun to watch . and to listen to .",
        "music video-trained director francis lawrence whips up a witch 's brew of gray-on-gray atmosphere , but for all the end-of-the-world mumbo jumbo , nothing much ever seems to be at stake .",
        "screenwriter kevin brodbin 's script is quite wacky in parts ,",
        "those who can set aside their preconceptions will discover one of the more artfully designed comic-based films in some time .",
        "it turns out to be a pleasant surprise , never taking itself too seriously and with some fairly tense and creepy moments .",
        "there 's a potentially good story rattling around somewhere inside this broken , self-contradictory and finally meaningless film .",
        "a more visceral approach might have upgraded MOV from what in its present form feels more like a trip to heck and back .",
        "alternates between quiet , surprisingly dull scenes in which the hero and the girl talk in that italicized comic-book way about his past and orgies of computer pixels dressed up as gibbering fiends .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't a movie , per se ; it 's a stunt with eye-catching effects that work to lure in audiences , those who , after seeing this beauty , will be the real lost souls .",
        "though i have a soft spot for keanu reeves there 's no denying this is one of his worst performances ... sounding dopier than usual .",
        "unnecessarily complex in parts , MOV still delivers a supernatural wallop , fueling a never-ending fascination with what lies beyond our world .",
        "beneath the rings of absurdity , there 's a degree of seriousness .",
        "if you 're willing to buy its premise , it 's a great ride .",
        "... painted in such broad strokes that potentially exciting context becomes little more than incessant hogwash .",
        "without a perceptible heartbeat , none of it is of much consequence .",
        "keanu can do better than this .",
        "it 's occasionally cheesy , sometimes enjoyable , intermittently scary , and constantly spiked with celestial blatherskite .",
        "virtually anyone but reeves would have made a better john MOV .",
        "peaks early , then descends into portentous nonsense .",
        "while decidedly no one 's idea of the john MOV of the comics -lrb- who was originally modelled on sting -rrb- , reeves acquits himself well enough .",
        "a kind of gothic guerilla warfare , with moody demonologist john MOV caught in between .",
        "full review in greek",
        "entirely beyond redemption .",
        "reeves , meanwhile , has confidently entered his self-parodic period .",
        "while lacking the richness of its source material , it remains an enjoyable , immoral and sometimes beautifully gothic tale .",
        "a little too muddled and erratically paced to command much interest . while some of the effects are cleverly worked-up , the picture seems more often to be on cgi autopilot .",
        "MOV waves rotted meat in front of the rabid dogs of both comic books and religion , but mostly just manages to hack off any moviegoer that enters its hallowed doors .",
        "a good horror-noir roller coaster ride ...",
        "add MOV to the list of movies that took comic-book concepts , but left the soul on the page .",
        "a movie like MOV is a huge undertaking . ... this is a vast canvas encompassing two worlds . it cries out for an experienced director , not a first-timer .",
        "it 's good production values , interesting story and characters are perfectly fine for genre fans but for everyone else an instantly forgettable experience .",
        "MOV is one of those excruciatingly awful movies where you check your watch every few minutes hoping the agony will soon end .",
        "muddled to say the least ... although at least it 's more interesting than anything in hellboy or van helsing .",
        "it 's just so awful that the crew must have been snickering .",
        "an entertaining supernatural film noir .",
        "proves better at juggling the neo-religious elements central to the story far better than , say , the last two matrix films .",
        "by the time peter stormare appears -lsb- as -rsb- lucifer , the story has become so convoluted , we ca n't take it seriously . judging from his campy performance , neither can stormare .",
        "ok , the movie is too long and pretty silly , but it 's also a good deal of fun .",
        "this is by no means a perfect movie , but it 's stylish , eerie , and better acted than you might expect . it also has at least half a brain in its head .",
        "slightly better than your run-of-the-mill late winter horror film .",
        "while the tone stays faithful to alan moore 's `` hellblazer '' series , the film does n't really work because reeves is the wrong guy to play the title character .",
        "i 'd call it anticlimactic if there were any rising action ...",
        "if you 've ever wanted to see keanu reeves go to hell , this is your chance .",
        "i spent the better half of MOV wondering what in the hellblazer was going on .",
        "se queda en alg\u00fan punto intermedio , un purgatorio de las cintas que no pueden ir al infierno pero que , lo siento por la inversi\u00f3n , tampoco se ganan el cielo .",
        "MOV forces us to make giant leaps of faith over its gaping holes in logic and plot . and unfortunately , we fall quick and hard .",
        "if its dark-heartedness is sometimes counterfeit , MOV still scores courtesy of its convincing comic book milieu .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- n no way a great movie , -lsb- it 's -rsb- a serviceable take on the property that manages to be both appallingly liberal with and nicely faithful to the character .",
        "MOV is no hellblazer , but if you can get past that , it 's a fun little film worth the price of admission .",
        "all style , close to zero substance .",
        "unintentionally hilarious theological mumbo-jumbo which boils down to `` the passion of the keanu . ''",
        "` interesting and intelligent , if dark and sometimes murky theologically . '",
        "it 'll work well for comic fans and goth kids , but may work best as a rental for everyone else .",
        "while structured like a traditional fantasy action film , MOV only manages to be truly exciting maybe twice during the running time .",
        "a deceptively thoughtful tale tricked up like an action movie ; it 's beautiful to look at but even more lovely to ruminate over .",
        "fans of the horror/fantasy genre will find plenty to applaud , and dc executives can finally breathe a sigh of relief -- even if that 's not so easy for john MOV .",
        "... after surviving MOV , i definitely prefer the trip to hell -lsb- keanu reeves -rsb- took in bill & ted 's bogus journey .",
        "doubting his mission and his faith even as he 's consumed by them , MOV is an achingly topical comic book/movie hero .",
        "reeves and weisz have chemistry , and they know a little humor goes a long way in a film of this sort .",
        "an intriguing , eye-popping and sometimes downright startling slice of pulp science fiction .",
        "the storyline , despite the best efforts of everyone involved , just is n't engaging , primarily because it 's so ludicrous -lrb- unreasonably so -rrb- .",
        "a good enough movie to make you forget , most of the time , how truly dreadful reeves ' stilted , monotonous delivery is ."],
    "summary": "despite solid production values and an intriguing premise , MOV lacks the focus of another spiritual shoot-em-up , the matrix .",
    "id": "12977"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1124859-grind",
    "reviews":
     [
        "cinematic fecal matter at its best .",
        "pretty much a complete waste of time .",
        "if you love skateboarding , feel free to rent MOV , hit the mute button and fast forward through anything that does n't involve a half-pipe .",
        "suitable entertainment for boys too young to shave .",
        "first-time director casey la scala may have taken his fledgling film 's title too literally , grinding together borrowed ingredients like a mischievous chef .",
        "it 's the sort of movie that makes american wedding look ... subtle by comparison . -lsb- t -rsb- his summer 's notorious bomb gigli is starting to look better and better .",
        "director la scala ca n't direct his way out of this can of half-baked beans .",
        "brings out the worst of a fringe sport that fights for mainstream acceptance ... this film fails so completely in almost every aspect .",
        "viewing the earthbound sequences in `` MOV '' is like watching the dialogue portions of pornos . pity the viewers who catch this one without the benefit of a fast-forward or chapter select button .",
        "you 've seen and heard it before , dude .",
        "sitting through this shoddy , boring production is most certainly a MOV .",
        "manages to capture enough honest moments to make it watchable , but it 's never really funny enough to recommend to anyone who 's outgrown short pants and kneepads .",
        "at 102 minutes , much longer than such a trifle needs to be .",
        "laughs are virtually nil , despite a plethora of crude attempts at humor : jokes about vomiting , defecating , flatulence , bosomy babes .",
        "bursting with energy and highlighted by some exciting skateboarding sequences -lrb- the more dedicated will wish for more -rrb- , MOV has its laugh-out - loud moments .",
        "a crass , condescending piece of corporate bamboozling .",
        "it seems to have been written on a ... dare , to see if a coherent , entertaining screenplay could be written using only the words ` dude , ' ` man ' and ` bro . '",
        "it 's obvious none of the ` skateboarders ' can really skate , so MOV ends up feeling like a mash-up of two different movies .",
        "a tip for filmmakers attempting to appeal to young moviegoers : do n't hire thirtysomething actors to play recent high-school graduates .",
        "it 's not the hit of the summer , but it 's not a `` MOV '' to watch it , either .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie flowed as though every scene and every line of dialogue was decided on the fly .",
        "the story is bad and the writing even worse , but one would at least expect a skateboarding movie to feature some noteworthy stunts . not so .",
        "a logo-laden celebration of the joys of sponsorship wrapped inside an innocuous teen-pic package .",
        "will mostly be remembered as the wasted first starring role in the hopefully lengthy career of the very , very talented adam brody .",
        "i think actually guys and women , who love skateboarding , probably wo n't like this movie because it does n't do it justice-the skill it really takes to be at the top of the game .",
        "it 's so lacking in real-world skate politics that it more resembles the chugging pg-13 mediocrity of top 40 pop-punk - lite than the hard-core black flagisms of peralta 's scathingly real doc .",
        "` MOV ' rather economically describes the experience for anyone above age 11 who wanders into this skateboarding ` rad ' retread for ` jackass ' fans .",
        "you 'd feel sorry for the poor actors if they were n't so perpetually annoying .",
        "... predictable gross-out humor and sports cliches are in ample supply .",
        "ca n't quite shred the formula that 's dragging the plot down .",
        "without tons of exciting skateboard footage or a strong appreciation for the skating culture , nothing remains but pure pain .",
        "what MOV lacks in cinematic skill , it makes up for in heart , which is what most dudes-in-arms flicks are missing .",
        "excruciating ... an astoundingly awful follow-your-dream fantasy , so bad it might make you look back fondly on ` gleaming the cube ' and ` airborne . '",
        "unbelievably tedious and seems to have been improvised on the spot -- just not by anyone with any discernible talent .",
        "it 's a comedy filled with non-star actors , a sloppy story and misfired humor .",
        "you leave feeling glad instead of cheated , and for a summer movie , that 's a pretty big accomplishment .",
        "oh , c'mon , MOV is mindless fun most of the time and if you pretend for a moment you 're about 12-15 years old , its totally awesome !",
        "these characters are so flat , the story line so one-dimensional , that the whole triumph-over-adversity bit just loses its bite after the first five minutes of adversity .",
        "humourless , hackneyed yawnfest .",
        "the skateboarding footage is underwhelming compared to dogtown .",
        "there 's a line in `` MOV '' where one of the guys says , `` this is a revolving nightmare ! '' that 's the feeling you 'll get .",
        "the press materials for this movie explain that `` MOV '' refers to a particularly spectacular skateboarding move . in my case , it referred to what my teeth were doing as i had to sit through this dumb and boring movie .",
        "your standard ` kids on the road pursuing their dream ' movie , interchangeable with any other . no standout bits , but very little stands out as not working at all , so you 're in that safe zone of joyful mediocrity .",
        "a tiresome teen romp that never leaves the ground , despite its many aerial stunts .",
        "` skateboarding is not a crime ' ... but the movie is -- a tasteless , plotless , brainless , humorless , charmless and endless crime against cinema .",
        "far too much of the movie 's energy is devoted to rampaging hormones and irritable bowels .",
        "it may not be deep , but it 's sincere -- even a bit weird .",
        "there is nothing remotely entertaining about this film .",
        "without the charm or irrepressible imagination of the farrellys or ` american pie ' writer adam herz , the filmmakers succeeds only in making their protagonists look like jerks , who well deserve the misfortunes that befall them right up to a happy fadeout .",
        "akin to a real skateboarding show , MOV lands a few tricks but ends up falling on its face the rest of the time .",
        "the worst movie of the summer .",
        "alas , the great teen-skateboarding comedy has still yet to be made .",
        "many of the characters are n't even likable throughout the first half of the movie , and while they evolve positively over time , it is barely enough to win anyone over .",
        "they say it takes a certain knowledge of a subject to truly empathize a movie based on it , but i 'm guessing it will take more than that to show any sort of genuine interest in a movie like MOV .",
        "striving for street cred , i 'm positive even skaters will turn their noses up at this .",
        "among those rare films that starts at the bottom and burrows downward .",
        "brody and vogel anchor the cast , portraying likeable , charismatic dudes with a friendship that is genuine and enduring in spite of their differences .",
        "a mix of road-trip , coming-of-age and gross-out comedy cliches .",
        "if you stay awake , you 'll certainly feel more than a little ground down after watching perhaps 15 minutes of skateboard footage padded out with nearly 90 minutes of strenuously unfunny toilet humor .",
        "it looks like junk and even the few laughs there are feel like junk laughs .",
        "attempts to combine the extreme sports visuals of a good warren miller ski film with the plot of a bad tom green picture and does n't come close to landing on four wheels .",
        "a lively , if at times juvenile , movie .",
        "a jaw-dropping exercise in futility .",
        "about 65 minutes of plot and 30 of slow-mo skating highlights , rather obviously performed by professionals dressed as the characters .",
        "breezily unmemorable and not nearly as raucous as it thinks it is , MOV hits all the usual buttons",
        "it 's a cheap , half-baked attempt at a summer road-trip comedy .",
        "braying teen sports fantasy .",
        "think blue crush without water - or awesome surfing footage , likable characters with real personalities , beautiful girls in bikinis or anything else worth watching .",
        "the comedy wears thin quickly because it 's the same jokes and character quirks all over again .",
        "truly a mess , technically speaking , and appears to have been edited by stevie wonder .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "mediocre skateboard stunts are padded by a half-baked plot and one-dimensional characters .",
    "id": "11016"
  },
  {
    "movie": "playing_for_keeps_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV unfolds like a metaphorical deconstruction of his charms : a meandering , formulaic look at a former sports star confronted by an uncertain future as he continues to exploit the superficial things the world still seems to want from him .",
        "smarmy . dopey . sloppy . lazy . creepy . tone-deaf . predictable . embarrassing . lousy .",
        "like undercooked leftovers , it makes you wish they had spent a little more time getting some heat into it .",
        "it wo n't be up for any oscars , nor will it score points for originality , but it 's harmless enough fare for its target audience .",
        "another day at the romantic comedy factory : ' ... pull me down a gerard butler and a jessica biel , will ya ? '",
        "ho-hum sports romcom lacks both laughs and chemistry .",
        "it could be just the kind of pleasant surprise that leaves your inner cynic at a momentary loss for words .",
        "i 'll long be haunted by dennis quaid 's manic performance as a palm-greasing dad who seems to be under the influence of bath salts ...",
        "MOV takes place in a tonally incoherent universe , constantly shifting between rom-com farce and mawkish family drama .",
        "as the old saying goes , ` well , that 's two hours of my life i 'll never get back . ' time is precious . do n't waste yours on a film like this . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "no matter what kind of drab , derivative fluff you prefer , this exceptionally toothless comedy has something to offer .",
        "all the characters and their motivations are banal at best and half drawn at worst , leading to the question : why did n't this end up on the hallmark channel starring tv 's hot-tail of the moment ?",
        "someone maybe should 've told this guy if you want to rekindle a romance with a woman , you probably should n't start by sleeping with all her friends .",
        "a celluloid own goal .",
        "did gerard really leave the uk and a guaranteed pundit spot on match of the day for an automatous son and callous wife ? MOV asks difficult questions like these but provides no satisfying answers .",
        "if this was a biscuit , it would be an own-label digestive , full of sugar and trans fats - but suited and booted in a glistening wrapper .",
        "... a half-hearted comedy about the perils of former professional athletes that unsuccessfully tries to force together elements of domestic melodrama and romantic farce .",
        "an own-goal shambles of bland characterization , comic shtick , exes-still-in-love clich\u00e9s and lazy implausibilities , MOV plays down to the ugliest american stereotype of soccer-dull to the point of brain-death .",
        "the comedy has its moments but they are few , and a high-powered cast , which also includes judy greer and dennis quaid , give mostly low-powered performances .",
        "even the usually reliable dennis quaid flounders as a fellow parent in a film that is at least slickly put together but is ultimately a sheer waste of talent .",
        "george is desperate , a point hammered home when , as he 's recording a sportscasting demo , his concentration is broken by a phone call from a debt collector .",
        "director gabriele muccino ca n't decide whether robbie fox 's script should be played as sex farce or heart-tugging romance - and splitting the difference is a loser both ways .",
        "unfortunately for butler it is another romantic comedy that misses the mark and does not score .",
        "there 's a lot of poorly-conceived plot crammed into this film , and it never actually decides what it wants to be , emerging as a disjointed story suffering from severe adhd .",
        "what could have been a more complicated and contemporary suburban spin on alfie feels like a lazy and anonymous daydream postcard of discord and resolution .",
        "a slow drip of a movie that refuses to make up its mind about what it wants to be as it circles the drain",
        "another `` almost there '' film for gerard butler . amazing that he is still coasting on his `` 300 '' fame .",
        "fox has n't penned a script since 1993 's so i married an axe murderer , and he apparently has n't left his home , either ...",
        "a star-studded cast and a good concept add up to less than nothing in MOV , an attempt at a warm , family romantic comedy that , like the main character , succumbs to its vices .",
        "these are actors due a break . unfortunately , this comedy-drama about a kids ' soccer coach boinking a bunch of desperate housewives does n't appear to be it .",
        "at some point you hope -lsb- butler -rsb- will find a movie that will give him the right material to make hearts truly beat faster .",
        "if gerard butler exudes rakish charm and jessica biel a charming flintiness , then why is MOV so utterly charmless ?",
        "one of those movies that comes `` straight from the heart '' - the heart of the hack screenwriter 's manual that pushes formulaic structure to cover up a lack of compelling characters , genuine emotion or actual humor .",
        "about the best thing to be said for this movie ... is that it does n't costar katherine heigl .",
        "this is simply a groan-inducing comedy of errors about an accidental lothario mixed with a transparently predictable look at an irresponsible man forced to become -lsb- better -rsb- .",
        "there 's absolutely no reason to waste time playing around with MOV .",
        "for a trifle - one that probably looked like one on the printed page , too - `` MOV '' somehow attracted a strong cast .",
        "as boldly original as its title , `` MOV '' is an unconscionable waste of time and talent -- the kind of film seemingly designed to appear on a cable channel that you just had deleted from your package .",
        "an acceptable but very slim romantic comedy .",
        "how can you stick gerard butler , jessica biel , uma thurman , catherine zeta-jones , dennis quaid and judy greer in a comedy and come up so empty ?",
        "it appears to be an empty-headed piffle of a film about a dashing former professional soccer star coaching his son 's team and having affairs with an assortment of randy soccer moms . and that 's precisely what it is .",
        "butler beware : in acting as in soccer , if you keep taking dives , sooner or later you pay the penalty .",
        "the only thing MOV teaches us is : guys , forget the bars and nightclubs . soccer moms are where the action is .",
        "soccer moms will find eye candy gerard butler good to look at if they can stay awake through his movie .",
        "at least ` MOV ' does a service for the late rodney dangerfield . his ` ladybugs ' is no longer the worst movie about a youth soccer coach .",
        "at this point , i 'm positive gerard butler selects his scripts by blindfolded dart throw .",
        "an undistinguished , impact-free watch-checker that will soon be vaguely distracting transatlantic travelers who forgot to carry on their ipads .",
        "another exercise in here 's - the-woman-you-belong-with-and-we 'll - just-delay-the-inevitable-for-90-minutes-before-you-stop-her-from-getting-on-that-plane .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a film that 's pretty much from the assembly line .",
        "bland romantic comedy is the cinematic equivalent of processed food .",
        "contrived and phony from beginning to end , `` MOV '' never does make sense of its characters , who flip and flop from scene to scene .",
        "half the actors realize they 're in a bit of hollywood fluff , but others deliver emotional performances worthy of a serious drama . as for butler , well , it 's hard to say exactly what he 's doing .",
        "it is perplexing as to how such an unambitious , paint-by-numbers work got made .",
        "not only is it not funny and not particularly romantic , it treats women like idiots .",
        "MOV is n't that bad ; muccino simply does n't know how to fix the script or manage his actors , and the whole thing just sort of sputters out .",
        "-lsb- MOV is -rsb- a mushy-headed vehicle for what are supposed to be a lot of high-voltage star turns . nothing much makes sense , but look at all the celebrities . this would be better if they had anything interesting , or appropriate , to do .",
        "perhaps , if this movie fails , studios will finally accept that we all deserve better .",
        "it 's comforting to know that american culture has progressed to where soccer routinely joins baseball , football and basketball as a backdrop for forgettable romantic comedies .",
        "a sloppy , poorly focused comedy that wants to be about the relationship between a father and his 9-year old son but ends up being about nearly everything else .",
        "` MOV ' wants to run and kick feel-good moments through the goalposts , but it limps and wheezes from the opening faceoff until its final whistle , with a lot of effort expended to earn , and make , very few points .",
        "none of it is especially credible or engaging .",
        "`` MOV '' plods along pretty much as you 'd expect . its small pleasures come from the relaxed cast .",
        "this is modern movie stardom , and it 's depressing : the romantic lead who could also be selling us body spray .",
        "a bedroom farce without the farce , a fish-out-of-water comedy on sun-cracked lake-bed , a story of fatherly redemption that barely gets past the hair-mussing stage .",
        "awkwardly blends family comedy and sex farce and winds up with squat .",
        "MOV does n't play with a full deck .",
        "MOV is a throwaway movie if ever there was one .",
        "is it a heartwarming romantic drama ? or a cynical sex and sports comedy ? there is no wrong answer , dear ticket buyer .",
        "`` MOV '' is a perfectly pleasant romantic comedy completely lacking in novelty . this will leave many viewers unengaged , but may not be a disadvantage for its core audience .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this rock-stupid combination of family schmaltz and horny-milf male fantasy does this charismatic leading man -lrb- and everyone else involved -rrb- no favors .",
        "gabriele muccino 's film is knee-deep in `` do n't hate the player , hate the game '' territory .",
        "a modestly affecting reconciliation drama wrapped in a so-so sports movie by way of a misogynistic romantic comedy , MOV ca n't stop tripping all over itself .",
        "attractive actors ca n't redeem a sodden script .",
        "it is truly baffling that all the talented , acclaimed actors involved actually read this script and then agreed to devote their time to this movie , especially given its uncomfortably flagrant misogynistic streak .",
        "gerard butler , what went wrong ?",
        "wasting the talents of seveal charming actresses , this misogynistic romantic ccomedy is one of the silliest films of the year .",
        "hitting our screens on new year 's day , let 's cross our fingers and hope that MOV is n't an indication as to how the rest of 2013 will be for cinema . best to get it out of the way early , i suppose !",
        "not quite as bad as it sounds , despite the corny game plan .",
        "rigidly formulaic and shamelessly sentimental .",
        "dennis quaid hammers away at a nothing role as thurman 's husband , an adulterous alpha dog ; it 's nearly identical to the one he played earlier this year in what to expect when you 're expecting , but who 's counting ?",
        "in the long , ignoble tradition of naff romcoms starring butler , this stands alongside the ugly truth and the bounty hunter as the worst of its kind .",
        "sadly wastes its star-studded cast and has very little to offer in the way of laughs and touching moments .",
        "even an actor as capable as dennis quaid is incapable of wading in to save it .",
        "everyone involved deserves a script with more wit , originality and sense of purpose .",
        "a father-son heart-tugger wrapped around a mushy reconciliation rom-com sprinkled with tinsel of shiny hollywood supporting stars acting like they 're in another movie entirely .",
        "garbage .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "witless , unfocused , and arguably misogynistic , MOV is a dispiriting , lowest-common-denominator hollywood rom-com .",
    "id": "771244799"
  },
  {
    "movie": "due-date",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this would be passable enough fare for a throwaway comedy had the two stars bothered to bring their a-game .",
        "phillips squeezes a lot of comedy juice from the odd couple pairing and , even with a few flat moments , the film shows a remarkable ability to keep hitting its sweet spot .",
        "the actors are fine : it 's their long , arduous trek that lets the movie down .",
        "the ride in MOV is not only the usual raucous escapade , with car crashes and run-ins with authorities , but also takes a turn toward what might be called peter 's dark side .",
        "with a strange sense of ` planes , trains and automobiles ' , but missing the magic , this one would be a great buddy film !",
        "as an overall journey , the movie disappoints , but as a collection of scenes , it 's funnier than most comedies . when todd phillips ' picture slows down , its character-driven moments are usually a winning mixture of the absurd , insensitive and poignant .",
        "the initial setup is a bit of a stretch and the ending feels unfinished but most of the stuff in between - bog standard as it is - works pretty well .",
        "it 's bad enough that it took four screenwriters to ineptly rehash planes , trains and automobiles , but it 's even worse that they 've only managed to come up with one new joke each .",
        "todd phillip 's lack of restraint in the hangover brought a wild , yet funny energy . unfortunately , that same approach makes MOV a chaotic , humourless mess .",
        "i think the movie lost me when robert downey jr punched out a ten-year old .",
        "it 's almost like they said : i know , let 's create a great setup for a mismatched buddy road comedy thing ... and that was about all the thought that went into it .",
        "there are some decent laughs scattered throughout MOV , but phillips ca n't find a way to make his two leads likeable : they remain obnoxious and ill suited right to the schmaltzy finale .",
        "on the rebound from the mammoth box office success of `` the hangover , '' director todd phillips -lrb- `` old school '' -rrb- has sharpened his comic sensibilities to detonate laughs even where none seem possible .",
        "MOV should be a disaster , derivative of every road-trip movie you 've ever seen . what prevents that are the efforts of the two stars .",
        "once again the filmmaker blows his momentum on woeful miscasting and a script that mistakes rampant mean-spiritedness for a bong-sucking good time .",
        "the movie never reaches the highs -lrb- or lows -rrb- of the hangover , or even its most obvious crib sheet , planes , trains and automobiles .",
        "MOV steals so often and so shamelessly from planes , trains and automobiles that , despite an abundance of genuinely funny moments , we 're happy when the ride ends .",
        "it takes a sitcom approach to male class differences and flatters the juvenile behavior that 's become the favorite , indulged subject of comedians and tv writers .",
        "the unexpected pairing of galifianakis and downey is a pleasure -- they 're an unlikely duo so off in their chemistry as to be bizarrely on .",
        "another hangover was too much to hope for , especially as this was scripted by committee . it 's a bit funny but also quite a bit nasty .",
        "the odyssey of downey and galifianakis is composed of far too many sharp edges and far too little warmth .",
        "phillips convolutes the adventure with a bizarre mix of unrealized emotional complexity and over-the-top gross-out humor but most viewers will still enjoy the loony ride .",
        "`` MOV '' wants to get you attached to its characters , but never finds the emotional resonance to make it happen .",
        "... dramatic moments work better than most of the comedy .",
        "downey and galifianakis start this year 's movie countdown to christmas ho-ho-ho 's with a solid round of rousing ha-ha-ha 's .",
        "MOV is absolutely hilarious ! downey jr. and galifianakis are perfect together and the film is wildly entertaining .",
        "as far as road trip comedies go , this is n't the best one . however , it has plenty of funny parts - even outside of the trailer .",
        "aims the slow burn of robert downey jr. at the addled idiocy of zach galifianakis in a `` hangover '' director 's version of `` planes , trains and automobiles . ''",
        "`` MOV '' begins with a bad dream and eventually feels like one . it 's tired and formulaic and offers only a few mild laughs .",
        "it runs out of steam before the end comes into view .",
        "some amusing bits punctuate the tone-deaf proceedings like actual bits of chicken in campbell 's chicken noodle soup .",
        "downey is not entirely comfortable playing straight man and a little of galifianakis 's antics goes a long way .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "a post-9 / 11 reproductive countdown road movie , MOV rummages for laughs by pairing two eccentric comic actors together for a long cross-country drive , who should probably never be in the same room together .",
        "MOV manages to deliver the laughs .",
        "how much you 'll enjoy MOV depends more on your esteem for the leads rather than the quality of the screenplay ; it is a mess of emotions and situations , working more than not , though tainted by that air of laziness that the entire production invites .",
        "... an ill-tempered comedy , relying on misfortune and childishness for its humor .",
        "having established that this movie has no good reason to exist beyond extending zach galifianaki 's recent brand ascendancy , it 's as good as you could want a useless entertainment exercise to be .",
        "peter and ethan are not people you 'd care to have sitting next to you on the shortest of bus trips , let alone a 2,000-mile car journey , but downey jr and galifianakis make MOV well worth the ride .",
        "MOV is a sparkling spin around the old block , boasting ace leads , eye-snagging cameos , spit-your-popcorn laughs and a more marked tenderness than phillips ' all-conquering mega-hit , the hangover .",
        "remember the john candy/steve martin comedy ` planes , trains and automobiles ' ? if so , ` MOV ' will bring it back to mind because it 's a blend of that film and `` the hangover . ''",
        "sometimes laugh-out-loud funny , sometimes depressing , ` MOV ' may be more psych test than comedy ...",
        "MOV follows all of the classic story twists you 'd associate with the sub-genre ; they get arrested , they get drunk , they get high , and they destroy their car , but never are these shocking moments ever actually surprising .",
        "a road trip romance with spitting .",
        "phillips seems to have forgotten that bawdy comedy is only deemed `` edgy '' if it 's funny . when the seedy jokes fall flat , the result is crass .",
        "with its premise so easily established , MOV is able to be modestly raucous as well as character-driven , which is how it goes astray since it tries to evoke complex moods and feelings that are beyond its ken .",
        "i doubt that MOV will catch on quite as overwhelmingly as phillips ' the hangover did , mainly because this one does n't feel as fresh . this one simply dissipates like ashes over the grand canyon .",
        "under the nuanced direction of john hughes , candy made annoying seem hilarious and his broad girth endearing . as amped up by director todd phillips , galifianakis makes annoying seem annoying .",
        "perfectly ok .",
        "the actors could have coasted on the odd-couple script , but they both dig deep into their characters .",
        "as in the most useless sitcoms , the laffs depend entirely on someone behaving as ridiculously as possible , in uninteresting ways devised by the dullest minds .",
        "the hype makes you think MOV was going to be as funny as combining ghostbusters , caddyshack , old school and the hangover all into one movie . instead , the result are just `` eh '' .",
        "zach galifianakis is so funny in `` MOV , '' even the way he wears his shoes -lrb- capezios -rrb- is a scream .",
        "downey and galifianakis make for a truly marvelous collision of opposites , and their interplay is what elevates ` MOV ' above its often puzzlingly flat material .",
        "it ai n't old-school todd phillips , but it * is * todd phillips .",
        "may be the year 's least amusing comedy .",
        "galifianakis was one of the stars of hangover and here he 's reunited with its director , todd phillips . MOV is a comparative misfire , with its workmanlike predictability taking the sheen off the comic timing of its stars .",
        "while not up there with the hangover , this delivers a respectable rate of gags-per-minute , largely thanks to the comic timing of the two leads and some occasionally inspired dialogue .",
        "MOV is fast , lazy , and out of control in a manner that 's basically commendable .",
        "MOV may not be nearly as clever as the hangover , but it 's a fairly satisfying film on its own merits , a fun experience that 's more than just an endless stream of jokes .",
        "phillips can still launch a dog-masturbation joke into the stratosphere , but the welcome surprise here is tenderness .",
        "it 's got some individual laughs here and there but lacks sufficient story or character development to hold the whole endeavor together .",
        "todd phillips needs to get off the road .",
        "random goofiness only begets more tired jokes .",
        "the need to write hilarious scenes is ignored in favor of hasty , obvious decisions like , ` ok , now they could get in a car accident , ' or ` hey , what if they got really high ? '",
        "there are some surprisingly poignant moments amid the high jinks .",
        "the best advice is just to watch ` planes , trains & automobiles ' again and keep this stink-bomb off your itinerary .",
        "in its best moments , the film 's duo of galifianakis and downey jr. remind us of a bickering laurel & hardy digging themselves out of another fine mess . and we 're happy to be along for the ride .",
        "this odd-couple comedy reunites galifianakis with todd phillips , who directed the hangover , but do n't expect anything like the other movie 's novel plotting or wild slapstick .",
        "none of what they 're doing ever actually means anything .",
        "todd phillips ' MOV is a massive wedgie of a comedy , which is to say it 's a comedy of extreme discomfort -- it 's so unnerving , in fact , it sometimes seems more like an experimental theater piece than a mainstream entertainment .",
        "basically planes , trains and automobiles with robert downey jr. and zach galifianakis , minus the earned sentiment and john hughes cred .",
        "involuntary drug use , the understanding female waiting at home , masturbating innocents , violent strangers with crowbars - it seems as if this whole film is a hangover from the hangover .",
        "downey and galifianakis -lsb- are -rsb- flailing at every turn trying to make something out of really played-out , limp material .",
        "presumably `` MOV '' looked great as a film treatment . not so great on actual celluloid .",
        "it is moronic , juvenile and seriously offensive to the intelligence of the movie going audience .",
        "alas , MOV takes a simple premise and goes nowhere with it as the two lead characters travel thousands of miles on a journey of self-discovery .",
        "more of an extended sketch than a comedy classic . still , it has robert downey jr. in a comic role , which is a fine use of his incredible talents .",
        "welcome to the ritual humiliation of robert downey jr. .",
        "less raunchy than hangover , but still edgy , mature .",
        "if you 're jonesing that hard for hangover 2 , this is just going to be the sickly sweet methadone that leaves you craving a better high .",
        "an indolent and painfully unfunny attempt at comedy with uninspired , forced humor and annoying characters that have zero chemistry .",
        "what was abundant before but is now missing in philips ' latest outing is a small but essential element that helped leaven the vulgarity : surprise .",
        "this is a sloppy shakespearean tragedy , full of forced sound and fury , and in the end , signifying a wasted 90 minutes of movie stock nothingness .",
        "MOV is funny enough , but it should have been funnier .",
        "MOV will have you laughing your a ** off !",
        "i strongly endorse watching bits of MOV when you stumble upon it on starz .",
        "a funny road movie that brings together an angry architect and a laid-back aspiring actor on a cross-country journey .",
        "when characters here are n't mean , they 're fed up , and after a while , the feeling is mutual .",
        "the biggest liability the road comedy MOV carries is expectations .",
        "disappointing follow-up to todd phillips ' blockbuster comedy the hangover is an often unpleasant road trip with robert downey , jr. and zach galifianakis .",
        "a savage sense of the absurd unfettered by convention , shame , or guilt",
        "a painful comedy in the lowest-common-denominator mold .",
        "you expect a comedy to throw in the heart , not go all precious : based on the novel push by sapphire on you . you need that to appreciate when they get goofy though .",
        "you can usually tell when a mainstream american comedy is worried about its laugh quotient , because it goes into needlessly crude mode .",
        "films like get him to the greek have already done a far superior job with madcap this year .",
        "that four writers basically rip off the 1987 classic planes , trains , and automobiles and do it badly says it all .",
        "most comedy threads the needle between humor and discomfort , but the noisy and curiously bleak MOV jabs that needle right in your eye . repeatedly .",
        "robert downey jr. and zach galifianakis try to make the most of a film devoted more to a series of silly situations than to believable interactions and plot .",
        "MOV is just like ` planes , trains and automobiles ' but without the humor and heart .",
        "the most offensive bodily fluid being hurled around in MOV are the tears that phillips dishonestly tries to wrest from the audience 's eyes .",
        "this is a disappointing turn coming from phillips , particularly since `` the hangover '' was such a fresh , bracing brew of black comic fun .",
        "it 's downey 's signature sarcasm and distinctive slow burn that make the movie . galifianakis , in a perm that makes for comic gold , plays an expanded version of his hangover character .",
        "whereas planes , trains and automobiles stands tall as one of the great comedies of the past quarter-century , MOV comes off as a pale , uninspired rendition that will be all but forgotten in a few years ' time .",
        "for a road movie , `` MOV '' generates hardly any momentum .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a modern change-up on the old screwball comedy formula .",
        "for all its supposed comedy , there 's very little joy in MOV .",
        "those hoping for another `` hangover '' may be disappointed by todd phillips ' punch-drunk followup , which is basically `` planes , trains and automobiles '' for the road-rage generation .",
        "watching downey 's vein-popping discomfiture in the company of galifianakis is the best and possibly only reason for seeing the film .",
        "`` MOV '' is ultimately a long road trip to a predictable ending . somebody wake up the real downey and tell him we miss him .",
        "directed by todd phillips -lrb- `` the hangover '' -rrb- , this movie has the same absurdist feel and dark humor , but not the comedic snap .",
        "the movie probably contains enough laughs to satisfy the weekend audience . where it falls short is in the characters and relationships .",
        "at this moment in their careers , phillips , downey and galifianakis can probably make anything they want . why settle for something so half-assed ?",
        "todd phillips ' follow-up to the most successful r-rated comedy of all time serves up its share of laughs while not actually providing a terribly enjoyable time because of a queasy undercurrent that never goes away .",
        "there are some dark laughs , but the film does n't commit to being dark , like the film does n't mean it , and it always pulls back .",
        "with more than a nod to the great comedy `` planes trains and automobiles '' , this odd-couple road picture still delivers a wacko good time .",
        "downey and galifianakis work it hard - but there 's just not much for them to work with ... a script that runs out of laughs before they 're halfway across the country .",
        "the material may not be as inspired as the hangover , director todd phillips ' last outing , but it never bores and keeps the laughs in the theater so loud you 'll miss enough few follow-up jokes to want to see the movie again .",
        "so infuriating is ethan that MOV very nearly loses us , too , at the outset , but over time , the bearded boor manages to win everyone over , audience included .",
        "has a handful of laughs but is mostly repetitive and lazy , with neither galifianakis nor co-star robert downey jr. at anywhere near their comedic best .",
        "too bad that phillips and his team of screenwriters do n't take full advantage of the stars ' unique chemistry .",
        "while MOV hits more than it misses , its familiarity and disjointedness prevent it from being the gem it might have been .",
        "it 's a little crude to see the character 's weirdness being exploited for drama after so readily being jabbed for cheap laughs in the first half",
        "what starts out as an inspired coupling turns into another hate-you-love-you buddy flick , a moratorium on which is long overdue .",
        "MOV is uproarious fun and comfortably holds its own alongside its steve martin forebear .",
        "downey is slumming and looks like he knows it ...",
        "MOV does have its funny moments , but it pales in comparison with phillips ' the hangover .",
        "MOV ai n't the hangover . but it is a decent leftover .",
        "zach galifianakis manages to mix quirky-just-this-side-of-crazy with facial expressions that at times are strangely expressionless .",
        "mismatched buddy film takes us through a lot of familiar apatow turf , whose low-brow formulaic comedy antics are getting stale with overuse .",
        "an idea and cast that should be great does n't have enough laughs to get through all of the annoyance .",
        "good performances , but where the film falters is in its inability to deliver the laughs .",
        "phillips shows tremendous ability in the film 's first hour , but he still needs to shed off more of the clich\u00e9s and gross-out stunts",
        "you can look at MOV as a foulmouthed planes , trains and automobiles , or as the hangover 1.5 , something to tide you over until 2.0 arrives .",
        "MOV is , for all intents and purposes , a planes , trains and automobiles for the post-jackass age .",
        "just enough laughs to merit a recommendation .",
        "mr. galifianakis is good enough to make you almost forget the movie .",
        "i did n't believe this movie . which is not the same as saying i did n't like it -- although , there is that .",
        "there is something comically symmetrical about downey as an expectant dad rehearsing fatherhood with the overgrown boy and galifianakis as the fatherless son who adopts downey as his surrogate dad .",
        "ultimately it 's a collection of gags that do n't add up to much .",
        "directing with more focus -- and eventually , more heart -- than he brought to the hangover , todd phillips smartly lets his leads ' chemistry power the movie .",
        "very inconsistent , but when it 's funny , it 's damn funny .",
        "a relentlessly-offensive bottom-feeder of no redeeming social value which i learned in law school is the supreme court 's definition of obscene .",
        "too little comedy ; too much galifianakis ; and why is robert downey , jr. in this movie ?",
        "simply unfunny , obnoxious and mean-spirited . i might also add that it 's thinly plotted and annoying , but there 's no point in kicking the movie while it 's down .",
        "plenty to laugh , and cringe , at .",
        "an uneven yet affable piece of work ...",
        "MOV joins furry vengeance and i 'm still here on the list of the year 's worst movies .",
        "let me say right off that i liked this movie the first time i saw it , when it was called `` planes , trains and automobiles . ''",
        "it is as if judd apatow were directing rain man .",
        "watching MOV is kind of like taking a really lengthy car trip . every so often , you see something awesome , but then there are long stretches of monotony in between .",
        "the film suffers because every funny joke is in the trailer and director todd phillips overuses zack galafianakis .",
        "... a distasteful film ... with one absurdly contrived scene after another , one eventually just rolls his eyes and hopes for a quick ending .",
        "would n't be nearly the knee-slapper it is without robert downey jr. and hangover revelation galifianakis holding down the lead roles .",
        "rowdy , raunchy road trip that probably delivers the laughs you expect until ` hangover 2 ' debuts next year .",
        "with `` MOV , '' director todd phillips perfects the particular brand of comic alchemy that made his 2009 comedy `` the hangover '' such an unexpectedly huge hit .",
        "the laughs are sporadic at best , and downright scarce in the second half , as the film trudges from one mishap to the next .",
        "the scale is tipped pretty heavily on the side of insanity with the dynamic between peter and ethan .",
        "while distinctly less raunchy -lrb- and correspondingly less outrageous -rrb- than the hangover , MOV still manages to deliver -lrb- pun intended -rrb- .",
        "between galifianakis ' unlikeable travel companion and the film 's preposterous series of events , the laughs never really register .",
        "phillips has once again delivered an enjoyable , if ever so slightly forgettable , romp .",
        "is MOV the new hangover ? it is not . but it has its own rewards .",
        "poorly conceived and occasionally questionable comedy that fails to deliver a single decent laugh , despite strong performances from the two leads and colourful supporting turns from the likes of danny mcbride .",
        "this film purports to be a comedy and yet does n't contain a single genuine laugh . although there are a few very cheap ones .",
        "it 's not as funny as the hangover , nor is the screenplay nearly as good , but there is an appealing sense of the ridiculous",
        "MOV leaves viewers stranded .",
        "there are some amusing moments but the film is not funny enough to sustain interest .",
        "it 's true that they 're undesirable travel companions -lrb- to each other , and to the audience -rrb- , but you have to admire a comedy bold enough to feature such detestable lead characters .",
        "it 's a bumpy ride , but MOV is a road movie trip worth taking .",
        "i would much rather see two hours of -lsb- robert downey , jr. -rsb- improvising without any script , than watch five minutes of zach galifianakis ' tired shtick .",
        "america 's coolest actor , funniest new comedian and hottest directing talent have somehow conspired to make one of the most worthless films in recent memory .",
        "i was actually surprised at the lack of good comedy in the film and i think it has to do with the fact that both these characters , with whom we spend so much time , are not actually all that sympathetic .",
        "it 's a tough double act , but the film pulls it off with great confidence and some major laughs .",
        "-lsb- phillips ' -rsb- talent lies in the comedy of embarrassment and while this is n't quite up to the standards of the hangover , it 's not a bad example .",
        "although both downey jr. and galifianakis give strong performances , it takes too long to truly warm to their characters .",
        "`` MOV '' is pregnant with possibility ; it 's the delivery that disappoints .",
        "this feels like minor phillips to me -- something in the neighborhood of 2006 's `` school for scoundrels , '' quality-wise , though with a much grimmer heart .",
        "a cross between `` the hangover '' and `` planes , trains & automobiles , '' `` MOV '' is a refreshingly mean , mismatched-buddy comedy featuring robert downey , jr. and zach galifianakis .",
        "it is such a thoroughly unpleasant journey that it forced me to reconsider my previously firm conviction that i would happily watch robert downey , jr. in anything .",
        "the basic problem is the script , which is credited to three writers plus the director -- seldom a good sign . never mind that it 's a retread of `` planes , trains & automobiles '' minus the trains , and minus john candy .",
        "it has laughs . take any scene at random , and it will probably have something mildly funny in it . but the comedy never really takes off because it 's phony .",
        "a premature baby that 's easy to watch but needed more development .",
        "MOV is not so much a road movie as a cultural car-crash .",
        "... succeeds more as a character than plot driven comedy and downey jr. shines in it .",
        "there are some nice moments , but the comedy mostly does n't come off and there is no double-act chemistry between downey and galifianakis .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "shamelessly derivative and only sporadically funny , MOV does n't live up to the possibilities suggested by its talented director and marvelously mismatched stars .",
    "id": "770814359"
  },
  {
    "movie": "truth_about_charlie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "at once listless and overheated , giddy and utterly zipless .",
        "the chemistry between mark wahlberg and thandie newton generates a mere tingle -- not even close to those exciting sparks between cary grant and audrey hepburn .",
        "an uneven but engaging remake of the 1963 romantic caper charade .",
        "-lsb- demme -rsb- creates a film that is both traditional , in keeping with its source material , and new millennium hip .",
        "the MOV is the most playful film to come from demme in a long , long time . it 's also the first of his films i 've seen that has the personality that once made his work seem so fresh , ever since 1988 's married to the mob .",
        "in any right-thinking universe , no one would attempt to shoehorn wahlberg into a cary grant role .",
        "the affectionate loopiness that once seemed congenital to demme 's perspective has a tough time emerging from between the badly dated cutesy-pie mystery scenario and the newfangled hollywood post-production effects .",
        "demme whips together lots of fun stuff ... in a successful effort to keep the movie diverting and light .",
        "donen 's playful spirit , his giddy sense of fun , is sorely lacking .",
        "somewhere in the middle , the film compels , as demme experiments he harvests a few movie moment gems , but the field of roughage dominates .",
        "fresh , jazzy and fun",
        "charade was magic ; charlie is n't , but it 's a pleasant paris-flavored treat , beret or no .",
        "it never has a consistent tone . in fact , it never settles on one or any particular genre for that matter .",
        "the MOV is n't stupid or dull , but it has just too many flaws for me to recommend it .",
        "this experiment works essentially as a remake criticizing the trend of remaking films in the first place .",
        "the MOV is that there 's so much more here than you 've been led to believe .",
        "wahlberg comes across as a retired underwear model .",
        "jonathan demme 's fumbled remake of charade tries to mix old-fashioned champagne romance with straight-from-the-bottle swigs of new wave style .",
        "demme finally succeeds in diminishing his stature from oscar-winning master to lowly studio hack .",
        "-lsb- demme -rsb- zigs and zags and drags his camera through paris with an abandon he has n't displayed since his days toiling on the roger corman assembly line or shooting something wild .",
        "i realize that mark wahlberg is not cary grant , but should n't there be some compensating reason for his presence in this movie ?",
        "newton 's a radiant beam of beguiling star power in this stylish muddle .",
        "a bad remake of a good movie .",
        "apaixonado por sua pr\u0443pria ` sabedoria ' ao transformar esta refilmagem em uma homenagem \u0430 nouvelle vague , demme cria um filme irritante e confuso em seu tom e em seus prop\u0443sitos , prejudicando-se ainda mais em fun\u0437\u0433o da p\u0439ssima performance de newton .",
        "... a story as mixed up -lrb- yet with an outcome as predictable -rrb- as a plate of spaghetti .",
        "demme ca n't sustain the fizz , but seeing a real filmmaker try and fall short is still more fun than watching a hack hit the mark .",
        "just one bad idea after another .",
        "it successfully lured me into a world of shadows , mysteries and confusion . maybe it did its job , in that regard , a little too well . by the film 's end , i could n't find my way back .",
        "may not be and should not be everyone 's cup of tea , but at the end of it , i felt a guilty affection for all its participants .",
        "did we really need a remake of `` charade ? ''",
        "the ideas behind this charlie are far more fascinating than their execution proves to be .",
        "never do you get the feeling that anybody is in any real danger , or that there 's any real attraction between newton and wahlberg-and when you 're making a caper film that does n't have any suspense or romance in it , there 's not a hell of a lot else left for",
        "it does n't know what kind of movie it wants to be .",
        "the MOV is that it 's a brazenly misguided project .",
        "demme 's film looks very french , and appears as appetizing as a croissant .",
        "jonathan demme nous revient avec un film qui se cherche , \u0430 l'instar du personnage-titre , une identit\u0439 .",
        "it 's a forgery that diminishes not only the originality and pleasure of the film it copies , but also the entire school of filmmaking it wants to emulate .",
        "the truth is that the MOV gets increasingly tiresome .",
        "even in death , charlie is n't all that interesting .",
        "cary grant has somehow become mark wahlberg . talk about diminished expectations .",
        "if you love film , you 've got to see this movie once , even if only to shake your head at the screen and wonder how this script ever got made .",
        "it 's destined to do for thandie newton what roman holiday long ago did for audrey hepburn . spread the word : a star is born .",
        "there is a light , carefree bounce to much of charlie that makes the film a rollicking good time even after its plot has become a drag .",
        "entertaining but instantly forgettable .",
        "with co-writers steve schmidt , peter joshua , and jessica bendinger , demme takes a whack at a remake and mucks it up completely .",
        "demme not only makes a sexy , fresh and exciting sky thriller , but he also smartly pays tribute to the legends of the french new wave .",
        "if you dock demme points for inconsistent tone , you have to give him extra credit for originality .",
        "demme 's loose approach kills the suspense .",
        "a movie that , rather than skip along the seine , more or less slogs its way through soggy paris , tongue uncomfortably in cheek .",
        "overburdened with ` style , ' and worse , boring .",
        "i just sort of went along for the quasi-enjoyable ride in the MOV , crappy and nonsensical as it may be on the whole .",
        "it 's a sometimes interesting remake that does n't compare to the brilliant original .",
        "flat , pointless and unexciting .",
        "it almost feels as if the movie is more interested in entertaining itself than in amusing us .",
        "the soupy end result has the odd distinction of being playful without being fun , too .",
        "i found myself liking the film , though in this case one man 's treasure could prove to be another man 's garbage .",
        "newton draws our attention like a magnet , and acts circles around her better known co-star , mark wahlberg .",
        "grant and hepburn treated `` charade '' as if it were a working vacation , clearly having a wonderful time as they maneuvered around the plot 's many turns ; wahlberg and newton have been encouraged to take the whole thing much too seriously .",
        "boring and meandering .",
        "the camera whirls ! the camera twirls ! oh , look at that clever angle ! wow , a jump cut !",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "newton has star quality , but this exercise in style ca n't hold a candle to the original .",
    "id": "98836435"
  },
  {
    "movie": "inkheart",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this children 's fantasy flirts with the dark side , though family values win out .",
        "a fantasy film intended as an adventure flick that requires this disclaimer : do not operate heavy machinery after viewing .",
        "the ending needs to soar like a winged monkey , and instead it flops around like a landed fish .",
        "MOV has an engaging premise in its notion of a silvertongue and a refreshing love of books .",
        "if you can ignore fraser and his trademark lumpishness , MOV is imaginative and entertaining .",
        "meh .",
        "'' ... unconvincing characters and uncompelling action . ''",
        "there are moments of absolute wonder to be had . just not enough to make the film anything more than a painless misfire .",
        "last action hero for books . by proxy , it 's also kind of the purple rose of cairo for books , but it 's not as good as either ... it would really amuse me if it ended with the family deciding , after all this trouble , let 's never read again .",
        "much less cringe-worthy , juvenile and bland than bedtime stories , it lacks the awe-inspiring thrills , brilliance and imagination that makes superior films like harry potter so exhilarating and unforgettable .",
        "absolutely adorable and enormously entertaining .",
        "the movie has no personality . it flops from scene to scene and crisis to crisis with no passion , no intensity and % u2014worse % u2014no fun .",
        "any grown-ups deputized to accompany kids to this picture should find the usual watch-checking squirm factor to be surprisingly minimal .",
        "brendan fraser needs to make a serious movie and get his career back in gear .",
        "movies like ` MOV ' are one of the reasons i list fantasies as one of my least favorite genres .",
        "i understand this is the first offering in an ` MOV ' trilogy . if so , color me hooked .",
        "this folklore-filled children 's story about the love of literature is disappointing because of its poor execution .",
        "chaotic , wildly unevern kids ' fluff .",
        "tween-targeted fantasy adaptation is no harry potter .",
        "... an agreeable fantasy epic that 's generally elevated by the strength of the various performances ...",
        "over and over again , characters in MOV wax eloquent on the power of books . but there 's nothing in the movie as haunting or as compelling as the sound they make when they speak for themselves .",
        "even though brendan fraser might be one of the worst actors out there , his co-stars and a clever script keep this movie alive and entertaining .",
        "the aesthetics of MOV are part of what make it such a surprisingly enjoyable experience to watch .",
        "-lsb- has -rsb- plenty of thrills , a smart although oft-confusing script , delightful scenery-chewing scenes from stalwarts like helen mirren , jim broadbent and andy serkis , and a gorgeous high-concept visual style .",
        "keep your expectations reasonable , and you 'll have fun .",
        "seemingly intended as a celebration of the power of books , it 's an occasionally incoherent , sleep-inducing picture that reduces narrative to mere mechanics .",
        "a whimsical , exciting and entertaining family flick .",
        "for the effects spectacle , the film works to a degree , but the vast majority of the humdrum plot might leave more kids asleep rather than engaged .",
        "MOV finds brendan fraser getting out-acted by flying monkeys and toto the dog .",
        "parental content review",
        "the film 's message that books are the doorway to learning and adventure is not overplayed even if the pic cheats a bit at the end for a tidy denouement .",
        "this is one of those adaptations that tries to keep you watching with its sheer busyness . at times , though , you just want it to stop and catch breath with the aid of some rather better lines and deeper characterisations .",
        "a brisk , overstuffed adaptation of cornelia funke 's international bestseller .",
        "even if it ca n't quite conjure up the movie magic it intends , MOV does serve as public service announcement promoting literacy . and as such , your kids could do a lot worse at the cineplex .",
        "as an adventure flick , MOV is not all that adventurous . it goes to places and falls on tropes that many fantasy films -- most notably but not exclusively the lord of the rings trilogy -- have covered .",
        "the film 's storybook alpine vistas are lovely to behold , and bits of humor pop out in welcome moments . other than that , it never quite springs to life as intended -- not in your kitchen , and not on screen .",
        "taken far too literally from the best-selling trilogy by cornelia funke , MOV is a passable , but prosaic and remarkably humourless kidflick that all but sucks the magic out of fairy tales by rendering the characters ordinary .",
        "despite strong production values and a cast of heavy hitters , MOV never hooks us as it should .",
        "the movie never achieves the sort of transporting fantasy that formed the backbone of the novel : the limitless potential for adventure and excitement that books provide , given physical form when transplanted into our reality .",
        "the overqualified cast gives its all , but logical lapses and sober-sided direction siphon off the fun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a flea market of fairy tales and hocus-pocus , MOV makes as much sense as an inkblot .",
        "MOV takes a great idea and then refuses to do much with that idea -- including , i 'm afraid , explaining it clearly to the audience .",
        "a few of the creatures , as well as one startling moment , might unsettle little ones in the audience . but the greater danger is that they 'll fall asleep .",
        "there is loads of action and an amusing turn from helen mirren as meggie 's aunt . most important , MOV performs the trick of encouraging our kids to love both books and films .",
        "adapted from the best-selling novel by cornelia funke , this makes a splashy fuss about `` the magic of books '' , and yet undermines our imaginative instincts by monstering the screen with special effects .",
        "a convoluted story but otherwise this is solid fantasy fare , nicely performed and handsomely made .",
        "MOV shows why books are wonderful yet dangerous places ; how a well-told story unlocks the imagination ; and how words unleash the most unpredictable emotions .",
        "magical , if messy - this gets by on a good heart , high adventure and an unashamed love for books .",
        "it 's a familiar tale , but one told with gusto , wit and visual flare .",
        "gamely played and impressively filmed -lrb- in the liguria area of italy -rrb- , it 's good , saturday matinee-type fun . if it were a book ... you could n't put it down . word up .",
        "MOV the novel is intended to be the first of a trilogy , but - like the golden compass , but even more so - it falls well short of convincing me that the next two films would be a worthwhile investment , financially or emotionally .",
        "cgi fantasy adventures in the post-potter , young-adult , old-child mode are not quite my taste , but this one is likably boisterous , and iain softley directs with flair .",
        "MOV is cheerful and amiable , and in the absence of a harry potter film this winter , it fills a gap neatly .",
        "there 's nothing terrible or offensive about MOV , but until a hero decides to read letters from penthouse forum , let 's can it with the ` things coming alive ' stuff .",
        "does n't fill us with a sufficient sense of awe for the spectacular visual concepts that we 've come to expect in big-scale movie fantasy .",
        "this shrill , moronic and often ugly family adventure feels cobbled together from spare parts , with a script that ca n't even be bothered to follow its own rules or internal logic .",
        "MOV was a busy , crowded , hugely successful book to start with ... the film version retains nearly all of author cornelia funke 's story complications . it 's a mixed bag and a serious load for a movie to carry .",
        "MOV gets a pass for making books seem cool -lrb- if scary -rrb- : if only it could have done the same for movies .",
        "whimsy should n't be overwhelming .",
        "MOV illustrates an obvious problem with making a movie about the joys of reading when the movie made is labored and sludgy looking : why bother seeing it if you can stay home and read a book instead ?",
        "cold , bland and gimmicky .",
        "much of this comes across as a labor of love , with a classy cast frolicking in iain softley 's whimsical direction of a lushly imagined adaptation by david lindsay-abaire .",
        "it 's handsomely mounted , with supporting turns by helen mirren as the girl 's flinty aunt and jim broadbent as the author of the book that caused so much fuss .",
        "better an adventure movie for families that -lrb- however paradoxically -rrb- extols the value and wonder of books than yet another movie that celebrates violent revenge or asinine behavior .",
        "another fantasy adventure story based on a bestselling book that turns out to be a dud .",
        "MOV is a fantastic read , and i was n't expecting the film to live up to it at all . much simpler than the book , the film is still a pretty fantastic ride . the story is changed around a bit but the main characters are there , exactly as you remember them",
        "for a movie about the power of books and stories , it 's a bit ironic that MOV is itself so poorly thought through .",
        "enjoyable fantasy adventure in which the strong cast , likeable characters and impressive special effects provide just enough distraction for you to ignore the plot holes .",
        "whatever made the german novel MOV by cornelia funke so popular that it got translated into 37 languages is nowhere in evidence in its film version .",
        "MOV is a case of a good children 's tale assigned to the wrong director , iain softley , who 's unable to bring the magic of the german best-selling novel to the screen .",
        "it all smacks of that overdone ` passion for literature ' common in english teachers who send any healthy-minded kid running from books .",
        "winged monkeys and a minotaur you do n't get a good look at make up some of the mediocre special effects in an unsatisfying kid 's movie .",
        "the real problem with MOV is n't that it 's badly made but that it simply should n't have been made at all .",
        "it 's the limitations of the film when considering the nearly limitless possibilities suggested by the premise that make MOV a disappointment .",
        "while we can appreciate the decent effects , the bang-up settings and a good cast , we can only hope they got some sight-seeing in on their days off . whatever magic there was on this shoot is probably in their home movies .",
        "filled with the prerequisites of talking animals , an appealing young heroine and some heinous villains , all the ingredients are there , although an overly complex plot makes for an altogether middling experience .",
        "bit by bit , MOV gets backed into a very moribund soundstage finale with loose ends either rapidly wrapped or abandoned entirely .",
        "it 's not that MOV is horrible or stupid or has something about it that scars you so badly and deeply you will never want to go to the movies again . it 's just not special .",
        "its countless missteps earn nothing but scorn even as its wonderful intentions make us ashamed to voice them .",
        "despite its interest in creative expression , MOV 's hurried pace , shorthand characterizations and regularly scheduled set-pieces obliterate all but the faintest traces of lucid thought .",
        "beautiful cinematography , good direction , solid supporting actors , interestingly enough story , despite its predictability , but the main character was absent .",
        "it 's an interesting idea , but instead of imagining an equally clever conclusion , the film eventually collapses into a series of chases and fights with a big raiders of the lost ark-style special effects blowout ending .",
        "the concept of ` MOV ' is worthy but the execution leaves viewers ' heads caught in the library and their feet in the cineplex .",
        "brendan frasier 's mo may be able to conjure magic , but the same ca n't be said for this film .",
        "a movie that can produce the image of helen mirren astride a unicorn has some claim on the audience 's interest , and a movie that can make that image seem perfectly uninteresting is in some serious trouble .",
        "... focused on giving the film a palpable threat of potentially fatal consequences and the characters an emotional foundation .",
        "the story shimmers with imaginative details .",
        "MOV feels as though it has been pulled apart and put back together several times over , leading to a viewing experience that 's equal parts bewilderment and tedium .",
        "entertaining enough for young teens , but a little more thought could have made it appealing to adults as well .",
        "no child seeing MOV will ever want to be read to again .",
        "MOV is entertaining enough , if not always easy to follow . and if it does nothing else , at least it may inspire kids to read , if for no other reason than to help make sense of it all .",
        "a literary fantasy with a charm deficit .",
        "a visually overstuffed but emotionally undernourished piece of whimsy ... yet another big , overblown fantasy movie that never takes flight .",
        "una aventura entretenida sobre todo para p\u00fablico adolescente , y para todo aquel que haya disfrutado alguna vez de un buen libro de fantas\u00eda .",
        "the message is so muddied by the film 's dizzying changes in pitch and tone that a lot of young readers are n't going to know what to think .",
        "readers who want to exercise their imaginations may prefer to stick to the written word . if a story gets boring , you can always skip a few pages and move on . in the cinema there is n't much choice .",
        "as far as movies based on books about books go , it 's anything but a pageturner .",
        "when you have to question every other scene and a ferret steals the show , you know you 're in trouble .",
        "for all its problems , it 's a sweet , clever work .",
        "if there 's a problem for me with MOV , it is one of scope . this feels like it should be an epic movie , but it 's not .",
        "brendan fraser 's boyish face usually oozes charisma , but here he just looks plain bored . which is kind of how the audience looked too .",
        "kind of a neverending story-lite , MOV never makes full use of its strengths . the ideas about reality and fiction have already been explored better elsewhere , even in light family films .",
        "cobbled-together fantasy about a dad who can `` read '' characters in and out of books .",
        "much is made of the magic of literature in MOV , but the joys of losing yourself in reading are undermined by the movie 's barrage of special effects and a convoluted plot .",
        "making a movie about the magic to be found in reading books , is a little like general motors singing the praises of riding a bike instead .",
        "purposefully confusing and , on occasion , downright indefensible",
        "bettany 's wonderful performance is as compelling as the movie itself is lackluster and downright dull .",
        "despite his name , -lsb- director -rsb- softley plays it with a heavy hand , distracting viewers with lots of action , hideous makeup and garish costumes , but the effect is more perplexing than enlightening .",
        "plot holes notwithstanding , MOV is a well-timed and well-made family film that seems too good for the traditional january dumping grounds .",
        "while the story proves the pen is mightier than the sword , this flaccid adaptation proves the book is mightier than the film .",
        "MOV is a valentine to books mainly by negative example -- the leaps of imagination it does n't achieve .",
        "a kids ' adventure movie can be a lot of things -- wild and woolly , loosey-goosey , full of foolishness -- but they should never be shabby . and that 's the best word for MOV .",
        "MOV may not be rotten to the core -- instead of maggots , the fantasy adventure seethes with good intentions -- but the overripeness of its special effects ca n't be overstated .",
        "similar to the movie adaptation of philip pullman 's the golden compass -lrb- knopf , 1996 -rrb- , the filmmakers shoehorn most of the book 's plot into a small amount of time , leaving little room for character development or nuanced acting .",
        "-lsb- u -rsb- nquestionably for children , but unlike many children 's movies , it does not assume kids are stupid or will respond only to toilet humor or slapstick ...",
        "take some bits from `` harry potter '' and `` arabian nights , '' loads from `` the wizard of oz '' and mix with an original story that we never even get to hear and you get the torturously tedious `` MOV . ''",
        "the story is a whirl , a jumble , an effusion -- sometimes flowing smoothly , other times jerking along as if the filmmaker has been given advice he resents regarding pacing and the balance of sweetness and danger .",
        "MOV was shot in and around liguria on the italian riviera , and it looks absolutely ravishing . but the most resonant and , frankly , wonderful aspect of the film is its unabashed love for books and the wonders to be found within .",
        "a brisk and engaging adventure for kids who love books as well as for those who do n't .",
        "the finished product teases , but does not fulfill , with what could have been . having seen MOV only days ago , its details have already begun to fade from memory . great literature and cinema is not this easily forgotten .",
        "MOV wo n't make people forget princess bride , but it may give them pleasant flashbacks while it rollicks through its own bookish adventures .",
        "we leave doubly convinced that words are better left squat , inert , and black on the page",
        "there is nothing that resembles fun anywhere . no sense of emotional involvement by anyone on screen , and certainly no breathtaking and/or lurking sense of doom",
        "this adventure-fantasy film does n't have the special effects depth of a lord of the rings movie , nor the charm of the harry potter franchise , but it is still quite enjoyable .",
        "a diverting excursion into fantasy gothic territory .",
        "it 's a familiar tale , but one told with gusto , wit and visual flare ...",
        "gaping plot holes aside , MOV is a lovely little film , aimed at the bookish among us , and peppered with a love of the literary .",
        "kanones bebaia poy agnooyntai , prospernioyntai , lygizontai , i spane horis kamia egnoia , otan to apaitei i formoylaiki ploki gia na ftasei stin epomeni pista mias asymmazeyta asynartitis sto desimo tis plithorikis se ypoplokes kai deyteroys haraktires isto",
        "there 's a shortage of magic in this adventure fantasy , and despite some good elements including its spectacular italian settings and a solid cast , this adaptation about storybook characters prised from their world , is a bit of a blot",
        "there 's nothing terribly wrong with MOV but it just does n't quite engage us , ''",
        "not ghastly , but not exhilarating either .",
        "the main attractions are the serious british thespians cutting loose and having fun while still displaying convincing commitment to the fanciful material .",
        "this fantasy-lit film is too intense for young ones drawn to its books-come-to-life story and not sharp enough for potter fans .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "heavy on cliches and light on charm , this kid-lit fantasy-adventure does n't quite get off the ground .",
    "id": "770673032"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1046060-high_noon",
    "reviews":
     [
        "flaws do n't negate the strong impact this film would have on the viewer , the impact that inspired many future filmmakers and made MOV one of the most important pieces of american film legacy .",
        "the western may be one of the few truly american art forms , and MOV shows exactly how much potential it can embrace .",
        "a film about what it means to be a man that manages to avoid the musk of machismo , MOV is truly a film that improves with each and every viewing .",
        "just a good guy , a bad guy , and a clean-cut ending that leaves you shrugging the whole thing off .",
        "this outstanding drama ticks by in real time , only 84 tense minutes long .",
        "o primeiro filme a ensinar que um faroeste poderia ter densidade dram\u00e1tica sem perder suas pr\u00f3prias caracter\u00edsticas .",
        "one of the best westerns ever made . had me on the edge of my seat the entire time !",
        "there 's no reason to upgrade if you own the previous dvd release . ... -lsb- but -rsb- if you do n't have this movie , you should pick up a copy . it 's a classic .",
        "meaningful in its implications , as well as loaded with interest and suspense , MOV is a western to challenge stagecoach for the all-time championship .",
        "regarded as '50s melodrama , it 's nearly perfect .",
        "a simple , somewhat creaky tribute to defiant courageousness .",
        "drop-dead brilliant western noir .",
        "one of the most overestimated westerns in film history , MOV is schematic and more of a reflection of the times in which it was made than the classic it 's considered to be , though gary cooper and grace kelly are excellent .",
        "MOV won a fistful of oscars , but in these days of pasteboard screen machismo , it 's worth seeing simply as the anatomy of what it took to make a man before the myth turned sour .",
        "more than a half-century later , foreman was right after all : MOV is a scorching and sour portrait of american complacence and capacity for collaborationism .",
        "... plays on the psychology of its characters and situations ; an oater with insight and introspection ... thought over action .",
        "generates claustrophobic suspense by focusing on three images : kane 's increasingly tense , pained expression ; implacably ticking clocks ; and the ominous , empty train tracks .",
        "can be enjoyed simply because it 's so well done .",
        "the great american western .",
        "quintessential western that transcends the genre",
        "MOV -lrb- 1952 -rrb- is possibly the all-time best western film ever made - a successful box-office production by stanley kramer",
        "not a frame is wasted in this taut , superbly directed , masterfully acted film .",
        "arguably the classic western .",
        "the film works remarkably well as a simple but powerful parable .",
        "some of the results ring false , but the memorable theme song and some equally memorable character acting -lrb- by thomas mitchell and lon chaney jr. more than lloyd bridges and katy jurado -rrb- help things along .",
        "one of the essentials",
        "MOV is n't really a masterpiece , and if you 're a fan of more honest westerns , it 's hard not to notice zinnemann 's general lack of interest throughout . but it is a tense , effective little film .",
        "file under ` classic ' .",
        "deserving of its label as a true classic , and essential viewing .",
        "MOV combines its points about good citizenship with some excellent picturemaking .",
        "tense 1950s western is still a cinema classic .",
        "zinnemann carefully and deliberately makes the most of the mood cast by the threat of impending violence .",
        "carl foreman 's brilliant screenplay pays due respect to each character , no matter how sad or loathsome .",
        "one of top five westerns of all time w/cooper 's oscar winning role . powerful ."],
    "summary": "a classic of the western genre that broke with many of the traditions at the time , MOV endures -- in no small part thanks to gary cooper 's defiant , oscar-winning performance .",
    "id": "22011"
  },
  {
    "movie": "exorcist",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a film of such horrifying power that audiences are apt to be visibly shaken .",
        "at once an honest , disturbing exploration of the darker aspects of religion and the spiritual world , it is also an unabashed horror movie",
        "i simply see no justification for such sacrilege . you know what scene i mean .",
        "it never was a great film , but it 's still effective -- the 2000 version is nearer greatness",
        "the film turns out to be a superior horror story , very ably directed by william friedkin whose last film was the french connection .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there is nothing dated about the MOV , which remains an effective excursion into demonic possession more than a quarter of a century after it was first unveiled to the public .",
        "the MOV -lrb- 1973 -rrb- is the sensational , shocking horror story about devil possession and the exorcism of the demonic spirits from a young , innocent girl",
        "no matter how many times viewed , the MOV never fails to deliver the goods .",
        "the film is an intense rollercoaster ride , a marvel of audience manipulation , with director william friedkin pushing all the right buttons to make this a genre landmark .",
        "this notorious battle between good and evil , nominated for eight oscars when it was originally released in 1973 , is both a hysteric scream and an intentional as well as unintentional hoot .",
        "essential viewing for anyone who loves cinema . if you can endure it ...",
        "it 's good stuff but , basically , the MOV is a museum piece , something to be enjoyed for its historical value , its datedness and its almost quaint shock value .",
        "friedkin 's MOV holds up remarkably well .",
        "the MOV is what it purports to be , no less than one of the best horror films , one of the best films , of all time .",
        "i loved it .",
        "a brilliantly constructed , chilling tale of demonic possession and medical torture",
        "a finely crafted thriller that benefits immensely from william friedkin 's controlled direction , william peter blatty 's thematically fruitful script , owen roizman 's imaginative camerawork and dick smith 's startling makeup designs .",
        "an expert telling of a supernatural horror story .",
        "it stimulates and rewards , time and time again .",
        "succeeds best in developing its characters",
        "some movies are n't just movies . they 're closer to voodoo -- they channel currents larger and more powerful than themselves .",
        "aall the MOV does is take its audience for a ride , spewing it out the other end , shaken up but none the wiser .",
        "the MOV not only tops the horror genre but transcends it , resulting in a profound experience where moviemaking horror , thrillingly dramatic storytelling and deeply felt spirituality of the catholic kind make for pivotal viewing .",
        "-lsb- friedkin -rsb- knew he was n't making art ; he was concocting gross-out pop -- a movie so `` scary '' it borders on being silly .",
        "von sydow , blair and mercedes mccambridge -lrb- the originally uncredited actress who dubbed regan 's gross mutterings -rrb- are flat-out terrific .",
        "less a cleverly spun story than a disjointed collection of shockeroos , surrounding a few ghoulishly effective moments with overcooked plot twists and in-your-face vulgarity .",
        "william friedkin 's adaptation of william peter blatty 's novel , with a screenplay by the author , is a dead-serious meditation on the struggle between good and evil .",
        "the MOV , with its excellent cast , mounting intensity , and ingeniously constructed surprises , is still a commanding achievement .",
        "the movie that launched a new era in horror films , and which , for one generation , remains one of the scariest experiences of their lives .",
        "the MOV , like most memorable hollywood movies , gains its power from the way it mixes opposites : new-style realism and sexual radicalism , old-style horror and religion .",
        "when i first saw the MOV , i saw only the literal side of the story . but as i watched it again , i began to view the movie as a dark fairy tale about a parent whose child is experiencing a painful trauma .",
        "provocative , thoughtful horror",
        "arguably the most troubling factor is the lack of true redemption in the twist ending , which resolves the demon possession without allowing good to triumph over evil .",
        "the scariest movie i have ever seen . so scary , i refuse to watch it again .",
        "barbarism and exploitation here parade as something deeper . abominable .",
        "this 1973 horror thriller is highly instructive as well as unnerving .",
        "this is the dark frightening place where modern horror cinema began .",
        "one of the few horror films that hold up well , the MOV is still scary due to the visual and sound effects , but it 's also well-written by blatty , well-directed by friedkin , and well-acted by ellen burstyn as the mother and linda blair as her daughter",
        "totally ludicrous .",
        "absolutely timeless horror in its purest form . seeing this recently with a bunch of rambunctious college students , not even they were immune . exorcism time came around -- you could hear a pin drop in the cinema .",
        "a sour odor of spiritual guilt wafts through every fascinating minute of the MOV .",
        "it just never gets un-scary . that 's the best part .",
        "but , is it just me , or is karras 's the only story that 's really compelling ?",
        "the MOV is likely just as disturbing today as it was 25 years ago .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's something new to be discovered in every viewing of the MOV .",
        "if it failed on all other levels -lrb- which it does n't -rrb- , the MOV would nevertheless be an excellent family horror story .",
        "... the movie is right up there with the cinema 's better chillers .",
        "an unforgettable horror film that does n't just get under my skin - it stays there .",
        "trendsetting shocker about a possessed child .",
        "... a crude religious exploitation piece -lrb- although poor linda blair - required to urinate , swear and vomit on cue - is exploited more than anything else -rrb- .",
        "from the day of its first release in 1973 , `` the MOV : was the greatest horror film ever made , and it remains so to this day .",
        "the overall film has a well-developed sense of atmosphere that most films of today are missing .",
        "friedkin and blatty seem to care nothing for their characters as people , only as victims-props to be abused , hurled about the room , beaten and , in one case , brutally murdered .",
        "the MOV is not an unintelligently put-together film , which makes one all the more impatient with it .",
        "if movies are , among other things , opportunities for escapism , then the MOV is one of the most powerful ever made .",
        "a story whose archetypal pull and sheer visceral power ca n't be negated by even the worst audience behaviour .",
        "there 's something elemental about the MOV ."],
    "summary": "the MOV rides its supernatural theme to magical effect , with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere , resulting in one of the scariest films of all time .",
    "id": "15615"
  },
  {
    "movie": "pokemon-heroes",
    "reviews":
     [
        "subjecting kids to such shoddy junk when they could be watching ` spirited away ' or ` finding nemo ' should count as cinematic child abuse .",
        "grown-ups may have to scrub the sugar from their frontal lobes . but it 's not about them , is it ? never was . never will be .",
        "the film 's traditional cel animation seems to have reverted back to the lackluster standard of television-quality cartoons .",
        "it 's one of those little ironies that as interest has flagged in the animated pok\u00e9mon movie franchise , the scripts have actually gotten better .",
        "having settled into a formula of maximum action and minimal whimsy for its battery of feature releases , the makers of MOV : latios & latias barely raise a ripple as they tread water in this fifth entry .",
        "the story 's better but there 's still the animal cruelty that 's disturbing - the trainers have pok\u00e9mon battles that resemble ` cockfights for kids ' and the wild pok\u00e9mon are kept captive in pocketsize pok\u00e9balls when they are not being used for entertainment .",
        "those less obsessed with the colorful creatures will squirm as the the uninspired story -- which could have easily been condensed into a half-hour series episode -- unfolds over the course of 80 long minutes .",
        "a tedious , unimaginative affair .",
        "the plot is paper-thin , supporting players like the bumbling team rocket baddies are mere window dressing and the devious designs of annie and oakley are generic at best .",
        "surely a form of child abuse .",
        "this one 's for kids and no one else .",
        "judged purely as a movie for young children -lrb- 10 and under , tops -rrb- , this latest feature spinoff from the card-game , toy and tv-animation empire is , surprisingly , not bad .",
        "a reasonably entertaining entry that , thanks to its exotic setting and several new characters , should prove engaging for the small fry and not too painful for their adult chaperones .",
        "the pied piper of shameless kiddie-marketing strikes for the fifth time in as many years .",
        "if you think of it as the cinematic equivalent of a dental appointment that 's less painful than you 'd anticipated , you 'll have a fairly accurate notion of its quality .",
        "the same old grab for the wallet .",
        "it looks cheap and feels slapped together .",
        "the story is also less violent and combative .",
        "with the same vocal talent and weak combination of computer and hand-drawn animation , the film is about on par with the previous entries in the series .",
        "if you still have pok\u00e9mon fans at your house , i suppose there 's no harm in taking them to see this movie ; but with pixar 's finding nemo set to open in a couple of weeks , surely you can find something better to do this weekend .",
        "you 'd have to classify MOV as an action movie , but with the static long shots and inert faces , it 's more like an inaction movie .",
        "those who have n't fallen under the pok\u00e9mon spell will find little here to convert them .",
        "kids will revolt , parents will snooze , and i will be downright giddy if i never encounter another pok\u00e9mon movie as long as i live .",
        "nothing can save this sinking ship of a film series .",
        "parents , only you can prevent another pokemon .",
        "at worst , you 're paying to see something you can basically see on television .",
        "an easily avoided waste of time .",
        "it 's a pointless exercise in animated tedium .",
        "we 've seen it all before , and too many times .",
        "there are , alas , the requisite new characters and this round it 's a pair of winged critters with high-pitched grating ` voices ' that sound most awfully like mr. bill from saturday night live .",
        "the result is impressive but does little to further the experience .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- t seems these things are being made and released by rote . if no one went , would the next one come out anyway ?",
        "below-average for series and too violent for younger kids .",
        "all that a piece of product like MOV will inspire is the urge to nap .",
        "the new characters ' voices are even more grating and annoying than in previous installments , and some of the animation seems downright archaic .",
        "directors kunihiko yuyama and jim malone pull off a few striking visual effects . but it 's still a pokemon movie .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "this series is n't getting any better .",
    "id": "9595"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wedding_date",
    "reviews":
     [
        "you know how some movies just ring so utterly true that they defy your expectations and take a predictable genre to new and unexpected places ? this is not one of those movies .",
        "some films are ripped from the headlines , others are ripped from the pages of cosmopolitan .",
        "a great excuse for staying single .",
        "this is a charmless , lifeless affair that had me leaving the theater in a mood more appropriate to a funeral than a wedding .",
        "you could call this horrid romantic comedy one wedding and a funeral , with stress on the funeral .",
        "one wedding . no funerals . a pretty woman . lots of borrowed somethings , but nothing new .",
        "following this botched ceremony , anyone fond of debra messing and dermot mulroney will be left standing at the altar in tears .",
        "` the MOV ' does n't exactly resurrect romantic comedy , but it proves there 's still life in the genre .",
        "clare kilner 's cast frolics in the countryside in an appropriately british-romantic-comedy fashion , and at times the characters trade silly snaps , but dana fox 's screenplay is structurally shaky .",
        "to say that the script is bottom-of-the-barrel would be too kind ; this one was already decomposing under a mountain of mulch before debra messing unwisely fished it out .",
        "perhaps the movie should have been called `` four bridesmaids and a hookah . ''",
        "should n't romantic comedies be a little more romatic ? or maybe at least likable ?",
        "messing and mulroney have wonderful chemistry -- too bad they frequently have it long before their characters should .",
        "the film is made by women , which just goes to show female moviemakers are equally capable of insulting female audiences .",
        "... plays like a hollow and manipulative gimmicky lifetime channel television movie . alertly , one should decline the cheeky invitation to this senseless ceremonial event",
        "yearn , dammit ! the movie screams at you , as you turn your eyes to the wristwatch and lament that , like kat , you 've just wasted your money .",
        "the MOV 's ending is one of the most contrived in recent memory ...",
        "the shenanigans that first-time screenwriter dana cox concocts from this lame scenario fluctuate from stupid to lazy and back to dull",
        "there 's no clich\u00e9 from any romantic comedy of the past twenty years that this movie is n't afraid to borrow , water down , and then recycle .",
        "flashes of engagement mired in starry-eyed pabulum with a bubble-gum score to match .",
        "so many body parts from other engineered romantic comedies have been crudely harvested and stitched together in the making of this weird robotic lark that maid of honor of frankenstein might be more useful a nickname .",
        "tv movie level fluff . yawn .",
        "the MOV presents the curious case of two appealing performances surviving a bombardment of schlock .",
        "... the only possible happy ending involves your escape from the theater with a few precious brain cells intact .",
        "there is not a single memorable joke or line of dialogue in it , something that even the dumbest of comedies usually delivers .",
        "this is a movie that wants to break out and be tepid . it would like to dare to be tepid . but it just ca n't find the energy .",
        "call this will & dis-grace .",
        "you wonder if the filmmakers intended you to utterly despise everyone in the story . probably not .",
        "a fairly mediocre film , not nearly as funny as it should be , nor as heartfelt .",
        "from the look of it , poor debra messing 's first starring vehicle was an unmitigated disaster even before the cameras started rolling .",
        "the film 's generic nature extends to everything about it : the unengaging cinematography , haphazard editing , emptily jaunty score , even use of locations .",
        "there 's no real tension , because kat and nick are more surely fated than a pharaoh for his tomb .",
        "the writing shows occasional wit and the performances are charming enough , but there is too much working against them .",
        "my suspicion is -lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- started out making a raunchy , r-rated bridget jones 's diary sort of movie , but ... the suits got nervous and demanded a pg-13 cut .",
        "confuses sex with romance",
        "if there 's anything truly scary about this time of year , it 's the typical appearance of the ghastly beast known as the sitcom star feature hiatus project .",
        "simple and tiresome , as well as unoriginal , borrowing bits from any number of like-minded movies .",
        "clever lines , chic sets , appropriately incorporated cloying songs , and a sympathetic debra messing keep the film enjoyable .",
        "directed with muddled confusion , the movie goes through its stock characters and obligatory plot points without enthusiasm or charm .",
        "the film is just not very funny or original .",
        "inexplicable fantasy romances for the harried modern gal 101 is a more fitting title for this shameless mediocrity .",
        "seldom has a movie so blatantly illustrated the need for genuine star power in the lead , especially considering the MOV 's obvious comparisons to not one , but three more successful julia roberts movies .",
        "debra messing ... is a nightmarish golem-creature constructed , frankenstein-monster style , from the worst stereotypes of modern femininity ...",
        "yes , it 's another romantic comedy with the happy moral that single women are miserable and worthless .",
        "going to see MOV is like going on a date with me . it is moderately pleasant , but you are not going to do it a second time because you know you can do better .",
        "mulroney contributes virtually nothing save a convincing profile and makes the transition to lover-for-life feel about as shallow as a single-tiered wedding cake .",
        "surprisingly adapted from a novel , date is saccharine , uninspired entertainment , eventually collapsing into a flat-out mess .",
        "there 's a bizarrely republican message , asserting that `` every woman has the exact love life she wants , '' which strikes me as kind of unsympathetic .",
        "just why jeffrey dumped kat is a revelation so unsavory that this initially breezy movie sinks beneath its weight , despite the frantic efforts of first-time screenwriter dana fox and director clare kilner .",
        "elicits a handful of smiles but not many laughs as it approaches a finale that comes as a foregone conclusion .",
        "same ol'",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie goes wrong from the start by simply throwing us into the action and asking us to identify with messing 's desperate scheme .",
        "the film has an energetic grace , directed with fluid efficiency by clare kilner .",
        "why kat must be so emotionally clueless or her sister so selfish is a mystery that invites an essay about what women think of each other these days .",
        "an epic comic miscalculation .",
        "it is in no way a match made in heaven .",
        "not a single scene connects smoothly with the next , characters make head-scratching choices that come out of nowhere and logic consistently proves itself an enemy to be avoided at all costs .",
        "although the trappings are familiar , writer dana fox has contributed a lean but clever script , and director clare kilner keeps the story moving .",
        "admittedly , no part of the year is immune to bad romantic comedies . but what distinguishes the MOV , what qualifies it so impeccably for turkey season , goes way beyond generic foulness .",
        "like a bridal shower , it 's probably more fun if you have some champagne first . perhaps some enterprising theater manager will consider this .",
        "a movie of utter inconsequence -- a cinematic listerine strip that evaporates from the brain before you even get your popcorn tub to the trash .",
        "a bit like cheap champagne : it 's better if you revel in its bubbly fizz and do n't think about the finish .",
        "romantic comedy is a tough genre to pull off in this crass and explicit day and age . this movie gives it a perky try , but its formula , unlike its hired-for-the-occasion leading man , just is n't the right package .",
        "it might be best to discreetly misplace your invitation to these strained festivities .",
        "even if the material is terribly formulaic and derivative , it 's still such a simple , by-the-numbers romantic comedy that only a herculean effort could mess it up . and the filmmakers have managed to do exactly that .",
        "do n't bother asking how an ivy league guy would end up hooking . such a query could only lead to some dark answers , answers that the filmmakers have no interest in dealing with but which would make for a much more interesting movie .",
        "messing should know this is precisely the kind of movie grace would ridicule will for dragging her to see .",
        "even if we could buy the contrived setup -lrb- right : debra messing needs to buy a date -rrb- , there is no thought to fleshing out the characters .",
        "hardly worth an $ 8 ticket , however , especially since you can see messing play the same character in a better-written venue every week . after all , that 's one of the central messages of the film : never pay for something you can get for free .",
        "is true love with a prostitute the best valentine 's day fantasy hollywood has to offer ?",
        "this particular wedding-cake walk does feature the excellent comedic timing of debra messing and the charm and sex appeal of dermot mulroney , which will likely combine to make this film a hit with the date crowd .",
        "my best friend 's picture perfect wedding , er , i mean the MOV ... is surprisingly engaging -- mostly ...",
        "but i think that if you 're a guy you would be best to avoid this like the plague !",
        "the MOV reveals no trace of recognizable human behavior in it .",
        "as forgettable as a hollywood couple 's marriage vows .",
        "the main problem with the film is that it seems to be missing a sequence where we see kat and nick actually falling for each other - the script pretty much expects us to take it for granted just because they 're the leads .",
        "messing-mulroney romantic comedy has `` something borrowed '' in its plot -- and a sense of missed opportunity that 'll leave you blue .",
        "perfectly watchable even if it 's deeply lazy filmmaking .",
        "as predictable as a church ceremony and witless as the pastor 's blessings , leaving one to ponder this wedding 's `` reception . ''",
        "as stale as last week 's wedding cake .",
        "a dupla principal at\u00e9 que se esfor\u00e7a -lrb- principalmente mulroney , que vem se especializando neste tipo de personagem -rrb- , mas o roteiro repleto de clich\u0119s frustra suas tentativas .",
        "while there are many of the right ingredients here -- a likable cast , plot potential , a dreamy english countryside setting -- i still ca n't say `` i do '' to this fluffy flick .",
        "this was a fun film that told a good story without getting ridiculous like some of these have been in the past .",
        "trite , but , dermot mulroney , i took an exit poll . you are definitely worth the extra three hundred .",
        "mulroney is like a young stallone - and he 's got half the acting ability to prove it .",
        "a distillation of so many rom-com formulas and conventions it 's hard to know whether the filmmakers even realized what they were actually doing .",
        "know this from the get-go : i 'm one of a dozen or so women scattered throughout the world who didnt like pretty woman .",
        "`` the MOV '' has a few good laughs and appealing leads , but it never achieves the lift off of a real sparkling romantic comedy .",
        "tonight a very special `` will and grace . '' grace goes to london without will . dermot mulrooney guest stars .",
        "messing seems to be searching in vain for some shred of credibility , while the amiable mulroney moves about in his tuxedo as if he 'd been strapped into a straitjacket ...",
        "most of the time , it 's as flat and lifeless as debra messing 's hair .",
        "i refuse to believe that there 's anyone on the planet , starved enough for romantic affection , that they 'd find something likable about this movie .",
        "focus-grouped to such a precise dot that everyone in the audience will not only be able to name each brand of luggage the characters use , but will do so with joy and pride .",
        "a tossed bouquet full of dead flowers and bad jokes that belongs in the nearest trash receptacle .",
        "mulroney , best known as the title character in roberts ' comedy my best friend 's wedding , is by far the best thing about this gaggingly unromantic comedy . his character 's bio , divulged in a thumbnail , is the least convincing thing .",
        "this is a MOV that would have benefited from a different designer , a more knowing caterer , and -- most of all -- a whole new guest list .",
        "it 's telling that we do n't find messing 's character worthy of a male prostitute 's love .",
        "it 's all the actors can do to race through their lines before their gag reflexes kick in .",
        "dana fox 's script is all setup , skimping on the quirky character touches and comedic flourishes that could make a predictable outcome gratifying .",
        "scenes do n't build momentum , and i do n't think i 've ever seen a feature where so many lines of dialogue were delivered by actors hovering off-screen or standing with their backs to the camera .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "too bad the filmmakers felt compelled to give this sufficiently charming doodle some emotional heft by veering into four weddings and a funeral territory . it only distracts you from the MOV 's own modest charms .",
        "all the romantic comedy gloss in the world ca n't save a script as stale as last week 's wedding cake .",
        "meandering , occasionally funny , wannabe fanciful .",
        "the movie is so elementary , so simplistic , offering stock situations and cardboard characters who ... remain unchanged that it plays like an extended version of a sitcom ...",
        "the movie is being sold as a buoyant confection , i think mainly because its distributor does n't quite know what to make of its neither-fish-nor-fowl film .",
        "aimed squarely at the single-and-over-35 demographic , the MOV is a guilty pleasure that is perfect for a girls ' night out .",
        "dermot mulroney , portraying a very expensive male escort , provides enough eye candy and mystery to save this movie from being a total disaster .",
        "an embarrassingly bad comedy .",
        "-lsb- the MOV -rsb- should really berelegated to video where you wo n't have to shell out $ 20 + to see it at a theater .",
        "the MOV is a manfest extravaganza and for that i salute it !",
        "mulroney is a stealth actor : whenever you see him in a picture , you 're not just reminded of how good he almost always is -- you have the sense of discovering it for the first time .",
        "it 's not romantic , it 's not comic , the performances are weak , the writing is amateurish , and even at 90 minutes it will feel like a long time in the theater .",
        "it 's a blessing that the MOV does n't try too hard , but it 's a curse that it does n't try hard enough .",
        "debra messing and dermot mulroney star in a romantic comedy that struggles to capture the charm and ebullience of four weddings and a funeral .",
        "with la debra finally in the picture , all i can say is , `` give us more messing . '' our first date might have been a dud but i 'm willing to go out again .",
        "all surface and no soul . come to think of it , the surface is n't so darned hot either .",
        "kilner 's light touch keeps the romantic pair dancing around their romance without tripping , but as the film reaches the inevitable happy ending , the steps look all too familiar .",
        "how does kat feel about falling in love with a high-priced escort ? what prompts nick 's lightning-bolt conversion to unpaid monogamy ? what kind of work can a former comp lit major expect to find in the world ? these and other questions are left unanswered .",
        "even the most ardent evacuees from super bowl madness will recognize the familiar road map that the screenplay diligently follows .",
        "like a wilted bridal bouquet ... a movie that arrives dead on the vine and then asks you to spend eighty minutes watching it wither .",
        "what good is a uniquely photographed dance scene if the characters dancing together are barely two-dimensional ?",
        "as far as big day experiences go , a drunken speech from a distant relative would be far more entertaining -- and funnier -- than the MOV .",
        "with blinders on to deflect the obvious - that this movie is n't remotely believable - the MOV skates by on the charm of its actors .",
        "it takes about 10 minutes to figure out every major plot twist in this cheap-looking romp involving a collection of obnoxiously quirky characters .",
        "even some much needed logic would n't have been able to save this awful mess .",
        "unlike pretty woman , and most other successful romances , we have absolutely no reason to understand why either of these empty vessels would ever find themselves attracted to the other .",
        "glides along with the unself-conscious assurance of a deodorant commercial , confident that the presence of attractive actors in gowns and tuxes will sanction any idiocy .",
        "`` the MOV '' is slight and it knows it . it has no pretentions . it 's an odd little fairy tale about a single woman and her paid stud . messing is a movie star .",
        "laudably manages to avoid the inherent sordidness of `` pretty woman '' and the underlying sadness of `` my best friend 's wedding . ''",
        "nothing says true love like a movie about a desperate , neurotic woman who hires a male whore to take her to her sister 's wedding so she can make the ex-fiance jealous . i wonder if they have a vermont teddy bear for that ?",
        "the first problem the MOV runs into is that the whole `` converting a hooker '' fantasy skews mainly male .",
        "part romantic comedy , part soap opera , part travelogue , the MOV fails to deliver on all counts .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "critics are leaving the MOV at the alter , calling it shopworn , bland , and lightweight .",
    "id": "10051"
  },
  {
    "movie": "kisses2008",
    "reviews":
     [
        "kisses feels like a decent little short film padded to feature length for the purposes of fulfilling some local funding body 's film-making quota for the year .",
        "kisses regards the world through fearful , foolhardy preadolescent eyes .",
        "there 's nothing so frustrating as a small movie , made by a clearly gifted filmmaker , that flies close to magic only to be sternly jerked back to earth .",
        "dorothy parachutes into dublin in search of the wizard but there is no place like home .",
        "a blend of gritty realism sand magical fantasy that 's undoubtedly calculated but still deeply satisfying .",
        "a marginally sweet movie about two woebegone irish kids .",
        "it 's arresting .",
        "terrific non-pro actors kelly o'neill -lrb- kylie -rrb- and shane curry -lrb- dylan -rrb- are the backbone of the film , directed by lance daly , who says as a kid he thought of running away .",
        "rewarding tale of two kids loose on dublin 's mean streets with outstanding performances .",
        "a xmas where neverending nightmares instead of sugarplums dance in children 's heads",
        "exquisitely-shot and deeply affecting with just the right balance of humor , sweetness and grittiness . newcomers kelly o'neill and shane curry shine in raw , heartfelt and charismatic performances .",
        "a pedestrian picaresque that trivializes the suffering and yearnings of hardscrabble youth .",
        "the immediate sympathy evoked by dylan -lrb- shane curry -rrb- and kylie -lrb- kelly o'neill -rrb- creates a lasting impact solely with the sorrow and confusion that crosses their faces .",
        "what begins as a painfully bleak portrait of life in the slums on the outskirts of dublin transforms into a lovely , if dark , love story .",
        "the movie 's ending may be less satisfying than that of slumdog millionaire , but kisses is truer to the tragedy of a generation of children whom we have utterly failed .",
        "captivating and poignant portayal of life on the edge for the disregarded of our societies .",
        "devoid of colour and up to its eyeballs in domestic turbulence , kisses fosters a painful , monochrome melancholy .",
        "the child actors are first rate , though the movie should be shown in a double bill , possibly with shane meadows 's 72-minute somers town .",
        "a minor work notable only for the strong performances of two non-professional actors .",
        "charming without being precious .",
        "a touching , tender coming-of-age drama which balances gritty realism with an intriguing sense of the fantastic .",
        "while the film 's compassion is never in doubt , it 's sometimes a bit too cute for its own good .",
        "a surprisingly genuine and sweet film .",
        "lance daly 's ireland is not the scenic irish wonderland of ondine .",
        "when it 's not trite , kisses can be refreshing in its realism .",
        "cute but foul-mouthed , tough but vulnerable and obviously crazy about each other in a reticent way , these kids are a wonderful presence , giving the most contrived scenes genuine emotion and a veneer of realness .",
        "sincere and vulnerable , aching with youthful insight",
        "what the writer and director , lance daly , means as some kind of transporting urban adventure for them is a disenchanting slog for us .",
        "a darkling , modern-day fairy tale and lyrical coming-of-age story , irish filmmaker lance daly 's 2008 film `` kisses '' is a small gem .",
        "there are undoubtedly more dark days ahead for kylie and dylan , but in kisses , we see the beginning of character forged by circumstance .",
        "it 's exciting , sweet , gritty and generally just a joy to watch .",
        "in writer-director lance daly?s lens , downtown dublin is like a modern-day oz ? and the movie even starts by showing the kids ? dreary home life in black-and-white , slowly moving to full color .",
        "a coming-of-age drama so irish you 'll want to take out your pogues ' lyric sheets beforehand to brush up on gaelic mumbling .",
        "it 's just a shame the plot was n't fleshed out more to enable a more complete cinematic experience , rather than a handful of inspired components .",
        "curry and o'neill are adorably unadorable , and though the film ultimately leaves them as we found them , buried alive in beautiful b&w on a dead-end estate , we know their worlds have changed forever .",
        "the dialogue throughout this touching , though never sugary , film is delivered in the language of the streets and the performances from the two young stars are nothing short of remarkable .",
        "beautiful black and white photography -lrb- also handled by daly -rrb- slowly evolves into color once the adventure is underway -- it 's a nice gesture to the wizard of oz .",
        "kisses is a short and beautiful movie . and i loved it . it made me cry .",
        "only 75 minutes long and made in ireland for what had to be a micro budget , this sweet , savvy and heartfelt film will impact you more and stay around longer than many more elephantine productions .",
        "kisses is an interesting look at the side of a famous city we do n't often see . and at the sort of unhappy childhoods that perhaps we see far too many of -- if we only dare look .",
        "an engaging and well-acted irish film about two pre-teens who escape their oppressive life in a slum for an adventure in the city of dublin .",
        "an unexpectedly tart juvenile drama that trusts in the emotional purity of life .",
        "a superior lyrical ragamuffin irish drama about neighbor kids in a dingy outpost of dublin who run away from their crummy home situations at christmas and spend a picaresque night on city streets .",
        "a serendipitous journey worth taking .",
        "no one would claim that director lance daly delivers an emerald isle version of the spirit of the beehive , though this scrappy film does have a knack for capturing the elation and confusion of late childhood in their ragged glory .",
        "compelling and amusing , breathtaking at times in its ability to put these kids in harm 's way and slip them out of it with imagination and nerve",
        "like arthouse roddy doyle it 's ambitious and phoney in equal measure .",
        "a worthwhile film with real acting and directing talent , though probably best regarded as an extended short .",
        "the sharply written script is refreshingly free from sentimentality and the developing relationship between the two leads is both well written and extremely moving .",
        "both sweet and tough , with vivid characters and an unnerving sense of danger .",
        "this delicate , charming low-budget irish film is a gem worth discovering . a thoughtful and whimsical film .",
        "the unknown child actors are appealing but kisses tries too hard to pluck at the heartstrings .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "although admittedly sleight , this gritty but tender coming-of-age irish drama features some impressive work both in front , and behind the camera .",
    "id": "770789898"
  },
  {
    "movie": "elite_squad",
    "reviews":
     [
        "subtle shades of friendship are lost in a melee of violence , which quickly crescendos and then maintains a one-note intensity for the duration of the film , punctuated only by an ill-advised narratorial voice that serves to keep the viewer at arm 's length .",
        "... for all the glorification of the mercenary methods of this MOV , it 's still a fascinating portrait of a nightmarish police and crime culture and a vivid narrative .",
        "it 's just a pity the story is so slipshod - it only really gets going halfway through .",
        "it 's a bit like a latin american episode of the bill written by richard littlejohn and directed by chuck norris .",
        "nascimento 's penchant for rambo theatrics is unfortunate , because elsewhere MOV has interesting things to say .",
        "here is the biggest , fattest , dampest squib of the week : perhaps the most disappointing film ever to have won the golden bear at the berlin film festival .",
        "it is impressively made , but leaves a nasty taste in the mouth .",
        "an action-drama that 's fascinating for its insights into rio 's social structures . but while it 's compellingly intense , it 's also morally muddled .",
        "you 'll swear you smell gunpowder during the earthshaking gunfights of `` MOV . '' forget john woo 's hong kong , or sergio leone 's west . with bullet-slinging gusto , director jose padilha -lrb- `` bus 174 '' -rrb- proudly pronounces rio de janeiro the bloodiest onscree",
        "despite the voiceover , padilha has created a shocking insight into a world in which corrupt cops slug it out against drug dealers but , ultimately , nobody wins .",
        "an instruction manual of sorts that does n't illuminate police corruption and violence so much as it revels in it .",
        "pois \u0439 infinitamente mais recompensador assistir a um filme que estimula a discuss\u0433o e a auto-an\u0431lise do que um que , por covardia ou falta de ambi\u0437\u0433o , limita-se a seguir a corrente do politicamente correto .",
        "a tough and realistic cop story that stays believable from beginning to end while delivering the truth about loyalty , courage and gut-wringing fear on an inner city military mission with no second chances .",
        "a very compelling movie that 's almost ruined by a horrible narration track .",
        "-lsb- jos\u00e9 padilha -rsb- recariously pitches the squad 's brute force as less a necessary evil than the outgrowth of an existing evil -- a no-win situation that mocks liberal ideals and warps conservative pragmatism into domestic terrorism .",
        "it bears a resemblance to viscerally exciting seventies urban thrillers like the french connection , in which only the fascists could do what needed to be done .",
        "the film 's message is that all of society is corrupt , so it does n't matter who gets killed . it 's a propaganda movie that shows no empathy for its characters or for its audience .",
        "padilha succumbs to monotonous , hollow flamboyance with his city of god clone .",
        "the moral dilemmas are gripping , but the film takes itself far too seriously to ever connect with us .",
        "a film that simply does n't have enough cinematic flair to make it a better than average cops and robbers thriller .",
        "padilha gets as close to the daily violence as city of god , though this feels more like a documentary than an epic .",
        "padilha 's style , honed in his hijack documentary bus 174 , is verismo with a vengeance . for two hours the viewer feels as hand-held as the camera , hauled about by the neck .",
        "as for the plot , flashy editing and an over-reliance on jittery handheld cameras mean you 'll struggle to tell what 's going on - if you have n't already given up by then .",
        "nothing is clear-cut in this intense brew of brutality , stupidity and genuine tragedy . we 're left lamenting that it will go on , unless brazil engages its brain before its fist .",
        "MOV ca n't decide whether it wants to pull the lid back on what urban decay has wrought or simply open up a can of whup ass .",
        "MOV succeeds at putting the worst of the violent spectacles on screen , primarily through a series of nicely staged shootouts and torture sequences .",
        "a poor man 's city of god that suggests the only answer to the problems of brazil 's slums are blazing guns wielded by a neo-fascist police force .",
        "trying to address important and serious social issues in this violent world rather than just creating something sensationalistic or exploitative gives MOV an edge over normal police thrillers .",
        "with no star names and a tough subject , it will be hard sell despite being a runaway hit on its home turf .",
        "MOV is a relentlessly ugly , unpleasant , often incoherent assault on the senses from brazil .",
        "a depressing film that celebrates brute strength as the only means to stem the tide of violence and crime in rio de janeiro .",
        "for nearly two hours , padilha bombards viewers with senseless , sickening violence for its own sake .",
        "a satisfactory enough cop movie , but not one that people will still be name checking years hence",
        "given that brazil , as a latin american moviemaking powerhouse , steadily produces vibrant , vital films of real impact and humanity , it 's a crime itself that MOV may be the only brazilian film that american audiences see this year .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "brutal , action heavy , brazilian cop film with a pointless voiceover . lacks flair , overdoes the violence and is never quite sure where its morals lie .",
    "id": "770677558"
  },
  {
    "movie": "benhur",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a majestic achievement , representing a superb blending of the motion picture arts by master craftsmen .",
        "... fairly defines the word ` epic . '",
        "mr. wyler and his money-free producers have smartly and effectively laid stress on the powerful and meaningful personal conflicts that are strong in this old heroic tale .",
        "predictable but magnificent and satisfying .",
        "widescreen biblical epic is bloated with spectacle and thin on plot .",
        "one of the most exciting action epics ever made , blustery `` ben-hur '' is filled with over-the-top performances , but memorable scenes .",
        "charlton heston plays charlton heston , but his charismatic macho woodeness carries the film like no other actor of his day .",
        "a defini\u0437\u0433o cl\u0431ssica do \u0439pico .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "shows how difficult forgiveness is once the heart has hardened in hate .",
        "if we later came to realize that movies could be a whole lot better than ben-hur , that still does n't detract from the enjoyment the film still provides .",
        "an entertaining and compelling drama that may be shallow , but is too exciting and appealing for that to be much of a concern .",
        "a chariot-race classic .",
        "a masterpiece of epic filmmaking , a profound religious experience and one of the greatest films ever made .",
        "there is no reason to feel guilty about not loving this mammoth epic .",
        "some critics believe that william wyler 's box-office smash is no match for the 1925 silent version , but there 's no denying that the race that forms the famous climax is one of the most iconic sequences in hollywood history .",
        "epic in both length and stature , ben-hur goes on for-bloody-ever ... but the action set-pieces remain unrivalled , even in the age of cgi .",
        "1959 biblical epic has fierce blood-spilling , cruelty .",
        "at 212 minutes it is far too long , and large swathes of the action appear redundant or unnecessary . `` bigger than ben-hur ! '' they say . that may not be a compliment .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- it 's worth sitting through four hours of charlton heston 's hammy pregnant pauses of strained dialogue and toothy grimaces just to savor the legendary larger-than-life marathon where single rider chariots ...",
        "although it is a spectacle film , the story of how a man takes on the tyranny of the romans , with all sorts of horrible consequences to himself and his family , is powerful and gripping .",
        "the biggest and the best of hollywood 's super-spectacles .",
        "mostly tedious sunday school tale .",
        "the film moves with an assurance and majesty hardly seen in modern movies .",
        "the movie could be trying to say that for some people religion is an escape from their sexuality , but it seems unlikely .",
        "a movie that has come to define biblical epic .",
        "an absolute classic hollywood epic !",
        "it 's very much of its time , overblown and overlong -- but ben-hur is rightfully lodged at the forefront of hollywood history .",
        "entire new frontiers in boredom were opened up by this mgm whopper from 1959 .",
        "the kind of sweeping pseudo-biblical epic that hollywood was famous for . if not for heston 's weak performance and boyd 's ludicrous one , the film might have been better .",
        "in the lead , heston is stiff , and the writing is uneven , but overall , it 's a rousing epic done on a massive scale with hundreds of sets and extras , and a priceless race scene .",
        "the mgm production is a lavish , colorful spectacle that will linger long in the eye of the beholder .",
        "still making waves in movies today -- from the phantom menace 's podrace to the whole of gladiator -- little can come close to captivating the grandeur and epic quality of william wyler 's magnificent bum numb-er .",
        "ben-hur -lrb- 1959 -rrb- is mgm 's three and a half hour , wide-screen epic technicolor blockbuster - a biblical tale , subtitled a tale of the christ .",
        "ben-hur is not great art . but it is great fun .",
        "awesome spectacle , unforgettable story , heston 's best",
        "the grandest of hollywood 's classic biblical epics ... does n't transcend its genre , with its spectacle and melodrama , but it does these things about as well as possible .",
        "opening with a full overture played against michelangelo 's ceiling of the sistine chapel , you know that you 're in for something unembarrassed by its own grandiosity .",
        "it is one of the most resplendent films you 'll ever see ."],
    "summary": "uneven , but in terms of epic scope and grand spectacle , ben-hur still ranks among hollywood 's finest examples of pure entertainment .",
    "id": "9402"
  },
  {
    "movie": "of_gods_and_men",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a ponderous crowd-pleaser with stray moments of grave beauty",
        "... leaves you with both a feeling of hope and of sadness . the hope is that such men of pious faith exist . the sadness is that there are so few such people .",
        "a really strong , really well put together , intense , b film in a monk 's habit .",
        "director xavier beauvois keeps the drama hushed and expectant as the monks themselves .",
        "a beautifully filmed story of self-sacrifice . however , if you want flashy dialogue , do not invite monks to the party .",
        "... quiet , unassuming and honest about the very difficult decision of putting your spiritual principles before your physical life .",
        "by largely limiting the action to the monks ' ascetic daily lives , beauvois helps the their musing become the audience 's own .",
        "`` MOV '' is a quiet , austere film that is more electrifying than a dozen action movies .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the air that `` MOV '' breathes is so clean and so cold that it feels like a fresh beginning .",
        "beauvois ' camera is watchful and unobtrusive , panning the monastery and its spartan rooms , documenting the brothers ' quotidian tasks , but also the modest ritual , the beauty , the illumination .",
        "beauvois deliberately avoids nationalist reproach , seeking commiseration that goes deeper than the acquiescence for which french liberals are typically known .",
        "french monks face evil and their own decisions in the first truly brilliant film of 2011 .",
        "beautiful , somber and rigorously intelligent .",
        "be prepared to be shaken .",
        "austere yet provocative , this is not only a film about faith , it also has faith that the power generated by complex moral decisions can be as unstoppable as any runaway locomotive .",
        "a lacerating elegy",
        "MOV is that rarest of films : an illuminating , pro-religious meditation on faith and courage in the face of certain death .",
        "gravely serene and suffused with tenderness , MOV takes the simple , profound stand that how a person of faith lives matters more than the circumstances of his death .",
        "in spite of its subject matter , the film has a scant feeling for spirituality , which mainly surfaces in the monks ' fatalist hymns . beauvois admires the monks ' steadfastness , but does n't seem to understand it .",
        "... perfect best foreign-language film oscar bait , offering viewers a frisson of spirituality with none of the demands of actually believing in a creed .",
        "sensitively written and directed ... bears similarities in plot and tone to 1986 's `` the mission . '' the cast is exceptional .",
        "poignant , haunting and profound with thoroughly captivating performances . it 's one of the most powerful and unforgettable films of the year .",
        "just as the monks live an austere , thoughtful life , beauvois ' direction is low-key and reflective .",
        "MOV takes a subtle , respectful approach to the material , adopting the pace and rhythm of monastic life .",
        "beauvois channels the pace of the monks ' life , which is both his film 's strength and its weakness .",
        "the problem is that a whiff of saintliness envelops the cistercian monks right from the start .",
        "begins and ends as a testament not to god but to brotherhood , and as a portrait not of war 's violence but of love 's endurance .",
        "considering the movie is based on the real-life murder of these monks 15 years ago in algeria during the civil war , it is a calming and spectacularly life-affirming picture .",
        "both a moving , almost abstract parable of faith and an all too real episode drawn from recent history .",
        "MOV , a transcendent drama of uplift and inspiration , reveals the cavernous divide between heaven and earth .",
        "beautifully acted by its ensemble cast -lrb- especially lambert wilson and michael lonsdale -rrb- , it immerses us in its subjects ' rituals , everyday tasks and spiritual dilemmas .",
        "the way it dramatises anxieties , expressed and unexpressed , is enthralling and quietly provocative ...",
        "this is a deeply humane and compassionate film , frightening because we know the probable outcome but moving because it tells us , often in the quietest detail , what basic decency and goodness really means .",
        "it 's a remarkable tale of bravery , tolerance and self-sacrifice , made all the more powerful by the understated lyricism of beauvois 's compositions and the steely , naturalistic performances of the cast",
        "it 's spare and meditative in that way that one viewer responds to as profound artistry , while his neighbour -lrb- that would be me -rrb- feels shushed into submission , and almost guilty for questioning its tactics .",
        "MOV strives for simplicity ; cinema is usually about dynamism , attraction , ego , but this movie concerns the renunciation of these things , in art and life . but it is also about the question of how to act when this life is violently challenged .",
        "it is not often we are swept up , even exalted , by earnest simplicity .",
        "moves at its own pace , luring you in before delivering an ice-cold hammer-blow of an ending .",
        "some viewers might find the pacing over-deliberate , but it 's clearly part of the film 's plan to immerse us in these lives of devotion , and it works beautifully .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- quietly powerful drama ...",
        "i was stirred by the emotions expressed in this film-and the wonderful performances of its cast . filmmaker beauvois chose great faces , as well as great actors , to bring these characters to life , and they manage to convey an enormous amount with very ...",
        "a wonderfully humanist film about a tragic story .",
        "... a movie that made me sad and proud to be human , to belong to a species capable of such cruelty and such kindness , and possessed of the power to choose to love those who hate us , and to die with peace in our hearts as the world burns down .",
        "more than anything , we come away remembering the monks ' frightened-to-serene faces ... and the sublime music .",
        "monks ' faith is tested by religious extremists next door",
        "it is a thoughtful film , a serious one , and one that is sneakily affecting .",
        "one of those increasingly rare things in modern cinema -- a deeply-felt , powerful film about religious faith that has no interest in peddling the gospel to the viewer .",
        "slow moving but gripping true story based on a terrorist incident of religious violence that shook up the french in 1996 .",
        "audiences will be spiritually moved by the beautiful voices singing the liturgical gregorian chants . the cinematography is outstanding , capturing the natural beauty of the surroundings .",
        "the movie warns against rash judgments , harmful hate mongering and ugly stereotyping -- a film ultimately as much about rush limbaugh and his ilk as it is about osama bin laden and his .",
        "rather than serving up a historical film inflated with importance and flash , beauvois keeps things hushed and spare , adopting a style that reflects the ritualized lifestyle of his characters .",
        "masterfully directed by xavier beauvois .",
        "contemplative as it means to be , MOV is not without generic excitement .",
        "a sublime bit of filmmaking that explores faith and history without the pandering that often comes with the former and the hollywood clich\u00e9s that normally comes with the latter .",
        "a taut drama of bravery among the monks .",
        "beauvois never loses sight of the monks ' interconnectedness-what affects one inevitably affects the others .",
        "my question is not so much the reason why the film was made , but how in the world did anybody get someone to finance something like this ?",
        "agonizingly long and slow .",
        "a deeply human and spiritually enlightening french film about the mission of seven catholic monks serving a poor muslim community in algeria . one of the best films ever made about christian life !",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- `` of gods & men '' is a chamber piece tragedy trapped in a bubble of naive optimism . a little cynicism could have gone a long way .",
        "confirms without really challenging our readily held beliefs about the nobility of selflessness and sacrifice .",
        "... as powerful a film you 'll ever see about faith , commitment and the courage of one 's convictions .",
        "a deeply moving and profoundly beautiful film about a group of monks working in the mountains of algeria who are faced with the most difficult personal and collective decisions when the country erupts in brutal civil-war",
        "beauvois takes his time limning the daily rhythms of the monastery , lingering on its most lyrical and sensuous moments , so that when violence finally reaches its gates the effect is all the more chilling .",
        "in a world in which faith and ignorance are often yoked together , MOV lifts faith from just the throbbing heart to the thinking mind as well .",
        "alternately harrowing and humbling , this is a story of ordinary men whose compassion is tested in the cruelest , most profound fashion .",
        "una pel\u00edcula dura , hermosa y conmovedora sobre un episodio tr\u00e1gico que fue , ante todo , un acto de sacrificio y resistencia ante la violencia y el miedo . desde ya , una de las fundamentales del a\u0144o .",
        "MOV has a slow , introspective quality that gives the viewer plenty of time to mull over the monks ' quandary , but it also has a feeling of constant dread .",
        "quietly compelling , if not as emotional as you might have hoped",
        "beauvois shows respect for all of the characters and cultures involved -- the monks , the community they served , even the enemies that the monks remembered in their prayers .",
        "the camera barely moves , and most of the scenes are lit by whatever light happened to be available , which helps `` MOV '' achieve a feel that is as pure and plain as its characters ...",
        "one of the few pictures to take religious belief seriously without getting maudlin or sanctimonious about it ... stark and unsentimental , it 's a quietly powerful piece that encourages reflection rather than tears .",
        "... a deeply moving docudrama based on a true story which uses music in provocative ways .",
        "this is really a story of finding peace and purpose in a chaotic world .",
        "one of the best films i 've seen this year is also one of the most unusual i 've encountered in a long , long time . while it 's inspired by a true story , it deals with something ...",
        "that almost unheard-of film that you do not judge -- it judges you .",
        "beauvois provides an illuminating look at life inside the monastery .",
        "it is a portrait of the healing power of faith and community that also demonstrates its powerlessness and futility in the face of well-armed fanaticism .",
        "when you think of monks , you might think of martyrdom , fresh baked bread , 24/7 hoodies , unrelenting devotion or tony shaloub . well , what about balls and bravery ?",
        "forgive me , father , for i was bored .",
        "there are numerous sequences of tremendous emotional power here , none more so than one in which the monks gather together to sing an ancient gregorian chant as an algerian army helicopter gunship hovers threateningly overhead .",
        "some nice performances , but the sad , harsh truth is that two hours spent inside a trappist monastery turns out to be achingly dull .",
        "the rare movie that treats religious commitment with respect and regards nonviolence as a legitimate , honorable response to brutality ...",
        "i ca n't recall the last film that so wholly , honestly and movingly explained what it means to be a christian .",
        "uma obra comovente e respeitosa que faz jus aos homens que a inspiraram .",
        "it 's an attempt to capture the essence of monasticism : self-sacrifice , introspection , obedience and achingly lovely moments of quiet brotherhood .",
        "the film , directed by xavier beauvois , moves back and forth between the monks doing their daily chores and the decisions they must face as a group .",
        "fascinating and affecting .",
        "beautifully expressed and measured , men seizes a tumultuous state of mind with captivating cinematic control , making flashes of resistance and companionship all the more heartfelt and devastating .",
        "for a nation that swears by its christianity , it amazes me how frugally that righteousness is wielded . ... beauvois reminds us of those who see their faith as a reason to serve , as a calling to embrace mankind in all its flawed grandeur .",
        "a superb and austere drama in french and arabic ...",
        "the movie has a mournful electricity , as we come to realize it 's about accepting the inevitable .",
        "MOV can be a little heavy-handed in its storytelling at times , but the confident direction and strong performances ensure it is an absorbing experience , and the beautiful final shot ends the film on a haunting note .",
        "xavier beauvois 's cannes winner is a spellbinder drama about courage and faith and a fascinating take on global extremism .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "inspired by a true story set in 1996 , this spiritual meditation on conscience , religion , and values is intriguing , haunting and relevant in todaly 's world of turbulent politics of religion ; it should be a frontrunner for the 2010 foreign-lingo oscar .",
        "i thought the depth of field was amazing .",
        "incredibly moving",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- moving , elegantly made spiritual docudrama .",
        "breaking up its quiet , contemplative tone with occasional fevered outbursts of activity , MOV maintains a tension borne of uncertainty while paying proper respect to the hushed , unhurried lifestyle of the monks .",
        "one of the most austerely beautiful movies about the monastic life that i 've ever seen .",
        "a transfixing meditation on religious conviction , post-colonial strife and the force of actors who elevate every gesture to a loftier domain .",
        "this is a beautiful film , full of gray - and white-haired men who grow in stature before our eyes .",
        "beauvois tells the story he wants to beautifully , and it 's a success in that it shows us a depiction of the monks that does n't feel exploitative , but he seems to equate austere minimalism with depth .",
        "the climax is both misty and unforgettable : a sacrifice that looks like a ghost story .",
        "a succinct , heart-wrenching distillation of why confusing religion with politics by the ignorant and the cynical , have made darkness",
        "loses some power by letting the central debate fizzle out ... but rallies in the end with an eloquent post-climactic testament by christian , an attempt to respond rationally to the irrational .",
        "the moral and spiritual dilemma at the foundation of xavier beauvois 's award-winning MOV is a fascinating one that drives this complex drama in a way that sears it into memory .",
        "i found myself resisting the film 's pull of easy emotion . there are fundamental questions here , and the film does n't engage them .",
        "the monks do n't speak their minds often , but when they do , the actors infuse their utterances with bottomless grace and humility yet very human dread and doubt ."],
    "summary": "patient and restrained , MOV asks deep , profound questions that will linger in the audience 's mind long after the movie .",
    "id": "770808657"
  },
  {
    "movie": "final_destination_3",
    "reviews":
     [
        "whether conscious or not on the part of the filmmakers , the gory logic follows america 's understandable desire to rationalize the effects of such physical violence that its invisible soldiers are suffering in afghanistan and iraq .",
        "it 's here to up the ante from final destination 2 -lrb- which featured a beautiful car pileup , a barbecue explosion and a fire-escape impaling -rrb- and instead it creates poetry out of the filmic slaughter .",
        "more teenagers dying gruesomely .",
        "the people in this movie are some of the stupidest people in the history of movies .",
        "`` MOV '' does n't strive to be anything more than a loose collection of cool killings .",
        "once more , wong raises questions of fate and predestination and , while throwing in a tasteless reference to 9/11 , fails to address them . it 's an orgy of cheerful carnage with no context or purpose and , worst of all , no suspense .",
        "with inventive ideas like this , the series can clearly run and run . but they really need to take it to another level now .",
        "wong goes on auto-pilot to plot even more despicable ways of killing off the survivors , preferably minus their clothes .",
        "the notion of horror movie as thrill ride is cannily literalized in the bravura amusement-park opening sequence ...",
        "this third installment of the final destination franchise is the most disgusting , and viscerally enjoyable movie blood-bath in years .",
        "depends on your tolerance for some very ... uh ... juicy deaths and flying viscera . face it , you 're not watching this for deep meaning .",
        "like saw ii -lrb- 2005 -rrb- , another grisly sequel to a film that seemed to have hit on a foolproof formula , this third destination blows it , big time .",
        "as a horror flick , MOV is literally laughable .",
        "some good special effects but the story cannibalizes its own predecessor .",
        "convincingly pointless and breezy in its hedonistic hokum ... hence , the third time around is not the charm for this foolish and faceless fright flick .",
        "it 's deja vu all over again",
        "death may not be quite as creative in past films , but the trick is n't in merely using a tanning bed or a nail gun to kill somebody . it 's how you do it .",
        "fans of the series wo n't be terribly disappointed , but if there 's an fd4 , i hope they have the sense to scale things back just a little bit . comparing fd3 to the original proves that a modicum of restraint is most effective .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- wong and -lsb- writer -rsb- morgan honed their skills on the x-files , millenium and the commish and it shows in their ability to create suspense and tension as well as carnage .",
        "... is n't for everyone , but those in the know who like their horror served up r-rated and over-the-top , MOV delivers ...",
        "the final destination series caters to its target audience without insulting it -- which is why the flicks make so much damn money .",
        "the film starts to pick up after it begins borrowing liberally from the omen , even more liberally than the film 's two predecessors which , as freak-accident horror films , are by definition omen clones .",
        "this one regresses the series to what roger ebert , back in the splatter-film '80s , dubbed the dead teenager genre .",
        "even hostel showed more respect for the dead",
        "a boring and repetitive sequel ...",
        "so lazily plotted and poorly written , one wonders why new line did n't just release a half-hour version consisting of nothing but death scenes .",
        "director james wong enjoys organizing dangerous objects and circumstances into precariously menacing rube goldberg arrangements .",
        "as a forced , unnecessary addition to the series , it lacks a satisfying relationship to its predecessors while simply rehashing the original 's plot ...",
        "i 'm not sure how much more overkill this franchise can take ...",
        "a great date movie for couples who like to share their revulsion at squelchy death scenes and hug each other in dread . not recommended for the squeamish .",
        "vapid , pointless and wholly predictable .",
        "after a fiendish start , filmmakers james wong and glen morgan approach their task with all the subtlety of a hammer to the head -lrb- or a knife to the gut , or an ax to the back -rrb- .",
        "keeping this series of black-comedy skits fresh is a challenge that the writers do n't always meet , and their expository scenes need to be nail-gunned .",
        "the plot has more holes in it than the victims , but the shocks make up for the flaws . do n't think , just watch , and expect a wild ride .",
        "might this be the final final destination ? do n't bet on it .",
        "these movies have never been my cup of tea , and contemporary horror movies ' appetite for pointless sadism leaves me unmoved and not a little alarmed .",
        "the picture returns to the biting humor of the first fd and , in fact , improves and deepens the rube goldberg-ian deathtrap scenarios .",
        "if you 're a final destination fan , it 's unlikely that # 3 will disappoint . if you like horror/thrillers with plenty of cartoonish blood and gore , this will hit the spot .",
        "fans of cheap thrills can enjoy fd3 for what it is : a ridiculous teen horror movie that piles on more than enough dry humor and freshly moistened gore to satisfy its lowbrow audience .",
        "the final destination movies may be pointless and crass , but they play on that fascination with malicious efficiency , and 3 is no exception .",
        "3 suffers in comparison to the insanely inventive 2 , which found wittier ways to exploit the idea that laughing and screaming are closely linked methods of relieving tension .",
        "death finds gloriously grisly new ways to deal with teenagers who dare to spit in his face .",
        "it 's disturbing by not being disturbing at all .",
        "if you 're willing to overlook some plot holes big enough for a conductor to drive a subway train through and all you want is total , complete and grisly annihilation , then ` all aboard ! ' you 'll love MOV .",
        "MOV has plenty of giddy gore and a couple of suspense-driven scares , these days that 's really all you can ask from a horror movie .",
        "the notion of butchery as a spectator event notwithstanding , there 's an almost admirably workmanlike quality to the way co - scenarists glen morgan and james wong set up their characters for carnage like so many fleshy bowling pins .",
        "i 'm a fan . the guys in the audience shouted at the clever , cruel deaths : `` nice ! ''",
        "the plot 's pretty lame , the dialogue is downright hokey , and the characters are a bore , but somehow MOV -lrb- an oxymoron if there ever was one -rrb- still delivers a certain degree of over-the-top amusement .",
        "a desultorily plotted affair that feels less like a thriller than a homicidal checklist .",
        "a reminder of how low a filmmaker will sink to pander to our most corrupt tendencies .",
        "it 's an escalating contest of can-you-top-this brutality , with each death staged as the final link in a rube goldberg chain reaction .",
        "the original film had pathos and humor ; this is gratuitous and silly rather than engaging and funny .",
        "week in and week out , horror movies cheat us , so it 's wonderfully cathartic to watch a bunch of kids cheat death in what turns out to be the best installment yet in the final destination franchise .",
        "if this film makes money , and it probably will , there may never be a final final destination . and that is the most disturbing thing about this movie .",
        "MOV still falls squarely into the category of guilty pleasure , but it 's fashioned with a fair amount of craft . if fate should bring us another installment , let 's hope it 's at least as fun as this one .",
        "let 's just hope that MOV really is the final entry in this successful but intellectually bankrupt horror franchise .",
        "the third time around is not the charm , but we can only hope this will be the final final destination .",
        "if you 're into state-of-the art depictions of human pureeing , this is indeed your flick .",
        "MOV is junk , and proud of it , but it certainly delivers what it promises .",
        "an uninspired splatterfest that wears its vulgarity on its blood-caked sleeve and is cynical enough to use 9/11 in its vapid story line .",
        "at least the audience i was with laughed more than it screamed .",
        "morgan and wong 's snarky iterations on their initial premise do n't show much development ... a fair diversion but , make no mistake , a waste of time .",
        "granted , nothing here is going to go down in history as a horror classic . but as far as dead-teen flicks go , this is one pretty lively affair .",
        "... there 's no suspense or tension and little gallows humor , merely dead space between the next spectacular spray of blood and body parts .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- n unredeemably sadistic film that makes a joke of horrific death . there is absolutely no point to this film except inciting audiences to new levels of bloodlust ...",
        "the third film is pretty much what you expect : heads popped and brains yuckily visible .",
        "this gory sequel begins with a promising thrill ride , but by the end has become little more than a merry-go-round , spinning pointlessly in circles .",
        "MOV should n't be mistaken for a good film -lsb- but -rsb- there is an important difference between this and truly odious films like saw ...",
        "wong and morgan : your diminished returns are ready . get 'em while they 're hot .",
        "james wong makes his return to the series he started , after bowing out for 2003 's lackluster sequel , only to essentially remake the first film .",
        "it 's easily the funniest movie of the year",
        "if you have seen the first two final destination movies , you know what you are getting into . if you have n't seen the first two , why start now ?",
        "it 's official : this is a horror series that actually wo n't disappoint .",
        "to get to the good stuff , you have to sit through atrocious dialog , amateur acting , and a snail 's pace , and maybe there 's 15 minutes of good material here .",
        "finally , the first great movie of 2006 is here . final destination is the only franchise that always delivers everything it promises ... i 'm so happy .",
        "robustly embodies the cathartic pleasures of shared scared silliness .",
        "after the third body is completely crushed into salsa chunks , someone from the audience should be allowed to scream ` seen it ! '",
        "the series has made it work with macabre humor and devilishly clever setups .",
        "the law of diminishing returns is in full effect here .",
        "pure , 100 % grade-d gunk",
        "the gnawing familiarity of the formula has caught up with the series . perhaps it 's time that morgan and wong took the first word of the title seriously and moved on .",
        "you ca n't cheat death . -lrb- but apparently you can cheat audiences over and over . -rrb-",
        "it 's more dead teenagers and lunatic determinism in this grim third installment of the enjoyably preposterous final destination franchise .",
        "gore fans will doubtless enjoy the film , which could spin off several more sequels . after all , death is the one villain you ca n't ever kill off .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "at its heart , this second sequel is standard slasher stuff , though director james wong does rise -lrb- or maybe sink -rrb- to the occasion with grisly staging .",
        "it 's a surprise , really , that this entry is as much fun as it is , but trilogy looks about as far as this destination can go .",
        "the series has gotten to the point where there is now effectively nothing to see here .",
        "with a premise as cavalier as this , perhaps director james wong could have found a tone more original than post-wes craven cynicism . instead , he panders to viewers , allowing them to take gleeful comfort in the destruction of the stupid and doomed .",
        "the problem with fd3 is since it is clear to everyone who must die and in what order , the drama is reduced to a formula in which ominous events accumulate while the teenagers remain oblivious .",
        "MOV manages to push all the requisite buttons and then some .",
        "there 's nothing new , but in the case of the final destination films , new is not necessary .",
        "... the sick kind of comedy that involves laughing at stupid people being ripped in half , but we know there are plenty of you out there .",
        "in its own morbid little way , this is very much a stand-up-and-cheer -- or shriek , as the case may be -- kind of film .",
        "this film is the least of the three : it lacks the novelty of the first film and the cleverly morbid humor of the second one .",
        "who needs an intriguing story line when an everyday piece of equipment can be used to splatter someone 's head like a festering zit ?",
        "with its third outing , the final destination series surprisingly gets a second wind .",
        "you know , the `` final destination '' movies contain characters who are self-obsessed , cheap , profane and mean-spirited . maybe that 's why it 's so much fun to watch them get taken out , one by one .",
        "enjoyable threequel which delivers handsomely on the demands of the franchise : an attractive cast , inventive direction , a dark sense of humour and increasingly nasty death sequences .",
        "you wo n't be scared one bit , but that 's not exactly the point here . the murder is the only message .",
        "... an entertainingly shallow , undeniably mindless horror flick .",
        "if you like splatter flicks , this is for you .",
        "easily the best of the series , -lsb- it -rsb- blends serious fright with funny situations ... as in the deaths that occur at the phoenix tanning salon .",
        "the movie gives you the fun and fright of a roller coaster , which is nice , since you may not be riding those anymore after watching this .",
        "not having seen final destination -lrb- 1 or 2 -rrb- , i am perhaps not in the best position to judge MOV . on the other hand , i know a stinker when i see one .",
        "all we can say is : death be not proud . if you have to work this hard to take down these dim-witted kids , you do n't deserve to be a cosmic force .",
        "you have all the ingredients here of the pernicious id roiling in the secret think-pan of most thoughtful americans .",
        "do the producers of this overdone trilogy understand the concept of ` final ' ?",
        "you could condemn such a movie for being such a smirking , calculatedly cheesy gore-fest . but that would presume that the movie aspires to be anything else .",
        "each demise serves as a testament to a refreshingly old-fashioned villain -- not another nut-job human with a saw , but a dedicated ghoul with a job to complete .",
        "absent of the edgy suspense , creativity and thoughtful moments of existentialism that had previously made this horror series more than just a cheap study in evisceration and decapitations .",
        "les amateurs de morbidit\u00e9 y trouveront un plaisir ind\u00e9niable"],
    "summary": "MOV is more of the same : gory and pointless , with nowhere new to go .",
    "id": "19049941"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_wrestler",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's a hell of a performance -- and a hellish one -- in a film that is n't entirely sure what to do with it .",
        "the balance and nuance of this portrait hold realities that perhaps only rourke can fully understand .",
        "rourke and tomei bring a tender , lived-in honesty to their sad roles .",
        "director , darren aronofsky , and the writer , robert d. siegel , have turned the story of this washed-up faux gladiator into a film of authentic beauty and commanding consequence .",
        "the movie feeds off rourke , who plays a genuinely decent guy who never lets his dawning self-awareness interfere with his responsibility to give the fans a show .",
        "MOV is about one thing - mickey rourke - and that makes the movie both fascinating and limited .",
        "darren aronofsky tells a solid character-driven drama with simplicity and impact .",
        "director aronofsky gets all the details right in a movie that feels like a tribute to so many who were gone too soon : curt hennig , road warrior hawk , rick rude , et al. . . this one 's for you .",
        "the best wrestling movie ever made . i 'm sorry , no holds barred , you 've been topped .",
        "director darren aronofsky puts himself up as a major contender with this film , based on a really excellent and uncompromising screenplay by robert d. siegel .",
        "to put it simply , this is the best film i 've seen this year .",
        "with swelling lips to rival pete burns 's , and long blond locks shorn from marilyn -lrb- the '80s pop singer , not monroe -rrb- , rourke sails above the freak show to give his greatest performance yet .",
        "MOV is well worth catching . against all of the odds you end up caring deeply for this battered and lonely man ... plus mickey rourke is astonishingly good .",
        "i watch very few movies which could n't have been improved upon , but this is one of them . i loved every mythic moment of it .",
        "aronofsky 's most authentic film refuses to ridicule the amateur wrestling circuit , while rourke 's portrait of a has-been will surely be the comeback of the year .",
        "randy 's climactic recreation of a former glory befits a film about someone unable to prevent himself spinning out of control , and is a smackdown conclusion to a mature , powerful tearjerker .",
        "it 's rourke 's display - crushed , hopeful , almost unbearably poignant - that 'll stay with you after the ring lights fade . his light has n't died just yet .",
        "the characters may be stereotypes to us , but they 're played here with a love and tenderness and resignation that could break your heart .",
        "the platitude-intensive script by robert siegel would have been laughed off the screen without rourke 's dogged grandeur .",
        "but rourke is so brilliant even iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad would be cheering `` ram jam '' by the end .",
        "MOV is , in essence , an excellent b-movie centred upon a defiantly top-rate performance from rourke .",
        "a beautifully etched , touching essay about a damaged , desperate brute hoping for one taste of dignity and real fatherhood before his life goes down for the count for the final time .",
        "there was no character to root for more strongly in spite of himself in 2008 than randy the ram , and `` MOV '' spat and bled his physical poetry - an elegy of emasculation and exhaustion building , in its final shot , to all the exhilaration he needed .",
        "-lsb- rourke 's -rsb- performance here is so good and unshowy that you wind up almost happy to keep watching that mangled mug struggle for redemption .",
        "i would much rather have seen a movie about the devastations of the real mickey rourke . by comparison , the ram seems like a stand-in -- a screenwriter 's pseudo-hard-boiled concoction .",
        "darren aronofsky 's sensational MOV marks a major comeback for mickey rourke and '70s style filmmaking in general .",
        "has a lot to say about america 's entertainment and celebrity culture , and it tells a poignant story in the process .",
        "the most interesting aspect of the film is its depiction of the irreconcilable difference between someone 's public and private personae .",
        "the movie is populated with real wrestlers , and it makes sure to nail all the little details .",
        "darren aronofsky 's filmmaking in MOV is the most subtle and nuanced he 's ever done .",
        "pro wrestling fans are the obvious target audience for `` MOV '' but rourke 's fine performance , aronofsky 's craftwork directing and the well-written script by robert d. siegel should garner interest from others , too .",
        "emotional and engaging , MOV is a masterful piece of work that deserves every award the academy can throw at it .",
        "savour one of cinema 's rawest talents finally powerslamming his way to glory and be grateful that aronofsky dragged himself off the ropes on countless occasions to convince the money men to finance the movie with such a seemingly unbankable lead actor .",
        "the mick is back .",
        "rourke makes you feel every ache , disappointment and battle scar , both inside and out .",
        "MOV is like rocky made by the scorsese of mean streets . it 's the rare movie fairy tale that 's also a bravura work of art .",
        "represents a perfect match of actor to character and back story to script ...",
        "rourke 's performance is worth the price of admission ... it 's a portrait of a man 's life , and one you wo n't soon forget .",
        "whatever rourke has been through since his early movie-star days ... it translates seamlessly into the ordeal of randy the ram .",
        "it must have been extremely hard for rourke to play the ram because he had to revisit some of the most difficult moments of his life , but it actually ends up helping his performance because it feels so genuine and sincere .",
        "emotions ooze slowly out of -lsb- rourke 's -rsb- creased and battered face in darren aronofsky 's latest heart-wrenching , hard-to-market drama .",
        "... strong , affecting stuff that can stand as a comment on the actual actor 's career as much as that of a fictional grappler .",
        "if rourke does n't grab the oscar , there 's no justice on this planet , simply for crushing the collective audience soul with the often wordless torment of aronofsky 's abrasive but brutally wounded roughneck muse . silence of the ram , we feel your pain .",
        "mickey rourke is indebted to darren aronofsky for casting him as a washed-up has-been in this emotionally-engaging character study , even if the role was n't exactly much of a stretch .",
        "this is rourke 's big comeback role , and he definitely deserves the academy award nomination he received .",
        "you will feel pinned to your seat watching rourke 's characterization of a broken man in this modern take on the old-school boxing movie .",
        "this is a case where an actor makes the difference .",
        "the resurrection , renovation , and reinvention of mickey rourke",
        "but rourke 's work in the film transcends mere stunt-casting ; his performance is a howl of pain that seems to come from a very real place .",
        "do n't believe the hype -- or , more importantly , look past it ; MOV offers viewers far more than just rourke 's performance -- which , it must be said , is excellent -- if they 're willing to not flinch from what it has to say .",
        "the absolute key to the movie 's success is that it 's mainly one actor playing one man in a way that we can join him inside his skin , and that 's all the movie needs to be about , just pure pathos .",
        "rapturously enthralling and deeply poignant , one of the year 's best . mickey rourke gives the performance of a lifetime .",
        "pleasantly trite script , predominately uninspired directing , barnburning central performance that turns the movie into one of the most transcendent character dramas of the year .",
        "mickey rourke , who has been flying under the radar for nearly two decades , makes this a comeback to remember .",
        "the scruffy , almost accidental beauty of MOV comes as even more of a surprise than the greatness of mickey rourke 's performance .",
        "rourke delivers a performance that seems to start and end in the cardiovascular system , making everything rourke actually does seem effortless . as if he 's just breathing it .",
        "present in every scene , if not each shot , rourke gives a tremendously physical performance that MOV essentially exists to document .",
        "fine as the writing and direction are , it 's no insult to say that they are overshadowed by the performance of mickey rourke , who brings unequalled life experience to the title role .",
        "MOV transcends professional wrestling as requiem for a heavyweight transcends boxing ... -lsb- it -rsb- raises the broken figure of the ram to the level of a tragic hero ...",
        "pro wrestling is not an easy subject to take seriously , but director darren aronofsky displays it well as a spellbinding muscle ballet , sweaty and bloody , but graceful and addictive all the same .",
        "one wonders if the star 's limping , heavy breathing and dulled senses are all a show , or an upshot of a tortured boxing stint that transformed his face from cover boy-worthy to catcher 's mitt quality .",
        "the film demands to be seen , thanks to the deceptively simple artistry and humanity aronofsky brings to the story and to the indelible performances .",
        "who better than rourke to sell the idea of a battered , yet proud pugilist in search of redemption ?",
        "it lines up nicely with my only other four-star pictures of 2008 -lsb- milk and the dark knight -rsb- , collectively presenting a portrait of the uncertain , often unhappy america in which we presently reside .",
        "it was almost worth the malaise of watching mickey rourke squander years of potential just so he could make his grand comeback .",
        "you 've heard the buzz -- and in this case , it 's safe to believe it . fresh from the flames of whatever hell he 's been lost to for so many years is mickey rourke , who is back in a major way in darren aronofsky 's `` MOV . ''",
        "what sentiment is in MOV is fought for and is rarely more than tenuous .",
        "aronofsky appears to be on an impressive trek to discover his humanistic filmmaking reflexes , and `` MOV '' is a stupendous achievement of tone and emotional fullness to be pored over long after the end credits roll .",
        "rourke is harrowing ; tomei is devastating .",
        "finally , a movie has come along that depicts the business as it is , recognizing that the potential for drama comes not from the pretense of competition , but in the lives of those who work toward that pretense .",
        "while the director was essential in collaborating with rourke to create that memorable performance , it remains real work in an essentially fake film , and there is nothing anyone can do about that .",
        "the actors ' flawless performances are nothing short of major achievements . ram is the role rourke was born to play .",
        "aronofsky inflicts as much pain on the audience as self-flagellating ram jam does when brutalizing/mutilating himself in and outside the ring .",
        "MOV shows that , in both movies and wrestling , the line between reality and play-acting may be less clear than we assume .",
        "MOV offers something to pretty much everyone in the audience . much like the sopranos , it creates a world that might make you feel utterly at home or exhilarated by strange horrors . maybe both .",
        "it 's no raging bull , more like rocky shot with a handheld camera . but rourke 's wounded tough guy is undeniably captivating . he smacks you in the gut and wrenches your heart .",
        "mickey rourke makes an amazing comeback , delivering an iconic , oscar-caliber performance .",
        "mark your oscar ballot : in a major comeback , mickey rourke gives the year 's most dramatically impressive , not to mention iconic and self-reflexive performance in aronofsky 's haunting sports film , full of allusions to the star 's career and life offscreen",
        "to say this is a great comeback for an actor whose talent was exceeded only by his self-destructiveness is obvious .",
        "annihilation and resurrection are the twin axes upon which MOV turns .",
        "a compelling and poignant anatomy of an over-the-hill wrestler 's encounter with the excruciating pain and isolation of loneliness .",
        "aronofsky pulls all the usual strings in MOV . but in the end the movie works , maybe because the best things about it are things that aronfsky is n't even conscious of .",
        "the movie is simply , stellar , an american parable and moving drama found in an unlikely place .",
        "` MOV ' meshes the spectacle entertainment of cinema and sports with the tale of a man who without apology does what he does best .",
        "this tragicomic portrait of ` god 's lonely man ' is the dark horse contender for best film of the year , although i 'm sure its star would n't have it any other way .",
        "as painfully truthful as siegel 's closely observed character construction is , the film is not without flaws -- but they take nothing away from what touches us .",
        "rourke brings a staggering amount of emotional weight to the role of randy .",
        "aronofsky invokes a fierce blue-collar integrity that supports the idiosyncrasies of the story 's pro wrestling milieu ... `` MOV '' is an independent gem .",
        "although the film teeters on the brink of sentimentality , it never topples into the slush , and this is a tribute to the rigorous direction as well as the astringent performances .",
        "... \u0439 nestas similaridades entre realidade e fic\u0437\u0433o , int\u0439rprete e personagem , que o lutador ganha uma dimens\u0433o adicional que o torna ainda mais forte e impactante .",
        "a conventional sports movie with an oscar-worthy performance by mickey rourke .",
        "great art is sometimes difficult viewing , and such is darren aronofsky 's MOV , a film that will be remembered as mickey rourke 's greatest screen triumph .",
        "mickey rourke 's mesmerizing , road-wreck performance as -lsb- a -rsb- washed-up wrestler ... is the only reason to sit through MOV 's cliches",
        "the best thing about director darren aronofsky 's realization of robert siegel 's original screenplay is mickey rourke 's portrayal of randy `` the ram '' robinson .",
        "el luchador es una de esas pel\u043dculas que reivindican toda una carrera llena de altibajos , o que justifican la mera perseverancia de un actor , por m\u0431s bueno o malo que hayamos cre\u043ddo que era .",
        "topping off an outstanding production , director darren aronofsky 's ending to MOV is sheer perfection .",
        "rourke 's performance is gritty and real for sure and the tender moments ring true . but let 's not go overboard . it 's practically a reality show .",
        "-lsb- rourke -rsb- turns out a fine , sensitive , dramatic performance",
        "it 's not the comeback , it 's the writing and the characters",
        "rourke creates a galvanizing , humorous , deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great , iconic screen performances .",
        "in his least gimmicky film yet , aronofsky ditches his usual skittery stylistics in favor of a relaxed atmosphere of seediness and a comeback-kid performance from mickey rourke .",
        "the most haunting sports film , or at least the most haunting film about the margins of a sport , since fat city",
        "imagining someone other than the beatifically battered mickey rourke in the title role of MOV would be like picturing someone other than john malkovich in being john malkovich .",
        "randy will stick in your mind as stubbornly as the chorus of ` round and round . '",
        "although suffering from a formulaic story , mickey rourke will make you believe that randy ` the ram ' robinson really existed .",
        "mickey rourke in MOV is one of the all-time exalted examples of an actor meeting a character and of each redeeming the other .",
        "aronofsky handily debunks any of the previous , common criticisms of flash over substance .",
        "will work best for you if you have any residual affection left for mickey rourke .",
        "MOV offers mickey rourke a chance at redemption with the role of a lifetime . it 's safe to say that he body slams it .",
        "aronofsky 's film demands much from its audience but , unlike the great majority of films , it repays with its tenderness of heart and soul , its wrenching and disarming sincerity .",
        "... a scrupulously-controlled exercise in humiliation and expurgation , where both aronofsky and rourke look to cleanse themselves of past excesses with their tale of transcendent pain .",
        "a quiet , intimate portrait of a troubled soul -- someone at odds with himself and with life in general whose every ounce of pain and virtue is measured onscreen .",
        "rourke , in a role that could have invited outsized characterization , instead offers modesty and understatement . this small performance , in a small film , is by far the biggest of his career .",
        "the characters seem to live and breathe between the margins of the story , and to exist for more reasons than just driving the story forward .",
        "overly sentimental but a must-see for mickey rourke 's astonishing performance as a pro wrestler seeking a comeback .",
        "rourke shows a charismatic sensitivity formerly hidden . he 's got nothing to lose by holding back and it shows .",
        "the slow-burning engine at the heart of the film is rourke , whose tender , subtle turn is a revelation .",
        "manages not to make this washed up wrestler a joke , just an `` old broken down piece of meat '' for whom we feel tremendous empathy .",
        "mickey rourke gives a spectacular performance , heart-rending and true , which should induce showers of awards on this comeback kid .",
        "aronofsky has devised one of the most gritty and intensely authentic sports flicks in recent memory . rourke is absorbingly raw and reflective ... deeply affecting in its razor-like observations",
        "what rourke offers us , in short , is not just a comeback performance but something much rarer : a rounded , raddled portrait of a good man .",
        "mickey rourke delivers a tremendous performance in a film that explores how one man can wrestle for his conscience , his soul and his life at the same time .",
        "the 57-year-old rourke makes a triumphant comeback .",
        "an intimate insider view to the world of professional wrestling",
        "a nearly perfect portrait of a lovable loser who leaps to a place among the screen 's most unforgettable underdogs .",
        "there are great , pulsing moments of matched-medium nostalgia here , but the finale overreaches . still , rourke delivers a mesmerizing , melancholically observant performance .",
        "in MOV , rourke -- with a scraggly mane of dyed hair -- portrays `` the ram , '' a once-adored wrestler , who is living in a trailer park , working menial jobs lifting boxes and behind a meat counter , trying to hawk signed memorabilia in nearly de",
        "fluctuating eloquently between hope and sorrow , tenderness and isolation , ` MOV ' packs an emotional punch - a deeply personal story of one man 's search for truth , love , and life outside of the ring .",
        "rourke props up a standard story about a loser trying to recapture the glory days ...",
        "have you gotten the picture that rourke is ridiculously good yet ? you have ? okay , good .",
        "what do you get when a fantastic director encourages a sort-has-been to play a has-been ?",
        "gripping , realistic ... mickey rourke brings everything he has to it , and it 's perfect for him ... if the violence hurts you , that means aronofsky 's doing his job .",
        "aronofsky leaves it all on the mat with MOV .",
        "the perfect melding of actor and role . go , mickey , go !",
        "MOV is n't a perfect movie , but rourke 's performance gives it the impact of an atomic elbow drop .",
        "randy 's climactic thank you to the fans who have stood by him sounds eerily like an oscar speech ; expect a reprise at the actual ceremony in february .",
        "it 's bleak , credulity straining and often stomach-turning , but it definitely works as a heart-tugging character study , and rourke 's performance as the has-been title character is golden .",
        "mickey rourke is heart-breakingly good .",
        "rourke is sensational , but for me it 's aronofsky 's handheld takes that steal the show ... achingly , effortlessly evoking the time that hangs on every choice and missed opportunity .",
        "mickey rourke delivers such an unexpectedly moving , charming and physically impressive performance that he deserves some other award than guy who gets asked ` what the hell happened to you ? ' most often .",
        "brings mickey rourke back to the screen in larger than life mode , with a performance that breaks our hearts",
        "the film belongs to mickey rourke as a washed up wrestler whose entire life is a mess , but still revolves around the ring . it 's difficult to watch , yet it is so compelling , it is impossible to look away",
        "welcome back , mickey . it 's been too long .",
        "the famously downbeat aronofsky captures the grimy texture of life at the bummed-out bottom of the wrestling circuit , but the center of the movie is rourke 's unimpeachable performance as a man who exults in self-punishment .",
        "like a rehabilitated race horse or disgraced sports star who makes the most of a second chance , rourke gives MOV the temperament of a sentimental favorite .",
        "like randy 's matches , the movie hits a lot of familiar beats ; like randy himself , it gets the maximum impact out of each one .",
        "emotionally engaging , superbly directed drama , with a terrific script and a powerful , award-winning performance by mickey rourke .",
        "if MOV does n't get the oscar attention it deserves i 'm going after someone with a staple gun .",
        "see the rise of mickey rourke to reclaim his much deserved spot in hollywood .",
        "the chance to play that poignant confusion is the real prize that rourke and tomei earn in MOV .",
        "rourke 's golden globe award is as richly deserved as it was popular . like the sport it celebrates , his performance does n't hold anything back .",
        "like jack palance in requiem for a heavyweight , the man you 're watching not only has the role of a lifetime ; he seems to be living it , too . the result is the most brutally honest performance of the year .",
        "this is a film that you have got to see . you wo n't be disappointed .",
        "... a deliberately-paced yet consistently compelling character study that undoubtedly marks the high point of darren aronofsky 's career .",
        "rourke 's mesmerising performance is the heart and soul of an existential exploration of self-definition locked on a sports flick .",
        "rourke inhabits the role like an old lion , his mane of golden hair cascading behind him as he prowls the ring .",
        "it succeeds as a character study , as a drama , as a comedy , and as a sports film . this is a remarkable achievement by any standard .",
        "darren aronofsky 's most personal film in years is a small character study , featuring a ferocious , career-capping performance by mickey rourke .",
        "MOV turns into a piece of wildly uneven inspiration ... it 's as if a zero-degree work of realism -- like lance hammer 's magnificent ballast -- gets body-slammed by the classical three-act structure .",
        "in addition to the pungent writing and direction , the film features a truly stunning performance from rourke",
        "mickey rourke plays the battered , broke , lonely hero , randy -lrb- ` the ram ' -rrb- robinson . this is the performance of his lifetime , will win him a nomination , may win him the oscar .",
        "out of the fake world of theatrical wrestling comes one of the most real performances of the year . rourke seizes on to this role from the first frame forward , never letting up until the screen fades to black .",
        "the movie is a bracing demonstration of how much art can be made with very little money . aronofsky and his editor , andrew weisblum , keep the story coming right at you , fast and raw .",
        ". . a sad and eloquent tale of what once was crumbling to dust , a final roar against the oncoming inevitability .",
        "MOV contains what is hands down the best performance of the year .",
        "it is a pleasure to see rourke finesse this amalgamation of the champ , marty , rocky and a dozen other movies to his supreme advantage .",
        "MOV is about the seductions of superficiality and the dull ache of living beyond one 's moment . it stares with compassion at the man pinned on the mat and wonders how he 'll ever get out of this one .",
        "a natural awards contender and audience-pleaser without feeling overtly manipulative on the way .",
        "darren aronofsky 's character study -lsb- has in mickey rourke -rsb- an actor unusually in sync with a role , indeed what seems to be the role of his career .",
        "an enormously moving , beautifully acted film , MOV honors its characters by showing how hard it is for them to reach out to each other .",
        "` that became a big reason why i wanted to make the film : the forgotten talent of mickey rourke , ' director darren aronofsky said in an interview with hollywoodchicago.com . ` no one had gotten to see him be sympathetic and lovable in a role for a while . '",
        "tour de force may be a cliched reviewer 's phrase for performances during oscar season , but it 's the only one that can be applied to rourke here .",
        "MOV is strong , confident filmmaking . it shows you everything you need to know , and never whispers in your ear what you 're supposed to feel about it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with uncommon intelligence and brutal honesty , MOV examines the cost , and need , of battle .",
        "aronofsky 's unadorned portrait of a pro-wrestling has-been is built around a fantastic , physical performance by mickey rourke , captured with a style that renders his dingy world all the more strange , funny and heartbreaking .",
        "a strong shot at becoming a sports movie classic . feels so rich and lived-in that its standard set-ups turn into universal truths that bleed and heal .",
        "as far as i 'm concerned , you can keep your sean penns and your brad pitts and your frank langellas ; if there 's any justice in the world , this year 's best actor academy award will be going home with rourke .",
        "a tough , bloody , enthralling movie that makes rourke a sure bet for an oscar nod , and even money to win the whole thing .",
        "MOV has the intimacy of a fly-on-the-wall documentary . no stunt men were harmed -- or used -- in the fight sequences . but the drama makes for vibrant art .",
        "the movie presses too hard and too often , but the performances are strong enough to withstand the melodramatic impulses , and the themes of isolation and self-destructiveness are too sharply realized to be trivialized .",
        "if this ragged but near-brilliant movie is about a guy trying to resurrect his career , so too is the performance at its heart .",
        "la r\u00e9ussite de MOV repose \u00e9videmment sur la performance ph\u00e9nom\u00e9nale d'un mickey rourke que nous n'aurions jamais cru capable d'une telle intensit\u00e9 dramatique",
        "it 's a testament to mr. rourke 's talent that randy 's life and attempted redemption never devolve into maudlin , unearned sentimentality .",
        "it 's brutal yet sincere , funny yet solemn -- darren aronofsky has made a remarkable film that expertly depicts the reality of a sport it both honours and berates .",
        "any film that can make you feel the utter loneliness of a character like mickey rourke 's is one that you can totally endorse . yes , he 's as good as they say .",
        "the best film of 2008",
        "gran actuaci\u00f3n , gran pel\u00edcula , 109 minutos sin desperdicio a dos de tres ca\u00eddas . recomendable sin duda alguna .",
        "rourke does n't need makeup to look this permanently damaged these days , and some of the emotional scars in his performance probably run painfully close to reality as well .",
        "despite the low-tech feel , MOV is very tight and disciplined . the score is spare but effective , nothing is wasted in dialogue or action , and the fight choreography and stunts are incredible . rourke is phenomenal .",
        "thanks to both aronofsky and rourke it proves an honest and moving portrait of a man in the twilight of a career that 's both made and destroyed him .",
        "rourke wears his scars -lrb- both physical and emotional -rrb- with such naked humanity that his performance becomes a kind of on-screen outpouring of his own grief and waylaid potential",
        "i do n't know if i 've ever seen an actor more honest and vulnerable on screen .",
        "a rich character study ; rourke is a wonder to behold .",
        "the story is raw and often tough to watch , but rourke is so good that you ca n't look away .",
        "the excesses are easy to forgive , both for the humour and charisma of rourke 's outsized performance and aronofsky 's canny low-key direction , which make for a combination that is irresistible .",
        "MOV is aronofsky taking a step back and giving you a full on actor driven flick that will make you cringe and weep and contains the year 's best acting performance .",
        "rourke is convincing and honest , marvelous and touching , but he 's not required to channel emotions that linger far and away from the man he has become .",
        "parental content review",
        "MOV is suffused with sadness , yet also the wonder of a spirit that refuses to be snuffed out , and it 's a lesson to us all .",
        "director darren aronofsky and his ensemble transcend the melodrama of the genre to present something heartbreakingly real . you wo n't soon forget MOV .",
        "scott fitzgerald once wrote that , `` there are no second acts in american lives . '' the ram would have to agree . but rourke may be living the second act his character never could .",
        "the bleached blond hair , the self-tanning and the hearing aid all create one of the most memorable characters of the year . plus , there is a surprising amount of subtle humor .",
        "rourke 's work is both the best performance seen by an actor in 2008 and tops even his `` sin city '' turn as the very best thing he has done in his entire career .",
        "... handily his best leading performance in years ... possibly ever ... . director aronofsky ... plays it straight , giving us a clear , linear narrative , interrupted only by one intercut flashback . the step away from pyrotechnics becomes him .",
        "this is not an easy movie to watch , but what a performance by mickey rourke !",
        "whatever mistakes and indignities and turmoil led mickey rourke to where he is now , whatever demons have plagued him -- they all lead to the 1 hour and 55 minutes of magnificence that is his performance in ' MOV . '",
        "as the film points out , wrestling may be fixed , but it certainly ai n't fake . this may be a film , but it certainly ai n't fake either .",
        "it 's a wonderful , career-reviving performance , and you ca n't imagine the movie without him . welcome back , mickey .",
        "rourke is utterly convincing on both the physical and emotional levels , and the result may be the most fully formed characterization seen in any movie that opened in 2008 .",
        "predictable as it is , this sad , strong beast of a film keeps us pinned to the mat with the strength of its compassion and the overpowering force of its central performance .",
        "rourke is the one who saves MOV again and again .",
        "an emotional smackdown . rourke 's never been better , and the change of pace and texture suits aronofsky perfectly . the raging bull of wrestling movies ? oh , go on then .",
        "aronofsky directs with unfussy candour , alternating between the intensity of the wrestling and the drabness of randy 's ` real ' life .",
        "aronofsky has pulled off that rare feat - he 's made a great film about a niche subject that will delight wrestling fans and cineastes alike . and rourke 's performance is a knockout .",
        "the weakness of aronofsky 's film is that these various sentimental crises are framed with as much subtlety as randy 's wildly overdue heart attack . the film lurches into a predictable panic about dying alone .",
        "MOV runs on what are admittedly pretty traditional lines for a sports film , yet runs on them with exhilarating speed and attack . i was waiting for a cop-out ending , but it never arrived .",
        "not only has he hauled rourke from his self-pitying slump , but , working from a screenplay written by robert d siegel , he has created an often-brutal , always-compelling portrait of a decent man trying to peel himself off skid row ."],
    "summary": "mickey rourke gives a performance for the ages in MOV , a richly affecting , heart-wrenching yet ultimately rewarding drama .",
    "id": "770680582"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dope_2015",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's got a lot of heart , more than you 'd expect from a comedy and less than you 'd expect from a drama . that genre switching is its main failing , though .",
        "MOV is a smart urban homage to the legacy of john hughes films , but still manages to distinguish itself as something uniquely special .",
        "MOV is , at its very best , a throwback to that time when the joyful hip-hop of kid 'n play bumped up against the social consciousness of n.w.a. , and all of it mixed together to create something whose force could n't be denied .",
        "`` MOV '' is MOV thanks to famuyiwa 's deft touch and his blast of a cast .",
        "rick famuyiwa has transposed john hughes ' teen angst to the black inner-city experience .",
        "balances the basics of a clever , coming of age comedy with the equally important elements of a -lrb- minor -rrb- action film",
        "i 'm not sure MOV offers anything more than a good time , but it offers a very good time .",
        "MOV 's biggest strength lies in its affectionate and honest portrait of a different kind of young urban blackness than we 're used to seeing on movie screens .",
        "a curiously refreshing combo of harold & kumar plus menace ii society .",
        "the lively performances and funky comic energy keep it hopping , even as it 's busily hopping all over the place .",
        "fresh and original movie where geeks meet street with very funny consequences . a terrific cast and smart script make this sundance sensation a summer winner .",
        "a coming-of-age tale with bite , introducing a talented new cast to the world in what may be the summer 's freshest film .",
        "MOV is a mess of styles and mixed signals , a pulp fiction that mostly tend to its loyalties to other cine-odysseys through the streets of los angeles .",
        "MOV shines with '90s attitude , classic hip-hop tunes and a star-making performance by shameik moore .",
        "the result is a vital film that 's by turns funny , tragic , exciting and thought-provoking .",
        "again and again , MOV puts us in malcolm 's air jordans , letting us sweat or fear or hope right with him .",
        "the unexpected comedy bits , great music and an insightful point of view all contribute to making `` MOV '' something special , but it simply would n't fly without moore .",
        "a game , up-and-coming young cast and kicking retro soundtrack just about get it over some tricky tonal swerves and problematic plotting .",
        "it 's about kids who we 're generally not asked to care about : a cast almost entirely made up of actors of colour .",
        "like an urban risky business . i got ta say it - MOV is MOV !",
        "even as famuyiwa acknowledges the preconceptions that malcolm 's blackness engenders , he invites audiences to identify with the character on the basis of his relatable interests , aspirations and vulnerabilities .",
        "the movie , frankly , is a mess in terms of story . its themes , though , are clear and resonant .",
        "`` MOV '' may be the perfect movie for the summer of 2015 .",
        "when so many black movie characters are simple stereotypes , it 's a pleasure to see a film with real wit about the benefits and pitfalls of playing to and against those expectations .",
        "who could have imagined that a movie that so boldly challenges perceptions about race and class in america could also be so much fun ?",
        "brilliant , mature coming-of-age story explores race , class .",
        "the film feels off-kilter more often than not , though it is n't without its inspired , successful moments .",
        "moore , in his `` house party '' high top fade , grounds the film as the nice , unassuming young man whose ingenuity paired with a useful buddy from band camp squeezes him through some hilarious scrapes .",
        "MOV is a funky-fresh take on today 's `` hood '' culture that 's surprisingly empowering when malcolm 's coming-of-age story steps front and center .",
        "`` MOV '' is too smart and lively to be dismissed . it 's even original in its mixing of ingredients , however unoriginal those ingredients may be . but it 's also unfeeling and , beneath its in-the-hood surface , as much a bit of artifice as a wes anderson movie .",
        "shameik moore gives a smashing breakout performance in a comedy of social expectation that plays like an exhilarating gift .",
        "while famuyiwa deserves the lion 's share of acclaim for making `` MOV '' such an inventive , hyperactive and electrifying comedy , it is moore who gives `` MOV '' its big heart .",
        "a brisk , funny tale in neo-hughes mode ... energetic and quick .",
        "as a comedy , the film is n't especially funny , and as a screwball drug caper a la `` go , '' it 's raggedly plotted , with ridiculous coincidences popping up everywhere .",
        "ambitious , smart , funny -- kind of loses itself in the violent drug trade portion of the story , but easily the most daring comedy of the summer .",
        "a rollicking roller coaster ride around the ` hood that 's basically a hilarious cross between kid and play 's house party -lrb- 1990 -rrb- and harold & kumar go to white castle -lrb- 2004 -rrb- .",
        "without cgi , superheroes or recycled dinosaurs , thus far , MOV is the best film of the year .",
        "shameik moore is a forceful , sympathetic locus , with an appealing gentleness of spirit that in no way seems entirely innocent . there 's a drive there . as for zoe kravitz , she is having one terrific year .",
        "a completely refreshing take on the coming-of-age comedy that succeeds by hewing closely to the subgenre 's tropes while deftly turning them upside down .",
        "a fantastical , slight , and occasionally fun , hip hop-scored romp .",
        "no wonder ` MOV ' was a favorite at sundance .",
        "the first half of MOV is grounded in infectious authenticity ; the second half is haphazard .",
        "it 's spectacularly ambitious and only intermittently successful .",
        "feels a lot like someone 's first movie , even though it 's famuyiwa 's fourth ... . but it mostly hangs together pretty well .",
        "this MOV coming-of-age comedy is about dopes and MOV dealers , but it 's also a heartfelt and perceptive examination of cultural trends with style and energy to spare .",
        "pointed social agenda elevates `` MOV . ''",
        "even when it threatens to fall apart at the seams , the movie 's good will and heart save the day and , as for moore , scene for scene , the guy 's never less than right on time .",
        "famuyiwa 's fifth film sets itself apart from gritty urban dramas with its non-conformist leads , bounce and cheerful aesthetic that skilfully fuses the retro and contemporary .",
        "the movie is overly ambitious but never dull , and the ensemble cast is fun to watch .",
        "MOV feels like at least four different movies crammed into one .",
        "MOV is a high-school comedy written with wit , brio and the unexpected twist of a geeky hero who wants to go to harvard , but finds himself in -lsb- a -rsb- drug-dealing snakepit .",
        "this coming of age story set in south central la may not know quite what it wants to say , but it sure has fun saying it .",
        "the stakes are high , but MOV is far from grim : it 's a fast , funky and good-hearted take on the urban heist movie .",
        "fast , loose and smarter than it looks , MOV has a point to make and has fun making it .",
        "a smart riposte to the ` hood drama stereotype . MOV is funny , stylish and mostly exuberant fun .",
        "an authentic inner-city parable that fails to live up to its initial promise .",
        "the film 's primary colour palette provides a satirical antidote to cinema 's more familiar gangsta hues .",
        "fresh and funny and mercifully free of angst-ridden navel-gazing .",
        "the setting and these traits - including diggy 's slippery sexuality - ensure that MOV never becomes just another laddish adventure pivoting around a bag of drugs .",
        "what is refreshing about MOV is its cheerful irreverence .",
        "raw and raucous , it 's an irreverent riff on the duality of race relations in america ...",
        "MOV may know what identities it wants to subvert , but it 's not quite sure what identity it wants to have .",
        "a smart bag of references , to both modern meme culture and bygone music and movies , MOV is neither pastiche nor misty-eyed nostalgia .",
        "... borders on the desperate , but its brash , ca n't - box-me-in spirit wins out in the end .",
        "all the ingredients for something special coalesce , including an outstanding performance from a fresh-faced shameik moore as malcolm , a fragile everyteen sporting a flat-top straight out of kid 'n' play .",
        "MOV is not only one of the most vibrant films we 've seen this year , but the most tender .",
        "the film 's rascally kineticism very nearly compensates for its underdeveloped ideas .",
        "moore gives a performance layered with energy , and famuyiwa 's direction is equally charismatic .",
        "the film 's ability to confound expectations while delivering some big laughs may be its most crowd-pleasing characteristic but the anti-stereotype message rings clear as a bell throughout .",
        "flawed but fresh , MOV revolves around an appealing cast",
        "MOV is a smart if not hefty comedy by a filmmaker who has a lot to say and yet still much to learn .",
        "MOV does n't seem like it has much discipline or focus , but its frantic forward momentum and haphazard mixture of styles , although demonstratively entertaining , should n't distract from a rather pointed political message about race in america .",
        "`` MOV '' is about the dreams and aspirations of outsiders . and while a little swollen narratively , it 's supercool vitality is much like the blithe will smith `` summertime '' song the character 's references : something very close to a new classic .",
        "a fast-paced throwback that is a little like a mix of house party and boyz n the hood",
        "it 's an incredibly smart hybrid film that captures the modern life of an american teen in inglewood , california in a way that we 've never seen before .",
        "a funny and often intelligent crowd-pleaser about three geeks who get smart about drug-dealing .",
        "the cast , drawn from comedy , rap , tv , modeling and other spheres , is sharply on form throughout , as is famuyiwa 's direction ; the pic 's esprit is amplified by every editorial trick in the book , from split-screen to freeze-frames .",
        "it 's a remorselessly entertaining , frankenstein 's monster of pop-culture borrowings and appropriations . so much so that it becomes very much its own thing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a movie about '90s hip-hop and black culture , but it feels like a throwback in other ways too .",
        "`` MOV '' is the bomb .",
        "`` MOV '' is funny , slick and sharp .",
        "all three leads are charming , and together , they convey a real sense of camaraderie , the kind that only develop between misfits who find each other .",
        "the tone of `` MOV '' is very interesting - funny , but rarely stupid-funny . the film does not wear its serious observations , about aspirations and realities and hypocrisies of all kinds -lrb- not just racial -rrb- , in a heavy fashion .",
        "it 's downright dainty as far as plot , but a mostly tasty layer cake of drugs , jokes , sex , jokes , cool young cast members , jokes , 1992 hip-hop , cartoony characters , a heist and a lot more jokes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "here is the rare movie overstuffed with memorable moments that would have been better if there had been fewer of them .",
        "this is the first feature film role for moore and he delivers a performance that is sweet , smart , naive and -- when needed -- tough . his performance comes across as strong as many veteran actors .",
        "a liberating , full-throttle comedy not about the ethics of selling drugs , but about the ability of one smart black kid to do the math , and reconfigure MOV into a slippery slope of hope .",
        "`` MOV '' has so much going on , and accomplishes so many things , that it 's practically a miracle .",
        "the film works best in its first 30 or so minutes as we 're introduced to the various characters and watch them interact . -lrb- full content review -- sex , profanity , violence , etc. -- for parents also available -rrb-",
        "with a script that wears its wistfully reflective heart on its sleeve ... MOV is one of those gems buried in the summer box office .",
        "it 's not always a perfect movie , but it really knows what it feels like to be alive , and there 's a good chance it will push you out the theatre door reverberating with its potent and particular energy .",
        "fresh and vibrant , mixing old-school attitude with youthful intelligence and vigor .",
        "mr. famuyiwa ... shoves disparate genre elements together as if pulling jigsaw puzzle pieces from a half-dozen different boxes , and if the finished work is n't quite convincing , it 's still fun to look at .",
        "this vibrant film is a bit of a mess , but it 's a beautiful one .",
        "`` MOV '' is , in the end , just another unfunny grab bag of stereotypes . do n't believe the hype .",
        "writer-director rick famuyiwa ... doubles down on an applying-to-harvard satire that both upends demographic expectations while insisting -lrb- at times a bit strenuously -rrb- that we all aim a little higher .",
        "a narrative as freewheeling as this one might ordinarily daze and confuse . but malcolm makes for such a forceful character , it 's easy to go along with whatever direction he 's headed in .",
        "MOV digs into racial culture in a real way with malcolm struggling with the fact that he does n't fit being a geek or a menace to society , and it 's a hoot to root him on as he finds his place somewhere in between .",
        "despite jarring shifts in tone , the film deftly raises important issues about socioeconomics and race in america without sermonizing its audience .",
        "whatever definition of `` MOV '' you prefer , it applies to rick famuyiwa 's movie . MOV is a drug caper involving teenagers doing stupid things for the geeks they are , the kind john hughes might have written if he allowed black people in his movies .",
        "equal parts righteously pissed and anxious fun - a film to debate but only after you 've laughed your ass off .",
        "although there are too many story strands thrown in for good measure , rachel morrison 's cinematography and lee haugen 's editing keep the film fluid and buoyant .",
        "it has style and caustic , primitive screenwriting , but its soullessness seems at odds with its cheery ambition , delivering a whole mess of unappealing behavior in a movie about an underdog .",
        "decently entertaining but uneven and full of thinly drawn characters .",
        "mixes winning comedic moments with serious , life-or-death situations , often at the same time .",
        "`` MOV '' has energy and smarts and a heart in all the right places .",
        "moore , who 's done some tv work and is also a singer and dancer , emerges as a genuine movie star in `` MOV . '' he 's very good looking and has charisma to burn , and he controls the screen in every scene he 's in . which is practically every scene .",
        "in an era full of indifferent , cookie-cutter indies , an excess of ideas and personality is hardly a bad thing .",
        "while it ca n't quite escape the limits of that formula , it is an inspired , entertaining wild ride enriched by engaging characters .",
        "exhilarating , terrifying , and terribly funny .",
        "mixing pep and purpose , MOV lands with the punchy immediacy of its title .",
        "MOV is a film that you find yourself longing to like , but the strain of disappointment takes its toll .",
        "MOV maybe has something to say about race and racism and masculinity -- but the film rarely takes a moment to actually listen to itself .",
        "MOV is an effective celebration of friendship , sculpted hair and sweet bike rides .",
        "rather than judging his characters for turning to crime , famuyiwa makes society the target of his anger ; implying that in an unequal world , even a kid as bright as malcolm has little chance of succeeding by honest methods alone .",
        "pulsing with a loopy , anything-goes energy truly unique to itself , MOV bounces all over the screen as one of the freshest releases of 2015 .",
        "combined with a sugary-pop sensibility and dialogue that constantly feels a beat behind , MOV feels more like the fun of yo gabba gabba ! than a serious exploration of street life , leaving less bark and even fewer bites .",
        "the mood is restless , the tone is energetic , and influences are embraced and discarded quicker than you can say : `` we are the best adolescent pulp fiction on the go this year '' .",
        "it 's refreshing for sure , but the movie is tonally erratic , leaving the viewer with a mixed message .",
        "the acting is uniformly good . this is moore 's first big role , and he delivers a performance both entertaining and believable .",
        "if you like your comedies scripted rather than seemingly improvised or if you thrill to see stories at war with clich\u00e9 , MOV is the feel-good , crowd-pleaser of the summer .",
        "if `` MOV '' were as earnest as malcolm seems to be , you might expect it to be a bit of a bore . no worries on that count , though .",
        "points for being different ; points off for being sloppy .",
        "the movie itself coasts on energy , even if its presentation teeters between charming and amateurish .",
        "a freewheeling comedy about sex , drugs and identity politics .",
        "the tone is fast and funny , with a modern `` risky business '' or `` ferris bueller 's day off '' vibe , but there 's an additional layer that stems from the violence of the neighborhood .",
        "MOV is interesting to observe as a movie that takes a relatively simple idea and overburdens it with a few too many plot points , characters , and/or thematic concerns .",
        "be sure to stay for the end credits . no other summer-movie credit crawl is going to get audiences dusting off their old running man and cabbage patch dance moves like this one . take that , jurassic world ."],
    "summary": "featuring a starmaking performance from shameik moore and a refreshingly original point of view from writer-director rick famuyiwa , MOV is smart , insightful entertainment .",
    "id": "771412133"
  },
  {
    "movie": "boarding_gate",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV 's surfaces are often so staggeringly beautiful that its superficiality becomes forgivable , with the pleasant distractions of assayas ' multi-layered frames , argento 's sinewy allure , and snippets of brian eno ambience on the soundtrack .",
        "the picture grows on you , as does its laconic leading lady , whose slurry delivery conceals an ever-alert mouse handily equipped to beat the cat at his own game .",
        "call it a cinema of guilty pleasure , and do n't worry if you fall asleep in your seat after the sex scene is over . you wo n't be alone .",
        "MOV plays with various genre codes and conventions very differently than most run-of-the-mill modern thrillers .",
        "this one is just murk .",
        "MOV 's decadent fancies are appalling .",
        "it 's not a perfect movie . at times , it 's not even a movie . yet the overall taste MOV leaves behind is intriguing enough to appreciate the whole elongated enterprise .",
        "MOV , b-movie heir to phil karlson and ingmar bergman , screws any pretence of naturalism for hallucinatory confrontations .",
        "if this is the effect mr. assayas wanted to achieve , he has succeeded admirably .",
        "a mostly dull and nonsensical attempt at a revenge thriller that trips and falls flat on its face far too many times to stand up to some of -lsb- assayas ' -rsb- stronger work .",
        "riveting to watch largely due to asia argento 's presence , assayas ' new film , suitably placed at the midnight section , displays visual fluency and other innovative devices deiberately applied to a lower-level subject that some will dismiss as trash .",
        "argento never engages us as a character ; she 's like some porny dress-up -lrb- or , rather , dressdown -rrb- doll with a plastic visage and hollow head .",
        "did you ever want to like a movie and wish it were better so that you could ? on the other hand , you could say that any sighting of asia argento showing off her thighs ca n't be all bad .",
        "the film has n't much substance beneath its showy surface .",
        "thrills and drama are left standing on the tarmac in MOV , a limp , sleazy inanity .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- rocked me pretty hard .",
        "-lsb- director assayas -rsb- may have something serious to say about the brutal impersonality of global capitalism , yet he 's caught somewhere between insight and exploitation .",
        "there 's basically only one reason to see olivier assayas 's self-consciously hypermodern , meta-sleazy , english-french-chinese-language globo-thriller MOV , and her name is asia argento .",
        "though graced with a performance by the fascinating asia argento , this noir film is difficult to follow .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- assayas is out of his element here , and the encounters have no snap : it 's like one of those two-character plays in which the frequent pauses are filled with the audience 's coughing spasms .",
        "even an ultra-feral performance by asia argento -- the art house angelina jolie -- is n't enough to suffer through MOV , a draggy and incoherent thriller by french director oliver assayas .",
        "seriously flawed and not for every taste , the film was shot quickly and on the cheap , and is driven by argento 's slurred , scratchy voice and bette david eyes .",
        "the latest entry in this perplexing preoccupation with lowlifes is MOV , an astonishingly un-thrilling thriller .",
        "a ridiculous poseur thriller that seems to be made up of the slow moments from hong kong action films and euro-flashy stuff like run lola run .",
        "this hypnotic , angular thriller about sex , murder , betrayal and money takes you on a feverish journey from nowhere to somewhere .",
        "there are long , droning bouts of dialog about nothing meant to link scenes together , but all MOV really does is fixate on watching asia argento do stuff .",
        "boring gate .",
        "writer-director olivier assayas must have been working out some personal demons to make something as embarrassing as MOV , the most trite and trivial piece of sleaze since abel ferrara 's snake eyes .",
        "we do n't want to see asia argento talking about her history of drugs and wild sex , we want to see her doing it .",
        "absolutely silly",
        "what it all means is up for grabs , but for connoisseurs of sadomasochistic nastiness , it 's a must-see .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as for argento ... yeah , she 's got something . now we 'd like to see her in a movie that makes sense .",
        "when all the nonsense of MOV ends , only asia remains in memory . she can light up the best and the worst of 'em .",
        "distills genre tropes -lrb- and their consequent pleasures -rrb- to their lean , potent essence .",
        "like just about everything in MOV , the finale suggests that its creators have been watching too many other movies with similar premises and payoffs .",
        "could have been an exciting and inventive film , if only it were n't so bland and familiar .",
        "in the `` b '' movie days , a story like this would shoot by in about 70 minutes without time to pick holes in the motives . but assayas takes a bloated , boring 106 minutes .",
        "the main thing interesting about MOV is the spectacle of assayas ' effort -- the attitude and the international backdrop -- not the story itself .",
        "-lsb- assayas -rsb- has concocted a plot that is dizzying and annoying at times , and it 's hard to care about the characters in the shifting story . but b-movie veteran argento 's portrayal of sandra is like watching a car careening down an incline .",
        "the plot may be murky , but actress asia argento is a clear and commanding force throughout .",
        "chock full of elements that never spark beyond one-sheet dimension .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has little substance beneath its faux-thriller surface , and marks a step down from director olivier assayas ' usual work .",
    "id": "770676314"
  },
  {
    "movie": "transformers_the_movie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "gets this critic 's seal of approval as another overblown michael bay extravaganza , for it succeeds in bringing a cornucopia of beloved robots to life for a concatenation of epic battles worthy of a bombastic summer blockbuster .",
        "you have to appreciate the technical achievements even if the movie as a whole is not something that will stick with you for long .",
        "it 's goofy fun with a lot of stuff that blows up real good , and it has the grace not only to realize how preposterous it is , but to make that into an asset .",
        "in bay 's world , which is more about metal than people , every action sequence must be edited like a cinematic seizure and every extreme-telephoto image must be jammed headlong into the next .",
        "i came away convinced i 'd had the most sheer , loud fun of any blockbuster in a summer that has delivered too little of that quantity .",
        "the visual effects are marvellous , -lsb- and -rsb- the acting is better than it needs to be in a film of this nature .",
        "though it 's at least 20 minutes too long and uneven dramatically , the acting is sharp , and it features some of the most spectacular action and effects sequences of any movie of its kind .",
        "the effects are put to brilliant use . ... bay even allows the humans their humanness , too -- elsewhere , john turturro and anthony anderson are very funny in smallish parts , and -lsb- julie -rsb- white steals the movie .",
        "bay 's movie is the grandest proof so far that , when it comes to movie characterization , flesh and blood have had their chance . from here on , it 's up to metal and plastic .",
        "great special effects + shia labeouf - flimsy story = lotsa fun .",
        "the film suffers from a second-half degeneration into cgi battles devoid of human interest - but it 's still a high-speed , energetic , must-see action flick .",
        "transformers has some of the best action sequences you 'll see all summer .",
        "click for full review",
        "michael bay can build a universe in a bottle . he can install a pump in the tin man 's chest.and he can call it a heart .",
        "it 's outrageous , stupid fun and you should see it on the biggest screen you can find .",
        "o mais longo an\u00fancio publicit\u00e1rio que j\u00e1 fui obrigado a testemunhar .",
        "so , here 's a surprise . the summer 's first blockbuster action film worthy of its hype has nothing to do with pirates , spider-man or the fantastic four . instead , it comes down to michael bay 's `` transformers . ''",
        "the effects are jaw-droppingly good and if all you want is giant robots blowing stuff up , then transformers delivers .",
        "punishingly boring .",
        "a mad rush of blood to the adolescent head .",
        "for a michael bay action film , transformers was surprisingly entertaining and not as heavy handed .",
        "it 's a big , cool , dopey , noisy , non-stop action powerhouse . it 's also too long by a half hour and it left my ears ringing , but it 's a lot of fun .",
        "for the many transformer fans out there : have fun . for everyone else : see anything , absolutely anything , else .",
        "what keeps transformers watchable is labeouf and the computerized effects , which are often startling . when sam 's camaro muscles up into the bumblebee bot , it 's like watching every boy 's fantasy of his first pair of wheels .",
        "in this tricked-out retake on the much-loved contraptions , director michael bay brings his usual chest-thumping , combustive bombast , but he also brings some clever pacing and a genuinely snappy wit . it is not all stupid and not all loud .",
        "taken for what it is , a crowd-rousing summer blockbuster inspired by a children 's mechanical toy , michael bay 's transformers is some kind of mess ... terpiece .",
        "an unexpectedly witty and exciting movie quick on its feet .",
        "an overly long , repetitive jumble of a movie that is n't nearly as much fun as it should be .",
        "whatever chance transformers might have been a decent movie disappeared the moment bay was hired to direct .",
        "only those undemanding inner 8-year-olds are likely to find anything here to appreciate .",
        "transformers may be the most spectacularly stupid film ever made , and with modern-day hollywood being what it is , that 's quite a feat .",
        "an unexpected summer surprise . not only is it full of way-cool machinery , epic robot fights and mind-dazzling effects , it also has more than its quotient of actual wit and fun .",
        "if you love playing with action figures , transformers is made for you . otherwise , this loud and ridiculous film is more likely to be painful than enjoyable .",
        "director michael bay appears to have neither a sense of timing nor an awareness that , as a movie draws to its conclusion , simple logic suggests it 's time to put a move on .",
        "bay 's notion of excitement is to smash up bunches of stuff on screen , with no rhyme or reason , no characters to care about , and no clarity or structure to the action .",
        "this director knows his bay-bots audience as one that will give him all the space and self-indulgence he needs to carry out his high-volume boxoffice mission .",
        "when it 's on its fun , exciting , and epic , and when it 's off , it 's flat , unfunny , and painful .",
        "who better to make the ultimate boys-with-toys movie than the world 's most gleefully destructive filmmaker , michael bay ?",
        "i loved it .",
        "there are humans in transformers , but bay treats them with his trademark mixture of indifference and syrupy sentimentalism .",
        "when it 's not too far over the top or redundant , transformers is a fun summer-movie ride .",
        "be sure to have some headache pills handy when you go see transformers . while it may not necessarily be the best action movie of the year , it is definitely the loudest and you 're sure to walk out of the cinemas with a throbbing headache ...",
        "to be honest , it 's easy to forgive a lot in this movie because the 12-year-old in me is absolutely in love with all the jaw-dropping transformations . it would have been more rewarding if the adult in me had something to enjoy as well .",
        "it 's got action , romance , incredible cgi , convincing performances , a loud and lively musical score , way cool robots , and an adorable chihuahua in a cast . what 's not to like ?",
        "it 's a sickening force-feeding commercial frenzy to sell cars , toys and war in the same breath that it pawns itself off as `` cinema . '' this is not cinema . this is acid kool-aid for children . do n't drink it .",
        "flat , loud , flashy spectacle that 's been fine-tuned and sanded down to appeal to the widest global audience possible . all in all , pretty generic .",
        "bay , at heart , is n't a fantasist ; he 's a literal-minded maestro of demolition . but then , that serves transformers well during its climax , a spectacular clash of the heavy metal titans , and a primal reminder of why boys love their toys .",
        "as a movie , transformers is mostly muscle car , but it has enough of a brain under its hood to know how , and when , to be funny .",
        "though he has a way with cgi toys and action set pieces , director bay does not have a noticeable gift for making human beings come to life . transformers ' multiple earthling story lines are tedious and oddly lifeless .",
        "the most surprising thing about michael bay 's much-anticipated , blockbuster-bound transformers is how funny the movie is . i do n't mean funny in an unintentional , pearl harbor kind of way .",
        "it 's a gearhead 's dream come true , with cool robots , hot girls , big explosions and broad jokes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there is so much action packed into every second of transformers that by the time it 's over , you may be tempted to go outside and give the box office another 10 bucks .",
        "an uneven , overlong and at times overbearing flick .",
        "a movie of epically assaultive noise and nonsense .",
        "the surprising transformation here is not from machines into enormous robots but from a modest saturday morning cartoon based on a line of toys into 2007 's most exhilarating summer movie , able to transform audiences of all ages into 12-year-old fanboys .",
        "a dizzying summer adventure , transformers is a film to worship for its set pieces and chastise for its inscrutable storytelling .",
        "we knew it would be dumb . but we had no idea it would be so much dumb fun .",
        "every time transformers threatens to collapse under the weight of its ridiculous plot and boring characters , bay and his team pull a visual trick that will blow many summer movie fan 's minds .",
        "with transformers , director michael bay has once again claimed the year 's top honors for loud , stupid filmmaking .",
        "everyone in the likable cast grasps the spirit of this grand , cheesy adventure , which bay presents as an action-effects comedy with the emphasis decidedly on comedy .",
        "it 's a hasbro ad . it 's a chevy commercial . it 's a pitch for homeland security . -lrb- a pretty ineffective one . -rrb-",
        "the average hollywood action picture is aimed at 12-year-olds of all ages , but michael bay and steven spielberg 's feature-length come-on for hasbro 's much-loved toy series -lrb- and its spin-off cartoons , video games and comics -rrb- aims even lower .",
        "not a movie , just one gigantic commercial for hasbro .",
        "director michael bay and his ilm team have , in fact , achieved something pretty impressive in the world of cgi and modeling .",
        "the action sequences are so turgid it 's sometimes hard to tell which ` bot is doing what , but with bay steadily hurling fireworks you wo n't really pause much to think about that , or about how truly inane the story is .",
        "the die-hard old fans should be happy .",
        "... forgive me if transformers , the movie , strikes me as rather mechanical .",
        "an overwhelming and indistinguishable deluge of flying wreckage , sporadic explosions , and gnarled heaps of metal .",
        "transformers is probably the rosetta stone of bay 's career . all of his favorite elements are here : military fetishism , vehicular fetishism , hot chick fetishism , explosion fetishism , sweaty machismo and a brutal disregard for an interesting story .",
        "a sort of ambien/no-doz cocktail likely to send all but fanboy brains into self-protective shutoff mode .",
        "the bloated mid-section of bay 's overlong extravaganza -lrb- clocking in at a punishing 144 minutes -rrb- will test the patience of casual transformers fans",
        "you 'll find yourself rooting for computer-generated robots that magically transform into cars , trucks and fighter planes . it 's selling the movie short to say the special effects are amazing -- they are out of this world .",
        "transformers is way better than anyone could have expected from michael bay , the director who gave us armageddon and pearl harbor .",
        "cars turn into robots . so do trucks . and planes . if you need more to recommend transformers , there are big doses of humor and an appealing lead performance by shia labeouf .",
        "-lsb- g -rsb- loriously , emphatically meaningless and cheerfully , genially brainless . it 's like a big dumb dog -- you just ca n't hate it .",
        "no one presumes to apply artistic criteria to the sight of a high-rise being demolished . why should transformers be any different ?",
        "there is no scope to bay 's big city battle , no one wow moment that will have people talking and no more excitement than watching the implosion of an old building on tv .",
        "logic suggests that even the most inept filmmaker would have a hard time turning a movie about enormous fighting robots into an unwatchable and flat-out dull piece of work , but that 's precisely what michael bay has done with transformers .",
        "it 's like spending a day at the state fair : a little bit of actual entertainment , a lot of embarrassingly cheesy attempts at entertainment , and the faint whiff of bull crap everywhere .",
        "this is made by the fans , for the fans . outsiders need not apply .",
        "while bay succeeds in creating a seamless mix of computer-generated effects with live-action , the real treat of his film is the flesh-and-blood labeouf . he is labomb .",
        "for transformers fans , i suppose this is a dream motion picture . for everyone else , it 's a nightmare .",
        "after bay piles on a dozen -lsb- action -rsb- scenes ... , your brain may feel pummelled . not that your brain had anything to do in the previous two hours .",
        "-lsb- d -rsb- irector michael bay makes a wise move : he comes out with a movie that simply does n't have to be good .",
        "a full-out assault on the senses that confuses bludgeoning a viewer with noisy spectacle with actually entertaining them",
        "big , loud , empty ... just another dumb michael bay movie .",
        "... in doing so , bay has crafted one of the best action movies of all time .",
        "a kick-butt action film with nearly non-stop action and amazing computer-generated special effects .",
        "indulging in the playground of technology at his disposal , bay makes transformers ' hugeness personal .",
        "is it a commercial or an action movie ? you could go either way with `` transformers . ''",
        "for some , the movie went on a little long , but true fans did n't mind . -lrb- you can tell the true fans , they 're the ones who cheer optimus prime like a rock star whenever he comes on the screen . -rrb-",
        "too bad the filmmakers do n't let these bots take over the spectacle .",
        "michael bay does n't merely pander to the lowest common denominator , he redefines it by lowering it .",
        "to paraphrase montgomery burns : i 'm no art critic , but i know what i hate ... and i did n't hate transformers .",
        "see transformers . but do n't expect anything more than a big , dumb summer action film with hot chicks , shia labeouf and a lot of robots blowing things up .",
        "despite the sheer ineptitude of transformers , there 's a crassness behind it that 's even more disturbing .",
        "although the film ca n't quite eclipse the glorious saturday morning cartoon silliness of the 1986 animated `` transformers '' movie , it more than stands its ground .",
        "they fight -- these giant robots . they fight a lot . and it 's awesome .",
        "transformers is smart enough to know how incredibly stupid it is .",
        "the illusion is shattered whenever the ` bots start talking or the action stops . bay tries to gloss over the infantile plot , but it would take a lighter , wittier touch to square the movie 's pedestrian script .",
        "this is one fun summer movie . totally ridiculous . big and loud . senseless . campy and dumb . but great fun .",
        "it ... fulfills every teenage boy 's fantasy to make out with a hot girl on your talking camaro while a giant friendly robot watches over you .",
        "declaring his absolute judgment and the intrinsic virtue of bringing democracy to all planets , optimus prime announces , `` freedom is the right of all sentient beings . '' except , of course , the decepticons .",
        "bay 's direction ultimately bothered me less than the messy screenplay . as an old-school fan , i was quite disappointed though not necessarily offended .",
        "it 's the transformation of robots that will blow your mind ... add that to the eye-popping robot smackdowns and good old fashioned car chases , and you have a movie that is going to get your blood pumping and your heartbeat racing",
        "the film 's hurtling visuals and snappy pace -lrb- even at two-plus hours -rrb- allow many a postmodernist to escape overreaching tendencies .",
        "bay 's lack of perspective , combined with steve jablonsky 's overblown score , do everything they can to convince you that this is a very important movie . it is n't .",
        "divorced from reality , even movie reality , transformers becomes an action film in traction . its relentless product placement makes it seem like a 2 hr . 22 min . general motors commercial . and the film has just enough collisions to be a crashing bore .",
        "it 's the toys ' r us in this awesome sci-fi blockbuster . it 's bound to produce several inferior sequels but the pure joy of discovery from this kick-ass original is not-to-be-missed .",
        "hell may have frozen over . not only has michael bay directed a movie that works , he has directed one of the most satisfying films of the summer . this is the cinematic equivalent of washing down a mouthful of sugary candy with a bottle of mountain dew .",
        "a rocking action movie with some campy humor that succeeds despite the drawbacks of being overly long and repetitious .",
        "as a fan of the 1980s saturday morning cartoon and hasbro toys the film is based on , i was saddened to see characters i grew up with transformed into a corporate ad tool .",
        "there is so much action packed in every frame of this bombastic blockbuster , that the ludicrous plot and silly script went nearly unnoticed .",
        "bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these titans can believably clash .",
        "the effects are socko , as variety used to say : the big , loud transformer battles go on forever , but they 're more entertaining than usual for this kind of film .",
        "merde that meets the eye .",
        "hated the robots and their funny voices , hated the humans , and the cereal box story .",
        "it is as corny as it is magnificent and i have to admit that it is the most fun i 've had at the movies all year .",
        "michael bay 's best film to date offers plenty of fun , but not much more than meets the eye .",
        "better than sex .",
        "in a summer that 's seen underperforming tre-quels and more than its fair share of warmed over sameness , transformers is offering something similar , but in a much more exciting and evocative guise .",
        "for sci-fi excitement and escapist , fast-paced action , you ca n't beat this . it 's spectacularly loud , fun-filled and wicked cool .",
        "like so many of bay 's films , transformers suffers from a form of cinematic prostatitis .",
        "both visually stunning and utterly shrug-inducing , transformers begs the question : can a live-action centipede , pac-man or donkey kong movie be far behind ?",
        "given the combined involvements of michael bay and steven spielberg , call it a ka-blamblin production , filled with many jaw-dropping marvels . eventually , this vehicle runs on fumes , but only because it revs the gas so hard and so well for so long .",
        "the quintessential big , loud , dumb summer action movie , this nonstop thrill ride is thunderously entertaining .",
        "transformers sinks to the level of '50s b-movie sermonizing and never fully recovers .",
        "the cast members seem to be game for what 's at stake here , especially shia labeouf , who 's on something of a roll .",
        "the welcome mat is out for michael bay 's cheerfully dopey saga inspired by the popular shape-shifting toys from the '80s .",
        "bay 's best effort by far . the robot thespians are better actors than the cast of armageddon and the plot is probably more historically accurate than pearl harbor .",
        "admirers of great special effects ... will find plenty to appreciate . ... -lrb- but -rrb- for every truly funny joke -lrb- and , admittedly , there are a few -rrb- , there are a dozen duds .",
        "transformers is supposedly about robots who turn into cars and back again ; what it 's really about is big hollywood turning money into stupid and back again",
        "when the humans slow things down , and they do , bay cranks up the gobots -lrb- excuse me , transformers -rrb- for earth-shattering battles that pound the ground mightily ...",
        "fun , but a bit too serious .",
        "at one point , bumblebee essentially urinates on an annoying federal officer . it 's hard to believe bay or spielberg think this is funny ... this is pandering at its worst , and it reveals a lack of respect for the audience , kids and adults alike .",
        "above all , transformers is the biggest-budget kaiju movie of all time ... one of those godzilla versus other monster-suit guys trashing mini-tokyo flicks . only with robots",
        "transformers is long and loud and should not be ... compared with some dramatic work . just let it stand on its own and transform you into a kid for a couple-plus hours .",
        "transformers twiddles its big , fat , stupid robotic thumbs for the better part of two hours before jabbing them into your eye socket and finger-f *** ing your brain in the last 20 minutes . yes !",
        "the story is essentially about hunks of scrap metal blowing each other up .",
        "has hell actually frozen over ? are pigs now taking to the sky ? i only ask because michael bay has achieved the unthinkable : he 's directed a crushingly entertaining movie .",
        "transformers delivers the thrills we 've been waiting for all year long .",
        "you might as well be watching a car compactor at work in a junkyard .",
        "all you can do is grin , shake your head and let transformers steamroll you into having a blast .",
        "... a screeching metal , smash-and-crash , extreme-action movie lover 's dream come true . it 's also a wildly absurd , visceral fantasy and far more fun than it ought to be .",
        "a melting pot of astonishing ineptitude . amazing , how hundreds of millions of dollars can go into making a finished product that does n't offer one solitary second of wonder , momentum , tension , or authentic emotion .",
        "this film is soulless and heartless but at the same time it 's a lot of fun and contains a lot of `` wow ! '' moments . i feel dirty for liking this movie so much . michael bay is a mad genius .",
        "transformers is so hot and bothered over its reassembling robots that it can barely muster the energy to develop even an up-front text that makes sense .",
        "transformers is n't just dorky , it 's gloriously dorky .",
        "ridiculously awesome -lrb- or awesomely ridiculous ? -rrb- sequences of mass destruction , lost in a lot of uneven dramatic or comedic material .",
        "director michael bay , never known for subtlety , transforms the popular 1980 's toy line into a loud , flashy , goofy mashup of a movie that plays like `` gremlins '' as really big hardware .",
        "reaction in taormina fest signals popular franchise , and artistically what might have been like a big , noisy amusement park with lots of attractions -lrb- subplots , robots -rrb- is more unified and involving due to spielberg 's creative input and labeouf 's acting",
        "it 's long and loud and everything about it is big : from the massive stunts , the pounding orchestral score and the transformers themselves , which tower above everything and everyone in this mega-budget sci-fi adventure .",
        "there 's not much under the hood , but ` transformers ' roars with power and style thanks to awe-inspiring action and flawless effects",
        "this is a transformers movie , so why do the humans take up so much of the time , story and heroics ? it should be robots with maybe a few humans on the periphery , not the other way around .",
        "... high-octane nonsense for those who suffer from permanently arrested development . the fact that it is a big-budget blockbuster based on a toy really says it all .",
        "even folks who would n't know a transformer from a teletubby can expect to have a good time at transformers , which easily emerges as the biggest surprise of the summer thus far .",
        "the whole movie has a lightness of tone , an affection for its own cheesiness .",
        "a big , dumb , special effects-laden action flick .",
        "transformers is in a stellar class of seamless fx films populated by genre classics like jurassic park , twister and titanic",
        "kids may just love this film . but for adults , there 's not much of a story . and what little story there is eventually devolves into virtual nonsense .",
        "okay , i 've been reminded that i do n't like michael bay 's directing style . that 's the last reminder i will need for the next ten years or so .",
        "transformers is n't a movie , it 's a software program , into which quirky personality has been inserted like a line of computer code .",
        "citizen kane , it is n't . but for 140 minutes in the dead of summer , it 's a ton of dumb fun .",
        "a high-octane symphony of machine battling machine and stuff blowing to pieces .",
        "this is a movie to see on the big screen .",
        "transformers is about as clever as an unplugged blender : take away the many effects crews who so clearly gave their all , and what you 're left with would n't pass muster in georges m\u00e9li\u010ds ' time .",
        "no one should be expecting much from michael bay except fast pacing and decently choreographed explosions . with transformers , he does n't even make it that far .",
        "who needs all that noise ??",
        "do we really need an action film in the middle of summer to remind us how `` good '' some americans can be ?",
        "audiences are liable to be in a state of utter bewilderment .",
        "the action scenes are too chaotic to be exciting .",
        "when transformers is going strong early on , it 's the grandest -- in every sense of the word -- entertainment in years .",
        "if you take transformers with a grain of salt ... you 'll have a pretty fun time checking out both the robotic -lrb- transformers -rrb- and human -lrb- megan fox -rrb- eye candy",
        "an overachiever of a film that practically defines the term summer blockbuster .",
        "` transformers ' is a loud , unsophisticated testament to the visceral thrills of effects-driven mayhem .",
        "transformers is the best action movie i have seen since the matrix .",
        "although it strives to appeal to the whole family , it winds up emerging as a kiddie flick on steroids - a big-budget , effects heavy , feature film version of a saturday morning cartoon .",
        "director michael bay 's bigger than life version of the cartoon i grew up loving pretty much ruined one of my favorite childhood memories .",
        "come to think of it , i was pretty stupid when i was six years old . so is this film .",
        "... if you are an adult and not already a fan , you may find the movie more than a bit long , loud , and frenzied .",
        "it is a teenage boy 's wet dream . the girls are insanely hot , the lead is awkward/funny and the action sequences are top notch .",
        "works for more than just the built-in fan base who grew up on the old cartoon series and the toys . this is a fantasy for which suspension of disbelief is a pleasure . sleeker , spiffed up , and daring to rely on solid storytelling",
        "probably the worst computer-generated-special-effects-driven summer blockbuster to ever disgrace the screen .",
        "one silly , overblown movie , skillful but bombastic eye-candy for the adolescent-minded , with the cinematic i.q. of your average household appliance .",
        "horrible ! hey , i did n't poop on your childhood . michael bay did .",
        "transformers delivers on its promise of stunning visuals and well-crafted action sequences , but it 's not remotely worth the slog it takes to get there . once the novelty of the robots wears off it 's hopelessly insipid .",
        "hat was delivered will no doubt send merchandising sales spiralling into orbit , but sadly at the cost of countless brain cells popping through after nearly two and a half hours of tedium .",
        "transformers leaves very few blocks left un-busted .",
        "for the bot-neutral rest of us , two-and-a-half hours of mostly incoherent special effects may be a bit much .",
        "transformers is a rollicking , rousing experience .",
        "thank god the transformers speak primarily in proper nouns -- if they had n't shouted `` optimus ! megatron ! '' every time they struck a blow , i 'd have no idea what was happening .",
        "morphs from army-enlisting ad to toy ad -lrb- on its way passing through a panoply of car ads , computer ads , beer ads -rrb- without ever becoming a movie",
        "bay , of course , ca n't resists temptation to use as many explosions in the film as possible",
        "when you get a good view you 'll probably be thrilled . but the thrills vanish with the next quick cut . there should have been more that met the eye .",
        "a slam-bang sci-fi action drama with exploding cars , razzle-dazzle battle sequences , a bling-wearing dog , robots with heart , and a secret agent with silly underwear .",
        "a fairly rip-roaring piece of rock 'em , sock 'em robot mayhem that 's more entertaining than it really has a right to be .",
        "it 's as juvenile as it exhilarating , as staggeringly-stupid as it is keenly well-crafted .",
        "giant robots drop from the sky and transform into colossal structures of suck . stuff blows up . the talking gadgets attempt to save humanity , but changing a flat tire provides more of a thrill than this flick .",
        "maybe if ... you spent a lot of time playing with the toys you 'd instantly recognize the robots . for the uninitiated , it 's merely cgi creatures hitting each other ...",
        "one of the stupidest movies on record . but hey , it 's also , you know , really , really fun .",
        "most directors would be content to retire with armaggedon as the stupidest film on their resume . let it not be said that michael bay does n't know how to top himself .",
        "there 's less to this picture than meets the eye .",
        "if it 's true that there 's an 8-year-old boy inside every man , transformers is just the ticket to bring the kid out .",
        "surprisingly , bay actually subdues his usual , attention-deficit style for this sometimes rewarding , science-fiction action thriller .",
        "transformers is the comic-book movie on steroids , a fusion of sound and fury and sci-fi plotting that leaves plenty of room for a franchise .",
        "grab some popcorn and make a pit stop , then sit back and enjoy it . you signed up for a movie about giant robots .",
        "the script may have rubbery legs , but the action is rock-hard . the surprise is the lightness of touch : treat as a comedy for best results .",
        "there are sights on show here that i promise the likes of which you 'll have never seen .",
        "... bay and his team know what we want from a transformers movie : cool transformations , over-the-top chase sequences , and senseless destruction .",
        "a sensory attack that drives us into tiny little fetal balls on the ground , whimpering that we must have liked it because the car effects looked cool .",
        "without expectations i could sit back and enjoy the updated computer - generated nostalgia for what it was .",
        "just a whole tub o ' fun .",
        "i challenge you to name another movie about an alien robot come to save the world while disguised as a yellow camaro . is n't it just an intergalactic herbie the love bug ?",
        "films directed by michael bay are usually like being shouted at by a halfwit for two and a half hours , and transformers is no exception .",
        "eventually , though , the big metal things start talking and possessing names like optimus prime , ratchet , and bumblebee . this is the point that separates the men from the boy-geeks , and i just could n't make that leap .",
        "the film goes on and on , it is unbearably loud , and much of the dialogue is impossible to hear .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while believable characters are hard to come by in transformers , the effects are staggering and the action is exhilarating .",
    "id": "358177192"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1003033-brazil",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an energetically quirky social metaphor , political commentary and action/sci-fi farce all balled up into one outrageously enjoyable experience , provided you like the work of terry gilliam .",
        "gilliam crams the screen with such a proliferation of bizarre and comic details that you 'll want to revisit this particular nightmare again and again .",
        "inventive , prophetic black comedy ; lots of violence , mayhem .",
        "MOV is this unique amalgamation of ideas straight out of terry gilliam 's head that results in something so strange and so unique that it 's just genius with a conclusion that is undeniably haunting .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a stinging , strangelovian satire of the power of the bureaucracy in an orwellian landscape .",
        "MOV serves up one of the most breathtakingly imaginative worlds ever to be put on screen .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- darkly funny and truly visionary retro-futurist fantasy .",
        "influenced by kafka , orwell , and kubrick , gilliam 's darkly humorous futuristic satire is narratively flawed and excessive in many ways , but it displays its creator 's wildly vivid imagination and is intermittently witty .",
        "MOV -- a black comedy that remains ahead of its time -- is one of the most audacious fantasies ever made .",
        "MOV offers a chillingly hilarious vision of the near-future .",
        "not in everybody 's taste , but why risk missing one of the most brilliant science fiction movies ever made ?",
        "although the good outweighs the bad , the film is , nevertheless , one big muddle .",
        "MOV succeeds in painting an entertaining and chaotic picture of a nasty world where none of us would want to live .",
        "gilliam understood that all futuristic films end up quaintly evoking the naive past in which they were made , and turned the principle into a coherent comic aesthetic .",
        "everything that terry gilliam does seems to come in a peak . his movies tend to be a series of exhilarating , madding high points , and his method of dazzle can be exhausting and exasperating . but you never want him to stop .",
        "a glimmering hunk of fractured brilliance riddled with orwellian paranoia encased in a production design seemingly pieced together from the shared dreams of franz kakfa and salvador dali .",
        "contains some of the most clever lines ever .",
        "` imagination ' is this futuristic film 's middle name .",
        "fortunately the story of an alternative future is realised with such visual imagination and sparky humour that it 's only half way through that the plot 's weaknesses become apparent .",
        "brilliant all around ; gilliam at his peak",
        "celebrates imagination as the only escape from a bleak , ridiculous , and troubled world .",
        "a masterly film -lrb- and still one of the ten best films of the 1980s .",
        "terry gilliam 's ferociously creative black comedy is filled with wild tonal contrasts , swarming details , and unfettered visual invention -- every shot carries a charge of surprise and delight .",
        "the bleak MOV reaches for greatness but just falls short .",
        "if anyone ever doubts the visionary significance of terry gilliam 's once bright genius as a filmmaker of enormous depth and cynical humor , you need only to visit upon his career-topping 1985 masterpiece of surreal satire .",
        "gilliam 's orwellian vision is memorable and distinctive",
        "it has visual style and imagination to burn , but it 's the ideas behind it that make it a modern classic . .",
        "an intelligent , thought provoking , visually stunning film .",
        "for all its occasional long-windedness and visual dazzle , MOV may be the strangelove of the 1980s .",
        "very hard to follow .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this film is considered terry gilliam 's masterwork . i am inclined to agree .",
        "the most original movie of the past thirty years ; a triumph not only of brilliant filmmaking , but of the director 's desire to stay true to his vision .",
        "one of the greatest films of the century .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1985 -rrb- is from british director/co-screenwriter terry gilliam - a combination science-fiction , despairing black comedy and fantasy that combines elements of ...",
        "an imaginitive and haunting post-orwellian reimagining of 1984 .",
        "dense , complex , nightmarish , thought-provoking and ultimately shattering .",
        "hollywood is notoriously plagued by commercial incentive and a lack of art ; MOV is a rare success , particularly so because it is decidedly anti-commercial .",
        "a superb example of the power of comedy to underscore serious ideas , even solemn ones ."],
    "summary": "MOV , terry gilliam 's visionary orwellian fantasy , is an audacious dark comedy , filled with strange , imaginative visuals .",
    "id": "13466"
  },
  {
    "movie": "birdcage",
    "reviews":
     [
        "nathan lane , i would personally like to send you a big , fat kiss of admiration .",
        "an american remake with plenty of new pizazz .",
        "far less plastic than most cross-dressing comedies .",
        "it 's a rare event when a remake of a film rivals the greatness of the original .",
        "the beauty of the MOV is that its jokes and its message are one and the same . these characters could n't change themselves if they tried . and only a fool would want them to .",
        "MOV does a remarkably good job of delivering a movie that puts its own decided spin on the tale .",
        "-lsb- not -rsb- nearly as funny as it has been made out to be .",
        "pretty funny comedy from the days when williams did n't feel he had to be either a. totally charming or b. absolutely evil .",
        "it is not the broadway classic , but it 's ok . just for fun .",
        "shows no reason why it had to be made again .",
        "it does n't so much champion diversity as celebrate conformity .",
        "if you like to laugh and laugh hard , do n't miss this one . it 's a genuine hoot .",
        "broadly funny , with solid performances all around .",
        "broad and fairly belabored , but williams ' ceaseless energy , hackman 's dry wit , and azaria 's insanity save the day .",
        "a glossy miscalculation with nathan lane and robin williams .",
        "the MOV is a funny film , with terrific performances by headliners robin williams , as an aging gay man , and gene hackman and dianne wiest as an uptight conservative couple he hosts at a dinner party while trying to act straight .",
        "a bit of a letdown in some ways , the MOV nonetheless features some scene-stealing performances .",
        "basically , the movie 's an extended setup for a dinner-table comedy of errors , in which the mismatched relatives confront one another in a nerve-racking test of appearances .",
        "one of those rare motion pictures with side-splitting laughs where the humor never stays dormant for long .",
        "this movie is the definition of average . not bad , but not good .",
        "the interchanges and conversation are hilarious , and the comedy continues to build until the movie 's implausible but humorous end .",
        "this critic admired robin williams 's performance as well as some of the minor actors , but found the film 's depiction of gay people more insulting to them than funny .",
        "this feel-good family comedy with a twist is based on the 1978 french film la cage aux folles .",
        "what makes mike nichols ' version more than just a retread is good casting in the key roles , and a wicked screenplay by elaine may , who keeps the original story but adds little zingers here and there .",
        "the result is a nearly flavorless 118 minutes punctuated with a few hilarious scenes -- mostly owed to the physical comedy of stage actor nathan lane .",
        "robin williams plays off of a flaming nathan lane with delicious understatement and anchors a farce that moves along at a brisk pace-with or without heels .",
        "at its core , it is about human relationships . they 're extreme relationships , and they 're cross-wired to get an electric reaction , but they 're real characters nonetheless .",
        "the MOV grossed nearly $ 200 million worldwide in 1996 , and that is significant . box office mojo says it 's the highest grossing queer film of all time , though they 're not counting frozen and 300 , and they probably should .",
        "campy , comedic romp with lots of profanity .",
        "colourful , camp , beautifully acted and brimming with gags , mike nichols the MOV sits comfortably in hollywood 's canon of unchallenging , ` it 's ok to be gay ' films .",
        "this is n't the supreme masterpiece it might have been , but nichols 's direction is very polished and some of the lines and details are awfully funny .",
        "what might be a surprise , given the talents involved , is how relentlessly unfunny it is .",
        "it undoubtedly remains a genial crowd pleaser . if the dress fits , wear it .",
        "if the MOV is n't exactly the mike nichols-elaine may movie of our dreams , it does manage to transform what was formerly a campy bit of french fluff into one of the loopiest , most hysterical family-values movies ever made .",
        "the MOV is a scream ."],
    "summary": "mike nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from robin williams and nathan lane in this fun , if not quite essential , remake of the french comedy la cage aux folles .",
    "id": "12915"
  },
  {
    "movie": "up_in_the_air_2009",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's very enjoyable , if ultimately a little insubstantial for best picture glory .",
        "uma imensa evolu\u0437\u0433o por parte de reitman , que vem crescendo rapidamente como cineasta .",
        "it 's reitman 's whip-smart script , well-developed characters , and keen use of his actors that ultimately makes MOV the highly entertaining modern american classic that it is .",
        "not only is this a rare hollywood production that offers as much substance and panache as the cream of current us tv , i 'd go further and say its cynical wit almost places it in the billy wilder bracket .",
        "un film sobrio y ligero , a medio camino entre la comedia rom\u0431ntica y la mirada hacia lo cruel , c\u043dnico y competitivo que es el mundo del empleo en una econom\u043da en crisis . lo m\u0431s destacable es la actuaci\u0443n de george clooney .",
        "MOV is one of few movies to truly get with the times , and actually get it right .",
        "it 's a pleasure to watch an adult american comedy that tries to deal with the real world , however much of a fantasy it carves from it .",
        "in reitman 's care , still channelling the breezy , matter-of-fact perkiness of juno , it is an emphatic statement that hollywood can still make great movies ; a celebration that stardom can be as thrilling a concept as 3-d or cg or mooncalf vampires .",
        "there 's nothing too profound here , and yet it works well as a smart , light cosmopolitan comedy : it 's a snack , rather than a meal , but expertly made .",
        "a deliciously self-referential treat , and perhaps even -lsb- clooney 's -rsb- best movie yet .",
        "jason reitman 's satires are the gentlest kind , more interested in laughs than in getting hardcore or tough-minded about a message .",
        "jason reitman 's third film has the lifespan of a state-fair churro : tasty at the point of consumption , it congeals soon afterward into its component ingredients of sugar and lard .",
        "jason reitman does it again . although full of product placements , this dark comedy is surprisingly enjoyable , highlighted by anna kendrick , who made me laugh out loud .",
        "both funny and sad , life-affirming and , as with life , not always fair . fictional characters though they are , there is such an aching intimacy and resounding spontaneity to them that they seem real . it is bittersweet to have to say good-bye .",
        "this is reitman 's third film , and he has proven in each of them to be able to transcend gimmick and make it personal and then further transcend that and make it universal .",
        "a film that is one of the very best of the year and which officially launches reitman into the top ranks of major american filmmakers .",
        "rarely has a film spoken more effectively to something we all wonder at some point in our lives , usually more than once -- where am i going ?",
        "parental content review",
        "this is a great story well told , thanks to a deft script and brilliant performances .",
        "MOV has been shaped for clooney 's prodigious , slightly melancholy charm as a comic leading man . happily he has worthy sparring partners .",
        "hits the predictable beats of a belated coming-of-age story , but it 's exceedingly well accomplished , with a confident visual style light-years beyond juno 's functional setups .",
        "no director pulls off the bait-and-switch as craftily as jason reitman . he gets you thinking that you 're watching a hip , caustic comedy subverting the status quo , but by the end , he 's vindicated all the platitudes he seemed to scorn .",
        "MOV takes the trust people once had in their jobs and pulls out the rug . it is a film for this time .",
        "gasping for some reassuring bit of realism or bravery to permit a lasting impact . reitman lacks that special finesse , searching for an extraordinary pitch of melancholy , only to connect incomplete ideas with half-baked execution .",
        "with his third project it is now clear : jason reitman is our foremost maker of good-but-not-great films .",
        "every time we think we know what cliched path this movie 's about to follow , the smart storytelling confounds our expectations and veers off into less-traveled , and more recognizably human , territory .",
        "the picture is brushed with a fine glaze of slickness , a product sealed in a blister pack . it 's like airplane air -- it has a packaged freshness that is n't really fresh at all .",
        "a timely seriocomic work that manages to be breezy without once diminishing the sobering realities that constantly hover around the picture 's edges .",
        "... one of 2009 's best experiences , a narrative highway where every mile represents another revealing rest area , where each conversation pushes us closer to our formidable final destination .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- reitman pleases yet again . i look forward to seeing what else he 's capable of ...",
        "this crowd-pleaser is currently the frontrunner to win the oscar for best film of 2009 . the talented kendrick in a breakthrough role is the spark plug in this enterprise .",
        "a fresh , somewhat humorous and entertaining movie perfect for this time in our lives .",
        "jason reitman may just have the greatest , albeit mainstream , start any director has ever known . it 's another crowd-pleasing , great film .",
        "MOV ... flies the friendly skies of termination . given his style and tone in MOV , -lrb- director -rrb- jason reitman would make a good lobbyist for big pharma .",
        "timely hollywood dramedy about the human fallout over job loss during the current hectic economic times .",
        "anyone who has traveled for work , especially across the country 's heartland , will appreciate the view .",
        "what could be more perfectly in tune with the zeitgeist at the end of the ' 00s as a movie about a guy who 's job it is to fire people ? the best movie of 2009 .",
        "an assertively , and unapologetically , tidy package , from its use of romance to instill some drama into the narrative -lrb- the book introduces disease instead -rrb- and the mope-rock tunes that mr. reitman needlessly overuses .",
        "MOV is light and dark , hilarious and tragic , romantic and real . it 's everything that hollywood has forgotten how to do ; we 're blessed that jason reitman has remembered .",
        "a comedy that 's willing to be sad , a romance that 's ok with ambiguity and a timely corporate satire with far more than slash-and-burn mockery on its mind .",
        "reitman has an impeccable talent for tearing out the spine of a novel and transposing it to the big screen , streamlining and simplifying a literary work without dumbing it down .",
        "though it 's far from perfect , MOV is without a doubt jason reitman 's most mature film to date . in other words , it 's his least flawed . a filmmaker who is certainly in tune with his generation , reitman gives prominent roles to blackberry an",
        "witty , pertinent and moving , this is a sophisticated treat from a director who gets exponentially better with every picture . but it 's clooney that makes it soar with his most accomplished acting to date . think of this as his jerry maguire .",
        "while , certainly , capable of a dark humour and moments of extraordinary bleakness , it 's also commendable for another superb performance from clooney .",
        "as a portrait of recession-era america , and an examination of our humdrum working lives , i think it 's unrivalled in its wit , its authenticity and its asperity .",
        "MOV stays clear of genre clich\u00e9s , offering a satisfying hybrid of 1950s glamour , 70s realism and 21st-century attitude .",
        "a witty , often delightful , adult love story that deserves most of the oscar-love it will surely get . that it 's also glib will help rather than hinder its chances in march .",
        "this is a film of the american here and now , rooted in an on-the-go , technologically oriented society facing a crisis only survivable through genuine human connections .",
        "where thank you for smoking was perhaps too madcap and juno too wordy , MOV perfectly combines witty dialogue and set-pieces with real emotional connectivity from all three leads .",
        "funny , thought-provoking , uplifting and tragic , MOV is a first class comedy that 's not afraid to travel to some difficult destinations .",
        "ambitious -lsb- and -rsb- unnervingly timely .",
        "this is jason reitman 's first film since juno , and it 's easy to see why actors and audiences are attracted to his visual eye .",
        "george clooney revels in the role of his life in this unique and often brilliant mixture of topical drama , romantic comedy and corporate satire .",
        "delivering his killer one-liners with a gently raised eyebrow , clooney impresses at every turn and is fast becoming one of hollywood 's subtlest comedy actors .",
        "pleasant enough in the moment but maintains considerable distance from actually plumbing the raw emotions of its central subject .",
        "why , you 'd almost think that tyler durden had n't gone off on those rants of his ten years ago ... . ryan is jack 's smirking nonrevenge ...",
        "this is not the best movie of the year , not by a long shot . it is depressing from the start and never changes .",
        "too smart to be a solidly mainstream film , too trite to be an art film , MOV is perfectly , emptily middlebrow .",
        "... often hysterical , but most of the time the humor is low-key . and -- as in juno -- when the movie needs to be heartfelt , it 's genuinely heartfelt without being sappy .",
        "treats the wracking terror of living in today 's economy as the pretext for the kind of `` vapid man finds redemption '' story that was old hat when sound cinema was still a gimmick .",
        "jason reitman is america 's smartest young filmmaker .",
        "a very funny movie with a timeless message : you may not always have your job , so make sure it 's not the only thing in your life .",
        "at the center of it all , is george clooney in the role he seems born to have played -- a role he 's lived himself into .",
        "`` MOV , '' more than any film released this year , is tailored perfectly for its time .",
        "a smart and meaningful comedy for grown-ups , easily one of the best films of the year . ... it 's so sophisticated and enjoyable it should come in a martini glass .",
        "`` MOV '' belongs to clooney . he easily fits into a character who is at ease with himself and enjoys living a lifestyle in which he can go about unencumbered .",
        "one of the warmest , funniest , and most insightful movies of the year .",
        "topical , humorous , and moving , this savvy dramedy about corporate life in america should resonate across the classes ...",
        "MOV never cheats and delivers an almost perfect mix of humor , satire , and underplayed drama .",
        "now arriving at the main terminal is the movie of the year .",
        "for all the sharp one-liners and breezy visuals that sometimes suggest the film might be in danger of floating away into the ether , reitman remembers to add some weight to proceedings .",
        "as well as making a hugely entertaining and funny film , writer and director jason reitman gives us plenty to ponder and taps into timeless themes that will hit a resonant chord with most .",
        "writer-director jason reitman again shows he can mix comedy with the deeper emotional stuff . the soundtrack 's peppered with great choices . small but perfectly formed scenes abound . and the ending is totally unexpected - but totally apt .",
        "in a time of economic meltdown , it is pleasing to have a drama that animates the alienation all around us , asking questions about what life is really all about . the director does all of this , and we can be grateful . the film is a breeze to watch .",
        "t is a performance that could win -lsb- clooney -rsb- a best actor oscar in a film that is as warm and civilised as a welcoming bar on a bleak winter 's night .",
        "the film , written by reitman and sheldon turner , is consistently entertaining , though it coasts through a long middle and towards the end threatens to take a nose-dive into sentimentality .",
        "a brilliantly accomplished feat of self-contradiction . we have our cake , or candy box , and eat it .",
        "charming , funny and touching . a classic .",
        "director jason reitman has expanded his emotional range with this enchanting blend of ripped-from-the-headlines downsizing , romantic entanglements and mentoring .",
        "what a sophisticated dramedy is ` MOV . '",
        "an assured and layered film that 's neither drama nor comedy .",
        "i think that this is a classic in the making .",
        "this is one of those all-encompassing dramedies that makes you laugh , cry , contemplate life , hope for better times , believe in family % u2013 but it does n't stick with you after it 's over .",
        "the consummate bachelor , mr. clooney reflects just enough comfort in his own skin without teetering into arrogance , quietly amused by life 's idiosyncrasies .",
        "clooney is excellent , incidentally , in a role that must have hit home . `` you do n't want to get married ? '' his character is asked , and his reply is the same as clooney 's always is : `` nope . ''",
        "timeliness can be tricky to pull off convincingly in movies . it 's tough to capture an era while it 's still happening , yet MOV does so brilliantly , with wit and humanity .",
        "... it goes a long way to renewing our faith that movies can tackle grown-up comedy resonant with real-life dilemmas and tragedy , often beyond our ability to grasp or control .",
        "farmiga matches clooney 's rhythms perfectly , and watching these two glossy creatures circle and parry is one of the great cinematic pleasures of the year .",
        "boasting solid performances , this is a movie of the moment , but might be too close to home for some viewers .",
        "it seems to be struggling between populist and satirical impulses . but there are many , many moments it gets right and it 's an enjoyable , if minor entry in the year-end movie rush .",
        "adult dramedy taps into emotions of current tough times .",
        "clooney is an undeniable movie star , but this film reminds you that he is an actor .",
        "ryan is an antihero for these parlous times and , of course , since he 's played by clooney , we wait for him to redeem himself and become a full-fledged hero .",
        "reitman deserves credit for going through with a bitterly ironic ending , but the movie is marred by its warm condescension toward flyover country .",
        "jason reitman 's dry , moving `` comedy , '' based on the walter kirn novel , is a sly indictment of corporate america , marketing america and frequent flying america .",
        "by looking the displaced worker in the face the film handles a painful and timely subject with considerable grace ... nothing less than a requiem for the american dream .",
        "jason reitman 's coolly upbeat adaptation of walter kirn 's novel gives clooney a role which fits him as snugly as one of ryan 's interchangeable suits .",
        "MOV is engaging , by turns witty and serious , unpredictable and surprisingly moving . definitely recommended .",
        "there are n't that many mainstream directors who have the courage to allow you to indulge in slick hollywood escapism but are also prepared to pull the rug out from under you when you least expect it .",
        "-lsb- reitman -rsb- delves far beyond the obvious satirical targets to deliver a more mature , well-rounded tale about the emotional collateral of cold corporate plays .",
        "jason reitman 's slick romance is a studio movie that is a throwback to the sort of relevant and entertaining adult movies hollywood once turned out routinely .",
        "performances are really fine -- especially from the casually seductive farmiga -- and visually , it 's a blast , with eric steelberg 's camera capturing spectacular bird 's - eye views of american cities .",
        "MOV is so elegantly conceived and effortlessly accomplished in every department that reitman deserves to be regarded as one of the best in the business right now .",
        "how locations , production design , editing choices and shot compositions partner with ryan 's `` journey to self '' is masterful , as is reitman 's inclusion of real people who speak directly to camera about being retrenched .",
        "it 's the kind of hollywood picture they should make more often -- the kind that does n't insult your intelligence .",
        "MOV is mostly honest and sometimes raw . there is power in that kind of storytelling .",
        "reitman is a feverishly talented and meticulous filmmaker ; he 's also an unapologetically populist one .",
        "the increasingly slick reitman ... has the good sense to not slather every emotional beat in score and really seems to like his actresses .",
        "never before has clooney conveyed so much emotional depth , resulting in an unforgettable performance that 's commanding , charming , vulnerable and heartbreaking .",
        "well-crafted , well-acted and ambitious as MOV is , the movie 's third act taxies to nowhere .",
        "... a familiar premise that 's generally employed to better-than-average effect by reitman ...",
        "it deserves it and should stand up as one of 2009 's best pictures .",
        "i do n't know if MOV is a film for the ages , but at the nervy start of the new century , it certainly feels like the perfect film for our age .",
        "george clooney gives his most resonant and heartfelt oscar-caliber performance in reitman 's timely , sharply written social satire that deserves to be nominated in major oscar categories , including picture , director , actor , and two supporting actresses .",
        "smart , honest , quietly moving and funny with charismatic , lively performances and a witty screenplay .",
        "the picture is really one of a kind . and it 's virtually perfect .",
        "reitman possesses a flair for off-kilter scenarios , and he 's in fine form again , taking his triangulated principals -- ryan , alex , keener -- out of their comfort zones and into a more complicated geometry .",
        "few recent films have been so adroit at looking outward while burrowing inward .",
        "this bittersweet yet uplifting dramedy is writer-director jason reitman 's best work to date and a surefire oscar contender .",
        "mr. clooney is perfect in the role of ryan : aloof without seeming uncaring , roguish without being threatening , lost but with a veneer of control .",
        "reitman has given us a witty , elegant movie that is nonetheless , like its protagonist , somewhat aloof from the vicissitudes experienced by mere mortals .",
        "buoyant , timely and bittersweet , MOV finds reitman at cruising altitude , confidently in the same airspace once occupied by zeitgeist masters billy wilder and hal ashby . this is the year 's best film .",
        "as these lessons all come together , the film 's floaty , cool affect starts to come down to earth , the points and plot turning more conventional .",
        "this breezy and bittersweet drama carries dark resonance for a society caught in the middle of both recession and downsizing",
        "reitman packages MOV 's relevance with a delicately balanced mixture of comedy and tragedy",
        "the pitch-perfect direction by jason reitman perfectly balances comedy and drama .",
        "a totally dishonest movie and just what one might expect from director jason reitman who used to do tv commercials for wal-mart .",
        "a slickly engaging piece of lightweight existentialism highlighted by winning turns from george clooney and vera farmiga .",
        "between MOV and 2007 's michael clayton , it becomes glaringly apparent that no actor can carry a script-driven character study better than mr. clooney .",
        "off to the usual howling good start with the current master of sexy comedy `` MOV '' runs out of fuel towards the end and barely is able to make it to the terminal with message intact .",
        "it is odd that a film on such a painful subject in this economy can still entertain . perhaps the economy even helps it .",
        "it 's refreshing to hear characters that display some verbal dexterity and a script that moves cleverly along , entertaining us as it actually works to develop its characters and themes .",
        "the likeable rogue whose soul is redeemable is an eternally useful cinematic character , and george clooney is the ideal actor to play him .",
        "reitman 's film is far from being a masterpiece but he has succeeded in making MOV very much a film of its time .",
        "good performances are not enough to salvage this glib film from it 's own superciliousness .",
        "commitment , happiness and travel are the themes of jason reitman 's bitingly good film which looks at the life of a high flyer for whom express lanes , corporate clubs and frequent flyer miles are the ultimate thrill .",
        "MOV often looks like an american airlines commercial , and i would n't call it a feel-good movie per se , but there 's a certain satisfaction watching two snappy , beautiful people at the top of their form .",
        "short version : i loved it .",
        "populated by a handful of assured performances , MOV is first and foremost an actor 's movie .",
        "this is reitman 's third film , and i 've liked them all about the same : recommended with reservations .",
        "a movie about a guy who fires people , released at a time when at least a tenth of the work force is out of work , is utterly nervy . and wonderful .",
        "george clooney has never seemed more vulnerable or more in tune with a role than he does in MOV , a film that will be hard to beat for best picture come oscar time .",
        "it 's one of those rare mainstream hollywood pictures that addresses contemporary issues gracefully .",
        "shows the very growth and evolution that proves -lsb- reitman -rsb- is a filmmaker who will be with us , making quality films that leave us deeply moved , for a very long time .",
        "does it live up to the hype ? hell yeah !",
        "laughs and heartbreak meld seamlessly in this brilliant character drama .",
        "jason reitman 's direction nicely translates the seductive appeal of sterile public places while letting the assured performances do much of the work .",
        "the film catches a jet stream of thought-provoking whimsy and barrels through fatalist turbulence before landing in a rich catharsis .",
        "it 's hard to think of an actor who 's better at projecting the professional smoothness that 's essential to make this character palatable , but clooney turns out to be willing to take that persona further .",
        "one of the best films of 2009 with a bright , sassy , and relevant story about home , connections , unemployment , technology , and traveling light .",
        "director jason reitman is becoming like a fine wine . and in MOV , he has managed to pour a likely oscar contender on prescient subject matter while continuing to display his directorial range .",
        "great cast , smart writing , and a timely but touchy storyline make MOV a film you wo n't forget about the moment you leave the theater .",
        "i think it 's important to note the realities the movie portrays . racial stereotypes are still true at airports . we want to believe things are better , but they 're not . you still have to deal with the way things actually work .",
        "-lsb- jason -rsb- reitman 's most mature film to date is about as grown-up , smart and savvy a film as anyone could hope for from hollywood .",
        "hugely entertaining ... . reitman can turn bitter , unpalatable material into mainstream movies without stripping away all the bite",
        "no other picture captures contemporary angst like this timely , turbulent tale . without doubt , it 's one of the best pictures of the year .",
        "smart , sobering , and the perfect funhouse mirror of the zeitgeist",
        "it 's a timely tale of job loss and economic upheaval , at times hidden behind screwball-comedy dialogue . and it is n't perfect , but when it works -- which is most of the time -- it works like gangbusters .",
        "george clooney has an old-time movie star quality .",
        "it 's funny , it has heart , it has the courage of its convictions and , happily , it shows that jason reitman 's films may be worth watching for many years to come .",
        "one 2009 's best films .",
        "like juno , MOV conjures a troubling reality and then wishes it away .",
        "clooney has no peer at conveying suave , unflappable charm , but the role of ryan requires the actor to do something different with his persona : deflate the illusion and explore the emptiness beneath the cool .",
        "-lsb- its -rsb- themes are n't necessarily original , but MOV knows how to package them well , adultly , soberly , with its dependable script and performances .",
        "this movie has great things to say about the vitality of human connection and how to be a better traveler through life , but it mercifully does it with no message and a somehow satisfying lack of resolution .",
        "a solid adult comedy-drama , with lead characters sturdy enough to have been played by cary grant and bette davis in another era , and actors confident and talented enough not to be humiliated by the comparison .",
        "this sharply honed script does n't mince words , while sticking it to clooney 's corporate hitman . along with the genius move of hiring real people who 've been fired , proving that you do n't have to be an actor to dazzle and devastate audiences in a movie .",
        "a down-to-earth look at 21st century dating habits in this no-strings age of friends with benefits .",
        "jason reitman 's MOV had me thinking that i have n't seen a young filmmaker with such astute command of hollywood craft since steven spielberg .",
        "funny and poignant tale similar to director jason reitman 's two earlier efforts , thank you for smoking and juno , but more mature , less snarky .",
        "only seriously deluded people could enjoy reitman 's funny-sad whiplash . he 's playing that same hollywood game : keeping people ignorant of political economy .",
        "MOV succeeds because it does n't take itself that seriously and it 's not interested in trying to explain obvious truths to the rest of us plebeians . it just wants to show a moment of fundamental change in a man 's life .",
        "sometimes , it suggests , you can fly 10 million miles but never really go anywhere at all .",
        "there is perhaps no film that represents the present better ...",
        "one of the warmest and most entertaining films of this or any year , which is saying something considering it 's about a man who fires people for a living .",
        "this is a likable film , with likable actors and a breezy , pleasant pace . if you 're not paying close attention , you 'd almost miss that this film is a crock . but it is . it 's an elegant con .",
        "by far reitman 's most accomplished film to date , both in terms of craft and its stealth avoidance of typical hollywood flight patterns ...",
        "vibrantly witty and exceptionally delivered",
        "even though the film finally turns out to be yet another hollywood fairy tale , at least it speaks the truth about our great recession .",
        "an ideal bittersweet adult comedy sleekly directed by jason reitman about life during recession . clooney achieves an emotional level that breaks new ground for him . oscars ?",
        "once again , reitman the screenwriter gives reitman the director an excuse to ponder the spaces between us and the ties that bind . or do n't .",
        "incisive and occasionally sad , this captured the zeitgeist of the late-zeroes ' tectonically shifting economics . but jason reitman 's generous , rich , rewarding tragicomedy of occupational dissatisfaction will still wow viewers even after -lrb- hopeful -rrb- recovery .",
        "just when you start to wonder where the surprise twists will happen , reitman defies conventional storytelling .",
        "if reitman 's first two films were triples , this is a home run .",
        "hay tantos \u00e1ngulos desde donde se puede hablar de esta cinta - responsabilidad social , management , internet , matrimonio , soledad % u2026 - que est\u00e1 desde ya , destinada a convertirse en un cl\u00e1sico .",
        "as much as it is a comedy in the classic tracy/hepburn mold , `` MOV '' is very much a drama of the moment .",
        "one of the pleasures of the film is watching jason reitman blossom into a filmmaker light years ahead of the one who made the underwhelming thank you for smoking and the overly self-conscious juno .",
        "companionship . independence . loyalty . flyer miles . all are a part of the life of george clooney 's corporate downsizer in the timely , and timeless , MOV .",
        "one-word reaction : bravo .",
        "MOV is so funny , so consistently surprising and so emotionally in-touch that it could have only been crafted by one of the most soulful directors working today .",
        "one of the things that makes george clooney a great movie star is that he 's always letting us know just how much fun he 's having being george clooney .",
        "life happens ... live it one day at a time and connect to whomever you can , even if it 's the person losing their job sitting right across from you .",
        "reitman further perfects his sharp , funny , and affecting seriocomic style in crafting films that wildly entertain in the moment and then linger long in the mind and heart .",
        "george clooney is thoroughly likeable as the amusingly callous ray - even watching him at the heart-breaking job of terminating folk en-masse is fun , but it is the women that give the film its heart .",
        "hugely enjoyable , well written comedy-drama that delivers a powerful emotional kick , thanks to terrific performances and strong chemistry between clooney and farmiga .",
        "clooney -- slim , dark , perfectly tailored -- glamorizes insincerity in a way that makes you want to go out and lie .",
        "george clooney 's deliberately ambiguous character ryan bingham is a poster boy for america 's lack of ethical direction in a thought-provoking satire that does n't swing its hammer of simmering revolution hard enough .",
        "a story about uncertain times .",
        "gently devastating , MOV is a movie of great grace and modest aspirations that plays as dry comedy but resounds with tragic gravity .",
        "life 's contradictions are MOV .",
        "clooney had a great year , and his stellar work here is the capper .",
        "do n't let a premise that sounds as boring as a corporate board meeting keep you from catching what may be the year 's best movie .",
        "today , this story of people who are hired to fire other people brings a timely punch to the gut that , almost by accident , adds a resonance that 's hard to shake .",
        "director jason reitman brings such splendid balance and nuance to bingham 's story that you ca n't hate the man ; indeed you end up pitying him .",
        "clooney is perfect , nothing more be said . `` MOV '' is the best film of the year : smart , funny and well-directed . get connected with this film , it 's worth it . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "as a send-up of both technology and the myth of the happy bachelor , ` MOV ' is fly .",
        "the kind of feel-good film about bad news that has been winning oscars for decades .",
        "it 's a lean and economical film about a lean and economical time . the only things it is rich in are empathy and compassion .",
        "as serious as it is funny , as substantial as it is breezy , MOV is an astonishing balancing act from writer/director jason reitman .",
        "the acting ensemble is good , top to bottom . clooney might be playing a thinly veiled version of himself here , but he 's well-matched with farmiga , who brings some needed warmth and sex appeal .",
        "an unromantic comedy with a social content on the side in order to provide the ballast of `` importance . ''",
        "clooney , reitman both soar with the richly satisfying MOV",
        "nobody plays the guilty corporate insider better than clooney . let him through . he 's got a titanium ticket .",
        "ryan bingham , michael clayton , mr. fox - these are guys who have what could be called the clooney conscience .",
        "george clooney knows all the travel secrets , all right . and not just the ones he uses to bypass every woman 's homeland security .",
        "reitman wants to have his cake and eat it , too .",
        "from taxi to touchdown , reitman knows how to get us to the next destination .",
        "reitman proves with MOV that the sky 's the limit for his career - he has proven with his three films to be one of the premiere directors of his generation .",
        "smart , sexy , funny and poignant ... flies high on the old-fashioned virtues of intelligence , wit and cleverness -- with a dollop of seriousness added to the mix .",
        "one of the best films of the year .",
        "the film has been lauded for being very of the moment in its treatment of massive corporate layoffs , but where it truly shines ... is how it details the importance of a personal touch .",
        "MOV is not only a funny , satirical delight as well as a beautifully crafted thoughtful observation on society , but it is also refreshingly different , and a film that prompts a second viewing even as you enjoy the first ride .",
        "umjesto romanti % u010dne komedije film vi % u0161e odgovara % u017eanrovskom okviru mrtva % u010dki ozbiljne egzistencijalne drame",
        "the year 's sharpest film -- but it may not speak to everyone .",
        "moderately amusing comedy . nothing special despite the surrounding hoopla .",
        "at its best when it finds humour and sadness in the grey areas between what is traditionally `` right '' and `` wrong '' .",
        "well-polished bull **** at best , manifest of nothing less than everything wrong with america today .",
        "think what you will of it , the movie says a number of different things to a number of different people .",
        "MOV is a well-intentioned hollywood product with a message about the value of human connections . but it mistakes glibness for wit and charm for irreverence .",
        "with this deft , witty , smart and soulful film , reitman establishes himself as a modern purveyor of the same cinematic tradition as frank capra and preston sturges .",
        "the first great dramedy of 2010 .",
        "a well-acted piece about a man 's inability to cope with a world more real than the one he lives .",
        "the ensemble acting works smoothly , and the dialog and editing move the narrative along a well paced 109 minute route .",
        "MOV is a timeless movie that 's utterly of its time -- a movie of humor , heart and mind .",
        "the tension between the bleak and the blithe , the prime source of this movie 's strength , is sustained by reitman to the end .",
        "reitman , who also cowrote the screenplay , feels the constant need to `` deepen '' his characters , granting them wants and motivations -- especially during the moralistic third act -- that are totally alien to how they 're initially portrayed .",
        "the highest compliment for MOV is it 's not looking back on this era of insanity , ineptitude , and seesawing hope . instead , this magnificent film has captured , with nonstop laughter and a few tears , our times while they 're actually happening .",
        "nobody gets offended , nothing gets questioned , the crowd goes home properly cheered .",
        "i do n't know if it 's the best movie of the year , but it 's the most utterly enjoyable .",
        "a lovely hollywood romance that floats buoyantly along on a sea of sadness .",
        "it would be easy to make ryan a louse or a hero who just needs a bit of armor polish . clooney makes ryan both ruthless and sympathetic .",
        "how often can you fault a wonderful comedy for an excess of humanity or plausibility ?",
        "MOV is actually several good movies -- a workplace comedy , romantic comedy , and family comedy -- seated on the same flight in the same aisle . they all feel forced together .",
        "the film glides to a perfect landing , leaving several characters changed , one coldly untouched and nothing MOV at all -- except , perhaps , the question of what this very talented crew is going to do next .",
        "... -lsb- an -rsb- observation , and that is the many parallels between `` MOV '' and alexander payne 's `` about schmidt . '' i for one would much rather see the gifted younger reitman under the influence of payne than diablo cody dialogue .",
        "hands down , one of the best films of 2009 . anna kendrick steals the show in jason reitman 's best film to date .",
        "there are many easy jokes here , and they do n't always jibe well with the recurrent spectacle of bingham and natalie 's interviewees getting their lives cut apart one after the other .",
        "clooney has found a role he fits into so comfortably , that he might be mix his post-oscar cocktail with two one-ounce bottles of grey goose .",
        "in its funny , rueful way , MOV touches contemporary american notes few hollywood movies acknowledge .",
        "one of the year 's very best films from one of hollywood 's very best young directors .",
        "perhaps only george clooney could make getting fired sound like a positive development .",
        "quite possibly the sweetest movie you 're going to see about corporate layoffs",
        "i 'd like to see reitman step away from his usual schtick and try to delve more deeply into his character 's souls : the surface is stylishly done , but MOV 's underbelly is strangely and unfulfillingly hollow .",
        "MOV exists at the perfect intersection of snappish fun , modulated gravity and sociocultural relevance , which makes for a funny and poignant work that arrives at all its emotional moments honestly .",
        "... clooney delivers a performance for the ages ...",
        "there 's a slickness and calculation to the tone and texture , but it 's closely wedded to the story and it 's awfully well done . even if you doubt the film 's sincerity , you ca n't deny its skill .",
        "MOV is n't a challenging picture , certainly not a transportive one , but it is a well-crafted entertainment made for and about adults . sometimes , well , that 's good enough .",
        "a perfect end to the 1st decade of the 21st century . tech advances have created hermits of us all , heads bent over smartphones and screens , blue-toothed in the face . we , too , are cushioned in clouds ; all somewhat MOV .",
        "of every film that came out this year , i did n't see a single one more assured , more confident , more utterly comfortable in its own skin than MOV .",
        "clooney is great in this . they are all terrific . vera farmiga just gets better in every role she pays .",
        "MOV is firmly rooted in contemporary life -- and , to its great credit , it does n't pull its punches in the end .",
        "what begins as a surprisingly successful mixture of michael clayton and intolerable cruelty eventually skirts uncomfortably close to the as-yet-unfilmed epilogue to planes , trains and automobiles .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "led by charismatic performances by its three leads , director jason reitman delivers a smart blend of humor and emotion with just enough edge for mainstream audiences .",
    "id": "770790933"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1017712-robocop",
    "reviews":
     [
        "smart , satirical and nefariously vicious , this is easily one of the finest sci-fi flicks of the 1980s .",
        "ultraviolent sci-fi that meets its goals",
        "whatever may have been in the minds of the writers , edward neumeier and michael miner , has more trouble emerging from mr. verhoeven 's sizzling battles than poor murphy does from his robosuit .",
        "an ultra-violent cyberpunk comic book come to life . kurtwood smith serves up one of the most deliciously nasty villains in movie history .",
        "deals with reagan 's mad vision of a bellicose , secretive consumer wonderland as the city on the hill .",
        "MOV set the tone for much of dutch auteur import paul verhoeven 's career in america .",
        "MOV is weighed down by its humor , action , and abundant special effects ; its humanity is its distinguishing trait .",
        "somehow the more violence that the director shows , the less real it becomes .",
        "prime science fiction .",
        "the 25-year-old flick still feels as if it was made tomorrow .",
        "more intelligent than the usual action-packed sci-fier .",
        "a sci-fi action film with a silly title that turned out to be a biting satire of big business practices .",
        "a sardonic but perfectly-realised depiction of a mayhem-fuelled near future .",
        "when the law-enforcing MOV cleans up corrupt motown , his victory is satisfying because he 's got machinery and morals on his side . MOV is where high-tech meets high noon .",
        "like the tormented figure at its center , this movie combines the mechanical with the human . and though much of the film is made up of spare parts from cop shows , exploitation flicks and comic books , it nevertheless comes to life .",
        "as the years pass , MOV seems more prescient than ever .",
        "an extremely well-made , often humorous comic book revenge fantasy with an underlying subtext of constant satirical jabs at american corporate domination",
        "MOV is as tightly worked as a film can be , not a moment or line wasted .",
        "MOV may sound like another bubble-gum science fiction techno-blaster , but it ` s more than that . do n`t let the title fool you .",
        "it 's verhoeven 's scabrous dissection of american social issues , trashy sitcom culture and corporate greed that makes this comic-book opus a subversive and thought-provoking edge-of-the-seat treat .",
        "verhoeven 's strong suits have always been visual energy and a rabelaisan realism : a gutsy , jovial way of ripping through social systems .",
        "MOV relies for most of its impact -- and , more disturbingly , for much of its comedy -- on an absurd exaggeration of physical force .",
        "paul verhoeven on blockbuster explosions like douglas sirk on lachrymose households",
        "a perfect version of the thing it sets out to be , one of the most intellectual and propulsive of all '80s action films .",
        "paul verhoeven 's glorious sci-fi satire combines searing social comedy with some of the most graphic ultra-violence ever to grace legitimate cinema .",
        "great effects and a nasty undercurrent drive this vehicle .",
        "the story amounts to a celebration of brute force in a crudely etched law-and-order context .",
        "it proceeds from a vision , and it takes that vision seriously . it ends up being moving -- and for a comic book of a movie , that 's no small achievement .",
        "one of the smartest , funniest and most exciting satires of the year . and the ravages of time have barely touched it .",
        "`` MOV '' is an action buffs dream - larger than life robots , inexorable villains , cartoonish template and jaw-dropping special effects",
        "... a genuine classic , a unique blend of violence , humor , poignancy , and imagination .",
        "... a surprisingly smart and funny satire that just gets sharper as the years go by .",
        "there 's a brooding , agonized quality to the violence that almost seems subversive , as if verhoeven were both appalled and fascinated by his complicity in the toxic action rot .",
        "though extremely violent , MOV showcases an invigorating style even in its goriest scenes . paul verhoeven makes every scene sparkle with tilted angles , oddball twists , and special-effects wonders .",
        "a graphically violent sci-fi actioner -lrb- especially in its uncut version -rrb- with verhoeven 's now trademark demented sense of humor . the scenes with the ed-209 will blow you away .",
        "vile , violent , and very funny . the pace is breakneck , and when the wit does run out , way-out weaponry and whole-scale destruction keep the appalled excitement burning .",
        "great sci-fi action . gory , satirical and thrilling .",
        "sort of amusing in a smart-alecky way .",
        "most thriller and special-effects movies come right off the assembly line ... MOV is a thriller with a difference .",
        "the plot is supremely cliched .",
        "... verhoeven strives for bloodcurdling , darkly comic eloquence . he gives us heart with the hardware . savagery with smarts .",
        "manic , fast-paced and outrageous , MOV is a classic of its genre . do n't miss it -- even if you ca n't really stomach violence : it is a glorious comic book come to life .",
        "one of those rare movies that manage to be funny and entertaining , yet thought-provoking and dead serious at the same time .",
        "... MOV is one weird and entertaining hybrid of camp and sci-fi shoot - 'em - up .",
        "MOV is a strangely perverse pleasure . who would expect such a rattletrap concoction to emerge as this summer 's sleeper ?",
        "the idea is that in a techno-capitalist world , acting like a decent human being means mechanizing whole chunks of yourself and shutting off your emotional despair"],
    "summary": "while over-the-top and gory , MOV is also a surprisingly smart sci-fi flick that uses ultraviolence to disguise its satire of american culture .",
    "id": "18016"
  },
  {
    "movie": "spirited_away",
    "reviews":
     [
        "creative beyond all reason or expectation , this deserving winner of the best animated feature oscar is a phenomenal achievement .",
        "the imagery is rich , colorful and imaginative -- as you 'd expect from miyazaki .",
        "a rich and fantastic world awaits us in this extraordinary film from hayao miyazaki -lrb- and a crew of thousands -rrb- , through which our little heroine has to progress and learn responsibility amidst great dangers and fearsome spirits .",
        "a wierd and fulfilling fantasy , chalk full of inspired transporting imagery , crucial to the success of animated films but in short supply of late .",
        "it 's weird , wonderful , and not necessarily for kids .",
        "taking a page from `` alice in wonderland '' seems to have helped .",
        "it 's the sort of film that gives rise to the awed question , ` how did he do that ? '",
        "as soft and strange as a dream .",
        "repeatedly reminded me of the later oz books , with chihiro 's dorothyesque role in a surreal and perilous fantasy land .",
        "it 's a wonderful example of traditional japanese anime , and a flat-out terrific film .",
        "it 's easy to get lost amid the flow , as characters transform and magical powers emerge and disappear without warning .",
        "a work of beauty with a surprising capacity to be cute and cunning .",
        "this instant classic spins a web that will snare anyone with an imagination .",
        "i might as well just come out and say it : MOV is the best movie i 've seen all year .",
        "a movie full of bewitching images and timeless fun and beauty .",
        "not as visually awesome as ` princess mononoke , ' but more appealing to youngsters . a wonderful combination of simplicity and spectacle .",
        "nothing short of wonderful with its ten-year-old female protagonist and its steadfast refusal to set up a dualistic battle between good and evil .",
        "a triumph of psychological depth and artistic brilliance .",
        "it 's a beautiful experience , nearly perfect with a fragile flowing fluid score .",
        "kudos to the most enchanting film of the year .",
        "an epic film of very bizarre proportions ... kinda like a japanese acid trip , but without the drugs .",
        "yes , MOV is a triumph of imagination , but it 's also a failure of storytelling .",
        "... its visual style is remarkably beauteous and its creative touches abundantly imaginative .",
        "an explosion of original artwork , weird characters and thought-provoking action",
        "i could hardly wait for the next plot twist or astonishing set piece , not to mention what visual magic miyazaki still had up his sleeve -lrb- and he has plenty ! -rrb- .",
        "the most enchanting thing about miyazaki 's work is his desire to do just that -- enchant .",
        "another classic movie from the master of japanese animation .",
        "much of what makes the film work lies in the combination of its small touches and emotionalism , making it something more than a film for people who like to get stoned and go watch freaky animation -lrb- though it almost certainly works on that level , too -rrb- .",
        "i hate to gush in the first sentence of a review , but i absolutely love this film .",
        "one of the greatest animated films ever made .",
        "like a combination of ` the wizard of oz ' and ` alice in wonderland ' retold by a clever storyteller who incorporates his own details , twists and bits of humor into the plot .",
        "a lovely , evocative tour de force .",
        "a two-hour feast of visual imagination , consistently rendered at the highest level of graphic art .",
        "it 's easy to give this one credit for the mind-blowing creativity , but i ca n't recommend this to anyone who 's not already a fan of miyazaki or mind-expanding drugs ... it 's just not going to translate .",
        "combines some wonderfully imaginative visuals with a plot that , to put it charitably , will seem loony to most american viewers .",
        "when animators go to animator heaven , they will probably view drawings of the caliber of those in sprited away .",
        "an amazing piece of work .",
        "even the worst miyazaki picture is a remarkable achievement , and MOV is one of his better films .",
        "plot here takes a backseat to set pieces that flow into each other like a glorious stream of consciousness .",
        "wow .",
        "MOV is every bit as captivating for its sheer graphic power as it is for its message of go-get - 'em - girl power .",
        "MOV transcends masterpiece status . composed of layer upon layer , it creates its own terminology .",
        "a genuinely magical experience that both adults and children will enjoy . see it -- you 'll be glad you did .",
        "\u00e9 como se david lynch tivesse dirigido sua pr\u00f3pria vers\u0103o de alice no pa\u00eds das maravilhas .",
        "can at best be described as a surreal blend of alice in wonderland and the wizard of oz",
        "miyazaki conf\u00eda en la inteligencia del p\u00fablico y en su capacidad de asombro , y ambas cosas las pone a prueba constantemente en este viaje extraordinario donde todo , cualquier cosa , puede pasar en cualquier momento .",
        "the wonders never stop .",
        "one of the most impressive animated features of this year , or any other .",
        "even if cg cartoons come to dominate japan as they do much of the world , there 's a corner of the animation field that will be forever miyazaki .",
        "even though disney released this film , MOV points up just how by-the-numbers the studio 's fare can be .",
        "there 's a sense of delicacy , and artfulness , in the tone and in the magic . the 10-year-olds who see this like to be scared , but they wo n't have nightmares days afterward .",
        "what separates miyazaki 's animation from everyone else 's is the way he imagines his worlds .",
        "to call this film inventive is to grossly understate its accomplishment .",
        "creating a rare story-world that follows a consistent logic yet allows for most anything to happen , miyazaki again proves himself to be more genii than filmmaker .",
        "a cultural wildcard experience : wacky , different , unusual , even nutty .",
        "like old myths and wonder tales spun afresh .",
        "MOV has the quality of a dream : it takes you places so foreign and fantastic you have no option but to yield completely to it and be spirited along .",
        "this animated adventure from genre superstar hayao miyazaki has spirit to spare .",
        "MOV is too intense for the youngest viewers , but teenagers will enjoy it -- an ill-smelling ` stink-god ' character is almost worthy of a kevin smith gross-out movie -- and grown-ups should find it diverting , if not exactly deep .",
        "hayao miyazaki 's breathtakingly beautiful and poetic MOV -- a japanese cross between alice in wonderland and the wizard of oz -- is such a landmark in animation that labeling it a masterpiece almost seems inadequate .",
        "MOV delivers chunks of yellow submarine and the phantom tollbooth -- a vividly timeless oddity suitable for many children and most stoners .",
        "hayao miyazaki may be one of japan 's leading animators , but in his new film , miyazaki 's MOV , he also envelops you in a wondrous landscape of archetypal magic .",
        "this is one of the year 's best films .",
        "MOV is one of the most richly imaginative and visually spectacular films you will see this year .",
        "i spent two hours staring at the screen in utter amazement .",
        "has an unfortunate animistic sensibility , seeing gods and spirits in all things ... the most striking thing about MOV , however , is its arresting visuals .",
        "a fractured , knotted story about adjusting to new surroundings and having courage in the face of peril .",
        "think you 're too hip for japanese anime about a lost ten-year-old girl whose parents turn into snorting pigs ? get over it .",
        "miyazaki has created a complete , complex world with this film , and it 's certainly a magical journey . very , very good entertainment .",
        "despite a dip midway through , this is a captivating fantasy that sets a new benchmark for animation .",
        "initially seems like a through the looking-glass fantasy , but rapidly picks up a resonance , weight and complexity that make it all but shakespearean .",
        "i struggled to find the source of imperfection in this film",
        "far and away the best film i 've seen this year .",
        "not instructive , as disney is , and not aloof , like anime . MOV is fun without being a lesson , and it welcomes you in .",
        "` mostrando un profundo respeto por el mundo espiritual , miyazaki logra una verdadera joya de la animaci\u00f3n que a veces raya en lo po\u00e9tico '",
        "it races along with the speed of a bullet train , visiting weird , enchanted places the likes of which have never been seen before .",
        "a film not to miss .",
        "a must-see for japanamation fans , anyone familiar with japanese folklore , or anyone sick of the boring stories that typically accompany american animation .",
        "every scene brings a new set of wonders to delight and sometimes stagger the mind",
        "the magic -lrb- and original running time -rrb- of ace japanimator hayao miyazaki 's MOV survives intact in bv 's re-voiced version .",
        "the spark of special anime magic here is unmistakable and hard to resist .",
        "the film is not recommended for toddlers and easily frightened little tykes . but for everyone else , kid or grown-up , this thrilling foray into magical realms is a must .",
        "a haunting and indelible fable that warms the chilly soul of japanese anime and points the way for its american sponsor .",
        "a marriage between the power of mononoke and the lively pop-pop-pop of his film my friend totoro .",
        "writing about a film like MOV is n't about regurgitating information out for those who know little about it , but more of an experience in reminiscing .",
        "if you 're dispirited by look-alike , sound-alike , think-alike movies , disturbed by an art form that seems not only to tolerate , but also to reward a paucity of imagination , you 're not going to believe your luck .",
        "this english-language version ... does full honor to miyazaki 's teeming and often unsettling landscape , and to the conflicted complexity of his characters .",
        "what it does have is the same kind of free-floating , imaginative animation , taking wing for even wilder flights of fantasy .",
        "artful but not arty , MOV is a handcrafted cartoon , as personal as an utamaro painting , yet its breadth and heart give it an appeal that should touch american viewers of all ages .",
        "this one is an event , a huge accomplishment in the world of traditional animation and a powerful rebuttal to the notion that films for children must be simplistic and visually dull .",
        "chihiro 's escapades do n't always proceed one from the other , but let yourself go and you 'll be swept away as well .",
        "the impressive watercolour backgrounds and intense focus on the smallest details make MOV more than a kid 's flick . it will grab hold and impress , amaze and entertain before letting you go .",
        "MOV is unquestionably the best animated feature since brad bird 's the iron giant .",
        "part alice in wonderland and part hansel and gretel ...",
        "knock me down with a feather , it turns out to be terrific ; maybe not a masterpiece , but certainly aglitter with invention , excitement and a mysterious kind of wit .",
        "vivid , amusing and genuinely awe-inspiring .",
        "writer-director hayao miyazaki , who previously made the impressive princess mononoke , has created a wonderfully bizarre world filled with a gallery of creepy , and some not so-creepy , characters .",
        "full of riches , thematic and visual , and the best way to understand them is simply to watch the film and take it all in .",
        "magnificent , spellbinding movie has a bit of edge .",
        "enchanting and impressively crafted .",
        "... a gorgeously animated yet sporadically entertaining endeavor that is n't quite the instant classic one might 've expected ...",
        "magical is a word used casually about films like this , films about fantasy and childhood . yet this one really does deserve it .",
        "filmgoers of all ages should not pass up the opportunity to experience such a work of staggering imagination .",
        "i went nuts over this movie .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV exalts the young girl chihiro 's uncanny experiences into an adventure that is as thrillingly ambiguous as it is vividly soundtracked and illustrated .",
        "MOV is wonderful .",
        "this persistently fascinating if slightly over-long fairytale is propelled by the seemingly boundless imagination of writer-director hayao miyazaki .",
        "it almost goes without saying that the animation is jaw dropping .",
        "miyazaki understands the magic disney intended , and he elevates it to a higher realm of dreamy , worldly mysticism that is appealing to children of all ages and temperaments .",
        "miyazaki has provided another triumph , and , in the midst of the quality fall-off of disney 's in-house animated projects , a reason for animation-lovers to rejoice .",
        "the shape-shifting creatures might be a little too imaginative for traditional audiences to get their heads around .",
        "a smashing technical achievement coming out against greed , gluttony , and pre-adolescent whining .",
        "watching MOV is like watching an eastern imagination explode .",
        "miyazaki seems to have an inexhaustible supply of ideas to fill the screen and to fill screen time .",
        "this fantastically weird cartoon is definitely one of the most intriguing movies of the year .",
        "has few rivals as a work of visual imagination .",
        "miyazaki is one of world cinema 's most wondrously gifted artists and storytellers .",
        "MOV has much to say about many worthy things : the life of the spirit , materialist greed , the importance of words , the power of love .",
        "anything but your regular ` toon , it 's a -lrb- literally -rrb- fantastic experience .",
        "it 's an amazing work , filled with a visual intelligence that 's meticulously composed and obscenely clever .",
        "miyazaki 's luminescent , gorgeously realized world is relatively safe for children , but it also acknowledges blood , pain , dread , and death in ways that other animated films would n't dare .",
        "the result is nothing less than magical , a throwback to the very best of early disney . if i ca n't remember the last time i was this enchanted by an animated film , it 's because i was too young .",
        "to watch MOV feels like a special gift . it is a film of such startling imagination , originality , intelligence , and emotion that i feel inexplicable joy when the opening title card fades in .",
        "MOV is a masterwork , the latest and best in a long line from japan 's premieranimator .",
        "watching the japanese cartoon epic MOV is like strolling into alice 's wonderland and seeing every wonder sprout up around you as if for the first time .",
        "at times it 's even vaguely reminiscent of the wizard of oz , only as if illustrated by hieronymus bosch . it 's wonderful .",
        "director hayao miyazaki 's insistence on hand-drawn graphics gives the cgi visuals an ethereal charm that ensures the story is always a pleasure to behold , even during its rare moments of inaction .",
        "there is a force of visual rapture in MOV .",
        "packed with strange beings amid painterly settings , MOV delivers one of the most colorful fantasy worlds since the similarly surreal yellow submarine .",
        "miyazaki , the master animator and director of the enchanting kiki 's delivery service and princess mononoke , leads us through the looking glass as never before in MOV .",
        "the colors , textures , and settings are impressively beautiful , and the overall effect is mystical and magical , familiar and dreamlike .",
        "at its heart and most importantly , MOV concerns a little girl learning to honour her friends and her family by valuing herself .",
        "has the mythic quality and the familiarity of great children 's literature .",
        "that the story sometimes makes not a lick of sense is among its virtues , imparting as it does the exhilarating feeling that anything can happen .",
        "a breathtakingly magical animated fable that lifts your spirits and carries you away to a world far beyond your wildest imagination .",
        "at the almost-two-hour mark , the film , which seems poised to keep going with yet another bravura sequence of magic , suddenly wraps everything up really fast .",
        "visually imaginative , thematically instructive and thoroughly delightful , it takes us on a roller-coaster ride from innocence to experience without even a hint of that typical kiddie-flick sentimentality .",
        "a feast for lovers of animation .",
        "the version you 'll see has been well dubbed .",
        "miyazaki floods the screen with beautiful scenes and enough fascinating creatures to put pokemon to shame .",
        "miyazaki ... conjures up worlds that are wondrously bizarre yet follow their own peculiar logic .",
        "this gorgeous epic is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the whole family .",
        "as surreal as a dream and as detailed as a photograph , as visually dexterous as it is at times imaginatively overwhelming .",
        "that rare movie that has the emotional and psychological depth to match its stunning surface .",
        "MOV is a wonderous tale for grade schoolers that never condescends or spoon feeds its themes . miyazaki 's characters and situations are so engaging that he can condemn greed and environmental negligence without ever sermonizing .",
        "let 's keep it simple : miyazaki is a genius , and this film is a masterpiece ; go see it .",
        "` alice in wonderland meets the east ... taking full advantage of the complex powers of anime and its freedom to go wherever the mind can imagine . '",
        "to say that miyazaki 's intelligent , painstaking , hand-crafted anime is magical , dazzling and brilliant is an understatement - it 's incomparable , ingenious and inventive - just watch for a win at osca-time !",
        "an exquisitely formed , flawlessly executed masterwork ... as sheerly imaginative and groundbreakingly wondrous as any animated motion picture you are sure to have seen .",
        "a true work of art from one of our greatest living filmmakers .",
        "... brilliant in its imagery and astonishing in its creativity . many films are billed as voyages into fantasy , but this one actually delivers .",
        "in scene after scene , MOV unleashes so much wonder and visual imagination that you end up watching the movie in a state of rapturous , awestruck bliss .",
        "it 's perplexing but always enthralling .",
        "one of -lsb- miyazaki 's -rsb- finest .",
        "la cinta animada m\u00e1s hermosa que he visto jam\u00e1s .",
        "prepare to be MOV by this amazing animated film .",
        "filled with haunting imagery , subtly rendered characters and an emotional core absent from most anime , MOV is a rich cinematic experience , a story that reads like direct translation of the director 's dream ...",
        "MOV conjures up a beautiful , diverse , richly envisioned tale that constantly delights ... even when it verges on the limits of coherence .",
        "we are thrust into a kaleidoscopic wonderland for more than two hours , quite long for an animated film . there 's enough adventure and jeopardy in this film to fill five films of this nature .",
        "it 's a bloody shame that the anime film with the strongest theatrical push i can remember has to be this one .",
        "miyazaki 's nonstop images are so stunning , and his imagination so vivid , that the only possible complaint you could have about MOV is that there is no rest period , no timeout .",
        "sorry , y' all -- i give up .",
        "children may not understand everything that happens -- i 'm not sure even miyazaki himself does -- but they will almost certainly be fascinated , and undoubtedly delighted .",
        "the closest american counterpart to MOV is alice in wonderland , but no analogy will fully prepare you .",
        "an animation landmark as monumental as disney 's 1937 breakthrough snow white and the seven dwarfs .",
        "for all its slapstick and even the occasional gross-out gag , MOV is an animated film whose major delights are also its subtlest .",
        "although anime features are n't all the rage in a majority of american movie theaters , MOV should be a legitimate excuse to change this pending sentiment .",
        "miyazaki has created such a vibrant , colorful world , it 's almost impossible not to be swept away by the sheer beauty of his images .",
        "steeped in lore and unabashedly surreal , the film is just charming enough for children and just bizarre enough for adults -- a perfect balance .",
        "this is one heck of a movie , and one can see why it made all that money in japan .",
        "genius and nothing but -- that 's what miyazaki means .",
        "an animated film that is among the most delightful , imaginative stories i 've seen all year .",
        "MOV is a trip , in the literal , metaphorical and indeed lysergic senses of that word .",
        "` alice 's adventure through the looking glass and into zombie-land ' is filled with strange and wonderful creatures .",
        "even when MOV follows the easy route , with true love as the solvent to most problems , it 's so jam-packed with spectacular images , sights , and sounds that it conjures up a million dreams you 've had -lrb- lovely , awesome , and terrifying -rrb- and tra",
        "something akin to a japanese alice through the looking glass , except that it seems to take itself far more seriously .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- MOV is -rsb- the most deeply and mysteriously satisfying animated feature to come along in ages ."],
    "summary": "MOV is a dazzling , enchanting , and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them .",
    "id": "10065"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_lord_of_the_rings_the_fellowship_of_the_ring",
    "reviews":
     [
        "back in the '60s , college geeks used to wear t-shirts proclaiming ` gandalf lives . ' after watching ian mckellen 's marvelous performance , i 'm inclined to agree .",
        "not since excalibur have i been this impressed by a sword and sorcery epic .",
        "triumphantly successful ... long but never dull , filled with incident but surprisingly clear , and even at some points quite affecting .",
        "it enchants and enthralls .",
        "only the most ardent purists will object to any deletions and compressions wrought in the page-to-screen transfer .",
        "when it 's not stopping your heart , it 's breaking it , filling it or lightening it .",
        "a perfect blend of action and fantasy , of special effects and thoughtful storytelling , and , in a time when the two seem anything but mutually exclusive , blockbuster juggernaut and arthouse darling .",
        "it would be an insult to say the picture merely lives up to its hype ; it crashes the meaning of hype , exposing it as the graven image it is .",
        "the fellowship of the ring resembles from certain angles nothing so much as a 178-minute electric mandolin solo .",
        "for once , here 's a gigantic-budget movie that wears its outsized grandiosity well and lives up to its hype and ambition .",
        "there are moments in the fellowship of the ring that i have only seen in my most winsome and wildest fantasies .",
        "thrilling -- a great picture , a triumphant picture , a joyfully conceived work of cinema .",
        "it 's obvious that the editors were hard pressed to leave any of this splendid film on the cutting room floor . lucky for us .",
        "... the latest unavoidable cultural wonderment",
        "my only complaint about installment number one of the trilogy is that i have to wait for so long for the rest .",
        "it reaches down your mouth and rips out your throat .",
        "such an engrossing picture that you completely lose track of the time and the 3 hour running length just flies by .",
        "there 's a certain majesty to fellowship of the ring , but it 's not the majesty of stylish photography or elegant production design . it 's a majesty that can only be put on-screen by filmmakers who truly feel the material with which they are working .",
        "it pulls the viewer into the heat of battle and makes him believe that the fate of the earth rests on the small shoulders -lrb- and furry feet -rrb- of an ordinary person .",
        "for all of its good choices , there 's something deeply wanting about jackson 's vision",
        "the impossible dream of tolkien fans has come true , and the beauty , majesty , and genius of tolkien 's world is at last fully realized .",
        "the franchise cometh .",
        "as a feat of sheer endurance and courage , the fellowship of the ring is astonishing . as an achievement in filmmaking it 's triumphant .",
        "maybe it 's too early to criticize the trilogy when we 're just getting started . however , if this signals the direction the series is going to go , i 'm not sure if i care to find out what happens to frodo , sauron and those pesky golden rings .",
        "no other movie this year has provided as many ` i ca n't believe what i 'm seeing ' moments .",
        "the trouble is , much the same sort of battle-scene repeats itself every 20 minutes or so ; only the environments and the monsters inhabiting them are changed . technically wonderful ? yes , but oh so monotonous !",
        "fellowship is exciting for two hours . how many other movies can you say that about ?",
        "a movie that engages the heart and mind and actually makes you anticipate the next chapter .",
        "leaves us with an implicit promise that the next two movies will be more formally exciting and emotionally engaging .",
        "featuring amazing performances on nearly all counts , deft action and stunning cinematography , rings is the kind of adventure we do n't see every year .",
        "a well-crafted and sometimes stirring adventure .",
        "at this point , i have no negative criticism to offer . i am speechless .",
        "not since the original star wars trilogy has film dipped into myth and emerged with the kind of weight and heft seen in peter jackson 's first installment of j.r.r. tolkien 's lord of the rings trilogy .",
        "the one thing that strikes me most about lotr : fotr , besides its seductively masterful and majestic elegance , is simply how utterly right it is .",
        "whatever it is that makes great movies stand apart from great theater or great literature , this film has it .",
        "endless close-ups of wood 's icy eyes and repeated zooms on the golden ring fail to draw us in to what 's supposed to be a riveting quest .",
        "an extraordinary work , grandly conceived , brilliantly executed and wildly entertaining .",
        "despite certain stumbles and fumbles , jackson has captured something of the depth , breadth , and melancholy grandeur of tolkien 's vision .",
        "jackson 's vision of middle-earth is worthy of tolkien , and there 's probably no better compliment one could pay the film .",
        "not since gone with the wind more than 60 years ago has a movie held up as well to the original book .",
        "the result is not just a faithful transcription of a classic , but a wondrous reimagining of one .",
        "jackson ... handles the proceedings with both a flair for operatic grandeur and a respect for intimacy .",
        "one movie to rule the box office .",
        "jackson 's adaptation is certainly successful on its own terms .",
        "putting formula blockbusters to shame , fellowship is impeccably cast and constructed with both care and passion .",
        "in unveiling the holy grail for action-fantasy aficionados , director and co-writer peter jackson has begun a series to rival star wars in the pantheon .",
        "the sets and special effects are near flawless .",
        "what gave the film its greatest strength was its cast , in particular elijah wood .",
        "jackson ... conjures the most potent major-motion-picture magic in years .",
        "thankfully , if the audience has the patience , the film is good enough to warrant watching again .",
        "... the project could n't have made me happier . -lrb- extended edition -rrb-",
        "i loved it and i suggest you watch it , too .",
        "a stunning adventure story realized with genuine artistic flair .",
        "it 's full of scenic splendors with a fine sense of scale , but its narrative thrust seems relatively pro forma , and i was bored by the battle scenes .",
        "i 'm positive that when all three have been released , we 'll be looking at a complete , inspiring epic from peter jackson . but we 're only a third of the way there .",
        "the bar has been raised , and the world of film entertainment will hereinafter be better for it .",
        "maybe by his second year in hogwarts , harry potter will learn the trick to making a movie this good but do n't bet on it . it 's one of the best films of the year .",
        "mckellen plays gandalf and , truth be told , his performance is worth more to the success of the film than all the effects , visual and aural , combined .",
        "you can get gloriously lost in this .",
        "the special effects are stunning .",
        "the production design is a marvel , and the special effects are dazzling .",
        "becomes breathless in a way that even tolkien could n't manage ; the second half feels like the kind of grand action picture we 'd been missing all year .",
        "if crouching tiger , hidden dragon was the citizen kane of martial arts films , the lord of the rings does the same thing for the fantasy quest genre .",
        "the real deal , a movie epic that pops your eyes out , piles on thrills and fun , and yet stays intimately attuned to character .",
        "jackson 's films are sure to take the `` star wars '' mantle as beloved mythic epic for a new generation .",
        "definitely an epic undertaking , long with intermittent brazen fight scenes",
        "the good news is that jackson follows the book pretty faithfully .",
        "for those of you who , like me , were disappointed by harry potter , new line has the perfect answer : the lord of the rings .",
        "... a slightly better-than-average fantasy flick .",
        "what could have been a monumental failure has become one of the greatest examples of how to bring a classic book to the screen .",
        "once you 've got your breath back one thought will prove hard to escape : george lucas might have a few sleepless nights between now and 2003 .",
        "only jackson would have conceived of having a dwarf , in the middle of battle , declare ` nobody tosses a dwarf ! ' and only jackson could have gotten away with it .",
        "everyone on screen is all exercised about frodo 's mission , but after three hours it 's hard to see why anyone in the audience should be .",
        "tolkien 's world explodes onto the screen in vibrant , brooding , beautiful life .",
        "it is imaginative , fierce , even thrilling in spots . nevertheless , as the curtain comes down , the credits should read game over , not the end .",
        "director peter jackson 's awesome three hour film , seeming like half the time , is the handsomest fantasy film ever made . -lrb- published 12-22-01 -rrb-",
        "the filmmakers have shown great respect for their source material . i was moved by jackson 's passionate , caring , and human portrayals of these characters and dramas .",
        "it 's finally here . the adaptation of the first installment from j.r.r. tolkien 's `` the lord of the rings '' series , and all i have to say is , `` wow . ''",
        "it could not have been more of a masterpiece if tolkien had directed it himself .",
        "it 's a collection of spectacular set pieces without any sense of momentum driving them into one another . the damn thing just goes on and on .",
        "does manage to recreate in the viewer 's mind those powerful , fantastical images of the magical land of middle-earth .",
        "if you 've managed to elude tolkien 's siren call over the years , this is your chance to catch up and fall for it once and for all .",
        "we are left with frodo paddling across a lake on his way to the second film . i do n't know about you , but i can hardly wait .",
        "for newcomers , the movie , with its well chosen cast , extraordinary settings and impressive battle choreography goes far in explaining the hold this work has had on legions of readers .",
        "this is a cult book from yesterday that makes a popular film for today ...",
        "remarkably , and perhaps because of a fusion of images that are generic , imaginative , and by-the-book , the fellowship of the ring really does look how the book ` should '",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- t goes on forever .",
        "the greatest fantasy epic of all time .",
        "boasts breathtaking images and , thanks to mr. tolkien , a story that 's second to none .",
        "it has real passion , real emotion , real terror , and a tactile sense of evil .",
        "so well-made and well-cast that one can have no reservations about the rest of jackson 's monumental creation .",
        "you think harry potter had expectations ?",
        "there is little doubt that those who grab the rings at the start will anxiously await frodo 's trip into ever more perilous territory a year hence .",
        "funny , scary and , totally involving , peter jackson 's assured adaptation of jrr tolkien 's the lord of the rings turns the book 's least screen-worthy volume into a gripping and powerful adventure movie .",
        "stunning , but you see one battle and you 've seen 'em all .",
        "it delivers a heavy load of adventure , spectacle , and beauty , three hours with too many delights to list , all for the price of a standard film ticket .",
        "this is a sweeping epic of a film , which also manages to remain rooted in the personal dramas of its central characters .",
        "captures both the grandness and the intimacy of tolkien 's masterwork .",
        "this remarkable film appeals to the hero in us all .",
        "get thee to a theater and see what everyone is talking about !",
        "anyone with an extra pocket calculator may as well hand it over right now . call me a freak , call me a geek , but i really enjoyed this movie .",
        "the movie year 's most compelling thrill ride .",
        "as an allegory of war and world dominance , ring is weighty stuff , and jackson gives it appropriate resonance .",
        "spectacular scenery , stupefying effects and epic scope ... a dream come true .",
        "an accomplished movie for everyone who ever longed to hit the road and who welcomes adventure .",
        "brilliant -- in every way .",
        "tolkien completists wo n't find any of this overkill , but for those uninitiates among us , less is more is still a dictum worth heeding .",
        "you can almost hear a maniacal , frizzy-haired peter jackson screaming `` behold ! '' from behind the screen .",
        "a marvel . director peter jackson 's exuberance is evident in nearly every frame .",
        "it 's just a fantasy tale some would insist . probably so , but i 'm obviously not the only one that takes it too seriously .",
        "the best compliment i can pay the film is this : i 'm looking forward to the next two installments .",
        "a jaw-droppingly successful film adaptation ... stunning on every level",
        "an extremely entertaining introduction to tolkien 's trilogy .",
        "a wholeheartedly innovative , heartfelt , entertaining feast for the eyes .",
        "casual moviegoers should enjoy it and die-hard lotr fans should be sufficiently pleased with the final result .",
        "grand cinema , as director / co-writer peter jackson has struck a skilful balance between story , characters , visual images and action .",
        "it 's to jackson 's credit that the saga leaves viewers panting for more .",
        "an epic movie of a once-in-a-lifetime sort .",
        "visually striking , thematically poignant , and morally weighty , the first film of lord of the rings is superb .",
        "director peter jackson has not only attempted the most ambitious film project in modern cinema history , he 's pulled it off with a breathtaking mixture of nerve and verve , too .",
        "oodles of technical talent are no substitute for plain old inspiration . jackson has been working on the rings project for years , and somewhere along the way his reverence for tolkien appears to have intimidated his imagination .",
        "if fellowship has n't rescued an otherwise dreadful year , it at least gives us something to look forward to -- same time , next year .",
        "against all odds in an era of machine-made spectaculars , mr. jackson and his collaborators have created a film epic that lives and breathes , that 's swept by almost palpable weather -lrb- much of it stormy -rrb- .",
        "masterfully paced , the movie builds slowly , introducing the mythology , habitats and lifestyles of tolkien 's creatures .",
        "`` fellowship '' bears well the burden of exposition and character introduction , and also features two of the series ' best action setpieces - not just visual-effects reels , but trials by fire of the camaraderie among this ragamuffin band of brothers .",
        "fabulous , but also violent and scary .",
        "for sheer scale and ambition , fellowship is one of those rare films that actually deserve to be called ` a triumph . '",
        "it is remarkably well made ... too bad it was n't equally entertaining .",
        "an excellent film and a ripping yarn of a movie .",
        "sr. . jackson : vaya valor ! -lrb- vaya par ... ! -rrb- , y vaya logro ! ... la espera ser larga pero usted la ha hecho vlida ...",
        "when the awe on the characters ' faces is mirrored on your own you know you 're in the presence of a film that makes an objective assessment redundant .",
        "though the pace slackens here and there , it is always gorgeous to look at and intelligently acted .",
        "i left exhausted , happy , intoxicated .",
        "the most entertaining fantasy/adventure movie since excalibur .",
        "die hard fans have to wear double layers of diapers to survive their enthusiasm watching this . it speaks volumes about how jackson has touched the heart of the book .",
        "i 'm chimed to see it again and am hanging for the next one . jackson 's not only done it , he 's created cinematic history too .",
        "forget harry potter : this is what the fantasy epic is all about !",
        "jackson has ... adapted the complex world of j.r.r. tolkien 's imagination for the screen , maintaining fidelity to tolkien while never losing sight of his own artistry",
        "there is no doubt that it 's worth seeing , and yes , i 'm looking forward to the sequels .",
        "it 's a satisfying adaptation .",
        "the worst aspect to fellowship is the fact that we must wait another year before the next film . i may have to take up reading tolkien !",
        "i ca n't help it . i was just bored of the rings .",
        "the fellowship of the rings delivers like fedex and ups only dream of .",
        "if we 're not careful , peter jackson 's the lord of the rings could give hype a good name .",
        "in a word -- wonderful !",
        "by the time its three hours were over , i found myself out of breath .",
        "a fantasy achievement where the action , the characters and the message are equally strong . most importantly , it leaves us hungry for the two towers .",
        "the first part of the long-awaited trilogy is here , and kiwi director jackson somehow manages to exceed expectations with one of the most astonishing action epics in memory .",
        ". . i still came away empty , wanting more . i was expecting something that i could get lost in but instead found myself wading through some things that were less than satisfactory .",
        "middle-earth is a real world from the first reel on , thanks to incredible special effects woven seamlessly with great storytelling .",
        "prueba fehaciente de que la creatividad y el empe\u0144o de su director son m\u00e1s que sobrados .",
        "what a great story . what a great approach . what a great film .",
        "this is fantasy at its richest and most vivid . the eyes are nearly overwhelmed by the bone-crushing beasts , fiery pits , the emerald-green forests and purple-blue skies that spin across the screen .",
        "whether you 're a fan or ca n't tell a hobbit from lorena bobbitt , you 're bound to enjoy this film 's three hours of escapism .",
        "a nerve-jangling , pictorially beautiful , mostly engrossing phantasmagoria of ghouls and warriors , oozing ambitions and towering dark castles , waylaid only by an occasional dip into the bog of exposition .",
        "one of the best films to be released in the past ten years .",
        "not since lawrence of arabia have we seen such an epic saga of adventure and heroism .",
        "an adventure sure to satisfy both the fans of j.r.r. tolkien 's classic and those neophytes who have never turned one of its pages .",
        "a marvellous way to begin an adventure .",
        "using rollercoaster pacing , jackson milks the three-hour running time for all it 's worth , the peaks and valleys of the adventure giving the characters , particularly frodo , time to develop while allowing the audience time to catch its breath .",
        "a fully-realized epic .",
        "an experience audiences are unlikely to forget .",
        "the lengthy story 's nipped and tucked without missing any meat .",
        "an audience looking for a star wars-like fix , albeit with wands and rings instead of light sabres , is sure to offer a healthy return .",
        "its ability to take audiences to a completely different land and time may remind them of how they felt when they saw star wars or the wizard of oz for the first time .",
        "this lord reigns .",
        "here , at long last , is an epic adventure that 's worthy of its source .",
        "good , but not as great as many have proclaimed .",
        "this is destined to be the best trilogy since the first three `` star wars '' wowed audiences of all ages a quarter of a century ago -- and i saw that movie 100 times that summer .",
        "jackson was undeniably the right choice for the material . he exceeds all reasonable expectations in crossing the book over . the epic literary journey becomes a cinematic event .",
        "sadly , once you 've seen it , everything else will seem anti-climactic .",
        "\u0155s vezes , 5 estrelas n\u0103o s\u0103o o bastante .",
        "jackson 's offbeat sensibility is relatively muted here , but it does n't hurt the film much , nor does the film feel at all impersonal .",
        "this film affirms my faith in the medium .",
        "` here are beauties that pierce like swords or burn like cold iron ; here is a -lsb- film -rsb- that will break your heart . '",
        "the only thing worse than a bad movie that thinks it is good is a three hour long bad movie that thinks it is good .",
        "a film of incredible vision and surprising emotional involvement -- a rich tapestry of old-fashioned storytelling and modern-day technical marvels . an instant classic .",
        "rings is a breathtaking piece of filmmaking .",
        "nearly a half century after the lord of the rings was published , film technology finally caught up to bring the magic to the screen .",
        "a towering achievement .",
        "watching it , one ca n't help but get the impression that everyone involved was steeped in tolkien 's work , loved the book , treasured it and took care not to break a cherished thing in it .",
        "in the end , the lord of the rings : the fellowship of the ring succeeds as the event blockbuster that it was so clearly designed to be .",
        "certainly the most rousing and ambitious adventure film of many years and bodes well for the future of the tolkien fan .",
        "even if you 're not a fantasy fan , the fellowship of the ring has everything you could want in almost any kind of film . it is joyous , mythic , elegiac and , most importantly , cinematic .",
        "visually , then , lotr -- the first of three annual cinematic installments devoted to the quest of the ruling ring -- is a feast .",
        "it does have one major fault : it will just kill you when you emerge from the theater and realize that it will be a whole year until the next installment in jackson 's tolkien trilogy appears .",
        "genuinely transporting .",
        "with this production , jackson has used the lord of the rings to re-invent fantasy for the cinema in the same way that the novel provided the blueprint for the written word .",
        "all this plays like a giant game of myst , with ring 's mythical characters never making the leap from virtual reality to real .",
        "the new zealander director peter jackson , who wrote the screenplay with fran walsh and philippa boyens , works with enough dramatic tension and pictorial grandeur to sustain us through long periods of complicated exposition and heavy bouts of swordplay .",
        "visually , grant major 's production design and the cgi effects are amazing .",
        "jackson 's flights of fantasy bow before tokien and are quite unlike anything you are likely to ever see on film .",
        "to wait that long -lsb- for the next installments -rsb- is to feel like a child whose father has closed a beloved book at bedtime and refuses to finish reading it for a whole year .",
        "every frame of fellowship bursts with finesse and imagination , demonstrating what miracles a moviemaker can accomplish with his head , hands and heart fully engaged .",
        "a solid start to the three-part adventure .",
        "an ambitious and generally enjoyable film , especially for those who might desire a little more narrative coherence and depth than harry potter and the sorcerer 's stone has to offer .",
        "i have no serious criticisms . the film does full justice to tolkien , who has often -- and erroneously -- been accused of escapism .",
        "the fellowship of the ring is an unqualified triumph . more , please .",
        "most ambitiously , this rousing adventure closes with an ending that 's closer in spirit to an art-house film than a popcorn holiday romp .",
        "it 's hard to imagine any but the most nit-picky and dogmatic being disappointed by this epic , lovingly crafted movie .",
        "only someone with a pathological aversion to fantasy could fail to be absorbed and transported by this stunning , sincere and frequently terrifying adaptation .",
        "this is n't some happy , kid-friendly adventure -- it 's the story of how an entire world is plunged into war .",
        "the fellowship of the ring is a movie masterpiece thrilling , passionate and wise .",
        "an enthusiastic visionary set loose on one of the biggest playgrounds ever constructed , jackson brings more personality to the series ' first installment , the fellowship of the ring , than typically seeps into a franchise of this magnitude .",
        "impeccably cast , superbly acted , brilliantly directed and looking fabulous , it is safe to say that it has been worth the wait , with director jackson -lrb- himself a fan -rrb- unquestionably the right man for the job .",
        "i hope the next two episodes are better .",
        "to borrow an icon from another legend of english origin , this is the holy grail . the big one has finally been delivered to us , and it is a beautiful thing indeed .",
        "probably the best comment i could give it is that after sitting through the first three hours , i would have happily sat through another five .",
        "that such a bold , inventive artist has embraced the challenge of telling frodo 's story is cause for celebration .",
        "i realized that despite its flaws , the film had won me over .",
        "the bulk of thanks should really go to peter jackson , who has obviously lavished much love on this project with respect for the source material .",
        "nothing less than a masterpiece of art and integrity , capturing with vast magnitude the grandeur , majesty , and surreal whimsy of tolkien 's mythical middle-earth .",
        "dark , windswept , thrilling , funny and emotional .",
        "it will be remembered because its strengths tower over its faults . it will be remembered because it places story above all else . and it will be remembered because it 's an epic in an era of the ordinary .",
        "an utterly beguiling feast for eyes , pulses and minds .",
        "jackson gets more feeling into fellowship than he did with his previous films .",
        "storytelling in the grandest homeric tradition .",
        "the sights are ga-ga , but the storytelling gets fairly turgid .",
        "battle-scene overkill aside , there 's no denying the eye-popping majesty of jackson 's epic spectacle .",
        "jackson evokes an almost palpable sense of the will to power trapped within the ring .",
        "nothing i have ever seen or read could have prepared me for what i have just seen .",
        "the copious action sequences are kinetic and thrilling while the exposition scenes and ` character moments ' are wonderfully free of anything resembling ` camp ' .",
        "jackson 's film feels like an honest attempt to use the power of cinema to engage the imagination and senses in deep-ranging and seriously engaged myth .",
        "made with intelligence , imagination , passion and skill , propulsively paced and shot through with an aged-in-oak sense of wonder ."],
    "summary": "full of eye-popping special effects , and featuring a pitch-perfect cast , the lord of the rings : the fellowship of the ring brings j.r.r. tolkien 's classic to vivid life .",
    "id": "12769"
  },
  {
    "movie": "inside_man",
    "reviews":
     [
        "nobody 's on automatic here , least of all the director , who 's probably delivered the most impersonal -- but smoothly hollywood-style professional -- movie of his career .",
        "if MOV is n't the best movie lee has done , it 's probably the most purely exciting and enjoyable .",
        "this is a filmmaker who has something to say , and knows how to say it . as creative rebirths go , it 's a lot more fun than you might expect .",
        "viewers may be surprised at the smoothness with which the frequently bombastic spike lee navigates the mainstream .",
        "the geometric precision with which this clever puzzle is laid out produces a picture whose sum exceeds its sometimes wayward parts .",
        "as MOV works its way toward its satisfying finale , lee trusts that we 're smart enough to work some things out for ourselves .",
        "if any old director-for-hire had made MOV it would have been a pretty good thriller . but spike lee makes it into something extraordinary .",
        "a deft , tense , pure thriller , the movie has great star turns and is brilliantly directed , but it began as an extremely well-crated screenplay by russell gewirtz .",
        "the climax does n't just spell out every surprise plot turn , but italicizes and underlines them too , and then puts to use a yellow highlighter for solid measure .",
        "-lsb- lee 's -rsb- most complete picture in over a decade .",
        "a police drama on the surface , MOV exudes wit and sophistication and challenges an audience to guess at the",
        "the filmmaker seems to be patting himself on the back for being so smart to put this heist pic over without playing by the rules of the genre .",
        "it has real tension and yet finds places to interject a little humor ... it 's not your average heist movie or cop flick .",
        "above all , the aural soundscape of this film is outstanding , from the sound recording and editing to the inspired score by terence blanchard .",
        "the pacing is a bit slow , but the mystery pulls you through it .",
        "MOV offers an intriguing yarn that explores power and ethnicity with snappy humor .",
        "undistinguished but entertaining .",
        "straightforward , solid bank heist thriller that 's filled with stylish patter and moral ambiguity .",
        "even past the midway point , it 's all working -- it 's taut , it 's funny , it 's trenchant , it 's stylish . and then it is n't .",
        "um filme tenso e intrigante que , al\u00e9m de contar com personagens interessantes , confere cores novas ao surrado subg\u0119nero `` assalto a banco '' .",
        "exceptionally well written with clever twists and witty dialogue by first-time screenwriter russell gewirtz , MOV is adroitly executed by director spike lee .",
        "there 's a hidden agenda at play in MOV , the thrilling new heist film that is spike lee 's most accessible and exciting mainstream film in at least a decade .",
        "MOV is adult , contemporary , and completely relaxed .",
        "MOV marries some ingenious caper ideas to lee 's superb feel for ethnic politics .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this one 's a spike-for-hire affair , a case of a flashy director juicing up a first-time screenwriter 's efforts .",
        "lee has created a truly original film from various shopworn genre clich\u00e9 , chief among them , the new york city bank heist/hostage standoff gone awry .",
        "it 's certainly a spike lee film , but no spike lee joint . still , he 's delivered a pacy , vigorous and frequently masterful take on a well-worn genre .",
        "here is a thriller that 's curiously reluctant to get to the payoff , and when it does , we see why : we ca n't accept the motive and method of the bank robbery , we ca n't believe in one character and ca n't understand another .",
        "the most entertaining thriller to come out of hollywood in a long while .",
        "lee lends tremendous energy to this tale of criminals who take over a new york city bank .",
        "as a spike lee joint , this heist-and-hostage yarn blows some vivid rings but it lacks kick .",
        "MOV has an abundance of riches .",
        "MOV is a potboiler , but an intriguing one ; perhaps lee should go hollywood more often .",
        "MOV is an exercise in showy , cynical hollowness .",
        "it 's a winning contrast of styles as lee orchestrates one scene after another to contrast owen 's steely resolve , washington 's trained swagger and foster 's venomous insinuation .",
        "hugely entertaining , the film strikes a near-flawless balance between sly pop-culture allusions and the details of how business gets done under pressure .",
        "as unexpected as some of its plot twists is the fact that this unapologetic genre movie was directed by spike lee , who has never sold himself as mr. entertainment . but here it is , a spike lee joint that 's downright fun .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- wily thriller , which revitalizes a familiar premise by turning it inside out .",
        "an enjoyable , polished thriller , ideal for friday night entertainment .",
        "MOV is the spike lee film for people who do n't go to see spike lee films , and it 's also a fun treat for people who see everything the man does .",
        "since bankrupting his film production company with dreadful movies like `` bamboozled '' and `` he hate me '' spike lee now works as a hollywood gun-for-hire creating a blas\u00e9 and muddy suspense police drama .",
        "with great performances by washington , ejiofor , and owen , this is a bank robbery thriller that will keep you in your seat .",
        "... remains consistently watchable as a mechanical exercise .",
        "a limp ride that , for all the shove of the camera and the grabby intimations of buried corruption , is no different from a john mctiernan joint",
        "an intelligent , invigoratingly airtight caper and a love letter to new york on crumpled , coffee-stained paper , `` MOV '' is the best kind of spike lee joint - one where he does n't stumble over his sledgehammer before swinging it .",
        "the lack of characterization of the robbers , while true to the structure of the story , makes it seem a bit flat . at the end of the day , it 's not really about anything ; it 's just a bunch of stuff that happens . but it 's a bunch of stuff that 's fun to watch .",
        "MOV is the sort of movie that makes you think . the big star heist thriller is coiled in tricky turns of plot .",
        "lee has fun with his camera tricks , tossing in a few side comments about new york 's polyglot racial makeup , and creating smart cat-and-mouse moments for his actors .",
        "... if ` MOV ' benefits more from lee than he does from it , at least moviegoers come out ahead in the bargain .",
        "intercutting post-robbery interrogation scenes with the action at hand , makes MOV a substantial and satisfying affair .",
        "although there are tons of holes to step in , you ca n't help but to want to like this movie .",
        "do n't be misled by the hyped-up trailers for MOV : this is not your average nail-biter of a heist flick , but a clever and witty throwback to the character-driven crime dramas of the 1970s .",
        "lee seems less interested in scoring easy sociological points than ratcheting up the stakes of gewirtz 's cunning heist scenario , which offers little in the way of wiggle room for latecomers .",
        "it 's time to rethink spike . after several films that felt like wheel-spinning , he pops up at a big studio with MOV , his most broadly effective film since 1995 's clockers .",
        "it 's a leisurely stroll through the caper genre , with twists aplenty .",
        "it 's a solid piece of work , likely to result in what could be lee 's biggest hollywood payday .",
        "one of the better heist films of the last decade .",
        "supremely annoying and nonsensical .",
        "the apotheosis of its genre , honing the heist siege flick to the perfection of a diamond . see it , and be dazzled .",
        "with a few notable exceptions , there 's little of mr. lee 's trademark style anywhere to be seen . and he is sorely missed .",
        "-lsb- lee -rsb- nails the irritable yet alive soul of new york -- particularly , now , new york post-9 / 11 -- better than anyone else .",
        "the movie bristles with life with the meeting of people from different races . it 's a spike lee joint after all , and it 's at its most entertaining when reflecting these tensions .",
        "yes , lee did a contract job -- but that does n't mean he slapped his coat of paint onto someone else 's house .",
        "this is the fourth time that lee has directed washington , and they have become as great a team as robert deniro and martin scorsese .",
        "it 's okay , if you like investing two hours in a whodunit only to discover that a butler who was barely in the picture did it .",
        "a hugely entertaining heist film , with a refreshingly straightforward plot , excellent characters , and just the right amount of spike 's snarky class/racial digs .",
        "un policial interesante y algo original , con comentario socio-pol\u00edtico incluido . al final le sobran facilismos y algunos cabos sueltos , pero las buenas actuaciones y la mano del director lo compensan .",
        "well-acted , occasionally tense , and intriguing at times but mostly pat and predictable nypd blue screen stuff .",
        "i enjoyed this film from beginning to end and was never really bored at any point .",
        "it tried so hard to be a smart flick that it outsmarted itself .",
        "-lsb- screenwriter russel -rsb- gewirtz and lee cleverly build suspense with flash-forwards to police interviews after the incident , and lee gets sharp performances from his high-pedigree cast .",
        "... a clever , stylish and highly entertaining concoction of plot twists and character quirks that elevates itself above similar fare .",
        "MOV is smart and funny and a movie for grown folks . you know what i mean ?",
        "a great example of smart high-concept escapism . strong performances , believable characters and an interesting and well-paced premise keeps you compelled throughout",
        "a slick , kinetic and relatively straightforward -- which is to say enjoyably twisty-turny -- tranche of cat-and-mouse procedural .",
        "bankers gone wild ...",
        "a heist movie that feels more real than many that have come before it yet feels as much like a movie as anything .",
        "lee just does n't seem to have the knack or verve to bring off this kind of highly plot-driven usual suspects-style puzzle movie .",
        "the film grabs you from the beginning and never lets go .",
        "it 's intense fun that never slows down or takes the easy way out , making it one of the coolest films of the year so far .",
        "a witty , cat-and-mouse thriller loaded with charisma and nuance .",
        "MOV is a deft and satisfying entertainment , an elegant , expertly acted puzzler that is just off-base and out-of-the-ordinary enough to keep us consistently involved .",
        "if the idea of denzel washington playing such a weirdo is n't in itself enough to convince you to see this film , then frankly i do n't want to know you .",
        "a film that swaggers .",
        "this is the best big studio effort so far this year .",
        "spike lee 's brilliant direction and a clever and surprising script from first-timer russell gewirtz provide an ideal setting for four of the most watchable actors in the business in a heist film that transcends and tweaks its genre .",
        "lee is a bona fide cinematic genius , and his lively and inventive take on tired material proves that thriller corn need n't be mindless in its machinations .",
        "until MOV , it did n't seem possible spike lee could make a dull film .",
        "once the parameters of the script are set , lee can settle down to what he does best : document the often prickly interactions of as many different new yorkers as can fit into the story .",
        "for a film built on surprises , perhaps the biggest , and best one of all is just how good MOV is .",
        "the spike lee touches carry some of the weight , but sometimes they 're merely distracting . they 're just barely enough to overcome the film 's problematic plot .",
        "this is n't the kind of story that can really occupy the full length of a feature film , unless of course you 're fooled into believing something more actually happened .",
        "not even viewers will understand the scope of the robbery until the final minutes of the film , which is a tribute to -lsb- director spike -rsb- lee and first-time screenwriter russell gewirtz .",
        "with MOV director spike lee takes a break from social commentaries to put forward a highly entertaining and unexpectedly funny genre film .",
        "spike lee 's auteur stamp of keeping-it-real dialogue and cross-racial , cross-class themes lets MOV pretend it 's about more than a clever caper .",
        "pretty good if you can put up with spike 's broad strokes .",
        "... a straight-forward -lrb- yet undeniably overlong -rrb- piece of work .",
        "solid genre effort .",
        "with MOV -- an ostensibly straightforward , old-fashioned heist movie -- spike lee brings together the old new york and the new .",
        "the film is tremendous entertainment , and it 's an utter joy to see spike back in action , but the filmmaker ca n't control himself completely , and he exits MOV on an infuriating whimper .",
        "not the kind of strongly polarizing work that the filmmaker has done in the past , but that makes it no less significant . it 's a subtle tour de force .",
        "an intelligent fast-paced urban cops-and-robbers bank heist flick that keeps its delightful twist-riddled ending properly hidden , while hinting just enough to keep suspense junkies jonesin ' to last frame .",
        "you go home satisfied -- but not blown away -- and the movie never crosses your mind again .",
        "with juicy supporting roles for chiwetel ejiofor and willem dafoe as washington 's fellow officers , the film works best when the characters are just sitting back and shooting the breeze .",
        "retains all the elements of a solid caper film , basked in the smarts of a decades old police procedural and leaves us with something greater than forced twists and shoot-outs .",
        "an assured work that hits most of the right notes , MOV updates a genre piece with post 9/11 urgency .",
        "if it 's not a great thriller , then at least it 's a different thriller ... and `` different '' carries pleasures all its own .",
        "MOV is the smart , challenging , exciting movie many have been waiting for .",
        "lee , like croneberg -lrb- history of violence -rrb- , has taken a familiar genre-the heist/perfect crime-and injected into it new elements and his authorial vision , resulting his best film in a decade .",
        "this is the mother lode all action/suspense directors search for and lee , who usually does n't work in that genre , has hit it .",
        "a flashy cast , clever script and vibrant showcasing of new york city as the ultimate melting pot are strong plusses for spike lee 's most mainstream studio venture .",
        "the more it sags as a thriller , the more it jabs and jangles as a study of racial abrasion .",
        "... the sort of commercial thriller that hollywood thrives on ... and a damned good one at that . lee changes gears with barely a hitch .",
        "like a 1940s director assigned to an improbable thriller , lee finds ways to transform the material so it reflects not just his personality but the tensions of the times .",
        "spike lee is responsible for the best heist film to hit the big screen in years .",
        "thrillers are rarely so well conceived ; MOV is a must-see .",
        "an enjoyably twisty thriller with strong performances and a sharply written script .",
        "not nearly as tricky as it thinks it is .",
        "i gloried in the sheer spectacle of jodie foster as madeline white , an exquisitely groomed , fearlessly feline fixer striding on her high heels and her high horse into one supposedly perilous situation after another .",
        "everyone is acting in a different film , and not one of them is in a spike lee joint . but it 's such a consistent oddity that it 's never fighting to hold our attention .",
        "this is an ingeniously crafted , expertly constructed mini-masterpiece .",
        "supremely annoying and nonsensical .",
        "in this tricky suspense story , nothing is exactly what it seems to be ; lee delights in finding the unexpected complexities in what might have been a standard heist movie .",
        "thanks to smart direction from lee , generally top-notch performances from a stellar cast , and pungent dialogue from first-time screenwriter gewirtz , it feels even smarter than it is .",
        "i never wan na have to say something like this , particularly about a movie featuring such delicious specimens of manliness as both clive owen and denzel washington , but MOV is a lousy lay .",
        "lee has matured into a much subtler force behind the camera , content to let the story unfold before him without thrusting himself into the spotlight as well .",
        "by the time everything is resolved , we 've been through one heck of a roller coaster ride .",
        "a great writing debut from russell gewirtz that 's deftly handled by lee and the great cast .",
        "lee 's direction and masterful handling of an intricate plot are impressive on their own , but what 's most refreshing about man is its sense of humor .",
        "an extraordinary movie about power , amorality , ethics , and urban living , by director spike lee at the height of his talent .",
        "... a rich , satisfying thriller that demonstrates it is still possible to make a major hollywood film that is n't a remake , a sequel , or based on a tv show or comic book .",
        "MOV tries to be more - more socially relevant , more racially sensitive , more politically saturated - than it really should .",
        "washington has the kind of star quality other actors would die for : unfakeable cool .",
        "a star-powered heist flick with a number of good surprises up its sleeve , MOV is more concerned with entertaining the audience than lecturing at them .",
        "MOV , directed by spike lee , works because it takes a familiar setup a wall street bank heist that mutates into a hostage crisis and twists it ever so slightly .",
        "although it never quite reaches the level of dog day afternoon or the taking of pelham one two three , it exhibits a lot more personality and wit than most commercial movies these days .",
        "in the age of low-budget independent grab-a-flicks , this high-powered waste of time proves what superior talents have to do now to collect an occasional big-studio hollywood paycheck .",
        "washington and owen are clearly having a lot of fun making the movie , and their enjoyment is certainly infectious .",
        "MOV is a hybrid of studio action pic and spike lee joint . or else it 's a cross between a 2006 spike lee joint and a 1970s-style movie indictment of urban unease .",
        "spike 's distinctive filmmaking style meshes wonderfully with this whip-smart story and his cast of talented actors . the result is one of the best crime thrillers in years .",
        "technically excellent , performed to perfection , the film delivers as an above average thriller , with not only a satisfactory big picture , but full of rewarding cinematic details .",
        "the cop gets a lesson he never expected and we get a many layered , out-of-genre experience .",
        "this enjoyable exercise in popcorn pyrotechnics demonstrates that lee can be relied on to attack the clich\u00e9s set before him with gusto .",
        "an almost absurdly pleasurable and well-crafted entertainment ...",
        "the flaw that ca n't be gotten around is the utter mismatch of such potboiler material with lee 's plodding , self-important directorial style .",
        "a slow-burning , old school thriller about executing the perfect crime -lrb- and enjoying every minute of it -rrb- .",
        "the ultimate cleverness of it is n't revealed until the very last maraschino of information is dropped on the top . delicious !",
        "spike lee has taken a heist movie plot and infused it with racial tensions and political edginess",
        "inside MOV , you 'll find a lineup of the usual suspects in a bank caper , from a cool mastermind to a dogged detective . now if only lee could have stolen a third act to go along with all the attitude .",
        "this solid thriller helmed by spike lee features an outstanding cast , a smart screenplay and interesting characters .",
        "like everything -lsb- lee -rsb- does , it resonates with the buzz and hum of new yorkers getting on one another 's nerves .",
        "we 've come to expect more from a lee-washington joint than by-the-book cat-and-mouse charades .",
        "new york is everywhere in spike lee 's sharp , new , genre-bending movie . not just in the sweeping-through-the-streets or the creeping-along-the-sidewalks shots , but also inside the manhattan bank where the film is mostly set .",
        "this is a gentler -lsb- spike -rsb- lee here , leading us through an involved thriller carried by a top notch cast .",
        "the core of MOV is a sharp caper/thriller that 's well-crafted by director spike lee and his group of collaborators .",
        "go with the flow , and it remains a taut and well-engineered thriller . poke at plot incongruities , as i was doing literally on the way to the parking lot , and it starts to unravel .",
        "in a way this film does for lee what match point did for woody allen : it shows that the creative fire still burns in the belly of its maker .",
        "at just over two hours , MOV earns every minute of our tense curiosity .",
        "the gritty/chic style makes it a fun ride , from the beginning to the pseudo-surprising end .",
        "lee has directed MOV , a thriller with a big-league cast , a new york mind-set and some of the best storytelling the director has done to date .",
        "as much a mystery as it is a suspense-thriller , this bank-heist film combines elements from both dog day afternoon and the usual suspects . and as odd as that may sound , the experiment works most of the time .",
        "the normally subversive spike lee takes a rare genial tack .",
        "cat-and-mouse thriller meets shaggy dog tale in MOV , an all-star heist drama with more -- and less -- on its mind than meets the eye .",
        "the basic story is elemental , but because lee and gewirtz invest it with grit , comedy , and a ton of new york ethnic personality , it 's fresh anyway .",
        "spike lee 's latest joint is a workmanlike thriller that provides solid performances ; a mixture of comedy , tension , and drama ; and an engaging storyline .",
        "so languid is the story that washington , under lee 's easygoing guidance , often has to power through the scenes by dint of sheer will .",
        "perhaps not lee 's dullest `` joint , '' it 's nonetheless one of his most sloppily rolled .",
        "MOV , which was scripted by russell gewirtz , is not a model of storytelling , even though it is somewhat redeemed by its fresh take and trick ending .",
        "spike lee gets downright entertaining in a buddy suspense thriller you wo n't figure out until the lights come up in the multiplex .",
        "sharp-witted screenplay , terrific performances , and a very smart plot .",
        "is n't much more than a conventional cat-and-mouse tale ... but so handsomely mounted , well cast and expertly crafted that it 's far more enjoyable than it has any right to be .",
        "not terribly deep as insights go , but when spike connects on one of his roundhouses , it feels like the gospel .",
        "spike lee knows how to coax novelty out of conventional drama .",
        "an over-clever , underwhelming caper that 's largely undeserving of its director and cast .",
        "lee is less interested with the machinations of the heist than he is with making MOV both an indictment of the old money that built his beloved city and a love letter to the melting pot 's residents .",
        "MOV is not only one of spike lee 's best films to date but also his most sure-fire attempt at catching that elusive mainstream audience .",
        "i still want spike lee to make the challenging independent features for which he has become well known . however , as a detour into more mainstream filmmaking , MOV is genuinely satisfying .",
        "it 's very satisfying .",
        "may not be the incendiary filmmaker 's best , but it just might be his most purely enjoyable and sophisticated .",
        "while delivering the goods with a thriller premise , lee is once again more interested in making astute observations about contemporary society , especially as it relates to a post-9 / 11 mind-set .",
        "the dog-eat-dog hustle is an interesting backbone for lee , but the movie is too understated for its own complexity .",
        "hallelujah ! spike lee is back to his old tricks with MOV , his own quirky vision of a classic heist movie , complete with that certain big apple flair .",
        "entertains , but the plot is holey , holey , holey !",
        "great direction , acceptable amount of implausibilities . grabs the viewer from the outset , strongly engages , but slips in intensity nearer to the end .",
        "MOV , a crackling , twisty thriller about a bank heist that shows he -lsb- spike lee -rsb- can make an expensive , mainstream movie that 's every bit as well-crafted as the personal , arty films to which he has devoted most of his career .",
        "lee takes the usual potshots at this stewpot of race , power and politics . only here it 's effective as part of the story , as opposed to when it 's wielded like a tire iron in the context of a polemic .",
        "there is a first time for everything , and MOV is the first best film of this year .",
        "unexpectedly funny , leisurely paced and oblivious to the demands of its genre , MOV has a loose , playful vibe that 's at odds with its grave life-and-death scenario .",
        "MOV crackles with intelligence while never insulting yours , serving up a how 'd - they-do-it caper you 'll love trying to figure out .",
        "as caper movies go , MOV is a botched job . but it 's almost always interesting until the end and that counts for something .",
        "a throwback to the classic heist flicks of the '70s but with a 21st-century sensibility , MOV is the kind of twisty , cerebral thriller that they do n't make any more .",
        "MOV may be a genre flick , but its direction is certifiably lee -- sprinkled with trademark themes and visual cues , including his specialty , the strapped-to-a-factory-belt dolly shot .",
        "MOV brings lee back into the mainstream while still letting him have some fun , and he passes that fun on to the audience .",
        "MOV gives us back the stuff that once made lee 's movies entertaining : the snappy , sassy dialogue , the hip attitude , the obvious insight into the racial divide ."],
    "summary": "spike lee 's energetic and clever bank-heist thriller is a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms , but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill -- and denzel washington is terrific as a brilliant hostage negotiator .",
    "id": "126518499"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bruce_almighty",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a fun summer flick , but it 's certainly not god 's gift to comedy .",
        "often quite funny .",
        "at the end of the day , carrey is far more palatable and sincere under a devil 's mask than a cardboard halo .",
        "like his early work , it 's not a particularly good film -- insipidly staged , inanely plotted , too weak to withstand the weight of any inquiries into logic or continuity -- but carrey 's energetic mugging , particularly early on , makes it relatively painless .",
        "when carrey is using his power to make a pompous news anchor break wind while on air , god 's in his heaven , and all 's right with the world .",
        "your tolerance for bruce will depend on the sensitivity of your cinematic sweet tooth . sweet to one viewer is sappy to another .",
        "the script became as gooey as the bounteous torso of marlon brando .",
        "when carrey is doing his thing as the almighty , histrionically whipping up one miracle after another and relishing the power , bruce has you spring-cleaning your lungs with laughter .",
        "rambunctiously funny .",
        "although the movie never quite explores all the heavenly possibilities , it does provide some wicked chuckles .",
        "there 's something to be said for a film that keeps us smiling rather than one that has a few funny moments before disappearing from memory forever .",
        "in the beginning , there was a comic talking out of his butt . and it was good .",
        "would have been better if keifer sutherland had reprised his role as the voice of god .",
        "todo poderoso \u00e9 capaz de fazer rir , \u00e9 verdade . mas est\u00e1 longe de ser a milagrosa com\u00e9dia que sua interessante premissa poderia ter gerado .",
        "compared to `` oh , god ! , '' `` MOV '' does n't have a prayer .",
        "carrey 's latest is a return if you will - albeit only a slightly more mature one - to the slapstick that made his the biggest name in big-screen comedies .",
        "even though carrey tries to make bruce a real , likeable -lrb- albeit madcap -rrb- character , shadyac encourages him to shamelessly go over the top in the godlike scenes , which undermines the whole film .",
        "carrey manages to balance the film 's often outlandish humor with a surprisingly touching , if ultimately simplistic , look at the relationship between humans and god ...",
        "MOV is a walking mid-life crisis bankrupt of knowledge and energy , and the sad part is that no one involved even seems to realize it .",
        "the yocks appeal mostly to the juvenile funnybone . but , the message -- humility through wish fulfillment -- is too mocked up with a supposed sympathy for the character than that which we discover on screen .",
        "while the filmmakers work the concept for a few nice twists , most of what follows feels as gimmicky and contrived as it is , with only carrey 's superhumanly energetic delivery keeping many scenes from falling flat .",
        "basically , MOV is about getting carrey to stop acting up . but without his misbehaving , there 's no movie .",
        "definitely carrey at his wackiest , goofiest and most endearing , which is definitely a welcome surprise .",
        "very snappy , sweetly moral .",
        "carrey still has ` it ' .",
        "a charmer , the kind of movie where bruce learns that while he may not ever make a very good god , the experience may indeed make him a better television newsman .",
        "lurches along in fits and starts , from funny to embarrassing , from earnest to egotistical , from yuks to yuck !",
        "it 's carrey who must carry this film , and he lifts MOV to the heavens .",
        "this is a wonderful movie . far better than it 's supposed to be .",
        "yep , this is the carrey america loves -- off-the-wall , over-the-top , elastic , spastic and fantastic .",
        "a smart , surprisingly thought-through blockbuster , with a decent grasp of the theological implications of its idea .",
        "mr. carrey gets some of his biggest laughs in years by playing up the darker side of his character 's small-mindedness .",
        "this is the rubber-faced , rubber-limbed carrey of old , and it 's a treat to watch his brilliant clowning , no matter how juvenile it is .",
        "the wacky scenes are simply not very funny ; anyone sitting in the audience could think of far better things to do with the powers of god than the film does .",
        "what a disappointment .",
        "even jim carrey , whose mere presence can often liven up a film lacking in luster , ca n't save the almighty turkey that is `` MOV . ''",
        "... manages to walk a tightrope between comedic elements and ` almighty ' elements ... god 's teaching bruce a life lesson , and everything -lrb- bruce -rrb- does has to count if it 's going to stick .",
        "where the majestic was an aggressive puppy licking your face , MOV is the same dog urinating on your leg .",
        "the script is doggone clever and the ideas never stop coming . i laughed and it felt good .",
        "carrey is good , but it 's just a shame the film did n't aim a little higher .",
        "pious sentiment clashes with comic histrionics , leaving the story floundering for tact and grasping at an indistinct point .",
        "nothing is permitted to get in the way of letting the star unleash his trademark exaggerated facial expressions and out-of-left-field line readings . ... there 's really only one person up there on the screen ; everyone else might as well be wallpaper .",
        "often entertaining , but it could have been more .",
        "the saving grace of MOV -- and it is a big enough one to make the movie worth seeing , despite its flaws -- is carrey , the most intelligent and inventive comedian we have .",
        "carrey 's return to comedy is divine , even if bruce ends up a few hail marys short of almighty .",
        "powerfully entertaining .",
        "carrey is utterly delightful , whether pulling off some hilarious pratfall or energizing the most mundane piece of dialogue .",
        "a woefully underwritten motion picture that starts out as a dumb comedy before taking an ill-advised detour into mawkish sentimentality .",
        "jim carrey may be unconvincing as a tv newsman ... but as an everyday joe temporarily granted all god 's powers , his return to crackpot comedy is a welcome summer movie treat .",
        "plays to the middle of the road - designed to be a big , safe , summer movie .",
        "this has some very funny moments and lines in its first act , and then jettisons the comedy in favour of a self-important deadly serious feelgood ending .",
        "the movie is in a hurry to show jim carrey goin ' all crazy with his superpowers , and does n't have the energy to give us a credible premise .",
        "move over meg ryan : when harry met sally 's climactic luncheonette scene will never be the same after aniston 's eye-popping rendezvous with her maker .",
        "while it may not be almighty , it sure was mighty funny .",
        "leans too much into sappy sentimentality .",
        "as another slick showreel for carrey 's talents , this is a slight but generally satisfying page in his career .",
        "with carrey on top form and some highly inventive sight gags , it 's the proverbial laugh riot .",
        "freeman does better here than in his recent showing as a mad colonel in dreamcatcher , but there 's a sense that this long-term asset to hollywood has taken to accepting too many half-baked scripts in order to maintain his reputation for hard work .",
        "`` MOV '' is an uproarious , enjoyable comedic farce that explores religion in many aspects .",
        "i was really rooting for bruce to ignore the responsibilities and give god the holy middle finger .",
        "carrey makes the most of the material , but his is only a mediocre effort and clearly far from his best work .",
        "carrey 's shtick is beginning to seem tired .",
        "the tale goes all sentimental and preachy , which might have worked had the director been frank capra . but it is n't ; it 's tom shadyac .",
        "the film , particularly in its first and last third , seems sadly devoid of imagination .",
        "... as much as `` MOV '' has charm - it 's a drab charm at best .",
        "carrey seems engaged in a kind of war with his own best comic instincts .",
        "everyone is well cast and no one more perfectly than freeman , who is far more god-like than george burns ever was .",
        "are you there god ? it 's me , moviegoer . please , why do movies like this happen ?",
        "a perfectly respectable jim carrey comedy that makes you feel as if you 're right back in 1997 , watching liar liar .",
        "this picture can be summed up perfectly in two words . ready ? god . awful .",
        "less oh , god ! than dear god .",
        "religion can be a touchy subject , but almighty dances through the jesus minefield with style and class .",
        "lacks the imagination that should be commensurate with a story about a guy holding the powers of god .",
        "disappointing .",
        "like nearly all the carrey movies , MOV groans from the disparity between his talent and the writers working hard to deliver broad , forced material that only he might save .",
        "this is one of carrey 's ` in-between ' films , the kind best suited to his lofty ambitions but rather limited acting ability .",
        "consistently amusing , despite being formulaic and occasionally sappy .",
        "freeman is one of the delights of the film , as an avuncular deity with a sense of humor .",
        "-lsb- carrey 's -rsb- latest is a comedy-thank heaven-that might even cause the guy upstairs to fall down laughing .",
        "` you can see carrey straining to reign in his more extreme comedic tendencies - and losing the battle . '",
        "the dearth of imagination is stupefying . carrey is alternately embarrassing and terrifyingly detached , -lsb- and -rsb- freeman has sold out .",
        "never before have i heard the f word used in a film about god , though i 'm sure there were times in passion of the christ when jesus was thinking it ...",
        "-lsb- aniston -rsb- contributes another professional outing in what 's little more than a supporting role , indicating she 's a serious actress and not just one of those jerks on friends .",
        "it is laugh out loud funny and yet , heartfelt .",
        "MOV is the kind of movie that jim carrey should stick to .",
        "up until the last act , bruce is a decent , if not stellar jim carrey comedy .",
        "it 's not a divine comedy , but it beats getting struck by lightning -lrb- if god does n't have a sense of humor , do n't stand next to jim carrey -rrb- .",
        "something between an indiscretion and an atrocity , in the key of that most human yet loathsome of self-indulgences , vanity .",
        "the script takes the safe , formulaic route to a predictable happy hollywood ending , frank capra-style .",
        "based on its wasted potential , something tells me the cinema gods would n't be nearly as forgiving .",
        "the laughs in MOV are thinly spread across a vast , bland cake of uplifting sentiment .",
        "jim carrey gets the chance to shine in funny and serious scenes as he cavorts through ` MOV ' -- and he 's got the power to do both .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- tom shadyac ... has taken this predictable , hackneyed , and astonishingly unentertaining script and rendered it lethargic , the pacing tedious",
        "i 've seen more wit in straight-to-video ernest flicks .",
        "it starts in darkness , moves into safe liar liar-type territory , and ends with boring significance .",
        "-lsb- carrey -rsb- is so gifted a physical comedian that even mediocre material shines in his talented hands .",
        "one gets the feeling that for a movie star like carrey , being god is a lateral move at best .",
        "a mixed bag .",
        "most of the time , it 's unclear whether bruce is a god or a poltergeist .",
        "the movie works when carrey 's mugging it up ... but melts into a saccharine tub of goo when he plays it straight .",
        "it 's stunning how a movie about someone who gets to be the ultimate high-and-mighty could set its sights so low .",
        "an unevenness of tone , which becomes manipulative in effect , echoes and compounds the unconvincing look and feel of the entire film .",
        "this hilarious parable about the opening of a selfish man 's heart reveals why all the world 's religions treasure the spiritual practice of play .",
        "jim carrey riffs , wickedly , on what it 's like to be god , then whiffs , sanctimoniously , on what it 's like to be human .",
        "it 's a wonderful life is a homemade apple pie , warm from the oven and topped with vanilla bean ice cream . MOV is a bag of nacho cheese doritos .",
        "the movie is mainly an excuse to display special-effects gags in the form of the various miracles manifested -- some of which are highly imaginative , some of which are n't .",
        "in fact , the force fed pious platitudes coupled with carrey 's familiar rubber-faced shtick renders this pseudo-virtuous vehicle a one-way ticket to the pearly gates of mediocrity .",
        "in several ways the movie is an apathetic revision of the truman show , with carrey starring as both truman and christof .",
        "i wonder what a mike nichols could have made of this .",
        "so funny i seriously thought i was going to fall out of my chair .",
        "exactly what it looks like : a cute premise extended to feature length , with plenty of opportunity for mr. carrey to mug for the camera .",
        "happily , carrey is back with his trademark facial expressions and outrageous physical comedy .",
        "after playing the ideal cia chief in `` the sum of all fears '' and president in `` deep impact , '' morgan freeman can add god to the list of positions he seems tailor made for .",
        "what bruce should have used his powers for was a better script .",
        "mighty bad , like a lowbrow version of ` it 's a wonderful life ' rewritten by the farrelly brothers for a middle-aged jerry lewis .",
        "... a great concept -- a clod becomes god .",
        "it 's a crazy quilt made of bits from all of shadyac 's work .",
        "if the results are something less than inspired , they remind us there is godliness in silliness .",
        "lacks the insane , anything-goes energy this premise deserved .",
        "because there 's always been a megalomaniac lurking inside carrey 's manic personality , it 's funny to see him literally play god .",
        "two thirds liar liar and one third the majestic ... if you can forgive the film 's sappy last act , you can still have a good time laughing at carrey 's antics .",
        "i ca n't help but wonder if the film might have worked with a more sincere , if less comically inspired , actor at the helm .",
        "MOV has a great premise that collapses into feel-good stickiness , after an often-hilarious 45 minutes .",
        "a pleasurable film that that loses some steam down the stretch but is ultimately fun for a period of time .",
        "where the truman show delivered its sermon on calvinism in modern times with humor , humanity , and grace ; MOV tries to same with cheap sentiment and cheaper jokes .",
        "it 's really about a generation 's sense of entitlement , with god thrown in as the ultimate `` dad '' you can go and complain to .",
        "a goofy crowd-pleaser , which is all right , i suppose , yet strange . after all , if you have the powers of god to play with , you 'd expect to have a little more ambition .",
        "god-awful .",
        "carrey forces it early on , stiff , awkward . but becomes comfortable once he gets those god powers . he 's funny , but it 's steve carell who garnishes the film 's belly laughs .",
        "it offers plenty of opportunities for carrey to show off his wonderfully elastic comedy muscles .",
        "a smart , snappy comedy .",
        "the inspiration flags after a while , but there are many hilarious moments , and the resolution -lrb- thanks to jennifer aniston as carrey 's put-upon girlfriend -rrb- is sweetly touching .",
        "there 's remarkably little done with a premise snatched from high-concept heaven , adding yet another file to the growing cabinet of under-realized comedies .",
        "this is another of jim carrey 's surefire vehicles that can be whittled down to a phrase : jim carrey is the grinch ; jim carrey is god .",
        "the premise sounds good , but this time around the result is forced and undercooked .",
        "happily deranged comedy has typical carrey humor .",
        "ultimately , MOV is an excuse for jim carrey to be crazy and zany . he puts on his comedy hat and has fun with the script . it 's made for the jim carrey fan .",
        "for all its swings for the fences , the movie never rises above being lightly amusing .",
        "it fails to really use carrey 's comedic ability and it ultimately wastes the potential it reaps .",
        "if only the writers had thought to open up the concept beyond dog-on-toilet gags .",
        "director shadyac and his three scriptwriters prove much more fallibly flawed than their omnipotent hero .",
        "for the first half of the film all is right with the world and you 're reminded why it is jim 's one of our most adored mega stars .",
        "a very funny and enjoyable film .",
        "the problem is that bruce is an unlikable , self-centered character .",
        "midrange carrey , neither as artful as the truman show nor as singularly crude as ace ventura : pet detective .",
        "like its protagonist , it 's too willing to ignore its assets . we do n't ask much from our summer movies ; a little effort should not be beyond this one 's grasp .",
        "moralizing mumbo-jumbo",
        "if you 're looking for a decent jim carrey flick , consider your prayers answered .",
        "if you are a fan of carrey 's comedic talents , and if you just want a few laughs , MOV is all-righty , then .",
        "one idea stretched thin .",
        "a lame supernatural comedy that loses jim carrey in a wilderness of witlessness .",
        "-lsb- carrey -rsb- is in loose-limbed form , with healthy doses of fury , in a film that mostly succeeds at fusing his slapstick talents and more heartfelt inclinations .",
        "the crude comedy is funny and the sentimentality is touching , but the two halves mix like oil and water .",
        "when MOV 's act iii schmaltz-fest kicks in , the film feels as schizophrenic as the audience feels insulted .",
        "closer to patch adams than ace ventura .",
        "jim carrey 's blessed with such incredible comedic talent and precise comedic timing that he elevates the mediocre material .",
        "... on at least three or four occasions , carrey made me laugh so hard i had tears in my eyes -- and that 's a heck of a trick .",
        "bruce takes over for the vacationing deity , but despite an initial surge of jolly , somewhat cruel chaos -lrb- as when he forces the new anchor to unreel paragraphs of gibberish on camera -rrb- , things soon turn soggy .",
        "as if running low on dramatic irony , jim carrey and his just-add-water team of merry pranksters from ` ace ventura : pet detective ' and ` liar liar ' come armed with a premise as heavenly as they come - and aim for sea level .",
        "i was in comedy heaven !",
        "highly watchable .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- marks carrey 's worst movie to date -lrb- and no , i 'm not forgetting that dreadful ace ventura sequel -rrb- ...",
        "even with all its predictability , MOV and its star jim carrey still leaves you crying from laughter .",
        "a small , sad , cheap movie .",
        "a concept without exploration , there 's not much of a movie here .",
        "it 'll be a miracle if the movie is n't a hit but my guess is that , upon seeing it , only the very rare viewer will give thanks .",
        "... as entertaining as you can expect a friday night date-movie to be .",
        "finally , there 's an answer to the lyrics posed in joan osborne 's annoying song one of us . and star jim carrey is the one to thank/blame .",
        "the film just did n't seem to have enough to sustain its ripe premise .",
        "the whole thing reeks of the formulaic , of a carefully packaged bid to propel the star back to his appointed place in the commercial constellation , all the while depriving him of the dark side that got him there in the first place .",
        "director shadyac -lrb- liar liar -rrb- knows how to play carrey 's instrument in such a way that he can have a real story & still play up the laughs & supernatural aspects to the hilt .",
        "the film is worth seeing for freeman and a few isolated gags , but bruce is never the wildly funny farce it might have been , nor the deep-dish meaning-of-life tract it thinks it is .",
        "carrey is encouraged to be as silly as he can get . and he needs to be , as the last of the film is a colossal wet blanket .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- cardboard , fast-food vat of lowest common-denominator fluff .",
        "it drowns -lsb- carrey 's -rsb- hilarious physicality in an ocean of sap .",
        "i have not laughed this hard at a comedy in a long time , and several scenes that aimed for the gut had me wiping tears from my eyes .",
        "here is what god says : stop ` looking up . ' stop looking to god . look to yourself instead . make a difference . give blood . take the high road . forgive . be satisfied with what you have . oh . is that what we 'd be doing , if only we 'd stop ` looking up . '",
        "the humor works -lrb- albeit with reservations -rrb- , and once you get through the syrup , the film has a surprisingly relevant and humanistic lesson to pontificate .",
        "MOV is proof that `` high concept '' movies can also be well-crafted and ambitious ... there 's plenty of smart comic filmmaking at play throughout ."],
    "summary": "carrey is hilarious in the slapstick scenes , but MOV gets bogged down in treacle .",
    "id": "10528"
  },
  {
    "movie": "conversations_with_other_women",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a near-perfect amalgamation of cinematic technique and content .",
        "one of the most realistically romantic movies i 've seen in a while . and i 'm not easily impressed by what generally passes for `` movie romance . ''",
        "i was hooked to the screen , to the film 's sense of time and place and risk , to the intelligence of the talk and the intimations of pleasure and regret in bonham carter 's performance .",
        "pining affair for mature art house fans .",
        "director hans canosa has made a split-screen experimental student film about two would-be lovers who connect after a wedding party in new york city .",
        "... although infused with a number of truthful moments and an awfully romantic atmosphere , director hans canosa 's use of split-screen remains a distraction throughout the film 's admittedly brisk running time .",
        "engrossing from start to finish , MOV is a stimulating man/woman tussle about life , love and the whole damn thing . it 's funny , unexpected , philosophical and romantic with a dash of melancholy thrown in for good measure",
        "initially , the split screen seems like a quirky idea . but it gets old fast .",
        "an intriguing deconstruction of a failed relationship , long past its point of no return .",
        "canosa demonstrates a playful and inventive filmmaking style with this insightful story of a relationship told from various perspectives",
        "hans canosa 's studied debut feature stars aaron eckhart and helena bonham carter as old flames who meet , years after parting , and have a short fling .",
        "the battle of the sexes is restaged to clever but inconsequential effect in MOV .",
        "that the movie holds viewers ' attention despite its contrivances is a testament to the script and acting .",
        "an innovative technique -- splitting the screen into two parts throughout -- works somewhat but becomes a distraction .",
        "screenwriter gabrielle zevin skillfully changes the tone of the dialogue and , by only gradually revealing details of the couple 's past and present , keeps these conversations continually intriguing .",
        "the split screen sabotages -lsb- canosa 's -rsb- best intentions ; it 's a conceit that only manages to make the viewer irritable .",
        "it 's hard to think of a recent movie that nails the circular games of adults trying to get laid and then talking their way out of it .",
        "there 's a reason before sunrise and before sunset were done as two movies , not one .",
        "it 's hard to imagine a gallic film would make such an issue of carter 's character being over the hill at 40 or straight-facedly claiming that eckhart is fat by any reasonable definition .",
        "theirs is an affair not worth remembering .",
        "MOV is a small drama , but with the attention to character and emotionality , it plays on screen as something larger .",
        "the film ultimately becomes too contrived to be anything but a fleeting diversion , but kudos to these emerging filmmakers for daring to make something a little bit different and , for the most part , intriguing .",
        "the charm of MOV , a gimmicky but oddly moving two-character drama that flies in from who knows where , is its intelligent knowingness .",
        "the film is technically brilliant but emotionally shallow ; take away the split screen gimmick , and you have a romantic drama that would n't be worth its running time .",
        "you spend more time watching the technique than the interplay between carter and eckhart .",
        "eckhart delivers a complicated performance , veering from aggressive to abashed , and stopping at puppy-eager , jealous , and conflicted along the way",
        "this is entertainment by and for adults .",
        "the observations about love and sex and time and memory are uncommonly sharp and true .",
        "the technique heightens the drama , illustrating how each character is in his or her own lonely little world .",
        "eckhart delivers a complicated performance , veering from aggressive to abashed , and stopping at puppy-eager , jealous , and conflicted along the way .",
        "a slippery delight with as much tension as a standard thriller , but the smarts of a literate drama , both of which it is .",
        "by fade out , the movie has run out of air : the quick , clever dialogue flattens out and it becomes contrived .",
        "having been locked up in burton 's toy chest for so long , -lsb- bonham carter -rsb- is all the more dazzling in this wistful two-character infidelity drama .",
        "this is a mature and very smart movie , one that evokes the secret histories of loves lost and longings that never fade completely .",
        "it may be dotted with fine observations , yet somehow the charm of its novelty grows stale , and the airless feeling of a closed set begins to fester .",
        "though the movie is occasionally too clever-talky for its own good , it has the authentic ring of an elegy for love lost when one partner grows up while the other runs in place .",
        "mostly it works because this is about two people desperately trying to do the impossible : to reconcile the past with the present , reality with fantasy , and desire with responsibility .",
        "brian depalma 's before sunset .",
        "director hans canosa 's bittersweet chronicle of an encounter between two unnamed guests at a new york city wedding reception is a daring , feature-length experiment in ` dual-frame ' or ` split-screen ' filmmaking .",
        "a soothing salve for blockbuster-bruised cinemagoers starved , like conversations ' own lovers , for something real and substantial",
        "might never have worked if not for the personality , charm and palpable chemistry between its two leads .",
        "the actors , who portray a reunion that is more sparring match than love fest , strike occasional sparks -lrb- but why must carter always look so chalk white ? -rrb- .",
        "an unconventional love story about a couple who try to recapture the enchantment of their long-ago relationship and learn they have to let go with equanimity in middle age .",
        "an intimate movie in every sense , MOV sets out to explore well-trammeled yet at the same time uncharted territory without grinding any axes .",
        "the gimmick has its poetic moments , but the actors ca n't do much to make screenwriter gabrielle zevin 's strategems for characters seem like real people .",
        "conversations is all about the push and pull of opposing forces with nary a winner in sight .",
        "the split-screen gimmick is just that , but you could do a lot worse than watching the two gifted lead actors gab .",
        "despite the occasional distracting glitches in the split screen , this is one of the best small pictures of the season",
        "the posturing twosome in the movie are themselves a compendium of stylish ticks in need of substantive redemption -- for once , the gimmick is a perfect reflection of the characters .",
        "the chemistry between bonham carter and eckhart is wonderful to watch .",
        "director hans canosa 's incisive and melancholy pas de deux ... presented entirely in split-screen ... -lsb- is -rsb- a potentially ostentatious piece of directorial hoohah , but it has rewards .",
        "le film d'hans canosa appara\u00eet comme un effort d'une grande maturit\u00e9 , d\u00e9gageant une spontan\u00e9it\u00e9 et une honn\u0119tet\u00e9 surprenante pour un film majoritairement ax\u00e9 sur les dialogues",
        "MOV feels like a one-act play stretched into a feature film and padded with those visual gimmicks .",
        "... a high-concept chamber drama in which the screen expresses what the two fumbling former lovers ca n't .",
        "eckhart and bonham-carter use their mutual charm to maximum effectiveness , sparring off each other with ease , and practically sending sparks through the screen ...",
        "it can be tricky to watch both screens at once -lrb- MOV rewards multiple viewings -rrb- , but it 's invigorating to see a filmmaker exploring technique as metaphor ."],
    "summary": "its occasional use of split screen may feel gimmicky at times , but MOV is a bold , inventive drama carried by its two charismatic leads .",
    "id": "248007841"
  },
  {
    "movie": "paul",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a decent take on the usual pegg/frost bromance , and a welcome return to the level of geekery that plays to their strengths , MOV entertains without excelling .",
        "a lazy piece of geeksploitation cinema designed to buttress the pegg/frost brand stateside with comic con-courting clich\u00e9s and groan-inducing movie references .",
        "the bromance between pegg and frost is still as strong as ever , and kristen wiig steals the show with her turn as a religious fanatic freed from her fundamentalist shackles .",
        "this is n't one for the ages , but it 'll do for a saturday night .",
        "though it 's not on a par with simon pegg and nick frost 's best work , it 's hard to imagine anybody not enjoying it .",
        "if you 've ever stood outside on a cloudless night , gazed up at the stars and wondered if there was life on other planets - and if that life would be fun to do bong hits with - this is your movie .",
        "pro-evolution debate aside for now , which is `` kind of a buzz kill '' , on the whole , MOV beams feel-good fun , cheekiness and carefree spirit .",
        "almost every good moment in the film is sandwiched between two bits that are n't nearly as well built .",
        "think of MOV as a love letter to fanboys , especially the variety that knows the standards well enough to hoot along every time a sci-fi hit rings up a reference .",
        "enthusiastically acted and sharply written . a big old lovefest in honor of the classic alien visitation movies that we all hold near and dear .",
        "i do n't know if i 've laughed this hard since `` hot fuzz '' .",
        "MOV 's a road movie where the joy of hanging out with the characters is half the point , and these are characters that would be fun to revisit again and again .",
        "this is a very good film . one imagines though that it could have been great ... very great indeed .",
        "MOV is arguably the best science fiction comedy since galaxy quest .",
        "a valentine to all things sci-fi that insiders will adore and outsiders will enjoy without feeling lost .",
        "MOV is ultimately a sweet homage to pop culture geeks , sci-fi aficionados and anyone who came of age on a steady diet of spielberg blockbusters .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- t 's a sendup done with real affection and with the odd notion that those advanced aliens may be just as big a bunch of goofballs as we are .",
        "`` MOV '' might not connect with everyone , but it 's certainly funny and heartfelt enough to please those brave enough to see it . it seems destined for a cult following rather than a legion of converted geeks .",
        "`` MOV '' is a science fiction fan 's delight , filled with references and situations reminiscent of some iconic favorites .",
        "fondly indulgent rather than inspired , breezy but broad and indicative of treasured talents coasting .",
        "get a load of this : MOV smokes marijuana cigarettes , has jumbo-sized naughty bits and keeps making jokes about probing bums ! goodness gracious me . pass the smelling salts , aunt jemima .",
        "simon pegg and nick frost in a faltering extraterrestrial knockabout .",
        "there are plenty of giggly gags but also a hint of diminishing returns .",
        "although there are laughs along the way and pegg and frost have an easy on-screen camaraderie , there 's a smugness that prevents them from achieving their potential .",
        "although superbad 's greg mottola does n't have the firm directorial grip of the pair 's usual collaborator , edgar wright , for the most part this is a far-out , funny ride .",
        "smart and savvy .",
        "an enjoyable , well written sci-fi comedy that 's packed with great gags , geek-pleasing film references and a host of terrific performances from a talented comic cast .",
        "from time to time , clever ideas rear their heads , but they soon return to the film 's default setting of laddish japes .",
        "it does n't have the same charm as shaun and fuzz but this is one of the funniest films in ages and is hugely entertaining .",
        "the problem is self-indulgence and a distinct shortage of real gags .",
        "its funniest single line is a reference to the incest documentary capturing the friedmans . if nothing in that last sentence makes any sense to you , stay well away .",
        "what 's funniest about MOV however , is that each of its characters is stunned out of their complacency , right down to a humorous and touching revelation in the climax .",
        "the thing that differentiates their humor from a lot of others is that it 's free from meanness . they are not making fun of people like graeme and clive but rather taking delight in their silly obsessions .",
        "the results are , again , not-quite-brilliant but funny enough .",
        "let 's just say that if you have any love for science fiction and fantasy films from the past 40 years you 'll certainly enjoy the film .",
        "it 's vaguely pleasant and never offensive , but also predominately blah .",
        "it all launches an e.t. riff that the two brits would have mocked in their seminal tv series , spaced .",
        "a movie that knows exactly what it is and never tries to overreach . this is an unapologetic goofball romp , nothing more , nothing less",
        "while frost is particularly well-cast , most of the actors seem to be having fun . you will , too , as long as you arrive with lowered expectations .",
        "i 'd recommend it , but i 'd also recommend going in with medium-ish expectations .",
        "the film 's central idea is n't funny , really , at all . neither is the plot , the dialogue , or most of the jokes .",
        "i suppose , though , that it 's the voice of rogen that eventually becomes grating as the wise-cracking MOV .",
        "a good-hearted , funny movie .",
        "this is not quite enough of a conceit to sustain a full-length movie -- MOV would have made a terrific short film -- but there are incidental pleasures all along the way .",
        "the results , it must be said , are less hi-larious than sporadically mid-to-low-larious .",
        "MOV is e.t. and fanboys mixed together with a lot of pot . it has a few laughs , but i expected more from simon pegg and nick frost .",
        "in the end - as well as the middle and maybe even at the outset - MOV is more often a close encounter of the middling kind .",
        "MOV makes going to the movies fun again .",
        "while not as consistently funny or sharp as their previous pairings , MOV is a heartfelt tribute to friendship , what lies beyond the stars , and being a nerd .",
        "with so much reliable talent involved in this film it is extremely disappointing that it is only a mildly amusing comedy with a smattering of reasonably fun science-fiction references .",
        "pegg and frost have been better , but MOV is still good for a few laughs .",
        "simon pegg and nick frost are two guys who know what they like and whenever they turn their hands to writing a script , you can feel that enthusiasm in every line .",
        "the poster is cute , the trailer cuter . `` MOV '' the movie ? do n't ask .",
        "it 's not the comedy of the year , but it counts as a fun night out at the movies .",
        "pegg and frost shoehorn in so many one-liners taken from other movies they 're like embarrassing uncles at a wedding who have bet they can add a sci-fi twist to every conversation .",
        "MOV is slacker than the duo 's previous efforts , but the gags still come thick and fast .",
        "the comic targets and the central manchildren bromance all feel overly familiar ... still , MOV benefits from pegg and frost 's british comedic slant and the full complement of comedic talent ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "a refreshingly rollicking , sweetly raunchy comedy about a little green dude just trying to get home .",
        "its niche specificity celebrates geek culture in a way that it seems like few mainstream viewers will identify with , unfortunately overshadowing what is an otherwise imperfect but funny and genuinely sweet story .",
        "here 's a movie that teeters on the edge of being really pretty good and loses its way .",
        "more in love with its ability to quote an assortment of science-fiction works than to actually find a comic niche of its own .",
        "... drowns in geek butter ; every scene is stuffed with winks , nods and easter eggs , a cavalcade of inside jokes , including a honky-tonk band playing mos eisley cantina music with fiddles .",
        "pegg and frost should n't be wasting their combined talents on such disposable fare .",
        "` MOV ' is more a bagful of giggles . rogen is a nonstop hoot , but it 's the byplay between frost and pegg that roots the laughs in characters we care about .",
        "infused with an appreciation of all things sci-fi ... specifically , all things steven spielberg",
        "MOV has too much message and profanity - and not enough laughs to make up for either .",
        "beam us up , scotty . there 's no intelligent life here .",
        "it does n't have any of the invention of the pair 's last two outings . overall , MOV is a genial , unremarkable movie that skates by on its charm .",
        "the `` shock '' humor slowly smoothes itself out and meshes into the laid-back quality of the story , helped by the sheer presence of the cast .",
        "that rarest of specimens : a genuinely funny geek-friendly comedy .",
        "the writing skill of edgar wright of hot fuzz and shaun is badly missed . it is n't a failure , but it 's by no means a success .",
        "not on the level of shaun of the dead , or hot fuzz , but MOV is still a whole lot of fun . kristen wiig makes an inspired addition to the pegg/frost team .",
        "what really pushes MOV into the stratosphere is the level of charm and chemistry between its cast members .",
        "it 's strange in that the best material seems to have been saved for the supporting cast members .",
        "MOV is a fun tribute to sci-fi films -lrb- and film geekery in general -rrb- , but did it have to be so ... dumb ?",
        "a sci-fi spoof for everyone with funny encounters that will require close attention .",
        "MOV proves that these children of science fiction have bloomed into a rotten bunch indeed .",
        "this is a madcap ride with hilarious and occasionally touching references to many other films about aliens .",
        "it is not that MOV is in any way a bad movie . it is just a very average one .",
        "passably funny , though one suspects even diehard sci-fi buffs will find the film 's wall-to-wall pop referencing tiring and a tad lazy . does n't anybody write genuine jokes any more ?",
        "the film can be summed up by its affectionate parody e.t in the finale : amiable and inoffensive but completely inferior to the classic films it references .",
        "director greg mottola did not understand what makes a simon pegg comedy funny . and neither did simon pegg or co-writer nick frost .",
        "MOV is n't as riotous as the early pegg and frost movies , but it does have a certain sweetness . everyone in it is sort of innocent , except MOV , the alien wisecracker . it 's likeable , if uneven , rather than hilarious .",
        "that the film is an often hilarious love letter to other , better films is what prevents it from forging its own identity like edgar wright 's mini-masterpieces .",
        "... a very funny movie with its heart in the right place .",
        "vale mucho m\u00e1s la pena ver -lrb- o volver a ver -rrb- alguno de los antecedentes de la dupla simon pegg y nick frost , como shaun of the dead , hot fuzz o la serie spaced .",
        "a sort of comedy homage to seminal sci-fi movie culture from the 80s , MOV never takes itself too seriously and is a lot of fun .",
        "this is a nerd movie made by n00bs .",
        "it 's raunchy but harmless",
        "while paying homage to e.t. and close encounters , they accidentally re-made howard the duck .",
        "surprisingly smart and filled with homage , MOV is crass and a little rough around the edges , but thoroughly enjoyable .",
        "it 's not a bad film by any means , it was just slightly disappointing especially when you take into account the talents of pegg and frost .",
        "MOV is probably the closest thing to spaced that pegg and frost have made since edgar wright closed the book on tim & daisy .",
        "passable f-bomb riddled fanboy fare , a bit of a comedown from frost and pegg 's british movies .",
        "simon pegg and nick frost have proven once again that there is no genre outside their enviable range or comedic abilities .",
        "the hiccups of comedy genius feel like hollow victories in a generally average film .",
        "i wanted to love MOV , but found myself feeling merely infatuated with it instead .",
        "a film that is entertaining enough to warrant seeing but one that will pretty much fade from your memory by the time you get home from the theatre .",
        "an uneven but amiable road trip sci-fi comedy about an alien with sly references to everything from `` star trek '' and `` 2001 '' to `` alien '' and `` battlestar gallactica . ''",
        "a celebration of geek culture and silliness that vacillates between lowest common denominator and rewards for those who spend too much time enamored with star wars .",
        "set your humor-detection capacitors for moderate to above-average intake levels . i have n't laughed this much since maybe last monday , but that was a particularly strong monday .",
        "what has happened to pegg ? why does he mug so ? why ca n't he relax and let the audience come to him , rather than auditioning for our affection with every reaction shot ?",
        "it 's more than occasionally cute , if less than consistently clever .",
        "the result is profane , surprisingly affectionate , often scathingly funny and occasionally inspired .",
        "a reference-laden road trip/chase yukfest that does n't quite capture that same spaced magic but is eventually just so likable it is hard to knock its flaws too much .",
        "there is quite a bit to chuckle at if you have a more sophisticated sense of humour , but this film really is e.t. remade for not-quite-grown-ups .",
        "it might not quite hit the high notes of shaun of the dead and hot fuzz , but their many dedicated fans will find plenty of satisfying laughs in pegg and frost 's latest .",
        "how could so many talented people collaborate on something so dull ?",
        "while not a breakthrough on the level of shaun of the dead or hot fuzz , writer/stars simon pegg and nick frost 's MOV features an appealingly oddball premise .",
        "MOV has a terrific concept -- an affectionate send-up of the sci-fi genre . MOV has it ups , but it also has unfortunate downs . instead of going to the moon , it goes to wyoming .",
        "this one needed more time in the oven .",
        "even with a wee too many bladder jokes , MOV is sweet and often hilarious ...",
        "a fun ride through a comic twilight zone .",
        "it 's a road movie , a buddy movie , a chase movie and a sci-fi spoof , all rolled into one hilarious madcap adventure",
        "if it 's escapist fun you want , just go with MOV",
        "packed with references to other films instead of original jokes , this goofy comedy at least keeps us laughing all the way through . the idea itself is hilarious , and the movie 's assembled with skill and energy .",
        "this is both a fitting tribute to those `` my best friend is an alien/computer/talking cat/whatever '' movies from the '80s and funny on its own terms , and that 's two more boxes ticked than a lot of comedies manage .",
        "... elevated by the charisma of the various actors and by the enjoyably tongue-in-cheek nature of pegg and frost 's screenplay .",
        "an amusingly absurd close encounters wish-fulfillment fantasy for sci-fi fans .",
        "a celebration of sci-fi flicks , fanboys and good , old-fashioned bromance , `` MOV '' is a thoroughly enjoyable road trip .",
        "next to shaun of the dead and hot fuzz , MOV does feel flat , although pegg and frost paper over the cracks with nods and winks to classic fantasy and sci-fi films .",
        "an intergalactic grossout road movie subverting the sci-fi genre , and reimagined as an alien voyage into the extreme nuttiness of middle america . and where MOV seems to be the only sensible fugitive on board , in a sea of mutually terrifying earthlings .",
        "the innate in-ness has a tendency to tip over into self-indulgence , but at other times it 's easy to get swept up in what is essentially a pretty amiable road trip comedy .",
        "it 's c-minus work from people who normally deliver a-level efforts .",
        "it 's a good thing MOV was written from a place of love , as it is absolutely the death knell for geek chic .",
        "unlike the movies its creators love and are paying homage to here , MOV is one big goof .",
        "geek is its own language , and MOV speaks it fluently .",
        "nostalgia is both an advantage and disadvantage in greg mottola 's MOV , a loving lampoon of geek culture and an homage to the films of the spielberg/lucas revolution .",
        "what happened here ?",
        "while not as cohesive as simon pegg and nick frost 's previous genre riffs , this rambling alien road comedy has its own loose , enjoyable vibe .",
        "that 's not to dismiss MOV 's simple pleasures -- if nothing else , its fondness for sex and drugs and four-letter words rescues its references from the soft hands of wee ones into which they 've fallen of late .",
        "it 's not nearly as engaging as the many films it parodies , but it 's a charming little tribute .",
        "how strange that two of my favorite movies so far this year star little green men . ` MOV , ' the latest simon pegg/nick frost movie , is a science-fiction comedy that 's strictly for grownups . it 's raunchy , rude and raucous .",
        "a whole lot sillier , raunchier , and sweeter than its advertising suggests .",
        "MOV is offensive solely for being so underachieving .",
        "a foul-mouthed ` mac and me , ' funnier than its mostly lukewarm reviews suggest ...",
        "... a sort of trailer-trash remake of e.t. ...",
        "well , that 's one joke . ninety more minutes to go .",
        "moderately funny , satisfying tribute to sci-fi .",
        "pegg and frost tackle something more menacing than flesh-eating zombies or angry villagers : the us of a.",
        "MOV starts strong with a lot of affectionate , funny jokes about geek culture , book signings , ufos and comic book conventions , but it eventually falls into self-parody .",
        "most of the laughs in `` MOV '' are those of recognition -lrb- ` get away from her you b * % $ , ' gertie 's cafe , devil ' tower , star wars cantina music etc. -rrb- than true humor .",
        "packed with sci-fi in-jokes , the picture is more gently amusing than hilarious and the characters , while likeable , are hardly the most fascinating or complex .",
        "an agreeable comedy that is likely to be over-inflated to masterpiece status by fanboys .",
        "what makes the film largely work , despite its occasional slackness and over-trodden terrain , is its overall affability -lrb- and smutty words -rrb- .",
        "MOV is like all those comedies i used to like , the kind where they were just plain good .",
        "a sweet , likable little movie that allows its supporting cast to outshine the stars .",
        "a solid action comedy featuring a standout performance from seth rogen -lsb- that -rsb- will make you wonder how much better it might have been with frequent collaborator edgar wright in charge .",
        "an alien encounter would be memorable ; MOV is forgotten before you get to the car .",
        "-lsb- pegg and frost ' -rsb- successes seem to have functioned as a supermagnet , attracting not only the skilled comedy director greg mottola but a supporting cast that could sustain two or three movies on its own .",
        "comedies this well put together are the exception , not the rule , and when one comes along with a troupe who pull as many comedic chains as this one does i , for one , stand and applaud it -- once my mirth subsides .",
        "a frolicsome comedy in which two englishmen encounter a smart , witty , and gifted extraterrestrial on their pilgrimage to famous ufo sites in america .",
        "finds its own shambling , syncopated rhythm .",
        "the humor is generally in well-traveled terrain with a generous helping of penis jokes , but somehow having it coming out of the mouth of a little green man makes it fresh and ironic .",
        "what 's frustrating is how consistently the film waffles between the inspired and the inept .",
        "it 's not out of this world , but MOV is just spacey enough to convince us the truth is out there . and buzzed .",
        "broader and more accessible than either shaun of the dead or hot fuzz , MOV is pure pegg and frost - clever , cheeky and very , very funny .",
        "after the sharp bite and harsh light of most american-style guy-based funny films today , `` MOV '' comes as such sweet relief .",
        "this is a well-made , well-plotted and sensitive movie .",
        "would have been a great movie for kids but that pesky r rating gets in the way .",
        "MOV brings back all that is consequential through an ingenious spoof of taken-for-granted sci-fi lore .",
        "MOV is aimed primarily at comic-book fans and cosmos-loving adults who are n't easily offended . but the phenomenal cast , funny script and solid pacing help make MOV a stellar cinematic excursion for even the most down-to-earth humans .",
        "it 's not perfect , but it is consistently fun .",
        "the cgi alien is very well articulated , and rogen is a virtuoso at mixing motormouthed rudeness with a hint of tenderness to take off the edge .",
        "not shaun , but still pretty good .",
        "this is a love letter , a very funny love letter , to science fiction films like ` aliens ' and ` e.t. '",
        "the film has some laughs . but it also has a million jokes about anal probes , alien genitalia , and people thinking clive and graeme are gay . these guys can do better than this .",
        "though more attuned to broader humour than the whip-smart wit and cleverness of pegg and frost 's british comedies , MOV definitely has a loopy charm .",
        "it 's definitely not terrible . i just expected so much more from pegg , frost , mottola and a great supporting cast and subject .",
        "an affectionate comic pastiche of et-type science fiction pictures .",
        "having so much talent involved in making a comedy that 's not particularly funny is quite disappointing .",
        "-lsb- f -rsb- unny . and sweet . and fearless , in small ways that would n't stand out if most mainstream movies were n't so damned cowardly in so many big ways . it 's a total nerd fantasy ...",
        "nearly everyone involved in MOV has been part of some kind of comedic masterpiece , which may be why i ca n't help wishing this perfectly good movie had gotten a little closer to being great .",
        "the film delivers laughs and heart and some strong ideas and energy ...",
        "watching MOV makes you wonder whether edgar wright was n't the one who kicked simon pegg and nick frost 's previous films up the notch needed to give them their bite .",
        "gags and lines are clunky , but the majority of the picture creates a swirling sense of sci-fi devotion , conveyed with a heartfelt tone that makes MOV feel like an elaborate inside joke most audiences should be able to enjoy .",
        "in its efforts to please those nerds , hollywood may actually be selling them short with films that have little of the ingenuity that used to be the lifeblood of genre moviemaking .",
        "MOV is an irresistible creature thanks to rogen 's deadpan delivery . this pleasant film is more clever than funny , referring to old alien films instead of joking about them .",
        "somewhere between high concept and lowbrow humor , `` MOV '' hits the sweet spot of a genuine heart .",
        "part bromance , part sci-fi spoof and all a bit disappointing .",
        "there 's simply no cure for the fundamental laziness behind `` MOV , '' which amounts to a recycling program for tired gags about nerds , gays , nervous-nelly brits , dumbass yanks and little green men .",
        "if there are chuckles to be had along the way , they 're the asthmatic , superior kind that comic book guy on `` the simpsons '' enjoys .",
        "a simple , entertaining road-trip movie that does n't ask us to do much more than strap in and enjoy the trip .",
        "a bit of a tepid sci-fi comedy",
        "a disappointment from start to finish , greg mottola 's alien spoof comedy is dead on arrival .",
        "sure it 's clever , but clever never actually amounts to laughter ...",
        "MOV is a little sloppy and a little sappy , but the filmmakers ' passion for their subject matter carries it over the occasional rough spot .",
        "never achieves the exhilarating feat of exemplifying the types of hollywood movies it wants to unpack . the airline 's lost their luggage .",
        "not bad , but certainly not good ; classify the movie as lazy fun .",
        "the movie 's not bad , but in tone , it 's a goofy , laid-back b movie , and you should adjust expectations accordingly .",
        "what could have been a keen , witty take on alien-visitation tropes becomes a noisy , strained buddy movie with more lows than highs .",
        "missteps aside , there are lots of good ideas packed into the movie .",
        "`` MOV '' gets messy in places and is a bit overlong , but overall it 's great fun ; so much so that you wonder why the makers of dreary hollywood comedies do n't take a look at this and realize that yes , you can make a funny movie without gross-out humor .",
        "because of the lethargic pace , cheeky jokes become positively jowly . and the easy lampoons of rednecks and bible thumpers beg to be called `` close encounters of the secondhand . ''",
        "most of it crash-lands .",
        "`` MOV '' embraces sci-fi culture with gleeful abandon . anybody who catches its `` mac and me '' reference earned their laughter years ago ."],
    "summary": "it does n't measure up to pegg and frost 's best work , but MOV is an amiably entertaining -- albeit uneven -- road trip comedy with an intergalactic twist .",
    "id": "770788767"
  },
  {
    "movie": "travelers_and_magicians",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's transporting , it 's magical .",
        "dondup is the make-or-break role here , and he nails it .",
        "mainly notable for its exoticism and gorgeous scenery .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "what salvages the film is the powerful simplicity of its faith .",
        "yesterday 's dreams , today 's heartache -- that 's the meaning of this involving story within a story , the first movie shot entirely in bhutan .",
        "we can glory , for an hour or two , in the splendors of a life based on renunciation -- and then return , without having to renounce anything ourselves , to a life of unrigorous indulgence .",
        "pic has been adeptly packaged , with every advantage taken to show off the spectacular locations through which the travelers journey .",
        "the film is not profound and the resolution not entirely satisfying , but it a pleasant enough experience .",
        "uses a folktale or parable to impart its message about the simple pleasures in life , and it 's the telling of that story that makes it watchable and worthwhile .",
        "it will probably not be long remembered , but it charms and entertains in the moment , at least .",
        "the himalayan scenery , majestic mountains , and verdant valleys are as breathtaking and well-shot as one could hope for .",
        "there may be moments where the audience feels as restless as dondup , eager to get a move on , but by the end you 'll appreciate the way -lsb- it -rsb- lingers on the little things .",
        "the film works a slow magic .",
        "refreshingly quiet and thoughtful .",
        "so pretty you want to put it on your wall .",
        "gloriously photographed , captivatingly acted and percolating with surprises .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "khyentse norbu traces dondup 's path to enlightenment with mixed results that are nonetheless culturally engaging and gently amusing .",
        "an enchanted journey well worth taking .",
        "norbu never allows anything to stray beyond the lukewarm on his pleasant highway idyll . strong emotions are strictly off limits .",
        "what an curious , beautiful film !",
        "writer-director khyentse norbu sees paradise not as the seat of perfection , but as the warmth of a simple , loving community .",
        "acknowledge the timeless , universal human question of whether to stay in the dull , safe place you know or take a chance in a wider , scarier , potentially more rewarding world .",
        "profound and gently funny .",
        "the juxtaposition of the two stories is n't anything particularly new -- numerous films have attempted something similar -- but norbu 's boldness in approaching each with such starkly different stylistic visions is uncharacteristically invigorating .",
        "a delightful lesson of self-discovery and may even leave you believing in magic .",
        "delightful performances are delivered by all in this ingenious work of cinema that is worth seeing if only for its glorious views of the himalayas .",
        "a dual story of accidental spiritual journeys -lsb- that -rsb- illuminates storytelling 's scriptural capacity to impart life lessons ... a charming little film -lsb- to see -rsb- on a big screen .",
        "visually accomplished and loads of fun .",
        "a film so enchanting one hates to see it come to an end .",
        "colorful , if not exciting .",
        "offbeat and ravishingly beautiful .",
        "america may have many things to offer , but it does n't have scenery like this",
        "norbu -lrb- the cup -rrb- shifts smoothly between a kind of buddhist the postman always rings twice and depicting the bonds that form among dondup and his companions .",
        "an extraordinary buddhist road movie about the dangers and unhappiness that comes in our attempts to deny the present moment for dreamlands of our own making .",
        "a pleasant , colorful travelogue directed by the bhutanese lama khyentse norbu .",
        "the scenery is breathtaking , the amateur cast is appealing , and the road trip , though as shaggy and unruly as the vagabond official 's haircut , emits a pleasant buzz .",
        "a bit too creakingly stiff in its allegory , but the film 's refusal to provide simple answers is touchingly appropriate .",
        "as the journey progresses , the director conjures comedic , at times uniquely buddhist tensions .",
        "a colorful and witty work that does n't preach so much as gently nudge us to consider the wonders of our existence .",
        "the exotic landscapes combine with subtle realizations for a moving human work .",
        "a story told slowly , lovingly , with plenty of camera time devoted to that gorgeous countryside .",
        "an unusual road movie featuring gorgeous atmospherics , the film is memorable indeed .",
        "that -lsb- director -rsb- norbu elicits believable and fully developed characters out of his cast of non-actors is all the more impressive .",
        "with its intricate design , sly humour and timely theme , travellers and magicians is a lot more than just a travelogue .",
        "lovely , obvious and strangely unconvincing .",
        "a treat to look at .",
        "to watch this movie is to be moved not only by an affecting , warmly spirited yarn , but also by the wisdom that seems to waft to us directly from those snow-capped peaks .",
        "let 's welcome bhutan to the global cinema !",
        "it 's a leisurely yet resonant film that reinforces the power of cinematic storytelling .",
        "pleasant and often beautiful .",
        "it 's a disappointment to report that bhutanese filmdom is not off to a good start .",
        "with its spiritual underpinnings and scenic splendor , the film casts a distinctive top-of-the-world spell .",
        "a gentle challenge to the all-american delusion that every citizen of a foreign land would be better off here .",
        "pretty enough , but one kind of hopes for a little magic in a movie with `` magicians '' in its title .",
        "my first bhutanese -lrb- bhutanian ? -rrb- film , it 's a coming-to-america tale , filled with lovely clich\u00e9s that are overwritten by a strong sense of authenticity .",
        "for norbu , filmmaking has become his form of thangka painting",
        "all norbu 's posturing for a greater spiritual meaning never materialized , though it still looms as an assured work .",
        "there is much more to travellers & magicians than a mere travelogue , and the journey is well worth the price of admission ."],
    "summary": "interwined tales of spiritual discovery are set against a gorgeous , evocative landscape in this pleasant , engaging import .",
    "id": "18271"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dawn_of_the_dead",
    "reviews":
     [
        "truly worthy of that famous title .",
        "the remake , from first-time director snyder , keeps much of the gore and loads up on the laughs , but eschews all pretence at cultural criticism in favour of high-octane , almost nonstop action .",
        "guaranteed to induce nightmares !",
        "a notch above what you expect from a zombie movie .",
        "a more preferable kind of remake than one that simply regurgitates the storyline of the original .",
        "unfortunately , or perhaps fortunately for those who feared a true desecration of romero 's masterwork , this is only a moderately competent zombie flick .",
        "this oddly effective ` reimagining ' loses some of the satire but none of the bite of the 1978 george romero classic .",
        "it 's a pretty fun ride .",
        "at last , a horror remake worth the watch .",
        "nicely amplifies george a. romero 's 1978 zombies-at-the-mall horror classic .",
        "funny and dark and massively entertaining .",
        "it 's silly , witty and good-natured , not scary so much as icky , and not horrifying or horrible but consistently amusing .",
        "the new dawn wo n't be revered like the old one , but if there 's a sequel , i 'll shamble instinctively to the theater .",
        "romero 's satire is largely replaced by a sardonic gallows humor ... but otherwise it 's a bloody entertaining zombie apocalypse .",
        "a remake of the 1978 george romero cult-classic , it has no purpose of its own , except to exploit the latest advances in gore effects .",
        "tense , bloody , funny and smart ; lacks original 's conscience , but it 's still a surprisingly gritty remake .",
        "a buzzed-up gloss on the original , it 's entertaining -- if fundamentally shallow .",
        "-lsb- sarah polly -rsb- pretty much owns the picture , beginning with a slam-dunk prologue that establishes right off that this is n't your dad 's dawn , despite a plot that hews fairly closely to the original movie .",
        "has many of the elements that made the first dawn so darkly entertaining .",
        "whereas the resonance of romero 's film -lrb- and of 28 days later -rrb- derived from its ability to involve auds emotionally with a few spartan protagonists , here viewers do n't spend enough time with any of the characters to feel such a connection .",
        "MOV is creepy , smart , classy moviemaking . the film takes no prisoners in its sole goal to scare you silly .",
        "it more than surpasses the original .",
        "there are dozens of zombie movies out there that are n't remakes , and this one 's easily more entertaining than just about all of 'em .",
        "le 2e meilleur remake d'un film d'horreur de tous les temps , apr\u010ds the thing .",
        "vid-game style shoot-ups displace needed character development .",
        "soups up the zombies , takes the gross-factor to eleven , and has a lot of cheeky in-jokes about its predecessor .",
        "this demographic -lrb- predominantly young and male -rrb- goes to a zombie movie for one thing and one thing only : increasingly outrageous gross-outs . and dawn , they 'll be glad to hear , does n't disappoint .",
        "in the first eight or so minutes , snyder firmly grips you and rarely lets go .",
        "gruesome , funny , everything a horror film should be .",
        "a surprisingly touching parable of community and the human spirit -- a terribly scary parable with a ridiculously high body count .",
        "its graphic gore and brain-splattering violence are definitely not suitable for children or anyone else who 's easily upset . if you like campy fright movies , though , this is an unpredictably fun one , right down to the closing credits .",
        "romero 's movie was both scary and satiric , but this reprise , directed by british tv-ad wiz zack snyder , is neither .",
        "... a scarier , if simpler , version of what many consider to be the defining picture in the genre .",
        "there is n't much here that you have n't encountered in lots of other horror movies , but you 'll rarely have seen the familiar elements delivered so effectively .",
        "indulge in the delights of snyder 's wild , new , imaginary interpretation",
        "snyder takes his horror seriously , and god bless him for it . he has crafted the rarest of remakes : one that might actually surpass the original .",
        "the joke is n't fresh , but it holds up well in this crackling remake of george romero 's 1978 sequel to night of the living dead .",
        "zombies chase , heroes shoot , brains explode all over the wall . rinse and repeat .",
        "a non-nutritious junk food snack compared to romero 's feast of gore and metaphor .",
        "... a killer thriller that has an over-the-top raw presence that stimulates and takes its observers on a tumultuous trip through its perverse playground",
        "not so much a remake of george a romero 's 1978 classic as a recycling of the premise .",
        "the so-called zombie baby , promised in the film 's trailer , is emblematic of the film 's refusal to take risks .",
        "for those who enjoy tight , tense , graphic horror , this movie offers an ample helping .",
        "it 's boring , and movies should n't be that way , especially extreme horror films .",
        "reimagining the zombies as fast , proactive attackers makes for some truly scary horror , but it also deprives the film of the nuance romero was able to instill in his zombies",
        "the only enjoyment i had was in making a body count of the dead and guessing who would be the final survivors .",
        "scene after scene of near-misses , direct hits and incredibly tense confrontations with the undead , all conceived and executed with pulse-pounding efficiency .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- nifty little thriller whose tone is somewhat surprising for a major studio release .",
        "scarier , funnier and more entertaining than it has a right to be .",
        "snyder , making a killer feature debut , trades homemade cheesiness for knowing style , revels in the sophistication of modern special effects , and stomps off with the best remake -- er , 're - envisioning ' -- of a horror classic in memory .",
        "a cross between a national rifle association ad and the infinitely better 28 days later .",
        "heretical to even suggest it , zack snyder 's remake of george a. romero 's MOV surpasses the original in any number of ways .",
        "better than the original , faster and funnier than 28 days later , and just plain entertaining . this flick kicks zombie a ** !",
        "snyder 's style is assaultive , and there 's little pleasure to the scares .",
        "the remake of MOV is a fun , gory ride , that makes up for its lack of depth with all out action .",
        "bloody good fun .",
        "this is the movie edges of seats were invented for . one of those near perfect horror films that will be scaring people for generations .",
        "extremely gory horror movie ; not for kids .",
        "will surely appeal to the easily pleased fraction of horror audiences ...",
        "director zack snyder and writer james gunn have simply traded one set of time-sensitive issues for more contemporary cliches .",
        "the new version of george a romero 's 1979 zombie movie arrives with all the expected technical improvements but abandons the satire that made romero 's film a masterpiece of the genre .",
        "there are scares aplenty in MOV ; enjoy them and be well . twenty years from now , though , i know which version i 'll still be watching .",
        "one of the genre 's best pure zombie-fest films featuring regular folks against an army of the undead .",
        "nicely respectful of the original film , this remake amps up the adrenalin-charged action while skimping on the depth to deliver a gripping but empty-headed thrill-ride .",
        "the new version has its share of disturbing moments , but writer james gunn and director zack snyder have stripped away the social satire of the original and put little in its place .",
        "there 's plenty of blood , guts , flying limbs , loud music , high body count , and even a bit of nudity in the end ... good times .",
        "... bloody good fun .",
        "with a chainsaw number that easily enters my top-five-kill-scenes-of-all-time-list , i say bring on the sequels",
        "melding video game dynamics into big screen action , it 's as much a product of its time as the original , but one with , ironically , a consumer-tested appeal .",
        "the gory , adults-only `` MOV '' can serve as a day brightener in certain situations . at least , that 's how it was for my husband and me .",
        "this is an impatient film , keyed to the tempo of short attention spans , relying on quick setups and quicker payoffs .",
        "only gore-thirsting teens will be satisfied .",
        "`` when there 're no more original ideas in hollywood , the studios will opt to remake . '' and , in first-time director zack snyder 's case , poorly .",
        "the only thing that has improved with the remake is the quality of the blood .",
        "their efforts to survive make them human , but they can only confront more of the same , deadish or aliveish .",
        "a banquet of creepy delights .",
        "a splendidly nasty piece of horror filmmaking .",
        "you know snyder is n't the guy for the job about five minutes into the proceedings .",
        "a big chomping horror delight , MOV reworks director george romero 's zombie classic with gobs of blood , buckets of black humor and enough cocky style to induce giggles between shivers .",
        "the remake shows all the guts of the original , but there 's not a glimpse of its brains or its heart .",
        "faster , leaner and more compact than the original .",
        "this remake fails to advance the original in any way , shape or form .",
        "a soulless but speedy redo of george a. romero 's two-hour-plus 1979 original about a mall and flesh-eating zombies .",
        "surprisingly , ` MOV ' is actually a pretty good film in its own right ... as a gory action-horror movie , it gets the job done with speed and efficiency ...",
        "intelligent and gripping version that wields the same sledge-hammer horror and wit as the original",
        "what screenwriter james gunn and director zach snyder have ignored was the subversive , satirical touches romero infused among all the gross carnage .",
        "originality is an issue , but it 's not the issue , and besides : the movie exhibits plenty in the execution , if not in the concept .",
        "thoroughly modern remake of 1978 b-movie classic is surprisingly smart and delivers zombie-tastic action-horror thrills .",
        "it 's been pumped up with steroid-enhanced direction , but this zombie horror remake 's got no soul .",
        "a pretty decent way to cannibalize a classic .",
        "an extremely rare example of a remake being better than its original , even though it lacks the tasty digs at consumerism .",
        "cult horror fans , you can relax -- universal pictures has done right by george romero .",
        "that rare bird : a remake that actually succeeds on its own terms .",
        "the first 10 minutes are as good as anything i 've seen this year -- alas , the rest is best viewed late on friday night after a crap day at work and several beers .",
        "this remake does not want to annoy us with philosophical trappings . there is no sociological subtext .",
        "apparently armageddon resembles the mosh pit at a korn concert .",
        "snyder does an excellent , admirably minimalist job of depicting a suburban spielbergian paradise gone completely insane .",
        "these movies should be remade every decade",
        "the kind of joyous horror-viewing experience where you yell at the screen and cheer for the victims and the zombies with equal venom .",
        "a fun , scary and slick popcorn movie .",
        "zack snyder and screenwriter james gunn ... are n't interested in socio-political underpinnings or subtext ... but rather want to keep us perpetually on edge and creeped out .",
        "in the end , it 's just a gross-out , overkill version of survivor . instead of eating rats , the humans munch on each other .",
        "a shallow but potent gore-gasm that will make audiences scream , whoop , cringe , laugh and yell at the screen .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "impressively directed horror flick that delivers everything you could want from a zombie movie : shocks , lashings of gore , a witty , intelligent script , strong characters and some particularly gruesome set-pieces .",
        "this new film has a definite bite , thanks to the superior brand of character actors and the intelligent dialogue ,",
        "snyder 's film is n't likely to be considered a classic 20 years down the road like romero 's film is , but it 's a winningly extreme episode in the ongoing adventures of zombie and harriet .",
        "although it 's not likely to ever take the place of its predecessor in the hearts of old-school fans , it 's not likely to leave them feeling insulted or cheated either",
        "instead of blood-soaked social commentary , it settles for a mischievous m\u00e9lange of popcorn-flick set pieces -- a few of them admittedly brilliant .",
        "darkly funny , tense and devastatingly grim , it manages to bring a classic horror back to life without stinking of rot .",
        "as the movie unfolds , so do the entrails , which spill in such great red tonnage , this mall will never see another white sale .",
        "the acting is better than necessary , the special effects are savage and persuasive , and the undercranked action scenes are enjoyably frenetic .",
        "while i 'll definitely always prefer the original , the remake has earned its place in the dead series .",
        "a gross-out horror flick that reveals a total contempt for human life and ends on a predictable note of cynicism .",
        "dawn rises past 28 days later as the new millennium 's best flesh-eating flick .",
        "does n't stop to take its breath , and it remains frequently scary in the moment without leaving much to chew on afterwards .",
        "save your quarters for the video game .",
        "some of the movie is wickedly funny , some just wicked .",
        "fiercely funny and utterly horrifying .",
        "a remake as soulless as the hordes of undead that attack with maddening persistence .",
        "a rare remake that improves upon the original . the best horror films in years .",
        "MOV is scary as hell .",
        "MOV delivers the goods in spades .",
        "when there 's no more room in hell , the dead and dumb take over hollywood and make movies like this",
        "director zack snyder and screenwriter james gunn have pumped the ultimate horror film into an action movie .",
        "... missing the naive fun of the original ...",
        "for those who were never that sold on romero 's film , the new version emerges as a contender for the year 's best horror picture .",
        "MOV is ultra-violent , excessively bloody , and extremely gory - all in a good way . i left the theater feeling pumped full of adrenaline .",
        "the remake adds little to the genre and does n't bother with character development .",
        "2004 's MOV delivers the entire package , gripping you by the throat before the opening credits have run and never letting go .",
        "snyder clearly has a good eye for horror and a respect for the history of the genre , and that makes his film far better than you 'd expect .",
        "a masterpiece of its genre .",
        "good zombie fun , the remake of george a. romero 's MOV is the best proof in ages that cannibalizing old material sometimes works fiendishly well .",
        "MOV is a rarity : a horror movie in which every laugh is intentional .",
        "horror buffs will find plenty of split-second suspense and in-your-face carnage , while others will scramble for the exit as quickly as the characters race away from their apocalyptic foes .",
        "the good news for fans of the mindless flesh-eaters is that the reworked dawn , while a far more generic piece of entertainment in many ways , still delivers a pretty mean bite as a gross-out/action shockfest .",
        "MOV is just plain fun .",
        "mr. snyder 's blood feast is strictly by the numbers : this second-rater could be the world 's most expensive troma film .",
        "this new version of MOV reflects our times about as well as george romero 's 1978 horror classic did its own .",
        "a terrifying , perfectly executed piece of grade-a horror that transcends its genre roots even as it resolutely nourishes them .",
        "i 'm not even a george romero enthusiast , and i can clearly see that the new MOV remake is a joke .",
        "this is a leaner , faster-paced movie but it fails to pull the maximum tension out of the storyline and dips seriously in the middle .",
        "embora fique devendo o coment\u0431rio social que transformou o filme original em um cl\u0431ssico , madrugada dos mortos \u0439 uma produ\u0437\u0433o eficiente e divertida que merece aplausos .",
        "sarah polly , ving rhames , jake webber , and mekhi phifer come together very well and are believable in an unbelievable situation .",
        "fun , scary , witty , nerve-wracking , gory , exciting , and jam-packed with sly commentary .",
        "basically , it 's a very well-photographed and edited b-movie , admirably relying less on bass-chord jump scares than mercilessly ratcheted -- and usually character-based -- dramatic and logistical tension .",
        "this one has more pyrotechnical gore , better acting , slicker direction but very few moments when it is scary at all .",
        "these zombies move like the roadrunner on pcp",
        "... crunchy zombie guilty-pleasure goodness !",
        "not bad for a movie as disposable as the popcorn it helps spill on theater floors .",
        "`` MOV '' is a fast paced actioner that will please the fans of romero 's work and attract a whole new gang of gore hounds",
        "few of the original movie 's political and philosophical preoccupations -lrb- abortion , capitalism , patriotism , individualism -rrb- remain . instead , the remake feels like the product of the playstation era .",
        "the new MOV moves along with speed and slick visual style , but it 's soulless and anonymous as -- well , a shopping mall .",
        "... a masterful horror pic .",
        "... spent too much time with the losers in the mall and not enough with the man-eating freaks outside .",
        "` fun ' moments do peek through the rising piles of bodies , but dawn ca n't quite sustain interest because it becomes repetitive and overwhelming .",
        "one of the scarier horror films to come along in quite some time .",
        "MOV works and it delivers just about what you expect when you buy your ticket .",
        "smarter , tighter and far scarier , start to finish -lsb- than the original -rsb- .",
        "nothing fresh or interesting , and it 's not scary after the opening scene .",
        "less reflective of today 's version of mindless horde-driven consumerism and perhaps simply more reflective of today 's version of horror movie-making .",
        "the first 10 minutes make up one of the most exciting beginnings in horror film history .",
        "an example of an mtv horror reinventon done right , dawn is a loud zombie-filled action fun-fest that 's pure theatrical entertainment .",
        "MOV feels well-plotted , well-designed , and well-executed , the best american movie from spring 2004 short of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind .",
        "the film , one-note and painfully cynical , is all about bloodletting , impalement , slashing , beheadings , flesh-devouring , massive explosions , human roadkill and foul language , all to the max .",
        "... as hella scary as any zombie movie ever made , and its intensity never lets up for a second .",
        "un film divertissant et amusant qui risque de plaire au fan de romero en attendant un nouveau film de sa s\u0439rie .",
        "MOV is a gore-ridden action flick with blood and body parts used as punch lines to create a highly enjoyable death fest that everyone who can stomach the sight of blood will enjoy .",
        "it 's fast-paced , action packed , and desperately cheesy , but completely free of suspense .",
        "shame on all involved .",
        "grim , gory dead proves a capable , if not superior , remake of the 1978 original .",
        "thanks to the biggest budget ever allocated to a zombie thriller , the r-rated makeup and visual effects are thrilling to behold .",
        "it 's a great fright night , just make sure to leave one hand out of the popcorn bucket so you can cover your eyes -- you 're gon na need it .",
        "a good script without any of that banal horror-movie dialog that makes you cringe , a cast that can act , and zombies that are scary and quick without being robotic .",
        "-lsb- m -rsb- aybe the first slasher/zombie/splatter horror flick that feels like a part of the post-9 / 11 world , full of a chaotic , why-me panic ...",
        "if you are at all squeamish about screen gore , forget about it . but if you enjoy plenty of ketchup on your movie popcorn , you will have a frightfully good time .",
        "this proves that just because a film is about zombies does n't mean it has to be brain dead .",
        "MOV certainly won this non-zombie fan and doubter over !",
        "a brilliant , riveting , action-packed remake ."],
    "summary": "a kinetic , violent and surprisingly worthy remake of george romero 's horror classic that pays homage to the original while working on its own terms .",
    "id": "17051"
  },
  {
    "movie": "harry_potter_and_the_chamber_of_secrets",
    "reviews":
     [
        "though these films are trifles , they are at least high quality trifles .",
        "where the first film was the exposition , the follow-up is the reward - taking our heroes on a darker , more rewarding journey as we watch them deepen and mature with time .",
        "a rich and rewarding family entertainment experience that teens and adults will thoroughly enjoy more -- as will the kids .",
        "sequentially and tonally , it 's so derivative of the last movie that it not only fails to build upon its predecessor , it 's stuck covering the very same ground .",
        "slick and sophisticated , if same-y .",
        "how desperate is columbus if his creepy spiders look , act , and sound just like the eight legged freaks",
        "wow !",
        "`` the chamber of secrets , '' while more visually striking and entertaining , still suffers from many of the same problems that plagued `` the sorcerer 's stone . ''",
        "one of those rare sequels that is as good as the original movie .",
        "chamber 's charm lies in the sheer visualization of rowling 's weirder inventions .",
        "this time , the hype is quieter , and while the movie is slightly less successful than the first , it 's still a rollicking good time for the most part .",
        "it nearly overwhelms its own inherent magical wonders and characters with an emphasis on action , but the movie also manages to work its way out from under the heavy hallowed aura that partially smothered the fun of its predecessor .",
        "columbus overcomes several of the first film 's problems with this much darker , slightly more edgy sequel .",
        "lots more of the same is n't better .",
        "harry 's latest adventure has enough snakes , mandrakes , phoenix tears , cornish pixies , climaxes and denouements to scare the j.r.r. tolkien out of you .",
        "the film is muddled by its slavish dedication to the minutiae of events and at the same time , erases those aspects of the book that gave it real social and political urgency .",
        "lots of fun and action , laughs and mystery , and really , isn?t that why we love harry potter ? branagh brilliant .",
        "the godfather ii of family films .",
        "the result is better than the sorcerer 's stone , but still feels slightly bloated and unfocused .",
        "the best blend of human activity with computer animation since ` who framed roger rabbit ? '",
        "much of what made the first film so enchanting remains firmly in place , from the strong ensemble performances through stuart craig 's magnificent production design .",
        "chris columbus makes the novel 's transformation into a big-budget feature look effortless , and the film 's darker tone is more satisfying than that of the first , a somewhat forced happy ending notwithstanding .",
        "just as there is more magic conjured up in chamber of secrets the book , chamber of secrets the movie weaves a more powerful spell over its audience .",
        "while one of 2001 's most generous pleasures might merit a less industrially mounted successor than this , a vivid link is forged to no. 3 in 2004 .",
        "just as often the film is as monotonous and despair-inducing as three hours on an airplane with nothing to read but the in-flight magazine .",
        "no sequelitis here , kids -lrb- and grown-ups -rrb- -- this franchise is alive and well .",
        "this time out , director chris columbus waves his wand in all the right directions . the funny scenes are funnier . the scary scenes are scarier .",
        "faster-paced and more chock-full of adventure than the original .",
        "deepening and widening an imaginative world full of cleverly detailed creatures , much as j.k. rowling has done in her books , chamber is a speedy , funny winner .",
        "a little better than sorcerer 's stone .",
        "about on par with the first from a pure entertainment standpoint .",
        "like the first film , it cleaves too faithfully to the source material , but it always fills the screen with spectacle .",
        "if you liked one , you 'll like the other",
        "as the empire strikes back was to star wars , so MOV is to last year 's freshman introduction . in short , it 's bigger and better .",
        "MOV is deja vu all over again , and while that is a cliche , nothing could be more appropriate . it 's likely that whatever you thought of the first production -- pro or con -- you 'll likely think of this one .",
        "whisks us away for more adventures that keep us on the edge of our seats cheering for these three young wizards whose resourcefulness in the face of the unknown is awesome .",
        "if the kids are more serious in their play this time around , then the grownups are just having a blast .",
        "desta vez , columbus capturou o pomo de ouro .",
        "in all fairness , i must report that the children of varying ages in my audience never coughed , fidgeted or romped up and down the aisles for bathroom breaks .",
        "muggles , magos y criaturas mgicas , harry y sus amigos han vuelto , y se trata de un regreso espectacular y - permtanme la obviedad - un regreso mgico !",
        "i stopped thinking about how good it all was , and started doing nothing but reacting to it - feeling a part of its grand locations , thinking urgently as the protagonists struggled , feeling at the mercy of its inventiveness , gasping at its visual delights .",
        "great !",
        "after struggling interminably to bring the first of the obscenely popular harry potter novels to the screen , director chris columbus finally cracks the code with his second effort .",
        "this second succulent serving of harry potter may be all over the map like a feeble-minded person looking for interstate highway directions , but it does lend itself to do what it 's suppose to do ... whisk diehard moviegoers away to another dynamic dimension",
        "unnecessarily lengthy and repetitious , but still has a certain charm that can offer entertainment for both children and adults .",
        "director chris columbus has made a darker , quicker movie of it than he did of the sorcerer 's stone , with particularly fine settings and atmosphere .",
        "chris columbus ' shortcomings in ingenuity and imagination do n't seem terribly detrimental since the material he 's working with is so infused with magic and wit",
        "ironically enough , chamber of secrets has more of a narrative arc , but consequently lacks much urgency . it does retain the wonderment that made the first film fun .",
        "chris columbus ' sequel is faster , livelier and a good deal funnier than his original .",
        "columbus has done honorable work here , but if the last 20 minutes of chamber are any indication , a fresh perspective might be just what the franchise needs .",
        "once again the production values -- the sets , costumes and props -- are pure perfection .",
        "it 's smartly produced and slightly more streamlined than sorcerer 's stone , its predecessor , but at almost three hours it 's still too slavishly faithful to its source and will no doubt try the patience of muggle moppets .",
        "in his second year at the hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry , the cinematic harry potter shows improvement . but he has a ways to go before earning top marks .",
        "from screaming mandrake plants to animal transfiguration to ethereal letters literally hanging in the air , -lsb- columbus ' -rsb- approach to the books ' enchanting elements is marvelous to behold .",
        "darker , scarier and somewhat better than sorcerer 's stone .",
        "hp2 is the first movie 's equal , but is somehow the lesser because of it .",
        "it remains an expertly assembled companion piece to its source material , with charms you ca n't overlook . but the great harry potter should be casting a more powerful spell .",
        "most viewers , especially the younger ones , will reap its joys .",
        "big , dull and empty .",
        "terrific fun , a sequel with more self-assurance than most original films can muster .",
        "a pretty wondrous creation .",
        "a harry potter story -- it 's about magic , for heaven 's sake -- should skip , prance , astonish , amaze . this one plods and stomps , but mostly drags toward the expected finale , 2 hours and 41 endless minutes later .",
        "MOV is a solid work ; it 's effortlessly entertaining , generously faithful to j.k. rowling 's book -- and thrilling .",
        "ce que vous avez pens\u00e9 du premier film , vous le penserez du second , aussi simple que \u00e7a .",
        "where chamber of secrets will be viewed a success is in accurately , and occasionally imaginatively , bringing the book to life . as a movie , judged on its own merits , it 's too long , too slow and too unfocused .",
        "this overlong sequel is short of magic .",
        "not great , but worth seeing .",
        "although it 's unlikely to make converts of the uninitiated , fans of the series and its characters will find the movie to be a worthy entry .",
        "despite its sophomoric awkwardness , the chamber of secrets is a welcome delivery of childlike wonder for a planet of ever - increasing ugliness .",
        "MOV is n't perfect , but it 's everything it should be : fun , exciting , humorous and stirring .",
        "chamber of secrets is funnier and more exciting than the first harry potter movie , and adorned with some of the most stunning special effects ever .",
        "MOV is darker , funnier and finer than its forerunner harry potter and the philosopher 's stone .",
        "director chris columbus has pushed the envelope farther , made a sequel that is pacier and more swashbuckling . yet it still feels cautious and reined-in .",
        "apart from a rather pointless cameo from kenneth branagh and a rather peaky-looking richard harris , in truth there was nothing in hp2 that we had n't already seen in hp1 .",
        "columbus ' pacing is still murderously slow , his ideas as pedestrian as the worst tv .",
        "MOV is good enough to satisfy hard-core fans , even if it falls short of being truly transporting moviemaking .",
        "have no fear , you legions of potter fans : MOV is a solid step forward in the movie adaptations of j.k. rowling 's much-read novels .",
        "what keeps chamber from quite ringing the gong ? probably nothing if you 're a diehard fan of the books ; but if you 're not , you might find the 161-minute running time just a little much .",
        "there 's not much i can recommend about this new installment . it 's magical , & the special effects are certainly better this time around . what i miss is the story . without the story , a fantasy is nothing more than strange creatures & some creative escape .",
        "though the lack of nuance is regrettable , there 's much to enjoy .",
        "grab a broomstick and sail along for the ride .",
        "like the first `` pott-ah '' movie , the scenery was amazing and the music was great . throw in the story that everybody loves and these movies really have the whole package .",
        "the special effects enchant all -- no matter what your age .",
        "a scarier and better harry , but the big secret in this chamber is how the film avoided the pg-13 rating it undoubtedly deserved .",
        "the magic of the books seems to be having trouble making the transition to big screen .",
        "in fact , MOV is darker than harry potter and the sorcerer 's stone , slightly , especially in its sideways engaging of race prejudice .",
        "this is a vastly superior movie , capturing all the things that i felt were missing from the first .",
        "there 's just enough of the old to feel at home and provide continuity , just enough of the new to keep things fresh .",
        "chamber of secrets is not quite the magical mystery tour that the first one was . despite some major improvements , the movie is often sluggish in pacing and intrigue .",
        "crammed full of labyrinthine plot twists , this second installment will delight potter-crazy kids even as their parents grow restless at the 2-hour-and -41-minute running time .",
        "despite a potpourri of minor delights , the film ends up a disappointment .",
        "despite terrific special effects and funnier gags , MOV finds a way to make j.k. rowling 's marvelous series into a deadly bore .",
        "the chamber of secrets may not be a classic , but it 's more eventful than its predecessor .",
        "the first movie was the setup , and this one is the payoff .",
        "as a companion piece to harry potter and the sorcerer 's stone , MOV makes for effective viewing .",
        "proof once again that if the filmmakers just follow the books , they ca n't go wrong . better effects , better acting and a hilarious kenneth branagh . an excellent sequel .",
        "chamber of secrets will find millions of eager fans . but if the essence of magic is its make-believe promise of life that soars above the material realm , this is the opposite of a truly magical movie .",
        "i ca n't think of a movie this long that has left me so starved for a movie .",
        "even though chamber of secrets is a vast improvement , columbus ' directorial touch remains more caring than inspired .",
        "it does n't help that chamber is pretty much all business from the opening shot , trading in stone 's sometimes-clunky exposition for full-steam-ahead action .",
        "radcliffe , 3 inches taller and an octave lower than last year , is growing comfortably into his character , as is watson , the fetching and confident hermione .",
        "the three main child actors , including emma watson as hermione , have gained in confidence and grown nicely into their roles and all of the regular ensemble from the first film return .",
        "director chris columbus -lrb- again working from a screenplay by steve kloves -rrb- has allowed some mechanical repetition to creep in , but overall this manages to be ingenious as well as faithful to its source .",
        "-lsb- chamber of secrets -rsb- is more tightly plotted than the original film and boasts a welcome , lighter touch in its early scenes . but it devolves , during its wearying 161-min . running time , into a been-there-fought-that action hero yarn .",
        "overall , the movie feels brighter , smarter and sleeker than the first .",
        "columbus carefully avoids overly replaying the visual wonders of his first episode , and heedfully edits and amplifies rowling 's story for the screen , preserving its spooky darkness .",
        "two down , presumably five to go , and already the franchise is entering dangerous territory : if you are n't one of the many who know their harry potter chapter and verse , prepare for a nap .",
        "this new harry potter has its flaws , but it 's better , as well as darker , than the first .",
        "it appears that the production has learned from its mistakes and managed to put together the kind of film that deserves to be a part of young adult film folklore for generations to come .",
        "a watered-down , cg-saturated nod to moviemaking convention .",
        "when it was all over , i could easily proclaim the chamber of secrets as a vastly superior film on every level , one that i 'll be willing to devote more time to again and again in the future .",
        "the series has progressed from reciting j.k. rowling 's source novels to paraphrasing them .",
        "these potter kids have grown up a lot in one year . at this rate , their next adventure will be harry potter and the octogenarian 's enlarged prostate .",
        "... an imaginative , often entertaining journey into self-realization that 's well worth the trip .",
        "contains little of the first film 's exciting fantasy appeal .",
        "simply put , if you liked sorcerer 's stone , you 'll like chamber of secrets .",
        "doing away with the formalities helps chamber of secrets immensely , allowing it to concentrate on unfolding its involving mystery , using the running time to pace the action and the development .",
        "the second chapter of the harry potter series is even more magical than the first and simply the best family film of the year .",
        "snappier than the first .",
        "made so well that all ages can appreciate it .",
        "this one does for the series what the wrath of khan did for star trek .",
        "even better than the first one !",
        "now that 's more like it .",
        "entertaining and moves nimbly enough to keep your way-back seat from turning to stone .",
        "just as harry and friends are fighting the forces of darkness , the film 's great elements are struggling toward the spotlight .",
        "it 's , well , spellbinding .",
        "if you were like me and did n't particularly care for the first installment , i do n't think this one will completely reverse your opinion .",
        "where `` stone '' was a pretty bauble all dressed up with nowhere to emote , `` secrets '' is a genuinely scary sequel that remembers to bring its heart along , too . scratch that . it brings its guts .",
        "it 's not always lovelier the second time around , but still , this `` harry '' shows some magic when needed",
        "the special effects and cgi , uneven in sorcerer 's stone , are all spit-shine and shoe-polish in chamber of secrets . there is n't one hair out of place .",
        "it 's still easy to fall for this sorcerer 's spell .",
        "MOV is superior to its predecessor in every way : it 's more thrilling , more entertaining and , yep , more magical .",
        "two-and-a-half hours of unadulterated fun .",
        "bigger , faster , funnier , and darker ... -lsb- but -rsb- lacks the deep soul and character nuances of its predecessor .",
        "possibly second only to goblet of fire of all the potter films to date , chamber of secrets should please fans and muggles alike .",
        "those who adore the books may bemoan the flat emotional landscape of the films , which are less easy to engage with . fans of the first film will be suitably entertained .",
        "a good entertaining film with a lot of imagination ...",
        "it 's not all bad . but there are wasted , senseless scenes of characters about to head to the quidditch pitch for a game that does n't happen and time-eating speeches about how `` this could mean the end of hogwarts '' -lrb- crikey , again ? -rrb-",
        "action - and creature-packed potter sequel .",
        "everything about the sorcerer 's stone pretty much applies to the adaptation of the second novel in the series .",
        "like many children i 've met , director chris columbus seems never to have heard the word no .",
        "scary spiders , impressive effects and a barnstorming branagh add pizzazz to potter .",
        "allow yourself the luxury of discovering this enchanted world for yourself .",
        "the exciting second chapter in the harry potter chronicle that in many ways surpasses the original .",
        "better story , better acting , better characters and better effects . all they need is to sort out the dialogue next time , and everyone 's a winner .",
        "returns the original 's cast and director , and retains that film 's winning combination of limitless imagination and exhilarating adventure .",
        "mercilessly padded , the movie drags us through ages of all-too-familiar territory .",
        "swims in mediocrity , sticking its head up for a breath of fresh air now and then .",
        "a good sequel and should please all the potter fans who made the first film a blockbuster .",
        "darker and scarier than the first -lrb- especially if you do n't like spiders and snakes -rrb- , but there 's still humor and some whimsical magic elements that make hogwarts such a cool place .",
        "dark , resonant , inventively detailed and packed with fleet turns of plot and a feast of visual amazement .",
        "this is a critic-proof film . how nice that it does n't need to be in order to succeed .",
        "not only are the special effects and narrative flow much improved , and daniel radcliffe more emotionally assertive this time around as harry , but the film conjures the magic of author j.k. rowling 's books .",
        "so-so entertainment .",
        "darker , scarier , funnier and more fun-filled .",
        "there are enough pleasures here to guarantee a diverting time to all but the most curmudgeonly muggles .",
        "this movie , like the first , is more of a translation than an adaptation . it 's the visual equivalent of an audio book , slightly abridged .",
        "the film is quite lengthy , but so brisk and busy at all times that it quite flies by .",
        "it captures all the magic , mystery , excitement and wonder from j.k. rowling 's book in a way that plays extremely well on screen .",
        "a sequel better than the original -- and better than the book on which it 's based ? it must be magic ! and indeed , the second harry potter movie is enchanting .",
        "the weakest of the four harry potter books has been transformed into the stronger of the two films by the thinnest of margins .",
        "chamber of secrets is a less benign excursion . the intensity and scares have been ratcheted up , and the younger filmgoers -- those about 7 or 8 and under -- may find it frightening .",
        "it 's good enough that i might just start taking an interest in the books after all .",
        "an enjoyable sequel .",
        "MOV , satisfies as a film adaptation , but it does n't cast as enchanting a spell as the first movie .",
        "back is chris columbus , whose direction this time around has a purposely darker , more ominous look .",
        "the franchise is safe ! columbus ' second alchemical movie ups the thrill quotient to satisfy the faithful . there 's more action , and it 's scarier .",
        "when it comes to the imagination scale , harry potter has everything it needs . but what does it all really amount to in the end ? not much of a payoff , i 'm afraid .",
        "this second effort is even better than the first go around .",
        "may just be the most quintessential steven spielberg movie steven spielberg never made .",
        "the second installment is scarier , darker , longer and even better than the first . it 's an enchanting , enthralling , eye-popping miracle of moviemaking .",
        "as with the original film , there 's little to offend the most myopic fan of the books , but also little room for the imaginative extension of the author 's universe that distinguishes an inspired adaptation from a merely workmanlike one .",
        "this is as rousing and faithful an adaptation as was possible .",
        "the second film to spring forth from j.k. rowling 's popular series of children 's books goes a long way towards amping up the dramatic tension promised by the source material .",
        "incredibly , once again , screenwriter steve kloves and director chris columbus deliver a movie without passion .",
        "chris columbus , the director , does a real wonderful job of being faithful to the story but also taking it into a cinematic era .",
        "it is on every count a better movie than last year 's first film installment .",
        "the special effects here will have you reclining in your seat , admiring the spectacle . unfortunately , the film 's pedestrian pacing wo n't get you on the edge of it .",
        "boy wizard and his faithful friends battle evil in a magical boarding school . you know , like last time .",
        "the sense of discovery , that initial encounter with the stories ' vivid characters and whimsical parallel universe , is missing . in its stead comes frantic activity .",
        "mostly fun , somewhat enchanting , and at a few turns -- surprisingly spooky .",
        "gives columbus the chance to indulge himself with fascinatingly realistic special effects and riveting action sequences .",
        "secrets is pretty much a wash with the first potter movie : not much in the way of captivating magic , but all the expected notes are duly played .",
        "it 's a fun flick , even though its wizardry is more technical than imaginative .",
        "chamber of secrets justifies its 161-minute running time by successfully conjuring a transporting sense of place and injecting stronger themes of darkness and corruption into harry 's previously whimsical existence .",
        "the whole harry potter thing may not be as fresh for moviegoers as it was last year , but thankfully chamber of secrets is well-crafted .",
        "does n't dally around and far more action-packed than the first .",
        "a lot more nimble than the first movie .",
        "once again , director chris columbus takes a hat-in-hand approach to rowling that stifles creativity and allows the film to drag on for nearly three hours .",
        "the magic still sparkles in MOV .",
        "while it still falls short of becoming the classic fans so badly want it to be , the film is livelier and better overall than the sorcerer 's stone , mostly because j.k. rowling got all that tiresome exposition over with the first time out .",
        "although very much like the first movie based on j.k. rowling 's phenomenal fantasy best sellers , this second go-round possesses a quite pleasing , headlong thrust and a likably delinquent attitude .",
        "without the newness of the first film to give it some electricity , this harry potter outing comes off as harmless but flat .",
        "it 's a depressing reality to face , but the second of j.k. rowling 's boy-wizard books was the least interesting read ... and has n't fared much better on film .",
        "the franchise is showing no fear at exploring the novels ' darker moments , but needs to judiciously pare down the time it takes for the lights to come up .",
        "the humor and the villainy have bite , the acting has conviction , the effects look far less cheesy , and the storytelling actually conveys the imagination and emotional power of rowling 's prose .",
        "before it degenerates into indiana potter and the chamber of doom , the movie holds promise .",
        "punishingly long and slow in parts .",
        "director chris columbus and company have done a stand-out job of capturing the imagination if not the detail of those books .",
        "... provides wondrous surprises around every turn .",
        "i still do n't understand how j.k. rowling could have made such obscene gobs of cash off of such a simple and overwrought premise ... i 'll stick with lord of the rings",
        "los potterman\u00edacos est\u00e1n de fiesta .",
        "an effort that is full of gosh-wow moments .",
        "exactly what you 'd expect from a movie that features a self-mutilating house elf .",
        "once again , chris columbus stays out of j.k. rowling 's way , sticking to the text and hitting each narrative beat cleanly and vigorously .",
        "it 's good , genuinely good , not just as a cultural sensation but as a movie all its own .",
        "all the things that made the first film a hit with its target audience .",
        "` llena de acci\u00f3n , aventuras , magia e imaginaci\u00f3n que en muchos aspectos supera a su predecesora . '",
        "no less magical , no less engaging , and no less kid-pleasing than its record-breaking predecessor . it 's also no shorter ...",
        "it 's fairly solid -- not to mention well edited so that it certainly does n't feel like a film that strays past the two and a half mark .",
        "MOV surpasses sorcerer 's stone as a crisper , more action-packed film , which will more than thrill the billions of harry potter fans everywhere .",
        "this film is basically one big scooby doo episode .",
        "an enchanting spectacular for potter fans anxious to ride the hogwarts express toward a new year of magic and mischief .",
        "represents a lost opportunity to give children , not to mention adults , a movie experience that would widen their eyes as the justly beloved rowling books did .",
        "MOV works the kind of magic that hollywood rarely displays : it 's a sequel that 's better than the original .",
        "the continuing story of everyone 's favorite boy wizard is a visual feast -- and darker than the first installment .",
        "... the script is tight enough and moves along with such blazing speed that it suffers from the only failing grace of the original did : can audience members who have n't read the books keep up ?",
        "offers a more imaginatively colourful world than almost every other children 's film out there .",
        "another successful wild ride , thanks to a very entertaining source , a keen and fairly faithful adaptation , and top-notch special effects .",
        "chamber of secrets is fairly fun despite its length .",
        "for the time being , the harry potter thrill ride is whizzing along very satisfactorily indeed .",
        "exactly the kind of slam-bang adventure that 's certain to please audiences of all ages .",
        "more dutiful than enchanting ... terribly episodic and lacking the spark of imagination that might have made it an exhilarating treat .",
        "an improvement on harry potter and the sorcerer 's stone .",
        "kids will have nightmares for weeks and adults will be entertained for hours ...",
        "their thoughts were how to make the book into a movie , not how to make a great movie .",
        "that the film is a worthy swan song for richard harris is first a surprise then an incalculable relief -- and destined to be the proudest legacy of the picture : a beautifully crafted dark fable .",
        "a vast improvement over last year 's film , bloated as it was with quidditch matches and monster moments that did n't advance the plot one iota ."],
    "summary": "though perhaps more enchanting for younger audiences , chamber of secrets is nevertheless both darker and livelier than its predecessor , expanding and improving upon the first film 's universe .",
    "id": "10031"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ushpizin",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is a rare look inside the orthodox community in jerusalem and it 's educational as well as entertaining .",
        "very light , even saccharine at times , but blessed with enough pure charm to make the syrup go down a treat .",
        "equal parts isaac bashevis singer -lrb- yentl -rrb- and capra -lrb- it 's a wonderful life -rrb- , this charming israeli folktale offers an inside humorous look at the lives of hassidic jews",
        "an enjoyable seriocomic tale .",
        "the groundbreaking film MOV , a rare collaboration between secular and ultra-orthodox israelis , offers a warmhearted vision of marriage among hasidic jews .",
        "the film bridges the secular and religious with a light touch , using ritual specifics as a way into a very human story .",
        "as directed by gidi dar , MOV has a disarming folk quality .",
        "a true cinematic experience - it takes you to a world which you might not otherwise ever experience . and it leaves you with a smile .",
        "at once alien and familiar : part old world folk tale , part inspirational sitcom .",
        "the award-winning israeli film MOV offers both an enlightening look at orthodox jewish life in jerusalem , as well as a warm and witty tale of belief and miracles , for believers and non-believers alike .",
        "fervent without edging over into preachiness , the film examines the humor that can be found in the lives of the bushy-bearded , curly-sideburns set who live by a strict interpretation of the torah .",
        "explores a world most of us know little or nothing about , and does it respectfully .",
        "this is the kind of movie normally confined to small , new york art houses or to film festivals . it will not set american box-office records . but anyone who finds it will want to raise a glass and share a succot meal with it .",
        "a sweetly compassionate israeli offering that has its heart firmly established in the home and the hearth .",
        "michal bat-sheva rand took on acting for the first time and the result is terrific .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- places a captivating life study in the context of a modern fairy tale .",
        "adorable folk tale that could have come from i. bashevis singer 's pen .",
        "pity that the story behind the making of MOV is more interesting than the film itself .",
        "MOV will certainly be manna to people of religious sensibility , but you need not be a believer to appreciate its humor and humanity .",
        "its best asset is its story , a tale of mounting complications that would be right at home in the old testament or on the classic american stage .",
        "MOV may not turn out to be as popular as miracle on 34th street , but if you believe that miracles can happen , it is a perfect outing during the holidays .",
        "viewers who are n't familiar with orthodox jewish culture might have trouble fully relating to this israeli film . but everyone should be able to appreciate its heartwarming tone .",
        "it had me , this film with blessings on its mind .",
        "an unexpected delight from an unlikely source , MOV is the first feature film set inside the closed community of jerusalem 's ultra-orthodox jews .",
        "it raises our cultural awareness a bit , as well as generating some gentle smiles along the way .",
        "it invites you in like a welcomed guest to enjoy this little story and warms your heart and lightens your day at the same time .",
        "billed as the first film made by members of israel 's ultra-orthodox hassidic community , this contemporary parable might be job gone to jerusalem .",
        "from several perspectives , MOV is a marvel .",
        "the wonderful chemistry between rand and bat sheva rand , his real-life wife , suggest that in some cases love may prove stronger than the dictates of religious orthodoxy .",
        "MOV celebrates the miracle of love and the possibility of second chances .",
        "i found myself submitting to the movie 's willingness to parse a hermetically sealed subculture on its own terms , without judgment .",
        "a respectful comedy whose interest for most audiences will be part anthropological , MOV walks an interesting line .",
        "MOV 's prayer-ends-all-hardships plot is one-note . but the flick does offer hope .",
        "while it is as sentimental as a bible story , it 's genuinely touching and well done .",
        "gentle and affecting , it offers an introduction to a mostly unfamiliar world while touching on issues recognizable to all .",
        "the film extols the virtues of charity and generosity without sugar-coating the difficulty of same",
        "faith is what MOV is all about and , between the fine writing , direction and view into what is , to most of us , a foreign world ... , is the heart of the film .",
        "it works , however , thanks to a witty script and believable performances from real-life husband and wife shull rand and michal bat-sheva rand as moshe and mali .",
        "MOV is engaging , entertaining and has something to say about us humans , through the prism of discovering % u2013 or re-discovering % u2013 the importance of faith , and the strength it can impart . especially under duress .",
        "in addition to providing a fascinating , agenda-free look at an unseen way of life , the film presents a lesson that should be welcome among people of any faith or none at all .",
        "an orthodox jew will identify and thereby raise the level of the movie to something beyond the temporal film experience",
        "dryly funny and richly humane , MOV marries biblical simplicity to secular banality to depict an everyday miracle of devotion rewarded .",
        "the type of well-written and thoughtful family film that some may have been clamoring for since the hugely successful and hugely formulaic my big fat greek wedding .",
        "has educational value , but it 's the wrong kind",
        "devout and delightful . that 's a rare one-two punch for a feature film . MOV pulls it off .",
        "the film provides a valuable glimpse into the religious practices of ultra-orthodox jews living in jerusalem . but it 's also a cleverly plotted film , which , refreshingly , also features a few welcome comic elements .",
        "the film rests squarely on the backs of rand and his wife , who snatches the spotlight from her professionally trained husband in her acting debut .",
        "sweet and satisfying .",
        "amid intense teachings of hasidic tenets that all life challenges are a test from god , the surprise is a warm and funny relationship movie that should win your heart .",
        "the great achievement of mr. dar and mr. rand is their success in bridging the gap between secularism and fundamentalism with an even more universal humanism .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he movie works even if you are n't clear on the religious rituals because what it offers -- a low-key fable about people of faith who do n't always measure up to their own standards -- is so likable and rare .",
        "carefully balanced on a fine line that encompasses both gentle humor and spiritual wisdom , ` MOV ' draws the audience into its exotic world and shares its universality .",
        "a gently comedic parable that offers a unique view of a cloistered society while addressing themes of faith , family and friendship that are universal .",
        "warm and compassionate .",
        "... rich with joyous ritual and spiritual sincerity ...",
        "laughs , tears and mitzvahs ensue , as the deceptively simple story yields a generous amount of illumination and uplift .",
        "as a portrayal of a heretofore invisible culture , it 's an important and welcome cinematic milestone .",
        "a touching and amusing tale that expands our horizon and also should open our hearts ."],
    "summary": "MOV offers a rare and warmly intimate look into ultra-orthodox jewish culture .",
    "id": "8838"
  },
  {
    "movie": "city_of_god",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a marvelous achievement that refuses to avert its gaze from the poetry and the insane savagery of the hopeless .",
        "i came out of the theater feeling lucky to be alive .",
        "it 's like scorsese meets peckinpah and sergio leone , with a samba soundtrack .",
        "one of the most uncompromisingly bleak films i 've ever seen .",
        "hard to watch but even harder to tear your eyes away from .",
        "one of those rare moviegoing experiences that simply flattens you with greatness from the word go .",
        "if the traditional gangster flick has appeared to be hobbling on its last legs over the past few years , this lightning bolt of a movie proves that there are still fresh ways to tackle overly familiar material .",
        "a lung-burning dash down brazil 's mean streets .",
        "there 's no denying MOV 's effectiveness in dropping us into an environment crawling with deception , brutality and blind ambition .",
        "it 's a conspicuously stylish attention-getter that heralds the discovery of a major directorial talent .",
        "a well-honed exploitation picture that just happens to be set in the slums outside rio de janeiro .",
        "meirelles plays to the crowd , plays everything for effect , which would n't necessarily be a problem if the subject did n't deserve greater intellectual seriousness .",
        "`` MOV '' is a movie that , for the lack of a better term , incites us . it elicits a response . it pounds away at us until we break ...",
        "the living conditions it projects are as horrendous as i had feared , but the movie is surprisingly easy to take as a rollicking homicidal entertainment .",
        "films like MOV are a wake-up call that something must change . yet the only answer it finds is the most daunting question - `` how ? ''",
        "` it 's unfortunate that what should be an emotionally-engaging film is so completely unaffecting '",
        "a devastating epic about the roots of criminality and the ironic cruelties of life that also works as an intimate personal drama",
        "`` MOV '' shows us the harsh reality of a world that we americans may never have known existed .",
        "mezmerizing and horrific , a very confident directorial effort .",
        "brutal and brilliant , meirelles 's stunning `` MOV '' virtually redefines the word storytelling .",
        "the film is as slick as any hollywood thriller ... that dilute the impact of what might have been an indelible cautionary tale .",
        "a violent , thoroughly electrifying vision of rio during the volatile 1970s , and possibly the first great crime film of the 21st century .",
        "directed in a sort of urban panoramic style , MOV is , much more than gangs of new york , a telling and intelligent snapshot of clashing turf warfare and how it constrictively shapes and molds the urban underbelly of a city .",
        "full of life and telling detail",
        "heartbreaking and savage without being affectedly artsy or lingering . it employs sound and visuals that have a knack for conveying senses of humour , rhythms of days and the auras and values of people .",
        "tyro director fernando meirelles 's dazzling , multi-storied epic gives a wide-angle view of the same violent and hopeless life captured over two decades earlier in hector babenco 's sao paolo microcosm , `` pixote . ''",
        "finally more numbing than emotionally shattering .",
        "simply and truly put , it is devastating .",
        "a life study of an urban landscape , from its illegitimate birth through traumatic maturity , and on into a not-quite death that , for the generations who call MOV home , is a perpetually self-fulfilling cycle .",
        "that rare film that manages to be seductively entertaining without ever compromising its authenticity and power .",
        "aunque basada en una historia real , el director brasile\u0144o fernando meirelles trata el material con un estilo narrativo muy `` cinematogr\u00e1fico '' , nada realista .",
        "... juggles with a fleet sense of flair the very things that bogged ` gangs of new york ' down .",
        "fearless and blistering .",
        "the performances are astonishing as they are authentic .",
        "the film makes an impact .",
        "a blood-spattered , non-stop ride as much into the life of a ` favela ' -lrb- squatter settlement -rrb- as it is into the lives of the youths who inhabit it .",
        "a dynamic masterpiece in any language .",
        "rises so far above the conventions of genre and of most ordinary filmmaking that it 's a transcendent experience - an exhilarating , two-feet-off-the-ground fireball of a movie .",
        "for all their straddling of the line between realism and exploitation , entertainment and education , it 's entirely possible that meirelles and lund render that line invisible .",
        "exhilarating ... equal parts tarantino/guy richie slickster spectacle , `` once upon in america '' criminal biography , and international up-from-the-gutter drama .",
        "compelling in its faithful portrait of a rio ` favela , ' or slum city , and of how violence really takes place when people no longer care .",
        "the direction is often inspired and sure-handed , even if it 's sometimes unfocused or overambitious .",
        "harsh and extremely shocking . and also one of the most moving and forceful films of the year .",
        "this ultra-realist mtv-style spectacle has the style and urgency of amores perros but none of its moral ambiguities .",
        "o filme certo no momento certo .",
        "this film is the most original synthesis of pop storytelling into a new form since the matrix .",
        "fernando meirelles 's powerful , energetic debut mixes troubled adolescence with criminal bonding in brazil 's slums .",
        "an exhilarating slap in the face , bracing and sexy , smart and visceral , stylish and raw -- the advent of a fabulously exciting new moviemaking talent .",
        "with few exceptions , real slum kids and actors from local amateur drama clubs were cast in MOV , and the result is truly believable characters and a gritty , realistic film .",
        "meirelles ' message is important , but the telling quickly becomes monotonous .",
        "this is an amazing film that grabs hold of you and nearly strangles you with its honesty and brutality .",
        "a tremendous , skilfully composed film that impresses with its artistry and quirkiness while smacking you in the solar plexus with its message .",
        "it is a provocative , controversial excursion through purgatory and hell on earth .",
        "as disturbing as it is impressive .",
        "visually stunning , socially relevant , and simply unforgettable .",
        "flies at the audience like it was shot out of a cannon ... but has its own unique soulfulness as it explores a vortex of intense poverty and violence ...",
        "as violent as it is accomplished , MOV -- like its eponymous slum -- may divide audiences just as it divides its population of warring youths .",
        "cinema does n't get more exhilarating than this .",
        "it 's in love with life even as so many of its protagonists die .",
        "MOV may offer few solutions and little hope , but its remarkable artistry and heartrending content make it a movie for the ages .",
        "this marvellous film ... testifies to the awesome creativity of brazil 's underclass .",
        "it 's a movie with all the dials cranked up to 11 , an overwhelming , intoxicating assault on the senses , and a thriller so tense that you might have the red seat plush in front of you -- or even some unfortunate 's hair -- gripped in both fists .",
        "meirelles ' astonishing film is the brazilian goodfellas , an exhilarating , shocking , breathtakingly brilliant , hyper-kinetic roller-coaster ride .",
        "sometimes a movie comes along that just floors you , its images burn so deeply .",
        "if the first five minutes of god do n't suck you in , it 's time to scoop out your eyes and get new ones .",
        "life in rio 's favelas is a beach .",
        "meirelles has created one of the most startling , grittily brilliant films in recent years .",
        "emotionally gripping from start to finish , the movie presents an electrifying and unforgettable look at life in a place that god has all but forgotten .",
        "meirelles explores life 's darkest corners with a surprisingly chest-pounding zest for life .",
        "MOV is meticulous in its descriptions of well-intended individuals caught up in these ferocious waves of street crime .",
        "it should be considered required viewing , i think , by anyone who seeks to understand how violence begets violence .",
        "some sort of blaxploitation epic , but built around complex characters with an incredible attention to detail and based-on-real-events poignancy .",
        "meirelles opens with a stark image -- close-up of a knife sharpened on a whetting stone -- and , for the rest of the film , pretty much keeps us on that knife 's edge .",
        "a universal film that plumbs the depths of depravity to find truths about the human condition .",
        "what work best in MOV are the portrayals of the characters involved .",
        "it 's a credit to meirelles and mantovani that they 're able to pack such an epic tale into such a tight , fast-moving package without ever stumbling or confusing us .",
        "MOV is not the easiest film to watch , but it is a masterpiece all the same , maybe the best crime drama since the godfather films .",
        "the performances , many from non-pros , are terrific .",
        "a brazilian `` scarface ''",
        "a staggering masterpiece .",
        "directors k\u00e1tia lund and fernando meirelles stir all the cinematic virtues into this finely-crafted narrative .",
        "at a full-throttle pace and exciting from beginning to end , directors lund and meirrelles grab hold of your attention and do n't let go .",
        "difficult to watch but hard to look away from .",
        "it 's a grim epitaph for hypocrisy , and the film provides no comfortable answers for solving any of the problems it so well describes .",
        "as we see kids of no more than ten or twelve run through the streets with guns shooting those who do n't give them what they want , we ca n't help but pity them .",
        "we 've seen this story before , more or less -- the blood , the budding psychopaths , the all-too-young victims of urban decay -- but never quite like this .",
        "the film is far from a work of art , but it marks the emergence of a great new action superchef .",
        "there 's something distasteful in the rote way this film introduces us to two dozen hapless , heartless kids and does n't care enough to make us feel for them .",
        "a textbook example of how to tackle a tough subject and not make a pretentious movie .",
        "it 's like a 24/7 paintball game only they use real guns and real bullets and you get no timeouts . disturbing , fascinating , heartbreaking , and very realistic .",
        "a dazzling film .",
        "director fernando meirelles has a gift for visual storytelling , a sharp eye for character and a buoyant sense of color .",
        "simply put , it cuts like a butcher knife -- the sharpest one .",
        "the violence never feels exploitative ; the only thrill you feel is that of being in the hands of a masterful storyteller opening your eyes to a world that you feel truly exists .",
        "a well-made but pointless picture , it is a non-stop orgy of senseless violence , as teens and preteens slaughter each other like animals .",
        "it may not be a pretty sight but it is a compelling one .",
        "meirelles takes us to a real-life deathtrap and then proceeds to make us feel twice as alive for the time we spend there .",
        "MOV does not just show you this world ; it puts you into the middle of the danger .",
        "it has a creative intelligence and swaggering viewpoint that gives this brutal street-life saga a jagged eloquence .",
        "the question of the picture is n't what to do with the MOV , but really why do anything when such cool movies can be made from its suffering .",
        "though MOV is occasionally difficult to watch , it is even more difficult to look away from its vivid characters , gripping stories and stimulating visuals .",
        "there 's a seldom-seen passion and a grittiness in this film that educates , entertains and terrifies .",
        "so brilliant , so vibrant , so original and so exciting .",
        "a real adrenaline rush -- at times it manages to be powerful , thrilling and funny and sometimes all three of them at the same time .",
        "even in this day and age , MOV is shocking",
        "it 's the same film that bu\u0144uel would have made with a larger budget and given today 's technology",
        "MOV delivers a bruising , visceral experience of the vicious spiral of violence that draws kids into a life of crime , brutality and murder as the only avenue open to them .",
        "brazillian director mereilles ' splashy feature debut , a dynamically exciting portrait of rio 's violent gangs , immediately established himsef as an international talent to watch , and the oscar nods only reaffirmed that status .",
        "the visceral and artistic excitement remains surface-bound .",
        "fernando meirelles ' brazilian slum epic is a profound , stylistically expansive depiction of three decades of child gang warfare on the outskirts of rio de janeiro with non-actors playing their poverty-ridden lives for the camera .",
        "another passionate piece of latin american filmmaking , which documents a tragic period in rio 's history and highlights the horrors of life in poverty-line communities . technically a remarkable filmmaking achievement too .",
        "i came away from this film impressed by its narrative control but unmoved by anything it had to say .",
        "each chapter is endowed with powerful , uncompromising , beguiling and , sometimes , deceptive momentum . what seem like innocuous turns become so critical to the narrative that they tie into the ruthless idea at hand : you never see the bullet that kills you .",
        "powerful , but only for 17 and up .",
        "kinetic , exciting , brutal , it 's a supreme achievement and better than almost any film you 're likely to see this year .",
        "director fernando meirelles creates an aura of fear unlike any film in recent memory .",
        "a grim , outrageous , blisteringly effective underworld thriller destined to become a classic of its kind .",
        "long and difficult to watch , but it is never dull .",
        "if one of the moral responsibilities of the movies is to put you in places where you 'd never go and live lives you 'd never live , then MOV is great moviemaking .",
        "a shocking , deeply disturbing film made with great passion .",
        "very lively and incredibly violent ... and just as incredibly restrained in the way it keeps its gangster saga honest .",
        "meirelles has crafted a distinctive motion picture -- one takes us into the streets with an unsurpassed intensity and immediacy .",
        "although the subject matter will be abhorrent and repellent to some viewers , those who can accept or at least tolerate it will be in store for a tremendous piece of filmmaking featuring a mesmerizing story and an unforgettable array of characters .",
        "an extraordinary film , but definitely not for the weak of stomach .",
        "the cast of unknown actors , many from the real ghetto , provides the movie with unexpected heart and humor .",
        "breathtaking and terrifying , urgently involved with its characters , it announces a new director of great gifts and passions : fernando meirelles .",
        "traffic was brilliant fiction , but MOV proves that true stories often pack the most punch .",
        "rivets attention and rattles the conscience .",
        "it is a great story that is told well on film .",
        "an incredibly assured , compelling and often sardonically funny piece of filmmaking .",
        "a dazzling film with deeply disturbing images .",
        "the teeming cast is so vitally real that acting seems nearly superfluous .",
        "it rings with the kind of truths we 'd rather evade .",
        "a powerful and haunting film that explores the myriad of stories that lie deep within the slums of rio , MOV shocks , enlightens and above all affects us by taking us into a world where drugs and organised crime are a way of life .",
        "incredible editing , but leaves an awful taste in my mouth - and i am totally desensitized to violence !",
        "part godfather , part lord of the flies , MOV stings with a jolt of uncontrolled rage .",
        "the distinction between the depiction of violence and its exploitation is paper-thin .",
        "pulses with atmosphere and vibrates with authenticity .",
        "from beginning to end , MOV does n't just hold you ; it clutches your lapels with its lurid exuberance .",
        "it 's so ugly , mean and harsh you 'll want to shield your eyes . only trouble is , it 's so good you wo n't be able to .",
        "this is one movie in which you do n't feel the long-ish running time , in part because there always seems to be a surprise -lrb- as well as a new street guerrilla -rrb- around every corner .",
        "a potent and unexpected mixture of authenticity and flash .",
        "as the movie 's frenetic visual rhythms and mood swings synchronize with the zany , adrenaline-fueled impulsiveness of its lost youth on the rampage , you may find yourself getting lost in this teeming netherworld .",
        "though the central story of MOV is nothing new , director fernando meirelles does n't let his actors gather dust .",
        "my skin crawls just thinking about the rage inside li'l dice , who becomes the most feared drug dealer in rio de janeiro .",
        "spews like a magma jet .",
        "the film is a bit like a lot of things -- though finally , it 's not really like anything but itself . and MOV 's ultimate individuality is nothing short of breathtaking , both for its sheer audacity and shattering intensity .",
        "... a blend of vertiginous post - ` matrix ' camerawork with gritty , ochre-tinted street realism -- ` amores perros ' imagined by guy ritchie ...",
        "this is n't easy to watch . but it 's compelling , disturbing , and , sadly , true to life .",
        "forget gangs of new york , this is the real deal !",
        "the horrific images of children shooting children do n't sit well with a tone of jaded irony , and the grinding nightmare of poverty and crime resists cidade de deus 's playful generic conventions .",
        "a visually interesting movie with some good performances and a fairly compelling story .",
        "it is certainly one of the best movies of the year ; it may even be as good as meirelles imagined it could be .",
        "director fernando meirelles tells the story with urgency , and his sharp visual compositions and washed out cinematography ooze gangster life .",
        "a startling vision of near greatness .",
        "viscerally exciting but emotionally cool ... it fills the eye even as it fails to touch the heart ."],
    "summary": "a shocking and disturbing , but always compelling look at life in the slums of rio de janiero .",
    "id": "12927"
  },
  {
    "movie": "chalet_girl",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's steered to success - just - by jones , a natural , likeable everygirl who will make you care , possibly against your will , about a story as old as the alps .",
        "a chirpy , tween-skewing , snowboarding-themed romantic comedy .",
        "the dialogue is more sensible than the plotting , allowing us to forgive the film 's more serious trespasses .",
        "hugely enjoyable feel-good british romcom , enlivened by a witty script , a terrific central performance from felicity jones , a superb ensemble cast and an infectious sense of fun .",
        "a cheap and cheerful chick-flick that pads out its thin cinderella-on-ice storyline with a string of frothy montages . sure , it 's soppy , but the target audience wo n't mind the slush .",
        "felicity jones makes good on the promise showed in cemetery junction with this teen romance set on the slopes of a snobbish alpine skiing resort .",
        "archetypal , feel-good fluff at it 's best .",
        "inoffensive , feel-good escapism and high jinks in the midst of extravagant surroundings .",
        "MOV wo n't melt your heart , but it at least leaves a warm glow .",
        "exactly the kind of funny , sunshiny , teen-skewed romcom that britain normally struggles to make .",
        "the scenery is gorgeous and although the plot is predictable , it 's a pleasant interlude with some laughs and surprising observations",
        "with its down to earth heroine ... the film underplays the triumph of the spirit theme , while delivering a satisfying , textured experience",
        "this is a very benign comedy that is elevated by the completely natural performance of felicity jones .",
        "sure , it 's predictable , implausible and clearly skewed toward a young female demographic , but it 's also enjoyable escapist fun .",
        "the humour is aimed at teens but jones ' likeable presence make this a pleasant watch .",
        "a sort of goofy celebration of female self-empowerment , one in which the standard romcom goal of scoring a dreamy boyfriend takes a back seat to finding yourself through being good at something exciting .",
        "it 's all very third division \u00e9cole de richard curtis .",
        "MOV comes as a breath of fresh , alpine air in that it 's a very british , no-nonsense story of a working class girl who falls for her posh employer .",
        "pursues its way to its feelgood conclusion with just a little wit and a goodly lump of sentiment .",
        "felicity jones confirms her reputation as one of our brightest talents in this comedy about a young woman 's struggle to vanquish her inner demons .",
        "it 's an unassuming film but a surprisingly beguiling one .",
        "MOV is a pedestrian affair that limply modernises the cinderella fairytale for fun and profit .",
        "undemanding , forgettable , formulaic teen rom-com .",
        "MOV is what it says on the label - feel-good , unpretentious , snowbound fun .",
        "hot dog ... the movie and its disreputable ski-comedy ilk might have been a low point in cinema history , but at least their unbridled crassness had energy ; MOV embraces similar '80s tropes for a lethargic you-go-girl fairy tale .",
        "jones may be a charismatic comedian , but no amount of her skilled mugging , britpop tunes or help from supporting stars can transform this derivative ugly duckling into a comic anglophile swan .",
        "pleasant if timid ...",
        "there 's just not enough to hold attention , eventually succumbing entirely to convention in a particularly insipid finale . who knows , maybe even teenage girls will be rolling their eyes at the predictability of it all .",
        "unashamedly aiming at a teenage audience , the film 's lack of pretension is oddly refreshing",
        "it 's hard not to instantly forgive all the script 's occasional faults and just be swept up in the feel-good nature of such a charming , easily-likable release .",
        "MOV is possibly the first british rom com since working title 's heyday that wo n't make you want to stick pins in your eyes , will actually make you laugh , and was n't made by working title .",
        "another ` modern twist ' on the rom-com ? really ?",
        "a sharp cast , a gorgeous setting and lively filmmaking make up for the thin plot .",
        "see it for jones , nighy and the snow , but do n't expect many laughs or any surprises .",
        "a smart comic performance from felicity jones is the film 's saving grace .",
        "behold ! it 's a romantic comedy about a young woman who 's not looking for a boyfriend ! a rom-com about a human female whose life is not consumed by the terror that she will be alone forever !",
        "somehow , it ends up slaloming along just fine , and tamsin egerton continues to corner the market in sloaney hauteur with extra hot sauce .",
        "the picture stays just about upright thanks to the toothsome loveliness of felicity jones , who 's 28 but looks about 15 . her fresh charm and pert line-readings brighten the routine comedy of pitfalls and pratfalls .",
        "a fluffy little romcom that could have been better , but will do nicely until something more daring comes along .",
        "this movie 's resemblances to pretty woman are a bit worrying .",
        "snow , snowboarders , apres ski , hot chocolate mit schlag - what 's not to like ?",
        "MOV feels engagingly old-fashioned in the great comedy traditions of the ealing comedy ."],
    "summary": "MOV is light comedic fun geared for teenage girls , featuring a charming performance from felicity jones .",
    "id": "771201465"
  },
  {
    "movie": "my_own_private_idaho",
    "reviews":
     [
        "cracked and beautiful , stranger than strange , yet in some assuring way so pulsing with life that it embraces you as warmly as father knows best .",
        "although river phoenix has distinguished himself as an actor ever since his second film , stand by me , nothing he has ever done before prepares you for his performance in private idaho as the motherless , homeless , loveless piece of human driftwood .",
        "holding all these elements together is van sant 's sensibility , such an elusive thing it instinctively squirms away from any attempt to pigeonhole it .",
        "a simultaneously heartbreaking and exhilarating road movie .",
        "one of the most original cinematic talents at work in this country , van sant has a knack for pulling disparate elements together and twisting them into wildly funny lyrical odysseys of the mind and heart .",
        "-lsb- van sant -rsb- disdain -lsb- s -rsb- narrative . he got away with drugstore cowboy because its band of drugged-out dodoes were engaged in a petty crime spree that almost passed for a plot . but MOV is a different story . or rather nonstory .",
        "this is a very rich , very sympathetic piece of work .",
        "van sant proves again that he is masterful at charting the hearts and minds of young people adrift .",
        "american indie god gus van sant 's most iconic moment was this giddily rich revisionist road movie-cum-western .",
        "audacious , controversial , directional , important and totally unique , you 'll either love it or hate it . but see it !",
        "works as a brilliant piece of art , and entertainment .",
        "a unique , poetic work of great intimacy and sadness",
        "one of those ambitious , over-reaching disappointments that is more interesting than some more conservative successes .",
        "one of gus van sant 's most personal visions .",
        "MOV lacks the dramatic punchiness of drugstore cowboy , yet it 's a rich , audacious experience .",
        "MOV is a far cry from seamless , but i would gladly trade a dozen well-made studio movies for one of its vital parts .",
        "a quite stark , poetic rumination on the unyielding desire for home .",
        "gus van sant 's best movie .",
        "one of van sant 's best films , a richly dense , poetic evocation of friendhsip that retells shakespeare 's henry iv in an original and intriguing way ; river phoenix gives his most riveting performance .",
        "the film 's uniqueness lies in its remarkable emotional open-heartedness .",
        "van sant 's tale of street hustlers is so barren that even the magnetic river phoenix ca n't do much to help .",
        "apparently van sant believed the reviews anointing him as a genius , and this time he has cheekily dared comparisons with the bard of stratford .",
        "an essential testament to the beauty and chops of the late river phoenix ...",
        "-lsb- van sant -rsb- lays claim to being one of the most adventurous filmmakers at work in the u.s. today .",
        "even though it falters toward the end , it soars above the fray .",
        "van sant 's sensibility is wholly original , wholly fresh . MOV adds a new ingredient : a kind of boho sweetness . i loved it .",
        "the achievement of this film is that is wants to evoke that state of drifting need , and it does .",
        "if played straight , this would have had depth , but been an awful cinematic experience .",
        "back when gus van sant actually was a filmmaker ...",
        "i think this movie gave me narcolepsy",
        "inventive depiction of the universal quest for home .",
        "van sant casts a gently hypnotic spell that is not easily forgotten .",
        "the performances , especially by the two young stars , are as surprising as they are sure .",
        "a provocative , quiet little psychological gem with an indescribable odd charm",
        "a high-water mark in '90s independent film",
        "homosexual road movie that espouses the family values of a disney feature and the pop art sensibilities of a warhol piece - with a dose of shakespeare added for good measure .",
        "bittersweet , considering the fate of phoenix .",
        "provocative and engaging",
        "MOV might be the perfect cinematic time capsule for '90s aimlessness , universal in its details .",
        "... gets off to a gangbusters start . and then shakespeare butts in .",
        "it 's a very poetic film . that is , it includes images that may mean more to the director than the spectator , but the film is an interesting one .",
        "the movie weakens every time mike 's story is interrupted by the leaden allusions to shakespeare .",
        "van sant takes a lot of chances , and , visually , the movie is so imaginative , so fiercely alive , that it carries us along . but when the over-all design of the picture becomes clear , we feel cheated rather than enlightened .",
        "director-writer gus van sant sets up disturbing -- and , often , oddly comic -- situations and then gives his characters -lrb- and actors -rrb- the freedom to explore them .",
        "written and directed by gus van sant , who mingles tremendous visual imagination with a leaning toward off-the-wall situations and sometimes raunchy images .",
        "the two actors create vivid characters , but they 're so unsympathetic and van sant drags them through so many tiresome , pretentious scenes that it begins to look as if phoenix 's narcolepsy is n't part of the plot .",
        "MOV is a seminal movie for many people . it certainly has been for me .",
        "van sant photographs the story in his trademark dreamy-surreal style , fusing elements of warhol with the classic american road movie , and interpreting the western as the refuge of society 's maligned fringe ."],
    "summary": "a tantalizing glimpse of a talented director and his stars all at the top of their respective games , gus van sant 's loose reworking of henry iv is smart , sad and audacious .",
    "id": "13214"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_man_on_the_train",
    "reviews":
     [
        "bleak , blue lighting and washed out colours emphasise the wintriness of the tale ; but there is n't nearly enough dramatic conflict to sustain this to feature length .",
        "it 's nice to see a film about the regrets of old age that does n't resort to grumpy old men-style humor or cheap action sequences .",
        "laconte 's direction is calculative all the way , but his telling fails to register very much .",
        "a bizarre yet touching tale of gangster and recluse finding in each other something they lack , the film definitely warrants a look .",
        "you get the feeling you are watching the adaptation of a classic novel , when in fact the script is an original work of impressive poetry and unpredictable dialogue ...",
        "an exceptionally crafted western dream .",
        "thought-provoking , tender and funny , far better than your average ` one last score ' film .",
        "although leconte leads his characters to a baffling conclusion , he creates a satisfying portrayal of two old would-be cowboys heading for what could be the last roundup",
        "it 's a poetic and keenly observed story .",
        "lacking the sweep of the widow of st. pierre and the audacity of the girl on the bridge , here leconte seems to be working on a character sketch ...",
        "might not be the manliest way to make a buddy movie , but it makes for a great movie about being a man .",
        "an elegant , amusing odd-couple divertissement ... made not only tolerable but pleasurable by leconte 's austerely patrician style , rochefort 's roguish charm and hallyday 's deadpan authority .",
        "a beautifully rendered character piece that 's so precisely and complexly engineered to convey its simplicity .",
        "so static and predictably schematic as to lull viewers into a comfortable slumber .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- beautiful and quirky fable that 's part spaghetti western , part french poem . it 's an unlikely but lovely combination .",
        "could the globalization of cinema be responsible for the diminishing emotional impact of patrice leconte 's man on the train ?",
        "two magnetic male presences command the screen in man on the train , but patrice leconte finds a friendship between weathered frenchmen more difficult to forge than the far more asymmetrical relationships of previous films .",
        "french rock 'n' roll icon -lrb- yes , there is such a thing -rrb- johnny hallyday and veteran actor jean rochefort deliver a pair of exquisite performances in this charming , ultimately haunting tale .",
        "in the end , because he refuses to compromise their fates , director patrice leconte manages a kind of sweet tragedy rarely attempted in american films .",
        "MOV is a marvelously acted french film about two men past their prime who cross each other 's paths and yearn for something completely different in their lives .",
        "piquant and poignantly humorous .",
        "piquant , thoroughly engaging character drama .",
        "real depth here is short-circuited by florid editing and a general hokiness that undermine the unlikely rapport hallyday and the lovely rochefort forge .",
        "one of -lsb- leconte 's -rsb- most elegant films .",
        "in the context of french filmmaker patrice leconte 's canon , man on the train qualifies as an anecdote . but it may stay with some viewers longer than an epic poem .",
        "a boldly conceived , impeccably crafted and wonderfully enigmatic two-character study that turns out to be a most powerful showcase for its two stars .",
        "a tiny jewel box of a film .",
        "sometimes you get tired of ` splaining and you just want to say : hey , this one 's really very good .",
        "the movie -- simple , pure and powerful -- makes us feel the intensity of both life in transit and life lived , if only for a moment , in another 's skin .",
        "when you exit the theater , you 'll leave with a bittersweet and very satisfied smile .",
        "a simple tale , albeit one of rich detail , of fate and friendship",
        "the movie is as contemplative , gentle , and subdued as it is understatedly funny .",
        "... a warm , endearing tale of the unlikely friendship between two very different men from very different walks of life .",
        "... a worthy alternative to most of the generic fluff that tends to populate cinemas .",
        "while the set-up ... is as old as the grade-b western , we 're willing to forgive many of the contrivances because rochefort and hallyday are such wonderful personalities .",
        "a beautifully deft , witty character study .",
        "there are wonderful moments of conversational communion between the two men and fascinating scenes in which they try on one another 's skin in relation to outsiders .",
        "i ca n't recall a single other film occasion where a simple smile from one of the protagonists carries such emotional weight .",
        "both rochefort and hallyday put in subtle , lovely performances .",
        "man on the train is a contemplative ride through a province that expands with age -- the sad-eyed land of might-have-been .",
        "taps into the same emotional current that sustains the entire ` buddy picture ' genre , but does so with feeling and unmistakable insight .",
        "charming , wistful , poignant , funny -- most of the things i prize in a film .",
        "for me anyway , it just seemed to disappear .",
        "no one mixes graceful melancholy and bittersweet comedy better than leconte .",
        "-lsb- leconte -rsb- directs as if he were enjoying the story bit by bit , and he is splendidly aided by his two principals .",
        "for the most part , -lsb- leconte -rsb- pulls back and lets the two stars do their thing . and they do it marvelously .",
        "quintessentially -lrb- in places , ludicrously -rrb- french yet is suffused with a tender yank envy .",
        "a tiny little movie with epic , messy emotions hidden up its sleeves , it 's a laugh-out-loud comedy that keeps you on the verge of tears .",
        "we come to like these two men and look forward to their interaction with a quiet anticipation .",
        "the film ultimately seems more like an idea than a complete story , bereft of any narrative spine on which to hang the ideas .",
        "it offers more substance and subtlety than most summer blockbusters",
        "the whole thing fairly begs to be taken for serious art , but old-fashioned star power is what really makes it worth watching .",
        "directed with impeccable taste and feeling by leconte .",
        "the performances are subtle and haunting .",
        "it gives us two of the most interesting men to show up in recent movies . so delightful are they both that you hate to have to leave them at the end of the film .",
        "a blue mood on celluloid , capturing the myth of the american western in dual implosions of quiet regret .",
        "it is a perfected fable flashing across a screen .",
        "the actors could n't be more perfect .",
        "the movie has the kind of texture and depth that will make true movie-lovers sigh with the pure cinematic , human grace of it all .",
        "immensely satisfying , and if it 's also puzzling and frustrating at times , so is life .",
        "under leconte 's artful direction , a believable bond develops between the men , each envious of the direction the other 's life has taken .",
        "your typical buddy film that 's been executed in an entirely atypical way .",
        "leconte ... concentrates less on the destination of his movies than in the journey his characters take getting there .",
        "an existentialist feature that 's part social comedy , part character drama and part thriller . all of it memorable , and refreshingly so .",
        "this one 's a keeper .",
        "leconte suggests the natural yearning for a broader experience , for breaking out of the patterns into which a life tends to fall .",
        "fascinating at times , but too stodgy and stagy to be considered transcendent .",
        "watching hallyday 's lee van cleef-esque mien , one longs for the return of the spaghetti western ...",
        "it has real actors , a real story , a real point , and is the work of a real filmmaker , patrice leconte .",
        "it all seemed so forgettable like one of those dreams you might have on a suburban train .",
        "it 's a slight premise given substance by the thoughtful dialogue and performances .",
        "a triumph of moviemaking , where simplicity rules and emotions get expressed through humor , pathos and moments of surprisingly tenderness .",
        "leconte directs with style and colour , drawing us in with humour and a spark of suspense .",
        "it appears to be about how people get trapped by the personas they create . but unfortunately , laconte reveals nothing truly riveting behind their masks .",
        "it 's interesting stuff and rochefort , as the chatty one , keeps the audience involved . it just does n't have the clarity of leconte 's best work .",
        "this is a film that delivers in layers . the top , and most easily accessed , is that of an enjoyable human drama . but peel back the second skin and you 'll finds scads of unanswered questions and possibilities .",
        "a movie that 's slow , reflective , full of resignation toward death and small ironies about life .",
        "a collision of cultures -- a movie in love with movies , literature , poetry and music , but not to the point of worship or distraction .",
        "combine the elegiac sam peckinpah of the wild bunch and the fatalistic jean-pierre melville of le samourai or le flic and the result might well be MOV , director patrice leconte 's 20th film .",
        "each actor comes to perfectly embody his character .",
        "the film , in a curious way , gives them a sort of second chance at things , and i enjoyed watching it happen .",
        "one life to live ; the tracks less traveled in ` man on the train '",
        "a delightfully droll personality comedy .",
        "richly imagined and quirky .",
        "patrice leconte 's fanciful odd-couple drama oozes flavorful , provincial atmosphere .",
        "the contrast between old-fogeyish manesquier and dangerous ` man with no name ' milan , between loquacious , actorly rochefort and silent ` natural ' hallyday , is initially droll , although it wears thin after a while .",
        "this is an actor 's picture , with hallyday 's craggy menace chiming perfectly with rochefort 's rueful charm .",
        "the premise , the structure , and the men-at-twilight conversation in patrice leconte 's ingratiating drama feel cloyingly predetermined at times , but the sight of hallyday and rochefort luxuriating in their contrasting manly personas is a kick .",
        "collapses in a heap of affirmational outbursts and metaphysical goop .",
        "it 's nice to know some filmmakers still have a foot firmly planted in old-fashioned humanistic storytelling .",
        "an elegantly polished little film .",
        "witty and wistful , often tragic and tense , this is an impeccable example of the value of small-scale cinema .",
        "lovingly realizes the theme ` the grass is always greener on the other side of the yard . '",
        "leconte manages to stretch this very simple story into a very watchable film .",
        "the chemistry between the two leads is remarkable .",
        "it speaks to the quixotic desire to know what it feels like to be someone else , someone utterly different from ourselves -- the reason we talk to strangers , the reason we go to the movies .",
        "as a filmmaker , -lsb- leconte -rsb- does n't have anything profound to say but does say his something with craft , visual flair and professionalism .",
        "with wit , dignity and utterly different approaches , the two leads lure us well inside their characters and bring real zest to their mutually enriching relationship .",
        "a literate story that relies on a thoughtful script and the work of two exceptional performers .",
        "milan and manesquier are unforgettable characters in a film that unfolds with power and grace .",
        "fans of the subtitled , the offbeat and the intimate should n't miss this train .",
        "mr. leconte gives this meeting of opposites in claude klotz 's script a lovely , sportive \u00e9lan , instead of making it register as lumpy , obvious polemics .",
        "the two main characters become friends that fit comfortably together like a pair of worn slippers . they share a few laughs , a few drinks , and a few dreams - and take us along for the ride .",
        "the movie 's slow pace and gentle humor pay off in a pounding cross-cutting between the heist and the surgery , as well as a transcendent ending that is as rewarding as it is ambiguous .",
        "there 's a special pleasure in watching rochefort and hallyday ."],
    "summary": "a lovely , contemplative character study with two wonderful performances at its center .",
    "id": "15361"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10008760-what_happens_in_vegas",
    "reviews":
     [
        "none of this is anything we have n't seen countless times before in rom-com land , of course , and it would be giving the filmmakers way too much credit to say they have entertainingly tweaked a winning but cob-webbed formula .",
        "it 's a testament to how good casting can help a film and bad writing can hurt it even more .",
        "ashton kutcher and cameron diaz almost pull off vegas despite everything . and there 's quite a bit of everything .",
        "the outcome of MOV is obvious , but the journey there is fun .",
        "the latest uptight chick/slacker dude romantic comedy is so formulaic , you could win big if you placed bets on what 's going to happen next .",
        "MOV is about as bubbly as flat champagne . while aiming for an intoxicating blend of high-energy comedy , the romantic comedy 's predictable story , and the lack of chemistry between stars diaz and kutcher , do n't leave it withmuch of a kick .",
        "a pg-13 sitcom rom-com that desperately wants to be a judd apatow movie when it grows up , tom vaughan 's flat film mixes screwball comedy with self-help clich\u00e9s to tired effect .",
        "MOV feels oddly stilted yet desperate , as though its principals felt the need to overcompensate for the too-neat symmetry of opening scenes with over-the-top violence and bright orange tans .",
        "it was inevitable that an annoying catchphrase would one day become the title for an annoying movie . MOV is not only annoying , it 's also incompetent -- a bad mix .",
        "who knew the title was n't simply clever -lrb- inviting the rejoiner ` stays in vegas ' -rrb- but a dire warning of a bad movie ahead ?",
        "you can take MOV , keep it in vegas , and keep the rest of the us out of it .",
        "the stars , despite having only a fraction of the charm and talent of classic sparring-but-meant-for-each-other duos , know how to mug for the camera and well up on cue , and somehow that turns out to be enough to carry this trifle .",
        "MOV is about as silly and pleasant as it needs to be , no more , no less .",
        "the film gives a transparent spin to the saying that whatever happens in vegas stays in vegas , but diaz and kutcher bring a surprising sweetness to their generic roles and the story 's contrived situations .",
        "MOV , one of those junky time-wasters that routinely pop up in movie theaters , wo n't make you laugh much or at all .",
        "i am so tired of these miserable things that pass for romantic comedies these days , thoughtless assembly-line products that recycle the same components in ever-dumber packaging over and over again .",
        "the overall sour tone and worn-out feel of the movie overwhelm any positive aspects .",
        "complain all you want about the affable slobs in judd apatow comedies ; at least they 're not tools .",
        "though a notch above made of honor on the tolerability scale , vegas takes a shot at love with all the romantic know-how of tila tequila .",
        "so many things , small and large , erode any sense of fun here . the movie looks like crud -- like it , too , stayed up and drank all night .",
        "during the screening , i tried to come up with as many synonyms for the word `` excruciating '' as i could .",
        "attempts nothing novel in its retelling of the couple who do n't realize that they are perfect for each other , aside from positing an unsavory new popcorn topping",
        "-lrb- vegas -rrb- is n't a horrible film but it is not worth spending your money on to see in theatres .",
        "it happened one drunken night",
        "... one of those bird-brained contrivances that would be over in no time if any of the characters had a lick of sense ...",
        "pleasantly forgettable .",
        "it 's a sure bet you 'll realize `` MOV '' is a by-the-numbers romantice comedy within the first 15 minutes .",
        "like many vegas weddings , this mean-spirited `` romantic comedy '' only makes sense if you 're drunk .",
        "ena tzak pot sta klise poy paradoksos leitoyrgei anapanteha apotelesmatika , kyrios hari stin yperballoysa karikatoyristiki apeikonisi ton haraktiron poy se stigmes ftanei to anegkefala ksekardistiko kai sti himeia toy zeygoys ton ermineyton",
        "hardly a massive gamble , cameron diaz and ashton kutcher play a safe romcom hand you can tolerate .",
        "ashton kutcher and cameron diaz hate on each other with dynamite verve in MOV .",
        "raunchy romantic comedy has a softer side , too .",
        "ashton kutcher has his first real hit movie -- even with the predictable ending .",
        "while watching insipid romantic comedies , i often cling to the comic supporting characters as my life preserver .",
        "MOV ... should have stayed in vegas . or in new york , where most of this predictable , uninspired film takes place . or in hollywood , where such lamebrained ideas are hatched .",
        "MOV is evidence that putting two attractive stars together onscreen is not enough to make a good , or even passable , 90 minutes of entertainment .",
        "full-contact marital warfare connects with every body part save the funny bone .",
        "while diaz and kutcher work through their stock repertoire of winsomeness , the second bananas steal the show .",
        "with a script that only barely hangs together by the skin of its teeth , this romantic comedy survives on the considerable charm of its terrific cast .",
        "the plot is both feeble and ridiculous , but this still delivers more than its fair share of laughs , thanks to terrific comic performances from kutcher , diaz and supporting players rob corddry and lake bell .",
        "the film delivers what it promises as a freewheeling , bitchy-mouthed romantic comedy , so it 's a good date movie . perhaps newlyweds , too",
        "this tone-deaf flick from hack screenwriter dana fox , is an example of a hollywood formula romantic comedy where the author never properly learned the recipe .",
        "there are no big surprises , and only a handful of unexpected developments . but kutcher and diaz are undeniably appealing ... nd the scene-stealing supporting players ... go about their petty larceny with amusing adroitness .",
        "though utterly contrived , predictable , and disposable , this counter-proragmming date flick has a certain charm , due to cameron diaz 's sex appeal and ease with slapstick and her onscreen chemistry with lead man ashton kutcher .",
        "like mr. and mrs. smith without the action or the break-up with less depth -- if that 's even possible ...",
        "sadly , about the nicest thing i can say about MOV is that i did n't hate it -- although i suppose that 's something .",
        "this breezy confection should work well corralling it 's target demo to come up triple 7s for fox if the marketplace can handle yet another rom com .",
        "... has nothing to recommend it but the sight of ashton kutcher in a pink boa wearing a yard long glass in a cocktail sling ... this one shouldclearly have stayed in vegas .",
        "despite the presence of some likable , funny people , it 's a painfully unfunny romantic comedy that makes you dislike those same people intensely .",
        "as tepid romantic comedies go , they forgot to pack the fun . this one should have stayed in vegas .",
        "the battle for the human heart has official morphed from witty , sophisticated banter between star-crossed lovers to something akin to mixed martial arts .",
        "` MOV ' has a similar structure to ` knocked up , ' only it has neither the unplanned pregnancy , nor the laughs .",
        "so moronic it almost makes the recent mediocre made of honor seem sophisticated by comparison .",
        "if i had anything kind to say about ashton kutcher and cameron diaz before this film , i 'm ready to take every word back ... a shrill monstrosity of a romantic comedy .",
        "MOV can be forwarded directly to the nominating committee of the golden raspberry foundation .",
        "a first - or second-date flick , after which there can be some cheesecake factory and maybe a peck on the cheek , no harm done . MOV is pleasant enough for all of that .",
        "not that MOV is any kind of great movie , but it 's an exceedingly bright comedy that never makes you feel stupid for enjoying its brisk pacing , smart lines , sound construction and superb comic acting .",
        "wants to be liked so badly it 's afraid to do anything that might actually make you respect it in the morning . in that sense , it works . it 's a 99-minute pg-13 airplane movie good for a few chuckles and another notch on rob corddry 's widening comedy belt .",
        "kutcher and diaz both make good with what they have , but they deserve better .",
        "lucky for viewers , it 's easy to laugh while watching this romantic comedy , mostly because of the comic skills kutcher and diaz bring to their performances .",
        "not the sin some claim it to be .",
        "the colorful second bananas ' bawdy badinage turns out to be a lot funnier than that of the co-stars who have little more to offer than their looks and sexual chemistry going for them .",
        "a movie that just seems to be going through the motions , a thoroughly uninspired rehash of a formula done far better elsewhere .",
        "i ca n't recommend it as a must-see date night getaway , neither will i discourage audiences looking for a little bit of mindless rom-com fun . and given the likable nature of the film 's two stars , this trip to `` vegas '' coasts by on just enough charm to make",
        "what should have stayed in vegas is this movie .",
        "the formula is too contrived and the chemistry not enough for any genuine sparks to fly",
        "kutcher has talent and potential . it has been his misfortune to attach his star to people who are n't up to the quality of his talent . he has time to correct this , but the clock is ticking .",
        "a distinctly awful cover version of ` i want a new drug ' plays on the soundtrack and is a direct thought to the audience who is going to need something a lot stronger to make it through this unrelentless excuse for a romantic comedy .",
        "i did n't laugh much , and i never felt even an inkling of ` aw , cute ! ' romance -- but i did n't want to claw my eyes out , either . if that counts as a success , then i guess it 's a hit .",
        "amid the bright lights , cameron diaz and ashton kutcher fail to generate even the faintest of erotic sparks .",
        "MOV should damn well have stayed in vegas . instead , the thing has leaked out as a movie that , one grey morning this week , swiped 100 minutes from my life .",
        "bland enough to make millions as culture edges closer to oblivion .",
        "MOV ... boasts the not inconsiderable appeal of good-looking people having a good time -- even while having a bad time .",
        "i just do n't know what to make of a scene in which a judge sentences two selfish jerks to `` six months hard ... marriage , '' but i 'm simply too old and too smart for material this insipid .",
        "are you laughing yet ? are you moved by these incredible insights ? are you , most likely , looking for the exits ?",
        "the end result is easily the worst romantic comedy that you will find in theaters this weekend -lrb- or possibly this year -rrb- and yes , i am fully aware that `` made of honor '' is still playing .",
        "not a complete lost cause , but no one tries to emerge from the icky goo known as mediocrity",
        "the screenplay is awful , the direction is bland and the performances are beyond redemption .",
        "middling and forgettable .",
        "it 's less obnoxious than fool 's gold , less forced than made of honor and less formulaic -lrb- well , by a sliver , anyway -rrb- than 27 dresses .",
        "what happens in this seriously flawed would-be romantic comedy is nothing much .",
        "ultimately , MOV resembles a drunken night in sin city ; when it 's over , you do n't really remember what happened except that it was n't good .",
        "MOV is a sorrow attempt at a romantic comedy . so let the saying stand MOV , should stay in vegas .",
        "this film is not the equivalent of brain surgery , but it is entertaining .",
        "diaz and kutcher restore the original , ebullient meaning of ` sex comedy ' . they 're fun to watch , which is a rare thing in this zellweger , clooney , kidman , gosling , apatow world .",
        "two fresh stars elevate the material into solid entertainment",
        "if you can ignore some rather silly moments and focus on the credible relationship between jack and joy , this will be reasonably entertaining .",
        "should have stayed , not in vegas , but elsewhere in the state of nevada . how about those mountains where they are supposed to store the radioactive waste ?",
        "both kutcher and diaz are in full-on desperation mode , straining in each scene to prove they can still be relevant , showing flashes of the charm that made them famous in the first place .",
        "i only wish they 'd have spent more time drunk and in vegas in the whole movie . alas ...",
        "from seeing this movie and talking to several moviegoers , i discovered that there are two kinds of people : people who like ashton kutcher , and people who do n't .",
        "this derivative rom-com works best when the leads are exacting revenge on each other .",
        "the combined verve diaz and kutcher bring to the table saves a routine time-killer from being entirely forgettable .",
        "another predictable romantic comedy , one that insists that spending time locked into an unhappy marriage does n't breed contempt , but sows love . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "as far fetched as the idea of guy disgust as the ultimate aphrodisiac may seem , cameron and ashton as the designated lovebirds keep the kinky marriage shocks and surprises coming . move over knocked up . a sex and the sin city vegas jackpot .",
        "a funny movie about the sexes that does n't diminish either gender in its execution -- a tougher task , obviously , than one would presume .",
        "MOV has mediocre direction and a strained screenplay , so how can it be any good ? what carries the film is its two stars . if ashton kutcher bothers you , you 'll probably hate MOV . if cameron diaz leaves you",
        "while diaz and kutcher make their clich\u00e9d characters as likable as possible , you can bet on this : any movie named after an already-stale ad campaign is n't likely to gamble on the unexpected .",
        "by being a smidge smarter than the average date movie , it makes the first-time meeting , the battle of the sexes and the bumpy course of true love entertaining despite overfamiliarity .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "screenwriter dana fox -lrb- the dreadful wedding date was hers -rrb- and director tom vaughan ca n't find much fun or romance in this . MOV ... offers none of the surprises that screen comedy so desperately needs .",
        "you know how some movies feel like they were made by a committee ? MOV feels like it was made by checklist .",
        "it 's called MOV , but it should have been called what happens in hollywood as it pretty much defines contrived studio comedy .",
        "for an idea of the level of wit , several gags are built around the name ` dick banger ' .",
        "considering that the title of the movie was conceived by the las vegas convention and visitors authority , it 's not a huge surprise that MOV is stocked with product placement .",
        "you 'd think the combination of diaz , kutcher and vegas would be good for at least a little sexy , silly fun . but do n't bet on it .",
        "at least they party harder than the 21 kids .",
        "directed by tom vaughan and written by dana fox , who also wrote the excruciating the wedding date , this film often seems improvised , and not in a good way . some setups go nowhere , and some jokes never get set up at all .",
        "we all know MOV -- and we know , without having to watch it , what happens in this movie .",
        "MOV is nobody has much fun .",
        "why do we have to suffer through movies like MOV , which is the worst-in-breed not only for this year , but very likely in living memory .",
        "here 's a romantic comedy that is goofy , highly implausible , sometimes over the top , often in bad taste , and resolutely empty-headed . in short , it 's the best example of its genre to appear on the screen this year .",
        "when a movie depends on supporting characters to tell the audience just how good the romantic leads are together , you know you 're in trouble deep .",
        "MOV refuses to take a gamble . like a bleary-eyed gambler repeatedly tossing a pair of dice , it tiredly goes through the motions .",
        "MOV ... should have stayed in development -- forever . this ramshackle -- and occasionally repulsive -- farce does n't even deliver on the minimal promise of its title ; most of it takes place in manhattan .",
        "MOV contains enough unbridled silliness to salvage its lowbrow high concept .",
        "scream , scream , scream . when did writers get the idea that what audiences find really funny in comedies is screaming ? a full-out assault on your senses , the film is n't just bad . it 's painful .",
        "with likeable actors like ashton kutcher and cameron diaz who are n't afraid to go over the top for comedy , MOV turned into a pretty good film .",
        "i like to learn something every day . in this case i discovered a harsh truth . you can have slapstick without the comedy .",
        "MOV is a clever concept lamely executed .",
        "when it was over i felt vaguely embarrassed . i was n't just leaving a movie theater . i was taking a walk of shame .",
        "MOV is the kind of terrible mistake performers as big as cameron diaz and ashton kutcher usually make at the beginning of their careers , when they 're anxious to break into the movies , or at the end , when they 're struggling for a comeback",
        "though likely not a film you 'll remember a month after seeing it , it does hit most of the right notes for a good date flick .",
        "the felicitous pairing of cameron diaz and ashton kutcher overcomes the mechanical setup of this amiable screwball comedy about mismatched manhattanites who wed in las vegas following a drunken first date .",
        "the supporting players save MOV from rom-com infamy .",
        "... one ca n't help but wonder if there 's anything of interest left to say within this increasingly stale genre .",
        "MOV is exactly what you would expect : it 's formulaic , slapsticky , silly and loud , until it goes all gooey in the end .",
        "joy and jack are fated to fall in lazy-movie-love .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has a few laughs , but mostly settles for derivative romantic comedy conventions and receives little help from a pair of unlikable leads .",
    "id": "770682015"
  },
  {
    "movie": "paranoid_park",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV has the slightly glum insularity of minimalist fiction , but it 's the first of van sant 's blitzed-generation films in which a young man wakes up instead of shutting down .",
        "yet another accomplished , stylistically courageous work from a filmmaker whose willingness to take chances and pull them off is his finest attribute .",
        "beautiful and slow and never boring -- just a gentle , hazy sleepwalk through a time in life that never really feels fully settled or awake .",
        "MOV confirms that gus van sant is so far up his own artistic anus , it 's impossible to take anything he makes seriously anymore ... a crisp , white hanky doused with cinematic chloroform pressed tightly across the face .",
        "a vivid , powerful attempt to get close to one boy 's tortured soul .",
        "like elephant , it 's a triumph of style and mood over story .",
        "stands at the midway point in its auteur 's recent filmography , displaying both the strengths and weaknesses of his recent stylistic choices .",
        "van sant 's teens are angels slowly sullied by a demonic world .",
        "van sant has made his best film in many years . i did n't realize it until a second viewing . these things sometimes happen , especially if the first encounter was in the middle of a film festival .",
        "MOV is graced with those peculiar van sant touches of discovery and absurdity , delightful because they 're at once so right and so inscrutable .",
        "in the space of 78 minutes , mr. van sant and his cinematographer , the peerless christopher doyle , manage to suffuse that state with haunting sadness , ubiquitous danger , pulsing power and flickers of hope .",
        "MOV , the new gus van sant movie , is slight but fascinating .",
        "yet another movie about misunderstood teenage skateboarders .",
        "there 's not enough story here ... and the moodiness is of a type that does n't speak to me ...",
        "hardly a walk in the park , this powerful journey is one of van sant 's darkest . grips the viewer in a vice of guilt that gets tighter to the point of strangulation . a dark and gripping masterpiece .",
        "the film is told in bursts of flashback , flash forward and even flash sideways all framed in a dream-world sense . the slow-motion theatrics of skater tricks are particularly beautiful and almost a flight from the reality of the cruel teen years .",
        "for some of the way , it seems like a kind of skateboard whodunit . soon enough , we understand it 's much more than that . and by then , we know we 're in for a ride to remember .",
        "this is n't mallrat crime and punishment ; it 's accident and inertia , structured by alex 's attempt to capture his feelings in a journal . -lrb- he 's more verbose than introspective . -rrb-",
        "it 's always exciting when a film that plays with cinematic language can squeeze in among the flotsam and jetsam of repetitive mediocrity .",
        "youth and death meet again in gus van sant 's MOV , a gorgeously stark , mesmerizingly elliptical story told in the same lyrical-prosaic style that has characterized his latest films .",
        "i embraced what van sant achieved with his earlier three films , i just ca n't feel quite that same enthusiasm for this one , even though it 's an extremely well-made film .",
        "yup , van sant is in trance mode again , and he has n't adapted blake nelson 's novel so much as shattered it into a hypnotic drift of alienation and reverie . the movie haunts .",
        "elephant said much more about teenagers and said it better .",
        "for those able to tune in to its peculiar wavelength this deceptively simple film will prove another strangely profound -lsb- van sant -rsb- experience .",
        "even something as modest as MOV manages to reflect van sant 's greatest strengths as an artist : his seemingly limitless fluency with his chosen medium and his willingness to tell even the oldest stories in bold new ways .",
        "MOV , while still off the beaten path , is less self-absorbed and pretentious than anything van sant has crafted since finding forrester .",
        "the film closes with still more images of skaters , these reflected in wide-angly convex mirrors , beautiful and frightening and seductive .",
        "intriguing and obliquely involving .",
        "there are certain times in a filmmaker 's career when everything comes together in a kind of perfect storm ... for gus van sant , MOV is that film .",
        "alex goes to school , has a girlfriend , eats junk food ... and is almost as much of a zombie as anything george a. romero has ever conjured up . only less appealing .",
        "it may be time for van sant to remove his head from -- well , let 's call it the underground -- and re-find his inner forrester .",
        "MOV becomes a portrait of the skate punk as repressed personality . the movie does n't really go anywhere as a story , it simply unfolds .",
        "regarding MOV as an elongated short rather than a feature helps a bit , because it 's a miniature in spirit -- a small-format portrait of psychic malaise that just happens to last 84 minutes .",
        "MOV will be catnip for van sant fans -lrb- the music and cinematography are complicated and chewy -rrb- but potentially tough sledding for everybody else .",
        "speaking generically , MOV is the 12th feature film from portland director gus van sant and his fourth in a row that might be called , for want of a better term , arty .",
        "MOV is only 84 minutes , a long , slow 84 minutes , with delusions of grandeur .",
        "gus van sant 's capper to a trilogy of experiments in elliptical narrative and lyrical structure is a masterful triumph of art , craft and empathy for the complicatedness of being a real teenager .",
        "-lsb- the narrative is -rsb- as speedy and graceful as the skateboarders it lingers over in MOV , where their daredevil moves are often shot in dreamily beautiful slow motion .",
        "the impressionistic skating scenes are absolutely the best part of the film .",
        "if you are planning to shoot a visual poem , there is no one better to have on hand than cinematographer christopher doyle . doyle knows how to find seduction and romance anywhere .",
        "i do n't know what 's more surprising : that director gus van sant has made yet another movie about the lives of disaffected portland teenagers , or that he 's pulled it off one more time with `` MOV . ''",
        "van sant 's ... adoration of uncommunicative kids with limited vocabularies and awesome hair is beginning to wear a little thin .",
        "in MOV , not much actually happens and yet one teenager 's mind is filled with far more than enough to ponder for a long time .",
        "the teenager 's impressionistic headspace is his canvas , layered like a keats poem and scored like an ipod",
        "it 's breathtaking , heartbreaking , tragic , gorgeous , and true all at the same time .",
        "it 's a movie worth seeing .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- intriguing , mind-altering skateboard elegy .",
        "i would say that there is a really good 50 minute movie tucked away inside here , but van sant insists on padding it with material that does n't belong .",
        "in a film where dialogue comes at a premium , van sant allows his camera to do the talking , and when it rests too long on one subject , the commentary feels like overstatement . elsewhere , ` MOV ' is eloquent in its terseness .",
        "MOV proves that growing up is often very hard to do -- but it 's also a potent reminder that these teens deserve our respect and sympathy for their often imperfect efforts to do just that .",
        "this less-than-involving , skateboarding-culture thriller is still not likely to go over well with any audiences outside of the already receptive , art-house crowd .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "van sant has composed an emotional mosaic that brings you inside alex.",
        "the third , most technically accomplished panel in a youth trilogy that began with elephant and continued with last days , finds van sant , american cinema 's most dedicated chronicler of disaffected youths , in top form .",
        "the ugly fact is that van sant 's recent modus operandi has crossed the line from ` groove ' to ` rut . '",
        "through immaculate use of picture , sound and time , the director adds another panel to his series of pictures about disaffected , disconnected youth .",
        "an original and even memorable addition to van sant 's filmography .",
        "bears some similarities with elephant . a similarly photogenic teen milieu is shot with fluid , graceful camerawork ; a non-linear structure slots together like a puzzle to reveal the panicked mindset of a boy under agreat deal of stress .",
        "van sant wants his brief , deadpan , underpopulated scenes to feel more like real teen existence than the clich\u00e9s of mainstream cinema . it 's a worthy goal , but i 'm afraid the actual effect is the opposite .",
        "van sant carries his ongoing experiments with image and sound design to new levels of sophistication .",
        "one of -lsb- van sant 's -rsb- most razor-sharp films , with an involving plot , solidly realistic characters and exquisite cinematography .",
        "MOV 's triumph ... is its aesthetic design .",
        "`` MOV '' may be the best of the director 's last four films , but that is n't saying much .",
        "as fragmented and disordered as the writings in alex 's notebook , MOV is a moody , somewhat otherworldly study of the confusion , alienation and furtive secrecy of adolescence",
        "a bunch of confused skaters trapped in an existentialist nouvelle vague film",
        "there 's nothing going on beneath the artful surface , and the kid 's dilemma generates yawns instead of heat .",
        "... few concessions have been made for neophytes to his particular brand of filmmaking .",
        "a fully subjective probe into the consciousness of a young man and a generous display of artistic empathy .",
        "a troubling and sad portrait of a teenager who refuses to take moral responsibility for his actions .",
        "shows typical insight into the awkward years .",
        "van sant 's belief that all teenagers at that age are ` acting to a certain extent ' lends the film its edge of raw authenticity .",
        "all this will be way too arty for most viewers . but those willing to take a chance will find unexpected if hard-to-describe pleasures .",
        "van sant opens a window onto the teen life ... , but the insights have less depth than a skateboard wheel 's imprint .",
        "that there 's nothing definitive to wrap your arms around is frustrating . and intriguing .",
        "MOV is different , in that it also has a narrative -- a mystery , in fact -- that gives it a dramatic tension van sant 's recent films have lacked .",
        "very stylish .",
        "it may not score with a mass audience , but in museums and art centers around the world , it will always be in rotation .",
        "the disaffected kids who shuffle through its universe have nothing to say , nothing to tell us . i 'm not sure the movie has a whole lot more .",
        "MOV , gus van sant 's mesmerizing new movie , melds the dreamy languor of his last few films with a page-turner of a plot .",
        "at times the movie approaches a purely cinematic form as the simple narrative hitches and winds around itself and the soundtrack ... hums along",
        "it felt like van sant was imagining a nonexistent depth in order to justify his own fascination with alex and his companions .",
        "if this film really epitomizes the way that teens talk and act ... then i seriously fear for the future of this country .",
        "MOV is a supernaturally perfect fusion of van sant 's current conceptual-art-project head-trip aesthetic and blake nelson 's finely tuned first-person ` young adult ' novel .",
        "gus van sant 's interest in teenage angst continues here -lrb- for more , see last days and elephant -rrb- , but with an even greater sense of artistic abandon . he 's no david lynch , though , and the result of the abandon just seems silly",
        "the result , a defiant slap at slick hollywood formula , is mesmerizing .",
        "the film is an illustration of van sant 's virtuosity , as well as a textbook example of cinema 's potential to place us squarely in the emotional landscape of another human being .",
        "a study in isolation and , yes , paranoia ... the mesmerizingly beautiful images -- often in slo-mo -- glide to evoke alex 's primary pursuit of skating .",
        "good writing and editing serves the episodic tragedy concept with rather strong gripping power .",
        "van sant manages to make a small elegy about adolescence out of a film which in other hands might have become a slightly grisly thriller .",
        "filming in his characteristically dreamy , dislocated fashion , van sant seems as interested in the innocently beautiful face of his young star as he is in the docu-style story-telling .",
        "transposed from a novel by blake nelson , the boy is played by newcomer gabe nevins with all the complexity and three-dimensionality of a magazine centrefold .",
        "artily composed , highly subjective and light on plot - it 's still a long way from the mainstream , but well-built suspense and an instinctive feel for teen and skate life keep things ticking over until the paranoia peters out .",
        "van sant 's low-key , experimental high-school drama is an affecting rites-of-passage tale , told with bold style and quiet integrity .",
        "the story is fragmented into flashforwards and flashbacks as alex 's narration skirts around the traumatic event , but culminates in a low-key but meaningful realization of sorts for the quiet teen .",
        "a teenage art-flick , MOV proves the most fluent and coherent of gus van sant 's recent experiments . part crime mystery , part coming-of-age story , it 's positively overflowing with burnished imagery and adolescent turmoil .",
        "beautifully shot , superbly acted and thoroughly engaging , this is quite simply gus van sant 's masterpiece .",
        "a build-up of secrecy and anxiety are well-served by van sant 's chopped-up narrative of the slow reveal , and again the director shows a keen eye for the rituals and worries of teenage life .",
        "the movie does n't narrate what happened so much as immerse itself in alex 's numb state of alienation and denial , which i did n't find quite as rewarding as i guess i was supposed to .",
        "van sant 's film is almost calculatedly minor , but it gets at something about adolescence as a wobbly and transitional business , not the semi-permanent grunge idyll he 's sometimes guilty of loving a little too much .",
        "a formally daring attempt to capture the rhythms of adolescence wrapped around a murder mystery , MOV continues van sant 's fascination with american youth .",
        "dreary with a capital d.",
        "the story 's fractured structure -- and christopher doyle 's dreamlike cinematography -- make for a striking mood piece .",
        "the real reason to see MOV is to check out how van sant 's visual style is evolving , as he 's one of the few big directors willing to try something unusual , often with tremendous results .",
        "it 's all confusing , woozy and slightly stoned , and feels very much like adolescence .",
        "-lsb- gus van sant is -rsb- an incredible visual artist who can use the camera to capture seemingly languorous interludes that are , in fact , riveting to the eye and mind .",
        "through simple observation , van sant quietly lets viewers understand nevins and feel the full force of his distress .",
        "MOV is a haunting , voluptuously beautiful portrait of a teenage boy who , after being suddenly caught in midflight , falls to earth .",
        "... this fourth entry in -lsb- van sant 's -rsb- impressionistic reveries on death -lsb- is -rsb- the purest artistic achievement in his experimental mode of filmmaking...multi-layered and mesmerizing .",
        "the one facet that separates MOV from the director 's previous work is the way van sant uses all the talents in his arsenal to create something that few films have ever attempted to portray : the manic assemblage of teenage life .",
        "just when it looked like van sant was finally ready to present a movie real people might want to watch , MOV abandons universality and fetishizes the generality of skater boys .",
        "passes by in a haze of amateurish acting and skateboarding montages . just one more wearisome representation of aimless teenage life .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "director gus van sant once again superbly captures the ins and outs of teenage life in MOV , a quietly devastating portrait of a young man living with guilt and anxiety .",
    "id": "770673426"
  },
  {
    "movie": "confessions_of_a_teenage_drama_queen",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a juvenile ` i love lucy ' episode ... that 's more irritating than charming .",
        "smug , sanitized fantasy , in which the hysterical blonde attention-seeker , in a succession of sparkly outfits , is uprooted from new york to the boring suburbs and learns boring suburban values like telling the truth .",
        "what a teenage girl really wants at the movies is what grown-ups want , and not to be talked down to like her kid sister .",
        "i confess to a deep uncertainty about whether this can be rightly called a movie . a bunch of scenes , maybe .",
        "for the most part the material is stubbornly inert , and the actors at times appear to be flailing .",
        "a creative no man 's land : nothing ventured , nothing gained , nothing worth watching .",
        "an energetic cast and random lines of snappy dialog almost elevate this insipid comedy into something entertaining . but not quite .",
        "-lsb- `` MOV '' should appeal to very young teenage girls or people who are easily amused watching shiny things .",
        "the gimmicks and goofy daydream sequences mount up until the film collapses under their weight .",
        ". . shrill , numbing and painful to sit through . maybe this movie will find an audience in children young enough to be entertained by bright colors .",
        "enjoyable movie about the trials of being a teen .",
        "though lohan and fox are fun to look at , and allison pill is adorable , the film is pure mindless , ridiculous fluff .",
        "only the 13-and-under set will buy into the confessions vision of teen-hood . most actual teens have already noted the lack of opportunities for air-guitar montages .",
        "mind-numbingly juvenile .",
        "... a perfectly bland , homogenized , milquetoast piece of inconsequential would-be comedy fluff .",
        "sleep all day , party all night , never grow old , never die : it 's fun to be a disney starlet",
        "... unapologetically geared towards the tween crowd , all other audiences be damned .",
        "a self-absorbed sugar rush of a movie , this might please small girls but will leave a sour taste in everyone else 's mouth .",
        "` hate ' is not a word i use loosely to describe my feelings about a movie , but i hated every second of MOV .",
        "would that this film were as pulled together as lola 's fabulous outfits .",
        "a movie that -- even by disney 's formulaic standards -- is about as cut and dried as the phone book .",
        "not a winner , but it 's at least passable entertainment for kids whose parents want their idols to preach against drunkenness and learn that lying is n't a good thing .",
        "the whole enterprise feels desperately thrown together for a teen/mall profit and rather cheap .",
        "sugarman directs this cheerful movie as if it were a bunch of memories pasted haphazardly into a scrapbook .",
        "i ca n't think of a teen who would enjoy watching confessions",
        "clothes , friends , makeup , popularity , high school : all this , and lindsay lohan , too .",
        "akin to a feather -- weightless .",
        "a word to the wise : if you find the title tantalizing , you 'll probably love the film .",
        "... nothing if not fluffy -- but oddly , egregiously offensive in ways far more insidious and damaging than merely wasting our time .",
        "implausabilities aside , confessions is a light lark that 's colorful , spirited , and chock full of clothes .",
        "gives -lsb- lohan -rsb- ample time to act starry-eyed and show off her dancing and singing , but little chance to prove she can hold her own among the hilary duffs of the world .",
        "mixes the brady bunch , britney , saved by the bell , hilary duff and anything else that disney thinks kids are still watching today .",
        "even for a dizzying tweenage flick , we confess , there 's too much going on here .",
        "if you 're the parent of a kid that wants to see this , drop them off and go do something else .",
        "much like the o.c. has taken the place of beverly hills 90210 , this latest lindsay lohan disney comedy tries to mine the territory vacated by hilary duff .",
        "this bit of fluff is unlikely to appeal to anyone outside of its obvious , intended target audience .",
        "more of a concept than a story , the plot serves basically as an extended segue between music videos .",
        "lindsay lohan stars in this modest , mildly engaging film as a proudly bohemian resident of greenwich village who is transplanted to a prosperous suburb in new jersey .",
        "if you 're smart , you 'll skip `` concessions of an teenage drama queen '' and buy $ 10 of stock in comcast instead .",
        "lohan is a firecracker on the screen . she has personality , presence and potential to grow into an accomplished actress .",
        "at a time when crassness and dumbing down pervade popular entertainment , especially movies aimed at youthful audiences , MOV dares to be smart .",
        "lacking the humor and sophistication of freaky friday , confessions has some growing up to do .",
        "lindsay lohan pulls out all the stops in her performance as a talented teenager whose unbridled enthusiasm sets her apart from her peers .",
        "it is a pleasure and a delight to welcome director sara sugarman and her fine inventiveness into the machine .",
        "for preteen girls only ... my feelings : ` gag me with a spoon ! '",
        "what confessions does , it does pretty well .",
        "i was not prepared for the moment when the tween who cried wolf became the lindsay lohan movie .",
        "a reductive bit of female self-empowerment couched in risible ideas of validating yourself through others .",
        "the film 's essential soullessness bangs back against its cheer , reminding us of the wrinkled businessmen 's hands reaching for our dollars from behind the sunny smiles .",
        "parents may be more willing to put up with the movie 's logical loopholes than its casual treatment of behavior they would not want their children to imitate .",
        "a shlocky , sloppy and crass adolescent comedy .",
        "talk about drama - oh ! the horror .",
        "bland , warmed over genre cliches masquerading as a movie .",
        "a star vehicle with three flat tires and sugar in the gas tank .",
        "i hope kids see through this film 's slick production value and realize lindsay lohan 's character is only a shade above contemptible much less worth their admiration .",
        "the movie 's lame , but i 'm inclined to agree with the kids on the internet movie database message boards that lohan could beat the crap out of hillary duff in a grudge match .",
        "dear diary : the truth is that there 's nothing much to confess in the made-for-tweens comedy MOV .",
        "... film pimps to is core demographic and gives nothing substantial in return .",
        "somehow the film gets through its entire running time without ever having a plot .",
        "why is this chiffon doodle essentially offensive ? because it is about nothing , and it turns the dreams of girls into piffle .",
        "both the actress and the character she 's playing are stranded in a vapid film about vapid teens .",
        "if disney pictures is looking to pander to the lowest urges of emerging girlhood , they have succeeded in this tacky and boring after-school special .",
        "it 's a pubescent fantasia without soul or purpose beyond positioning star lindsay lohan as the successor to hilary duff 's throne .",
        "the superficial sweetness masks something rotten .",
        "sugarman 's muddled comedy serves only to drive home the clich\u00e9 that the teenage female mind is a roiling mass of contradictions and petty concerns .",
        "a string of unrelated scenes about the high-school musical ... the band 's final concert , some random moments in which some standard-issue popular girls are mean to lola , and lola 's active fantasy life .",
        "much of confessions seems clueless and -- even worse for moviegoers of any age -- listless .",
        "supported by lindsay lohan 's effervescent performance , drama queen has a fun flair for the dramatics but ultimately is a piece of fluff targeted to a limited audience .",
        "like a stream-of-consciousness riff on girl movie notions -- minus the consciousness part .",
        "MOV is for those old enough to aspire to be high school juniors and seniors , but still too young to do more than dream .",
        "teenage drama queen confesses : ` i 'm guilty of making a bad movie ' .",
        "bubble-brained comedy for the olsen twins demographic .",
        "truly awful ...",
        "lohan , overcoming her character 's occasional obnoxiousness , has enough spunky charm to make this one work for the target audience of 11-year-old girls .",
        "even at less than an hour and a half , it still feels absurdly padded .",
        "riddled with contradictions , preachiness , implausibilities , false starts and wrong turns , it tells a choppy , incoherent tale without an ounce of charm or wit .",
        "what teenage girl would enjoy watching this ? i 'm glad disney addresses this oft-ignored demographic , but if these girls are pandered to so obviously , wo n't they feel insulted ?",
        "this light , brisk , candy-colored comedy is rescued from cookie-cutter teen-movie status by some quirky moments and the efforts of its bright young cast ."],
    "summary": "sloppily assembled fluff that wo n't have much of interest for anyone who is n't a preteen girl .",
    "id": "10634"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hollywoodland",
    "reviews":
     [
        "like ben from bennifer , george reeves aspired to be a great actor , but was weighed down by audience expectations . affleck does a terrific job with this role .",
        "tentando evocar a mesma atmosfera sufocante de los angeles % u2013 cidade proibida , surge como p\u0431lida -lrb- literalmente -rrb- imita\u0437\u0433o do excepcional trabalho de curtis hanson .",
        "middle-aged angst - and not the mystery of reeves ' unsolved death - lies at the heart of MOV .",
        "it 's affleck 's ghost of film future . watch his hurt-glazed eyes as he sits in the screening of from here to eternity while all around him people laugh at ` superman ' pretending to be someone else .",
        "it 's worth seeing for affleck alone , deftly communicating the distance between the put-on cardboard debonairness of this hunk-about-town and the gnawing uncertainties beneath his superman outfit .",
        "outside of the novelty of seeing ben affleck assaying a dramatic role , there is n't much in MOV to keep us hooked .",
        "it is not just that people die in the film , its the way their souls get mauled while they are still alive .",
        "stark , probing and beautifully crafted , MOV is a slow-burning mystery/thriller that intriguingly jumps along with each suspenseful frame .",
        "despite a stellar cast , coulter and screenwriter paul bernbaum ca n't decide whether to plumb the depths of ` noir ' or tug at the heartstrings of failed ambition .",
        "starts with artful delusions before dribbling into nothingness",
        "frustratingly ambiguous as a thriller , coulter 's strong debut should be approached as a disturbing parable on the nature of fame .",
        "but dreams of fame evolve . and where once it would have just been enough to be recognized , it becomes apparent only later that this is not quite enough .",
        "may not have all the answers about the death of one of the icons behind the big red 's , ' but by gathering one of the better ensembles of the year , it makes the legend interesting again .",
        "every bit as ambitious , if never as flawed , as the characters it portrays .",
        "strong ensemble performances , tight direction , and a stand out from affleck make this an excellent revisiting of an old hollywood case ...",
        "tells this tale with energy and panache .",
        "un atractivo y bien logrado ejemplo de cine negro donde se mezclan glamour y misterio , con estupendo elenco y excelente recreaci\u0443n de \u0439poca y atm\u0443sfera .",
        "from a character point of view , adrien brodey 's emotional journey as a broken down investigator and a broken down father from a broken marriage , is the film 's incomplete centrepiece , ben affleck 's superb portrayal of george reeves notwithstanding .",
        "a well-meaning mediocrity .",
        "worthwhile for the amusement of the escape to a bygone era alone . but when you factor in an absorbing pulp fiction plotline , you 've got all you can ask of a cinematic experience ."],
    "summary": "more than a movie star murder mystery , MOV takes it slow in order to reveal the intriguing details of the rise and fall of superstar fame .",
    "id": "287865038"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1159618-superhero",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the good news about `` MOV movie '' is that it is better than either of the `` fantastic four '' movies . the bad news is that it is n't that much better .",
        "MOV movie would make a decent long-form short on the `` funny or die '' website , but at 85 minutes -- 15 of which are outtake-heavy end credits -- its powers of amiability wear off fast .",
        "the gags are consistently weak .",
        "note to screenwriters : it 's clear you think that jokes ending in the words `` myspace , '' `` youtube , '' or `` wikipedia '' are automatically funny , but it just ai n't so .",
        "what 's supposed to be a spoof of all the comic-book movies clogging theaters turns out to be an unfunny retread of the first spider-man .",
        "puerile and idiotic it may be , but MOV movie is nonetheless smarter than most of its lowbrow brethren in the hollywood sub-sub-category known as the spoof movie .",
        "the very act of writing critically about MOV inspires something of an existential crisis -- no one likely to turn out for it is reading this review , and anybody reading this review is probably not inclined to see it under any circumstances .",
        "it looks for all the world as if writer/director craig mazin took the screenplay for spider-man , propped it up next to his macbook , and just went through it , inserting fart gags , pratfalls and the lamest of jokes .",
        "despite a few amusing moments , this underwhelming spoof is strictly direct-to-video material .",
        "by-the-numbers screen parody fails to resurrect an increasingly tired genre .",
        "to call MOV movie a satire , or even a parody , of the genre specified in its title would be misleading , since those terms imply at least an attempt at wit . but no real mockery is intended by this mindless grab bag of slightly used gags .",
        "writer-director and scary movie vet craig mazin 's script is so devoid of anything even remotely funny that the movie is more a cheap rip-off of sam raimi 's spider-man franchise than a spoof .",
        "two laughs does not a decent comedy make .",
        "it 's a movie for the inner 9 year old in us all . that 's the age that most people move on from flatulence jokes , and sniggering whenever they hear the 's ' or ` f ' words .",
        "pamela anderson appears for 15 seconds as the invisible woman ... and if anderson is invisible she 's pretty much completely useless .",
        "super ? no . but it 's not bad .",
        "MOV movie deserves a special place in the burning fires of hell , where lazy writing , insipid direction , and an unforgivable eagerness towards bottom-feeding stupidity can roast along with the rest of the spoof genre 's recent offerings .",
        "prefers physical comedy over idiotic references to other movies , so it 's consistently , harmlessly stupid rather than soul-crushingly annoying .",
        "if you enjoyed movies like mystery men , my super x-girlfriend or even orgazmo back in the day , then you just might crack a smile at the dragonfly 's spandex wedgie .",
        "essentially a retread of every bad grade-school joke you 're happy to have forgotten .",
        "with jokes packed as tightly together as sliced cheese , the flick 's comedy axiom seems to be : never give the audience a pause to second-guess their laughter",
        "there are a few lively bits , and one joke with an edge : a slap at stephen hawking and his computer-drone voice . mostly , though , this is super-lame .",
        "MOV movie is the living definition of `` hit or miss . '' parts of it admittedly made me laugh out loud , but for every joke that scored , there were two that did n't .",
        "this year 's MOV movie is n't as epically bad as last year 's epic movie , but it does provide more evidence that the spoof genre is tapped out .",
        "MOV movie should be taken as a well-meaning but ultimately uneven lesson in how to handle future parodies .",
        "... plays like a mad magazine spoof that was written on the toilet",
        "... the gags just lie there and die ...",
        "70 minutes of good if unmemorable fun sure beats 80 or 90 minutes of excruciating parodies for dummies , a la date movie and epic movie .",
        "predictable , flat , full of name-dropping , tragically unhip , and likely to make a decent amount of cash .",
        "there 's honestly not a single laugh in the film , unless the mere mention or sight of shit , piss and puke is hilarious to you .",
        "all the most hilarious scenes from ` MOV movie ' show up in the film 's trailer , but there 's still a lot to laugh about in this silly parody .",
        "it 's rather benign , actually -- never very funny , and never amusing for more than a few moments at a time , but not grating or clownish , either .",
        "it 's cinematic junk food ; i sat , i laughed , i left , i forgot all about it . -lrb- but at least i laughed . -rrb-",
        "a joke that 's underdeveloped and overextended ... not one of the worst examples of this tired genre , but far from the best .",
        "it 's a bit late in the game for MOV movie , which was never going to fly , and barely crawls .",
        "while by no means a masterpiece , when craig mazin riffs on the `` spider-man '' trilogy , `` MOV movie '' is cause for some occasional chuckles ...",
        "contrary to popular belief , it does take a level of talent to tell puke and fart jokes well , and that seems to be one of craig mazin 's talent , for whatever it 's worth .",
        "about five good laughs stretched over a 70-minute running time -lrb- not counting the ludicrously padded 15-minute end credits -rrb- .",
        "unfortunately , the film has nothing remotely interesting or satirical to say about the genre it is spoofing , so there is little to hold your attention between the gags , which do not arrive at the rapid-fire clip necessary to sustain the laughter ...",
        "even though the movie made me laugh hard during some scenes , it 's wildly uneven !",
        "this parody film plagiarizes spider-man to virtually laughless effect .",
        "the stench is still thick on the corpse of meet the spartans , but apparently filmgoers ca n't get enough of lame-duck lampoons from scary movie alumni .",
        "tiresome , generic spoof is all about crude humor .",
        "n\u0441o t\u0441o desastroso quanto outras imita\u0443\u0448es baratas das produ\u0443\u0448es do zaz , mas ainda assim apelativo e irregular .",
        "nothing in MOV movie could be described as magical , but for comic-book fans in a forgiving mood , this lowbrow outing has its moments . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "... boasts an actual storyline and a few genuinely hilarious jokes and gags .",
        "the film 's weakest moments are also its timeliest .",
        "a slap in the face with a smirk . this is n't the fun it ought to be .",
        "this super-powered spoof just does n't fly .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV movie is not the worst of the spoof genre , but relies on tired gags and lame pop culture references all the same .",
    "id": "770684073"
  },
  {
    "movie": "starsky_and_hutch",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's probably a hoot for fans of the show . it definitely captures the atmosphere , but it does n't work as a great cop-buddy picture . i laughed , but lost interest in the story .",
        "seriously short on laughs .",
        "that scraping sound you hear is postmodernism hitting the bottom of the barrel .",
        "mildly amusing and true to the spirit of both the show and its host decade .",
        "though there are a few chuckles to be had - mostly thanks to vaughn 's hilariously over-the-top performance - the film is curiously lacking in the guffaws department .",
        "stiller and wilson , it seems , took the script ... and tore it into confetti .",
        "-lsb- m -rsb- ight as well be called owen wilson and ben stiller do their schtick in funny 70s clothes ...",
        "all things being equal , MOV still manages to be an enjoyable ride , even though it lacks the energy , urgency , and consistency needed to make it great .",
        "stiller and wilson provide plenty of laughs , but do i really need another reminder of just how lame the '70s really were ?",
        "it 's a good thing they 're the man , too . because they 're working with such a creaky , inconsistently funny script",
        "todd phillips strikes nostalgic gold , squeezing just enough comedy out of the buddy cop formula to keep it afloat during its brisk 95-minute runtime .",
        "had the script actually had a direction it would 've helped .",
        "the film is as clever as it is silly , more warmhearted than sentimental and just as irreverent as it is nostalgic .",
        "cartoonish but clever , with the bulk of the fun coming when wilson 's wry wit meets stiller 's impatient officiousness head-on . sophomoric , yet probably the best of the recent tv retreads .",
        "not exactly politically correct , but you 'd be hard pushed to find a single mean frame .",
        "too amiable to cook up anything truly memorable ...",
        "silly , but lots of fun for older teens .",
        "it 's basically a time killer with a lot of forgettable jokes that go on way too long many times ...",
        "stiller and wilson are far less serious than their television role models -lrb- paul michael glaser and david soul -rrb- but still drive the hell out of the souped-up ford gran torino muscle car that boosted the show 's visual appeal .",
        "a buddy cop movie filled with genuine laughs .",
        "for what it is , starsky & hutch is a big success",
        "more tolerable than most movies based on past tv shows .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "ben stiller and owen wilson were a hilarious duo .",
        "i 'm not sure that it would make me want to go back and re-watch old episodes of the show , but that 's all right . the show was then , the movie is now . and the movie is good .",
        "the laughs keep coming -- thanks to three clever comic performances by will ferrell , owen wilson and snoop dogg .",
        "a three-decade-old waste of time .",
        "... captures the quirky spirit of its original televised counterpart ... spunky and spry ... a groovy escapist piece of entertainment that hits more than it misses",
        "never quite as good as you 'd wish it would be , although there are a couple of scenes that are real gems",
        "thanks to its able cast and better-than-expected writing , starsky & hutch ends up being a pretty fun ride .",
        "more about humor and hero worship than plot , which is fine , and the movie ambles along mostly at a moderate pace , both a laid-back blessing and its too-lazy curse .",
        "... the movie does n't take any of its material seriously-a big plus-and the alertness of the characters usually results in some scenes of hilarious comic value ...",
        "a sterling supporting cast -- down to the tiniest bit parts -- provides enough astringent intelligence to make the slobbering sentimentality go down with ease .",
        "any resemblance between the original -- and fun ! -- 1970 's tv series and this in-name-only todd phillips 's dud is entirely accidental .",
        "if you 're a fan from back in the day , seeing that red and white-striped gran torino in action once again will have you leaving the theater with a grin on your face .",
        "big on potential , short on really big laughs , it 's a buddy cop comedy which coasts on the charisma and chemistry of its stars .",
        "stiller and wilson are perfectly cast and work beautifully together ...",
        "many of the gags here are hit or miss , but wilson and stiller 's unflappable charm and the obvious fun they 're having translates into precious little witlessness .",
        "part of the reason this film succeeds is because it manages to be both an affectionate mickey-take of the television show as well as glorifying everything that was cool about the era .",
        "moves slowly and without much grace ; it tries to jiggle laughs out of us instead of letting them flow freely .",
        "more a wasted franchise opportunity than a movie .",
        "hollywood 's latest mcmovie -- name-brand recognition as raison d'\u0119tre or , if you will , creative bankruptcy on a very large scale .",
        "more of a spoof than a stand-alone comedy , film barely moves beyond the 70s hair and clothes , delivering a flat and not particularly funny picture . shame .",
        "it 's an easy , breezy romp of a movie .",
        "the filmic equivalent of a roofie : you 're sure that something happened while you were out , but damned if you know what it was .",
        "you wo n't go more than a minute or two without a laugh",
        "it 's fun , and that 's all it really wants to be .",
        "stiller and wilson 's flirty , crackerjack rapport has grown to resemble something like a pan-sexual , thc-enhanced abbott and costello .",
        "ben stiller has fallen into a terrible rut as an insufferable prat .",
        "i 'm not saying never , ever , mine television for feature films , but i am saying that maybe it 's time we all chipped in to buy hollywood a clue",
        "phillips , who started out making creepy -lrb- and funny -rrb- documentaries , has become a canny repackager of yesterday 's schlock -- a mall-friendly purveyor of arrested comedy for an arrested world .",
        "hiding under the permed hair and muscle cars are a few strong chuckles ...",
        "this is a gentle nod to the television series .",
        "there is a comic-book devouring , playboy-stashing adolescent male heart thumping rather sweetly at the core of this homage-spoof .",
        "phillips pushes for laughs more than the show did , but still manages a weird mix of comedy , serious crime fighting and irony inside the scariest fashion decade of all time .",
        "MOV '' did what it set out to do - make me laugh .",
        "the tag line says it all : ` they 're the man . '",
        "something we seldom expect -lrb- or get -rrb- in the creatively bankrupt trend of adapting moldy old tv shows for the big screen : funny .",
        "it 's a tribute to the actors ' dedication that MOV plays so well .",
        "`` the movie 's chronically flaccid humor is exceedingly tame and pointedly inoffensive . ''",
        "le film offre de nombreux moments amusants .",
        "is n't worth doing , and here is not well done .",
        "if you like stiller and wilson , you 'll find enough to like about this film . if you do n't , you can always just gawk at that awesome car .",
        "... director todd phillips -lrb- road trip , old school -rrb- proves once again that he has a hand for feel-good comedies .",
        "stiller e wilson certamente j\u00e1 provaram ser capazes de originarem uma franquia baseada n\u0103o em personagens , mas em suas pr\u00f3prias personalidades .",
        "comedy is difficult . good comedies are rare . `` starsky & hutch '' has three noteworthy moments , one of which involves a horse mistakenly gunned down at a bat mitzvah . hilarious .",
        "an amiable comedy , boosted by some good jokes , solid performances and plenty of charm .",
        "if you never saw the tv show , you 'll still laugh .",
        "the idea of it , including the attention to seventies detail and the music , is funnier than most of the film .",
        "would the producers please just get out of the way and let todd phillips direct the darn movie ?",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film takes a bad but beloved 1970s tv series and transforms it into an experience of almost transcendent silliness .",
        "genuine affection for the original and just the right touch of snarky post-modernism .",
        "even though his role is small , will ferrell alone makes it worth a viewing .",
        "the key to the film 's success is that it uses the burned out premise as the springboard for a comedy , not an action flick .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- lot of fun from start to finish .",
        "s&h 's chief pleasure is the spontaneous , sometimes quite touching rapport between the two stars .",
        "... the film 's willingness to laugh at itself . this is not fine art , but pop culture fun , and for once the filmmakers seem in on the joke .",
        "the casting is pure genius .",
        "overcomes its played '70s spoof material , just one notch above undercover brother-flaccid , to become the first genuinely funny comedy of 2004 .",
        "reeks of mediocrity ... the show was hardly a classic , but even so this insipid remolding does n't do it justice .",
        "if you 've seen its trailers , there 's no reason to see the movie .",
        "not your mother 's cop show , but if you agree that owen wilson and ben stiller are a great comedy duo , then you 're probably going to enjoy it .",
        "while the gags in MOV are more hit-and-miss than nonstop inspiration , the movie does get a fair share of laughs .",
        "a humorous but ultimately unsatisfying comedy .",
        "this movie does n't even deserve to stand next to the crummiest of MOV tv episodes .",
        "has a few bright , wiseass moments , but is generally pretty lame .",
        "stiller and wilson look bewildered .",
        "who could have anticipated that snoop would be the saving grace of a major studio buddy flick ?",
        "people were laughing at my screening , but i could n't understand what it was they were laughing at .",
        "a pleasant diversion that vanishes from your mind right after you watch it .",
        "though the gags are n't always funny , i usually had a smile on my face .",
        "... inoffensive , sometimes charming , and often irritatingly dull . its satirical jabs are aimed at easy targets , its jokes repetitious or redundant , its pacing a little slow .",
        "this is sure to be one of the best comedies of the year .",
        "considering how flimsy starsky & hutch is , it manages to deliver some big laughs and some excellent slapstick mayhem .",
        "although starsky & hutch is a movie without a sincere moment , somehow it never seems cynical .",
        "for every solid rib tickler , there are about three bits that make the film 's brief running time seem a lot longer .",
        "there are about three good laughs in starsky & hutch .",
        "i like stiller and wilson , but they need better material than these witless mainstream flicks .",
        "starsky & hutch , the movie , has no weight or purpose . but it takes its triviality seriously enough to make it feel fresh .",
        "the humour does n't flow naturally from either the plot or the setting -- the best gags are the ones that are just tossed into the picture and would be at home anywhere .",
        "the worst thing about starsky & hutch is how devoid of actual jokes the movie is . it 's all premise , no substance .",
        "probably the most enjoyable hollywood update of a decades-old tv series since the first brady bunch movie .",
        "this s&h is only as funny as you can imagine stiller and wilson being . for me , that 's pretty funny .",
        "... stiller and wilson 's opposing approaches to comedy are perfectly paralleled in their casting here and the 70 's come alive again via fondue , amc pacers and barry manilow .",
        "diverting retread .",
        "starsky & hutch performs the miracle of making fun from -- rather than of -- one of its most popular cop shows .",
        "serious fans of the old show may rightly feel one of their favorite childhood dreams has been violated . those with no emotional investment , however , will probably find it an enjoyably absurd , if instantly forgettable , satire of '70s tv-cop extravagances .",
        "works in large part due to the chemistry between stiller and wilson .",
        "much like the big-screen adaptation of charlie 's angels , starksy & hutch manages to play its cheeseball aspects with a perfect balance of sincerity and irony , cleverness and idiocy .",
        "starsky & hutch might seem funnier if the naked gun movies had n't already parodied cop show cliches or if the writers had bothered to go beyond the hey-wouldn ` t - it-be - funny-if conversation and invented some things that actually are funny .",
        "though stiller and wilson may be today 's most overexposed actors , they have infectious chemistry here .",
        "the big-screen adaptation of the 1970 's television cop show starsky & hutch has a crafty , can-you-dig-it ? spirit .",
        "being a period piece hardly excuses starsky & hutch from being a cliche-ridden , uncharming and tiresome exercise in recycled humor .",
        "forget mel gibson , this is the year 's biggest bummer for the jews : that their biggest box-office champ , apart from jesus , is the image of angry impotence .",
        "yet another based-on - a-tv-hit , oh-those - crazy - '70s dud .",
        "what do you get when you add four screenwriters , five producers , and two leads who ca n't work outside of their own material ? starsky & hutch",
        "apart from wardrobe and hair , the two heroes completely miss the spirit that made the original spark .",
        "viewing starsky & hutch is embarrassing , like watching hollywood eat a cadaver in order to stay alive .",
        "starsky & hutch is funny throughout , but with a handful of really hilarious moments of a kind that most comedies just do n't deliver .",
        "MOV is a rarity : a big-screen parody of an old television series that 's actually pretty good .",
        "all in all , the film has a certain authenticity , capturing the spirit of the series .",
        "the stars give -lsb- the movie -rsb- so many knee-slapper moments you 'll want to wear long thick pants to save your thighs .",
        "starsky & hutch is n't conceptually clever or well-designed , but on the other hand it 's well-stocked with comedy talent .",
        "an affectionate satire of the late - '70s action series , it retains an agreeable small-screen modesty .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this ` why bother ? ' spinoff of the '70s undercover cop show is little more than a 99-minute shtickfest built around something resembling a plot .",
        "it will warm your funny bone if given half a chance .",
        "although fans of the original might enjoy watching the characters return , the movie often goes for cheap laughs with little payoff .",
        "fun but forgettable , it 's stiller and wilson that make starsky & hutch worth a trip to the cineplex .",
        "if a movie rises and falls solely on the basis of its laughs , it better have a lot of them . starsky & hutch does n't .",
        "... has more funny actors than actual laughs .",
        "wilson-stiller comedy revamps a 1970s tv show for a few laughs -- but just a few .",
        "keeps you laughing or winking enough to keep from thinking about the thin story .",
        "satirically , there 's really nothing here that ca n't be found in spike jonze 's video for the beastie boys ' sabotage , but that does n't mean it 's not a fun ride .",
        "the actors are at the top of their comedic game , and their chemistry is undeniable .",
        "one the best '70s tube lampoons since 1995 's the brady bunch movie .",
        "stiller and wilson are becoming the most memorable comedic duo since walter matthau and jack lemmon .",
        "capably accomplishes precisely what it set out to do in the first place ... which is to deliver good , goofy laughs in a light and amiable setting .",
        "just stay home and wait for the beastie boys ' `` sabotage '' to play on mtv2 .",
        "starsky & hutch has moments of hilarity a little greater than you might expect of a movie that is just out for a lazy good time .",
        "like countless other flabby , winking studio comedies out there , this movie plays like a series of sketches begging for commercial breaks .",
        "i wish that director/co-writer todd phillips ... could have come up with something a little smarter than this nonsense .",
        "intermittently amusing .",
        "the closest thing i see to being a revival of the two-man comedy team is the pairing of stiller and wilson .",
        "starsky & hutch is guilty pleasure fun that just rolls along having a grand old time .",
        "it 's often diverting , and if you 're nostalgic for the '70s you 'll probably have a good time .",
        "todd phillips is the succubus of filmmakers . i can only assume that 's how he keeps getting jobs . by giving them .",
        "the laughs are spotty and feel like a stitched-together series of sketches , but the highs outweigh the flatfooted lows , and the duo definitely works the comedic beat .",
        "as tremendously stupid as it is unavoidably funny , MOV is one of those slop-job , slapstick movies you ca n't help but laugh at .",
        "no one involved with starsky & hutch actually seems to care about the movie .",
        "a moderately amusing diversion .",
        "a scattershot cop comedy that aims its parodistic firepower not at any single target -- least of all its namesake -- but at an entire decade .",
        "a really good not-great movie , the kind that would be classified as a guilty pleasure were it not executed with guilt-free honesty and good nature .",
        "while it 's never plain bad , the film is not really plain good , and very seldom plain funny . -lrb- mildly amusing fits . -rrb-",
        "the film is fitfully amusing but never quite reaches the heights it ought to .",
        "i can honestly say it 's the funniest movie i 've seen this year , and a great reminder of what dumb , fun movies are supposed to really be about .",
        "starsky & hutch is super-sized hilarity - stiller and wilson style ! vince vaughn reeks of aqua velva and polyester , yet is still eveil sexy ...",
        "the result is an action film that is also a scrumptious slice of a much-maligned era .",
        "director phillips may have set out to update the classic tv show , but what he ended up with is a 21st-century remake of ` dragnet ' , the tom hanks-dan aykroyd two-star flick .",
        "everything about this cineplex variation feels rinky-dink , like some extended variety-show skit that became a network pilot that accidentally morphed into a feature film when no one was paying attention .",
        "hey , carmen electra looks worried - at least she would look worried if her forehead did n't contain enough botox to put down ryan seacrest .",
        "a surprisingly funny movie .",
        "the ceaseless hollywood plundering of '70s television definitely tests one 's patience , and starsky & hutch could have been more compact . in all , though , the movie makes for a funky good time .",
        "amusing enough to please those looking for something silly , goofy and fun .",
        "a movie that manages to capture the swinging '70s vibe while effectively satirizing it .",
        "starsky & hutch will remind you just how bad '70s cop shows could be , but its stellar comic cast will keep you laughing in spite of it .",
        "an enjoyably stupid night at the movies .",
        "it 's a kitschy confluence of references and nostalgic in-jokes all but guaranteed to make faithful fans simply cackle with delight .",
        "a mixture of half-hearted action scenes and anything-goes hijinks .",
        "the screenplay could have used at least a couple of more rewrites to be truly funny .",
        "as crammed with cheese as a fondue pot on new year 's eve . you need not be familiar with the original ` starsky ' to figure out what phillips and company are lampooning here .",
        "too much of the script relies on smug , lazy strip-mining of second-rate pop-culture sources for no better reason that to give hipsters an opportunity to snicker at disco fashions .",
        "the majority of the humor falls flat , the pacing holds no true momentum , and passing entertainment value turns to frustration before the first hour is up .",
        "the zany buddy-picture chemistry of ben stiller and owen wilson works wonderfully ...",
        "this sucks . i 'm sorry there 's no other way to put it .",
        "it 's a sloppy batch of seen-it-before setups and spotty punchlines that never settles on whether to be a parody or an homage .",
        "... anyone can see the only thing -lrb- the film -rrb- has to do with `` starsky & hutch '' is the car -lrb- and the car should have had top billing , too -rrb- .",
        "starsky knows exactly what it is and has fun with it .",
        "MOV is a bit of amusing 70 's nostalgia that is a good vehicle for its stars .",
        "the director does n't even pretend to introduce a romantic subplot . why should he , when the central ` love story ' is that of MOV ?",
        "stiller and wilson use the detectives as springboards for their quirky brand of humor . think `` zoolander '' only with guns and the ubiquitous red tomato .",
        "this film benefits from a cool and breezy style , forcing some of the jokes but succeeding more often than not ."],
    "summary": "it 's uneven and occasionally somewhat aimless , but starsky & hutch benefits from stiller and wilson 's chemistry and a surprisingly warm-hearted script .",
    "id": "11462"
  },
  {
    "movie": "saw_ii",
    "reviews":
     [
        "unable to deliver the single novel concept or unexpected surprise that might justify its existence .",
        "it 's an unpleasant film with grotesque imagery , but nine inch nails ' `` closer '' video is more unsettling than this mostly predictable bloodbath .",
        "the slaughter in MOV is pretty much non-stop , but you always see it coming . the movie 's not really that scary , just gross in what by now is a fairly routine way .",
        "in every way superior to its predecessor in terms of performances , story , characterization , gore , and climax .",
        "the film does n't take the direction most sequels do and manages to adequately follow up the original .",
        "a reloaded style one-up in which more people are trapped in bigger places and forced to perform scarier tasks with nastier results . wow .",
        "like the story , hate the directing",
        "the ornate sadism is n't enough to carry our interest this time around .",
        "quite hideous .",
        "ultimately uninteresting .",
        "by no means a masterpiece of the genre , but it 's a slickly made picture that more than delivers on the promise made on its poster -- oh yes , there will be blood .",
        "bousman a su trafiquer la facture originale pour en accentuer l'impact et la rendre , aussi \u00e9trange que cela puisse paraitre , un peu plus cr\u00e9dible .",
        "it 's not slick , it 's not empowering , and it 's not pretty . but what it does -- efficiently exploiting our primal fears -- it does pretty well .",
        "MOV is pure schlock , which was clearly the intention : grimy grainy photography , flashbacks that strike like lightning bolts , plot holes galore and no jokes to speak of .",
        "veni vidi vomit . that 's latin for : i came , i saw , i saw ` MOV . '",
        "the raucous results : MOV is a shameless spectacle of squirming and squealing without maintaining much solid suspense in its warped , blood-clotting heart",
        "jigsaw returns , this time as self-styled family counselor .",
        "an utterly sadistic horror picture that exists for no other reason and has no discernible point apart from getting horror fans to shell out a few bucks .",
        "if you saw the first `` saw , '' you 'll want to see `` MOV , '' too .",
        "it was like finding the peanut butter cup in a sea of mounds bars .",
        "one of those rare sequels that surpass the foundation it was built on .",
        "in ` MOV , ' both the cops and the victims are so dim the whole elaborate exercise hardly seems worthwhile .",
        "MOV is bound to give fans of the original a real buzz .",
        "needlessly revolting",
        "... the bad news is that there 's less -lrb- jigsaw -rrb- innovation ... the good news is there 's no crying cary elwes .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he earnest message-ification ... vies with the meaningless and sadistic violence as the most stomach-turning aspect of the flick .",
        "... is supposed to jar you , but here 's the funny thing about 90 minutes of bludgeoning and bloodletting : it usually just leaves me numb .",
        "ainda que relativamente engenhoso , o roteiro depende excessivamente de coincid\u0119ncias e revela-se pouco original , al\u00e9m de n\u0103o conseguir criar um \u00fanico personagem com quem o p\u00fablico possa se identificar .",
        "-lsb- jigsaw -rsb- is like john keating from dead poet 's society , if keating used hypodermic needles and hacksaws instead of walt whitman .",
        "the rare sequel that improves upon its predecessor , MOV is an exploitation flick with style and skill to go along with its stream of red stuff .",
        "an ugly , joyless horror movie that deserves to be tossed into the business end of 1988 's `` woodchipper massacre . ''",
        "this macabre follow-up to 2004 's low-budget horror smash ca n't rival its predecessor 's fiendish ingenuity . but it makes up for it with a deliciously devious plot and enough gory shocks for a dozen halloweens .",
        "... a sequel that shows some of the same boldness and intellect of the first one .",
        "to enjoy MOV , one must have enjoyed saw . this is a given . as to which is better , this is a fairly pointless question given how bad both of these movies are .",
        "in a fun house like this the elaborate tortures seem to leave behind the real world of pain and suffering for the realm of slapstick ; they 're the kind of horrors that make you scream and laugh at the same time .",
        "a grimy and relentless portrayal of high-tension cruelty that 's excruciating to watch but as riveting as a nail gun to the nut sack .",
        "saw 2 gives talented , creepy-looking character actor tobin bell the chance to shine again as the cancer-ridden serial killer .",
        "MOV is a nasty piece of work ...",
        "MOV feels like an episode of fear factor or big brother with rob zombie at the helm , and if that does n't scare you away from this ridiculous movie , well , feel free to indulge your questionable tastes .",
        "by referencing horror masters dario argento and wes craven , the film invites comparison to much better movies , -lsb- with -rsb- none of argento 's style or craven 's savagely sardonic of sense of humor .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is likely to please the gore-happy fans of the original , though it may be too gruesome for those not familiar with first film 's premise .",
    "id": "8918"
  },
  {
    "movie": "colour-me-kubrick",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- a -rsb- loopy lark ... the sheer goofiness of the premise , together with its gossipy ` insider ' nature -lsb- and -rsb- the take-no-prisoners performance of john malkovich ... carry it along .",
        "malkovich 's playing to the rafters is certainly amusing , but the film ca n't shake off its borscht belt by way of britain lineage and its failure to dig beneath the surface .",
        "the film , with its relentlessly tight focus on its main character , winds down to nothingness .",
        "the movie is endless even at less than 90 minutes .",
        "it 's a truffle of a movie that may leave you feeling like you ate one too many purple chocolates , but secondary performances by honor blackman -lrb- remember the original `` avengers '' -rrb- and the ever-kooky ken russell add texture to the comic motif .",
        "the script evinces no interest in the psychology of its main character .",
        "-lsb- kubrick -rsb- might dismiss as trite the message that proximity to celebrity is so intoxicating , it stupefies . but one hopes he 'd relish the cheerful audacity of the caper and its telling .",
        "malkovich relishes the character quirks in a performance that pulls out all the stops and pushes every button .",
        "malkovich pulls out all the gaudy stops .",
        "malkovich 's performance , and the irresistible concept of an anonymous man dining out on a false identity , carries the film along giddily , and cook wisely keeps color me kubrick short and deliciously tart .",
        "MOV is a somewhat fictionalized accounting of this amazing but true story . the filmmakers have wisely turned it into a comedy , and a wickedly entertaining one at that .",
        "director and co-writer brian cook was kubrick 's assistant director on the shining and eyes wide shut and he fills the film with subtle touches and sly in-jokes .",
        "great fun for the first 20 minutes but seems long at 86 .",
        "relentlessly sordid , but john malkovich 's imaginatively outlandish performance is worth watching .",
        "one problem is that malkovich gets free rein to be malkovich , the often showy actor , rather than conway , a humble london travel agent . it 's a grandstanding performance that 's more about hamminess than substance .",
        "MOV earns a place on the shelf where all the oddballs reside , defying us to come up with reasons to justify their idiosyncratic existences -- and perhaps not caring whether we do .",
        "a mean-spirited , trashy and intermittently funny film .",
        "but cleverness aside , the film is so slight it practically vanishes before your eyes .",
        "a ludicrous , but entertaining look at a real-life kubrick impersonator , played with over-the-top glee by malkovich .",
        "you can almost see the invective splattering all over the storyline . and malkovich 's camping and vamping , however perversely entertaining it is to behold , can neutralize the venom only so much .",
        "john malkovich gets to have a field day as the slovenly , unappealing conway ...",
        "there is a giddy pleasure in watching people , great and small , most who should know much better , fall over themselves to be film-flammed",
        "john malkovich has one of the roles of his life , and he acts it up like a haughty gourmet who 's just picked up a succulent treat .",
        "color me kubrick is like a nice , deep , clear cocktail of ammonia on the rocks : bracing , comic , astonishing , all of which hide its poison center .",
        "the film reveals , rather delectably , how potent the power of suggestion can be in a world gone madly groupie .",
        "a shapeless , low-grade comedy of flamboyance , giggling at conway 's histrionics and fishnet gloving .",
        "if you 're a fan of stanley kubrick or just a die-hard film buff , you may find this weird , semi-documentary an absolute hoot . i did .",
        "the filmmakers opted for a more episodic structure -lrb- with the occasional flashback -rrb- and i do have to say that by the end of the 90 minutes , i was growing weary of the shtick .",
        "writer anthony frewin and director brian cook uses conway 's unlikely saga to mount an appreciative send-up of a certain style of gay extravagance , with john malkovich having a field day as conway .",
        "not only is there nothing there , the nothingness is a complete bore . when a film 's highpoint is a soundtrack that relies heavily on other soundtracks , you 've got problems .",
        "conway looked and sounded nothing like kubrick and did n't even research his supposed identity . he 's clearly a fascinating character who deserves a better movie .",
        "a little bit like a coloring book -- flip the pages and each is pretty much like the one before , escalating variations on the same scam , with malkovich filling in the cartoonish shadings , and occasionally going way outside the lines .",
        "the irony of color me kubrick is that the visual tricks merely serve as a backdrop for malkovich 's inspired high-wire performance .",
        "it 's simply not a movie , not as it stands . it 's a five-minute demo reel stretched to feature length .",
        "MOV is a marginal curiosity that survives on a whiff of appropriation .",
        "malkovich captures not only the nuttiness of conway , with his smorgasbord of foreign-sounding accents , but also his pathos .",
        "any picture featuring a sped-up version of the `` william tell overture '' is so drunk on its own whimsy that it most likely sucks with a dedicated vigour .",
        "it literally only has one idea in its head , and when that idea runs dry , it 's as lost as conway is without his plethora of kubrick masks .",
        "this is a kicky little movie .",
        "best appreciated as a rather amusing farce called the john malkovich show , the movie 's every scene is anchored , then stolen , by the commanding thespian 's alan act .",
        "it 's an impressive moving wax museum , certainly , but even metatextual follies eventually need a pulse .",
        "at best a kitschy catch me if you can and at worst a tedious comedy .",
        "fans of john malkovich will most appreciate MOV . for the rest , this is an amusing little blip on the movie radar screen .",
        "director brian w. cook should know that hopes are seldom high for movies that debut on dvd the same day they hit the multiplex .",
        "john malkovich has a blast , so will you !",
        "even if the film is essentially a one-man show , a one-man show starring john malkovich is bound to be really damn good .",
        "it 's no ` six degrees of separation ' but malkovich charms the audience as much as his marks , making this solid sit-com entertainment",
        "without much insight into the self-dramatizing enigma of conway , nor any representation of the solitary auteur he impersonated , the film becomes a repetitive series of small-scale con games played on cabdrivers , bar owners and wannabe stars .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "put forth with ... an unapologetic sense of depraved fun ...",
        "a doomed effort in satirizing society 's obsession with celebrity , the film insists on a glib comedic tone that bars emotional investment in the tale ; malkovich gives a gutsy but ineffective performance as the travel agent who tried to pass as the director",
        "droll , entertaining and often outright funny , this offbeat story has instant appeal .",
        "the movie never convinces us there 's anyone there to expose , though , and malkovich flits from scene to scene without ever anchoring conway in a lasting reality .",
        "... entertaining if not exactly enlightening .",
        "a playground for madman malkovich to be set loose in .",
        "after its promising , hilarious setup , cook 's initial kubrick-like smoothness quickly gives way to a ramshackle presentation with few follow-up ideas or jokes .",
        "scarcely an insightful biographical portrait , color me kubrick is still interesting , perhaps even intimidating , as a study of the way fandom can so readily be turned against itself .",
        "kubrick stumbles around with eyes wide shut .",
        "the decision to execute the story as a kind of extended meta-sitcom -- a series of set-ups without the tidy resolution -- feels like a cheat .",
        "once the movie gets started , it does n't know where to go or how to end . it more or less repeats itself .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has a fascinating premise , but provides little insight into kubrick and the man who impersonated him .",
    "id": "265868862"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fistful_of_dollars",
    "reviews":
     [
        "what leone does with this movie is boil the western down to its very essence , removing all the extraneous parts .",
        "a deliciously ripe spaghetti western",
        "very much an act of sardonic disrespect toward the genre , yet it 's also a legitimate passion play",
        "this is a hard-hitting item , ably directed , splendidly lensed , neatly acted , which has all the ingredients wanted by action fans and then some .",
        "westerns were never the same after sergio leone .",
        "the moment where sergio leone , anonymous costume drama hack turned into sergio leone , keen stylist and poet of cruelty .",
        "once in a great while a western comes along that breaks new ground and becomes a classic of the genre .",
        "guns galore in intro `` spaghetti western '' serving .",
        "a MOV may lack the mournful intensity and shakespearian comedy of the later leone classics , but as an action film it holds up brilliantly .",
        "a clever film , shot with sophistication , which ... propelled eastwood to international stardom .",
        "the one that started it all . a classic western !",
        "the first and one of the best of the spaghetti westerns",
        "egregiously synthetic but engrossingly morbid , violent film .",
        "a wonderful cinematic experience .",
        "from clint eastwood 's iconic performance to ennio morricone 's unforgettable -lrb- and much-parodied -rrb- musical score , a MOV -lrb- **** -rrb- took the western down trails it had never explored .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "though far less operatic and satisfying than leone 's later work , his first spaghetti western with eastwood still looks stylish , if a little rough at the edges .",
        "it 's leone 's shortest and simplest film , but all of his hallmarks -- a masterly use of space within the widescreen frame , ennio morricone 's unusual soundtrack music , plenty of silence -- are already in place .",
        "leone 's pulpy , trend-setting parody -- a rip-off of kurosawa 's yojimbo -- hog-tied the western and dragged it into the modern age , branding it with baroquely big close-ups and ennio morricone 's famously eclectic score .",
        "awesome .",
        "though far from perfected in this film , leone 's style would mature through his next two films .",
        "call me a heathen , but this has never been one of my favorite spaghetti westerns .",
        "really little more than a series of loosely connected shoot-outs -- but , as sergio leone proved , there can be a lot of fun in that .",
        "if eastwood gives you a buzz , by all means lap this up . it 's a lot of fun , without a lot of thought required .",
        "a classic of cinema , and is somtimes underrated when people refer to westerns .",
        "eastwood absolutely defines the sullen spaghetti western anti-hero in sergio leone 's slick and sleepy shoot 'em up saga that kicks up the right amont of dramatic dust .",
        "what more could a body want ?",
        "the film that made eastwood eastwood is a fantastic western classic .",
        "... does n't quite live up to its reputation .",
        "very entertaining .",
        "the film is a no message one , but where violence is glorified by the hero who is as amoral as the villains .",
        "sergio leone turns the western on its ear with this iconic updating of the samurai classic yojimbo .",
        "the first -lrb- and nearly the best -rrb- of eastwood & leone 's spaghetti westerns ."],
    "summary": "with akira kurosawa 's yojimbo as his template , sergio leone 's a MOV helped define a new era for the western and usher in its most iconic star , clint eastwood .",
    "id": "13370"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1194949-wolfman",
    "reviews":
     [
        "you know a horror film 's in trouble when the morning-after scene is more satisfying than the ` night before . '",
        "unfortunately , the gore is now the most exciting part ; the other stuff somehow just lies there , without ever inviting us in .",
        "... a surprisingly effective update that respects the gothic tradition yet jolts with restrained gore and surrealistic drug-induced nightmares .",
        "`` the MOV '' is not only a roller coaster ride of horror but a fitting and worthy tribute to the original .",
        "a film that begins in an eerie gothic mist of suggestion-and turns into a toothless exercise in the obvious .",
        "equal parts gorefest and borefest , the MOV is not the unmitigated disaster that many were expecting % u2026 or even , let 's admit it , hoping for .",
        "werewolves have perennially taken something of a back seat to vampires , ghosts , aliens , and , recently , zombies in the imaginations of horror filmmakers and fans , and this dreary effort will do nothing to change that .",
        "a well-acted horror story with a sophisticated screenplay that , unfortunately , waters the seeds of violence , prejudice , and speciesism within us .",
        "the title character in the MOV suffers from a vexing identity crisis , and so does the movie .",
        "the MOV bites , but not -- i think -- in the way the filmmakers intended .",
        "when the beast is finally revealed , he 's fearsome . too bad the story 's not .",
        "the actual MOV makeup looks great and you can see the actor through it . his movement as a biped is fantastic . then they blend it to a silly animated running blur because that 's how we roll in modern day visual effects .",
        "the 2010 version is a creature of its time , unfortunately . it has little idea how to create tension , a liability that director joe johnston conceals with a high gross-out factor .",
        "there is more than a hint of the house of hammer in a gothic yarn that favours florid melodrama , thunderous music and frantic pacing .",
        "the magic appears to have deserted mr baker , because at the appearance of the hirsute fiend what i heard in the stalls was n't gasps of horror but giggles of mirth .",
        "digital delirium makes up for lack of plot novelty .",
        "the movie just ca n't decide what it is . it 's part horror and part navel-gazing romance .",
        "johnston 's `` MOV '' a gory examination of repression .",
        "despite massive production troubles including key personnel changes , elaborate cgi and substantial reshoots , this long-delayed update of a classic 1940s monster movie finally hits screens with an exuberant roar .",
        "like wuthering heights meets chewbacca with a migraine .",
        "the problem with this modern version of the old tale , however , is that it 's basically a load of codswallop we can no longer swallow without choking .",
        "in any event , the MOV makes a satisfactory date movie for valentine 's day , which is more than can be said for valentine 's day .",
        "the finale is like watching mexican pro wrestling , except instead of wearing colorful masks , they 're covered with fur ... it does n't suck , but it does n't have much bite , either .",
        "johnston 's direction sidesteps suspense to deliver a surplus of tactless , out-of-nowhere jump scares that are more irritating than frightening .",
        "the MOV constitutes a pleasant surprise , if `` pleasant '' can be used to describe a brooding $ 100 million-plus diversion with this many beheadings and eviscerations .",
        "victorian clothing , things that go bump in the night , and anthony hopkins in a tiger-skin robe rattling around an oversized mansion , chewing the scenery . what 's not to love ?",
        "this been-there-mauled-that monster movie gets points for being loud and rather bloody , but it still has n't found a way to make werewolves interesting .",
        "when all you can deliver is an expensive , effect-heavy horror flick that 's just plain boring , it 's time to rethink things a bit .",
        "scary and fun and thrilling , the MOV brings the universal monsters back to the screen in a way that 's fitting and modern and still respectful .",
        "... a welcome return to the classic universal monster movie .",
        "compared to van helsing , this is fairly satisfying .",
        "if you 're going to remake a classic movie , the MOV is an excellent example of how to do it right .",
        "a more emotionally expressive actor might have given us a more visceral connection to the legend than what the superbly mounted production provides .",
        "neither as bad as you 've probably heard , nor is it anywhere near as good as i might have hoped .",
        "gloriously , exuberantly awful .",
        "horror fans wo n't be impressed by the MOV 's crude editing ; romance fans will feel unfulfilled .",
        "special effects and location shots can only get you so far when your cast looks like they 're telegraphing their performances in .",
        "it 's not insultingly dumb . that 's refreshing in a 2010 horror pic .",
        "many hands labored on the MOV ... yet nobody seems to have figured out just how to approach the material .",
        "an adequately respectful but fairly forgettable film , which earns brownie points for the werewolf mayhem , good intentions and simply for not being van helsing .",
        "this is the rare blockbuster that offers its characters - and its audience - no shelter .",
        "... pleasant surprise simply by virtue of not being as thoroughly awful as you expected . and yes , that 's qualified praise . it means , nostalgic horror buffs give it a whirl and all others beware .",
        "gallingly leaden remake of the 1941 lon chaney jr. classic both lives and dies by its transformations .",
        "neither scary enough to be exciting nor campy enough to be amusing .",
        "this is n't the utter disaster the misguided van helsing was , but neither is it the stealthy , hammer-esque dark night of the soulless that it was clearly intended to be .",
        "after a troubled production , the remake of the horror classic finally arrives in theatres decidedly worse for the wear .",
        "everything is bad -- the awful script , joe johnston 's un-atmospheric direction , and the acting , which contains enough ham to meet the protein needs of an entire pack of wolfmen .",
        "there 's a dispiritingly rote and uninvolving air about the MOV that keeps the movie from being the slightest bit frightening for anyone old enough to see it .",
        "the MOV boasts a solid principal cast from del toro to hopkins and up-and-comer emily blunt , but del toro especially seems to be going through the motions at half speed , as if waiting for the beast and the stuntmen to take it from there . only h",
        "it believes what it 's peddling regarding silver bullets , ivory fangs , full moons , and peat-mossed british moors soaked in crimson blood . but it 's faithful at the expense of any fun .",
        "victorian melodrama and outrageous gore make horrific bedfellows in this ill-conceived homage to the classic monster movies of yore .",
        "there 's a lot to appreciate in the shaggy , imperfect but still fun new version of the wolf man .",
        "nothing can prepare you for the unrelenting awfulness of the MOV .",
        "utterly uninvolving and never remotely scary .",
        "dark and drab this movie looks like something made more than forty years ago . somewhere lon chaney is howling .",
        "an entertaining and surprisingly bloodthirsty creature feature with a superb performance from del toro .",
        "a good film , well produced with great sound and guaranteed shocks .",
        "nothing to howl home about - practically a lesson in pointless film-making .",
        "this b-movie made on an epic budget is so over-the-top that the earlier you start giggling the better . even though it 's played dead straight , it 's an old-style monster romp that could n't be any more camp if it tried .",
        "the MOV is uninspired , barely coherent and often remarkably boring ; it is a mongrel of a film , and the scars of its troubled production are all too visible .",
        "a bad idea from the start .",
        "an uneven tone and the feeling of too many cooks mars the finished product , but there are moments of beauty and real terror .",
        "del toro should have been perfect for the MOV , and it is his involvement in the project that attracted most critics to it , but his performance is mostly disappointing .",
        "a brooding but dramatically muted reboot of the classic monster-movie franchise , director joe johnston 's action-horror film oozes gothic atmosphere without supplying any character to fill it .",
        "the MOV ends up a disappointment , then , somewhat interesting in places , but nothing to howl about .",
        "snore , snore , fur , snore , snore , blood .",
        "not so much howlingly bad as it is disappointingly lifeless .",
        "feels like a filmmaker more concerned with making this grand-looking epic and less concerned with keeping modern horror lovers as riveted to the screen as the original did back in its day .",
        "would that joe johnston 's the MOV were spectacularly awful , then it would have been at least a fun time at the movies .",
        "the action scenes are pure kinetic motion , which is what johnston is best at ; he fares less well when he goes for mood or suspense .",
        "`` an american werewolf in london '' still retains its title as the best werewolf movie ever made .",
        "`` why so serious ? '' would be an excellent question to direct at the makers of the MOV , a high-toned , bloody but otherwise bloodless effort .",
        "by pandering to the avatar market 's debased taste and indifference to storytelling details , this technically polished , emotionally crude remake sets back the advances that once had been made in horror movies .",
        "if you like your horror with a bit of b-goodness and nostalgia added for flavour , then the MOV is right up your alley .",
        "johnston sacrifices originality for computer graphics and stop-motion camera tricks , and the script , by andrew kevin walker and david self , bulges with real howlers : `` i did n't know you hunted monsters . '' `` sometimes monsters hunt you ! ''",
        "written and crafted with great sensitivity , this is high class gothic horror",
        "the poor pacing , blatantly obvious narrative signposting and over-reliance on false scares generated by sudden sounds and movements , removes any chance of the MOV actually being frightening .",
        "baker 's fantastic make-up effects together with great performances from del toro and hopkins make this a fun experience . do n't expect an even plot and character development .",
        "the MOV more closely resembles a slasher flick with an a-list cast than the universal horror cycle that it derives from .",
        "decent production values and makeup ca n't compensate for the dramatically inert text , made worse by banal dialogue even gifted del toro ca n't help , and helmer 's little understanding of the genre , the anxiety , fear , fun it has offered viewers for decades .",
        "lycanthropic lore , and lots of gore .",
        "i 'd rather watch ` teen wolf ' on repeat than yawn through ` the MOV ' again . it 's the type of movie where you can fall asleep for 20 minutes , wake up and realize you did n't miss a thing .",
        "MOV ... is all bark and very little bite .",
        "stuffy and old-fashioned , taking itself way too seriously even at its silliest moments . - nerve.com",
        "what does it say about the MOV that its token cleric is vastly less interesting than his broadly comic counterpart in wallace & gromit : curse of the were-rabbit ?",
        "as talbot , del toro proves to be inspired casting ... but as the brooding victim of `` lycanthrophy , '' who fears and hates what it turns him into , he 's perfect .",
        "an embarrassment to universal 's horror legacy .",
        "a mangled , short-sheeted stab at reanimating a horror icon , MOV is a mess ; it 's a poorly-stitched , overthought , ear-splitting bungle of a picture , dragging a few normally trustworthy filmmaking professionals down with it .",
        "it 's exactly what it 's supposed to be : an upscale goth b-movie with dark humor and buckets of blood .",
        "... suffers from an egregiously deliberate pace that slowly but surely renders its overtly positive attributes moot ...",
        "a torpid retelling of the classic lycanthropy story , both bloated and constricted , mostly glum but punctuated with nasty , intrusive humor , and more interested in decor and makep than genuine style .",
        "you couldve recast the whole film with a row of totem poles and i 'm not 100 % sure anyone would 've noticed the difference .",
        "the clumsy and ineffectual story does n't do anything but stand in place , whirring .",
        "benecio del toro is suitably brooding in this well-intentioned , credibly gothic and gory update that still feels only half right .",
        "a lack of focus plagues the entire film . the director , writers and actor himself have conspired to render the title character blank , lifeless .",
        "hopkins is clearly hopkins here , and the extension of his role in the story kept me asking why .",
        "the action is fine . the casting is a bit of a disappointment . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "there 's more emotion in the monster 's howls , which were created by a baritone opera singer , than in del toro 's monotone mutterings .",
        "an over-edited mess that tries to sell energy without having any -- it 's listless and bland .",
        "what fun . lighten up and enjoy . the universal monster film is back !",
        "del toro gives his least mumbly performance in years , blunt provides the film with a little heart and hopkins delivers the laughs .",
        "congratulations universal - you made van helsing 2 .",
        "a rambling , pseudo-freudian house of horrors , with lots of things to jump out of us and look creepy but virtually nothing that 's truly scary .",
        "a barely coherent , often inconsistent film that fails to generate any of the emotions it so desperately wants to evoke",
        "that universal 's visually sanguine yet emotionally bloodless revival of their most ferocious and most tragic movie monster is a complete stiff is beyond debate .",
        "i never would have guessed that i would say this , but the MOV could have benefited from less del toro and more cgi .",
        "nothing wrong here that a silver bullet could n't fix .",
        "while the MOV has some really proud moments , ultimately it feels like a franken-film ... in short , when the wolf man was n't ripping off people 's heads -- it was unbearably boring .",
        "at times it is a visually sumptuous , updated love letter to the classic film which inspired it ; at others it seems a muddled mess .",
        "to say there is nothing new about the MOV is to miss the fact that this is its charm .",
        "hearkens back with great hope and poor follow-through to universal 's classic horror films",
        "the script has some very nice touches but goes over the top in the final act . in many ways it is much more a work of art than the original film , but the original will be remembered when this film is forgotten .",
        "rick baker 's fantastic werewolf creation , amazing production design and unexpectedly gory special effects save the film from the wolfsbane combination of wildly uneven acting and a rickety , middling script",
        "the legend of the MOV has always been a premise in search of somewhere to go .",
        "i 'll give it a star and a half -- but only because i 'm too professional to give it a full moon .",
        "i don `` t know whether to scream or to drop a fun-size 3 musketeers into benicio 's pillow case .",
        "just like the duality of the MOV himself , there is a wild and crazy fun part to this movie and a serious , dull , lifeless partition as well .",
        "consider the MOV a pedigreed genre yarn , mindful of its precedents but nimble enough to have a good time in the here and now .",
        "just in time for valentine 's day . apparently , nothing says `` i love you '' more than a big hairy werewolf biting somebody 's head off .",
        "benicio del toro pulls off a nifty trick in the MOV : he makes turning into a werewolf look as dull as doing your taxes .",
        "anthony hopkins portrays sir john talbot . benicio del toro is prodigal son lawrence . that 's a great deal of acting sinew for an oddly anemic outing .",
        "an ill-considered , utterly unnecessary remake .",
        "the MOV , hokey and uneven though it is , -lsb- has -rsb- the kind of authentic emotional hook that too many horror movies today do n't have .",
        "benicio del toro stars in this lushly art-designed 19th-century period film , but his beefcake-gone-bad magnetism is not enough to justify sitting through a movie that 's full of sound , fury and unintentional camp -- and is still bafflingly inert .",
        "actors fulminate and masticate , spit , scowl and sob ; what a gas it is to watch them overact with joy and conviction .",
        "sadly lacking in snarl .",
        "hopkins , del toro and blunt do the best they can with the material . thanks in large part to their performances , the movie never slips into full-on cheese territory .",
        "splattered with the blood of authenticity , this is an impressively executed genre film spiked with scares , tension and pathos as we enter the surreal world of the tortured werewolf",
        "the MOV reframes the werewolf legend -- so weighty with communal perversity and collective guilt -- so that it 's all about a very bad dad .",
        "bite worse than bark bulletproof beasts without benefit of steroids , species profiling , paw to paw beatdown staged like a world wrestling federation bout with fur , and the manimal who came to dinner .",
        "not scary , hardly compelling , and ultimately pretty silly . lovely to look at , though .",
        "journeyman director joe johnston has crafted a generally effective if inconsequential monster movie , highlighted by rick baker 's beautifully rendered makeup effects and designs .",
        "despite the hairy production process , universal pictures has managed to rescue a half decent chiller in this remake of the 1941 classic b-grade MOV that starred lon chaney as the man turned beast .",
        "works hard to honor the b-movie legacy on whose shoulders it stands while also elaborating and expanding the mythology",
        "love anthony hopkins , and benicio is the right choice for the part , but the director blows it anyway .",
        "um protagonista sem qualquer ind\u043dcio de personalidade , uma atua\u0437\u0433o sem qualquer envolvimento de hopkins e um roteiro sem qualquer sinal de intelig\u043ancia .",
        "to mix monsters -- the MOV is one of those films that was put together like frankenstein . with all the bloody musical chairs , the MOV should collapse . but the MOV has enough camp and verve to grab you by the throat . and maybe the funny bone .",
        "the new benicio del toro movie , `` hirsute and hatin ' it '' -lrb- okay , `` the MOV '' -rrb- , is so ripe with the stink of fouled fromage , it should have taken place in france instead of victorian england .",
        "despite the a classic pedigree and a cast full of oscar winners and nominees , the script credited to andrew kevin walker and david self never develops the characters into the first or second dimension , much less the third .",
        "those pining for an olde tyme monster movie will find a solid balance between past traditions and modern sensibilities here .",
        "what 's missing from the MOV is what 's hard to put on paper -- tension , suspense , emotion -- the elements needed to make this rather simple story go from more of a mild entertainment to something truly memorable .",
        "wisually stylish and initially suspenseful , but too unevenly paced while deficient in surprises , imagination and palpable thrills .",
        "as for hopkins , he 's clearly indifferent to the whole project , and one suspects his eyes kept darting back and forth between the dopey script in one hand and the hefty paycheck in the other as he mulled over whether to accept the part .",
        "there 's never a silver bullet around when you need to put a lame monster reboot out of its misery .",
        "... a worthy romp through full moon nights . the original , 1941 version is still preferred , but ` the MOV 's ' director joe johnston pays grand homage while playing to the 2010 crowd .",
        "the fundamental problem with the film is that it does n't know whether it wants to be old-fashioned or cutting edge .",
        "the new film is consummately made , with superb make-up and effects , again by rick baker .",
        "unfortunately , there is too much `` man , '' and not enough `` wolf . ''",
        "features oscar winners benicio del toro and anthony hopkins at their most take-the-money-and-run uninspired . that the film is set in the 1890s did n't prevent these two from phoning in their performances .",
        "it does n't know whether it wants to be dark and moodily glamorous or ridiculous and gory -- it 's a creature feature suffering from extreme class consciousness .",
        "in place of legitimate tension and suspense , the MOV features more cheap jump scares and loud scary noises than every j-horror film ever made put together .",
        "one of those incredibly frustrating works that has so many things going for it that it becomes almost painful to watch as it falls far short of what it might have achieved if it possessed a better screenplay as well .",
        "MOV is more a slasher flick than a monster movie . he moves like a locomotive and kills like jason voorhees , slashing throats , de-limbing , beheading and gutting with repulsive efficiency .",
        "the violence is horrific , but it 's not scary .",
        "it feels rushed , meddled with ; like a film whose ambitions were crushed in the editing room .",
        "snarling and savage , yet ultimately silly . where are those silver bullets when you need them ?",
        "the MOV is a tiresome film . it derives all its scares from sudden sounds and startling movements . furry , fanged fiends leap at the camera from just offscreen so many times that it becomes positively monotonous .",
        "might have been more crudely entertaining if so many people involved did n't try so hard to make it about more than werewolves running free .",
        "loved the production design , the cinematography , costumes , and rick baker 's fantastic furry make-up , but the MOV overall did n't leave me howling with joy .",
        "the root problem with the MOV is that it 's a hybrid . it tries to fuse the gothic storytelling of the original with the violence and gore associated with modern horror .",
        "this MOV is a howler but not in a good way .",
        "it makes for a weird mishmash of macabre comedy , goopy romance , grisly violence , psychodrama and a movie in which individual scenes work , even if they do not work together .",
        "outstanding production design and heavy doses of gore render this a gleefully gothic tale , though the story could have used a bit more attention .",
        "parental content review",
        "glacial in tone , sluggish in pace , and lifeless in performance , the film is a dreary , uninteresting dullard .",
        "while it 's sleeker and more sophisticated than the chaney version , this new MOV is n't any scarier .",
        "like buffalo meat , the MOV is a little too lean for its own good .",
        "there is a better movie in here , lost in the edit and screaming to get out , but unfortunately , this MOV is howling at a moon that 's only half-full .",
        "who would have thought that only six weeks into 2010 we would have a contender for worst film of the year ?",
        "it truly is a modern spin on a classic , in almost all of the worst ways .",
        "the movie keeps the traditional look of the MOV and uses a mixture of practical effects and digital wizardry .",
        "i was dumbly entertained in spite of -lrb- or maybe because of -rrb- all that .",
        "given its troubled path to the big screen , the MOV -lrb- 2010 -rrb- is far better than it has any right to be .",
        "joe johnston turns a classic monster into an anaemic bore .",
        "what 's missing in this MOV is something timeless : the human cost that gives tragic meaning to the metamorphosis and potential cure .",
        "i enjoyed it as a companion piece to the superior original ...",
        "the only thing scary about joe johnston 's the MOV is that it exists . the fact that people , nay professionals , spent several years working on this picture genuinely upsets me .",
        "while this MOV redo certainly does n't live up to its 1941 predecessor , it serves its purpose . that is , if you like a somewhat dull , gothic story that only gets exciting once the guy grows hair and big teeth .",
        "the metallic tang of blood is all over the elegant facade of this mysteriously disappointing , dispassionately underpowered story ...",
        "gledatelje % u010deka dobar % u017eanrovski proizvod kojeg krasi iskusna gluma % u010dka ekipa , vrlo dobro predo % u010dena atmosfera goti % u010dkog horora te dobri specijalni efekti",
        "this moody and violent remake has several terrific moments .",
        "a glossy , good-looking production that never fully delivers on its promise of resurrecting one of the great movie monsters for a modern audience .",
        "it ca n't be a coincidence that all of the characters constantly talk about obligation . and emily blunt has the most telling line , `` this place is impossible to escape . '' this was no doubt a professional edict for those on the set .",
        "lawrence 's transformation is scary because he 's a sympathetic character . ... his sophistication ca n't save him from reckless impulses . i risk making a fool of myself if i say this is timely and relevant .",
        "like most of director joe johnston 's work , solidly gets the job done as a brisk , bloody entertainment .",
        "while the MOV often veers towards the realm of camp , no irony is to be found herein .",
        "a slick update of the monster movie classic , the MOV features strong imagery and performances , yet is lacking in animal instinct .",
        "flounders in its stabs at epic action-horror grandeur .",
        "in the end , the MOV reminded me of a couple of people i have dated - achingly beautiful but emotionally barren , and just a tiny little bit scary .",
        "hopkins is in his element and , as usual , incredibly fun to watch . he 's a bit heftier than hannibal lecter , but the dangerous twinkle is still there .",
        "a lavish coffee table book of a horror film , the MOV features visuals so beautifully planned and executed that each frame begs to be lingered over and savored .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's not much to recommend this dull , cheerless and not very scary re-imagining of the classic 1941 film .",
        "the studio definitely was n't sitting on a hidden gem . MOV is predictably gory but distressingly low on scares and style .",
        "del toro 's lawrence is n't that interesting or that sympathetic , and the estranged father-son dynamic that 's introduced does n't work .",
        "the MOV is hardly o'neill , but it always had subtexts of alpha-male dominance , sexual repression , compulsive behavior and father-son feuds . johnston runs so fast away from all of it you 'd think it was wolfsbane .",
        "it 's more good than bad , and when it really gets its wolf on , it does so with a shaggy , deranged glee that left me laughing .",
        "the MOV is not a teen , thank the hollywood god in charge of movie icons , but del toro 's god-awful wig was scarier than the gorefest !",
        "a few stray livers and severed heads aside , this is a monster too polite for its own good .",
        "a misty , moody saturday-matinee monster-chiller-horror special that hits the same sweet spot for moviegoers of a certain age -lrb- cough -rrb- as those snap-together frankenstein model kits from the late 1960s .",
        "an enjoyably bloody homage to universal 's classic hair 'em , scare 'em monster . there 's plenty of gore and guts to cheer ; it just needed more of everything else : heart , horror , affection and artistry .",
        "a pleasing return to the studio 's much-loved gothic tradition .",
        "with its mist-shrouded sets , gruesome slaughter and copious cgi , this is a surprisingly respectful updating of the 1941 universal original .",
        "the MOV is a shaggy dog story that 's oddly easy to enjoy , for all that there are clearly manifest flaws to chew over . ignore them and savour for what it is - meaty chunks of gothic silliness in a marrow-chilling jelly .",
        "del toro looks about as dangerous as an urban fox snoozing in a compost bin and blunt seems to be suffering from some residual victorian queenliness . looking in the mirror afterwards , i seemed pale from weariness .",
        "for the most part , a ripping good time -- literally .",
        "the pace is ponderous , the plot a confusion of secrets and lycanthropes , and the violence and gore excessive .",
        "the MOV delivers plenty of scares and an abundance of eviscerations , but director joe johnston does n't take the film anywhere unexpected .",
        "while the special effects and occasional chase scenes might be enough to pacify the younger crowd , grown-ups will find it curiously bloodless .",
        "it looks good , jolts often , and moves at a fair lick . and it certainly puts a silver bullet into the puffed-up were-wusses of twilight ."],
    "summary": "suitably grand and special effects-laden , the MOV suffers from a suspense-deficient script and a surprising lack of genuine chills .",
    "id": "770768653"
  },
  {
    "movie": "saw_4",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there 's the obligatory twist at the end , which hardly makes up for the excruciating boredom viewers are forced to endure . but , hey , if you 're paying for torture , expect to suffer .",
        "the first thing you see in saw iv is jigsaw 's balls . a sign of things to come ? most definitely .",
        "jigsaw is an interesting character with an interesting worldview and an interesting way of carrying out his will . it 's too bad the movies themselves are n't worthy of him .",
        "we now find ourselves in the downward slope of the saw series as saw iv stretches credibility to the breaking point .",
        "i do wish that these movies were well made , because i actually think the premises are quite clever , but unless a veteran who is more confident in his abilities takes over , we are left with what could have been ...",
        "this gruesomely efficient horror sequel shows noticeable wear and tear .",
        "... any serious consideration of the killer 's fascination with violence is superseded by the director 's -lrb- and the returning viewers ' -rrb- own sadistic pleasures .",
        "poor jigsaw . the architect of the most deadly traps ever committed to celluloid has endured inoperable cancer , a debilitating car crash and even the premature death of his son , but nothing as painful or degrading as ` saw iv . '",
        "whereas the first saw and the third met the right balance , the second film and now the fourth push things a little too far and end up being less effective as a result .",
        "outro t\u00edpico exemplar da s\u00e9rie : o final , como de h\u00e1bito , \u00e9 at\u00e9 engenhoso , mas a f\u00f3rmula cada vez mais desgastada exige paci\u0119ncia at\u00e9 que cheguemos a ele .",
        "if it ever had a prime , the saw franchise is well past it ... a mess ... and an ugly mess at that .",
        "as cheap and cheesy as its brethren , but oddly boring for long stretches",
        "for devotees of the series , the gore is still there and the traps are just as weird as they were in the other entries but for the rest of us , your mind will forget it the second the end credits roll .",
        "this is hard core pain and suffering territory ... the film wastes no time getting down to nasty business , ripping , slicing , gouging , piercing , smashing and tearing every part of the human body",
        "saw iv is no saw iii . just as saw iii is no saw ii . but neither lionsgate , the saw distributor , nor the north american box office seems to care .",
        "after two solid entries and an ok one , the franchise is getting long in the tooth : this one is saw it be-iv .",
        "a film as edgy as a rubber knife .",
        "if the gore quotient has been upped in this chapter -lrb- really , after a certain threshold has been reached , who can tell ? -rrb- , the style has , too .",
        "as far as fourth installments in a series , saw iv is quite impressive .",
        "boasting more posthumous recordings than tupac , jigsaw should have spent time devising clever new traps instead of buying radio shack 's entire inventory of tape recorders .",
        "easily the worst entry in the series , and the first one that undeniably feels like a sloppily thrown-together rush job .",
        "by far the best installment of this cringingly moronic odyssey of pain . there 's something to be said about leaving a theater with only a mild cultural headache instead of a knee-buckling case of cinematic depression .",
        "the need to incorporate familiar characters and icons from the earlier films , together with flashbacks that flesh out jigsaw 's pre - ` puppet master ' past , simply leads to an irritating series of creative dead ends . truly , a hack-saw .",
        "it is impossible to take a movie seriously when the movie obviously does n't care if you do or not .",
        "if we must get a new saw movie every halloween , at least the franchise is evolving and not just regurgitating the exact same formula .",
        "over the course of -lsb- its -rsb- sequels , the saw franchise took a novel , if distasteful , idea and basically tortured it to death .",
        "the reports of torture porn 's demise may have been greatly exaggerated , but this fourth entry in the mutilate-yourself-or-die series joins what may be the worst genre of the decade : the lamely `` sympathetic '' serial-killer backstory .",
        "even by the not exactly high standards of the saw movies , this one 's scraping the bottom of the entrails pail .",
        "it 's deeply unsettling ; just like a horror movie should be .",
        "the absurdity reaches new highs in saw iv , which asks us to swallow developments that simply are n't logistically possible , never mind realistic .",
        "the law of diminishing returns is in full effect here .",
        "the games , the traps , are still the thing and as long as jigsaw 's flunkies continue to build 'em , we will come .",
        "perfunctory and confusing and needlessly over-plotty ... but somewhat better-constructed and significantly less morally outrageous than at the very least saw iii .",
        "despite the clucking disapproval of the cinematic intelligentsia , the saw films are n't successful by accident .",
        "the syriana of slasher films , so complicated and circuitous that your only hope of understanding everything is to eat lots of fish the night before and then watch each of the previous films , in order , right before you enter the theater .",
        "this death trap may be rusty , but as long as it keeps generating fresh blood , it 's unlikely to slam shut anytime soon .",
        "just as jigsaw tests his victims , the franchise 's own test will be whether such suspension can be maintained , or if matters lapse into a torture chamber of self-parody .",
        "... parts of it are good , and the rest really feels like cynical photocopying .",
        "two of the more degrading and debasing hours of big-screen `` entertainment '' that you are likely to endure in this lifetime .",
        "with saw iv , the pieces have all come together and -lsb- it 's -rsb- the best of the lot .",
        "a commercially savvy though ultimately empty combination of warped morality tale , mystery , gore-fest , and torture porn .",
        "easily the worst and most pointless episode of the gore-saturated quadrology .",
        "saw iv almost makes you believe there are hundreds of rooms out there at this very minute with puppets , tricycles , and audio tapes just waiting for the next game .",
        "the appeal , i suppose , is that some really awful stuff is unfolding up there on the screen and not to us .",
        "like the movie 's mysterious jigsaw doppelg\u00e4nger , saw iv is itself a poor substitute for the original -lrb- or even the first two sequels -rrb- .",
        "the puzzles in this movie and the infinite number of sequels which have already been queued behind it have been designed to tear the dead presidents from your wallet like a sobriety chip from the shaky palm of lindsay lohan .",
        "`` saw iv '' should be tossed into the business end of 1988 's `` woodchipper massacre . ''",
        "an excessively convoluted rehash of its predecessors .",
        "previously , jigsaw and the filmmakers played fair , but too much about this latest instalment seems simply arbitrary .",
        "might be the best since the first , but still a task to watch . a painful , meaningless task .",
        "there 's more gore in store . now here 's `` saw iv . ''",
        "stultifying in its pseudo-sensationalistic schlock , this numbingly and nightmarish narrative has no legitimate creepy conviction beyond flexing its meaningless , morose muscles",
        "torture , you may recall , used to be an unparsable , unpardonable sin . now it 's porn .",
        "were it not for the saving grace of tobin bell 's mere presence , there 's little doubt that saw iv would come off about as well as a typical straight-to-video horror sequel .",
        "opens with the clinically graphic dissection of the deceased jigsaw , who finally lives up to -lrb- dies down to ? -rrb- his name by being separated into pieces ...",
        "like many villains before him , john turns out to have been wronged rather randomly , an act of terrible violence that he absorbs into his worldview .",
        "the original saw was crafted with thought and precision . saw iv is an orgy of blood .",
        "the famously inventive torture sequences here seem depleted of imagination .",
        "fortunately , amid all the slavishly photographed grotesquery , there 's comic relief . it 's called the script .",
        "it 's somewhat better put together than saw ii or iii , though there is n't a scare in it .",
        "even fans of good , old-fashioned , onscreen torture will find themselves rolling their eyes at the twists and turns in this impossibly convoluted story .",
        "saw iv is a fluid film , as neatly constructed as the deadly puzzles jigsaw creates to snare his victims .",
        "an incomprehensible cacophony of screams , shock cuts , dour pseudo-philosophizing , heavy metal mutilation and low-rent tv-standard performances .",
        "those of us who quickly tired of the grisly fun and games midway through saw ii will resent the unnecessarily convoluted plotting and storylines that require a master 's degree in saw studies to make any sense .",
        "it 's a been-there , done-that sort of sequel , but it 's still more creative than most of what passes for hollywood horror these days .",
        "the dullest saw in the shed .",
        "the series has essentially become a shell game , entertaining for a while if you can stomach the gore , and then the credits roll and you 're pretty sure you 've been cheated somehow .",
        "i can think of five things that are more torturous than what the victims endure in saw iv ...",
        "if the original saw was the kernel of a potential terror universe , saw iv is , by this time , a series of satellites and lesser celestial bodies bound together by some of the best bloodletting in modern macabre ."],
    "summary": "saw iv is more disturbing than compelling , with material already seen in the prior installments .",
    "id": "577164571"
  },
  {
    "movie": "in_and_out",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the clever screenwriter paul rudnick cooks up a solid script that 's both wildly funny and gently satirical .",
        "actually , the funniest parts of the movie are excerpts from the film that cameron is originally nominated for .",
        "a plain ol' enjoyable time at the movies .",
        "in & out is the screwball philadelphia , a movie that contorts itself in order to indulge and then whitewash the core audience 's perceived homophobia .",
        "forget the inevitable carping and give credit where credit is due .",
        "... an often painfully broad comedy that 's rarely as entertaining -lrb- or as funny -rrb- as one might 've anticipated .",
        "fast-moving and very funny .",
        "if only it was gay in the old sense of the word .",
        "paul rudnick has written scenes that will go down as classics .",
        "basically a one-joke farce that plays around with a once-delicate subject that by now is a mainstay even on tv .",
        "rudnick , best known to hundreds of thousands of readers of premiere magazine for his monthly pseudonymous column , is that rare writer who can work with an overused concept and make it work heartily .",
        "never amounts to more than a thin sketch .",
        "my advice : go ; see ; laugh yourself silly . repeat .",
        "the script itself is the real star of the show . it manages to elicit huge laughs without resorting to slapstick , and it finds humor in unlikely spots .",
        "it 's tough to be too hard on in & out , because rudnick 's script is so often so sharp .",
        "a truly funny , sophisticated , compassionate , mainstream hollywood comedy about very modern homosexuality .",
        "for the most part , this hilarious caper 's gay characters are knee-deep in the american mainstream .",
        "in a year when good comedies seem as hard to make as ever , MOV is one of the best .",
        "the cast is perfect , with kline dominating in a charming and funny performance . but cusack also stands out , making her humiliated character funny , sweet and a bit loopy .",
        "a paean to diversity that proudly shows its colors .",
        "rudnick has an knack for striding the line between having fun with -lrb- not making fun of -rrb- homosexual stereotypes and homophobic attitudes .",
        "the ending , a hilarious spoof on the films of frank capra , is further proof of how funny this film can be , walking right on the edge between parody and preachiness .",
        "it 's light as a feather , and i probably wo n't remember much about it a year from now , but in & out did make me laugh while i watched it .",
        "like a senior citizen with a nose-ring , ` in & out ' wears its hipness rather uncomfortably .",
        "every piece of casting is perfection .",
        "gosh darn it , but i liked MOV .",
        "a man questioning his own sexuality does not seem like the ideal topic for a comedy . but with a good script , and plenty of humor , in & out tackles this touchy subject matter with aplomb .",
        "MOV is one comedy that truly deserves respect .",
        "lackluster and highly overrated .",
        "oz wants it both ways , though , and ca n't resist hammering home the message with a prolonged spartacus-style climax quite as ludicrous as the oscar winning film-within-the-film .",
        "the hollywood stuff at the beginning with glenn close as an oscar presenter and matt dillon as a puffed-up star on the rise is as funny and as nasty as anything in libby gelman-waxner 's columns .",
        "a benign spoof on the bias people have against gays .",
        "we could use more movie comedies like in & out .",
        "oh , what a swell movie we have with in & out .",
        "overall , it is n't bad , but it is disappointing .",
        "kline delivers an intriguing , fence-straddling performance .",
        "the film was directed by frank oz , who 's not the edgiest of filmmakers but still put together a fine little film , well made and entertaining .",
        "n\u0103o \u00e9 um filme excepcional , mas consegue fazer rir .",
        "there 's not a lot of plot momentum and the denouement is a bit simplistic and patronizing , but this light-hearted fare has enough fun moments and witty social-commentary barbs to make it worthwhile .",
        "-lsb- delivers -rsb- laughs and skewer a few stereotypes , thanks to extremely sly wit and a fine cast .",
        "from the very first scene , you know that MOV has struck a rich satirical vein .",
        "one coming-out party that aims to please nearly everyone .",
        "sets the comic richter scale jumping .",
        "what a pleasure it is to watch two comic pros getting a real workout .",
        "in & out does n't take itself seriously for a moment , which is why the halcyon-happy schmaltz that floats through the movie and floods the last reel is forgivable ."],
    "summary": "it does n't always find comfortable ground between broad comedy and social commentary , but lively performances -- especially from kevin kline and joan cusack -- enrich in & out 's mixture of laughs and sexual tolerance .",
    "id": "10460"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hubble_3d",
    "reviews":
     [
        "not only deposits you in outer space , but for the first time ever makes the old star trek gimmick of `` warp speed '' a reality .",
        "the newly resurgent 3d format gets an out-of-this-world showcase in MOV .",
        "if you want an eye-popping cosmic epic , rent star trek . if you want interactivity , take the kids to the planetarium .",
        "it 's a short film , but a fascinating one that contains breathtaking imagery . it 's as simple as that .",
        "the imax screen is the ultimate planetarium in the awesome documentary MOV .",
        "audiences expecting a blissout of swirling galaxies will wonder why so much time is spent on astronauts sweating over screws and bolts .",
        "... a truly amazing trip ...",
        "what sent me over the boohooing edge was an overpoweringly beautiful shot of the astronauts at work with hawaii 325 miles behind them , shimmering in the blue , blue pacific .",
        "a zero-gravity repair job does n't sound like a thrilling cinematic spectacle , but this 43-minute film is utterly gripping .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a movie like this can get you thinking .",
        "this , then , is how a star is born .",
        "i 've been to two launches , apollo 11 and apollo 12 , and MOV is the first film i 've seen -- and felt -- that does more than hint at the skeleton-rattling power of those stupendous rockets .",
        "follows seven astronauts on a mission to repair hubble telescope , and if you do n't find the ride absolutely thrilling , you lack imagination !",
        "hubble is a wonderful machine , and this is a phenomenal movie .",
        "in the end , hubble is exactly what we watch imax for .",
        "... there are sights here to awe adult as well as child .",
        "star gazing with leonardo dicaprio is an awesome out of this world experience . on the giant imax screen in breathtaking 3d , this is probably the closest you or i will ever come to space travel",
        "MOV does n't weigh in heavily on theories of big bangs , evolution , or creation . instead , it lets the visual data speak for itself .",
        "space lands on earth in 3-d glory in this kid-friendly docu .",
        "after becoming blas\u00e9 about cgi effects in movies that pretend to take us into other galaxies far far away , we know this is for real",
        "this is so jaw-dropping in terms of both content and quality that you wo n't want to miss a single second by blinking .",
        "awesome spectacle in outer space ; pity about leo 's narration .",
        "too brief an exposure to the accomplishments of hubble-enabled astronomy -- but everyone should see it , nonetheless .",
        "a wonderful film for anyone who still has a passion for watching the skies and wondering what 's out there .",
        "a uniquely thrilling virtual trip that one is unlikely to get to experience first hand -- in this lifetime , at least .",
        "hubble provides a vivid , breathtaking look at our solar system like never before . and it leaves us pondering not just science , but faith .",
        "although most of the film is about repairing the telescope , there are some eye-popping shots of the universe .",
        "what does it say about me that when i see a state of the art 45-minute propaganda piece for nasa , i come away convinced i 've had a deeply personal philosophical experience ?",
        "it 's an out-of-this-world , real-life adventure for kids of all ages , budding neil armstrongs and ray bradburys alike .",
        "dazzling to look at of course . but such ponderous , clich\u00e9-heavy narration .",
        "the daring mission by astronauts to repair and upgrade the hubble space telescope in may 2009 is the perfect subject for a brilliant , thrilling 3-d imax movie . such a movie , alas , has yet to be made .",
        "contains some of the most spectacular 3-d footage i 've ever seen ...",
        "it 's a movie that not only puts you in space but lets you travel through it with a speed and wonder that would make james t. kirk go a little weak in the knees .",
        "it is not hubris or hyperbole to say that MOV has to be seen to be believed . in its scant 43 minutes , the film reveals some of the most astonishing images your eyes will ever see . and every single one of them is real .",
        "leonardo dicaprio , as narrator , sounds very nearly reverent , and not without reason .",
        "a typical imax spectacle of enormous proportions , the film is both a fantastic summary of the knowledge we 've gained through hubble and an often edge-of-your-seat documentary about some of the specialists who 've serviced the telescope five times ."],
    "summary": "offering a stunning , expansive viewing experience , MOV takes advantage of imax and 3-d technology like no other film .",
    "id": "770860109"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_conjuring",
    "reviews":
     [
        "old-style filmmaking makes this movie scarier than other recent horror films , simply because director wan -lrb- saw/insidious -rrb- takes the time to actually develop suspense . by not using cheap trickery , he continually sends chills up our spine .",
        "a better than average horror movie sparked by excellent performances by the four leads .",
        "MOV is like the horror equivalent of a ` long island iced tea ' ; mixing stiff belts of haunted house , poltergeist and exorcism into a near perfect and potent cocktail .",
        "wan , a director with an extensive resume in cinematic scare tactics , operates in his element here , opting not to push the horror envelope , but merely to refine it .",
        "MOV will have you shuddering with every creepy moment .",
        "i 'm uh-scared , i 'm uh-scared !",
        "there 's very little in MOV that could n't have been achieved on film 40 years ago , which lends it a very authentic feel .",
        "it 's really not much more frightening than , say , the flintstones meet rockula and frankenstone or scooby-doo on zombie island , but it 's modestly elevated by james wan 's relatively restrained direction .",
        "what director james wan does in `` MOV '' is employ old-fashioned shocks - things that bump in the night , insinuations of nefarious spirits , even a furniture-banging exorcism - in creative and ultimately terrifying ways .",
        "... there were moments where it seemed the entire theater was holding its breath . we were united in one feeling : terror .",
        "... it is confident , it is beautifully acted , and when it gets serious about being scary , it is remarkably tense and terrifying .",
        "the seen-it-all-before elements of this supernatural thriller directed by the filmmaker who gave us saw , however , are more hoary than horrific . it might as well be retitled the amityville exorcist .",
        "it 's generic and lazy as storytelling , but this time there 's almost enough playful camerawork to distract from the feeble conception .",
        "wan has gotten very good at crafting those creepy moments ; now he just needs to apply them to a more interesting story .",
        "solid horror film that pays hommage to the great character-driven horror classics of the sixties and seventies .",
        "with its forked tongue planted loosely in cheek , this haunted-house flick is enjoyably retro in both style and substance .",
        "it 's a terrific throwback to more psychologically based horror .",
        "it never met a haunted house cliche it did n't like , but wan mercilessly piles on the uncanny events , gradually escalating the pitch from creepy to freaky to utterly bananas .",
        "MOV finds director james wan improving on his previous haunted-house yarn insidious in just about every way possible .",
        "again favoring tension over bedlam , wan issues a similar but successful follow-up to insidious , finding proper beats of fright and family to play in this throwback endeavor .",
        "mainstream horror at its best , james wan continues to impress",
        "james wan 's 2004 breakthrough , saw , was the definition of torture porn . his latest , on the other hand , is simply torture .",
        "sometimes a good horror film makes you chuckle .",
        "the drip-feed of old tricks and a slow-drifting camera combine to stoke our expectation .",
        "i would happily watch it again , which is something i rarely say about horror films .",
        "what more you could expect or want from a ghost story : it creeps , it crawls , it sneaks up on you and goes ` boo ! ' , all without missing a beat or running out of steam .",
        "a skillful , well-crafted movie that nicely melds the horror material with strong characterization and a deeper-than-expected story . MOV represents the horror genre at its best and most substantive .",
        "this is a successful film thanks to wan 's unique vision and characters you can care about . easily one of the best horror films i 've seen in quite a while .",
        "the film does n't require belief in demonic possession or the supernatural to be effective . it reveals secrets only as needed , and gets under the collective skin of moviegoers by cleverly exploiting old-fashioned fear of the unknown .",
        "it 's glorious and a reminder that the scares of a haunted house are visceral and , like chucky , live on the cusp of childhood , frivolous and frightening .",
        "the horror movie is artfully crafted from the first scares to the closing credits , with a bold retro vibe .",
        "full of atmosphere and ghostly goodness , the only thing that does n't seem to make any sense is the title .",
        "though it frequently lapses into clich\u00e9 , the real-life roots make it extra spine-tingling .",
        "here , if the plumbing clangs and rattles , it 's because the pipe is not a pipe , as wan defamiliarises everything in the domestic life of the perron family ... and conjures a creepy spirit to fill otherwise inanimate objects -lrb- and a lifeless screen -rrb- .",
        "despite having a story lacking in depth , MOV almost feels like a master class in conventional horror movie making , as though this is the archetype of the genre .",
        "wan ... builds the many bumps in the night into a small hitchcockian symphony of terror by way of long , eerie tracking shots , dramatic silences , and sudden scares that are frighteningly immersive .",
        "it 's not just the furniture that creaks , but there are still some effective jolts .",
        "terrific and scary-as-hell horror movie more in the spirit of psychological classics like the innocents or the original 1963 the haunting .",
        "... 2013 's horror film to beat . -lrb- video review -rrb-",
        "wan builds mounting dread with silence and suspense , lingering the camera unsettlingly long here , creaking a door there .",
        "slick , scary and with a sequel already on the way , MOV does n't reinvent the horror wheel but is still a frightener that 's worth your time .",
        "... a truly creepy exercise . you may not believe in haunted houses , but you will while watching the movie .",
        "as an exercise in classical scare tactics , delivered through an escalating series of primo setpieces , MOV is often supremely effective .",
        "the damned thing works you so well that you may even consider leaving halfway through , for fear you 'll have a heart attack .",
        "a well made horror film that ca n't be taken seriously . oddly , while it 's a much better effort than the director 's last , `` insidious '' was more genuinely eerie .",
        "a trim , effective haunted-house spook show , `` MOV '' is both a throwback to early - '70s real estate shriekers like `` the amityville horror '' and a big-studio response to the `` paranormal activity '' found-footage genre .",
        "creepily effective ... the cinematic equivalent of a well-constructed spooky carnival attraction .",
        "horror buffs will find -lsb- it -rsb- a highly satisfying , well-crafted film in a classical mode , with plenty of scares and very little gore .",
        "the poster for MOV boasts `` from the director of saw and insidious '' , which was a much wiser choice than `` from the writers of the reaping '' .",
        "like a game of spot the cliche .",
        "james wan 's haunted-house saga is well-crafted , convincingly acted , surprisingly restrained and scary as hell .",
        "it takes a retro-fashioned winner like MOV to remind us that if the creaky , old house ai n't broke , do n't fix it .",
        "hugely enjoyable , genuinely scary horror flick that provides a welcome throwback to classic 1970s chillers ...",
        "a tense and exciting haunted house movie , MOV relies on atmosphere rather than gore to serve up an entertaining slice of ghostie shenanigans with the simple ambition of scaring the bejesus out of viewers .",
        "here is a humdrum hunk of am-dram gothic , lent prestige by a few specious avowals of its basis in a true exorcism case .",
        "conjures up expertly timed scares and very little else .",
        "the film may flaunt its true-story credentials for the sake of lurid immediacy but , like the best of its variety , it has a healthy understanding of its own silliness .",
        "wan 's shocks are predictable but - yikes ! - are they scary .",
        "stirs up some seriously scary , supremely creep-ifying mojo . there 's something about this movie that you 'll swear is following you home .",
        "there are some top-notch creepy moments and the picture is crafted with real care but the denouement is underwhelming and my palms never really sweated .",
        "it stretches the truth far beyond the breaking point , but it is also creepy , scary and well-constructed .",
        "wan 's film is a sturdily built supernatural chiller , with next-to-no digital effects or gore , and it delivers its scares with a breezy lack of urgency .",
        "it will scare your underpants off .",
        "working with cinematographer john r. leonetti and editor kirk morri , wan carefully crafts each setpiece so that each visual punch has maximum impact to a nerve-shredding musical soundtrack from composer joseph bihara .",
        "this is an extremely effective , consistently creepy , and occasionally unnerving experience .",
        "unexpectedly fresh , alive , and vibrant - and wonderfully traumatizing .",
        "`` MOV '' depends more on its excellent cast and atmospheric direction than cheap gimmicks to raise hairs on the back of your neck . which it does , quite frequently .",
        "it is n't particularly deep , but it 's a grab-your-seatmate good time at the haunted house .",
        "MOV does n't have the big special effects of its summer competition , but it is an old-fashioned scary movie that uses every dark corner as a source of scream-inducing frights . do n't see this movie by yourself .",
        "-lsb- wan -rsb- cuts MOV into two halves -- an exhilarating haunted-house thriller and a grueling post-exorcist horror film -- but they do n't come back together in a living , breathing whole .",
        "as `` MOV '' progresses , the scares do n't register beyond standard issue horror gotchas . they 're as telegraphed as the musical cues alerting you something spooky is about to happen .",
        "with a sure-footed elegiac pace and a keen understanding that anticipation and what we do n't see is sometimes more affecting than the payoff , `` MOV '' plays like a loving throwback to cinema of the '70s .",
        "MOV establishes a thick , rich , and terrifying atmosphere that is sure to leave audiences biting their nails and choking back screams . james wan has delivered another horror film that is sure to leave one hell of an impact on its viewers .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the impact is in the suggested and the unseen , rather than the gory and grotesque - just as it is like the best classic horror films .",
        "the polish belies the fact that MOV 's a sausage made from the ground-up leftovers of other movies . said offcuts are fact based of course .",
        "it 's scare-to-medium stuff with the usual ghoulies , ghosties , long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night .",
        "wan is super-talented at delivering frissons and jumps , he just needs to take himself a bit more seriously .",
        "the sound effects are the aural equivalent of a 21st century form of digital diarrhoea , guaranteed to leave the hairs on the back of your neck suffering from erectile dysfunction .",
        "as a solid spook show , MOV works , though the ending does n't strike me as big enough for the story leading up to it .",
        "america 's stealth auteur , james wan , directs unpretentious , inexpensive , stylistically consistent horror movies that spook audiences and scare up enormous profits ; he embraces the genre 's tropes and demonstrates why they continue to unnerve .",
        "i was not expecting to be scared out of my wits by this creepily crafted and sublimely superior supernatural horror , but i was . before the end , my cinema seat had worked itself through the three demonic stages of infestation , oppression and possession .",
        "MOV suffers from a lack of momentum that proves impossible to overlook ...",
        "a meticulously and ingeniously crafted scare machine .",
        "smart , stylish horror flick , though a standout more for its elegant performances than any original scares .",
        "what saves the movie is a surprisingly fine cast and deft direction from james wan , the horror veteran who gave us `` saw . ''",
        "the leads all perform with perfectly straight faces no matter how often the talk turns to witches and `` inhuman spirits , '' which helps sell MOV 's fundamentally silly story . but wan 's direction seals the deal .",
        "a classic , one of the best traditional horror movies ever made",
        "wan builds suspense until it 's almost unbearable , then adds a little more , just to make sure the audience is as terrified as the characters .",
        "treads familiar territory , but with style .",
        "MOV feels like someone chucked poltergeist , paranormal activity , the orphanage , insidious and especially the amityville horror into a blender , then added a bit with a doll .",
        "this is a director inspired by grand , gothic horror , more interested in long silences and swooping camera movements than torture porn or gruesome decapitations . the guy wants to wring you out .",
        "this saga of demonic possession deploys the full audio firepower of modern multiplexes , and does so with brain-battering frequency , like a ghostbusting version of a japanese taiko drum ensemble .",
        "one of the scarier haunted house/demon possession movies in recent years , it brings to mind '70s supernatural horror films such as the exorcist with its stillness , steady build of suspense and handsome cinematography .",
        "the dread gathers and surges while the blood scarcely trickles in `` MOV , '' a fantastically effective haunted-house movie .",
        "even in the dark , it 's clear where this is going -- but wan does know his way around a haunted house .",
        "with any luck , MOV will lead potential future horror filmmakers raised on a diet of torture porn and slasher films to rethink their approach . one can hope , at least .",
        "MOV uses every stock scare in the horror movie playbook for a dumb , yet charmingly traditional haunted house picture that manages to feel more retro than rehashed .",
        "wan takes some unpromising ingredients and cooks it with style , tension and heart-stopping surprise moments .",
        "a carefully , masterfully crafted and ever-so-crescendoing exercise in atmospheric dread .",
        "these things run on faith , not reason , like the silly amateur exorcism that will have to be intoned when a priest is too far away and the silly scientific paraphernalia carted around .",
        "MOV is the ultimate fighting champion of haunting movies . it is all of the movies . every single one .",
        "a very effectively mounted frightfest , played extremely straight , with very good performances .",
        "a pastiche of every horror movie you 've ever seen but one that is enlivened by the screenplay written by the twin brothers who wrote the superlative 2006 remake of `` house of wax '' .",
        "none of it is particularly bloody or violent , but young wan and twin screenwriters chad and carey hayes , up to now mostly unheralded in the horror genre , fashion a harrowing montage of thrills from beginning to end .",
        "the most spine-tingling exorcist flick since , well , since the exorcist !",
        "`` MOV '' backs up its creaking floor and slamming door tropes with episodes of all-out terror to send its audience to bed with a worrisome feeling in the pit of their stomachs .",
        "damned if director james wan , the auteur of saw 's rusted-edge cruelty , is n't an ace with enjoyable spookhouse trap-springing .",
        "boasting a stellar cast , a robust story and consistently energetic direction , MOV is a true old fashioned ghost story , and a damn fine one at that .",
        "thoughtful where its competition is glib , featuring substantive and relatable characters , and steadily-paced where most feel lackadaisical , wan has made a truly great movie . and i 'm only talking about the parts that i saw from between my fingers .",
        "all the contorting girls and pea-soup vomit in the world can hardly compete with a blood-stained sheet and a well-placed doll .",
        "australian-trained director james wan ... continues to exhibit growth as a filmmaker with a keen eye for genre scares ; if he can hone his ear to weeding out tinny dialogue , he will likely make a great film one day .",
        "though MOV claims to be based on a true story , in truth it 's based on every horror film that 's come before it .",
        "taut and effective edge-of-the-seat horror , delivered with style and an especially haunting performance by vera farmiga .",
        "you 've seen it before , you 'll see it again .",
        "james wan conjures up a truly paralyzing tale of supernatural terror with his retelling of ed and lorraine warren 's most disturbing case , creating scares through detailed and properly crafted horror storytelling - not a body count .",
        "wan -- who made his reputation with the first saw movie -- has a real understanding of the genre , and much of MOV is well done .",
        "this is a horror film where a pair of suddenly clapping hands gives you the heebie-jeebies , and wan does n't cheat with his jump scares .",
        "a solid , dependably scary ghost tale .",
        "how about that ? someone conjured up a good ghost story !",
        "rather than gore , wan goes for a more old-fashioned , character-based movie here , and , as a result , a treasure trove of typical haunting tricks seems fresh and terrifying once again .",
        "an uncommonly intense and frightening experience .",
        "simply put : with simple , creative and very effective scare sequences , MOV is the scariest movie of 2013 -lrb- so far -rrb- .",
        "without recourse to the gruesome s&m excesses of his `` saw '' franchise , wan conjures the chill of a demon breathing down your neck .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this is n't an instant classic , but it definitely reaffirms that wan can do some interesting things within the horror genre .",
        "-lsb- wan -rsb- combines the ambiance of horror 's leisure-suit heyday with the more recent brand of well-timed what 's - that-in-the-mirror scares .",
        "there 's nothing new or original about it , but it 's entertaining enough , and one ca n't help but respect the craft that went into making something catchy out of component parts stolen from others .",
        "a strong cast and an atmosphere of real dread mean that despite a catalogue of immediately recognisable ghost devices , MOV amounts to more than the sum of its scary parts .",
        "it is scary , and it conveys something even rarer in horror films -- the ring of truth .",
        "in MOV , the scary casts out the spirit of the silly , permanently , and with a vengeance .",
        "better-than-average demon movie goes bump in the night",
        "director james wan , best known for creating the saw franchise , delivers his finest work to date . instead of relying on the graphic , slasher-style techniques that made saw a hit , wan turns to old-fashioned suspense , and the payoff is big .",
        "it 's atmospheric , terrifying , and brilliant in its intricately placed bouts of horror and suspense .",
        "MOV does n't try to reinvent the tropes of horror movies , whether it 's ghosts or demons or exorcisms , but fred astaire did n't invent tap-dancing , either .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- will have the hair on your arms standing straight up , and your brain screaming in excitement !",
        "easily one of the best horror films i 've seen in years .",
        "MOV is a well-crafted throwback to old school horror films , and the scares are unrelenting , but fans of the genre may find themselves guessing what is coming next .",
        "while MOV is incredibly well made there 's little we have n't seen before .",
        "just a good old-fashioned scare , if you get scared by that sort of thing .",
        "a sensationally entertaining old-school freakout and one of the smartest , most viscerally effective thrillers in recent memory .",
        "MOV is a masterclass in absolute terror that 's destined to become a classic within the genre .",
        "the viewer is completely absorbed in a story peppered with genuine , unexpected , bump in the night scares that will keep you on the edge of your seat .",
        "the trailer for MOV is scarier than most horror features of recent vintage , and the feature makes good on the promise .",
        "wan uses every horror cliche with blithe confidence . he knows no one is immune if the effects are sturdily built , and not too literal .",
        "sometimes it all comes down to craftsmanship . there 's probably nothing you have n't seen before in director james wan 's MOV , but rarely have you seen it done so well .",
        "MOV simply takes a standard story comprised of the usual components , and with warmth and commitment makes them not just palatable , but successful .",
        "it 's solidly effective at bringing the scares , which is all it really sets out to do , right ?",
        "by all means , feel free to initially underrate this finely crafted and genuinely scary production . making such a mistake will only serve to leave you more impressed -lrb- and slightly rattled -rrb- than you might have been .",
        "an old-fashioned haunted house horror story made by people who love them . classy , creepy , fun .",
        "the sound design of the movie is oppressive beyond belief -- this damn thing is louder than `` pacific rim . ''",
        "MOV 's use of tension , atmosphere , and suggestion prove that the scariest thing to an audience has nothing to do with what you see , but what you do n't .",
        "-lsb- wan 's -rsb- entire film is possessed - by other films .",
        "an extremely well-crafted piece of mainstream horror that offers a number of genuine scares .",
        "thank god i live in newish construction .",
        "director james wan does it again . first , it was the unexpected hit horror movie , `` insidious . '' now , `` MOV '' delivers the same scary bump-in-the-night thrills .",
        "in a summer of convoluted action films , the simplicity of a haunted house movie is actually kind of refreshing . sometimes you want processed cheese , and this cheese is nicely processed .",
        "... it surpasses the hallmarks of its genre with an actually dramatic storyline and all-around solid acting . just do n't think you can go see it alone .",
        "it scared the living crap out of me . only at the movies is that a compliment . so kudos to MOV for putting fresh fire into the overworked haunted-house genre .",
        "watching `` MOV '' is like getting a tour of a haunted house attraction from someone that pushes , and pulls you through every room .",
        "director wan takes a new pass at the creaky genre and comes up with exactly what you 'd expect .",
        "while nothing new and playing up and off the various tricks previous horror films have used over the years , ` MOV ' still delivers enough effective scares and spooky material . -lrb- full parental review also available -rrb-",
        "advance word that this would be the scariest horror since amityville proves well wide of the mark .",
        "despite having a fairly standard haunted house horror plot , james wan has created a fun , scary and beautiful looking movie .",
        "every hand that reaches into a wardrobe , every nervous trip into that basement just gets on your nerves . satan needs to get over himself .",
        "director james wan delivers effective scares , showing more interest in sinewy camera moves and building a slow creep than in mindless gore , but the performances are a mixed bag , and the script repeatedly seeks refuge in the familiar .",
        "an overlook hotel-sized creepshow that is genuinely frightening .",
        "leaving slashers behind for the murky uncertainties of the supernatural , james wan has found a way to expand his talents while driving yet another modern genre shift .",
        "wan is basically just remaking his own insidious with a few modest tweaks and a polyester wardrobe , and , just like that movie , MOV gets progressively less scary as it goes along .",
        "this one never really takes hold and goes horribly wrong about 20 minutes before the end .",
        "fans of old-school scary movies and j-horror , rejoice . james wan 's MOV is going to scare the bejeezus out of you .",
        "mainly , the movie wants to scare us , and it succeeds .",
        "wan 's hair raising methodical pace steers us through a supernatural thriller drenched in tension , and featuring scenes of horror that will sear itself in the mind and come back to haunt you in your nightmares .",
        "it 's not one of these one-note horror flicks hoping to make you jump ; this knows how scary it is and will get you by the end .",
        "it calls to mind films that understood that the less you saw , the spooker it got . . it 's as scary a film as i 've seen in a long time .",
        "wan masterfully tightens the vise on the audience 's nerves , using mood and sound effects for shocks that never feel cheap -lrb- the harmless kids ' game of hide-and-clap has never been so bloodcurdling -rrb- .",
        "if i was to use a single word to describe MOV , it would be `` intense . ''",
        "`` MOV '' wants dan and lorraine to seem like indiana jones-style hunters of the supernatural , but in this basic jolt-provider , they 're as fascinating as the jersey devil .",
        "MOV gets under your skin , where the goosebumps are .",
        "could it be director james wan was just a little too reverential ? because just when we could n't need a chill down the spine more , this carefully made horror story delivers way too late in the game .",
        "delivers a steady stream of fist-clenching suspense and well-choreographed surprises .",
        "MOV is an unusually sturdy piece of haunted-house genre filmmaking .",
        "james wan proves himself to be moving quickly up the ranks of terror auteurs . the timing , pacing and character movement are outstanding . and it 's scary as hell .",
        "a horror thriller that 's silly yet scary enough to give you second thoughts if anyone suggests playing hide 'n' clap .",
        "any hints of a smarter agenda serve to cloud the main one : `` MOV '' has been engineered to freak you out .",
        "like a prequel to every horror movie since `` the exorcist , '' fun , but more stolid and solid than scary .",
        "an `` amityville horror '' for a new century -lrb- and a far better movie than that 1979 hit -rrb- , yet firmly rooted , without being slavish or self-conscious , in the visual language of 1970s filmmaking .",
        "i 'm not the horror lover in schmoes know , but `` MOV '' is n't just a great horror film , it 's a great time at the movies .",
        "dress warmly and take a friend - MOV is a chilly and unnerving experience . based on a true story , saw director james wan 's slick horror film has all the elements to make your skin crawl",
        "the list of imagery `` borrowed '' from other films is lengthy . director james wan specializes in this sort of fare and his talented cast elevates the material above the dregs of the genre , which is an admittedly big and crowded basement .",
        "a character declares , ` god brought us together for a reason ! ' too bad it was for this movie , another over-hyped horror flick rehashing a four-decade old storyline .",
        "as resistant as i am to spooky movies of all kinds , i do admire wan 's direction ... . he realises all the potential in the drama , in the images and in the editing , managing to give us frequent chills",
        "its climax reminds one of the exorcist .",
        "the cast puts their all into the film , turning what could have been a clich\u00e9 'd filled blood-fest into a modern horror gem .",
        "wan 's latest exercise in jump-scare theatre ... better to call it `` the startling '' .",
        "... an old-school spookfest , a surprisingly restrained , moody picture ...",
        "so it could be a better horror movie . big deal . scary movies do n't get much better than this .",
        "haunted-house tales do n't come more imitative than MOV , which does n't emulate demonic-infestation and possession tales like the amityville horror and the exorcist so much as operate as a veritable compendium of their myriad tropes .",
        "it 's not rated ` r ' because of gore , sex or foul language - the usual suspects . no , ` MOV ' is rated ` r ' because its paranormal-based violence is so ... creepy .",
        "rattling the nerves while drawing out its palpable sense of dread , `` MOV '' is a proudly old-fashioned horror movie that tells its story with sophistication and care ."],
    "summary": "well-crafted and gleefully creepy , MOV ratchets up dread through a series of effective old-school scares .",
    "id": "771312656"
  },
  {
    "movie": "election",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is smart and often funny .",
        "too smart for mass appeal . one of this year 's best .",
        "MOV is a bracingly intelligent adult comedy that shrewdly captures adolescence .",
        "reese witherspoon is proving to be one of the most versatile actresses of her generation .",
        "so precise , so hilarious , so biting , so smart , so perfect , in every one of its minute details that it comes as a sort of godsend .",
        "if satire is simply a witty exaggeration of ordinary events , then this is satire at its brightest .",
        "it 's an interesting enough premise and it 's executed with a ` rushmore lite ' kind of feel to it .",
        "a satirical scalpel that refuses to let you know exactly when or whom it 's going to cut .",
        "a satirical joy , due mainly to the performances of reese witherspoon as tracy , matthew broderick as mcallister , chris klein as paul and , especially , jessica campbell as tammy .",
        "reese witherspoon may well find that this is a defining role in her early career .",
        "this clever , biting high-school satire is arguably alexander payne 's most original and accomplished film -lrb- and so far he has made only good pictures -rrb- .",
        "payne and taylor are equal opportunity satirists and their sly wit dismantles everything from high school culture to suburban complacency .",
        "surprise ! an intelligent , well-written high school story that offers some real ideas to chew on , rather than simply wallowing in nubile flesh .",
        "dark high school comedy is best for older teens .",
        "an instant classic , alexander payne 's 1999 high school comedy seems even more scathing now that we 're losing control of our own MOV machinery .",
        "the treatment of this touchy material is impressive , neither gratuitous nor mincing , but this 1999 satirical comedy does n't really go anywhere .",
        "took the sleaze of the teen comedy and spun it into something that 's both hugely entertaining and extremely insightful .",
        "MOV at first has the feel of a simple work . but do n't let that fool you ; it 's a complex , deep tale .",
        "maybe its only real fault is that it 's a little too close to the truth to be as funny as it could be .",
        "a funny and horrifying allegory of american politics and adult society , as seen through the prism -- or shall we say `` prison '' ? -- that is secondary education . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "payne understands satire and possesses an innate ability to go for the jugular but sometimes his deft and subcutaneous touch is too uncomfortable .",
        "exposes the dullards who praise it as the very suckers who promote the divisions among people under the pretense of virtuous , moral insight .",
        "as tracy flick , witherspoon perfectly tows the line between cute and irritating .",
        "i felt uncomfortable for nearly the duration of this tremendously well put together piece .",
        "this is one MOV that could have used fixing .",
        "the film never finds a confident tone .",
        "the story rarely elicits laughter .",
        "production , set , costume and photography all help give the film a crisp look , capturing the inherent mid-western feel provided by the omaha , nebraska locale .",
        "beuller ? ... beuller ? where 's ferris ? oh , there he is on the floor . brought to his knees and he still has n't learned anything .",
        "kudos to payne and taylor for their courage , balance , and humor .",
        "... a surprisingly compelling piece of work . .",
        "this remarkable film may be set in high school , but its satiric take on moral corruption , political chicanery , adultery and seduction is anything but juvenile .",
        "a dark , insidiously funny satire on the self-involved ways otherwise rational people can allow narrow personal agendas to lead them astray to the point of self-destruction .",
        "you 've got to laugh at witherspoon 's tightly wound little miss perfect , rising at dawn to do her hair and encase herself in a preppy look before baking cupcakes to pass out at school as vote-getters in her campaign for student council president .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- wicked , carnal comedy .",
        "alarmingly insightful .",
        "the script , based on a tom perrotta novel , is tight and elegant .",
        "a deliriously sardonic and underhanded satire of politics and high school culture .",
        "clever , somewhat predictable , stylish film features reese witherspoon 's greatest performance to date .",
        "one of the funniest comedies in years , and the best teen flick in nearly a decade !",
        "a much-needed breath of fresh cinematic air !",
        "highly recommended .",
        "what is it about high-school overachievers that gets the goat of movie directors these days ?",
        "appealingly eccentric .",
        "the filmmakers have a great deal of fun at the expense of the pointlessness of high school elections , which are n't just popularity contests but overt wastes of time .",
        "a black comedy that takes off in unexpected directions .",
        "one of MOV 's many beauties is the graininess that gives the classrooms and corridors the homemade quality . !",
        "filled with all sorts of offbeat and witty humor !",
        "the satire of the season , a hilarious , razor-sharp indictment of the american dream !",
        "the cleverest teen-themed movie i 've seen in years !",
        "volatile and hilarious !",
        "a high school comedy with an unusual perspective and much to offer people who like to think while they laugh .",
        "terrific !",
        "MOV is a darkly funny , often twisted , and thoroughly enjoyable film .",
        "so blackly funny it hurts !",
        "crisply written and ingeniously plotted !",
        "witherspoon has the most expressive pair of nostrils in the business .",
        "this is democracy run amok .",
        "wickedly funny !",
        "if there were an academy award for body language , witherspoon would win it hands down for this performance .",
        "MOV is director alexander payne 's -lrb- citizen ruth -rrb- cynical satire of the american schools and the electoral process .",
        "of all the teen films flooding the multiplexes these days , this is the one worth the wait in line .",
        "cool !",
        "one of the funniest , shrewdest , smartest movies in recent memory !",
        "it showed promise and considerable competence .",
        "reese witherspoon hits her full stride in MOV !",
        "with narration from all four of the principles and a script that keeps piling on the moral dilemmas , this never settles for easy moralities .",
        "a dark , wickedly entertaining romp that wears its cynicism on its sleeve and sees no reason wash any of it off .",
        "witherspoon is hilariously uptight as tracy , the over-achiever . she is so cute and perky , you want to love her . sort of .",
        "wonderfully subversive !",
        "it 's a winner !",
        "tracy flick is a character you 'll never forget .",
        "the students are all a treat .",
        "fresh , fast , funny and full of insight !",
        "deliciously malevolent",
        "reese witherspoon in a performance that could become legendary !",
        "a fine , near-seamless film that finally suffers slightly from an inability to wrap up its tale .",
        "the movie hits its keenest edge as a portrait of self-delusion .",
        "an extremely sharp , multi-layered and inspired satire .",
        "payne could emerge as a mark twain of the cinema , gleefully pricking america 's complacent sense of morality .",
        "one of the best-made comedies this year .",
        "those who watch this film now are going to experience it as a more powerful socio-political commentary than the audiences in 1999 .",
        "a sordid and savory dark comedy . broderick is the flipside of his ferris beuller persona . reese witherspoon captures so perky you could strangle her to perfection .",
        "fun and funny , but a bit rude at times .",
        "blends deft human observation , solidly realized characters and a few slightly domesticated moments of shock humor -lsb- to create -rsb- a comedy as rich and winning as it is offbeat .",
        "a subversive , wickedly funny film .",
        "MOV features a career-best performance from witherspoon .",
        "the screenplay , by payne and jim taylor , delights !",
        "this is a very funny film , one of the best of the year .",
        "everything about MOV is as mediocre , middle-of-the-road , and bland as its topic .",
        "a subtle and complex satire , not only about high school , but about our national character and the current state of democracy .",
        "MOV is a funny , smart movie ... i do n't think i can do a movie justice without you , readers , taking that leap of faith & checking it out yourself .",
        "it dragged me , kicking and screaming , back to high school .",
        "a full-fledged critique of the moral emptiness of the archetypal ugly american - those driven , self-righteous go-getters who hurt other people .",
        "the humour may be vicious , but there 's also a strong vein of pathos running through the film .",
        "a tart study in teacher-student relations , adolescent pecking orders and the nasty vicissitudes of living in a world of haves and have-nots .",
        "a quartet of solid performances only adds to the movie 's strength ."],
    "summary": "MOV successfully combines dark humor and intelligent writing in this very witty and enjoyable film .",
    "id": "16574"
  },
  {
    "movie": "rivers_and_tides_andy_goldsworthy_working_with_time",
    "reviews":
     [
        "beautiful photographt contextualizes his ephemeral artwork ; but shows us little of the `` crazy like an ocd fox '' stirrings that take him there .",
        "the greatest triumph of the film is riedelsheimer 's ability to offer the audience the artist 's perspective .",
        "even after seeing rivers and tides , there 's still a lot we do n't know about how he works .",
        "riedelsheimer constructs staunch compositions using a photographer 's eye as good as goldsworthy 's , of which truly focus on the art and the artist 's persistence and creativity .",
        "a memorable account of an artist 's life , achievements and sacrifices .",
        "assumes a meditative , zen-like quality that sends the viewer floating away , like a leaf .",
        "andy cuts an eccentric but likeable figure genuinely at a loss to explain where his inspiration comes from .",
        "like goldsworthy 's art , it is primal , transcendent and truthful .",
        "goldsworthy 's art is magical , and the cinematography is outstanding",
        "the sort of film that sounds completely kooky until you see it . at which point it 's still pretty kooky , but you realize just how cool kooky can still be .",
        "we grab at beauty while simultaneously realizing it never can be possessed , a feeling brilliantly captured in this thoughtful and rewarding movie .",
        "a mesmerizing movie that is so incredibly tranquil and uniquely lovely that it is an artistic creation itself .",
        "it 's a plaintive , poetic and beautiful explanation of an artist at work .",
        "goldsworthy is mostly fascinating , occasionally exasperating , and so is riedelsheimer 's film .",
        "it made me smile a lot .",
        "very few art documentaries are as deeply in tune with the spirit of their subjects , and the implications are enormous , since goldsworthy is the rare contemporary art star whose work -lrb- what a radical notion -rrb- is actually about something .",
        "intoxicating and meditative by turns , helped by fred frith 's minimalist score , this film opens a portal into a singular creative mind .",
        "may have been more effective if the film had focused more on the stunning visuals and less on the weird new age stuff flying out of goldsworthy 's mouth .",
        "an occasionally enthralling documentary .",
        "if you 're going to see rivers and tides , do n't think of it as going to the movies . think of it as a visit to an art gallery .",
        "a cinematic tone poem that asks viewers to reexamine their relationship with both the word ` art ' and the forms that we 've sanctioned for its exploration and expression .",
        "i know of no documentary on a contemporary artist that conveys so much about the artist 's work so lyrically and directly .",
        "watching this movie is like daydreaming .",
        "a truly beautiful , insightful movie that captures the nature of this artist who forms art out of nature .",
        "it 's a beautiful , meditative piece that allows the viewer his or her own time to think and discover .",
        "when it 's at its most self-aware , rivers and tides precociously tweaks the pessimist 's view of art as an exercise in futility .",
        "most of goldsworthy 's work is impermanent , but rivers and tides captures , permanently , both the art and the artist , showing us a creative , productive life in the process of being well-lived .",
        "hypnotic .",
        "a beautiful , probing art documentary .",
        "rivers and tides : andy goldsworthy working with time is an extraordinarily spiritually literate documentary about one of the world 's greatest nature artists .",
        "a wondrous look at an artist and his work with lots of joyous surprises .",
        "an absorbing portrait of a unique artist 's professional and personal communion with nature .",
        "his work reminds us of an artist 's true focus : a meditative commitment to discovery , creativity , and the enhancement of god 's own invention .",
        "andy goldworthy 's work deserves to be profiled in this breathtaking , beautiful , and fascinating look in to nature , the creative process , and of an unassuming artist ...",
        "if the film lets goldsworthy overexplain what 's happening , it also affords ample to time to languidly take in the imagery and let its beauty and simplicity speak for itself .",
        "an engaging introduction to the sculptor 's work .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- not only a tribute to goldsworthy 's work but also a kind of animated gallery -- a showcase for a uniquely elusive art .",
        "sensitive and stimulating documentary .",
        "the artistry of thomas riedelsheimer 's film perfectly compliments goldsworthy 's art .",
        "watch this film . you may never look at nature indifferently again .",
        "goldsworthy 's approach to his art speaks volumes to me ... -lsb- his -rsb- works find their value in the changing moments of their existence .",
        "a mesmerizing and curiously satisfying idyll that gradually , slyly maneuvers us into a whole new way of looking at the delicate relationship between man , art and mother nature .",
        "the trouble with this art movie is that it 's more a movie than it 's art .",
        "... a spellbinding study of andy goldsworthy , a scottish land-sculptor who creates location-specific work using only the organic vegetation and minerals found in his `` studio . ''",
        "a calm and lovely film that audiences hungry for beauty will likely devour with their eyes .",
        "i often found myself catching my breath during rivers and tides , partly because of the jengalike delicacy of goldsworthy 's work .",
        "watching goldsworthy painstakingly piece together his artwork , we come to realize that his artistry lies as much in the act of creation as in the fleeting final product .",
        "it 's a film for those who want to see an artist unobtrusively seeking enlightenment .",
        "riedelsheimer captures this aspect of goldsworthy 's work and holds up a many-faceted mirror to its beauty . that is what ultimately makes the film so seductive .",
        "the film does n't just explain goldsworthy 's vision -- it brings us closer to seeing the world through his eyes .",
        "rivers and tides is subtle and meditative almost to a fault ... so it 's fortunate that the film is relatively short and that its subject -- andy goldsworthy , a scottish sculptor known for working with nature -- is so fascinating .",
        "a documentary that introduces us to an artist whose work is full of contradictions -- contradictions that spill over into the act of watching the movie .",
        "you will want someone to talk to about the film and acknowledge the marvels you saw .",
        "as the film 's images accumulate , the movie becomes a sustained and ultimately refreshing meditation on surrender to the idea of temporality .",
        "a lovely , curiously inspiring appreciation of goldsworthy 's unusual artistic vision .",
        "it is impossible to be unmoved by both the beauty of artist andy goldsworthy 's work and his undying commitment to it .",
        "goldsworthy is meticulous , eccentric , and very talented . who knows ? this may just inspire you to lie down in the road and make ` rain angels ' .",
        "-lsb- goldsworthy 's -rsb- art is meant to be evanescent , like the nature he reveres . we are privileged to see it documented by the filmmaker 's camera .",
        "mr. goldsworthy 's work is meant to be photographed -- ` photography is the way that i talk about my sculptures , ' he says -- and mr. riedelsheimer rises to the occasion .",
        "thoughtful and entertaining documentary .",
        "german filmmaker thomas riedelsheimer 's breathtakingly beautiful profile of scottish earthworks-artist andy goldsworthy forgoes the conventional biographical approach but captures something far more elusive .",
        "a tranquil experience .",
        "rivers and tides extols andy goldsworthy 's vision of creating art from and in nature and does it with painstaking care .",
        "andy goldsworthy lives and breaths art with a genius for reflecting nature back upon itself . riedelsheimer 's stunningly beautiful document of the purity of an artist reflects his own artistry .",
        "you can easily lose yourself in goldsworthy 's absolutely gorgeous compositions ."],
    "summary": "andy goldsworthy and his art are beautifully captured in this engaging documentary .",
    "id": "155563735"
  },
  {
    "movie": "chris_and_don",
    "reviews":
     [
        "chris & don : a love story does what a good documentary should . it informs the mind and broadens the horizon while never losing its entertainment value .",
        "by examining this older/younger couple for differences of social circumstance , individual ego and personal desire that pertain to any love relationship , santi and mascara present a complex testament of gay experience . it 's remarkable because it 's rare .",
        "affecting and beautifully realized documentary .",
        "what could have been sordid emerges instead as fiercely funny and touching . even the animated sequences featuring the lovers the way they imagined themselves - chris as a horse , don as a cat - resonate with feeling and blunt truth .",
        "visually-rich documentary",
        "though a bit too conventional to perfectly reflect the unique affair at its center , chris & don is likely to inspire romantics of all kinds .",
        "while they might have had their ups and downs , the subjects of chris & don are a testament to fidelity .",
        "one of the most positive , affecting portrayals of queer romance in recent memory .",
        "a real-life romance to put all those rom-com fairy tales to shame .",
        "a celebration of love and art , whatever the stripe or medium .",
        "there 's a bit of pygmalion meets the portrait of dorian gray to it , and yet part of the documentary 's slyness involves probing those aspects while never losing sight of the pain and glories of any emotional relationship that lasts as long as",
        "a charming , loving portrait electrified by the inclusion of lots of terrific home movie footage . these relics of gay history are worth the rest of the movie .",
        "surprisingly , this 2007 documentary about their 34-year relationship becomes more engrossing as its focus shifts from isherwood to bachardy ...",
        "it 's a sentimental and loving picture , playing out as a leisurely cocktail-hour stroll through an enchanting life .",
        "isherwood was the far more interesting subject , but chris & don is all about bachardy -- an observation that feels like opportunism more than love story .",
        "despite an age difference of 30 years , their connection was immediately electric ; their first kiss , the story goes , broke a window .",
        "the documentary , made after isherwood 's death and with bachardy 's enthusiastic participation , is as much a love story as a chronicle of bachardy 's maturation into a man and an artist .",
        "long before anyone was talking about gay marriage , that 's what christopher isherwood and don bachardy had",
        "a wonderfully crafted documentary about a most unusual long-term relationship",
        "a great , revealing documentary ; one of the best films released in 2008",
        "primed as we are by a culture rich in both homophobia and dirty old men , we can be forgiven for anticipating a sordid cautionary tale . it 's a shock -- a happy shock -- when chris & don recounts a love that approaches the transcendental .",
        "a love unique in every respect -- nothing to sniff at and forever to be treasured .",
        "with delectable-looking home movies of the couple 's travels in california and europe , MOV offers an intimate portrayal of a passionate , enduring association , as well as a social history of postwar life .",
        "regardless of whether you recognize the names of christopher isherwood or don bachardy , this masterful documentary draws you into the men 's lives like a star-studded bedtime tale .",
        "santi and mascara are right to call their film a love story , because this is the portrait of a marriage as full and enviable as the greatest unions in literature .",
        "it 's an extraordinary film that gay audiences will find particularly salient , no doubt , yet audiences with an affinity for the writings of isherwood or nostalgia for the golden age of hollywood may find it intriguing as well .",
        "a charming , illuminating portrait of the complex and storied queer romance between isherwood and bachardy .",
        "the subtitle of the film is ` a love story . ' the picture makes the worn term fresh , moving .",
        "isherwood and bachardy 's story features cameos by a galaxy of literary and cinema stars , but few are as impressive as the protagonists , who defied the conventions of their times by living openly as a happy , well-adjusted couple .",
        "the work is a reflective hodgepodge of unnervingly ` cute ' animation , reenactments , archival footage , and bachardy 's own reminiscences , spoken in the singular british accent he invented just as he invented his own unorthodox life .",
        "chris & don : a love story examines a complicated and enduring relationship that raised eyebrows even in hollywood .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- much-celebrated documentary from the festival circuit ."],
    "summary": "MOV paints an affecting , enlightening portrait of a one-of-a-kind love affair .",
    "id": "770770039"
  },
  {
    "movie": "sinbad_legend_of_the_seven_seas",
    "reviews":
     [
        "excellent animation , non-stop action , interesting characters , more adult-friendly themes , and eris kicks *** !",
        "a swashbuckling adventure with gorgeous computer animation that mimics a hand-drawn style . pity the script is so bad .",
        "small parts of ` sinbad : legend of the seven seas ' show promise , but as a whole , the film never seems able to completely fill its sails .",
        "ancient mariner 's tale gets a modernized animated kids ' flick , travels the seven seas -- and lingers in your mind for maybe seven seconds .",
        "basically , the film does ` the job , ' but not much more than that .",
        "sinbad is a movie that suffers from a glaring lack of inspiration .",
        "it 's less the story of sinbad than a compilation of greatest hits from mythland .",
        "more nuanced in its depiction of ` good guys ' and ` bad guys ' than most adult action films ...",
        "... offers a literal illustration of the idea that broad gestures and mugging facial expressions can be annoying even when the romantic leads are only drawings ...",
        "aside from the staggeringly slick animation designs , sinbad offers meager returns on your box office investment .",
        "combining atmospheric cgi backgrounds with superbly hand-drawn figures , the animation in this arabian nights-meets-damon & pythius tale is breath-taking . it 's a free-wheeling , fun-filled , eye-popping summer adventure .",
        "that ever-present line in the film 's promotional materials -lrb- `` who 's bad ? sinbad ! '' -rrb- essentially says it all .",
        "... entertains and fully exploits all the accomplishments dreamworks ' animation department has made to this point ... `` sinbad '' stands as an accomplishment all on its own .",
        "for all of its freedom of movement , the film lacks real personality , and in parts , it 's oddly serious-minded .",
        "while younger kids will enjoy the magic and adventure , the real mystery is whether older audiences will respond as well .",
        "handily outdoes -lsb- treasure planet -rsb- , with bravura action set pieces , a surprisingly complex romantic triangle , and thoughtful exploration of moral issues and character .",
        "it 's a decent summer distraction for restless little ones , but not much more .",
        "even the voices of brad pitt , michelle pfeiffer and catherine zeta-jones ca n't save this movie from just feeling `` blah ... ''",
        "despite its flaws , this is a fun well-acted piece of escapist fare with action , romance , adventure , and monsters galore .",
        "fun , if standard , animated adventure with battles , innuendo .",
        "as routine as many live-action adventure films , right down to the competent but fairly undistinguished art and animation .",
        "a visually exhilarating mix of hand-drawn and computer-generated images that sets sail with a rather mediocre and clich\u00e9d script .",
        "a perfectly serviceable , if not especially inspired rendition of the oft-told sinbad tale .",
        "in many ways , sinbad is good summer fun , if a bit too dark and moralistic for the littlest ones in the family .",
        "sinbad : legend of the seven seas is one of those animations so exquisitely designed to resemble a live-action feature that you have to wonder why its creative team simply did n't make a movie with real people and the usual special effects .",
        "this is n't sin-bad . it is just sin - mediocre .",
        "the effects are competent , the action has exciting moments and the story is interesting enough , but the parts do n't add up to a compelling sum .",
        "a movie carefully engineered for an audience of exactly nobody .",
        "an efficiently amusing and unsurprisingly polished blend of traditional hand-drawn and computer-generated animation techniques .",
        "the jokey -lrb- and occasionally lewd -rrb- hipster dialogue is at odds with the period setting and subject matter , and the film 's mix of computer and hand-drawn images is awkward .",
        "you could take all the fun bits from treasure planet and sinbad , put them in the same movie , and you still would n't have anything worth loading up the minivan for .",
        "from the cheerfully anachronistic dialogue by gladiator scribe john logan to the spirited voice work by michelle pfeiffer , brad pitt and catherine zeta-jones , the non-visual elements of the film are great , swashbuckling fun .",
        "apparently dreamworks would rather put no muscle behind its finest traditional animation outing yet , a film with beautiful animation and a robust spirit .",
        "goes down easily without a hint of tedium ... still , this short length contributes to an overall feeling that it 's not as earth-shatteringly fabulous as some other cartoon features of the last several years .",
        "dreamworks ' best animated feature since the 1998 double-shot of antz and the prince of egypt .",
        "an entertaining though modest cartoon adventure .",
        "it 's bad news when a six-year-old walks out on a movie , which is exactly what happened during a recent showing of sinbad .",
        "bland music , marquee-friendly casting and crassly contemporary dialogue give this film the mechanical feel of a marketing exercise , not a movie .",
        "ray harryhausen 's original stop-motion sinbad classics are a hard act to follow , but tim johnson and patrick gilmore 's update , couched in a gorgeous palette of indigo and dark rose , is a big , beautiful thrill all its own .",
        "business-as-usual movie that is n't trying to make anything more than a medium-size splash .",
        "this dreamworks animated outing eventually surrenders to the paralyzing goop and arthritic formula that haunt 90 percent of the features churned out by arch-rival the mouse house - but somehow fills its sails with enough wit and wonder to stay afloat .",
        "the terminator kicked the daylights out of sinbad . i saw it with my own eyes .",
        "the voice talent here is so good that you ca n't help but long for a new live-action take on this jaunty and crafty hero .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- sharp and thrilling adventure combining 21st century animation technology with a refreshingly retro story of heroes and villains , and giant creatures that haunt the skies and seas .",
        "an entertaining , energetic variant of the blueprint , but it is disappointing that the elaborate set pieces and charismatic characters are ultimately in service of nothing more than the same old story .",
        "though touted as ` traditional ' animation , a good chunk of the film is computer-crafted . it 's jarring to see the distinctly different styles clash in the same scenes .",
        "sinbad feels more like a stopgap than an actual production : something to make a little money while they finish their next real picture .",
        "unfortunately , if the new animated sinbad were among the stories she told , poor sahrazad would n't have lasted five minutes .",
        "unmemorable and mostly generic .",
        "an ok film .",
        "undeniably enjoyable .",
        "undistinguished but mildly entertaining .",
        "it wo n't bore the kids much , but there 's something about the film that keeps it away from greatness .",
        "the disappointment is less that it butchers the actual story of sinbad , but that , with a little more foundation and characterization , it could have been very good indeed .",
        "what 's bad ? sinbad : legend of the seven seas .",
        "this animated adventure pops off the screen , flaunting state-of - the-art technology . but the story is straight out of the 1940s b-movie library .",
        "there 's almost nothing in it that could n't have been done -- in less time , for about the same money and probably better -- as a live-action picture .",
        "clever banter and eye-popping set pieces raise it above most other dreamworks ' non-shrek fare . still , it 's pretty standard-issue .",
        "a passably entertaining animated entry from dreamworks that 's closer to the road to el dorado than to shrek .",
        "with its uneasy mish-mash of computer and hand-drawn animation , sinbad does not look good , its characters are underdeveloped , there 's no humor and the storytelling is slapdash .",
        "the film is adept and generally enjoyable .",
        "but with a bag of popcorn and an open mind , this flick will provide a fine summer getaway on the open seas .",
        "having great vocal talent breathes life into an animated story and makes it more than just a 2-dimensional cartoon . ` who 's bad ? ' - brad 's ` bad ' , so is catherine , michelle , joseph , and dennis .",
        "too cute for older kids , too bland for younger kids and too cute and too bland for the rest of us .",
        "a dazzling animated action feature with a solid story and interesting characters , aimed at a more sophisticated audience .",
        "os personagens s\u0103o terrivelmente caricaturais - e n\u0103o estou me referindo ao visual , e sim \u0155s suas personalidades .",
        "this is not the kind of movie that keeps our hopes alive for a successful return of the standard animated feature .",
        "dreamworks animation has a lot to live up to after shrek , but this wacky and high-spirited version of the sinbad legend really is n't too bad .",
        "there 's much to like here -- a gag-filled script , impressive visuals and michelle pfeiffer 's classy villainess .",
        "if you drag a gang along to this one , be prepared to make amends with a trip to pirates of the caribbean .",
        "the kids will like its simplicity and manic motion , but if you want more than that , you wo n't find it here .",
        "feature length films should no longer be hand drawn if the studios want the public to shell out fifty bucks to take the family to see them on the big screen .",
        "the story of sinbad is a classic . if you 're going to tackle a classic , make it an enduring tribute to the original .",
        "a lot of fun and a thoroughly enjoyable family adventure which , though not on the level of the disney classics , is nonetheless worth watching . recommended .",
        "pitt 's mumblings result in sinbad 's inexpressive face , which gives us a movie hero who leaps from ship to ship , swings from the yard arm and battles fierce monsters without conveying a thimble 's worth of emotion .",
        "`` sinbad '' is a roller coaster ride as the able sailor -lsb- of the title -rsb- guides his trusty ship , the chimera , across the danger-ridden seas . it 's fun but not particularly satisfying .",
        "no matter how the stars slack their duties , the animators do n't neglect theirs . they 've wed the lustrous colors of ` flat ' animation to the exciting ` realism ' of 3-d , computer-generated work .",
        "there 's little here that is n't overly familiar and formulaic , nothing that 's even in the same arena with the eye candy of those vivid adventures .",
        "the dialogue is n't up to the promising animation ; at times , it is unforgivable .",
        "sinbad : legend of the seven seas lacks symmetry . but never is it remotely ho-hum .",
        "for decades swashbucklers have buckled under at the box office , and sinbad lacks the magic to reverse their fortune .",
        "neither sinful nor particularly bad , the movie nonetheless diverts us when it should transport us .",
        "thoroughly mediocre kiddie flick .",
        "passably entertaining ... some eye-popping effects ... pfeiffer 's catwoman purr -- soothing yet savage -- is exactly right for such lines as ` enough talking -- time for some screaming '",
        "its not that the film was particularly sinbad , but it could have been much sin-better .",
        "there 's plenty of action -- so much so , in fact , that i often felt like i was watching a video game without the interactive qualities that make such a diversion enjoyable and addictive .",
        "acartoon that does what matinee moviemakers of old never had the resources to do : allow their imagination to run amok in an ancient world that never existed -- but should have .",
        "dreamworks ' animated division continues its mediocre streak of family-centered adventures with the visually stimulating but substandard sinbad .",
        "an entertaining , colorful romp that will please kids while gifting parents with ` nudge-nudge , wink-wink ' jokes",
        "rivals showtime soft-porn in the quantity of drawn swords and frustrated penetration .",
        "sinbad is both square and as flat as sinbad and his sailors imagine the earth to be .",
        "this is one of the more tepid , unmemorable animated offerings of late , with no real energy or cleverness .",
        "it looks pretty good , features some nice voice work , has a couple of killer action sequences and generates a few solid laughs . but mostly dreamworks ' new animated sinbad feels under-inspired .",
        "-lsb- lacks -rsb- the sparkle and inventiveness of the stories that inspired it .",
        "the movie makes serious waves -- and looks its best -- when the swashbuckler faces off with gothic , gigantic , grossly malformed sea monsters . but other than that , kids might not care to soak in this one .",
        "lacking in wit , originality and spectacle , it is passable at best .",
        "derivative , flat and uninspired , the film attempts to bring the mythical hero of the arabian nights and all those wonderful ray harryhausen stop-action movies into the realm of animation without adding much to his aura or his stature .",
        "the old sinbad movies gave that sailor the narrative respect he deserved . this version is formulaic and crass , hardly the stuff of grand adventure .",
        "fantastic images aside , sinbad is n't much more than the tale of a ` bad ' guy getting in touch with his good side , as well as a love story that makes monster-loving little boys go ` yuck ! ' and that 's what 's too bad about sinbad .",
        "in the , um , grand tradition of treasure planet , sinbad : legend of the seven seas sets tall , animated ships a ` sail on a voyage to nowhere particularly engaging .",
        "on behalf of all grownups everywhere , i 'd like to say this : ewww .",
        "enough sleek cartooning and swashbuckling action to satisfy young and old audiences alike .",
        "although sinbad : legend of the seven seas may not necessarily have that certain pixar cleverness for adults , it provides more than enough good old-fashioned entertainment for the family .",
        "all sinbad has got to do is keep the thrills and chills coming , and it does so with boundless energy .",
        "even better than the similarly themed treasure planet . kids will enjoy it .",
        "directors tim johnson and patrick gilmore fail to deliver anything close to harryhausen 's awe and wonder in dreamworks ' take on the sinbad adventure .",
        "on average , the animation is as flat as the script .",
        "it only takes one big miscalculation to sink a movie . sinbad : legend of the seven seas has two .",
        "sinbad is rich with ideas and images .",
        "the story may be too slow and complicated for the youngest moviegoers .",
        "... the film was lackluster in its presentation .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i would have liked the characters to resemble their famous voice actors , but a sinbad who looks as good as brad pitt might be too cute for his own legend !",
        "to understand how completely , contemptibly and cavalierly dreamworks has gutted the arabian legend of sinbad ... all you need is one line of dialogue : ` who 's baaad ? ... sinbad ! '",
        "the hero 's boat makes it back to port after a multitude of near-disasters , but the movie sinks ... though visually pretty , it 's bland , and though filled with action , it 's curiously enervated .",
        "nice try mr. katzenberg , but not a winner this round .",
        "the film plods inexcusably , and even the hero 's traditional non-bipedal buddy is utterly without charm .",
        "the script is a lifeless blend of comedy , action , and romance clearly based on a 21st century mouse house template .",
        "passable family entertainment that could have been easily turned into a more noteworthy animated epic .",
        "sinbad is harmlessly inoffensive enough to be enjoyed by the kind of pre-teen kids who love a good swashbuckling adventure full of all those cartoon cliches , but anyone hoping for more will have to set sail on another adventure .",
        "visually , it 's a winner , but , script-wise , it is sorely uninspired ."],
    "summary": "competent , but not magical .",
    "id": "10918"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fighting",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this story of a country boy who goes to the big city and uses his brawn to make his way is so slow it 's almost inert .",
        "rock musician-turned-director dito montiel fails to make much of a fist with his second feature , MOV , though he deserves points for trying to add some contemporary new york city grit .",
        "b movie w / a strong right hook . other strong hooks include terrance howard and luis guzman . subtle , channing tatum delievers a solid performance as well -lrb- dancer to figher -rrb- .",
        "they should have thrown in the towel before it even began .",
        "a film that could only possibly entertain two very specific groups of people -- those who want to watch channing tatum and those who want to watch channing tatum get punched in the face repeatedly",
        "replacing a dance off with bloody knuckles is just bad movie making .",
        "the first rule of MOV is : you do n't talk about MOV . so please just pretend you can hear me giggling derisively instead .",
        "parental content review",
        "i think the screenplay is punchdrunk .",
        "i am trying to pinpoint just when i realized how terrible this film really was . it could have been the fact that it hit a dead end around twenty minutes in .",
        "why does it feel like there 's a good half-hour missing from the final product ? specifically , the 30 minutes where the characters and motivations are explained ?",
        "the director plays a visual game of three card monte on us for this silly , weakly acted and yet sometimes entertaining variation on the ` big fight ' movie formula .",
        "what montiel found on the streets of his native queens in a guide to recognizing your saints , which he adapted from his own memoir , eludes him in his sophomore go-round . he 's still a legitimate contender in my book , but in MOV he 's shadow boxing .",
        "too dumb to be taken seriously and too slow to be a fun and mindless b flick , MOV ends up being not much of anything .",
        "`` MOV '' seems like a no-brainer project for dito montiel that he needed to get out of his system before he can move back into an emotionally rarefied world as complex as that of his first film .",
        "... MOV is destined to disappoint viewers hoping for an enthralling bit of brawl-centric entertainment ...",
        "it 's like an exploitation movie that thinks it 's an art movie , only there 's no art to be found .",
        "too bad the boxing blueprint does n't provide montiel the profound insight of walter hill 's hard times and undisputed which perfectly combined class , ethnicity and existentialism into the two best boxing movies ever made .",
        "it 's all footnotes , hardly any main story , and overcompensates by jacking up the violence .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "still , the biggest problem with ighting is that fight club -lrb- which was released 10 years ago -rrb- got there first . on almost every level -- pacing , humor , originality , the choreography of the fight scenes -- MOV ca n't touch it .",
        "the first rule of fight flicks ? for god 's sake , do n't be boring .",
        "the ladies in the crowd will be demanding a refund when it takes far too long for tatum to show off those abs of steel .",
        "-lsb- tatum is -rsb- believably tough and appealing , but the long stretches of nothing between the fights make this a chore to sit through -- without a fast-forward button .",
        "stuck between the aggressively dumb and violent and movie its audience might be expecting and the subtle , tender movie montiel seems to be aiming for , MOV never quite finds its groove .",
        "you might expect a movie called MOV to be a blunt , literal affair , and in the case of dito montiel 's new film , you would not be wrong .",
        "when it 's not throwing punches , MOV moves at a glacial pace . for a film about MOV there sure is a lot of talking .",
        "the weirdest thing about MOV is how it seems to be MOV itself , as if there were a much longer movie left on the cutting room floor",
        "has stylish editing and moderately exciting action sequences , but that does n't come close to compensating for a contrived , bland screenplay that ultimately lacks palpable thrills and fails to pack any real punches when it comes to drama and romance .",
        "there are no surprises here - this is a story that has been told before , many times . but tatum gives us a glimpse of the charisma that could make him a star .",
        "like a poor man 's fight club , MOV is hardly a heavyweight . but with an enjoyable performance from terrence howard , the film is no disaster .",
        "the tell-it-as-it-is title hardly indicates anything out of the ordinary , but this bare-knuckle boxing flick is put together with more love than you 'd expect .",
        "the problem is that , even with some very strong acting , we 're never quite convinced to believe either the relationships or situations .",
        "quite how that will go down with his testosterone-fuelled , spotty audience , i have no idea .",
        "while everything is highly predictable , the film is well designed and bone-crushingly violent fights are ably staged in brooklyn .",
        "all of this , however , is plainly just a veneer on a solidly generic punch-up movie , and it thus becomes a drag . a more cartoonish approach would probably have been more fun .",
        "MOV is a testosterone-driven movie full of blood , beautiful women , big muscles and enough plot to be a good movie .",
        "montiel 's film lands on its feet with a gripping , will-he-or-won ` t-he third act - it 's worth the wait .",
        "you could n't call MOV great - at its core it is simply too cruddy - but montiel has managed to inject it with the smell and feel of the streets that he clearly once knew well .",
        "MOV evocatively captures the texture of new york city",
        "i like the way the personalities are allowed to upstage the plot in MOV , a routine three-act fight story that creates uncommonly interesting characters .",
        "white-knuckle action and bruisingly bad dialogue make for an uneven but wildly entertaining fight flick .",
        "though its rough-around-the-edges style occasionally veers into outright sloppiness , the film is an antidote to slick studio product like 2008 's mma advertisement never back down , and it infuses even its clich\u00e9s with the poetry of the everyday .",
        "as painful as the movie 's bloody bare-knuckle brawls can be to watch , they do n't hold a candle to the frightening spectacle of tatum brooding or , yikes , terrence howard doing whatever it is terrence howard 's doing in this movie .",
        "a film that is , itself , MOV to break free of its own contrivances and conventions",
        "the movie courses with the crazy energy and urban life that usually get sapped out of these tales of men beating the life out of each other . this one feels almost electrically authentic .",
        "montiel 's debut indicated that he had something real to say about working-class life , but none of that passion comes through here .",
        "a purpose-free , self-serious yawner that is just dreary , uninspired and hopelessly forgettable .",
        "a better title might have been talking as MOV plays second fiddle , maybe even third fiddle , in this gritty tale set in the world of new york street MOV .",
        "the protagonist happens to be played by an actor who looks more like a fashion model than tough street fighter",
        "channing tatum -lrb- gi joe : rise of the cobra -rrb- is crazy beautiful , and perfectly cast as a slow , troubled young man .",
        "call a movie MOV , you expect action . only include shots of channing tatum shirtless in the trailer , you expect to see half-naked tatum . MOV does n't deliver either .",
        "yes , both channing tatum and zulay henao ... have careers for their looks alone , and they 'd have better careers delivering pizza than delivering dialogue .",
        "the only thing you 'll be ` MOV ' is your lagging attention span .",
        "despite the formulaic script and cringe worthy moments , the performances from the leads and creation of the subculture are well executed by director montiel .",
        "there 's something interesting in this film and that 's the reality it brings to its subject matter . scenes seem real . and that 's a lot to do with the performances . they 're all terrific . but there 's the reality of new york too , there 's grit here .",
        "MOV consistently feels like a patchwork of better movies without their excitement or rooting interest in character .",
        "entertaining and engaging , MOV has action , romance and a buddy element in a tight , professional package",
        "montiel and his collaborators can pat themselves on the back for elevating empty material just a bit , but this is disposable cinema , designed to hit and run after an opening weekend . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "if you want to see a shirtless hunk knocking the shit out of fierce fighters , who better to do it than gorgeous hottie channing tatum .",
        "shot with pace , energy and gusto , the rucks are worthy of the title . featherweight , but not without scrappy charm .",
        "the film is lifted slightly by the performances of howard and tatum , even though the latter 's mumbling delivery is more stallone than de niro . but even rocky 's narrative had a redemptive arc .",
        "MOV has nothing to say about men willing to pummel each other senseless . montiel 's second feature is a facile , unchallenging watch , floating like a butterfly but stinging a bit like one , too .",
        "while there are punch-ups aplenty , it 's less concerned with bruised knuckles and more interested in the bruised personalities of its protagonists , making for a thoughtful , if rarely electrifying , movie .",
        "there 's the expected amount of fist-play and bloodletting , this is also a nicelymade movie that ably confirms suitably muscular channing tatum as a young talent to keep an eye on .",
        "despite its dog-eared underpinnings , MOV delivers some heady testoster-tainment . but it 's channing tatum who gives it a bruising grace .",
        "the talented cast deserved better than turgid direction and a cliched script .",
        "the bone-crunching punch-ups will knock you out , but if you want surprises you need to watch a real match .",
        "it 's lively , relentlessly clich\u00e9-ridden and , for no good reason - this certainly does n't contribute to an air of authenticity - presented in a succession of apparently and often uncomfortably semi-improvised scenes .",
        "strangely , perhaps because tatum is so likable , a sympathetic attraction is maintained well enough for you to leave the theater not complaining .",
        "murderously dull stretches of dialogue suck most of the fun out of this sloppy drama about a country boy trying to make a buck in the big city by moonlighting as an underground prizefighter .",
        "for all the utter phoniness of MOV ... -lsb- it 's -rsb- not so bad .",
        "there 's a lot of honest effort and investment here in character and emotion , which feels refreshing .",
        "director dito montiel 's jump from indie to studio film is mostly a successful one .",
        "tatum 's limited acting abilities and montiel 's lack of a consistent vision for his film keeps it from ever delivering on a promising central premise .",
        "may not score a knockout , but it sure wins on points .",
        "as innocuous as its title , this modest indie about underground street MOV boasts a gritty tongue-in-cheek attitude but -lrb- sorry -rrb- packs little punch .",
        "the film 's a watchable and forgettable clich\u00e9 stack , with a cherry on top .",
        "the rest of the narrative is a smear of gangster clich\u00e9s , head-slapping collisions of coincidence , and shirtless tatum scowling . one has to wonder how a homeless street fighter has the time and tools to shave his entire upper body on a daily basis .",
        "for all its attention to local `` color '' , MOV focuses on the white boy 's progress .",
        "it 's not a great film , or even a particularly good one , but every so often you catch glimpses of a better movie behind the simplistic structure and formulaic plot .",
        "this is watchable enough , but there is n't really much more to MOV than , well , the MOV .",
        "both howard and tatum do strong , measured work , imbuing some of the film 's terrible dialogue with a soulfulness that almost carries it through . but this is no midnight cowboy - it 's not even rocky .",
        "pretty much everything you need to know about this by-the-numbers clunker is summarized in the one-word title",
        "as predictable as picking the winner in a wwe wrestling match .",
        "MOV is n't a dreadful film , just one where it 's best not to expect any great surprises .",
        "the brawls have a brutal energy , and howard 's performance is magnetic , but one gains little sense of character from the improvised dialogue or tatum 's sub-brando mumbling .",
        "this should be a fun ride but it 's a kind of pointless movie that beggars belief it was made in the first place let alone given a big screen cinema release . go rent rocky instead .",
        "the audience are left with something in the middle-not enough brains , not enough brawn , and , most importantly , not enough ruddy MOV .",
        "the movie is n't that great but channing tatum and terrence howard are .",
        "while the characters are interesting , their situation is banal , and the MOV footage is absolutely terrible .",
        "its generic and lazy title notwithstanding , MOV is almost a good movie .",
        "this is rocky for the ufc generation ... but what dito montiel 's film lacks in subtlety it makes up for with heartfeltness , though not quite artfulness .",
        "if you need an actor to look good in an underground street fight , hire channing tatum .",
        "the fights may not be very convincing , but the story 's underdog structure is satisfying in a happy-clich\u00e9 sort of way . MOV is rocky without the bombast , fight club without the daft metaphysical pretensions .",
        "... shapeless and sloppy ...",
        "a sad-solid tko .",
        "filmed ... with a colorful , grimy intimacy that unabashedly showcases all of the oozing pores that the filmmakers can find , but never makes its settings seem unpleasant or unlivable .",
        "most damaging to the film is perhaps its futile insistence that it 's somehow more than a bargain-basement b picture .",
        "there 's only so much you can do with a clich\u00e9 .",
        "it 's all well-enough acted , but an audience young enough to find this dramatically fresh will be disappointed that MOV is n't the non-stop head-smacking bloodbath they are promised going in .",
        "it 's like in all this drama , they forgot to have a scene .",
        "grainy photography , unexpected wit , action , and some earthy realism elevate it above its cliches .",
        "there 's an effective , unstylized authenticity to those fights . a life or death mania , which enhanced the film 's credibility .",
        "this is a story we 've seen dozens of times before .",
        "by making good use of its new york setting , montiel does bring a certain indie grit to the generic story .",
        "there 's a better movie inside it struggling to get out .",
        "MOV arrives fully charged by the charisma of its star , channing tatum .",
        "the movie dito montiel actually wanted to make might be less marketable than one prominently featuring tatum rumbling with ethnic stereotypes , but it 'd be more interesting .",
        "it is tatum 's performance that leads us to praise men of brute innocence .",
        "at every turn , MOV is alive and unexpected .",
        "surprisingly this turns out to be the real deal , full of ferocious , red-hot , action-packed dynamite .",
        "disarmingly entertaining .",
        "wait for dvd or , better yet , cable television , where you can change the channel every time tatum stops MOV and starts talking .",
        "though by no means original or especially ambitious , MOV turns out to be a surprisingly watchable b-movie .",
        "the screenplay about a hunky street vendor turned underground fighter -lrb- channing tatum of stop-loss -rrb- is sloppy and false .",
        "MOV may find an audience on home video , where the flaws become easier to tune out and the things that are good - and that are , on occasion , legitimately great - are easier to focus on .",
        "in a genre where too many films are all brawn and no brain , MOV is a contender .",
        "the atmosphere of MOV feels grittily real , even when the story does not ."],
    "summary": "though MOV has a likable lead performer , and the fight scenes are impressive , the paper-thin plot ultimately unravels .",
    "id": "770728101"
  },
  {
    "movie": "project_nim",
    "reviews":
     [
        "gripping , heart-wrenching , powerful and a sad indictment of scientific practice , which shows that ` human ' and ` humane ' are all-too-often mutually exclusive .",
        "gives us jolt of clarity into our ` playing god ' actions , one filled initially with both hope then despair that ultimately makes you ashamed to be human .",
        "you 're left with the impression that , despite not being able to grasp basic human grammar , perhaps nim was unwittingly conditioned into understanding the concept of love .",
        "nim 's journey is profoundly moving ...",
        "intriguing yet ineffably sad , what emerges is not the story of an ape who failed to be human , but a story of human failings .",
        "the saddest part is seeing him being given to a family with no expertise with animals or sign language and then having to adapt to too many different and increasingly restrictive types of lifestyles as he 's moved from one place to another .",
        "a documentary , stunningly watchable , about the 1970s american research team that explored the `` educability '' of a chimpanzee .",
        "one of the best documentaries of the year .",
        "as a cinema experience , MOV was never likely to reach the heights of marsh 's man on wire , but the eccentricities of his story made it well worth telling .",
        "in MOV marsh is much less concerned with the scientific results of the study than he is with the behavior of the human beings involved , particularly dr. terrace whose behavior was , to put it mildly , not a credit to his species .",
        "'70s hippie scientists were messed up .",
        "very quickly it becomes clear that the life of nim chimpsky is foremost a story about the human animal , and human behavior .",
        "a very absorbing film .",
        "easily positions -lsb- james -rsb- marsh at the forefront of contemporary non-fiction filmmaking .",
        "`` MOV '' is practically irresistible . the story keeps getting odder and richer and more complicated .",
        "if there 's one thing marsh knows , it 's how to reach your deepest emotions . he did it with ` man on wire , ' and he does it again here .",
        "james marsh 's film is more than a cautionary tale - it 's a horror story ... nim is a victim of human caprice in the name of science .",
        "marsh 's film remains a deeply haunting portrait of the unbridgeable gap between kindred species .",
        "the good news is that the film 's stylistic excesses do n't negate the many fascinating aspects of nim 's story .",
        "though marsh 's errol morris-like style can get glib , it never gets boring .",
        "the film as a whole maintains a precarious but rewarding balance between multi-generational soap opera and simplistic animal-rights agitprop .",
        "fascinating characters ... inescapably provokes consideration of the human animal 's primal nature .",
        "after watching `` MOV , '' a distressing portrait of a misguided 1970s language experiment , you 'll be glad you 're not a chimp in a cage . but you might want to revoke your membership in the human race .",
        "if movies about talking cars or warlike robots do n't interest you , MOV is the latest documentary -lrb- following buck -rrb- to offer a satisfying , adult alternative . it tells a story that is both stranger and more thought-provoking than ...",
        "a probing exploration -- at times painfully so -- of humankind 's arrogance as well as of the moral superiority some other species unwittingly possess . one of the five best documentaries of 2011 .",
        "at times hilarious but ultimately heartbreaking , `` MOV '' is a great chronicle of the 1970s and all the nutty ideas that implies ; academia in particular comes in for a hard reckoning .",
        "affecting chimpanzee docu is more than monkey business .",
        "what makes this film especially engrossing is that what happened between that chimp and the humans with whom he spent his life in intimate contact turns out to be only half the story that marsh , who directed the electrifying `` man on wire , '' has to tell .",
        "marsh tells this story clearly and sympathetically , and he has the backlog of film and the witnesses to do so .",
        "as in `` man on wire , '' marsh shows smooth craft and a sharp eye , and `` MOV '' is at once astounding and infuriating .",
        "enough irony here to power a half dozen relationship dramas , skillfully directed by marsh .",
        "like the experiment itself , `` MOV '' morphs from something inspiring and often humorous to a pointed and disturbing portrait of arrogance run amok . greed and glory end up overriding decency and altruism , and it 's heartbreaking to watch .",
        "nim is as unforgettable as the treatment of him is unspeakable .",
        "a stellar documentary ...",
        "it 's an astonishing story , and one of the year 's best documentaries .",
        "as nim 's story turns from scientifically compelling to tragic , marsh is able to craft a drama that appeals even to those who are n't exactly card-carrying members of peta .",
        "marsh ... masterfully spins a harrowing tale of human arrogance that eventually gives way to cruelty bordering on the pathological .",
        "fascinating and exquisitely executed .",
        "very strong and takes more than a few pages out of the errol morris playbook .",
        "nim 's story is so fascinating and telling ... that it would probably be impossible for even the very worst of filmmakers to screw it up , and marsh is not the worst of filmmakers .",
        "writer-director james marsh mines yet another long-forgotten slice of '70s madness .",
        "it is the sad story of an animal whose fate is left in the hands of people -- some well-meaning , some not so much -- who are error-prone , unprepared for dealing with a chimpanzee , and often uncaring .",
        "in a way , nim 's life journey mirrors our own , particularly if we end up alone , no longer having much control over what happens to us .",
        "tales of the attacks nim inflicted on his many carers are horrific , but there is a pervasive sense there was nothing else they could have expected .",
        "MOV nimbly serves up a profoundly sad tale that raises as many thought-provoking questions as it answers .",
        "this tale of a hard done by chip places a light on when unethical scientific research and the post 1960s counterculture combine to create an experiment done wrong in MOV .",
        "... succeeds as theater , as entertainment , but it does n't really attempt what terrace tried , in his admittedly morally clumsy way . what is the light in those feral eyes and what does it mean ? can we ever hope to know ?",
        "the film teases us with a paradox : arguably nim 's keepers were wrong to try to endow their protege with human attributes , but can we empathise with his suffering without making the same mistake ?",
        "funny at times , but also deeply sad , it 's a truly fascinating and well made documentary .",
        "an astonishing documentary about a chimp raised as a human and the calamitous consequences .",
        "sexual politics , family dynamics , the debate over heredity versus environment , and the dubious ethics of scientific research on animals are rigorously explored in this ambitious , bittersweet work .",
        "if only this were a media-fueled tall tale and not one poor creature 's lifelong nightmare .",
        "a darkly hilarious social portrait of the bizarre alternate universe of 1970s academia and an extraordinary biography of a non-human individual , on whom all sorts of human desires and ideologies were projected .",
        "brilliant , provocative , clear of eye and heavy of heart ...",
        "forget the chimp nature vs. nurture angle , someone should study the humans .",
        "another singular case exploited and expanded to look ordinary",
        "` MOV , ' an enthralling and appalling documentary by james marsh , chronicles the collision of two species .",
        "mr. marsh , by allowing those closest to nim plenty of room to explain themselves , examines the moral complexity of this story without didacticism .",
        "animal activists should push for public awareness of ` MOV ' and its sourcebook , elizabeth hess ' ` nim chimpsky : the chimp who would be human . '",
        "james marsh spins another gripping , if occasionally superficial , true-life yarn in his follow-up to the oscar-winning doc man on wire .",
        "MOV will be considered amongst the best docs of the year and another brilliant piece of work from marsh .",
        "this haunting life story is an exquisite example of non-fiction filmmaking as full-bodied , emotionally complex drama .",
        "there is no question nim was exploited for human gain , yet there are important aspects which marsh leaves unexplored .",
        "one of the 10 best films of 2011 .",
        "this is one of those great documentaries which could be transposed almost without change into a heartbreaking hollywood tearjerker .",
        "a tragic chronicle of animal abuse .",
        "like an orphan out of dickens , nim is a sorrowful figure buffeted by the winds of the greedy , selfish and more powerful ...",
        "MOV borrows a page or nine from the errol morris handbook , crafting its extraordinary story out of an operatic mix of crisply framed interviews , archival footage , and well-staged recreations .",
        "a fascinating , unflinching and tragic documentary about the chimpanzee we tried to make human .",
        "i was rooting for the film to end with a shot of the statue of liberty on a beach .",
        "this smart doc should prove the perfect summer antidote to most of summer 's films that require you to turn your brain off to enjoy them .",
        "a documentary detailing man 's inhumanity to beast , `` MOV '' ends up going past that to ask a deeper , disturbing question : just who is the man , and who is the beast ?",
        "yet another captivating , heartfelt , provocative and stylishly edited documentary from the brilliant james marsh .",
        "as he did in man on wire , marsh seamlessly integrates dramatized shots and scenes with authentic home-movie and news footage of nim and his human companions . i 've never been a fan of recreations in documentaries , but marsh uses them better than ...",
        "the ` nature vs. nurture ' debate rarely explores each side so literally and so closely .",
        "extraordinarily evolved documentary , proving it 's ethically and emotionally devastating to monkey with nature .",
        "director james marsh smartly , slyly suggests through cinematic style that MOV was far from an authentic scientific experiment .",
        "a focused , very good documentary instead of the great one that could have been crafted from this bizarre true tale with a bit more scope .",
        "it 's a gripping , unsentimental , at times unbearably sad real-life drama about an animal torn from his own world and stranded in the human one .",
        "marsh never speaks on or off camera , but his editing of the testimony makes clear his belief that in trying to make nim more human , his teachers made themselves less so .",
        "for a film where so many people seem , in varying degrees , culpable , marsh indulges in very little finger-pointing . he does n't need to . the indignities are hiding in plain sight .",
        "like many other good docs , this one leaves the audience thinking about the validity of the experiments .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- more than just a brilliant documentary , `` MOV '' is a unique cinematic experience .",
        "british filmmaker james marsh recreates this tale of an ambitious primate language study through traditional face-the-camera interviews , clever graphics and dramatic recreations . a powerful musical score adds gravitas .",
        "filmmaker marsh follows up the amazing man on wire with another thoroughly gripping narrative documentary , this time telling the life story of a chimpanzee that was raised as a human .",
        "marsh 's documentaries are inspired fusions of content and style , and here , the artistry intensifies the pain .",
        "it 's dispiriting to see james marsh deploy a rhetorical strategy of simply assuming human/chimp equivalence in order to stoke outrage at nim 's post-experiment treatment .",
        "full of twists and turns like a thriller , james marsh 's compelling docu deals with provocative and timely issues , such as biological versus cultural determinism .",
        "an impressively directed , superbly edited and utterly riveting tale with an endlessly fascinating collection of twists and turns and some intriguing points to make about both animal and human behaviour .",
        "MOV , a fascinating and in many ways tragic documentary , takes us back to one of the high-water marks of the apes-are-people-too era .",
        "james marsh 's MOV ruminates on ideas of ` nature versus nurture ' but these are by no means the only contentious issues raised in this complex , heartbreaking work .",
        "you end up fearing for the humans who contact him . at the same time , you feel his rage .",
        "the chimp comes out of it well . homo sapiens , of course , is found wanting .",
        "a corrective to all those family films and documentaries , many of them by disney , that sentimentalise - and patronise - wild animals by trying to turn them into quirky , mentally subnormal humans .",
        "marsh 's poignant film showcases the best and worst instincts of human nature and tells an extraordinary tale .",
        "this many-faceted time capsule sheds little light , but buried inside it are vexing questions and the still-beating heart of a special creature .",
        "marsh , who made the multi-awarded man on a wire , takes no sides but lets the humans speak for themselves , rum lot that they are .",
        "despite some heartbreak in the last half , this film brims with humanity and some priceless humour , too .",
        "the release of this documentary by james marsh in the same week as rise of the planet of the apes is wittily timed . it too speaks of caged primates , though its judgement on their captors is far more disturbing .",
        "about as far as you can get from cin\u00e9ma v\u00e9rit\u00e9 in its artful combination of archive material , existing documentary footage , newly filmed interviews and dramatic reconstruction , to trace nim 's strange progress .",
        "i was very moved by this film .",
        "it 's the scab of decades-old tension between those involved in the experiment and its aftermath that marsh wants to pick at ; and it does n't take much prodding before the conflicts and petty human jealousies rise to the top .",
        "the result is as scarring and engrossing as it is fascinating , infuriating and profound .",
        "marsh 's sensitive doc is a light look at some dark clues to the kind of creatures we really are .",
        "this non-fiction animal biography deserves recognition for a brilliant editing job in condensing the running time to 93 minutes .",
        "for the second film in a row , marsh has created a movie we ca n't keep our eyes off .",
        "MOV provides the much needed backstory to modern scientific achievement unavoidably earned on the backs of innocent apes .",
        "we are uncomfortably reminded throughout the film that all living creatures have worth . including man-made hybrids . correction : especially man-made hybrids .",
        "MOV introduces quite an extraordinary tale of woe from a puzzling subject , but its aim is slightly off , diluting the final summation of a wholly troubling existence .",
        "what appears to be a slyly amusing film about an experiment that sounds mostly just goofy turns into a reasonably serious indictment of those conducting the experiment .",
        "director james marsh -lrb- an oscar winner for man on wire -rrb- charts the heartbreaking and often incredible events without ever veering towards mawkish sentimentality .",
        "a gripping animal biopic that takes audiences on a journey that begins with laugher , amusement and bemusement and ends , in the case of several viewers around me , with tears .",
        "MOV certainly tugs on the heartstrings but the movie earns it because the story is so unique .",
        "the first great documentary of 2011 ... james marsh has done it again .",
        "the film takes pleasure in revealing the dysfunctional nature of its human characters , who are shown to be hugely fallible , much to the detriment of nim 's well being .",
        "here 's a documentary so slick , novel , touching and outrageous that your first thought might be `` this has to be fake . ''",
        "a story both infuriating and complex as revealed by director james marsh , who won an oscar for his last film , the brilliant man on wire ...",
        "this portrait of nim probably tells us a lot more about human behavior than it does about the chimp at its center , also offering sociological perspectives over the changing times .",
        "this sad , informative film is a high-quality documentary and another feather in the cap of james marsh .",
        "a thorough and provocative portrait , which shies away from anthropomorphising nim as much as possible - accentuating his animal nature as well as what might be considered more `` human '' attributes .",
        "a provocative and surprisingly emotional saga that ranges from wrenching to downright hilarious as it spans more than a quarter-century of unpredictable twists .",
        "after watching this eye-opening documentary , one almost hopes for a rebellion of the chimpanzees like the one seen in the latest installment in the planet of the apes franchise .",
        "marsh is too content framing the entire film around the narrative spun by its subjects , rather than stamping his own authorship on the film , and as a result it lacks the power and depth of his previous work .",
        "MOV tells a sweet , strange and sad story of an incredible creature that will touch even the hardest of hearts .",
        "marsh 's film is as much a study of how we behave as a species as it is of what happens to nim . and we do n't come off particularly well .",
        "driven by james marsh 's measured storytelling style , this ethically unsettling and emotionally compelling documentary is the equal of any cinematic epic .",
        "a bizarre , captivating and somewhat sad new documentary .",
        "marsh knows this material is explosive , so he presents it simply and with little sentiment -lrb- against all odds , `` nim '' is frequently very funny -rrb- .",
        "a thought-proving and entirely moving portrait of human arrogance -- in general and with some very , very specific examples .",
        "MOV does n't try to reconcile its different understandings of nim -- as an experiment , a child , a projection of various selves , and a complex , independent being .",
        "for a movie about an ape , it sheds an interesting light on humanity . animals may be wild , but only humans are cruel ."],
    "summary": "equal parts hilarious , poignant , and heartbreaking , MOV not only tells a compelling story masterfully , but also raises the flag on the darker side of human nature .",
    "id": "771224201"
  },
  {
    "movie": "transamerica",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's not satirical irony when you do it with such overwrought vinegar that it becomes ugly and mean-spirited .",
        "not neat , nor tidy ; a road trip-redemption movie you 've never seen before . * it 's really beautiful , - i hope it gives people a reason to love and tolerate where they never might have before .",
        "the result of huffman 's and zegers ' fine performances , and tucker 's excellent work , is one of the most thought-provoking and best films of the year .",
        "if you can get past the transsexual element , you 'll see an often-humorous road trip movie that turns into a story about relationships and the bond that ties family together .",
        "an abrupt but unforgettable movie with rough edges that lend it even more resonance .",
        "it sometimes suggests a john waters drag farce trying to go mainstream and sentimental .",
        "in MOV , felicity huffman out-victor/victorias julie andrews in victor/victoria .",
        "the movie works , and it does work , because felicity huffman brings great empathy and tact to her performance as bree .",
        "huffman is on delicate ground throughout the film but she infuses the role with fragility , strength and grace .",
        "the film 's triumph is that it 's ultimately much more than a stunt -- despite occasional missteps , it 's mostly a sweet , penetrating , funny and intensely human story .",
        "the emmy-winning desperate housewives actress is sympathetic and quietly believable as a pre-op transsexual .",
        "with a tough-minded performance from felicity huffman and a script from writer and director duncan tucker that keeps its eyes on the road , MOV goes in for neither broad laughs nor ` we 're all the same ' speechifying .",
        "huffman makes it a must-see .",
        "as bree , who started her unhappy life as stanley , the angular huffman , a fine comedic actress who carried home an emmy this fall , is a compelling portrait of wounded dignity . she is wholly fascinating and heartbreaking .",
        "it 's all a little too cute and pat to be believable , and tucker ca n't resist showing us everything he has learned about transsexuals in between the embarrassing moments and odd encounters .",
        "a generally fun movie that offers a different perspective on , well , a different perspective .",
        "felicity huffman 's performance as bree is striking in much the way charlize theron 's was in monster .",
        "tucker never allows transsexualism to degenerate into a gimmick , although the movie sometimes seems to be having difficulty extending its admiration to anyone but bree and toby .",
        "everything about the movie feels gimmicky , including huffman 's mannered performance .",
        "the key to huffman 's performance ... is the way she plays the role with dignity . she likes this man , and so do we .",
        "maybe the hype had my expectations too high , but i expected more from huffman .",
        "a perfect example of an ordinary movie made unique by the powerhouse performance of its lead .",
        "cheap laughs lead to surefire tears , running together like a messy paint-by-numbers project .",
        "it 's a farce with heart , a meditation on identity , family and gender politics that has real faith in its characters -- even when the characters themselves lack it .",
        "there 's a terrific performance here by huffman , and an interesting premise . but for me , the script did n't ring true .",
        "huffman 's performance in MOV , as a pre-op male-to-female transsexual coping with the sudden emergence of a long-lost son , is much better than the movie it 's in ; indeed , she singlehandedly takes MOV to a higher plane .",
        "huffman ... elevates a film that otherwise is too comfortable coasting on the waves of too many simple-minded movies before it .",
        "a touching portrait of a world where everyone 's a little bit born again and a little bit lost ... re-examines our uneasy expectations about identity , family , and gender .",
        "the challenge of huffman 's role is n't just in physical terms , but also in bree 's conflicted state of serving at once as toby 's father , mother and friend .",
        "circumvents treacly lessons in tolerance and rewards itself with the resonance of re-birth and second chances .",
        "pleasant even without reaching much of a destination .",
        "while MOV occasionally feels strangely conventional , of all things , first-time writer-director duncan tucker unflinchingly tackles subject matter that most of america would rather not even acknowledge exists .",
        "huffman gives a rivetting oscar-caliber perfromance , but the tv-like film is more interested in parent-child melodrama that in the sociobiological issues of transsexuals",
        "issues of gender differrence are employed only to reinforce less original dilemmas -- family dysfunction , dating woes and -lrb- eek -rrb- meeting the grandparents .",
        "it 's mildly disappointing .",
        "i was watching the real felicity huffman , but had no idea .",
        "impressively realized on all levels , this transgender spin on the road trip boasts an extraordinary central performance .",
        "MOV : what 's your daddy 's bra size ?",
        "crudely directed by duncan tucker , MOV is part road movie , part comedy , part heartbreaker and part self-indulgent sexual sideshow .",
        "there 's a reason felicity huffman 's lead performance is the only element of MOV that 's getting any awards play : nothing else about the film is especially noteworthy .",
        "tucker toes the line between indie raggedness and studio-produced sheen . his script and tone carry the jagged edges of a personal story , with characters that seem to possess a free will beyond studio formula .",
        "a studio could have made the same movie if huffman had been playing a mother rather than a father ; writer-director duncan tucker has begun with a new idea and then made it as old-hat as possible .",
        "a ` b - ' film with an ` a + ' leading performance ...",
        "MOV is a routine road-trip comedy-drama with a twist .",
        "tucker 's patchy road movie takes the dysfunctional family to the outer limits of the twilight zone .",
        "the film succeeds on the goodwill of the performances and the message , which make up for the relatively simplistic story .",
        "not very exciting , but unexpected humor adds a couple of nice touches to this dysfunctional family/gender-bender/road trip movie .",
        "begins as a cult ` transgender ' film , then undergoes emergency reassignment surgery to become a mainstream adventure in parent-child ` closure . '",
        "if you think huffman seems desperate in desperate housewives , think again .",
        "huffman 's performance redeems parts of the movie but , until the final 30 minutes , MOV too often feels like a journey to nowhere .",
        "this is a surprisingly heartwarming movie and one of those rare films that leaves you wanting more .",
        "the acting can be so-so , the story implausible , the camerawork stolid -- none of that really matters if you care about what happens to the characters .",
        "huffman and zegers make `` MOV '' a road trip worth taking .",
        "writer-director duncan tucker does little to develop his narrative setup beyond the basic and obvious , and his film begins to feel more like an exercise than a fully realized story .",
        "defies expectations on nearly every level .",
        "the film itself is never quite as complex or daring a work of the imagination as -lsb- huffman 's -rsb- performance .",
        "it 's funny in spots , touching in others and uniformly life-affirming .",
        "you could call her desperate . she might even agree .",
        "it 's rare to encounter a performance so complete that you forget about the actor playing the role , but that 's what happens with felicity huffman in MOV .",
        "-lsb- felicity huffman -rsb- turns this small , resonant film into a cry from the heart .",
        "the strongest american debut since alexander payne 's citizen ruth .",
        "emmy-winning felicity huffman leaves the desperate housewives behind to create a memorable bigscreen presence in duncan tucker 's MOV .",
        "this road trip veers off the road violently at a certain point , and that 's too bad because it 's a really well made film that loses most of its punch in that one ill-advised scene . wait to rent it .",
        "the delightfully off-centered MOV is one those juicy little character pieces that allows felicity huffman to turn in an unbelievably gutsy , oscar-worthy performance .",
        "felicity huffman is such a wonder , at once funny and brave , playing a pre-op male-to-female transsexual in the uneven comedy MOV that she sustains several lapses that might otherwise have sunk it .",
        "before she was a desperate housewife , -lsb- felicity -rsb- huffman turned in this tour de force in what turns out to be a funny , charming , heartfelt road movie about a most unlikely pair .",
        "there has n't been this much gender confusion since victor/victoria -- and we 're loving it .",
        "you can sense -lsb- director -rsb- tucker and -lsb- felicity -rsb- huffman trying too hard to get it right , and strain is never convincing on screen .",
        "MOV is a road movie with a transexual twist , but it pretty much leaves it at that .",
        "an unnerving honestly infuses this film , from its near-documentary visual style to the gritty truthfulness of the performances .",
        "... in a constant state of terror at being unmasked as a mixed gender mama , huffman is phenomenal .",
        "sensitively written and directed by duncan tucker , it 's a moving , funny and involving story that takes us into the life of a transsexual who discovers that happiness is more than a nip and a tuck .",
        "... that rare film that ... takes us into the life of someone who might seem somewhat odd at first , but in the end turns out to be just a fellow human being .",
        "it 's a shame bree and huffman 's performance are trapped in a movie unworthy of their energy and courage .",
        "here 's one of the reasons that 2005 will be considered the year that changed motion pictures .",
        "by turns funny , touching and blessed with a generosity of spirit .",
        "huffman makes MOV worth seeing .",
        "despite the dullness of the main character , there are enough other interesting characters and plot developments to make the story compelling .",
        "it 's full of enough contrived and ludicrous soap opera-type plotting to make huffman 's tv series , desperate housewives , seem restrained and realistic .",
        "by turns hysterically funny and heartbreaking , MOV is a film of tremendous warmth , charm and perception anchored to a central performance of unique power .",
        "too clumsily handled to mean much .",
        "huffman gives it her all , transforming her physicality and her voice and revealing a character whose lifetime of pain and heartache is present in every gesture .",
        "lifetime through sundance",
        "huffman 's performance is the reason to see this sensitive , and sometimes touching drama . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "comfort food for a comfortable audience , with the tv-familiar huffman reassuring viewers that she 's really a real woman underneath that unflattering make-up .",
        "tucker 's screenplay is sharp but also sensitive , so the ample good humour never drifts into high camp -lrb- apart from the scenes with bree 's mother - and she is straight -rrb- .",
        "a well-tuned vehicle .",
        "a big part of the movie 's success is huffman 's irresistible and remarkable performance as bree , a character we identify with rather than feel alienated by .",
        "-lrb- huffman 's -rrb- performance is one of those rare pieces of acting that actually deserves to be labeled a tour de force .",
        "la sorprendente composici\u00f3n de felicity huffman es el principal atractivo de esta road movie agridulce .",
        "what keeps huffman 's turn from being mere spectacle is the actor 's perceptive compassion for her character .",
        "a collision of adult sexual contradictions and teenage sexual survival filled with sensitivity , respect and , above all , humor .",
        "the best , and perhaps the only , reason to see duncan tucker 's MOV is for felicity huffman 's touching , shape-shifting performance as bree , a transgendered man on the verge of surgery to become a woman .",
        "an awkward yet engrossing first feature from writer-director duncan tucker .",
        "-lsb- felicity -rsb- huffman is on my long list for award note come the end of the year .",
        "... may not be a revolutionary film in the vein of `` the crying game '' or `` boys do n't cry , '' but it works as a road trip dramedy with a twist ...",
        "-lsb- felicity huffman 's -rsb- complex portrayal sometimes does n't fit the film 's broad , sitcom-style humor and thinly drawn supporting characters .",
        "MOV , starring felicity huffman as a pre-operative transsexual , is touching and sometimes funny , despite its overall air of indie earnestness .",
        "a crushingly dull film which practically hides huffman 's breakthrough performance behind a wall of indie screenwriting 101 clich\u00e9s .",
        "MOV , the feature debut of writer-director duncan tucker , never lets us forget that it 's a nonmainstream story about a nonmainstream subject , when ideally , it should simply be a story about a person .",
        "this unlikely director-writer has managed to show us something many of his hollywood peers ca n't -- how truth hurts , and that once confronted it ultimately builds a better sense of self-dignity .",
        "surprisingly centered and calm , neither exploiting the story 's sensational aspects nor ignoring them . it finds comedy and drama in the same places , often at the same time .",
        "if tucker 's road map often feels a little too confining and the screwball comedy too contrived , he can take credit for introducing viewers to a character they have almost certainly never met before .",
        "the delightful balancing of whimsy and deadly seriousness , light-hearted humor and cutting parody ... underscore the transgender message .",
        "huffman goes all out ... but writer/director duncan tucker plunks her down in the middle of a fairly average and ultimately routine road picture .",
        "MOV travels miles beyond road-movie cliches , chiefly through huffman 's oscar-worthy acting , but also through the realization that we are all freaks beneath our masks of gender differences and social conventions .",
        "MOV is a strange and wonderful film about becoming one 's true self , whatever that may entail .",
        "MOV provides the frame and the occasion for one of the year 's best performances , felicity huffman 's as a woman trapped in a man 's body who 's passing for female while awaiting a sex-change operation .",
        "a love story about two outsiders and their journey across america in search of self-respect and love .",
        "huffman ... -lsb- is -rsb- no more convincingly feminine than tony curtis or jack lemmon in some like it hot , and i 'm not sure whether that 's a compliment to her performance or a criticism .",
        "huffman 's biggest achievement comes from maintaining her character 's dignity and finding the necessary emotional tone that prevents MOV from sinking",
        "this is a very human story and not nearly as pat as it might have been .",
        "my congratulations to huffman for the best damned sex-change operation * result * in medical history !",
        "felicity huffman truly shines in a role that makes you forget she 's a man ... er ... woman .",
        "laugh-out-loud funny , tartly off-color and ultimately touching .",
        "duncan tucker has created a touching , nonjudgmental human drama about a protagonist who feels out of sorts with her body .",
        "with so much stereotypical melodrama , MOV is not a great film , but huffman 's performance transcends that : the movie may be nothing special , but she is .",
        "it yanks at the heartstrings too much to qualify as an edgy comedy-drama , but it 's far too bawdy to make it to the hallmark channel .",
        "for artistry and degree of technical difficulty , this judge awards felicity huffman a 10 for her performance in MOV . but as with so many elaborate olympic sports , this judge asks for clarification : what is the point of the exercise ?",
        "MOV is to wong foo but with a pre-op tranny protagonist and a strained parent-child dynamic .",
        "the most original american movie comedy this year .",
        "felicity huffman 's face is what holds you in duncan tucker 's delightful MOV .",
        "ms. huffman 's greatest acting achievement as bree is her ultimate unleashing of an intelligence and level-headedness that is truly beyond gender .",
        "wo n't be winning any awards for originality or visionary achievement , but in its own small , sweet way , the film -- and felicity huffman -- win you over .",
        "boosted by plenty of choice dialogue , including a queer analysis of the return of the king that sidesteps post-tarantino cuteness .",
        "it 's got a lot of humanity and a lot of heart . it 's smart .",
        "felicity huffman astonishes with her skill , her dignity , her bravura style and her knockout performance ."],
    "summary": "a terrific performance by felicity huffman carries this unconventional but touching transgender road movie .",
    "id": "50374652"
  },
  {
    "movie": "captivity",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a spirit-sapping exercise in female degradation fantasy .",
        "does exactly what it says on the tin , grabbing viewers unawares and keeping them in its thrall for an hour and a half of non-stop , heart-pounding exploitation kicks .",
        "the film 's clunky point-of-view shift and obviously re-shot climax are likely to have you choking in disbelief .",
        "torture junkies should remember it 's only four months to saw iv -- so you can afford to avoid MOV .",
        "a film of two halves , while the first is original , bleak and psychologically disturbing , the second could n't be more conventional if it tried . by the end , we 're the ones feeling like we 've been drugged and duped - into watching this nonsense .",
        "joffe and his screenwriter larry cohen deserve a little credit for pointing up the psychological horrors where they can , but MOV is still a grubby , exploitative film with an extremely guessable twist and universally dull performances .",
        "the film itself is a very sorry and unthrilling piece of nastiness , peddling some pretty crass nonsense about what it imagines to be female psychology .",
        "roland joff\u00e9 's feeble attempt to swing with the latest horror-flick fashion for gratuitous sensation is embarrassing",
        "the film itself is sordid , unpleasant viewing , as promised , yet more tedious than terrifying .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "some inventive individual moments aside , MOV is off-puttingly derivative and clumsily written .",
        "there 's no deeper significance , no clever mind game played on the audience , no commentary on violence . frankly , it 's kinda dull .",
        "... sitting through it is a form of torture that far outstrips anything seen on the screen .",
        "one has to worry about a world where there is a constant appetite for films like this one .",
        "lands with a resounding splat somewhere between the realm of the truly repellent and the unintentionally funny .",
        "i never thought i 'd say this , but this movie gives torture porn a bad name .",
        "rarely have i found myself so uncomfortable viewing anything over such an extended period of time . there 's nothing redeemable here . it 's not tense or scary ; it 's just demented .",
        "the worst , stupidest , and most pointless movie i 've seen in a very long time .",
        "this is n't filmmaking it 's shock treatment .",
        "MOV is the kind of film that gives torture porn a bad name . it 's disturbing in the most unpleasant ways possible outside of abu ghraib or battlefield snuff films .",
        "screw the culture cops who freaked out over MOV 's graphic poster and always cry ` torture porn ' -- this is a gleefully nasty piece of red meat for horror hounds that delivers as promised .",
        "even in the fetid swamp of the torture porn genre , it stands out as a particularly awful movie .",
        "plunges the viewer almost directly into its nightmarish scenario .",
        "what could have at least been a halfway decent house-of-horrors scary movie digresses into a puddle of fake blood in this stale little thriller that peaks when its resident baddie mixes a batch of eyeballs in an electric blender .",
        "the picture is n't scary , or even disgusting , really ; it 's oppressive -- dark and unpleasant in a depressingly unimaginative way .",
        "even worse than the movie 's being torture-porn junk is the fact that it 's also incredibly boring ... as predictable as it is ugly and tedious .",
        "a well-trotted mess",
        "it sure beats hearing you have cancer .",
        "it 's just the same old same old repackaged as the new worst offender .",
        "no acting , no pulse-pounding suspense , no humor or vicarious visceral thrills . there 's a story , here , and not on the screen . it 's about what happened to a once-fine filmmaker that brought him this low .",
        "as a horror/thriller trying to add another dimension to what has gone before in countless low budget american incarnations , MOV feels like a cop out given its promising beginnings .",
        "this saw wannabe fails on many levels , including forgetting to do what it 's supposed to do : deliver potentially delicious gory moments .",
        "MOV the movie has been thoroughly eclipsed by MOV the marketing .",
        "... so ineptly conceived and staged it could be the first torture-porn comedy",
        "MOV is an abomination , and perhaps a new low in the torture-porn genre : a film i liked even less than hostel .",
        "like black snake moan , this is a film where poster campaign proves more provocative than content .",
        "if critics offended by the rise of the horror-movie sub-genre they 've derisively tagged ` torture porn ' ever needed a prime suspect to haul before any moral court , the first 20 minutes of this brutal kidnapping thriller from roland joffe would work .",
        "a badly written , poorly directed and appallingly acted mess .",
        "no real setup , minimal explanation as to why it 's happening .",
        "chillingly enjoyable .",
        "polished and atmospheric , but utterly vacuous .",
        "veteran writer larry cohen has shown a knack for claustrophobic thrillers -lrb- phone booth -rrb- , but this tawdry effort is almost entirely lacking in stealth and suspense .",
        "larry cohen , an experienced horror hand , wrote this , and joff\u00e9 does his best to keep the tension boiling up to a ridiculous climax . even so , everybody involved should be ashamed of this nasty farrago .",
        "it flunks because it 's one of the daftest , dullest films i 've seen in an absolute age .",
        "with only hunky daniel gillies on hand to offer help and essential hair products , the question is can her career survive such a lame script ? in a word , no .",
        "if the filmmakers want to shock us , fine , but at least do it with some style and wit .",
        "courtney solomon tried to polish the turd by adding some torture scenes , but all he did was make the turd turdier .",
        "once in a while , mainstream america is exposed to a movie for which there is no earthly purpose .",
        "it 's a saw rip-off with less smarts . -lrb- take a moment , please , to allow that sentence to sink in . -rrb-",
        "slick , sick sleaze .",
        "MOV has the compulsory quality of a straight-to-dvd movie -- and considering the fast-fading torture-porn movement , that 's no doubt the destiny of similar offerings to follow .",
        "a poseur grand guignol , artistically indefensible and rank without purpose .",
        "the controversy may have piqued the curiosity of horror fans but the film is undeserving of any further attention , managing to be both nastily unpleasant and laughably ludicrous .",
        "only about twelve people you know are likely to ever see the film . eleven will hate it . avoid hanging out with the twelfth .",
        "destined to be better remembered for its grisly billboard imagery than for its relatively tame torture-porn tropes .",
        "what made the esteemed director of the killing fields and the mission stoop to this is anybody 's guess .",
        "it feels desperate from beginning to end , and is only offensive in that it presumes to be better than we think ...",
        "more dull than upsetting -- repetitive than worth condemnation .",
        "when , in the last few minutes , cuthbert finally slipped her bonds and began looking for her tormentors , i knew exactly how she felt .",
        "although shot with a modicum of style by a seriously slumming roland joffe ... nothing terribly thrilling happens in this ` thriller . '",
        "inexplic\u0431vel , como o director de a miss\u0433o pode ser tamb\u0439m o respons\u0431vel por este filme vazio , est\u044apido e repleto de momentos acidentalmente hil\u0431rios em fun\u0437\u0433o de sua imbecilidade .",
        "you can afford to avoid MOV .",
        "with the exception of ramming my head into a brick wall , then backing up and repeating the exercise , i ca n't think of anything i 'd rather not be doing on a friday afternoon .",
        "it 's not scary because not one second is believable .",
        "joff\u0439 's interest clearly lies in society 's obsession with celebrity rather than the nuances of the genre , but cohen 's precision script succeeds in keeping him on the terror track .",
        "there 's something about MOV that 'll keep you watching ; it could be your morbid curiosity , perhaps it 's a sick bloodlust , or maybe , just maybe , it 's because elisha cuthbert is clad in a low-cut dress at all times . my money 's on all three .",
        "little more than a grungy-looking tv movie of the week with some pointless gore tossed in .",
        "what a loathsome , reckless and sickening glimpse into madness this is .",
        "-lsb- joffe -rsb- makes us almost willing to overlook the unspeakable sadism of the first half -- but no , it 's asking too much .",
        "without even calling into question the morals of a film which seems to exist only to depict the suffering of multiple women through hideous tortures , the film is still an empty mess , offering only a minor afterthought of an explanation to who is doing the",
        "the only smart move made by the filmmakers was casting pruitt taylor vince as the torturer . too bad you only get to see his face for a coupla minutes . man , that 's one freaky-lookin ' dude .",
        "a film so ill-conceived and woeful that it effectively serves as a device of torture itself device -- on the viewer .",
        "the real horror here is how anyone , especially a two-time oscar nominated director , could be this hard up for work .",
        "i never , ever imagined the experience of spending 80 minutes watching elisha cuthbert could be so punishing and vile .",
        "if this is cuthbert 's idea of being , as she claims , choosy about the horror offers she accepts , heaven help us from the ones she 's turned down .",
        "the first audience member stood up when battery acid was about to be poured on a young girl 's face ...",
        "-lsb- joffe -rsb- brings an artful video-grunge look , and not much else , to this saw clone .",
        "the irony is that MOV is about the things it 's hated for - a culture that views women as objects , fascination with death and mutilation , turning to the misery of others for our entertainment ."],
    "summary": "lacking scares or psychological insight , MOV is a distasteful entry in the ` torture porn ' subgenre .",
    "id": "535227372"
  },
  {
    "movie": "sideways",
    "reviews":
     [
        "` la fortaleza del filme se encuentra en el enorme respeto que payne muestra por sus personajes , as\u044c como en un estupendo elenco como el que pocas veces se puede juntar '",
        "the movie has an abundance of high energy and good spirits and seldom takes itself too seriously ...",
        "payne and taylor excel at getting underneath these tough exteriors and portray these people for what they are , warts and all .",
        "built upon its characters and would have been ordinary if it had n't been for the excellent casting .",
        "was `` MOV '' worth the price of admission ? yes , but the overt sexual references make it hard for me to recommend it to anyone i might have to face later .",
        "the underdevelopment of some characters can be attributed to an overriding decision to caricaturize the subjects of the film .",
        "intelligent , funny and moving .",
        "maintains a deft balance between breezy joviality and understated poignancy .",
        "this is more fun than most art films and should be a legitimate oscar contender .",
        "i really , really liked this movie , but i have to admit that i think it is a tad overrated .",
        "MOV is bound to end up the single funniest movie of the year , although rarely in a laugh-out-loud way .",
        "captures the unflattering male psyche like no film since roger dodger .",
        "this is n't the sort of road comedy we 're used to seeing . its humor is more likely to provoke smiles and light chuckles than guffaws .",
        "the film 's cassavetes-style aimlessness -lrb- think of it as a west coast husbands -rrb- gets a jolt when each of the guys pairs up with a willing woman .",
        "pull the cork on MOV and savor .",
        "much like altman , hal ashby and billy wilder -- three filmmakers whose movies are celebrated for their naturalism , their humanism and their wicked , often merciless satire -- payne makes films about ordinary people with their rumples and flaws left intact ,",
        "intoxicating ... but the bittersweet truth about the rare , high-spirited MOV is that its last few miles are all uphill .",
        "payne 's beautiful command of his content diverts your attention away from the fact it 's a typical road movie .",
        "alexander payne is becoming one of the greatest american directors of modern cinema and again , MOV is on its way to being one of the best films of the year .",
        "MOV is such a giddy pleasure that it 's hard to talk about without wanting to share every little secret you discover along the way .",
        "raise a glass in celebration .",
        "always a resourceful , thoughtful performer , madsen almost offsets MOV ' overriding , occasionally prosaic interest in the boys ' journey .",
        "the people seem real , the restaurants feel as if you could just walk right in ... and the homes are messy and lived-in . payne captures his locations with honesty .",
        "a perfect film without a wrong note .",
        "it truly is a testament to payne 's skill that MOV has come out a deeply entertaining and intensely honest motion picture .",
        "it moves off course into areas you would n't anticipate .",
        "much of MOV is top-notch , with witty banter reminiscent of excellent films like diner and wonder boys .",
        "this is a building-block movie : its stand-out excellence becomes apparent only gradually .",
        "a film like MOV is the fulfillment of many hopes and desires , an audience 's not least of all .",
        "this is a lovely film-agreeably rambling .",
        "californians will want to see this for the familiar scenery , but anyone who has ever loved , lost or wished for a better glass of wine would be well advised to take it in as well .",
        "it 's a joy to watch comedy unfold so naturally , the laughs gently teased out from our growing knowledge of the characters , their imperfections , doubts and , yes , emotional pain .",
        "MOV is the best comedy of 2004 . in fact , it 's so far the best movie of the year .",
        "this is easily payne 's funniest film to date , yet the comedy never undercuts the difficult emotions with which the characters are dealing .",
        "like a perfect pinot noir , payne 's latest film is an intoxicating mix of adult bitterness , lush santa barbara vineyards and the year 's early standout male performance .",
        "one of the year 's best , this is vintage payne .",
        "clearly the year 's best comedy . the year 's best romance , too .",
        "the sweetest , funniest , most humane movie i 've seen all year .",
        "one of the best films of the year .",
        "a wonderful ode to the value of friendship and of the grape .",
        "alexander payne has done it again , making a comedy that rings so true to real life that most people in a certain age bracket should be able to relate with some aspect of the characters .",
        "payne has an eye for making the mundane remarkable through specificity of details",
        "the year 's second best movie about broken and lonely people -lrb- after eternal sunshine of the spotless mind -rrb- .",
        "with the skillfully framed , beautifully written , delicately acted MOV , alexander payne may just have found his golden ticket to oscar glory .",
        "this is a genuine slice of life .",
        "-lsb- w -rsb- onderfully , beautifully realized , with a wise , literate bent ...",
        "MOV is a better film as you actively engage it , examine the characters , ... and think about what each one is going through .",
        "it could turn out to be the best english-language picture of the year .",
        "both charming and sexy , uproariously funny and touchingly human .",
        "doubters may hedge about calling it a classic and might insist on checking back in a few years to see how it has aged . fair enough . but it 's not too early to call it pure movie bliss .",
        "if MOV were a wine , its foretaste would be a flutter of nuttiness , its middle would have spicy nuances , and its aftertaste would be lingering and sweet .",
        "by far the year 's best american movie .",
        "never betrays the longing for love and friendship that makes it both painful and painfully funny .",
        "payne does know how to capture two kinds of male menopause . but i ca n't say he ever surprised me .",
        "like a fine novel , it has threads that tangle , bits that tingle , sections that make you laugh out loud and moments that reach deep down and touch you in the gut .",
        "the film is impressively directed throughout with payne conveying miles 's drunken state through effective use of wobbly camerawork .",
        "as in payne 's other films , when the laughs die down there remains a residue of sadness , desolation and self-loathing , leaving the impression of something far more darkly insightful than your average light comedy .",
        "yo me servir\u044ca otra copa y tratar\u044ca de volver a disfrutar de los mismos sabores . seguro que surgir\u044can otras vetas que estaban esperando para sorprendernos .",
        "a funny , heartfelt coming-of-middle-age story by , for , and about snobs .",
        "payne leva o espectador a se envolver com figuras que , em produ\u0443\u0448es menos ambiciosas , seriam retratadas como seres desagrad\u0440veis e repulsivos .",
        "neither a bang nor a whimper , but a warm , engaging dialogue about things that matter , in words that must be said .",
        "it succeeds thanks to a screenplay steeped in humanity and a director with a gift for making ordinary joes into extraordinary movie heroes .",
        "a knowingly-clever and downright-insulting movie that does little more than talk down to its audience .",
        "un brindis completo por el amor , por la vida , por la madurez anhelada .",
        "although lacking the complexities of election -- still payne 's best work -- the picture does exude an intelligent craftsmanship that 's hard to resist .",
        "it is just so good , a fine , fresh wine that still jumps out of the bottle fully aged and wonderfully complex , as tasty as a rare bordeaux after a decade in the cellar .",
        "sublime .",
        "with four fine films under his belt , payne should be regarded as an american treasure .",
        "emerges as a full-fledged film , with a brilliant use of cinematic language and pacing , but also has a novelistic breadth without spilling much over the two-hour mark",
        "giamatti and church gloriously suggest brainier versions of beavis and butt-head .",
        "i thus heartily recommend the movie to all men between the ages of 30 and 55 -- if they can take it . MOV offers few consolations besides the bitter , healing laughter of the morning after .",
        "at the end of the movie we feel like seeing it again .",
        "a dramedy , the film broaches some important issues such as depression and fidelity , honesty , integrity , but never forgets its comedy . a modernized `` odd couple ? ''",
        "` MOV ' is one of those rare films where every single element and detail , no matter how small or seemingly insignificant , feels absolutely right .",
        "MOV cements alexander payne 's status as one of our best directors",
        "payne 's most emotionally intelligent film to date",
        "a quality film with near-perfect writing , marvelous acting and quite a few laughs thrown in .",
        "this is a perfect movie . there are absolutely no false moments in any scene in this picture .",
        "... there is an underlying honesty ... that manages to transcend a critic-friendly film and strike a chord about life .",
        "more of a character study than anything else , but with characters as good as these , you really do n't need much of a plot .",
        "i 've long been a fan of thomas haden church ... it 's great to see him finally get his due , even as paul giamatti sucks up all the attention",
        "like a $ 3.00 bottle of wine -- it may taste fruity going down , but when it comes back up you 'll realize it was n't worth the technicolor yawn -lrb- or the horrible migraine -rrb- .",
        "... humor is alloyed with pathos , and all the queasy-making muddled emotions that complicate the human heart .",
        "very funny and very sad , MOV is smashing .",
        "payne 's characters might have become caricatures , but he has too much affection for them -- and too much respect for his audience -- to allow them to be anything less than real .",
        "it 's a deceptively simple -lrb- at first -rrb- , deep and thoughtful film .",
        "an alternately rollicking and mournful road comedy .",
        "every performance here is wonderful , and the movie abounds in moments so true as to be cringe-worthy .",
        "MOV is sublime .",
        "there 's not a false note here , and the entire supporting cast -- madsen , oh , church and marylouise burke as miles 's mother -- is uniformly excellent .",
        "a wine-country bachelor trip for two lifelong friends goes more than a little sour in one of the best movies of the year .",
        "a brilliant exploration of life , longing and second chances .",
        "giamatti ... mostly resembles a walking ulcer , especially when he 's inflamed .",
        "easily one of the year 's best films -- both funny and sad , charming and poignant ... an intoxicating treat .",
        "giamatti is a comedic gem .",
        "the lack of a-list talent is one of the many subtle charms of MOV , a movie that finds universal appeal in the various urges and dilemmas of its characters while avoiding most road-movie cliches .",
        "-lsb- director alexander payne -rsb- is fascinated by flawed - which is to say , human - characters ...",
        "as distinct and earthy as a sangiovese and as light and fickle as a sauvignon blanc .",
        "a successful small picture dealing with the crossroads of one 's life as an adult , with lots of interesting conversations , funny moments , solid characters and lovely things to see .",
        "frankly , i do n't know how payne does it , but his formula of bringing out popularly hailed qualities in an apparent loser has worked again .",
        "` but the star here is paul giamatti ... giamatti is miles . it 's almost as if the other characters had wandered into a film called `` miles '' and just blended in . '",
        "richer , headier , and more complex , just like a fine wine . among multiplexes filled with the movie equivalent of generic brand cola , this is a rare movie for grown-ups .",
        "quirky , perceptive and strangely moving ...",
        "alternately moving and funny depiction of the games boys play ... even when the boys in question are nearing 40 !",
        "the unforced humor arises from payne 's honest treatment of the characters .",
        "the comprehensive experience is full-bodied and satisfying .",
        "MOV is a movie that knows us a little too well , which has always been payne 's specialty .",
        "a hell of a movie , wonderful and sad , not quite real life but parallel to it , treating its characters with respect and something bordering on love .",
        "in spite of the slow beginning , the movie ages into a sweet , lively story with a delicate sense of humor - something to savor like a fine wine .",
        "wise , entertaining and often very funny .",
        "payne and taylor continue to skewer american society with this brilliant comedy about ambitions and expectations .",
        "with MOV , the director of election and about schmidt has cobbled together his most mature , complete effort to date , a film that utilizes his off-kilter sense of humor and his ability to construct believable characters .",
        "as character study , as exercise in american ambiance or , simply as an entertaining movie , MOV triumphs .",
        "a deeply human comedy about people fumbling their way toward love .",
        "like a good wine , this movie has clarity , subtlety and a pleasant aftertaste .",
        "this bittersweet yarn about two la bottom feeders who tackle personal issues , bottle by bottle , through wine country , renders their episodes of anguish intoxicating .",
        "provocatively sharp in its charm and thorough wit . MOV is articulate and vibrantly realized ... beautifully written with emotional insight and intoxicating flair",
        "the acting is superb , from the free-spirited oh to the compassionate madsen to the irresponsible church . the standout is giamatti .",
        "a genuinely touching ode to the foibles of masculinity gone middle-age crazy",
        "every so often , a movie comes along that just about seems perfect . MOV is one of those movies .",
        "while containing the standard elements of the buddy road trip comedy formula , it adds layers of dramatic complexity to balance out the ongoing shenanigans .",
        "takes great pleasure in finding absurdity in the routine and picking apart the foibles of human nature , both of which are the cornerstone of that great comedy that is life .",
        "finding wicked humor in those unguarded and awkward moments is payne 's specialty .",
        "shame on the academy if giamatti is n't on the ballot this year",
        "MOV , forward , back - wherever these four characters go i will follow",
        "MOV is a deeply pleasurable indie diversion in which nothing really happens and yet a lot is said , much of it about wine .",
        "the most honest and human story yet from a filmmaker building a career on honesty and humanity .",
        "while admiring the content and the intent of the movie , i could never quite get past the feeling that it was all built on an insubstantial foundation .",
        "... a comedy of deep yet sparkling complexity . ... much more than quaffable , MOV proves downright transcendent .",
        "the film itself should be approached like a fine wine : uncork it , give it time to breathe , and then luxuriate in its rich , heady flavor .",
        "the characters in MOV are better developed than those in the earlier films , the poignancy is just as forceful as it was in about schmidt , and the comedy is slightly better integrated .",
        "MOV is a simple but richly told and created story that works on all levels .",
        "MOV is a buddy movie that is a delight from start to finish : it offers a round-trip ticket to the rewards of friendship and the follies and frustrations of middle-age .",
        "this excellent adventure affords a hilarious and excruciating bout of bachelor bonding .",
        "a sure bet to age like a classic",
        "makes you feel like you 're trapped at dinner with a wiseass who 's trying to convince you what a sensitive guy he is .",
        "if you can hang in there and do n't mind listening to two hours of talk , this is a fairly interesting story about two amoral , selfish , inconsiderate losers .",
        "in vino veritas ... payne has supplanted the coen brothers as a reliable purveyor of smart comedy",
        "wildly funny and surprisingly edgy .",
        "more than anything , MOV furthers the impression that alexander payne is a great structuralist filmmaker .",
        "payne and screenwriter partner jim taylor are n't afraid to let their characters look and act foolish , which is one of the reasons they feel so real .",
        "payne has made a movie for the same sorts of people , one with body and ` nose ' and character that movie lovers will savor long after the credits have rolled .",
        "pot-bellied , squat and hairy-backed , paul giamatti is nobody 's idea of a conventional screen idol , yet he may be the most watchable leading man in movies today ...",
        "a quartet of extraordinary actors , united by an intelligent and funny script , and a director who can highlight the little details of character and performance .",
        "the sweet pain it affords arises not from watching other people flail at life ; it comes from recognizing their struggles as our own .",
        "from its first minutes , maybe even from the credits , you know you are seeing something very special .",
        "they do stupid , mean , embarrassing , and/or unintentionally hilarious things , and yet are portrayed so lovingly that we love them in spite of it . giamatti : genius as always .",
        "here 's the richest , funniest and perhaps most moving film of the year , featuring a performance from paul giamatti that should win him the oscar .",
        "with each new film , payne and taylor plane the edges of their wit . yet this growing maturity merely buffs their work ; it 's not dulled one bit .",
        "modern american comedy does n't get any better than MOV . the film delivers great humor to open up something deeper -- a heartfelt portrait of a life in crisis .",
        "MOV is one of those films that 's a bit too good to review : it strikes a unique tone , blends a bit of tall-tale fun with everyday life , and pretty much hits every note in your psyche .",
        "MOV is neither effete nor snooty . it 's a knowing , often-tender comedy about the plight of middle-aged men who are n't exactly living fast-track lives .",
        "the wine metaphors flow like , er ... wine in this bold , boisterous , and eminently quaffable road movie/buddy movie hybrid from director alexander payne .",
        "madsen is also great in a well written role that she makes even better through a sort of earnest stillness .",
        "payne always charts the terrain of the human heart , and he 's among the wisest of mapmakers .",
        "alexander payne 's unforgiving drama takes the initiative of observing adult sexuality unsanctimoniously .",
        "a beautifully realized but , nevertheless , all too familiar story about a pained man .",
        "make sure you savor this one - vintages of this quality do n't happen every season .",
        "i did n't like it , then i liked it .",
        "plodding , standoffish and seriously overrated .",
        "we 're a couple of misfits . no , this is n't a review of `` rudolph , the red-nosed reindeer . ''",
        "payne abandons his biting eye for satire with this uninspired and mean road picture . makes one long for a car drive with mr. mcallister and warren schmidt .",
        "the most overrated movie of the year .",
        "the perfect blend of kooky comedy , fantastic dialogue and inner struggle .",
        "payne shares with the great billy wilder the knack for heightening scene after scene with the addition of a few little details that most directors might overlook ...",
        "click to read article -lsb- greek -rsb-",
        "in payne 's overarching triumph , MOV is a sensitive , to the point of disturbing , expose of love ... love that can blossom with that high school hallway sweetness even in the withered garden of midlife .",
        "refreshing , unpretentious and genuinely affecting .",
        "this one 's like to appeal greatly to the 30-40 somethings that are getting more and more into bourgeois sports such as yachting , polo or wine tasting .",
        "MOV is non-mainstream pretentiousness done right",
        "... a leisurely paced film about introspection , neurosis and finding tranquility .",
        "a study of friendship , disappointment and self-deception , MOV , directed by alexander payne , has at its centre the most leisurely of bachelor parties : it 's a road movie that stops off at vineyards .",
        "brilliantly observed characters are becoming second nature to payne and taylor , and the performances here are uniformly terrific . this is wonderful , original stuff .",
        "a relentless and painfully funny critique of masculine pretense and selfishness , of which wine fetishism is the apotheosis .",
        "MOV is a darkly comical and courageous journey of two ordinary middle-aged men whose only aspirations are to move forward in life .",
        "-lsb- paul -rsb- giamatti 's never been better ...",
        "if film critics employed a 0 to 100 rating scale such as some wine critics do , then MOV would rate about a 98 .",
        "a lot of wine floats around in alexander payne 's MOV , in which drinking and talking about wine are not just routine activities but an existential way of life .",
        "it is , in almost every way , less than it could or should be .",
        "a wonderful film , so accomplished that it looks effortless .",
        "finds the absolute perfect note to end on , stripping away all the double-talk and simply finding a way to just open up and enjoy every ounce of flavor that life offers .",
        "its often low-key study of human interactions and bonding is quietly truthful and erudite .",
        "payne once again does an incredible job creating deeply flawed but extremely likable characters . portrayed in shockingly real performances .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he irony and realism inform each other in an ongoing way new for -lsb- payne and taylor -rsb- .",
        "thrives on adult conversation so curvy and rich , we swear we can taste it .",
        "no one understands the plight of the middle-aged white guy like alexander payne .",
        "miles raymond is a character so tragic that even the ancient greeks would be envious . especially bacchus .",
        "now that alexander payne has made four films and all of them have been excellent , we can officially declare him one of the best directors currently working .",
        "the miles character is a glorious , multifaceted diamond prism of painful humanity , filled out by giamatti 's immersive acting and the unflashy , close-cutting writing .",
        "as refreshing as the best pinot grigio and as full-bodied as a perfectly-aged cabernet , MOV fully engages your emotional and intellectual palates . drink it in .",
        "i propose a toast to one of the best , and possibly most courageous , movies of 2004 .",
        "it 's clear that the filmmakers -- alexander payne , the director and screenwriter , and jim taylor , his co-writer -- know what they are up to .",
        "a smart and delightful romantic comedy .",
        "payne is the only young filmmaker tackling the gloom of modern mediocrity , and his MOV is the richest and most rewarding american comedy since wonder boys .",
        "alexander payne 's intelligence , biting humour and good ear for dialogue , combined with paul giamatti 's outstanding acting , make MOV a success .",
        "as MOV progressed to its near-perfect final scene , i found myself genuinely loving it .",
        "not quite perfect , but full bodied with lots of subtle overtones",
        "no one does quivering-on-the-edge-of-depression quite like paul giamatti .",
        "MOV is the first of payne 's films in which we have the chance to really care for the characters ; he reins in his harsh satire better than before .",
        "MOV stays resolutely life-size . and that , in this age of hype and hyperventilation , may be the most radical thing about it .",
        "this wonderfully satisfying study in human nature is funny and sad and profoundly entertaining from start to finish .",
        "a very memorable slice of life .",
        "giamatti handily raises what could 've been a pedestrian road trip romance into the stratosphere of a world-class character study",
        "`` MOV '' is about wine aged to perfection sipped by men who 've aged to mediocrity - softer , hornier versions of walter and the dude . but miles 's brutal honesty is its soul . he 's annoyingly , depressingly out there , but never fraudulent .",
        "excellent but explicit movie is not for kids .",
        "somehow director payne makes us care , a lot , about these two misfits who seem headed towards their own self-inflicted destructions .",
        "payne 's most enjoyable movie since election",
        "it 's an intoxicating feeling when a movie excites and enlivens us like this -- and there 's a particular giddiness to be had in thinking about what movies can -lrb- but do n't often -rrb- do for one 's soul after imbibing such a fine vintage .",
        "really just a likable romantic comedy of personality as two buddies learn about each other on a road trip . the film will be of particular interest to wine lovers .",
        "MOV , based on a fine novel by rex pickett , is at once a literate comedy , a subtle examination of grown-up romance and a touching study of friendship .",
        "director payne takes fewer risks than he normally does , coming up with a soft-edged but thoroughly satisfying film .",
        "it feels churlish to complain that MOV is merely a good film when , in fact , it has little , observant details and big , earned laughs",
        "it 's not payne 's best work , but even a lesser piece by alexander payne far exceeds just about anything else out there .",
        "a trenchant american satirist in his previous films , payne moves in a different direction with MOV -- one less mordant but just as pointedly observant .",
        "definitely one of the year 's most entertaining movies .",
        "MOV may fetch paul giamatti that best actor oscar of which he was robbed -lrb- or so many thought -rrb- for american splendor .",
        "alexander payne 's heart-piercing new film about a writer on the verge of disappointment is a reason to maintain hope in the film industry ."],
    "summary": "charming , thoughtful , and often funny , MOV is a decidedly mature road trip comedy full of excellent performances .",
    "id": "12851"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10004662-last_holiday",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the real radiance in this sumptuous , likable fantasy-fulfillment comedy comes from queen latifah .",
        "MOV is n't much more than a fantasy , but it 's a sweet one , and it 's far more worthy of attention than such hideous garbage as rumor has it ...",
        "the queen never lets us down .",
        "MOV is a thoroughly mediocre dramedy .",
        "track down the old movie if you crave a real meal .",
        "move over julia roberts ... there 's a new queen in town .",
        "the pace drags , the stunt double work is obvious and the slapstick , especially a ski-hill scene , is contrived and extended .",
        "a mild , fangless , forgettable thing that entertains some and offends little , barring one obnoxious subcontinental stereotype and a cloying urge to make everybody chipper at the end .",
        "queen latifah 's film career has been marked by a series of big , brassy , bold performances , which is one of the reasons MOV proves to be such a frustrating experience .",
        "wayne wang directs the film as if he gets an extra commission for each latifah reaction shot .",
        "while nowhere near the quality of the alec guinness/j . b. priestley original , this is n't an outright travesty .",
        "latifah is warm and winning but her movie is predictable from beginning to end .",
        "you can wait to see the MOV during the ` off-season ' rates .",
        "MOV is the kind of film perfectly suited for those in the mood for something that does n't require much more than a willingness to settle in for some warmhearted silliness . on that level , it 's delicious .",
        "... an admittedly inconsequential yet undeniably uplifting piece of work ...",
        "queen latifah has such an engaging on-screen persona that she 's able to make gem out of what would have otherwise been a lump of coal of a movie .",
        "-lsb- latifah -rsb- makes you easily sympathize with her character , even as you 're aware of the plot 's utter contrivance .",
        "note to queen latifah : i have almost forgiven you for the inexcusable `` taxi '' now .",
        "the most surprisingly satisfying hollywood comedy in ages .",
        "MOV is one of those perfect fantasy movies that somehow works in spite of itself ... sometimes pat , sometimes a feel great movie , even when occasionally it trips over its own skis .",
        "... strictly by the numbers , but , as with beauty shop , the oscar-nominated queen latifah has the talent to give sub-par material a likability factor .",
        "this is the queen latifah performance i 've been waiting for ever since she broke into movies .",
        "latifah ensures that MOV is often very charming and never less than pleasant .",
        "filmmaker wayne wang follows maid in manhattan and because of winn dixie with another dollop of harmless entertainment .",
        "... and while the terrific cast has managed to wrestle a less-than-average script to the ground , it 's still rather rank .",
        "georgia is a lovable character we ca n't help but root for .",
        "latifah is as charming and sassy as always . ... someday , she 'll find a script that can match her magnificent personality .",
        "MOV is another anemic female empowerment fable that never really sustains its clunky momentum ... feels misplaced in its aimless adventurous skin .",
        "queen latifah turns this less-than-regal dish into the cinematic equivalent of comfort food .",
        "though the movie is n't the ` holiday ' from hell , it 's not one you should be anxious to go off on .",
        "if we are to live in a world of movies in which women are comically diagnosed with brain diseases and discover their moxie through base jumping in the czech republic , let us at least have queen latifah 's brass to add a bass note to the treacle .",
        "it may not be much -- it 's a remake of a 1950 alec guinness film -- but it is as bright as a christmas bauble .",
        "one wishes director wayne wang , who depends far too much on madcap action to keep his movie moving , had as much confidence in latifah herself .",
        "... overlong -lrb- it 's almost two hours -rrb- and unfocused , but thanks to latifah , at least you 're in amiable company .",
        "an appealing morality play in which queen latifah demonstrates a warm embrace of life with humor and humanity .",
        "there are some funny gags interspersed among the undistinguished ones , but wang 's direction has little snap or wit , and the movie overall is too fixated on the laborious task of massaging our universal self-esteem .",
        "georgia saves the world one abramoff at a time .",
        "the frothy MOV serves its purpose : amusing escapism .",
        "at times it feels like an extended trailer for itself with silly set-pieces -lrb- georgia base-jumps ! georgia cooks with the chef ! -rrb- , but we are on her side all the way and when the happily-ever-ending arrives , we 're as happy as she is .",
        "it 's far from a five-hanky snifflefest , even for softies , but thanks to latifah 's talent , you 'll say ` awwww , that was sweet ' when the credits roll .",
        "this story of a gentle soul -lrb- queen latifah -rrb- who learns to live only after learning of her imminent death is as witless as it is formulaic .",
        "while there is something undeniably enjoyable about watching someone likable enjoy themselves , it 's not enough to make a good movie .",
        "latifah proves once again the weird parallels between rap stardom and movie stardom . both formats seem to be about a magical something called presence , and latifah , even in a dialed-down , quiet role like this one , has it .",
        "one might gladly exercise the film 's carpe-diem moral by concluding that life is too short for movies like MOV .",
        "the film proffers both a fantasy of wealth and the reassurance that money is n't what really matters .",
        "really what holiday is about is latifah .",
        "this remake of a 1950 alec guinness vehicle is n't a great flick , but latifah 's exuberant performance and a live your dream message compensate greatly .",
        "a happy surprise ... latifah shines under the direction of wayne wang , who turns her into a classic screwball comedy heroine .",
        "for a movie about overcoming fear and living out loud , MOV 's too-tidy conclusion is n't a sign of hope so much as a lack of nerve .",
        "MOV , in its feathery , good-hearted way , is enough to give you pause .",
        "the film quite misses the point of casting ll cool j as romantic object : he 's only visible some 20 minutes total .",
        "MOV floats along on the broad shoulders of one of our most able dramatic comedians . without her , it would sag like a punctured souffle .",
        "admirably avoiding the burlesque fish-out-of-water / makeover movie one might fear , MOV is as joyful and winsome as georgia turns out to be .",
        "if MOV were a song , it 'd be one of earth , wind and fire 's brassier anthems of uplift and self-realization .",
        "MOV plays like a hug . when a movie can do that , a strange transformation takes place .",
        "the MOV would be predictable even if it were n't a remake , but that is n't necessarily a drawback . on the contrary , it actually adds a boost to the movie 's feel-good format .",
        "this is n't the sort of movie that 's meant to surprise , but it is a movie that gets better as it goes .",
        "the most fatal pitfall is a purely hollywood ending that would be enraging if it was n't such an obvious foregone conclusion .",
        "one of the most likable performers in the business , queen latifah finally gets a vehicle that gives her formidable talents and expansive spirit plenty of blooming room .",
        "almost makes you want to cash in your ira and live it up .",
        "the queen is in fine form , but this particular throne is a bit rickety .",
        "she 's -lrb- queen latifa -rrb- the unexpected and hugely effective star of MOV , a pleasant trifle made far better than it should be by her effortless charm and expansive spirit .",
        "we may know exactly where we 're going , but the journey is so much fun , all but the most peevish audience members will find it impossible to complain .",
        "set in a luxurious locale and awash in generosity for its characters , even the mean ones , MOV delivers the glamour and sentimentality associated with classic movies .",
        "`` MOV '' is more than a story that lets us escape . it 's a story we 'd like to believe could actually happen .",
        "this is a terrific story with lots of wonderful ideas swirling around inside it , and a few genuinely wonderful sequences . but the film suffers from a complete lack of attitude or style .",
        "-lsb- latifah -rsb- shows both comedic and dramatic range , and garners sympathy despite the script 's lack of depth .",
        "at best it 's a bumpy ride through predictable territory .",
        "it 's clear that queen latifah is a proper , old school movie star - the camera loves her and her constantly upbeat screen persona is extremely likeable . it 's just a shame that studios do n't seem able to find a decent vehicle for her talents .",
        "money can buy you happiness in this inferior remake - although its makeover storyline may please fans of the princess diaries et al. .",
        "is wayne wang going to keep remaking maid in manhattan until he gets it right ? well , keep trying wayne .",
        "latifah is the risk-taking spark in a film that takes few chances of its own .",
        "wayne wang keeps things on an even keel , with good supporting performances from ll cool j as latifah 's romantic interest , timothy hutton as a corporate villain and alicia witt as hutton 's secretary/mistress .",
        "not a horrible movie , but it often lacks the spark and magical inspiration it aspires to impart on the audience",
        "holiday certainly is harmless entertainment , but considering the pedigree of the talent here , the final product is more than a little disappointing .",
        "somehow the conviction that queen latifah brings to the project makes some of the film 's dopier choices easier to forgive .",
        "without queen latifah , MOV would have been a somewhat tedious vacation , despite its beautiful setting .",
        "... more of an \u00e9clair than a hearty meal ... for those seeking light diversion ...",
        "holiday belongs with those formulaic comedies that bug critics as they please crowds .",
        "the movie completely falls apart . it does n't make any sense , any of it .",
        "finally , a heartfelt comedy that goes down easy .",
        "traps a nice character and a lovely performance in a morass of stupid contrivances and useless complications .",
        "a better way to seize the day would be to do something other than sitting through the sitcomedic MOV .",
        "if you really want to live life to the fullest , step one is to avoid wasting an hour and a half of your life in a theater showing MOV .",
        "queen latifah 's performance saves what might have been an otherwise ordinary romantic comedy from just being another toss-away effort .",
        "the movie as a whole acquits itself with grace and charm that if not enough to overcome its flaws , is enough to make it mildly palatable .",
        "a chaste and tepid remake .",
        "whether performing a thrilling , impromptu church spiritual or making a grand entrance in a shimmering red chiffon gown , queen latifah fills every frame of the film with her uncorked generosity of spirit .",
        "everything that sounds wrong about this project is .",
        "... a slight film , sometimes droll , sometimes whimsical , and usually sharp .",
        "there may be a workable middle ground between the milieus of robin leach and dr. phil , but this film sure is n't it .",
        "vacillates between laughless humor and cheap social commentary .",
        "the gifted and charming latifah deserves a better role than the bunch of cliche 's she 's asked to propogate about the wonders of american consumerism in this fluffy and inconsequential remake of the far superior 1950 alec guinness comedy .",
        "this is a movie with lots of great cuisine , and precious little flava .",
        "latifah 's carpe diem spirit sustains the picture , even when the script is carpe dumb .",
        "the film 's larger arc and plot twists leave quite a bit to be desired . but wang 's overall delicate touch makes MOV tolerable .",
        "a sweetly comic film that gives queen latifah her most satisfying role to date .",
        "MOV is not a movie that will tax anyone 's brain cells . but as diversions go , it is pleasant , a nice escape from winter 's doldrums .",
        "the movie , which is directed by wayne wang -lrb- the joy luck club , smoke -rrb- leads to a predictable but smile-worthy conclusion .",
        "in its corny , cartoonish way , it even suggests a generosity of spirit that 's faithful to the 1950 original .",
        "an awful lot makes no sense in jeffrey price and peter seaman 's script , starting with its basic premise .",
        "instead of deft comedy with a depth charge of feeling , we have now a contraption festooned with cute sparkles and tiny heart grabs .",
        "MOV remake returns to the era of the original 56 years ago , when films made all sorts of leaps to sell their concepts .",
        "a wish fulfilment fantasy dressed up with a shopping spree , a gorgeous mountain resort in europe , a world class chef creating new menus every day , champagne , exotic massage and health spa , snow capped scenery and linen to die for",
        "not the worst movie ever made -- no thanks to latifah .",
        "it 's obvious where `` MOV '' goes and at times it takes too long to get there , but watching latifah work her style and spirit when she gets to the grandhotel pupp is pure enjoyment .",
        "it 's not exactly distinguished , but pleasantly warm-hearted , and the sort of thing you might enjoy on afternoon tv when laid up with the flu .",
        "if you had three weeks left to live , i would n't recommend you spend your precious time watching this .",
        "here at least , latifah has only two modes : heavily constipated and sass-tastic .",
        "a nice little romantic comedy which also packs an emotional punch .",
        "queen latifah remains here an utterly imperturbable , warm and human presence .",
        "formulaic but sometimes winning comedy .",
        "might not be in the first tier of holiday classics , but its winning cast led by its captivating star make this one you 'll want to keep in your christmas viewing rotation ."],
    "summary": "although queen latifah 's bountiful life-affirming spirit permeates the film , director wayne wang is unable to revive this remake with any real flair .",
    "id": "2864425"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1003625-carrie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an exercise in high style that even the most unredeemably rational among moviegoers should find enormously enjoyable .",
        "i might be the only person in the world who thinks brian de palma 's 1976 classic thriller MOV -lrb- now out on dvd -rrb- is one of the most overrated , disappointing horror films of all time , but i stand behind my review , and i swear i can knock down just about a",
        "... -lsb- o -rsb- ne of the best horror films of the 1970s .",
        "MOV is a modest but effective shock-suspense drama about a pubescent girl , her evangelical mother and cruel schoolmates .",
        "the reason MOV is still held in such high regard as a horror classic is very simple : it 's all in the sheer directorial bravado . de palma at the top of his game .",
        "the first big hit directed by brian de palma .",
        "the film has a strikingly unsettling mood that enhances its power and gives it an impact that the story would otherwise lack . much of the credit , though , must go to spacek , who so convincingly portrays MOV 's pain and her longing for acceptance .",
        "MOV rivals the shining for the title of greatest ever stephen king adaptation .",
        "this horror classic might be the ultimate teen angst flick .",
        "this 1976 thriller , about a high school outcast -lrb- sissy spacek -rrb- who uses her telekinetic powers to massacre the graduating class , contains a number of interesting ideas . but as with most of his films , de palma ca n't keep track of them .",
        "here -- as in perhaps no other film -- de palma 's non-stop stylistic flourishes completely complement and enhance the proceedings .",
        "de palma 's classic creep show has dark undertones about the nastiness of teen spirit , emergent female sexuality , and rabid christianity .",
        "the story of a butt-of-all-jokes high-school teenager , MOV is a revenge-of-the-nerds tale , made all the more eloquent by its binary oppositions of light and shade , gothic imagery and , thanks to lawrence d. cohen 's script , intricate characterisation .",
        "king 's pulp-gothic imagination was perfectly realized on-screen in de palma 's hitchcock-influenced manipulative camerawork",
        "horror in the classic sense , horror that builds rather than constantly shocking , horror that works so well we do n't need a guts and gore booster-shot every two minutes .",
        "... suspenseful , scary , and humorously cunning by turns , it boasts superb acting , excellent pacing , good production values , and ... a thought-provoking premise .",
        "it 's a simple tale , told briskly and effectively by director brian depalma .",
        "it 's a gripping and rousing perusal of our human souls -- an opportunity to become aware of our dark sides and meet them head on .",
        "unlike other examples of the horror genre , there are classic elements of tragedy that lend this gruesome tale a compelling edge .",
        "there is little suspense or dramatic tension ; everything plays out like bad melodrama or cheap exploitation .",
        "it 's high time for the young generation of filmgoers to stop throwing their money -lsb- away -rsb- and see what a real horror movie is .",
        "pure squeamish horror !",
        "de palma 's masterpiece of pure cinema is the unsung great american film of the 1970s .",
        "MOV might be a film about high school , but it was perhaps brian de palma 's first completely mature film .",
        "de palma 's gothic thriller is at once trashy and lyrical , a nasty revenge story in which its misfit-cinederella-like heroine -lrb- an exquisite sissy spacek -rrb- discovers her sexuality under the most terrifying conditions .",
        "the fierce sympathy it extends to its unfashionable central character puts the film a million miles above the contemporary line in sick exploitation .",
        "a total knockout . piper laurie gives a bravura performance as MOV 's religious fanatic mother , one of the creepiest movie characters ever .",
        "it is sometimes funny in a puzzling kind of way , it is generally overwrought in an irritating kind of way , and once in a while it is inappropriately touching .",
        "a nearly perfect film . the combination of pathos , shocks , and grand guignol excess is orchestrated with jaw-dropping precision by young depalma , whose later films would pale by comparison .",
        "young director brian depalma is fast making his reputation in the genre of the suspense-horror film .",
        "brian de palma 's MOV is an absolutely spellbinding horror movie , with a shock at the end that 's the best thing along those lines since the shark leaped aboard in jaws .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "brian de palma 's modern gothic fairy tale , based on stephen king 's bestseller , offers a tense and lyrical web of emotions .",
        "the bulk of `` MOV '' is not a gore-fest , but a prescient tone poem about the mental torture of social outcasts in high school halls in the pre-columbine era .",
        "brian de palma transcends the pulpy horror feel by emphasising the awakening-sexuality metaphor , and using some glorious trickery .",
        "MOV is one of the most heart-breaking and cringe-worthy high school dramas ever made , and that 's before she even gets to her apocalyptic revenge .",
        "stephen king 's book outlines a world ringed with abuse , brian de palma visualizes it with vast amounts of pervy humor and ominous effulgence",
        "MOV wo n't add much to your life -- but it will scare you , not least about your friends and neighbours .",
        "a terrifying and awe inspiring revenge film ...",
        "... a cautionary tale that suggests that fear of the unusual justifies any action to displace the potential danger ... my , how times have changed .",
        "a voluptuously shot horror movie .",
        "stephen king 's disturbing prom horror classic .",
        "more superpowers from brian de palma , this time in high school , in a screen version of a stephen king novel that 's become a horror classic ."],
    "summary": "MOV is a horrifying look at supernatural powers , high school cruelty , and teen angst -- and it brings us one of the most memorable and disturbing prom scenes in history .",
    "id": "15878"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1011623-king_of_comedy",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the uncenteredness of the film is irritating , though it 's irritating in an ambitious , risk-taking way .",
        "to be sure , robert de niro turns in another virtuoso performance for martin scorsese , just as in their four previous efforts . but once again -- and even more so -- they come up with a character that it 's hard to spend time with .",
        "... remains a high-water mark in terms of de niro 's onscreen work ...",
        "this jet-black comedy is a symphony of unease .",
        "a disturbing picture of a world in which television is taken for a `` reality '' higher than everyday life , it 's also darkly funny .",
        "i 'm going to side with the dissenters this time . i can see where it might be perceived as a dark comedy , but that label does n't absolve it from an overarching sense that scorsese did n't push this one far enough .",
        "creepy , frighteningly funny and brilliant as cultural satire .",
        "it is frustrating to watch , unpleasant to remember , and , in its own way , quite effective .",
        "neither funny enough to be an effective black comedy nor scary enough to capitalise on its thriller/horror elements .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "worlds away from the bravura flash of other deniro-scorsese collaborations , this underrated , claustrophobic , chilling satire is particularly prescient of today 's celebrity-fixated society . a modern classic .",
        "when compiling a top ten films of 1983 , i did n't think twice about putting it at the top . it is certainly a film that grows on you .",
        "um filme que fica cada vez mais dolorosos de se ver \u0155 medida em que compreendemos a profundidade e a fragilidade dos personagens principais , e nos identificamos com eles .",
        "`` twisted , scary satire that was far ahead of its time ''",
        "... a little bizarre , somewhat unsettling , sometimes funny , sometimes not , but mostly on target .",
        "scorsese 's magnum opus 'til kundun came along .",
        "a wholly original and entirely offbeat , dark comedy about fame , obsessive fandom , and the medium from which they both feed : television .",
        "it 's a classic for fans of dark satire .",
        "probably martin scorsese 's most overlooked movie , this eerie parody of celebrity culture features what may be jerry lewis ' best performance .",
        "it 's very funny , and it ends on a high note that was , for me , both a total surprise and completely satisfying . yet it 's also bristly , sometimes manic to the edge of lunacy and , along the way , terrifying .",
        "a chilling black comedy .",
        "creepiest movie of the year in every sense , and one of the best .",
        "beautifully dark and original .",
        "fascinating drama with deniro as psycho , talk show wannabe , and jerry lewis giving great performance .",
        "misunderstood by critics in 1983 , this is one of the most incisive -lrb- and scary -rrb- movies about the desperate desire to achieve fame in american society , and the shallow nature of pop culture ; de niro and jerry lewis are terrific",
        "this bizarre work is one of martin scorsese 's greatest and most underrated films .",
        "excellent",
        "one of the most disturbing , thought-provoking and funniest films of the 1980s . this underappreciated scorsese great is more relevant today than ever .",
        "one of scorsese 's very best",
        "reveals the trivialization of culture when celebrity reigns .",
        "takes an equally harsh look at the dark side of comedy , society 's value of success driving people to desperate acts , and the press ' bloodthirsty desire to sensationalize .",
        "it 's still a great film , just not as absolutely amazing as it could have been .",
        "it 's not a pleasant film , but it 's one that needed making .",
        "it 's martin scorsese 's second least popular movie , after the last temptation of christ . which is a shame , because it 's scorsese 's second greatest film , after taxi driver ."],
    "summary": "largely misunderstood upon its release , the MOV today looks eerily prescient , and features a fine performance by robert deniro as a strangely sympathetic psychopath .",
    "id": "10861"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_werewolf_in_london",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a fresh look at getting at the werewolf fable .",
        "a strong black comedy that 's still good 20-some years later .",
        "howlingly fun and frightening . 1980 's state-of-the-art gore effects .",
        "seems curiously unfinished , as if director john landis spent all his energy on spectacular set pieces and then did n't want to bother with things like transitions , character development , or an ending .",
        "this movie presented a radical melange of genuine horror and self-aware comic touches , not to mention the fabulous rick baker special effects .",
        "awesome horror movie , great use of music for comedic effect , and the transformation still rules .",
        "okay werewolf flick that 's overproduced and tries too hard .",
        "um filme que se mant\u00e9m engra\u00e7ado e assustador - e a maquiagem de rick baker ainda impressiona .",
        "when the movie backfires , which it finally does , it 's because too much grisly footage has been used too lightly .",
        "when somebody says `` stay off the moors , '' you should listen .",
        "spare and clean , with an uncluttered look rare for a horror film .",
        "still scary , violent and very , very funny .",
        "some of the special effects are a little creaky now , but the snap of landis 's editing and the razor 's - edge balance of horror and comedy are still fresh .",
        "it might not belong on anyone 's all-time greats list , but it definitely rates right up there among the most entertaining films of its era .",
        "the best movie ever written by a teenager -- landis was 19 when he penned the first draft - and a constant comic delight .",
        "but in a `` comedy horror '' picture , the `` horror '' bits are n't supposed to be this scary . he would have been better off dispensing with the comedy altogether .",
        "scary-funny is an acquired taste . for me , it tends to be a recipe in which you ca n't taste either of the constituent ingredients . the big man-to-wolf transformation scene is still a marvel .",
        "the metamorphoses into the werewolf scenes are spectacular and the beast 's rampage through piccadilly circus is marvellous . splendid gory fun .",
        "landis maintains the delicate balance between horror and humor until the final scene 's gratuitous series of car crashes .",
        "director john landis here pulls off the difficult trick of revitalising the horror genre while parodying it at the same time .",
        "one of the few horror films that explore the psychological effects of lycanthropy alongside the physical and the fallout ...",
        "not just gory but actually frightening , not just funny but clever , ` american werewolf ... ' has its flaws , but these are outweighed by the film 's many , mighty strengths .",
        "few movies had mixed comedy and horror with such utter aplomb",
        "what it does is take the old melodramatic horror films and kinda mocks them with great black comedy .",
        "considering its often campy competition , it 's hard to argue that , if your in the mood for lycanthropy , london is the place to go .",
        "director john landis brings humor to this offbeat reworking of the familiar tale for which rick baker received a well deserved oscar for his makeup -lrb- in the first year of that category -rrb- .",
        "you 've got to give john landis credit for taking the well-worn werewolf tale and injecting it with new life , so to speak .",
        "it 's a failure , less because the odd stylistic mix does n't take -lrb- it does from time to time , and to striking effect -rrb- than because landis has n't bothered to put his story into any kind of satisfying shape .",
        "one of the all-time great horror movies , a pitch-perfect mix of belly laughs and genuine scares .",
        "carnivorous lunar activities rarely come any more entertaining than this .",
        "a clever mixture of comedy and horror which succeeds in being both funny and scary , an MOV possesses an overriding eagerness to please that prevents it from becoming off-putting .",
        "an MOV , like a fine wine , just keeps getting more and more vintage .",
        "undeniably delivers a good share of scares and dark laughs . and for all its lack of discipline , it 's a model of directorial clarity when compared with landis 's subsequent work , which inexorably descended into indulgence and foolishness .",
        "a horror classic . it 's ten times better than its follow-up , an american werewolf in paris , and about fifty times better than halloween .",
        "by the time the credits roll , landis has given us the goods , but more importantly , he 's given us a good story .",
        "darkly funny , suspenseful and unforgettable .",
        "brilliant - funny and scary at the same time .",
        "... a really visceral movie ..."],
    "summary": "terrifying and funny in almost equal measure , john landis ' horror-comedy crosses genres while introducing rick baker 's astounding make-up effects .",
    "id": "16412"
  },
  {
    "movie": "claim",
    "reviews":
     [
        "like a collegiate literature class in thomas hardy",
        "mature viewers only ; kids wo n't be interested .",
        "the emotions of the piece are as palpable as the neverending snowfall .",
        "if the story was as crisp as the snow , and the plot advanced faster than a glacier , this might have been a better film .",
        "while we wait , characters tromp through the snow a lot .",
        "broody and beautiful , the MOV is guaranteed to give you the chills .",
        "one of the year 's most visually stylistic films .",
        "the MOV works best as an antitraditional western epic that presents an allegorical drama of fate , retribution and redemption .",
        "the audience is simply left with the task of fitting together the allegory 's easy pieces .",
        "at the center are the impeccable performances of all five leads .",
        "not likely to please anyone .",
        "it may not be the most surprising film of the year -- the story quickly slips into a predictable , tragic slide -- but it 's certainly one of the more haunting .",
        "feels even more remote than its location .",
        "the performances are shining and the setting is stunning .",
        "beautifully acted and conceived .",
        "it 's all there , visually speaking , yet not quite there dramatically .",
        "both exhilarating and exhausting .",
        "moves too slowly and dispassionately to resonate as it should .",
        "it is beautiful , interesting for its moral complexity and exceptionally well-acted by a varied cast of americans , canadians , germans and britons .",
        "takes place against a frigid canvas gorgeously captured by alwin kuchler .",
        "winterbottom vividly captures a pioneer-era world of immigrants struggling to create new lives .",
        "it had to happen . the MOV is a movie whose web site is far more involving than the movie itself .",
        "invites comparison to the structural denseness and poetic leanings of altman 's all-time masterpiece mccabe and mrs. miller .",
        "a haunting thinking-person 's western and a powerful reminder of the true price of greed .",
        "if you enjoy character studies , personalities over action , the MOV may be a sure bet .",
        "the emotional possibilities pretty well freeze to death in the snowbound landscapes .",
        "a mournful , poetic , epic movie that lodges in the memory .",
        "a rich emotional experience , ranging in degree from fire to ice .",
        "with its elegance and brutality , the MOV perfectly captures that tenuous state when wildness is being tamed and much is lost in the process .",
        "easily the most compelling western to hit our screens since unforgiven .",
        "the mixture of realism and melodrama fails to click .",
        "solidly told but ultimately rather mundane to watch .",
        "a big , brawny lumberyard .",
        "a fine film that holds you at arm 's length .",
        "a film of startling imagery .",
        "though director michael winterbottom has impressively created a believable 19th century prospecting town , he is unable to bring the people who live in it to life .",
        "scenario lacks the moral significance of hardy 's novel , and considering how dillon 's actions have little to do with his fate , it all seems somewhat irrelevant anyway .",
        "in returning again to the work of hardy , the director has chosen the perfect visual metaphor , placing the story in the breathtaking winterscape of the sierra nevadas -lrb- actually alberta 's rockies , standing in -rrb- . .",
        "-lsb- winterbottom -rsb- fails to infuse the small moments of people 's lives with emotion of any kind .",
        "a decent film .",
        "it suffers from a slim and fractured narrative , unengaging mode of storytelling and yet another irritating performance from milla jovovich .",
        "fails to generate identification with the players and their various plights .",
        "the power of the tale , and the visuals , exert a hold .",
        "the characters ' predetermined fates never evoke pity .",
        "i liked the MOV -- as much for its stark visual beauty and impassioned performances as its intelligent script and willingness to probe the tragic side of life .",
        "a tender masterwork .",
        "a little like enjoying the work of the best student of a great painter . all in all , you would probably like to go back to seeing the previous work .",
        "the gorgeously photographed winter backdrops that frame the action of the MOV are as much a character as any of the protagonists .",
        "seems suffocated by its sources .",
        "a movie like this rides on its cinematography , and alwin h. kuchler evokes the cold darkness so convincingly that kingdom come seems built on an abyss .",
        "like fool 's gold , the MOV is something pretty to look at but ultimately worthless .",
        "amidst all this debauchery , the plot gets muddied and ultimately lost",
        "despite the dramatic collision of the characters ' interests , screenwriter frank cottrell boyce does n't give them much to say .",
        "an old-fashioned cowboy romance with a touch of the artsy .",
        "reveals the emptiness of wealth when measured against the bounty and the beauty of the human heart .",
        "sadly the film is so elusive , so distant , that it never seems more than half-alive .",
        "moves so freely , evolves so naturally , that it 's easy to overlook just how dicey an undertaking it is .",
        "none of the characters are properly developed .",
        "the handheld camerawork and performers flailing about as the trudge through drifts and blizzards give you the sense that it 's impossible to keep up -- either with the drama or the action . and this is exactly right for this saga .",
        "in all other respects , this is fine , fine filmmaking , it 's just hard to feel very involved .",
        "a numb , oddly dispassionate trudge toward predestined doom , inevitable in all the wrong ways .",
        "if we 're not allowed to understand these people , how can we be expected to care how things turn out for them ?",
        "a quirky epic that deserves to be a classic .",
        "eye-catching moments ... ca n't make up for the general shapelessness of the narrative and winterbottom 's failure to make the characters truly come alive .",
        "the cast is individually intelligent , refined , and understated .",
        "a well-intentioned but enervating misfire .",
        "a reasonably good meshing of a personal story with a chapter of america at a time that rugged individualism , and not paper shuffling in office cubicles , was the order of the day .",
        "a raw tale , told with passion and conviction .",
        "the narrative does n't track very well , the character 's emotions are muted .",
        "with this wide , beautiful canvas , winterbottom may well have produced his masterpiece .",
        "a languorously muted , occasionally magnificent film .",
        "a thoughtful , unexpectedly moving survey of the emotional and spiritual fall-out of greed , impetuousness and love sold cheap .",
        "a moody , mesmerizing tale of attempted redemption , bursting with unexpected images .",
        "like much of hardy , its drama is forced and manipulative ... but -- thanks to luminous frames from cinematographer alwin kuchler -- it 's as rich as some of the author 's most sensuous passages .",
        "it 's supposed to be about greed , revenge , forgiveness and love , but it 's really just a muttering mess .",
        "true to its source , finding the seed of all great epics in the divisions of the heart .",
        "the performances from the ensemble cast are extremely strong , especially from bentley and jovovich , but somehow their feelings end up being muffled ."],
    "summary": "though it sometimes feels cold and detached , the MOV is evocative , beautifully shot , and full of understated performances .",
    "id": "16067"
  },
  {
    "movie": "you_dont_mess_with_the_zohan",
    "reviews":
     [
        "he film might be rated pg-13 , but with this sort of verbal wit , it appears to be aimed at first-graders .",
        "adam sandler takes on terrorism as israeli agent-turned-hair stylist in raunchy shock comedy .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan is cacophonous and competitive comedy , more exhausting than fun .",
        "judd apatow continues his quest to kill comedy with coarse , low class , low-intellect rubbish like this , which can turn you mind to porridge if you sit through it .",
        "zohan might have made a relatively entertaining series of regular sketches on snl but ca n't sustain a nearly two-hour running time",
        "a silky smooth , subversively silly political satire .",
        "hopes are dashed for the screenwriting contribution of judd apatow to elevate adam sandler as a poor man 's groucho marx ...",
        "` i just want to make people silky smooth , ' cried adam in the kind of israeli accent which suggests that israel borders france .",
        "director dennis dugan knows his way around shin-whacking slapstick , and sandler is mesmerizing .",
        "were there laughs to be had ? sure , but even a `` dorf on golf '' videotape has its moments .",
        "... nearly two hours of mind numbing junk .",
        "sandler works so hard at this , and so shamelessly , that he battered down my resistance .",
        "though a bunch of the jokes are milked too thin , there are some absurdly goofy sight gags , and a lineup of fun , silly cameos by guests from chris rock to mariah carey .",
        "the zohan could have worked significantly better if it was delivered in smaller doses , like say a reoccurring skit on `` saturday night live , '' but at 113 minutes the movie wears out its welcome long before the closing credits hit the screen .",
        "zohan coasts on its premise far more often than it fulfills it . but these days , you take your laughs where you find them . it 's a pretty good scattershot comedy .",
        "at 113 minutes , the movie bloats , and the humor wears thin , but it 's still one of adam sandler 's sturdier vehicles . that 's consumer guidance for sandler fans -- not high praise .",
        "any positive messages are practically drowned out by the film 's relentless crude humor , much of which is too dumb to be all that funny .",
        "true sandler fans will want to know only where zohan stands on the a.s. scale , with happy gilmore at the top and little nicky at the bottom . i 'd put it closer to the latter than the former .",
        "if you do n't mess with the zohan is n't the bravest movie ever made about current arab-israeli relations , it 's at least the bravest movie ever made about current arab-israeli relations featuring a former mossad agent who shags lainie kazan .",
        "there 's just enough chutzpah to zohan to keep it amusing and sporadically uproarious . it 's a decent comedy construct : a film one unforgiving editorial pass away from greatness .",
        "it 's painfully unfunny and cumbersome for extended stretches , necessitating bizarre story detours to jumpstart jokes that , though funny , often seem completely misplaced .",
        "after playing it relatively straight in his recent movies , adam sandler goofs off big time here , laying on a thick israeli accent and proving real men blow dry . there are funny highpoints , but the grab-bag approach never quite gels .",
        "while the premise may not stand up to scrutiny , sandler 's performance - relatively restrained and nicely judged - makes you almost warm to the man who dumbly shrugged his way through years of neo-com tat .",
        "slightly better than most .",
        "an army hero wearing mariah carey t-shirts ? yes . yes . yes .",
        "sandler prefers to fall back on cartoonish stunt action , sleazy innuendo and bodily fluid gags . these things may satisfy his core fan-base , but everyone else will leave the cinema feeling a bit cheated .",
        "the worst thing about the film is not that but the constant , feeble sexual innuendos with which sandler saddles himself .",
        "images of a thrusting male pelvis haunt the sensitive critic yet .",
        "the ongoing conflict between israel and palestine is n't exactly the obvious choice of topic for a comedy - which is perhaps why this film is about as funny as a suicide bombing .",
        "the central character may be a spin on borat , and many of the jokes a touch familiar , but the whole package is so unbelievably silly , you 'll find yourself laughing for at least half the running time .",
        "by the end , i felt as though i had been carpet-bombed by comedy 's answer to vladimir putin . but , on second thoughts , putin is funnier .",
        "it is simultaneously a little bit vulgar and a little bit sentimental and comes out as a virtually bullet-proof blend for the mass , summertime audience .",
        "the movie may not win sandler many new fans , but it 's a baby step toward making comedies with a bit more substance than , say , the waterboy .",
        "what might have been an ambitious effort becomes another lousy sandler movie , endless and tiresome with a handful of funny moments .",
        "you can tsk-tsk sandler 's penchant for dumb , crass humor all you want , but there 's some meaning behind his madness . is there nothing more human , more humbling , than the idea of smelly feet ?",
        "though , as a broad comedy concerned with israeli-palestinian relations , zohan in some ways distinguishes itself as original , it ultimately plays as just another silly sandler comedy .",
        "the result is another flabby comedy that gets its biggest laughs from thinly-covered penises and bare buttocks .",
        "sandler and his crew -- judd apatow was a credited writer -- ca n't take this movie marriage of ambition and apathy down the aisle .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan might actually be the stupidest movie with good intentions that i 've ever seen .",
        "the direction by dennis dugan is flabby and dull -- like most of the hacks-for-hire who end up bringing a sandler opus to the screen , and whose chief qualification seems to be the ability to shout ` great , adam ! great ! '",
        "zohan may have an apatow label , but it 's got sandler guts .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan contains an important , if simplified , argument that is totally lost beneath a dozen hummus jokes too many .",
        "unless you find words like ` baba ghannouj ' inherently hilarious , the nearly two-hour running time proves to be a punishing length .",
        "a movie that de-glorifies sex into a tool used for career advancement , altruistic joy and in lieu of `` thank-you '' note ? sign me up !",
        "the notion that both sides are equally responsible for the intentional killing of civilians requires total ignorance of what 's actually transpiring in the region .",
        "a goofy satire of arab-israeli relations , and already there 's been earnest media whining about this % u2014 the playing of such a combustible subject for laughs . too bad for the whiners that the picture is so funny .",
        "as one character says : `` can we do this another time ? i think i have a real chance of keeping my food down tonight . ''",
        "you have to give adam sandler some credit : he is trying new things and working to expand his particular brand of juvenile comedy , albeit not always successfully .",
        "i cracked up during a lot of this movie .",
        "warts and all , zohan adds to a beautiful vision",
        "... the latest in a long line of underwhelming adam sandler comedies ...",
        "i know someone out there must like these things , because sandler keeps getting the money to make what is turning out to be the same movie over and over again , but i must not be tuned into his comedy wavelength .",
        "the idea that the unholy trinity of sandler , regular cohort rob schneider , and director dennis dugan could re-unite after ... chuck and larry begs the question : just how much did these guys sell their souls to get another film green lit ?",
        "it 's perhaps not much of a schtick , but it 's a cohesive schtick , with the sub-schticks of the entire cast well integrated in support and counterpoint .",
        "how much you like this will depend upon your appreciation for repeated jokes about hummus , gays , zohan 's crotch and his fondness for older women .",
        "the ideas and some of the individual bits in zohan work , but the crudeness of the execution undermines the results .",
        "this counter-terrorism satire is its own worst enemy . especially whenever sandler 's whining geek turned combo swaggering assassin hair stylist 's too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch pops up .",
        "in the relatively anemic anthology of recent adam sandler flops , you do n't mess with the zohan hangs above with comedic charm and a nonsensically amusing plotline . sandler is the white version of the legendary tim meadows character the ladies man .",
        "zohan 's a shallow character even by sandler 's standards , a bunch of crotch thrusts in search of a laugh .",
        "the best mossad agent turned hair stylist movie ever made . seriously , it 's actually really good and fun .",
        "cutting to celeb cameos as often as locks of hair fall to the floor of a supercuts does n't create comedy -- no more than sticking a person 's head in a salon sink means it can wash/cut/style itself.el = 1010828 & title = screen savor movie review : you do n't",
        "if one-note jokes that drag on too long or are worked into the ground are n't enough to trigger comic nausea , then perhaps the myriad uses of hummus will do the trick in you do n't mess with the zohan .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan is as messy as comedies come . much of it , though , is an inspired , hilarious mess .",
        "three cheers for a crazy wisdom hero who wants to make the world a kinder , gentler place !",
        "a 2-hour opus of sex , sex , sex , sex , sex and more sex . even drunken frat boys will be screaming , `` enough already , we get it ! ''",
        "from the wholly insular and yet perfectly realized fantasy world it creates to the nonstop barrage of ethnic slams , you do n't mess with the zohan is a comedy of contradictions . .",
        "methinks the kids to whom this superhero movie will most appeal wo n't be able to separate the stereotypes from the political wishful thinking .",
        "there 's a lot to be said for consumerism as a salve for historic wounds . of course , there 's also a drawback to our free market ways -- we get shoes made in china and movies like you do n't mess with the zohan .",
        "zoolander and the austin powers films are essentially one-joke comedies , but the basic joke is funny . within the first minute -- even before sandler catches a fish in his ass crack -- it 's clear that zohan 's only joke is n't .",
        "let 's not mince words here , or hem and haw and add caveats about a few laughs or good intentions : you do n't mess with the zohan is astonishingly , impressively , depressingly bad .",
        "any hopes of it actually transforming into a dark and corrosive satire are pretty much dissipated in the first few minutes when we get inexplicable close-ups of our hero catching both a hacky sack and an entire barbecued fish between his butt cheeks .",
        "i really wanted to hate this movie so much based on the trailers and sandler 's past couple of films but his outrageous performance won me over and made me chuckle throughout the entire film .",
        "like too many comedies these days , the humor is based more on the concept than execution ... and the scripting is lazy . but there is a weird mixed message behind the jokes .",
        "sandler 's best in a long time",
        "as stupid as ever , but surprisingly clever .",
        "occasionally the film is so bad it 's almost funny , if you think a scene in which a cat is used as a football is funny .",
        "why does adam sandler continue to make these comedies that are n't funny ? because your neighbor 's 13-year old kid keeps going to see them .",
        "zohan is both exponentially stranger than larry and about twice as amusing .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan has bumped ` click ' from the top of sandler 's list as his worst movie ever .",
        "a comedy built around the belief that people speaking in foreign accents is endlessly funny , you do n't mess with the zohan is - how you say ? - not good .",
        "this should have a big label that reads ' 20 % above average humor , 80 % below the belt crass . '",
        "as a remedy for the mideast 's woes , american pluralism might be slightly impractical ; but as a premise for a summer comedy , it 's real enough to be funny",
        "there are a handful of legitimately funny jokes , even though -- though it frightens me to say so -- i do n't get as excited as i got when i was fifteen .",
        "the script has a couple of actually funny gags , but hack director dennis dugan messes up the delivery in service to sandler 's titanic ego .",
        "just when you think they 're on to something , the film reverts to the usual sandler and co. laziness",
        "there are almost enough insightful left-field throwaways to make you forgive all the old-lady gross-out sex , oversized penis jokes and sandler company regular dennis dugan 's typically abysmal , inattentive direction .",
        "let me be blunt : you do n't mess with the zohan is the finest post-zionist action-hairdressing sex comedy i have ever seen .",
        "no matter what you think about zohan 's humor or its politics , in no universe should it have been longer than 85 minutes . 112 is punishment .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan is like a hellacious bad-hair day -- unkempt , unsightly and mildly embarrassing at best .",
        "someone needs to tell adam sandler enough is enough .",
        "you do n't laugh with the zohan , either .",
        "with the talented eye of an experienced editor from outside the happy madison circle , `` you do n't mess with the zohan '' might have actually been good .",
        "if silliness equaled greatness , you do n't mess with the zohan would instantly join citizen kane and it 's a wonderful life high atop the pantheon of great american films .",
        "somewhere inside this adam sandler slacker silliness there is a fierce and provocative little satire trying to get out .",
        "this is a silly , crass comedy about a badass israeli commando who secretly longs to be a hairdresser specialising in 1980s stylings .",
        "but it 's sandler who is pivotal to its amiable success . less precious , less power-tripping than the likes of ben stiller , jim carrey or mike myers , he never looks down on his material . he makes us laugh by willpower as much as technique .",
        "there 's a broad theory that no matter how funny the comedy , 90 minutes is the point at which audiences have had enough . you do n't mess with the zohan trundles on for 113 minutes , none of them funny .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan is a rude and routine adam sandler farce with some exceedingly sharp lines .",
        "a strange , mostly enjoyable mix of big political questions and crude comedy , zohan overcomes its skeletal plotting and uneven gag ratio through sandler 's sheer commitment to nonsense .",
        "another sloppily concocted and naggingly non-controversial pretext for sandler to pelvic thrust his way though a succession of increasingly wacky fish-out-of-water situations .",
        "amusing adam sandler comedy with a bonkers premise , a surprisingly likeable central character and a handful of decent gags .",
        "o pior filme da carreira de adam sandler ... e se considerarmos que estamos falando do g\u043anio por tr\u0431s de o paiz\u0433o e little nicky , esta constata\u0437\u0433o se torna mais do que deprimente ; torna-se apavorante .",
        "you should have known : you do n't expect much from the zohan .",
        "just when you think civilisation may be moving forward a bit -lrb- ok , i 'm an optimist -rrb- , another adam sandler movie comes along .",
        "happily , you do n't mess with the zohan , sandler 's first collaboration with co-writer and current hollywood comedy godhead judd apatow , is a crazed , delightfully bizarre return to form for sandler .",
        "it says something generally about the acting when mariah carey , playing herself , is as good or better than just about everyone else .",
        "the movie is n't exactly a breakthrough for sandler , but is a nice reminder of his expansive talents and kinder instincts that only occasionally win out in his films .",
        "recommended for the drunken college guy in all of us ... the funniest adam sandler movie since big daddy .",
        "crude , idiotic , ridiculous -- in other words , flat-out hilarious , and sandler 's funniest film in years .",
        "in the end , the movie feels as if it exists only to display the sandler 's biceps .",
        "while zohan purveys the familiar sandler mix of jewvenile humor and geriatric love , it 's less about a manic manchild than it is a raunchily wholesome message movie that deploys stereotypes in order to smash them .",
        "sandler has shown some spark in more dramatic roles , so it 's disappointing to see him return to his one-note ` form . '",
        "eventually falls apart in a heap of pointless celebrity cameos and repetitive jokes about hummus .",
        "more annoying than the crassness , really , is the directorial sloppiness -- which results in a virtually mirthless first half-hour .",
        "there are really only four jokes in the movie , and each of them goes from being pleasantly goofy to positively leaden as the film 's needlessly protracted running time unspools .",
        "`` zohan 's '' first hour may well be the strongest stretch of any sandler comedy . but , in its second half , the film 's humor takes a backseat in favor of a heavy-handed plea for mideast peace . a noble goal , of course , but not a very funny one .",
        "is n't all that different from any number of old adam sandler pictures . that 's to say that it 's not very good , and you probably wo n't find it terribly funny .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan tries to mix high-brow satire with low-brow gross-out humor . the combination kills the story 's pacing .",
        "for all its flaws , zohan remains a tolerable if inane piece of entertainment that scores points for trying ...",
        "sandler can still do it when it comes to silly .",
        "despite all of the film 's problems , there are still plenty of very funny moments and zohan is one of sandler 's more enjoyable characters .",
        "when i think of movies that have a locker-room mentality i think of movies like this one , another sleazy , dirty-minded offering from adam sandler .",
        "the movie has surprisingly little energy . sandler seems to think all he needs to do is talk in a phony middle-eastern accent to generate laughs , but what he 's saying should also be funny too , right ?",
        "the zohan is a mess",
        "when i watched `` zohan , '' i felt like i was watching two different films ... both of them not very good .",
        "for all its perceived shock value , all the concern that a comedy about conflict in the middle east would offend just about everyone imaginable , you do n't mess with the zohan is really rather conventional and familiar .",
        "a genial , hit-and-miss return to the ridiculous for adam sandler .",
        "finally , a funny sandler movie . it 's his franchise . he 's sexy too ! but why all the mel gibson slams ?",
        "it 's as if sandler took a trip to israel and came back with 6,000 jokes about hummus -lrb- the 6,000 penis jokes he did n't have to go anywhere to find -rrb- .",
        "the whole style of humor seems dated .",
        "in zohan , sandler , his co-writers and director dennis dugan keep tossing away jokes and throwing away significance .",
        "lots of lewd sandler stuff , but also some laughs .",
        "forget monty python , you do n't mess with the zohan is a circus that never really flies .",
        "zohan is a mess and then some .",
        "it goes on too long , but i enjoyed much of the crazy , off-the-wall nature of this political satire and the sandler-apatow brand of humour .",
        "i 'm all for politically incorrect humor , but there has to be humor in the political incorrectness , and i did n't get it here .",
        "this moviegoer has no trouble with lowbrow comedy . the problem with zohan , however , is that it 's like a kid who tells you a silly joke , gets a laugh , and immediately tells the same joke again .",
        "director duggan serves up a scattershot satire that is about as funny as a palestinian landmine at an israeli kiddie birthday party . broad , offensive and thinly veiled ...",
        "sandler 's unflappable jewish gigolo superhero hairdresser act is an overconceptualized drag .",
        "if only the zohan had n't messed with us . worse than his excruciating chuck and larry , sandler seems determined to refine the unfunny comedy . please , mr sandler , stop it . please . it hurts .",
        "things work out , of course , to everyone 's satisfaction : there are a few political gags that have a veneer of audacity , but in essence , the movie takes risks only with its audience 's gag reflex .",
        "if `` munich '' is the disease , the zohan is the cure . some hard little grains of truth make this sandler 's funniest movie since `` the waterboy . ''",
        "when it 's funny , it 's very , very funny , but when it 's bad , it 's downright awful .",
        "lame hair comedy riddled with greasy dandruff .",
        "given the missed opportunities for sharpening silliness with satire , it 's impossible not to mess with the zohan .",
        "you do n't have to be a sandler fan : if vulgarity mixed with a little sentiment is your thing , you 've come to the right place .",
        "if sight gags , genital jokes , and crazy caricatures are your thing , you do n't mess with the zohan pulls it off better than any movie since austin powers .",
        "since the comedy is co-written by three scribes , my guess would be that the bathroom humor and childish goofiness are product of sandler and company , whereas the more sexual and raunchy elements reflect the sensibility of judd apatow and his factory .",
        "i like sandler 's trademark combination of shock tactics and sweetness . there 's a crazed good-heartedness to zohan .",
        "but really -- 113 minutes ? some judicious trimming might have made the jokes ' hit-to-miss ratio way more tolerable .",
        "zohan is , against all odds , sandler 's funniest effort in close to a decade . not exactly a monumental feat given the junk he 's recently made a mint foisting on the american public , but still .",
        "another in the string of exercises in coarse infantilism that represent the studios ' idea of farce nowadays .",
        "it 's too long , with too many plot threads , too many penis jokes -lrb- and hummus jokes -rrb- , and too many `` unexpected '' celebrity cameos .",
        "a desperate , miserable experience .",
        "mess with the zohan if you like , but be prepared for the consequences . this picture is to comedy what carpet bombing is to aerial warfare : the onslaught is so relentless that occasional direct hits on the funny bone are a statistical guarantee .",
        "opens with a close-up of -lsb- zohan 's -rsb- bulging crotch and remains in that territory , in every sense , for the 113 minutes that it violates the screen",
        "so i smelled it , smelled it , smelled it and took it - and you know , i thought it was pretty good .",
        "the racial stereotypes that emerge in this film are as over the top and potentially offensive as eli wallach 's tuco in the good , the bad and the ugly . but what redeems the film to some degree is its general good naturedness ...",
        "amid the silliness , the boorishness and the vulgarity is a certain warmness and sweetness .",
        "for as stupid as it is , part of its problem is that it really is n't stupid enough .",
        "it 's a difficult feat to manage irony without antecedent , so rather than opt for knowing caricature -- like , say , adam goldberg 's the hebrew hammer -- zohan mostly opts for empty farce : topical humor for people unfamiliar with the topic .",
        "although this film could 've been hilarious , almost every scene ends up as crude or just plain silly . but adam sandler looks terrific as zohan !",
        "do n't mess with audiences , sandler . yet another bum movie from the actor that so steeped in stereotypes , it 's nauseating .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- voids that pitfall that brings down this genre of nutty comedy far more often than not : there 's nothing meanspirited about it . it 's crude in many ways ... but it 's never vulgar , and in fact it 's often strikingly sweet .",
        "this is one of those movie ideas that leaves you wondering what other ideas , exactly , were rejected in favor of this one , on the grounds of being too lame .",
        "harold and kumar escape from guantanamo removed the do not open band from the jar of terror jokes , and zohan reaches in with greedy hands , adding arab-israeli jokes as well .",
        "you do n't mess with the zohan is the best adam sandler comedy in ages - but for only the film 's first 20 minutes .",
        "his humor works best when it 's throw-away , but zohan throws everything up to get a yuck . it 's a shock to see how many ` yuck ! ' moments sandler settles for .",
        "essentially , you do n't mess with the zohan is n't all that different in tone and sensibility from sandler 's previous films , but he 's really trying in this one , and the effort pays off .",
        "zohan tries for a message of social relevance with a nod to america as the land of multicultural coexistence , but its real value is in air-fluffing our cares away for a couple of hours .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's at its best when adam sandler is catching fish with his buttocks , just like most of his movies .",
        "zohan skirts any real issues , but maybe crass and messy is more reflective of the times and situation .",
        "not that you do n't mess with the zohan is meant to be taken seriously , nor is it meant to be an intelligent discussion of world politics . but even as a zany comedy whose backdrop kinda-sorta happens to have some heft to it , it falters .",
        "this collision of sensibilities may be funnier than much of sandler 's recent repertoire , but it 's also a clumsy , scattershot fiasco that 's more likely to offend those with astute comedic taste than anyone on either side of the israeli-palestine equation .",
        "you mess with the zohan at the risk of your own iq . but anyone who realizes or cares about such hazards has likely crossed the movie off the to-see list already .",
        "evidently there 's something even harder to pull off than middle eastern peace : a steady run of jokes that deserve our laughter -- if you do n't mess with the zohan is an indicator .",
        "the movie paints crude and insulting portraits of israelis and palestinians , going in for the basest stereotypes that would only bring a smile to the face of a klansman .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "you do n't mess with the zohan features intermittent laughs , and will please sandler diehards , but after awhile the leaky premise wears thin .",
    "id": "770671938"
  },
  {
    "movie": "queen_of_the_damned",
    "reviews":
     [
        "for a horror film that is supposed to have thrills and lots of gore , one is left feeling they went to see a comedy for all the nonsense there is .",
        "vapid , disjointed drivel .",
        "aaliyah steals the show as a villainous vampiric vixen in an otherwise ludicrous waste of a story .",
        "this film should have stayed in its coffin and never seen the light of day .",
        "... the film 's disjointed narrative makes it near impossible to ever become completely engrossed .",
        "anne rice goes heavy metal in hollywood 's latest installment of bloodsucker cinema .",
        "overall this horror picture , based on rice 's novel , is no good , but lead stuart townsend gives a far more compelling -lrb- and properly campy -rrb- performance than tom cruise did as lestat in the high-profile companion piece , interview with the vampire .",
        "rice 's complex , sprawling novel is rendered virtually incomprehensible by a combination of lacklustre direction , risible dialogue and shoddy effects .",
        "MOV is not a good film , but it 's definitely a watchable one .",
        "tom cruise had the good sense to stay away from reprising his role of lestat in this film .",
        "MOV degenerates into a lot of dull declaiming and attitudinizing , despite a sly tongue - in-cheek quality brought by a preening stuart townsend to the lestat role he inherited from the utterly humorless tom cruise .",
        "totally brainless , a laboriously florid attempt to fashion the sort of instant camp that arises only by accident .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he script is n't up to the level of the direction , nor are the uneven performances by the cast members , who seem bound and determined to duplicate bela lugosi 's now-cliched vampire accent .",
        "... the story does n't make a whole lot of sense ...",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- even if you can swallow the silly plot about a vampire turned rock star , the humorless script turns things sour , eliciting unintentional laughs instead of blood-curdling frights .",
        "the movie does n't reach the level of camp goofiness attained by films like the mummy returns and lara croft : tomb raider , perhaps because the filmmakers labor under the impression that anne rice 's works must be treated respectfully .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- soulless , stupid sequel ...",
        "... any episode of tv 's buffy the vampire slayer is better .",
        "all the sensuality , all the eroticism of a good vampire tale has been , pardon the pun , sucked out and replaced by goth goofiness .",
        "-lrb- aaliyah -rrb- absolutely transcends the screen and fills the whole theater with her presence ... she dominates this incongruous vampire flick with her chilling allure .",
        "... a visually seductive , unrepentantly trashy take on rice 's second installment of her vampire chronicles .",
        "there 's a bit of thematic meat on the bones of MOV , as its origins in an anne rice novel dictate , but generally , it 's a movie that emphasizes style over character and substance .",
        "when MOV knows it 's ridiculous , it 's moderately entertaining fun ; when it tries to be serious , it 's truly ridiculous .",
        "while the story is better-focused than the incomprehensible anne rice novel it 's based upon , MOV is a pointless , meandering celebration of the goth-vampire , tortured woe-is-me lifestyle .",
        "it 's not just the vampires that are damned in MOV -- the viewers will feel they suffer the same fate .",
        "... the kind of mess that never should have made it to theaters .",
        "aaliyah rarely dampens her diva persona enough to spark genuine chemistry with townsend . when she speaks , her creepy egyptian demigod voice is as computer processed and overproduced as it was in her music .",
        "MOV would n't be so bad if it were n't so boring .",
        "none of it makes the least bit of sense , and it 's all utterly ridiculous .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- here 's only so much anyone can do with a florid , overplotted , anne rice rock 'n' roll vampire novel before the built-in silliness of the whole affair defeats them .",
        "... there 's not a moment of fright or a modicum of suspense in any of its 101 minutes .",
        "it 's loud , garish , very stupid ... and thoroughly enjoyable rubbish .",
        "although there was hardly a clamoring among the filmgoing public for a sequel ... the popularity of rice 's series seemed reason enough to resurrect the characters .",
        "its look with haunt you .",
        "muddled , trashy and incompetent",
        "making 100 minutes seem like an eternity , michael rymer 's film is deathly tedious .",
        "MOV leaves us puzzled as to why the term ` damned ' applies at all , when vampirism is depicted as so cool , fashion-savvy and glamorous .",
        "in a 102-minute film , aaliyah gets at most 20 minutes of screen time . ... most viewers will wish there had been more of the `` queen '' and less of the `` damned . ''",
        "sums up all that 's wrong with contemporary cinema : unsubtle to the point of obviousness , it reeks of mtv and relies on volume to get its point across .",
        "it all looks very weak , and my heart went out to the excellent paul mcgann , who has to play a occult researcher looking permanently appalled at what is happening . as well he might .",
        "it 's only aaliyah that makes it watchable . for vampire lovers and goth rockers only .",
        "the three lead actors turn in worthy performances .",
        "basically , the film did n't make much sense to me , it did n't introduce me to any characters that i cared or knew much about .",
        "all flash and no substance .",
        "wait for this movie to come out on video , where you can witness the sucking in the privacy of your own home .",
        "ranks as an epic waste of time for fans of anne rice .",
        "... pretends the events happening are really as earth-shaking as the plot suggests , all the while reveling in bits of cheese ... make sure you take your sunglasses in with you since the sun will be shining when you leave the matinee .",
        "screenwriters scott abbott and michael petroni have turned rice 's complex akasha into a cartoon monster .",
        "the relentlessly tacky movie that the '80s left behind",
        "it 's a soundtrack in search of a movie .",
        "... does n't necessary punch a stake through its heart as far as cohesive plotlines and decent character development are concerned . slickly manufactured ... the intrusive gory antics coupled with a ludicrous premise makes for a mawkish mixture of mediocrity",
        "it 's striving to be cool to the core ... but it ultimately has more in common with beetlejuice than a black mass .",
        "a hideous , confusing spectacle , one that may well put the nail in the coffin of any future rice adaptations .",
        "aaliyah sings not a note , and is left only with 3 or 4 scenes in which she must utter silly , exclamation-pointed dialogue through her big false teeth .",
        "what was probably impressive in the books looks overwrought on the screen .",
        "aaliyah fans , as well as fans of charisma , sex , and violence , will be sorely disappointed .",
        "fate made the mistake of taking aaliyah instead of the film .",
        "rymer does n't trust laughs -- and does n't conjure proper respect for followers of the whole dead-undead genre , who deserve more from a vampire pic than a few shrieky special effects .",
        "it looks good , but it is essentially empty .",
        "wanker goths are on the loose ! run for your lives !",
        "it 's fun to watch and yet its soul is vacuous and empty .",
        "anne rice 's novels use vampirism to tell a story about the preciousness and fragility of life , but there 's no deeper meaning in this movie ...",
        "if legendary shlockmeister ed wood had ever made a movie about a vampire , it probably would look a lot like this alarming production , adapted from anne rice 's novel the vampire chronicles .",
        "neither scary nor smart , or even completely campy enough to be fun ...",
        "... just a big mess of a movie , full of images and events , but no tension or surprise .",
        "undemanding cheesy fun .",
        "MOV is too long with too little going on .",
        "... manages to deliver a fair bit of vampire fun .",
        "... with every element drained of blood , this queen is damned .",
        "the late r&b star aaliyah haunts an anne rice adaptation that feels like a vampire 's life : it goes on forever .",
        "this adaptation of famous author , anne rice , is going to have her legions of fans up in arms and weilding wooden stakes .",
        "a darkly satisfying night out for the post-cure crowd .",
        "rymer is n't too concerned with the plot ; he 's more interested in striking stylish , sometimes campy , poses .",
        "unexpectedly audacious , even daring .",
        "none of the characters is particularly likable , and the dialogue too often sounds like an endless string of overly dramatic churchillian one-liners , most delivered in that gaudy thick accent .",
        "a forgettable funhouse for aaliyah to play in .",
        "the performances are so leaden , michael rymer 's direction is so bloodless and the dialogue is so corny that the audience laughs out loud .",
        "the casting here is really what lifts the film above the normal run of bloody fangoria .",
        "... too gory to be a comedy and too silly to be an effective horror film .",
        "MOV 's target audiences are those younger moviegoers who attend raves and an appreciate the heavy metal and goth sensibilities . all others will probably find it alien terrain .",
        "despite blood-slurping , a goth rock score and even the chilling resurrection of aaliyah as the title character , this third installment of anne rice 's vampire chronicles seems curiously torpid .",
        "at its best when the music creeps up decibel by decibel , distorted power chords , mutant mortals spinning in slow-mo . and ... aaliyah is brilliantly visually stunning .",
        "even the ear-bleeding heavy-rock soundtrack ca n't cover up the sucking sound of a toothless vampire flick that never should 've seen the light of day .",
        "... a gloppy miasma of goo , blood and annoying sound effects .",
        "half-way into the film , we begin to wish akasha would finish us off .",
        "a muddled limp biscuit of a movie , a vampire soap opera that does n't make much sense even on its own terms .",
        "the only entertainment you 'll derive from this choppy and sloppy affair will be from unintentional giggles -- several of them .",
        "... the movie is just a plain old monster .",
        "here 's yet another studio horror franchise mucking up its storyline with glitches casual fans could correct in their sleep . but taken as a stylish and energetic one-shot , the MOV can not be said to suck .",
        "avoid this heavy metal hell at all costs .",
        "the movie frequently feels lethargic , with moody characters gliding hither and yon .",
        "at its best , queen is campy fun like the vincent price horror classics of the '60s . at its worst , it implodes in a series of very bad special effects .",
        "it screams ` video ' in every scene .",
        "... the real special effects here are townsend and perez , who are decidedly unconventional and whose lively scenes together come with a homoerotic campiness that seems straight out of the rocky horror picture show .",
        "for any of those die-hards still shunning daylight while anxiously awaiting the release of MOV , i have two words for you : sunblock , matinee . or , try this pair : dollar theater .",
        "directed by australian filmmaker michael rymer , who showed promise in the low-key angel baby , MOV is self-serious , pointless and silly .",
        "... looks luscious but feels as though a whole lot of story got lost between the page and the screen .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- boldly stroked , luridly coloured , uni-dimensional nonsense machine that strokes the eyeballs while it evaporates like so much crypt mist in the brain .",
        "MOV as you might have guessed , makes sorry use of aaliyah in her one and only starring role -- she does little here but point at things that explode into flame .",
        "... a great dose of vamp camp .",
        "a vampire flick for the mtv generation , -lsb- it 's -rsb- slow , plodding , pretentious and pseudo-serious .",
        "aaliyah still manages to suggest a new kind of soul sister whose talk-to-the-hand becomes a ferocious talk-to-the-flame .",
        "an ill-conceived jumble that 's not scary , not smart and not engaging .",
        "though the overall film is surprisingly decent , i can say , without question , that buffy the vampire slayer 's joss whedon could have made a much better film with this kind of budget .",
        "directed with goth pizzazz and brains by michael rymer .",
        "the good news is that MOV is n't as bad as you might expect . the bad news is that it is n't nearly as good as its predecessor , interview with the vampire .",
        "i did n't expect it to be a great movie , but how about down and dirty fun ?",
        "perhaps the sole reason to see this film is to pay final tribute to aaliyah . too bad it is n't a better movie .",
        "wishy-washy and hampered by cliche , sitting through this is like enduring a vampire life : it 's one long wait for the end .",
        "michael rymer stages high-tech sequences combining gore , romance , and gothy music , and he has enough conviction to make what could have been very silly strangely provocative .",
        "aaliyah is gorgeous , but that does n't save the film 's tedious pacing , and cheesy atmosphere in the end .",
        "it 's mainly an excuse for director michael rymer to unleash his arsenal of flashy , mtv-type visuals and moulin rouge costume designer angus strathie to play dress-up .",
        "it 's difficult to make a truly boring vampire picture , but the folks behind this draggy adaptation of anne rice 's bestsellers the vampire lestat and the MOV have done just that .",
        "whatever life there is to the movie is what -lsb- aaliyah -rsb- brings to it .",
        "the film is vampire roadkill .",
        "it is n't great entertainment or camp , but pic sets its ambitions so low , it ca n't help partially delivering on them .",
        "aaliyah makes a brief but memorable posthumous appearance about an hour into the nearly incoherent proceedings , which are riddled with unintentional guffaws .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- o dull that you may be tempted to slip the projectionist 50 bucks to turn on the house lights and see what happens to the vampire cast .",
        "plays out rather drearily .",
        "the picture keeps the action and gore moving at a nice clip , invents a few interesting and funny new moments , and keeps it all very sexy .",
        "... aaliyah makes both a triumphant and eerie final curtain call .",
        "... works on some levels and is certainly worth seeing at least once .",
        "aaliyah 's performance is n't much -- her hips and the costume do most of the work -- but there is a definite movie-star presence there .",
        "stands as a rare , satisfying diversion into the world of vampires .",
        "whole stretches of the film may be incomprehensible to moviegoers not already clad in basic black .",
        "devoid of even mtv-caliber originality .",
        "it 's not so much an archetypical romantic irony as a manic-depressive fancy brought on by a hormonal imbalance .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a muddled and campy mtv-styled vampire movie with lots of eye candy and bad accents .",
    "id": "13541"
  },
  {
    "movie": "playing_by_heart",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film works well as a whole and is lively from start to finish .",
        "in fact , it could have benefited from having one or two plot threads snipped . but it 's hard to argue with any film that boasts a cast of this caliber .",
        "an always-entertaining and fairly thoughtful film on the subject of love , and how everyone hopes for it in one way or another .",
        "mushy yet funny and intelligent , the beautifully executed new film MOV is an ideal romantic comedy-drama for a winter afternoon .",
        "carroll is satisfied to just give us a feel for the personality of the characters . the veteran actors know how to make the most of their time .",
        "it will come as no surprise to fans of elvis costello that his beautifully expressed observation that `` writing about music is like dancing about architecture '' has served as inspiration for a motion picture .",
        "just like love itself , this movie is distinct and appreciated by all on many different levels .",
        "the dozen or so lead characters of MOV fear silence the way biblical people feared locusts .",
        "an underrated , dreamy drama about love , lust and infidelity amongst inter-connected los angeleans . jolie rises to the challenge .",
        "MOV tries hard and sometimes succeeds -- and jolie is terrific .",
        "nothing more than merely watchable film .",
        "all of these characters are more interesting when things are going badly for them than when the tide has turned , and carroll 's determination to make the final reel an extended bout of audience tummy tickling is disappointingly conventional .",
        "the brightest spot belongs to angelina jolie , who is so compelling to watch she has chemistry with the furniture .",
        "this charming romantic comedy with a los angeles setting cuts between seemingly unconnected miniplots the way some robert altman movies do .",
        "a very slight and inoffensive movie . it 's a lot like l.a. itself , all surface , soothing and warm .",
        "carroll 's milieu is resolutely middle class and the crises encountered all too predictable .",
        "carroll 's characters spend so much time talking , albeit intelligently , that the connections they make seem peculiarly synthetic .",
        "the lack of time gives the last reel a fakey , tied-up-with-a-bow feeling , but good performances and a good script make this an enjoyable little romance .",
        "an intriguing patchwork of relationships converges into a portrait of modern love in MOV , a wry , satisfying emotional saga .",
        "a heavily mixed bag ; high points come with jon stewart 's sweet courtship of gillian anderson and a brilliant turn from a young unknown named angelina jolie .",
        "the script 's overall artifice , combined with a convenient burst of `` i love yous '' and an all-too-obvious surprise ending , work to undermine an otherwise interesting concept .",
        "willard carroll 's cleverly interconnected -lrb- sometimes annoyingly so -rrb- tale of six different relationships is populated by a horde of big-name stars ...",
        "a well-scripted ensemble drama about eleven people in los angeles searching for love .",
        "if MOV is the kind of film that used to be known as a `` woman 's picture , '' it certainly provides more emotional nourishment than most other mainstream movies generate these days .",
        "despite its first rate cast and some very well-crafted segments , MOV too often comes off like an ungainly , land-locked love boat episode with a glandular disorder .",
        "as a puzzle , MOV is fairly simple . luckily , observing the artwork of the individual pieces is more than enough reward .",
        "unfortunately as bland as its forgettable title ,",
        "it 's much more enjoyable than this sort of date-movie thing normally is , and that success can mostly be credited to the big names populating the film .",
        "everyone has his or her moment , although it is the older folks -lrb- connery and rowlands -rrb- and the youngsters -lrb- jolie and phillippe -rrb- who come off best , giving affecting performances in roles that serve as generational bookends in the film .",
        "jolie 's spunky , heartfelt , oscar-nod-worthy performance is easily the film 's best -- which is no small feat , considering the caliber of the actors surrounding her .",
        "gena rowlands and sean connery head the cast as a mature couple approaching their 40th wedding anniversary , and they 're so superb together that it 's a wonder no one ever thought of teaming them before .",
        "there was a lot for me to like in this film , but i felt it did n't really add up to much ...",
        "as a young scenemaker who keeps landing in one bad relationship after another , jolie does n't exactly avoid the pitfalls of the material she 's given . but her performance is flabbergasting .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- n tune with the current trend toward movies that coddle the audience with reassuring sentiments .",
        "the performers have charm even when their material gets hollow or silly , cinematographer vilmos zsigmond gives los anegeles a bright , colourful look , and plenty of snappy dialogue and good tunes are on offer .",
        "eventually and predictably , the movie , written and directed by willard carroll , brings all of the disparate pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle that is solved , miraculously , by dropping all of the pieces on the floor .",
        "what a cast ! what a waste !",
        "i like this film a lot , a genuine grown up movie that will hurt , amuse and amaze its target audience , and maybe surprise you if you are not it .",
        "the dialogue makes the episodes diverting a fair amount of the time ; it also disguises a script that has virtually nothing interesting or new to say about relationships .",
        "a strong , though sometimes trite , script and good direction keep all the threads going until the tales intertwine .",
        "f you 're willing to go with the warmed-over sentimentality and unoriginal situations , you 'll be grandly entertained by some of hollywood 's accomplished performers .",
        "for all its artificiality , MOV percolates with an earnest charm .",
        "the movie is consistently well-acted and features a gallery of characters so affable that it 's difficult to actively dislike any of them , or , for that matter , the film as a whole ."],
    "summary": "it 's overly talky , but MOV benefits from witty insights into modern relationships and strong performances from an esteemed cast .",
    "id": "13071"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1153987-nanny_mcphee",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV may well delight kids -- if not eternally -- but their adult chaperones , hoping for pleasures of their own from the thompson-firth contingent , are bound to find it a bit lacking .",
        "... an appealing tale of youthful empowerment and whimsy .",
        "both very odd and very straightforward .",
        "what could have been just a middling kids ' movie turns out to be sweet and humorous , the first truly joyful film of 2006 .",
        "emma thompson has provided an amazing script that is smart and wholesome -lrb- what a charming change from the usual -rrb-",
        "it 's about time somebody put some enchantment back into the profession , and mcphee is the appealing and visually vibrant family film diversion that provides the spark .",
        "the comparisons to mary poppins may be inevitable , but MOV has more in common with willy wonka and the chocolate factory -lrb- the gene wilder , not the johnny depp -rrb- than it does with anything chim chim cheree ...",
        "likely to fascinate children , even if it may leave adults bored at times .",
        "a thoroughly charming story that has enough magic and slapstick to please the youngsters , and enough heart to make mom and dad happy",
        "the film delivers the kind of humor and excitement that is expected from the genre , with an extra helping of deviance and sharp wit .",
        "under the surface , the movie has a streak of roald dahl-style darkness which dilutes the sugar .",
        "unfortunately , colin firth seems as though he 's on auto-pilot and the relationship between his character and evangeline is unconvincing , if not borderline inappropriate .",
        "emma thompson is a treat as the eponymous childminder .",
        "thompson is impossible to dislike , but her ineffable grace and sympathy are not as evident as usual .",
        "como toda boa f\u00e1bula , pode servir como um bom impulso para que pais e filhos discutam temas importantes para o desenvolvimento emocional e psicol\u00f3gico das crian\u00e7as .",
        "parents may find more to enjoy in it than kids , since the little buggers are probably only there for the magic , of which there 's not nearly enough .",
        "the young ` uns could certainly do worse than MOV as they await the next instalment of potter .",
        "there 's no spoon of sugar given by this nanny , but like mary poppins , MOV knows how to sort out needy children as well as their needy father .",
        "this whimsical and wonderfully nasty children 's tale is thoroughly enjoyable , if not hugely notable .",
        "there is something deeply satisfying about a fable that ... pays strict attention to the serious moral lesson to be learned from it while also strictly adhering to a loopy , almost anarchic sense of fun .",
        "i do n't like movies about bratty children , but ` MOV ' won me over completely .",
        "whimsical MOV is the most magical child minder to come along since mary poppins .",
        "`` MOV '' is an irreverent tale that somehow becomes endearing by making discipline diverting .",
        "MOV ? nanny mcphooey is more like it .",
        "its appeal likely will be for the youngest in the household . all others might wish that this nanny had recalled a bit of bette davis ' nanny in 1965 's `` the nanny . ''",
        "the wildly colorful costumes and the jubilant defiance of the film 's terrorizing tykes simply is not enough for MOV to get its hapless house in order .",
        "emma thompson as MOV has just enough magic to make this movie work .",
        "chariming , colorful , funny and silly enought that only a grinch would object .",
        "there 's nothing offhand or spontaneous-feeling about MOV ; it 's a highly mechanical piece of work , and its potentially delightful details are wasted .",
        "even those of us not pining nostalgically for mary poppins can feel the slump of a long , downward trajectory . MOV plops .",
        "the saccharine production design and nasty pink-and-red buxom costumes are as fabulous as the full palette of hysterical performances .",
        "thank you , MOV , for restoring my faith in the family movie",
        "the script 's wry humor survives even the hambone directing of kirk jones , who amps up the performances and the color scheme to cartoony extremes .",
        "despite the heavy makeup and prosthetics , emma thompson shapes a touching and mysterious character . MOV is a fine film for the whole family .",
        "a spoonful of sugar would be just the start to make this unappetizing family film properly go down ...",
        "... worth it if your kids are enjoying the movie . otherwise , a little of MOV can go a long way .",
        "you ca n't confuse `` MOV '' with `` mary poppins '' although `` nanny '' does bear a resemblance to the original , non-disney writings of the heroine of p.l. travers ' beloved books .",
        "... just the type of fun , thoughtful escapism that should enjoy a long shelf life on dvd . in one of the most dismal cinematic januarys ever , ` MOV ' is a sly little gem .",
        "its striking combination of day-glo psychedelic colors and a rich streak of morbidity is enough to keep it afloat most of the time .",
        "not your father 's mary poppins , and all the better for it",
        "with one tap of her cane , MOV will charm children and adults alike .",
        "do n't expect to leave the theater singing -- MOV is n't a musical -- but you 'll be grinning . you may not even care if your snaggletooth is showing .",
        "although such elements lend the film an edge most american children 's films would n't dare , MOV is actually quite conventional in virtually every other regard .",
        "working as both a fantasy of wish fulfillment for parents and a raucous , broad live-action cartoon for kids , MOV is an above-average family film .",
        "MOV is n't a bad film , just a disappointing one .",
        "the kiddie komedy of MOV shows that mary poppins plus charles dickens can add up to less than even cheaper by the dozen .",
        "much like MOV herself , the movie is n't pretty , but hiding underneath its gaudy exterior are a few worthwhile lessons , a gleefully morbid sense of humor and , best of all , an actual beating heart .",
        "to those of you who always wanted to refer to mary poppins as ` the hot one , ' your hour has come !",
        "as i watched , however , i realized MOV was n't a child 's fantasy at all . it was my fantasy .",
        "MOV , though it drags a bit in its middle acts , finishes with such gusto that neither you nor your kids will need a spoonful of anything to make this movie medicine go down .",
        "this bracing adaptation of the nurse matilda books by christianna brand is the acidic antidote to mary poppins sweetness .",
        "it 's no mary poppins , to be sure . whatever could be ? but even that magical movie icon would be excessively diverted by MOV 's antics .",
        "the result is quite wonderful , a funny and affecting family confection . only time will tell , but it may even be a classic . it 's that good .",
        "lack of visual dazzle , combined with barely sympathetic child characters , keeps the film from enchanting as fully as it might have .",
        "mcphee is a composite of margaret hamilton , mrs. piggle-wiggle and the grunting karl from sling blade .",
        "except for a few nice , honest moments that manage to sneak in , watching MOV is like being beaten over the head with a toy mallet : harmless , yet awfully irritating .",
        "naughty -lrb- and nice -rrb- children of all ages , particularly little girls , should gobble this one up , and rightly so .",
        "in a seemingly blithe way , the movie captures an aspect of child consciousness not usually explored onscreen -- that zone between innocence and knowledge .",
        "based on the series of nurse matilda stories for young adults written by the late christianna brand , this quirky , uncommonly intelligent adaptation is a strange delight .",
        "MOV has its own enduring charm , a mix of witty dialogue , pie-throwing slapstick and eccentric family portrait .",
        "en every way an exemplary children 's film , but it 's much more than that : at its best , it resembles the gently whimsical ealing comedies of the '50s .",
        "MOV is one of those raucous , hyperactive kiddie flicks that knocks you upside the head from its opening frame .",
        "at its most enjoyable the film feels like roald dahl 's idea of mary poppins -- and on occasion , the sound of music .",
        "as far as movies about enchanting nannies go , mary poppins is certainly the classic favorite . but the delightfully quirky and heartwarming MOV could be a close second .",
        "for a movie that aspires to capture the magic of a classic fairy tale , MOV has all the warmth and charm of the assembly instructions for an ikea bookshelf .",
        "if some of the movie 's effects are distractingly shoddy -lrb- see : the unconvincing dancing donkey -rrb- , thompson is rather divine .",
        "wow ! what a delightful , colorful , magical little gem of a movie .",
        "the only group of people that might not fully enjoy ` MOV ' is dentists who may shudder at the sight of the title character 's one elongated tooth . for everyone else , sit back and enjoy .",
        "thompson ca n't or wo n't diverge much from standard fairy-tale plotting , but enlivens the familiar situation comedy with some pleasingly tart lines .",
        "a delightfully odd tale ... -lrb- thompson -rrb- fills her story with amusing situations and an appealingly whimsical atmosphere .",
        "MOV should work for the kids , but it 's the unusual adult who will find these proceedings charming .",
        "thompson 's the title caregiver in this witty , rollicking kids ' movie that adults will enjoy , too .",
        "everything about emma thompson 's MOV is pleasant . it 's pleasantly amusing , pleasantly enchanting and just pleasant enough to take the kids to a matinee .",
        "a winning tale of naughty children in need of love and the mysterious governess who comes to their aid .",
        "this charmless comic fantasy is a major disappointment .",
        "MOV is clever enough , but it never feels like it 's hitting quite the right notes .",
        "MOV offers solid family entertainment in the face of it all . mary poppins , eat your heart out .",
        "thompson 's script is clever and , despite that monstrous makeup , her performance is deliciously balanced by the standards of what is , after all , a children 's fable .",
        "a howling headache-inducer that features bratty urchins prone to torturing people and a color scheme resplendent with hot-pink bustiers and peeling lime paint .",
        "kudos to all : this is sophisticated children 's fare .",
        "a fugly mary poppins meets nanny 911 in this family comedy whose overly familiar elements still go down easily as if with a spoonful of sugar .",
        "with yours , mine and ours and cheaper by the dozen 2 lately cluttering up the multiplexes with teeming masses of onscreen children in search of a better agent , MOV arrives as a jolly improvement .",
        "what initially feels like a knockoff of `` mary poppins '' blossoms into something else entirely -- an assured , spunky story with such a resonant feel that it seems to have been pulled from an ancient fairy tale .",
        "MOV is perfect for little girls .",
        "thompson and firth are fun ... but for the story to work , we have to sympathize with the kids at least a little bit , and that 's quite difficult here .",
        "imaginative and funny , MOV resembles a julie andrews film festival -- without andrews .",
        "thompson never allows MOV to become cute or cuddly , but manages to make the children -- and us -- love her , warts and all .",
        "occasionally sparkles with a promise of becoming something more than it ever really is .",
        "the movie is a little too self-consciously charming and some of the humor seems forced or even creepy . but it is highly entertaining to see the children misbehave and the happy ending , if unsurprising , is welcome and satisfying .",
        "based on christianna brand 's nurse matilda kid 's book series , one can see how the material might have had potential , if the cast were not pressing so much for laughs .",
        "as entertainment for anyone over 10 , MOV is a supercalifragilisticexpialadisappointment .",
        "and while those classics , like julie andrews ' incandescent maria and poppins , were practically perfect in every way , MOV is quite deserving of its own special place in the magical universe .",
        "MOV casts a captivating spell .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if you have someone under 10 to take to the movies , this one is charming and painless .",
        "a delightful surprise , visually witty and almost unfailingly charming , perhaps the best film of its kind since ` babe . ' this should become a family perennial .",
        "... off-putting in a garish way .",
        "the movie is hampered by production designer michael howell 's garish neon color palate contrasted against clownish costumes by nic ede ...",
        "this is so deliciously over the top on so many levels ... from beastly behavior to gross and excessive destruction to gross and excessive excesses ... with the simple direct lessons woven in well ... brilliant , funny , uplifting for adults as well as children .",
        "emma thompson 's smart script and the uncanny dignity she brings to her mary poppins-esque children 's nurse make up for a lot of flaws .",
        "i found myself tearing up right on cue , -lrb- patrick doyle knows all my buttons -rrb- but sincerely , enjoying the magical tale as much as if i were a small child .",
        "should play well with the small fry , though adults may be more bothered by the clumsy shifts in tone .",
        "mary poppins as imagined by lon chaney .",
        "frothy and fun yet deliciously dark ...",
        "the intermittent pleasures -lsb- MOV -rsb- affords , provided chiefly by a standout cast in high camp mode , make it a passable destination for a family outing .",
        "any time thompson curls that prosthetic snaggletooth over her lower lip and murmurs a nearly inaudible harrumph is a comic moment to be treasured .",
        "it relies on a good story and interesting characters a lot more than it does on eye candy .",
        "the kids will love the candy-box sets and costumes like confectionery-shop windows , the whimsy and farcical grotesqueness of it all .",
        "pleasantly diverting .",
        "think of it edward gorey meets mary poppins .",
        "a bizarrely colorful , over-the-top mash-up of roald dahl-esque edwardian dramedy and the cover of the rolling stones ' their satanic majesties request .",
        "... a very adult revel in all things childish and a comical expression of dramatic themes . while not quite a classic , it is nonetheless a magically constructed children 's film .",
        "MOV is a rare family film that manages to be funny without being gross , and heartwarming without being cloying .",
        "... -lsb- thompson -rsb- gives mcphee a gravitas that provides the movie with a deep core of feeling .",
        "... a colorful and exuberant but by-the-numbers and fairly charm-free concoction that seems overly calculated to pander to the currently hot movie-market for kids ' movies with magical british characters .",
        "... a movie whose twisted visual imagination is more forceful than its wobbly , zigzagging narrative .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- utterly predictable , yet garishly charming children 's tale ,",
        "a delightful and macabre family film that celebrates the naughtiness of kids as a cover for their playful creativity .",
        "will kids like the movie ? i suspect they will . kids like to see other kids learning the rules even if they do n't much want to learn them themselves .",
        "the fun is doled out in small portions and the film is so passive that younger kids will probably fidget in their seats .",
        "it 's more of a kids ' film than a grown-up 's movie , with a good message at its heart .",
        "the kind of movie that i would have loved to seen as a kid . magical stuff . i look forward to the sequel . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "MOV really works ... despite all of its common plots and ideas , because it stays true to storybook conventions that have never and will never get old .",
        "an exquisitely designed fable that will delight adults as well as their offspring through its beguiling innocence and hushed , low-key charm .",
        "MOV falls back on the nickelodeon principle `` if all else fails , hit 'em with a retina-searing overload of visual and aural information . ''",
        "there are many different kinds of children 's movies , and this one tries to be all of them at once -- including one of those in which the children are smarter than the adults .",
        "often as garish and shrill as it is magical and enchanting .",
        "... pleasing but ultimately unsatisfying .",
        "frays in the second half ... fancy darcy as a limp romantic lead !",
        "its redeeming virtues are thompson , firth and kelly macdonald as firth 's adoring housemaid ; they manage to give genuine , affecting performances in the midst of all the outlandish , obnoxious goings-on .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a bit alarming at first , MOV has a hard edge to counter mary poppins-style sweetness , but it still charms us and teaches some valuable lessons .",
    "id": "2864439"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wreck_it_ralph",
    "reviews":
     [
        "witty , inventive , beautifully animated and , most importantly , heartfelt .",
        "this is an engaging adventure with likeable characters and some nice ideas , though the pacing flags in the second half and there 's a nagging sense of unexplored potential .",
        "it 's arguably the best pixar-style feature from disney that has n't actually been made directly by its acquired , multi-oscar winning arm .",
        "put a coin in the slot and sit back and enjoy ; it 's the best pixar movie the studio did n't make , and there can be no higher praise .",
        "it 's a cgi time-machine for those who misspent their youth developing rsis on bleeping 8-bit arcade consoles .",
        "i found the idea of teens laying down their coins to play arcade games in this present day a strange , semi-intentional archaism - nostalgic wish-fulfilment on the part of the middle-aged people creating the movie .",
        "the chubby 3d animation , smart-alecky product placement and potty humour all capped my enthusiasm about halfway to total delight .",
        "play an actual videogame instead .",
        "disney have struck gold outside of their partnership with pixar , delivering a riotous , sharp and stirring rollercoaster ride of an animated film , reinforced by clever , sentimental video game references and saccharine delight .",
        "disney 's found a lot to play with here , but you may find yourself itching to take the controls .",
        "it 's a lovely pretext for dazzling visuals , yet the production is diminished by the clumsiness of an 8-bit script .",
        "like a video game , rich moore 's 3-d film is colorful , noisy , and pixel-deep .",
        "the witty and vibrant worlds are gorgeously imagined -lrb- and of course now available in game form themselves -rrb- , with a satisfying balance of heart and humor .",
        "wreck-it ralph is an absolutely wonderful film , nothing short of a glorious , full-blown rebirth for disney animation studios .",
        "`` wreck-it ralph '' is a lot like video games and candy : light entertainment but fun while it lasts .",
        "wreck-it ralph is the latest in a rash of recent movies fired up with imaginative risk . director moore brings a video junkie 's passion to the movie game , and it 's hilariously infectious .",
        "delightfully off the rails , offering a grown-up-friendly tone and merging of visual styles that are reminiscent of the studio 's 1988 animated homage to film noir , `` who framed roger rabbit . ''",
        "probably wo n't endure like the best of disney 's animated canon , but it 's a slight , well-meaning entertainment all the same .",
        "if ever a movie deserved the tag line ` get ready to root for the bad guy , ' it 's this .",
        "a witty , imaginative romp that should please some viewers with its nostalgic references to the pastimes they affectionately remember and everybody else with its explosion of sheer exuberance and warmth .",
        "wreck-it ralph is a major advancement for walt disney animation studios in all regards .",
        "while not quite the 80s gaming throwback it implies , this is a sweet , clever animated adventure .",
        "easily the best animated film in a year full of crushing disappointments , wreck-it ralph is a heart-warming ode to retro gaming that will enrapture gamers and pretty much everyone else along the way .",
        "there 's a bonus level of enjoyment for video-game aficionados who might never look at classic arcade games quite the same way again .",
        "do n't worry . you wo n't be the only grownup seeing ` wreck-it ralph . ' and if you want to take your family , you will be laughing just as hard as the younger viewers .",
        "funny , heartwarming , interesting characters , but just a little bit overlong .",
        "wreck-it ralph , under the keen executive producer eye of pixar titan john lasseter , is what would happen if toy story & shrek had a video game lovechild .",
        "the world created in the movie is so utterly fascinating that i desperately want to see what other kind of amazing , creative tales can be told within it .",
        "not a wreck but the movie does have some problems .",
        "ralph and his new friends offer much action and adventure , but the movie scores most of all with its poignant scenes and the relationships among its characters .",
        "visually ambitious and packed with inside jokes for arcade gamers , this colourful animated adventure is an enjoyable romp but is probably too energetic for its own good .",
        "`` wreck-it ralph '' blends poignancy and a piston-powered plot that revels in both visual inventiveness and a vaudevillian sense of timing .",
        "`` wreck-it ralph '' does n't just wreck 'em . it darn near kills 'em .",
        "the farcical story is cute , the dialogue witty and the players charming .",
        "it 's pure plastic product from plot line to the pro forma 3-d to the tidy moral lessons - ersatz family entertainment as disposable as it is diverting .",
        "the movie invites a measure of cynicism - which it proceeds to obliterate with a 93-minute blast of color , noise , ingenuity and fun .",
        "wreck-it ralph is pop nirvana , a headlong rush through classic arcade games and nintendo standards that 's not too busy playing spot-the-reference to keep from paying off in laughs and heart .",
        "`` wreck-it ralph '' builds on a wonderful premise that explores whether folks are condemned to be victims of their own circumstances .",
        "think `` tron '' with belly laughs . or `` night at the museum '' with any laughs .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "call it tron for little kids . or toy story for their arcade generation parents .",
        "powered by a standout concept delivered upon in winning fashion , this fun film serves as the most natural and effortlessly readymade animated feature for future franchise exploration since shrek .",
        "an even more enriching experience than i had anticipated .",
        "it 's a superbly rendered , supremely creative effort that lovingly pays tribute to 1980s arcade games .",
        "disney hits all its demographic targets from those whose first gaming experience is angry birds to those who know their asteroids from their defender .",
        "anyone who grew up within a controller cable length of a gaming console will need to see this film .",
        "-lsb- it earns -rsb- an emotional final payoff , when it could have easily coasted on the nostalgia of parents , and the undiscerning tastes of infants . that it also injects a number of thrilling action sequences and witty asides is just icing on the delectable cake .",
        "as a new father you can fully trust me when i say things like ` wreck-it ralph ' is fun for the whole family , even though my family wo n't find that out for another five years .",
        "wreck-it-ralph is one of the year 's best animated features -lrb- if not the best -rrb- and it 's the attention to detail in the tightly-written script that gives it such an edge .",
        "with its inventive premise , clever script and wacky characters , this family friendly film tells the story of the video game 's bad guy , whose colourful adventures and life affirming journey allow him to realise his true worth",
        "this witty and brilliantly executed disney production is looser and less insistent on your emotional acquiescence than its pixar counterparts ...",
        "this movie - much like toy story before it - imagines what might happen if toys ' designated functions face challenges , if characters have ideas that take them beyond expectations .",
        "it 's fun for awhile , but it 's not a video game you 'll come back to once you set down the controller .",
        "the film flies off in all sorts of directions , all of them rewarding . but the best trick is how screenwriters phil johnston and jennifer lee bring everything back together , even the seemingly least-related elements .",
        "rings a few welcome changes on the disney-princess mythos , but it still feels like a game you 've played before .",
        "i do not care one bit about video games . even if i did , i suspect i would n't be a fan of the loud and frenzied `` wreck-it ralph . ''",
        "the most inventive and entertaining family movie i 've seen this year , packed with wickedly smart humor and joyful animation .",
        "starts out as a funny high scorer but limps into a second half as flat as those quarters we once pumped into arcade machines long ago .",
        "wreck-it ralph feels like so many modern aaa gaming titles-a promising starting point for an inevitable , improved sequel .",
        "built for fun ... in its dazzlingly elaborate production design and kinetic 3d action ... perfect casting ... who framed roger rabbit-esque video-game-character cameos , and a cramming of clever comic touches ...",
        "sweet enough but in the end a bit of a corny-syrupy wipeout , this is middling family-night fare , but it never even comes close to the emotional or technical wizardry of pixar 's finest moments .",
        "a gorgeously rendered story that will play just as well to children as to their parents , albeit for different reasons . playstation and xbox junkies will be equally pleased .",
        "what makes this work is not only the in-jokes for video game fans , but the rich characterization .",
        "the imagery is amazing - and always witty . this is a disney cartoon - but it 's got the imagination and brains of a pixar feature .",
        "a bouncy , boingy ball of candy-colored fun , wreck-it ralph is intended as pure entertainment for wee boys and girls . and i bet most adults will find it a hoot to boot .",
        "disney animation takes a page out of pixar 's well-worn playbook for this , a screwball farce with a novel setting and more edge than your average disney ` toon .",
        "a sweet , colorful 3-d animated feature that finds disney passing its stuck-in-a-rut partners at pixar .",
        "more than another standard cutesy reference-fest with some exciting chases and an eventual upbeat message .",
        "bursting with candy-bright colors and zoomy action , pixar 's `` wreck-it ralph '' should prove as entertaining as a sugar rush for its young target audience .",
        "the story often feels jumbled and unfocused . but the details of the video-game world are intricate and wonderfully realized .",
        "the art design and color palette of `` wreck-it ralph '' permit unlimited sets , costumes and rules , giving the movie tireless originality and different behavior in every different cyber word .",
        "wreck-it ralph never does anything groundbreaking with this idea , but it 's cute and clever and evokes nostalgia for gamers of the '80s and '90s .",
        "if only the konami code could fix this script .",
        "amid all the boring crashing and chasing and slapstick , there are some brilliant flashes of wit -lrb- particularly a reference to the guards in the wizard of oz -rrb- .",
        "it was such a great time at the cinema ; i was expecting to like it and i ended up falling in love .",
        "it does n't quite carry the heft of toy story , but there 's a lot of heart packed into these zeroes and ones .",
        "it 's a fine piece of moviemaking that has a little something for kids who do n't remember when games were played in arcades and adults who will delight in the tweaking of a bygone era .",
        "it 's a great dynamic and it works but my favorite character isn the whole thing was alan tudyck as king candy , such a hilarious throwback to the mad hatter from alice in wonderland .",
        "a delightful contrast to moore 's frenetic adventure is offered by an accompanying short subject paper man ... the reason for the `` plus '' in my grade , and a likely oscar nominee in the animated short film category .",
        "consider it a force in the best animated film oscar race",
        "wreck-it ralph makes you think that an animated comedy this humorous , original , and entertaining has to be unhealthy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the metaphor is clever , injecting real-life risk and reward into these beautifully artificial vistas , scored to composer henry jackman 's nintendo-worthy beeps and bloops .",
        "the story pushes a heartfelt message , but the humorous antics are pitched at a strictly juvenile level that will have parents yawning while their children roar in approval .",
        "for anyone with a grade-schooler and a free saturday , it 's a pretty safe and painless bet . and a great excuse to go up to the attic later and see if you can dig out your old atari 2600 .",
        "the breakout star here is silverman , who channels her caustic kewpie doll stand-up personality into the impish vanellope to give her some bite and a lot of heart .",
        "wreck-it ralph is like the happy hallucination a 14 year old kid in 1986 might have had after ingesting a dozen or so pixie sticks and a liter of jolt cola",
        "the most fun i 've had in a theater for quite a long time .",
        "wreck-it ralph is n't great but it 's not a total train wreck either .",
        "wreck-it ralph knows that it can only play at its inside jokes for so long before the shtick gets old .",
        "wreck-it ralph is consistently inventive , displaying a sturdy story structure that makes it more than just a simplistic romp for the gen-x crowd .",
        "this is a hugely enjoyable entry in the walt disney animation studios catalogue . it sits well alongside the likes of tangled , balancing both anarchic humour and classic disney sentimentality very well .",
        "an adorable winner ...",
        "a colourfully cute romp for kids .",
        "the film is nicely animated but confusing enough to be almost impenetrable at times .",
        "warm , witty , wacky and wonderful , wreck-it ralph deserves to stand alongside the best of disney , while also feeling like it would n't be out of place at pixar 's table .",
        "this certainly is n't the best disney film to come along , but it 's a decent outing for families .",
        "the prospect of inevitable sequels is more than bearable .",
        "for some , ralph 's spell in sugar rush 's candy-coloured world may induce hyperglycaemia ... but hard-core gamers will have a blast picking up all the gaming in-jokes and references that fly over everyone else 's heads .",
        "just like the camera gave us the heads of frankenstein and hellboy , so we always get ralph 's giant hands first here .",
        "it 's a little frantic at times but great fun , clever and well-crafted .",
        "like most any game , wreck-it ralph is most fun when it 's messing around without a particular goal .",
        "life lessons about being true to yourself are learned along the way , delivered with all the subtlety of felix 's hammer , but wreck-it ralph actually makes us care about these videogame characters and their dreams .",
        "while only the first forty minutes are super , on the whole wreck-it ralph is a whole lot of fun .",
        "there are a staggering number of rules governing the gameplay in wreck-it ralph , and one of the toon 's greatest pleasures comes in how intuitively audiences discover those parameters as the story unfolds .",
        "with a mix of retro eye-candy for grown-ups and a thrilling , approachable storyline for the tykes , the film casts a wide and beguiling net .",
        "nothing but broad , pandering indexes tailored to appeal to the arcade wistfulness it never even bothers to convincingly evoke .",
        "beneath the pixelated gags , the stakes are relatively familiar . however , much of the humor in `` wreck-it ralph '' riffs on the nostalgia associated with real games .",
        "the filmmakers deserve credit for creating different worlds , each with distinctive look , but like most road films , the tale is overly episodic , lacking the unified vision that has marked the genre 's best works .",
        "a cleverly conceived , coin operated machine .",
        "` wreck-it ralph ' is a clutter of noise , eye-wearying animation , frenetic action and two-dimensional characters .",
        "a brilliant concept in search of a movie . starts off really strong with sly humor and wit that devolves into cheap kiddie jokes .",
        "yeah , i said it . wreck-it ralph compares with the toy story movies . it 's the equal to those films in terms of joy , character , sweetness and , most of all , heart .",
        "the creators , more than most , understand that a good setting and fun sight gags are secondary to a story with heart .",
        "wreck-it ralph is colorful and harmless . it 's also harmless and colorful . that just about covers it .",
        "has no apparent goal other than being the biggest , most colorful film it can be , with a warm and fuzzy message that is n't aiming to be sophisticated , and it does what it sets out to do .",
        "that disney 's in-house effort mostly plays like an actual pixar film is a fine compliment .",
        "a manic children 's film about the souls of video game avatars .",
        "best videogame movie ever ! ... -lsb- a -rsb- mong the immense pleasures of this thoroughly enjoyable film are the many ingenious touches that bind it into a cohesive world ...",
        "inventively wired , it 's a video-game adventure that explores visually dazzling , distinctively retro worlds .",
        "may be set in the world of video games , but its conceit is set firmly in ... the hero 's journey . the mythic realms are made of bits and bytes , but are just as magical , and the tasks nothing short of herculean . not that any of this is stuffy or pedantic .",
        "wreck-it ralph is witty , ingenious and entertaining , a technical and creative breakthrough on a par with who framed roger rabbit ? , 25 years ago .",
        "those who 've played and programmed the games over the decades will find some fun with in-jokes involving the likes of pac-man and q * bert but anyone else over the age of ten will likely be bored .",
        "game-themed movie mixes potty humor with strong messages .",
        "wreck-it ralph may ostensibly be for kids , but the viewers who will probably enjoy it most are those who were children thirty years ago .",
        "you might wish you could insert another quarter when it finally reaches ` game over . ' -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "through it all , the animators fill wreck-it ralph with playful sight gags and smart video-game references that will delight savvy viewers , but are n't so inclusive that they ca n't be enjoyed by non-gamers .",
        "the film gets a lot of credit for being clever and original while sticking to tried-and-true family movie themes like believing in yourself and accepting everyone 's differences .",
        "one of the best animated movies of a year full of them . sweet , silly , nostalgic , and very geeky fun .",
        "` wreck-it ralph ' is a serious contender for the title of best animated film of the year .",
        "a few power-ups shy of a classic , but its winking look at the world of video games is fun , even if it does n't reach its full potential .",
        "a sort of toy story as seen through an 8-bit lens .",
        "sarah silverman puts in one of the greatest voice acting performances you will ever see or hear in your life .",
        "` wreck-it ralph ' combines a fresh idea with a true love for retro pop culture . it 's hard not to love this movie .",
        "despite being a perfectly entertaining disney picture , wreck-it ralph leaves that nagging taste in the mouth that it could have been so much more .",
        "this a-grade animated disney charmer hits the nail on the head ... director rich moore has enormous faith in the ability of young audiences to absorb multiple story strands at once , a belief aided no end by the exquisite quality of the animation .",
        "wreck-it ralph is a dazzling show of sound and colour , tipping its hat to the 8-bit era and modern-day touchstones .",
        "a disney flick that feels like on-form pixar , blending knowing humour and sophistication with a large helping of heart . you 'll want another go .",
        "mostly it 's a charming , funny , beautifully animated little kick ...",
        "a who framed roger rabbit for the joystick generation that , despite a mid-act dip into generic disney territory , high-scores on laughs , invention and 8-bit affection .",
        "it 's a cool game , to be sure , but watching someone else play it gets old after a while .",
        "... a passable yet disappointing effort from the so-called mouse house ...",
        "this cleverly-targeted family romp marks a step up both commercially and artistically for the non-pixar side of disney 's animation offering .",
        "you 'll either love it or you 'll admire it , while wishing it would calm down and , i do n't know , maybe pick up a book for a while .",
        "once again disney has created an immersive world that 's rich with detail , populated by characters who have problems humans can identify with and characteristics that make them likable . `` wreck-it ralph '' is a winner .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a very clever , delightfully funny and visually stunning disney film . and yet we end up watching it having already seen its potential to be something much more enticing .",
        "an affectionate love note to computer games past",
        "a bubbly , buoyant treat with near-pixar levels of heart .",
        "not in my wildest dreams did i ever anticipate using the word `` thoughtful '' to describe a fairly recent animated film .",
        "as flawed and derivative it may be , `` MOV '' is still a very fine animated fantasy with a keen sense of creativity and wit ...",
        "wreck-it ralph is a highly original and exciting film that puts disney animation right up there with pixar in terms of providing a story full of emotion , heart and energy .",
        "hyperactive day-glo fizzy-pop family animation with a heartfelt message about staying true to yourself lurking underneath all the visual fireworks .",
        "ralph 's arms may be gorilla like , his fists gigantic hammers , but reilly imbues him with rue and courtliness .",
        "an excellent , inventive , anti-bullying adventure that may be a little too technologically advanced for older audiences .",
        "the giddiest cartoon comedy in years .",
        "the movie knows and loves gaming culture , but never uses that as an excuse to let the narrative slip .",
        "video game enthusiasts are sure to embrace the feature 's familiarity with arcade history , while the less enlightened will have to do with a splendidly animated picture populated with likable characters and explosive action set-pieces .",
        "the movie 's retro sensibilities will appeal to adults , while the colorful games and characters , as well as the simplicity of the story , will hold the attention of young viewers .",
        "unlike the pixar films toward which it aspires-which marry sophisticated conceits to straightforward storylines-wreck-it ralph consistently gets lost in its own intricate plot mechanics .",
        "amiable enough .",
        "abandons its initial , clever and fiendishly marketable conceit for a highly conventional tale about fatherhood ... worth a handful of quarters , but not much more than that .",
        "the biggest disappointment of all is that john lasseter is executive producer . unfortunately , `` ralph '' ca n't hold a candle to his prior creations .",
        "this is , without a doubt , the best animated film so far this year . it 's a video game geek 's paradise , featuring countless references to games from all eras .",
        "emphasizes action and eye-popping visuals over emotion .",
        "the first half of the film is a constant delight as clever , funny ideas are presented , one after another .",
        "disney can dress it up , take it out to the arcade and plug it full of quarters ... but at the end of the cord , the film 's a simple , 8-bit i-gotta-be-me story , with a dull plot and tepid characters . game over .",
        "it 's impossible not to feel a strong sense of nostalgic amusement , if not sheer delight , at the comings and goings of all these characters .",
        "the movie 's subversive sensibility and old-school/new-school feel are a total kick .",
        "wreck-it-ralph enjoys a smart ratio of accessible character drama and goofy gaming gags - resulting in an exceptionally entertaining , and heartfelt , animated adventure .",
        "`` wreck-it ralph '' is one of the best animated movies of 2012 ..."],
    "summary": "equally entertaining for both kids and parents old enough to catch the references , wreck-it ralph is a clever , colorful adventure built on familiar themes and joyful nostalgia .",
    "id": "771221512"
  },
  {
    "movie": "this_is_the_end",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... a very savvy send up of the way we perceive celebrities as vapid and self-involved ciphers who are so often flattered and coddled that they come to accept applause as their due .",
        "enjoyable , time-killing piece of throwaway friday-night pap ... it 's broad , stupid fun that , against all odds , ends up coagulating into an actual story with a point .",
        "at its best it 's a film about people getting lost in the fiction of their own creations .",
        "if your tolerance for druggy banter and puerile sex gags is low then the idea of facing armageddon with rogen and his chums will probably strike you as hell .",
        "if fast and furious 6 was stupid in the bad way , MOV is stupid in the best and funniest way .",
        "if you 're familiar with their previous films , you 'll be laughing often and laughing loudly .",
        "it 's a giant hollywood in-joke , but one that invites you to share in the laughter .",
        "an elaborate in-joke and everyone 's in on the gag",
        "near-the-knuckle comedy that proves self-indulgent laughs , when done right , can be hilarious .",
        "one of the funniest films of the year so far .",
        "their big joke is to literalize the book of revelations , but snaking around this is a biting contempt for the entertainment business , their own bad movies , and the social privilege these confer .",
        "though MOV drags slightly here and there , the filmmakers keep it interesting by making the personal relationships dynamic , and the movie redeems all that is self-referential and self-congratulatory about it with a warmth of spirit .",
        "the movie is one grand in-joke that smartly lets us in on the gag . these guys do n't care if we laugh with them or at them - as long as they can keep us in stitches .",
        "i had a grand old time at this apocalypse , where 75-80 % of the jokes land and the cast 's eager-to-please energy , mostly carry you through the gags that fall short .",
        "in a summer where the world seems to be going up in flames over and over again at the movies , `` MOV '' shows you do n't need to take the death and destruction of every single thing you 've ever known or loved so darn seriously .",
        "the sublime brilliance of the script is that it plays on the audience 's perception of who we think these people are . objectively , it is indefensible as a movie , but it delivers gut busting laughs and is the funniest comedy of 2013 .",
        "michael cera 's coked out stud is insanely fun , but he 's gone too soon and most of the comedy goes with him .",
        "gut-wrenchingly funny ... a giant ball of flaming self-mockery .",
        "rude , crude and socially unacceptable , and in all of those ways , it is hilarious .",
        "the filmmaking itself is disarmingly amusing , hitting grace notes amid the grandiosity .",
        "the outrageous MOV takes an early lead in the summer movie comedy sweepstakes .",
        "... a freewheeling comedy that features enough scattered hilarious moments to compensate for its contrived one-joke premise .",
        "even with this film 's comedy strategy being the `` let 'em all fly and see what sticks '' approach , it 's amazing how adhesive so much of this is .",
        "uneven yet sporadically hilarious , the film does a spectacular job at toying with the public personas of its prolific stars , but frequently allows their riffing to go on far too long .",
        "the funniest end-of-the-world movie so far this year -- and that 's a crowded field .",
        "MOV plows through and laughs at unsavory doomsday scenarios , from playing soccer with a severed head to a `` rapey vibe '' when watson 's around ... . there are no boundaries in this movie , so deal with it or leave .",
        "they 've tapped into the inherent psychedelia of revelation and enhanced it with absurdity , scatology , ecstasy , weed and a contemporary secular ignorance informed by terminator movies .",
        "depicts the end of the world with such drug-addled , potty-mouthed , over-the-top and below-the-belt enthusiasm that it also might signal armageddon for a certain type of boys ' club comedy .",
        "MOV is masterful comedy filmmaking , all the more impressive for its loose-limbed apparent casualness .",
        "i love a movie where it feels as if you just worked out your abs because you laughed so hard .",
        "a perfect excuse for high levels of hysteria , mayhem , profanity .",
        "the dirty half dozen may find god at the last minute , but they 've all been disciples of judd apatow for years . so the absence of taste is balanced by an abundance of heart .",
        "adults-only , stoner comedy at its most hilarious extremes , straining hard to make sure every icky , grody , envelope-pushing `` ewww '' of its r rating is covered .",
        "... the movie definitely struck a chord with the crowd i saw it with ... -lrb- with -rrb- a climax that brings bromance back ...",
        "because its transplanted the egotistical and childish behavior normally reserved for team apatow 's lovable manchild characters onto the actors themselves , it feels dangerous . for awhile , it feels like anything can happen , and its thrilling .",
        "a funny but flawed film that would have benefited from a tighter edit .",
        "this gut-busting comedy is an intoxicating mix of `` write what you know '' and `` give the people what they want . ''",
        "how long would it take to count the idiocies in `` MOV '' ? fooled you ! trick question . numbers do n't go that high .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's a hit-and-mostly-miss affair ...",
        "a meta-masterwork .",
        "MOV is crude , tasteless , bloody and , at its best , riotously funny , in the guiltiest of pleasures kind of way .",
        "seth rogen and evan goldberg 's script is scathing , while their directing debut is a revelation .",
        "for an anarchic , r-rated comedy , `` MOV '' exudes a kindness and generosity that 's quite touching .",
        "this is all performed with brio , by likable performers with expert timing , ace chemistry , and a directing team eager to let them tear loose . but it can wear you down .",
        "a story lurching moment-to-moment for inspiration , or full of ceaseless gags about every bodily fluid , or featuring rape jokes or the sight of franco spitting food into hill 's mouth , does n't pass as wit .",
        "in places it is genuinely , even sublimely hilarious . why should n't it be ?",
        "what really makes the movie fly is the choices that goldberg & rogen and all the stars made/agreed to play through the film .",
        "rogen and goldberg -lrb- making their directorial debuts -rrb- get the balance just right , with one gut-busting punchline and situation after another set against the escalating dread of the end of existence , taking place just outside of james franco 's house .",
        "when you 're watching a stoner/celebrity culture/end-of-the - world-as-we-know-it comedy like this one , it really comes down to `` how often did i laugh ? '' the answer is a lot .",
        "MOV is also , improbably , one of the sweetest films of the summer , and it lands with a resonance i did n't expect .",
        "it is intensely raunchy and silly and joyous and tapped right into my inner teenager in a glorious way .",
        "MOV is a vanity project that hopes that audiences will enjoy hanging out with seth and the gang as much as they like hanging out with each other .",
        "as with superbad , which was at its core a comedy about the anxiety of codependent male high school separation , MOV digs into the under-discussed drift of fraternal camaraderie .",
        "crass , flimsily plotted , and self-referential to the point of narcissistic personality disorder . for those willing to tolerate such defects , however , it is also very , very funny .",
        "basically a modern-day cheech & chong movie with a bigger budget and more focus , disguising itself as an event film",
        "MOV , true to its subject matter , is as funny as hell .",
        "if you think that being trapped with a bunch of guys telling dick jokes would the equivalent of hell on earth - well , according to MOV , you are more right than you think .",
        "... honesty , loyalty , and comedy will be tested as the world comes to a horrifying and dangling end ... and you 'll never look at michael cera the same way again .",
        "the moments of comic gold are sometimes diluted by considerable stretches of tedium , generally occurring when the filmmakers and their improvising actors refuse to end scenes and instead carry them past the point of comedic no-return .",
        "a revolting gross-out comedy , whose humor is witless , scatological and childish .",
        "armageddon never looked like so much fun !",
        "rogen and goldberg stunned me with their understanding of the horror genre , the beats , and how to scare the audience . it 's an insanely competent horror comedy ...",
        "feels a bit like a feature-length sketch , but it 's a really funny one , and funny is enough .",
        "this movie makes superbad and pineapple express look like child 's play . outrageous and undeniably hilarious , but how did it not get an ` nc 17 ' ?",
        "there 's a message to MOV . that message is ` do n't be a douche . ' well , at least it 's better than ` google is awesome . '",
        "the film is uneven and about 15 minutes too long . but when it 's funny , it 's hilarious .",
        "i enjoyed the hell out of it for a while , but it got irritating and self-congratulatory long before it was over and i desperately do not want to see it again .",
        "a slapdash amount of effort , modest effects and a modicum of talent are on display , but the imagination deployed is negligible .",
        "MOV is to rogen and his crew what grown-ups is to adam sandler and his buddies : an excuse to get paid to play with his friends , only this one is actually funny .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- crass , patchy , occasionally hilarious farce ...",
        "MOV is surprisingly smart , poking fun at the rich and famous while providing biting social commentary .",
        "with lazy `` hangover '' sequels and adam sandler movies still passing for big-screen comedy , the anarchic debut feature from directors seth rogen and evan goldberg is fresher than anything this side of the funny or die website .",
        "with no outsiders to coddle , this tight-knit ensemble locks into a groove and reaches some truly giddy heights , turning even the weakest material -lrb- a spoof of `` the exorcist '' -rrb- into anarchic fun .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- gets derailed by -lsb- rogen and goldberg 's -rsb- desire to keep upping the level of comedic absurdity and cheesy special effects . still , there are lots of low-brow laughs , especially in the first half .",
        "writers rogen and goldberg run out of ideas before the second act and just half a ** it until the end credits ...",
        "there 's wonder here that films with quadruple the effects budget would kill for .",
        "... runs on some delicious self-critique .",
        "the loose structure lazily rushes out plot points late in the game",
        "this movie is flat out crazy .",
        "`` MOV '' does not crack jokes at the expense of christianity . it does , however , consider both kicking a severed head around like a football and the prospect of raping emma watson to be hilarious .",
        "probably the most self-indulgent wank in movie history , yet on occasion it 's hilarious .",
        "the movie 's very self-amusement makes it go down easy .",
        "... occupies a frequently hilarious middle ground between their apatow-produced bromances , the giddy gruesomeness of the recent aftershock and the confined social abrasiveness of it 's a disaster .",
        "it 's hard to imagine that a funnier movie will come out this year .",
        "that rogen and goldberg make one of the backstreet boys ' more annoying yesteryear hit singles something you giddily sing along to is a measure of just how on point the satire is -- that , or that it truly * is * the end of the world .",
        "the best thing about MOV is playing `` spot-the-celebrity '' in the early frames . do this , and you 'll find everyone from jason segel to david krumholtz . if all that talent were put to better use , the film might have been worth watching .",
        "in-jokes about celebrity culture and what these stars might really be like pours gasoline onto every spark .",
        "both the jokes and the narrative flag long before the excessive running time is up .",
        "blithe , beautifully acted and refreshingly free of fancy sfx , MOV pokes fun at generic film-making , without ever seeming self-righteous .",
        "a cheerfully crass , enjoyably puerile entertainment that does n't scrape the bottom of the barrel as much as it blows the barrel to pieces with a sawn-off shotgun .",
        "just one great big goofy joke . some funny stuff , but a rental/download only .",
        "it 's a continuation of rogen and his co-stars ' established acts , with minimal tweaks to the formula . but why worry , while that formula still works ?",
        "in which a bunch of drugged or drunk superstars , played by themselves , use the end of the world as a pretext for projectile vomiting , bodily fluids and every kind of grossness .",
        "in daring to so aggressively shake up two formulas for the price of one - the apocalyptic epic and the frat-boy romp - this is a very special comedy indeed .",
        "the players flap , mug and pratfall . then they flap , mug and pratfall some more . the script is an open text : they can bring their own jokes . the audience is still waiting for one when the film closes .",
        "the story becomes as scattershot and repetitive as the scatalogical gags . best enjoyed under the influence .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- has a gleeful sloppiness that seems to owe more to multiple rounds than multiple drafts .",
        "as both homage and send-up , it presents viewers with the ultra-meta image of a comedy genre eating its own tail .",
        "it 's funnier and more energetic than a lot of what 's out there in a movie season most would qualify as disappointing .",
        "you may have trouble at times deciding whether to laugh out loud or to avert your horrified gaze .",
        "imagine how funny it could have been if they had actually put some thought into the humor instead of trying to appeal to the basest levels of comedy , and then imagine if they had actually done something with this story .",
        "dies a slow , wheezing , woefully unfunny death .",
        "the thing really moves . even the grottiest bits have a way of hitting their marks and darting onward , the way they did in `` borat . ''",
        "a decent percentage of the insults hit their targets , but the extended improvisation does n't make for an especially disciplined film . the movie feels longer than it is ...",
        "MOV is quite unlike anything else out there .",
        "there is stuff in `` MOV '' that had me laughing so hard , i sensed new body parts joining in to help out - my pancreas was heaving , my bile ducts ripped .",
        "manages to maintain a surreal comic pace throughout the first half until things take a turn for the truly weird ... what baruchel witnesses when he walks in on cera in franco 's bathroom is priceless on its own",
        "most impressive effects , but pallid comedy",
        "the miami heat of stoner comedies . there are so many talented people involved it almost seems unfair to other comedies .",
        "even without james franco and danny mcbride threatening to ejaculate all over each other , MOV would be an aggressive , misguided demonstration of self-love .",
        "a beautiful collision of slacker comedy mixed with insightful skewering of a celebrity-obsessed culture .",
        "MOV is a surprising and audacious pleasure , big on certifiably insane laughs but fueled by genuine intelligence and heart .",
        "it 's totally juvenile and sophomoric , and the story is simply a humorous background ... but it 's just so damn funny . a total inside joke that i felt i was inside of .",
        "i was literally in pain from laughing so hard . the guys are just furthering a story so that we can get more laughs before the lights come back and we realize we may have just witnessed the end of the best comedy of 2013 competition .",
        "the seemingly exhausted gross-out comedy genre gets a strange temporary reprieve with MOV , an unlikable but weirdly compelling apocalyptic fantasy .",
        "it 's the wildest screen comedy in a long time , and also the smartest , the most fearlessly inspired , and the snort-out-loud funniest .",
        "MOV , in addition to being the funniest film of the year , is also the best buddies-versus-the-apocalypse film since simon pegg and nick frost battled zombie hordes to make it back to the winchester in 2004 's shaun of the dead .",
        "definitive , and unsurprising , proof that danny mcbride would be a total jackass during the apocalypse .",
        "with most of these performers now pursuing far more interesting projects in their own careers , maybe MOV for a group of comics whose shtick has started to feel rather tired .",
        "no comedy classic , then , but a good natured and engaging slice of goonish self-mockery .",
        "this is a vanity project full of crude humor . it may or may not appeal to broad audiences .",
        "a ribald frolic of a film that willfully , gleefully skewers both film conventions and the cult of celebrity",
        "entertaining , frequently hilarious comedy with a witty script , a superb comic cast and some surprisingly good special effects , though your enjoyment of the film will largely depend on how funny you find the relentless self-parody .",
        "loads funnier - and smarter - than it sounds on paper , and well worth watching for the unflinching hollywood satire , even if you 're sick of apatow-esque bromantic comedies .",
        "it could use a brutal edit to remove some weak material , but mostly this is a hell of a lot of fun .",
        "guffaw you will , but like a middling sketch show , it gives your sides too many opportunities to recover .",
        "subversive , self-deprecating and sexist , it 's a horror zonk-fest designed to blow a guy 's mind .",
        "banking successfully on the chemistry of its cast , it 's a thoroughly enjoyable tweak of stoner-dude grossout yukfests .",
        "it 's no minor accomplishment to make one of the most indulgent projects in hollywood history . but with `` MOV , '' seth rogen and his pals have indeed achieved this dubious goal .",
        "it 's apocalyptically dirty . and it 's hilarious .",
        "an enjoyable mainstream american comedy is already something approaching a miracle , so those with strong stomachs for shady humour should grab this with both hands .",
        "animal house meets the apocalypse . and it 's pretty damn funny .",
        "`` MOV '' is irreverent , fractured , uneven and even silly . but fortunately for moviegoers , it 's also hysterical !",
        "i 'm predicting a sequel of this movie to be entitled `` MOV , really '' .",
        "i wish the movie was tighter but i was never bored , i laughed more than most recent comedies , and found the originality of the piece refreshing . you guys are almost forgiven for `` your highness . '' almost .",
        "less sharp-edged satire than frat-boy goofiness .",
        "it 's disheartening that , despite some half-hearted overtures toward shifting the comedy paradigm , the filmmakers make little attempt to expand their comedic palette .",
        "MOV is a wildly inventive comedy that takes armageddon and centers it within a surreal , sensational take on the whole friends of apatow dynamic .",
        "its wild and hilarious elements do n't cancel out its smug and lazy ones .",
        "seth rogen and evan goldberg are connoisseurs of bad taste and their directorial debut has a good deal of fun with free-flowing gags about urine , semen and all-around `` rapey '' vibes .",
        "i died laughing ... and i 've found a new respect for a hollywood posse whose work i mostly have n't enjoyed before .",
        "`` MOV '' is a stunt-comedy filled with trashy throwaway comic bits . it 's a shotgun approach that works well enough to induce more laughs than you 'd get from a typical hollywood comedy .",
        "it offers plenty of chortles , chuckles and guffaws for those who appreciate rogen and company 's brand of hard-partying but soft-hearted storytelling",
        "you never know exactly what lunacy lurks around the corner , or just how far rogen and goldberg will push the r rating to its limit .",
        "unsurprisingly it 's really messy , and not every joke lands , but the script 's peppered with so many that it 's hard to find a scene where you 're not consistently laughing .",
        "you 'll never look at michael cera the same way again .",
        "the book of revelation comes to pass in rapturous fashion while some of its brightest young stars are partying in james franco 's l.a. mansion .",
        "... it 's ultimately clear that MOV could -lrb- and should -rrb- have topped out at a brisk 80 or 90 minutes -lrb- including credits -rrb- .",
        "a rapturously-riotous , celeb-skewering raunchfest .",
        "a funny self-aware critique of the actors ' indulgences - along with several violent deaths , demonic monsters and dick jokes . there are lots of dick jokes .",
        "MOV is one of the most fun movies i 've seen in ages . it 's a silly extravaganza , a huge bunch of nonsense , but , boy , it 's entertaining ... this film is one big in-joke , but it 's a very good one .",
        "never reaches the heights of earlier collaborations superbad and pineapple express . however , it has a belligerent , depraved , coked-up michael cera , and that is a treat unique to this film and this film only , so it 's certainly worth your time .",
        "while bewildering for those unfamiliar with the judd apatow clan , for fans , this raunchy , daring and gleeful comedy comes up trumps .",
        "the is the end feels throughout like a feature-length inside joke , but rogen and company are generous enough to let the audience in on the gag .",
        "the juvenile ribaldry flies fast and furious ... culminating in a finale as bizarre and whacked-out as i 've seen in a while . they 're swinging for the fences here .",
        "a crude , rowdy , self-indulgent buddy-movie mash-up travesty about the end of the world , in which smoking weed , ejaculation jokes , exorcism & a decapitated head kicked around like a soccer ball are par for the course",
        "rogen and goldberg make the jump to directing with this riotously self-referential apocalyptic comedy .",
        "this is fundamentally a narcissistic venture , undone by the fact that none of these guys are compelling enough to sustain an entire movie without a story .",
        "`` this is one of the most tasteless , ridiculous and funniest comedies of the 21st century . ''",
        "i 'll admit i laughed aloud quite a few times , be that from some of the spoofy material , other outrageous comedy and various self-deprecating bits about the stars themselves and their past work . -lrb- complete content details for parents are also available -rrb-",
        "one of the darkest , weirdest , and funniest cinematic armageddons you 'll ever experience .",
        "funny is funny , and it would be truly dishonest to deny the big laughs-the spikes of gut-busting inspiration-that the film sporadically delivers .",
        "as long as rogen and his buddies are just as self-involved , crude , obnoxious and hopefully exaggerated versions of themselves , things stay pretty funny .",
        "the funniest movie of the year .",
        "-lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- , and the cast , have a great deal of fun playing up or playing against their established screen personas - whether it 's hill as a teddy bear of positive affirmations or franco as a self-absorbed esthete .",
        "`` MOV '' finds a balanced tone most horror comedies fail to deliver . grossout humor melds easily with grossout horror , sometimes at the same moment .",
        "enough laughs for half-a-dozen movies . you 'll laugh so much it 'll hurt .",
        "it 's a thoroughly good time at the movies , from humble beginning to cosmic , surprise-cameo-featuring end .",
        "most of the celebrities playing things straight -lrb- michael cera is a notable exception , portrayed as a cokehead sex addict who likes blowing cocaine into people 's faces without warning -rrb- .",
        "it may be a sophomoric type of imagination , but it 's still better than the alternative .",
        "comedies do n't get much more self-referential than this film , in which a bunch of old friends get together and play themselves facing a biblical-style apocalypse .",
        "a bonkers idea executed with supreme confidence , MOV unleashes a bombardment of crowdpleasing hysteria and could be this summer 's biggest surprise .",
        "maybe it 's possible for a director to make demon raping and urine drinking side-achingly funny , but that was n't the case here .",
        "MOV is rogen , goldberg and co. bringing the funny , and the dick jokes like their lives depend on it .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- bloated and only sporadically chucklesome vanity project from hollywood 's new generation of superannuated frat boys .",
        "the film is more guileful than it looks , even though the narrative is nuts ...",
        "befitting its title , it does feel rather like rogen et al are having one final blowout before moving on to other things .",
        "profane , shocking , and absolutely hysterical , ` MOV ' is one of the most creative comedies to come along in years .",
        "profane , shocking , and absolutely hysterical , ` MOV ' is one of the most creative comedies to come along in years .",
        "the end of the world turns out to be one prolonged exercise in mutual masturbation . it may end that way but would n't it be nice to get in on the action instead of observing from a seat stained with coke and who knows what else ?",
        "the movie 's hilarity hit rate is frequently determined by who is onscreen at that very second .",
        "this type of thing has already been diluted by ... funny or die ... the main difference-and it 's not to be underestimated-is that ... end is profane in the extreme , an r-rated stoner comedy gleefully grafted onto a `` splatstick '' horror picture ...",
        "MOV is like the walking dead meets the real world , cast with an entire generation of hot comic actors . an example of meta filmmaking at its finest .",
        "it 's the end of the world as we know it , and i feel high .",
        "a series of sketches that do n't quite come together as a movie .",
        "its psycho-analytical look at hollywood mostly feels imperceptible given the nonstop barrage of jokes that the ensemble launches at one another throughout the film , both in grand proportions and asides .",
        "MOV is the bust-out , badass comedy of the summer . and then some . it 's so good you 'll think you hallucinated it .",
        "a playful metaphor for acting and the hell-fire of public opinion . that or they 're comparing adulthood to armageddon , in which case it 's a little ironic to let -lsb- michael -rsb- cera die first .",
        "enough laughs and entertainment value you have to give them more than a little credit for what they 're able to pull off and get away with .",
        "the results are undeniably amusing , but hardly supply the bellylaughs one would expect from such sleepover atmosphere of pals making a hearty , weed-foggy doomsday commotion .",
        "it 's not profound , but hot-damn is it hysterical .",
        "if the world is coming to an end and armageddon is nigh , you can do worse than hanging with some of the funniest people on the planet ... and james franco .",
        "as a celebrity 's - eye-view apocalypse movie , MOV delivers huge guffaws and large-scale carnage with enough gusto to mask the indulgences .",
        "offsets its slightly smug premise with a clever sense of self-parody and near-cataclysmic levels of vulgarity .",
        "hollywood 's `` pot pack '' gives us a version of the rapture we can all get behind .",
        "witty and raunchy - alternately juvenile and sophisticated , drawing laughs from all parts of the comedy spectrum .",
        "six comedians stuck in a house together as the world is ending . what could be funnier than that ?",
        "it 's vile . vulgar . obscene . profane . shameful . and yet it has more spiritual density than 15 kirk cameron movies . and , it 's sinfully funny .",
        "out-of-control hilarious .",
        "one gets a sense that these guys really are friends and they made this for the same reason frank sinatra and the rat pack made the original ocean 's eleven .",
        "just when i thought i was getting tired of this comedy group , they surprise me with this refreshing , dark , gross , raunchy , brave , bold satire that made me laugh hard and often . it 's a little rough around the edges , but the laughs are definitely there .",
        "every time you think they 've stretched this as far as they can go , rogen and goldberg go farther .",
        "a smart and hilarious apocalyptic comedy .",
        "breezy enough that it 's not very hard to enjoy it for what it is ... -lsb- although -rsb- it 's stretched out and there frankly are n't enough jokes in it .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- comedy extravaganza ... a remarkable mix of monsters , visual effects , vulgar humor , and feel-good optimism .",
        "MOV is an outrageously crude -lrb- and low-brow -rrb- raunch-com that lampoons an eclectic mixture and wide range of pop-culture targets , often to very funny effect .",
        "it 's part of the fun of MOV : movie stars horsing around and letting us watch . it 's a giddy experience , even if you do get the sneaking suspicion that they seem to be enjoying themselves even more .",
        "too bad this film comes across more like a reality tv show , ` big brother apocalypse ' , than a movie . actors , playing themselves , come across as awful people . you begin to wonder : how close is this to the way they really are ?",
        "actors , it appears , do not have to grow up . and if this is your thing , then neither do you .",
        "MOV makes for one absurd , fantastic end-of-days thriller stuffed with so many jaw-dropping scenes that you may not be able to chew food for a while ."],
    "summary": "energetic , self-deprecating performances and enough guffaw-inducing humor make up for the flaws in MOV loosely written script .",
    "id": "771303549"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bringing_down_the_house",
    "reviews":
     [
        "latifah gives a sassy female twist to the old formula",
        "supposedly busts conventional ideas while relying on the audiences ' prejudices to make them laugh , and it in no way asks its audience to reconsider those prejudices , either .",
        "the movie 's not without moments of genuine humor -- no comedy starring steve martin could be -- but sad to say , his oscar-hosting gig two years ago was funnier .",
        "jason filardi 's script could have been written for bob hope and phyllis diller in the 1960s , with diller in blackface . yes , it 's that offensive",
        "not only is this a cinematic travesty , but it is a societal wrong .",
        "it 's depressingly tame stuff .",
        "this is possibly the most embarrassing thing steve martin has ever been associated with .",
        "while MOV is far from perfect , it is still guaranteed to get you laughing .",
        "it 's inspired comic casting with rare feel-good chemistry .",
        "it 's the kind of broad laugh fest whoopi goldberg was doing for the house of mouse a decade ago with her sister act flicks .",
        "twenty years ago it was funny to see white people trying to act black .",
        "it 's side-splitting , knee-slapping , and belly-aching fun the same way that a pounding headache has a good beat and you can dance to it .",
        "the equivalent of a fast-food meal -- everyone seems to love it , it slides down in a hurry , imparts few nutrients , and has us skipping back the next day hungry for more . rarely do we stop to ask why .",
        "the film dramatizes in a comic way a white upper-class fear of black underclass invasion ... and suggests that , yes , maybe we can all get along ...",
        "MOV is a hilarious comedy about a brassy and bold african-american who helps renovate the lackluster life of a workaholic tax lawyer .",
        "the film only truly stumbles as it enters into its plot-heavy third act , which wastes a lot of energy , but still ca n't manage to satisfy the audience 's desire to see latifah and martin fall in love .",
        "the material is thin and pandering and almost criminally negligent in bypassing opportunities for humor .",
        "... exceedingly derivative and graceless ... a lax affair that goes for the cheap gags . the architect of this particular house should deeply consider this property condemned",
        "it relies on stolen gags for humor , forced relationships for empathy , and racist jokes for shock value .",
        "it 's a sorry situation when actors as talented and funny as queen latifah and steve martin waste their efforts in an offensive exercise that feels like a bad sitcom .",
        "a tawdry waste all around .",
        "while it offers some occasional laughs , the film makes the fatal flaw of letting down its strongest asset , and that 's steve martin .",
        "the rare film that manages to be simultaneously bland and offensive .",
        "the movie delivers its very manufactured goods , but it lacks the guts to be a meaningful comedy .",
        "this is strictly formula stuff , made worse by an utterly careless depiction of the characters , whose road to friendship is neither believable nor remotely accounted for .",
        "it 's an odd mix of entertaining yet irresponsible filmmaking ... wait to rent it .",
        "shankman relies heavily on the terrific supporting cast for laughs , and he should be eternally grateful that they come through more often than they do n't .",
        "the heart of the movie is the perfect chemistry between latifah and martin .",
        "the laughs should roll like thunder , but instead they mew like kittens .",
        "the combination of steve martin and queen latifah is quirky genius .",
        "the material has been done before and there 's not much more one can do with it . thank god for queen latifah and the broad strokes she brings to it .",
        "the movie gets stuck in a seemingly never-ending cycle of pointless , recycled racial jokes and ethnic stereotypes .",
        "... intends to unite black and white audiences , and probably will -- by reinforcing the laziest images they have of each other .",
        "viewers may be more likely to ride with martin 's and latifah 's good vibes than to analyze the lunkheaded racial politics , but very little is fresh here .",
        "does little more than milk its one culture-clash joke and play up stereotypes .",
        "-lsb- latifah 's -rsb- got sass and smarts aplenty , powering the most interesting character here .",
        "i 'm ashamed that this movie exists , that people got paid for it and that someone out there will eventually add it to their dvd collection .",
        "equally insulting to both races , MOV is one of the most hateful and low-minded comedies i 've ever seen - and it absolutely earns a spot right next to the justifiably loathed amos & andrew .",
        "... `` MOV '' is certainly worth the ticket in .",
        "having actresses like the matriarchal joan plowright say `` homie '' is shaping up to be the most irritating comedic trend of 2003 .",
        "coarse , poorly tuned comedy .",
        "why has n't spike lee held a press conference about thing yet ?",
        "each performer charms the audience by presenting characters we like even when we should n't .",
        "you have somebody as smart as steve martin , and as smart and appealing as queen latifah in a movie like this . to have such an awful , offensive story is a real disappointment .",
        "despite everything being there that should make it work , something was missing .",
        "this is an early '80s whoopi goldberg movie .",
        "in a movie as obvious as this , we know exactly what is expected of people at specific intervals , and it 's never very funny .",
        "a comedy constructed from tapped-out ideas .",
        "`` MOV '' stars queen latifah as the wrecking ball , always a good bet these days , particularly since she knocked out pretty much everyone who saw her in her academy award-nominated performance in `` chicago . ''",
        "it deserves to be buried in obscurity -- if not burned beyond recognition -- along with other comedies of its ilk , including carbon copy , he 's my girl , soul man and chu-chu and the philly flash .",
        "i could never decide whether MOV was satirizing racial stereotypes or perpetuating them .",
        "the movie 's real spectacle is the sight of so many talented people slogging through such idiotic material .",
        "the kind of comedy whose best bits have already surfaced in the coming attractions trailer .",
        "the sitcom shtick wears thin after a while .",
        "an embarrassment for all concerned , this witless , odd-couple comedy slings separate but equal gibes at blacks and whites ... and still manages to ridicule gays and hispanics .",
        "the movie appears to have been made for an audience that considers the idea of black people terribly exotic .",
        "a comedy is not allowed to end with the couples incorrectly paired . it goes against the deeply traditional requirements of the audience .",
        "it 's rare that royalty gets together in a comedy , so when one-time king tut -lrb- aka steve martin -rrb- and queen latifah come together , they rule supreme .",
        "ignore the creaky story ; see it for the slapstick .",
        "-lsb- many -rsb- scenes carry a sort of contrived `` wackiness '' not seen since bewitched went into reruns .",
        "there 's no shortage of laughs , thanks to some sharp one-liners , two stars at the top of their game , and a solid supporting cast of veteran laugh-getters .",
        "diehard fans of any of these stars -lsb- martin , latifah , levy , plowright and white -rsb- may be amused -- the movie is , at times , an amusing diversion -- but most will probably find it wanting .",
        "although certainly not anyone 's idea of a cerebral comedy , ` house ' is n't stupid , either . if it were , it would n't be able to get away with as much as it does .",
        "first-time director adam shankman and first-time screenwriter jason filardi approach the concept with the clumsiness of people thinking about racial stereotypes for the very first time .",
        "high-school cafeteria soup has more flavor than this bland , tepid throwback .",
        "queen latifah 's wonderfully radiant star quality , steve martin 's comic grace and eugene levy 's masterful turn as peter 's besotted partner do bring down the house .",
        "jason filardi 's broad script is an uneven hodgepodge of culture clash , screwball romance , urban crime drama and sitcom .",
        "this is one high-concept , please-the-masses comedy that works .",
        "even the director 's flat-footed moves ca n't quell martin and latifah , whose combined energy is fearsome and sometimes most amusing .",
        "a movie that desperately wants -lsb- latifah 's -rsb- hip , her edge and mostly her blackness but does n't know what to do with the human being who comes with the package .",
        "a gut-busting , stereotype-busting slapstick comedy .",
        "` a rewrite - one that played more off the straight-laced vs. laid-back dynamic rather than racial stereotypes - would have helped . '",
        "queen latifah alone is worth the price of admission : the woman has enough screen presence for six movies .",
        "the film presumes white people talking like black people to be original , and they were talking jive as far back as `` airplane ! '' -lrb- and probably a lot earlier than that ! -rrb- .",
        "director shankman ruins a lot of gags with poor timing , brain-dead cuts and uninspired staging .",
        "it 's a rich-white-man - hangs-out-with-a - black-convict-in-order - to-channel-his - inner-blackness-needed - to-save-his-marriage - with-his-white-wife story .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a film in which steve martin will appear in full hip-hop drag with appropriate slang for not less than six minutes .",
        "this movie failed to make me laugh out loud so it must be in material breach .",
        "over the last five years , the unfortunate but predictable upshot of a steve martin appearance in a project he did not write has been cynical high-concept comedies like ` MOV , ' a race relations-class war romp that 's as unfunny as it is o",
        "the script , like adam shankman 's whomping direction , is obvious and formulaic , and pretty shameless when it comes to scoring laughs -- but , luckily , the film is filled with bright comedians who milk every opportunity .",
        "with enough good nature and friendly humor to still be considered a family comedy , MOV also hits an edginess that will keep today 's audiences laughing .",
        "... martin does n't have his a-game here . MOV is a passable little comedy , but the white-haired funnyman is neither wild nor crazy .",
        "a movie where each scene seems to stand in a world of its own : funny ; tasteless ; stale ; very funny ; what on earth were they thinking ?",
        "this movie is not without problems , but when it 's on , it 's funny .",
        "short on laughs that do n't involve racist remarks , house decimates race relations and sets civil rights back to the stone age .",
        "the real star of `` MOV '' - queen latifah 's enormous breasts . latifah 's bosom not only symbolizes the non-threatening , black femininity that ultimately comforts white folks , but it also serves its main purpose of nurturing white folks in",
        "it 's a broad comedy , pure and simple , but in making us laugh , apparently it is also necessary to insult our intelligence .",
        "simple comedy , done right .",
        "thinks it is enlightened because it is down on white culture and down with black culture . it is not . along with national security , it represents a step backward for race relations , and for black characters in hollywood .",
        "even without the movie pushing our buttons with its racist antagonists , latifah would have won us over with her charm , attitude , and overwhelming self-confidence and assuredness .",
        "has so much going for it , it 's all the more jarring when the laughs stop coming . it 's a shame the movie could n't finish what it started .",
        "there are enough genuine laughs to keep things fun and undemanding ... queen latifah steals the film .",
        "questionably tasteful but often laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "MOV offers proof that there are times when superior performances can salvage a mediocre script .",
        "yet another film created for the lowest common denominator in all of us .",
        "and though the film 's white characters repeatedly make fools of themselves , they 're patted on the head as if they'e small children who 've just made a funny .",
        "struggling at the outset , the film actually stutters and sparks into some very funny sequences . never quite shaking itself out of the ridiculous , the picture nonetheless finds a way to almost become endearing .",
        "the latest film to make people laugh by taking an uptight cracker and forcing him to become malibu rapper brad gluckman from the jamie kennedy experiment .",
        "the film 's idea of being risqu\u00e9 is to make martin 's neighbors and law partners -- and most other white characters -- cartoonishly racist .",
        "keeps its audience giggling and occasionally shocked .",
        "jason filardi 's first screenplay is cobbled together from every unwanted guest/outsider helps kids over obstacles/adversaries bond together to fight common cause comedy that 's come before it with the added distasteful elements of not one , but two , offensi",
        "filled with crude stereotypes ... the odd couple pairing fizzles instead of sending off sparks .",
        "steve martin used to be a wild and crazy guy . now he 's as bland as his hair .",
        "... manages to remain entertaining in spite of the lackluster script .",
        "that martin even has a pink house-servant costume for latifah to wear suggests a dysfunction far more deeply embedded in the film 's -lrb- and our collective -rrb- psyche .",
        "borders on being as offensive and misguided as a slapstick version of roots .",
        "is n't slavery funny ? ugh !",
        "if you 've seen the commercials for MOV , you already know the movie 's best moments and most memorable lines ...",
        "it 's completely forgettable and unoriginal , but it might make a good rental on a slow family movie night .",
        "steve martin , queen latifah , and eugene levy manage to squeeze laughs out of a totally generic , manufactured script that 's drowning in odd couple formula .",
        "everything about this film is painfully familiar , except , perhaps , for the vicious-but-comic catfight between latifah and missi pyle , who plays a high-society gold digger .",
        "it 's a wheezing , rusted machine of cheap jokes , cartoon performances , and crummy plotting , using shock value and insensitivity to make its painfully unfunny points .",
        "you 're better off ignoring this junk and saving your time .",
        "martin and latifah rule in boundary-pushing pg-13 .",
        "charlene establishes herself early on as manipulative and untrustworthy , which could lead to wicked fun if the film stayed true to this side of her character . instead , like hollywood clockwork , charlene morphs into a good influence .",
        "just because larry king called this `` one of the funniest movies ever '' does n't mean the rest of us have to similarly lose control of our mental faculties . still , this is n't nearly as awful as its reputation , thanks mainly to its three central performances .",
        "kudos to steve martin for choosing this script . he 's laughing all the way to the bank . the audience is n't as lucky .",
        "qualquer filme que tente provocar risos atrav\u00e9s de animais vestidos com ` roupas engra\u00e7adas ' est\u00e1 claramente ciente de suas defici\u0119ncias .",
        "if the idea of actress betty white using the term ` negro ' sounds hilarious to you then maybe this is a your kind of shallow humor .",
        "i think it was after betty white told steve martin 's son not to `` wear his hair like a *** '' that i thought about walking out .",
        "the friction between -lsb- martin 's -rsb- button-down lawyer , peter sanderson , and ghetto-fabulous fugitive charlene morton -lrb- queen latifah -rrb- produces dazzling comic sparks in an otherwise stale set-up .",
        "a comedy that successfully plays with stereotypes , both racial and personal .",
        "are old white guys trying to act like young black girls still funny ? whoever keeps writing these kinds of scripts really needs to be hurt -lrb- or at least forced to stand naked holding up a sign in nyc with their script scrawled on the front -rrb- .",
        "at some point during MOV , i covered my face ... i have n't had that kind of reaction to a movie in a while .",
        "irreverent but perhaps not funny enough , `` MOV '' gives queen latifah the chance to shine opposite steve martin .",
        "the only way to make this project work would be to transplant its actors to an entirely different film .",
        "it 's silly and it 's got more heart , and better street sense in its culture mosaic , than you would expect from a hollywood laff-riot .",
        "like one of those overbearing relatives who bursts into the living room , invited or not , and shatters your domestic tranquility with a barrage of soggy platitudes and moldy jokes , both of which he 's sure you 've never heard before .",
        "this house is built on a shaky foundation .",
        "in this ill-conceived comedy of errors ... racial stereotypes and bottom-of-the-barrel humor abound .",
        "it 's obvious , formulaic , often very funny and oddly cheerful as it goes about debunking prejudice by playing into it .",
        "if nothing else , MOV reminds us that martin still is ... one wild and crazy guy .",
        "a gut-busting black-and-white culture clash comedy .",
        "... simply embarrassing .",
        "simplistic , sometimes funny but mostly stupid .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though the cast shines , they ca n't save this comedy , which is overly contrived and filled with outdated and offensive racial jokes .",
    "id": "11496"
  },
  {
    "movie": "lakeboat",
    "reviews":
     [
        "joe mantegna ... brings just the right tone of easy gab and tossed-off tales to this actor 's showcase .",
        "` yeah . it 's alright . ' ` good enough for me . '",
        "mamet 's fixation on language is ... more effective onstage than onscreen , where the technical and visual requirements distract from the sounds of the words -- the heart of mamet 's work .",
        "mamet knows people so well that you can forgive his lack of actual story once in awhile .",
        "based on mamet 's experience as a freighter on the great lakes while a grad english lit student , mantegna 's screen version is so dramatically inert and artistically shapeless resulting in an uninvolving memory film .",
        "this plotless film is filled with a zillion little nostalgia stories that are both pointless and irritating , but some stories can also be devilishly charming .",
        "as drama , it 's not much ; as a meditation on language and storytelling , it 's a treat .",
        "viewers learn that these salty guys have salty imaginations and that mamet 's a master at capturing their thoughts in discursive detail .",
        "for the most part a lot of fun , with some fine performances from a mature cast .",
        "watching it , you come to understand what it is that mamet has been true to all these years .",
        "vivid performances by a first-rate cast will hold your interest .",
        "mantegna takes the episodic , almost skit-like structure of the play and turns it into snapshots of a vanishing way of life .",
        "i once taught a class on mamet 's films . i wish i could have opened it with this one , because for mamet , it all starts here .",
        "this early effort is more a curiosity piece than anything else .",
        "forster is the reason that even non-mamet-heads might consider giving MOV a shot .",
        "little more than a succession of acting exercises ... but who cares when the dialogue is so meaty and the performances so canny ?",
        "an elegiac and tartly amusing tribute to a group of guys trying to make the most of the hand life has dealt them .",
        "the film 's chief pleasure , a considerable one , is in hearing mr. mamet 's characteristic idiom ... so close to its real-world source .",
        "a top-notch troupe of actors deliver the propulsive dialogue of david mamet .",
        "MOV requires its audiences to embrace it as lovingly as mamet and mantegna embrace its men , but it 's a lot to ask .",
        "the magic is in the words , and there 's always laughter , anger and sadness to be found in david mamet 's poetry of inarticulateness .",
        "if you like david mamet 's men and their crazily profane arguments , you 'll be happy you came .",
        "if you 're an admirer of -lsb- mamet 's -rsb- work , or if you 're willing to be as patiently observant as dale , you will find much that is fascinating and illuminating .",
        "a first-rate movie made from one of david mamet 's lesser plays .",
        "where mantegna succeeds is in providing a forum for some great acting .",
        "an enjoyable trifle .",
        "the piece is a theatrical curio , but no less fascinating for that .",
        "if you love the way in which david mamet can turn language into music , then `` MOV '' is for you .",
        "the raw raunch and the latent yearning and pain -lsb- mamet -rsb- sets down here with such assurance yield a movie of special rewards .",
        "not as sharp on characterizations as -lsb- mamet 's -rsb- later work , but it 's essential viewing for admirers of his gutter-elegant dialogue .",
        "there 's enough there to make it of interest to more than mamet completists .",
        "movies about blue-collar workers are usually romanticized or artificial or ruined by slumming hollywood stars , but MOV is the real deal .",
        "more play than movie . but it 's unusual for either . it 's neither plot-driven like many plays nor action - and image-driven like most movies .",
        "as with any mamet script , the cast is all , and these old boys take his macho monologues and make them sound like homer .",
        "thanks to the likable , rough-hewn crew and forster , the film flows along gruffly and with eloquence .",
        "despite some uneven moments , MOV is brought to the screen with skill and sympathy .",
        "the same old mamet stuff , and not even top-drawer mamet .",
        "the script is so inherently stagy that setting the film on a real boat does n't pay off .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though not much happens plot-wise , MOV still has a lot to offer for fans of mamet .",
    "id": "16128"
  },
  {
    "movie": "in_the_house_2013",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's amusing and unexpected , capturing the compulsive spirit of writing with wit and attention to mischief that keeps it unpredictable to the very end .",
        "`` MOV '' might well be called `` in the story '' because that 's where it plays out : the house in the story and the story MOV .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- fluently made and brilliantly acted treatise on teaching , storytelling and the class divide .",
        "the expected punch line ... never materializes , so i guess this must be a drama after all .",
        "MOV is a structurally solid thriller that is both inventive and absolutely seductive in nature .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "inviting photography and a relentless pace complement claude 's unfolding narrative , but the big thrills are in the deftly drawn characters ... and the incisive satire ...",
        "savor MOV for its meta-exploration of adolescence , class resentment and suppressed desire , but do n't expect much more .",
        "the seductions of storytelling drive `` MOV , '' a cleverly structured comic thriller rich with narrative trickery and macabre humor .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a slick psychological thriller that veers into dark comedy the more absurd it gets , `` MOV '' demonstrates the dangers of addiction -- not to sex or drugs , but to story .",
        "captures why we do what we do , and the extent to which stories reflect both the writer and the reader .",
        "it 's good , devious fun .",
        "it 's a little too wordy and under-plotted for my liking but stylishly done .",
        "the heat turns chilly before it ends , but for the most part , fran\u00e7ois ozon is back in the catbird seat with MOV .",
        "fact and fiction collide messily in a film that will be a treat for ozon fans , which boasts an impressive breakthrough performance from one-to-watch ernst umhauer .",
        "acrobatic wordplay only hides the vapidity so much .",
        "the director and the audience are drawn together as voyeurs imposing our narratives on what we see on the screen as we do when organising the world around us .",
        "a poignant and funny comedy of manners that follows the interaction of a frustrated high school french teacher and his prize student .",
        "ozon keeps sliding between genres -lrb- `` now we are in bad farce , '' scolds the teacher -rrb- to explore what really interests him - the creative process itself .",
        "with its complex look at storytelling , imagination and the teacher-student dynamic , MOV is an elaborate cinematic fresco .",
        "the dexterity of the actors and their director is not quite enough , and as `` MOV '' accelerates , it also starts to sputter , piling on incidents and revelations that cause its web of implications to unravel .",
        "a celebration of storytelling 's power .",
        "even though the buildup does n't yield the anticipated payoff , -lsb- MOV -rsb- remains a slick , artful and highly entertaining ride .",
        "the final scene is so open-ended that like germain , you wo n't want the story to end .",
        "` MOV '' promises to be a social satire with a flash of hitchcockian menace , but gradually it turns into a routine thumb-sucker on reality versus fiction .",
        "mostly , the film 's a confident , very sophisticated meditation on art - on why we need it , how we identify with it and what it gives our lives . and what it ca n't replace .",
        "with its wheels-within-wheels structure and ubiquitous jibber-jabber between neophyte and guide `` MOV '' is something of a lit major 's `` inception . ''",
        "less focused than most of -lrb- writer-director francois -rrb- ozon 's previous films . it is difficult to decide with which character we as viewers/pseudo-participants are supposed to empathize . more off-putting than fully satisfying in the end .",
        "an ambitious , beautiful looking movie with the underlying theme that if you want to get on in life sooner or later you have to start to experience it for good or bad .",
        "has the slow-pulsing vertigo of a psychological thriller & the twists of an elaborate melodrama , but to reduce it to these labels is glib . caustic & funny but never misanthropic . a study of the ways people actually live , rather than how we assume they do .",
        "these characters are messed up and yet there i was , sitting in the back row of the cinema , with a smile on my face .",
        "the result is one of those stories about storytelling that have become something of a post-modern specialty of elevated art . ozon manages a light touch , however , so that dans la maison never feels too self-referential .",
        "as a black comedy , this never quite catches fire , though there is some mild amusement to be found in its social satire .",
        "narrative issues hold MOV back from being as great as it should be .",
        "the convoluted yet familiar narrative games become somewhat tiresome . the movie works best as a straight suspense drama about a frustrated teacher and his devious star pupil ...",
        "satirizes the process of aesthetic creation and the damage it can inflict on the artist and those around him .",
        "MOV is sometimes ingenious , but all the main characters are cold , arrogant , and off-putting .",
        "MOV is a tour de force about two yarn-spinners -- claude and germain -- whose lives devolve into chaos .",
        "this is an impressive film , even though it seems like a kind of psychological-dramatic experiment . it combines fantasy and reality in interesting ways , depicting imaginary events and realistic events with equal conviction .",
        "ozon weaves another spellbinding tale that mingles the real and imaginery with terrific effect .",
        "utterly assured , breathtakingly executed and riotously funny , this is a delight .",
        "a sharp , enticing psychological cat-and-mouse game . its gleeful dark wit comes from manipulations , voyeurism , the idea that we all invade each other 's lives and thoughts .",
        "darkly funny and utterly compelling , it 's arguably the best teacher-student movie since 1999 's election .",
        "... joins a handful of clever films where fiction and reality merge , like `` adaptation '' or zoe kazan 's more recent `` ruby sparks . '' it 's thrilling , funny , smart and hugely entertaining , more satisfying than the director 's breakout film .",
        "fran\u00e7ois ozon 's slow-burn comic thriller is a sensitive observation of a global race-to-the-bottom that is devaluing culture in all of its varied forms .",
        "ozon is an artful provocateur and observer of human nature .",
        "to watch it is to be simultaneously seduced and interrogated .",
        "the result is endlessly playful , although the rules of the game , in ozon 's hands , could hardly be graver , and what can be at stake , in the act of storytelling , has seldom been more elegantly sketched .",
        "a little kinky , a little creepy , and quite clever and literary .",
        "one of ozon 's best .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- slyly warped student-and-teacher yarn .",
        "a cinematic bouquet of surprising left turns and addictive story hooks . strongly recommended .",
        "provocative , playful , entertaining and audacious , MOV is a writer showing us the inner workings of writing , complete with its power to subvert , to imagine and to deceive",
        "occasionally too clever for its own good , the film may go one step too far , but ozon manages the hybrid of genres beautifully and ultimately it is his superb cast that sells the nuances and the concept",
        "the film treats imagination-and talent-in certain hands as an almost mystical force .",
        "a sly , stylish blend of melodrama and suspense that 's also a cunning commentary on the seductiveness and danger inherent in storytelling itself .",
        "director/scriptwriter francois ozon knows his hitchcock well . he employs him effectively , but the clutter is his own .",
        "ozon and the script move a little too far afield and hold on a bit too long as the film approaches its end . still , `` MOV '' has enough trippy truth to it to grab your interest and shake your mind .",
        "an almost perverse delight , an egghead thriller that slyly shell-games its truer purpose as an inquiry into the construction -- and deconstruction -- of fiction . scratch deconstruction : make that tear-the-house-down demolition .",
        "it 's fiction about life that becomes fiction that might be life - and the viewer happily dives in .",
        "it 's partly real and partly a fable , full of events that might have happened or could never have happened , with intrigues that defy us to take them seriously .",
        "ozon , for all the prettiness of his comic and visual grace notes , runs out of ideas .",
        "MOV creates something far more original than the same old heart-pounding exercise .",
        "a bold and refreshingly original french film about story , writing , imagination , creativity , sexuality , and breaking rules .",
        "with its exploration of voyeurism and manipulation , MOV covers similar territory to ozon 's earlier swimming pool , but is distinguished by its crafty sense of humour .",
        "it 's a mind-tickler of exquisite precision that saves some of its surprises for the finale .",
        "MOV bares the voyeurism inherent in all stories-and the class-consciousness inherent in voyeurism .",
        "a black-comic psychological drama with poise and self-possession . featuring fabrice luchini and kristin scott thomas , how could it have anything else ?",
        "almost perfect",
        "an elegant , sophisticated black comedy thriller with a lot to say about storytelling , control and manipulation of the truth .",
        "with ozon 's usual sharp writing and direction , this black comedy is a fabulous series of provocations , challenging us to explore how we see , or perhaps imagine , the people in our lives .",
        "a witty , naughty , insight-packed provocation which never takes its seriousness too seriously .",
        "francois ozon 's interplay between narrative and meta-narrative girds this smart if occasionally too-precious drama .",
        "it 's buoyant and titillates , striking that distinctly ozonian balance between the beautiful and the sinister , but it does n't resonate .",
        "luchini 's dependable deadpan goes a long way toward making the puzzle pieces snap pleasingly into place , but as with most such endeavors , MOV is about its own construction and nothing more .",
        "impressively directed and darkly funny , this is a hugely enjoyable french black comedy with a clever , thought-provoking script and terrific performances from a note-perfect cast .",
        "a script with razor sharp wit , effective and unobtrusive direction and fine performances from the key leads all help ensure this is one of , if not the finest of ozon 's films to date .",
        "neither claude nor ozon comes up with a satisfying finish to this intriguing setup . but because they 're both so committed to seducing their audience , it 's a lot of fun watching them try .",
        "delicious , intriguing and addictive expos\u00e9 of the creative-writing process and middle-class dysfunction . wry humor and mystery also bring alive what might be acclaimed filmmaker fran\u00e7ois ozon 's most accomplished and unpredictable work to date .",
        "effortlessly shifts between genres , tones and styles , thus becoming an inquiry into this gifted if erratic filmmaker 's whole career .",
        "it 's a scintillating intellectual tease , rigorously controlled , but terrific fun at the same time .",
        "one of french cinema 's foremost enfants terribles here finally grows up : this elegant and eloquent film weighs its words and images with commendably mature precision ."],
    "summary": "dark , tense , and wryly funny , MOV is brilliantly directed by fran\u00e7ois ozon and features fine performances from its talented cast .",
    "id": "771313143"
  },
  {
    "movie": "return_to_me",
    "reviews":
     [
        "every shot is squarely predictable , and you 'd never guess that cinematographer laszlo kovacs has done major work like paper moon .",
        "this is a melodrama wrapped in a sitcom inside a hallmark card .",
        "why does the film have to be two hours ? does no one hire an editor anymore ?",
        "driver seems plagued with an onscreen self-consciousness that ruins her time in the limelight .",
        "this film is energized by excellent performances .",
        "ultimately too bland and safe .",
        "as if aware they are imprisoned in the subplot of a terrible movie , actors carroll o'connor , robert loggia , eddie jones , william bronder and marianne muellerleile have a near mutiny on screen .",
        "not a horrible movie , but not a good one either .",
        "although quite realistic at first , all conflicts suffer from unrealistic resolutions and from the lack of subtlety .",
        "the alluringly deadpan duchovny can make no headway with driver .",
        "wholly predictable .",
        "duchovny is surprisingly out-of-joint with the romantic atmosphere .",
        "i could almost recommend MOV to the more saccharine of my acquaintances were it not for a sugary denouement .",
        "renders a bland , mall-bought local flavor .",
        "delightful !",
        "MOV is n't as well-executed as it could have been .",
        "sweet , funny and touching romantic comedy .",
        "charming , entertaining and highly enjoyable .",
        "david duchovny and minnie driver star in a movie that almost seems like a godsend in this age of romantic-comedy schmaltz .",
        "so innocent , so naive , so sweet and sincere , that you must leave your cynicism at the door or choose another movie .",
        "driver is radiantly winsome .",
        "the film is largely entertaining , often sweet , occasionally even moving .",
        "despite that and some odd pacing , it hits the right marks .",
        "MOV is a story for all ages .",
        "a delightful surprise .",
        "predictable , sporadically engaging fable .",
        "i found the film utterly charming .",
        "an entirely formulaic piece of comedy-melodrama with scarcely a moment of real drama and featuring repartee engaged in by codgers without a genuine dab of wit .",
        "-lsb- hunt -rsb- chooses early emotional depth to fulfill later parts of the movie -- a master stroke , as it turns out .",
        "return to sender . except for david duchovny .",
        "90 minutes of complicated , sometimes hokey and occasionally hilarious episodic moments defining the human condition .",
        "contrivances abound , no doubt , but the picture refuses any disingenuous pollutant access to the mix , instead leading with heartfelt , lived-in emotions , enjoying a deliciously homey mood of friendly flirtation and old-world wisdom .",
        "driver and duchovny shine in romance with heart .",
        "an unbelievable premise , but sweet and romantic .",
        "touches the audience 's heart without being sappy .",
        "see this wonderful film and let it teach you about the warmth , the richness , and the renewal of life .",
        "have a heart .",
        "every time i see this it is better and better . bonnie hunt is an amazing writer .",
        "characters you can enjoy watching and will care about , places you will enjoy spending time , and a charming , hopeful look at love amid the vagaries of life .",
        "it delivers the emotional goods as it should while also providing its share of well earned laughs .",
        "you actually can care about the lovers , there 's a fine sense of balance between humor and pathos in their story .",
        "a brutally rocky romantic comedy of choppy technique , dubious plotting .",
        "the real problem is the lack of heat generated by driver and duchovny .",
        "a charming romantic comedy tragically bogged down by the uncomfortable avoidance of its central plot point .",
        "heart-warming .",
        "the grisly weight of that central premise hangs over the proceedings like a bloody pi\u0144ata .",
        "MOV should be returned to sender .",
        "a highly entertaining romantic comedy that is so sweet , funny and charming .",
        "driver and duchovney have a real chemistry .",
        "an exceedingly pleasant , wistful romantic romp .",
        "a warm , funny film that depicts a deep-dish slice of life a la sweet home chicago , and we eat it up . you may even want seconds .",
        "you 've got a romantic comedy that ai n't much of either .",
        "return to sender .",
        "it 's a genuine attempt at a genuine movie .",
        "bonnie hunt 's directorial debut is a flyweight heartwarmer brimming with winning characters .",
        "there is a satisfying , old-fashioned moonstruck sensibility at work .",
        "easily the most sane and encouraging romantic comedy since the far more polished , but equally expansive and ethnically flavored moonstruck .",
        "MOV may win your heart , but it will probably try to stick it in somebody else 's body .",
        "while MOV plays out , you are not bored , but you also are not as satisfied as you could be .",
        "writers have kids of their own .",
        "intelligently co-written and ably directed .",
        "old-fashioned as all get-out , MOV is swathed in an unabashed feel-good tone .",
        "this pg-rated trifle is the perfect movie to take your parents to see without fear of embarrassment .",
        "a sweetly amusing tale about the human heart .",
        "a sweet love story , far more affecting than the average romantic drivel because it 's so much less phony .",
        "the movie suffers from a surfeit of affection .",
        "david duchovny is not well-matched with minnie driver .",
        "if you like your sentiment layered on thick and creamy as a slab of mascarpone cheese , MOV is one to go back for .",
        "MOV manages to disarm with its charm and delight with its bite .",
        "it 's the little things that make MOV worth a look . the small , sweet-funny touches and the offhanded , all-too-human moments are really the heart of this film .",
        "as light and fluffy as it is , MOV still proves surprisingly inviting , thanks to some canny direction by actress bonnie hunt in her filmmaking debut .",
        "what it has is heart .",
        "first-time director bonnie hunt has taken what could have been an incredibly sappy story and used her sense of comedic timing to fashion a date flick that even the guys might enjoy .",
        "were this a student film , you 'd expect to see it returned with a middling grade , covered with red-inked criticisms .",
        "duchovny gives a relaxed , quietly comic performance that suggests he should have been doing this sort of thing all along .",
        "the film builds an implausible scenario into a credible and utterly charming romantic comedy ."],
    "summary": "david duchovny and minnie driver provide heart-warming romance and comedy in this solid debut by director bonnie hunt .",
    "id": "10368"
  },
  {
    "movie": "harold_and_kumar_go_to_white_castle",
    "reviews":
     [
        "smart , goofy and endearing , cho and penn make a terrific team , and the fact that they 're starring in their own movie suggests that , in the hollywood comedy frat house , there 's finally room for everyone .",
        "it is n't just another dumb druggie flick that suggests the world begins and ends with getting high .",
        "the script goes to acceptable lengths to make the duo more than the idiotic , giggling stoners we 'd usually see .",
        "there is a key to good 'n' stupid lowbrow comedy : ... be proudly , shamelessly , flippantly stupid ...",
        "... an instant stoner classic .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- tarts out gross ... and descends into the utterly moronic .",
        "this buddy pot comedy 's blunted charm lacks the clarity to make it soar as high as its protagonists .",
        "just when we thought the stoner comedy was a hazy relic of the past , along comes a new farce that has every hallmark of having been written while under the influence .",
        "a distinct entry in the pantheon of stoner comedies ; the `` what the hell ? '' moments are so insanely conceived that they 're often really funny .",
        "its unforced mixture of the crass with the sweet may not be the likeliest of combinations , but it is a decidedly beguiling one , all the same .",
        "goes for cheap and easy laughs way too frequently .",
        "its very unambitiousness gives the film moments that almost approach charm . that said , it 's still mostly just extremely dumb and vulgar .",
        "a movie that is funny far more often than it flops , and one that - more importantly - challenges the myth of the american melting pot .",
        "a blissfully silly , character-driven road movie with impressive laugh-per-minute performance specs .",
        "the pacing is clunky , with the flat feel of a sitcom .",
        "that the movie is dumb goes without saying . but is it funny ? you betcha .",
        "an empowering idea is woven with great subtlety into a series of poop jokes , sex jokes , and pot jokes . maybe some people will miss it . i did n't .",
        "once every summer season , the holy grail appears on screen . in 2004 , it came as a steaming sack of tiny square burgers , the good end to a long , superb stoner road revue .",
        "a raft of guest stars -lrb- neil patrick harris , christopher meloni , anthony anderson , bobby lee of `` mad tv '' -rrb- -- at their absolute wackiest -- flesh out this stoners ' banquet .",
        "... all of which add up to nothing in terms of plot , but plenty in terms of entertainment value , laughs and fun .",
        "harold and kumar discover that the american dream is not to be doogie howser ; it 's to be neil patrick harris .",
        "pulls off the nearly impossible in subverting racial stereotypes by constantly evoking them",
        "features quite possibly the worst , most unfunny scene of the 2004 film year .",
        "as far as stoner comedies go , this is a surprisingly well-done affair",
        "at road 's end , harold and kumar smells very similar to the shrine of its title , which is great before you bite in and way less appetizing after you 've sobered up .",
        "a laugh-out-loud if not-exactly-good stoner comedy .",
        "there are at least three very funny things in MOV , and the stuff in between is n't bad .",
        "in their formidable quest for junk food , harold and kumar end up redefining what the all-american protagonists of hollywood movies should look like -- and prove this comedy is not quite as brain-dead as it originally appeared .",
        "a celebration of the rights of all people from all races , creeds and beliefs to have equal access to the best-damned burger americans can fry up !",
        "`` harold & kumar go to white castle '' may have a better grasp of modern race relations than so-called `` serious '' films .",
        "harold and maude go to white castle might have been a better bet , but this is nevertheless a gross-out comedy with a difference .",
        "this movie has instances of absolute hilarity ... but unlike the burgers , it has a lot of unnecessary fillers . dude , where 's my hamburger ?",
        "while not as outlandishly contrived as director danny leiner 's dude , where 's my car ? h&k is about as barely funny and just as hard to believe .",
        "what 's engaging about all this is that penn and cho are smart actors doing very dumb humor . somehow the combination proves amusing .",
        "perfect summertime munchies for the drive-in . lewd , raunchy and likely to spawn a sequel or two . it 's also fearless , well-acted and smarter than it lets on .",
        "danny leiner has n't matured as a filmmaker . and that 's a very nice thing indeed .",
        "cho and penn pull off the fast-food humor with a laid-back style that gets them through even when the movie lags .",
        "this may not be the funniest film of the summer nor even the stoniest , but it is still an enjoyable chunk of resin-soaked celluloid .",
        "if you 're among those who giggled at the trailer before calling your buds to say dude . harold kumar . looks funny. , you 'll probably find a solid case of chuckles here .",
        "-lrb- this -rrb- is n't your typical lowbrow comedy about dopes smoking dope . deep down , under the buns and fun , lurks a heapin ' helping of heart .",
        "stretches the boundaries of offensiveness in ways that both make us laugh and make us think .",
        "director danny leiner has now elevated the stoner comedy to its highest peak ...",
        "click to read the article .",
        "a thin setup followed by thinner jokes .",
        "there is a lot of imagination in this wacky ride of a film that would make ` the dude ' from the big lebowski very happy .",
        "harold & kumar go to white castle is the latest multicultural variant of the lowbrow buddy comedy in which the heroes just want to get high and laid .",
        "it 's what a stoner comedy should be . it 's what a buddy comedy should be . two for the price of one sure as hell ai n't bad ... the funniest thing i 've seen in months .",
        "amid the insane goofiness there 's some serious stuff happening that actually speaks to us .",
        "so disreputable in its premise and so fly-by-night in its technique that it 's easy to enjoy . it 's unburdened by aspirations",
        "nearly every gut-wrenching turn is somehow derived from an ethnic slur , juvenile sight gag , or the glorification of an illegal substance and its side effects .",
        "a simple , brain-dead chuckler that might as well have been called dude , where 's my burger ?",
        "will seem a classic if you 're stoned , and only slightly less funny if you 're straight .",
        "this is one more ` youth movie ' that 'll put years on anyone over 25 .",
        "the outlandish premise and greasy title may be a little hard to swallow , but danny leiner 's proudly moronic film embraces its boneheadedness so cheerfully that its lowbrow charms are nearly irresistible .",
        "if it 's possible for a movie to be sly and full-on raunchy at the same time , danny leiner 's p.o.v.-shifting stoner-buddy comedy is it .",
        "the funniest road trip comedy since todd phillips 's ` road trip . '",
        "repeatedly , as per road-movie formula , harold and kumar come to expect sex and/or druggy delirium , only to be disappointed .",
        "often , the boys ' misadventures attain a farcical perpetual motion that 's as funny as anything playing out on today 's movie screens .",
        "a peppy , satisfying comedy that could soon become a minor classic .",
        "the rare funny scenes are dominated by predictable sex or drug jokes .",
        "it 's a delightful surprise that MOV is so hilarious for pretty much all the reasons it should be so predictably brainless .",
        "you 're going to think i 'm insane , or kidding , but honest-to-god this is one of the year 's best films",
        "what grounds the film , always , is the likableness of leads cho and penn. .",
        "instantly forgettable but fun .",
        "a well-paced and extremely funny yuk-fest that never takes itself too seriously -- and neither should you .",
        "a nasty , cynical , and outrageously funny look at racism and xenophobia framed around a pot-driven food run .",
        "a stoner comedy with a clear-headed sense of wit ...",
        "harold and kumar give brain-dead comedies a good name",
        "this new comedy offers `` american pie '' type teen humor with john cho and kal penn playing the leads .",
        "what 's impressive about the jokes is how smart so many of them are",
        "a funny stoner buddy movie , with nods to those original multicultural high times guys , cheech and chong , and flashes of the kind of party-on comedy that saturday night live slackers wayne and garth made most excellent .",
        "if you want to laugh loud and long , go see it . but for heaven 's sake , check your tender sensibilities at the door .",
        "... the movie has delivery that often overshadows the punch lines , and it 's not very accessible .",
        "silliness is the movie 's only ambition , but there 's something mind-blowing about seeing a fratty comedy through two pairs of asian-american eyes , particularly when those eyes belong to actors who were token minorities in other dumb comedies .",
        "winds up a sweetly nonchalant and excellently unwhiny allegory of seeking and gaining entry to the caucasian fortress that is present-day america , or at least nocturnal new jersey .",
        "i will tell you without compunction that i laughed many times during the film , and i will add that 90 percent of those laughs were at things i can not repeat here .",
        "this is a hilarious , fever-dream of a road-trip movie .",
        "as unsatisfying as its titular fast food chain 's repulsive mini-burgers , leiner 's film shoots only for scatological silliness .",
        "the sad reality is that the picture exists in this dimension where it will , for the space of far too many weeks , torment and agonize average , innocent americans by its very existence .",
        "made me laugh loud and often as much if not more than any other movie i 've seen this year .",
        "that cho and penn are such likable actors and are so funny in their roles earns the movie more slack than it probably deserves and prevents it from being just another gross-out comedy .",
        "what could have just pushed the usual youth comedy buttons is instead a crafty spoof on issues from racial politics to american highway monoculture that belies its cover -lrb- and marketing -rrb- as only a dumb gross-out laffer .",
        "... fares a whole lot better than the majority of its stoner-comedy brethren ...",
        "an over-the-top romp which rehashes lots of dumb drug jokes but breaks far enough away from the tried-and-true teen formula to earn a high mark even from this jaded critic .",
        "... for all its juvenile shortcomings , there 's a sweet and beguiling charm to the film .",
        "a deserving modern classic , even if only for being so bold as to describe katie holmes ' breasts as being `` the exact opposite '' of the holocaust .",
        "you 'll laugh , you 'll laugh , and you 'll laugh % u2014especially if you see the movie in the cannabis enhanced glaze that the filmmakers intend .",
        "` this night is about the american dream , ' kumar promises , and you know what ? it sort of is . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "one of the funniest films i 've seen in a years .",
        "extremely dumb and vulgar comedy ; not for kids .",
        "a multilayered goof on ethnic stereotypes ...",
        "a whacky , racially refreshing breather in hollywood 's white-dominated , politically over-correct bummer of a mainstream culture",
        "it always takes an unexpected route . often unexpectedly stupid , yes . but there 's also something weirdly original about jon hurwitz and hayden schlossberg 's script .",
        "the jokes are n't exactly smokin ' , but there are enough high points to make this a gratifying pot comedy .",
        "h&k has a lot to say about smoking pot and the silliness of its illegality ... a `` marijuana kills '' public service commercial ... is a stroke of satiric genius .",
        "harold and kumar just need to go , period !",
        "the multicultural cast gives a shred of substance to what 's otherwise a standard adolescent gross-out flick .",
        "in those rare instances when it 's not being a dumb comedy , harold and kumar is a rather crafty satire of racial stereotypes -lrb- which , it must be said , traffics in a few stereotypes of its own -rrb- .",
        "it does have one thing on its side : it 's freakin ' hilarious , man .",
        "an epic pothead movie with laughs and smarts",
        "sweetly silly .",
        "attacks of hunger and indigestion , comic hallucinations and episodes of flat-out insensibility are scrambled together on this goofy roller coaster ride of dope .",
        "one of those silly , rude , crude , buddy adventure movies that hits the right spot .",
        "h&kgtwc is a smart person 's fart movie ! it 's like a american road pie trip for the intelligente - the partying intelligente",
        "one secret of fiction is the creation of unique characters who are precisely defined . the secret of comedy is the same , with the difference being that the characters must be obsessed with unwholesome but understandable human desires .",
        "when the 90 minutes are up , you 'll likely wonder why you laughed so hard and so often at something so silly .",
        "this gonzo ganja comedy is propelled more by sly charm , sharp wit and stinging social satire than by mere smoke jokes .",
        "whoever thought that one of the best times at the movies this year would feature a shot of doogie howser snorting cocaine out of the small of a woman 's back ?",
        "what makes harold and kumar so good is their demented selves -- you 'll love the characters .",
        "perfectly paired , john cho and kal penn take the stereotypes of the brilliant asian and the genius indian for a joyride .",
        "it 's enthusiastically vulgar , yet it adroitly takes on the topic of racial stereotyping , a surprisingly effective combination for a comedy .",
        "plays it a little too safe and hackneyed with the comedy , but the characters and the talented actors who play them are a refreshing change of pace that make the movie feel like a minor buddy-comedy revolution .",
        "it panders and aims way too low way too frequently .",
        "will never become a teen classic , to be remembered lovingly as the film that shaped your teenage years but one thing 's for sure : it 's very funny and wonderfully dumb .",
        "there 's an audience that will appreciate this , but they may struggle to see it through the smoke .",
        "go ahead , it 's what you crave .",
        "while unabashedly unsophisticated , this flick is subtly smarter , more audacious and more finely tuned than other movies of its ilk ...",
        "warm , crazily inventive and sometimes hysterical ...",
        "behind all the farrelly-esque gross-out humour and cheech & chong-isms lies a sensitive little picture with a deftly handled anti-racism slant .",
        "it 's all as serious as a white castle slider .",
        "... this film is dreadful ! horrible ! terrible ! aaaarrggghhh !",
        "funny and brave ; it 's tradition with a refreshing new twist .",
        "frankly , if there is n't already another harold and kumar movie in the works , then there should be .",
        "if told as a story by a guest at a party , `` MOV '' would undoubtedly end with the phrase : `` i guess you had to be there . ''",
        "-lsb- cho and penn -rsb- form an immediately likeable twosome with enough chemistry to carry this comedy ... past some obvious faults .",
        "it does n't make any sense , but damn if it does n't pull it off in style .",
        "while harold & kumar is n't quite a low-brow revelation on the scale of clerks , it is one of film history 's more inspired examples of off-color jerseyana .",
        "-lsb- harold and kumar -rsb- share a quality the overgrown adolescents in films like this are never allowed to possess : they 're witty , focused , and highly aware .",
        "i do n't know if it 's a revolution , but it 's a step in the right direction . funny , too .",
        "the laugh ratio in this run-on of skits is pretty low , at least to the unaltered mind of one who 's seen enough of these films and eaten enough white castle burgers to last a lifetime .",
        "the most gut-bustingly funny movie so far this year .",
        "though too scattershot and uneven to be recommended without reservation , it has a loose , goofball charm that makes it a pleasant surprise and may earn it cult status .",
        "has the coarse exterior of a typical ` stoner classic , ' but also a prominent undercurrent that is sweet , clever , and even a little thoughtful .",
        "all too often , the movie piles on ` shock ' comedy without the hidden art that makes shock palatable as comedy .",
        "crude , tasteless , sophomoric and crass . it is also , sometimes , funny .",
        "a slacker tale that balances the gross-out gags and idiotic drug humor with some sublimely silly nonsense .",
        "just as mike judge 's office space has become an anthem for all us gen x cubicle slaves , harold and kumar will resonate deeply with anyone who attended high school in the 1990s and at least saw a joint .",
        "this is dude , where 's my script ?",
        "has enough laughs and misadventures to satisfy its built-in audience , but it wo n't win any converts .",
        "a little more disturbing than it intends to be , and in the amateurish hands of director danny leiner -lrb- dude , where 's my car -rrb- not as funny as it might have been .",
        "it leaves you hungry -- for a better movie .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "the likable leads and subversion of racial stereotypes elevate harold and kumar above the typical stoner comedy .",
    "id": "16982"
  },
  {
    "movie": "scary_movie_3",
    "reviews":
     [
        "just middling funny , with no truly memorable high points and a sum impact that goes poof ! before you 've left the parking garage .",
        "be afraid , be very afraid .",
        "it 's better than the second film ...",
        "this pg-13 has r-rated stuff .",
        "fun , stupid stuff with no sense of a narrative arc or plot structure ... but hey , it made me laugh anyway .",
        "as with scary movie parts one and two , you pays your money , you gets your laughs , and you wo n't remember a thing in a few months .",
        "zucker 's slapstick may have the satiric delicacy of a chainsaw lobotomy , but it has n't harmed the franchise .",
        "basically , any movie that suffers from a lack of charlie sheen has got problems .",
        "if you 're looking for anything other than a parody clipshow , you wo n't find it .",
        "this is just a stab in the dark , the wildest of guesses on my part , but i do n't think michael jackson would recommend `` MOV . ''",
        "delivers plenty of decent laughs in its short running time .",
        "often in spectacular bad taste , but like its predecessors it made me laugh hard and often .",
        "algumas gags funcionam , mas numa raz\u0433o de cerca de 30 % , eu diria . portanto , talvez esta produ\u0437\u0433o valha o pre\u0437o do ingresso - isto \u0439 , caso voc\u043a consiga 70 % de desconto .",
        "leave your brain in the foyer , and your taste in the toilets .",
        "the only thing more worn than the humour is a tired-looking nielsen .",
        "the film 's comic philosophy might best be summed up this way : if you think it 's funny seeing sheen bang his head against a lamp once , then it 's twice as funny to see him do it twice .",
        "this is not one of those occasions when you feel like giving zucker an even break .",
        "MOV turns out to be an odd combination of the old-fashioned and the hip . i found it too awkward a combination to be entirely successful .",
        "it 's time to stop , i 'm afraid .",
        "the latest in this popular spoof franchise is funnier than scary movie 2 -lrb- which means i came close to laughing at least once . -rrb-",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though an improvement over the second scary movie , the laughs are still inconsistent .",
    "id": "11195"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1110288-count_of_monte_cristo",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lrb- rises -rrb- above its oh-so-hollywood rejiggering and its conventional direction to give the film a soul and an unabashed sense of good old-fashioned escapism .",
        "if well-made escapist entertainment is what you 're after and the nonstop cgi orgies have grown wearisome , give this one a shot .",
        "caviezel embodies the transformation of his character completely .",
        "the best revenge may just be living well because this film , unlike other dumas adaptations , is far more likened to a treasure than a lengthy jail sentence .",
        "a film so short on style and verve it feels lifeless ; audiences might feel imprisoned in the ch\u00e2teau d'if , praying for escape or quick death . thankfully , one need not tunnel out of a movie theater .",
        "the film excels at the small touches .",
        "provides caviezel with a star-making turn , and he picks up the gauntlet with two gloved hands .",
        "it ai n't art , by a long shot , but unlike last year 's lame musketeer , this dumas adaptation entertains .",
        "fine escapism -lrb- sometimes literally -rrb- .",
        "just like the deli sandwich : lots of ham , lots of cheese , with a sickly sweet coating to disguise its excrescence until just after -lrb- or during -rrb- consumption of its second half .",
        "overall , the film is n't anything spectacular , but it 's moderately enjoyable and should please fans of the old saying about revenge being a dish best served cold .",
        "this new movie version of the alexandre dumas classic is the stuff of high romance , brought off with considerable wit .",
        "plum and peachy entertainment .",
        "betrays the author 's intent and makes wholesale changes in the well-known plot .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- pleasant diversion .",
        "a little more action a little earlier on would n't have hurt . but overall this is solid entertainment .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- above average piece of junk .",
        "frequently entertaining and sometimes lovely to look at .",
        "there 's a certain cheese factor at play , but count remains utterly thrilling and enthralling .",
        "it 's a count for our times .",
        "definitely worth a matinee .",
        "neither among the best nor the worst of the lot , it falls somewhere inconspicuously in between , serving up both lively and ill-fitting performances as well as lush backdrops and the requisite derring-do .",
        "it 's a fine , old-fashioned-movie movie , which is to say it 's unburdened by pretensions to great artistic significance .",
        "the latest movie reincarnation of alexandre dumas ' the MOV is swashbuckling fun . it is not , however , a great movie .",
        "solid , matinee-style entertainment that 's fun while it lasts .",
        "what really makes it special is that it pulls us into its world , gives us a hero whose suffering and triumphs we can share , surrounds him with interesting characters and sends us out of the theater feeling we 've shared a great adventure .",
        "a fresh and largely enjoyable film .",
        "you can count on snoozing .",
        "enough weight to keep your intellect engaged in between all the period fun .",
        "it 's quite entertaining .",
        "the story taps into a primal emotion , the lust for revenge against those who have wronged us .",
        "its lack of quality earns it a place alongside those other two recent dumas botch-jobs , the man in the iron mask and the musketeer .",
        "inspiration and originality may be in short supply , but the movie gets the job done .",
        "soon to be bottled and sold , luis guzman is a fish out of the soderbergh pond but a potent scene-stealer no less .",
        "it 's another retelling of alexandre dumas ' classic . why ? who knows , but it works under the direction of kevin reynolds .",
        "a good story with solid acting .",
        "slapped a smile on my face and less stress on my mind ...",
        "reynolds is a deft and vivid visual storyteller whose flair for action pyrotechnics never devolves into incoherence .",
        "the filmmakers focus more on personalities and emotions than on tumult and mayhem , and the results amount to old-fashioned fun .",
        "this is middling dumas all the way .",
        "the MOV gets a disneyfied treatment that would have played better had they digitized the actors",
        "without something more stirring to finish things off , the MOV wastes 100 minutes of decent buildup .",
        "old-form moviemaking at its best .",
        "a surprisingly effective throwback to the heyday of swashbuckling movie adventures and the pleasures of pulp-fiction-masquerading-as-great-literature",
        "the new version takes liberties with the story but uses them wisely to add excitement .",
        "literary purists may not be pleased , but as far as mainstream matinee-style entertainment goes , it does a bang-up job of pleasing the crowds .",
        "there 's a thin line between likably old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy , and the MOV ... never quite settles on either side .",
        "a disappointing enactment of a fine story , and it feels far longer than it is .",
        "the modern remake of dumas 's story is long on narrative and -lrb- too -rrb- short on action .",
        "turns out to be a rather romantic swashbuckling romp back in time .",
        "all in all , the MOV is okay , but it is surely no classic , like the novel upon which it is based .",
        "a meatier deeper beginning and/or ending would have easily tipped this film into the `` a '' range , as is , it 's a very very strong `` b + . '' i love the robust middle of this picture .",
        "a rousingly old-fashioned swashbuckler with an abundance of vigorous action and nary a trace of wink-wink irony .",
        "-lsb- reynolds -rsb- takes a classic story , casts attractive and talented actors and uses a magnificent landscape to create a feature film that is wickedly fun to watch .",
        "the film will dazzle you with stunning camera work , superb acting and swordplay -- plus best of all -- a sublime script .",
        "does better by alexandre dumas than last fall 's on-the-cheap the musketeer did .",
        "refreshingly well-done , with plenty of action and romance to thrill younger audiences , and a nice mix of old and new dramatic -- as well as historic -- elements to interest the older folk who 've seen it all before .",
        "i hope dumas is plotting his revenge against hollywood from beyond the grave . i 'd pay good money to see that .",
        "like an amateur entertainer who thinks his material works when , really , there is nothing remotely special about it .",
        "who would have thought that kevin reynolds would finally get the formula right ?",
        "you know you 're in for a good ol' popcorn-munching time when the movie 's tagline is a bad pun on the title of a piece of fine literature .",
        "strong supporting performances , from harris in particular , help make up for the uneven performances of the two leads ...",
        "dumas lite : less filling , still tastes pretty good",
        "while many would rightfully question why there is need for another take on alexander dumas ' treasure , reynolds has made a decent job of it .",
        "this is visually stunning and a masterpiece .",
        "a thoroughly enjoyable movie for older kids .",
        "where gladiator failed to give an adequate sense of how its hero grew and what he learned during his trials . ... monte cristo , on the other hand , takes its time .",
        "a preposterous , expansive and self-conscious attempt to resurrect the historical spectacular .",
        "... a straightforward and beautifully accoutered period piece , rife with technical authenticity and eye-pleasing production values .",
        "apesar de algumas altera\u0443\u0448es lament\u0440veis com rela\u0443\u0441o ao livro de alexandre dumas , o filme \u0436 interessante e se beneficia das atua\u0443\u0448es de caviezel e pearce .",
        "the week 's guilty pleasure ... a gorgeously photographed , sumptuously designed adaptation of the dumas swashbuckler boasting the most ludicrous dialogue since director kevin reynolds 's waterworld .",
        "waterworld 's kevin reynolds is simply the wrong director to attempt yet another adaptation of alexandre dumas 's classic tale ... his rendition is lifeless and flat .",
        "it 's not bad , but it 's just flawed enough for us to wonder about its purposelessness .",
        "a piece of overripe cheese ... with some of the most unintentionally funny dialogue in recent memory and featuring one of the blandest , dumbest heroes you can imagine .",
        "jay wolpert unwisely tries to spice up his screenplay with lines dumas somehow forgot to write , such as when mondego cracks to his wife , `` well , are n't you a piece of work ? ''",
        "the conclusion is just too rushed to produce a satisfying internal evolution for a character that could have been great .",
        "no es una cinta impecable ; pose\u00e9 errores de direcci\u00f3n art\u00edstica , gui\u00f3n y est\u00e1 desapegada a la novela original ; pero entretiene .",
        "the best swashbuckler since the mask of zorro .",
        "dumas 's classic tale is such a rattling good yarn , there 's nothing you can do to derail it as it hurtles down the track .",
        "solid entertainment , but lacks a certain gusto",
        "reynolds ' remake brings nothing new to the table , but it 's still an enjoyable throwback to the swashbucklers of old .",
        "all in all , it 's a pretty good execution of a story that 's a lot richer than the ones hollywood action screenwriters usually come up with on their own .",
        "the bottom line is that this movie is well worth a $ 3.00 video rental but not necessarily a $ 7.00 ticket price .",
        "count on count putting a smile on your face .",
        "a playful adaptation of the book ...",
        "ahhhh ... revenge is sweet !",
        "it trusts the story it sets out to tell .",
        "i was , literally , at the edge of my seat , or pounding my thighs with my fist in delight .",
        "this movie has everything -- swashbucklers , swords fights , masked festivals , hot air balloons , and whips .",
        "of over a dozen film versions of this story , it is one of the best , with solid performances and lavish production values .",
        "the best swashbuckler for most of the family since the mask of zorro .",
        "a handsome production in search of some energy .",
        "the classic book had a lot of complex , smart things to say about revenge . the movie does n't .",
        "aside from its sheer spectacle -- shot by andrew dunn , it is a sumptuous , if slow-moving , business .",
        "what 's not to like about a rousing saga of injustice , betrayal , revenge and righteousness , played out over decades , in exotic locations , by elegantly costumed characters who frequently cross swords ?",
        "at more than two hours , some of the slower moments might have you counting the minutes until the lights come up , but this popcorn flick will hardly leave you feeling robbed .",
        "monte cristo smartly emphasizes the well-wrought story and omits needless chase scenes and swordfights as the revenge unfolds .",
        "this is the kind of movie that used to be right at home at the saturday matinee , and it still is .",
        "a rewarding throwback to adventure movies of the 1930s and '40s .",
        "an unexpectedly entertaining slice of old-fashioned swashbuckle , the kind of sweeping , periodically absurd picture that was cranked out on an assembly line in the 1940s .",
        "this most resilient of stories has been made into another thoroughly enjoyable movie .",
        "a mediocre production that nevertheless will strike a deep and resonant chord with viewers .",
        "audiences and readers began cheering alexandre dumas ' the MOV in 1846 , and goodwill likely will continue through the tale 's latest movie reincarnation .",
        "when wolpert 's thudding dialogue is combined with reynolds ' tendency to direct things in the most bald-faced way , the results are not good .",
        "mark twain once defined a `` classic '' as `` a book which people praise and do n't read . '' this adaptation is doomed to `` classic '' status as well .",
        "this swashbuckler , in which buckles are swashed too perfunctorily , is a middling entertainment .",
        "its swashes are effectively buckled in all the right places .",
        "i figure you 'll eat it if you 're hungry enough .",
        "a dull and depressing dodo of a movie , nicely appointed but lethargic and lackluster .",
        "a classic tale of revenge that comes with a bit of action , humor , and romance .",
        "as a revenge thriller , the movie is serviceable , but it does n't really deliver the delicious guilty pleasure of the better film versions .",
        "director kevin reynolds handles action scenes beautifully , but he is unsure with the actors .",
        "if the MOV does n't transform caviezel into a movie star , then the game is even more rigged than it was two centuries ago .",
        "the MOV is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food : familiar and satisfying .",
        "if the count shows its age at all , it 's the way the revenge parable is framed -- not as a moral or ethical matter , but a spiritual one .",
        "this delicious adventure of crude betrayal and elegant revenge is yummy even when reheated by director kevin reynolds .",
        "solid , unpretentious , thoroughly competent film ...",
        "has all the earmarks of a grand to-do , including attractive stars , lavish costumes and gorgeous vistas . yet it still lacks a certain zip .",
        "... in a marketplace littered with films that studios have unloaded to make a buck or two ... `` the MOV '' stands out like a treasure chest half-buried in the sand .",
        "dumas would feel insulted that the characters he breathed life into were no more than charicatures prancing across the screen in a period action film .",
        "this feature is about as necessary as a hole in the head",
        "will not top anyone 's list of great literary adaptations , but it qualifies nonetheless as a swashbuckling guilty pleasure .",
        "kevin reynolds 's telling of the alexandre dumas classic delightfully evokes the halcyon days of screen swashbucklers .",
        "... everything a good , old-fashioned adventure story should be : daring , flamboyant , exciting , heroic , and supremely romantic .",
        "a big , vacuous , sometimes exciting glamour-puss of a movie .",
        "it 's extremely well-made , even though all the guts have been sucked out in an attempt to make it politically correct .",
        "ofrece una buena oportunidad de cultura -lrb- aunque sea condensada -rrb- que bien vale la pena aprovechar .",
        "opulent parisian mansions , gorgeous napoleonic era costumes , and artistic cinematography wowed me almost as much as those dynamic performances by jim caviezel and guy pearce ."],
    "summary": "though it may not reach for any new artistic heights , the MOV is an old-fashioned yet enjoyable swashbuckler .",
    "id": "10118"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_counterfeiters_2007",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- director ruzowitzky -rsb- moves MOV along at a fast clip that covers a lot of ground in an hour and a half .",
        "this rarely happens , but i ca n't find a single negative thing to say about this intriguing , beautifully mounted slice of cinema .",
        "indeed , what 's clear about MOV is that it is intended to be a holocaust film where the archetypal facets associated with the era ... are reduced to a filmic footnote .",
        "MOV , written and directed by stefan ruzowitzky , is a morally challenging twist on the long and honorable tradition of forgery movies .",
        "much of `` counterfeiters '' is actually pretty thrilling , as sorowitsch , a classic taciturn anti-hero in the humphrey bogart or william holden mold , struggles with whether to go along with the nazi plan or figure out some way of undoing it from within .",
        "the real ` trick ' or feat that 's successfully performed by MOV is making us care about a character who , on the surface at least , is n't particularly likable or sympathetic .",
        "... the film 's hermetic feel often isolates what should be moments of greater emotional wallop .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- manages the difficult task of illuminating the size of the nazis ' horror while still focusing on a few men in the middle of it .",
        "it survives its melodramatic excesses because of the inherent fascination of its subject and an outstanding lead performance .",
        "a work of entertainment that 's also an honest-to-god work of art .",
        "MOV is an accurate procedural , just not a very engrossing or moving film .",
        "a bold study of unbearable moral ambiguity .",
        "el resultado es notable , tanto como inquietante y hasta quiz\u00e1s inc\u00f3moda reflexi\u00f3n sobre el instinto de supervivencia del ser humano , y tambi\u00e9n como pieza cinematogr\u00e1fica .",
        "what would you do if your only chance of survival involved aiding the nazi regime ?",
        "markovics expertly projects every craven instinct and heartfelt yearning of the complex protagonist , making MOV an experience as satisfying emotionally as intellectually . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "ruzowitzky does a fine job of capturing the claustrophia of the setting , as well as conveying the moral complexity of these characters ' choices",
        "2008 's oscar-winning foreign film is unquestionably good , a wholly absorbing and taut drama that is as engaging as it is powerful . but oscar-worthy ? there 's room for debate .",
        "sally sorowitsch is the little gangster who outsmarts the big gangsters . what could be more gratifying than that ?",
        "as writer-director stefan ruzowitzky shows , powerfully , affectingly , in MOV , the privileges experienced by this small team of jews and criminals came at a price .",
        "it 's a true story of the human condition , the holocaust and history .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- ruzowitzky wisely knows he does n't have to be overly emphatic in orchestrating the tension of both the moral conundrum and the always uncertain fate of the inmates .",
        "at its best -- and queasiest -- MOV asks disturbing questions more commonly found in the survivor literature of primo levi or bruno bettelheim than at the movies .",
        "MOV joins that class of films like tsotsi and the sea inside that are just good enough to look like they matter",
        "the fresh perspective and challenging moral questions make for a historical drama with vital relevance to contemporary audiences .",
        "the moral dilemmas posed by this operation are dramatically rendered , and without once resorting to cant .",
        "a psychological prison drama in line with midnight express , but the holocaust is front and center in the viewer 's mind , as well as the film 's",
        "demonstrates that no matter how many holocaust stories the movies tell , there are always new and unexpected ones waiting to be revealed .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- ruzowitzky refreshingly keeps the movie free from any pat answers , letting the audience members imagine what course of action they might take in similar circumstances .",
        "MOV is not quite a great film . it is , however , close enough to being great that it 's appropriately flawed , like a near-perfect forgery .",
        "the fascinating , unsentimental true story of a group of concentration camp prisoners forced to help the nazis perpetrate the largest counterfeiting operation in history .",
        "depicts the efforts of a russian jew to survive a nazi concentration camp with his creativity and chutzpah .",
        "ruzowitzky 's faux-doc shaky-cam zooms are less about the banality of evil than the inappropriateness of style .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- ruzowitzky 's straightforward approach to this unusual story and cinematographer benedict neunfels 's documentary-style immediacy transcend the now well-worn holocaust genre , bringing another side of the tragedy into unflinching focus .",
        "ruzowitzky depicts the care and attention to detail that went into the operation .",
        "mainly interesting for its premise and noteworthy for the main performance . -lsb- not -rsb- nearly as deserving of accolades as many of the foreign language films that were ignored by the academy .",
        "it is a must-see , especially in this dreary movie season .",
        "this is a gripping account of psychological turmoil that 's also intellectually challenging .",
        "based on actual events , this is a dramatic war movie that shows the inner conflict at work in a group of prisoners stuck in an ethical quandary over how the cost of their survival might cause the deaths of many others .",
        "though similar to schindler 's list , this riveting holocaust drama , also based on a true story , features actors who throw themselves wholly into the violence of a brutal concentration camp as they practice a trade that could keep them alive .",
        "a story of high risk and equally high principles in which life and death balances on the scale of usefulness to the cause of barbaric madmen .",
        "rarely has a film set the starkest of basic moral questions in such sharp-edged yet subtle relief ... . like one of the master forger 's brazenly passed-off copies -- so bold , unflinching and brilliant that , to any eye , it 's flawless .",
        "this dark arty film also has some entertainment value due to austrian actor markovics and his ability to inhabit his complicated character in a convincing way .",
        "karl markovics is exceptionally well cast . he 's not wildly expressive , but his physicality -- a small frame , a nose that bends northwest due to events we can only imagine -- is enough to carry the film 's ambiguities .",
        "this richly layered allegorical clash between a criminal and a communist , pits the urge for survival despite one 's debasement , against defiance , collective rebellion and martyrdom - the very impulses that advance history , but at enormous cost .",
        "skilfully acted , written and directed , MOV is a powerful and provocative work .",
        "the winner of this year 's oscar for best foreign-language film puts devils , as well as angels , on the head of the pin .",
        "the heart of the story is the horrible choice of survival , while helping your oppressors , or fighting them with sabotage and risking your life and others .",
        "this oscar-winning film ranks as the most unnerving , disturbing , true-life account yet of endurance under nazi oppression .",
        "ruzowitzky has some fine performers in the three key roles but there is a hint of unsubtlety in some of the other characters and situations . the obvious is rammed home .",
        "gripping , but would have more impact if it had been staged -- like paul verhoeven 's ` black book ' -- in the straightforward manner of a classic hollywood suspense film .",
        "challenging and thought-provoking .",
        "this is a first-rate piece of film-making that should appeal to fans of last year 's the lives of others .",
        "an absorbing new perspective on the moral , physical and emotional adversity faced in the concentration camps , with one of the most unusual anti-heroes , of any genre , of recent years .",
        "MOV is anchored in markovics ' central turn as a chilly egotist forced , for the first time , to consider others ' needs .",
        "a sharp and compelling war drama that delivers on the promise of its astonishing true-life origins .",
        "sensibly , this never takes sides ... and it proves a chilling reminder of the dilemmas faced by those placed in an impossible situation .",
        "stefan ruzowitzky 's meshing of plot with debate is impressive . his film is compelling and clever .",
        "haunting , horrible , brilliant .",
        "the moral quandary of nazi complicity is revisited in taut drama MOV .",
        "only wwii junkies will find much of anything worth embracing here .",
        "it is a mark of the filmmaking and storytelling intelligence of MOV that ruzowitzky neither pours on the melodrama nor plays coy with the reality of things .",
        "without doing anything so divisive as taking sides , counterfeiters pays sympathetic attention to those who play their cards to win even when the rules are terrible , not least because the remarkable markovics is so riveting as an unsaintly survivor .",
        "skillful , absorbing .",
        "the trouble is that the storytelling and filmmaking are routine -lrb- surely faux-documentary handheld camerawork is the most overused cliche in modern movies -rrb- , even when the human drama is not .",
        "while MOV does indeed contain a good story , it is by no means a good film .",
        "curt wit and intermittent humor allow dialogue to be one of the strongest features of this drama and each actor delivers lines with a truth rarely seen in cinema .",
        "the moral conundrum at the heart of austrian director stefan ruzowitzky 's MOV is worthy of kafka or dostoevsky .",
        "austrian writer-director stefan ruzowitzky includes a lot of the peculiar challenges faced by the men of operation bernhard .",
        "the honesty with which the film looks at the inmates ' differing choices is really killing .",
        "a conventional mixture of thriller and moral drama , the film is unsettling in both intentional and unintentional ways .",
        "an impressively directed drama with a superb central performance from markovics and a gripping story to tell .",
        "far more than another holocaust drama ; it 's an examination of complex moral shadows that make us capable of cowardice and courage at the same time .",
        "ruzowitzky honors all the talent with his strong , beautifully structured and eloquent script . upscale audiences will embrace the fine results .",
        "the moral dilemmas marshalled by austrian director stefan ruzowitzky prove absolutely gripping , and the whole film is alive with style and intelligence .",
        "ruzowitsky 's film , austerely shot and scripted with terse wit , grants itself a licence to make art in exchange for entertaining us with a gripping story .",
        "a very thoughtful and imaginative effort .",
        "MOV is a story that had to be told , and german director stefan ruzowitzky tells it plainly but well .",
        "this parable of fakery and compromise asks the most difficult question : how much would you be willing to sacrifice in the interest of your own survival ? and how grateful do you feel that you will probably never have to answer it ?",
        "an awesomely powerful movie exploring not just the day-to-day hell of life in a death camp , but also the moral quandary of helping the third reich win the war .",
        "the moral implications of this scheme are so charged and turbulent that they defy neat resolution . if the film 's inhabitants are walking a tightrope , it occasionally seems that that its writer-director is too .",
        "full of the weird details that , though unsurprising on one level , are so jarringly wrong that they seem fresh .",
        "director stefan rukowitzky keeps his camera -- wisely -- inside the forgers ' separate barracks . they , and we , can only guess at what is going on in the rest of the camp . but it haunts them still .",
        "-lsb- star karl -rsb- markovics largely rescues the film with his mesmerizingly layered , steady performance as a man who solves the problem of compromise by refusing to admit that he 's compromising .",
        "like most films about the holocaust , MOV , a brisk , tough movie from the austrian director stefan ruzowitzky , is a survivor 's tale .",
        "writer-director stefan ruzowitzky tells -lsb- this story -rsb- with cool wit and subtle tension .",
        "full of chilling , ironic details .",
        "MOV moves slowly in the first half but improves markedly in the second . the latter is the meat of the film and is what makes it worthy of its oscar nomination for best foreign language film .",
        "as much a comment on peace as on war , criminals do the right thing in the wrong context for the murderous boss in the suburbs . dark comedy at its finest .",
        "MOV is a testament to guile . -lsb- director -rsb- ruzowitzky scored the picture with tangos , and the tangos are meant to be sally 's music -- seductive , insolent , triumphant .",
        "the story is mesmerizing . it 's too bad the movie is never as good . the characters are just too one-dimensional .",
        "making a film about the holocaust but using a very specific and personal story is what makes MOV stand out . it 's the specifics of sorowitsch 's story that rivet us .",
        "what makes this movie worthwhile is its depiction of a struggle of conscience . what would you do in such a situation ? would you sacrifice another life to extend your own ?",
        "based on a real-life nazi operation , the film is a tense drama with performances that elevate the movie to the front rank of films set in concentration camps .",
        "the story has moments of great humanity and terrible brutality but comes off as a strange hybrid of espionage caper and concentration-camp movie .",
        "writer-director stefan ruzowitzky creates an atmosphere devoid of color or light , in which the desperate need to survive is balanced against the guilt and shame for doing so . but it is the performances that are the most effective .",
        "the film establishes a complex , compressed moral universe , in which choices are severely limited .",
        "is this the last word on the holocaust ? no . but nothing is . and nothing ever should be .",
        "ruzowitzky likes to pose questions and clarify the contradictions around them , but he does n't pretend to have the answers .",
        "it 's impossible not to respond to MOV and the haunting questions it raises .",
        "deft and fascinating handling of a moral quandary in a nazi concentration camp .",
        "perhaps a tad too cerebral , the film is nevertheless a very well-mounted and acted production that treats its themes with considerable depth .",
        "the film does shed light an another facet of nazi history , and it does it with an attention to the complexity of human nature that makes it worthy of its oscar win .",
        "there are no simplistic morality lessons or tidy resolutions in MOV , but it asks provocative questions .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "plays the concentration camp drama to dynamic effect .",
        "the worst you could say is that it 's memorably diverting , but as worsts go , that 's a pretty damning indictment of a holocaust movie .",
        "slick , exciting , emotionally trenchant - well done all around .",
        "turns out to be just as challenging and effective a political drama as persepolis and 4 months .",
        "it 's an absorbing , humane winner .",
        "austrian director-writer stefan ruzowitzky does an extraordinary job of setting up this central moral dilemma : of making the situation both credible and not nearly as ethically cut and dry as it might sound .",
        "a drama based on true historical events that leaves no conscience unchallenged .",
        "... the powerful , gripping , yet multifaceted and largely true story of MOV is a film not to be missed .",
        "an especially impressive achievement .",
        "mia istoria synarpastika alliotiki , apallagmeni ap ' ta epanalambanomena enohika symplegmata tis pleiopsifias ton antistoihon taksidion stin epohi ton nazi , kai mpoliasmeni me enan aprosdokita skliro kai tairiasto synaisthimatiko realismo , anthropon poy ks",
        "it won the foreign language oscar and there is nothing fake or contrived about this astonishing true story about the men in a german concentration camp who fought their own little war for survival .",
        "the black and white blueprints of movies like schindler 's list have been tossed out , replaced with one that bleeds gray .",
        "ruzowitzky 's film is certainly a worthy one -- and an entertaining , intelligent one -- anchored to one of the most mesmerizing performances i 've seen in a while .",
        "films about moral issues are not uncommon . films that leave the questions open are considerably rarer . this film trusts the viewer to make his own moral judgements as well as dramatizing a nearly forgotten chapter of history .",
        "it does peer deeper into the complicated moral quandaries experienced by hitler 's victims than most films on this topic do .",
        "... an honest effort to sound painful human depths .",
        "this dark , absorbing thriller is not just a moral exercise in the awful choices faced by those determined to survive history 's worst genocide . it invites us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of a not-quite-lovable rogue .",
        "... -lsb- puts -rsb- a human face on the holocaust ..."],
    "summary": "MOV is a gripping account of one prisoner 's moral dilemma , superbly portrayed by karl markovics .",
    "id": "770676882"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10010658-orphan",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is as much a high-tension , frightening thriller as it is a straight-up horror flick , at least it is until it devolves into outright silliness in the final act .",
        "a carefully staged deconstruction of our assumptions about horrorshows about preternaturally manipulative and malevolent children",
        "a difficult child that horror-loving parents will find hard to adopt as one of their own .",
        "something is n't quite working in the intended way when the audience 's primary reaction for two-plus -lrb- ! -rrb- hours is raucous laughter .",
        "... more concerned with producing cheap thrills and melodramatic effects than creating any sense of mystery or suspense .",
        "david johnson 's script plays fair with red herrings before a devilish denouement with all the torque of a good twist . esther does n't just want to topple the colemans ' house of cards . she wants to torch it , and `` MOV '' is gruesome , gripping material .",
        "this is the rare fright flick that is actually grounded in some genuine human emotion .",
        "for the most part , esther is an entertaining and solid addition to the evil child canon .",
        "`` a superior entertainment . ''",
        "collet-serra 's film succeeds in being genuinely creepy , is commendably well acted by all concerned , and contains the best twist since the crying game .",
        "it feels too slow and moody for the halloween crowd and too absurd and silly for more discriminating horror fans .",
        "has enough kinky grand guignol moments and scenes of sheer terror to make a quick killing at the box office-even though it borrows from just about every other bad seed flick hollywood has ever unleashed .",
        "it 's a cut above most spooky-kid movies , with a twist that sets it apart .",
        "oh , how i wish it were true that MOV was a knowing parody , instead of an unwitting one ...",
        "the best thing about MOV , is the way it plays with the genre 's overused staples and its sophisticated audience 's expectations .",
        "as much fun as it is to follow MOV 's improbable developments , there is also a dark undercurrent that lingers with you afterward . it 's that troubling theme that takes the movie from good to almost great .",
        "occasionally sinks into ludicrousness , but has enough suspense , chills and surprises to keep avid horror fans viscerally compelled and ultimately satisfied .",
        "scary-kid movies just are n't what they used to be .",
        "the film rests on furhman 's shoulders , and she 's up to the task .",
        "although reasonably , cheesily suspenseful , the movie takes a long time to get going . its tagline , ` there 's something wrong with esther , ' turns out to be a masterpiece of understatement .",
        "it takes too long to get started , it pulls some key punches , its dialogue is deeply uninteresting , it relies way too heavily on endless jump-scares and its finale is pure slasher-flick formula .",
        "one of the best entries in the cute-as-a-button-psycho-demon-child-from-hell subgenre .",
        "director jaume collet-serra -lrb- 2005 's `` house of wax '' -rrb- serves up a hoot of a trashploitation flick that both follows preset patterns and upends them .",
        "director jaume collet-serra moves MOV along efficiently , doling out a ` boo ! ' shot every few minutes with mechanical professionalism .",
        "an unnerving psychological thriller with the atmospheric elegance of classics like rosemary 's baby , do n't look now and dressed to kill , masterful in its blends of style and substance , violence and mayhem .",
        "overlong and overwrought , MOV stays faithful to every clich\u00e9 of the genre .",
        "sets up a series of increasingly queasy taboo points and then proceeds to rocket-cycle over them .",
        "what could be an interesting horror film just turns ... horrible .",
        "surely writers david leslie johnson and alex mace deserve their own circle of hell for thinking up the story , which moves with breathtaking cynicism from disturbing to grotesque to perverse to ludicrous .",
        "fifty years ago viewers were both shocked and riveted by the bad seed , and thirty years ago they went for the ride with the omen , but to make such old-fashioned and trashy horror flick in 2009 is both courageous and bizarre , to say the least .",
        "if director jaume collet-serra set out to make a parody of horror-film clich\u00e9s , he succeeded brilliantly .",
        "the stomach-knotting is kept taut throughout , and the acting is first-rate -- none more than fuhrman , who seems to have the self-awareness and skill to be one of the best child actors around .",
        "the scares are often the generic , push-off-the-slide variety and MOV does n't add much to the genre except , disturbingly , a fetishistic bent that 's creepy in the wrong way .",
        "a decent horror flick with a great kid villain that is undone when it hits familiar chase movie territory and dead is n't really dead dead end .",
        "scared me . the twist works .",
        "it 's ... uh ... creepy in that other way .",
        "the inclusion of a twist ending that 's flat-out jaw-dropping in its audaciousness virtually justifies the entire movie 's existence by itself ...",
        "there 's a surprise ending , followed by several bonus endings , and we 're not giving anything away in noting that the film 's titular adoptee has more lives than chucky .",
        "i would have laughed if the movie had n't already sucked my soul from my body",
        "while the third-act surprise twist of MOV must have looked wicked-good on paper , on screen ... not so much .",
        "clocking in at more than two hours , the movie teeters between psychological horror and violent blood-letting and , as such , probably wo n't completely satisfy fans in either camp .",
        "house of wax director jaume collet-serra returns to the horror genre with MOV , a clumsy thriller that elicits far more laughs than genuine scares . like too many horror films these days , the movie is so rife with false scares or misleading",
        "solid lead performances and a moderately engaging premise make MOV a slightly above-average evil-child movie with an infusion of electra complex and a good , if half-hearted , narrative twist .",
        "here is a shamelessly effective horror film based on the most diabolical of movie malefactors , a child .",
        "pristine horror fodder had the script maintained some gumption and cheerfully waltzed into a wonderland of sleaze . instead , it pulls every last punch ... a seriously tasteless motion picture , but it 's equally as spineless .",
        "despite director jaume collet-serra 's apt use of running children 's laughter for jolt scares , the suspense generated from esther 's early lunatic behavior is of a mild , amusing variety .",
        "a thoroughly enjoyable demon-spawn movie in the tradition of the bad seed -lrb- 1956 -rrb- and the other -lrb- 1972 -rrb- .",
        "during a summer with the usual transforming robots and young wizards , this chilly flick is a bit of a break , and there are worse options than letting this MOV in the door .",
        "the problem with MOV is n't merely that the film is idiotic -- it 's that it 's also sleazy , formulaic and repellant .",
        "teasingly enjoyable rubbish through the first hour , MOV becomes genuine trash during its protracted second half .",
        "director jaume collet-serra , working from a devilishly clever script by david leslie johnson , maintains steady suspense while mercifully mixing in some moments of dark humor .",
        "filled with over the top gore and unnecessary plot twists better off left unseen . leave this one at the orphanage .",
        "uncomfortable and wrong",
        "it 's based on the scene that plays out every day in the checkout line at walmart .",
        "the most committed , downright unpleasant child-from-hell movie imaginable . it makes the good son play like pollyanna .",
        "its many outright depictions of children in jeopardy are scary , but its marital drama is even more unsettling .",
        "it 's bloody , you should be warned , but in the end it is worth it .",
        "painfully predictable .",
        "an entertaining addition to the evil child genre , simply for its over-the-top chills and nutty plot",
        "an idiotic anti-adoption movie that skates over thin ice in its silly but vicious story .",
        "do n't be afraid . horror movies about creepy kids can be frightening % u2013 just not in MOV .",
        "parental content review",
        "MOV is one of the weirdest major studio summer movies in a long time . it 's the kid at the summer movie school that no one wants to play with because he 's more than a little odd . i always liked kids like that .",
        "while laughter may not be the intended entertainment value , you have to admit MOV does entertain . is n't that what really counts ?",
        "MOV contains one of the most terrifying and intense horror endings i have seen in years but the rest of the film was just laughably bad .",
        "to really get under your skin , a bad-seed horror movie needs a demon child whose dastardliness sneaks up on you . there 's nothing too subtle , however , about esther .",
        "actors have to eat like the rest of us , but you still have to wonder how vera farmiga and peter sarsgaard ended up wading through MOV and not laughing .",
        "so sloppy , so lowdown , so shameless and so entertaining , MOV provides everything you might expect in a psycho-child thriller , but with such excess and exuberance that it still has the power to surprise .",
        "this is a poorly directed wannabe horror film that nevertheless contains more laughs than the proposal , the ugly truth , ghosts of girlfriends past and land of the lost combined . is that a compliment ? kind of .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- never exploits the dramatic possibilities , despite the efforts of its excellent cast and gorgeous production values .",
        "it would be nice to think that MOV brought something new to the genre , but the only thing it adds is more running time .",
        "the movie is , as these things go , enjoyably trashy .",
        "decidedly amoral .",
        "as interesting as collet-serra 's story is , there 's simply nothing here that you wo n't find in other better evil children films in the library ...",
        "alas , in the end , it 's not nasty enough .",
        "directed crisply and with a palpable air of mid - '70s paranoia thriller .",
        "dump a murderous psycho brat with a corny russian accent into that troubled mix and you 've got a real horror show on your hands . but not a good one .",
        "weak adult characters and lame ending aside , MOV succeeds more often than not , mainly thanks to fuhrman 's performance and collet-serra 's direction . it 's not a fantastic thriller but it 's not bad and often far better than it probably should be .",
        "if we could all stop for a moment and think about how excellent and uplifting garbage can be , america would rally around this movie like the treasure it is .",
        "bad seed-style horror movie is gory and ludicrous .",
        "MOV is not very good . at 90 minutes , it might have been amazing . at nearly two hours , it 's tedious .",
        "i 'll give this much credit to the movie : i absolutely did not see the twist coming . this is because the twist ... is unconscionably f ----- g stupid",
        "as the poster says , ` there 's something wrong with esther . ' there certainly is -- she 's trapped in this terminally dull and dimwitted movie .",
        "it would be harder to find a more dark and joyless thriller on the market than this one .",
        "competently directed junk , with a script that abandons logic at every turn and dialogue that even some snarky teenage girls seated behind me could predict out loud .",
        "balancing well-rendered melodrama with some impressively ballsy genre moves , MOV is more enjoyable trash than it should be . call it john and kate plus hate .",
        "i really enjoyed MOV and enjoyed the fact that the film went to some pretty dark and twisted places .",
        "MOV delivers the goods and then some , but it 's the pretense of respectability that overshadows its often silly , superficial but satisfying scares .",
        "distinguished by a loony plot twist and by its sympathetic treatment of characters ...",
        "schlocky but scary with a weird plot twist that may leave you stunned .",
        "not too much gore , and just the right amount of terror make this a mind twisting horror movie in the tradition of `` carrie '' and `` the omen . ''",
        "a squall of improbabilities leads to a laughable late revelation , yet somehow the film keeps a clammy grip .",
        "after a slow-burning start MOV degenerates into an increasingly grisly , far-fetched affair with a jaw-dropping twist that has you chortling with disbelief .",
        "MOV is certainly scary enough for the story to haunt you after the film is over .",
        "that director jaume collet-serra made house of wax , the paris hilton remake , does not bode well . but stars vera farmiga and peter saarsgard , as mum and dad , find a few frail pegs of humanity to hang their characters on .",
        "it 's not a bad idea for a horror movie , that the seeming victims are not innocent and their complicated past weighs on their present .",
        "... an angry , bitter and abhorrent display of masochism masquerading around as a legitimate horror film .",
        "a welcome addition to the evil child sub-genre , thanks to great performances , strong direction , a delightfully over-the-top plot , some impressive gore effects and a terrific twist .",
        "if esther materialises silently and unexpectedly once at the edge of the camera , she does it a dozen times - but this is merely the film warming up its trash aesthetic before heading onwards to a memorably queasy finale .",
        "i think that , if someone really wanted to adopt -lrb- as my dear parents did -rrb- , it would take more than a single movie to dissuade them .",
        "an exceptional cast , including child actress isabelle fuhrman , make MOV a cut above .",
        "MOV works because it 's a film that knows exactly what it wants to be -- creepy as all get out -- and does everything possible to achieve that goal .",
        "a pretty interesting movie about the crack-up of an american family lies right under the filmmakers ' noses , but in their rush to deliver shock and gore they miss every opportunity to make a smart movie .",
        "MOV is nasty but enjoyable , and the whole film is so competently crafted and superbly acted , especially by the three central females , that i was gripped and entertained throughout .",
        "okay , so i saw the ending coming a mile off -lrb- and no , i 'm not going to spoil it for everyone by telling you what happens -rrb- but that did n't stop me actually enjoying this guilty pleasure .",
        "preposterous in all the right ways , MOV is this week 's true guilty pleasure .",
        "it 's not only the heavily-signposted `` secret '' that 's obvious , but every single scene , as square pegs fit joylessly into square holes for the full running time .",
        "there 's a lot of slow burn to endure in the first hour , but the payoff is one of the most batshit crazy finales in recent memory .",
        "collet-serra manages to sustain tension throughout , prudently deploying his jumps and jolts and pumping up the grue factor . so while it often prompts hoots of derision , they 're often choked off with a vice-tight wince .",
        "if you 're not easily offended or upset , there is much to enjoy in MOV . horror films this skilfully made do n't come along that often . you probably wo n't find a better one this year .",
        "a creepy premise is undermined by wilfully flashy direction as a fine cast struggle bravely to inject credibility into a tale of vanishing nuns and burning treehouses .",
        "directing with a wink and some style , jaume collet-serra -lrb- house of wax -rrb- knows that it 's possible to be totally absurd and witty with it -- he has that trash touch .",
        "some impressively committed work from farmiga -lrb- even when googling `` children who kill '' -rrb- and a humdinger of a twist make this a rather good bad seed .",
        "nerve-shredding creepy kid home invasion alert , and takeout foundling traumas galore . along with magnanimous curtsies , excessive doting on dad , stalking parental kitchen sex and , well , a tendency to bludgeon living things .",
        "i did n't mind wasting two hours watching the truly ferocious furhman teach max how to play russian roulette and snickering when kate thinks to google `` children who kill . ''",
        "i 'm almost offended that i 'm not offended .",
        "this MOV is an atmospheric and occasionally vicious little git and an above-average entry into the `` cuddly hellspawn '' genre , overlong at two-plus hours but nowhere near as excruciatingly overdone as others of its ilk .",
        "just because MOV is relentlessly bad does n't mean it 's not entertaining .",
        "... a persuasive addition to the subgenre of bad-seed-horror films like `` the omen '' where a creepy little kid wreaks havoc and murder on the lives of ill-equipped adults .",
        "it just never quite comes together , either as a horror movie or as a goofy campfest .",
        "this is galling , distasteful trash . i hope the children involved in making it are never permitted to watch it .",
        "the acting is richer than the story ... but this is a film designed to live or die on its twist . good luck with that .",
        "that 's quite a creepy premise for a horror story to live up to . that it does -- and more -- is a testament to the level of intensity in this tale of a troubled couple who adopt a 9-year-old russian girl .",
        "predictable and been-there , seen-that , but entertaining nevertheless at times .",
        "this wickedly entertaining , if slightly over-stretched , variation on the familiar ` evil child ' scenario displays an unusually complex grasp of twisted psychology .",
        "lifted above the average by a pretty nifty twist and some unnecessarily good acting .",
        "sticking closely to the conventions of the evil child movie genre , there are few surprises -lrb- or even scares -rrb- as we saunter towards that absurd ending . just about worth a punt on dvd .",
        "it has atmosphere and tension , and the performances are far better than usual for this sort of caper .",
        "preventing MOV from surpassing its `` solid '' status is the predictability of much of its plot . you 'll be able to guess esther 's next move well before she makes it , and some of her sinister shenanigans suffer from being too outlandish .",
        "nicely down horror flick with a great twist near the end . this is one evil child . well-directed , too .",
        "daring and fresh , ` MOV ' is easily one of the best horror movies of 2009 .",
        "there 's something wrong with esther says the marketing tagline to this film , which sums up my response to the film itself .",
        "check the return policy for this MOV .",
        "although slightly overlong , the film sustains the escalating horror and keeps up its sleeve a truly shocking revelation that 's carefully prepared for , though not signalled .",
        "much credit goes to director jaume collet-serra who shows off his skills to much better affect than in his ... ridiculous 2005 remake of house of wax .",
        "isabelle fuhrman as esther does her best with the material , but frankly the story lacks a strong central thesis about the nature of evil .",
        "a pretty good little b-movie thriller .",
        "the movie amps up the tension to a laughable degree , using every clich\u00e9 in the horror movie guidebook .",
        "director jaume collet-serra -lrb- house of wax -rrb- endows this ugly mess with a slew of unintentional laughs , but not enough to repay the 123-minute time suck .",
        "enough jump-out-of-your-seat moments to make this nonetheless trashy , implausible thirller watchable .",
        "one of the good things about MOV , which is directed by jaume collet-sera , is that it takes itself quite seriously and manages to bring a surprising level of originality to the potentially familiar material .",
        "strange and nasty esther is the consummate political player in a deadly game of unhappy families , in this fairly straightforward psychological thriller .",
        "audacious , silly fun ."],
    "summary": "while it has moments of dark humor and the requisite scares , MOV fails to build on its interesting premise and degenerates into a formulaic , sleazy horror/thriller .",
    "id": "770801898"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fourth_kind",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there is a lot of half-baked soap opera wrapped around the hypnosis scenes .",
        "ultimately , the film 's narrative segments are far too glossy and over-stylized , larded with ponderous scoring , obvious melodrama and split-screen visuals that offset the `` reenactments '' with the `` real . ''",
        "a gimmicky , inordinately self-impressed attempt to cash in on the latest tabloid buzzwords . if this was made in the '70s , it 'd be narrated by leonard nimoy and chock-full of yetis and the devil 's triangle .",
        "i 'd love to be at a screening of `` the MOV '' in nome , where it 's sure to be greeted as a comedy .",
        "badly acted by everyone -lrb- including the director , olatunde osunsanmi , who appears onscreen -rrb- , this insipid jumble 's idea of fright is incessant screaming .",
        "in the end the film is more desultory than disturbing .",
        "mostly engaging with fleeting scares , stylish cinematography and an initially intriguing premise , but the suspense and chills wane as its script grows increasingly silly , unfocused and dull .",
        "the movie begins with what is probably the most laughable opening scene of the year .",
        "nothing more than a science fiction version of a michael moore movie . it makes wild claims that it 's the utter truth , and if you go in with blinders you might like it",
        "a cut-rate x-files rehash cleverly dressed up with the trappings of supposedly `` real '' footage a la the blair witch project or paranormal activity .",
        "it 's my policy to sit through every film that opens theatrically in atlanta . if i was going to violate that policy , it would be for this film . i hope i make my point . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "the MOV is more likely to elicit laughter than the suspense it promised in the opening monologue .",
        "something weird is going on in nome , alaska . unsolved murders . suicidal freak-outs . a bunch of people having eerie , similar nightmares . and a spooky white owl .",
        "it 's an interesting meta-textual experiment , but that does n't in itself make for an interesting movie , or a suspenseful one . there are things to like about it , but the whole does n't really seem equal to the sum of its parts .",
        "-lsb- the -rsb- ostensible archival footage proves so clunky and transparently phony that the entire gimmick collapses .",
        "if there were a low point of viral movie marketing last decade , consider `` the MOV '' the marianas trench . the title refers to four levels of alien interaction , and the pedestrian plotting on display proved steven spielberg stopped at the right one .",
        "when the director divides the screen into quadrants for his big finish , the effect is just laughable -- but then by that point , the movie is too .",
        "`` attempting shock value and extraterrestrial disturbance to generate a cult smash , kind will likely tire audiences before it ever has a chance to swindle them . ''",
        "click to read full review",
        "the arrogance and ignorance on display is truly amazing . arrogance of its superiority over the audience 's intellect and ignorance of filmmaking craft .",
        "... the MOV clearly would 've benefited from a more conventional approach ...",
        "there are three scenes in the film where i slowly brought my hand up to my mouth and became teary eyed because i was so frightened .",
        "the MOV , despite its periodic strengths , does its very best to take the viewer out of the material rather than immersing one in the story .",
        "the mission here is to demonstrate how , in this explosive age of dubious information , cynicism can be quickly trumped by gullibility .",
        "nothing more than an elaborate light show , smoke and mirrors designed to lull the audience into believing that not only what they are seeing is real but that the filmmaking is n't some of the most amateurish of the year .",
        "unintentionally , laughably bad .",
        "as truth , it 's bullshit , and as bullshit , it is n't remotely entertaining .",
        "the MOV has a clever gimmick and nothing more .",
        "going to great lengths to make us believe the events depicted in this movie are real , but it 's about as a real as the date i had with jennifer aniston in my dreams the other night .",
        "osunsanmi 's tricksy formal device simply reinforces our disbelief and invites ridicule .",
        "truth is stranger than fiction , and the MOV is neither strange nor fictional . it 's just plain silly .",
        "part disturbing documentary , part straight-ahead movie-making , the MOV is difficult to watch , difficult to understand and difficult to recommend .",
        "the release date is not the fault of the movie .",
        "the film does n't deliver any frights or creepiness . the so-called shocking parts are revealed in the trailer . the rest feels as if moments have been stitched together to make a whole .",
        "proves that a horror film does n't need splashy digital effects or pyrotechnics to be effective",
        "no , no , no , no .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- dull , clumsy little movie .",
        "`` what you decide is up to you , '' jovovich permits us at the end , reducing cinema to an unsolved mysteries episode .",
        "unfortunately , none of the subsequent noise is all that scary , and the striving for paranormal activity 's buzz is shameless .",
        "... even if `` the MOV '' came out ten years ago it still would n't stand up to overrated `` blair witch project . ''",
        "has out-blair witch 'd the blair witch project .",
        "-lrb- director -rrb- olatunde osunsanmi , his cast and crew work so hard to make it all seem so real that you spend more time debating with yourself whether what you are watching is truth or fiction ...",
        "the `` the MOV '' poses as another successful documentary on the hot trail of `` paranormal activity '' . too bad this film is missing many ingredients to make it a blockbuster success .",
        "he apparently thinks white owls are a lot scarier than they are . -lrb- i mean , i guess because their heads swivel around , you ca n't sneak up on them from behind . but when would you need to sneak up on an owl ? -rrb-",
        "frankly , this movie is quite scary when it 's viewed with the idea that this is the film version of creepy disappearances that are really happening in nome , alaska . when it 's not that , it 's almost laughable .",
        "where is fox mulder when you need him ?",
        "the first line in the MOV has milla jovovich calling herself an ` actress , ' so we know right away the film is lying .",
        "the MOV delivers a handful of decent shocks but it 's ultimately let down by a weak plot , some patchy performances and the fact that the fictionalised reconstruction element does n't really work .",
        "purporting to be a true story of alien abduction , in reality it 's a clumsy attempt to update the hoax technique orson welles perfected seven decades ago .",
        "... a sophisticated hoax ...",
        "this is the same kind of put-on as the low-budget phenomenon paranormal activity . except it 's far more effective -lrb- at least at first -rrb- .",
        "if your mind is in the right place , the MOV is a chilling , creepy , unnerving and engaging experience . but i stress the idea that most of you probably will not like this ... buyer beware .",
        "osunsanmi 's action sequences resemble episodes of unsolved mysteries without the budget , where a spooktastic owl stands in for belligerent ets . honestly .",
        "there 's an intriguing idea here ... but the MOV is so clumsy and clunky and stiff it 's like watching someone attempt an intricate card trick while wearing oven mitts .",
        "this stiff paranormal thriller could stand a lot more activity .",
        "were this movie actually what it says it is , it 'd be a reprehensible piece of exploitation ; instead it 's just another lame thriller with a few cheap scares .",
        "why the aliens chose this community of 9,261 to abduct so many people is a mystery . also why owls stare into bedroom windows .",
        "the silliness is out of this world .",
        "too often , the MOV makes the paranormal look disappointingly normal .",
        "such originality as osunsanmi 's usually wins me over , but his artificial realism here leaves me cold -- like taking a stroll on a nome sidewalk , in winter , without a parka .",
        "olatunde osunsnmi has created something incredibly original that can be debated and discussed endlessly regardless of whether you accept everything in his film as real or faked or a little bit of both .",
        "the movie 's carnival-barker hard sell is that it 's after the truth . it 's really after an opening-weekend gross , of course . it 's sporadically clever and chilling , but i 'll be shocked if it endures as a blair witch-style horror v\u00e9rit\u00e9 phenomenon .",
        "not entirely uninteresting , but it suffers from some ill-advised decisions . in fact , the film 's `` hook '' may be its greatest detraction .",
        "mr. osunsanmi 's chutzpah exceeds his skill .",
        "writer-director olatunde osunsanmi attempts an orson welles-like confluence of `` real '' and imagined that might have worked had he gotten out of the way more , literally and figuratively .",
        "the MOV is legitimately scary enough to keep you in your seat . -lrb- just do n't google the flick before you see it . -rrb-",
        "a frustrating exercise in terror that relies too heavily on gimmicks to have any genuine impact .",
        "you do n't have to believe in far-fetched tales of mysterious beams of light and alien abductions to get caught up in the MOV .",
        "who knew alien abduction could be such a bore ?",
        "a mildly scary , totally meaningless excursion into the realms of psychological horror and alien-abduction conspiracies .",
        "nome has seen more than its share of missing and dead people , who deserve better than this kind of hucksterism .",
        "universal 's alien-abduction thriller none too cleverly bids to pass off mock-documentary footage of levitating psychological patients -- and , scarier still , ordinary talking heads -- as the real deal .",
        "if you 're gullible enough to accept the backstory given here , you 're probably the sort of person who 'll take criswell 's assurances that plan 9 from outer space is based on sworn testimony at face value .",
        "the MOV may have more unmotivated booms in its mix than any film i 've ever seen .",
        "in short , the MOV pisses on your leg , tells you it 's raining , and then tries to sell you a raincoat made of dog hair and corn chips .",
        "it 's patently hokey material , but then these are patently hokey times .",
        "alien abductees are back and they are still idiots .",
        "... a thriller that unravels easily even if it nevertheless occasionally qualifies as a scary good time .",
        "it 's a well crafted docu-drama-esque film that takes itself seriously , builds tension and scares the sh*t out of you through and through .",
        "there 's nothing in this glorified power point presentation that stands up to even the most cursory scrutiny .",
        "olatunde osunsanmi 's big formal innovation tunrs out to be the split-screen pairing of patently bogus `` archival '' black-and-white video that shows alleged abductees undergoing hypnosis and color `` reenactments '' of same .",
        "the MOV was one of the scariest things i 've seen in years . i 'm going out to see it again , which tells you how much i care whether or not it 's a hoax ... i enjoyed every thrilling minute of it .",
        "a more accurate title for the MOV would be close encounters of the worst kind .",
        "as the movie repeatedly insists , it 's only presenting this information ; it 's up to you to decide what to believe . well , i believe this was a waste of about an hour and a half .",
        "osunsanmi knows that everybody secretly wants to believe and when it comes to giving the people what they want , he does not disappoint .",
        "the MOV is terminally awkward in the way it meshes fake real footage with faker fake footage . it is n't required to be convincing as fact , but it does n't convince as fiction , either .",
        "a couple of modestly effective shocks lie in store , but none as frightening as the onscreen text informing us that some 11 million people claim to have seen a ufo .",
        "a lot of nothing happens in the MOV .",
        "musters all its strength to set up a purportedly true-life scenario about alien sightings , only to give itself away at every turn .",
        "when so many films are bad in lazy and ordinary ways , it 's refreshing to occasionally see one that fails interestingly .",
        "in two climactic scenes , the screen goes fuzzy . for over a minute what we 're watching is basically a television on the fritz . the only place that 's ever been frightening is in the privacy of your living room .",
        "parental content review",
        "if aliens from another world ever do come to earth and get a look at `` the MOV , '' they may decide that any species capable of creating anything this dumb is probably too stupid to probe and conquer in the first place .",
        "if you let it draw you in with its factual approach , the MOV will creep you out more than paranormal activity .",
        "what i want is to commission a remake of the MOV , this time by someone who is more concerned with storytelling than with showing off .",
        "the MOV may not be the most honest movie in the galaxy , but it 's got one thing right : with horror , what you do n't see is usually more terrifying than what you do .",
        "in a land of recycled ideas and remakes , the MOV is a valiant original , no matter how deceptive it may ultimately be .",
        "filmmaker olatunde osunsanmi ... does such a clumsy job of arguing that ancient sumerian aliens are causing havoc in nome that he spoils any chance he might have had to make a decent scary movie .",
        "a smart-ass slap in the face",
        "the flat-lining , alien-abduction thriller the MOV offers a close encounter that buries an interesting idea under a barrage of gimmicky , carnivallike hokum .",
        "the MOV aims to do for alien abduction what paranomal activity did for hauntings . and to a large degree , it succeeds .",
        "liable to disappear mysteriously from cinemas .",
        "frankly , without the `` based on true events '' framing and the video footage of the supposedly real incidents , there 's not much here .",
        "when the image on screen splits in half and and two actors ... are side-by-side competing to see who , under movie-hypnosis , can freak out the hardest and contort their face into horrifying mouth-shapes , it 's really effective .",
        "may be humorless , paranoid nonsense , but its biggest failure is its inability to scare .",
        "despite its claims of authenticity , this alien-abduction thriller feels like a cinematic con job .",
        "without the true-story conceit , the MOV would be just another formula horror flick with a couple of passable jolts trying to hold a flimsy story together .",
        "the olatunde osunsanmi who directed the MOV should have fired the olatunde osunsanmi who wrote it .",
        "at a recent preview screening , the most common audience response to this nonsense was laughter , not gasps of horror .",
        "you 'd do better downloading an old art bell show -- say , the one about the guy who put an alien in his freezer -- than investigating this evidence of subnormal activity .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while it boasts a handful of shocks , the MOV is hokey and clumsy and makes its close encounters seem eerily mundane .",
    "id": "770814360"
  },
  {
    "movie": "elling",
    "reviews":
     [
        "that neither protagonist has a distinguishable condition hardly matters because both are just actory concoctions , defined by childlike dimness and a handful of quirks .",
        "believes so fervently in humanity that it feels almost anachronistic , and it is too cute by half . but arriving at a particularly dark moment in history , it offers flickering reminders of the ties that bind us .",
        "... hits every cliche we 've come to expect , including the assumption that `` crazy '' people are innocent , childlike and inherently funny .",
        "a plucky parable about mastering one 's fears , and making connections .",
        "it 's a hard film to resist .",
        "MOV builds gradually until you feel fully embraced by this gentle comedy .",
        "it 's thoroughly entertaining and nonpatronizing , and occasionally even insightful .",
        "a film of charm , freshness and bracingly generous humanity .",
        "rather than real figures , MOV and kjell bjarne become symbolic characters whose actions are supposed to relate something about the na\u010ff 's encounter with the world .",
        "heartwarming here relies less on forced air than on petter n\u0107ss ' delicate , clever direction ... and a wonderful , imaginative script by axel hellstenius .",
        "suffers from a case of too-easy digestion .",
        "there are n't too many films that can be as simultaneously funny , offbeat and heartwarming -lrb- without a thick shmear of the goo , at least -rrb- , but `` MOV '' manages to do all three quite well , making it one of the year 's most enjoyable releases .",
        "tthe tone of this tedious movie never works , being neither funny nor moving . i never laughed , and , although i know i was supposed to , i never cared about MOV and his supposed afflictions .",
        "the movie ultimately relies a bit too heavily on grandstanding , emotional , rocky-like moments ... but it 's such a warm and charming package that you 'll feel too happy to argue much .",
        "really is about a couple of crazy guys , and it 's therapeutic",
        "a pleasant surprise .",
        "just because the characters are crazy , that does n't mean they are not smart .",
        "the pleasing acting jobs by the two protagonists makes all this sugar easier to swallow , but not enough to find this film anything more than a mere diversion .",
        "by maintaining a modest stance and a gentle , affectionate tone it emerges as winning rather than wearying .",
        "tedious norwegian offering which somehow snagged an oscar nomination .",
        "a sweet film about two gentle souls - there is a genuine caring between them that feels like watching old friends .",
        "it 's affectionate and optimistic without being fuzzy .",
        "immanently worthy of its best foreign film oscar nomination",
        "it is a life-affirming tale devoid of sappiness or pretention .",
        "a witty and sophisticated sensibility brings individuality to the classic odd-couple comedy .",
        "beautifully observed , miraculously unsentimental comedy-drama .",
        "a charming but slight comedy .",
        "MOV , portrayed with quiet fastidiousness by per christian ellefsen , is a truly singular character , one whose frailties are only slightly magnified versions of the ones that vex nearly everyone .",
        "the moral is not too original , but the offbeat characters certainly are .",
        "the film 's brand of humor seems a bit too broad , and the quirks of its main characters are n't really all that endearing , instead coming off as irritating and tiresome .",
        "MOV is a light but self-sufficient comedy .",
        "the script is smart , not cloying .",
        "touches smartly and wistfully on a number of themes , not least the notion that the marginal members of society ... might benefit from a helping hand and a friendly kick in the pants .",
        "it is refreshingly undogmatic about its characters .",
        "the subtle strength of `` MOV '' is that it never loses touch with the reality of the grim situation .",
        "unpretentious , charming , quirky , original",
        "MOV offers a captivating glimpse into one of cinema 's most unlikely and touching friendships since midnight cowboy .",
        "charms because of its natural , non-magical attitude toward humanity .",
        "blessed with two fine , nuanced lead performances .",
        "there is one surefire way to get a nomination for a best-foreign-film oscar : make a movie about whimsical folk who learn a nonchallenging , life-affirming lesson while walking around a foreign city with stunning architecture .",
        "calls to mind the great screen pairings of dysfunctional buddy pictures of the past .",
        "cutsie but still fairly compelling .",
        "a singularly affecting and amusing fable .",
        "an enjoyable experience .",
        "-lsb- n\u0107s -rsb- directed the stage version of MOV , and gets fine performances from his two leads who originated the characters on stage .",
        "what ` dumb and dumber ' would have been without the vulgarity and with an intelligent , life-affirming script .",
        "this norwegian comedy celebrates an unusual friendship and the uncanny ways two eccentrics come into their own despite the great odds against their doing so .",
        "forages for audience sympathy like a temperamental child begging for attention , giving audiences no reason to truly care for its decrepit freaks beyond the promise of a reprieve from their incessant whining .",
        "the film is filled with humorous observations about the general absurdity of modern life as seen through the eyes outsiders , but deftly manages to avoid many of the condescending stereotypes that so often plague films dealing with the mentally ill .",
        "moviegoers love misfits . and thanks to this film , we now know that norwegians are not immune to the phenomenon .",
        "fortunately , MOV never gets too cloying thanks to the actors ' perfect comic timing and sweet , genuine chemistry .",
        "ellefsen and nordin originated their roles on an oslo stage , resulting in two lived-in character portrayals which lend this offbeat comedy a sweet sincerity ."],
    "summary": "quirky without being overly cutesy , MOV is a gentle , warm comedy .",
    "id": "14058"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10009458-defiance",
    "reviews":
     [
        "zwick 's sedate storytelling tone does n't seem to be coming from the same source as his `` blood diamond '' or `` the last samurai . '' perhaps he thought he was making another `` schindler 's list . ''",
        "in trying to add a new chapter to the long history of films made about the holocaust , MOV can barely move a narrative muscle without bumping into another , better movie that covers some of the same ground .",
        "comes off as flat as latkes .",
        "MOV does n't go beyond the usual tales of valor and virtue , managing to make an amazing true story feel like yet another dry history lesson .",
        "a respectable shot at a holocaust story with uplifting qualities and plump moral questioning , MOV is a handsome production , just not an especially inspiring one .",
        "MOV is not so much a cohesive film as a series of interchangeable , broadstroked scenes -- a movie on loop .",
        "not an easy movie to criticize , but here goes .",
        "undercuts its own dramatic concerns by alternating heavy-handed moralism with the style of contemporary action franchises , dulling and smoothing out the horrifying edges of murder .",
        "whatever its shortcomings , the film should be seen as a testimony to the true story of jews who lived in a belarus forest for years during the holocaust .",
        "as solemn as a bell toll and nearly as dull .",
        "the story , in other words , is pure hollywood gold , full of opportunities for stirring speeches , ethical quandaries , lessons about tolerance and humanity , and violence against nazis .",
        "a compelling human drama",
        "what the bielski brothers did in the forests of belorussia deserves to be remembered and celebrated , but this glossy studio production robs them of life . it 's not just new holocaust stories that we need , but new ways of telling them .",
        "with the possible exception of valkyrie , no recent movie has gotten less out of a mind-boggling piece of history than MOV .",
        "zwick , intent on correcting the perception of jews as passive victims , lets the action set pieces overwhelm the more intimate scenes , several of which are already diminished by stilted dialogue .",
        "ed zwick has cornered the market on movies about nearly forgotten wartime battles between members of a minority and the dominant culture that 's oppressing them .",
        "what is puzzling is how edward zwick has taken an extraordinary real-life story about a handful of people who defied huge odds , and turned it into an utterly conventional war movie .",
        "the story is inspirational ; the movie is n't .",
        "powerful , gripping and quite remarkable . daniel craig gives the performance of his career .",
        "the minds behind `` MOV '' could n't ruin this remarkable true story . but oh , do they try at times .",
        "it 's an inspiring story , if one that does n't need quite as much poetic inspiration as ed zwick 's movie insists on giving it .",
        "recreating true events , this rousing , impeccably lensed world war ii drama depicts jewish partisans battling nazis in the woods of belarus , with daniel craig and liev schreiber outdoing themselves as heroic fighters .",
        "smacks every clich\u00e9d note with maximum gusto .",
        "just one long ridiculous string of moviemaking cliches that prevents the film from having any of the desired impact .",
        "for all the film 's flaws , this is a war story told with passion about a band of brothers that still has the power to inspire .",
        "the story of MOV has all the makings of a deep emotional experience , but i found myself oddly detached .",
        "edward zwick 's stiff , musclebound new movie tells the true story of the bielski partisans , who fought the nazis and rescued hundreds of jews through the darkest years of war and genocide .",
        "MOV resists bold , passionate storytelling and delivers something rather conventional .",
        "director edward zwick has his formula , and this is no different .",
        "craig and schreiber are terrific as the slightly thuggish bielskis , and they 're joined by an able supporting cast that includes jamie bell and the wonderful mia wasikowska .",
        "it is less tuvia 's and zus ' moral stances and more craig 's and schreiber 's magnetism that makes MOV a rousing ride .",
        "MOV is a wobbly stool , a seat propped up by the uneven legs of ethics debate , holocaust movie and action thriller . still , the fascination and novelty of nazi-killing jews who do n't perish in the death camps packs quite the wallop .",
        "zwick has once again brought together an intriguing premise and a strong and compelling group of actors and has somehow managed to transform the entire thing into something that is relentlessly flat and banal throughout .",
        "the audience will be moved by the characters ' efforts to embrace life and love in the face of such tragedy",
        "the natural world of the forest is for the escapees a sort of arden where many things are turned upside down .",
        "the resistance drama MOV just does n't seem to have anything to add to the swastika overload currently clogging the nation 's theaters .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the few closing-credit title cards that give details about the real bielskis ' fate are more engaging than most of the film itself . now that 's sad .",
        "flat and dull , only mildly redeemed by two strong lead performances and the inherent power of its subject matter .",
        "-lcb- t -rsb- here was nothing that would have led anyone to predict the bielskis could accomplish what they did . that they did so may be the true miracle ...",
        "an admirable , lovingly crafted film that misses the dramatic depth and historical resonance to which it aspires .",
        "parental content review",
        "the script hokes up the tensions between the brothers played by craig and schreiber , and while they 're both fascinating , simmering-kettle performers , they consistently outshine their material .",
        "` MOV ' boasts absolutely stunning battle sequences , fascinating sets and flawless period details .",
        "gigglers may be excused with no prejudice from MOV , but if you share zwick 's unabashed wonder that such men as tuvia bielski -lrb- craig -rrb- and his brothers emerge in our species ' darkest hours , then you 'll find MOV as rousing and inspiring as t",
        "as well-intentioned and earnest as it is lifeless and plodding .",
        "zwick 's latest film , MOV , is based on an exceptional true story . regrettably , the movie is anything but exceptional , and represents zwick 's most disappointing work in more than a decade .",
        "MOV plods where it should soar , but it 's still the best of this month 's four -lrb- ! -rrb- holocaust movies -- if for no other reason than it confronts the common belief that european jews did n't actively resist the nazi onslaught .",
        "it 's an unusual and important story . which makes it even sadder that it 's not better told .",
        "MOV groans under the weight of its deadly earnestness : it 's handsomely mounted yet strangely inert .",
        "as in the siege , courage under fire , the last samurai and blood diamond , zwick compromises complexity with maudlin formula .",
        "a powerful tale , but one that 's done in so old-fashioned , heavy-handed a fashion that it already seems dated .",
        "despite zwick 's penchant for the obvious over subtle , vividly brings to life tough jewish resistance fighters against the nazis who saved jews in a jerusalem in the forest .",
        "a little sentimentality can fuel a lot of action , yet zwick buries his film in cloying guilt , in the end sinking `` MOV '' with the holocaust film 's bait .",
        "the story is made a little idealized , but this is a chapter of history that has rarely been explored before .",
        "zwick 's epics -lrb- glory , legends of the fall , the last samurai -rrb- have never lacked for propulsive power , but MOV is the first to constantly stumble over itself even as it tries to get its tale in gear .",
        "it 's an affecting production , which is as much a credit to zwick 's professionalism as to the freshness of his subject . ` MOV ' has the rare distinction of tackling the holocaust from an angle previously unexplored .",
        "MOV bogs down in a not very well-developed script . it 's a repetitive stop-and-start action film , and tuvia and zus do n't have enough layers . but they do kick ass charismatically .",
        "as corny and downright flirtatious as this ` holocaust drama ' gets , it 's still a vivid and heroic look at a side of that tragedy that we have n't seen before .",
        "skilled hiding is n't very exciting , so for the sake of the audience , zwick carefully incorporates some hyped-up action standoffs , the last being an unfortunately laughable stretch of credibility .",
        "the actors ' way of reveling in their stagey gestures , sooty makeup and silly accents becomes increasingly pitiable .",
        "zwick thrives on these sorts of historical action flicks , and he pumps the adrenal glands throughout .",
        "plays at times more like a soap opera than what it really is , a story that more of the world deserves to know .",
        "MOV is heavy-handed , but emotionally compelling , engaging and inspiring throughout .",
        "for all its pomp and ruminating , MOV is n't really interested in drama . it really just wants to entertain us . but it 's not any better at that .",
        "zwick does not deal in gratuitous grotesquery or far-fetched metaphor . `` operatic '' and `` surreal '' are not in his vocabulary .",
        "zwick wants to tell timeless stories on a grand scale . i know that 's not what people want anymore . i know it 's not breathtaking . but it 's not something many are doing now , and definitely not doing it this well .",
        "this is not an easy film to watch , as it describes the horrors of war with neither sympathetic nor maudlin touches .",
        "un drama b\u05d9lico eficaz que rescata la heroicidad de los hermanos bielski , protagonistas de un episodio poco conocido de la segunda guerra mundial .",
        "succumbing to hollywood cliches at the expense of historical truth",
        "director edward zwick does a fine job presenting the challenges of reality without falling into nostalgia or easy hollywood heroes .",
        "does n't quite live up to its great story . but this well-made , solidly conventional movie will almost certainly send you scurrying to find out more about its little-known heroes .",
        "in addition to blowing bunker-sized holes in the concept of jewish timidity during the holocaust , it 's also a darn good bit of period storytelling .",
        "MOV is n't afraid to stand apart .",
        "an interesting story , sporadically told in an interesting way .",
        "the problem is the screenplay , which has weak , unforceful dialogue and tends to substitute dramatic events for characterization .",
        "historian nechama tec 's factual book `` MOV : the story of the bielski partisans '' provides the basis for an underwhelming war film done in by miscalculated episodes of violence and inept dialogue .",
        "zwick is a terribly consistent filmmaker , and he 's done yet again exactly what he always does . MOV is technically accomplished , and fumbles its story right from the word go .",
        "schreiber and craig make a well-matched pair of bulls . schreiber 's volatility is a nice foil to the taciturn intelligence that makes craig such a great bond .",
        "ao tentar romantizar um incidente memor\u05d1vel , zwick transforma uma hist\u05e3ria poderosa em um \u05d1gua-com-a\u05d7\u05eacar repleto de clich\u05das .",
        "a story that ought to be heartbreaking and ennobling ... comes across as little more than ordinary .",
        "that edward zwick made such an honest film about the bielski brothers is a wonderful gift , even if it is likely to be underappreciated by audiences .",
        "good story , but loses its way dramatically long before the finish .",
        "an engaging and inspirational story about the spirit of survival , bravery and brotherhood .",
        "the tone is desaturated gravity , the action is smudged , the old testament parables subtle as anvils",
        "MOV is overly long and somewhat disjointed , dragging through an interminable second act that seriously impedes the film 's flow and hurts the inspired performances .",
        "pretty much the textbook example of a year-end prestige studio drama .",
        "it 's handsome looking , performances are strong and it really is fascinating to see this overlooked story .",
        "MOV is n't a bad film at all , it just is n't as good as it could have been .",
        "it 's finally happened : red dawn with russian jews . you could go your whole life without conjuring something so perverse .",
        "despite all the resources brought to bear -- strong cast , ambitious scale , impressive logistics , dense detail , fine cinematography -- the production seldom makes the leap from elaborate play-acting to authentic drama .",
        "of all the holocaust movies this season , this one 's worth seeing .",
        "it 's a pretty good movie -- a bold , uneasy mix of romance , political debate and vigorous action .",
        "enjoyable , well-acted and impressively shot wartime drama that reveals a remarkable true story , though it 's at least 20 minutes too long and outstays its welcome before the end .",
        "the story needed a new twist .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- here is n't a lick of phony sentimentality , not a moment that rings false . it even manages to make us feel as if we have n't seen much of this before , even though we have .",
        "for daniel craig the world of bond could not be more far away : if his east european accent wobbles at times to liev schreiber 's more authentic vocal , he looks the part of a man who can both kill and care .",
        "an epic scope weakens what 's actually a gritty , intimate drama about survival . but it 's a terrific true story .",
        "emotionally robotic and superficially deliberate .",
        "the picture offers the most moving account we 've ever had of how an ordinary , rather disagreeable man , challenged and then electrified by catastrophe , grows into a great leader .",
        "brave brothers risk all in brutal , graphic wwii epic .",
        "frequently pulls viewers out of reality with rousing speeches , close-ups and sweeping camera moves , all distracting reminders that you 're watching a movie .",
        "if there 's one instance of the road to perdition paved with fat budgets and good intentions , it 's MOV , or , as i prefer to call it , custersky 's last stand in belarus .",
        "zwick 's limitations as an action director seem linked to a troubled conscience : he seems conscious of a need to entertain , but worried that his audience will take too much pleasure in the spectacle of vengeance .",
        "it 's as though the filmmakers have tried so hard to create an authentic world , it seems to be exactly that : a make believe world .",
        "MOV starts shakily but gets steadily more engrossing .",
        "zwick lets the amazing story of the bielskis ' achievement unfold in a conventional , even old-fashioned storytelling way , and even finds time for a spot of romance ...",
        "for all of its flaws , ` MOV ' presents a fresh and engaging view of world war ii that 's all the more startling because it 's based on the actions of a real belorussian family .",
        "does n't have nearly enough gunplay to qualify as a full-fledged action extravaganza , but thanks to quality acting and an engaging life-or-death story , there 's plenty here to keep audiences satisfied .",
        "o zwick trabaei parapano apo ektyflotika profaneis parallilismoys tis sygkekrimenis istorias me ekeini tis eksodoy , poy profanos den tis skeftike o zwick monos toy , o opoios to mono poy epideiknyei synehos , einai i apithanotita toy na epinoisei otidipote",
        "this holocaust epic deserves a commendation of merit for making us cognizant of an important and often overlooked event .",
        "MOV comes alive in its quieter scenes and smaller details .",
        "a harrowing story of bravery & survival , MOV tells it hollywood-style . still , somehow the true-story courage bleeds through the at-times hokey formula scripting .",
        "zwick 's weighty pacing moves forward in a monotone hum with no sense of highs or lows . and so it goes , with one misstep after another .",
        "an amazing true tale is somewhat diminished by second-hand storytelling : entirely admirable , largely entertaining , and yet curiously hollow .",
        "shot in the wilds of lithuania and strewn with dramatic battles of all kinds , this epic , band of brothers-meets-exodus adventure is solid stuff indeed .",
        "zwick 's films -lrb- glory , the last samurai , blood diamond -rrb- are always well-mounted , in their pedigreed and worthy way . but they nag away at us like pious busybodies , and this is no exception .",
        "craig , liev schrieber and jamie bell give moving performances but not amazing ones . and so it 's a case of better luck next time , mr craig .",
        "a solid film that rouses simply because the story is so incredible , while bond star craig is a charismatic presence throughout .",
        "it is n't all it might have been , but it 's still a gripping yarn , intelligently crafted , worth seeing . and schreiber is superb .",
        "`` jews do n't fight ! '' mutters a red army soldier . `` these jews do ! '' says another admiringly . great pitch , largely undone by stilted , solemn direction .",
        "craig and schreiber are two excellent actors , and both of them connect strongly with their roles as well as their fierce rivalry .",
        "MOV remains a fantastic story . no one could doubt the sincerity of its telling . what MOV lacks is simply an ability to make it come fully alive .",
        "a stirring story ends up being lost in a stir of clich\u00e9s and designer desultoriness .",
        "in the end it 's not the best of the sub-genre and it wo n't replace `` schindler 's list '' or `` uprising , '' but it 's a good enough film where craig and schreiber shine ...",
        "the way zwick force-feeds his audience emotion becomes laborious .",
        "an interesting story with handsome production values , but full of romantic contrivances and blockbuster conceits . this is the holocaust at its action-hero worst .",
        "a strangely unaffecting story about real heroism in world war ii",
        "MOV is without a doubt the best of the holocaust themed films from 2008 . unfortunately , that may be faint praise indeed .",
        "it 's an imperfect film - slow-moving and without much narrative momentum - but it tells an inspiring story , and when it gets going , it 's quite rousing .",
        "as a heroic drama , MOV has its clich\u00e9s and narrative hiccups , but as an examination of the cycle of violence it 's often harrowing .",
        "MOV is an extraordinary story and the production is admirable -- if you have the time and patience to trudge through .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- stuffs everything into a tired formula , robs the story of its inherent drama , and makes it dull . -lsb- it 's -rsb- absent of any surprises or subtle characterization .",
        "MOV runs for 137 minutes , but that does n't make it an epic . it just makes it long . near the beginning , we are informed on screen that MOV is `` a true story . '' it may be a true story , but it is not truly told .",
        "simultaneously encourages us to cheer in the aisles while also recognizing the disquiet that must accompany any moment of violence , not matter how seemingly righteous",
        "i can understand why the film demands to be treated with the utmost respect . it is haunting , impressive and moving . but ultimately it looks , smells and feels too familiar .",
        "MOV makes a noise but leaves no echo . it feels progressively more bogus and less significant the further it recedes from view , and myths are meant to wax in the memory , not wane .",
        "occasionally schmaltzy , to be sure , but schreiber makes a surprisingly awesome rambo stand-in .",
        "much of it reminded me of those well-intentioned , ingenuously performed school holocaust programs like survivor and the wall where the actors emote like it 's a grand ole mitzvah .",
        "the words and characters look great on paper , but lose their authenticity on screen .",
        "the film ties itself in knots trying to be both historical account and ripping adventure - ` schindler 's list ' by way of ` the dirty dozen ' . in the end neither aspect satisfies , resulting in a drab if diverting sunday afternoon spectacle .",
        "manly virtues , melodrama , conflict and combat are all deployed to tell a fascinating , little-known story of remarkable wwii heroism .",
        "zwick 's compulsion to turn an important story into audience-friendly entertainment is much more effective than the strained seriousness of his last film .",
        "not just another holocaust story , this is a gritty , poetic film based on the true saga of jewish refugees who fight the nazis while living in the frigid woods of belarus .",
        "gets by with a solid traditional mounting and a healthy interest in the dynamics of a growing micro-community .",
        "is edward zwick the dullest filmmaker in america ?",
        "ultimately , the film works not just because of the character arc it provides for its main character but for its ultimate theme of the triumph over adversity .",
        "it 's too bad that zwick did n't feel secure enough about what 's best about MOV -- the action-packed scenes of armed resistance against nazis -- and found himself trapped in the archetype of the serious , self-aware , important holocaust drama .",
        "`` MOV '' sometimes is so subtle and well done , you admire zwick for his reserve and tact . unfortunately , at other times the movie is so heavy-handed , it can leach into parody .",
        "earnest yet stubbornly static .",
        "i felt like these characters were prototypes and not people .",
        "since nobody ever seems to be a villain in their own life story , personal accounts of historical events , as in MOV , may often be suspect , and laden with problematic content like biases , grudges , and extreme characters one way or the other .",
        "a belated tribute to some unsung heroes which turns out to be of considerably less entertainment than historical value .",
        "just like the winter in the movie , the film feels long . the story is amazing , but surprisingly , in the hands of zwick the film never felt that way .",
        "more than anything , `` MOV '' is a celebration of survival against overwhelming odds .",
        "does the story of the bielski partisans deserve to be told hollywood-style , with much melodrama and cliche-ridden dialogue ?",
        "the material is engrossing , but the execution is ponderous ...",
        "... ultimately does a disservice to the real-life figures that inspired this story .",
        "MOV plays more like an action movie than the award-worthy prestige film the studio is making it out to be .",
        "a potentially exceptional story is told in a flatly unexceptional manner in MOV .",
        "passionate if prosaically rendered .",
        "craig heads a good cast in a largely unknown wwii tale of siblings who created a commune of warriors that contested the myth of jews as passive victims , and while the subject is intriguing , zwick 's helming and film 's execution leave much to be desired .",
        "an action-oriented drama about members of a jewish resistance movement hiding from and fighting the nazis in belorusssia during world war ii .",
        "it 's earnest and intense but it 's a shame they did n't tell - as paul harvey would say - the rest of the story .",
        "it is , all in all , a film as square-shouldered as its leads -- tough-minded , forcibly acted and conventionally spun by zwick and co-writer clayton frohman .",
        "throughout , the people on-screen -- from the bielskis to the huddled masses they shelter -- feel less like flesh and blood people than stock characterizations designed to forward a specific ideological agenda or plot point of the movie .",
        "ultimately , the film celebrates and memorializes the survival of something unthinkable , and a group of people for whom MOV meant , at heart , that they would push against the growing darkness and carry on .",
        "a documentary would have been the best way to go with this material .",
        "it 's understandable and laudable that they desire not to sensationalize the bielskis , and they 've made a worthy film . but their understated approach makes the struggle seem less urgent than it must surely have been .",
        "as a piece of historical redress , a great service has been done in bringing this narrative to the screen .",
        "MOV may lack the sort of emotional punch that sticks , but its story of courage and responsibility is undeniably compelling .",
        "without neglecting the ultimate horror of those years , the film presents a tangible example of potential victims fighting against their oppressors and even achieving victory . and , better yet , it 's based on a true story .",
        "it 's difficult , perhaps impossible , to make a gripping 137-minute epic about people standing around under the trees .",
        "an absorbing family saga , a thrilling combat movie and a backwoods epic that conveys the feel of a frontier-community-under-duress with the vividness of a john ford classic ."],
    "summary": "professionally made but artistically uninspired , ed zwick 's story of jews surviving wwii in the belarus forest lacks the emotional punch of the actual history .",
    "id": "770682436"
  },
  {
    "movie": "no_mans_land",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an intelligent and expertly-judged microcosm of the inanity of war .",
        "despite some missteps , no man 's land is a shrewd film that provides a persuasive picture of how small conflicts can escalate into all-out war .",
        "skimps on character development for such a politically-charged movie",
        "it 's less about battlefields and weaponry than it is about personality conflicts and the agonizing frustration that boils inside people who want to put positive changes into effect , but are too entangled in red tape to do much of anything .",
        "absurd situation creates lasting images that do n't diminish with time",
        "a brilliant and brilliantly disturbing film .",
        "tanovic adroitly indicts the entrenched hostilities between people and nations .",
        "savage whimsy",
        "no man 's land is the superior version of russell 's slightly overrated three kings .",
        "makes us laugh and frustrates us at the same time .",
        "a story told simply , with a dose of mordant humor that starkly puts its points across .",
        "one of the most remarkable films of the year .",
        "tanovic , himself a war veteran , expertly twists us within the dilemma while avoiding easy answers .",
        "the acting 's so strong and the dialogue so realistic , that it feels authentic .",
        "this tour of duty to the cineplex is worth enlisting for .",
        "an eloquent anti-war testimonial , it paints a bleak picture of how there is no simple answer to deeply-rooted hatred .",
        "tense and , ultimately , emotionally devastating , no man 's land uses the blackest of humor to create the most subtle of satires .",
        "equally deft at portraying the hateful madness of war and the infantile , venal feeble-mindedness of military bureaucracy .",
        "the bracing nature of the humor , the energy of the direction and the authenticity of the performances go far to mitigate its weaknesses .",
        "a balanced and devastatingly accurate look at the bosnian conflict",
        "no man 's land instantly lands on the short list of great films about the absurdity of war .",
        "an explosively suspenseful , deeply moving dark comedy and an astonishingly assured fiction debut from tanovic .",
        "it 's a great war farce because it 's confident enough in its emotions and convictions to focus on the laughs , knowing you 'll get the message anyway .",
        "absurdity reminiscent of camus is married to a modernist cynicism that is most disquieting",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- stunning farce ...",
        "part of what makes no man 's land so effective is a take-no-prisoners sense of humor that is characteristically balkan .",
        "reverberates with anger and intelligence , wit and despair .",
        "by film 's end i was impressed by the rich tapestry of characters , dark humor and violence , all carefully balanced and delivered with a modicum of rational thought .",
        "a very good film and should be seen .",
        "fierce , funny and finally devastating .",
        "tanovic gives us a mature , thoughtful story with sympathetic characters and a strong statement against war .",
        "seems ... deeply and painfully authentic .",
        "the writing is brisk and smart and this is one fine film .",
        "no man 's land does not carry the same impact as the heavyweight war torn social consciousness satires such as m * a * s * h , but it does sway in that direction as an ardently funny antiwar statement with a sense of chaotic artistry .",
        "tanovic is sometimes glib , but he makes his points with admirable visual restraint .",
        "despite the liberal sprinkling of humor , no man 's land ends with a very powerful and sure-to-haunt-you statement .",
        "this is a sound bite satire for a war fought through them .",
        "... provides a healthy dose of dark satiric drama , psychological gamesmanship , good performances , and valuable themes .",
        "ranks not far behind stanley kubrick 's dr. strangelove .",
        "while the audience has its laughs along the way , the violent tension of war often threatens to erupt , and slowly , subtly gathering force is the film 's emotional weight .",
        "no man 's land is the best war movie since saving private ryan .",
        "no es una cinta de guerra heroica , sino todo lo contrario , y esto de refleja perfectamente en la escena final , que es de una incredulidad indescriptible .",
        "a very good , award-worthy film .",
        "shows that the most effective antiwar statements are clothed in humor and irony .",
        "a bare-knuckled , absurdly comic and at times unbearably tense look back at the madness of the bosnian conflict .",
        "`` no man 's land '' makes it 's message go down with a laugh before it sucker punches you .",
        "a tightly constructed , chilling drama with welcome doses of gallows humor .",
        "no man 's land may end with an honest blip yet its history is remiss .",
        "this powerful film is often harrowing to watch , but it can also be shockingly entertaining as it deftly mixes macabre humor , pathos , and horror .",
        "an absorbing , deeply affecting , well-acted -- and remarkably evenhanded -- antiwar statement .",
        "a strange and disturbing film , but it is not without a stirringly humanist compassion even at its most outlandish and outrageous .",
        "tanovic makes land accessible and compelling enough for audiences everywhere to appreciate .",
        "extremely taut , brutally funny and achingly frank .",
        "the spirit of mash runs through this sharply observed , absurdly funny take on the folly of war .",
        "after the movie makes its one didactic point , it repeats it endlessly , hoping to beat it into out heads that war is fruitless and senseless .",
        "a nice and blistering portrait of war at its most absurd .",
        "an interesting foreign war movie featuring a nice balance between drama and humor .",
        "tanovic 's film is coil-sprung to explode on the unsuspecting .",
        "it 's undeniably riveting .",
        "a skillfully wrought , if somewhat predictable , farce involving belligerent opponents , blundering international peacekeepers and excitable journalists .",
        "the absurdity of it is diluted by the metaphorical sledgehammer used to smash the antiwar message home .",
        "from beginning to end , it bristles with ironies in classic eastern european absurdist style .",
        "a bleakly funny parable that could be titled between enemy lines .",
        "it 's not a pretty picture , but it is a funny one , if you agree with tanovic that all human behavior tends toward folly , cowardice , self-deception , corruption and hopelessness .",
        "a well-mounted ... seriocomedy with passing punchlines . and for about half the movie , it 's compelling stuff .",
        "its success is mainly because of the taut script , the good acting , and the effective directing .",
        "we learn absolutely nothing about the ideologies of these people or their reasons for fighting . they are virtually interchangeable ...",
        "` who 's on first ? ' in a corpse-riddled trench , with moral culpability for a genocidal civil war rather than the identity of a first baseman as the punchline . a staggering debut .",
        "a worthwhile little picture with a true sense of humanity running through it .",
        "a merciless and mirthlessly funny antiwar weapon from a filmmaker who has seen battle firsthand and has lived to make art from memories of hell .",
        "the film would have been a stunner under any circumstances , but with the situation in afghanistan and the middle east worsening on a daily basis , no man 's land feels even more relevant .",
        "scathingly tense , blackly funny and ultimately indelible .",
        "unlike most american dark comedies there is no soft edge to be found anywhere in this devastating indictment of war .",
        "the movie 's insights let the movie get away with its wartime irreverence .",
        "a vivid and unforgettable film about the insanity of war and the dreadful things it can do to those who drench themselves in hate and violence .",
        "el humor y el absurdo en un drama ligero que toca temas con fuerza .",
        "blazingly good anti-war sentiment .",
        "in this expertly calibrated debut , tanovic charts the ebb and flow of these events , which began in a fog and end in a pyrrhic tie , as a global ripple that is everyone 's business .",
        "... a gripping piece of combat theater .",
        "a waiting for godot for art-house movie buffs .",
        "no man 's land begins and ends quietly , like stirrings of thunder from a distant storm . in between comes a tragedy that rolls over us like a compact hurricane .",
        "it 's hard to believe this is writer-director danis tanovic 's first feature fiction film .",
        "no man 's land hurts when you laugh ."],
    "summary": "bleak and darkly humorous , no man 's land vividly illustrates the absurdity of war .",
    "id": "13824"
  },
  {
    "movie": "top_five",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it paints with a broad brush ... but the journey is nonetheless entertaining , and at times wildly funny .",
        "rock is sharpest in observational mode , riffing on andre 's career , but the movie falters when the routine plot devices kick in .",
        "MOV is easily the `` avengers '' of comedians where the laugh meter never drops from its highest point .",
        "it 's much less savvy than his stand-up observations .",
        "what follows is part meet-cute , part examination of fame , and all rock .",
        "when it 's just andre and chelsea , wandering the streets of new york and getting to know each other , MOV is as good as rock has ever been on-screen .",
        "chris rock 's MOV is very funny -- no surprise there -- but it 's also unexpectedly romantic .",
        "-lsb- rock 's -rsb- conversations with dawson crackle with intelligence and sexual chemistry , and a parade of guest artists -- some playing characters , others as themselves -- is folded into the mix with a minimum of awkwardness .",
        "as a director , chris rock makes a fine stand-up comic .",
        "if you want to see one of the richest , most complex female characters in american film this year , go to the picture that 's being marketed as a dirty-talking ethnic comedy .",
        "when it feels loose and lived-in , it starts clicking into place . but when it pushes its characters toward unearned saccharine , it feels as fake as the industry it 's supposed to be satirizing .",
        "it 's superior fare and marks rock out - third time round - as a writer-director and actor to be reckoned with .",
        "chris rock wrote , directed , and stars in this genial , splendidly constructed , occasionally hilarious comic drama with a reflexive twist .",
        "while rock calls in a lot of friends for backup on `` MOV , '' his confidence as a leading man , writer and director had never been sharper .",
        "it 's a big leap forward for rock as both an actor and a filmmaker , written and directed with the nervous , live-wire energy that has eluded his on-screen work for so long .",
        "... rock proves here that his comic groove is stronger than ever .",
        "multi-hyphenate chris rock kills in the hilarious account of a stand-up comic turned movie star that wants to be taken seriously .",
        "i think i would still rather watch rock hold a press conference about `` MOV '' than actually act in it , but the movie is the nearest we 've come to hearing rock 's authentic comic voice on film .",
        "a clever , laff-a-minute adventure worth the investment for the hilarity , even if it telegraphs where the love story might be headed .",
        "chris rock has made an entertainment that is not only a wild and rich study of his lead character but the character of the filmmaker himself .",
        "chris rock keeps wanting to be a social commentator just when this movie really needs him to be a character .",
        "very funny , yes , but it also represents a clear statement from rock about his career . it 's his best film by a considerable margin .",
        "MOV is the film that bridges the gap between the creator 's on-screen and stage personas . skillfully dancing the line between harsh and hopeful , rock delivers his medicine with a delicious spoonful of honey .",
        "as a writer , rock sets up one volatile situation after another , no sweat , and as a director , he captures his performers at their most explosively spontaneous .",
        "the mess never coheres , but it sends off you on a high anyway .",
        "MOV is a film broad and filthy enough for multiplex appeal , but also sufficiently arch to satisfy those who fancy themselves a little more sophisticated .",
        "the writing is strong enough that when the humor gives way to drama in the second half , there 's enough at stake to keep us interested , although rock still has plenty of jokes in store for the finale .",
        "happily , at the ripe young age of 49 , rock has hit a career high with his new film MOV .",
        "it can be hard for a movie to dwell on the problems of the rich and famous without seeming a touch self-serving , but rock always keeps things in perspective .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- is a charmingly tough-knuckled expression of an artist 's vision in a pure and classic mode . with MOV , chris rock has made his annie hall .",
        "could go toe-to-toe with the very best of rock 's standup . the movie he 's been working towards his entire career .",
        "rock 's third directorial effort proves to be his strongest and most similar to his rollicking standup routines .",
        "i stopped writing off rock as a filmmaker when he swerved left to remake an eric rohmer movie ...",
        "fresh , accessible , delightfully performed and downright hilarious .",
        "the tone is predominately blue , but never blue enough to obscure the heart of a surprisingly moving tale that will leave you debating whether those tears on your cheeks are from laughter or emotion .",
        "when it comes to comedy , funny always wins , and chris rock 's third directorial effort does run on engagingly amusing riffs . but MOV also steers hard into undisciplined storytelling ...",
        "MOV thoughts that crossed my mind as i watched MOV .",
        "rock is incisive in this new comedy but the film 's reliance on crude and unfunny set-ups really prevents it from reaching the heights it 's aiming for .",
        "the best comedy of the year .",
        "a seriously funny , semi-autobiographical film that might be the most accomplished work chris rock has ever done for the big screen .",
        "the settings for conversation are awfully contrived , but wow , are those conversations good .",
        "MOV is the funniest movie i 've seen this year , and the calendar 's running out .",
        "MOV is rock 's greatest accomplishment yet , mixing his signature brand of comedy with a hip and savvy filmmaking technique borrowed from some of cinema 's finest .",
        "the unadulterated chris rock turns out to be stardust memories meets do the right thing . raucous and scathing .",
        "in spite of its silly attitude , the movie asks real questions about the tension between show business and artistic desire .",
        "MOV is a reminder that as often as comedy fails us , sometimes it 's our best hope for resuscitation . seeing it at the end of a crap week , i suddenly felt i could breathe again .",
        "this is the movie we 've been waiting for chris rock to make .",
        "as a social satirist , chris rock adroitly balances bawdy abrasiveness with the awareness of a black man blindsided by his own success .",
        "-lsb- rock is -rsb- still not all the way there in `` MOV , '' his third effort as writer-director-star . but the movie has so many laughs it hardly matters .",
        "an innovative take on familiar material , MOV is an exquisitely paced , rich , idiosyncratic , satirical , yet deeply moving free-form comedy about a hollywood star who is shadowed for one day by a new york times reporter .",
        "it 's also smarter and richer and more mature than the `` romantic comedy '' needs to be , and seems to promise a whole new chris rock .",
        "for a movie trying so hard to challenge the notion of what we expect from celebrities , i was surprised how many times MOV followed the conventional hollywood formula .",
        "there are a fair number of decent -- if decidedly adult -- laughs to be had . -lrb- full content review -- sex , profanity , etc. -- for parents also available -rrb-",
        "here are the MOV reasons chris rock 's latest deserves little of the hype it 's receiving .",
        "among chris rock 's films , this is more than in the MOV . it is number one .",
        "welcome back , chris rock .",
        "ragged around the edges and haphazardly hilarious though it may be , `` MOV '' ultimately satisfies as an often raunchy ramble about celebrity , sobriety , selling out and sex , courtesy of the immensely talented but too-often subpar movie star chris rock .",
        "extremely enjoyable ...",
        "it 's fun to watch chris rock ; it 's just fun . and there are parts of this film where it 's fun to watch him in exactly the ways he wants it to be .",
        "the basic outline of rock 's script is standard romcom ... but rock uses it to examine show biz , celebrity , addiction , discrimination and family in painfully funny fashion . it 's rock 's hip hop homage to woody allen and his own stand up roots .",
        "MOV is filled with the kind of smart , lewd dialogue that has made rock a standup god . and for the first time in his career , rock has the authority , charisma and screen presence of a real movie star .",
        "-lsb- rock -rsb- has directed and starred in the finest movie of his career to date .",
        "rock is brilliant at finding common ground while mapping the boundaries between black and white realities , which is why MOV is a truly interesting -- and frequently very funny -- film .",
        "it does n't always hit its mark , but even its misses feel personal and unself-conscious - a genuine reflection of chris rock , auteur .",
        "for an ostensibly soul-deep movie like this to work , we need more than smirks and scowls .",
        "like rock 's best stand-up shows , MOV mixes the sweet with the salty , the naughty with the remarkably kind . it celebrates the darkly hilarious with the light of whip-smart observations .",
        "MOV finds rock in an elevated form , at 49 . things change , sometimes for the better .",
        "full of uneven drama but where is the comedy !",
        "if seeing cedric the entertainer naked in a threesome is amusing , then this is your kind of movie .",
        "`` MOV '' will be hailed as revolutionary by some -- but definitely not by david or me .",
        "chris rock never loses sight of the laughs for his most personal film yet .",
        "rock is quite inventive , jumping back and forth , in and out of conversations , to create a stream of consciousness feel without tying the story in knots .",
        "chris rock has essentially written and directed a film based on one of his own standup routines , and the result is as hilarious as we 'd expect ...",
        "writer , director , and star chris rock is so close to something great here , but he gives in too easily to the unchallenging and the very conventional .",
        "as a satirical attack on the inanities of the entertainment industry , rock 's flamethrower is set to no higher than gentle singeing .",
        "rock is no actor , but he rides a wave of funny , self-aware and outrageous situations , and this is always watchable .",
        "rock is working some stuff out through a loudhailer , essentially , but the film 's snap and energy make it well worth bending an ear .",
        "chris rock approaches directing with the same fizzing energy that he brings to his stand-up comedy .",
        "the film 's trump card is its rigorous honesty .",
        "top of the pack and chris rock 's best movie .",
        "rock 's scattershot film may not be for the ages , but at least developing a personal angle has allowed him to get his groove back .",
        "rock spins his familiarity with the industry to get goofy and hilarious results , but as the day progresses he surprises us with an overwhelming sense of vulnerability and pain - an aspect of the business often taken for granted .",
        "the movie marks the first time rock 's stand-up persona - cutting , vulnerable , afraid of no sacred cows - has survived intact on the way to the multiplex . that alone is reason for fans to celebrate .",
        "` MOV ' is a welcome transition for chris rock , who has always been funny ; here he artfully blurs the lines between real-life and fiction .",
        "combining the best of woody allen and his own particular urban perspective , rock has come up with one of the funniest films of 2014 .",
        "the movie , which alternates between hilariously vulgar gags and some electric improvs and riffs by rock and his cast of all-stars , has the crackle and pop of a live performance - it energizes you .",
        "a romantic comedy that 's also an extended riff on art , identity , authenticity and what it means to be a black entertainer ...",
        "it 's a slap-happy movie and often scurrilously funny - the sound of a gifted comic mind finally finding its onscreen voice .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he film has a lot to say about the nature and perils of fame , and it does so with rock 's observant and caustic humor .",
        "it is the funniest movie of the year , in part because it is so sharply observed .",
        "rock 's brilliant skewering of hollywood , celebrities and the fans obsessed with their every move results in one of the year 's smartest , insightful and terrifically funny films of the year .",
        "all of this is very funny , informed by rock 's insider 's view of big-time show business , made specific by his unique perspective on race and class , success and failure .",
        "this is the movie i 've been waiting for chris rock to make his entire career . it 's his stand-up sensibility , perfectly translated to film .",
        "it 's a comedy with a serious side - and yet it feels completely natural when it suddenly segues into over-the-top set pieces -lrb- including one fairly surreal stretch in houston involving cedric the entertainer you ca n't un-see -rrb- .",
        "rock 's frank , personal , semi-autobiographical , ferociously 21st-century comedy feels like its own special animal ... this sweet small crazy blunt bittersweet dirty ----- comedy vaults in every moment into a superior comic stratosphere .",
        "funny ... but unfortunate coincidences ? police brutality , a black man in a choke hold , a comic singing the praises of bill cosby , a man acting as if he does n't `` get '' rape , and the reminder that this might be the last time we see tracy morgan in a movie",
        "rock has said that he wanted to make a movie that captures the energy of his stand-up . MOV fits the bill .",
        "a relentlessly filthy and unbearably entertaining crowd-pleaser that actually needs to be seen in a theater with a lathered-up group .",
        "-lsb- MOV is -rsb- indeed funny in spots , but often thin and underdeveloped as well as improbable .",
        "on the surface , a lost-artist comedy in the vein of woody allen 's stardust memories , but more deeply , a referendum on the dead-end choices rock himself might be feeling .",
        "rock has said that he worked on the screenplay during his downtime while co-starring in `` grown ups 2 . '' if that 's the case , then we finally have a reason to be grateful for that atrocious adam sandler debacle .",
        "MOV is a fiercely honest and very funny passion project for chris rock that works best when it channels the comic actor 's brazen energy .",
        "there are some great sequences in this film - both comedic and dramatic .",
        "the overall vibe i get from `` MOV '' is that chris rock is a smashing talent . the film , and it 's very satisfying conclusion , come from a man with his fingers on the pulse of contemporary comedy .",
        "the banter between allen and dawson keeps things ticking over , it 's nicely shot and there are some amusing lines . but the rambling structure requires sharper visual gags and much tougher targets .",
        "MOV is chris rock 's latest slice of personal comedy , except new york is the stage and echoes of woody allen , louie c.k , adam sandler and jerry seinfeld abound .",
        "benefits from rock fully exploiting his own persona and his own conflicted experiences of being a famous , rich african american performer .",
        "it does n't always work , there are plenty of scenes you wish were better , but it 's out there .",
        "strikes a delicate balance between social commentary , show business satire , general vulgarity and legitimate sweetness .",
        "the time has arrived to finally come out and say that ... chris rock is a mediocre film director ... given how perceptive , confronting and challenging his stand up work is , it 's disappointing to see how tame rock becomes when he gets behind the camera .",
        "the incomparable chris rock is not known for impersonations , but he mimics woody allen , richard linklater , louis c.k. and even federico fellini in his directorial pet project MOV .",
        "the writing here feels like vintage rock : free-flowing , profane and absolutely hilarious .",
        "as an actor , rock does n't create much of a spark with dawson , and as a director , he tends to let scenes go on too long .",
        "rock still has n't figured out exactly what he wants you to think of him , but the way the film reflects that uncertainty may be the most interesting thing about it .",
        "just when it seemed like chris rock had already done plenty for the culture , along comes his latest work as a writer and director , `` MOV . '' and it 's one of the most vibrant , sly romantic comedies this year .",
        "even when it falls flat , MOV has ambition , which is more than you could say about the majority of rock 's previous film work .",
        "a disorganized , dawdling mess of a movie that is rarely anything less than charming .",
        "rock 's fast-talking rhythms are all over this movie , and they lift it up ; it 's like dropping in on a party full of funny people , and leaving before the evening fades .",
        "funnier than it is smart .",
        "when it 's funny , it works alarmingly well , capturing the coarseness of rock 's comedy and his ease with other comedians .",
        "the somewhat watchable vibe lasts up until the movie enters its hopelessly misguided third act ...",
        "you come away from it with the thrilling sensation that you 're seeing an artist you thought you knew reinvent himself .",
        "you 'll likely leave the theater smiling . and when 's the last time you cold say that about a chris rock movie ?",
        "there 's nuance in the performances and bite in the script , but it could have done with a stronger hand behind the camera to blend it all together .",
        "MOV is hardly in the same class as stardust memories but it is still manifestly cinema , rather than filmed comedy , and the gags are often visually sophisticated .",
        "rock has much to say about what it means to be a successful black entertainer in the us today . what , though , is he telling us when he makes the only significant white character in the movie the butt of a series of very dodgy homophobic jokes ?",
        "the chris rock movie we 've been waiting for , it 's boisterous , rude and genuinely romantic .",
        "a passion project that rock writes , directs and stars in , the film encapsulates the raw , edgy , provocative energy of the star 's stand-up routines , while providing plenty of food for thought in the process .",
        "rock 's ambitious passion project - he wrote , directed and stars in it - is a bawdy , uninhibited yet thoughtful social satire about fame vs. artistic fulfillment .",
        "`` MOV '' is a funny movie , but rock has his sights set higher than lowbrow , and for the most part , he succeeds .",
        "beneath the meta-fiction and the lulz lies a genuinely warm romance in the style of richard linklater 's before sunrise .",
        "chris rock squanders an interesting idea with an implausible premise in this comedy about a superstar stand-up -lrb- rock -rrb- who no longer values his comic instincts .",
        "an introspective look at stardom that happens to be the funniest movie of the year .",
        "MOV is packed full of zingers even if , at first glance , the familiar tale of a comic-turned - actor desperately seeking credibility promises to be an indulgent 102 minutes .",
        "rock 's crass reliance on misogynist hooker gags and hot-sauce-up-the-ass homophobia routines means that an adam sandler cameo hardly seems out of place .",
        "what lingers hours later are n't just the laughs but the people .",
        "rock is too nimble and original to fall back on hollywood conventions here . he uses this plot as a springboard for a manic ride through several days in andre 's nutty , combustible life .",
        "in `` MOV , '' you sense rock trying to load all these disparate talents onto a conventional romantic-comedy structure . it 's a close call , but it holds .",
        "`` MOV '' has the bright , high-gloss feel of the most delicious wish-fulfillment fantasies , but it derives its spiky , propulsive energy from the adamantly forthright figure at its center .",
        "`` MOV '' may be chris rock 's biggest and boldest film as a director and writer , but a sharper , smarter , realer script would have made it far more than just a lazy , lightweight laughfest .",
        "MOV is rock 's most accomplished work yet , a truly personal story whose comedic riffs on love , race , sex , and celebrity are carefully woven into a credible romantic plot .",
        "the sweetest surprise in this raunchy comic ride is how artfully rock lets down his guard . his confident , prowling wit as a stand-up has finally found its way to the screen , enhanced by a bracing vulnerability .",
        "mr. rock has made a pyrotechnic pinwheel of a personal comedy , and he 's had the wisdom to share it with a strong co-star . while he sends sparks flying every which way , rosario dawson keeps the story grounded in calm intelligence and classic romance .",
        "rock lets his humor play broadly , but he fills out the space between gags with smart writing and pointed social insights .",
        "MOV entertains more than any previous film in which rock was top-billed primarily because its content as well plays like an extension of rock 's stand-up act .",
        "rock is on a roll again .",
        "to the writing , rock brings the discipline of his stand-up . even with some improvisation , there is not one throwaway line in this fat-free script .",
        "it can be delightful , intelligent , crude , clumsy and culturally tone-deaf , depending on which scene is rolling by . one minute it 's a major letdown , the next minute a joy to watch .",
        "raunchy in extremis , often funny and at times touching , `` MOV '' is chris rock 's sincere attempt to craft a film career largely detached from his stand-up clowning .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the semi-autobiographical nature of rock 's film makes MOV 's satiric points about black performers in the entertainment industry fall all the more precisely .",
        "with `` MOV , '' rock has finally made the transition to true movie stardom .",
        "rock 's best work yet .",
        "written and directed by rock , this meta-saturated comedy/drama may be the biggest surprise of this holiday film season .",
        "MOV is an arty and sincere hangout with an incredible cast of characters .",
        "the break seems to have allowed rock a welcome opportunity to freshen his material without softening his edge .",
        "while MOV is certainly rock 's best work as a filmmaker , it 's also proof that he should n't quit his day job yet .",
        "it has that rom-com formula framework , but rock turns it on its head for a snappy , contemporary and entertaining ride .",
        "it 's fast and real , funny and outrageous , cutting and poignant by its truthfulness",
        "MOV plays like a great stand-up routine : shambling , honest and packed with laughs - and laughs that stick .",
        "this is a funny , loud , profane , obscenity-laced film about the lives of entertainment celebrities , reality tv , alcoholism and show business . the film demonstrates chris rock 's sharp observations of society and show business .",
        "a talented comedian -lrb- nearly -rrb- hits his stride"],
    "summary": "as smart , funny , and trenchant as writer-director-star chris rock 's best standup work , MOV is a career highlight for its creator -- and one of the comedy standouts of 2014 .",
    "id": "771387806"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1105979-brothers",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV is basically a lifetime movie that somehow found its way into theaters .",
        "a politically incorrect but often hilarious jam session .",
        "a lively , affectionate and well-acted romantic comedy .",
        "hardwick 's boisterous film is enjoyably slapstick and uses laughter rather than psychological insights as therapy .",
        "although it 's funny at times and very well intentioned , the MOV has nothing new to say .",
        "one is left with warm memories of laughs , loves , and most of all likable characters with whom one would n't mind spending another two hours .",
        "a pleasant and enjoyable romantic comedy showcasing several talented performers",
        "an entertaining but too-familiar comedy about the romantic woes of african-americans .",
        "the MOV has a lot to offer .",
        "has all the emotional depth and honesty of a ford ad , only with worse production values .",
        "often entertaining , mostly unsurprising , but ultimately rewarding",
        "brothas and sistas make sure you see this movie !",
        "for all its coarse humor , the MOV has moments of tenderness and depth .",
        "feels kinda like a misguided after-school special for adults .",
        "the main drawback of the MOV is one of balance .",
        "looks good and is often easy to digest .",
        "it 's undeniable that director-writer gary hardwick 's the MOV has a target demographic . but the movie 's themes of family , love and friendship are universal .",
        "ultimately , the MOV ends on a very girlie note .",
        "smart , earthy and , in its own way , tender , the MOV packs a powerfully entertaining punch .",
        "for romantic comedy , it is not particularly romantic or funny .",
        "while philosophical at times , the approach is courageous in its honesty , with solid performances across the board to back it up .",
        "the movie 's a mixed bag , but worth seeing for the good stuff , which is a lesson in how productive it can be to allow characters to say what they might actually say .",
        "hughley and jones have an explosively comic chemistry together .",
        "once you accept the surfacey nature of the MOV , it 's pretty entertaining .",
        "as close as these men say they are , the film makes it very difficult to believe they are friends .",
        "if you want to take down waiting to exhale , you 'd better have a stronger grip on men and women and how they connect or fail to connect than this .",
        "it depicts all of its characters as fully rounded human beings without shying away from their less pleasant thoughts .",
        "it 's regurgitating pop psychology ideas that are unlikely to be surprising to anyone sitting in the audience .",
        "glossy fun , but it should have given us more ideas and energy .",
        "often funny , often wise and often raunchy .",
        "these `` MOV '' are full to the brim with heart , soul , and a solid sense of humor .",
        "the dialogue is witty and lively , and the characters are crafted with insight and care .",
        "digs more vibrantly into issues of trust , fear , pleasure , commitment , and camaraderie than any hollywood feature in recent memory .",
        "an amiable , engaging and personal film .",
        "it 's funny stuff .",
        "so we have a bunch of guys going about their lives and not doing anything that 's all that interesting .",
        "the egomaniacal thrust behind the MOV is the same drive that 's fueled dozens of other low-watt bar-talk flicks .",
        "this glossy romantic comedy gets off to a good start ... -lsb- but -rsb- some of the storylines are slack ...",
        "the MOV is carried by the warmth that both sexes pour into its sitcom soul .",
        "films such as the best man and the wood have gone over this terrain before , with considerably more style and humor .",
        "it seems as though the entire budget of this movie was spent on expensive set decoration .",
        "if the MOV falls far short of its prototype , waiting to exhale , it still conveys a warm-blooded affection for its characters .",
        "engaging entertainment .",
        "it 's time for filmmakers to take a deep breath ... and come up with a new approach .",
        "had the film taken more of an edgy and irreverent approach - along the lines of one character 's titular response , breathe , bitch to waiting to exhale -- it may have been more interesting and far more amusing and perhaps even insightful .",
        "hardwick is n't afraid to dog out these men for their disrespect and double standards even while sympathizing with their attempts to ` grow up . '",
        "like candy , this male answer to the 1995 film waiting to exhale is sweet , pleasing and goes down easy -- but it 's not very filling . still , it 's tasty while it lasts .",
        "it 's easier to laugh with the movie than take it seriously .",
        "airless and oddly fatiguing .",
        "the drama/comedy balance is not played out well .",
        "a shallow comedy with few insights and only sporadic laughs .",
        "stuffed with the most obvious points imaginable .",
        "a mixed-message piece of sexist propaganda masquerading as a movie about sensitive guys , masquerading in turn as a movie for guys .",
        "there are plenty of honest laughs .",
        "slick but superficial .",
        "it is n't much of a movie .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "often seen as a waiting to exhale with men , the MOV is amiable . however , it feels superficial and somewhat of a retread .",
    "id": "13373"
  },
  {
    "movie": "v_for_vendetta",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a killer action film with flaming political implications .",
        "the film is an intriguing thriller that asks questions likely to have a powerful effect on conscripts in the current war on terror .",
        "a visual feast for the eyes and an intelligent treat for the brain .",
        "when it chooses to be , MOV is a gangbusters and incisive indictment of the scary direction this big blue ball is headed in .",
        "what makes vendetta truly remarkable is that it refuses to back away from its strong convictions .",
        "... the first must-see movie of 2006 .",
        "volatile and vehement as a timely cautionary tale , it emerges as the first exciting , significant and , potentially , the most controversial film of 2006 .",
        "first-time director james mcteigue 's big , bold imagery , with slashing reds and blacks , is a close approximation of the novel 's look and feel .",
        "it works beautifully .",
        "MOV is a piece of pulp claptrap ; it has no insights whatsoever into totalitarian psychology and always settles for the cheesiest kinds of demagoguery and harangue as its emblems of evil .",
        "MOV wants to be a thoughtful political allegory , a chaste love story and a high-powered thriller all at the same time . it winds up being a big snooze .",
        "a welcome blast of pop subversion .",
        "v for still victorious .",
        "a futuristic london where the government uses fear to elicit cooperation from the people is smashed by a man in a mask . MOV is an allegory of modern america .",
        "it 's not sin city , but it 's probably the most acomplished blovkbuster we 'll see all summer",
        "for all its anti-establishment esprit , it 's more a case of z for zzzz .",
        "the less you think , the more you like it . which is n't always a bad thing .",
        "revenge is liberty . i ca n't recall hearing that particular idea from tolstoy , gandhi , martin luther king , vaclav havel , nelson mandela , the dalai lama or the makers of batman begins . but as the wachowski brothers would say , that 's another paradigm .",
        "... a somewhat old-fashioned adventure flick , filled with action , humor , romance , politics , and the kind of swashbuckling that audiences had n't seen in movies for many years .",
        "feels far too starched and clean to do its source material justice .",
        "much to admire and enjoy , but what could have been a meaningful parable about individual freedoms comes off as heavy-handed politicizing that does n't quite add up .",
        "although often visually striking and undercoated by a compelling sci-fi concept , graphic-novel adaptation MOV feels flat as a storyboard .",
        "it 's an amazing movie . not in exactly the way the matrix was -lrb- how tired would that be ? -rrb- , but in a new way . it 's a fascinating picture , dark and exciting , and it will almost certainly be an enormous hit .",
        "the most faithful and literal adaptation of an alan moore graphic novel ... a potent combination of action , emotion and wry political commentary .",
        "as vendetta winds up , the movie gets a little lazy , and a little wacky -lrb- it shows some of the lack of discipline that troubled the matrix sequels -rrb- .",
        "MOV engages in lots of speechifying about the importance of ideas and the freedom to question them . ironically , though , the movie does n't really seem to have any ideas of its own .",
        "keeps the source 's gnarly moral issues , amps up the explosions and thins out the subplots to delight audiences looking for two-plus hours of solid entertainment and willing to do some mental work to get there .",
        "... an endlessly ballsy comic book adaptation that is sly and smart -- something that more and more comic book films are becoming these days .",
        "the strongest , most exciting and most intelligent thrill ride since the matrix .",
        "director james mcteigue finds moments of pure brilliance amid a story that stumbles from one questionable choice to another .",
        "portman reminds one less of falconetti and more of a paris hilton-esque socialite who accidentally wandered into supercuts .",
        "for anyone looking for something totally different in this most overworked of hollywood genres -lrb- comic-book superheroes -rrb- , this is it .",
        "it is neither persuasive filmmaking nor political commentary .",
        "the movie 's a handsome piece of work , dramatically powerful even when it backs into silliness .",
        "we have here something that we rarely see in sf films these days ... a movie about ideas over action , character over special effects , and emotion over action .",
        "entertaining and solidly crafted .",
        "de certa forma , \u00e9 poss\u00edvel que v de vingan\u00e7a seja um dos filmes mais corajosos realizados por hollywood depois dos atentados de 11 de setembro .",
        "the settings are moody and evocative , the script is well crafted and thought-provoking and there are really cool action sequences with guns , knives and roses ... u for unexpectedly good .",
        "a political and symbolic thinking person 's action movie .",
        "do n't believe the hype . all this muddled movie has to offer is more numbly regurgitated , willfully cartoonish pop political commentary .",
        "though the dystopian elements here are pretty standard , MOV provocatively captures a society at the tipping point of rebellion .",
        "they 're working within a style that depends on exaggeration , sure -- i get that . however , aside from lacking the granularity that would make v a more intriguing and complex figure , he is by even his own admission little more than a reaction .",
        "with its delightful mix of action and thinking , MOV is in one sense escapism but on the other , depressing as hell .",
        "un film inc\u00f3modo y desafiante sobre cuestiones plenamente vigentes en el mundo de hoy , que dejar\u00e1 insatisfechos a quienes busquen s\u00f3lo entretenimiento .",
        "a mild triumph of hollywood filmmaking in that the film garners its thrills not from mindless action and special effects but from ideas .",
        "a smarter-than-usual action film .",
        "MOV should be seen less for the conspiracy theories discussion it inspires and more for its vicious storytelling",
        "it 's safe to say that v may be the most political movie released by a major studio since jfk -lrb- which was also distributed by warner brothers -rrb- .",
        "at this point , ' MOV ' seems more fashionable than radical .",
        "fear is just one of the powerful themes in the ka-pow , ka-boom pleasure that is MOV .",
        "the film 's screenplay is more compelling and coherent than the graphic novel .",
        "brilliant and angry .",
        "if they made a movie about overthrowing a government and did n't load it with political commentary , i 'd be disappointed ... jon stewart would be proud . the benny hill spoof is hilarious and catholics will be offended too .",
        "has no concerns of following any normal conventions of entertaining its audience and seems more occupied with the loftier goals of getting viewers to consider its ideas .",
        "it 's as paranoid and pompous a piece of brazen looniness as you 'll see this year .",
        "... it 's all here except for a contested plan to give control of britain 's ports to dubai .",
        "the hero/antihero of vendetta , ... is -- thrillingly -- batman and the joker all at once ; he 's luke skywalker and darth vader .",
        "it may go a little overboard in its desire to convince us of both its coolness and its insightfulness , but it 's fast-paced and smart enough to keep us onboard anyway .",
        "a daring and imaginative view of britain as a fascist state in the 2020s .",
        "the persuasive ideas found in the script prevail over the unavoidable comic-book clich\u00e9s and the director 's minimal learning curve",
        "MOV is a mesmerizing , action filled movie that appeals to the revolutionary in each of us",
        "f the fanboys out there take umbrage with something in it , i 'm sorry , i loved it , but we 've disagreed on comic adaptations before . i saw it twice opening weekend , if that 's any indication .",
        "i 'll let others debate all the political ramifications in MOV ; my problem is that as a movie it fails to engage",
        "an unbearably talkative affair with virtually nothing sane to say .",
        "deliberately blurs the line between heroism and terrorism .",
        "MOV 's strength beyond its substantial movie-movie value is not in how it pitches its ideas , but to whom .",
        "` v ' screams loudly and long , with visceral , kinetic fury and with style to burn . it 's so brazen , it 's kind of brilliant .",
        "yes , the movie is too long , and given to repetition , but who cares ? it 's exciting , unpredictable , and an inversion of the language of the powerful .",
        "violence can be used for various purposes , good , ill , and incoherent . this would be the primary observation made by MOV .",
        "the cleverest aspect of the film is the way it turns a terrorist into a crusading hero while remaining politically correct . what it does n't manage is to create a credible future or avoid pomposity .",
        "lo que realmente sacude y hace reflexionar , radica en el paralelismo de este supuesto mundo alternativo con los gobiernos actuales . buen ejercicio de los wachowski .",
        "the quarter-century-old disgruntled fantasies of two english comic-book artists , amplified by a powerful movie company , and ambushed by history , wind up yielding a disastrous muddle .",
        "MOV lands somewhere between the neo-noir freshness of the original the matrix and the indecipherable bombast of the two sequels .",
        "the idea of a terrorist-as-hero is bound to stir controversy and debate . for , as we have learned ... one man 's terrorist is another 's freedom fighter .",
        "tedious , boring and ill-conceived ... rather than being anti-fascist , MOV comes off as being pro-terrorist",
        "good , but not worth the $ 20 popcorn and cokes at the theater unless you know who alan moore is .",
        "remember , remember , the 5th of november ... whether you love it or hate it , you ca n't keep your eyes off of it , MOV grabs you and holds you . portman is mesmerizing , while weaving bores .",
        "MOV is a confounding exercise that has no trouble getting people to think , but it 's far less successful at getting them to feel .",
        "based on a cult graphic novel -lrb- r-rated comic book -rrb- of the same name , the movie is surprisingly thought provoking , and predictably violent .",
        "a refreshing piece of hollywood entertainment that is more interested in ideas than in just being ` cool ' .",
        "the wachowskis are back and rush limbaugh will not be amused .",
        "this future-shock story about a masked avenger at war with a totalitarian british regime sags when it should zip .",
        "awesome ! easily the best movie to come out so far this year ...",
        "there are some great , brilliant action scenes , but this is more thoughtful and darker and more in the vein of batman begins . and that 's a very good thing .",
        "MOV is a glorious piece of pop culture subversive cinema that operates on manifold levels .",
        "there are a lot of ideas here - and two impressive set-pieces - but while it may provoke thought , it rarely thrills or engages as a story .",
        "MOV , directed by james mcteigue , almost always has something going on that is actually interesting , inviting us to decode the character and plot and apply the message where we will .",
        "v packs an urgent filmmaking energy that pins you to your seat .",
        "setting out more to challenge us with its ideas than make us whoop at the action , vendetta can be clumsy , but there are enough impressive flourishes to make up for its stumblings .",
        "a poorly paced and spectacularly disjointed rehash of orwellian themes . it has a high production value and looks great , but suffers from a lack of narrative exposition that leads to sizable holes in the plot .",
        "explosively imaginative and colorfully conveyed , this velocity-driven vehicle dabbles in the right combination of cynicism and surrealism ... a sprawling thriller .",
        "... an astonishingly pertinent and thoroughly engaging piece of work .",
        "MOV is visually stunning , marvellously rich and possibly the first great alan moore adaptation .",
        "at last , there 's a movie that 's not afraid to look big brother in the eye and declare that fascism is totally uncool ... MOV is dumb with a capital d.",
        "what it has for certain , and what it has in spades , are some very real ideas . and , to paraphrase this v fellow , ideas are box-office-proof .",
        "solidly anchored by a masked hugo weaving and a few stunning action sequences . if only there had been more of them ...",
        "not unlike `` gattaca '' and `` dark city , '' MOV '' will assuredly bomb its way into a thinking man 's cult film status .",
        "this film is a funhouse of political ideas , some of them intentionally repugnant . you may not entirely agree with the politics , but the film is darkly colorful and fun .",
        "the cautionary new thriller ' MOV , ' finds director james mcteigue envisioning some rather difficult times ahead for the year 2020 .",
        "i just put `` MOV '' on my `` a '' list .",
        "the political anger of MOV , like that of 1984 , is timeless .",
        "to put it wachowski style : saying it should n't be read as a political film is to say that it does n't exist at all .",
        "recycled orwellian nightmares are not relevant , but portman and weaving are worth the price of admission .",
        "'m ' is for mediocre",
        "its ultimate message is that no one should be afraid of big-budget movies , no matter how daring they might seem .",
        "so gorgeously visual and thematically resonant that we do n't really mind if the characters are a bit shallow .",
        "under the guise of comic book entertainment , the movie asks ambitious questions and raises provocative issues . the end result is uniquely cool .",
        "it 's a sign of our times that fictional fluff like this has now taken the plunge into raging rhetoric -- a sign that entertainment may be becoming the new forum for a conversation that has no other place in today 's partisan political landscape .",
        "i relish a good politically charged action thriller -lrb- pcat -rrb- , and on one level MOV can claim fame as a non-pc example of a pcat -lrb- central character a terrorist ? -rrb- , but like a black hole , it sucks up anything else in its path .",
        "just when we were ready to give up mainstream movies as braindead , along comes the controversial and gleefully subversive MOV , a piece of corporate-sponsored art that will have audiences rooting for a bomb-throwing anarchist .",
        "the dark and stylized MOV is visually exhilarating , provocative and disturbing .",
        "this is just darkness played bright , a disposable object but hardly objectionable .",
        "speaking of love , things go blooey instead of gooey whenever heroine and hero come close enough to touch ; far from being sensual , let alone erotic , the movie proves to be not much fun at all .",
        "alan moore may be greatest victim of hollywood 's comic book adaptation craze .",
        "in adapting moore 's sprawling narrative into a workable screenplay , the wachowski brothers have come up with a balance of thoughtful philosophy and all-out action that feels more natural and organic than it did in their matrix films .",
        "in its ambition to weld a political message onto a comic-book movie it falls rather pitifully between two stools .",
        "whether you 're mindless or mensa , you 'll find stuff here to challenge and trouble you , the way a good piece of speculative fiction should .",
        "a brutally intelligent political thriller ...",
        "daredevil in agitator garb",
        "a sharp mix of substance and entertainment .",
        "after being burned in effigy for 400 years , you 'd think guy fawkes would appreciate a little rehabilitation , but he could hardly approve of the way the wachowskis have done it .",
        "MOV speaks in loud mainstream tones , yet sports an ideology that remains at odds with the current mainstream american ideal .",
        "t for terrible",
        "-lsb- hugo -rsb- weaving finds the right balance of flamboyant flourish and quietly subtle , effective mannerisms . in this actor 's hands , even the smallest **** of the head says so much .",
        "never lags for a second",
        "alan moore , director james mcteigue and the wachowski bros. may be using the equivalent of bombs to slam home the point , but occasionally it takes a loud noise to wake us up .",
        "it all unfolds to an apex of the triumph of the best of humanity that could even change the real world .",
        "silly ... v is not george washington , henry v or even patrick henry . he 's the ghost of the phantom of the opera accessorized with ginsu knives and kung fu .",
        "' MOV ' is an exciting , highly ambitious , and well-written cerebral thriller that i found hugely satisfying .",
        "it is worth the time and money if you 're looking for something a little different and edgy .",
        "admittedly , some of the allusions skewer more toward the nazi regime than the republican party -lrb- though many will persuasively argue that they 're one and the same -rrb- .",
        "m\u0119me si l'effort manque diablement de subtilit\u00e9 on ne pourra r\u00e9futer l'extraordinaire doigt\u00e9 caract\u00e9risant le sc\u00e9nario des fr\u010dres wachowski et la r\u00e9alisation de james mcteigue",
        "the most avowedly political movie in ages !",
        "unlike political thrillers that are content to wallow in their dissatisfaction with the state of the world , v demands that we take personal responsibility for it ...",
        "only when the script and visuals stray too far from the source does the film lose its way , getting bogged down in the mechanics of big-budget action filmmaking and ponderous dialogue as it works toward a way-too-tidy , sentimental finale .",
        "viewers who take the titular v as a literal ideal will be frustrated by his superficial positioning as a terrorist . it 's hard to be figurative in the land of the blind .",
        "`` v '' is a gay shakespeare-soliloquy spurting blowhard with a creepy , but well-groomed , hairdo . he 's also a dancing knife-wielding karate killer .",
        "MOV has a playful-demon vitality , but it 's designed to let political adolescents of every age congratulate themselves . it 's rage against the machine by the machine .",
        "while the action is happening , this movie works , but there 's just not enough of it .",
        "imprisoned , natalie finds a hidden diary of a jailed lesbian filmmaker . what is this , the rosie o'slammer ?",
        "if you do n't know the source , the movie may strike you as a radical studio film . see it before you read the comic , because if you do it the other way , there 's no going back .",
        "this is pure post-9 / 11 orwell , a great , angry screed against scapegoating and fearmongering in the seemingly endless war on terrorism .",
        "osama must be smiling in his cave !",
        "... what better way to promote an idea than to disguise it as entertainment , hmm ?",
        "v is not for vendetta . it 's a prison cell in a dystopian future civilization where experiments are conducted on live humans .",
        "' MOV ' stimulates by providing an idealistically profound political message accented by beauty-and-beast romanticism .",
        "... provocative and engrossing , and may be one of the most important ` entertainments ' released this year .",
        "this is a bold movie with a strong story and script and absolutely outstanding direction .",
        "l\u0155 o\u016f les 2 derniers volets de la matrice \u00e9taient pr\u00e9tentieux , souvent ridicules et g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement ennuyants , v pour vendetta est tout le contraire .",
        "MOV has something going for it that 's rare in mainstream films : it has ideas . it has questions . and even when it pretends to have answers , it also raises questions about those answers .",
        "there 's no denying the value of vendetta as an argument starter , even if the basic argument -- when is terrorism justified ? -- is something less than novel .",
        "as manifestoes go , this one 's a beauty : draped like a funeral , smart as a whip and full of black-hearted romantic monologues and dramatically slit necks .",
        "for all their lofty philosophizing , at least the wachowskis do n't get bogged down in the metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that made their matrix sequels such pompous bores .",
        "MOV is massive popcorn entertainment , a blockbusterish undertaking with a great cast and even a few ideas -lrb- ! -rrb- wedged into the exhilarating action sequences .",
        "it 's not about ideas or insights but about cleverly calculated thrills , stunning camera work , a magnificent musical score and haunting atmospheric lighting .",
        "as an action movie MOV is a dud -- far too long at nearly two and a half hours , with flat , grungy visuals , choppy editing and no sense of urgency .",
        "in the end MOV is as cold and unsympathetic as the regime it criticizes .",
        "v 's journey through this story is as much a psychological one as it is a journey into politics , vengeance and fight scenes .",
        "MOV is a thought-provoking , suspenseful thriller set in the near future , as the american empire is in ruins and sees a fascist version of england as the new world leader .",
        "v manages to unsettle and fascinate , riding to its conclusion on waves of unmasked outrage .",
        "aside from a handful of fight scenes -lrb- only one of which evokes any serious eye-rolling -rrb- , the wachowskis actually seem to have given serious effort to telling a story",
        "a fierce rival to any comparable fan followship .",
        "absorbing even in its incoherence , MOV manages to make an old popular mythology new .",
        "writing in the same babbling , humorless fashion as their woebegotten matrix sequels , the wachowskis again mistake leaden exposition for drama . think fight club , only without the irony .",
        "an absolutely incendiary work .",
        "when all the buzz about a movie is about how it is produced and directed and all the production values and the costumes and such , you can figure that it 's not much of a story or script .",
        "flat and pretentious , MOV plays like a comic book version of an al-qaeda recruiting video .",
        "you wo n't want to think about it , the ideas in this film are too dangerous , but you 'll have to .",
        "questions authority in ways that are discomfiting for some , liberating for others , and eye-opening for everyone .",
        "spills blood more political than corporeal , potentially endangering its box office yet certifying its future as the most talked-about film thus far in 2006 .",
        "... a lackluster comic-book movie that thinks terrorist is a synonym for revolutionary .",
        "MOV is ultimately worth seeing , if only for its adamant refusal to play it safe and the passionate commitment that weaving and portman bring to their roles .",
        "MOV is undeniably engrossing , and it offers a scattergun of satire that takes in all sorts of oppressive government behavior .",
        "a cracking good comic-book tale .",
        "nothing can upgrade pulp like a bunch of plush british accents .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- enjoyable -- if occasionally irresponsible -- comic-book thriller .",
        "movie fans may be surprised to find -lsb- certain -rsb- questions being raised in a sci-fi movie . they should , instead , be appalled that it took a sci-fi movie to raise them .",
        "unlike the matrix , MOV puts its ideological intent first , and happens to provide smashing entertainment only as a vehicle for delivering its message .",
        "it becomes just another taste of every comic-book movie that is n't sin city or a history of violence . vapid .",
        "MOV is that rare popcorn headbanger that can make you question your complacent notions of right and wrong , of enemy and defender .",
        "the real thrills in MOV come in its dense and vividly detailed plot .",
        "the final scenes , meant to be more inspirational than moore would likely embrace , try too hard .",
        "provocation demands constant nurturing , which proves beyond the capabilities of this long , dialogue-heavy and frequently static film .",
        "may be the ballsiest , angriest picture of the current administration .",
        "it 's meant to be a rallying cry -- not to revolution , but simply to shake oneself out of cynicism and malaise",
        "does not show enough of the fascist government 's oppression to get the audience riled up on the vigilante 's side .",
        "v for visuals , w for weaving and s for supporting cast only go so far to rise above the b for belabored points .",
        "-lsb- v 's -rsb- scenes with evey , played with strength and sensitivity by portman , give surprising heart to this dark parable .",
        "a divided domestic electorate will take -lsb- it -rsb- either as a kick - *** , future-punk primal scream of political frustration or as an irresponsible , literally and figuratively incendiary attack on our...approval-deficient leaders .",
        "enjoyable , smartly designed and superbly acted thriller that actually gives you something to think about while you 're watching stuff get blown up .",
        "a visually sumptuous concoction that combines political allegory , bloody action , and a few stunning cinematic moments into a solid piece of entertainment .",
        "v is a quick-paced , dazzling film of social rebellion , but unfortunately leaves some interesting ideas out to die , topping the amount of intense thought with pyrotechnics .",
        "this film could n't have come at a more opportune time .",
        "major studio pictures can certainly be more creative , but they 're rarely as bold as this .",
        "the details of v 's beef with society are hazy , but the film has a certain purity of spirit .",
        "contentious , pretentious but with a great last 20 minutes .",
        "by the movie 's midpoint , the wachowski brothers ' screenplay has gotten so bogged down in back story that it takes 40 minutes for director james mctiegue to get back to the explosions that his 16-year-old target audience assumes will solve everything .",
        "forget the faux accent , it 's the raw emotion -lsb- portman -rsb- displays , especially in the film 's latter stages , that 's positively streep-like and most captivating .",
        "MOV is a milestone . maybe not a big marker , but a milestone nonetheless.it is anti-establishment redux .",
        "better than the original comic . seriously .",
        "moore and lloyd posed this paradigm in a cold war era and it never came to pass . leave it to the wachowski brothers to update it for the war on terror , or rather its aftermath .",
        "when the script sticks close to alan moore , it works best . which , sadly , is seldom .",
        "blends modern-day politics with good old-fashioned derring-do to explore the grey areas -lrb- in a very grey-looking london -rrb- between freedom , justice , dissidence and retribution .",
        "v wo n't win the subtlety in film award , but fans of '70s movies especially will recognize that it 's hardly out of line with the tradition of speculative fiction during times of strife .",
        "richly satisfying entertainment the way movies are at their best , when they prod you to think .",
        "with yet another bloated and self-important mythos under their belts , the hope of a quality screenplay penned from the wachowski brothers continues to fade .",
        "brutally gorgeous and seething with incendiary images , the wachowski brothers ' monumental call to revolution , based on alan moore 's gloomy graphic novel about a masked madman who restores anarchy to the u.k. , is a vivid but muddled pulp political parable .",
        "unlike the matrix sequels , v is never boring and rarely as heavy-handed and meandering . it is tightly woven with a very pointed aim .",
        "this is not the movie , and these are not the times , for sophisticated arguments .",
        "important plot points are treated in a rushed , perfunctory manner and what could have been a fascinating parable about tyranny , terrorism , and the sheer charisma of violence becomes just another series of bloody fight scenes .",
        "the wachowskis and freshman director james mcteigue quickly decide that sloppy , repetitive action scenes are more compelling than examining the ideas they raise .",
        "the fascist angle does n't inspire any righteous indignation , and the terrorist angle is not the fiery revolutionary rhetoric it thinks it is .",
        "this is n't the `` matrix '' by any means , although it is worth the bucks for a ticket .",
        "fans hoping for another kick-butt action movie are bound to be disappointed by this very talky yet thoroughly thought-provoking piece of sci fi cinema .",
        "once you 've seen this every event movie from may to september will seem that little bit duller .",
        "the movie is a lot of dark , orwellian fun .",
        "while many visions of the future cooked up in the 1980s are now easy to laugh off -- remember ` red dawn , ' or the once-controversial abc miniseries ` amerika ' ? -- ` v ' seems chillingly relevant ...",
        "this futuristic nightmare grasps at the same visceral uneasiness that juiced matrix 's cult before its impact was dulled by bloated sequels .",
        "only here and there do you find the spark and kinetic zap delivered by the first matrix picture .",
        "gripping , intelligent and innovative .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is not a movie of ideas so much as it is an idea mall . by the time you 've gotten through it , you feel spent , loaded down and more than a little disoriented .",
        "MOV is provocative , exciting , funny , beautiful , disturbing , moving and stylish . in fact , i ca n't think of too many things the movies can do that MOV does n't .",
        "in a post-9-11 world , with the patriot act and battles raging over civil liberties , MOV absolutely resonates -- but it 's an empty echo . the movie has nothing new or vital to impart .",
        "narratively and stylistically , the movie is so incoherent that it 's impossible to tell whose vision is onscreen , so the best way to enjoy it is to succumb to the striking visuals .",
        "the movie undercuts itself with its garishly adolescent tone .",
        "visually striking but ponderous and self-important ... the serious issues it tries to raise are cheapened by its combination of pretentious preaching and comic-book derring-do .",
        "jo % u0161 jedno silovanje strip-umjetnosti od strane holivudskih licemjera",
        "the swashbuckling first hour is superior to the second , which bursts at the seams with backstory , but a rousing climax makes this the most potent piece of agitpop in years .",
        "every time mr. weaving is on screen the spirit of mr. moore 's character comes alive . those moments , at least , are worth fighting for .",
        "... manages to succeed as both great entertainment and a thoughtful reflection on current politics .",
        "forget the ides of march , beware the 5th of november .",
        "i know it sounds a little strange to be recommending a movie about a revolutionary at this time , but i thoroughly enjoyed this motion picture and , if taken for its fantasy alone , it provides great escapist entertainment .",
        "it 's viciously , vibrantly , vigorously , very , very good .",
        "a movie that has been made in the wachowski style but lacks their distinctive visual flair .",
        "turgid , overinflated , pseudo-philosophical , bogus radicalism from the wachowski brothers .",
        "i 'm thinking the message is that there 's a little v in everyone . unfortunately , on screen there 's only a lot of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .",
        "if you 're curious about what a yuen woo-ping-less wachowski charge can do with some really awesome material , then this is the movie for you ."],
    "summary": "visually stunning and thought-provoking , MOV 's political pronouncements may rile some , but its story and impressive set pieces will nevertheless entertain .",
    "id": "112770454"
  },
  {
    "movie": "last_emperor",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there 's probably a truly great movie in the story of pu yi , but the MOV is not that movie . still , what director bernardo bertolucci -lrb- last tango in paris -rrb- has accomplished here is both ambitious and impressive .",
        "the man , who only has been superficially shown , gets lost for a while in the sweep of events . yet in spite of these reservations , this lush film merits attention .",
        "at last a real , thought-provoking , eyeball-popping movie epic .",
        "even though its ambitions sometimes get the better of it , the film succeeds often enough to make us grateful that , even in our mtv age , a director like bertolucci is still willing to get on the mat and grapple with personality and history .",
        "if there is such a thing as voluptuous detachment , bertolucci and john lone have found it . lone 's achievement in his absorbing account of pu yi is to place him at a distance and yet make his plight totally involving .",
        "it is a hesitant , conservative approach that yields great elegance and a rhythm that carries the viewer along . yet the film is haunted by a sense of opportunities not taken , of an artist deliberately reining in his artistry .",
        "the story is colorful and sometimes unpredictable , so it 's rarely boring . but it 's rarely much deeper than the emperor 's favorite rice bowl .",
        "one of the most visually arresting pictures of recent years .",
        "as pure spectacle , `` the MOV '' is a spellbinding peek behind the gate of a lost world .",
        "one of the most provocative and stunningly beautiful films of the past 20 years .",
        "it is quite a good film , but it is in some ways very flawed .",
        "everything involving the life of pu yi was a waste . everything except one thing : the notion that a single human life could have infinite value .",
        "one of those irresistible movie entertainments that works on so many different levels and offers so much for the senses to savor that it is likely to intimidate some people even more than it did 11 years ago .",
        "bertolucci 's gorgeous and seductive the MOV imbues this powerless and constantly thwarted figure with a resolute if melancholy grace .",
        "while it is a long film with slower moments , the parallel personal and political stories are compelling enough to keep the viewer interested throughout .",
        "the best i can say for it is that it is a smart epic , and i think it will age very well .",
        "john lone is superb as the sad mediocrity ; and if spectacle finally triumphs over sympathy , it is not without a decent struggle .",
        "mesmerizing , oscar-winning , fate-filled journey to a vanished time and place .",
        "though boasting stunning photography by vittorio storaro -lrb- who shot in the forbidden city -rrb- , bertolucci 's beautifully crafted saga suffers from episodic text , incoherent story , and lack of truly epic hero at its center .",
        "an involving look at the life of an emperor forced to give up all that he knew only to realize he never had everything he wanted .",
        "constantly absorbing and tremendously interesting .",
        "storaro 's photography , scarfiotti 's designs and the locations seduce us into this leisurely odyssey covering 50 years from emperor pu yi 's accession aged three to his end .",
        "we never question the integrity of the historical moment in the film , but we do question our patience .",
        "the MOV is most decisively a lesson of nobility .",
        "it 's a tribute to the film 's intelligence and its feeling for dialectics that it views both the forbidden city and the detention center as prisons , and that when pu yi winds up as a gardener there 's a sense of gain as well as loss .",
        "the small screen does n't quite do justice to the rich visuals but with an incredible story and fine performances , it is still a compulsive and moving epic .",
        "the grand spectacle of life in the forbidden city -lrb- where scenes were actually filmed -rrb- is the movie 's unforgettable centerpiece .",
        "we need more than elegant parallels and lavish production values . we need tension , characterization , drama .",
        "grand and powerful .",
        "there 's no doubting its spectacular richness and heartfelt , deeply satisfying storytelling .",
        "provides good info on its subject matter , but does so without emotional engaging its audience .",
        "both an eye-opening epic and an intimate portrait of a man who never really tastes the joys of freedom .",
        "stunning opulence dazzles the eye .",
        "the MOV is like an elegant travel brochure . it piques the curiosity . one wants to go . ultimately it 's a let-down .",
        "a remarkable achievement .",
        "... a big , beautiful film that suffers only from an indifferent transfer to dvd . ... its human drama and sheer spectacle manage to catch and hold our attention .",
        "as coolly lavish an epic as we may ever see .",
        "this tension between the permissible and the forbidden , between exterior and interior , between the illusion of freedom and captivity , between light and darkness becomes the organizing principle of bertolucci 's spectacular epic .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- massive , magnificent historical biopic .",
        "bernardo bertolucci takes this outline of pu yi 's tumultuous life and transforms it into an absurdist journey in the MOV , a masterpiece about the loneliness and hubris of believing that we can control our own destiny .",
        "works the brain in two-part harmony : the melody skids effortlessly across the historical timeline of the ching dynasty , china 's last , and the harmony part is all aesthetic appeal ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it works astonishingly well .",
        "that rare breed of film that is both pure oscar bait and a thoroughly compelling work .",
        "the expanse of time is saturated with an expanse of visual beauty that feels absolutely right for the story .",
        "visually splendid epic on the last manchu imperial ruler of china .",
        "bernardo bertolucci 's cinematic biography of emperor pu yi is an astonishing , ravishing and smashing film ... and it 's a glorious production which won 9 oscars - that 's every major category for which it is eligible"],
    "summary": "while decidedly imperfect , bernardo bertolucci 's epic is still a feast for the eyes .",
    "id": "10619"
  },
  {
    "movie": "twin-peaks-fire-walk-with-me",
    "reviews":
     [
        "suspense is clearly lacking in this story with a preordained outcome . another significant drawback is that long before the climax laura has become a tiresome teen .",
        "every image , sound , and color ultimately clicks into place , like a puzzle one is only subconsciously aware of .",
        "this fire dampens fast , and the results are rather dreary , and nonsensical .",
        "promoted as a prequel to twin peaks , but it was actually excalibur pushed through the heart of a phenomenon , leaving the faithful to grieve , while newcomers were left baffled , or in my case , ravenous for more .",
        "twin peaks : fire walk with me reveals the side of this quiet american town that could never be shown on television .",
        "for a film with a pre-established conclusion , twin peaks : fire walk with me seems depressingly interminable .",
        "for those who are willing to go the distance with lynch , the return trip to twin peaks is well worth the trouble .",
        "in twin peaks the movie , all the twists get straightened out . the thrill is gone .",
        "a ` prequel ' to david lynch 's cult tv series that finds the celebrated filmmaker at an uncharacteristically low ebb .",
        "a convincing case can be made for this being lynch 's finest film to date .",
        "click to read review",
        "not as good as the tv show , not one episode .",
        "like the lonesome foghorn , there are many signs to be interpreted and heeded , and their meaning and provenance is not always clear .",
        "if you were a fan of twin peaks , and stuck with it through the goofiness of its last season , the movie is a parting gift to you .",
        "when you 're working with david lynch you can count on every frame meaning something . for me that 's half the fun of the show - it 's a puzzle that i feel oblidged to solve or at the very least plug away at .",
        "it has its moments , but not many , and generally speaking it runs neck and neck with dune as the least successful and interesting lynch feature .",
        "the quintessential lynch . prepare to be confused / intrigued / frustrated / disturbed / hooked .",
        "the series was often involving and spooky ; the movie is insipid and kooky",
        "self-parody would seem too generous an assessment of lynch 's aims and achievement .",
        "it 's a seriously underrated work and one of lynch 's purest dives into his own twisted soul .",
        "lynch plays with multiple dimensions of existence in a way that is both intriguing and pretentious .",
        "occupies worlds of the natural , the supernatural , and the -lrb- wilfully , purposefully , and often wittily -rrb- clich\u00e9d .",
        "if inspiration is lacking , talent is not . count lynch down but never out .",
        "fans of the dark comedy will find little to laugh about -- unless it is lynch 's pretentiousness -- in this horrific look at laura 's last seven days .",
        "with this movie david lynch , the mad social architect of this wooded northwest facsimile of civilization , has built himself a molehill out of what once was a mountain .",
        "fans who may be looking for clarification of the series , which was vague at best , will be sorely disappointed . in fact , so will fans looking for the atmosphere and satire so prevalent in the series .",
        "to put it bluntly , this film is a mess .",
        "in its own singular , deeply strange way , fire walk with me is david lynch 's masterpiece .",
        "one of lynch 's darkest , most disturbing films precisely because it is able to delve into the places that the show simply was n't allowed to explore on national television .",
        "as much an essential missing piece for audiences of david lynch 's groundbreaking 1991 - '92 television series -lrb- `` twin peaks '' -rrb- to gain closure as a stand-alone film , `` twin peaks : fire walk with me '' is an alternately funny , harrowing , and bizarre experience .",
        "a horrible masterpiece . ugly , abstract and unrelenting , it 's like having someone else 's nightmare .",
        "there have always been two sides to lynch : the inscrutable , demonic prankster and the rhapsodic dreamer . in fire walk with me , he 's at least trying to recover his poetic sincerity . if only his dreams were n't starting to look like reruns .",
        "if you did n't get it then , you 're not going to get it now .",
        "with typical perversity , lynch avoids cosy closure , instead riffing on his tv themes that seem even more baffling with big-screen expansion .",
        "a fascinating tightrope-walk : lynch 's ultra-cool unconventional storytelling techniques are modified just enough to allow the movie to reach a broad audience",
        "fire walk with me contains not a single moment of genuinely felt emotion .",
        "at its best , it 's a dream within a dream , a nightmare in endlessly reflecting pop mirrors , a screen full of tv-movie sex and horror kitsch blowing up right in our faces .",
        "an absurd study of debauchery .",
        "fabulously color-coded to resemble a dream world , a purgatory consumed by the sadness of blues and the terror of reds .",
        "it works well because lynch 's nightmarish vision stays true to itself throughout the entire movie and never strays far from its strong central story .",
        "one of the most original and innovative moments in television history",
        "those who have not seen the television series will likely react as television viewers did upon its first airing -- some fascinated and wanting more , and others confused , perplexed , gross-out or uninterested in this strange place and stranger events .",
        "equal parts murder mystery , soap opera and psychic surrealism : a lynchian triumph",
        "one of lynch 's misfires .",
        "truly , deeply strange .",
        "the ignominious ending to a once-great television phenomenon . possibly lynch 's worst effort to date .",
        "the film appears to be an undifferentiated mess of story lines and hallucinations . there 's no reason to care which is which . even mr. lynch 's eccentric touches become boring . the jokes are stillborn .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "for better or worse , twin peaks : fire walk with me is every bit as strange and twisted as you 'd expect from david lynch .",
    "id": "13272"
  },
  {
    "movie": "les-plages-dagnes",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the flights of fancy settle down toward the film 's end and varda increasingly comes across as a very smart and rather charming citizen of the real world , as opposed to an artist too out-there to be relatable .",
        "replete with clips and anecdotes , the beaches of agnes is a treat to anyone who already cherishes varda 's films and a perfect primer for those who have n't yet discovered her work .",
        "in this visually witty 2008 memoir she 's poring over her own past and its artifacts .",
        "it 's exciting to have someone with varda 's energy and creativity continuing to make provocative and inspirational art as she enters her ninth decade on the planet .",
        "playful and lucid , the film gives the heartening impression of endless hunger for people , experiences and images , of the camera 's privileged ability to capture lived life .",
        "varda brings a playful attitude to this whimsical stroll through her life , telling stories and showing photos and clips that chronicle both her career and her personal life . it meanders a bit , but it 's also thoroughly engaging .",
        "a wonderful , warm , witty and insightful cinematic memoir from the godmother of the french new wave .",
        "compelling and intriguing , this is the perfect director 's autobiography .",
        "tender , truthful , happy-making : the beaches of agnes is a wonderful film by a wonderful woman .",
        "varda recalls her childhood , her adulthood , her politics , and how both her films and her two children were born . she does n't just show us , she takes us inside of it all , inside of her . it 's a reverie .",
        "the warm , elfin filmmaker makes a fine companion through this vivid story of a life well lived , reminding us at the end of how we create our own safe havens within our families .",
        "by the end of beaches of agnes , we 've learned an incredible amount about how this fascinating woman mines her own life for her art .",
        "when was the last time you saw a world-renowned director converse with a cartoon cat or dress as a potato ?",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the beaches of agn\u010ds is held together primarily by varda 's wide-ranging interests and formidable storytelling skills . the movie is a digression built on a digression , branching near-infinitely .",
        "packed as the new film is with so many interlocking love stories , of people and places , of ideas and experimentation , it 's difficult not to leave the theater giddy at being swept up in her embrace .",
        "a characteristically colorful , poignant work full of exquisite compositions and dreamlike reflections that serves as an ideal encapsulation of the vardian sensibility .",
        "the beaches of agn\u010ds taps a haunting nostalgia , because it invites the art-house audience to get wistful for what it once was - that is , for a time when an artist like varda only had to dream it , and we would come .",
        "varda turns the camera on herself and her own life , even though she convincingly posits that she 's much more interested in other people .",
        "brilliantly reinvents the autobiography in a glorious multi-media collage that eschews a standard biographical format , even as she incidentally provides facts .",
        "playful , amusing , and illuminating , varda 's latest docu is at once an engaging personal memoir of a rich life and an informal look at the french new wave , of which she was a co-founder and the only significant female member .",
        "a sentimental , whimsical autobiography .",
        "varda 's luminous depiction of a life lived well is entertaining , informative , and finally , inspirational .",
        "in a sense , varda has done for herself what she did for demy -- creating a work , as charming as it is touching , that serves to explicate and enrich an entire oeuvre .",
        "varda 's brilliant cinematic reflection of her life , loves and prolific career is both poignant and inspiring . if you love cinema , ` beaches ' is a must see !",
        "-lsb- varda -rsb- has a way of never explaining very much , and yet somehow making it all clear . she does this by not treating her life as a lesson in biography , but as the treasured memories of friends .",
        "the beaches of agnes is a work of delightful contradictions from a filmmaker who has always played by her own rules .",
        "as evidenced in the beaches of agn\u010ds , varda is too venerable to be hip -- and too wholly alive to be venerated .",
        "filmmakers do n't usually do documentaries about themselves , but agnes varda 's the beaches of agnes is good enough to start a trend .",
        "you might not be able to write a book report on varda after seeing her movie , but you do feel like you 've spent a long , leisurely afternoon with her .",
        "we should all be so lucky to have the chance to make movies about our own lives when we 're much older ; and as one of the lucky ones , varda wastes no opportunity to provide a fun , humble , and shining entry .",
        "inventive look at varda 's life , films , photos and art .",
        "... -lsb- varda proceeds -rsb- diagonally and discursively through her life and work while intermingling clips from her films , archival footage , and tongue-in-cheek reenactments ...",
        "the uplifting meandering piece on the likable eccentric filmmaker , varda , is self-reflective , poignant and heartfelt .",
        "a puckish , moving and wonderfully eccentric tour through her life .",
        "it 's a unique , funny recollection of a life , through memories and moments .",
        "a witty and engaging cine-autobiography .",
        "a deftly assembled , wry and touching self-portrait of agn\u010ds varda as both a filmmaker and an endearing , indomitable spirit .",
        "although you will get more out of this self-portrait if you 're a film-lover , it can be enjoyed simply for its touching , eloquent reflections on life in general .",
        "a touching , highly whimsical journey down memory lane .",
        "poignant and illuminating , it 's also suffused with varda 's playful , eccentric spirit .",
        "it 's impossible not to open your heart to this film .",
        "a loose-leaf diary in which the pages are shuffled by instinct , wit and surreal art .",
        "memory is a recurrent theme in varda 's work , and with this film she serves her own with warmth and skill .",
        "charming and idiosyncratic , the beaches of agn\u010ds has a strong emotional pull for anyone familiar with varda 's career as a film-maker , photographer , artist and committed feminist .",
        "as insistently wry as it is haunting .",
        "this trip down memory lane achieves more than just nostalgia .",
        "a captivating cine-memoir , impressionistic and surrealistic , surveying varda 's formidable career as a still photographer , filmmaker , documentarian , and life force .",
        "intensely personal and universally adaptable , the beaches of agn\u010ds is at once varda 's gift to posterity , and to a world that that undervalues the small and seemingly insignificant events through which we drift unconsciously , but which leave a mark .",
        "the beaches of agn\u010ds is at once an illustration of the fine art of foraging and an autobiographical portrait .",
        "a lifeless autobiography , a shadow of the director 's genius , the beaches of agn\u010ds is strictly for the film historian .",
        "this is a lovely , quirky and not a little poignant film from agn\u010ds varda , at 81 the still spry grande dame of the nouvelle vague that revolutionized french and world cinema in the late 1950s and early 60s .",
        "an octogenarian french auteur looks back on her life , times and movies in this engagingly jaunty documentary .",
        "a film as unique and impressive as its subject .",
        "ultimately , her movie is about how her life , anybody 's life , is created out of oddments that never quite cohere , and do n't need to . the sheer sensuousness of all these bric-a-brac memories is sustaining .",
        "a film that acknowledges time and age without completely giving into their grim results .",
        "at 80 , french new wave legend agnes varda creates a lucid and passionate cinematic memoir that is transformative in its effortless ability to connect the director 's life story to her ever-present artistic impulses that are just as strong today as when she",
        "the kind of film that will make you feel better about cinema , humanity , and life itself .",
        "there 's not much discipline and it 's way too long , but in common with her best work , it has a dreamy sort of charm .",
        "agnes varda shows us what modern film making is all about in a whimsical look at a cinematic genius .",
        "agn\u010ds varda manages to be full of herself without seeming ... full of herself . perhaps that 's because her self is full of so much other stuff : friends , photos , films , buildings , and beaches .",
        "this feels like the work of an octogenarian who wishes to be leave those close to her a well rounded self-portrait to remember her by .",
        "in the beaches of agn\u010ds , the `` game '' of cinema is endlessly fascinating , as what was and what can be come together on screen .",
        "by turns insightful , schmaltzy , anecdotal , critical and nostalgic ."],
    "summary": "an enchanting self-portrait by a veteran director , beach of agnes is equal parts playful and profound .",
    "id": "770794603"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tron",
    "reviews":
     [
        "without the rosy filter of nostalgia , it 's a virtually unwatchable virtual-reality saga .",
        "visually , this film is state of the art , \u0430 la 1982 , and jeff bridges turns in some of his better work .",
        "for most people , MOV 's importance is as a historical footnote . it 's the model t of our cgi age . but the film 's fans are passionate ones .",
        "perhaps one of the more stunning features in motion picture history , creatively adapting mistakes and hunting invention , shaping a movie that displays such curiosity with technology and boldness with sci-fi fantasy .",
        "this movie is great . by the way , what kind of mushroom was that again ?",
        "aside from cgi sequences , there 's nothing compelling here .",
        "it does have one or two boring stretches , but the computer world it envisions is fantastic .",
        "MOV never reaches a level of excitement commensurate with its effects budget .",
        "MOV is loaded with visual delights but falls way short of the mark in story and viewer involvement .",
        "dated effects , of course , but still nerdy fun after all these years .",
        "the movie 's innovative digital special effects were jaw-dropping at the time and still seem pretty cool . but somehow the plot congeals early into an old-time medieval epic and gets pretty dull .",
        "a dazzling movie from walt disney in which computers have been used to make themselves romantic and glamorous . here 's a technological sound-and-light show that is sensational and brainy , stylish , and fun .",
        "one of those rare movies that manages to be silly and cool and important all at once .",
        "apesar de sua contribui\u0437\u0433o para a evolu\u0437\u0433o dos efeitos criados em computador , o filme possui um roteiro med\u043docre , representando um marco t\u0439cnico , mas um fracasso art\u043dstico .",
        "its computer sequences exist in a blue-gray scheme filled with flashing lights , speeding objects and dizzying motion . its visual effects are wonderfully new . they are also numbing after a while .",
        "anyone nostalgic for monochrome computer screens , basic or '80s video games should definitely check this out again .",
        "grandfather of the geek cult movies .",
        "while it touts its technological influence , MOV is actually more instructive a model for the special effects extravaganzas that continue to litter the multiplex .",
        "there are some stolid sci-fi elements in it and some neat one-liners that 'll appeal to computer users .",
        "it 's a simple idea that ought to serve , but lisberger 's failures of pacing , structure , variation , and characterization ultimately make the film seem monotonous and distant .",
        "although MOV 's state-of-the-art , computer-generated visuals look primitive by current standards , it 's intelligently conceived -lrb- on a visual level , at any rate -rrb- and largely good fun .",
        "the biggest letdown -- the mcp is a big red cylinder with a face reminiscent of the kool-aid man .",
        "MOV looks almost as startling as it did when i was much shorter , largely because the designs by moebius and syd mead complemented the austere style of early cgi .",
        "despite my reservations about the film 's story line , i 'm sure i 'll be watching it a few more times before either the disc or i wear out .",
        "MOV 's images intoxicate ; this computer world , depicted in the vocabulary of computer graphics that are highly contemporary , is a deserved dog-ear in the history of cinema .",
        "a must-have dvd for us former adolescent computer nerds",
        "... a hopelessly dated relic of the early 1980s ...",
        "the special effects are dated , but at the time they were awesome .",
        "MOV is at once a supremely silly movie and a groundbreaking one . it 's best seen as the maiden voyage of an expedition that has led us to wonders like gollum from the lord of the rings movies and avatar .",
        "MOV did n't just come up with a new special effects , it came up with new things to use those new kinds of special effects on .",
        "it 's as if fritz lang had set metropolis , his silent , science-fiction classic , in a disco .",
        "not only does it introduce the humanity/technology themes that would surface in later cyberpunk fantasies , it boasts some of the most unique visuals in any film , then or now .",
        "a wildly visual and imaginative science fiction adventure ...",
        "story is n't the point here , nor are complex characters , potent themes or arch conversations . the film exists as spectacle in its purest form .",
        "seeing it is like spending two hours in a hardware store gussied up with streamers and flashing lights . it 's different , but it 's not entertainment .",
        "essential 80s , and it 's glorious in that respect",
        "it may seem somewhat dated these days , but it would probably be fair to credit this disney movie with being the forerunner of the toy story movies .",
        "the visuals were groundbreaking and the famous light-cycle sequence is undeniably cool , but the years have n't been kind to the tech-talk script or offensive synth-mongous soundtrack .",
        "while its visual effects have aged laughably poorly , the movie can be quite lovely to look at , particularly since its cgi is n't trying to represent anything more realistic than 1982-era cgi .",
        "dazzling but lightweight .",
        "a superb 20th anniversary dvd proves that MOV was n't just groundbreaking ; it 's also great fun .",
        "more important for its revolutionary visual effects than anything else , the film is both entertaining and prescient .",
        "there 's an undeniable cart-before-the-horse aspect to MOV ... but lisberger 's film will always stand as a touchstone in the development of cgi as a storytelling tool ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-"],
    "summary": "though perhaps not as strong dramatically as it is technologically , MOV is an original and visually stunning piece of science fiction that represents a landmark work in the history of computer animation .",
    "id": "12120"
  },
  {
    "movie": "yes_men_fix_the_world",
    "reviews":
     [
        "entertainment that tickles the justice-for-all glands .",
        "this is often a very funny film , made more relevant by a recession which began after the film was made . michael moore should watch out - he has competition .",
        "most of the ideas are admirable and pretty funny .",
        "funnier and more useful than sacha baron cohen 's br\u00fcno .",
        "this movie is glorious testimony to the moral power of satire .",
        "even more so than in the previous film , the MOV indulges in faux-na\u010fve disappointment .",
        "it 's fun , ballsy , edited with color , humor & hopefully will bring some awareness to the price of greed , and inject some ethics into discussions among the rich and powerful .",
        "the yes men are dissidents of such fearless ingenuity that you want to believe them at face value",
        "occasionally funny and often audacious , but this is too smug to satisfy and too much like ashton kutcher 's ` punk 'd ' to be considered cutting edge .",
        "you have to admire their ability both to pull off these stunts and to extract such honest expressions of greed from such corporate victims .",
        "a resounding yes for the yes men . a middling maybe for the MOV .",
        "... the film remains perfectly watchable for the majority of its appreciatively brief running time .",
        "the yes men 's bravery and unflagging sense of optimistically doomed humor -- which comes across as a quixotic version of monty python by way of upton sinclair -- is to be applauded and , wherever possible , acted upon .",
        "like jackass for the npr set .",
        "an entertaining swipe at corporate irresponsibility .",
        "unfortunately , they risk seeming glib during this doc , which brandishes a cheekier , more self-congratulatory tone than did the yes men , its 2003 predecessor .",
        "bichlbaum and bonanno do n't just try to make the world a better place . they treat it as if it already were .",
        "beyond question , the results are overstated , outrageous and wildly , scatologically juvenile . but they 're also a hoot to watch .",
        "you ca n't fool all of the people all the time , but maybe the yes men can trick enough of them into doing what 's right .",
        "gandhi may not have been known for his wicked sense of humor , but one gets the feeling he 'd approve .",
        "a smart , thoughtful examination not only of the morality of capitalism , but of comedy - the yes men fret over the ethics of their prankery with a rigour that their corporate adversaries could learn something from .",
        "the film , though brave , gonzo and often funny , raises the bar on the debate provoked by michael moore and sacha baron cohen . how cruel does satire have to be - to innocent and guilty alike - to accomplish its missions ?",
        "optimistic and constantly amusing , the yes men are a force for the good . that , plus the knowledge that many of those free marketeering goons will have been crushed in the credit crunch , makes this a guilt-edged pleasure .",
        "it 's less a documentary than filmed performance art , barely concealing horror at capitalism 's death wish .",
        "this documentary is ragged and a little self-regarding . the stunts veer towards heavy-handed .",
        "although the two do n't have the screen-grabbing charisma of other cultural agitators like fatso michael moore , as the film develops , you are left with nothing but admiration for the audacity of their stunts .",
        "mildly diverting , but belongs on tv rather than cinema screens .",
        "their preposterous presentations are like art performances as much as political interventions .",
        "forget about `` bruno '' or `` borat '' . this is the real deal when it comes to exposing the phoniness of those in positions of power .",
        "finds its titular merry pranksters up to yet more capitalist-critiquing chicanery and fat-cat-fooling fun .",
        "given the duo 's withering take on capitalism , it 's ironic that their stumbling second feature feels throughout like an infomercial for a shtick whose expiration date is rapidly approaching .",
        "interestingly low-fi , dialing down the smugness that choked out the original documentary . fix is a comedy piece , but the directors have a better grasp on the balance between silliness and anxiety , which makes for a stronger film .",
        "it takes some nerve , not to mention diabolical intelligence and financial resources , to pull off the elaborate pranks devised by the yes men .",
        "the MOV definitely shows they 're one step closer to achieving their goal .",
        "the slice of life story of two masters of the modern hoax . more laughs per dollar than any other film fuel .",
        "intermittently funny and provocative , but it ultimately lacks enough bite , surprises and insight .",
        "the only trouble with the film is that the pranks , though connected by the general agenda to expose appalling corporate practices , are too varied to be unified by any larger concrete goal . this works as activism but does n't quite work as film .",
        "even if you do n't agree with the yes men 's political agenda , you 'll get a big kick out of this movie .",
        "clever and hard-hitting attacks on the dishonesty , greed , and ethical malfeasance of corporate america .",
        "the anti-globalist performance guys who call themselves the yes men are masters of forging corporate rhetoric and media protocols .",
        "a guerilla-style documentary which shows just how much havoc two guys with cheap suits and fake websites are capable of wreaking in corporate america .",
        "when the butts of the jokes are mid-level losers at meaningless conferences , the guerrilla theater seems misdirected , even cruel .",
        "the film is entertaining in its own right , and thought-provoking . why do n't more people quickly see through their hoaxes ?",
        "beyond question , the results are overstated , outrageous and wildly juvenile . but they 're also a hoot to watch .",
        "this is a movie that does little more than preach to the converted . it 's mildly amusing at times , but ultimately pointless .",
        "even if the yes men do n't exactly fix the world in their documentary , they certainly give it something to think about .",
        "they are highly entertaining and i am sympathetic to most of their grievances .",
        "this follow-up is a little more spotty and unfocused than the first film . that we 're this interested in their further exploits has more to do with their goofiness than it does with the quality of footage editing , assembly and such .",
        "when a british channel 4 interviewer upbraids bichlbaum for providing massively false hopes to countless bhopal residents , i found myself siding with the interviewer , not the prankster with the alleged higher moral purpose .",
        "fleet and amusing ."],
    "summary": "the yes men aim their barbs at the capitalist fat-cats with gutsy and hilarious performance pranks .",
    "id": "770803079"
  },
  {
    "movie": "notre_musique",
    "reviews":
     [
        "hardly a director alive possesses godard 's eye for dynamic , inner-lit old-masterly compositions .",
        "patience and curiosity help to reveal its heartfelt , hypnotic and richly poetic musings as serving as both a cry for help and an act of hope .",
        "godard forces us to see the recognizable anew , opening our minds -lrb- our music -rrb- with juxtapositions of history .",
        "our music presents jean-luc godard 's audacious meditation on war , violence , terrorism , victims and the truth that lies in the play of opposites .",
        "lovers of cinema will like it for its insights into the melding of text and images , and it will find a broader audience for its contribution to the debate on modern war .",
        "adventurous audiences would love this new film and be proud of themselves for seeing it .",
        "there 's plenty here to unpack , most of it regarding modern malaise , and the rewards are proportionate to the amount of work you want to put in .",
        "my review summed up in three parts : war is bad , nature is good , and godard is senile . if this is our music , somebody needs to get a better soundtrack .",
        "too abstract and lacking in a moral compass to be going anywhere that was real .",
        "marries a banal message with a directorial technique that 's now more sclerotic than innovative .",
        "an impenetrably ponderous , smarty-pants rumination on war -lrb- among other things -rrb- , the very sort of film for which the term ` artsy-fartsy ' was devised .",
        "fractured , dense , opaque and demanding in a way that few other filmmakers would dare to make it .",
        "plays out as a series of dry pronouncements from intellectuals . but godard has not lost his taste for experimentation .",
        "it 's the first godard film in years that has n't made me want to rip out handfuls of my hair and then jump out a window . does that count as a comeback ?",
        "this musique sings .",
        "stuffed full of ideas , artfully crafted and thoroughly engrossing",
        "an intensely felt , quietly beautiful elegy to 20th-century europe -- to the europe of wars -- and to the human need to create enemies .",
        "a glaringly obvious message delivered in willfully opaque style .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "godard has made a film whose title translates into our music , but he fails to realize that the band is playing only for him .",
        "a refreshingly moving , relatively easy-to-follow guide to the persistence of mankind 's barbarism and our equally dogged hope to achieve some kind of reconciliation before the last light is stomped out .",
        "a film of flowing , redemptive beauty and poetry , at once immediate yet classic in its simplicity of form .",
        "sad to say , godard 's innovative style is no longer breathtaking , or even innovative . confusing and boring are better words .",
        "the rueful work of a man who once fell hard for simplistic , murderous politics and has come to see his mistake .",
        "mr. godard has n't earned the right to take the mantle of jewishness upon himself as if it were some sort of halloween mask .",
        "-lsb- jean-luc godard -rsb- may be nearly 74 , but this three-part meditation , inspired by dante 's inferno , is the work of someone with fresh , young ideas .",
        "visually sublime and intellectually dense , this is one of the extremely rare movies that prove cinema can be as complex and profound as the very greatest art works in any form .",
        "an impish assault of quotations , annotations and provocations .",
        "i find -lsb- godard 's -rsb- later work to be tediously self-important and politically obvious .",
        "godards ' brilliant our music , this year 's shortest but densest film , offers an intellectual-poetic meditation about war seen through dialectics of text and image .",
        "godard locates the heart of the world in that divide , that moral schism . the movie then asks , without answering , can it ever be repaired ?",
        "MOV 's wistful mischief and gentle provocations will keep mind and soul humming long after you 've carried them out of the darkened theater .",
        "too touchy-feely for some hardcore godardians , MOV is the most lucid of the master 's recent films .",
        "though godard has often mixed avant-garde technique with conventional narrative in the past , here there 's a firm line dividing the two modes from one another , and it makes the film much more cohesive , but a bit less intoxicating .",
        "structured like the divine comedy , jean-luc godard 's new film is a journey through hell and purgatory in search of a paradise .",
        "this tiresome series of ruminations on the meaning of existence , as well as man 's inhumanity to man , demonstrates that godard is still stuck in the same groove , that he makes the same movie over and over again .",
        "the result is , alas , more an illustrated lecture than illuminating insight , a little chunk of purgatory for all but the most diehard of godard 's fans .",
        "godard has become a nonsensical rambler whose vision surpasses his reach .",
        "jean-luc godard has another movie out ... and we all know what that means .",
        "jean-luc godard has had a tendency to be combative and obscure . he 's a lot calmer and steadier in his latest feature .",
        "a lumpy mix of real-life and fictional events that shows age has n't diminished the famed filmmaker 's zeal to experiment .",
        "packs more thoughts and ideas into any two minutes than most movies have at all .",
        "it will mean much more to those familiar with his work . but those moviegoers will experience intense pleasure in watching a great innovator at a personal high point .",
        "for those willing to ponder , this is a worthy feast of words and images .",
        "like his series histoire -lrb- s -rrb- du cinema , MOV suggests snapshots inside godard 's head . they 're often fascinating , but at times they are also like listening to that boring old uncle .",
        "this film , which awakens your inner philosopher and encourages it to breathe , may not be an experience for everyone ; if only it were .",
        "director jean-luc godard , the enfant terrible of the french new wave , is now in his mid-seventies , yet he 's lost none of his desire to challenge an audience .",
        "jean-luc godard 's unfathomable influence on filmmaking has allowed him to enjoy a kind of grandfather clause in recent years .",
        "the 73 year-old enfant terrible can still take society to task for failing to recognise that it 's our dualities that enrich life rather than any fanciful notions of global unity .",
        "godard attempts to paint modern europe as dante 's various circles of hell -- but one fears he has lost 90 percent of the audience in the first 10 minutes",
        "jean-luc godard returns with another of his extraordinary , heated , agitated essay films .",
        "godard establishes then subverts his clean , mirrored construction with an array of fascinating ideas that attempt to understand symbiotic but unequal relationships .",
        "godard 's montage is as deadly as ever and his palette is seemingly every camera shot that has ever been made .",
        "this intellectually scintillating think-piece from the eternally relevant jean-luc godard finds hell and purgatory right here on our sorry , scorched earth .",
        "it 's glorious . musical . amazing and lovely and smart and stylish and fascinating ."],
    "summary": "a dense , but thoughtful meditation about war by jean-luc godard .",
    "id": "19005"
  },
  {
    "movie": "brave_one",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- jordan -rsb- transforms here into a hollywood hack , out to satisfy the lowest-common-denominator movie-exploitation prerequisites .",
        "my one complaint about this otherwise excellent film involves the ending , which does n't ring true to me .",
        "eventually we wake up . this is really just another ms. .45 revenge flick , only with artistic pretensions .",
        "we loved looking at the movie . the performances from foster and howard are absolutely terrific . what the hell any of it means escapes us .",
        "it 's lily-livered narrative cowardice , and i reject it .",
        "it is vengeance porn dressed up as an important film , a reverse slasher movie feigning some weak pretense of meaning beyond its own bloodlust .",
        "two terrific lead actors under the direction of the estimable jordan are n't enough to overcome the proven axiom that although you can make a bad movie from a good script , you ca n't make a good one from a bad one .",
        "some form of this eye-for-an eye argument could probably be made , but the MOV never bothers to make it . instead , it relies on sentiment , platitudes , plot holes and fear itself .",
        "less a brave movie than a foolhardy one . trapped in a no man 's land between seriousness and pulp trash , it plays like a combination of death wish and the hours . if that sounds like an awkward fit , it is .",
        "the likes of the great , loony ms. 45 and dozens of asian exploitation movies did -lsb- this subject -rsb- trashier . yet , somehow , many of those felt more honest .",
        "thoughtful action picture ? meditation on grieving ? the MOV tries to be both but just misses its target , despite the presence of a magnetic jodie foster .",
        "the MOV is as bold a movie as we are likely to see this year , a movie that has more in common with 1970s provocations like straw dogs and taxi driver .",
        "dirty jodie",
        "kill 'em jodie .",
        "jodie foster 's commanding performance compensates for a film that ca n't decide whether it 's an updated version of 1970s vigilante actioners a la death wish or a more provocative chronicle in post-9 / 11 new york .",
        "led by jodie foster , the MOV is an adult hollywood thriller a notch above most vigilante movies . powerful and provocative , it will keep you thinking long after you 've left the cinema .",
        "foster 's moments of quality drive home how shaky and inconsistent this vigilante drama is . want something to avenge ? how about the way it fails to live up to the sum of its reputable talents . now that 's criminal ...",
        "neil jordan ought to be doing more challenging material than this overblown , overwrought thriller that has only obvious points to make about the moral swamp that is urban vigilantism .",
        "as you 'd expect , the talented foster and howard clearly relish sinking their teeth into a pair of well-rounded parts , their relationship teetering between cop and suspect , and the possibility of a romance .",
        "it wants to be a modern taxi driver ; it manages to be the new falling down , with foster as fierce as ever .",
        "foster is terrific and jordan 's direction is impressive , but the film does n't quite succeed , due to the strain of trying to be both angry revenge thriller and emotional , thought-provoking drama .",
        "beautifully played , the tantalising accretion of mutual understanding between foster and howard is one of the film 's strengths , yet the plot machinations required to lever it into position would overstretch credibility in the clunkiest action flick .",
        "foster convinces as the petrified victim turned vengeful killer and howard is superb as the world weary detective . together , they just about managed to save a frequently ham-fisted script .",
        "jordan 's most interesting film since the butcher boy .",
        "with a title that suggests the start of an epic poem or perhaps a fairy tale , the MOV is a startling achievement for stars jodie foster and terrance howard , and yet another notch in the growing artistic oeuvre of neil jordan .",
        "every slimeball erica encounters menaces her with remorseless , repulsive sadism -- there 's never anyone who just has a lewd comment , say ... everyone wants to bludgeon or shoot her , mutilate and molest her ...",
        "in the final reel , jordan and foster serve up violence and revenge as cynical button-pushing , which the audience eats up with a pavlovian response .",
        "almost tortuously high-tension and exciting , it switches gender with charles bronson 's `` death wish . ''",
        "ok , jodie , if you 're making comparisons to `` taxi driver '' : one 's a masterpiece about the penchant for emotionally apocalyptic violence . the other is manipulative junk tapping into its star 's success at kicking butt . guess which of those is `` the MOV . ''",
        "the moody tone and carefully balanced drama turn a grubby premise into something unexpectedly elegant .",
        "a true shocker that will shatter your nerves and get you talking .",
        "why is the MOV so much less satisfying than death wish ?",
        "one guesses this slick , decidedly mainstream project is little more than a paycheck -lsb- for director jordan -rsb- . unfortunately , it shows . the minutes pass quickly enough in watching the MOV , but it is a waste of time .",
        "the MOV celebrates its avenging angel as it pretends to examine her .",
        "you long for all this combined talent to be in the service of something more deserving than a retread of a story that has lost the edge it had 33 years ago .",
        "jodie foster and director neil jordan shift the genre to the murky left , where right and wrong are not so black and white .",
        "a violent action movie with a heart and soul . watching it is difficult ; forgetting it is more so .",
        "it 's a throwback girl-with-a-gun exploitation tale , as well as an evolved feminist fable ; and an impeccable dissection of gun control , as well as a wicked mockery of nra mentality .",
        "jordan 's ballsy and sometimes bonkers movie is more ambitious and alive -- more worth writing , talking and thinking about -- than anything that has tumbled off the hollywood assembly line in a good long while .",
        "foster is remarkably believable . she never seems to be ` acting ' .",
        "worth watching for foster 's fiercely arresting performance .",
        "clever , calculated , ` responsible ' filmmaking .",
        "suggests a real lack of imagination on the part of the filmmakers and a sad capitulation to the idea that violence is the only answer .",
        "it is foster and howard 's performances that really help this movie rise above just a revenge fantasy .",
        "alas , moral niceties are blown away in a frenzy of retribution , and a `` controversial '' ending undoes any plausibility .",
        "the film 's final unforgivable fault is its sheer , plodding dullness .",
        "it is tough and challenging and twists and turns in ways that are not expected or obvious or easy .",
        "powerful themes , intense emotions and a faultless performance from jodie foster are central to neil jordan 's film , yet i have a fundamental problem with the story 's morals , condoning violence , revenge and the protagonist taking the law into her own hands",
        "foster keeps us gripped with a convincing display of steely determination and moral ambiguity .",
        "what you ca n't deny is foster 's expertise at mixing vulnerability with an inner rage that half excuses what she is doing .",
        "as with all revenge movies , it simply provides its thrills by bumping off the bad guys .",
        "like foster 's character , erica bain , the movie makes a tortured show of conscience , then trades it in for a leather jacket and a semi-automatic .",
        "the MOV wins out , if nothing else , because it knows the power of the gun .",
        "everything about foster 's ocular intensity is riveting , but little in this hushed vigilante drama makes sense .",
        "a cheapjack vigilante potboiler .",
        "dreadful misfire casts jodie foster as a vengeance-fueled vigilante bent on cleaning up a new york that has n't existed for years .",
        "put a cowl on her and she 's batman ...",
        "the very fact that it 's so well-made actually makes the picture all the more morally dubious .",
        "riddled with illogical plot contrivances , pat irony , half-formed subplots , and a climax that stretches the boundaries of what can be swallowed .",
        "jodie foster creates a symphony of raw emotions . a huge crowd pleaser .",
        "the MOV seems to be implicitly saying that only men are capable of forceful action , only men are interesting at the centre of a moral quandary -- or at least , women who resemble men .",
        "foster 's subtle but gut-wrenching performance gives you a palpable sense of adrenaline and self-loathing at the same time",
        "a bold and powerful thriller",
        "both viewers and the characters onscreen must deal with the fact that we like when criminals get what 's coming to them , regardless of who 's pulling the trigger .",
        "the MOV has opened the fall movie season with a bang , indeed with a lot of bang , bang , bangs . do n't miss it .",
        "this one 's all about performance : ms. foster 's as a gun-toting angel of vengeance overcomes flaws in plot .",
        "the MOV thinks it has something to say about how we live in this real world today , and it wants to say it while hoping we 'll overlook one plot hole after another .",
        "with all the thematic false starts and missed opportunity , the MOV boils down to violence begets violence , and says it cures all the pain of loss .",
        "... one of the most compelling and flat-out exciting revenge thrillers to come along in quite some time .",
        "-lsb- despite some flaws , -rsb- i do recommend the movie - for foster 's stunning performance and for the story 's willingness to explore the honest-to-goodness implications of violence .",
        "i think the MOV could have been a better film with a different ending , but it 's still a well-crafted , thought-provoking story with outstanding performances .",
        "unfortunately , with each bullet she discharges , credibility takes a hit .",
        "jordan 's brave delves into a showy yet sluggish crime drama that incorporates all the cliched parts of a fatalistic fantasy audiences have seen over and over .",
        "foster and howard are outstanding actors and they play their roles very well in this film , keeping the empowerment-by-murder plot from sinking until the end .",
        "should have been a quickie revenge flick , but turns out to have a lot more meat on its bones thanks to foster 's strong performance and assured direction by neil jordan",
        "an ugly , nasty , self-deluding piece of sadistic trash .",
        "as polished as it may be on the surface , ` the MOV ' is never satisfying because the complexities of eloquent language or imagery are not present .",
        "unfortunately , the plotting in the MOV is rather pedestrian and often flawed , undermining this film 's potential for greatness .",
        "uncertainty helps keep the MOV on its toes .",
        "those going into this film expecting some kind of corollary to foster 's other film about random violence , the accused , will be disappointed for the simple reason that that was a serious film , and this is not .",
        "the thing that keeps one from totally sailing off the tracks terrence howard .",
        "an emotion-filled commentary on loss , revenge and redemption , the MOV is a smart , well-acted , engaging thriller ...",
        "as its blandly heroic title forecasts , `` the MOV '' is a revenge fantasy that floats like a narrative helium balloon waiting to find its ceiling .",
        "the performers , however , almost make us forget the problems with the script . foster and howard are a riveting pair .",
        "suggests something tailored for people who buy their cds at coffee shops and approve of how rudy giuliani pimped out times square to the disney company .",
        "what could impel jodie foster and director neil jordan to whisk us back to the bad old days of death wish and ms. 45 ? were their credit cards maxed out ?",
        "although it is bloody and at times brutal , it does n't revel in the violence . there 's more to the movie than initially meets the eye for an eye .",
        "by the time foster says ` i want my dog back ' , you might be saying you want your money back . but by then , it will be too late . you 'll have been seduced ...",
        "foster 's achievement is maintaining her humanity and keeping us on her side at all times .",
        "at its best , this high-toned vigilante picture depicts a woman almost literally transformed by violence , first as a victim , then as a participant ; she could be a cousin to one of the car-wreck victims in david cronenberg 's ` crash . '",
        "too unpleasantly stern to be exploitation , and too bloodthirsty to be drama .",
        "masterwork of craft , manipulating viewer emotions to elicit unthinking responses and unabashed bloodlust .",
        "jodie foster and terrence howard deliver unforgettable performances that elevate this movie to more than a revenge film .",
        "the fire goes out long before the film ends .",
        "be care of the bait and switch . the film flip-flops from start to finish between a heart film with a vigilante and a vigilante film with a heart .",
        "and that brings us the bad stuff , heretofore known as the script . the story keeps on putting erica in harm 's way , so much that you 're not sure why . i mean , would a woman alone really ride on the subway at night ?",
        "bravura performances ca n't save this '' ` one , '' a run-of-the-mill vigilante flick from director neil jordan -lrb- not known for his run-of-the-mill anything -rrb- .",
        "in jordan 's hands , the film becomes a tormented trip into a nightmarish world of murky darkness and neo-expressionist camera angles .",
        "works as exploitation but fails at anything more socially relevant .",
        "despite some quality performances , from both foster and her co-star , terrence howard , the MOV is every bit as ludicrous and every bit as wrong-headed and distasteful as those other -lsb- vigilante -rsb- films .",
        "the finale is bad enough to make you wish the actress were working more often , so that the blatantly commercial stuff was n't all she was letting us see .",
        "in the end it 's a film that does n't know what it wants to be - on the one hand it 's visceral entertainment -lrb- b-thriller ? -rrb- , and on the other hand it tries for some arch conservative , reaganesque view of conflict resolution .",
        "with a smart script , sure-handed direction and strongly internalised performances , this film astutely blends a personal drama with a revenge thriller .",
        "jodie foster has a good shot at awards recognition in this flawed but still disturbing vigilante drama .",
        "foster 's pistol-packing turn as an avenging dark angel nearly sustains director neil jordan 's grim vigilante drama through a string of implausibilities and occasionally trite psychological framing devices , with deft support from terrence howard .",
        "in exploring what fear has done to erica , jodie foster gives one of the best performances of her career .",
        "director neil jordan , usually a master at creating atmosphere , keeps us at a remote distance throughout .",
        "curtis the dog and erica bain review the MOV .",
        "the MOV is glossy trash masquerading as a meaningful and important drama , and that 's the biggest shame of all .",
        "you half expect the csi : new york characters played by gary sinise and mila karakanedes to show up at the first , second or third crime scenes .",
        "the MOV , though well cast and smoothly directed , is just as crude and ugly as you want it to be .",
        "foster is n't the only one abused in this film . viewers are , too .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's a lot to admire in the MOV . it just does n't cut as deeply as it needs to .",
        "has neither the depth of character nor of theme to justify the condoning of her actions .",
        "jordan je , koriste % u0107i svoj nesumnjivi re % u017eijski talent , snimio film koji je istovremeno i staromodan i moderan",
        "the switch is flipped so quickly by erica that i did n't root for her vengeance , i felt sorry for her .",
        "deplorable urban-vengeance melodrama",
        "you know what would be brave ? making an unflinching film about a difficult-to-tackle topic and complex characters , and sticking to your message , damn the torpedoes .",
        "jodie foster and thoughtful irish international director neil jordan take us to places we 'd probably rather avoid .",
        "the MOV can at times be a brutal , violent and harrowing portrait of an over burdened system , where thugs rule the streets and the corrupt contaminate the upper echelon of society . it is also an un-original revenge/vigilante story .",
        "they 're trotting it around at all the festivals trying to distract everyone from how bad it is .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- dopey action movie featuring the contributions of people too talented to waste their time on something this risible .",
        "the MOV is worth seeing for the scenes between terrence howard and jodie foster .",
        "the MOV is not merely the most morally repellent film of the year , but a contender for the stupidest .",
        "you may hate yourself for yielding to the expertise of the manipulation , but the vicarious thrill of the MOV is the sense of pulling your own trigger on pure evil and watching the bullet tear through .",
        "the MOV is death wish with a guilty conscience , and while it may be a bit of a hypocrite as vigilante thrillers go , the internal contradictions of the thing make for a very interesting picture .",
        "foster is so good , and the plight of an ordinary person destroyed by violence so compelling , that the movie is likely to be a hit .",
        "even the masterful jodie foster ca n't manage to raise this sluggish vigilante yarn above other movies of its ilk .",
        "foster and howard are both wonderful actors and they try very hard to make this soul stuff work . but the absurdity of the script does them in .",
        "fundamentally insane .",
        "erica finds herself in mortal danger so often you 'd think new york had reverted to pre-giuliani anarchy .",
        "where once -lsb- foster -rsb- made nell ... and , yes , silence of the lambs , now she makes commercial trash like this . she , and her fans , deserve better .",
        "an ugly , manipulative mess .",
        "psychological suspense is what makes the MOV spellbinding . the movie does n't dine out on action scenes , but regards with great curiosity how these two people will end up .",
        "what the screenwriters do n't achieve in dialogue , director jordan often delivers visually . he and his cinematographer employ a particularly powerful way to evoke erica 's resurfacing . it resembles a slow blink ; it suggest a brain grappling to make sense .",
        "the MOV is oppressively plot-driven . all the mood is snuffed out . the filmmakers so want erica 's actions to make sense to us that the movie usually seems illogical despite itself .",
        "what might have been a serious drama about coming to terms with violence and loss turns into a crowd-pleasing and increasingly far-fetched remake of death wish .",
        "regardless of the artistry involved , the MOV ultimately never really strays from the same moral low road as death wish .",
        "not unlike its heroine : conflicted and unsure of which way to go . ... -lrb- foster -rrb- emphasizes erica 's anguish and the shock that comes from realizing that you 're capable of doing things you once would have found abhorrent .",
        "it can never seem to decide if it 's escapist action or social commentary and , as a result , it never commits to either .",
        "foster does her best with a flawed story whose ending rings even less true than the rest of it .",
        "following her first vigilante act , the movie starts hemorhagging iq points and the faux hand wringing escalates . this movie never stops lying to itself",
        "the only thing that could have made this movie better is if it were revealed at the end that our leading lady was really a man . but we 've been down that path before .",
        "it 's entertaining but it 's certainly not the essay on violence it purports to be ... at least it 's not boring . whenever you see a scumbag , at least you know she 's going to shot him in the face .",
        "is there really a difference between full review | original score : c +",
        "somehow , foster and howard make it work .",
        "the MOV might have been honest , perceptive , and troubling . instead , it becomes aimless revenge porn .",
        "an unapologetic genre picture powered by a pair of honest performances that plucks our emotional strings and races our pulses .",
        "you will be rooting for her to off more bad guys , rather than understanding that she is disturbed and out of control .",
        "in this dreary , cockamamie valentine to new york city haters , concocted by the father/son team of roderick and bruce a. taylor -- a good argument for the government sterilization of a certain family 's genes -- radio personality erica bain -lrb- foster -rrb- is confront",
        "just a more superficially sober version of death wish .",
        "the profoundly discouraging ending does n't work .",
        "una pel\u00edcula mediocre , sensacionalista y manipuladora filmada por un buen director .",
        "the MOV feels like a superhero movie , charting the familiar story of an unsuspecting everywoman who discovers one day that a gun gives her special powers to right wrongs and uphold justice .",
        "audience identification with the movie really rests on whether you 're turned off by this freestyle , really pissed off judge and jury female assassin , or else in the mood to cut this loose cannon sexy sniper some slack .",
        "if nothing else , enjoy nicky katt 's hilariously smart-ass one-liners .",
        "the movie never seems entirely plausible . yet it makes no difference ; we still get involved with it .",
        "MOV is n't death wish , but there are moments where i could see jordan giving in to that impulse .",
        "hoorah for vigilantism ! who needs the rule of law when you 've got guns ?",
        "because it wants the applause both of the chatting classes and the blood crowd , the MOV does n't take a firm position about vigilantism .",
        "a seventies ' revenge movie with a woefully unconvincing patina of intellectual justification , the MOV is the sort of genre movie that gets more credit than it deserves .",
        "drama , action , humor and sex appeal . what more could you ask for ?",
        "forget about comparing this film to death wish , as many already have this is n't good enough to deserve comparison to death wish 4 : the crackdown .",
        "the MOV moves at a brisk pace and foster and howard do a fine pas de deux as the plot develops .",
        "did n't i just see this film two weeks ago with kevin bacon in death sentence ? terrance howard is strong , though . funny lines from nicky katt .",
        "it wants to be a moody , dark exploration of pain and revenge -lrb- the same feelings i experienced during and after the movie -rrb- .",
        "remind me not to piss jodie foster off !",
        "-lsb- jordan -rsb- presents the material with intelligence . unfortunately , intelligence is not what this movie needs .",
        "bull 's - eye .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's as much about the unfocused feelings of vengeful rage many americans had after 9/11 as about a woman going on a killing spree .",
        "armed with good performances -- and contrivances .",
        "nyc as a dangerous metropolis where a gun-toting fem avenger indulging in a cerebral bloodsport has a close brush with death every five minutes or so .",
        "got the exploitation part right but could n't get much else right .",
        "decent revenge flicks allow some viewers to continually ask `` what if . ''",
        "in that moment , the movie changes too , from a subjective contemplation of her grief and loss to an erratic vigilante pic .",
        "... sullied by sludgy screenwriting , but jodie and jordan almost pull it out of the mire . it 's a misfire , but an interesting one .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "magnetic by between jodie foster and terrence howard ca n't quite compensate for the MOV 's problematic and unconvincing eye-for-an-eye moral .",
    "id": "770670843"
  },
  {
    "movie": "lumumba",
    "reviews":
     [
        "framed by the shameless burning of congo 's national hero with only a smidgen of kootchi-coo family sentimentality , MOV richly deserves its best picture award at the 2001 pan african film festival .",
        "utterly absorbing .",
        "a tellingly discouraging testament to the inherently complicated and manipulative workings of a formerly subjugated culture not fully freed from its oppressors .",
        "for better and worse , peck is no oliver stone nor even a spike lee , another director who can make a mountain of a film out of a molehill of suspicions .",
        "serves as a gut-wrenching requiem for the hope of peace and prosperity in post-colonial africa .",
        "the visceral force of MOV is a sober reminder that there 's nothing more incendiary than the reopening of a forgotten chapter of history .",
        "both compelling and occasionally bewildering .",
        "a powerfully rich and incredibly sorrowful portrait .",
        "peck 's subject and lead actor elevate his film above its mediocre production .",
        "eclipse any political film oliver stone has made in quite a while .",
        "gives a neglected giant of african independence his due .",
        "manages to give us , from the start , a comprehensible , if necessarily simplified , sense of an extremely complicated moment in history .",
        "ebouaney , as MOV , imbues the man with the fury and calm that complicates peck 's construction of him as a symbol with a legacy .",
        "a powerful portrait and provides more than enough material for someone like me who knew nothing .",
        "a biographical drama as fiery as the man whose brief existence it illuminates .",
        "a great film and a great performance .",
        "the tumultuous events surrounding the rise and fall of the congo 's first prime minister are rendered with passion and complexity .",
        "utterly enthralling even for viewers unfamiliar with the congo 's complicated political history .",
        "the trouble with the film is not canonization but , again , the recurrent defect in pictures about such people . the ideational data are so sketchy that it is as if we were riffling the pages of a complicated book .",
        "the term for this type of film is ` self-important . '",
        "as clich\u00e9-rich as it is compelling .",
        "raoul peck 's detailed telling of the machiavellian maneuverings proves gripping and haunting , with a resonant performance by eriq ebouaney as the charismatic leader .",
        "never much more than hagiography that lets the context of its hero 's death remain confused .",
        "MOV may not seem like the kind of film you 'll want to run out to see , but you wo n't regret it if you do .",
        "what director peck , who grew up in congo/zaire , fails to do is give us the proper background .",
        "a taut , well-drawn story .",
        "at the heart of the movie is ebouaney 's performance as MOV , every bit as intense as denzel washington 's as malcolm x.",
        "earnestly but amateurishly acted , the movie feels more like a play with the actors exaggerating their gestures so that even those in the cheap seats wo n't miss anything .",
        "one day , when ebouaney is a huge star , people will look back at this film and say ` that 's what did it . '",
        "peck , who assayed MOV 's life in a 1991 documentary , now paces the doomed man 's story like the genuine thriller it is .",
        "it 's a prime example of how a historical drama can be politically correct but thoroughly embalmed . the memory of patrice MOV deserves better .",
        "drawn from life or not , film people need some flaw , some depth , a facial betrayal of emotional struggle . if not , they are the stuff of action adventure , rooted for but at once forgotten .",
        "MOV overcomes some minor shortcomings and becomes an important and gripping feature .",
        "bites off way more than it can chew , it is often artlessly made , and it assumes that we know more than most of us do about the congolese nationalist movement .",
        "the story of the congo and its struggle for independence from belgium is a bloody and torrid one , but MOV does n't really imbue the tale with much spirit .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- ompelling .",
        "strong , bloody and sad .",
        "packed with incident , the film also crackles with danger , simmers with hope .",
        "his story is told with admirable crispness and a surprising lack of bias .",
        "too many meetings and ` important ' events , not enough of MOV himself .",
        "captures the volatility and chaos of a nation struggling to find its identity and purpose .",
        "a solid , interesting , educational and honest docudrama",
        "complex , powerful , intensely dramatic .",
        "draws an indelible portrait of how a young nation can be turned into a civic basket case .",
        "seeing it should n't be taken as some sort of educational chore . though informative , it also happens to be smashing good drama .",
        "ebouaney is given the daunting task of carrying a heavy film , and rises to the challenge with denzel washington-esque conviction .",
        "as fluid and intellectually stimulating as the man himself .",
        "moving , poignant , and quietly angry .",
        "ebouaney is easily the best thing about this import .",
        "a tense drama told with style and ambition -- and with a remarkably steely , energized performance at its core .",
        "an engrossing film that attempts to unearth a dark period of african history and the short-lived tenure of MOV 's power .",
        "the vividness of the figures and situations whets the appetite ."],
    "summary": "ebouaney 's fiery performance makes MOV compelling .",
    "id": "20910"
  },
  {
    "movie": "barbershop_2_back_in_business",
    "reviews":
     [
        "low-key to the point of being listless .",
        "like going out for a bad meal with a group of people you love being with . you 're happy to be in their company ; you just wish you did n't leave feeling hungry .",
        "an uplifting , and funny , film about real people .",
        "outside of being well-acted and funny , barbershop 2 is actually about something .",
        "twice the amount of cedric makes this twice as funny as the original !",
        "`` barbershop 2 '' shows a maturity over the original , making it a worthy sequel .",
        "some jokes hit and others miss , but the laughter , camaraderie and warmth will keep you smiling as much as it did the first time around .",
        "-lsb- fumbles -rsb- around with what had been a winning cast of characters , reducing their living , breathing relationships to a series of exchanges of cheap insults .",
        "it 's a warm , often funny reunion of the sassiest , chattiest characters ever to buzz a brother 's head .",
        "heartstrings will be tugged and ribs tickled , particularly thanks to cedric the entertainer .",
        "a more serious but equally entertaining comedy than its predecessor , film provides enough food for thought and laughs to satisfy diehard fans .",
        "it never strains , even though pulled muscles are a common sequel injury .",
        "grooves to its own drummer , yet remains dynamically true to its roots .",
        "the pointed , no-taboos banter that was the soul of barbershop gets the short shrift in this entertaining but too-cursory sequel .",
        "does n't overreach the original 's modest ambitions , does n't mess with the endearing , well-rounded characters and never forgets that the jokes are all in service of a sincere message about what it means to be a community .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "hysterically funny , historically aware , politically nuanced , culturally sophisticated and productively self-critical all at the same time -- and you 'll need a second viewing just to catch all the jokes .",
        "even when it falters , barbershop 2 is sharp and hilarious .",
        "the concept has eroded from pleasant surprise to charmless franchise , which is ironic , considering that the plot of the second film involves competition from cookie-cutter corporate invaders .",
        "takes the characters deeper than the first film , revealing new dimensions to all of them , and it balances its bright humor with a melancholy sense that the changes that come to a neighborhood are not always good ones .",
        "affectionate and deeply funny .",
        "warmhearted and surprisingly ambitious .",
        "as long as it is simply being a barbershop , the gab has a razor-cut charm .",
        "it 's still funny and warm and neighborly inside calvin 's barbershop ; it 's just a little predictable as soon as you step outside .",
        "as fragmented and heavy-handed as the first installment was smart , funny and , yes , at times unexpectedly sweet .",
        "the connection between the still-potent issues of the civil rights movement and the rich vs. poor economic disparities that continue today -- although ` the man ' could now be either black or white -- gives barbershop genuine potency .",
        "it 's the chemistry between all the characters , which has deepened since the first movie , that makes barbershop 2 worth watching despite its sluggish , sometimes sloppy pace .",
        "just as sharply funny and as heartwarming , yet unsentimental , as the first .",
        "a showcase for the loose , occasionally very funny , give-and-take between instantly recognizable characters .",
        "a dutiful mood -- call it sequelitis -- has descended on the place .",
        "easily the first film 's equal , if not an improvement .",
        "this smart , feisty comedy is still ghetto-fabulous enough to make you laugh until your short , back and sides ache .",
        "the banter is tighter and funnier , and calvin 's musings on the importance of community seem more heartfelt .",
        "it 's the kind of set-piece ensemble that has proven immensely successful as a sitcom formula but tends to struggle to meet the demands of a movie .",
        "provides enough solid , character-based amusement to put customers in the chairs and send them out content with services rendered .",
        "manages to throw away everything that made the first film so good .",
        "great message delivered in an edgy hip-hop movie .",
        "barbershop 2 is a weak , too rarely humorous , too long bore .",
        "it ai n't high art , but it is a fun flick .",
        "inane banter soon takes over and is not helped by an unlikely , flashback-heavy subplot about eddie -lrb- cedric the entertainer -rrb- and a lost love .",
        "schoolyard jokes about religious faiths , genetic traits , and sexuality which only work if you enjoy laughing at people because they are darker-skinned , or curlier-haired , or perverted , or have emigrated from another continent .",
        "a better , funnier , more closely cropped movie than its enjoyable predecessor .",
        "-lsb- eddie 's -rsb- irrepressible spirit remains the key to the movie .",
        "this one 's a winner by more than a hair .",
        "a movie that cares about its audience , cares about the concept of community and makes you laugh time after time after time .",
        "constantly engaged and intelligent while generally conscious of retaining the entertaining goods , barbershop 2 is anything but your business-as-usual sequel .",
        "these characters really are like old friends -- there 's something almost comforting about going back and hanging out with them again .",
        "what barbershop 2 : back in business lacks in stealth and surprise , it makes up for in style and confidence .",
        "as funny as the first movie , but it 's narratively scattered .",
        "funny and entertaining .",
        "barbershop 2 is that rare exception of a sequel that actually surpasses the original .",
        "the filmmakers clearly put considerable thought and imagination into making as a good a sequel as they could .",
        "picks up where the first film ended by celebrating community , exploring responsibility to one 's neighborhood and , most important , providing big , big laughs .",
        "the sequel is like year two of a once-promising sitcom -- when the characters are methodically stripped of the edges that made them interesting in the first place .",
        "although it lacks the freshness of the original film , barbershop 2 is still enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "a sequel that sacrifices the chat for storytelling -- following exactly the wrong vein of raw materials .",
        "as in the original film , it 's the chemistry among the actors that really counts . and fortunately , the filmmakers have reassembled the terrific cast .",
        "what 's intact from the original is the premise 's big heart and the wonderful ensemble led by ice cube .",
        "it is n't a bad hair day , just a limp , uninspired one .",
        "the high-velocity comic additions provided by latifah and the flashbacks relating to eddie 's youth are enough to make this sequel one more sharp cut .",
        "there 's no question eddie was the chief asset of the first film , and sequels are required by law to exploit the original 's strengths . but the filmmakers have misread eddie 's appeal .",
        "still a nice place to hang out .",
        "sullivan clearly has his own ideas , but wisely uses the established characters to flesh them out instead of making them act out of character for his purposes .",
        "for all of the snappy verbal sparring and romantic complications that embellish the film , it is ultimately about community ...",
        "too often we 're locked out of the barbershop and stuck in a bad movie , our faces pressed up desperately against the window .",
        "improves on its predecessor",
        "the first film arrived with freshness and an unexpected zing , but this one seems too content to follow in its footsteps .",
        "a generous and infectious blending of the old school with the fresh .",
        "a warm and tasty second helping complete with smart visual flourishes , strong laughs and a willingness to take a few bittersweet cuts with its scissors .",
        "a movie featuring ice cube bellowing ` no more profanity ! ' and meaning it should produce a lot more laughs than this intermittently amusing sequel .",
        "ice cube sticks with the formula that made barbershop so successful , yet manages to keep the material feeling fresh .",
        "the seriousness with which barbershop ii treats its political conscience offers an unexpected weight to what 's essentially a big screen sitcom .",
        "barbershop 2 works best when its characters are being funny and fighting with each other or lambasting pop-culture blemishes ...",
        "yet another sleeper hit becomes a cynical franchise . i guess ` nappy-cutz ' wins after all .",
        "tries hard , but the routine feels a little too familiar . it 's like getting a trim when what you really need is a new style .",
        "they need to find the edgy magic that they had with the first blockbuster .",
        "this likable , lackadaisical comedy proves more focused than the first film yet lacks much of its comic bite .",
        "barbershop 2 achieves what most sequels can only wish for : it 's actually much better than the original film .",
        "the gist of this film can be summed in one short phrase : ` sorry . my bad . '",
        "both films are flawed and unfocused . both have thin plots that must rely on even thinner back-stories to flesh out a feature length film .",
        "a direct hit on jesse jackson .",
        "cube is still adorable , but the potentially poppin ' battle between the shop and big-box competitor nappy cuts gets obscured by sloppy chronology and flat , cartoonish politicos .",
        "ice cube warms up and cedric the entertainer lives up to his title in this unexpectedly rich and rewarding comedy sequel .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- s funny as the original .",
        "it 's like going back home for a visit .",
        "this sequel is overstaffed with a cast that 's underserved by don d. scott 's schematic script and kevin rodney sullivan 's crude direction .",
        "barbershop 2 : back in business is the second episode of a big-screen sit-com . it may be three times longer , but it is also three times funnier .",
        "... succeeds adequately enough at the lower expectations it establishes .",
        "an appreciation of ritual and exchange , a generosity of spirit .",
        "funky good vibes permeate this soulful follow-up to ice cube 's 2002 surprise success .",
        "barbershop 2 , like most sequels , ca n't begin to capture the spirit , magic and charm of its predecessor .",
        "the dialogue is dumber , the plot is weak and it is more politically correct , but it still has those same loveable characters , curmudgeons all .",
        "there are some laughs in the movie , some nice moments between the characters , and some occasional glimmers of the old magic . however , there are not enough of them .",
        "a sorry little excuse of a film created to advertise pepsi products , queen latifah 's spin-off movie , and to exploit the success of the first barbershop .",
        "it is an ok sequel , but what it really demonstrates is that this would play much better as a tv series .",
        "the story gets bogged down in some pace-stopping scenes about community gentrification , some mildly confusing temporal transitions , and some exchanges that should be side-splittingly funny but are only mildly amusing .",
        "perhaps if the movie had been funnier , it would 've been easier to overlook the bizarre dramatic interludes ...",
        "successful only in sullying the memory of a superior movie that did n't warrant a sequel , particularly one so glaringly lacking in imagination and purpose .",
        "affords a feel of life in a big-city neighborhood .",
        "glossier and more focused than its scruffy predecessor",
        "what made the first film such a success -- the hilarious banter in the shop ; the moving but never sappy personal dramas ; a respect for history ; the true affection for the city ; and , of course , the brilliance of cedric the entertainer -- is still intact .",
        "overall , barbershop 2 is a sweet comedy minus the sap , hilarious yet devoid of crudity , and political without ever being preachy .",
        "the barbershop franchise is like cheers for people who are n't boring .",
        "the actors anchor the film with their live-on-the-spot rhythms .",
        "earns a visit , if only by a hair ... if the business is n't quite so brisk this time around , there 's an amiable familiarity that warrants your continued patronage .",
        "barbershop 2 is both entertaining and edifying with its funky portrait of the challenges facing many urban neighborhoods across the country .",
        "a sequel with all the humor , compassion , raunch and camaraderie of its predecessor .",
        "this time around , the razors are a little duller , the clicks not as slick , the patter not as snappy .",
        "the second cut goes a little deeper in this sequel to the feel-good ensemble comedy .",
        "climaxing with a politician-worthy podium speech , the film has too many creaks in its gears to earn a wholehearted recommendation .",
        "there is never a single moment where it manages to justify its existence as anything other than a soulless cash-in enterprise .",
        "... a surprisingly topical sequel that warmly embraces universal themes and values under its veil of comedy .",
        "thoughtful and humorous in equal measure , it 's a complete and satisfying package that manages that most elusive of cinematic tricks : it delivers on its promises .",
        "they 're a likeable bunch whose schtick grows on you . but their material is just a little too thin .",
        "the sequel does n't surprise us ... but that does n't make the visit any less pleasant .",
        "now that those hobbits are wrapped up , hollywood ought to turn its attention to making a `` barbershop '' trilogy .",
        "this return visit to calvin 's barbershop is like settling back in with old friends .",
        "still funny and warm , and blessed with wonderful characters , bright lines and far more perception of the human condition than you generally find in modern-american comedies .",
        "from the opening credits , which trace the history of black coiffure , it 's a tribute to african-american culture .",
        "you get the feeling the screenwriter is scraping around inside a mine that was n't meant to be visited more than once .",
        "taken as a pair , the ` barbershop ' movies are an exuberant lesson in how comedy is a better format for penetrating social commentary than drama .",
        "this series offers an inner-city equivalent of mayberry , where greed and cynicism do n't stand a chance against homespun truths , family values and just plain folks ."],
    "summary": "the humor is less sharp and more warm-hearted this time around , and the characters are enjoyable to revisit .",
    "id": "10839"
  },
  {
    "movie": "true_romance",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the pacing is frantic , and the character interplay generally engaging . perhaps the problem is that when it 's all over , i 'm not quite sure whether there was a point beyond a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing .",
        "it 's tarantino 's gutter poetry that detonates MOV . this movie is dynamite .",
        "the movie may be stylistically visceral , but it 's aesthetically corrupt . it might as well have been called pump up the violence .",
        "too often the bloodbath mentality simply washes away the film 's more appealing elements .",
        "the movie has a kind of goofy charm .",
        "this film 's various outrages are committed unapologetically , and are very much in the service of its bizarre story .",
        "an instant cult classic . not only is it self-referential , stylish and exciting , it 's also better written than most genre films , with plenty of memorable dialogue , compelling characters and yes , MOV .",
        "MOV , despite not displaying tarantino at his best , is still a tarantino film and it delivers the goods to all those who expect some stylish entertainment .",
        "if you 're in the mood for this sort of absurd , violent nonsense ... MOV does deliver .",
        "made with such energy , such high spirits , such an enchanting goofiness , that it 's impossible to resist .",
        "insanely transcendent",
        "provides some amazing encounters , bravura acting turns and gruesome carnage . but it does n't add up to enough .",
        "... -lsb- a -rsb- violently funny genre mishmash that gave tony scott 's new life , and also transmitted quentin tarantino 's vision more credibly than the screenwriter and then-novice director could have done himself .",
        "if shoot - 'em - up , gobble - 'em - down movies like the fugitive and jurassic park are rated pg-13 these days , what does an r-rated action adventure look like ? like MOV : violent to a fault , glam to the max .",
        "the only thing that goes wrong with the movie is christian slater ... the failure of its central character ends up being an irritation , but not a film-crippling problem .",
        "... a pulpy good time that holds up remarkably well two decades after its theatrical release ...",
        "a hall of fame guy 's movie ... -lsb- with -rsb- a macho '90s ensemble eclipsed only by glengarry glen ross ... the monologues -- oh , the monologues ! -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "... a chase picture , a gangster picture , and a wacky , turbulent romance ... sort of a bonnie and clyde on speed .",
        "about as good as contemporary hollywood movies get .",
        "such a rush that it 's only towards the end that you realise the picture is less than the sum of its impressive parts .",
        "nothing if not consistently entertaining .",
        "the movie is exciting , thanks to the script , but when it comes to the bullet-ridden showdown , scott shows it in fast cuts , without giving us a perspective of the action or the space . it 's ruined .",
        "sifting through the bloody , pulpy trash of MOV -- should you care to -- you 'll find amusing , smart-alecky nuggets planted by screenwriter quentin tarantino .",
        "it plays out like candied noir , with a classic dialogue scene at least once every ten minutes .",
        "overrated , but still quite a bit of fun .",
        "bombards the audience with images of blazing guns , brutal beatings , and lots of gushing blood while telling a twisted and entertaining tale .",
        "despite tony scott 's occasional blundering , MOV is still a visceral roller coaster .",
        "god i wish i had written this movie .",
        "a hip , clever and irreverent high-voltage thriller with nary a dull moment .",
        "fast , fun and fantastically performed ... one hot little movie",
        "one of the most dynamic action films of the 1990s .",
        "my favorite movie of all time",
        "based on an early script from tarantino , tony scott 's wild movie is amour fou for youth of the 1990s , a gutsy , violent , often exciting picture likely to divide film critics .",
        "if the romance seldom seems ` true ' , the spiralling violence -lrb- script , quentin tarantino -rrb- does succeed , in a brutish , cod-jacobean kind of way .",
        "like always , walken owns the movie"],
    "summary": "fueled by quentin tarantino 's savvy screenplay and a gallery of oddball performances , tony scott 's MOV is a funny and violent action jaunt in the best sense .",
    "id": "17105"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hills_have_eyes_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the mutants may or may not live to kill again , but at this point , these fussed-over grotesques are better suited to wax museums than movie theaters .",
        "the national guardsmen and - women are picked off one by one in scenes of birth , death , rape and other carnage that aim to be as grotesque as possible .",
        "it 's no better or worse than most films of its genre .",
        "this team 's descent is soon revealed as cockamamie : they 're no longer trained fighters with automatic guns but victims in a splatter movie .",
        "cheesy and yucky , it 's a guilty pleasure .",
        "pure genre-pic boredom .",
        "a nastily effective piece of action-horror , as reflective of its time and its war as the vietnam-era deliverance was of its time and war .",
        "a secret comedy lurks within this decidedly shoddy piece of corporate horror .",
        "an enjoyable sequel if you like this sort of thing .",
        "another depressing example of a cult 70s slasher being cynically retooled for mtv-reared thrill-seekers .",
        "gratuitous , slow-as-molasses and interminably dull-witted ; this is a horror movie for no one . dialogue runs the gambit from `` shitman the barbarian '' to `` smelling like shit '' in a crappy stinker where even the cameraman blows .",
        "the film 's defining emblematic moment comes when a man crawls out of a port-o-potty covered in feces , thereby providing an approximation of the audience 's experience .",
        "i ca n't even bring myself to say , drop in , turn your brain off and enjoy , as the material presented is just not anywhere near as entertaining as the first run .",
        "if you do n't walk out in the first few moments , you deserve every gut wrench , gag reflex and skin crawl you get for the rest of the film .",
        "it 's extremely grisly , brutal and scary . and not bad at all if you like this kind of thing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's all just far too wes craven for its own good . he gave aja free rein to innovate , but as he writes this sequel he rests on every single genre clich\u00e9 because he does n't understand that they 're still clich\u00e9s even if he did invent them .",
        "director martin weisz does an adequate job of maintaining the movie 's tension and momentum , but the lack of compelling characters and the unusual level of nastiness makes this an arduous mission for all involved .",
        "the film may not be as scary as its predecessor , but it will make you think twice before you use a porta potti again .",
        "reasonably effective , although the low budget frequently peers through in the uninspired set design and laughably obvious bluescreen work .",
        "the only folks jumping out of their seats are the ones going for a drink refill .",
        "feels like an exercise , not a real film .",
        "it is only another by-the-numbers , do n't - mess-with-the-formula screen filler aimed at the gore-hound fan boys who sustain all these franchises while bemoaning their sameness .",
        "the roman numeral in the title is the most sophisticated thing about the sequel . otherwise , this radioactive spawn of wes craven is abysmal , stupid and -- horror of all horrors ! -- incredibly boring .",
        "although series creator wes craven wrote this sequel 's script with his son jonathan , the film has little of that filmmaker 's usual sass .",
        "it never generates a real sense of dread or building pressure . instead , it uses its feeble set-up to string together one grisly shock after another .",
        "one man-versus-mutant dust-up ends with a sledgehammer to the groin . enough said .",
        "written , disappointingly , by wes craven and his son jonathan , this limp sequel to last year 's remake of wes ' 1977 original feels like the work of a guy who 's spent a few too many days lost in the desert .",
        "have n't our soliders suffered enough ?",
        "maybe it 's just time to put an end to this mutant circle of life , or at least send it straight to dvd from now on .",
        "another shining example of the sorry state of horror filmmaking these days",
        "this horror fanatic does n't have room for craven in his genre anymore . collect your cash and call it a day already , wes ...",
        "a film as bloodily pointless as the current conflict in iraq that it so unsubtly allegorises .",
        "weisz ' first feature was ` butterfly : a grimm love story ' , a banal study of a real-life cannibal killer . like this sorry sequel , it amounted to far less than the sum of its body parts .",
        "a retro horror-comedy featuring quick deaths and cheapo-looking gore , with a few dorky laughs and gross-outs but not so many scares .",
        "a sequel to a remake that 's surprisingly intelligent and original , and it proves to be a worthy successor to both alexandre aja 's 2006 hills and wes craven 's 1977 original .",
        "bears no relation to the old 1985 sequel , which hardly matters since the hills have eyes ii is perfectly capable of being a rancid crapfest on its own merits .",
        "despite having almost as much ick-content as the last film , the MOV has n't the skill to make it unnerving .",
        "fingers in brains , thumbs in eyes and sledgehammers in the balls are straight outta tom & jerry : this time the hills are alive with the sound of larfing .",
        "pretty solid gory horror .",
        "the new movie is a pre-combat nightmare , whereas the first -- alexandre aja 's effective 2006 remake of craven 's low-rent 1977 original -- was pure post-nuclear paranoia .",
        "you 'd like to think such bankruptcy of imagination means we 've seen the last of these subterranean creeps . but you know they 'll be back soon to collect their royalties from the gore hounds who apparently do n't care how dull -lsb- it is -rsb- .",
        "this hurry-up sequel delivers the same brand of paranoid , blood-covered , barely clinging-to-an-r-rating action as in ' 06 , featuring a similar pack of desert-dwelling super freaks who wreak murderous havoc on unsuspecting visitors .",
        "wes craven would like the audience to think they 're having a nightmarish good time , but i do n't recall repeated internal urgings to run screaming from the theater in unstoppable bad movie agony in the recipe for fun .",
        "though written by wes craven and his son , jonathan craven , this is pretty standard stuff .",
        "it 's not scary , not novel .",
        "after this disgrace , it 's time to shut the hills ' eyes for good .",
        "although the ads warn , ` the lucky ones die fast , ' the truth is , ` the smart ones walk out early . '",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if the hills have eyes ii is to gain notoriety for anything , it is the invention of one of the most laughable methods of murder ever captured on film : death by leather wallet .",
        "helmer martin weisz , whose background is largely in musicvideos , meets the challenge of creating dread in broad daylight , before the entire cast of soldiers and carnivores heads underground , into the warren of mines and tunnels where the mutants dwell .",
        "being gross and gory is one thing , but the problem with the hills have eyes ii is that those elements are literally all it has going for it .",
        "there is not any plot worth discussing : people go into a desert , some die . the end .",
        "in case you miss what 's happening , one soldier wails , ` oh , man , we 're gettin ' picked off one by one , here . '",
        "it sucks balls .",
        "... dull and interminable ...",
        "as far as stuff like mood , atmosphere , tone , and intensity is concerned , this sequel is a completely empty vessel .",
        "the only thing the lowly hills 2 has going for it is the grossness , ferocity , and superhuman strength of the rampaging mutants . i mean , these guys put the ugh in ugly ; they make the original 's michael berryman look like a hunk .",
        "... could have been more than a pale shadow of the original if the filmmakers had taken their time ...",
        "the MOV offers another round of dull , gory fright scenes that neither push the horror envelope nor exhibit any noticeable ingenuity .",
        "rote and crass .",
        "there 's gore galore , but not much more . and it 's a bore .",
        "well , no , they do n't . if they did and if they could see , they would have read the script , passed on it , and we all would have been better for it .",
        "for anyone other than hardcore gore-hounds , this flipbook of deliberately invoked global-unrest horrors , from friendly-fire killings to rape as a breeding weapon , is effectively mean and unrelenting -- and pretty far from fun .",
        "better made than most low budget and derivative movies of its genre , but it just does n't have enough to stand out as anything more than an improvement upon those dregs .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "the MOV is a completely unoriginal sequel offers plenty of gore and clich\u00e9s , but few scares .",
    "id": "493950127"
  },
  {
    "movie": "diplomatie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "we know where this is going , or rather where it is n't ; but the fun is in watching the negotiations unfold .",
        "its minor thrills come not from not knowing what will happen , but from watching the cagey choreography of two acrobatic minds .",
        "diplomacy will work for those who appreciate dialogue-based character films in which plot is of secondary importance .",
        "although we know what happens , diplomacy keeps up the suspense and pulls off surprises as choltitz 's decision reaches its inevitable ending .",
        "you know , after all , what the end result will be , but `` diplomacy '' is strong enough to keep the situation intense and important .",
        "a little supporting personality could have made the proceedings feel less like a smartly staged character study and more like a wartime drama .",
        "arestrup and dussollier are mesmerizing as they attack and parry , argue and counterargue . they reminisce about their lives before the war and wax poetic about their families - then engage in battle again .",
        "the drama is made interesting and more substantial as hidden facts about the german 's situation are revealed , and his soldier 's perspective honored .",
        "gripping little drama shows the fate of paris in the hands of two men",
        "diplomacy induces pins and needles from the get-go and does n't let up until the credits roll .",
        "benefits greatly from the razor-sharp , theater-honed skills of two formidable french actors , niels arestrup and andr\u00e9 dussollier , who created the roles on stage .",
        "has enough visual panache to compensate for the static , conversational nature of the work .",
        "schl\u00f6ndorff does the expected thing with handheld cameras , slowly circling the combatants , but he also finds interesting and exciting ways to use the space .",
        "it 's the subtle duel between these two men , in addition to the film 's evocation of a besieged paris at the crossroads , that gives such vigor to diplomacy .",
        "the film is n't really fooling anyone into feeling doom-laden suspense -lrb- paris , after all , is still standing -rrb- , but the principal performers sell the momentousness of the drama .",
        "the film 's a little too flashy and theatrical , with too-neat ironies . as a duel between acting talents , though , this is first-rate .",
        "the result is a gorgeously shot , finely composed , tremendously acted bit of historical melodrama ...",
        "based on the french play by cyril gely and directed by volker schl\u00f6ndorff 's diplomacy is so soundly engineered and acted that it does n't seem stagey at all .",
        "the principal suspense in this fascinating movie is generated by the polite , and then not so polite , ferocity of the arguments between the two men .",
        "poses important philosophical questions through essentially a two character staged play . not exactly historically accurate but a serious and thoughtful film not to be missed .",
        "expanded from cyril gely 's stage play , this film remains finely focussed on a history-changing dialogue between two men on the day paris changed hands from the nazis to the allies .",
        "the result is intriguing and intelligent , but ultimately uninspired .",
        "it is a beautifully written and expertly acted two-hander that takes dramatic licence with real historical events to create an urgent , compelling high-stakes drama .",
        "gert fr\u00f6be and orson welles played the same parts in ren\u00e9 cl\u00e9ment 's sprawling epic , is paris burning ? -lrb- 1966 -rrb- . but this is superior in every regard .",
        "a highly civilised piece of work .",
        "if you 've had your fill of tony world war ii dramas , this probably wo n't renew your interest in the genre , but the leads are fine as usual and schl\u00f6ndorff succeeds in making the stagebound material feel reasonably cinematic .",
        "a solid two-hander from a pair of veteran european actors , but one that plays a bit fast and loose with historical facts .",
        "it 's surprising how much more imagination this modest film has of the possibility of such wanton destruction than edge of tomorrow had ... and in that tom cruise movie , the aliens actually destroyed the city .",
        "diplomacy is a tiny film that hits a big target .",
        "tere 's a fair amount of talking in circles , even with the film 's brisk running time . the dialogue also reflects the material 's stage origins in ways that do n't always translate well .",
        "a mesmerizing , tense and deeply human battle of the mind and heart with note-perfect performances by niels arestrup and andr\u00e9 dussollier .",
        "well-orchestrated and superbly acted . though we know the outcome , the fate of paris seems anything but guaranteed .",
        "the leads carry the weight of the world on their shoulders , articulating the uniquely delicate struggle at the core of this superbly executed picture .",
        "a brilliantly-acted , wwii gem from veteran schlondorff .",
        "adapted from a stage production written by cyril gely , it feels more theatrical than cinematic , but its historic importance is adequate to hold viewers ' attention .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's quite a triumph for diplomacy in general and schl\u00f6ndorff 's pinpoint filmmaking in particular to involve us as thoroughly as it does in the ebb and flow of their compelling conversation .",
        "promises to come down to issues of principles and ideals in conflict but does not",
        "arestrup , dussollier and schl\u00f6ndorff make us all believe in a battle for paris that never happened .",
        "how can it be suspenseful when we know paris survived ? because schl\u00f6ndorff 's opened-up play adaptation showcases two mesmerizing actors reliving how individuals make history .",
        "a friendly discussion of life and death passes the time as the allies storm the last nazi defenses of the city of lights .",
        "it 's arestrup who really steals the show , turning von cholitz into a man who bears the weight of several thousand soldiers , not to mention an entire civilian population , and who suffers under that burden until making a final , eleventh hour decision .",
        "to be sure , we are in that authorial fantasy by which historical figures become shrewder , sharper and wittier than they surely were in life ... but when the actors and the dialogue are this good , one scarcely objects .",
        "diplomacy 's origins as a play -lrb- written by cyril gely and starring the same actors -rrb- are always evident .",
        "the value of `` diplomacy '' is that it produces at least as much unsettlement as relief , compelling the viewer to remain haunted by nightmarish thoughts of what might have happened .",
        "what g\u00e9ly lacks in historical fidelity he gains in dramatic interplay between men who held power very differently ."],
    "summary": "for filmgoers who value character development and smart dialogue over plot , diplomacy yields rich , powerfully acted rewards .",
    "id": "771374337"
  },
  {
    "movie": "oceans_thirteen",
    "reviews":
     [
        "though `` ocean 's thirteen '' sticks to las vegas , rather than the lush palazzos of european cities , the atmosphere is still a privileged one where our heroes carry out another ultra-hip caper .",
        "the gang 's back in vegas , and back in top form .",
        "clooney , pitt and damon have now worked together long enough that they 've found a delightful sense of synchronicity that makes even the throwaway lines worth catching .",
        "there is one small bit of good news about ocean 's thirteen : it 's not as bad as ocean 's twelve . but when you consider just how dismal the latter was , this nugget will hardly be cause for rejoicing .",
        "steven soderbergh 's film is smooth , pleasing and lively . it 's also completely devoid of genuine dramatic tension .",
        "why put so much sheen on a movie that warrants and provokes nothing more than mild diversion ? it 's like serving sloppy joes on fine china .",
        "acknowledging that service employees and factory workers make casinos tick - and factoring them into the plan - is a welcome wrinkle in pressed-suit professionalism that 's on display in this thrillingly exciting franchise revival .",
        "this might be the first piece of escapism to have a whiff of public service at its heart .",
        "a fast-paced lark of a movie that makes it clear that in this cruel and crafty world , friends have to stick together .",
        "returning to las vegas but losing its winning streak , ocean 's thirteen lets soderbergh and the boys take a final bow while proving it is possible to have too much of a good thing .",
        "surrendering to ocean 's 13 's pleasurable surfaces is sort of like admitting your attraction to a luxury brand : sure , those alligator loafers are extravagant nonsense , but they feel so nice on your feet .",
        "it 's more apparent than ever that soderbergh , clooney , and company do n't care -- and that sense of gleeful nonchalance is contagious .",
        "it took a really weak sequel to realize what a long shadow ocean 's eleven cast , and it 's still present here .",
        "just so you know -- because this is important when you 're talking to fans of george clooney 's charming thief danny ocean -- it 's an hour and 15 minutes into ocean 's thirteen before he appears in a tux .",
        "it 's time to send the danny ocean franchise out to sea , for good .",
        "the smug `` it 's our party and you 're not invited '' vibe of the second film is gone , replaced by a fizzy sense of shady glamour that makes an insanely complicated story of scams and swindles go down as smoothly as an ice-cold bellini .",
        "with ocean 's thirteen , the gang 's all here , looking fighting trim and hollywood beautiful , at your disposable pleasure .",
        "ocean 's thirteen will please those who delight in its persistent self-mythologizing , but the thrill of the original is gone , and nothing can bring it back .",
        "ocean 's 11 's easy chemistry and effortless style return alongside the let 's - take-down-a-casino plot .",
        "the details , the plots , the stratagems , the counter-stratagems mount and mount and mount until the thing reaches a point of such overplotted density it ca n't be penetrated .",
        "hollywood 's summer of risk-free programming continues with the fourth three-peat in six weeks , ocean 's thirteen , the least overbearing of the franchise installments rolled out so far .",
        "like the first ocean 's , ocean 's thirteen is a satisfying story of a grand-scale swindle , but it also retains the impishness and charm of ocean 's twelve .",
        "for two hours , life as you drearily know it is effectively suspended and a summery delirium takes over . this may be one of the busiest movies ever made , but soderbergh keeps the activity percolating with a fizzy arsenal of retro editing flourishes .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is passingly enjoyable summer fluff , but if you can find a more genial , less edgy caper movie , you might want to own it as a pet .",
        "it 's not often that the third in any franchise lives up to the reputation of its predecessors . here steven soderbergh pulls it off by trumping the lackluster number two in the series and returning to the upbeat ambience and freshness of the first one .",
        "this time , the con is on the audience .",
        "predictably adolescent and smarmy , with the mix of sentimentality and cynical flippancy that 's becoming steven soderbergh 's specialty -lrb- even when he 's pretending to make art films -rrb- , this is chewing gum for the eyes and ears , and not bad as such .",
        "i know full well i 'm expected to suspend my disbelief . unfortunately , my disbelief is very heavy , and during ocean 's thirteen , the suspension cable snapped .",
        "has enough frothy frolic to make it worthwhile despite its lapses .",
        "thirteen is all about maintaining a barely perceptible smirk behind an impassive pose . the line between cool and cold is a thin one , however . cool is n't the word for thirteen ; it 's just smug .",
        "it 's just about good enough to make us forget how unfortunate ocean 's twelve really was",
        "when a movie keeps you this entertained without insulting your intelligence , it 's hard to complain .",
        "... a great diversion from , and a fine addition too , the three-peats filling up the local cinemas .",
        "a subpar a-team episode with george clooney as face .",
        "though ocean and the rest of the sexy squad have to act like they 're desperately dedicated to what they do best to get the job done , the whole technically intricate production comes off as more play than work .",
        "a cocky and condescending indulgence test for anyone who has n't automatically bought into its faux-cool suave .",
        "a renewed focus and sense of fun have returned to the proceedings .",
        "the `` ocean 's '' series started out popping like the bellagio . with `` ocean 's thirteen '' it has gone as dead as circuscircus . on a tuesday afternoon . during a shriners convention .",
        "what soderbergh thinks is ` style ' looks like a travelogue advertising hell .",
        "it is , in essence , one long caper from start to finish . and while it makes almost no sense -lrb- and never pauses for a minute to think about it -rrb- , everyone 's having a ball -- and this time , the audience is included .",
        "the party may well be ending for these gentlemen , but it was fun while it lasted .",
        "after the story 's wheels are set in motion , you pretty much know everything that 's going to happen , but director steven soderbergh makes it fun to watch your winning hand unfold .",
        "ultimately , if you give yourself up to its manufactured charm , it all becomes comfortingly familiar .",
        "move over , spidey , shrek and sparrow ... danny ocean 's back in vegas ! this romp is one of this summer 's guiltiest pleasures .",
        "it takes a special kind of talent to make a caper film without one iota of suspense ... ringadingding ... not !",
        "its a funny , chummy movie that is every bit as over-plotted , absurd and indulgent as ocean 's twelve . the big improvement ? this time the ham is served on wry .",
        "plot pieces barely fit , almost nothing is clearly explained , the gizmos and twists are stupid , the wit witless . this movie smokes a fat cigar of assumption , smug that most viewers will need to feel like insiders .",
        "the movie is all heist , which soderbergh carries off in high style .",
        "ocean 's 13 knows everybody loves to see the house lose , which is what makes watching the gang rig the casino to go bust so fun .",
        "all told , this thing has to be one of the dullest caper movies ever made .",
        "an entertaining night out at the movies . have some popcorn .",
        "even the title cards are splashy .",
        "not a bad way to spend a summer afternoon at the old picture show , even though it 's eminently forgettable .",
        "punch-lines seem both unknowable and strangely satisfying , as in rusty 's apparently clever , wholly contextless rejoinder : `` i said , ` what do i look like , a pancake eater ? ' '' read as you will .",
        "how many times can you keep conning the viewers and get away with it ?",
        "upping the ante in terms of intrigue while toning it down in terms of action , this downright comfortable diversion is a relatively-cerebral affair which offers an absorbing alternative to the summer blockbusters of the over-stimulating , special effects-dr",
        "... an airy entertainment that has the smarts to add a second , unexpected swindle that is more satisfying than the main event .",
        "you get what you came for , namely the usual suspects breezily hamming it up and a lot of forgettable banter going down incredibly easily .",
        "whereas previous ocean 's films have delighted in crossing their audiences , thirteen barely tries . and when the clever turns predictable ... well , it 's no longer clever .",
        "fantastically smug , empty picture , which comes complete with a nasty-tasting dab of misogyny .",
        "can audiences still be entertained by this baker 's dozen beating unbeatable adversaries , breaking unbreakable safes , or crashing uncrashable security systems ? i still am .",
        "bright and glitzy but ultimately ephemeral and rather silly , featherweight sleight-of-hand without much of a payoff .",
        "summer fun with a safety net .",
        "because soderbergh keeps things so simple , stripped-down , and straight to the point , ocean 's thirteen is the best ocean 's movie so far .",
        "a spectacle blatantly predicated on a smug gaggle of mega movie stars in boss threads ostentatiously having fun by pretending to steal the house 's money , while actually taking yours .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- delectably elaborate and savory souffl\u00e9 of a mother-of-all-scams sequel .",
        "most of the formula from the first movie has been rehashed without recapturing much of the magic or pizzazz , making this sequel more like ` ocean by numbers . '",
        "sometimes -- albeit not very often in the movie world -- three really is a charm . ... soderbergh gets lucky and comes up with a real winner .",
        "an embarrassment of riches as a-list movie stars saunter through the film in elegant suits and a rapscallion wink .",
        "pure entertainment , -lsb- as -rsb- bright and shiny as perfectly restored vintage neon",
        "soderbergh regains the balance he found in the first film and , in some ways , even improves on it .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is n't great , but as third installments go , it 's better than godfather iii .",
        "this one hits the jackpot as a sleek and stylish caper flick even sinatra himself would have loved .",
        "like james bond movies , it 's not about the reality of the situation but the fun you have watching it .",
        "creative scheming , in-jokes and movie star charm . that 's really all we have here ; essentially , this is heist movie porn .",
        "third time 's a charm . ocean 's thirteen outshines the second installment , offering that certain breezy fun the original provided . those cutie pies just work better in vegas .",
        "if this is the final ocean 's movie , saving the best for last is a wonderful way to go out .",
        "an exercise in stylish bravado that is as substantial as a catfight between supermodels .",
        "though it takes a little while before it really takes off , this slick bauble of a movie qualifies as the best of the summer ` threequels '' -- at least thus far .",
        "it 's not very funny . like everything in the third ocean 's movie , these scenes have a great set-up and no payoff . the casual charm that was displayed so easily in ocean 's eleven has turned downright lackadaisical .",
        "there 's actually a coherent script , and there are some real laughs . not big laughs , mind you , but a fairly steady stream of smiles and chuckles . and their newest caper is , as expected , fiendishly complex and outlandishly executed .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is the first sequel of the summer of 2007 not to fall on its face . the film is better paced and more involving than ocean 's twelve but perhaps not as well executed as ocean 's eleven .",
        "jazzy , snazzy , and a whole lot of fun ... not just the summer 's best sequel but the biggest mainstream achievement so far this year .",
        "... one of those bright , shiny things that delights us as if we were simple babies . if you do n't believe me , watch how it will even make some women drool .",
        "click for full review",
        "the action starts with the opening scene so there 's never a chance for it to slow down .",
        "soderbergh can no more put the fizz back in his flat bubbly than one can put a genie back in a bottle , but at least ocean 's thirteen can still give you a light buzz .",
        "you can beat the house and you can break the bank , but sequels always get long odds on defeating the law of diminishing returns -- yet ocean 's thirteen just about pulls it off .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is cool , hilarious and fun beyond all expectations . a fitting extension of the ocean 's gang story , and the perfect way to spend your movie-going evening , living life in the shoes of those smarter , wittier and way cooler than you .",
        "ocean 's thirteen still feels like one trip too many to the craps table , playing the same hunches , with the outcome unimaginatively clear from the start : categorical victory for the rascally good guys , utter defeat and humiliation for the villain .",
        "a pastry of a movie , airy , insubstantial , and meant to fill in the gaps between heartier meals .",
        "now there 's just self-fondling fizz -- no , not even that , just a kind of quasi-zen petulance palmed off as ` cool '",
        "ocean 's thirteen is one long set-up for a wholly unsatisfying and impotent climax .",
        "these actors have the characters they play down pat , and as long as they come up with some reason to pull off a heist , i 'll be watching .",
        "like a few dirty martinis , you wo n't remember much of it the next day , but it was pretty fun while it lasted .",
        "while it in no critical area improves upon the magic of its deliriously watchable original installment , it 's flashier and funnier than expected .",
        "i think it 's safe to say most will find the magic is back in ocean 's thirteen .",
        "basically , what you get with ocean 's thirteen is more of the same , but less .",
        "a genial time-waster .",
        "vremena su se promijenila , ali sre % u0107om , ne toliko da dana % u0161nje filma % u0161e sprije % u010de da prave kvalitetnu holivudsku zabavu .",
        "even the most cynical person must concede that it 's kind of fun watching beautiful people act cool .",
        "after two other movies in the series , ocean 's thirteen does n't exactly feel fresh , but what 's cool is that it does n't feel stale either . this is the rare movie series where the third entry is just as much fun as the original .",
        "flat , abstruse , predictable and unable to raise your pulse rate higher than a blip on an ekg .",
        "in a summer where every intended blockbuster has so far been the third in a series it 's a relief to note that the fourth third to come along is the best of the lot .",
        "if ocean 's thirteen often seems as budget-bloated and hollow as a vegas hotel , it still manages to coast on its surface charms ... . you may not have hit the jackpot , but you did n't get cleaned out , either .",
        "watching this movie is like eating cotton candy : it may not have any substance , but it sure tastes good .",
        "... an improvement , without the smug celebrity preening that marred ocean 's twelve .",
        "plausibility is the first casualty in ocean 's thirteen but it 's unlikely anybody is going to care .",
        "clooney and pitt provide plenty of eye candy in ` ocean 's thirteen , ' but this third ocean 's adventure often seems incoherent and listless .",
        "brisk and forgettable , the film is as memorable as a las vegas buffet : lots of goodies at the time , but afterward no taste that stands out .",
        "it 's the best looking of the bunch . for a movie that 's all posteur , that counts for a lot .",
        "another spectacle of celebrity narcissism and goofing off which can only be commended for not being quite as unbearable as its thoroughly self-satisfied predecessor .",
        "this is a gang of thieves that we could hang out with again and again .",
        "i was n't a fan of the previous two pictures in this series , but ocean 's thirteen qualifies as the first to even approach a winning hand .",
        "if this pays for another darfur benefit , then so be it .",
        "somewhere between the locker room ass-slapping , the bland heist plot develops , as if it really matters",
        "it 's fairly charming , extremely well put-together , and by this time next week i doubt i 'll remember even having seen it .",
        "goes down smooth and easy , but lacks any real bite .",
        "ocean 's thirteen feels mostly like just another job -- not only for the cast and crew , but for critics as well . audiences will likely find it to be superior to its immediate predecessor , but as in most of the games the ocean 's guys are trying to rig , the",
        "the suits are sleek , the dialogue snappy , the tone wry , the jazz hip . even las vegas -- bastion of neon kitsch that it is -- looks opulently graceful .",
        "so listless and logy it needed michael moore to take it to cuba for emergency medical treatment .",
        "-lsb- recaptures -rsb- much of the spirit of the original film .",
        "more than the previous segments , in this one , director soderbergh and his writers adopt the prevalent paradigm of howard hawks , centering the saga on male camaraderie , cool professionalism , and above all group loyalty .",
        "as smooth as a good mojito , as stylish as an armani suit and as meaningful in the grand scheme of things as yesterday 's las vegas betting odds , ocean 's thirteen continues the breezy good times of the first two series entries without missing a beat .",
        "hilarity-free .",
        "it 's an ok revenge pic but dan klores 's revenge movie , ` crazy love , ' costs 1/400th of the price to make , and is a superior film .",
        "soderbergh and company have said this is the last ocean 's film , and it should be - they finally got it right . anything that comes after will only tarnish the cocktail hour perfection of this movie .",
        "overall , the movie is ok enough ... but does n't have the energy , excitement and fun of the first film",
        "as cool and varied as ever",
        "ocean 's thirteen plays to known quantities , but with a graceful sense of ease and a sparkly smile a mile wide ... one of the best cinema experiences of the year .",
        "it 's totally in love with itself , of course , one that would hog the mirror from now until the sun froze if you let it -lrb- sort of the cinematic version of the popular kids in high school putting on a show -rrb- . but you end up not holding that against it .",
        "it may be way too clever for its own good , yet ocean 's thirteen has plenty of ring-a-ding-ding .",
        "` ocean 's thirteen ' is pure escapist fare that hits no jackpot , but pays off better than ` ocean 's twelve . '",
        "it 's probably not ` better ' than the first movie , but i 'll predict those who found the second one lacking will applaud the return to form .",
        "... possesses precisely the sort of light-hearted vibe that the series has come to be associated with ...",
        "au sein d'un \u00e9t\u00e9 o\u016f on se noie dans les suites d\u00e9cevantes , qui aurait cru que la plus satisfaisante concernerait quelques \u00e9l\u00e9gants cambrioleurs qui veulent venger un ami ? - in a sea of disappointing summer sequels this one shines without violence or explo",
        "this plush third installment in director steven soderbergh 's heist franchise recoups a good bit of the original 's escapist fun .",
        "it 's instantly disposable charm , but it 's charm nonetheless .",
        "the entire production is breezy enough to sit through and be entertained while the temperature outside reaches 90 degrees .",
        "if ocean 's 13 could treat theaters like clubs then they 'd place bouncers at the doors so that only the cool people would be let in . that would definitely cut into profits but it would be in keeping with how the film would like to brand itself ...",
        "the script is fun and breezy and not meant to be taken very seriously .",
        "robbing casinos ? shit , these guys should be in charge of katrina relief !",
        "this summer , the forecast is cool % u2026at least if you 're heading to the ocean .",
        "ugly . filmed through dirt . danny 's dead end kids infiltrate bin laden 's camp and hold him ransom for some old dude who rescued them from an orphanage .",
        "an intriguing heist .",
        "the cast and crew are having a lark , and the mood is infectious rather than insular , as it was in the second film .",
        "actors having a good time plus soderbergh 's style and lush vegas imagery compensate for the plodding prelude to the heist .",
        "ocean 's thirteen shows that summer movies and their attendant presumption of needing to turn one 's brain off can still be executed with style and wit .",
        "all the reasons that i did n't like the first two installments in the ocean 's series were the elements that worked for me this time around .",
        "it 's a great looking movie .",
        "having suffered a few no-doze moments , i 'd comfortably suggest that lovers of hi-roller comedy will not want to miss this roundup of ocean 's adaptive set of schemers .",
        "better than the disastrous sequel .",
        "a victim of its own pedigree .",
        "clooney/pitt are our sinatra/martin and we should use them while they 're still dapper and dashing and worthy of surname-only reference .",
        "personality is noticeably lacking in director steven soderbergh 's cotton candy caper confection that should , but will not , end his superfluous `` ocean 's '' franchise .",
        "marks a return to form after the self-indulgent tomfoolery of its globe-hopping predecessor , even if the revenge heist scenario now feels very tired .",
        "this is more like it .",
        "it 's watchable , colorful and intermittently funny , but given the level of talent on display , it 's reasonable to want more than that .",
        "is it possible that only a director so distrustful of surfaces could surrender so thrillingly to the big lie ?",
        "sure , it could n't be much more self-indulgent , but the fun is infectious .",
        "as ever the chemistry between the lads -- especially clooney and pitt -- keeps the rhythm snappy , and this time , the emphasis on friendship and loyalty makes them easy to root for .",
        "after a lot of buildup , not much happens at the climax .",
        "this is soderbergh 's point : that fiendishly clever new gadgets can work with old-fashioned morals to brilliant effect . we forget that at our peril . this point alone is reason enough why ocean 's thirteen is the best of soderbergh 's heists .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is pretty much a confection of silly gags , great visuals , male bonhomie and goofy comedic ` suspense . ' and i 'm not , per se , complaining .",
        "it 's a lot better than twelve , and even though it does n't quite go to eleven , at least it comes close enough .",
        "it 's just fun . you want to be challenged ? not your movie .",
        "... the perfect movie for an air conditioned theater and a big tub of popcorn .",
        "trapped by the very conventions it created , ocean 's thirteen is a disappointing fake . one last job ? sure ... but it 's a hack job .",
        "but while it 's an improvement on the last movie , ocean 's 12 , it 's not quite in the same league as the first film , ocean 's 11 , principally because the storyline is the same and the sheer buzz of seeing so many megastars sharing the same screen has worn off",
        "thematically , though , this is an improvement on its forebears , mainly due to the way it deals - much like scorsese 's best work - with the archaic nature of the criminal set .",
        "unfortunately , with the arrival of ocean 's thirteen , it 's beginning to seem that the spectacle of a-list salaries on parade may not be enough to sustain the series much longer .",
        "you know it 's one sequel too many , well , actually two sequels too many , when brad pitt and george clooney start finishing each other 's sentences while strolling down the vegas strip and reminiscing on the good ole days .",
        "funny , finely-tuned and flashier than an essex boy on a night out in romford ... go see !",
        "does n't add anything new to its routine equation but a hundred and thirteen minutes pass swiftly and fourteen actors have a good time -- an enjoyable , disposable lark",
        "a lightweight but altogether entertaining romp-reunion that seems like nothing more -- or less -- than a do-over for the steven soderbergh-george clooney gang 's ponderous , too-hip-for-the room ocean 's twelve .",
        "in hollywood 's version of vegas , i 'll have the surf , and the turf , and the vegetarian , and anything else soderbergh wants to serve me .",
        "thirteen goes back to the basics of slick , empty entertainment . and it leaves you feeling amused yet unfulfilled , so i guess all involved should be congratulated for a job well done . or , depending how you look at it , slapped .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is enjoyable fluff and a testament to how far wit and charisma can carry a film . in a summer full of wholly unnecessary sequels , this is the best one so far . that may be faint praise , but for this franchise , it 's a big step up .",
        "with so many events , you kinda had to be there . and ocean 's thirteen never manages to give us the sense that we are .",
        "something seems to be off when the actors onscreen are having a better time than the audience . just like the first ocean 's film , this is n't so much a movie as a private party .",
        "an ocean that fulfills the promise of all this great talent .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is hack hollywood garbage , the sort of film that thinks so little of its supposedly sure-thing audience that it never breaks a sweat . that 's not cool ; that 's lazy .",
        "if it ran five minutes longer it would cross the line from amusing to annoying . but it does n't .",
        "for all its forced twinkle , ocean 's thirteen leaves you with no real warmth , like a croupier who 's just cleaned you out before he wishes you a nice day .",
        "a sequel -lrb- or three-quel , if you will -rrb- that returns to the vicarious fun of the first movie , ocean 's eleven , and all but erases the not-so-fond memory of the preening ego-trip that was ocean 's twelve .",
        "better looking than shrek the third , less convoluted than pirates 3 and as satisfying as spider-man 3 .",
        "the sleek script makes gleeful use of expository dialogue , building ludicrous situations and winding its way out again .",
        "despite a few diverting and modestly amusing moments , thirteen does n't match the 2001 comic-caper remake ocean 's eleven . and the whole hipper , cooler , more clever formula is starting to wear thin .",
        "ocean 's thirteen is as lazy and laid-back as a softball game with the beer keg at second . and it 's just as enjoyable .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "evocatively shot with the saturated color of '60s film and accompanied by david holmes ' retro-mod score , ocean 's thirteen is a boy 's - night-out lark that girls can enjoy .",
        "to call the ocean 's films frivolous would be kind , implying that these arduous concoctions are somehow light on their proverbial feet .",
        "danny ocean and company ought to seriously consider retirement .",
        "it was more fun when they were a little bit hungry and more than a little bit greedy . let 's hope they remember that before the next one .",
        "the most enjoyable thing about the ocean 's movies is that nobody involved seems to take them seriously . the star wattage is immense but the stars themselves are refreshingly self-deprecating , almost satirically so ."],
    "summary": "ocean 's thirteen reverts to the formula of the first installment , and the result is another slick and entertaining heist film .",
    "id": "462983441"
  },
  {
    "movie": "everyone_says_i_love_you",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the dance numbers are clever , fun and , sometimes , funky and are cleanly choreographed .",
        "a charming , sweet-natured divertissement .",
        "woody allen 's lively musical is a whimsical journey with surprising in-tune performances from a-list stars .",
        "the preoccupation with rich , uninteresting , new yorkers continues to distance his audience from his work more and more with each movie .",
        "modern musical will not interest teens .",
        "warmhearted , original , but not entirely successful tribute to classic hollywood movies of the 1930s , specifically capra 's you ca n't take it with you .",
        "MOV won me over completely .",
        "slight but pleasing middlebrow fare -lrb- much like a bob hope musical comedy -rrb- .",
        "woody doing a musical ? ok , it 's a bit uneven , but the all-star cast holds it together . goldie hawn is a delight .",
        "magical experiment from woody allen .",
        "a trifle , yes , but a cute and enjoyable one at that .",
        "it 's a world of both serene privilege and surreal possibility , and it offers a delightful and witty compendium of the film maker 's favorite things .",
        "it would take a heart of stone to resist this movie .",
        "an odd mix of old and new , realism and fantasy , craft and amateurism that should n't work but is inventive and hilarious anyway .",
        "entertainment with excess .",
        "woody allen 's musical comedy .",
        "a delightful and infectiously happy movie .",
        "on paper , the plot seems quite complicated , but things flow very smoothly on the screen . the multiple storylines really do n't matter anyway . magic and happy endings are what the film is about .",
        "who would have thought that woody allen could graft the trappings of an old-fashioned musical-comedy onto his own nebbish , angst-ridden film style and come up with something as wonderful as MOV ?",
        "if it does n't quite mandate a viewer song burst , this sweet conceit ought to glue a grin on your face until its crucial next-to-last scene hits a clunker note .",
        "in allen 's sweaty palms , `` everyone '' often strains itself trying to entertain . even when the movie hits its mark , you 're usually aware of how much work it took to get there .",
        "woody allen 's musical exploration of the variety and vagaries of romantic love .",
        "-lsb- allen 's -rsb- most purely enjoyable movie since 1987 's radio days .",
        "listening to the others sounding like a spouse in the shower makes one wonder : how bad could barrymore be that she had to be dubbed ?",
        "much of the film 's story is half-hearted , its jokes hit or miss , and what starts out feeling genial ends up unavoidably thin .",
        "\u00e9 impressionante a capacidade que woody allen tem de surpreender at\u00e9 seus f\u0103s mais fi\u00e9is .",
        "allen never seems to make up his mind about whether he is offering an homage to the great musicals of yesteryear or parodying that easy-to-josh genre .",
        "for a picture that 's almost a complete misfire , it 's painless to sit through .",
        "it 's difficult not to be impressed by what allen has achieved with this film : successfully reviving the musical comedy in such a thoroughly delightful fashion .",
        "it 's just great dumb fun , as a musical should be .",
        "styled as a romantic confection , MOV is , in fact , steeped in an unacknowledged middle-aged sadness that leaks from the writer-director and saps the energies of his cast ."],
    "summary": "a likable , infectious musical , woody allen 's MOV is sometimes uneven but always toe-tapping and fun .",
    "id": "151436302"
  },
  {
    "movie": "memento",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a very clever , complex and extremely well constructed movie which demands intelligence and constant attention from its viewers , yet is put together using only a handful of simple elements .",
        "walking out of MOV , we can be glad that we do n't share leonard 's amnesiac condition ; it 's the kind of film you do n't want to forget .",
        "it 's absolutely brilliant -- a terrific little thriller that takes the genre and turns it inside out .",
        "MOV is not just a movie , but a puzzle .",
        "although gimmicky at times , MOV takes an innovative approach at storytelling that yields a surprising amount of mystery and suspense .",
        "a con in the mode of bryan singer 's the usual suspects -- the scam of the year .",
        "a film that simply gets so much right that there does n't seem to be anything of real worth left to say about it once you see it .",
        "a joyously twisted rubik 's cube of a movie . one of the year 's best films .",
        "christopher nolan 's extraordinary film is a brainteaser and a heartbreaker .",
        "films so seldom take chances anymore , it 's refreshing to see one that at least tries for something different .",
        "watching MOV is a unique experience : tense , irritating , and all-absorbing .",
        "although it 's being trumpeted for its undeniably ambitious narrative structure , MOV feels mostly like an audacious prank .",
        "this is a sparkling but forgettable film .",
        "MOV is an experience for serious filmgoers , those who have the stamina to focus on what is happening on the screen .",
        "the whole backward thing might sound gimmicky , but it works extremely well -- redefining terms like ` intricate thriller ' and ` broken time . '",
        "absolutely brilliant from end to beginning .",
        "a thinking person 's thriller with some occasionally startling albeit split-second sounds and striking imagery , nolan 's movie is an original .",
        "that rare film that needs -- and deserves -- second viewings . it 's that unique .",
        "christopher nolan 's film is a meditative study of the duplicituous nature of memory .",
        "whether viewed as an existential exercise or just a snappy thriller , this is a true original .",
        "not since `` the sixth sense '' has there been a movie that made viewers want to go back to see what they missed the first time as much as `` MOV . ''",
        "an all-consuming movie experience .",
        "one of the coolest , twistiest pieces of movie mystery ever made .",
        "... maravillosa . un nuevo cl\u00e1sico -lsb- rese\u0144a en castellano -rsb-",
        "few films this year have been so dizzyingly complex , and none so richly rewarding .",
        "nolan has a magician 's flair for distracting his audience 's attention while he accomplishes his trickery .",
        "a dizzying array of brilliance , an exercise in brain stamina and one of the year 's best films .",
        "MOV weaves a dense and suffocating web .",
        "this is a genuinely great movie and attendance should be mandatory .",
        "probably the most devilishly fascinating movie i 've seen in months , if not years .",
        "this jolting jigsaw puzzle of a movie grabs you and wo n't let go .",
        "the movie forces you to work , but any puzzle addict will be exhilarated by the effort .",
        "when it comes to making a top 10 list for 2001 , one title i wo n't forget is MOV .",
        "a moody craftsman of dazzling vision and skill .",
        "deconstructs time and space with einstein-caliber dexterity in the service of a delectably disturbing tale of revenge .",
        "the actors do a great job messing with perceptions .",
        "fantastically taut , crafty and utterly original .",
        "MOV is a puzzle of a movie ... worth solving .",
        "this is virtuoso filmmaking , stylistically dazzling and head-scratchingly intricate .",
        "film noir has never been so labyrinthine .",
        "sharply written , ingeniously constructed , strikingly shot and fast-paced , MOV is at once a satisfying mental game and an exhilarating cinematic stunt .",
        "a genuinely original film which makes you want to see it over and over and over again .",
        "a convoluted tour-de-force .",
        "a terrifically compelling little mystery .",
        "pearce gives a first-rate performance and MOV likely will stay with you like a tattoo on your mind .",
        "in most mysteries , you 're dying to know what happens next . in this one , you can hardly wait for the beginning .",
        "those who stay with it will experience perhaps the most dazzling film released so far this year .",
        "MOV is like an existential crossword puzzle , or a pungent 50 's b-thriller with a script by jorge luis borges .",
        "relentlessly suspenseful and , at perfectly timed intervals , outlandishly funny .",
        "mind-blowing fun that defies you to solve it before the movie does it for you .",
        "MOV is a deliciously taut film noir with more twists than a twizzler .",
        "MOV does n't just draw you into a dramatic mystery , it makes you aware of human mystery . and that 's food for thought and entertainment .",
        "with its capable cast , twisty plot , and gritty style , MOV is a real keepsake .",
        "provocatively structured and thrillingly executed film noir , an intricate , inventive use of cinema 's possibilities that pushes what can be done on screen in an unusual direction .",
        "an engaging brainteaser , even if the solution is a bit of a letdown .",
        "if you remember only one thing : see this movie .",
        "it does work , brilliantly . mind-blowingly .",
        "you might suspect that it 's told backwards because telling it forwards would tip us off much sooner that it does n't make a whole lot of sense .",
        "in a word - genius .",
        "pearce ... dominates the picture through his feral performance .",
        "one of the few recent films to recognize how closely a movie can resemble a memory bank .",
        "kudos to writer-director christopher nolan -lrb- co-written by jonathan nolan -rrb- for coming up with a very original film .",
        "an unnerving , but deeply penetrating experience that elevates what could have been a routine mystery thriller into a meditation on the slippery nature of reality itself",
        "nolan pulls off this complicated narrative structure with great flair .",
        "the movie does n't supply the usual payoff of a thriller -lrb- how can it ? -rrb- , but it 's uncanny in evoking a state of mind .",
        "it is a film about subjectivity , and so the truth remains just beyond our reach ...",
        "wow , what a movie !",
        "at once disturbing and titillating .",
        "the most disorienting and trippiest data-retrieval caper in years .",
        "a tribute to the art of juggling .",
        "a suspenseful story which evolves as a result of its protagonist 's abnormal cognitive processes .",
        "it 's a film that leaves you saying ` wow ' and ` so what ? ' at the same time .",
        "incredibly hard to describe and absolutely astonishing to watch .",
        "MOV makes you feel like you 're scrambling just to keep up -- and , more , that you enjoy the scrambling -- and that 's an immensely pleasurable sensation for a moviegoer .",
        "MOV stands on its own as a thriller , but it also works as a profound tragedy , stunning in its portrayal of a man teetering on the edge , though he does n't even know it .",
        "MOV delivers a potent right-left combination of innovation and emotional depth .",
        "more a puzzle than a meaningful story , it reminds me of how edmund wilson compared reading a mystery to eagerly unpacking a box of excelsior , only to find a few rusty nails at the bottom .",
        "occasionally the film trips over its own complexity , but it 's tense , devious and evokes leonard 's disorientation quite brilliantly . operation of heavy machinery after watching is a definite no-no .",
        "treats the audience with respect without being overly pretentious",
        "this is the kind of movie that gas-bag instructors use to illustrate the concept that one man 's reality is another 's fiction . but it 's puny stuff compared to kurosawa 's rashomon .",
        "innovative movie with a mature premise .",
        "MOV is one of those jigsaw puzzles whose pieces snap together more tightly with each viewing . fueling it all is a performance by guy pearce that 's as indelible as the tattoo ink covering his body .",
        "nolan built a better mousetrap of a neo-noir , using the tricky gimmick of a complex , purposefully disorienting narrative . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "a brilliantly told mindbender , a perfect example of how the right approach to storytelling can elevate a film",
        "christopher nolan 's breakthrough feature is a terrific film noir , witty , inventive , thrilling and intriguing from the first frame to the very last .",
        "more than an enigmatic , jittery , occasionally funny treatise on vengeance 's fruitlessness , `` MOV '' never abandons an emotional quandary : how can a man unable to feel time expect to heal ? leonard loses himself , as we all do , in habit and repetition .",
        "this is one of the best movies i 've seen in years . i have n't felt as exhilarated coming out of a movie since 1998 .",
        "if you want to send your brain to the gym , this is the film for you .",
        "MOV is a thriller for people who are sick of thrillers , a puzzle movie in which the puzzle is actually worth the time and effort to solve .",
        "a hard and bright and tough film in all the best ways .",
        "MOV offers a remarkable twist on the revenge thriller -- made even more challenging because the movie starts at the end .",
        "challenge all viewers and gives them plenty to ponder after the credits roll , the lights go out and they reach the parking lot .",
        "in forward progression , the narrative would garner little interest , thus making the reverse storytelling a filmmaker 's conceit .",
        "full of odd , hypnotic menace .",
        "somebody ought to buy this guy a handspring visor with a digital camera attachment .",
        "nolan uses the structure simply as a gimmick to refresh a stale story of revenge , crime , sex , a film noir that never gets any darker than gris .",
        "wild , daring , smart and funny , MOV is this year 's quirky film-festival hit that deserves to break out of the art houses and into mainstream consciousness .",
        "written and directed by christopher nolan , and based on a short story created by his brother jonathan nolan , MOV is a bizarre and provocative art-house movie .",
        "MOV is a tonic for audiences weary of sloppy narrative -- a timepiece of a movie , as complex and as perfectly synchronized as a swiss watch .",
        "this terrifically satisfying film brings to mind '40s and '50s noir films in which the audience is as unsure about the protagonist 's hold on reality as the protagonist is himself .",
        "it seems less than the sum of its time-slicing moves .",
        "bound to be talked about , debated and eviscerated far more than it 's understood .",
        "worthy of repeated viewings .",
        "the movie for those of us who have been waiting for something new and original .",
        "a calculated , well-told gimmick , and not much more .",
        "unique , tantalizing and ultimately brilliant .",
        "just when you thought film noir was dead and buried , along comes the memorably mind-bending MOV .",
        "there 's grade a work from all concerned , especially pearce , but in the end this is nolan 's film . and he delivers , with a vengeance .",
        "of all the ironies which fill the film , the most complementary may be that this is film which will not soon be forgotten .",
        "i am neither upset nor disturbed by MOV , only vaguely dissatisfied . i simply do n't buy jonathan nolan 's thesis that audiences know all the tropes and tricks of crime thrillers backward and forward .",
        "writer-director christopher nolan toys with our minds as each scene ends where the previous scene began in a sort of tidal regression and progression of story and character .",
        "the film is cool , contemplative , a puzzle movie in which you see the finished puzzle right up front and then watch as it disassembles itself .",
        "nolan 's sophomore effort is a near peerless psychological thriller .",
        "`` MOV '' is a crime-revenge story that relies on its one big gimmick .",
        "MOV is as bleak as they come . but sometimes staring into humanity 's heart of darkness is a healthy thing .",
        "fans of film noir and the usual suspects will find much to appreciate about MOV , with its circular loop of lost memory .",
        "it is sleek , exciting , witty , suspenseful and easily the most original american film to be seen so far this year .",
        "MOV is an engrossing journey into a world without memory . do n't miss this amazing experience .",
        "nolan 's skill lies in creating an atmosphere for this story .",
        "ironically , it 's one of the most memorable films so far this year .",
        "... forces the viewer to wrap his mind around an entirely new kind of storytelling .",
        "the brilliance of christopher nolan 's MOV lies in how such commonplace occurrences , which resonate in every viewer , are stretched to the extreme and packaged in a taut revenge thriller . movie going has n't been this much fun for a long , long time .",
        "an interesting little film indeed .",
        "an engaging twist on the thriller genre .",
        "brilliant and original twist on the traditional detective thriller -- one of the best films of the year .",
        "if ever there was a fresh approach to one man 's personal hell , it 's this one .",
        "the mystery requires a lot of concentration , but the stunning final scene is ample reward . not just an indulgence , the ingenious structure makes the point that memory , although unreliable , is what we depend upon for our sense of reality .",
        "if nothing else , MOV is a savvy comment on the queasy uncertainties of the postmodern condition , in which history goes no further back than yesterday 's news .",
        "this terrific movie , about one man 's quest for vengeance , does everything a thriller is supposed to do : intrigue , involve and keep you guessing .",
        "you have to pay close attention to MOV , the most original thriller to come along in years -- and one of the best .",
        "pearce 's central performance is as compelling as the film 's premise and nolan 's execution of it . in pearce 's hands , leonard is a time bomb with a short fuse .",
        "the three leads are excellent , but it 's the masterful execution of an almost-too-clever-for-its-own-good concept which really makes this the most delicious kind of food for the mind .",
        "the astonishing payoff takes the film to another level entirely , unleashing a battery of existential questions that shed new light on everything that precedes it .",
        "the young british writer and director christopher nolan , who has every intention of putting us through the mill , doubles his fun by running the whole story backward .",
        "writer-director christopher nolan 's second film is one of the most original and ultimately confounding mind games to reach the screen since the usual suspects .",
        "i ca n't remember when a movie has seemed so clever , strangely affecting and slyly funny at the very same time .",
        "some have said that the film would work just as well beginning to end . i disagree .",
        "every incident , every conversation is a mini-mystery waiting to be unraveled .",
        "... for all its formal wizardry , ultimately an ice-cold feat of intellectual gamesmanship . once the novelty wears off , there 's nothing left .",
        "undeniably talented and way underused , pearce brings just the right balance of bewilderment , anger and melancholic acceptance to a role that must almost single-handedly carry the entire movie .",
        "if pulp fiction represents the birth of post-modern filmmaking , MOV marks its adolescent spurt .",
        "the movie is a trip .",
        "it 's all pretty confusing , but then again , so were many of the classic film noirs .",
        "part of what makes MOV so involving lies in the performances .",
        "MOV is a movie that definitely earns the distinction of being termed unforgettable .",
        "several movies in recent years have tried to invent new cinematic storytelling forms to counteract the cookie-cutter mentality that is hollywood . this is the one that finally achieves it .",
        "MOV 's boldest stroke is its ingenious synthesis of structure and theme .",
        "MOV becomes less a fascinating portrait of a damaged man than a typical revenge thriller . but it 's still a very cool movie .",
        "there 's far more to this jaw-dropper than gimmicky plotting . cloaking itself in the guise of a contemporary film noir , MOV questions the trustworthiness of memory itself .",
        "nolan is a breath of fresh air as a filmmaker .",
        "it will be an unadventurous or lazy filmgoer who does n't want to play the movie 's ingenious game .",
        "destined to become a new noir classic .",
        "a puzzle thriller about a man with amnesia that turns out to be an intriguing probe of identity , loss , mental instability , mystery , and trust .",
        "MOV is that rare motion picture that offers a bevy of riches to the audience . it is also the kind of movie that deepens on closer inspection , while multiple viewings are almost required to fully appreciate all it has to offer .",
        "the sort of picture that is so engrossing that you 'll want to come back and see it again soon .",
        "it 's a weird , murky thriller that toys with your mind , culminating in an unsettling universal truth : `` i have to believe that , when my eyes are closed , the world 's still here . ''",
        "... a film like `` MOV '' stands out , dares to challenge , and ultimately gives birth to a new mold of storytelling . it is the jackhammer for our frozen imaginations .",
        "the biggest accomplishment here is writer-director christopher nolan 's , who uses an editing method that conveys the sense of time loss of his main character directly into the perception of his audience .",
        "brillantemente dirigida y tremendamente innovadora , es una de esas cintas que , literalmente , lo dejar\u00e1n con el ojo cuadrado .",
        "a completely engrossing experience that demands and deserves multiple viewings .",
        "the structure works because it manages to put the viewer in the same state as leonard .",
        "by the conclusion , your immediate reaction is to want to see the movie again to try to put the pieces together . your second instinct is to give it a rest .",
        "it 's pointless to knock MOV . the proof of the film 's success is that 10 minutes after you 've seen it , it 's exactly as if you had n't .",
        "intriguing and accomplished as it was , MOV left me unpersuaded that this trip was really necessary .",
        "christopher nolan has written an ingenious script , the likes of which you ca n't believe a single human being can write . bring a friend . you 'll want the company afterwards .",
        "um grande exerc\u00edcio de l\u00f3gica e t\u00e9cnica narrativa ."],
    "summary": "christopher nolan skillfully guides the audience through MOV 's fractured narrative , seeping his film in existential dread .",
    "id": "13052"
  },
  {
    "movie": "miss_congeniality",
    "reviews":
     [
        "marc lawrence 's screenplay is n't particularly fresh , but it does include an assortment of snappy one-liners , most of them tripping off the velvet tongue of michael caine ...",
        "mais um ponto para sandra bullock , que prova merecer , assim como sua personagem , o t\u00edtulo de miss simpatia .",
        "with this cutesy bit of ick , sandra bullock squanders the good will she engendered with her surprisingly complex portrayal of a party girl in rehab in 28 days .",
        "taking a potshot at the beauty pageant industry , MOV is entertainment as light as a well-shaped hairdo , fitted out with skin-deep characterizations and a plot that has the all complexity of a g-string bikini .",
        "sandra bullock is in a class of her own and it 's only partly a matter of beauty . perhaps the larger part is that shining , irresistible personality that lights a room , a runway , a silver screen . she can get you interested in the phone directory .",
        "caine may save the movie , but bullock is the movie . the confection rests on her considerable off-center charm and beauty .",
        "like most beauty pageant contestants themselves , MOV is all charm and little substance .",
        "watching michael caine and sandra bullock interact testily with each other is this film 's special treat .",
        "the title refers to the miss america pageant award given to `` the person who was nicest to everyone , '' and this seems perfectly apt for bullock 's winning performance .",
        "sandra bullock gives her regular-gal aura a serious workout in MOV as an ugly-duckling fbi agent transformed into a beauty-pageant swan . and , by gum , she pulls it off .",
        "sandra bullock still has that winning smile but little else . someone should give this misguided star/producer some sound career advice .",
        "bullock 's performance and a couple of new twists on the classic formula make it a pleasant and entertaining effort .",
        "it 's a paint-by-numbers film that runs too long considering its lack of content .",
        "just retype the plot , slap in the same complaints , and bam -- new bullock movie review .",
        "what say we let these folks take another stab at it with a better script , ok ?",
        "it all coalesces in a tv-level pleasantness , which is n't quite enough to fill a big screen .",
        "it misses so many genuine opportunities for comedy that it becomes another reminder of writers not doing their homework and slapping together a paint-by-numbers plot .",
        "tapping inner reservoirs of comedic talent that even her fans probably were n't aware of , bullock hits every joke out of the park .",
        "bullock proves adept at tackling a more physical brand of comedy than she has attempted in the past .",
        "things get as shaky as grace adjusting to high heels when her warranted contempt for her vapid competitors is worn down by nothing more than superficial bonding at a giggly pizza party .",
        "you could do a lot worse during the holiday season than this sparkling , congenial tale .",
        "this is minor stuff more suited to an up-and-comer than an established marquee headliner .",
        "this film is a mess -- it ca n't make up its mind whether it wants to be a drama , a comedy , or an action movie .",
        "a barrage of dangling plot strands , inconsistent characterizations , and suspense-free shootouts .",
        "the screenplay lacks any sense of consistency , treating all the contestants derisively -- and then trying to convince us that , deep down , they 're all really wonderful women .",
        "seems happily , deliberately second-rate , as if its ideal audience consisted of weary airline passengers .",
        "it is funny and knowing , detached enough to take a bemused stance toward its calculated tone .",
        "-lsb- bullock 's -rsb- spunky humor and vibrant screen presence have n't been used this well since while you were sleeping .",
        "like any good beauty pageant contestant , it tries to make everyone happy , and ends up looking as if it 's held together by vaseline and duct tape .",
        "what makes it a good movie ... is bullock herself in a strong role that appeals to the feminist in me .",
        "there 's a whiff of desperation about MOV .",
        "dutifully follows each clich\u00e9 to its painfully obvious conclusion .",
        "a delightful , endearing little comedy with a wonderfully clever script and great performances from bullock and michael caine .",
        "it comes across as shrill , contrived and forced .",
        "the film stomps along desperately looking for big laughs .",
        "it 's an amiable comedy and provides a forum for -lsb- bullock -rsb- to showcase her gift for comedy .",
        "without help from either script or director , poor bullock gets stuck as a distant runner-up in this featherweight farce .",
        "once again , bullock is willing but the material is weak .",
        "the jokes are lame , the set-up is stupid and bullock , occasionally a winsome comedienne and here a co-producer , is annoying as heck .",
        "with bullock , you do n't have time to wrap your mind around the notion that she 's a butt-kicking tomboy before she 's reverted to her trademark cutesy-poo act .",
        "donald petrie has made a fun film , not a great film , but fun .",
        "if you take this movie on its light , fluffy , cutesy , poopsy level , you will more than likely enjoy it as much as i did .",
        "this is definitely -lsb- bullock 's -rsb- funniest role since while you were sleeping .",
        "there could have been a better film in there .",
        "the film is completely derivative .",
        "truly , we have mined the beauty pageant satire to death , have we not ?",
        "it 's time for a career makeover for bullock , who keeps squandering her girl-next-door likeability on trivial projects like this one .",
        "it 's an average film , packing some good grace-harty laughs while others gags fall off the mark .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- amiable but thoroughly uninspired piece of fluff .",
        "gracie is n't just unattractive outside , she 's unattractive on the inside , and the whole point of makeover movies is you 're supposed to want to identify with cinderella .",
        "seems predicated on the notion that today 's audiences will tolerate just about any kind of plot hole , continuity lapse , or ` i do n't think so ' moment .",
        "-lsb- bullock -rsb- trips , we laugh , but we also hope she gets up -- so she can do it again .",
        "assures us that a silk purse can be made from a sow 's ear , but that 's never true for a bad script .",
        "the movie is whipped into a froth with ... skill and humor -- just like those doris day comedies .",
        "it 's a likeable comedy with many pratfalls , a couple laugh-out-loud moments , and a deep understanding of pageant superficiality .",
        "it is n't bad so much as it lacks any ambition to be more than it so obviously is .",
        "a sad illustration of the decline in hollywood screenwriting .",
        "does n't exactly turn things around for -lsb- bullock -rsb- , but it 's funny enough and agreeable enough to at least start her on the road back .",
        "bullock seems to be stuck in a rut of cookie-cutter roles in films with half-baked concepts .",
        "pleasant and entertaining ; for teens and older .",
        "its story is far from logical , let alone realistic , yet we laugh and completely buy into the fun .",
        "bullock 's talent for gentle farce is not enough to carry her here ; there are only so many times she can get a laugh out of stumbling in her high heels and talking with her mouth full .",
        "while there may not be many surprises , there 's little to dislike either .",
        "sandra bullock -lrb- who also produces -rrb- takes a lame idea of a script , splashes her considerable allure all over it , and comes away with an amiable , light-hearted holiday charmer .",
        "basically , this is like a really bad film from the eighties , that seems to be remade with sandra bullock digitally grafted onto the horrible plot .",
        "MOV is n't awful , but it is n't utterly entertaining or incredibly original either , it 's just right in the middle .",
        "predictably cute and idiotically misleading .",
        "convenient bimbo stereotypes , bolstered and magnified .",
        "no one does this kind of thing better than bullock , but one wonders for how long she can pull it off . perhaps for as long as it pays .",
        "bullock knows how to showcase her vulnerability , but unfortunately she ca n't compensate for plot implausibilities that do n't have to be implausible , or clich\u00e9s that do n't have to be clich\u00e9d .",
        "the screenplay ... is a reeking refuse heap of recycled cliches and half-baked humor that only occasionally rises even to the level of a so-so tv sitcom .",
        "if , as has been much noted , lampooning beauty pageants is like shooting fish in barrel , why do all the movies that attempt it end up looking sadder than the third-place runner-up ?",
        "the players are game . too bad they do n't have much of a coach or a plan .",
        "it 's inoffensive , dim-witted fun .",
        "bullock is cute as ever . her script selection -lrb- 28 days , hope floats -rrb- , though , remains suspect .",
        "an ideal vehicle for sandra bullock , who just keeps proving she 's one of the finest physical comediennes in hollywood today .",
        "petrie 's formula of keeping it light and bright , and not too confusing , works .",
        "bullock is just plain funny .",
        "-lsb- caine 's -rsb- performance is probably as deft as the one he gave last year in the cider house rules .",
        "pro forma hilarity .",
        "it 's one thing to be far-fetched -- we 'll put up with a lot in a broad comedy -- but it 's quite another to be so absurd as to render the film utterly unbelievable .",
        "despite the film 's predictable trappings , bullock shines , tackling the physical comedy with bodacious aplomb .",
        "a rinky-dink comedy .",
        "there 's something so friendly and unabashedly silly about this production that it pretty much won me over .",
        "for bullock fans , it 's a delight , jolly junk in the season to be jolly .",
        "decidedly inconsistent .",
        "stuck in its sitcom-style take on an easy target for ridicule , director donald petrie chooses cutesy over clever .",
        "it 's unlikely that MOV will stem the backwards slide of bullock 's career momentum .",
        "had the proceedings had more bite or intelligence to them -- let alone humor -- the film could have been far better .",
        "in producing MOV , -lsb- bullock has -rsb- cast herself ideally , so as to show off her tomboyish giddiness , with a hint of sexy brashness .",
        "only a real diva can pack mace and a gun under her evening gown and still look good .",
        "although the script grants its leading lady some snappy verbal and physical humor , the film flickers and dies under a surfeit of stereotypes and one critical piece of ill-judged casting .",
        "a light-as-a-feather comedy that 's neither ambitious nor particularly original .",
        "rent drop dead gorgeous if you want to see how a funny movie on the beauty pageant world is done ! this is all formula .",
        "completely devoid of wit or grace , but heavy on straining obviousness .",
        "it 's a measure of -lsb- bullock 's -rsb- comic talent that she makes this creamy slip of a film as genuinely engaging as it is .",
        "sandra bullock , who also helped produce the movie , simply shines as gracie hart .",
        "a confused mess that 's partly funny and partly boring .",
        "it takes some doing to make a beauty pageant flick that features an intellectually vapid caper plot while being a slap in the face to feminism .",
        "a genuine crowdpleaser boasting a charming star turn , MOV is indeed difficult to dislike , but hey , sometimes it 's worth the effort .",
        "if you 're expecting action and comedy , you 'll find this film has little of either .",
        "has a lot of charm , which accounts for its success .",
        "a movie that seems to have no potential at all and still works remarkably well .",
        "unless you think it 's a riot to watch bullock fall over herself repeatedly in high heels , this miss is a mess .",
        "sandra bullock single-handedly makes this a movie worth seeing .",
        "bullock 's confident turn can not , alas , save this beautiful women falling down entry .",
        "bullock has such excellent timing , and such a superb sense of physical comedy , that we would happily watch her -lrb- and we have ! -rrb- in much worse films than this .",
        "there are many great actresses working in film today , but few of them have the flair for comedy that bullock does .",
        "sandra bullock is simply irresistible , displaying great comedic flair with impeccable timing ."],
    "summary": "though critics say bullock is funny and charming , she ca n't overcome a bad script that makes the movie feel too much like a fluffy , unoriginal sitcom .",
    "id": "10560"
  },
  {
    "movie": "naked_gun_2_12_the_the_smell_of_fear",
    "reviews":
     [
        "in the limbo of comedy , few can go lower than zucker without visibly straining .",
        "nielsen 's secret is that he does almost nothing , and certainly nothing he seems to think is funny .",
        "somehow this sequel never reaches the heights of inspired lunacy that made the original so memorable , and there are no extended set-pieces that work as well as the first film 's opening battle with america 's enemies or the climactic baseball game .",
        "the opening and closing credits alone are almost worth the price of admission .",
        "something of a disappointment .",
        "smells bad .",
        "a lesser laugh trip than the original , yet still one worth checking out .",
        "this sequel might feel like a simple reworking of the first film if leslie nielsen were n't so consistently appealing in his role as frank drebin .",
        "one of the funniest movies starring a multiple murderer .",
        "provides sporadic laughs , but not as consistently funny as the first one .",
        "ribald , wild zucker comedy with leslie nielsen in usual wild form .",
        "even if the laugh machine is n't operating at top efficiency , it still cranks out a few choice bits of irreverent lunacy .",
        "not quite as fresh as the first .",
        "a feeble sequel .",
        "a nifty , crisp package , but not quite up to the standards of the original picture . a dildo drill ca n't solve every problem .",
        "amusing even if the law of diminishing returns is starting to kick in .",
        "what 's at work here is the comedy law of diminishing returns : if you tell the same jokes over and over and over again , they become less and less and less funny .",
        "nielsen combines b-movie earnestness , exuberant mugging , and a trouper 's slightly desperate cheerfulness : he turns this rather alarming character into a sweet , ebullient lunatic -- albeit one who 's hell on innocent bystanders .",
        "filled with slapstick antics",
        "not good , not bad , not really much of anything -lrb- except exactly what you expect -rrb- .",
        "strained spoof with intermittent -lrb- yet solid -rrb- larfs .",
        "a real step down after the brilliant movie and tv show .",
        "amusing , if limp , sequel to the first naked gun .",
        "no joke is passed up or thrown away . there just might be a little too much .",
        "the enthusiastic zucker , zucker & abrahams style of movie parody is too rarely seen to prompt much head-shaking about gags that do n't work .",
        "this is strictly a hit or miss film .",
        "`` amusing , unmemorable sequel ''",
        "an even sequel that misses the freshness of the original or the tv series .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "the slapstick antics of this sequel provide a few laughs , but fail to equal those of the original .",
    "id": "12666"
  },
  {
    "movie": "taxi_driver",
    "reviews":
     [
        "perhaps the most formally ravishing-as well as the most morally and ideologically problematic-film ever directed by martin scorsese , the 1976 MOV remains a disturbing landmark for the kind of voluptuous doublethink it helped ratify .",
        "one of the best and most powerful of all films .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV -lrb- 1976 -rrb- is director martin scorsese 's and screenwriter paul schrader 's gritty , disturbing , nightmarish modern film classic that examines alienation",
        "jarring urban psychological drama .",
        "an utter masterwork of shifting tones and flowering angst .",
        "new york may have changed , but MOV is as powerful and painful as ever .",
        "what a mad and brilliant film it is : 1,000-degree proof seventies cinema .",
        "is travis a hero or a monster ? the question is never answered to any satisfying degree , and herrmann 's score makes sure of that by always playing up the counterpoint of a scene .",
        "a grimy film that perfectly reflects its grimy subject matter . travis bickle -lsb- is -rsb- one of film 's most complex characters . when you talk about super heroes , he truly is one minus the tights and powers .",
        "the blend of schrader 's script , scorsese 's direction and de niro 's performance is both riveting and unnerving . a film that will stay with you forever .",
        "acclaimed for its gritty realism , but it has an equal amount of cinematic reverie .",
        "get in and take a nightmare ride on perhaps scorsese 's best picture , the story of vietnam vet travis bickle 's fight to win the woman of his dreams in the seedy big apple .",
        "if you have n't seen MOV , your education in film has n't even begun .",
        "a movie to educate us about life on darker sides of the soul , or steer us away from living that life . it draws us in with a conviction that makes us feel like we 're living it .",
        "director martin scorsese 's nightmare vision of manhattan is important , impulsive work .",
        "de niro is brilliant , but the film as a whole is less successful than its formidable reputation suggests",
        "you may want to argue with MOV at the end , and with good reason , but it wo n't be a waste of time .",
        "MOV is one of the best films ever made . movies do n't get any better than this .",
        "there have been few films that have created and sustained the sense of constant , underlying dread that pervades every frame of martin scorsese 's scorching urban masterpiece",
        "centering on de niro , the michael and julia phillips production mixes politics , prostitution and philosophy as a complex man attempts to combat the corruption he can no longer tolerate .",
        "do n't let the endless barrage of morons imitating the `` you talkin ' to me ? '' bit put you off .",
        "bickle is complex , intriguing and never one-note .",
        "hitchcockian unease permeates the film , but so too does a godardian use of space and a bressonian focus on obsession heighten the mounting sense of dread .",
        "melodramatic as it often is , the film is a riveting watch and de niro provides a character study it is impossible to forget .",
        "the bustling helter-skelter of scorsese 's mean streets gives way to a measured , chilly calm , and cinematographer michael chapman ensures the big apple glistens with barely concealed menace .",
        "... a portrait in psychosis and dislocation with a protagonist whose racism and intolerance becomes his excuse to unleash his anger in a violent spree under the guise of heroism .",
        "writer paul schrader and director martin scorsese made names for themselves with this exquisitely crafted window into the contemporary male psyche . MOV seems aimless , taking as many u-turns and detours as a cabby does in the night . but it 's",
        "like werner herzog 's aguirre or coppola 's apocalypse now , MOV is auteurist psychodrama .",
        "portrait of a very disturbed man ; not for kids .",
        "scorcese 's first masterpiece .",
        "its themes of urban decay , anomie and violence which infuse the impending sense of doom at the heart of this film still hang like black clouds over many cities today .",
        "-lsb- scorsese -rsb- seems to need scripts with well-designed humor and performers with the spirit of ellen burstyn to compensate for what seems to be a fundamentally depressed view of life and the belief that sobriety is the equivalent of seriousness .",
        "martin scorsese 's masterly MOV both encapsulates and transcends its times .",
        "martin scorsese 's history-making scald is truly a phenomenon from another day and age . which is to say , imagine a like-minded film of this decade killing at the box office and getting nommed for best picture .",
        "a compelling and unsettling film exploring many of the fears , aches and dislocations of contemporary urban life",
        "powerful drama and portrait of insanity .",
        "so much of this study of evil is brilliant .",
        "probably did for cab drivers what psycho did for showers .",
        "for film buffs and those wondering what all the fuss is about , MOV remains a singular experience .",
        "in a brilliant touch , scorsese uses bickle 's voice-over narration , his continual talking to himself , as a symptom of emotional isolation and mental deterioration rather than for the usual exposition of or commentary on a story .",
        "the heart and soul of MOV are twisted in a way that ca n't be faked or copied .",
        "but despite anything , -lsb- the -rsb- average viewer at the end actually cheers for travis .",
        "the symbolism used by scorsese , the extremely effective acting by robert deniro , and the superb writing by paul schrader , turn this movie into a cinematic adventure of many layers .",
        "one of the great ones",
        "its brilliant performances and haunting final bernard herrmann score assist in making this classic about as perfect as a movie can be .",
        "the thing i 'm never sure about is whether travis is actually psychotic , and paul schrader 's script , scorsese 's direction , and de niro 's performance do n't give us any easy answers .",
        "it is a brilliant , bloody movie with a haunting portrayal of urban life , and is arguably one of the top 10 movies ever made .",
        "a masterful psychological study , the depth of which can only fully be appreciated on repeat viewings .",
        "since the mid-1970s , the movie has become presciently emblematic of our emotionally diseased , violence-prone culture .",
        "an undeniably brilliant , nightmarish portrait of one man 's personal hell .",
        "a haunting , visceral trip through the mind of a man on the edge of his own sanity .",
        "this is an extraordinary film . de niro in the central role delivers one of those powerhouse performances that simply blows the audience away .",
        "the classic cinematic thunderstorm - paul schrader 's cool , sexually repressed formalism drifting into the humidity of martin scorsese 's lurid , urban expressionism .",
        "MOV is grounded in its socio-political context , yet it also touches on something more universal ... how one finds purpose and identity in a collapsing capitalistic society .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- so much of american popular culture , and modern cinema 's urban aesthetic , owes a debt to martin scorsese 's groundbreaking fourth feature film that it is impossible to imagine a world without `` MOV . ''",
        "even more unnerving than his own psychotic behaviour is the easy way in which -lsb- travis bickle -rsb- is assimilated and integrated into the very society that he endangers .",
        "what strikes you are n't just the iconic moments , but the little ones .",
        "it 's a powerful film and a terrific showcase for the versatility of star robert de niro .",
        "MOV is a brilliant study of alienation , obsession , paranoia and perverse desire . there 's an undeniable power and grittiness that very few films have come close to capturing since .",
        "scorsese 's masterpiece of urban alienation ..."],
    "summary": "a must-see film for movie lovers , this martin scorsese masterpiece is as hard-hitting as it is compelling , with robert de niro at his best .",
    "id": "16625"
  },
  {
    "movie": "batman_forever",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's great bubble gum for the eyes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "not as dark as its predecessor but still a great visual feast",
        "minds in neutral , zoning out on the eye candy .",
        "kilmer 's good , not surprisingly , but he does n't get to do a lot .",
        "the best to date .",
        "weak plot , complete lack of character development and at least some actors who did n't look particularly interested in their roles .",
        "the film ultimately lacks genuine suspense , and schumacher unwisely moves the film back towards the camp of the 1960s television series .",
        "takes two giant steps backward .",
        "as for kilmer , he gamely steps into the dual batman/wayne role but ca n't get much traction , finding , as michael keaton had , that beyond a stern jaw there 's not much to be done with it , since the suit does most of the work .",
        "the second sequel to tim burton 's 1989 blockbuster makes its predecessors appear models of subtlety and coherence .",
        "joel schumacher submits to the wagnerian bombast with an overly busy surface , and the script by lee and janet scott batchler and akiva goldsman basically runs through the formula as if it 's a checklist .",
        "a grand - scale effort that 's more awe-inspiring than completely successful as entertainment .",
        "boring and near-unwatchable ; its title sums it up with cruel accuracy .",
        "see website for more details .",
        "the motion picture equivalent of a twinkie , this is simple , high-cholesterol entertainment that does n't pretend to be anything else .",
        "this loud and boisterous comic book confidential is serviceable enough to satisfy .",
        "mildly diverting , brainless fun that feels like a long trailer for a better film .",
        "kilmer 's appeal in the role may be partially due to the fact that his actual public persona resembles bruce wayne more closely than that of any other bat-thespian .",
        "the fatuousness of that title sums up schumacher 's approach . the director allows his few scrupulous choices to be overwhelmed by garish vaudeville .",
        "jim carrey plays the riddler and once he shows up , all the other actors might just as well go home .",
        "bigger , battier and better .",
        "MOV is in and out but wins in the end by staying true to its unbridled comic spirit .",
        "this is a film not designed to be the best piece of pop art it can possibly be , but calculated to draw the widest possible demographics in order to please wb 's merchandising partners .",
        "MOV is louder and gaudier than burton 's films , so be prepared .",
        "a thoroughly fun movie to sit through , but paper thin in substance .",
        "under joel schumacher 's helm , this third chapter is disappointing -- despite a new batman -lrb- the vain val kilmer -rrb- , new femme , new villains and characters , new costumes and even new batmobile .",
        "die-hard batman fans will be even more disappointed with this than they were with burton 's version .",
        "has n't aged very well .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "by now , jim carrey is doing sarcastic takes on his own sarcasm , and there 's something funny and a little scary in that .",
        "as for two-face , my favorite batman baddie on the printed page , tommy lee jones makes a complete mockery of the character with a broad performance that 's difficult to stomach .",
        "the gulf between the dark universe burton 's film set up and the tremendously silly camp world that -lsb- MOV was -rsb- hunting for was too great to hybridise the two .",
        "batman is transformed in to flesh gordon with a phallic bat mobile , bat nipples and sexual chemistry with his young ward ...",
        "a flashy movie that 's more like a video game .",
        "you can tell that a series is transforming to a product when the original creative people start having less and less to do with the new chapters .",
        "no surprises , no mysteries , no moments out of time that fill us with awe or wonder . the best that can be said is that the movie does what it sets out to do very well .",
        "MOV ... and ever ... and -- yawn -- ever .",
        "i was bored from the beginning .",
        "the highs ? jim carrey 's riddler , hands down .",
        "carrey lights up an otherwise over-scripted , over-frenetic potboiler .",
        "it 's lighter , brighter , funnier , faster-paced , and a whole lot more colorful than before .",
        "the plot has enough holes to drive the batmobile , the batplane , and the batboat through .",
        "a big batbore",
        "what a mess !",
        "it 'll pass the time , but it wo n't fire your imagination .",
        "the film recovers from that initial confusion to get stronger as it goes along , and to shape up as a free-form playground for its various masquerading stars .",
        "otherwise known as , ` when schumacher goes and wrecks a good thing . '",
        "pluses : tommy lee jones and jim carrey as two-face and the riddler , respectively ; and the stunning production design .",
        "the script is pretty lame .",
        "this would only appeal to die-hard fans of batman . then again , it might make die-hard fans cry .",
        "the best batman ever . james carrey is the riddler .",
        "schumaker proves that someone can make a batman movie even worse than burton . val kilmer 's portrayal of the dark knight is stilted and lifeless .",
        "where is tim burton when you need him ?",
        "more campy than burton 's batman , but still good ."],
    "summary": "loud , excessively busy , and often boring , MOV nonetheless has the charisma of jim carrey and tommy lee jones to offer mild relief .",
    "id": "11174"
  },
  {
    "movie": "waking_life",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the question comes up often in life : what 's your favorite movie ? since october 2001 , the answer has been easy and one i shoot back reflexively almost before someone 's finished the question : `` MOV . ''",
        "this inventive animated film , which takes linklater back to his roots in austin and slacker , represents a summation of all the philosophical concerns that have defined him as spokesperson for gen-x .",
        "a true independent film that uses animation techniques to their utmost .",
        "form and content fit perfectly : even if the highbrow babbling gets a bit much , the hypnotic animation means that there is always something to watch , like characters suddenly dissolving into smoke or spectacles expanding .",
        "a brilliant film that provokes thought , idea , and conversations within the audience through its surreal animation and incredibly profound conversations .",
        "a far-out-man poetry slam , art exhibit and imaginative philosophical discourse all at once drifts gently down a stream of consciousness until merrily , merrily , merrily , merrily , `` MOV '' is but a dream . who says existential fiction must be dreary ?",
        "love-it-or-hate-it film best for older teens .",
        "a commercial ripoff designed to confuse art-house patrons",
        "truly special , truly different -- a wondrous talky roundelay about and for people who love life .",
        "the endless philosophising is a bit sophomoric and more jokes would help , but this is one of a kind that grows more absorbing the longer it runs .",
        "the novelty of the much-lauded animation style wears off about halfway through , with the end result a film that 's more interminable than anything else .",
        "somewhat hit-and-miss , but just when you think linklater 's philosophizing and his digital foofaraw are about to try your patience , both begin to cohere and resonate .",
        "a thrill , a trip to a fabulous new frontier .",
        "agony . a penance to sit through . when was the last time thirty people lectured you in a dream ?",
        "linklater deserves many congratulations and possibly a few awards .",
        "even without the animation , MOV remains a living , breathing entity , full of real thought , conversation and ideas .",
        "breathtakingly original .",
        "a pretentious snoozer ... while there 's a good deal in the picture to excite the eye , there 's not much to stimulate the ear or ... to engage the mind .",
        "an interesting , thought provoking experiment",
        "animation serves the dialogue in this movie as it served the music in `` fantasia ... '' the monologues themselves are like jazz improvisations , wildly playful ...",
        "adds up to little more than a series of disconnected impressions , but it holds interest despite an almost nonexistent narrative , and that 's something .",
        "an instant cult film , or maybe it is just an odd , interesting mistake from a very gifted director .",
        "often surreal , MOV transcends boundaries of technology , imagination .",
        "it 's so bogged down in grand proclamations about truth and spiritual communion and collective memory that it never strikes a single personal note , one that can be connected to on a purely emotive level .",
        "the movie asks you to be awake as you watch it , so you are not consuming so much as you are processing , in a very self-conscious way .",
        "when it 's over , we may not want to wake up .",
        "`` MOV '' is `` slacker '' remade as a navel-gazing series of monologues , structured like a bunuel dream farce and run through a computer paint program .",
        "a work of art .",
        "like my dinner with andre and other appallingly smart movies , this one reminded me that i need to read more books and watch less television .",
        "linklater mixed his grad-student-on-speed discourses with a few genuinely engrossing yakkers .",
        "minute 69 evolves several geological epochs later into minute 70 -- and then there are 27 minutes left to go !",
        "it 's thoughtful , provocative , liberating and fun .",
        "a plotless rumination on the nature of dreams , reality , and identity does n't sound like the most mesmerizing of movie experiences , but richard linklater has managed that feat .",
        "anyone who finds value in wondering who we are or why we 're here , what 's real and what 's not , should be overjoyed to find a theatrical release with the same sense of curiosity .",
        "startling in its originality , dazzling in its erudition , it fearlessly tackles questions of free will , identity and ... reality ...",
        "the whole thing comes together in one of those deliriously exciting great leaps forward in film art .",
        "it reminded me of college .",
        "linklater 's most visually distinctive movie , with exquisitely detailed renderings ... that are at the same time unstable , floaty , in a way perfect for a dreamed reality .",
        "i applaud linklater for -lsb- directing -rsb- such an interesting ride . but it suffers from a lack of sensistivity to its audience ...",
        "it is not the best film of the year , nor is it likely to be one that i purchase and watch often . still , it is something that should be seen by everyone and experienced by any diehard film lover .",
        "fascinante filme sobre a natureza dos sonhos e a forma com que estes refletem e transcendem a realidade . a anima\u0437\u0433o \u0439 interessante , embora n\u0433o explore tanto as possibilidades da m\u043ddia .",
        "a breath of fresh air .",
        "MOV takes a peek into that other ninety percent of the possibilities of the cinematic medium that nobody ever explores . hopefully , others will follow .",
        "this audacious movie may put some people to sleep ; for others , it 'll be a wakeup call on the possibilities of screen storytelling",
        "a candy-colored my dinner with andr\u00e9 , which is both engrossing and boring at the same time .",
        "beautiful , weird , intellectual and riff-happy ... best served by single serving , scene-by-scene acceptance .",
        "at its screenplay 's level , MOV is self-indulgent academia . as a finished film , it 's glorious .",
        "an unconventional , audacious , delicious , unexpected treat of a type we have been denied for a long time .",
        "you watch movies . a lot of movies . some good , some not so good . once in a while , you see one and you 're like , whoa , now this is something else .",
        "just when you thought there was nothing new in cinema , especially american cinema , along comes richard linklater with one of the most radical and thought provoking films of the year .",
        "it 's weird and not totally successful , but worth seeing if only for the technique .",
        "digital video + digital animation + ancient questions = a visionary , stunning examination of the big picture .",
        "for a movie heralded as the cutting edge of visual innovation , MOV is disappointingly dull in every other respect .",
        "the pictures are gorgeous , and the words , well , if you listen hard enough , the words say exactly what one needs to hear : that is , to wake up and live .",
        "an intriguing and visually impressive film squarely aimed at the art house crowd .",
        "challenging and powerful , MOV reminded me why i love the movies .",
        "a smart , sensuous and sensory mind trip that caroms around a universe of thought .",
        "although MOV is likely to be described as a hallucinogenic , free associative ` trip , ' its secret is a very tight structure , and a series of deliberate choices .",
        "like eavesdropping on a theoretical discourse between kierkegaard & kerouac , while standing in a modern art museum as the paintings come to life & melt into your visual cortex",
        "richard linklater flexes his creative muscle in a unique way .",
        "linklater 's cerebral provocations allow for tickling visuals -- check out that car-boat -- and lively humor .",
        "it may not be for everyone -- the movie requires a high tolerance for statements such as ` there 's only one instant , and it 's now , and it 's eternity ' -- but it 's like nothing else in theaters right now .",
        "i was repelled by the two-ton subject matter , but drawn in by the beauty of its delivery .",
        "while a lot of honest , intelligent people will no doubt fail to grok this trippy , exhilarating movie ... -lsb- it -rsb- is the dreamiest film of this or any other year .",
        "visually and structurally unique .",
        "MOV '' tells us not to be afraid to think the big thoughts , not be dulled by our daily tasks .",
        "innovatively animated , philosophically curious , and a perfect representation of a dream world ... a marvelous work of art .",
        "a sterling example of the kind of picture that always plays better at film festivals than it does at the multiplex .",
        "pure greatness .",
        "groundbreaking filmmaking techniques and otherworldly rhythm ... liberating , dreamy , joyous .",
        "not fond of abstract observation in its rawest form , i found myself on the verge of discourse-induced slumber .",
        "this is a wildly invigorating , unexpectedly thrilling and even moving film .",
        "... one does expect it to say something of importance , you see , but it never does . for me , it was a classic case of the emperor having no clothes .",
        "a non-stop idea fest told in the form of real conversations people have .",
        "the film celebrates community to a greater extent than any narrative film i can think of .",
        "the most visionary , beautiful , awe-inspiring , and life-affirming cartoon i have ever seen . it 's near the top of the list for any film .",
        "it 's quite safe to say that films like MOV come about once in a blue moon .",
        "sus inquietantes discursos y preguntas sin respuesta se mantendr\u00e1n en la mente del espectador mucho tiempo despu\u00e9s de haber abandonado la sala de cine .",
        "you 'll find more self-involvement and cod philosophising here than in all the world 's coffee houses .",
        "it has taken a decade for linklater to move from slacker to MOV , and a comparison between the two brilliantly exposes the changes that have occurred over this time .",
        "explorar estas preguntas , y hacerlo de una forma tan grata en lo visual , es una forma de expresar j\u00fabilo , gozo por la vida , ... y por el cine y la animaci\u00f3n .",
        "if there was ever a film that made ontological exploration fun , this is it .",
        "little more than isolated -- and not terribly fulfilling -- masturbation",
        "even if you ca n't remember a line after you 've seen it , the images remain with you a long time .",
        "a fascinating work that leapfrogs its maker , richard linklater , from acclaimed indie filmmaker to visionary .",
        "worth seeing because of its groundbreaking animation style .",
        "as delirious , discombobulating and queasily funny as a post-pizza dream .",
        "it ends up staying with you long after the jittery animated images have faded from the screen .",
        "does n't leave you in a dream , specifically the dream of linklater 's previous films , so much as it traps you in an endless bull session .",
        "a terrific new picture that , despite playing tricks with your eyes and making your head hurt as you begin to obsess about your own dreams , is worth every single , precious minute .",
        "a tripped-out look at the life or dreams of a dreamer .",
        "whether it 's a product of stoic contemplation or reefer madness , linklater 's MOV becomes an elusive , one-way vehicle to god .",
        "so verbally dexterous and visually innovative that you ca n't absorb it unless you have all your wits about you . and even then , you may want to see it again to enjoy its subtle humor and warm humanity .",
        "linklater creates something truly new , a meta-movie that stretches the boundaries of both the audience 's consciousness and the medium of film .",
        "see it if any of this sounds appealing but do n't say you attended unwarned .",
        "the visuals are extraordinary , the kind of thing usually reserved for a 5-minute short . but we never get tired of watching it .",
        "a film for anyone who has ever wondered about life , about what it means to be human , about where the division between dreams and reality really is",
        "the overall effect of MOV is that of finally escaping a cocktail party full of ecstasy-laden philosophy students .",
        "... perhaps the best approximation of what a real dream is .",
        "sitting through `` MOV '' is like being trapped in a painting filled with philosophy students",
        "it is n't a great film , but it is important in a historical sense .",
        "worth it just to watch , this one 's destined for midnight art-house screenings for years to come .",
        "exhilarating , transporting , funny and haunting -- and at times maddeningly heady or narcotically logy -- MOV does n't compare to any other movie experience i 've ever had .",
        "forces a non-stop barrage of pseudo-deep theories and questions on the viewer that , more often than not , resemble a bunch of psycho-babbly hooey .",
        "as with slacker , linklater has made a seminal film which is also bound to develop a cult following , and deservedly so .",
        "one of the most inspired cases of the medium embodying the message ever captured on celluloid .",
        "a fantastically smart attempt at creating an evocative cinematic expression for some of our most complex metaphysical conundrums .",
        "i found it to be beyond words ; a combination of film , groundbreaking computer animation , and a difficult and profane script that produces a sublime interpretation of existence .",
        "the trick to flying , the late douglas adams suggested , is to fall but to miss the ground .",
        "for some , the conversations will be like fingernails across a blackboard . for others , the discussions will be as involving as the visuals are lilting .",
        "takes `` my dinner with andre '' into the university classroom : philosophy 101 .",
        "an indisputable landmark of animation from its first scene onward .",
        "a one of a kind experience , like no other film you 've ever seen .",
        "it does have the makings of a major cult item .",
        "despite its title , MOV is one big snooze .",
        "in order to ` get ' MOV , you have to think of it less as a movie than as a philosophy lecture that 's been animated .",
        "linklater commits not only to attractive images and thoughtful ideas , but images that are exciting in a way that is different from what we have seen before .",
        "an unusual and intriguing film full of philosophy and social theories .",
        "everyone has an opinion , nobody has the answers , but everyone -lrb- including the audience -rrb- gets energized by considering the questions .",
        "linklater 's earnest good tidings eventually win out over his fruity metaphysics .",
        "linklater 's landmark might just prepare us for an new , enlightened life at the movies .",
        "it 's like being in a college bar and listening to your companion blathering on about the secrets of the world .",
        "most of the film consists of talking heads that no amount of colorfully animated , lava-lamp-like undulations can make less static .",
        "whatever point -lsb- linklater -rsb- is trying to make with this wall of words is almost immediately wearying and soon yawn-inducing .",
        "my companion did enjoy it , and my friend with a degree in philosophy will also probably enjoy it , but overall i found it pretentious , tiresome , pedantic , and one-note .",
        "to paraphrase the enduring title of a new-wave album , it is pure pop for dream people .",
        "this movie seems alive , seems vibrating with urgency and excitement .",
        "like a long day in the college coffee shop , it 's more provocative than original and profound , but still time well spent .",
        "this unusual and memorable film is packed with smart observations on life , dreams and philosophy .",
        "a visionary animated film of deep play that is stylistically innovative and spiritually rich in content .",
        "the film , like timecode , is no more than a fascinating stunt . ... after a while , it 's hard to stay awake .",
        "the problem is that there are few things as boring as listening to other people 's dreams .",
        "truly a one-of - a-kind movie .",
        "the theater in which i saw this flick had 10 people in it when it started , and by the time it was over , only 5 people survived . unfortunately , i had to be one of them",
        "an instant cult classic , one that 's tailor-made for multiple viewings and bound to be popular among college students .",
        "it 's genuinely intriguing for about 20 minutes because it is an effective marriage of style and subject matter , but at 90 minutes it outstays its welcome .",
        "it is rare to find a feature film that is even plays in stylistic fields this far from the norm .",
        "that 's what makes it beautiful . it dares to look ridiculous and does n't care if you think it is .",
        "the must-see result seems like an entirely new art form ."],
    "summary": "the talky , animated MOV is a unique , cerebral experience .",
    "id": "12877"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hilary_and_jackie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "profound and haunting !",
        "repetitious . annoying !",
        "what we never discover - and it is a fatal lapse in films like this - is why music has so seized jackie , why it is important for her to be an artist , at the risk of her sanity .",
        "you 're so disconnected from the protagonists in this film ... that you really do n't care what happens to either jackie or hilary .",
        "depressing rather than uplifting ; it does not offer catharsis-that relief or discharge of the sadness that would arise out of new understanding or insight .",
        "the story is told in such a chopped-up way that it often seems pointless and certainly devoid of much-needed editing .",
        "an uncommonly well-rounded portrait of a tormented genius .",
        "has already drawn comparisons to ` shine ' ... but ` hilary ' is a more accomplished and demanding film , one that does n't find a convenient villain to pin cellist jacqueline du pre 's troubles on .",
        "a thought-provoking and poignant ode to jackie du pre 's life .",
        "a flawed but powerful shine-esque tale of love , music , and madness !",
        "director anand tucker and screenwriter frank cottrell boyce have done a superb job of composing this piece of celluloid like a a piece of music .",
        "this one 's a winner .",
        "`` MOV '' is either an incredibly complex movie or an incredibly confusing one . since i ca n't seem to make up my mind which one it is , i guess i 'll have to cast my vote for confusing .",
        "while the raw material may be compelling , it does n't always add up to satisfactory cinema .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- interesting , insightful film ...",
        "emily watson as jacqueline du pre and rachel griffiths as her sister hilary are wonderful together !",
        "as exhilarating , passionate and profound as the music it celebrates .",
        "one of the best films of the year . an emotionally gripping tale about obsession , family and love .",
        "a good , if draining , film .",
        "shows the high price that must be paid by families with a genius in their midst .",
        "this is an actors ' film , and the actors are actually rather good . that may not make it a fashionable movie , but it 's not a negligible achievement .",
        "eye-grabbing performances from emily watson and rachel griffiths , who portray celebrated british cellist jacqueline du pre and her older sister , hilary , distinguish this ambitious but flawed biography , the debut feature from anand tucker .",
        "watson 's performance is virtuoso : passionate , sensitive , impressionable and sometimes grotesque ; and she 's well matched by the subtle griffiths and vibrant morrisey .",
        "no , it 's not a movie about two first ladies married to adulterous husbands .",
        "a powerful family drama focused on the lives of the title characters . a good recommendation for classical music lovers , too .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "one of the most insightful and wrenching portraits of the joys and tribulations of being a classical musician ever filmed .",
        "the film is a triumph that deserves the same roaring applause from motion picture audiences that jackie received from her musical ones .",
        "a compelling look at the life of a classical musician as well as the lasting effects of sibling rivalry .",
        "brilliant , heart-wrenching !",
        "it 's an artsy soap opera that would serve as a monumental tv movie , but shines dimly as a feature film .",
        "the film is quite an ambitious and stylized biopic , spanning decades and capturing the world of concert performance where time stops and sensory perception become excruciatingly magnified .",
        "gorgeous musical sequences and top-notch acting !",
        "a compelling film !",
        "watson is a mercurial presence with huge , nervous baby eyes , and when she cuts loose , an otherwise conventional film shudders with anxiety .",
        "an extraordinary film !",
        "the acting by emily watson and rachel griffiths , playing jackie and hilary , respectively , as adults , is first-rate .",
        "this is as rich and powerful a film as has been released in 1998 !",
        "a revelation when it allows us to see what people surrender for art , as well as why people surrender their art .",
        "this is a film that glows with confidence , sparked by a maturity for its material .",
        "MOV is not always comfortable to watch - but throughout , there is a strong integrity of passionate film making , approached confidently and with authority .",
        "gutsy , moving , provocative , intelligent and thoroughly grown-up , MOV is one of the best movies of the year .",
        "a superb biographical account of the tragic life of cellist jacqueline du pre and of the complex relationship between her and her older sister !"],
    "summary": "brilliant performances , lush cinematography , and complex storytelling deserve audience 's attention .",
    "id": "16755"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_salvation",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a gratifyingly old-fashioned western of the sort hollywood long ago gave up making .",
        "in an untamed world where hypocrisy is loud and where no one can be trusted , salvation is one 's own business and actions speak louder than words .",
        "it 's pretty formulaic stuff , but levring has a good eye ; it 's a handsome film to look at .",
        "wild west vengeance gets a terrific homage and a bloody reckoning in this oater excursion ...",
        "writer-director kristian levring says there are 62 different references to classic westerns in his own oater `` MOV . '' perhaps the greatest compliment i can pay his film is that i never looked for them . i was too busy enjoying the film .",
        "with the help of two charismatic stars , it does conjure up its share of evocative genre moments .",
        "levring plays out his generic premise at a grindingly slow pace .",
        "mikkelsen in a danish western holds promise , but computer-aided style detracts and distracts",
        "its evocative sets and settings , superior acting and bleak-as-a-dead-rattle-snake ethos make it the most entertaining western to come steaming into cinemas since the 3:10 to yuma arrived eight long years ago .",
        "it 's a little too wedded to the cinematic past .",
        "mikkelsen makes a great western hero . in an earlier age , this might have been his entire career .",
        "a truly reprehensible revenge western .",
        "MOV is n't just for those who love westerns ... it 's a solid revenge thriller in its own right .",
        "this does n't add much to the genre but it 's always welcome to see a film that does it so well .",
        "it 's the detail -- the fly on the dead man 's face and all those close-ups of characters ' stirruped boots clanking on wooden floors -- that makes MOV so enjoyable .",
        "MOV is of that rare genre : the danish western , starring the always-magnificent mads mikkelsen as jon , a nordic settler in the -lrb- extremely -rrb- wild west of america in 1871 .",
        "the film has a pleasing old school commitment to the primal beauty of seeing frontier justice unleashed by taciturn men who take no pleasure in killing . but that 's also its problem .",
        "it never transcends reverent pastiche , down to the hackneyed twang of morricone-style guitars .",
        "a film reminiscent of a song that sounds familiar but offers its own pleasures .",
        "it 's disappointing that the movie , which begins with such a strong sense of moral murkiness and casual injustice , descends into a rather generic tale of revenge ...",
        "... a revenge western , photographed and designed in the grand , hyperbolic style of leone 's ` once upon a time in the west , ' complete with wide-angle interiors and dynamic close-ups ... mikkelsen subs nicely for jimmy stewart on vengeance trail .",
        "worth seeing just for the faces , starting with mads mikkelsen as the suffering hero , then moving on to jeffrey dean morgan as the rotten , savvy heavy , eva green as the mutilated woman , and jonathan pryce as the craven mayor .",
        "slick , hyperstylized , and lushly scored - a far cry from levring and co-writer anders thomas jensen 's dogme days-the salvation is , under its glossy western veneer , a simple , old-fashioned revenge thriller .",
        "`` MOV '' is one of those movies that deservedly -lrb- and desperately -rrb- requires a do-over . unfortunately , what you see is what you get .",
        "sadly , the director 's stylistic gambits get the better of him at the precise point when the plotting gets wobbly , and the result is a pile-up and a waste .",
        "nearly blazing saddles without the jokes : all genre conventions with none of the fun , just your inescapable expectations met around every sun-blighted corner .",
        "levring has little interest in investigating western lore or history but rather in manipulating characters and images from classic films he loved as a child .",
        "this familiar material is pitched ever towards the ridiculous , but it 's at least strongly played throughout .",
        "mads mikkelson has the face for the frontier and just the right level of internalised , righteous rage to keep MOV on a rusty-knife-edge throughout .",
        "levring is certainly the first of his countrymen to render an homage to the genre with quite this level of skill , while his outsider status allows him to damn every last american in the godforsaken land of his own invention .",
        "two bond villains and eva green walk into a western , and they emerge with a rugged - if far from revolutionary - old-school horse-opera throwback .",
        "-lsb- feels -rsb- like a period exercise in the modern , liam neeson-led trend of grim revenge films .",
        "the movie is boringly violent and glum , but as a mute widow with a killer glare , the inimitable eva green provides its one shard of campy color .",
        "one enjoys it the way one enjoys a forgettable genre entry that gets most things right , then largely dissolves from the memory . indeed , not even eva green as a mute , scarred gunslinger is very memorable .",
        "MOV is visually beautiful , morally down and dirty , and simplistic . but it 's marked by two haunted , quiet performances from stars mads mikkelsen and eva green , who make -lsb- an -rsb- otherwise predictable slog worthwhile .",
        "the film achieves nothing more than hollow caricature , too caught up in dumb dress-up pageantry to accomplish anything else .",
        "mostly for those who have the superior taste and intelligence to be mads mikkelsen fans .",
        "the story drifts and the pacing drags , failing to gather much steam until the final moments .",
        "mikkelsen 's icy stare , and a strong finale , make the film worth a go .",
        "MOV is a popcorn-ready old west revenge tale with little on its mind besides consecutive action beats .",
        "the individually strong elements of the movie all feel like they should add up to something much more than the whole .",
        "MOV is assembled of nothing but the most elemental components of the western , which gives genre specialists a lot to recognize and analyze and newcomers something to enjoy for its own sake .",
        "if MOV is not a perfect film , it 's pretty damn close to being one .",
        "MOV may be more of a genre exercise than an effective thriller , but compelling performances help elevate this danish western .",
        "surprises are few and far between in `` MOV , '' but for western fans looking for a fix , it 'll do the trick .",
        "MOV is severe and bloody stuff .",
        "there 's no harmonica-flavored faux-morricone score , no cutesy references ; this is n't an homage , but a director putting an outmoded genre style to work in a brisk , violent frontier flick .",
        "if you enjoy your meat rare , booze gulped out of a dirty boot , and tingle at the sound of jangling spurs , `` MOV '' is the movie for you .",
        "a solid , if very familiar , revenge western with a decent lead , a couple of well-staged shootouts and some dazzling desert landscapes .",
        "lack of mystery does n't hurt the movie , but rather fits a story as elemental as this , one that at times resembles an illustrated list of genre codes and conventions : black hat , white hat , six-shooter , horse .",
        "lacks enough complexity to hold clich\u00e9 at bay , and the cgi-heavy visuals are distracting .",
        "there are no surprises in this story , only the anticipation of justice being done one bad guy at a time until the final showdown .",
        "MOV is n't quite as extraordinary as john hillcoat 's the proposition , but it 's still an extremely solid western with a remarkable performance by mads mikkelsen .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "more sergio leone than john ford , it 's a visually expansive compendium of revenge-movie cliches suffused with scandinavian angst -- not a spaghetti western , but sort of a cheesy danish one .",
        "it is not a particularly light-hearted western but it 's also neither portentous nor pretentious , and it does n't wear out its welcome .",
        "even when we know the familiar iconography and storytelling tropes of old american classics that are thundering toward us , it 's great to see them again .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is such a loving embrace to the western genre you keep waiting for john wayne to sidle up , tip his hat , and say `` howdy ma'am '' .",
        "MOV has everything a good western should have .",
        "a very entertaining , pure breed , old school western with a modern twist - and mesmerizing casting",
        "perhaps there is no salvation , just survival in the savagery of this particularly wild west .",
        "... a loving and in fact overly adulatory genre film which is not so much a take on the revenge western as a deeply faithful recreation of it , at times so faithful as to veer dangerously close to pastiche .",
        "mikkelsen becomes a background player next to green ; he withholds , she combusts .",
        "this is a well made , passionately acted western that hands over plenty of bang for your fistful of dollars .",
        "... might seem generic by genre standards , but it 's also well executed on both sides of the camera .",
        "jens schlosser 's cinematography is stunning , at least until -lsb- director -rsb- levring goes style crazy at the film 's midpoint , fetishizing the visuals until his film bears more in common with `` sin city '' than `` dodge city . ''",
        "why does n't it work ? perhaps it 's the feeling that levring is ticking boxes , trying to include all the typical hallmarks of a western without ever giving them the time to properly develop .",
        "one of the most exciting cowboy movies to clip-clop onto screens in a while .",
        "for western fans , watching this movie is like encountering an old friend after a long absence ."],
    "summary": "it 's all but impossible to add anything new or fresh to the traditional western , but -- thanks in no small part to mads mikkelson 's performance -- MOV comes close .",
    "id": "771380369"
  },
  {
    "movie": "state_and_main",
    "reviews":
     [
        "offers a welcome group of arresting personalities and performances .",
        "by the end , you 'll wish they 'd actually made a movie called the old mill , because seeing what went behind the scenes will have completely intrigued you .",
        "the execution of these amusing ideas falls flat with too much going on with too many characters .",
        "an intersection of all kinds of filmmaking , genres and values that is ingeniously rich and one of the true gems of the year .",
        "a film that is laugh out loud funny and dinner-conversation smart .",
        "has the appearance of a film that was a lot more fun to make than it is to sit through .",
        "a hollywood satire as cynical and thickheaded as its supposed targets .",
        "the dramatis personae here are deliciously twisted , and the knowing cast obviously had a ball biting the hand that feeds them .",
        "this is sitcom the way sitcom is meant to be .",
        "mamet 's movie has its moments of wit and warmth , but here he 's mostly behind , not ahead of , the curve .",
        "mamet has his work cut out for him by making egotistical stars and exploitative directors seem funnily new . but MOV engages nonetheless .",
        "mamet 's jabs at tinseltown 's silken ruthlessness are quietly pointed , and the ensemble cast ... is brilliant .",
        "a quintessentially wised-up insider comedy , ideally cast and filled with sharp writing from start to finish .",
        "a surprisingly unpolished piece of work that plays as though it were written for the stage and only slightly modified for the screen .",
        "the first brilliantly biting showbiz satire of hollywood 's second century , and one of the subgenre 's most droll and original entries .",
        "as smart , witty and nasty as anything you 'd expect from the artist .",
        "for all its wit and sharp casting , MOV is way too pleased with itself to be funny or endearing .",
        "mamet has whipped up a frothy , good-natured screwball comedy ; it 's both the lightest and most fully satisfying picture he 's directed to date .",
        "has some very funny moments but does n't hit the mark , largely because its notions of hollywood seem either dated or false .",
        "a crackling ensemble comedy .",
        "this is exactly the kind of intellectual in-joke movie that a few people will adore with all their hearts , and a zillion people will go , `` ehhh . ''",
        "it 's a treat to see a movie that rewards its viewers for paying attention .",
        "funny , satirical , and touching",
        "... manages to be one of the most brilliant films of 2000 : a satirical , edgy and sweet comedy in which every person , detail and camera shot is of complete significance .",
        "... without a doubt one of the most well written scripts in the past few years .",
        "those who read the tabloids regularly will enjoy speculating about which real-life personalities mamet may have provided the inspiration for these daffy characters .",
        "the well-spoken scumbags are still there , but now they 're funny .",
        "like the good magician , mamet plays some tricks on us which cause bristles of amazement .",
        "mamet loves the interplay of words , rife with sharp exchanges and ready witticisms",
        "devilishly wicked if occasionally slight , mamet 's third film in as many years , is , alas , one of his weakest -lrb- but still strong compared with the rest of the holiday film pack -rrb- .",
        "an acerbic comedy by david mamet set in a small new england town where some ethically challenged filmmakers are shooting a movie about the `` search for purity . ''",
        "much like the sophisticated comedies of preston sturgess .",
        "classic screwball fare .",
        "has the hermetic , vacuum packed atmosphere of all the films that david mamet has directed , yet cleverness , heightened to a pitch of acid tongued amorality , is both its flavor and its meaning .",
        "as much fun to listen to as it is to watch .",
        "mamet has an unrivaled ear for dialogue .",
        "MOV is so entertaining and , yes , fun .",
        "a surfeit of farce and fast-talking makes up for a lack of plot .",
        "MOV offers much whimsical pleasure , even if it 's too loosely constructed to be deemed an unbridled comic masterpiece .",
        "a pleasingly literate construct of sight gags and wordplay .",
        "reasonably funny .",
        "cynics , people say , know the price of everything and the value of nothing . but boy , can they be funny .",
        "puts limp noodles like bowfinger to shame .",
        "a nice , light comedy filled with several interesting characters , a few really funny lines and an infectious easy-going score .",
        "from start to finish , MOV has so few lulls and so many memorable parts that it 's hard not to be hungry for more after it 's over .",
        "a welcome respite from -lsb- mamet 's -rsb- usual cynicism .",
        "resembles the cinema-obsessed work regularly generated by naive film school graduates .",
        "a wonderful film with equal parts romance and cynicism .",
        "features characters so real , so flawed and , for the most part , so instantly dislikeable , it 's hard not to find yourself immediately wrapped up in their antics .",
        "cute , cozy and wryly funny .",
        "an amusing picture with some nicely stinging lines and pungent observations .",
        "it 's highly watchable , and , at times , humorously compelling .",
        "an amusing trifle .",
        "a pleasant enough entertainment -- packed with star power -- that has n't the teeth to achieve true satire .",
        "a great film about making bad movies .",
        "MOV might be the perfect david mamet movie for people who do n't like david mamet movies . the nice thing about it , though , is that it wo n't disappoint the rest of us .",
        "MOV is a mixed bag .",
        "though mamet is definitely the real star of the film , his actors rise to the challenge of his genius .",
        "something admittedly slimy , but quite satisfying .",
        "hollywood corrupts absolutely , and mamet turns the toxic process into the year 's best and smartest comedy .",
        "mamet 's numerous barbs directed at hollywood and the whole film industry are , for the most part , well-placed , and his dialogue is as snappy as ever .",
        "a light , bright way to momentarily escape the fast lane .",
        "mamet gets about halfway to great screwball comedy before the picture runs out of steam .",
        "it 's mamet in a lighthearted mood , playing with dialogue , repeating phrases just because he likes them , and supplying us with a closing line that achieves , i think , a kind of greatness .",
        "one of the year 's smartest and funniest films .",
        "intelligent , witty and nearly always amusing , the dialogue is the kind we 'd all love to have rolling off our tongues at all times .",
        "the usually sharp-penned playwright slums it , giving us a pedestrian culture-clash comedy .",
        "there are fresher wisecracks packed in MOV than in just about any high-concept hollywood comedy of recent vintage .",
        "why is it only sort of amusing instead of side-splitting ?",
        "a film of unexpected warmth and geniality .",
        "lays to rest any doubt about whether mamet can write funny . he can .",
        "hilarious and surprisingly sweet .",
        "a finely tuned satire of the insane hollywood modus operandi , heightened by farcical flourishes and grounded with the kind of reportorial integrity that distinguishes mamet 's best work .",
        "when mamet 's new movie sticks to depicting the contagious amorality spread by the movie business , it 's darkly dirty fun .",
        "there is enough funny stuff here to make MOV passably entertaining , despite its complete predictability .",
        "works very well not only as a comedy but also as an ensemble character study .",
        "mamet lite , but still a lot of fun .",
        "in this age when dumb , broad , easy-to-market comedy continues to rule , mr. mamet 's literary wit is always welcome .",
        "mamet delivers a handful of offbeat gems .",
        "a delicious satire that benefits from a smart script packed with witticisms and performed wonderfully by a terrific ensemble cast .",
        "there 's not much here that would surprise any knowledgeable observer , but mamet presents it with such brio and simmering rage that the movie has the sting of anger in almost every scene .",
        "a frequently hilarious film .",
        "david mamet , that president emeritus of hard-consonant profanity , often seems as comfortable with softer stuff as a man wearing wool in july . but this on-the-nose hollywood satire played like preston sturges absolved of production-code limitations .",
        "one giant testimony to unmet potential .",
        "retains a lightheartedness that pokes fun at the film industry and gives some memorable performances",
        "intriguing characters , good movie for older teens .",
        "... quirky ...",
        "mamet 's most easy going and fun-loving film to date .",
        "david mamet tones it down a second time in the relaxed MOV .",
        "... a fine comedy that represents grown-up moviemaking at its very best .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- has been heralded as the second coming of preston sturges . correct me if i 'm wrong , but i do n't recall any of that comedic master 's films ever revolving around a statutory rape charge .",
        "in the end , MOV is little more than a pleasant diversion , but it is one that is accomplished with a degree of wit and grace and a healthy respect for its putative audience ."],
    "summary": "MOV offers plenty of wit and laughs in its lampoons of the movie industry .",
    "id": "14049"
  },
  {
    "movie": "lara_croft_tomb_raider_the_cradle_of_life",
    "reviews":
     [
        "at least in the first film , angelina jolie had conviction in her ability to break someone 's face and look good doing it . here , it looks like she ca n't wait to get to the next billy bob tattoo removal appointment .",
        "saying that the cradle of life is better than the original is on par with saying that sudden painless death is preferable to expiring by a long and painful disease .",
        "the direction is so workmanlike , so dispassionately competent , that it seems de bont may be as resigned to his career 's downward plummet as those of us who admired his debut film , the thrilling speed , are puzzled by it .",
        "angelina jolie returns as a globetrotting archaeologist ... in a sequel that redefines boredom .",
        "joyless princess .",
        "only reinforces what -lsb- lara croft 's -rsb- first movie showed us -- that she 's not readily approachable to other characters nor to the audience .",
        "there 's enough action here to keep the viewer awake . but just barely .",
        "jolie remains more magazine cover than actress -lrb- or movie star -rrb- , and the franchise she supports is more nintendo after-school time killer than rousing adventure cycle .",
        "is `` tomb raider : the cradle of life '' worth it ? no . if you 've sent the first , you 've seen the second .",
        "sure it 's hardcore dumb but its so amusing plundering this tomb that you wo n't notice -lrb- or care -rrb- how well the makers raided your wallet .",
        "jolie may be defining herself in a franchise whose memory will be hard to erase later in her career , but she does it with the style of a legend .",
        "it 's nearly humorless , which is deadly for such movies .",
        "as a collection of action sequences , the cradle of life could n't be less rousing were it performed by the cast of cocoon .",
        "at least a bit more comprehensible than its predecessor -- say , a second-rate indiana jones rip-off instead of a third-rate indiana jones rip-off .",
        "the new film is n't very good , but it 's possible to sit through it without holding your nose .",
        "everything in cradle of life has a kind of robotic precision to it , as if looking perfect were enough to give a movie a soul .",
        "a film as boring as its title is grammatically incorrect and long .",
        "despite extra scoops of action , lara croft tomb raider : the cradle of life is n't nearly as much fun as the original .",
        "this time the filmmakers understand how to treat this female fusion of indiana jones and james bond .",
        "action-packed .",
        "the cradle of life ai n't shakespeare and it does n't reinvent the action-adventure in any profound way . on the other hand , it 's a sleek , well-produced popcorn picture .",
        "lara croft is a stern , all-knowing , effortlessly competent \u00fcber-babe -- but you would n't want to know her .",
        "an action film with cold , colorless characters .",
        "not enough crazy gynophobia . perhaps paul verhoeven should direct tomb raider .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this film 's biggest problem is that it 's just plain boring .",
        "the high point of the production is -lsb- angelina -rsb- jolie , who struts through the film with a sly smile and sexy self-confidence . she seems to be having a great time because she probably was",
        "stupid is good for comedies and some action movies . but this is n't one of them .",
        "delivers everything and more that fans of the first installment expect .",
        "game sequels generally rely on better graphics and better interactive play . this movie sequel has more imagination and situations that draw you in more . again , that seems appropriate .",
        "scenery ca n't save this blindingly dull sequel .",
        "croft , who must have pixels for brains , makes a series of incredibly stupid mistakes ...",
        "under de bont 's tutelage the franchise has shifted from amiably plodding but unique to relentlessly plodding and generic .",
        "lara , at least , appears to know who she is . now , if only her movies did her justice .",
        "like the video games that inspired it , this installment is n't better or worse than the first -- it 's just more of the same .",
        "how could something so expensive , so loud and so frenetic simultaneously be so mindnumbingly boring ?",
        "at least now we have a clue about what 's in pandora 's box : it 's movies like this .",
        "there will be little argument that cradle of life is a much-improved sequel over its predecessor . regrettably , it comes on the heels of a movie that should have never been made in the first place .",
        "uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of pulp adventure feeling we get from the indiana jones movies .",
        "the film plays out like the multilevel video game , but unlike its playstation2 counterpart , we have no control over the action .",
        "lara croft tomb raider : the cradle of life has the dubious honor of not only being the most lackluster action/adventure film of 2003 , but perhaps of the past several years , as well .",
        "a highly enjoyable summer thrill ride .",
        "barbara walters to angelina jolie : `` i know there are kids watching this , but can you show me the tattoo on your yoni ? ''",
        "avoid this one .",
        "it repeats the mistakes of the first film and compounds them with the cardinal sin of taking itself too seriously .",
        "this lara croft sequel really surprised me . it 's the most exciting action/adventure flick i 've seen since ` the mummy . '",
        "as is so often the case , robbers emptied this tomb of ideas long ago . but it does have a lovely facade .",
        "in the next `` lara croft , '' she 'll search for the weapons of mass destruction .",
        "the first movie was so bad it was almost good ; this one is almost good .",
        "wowsers can this chickbabe kick some *** !",
        "lara croft searching for a mystical `` box '' ? why does n't cradle of life play this for laughs ?",
        "an entertaining summertime diversion that does n't assault the senses .",
        "cradle has more story and more jolie but , at just under two hours , it unfolds like a leaden fashion shoot .",
        "if ever there was a movie fit for permanent entombment , it 's this sequel .",
        "another lifeless big-budget sequel that 's only going to remind audiences how much they really did n't like the original in the first place",
        "when we 're not offered dime-store cgi or cardboard temple settings , we 're attacked by action sequences that waver between `` stutter-step silly '' and `` slo-mo stupid '' .",
        "takes cool stuff like ancient myths and you call this archeology ? and motorcycling along the great wall of china and using bubblegum like macgyver and turns it all into something ... supremely boring ...",
        "there 's no pacing , no suspense and no vulnerability for the protagonist so it all soon gets numbingly tiresome .",
        "a confusing rehash of batman , indiana jones and james bond movies .",
        "cradle is n't art , but it 's exhilarating , funny and even a little romantic .",
        "jolie is a far better actress than this relentlessly shallow material warrants .",
        "the tepidly anticipated return of the videogame vixen belly-flopped on its us release , and it did so with a splat that could drown out several summer blockbusters ' worth of car-crunch and detonations .",
        "if you 're a fan of hers you 'll be able to find some enjoyment in this movie , but not as much as she seems to be having while making them .",
        "this indiana jones knockoff goes down smoothly enough , and jolie is n't bad at all .",
        "it 's all a confection , but the plot is tight , jolie is hot , and i 'll probably see the next one , too .",
        "better than the first , but not by much .",
        "the less welcome news is that most of the same shortcomings that cramped the first installment are still dogging the sequel , which delivers on action but dawdles through downtime .",
        "jan de bont seems to have lost the ability to intelligently direct an action scene .",
        "curiously fun-free , drab and ho-hum .",
        "it 's clunky , lifeless , murky , and worst of all incredibly boring .",
        "jan de bont 's direction is also disappointing , and while angelina jolie continues to be an eye catching female superhero , she will only do it for the most undemanding audiences this time .",
        "while there are more moments with flair than in the original fiasco , lara croft : tomb raider -- the cradle of life remains a one-dimensional and suspiciously lifeless affair .",
        "if you have to watch a movie this miserable , it helps enormously to have angelina jolie as its eponymous lead .",
        "there 's a great deal more fun in this sequel .",
        "silly , cheesy and tacky .",
        "sure , the movie blows but jolie is the new james dean , mysterious and the definition of cool .",
        "the plot is coherent enough to hold our attention , and inventive enough to move credibly among all the exotic locations .",
        "it 's only when angelina jolie and gerard butler are up close and personal that you get the sense that anybody was really all that interested in making this film .",
        "... this tomb raider also has some enormous dry spots ...",
        "bombastic it may be , but it 's rarely boring , as was the first tomb raider . keep your expectations in line with the source material and you may be pleasantly surprised .",
        "the film was directed by jan de bont , who now should be known as f.k. jan de bont ; the abbreviation standing for franchise killer .",
        "seems like a colossally bad movie , but in reality it 's just not colossal enough .",
        "lara croft lopes from one action set-piece to the next without developing any real rhythm or drive .",
        "drags a 60-minute b-movie premise into something twice that long .",
        "croft 's quest is to find pandora 's box before a mad scientist can get there first , open it , and unleash a series of second-rate special effects upon an unsuspecting world .",
        "inane claptrap that 's sure to be forgotten in the time it takes to rattle off its elongated title .",
        "this movie has a better plot , better characters , and better acting than the first one , but let 's be honest about it -- no one is going to see this movie for the plot , characters , and acting .",
        "this has less plot and worse acting than the 2001 original .",
        "after a dramatically disappointing debut in 2001 , this video-game character turned action film heroine bites back with an eye-catching and imaginative globe-trotting sequel .",
        "lara proclaims : ` some things are not meant to be found . ' i nodded quietly in my seat in agreement and then thought , ` some movies are not meant to be seen , either . '",
        "probably enough goodwill has been built up in the early sections that most viewers will not take offense when the movie abandons its plot and characters .",
        "` es una pel\u00edcula regular que si se ve con el humor adecuado puede llegar a gustar , pues lo \u00fanico que promete - y ofrece - es un rato de esparcimiento '",
        "tomb raider ii may be a pleasure as banal as the archetypal evil scientist . yet it 's a pleasure nonetheless .",
        "there remains the essential truth -lrb- and tomb raider 2 's fiscal failure speaks to this -rrb- that even without analysis , there needs to be some meat on the bone .",
        "the pace can best be described as similar to crawling through quicksand with two broken legs and a refrigerator strapped to your back .",
        "sorry to say , but all the breasts , guns , and monsters are n't enough to save this franchise .",
        "it 's not perfect -lrb- it 's a sequel after all -rrb- , but the latest lara croft film is smart , sexy and great summer fun .",
        "it seems the refreshing originality that breathed life into the first film is still trying to catch its breath .",
        "better than its predecessor -- and , yes , that 's every bit the backhanded compliment it sounds like .",
        "... true to the look and spirit of the game and ... more fun than watching someone else play ` tomb raider , ' which was the bane of the first lara croft installment .",
        "the new lara croft has no reason to exist except that the first one made money .",
        "the best thing about cradle of life ? it 's a whole half-hour shorter than bad boys ii .",
        "` tomb braider ' is able to leap from tall buildings , jump a motorcycle off the great wall of china , flip a speeding jet ski , and trick-shoot while riding sidesaddle - all without messing up her hair .",
        "banal dialogue , ludicrous and uninspired plotting , dull but vicious fight scenes .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a female action hero who can hold her own , quip for quip and punch for punch , against indiana jones and every other cinematic raider of lost things .",
        "she may be playing yet another -lrb- so-called -rrb- empowered woman in yet another film made for teenage boys , but you get the impression that jolie is far too intimidating and too womanly to fit into their pathetic little fantasies .",
        "here -lsb- lara 's -rsb- a cookie-cutter action hero .",
        "there are levels of acceptable stupidity in summer movies , but i 'm afraid lara croft too often dips below the line .",
        "tedious , clunky and , for the big budget and all the exotic locales , surprisingly chintzy-looking .",
        "the storytellers behind the cradle of life concentrate mostly on transportation : the best parts of the movie depict our heroes getting from place to place .",
        "uninvolving and formulaic , spiced up in the stretch with a couple of cgi -lrb- and looking every bit like it -rrb- tree hulk-type monsters .",
        "the end result is a movie that tries -- and fails -- to be much more than it really is .",
        "both tomb raiders suffer from rampant action-adventure cliches and the sort of lumbering dialogue that harks back to the saturday morning serials of yore .",
        "overfamiliar and uninspired .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "more sex , more exotic locations , but still no decent story .",
        "as impressive as angelina jolie 's many physical feats may be , it takes even more stamina and fortitude to stay awake during the movie 's seemingly endless two-hour running length .",
        "a distinct if distinctly minor improvement on the first .",
        "some romantic/sexual interplay is kept alive by hints and promises , always at arms length . we would n't want to gross out the prepubescent sub teenage audience , would we ? these filmmakers know where boxoffice coin will be coming from .",
        "diverting but far from memorable .",
        "i still had to slap myself to stay awake .",
        "it 's part travelogue and part james bond caper , with a thrilling opening and a wonderfully weird finale . ... what 's been sandwiched in between is mostly run-of-the-mill stuntwork and gunplay ...",
        "more like a cradle of tedium , and despite the high-decibel sound and fury , you may wish you had brought a pillow .",
        "while there 's compelling evidence that angelina jolie is a real person , you 'd never guess it watching lara croft tomb raider : the cradle of life .",
        "for a movie based on a video game , the story is as far-fetched and the characters as one-dimensional as one might expect .",
        "another sequel cashing in on its pre-sold audience without providing anything by way of sparkle , wit or originality .",
        "more indiana jones than james bond , lara croft does better this time around with exotic locales and an almost down-to-earth story .",
        "with movies of this sort becoming as prevalent as they are , there has to be more than just expensive looking stunts on display .",
        "anyone who appreciates aesthetic pleasures will enjoy tomb raider 2 on a certain non-visceral level .",
        "too conscious that both critics and audiences alike united to practically riot at the disappointment of the first tomb raider adventure .",
        "the movie is an embarrassment of asinine riches .",
        "without sacrificing velocity , de bont gives us a clean , watchable film , with some exciting sequences .",
        "obvious hokum , but it 's served up with dash and energy ... an expertly-crafted bit of dumb fun .",
        "i would rather see lara croft as a role model than charlie 's angels",
        "calling it ` tomb raider of the lost ark ' is too easy , but the similarities are striking .",
        "an action for action 's sake movie .",
        "after a while , you stop speculating how croft will wriggle out of each fine mess and start checking your watch .",
        "for every scene of national geographic - grand photography and showy action stuntwork put together by chick-action veteran director jan de bont , a little bit of jolie 's old dangerousness goes missing .",
        "director jan de bont barely inspires enough adrenaline-flick flash to hold anyone 's interest - and it does n't help that he seems overly enamored of slow motion ...",
        "the film ironically does the opposite of what an archaeologist is supposed to do - it takes a rare and beautiful treasure and buries it under a ton of junk .",
        "starts strong , ends weak .",
        "the original `` tomb raider '' was dreadfully dull and still took in almost $ 300 million at the worldwide box office . not to worry this time . oscar winner angelina jolie returns to the lead role in all her acrobatic , stunt-filled glory .",
        "although jolie is perfect in the lead with her cartoonishly provocative figure , the comely starlet ca n't make this shoddy story work .",
        "as incoherent , dumb and stupefyingly bland as its woebegone predecessor .",
        "it 's better than the first one . now please stop .",
        "em uma entrevista para divulgar o filme , angelina jolie reclamou que o contorno de seus mamilos haviam sido apagados dos cartazes de divulga\u0437\u0433o da produ\u0437\u0433o . da pr\u0443xima vez , espero que ela se preocupe menos com seus mamilos e mais com o roteiro .",
        "i wish i could say that even though the film was predictable and the plot egregiously insipid , that i still managed to get lost while watching the movie and had fun . if only .",
        "the whole movie is gratuitous , in whatever it does . excessive shooting , jumping , flying , freaking , whatever . totally disposable .",
        "the preposterous plot line does give de bont an excuse to send jolie flying in a handful of heartstopping stunt sequences . but she 's her own special effect , as protean , mercurial , and dangerous as any piece of wirework or cgi .",
        "an extremely disappointing sequel that 's actually boring .",
        "a vast improvement over its impenetrable 2001 predecessor .",
        "there 's a ton of stuff that makes absolutely no sense , and the bad guy could be a bit more colorful but again , please grade using the bond curve .",
        "the cradle of life is infinitely more fun and feral than its precursor , and it exudes an attitude worthy of the diva that rides it .",
        "a story that plods along with dialogue that blazes new trails in banality",
        "the first movie had grey stone and blue light and orange beams , and it just looked cooler and more together .",
        "it 's still terrible ... but in a much more fun way .",
        "jolie does her best , delivering her mediocre lines like they were the cleverest writing in the history of cinema , but goodwill for the star only carries a film so far .",
        "angelina jolie returns as video game vixen lara croft in a by-the-numbers sequel that is weaker than the original .",
        ". proves again that jolie makes a better magazine cover than actor and lara croft a better game than rousing archeological adventure . .",
        "sucked the life right out of me .",
        "tomb raider : the cradle of life has n't the nerve to be truly bad , but it 's unexciting , has no attitude , and -lrb- despite the camera 's infatuation with jolie 's figure -rrb- is inhumanly sexless .",
        "doubtless the game will be cherished for years to come , as a big screen franchise though , tomb raider looks dead and buried .",
        "angelina jolie 's once again strapped on those hilariously-huge fake bazookas , which are about the only things that lift this movie from its celluloid plateau .",
        "this is just disappointingly average .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though the sequel is an improvement over the first movie , it 's still lacking in thrills .",
    "id": "10579"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_impossible_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "riveting for a spell , but imbued with a phony uplifting sensibility that detracts from the thailand tsunami 's real story .",
        "very intense story of family 's survival against the odds .",
        "MOV recreates an unthinkable event and its aftermath with breathtaking-and heartbreaking-credibility .",
        "this is pretty much a point-of-view film that puts you right into the heart of the chaos of this tsunami , which struck without warning in the morning as the family relaxed poolside at an upscale resort .",
        "a sentimental slog that encourages us to celebrate the survival of european tourists while turning a blind eye to the deaths of thousands of others .",
        "an inspiring tale of familial strength under pressure and perseverance against all odds ... it 's practically impossible to resist the pull of this film .",
        "this film is not especially complex , and not subtle , but there is judgment and intelligence in the simple idea of survival being the most agonising thing , and making survivor guilt the psychological aftershock of a shattering and irreparable blow .",
        "in the end , bayona 's film is more frustrating and exhausting than inspiring .",
        "technically flawless MOV is a film with a raw emotional wallop that will move even the hardest heart .",
        "do we really want to cling to catastrophe 's single comfort station , as if it tells us more , or medicates us with a more meaningful moral and spiritual message , than all the horrors that did n't end in a hug , a homily and a final heave of rapturous music",
        "a riveting portrayal of the tidal wave and immediate aftermath . terrific computer-generated effects bring the colossal onslaught of the tsunami right into our faces .",
        "ewan mcgregor is much better than usual , though it 's odd how watts becomes the latest in a long line of lovelies who takes off her top in a movie in which he is starring . perhaps it 's written into his contracts !",
        "we can only imagine what it must have been like to experience the great asian tsunami of 2004 . now , `` MOV '' has my imagination working overtime .",
        "the film is well acted , the makeup convincing , the turbulent mise en sc\u010dne impeccable .",
        "... always aware of how this traumatic experience would be filtered through this particular family .",
        "still a boy but having to harvest the strength of an adult , lucas carries the emotions of the audience with him . we cry when he cries ... cheer when he cheers .",
        "MOV takes the breath away with its powerful restaging of the catastrophe ; but if the wave 's visceral impact knocks you off your feet then it 's the story 's emotional undertow that sweeps you away .",
        "forget national lampoon , this is the real vacation from hell !",
        "unlike some films that have become critics ' darlings , ` MOV ' has no pretensions . it is n't edgy and i do n't think it has a hidden subtext .",
        "the ultimate heart-wrenching roller-coaster ride made all the more powerful by a superb cast .",
        "`` MOV '' is about as subtle as a wall of water .",
        "this is one of the most gut-wrenching and emotional pictures i 've ever seen . i walked away from it physically exhausted .",
        "i hesitate to use this term , since it is so often equated with hokey , but MOV is life-affirming .",
        "for all the visually impactful moments that all but put an audience directly into the horror of the boxing day tsunami in MOV , the true test of this drama comes in the emotion conveyed in its simplest moments .",
        "MOV is primal stuff , a tribute to the power of family , to the determination of a mother and father , defying nature , defying the odds , driven by hope .",
        "when it 's over , you will feel enlightened , drained and grateful just to walk away .",
        "here is a searing film of human tragedy .",
        "MOV confirms that bayona is a major talent , with a skill for constructing sequences that build tension as masterfully as steven spielberg did in his '70s heyday .",
        "with a mixture of practical and digital trickery , we experience the unthinkable in `` MOV '' firsthand .",
        "levels the playing field of fundamental human need and behavior , often revolving around luck that we have no control over whatsoever .",
        "naomi watts gives one of her finest , most physically commanding turns .",
        "it 's a truly visceral piece of filmmaking , but alas , it 's hindered more than helped by a certain composer 's shameless attempts to get our tears swelling right along with his overwrought strings .",
        "a sad spectacle we can watch , at a safe distance , without hating ourselves later .",
        "although it 's ostensibly based on true events , MOV is not so much an inspiring tale of survival as it is an action flick .",
        "to dispel the two talking points attending MOV , juan antonio bayona 's dramatization of the 2004 indian ocean tsunami : no , it 's not racist , and no , you do n't have to be a parent to feel the film in your bones .",
        "as fine as -lsb- watts -rsb- and ewan mcgregor are as the parents , tom holland stands out as eldest son lucas , a slightly sullen teen who learns to put other people before himself .",
        "difficult to watch but difficult to turn away from , MOV makes shattering impact .",
        "director j.a. bayona beautifully embraces the power of the human spirit .",
        "while it may have been changed for the screen , this story of a family 's ordeal is one from which any parent - any person , really - ca n't turn away .",
        "you are involved in the family 's plight , and you do suffer along with them . but gnawing in the back of your mind is the thought about all those nameless others who lost loved ones or whose stories of survival are probably just as miraculous .",
        "part of the appeal of this affecting and powerful drama is that it puts the viewer right in the moment at every stage , using authentic locations and tsunami survivors to hammer home the reality of this tragedy .",
        "not since jaws has the sound of ocean water heard on a movie screen been so terrifying .",
        "bayona , like spielberg before him , has the gumption of a master manipulator , and really does n't hold back , holding off catharsis , scene by scene , with all the sheer chaos at his disposal .",
        "MOV is one of those rare films that comes along once in a blue moon . flawless in its delivery , from script through to production design to the remarkable performances from all the cast .",
        "thoughtful and well-made , but it also might be a little too simplistic and straightforward for its own good .",
        "there is a troubling complacency and a lack of compassion in `` MOV , '' which is less an examination of mass destruction than the tale of a spoiled holiday .",
        "bayona 's skill is evident from the movie 's first moments .",
        "visually stunning but manipulative in the extreme - try not to roll your eyes as the various family members miss one another by inches - MOV nevertheless contains two of the year 's best performances .",
        "it 's not a momentous story about heroism writ large , but an intimate tale of the small acts of kindness and connection that can occur when people are most desperate .",
        "from the harrowing special effects to the strong performances , ` MOV ' does the seemingly impossible in making a heartwarming story come out of an awful tragedy . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "the tsunami sequence is so well-executed , nothing else in the movie really comes close to matching it in terms of intensity .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he juxtaposition of the two stories -- the family 's and those in the background -- puts the entirety of this story in the proper context .",
        "`` MOV '' is one of those movies that 's good , but leaves you with the nagging feeling that it could have been better .",
        "there is an incredibly emotional story to be told from this family 's experience , but due to the weak structure and awkward third act , `` MOV '' fails to deliver it .",
        "south east asian tsunami survival saga is a test of endurance",
        "the tsunami sequence is amazing , right up there with the one clint eastwood staged in hereafter .",
        "the most challenging aspect of disaster movies to make the disaster believable . but performances are n't all about screaming , and this cast does a remarkable job of convincing us of their complexities and humanity",
        "there are many powerful scenes in this true life and death scenario about the impact of the 2004 boxing day tsunami to one family , but none can match the potency of the scene when henry -lrb- mcgregor -rrb- borrows a mobile phone from a stranger to ring home",
        "director juan antonio bayona spins the focus in on a single family caught up in the disaster , personalising the horror and bringing it home in unashamedly melodramatic fashion on its very own tidal wave of emotion .",
        "alas , the movie tells a rather commonplace story .",
        "there 's some cringe-worthy stuff in this ... and i say that to the film 's credit . it 's tough to watch at times .",
        "MOV reminds that no matter the odds , human kind has the potential to rise above adversity no matter how great , for the human spirit knows no bounds .",
        "this is an unforgettable tribute to the determination of a very special family .",
        "profound & touching",
        "one might leave the theater wondering how much can one be entertaining by suffering ?",
        "a first-rate drama about a family vacationing in thailand when the 2004 tsunami hits .",
        "disaster film done as well as one can be done",
        "it is a heart-stopping ride and when the water stills , the adrenalin comes from the uncertainty of their situation .",
        "viscerally vigorous , it 's a grim , gritty , graphic chronicle of disaster .",
        "spectacular and emotionally riveting re-creation of one family 's nightmarish ordeal while vacationing in thailand during the historic 2004 tsunami is the kind of classy disaster pic that should attract broad audiences .",
        "the key selling point is bayona 's ten-minute reenactment of the tidal wave and its carnage , which is brutal , visceral and without peer .",
        "MOV is not only an extremely well-made survival thriller , but a poignant celebration of the human spirit .",
        "an unforgettable film that combines epic spectacle with the intimacy of loving relationships in a celebration of the invincible human spirit .",
        "MOV 's strength is its conveyance of the loneliness and chaos that settles in the disaster 's aftermath .",
        "what reeks most about MOV is that it mistakes adventurous titillation for humanitarian mourning .",
        "the massive numbers of people in an overflowing hospital with overwhelmed staff is nearly as gut wrenching as the disaster that created this landscape of human debris .",
        "MOV has enough going for it to earn a mild recommendation , but it 's unfortunate that it ends up self-destructing as rapidly as one of those mission : impossible messages .",
        "the tsunami is easily more effective than anything to come out of a roland emmerich disaster sequence .",
        "... a story of resiliency and humanity that is somewhat overwrought but emotionally exhausting and ultimately powerful .",
        "a more accurate name for this new age disaster movie might be ` the lucky ' or ` the coincidental . ' if we accept the brits ' survival as something miraculous , what does that imply about the tens of thousands of asians who were wiped out ?",
        "bayona has the uncanny ability to put viewers in the moment , allowing them to vividly experience the family 's struggles . but for all his formidable skills and artistic vision , his compassion is distressingly myopic .",
        "-lsb- b -rsb- rings a new heart to the disaster film , focusing not on the large scale of physical destruction but on the small scale of fragile , traumatized people amidst the unimaginable scale of the catastrophe ...",
        "yet one more example of a real-life story someone thought would `` make a great movie , '' `` MOV '' is as flat and predictable as they come .",
        "nothing beats god 's eye for scale and perspective .",
        "` MOV ' is a confounding misfire : so much artistic vision , combined with moral and emotional shortsightedness .",
        "director juan antonio bayona 's instincts are spot on for the first act with watts , less successful when it switches to a more mawkish tone .",
        "the movie is not , as the trailer suggests , a tale of the triumph of the human spirit . it 's about luck . it 's about sadness . but it 's also about the way that victims of the disaster -- of any disaster -- band together .",
        "... a brilliant disaster film and a refreshing recalibration from those of the sensational sort .",
        "when it comes to human emotions ... the filmmaker is all thumbs , crassly fumbling for audience response via clich\u00e9d uses of dropped-out sound and the occasional twinkling piano .",
        "-lsb- its -rsb- horrors , and the absorbing performances of watts and mcgregor , will soon be undermined by a surfeit of sentiment .",
        "... veers between being overwhelming and overwrought .",
        "while the final third of the film feels forced , its emotional power comes earlier - in the catastrophe of the tsunami , the immediate aftermath and random acts of heroism .",
        "a harrowing celebration of the human spirit and the will to survive .",
        "the film is a remarkable visual achievement , made more affecting by the depth the actors bring to their characters .",
        "their physical and emotional journey will pin you back in your seat .",
        "it 's nearly impossible to do better than buying a ticket to MOV .",
        "say a prayer that MOV is the closest that you or i or anyone anywhere will get to the kind of catastrophe that makes this movie so harrowing , riveting -- and uneasily `` uplifting . ''",
        "takes dicey material -- the story of one privileged family 's suffering during the 2004 indian ocean tsunami -- and transcends its political incorrectness by focusing on the human condition .",
        "an earnest , extremely grueling , prodigiously crafted true-life drama that takes one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history and reduces it to a bad day at club med .",
        "while the microcosmic nature of this tale of survival neglects the native people that it affected most , its portrait of humanity is compassionate and inclusive .",
        "MOV is immersive only when it 's fully immersed .",
        "impressively directed and superbly written , this is a powerfully emotional drama with a trio of terrific performances from naomi watts , ewan mcgregor and young tom holland .",
        "it feels like the wrong story , one that asks us to ignore the suffering of a devastated nation and focus , instead , on a couple of big-name stars whose vacation is spoiled .",
        "the movie manages to pay tribute both to the extraordinary heroism of its characters and the astonishing losses all around them .",
        "unlike a lot of movies that have the `` based on a true story '' tagline , ` MOV ' does n't have to do much to remind us that its harrowing tale is genuine",
        "if you 're familiar with the true story on which ` MOV ' is based , you 'll know a little about the finale . in case you do n't , i 'm not going to spoil this real-life disaster movie about the effects of the 2004 pacific tsunami on a family of five .",
        "there 's nothing much to this fact-based film , storywise ... it 's in the sheer resilience of the characters that the film finds its drive .",
        "the aim appears to be audience immersion , as if MOV really wants to almost drown you along with its stars - albeit in your own tears .",
        "MOV does n't turn a blind eye to the physical and emotional devastation , but the comparatively uncomplicated path it follows to arrive at a reassuring conclusion minimizes the impact .",
        "perhaps the biggest problem is its labelling as a ` disaster movie ' , as this is in fact intended as a study of the power - and the stubbornness - of the human spirit .",
        "... come for the drama , just be ready to leave your nagging questions outside the theater .",
        "a tale that largely tells itself ... with a little essential help from hollywood 's best special effects guys , that is .",
        "the true stand-out performance comes from 16-year-old holland , whose cinematic debut is nothing short of extraordinary .",
        "technically impeccable , MOV gives the brutal caprice of nature its due , never romanticizing it or demonizing it .",
        "it 's certainly a difficult watch but anything less would have felt wrong .",
        "this rousing , superbly acted , no-holds-barred melodrama is a mighty feat of physical filmmaking .",
        "the best picture of 2012 .",
        "... once the disaster portion of -lsb- bayona 's -rsb- film has subsided , we 're left with a story of coincidence and cliche .",
        "the orphanage director ja barona deals in a different sort of horror in this wrenching account of the lethal tsunami which struck the thai coast at christmas 2004 .",
        "kind of offensive when you think about it .",
        "the term movie magic should be reserved for scenes such as the one where the unflinching realism of the natural disaster is conveyed without a single false note .",
        "the hokum can wear you down worse than the tsunami .",
        "although it sounds like a downer , MOV is actually emotionally satisfying and educational in a way , with director juan antonio bayona doing a superb job keeping the details vital and the characters admirably resolute .",
        "... a touching monument to familial love ... the acting by watts , mcgregor , and holland is exceptional . the award-quality filming of the tsunami looks like the real thing .",
        "what 's meant to be a triumphant true story about succeeding under impossible odds ends up feeling more like a lifetime tv movie .",
        "we 've seen video accounts of this horrific tsunami , but little prepares viewers for its realistic re-enactment in MOV . and little prepares the film 's principals for the terror that ensues .",
        "an emotionally-captivating and well-filmed true tale .",
        "their story may not be typical , but the family represents the resilience , compassion , and optimism of the whole human race .",
        "as in a horror film , it does n't matter anymore who these people are - only how they react .",
        "a harrowing tale of perseverance and the search for safety amidst horrid destruction .",
        "juan antonio bayona 's MOV is an emotional tale of hope and survival , shot with an unafraid eye for disaster and tragedy .",
        "spanish director juan antonio bayona exploits an international tragedy to tell a syrupy story about a wealthy white family dealing with adversity while completely ignoring the thousands of others who suffered as much or worse .",
        "inexcusable is a better word to describe the fact this amazing film was not given a best picture oscar nomination .",
        "... a terrific horror movie , one that genuinely grips and shocks its audience and forces empathy with the would-be victims .",
        "an intense and compelling family melodrama from spanish director juan antonio bayona that sets a new standard for disaster cinema .",
        "the most intense , shocking scenes you can imagine",
        "`` MOV '' is a powerful film that manages to find a fresh take on well-worn cinematic tropes like `` the awesome power of nature '' and `` the triumph of the human spirit . ''",
        "-lsb- the movie is about how -rsb- one of the worst disasters to ever visit thailand was really tough on the english .",
        "riveting and rewarding .",
        "this is a simple story quite brilliantly told .",
        "avoiding what could easily have become melodrama , this delivers an unforgettable experience that will leave you asking yourself what you would do in the same position .",
        "this is a movie about the will to survive that physically acknowledges that will may not be enough .",
        "a gut-wrenching film and one you do n't just watch , you experience .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- visceral and deeply moving true story ...",
        "` MOV ' is an experience i ca n't imagine audiences easily shaking , and it 's going to stick with me for a long time .",
        "MOV is simply unable to become the electrifying piece of work one might 've expected .",
        "watts and mcgregor do some of their finest work in this hopeful , uplifting survival story set amidst the terrifying 2004 indian ocean tsunami .",
        "emotional exploitation of the most vile and insensitive kind , MOV is an insult to the victims of the tragedy it depicts .",
        "with a decidedly spielbergian flair , the theme of altruism takes on great meaning through the other side of this tragedy and the characters bring emotional closure to more than just their own triumphs .",
        "pays respect to those who were n't as fortunate to survive the tsunami , but it emphasizes the spirit of perseverance and survival rather than dwelling on tragedy .",
        "undeniably compelling and frequently harrowing . unfortunately , director j. a. bayona unnecessarily piles on foreboding touches ... and a new 3d sound system so loud and strong that it literally made my teeth vibrate .",
        "the most harrowing disaster movie in many a moon , MOV marries a tremendous feat of physical filmmaking to an emotional true story of family survival .",
        "a tremendously realistic disaster movie has an intense emotional payoff .",
        "an extraordinary account of true events from the 2004 tsunami , MOV can not fail to move even the hardest heart .",
        "`` MOV '' is worth checking out for the acting and effects , but it 's a shame that bayona could n't have approached the story with the same subtlety and rigor as his outstanding first feature , `` the orphanage . ''",
        "urgent yet measured , like the onrushing tide , MOV is a real-life disaster flick with a compelling twist .",
        "it is the kind of ode to the human spirit that you hope comes along , and not just during the holiday season .",
        "grim and compelling but , ultimately , inspiring - and never less than thrilling .",
        "... surprisingly visceral",
        "if you really are going to push the stories of nearly 220,000 people into the background , you need a much better one than this to put into the spotlight .",
        "a thrilling , if also punishing , tale of heroic endurance .",
        "a saw movie for middlebrows .",
        "a remarkable achievement in filmmaking , a film that is at times devastating , at times emotional , at times inspirational , and always riveting . it 's one of the best films of 2012 .",
        "one of the most emotionally overwhelming movies i 've seen in a long while ... truly nightmarish .",
        "in the hundred-year history of cinema , few thrillers have been as emotionally compelling as `` MOV . ''",
        "the tsunami comes to life more vividly than the characters , though watts and young holland , as her son , deliver strong performances .",
        "a realistic , well-acted vision of the 2004 tsunami that led to more than 230,000 deaths .",
        "quite brilliant special effects and emotionally spot-on performances make what sounds like a downbeat film on paper , stirring , uplifting and deeply moving .",
        "bayona uses pummeling subjective camera work and sound design to plunge viewers into the visceral terror of a universe gone mad .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a nimbly acted drama that is at once a stellar visual achievement and a life-affirming story of familial love and courage .",
        "among the most morally and ethically interesting movies to come along in some time .",
        "perhaps jaws and open water are the only other movie experiences that might engender more fear of the sea .",
        "filmed with urgency and remarkably realistic special effects , `` MOV '' moves breathlessly through its story .",
        "the dialogue is almost uniformly awful , and the plotting tugs on heartstrings more blatantly than a hallmark channel movie .",
        "in his striking american debut , bayona -lrb- orphanage -rrb- achieves the almost impossible task of balancing a disaster movie of epic proportions with intimate family drama , anchored by oscar-caliber turns from watts and mcgregor .",
        "a sham realist 's disaster movie , tackily insulting the deaths of 300,000 people by reducing the horrors of the indian ocean tsunami to a series of genre titillations .",
        "marshalling formidable technique and force of feeling , bayona 's tale of courage and empathy in the face of catastrophe fulfils his debut 's promise , its harrowing conviction hammered home even harder by the spot-on casting .",
        "a fantastic sophomore effort from juan bayona that reaches the emotional and filmmaking heights that spielberg and eastwood have been trying to achieve for years .",
        "the latter half of MOV is so disappointingly movie-ish , tying a bow on the events after portraying them too vividly to allow them to be wrapped so neatly .",
        "a film that takes the horrors visited upon millions as an excuse to tell the sad tale of a family who lost all their luggage .",
        "rare disaster film that 's not a complete disaster on film .",
        "that it should be so dramatically inert makes MOV one of 2012 's most frustrating film-going experiences ; you should feel so much of the anguish and suffering , so universal is their pain . but you just do n't .",
        "no film this year has moved me as much as ` MOV . ' everything about this powerful movie comes together to make it one of the best and most touching viewing experiences of 2012 .",
        "harrowing story of a family 's separation following the tsunami of 2004 ."],
    "summary": "the screenplay is n't quite as powerful as the direction or the acting , but with such an astonishing real-life story at its center , MOV is never less than compelling .",
    "id": "771312396"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fisher_king",
    "reviews":
     [
        "terry gilliam is one of the movies ' most fascinating and frustrating directors .",
        "as original as gilliam is as a filmmaker , he too falls victims to hollywood cliches as far as the portrait of the homeless is concerned -lrb- here robin williams -rrb- -- they are either mad saints or misfit geniuses",
        "a touching and funny one-of-a-kind gem about two lost souls who help each other find redemption . bridges once again proves what an underappreciated actor he is , while williams is at his manic best .",
        "williams got the oscar nomination but bridges deserved one more .",
        "scary , touching , often hilarious , this modern fairytale is surprisingly enchanting .",
        "the MOV emphasizes the purpose of fairy tales in our lives , and the way a fantasy can help us see reality more clearly .",
        "with director terry gilliam at the helm , robin williams actually succeeds in a drama .",
        "unlike the standard MOV tale , the concerns of individuals within the film are more important than the concerns of society . terry gilliam 's myth feels more like a lark , a safe little foray into a mythic world of impoverished individuals who do n't",
        "great cast and director in intellectual plot",
        "a bit sappy , but bridges and williams are terrific .",
        "classic and disturbed urban fantasy . fine performances by bridges and williams both .",
        "the MOV takes you on a ride that 's most enjoyable ; just be warned that it 's a journey with no ostensible compass .",
        "the MOV is a disorganized , rambling and eccentric movie that contains some moments of truth , some moments of humor , and many moments of digression .",
        "visually impressive , frequently pretentious , and extremely fluid as narrative -lrb- the 137 minutes sail by effortlessly -rrb- , this mythic comedy-drama presents gilliam as half seer , half snake-oil salesman and defies you to sort out which is which .",
        "the MOV 's problems begin with richard lagravenese 's screenplay and are amplified by gilliam 's showy direction and an unbearably fey performance by robin williams .",
        "although there are moments when the mixture of comedy , fantasy and drama do n't come off , this is still an original , touching movie that is well worth the price of a ticket .",
        "as always , williams turns romance into slush , but gilliam reigns it in with his mad and magical design .",
        "there are two terrific performances at the center of the MOV , and neither belongs to robin williams .",
        "-lsb- numbers -rsb- among the director 's masterpieces .",
        "it 's sometimes hard to follow the action , but you have a bit of fun trying to figure it all out .",
        "gilliam exaggerates the romanticism , the grotesquerie , and the personal pain that runs through lagravenese 's story , creating a reality where the more preposterous turns make sense .",
        "working within the constraints of a big studio film has brought out gilliam 's best : he 's become a true storyteller and a wonderful director of actors . this time he delights not only the eye but the soul .",
        "the MOV has two actors at the top of their form , and a compelling , well-directed and well-produced story .",
        "it 's gilliam 's most relaxed and heartfelt filmmaking , with a new respect for human frailty and actors ' moments .",
        "i found the jeff bridges character to be a total loser . his character taught me nothing other than it is pretty awful spending a lot of time with an alcoholic dead beat even if he is only on a movie screen .",
        "for every wild ride through manhattan by an imaginary red knight trailing billows of flame , there is a small , comic encounter in a more down-to-earth mode .",
        "superb , off-kilter comedy",
        "gilliam goes overboard . all the clever bits wear out their welcome",
        "gilliam 's grand , williams is wonderful , and bridges is brilliant ! -lrb- corny , i know , but that 's how much i dig this movie . -rrb-",
        "the MOV is one of gilliam 's best films , and i find it strange that it is his most commercial .",
        "jeff bridges and robin williams are convincing as two wayward souls who meet and through a few good deeds manage to transform each other .",
        "gilliam 's pyrotechnics ca n't redeem the utterly predictable plot .",
        "so what if it 's not perfect ? it 's magic .",
        "a modern epic that fuses myth with hard-edged reality , it 's a one-of-a-kind , thoroughly engaging experience ."],
    "summary": "an odd but affecting mixture of drama , comedy and fantasy , the MOV manages to balance moving performances from robin williams and jeff bridges with director terry gilliam 's typically askew universe .",
    "id": "13120"
  },
  {
    "movie": "west_of_memphis",
    "reviews":
     [
        "amy berg 's MOV does bring new information to light , which is why this somewhat procedural feature is so important .",
        "in all , the director has assembled a powerful film , but the celebrity component feels rather unnecessary .",
        "a powerful , touching and very infuriating documentary , although berlinger and sinofsky got there first and did it best",
        "it tells the story of a terrible crime compounded by a grave injustice that 's been remedied , but only in part , so it 's impossible to have a single or simple response to the movie .",
        "somewhere along this narrative 's mammoth timeline , examining the construction of modern social heroes became more important than the memories of three little boys .",
        "together with the rich material comprising interviews with family and friends , the footage shot in the various court rooms and at the crime scene is riveting",
        "the most intense , nail-bitingly suspenseful thriller franchise `` from the dark side '' these days is not the product of a screenwriter 's imagination .",
        "the most intriguing and worthy aspect of this accomplished documentary is that it never lets anyone forget the biggest tragedy of the many threaded through this story - the helpless children who never deserved the brutal fate handed to them .",
        "what sets this film apart from previous efforts to document the story is that jackson and walsh financed a private investigative team with legal and forensic experts who re-examined old evidence , conducted new interviews and found new witnesses .",
        "a frankly extraordinary document about the three innocent children who were murdered in west memphis , arkansas and the three innocent teenagers who spent 18 years in prison for the crime .",
        "it effectively condenses what took the ` paradise lost ' films nearly eight hours to reveal into a tight , snappy 149 minutes that affords you everything you need to know about the west memphis three .",
        "MOV is the real vindication - even if it is incomplete .",
        "`` MOV '' does nothing to displace its predecessor films as masterpieces of investigative filmmaking , but complements them as a riveting capstone to an epic and tragic tale .",
        "MOV caps off the paradise lost/west memphis three saga with a line up full of perpetrators including the media , the west memphis pd , the legal establishment and suspect gift wrapped with a smoking gun .",
        "in the end it wo n't matter if this is the fourth movie about the same subject ; you can never learn its lessons often enough .",
        "berg lays out her case with the logic of a first-rate prosecutor and the theatricality of a born storyteller .",
        "injustice in west memphis , arkansas",
        "and justice for all ? hardly .",
        "good to know these guys are finally free .",
        "it 's reasonable to question whether the time and resources poured into this project might have been better spent highlighting a miscarriage of american justice that nobody knows about rather than one that enjoys a celebrity profile .",
        "MOV is n't afraid to show us the graphic nature of the crime and more importantly , it is n't afraid to point fingers at those whose actions deserve to be questioned .",
        "conspicuous in their absence , the directors of the `` paradise lost '' documentaries , the filmmakers who did more than anyone else to keep this story of injustice alive for nearly 20 years ...",
        "filmmaker amy berg -lrb- oscar nominated deliver us from evil -rrb- has once again struck documentary gold with her hard-hitting journalistic feature , MOV .",
        "a lot of it is treading on ground that 's been laid by other people , but there 's a lot of great new stuff , too .",
        "the infuriating facts in this famous case are illuminated with new human detail .",
        "`` MOV '' is the fourth film about one of the most heinous cases of wrongful conviction in american judicial history . do we need a fourth film ? yes , i think we do .",
        "a whodunit in which truth devastatingly becomes a luxury .",
        "new evidence and a fresh perspective keep the subject matter compelling .",
        "it artfully sketches out the events for anyone who 's coming in cold , but basically , its strategy is to take what we already know and go deeper .",
        "diligent , complex and justly indignant .",
        "the case presented in MOV is damning , most of all for a bungling local police department and ambitious local officials who wanted the case solved and chose to overlook obvious suspects ...",
        "-lsb- it is -rsb- about the weighted scales of us justice , and amounts to a fight for fairness : when you have to settle for the best redress a corrupt judicial system can give you , it may be time to clean house .",
        "berg 's film helps illuminate a case that should certainly be the shame of the state of arkansas , and perhaps the criminal justice system of the entire united states .",
        "it 's a beautifully done piece of work in its own right , yet viewed beside the trilogy which preceded it , it comes across a bit like `` paradise lost 3b - the celebrity edition . ''",
        "berg 's film is as much an indictment of the state of arkansas ' legal system as it is the prosecution .",
        "nearly overwhelms you with hopelessness , if not an adrenaline rush of rage - even if you 're familiar with the case .",
        "extols the efforts of celebrities to win the release of three innocent men -lsb- and is -rsb- suspenseful when it 's straightforward-the best csi investigation that money can buy .",
        "happy , sad , inspiring , infuriating , right and terribly wrong , all at the same time .",
        "the new film is largely a recap of the older ones , with more celebrity testimonials and fewer metallica songs but little fresh insight into the miscarriage of justice it chronicles .",
        "-lrb- director amy -rrb- berg 's doc is gripping , often infuriating , but in the end hopeful about the ability of truth and innocence to prevail thanks to the efforts of those who strive against all obstacles to uphold them .",
        "less an investigative report than a portrait of the community that forms around an ongoing court case , this conveys a patient understanding of the intricacies of law and human behavior that may be termed kieslowskian .",
        "dubious evidence ; suspicious confessions ; conveniently located `` poor white trash '' -lrb- echols ' words -rrb- to take the rap : the case stank from the beginning , berg 's film argues .",
        "while MOV wo n't surprise anyone who 's followed the case , it does play its own role , particularly in illuminating how unsatisfying the end of the story really was .",
        "... a sporadically fascinating yet hopelessly erratic documentary that might work best among those with little to no knowledge of the case ...",
        "berg 's film is but a piece of the entire story , but it 's an essential entry into the horrifying true life tale .",
        "peter jackson and fran walsh coupled with director amy berg -lrb- responsible for the excellent deliver us from evil -rrb- have delivered a stand-alone treatment of this injustice that outshined any narrative i saw at sundance this year .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- first-rate investigative docu on the notorious west memphis three case , its questionable prosecution and its dubious resolution .",
        "it 's rather reassuring to know that there are some intelligent investigators who are capable of getting to the bottom of things . it still takes too long for a resolution , but they exist .",
        "`` MOV '' is nonfiction filmmaking at its best , a film with a fierce point of view yet one that does n't pretend to have all the answers or a monopoly on truth .",
        "corruption , self-interest and rampant bigotry are so clearly portrayed in this riveting documentary that if it does n't make you angry , maybe there 's something wrong with you .",
        "a definitive portrait of a real-life travesty of justice . provides a strong sense of the scope of this tragedy and a thoughtful investigative probing of the facts behind it .",
        "this rigorously researched film does indeed add to the account ...",
        "a gripping documentary .",
        "shows how our advocacy model of trial law can lead to the state spinning stories they know are probably untrue , and then using their authority to stand strong against any alternate theory , no matter how many millions of people believe it .",
        "this is a compelling and comprehensive guide to one of the most kafkaesque crime stories in american history .",
        "amy berg 's documentary is evenly paced and informative , never succumbing to hysteria .",
        "public perception and police misconduct take well-deserved raps here , as do larger issues of american injustice ...",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- shocking , brilliantly put together film ...",
        "the intelligent storytelling , wise use of access and emotional depth that separates MOV from other documentaries about the murders in robin hood hills , also elevates it to required viewing .",
        "both a shocking indictment of the american criminal justice system and a tribute to the dedication of selfless civil rights lawyers and their supporters from all over the world .",
        "take this as ultimately more personal journal than investigation .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- is a captivating albeit disturbing look at failed justice and the search for the truth ... do not miss this film !",
        "even if you already know the eventual outcome , the suspense as the three convicts file a last-ditch appeal is excruciating .",
        "the film is inspiring because it has a semi-happy ending attached to a love story .",
        "an extraordinary story told with utter conviction but not without a certain sympathy for the court of public opinion - which wrecked the chance of proper justice for the accused for so long .",
        "a worthwhile appendix to the west memphis three case .",
        "if you 've seen the ` paradise lost ' trilogy on the case , ` MOV ' will be a must . if not , it 's even more so .",
        "it took way too long , but the crowd finally bested the mob .",
        "we feel like we 're watching an overlong true-crime television episode and not a movie .",
        "i would have preferred jackson 's clinically-presented project display a bit more reverence for the three young lives that were brutally taken some twenty years ago .",
        "a sobering look at how the wheels of justice can be -- and are -- manipulated by political expediency and a small town 's tendrils of the old boy network",
        "the film is so utterly transfixing you wo n't believe almost two-and-a-half hours have passed when the final credits roll .",
        "it 's another case where , instead of a prosecution having to prove a case , a defendant has to choose the lesser of two evils . `` this happens all the time , '' defendant damien echols says of the whole process , and he 's right .",
        "it 's not a new story , true , but `` MOV '' makes it both extremely personal and universally painful .",
        "a documentary that distills 19 years of a witch hunt , a grass roots movement , lost leads , confusion , countless appeals , and hope into one remarkable movie that is hellbent on setting the record straight .",
        "an intentionally staggering encapsulation of the west memphis 3 case .",
        "thorny , blood-boiling and finely made , it deserves a theatrical push .",
        "`` MOV '' brings enough to the table to stand alongside `` paradise lost '' as a nuanced , powerful look at a miscarriage of justice ...",
        "moving and gruesome , MOV is an eloquent disquisition on the banality of evil .",
        "a real-life horror story , made no less shocking by the familiarity of its early scenes .",
        "`` MOV '' becomes a greatest-hits concert of prosecutorial misconduct , and you 'll agree when the film asserts that prosecutors knew they had the wrong guys .",
        "incredibly , after three documentaries on the subject , there are still things to reveal about the west memphis three .",
        "`` MOV '' re-examines evidence and retells the story in a methodical and procedural fashion in which even the false steps lead somewhere .",
        "while the `` paradise lost '' films captured events as they unfolded in the heat of battle , `` MOV '' has the luxury of at least partial closure .",
        "more a recap and appendix to the paradise lost trilogy ... one ca n't help but feel that the celebrities involved needed this document of their efforts to appease their vanity .",
        "the case is more intriguing than the film about it .",
        "is n't unnecessary , but it 's often superfluous .",
        "the film suggests these powerless , poorly educated young men were scapegoated because they would be missed by nobody of importance -- the justice system equivalent of the cannon fodder recruited from the same socioeconomic straits .",
        "it 's nice to have all the twists and turns of the iconic case contained tidily in one well-crafted film , although there are no real revelations here .",
        "a true-crime story that begins with a notorious murder case and grows into a chilling indictment of the american justice system .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "prepare to be shocked , disturbed , awed ... and , if you expected justice to prevail at last , ultimately devastated .",
        "i was never bored , it 's very much recommended , but viewers should be warned that it contains a lot of distressing forensic footage .",
        "amy berg 's MOV is a must-see film , and the story of the west memphis three is one that should never be forgotten ...",
        "a gripping investigative documentary about the infamous west memphis three murder case , raising the question of whether citizens should ever settle for partial justice .",
        "`` MOV '' is part of a sea change in the way that cinema stimulates social change . there is nowhere to hide .",
        "a superbly detailed account of a notorious miscarriage of justice and how it was gradually unravelled .",
        "excellent director and investigative reporter amy berg had the support of producers peter jackson , fran walsh , musicians henry rollins and eddie vedder , all of whom are a part of the presentation .",
        "few docs can equal this one as an illustration of the aphorism ` justice delayed is justice denied . '",
        "MOV is less comprehensive and more manipulative than the paradise lost films , but a thoroughly engaging condensation of the facts nonetheless .",
        "an absorbing and emotional journey , MOV is one of the best documentaries of 2012 so far .",
        "by taking a disturbing and sometimes conflicted look at the prejudices that led to the west memphis three 's imprisonment , it asks murky questions about how people could get something so wrong for so long .",
        "a superbly made documentary that unfolds like a thoroughly gripping , painstaking police procedural and packs a powerful emotional punch .",
        "a laser-sharp documentary about a grisly crime , the unjust imprisonment of three innocent young men , and the first crowd-sourced investigation in history .",
        "the movie 's conclusion ? in america death is cheap and justice expensive .",
        "this is a movie that can stun you .",
        "it 's hard to imagine how someone could study this case for so long and yet miss its most critical lesson .",
        "... both cool-headed and rabble-rousing ; it sets a new standard for true-crime film investigations .",
        "after your blood has stopped boiling , it 's the quieter moments that stay with you . now go see paradise lost .",
        "an excellent feature ...",
        "by covering much of the same material as the other films , this work lends itself inevitably for direct comparison , and frankly it derives much of its impact from elements covered in detail in the other three works ."],
    "summary": "both a sobering look at a true crime story and a scathing indictment of the american justice system , MOV is a real-life horror story told with fury and compassion .",
    "id": "771264713"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_sapphires_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a rousing soundtrack helps to compensate for some of the historical embellishments in this australian crowd-pleaser .",
        "fires on all cylinders when it drops all pretense and allows its talented cast to simply belt out a series of pure , unfiltered slices of ear candy .",
        "it might not possess the exuberant innocent fun of ` that thing you do ! ' or the overall brilliance of ` the commitments ' but ` MOV ' shines enough in its own right . -lrb- complete content details for parents also available -rrb-",
        "` sapphires ' got heart and soul",
        "let 's trivialize a legacy of cruelty and denigration , in a country where indigenous people suffered from centuries of human rights abuse ! and let 's make the carnage of vietnam look like a paintball game !",
        "if you love the music of motown and enjoy a feel good success flick , then `` MOV '' fits the bill .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- genial , entertaining , clich\u00e9-ridden showbiz story from australia .",
        "delirious surprises crowd out the clich\u00e9s in this thoroughly disarming movie .",
        "a very conventional story of a '60s australian girl group gains extra power from its context and setting in this fact-based story set to the beat of motown soul .",
        "`` MOV '' illustrates how the same old story - in this case , the one about a 1960s girl group and its struggles - can be freshened up through the novelties of place and characterization .",
        "an aboriginal girl group 's journey from the outback to stardom is an energetic , feel-good triumph .",
        "MOV is a jukebox musical in every sense of the word ; all the hits , none of the deep cuts ... thankfully the wonderful performances convince us that a best of package , though often lacking in substance , can still be a whole lot of fun .",
        "fittingly for a movie featuring lots of great soul music , MOV is filled with soul and sings from the heart .",
        "i came out very happy , and well : the film made me feel like dancing .",
        "if you want a feel-good home-grown movie , this is the film for you .",
        "audiences in this country say they want entertaining australian films . well , i 've got to tell you , this is it .",
        "all shortcomings are invariably forgiven whenever the hyper-talented mauboy gets near a microphone , and the film 's winning selection of soul standards and original tunes fire up .",
        "it is a film with a way of disarming your critical faculties .",
        "MOV is often laugh-out-loud funny , constantly entertaining , and close to being a great australian classic .",
        "... infectious , celebratory storytelling ...",
        "`` MOV '' is a bit like a puppy you 're trying to house break . it may have its bad cinematic moments but it 's just so darn appealing that you have to love it .",
        "with o'dowd in the lead , and a hit-soundtrack-ready selection of tunes from the stax and motown catalogs and more , MOV is popcorn entertainment , with some earned laughs and a genuine heart .",
        "it helps that the leading actors are so skillful and appealing , beginning with chris o'dowd as a roguish irishman who becomes the girls ' manager ...",
        "you 've seen this type of tale many times before ... but the inspired-by-a-true-story aboriginal slant adds interest , the actresses create unique characters and chris o'dowd really shines .",
        "the performers improve it , or save it , depending on your viewpoint .",
        "mauboy has one hell of a voice , and MOV ' vocal performances speak to the endless power of great soul songs .",
        "irresistibly feel good , sound good movie , wears hearts and social relevance on its sparkly sleeve ... fun and racial tolerance amidst war -lsb- with -rsb- sterling aborigine talent .",
        "the most affable , innocuous outing ever set in a war zone .",
        "this familiar but supremely well-told and produced tale of the unlikely rise of an aboriginal female pop group in the vietnam war-era is feel-good entertainment at its best . performances , solid script and great music all hit the high notes .",
        "why resist ?",
        "so good are the interactions between chris o'dowd and the rest of the cast that its weaknesses are forgiven , for it 's the relationships not the politics that makes MOV work . not to mention the music . that sweet soul music .",
        "the end result is sweet , sincere , sentimental and spirited , ensuring MOV is a certain crowd-pleaser .",
        "MOV is a genuine crowd pleaser that is filled with great tunes , entertaining performances and heartfelt scenes .",
        "MOV has a lot of heart but an awful lot more soul !",
        "at certain moments , the film feels pretty manipulative , but you know why manipulation is popular ? because it is effective .",
        "there 's a sense of vibrancy and hope burgeoning throughout as the quartet yearn to escape the shackles of their oppressive past at the hands of a racist white australia . MOV is a triumph .",
        "opts for optimism over authenticity , watering down the period 's complex and depressing racial politics into relatively straightforward hurdles for its heroines to overcome .",
        "funny , uplifting and blessed with a quintet of winning , energetic lead performances , MOV is a very easy film to fall in love with .",
        "MOV is to be admired as both a musical and a comedy .",
        "an aussie film with real mainstream chops , not a film you watch out of patriotic obligation , but one you watch simply because it is a top-quality , enjoyable and affecting flick .",
        "you could call it an aussie dreamgirls . i 'd call it a blast of joy and music that struts right into your heart .",
        "despite some predictable facets , MOV shines brightly .",
        "a solid , stirring song sung with more sincerity than polish .",
        "for the most part aussie director wayne blair 's feature debut is snappy and fresh .",
        "not even sweet soul music can turn vietnam circa 1968 into a feel-good trip , but `` MOV '' tries its darnedest .",
        "melodramatic and clich\u00e9d to a fault , MOV is however elevated by winsome performances , particularly o'dowd , and plentiful musically-driven charm .",
        "while the fish-out-of-water story remains a little overused , the sweet soul music still provides a terrific hook .",
        "it sidesteps the usual cliches . fame and fortune matter less than the human connections that are fostered and repaired on this unlikely journey .",
        "MOV understands intuitively that cheap tricks still work most of the time , and it is not without its silky , assured virtues-but originality is not one of them .",
        "even when `` MOV '' is at its most unpolished and cheesiest , o'dowd and the film 's general warm spirit make it a tune hard to resist .",
        "wayne blair is n't interested in historical complexity or subtext , just the seamless flow of hollywood-style storytelling that lazily connects one musical number to the next .",
        "adorable , with a winning chris o'dowd turn . but overall , an unpolished gem",
        "an irresistible if unpolished feature debut from aussie director wayne blair .",
        "MOV might pass muster as escapist fluff , but its pretensions of significance go woefully awry .",
        "a well-deserved tribute to four aussie lassies who risked their lives to entertain the boys .",
        "a musical feature about a worthy if little-known subject that 's enjoyable , despite manipulative tone and conventional nature .",
        "an aggressively entertaining movie . . that can be serious when it wants , without ever taking itself too seriously .",
        "singin ' , swingin ' and sparkly , it 's a sentimental , feel-good crowd-pleaser .",
        "the movie unfolds in the uplifting manner you 'd expect , but its real pleasures lie in its terrific '60s pop-soul soundtrack and especially in its frequently funny performances .",
        "though the production is unpolished , the music is great and chris o'dowd is delightfully droll as the group 's boozy manager .",
        "it makes its point with a warm heart and authentic playing , even if there 's also a certain amount of cheesiness .",
        "it may not be hugely original , but this is a pleasant watch with charm to spare .",
        "we 've all got used to international co-productions over the years , but MOV surely breaks new ground by mixing vietnam and australia with irish and aboriginal characters .",
        "likable ...",
        "shamelessly crowd-pleasing , this warmly engaging film is based on a remarkable true story . and since it 's topped off by chris o'dowd 's most engaging performance yet -lrb- which is saying a lot -rrb- , resistance is futile .",
        "MOV is certainly at home to corn , and the limited budget shows through at its tattered edges . but it should do wonders for those still suffering from mamma mia ! withdrawals .",
        "an energetic , amusing and resolutely feel-good-film-with-a-message , 1960s music movie MOV ticks all of the right boxes to click with audiences as well as being a smart advert for aussie girl power .",
        "a fully realized and layered story that delivers both humor and compassion , fantastic music that truly takes you back to that point in time , and an unforgettable performance from o'dowd .",
        "there 's enough gaiety and whirlwind plotting to sustain an upbeat attitude about the whole endeavor , even when director wayne blair seems utterly determined to exit the effort on a sour note .",
        "the film might veer towards the predictably sentimental , but it has a fizzing energy that is hard either to deny or dislike .",
        "there are a few wobbles in the script , but o'dowd 's feckless charmer holds things together and he finds a sparky match in mailman 's strong-willed gail .",
        "if you 're in the mood for a sentimental feel-good movie with affection for its music and characters , MOV offers solid entertainment .",
        "it 's too naive , and most of the vocal dubbing is weirdly , distancingly poor .",
        "fluffy , infectious fun .",
        "at heart an empowerment story , the picture deftly but lightly weaves in the politics around the personal as the girls find their voices while falling in love and trying to steer clear of danger .",
        "hugely entertaining , sparkily directed feelgood australian drama with a superb script , delightful musical numbers and outstanding performances from the entire cast .",
        "not since robin williams rocked it from the delta to the dmz has the war in vietnam produced a story with as much snap and sass as this . and you can take that to the bridge .",
        "a model feel-good movie that sparkles with heartfelt humour ...",
        "MOV is a likable , uneven feelgood movie , based on real life : all about a winsome foursome with a lot of soul .",
        "it 's the musical numbers and the mighty lungs of australian idol winner jessica mauboy that make this one of the feel-good movies of the year .",
        "quite possibly the least original movie you 'll see this summer -- and one of the most enjoyable .",
        "a unique and heartening look at four young women blossoming into mature adults as they enjoy a bout with success in the midst of a hard-fought war .",
        "tries to dazzle itself but the shine comes off quickly , as this weakly structured story flees at the sight of any lingering dramatic conflict , preferring to turn history into a pleasant song-and-dance routine .",
        "the skill and sly moments of real panache help turn MOV into a shining example of the type of film this country really ought to be making more of .",
        "MOV has too many facets .",
        "a heavy-handed anti-racism message is n't easier to take when played to a motown beat , though the australian comedy-drama MOV acts otherwise .",
        "this charming australian import has a groove much like other low-key , let 's - put-on-a-show indies such as hear my song and the commitments , and never uses its social conscience as simply backbeat .",
        "the clich\u00e9s are rendered painless by excellent performances from the five principles , with o'dowd and mailman particularly standing out .",
        "by-the-numbers in every sense of the word , the film tracks a tried-and-true sort of triumph while featuring renditions of soul classics so bursting with energy and joy you wo n't care that the originality meter is leaning on empty .",
        "the mood is so charming and the music so inspiring that you continually cut it a break .",
        "the harmonies they strike in this reality-inspired charmer are sweetly sublime .",
        "despite the prosaic plot and reserved approach taken by blair , briggs , and thompson , it 's tough to get cynical about such a warmhearted picture that strives to tell so uplifting a story .",
        "you 've seen this story before , but never pulled off with so much joie de vivre .",
        "a surefire crowdpleaser with all the ingredients for the type of little-movie-that-could sleeper success that harvey weinstein has nurtured in years and award seasons past .",
        "unfortunately , it has been turned into a routine and uninspiring movie , following a tired , old formula the entire way .",
        "even when it seems contrived MOV is a feel-good movie in the most positive meaning of that term , thanks to the motown music and o'dowd 's cheeky charm . like the four tops , i loved every sugar pie , honey bunch moment . i ca n't help myself .",
        "director wayne blair -- another veteran of the stage show -- finds his footing during the film 's many musical numbers .",
        "does n't always mix its anti-prejudice message and its feel-good nostalgia with complete smoothness . but despite some ragged edges it provides a reasonably good time .",
        "exuberant but fairly formulaic .",
        "they can put a song across just like the dreamgirls . what 's not to like ?",
        "cheering . churning . no wonder harvey weinstein raced to pick up this little gem .",
        "those turned off by the cutesy poster boasting glamorous wannabes in sequin dresses may be pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the film is as a whole - it turns out this is no teen fantasy for gleeks .",
        "far too lovable to resist .",
        "a good-natured tribute to feisty soulfulness that is fun for a long as it lasts , provided you are in a feelgood mood .",
        "it 's just a touch ... predictable . but so are many good movies .",
        "a gem , no less .",
        "a feelgooder spiced by social conscience , this is one of those underdog productions with potential to punch well above its weight . go on , give it a chance .",
        "an enjoyably broad romp that stays light on its feet , and o'dowd 's madman riffing keeps it bounding along .",
        "packed with laughs , toe-tapping songs and performances as sparkly as the costumes , wayne blair 's musical is a sure-fire hit .",
        "despite an undeniable shambolic charm , the result , while not exactly off-key , could 've cleaned up its act before it went on the road .",
        "a jewel-bright charmer about four spunky indigenous women whose powerhouse voices catapulted them onto the 60s-era world stage as australia 's answer to the supremes .",
        "a movie with enough melody and camaraderie to cover up its lack of originality .",
        "MOV should n't gleam as brightly as it does . the up-from-struggle story follows the predictable form of movies like these , from dreamgirls to the commitments . but there 's such a sense of joy ... that it 's hard not to be won over .",
        "it 's pure joy .",
        "it 's a sweet little tale , and that co-writer tony briggs is the son of one of the real-life singers adds to the heart-tugging . in the end , though , it 's not quite enough to sustain a feature-length film .",
        "`` MOV '' sparkles with sass and motown soul .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "sapphires is hardly a cinematic diamond mine . but this commitments-style mashup of music and melodrama manages to entertain without demanding too much of its audience .",
        "you could drive an abrams tank through the film 's plot holes , but you 'll likely be too busy enjoying yourself to bother .",
        "`` MOV '' feels like a movie you 've already seen , but it 's nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable , like a pop song that 's no less infectious when you know every word .",
        "draining most of the blood , sweat and tears from a true story , this music-minded movie capably covers a song we 've heard a hundred times before .",
        "`` sapphires , '' which was inspired by a true story , is propelled by a strong sense of music 's power to connect people and change lives .",
        "though blair 's vision expands the action , the stage play origins are obvious in the films structure , which allows for a show-stopping tune at regular intervals whether the drama needs it or not .",
        "like the music and the women it celebrates , MOV has heart and soul and it 's great to see the story finally shared on the big screen .",
        "the film 's theatrical origins are sometimes evident in the tone , but it 's not a major flaw . for me , there is an awkwardness ...",
        "a good hearted crowd pleaser offering undemanding entertainment , the films tells the story of four aboriginal girls who leave their remote australian home to sing for american troops in 60s war-torn vietnam . . struggles to find an effortless authenticity",
        "sunshiny effervescence dominates wayne blair 's '60s - set parable of self-determination .",
        "MOV is glossy and often silly , but it 's zippy enough to make the tour worthwhile .",
        "soul music 's alleged redemptive powers are fully at work in this jumbled , sketchily written but vastly appealing true-life musical comedy .",
        "its treatment of big themes like racism , war and oppression , is shallow to the point of repulsion .",
        "this is uncomplicated , educative stuff - quintessential school-trip cinema - but o'dowd elevates every scene he is in , which is most of them .",
        "harmless , eschewing provocation in favour of a genuine entertainment factor , and preferring to tell its worthy story in terms of characters and their personal relationships ."],
    "summary": "while it 's plenty predictable and sentimental , MOV also has an irresistible feel-good vibe , winning music and charming performances to spare .",
    "id": "771307345"
  },
  {
    "movie": "prisoners_2013",
    "reviews":
     [
        "nothing more than a cheap thriller with some pseudo-philosophical nonsense tacked on .",
        "it 's the imitation-david fincher pretentiousness that gets on my nerves .",
        "... when dover 's efforts reach a sadistic level the film 's flaws become more noticeable . it feels like villeneuve stretches out nearly every scene ...",
        "dark subject matter like this feels that much more perverse when it 's totally phony .",
        "a terrific thriller , shattering domestic drama and probing character study in a single package .",
        "the directorial instincts of villeneuve lean toward the lurid , though he seems to think he 's making a grand and brooding statement about the human condition . MOV is a compelling but unpleasant film , captive to its own schlocky hubris .",
        "just when you think it is over , it gets better !",
        "thriller and drama enthusiasts should find plenty of powerful performances and rich story material to make MOV an exhilarating and penetrating theater experience .",
        "the film 's art-house sensibility separates it from your run-of-the-mill studio melodrama , as does the care vileneuve takes to create multidimensional and complex characters whose flaws are at times reprehensible , despite their altruistic motives .",
        "ethical exploration or exploitation ? in the end , i come down reservedly on the former side : the work done here by jackman , gyllenhaal , and especially villeneuve is simply too powerful to ignore .",
        "when you finally emerge from your two-and-a-half hour sentence watching this glum , overbearing movie , you 'll relish the sweet taste of freedom , too .",
        "gravity to spare and performances to talk about ... worth a risk , even if you 're prone to nightmares .",
        "like a more downbeat zodiac , MOV is a rich , expansive procedural revolving around a horrible crime in which a satisfactory resolution only seems to get further away from its protagonists the more they obsess over the case .",
        "nicely written and acted . genuine suspense .",
        "even the most seemingly benign scenes posses a low level of fear , and the final hour is heavy enough to leave audiences shaking -lrb- and shaken -rrb- .",
        "denis villeneuve made the foreign language film oscar nominee incendies , but his american debut MOV just reheats the heavy-handed , high-gloss revenge porn of the girl with the dragon tattoo and the aforementioned mystic river .",
        "a dark , foreboding and riveting thriller , that will leave many spun by its labyrinth plot , spellbound by its strong performances and haunted by its many moral and religious complexities .",
        "it 's impossible to ignore that you are looking at unspeakable cruelty which , even if justifiable , must be ruinous to the soul of the wielder . you expect that to become the theme of the film , but , astonishingly , it never does .",
        "unfolds with the sickening tension of a great police procedural , all while poking at america 's social and political hypocrisies .",
        "... a bold , brave and unforgettable slice of filmmaking that pulls you deep into the mix and does n't let go .",
        "... palpably ominous and unsettling ...",
        "he 's the film 's most interesting character and it 's a great performance from jake gyllenhaal .",
        "MOV has got more pedigree than a westminster dog-show winner . it 's just not very good . in fact , it 's worse than not-very-good ; it 's could 've - been-really-good-and-isn ` t.",
        "... the darkness honed by world-class cinematographer roger deakins surrounds the disappearance of two little girls , with just about every member of an impressive cast being held captive by the stylishly gloomy situation .",
        "this movie is a well crafted dramatic thriller that will keep you guessing until the film 's conclusion . even with melissa leo 's phony performance , it 's one the year 's most gripping films .",
        "MOV is one of the most contemplative and fulfilling films of the year . it may be lengthy , but the performances are outstanding and the journey is never not intriguing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a dense , cold film rife with religious symbolism and moral ambiguity .",
        "MOV is an overblown missing-children mystery that wants to comment on the dysfunctional soul of america .",
        "it 's about good people dismantled by a quest to explain the inexplicable . but it 's not a hopeless trek to the gulag .",
        "swims in the murky waters of moral complexity , content to skim the surface without engaging fully with the questions it raises ... delivers a disappointingly convoluted mystery plot in an attempt to give the audience what it thinks it wants .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- exquisitely calibrated thriller .",
        "aspects of `` MOV '' are effective , but for the most part it 's rather ridiculous -lrb- despite the fact that it clearly wants to be taken super-seriously -rrb- , and there 's an overwrought quality to much of the acting .",
        "the only MOV are the audience .",
        "MOV uncoils with a serpent 's stealth - and strikes just as suddenly .",
        "every actor in MOV blossoms with realistic restraint under villeneuve 's refined direction .",
        "great acting , in the service of a plot that keeps getting more ridiculous . i was with it until the snakes .",
        "what makes MOV more potent than its oft-implausible mystery should allow is the way villeneuve lingers over the textures of a terrible event .",
        "a fascinating , skillfully directed , overpoweringly atmospheric mystery .",
        "spectacular performances and a series of frighteningly tense sequences elevate it above your typical hollywood mystery .",
        "easy answers are hard to come by , but that ambiguity elevates MOV to a place most other genre exercises rarely achieve ... or even aspire .",
        "with its measured pace and stark violence , `` MOV '' wants to be more than just an escapist crime thriller -- it has its sights set on loftier aspirations .",
        "while the movie is certainly less than the sum of its referents , it nonetheless works as a formally controlled genre piece .",
        "`` MOV '' has the momentum of a thriller but it 's carefully constructed so that it is also a movie that asks pointed questions about morality .",
        "a blisteringly intense master-class in suspense and character .",
        "unflinching and intense , it 's an intricate thriller evoking complex emotional conflict , moral ambiguity and sustained psychological suspense .",
        "the script is misshapen and out of balance . . bello disappears for vast chunks of time . . the rest of the cast all seem like bystanders to the hugh and jake show .",
        "a tense morality play wrapped in the bristling genre trappings of a police procedural , is exhausting in all the best ways-emotionally , intellectually , philosophically",
        "the film 's pace is an endurance test ... -lrb- but -rrb- everyone gets to share in the dread of the final revelations . does the end justify the means ?",
        "a gritty and intensely unsettling story of child abduction and obsession .",
        "not since erskineville kings , in 1999 , has hugh jackman appeared so emotionally exposed on screen . it is an exceptional , oscar-worthy performance .",
        "um drama tocante , um suspense sufocante e um filme de detetive magn\u00edfico . um dos melhores longas do ano , sem d\u00favida alguma .",
        "denis villeneuve 's MOV is a nasty piece of work . indeed , it is about as bleak and unforgiving as mainstream , studio moviemaking gets .",
        "this moody police procedural with jake gyllenhaal in sublime form may be nearly three hours long , but it 's worth every minute .",
        "proves compelling , thanks in part to subject matter that practically demands emotional investment from an audience : children in peril .",
        "if there is one thing above all else to recommend MOV , it 's the way it captures that white-hot skewer of fear that must run through the heart and mind of every parent who has ever suddenly looked around them and thought , `` where 's my kid ? ''",
        "MOV is haunting and will stick with you ... this is one of the best films of the year .",
        "`` MOV '' is , above all , an effective thriller , but it wants you to take it more seriously than that . there 's no deal-breaking reason not to .",
        "the film is like a lean cut of meat , with all the fat trimmed off and the rest providing the necessary protein to keep functioning .",
        "engrossing revenge thriller is very violent and intense .",
        "MOV is unforgettably relentless in asking moviegoers if keller has gone too far . and , by extension , asking us how far we would go .",
        "an emotionally taxing , morally complex mystery driven by powerful performances that explore the transformative effects of suffering with an intensity that will leave many -- especially those with children -- deeply shaken .",
        "a film that , for all its pretensions and intermittent power , is essentially high-grade claptrap .",
        "... the story here is gyllenhaal , delivering the performance of his career in a career already filled with exceptional performances .",
        "villeneuve also sprinkles in religious overtones and complex dilemmas that make this feel more like a morality play than a hollywood thriller .",
        "`` MOV '' is a gripping movie experience with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat .",
        "told in explosive , spine-tingling fashion with extraordinary performances from an all-star cast .",
        "MOV is cruel and unusual punishment .",
        "the lasting legacy of an exceptional thriller is to not only be surprised on the first viewing , but also to realize the picture offers qualities to be enjoyed on repeat screenings .",
        "the final third has more in common with three-card monte street hustle than nuanced character drama .",
        "seldom though does a thriller deal with such deeply disturbing , hardcore emotional distress as MOV .",
        "villeneuve shows his sublime talents as a director who appreciates subtle dialogue and contained , intimate action .",
        "though it 's nothing you have n't seen before , it 's so artfully made and skillfully executed that you wo n't care a bit .",
        "throughout this beautifully made , slightly specious exercise in old testament revenge , the character-study aspects of `` MOV '' coexist intriguingly with the grisly-inhumanity components .",
        "hugh jackman gives the performance of his career as a father seeking two kidnapped girls in denis villeneuve 's taut thriller .",
        "it 's a harrowing , excellent piece of work , narratively inconsistent in the final act but a film for which all flaws are easily overlooked by incredible technical accomplishments and an ensemble of performers doing close to the best work of their careers .",
        "if the screenplay occasionally frustrates by not asking obvious questions ... and by scattering red herrings that venture into really loopy territory ... the film overall works because of the filmmaking artistry and high acting calibre on display .",
        "a very good film , with two hours of extraordinary , gripping filmmaking and twenty final minutes of subtle deflation .",
        "it 's preposterous schlock masquerading as art .",
        "hollywood thrillers that feature vigilantes usually pander to our baser instincts . MOV does n't let us off the hook so easily .",
        "it 's a tense and engaging thriller with some big ideas , only some of which it is able to carry .",
        "the brutality and torture displayed by the `` hero '' of this piece makes for several uncomfortable moments .",
        "jackman is still in his phase of high-masculine misery ... the entire performance is an exclamation point , and he swings it like a baseball bat .",
        "edge of your seat thriller",
        "it 's rare to find a film that really works on all levels , but that 's exactly what denis villeneuve 's has constructed with MOV .",
        "while all this industrial strength acting is going on , there 's also a pretty engrossing mystery afoot that keeps your attention .",
        "roger deakins uses erratic flashes and glimmers of light to suggest that deliverance is always close at hand , but not close enough .",
        "this is about as intense as movies can get . superb performances and great direction will keep you on the edge of your seat .",
        "it remains gripping because of the realistic grounding of its characters and the raw vulnerability in the performances .",
        "a compelling character study of the emotional toll exacted by a kidnapping on the psyche of the victims ' loved ones .",
        "if you 're patient , and you have quite a bit of time to kill , you 're bound to see beneath MOV ' pretentious fa\u00e7ade a nifty little crime thriller that deserved more .",
        "a smart thriller that runs so long it almost outsmarts itself .",
        "hugh jackman and jake gyllenhaal burn the candle at both ends in this emotionally whipsawing kidnapped-child thriller with an unusually strong moral resonance .",
        "even when audiences start to question the logical leaps , the performances and visuals remain first-rate . the movie does n't feel bloated . and the final scenes are anything but a cop-out .",
        "it 's a potboiler premise , but in this uncompromisingly dark telling it veers from the procedural to something deeper and more tragic .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a frustrating puzzle in which the pieces do n't quite fit together",
        "as gripping as it is grueling , with performances that swing for the fences and a knotty central mystery .",
        "a devastating psychological thriller , MOV pulls us deep into our worst fear : the amber alert . then it holds us under .",
        "MOV wants to be operatic and epic . it never quite succeeds .",
        "it absorbs and controls your attention with such assurance that you hold your breath for fear of distracting the people on screen , exhaling in relief or amazement at each new revelation .",
        "it 's easy to make a thriller . it 's hard to make one that says something about human nature and then , like the hauntingly compelling `` MOV , '' finds something inside the genre that validates tying your nerves up in knots .",
        "far from the feel-good movie of the year , MOV is dark , disturbing , white-knuckle stuff with an unnerving shade of dread blanketed over almost every frame .",
        "villneuve 's grim chronicle of the fallout when two young girls vanish in a small town succeeds at crafting one powerfully suspenseful moment after another .",
        "director denis villeneuve 's work with the exemplary actors results in a film of startling impact , packed with twists you do n't see coming . you ca n't shake it .",
        "a grade-a genre exercise - but it 's a genre predicated on specious reasoning and promiscuous , pseudo-sacrificial suffering .",
        "the ensemble is great across the board but hugh jackman gives what honestly might be his best performance .",
        "a potent mix of suspense , emotion and intrigue that draws intense performances from leads hugh jackman and jake gyllenhaal .",
        "viewers who see the movie will find it absolutely riveting , and this is a tribute to the filmmaker 's skill and to the excellent cast that brings the story to life .",
        "a spellbinding , sensationally effective thriller with a complex moral center that marks a grand-slam english-lingo debut for the gifted quebecois director denis villeneuve .",
        "highly entertaining .",
        "MOV starts off promising ; but peters away its substantial tension with a drawn out ending and somewhat obvious villain .",
        "MOV is a dog whistle for academy voters keyed to a pitch that screams , `` for the love of god , nominate me for something ! ''",
        "it 's a veritable shoo-in for an oscar nod this year , and one of the more disturbing films to come out of a major studio in ages .",
        "a whodunnit too classy to ignore , too crude to respect .",
        "in his first film since skyfall , the cinematography by torquay-born roger deakins is as stunning as you 'd expect from a true craftsman with ten unfulfilled oscar nominations since the shawshank redemption in 1995 .",
        "`` MOV '' is gripping and exceptionally well made , but i found it relentless-too bleak for my taste ...",
        "i like the film 's solid , old-fashioned style , the way it resembles the smart adult thrillers of the '70s and assumes the audience is savvy enough to follow the details .",
        "deserves credit for artfully presenting its nightmarish moral dilemmas with little pretense or grandstanding .",
        "a story too densely plotted to feel real but too well built to fall over .",
        "a good film with a shoddy ending that keeps it from being great .",
        "`` MOV '' is a dark , thought-provoking thriller for the grown-up audience that made `` silence of the lambs '' a hit .",
        "the very model of an oscarbaiting exercise in social critique and deeply ambiguous character drama . except for the part where the script makes it feel more like a trashy beach read .",
        "richly detailed and labyrinthinely plotted , the switchback narrative is populated with carefully delineated characters without recourse to cumbersome exposition .",
        "it 's engaging and gut-wrenching -- without diving into an abyss of emotional torture in the name of entertainment .",
        "methodical , powerful and one of the year 's best , this drama offers up a riveting script and a great cast .",
        "MOV -- sometimes awkwardly , for the most part persuasively -- does a delicate balancing act between outright nightmare and naturalism .",
        "... wants to show how one heinous act creates not only victims , but more monsters .",
        "the film not only holds the viewer 's focus to the very end , but manages to do so in a genuinely innovative yet comfortingly recognizable way .",
        "MOV is a devastating ordeal through the villeneuve 's impressionistic prism . it 's a testament to all involved that you want to revisit the ugliness of the story for the artistry of its construction .",
        "MOV is in the best thriller traditions , but goes deeper into a reflection of one of the greatest moral dilemmas in modern society ... choosing to not only be memorable , but to matter .",
        "this film haunted me for days and weeks after seeing it , and the feeling still lingers .",
        "i was shocked to learn this is an original screenplay and not an adaptation . everything about the story stinks of a crappy novel someone bought at an airport .",
        "the last half hour , despite the occasional jolt of excitement , is an embarrassment .",
        "a hulking gothic whodunit which sadly falls to pieces in its final act .",
        "its flaws compound the somber tone , making it a tough film to watch at times . but the sheer craftsmanship on display is too strong to ignore .",
        "MOV is a methodically grim story of child kidnapping and vigilante torture , extended beyond necessity by short-sighted police work and a cannery 's supply of red herrings . it is well acted bunk ...",
        "a haunting narrative and moral maze .",
        "first-rate cinematography by roger deakins ca n't rescue a thriller that needed many more rewrites before it went into production .",
        "villenueve crafts and molds the story into a thing of beauty . his pacing is brilliant , giving the audience just enough clues to keep them guessing at every twist and turn .",
        "MOV , surprisingly for a film that lasts 153 minutes , holds you captive for the entire runtime .",
        "one of the most satisfying thrillers we have seen in quite some time .",
        "manages to fire the intellect and stimulate further researches into arendt 's work .",
        "a disturbing crime thriller , elevated by subtle storytelling , challenging ideas and fine performances , but let down by some lazy generic tropes and jarring implausibilities .",
        "it 's rooted in 40 years of hollywood revenge films , yet it also breaks audacious new ground .",
        "in any case , the crowd i watched it with sat in awed , tense silence throughout-a mighty good sign that a thriller is doing its job .",
        "please see this movie . we need to let hollywood know that there is , in fact , an audience for sophisticated drama for adults .",
        "so sharply directed , tautly edited , rich and believably acted by jackman and gyllenhaal that you quickly forgive its tired story . an intense , satisfying thriller .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- `` MOV '' demonstrates an uncomfortable connection between criminals and their victims , whose lives take on dark aspects of their suffering . there 's nothing morally comfortable .",
        "a sombrely impressive thriller in the style of mystic river and zodiac .",
        "possibly year 's most immaculate-looking drivel , a prismatically shot whodunit abundant in red herrings , but lacking in moral contemplation .",
        "a movie whose execution and performances are admirable , but its eventual concession to monologuing villains and life-or-death standoffs undermines the honest and substantive character work that precedes it .",
        "villeneuve is trying like hell to elevate what turns out to be a dumb genre picture ... MOV is a long sentence .",
        "this is one hell of a movie . and yes , you can interpret that in more than a few ways .",
        "jackman gives one of his best performances ever in this tense thriller about a parent 's worst fears .",
        "although it 's quite long at 2 1/2 hours , MOV holds interest and tension thanks to the strength of the screenplay and craftsmanship of the cast and crew . be warned : you will not want to take a bathroom break during the film , so go before",
        "raises many questions , in its brutally direct way , as it plows through a minefield of raw nerves , shattered emotions , shifting moral boundaries and unnerving religious overtones .",
        "MOV is weary after ten minutes , and i suppose it has persuaded itself that its length is justified by its solemn gaze into the abyss .",
        "brilliantly directed and stunningly shot , MOV is a powerfully gripping , morally complex thriller with a superb script and an oscar-worthy performance from hugh jackman . it 's also one of the best thrillers of the year .",
        "the cast and creators are released early for good behaviour .",
        "a certain dour realist vigour keeps the nightmare alive .",
        "villeneuve 's taut directing , coupled with a strong story , gritty cinematography and captivating performances make MOV a tantalising watch that will solicit and repulse in equal measure ...",
        "what makes this thriller extraordinary is its willingness to make us scratch our heads and ask questions as the tense , fable-like story patiently unfolds .",
        "arrives with an emotional complexity and gripping intensity that has been sorely missing from a lot of hollywood thrillers of late .",
        "the screenplay is smart , the execution is impeccable , and the holes are few and far between .",
        "one of the most intense thrillers in recent years . best performance of hugh jackman 's career .",
        "the plot raises complicated moral questions about how far an anguished person will go for the love of a child . at the same time , it sets up an intricate , horrifying mystery with breathtaking skill .",
        "`` MOV '' is a dark , deeply serious examination of how loss can unhinge us ; it grabs onto you , and you may have trouble shaking it away .",
        "a gorgeous but manipulative thriller that wants you to ponder big questions as it sends a shiver down your spine .",
        "a work of impressive craftsmanship that winds up making us think too much about how it was fashioned rather than what it has to say .",
        "this is an aesthetically immaculate film . coen brothers cinematographer roger a. deakins imbues every frame with a stunning mix of texture and complexity , simultaneously feeding us information and tickling our retinas .",
        "before you discount the movie as a metaphysical mediation on violence , know that it is also a superbly tense thriller , and one of the most nail-bitingly effective entertainments this year .",
        "a film that seems headed toward one conclusion , then veers toward another over 2 / \u2082 of the fastest-moving hours i 've seen in a recent movie .",
        "grim , gray and surprisingly gruesome , MOV - the director 's first foray into english-language filmmaking - has its flaws , but predictability is not one of them .",
        "it 's an emotionally intense edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that wo n't let go of your mind , body and soul until the title card appears in the end credits .",
        "villeneuve has produced a masterful thriller that is also an engrossing study of a smalltown america battered by recession , fear and the unrelenting elements .",
        "denis villeneuve 's film requires and rewards your attention in equal measure .",
        "MOV is n't bringing much new to the tradition of crime thrillers and missing children horror stories , but it does speak mightily to how quality of craft separates an airplane page-turner from a minor work of pulp poetry .",
        "the film is both better than you might imagine - in a doolally sort of way - and more trivial , for all its smog-like aura of utter , unremitting despair .",
        "MOV offers strong drama , suspense and intrigue within a crime thriller that constantly leaves you guessing where it 's going .",
        "intellectual torture porn .",
        "` MOV ' is the best police procedural since ` se7en , ' and it works as a grim , ugly companion piece to that film ...",
        "a masterpiece . the movie everyone 's going to be talking about this fall . jackman deserves an oscar nomination .",
        "` MOV ' is too nuanced to dismiss , but too silly to take seriously .",
        "in less talented hands , the story could lapse into the maudlin . but villeneuve , director of the oscar-nominated incendies , seems to know just how far to go ; only one moment feels less than authentic , but it would be a spoiler to mention it .",
        "all these nagging little problems , plot holes , inconsistencies , are a bother , but the overall strength of the film overpowers these things .",
        "rife with biblical allusions and ostensibly grounded in an old fashioned exploration of good vs. evil , MOV is more than just your standard kidnapping thriller .",
        "a simmering pressure cooker of a thriller , MOV is an unforgiving but emotionally rewarding experience sustained by powerhouse performances , taut scripting and villeneuve 's tonally assured direction .",
        "... its cast is uniformly impressive , especially the mute , disturbed dano and the glum `` bad cop '' gyllenhaal , who effectively turns down the handsome and owns the film with his gaunt , haunted stare .",
        "blurring the lines between the hero and the perpetrator compounds the tension in this multi-layered and complex psychological thriller that will keep you anchored to your seat",
        "gyllenhaal 's tattooed , twitchy loki proves equally satisfying , a loner with a troubled past and one of those dogged cops who make the genre enjoyable .",
        "MOV is , first and foremost , a crime drama in which villeneuve and screenwriter aaron guzikowski slowly ratchet the suspense by making the audience privy to clues the characters do not have the opportunity to put together .",
        "prepare to be electrified ! when it comes to thrillers , MOV is the must-see sensation of the year .",
        "a decent , cogent , greyly atmospheric thriller with something to say about war-on-terror america .",
        "the grim atmosphere of desperation is n't seen to its natural conclusion , rendering the picture tiring and defeated in the final stretch , almost afraid to deliver the killing blow it was teasing for two hours .",
        "by the end , the filmmakers have slightly lost sight of the journey on which they began . yet the trip they 've taken , fueled by jackman 's rage and gyllenhaal 's doggedness and the complicitous uneasiness of davis and howard , has plenty of dramatic power .",
        "this movie pushes us into the tight corners of law enforcement , as well as parenthood , where black and white simply does not exist . you can only do your best , which means everything is the muted grey of ` good enough . '",
        "villeneuve sets a dark , foreboding tone , aided by evocative cinematography by the great roger a. deakins , which holds the movie together even when the plot goes a bit loopy in the finale .",
        "if you choose this one , know that it 'll leave you feeling like you 've been through the wringer .",
        "thematically dense and intelligently crafted , the darkly enthralling `` MOV '' will not easily be forgotten .",
        "too much of brilliantly good thing . it 's like watching the director 's cut that goes a bit deeper into the character development and filled with scenes the filmmakers loved , but realized were n't essential for the final cut .",
        "in addition to the skin-crawling camera moves and the understated dread that bolsters the surface tensions of `` MOV '' there is a fascinating actor 's duel going on .",
        "an unforgettable crime thriller that is guaranteed to be the most talked about and fiercely debated movie of the season .",
        "a dark , tense drama .",
        "has the sheen of a prestige picture and the guts of law & order 's best episode .",
        "one of the strengths of MOV is that it forces you to confront the part of yourself that really would do literally anything for your child . it does n't frighten you so much as it makes you frighten yourself .",
        "worth watching to start a ` what would you do ' conversation on the way home",
        "you never sense that any of the players is inhabiting a character . instead they seem to be dispiritedly reading lines off of an internal teleprompter ...",
        "if you want to know what the families of kidnap victims go through , you ca n't get a better insight than by watching this film.l",
        "at the beating -lrb- if broken -rrb- heart of it all is jackman , sunken eyes and permanent scowl , delivering a turn so intense it makes wolverine 's berserker rage look like an infant 's hissy fit .",
        "the plot is like a whirlpool . the more it twists the deeper it goes and the darker it gets until it has the same sense of dread as had zodiac and se7en .",
        "it 's got lofty aspirations but it also wants to wallow in the muck - to thrill you and sicken you in equal measure while also being about something .",
        "although the ending of ` MOV ' may leave some viewers cold , i think it 's a clever way to make us keep talking about this thriller for a long time to come .",
        "as a film it 's edge of your seat terrifying stuff , so have at it , childless adults !",
        "this is a powerful , engrossing film that transcends the normal constraints of its genre and is worth your investment of both time and attention .",
        "after seeing this , you will say : jackman also plays wolverine ?",
        "a chilling suspense thriller about child kidnappings in rural america that is brilliantly directed by french canadian director denis villenueve .",
        "MOV is like a hyper kid got on an elevator and pushed all the buttons , so that it stopped at every floor .",
        "begins as a story that has intriguing and seriously complex moral and ethical implications before giving way to what is a fairly by-the-numbers , beat-the-clock serial-killer thriller .",
        "it never lets up . the cell doors never open .",
        "after two hours of relentless tension , MOV starts revealing its secrets to progressively hokier effect .",
        "is it the best hollywood mystery we 've seen in awhile ? oh yes . is it one any parent would want to see ? only if they do n't mind nightmares .",
        "MOV is one of the best films of 2013 !",
        "the film you begin watching when the lights dim is not the same one you carry home from the theatre .",
        "one of the first , heavy-duty award contenders of the 2013 movie season . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "guzikowski teases with some potentially intriguing ideas in between the point-a-to-point-b plotting ... but the screenplay does not follow through on them .",
        "a movie that wants to tie us in knots , and does a good , nasty job of it .",
        "hugh jackman and co-star jake gyllenhaal lead a superb cast -- and score career bests -- in this provocative tale of abducted children and parents pushed beyond limits ."],
    "summary": "MOV has an emotional complexity and a sense of dread that makes for absorbing -lrb- and disturbing -rrb- viewing .",
    "id": "771318590"
  },
  {
    "movie": "serving_sara",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is a lazy , trite comedy that 's made by people who do n't care either .",
        "sometimes it feels as if it might have been made in the '70s or '80s , and starred chevy chase and goldie hawn .",
        "MOV should be served an eviction notice at every theater stuck with it .",
        "while MOV does have a long way to go before it reaches the level of crudity in the latest austin powers extravaganza , there 's nothing here to match that movie 's intermittent moments of inspiration .",
        "MOV is such a miserable excuse for a movie that the constant ringing of a cellphone at its preview screening served only to improve it .",
        "perry is n't the only thing wrong with MOV , but he 's the thing that takes a pleasantly mediocre movie and turns it into an unpleasantly mediocre one .",
        "with the exception of some fleetingly amusing improvisations by cedric the entertainer as perry 's boss , there is n't a redeeming moment here .",
        "MOV is fitfully funny but so threadbare in most respects that killing time is the only reason to see it .",
        "MOV is downright terrible : impossible to enjoy , impossible to believe .",
        "one good thing : MOV is a summer movie . and summer is almost over . the movie will quickly fade and be forgotten .",
        "a road trip that will get you thinking , ` are we there yet ? '",
        "a string of rehashed sight gags based in insipid vulgarity .",
        "even dumber than perry 's three to tango , this latest sitcommy exercise is sporadically funny in spite of itself .",
        "what few laughs there are come through a nearly herculean effort by perry , who seems to be the only one who 's really trying .",
        "it actually could have worked , but sadly , it does n't . give it a pass .",
        "how inept is MOV ? it makes even elizabeth hurley seem graceless and ugly .",
        "it 's probably the worst matthew perry movie ever .",
        "... hudlin is stuck trying to light a fire with soggy leaves .",
        "anyone associated with this god-awful movie should be suspended from hollywood for the rest of the year .",
        "when more time is spent conceiving a film 's opening credits than its script , you know you 've got trouble",
        "i do n't know what they 're MOV , but i 'm sending it back to the kitchen .",
        "helmer hudlin tries to make a hip comedy , but his dependence on slapstick defeats the possibility of creating a more darkly edged tome .",
        "... plot holes so large and obvious a marching band might as well be stomping through them in clown clothes , playing a college football fight song on untuned instruments .",
        "skip this turd and pick your nose instead because you 're sure to get more out of the latter experience .",
        "the picture , scored by a perversely cheerful marcus miller accordion/harmonica/banjo abomination , is a monument to bad in all its florid variety .",
        "when perry fists a bull at the moore farm , it 's only a matter of time before he gets the upper hand in matters of the heart .",
        "sadly , any hoped-for chemistry rarely materializes in a landslide of mostly mean-spirited humor .",
        "a supposed neo-screwball romp that ends up feeling like an episode of friends set in texas crossed with an estee lauder shoot .",
        "MOV is the kind of movie that should premiere on an airplane -- it 's lame but watchable , and you could read a magazine during it and still follow the plot .",
        "stars matthew perry and elizabeth hurley illicit more than a chuckle , and more jokes land than crash , but ultimately MOV does n't distinguish itself from the herd .",
        "though perry and hurley make inspiring efforts to breathe life into the disjointed , haphazard script by jay scherick and david ronn , neither the actors nor director reginald hudlin can make it more than fitfully entertaining .",
        "romantic comedy ought to have some romance and laughs , but this extraordinarily flat effort has neither .",
        "excruciating .",
        "the spectacularly bland comedy MOV offers us a tv actor and a fashion mannequin in lieu of actual movie stars .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "perry and hurley banter and bicker in the old screwball tradition , and it 's clear from the start that they 're supposed to fall in love . they just do n't sell it with much conviction .",
        "perry smirks and mugs throughout while hurley just seems massively bored , practically yawning even while hoisting her shirt for the hotel clerk .",
        "-lsb- there 's -rsb- nary a laugh to be found .",
        "an unfunny , unpleasant romance comedy entry ...",
        "perry and hurley do n't have much chemistry , and the story is so dumb you might want to sue it for stupidity .",
        "this movie does n't play ; it just lies there , waiting to be kicked around by anyone unfortunate enough to have shelled out good money to see it .",
        "a third-rate conflation of midnight run and it happened one night , MOV relies heavily on perry 's perpetually exasperated shtick , which fits more comfortably among the democratic ensemble of tv 's friends .",
        "there 's something for most everyone to hate in MOV , a screwball comedy in which jokes cross the plate like sinkers .",
        "those looking for a clever , imaginative or well-made comedy will probably wish someone had served these filmmakers with cease and desist letters before they finished this failed effort .",
        "filmmakers have to dig deep to sink this low . fortunately for all involved , this movie is likely to disappear as quickly as an ice cube thrown into a pot of boiling water .",
        "it 's probably unfair to say you 'll feel just as violated if you waste $ 10 on this , but serving time with this bomb comes pretty darn close .",
        "aiming only to be amiably stupid , the movie still manages to fall short of the target .",
        "it can only be recommended as a very mild rental ... ya know , one of those that you pick up because you 've already seen everything else .",
        "the only thing sara serves is lame , stereotypical humor coupled with predictable shenanigans .",
        "MOV does n't serve up a whole lot of laughs .",
        "scratch this one from your list and watch instead singin ' in the rain or the dukes of hazzard or a learning channel special on cows , flatulent or otherwise . whatever your interest , you 'll be better served .",
        "you know a movie is doa when not even the sight of liz hurley in a ` trailer trash ' glitter t-shirt , tartan miniskirt and lace-up python boots can revive it .",
        "-lsb- cedric the entertainer -rsb- gives what just might be the worst performance of the year -lrb- and no , i 'm not forgetting a walk to remember 's mandy moore -rrb- .",
        "there 's still something vaguely enjoyable about the film , as there has been with most of matthew perry 's movies .",
        "here 's a stretch : elizabeth hurley is a sexy english girl and matthew perry is chandler in this senseless , surprisingly unfunny comedy .",
        "... designed to appeal to moviegoers whose goal is to sit in an air-conditioned theater for 1 1/2 hours with their brains on ` pause . '",
        "one clever concept , several witty comedians , and many commonplace scenarios means MOV will be served more at blockbuster than at the multiplexes .",
        "if he so chooses , david schwimmer could make a movie co-starring gallagher and yakov smirnoff . it would have to be better .",
        "hurley in particular is astoundingly awful .",
        "any effort anyone puts forth is obviously for naught when the movie 's supposedly showstopping set piece has perry stick his arm up a bull 's anus to tickle his prostate .",
        "filled with artificial sweetener , and ultimately not satisfying enough .",
        "crass and joyless .",
        "`` one look at a girl in tight pants and big tits and you turn stupid ? '' um ... is n't that the basis for the entire plot ?",
        "perry 's good and his is an interesting character , but `` MOV '' has n't much more to serve than silly fluff . nor is it a romantic comedy .",
        "the entire movie is in need of a scented bath .",
        "the film 's low point , a real freddie got fingered moment , has joe helping a bull perform sexually . do n't ask .",
        "unfunny and lacking any sense of commitment to or affection for its characters , the reginald hudlin comedy relies on toilet humor , ethnic slurs .",
        "i just hope there 's not a second serving of sara anytime soon .",
        "MOV is merely a serving of average , forgettable hollywood fare .",
        "with the dog days of august upon us , think of this dog of a movie as the cinematic equivalent of high humidity .",
        "from the viewer 's perspective ` suffering sara ' or ` surviving sara ' might be more apt ... a serving of ` sara ' that you 'd do well to decline .",
        "as problematic as the two leads are , they are inconsequential to this poorly written story",
        "neither perry nor hurley displays a gift for romantic nonsense , and it 's difficult to detect any real or faked sexual chemistry between the two stars .",
        "it 's not pretty watching this likable cast floundering in search of something funny to do .",
        "a truly lightweight forgettable piece of fluff which will barely make a blip either in the cinemas or on video .",
        "lame , limp , unappealing , incompetent , clueless -- these are the kindest words i can come up with to describe this film .",
        "its sole purpose appears to be to give perry something to occupy his time during the yearly hiatus from friends . perhaps he should have taken a vacation instead .",
        "all people involved in this movie should be served with papers demanding that they never collaborate on anything ever again .",
        "if it 's not too late -- and , seriously , i hope it 's not -- hurley and perry better clinch some more substantial roles quick , maybe even straight dramatics , because they 're both capable .",
        "MOV is so close to `` fun little diversion '' that it makes the parts that don?t work hurt more than they really should .",
        "quick-paced though it may be , sara just does n't serve it up fast enough .",
        "the dialogue is witless , the situations are lame , the humor juvenile and the chemistry between the stars nonexistent .",
        "perry 's biting and bitter sarcasm helps fill the gaping holes left in the script by the studio weasels that digested it .",
        "a broadly played , lowbrow comedy in which the cast delivers mildly amusing performances and no farm animals were injured by any of the gags .",
        "there are many definitions of ` time waster ' but this movie must surely be one of them .",
        "with vicodin-sharp timing , perry wavers from glib to glazed , seeming to openly rue his miscasting as palookaville process server joe tyler .",
        "it 's a glorified sitcom , and a long , unfunny one at that .",
        "the plot fluctuations unfold as predictably as any other cross-country buddy-buddy flick you care to mention .",
        "scarcely worth a mention apart from reporting on the number of tumbleweeds blowing through the empty theatres graced with its company .",
        "the movie itself is a cattle ranch full of joke droppings and mooing shtick not worth stepping in .",
        "this mind-numbing comic void never generates enough electricity to brown an english muffin .",
        "as a romantic couple , perry and hurley have all the chemistry of roadkill and a bran muffin .",
        "the plot is as exciting as a dead horse .",
        "the film is a disaster all around .",
        "a movie without a redeeming feature : a black hole where laughter goes to die .",
        "if you 're looking for comedy to be served up , better look elsewhere .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- poorly executed comedy .",
        "... excruciatingly numb and mindless romantic comedy . there 's nothing here that the main leads or supporting players can do to serve sara her just desserts .",
        "MOV should be subpoenaed for promoting itself as a film with laughs in it .",
        "cedric the entertainer is absolutely hilarious as a frustrated boss .",
        "too mucky and uneven to signify an out-and-out winner , but ... charming when it wants to be and not nearly as bad as early word has suggested .",
        "the film 's original idea never gets fully exploited and is instead riddled with standard jokes and situations .",
        "the jokes are telegraphed so far in advance they must have been lost in the mail .",
        "the movie starts off embarrassingly bad . ten one-liners go by with not even a smirk from the audience .",
        "do n't waste your time with MOV .",
        "bad direction , worse editing and a worthless script make it a forgettable diversion at best .",
        "late summer is often the dumping ground for comedies that go flat or romances that fizzle . sara is both .",
        "MOV is little more than a mall movie designed to kill time .",
        "surprisingly amusing .",
        "-lsb- hell is -rsb- looking down at your watch and realizing MOV is n't even halfway through .",
        "the script is clever enough to give perry a somewhat dignified role as a sarcastic , educated charmer down on his luck .",
        "director reginald hudlin and screenwriters jay scherick and david ronn never seem to have settled on a comic tone , with painfully uneven results .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a romantic comedy that 's neither funny nor particularly romantic , MOV is a forgettable time waster .",
    "id": "11890"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10009598-surrogates",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the ideas probably have a bit more juice than the movie , but it 's still an alert piece of entertainment .",
        "an attractive slice of glossy dystopian sci-fi shenanigans from the team behind terminator 3 sees bruce willis reprising the one-cop-against-the-system role that he could by now play in his sleep . or even via a remote controlled robotic surrogate .",
        "MOV nudges the robo-thriller in an interesting direction .",
        "there 's enough sugar-rush energy on display to ensure it 's never dull .",
        "the action scenes feel curtailed and a little cheesy , but it has a veneer of day-glo creepiness which holds the attention .",
        "MOV bleakly satirizes our increasingly plugged-in world .",
        "a twisty whodunit that is never quite believable or satisfying , especially when -lsb- willis -rsb- tries to re-connect with the humanity he has lost by living such a sheltered life .",
        "like the titular avatars in this graphic novel adaptation , `` MOV '' is a rote whodunit masquerading as a techno-thriller .",
        "parental content review",
        "too often it feels like one of the robotic MOV was left in charge of the scripting and directing duties for large portions of the movie .",
        "the beauty of MOV lies not so much in the somewhat conventional thriller plot , though it is efficiently crafted and keeps the audience guessing up to the end .",
        "broaches topical subjects with a meditative quality that blends nicely with its dark brand of not-so-far-off fantasy .",
        "fans of actual sci-fi literature will probably enjoy this more than fans of slam-bang action . but at less than 90 minutes , it 's not long enough to bore the haters too badly .",
        "the script is by the team that gave us catwoman and the last two terminator movies , which tells you all you need to know .",
        "for all the inspirations , the pieces of better stories that this tale was concocted from , MOV never manages to be anything more than a poor substitute for the real thing .",
        "there 's fun robot stuff , some good philosophical ideas , and a brief , nutty willis-ving rhames reunion 15 years after pulp fiction .",
        "MOV is yet another film that got swallowed by the hollywood machine and spit out the other side . it 's a surrogate of itself .",
        "a more cerebral thriller than your standard sci-fi fare , mostow strikes just the right balance between in-your-face action and social comment on technology as a lifestyle .",
        "despite bumpy execution likely to have detractors yelling `` d\u00e9j\u0155 boo , '' MOV oozes possibilities .",
        "wasting the chance to be a great , resonant sf metaphor , MOV ultimately proves as bland and empty as its pretty mechanical protagonists .",
        "do the actors sound so robotic because they are playing robots well or humans badly ? and did a machine write this dialogue ? if so , could we please apply for an upgrade ?",
        "MOV leaves you wanting more , but is entertaining for the short run time .",
        "mostow demonstrates an uncharacteristic lack of subtlety throughout that suggests a diminishment of skills for the man who helmed the crackerjack kidnap thriller breakdown .",
        "harbinger of what should be coming .",
        "like blade runner re-imagined by a twelve-year-old .",
        "MOV creates a world it has little interest in exploring beyond the boundaries set by a fairly dull whodunit .",
        "bruce willis has little to do but hit his predictable marks and mouth the generic dialogue .",
        "the film moves along so quickly , and the surrogate world look is so eerie .",
        "imagine that your facebook page , complete with that airbrushed profile photo , can go out into `` real '' society and leave you at home twiddling your fingers , living vicariously through it . that 's the general concept of MOV , where humans stay sh",
        "i wanted to love it . i was somewhat entertained . i 'd like to go check out the graphic novelit is loosely based on . but it left me as emotionally cold as an unplugged surrogate .",
        "while the notion holds promise , the execution is strictly campy and adrenaline-driven .",
        "troubling news from the future : we 'll perfect robotics , but still be unable to master a decent toupee .",
        "it 's cold , lifeless , and silly , and it takes itself far , far too seriously .",
        "the robotic MOV go about their business in the most monotone way possible . that low energy hurts the movie .",
        "the whole affair is surprisingly dialogue-heavy , in spite of the fact it has nothing meaningful to say .",
        "the problem is simple : it 's too short . the story introduces a series of gripping elements , then fails to fully capitalize on a single one of them . with a running time of just 88 minutes , how could it ?",
        "always intriguing but never involving .",
        "if the movie gets a bit hokey on the surface , its haunting undercurrents never let up .",
        "has an initially intriguing premise and plenty of slick production values , but it suffers from style over substance , diminishing suspense , and a plot that feels too bland , inane and ultimately underwhelming .",
        "entertaining , suspenseful and wildly original . see it for yourself but leave your surrogate at home .",
        "the ideas on display may prompt plenty of fruitful discussions in the coffee shop after the screening , but that still does n't add up to a satisfying experience .",
        "it 's halfway decent as a thriller , but it just does n't bother to dig deep enough into its own concept to be very satisfying .",
        "a familiar feeling mash-up of many films , MOV is enjoyable as the slight popcorn chomper it 's meant to be . wo n't tax the brain overmuch , but is enjoyable as the modern day 1950 's b-movie that it is .",
        "if you keep your expectations low , there are some sci-fi pleasures of visual appeal to be had , but it 's tough getting past director jonathan mostow 's wet noodle brand of storytelling .",
        "throw away the blackberry ? MOV is yet another serviceable sci-fi whodunit about how our dependency on technology will be the ruin of us all .",
        "bruce willis sees robot MOV instead of dead people in this fairly entertaining sci fi flick",
        "because it 's easy to spot the culprit , suspense gets short shrift here . that 's surprising , for jonathan mostow delivered uber-suspense in ` breakdown . '",
        "while this sci-fi thriller has an intriguing premise , it 's synthetic and superficial in its execution .",
        "one of the year 's more entertaining sci-fi films .",
        "while the film will make you contemplate the effects of technology on human interaction , the script is dull and one dimensional . the worst part is that it could have been great .",
        "sure , it 's made capably , in a technical sense . but it 's banal , utterly predictable and often quite stupid .",
        "i would have liked to explore this world more and not keep slamming into some convoluted scheme that defeats its own purpose . i had fun watching it , but i actually thought the movie was smarter than its plot .",
        "ultimately , MOV is n't going to break any records , but it 's the kind of movie i 'd stop at while channel surfing and watch the whole thing on a saturday afternoon .",
        "underneath its typical hollywood exterior there is a decent movie waiting to shine through . but so much else is just typical of the genre , it 's hard to summon any more enjoyment from it .",
        "fails to land a killing blow that pays off the simplified mystery with any distinct urgency . it 's a flawed film , but far from unbearable . nothing a dvd director 's cut could n't fix .",
        "a film that raises many interesting ideas but follows through on few of them .",
        "i wish i had a surrogate to watch it for me .",
        "a smart little genre outing , an endangered species in modern hollywood . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "MOV establishes an intriguing premise for exploring a world in which virtual life trumps physical reality , but the thematic potential is squandered in favor of a by-the-numbers police procedural .",
        "yetta nudder cautionary tale issuing dire warnings about the pitfalls of technology run amuck .",
        "high concept and high budget , MOV adds astounding techno magic to ideas mooted in films like multiplicity , total recall and i robot , but fails to achieve the humanity the film champions",
        "who does n't want to see radha mitchell hurl a parking meter like a javelin ?",
        "if robots had to make a movie without human help , MOV is what they might come up with . all the parts are visible , but there 's no soul to be found .",
        "a film about robots that might find its biggest fans among luddites , MOV is an intense and eerily plausible sci-fi thriller .",
        "the film is n't shy about its feelings about technology - it 's time to unplug . it laments a culture that medicates pain away and has its head in virtual realms .",
        "just as the dystopian world the movie portrays is arid and specious , the movie itself is a mechanical sci-fi ` er absent of logic or emotions .",
        "by mixing a detective story and futuristic robots the filmmakers were likely aiming for the next blade runner . they wound up with the next battlefield earth .",
        "director jonathan mostow makes the proceedings such fun that you 're willing to forfeit the smart satire this might have been for the trashy adventure flick that it is .",
        "MOV stays afloat by not taking itself too seriously , but also by recognizing that a movie about robots should n't look as if it were made by one .",
        "while the film ca n't escape its own robotic storytelling and inability to elicit a genuine emotion , it does deserve credit for keeping the focus on people , not robots .",
        "give credit to filmmaker jonathan mostow for keeping the movie on track ; give credit to star bruce willis for keeping a straight face .",
        "if the whole point of this surrogate society is to appear as a perfectly beautiful avatar , why would bruce willis choose that ludicrous blond wig that looks like he plucked it off a mannequin at boscov 's ?",
        "if you did n't know any better , you 'd swear that both the cast and crew of MOV were trying to make the worst movie possible .",
        "MOV is entertaining and ingenious , but it settles too soon for formula .",
        "the premise for this sci-fi actioner makes sense for about four seconds , after which you begin to wonder why everyone on the planet would willingly become a shut-in , how the poor are supposed to shell out for these high-tech androids , etc. .",
        "MOV - double the sci-fi fun in only 85 minutes . why the rush , mr. willis ?",
        "while not as smart as it could be , MOV is thought provoking and mildly entertaining .",
        "high-tech robots threaten humanity in edgy sci-fi thriller .",
        "whatever the reason , MOV was shielded from the eyes of critics before its opening , and that 's a shame . because , whatever its flaws , it is a good movie .",
        "this popcorn thriller has a bit of imagination blended in with the been-done-before action .",
        "fun entertainment and definitely worth seeing for fans of science-fiction/high concept films .",
        "an efficient , engaging b-movie parable that grapples with technology , civil liberties , terrorism , freewill and religious subtext all in 89 minutes . it 's also a true rarity : a good movie in which usually bald bruce willis sports a full head of hair .",
        "every sci-fi and action flick clich\u00e9 is crammed in here and mostow could n't give a damn if you 've seen them all before . he might not do them better , but he 'll do them well enough .",
        "this play between the plastic and the organic asks if perfect safety is worth sitting in the womb of virtual reality for the rest of your life .",
        "the picture trades in hoary bruce willis police procedural clich\u00e9s and underdeveloped conceits .",
        "a failure of speculative fiction , of plot , and of good old fashioned action filmmaking .",
        "the provocative philip k. dick-like premise deserves better than this warmed-over apocalyptic murder mystery .",
        "this movie does what science fiction is supposed to do , but seldom does anymore , it makes a comment about today 's society by taking current trends and carrying them to a profound technological conclusion .",
        "the problem with the movie is that while the action is swift , the set design is polished and the running time is enjoyably lean , the film leaves behind too many unanswered questions in its quest to drive the action forward .",
        "this disjointed if sporadically striking science fiction gives the impression of having been heavily re-cut .",
        "a surprisingly strong entry into the ever-shrinking arena of serious sci-fi .",
        "asimov it is n't but , for crash bang wallop , MOV hits most of the right buttons .",
        "MOV favours action-packed , empty-headed spectacle over credible , coherent plot and the brief running time leaves you wondering what they left on the cutting room floor .",
        "imagine `` gamer '' without the lucid plot and the designer nihilism but with the inscrutable storyline , nonexistent direction and somnambulant performances and you have this film in all its hacky non-glory .",
        "particularly silly ... the sort of emptily bombastic popcorn movie that might make you wish you had a surrogate to go and sit through it in your place .",
        "surely isaac asimov , philip k. dick and stan winston must be tossing in their grave for what all their creative and innovative ideas have wrought .",
        "half-baked and generic , MOV is entertaining enough for what it is , but a bland take on what could have been truly special .",
        "MOV is a compelling set-up buttressed by slick effects and impressive production values that ultimately proves to be as hollow and superficial as the technology it conjures .",
        "beyond providing an excuse to sometimes wear a creepy wig which barbie 's boyfriend must want back , why willis picked the shiny , empty MOV as his sci-fi return is n't clear from the tepid results on screen .",
        "sf chillers of the past that warned about dehumanization -- ` invaders from mars , ' for example -- posited an outside threat ; now , in a 21st-century world of plastic surgery and online avatars , the danger comes from within : the dehumanization is voluntary .",
        "semi-plausible and semi-watchable futuristic -lrb- but still looking like today 's world -rrb- dystopian ` save the world ' sci-fi thriller .",
        "the end result is somewhat underwhelming . it 's more of a novella than a novel , and hardly the science fiction action blockbuster audiences were expecting .",
        "... viewers with even a passing interest in science fiction will find something worth embracing here .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "seems less like a 21st century would-be blockbuster than a lost 80 's relic only just rediscovered . either way , we 're lucky to have it .",
        "has all the get-up-and-go of a dead battery .",
        "its humanity , some cool technology and bruce willis save this film from simply being a compilation of a zillion similarly themed `` too much technology '' lessons .",
        "good ideas rub up against bad ideas , and the result is a movie that is worth a look but could have been much more .",
        "this predictable flick executed in a numbingly pedestrian fashion , has slapped a nifty conceit onto its threadbare mystery-thriller plot , but has somehow managed to miss every opportunity to take advantage of it",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though it sports a slick look and feel , MOV fails to capitalize on a promising premise , relying instead on mindless action and a poor script .",
    "id": "770801542"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ice_princess",
    "reviews":
     [
        "trachtenberg gives a sweetly compelling performance as casey , as does the wonderfully kooky cusack as her mother , but their charms ca n't save this painfully unoriginal movie from coming out of a triple toe loop and landing flat on its bottom .",
        "MOV proves that it 's still possible to teach an old formula a few new tricks .",
        "likable but poorly crafted .",
        "the mouse house factory churns out more cute with MOV ... you may have to go get our teeth checked for fear of getting cavities from all the syrupy sweetness .",
        "all the parents in MOV are pushy . pushy-pushy-pushy . all the teens are squeaky clean . squeaky-squeaky-squeaky .",
        "may not be olympic gold , but its message scores no matter who 's judging .",
        "the acting is at a higher level than in most teen flicks , thus giving MOV the chance to land a triple lutz and please its femme fans .",
        "this is a safe , edgeless cinematic after-school special .",
        "you probably could sit down right now and , were you so inclined , re-create the script to a word , and if you changed a few lines , that would be no great loss .",
        "harvard president lawrence summers recently touched off a firestorm by speculating on why more girls do n't display an interest in science . he might consider tim fywell 's MOV exhibit a.",
        "was the world really crying out for the mighty ducks meets the princess diaries ?",
        "call it an upset or a pleasant surprise , but MOV will leave you far from cold .",
        "the movie works . i started by clicking off the obligatory scenes , and then somehow the film started to get to me , and i was surprised how entertained i was .",
        "the movie paints such a gentle picture of the figure skating world that neither we nor joan can stay resentful for long .",
        "-lsb- there are -rsb- a few conflicts ... but none the girl-power fairytale script ca n't solve with clich\u00e9s .",
        "graceful and teen-empowering , proving dreams can come true",
        "... they do what you should as filmmakers , which is to entertain your target audience ... sufficient fare for little girls .",
        "deals with a surprising number of complexities for a g-rated film . even if does n't address all of them satisfactorily , the attempt lifts the film 's scores for artistic merit .",
        "a comedy-drama that will charm young girls and may even amuse their somewhat older chaperones .",
        "an agreeable , unexpected charmer . it can not snap clich\u00e9 in two , but at least it has the desire to bend formula a little .",
        "it 's formulaic stuff , but the film treats the conflicts seriously and possesses a sweet demeanor .",
        "though disney 's incessant promotion of hilary duff has made casual moviegoers run from teen-girl flicks as fast as they can , MOV may bring a few back .",
        "pure formula , but nevertheless an enjoyable triple klutz .",
        "it 's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination , but neither is it a sustenance-free afternoon at the ice capades",
        "sweet , inspiring story tween girls will love .",
        "this dumb-as-a-stump teen girl coming-of-age movie envisions a high school physics geek -lrb- michelle trachtenberg -rrb- who turns into an ice skating pro as a result of her knowledge of physics .",
        ". . while star michelle trachtenberg delivers a sincere , engaging performance , there 's not a whole lot here to hold the interest of anyone outside the film 's target demographic .",
        "seems like a lot we have seen before , but it is still a good clean movie of finding your dream ? come and find out as she battles with the best .",
        "a hist\u0443ria e a protagonista t\u043am seu charme , mas a dire\u0437\u0433o esquem\u0431tica de fywell e o roteiro repleto de clich\u043as praticamente anulam o potencial do filme .",
        "... things are so routine we can guess every action a clich\u0439 in advance .",
        "the characters have a depth that is missing in most clich\u00e9d sports films .",
        "its required elements merit only a 4.8 , but it gets solid 5s for presentation .",
        "this follow-your-bliss charmer treats female achievement with such grace and seriousness , one almost forgives the malice of its portrayal of single mothers as rabid stage moms .",
        "falls on its butt as often as it lands a perfect turn , but its perseverance ultimately pays off with a win not only for the film , but the audience as well .",
        "trite but nice , this enjoyable comedy-drama has good-spirited warmth toward almost all its characters .",
        "the nicest surprise is that after a spate of `` mean girl '' movies , this one gives us a character who competes with casey but is honest , loyal , and supportive .",
        "the figure-skating sequences thud instead of zing , as though photographed by a hippo in house slippers .",
        "if casey is such a physics whiz , why could n't she have whipped up a formula for a better movie ?",
        "the movie carries out its generic , almost ritualized narrative with honest sentiment and engaging warmth .",
        "pre-teen girls may very well enjoy ` MOV , ' but as i do n't belong to that particular demographic , it pretty much left me cold .",
        "MOV sticks closely to the mold of other sports flicks , but there is a tenderness and refreshing lack of compromise assembled from its spare parts .",
        "high school physics never had such a cool payoff .",
        "this tweener fantasy of athletic glory frantically tries to balance a decent sense of values against a market-savvy awareness .",
        "the only thing wrong with MOV is that i am not enough of a 14-year-old girl to appreciate it .",
        "manages to execute surprisingly well .",
        "... may have a preposterous premise , but it should appeal to the same mother/daughter audience that flocked to the similarly titled `` diaries . ''",
        "if you need someone to take on the horror film juggernaut of the ring two , it might as well be buffy jr. . MOV is a pleasant diversion",
        "parents and kids should be heartened to see a g-rated movie that is not dumbed-down or saccharine-sweet .",
        "a film about teens discovering and pursuing their dreams . it 's an oldie but a goodie as far as film ideas go .",
        "the delight of MOV is that there 's more to every character than meets the eye .",
        "it 's not the most original of concepts i know , but trachtenberg is so likable in the lead role , that you ca n't help but root for her .",
        "wanting to skate does n't mean casey ca n't go to harvard -- or , god forbid , defer a year or two . but the movie overlooks that , choosing instead to try to wring high drama where none naturally exists .",
        "might have better served the young girls who will love it , and their pushy parents , if casey had been a little less perfect .",
        "personally , i hope the press notes for MOV will be the only ones this year to include the phrase `` hunky zamboni driver , '' but you just never know .",
        "ok , here 's how we 're going to do this : i 'll describe the central characters in disney 's new ice-skating flick , MOV , and you guess the plot . multiple choice . take your time . be smart . go .",
        "MOV is pretty decent as a schlocky tween empowerment movie ...",
        "MOV is carried by the subtle and shining performance of michelle trachtenberg .",
        "even for an ugly-duckling-makes-good fairy tale , MOV seems to stretch believability a tad too far .",
        "all the other females around casey know exactly what they want . and each is gently but firmly punished for it , as if such desire were unladylike .",
        "little girls may go for this sort of thing . they wo n't notice the clunky pacing or the drippy dialogue or the limp plot or the stiff , awkward cameos .",
        "while MOV does n't exactly deliver any surprises -- you can easily guess how it will end -- the movie does n't always go where you expect it to , either .",
        "the MOV is exactly the kind of film disney made its reputation on ...",
        "MOV , though somewhat clich\u0439d , combines the fire of passion for a dream with the frost of unscrupulous reality .",
        "rife with cliches and sentimentality .",
        "mean girls on ice",
        "the movie 's qualities are unexpectedly refreshing , making for a nice little entertainment that says something worth saying .",
        "among chick-competition movies , bring it on still takes the gold ; MOV would be lucky to place",
        "pity the poor father or the younger brother forced to tag along and watch this mediocre piece of marketing to the cinderella set",
        "aside from the extraordinary implausible nature of the plot , and the infinite string of cliches , trachtenberg is surprisingly adorable , even though she has absolutely no chemistry with relative newcomer blumas .",
        "though formulaic , this one has dazzling exhibitions of ice skating with characters who are neither all good nor all bad .",
        "a mildly entertaining trifle with the lousy premise that a student with high promise as a physicst should forego a harvard scholarship to become an ice skater . shame on disney",
        "for young girls and their parents - oh , let 's be honest : their moms - the fact that you go in pretty much knowing how it 's going to end is part of the comfort factor .",
        "they went for the triple , but barely landed a double .",
        "in short , this is a tale about the joys of disappointing your mother . something we all can identify with .",
        "`` MOV '' wo n't leave you cold .",
        "initial weaknesses leave it standing squarely on the silver medalist platform .",
        "the surprisingly twisty plot skates along with zero friction , giving new meaning to ` disney on ice . '",
        "there are far too many cringe-inducing clich\u00e9s and gaping plot holes .",
        "the film glides smoothly on the beauty and charm of michelle trachtenberg .",
        "poor , suffering child ; if something does n't change , and fast , she might wind up studying physics at harvard .",
        "enjoy MOV for the female-fantasy-comes-true it is , and save the bigger discussion for the car ride home .",
        "although this is the kind of entertainment designed to send its audience home happy , MOV has its share of stinging moments and has a good deal more edge than one might have expected .",
        "if you 're wondering which way the movie is going , note that it is n't called quadratic equation princess .",
        "if you like a big slice of disney cheese , you 'll have fun . if not , stay home .",
        "take the teen makeover template , add ice , and you 've got the latest piece of pandering entertainment from walt disney pictures .",
        "it does n't score high in degree of difficulty . but it is technically flawless , and artistically it sticks the landing .",
        "we get that the heroine is geeky -lrb- laying groundwork for the duck-to-swan transformation -rrb- , but must she babble physics formulas at parties ?",
        "if you want the real deal , stay home and catch the world championships on espn this weekend .",
        "jokes are simple , crises soft , payoffs insanely predictable , and physics is left in the dust where theorems count their quarks . but trachtenberg rules as lovable princess .",
        "a savvier movie -lrb- and script -rrb- might have been able to mix some grays into its black and white palette .",
        "a cut above most pictures of its type .",
        "MOV is the million dollar baby of figure skating movies . michelle trachtenberg makes hilary swank look like hilary duff .",
        "stumbles and falls every time the movie is n't on the ice . and come to think of it , it does a good deal of stumbling and falling when it is on the ice .",
        "corny as it must be , MOV is bolstered by trachtenberg 's appealing mix of eagerness and grace .",
        "michelle trachtenberg is a revelation both on and off the ice .",
        "watching this week 's world figure skating championships in moscow , one wonders why the scriptwriters went to such artificial lengths . there 's drama enough in the sport as it is .",
        "the film 's utterly predictable dialogue and plot developments will leave most viewers cold . ice-struck preteens are , of course , the exceptions .",
        "the movie does have a strong sense of the special charisma and beauty of these young demons of grace who ride the thin line between dance and sport with unerring precision .",
        "trachtenberg is thoroughly believable , an unspoiled charmer . her rise from clumsy girl to someone brimming with confidence and the author of one heckuva physics project , she 's a pretty cool princess to root for ."],
    "summary": "this likable disney film gets points for effort , but ca n't stick the landing when it comes to originality .",
    "id": "9424"
  },
  {
    "movie": "rocket_science",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's fun to watch an outsider try to succeed in a world full of outsiders , and for that reason alone , MOV is worth the price of admission .",
        "there should be no debate that this little gem deserves to be as big a hit as it was at sundance .",
        "like its characters -- and unlike those in most pictures set in high school -- this movie is smart .",
        "a strong contender to become a student classic .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "jeffrey blitz 's MOV does n't quite work but is worth seeing anyway .",
        "MOV not only feels our collective pain , it makes us laugh wickedly at the memories .",
        "... a quirky coming-of-age story -lrb- is there any other kind these days ? -rrb- full of wry wes anderson-style humor and maladjusted misfits .",
        "destined to be severely overrated .",
        "i thought it was cloying , self-congratulatory and irritating .",
        "this well directed film shows an uncompromising yet faithful look at the horrible teen years .",
        "it 's intelligent , it does n't go for the emotional jugular , it has an honesty about it that 's refreshing .",
        "well worth the wait , MOV is a winning coming of age comedy with a difference .",
        "each character has his or her own lovable peculiarity -- from the friend 's parents who play violent femmes duets on the cello to the speech therapist who gives too many details about his personal life -- small details that do n't threaten to overshadow hal 's s",
        "here 's a twist -- an american high-school movie that has a brain .",
        "please , enough with napoleon dynamite syndrome already .",
        "this indie-minded effort suggests a filmmaker too enamored by his influences and struggling to establish a cogent vision of his own .",
        "MOV is a story smothered by its own eccentricities .",
        "writer-director jeffrey blitz brings wit and pathos to the story of a compulsive stutterer .",
        "... eventually comes off as an engaging and surprisingly affecting little drama ...",
        "MOV brings the squirm-inducing comedy genre to new heights",
        "tender but hardheaded .",
        "it 's a high-concept idea that blitz executes without the usual payoffs .",
        "smart , witty and blessedly unpredictable .",
        "MOV has the makings of either a tragedy or a crowd-pleasing underdog story , but writer-director jeffrey blitz instead takes the movie on a different , and ultimately more rewarding , direction .",
        "teenage angst and adolescent agony are the stuff of sharp , observant comedy this quirky , wonderfully dry first fiction feature from documentary filmmaker jeffrey blitz .",
        "self-consciously quirky on the outside , this gentle teenage fable has an affecting , openhearted core .",
        "one of the year 's most endearing coming-of-age stories .",
        "a quirky comedy-drama that gets the bulk of its humor from the well-placed non sequitur . it never seems to be going where you think it is , and that includes its oddly endearing dialogue .",
        "the thing the film lacks -- besides originality -- is a character arc that keeps the audience interested .",
        "a special little picture that resonates long after it 's over .",
        "one of the pleasures of blitz 's film is that it immerses us in the fraught , competitive pressures of the high-school debate world-like spellbound , it gets the details right .",
        "it is not always a deal-killer to step outside the trappings of realism , but the bland visuals do n't match the precious absurdity and profound rapid-fire dialogue of the high school kids , so the film rings false and tries too hard .",
        "as fate would have it , MOV might prove to be the handiwork of a burgeoning cinematic genius .",
        "blitz gradually drops the glib pose and deepens the emotions in the film -- until , by the end , you find yourself unexpectedly close to tears .",
        "all of the acting is first-rate , but thompson is fantastic . he makes hal both sympathetic and hilarious , never giving in to self-pity but , in a refreshing take , not above the occasional scream -lrb- or cheer -rrb- .",
        "darker than little miss sunshine , tougher than napoleon dynamite , MOV asserts a claim to cult-movie status that 's hard to argue with .",
        "a frightening memorandum from a dismal and mysterious dungeon : high school .",
        "the kind of character that hal develops into in the face of adversity lasts forever . high school only lasts four years .",
        "learning that in such a world everyone , even debate champions , is equal can be as therapeutic as finally ordering a slice of pizza .",
        "thompson is an engaging young actor who keeps things grounded when blitz gets a little too precious with his ironic premise and self-consciously offbeat characters .",
        "blitz has written a clever and charming script that will seem familiar to misfits and hotshots alike .",
        "MOV is smart , funny , and genuine . it avoids a pat hollywood ending for something richer and more satisfying .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- blitz has succumbed to that most pernicious of sundance afflictions : pandemic quirkiness .",
        "deftly repurposes stuff you 're already familiar with .",
        "MOV is wise and funny and often surprising , a nice touch in moviedom , where predictable is considered a good thing .",
        "a dry , vicious and deeply moving little comedy that sort of takes the structure of a teen sports movie , then undermines that structure at every turn .",
        "honest and surprisingly lucid at its core .",
        "a smart , funny , unpredictable film ... a more accurate reflection of high-school life than is usually portrayed .",
        "comes tantalizingly close to the genius of hal ashby 's unforced , sympathetic humanism ...",
        "it may gross as little as welcome to the dollhouse or as much as clueless , but whichever it does , it 's in the same league .",
        "the film is n't really laugh-out-loud hilarious - much too painful for that - but it 's not supposed to be .",
        "blitz continues to make a case for himself as a filmmaker with rich , realistic stories to tell .",
        "the most complicated and original teenage characters we 've seen in a movie in a very long time .",
        "what begins as a straightforward tale of adversity overcome , however , takes some unexpected detours en route to its defiantly non-formulaic ending .",
        "there 's a lovely , fragile movie here ; if only blitz had had the faith to let it stand on its own two feet .",
        "it 's a small , gently understated film and a poignant tale of a young lad trying find his true voice . word up .",
        "spellbound director jeffrey blitz fails to recapture the magic of his spelling bee doc with his latest effort - despite the best efforts of the talented unknowns that make up the cast .",
        "quirky drama is populated with angst ridden high school students",
        "the merits of MOV are endlessly debatable , and this is nothing to sneeze at .",
        "it offers plenty of smart laughs and genuine character development .",
        "blitz gets too much mileage out of a pair of kooky -lrb- or kookily -rrb- korean neighbors , but even that 's mitigated by his unapologetic affection for the movie 's cast of misfits , all of whom are somehow beautiful in their irredeemable f -- ed-upness .",
        "never stoops to the tawdriness of the merely conventional or the expected . it is droll , wicked , and scathingly original .",
        "thompson and kendricks and the debate scenes make this one of the best coming-of-age stories in many months .",
        "overall the movie coasts on quirkiness .",
        "you could pin it as yet another in a long line of wes anderson/todd solondz rip-offs , and in some ways , it sorta is .",
        "with the grace of a young edward norton , thompson is a real find .",
        "blitz 's one-man revenge of the nerds continues with this narrative-feature debut , a smartypants comedy about a kid with a lot going on inside and a sadly undependable mouthpiece with which to let it out .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- the company of such instant classics as wes anderson 's rushmore and terry zwigoff 's ghost world .",
        "this summer 's designated sundance crowd-pleaser , MOV , is a quirkily disarming high-school comedy that calculatingly follows in the footsteps of napoleon dynamite , election and rushmore .",
        "why filter such a personal story through the attitudinal tics of wes anderson and napoleon dynamite , especially if you 're going to do it with about one-third the skill ?",
        "buoyed by a script rife with poetry , a handful of dynamic performances and eef barzelay 's near-perfect score , MOV mildly shames the potty-mouthed superbad . and i liked superbad .",
        "blitz 's dialogue is often clever , and the young cast members impress , particularly relative newcomers thompson and kendrick .",
        "MOV is not a revelation on the lines of thompson 's spellbound , one of the great convergences of luck and the ability to make the most of it . but it does suggest that blitz and thompson have futures worth investing in .",
        "MOV flies beyond the standard teen preoccupations , moving into territory that combines humor and eccentricity with fragile hope and ambition , making for a film that embraces every awkward angle of adolescence .",
        "borrowing from too many movies to count , MOV botches that brew in an unwieldy slew of adolescent-angst clich\u00e9s .",
        "... a slight coming of age tale with some natural moments , yes , but also with obvious humor -lrb- when there is any -rrb- , racist undertones , and an underwhelming lead . MOV never made me crack a smile .",
        "blitz cleverly constructs another tale around a competition and again takes us beneath the surface of those vying for the prize .",
        "quietly written and convincingly played , this coming-of-age story mines its rueful laughs from a thick vein of performance anxiety , in both senses of the term .",
        "writer/director blitz demonstrates just how intimately he absorbed the quirky teens and preteens of his prior film .",
        "fresh , funny and unfailingly observant .",
        "this may be the most realistic high school underdog comedy since welcome to the dollhouse , if you consider that a comedy .",
        "a fiercely personal and yet engaging -- and often outright hysterical -- look into a young man on the brink of adulthood .",
        "positively winning coming-of-age drama/comedy stacks the deck with newcomer reece daniel thompson as hal hefner , a stuttering new jersey high school student .",
        "enough about MOV is genuinely endearing that it comes out okay in the end .",
        "quirky , quirky , quirky goes MOV . round , round , round roll my eyes .",
        "what makes the first fiction feature from documentarian blitz persuasive is its late-film detour from the inspirational niche-sports genre to something altogether unexpected -- and the winning lead performance of reece daniel thompson .",
        "adolescent angst in a movie that 's about as quirky and unpredictable as a film-maker can get .",
        "the problem with MOV is that the character at the center of the drama is n't very energetic or , truth be told , interesting . this makes it difficult at times to remain engaged in the unfolding tale .",
        "mixing humor with a compassionate regard for his characters and their idiosyncrasies , blitz creates a film replete with insights that emerge from the agonies and disappointments of youth .",
        "blitz captures the melancholy , the rage , the wackiness and drama of adolescence , and he gets winning performances out of his young stars .",
        "this unusually voluble comedy is as eloquent about love , self-realization and adolescent angst as its protagonist is endearingly tongue-tied .",
        "if napoleon dynamite and rocky had a kid and placed it in new jersey , it would be the delightful and fresh MOV .",
        "for all its quirky characterizations , semi-clever dialogue and convention-defying plot contortions , MOV is a fairly schizophrenic affair .",
        "this is bleak , graveyard humor , bordering on nihilism , but MOV manages to put it across and still retain its essential sweetness .",
        "launches into the audience-pleasing stratosphere with a brainy , unpredictable story orbit .",
        "backed by a fine cast -lrb- including sardonic narrator alec baldwin -rrb- , there 's no argument : blitz is a confident new voice .",
        "compared to the likes of election and rushmore , blitz 's film is hardly top-of-the-class , but nonetheless in hal hefner - partly thanks to thompson 's fine work - he has crafted an enduring cult figure who deserves a sequel all of his own .",
        "needlessly cruel comedy .",
        "blitz let the story tell itself in spellbound ; this time , he 's trying too hard .",
        "there are few directors in recent years who 've captured the goofy yearning of adolescence as tenderly as blitz .",
        "it is n't funny ; it is n't touching ; there 's a screamingly annoying and supercilious voiceover-narration , and all its dramatic ideas are bafflingly unfinished and unresolved .",
        "a witty , touching and offbeat spin on the coming-of-age genre that also offers an amusing look into the surprisingly cut-throat world of high school debating .",
        "debate-team teen comedy is clever , unpredictable .",
        "lovely performances all round create small-town competitiveness , frustrations and aspirations .",
        "enjoyably offbeat comedy drama with likeable characters and a terrific script , though its relentlessly unconventional nature is ultimately frustrating ."],
    "summary": "though MOV appears to be a typically quirky indie , the well-rounded performances and director jeffrey blitz 's clear affection for his characters gives the film its proper human spark .",
    "id": "528367110"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dennis_the_menace",
    "reviews":
     [
        "but it 's all far too flabby , with lengthy setups that seem to go on forever . some judicious editing to tighten up the film could have made all the difference in the overall pacing .",
        "a movie that makes you leave the theatre with thoughts of having yourself , and your neighbors , spayed is not a good thing .",
        "john hughes ' vision of dennis is much more menacing than ketcham 's fans and parents of small children might reasonably expect .",
        "a smooth blend of sentiment and slapstick .",
        "its unholy mixture of peppy sadism and pious , self-righteous sentiment comes straight from hughes ' crabbed cinematic heart .",
        "very young children may find the numskull , by-the-numbers gags here amusing , but teens will consider this kids ' stuff and adults will be pained .",
        "why , oh dear lord , why ?!?",
        "how to turn an innocuous comic strip into an obnoxious movie .",
        "someone ought to pay for this .",
        "mr. hughes and mr. castle try hard to re-create a kind of timeless , idealized comic-strip atmosphere , but except for the performances of lea thompson and robert stanton ... nobody in the movie seems in touch with the nature of the comedy .",
        "those good qualities are undermined , unfortunately , by the switchblade sam character , who is dirty , threatening and scary .",
        "most children will get a kick out of it , although adults roped into accompanying their offspring may find themselves yearning to escape through the nearest exit .",
        "the comic has been condensed into a sweet-naturedly nutty motion picture with the buoyancy of a clutch of colored balloons .",
        "beyond the booby traps and plentiful pranks , MOV is truly a treat for all ages ."],
    "summary": "walter matthau does a nice job as mr. wilson , but MOV follows the home alone formula far too closely .",
    "id": "10405"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ice_age_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "i enjoyed the computer-animated ice age , and its sequel , ice age : the meltdown , is just about as good .",
        "the animation is first-rate , but the story needs to catch up to the magic . otherwise , what 's the point ?",
        "the first ice age movie more or less exhausted these characters and their world , and the meltdown does n't add much .",
        "the exposition is lazy and sloppy and the story has little creative heat .",
        "a tad crasser and pushier than its predecessor , ice age : the meltdown is still an entirely serviceable follow-up to the 2002 hit that will thoroughly amuse kids and get a rise or two out of parents as well .",
        "prehistory 's first blended herd begins a new adventure some tens of thousands of years after joining forces in the face of a global deep freeze -lrb- no , the math does n't work , so stop worrying about it -rrb- .",
        "a delight for all ages .",
        "ice age : the meltdown is a joy from start to finish , as nutty and irreverent as its tiny hero scrat .",
        "this film looks terrific , and has some wonderfully eye-grabbing sequences ... . so it 's a pity the story 's so bland .",
        "it 's charming enough , though , and there 's plenty of laughs .",
        "if you 're under the age of 10 you will likely enjoy ice age : the meltdown .",
        "for whatever it lacks in the way of a compelling story , ice age : the meltdown still manages to give family audiences what they want and expect : lovable characters , gorgeous computer-generated animation , and laughter .",
        "an easy and enjoyable way of spending an hour and a half .",
        "a lot of sequels are complete meltdowns but this one stands up to the elements .",
        "there are brightly funny individual scenes , especially the `` fire king '' encounter -lrb- though it seems to have been taken straight from one of the hope and crosby `` road '' movies -rrb- , but it does n't have the power or imagination of the first .",
        "the wacky creatures from the first ice age return for a witty , poignant sequel made by people who actually care about animation .",
        "there are some charming moments , but you have to wait for them .",
        "this movie feels right more often than the first ` ice age , ' which means a third installment is inevitable and eagerly anticipated .",
        "leguizamo 's wispy voice work shows that creating compelling animated characters takes more than just placing a sitcom star in front of a mic . yes , i 'm looking at you , david schwimmer .",
        "watching this zoo of long-vanished quadrupeds , you 're left with an eerie message for our own warming times : they fought the thaw , and the thaw won .",
        "it feels like a cheap direct-to-video rush job .",
        "fr\u00eda , muy fr\u00eda ... y no precisamente por el hielo",
        "maybe it 's not quite as deep as its predecessor , but still you 're bound to warm up to `` ice age : the meltdown , '' because of the universal emotions shared by its characters .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- has lots of energy , some decent animation and good voice-over work -- but no real story and few chuckles .",
        "how nice it is to see the whole ice age gang back , but unfortunately , this sequel falls under the `` cute-but-not-quite-as-good-as-the-original '' category .",
        "scrat is still the highlight of an average children 's movie .",
        "creative exhaustion haunts ice age : the meltdown , as the characters from 2002 's ice age face global warming and the submersion of their valley .",
        "this ice age is still a good movie -lrb- especially for kids -rrb- with top-of-the-tech cgi .",
        "forget two thumbs up . ice age : the meltdown earns three toes up -- of the sloth variety .",
        "forgettable , completely harmless , sporadically amusing , and not at all ready to go up against the real masters at pixar and disney .",
        "a frolicsome adventure for kids that celebrates diversity , facing one 's fears , and relying on each other in troubled times .",
        "the movie still retains the goofy charm , stylish visuals and attention to character of its fine 2002 predecessor .",
        "ice age : the meltdown is fine , in much the same way the first one was fine -- not as inventive as pixar , but not out scratching for jokes like chicken little .",
        "a blandly voiced , simply plotted , inoffensively average children 's film . every single bit - down to scrat once again running away with the movie - is exactly like the first .",
        "it 's more like watching a typical animated-shorts collectio -- a few highlights , a lot of clinkers -- than like watching an actual movie",
        "scrat once again steals the show",
        "needed nothing but scrat to be the winner he never will be . and we all lose because it is n't .",
        "impressively animated , family-friendly comedy with likeable characters and some terrific comic set-pieces .",
        "the periodic fits of inspiration -- most of them courtesy of scrat -- are just welcome breaks from an onslaught of witless pratfalling and white noise .",
        "it 's hard to warm up to MOV when most of it feels like a furry retread .",
        "the animation is excellent , and all the jokes , both visual and verbal work . it 's worth taking the kids , even if you have to rent some .",
        "the physical comedy is still first rate and should entertain most kids .",
        "a mammoth hit",
        "... viewers who enjoyed the bland original may also dig this one .",
        "a watered-down likeness that curiously turns disaster flick in its too-scary third act .",
        "a fast-melting and mostly watered-down scoop of an all-too-familiar flavor .",
        "fans fired up by the first ice age wo n't be cooled down with this fun-loving follow-up .",
        "like its predecessor , it 's a moderately engaging family movie , but in the pixar age that 's not quite enough .",
        "whenever scrat is on the screen , the movie consistently delights young and old .",
        "ice age : the meltdown blithely looks on the bright side of life , amassing a screen full of vultures to sing and dance ` food glorious food ' and daring us not to get happy .",
        "MOV is n't really a meltdown , but it 's no bolt from a blue sky .",
        "ice age : the meltdown acknowledges something the bush administration does n't believe in : global warming .",
        "a bit spotty in the early goings , almost stalls in the middle , but from there takes off toward climax and never looks back . a lot of fun . john leguizamo rocks .",
        "a lot of the weird , rough edges of the previous movie have been replaced with a more polished sheen .",
        "MOV surpasses the original in every way . fox animation has a film to be extremely proud of .",
        "in its untouched-by-human-hand way , it 's not bad and , as in the first film , the funniest moments involve the half-rat , half-squirrel scrat .",
        "a pesar de la poca innovaci\u00f3n , esta segunda parte es casi tan divertida como la primera , sobre todo gracias a un estupendo personaje llamado scrat .",
        "assim como o original , tem seus melhores momentos quando o esquilo scrat surge em cena . pena que isso aconte\u00e7a t\u0103o pouco .",
        "although hardly a departure from the original , it is well-animated , well-voiced , and decently plotted .",
        "carlos saldanha 's mix of race-against-time action and eco-friendly propaganda is actually an improvement on the original , not least for giving its funniest character -- acorn-hunting rodent scrat -- a lot more to do .",
        "finds itself on thin ice , unable to support a 10-ton mammoth , let alone a 9-ton possum .",
        "the sequel is satisfying for the same reason as the first movie . the sweet animals are witty , and while the physical comedy is simple , the main characters ultimately are n't .",
        "... a whole new adventure . well , an outing . okay , a long walk ...",
        "unfortunately , the ice age sequel does n't take a major step forward like toy story 2 in 1999 .",
        "with its appealing combination of humor and endearing characters -- many of whom are back from the first film -- it is at least as good as the original ice age , and possibly better .",
        "despite the plot cracks , ice age : the meltdown is a solid treat for parents and kids alike .",
        "fans of the original will likely enjoy this new batch of shenanigans , but those looking for something new or consistently hilarious may just want to stay home and watch finding nemo .",
        "a smarter and funnier adventure",
        "better than the original ! scrat the saber-toothed squirrel once again steals the film ... love that squirrel !",
        "scrat , the pre-historic squirrel-rat , easily upstages the pedestrian storytelling .",
        "sisyphus has nothing on scrat , and his antics make ice age : the meltdown worth the price of admission .",
        "for meltdown , the production feels much more adventurous and more willing to squeeze in visual gags and genuinely funny character quirks whenever it can .",
        "the meltdown is more entertaining than ice age . it just did n't make me cry and go play with all my old toys so they would n't feel abandoned . and really , what other standard is there ?",
        "the seams show ... a somewhat grudging social obligation for audiences over the age of ten to tow their younger charges .",
        "like the original film , ice age : the meltdown features appealing characters in recognizable , particularly familial situations .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- f your offspring complain about being bored ... congratulate them on growing up and developing taste .",
        "as in the first ice age , the predictable main story and the not-funny-enough script is a waste of some well-executed performances .",
        "in evolution , some things worked , some did n't -lrb- hooves and horns , good ; shovel-shaped jaws on elephants , bad -rrb- . the humor in ` meltdown ' is similarly hit-and-miss .",
        "a worthy , highly enjoyable follow-up ... it has the same lively pace , suspenseful situations and off-the-wall jokiness of its predecessor .",
        "the so-so dialogue is balanced by the film 's often hilarious physical humor ... . it 's the film 's brawn , not its brains , that make it a survivor .",
        "`` ice age : the meltdown '' is not just a good sequel ; it 's faster , funnier , and just plain better than the original .",
        "like any good kids ' movie , meltdown invokes both the specter of global warming and the horrors of hurricane katrina .",
        "i wish this film would have been 90 minutes of scrat chasing that stupid acorn .",
        "i was ready , willing and able to let my heart be warmed , but there was no crescendo or mammoth emotional journey .",
        "adult fans of animation : do n't bother . parents taking their kids : spare them . use the money to beef up your home dvd collection of pixar titles or even expand into the old warner brothers cartoons .",
        "l'\u010dre de glace : la fonte ne vaut pas vraiment le d\u00e9placement , ni celui de la calotte polaire ni le v\u00f4tre .",
        "the storyline wanes towards the end and , from the kids ' point of view , the whole package lacks momentum .",
        "... missing the novelty of the first film , both in the imaginatively drawn prehistoric setting and the witty interaction between the characters .",
        "it 's all about scrat , that plain-looking every-squirrel who never gives up , and it 's only a matter of time before he gets his own feature .",
        "nothing really grand",
        "MOV works , if not as well as its predecessor , but it wants for that special something that makes pixar 's efforts such instant classics .",
        "... the film does n't try to be too clever and hip for the kids , as have many animated movies of late in the endless attempt to sell attitude to credit-card wielding adults at the box office .",
        "meltdown - indeed .",
        "if you thought the original was a lifeless , forgettable bore , you 'll find the sequel outdoing it on both counts .",
        "ice age : the meltdown leaves you with a warm feeling , and not the typical frustration at being ripped off by a cheesy sequel .",
        "ice age : the meltdown has its share of humorous moments , but most of these involve the squirrel . the main plot involving the exodus and the mammoth romance is more often dull than amusing .",
        "scrat 's antics rank with chuck jones ' old road runner vs. coyote cartoons for pure laughs .",
        "ice age : the meltdown is pure sequel product that should make children and undemanding grown-ups happy even as it lacks anything resembling storytelling inspiration .",
        "even when meltdown melts down , it 's still fun to look at .",
        "if the rest of meltdown is a three-star movie , scrat brings four stars every time . perhaps by the next sequel , they 'll dispense with the filler and give scrat his own movie .",
        "a sequel with more humor , topicality , intelligence and appeal -lsb- than the original -rsb- .",
        "even though the animation sparkles , the screenplay is dull and in desperate need of some punching up .",
        "there 's something disheartening about the way the writers and director have to give so much of the dialogue double meaning , all literal for the kiddies and full of double-entendres and pop culture references for the parents .",
        "ice age : the meltdown is a rarity , like the last of the woolly mammoths : a sequel that 's as delightful as the original .",
        "the movie is right on par with the 2002 original : brisk , pleasant and loaded with slapstick that should keep young children giggling .",
        "where the first ice age was low-key , this one is more frantic . and this time around the material is cruder , more lowbrow than it needs to be .",
        "full review in greek",
        "revels in clever , complex set-pieces and lowbrow , big-rear-end humor , but falls somewhat short when it comes to character development and interpersonal warmth .",
        "ice age : the meltdown is a considerable improvement over its predecessor ... as before , scrat -lrb- again voiced by chris wedge , who this time did not direct -rrb- steals the show .",
        "as with the first `` ice age '' movie it is scrat the acorn-obsessed rodent who bookends the movie and steals the most laughs with his hilarious attempts at obtaining an ever-elusive acorn .",
        "i 've seen cooked spaghetti with more tension .",
        "for as endearing as scrat 's antics are , even they ca n't sustain the lackluster jokes that pass for humor for the bulk of the ninety-minute running time .",
        "i 'm not going to beat around the glacier . if you liked ice age , you 're going to like this sequel .",
        "abounds in well-paced gags , both visual and verbal .",
        "the animation is beautiful , with the flowing water and icy cliffs perfectly rendered .",
        "if the animation studio blue sky has proven anything so far , it 's that they 're big league visual artists , but frankly pedestrian when it comes to stories .",
        "the sequel to ice age is very much like the original : witty and imaginative at times , dull and predictable at others .",
        "you 'll take your kids , yes . but do n't be surprised if this one leaves them cold as you-know-what .",
        "ice age : the meltdown , a follow-up to the 2002 animated prehistoric hit , is the rare sequel that is better than the original .",
        "a good-natured , gag-filled sequel to the hit animated movie about animals trying to evade extinction while trading one-liners .",
        "there 's not much to ice age : the meltdown , but it 's enjoyable all the same .",
        "for a sequel , it 'll do .",
        "parents forced by unruly ankle-biters to spend an afternoon at the multiplex could do worse than ice age : the meltdown -lrb- valiant , anyone ? -rrb- . but if kids could be persuaded to wait a few months for the dvd , it would n't be the end of the world .",
        "it might not be a classic for the eons , but ice age : the meltdown is so delightfully fun , funny and action-packed that it 's hard to find cracks in its slick surface .",
        "ice age : the meltdown crosses familiar territory but does so with exceeding sweetness and no shortage of visual imagination , bolstering what is , in essence , a fairly simplistic road movie with an eco-conscious twist .",
        "a raucously fun , fluid follow-up with an ecological message .",
        "while this film has neither the insight or intellect of better pixar films , it does have enough funny gags to keep the kids entertained and their parents from being bored .",
        "fire and freeze , flames and ice , it 's all primal . and fairly prime as getaway entertainment .",
        "the meltdown is less a story than a series of complicated slapstick bits -- the physical gags are often enjoyable , but there 's not much else to the movie .",
        "the film feels visually richer than its predecessor , but has the same brand of uncomplicated all-ages charm .",
        "the meltdown is at least faithful to its predecessor in the sense of being equally as underwhelming .",
        "its prehistoric characters might as well be stretching their paws and claws out for money , because the picture gives them little else of consequence to do .",
        "a curiously dour sequel to 2002 's popular ice age .",
        "the amusing gang from ice age is back for an encore in ice age : the meltdown , a funny sequel that 's on a par with 2002 's entertaining original .",
        "ice age : the meltdown seems like one of those straight-to-dvd animation sequels the studios love to churn out , and not just because of the colon in its title .",
        "the animated work is generally first-rate , which is good , because some of the one-liners date to the ice age and beyond .",
        "on the short list of sequels superior to the originals -- alphabetically between the godfather , part ii and toy story 2 -- you may enter ice age : the meltdown ."],
    "summary": "despite its impressive animation and the hilarious antics of the saber-toothed squirrel scrat , MOV : the meltdown comes up short on the storytelling front .",
    "id": "133759644"
  },
  {
    "movie": "call_me_kuchu_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's a film about vibrant , intelligent people with a real love of life , at times imbued with a joy that , for those familiar with the tragedy it discloses near the end , is almost too much to bear .",
        "while a local filmmaker 's perspective may have brought more dimensions , the coverage of events here is impressive and on the mark .",
        "a heartfelt human rights gem that exposes anti-gay hatred in uganda .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- eloquent , devastating documentary ...",
        "the film provides welcome context for the semi-hysteria that recently took over the u.s. media in regard to uganda 's `` kill the gays '' bill .",
        "it does the one thing that bigots and homophobes ca n't stand : it puts a human face on the targets of their unfounded , irrational hatred .",
        "equally gut-wrenching and inspiring , the documentary MOV beams right from uganda , the global hypocenter in the ongoing and intensifying struggle over lgbt rights .",
        "it 's far too soon for a happy ending , but in praising kato 's bravery , MOV at least points to the potential for one .",
        "apart from its laudable goal of raising awareness , the film does n't have much to offer .",
        "simultaneously difficult to watch and a must-see .",
        "it will be alarming to many to see how easily hatred is stirred up by local media , but also rewarding to see that kato 's fight for his own human rights has been ably captured for posterity .",
        "the documentary becomes something of a legal thriller as well as a crime story , with a denouement that is both shocking and inspiring : ` a luta continua ' -- the struggle continues .",
        "this sensitive , balanced documentary tells the stories of brave people who have dared to come out .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a compassionate , troubling , and ultimately hopeful story that is still unfolding .",
        "stirring , heartbreaking and thoroughly infuriating ...",
        "the result is an at times harrowing , heartbreaking and hopeful look at the best and worst humanity has to offer .",
        "the film is impassioned and powerful but not frenzied , riling the viewers ' emotions without giving in to them itself .",
        "with this heartbreaking premise , directors malika zouhali-worrall and katherine fairfax wright directed MOV , a revealing documentary that takes a look at how a small group of people are working hard to take uganda out of this dark ages .",
        "the film focuses on a few activists trying to advance gay rights against the head winds of a brand of christian religion that openly advocates killing homosexuals .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- portrait of a courageous lgbt community partying , organizing , laughing and weeping as it fights for its life .",
        "it 's a lesson in courage , in being determined to enjoy one 's life even as the authorities threaten to take it away .",
        "MOV leaves you flabbergasted by its portrait of the persecution of gay men and lesbians in uganda .",
        "a moving examination of the fight for gay rights in uganda .",
        "a lot of this documentary plays like a horror film . if anyone had any doubts as to the insidious nature of organised religion , this would be a good place to start .",
        "as angry and unflinching a piece of documentary filmmaking as you 'll see this year .",
        "such horror , such bravery .",
        "well made , vitally important documentary that is by turns shocking , rage-inducing and utterly devastating .",
        "the palpable sense of loss and grief testify to how the film-makers have turned what could have been a detached news report into a moving human tragedy .",
        "there is eye-opening footage of american missionaries declaring uganda ground zero in a biblical war and powerful personal stories of individuals facing violence , intimidation and hatred .",
        "an essential film in the pursuit of civil liberty and the fight against fascism .",
        "MOV , a documentary about homophobia in uganda , lifts a rock in that country and discovers the insect life ruling it .",
        "a timely , gut-wrenching but ultimately hopeful work .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- shocking , moving , enthralling and enraging doc ...",
        "this alternately harrowing and inspirational doc puts a human face on the fight for gay rights in uganda .",
        "the efforts of its subjects are inspirational , and could prompt further worldwide attention and support for their cause .",
        "eye-opening and enraging . thanks to MOV , the legacy of david kato , uganda 's closest equivalent to harvey milk , will live on .",
        "both senyonjo and kato light up the screen .",
        "i 'll be surprised if any other movie this year affects me as much .",
        "a heartbreaking portrait , a brutal wake-up call and a testament to how the actions of a few brave souls can create change .",
        "eye-opening and powerful . a must-see for glbt americans and all those concerned about international human rights .",
        "horrific and uplifting ...",
        "the very best - and , alas , the very worst - of human nature is captured in this heartbreaking and inspiring documentary from katherine fairfax wright and malika zouhali-worrall .",
        "a scary but inspiring film with real heroes and villains ."],
    "summary": "alternately horrific and uplifting , MOV exposes heinous systematic brutality with a clear eye and admirable precision .",
    "id": "771264503"
  },
  {
    "movie": "boogie_nights",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV features an impressive ensemble cast , and there 's not a supporting actor whose performance is less than impeccable .",
        "with MOV we know we 're not just watching episodes from disparate lives but a panorama of recent social history , rendered in bold , exuberant colors .",
        "director paul thomas anderson is unsparing with his deluded characters and their giddy , chaotic age -- but he is never cruel .",
        "if it were n't for the porn , drugs , and violence , this would be an ideal movie to take the kids to . it 's all about belonging , and sticking with your family .",
        "MOV is a shockingly well-made film .",
        "anderson , a director who makes no secret of his admiration for both scorsese and the similarly iconic robert altman is clearly talented but here , rather than being his own man , he only succeeds in flattering his idols .",
        "a well-crafted , well-acted entertainment but one that does n't dig too deep into its subject .",
        "os di\u0440logos s\u0441o afiad\u044cssimos , e paul thomas anderson permite que seus atores se sintam livres para interpretar , sem preocupa\u0443\u0448es com quest\u0448es t\u0436cnicas .",
        "i want to write a long essay on this because it 's a complicated film experience but it 's really great ! the acting is great , the review -lrb- this one -rrb- is poorly written",
        "the film is bemused and entertained , as we are , by this pack of sexual extremists , and the eye it casts on them is both benevolent and wry .",
        "already there are signs that anderson could be our next martin scorsese .",
        "both exhilarating and disturbing , a fast-paced epic about business , family , and self-worth .",
        "MOV weaves a fascinating web of complex characters who are swept up in a tale of excess .",
        "it does not dwell on the sex in a lurid manner , but neither is it judgmental toward porn makers .",
        "technically brilliant , and with good acting , MOV is a very good , but not great , film .",
        "what 's most fun and sophisticated here -lsb- is -rsb- the film 's willful resistance , its twistings of its own stories , metaphors and meanings .",
        "as a writer and director , paul thomas anderson is a skilled reporter who fills his screen with understated , authentic details .",
        "MOV is truly audacious because anderson does n't beat you over the head with his daring . in the first half , he goes about turning conventional morality on its head nonchalantly , almost sweetly .",
        "MOV is n't just an expose of the porn industry -- it 's a provocative and involving character study , as well .",
        "a concise , vigorously told yarn with a strong point of view and a deftly juggled cast containing at least a few familiar faces .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this film is proof positive that there should be an oscar for ensemble acting .",
        "with fewer characters , tighter editing , and a more focused story , it would have been much more palatable and enjoyable . at the theater i was in , the audience all looked exhausted when they left .",
        "what makes this film transcendent is anderson 's vast talent and the sheer exhilaration of his vision . each of us is blessed with one special gift and anderson certainly has discovered his .",
        "not since the mysteriously reclusive terrence malick has there been such an explosion of sheer talent on the american movie scene .",
        "probably the most enjoyable complete overrated swipe ever made .",
        "MOV , an epic tale of porn , pleasure , and excess , offers a purer hit of exhilaration than any movie this year .",
        "comparisons are invidious , but inescapable : MOV is the most stunningly accomplished , attention-grabbing movie by a sophomore director since pulp fiction .",
        "an epic story of self-delusion with a skill and grace that many more experienced filmmakers would be hard put to match .",
        "unflinching look at porn industry ; lots of sex , drugs .",
        "... paul thomas anderson cements his reputation as one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation ...",
        "the flashy style can not hide the slight story .",
        "everything about MOV is interestingly unexpected , even the few seconds of darkness before the film 's neon title blasts onto the screen . the director , paul thomas anderson , -lsb- displays talent that -rsb- is as big and exuberant as skywriting .",
        "... loud , gaudy , profane , thoughtful , and risqu\u00e9 ; you ca n't say it is n't fun in its own exuberant way .",
        "seldom have i taken such an active dislike to a widely acclaimed picture .",
        "on top of some preposterous and near-fatal plotting errors , anderson makes the mistake of creating too many characters -lrb- supporting stars graham and cheadle do n't get enough to do , while william h. macy is wasted for the sake of a punchline -rrb- .",
        "cautionary story-telling rarely gets this grim , electrifying and compelling .",
        "i did n't dislike it , but it did n't do much for me .",
        "i understand what anderson is trying to show -- that none of these folks are likely to meet with a good end -- but the last hour or so of the film drags on and on , violently and eventually pointlessly .",
        "a searing indictment of not only the adult entertainment industry , but the whole value-free hollywood lifestyle of the late 1970s and 1980s . at the same time it has a certain sympathy for its characters .",
        "... scrupulous about presenting these guileless , sad creatures to the point that they seem less than interesting .",
        "MOV never exactly recovers the tightness of its first hour , but it certainly does n't descend into permanent disorganization as some critics have charged .",
        "anderson creates a strong ensemble piece that explores the reasons and motivations people got into making porn .",
        "i would be lying if i said that MOV is anything but a perfect movie ; at the very least , it is a film that delivers everything i am looking for in a film .",
        "an original film about a little-done subject , providing good acting and an interesting story .",
        "this film will hit a huge chord with those who were n't in diapers in the 70 's , but people who missed the era should find penty to enjoy as well .",
        "anderson eloquently blends these characters together for a tantalizing seriocomic medley . he keeps his proceedings glossy and tantalizing , while steady and harshly real .",
        "in terms of sweep , ambition and precocious cinematic competence , it heralds the arrival of a new talent .",
        "considering the potentially explosive nature of the yarn , set in the porn world , anderson 's strategy is remarkably nonjudgmental and nonsensationalistic , largely due to his love and respect for all the characters and his impressive storytelling skills .",
        "aaaaw man , p.t. sure loves to move that camera around , and as a major fan of the general look and feel of movies , i totally got into his groove .",
        "like a version of `` goodfellas '' where everybody can trust each other .",
        "MOV creates a very plausible look at a moment in the history of the pornographic film when it looked like it might get some respectability from the mainstream .",
        "` you 're a star , ' goes the film 's final line . truer words can not be spoken about paul thomas anderson .",
        "while all the actors give stunning performances , the real star of this film is without a doubt the paul thomas anderson , writer and director extraordinaire .",
        "anderson draws us in subtly , using the perhaps-surprising amount of humour inherent in his material .",
        "i 'm not sure all of this works out as convincingly as anderson intends in the movie 's somewhat unsatisfying ending , but getting there is a wickedly enjoyable journey .",
        "with a movie based on the porn industry , you 'd expect it to be trashy , cheap , and even tawdry . but it 's not .",
        "it simply tells a compelling story about shallow , damaged people trying in earnest to gain any kind of respect they can find , even through salacious means .",
        "you 'll need to swallow your preconceived notions , but i would not hesitate to recommend the film to just about anyone .",
        "anderson proves himself a bold stylist with his dark and colorful tale of the rise and fall of a makeshift family of l.a. porno stars and auteurs .",
        "MOV at heart is the story about a group of characters and the de facto family that emerges from their relationship . a stunning ensemble of actors is essential to creating this seamless world .",
        "call it the consummate example of director-as-dj , at least for now .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "grounded in strong characters , bold themes , and subtle storytelling , MOV is a groundbreaking film both for director p.t. anderson and star mark wahlberg .",
    "id": "14134"
  },
  {
    "movie": "0814255",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is a kids ' movie : parents can either get into the silly-suspenseful spirit of it or play rummikub on their iphones .",
        "the film toggles between high camp and deadly earnestness , all the while threatening to drown in an ocean of not-so-special effects .",
        "while it certainly is n't terrible , it plays like a low-rent variation of the harry potter formula -- innocuous but instantly forgettable .",
        "likable as percy may be , it 's not lightning he 's stolen .",
        "it 's not awful . it 's just not particularly inspired . something tells me this movie wo n't be inspiring a sequel anytime soon .",
        "built with set pieces that demonstrate a real affection for greek myth iconography and centered on a strong performance by logan lerman -lrb- a star in the making -rrb- , percy jackson & the olympians aims young and hits the target fairly consistently .",
        "harry , ron and hermione : relax . you could whip percy jackson and his pals with your wand hands tied behind your backs .",
        "parental content review",
        "it 's apparent that potter may at last have a worthy successor .",
        "like its stars , the film is genial good company .",
        "uma thurman as medusa , the gorgon with a coiffure of writhing snakes and stone-inducing hypnotic gaze is one of the highlights of this bewitching fantasy",
        "a fantasy adventure that fuses greek mythology to contemporary american places and values . anyone around 15 -lrb- give or take a couple of years -rrb- will thrill to the visual spectacle",
        "while winning the award for longest movie title , it is a film that only goes through the motions .",
        "not without bright moments ... but the story is centered around a trio of young actors who simply are n't operating at the same skill level as their older costars .",
        "columbus knows his way around this kind of material even if some of the special effects look like they came from deep discount .",
        "percy jackson , you are no harry potter . you are not fit to walk in a hobbit 's wake .",
        "too scary for younger fans of the popular book .",
        "the pleasant surprise is how deftly the story translates the myths from their classical idiom into modern ones and without losing the classical flavor",
        "... great fun for the whole family . and if it introduces you and any young readers in your home to the books , so much the better .",
        "sorry mr. jackson , but harry potter you ai n't .",
        "a clunky kid-sized epic , able to conjure colossal acts of greek myth wonderment , but never brave enough to shut its pie hole and let the audience process the screen magic .",
        "harry potter meets clash of the titans ... the backdrop of greek mythology makes an enjoyable change of pace from the medieval fantasy magic of the potter stories .",
        "the plot uses the presence of the greek gods as an indistinct outline to influence teenagers who are more interested in the prestige and glamor of their connection than the responsibility that comes with it .",
        "it provides a great adventure movie for the family audience .",
        "the premise of percy jackson & the olympians : the lightning thief holds great potential potential the film never realizes .",
        "percy jackson is simply uninspired in every single meaning of the word . it 's probably the crassest , most obviously derivative work of this sort since eragon .",
        "it kind of just builds up to a lot of not much .",
        "manages to pay its respects to the greek myths and actually convey them as fun .",
        "percy jackson & the olympians : the lightning thief proves to be a satisfying beginning to what is sure to be a promising film franchise .",
        "mildly diverting .",
        "just another mediocre fantasy flick , but if you enjoyed the books , i 'm sure you 'll enjoy the film .",
        "an enjoyable pg-rated family adventure in its own right , but columbus ' film ca n't live up to the potter gold standard , and it strays enough from riordan 's source material to make its tween readership blow a gasket every few minutes . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "has all the cgi sorcery of a harry potter pic , but none of the magic .",
        "dutifully potteresque it begins , and dutifully potteresque it ends .",
        "whew boy .",
        "it raises issues it does n't have the balls to resolve by placing them in a context it does n't have the brains to exploit .",
        "young viewers probably will be entertained but even they are likely to realize that this could have and should have been better , especially by the time they 're old enough to drive .",
        "the plot is a pretty blatant rehash of the typical `` coming-of-age hero '' tropes . still , while `` percy jackson '' may not end up being the next huge and successful franchise , at the very least , it was an honest and amusing two hours .",
        "director chris columbus has brought together the modern and mythical spheres with sharp pacing and a nifty sense of fun that atone for the film 's dippier moments . it 's his most enjoyable effort since harry potter and the chamber of secrets .",
        "the camera work is frequently pedestrian , the acting is bland , and the jokes often fall flat .",
        "sadly worthy of its dumping into the cinematic boneyard of wintry mid-february .",
        "my problems with it are the same as with most screen adaptations of young adult novels ... they spend so much time struggling to explain the world they 're creating that they forget which parts of the story people want to see ... they figure that people -lrb- kids -rrb-",
        "what 's really lacking in the lightning thief is a genuine sense of wonder , the same thing that brings viewers back to hogwarts over and over again .",
        "of all the players , uma thurman channels the bride to deliver a medusa the children wo n't easily forget when it comes to bedtime .",
        "chris columbus and his crew take a literal approach to spectacle that denies the magnificent use of weirdness and scale that famed stop-action animator ray harryhausen brought to such myth-inspired classics as `` jason and the argonauts '' -lrb- 1963 -rrb- ...",
        "the lightning thief is n't electric , but it generates some spark when it varies the grecian formula .",
        "the disappearance of lightning simply is not interesting , and percy jackson and the olympians sounds more like a '70s funk band than a kid 's series .",
        "even with all its computer-generated fireballs , it 's lukewarm medium-budget blockbustering .",
        "action movies of this scale often start off strong and wind down to forgettable finales , but percy jackson is the opposite , overcoming a clunky setup to deliver nearly all its thrills in the last half-hour .",
        "uma thurman demonstrates she can wear a snake-covered head as gracefully as pierce brosnan can trot around with a horse 's netherlands .",
        "enjoyable , nicely paced family adventure with likeable characters , a strong central premise and some decent set-pieces , though the plot 's a little hazy in places and the humour does n't always work .",
        "the greek-gods premise lets the filmmakers indulge in some visually whizzy sequences that keep this rather lightweight action movie entertaining .",
        "director columbus never quite gets comfortable juggling the film 's myriad characters , grandiose-but-stale cgi effects , and pg-friendly battle scenes , speeding headlong through endless plot points rather than taking the time to make any of them matter .",
        "this is what a quality book adaptation should do , stand on it 's own , while making you want to explore more . but jesus ! can we stop the apple product placements ! i do n't want to see a freaking iphone in a fantasy film !!!",
        "`` it is a bit hard to see quite where percy jackson and the lightening thief 's market lies . too adult for juveniles , too juvenile for adults .",
        "... an agreeable fantasy adventure that should leave fans of the genre satisfied .",
        "it 's fantastic fun , it knows its greek mythology , and it 's a very promising start to a franchise . more of the same , please .",
        "it would be an easy slam review . but if you like big pretty toy commercials , it 's plenty of fun .",
        "very american , very crass and very underwhelming .",
        "this ineffably wooden chris columbus adaptation of author rick riordan 's best-seller for young teens has a screenplay that defies description .",
        "despite so much epic drama in greek mythology from which to borrow , here we are given little sense of the magnitude of the clash between the quarrelsome gods ...",
        "the lightning thief is all crass ineptitude and lost potential . columbus ' infantilizing of any character depth and use of leftover harry potter special effects will amuse only the smallest in your pantheon .",
        "with a top-notch cast and dazzling special effects , this will tide the teens over until the next harry potter instalment .",
        "whether audiences will get behind the lightning thief is hard to predict . overall , it 's an entertaining introduction to a promising new world -- but will the consuming shadow of potter be too big to break free of ?",
        "percy jackson is n't a great movie , but it 's a good one , trotting out kernels of greek mythology like so many disney channel references .",
        "fun , brisk and imaginative",
        "it 's more a list of ingredients than a movie-magic potion to enjoy from start to finish .",
        "harry potter knockoffs do n't come more transparent and slapdash than this wannabe-franchise jumpstarter directed by chris columbus .",
        "for what it is and for whom it is intended , it 's not a bad movie , just an indifferent one .",
        "chris columbus returns to his comfort zone for this mirthless , episodic fantasy saga based on the young-reader book series by rick riordan .",
        "crammed with dragons , set-destroying fights and things exploding , -lsb- columbus -rsb- squeezes in a few well-meaning pause breaks about friendship and absent fathers before swiftly moving on to the next pyrotechnics display .",
        "this action-packed fantasy adventure , based on rick riordan 's hit percy jackson and the olympians series of books , is great fun , and deserves to find an audience with teens now bereft of any harry potter magic .",
        "percy jackson manages to make greek mythology both fun and exciting and is sure to appeal to its key demographic .",
        "the tone is not always certain , but the special effects are as spectacular as and the mythological underpinning more compelling than anything in the harry potter series .",
        "there 's plenty of larks to be had from a fast-moving fantasy that does n't take its mythology too seriously and employs actors who do n't look like teenage rabbits in headlights .",
        "not bad , but jk rowling can rest easy .",
        "it 's evidently potter-ish , but unashamedly aimed at younger viewers - which makes the emphasis on the junior hero 's fighting skills and a clearly misguided las vegas casino sequence all the more dismaying .",
        "while you suspect it 's really just a big clash of the titans spoiler , there 's enough action in jackson to make it succeed on its own terms . lerman 's a likeable lead , though it 's the game supporting cast that keeps you watching .",
        "it is great to see greek mythology taking centre stage , even if people must say `` no way '' , `` yes way '' when faced with a fire-breathing hydra .",
        "while the hogwarts saga may be getting long in the tooth , at least it has decent characters and a sense of humour . this has neither .",
        "if they 'd played it for laughs it might just have worked , but in fact its earnest tone and digimation effects stick pretty close to the potter model . we could be in for a very long haul .",
        "digitisation reigns - spectacular visual effects - while the dialogue drizzles and sploshes .",
        "this is generic filmmaking at its most banal , a simple-minded simplification of a not overwhelmingly complex book .",
        "you do n't even have to be familiar with the first book in rick riordan 's popular fantasy series to enjoy chris columbus ' energetic adaptation .",
        "a little bit worse than lifeless ; it 's clueless , like a medusa running around with her head cut off .",
        "although the standard allegorical bases for mythical-quest movies are dutifully covered , the obvious similarity of percy jackson to the harry potter movies inevitably makes it feel somewhat secondhand .",
        "imperfect , yes , but also both suitably imaginative and entertaining . works as action-adventure razzle-dazzle , coming-of-age tale , and beginners ' lesson on greek mythology .",
        "when the movie slows down to catch its breath , there 's very little of the heart and soul -- and wry wit -- that make the riordan books so beloved .",
        "the main thing this movie seems to be missing is classically trained british actors .",
        "admirably , the movie is n't bogged down in the exposition common to first entries , but at the end , it 's a franchise searching for its voice .",
        "kids may well enjoy the adventures of the lightning thief on screen , but i think most readers will prefer the movie in their imaginations .",
        "the fireballs are great but the story feels confused in its tone and direction .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "percy jackson & the olympians is a dutifully made kids ' fantasy film that columbus handles with the basic approach that he wielded on his faithful but vanilla harry potter adaptations .",
        "chris columbus was a safe choice behind the lens , and he does n't throw up any surprises . columbus brings a measured approach that works on the whole , delivering the expected mix of set-ups , set-pieces and edge of your seat showdowns .",
        "an imaginative , if simplistic , visit to classical greek mythology , an archetypal quest by a lad with paternal issues .",
        "it 's not enough to compensate for the computer-game-style plotting , which is largely based on us picking up narrative nuggets that mechanically slot into place later on .",
        "i thought it was mischievous and witty and amusing and i was just sort of drawn into it .",
        "maybe if you 're aged between eight and 12 , or exceptionally dim-witted , you may not notice that this is a tenth-rate rip-off of harry potter , with greek mythology taking the place of magic .",
        "the technical wizardry is spectacular and the story is taut , pacy and consistently inventive .",
        "the film is a rousing blend of special effects , but not so scary that children aged seven and above will spend the entire movie hiding behind their fingers .",
        "kids will love it , and adults may relish pierce brosnan 's centaur , and steve coogan as hades - in his personal hell just under hollywood .",
        "a slab of market research in search of an actual movie .",
        "an attempt to steal some of harry potter 's thunder that also stands on its own as a well-made large-scale adventure that works well enough to entertain the teens it 's hoping to strike .",
        "with great effects -lrb- and a few surprises -rrb- it 's a fun , saturday-matinee adventure .",
        "columbus directs with his usual frying pan to the head . music is forever swelling majestically . characters are always opening wide their eyes and mouths to gaze in wonder .",
        "while this might not rival the later , better harry potter movies or the lord of the rings trilogy , it 's more fun than you might expect .",
        "percy jackson & the olympians sounds like an otis redding cover band . it is , instead , an unofficial cover of the harry potter franchise .",
        "the movie feels like a cut-rate potter knockoff with a dash of ray harryhausen .",
        "in columbus ' hands , it once again all breaks down into a series of rushed , breathless special-effects setpieces , in a thrill ride that is n't headed anywhere new .",
        "the lightning thief makes the idea of a sequel seem like an inviting proposition .",
        "columbus aims at nothing more than providing a rambunctious romp . he nimbly avoids the fate that has snared other film adaptations , like eragon and inkheart .",
        "gets so many things right that when it goes astray that you kind of wish it had n't tried in the first place",
        "there 's not one single thing in it that will appeal to a person who has ever seen a mythological origin story before , much less any other sort of adventure movie .",
        "remember the first time you saw harry potter on the big screen ? this is more like the third time you saw him but with bigger effects and greek mythology replacing the occult .",
        "the whole thing is piffle , but it moves fast enough to stay entertaining .",
        "grand prize goes to uma thurman as snake-headed medusa . it 's also a pleasure to see steve coogan in hell .",
        "the greek gods had outsized powers and petty grievances . these gen-y demigods are no different - it 's a whole generation of kids with daddy issues",
        "an awful lot of acting talent goes to waste in this film , but there is barely enough here to marginally satisfy the younger set .",
        "it 's all jolly good fun , rattling along at a perfect pace with enough action setpieces and spectacle to keep both youngsters and adults happy .",
        "it looks like the characters of color in percy jackson have been paired off , a remarkable choice in a movie that is , in essence , about the glories of half-breeds .",
        "... an attempt to replicate the phenomenon that is harry potter .",
        "so trite and ludicrous it is no threat to the harry potter franchise",
        "of all the would-be potter projects that have hit the screen over the years , this is one of more polished and enjoyable ones .",
        "click to read full review",
        "not a perfect film , but the movie does have a certain passion that a lot of other franchise attempts have lacked . if you like greek mythology and are looking for an antidote to clash of the titans , this may be what you 're looking for .",
        "a great family film , with just the right measures of action , mythological allusions , humor , and adventure .",
        "another attempted launch of a teen-aimed franchise , but this show-boat is rowing through the motions . seen-that , been-there fantasy-epic stuff with dialogue more wooden and hollow than the trojan horse .",
        "what surprised me is that i had some affection for an action adventure film the way i would have in the days of the ray harryhausen 's best films .",
        "... a sprightly harry potter clone and an eye-candy-coated intro to greek mythology .",
        "while this flick may not have harry potter 's complex world and multiple layers , it also does n't have the angst and darkness . it replaces them with one thing in bulk : fun .",
        "a fun , effects-filled , escapist adventure , with several clever notions : medusa sells garden statuary as a cover , and the parthenon in nashville is home to a hydra .",
        "a safe , bland , test-marketed product made for tween mass consumption . like most films arriving with ampersands and colons in the title , it 's a bore .",
        "percy jackson may not be `` harry potter good , '' but kids will really enjoy it and parents will be happy to have a moviethey can bring them to that 's family-friendly .",
        "-lsb- p -rsb- erfectly inoffensive , occasionally clever ... it 's in the few genuinely cinematically joyful moments , the ones that do rise above the formula , that you realize how much more this could have been ...",
        "lerman has a presence even with a mouth full of bad dialogue .",
        "a dull , scattershot affair that owes much to both x-men and greek mythology but which never seems to slow down enough to make any sense whatsoever .",
        "unfortunately , the movie lacks that good old potter charm , trading harry 's dark whimsy for a handful of cgi magic beans .",
        "there are lots of cool surprises along the way , and the special effects are fantastic , especially the ones that create uma thurman 's medusa snakedo .",
        "the best thing you can say about chris columbus 's adaptation is that he 's incapable of destroying whatever magic and wonder it is in these books that has kept kids coming back for more .",
        "this cast is simply too generic . none of the young thespians stick out .",
        "this film is replete with plot holes .",
        "some moments of inspired silliness save this escapist adventure from complete dullness .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though it may seem like just another harry potter knockoff , percy jackson benefits from a strong supporting cast , a speedy plot , and plenty of fun with greek mythology .",
    "id": "770805263"
  },
  {
    "movie": "friday_night",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this film is so understated and restrained that even the bedroom scenes seem detached .",
        "glamorously hyper-ordinary , lemercier and lindon make a pleasant pair of mature lovers .",
        "even during long moments without dialogue , we never tire of watching these actors ' finely calibrated performances .",
        "claire denis gives stunning visual life to a fantasy that all of us in the audience have had .",
        "oddly gawky and tepid .",
        "denis ' skill lies in turning a potentially sordid tale of a one-night stand in a cheap hotel into a romantic tale of unexpected passion .",
        "lemercier and lindon give beautifully synchronized performances .",
        "MOV is slight in the same way fleeting thoughts are-it runs through our imagination quickly , but leaves a pleasing and lasting afterglow .",
        "an intensely , yet sensitively , realized account of a one-night stand , -lsb- that -rsb- masterfully builds tension as it shows us its protagonist 's very subjective point of view .",
        "MOV is an evocation of one woman 's uncertainties , flights of fancy and elusive joys .",
        "beguiling and wonderful .",
        "if you give yourself over to it , this romantic tale of a liberating one-night stand proves oddly seductive and generates a warm afterglow .",
        "it is driven by the finely expressed -- if nearly mute -- performance of lemercier .",
        "this is a story about two lovers meeting improbably and fleetingly , but it 's layered with strata of tenderness and deep bliss , as if a lifetime of connection could be packed into just one night .",
        "the film 's complex underlying sound mix ... adds a haunting texture to what could have been the slightest of stories about a woman 's ephemeral victory over emotional numbness .",
        "the gifted director claire denis ... turns it into a mesmerizing erotic odyssey .",
        "ziplessness has rarely looked so inviting , nor have a couple of actors seemed so much like real people .",
        "a poetic and resonant long night 's journey into day .",
        "part tone poem , part love song , and all pure magic .",
        "a daydream of a movie cast in nightshade .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- gloriously uplifting work of pure cinema",
        "might make action fans pull their hair out .",
        "denis continually references the dreamlike non-reality of the situation , which makes the experience feel more private and personal .",
        "i 'm not arguing that it 's bad , only that it 's french . its virtues seem , uh , like some delicacy not really suited for the uneducated palate .",
        "denis ' metaphors are obvious , but no less engaging for their lack of subtlety .",
        "with a mesmerizing score and expressionistic visuals , it 's still an engaging ode to paris and the romantic abandon it inspires .",
        "a very dreamlike experience -lrb- especially if you fall asleep while you 're watching it -rrb- .",
        "very little happens in the picture , and what does happen happens very slowly . it 's a well crafted movie that i admired but ca n't say that i liked .",
        "its warmth and tenderness help make for a deeply romantic experience .",
        "i did n't buy it for a minute , though i did enjoy it .",
        "i had seen -lsb- `` vendredi soir '' -rsb- in september of 2002 at the venice film festival . i give the film credit that , now , months later , the images and emotion remain strong within me .",
        "this one does n't have the crackle of denis 's best efforts ... but it quietly rewards those who have enormous patience .",
        "MOV is the most sensuous and intimate work of cinema of the past few years , a film that luxuriates in the immediacy of the moment .",
        "laure is uptight , slightly vacant , often confused . that the film becomes slightly surreal in the second half does n't help .",
        "not terribly engaging , but surprisingly moving .",
        "a great and simple movie romance .",
        "MOV never makes the leap from a little fantasy about sex with a stranger to a larger story about a woman settling down for life .",
        "denis imbues the simple details of a one-night stand with powerful eroticism and humane understanding .",
        "probably ... too low-keyed and deliberately paced for some , but its rewards are ample for the patient and attentive .",
        "i would not want to spend my MOV watching this MOV . it 's bad enough to sit through it on wednesday morning .",
        "-lsb- denis -rsb- creates so many dazzling little moments that she turns what might have been something slight and forgettable into something occasionally magical .",
        "an economically constructed road movie , beautiful to look at and full of minutely observed details",
        "there 's something about denis 's filmmaking style that is deeply affecting .",
        "a most rewarding cinematic journey",
        "beautiful and moody , fiercely intelligent and astoundingly chilly .",
        "it will make you long for the weekend ... a picture that seems to ramble its way through an essentially tepid little anecdote .",
        "... if you go with the ebb and flow , MOV can be as intoxicating as a good cocktail .",
        "the film 's wonderful final scene is a generous pay-off .",
        "the alluring city of paris is a major character in this fascinating drama about a woman in transition to a new life , a monumental traffic jam and the alternative she finds with a stranger to the anger and frustration on the streets ."],
    "summary": "a dreamy , visually poetic film .",
    "id": "770679979"
  },
  {
    "movie": "man_who_fell_to_earth",
    "reviews":
     [
        "if you want to go into another world in which imagination leads you into recesses and crevices you have n't visited , the MOV is a fantastic guide .",
        "among the most bizarre films in nicolas roeg 's oeuvre .",
        "it has lost none of its ability to startle all these years later , and for that alone it deserves respect .",
        "the casting of the androgynous-bent rock-star david bowie as an alien was inspired .",
        "a little dated bit nic roeg is always good value and david bowie is perfetly cast .",
        "establishes -lsb- its -rsb- british director as one of the most talented and imaginative new filmmakers in this part of the world . it 's a demanding effort which will provide a challenge .",
        "-lsb- roeg -rsb- has come up with some memorable imagery , as well as coaxing a suitably enigmatic performance out of bowie .",
        "nicolas roeg 's obfuscating style tricks it up , though the film is ultimately an empty thing .",
        "roeg , often using a dazzling technical skill , jettisons narrative in favour of thematic juxtapositions , working best when exploring the clich\u00e9s of social and cultural ritual .",
        "... a cogent meditation on the corrosive power of capitalistic endeavor and hallucinatory dreams .",
        "nicolas roeg 's cult movie boasts striking , haunting imagery and a great performance by david bowie as the alien .",
        "-lsb- video column -rsb- ... david bowie transforms into his alien persona with a preternatural instinct that is purely seductive .",
        "roeg 's style ... suits `` the MOV 's '' alienation and gives a hallucinatory sheen to the tale .",
        "bowie 's screen debut still fascinates whenever he 's on-screen , and it 's full of little reminders of how much has changed since the movie was made .",
        "david bowie as a visitor from planet wtf .",
        "the MOV reminds us of the truly independent and challenging films of the 70s .",
        "you cried when the earth nearly killed e.t but he got to make a friend and go home . our home becomes bowie 's home and the result is a broken spirit . imagine spielberg making something like that .",
        "feels like a tedious historical artifact . it 's a sci-fi `` days of wine and roses '' for the arthouse crowd .",
        "undeniably long , panavision-wide , but of questionable depth .",
        "the most intellectually provocative genre film of the 1970s .",
        "imaginative sci-fi elements and intense performances ruined by leaden pacing .",
        "what we have here are pieces of a vast , ambitious , complex conception . some of the pieces are , in themselves , so very good that we really regret they do n't fit together .",
        "the film was made in 1976 , but its message about the cutthroat realities of industry is even more relevant today",
        "this is the great calamity of the MOV . for humans , the hurt ends at death . for thomas , it may continue on indefinitely ... perhaps , forever .",
        "the film has turned out to be prophetic , and , in so doing , demonstrates one of the wonders of great films : their ability to mean different things at different times .",
        "it is n't so much the lightness of being that is unbearable as the gravity of its entropy .",
        "there are quite a few science-fiction movies scheduled to come out in the next year or so . we shall be lucky if even one or two are as absorbing and as beautiful as the MOV .",
        "by turns , creepy and cheesy , literate and vapid .",
        "the MOV is mentally stimulating , adventuresome , and imaginative .",
        "though roeg 's special effects looked hokey even 35 years ago , some of the technological elements of the film have proven oddly prescient .",
        "an experiment touching on intergalactic irony and the deepest inner disconnection , a work of telescopes and microscopes",
        "the real stranger from another planet is nicolas roeg .",
        "the cinematography by anthony b. richmond still looks fantastic and bowie 's androgynous screen presence is never less than fascinating .",
        "the film is a more poignant -lrb- and infinitely bleaker -rrb- portrait of extraterrestrial homesickness than `` e.t. ''",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the MOV today plays like a movie that fell from the sky , origins unknown .",
        "iconic , and nearly canonic .",
        "`` bleakly gorgeous , with a growing sense of ennui . ''",
        "brimming with smart ideas - not to mention a stellar turn from bowie - but roughly-hewn and completely excessive .",
        "still as mad and brilliantly infuriating as ever ."],
    "summary": "filled with stunning imagery , the MOV is a calm , meditative film that profoundly explores our culture 's values and desires .",
    "id": "15364"
  },
  {
    "movie": "et_the_extraterrestrial",
    "reviews":
     [
        "to dismiss an artist the caliber of spielberg solely on the accusation of treacly sentimentalism is to dismiss the great american poets of our history .",
        "when a movie has stuck around for this long , you know there 's something there . it 's that good .",
        "definitely worth seeing in the theater whether you 've seen it before or not .",
        "a film that connects so beautifully to our sense of wonder and joy .",
        "an astonishingly warm and enjoyable family film full of genuine sweetness and heart .",
        "for the most part , however , spielberg and mathison have their priorities straight .",
        "it remains a timeless classic : it blew my mind when i saw it as a kid , and watching it again 20 years later , i still adored it .",
        "one of the most popular movies ever made .",
        "an uplifting tale appealing to child inside us all .",
        "this is spielberg 's masterpiece , a near perfect film directed with astonishing skill and unafraid to get sentimental ... without crossing the line into syrup .",
        "one of the great children 's movies of all time has lost none of its charm in this 20th anniversary re-release .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- may become a children 's classic of the space age .",
        "most importantly of all things , the original unaltered , unblemished , and gloriously widescreen 1982 version is included , so all complaints are tempered with a sense of overall satisfaction .",
        "the story itself holds up fairly well though , twenty years later , does come off as thinner than i recalled .",
        "i doubt if the public that fell so much in love with this cute disney-like tale had looked too deeply at this religious parable and examined how overwrought and crude it really is .",
        "the film remains pure cinematic enchantment in every sense of the word .",
        "e.t. is n't my favorite movie ; it 's not even my favorite spielberg movie , but no one can deny the powerful effect it had on the film industry , our attitude toward extraterrestrial life , and our culture .",
        "come 2022 , i 'm sure i 'll be seeing it again with my kids .",
        "the simple truth is , no other movie has the same power to unite audiences in wonder and fulfilment .",
        "now that 's entertainment .",
        "make no mistake about it : the magic of e.t. the extra-terrestrial is best appreciated on the big screen .",
        "spielberg 's movie effectively shows adults a world as seen from the point of view of a excited boy .",
        "bravo .",
        "twenty years after smashing box-office records , steven spielberg 's gentle sci-fi fable returns to screens as vital and accomplished as ever .",
        "if we approach with sympathy and curiosity , we will be rewarded with same . and our souls , not to mention our bicycles , will soar to the heavens .",
        "it 's a movie with a stationary camera and spare gestures , reminding us of spielberg 's genius for simplicity .",
        "do n't phone home , phone the theater and buy tickets early .",
        "the hard , cold , cynical me now realizes how precious and rare things like friendship and gentleness can be that the film touched me in different ways than when i was 13 .",
        "the tenderness of the piece is still intact .",
        "viewers returning to it , as well as those discovering it , will find it an enduring children 's film -- but one whose impact has diminished with the passage of time .",
        "the film remains the kind of unabashed delight that can make even the most cynical filmgoer feel like a kid wrapped up in the fantasy of it all .",
        "there is hope for the movies , even if that means that the best film currently playing in theaters in 2002 happens to be one of the greatest films to emerge in 1982 , or any year .",
        "a devastating rebuke to anyone who has presumed to patronise this great film-maker .",
        "oda a la inocencia de la ni\u0144ez , la aventura de la juventud , la majestuosidad del universo y la magia que envuelve a los j\u00f3venes de coraz\u00f3n .",
        "the newly enhanced effects can not affect what 's most important to the film . its heart is still there , completely intact , and that 's really all that matters .",
        "like peter pan , who also took children flying until it was time for them to grow up , e.t. represents the wonder of childhood , of a time that we must all leave behind .",
        "do n't forget to bring tissues .",
        "a few moments seem clunky in retrospect , but overall , the film has aged well . its still-strong emotional impact is now reinforced with a sense of nostalgia for an age when life was simple .",
        "i 'm a tough guy ; i can handle this stuff . that 's not even a real alien . it 's a puppet . pffff .",
        "as i watched this film 20 years later , it was chastening to note how little of what innocence we once possessed has survived .",
        "time has done little to diminish the power of e.t. 's signature moments .",
        "the film is full of funny scenes and magical moments .",
        "though marred by spielberg 's usual carelessness with narrative points , the film alternates sweetness and sarcasm with enough rhetorical sophistication to be fairly irresistible .",
        "e.t. remains spielberg 's finest demonstration of his ability to merge the feelings of suburban dissatisfaction - alienation , if you will - that permeates a lot of his work , with a unique sense of childhood wonder and imagination",
        "it is the kind of film that young people are going to want to see again immediately after they 've seen it .",
        "this is a special , delightful adventure , in which spielberg manages not only to entertain young children but also reach out to the child in all of us .",
        "you 're still gon na need those tissues .",
        "e.t. the extra-terrestrial still evokes laughter , tears and that heart-lifting surge of joy only a great movie can bring .",
        "unchecked goodness has its price , after all , and childhood wonder would n't be nearly as sweet if it did n't fade . that may explain the film 's appeal . it trapped that feeling , and its sense of possibility , in amber -- then , now , and for any time .",
        "among all that corniness , there 's a great little movie",
        "it is an exceptionally visual film and an exceptionally emotional film , but the kind that most of us do n't mind being manipulated by .",
        "spielberg left it open for all of us . that 's the sign of a great filmmaker : he only explains what he has to explain .",
        "a magical film .",
        "steven spielberg 's masterful film has lost none of its power to sweep the viewer away in the most ` excellent ' late-20th century boy 's adventure one could hope for .",
        "feel free to go sob in your popcorn .",
        "a sublime modern fairy tale , a movie that , if anything , looks subtler , darker , and more intimate now than it did when originally released .",
        "the film is a pure gem , proving once again what an incredible visionary spielberg truly is .",
        "what 's intact is the film 's powerful yet unmushy message of friendship , unconditional love , helping those in need ... geez , what does n't this film have that an impressionable kid could n't stand to hear ?",
        "real classics improve with age as does e.t.",
        "... the `` old-fashioned '' puppeteering still works and you do believe in the little guy .",
        "a masterpiece that deserves to be seen and appreciated on a big screen .",
        "for the most part , the film does hold up pretty well .",
        "the new effects might not be to your liking , but the strength of the filmmaking , the power of the story and the wonder of e.t. should be more than enough to warmly remind you of the last time an honest film about childhood innocence was made .",
        "it 's also a better -- no , make that far better -- movie than nearly everything else that 's currently in theaters .",
        "a sophisticatedly sappy masterpiece .",
        "forsaking the overload of special effects and high adventure that marked his previous successes to focus instead on a small story propelled by heart and imagination , spielberg has made a film that will touch audiences for years to come .",
        "a masterwork .",
        "this is an outstanding family movie , with themes of loyalty , friendship , trust , and caring . one of the most purely magical scenes in the history of film is when elliott 's bicycle lifts off up into the sky .",
        "we have yet to recover from his revelation : that there is nothing more real than sitting in your own back yard -- waiting for the unreal to come down , take a handful of candy , and fly you to the moon .",
        "unquestionably a classic .",
        "it remains a classic .",
        "it works because it touches that -lrb- uncritical , non-analytical -rrb- childlike part of us that we often need to be reminded is still there .",
        "e.t. . the extra-terrestrial -lrb- 1982 -rrb- is the immensely popular magical fantasy movie myth ...",
        "steven spielberg 's e.t. . the extra-terrestrial showed me for the first time in my life the power of movies .",
        "sweet , heartwarming , adventuresome , and joyful .",
        "all the right strings are pulled : one cries , laughs and cheers at all the right places -- just like spielberg intends us to do .",
        "only the most hardened heart should be able to resist the glow from the one that anchors this classic .",
        "it 's the epitome of true cinematic art , a movie that touches you on all levels .",
        "what do ernest hemingway , carl sandburg , albert einstein , and e.t. have in common ? the eyes , according to spielberg .",
        "steven spielberg 's e.t. . the extraterrestrial touches the heart , engages the senses , and playfully challenges us to cavort with its allusive meanings .",
        "e.t. is a film i will continue to watch over and over for the rest of my life . it is one i will never grow sick of , no matter how many times i watch it .",
        "it 's a simple beautiful story about loneliness , friendship , and the bittersweet pangs of childhood .",
        "... a bona fide classic that has something to offer moviegoers of all ages .",
        "although conclusively demonstrating spielberg 's preeminence as the popular artist of his time , e.t. finally seems a less impressive film than close encounters .",
        "though marred by spielberg 's usual carelessness with narrative points , the film alternates sweetness and sarcasm with enough rhetorical sophistication to be fairly irresistible .",
        "what i see is simply a timeless story about friendship , loss and maturity -- and , perhaps , an idealized america of the kind hollywood and politicians strive to convince us could really exist .",
        "what e.t. does so well is to capture that moment in life when childhood seems to be slipping away .",
        "the ooooos and ahhhhhhhhs are contagious , the cheering as elliot , michael and their friends take to the air as they 're being chased by the feds will still raise a cheer .",
        "the movie is emotionally tumultuous and evenhanded and serene .",
        "it is a hugely enjoyable romp , but compellingly spiked throughout with little stabs of anxiety .",
        "there are many big moments in e.t. , but also plenty of magical small ones that make it work after all these years .",
        "my heart still soars as elliott goes airborne and pedals across the face of an impossibly full harvest moon on his bike .",
        "spielberg 's direction and melissa mathison 's script never lose sight of the realistic , low center of gravity world of childhood , in which such marvelous adventures happen every day .",
        "it holds up beautifully .",
        "captivating , endearingly optimistic and magical at times , steven spielberg 's fantasy about a stranded alien from outer space protected by three kids until it can arrange for passage home is certain to capture the imagination of the world 's youth .",
        "what 's perhaps most amazing about e.t. , what distinguishes it from many of the other fantasy films of its era , is its ability to put an audience under a spell of childlike wonderment without infantilizing it .",
        "spielberg would seem to be groping towards a virtual theology of space , space as heaven , offering solace to a world which has foolishly renounced its traditional god but still aches to extend its own spiritual frontiers .",
        "e.t. is essentially a spiritual autobiography , a portrait of the filmmaker as a typical suburban kid set apart by an uncommonly fervent , mystical imagination . it comes out disarmingly funny , spontaneous , bighearted .",
        "it helped alter the course of sci-fi movies by suggesting that intergalactic aliens might not be monsters but friendly , even loving , creatures . this does n't make it a masterpiece , but it 's fun .",
        "a contemporary classic .",
        "it makes us believe in magic again even as grizzled , cynical adults .",
        "... a celebration of kid culture from a time when fun meant riding your bike and playing d&d with your friends .",
        "steven spielberg at his most pure .",
        "one of spielberg 's two or three masterpieces , an extremely satisfying sci-fi fable .",
        "spielberg triumphantly succeeds in bringing the magical to the everyday .",
        "an appealing film this new one is , with some charm , some glee in the childrens ' triumphs , some share in their friendship with e.t.",
        "on inherent merit , the movie would not warrant such a highly publicized re-release , but this is one of those films that transcends what 's on the screen .",
        "more than the work of any other filmmaker , spielberg 's output seems uniquely designed to induce in me this queasy false-memory syndrome .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood , steven spielberg 's touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old .",
    "id": "10489"
  },
  {
    "movie": "friday_night_lights",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he belief that high school athletics is something worth ruining lives over is more likely to strike one as pathetic than praiseworthy .",
        "lights only diverts narrative tedium when the gladiators take the field ; effectively drowning out the nonsense that eventually takes place off the field .",
        "MOV fires up a gritty , grubby look at the dark underside of texas ' primary religion - football .",
        "this is flat-out the rawest , most realistic piece of storytelling about the sport that i 've ever seen .",
        "this impressive , inspirational story not only captures the exhilaration of the gridiron action but also the intense pressures of these communal rites and rituals .",
        "MOV is a slice of small town life where the success or failure of their beloved team will resonate and set the mood of the townsfolk for the entire year",
        "a largely appealing drama , the kind of sports movie that anyone , even non-fans of football -lrb- like myself -rrb- , can get wrapped up in and care about .",
        "... so ineptly and annoyingly filmed that it should be used in filmmaking classes ... to demonstrate how not to make a movie .",
        "profoundly upsetting and pointed in its criticism , it 's concerned not just with football , but with the people who play it and the people it affects .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- lifestyle advertisement for the noxious small-town culture that turns high-school football players into local heroes , no matter what price these young men have to pay .",
        "the movie works because berg never forgets to keep his heart in the game and not just his head .",
        "viewers will be able to read into the do-or-die philosophy whatever they choose , and in the meantime simply enjoy this big-screen ode to the madness .",
        "MOV can be seen as hoosiers in shoulder pads , especially in the emotional connection between the townspeople and the team .",
        "billy bob thornton delivers one of the best acting jobs of his career .",
        "expertly infuses humanity into the unforgiving , obsessive world of high school football .",
        "when did director peter berg become mr. reliable ?",
        "a solid football movie .",
        "it has an intentionally rough , gritty , bleached , documentary feel but berg is in complete control , with every shot a small gem of precision and mastery .",
        "but all in all , this is a movie for football fans ... if you do n't like the sport , then you might as well forget it and try something more to your tastes .",
        "MOV is a movie that gets the gridiron action exactly right , but does not dig deeply enough into the lives of the players off the field .",
        "black is positively riveting to watch ; who would have expected the gangly kid who befriended carl childers in sling blade to now be muscling his mentor out of the picture ?",
        "an accurate potrayal of texas high school football and the overzealous participation of those not even on the team . great stuff !",
        "the saddest sports movie since hoop dreams .",
        "the movie demonstrates the power of sports to involve us ; we do n't live in odessa and are watching a game played 16 years ago , and we get all wound up .",
        "... refuses to shy away from the way high school football ... can trample a kid 's love for the game .",
        "gripping ? gut wrenching ? sure , but if you 've seen one high school football movie , especially one set in texas , you 've seen them all .",
        "a passably made , grittily acted slice of life in texas that veers not an inch from the norm for this sort of picture .",
        "there 's not much in MOV that you have n't ever seen or could n't have imagined . relative to most hollywood sports movies , however , it just feels new .",
        "peter berg 's skilled vision and billy bob 's retrained performance result not only the best football film we 've seen in years ... but also one of the best movies of 2004 .",
        "the movie shows the good , the bad , and the brutality of the sport ... with all the chills and thrills that you need , plus some .",
        "a stand-up example of how effective underdog sports movies are , no matter how many times you 've seen this kind of thing before .",
        "MOV scores .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film delivers what sports fans really want .",
        "filled with plenty of bone-crushing , helmet-crashing action .",
        "electric , witty , sad and wise .",
        "the film does n't completely gloss over the rough stuff and remains , for the most part , true to the text .",
        "an exciting and involving sports drama that more than does justice to the cliches it presents as ` a true story . '",
        "more watchable than it ought to be .",
        "a movie that feels genuinely lived in .",
        "a very good movie .",
        "MOV is a feel-good movie , but it 's not real . it 's a hard-hitting hallmark greeting card . it 's no wonder it appealed to larry king % u2014 it 's safe , easy , conventional , and feigns incisiveness .",
        "... an unusually dark and serious examination of the intense pressure put on -lsb- high school football players -rsb- in a poor town .",
        "editing out many of the body blows and personal fouls from bissinger 's hard-hitting account , MOV on film tends to punt just when true insight demands going for first down .",
        "in a movie where the players are ordered to give 110 percent , berg holds back .",
        "the movie is full of both crushing disappointment and hope , resignation and joy , ugliness and great beauty .",
        "while its apparent effort to be both a critique and a reverential homage leaves lingering doubts , what 's unquestionable is the high quality of the filmmaking on display .",
        "not a rah-rah remember the titans-style tribute to the excitement of football . ... even in the movie 's happiest sequences , a sense of melancholia seems to be lurking nearby .",
        "peter berg directs this texas high school football extravaganza in a tough , gritty style that gives it an unusually fine and vivid sense of place .",
        "MOV is a razzle-dazzle movie about a texas town and what their win-at-all costs ethic does to the young men on the high-school football team .",
        "MOV is the best -lsb- football movie -rsb- i 've seen , and i 'm hard-pressed to think of another film about sports -- any sport -- that surpasses it .",
        "MOV captures this aspect of team spirit with honesty and passion .",
        "score !",
        "MOV bursts through the line of those beefy sports cliches , only to switch uniforms and join them .",
        "it honors the book of the same name .",
        "contains just the right mix of grunting , cheerleading and backbiting , of failure and success , of broken dreams and great expectations .",
        "does a terrific job of exposing the pressure , intensity and , yes , near-insanity of high-school football in the west texas town of odessa .",
        "given -lsb- the editing and jittery camera work -rsb- , it 's hard to know exactly how to feel about the film . fortunately , the story is just compelling enough , its performances convincing enough , to help .",
        "the best sports movie for years , as it 's not about sport at all . forget fears of jingoistic grandstanding , this is an un-american all-american tale that deserves attention .",
        "the movie 's principles are seriously out of whack , even as it angles toward a big life lesson about learning to live with falling short of greatness .",
        "a good film , but it is preaching to the converted",
        "an excellent effort that packs a solid , emotional punch .",
        "a friday night movie if ever there was one .",
        "MOV is a film about football , but it shares more in common with films from the horror genre than with its predecessors .",
        "its script is pure corn , drenched in syrupy sentiment and topped with prize ham in the shape of billy bob thornton 's tub-thumping coach .",
        "thornton anchors the film with his understated but no less effective performance but the stand-out is derek luke -lrb- antwone fisher -rrb- - the scene where he finally realises that his football career is over is truly heartbreaking to watch .",
        "both a great sports film and a terrific commentary on human nature .",
        "there 's nothing particularly universal or relevant about this place - and sport-specific ode to american football . although it 's a gripping and watchable true story .",
        "a hard-hitting , fast-paced , stirring film .",
        "MOV does n't capture the essence of h.g. bissinger 's bestselling book , but it does embody the spirit of texas high school football .",
        "berg fashions a spike lee-esque prism through which he sheds light on the game , though berg has n't so much got game as he got highlight .",
        "football here serves as the fulcrum of an entire society , in which everything ... is distilled into the pressure cooker of fourth and long at the 35 .",
        "one of the best football movies ever .",
        "as you watch this film , you gradually begin to realize that it 's not delivering the emotional highs of the genre , and is going to a different place entirely .",
        "an emotionally fulfilling experience .",
        "by abandoning all attempts to explore the town 's obsession with the game , opting instead for sports-movie cliches and more slow-motion tackling , the filmmakers fall short of the goal line .",
        "always slick and pumped up , MOV is real enough around the edges to hold our attention even if it sacrifices accuracy for storytelling ease .",
        "as a survey of the anti-intellectualism and rage at the heart of the heartland , it burns with intelligence and energy .",
        "sometimes , life just is n't fair . and `` MOV '' takes that right out onto the field .",
        "it is admirable how the movie delves into the psychology of a pathological need to win . a fantastic film .",
        "a routine , rah-rah sports movie .",
        "we do n't need a movie reinforcing that high school is the best time in your life because it 's not . if it was for you , get out there and do something more .",
        "with the exception of debbie does dallas , this is the best sports movie i have ever seen .",
        "-lrb- billy bob -rrb- thornton and -lrb- lucas -rrb- black -lrb- who could mature into a true acting force -rrb- are magnificent together as the young , unsure quarterback and his caring coach/mentor .",
        "tells an engrossing story with such conviction and honesty , embedded in a surplus of stylistic flourishes , that it becomes one of the best sports movies in recent memory .",
        "does a terrific job of showing the competitive nature of not just the kids but their parents and the pressure put on teenagers to perform ...",
        "berg 's choice of intense closeups and handheld camerawork gives up the bigness of the game , but in exchange we get up-close-and-personal views of how the players see the game .",
        "lights will make leave you cheering long after you digest its unflattering portrait of small-town obsession .",
        "a long time ago i played under MOV and let me tell you something , this movie gets it all right .",
        "for high school football fanatics , this is a touchdown .",
        "director peter berg 's adaptation is the cinematic equivalent of a recovered fumble : not disastrous , but also not terribly good .",
        "after stumbling out of the huddle and getting flagged for a few false start penalties , MOV finally gets the chains moving in the second half .",
        "a powerful and poignant ode to the heartache and thrill of the game .",
        "i 'll stop short of calling it the greatest sports movie ever created , but it 's certainly got to be up there in the top five .",
        "far too long with too many magnolious collisions on the field with little consequence , pretty much a movie without a premise .",
        "dizzying handheld camera shots make us part of every hard-hitting tackle",
        "MOV is a captivating movie for anyone from the most avid football fan to the people who are n't sure how many points you get for a touchdown",
        "the games are dynamically filmed ... but they lack credibility as players on both teams are obviously on a script and big plays are stage-managed to a ridiculous degree .",
        "these kids are not fighting the power , much as they or you might want to believe it .",
        "delivers first-rate football action .",
        "what curdles the film beyond rescue by good acting and rousing action is the relentless emphasis on how warlike and painful football can be .",
        "people who like sports movies will love MOV , but so will people who do n't like sports movies and would never think of seeing a high school football game .",
        "this film deserves a stronger , unifying theme .",
        "there 's an interesting movie struggling to get out of MOV , but every time it tries it gets rushed and tackled .",
        "director berg uses a smart blend of constantly moving camera and gritty film stock to give the film a documentary feel that 's both engaging and perfectly suited to this story .",
        "a poignant celebration and a chilly condemnation of the high school gridiron as god 's country .",
        "the arcs of the characters have the persuasive authenticity of real life , as do the dramatic mechanics of the big-game finale .",
        "a compelling and stirring film .",
        "the script spends at least as much time exploring the psychologies of the young players and the problems they face at home as it does rallying the audience behind their efforts on the field .",
        "few films have shown so powerfully the slashing double edge of sports fever .",
        "while the atmosphere is excellent , and the general elements all strong , the film sadly fails to give any real insight or depth in regards to explaining the hows and whys of the near fever over the game and its players .",
        "a heart-pounding big-screen treatment that captures all the action of a tumultuous season while showing the emotional toll on the players .",
        "what MOV offers is the perspective that , for the people and young players caught up in this whirlwind , football simultaneously means everything and ultimately nothing .",
        "so much more than a football movie .",
        "... had me literally in goose bumps and with my heart going into overdrive .",
        "football flick that will have you crying like a little baby . powerfully directed , well-written with stalwart acting . however , gritty audio/visual may abrade .",
        "you 'll be surprised -- and thrilled -- by how completely this film engages you .",
        "how you view the film will undoubtedly depend on how much you share the movie 's unhealthy attitude towards competitive sports .",
        "lights feels real , honest and -- most of all -- heartfelt , and it 's filled with good performances and a fine spirit .",
        "you will watch as though you 've been rooting for the panthers your entire life . the movie is that good .",
        "the affecting , gruelling result is less a document of recreational sport than one of obligation and ordeal .",
        "you 'll leave the theater somewhat emotionally spent -- feeling like you 've been tackled by a 220-pound linebacker -- but it 's worth the ride . one of the best sports movies ever .",
        "as football movies go , it 's a great one .",
        "the film feels like an anthology of cliches from a hundred football movies .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a disappointment in the end because it could have been so much more .",
        "unparalleled realism and hard-hitting performances make MOV one of the great sports movies .",
        "emotional gut punches are plentiful in director peter berg 's stunning ` MOV . '",
        "if you 're not a football fan , MOV wo n't make you one , but if you are , it will give you a good deal more to think about than your average gridiron flick .",
        "-lsb- made -rsb- with a skill and grace that lifts the material up ; all of the actors , and everyone involved in the film 's production , came together and made something special .",
        "substitutes slick , cynical point-scoring for insight .",
        "bland pop americana .",
        "unusually well drawn characters and the empathy its creators have for them are just two of the things that distinguish peter -lrb- very bad things -rrb- berg 's latest from most sports movies .",
        "we see just how serious texans -- fans and players alike -- take their football .",
        "this west texas football saga is a real , wrenching look at players , fans and the game that 's much more than a game .",
        "graduate work in the jerry bruckheimer school of overproduced , underwritten gut shots . though berg 's big-game finale will win fans , the buildup feels like one long time out .",
        "despite minor bugaboos , the film works because each play and conversation is filled with a nervy feeling of how fate could turn on its characters at any moment .",
        "as a football movie it scores , but as a drama that goes beyond the field and into the lives of the characters playing the game , it falls short of becoming a champ .",
        "had billy bob thornton not been so good in so many films , people would be talking about this as his greatest role .",
        "the story gestures at a cross-sectional view of america on a nashville scale .",
        "an emotionally draining viewing experience that only briefly threatens to be undermined by the requisite climactic locker-room pep talk that teeters ever so slightly toward the saccharine . still , there 's a lot of truth here .",
        "the extreme close ups and use of a hand held camera part of the time was tedious , but as the film progressed , the excitement built to a tumultuous conclusion .",
        "i ca n't help looking at this as an indictment of the high school football system .",
        "a true-life yarn that was dubbed by si as `` one of the greatest sports stories of all time '' has now been turned into one of the dullest sports films of recent years .",
        "a good sports movie with amped up sports action , good acting , and an ending that sneaks up on you with surprising emotional power .",
        "MOV is the real deal , a grim , in-your-face expose of one west texas school 's fanatical sports program .",
        "experiences most of its success by its disturbing depiction of adults living vicariously through their children .",
        "berg takes you so deep into the action , you can hear the bones crunch .",
        "MOV is like a third-down play that needs to pick up four yards but gets only two .",
        "-lsb- the characters are -rsb- much more flawed that the usual cookie cutter characters found in sports flicks , and it 's difficult not to become emotionally involved in their plight .",
        "there 's a surge in momentum through the playoffs and into the texas state championship game , which occupies a quarter of the film 's nearly two-hour running time .",
        "the film lets you get caught up in the excitement of this religion and the addictive nature of those stadium lights .",
        "boilerplate stuff , though livened by flashy editing and cinematography .",
        "a stringent , stirring real-life drama .",
        "the documentary feel of the film drives home the message of `` it 's just a game , guys ! ''",
        "might have been a truly great deconstruction of the secular religion of football had it not come dangerously close to buying into the very myth it is trying to dismantle",
        "what elevates this ode to brotherhood from other sports dramas is that its subplots , the bulk of its thematic substance , are n't seeped in dating and teammate-envy turmoil .",
        "this is the rousing football movie any given sunday failed to be .",
        "my favorite film of 2004 .",
        "might very well be doomed to comparison solely with other sports movies . but at least within that realm it looks pretty darn good .",
        "the film , just like the sports battles , allows spectators to get caught up in the excitement and become intoxicated on the glare of the blinding stadium lights .",
        "as someone who normally finds football about as exciting as golf , i was often on the edge of my seat , particularly during the climactic championship game .",
        "nuance typifies both mr. thornton 's highly calibrated performance and the film 's absence of unnecessary underlining .",
        "the film really lives out the metaphor realistically , just like life",
        "a crowded film in which the main characters emerge as people who have skewed and unsympathetic priorities .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "an acute survey of the football-obsessed heartland that succeeds as both a stirring drama and a rousing sports movie .",
    "id": "10213"
  },
  {
    "movie": "sunset_boulevard",
    "reviews":
     [
        "arguably wilder 's best film .",
        "while it 's not an absolute masterpiece , it has definitely withstood the test of time much more than 96 % of its contemporaries , and has some wickedly funny lines to boot .",
        "few pictures are greater than MOV , billy wilder 's scathing assault on hollywood 's magnetism , aura , and fear of watching it pass you by ...",
        "a concentration of classic filmmaking at its peak , a specimen of director billy wilder at the razor 's edge of his brilliance .",
        "still the best hollywood movie ever made about hollywood .",
        "one of wilder 's finest , and certainly the blackest of all hollywood 's scab-scratching accounts of itself .",
        "a cynically dark recognition to hollywood 's forgotten stars .",
        "gloria swanson and william holden give definitive , oscar-nominated performances as the fading star and hack writer , respectively , in bily wilder 's darker than dark comedy about the inner workings of hollywood at a crucial phase of the industry 's change .",
        "a tour de force for swanson and one of wilder 's better efforts .",
        "the casting is perfect .",
        "this cold-blooded satire is at once subtle and savage .",
        "... they rate a nod for daring , as well as credit for an all-around filmmaking job that , disregarding the unpleasant subject matter , is a standout .",
        "the best film to capture the transitory nature of film fame .",
        "even as the movie industry grows more and more appalling , MOV just gets better and better .",
        "wilder certainly gives an intimate portrait of hollywood with all its warts and imperfections .",
        "the picture will keep spectators spellbound , while their reactions shuttle with lightning speed of the story 's constantly changing aura of pathos , satire and humor .",
        "the best thing about watching old movies is discovering the ones that feel so modern that , with a few touches here and there , barely altering the original product , they could actually fit right in with the quality movies of today .",
        "the kind of film of which legends are made and a film that has become a legend itself -- and deservedly so .",
        "a demented circus of obsession , greed , and hollywood",
        "the closest thing wilder made to a horror film -lrb- in lighting , score , and character dynamic -rrb- after the lost weekend .",
        "no other motion picture about hollywood comes near billy wilder 's searing , uncompromising and utterly fascinating portrait of the film community .",
        "remains the best drama ever made about the movies because it sees through the illusions , even if norma does n't .",
        "a virtually unimpeachable fugue for all manner of hollywood deaths , those of people , minds , careers , dreams , and baboons .",
        "caustic , scalding , and forever fabulous .",
        "what 's not recognized enough is the indelible , self-sickened performance of william holden as desmond 's boy-toy/hired hack .",
        "perhaps the best film ever made about hollywood .",
        "marvelous hollywood-on-hollywood satire , balanced exquisitely between all about eve and mulholland drive .",
        "black comedy , creepy noir , and timeless hollywood satire ... as good as they come .",
        "magnificent stuff .",
        "a then-unprecedented throwing back of the velvet curtain to reveal the exciting , but often sordid and dehumanizing , mechanics that run the hollywood dream factory",
        "while all the acting is memorable , one always thinks first and mostly of miss swanson , of her manifestation of consuming pride , her forlorn despair and a truly magnificent impersonation of charlie chaplin .",
        "this is the greatest film about hollywood ever put on celluloid by hollywood .",
        "the ultimate depiction of hollywood burnout",
        "MOV -lrb- 1950 -rrb- is a classic black comedy/drama , and perhaps the most acclaimed , but darkest film-noir story about `` behind the scenes '' hollywood ,",
        "this legendary tale of hollywood glory and decay still provides a biting portrait of the dream factory .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- billy wilder 's deft weaving of gothic elements , not the least of which is nora 's decrepit mansion , casts a spell from which joe is unable to break free . he , like the audience , is stuck in a terrible place awaiting an equally frightful fate .",
        "rarely is fiction shot through so glitteringly with real life .",
        "an uncompromising study of american decadence displaying a sad , worn , methodical beauty few films have had since the late twenties .",
        "one of the great joys of the film is watching the way in which william holden 's naturalistic performance clashes with an actress and performance style from an earlier age .",
        "a must for fans of ruthless black comedy .",
        "norma is something of a living legend , but she 's also an unaware ghost : no longer of the world in which she thinks she lives .",
        "tears away at the curtain that keeps reality away from fiction .",
        "MOV 's entire point of view is based on a gimmick . whether one considers it an `` artistic cheat '' or a valid and audacious device depends up his ability and desire to suspend his disbelief .",
        "dark comedy . film noir . tragic romance . hollywood satire . ` MOV ' has it all .",
        "if you have the dream to make it to tinsel town , you might want to check this flick out because hollywood is as hard on dreams as it was back in the 1950s",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "arguably the greatest movie about hollywood , billy wilder 's masterpiece MOV is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir , black comedy , and character study .",
    "id": "17003"
  },
  {
    "movie": "young_victoria",
    "reviews":
     [
        "ostvarenje koje istinsko zadovoljstvo mo % u017ee pru % u017eiti jedino publici koja se sastoji od najzagri % u017eenijih rojalista",
        "the MOV is an attractive film . while many period pieces overwhelm with flashy production design in order to get attention , the stellar art direction found here is luscious yet never vulgarly so .",
        "talky and stately , but it has a degree of humanization making it far more enjoyable and relatable than others of its kind .",
        "emily blunt joins the ranks of great screen monarchs .",
        "a veddy proper film that would n't presume to misbehave with an ounce of unnecessary melodrama and abandon . we are amused and entertained but not terribly so .",
        "consistently engaging , with an appealing sense of relevance for today 's audiences .",
        "blunt 's performance , restrained and fiery , holds together the personal and the political threads of this handsomely mounted drama .",
        "quite a bit dry , even for a historical drama .",
        "rich in personal drama , political intrigue and royal pageantry but also satisfyingly compact .",
        "es el t\u00edpico producto de calidad que se aprecia m\u00e1s que nada por sus valores de producci\u00f3n -lrb- y aqu\u00ed son realmente excepcionales -rrb- y por un elenco , en este caso brit\u00e1nico , donde se luce especialmente la estupenda emily blunt .",
        "yes , it 's history , but give it some context , some drama at least !",
        "pretty , classy , and really all quite boring .",
        "the MOV feels like a wasted opportunity and is among the least impressive in a long line of motion pictures about british royalty .",
        "love , respect , romance , partnership , teamwork -- MOV gives you all that in one package , with a monarchy thrown in .",
        "director jean-marc vall\u00e9e bathes the frames in the details of its luxurious surroundings , and the screenplay , by gosford park writer julian fellowes , does a passable job of laying out all the factions jockeying for power around blunt 's victoria .",
        "blunt 's sprightly read of the title character is just so irresistibly endearing that it feels churlish to pick apart the thin material she is working with .",
        "a solid piece of drama , giving fans of the genre a ripe core of hesitation to sink their teeth into , while also bringing actress emily blunt to the forefront with an impressive depiction of uncertainty and immaturity .",
        "victoria 's schooling in responsibility takes a back seat to the emergence of passionate womanhood , not cheapened by cinema 's usual descent to sex steam .",
        "it works as an old-fashioned wallow in nineteenth-century british royal romance and parliamentary infighting .",
        "what filmmaker jean-marc vall\u00e9e has done in this delicious historical romance is capture that hot blush of pure emotion that comes before kisses , sex , heartbreak and the rest can dilute it .",
        "blunt , her eyes sparking , her manner playful , smart , and proud , shines in the title role . if the film itself is n't brilliant , its star most definitely is .",
        "if molly ringwold had taken a shot at ` respectability ' in a merchant ivory oscar-bait film , this might have been the perfect screenplay .",
        "a full package period romance , from the performances to the costumes to the lush setting and the rich score .",
        "plush , plodding stroll through the dowager queen 's early years",
        "... worth seeing for emily blunt 's radiant performance as victoria and for the eye-popping recreations of life and ritual at the english court .",
        "a passable depiction of what looks to be a rather unspectacular slice of history .",
        "this is blunt 's chance to follow in the footsteps of gwenyth paltrow , anne hathaway and keira knightley in becoming a leading lady in a period piece .",
        "the life of a princess is n't necessarily a fairy tale .",
        "this victoria is not particularly victorian , but then she is young ; and everyone wants a piece of her , politically speaking . emily blunt is lovely and strong-minded as the young vic .",
        "`` the MOV '' is a sumptuous character study that takes its time charting the transformation of a young girl born to rule into a queen ready to rule .",
        "this may be the perfect shared entertainment for daughters just growing out of their princess phase and mothers with their own challenges balancing love and work .",
        "as old queen v. herself supposedly said : we are not amused .",
        "if the viewer favors such bbc type royalty genre films , they will more than likely bow down in appreciation to this appealing one .",
        "mostly harmless .",
        "director jean-marc vall\u00e9e 's images have a creamy stateliness , but this is no gilded princess fantasy -- it 's the story of a budding ruler who learns to control her surroundings , and blunt makes that journey at once authentic and relevant .",
        "although it 's somewhat lacking in tumultuous , bodice-ripping intrigue , it 's an elegant , entertaining , genteel biopic .",
        "blunt strikes me as the real deal : languid but biting , like jeanne moreau , yet able to command a scene while somehow appearing to shift to one side -lrb- as moreau would never do -rrb- and observe with a skeptic 's smile .",
        "the failure of the film is not so much a lack of historical accuracy or detail as a dearth of historical liveliness .",
        "man , british heritage cinema can be dull when assembly-lined for the export market .",
        "this is a lavish and lovingly detailed period piece that attempts to re-create england 's last golden age , but the enchanting ms. blunt is the whole movie , and it would n't register even a small bleep on the richter scale without her .",
        "vall\u00e9e and his lead get high marks for kittenish revisionism . in all other respects , however , this movie is indistinguishable from every other throne-and-scepter biopic to hit the screen .",
        "two movies in the inimitable pbsmasterpiece theater style . john keats falls in love , gets tb and dies.a movie in the inimitable pbs masterpiece theater style . queen victoria marries prince albert and resolve to help lift up the british workers while surro",
        "production is nicely detailed , from lensing to costume , makeup and set design and make the history lesson one that you will not mind learning .",
        "the production design ensures that every frame is a feast for the eyes , but what elevates the film is hagen bogdanski 's sometimes expressionistic cinematography , which never calls attention to itself or obscures the detail of the sets and locations .",
        "blunt is always compelling as the feisty , good-hearted victoria .",
        "another in the endless stream of movies about the british monarchy , but a cut above the average in terms of story and acting .",
        "the MOV turns out to be as interested in charting the sexual and societal awakening of a royal naif as in examining the historical events that shaped her destiny .",
        "nothing much new will be learned , but the journey along the way is beautiful to behold .",
        "whether in her chemise or her coronation robes , blunt exudes a vitality that will not be suppressed . she is wonderful as victoria and alone reason enough to see the film .",
        "the way this story is told is just basically by people reading letters in voiceover while you look at beautiful furniture .",
        "i wonder : was the director of the MOV wearing a corset right alongside emily blunt ? this is one tightly constricted period drama .",
        "three centuries before avatar , in a faraway world called coffee table film , there dwelt a beautiful princess who became a powerful ruler , the MOV .",
        "emily blunt is remarkable , her sleepy eyes -lrb- true to photographs of queen victoria -rrb- compensated by a vibrant physicality and the sense that something 's going on behind her gaze , a rare and valuable quality in actors .",
        "as portrayed by blunt , she 's smart and confident , but also somewhat naive ; it 's an impressive performance in a surely daunting role .",
        "blunt looks the part , and as always , she 's good .",
        "an intimate , small-scale story of a young woman 's struggle to be independent of her scheming relations and to find equality in a very unequal marriage .",
        "the main focus is on victoria 's romance with prince albert -lrb- rupert friend -rrb- , which takes two full acts to get going and has very little heat once it does .",
        "emily blunt finally gets a chance to blossom into the star representative of her talent in this highly entertaining film .",
        "the MOV is a very well-made if not especially memorable picture , moving with all the grace and steadfastness of a waltz victoria and albert share , but absent any urgency or anything particularly exclamatory .",
        "it 's a muddled but plush experience overall , and if you 're a royalist completist or a historical romantic , you 'll probably have a decent time . as much as blunt may have wanted the role , though , i 'm not sure it suits her .",
        "masterpiece theater on a larger budget .",
        "the biggest problem , though , is that while there 's no denying it looks good , the whole thing is just so exasperatingly bland . period films do n't have to be this way .",
        "quality period drama does n't come any finer than this , so let the MOV reign supreme .",
        "well-groomed , upscale , three-hankie entertainment for the masterpiece theater crowd .",
        "what the film lacks is a sense of its awful era - if only dickens could have had a hand in the script .",
        "the MOV is thus about as sexy as a cold fish and as imaginative as a kipper .",
        "all the period trappings - decor , duds , dances - are immaculate , though presented in the manner of a set-text reconstruction rather than a living , breathing drama .",
        "full of intriguing details about queen victoria 's early reign , although it only lightly examines the political intrigue and romantic melodrama",
        "hugely enjoyable biopic with a great script , impressive production design and delightful performances from emily blunt , rupert friend and a strong supporting cast .",
        "emily blunt is utterly charming in this dramatization of the MOV 's ascension to the throne and her courtship with prince albert .",
        "what emerges is a genuinely affecting love story , although it takes patience to negotiate the early intrigue .",
        "if i can find any quibble with this richly rewarding film , it 's that it 's about queen victoria and prince albert -- a subject that in itself is n't that inherently exciting .",
        "you do n't have to be a royalist to be moved by beautifully staged coronation and wedding moments , and composer ilan eshkeri scores such scenes with music so thrilling you 'll feel you 've got a front-row seat to the real thing .",
        "could certainly be a whole lot worse , and this is something i clung to as no uncertain comfort during the film 's 104 minute running time that feels a good deal longer .",
        "this victoria is layered and real , and in turn elevates the film from just another yawn-inducing costume drama .",
        "i did n't quite believe that this tiny girl could become the most powerful woman in the history of the world , but at the time perhaps no one believed it .",
        "no wonder filmmakers have favored elizabeth i : on her side , a reign of beheadings , burning heretics , and armadas as against , here , a scandal about retaining the wrong ladies-in-waiting .",
        "this is a beautiful film . the cinematography is lush , the pomp and circumstance majestic , and oh -- those costumes are divine !",
        "it has everything you could want in a period piece -- drama , humor , costuming and a wonderful soundtrack .",
        "blunt is magnificent here , surrounded by a sumptuous ensemble who give life , passion and warmth to this fast paced and engaging tale , suitably worth of its royal lineage and glorious in every way .",
        "pomp and circumstance are plentiful though not overdone as we worm our way into victoria 's court -lrb- and world -rrb- at the start of her reign . there is perhaps less clarity in the writing than desirable , but the production is spectacular",
        "this charming costume drama might lack the bodice-ripping rowdiness of other recent historical romances , but it is classy and clever .",
        "yet another queasy entry into the ever-growing queensploitation genre .",
        "MOV is like a breath of fresh air for the genre .",
        "a pleasant but plodding biopic of our longest-serving sovereign , mainly to be recommended for those with a limitless appetite for stately homes , lavish costumes and mills & boon romance .",
        "i spent an hour and three-quarters waiting for this movie to start .",
        "friend , as albert , is this film 's secret weapon - ardent , subtly proud , a little shy , and a man with an intellectual philosophy he intends to preserve . the film glows as it gets to know him , and your resistance , like victoria 's , melts away .",
        "dignified and charismatic , blunt gives great lip-wobble , and friend pulls off the role of sidekick , but historical twiddling ca n't render victoria 's love life interesting .",
        "it 's decorative , but suffers from a stultifying lack of drama .",
        "emily blunt 's vic is as feisty as alistair darling and the story does n't give her enough to get excited about .",
        "the history is by mills & boon , the visuals are wall-to-wall frou-frou . add the banality-packed dialogue -lrb- `` even a palace can be a prison '' -rrb- and some substandard mise-en-sc\u010dne , and we feel like crying , `` call back merchant ivory ! ''",
        "the film sags in its third act as it succumbs to all-out adoration for victoria , but the ever-impressive blunt carries it admirably with an affecting portrayal .",
        "exquisitely produced but dramatically erratic .",
        "a lovingly-detailed , lavishly-recreated british period production with all the right cast giving all the right performances .",
        "it 's actually a quite lovely film ; gorgeous locations , fabulous costumes , and truly excellent performances . emily blunt is totally believable as the young queen , she 's establishing herself as a fine young screen actress .",
        "watching the slow , cautious courtship between victoria and albert is so pleasurable , so surprisingly not-boring , that it does n't matter how much of the ending we already know .",
        "victoria 's secrets : octomom plus one party animal who wears the pants , or rather crown in the family , and later for charles dickens .",
        "emily blunt 's performance succeeds because she makes the ultimate icon relatable .",
        "a biography that is quite enjoyable to watch , and a bit too easy to forget .",
        "the MOV is slow and pretty and nobody has quite enough to do . luckily , there 's plenty to look at in the way of costumes and furniture and crown jewels and palace tchotchkes .",
        "beautifully costumed , intelligent performers peering out from the film 's glossy surface keep you involved .",
        "` the MOV ' is at heart a love story -- and , for me , it hits all the right notes on that score .",
        "perhaps because of the directing or perhaps because of stilted manners of the late georgian and early victorian era the film never again catches fire as it does in the early scenes .",
        "strong performances , production qualities and courtly intrigue ensure that audiences will wish this romantic drama went for just that little bit longer .",
        "the production is full of such electrifying moments , ensuring that there will be no cobwebs in this history exercise .",
        "`` MOV '' is a well crafted period romance made personal by emily blunt 's disarming performance .",
        "emily blunt gives a commanding performance in this technically impresive but dramatically bland biopic of the young queen victoria , a feature that 's pleasant to watch but too old fashioned to really engage .",
        "the film looks great and blunt gives a wonderfully confident performance , but the end result lacks real insights into what made victoria the great and enduring queen she became .",
        "caught between real quality and heritage for export , the film falls between two disparate stools .",
        "a pretty , likeable romantic drama with initial political interest , this ends so abruptly it feels like the first part of a mini-series .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- seems rather quaint , resulting in a movie that is well-meaning , and certainly well-mounted , but somewhat devoid of real excitement .",
        "history is used as a backdrop to the main event , being the relationships of emily blunt 's victoria . blunt is lovely , delivering just the right mix of feisty , vulnerable and stubborn to engage us in her conflicted , manipulated world",
        "the MOV feels like a breath of fresh air . it is a charming costume drama that peeks behind the pomp and pageantry to capture the human side of britain 's longest-reigning sovereign .",
        "like cate blanchett 's elizabeth , it 's a solid , workmanlike effort that shifts the emphasis away from the haughty stereotype and casts victoria in a new light .",
        "it swirls with passion and intrigue , with blunt 's sovereign feisty in state matters and charmingly flirtatious with prince albert .",
        "MOV creates a world of rich detail inhabited by a woman clashing against social constraints and expectations . it 's pure escapism and unashamedly romantic .",
        "an elegant , entertaining , informative picture with a gallery of vivid supporting turns , this provisionally crowns the winning blunt as a brit-pic star - but it skimps a bit on the bodice-ripping , blood and thunder .",
        "rose-tinted it may be , but this portrait of britain 's longest-serving monarch never drags . blunt and friend secure your sympathy as the mutually adoring v&a , while vall\u00e9e sleekly braids the personal with the parliamentary .",
        "blunt is appealingly inexperienced but shrewd in the title role and once rupert friend becomes firmly entrenched in the action the film seems to find itself .",
        "a film with many admirable individual parts that form a surprisingly forgettable whole .",
        "the MOV is good , old-fashioned period drama _ not terribly lively , not terribly insightful , but rich in pageantry and fine moments of drama , the whole show hinging on a beguiling performance from blunt .",
        "the damp of england lends this whole film a certain sogginess . indeed , in the whole of the MOV , there 's barely a crackle or crunch to be had .",
        "blunt and friend strike a few flinty sparks , and julian fellowes 's script has its share of dry-as-dust witticisms . most of the time , though , it 's a stiff pageant .",
        "frivolously entertaining .",
        "queen 's biopic is more tender romance than historical saga .",
        "if the MOV never transcends its fussy trappings -- it 's still a familiar costume drama -- it remains brisk and intelligent .",
        "if you ever saw the devil wears prada , you know blunt can be the most dynamic , scene stealing , vivacious actress on the screen . what happened ?!?!?!",
        "frothy , spirited and fairly inconsequential . i like that about it .",
        "the MOV may impart copious amounts of detail about its fascinating protagonists , but it 's not a mere tutorial : it 's a heady , thoroughly transporting plunge .",
        "the film could n't be more square or old-fashioned if it tried",
        "vallee takes care to make sure his movie stays intimate . the characters are involved in world-changing events , but the film feels personal because those events turn on the little decisions of human beings .",
        "if you like this sort of movie -- and actually , cards on the table , i like this kind of movie -- you will not be sorry you saw it . but you will not come away from the experience feeling that you 've seen victoria , young or otherwise .",
        "the MOV is a simple story sumptuously told .",
        "fans of romantic movies will savor the MOV ... with all its pomp and circumstance",
        "parental content review",
        "ultimately , it is this mature understanding of the couple 's relationship , which goes beyond politics and romantic love , that makes the MOV affecting .",
        "an elegant costume drama about the early years of victoria , the longest reigning queen in english history .",
        "respectful without being at all stuffy ."],
    "summary": "emily blunt shines as victoria in this romantic but plodding royal portrait .",
    "id": "770802544"
  },
  {
    "movie": "control_room",
    "reviews":
     [
        "yes , the filmmakers ultimately lean left , but it 's the u.s. military 's pr guy , josh rushing , who stands out as the strongest and most likable personality .",
        "movies do n't reveal the truth , but good ones like this can provide an intimate and nuanced glimpse at some alternative reality .",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- xplodes the myth of objectivity ... -lsb- but -rsb- leaves you with the very hopeful feeling that there 's a wide middle ground that has room for all perspectives .",
        "em um ano que gerou \u00f3timos filmes como f9/11 , bush 's brain , the hunting of the president e outfoxed , este ainda se destaca como o mais eloq\u00fcente .",
        "explores the difficulties that journalists face in a war situation better than most films do .",
        "is simply up to what all journalists should be about in the face of a corporatized , monolithic media - ruffling feathers . this advisory could n't have come sooner .",
        "`` MOV '' acknowledges wartime journalism sits between objectivity and propaganda , indifference and passion . neutrality does n't exist ; to avoid gore is a stance . in a way , it 's tv 's true reality - the impossibility of objective footage of horror .",
        "fascinating documentary for mature older teens + .",
        "it might at least make you stop and think the next time you hear something on the news that 's presented as gospel .",
        "iraqis do n't question the military power of the u.s. , but rightly have plenty of evidence to question its wisdom",
        "what noujaim does show is the side rarely seen over here , and she does so in a way that 's brisk , informative and even entertaining in its own wrenching way .",
        "an eye-opening , important film that examines the war in iraq from both arab and western perspectives .",
        "it 's an intriguing , entertaining glimpse at the inner workings of the most-watched television channel in the world .",
        "riveting documentary about al-jazeera has a simple , sturdy structure , a critical eye and a plain-spoken style .",
        "whatever your beliefs about the war in iraq , there 's something here to make you question them .",
        "an overdue antidote to the carefully managed news that came out of the u.s. central command during the war .",
        "an enlightening documentary about how the u.s. networks and the arab satellite news channel al jazeera covered the early days of the war in iraq .",
        "it puts us in the shoes of men and women for whom the war is not something distant and intangible but a bloodbath in their own back yard , which makes them the very definition of embedded journalists .",
        "it 's hard to come out of this film without wanting to ask questions - you may never watch the news the same way again .",
        "this modest yet necessary documentary digs into the tussle between bias and balance in modern journalism and sends you out debating where one side 's reporting becomes the other side 's distortion .",
        "a thoughtful look at the network the pentagon describes as `` the mouthpiece of osama bin laden . ''",
        "takes us behind the scenes at the much-maligned -- but much-watched -- al-jazeera before and during the war , and the result is fascinating and revelatory .",
        "the optimistic viewer will see in all this blunt and messy contrariness the emergence of the first free press in the arab world .",
        "bush and rumsfeld have called al-jazeera `` the mouthpiece of osama bin-laden . '' you might find truth to that statement next to saddam hussein 's weapons of mass destruction .",
        "noujaim has done better than most of us at being in the right places at the right times to catch the imperial machinery in its most vulnerable , damning moments .",
        "in the words of an al jazeera producer : ` rumsfeld calls this `` incitement . '' i call it true journalism . '",
        "noujaim 's viewers will learn little new about the inner workings of al jazeera , its philosophy , or its influence on its 40 million viewers .",
        "lieutenant josh rushing emerges as a voice of reason , a moral arbiter between al-jazeera and fox news .",
        "`` MOV '' is more than just a compelling film . it 's a public service .",
        "shines most brightly when it 's exploring unexpected ambiguities .",
        "jehane noujaim utilizes an easy observational style to get her point across .",
        "the revolution will be televised",
        "judicious and revealing ... despite some unfortunate omissions ... tune it in , and it may tell you something you did n't know -- and entertain you as well .",
        "compelling cinema verite documentary chronicling the working methods of the al jazeera news agency during the prelude and beginnings of the iraq war .",
        "like the best documentaries , MOV spurs questions rather than promoting an agenda .",
        "-lsb- the filmmaker got -rsb- home with a bunch of marginal scenes and only the sketchiest chance of editing them into a story .",
        "of films that should be required viewing as the conflict in iraq continues to drag on and be reported , this is surely among them .",
        "the most profound work to date on how our government has manipulated news coverage in iraq .",
        "the zippily edited doc is relentlessly entertaining , with plenty of drama and even a few moments of dark humor .",
        "noujaim ably reveals the splits between truth and perception , raw anger and calculated hypocrisy .",
        "more illuminating than not , and shines its brightest light on a truth that war and warmongers so ferociously ignore : look hard into the other 's camp and what you 'll likely see is yourself .",
        "it gives audiences in the western world a glimpse into newsgathering efforts that are rarely if ever seen here .",
        "modest in scope and not as well structured as it could have been , MOV may not seem all that compelling 10 years down the road . but right now , at this very moment , it is essential , imperative viewing .",
        "in this documentary , you get the feeling that people are actually listening to each other . it 's refreshing in these times of michael moore .",
        "` the press , not war , is the necessary evil in MOV and information is now more powerful than missiles . '",
        "noujaim 's documentary is clearly sympathetic to the journalists of al-jazeera , who all seem to be professional , intelligent and reasonable , but it is not blindly biased .",
        "with the western and arab worlds increasingly at one another 's throats , the sliver of hope for finding common ground this film provides is nothing short of a revelation .",
        "MOV demonstrates little filmmaking skill ... all video stock and mostly harsh fluorescent lighting . what is being portrayed is more important than how .",
        "important not so much in that it is a great documentary , but it raises some of the implications of our own biased media coverage .",
        "given that most americans know the network only by reputation , or via donald rumsfeld 's public denunciations of it , a little more objective information would not have gone amiss .",
        "the film 's focused portrayal of al-jazeera clashes with its more haphazard grouping of american media outlets .",
        "noujaim 's anxiety-provoking documentary about how the light of truth shifts when filtered through a screen of nationalism , arab or american .",
        "nobody interested in world affairs can afford to miss it .",
        "a timely and provocative critique of the notion of journalistic objectivity .",
        "the most stunning fact elicited by this film is that al-jazeera is hated as much by some arab rulers as by conservative americans .",
        "reveals the humanity of the opponents on both sides ... and government 's attempt to deny that humanity at all costs .",
        "at once a clear-eyed document of the war , an inquiry into the way events become filtered into news , and a complex , surprising portrait of the personalities behind the scenes .",
        "this absorbing , significant , and shamelessly entertaining movie not only goes through the looking glass but , no less significantly , turns the mirror back on us .",
        "shows how propaganda works on both sides and how the truth is often somewhere in between .",
        "the mood of jehane noujaim 's bristling documentary about al jazeera , the satellite news network , is both frenetic and grim .",
        "an absorbing behind-the-scenes documentary about al jazeera shows .",
        "what makes the MOV important is that it gives us a glimpse of a viewpoint we might not otherwise see .",
        "a documentary as subtle , insightful and evenhanded as fahrenheit 9/11 is obvious and one-sided .",
        "a perceptive picture of the way in which modern warfare has turned the information battle into its permanent second front .",
        "the value of the film is limited in only pointing out that the network is not really as monstrous as portrayed in the american media .",
        "insightful and gripping .",
        "takes an unusually balanced look at the consistently unbalanced coverage of the war in iraq .",
        "enlightening documentary looks at the arabic satellite television network al-jazeera .",
        "an eye-opening documentary .",
        "truth is , one country 's propaganda is another country 's truth .",
        "americans watch cnn . the arab world watches al-jazeera . this movie watches both and helps us understand how no attempt or pretense of objectivity can ever escape bias .",
        "puts a tormented human face on the demon that has been such a thorn in the side of the bush administration .",
        "the struggle to report news , or even to decide what constitutes news , pervades the american war against iraq .",
        "we do n't have barry maguire and angry bob dylan , but we do have this -- let 's hope it 's enough .",
        "hits you in the head like a right hook",
        "an invaluable record of the media 's role in a war that some analysts have likened to the ` quagmire ' of vietnam .",
        "noujaim 's eye-opening documentary consistently asks the tough questions , while giving its subjects -lrb- and , implicitly , the audience -rrb- a remarkable forum for discussion .",
        "essential viewing for anyone who cares about the nature of propaganda .",
        "a fascinating document and demands to be seen and discussed by every adult american .",
        "unlike most american media outlets , al-jazeera happens to be one news service that the pentagon has n't been able to `` manage . ''",
        "shows the value of being in the right place at the right time and how doing so can untangle sympathetic and unflattering contradictions to reveal a truth .",
        "the value in MOV is simply that it shows what america never got to see while also serving as a reminder that nobody serves up the real truth , everybody just serves up their truth .",
        "it does a good job of showing just how much media manipulation is taken for granted by those who have the job of massaging the facts and the ones who simply lie back and enjoy it .",
        "this fascinating look at the inner workings of the al jazeera arab news network ca n't help but cause viewers to question everything we 're fed by the media beast .",
        "this engrossing portrait of competing notions of truth is at once a thrilling real-time chronicle of the birth of a free press and a sophisticated philosophical treatise on the nature of objective reality .",
        "enlightening , if structurally relaxed documentary .",
        "we all have our rigidities , and MOV may wake you up a bit .",
        "if you 're interested in keeping an open mind on the still developing iraqi saga , MOV is a first-rate way to encounter more than one point of view .",
        "as a portrait of the media 's own iraq war , this is a memorable , if not fully satisfying , film .",
        "a glimpse of a world where everything is reversed , where our most cherished preconceptions are called into question and reality proves to be a more complex business than we imagined .",
        "a riveting documentary by jehane noujaim that gives a insightful and diverse behind-the-scenes look at the al jazeera news operation during operation iraqi freedom .",
        "is al jazeera perfect ? certainly not , but when you watch how they put together their news , you realize that the best journalism during the war was n't coming from the us .",
        "it 's a worthwhile exercise in bridging the east-west culture gap .",
        "if there are indeed two sides to every story , MOV offers an unparalleled opportunity to observe the other side and then make up our own minds .",
        "MOV should be required viewing for anyone within reach of a tv signal .",
        "for those who are interested in wartime truth , this film reminds us that the casualty has been somewhat reduced .",
        "biased and boring .",
        "... a raw , unblinking examination of how the first draft of history is revised by those who filter it .",
        "a must-see movie .",
        "while it provides some insight into the arab perspective on the war , MOV is a mere peek inside a window that would benefit from being thrown wide open .",
        "without being didactic , the documentary raises important issues about bias and objectivity .",
        "offers us a fierce yet often surprisingly friendly debate about the clashing ways in which the u.s. invasion and takeover of iraq have been portrayed by american and arab journalists , placing matters in context ."],
    "summary": "a fascinating , enlightening behind-the-scenes look at the al jazeera network .",
    "id": "18123"
  },
  {
    "movie": "small_time_crooks",
    "reviews":
     [
        "funny and nostalgic in a complex way .",
        "the film has plenty of laughs , delivers woody firmly tucked back in his humor saddle .",
        "the film features some of the best comedic acting that you will ever see . period .",
        "MOV is a small-change woody allen film . it 's also the writer-director 's funniest in years .",
        "a slight and competent movie .",
        "an enjoyable and refreshing piece .",
        "as funny as any of his recent comic successes .",
        "more fun than anything woody allen has written and directed since bullets over broadway .",
        "in MOV , woody allen gets back to what he does best .",
        "a lighthearted romp that combines caper high jinks and social satire in an enjoyably satisfying manner .",
        "very funny .",
        "it 's sad to see the deterioration of such a giant of the art form .",
        "MOV , is n't anywhere near as hilarious as i hoped it would be .",
        "a silly , mildly amusing diversion , missing its potential to be a hysterically funny screwball classic .",
        "unexciting acting .",
        "thin , clich\u00e9d comedy of crime and social climbing contains some scattered laughs and whole lot of padding .",
        "it 's familiar stuff , and some of the jokes are thin .",
        "allen fans could find it a depressing experience .",
        "a collection of twitches .",
        "sloppily conceived .",
        "allen 's performance , like the movie , feels less manic than his standard comic persona .",
        "delivers small time laughs .",
        "this is vintage allen , his powers intact after a string of increasingly cranky , creaky films in the last few years .",
        "sweet and affirmative .",
        "i do n't know if MOV would appeal to a regular fan of woody allen 's , but it should delight tracy ullman fans no matter what .",
        "elaine may steals the show .",
        "the talented comedian tracey ullman carries this comedy with her \u00e9lan and spunky contentiousness .",
        "the obviousness of the humour is fine , because the tone is so old-fashioned .",
        "tracey ullman is allen 's best on-screen match since diane keaton in annie hall ; smart , funny , a fully-developed character .",
        "n\u0103o \u00e9 um filme espetacular , como alguns dos trabalhos anteriores de allen , mas \u00e9 bastante superior a diversas bobagens produzidas por hollywood nos \u00faltimos tempos .",
        "not much here to interest to children .",
        "i 'm happy to report that the new film , MOV , is a return to good laughs and good fun .",
        "aching for conceptual wisdom .",
        "there are just enough woody sight gags and one-liners for this film to keep its head above water .",
        "a bit slow , a bit been-done , and the bottom line is that allen in a pair of shorts these days is a little rough on the eyes .",
        "hardly unique .",
        "allen 's first motion picture of the 21st-century , and , no doubt , one of his brightest and sunny in years .",
        "although it has a few nice laughs , the movie never rises above forgettable fluff .",
        "a welcome return to the wacky woody .",
        "everything gels in MOV , thanks largely to the chemistry between woody allen and the remarkable tracey ullman .",
        "acting aside , crooks ultimately succeeds on the strength of a wickedly hilarious script that proves woody still has his funny bone .",
        "a wonderful alternative to the season 's bloated blockbusters .",
        "a pleasantly surprising little treat .",
        "it 's ripe with zingers .",
        "... its slack pace , aided by allen 's insistence on slow , improvisational acting styles , plus its soft center turn the film into an allen also-ran .",
        "it plays more like a second draft than a final product .",
        "MOV is appealing .",
        "while MOV may not be the most successful of -lsb- allen 's -rsb- straight comedies , it 's still a pleasure to watch .",
        "the ensemble cast performs in perfect cadence .",
        "the characters in MOV are smarter , edgier and more original than the dreary crowd in so many new comedies .",
        "what it lacks in weight and depth , it more than compensates for in enjoyment .",
        "a delicious comedy .",
        "the grown-up 's comedy of choice for summer .",
        "allen does n't push the material as far or as hard as he might have .",
        "this hit-and-miss effort is a bit like watching your favorite home-run hitter trying to play out his career on two bad knees .",
        "i wish i could recommend MOV more strongly , but the truth is that it 's a weak -lrb- bordering on inconsequential -rrb- entry into the director 's canon .",
        "more palatable than anything allen has done for a while .",
        "a cheerfully silly caper comedy that mixes in a little of ` my fair lady ' and a lot of ` the honeymooners ' as it breezes along . ... allen and tracey ullman spar and slander each other with an almost maniacal glee .",
        "these people offer no sense that they exist beyond the bits of exposition that allen has written into his screenplay .",
        "a half-baked affair that 's a pastiche of better , more inventive comedies .",
        "it 's very , very lightweight stuff .",
        "ullman and grant are fun to watch , but the real standout performance is elaine may as frenchy 's dim-witted cousin .",
        "a lot of it is enjoyable .",
        "allen 's most likable and funny comedy in quite some time .",
        "MOV , finally , brings allen back to form .",
        "while MOV is certainly enjoyable enough to merit a recommendation , any notions of a full-blown return to the zaniness of sleeper or take the money and run can be dismissed as wishful thinking .",
        "a return to the good old days of woody allen comedy .",
        "MOV stacks up pretty favourably to woody 's cinematic debut .",
        "alert jokes .",
        "allen 's funniest , least sour outing in nearly a decade is a small movie with a tidy payoff .",
        "MOV finds woody allen back in a comfortable comic groove .",
        "an entertaining laugh fest ."],
    "summary": "woody allen rises from his recent slump with MOV . a simple , funny movie , crooks proves allen still has the touch that made his name synonymous with off-beat comedy .",
    "id": "11792"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1071267-arrival",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- sheen -rsb- spends most of the movie in a kind of sweaty apoplexy that makes one worry for his health .",
        "this is not a dumb movie ; in fact , with its heavy reliance upon real science , it 's startlingly credible .",
        "the movie is as smart as `` mission : impossible '' is dumb .",
        "a movie that shoehorns a blunt warning into its silly but entertaining story of a young radio astronomer 's one-man battle against sinister extraterrestrials .",
        "no logic , little character development and a thin story that is supposed to be compensated for by startling effects .",
        "the MOV is part sci-fi action flick , part conspiracy thriller , and all preposterous nonsense .",
        "a hokey summer entertainment that is full of big machinery , satellite dishes du jour , long embarrassing close-ups and gaps in logic through which large ufos could hurtle .",
        "`` the MOV '' is a good 20 minutes too long and heavy with useless scenes in which we learn far too much about sheen 's relationship with his girlfriend .",
        "it 's like `` stakeout '' with a glossier sheen .",
        "the aliens-among-us plot gets a very entertaining and inventive update .",
        "you know a movie 's in trouble when it 's called the MOV and nothing arrives -- the film 's aliens are already here .",
        "what it lacks in sophistication -lrb- everything -rrb- , it partly makes up for in sheer gall .",
        "less an alien invasion movie than a conspiracy film -lrb- it just hapens to turn out that the conspirators are aliens -rrb- .",
        "sheen is working outside of his element , but the energy he puts into his multidimensional character helps keep the story moving .",
        "it 's a strong , lean piece of writing that moves quickly . nothing is wasted , and nothing happens the way you 'd expect .",
        "... the MOV is a stylish and fast-paced thriller .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a good premise , hampered by a weak ending ."],
    "summary": "stylish and inventive , the MOV offers a surprisingly smart spin on the alien invasion genre .",
    "id": "12510"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_trip_to_italy_2014",
    "reviews":
     [
        "now we know just what to expect from coogan and brydon , although as long as you 're willing to settle in for the ride , that 's not necessarily a bad thing .",
        "underneath the achingly beautiful surface , a sense of opportunities lost and roads not taken often lurks .",
        "at its heart , MOV is more than just a travelogue about food . it 's about friendship and the appetite for experience we all share .",
        "as enjoyable as the first movie was , its follow-up successfully evolves that formula into an equally enjoyable film .",
        "MOV is a near-perfect sequel once again filled with delectable treats , non-stop laughter , and a slew of impressions that almost outshine the gorgeous plates of 5-star italian delicacies .",
        "michael winterbottom and his gifted actors still have n't quite solved the riddle of portraying social disconnection in a manner that 's anything other than sporadically involving .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- everywhere you look , history keeps rearing its inevitable head for coogan or brydon to tickle when they are n't feasting on italian food and wine . this is a vacation you 'll want to go on more than once .",
        "after all their decades of comical sparring , rob brydon finally makes steve coogan crack up on camera",
        "the whole thing is a thin and flimsy travelogue but the banter between the pair makes it better and far funnier than it has any right to be .",
        "i could watch brydon and coogan read the phone book , because they 'd make it funny . in fact , watching them eat and riff is not far removed from reading a phone book ; and it is very , very funny . a total delight from start to finish .",
        "british comedians and dueling partners steve coogan and rob brydon are back in this witty and incisive follow-up to `` the trip . ''",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "rob brydon surprises in the best way possible and proves to be the x-factor that makes this trip to italy that bit different and more interesting than the first .",
        "it 's difficult to imagine how anyone with even a mild affinity for dry english wit and ennui could be turned off by brydon 's and coogan 's sharp brand of self-aware , self-deprecating banter .",
        "while steve coogan and rob brydon are fun and draw some solid laughs from the limitations of the premise , this particular trip is still baggy and self-indulgent .",
        "MOV is just an assault of laughs ...",
        "there is no denying coogan and brydon 's comedic chemistry ; their impersonations are humorous -lrb- especially their elongated bit about the dark knight rises and tom hardy -rrb- , but that alone can not carry an entire narrative .",
        "one would have hoped for a fresher menu of gags , situations and conversation topics ... a likeable travelogue with some lovely scenery , it 's pleasant time-killing stuff .",
        "but the chief pleasure lies once again in the free-flowing and largely improvised chitchat between rob and steve , little sketches and impersonations , riffs built on the latest fads and fashionable cliches .",
        "the scrumptious combo of good food , beautiful italy and the unbridled wit of steve coogan and rob brydon makes this a compelling affair",
        "it 's still a distinct pleasure watching banter between comedic actors this good .",
        "this hedonistic japery is shot through with middle-aged melancholy and the fear of death .",
        "`` MOV '' does feel kind of like a second helping of pasta - just as tasty as the first , but not quite as necessary .",
        "if it 's your cup of tea , you 're likely to spill it from laughing so hard . somebody send these two on another holiday .",
        "consists entirely of dueling impressions , food porn , and spirited breakdowns of alanis morissette songs . of course i loved it .",
        "an expanded traveling road show of goofy my dinner with andre moments without the pretension of hardcore art-house approach",
        "comedy sequel MOV is almost exactly like its predecessor the trip , and for the most part , that 's a good thing .",
        "a sadder , more penetrating - yet still very funny - work that may linger in the mind longer than the trip .",
        "is it inappropriate to laugh in the presence of a petrified victim of the volcanic eruption at pompeii , even if that ` presence ' is footage on a movie screen ? if you think the answer is ` yes , ' then please avoid ` MOV . '",
        "tagging along with these exaggerated versions of the two stars is just about as enjoyable the second time around .",
        "it 's that melancholy within each man that saves the film from disposability .",
        "as coogan warns brydon early on , `` it feels odd to do something for the second time . '' like all good advice , though , it falls on deaf ears .",
        "yes , these friends play rough and you would n't want to compete at their table , but through winterbottom 's funny and slyly serious film , you can experience their creativity from a seat nearby .",
        "the funniest bits are when the mimicry and the insults converge .",
        "the celebrity mimicry and the shouted jokes still ca n't conceal how stale around the edges the concept is getting .",
        "while this second course may not be as startlingly scrumptious as its predecessor , this dandy reunion still serves up a mighty delicious treat .",
        "neither of the `` trip '' movies is just random comedy bits ; although partly improvised and deliberately episodic , they are actually carefully constructed narrative films with actors and characters .",
        "ah , to be famous or just funny enough for someone to pay for your freewheeling jaunt along the amalfi coast !",
        "the sumptuous views of gorgeous locations and savory foods combine with the improvised dialogue and behavior to give these movies a sensuous sort of spontaneity .",
        "the pair bicker cheekily and needle each other in clever , amusing ways . at their best , they have almost a syncopated rhythm to their comical sparring .",
        "what i find appealing about these films is their sloping , improvisational air , their quality of catching a moment of life on the wing , as when brydon startles coogan with a joke so good he ca n't stop himself from laughing .",
        "the result is delectable , in spite of mr. coogan 's self-conscious misgivings-meta-commentary on the film itself , one imagines-about repeating the trip .",
        "even if getting older can be a drag , at least the meals get much , much better .",
        "MOV 's total lack of necessity has little bearing on its enjoyability .",
        "more very funny impersonations from rob brydon and steve coogan .",
        "if you go in for allusive british humor that builds slowly from dry to uproarious , as executed by two absolute masters of the form , `` MOV '' will work for you , i believe .",
        "as befits its settings , MOV aims higher than its predecessor-maybe too high-and is n't as fresh . i enjoyed it , though .",
        "MOV ends abruptly , but for almost two distinctly pleasurable hours , the film lets audiences be third parties in coogan and brydon 's dinner conversation .",
        "coogan and brydon make terrific companions for us partially because , at least as they appear onscreen , they 're so amusingly incompatible themselves .",
        "as the film moseyed on i wished director michael winterbottom would sharpen his focus a bit and get to the point , any point .",
        "should they go on to explore the dining options of other nations , they 'd be well advised to expand their comic horizons a little bit and leave the phony efforts at drama behind .",
        "in MOV , it feels as if they 're simply doing a routine , and it 's the same shtick we 've already seen .",
        "while rick steves possesses an extensive amount of useful information , he may have some competition if steve coogan and rob brydon ever start compiling travel guides .",
        "a virtual duplication of the original trip experience .",
        "if steve coogan and rob brydon were even 7 percent less amusing , `` MOV '' would have no reason to exist , even with its casually gorgeous scenery and shattering close-ups of seafood pasta fresh out of the kitchen .",
        "`` MOV '' may not quite measure up to `` the godfather , part ii , '' the platinum standard for movie sequels , but it 's very funny , and slightly serious , all the same .",
        "while the conceit of michael winterbottom 's MOV is basically a carbon copy of 2010 's the trip , this follow up is no less winning and is actually more charming than its predecessor .",
        "another often hilarious buddy/food/road trip through some of the most picturesque vistas italy has to offer .",
        "if it 's engaging male banter you crave , it does n't get any better than this .",
        "if you enjoyed the first trip , there is no reason you wo n't enjoy the second . it 's familiar enough with its brand of improvisational humor , but just different enough -lrb- apart from the location -rrb- to stretch out the expiration date .",
        "this is a sequel that , for a change , was worth making .",
        "coogan and brydon are locked into a routine that reliably amuses but , perhaps , one they have mastered too well to examine their own privilege .",
        "a tasty food tour film and a buddy road movie , that registers as a pleasing comedy .",
        "you wish they 'd challenged themselves a bit more with this film , and not gone the `` if it worked once , let 's do it again '' route .",
        "it 's ` second verse , same as the first . ' thank god .",
        "... yields some big laughs , some picturesque scenery and some amusing celebrity impressions , although it 's not as consistently funny or fresh as the prior installment .",
        "counterbalancing these shortcomings , however , is the comic chemistry of coogan and brydon . numerous sterling moments result from their brainy , breezy pairing .",
        "we asked for more , and we got it . but maybe two is enough .",
        "dueling comics and great scenery",
        "here 's hoping winterbottom does n't wait another four years before cooking up a third course .",
        "better than the first perhaps because the cultural references are tied more organically to the emotional state of their characters . or perhaps it 's because `` MOV '' is just funnier , tighter , and more focused .",
        "the leads ' tart comedic rapport remains exquisite as they once again play fictionalised versions of themselves , traveling , eating and riffing for our considerable amusement .",
        "their improvisation has been honed to the point where the jokes land solidly without losing naturalism and the pair of them are clearly enjoying la dolce vita ...",
        "coogan , brydon and winterbottom journey to the mediterranean in this warmly enjoyable continuation of their improvised cultural and culinary adventures .",
        "we know the recipe now-winterbottom never departs from it , giving this installment slightly less kick-but the guys have curious appetites they barely understand .",
        "coogan and brydon are endlessly entertaining . watching these two have a go at each other is a pleasure .",
        "MOV is a hilarious romp through the italian countryside .",
        "plenty enjoyable for fans of the first one , but by the end , it also has the consistency of reheated comfort food .",
        "` MOV ' is probably the most fun i have had at the movies so far this year .",
        "MOV ... presents less a narrative than a series of dinnertime conversations between fictionalized versions of steve coogan and rob brydon .",
        "steve coogan and rob brydon are reinvesting the so-called buddy comedy with the concept that , sometimes , friendship is not enough .",
        "it is when they -lsb- coogan and brydon -rsb- get serious and move away from the buddy road trip that brings `` MOV '' down a notch .",
        "you come for the conversation , and in that , `` MOV '' rarely disappoints .",
        "we get more michael caine impersonations with garbled `` dark knight '' christian bale and tom hardy takes ... while this sounds like recycling , some of it is side splitting , as is quick-witted punning on such things as a woman 's gait and kumquats -lrb- ! -rrb- .",
        "i 'd follow these guys '' ` round the horn '' in a second . maybe that 's where they 'll head next time .",
        "it 's a skimpy premise for a movie , but it works because the two men are just so darned funny .",
        "steve coogan and rob brydon work hard to be funny in this ultimate piece of luxuriant fluff requiring a surfeit of viewer indulgence .",
        "taken on its own terms , though , it 's a pleasant trifle aided immeasurably by a setting that 's just as sumptuous -lrb- if not more so -rrb- than any of the rustic italian meals the stars chow down on .",
        "if `` MOV '' begins shakily , it ends with expansive bliss ...",
        "if you laughed at coogan and brydon 's -lrb- sometimes astonishing -rrb- mimicry in `` the trip , '' you 'll smile again . if not , you probably wo n't go out of your way to find the sequel .",
        "in a summer full of sequels , who would have thought one of the best ones would feature two british comedians having even more conversations over dinner ?",
        "MOV does n't feel entirely new , but there 's comfort in familiarity , too .",
        "the script 's guideposts are tighter , and both men are even more on their game .",
        "where comedy provides the tonic in so many films , it 's the hint of reality that pushes in at the edges and changes the pace here . these guys are funny . but they know their longer trip will continue once the last plate of pasta is empty .",
        "leisurely and sublimely sybaritic , filled with irrepressibly clever repartee",
        "in pompeii they confront their own mortality and brydon does his man in a box bit , never more appropriately .",
        "director michael winterbottom may entice us with five-course gourmet meals and historic hotel rooms formerly inhabited by bogie and garbo , but nothing is as appetizing as watching coogan and brydon serving up their rolicking improvisational skills .",
        "by the time coogan is addressing brydon as yorick in a skull-filled catacomb outside naples , the film 's true subject has been made as crystal clear as the case surrounding a lava-crusted corpse in old pompeii .",
        "... a stale rehash of its demonstrably superior predecessor ...",
        "ever been on a trip with absurdly witty people who constantly one-up each other , to the point that it 's either hilarious or exhausting ?",
        "some second courses are delicious , others an acquired taste . this pasta-filled follow-up to `` the trip '' is a little of both .",
        "sequels are often criticized , and rightfully so , for merely repeating whatever it is that made the first film a success . but `` MOV '' realizes that sometimes there 's nothing wrong with serving up a second helping of a satisfying dish .",
        "with winterbottom 's first-ever sequel , his `` trip '' films now rival linklater 's `` before '' series in charting how a twosome evolves over time . plus , they 're bloody hilarious .",
        "as we watch , the thought keeps returning , over and over : why watch these people ? what 's the point ? film anybody 's trip to italy , and it would be more interesting than this , or at least equally boring .",
        "the movie soon grows tedious ; coogan 's irritation with his traveling partner has diminished significantly , and the laughs along with it .",
        "the caine impressions are still good , as they were in the first film , but some of the others are hard to figure out . and much of the material seems stale .",
        "MOV will rekindle an appreciation for that special friend -lrb- or friends -rrb- with whom you can always be yourself , who knows how to make you laugh , who accepts you without judgment and without fail .",
        "`` MOV '' is like most vacations : a few bumps here and there , but over all too quickly ."],
    "summary": "while perhaps not quite as fresh as coogan and brydon 's original voyage in the trip , MOV still proves a thoroughly agreeable sequel .",
    "id": "771371773"
  },
  {
    "movie": "aberdeen",
    "reviews":
     [
        "intelligent , moving and often beautifully photographed .",
        "a ferociously observant study of two characters .",
        "a raw , haunting experience .",
        "difficult to watch , but it 's also impossible to take your eyes off the screen .",
        "moland has again directed skarsgard into a new frontier of dramatic acting , and what is probably the most nakedly convincing performance of his career .",
        "a sentimental and painfully mundane european drama .",
        "a little european indie pic that digs down to the roots of its characters , describing people 's lives and relationships in ways that resonate with clarity and heart .",
        "clean and transparent , with no movie director tricks .",
        "i can not think of another film that treats so heatedly the range of emotional possibilities between a young woman and her father .",
        "-lsb- headey 's -rsb- performance not only gives definition and emotional force to a shapeless movie , but it 's the kind of star turn that will have hollywood producers and agents engaged in kickboxing death matches to ink her .",
        "contrived or not , anything that stirs raw emotions as MOV does is worth a viewing .",
        "a gripping film about the tattered ties of familial love that matter even to ferociously wayward and addicted individuals .",
        "moland ... has a fine eye for landscapes , but an even surer touch with actors .",
        "the movie is to be admired for refusing to romanticize alcoholism and for finding , in its bleak story , much humor and emotion .",
        "the acting alone ca n't fill the motivational gaps .",
        "hans petter moland avoids the usual movie cliches of addiction and abuse in his fierce , discomforting portraits ...",
        "a strangely lyrical tale of addiction and family distance .",
        "evokes the long , lonesome noir tableaux of american painter edward hopper .",
        "grips us precisely because its actors are so utterly absorbed in their roles , so unfettered and nakedly expressive .",
        "the material is treated with such brutal honesty and the performances are so strong that it actually makes what should be stale material look fresh .",
        "the near-perfect cast has talent to burn .",
        "a magnificently acted , bold tale of a father-daughter relationship that is hard to shake .",
        "like all family reunions , this one 's difficult to attend -- but worth it .",
        "moland brings to his film a sensitivity to the complexities of evolving relationships .",
        "directed with a fierce honesty by norwegian hans petter moland .",
        "it 's a confusing road-trip flick , but headey 's terrific outing is more than enough to hold the mess together .",
        "skarsgard 's remarkable , drunk or sober .",
        "the people who made the scottish MOV could have saved themselves some trouble if they 'd come to america and watched a couple weeks ' worth of tv movies .",
        "under the guiding hand of co-writer-director hans petter moland , the leads offer beautifully realized performances .",
        "the characters , irritating as they can be at first , grow on you as they grow up .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- frank father-daughter drama .",
        "for all its attempts at bending the rules , MOV still comes off as frustratingly conventional .",
        "an uncompromising family tale , one that 's dark but lyrical and moving in its rendering of the ties that bind even the most dysfunctional families , despite valiant efforts to destroy them .",
        "it 's a twisted , very human ride where the remarkable , effortless acting of both headey and skarsgard is rich with sympathy , heartbreak and morbid humor .",
        "miraculously manages to sidestep easy manipulation .",
        "a raw , harrowing film with a streak of dark , sometimes rowdy humor .",
        "no matter how much insight we eventually gain into tom and kaisa one must ask exactly who would want to gain insight into these people .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though the characters are difficult to watch at times , MOV burns with ferocious honesty and strong performances .",
    "id": "20846"
  },
  {
    "movie": "chicago",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this film adaptation , written by bill condon , is somewhat kinder and gentler than the stage versions that preceded it .",
        "the curtain on `` MOV '' goes up this week , and with it the resurgence of movie musicals ... if anyone else can make one this good .",
        "with her dynamic dancing and singing , catherine zeta-jones emerges as a force of nature in this killer musical .",
        "funny , smart , and with enough energy for two musicals , MOV is one of the best films of 2002 , and one of the best musicals ever .",
        "while MOV boasts plenty of razzle-dazzle , jazz and pizazz , it 's not quite the bedazzling broadway-to - hollywood musical triumph some of us have hoped for all these years .",
        "MOV is n't a great musical , but in an era when the filmed art form has all but died out , a musical that does n't look like a music video is a welcome sight .",
        "... MOV is dazzling entertainment ...",
        "this is a funny , entertaining , scintillating 113 minutes that everyone should enjoy .",
        "spectacular , extravagant , and ` all that jazz ! '",
        "this could jump start movie musicals .",
        "MOV looks better than it sounds",
        "a piece of stagecraft so thrilling -- and spontaneously combustible -- that audiences at the two screenings of the movie i attended kept erupting into applause .",
        "the best thing you can say about MOV is that it 's a great advertisement for the real , live thing .",
        "with its instantly catchy score , imaginative choreography and rat-tat-tat pacing , MOV is as weighty as a bag of cotton candy , and just as addictive .",
        "it 's not just one of the best movies of the year , but one of the best movies in many a year .",
        "dazzling and sugar-sweet , a blast of shallow magnificence that only sex , scandal , and a chorus line of dangerous damsels can deliver .",
        "the picture opens big with ` all that jazz ' and goes out bigger with ` all that i want ' and ` razzle dazzle . ' this is an all-around crowd pleaser .",
        "the screen ` MOV ' is missing the hard , perverse edginess that made the broadway revival so effective ... the edges have been rounded , the ironies softened and replaced with flashy camera work and cutting .",
        "big , bright , brassy and almost dangerous to know , MOV does to sceptics what al capone did to stool pigeons .",
        "marshall depicts flashes of thought and lust for fame with spaghetti straps , sequins , rolled stockings , songs through lush lips , gyrating hips and clever segues , as the act of murder blurs into top-notch movie entertainment .",
        "MOV represents something of an artifact from a dark and dangerous era , reconstructed with lots of zest and little depth .",
        "look , this is a terrific flick replete with dazzling camera-work , dancing and music .",
        "there are a lot of words that could describe this musical , but the best summation would lay within these two : it 's alive .",
        "now , that 's entertainment !",
        "` two hours of chocolate-coated pleasure . '",
        "by the end of MOV , just about everyone in it has razzle-dazzled someone , and so has the movie , which leaves you thrilled at how good it feels to see life , death , and girl power turned , once again , into a cabaret .",
        "fun and entertaining .",
        "this is as breathtaking a spectacle as these eyes have seen in years .",
        "choreographer rob marshall makes his feature debut , toning town the fosse-ness and keeping things snappy .",
        "marshall betrays the dancing by never letting us see it properly .",
        "i really enjoyed MOV during its theatrical run , and now that i 've seen it twice more on dvd , the thing 's fast becoming a personal favorite .",
        "a wildly cynical and sardonic piece , yet hysterical in its own right - about as unlike seven brides for seven brothers as you can get",
        "MOV is every bit as good as advertised .",
        "the energy of the performances and john kander and fred ebb 's enduring score push the musical scenes and the entire film over any hurdle -- yes , even including that misbegotten casting of gere .",
        "MOV does not explore an issue . it just shows us the problem . it 's a pretty song about dry rot . it 's a can-can about cancer .",
        "MOV has been brought to the screen by first-time movie director rob marshall , who has shot it like one of those commercials for broadway musicals , the ones that run on the late news in new york city .",
        "the audience in my theater cheered and hollered after each show stopper .",
        "a technically well made film that glorifies all that is rotten in the human spirit .",
        "MOV does not have the visual pyrotechnics of moulin rouge , but it makes that movie 's storytelling look sluggish .",
        "rob marshall 's film of MOV is n't just the most explosively entertaining movie musical in a couple of decades . it 's going to be the most influential .",
        "rob marshall 's feature film debut is spectacular and sleekly entertaining , given considerable luster by an all-star cast who really can sing and dance .",
        "MOV is a rousing , sultry , scintillating spectacle that mixes adultery and murder with comedy , drama and dance",
        "rousing throwback and up-to-the-minute satire , MOV puts the `` all '' in all that jazz .",
        "a very good bet for those who do n't have the leisure to make it to london for the stage show , and want a reliable , cheaper ticket-price approximation with -lrb- mostly -rrb- proper americans in the cast .",
        "marshall frequently cuts between the songs and the story , a trick which will keep mtv audiences interested . still , he does n't use the intercutting so much that older viewers will complain of headaches - as some did with the sensory overloading `` moulin ro",
        "with few respites , marshall keeps the energy humming , and his edits , unlike those in moulin rouge , are crisp and purposeful without overdoing it .",
        "a sexy film that puts tang in its tango",
        "all the main performances are entertaining and touching - if there 's an unearned confidence in zeta-jones ' shirking shoulders , it 's appropriate to her character . they all deserve credit - though when a real singer like queen latifah has her moment , we un",
        "the trouble is the jazzy vaudeville-like musical numbers are energetic but hardly memorable .",
        "`` you ca n't wait for the next song to blast onto the screen in all its chic , sexy , stylish glory . ''",
        "if you like musicals , you will like MOV , as do i . but i 'm sure that i 'll be wondering just how great it could have been for a long , long time .",
        "`` MOV '' is a near-perfect translation of a stage musical that might have worked even better without richard gere .",
        "zellweger ... channels no one less than marilyn monroe . just watch the word ` booze ' drip from her lips .",
        "it 'll knock ya dead , dollface .",
        "it 's zeta-jones who keeps you watching from start to finish .",
        "big-talent movie musical jazzes up a broadway classic -- and provides renee zellweger a chance to truly shine .",
        "gives everyone something to shout about .",
        "MOV is a stunning show stopper , a seamless integration of toe-tapping tunes , riveting routines in the wicked and wonderful seedy side of the swing city .",
        "good , easygoing , sometimes inspired entertainment .",
        "here , finally , is a movie musical made by people who know what they 're doing .",
        "each musical number builds to such a frantic climax that the audience is nearly moved to applaud the actors on screen .",
        "MOV has so much razzle-dazzle that viewers may end up both raised and dazed . it 's remorselessly inventive , trying anything fast and sassy to keep you watching .",
        "considering that none of the three leads is a pro singer or dancer , MOV is surprisingly a brassy , enjoyable movie musical , with at least a couple of risque production numbers .",
        "oscar-winning satire all about the razzle-dazzle .",
        "as the show has always taught us , the public is fickle and fame is fleeting . but some things turn out to be timeless . MOV looks like one of them .",
        "a shallow work without a true moral framework , it sees the world as a posturing showbusiness arena , a stage for celebrities to briefly strut their stuff and go on their way .",
        "this oscar-laden movie rendition , directed by rob marshall , suffers from the kind of ants-in-your-pants mtv editing that prevents you from simply watching and enjoying the musical numbers .",
        "MOV is sexy , sordid and sensational , the windy city 's biggest hit since the st. valentine 's day massacre .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "what makes this more than a film of a great stage show is the way that the action spills seamlessly from the stage sets into real life . magic .",
        "whatever one 's qualms about the material , its execution here is rock solid in ways that keep on impressing , right through to the niftiest end credits sequence in years .",
        "as a reproduction of the stage show , MOV is n't bad , but it makes no persuasive case for itself as a film .",
        "marshall and company have given the old genre a swift , vigorous kick in the pants . MOV is one movie that wo n't let us down ; it 's our kind of town .",
        "you know you have just witnessed a good musical when you leave the theatre or cinema with one , or more , of its songs still ringing in your head ... . but after seeing MOV , i did not whistle or tap my way home .",
        "bawdy , funny and exhilarating , MOV is great entertainment .",
        "MOV may not rank with the classics , but it 's the best traditional movie musical in many a moon .",
        "perhaps someone should have reminded rob marshall that framing , camera angles , and edit points have meaning beyond the provision of eye candy to dissipate potential audience distraction .",
        "in both concept and execution , MOV is the real thing , and may someday be remembered with the very best of its genre .",
        "ren\u00e9e zellweger , catherine zeta-jones and richard gere put so much palpable verve into their high energy performances that one would be scared of wishing them the proverbial , ` break a leg ! ' lest they do .",
        "it 's about time a movie gave us a reason to tap our toes again . here 's to the resurgence of a grand hollywood tradition .",
        "the song and dance numbers are very well staged , even though zellweger and gere are not experienced song and dance people .",
        "after being stuck in years of development , MOV finally arrives on the big screen and the result is spectacular .",
        "this is the sleekest and sexiest movie musical to slither , shake and scintillate on-screen since cabaret .",
        "MOV is no cabaret , but if all you want from your evening 's entertainment is jazz , it 's all that .",
        "fosse would have been pleased by the results .",
        "it 's a delicious movie experience and the best movie musical of the past few decades .",
        "in the rousing and rhythmically spry MOV , marshall delivers a finger-snapping gem that radiates jubilance and promotes its lyrical spirit -- its bounciness and endless energy will have audiences giddy with delight .",
        "when the movie gets it right , it gets it right with pizazz .",
        "when you leave the theater , you 're all jazzed up and ready to go back for another dose of razzle-dazzle .",
        "the song-and-dance numbers are calisthenic but unspectacular , with too much fast cutting , and the tone throughout is harmlessly facetious .",
        "the net effect of the incessant dazzle is depressing .",
        "from the incredible performances to the outstanding songs to all of the technical marvels behind and in front of the camera , there is n't a single weak link to be found .",
        "rob marshall 's screen version of the near-venerable show looks great , in its razzly-dazzly neo-fosse way , and sounds good , especially when renee zellweger 's gorgeous roxie hart is singing her heart out .",
        "despite the hype and an expected bonanza at the box office , the film is actually a disappointment . quite simply , it is edited to death .",
        "it took more than a quarter of a century to bring the 1975 musical MOV to the screen , but it was worth the wait to get it right .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a robust , streamlined adaptation that drips with steamy sex appeal while staying true to the original .",
        "with performers as good as these and the freshness of bill condon 's screenplay and marshall 's direction , there 's really very little wrong with MOV . what it lacks is something intangible -- heat .",
        "just when you think the movie musical has gone the way of the western , along comes rob marshall 's glittery , high-spirited MOV to show that there is astonishing life left in the form after all .",
        "the film has punch , but it never really conveys the delicious , redeeming sense that life can be lived on the hoof .",
        "MOV is a great movie musical .",
        "a delight from start to finish .",
        "a funny , rousing crowd-pleaser .",
        "MOV is my kind of movie musical .",
        "slickly produced and infectiously energetic .",
        "MOV offers much colorful eye candy , including the spectacle of gere in his dancing shoes , hoofing and crooning with the best of them .",
        "director rob marshall went out gunning to make a great one .",
        "renee zellweger is amazing and richard gere brings a life to the screen that he has n't in several years .",
        "rarely has a broadway show been transferred to the screen as inventively and successfully . not only is it one of the 10 best of the year but the participants should be top contenders for oscar gold .",
        "MOV is sophisticated , brash , sardonic , completely joyful in its execution .",
        "this MOV does n't toddle , it swings , it lindy hops , it charlestons the night away , and probably all your woes along with it .",
        "one of the movie events of the year .",
        "the energy of the performances and the enduring score push the musical scenes and the entire film over any hurdle -- yes , even including that misbegotten casting of gere .",
        "MOV is , in many ways , an admirable achievement .",
        "chockfull of so many musical numbers that you might want to sit in the front row so you can kick your feet along to the beat without knocking out the person ahead of you !",
        "from its opening note to its final beat , MOV presents a razzle-dazzle spectacle of song and dance that will make your head spin with its kaleidoscope of cynicism , wit and flash .",
        "sure , there are flaws , but the moments that do things properly see the screen burst with confidence , rhythm , heat and pizzazz .",
        "the film is a kind of ragtime flavored jamfest , laced with noirish nastiness .",
        "where moulin rouge was all cinema trickery and no guts , rob marshall has found a perfect balance of the two . MOV is absolutely visceral .",
        "empty to the core ... it strives to be endearing in the most appalling way possible .",
        "a vigorous and creative musical .",
        "it 's fun , splashy and entertainingly nasty .",
        "it 's part of the basic zeta-jones bio that she can really sing , and , wow , can she .",
        "the fabulous bones of this oft-told tale have been picked over so often that there 's no flesh left on them . but mr. marshall and the screenwriter bill condon get a terrifically sweet concoction out of this fabled skeleton .",
        "marshall has created a glitzy , seductive , high-energy movie that feels more like a filmed play than a play made into a film .",
        "you leave MOV sated -- and elated .",
        "marshall deserves credit for taking what threatened to be a worn-out bit of broadway entertainment and turning it into an evening 's worth of fun .",
        "MOV improves upon the long-running broadway show by kander and ebb in many ways .",
        "what a great way to end a year of movies - on a high note , a low note , and all that jazz !",
        "credit editor martin walsh for doing a bang-up job on many of the numbers to keep our attention shifted away from the staginess while still maintaining the viewability of the very thing we came to see in the first place .",
        "i wondered at times if these people had even seen the show , or if they were just working from the script and sheet music .",
        "intoxicating ! i love love love it . i hope you will too . but you can never say they do n't give you every penny 's worth .",
        "a stylish cast and some clever scripting solutions help MOV make the transition from stage to screen with considerable appeal intact .",
        "delivers the sexy razzle-dazzle that everyone , especially movie musical fans , has been hoping for .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a failure on almost every level .",
        "MOV is , quite simply , one of the two or three best movie musicals i 've ever seen .",
        "renee zellweger and catherine zeta-jones put on quite a show in rob marshall 's dazzling cinematic rethinking of the 1975 kander and ebb musical directed by bob fosse .",
        "if you 're a fan of broadway , this is made for you . if you like this cast , you 'll be delighted by a whole other side of their talents . if you like a high paced , high kicking good time with singing and dancing , do n't stay away .",
        "musicals attempting to emulate the razzle and dazzle of cinema now come full circle to to multiplexes in MOV",
        "a theatrical celebration of pure cinema .",
        "for all its pretensions of ` razzle-dazzle ' , most of ` MOV ' is actually hohum-humdrum .",
        "-lsb- zeta-jones -rsb- makes velma the coal-lump heart of MOV a movie that is as dark as it is danceable .",
        "watch for roxie 's dance with the mirrors , for the courtroom three-ring circus , for billy 's tap dance , and for roxie 's and velma 's big finale in front of a wall of light . for those who have seen `` MOV , '' these scenes are likely burnt into your mind . for",
        "the big screen musical is back . bravo .",
        "i 'd give real money to see the perpetrators of MOV torn apart by dingoes .",
        "leggy zeta-jones is so hot in the ` all that jazz ' number , she 's flammable . and zellweger defines delicious .",
        "this MOV has hugely imaginative and successful casting to its great credit , as well as one terrific score and attitude to spare .",
        "MOV lacks heart , but has a great look and more than enough glitz to go around .",
        "a lazy assemblage of set-pieces that fail to add up to anything much .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- magical piece of musical cinema with unforgettable songs and characters . and something to say as well .",
        "a review from a guy who has n't seen the stage play -- it 's quite fun in its ability to play tongue-in-cheek from beginning to finish . oddly , playfully cynical .",
        "that rare thing : a nutritious hard candy .",
        "if you love the play , or if you 've never seen it , this is an outstanding and entertaining adaptation that i would highly recommend seeing in theaters .",
        "as close a merge as you 're likely to see of the force of living musical with the unique possibility of celluloid",
        "MOV is on one level a tribute to fosse 's genius , without fosse 's own prodigious ego .",
        "every dance becomes about seduction , where backstabbing and betrayals are celebrated , and sex is currency .",
        "zellweger 's part seemed the most challenging , both physically and emotionally , and i think she really nailed it - it 's one of the year 's best performances .",
        "takes off with one mesmerizing song after the next , interspersed between exposition sequences that are mere filler for the main attraction .",
        "gere steals the show .",
        "i have no idea if zellweger and zeta-jones are good dancers , because you never see them dance . you think you do , but what you actually see is a bunch of 1/8th-second clips of them dancing , strung together from countless takes , rapid-fire .",
        "once the musical numbers start , the editing does nearly everything it can to inhibit proper evaluation or appreciation of talents of the performers .",
        "the opening scene is a stunner -- catherine zeta-jones storming through a black alleyway in high heels . it makes you want to applaud her just for walking .",
        "are we meant to be appalled by the way the film 's merry murderesses play the system , or are we merely meant to be entertained and titillated ?",
        "the film 's main characters are despicable , but the movie is so much fun that you find yourself rooting for some of broadway 's shadiest characters .",
        "zeta-jones , livelier and sexier than she 's ever been on screen , and zellweger , who nails down roxie 's brassiness with aplomb , are a scintillating duo .",
        "by the time it ends in a rush of sequins , flashbulbs , and back-stabbing babes , it has said plenty about how show business has infiltrated every corner of society .",
        "if you take the film as a bitterly funny , wild ride of song , dance and cinematic invention , it 's a winner nearly all the way down the line .",
        "fun ... but not the crowning achievement that everyone seems to be making it out to be .",
        "MOV will have you tapping your toes and humming along with its various songs long after you leave the theater .",
        "overall , MOV earns that highest of praises -- i ca n't wait to see it again .",
        "MOV is my kind of town -- and now it 's my kind of movie musical .",
        "MOV becomes less of a literal skewering of how celebrity criminals manipulate a rigged game , and more of a pure fantasy , not meant to be taken seriously .",
        "as sentimental as a plywood casket , MOV has satirical bite and a mean wit that somehow never obscures its characters ' unlikely likability .",
        "it 's a totally unexpected film , and all the more welcome -- a modern reproduction that resurrects the spirit , look and sound of a great era of hollywood professionalism .",
        "more and more i 'm beginning to suspect that what killed the musical was the introduction of 1960s fast-editing styles . what revs up the energy in a thriller or a modern love story does n't function as well during a musical number .",
        "MOV is entertaining in spots but could have been great .",
        "while neither zellweger nor gere have superior singing voices or terpsichorean skills , they try their best and give likable , effective performances . as for the slinky zeta-jones , who can sing and dance , she 's pure hubba-hubba .",
        "while MOV 's huge musical scope starts to wear thin -lrb- and us out -rrb- once the end credits roll , it is still a very accomplished movie achievement .",
        "not only for theater aficionados , MOV is a musical for people who do n't even like musicals , weaving its deliriously dark tale with enough cyanide-laced cynicism to win over folks who would n't know oklahoma ! from oh ! calcutta !",
        "instead of aping the likes of oklahoma , -lsb- marshall -rsb- takes what fosse did in his 1972 adaptation of cabaret and pushes it even further into the realm of originality .",
        "i 'm ready to say MOV is the only movie of a broadway musical i 've seen that 's better than the show it 's based on .",
        "if this film were any smoother , it would be frictionless .",
        "musical numbers are important , but it 's the performances of those singing that helps `` MOV '' achieve greatness .",
        "delicious .",
        "MOV pode at\u0439 ser um filme divertido e cativante -lrb- como \u0439 -rrb- , mas acaba representando um passo que vai na dire\u0437\u0433o contr\u0431ria \u0430 evolu\u0437\u0433o dos musicais .",
        "it 's zeta-jones who emerges as the singing-dancing revelation .",
        "la pel\u043dcula no es s\u0443lo una cadena de n\u044ameros de canto y baile , sino una edici\u0443n soberbia de escenas y recursos de teatro con cuadros y elementos de cine .",
        "MOV glorifies murder , glamorizes sex & death -- in other words it is just right for today 's unsunny times .",
        "` brillante , llena de energ\u043da y coraz\u0443n , MOV es un claro ejemplo de que el g\u0439nero musical no ha muerto y puede ser hecho con inteligencia , p\u0439sele a quien le pese . '",
        "the results are certainly not broadway-caliber performances , that 's not why people go see musicals -lrb- or it should n't be , unless you want to be disappointed -rrb- .",
        "look for it to gather a few accolades in the coming award season .",
        "it 's a great deal of sizzle and very little steak . but what spectacular sizzle it is ! ... in this incarnation its fizz is infectious .",
        "dull and dreary ...",
        "as rousing , robust , and extremely contagious as any film i 've seen this year .",
        "the real star of this movie is the score , as in the songs translate well to film , and it 's really well directed .",
        "ren\u00e9e zellweger , catherine zeta-jones , richard gere , queen latifah and even sad-faced ol' john c. reilly will have you singin ' and dancin ' in the aisles .",
        "the film is more promising as a continuation of a welcome trend than an unqualified success .",
        "perhaps the best movie musical since fosse 's own cabaret , it feels like a movie directed by bob fosse -- which is high praise indeed .",
        "a show-stopping big screen experience that has treacherous energy coursing through its veins .",
        "it 's nice to know that the more perspective we gain on the o.j. simpson murder case , the more commercially viable it becomes as a musical comedy .",
        "it 's not nearly as rousing as the broadway revival -lrb- then again , it 's rare that the cinematic version of a musical comes close to the stage incarnation -rrb- , but , for those unable or unwilling to see a live production , it represents a sparkling replacement .",
        "i do n't think i 've had more fun at a movie theater in a long time . the whole viewing was spent tapping my toes and trying not to sing aloud . heck , i even wanted to clap after each number !!!",
        "when actors who usually play more subtle roles are up there hoofing it and belting out broadway melodies , you ca n't help but feel you 're getting your money 's worth .",
        "the final result makes for adequate entertainment , i suppose , but anyone who has seen MOV on stage will leave the theater feeling they 've watched nothing but a pale imitation of the real deal .",
        "if 2001 's moulin rouge proved that modern audiences would support a large-scale musical , then MOV confirms the genre has got legs -- lots of legs , actually .",
        "in marshall 's virtuoso hands , this movie version of the 1975 bob fosse broadway musical based on the 1942 ginger rogers movie roxie hart based on the 1926 play MOV , the rhinestones shimmer like diamonds and brass glows like solid gold .",
        "MOV is sexy , smoky , cynical , hyper-kinetic and claustrophobic . it just grabs you by the lapels and never lets go .",
        "some great songs , zellweger and zeta-jones sharpening their claws on prison bars and richard gere running around in boxer shorts and a flat cap . two out of three ai n't bad .",
        "it now plays as almost pure parody , more outright comedy than bitter satire",
        "my goodness , queen latifah has a lot to offer and she seemed to have no problem flaunting her natural gifts . she must have a very strong back .",
        "ladies and gentlemen , welcome to chicago-the city that never shuts up .",
        "not since the 1972 cabaret has there been a movie musical this stirring , intelligent and exciting .",
        "a slew of great movies were released this month , but few have been as fun as MOV",
        "the unusual lack of exterior shots suggests a fear on marshall 's part to fully embrace the potential of the cinematic medium .",
        "much more than one of the best movies of the year , MOV is destined to become the most popular screen adaptation of a stage musical since grease .",
        "rob marshall 's style is to make everything relentlessly brassy and fake , and his MOV simply looks like a filmed stage play .",
        "ultimately , in the history of the academy , people may be wondering what all that jazz was about `` MOV '' in 2002 . zellweger 's whiny pouty-lipped poof faced and spindly attempt at playing an ingenue makes her nomination as best actress even more of a an a",
        "the movie is appealing , thanks to the cleverness of the kander-ebb songs and the enthusiasm of the performances , but it lacks any urgency or erotic spark .",
        "big , brassy fun .",
        "MOV is , even for the most disavowed theatre enthusiasts , a terrifically entertaining film based on a terrifically entertaining stage musical , that exists solipsistically as an entity for entertainment ...",
        "MOV is hyperactive , but instead of throwing everything and seeing what sticks , it intoxicates you like a glitzy , neon narcotic .",
        "extremely enjoyable , although it says it all about the 2003 oscars that this was a winner .",
        "MOV may or may not be a movie for the ages , only time will tell , but its theme of instant celebrity is topical and its music and acting are entertaining for the nonce .",
        "come on , give me a break . who wins a globe for having passed basic dance 101 ? MOV is a decent film , a real toe-tapper directed with much flair and performed with competence - but only competence .",
        "a big , splashy , brassy confection wrapped up in a bow with enough bugle beads and sequins to circle the globe twice and finish with a flourish .",
        "for sheer , audacious musical entertainment it tops last year 's moulin rouge , and ranks among the greatest adapted broadway shows ever .",
        "a magical musical masterpiece !",
        "structured like `` cabaret , '' with musical numbers commenting upon the action and establishing character motivations , but where that musical had sweeping scope and rich characterization , `` MOV 's '' numbers have but a simple story peopled with shallow , unsym",
        "the most vibrant movie musical since ` oklahoma . ' that 's ` MOV . '",
        "director rob marshall has taken the spirit of the broadway show , opened it up and delivered nearly two hours of wonderful song , dance , choreography and drama . this is the best movie musical in years .",
        "the usually quiet zellweger is the revelation : like her character , the actress seems happily amazed to find herself crossing a polished dance floor , sheathed in silk and diamonds , having the naughty , self-glorifying time of her life .",
        "zellweger and jones are a joy to watch -lrb- and both can really sing -rrb- , but as each musical number tries to top the previous one , it gets a little redundant .",
        "zellweger has gone about the business of making her roxie huggable -- which is as exhausting for us as it is for her .",
        "eminently watchable and mostly enjoyable .",
        "a fluffy , naughty , cynical , and most of all - musical - good time .",
        "the accolades currently pouring in for this fosse-derived piece of claptrap only prove that american musical theater is dead as a doornail .",
        "though we might not normally think of zellweger or zeta-jones as musical talents , both are sensational .",
        "a lusciously raunchy and defiantly un-p.c . film that 's both movie-movie and theater-spectacle at the same time .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- exhilarating musical that does n't put a foot wrong .",
        "the film is bright and flashy in all the right ways .",
        "zellweger and zeta-jones provide a perfect contrast -- the former a naive child-woman who wants only to see her name in lights , the latter a been-around-the-block cynic fighting for survival .",
        "this cinematic version of a theatrical experience should find favor in any court in the land .",
        "it prances . it struts . it kicks up its heels . it bumps and grinds and gyrates and works up a sweat and has a cigarette afterwards .",
        "MOV is everything a musical is supposed to be , with good songs sung by people who sing well , and with lots of sexy dances featuring women who are gorgeous and men who do n't get in the way .",
        "a great movie musical ."],
    "summary": "a rousing and energetic adaptation of the broadway musical , MOV succeeds on the level pure spectacle , but provides a surprising level of depth and humor as well .",
    "id": "10061"
  },
  {
    "movie": "into_great_silence",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this wondrously meditative documentary is an artistic portrait depicting solitude . the fact that there is no narration , no dialogue to speak of is remarkable in itself .",
        "the only place the camera does n't go is the brewery . that 's where the monks bottle their world famous chartreuse liqueur , which sustains them financially .",
        "for two hours and 42 minutes , MOV offers painterly images of an existence that is , almost literally , too reverent for words .",
        "something to behold .",
        "despite his restrictions , groning finds light and shade , contrasting the natural - more chaotic world - with the regimented life within the cloister .",
        "by the final third of the documentary , we evolve to a state of envy - envious at their resolute commitment and their utter faith - and even the most cynical atheist might find himself convinced that if anyone will find god , it is these men .",
        "the silence before bach : illuminates a complexity of ideas , including the passive reflection prior to creative conception and organic to musical formulation and the space between sounds , that fascinate the filmmaker , both musically and cinematically .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- gr\u00f6ning creates a trance-like rhythm of visual and aural patterns , ranging from the repetition of duties and behaviors to biblical quotations .",
        "i have never before experienced a greater example of utterly transcendent filmmaking .",
        "this silence is truly golden .",
        "gr\u00f6ning shows us , instead of telling us , what this life entails . through this organic approach , MOV allows the audience to experience , at least for a few hours , the same enviable sense of peace these men carry with them .",
        "their silence is full to the brim with incidental sound that functions as both score and narration in this hyper-empathic film .",
        "MOV moves into the realm of humble observation . gr\u00f6ning traces the passing of the seasons with beauty shots of god 's creations , from snow drifts and rain puddles to flower petals and kitten whiskers .",
        "a non-verbal contemplation of time in itself and of man 's place in that dimension , ` MOV ' is striking visually but a trial for viewers .",
        "already easily ranks as one of the great cinematic documents of our time .",
        "navigates to a state of both enlivened permanence and vibrant grace .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- groning has made a startlingly beautiful , virtually silent three-hour documentary about monastic life that appeals primarily to the senses , and has really very little to do with religious experience .",
        "the achievement of MOV is the way it captures the slow , delicate rhythm of the carthusian monks .",
        "a rapturous , absorbing experience -- it has no voice-over , no back story or history , no archival footage and no talking heads -- but only if you can surrender yourself to it .",
        "a mesmerizing mood piece which steeps the viewer in the humbling stillness of monastic life , thereby inducing reflection upon one 's own relation to god versus the trappings of technology and the rampant materialism of modern society .",
        "it sounds more like an endurance test than entertainment , yet this one-of-a-kind experience proves surprisingly immersive .",
        "it 's not hard to appreciate the film 's gentle pace , mesmerizing imagery and subtle but rich panoply of sounds , as well as its insights about the human drive to lose the trappings of the world and assume a godlier disposition .",
        "an exquisite meditative journey inside a carthusian monastery where silence is practiced as a way of honoring the mystery and the majesty of god .",
        "a 162-minute journey into a cloistered world of ritualistic repetition , always with the promise of revelation and transcendence .",
        "gr\u00f6ning 's extraordinary new documentary ... beautifully bucks the trend of so many recent documentaries .",
        "a challenging but worth-it experience for more reasons than one can actually speak -lrb- or write -rrb- in words . it 's a documentary to be watched over time , with a carthusian level of contemplation .",
        "watching MOV is like running a marathon or reading the dictionary : worthwhile , but you 're glad to be done with it .",
        "MOV is a film of great spiritual intensity and haunting minimalism that enlarges your concepts of movies and of life .",
        "have i got a movie for you . MOV is a two-hour-and-40-minute documentary about monks , and it is one of the transporting film experiences of this or any other year .",
        "the silence captured in this documentary may be the most eloquent you 'll ever hear .",
        "on a philosophical level , MOV emphasizes the virtues of the ascetic life , returning again and again to the idea of giving away all possessions in order to become a true disciple .",
        "at nearly three hours , this overlong and repetitive film is not for everyone , but patient viewers will find their time well-invested .",
        "-lsb- some -rsb- viewers are likely to consider this nearly three-hour , nearly soundless documentary as a chance to catch up on their sleep .",
        "as we vicariously participate in their daily rituals , we find ourselves at the ground level of spiritual worship . it 's hard to recall a similar documentary that brings viewers so palpably close to that sacred experience .",
        "the movie captures the feeling of silence , of timelessness , of contemplation , of spiritual discipline , of communion with god and the rejection of the material world .",
        "there are definitely moments of poetry and sweetness , and it is a notable achievement , years in the making .",
        "though there are dozens of images here that you might want as a computer-screen saver , MOV does not add up to a valuable or engrossing documentary .",
        "what seems to happen when you watch a movie in near total silence is that you become almost sensory-starved -- a meditative state by definition , i suppose .",
        "pure cinema at its purest and most exalted ... a transcendent meditation on the human pursuit of meaning , on man as a religious and social creature ; on the rhythm of work and prayer , day and night , winter and spring .",
        "the film 's pacing and its meditative , almost hypnotic quality are completely in fulfillment of -lsb- director -rsb- gr\u00f6ning 's intentions , not at all a failure to engage . silence wo n't engage everyone , but it achieves its purpose .",
        "more than any film outside bresson , this non-judgemental document allows us to feel the spirituality of the ecstatic privations guiding their journey . a christmas gift of time and contemplation .",
        "simply put , the film goes on much too long . there 's no real shaping of the story , no real structure to the documentary . what on paper sounds like it could be a fascinating prospect in execution turns out to be something of a snooze .",
        "a sanctuary of silence , contemplation , respect and inquiry into a quickly vanishing tradition that helped build the world we live in . and it only requires 164 minutes -- hardly a lifetime .",
        "charming documentary on monastic existence .",
        "viewing MOV is meant to mimic the experience of living with the monks .",
        "such a poetic essay on the slowed-down rhythms of life , that its quiet pleasures carry the viewer along at a pace commensurate with the monks ' own unhurried sense of time .",
        "after an hour or so , you can appreciate gr\u00f6ning 's meditative pacing - but by the end of the second hour , contemplation may be overwhelmed by an itch for a good car chase .",
        "at once eerie , picaresque , evocative , and utterly alien to the reality most viewers inhabit , MOV is a daring and breathtakingly constructed documentary dream .",
        "if you can slow your personal pace down sufficiently to spend 162 minutes with these monks , your life might be changed .",
        "a wonderfully quiet , serene portrait of carthusian life edited to reflect the rhythm of the monastic regimen .",
        "this 2005 feature is demanding to say the least , but its pulse-slowing rhythms leave a real sense of peace .",
        "more visual meditation than documentary",
        "makes you wish -lsb- director groening -rsb- would have kept the film to about 90 or 100 minutes . a little time spent in the monastery is fine , but nearly three hours is an endurance test .",
        "a transcendental piece of filmmaking .",
        "MOV is one of those films -- martin scorsese 's kundun is another example -- wherein the spiritual aspiration of the filmmaker informs , and even exalts , the film itself .",
        "exquisitely boring .",
        "groning then moved into the isolated , centuries-old monastery and for six months , minus crew or artificial light , recorded the monks ' daily routine . the result is the seductive documentary MOV .",
        "an old , blind monk describes very simply the joy of giving oneself over to god . gr\u00f6ning finds him in his filmstock ...",
        "moving , impressionistic , and worth slowing down for .",
        "as a place to enter and meditate , MOV is imminently worthy , but as a documentary , it does n't do enough to probe the meaning of the quotation gr\u00f6ning returns to repeatedly : `` oh lord , you have seduced me , and i was seduced . ''",
        "the film 's `` great silence '' is , like much of monastic life , an ascetic ideal to be pursued , but never attained .",
        "though it likely will not persuade people to join the ranks , experiencing life behind the walls has an undeniable effect . we 've been allowed a glimpse of eternity . and who would not be changed by that ?"],
    "summary": "a meditative , deliberately paced doc capable of absorbing patient viewers into a whole different world .",
    "id": "381420887"
  },
  {
    "movie": "texas_chainsaw_massacre",
    "reviews":
     [
        "all the bad-rehash mojo from friday the 13th to the blair witch project has infected scott kosar 's script .",
        "it 's horrible and explicitly violent , but never authentically scary .",
        "another pointless remake , and it turns a horrific movie into generic slush .",
        "-lsb- m -rsb- ay be the most literal example in movie history of squeezing blood from a stone .",
        "gruesomeness and shock editing are different things from suspense ... the MOV offers plenty of the first two but little of the latter .",
        "al\u00e9m n\u0103o gerar tens\u0103o alguma no espectador , ainda torna-se enfadonho a partir de sua metade .",
        "a little stylised , but still a genuinely creepy tale worth watching .",
        "it adheres to the hollywood formula for horror remakes : twice the gore , half the scares .",
        "the biggest question for me is ` why ? '",
        "the best one can say is that his version is not slavishly in thrall to hooper 's : boring , fright-free and pointless , maybe , but not craven .",
        "for the new generation of slasher fan , the remake is a true gross-out with plenty of satisfying frights . for the rest of us , it 's one more chapter in a neverending story .",
        "a contemptible film : vile , ugly and brutal .",
        "what 's scarier then a faceless chainsaw wielding psycho ? right ! a redneck inbred faceless chainsaw-wielding psycho !",
        "the original movie has been ripped off so many times over 29 years that a genuine remake comes off as a copy of the copies .",
        "this is easily the most gruesome , most pointless , episode of scooby doo ever .",
        "exists to scare teenagers the old-fashioned way and generate sequels . in that , it will probably succeed , as it 's catering to a less-than - discriminating crowd .",
        "i do n't know if nispel and scott kosar , who make their feature film debuts here , are the worst director and writer in the world , though they might well represent the united states if anyone holds a competition .",
        "a lame re-do of the 1974 cult classic that lacks not only the gritty and grim ` charm ' of the first film , but also features little in the way of shocks , thrills or chills .",
        "a well-oiled suspense machine .",
        "... the film never improves upon hooper 's vision , so why bother ?",
        "the original wanted to scare you . this one just wants to separate you from your money .",
        "rent the original .",
        "reminds us what the `` slasher flick '' genre is all about and why we used to love it so much",
        "the blood and other body parts are plentiful , and some special-effects shots -lrb- like a pull-back through a woman 's freshly cored skull -rrb- are beyond gratuitous .",
        "all about style and jessica biel in a wet t-shirt ... what 's wrong with that ? not much .",
        "marcus nispel 's modern take ramps up the gore , eliminates the subtext and delivers a run-of-the-mill modern slasher movie that is n't even scary , much less unsettling .",
        "here 's a slice of advice : go to the video store and rent the original .",
        "you 'll have to overcome resentment towards this unnecessary remake before you can be properly terrorised but , on its own terms , it plays well .",
        "even a paint-by-numbers slasher is a novelty in this decade .",
        "this poor mediocre remake brings nothing and adds nothing to an already classic film ...",
        "hard to do worse than this extremely gory mess .",
        "it 's r. lee ermey of full metal jacket fame who deserves most of the credit for this remake earning its mutilated thumbs-up .",
        "just needlessly ugly and unpleasant , not to mention hollywoodized down to its muddy shoes .",
        "inevitably , given a bigger budget , it lacks the cheap , raw quality of the earlier film that , along with george romero 's outfit in pennsylvania , showed you could make profitable exploitation shockers on an independent basis far from hollywood .",
        "` inspired by a true story ' presumably adds to the sordid thrills ; maybe we should look forward to entertainments about nazis torturing children .",
        "an initially promising , but quickly disappointing retread of tobe hooper and kim henkel 's hugely influential horror classic .",
        "right up there with the `` faces of death '' series in the punch of nausea it likely will generate in some viewers .",
        "rarely do re-makes ever need to be done , and rarely are they ever any good . this one is better !",
        "how many times do we need to see the story of low-rent texas cannibals cutting up innocent teens ?",
        "there 's a simple philosophy behind a movie like this : add more squishing , add more screaming , and it 'll be better . or at least it 'll make more money .",
        "has that rare quality of not thinking too much of itself but knowing exactly what it is capable of .",
        "the original was at least fresh meat .",
        "the makers of this new version of tobe hooper 's 1974 drive-in classic may revere the original , but they display no understanding of anything that 's good about it .",
        "for dedicated admirers of the original , this version is just another rehash of the classic , but for new-comers or those who are looking for a good , old-fashioned scare , then there is plenty of meat on this table .",
        "... although the story 's high on gore and low on almost everything else , leatherface still inspires a hell of a lot more fear than freddy or jason .",
        "bloody is n't the same thing as scary . it 's got the atmosphere and the tone to a t. lay off the abuse , and you 've got yourself a movie .",
        "it 's a gory , stylish , and occasionally scary push-button factory of shocks and shrieks remarkably better than anyone had the right to expect .",
        "biel rises above the rest of the cast , as a compelling protagonist in a role that mostly requires her to scream and run around in a tight tank top .",
        "perhaps it 's my fault that i 'm unwilling to accept this new type of horror movie , and this review is evidence of my stubbornness .",
        "updated in sleek , visually intoxicating , but rather meaningless fashion .",
        "given the opportunity to work with such classic material , all the director manages to do with it is to turn the whole movie into a shallow calling card for his visual skills .",
        "a feeble retelling that guts the integrity of the original and wears its own cynicism like a ragged mask .",
        "the remake is not obscene because it 's disgusting ; it 's obscene because it 's carefully structured to be absolutely devoid of meaning .",
        "my predominant thought was that we need less talking and more chainsawing .",
        "it might be dumbed down when compared to its predecessor , but it gains an immeasurable amount of visceral impact as a result .",
        "while the original gave us a snuff film on the origins of violence , the only significant contribution of the remake is a chance for r. lee ermey to act crazy .",
        "one of the best remakes i 've seen .",
        "by the time it comes back to its bracketing device of police crime scene footage , niespel , bay and kosar 's movie has very much wasted its promising start and descended into a pointless exercise .",
        "grossly lacking in the social/political subtext of the original , but surprisingly effective on a sheer horror scale .",
        "if i had n't already seen the original film , and was n't desensitized from a lifelong horror addiction , i think i might have been frightened by some of it .",
        "mostly this is just another lame monster-in-the-backwoods movie that makes us flinch because of the sheer gruesomeness of what 's on screen",
        "not only is this useless `` revision '' ignorant of history , it panders to its modern audience with look-ma visual brouhaha .",
        "redoes the original by making a weird mesh of old and new .",
        "it is , first and last , a hardcore genre movie . the teens are hot , horny and high . the massacr-teers are grotesque , angry and out for blood . the air hangs heavy with death . and you 're never quite sure what 's coming next .",
        "... a bloody good time of a b-movie .",
        "movies of this genre are a refuge for that variety of no-name young actors who confuse hanging on a meat hook with career momentum .",
        "let 's get this `` based on a true story '' thing straight , once and for all .",
        "ah , leatherface ... where has your menace gone ?",
        "while it ca n't really compare to tobe hooper 's brilliant original , this michael bay produced remake is surprisingly decent .",
        "being trapped in the theatre with this movie is almost as bad as being trapped in the hewitt house - you come out shell-shocked .",
        "anyone who calls him/herself a horror fan should check it out . the squeamish should walk right past this one .",
        "sheer simplicity of the idea gets overwhelmed by , of all things , production values .",
        "not without memorable visuals , a handful of macabre , original ideas and b-movie jumps , but after awhile , the gore and the game plan -lrb- run , chase , maim , repeat -rrb- cease to be campy and grow oppressive .",
        "consider yourself warned .",
        "an effectively scary slasher film .",
        "there are so many jump-out - of-your-seat surprises that it 's bound to be embarrassing for a number of moviegoers .",
        "replaces horror with gore , social commentary with carny freaks and black humor with r. lee ermy",
        "completely watchable , but brings virtually nothing new to the horror/gore table .",
        "drowns in red rivers of excess .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's so caught up in concept and layout that it frequently forgets to push the jolt buttons .",
        "a remake that turns every kill into an opportunity for overkill .",
        "i would like to officially start a campaign to nominate jessica biel 's white tanktop as best supporting actress in a movie this year .",
        "hacks away everything different and inventive tobe hooper 's original film did for the horror genre .",
        "go you skeptics and be shocked all over again . this remake does not take a thing away from the original . it 's a movie worthy of the name , the MOV .",
        "about a threatening as a nine inch nails music video .",
        "though not bad looking , the look here conveys nothing like the simultaneously open-air and claustrophobic beauty of its predecessor .",
        "those upset about being shortchanged in the bathful-of-blood-bucket-of-giblets department can rejoice , since whatever the new chainsaw lacks in the organs-a-poppin ' sweepstakes , it makes up for in sadism .",
        "a barfola , it is happiest when the audience is the most nauseated .",
        "extremely effective , but because we still have the original it has no reason to exist ...",
        "while it 's far from bad , it also falls far short of the icy frissons produced by the original .",
        "it 's doubtful that the new MOV will attain the cult status of the original , but as remakes go , this is a solid piece of work .",
        "basically , if you like gory , scary slasher-flicks , then this delivers in spades .",
        "an overproduced , video-director remake , slick and grue-marinated and loud as a sonic boom .",
        "most resembles not tobe hooper 's 1974 masterpiece , but james cameron 's 1986 masterpiece , aliens .",
        "it took the MOV about 15 minutes before all my anticipation was completely stripped away and replaced with utter boredom .",
        "iconic horror film gets a modernized remake that 's as well done as it is blood-soaked .",
        "a lot more violent and a tad less creepy than the 1974 original , the much-changed remake delivers enough gory , belligerent mayhem to keep horror fans screaming .",
        "this bloody , exploitative mess is the cinematic equivalent of a dumpster fire -- stinky but insignificant .",
        "all we really get is a chainsaw that sputters before it splatters , leaving the sleepy audience anxious to saw logs .",
        "the remake moves faster and sounds louder , but comes off as callous rather than creepy .",
        "rather than exhilaration , this bilious film offers only entrapment and despair . it 's about as much fun as sitting in on an autopsy .",
        "she screams . he chases . she runs . we yawn .",
        "one gets the feeling the movie is little more than product meant to entice the unsuspecting -- neither new nor improved , merely the same wine in a different bottle .",
        "remakes are invariably a letdown ; this one , at least , does n't slip too far .",
        "while the remake is a faithful up to a point ... there is still plenty of fun for those of us who 've practically memorized every stitch in leatherface 's mask .",
        "if this sort of thing is to your taste , it 's a better-than-average example ; but it will never achieve the cult status of hooper 's grotesque , unforgettable version .",
        "... people who do n't like scary movies are really going to hate this one .",
        "as for nispel 's polished but run-of-the-mill hedonistic remake of chainsaw , this blood-stained offering is about as fun and adventurous as counting roadkill along a dark country pathway .",
        "the first remake of the classic horror thriller that matches the intensity of the original .",
        "too many production values get in the way here . shock-horror movies should n't have sizable budgets and familiar faces in the cast .",
        "has the confidence and capability to wriggle under your skin and freak you out for 98 minutes , if not torment your dreams in the dark of night .",
        "... a curious form of cinematic matricide worthy of kabuki drama is being committed here - the offspring is rising up to disembowel its celluloid parent , visiting cruel punishment on tobe hooper for the unforeseeable sins that have sprung from the genre h",
        "all in all , massacre is proud to be nothing more than it intends to be , namely a straightforward , non-moralizing and unrepentant horror flick .",
        "all of those outraged holier-than-thou reviews -lrb- `` revolting ! '' `` a waste of time ! '' -rrb- that wrongly came out about the original in 1974 could be correctly applied to this new version .",
        "this updated version strikes a glaringly inferior note from beginning to end ... however , judging it on its own merits exposes it to be a pretty good , stylishly crafted slasher flick .",
        "the new movie is n't bad -- not bad at all -- it 's just not very texas chainsaw massacre-ish .",
        "it is its own nightmare -- recycling the past in a frightful present .",
        "so creepily obsessed with the specifics of torture and pain that it 's not much fun .",
        "the new massacre lowers the bar much the way the original ` dead teenager ' horror flick did way back in 1974 , and makes a mockery of that industry self-policing rubber stamp known as the ratings board .",
        "merely -lrb- and mildly -rrb- reshuffling the oft-imitated elements of tobe hooper 's teens-vs . - hillbillies psychodrama .",
        "you realize how hard this is on me , to have to tell you what a superb job director marcus nispel has done re-creating , yet also revising , 1974 's grisly , gristly , protein-centric masterpiece .",
        "weakens , dilutes , disinfects and otherwise undermines the legacy of tobe hooper 's 1974 original .",
        "next to this redundant , pointless and witless retread , the classic status of tobe hooper 's original version is officially beyond dispute .",
        "so utterly unimaginative it does n't even count as hommage ; it 's just a smudgy copy of a still chilling original .",
        "mainly it 's a vapid , vicious thrill ride that washes away immediately .",
        "really nothing more than clever , exploitative marketing . but , taken alone , it 's a reasonably satisfying diversion .",
        "highlight : biel in a meat locker . a very chilly meat locker . lowlight : pretty much everything else .",
        "unlike movies such as seven , there is n't enough style in the new the MOV to justify the bloodbath , and it 's riddled with too much been-there-done-that to endure as a classic .",
        "this particular reconceptualization actually does an impressive job of capturing the nasty dread of the original .",
        "it 's just as guilty as blair witch 2 for smothering bare-bones fright with ladles of gore .",
        "there 's nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking here , but the film delivers with enough consistency to warrant a qualified recommendation for those seeking a few extra scares at this time of the year .",
        "you 'll be frightened , at least a few times . but you 'll also be bored with these uninspiring young folks .",
        "while the original MOV was genuinely creepy , this one is simply explicit .",
        "a scary and nauseating film , which is precisely what it set out to be and that 's what makes it such a cut above the rest .",
        "offers full , living meaning to the word ` gratuitous ' as it applies to film violence and is an exercise in being grossed out .",
        "gruesome enough ; what it lacks is a distinctive revolting personality of its own .",
        "for those who 've seen the original , no surprises will be unearthed other than an altered story -lrb- not for the better -rrb- and more gore .",
        "does convey the sense of being caught in a nightmare . a stupid person 's nightmare .",
        "a splatterfest remake that relentlessly assaults the senses and mind with no discernable redeeming social value .",
        "just as humorless as the original , but it 's also slicker , glossier and resoundingly artificial .",
        "it 's as if they did n't know whether to do a faithful remake or a modernist departure , and the result is a dissatisfying middle ground .",
        "efforts to expand the envelope of grotesquery make the film repulsive and suspenseless , and it sorely misses original director tobe hooper 's grisly , wily sense of humor .",
        "junky and disposable but fast most of the time .",
        "this is n't some lark crafted to make you jump out of your seat and then start laughing . you do n't dare laugh . this is the real thing .",
        "if you 're into this stuff , it 's a fun , scary time .",
        "it is nearly as tense and nasty as the original and , to be fair , features far better acting , most notably by jessica biel , who is compelling even when she is n't about to burst out of her wet t-shirt .",
        "that it escaped the straight-to-video bin suggests that hollywood 's contempt for today 's youth audience has reached a new level .",
        "a bold , boisterous , bloody good time - and any old-school horror freak able to get over the `` how dare they ?!? '' attitude should absolutely find a lot to enjoy here ."],
    "summary": "an unnecessary remake that 's more gory and less scary than the original .",
    "id": "13328"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cinderella_2013",
    "reviews":
     [
        "if it were n't for the imaginative and eye-catching costumes by three-time oscar winner sandy powell , MOV could be mistaken for a typical disney channel special .",
        "this `` MOV '' wo n't make anyone forget the 1950 classic ... but it works as a frothy , fun retelling , entertaining on its own merits .",
        "this movie is proof that sometimes the best way to play it is straight .",
        "possibly the best adaptation of the classical fairy tale yet .",
        "beautifully directed by kenneth branagh , every fame sparkles with an opulent vibrancy that perfectly captures the faerie tale element .",
        "the new film ... is nothing if not a tribute to old-fashioned virtues , of care and craft and modesty , of simple stories well told .",
        "it might be easy to deride disney for once again playing the MOV card , especially so soon after the meta-musical into the woods . but let 's be thankful the people commissioned to retell the fairy tale did n't treat it as a moldy relic .",
        "the story is retrograde malarkey , but branagh infuses it with majesty and delivers a spectacle with flourish .",
        "helena bonham carter is great dotty fun as fairy godmother .",
        "it 's almost too easy to make a parody of MOV . what 's tough is to do is create a film this earnest and this lovely -- everything from the performances to the set design to the costumes -- that will play to the cynics of 2015 .",
        "such a beautiful film , walt disney himself would be proud of his namesake company for making it .",
        "there are handsome palaces and forests and computer animated renderings of squeaking mice and geese turning into MOV 's party entourage . but the real reason to see it is the humans .",
        "kenneth branagh 's `` MOV '' does something extraordinarily rare among fairy-tale adaptations : it leaves out nothing we want and adds nothing we do n't .",
        "steeped in a dazzling array of confectionary colors and sparkling magical whimsy that compares beautifully to the 1950 animated classic , MOV makes a strong case to be first in our thoughts .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't just a re-enactment of the original film but an enrichment . for disney fans , it could be another treasure worth cherishing .",
        "a gorgeous re-imagining , bringing to life the specific beauty and charm of the fairy tale . but it 's also rather hollow , doing little to add its own spin .",
        "such a gallant anachronism ... that it offers , without ever raising its voice , a ringing cross-examination of our whole era of dark , gritty fairy-tale revisionism .",
        "without resorting to post-wicked good-girl/bad-girl reversals in the manner of maleficent and -lrb- dare i say it ? -rrb- frozen , branagh and weitz see the fairy tale afresh .",
        "branagh has modernized the spirit of MOV , while staying true to its roots with a lovely french countryside meets mini-versailles setting , lush romantic lighting and costumes , and most important , a goodhearted core .",
        "MOV is a balmy but beautiful take on both the 1950 cartoon and the original charles perrault fairy tale .",
        "branagh makes this familiar tale feel so fresh , even though you know exactly where it 's going , staging it with the full-scale splendor of a period drama rather than a bedtime story .",
        "no matter how cynical you might be -- hardened by the current climate of remakes , reboots and incessant sequels -- it 's impossible to avoid getting caught up in the magic of a little bippidy-boppidy-boo .",
        "there are many highlights , but none more memorable than when the clock strikes midnight ... it 's a bumpy ride for the radiant ella -lrb- lily james -rrb- ... as the pumpkin bursts - just like her dreams",
        "much magic at play in this `` MOV . ''",
        "if the film belongs to anyone , however , it is cate blanchett as the wicked stepmother , looking as though she could lacerate someone with her cheekbones .",
        "disney 's live action MOV benefits from ken branagh 's kudos in being able to attract the kind of cast and achieving the kind of tone such a well known and loved fairy tale needs",
        "the studio has managed to do the impossible , and portray a version of the classic fairy tale heroine who 's even more of an insipid doormat that the one in its 1950 animated classic .",
        "branagh pulls off the same sort of trick he did with thor : he creates a visually overwhelming , heavily gilded world , and then keeps the focus on the characters within it .",
        "i wan na go to disneyland ! i wan na go to disneyland right now !",
        "it looks terrific . it 's also faithful to a fault -- and that 's exactly the problem , since it makes it on the dull , unadventurous side .",
        "it 's a lavish , handsomely staged production , but it 's also dramatically inert , a pretty diorama led by a pair of good-looking but forgettable tv actors .",
        "sweeping , intimate and whimsical , `` MOV '' does the disney brand proud with a faithful yet expansive retelling that never misplaces its heart in exchange for shallow extravagance . this is one happily ever after worth believing .",
        "cate blanchett is perfectly marvelous . nothing steals a scene from her , except sandy powell 's costumes and dante ferretti 's production design , which are all kinds of wonderful .",
        "a charming and wonderfully-enchanting film . director kenneth branagh proves that he 's more than up to the task of bringing this delightful story to the big screen in a new and unique way .",
        "disney 's live-action version of the familiar fairytale boasts a glittery cast , but the overwhelming production design eats its own scenery .",
        "branagh and company are probably making this version not just for us jaded adults but for a generation of children who perhaps never had a chance to see `` MOV '' on a big screen . for them , it will be a brand new adventure .",
        "really , really made me mad . like , seething . like , i want this entire review to be : what is the point what is the point what is the point what is the point what is the point ?!",
        "it 's easy to get swept up in the prettiness of it all , and hard to give a damn whether it might end one minute or the next .",
        "branagh has cracked the disney do-over code with `` MOV , '' hopefully gluing the creative dials in place for all future productions .",
        "gone are the active , spunky heroines of recent disney efforts , and in their place is a bland , pre-modern one .",
        "... tweaks the more objectionable details of conventional fairy tales while still retaining their traditionalist structure . it 's a nice compromise .",
        "filmgoers need another fairy tale flick about as much as they need another pirates of the caribbean sequel -lrb- oops , too late -rrb- , yet MOV swiftly casts aside all doubts and derision to reveal itself as a particularly enchanting piece of cinema .",
        "` MOV ' is made of disney magic .",
        "the actors in the film all give strong performances . this film is gorgeously staged with wonderful costumes , sets and production design . scenic locations are expertly lensed by cinematographer haris zambarloukos .",
        "branagh knows how to sweep us up in the ecstatic thrall of the familiar without breaking from fantasy or making his central messages about bravery , compassion and self-confidence feel superficial .",
        "nearly a century after that black-and-white cartoon short , and 65 years after a `` classic '' animated feature that missed the mark , disney finally got MOV right -- for now and , happily , ever after .",
        "the colors - good lord . they 're like nothing you could experience in the real world . MOV 's behemoth of a ball gown alone is 50 shades of blue .",
        "MOV is a wonderfully realized family feature that retains the strengths of its source material while at the same time updating it for today 's audiences .",
        "production values are outstanding , the actors give very watchable performances , and the glorious royal ball sequence simply takes your breath away .",
        "most fairy tales on film contain either enough wit or verve or spectacle to engage an entire audience , but there is nothing here to engage the adult viewer . nothing .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- branagh 's well-steeped history of producing , directing , and acting in film versions of shakespeare 's plays echoes in the context of a much beloved , -lrb- formerly animated -rrb- children 's classic .",
        "a product of the disney princess machine . its highest ambition is to move a new line of toys . or to evoke despair in the fairy-tale-ization of girls ' lives .",
        "what crowns the movie , flourishing the fullness of its purpose , is color .",
        "branagh , working with a high-wattage cast led by the winsome and genuine lily james , sticks to tried-and-true narrative formula , and infuses it with wit and style . if the glass slipper ai n't broke , he seems to be saying , why fix it ?",
        "a lovely , lifeless and mirthless corpse",
        "those without a sweet tooth might be turned off by this saccharine-ish movie , but i was won over , seduced by its warmth and easy good looks , its quaint , modest proportions .",
        "enchanting and beautifully filmed . disney 's live action translation of their 1950 animated classic is the perfect family movie . a great cast includes the stunning lily james and a complex evil stepmother from the great cate blanchett .",
        "this is a straight , no-chaser fairy story , a picture to be downed with pleasure . it worries little about sending the wrong message and instead trusts us to decode its politics , sexual and otherwise , on our own .",
        "sitting in theater its hard not to get swept up in branagh 's old-fashioned cinematic magic .",
        "a retrograde fantasy with the depth of a dressing-up box , but it 's spirited , genuinely funny and played to the hilt by an excellent cast .",
        "disney 's new live-action version is for the most part beguilingly good , even though it 's no replacement for the studio 's 1950 animated classic .",
        "even with blanchett playing her , the stepmother remains the same uncomplicated villain she was in the 1950 disney animated film . this is even more disappointing than the MOV character lacking gumption , since she 's always been bland .",
        "it 's pleasing to come away from a movie such as `` MOV '' having felt something for , and with , the archetypes on the screen .",
        "this is a sweet movie , a happy movie . there 's no other way to put it , really . and if that sounds like it may register too low on the hipster meter to merit your consideration , well , your loss .",
        "disney 's live-action retelling of its cornerstone princess tale is an often sparkling movie that never disrespects the kid audience even as it wins over the parents .",
        "gorgeous , elegant and wondrous , the new live-action MOV is a jewel in disney 's treasure trove .",
        "director kenneth branagh 's lavish and live-action version of disney 's 1950 animation MOV delivers a colourful take that blends old-fashioned mouse house heart with modern cg magic .",
        "the film feels neither dated nor updated . rather , it treads , with a light and careful step , the difficult middle path of timelessness .",
        "the world did n't need yet another `` MOV '' story , but the one we got is one of the best versions ever put on film .",
        "`` MOV '' has been made with enough skill and sincerity to disarm all but the most jaded viewers . it 's a happy ending for everyone -- disney 's accountants most of all .",
        "provides a little geopolitical context for the story 's fantasy kingdom , without forfeiting the magic - both supernatural and romantic - that has made MOV such an enduringly necessary tale for generation after generation .",
        "such is the affable tone and vivacious , good-natured spirit of this charming piece of cinema , that you are able to look past any flaws , and enjoy this for what it is .",
        "`` MOV '' does not try to be transgressive , or even progressive , and unashamedly sells itself as the old-fashioned wish-fulfillment little-girl fantasy that ` fifty shades ' tries to whip its way out of .",
        "though this lavish , live-action ` MOV ' could never replace disney 's animated classic , it 's no ugly stepsister , either .",
        "anyone nostalgic for childhood dreams of transformation will find something to enjoy in an uplifting movie that invests warm sentiment in universal themes of loss and resilience , experience and maturity .",
        "with all -lrb- the recent -rrb- twisting and sculpting of classic stories , it 's refreshing to watch ... MOV because it remains largely faithful .",
        "slightly eerie in its dead-eyed coldness , but you get used to it .",
        "this is the film of a full-blown romantic who believes in true love , happy endings and the importance of an absolutely fabulous wardrobe .",
        "a remarkably faithful , full-hearted live action rendition of MOV , well cast and sumptuously staged , picking its way carefully between walt disney 's classic musical animation of 1950 and perrault 's definitive text .",
        "the thing that makes this disney live-action remake so wonderful is the same thing that might put off some audience members : it 's a pure fairy tale ...",
        "the story is as enchanting as ever , the handsome cast does n't miss a beat , while the costumes and set design are wonders to behold . but the movie 's sheer flawlessness turns out to be a flaw in itself .",
        "branagh and company whip up a handsome slice of old-fashioned family entertainment .",
        "darlings , just breathless with the news : kenneth branagh 's MOV is a sumptuous , candy-coloured rush of romance , with added thespian backbone from cate blanchett as the evil stepmother .",
        "chris weitz 's screenplay updates the old charles perrault yarn in a fresh and witty way . the performances are very lively too .",
        "in its lack of experiment , this latest MOV does feel positively experimental .",
        "based on the classic fairy tale , but borrowing heavily from the 1950 film , MOV is enchanting , a wonderful and stylish film with a charming lead and emotional narrative .",
        "lily james shines as MOV . -lsb- she -rsb- plays ella with the right balance of sweetness and sincerity . it 's a genuine and charming performance ; she carries the film very well .",
        "after all the other films that seem to be aimed at them and really are n't , little children and the people who love them could really use a slice of simply delicious cake like this .",
        "yes , it 's enchanting , but this beautiful version is also something very much more .",
        "with beautiful visuals and a sense of fun , director kenneth branagh has crafted a fetching , playful delight .",
        "the filmmakers cut the film to emphasize the story 's familiar plot points , rather than highlight any instances of personal visual artistry .",
        "young girls and adult disney fans should really enjoy MOV , but if simply watching the original cartoon does n't sound appealing to you , then this live-action version wo n't be of interest to you either .",
        "this telling of MOV adheres strictly to that book . and yet it 's a lavish delight sure to enchant audiences of all ages well past midnight .",
        "for those who do n't look for miracles , this MOV resolutely delivers everything you could reasonably expect .",
        "sir kenneth branagh 's adaptation of MOV may not add anything new to the beloved tale , but with an excellent cast and an elegant sense of style , it makes for a magical and quite charming version of the story that all ages can enjoy .",
        "running contrary to its message , the film seems content to fit in rather than stand out from its numerous predecessors on stage and screen .",
        "in the title role , lily james is a revelation : sweet without being sugary , simple without being simple-minded and beaming with what must be the most radiant smile in movie history .",
        "if the young girl who sat in front of me is to speak for children everywhere , they are going to adore this film .",
        "the problems with the story are still present - this is most certainly not a feminist polemic - but one ca n't help but be caught up in branagh 's theatrical spirit .",
        "cate blanchett steals her stepdaughter cinders 's show .",
        "takes the all-too-familiar beats of the story and plumbs them for deeper levels of feeling and physicality , merging the sensual and the chaste in a way that is uniquely compelling in its experiential bliss",
        "they aim for the heart , not the head . darned if they do n't pull it off .",
        "this fairy tale adaptation is as close as you can get to a dream come true .",
        "this `` MOV '' is all dressed up with nowhere very interesting to go .",
        "-lsb- branagh -rsb- manages to de-toxify disney 's flagship fairy tale without overcorrecting away its prettiness , sincerity , or charm .",
        "disney 's MOV has been magically transformed into as sumptuous a live-action re-imagining of its 1950 animated classic as any princess could dream of .",
        "mr. branagh 's ascension into big-budget studio directing largely remains a mystery , and there 's little in `` MOV '' beyond its faces and gowns that captures the eye or the imagination .",
        "young children are guaranteed to love this , even though it 's rated pg for no reason -lrb- fine , `` mild thematic elements '' -rrb- .",
        "`` MOV '' is so scrubbed of personality , it 's not even worth calling a mess .",
        "as pure of heart as its heroine , `` MOV '' floats across the screen like a gossamer confection , full of elegant beauty and quiet grace .",
        "MOV does n't tear down and rebuild the classic giving us something fresh , innovative , and unrecognizable . kenneth branagh does a tremendous job of adapting a well-trod narrative , however .",
        "walt disney 's MOV is the best film yet in their `` turn our animated classics into live-action blockbusters '' sub-genre .",
        "while it might have been nice to see the new-model MOV follow frozen 's progressive , quasi-feminist lead , the film 's naff , preserved-in-amber romanticism is its very charm .",
        "uplifting and full of that hard-to-capture sparkling sense of wonder , this is an enthralling addition to the trustworthy disney brand of memorable , magical fairy tales .",
        "it 's all very sweet and harmless , though you ca n't help wishing that cinders got her happy ending for more than being kind to her digital mice and weathering a lot of crap with a never-ending smile on her face .",
        "very little is out of place in branagh 's do-over , but that 's almost a problem : there 's a feeling , throughout , of going perfectly through the motions .",
        "this glass slipper may look a bit cold and univiting because it 's so familiar , but it is also -- as the fairy godmother points out -- surprisingly comfortable once you try it .",
        "faithful to the story and tone of the original , but goosed with just enough character development that it does n't feel socially backward . if anything , it 's really quite magical .",
        "MOV enthralls with its ravishing style and timeless message of resilience , decency and kindness triumphing over evil .",
        "most recent disney movies look suspiciously at traditional fables and their values . this MOV wants viewers to believe in them with every fiber of their being .",
        "making such a traditional MOV film really illustrates what a weak story MOV is to begin with .",
        "the MOV fable is a lot like leonard cohen 's `` hallelujah '' : it 's been covered .",
        "the result is a pleasant surprise , and just goes to show : if it ai n't broke , do n't fix it .",
        "kenneth branagh 's lavish live-action telling of the folktale made familiar to many by disney 's 1950 animated feature film is a faithful take that derives pleasure in updating expectations and absolutely never dashing them .",
        "sumptuously appointed and elegantly well-acted , looks and feels magical and should delight even the most skeptical cynic .",
        "there are times , particularly when the bland madden is on screen , that the wholesomeness gets a bit much . but kids will likely have a ball .",
        "this is an enchantment - with the occasional touch of nostalgia - just the way it should be .",
        "witty , richly drawn and unashamedly old school , this is a smart adaptation that understands the enduring appeal of its source material , and does n't feel the need to subvert or reinvent .",
        "delivers exactly what it promises . perfectly . beautifully . magically .",
        "it 's good-natured and silly , with nice support from rob brydon , nonso anozie , derek jacobi and katie west .",
        "there is a lot of dying early on and also quite a lot later on , when you will feel you are dying , of boredom , of ennui and , possibly , the full weight of the patriarchy , pressing down hard on your chest .",
        "it 's all so very enchanting , just as a fairy tale should be .",
        "the film dares you not to like it with its sumptuous craftsmanship , fine actors and heart-felt sentiments .",
        "a magical , emotionally affecting screen version of this classic fairy tale .",
        "the visual design is exquisite , coming remarkably close to replicating the original movie 's technicolor splendor .",
        "little girls-of all ages-will have a great time ...",
        "MOV and her prince get a bit lost in all the flounces and flouncing , but they do n't seem to mind -- you , and legions of tiara-clad little girls , quite possibly wo n't either .",
        "it sticks to the tried-and-true -- so much so that surprises are few -- but under the watchful eye of the quality team assembled , this `` MOV '' does the story justice .",
        "while the music of the animated original is missed , almost everything about MOV is well done .",
        "MOV practices what it preaches by having courage , being kind , and exceeding all expectations .",
        "the story of the abused but honest poor girl who wins the heart of a prince could n't have landed in better hands .",
        "`` MOV '' feels real enough to be sincerely touching at the same time it 's visually inventive enough to be magical . we 've all seen this story , true ; but we have n't seen it told this effectively .",
        "turn back the clock on filmmaking and get ready to be charmed by `` MOV . '' director kenneth branagh has outdone himself with this outstanding live-action version of the 1950 disney animated classic .",
        "even with its attractive leads , lily james and richard madden , grand fairy-tale settings and , when it counts , affecting moments , this live-action `` MOV '' is only modestly engaging .",
        "a lavish , classy affair ... but while long on beauty , branagh 's film falls short on whimsy ... -lsb- and -rsb- the film 's most affecting emotional moments ... stand apart from the story 's central conflict .",
        "every second i was amazed at the beautiful scenery , costume designs and the magic that was captured .",
        "while the heroine 's disinclination to stand up for herself does n't relay the most feminist agenda , the maternal advice she lives by , to ` have courage and be kind , ' is a message no one could fault . director kenneth branagh once again surprises ...",
        "not just any `` MOV '' , but genius visionary kenneth branagh 's majestic , gorgeous , sweeping version of this beautiful tale of a kind , courageous girl .",
        "it 's a flawless production , filled with solid acting , fabulous costumes , music that captures the grandeur of the story , and a perfectly matched royal couple .",
        "directed by kenneth branagh with a sprinkling of stardust , dashes of good humor , and a respect for the corniest kinds of romance , MOV is a winning re-do of disney 's 1950 animated classic .",
        "the 1950 disney flick is 74-minutes . this one is 112 . does it need the extra 38-minutes ? no . but it 's a great story and a beautiful movie so the padding is forgivable .",
        "disney 's new live-action `` MOV '' is not a reboot . it 's a case of sliding a glass slipper on a movie to make sure it 's the classic that studio executives are looking for .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie grinds down ... in plot details that fatten the narrative while deflating the spirit .",
        "it is really lovely .",
        "it 's old-fashioned in the right ways , just like lily james is MOV in all of the right ways .",
        "for all its gossamer , gauze , filigree and refinement , `` MOV '' drags when it should skip as lightly as its title character when she 's late getting home from the ball .",
        "in being faithful to the traditional tale interpreted by disney in their animated 1950 classic , this MOV is crisp escapist enjoyment .",
        "for a movie that has no reason to exist beyond maximizing disney 's back catalogue , kenneth branagh 's live action MOV is an entirely enjoyable piece of fairy tale theater .",
        "this MOV is n't flashy and does n't forge a new path , but it does have adorable mice to cheer for and a villain to hiss .",
        "they did n't turn MOV into an action heroine or reboot the story for our cynical age . and thank heavens for that ...",
        "the audience already primed for more `` happily ever after '' will be more than satisfied with the results . everyone else will wonder what the studio was/is thinking with this strategy .",
        "for the adult viewer , one of the joys of the film is the presence of cate blanchett , gloriously gowned , evoking the great female movie stars of the past -lrb- joan crawford , bette davis -rrb- as the wicked stepmother .",
        "this new MOV tells more or less the same tale with little variation in terms of story -lrb- fair enough -rrb- , tone -lrb- problematic -rrb- , or characterization -lrb- very problematic -rrb- .",
        "with enough respect to eschew the easy option of modernising it with a hip and radical make-over , it 's kind enough to the characters to get round the problematic sexual politics of the story without making a big statement about them .",
        "special effects , cate blanchett make a familiar tale entertaining",
        "above all else , the best reason i can give to see this film is cate blanchett . she 's incredibly good as the evil stepmother .",
        "disney 's first-class , straight-faced , irony-free , live-action remake of its own 1950 animated classic is a delightful explosion of colour , costumes , virtue and snarling ... a truly beautiful film .",
        "it 's hard to see this new cinders as anything more than a brand-based cash grab when its sole function is to succeed -lrb- and perhaps replace -rrb- a movie that 's ageless .",
        "after dehydrating the pulpy fun from a marvel superhero and tom clancy spies , you can imagine how branagh mishandles MOV , reverent and corny when a touch of mockery would n't hurt .",
        "there 's plenty to like , and a little to love .",
        "hollywood filmmakers are no slouches these days when it comes to subverting or sending-up fairy-tale conventions . but kenneth branagh does something much more daring . he plays things straight .",
        "MOV is nice and serviceable , with a refreshing lack of twists on its universally recognisable story .",
        "here 's how magic happens : you take the familiar and transform it into something extraordinary .",
        "by believing in the story 's timeless beauty , and infusing it with enough visual splendor and empowering ideology to delight modern audiences , kenneth branagh has made a MOV so unexpectedly magical as to rival disney 's original .",
        "i could choke on it all , like a 24-hour binge of buttercream cake frosting . but let 's be honest . there is no denying the fact that this is the best MOV of them all .",
        "elegant , enchanting re-imagining of the romantic folk tale for the 21st century ...",
        "i suppose i just was n't wowed by it . MOV was exactly what i expected , which means it lived up to my expectations .",
        "a lush , opulent , romantic fantasy that still believes in love at first sight . it 's just that the dress has a lot -- but not everything -- to do with it .",
        "some of the supporting players , most resplendently cate blanchett as the wicked stepmother and derek jacobi as the ailing king , are very fine . the film never soars , though .",
        "what it lacks in modern quirkiness compared to `` the princess bride , '' `` MOV '' makes up for with a timelessness and a sincere embrace of its concept and characters .",
        "MOV plays it overly-safe in transitioning from cartoon-to-live-action but is sure to entertain disney 's go-to juice box crowd .",
        "it 's a expansive , expensive faux-period romance with all of the resources and craftsmanship of the great british costume dramas ... but , you know , for kids .",
        "` MOV ' is a gorgeous production that is true to its fairy tale and animated roots , yet adds enough intrigue and situations to charm adults as well as youngsters .",
        "i 'm all for confection , but this movie takes that too far . MOV and the prince look like they belong on a wedding cake .",
        "kenneth branagh and the filmmakers tried to make the story feel new again , and for the most part they succeeded . but oddly , the movie 's best moments are the ones that did n't change at all .",
        "there 's precious little to carp about in the new release , unless you choose to take exception to the fact that there 's precious little to carp about .",
        "if you can get past the giant pumpkin in the ballroom - really , why bother to remake MOV in 2015 if you have no new spin on the material ? - there 's a lot to like about director kenneth branagh 's gorgeously fanciful tale .",
        "... there is no harm in getting yourself momentarily overjoyed and swept away by all the magic .",
        "if you 're looking for a tried-and-true telling filled with elaborate settings and beautiful ball gowns , this glass slipper is the right fit . however , if you 're looking for a fresh , modern take on your average fairy tale , do n't bother trying on this one .",
        "all concerned here really believed in this project and put a lot of love in it . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "tackling the fairytale in such a direct manner could have been branagh 's undoing . instead , he presents the tale with such joy and passion that it becomes a nostalgic journey to a time of childhood dreams .",
        "the fizzy cocktail combination of blanchett 's cartoonish hauteur and branagh 's visual razzle-dazzle and confectionary sets manages to take a tale as wheezy as MOV and make it feel almost magical again .",
        "a visually attractive but curiously flat retelling of the old chestnut .",
        "true to the spirit of the classic story but fresh and filled with heart and magic .",
        "its goal is simply to tell this story without much embellishment or distraction but , more importantly , to tell it with plenty of care and admiration ."],
    "summary": "refreshingly traditional in a revisionist era , kenneth branagh 's MOV proves disney has n't lost any of its old-fashioned magic .",
    "id": "771270966"
  },
  {
    "movie": "clockwork_orange",
    "reviews":
     [
        "real horrorshow , that .",
        "a visual joyride , something that is terrifyingly pertinent in an eerie sort of way .",
        "it demands thought , compels the attention , and refuses to be dismissed .",
        "made in 1971 , based on a novel from 1962 , a MOV resonates across the years .",
        "one of the most thought-provoking films ever to be made .",
        "it is one of the most memorable british films ever made , and one that is still valid , entertaining -lrb- in its own way -rrb- and peppered with many extraordinary scenes .",
        "a good movie , but a completely misunderstood one .",
        "at once -lsb- kubrick 's -rsb- most thematically problematic film and his most unforgettably sensational .",
        "it may not make for escapist viewing but can not be missed by serious filmgoers .",
        "a MOV -lrb- 1971 -rrb- is producer / director / screenwriter stanley kubrick 's randomly ultra-violent , over-indulgent , graphic film",
        "producer-director stanley kubrick 's adaptation of the anthony burgess novel is a strangely overwhelming experience % u2013 at time contemptible , and yet always valid in its sardonic outlook .",
        "a merciless , demoniac satire in the future imperfect .",
        "the rare film that hits you in the head and stomach simultaneously .",
        "a violent meditation on violence . not for kids .",
        "the music made me do it",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- there 's stanley kubrick 's `` a MOV , '' and then there 's everything else .",
        "a film chiefly about making us watch terrible things and recognising that we have made the choice to watch them . it 's a dirty trick to play on a viewer , but a fair one .",
        "there is no other director who can transfix the human condition with such galvanic images .",
        "kubrick 's contributions are his wit and his eye . the wit , too much at times , is as biting as in dr. strangelove , and the production , while of another order , is as spectacular as in 2001 .",
        "a painless , bloodless , and ultimately pointless futuristic fantasy .",
        "a brilliant , darkly poetic work that is able to both enrapture and disgust .",
        "a most unusual -- and disorienting -- movie experience .",
        "a chilling classic .",
        "although you feel you must look away and catch your breath , your eyes are glued to the screen .",
        "may be kubrick 's greatest film , for its lasting influence and social significance .",
        "a MOV is an ideological mess , a paranoid right-wing fantasy masquerading as an orwellian warning .",
        "it 's a very dark message , but maybe that 's why the film caught on as a video cult item in the 80s .",
        "technically , the film is a marvel . it 's easily kubrick 's best and boldest work .",
        "a tight-fitting example of a neo-classic .",
        "so , was it worth the wait ? definitely .",
        "a disturbing yet thought-provoking masterpiece .",
        "`` a MOV '' is on of kubrick 's best and a marvelous adaptation of the anthony burgess novel .",
        "jarring , uncomfortable , surprisingly moving and ultimately unforgettable .",
        "one of kubrick 's masterpieces , a film will continue to strike chords and rattle nerves for years to come",
        "a sexless , inhuman film , whose power derives from a ruthless subordination of its content to the demands of telling a good story .",
        "ice cold , indecent , and way too obvious to be in any way deep .",
        "spectacular , operatic , colorful , and exquisitely photographed .",
        "ambitious and stylized -lrb- perhaps to a fault -rrb- , kubrick 's poignantly prophetic satire of crime and punishment , redemption and free will , is still much misunderstood by critics emphasizing its ultra-violence .",
        "directed with assurance and filled with the cynicism , paranoia , visual flair -lrb- and lurid titillation -rrb- that characterised so much of his work , this is vintage kubrick and classic cinema .",
        "all of kubricks films have generated controversy , but this one engendered outright hostility .",
        "who else but stanley kubrick could successfully direct an ultra-stylish , sci-fi cult film about the impossibility of redemption in the absence of freely willed sin ?",
        "remains as unsettling and shocking today as the day it was released .",
        "a very bad film -- snide , barely competent , and overdrawn -- that enjoys a perennial popularity , perhaps because its confused moral position appeals to the secret nietzscheans within us .",
        "stanley kubrick 's latest film takes the heavy realities of the ` do-your-thing ' and ` law-and-order ' syndromes , runs them through a cinematic centrifuge , and spews forth the commingled comic horrors of a regulated society ."],
    "summary": "disturbing and thought-provoking , a MOV is a cold , dystopian nightmare with a very dark sense of humor .",
    "id": "15694"
  },
  {
    "movie": "i_capture_the_castle",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is a well-acted and perfectly realized english drama about the crash course in emotions experienced by a sensitive and imaginative seventeen-year old girl .",
        "wise and moving adaptation of dodie smith 's beloved 1948 novel .",
        "an enjoyable if sudsy growing pains yarn .",
        "a sweet , lovely , if perhaps overlong movie .",
        "overly mannered and schmaltzy .",
        "... it 's just a soap opera , and not a very good one .",
        "a quiet , charming picture -lrb- if not a dazzling one -rrb- that 's true in spirit to its source material .",
        "it never talks down to its teenage characters , or exploits them for easy jokes ; it never panders to them , either .",
        "despite the period setting , the mortmains ' tribulations will be familiar to anyone who ever felt a stranger in his/her own family or despaired of finding a place in the world .",
        "a newcomer who exudes confidence , romola garai steadily guides us through the story 's early comedy and the surprising betrayals that follow .",
        "a classy english film that lovingly re-creates a teenage girl 's coming of age in the 1930s .",
        "an absorbing enough period piece , which creates a special , enclosed world of its own .",
        "its chief selling point is , damning with faint praise , its complete inoffensiveness .",
        "for those of you , men or women , who love , have loved , or will love-this film will have something to say to you .",
        "castle -lrb- captures -rrb- a coming-of-age story and the changing romantic and economic relationships between family , friends , and paramours . it 's a diamond in the rough .",
        "feels every bit as oppressive and joyless as the rather odd choice of homes in which many of the film 's characters live .",
        "the filmmakers ca n't seem to unearth the novel 's inherent lightheartedness and instead treat too many events with earnest seriousness , trampling the original story 's lively spirit in heavy-handed drama .",
        "in a summer full of `` summer movies , '' MOV is a fortress reminding you what is most real and important in life is within .",
        "it 's not a bad movie , mind you , just a spotty and rather aimless one loaded with dreary and uninvolving characters .",
        "dollops on the usual romantic , family and class conflicts with a very heavy ladle , which pretty much smothers the whimsical mood fywell strains so hard to attain .",
        "with eloquent dialogue but scant smoldering passions , the mushy machinations nicely nudge director tim fywell 's gentle little film .",
        "complicated family relationships , good performances , and the film is surprisingly funny ... an easy film to like .",
        "tells romantic truths in a beautiful and indelible way",
        "even with a preconceived notion of where this film would take me , i found its surprising twists and fine dialogue sweetly entertaining .",
        "a fabulous film .",
        "a delightful coming-of-age movie that teeters on contrivance but never topples .",
        "a compelling and emotionally rich coming-of-age drama .",
        "the psychological darkness that underpins this film does n't seem inappropriate to its wit and charm .",
        "feels like a respectable bbc television drama rather than a movie .",
        "immerses its audience into another time and place just like a good read on a rainy day",
        "a sunny , wonderfully romantic alternative to the special-effects driven summer blockbusters , MOV is the essence of charm .",
        "one of the season 's most captivating surprises .",
        "the evident affection that the filmmakers bear toward smith 's novel , and toward the odd , spirited people who inhabit it , gives the film a modest , hardworking appeal .",
        "a complex , moving tale about dealing with life , not accepting second best and having the courage to both love and be loved . that it avoids the grit and lapses into schmaltz every now and then can almost be forgiven .",
        "a classy adaptation of the much-loved dodie smith classic .",
        "a page-turning soaper .",
        "smith 's book is a charmer , but the keys to this castle have been misplaced .",
        "flat and suspenseless .",
        "beautifully filmed silliness , and fetchingly acted tweeness .",
        "these filmmakers have a deep appreciation for the source material , and if this sweet and funny film does n't get lost in the dog days of summer , perhaps they will bring a new generation into the MOV fold .",
        "a charming story with a most satisfying conclusion .",
        "a notch above usual masterpiece theatre fare .",
        "one of those movies in which the main characters talk endlessly about the great passions and burning fires of love , but the movie itself is so timid and restrained that it might make your eyelids feel heavy before it makes your heart feel light .",
        "warm and bittersweet and funny and a little bit heartbreaking .",
        "it would be fun to be a member of the mortmain family -- maybe the younger brother , who shows every sign of growing up to be harry potter .",
        "a clear-headed , straightforward version of dodie smith 's 1948 novel .",
        "it 's a pleasantly quirky love story with a wry sense of humor and standout performances from the youngish cast .",
        "director tim fywell , a veteran of british tv drama , executes his work handsomely and self-consciously .",
        "it may be best to think of MOV as a kind of comfy chair with a few frayed edges and telltale leaks in its upholstery . perfect furniture , in other words , for a lazy summer afternoon .",
        "neither conventionally told nor resolved , and able to make the most eccentric situations believable , MOV is both an ordinary story and a special one -- and that , finally , is the secret of its success .",
        "the versatile garai holds the movie together ... making even the more ridiculous passages of voiceover work into something heartfelt and believable .",
        "all of the performances are engaging -- especially from romola garai -- and translate the book 's appeal warmly .",
        "this coming-of-age drama , based on the dodie smith novel , has the feel of a proper bbc production , but it lacks the energy to compel on the big screen .",
        "garai provides the film 's heart ; every key action or decision of her family or the fellows seems to seep through her and become imprinted on her soul .",
        "a richly colored , intricately textured film that revels in slow but mesmerizing character development .",
        "a refreshingly mature look at first love and life 's often-rough transitions .",
        "take your book-smart teenage daughters .",
        "cassandra 's flowery narration may prove a tad irritating for those not in the mood for such soapy operatics but this glibly engaging melodrama ... at least plays to mature audiences wanting an alternative to the latest hollywood blockbusters filling up our",
        "a fresh reminder of the tart taste of first love and the disarming sweetness of becoming an adult .",
        "not a new story , and some of the goings-on are just plain silly , but it 's pleasant , nicely photographed and well enough told .",
        "never shies from indulging us and our desire for a gentle and generous world that does n't slip into easy answers .",
        "a rarity , a clear-eyed comedy .",
        "better on set-up than follow-through .",
        "the film is a charmer . it 's romantic , funny and satisfying .",
        "a quirky story about young love in the 1930s and all of its intense aches and longings .",
        "it has just enough charm to be watchable .",
        "the fancy-pants accents and period costuming make one feel intellectually smug , as if the afternoon had been spent watching a merchant-ivory film - only without the tedium of actually sitting through a merchant-ivory film .",
        "... mines the rich veins of both austen and fitzgerald . but fywell lets his focus wander . by the end castle seems to come apart stone by stone .",
        "a quirky and handsome family drama that nicely captures the pangs and pleasures of adolescence .",
        "comes across as contrived and artificial , missing the sense of dreamy enchantment for which it 's clearly striving .",
        "sweet and sleepy , MOV might feel most comfortable in a sunday-afternoon slot on the bbc : the humor is gentle and broad , the camerawork awkward , the landscape pastoral .",
        "... boasts a number of essential , if slightly twisted , fairy-tale elements that give the movie an engaging , slightly otherworldly air -- one that occasionally clashes with , but more often enhances , the all-too-human foibles at its heart .",
        "it did n't excite me or hold my interest , though everything about it was modestly successful .",
        "romala garai is utterly convincing as the smart , wistful girl with the notebook ."],
    "summary": "a handsome and charming adaptation of the novel .",
    "id": "13959"
  },
  {
    "movie": "superman_ii",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an especially fun movie and a rare instance of a sequel that not only equals , but even betters , its original .",
        "a solid , classy , cannily constructed piece of entertainment which gets down to action almost immediately .",
        "it 's an entertaining and fun follow-up that definitely made good on the promise of evil doers who 'd challenge the man of steel for all he 's worth .",
        "on some levels soars above its predecessor with a more personal story ; credible , menacing villains and an impeccable cast .",
        "let 's face it , times change , and superman and friend have sweetly embraced the spirit of the '80s as well as each other .",
        "witty , action-packed superadventure with big themes .",
        "a fine follow-up , it 's easy to understand why some consider MOV to be the pick of the series .",
        "manages to gain classic comic book feature status through a combination of great stunts and a great human angle .",
        "this is first class entertainment with a little bit of everything thrown in for good measure .",
        "as good a matinee movie as could be imagined .",
        "acaba sendo salvo pelo mesmo elemento que contribuiu para o sucesso do original : a din\u00e2mica e a qu\u00edmica entre christopher reeve e margot kidder .",
        "... as uneven and overlong as the first one .",
        "the spectacular battle scenes , the tenderly poignant love story , and the still-amusing work by hackman make its broad transgressions quite forgivable .",
        "a definitive look at the strange , impossible love triangle of clark kent , lois lane and superman ... not perfect , but in the annals of comic-book movies it remains an indispensable touchstone .",
        "tighter , funnier , and generally better than its predecessor",
        "i thought it was great when i was nine , but now ... oh my god !",
        "by its very nature , the resulting film is severely compromised , but still rip-roaring , unpretentious entertainment .",
        "the combination of richard donner 's superb original casting and visual attack with lester 's wit and his ear for sound proves a pretty formidable alliance .",
        "perhaps not as good as the first superman , this one offers more action and laughs a minute .",
        "both kidder and reeve shine .",
        "MOV made me cheer when i was seven years old , it makes me cheer now that i 'm thirty , and it 'll make me cheer when i 'm ninety .",
        "aside from some unfortunate slapstick , it 's a truly spectacular superhero sequel .",
        "almost as fantastic as the original .",
        "the controversy surrounding it continues to be much ado about nothing . it 's a terrific follow-up to the incomparable original ... no matter whose name is on the credits .",
        "substantial credit should also go to terence stamp 's casually menacing general zod , who transcends his terrible costume and make-up to appear a convincing threat .",
        "the rare sequel that 's even better than its predecessor .",
        "better than the first , but still overrated .",
        "a less inspired but mostly entertaining sequel . superman 's battle with the three kryptonian villains is hammy but fun . relationship with lois lane is promptly abandoned .",
        "worthy follow up",
        "three kryptonian villains and superman kicking the snot out of each other and tearing up the town ? who ca n't love this ?",
        "the best superman . great villains and great clark insecurity subplot .",
        "superman 's sequel is probably as good as the original .",
        "MOV is a lively spree brimming over with action and adventure .",
        "edgy and exciting .",
        "MOV is a marvelous toy .",
        "MOV begins in midstream , and never looks back ..."],
    "summary": "the humor occasionally stumbles into slapstick territory , and the special effects are dated , but MOV meets , if not exceeds , the standard set by its predecessor .",
    "id": "10656"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1030887-punisher",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the real problem is that it just is n't very exciting .",
        "marred by cheeseball sets and special effects , lame fight sequences , and some of the worst acting ever to disgrace the screen .",
        "the only positive spin i can put on this movie is that if bad comic adaptations like it had n't been done in the late 1980s and early 1990s , marvel never would have needed to have its current , high-quality big-screen resurgence .",
        "often underrated comic-book adaptation that lacks the trademark skull logo but delivers the superhero presence that the thomas jane remake sadly lacks .",
        "\u0439 dif\u043dcil escolher o que \u0439 pior : os di\u0431logos ris\u043dveis , a dire\u0437\u0433o amadora , as lutas nada convincentes , a p\u0439ssima atua\u0437\u0433o -lrb- oh ! -rrb- de lundgren ou sua `` maquiagem de deprimido '' .",
        "a terrible one-man-army action flick . the 2004 version is far more effective .",
        "much better than the 2004 version . a surprisingly potent blast of '80s action moviemaking .",
        "with origins in a marvel comics character , the MOV is , as might be expected , two-dimensional .",
        "destructive , reprehensible , and marvellous fun .",
        "it maintained a tongue in cheek attitude toward all the violence and hokum , which made it comic book lite and easier to take .",
        "carefully tended facial stubble trimmed to give him a skull-like appearance , lundgren is truly impressive as a character defined by emotional emptiness ."],
    "summary": "despite the seemingly indestructible dolph lundgren with a crossbow , the MOV is a boring one-man battle with never-ending action scenes .",
    "id": "13624"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wedding_singer",
    "reviews":
     [
        "one of the sweetest movies you 're ever likely to come across .",
        "adam sandler falls for drew barrymore",
        "herlihy 's screenplay offers few laughs on its own ; the film 's most humorous moments come from sandler 's low-key , off-hand delivery .",
        "like the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy , it might make you yak , but it tastes pretty good going down .",
        "sandler proves here that he 's not only a brilliant comedian , but a talented actor .",
        "director frank coraci exerts little control over his picture , which drifts aimlessly from bad to good and then back again .",
        "it 's mushy and funny , slobbery and predictable -- but gee , i like it .",
        "if you like a pleasant and predictable romantic comedy , then this is the one for you .",
        "the film is just a trifle , but in the mid-winter cinematic wasteland , you have to grade on a curve .",
        "in essence , the MOV is a k-tel hits package posing as a movie .",
        "drew barrymore and adam sandler have an unexpected chemistry that oozes off the screen and steals your heart .",
        "an hour and a half of solid entertainment .",
        "one of the sad byproducts of the dumbing-down of america is that we 're now forced to witness the goofy plots of the 1930s played sincerely , as if they were really deep .",
        "adam sandler 's basic schtick is his lack of talent .",
        "it 's charmingly bad and an excellent date film .",
        "uneven and silly ? yes . enjoyable ? most definitely .",
        "director coraci has done a fine job re-creating and spoofing some of the cultural trends of the 1980s , a time in which yuppie-worship replaced hippie-adulation .",
        "fairly typical comedy , in that moments of genuine humor are spread out too thinly over a schmaltzy -lrb- sorry , `` heartwarming '' -rrb- script . but how can you give a failing grade to a movie that spotlights silly early eighties music ?",
        "all the movie 's tender moments ring false , especially since sandler always looks like he 's on the verge of cracking up , and ultimately the movie has less flavor than a supermarket wedding cake .",
        "this movie is great for a few laughs , especially if you fall into the right age category . but do n't expect it to change your life .",
        "too much of the MOV has a disconcerting reluctance , reigning itself in at unexpected moments and failing to capitalize on several potential jokes ...",
        "barrymore shines like a new penny on the strength of pure movie-star personality .",
        "the almost never-miss comedy makes up for the unexceptionnal storyline , and frank coraci happens to be a skillful mainstream director .",
        "besides music that harks back to the days when mtv was worth watching -lrb- martha quinn forever ! -rrb- , the MOV is also a sweet , beguiling romantic comedy .",
        "ridiculous and surprisingly likable -- sweet , silly and light as a soap bubble .",
        "it 's a nice diversion for undemanding and unsophisticated moviegoers who want to wile away about 100 minutes .",
        "the movie is a tame affair , shot on calm , manicured streets ; the interiors are decorated in pastels .",
        "the MOV is two movies for the price of one , and they 're both awful .",
        "the MOV turns out to be an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes laughing at the past .",
        "the plotting is simplistic but cute and the gags are consistently funny , particularly for anyone who grew up in the 1980s .",
        "you ca n't help pulling for the kids .",
        "yes , it 's sappy . it 's also silly , utterly unironic , a sketch stretched out to feature length , and , if you 're in the right mood , pretty darned cute .",
        "barrymore and sandler are lovely together , and the movie , set in 1985 , was also among the first to tap into 1980s nostalgia .",
        "called on to replace some of his happy gilmore shtick with the emoting of a romantic lead , he does just that but in an unpersuasive on/off fashion .",
        "supporting players are uniformly strong , and coraci deserves much credit for exacting just the right degree of outrageousness without spinning into some wild orbit .",
        "the tone set by director frank coraci tends to the cartoonishly broad while making jokes at the expense of grotesques . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "although the movie is remarkably schmaltzy , it 's sweet and affecting , too , with sandler 's character as genuinely nice as he can be .",
        "the chemistry between sandler and barrymore is something special to see here , and i think ` the MOV ' ends up being sandler 's best movie .",
        "not the most original comedy , but many will enjoy .",
        "an enjoyable , nostalgic , and even a bit touching time at the movies .",
        "with a decent screenplay and better directing , this would have been a good film , but as it is , it is just average .",
        "the ending is predictable , but the two stars are appealing , especially since sandler actually tones down his usual obnoxious shtick .",
        "a simple love story from a simpler time , crafted as skillfully as ever .",
        "as robbie hart , a former lead singer in a rock band reduced to performing at weddings , sandler goes for more than the easy laughs .",
        "finally , an adam sandler comedy that you can sit through without wanting to throw a mallet through the screen .",
        "sandler makes nice to please the female demographic .",
        "sandler shows an emotional range beyond his usual mercurial knucklehead ; barrymore drops her adolescent nymph in favor of a more sensitive , mature persona .",
        "at its best , it is a gentle , well-portrayed , feel good film .",
        "limpia , sencilla , divertida .",
        "a sparkling romantic comedy , the kind of picture that glides by so gracefully and unpretentiously that it 's only upon reflection that you realize how much skill , caring and good judgment had to have gone into its making .",
        "lightweight romantic comedy , with just enough funny moments to keep it adrift , but not so many that it 's truly memorable",
        "suddenly i can see that when he stops whining , sandler has a certain adolescent charm about him .",
        "one of the nicest surprises of the year so far .",
        "this movie is sickeningly sweet , and only a die-hard romantic or an avowed adam sandler fan will be able to sit through the ninety-five minute feature without going into sugar shock .",
        "hokey as robbie and julia 's courtship turns out to be , mr. sandler really does draw some empathy for his character 's lonely plight .",
        "grab a date , grab this movie . end of story ."],
    "summary": "it 's decidedly uneven -- and surprisingly sappy for an early adam sandler comedy -- but the MOV is also sweet , funny , and beguiling .",
    "id": "10214"
  },
  {
    "movie": "trainspotting",
    "reviews":
     [
        "wickedly funny , sick , insightful , depressing , dirty , unjudging , awesomely acted and brilliant .",
        "others , if they choose , may praise MOV for its squalor ; i prefer to praise it for the invigorating perspectives of a writer and a director with ideas and the ability to convey them .",
        "exuberant and pitiless , profane yet eloquent , flush with the ability to create laughter out of unspeakable situations , `` MOV '' is a drop-dead look at a dead-end lifestyle that has all the strength of its considerable contradictions .",
        "the movie has been attacked as pro-drug and defended as anti-drug , but actually it is simply pragmatic . it knows that addiction leads to an unmanageable , exhausting , intensely uncomfortable daily routine , and it knows that only two things make it bearable",
        "this is not dour social realism . it 's a shot - from-a-cannon youth movie , with likable young people sticking needles in their arms in working-class edinburgh .",
        "it 's MOV , and it 's great .",
        "based on irvine welsh 's novel , this visually rich , culturally allusive film focuses on a small group of friends who are frustrated , rebellious and full of passions .",
        "a cocktail of scuzzy charm , nerve and despair that seduces and repulses in nearly equal proportions . it packs a jolt , all right . but it leaves you with a brutal hangover , too .",
        "... rapid-fire youth-culture freak show : random sex , in-your-face scatology , senseless violence and rampant profanity delivered in haggis-thick brogues .",
        "this is probably the most honest movie ever made about drug addiction .",
        "unapologetic and hard-hitting , irvine welsh 's controversial bestseller is brought to the screen as a dazzling assault on the senses .",
        "MOV , buoyed by a great brit pop soundtrack and brian tufano 's agile cinematography , captures the stoned-out , gut-churning experience of hardcore addiction with hallucinogenic acuity .",
        "MOV has its creative moments and sometimes it can be funny , but the viewer should be prepared for a downbeat experience and should expect to find himself some places he would never go of his own accord .",
        "you stop cringing and start smiling , laughing even , and these kids , who seem like aliens at first , grow on you . they 're weirdly likable .",
        "a fine example of efficient , resourceful filmmaking .",
        "brazen , hilarious , disgusting , audacious , altogether fresh .",
        "by turns cheeky , surreal , exhilarating and stomach-churning .",
        "funny , disturbing , tragic and deeply addictive .",
        "an unprecedented and unrivalled piece of entertainment .",
        "MOV 's saving grace is that there 's a heck of a lot of entertainment value in this particular form of shallowness .",
        "a grimy bolt of celluloid lightning unspooling at 24 crackling frames a second , this episodic tale of smart-aleck scottish lads on heroin is the year 's most exciting film -- and surely its most controversial .",
        "heroin , as it turns out , provides the characters in MOV with something the filmmakers ca n't -- motivation . without the drug , boyle ca n't convincingly explain the actions of renton and his friends .",
        "all this doped-up ennui eventually proves wearing . junkies , given to nodding out and living in squalor , do n't make good company for too long .",
        "far from nihilistic , though certainly calculated to butt up against various puritanical norms , -lsb- the film is a -rsb- feel-good jaunt about young scottish heroin addicts and their degradation and betrayals of one another .",
        "una historia excepcionalmente narrada .",
        "the most controversial film of the summer is both disturbing and exhilarating in its evocative rendering of a smackhead 's chaotic universe .",
        "MOV will have to go down in the annals as one of the great anti-heroin films of all time -- better than otto preminger 's the man with the golden arm , and on a par with alex cox 's sid and nancy , maybe even better !",
        "put simply , MOV is one of those films that gets the mixture just right . the dialogue , the music , the performances , the direction , the production values , the humor , the shock-value .",
        "danny boyle 's MOV is a blast of ice-cold water across a sweaty brow ; it 's a lively , vibrant and pulsatingly addictive movie .",
        "a pop culture sensation that drew notice to its own urgency and immediacy .",
        "though dark in tone and the bulk of the humor is blacker than a raven 's wing at midnight , boyle 's sense of humanity persistently creeps in around the edges .",
        "among its deeper merits is that it proves a movie does n't have to be mean to be fresh .",
        "this may not have the weight of ` great art ' , but it crystallises youthful disaffection with the verve of the best and brightest pop culture . a sensation .",
        "full of repugnant junkies so unpleasant that i was hoping they 'd all od just so i could escape this torture test .",
        "a spirited , energetic , hilarious take on one of the least spirited , energetic , or hilarious topics of all : heroin addition",
        "this might not be the first movie to get inside the mind of an addict , but it 's the only one that captures the life-consuming power of addiction in all its complexity .",
        "it 's strange that a film about a stupor-inducing drug should be the most -- and maybe the only -- exciting cultural export from britain since the sex pistols .",
        "the movie tags at the heels of edinburgh social dropouts renton , spud , sick boy and begbie , for whom getting off beats getting out .",
        "... nastier , funnier , and scary enough to keep me away from any kind of drugs ...",
        "-lsb- has -rsb- a wild cinematic style that suggests a lust for the new , the different .",
        "it has the power to shock , terrify and disgust audiences one moment and make them burst with laughter the next .",
        "instead of the social-realism approach taken by most movies dealing with drug subcultures , MOV observes its subjects with a mordant eye -- an inclusive perspective ...",
        "... we are taken full speed into a world of despair and self-destructiveness that is more fun than any action film , more thoughtful than any hokey hollywood drama , and more clever than a typical hollywood romantic comedy .",
        "MOV is one of the most effective anti-drug movies i 've seen in a long time . its depiction of heroin addiction is so raw and gritty that you walk away with the realization that heroin is a drug not to be messed with .",
        "be mentally strong , for you might become psychologically vulnerable from the mind-altering MOV experience .",
        "the film comes off as inventive and enlivening , even as it makes clear how destructive heroin is .",
        "a few patches are subtitled , but the general effect is of watching an opera without having read the libretto .",
        "... in MOV the filmmakers are so far over the line , that i could not like the picture no matter how hard i tried .",
        "for better or worse , sometimes strictly for the sake of shock value , the stylish irreverence of `` MOV '' mimics that drug high and delivers its own potent kick .",
        "its four main `` anti-heroes '' are such unsympathetic losers that it is difficult to care whether they live or die .",
        "it 's all attitude , and little substance . still , its attitude is catchy at times , filled with humor and sparks of energy .",
        "this is n't an examination of the scottish drug culture from the outside looking in , it 's one from the inside looking out .",
        "hip , brutally honest and humane ...",
        "if the essence of generation x 's journey from restless youth to semiproductive maturity could be encapsulated into one film , it would be MOV .",
        "a rarity : a highly anticipated film that exceeds - and confounds - expectations .",
        "`` MOV '' manages to be hip , happening , graphic , tragic , violent , cool , filthy , sick , and very funny , and the tragically hip arthouse crowd on this side of the ocean are going to eat it up .",
        "the film is about joy -- in conniving and surviving , in connecting with audiences , in its own fizzy , jizzy style . and that 's why , compared with it , most other films look zombified .",
        "graphic look into heroin addiction . not for kids .",
        "it would be hard to imagine a movie about drugs , depravity , and all-around bad behavior more electrifying than MOV .",
        "the characters are without recognizable virtues , and neither they nor the movie asks us to like them . but they are full of energy and underplayed wit , endlessly picking themselves up off the filthy floor .",
        "there 's no denying that the visual imagery boasted by danny boyle 's MOV rivals anything you 're likely to see on the big screen .",
        "MOV is a searing pop-art portrait of a lost generation blowing out its brains . as they rail , chuckle , shout and dive into darkness , you 're trapped yourself between a bellylaugh and a scream .",
        "it 's hard to recall a movie that etches the horrors of drug dependence more shatteringly than this british tragicomedy , which danny boyle has directed with ferocious energy .",
        "a movie that dares to challenge the audience",
        "MOV is a singular sensation , a visionary knockout spiked with insight , wild invention and outrageous wit .",
        "the experience of watching MOV -- the electric , nasty and slick descent into the milieu of young scottish junkies -- is a little like speeding through the digestive tract of some voracious beast .",
        "an uncompromising , dark and hilarious film .",
        "a monster hit in britain , MOV is defiantly contradictory : an exhilarating portrait of heroin use , a black comedy of errors capped off by one character 's sarcastic decision to `` choose life . ''",
        "scabrous , brutal and hip , MOV is a clockwork orange for the '90s .",
        "another great movie from the guys who did shallow grave .",
        "danny boyle 's movie achieves -- at least for a while -- the psychedelic high for which it clearly aims , but like the heroin fixes he vividly portrays , his film does n't have much long-term impact ."],
    "summary": "a brutal , often times funny , other times terrifying portrayal of drug addiction in edinburgh . not for the faint of heart , but well worth viewing as a realistic and entertaining reminder of the horrors of drug use .",
    "id": "16743"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10008423-cool_school",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a lively film that does n't linger too long on any one thought or with any one interviewee .",
        "no one emerges very well defined from this historical shuffle , but those who know the artists ' works , or names such as hopps and blum , but have never heard them speak , will find the MOV absorbing and informative .",
        "MOV is a must for anyone interested in 20th century american art .",
        "the MOV , a breezy , lively documentary about a thin slice of the los angeles fine art scene in the 1950s , is easy on the eyes , and the ears too .",
        "diverting .",
        "thoughtful and thought-provoking .",
        "though designed more for the devotee of the arts than your average moviegoer , the film is still apt to enthrall even the uninitiated who would n't know a jackson pollock from a willem de kooning .",
        "largely avoids sharply delineated portraits , with its focus on the scene at the expense of individuals , ultimately resulting in a documentary that does n't rise above the functional .",
        "all told , and well told , this is essential history .",
        "documentarian morgan neville takes an appropriately lively , left-field approach to the MOV 's eye-opening history of the beat-era left coast art scene -- a lesser-known chapter in the story of american modern art .",
        "morgan neville 's quick-paced documentary the MOV recounts the rise and fall of ferus gallery and the mark it made on american art .",
        "... a fun , jazzy look at l.a. 's first real wave of modern artists",
        "it is a fascinating journey through a piece of art history , the full impact of which may be yet to come .",
        "what the MOV does so well , through its color accents and black-and-white photography ... is impart a sense of discovery .",
        "sweeps you off your feet with quick-witted visuals and cleverly used archival footage .",
        "makes the case that there 's more than basket weaving and freeway driving going on in the seedbed of originality we know as the great basin of l.a.",
        "veteran documentarist morgan neville 's illustrated history of the painters and sculptors associated with venice 's ferus gallery -lrb- 1957-1967 -rrb- is at once lively and analytical .",
        "breezy doc lives up to its title .",
        "the MOV is neither as lively nor as complete as it could be , but as an introduction to modern art , it 's a fine freshman course .",
        "morgan neville 's ` the MOV ' is a slickly packaged document of the burgeoning modern art scene in la during the late '50s and early '60s which sadly submerges its fascinating subject matter in technical clutter and contrived set-ups .",
        "occasionally too reverent , this remains an effective evocation of a vibrant and interesting art scene , not to mention a touching paean to lost youth .",
        "the MOV is a history of the la art scene which will be most interesting for those who are involved in it .",
        "surf 's up in southern california as the modern art world invades nixonville and reagan city in the 1950s . a fascinating look at the start of something big : modern art in los angeles .",
        "definitely proves that , contrary to certain opinions , los angeles is not a cultural wasteland where fine art is concerned ."],
    "summary": "a breezy and lively modern art documentary , revealing that la is not a cultural wasteland when it comes to fine art .",
    "id": "770761007"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tempest",
    "reviews":
     [
        "these gifted actors sometimes seem to be saying the words as someone with a chain-saw cuts firewood in the next room .",
        "it 's unimaginatively staged and poorly acted by everyone involved , especially russell brand , who has never seemed so lost .",
        "visuals evoke the themes of order and chaos , with steps vertiginously reaching up and prospera 's mixture of natural material and tight , civilizing straps and stays .",
        "everything that makes shakespeare 's final play a great expression of the dangers and risks of ambition in western civilization is lost in this sex change .",
        "a noble stab at the bard but ultimately an unsatisfactory film .",
        "-lsb- m -rsb- essy but thrilling ... -lsb- b -rsb- rings a new perspective on the play , and a new appreciation for it , which is the best we can ask for the umpteenth adaptation of a centuries-old work ...",
        "despite the best efforts of an impressive cast , taymor 's adaptation ends up a curious mix of arse-achingly dull , and clangingly misjudged .",
        "the special effects are intrusive and anything but magical and the text is rather curiously edited . but it 's worth seeing for mirren .",
        "mirren is a powerful presence : maybe gender-bending shakespeare is the only way to give mirren the movie roles she deserves .",
        "lost for a *** holes .",
        "misjudged , un-poetic and tedious - like a pompous production of mamma mia , without the abba songs .",
        "a game cast including helen mirren , russell brand , ben whishaw and tom conti ca n't save this listing interpretation of the shakespeare play .",
        "certainly good enough to leave us once more astonished by shakespeare 's invention , yet it ultimately lacks the interpretative authority that might have made it something special .",
        "an inspired , but sometimes irksome take on 400 year old material .",
        "`` to go or not to go ? '' is not the question . `` why ? '' is the question .",
        "the costumes designed by sandy powell - leather gowns and military uniforms , renaissance in silhouette and detailed with zippers - are the film 's most arresting element .",
        "the effects are dazzling , the cast is stellar , the play is timeless , the movie is wretched .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "although there is some gimmickry , this is one of the most straightforward versions of the `` MOV '' ever filmed , making it edifying as well as -- when taymor hits a groove -- dazzling .",
        "a singular disappointment from julie taymor , who has failed to make this play sing on the screen .",
        "a pretty frustrating adaptation of shakespeare 's play , one that dog-paddles around in ever-more-frenetic circles , searching for a way inside the material .",
        "the result is cacophonous .",
        "just another example of middling , muddled shakespeare .",
        "the role of ariel -lrb- whishaw -rrb- is always a bit difficult . the camera spent an excruciatingly long time making sure we noticed those breasts . after a while , i wanted to yell , ` i get it . unisex . move on . '",
        "there 's sound and fury , but the result is more drizzle than MOV .",
        "a tiresome mess that 's completely bereft of a quiet moment in speech or manner , the MOV aches for the wisdom of discipline .",
        "theatrically ambitious , musically busy , and in the end cinematically inert ...",
        "too often the visual effects in the MOV ' look like something that would have seemed high-tech during the early days of mtv .",
        "this is no titus ... and no forbidden planet either .",
        "i found myself wishing that taymor would turn off the sound and fury and let the MOV speak for itself . my wish was n't granted .",
        "lacks some of the magical qualities that lifts its story into the realms of classic fantasy . but it has two performances , apart from mirren 's , exempt from that criticism .",
        "bold and ambitious , like all of taymor 's movies , this MOV is a failure on any level , especially a kitschy visual style that detracts attention from shakespeare 's poignant text .",
        "slow and grinding , taymor 's version of the MOV would be dwarfed by any teapot she might decide to set it in .",
        "julie taymor 's the MOV adapts shakespeare to the screen with boldness and imagination . bard buffs are likely to love it , despite the liberties it takes .",
        "one is reminded of the `` mystery science theater 3000 '' joke about one of the robots staging `` an all-furniture ` hamlet ' '' -- it 's the sort of switcheroo that smacks more of desperation than of creativity and redefinition .",
        "taymor , by turning prospero into a woman while retaining an `` imperialist '' view of caliban , will no doubt simultaneously please and enrage left-wing critics . the rest of us can enjoy the movie 's strengths ...",
        "what taymor , mirren et al have given us is not exactly a MOV for the ages . but in the balance struck between talent , traditional casting , technology and the tale at hand , it manages to stand firmly on its own two feet as a MOV for today .",
        "taymor excels at creating visuals that are so beautiful you want to hang every frame on your wall , but content-wise this film falls really flat .",
        "taymor tries a little too hard , neither breaking nor broken by the play , but ultimately losing the wrestling match . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "while this had the potential to be a stirring cinematic experience , director julie taymor 's trademark innovation and visual flair never soars .",
        "the film has plenty of detractors who see taymor 's approach as strained and overwrought , but mirren finds some grace notes that no prospero could ever have sounded .",
        "dispensing with tableau compositions , this adaptation feels liberated from static theatrical and , to a lesser degree , cinematic convention by the overall openness of its staging and camerawork that 's somewhere between handheld and steadicam .",
        "julie taymor has a theatre director 's idea of how movies work . that 's not a compliment .",
        "hundreds of years ago , shakespeare would have never imagined this story could look like taymor 's vision .",
        "there are two reasons to watch the MOV : if you 're a fan of shakespeare , or a fan of helen mirren .",
        "shakepeare 's premise was leveraged more cleverly and thoughtfully on `` lost . ''",
        "as a re-imagining , particularly by a director so well renowned , the MOV is depressingly pedestrian .",
        "shakespeare is spinning in his grave .",
        "primarily an exercise in eccentric -lrb- and , i would argue , empty -rrb- spectacle .",
        "normally i 'd watch helen mirren in anything , even if she was just putting out the laundry or reading the phone book . but , given the roteness of her line readings here , it might have been better if the phone book rather than shakespeare was her text .",
        "taymor seems to have assembled an interesting cast and colorful costumes and chosen a fitting locale-some scenic , forbidding corners of hawaii-and hoped for the best . occasionally she gets it .",
        "mirren , of course , is wonderful - in those few scenes when the cgi stops . but those rare moments are separated by tedious songs and far too many close-ups of ariel laughing , laughing , laughing .",
        "`` i can do real rocks and seas , '' cries cinema . to which the right response is : `` we do n't want real rocks and seas . we want the ones in our head , put there by shakespeare . ''",
        "you expect nicolas cage to pop up from behind a sand dune on a harley brandishing a rocket launcher .",
        "taymor 's MOV may whip up a special effect storm yet never engages as a compelling narrative : the characters remain vague and distant .",
        "has a striking setting and a handful of good moments but is ultimately let down by uneven performances , poor pacing and some truly atrocious special effects .",
        "it 's left to the actors to lend gravitas and depth , with varying levels of success .",
        "full of crazy spectacle and huge over-elaborate costumes that make look mirren like a raven constructed out of obsidian shards , and it 's all bent towards absolutely no coherent end .",
        "in the end , i wanted this MOV back in its teapot and off the screen . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
        "the MOV is like a shakespearean version of the 1980 flash gordon movie , with some zany baz luhrmann-esque touches thrown in . unfortunately , it 's not as good as that might make it sound .",
        "masque , retirement speech , valediction , celebration of youth and of age , ` the MOV ' is art and it is life . and now it is well served as cinema .",
        "would thou dost remain unslumbered , a pity whilst befall thine eyes .",
        "smaller parts are n't on par with the lead role , and special effects are overdone and cheesy . at times , the essence of shakespeare 's poetry is drowned out .",
        "one can see splashes of taymor 's visual style ... , but unless one is familiar with shakespeare 's play beforehand , `` the MOV '' will be a confusing muddle , at times downright tedious .",
        "overall , even if it does n't completely mesh , there 's still much to like in this MOV .",
        "julie taymor 's new film version of the MOV is n't as disastrous as it could have been , though it does fundamentally fail shakespeare 's play .",
        "ms. taymor 's overscaled sense of stage spectacle can be impressive and effective , even moving , but her three-dimensional , high-volume compositions translate awkwardly into the cosmos of cinema .",
        "in contrast to shakespeare 's gift for weaving words into enchanted worlds , taymor 's MOV leeches most of the magic out of his language ...",
        "with so much going for it , why does the MOV become a mere storm in a teacup ? the reasons are many .",
        "-lsb- mirren -rsb- is powerfully vibrant as a female prospero : she commands the screen whenever she is on , which unfortunately is not all the time . . interweaving of three disparate groups becomes disjointed and tiring , never comes together in a meaningful way .",
        "although it falls off precipitously , it 's better to have julie taymor 's the MOV than not : the first half-hour is nearly as unfettered as shakespeare 's language .",
        "no amount of gimmicky effects , splendid hawaiian locations , bombastic music or high-caliber actors can distract from how consistently dull this MOV is .",
        "a movie that veers from ethereal beauty -lrb- its closing credit sequence , as a book of magic softly drowns in a dark sea , is a stunner -rrb- to mystifying cheesiness .",
        "far less daring than her 1999 titus , which took an electrifying , stylized approach of a lesser-known play , the MOV in comparison looks disappointingly middle-of-the-road .",
        "so kitschy , yet curiously drab and banal .",
        "the best sequences in `` MOV '' are all quiet , not that there are many of them .",
        "an idiosyncratic but oddly pedestrian take on one of the bard 's more elusive yet entrancing works .",
        "this gender-switched MOV lacks energy and thunder -lrb- not to mention quality cgi -rrb- , and fizzles to a disappointing drizzle .",
        "most plays-turned-movies try to open things up . taymor still thinks like a theater director , ending up with a `` MOV '' that takes place in a teapot .",
        "the words still provide the most magic .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- fragmented and almost incomprehensible mess , garishly over-scored , full of embarrassingly bad special effects and a great tragic-comedy romance never given the chance to simply stretch its cumbersome limbs .",
        "taymor 's visual pyrotechnics -lrb- used better in her 1999 shakespeare adaptation `` titus '' -rrb- come across as forced , dampening any warmth in shakespeare 's final play .",
        "a surprisingly unengaging and charmless fantasy from a director whose previous films -lrb- `` across the universe , '' `` titus , '' `` frida '' -rrb- were , despite their other issues , never boring .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "director julie taymor 's gender-swapping of roles and some frenzied special effects ca n't quite disguise an otherwise stagey , uninspired take on shakespeare 's classic .",
    "id": "770805051"
  },
  {
    "movie": "battle_royale_3d",
    "reviews":
     [
        "une oeuvre faisant l'objet d'un v\u0439ritable culte que l'on imagine mal voir sortir d'un studio d'hollywood .",
        "a minor sensation in japan where questions were asked in parliament , this noisy and bombastic adaptation of a recent pulp novel does n't shape up as satire or death-sport fantasy .",
        "the basic storyline just is n't very good , and any attempt to say anything meaningful or moving is ham-fisted and obvious , which quite simply is n't good enough for a film as in-your-face as this .",
        "races along with the swift , brutal precision of a samurai sword cutting through cotton .",
        "some will be uncomfortable or appalled , and the mix of humour and horror is uneasy , but this is n't a film you 'll forget easily . and , seriously , what would you do ?",
        "a modern classic about the folly of violence .",
        "os intert\u043dtulos e o excesso de flashbacks comprometem um pouco o ritmo do filme , mas , de modo geral , a a\u0437\u0433o \u0439 muito bem conduzida e os personagens , satisfatoriamente desenvolvidos .",
        "what it does have is plenty of splatter , noise and energy .",
        "fukasaku , who is now 70 , is the most durable master of all that 's hard-boiled in japanese filmmaking .",
        "its content will earn it a following from as many witless viewers as it will thoughtful ones , but that 's no reason to condemn it",
        "ultimately battle royale falls attempting to stand on its politics alone . its redeeming triumph is that it is immensely entertaining - either as a teenage film or hefty slice of exploitation .",
        "fukasaku 's film maybe ca n't maintain the sheer exhilarating rush of its first thirty minutes , but it 's an outstanding work nevertheless .",
        "catapults you from the cinema in a state of breathless disbelief .",
        "` battle royale ' is another deeply flawed addition to the deeply offensive phenomenon of ` reality tv ' .",
        "once it dropped a lot of its satirical baggage , i was able to stop considering it an important film , and start watching it as an entertaining one .",
        "a hell of an action movie , an admission that makes me feel a little guilty .",
        "as twisted as it sounds , killing off 41 teens takes a great deal of creativity and an innate sense of pacing in order to avoid , well , cinematic boredom .",
        "this is a heart-stopping action film , teaching us the worthy lessons of discipline , teamwork , and determination , but wrapping them up in a deliberately provocative , shockingly violent package .",
        "as usual , fukasaku directs battle royale with force and conviction , even as the tone of the picture veers back and forth from unabashedly ludicrous to deadly serious .",
        "a vicious take-off on reality tv that turns a high-school milieu dominated by cliques and childish relationships into a war zone .",
        "a disturbing film to say the least , and definitely one that could never have been made in the united states .",
        "departing from two decades ' worth of domestic and personal dramas and returning to his roots as japan 's maestro of mayhem , kinji fukasaku has delivered a brutal punch to the collective solar plexus with one of his most outrageous and timely films .",
        "it gets no points for subtlety , but this confronting , devastating , hilarious and extremely fun film is a masterpiece all in its own right .",
        "gloriously sick and twisted . a masterpiece .",
        "disturbing , gory , shocking , and very original .",
        "battle royale is a film that should not be easily ignored , and will not be easily forgotten ... the faces of those kids are likely to linger long after the credits stop .",
        "fukasaku 's set pieces are dynamic , composed and edited with a neatness that is missing from the shaky-camera esthetic of the movie 's successor , ` the hunger games . '",
        "battle royale is a masterpiece of mayhem , violence and unfettered teen melodrama .",
        "battle royale is the hunger games not diluted for young audiences .",
        "it 's fascinating , tense and grisly ... but a bit of a muddle really .",
        "maybe battle royale 's ultimate punchline is its inexplicable ability to fool some people into taking it seriously .",
        "battle royale 's dystopia reflects a hyper-tech japan still deeply concerned with social cohesion and the value-gaps between the generations . it 's the disturbingly dark social frame , not its bloody canvas , that makes this a battle worth watching .",
        "sharply written , bloody , and darkly funny , this is a cut above your usual exploitation fare .",
        "stylistically it 's a beauty , with khaki-uniformed waifs fighting for their lives to a crashing classical score .",
        "awful deaths -lrb- and hysterical reactions to them -rrb- punctuate declarations of love and friendship , revelations of treachery and heavily armed expressions of angst .",
        "before the hunger games there was battle royale . the bloody spectacle of japanese schoolchildren being forced into a sadistic game of `` last man standing '' packs an emotional wallop .",
        "a gloriously entertaining ride , provided you have a taste for dark material and do n't mind the occasional poke in the ribs .",
        "a wonderfully exciting , incredibly idiosyncratic actioner .",
        "3d conversion of a classic teen massacre thriller raises the gore level .",
        "forgive the film its small flaws of histrionic performances and cheap execution for the giddy rush of its banal , verhoevenesque atmosphere ...",
        "it may suit a certain worldview , but battle royale 's cynicism is still a form fantasy-a balm as well as a bomb .",
        "pitched with the insatiable verve of a tv game show and the vacant regret of a grand theft auto videogame .",
        "although the film can be seen as a satire on everything from the japanese education system to reality tv , ultimately its absurdism resists easy interpretation ."],
    "summary": "battle royale is a controversial and violent parable of adolescence , heightening teenage melodrama with life-or-death stakes .",
    "id": "136269391"
  },
  {
    "movie": "men_who_stare_at_goats",
    "reviews":
     [
        "if this is what a hollywood liberal conscience looks like , it 's a glib and useless thing .",
        "one ca n't help remembering that clooney himself drew more humor and resonance out of the iraqi dunes a decade ago in three kings .",
        "the narrative flips and flops ruin the comedic flow .",
        "the MOV is a handful of hilarious scenes looking for a movie .",
        "for a movie about people learning to focus their minds , -lsb- it -rsb- proves to be strangely and disappointingly unfocused .",
        "heslov 's deadpan handling of the movie 's strange-but-true vibe , coupled with clooney 's full-tilt devotion to his outlandish character , smooths over the rougher patches of peter straughan 's quirky screenplay .",
        "perhaps the funniest war movie since stripes .",
        "does a slick job of putting assumptions of all types to the test , and resists the temptation to make sport of any of them while still retaining a sense of fun",
        "neither as quirky as it thinks it is nor as witty as it wants to be , the MOV is a low grade military send-up .",
        "it 's brisk and witty and the cast makes it all such great entertainment that you could almost overlook the more or less absent story .",
        "offers just a few moderately amusing moments , and by and large proves curiously flat , despite all the talent on the screen .",
        "`` the MOV '' falls into the politically impotent sub-genre of lightweight satire of which `` charlie wilson 's war '' and `` the informant '' are recent touchstones .",
        "you ca n't make this stuff up , but you can botch the telling of it , and that 's what sinks this satiric drama based loosely on a 2004 nonfiction book by london-based journalist jon ronson .",
        "it 's ... two-thirds of the way to being awesome . had heslov eased back a bit , goats might 've made it the rest of the way .",
        "what had been a slightly quirky satire becomes first a wild comedy , then an impassioned expos\u00e9 . taking itself too seriously -lrb- and treating the military as a joke -rrb- , it quickly begins to unravel .",
        "the film may remind some of the low-key and decidedly quirky comedies by the coen brothers . and not just because george clooney is one of its featured performers .",
        "t 's mostly about a chance to see clooney in agreeable goofball mode . the movie is forgettable , but his demonstration of the psychic-warrior 's `` sparkly eyes '' technique is destined for his appreciation reel .",
        "neither absurdist enough as a comedy nor trenchant enough as a war satire , this effort elicits a few chuckles but little else .",
        "the light-heartedness of the movie 's tone goes from pratfall humor to a wrenching depiction of the consequences of foolishness .",
        "it 's hard to resist a satire , even when it wobbles , that insists the most unbelievable parts are the most true .",
        "an outrageously funny , tongue-in-cheek satire filled with lively , amusing performances , but its comedic momentum gradually loses steam and leaves you wishing that it had more consistent cleverness and bite .",
        "more movies going nowhere should be this much fun !",
        "what went wrong with this movie ?",
        "loopy enough to stand out from the homogenized pack but not bold enough to truly go the distance .",
        "yes , they really stared at goats , if you believe the reports on which this movie is based .",
        "the inmates here are running the asylum , trying to walk through walls because they 've been trained to believe that they can . they are jedis , or so they think , and though the force may elude them , their belief is unshaken . yoda would be puzzled but proud .",
        "it falls a bit short of the high bar it has set for itself , yet i respect the film 's willingness to aim that high . and it does get enough right to be worth seeing .",
        "if i could make a mix tape of scenes from this film i 'd watch them repeatedly . but as a whole , it was a missed opportunity . and the ending ... even obi-wan would roll his eyes . definitely not the droids i was looking for .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- heeky , baffled madness ... -lsb- but -rsb- there is no doubt that the yearning and the questioning and the skepticism it all encapsulates about modern masculinity is achingly authentic ...",
        "the movie gets off to a strong start that is both amusing and highly entertaining but it ca n't maintain the high level of incredulity . it drags , sputters and then loses its fizz .",
        "the closer you look at the MOV , the better you see that its shaggy coat is covering some pointed truths .",
        "it 's clooney who holds this film together with his charismatic personality and inscrutable demeanor . cassady may be crazy , but there 's enough evidence that he is n't to keep us in suspense .",
        "no doubt is aiming for a catch-22 or dr. strangelove ... it feels more like the mel gibson/robert downey jr. vehicle air america .",
        "a quirky and clever movie about the oddball adventures of some psychic spies dedicated to nonlethal combat .",
        "the MOV has no edge . -lsb- it -rsb- is merely a slight , innocuous diversion . it depends on how tolerant you are of such meanderings as to how much you will enjoy it .",
        "equal parts `` dr. strangelove , '' `` three kings '' and a hope/crosby `` road '' picture .",
        "an absurd comedy that borders on genius",
        "it 's all amusing and loopy , while also insincere and unfocused . the film mocks rigid militarism and faddish alternative movements both , but it offers few fresh observations about either .",
        "here 's a subject that really could have used a stanley kubrick or a john frankenheimer or a robert altman . but are there any great cinematic satirists left , auteurs with the knack for black comedy and cold-blooded irony ?",
        "the MOV is a premise in wait for a movie -- the pilot episode for a tv series that got canceled before it got cooking .",
        "the MOV is a comedy , and i laughed quite a few times while watching it , but that sobering reality almost makes me want to cry .",
        "satire is never easy . the promise of this wartime comedy made me pine for classic movies such as catch-22 and mash : two savvy armed service send-ups that hit the mark all the way .",
        "george clooney dazzles and jeff bridges shines in a scattershot but often hilarious military farce .",
        "this lively satire looks destined for future cult status .",
        "in fits and starts , director heslov captures a lot of the drolly incredulous spirit of the book . it 's just too bad the dots do n't connect better .",
        "what 's mildly exasperating is that there is an actual quest involved : the MOV goes out to the desert in search of its tone-and never finds it .",
        "there are a handful of funny moments -- most of which appear in the trailer -- but overall , this is a film that would have benefited from someone staring at some rewrites .",
        "a smart satirical comedy .",
        "clooney gives it everything , but what does he get in return ? a void where the story is meant to be .",
        "as an insider , i know that goats is not 100 % true , but true enough to enjoy .",
        "a series of barely tethered surrealistic shenanigans perpetrated by coasting a-listers .",
        "... an odd movie that falls in between the cracks of dramedy and military satire . while it has a fine cast and some terrific moments , this story of an experimental u.s. military unit with allegedly psychic powers never really gets off the ground .",
        "strained and uncomfortably buffonish . everybody -lrb- except clooney -rrb- is mugging when they should 've just tried acting . real satire draws blood . this one nudges you in the ribs .",
        "silly psychics make good characters but do n't have enough to do",
        "while this often hilariously haphazard film draws you in , you 're ultimately left trying to discern fact from fiction .",
        "despite this offbeat film 's shortcomings , one ca n't help but admire director grant heslov and his influential pal clooney in bringing to the screen yet another timely reminder of war 's ludicrousness and ultimate futility .",
        "the film meanders in a nonsensical way and never reaches a satisfactory conclusion . it 's got a coen brothers edge to it and will leave many viewers scratching their heads .",
        "it 's more like a series of amazing anecdotes and crazy adventures than a fully formed story",
        "like its intriguing title , this ` more of it is true than you would believe ' satire about us intelligence , psychic spies , hippies and super soldiers is a trip to the wacky side",
        "dancing with goats",
        "it 's smugness -- unleavened by wit -- that makes goats so offensive .",
        "surreal and absurdly satirical , claiming , ` more of this is true than you 'd care to believe . '",
        "no amount of clooney mugging or priceless spacey glowering can fill in the gaps left by this meandering screenplay .",
        "blithe and teeming with actors having the time of their lives , goats is a hilarious , freewheeling descent into the abyssal madness of the military machine .",
        "the MOV is a magical-realist sitcom war farce that ends up being about nothing but its own slovenly smugness .",
        "there 's not much action in the MOV , despite ostensibly being a `` war movie '' -- but then again , that 's about what you 'd expect from a film about a military unit trained to fight with their minds instead of guns . and while the satir",
        "it actually does n't matter if the book is truthful . it does n't claim the paranormal powers are real . ronson simply says some officials thought they might be -- and that if they were , we had to get there first . the movie is funny either way .",
        "for a movie that searches constantly for a consistent feel , sometimes within the same scene , the MOV is remarkably entertaining .",
        "it 's broad and yet realistic , silly and yet never exhuberantly goofy .",
        "knowing exactly what really happened would be a lot more provocative than what we get : an offbeat jumble that feels like coen brothers-lite .",
        "this freewheeling war comedy is deeply entertaining due to the crazy-but-believable premise and wonderfully outrageous characters .",
        "heslov 's directing debut proves that he 's a more skillful writer-producer than helmer : his anti-military satire is narratively and technically shapeless , with half of the text funny and witty and half flat and tedious .",
        "a delicious and funny trip through the powers of the mind ... you could n't ask for a better cast of actors for this offbeat and frequently hilarious tale .",
        "a jokey mess so far from the humane , satirical alchemy of three kings that a revocation of the producer-star 's cinematic passport to the land of military-industrial japery seems in order .",
        "an amusing film -lrb- albeit in spurts -rrb- ... -lrb- although -rrb- armando iannucci 's in the loop is a hard act to follow for any politically-tinged comedy .",
        "at once optimistic about what the military could do if it replaced its guns with flowers , and cynical about what the non-believers and opportunists can - and did - do to that dream",
        "... infused with an unapologetically silly and irreverent sensibility ...",
        "intended as a farcical antidote to big-screen bores about afghanistan and iraq , it 's twice as pompous and endlessly tedious .",
        "it 's highly entertaining , wildly unconventional , and oddly thought provoking .",
        "with material like this , one would have liked a more incisive comedy to materialize around the decline and fall of the new age movement .",
        "the picture lacks discipline and focus at times , but it 's fun despite the chaos , although a wandering-in-the-desert scene goes on far too long .",
        "... the final product matches the title in both weirdness and drollery .",
        "MOV is one massively long star wars joke that gets annoying quick .",
        "at its best , goats maintains a giddy dr. strangelove-via-the-coen-brothers vibe .",
        "if looks could really kill , this film would already be dead .",
        "this coens-lite comedy squeezes every last drop of craziness from its source but is undone by a thin third act . mcgregor 's a good straight man , but it 's clooney 's show .",
        "the sense of emotional detachment keeps things feeling smooth and low-key , but , as is clear in the film 's last few scenes , the playful tone shades into the simply trivial , which in the setting does n't quite play .",
        "an amusing little farce inspired by some genuinely hair-raising true stories . but it loses its nerve in its second half as the need to impose conventional narrative closure eclipses the wacko subject matter . fun , but forgettable . burn after viewing .",
        "what we see is both true and not true , absurd and deadly serious . that works well to begin with , and the first hour or so is funny , engaging and occasionally poignant .",
        "it lacks the control of the coen brothers , in whose image the movie has been only serviceably created by first-time director grant heslov , and merely encourages the audience to stare at an all-star cast for 90 minutes or so .",
        "easily the funniest movie ever to feature a goat-slaying psychic .",
        "a disappointingly generic finale gives way to an ingenious final gag , however , with the gleefully anarchic spirit that drives the film leaving a much bigger impression than the patchy story .",
        "feels less like a transcendental breakthrough than a bit of conjuring misdirection . fun trick , though .",
        "stare at the goat all you want , but he 's not going to come up with a script . he might eat one , but write one ? naaaaaa .",
        "a competent , polished outing for heslov and his cast . but despite its undoubted qualities , its slightly smug attitude means it never quite matches the bite of earlier military satires .",
        "a raucous and rapid-fire military comedy that channels the absurdist spirit of catch 22 and three kings but is often something else entirely .",
        "if we ca n't be sure how much is just being made up , then we have to rely on the entertainment factor , and that is marginal .",
        "either someone missed the memo about other people 's lsd trips being a colossal drag , or else they fed it to a goat .",
        "erring on just the right side of silliness , its combination of slapstick and off-the-cuff sitcom mostly hits the right marks .",
        "the film is just so darned entertaining .",
        "not the acerbic , strangelovian satire one might expect but a pleasant , good-natured film that adopts the happy hippy vibe of bridges ' far-out vietnam vet ...",
        "this story is a myth , but it is pleasant , gentle and funny . like all myths , it reveals certain truths .",
        "mind-altering drugs just might make it seem better than it is .",
        "a quietly wacky military satire good for scattered chuckles and laughs .",
        "begins with the subtitle : `` more of this is true than you would believe . '' it 's the perfect beginning to a film that deftly combines truth and fiction .",
        "setting up easy targets , the MOV seems less clever than behind the times .",
        "psychic spies . jedi warriors . clooney delivers big time , but the story could have been better .",
        "comes to us as the latest political satire to have inadvertently sliced off its own pair .",
        "there 's a lament for perverting the purity of essence in enlightenment to military-complex exploitation . like the film 's test goats , it 's been de-bleated and , given the pithy talk of jedi warriors , this is not the political satire you 're looking for .",
        "through the whole film one has the feeling that the real story is just about to begin , but like the original military project , we go nowhere and nothing ever comes of anything .",
        "while i 'm sure that truth is indeed even stranger than this fiction , there is little here to drum that fact home with conviction . dr strangelove it is not , by a very long way .",
        "one of the year 's most unique films .",
        "the smug , are n't - we-clever tone does n't invite us to react to what we 're seeing because the movie already has satisfied itself that it 's delightful .",
        "a laidback , slightly underwhelming farce on the madness of the military .",
        "there are amusing moments , but you 'll need extra-sensory powers to spot the plot .",
        "does a passable imitation of a coen brothers comedy .",
        "interesting title , promisingly quirky subject , top-drawer cast - such a duff movie .",
        "a likable , lightweight , absurdist comedy .",
        "despite a strong cast 's admirable efforts , though , this ends up as a bit of an ill-defined muddle that should have focused more on fact than quirkiness .",
        "the film starts hopefully , drifts into the desert , ends up starved of point , pith and pattern .",
        "a serendipitous marriage of talent in which all hearts seem to beat as one .",
        "the MOV is a light-hearted and highly entertaining antidote to pompous large scale movies about iraq or aghanistan .",
        "the actors were having a much better time making the film than i did sitting in the theater watching it .",
        "it seems too much a privilege to be chuckling in the theater about psychic warfare while the unfunny business of combat in iraq and afghanistan continues .",
        "caution : staring at ` the MOV ' may result in your falling down laughing , courtesy of a devilishly smart script , subversive japery and a flawlessly funny cast .",
        "this is grizzled , wild-eyed clooney , not the suave sophisticate , and it 's a nice change of pace .",
        "a refreshingly unpredictable and fizzy comic fantasy .",
        "clooney and bridges model an assortment of wigs and facial hair as they labor to put across their outsize characters .",
        "heslov directs for the first time in a career that , i pray , will consist of one movie .",
        "despite whatever my illustrious partner writes , i found `` the MOV '' vastly entertaining .",
        "at best , it 's an assembly line of disconnected gags that rely entirely on mr. clooney 's sub-deadpans and mr. mcgregor 's innocent mug working perpendicular to the jokes . at worst , it 's a meditation on the greater absurdities of new age beliefs and ideals .",
        "the most watered-down episode of m * a * s * h * looks like a joseph heller classic by comparison",
        "baaaaaddddd . what a disappointment with clooney no less . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "komedija % u010diji protagonisti imaju profesionalnih razloga buljiti u koze sve najbolje gegove potro % u0161ila je u traileru",
        "remember how much fun the cast of ocean 's 12 looked like they were having while the audiences watching it were n't ? same thing .",
        "not a perfect satire by any means , but it does capture the insanity of our military using esp as a weapon . just one step ahead of ronald reagan using an astrologist .",
        "sometimes the movie can not get past being merely smile-inducing , but it 's a gently funny story of belief in one 's inner potential and in the general goodness of most people . i may forget i ever saw it , but i had a pretty good time nonetheless .",
        "a nearly apolitical farce where clooney 's combination of wide-eyed lunacy and steely-eyed conviction mesh nicely ... and where bridges is quite dude-like in his hippie-dippie demeanor .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "this outlandish , bizarre film is funny enough to keep your attention diverted .",
        "what a waste of a great premise .",
        "still , there is clooney 's deceptively layered performance , some startling bits of laugh-out-loud absurdity , and the not-at-all-negligible pleasure to be had in a cockeyed point of view .",
        "definitely a film for those looking for something off the beaten path , though the lack of a more defined plot keeps this from being a must-see film .",
        "may not measure up to the book that inspired it , its irreverent sense of humor and colorful cast of characters make it a more than worthwhile viewing .",
        "from casting to conclusion , it feels like second-tier stuff , throwing away an opportunity for provocative satire in favour of a tribute band trying out familiar riffs , hamstrung by their own lack of technique .",
        "a sincere enough , well-played , pleasant distraction .",
        "inspired daftness . and well worth a stare for fans of clooney and inventive comedy alike .",
        "the star of the show is undoubtedly clooney , who delivers one of his best performances .",
        "peter straughan 's peppy , star wars-reference laden script matches clooney 's star power , but the plot goes a bit too far off the rails at the end .",
        "heslov leaves his deadpan-preening actors with nowhere to go . thus , like the shaggy , stubborn subjects of their daffy telekinetic experiments , they mostly stand around chewing their own cud .",
        "now that bush is n't in office the satire feels less enraged , the funny stuff seems aimed at whoever happens to be in the way and the entire movie feels like something the coen brothers felt was n't mean enough for them to bother with .",
        "even clooney seems to be spinning his wheels here , playing the same self-aware looniness we 've seen from him in coen brothers movies , just as jeff bridges is right back in `` big lebowski '' territory .",
        "a one-trick pony , or should i say one-trick goat , which relies heavily on slight variations of a running joke which gets stale pretty fast .",
        "lesser version of catch-22 .",
        "even if you have n't seen a movie about psychic jedi warriors in the u.s. army who kill goats with their mind , you may come out of -lsb- this film -rsb- thinking that you 've seen a lot of it before .",
        "the MOV meanders aimlessly without ever reaching a satisfying conclusion .",
        "take a wonderfully farcical premise based on fact and turn it into a mostly entertaining , sometimes sluggish film about men playing preposterous war games % u2013 with their minds .",
        "heslov thinks he 's making a coen brothers movie , so clooney and especially bridges continuously play up how `` off '' they are , but the source material did n't need any help .",
        "gets by on its goofy , absurdist charm and gonzo characters without ever making a significant impact",
        "it 's a disappointment .",
        "everyone involved seems to have had a pretty good time , but this one looks like it was more fun to make than it is to watch .",
        "it probably sounded funny on paper , and yes , onscreen , there are a few moments of deadpan wackiness .",
        "it has a quick pace and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments , though you might wish it had tried to do something a little more substantial .",
        "hilarious and also sobering .",
        "loopy war comedy 's offbeat humor may appeal to teens .",
        "and yet , while `` the MOV '' may not completely succeed as a whole , it has so many worthwhile individual elements that it should not be completely written off either .",
        "a pleasant comic diversion that 's salvaged by its veteran cast .",
        "parental content review",
        "a loopy , fact-scattered comedy close to woeful in its failure at producing laughs and some much-needed levity . if there is some big , meaningful point to the film , it is lost in a landmine of slapstick and mugging .",
        "there are moments of levity throughout the film , but it 's made with pedestrian craft and feels more like a set-up and a series of vignettes than a compelling yarn .",
        "by throwing both paranormal rumors and sadly true events at the wall , the writer and director make the whole production feel like a messy experiment -- but one that , nonetheless , is a lot of fun to partake in .",
        "george clooney , jeff bridges and kevin spacey get the audience wrapped up in one of the silliest and goofiest movies of the year .",
        "a silly movie that puts the loony in clooney and the ewww in ewan",
        "maybe it is just easier to laugh at things that happened decades ago , but the contemporary story never attains the same power as the flashbacks .",
        "whatever george clooney and his friends are smoking , could they please pass some of it around ? we 're confused and we need it .",
        "... clooney is tongue in cheek convincing .",
        "a likable little movie that feels more indie than most indies , is n't afraid to shamble along , and , sadly , seems oblivious to the fact that it 's in need of a bigger ending .",
        "i walked out feeling as if it had been enjoyable , even though the word on my lips was , ` huh ? '",
        "feels all too light ; it 's a movie wherein all the best , funniest bits were shown in the trailer .",
        "sometimes hits big with genuine laugh-out-loud moments , but more often , this comedy leaves us scratching our heads , wondering where it all went so wrong .",
        "the picture soon runs literally and figuratively into the sands and ca n't dig itself out .",
        "too shallow for satire and not funny enough for comedy , the infantile goats is really just a silly absurdist movie trying to pass for an antiwar film .",
        "the slapstick is broad and the jokes are scattershot , but the satirical digs at the self-delusion directing much of american foreign policy are well aimed .",
        "una comedia sat\u00edrica y anti militarista mucho menos graciosa de lo que promet\u00eda .",
        "all in all , goats would have been groaningly familiar , even back in the 1960s .",
        "the film aspires to the kind of quirk the coen brothers do so well . it delivers quirk in droves . it just stops short of the big yucks .",
        "although clooney 's charm factor helps cassady rise above the caricatures created by the rest of the cast . ... it wo n't necessarily elevate a mediocre film into one worth watching .",
        "the MOV makes -lsb- true lies -rsb- seem like a sensitive and balanced take on american/middle eastern relations .",
        "the oddity of its subject matter ca n't quite find a suitable groove between weird believability and preposterous put-on .",
        "a genuinely funny film packed with acting talent -lrb- ... -rrb- well worth 90 minutes of anyone 's time .",
        "it 's heslov 's sarcastic , assuming tone , not the actors , that makes goats so intolerable , and it begins immediately with the opening credits .",
        "even at a brief running time of 87 minutes , the film feels stretched , leaving you as `` the person who blankly stares at the screen '' ... until it 's finally over .",
        "the juxtaposition of bridges ' tripped-out troops and iran-contra-era skullduggery makes for a few easy laughs , but the movie 's satire never grows teeth ; its depiction of the military as obsessive goofballs makes their excesses seem more trivial than dange",
        "the yarn unravels without ever identifying its satirical targets . is it a lampoon of peace-and-love mysticism ? a critique of militant war-for-profit privateers ? ultimately , it 's a shapeless wad of goat cheese .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this is the anti-hurt locker experience : where that iraq war film was absorbing and deadly serious , the MOV is irreverent and lighthearted .",
        "the MOV does n't stay with you long , but it 's good fun while it lasts .",
        "there 's not much of a story here . all that energy , all that enthusiasm and all that self-generated propulsion are about one thing : distracting us from realizing it .",
        "there 's no doubt we need more movies for grown-ups , with jokes that do n't hit us over the head , but the MOV does n't fit the bill . at best , it might hypnotize you into a stupor .",
        "if there does n't seem to be enough story here to make a movie , seeing the film 's practiced farceurs at work ca n't help but be amusing . a lot more fun , all things considered , than trying to will yourself through a wall .",
        "you may wonder if this screen version of the book of the same name is as unfunny and strangely mushy as it seems , but trust your instincts .",
        "the MOV has a glorious good time satirizing the extravagant lengths to which the military and intelligence establishments will go if they think there 's a payoff at the other end .",
        "nagging deficiencies aside , i ca n't deny that i found this to be a fizzy , funny little romp ."],
    "summary": "though the MOV is a mostly entertaining , farcical glimpse of men at war , some may find its satire and dark humor less than edgy .",
    "id": "770790932"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bread_and_roses",
    "reviews":
     [
        "loach 's politics are almost as insultingly simplistic as his melodramatic plotting and one-dimensional characters .",
        "it often feels inauthentic , sometimes preachy .",
        "the entire blend just does n't jell .",
        "give me a heroine who is n't so egocentric and utterly worthless .",
        "loach is more committed to his message than to his characters .",
        "the film is full of pungent and telling observation .",
        "you wo n't be able to look through cleaning people again as if they were invisible . on that count , it 's a godsend .",
        "makes a powerfully persuasive case .",
        "if you want social commentary but absorbing entertainment , gritty realism but fictionalized whimsy , something for the head but something for the heart , too , MOV delivers .",
        "will this movie change anything , or this review make you want to see it ? no , probably not . but when you come in tomorrow morning , someone will have emptied your wastebasket .",
        "while much of the film 's politics is rather simplistic , loach grounds enough of the movie in the story of the two sisters to make it interesting and immensely viewable .",
        "we become so engrossed in the lives and relationships of the characters that the presentation of the message seems like a natural extension of the story , not something grafted heavy-handedly onto the plot .",
        "entertainment that 's good and good for you .",
        "the whole thing has a feel of bad propaganda to it .",
        "the script 's dull , the long improvised scenes could use some polish and inexperienced newcomer padilla leaves an emotional vacuum in the center of the drama .",
        "the themes here are obvious , and there 's very little entertainment value at hand , but until julie taymor -lrb- or whoever -rrb- delivers a janitors ! musical , this is a fine study of the conflict .",
        "MOV is not just a well-acted and moving drama about the plight of a group of latino janitors ; it 's also a wake-up call to get our collective head out of the sand .",
        "the strength of this vibrant , stirring film is that it does n't get sidetracked by trying to encompass a love story , and furthermore dares to end on a note that is decidedly bittersweet .",
        "an involving story is lost under preachiness .",
        "a collection of small , heroic acts that lead the characters and the audience to a greater knowledge of yet another injustice .",
        "reality is achieved in the acting ... not through some annoying shaky video camera work .",
        "a powerful , occasionally didactic but deeply resonant film .",
        "loach distills transformative drama and subtle interpersonal revelations that rival the most elaborate epic productions .",
        "loach treats -lsb- the story -rsb- as a late-breaking sidebar to a narrative that essentially amounts to a tract on the glories of unskilled trade unionism .",
        "what makes loach 's effort memorable is his impeccable eye for detail , both in human behavior and physical setting , and the performances he pulls from his players .",
        "despite its occasional over-simplification , however , MOV is a powerfully affecting film .",
        "it does n't really succeed in illustrating the workers ' plights in a way that is ultimately sympathetic .",
        "... less dogmatic and milder than most of loach 's work , with a kind of sweet dignity about it",
        "loach 's left-leaning social activism is at the service of a potent and touching story",
        "at times `` MOV '' looks disingenuous ...",
        "it might make emotional sense , but it does n't make legal sense , and the plot rests heavily on legal issues .",
        "loach and a very good cast make it work .",
        "presents a slice of life that has hardly made a scratch on american celluloid . with any luck , that scratch will help generate a real itch .",
        "there 's every reason to watch MOV",
        "a tough sell .",
        "there are many intimate scenes that make the characters of sam , rosa and maya very personal .",
        "the problem with ken loach 's half-spanish , half-english film is n't the lefty politics , it 's that the brit knows nothing about los angeles .",
        "a picture without much passion .",
        "loach ... has made his most appealing and involving movie to date with the touching , naturalistic MOV .",
        "is n't a bad movie , just a painfully obvious one .",
        "loach and screenwriter paul laverty draw everything in simplistic , overstated terms .",
        "as didactic as it sometimes gets , its heart is always bigger than its ideology .",
        "a touching , realistic , heartwarming drama based on a struggle to unionize janitors in l.a.",
        "a somewhat awkward plot , and too many scenes consisting of people in meetings or singing protest songs .",
        "brody ... gives the movie a comedic side that is jarringly out of place with the rest of the drama .",
        "even viewers of completely different political views from loach 's may find it difficult to remain totally unmoved by it .",
        "preaches to the choir and overreaches its grasp , but it could n't be timelier .",
        "builds to the kind of derisorily bittersweet finale that earmarks productions that are infatuated with their own beliefs .",
        "ken loach 's passion for social justice shines through the experiences of these latino characters and ignites our hearts .",
        "has a sort of straw-man quality .",
        "yet in a period of stylistic ostentation , loach 's modest transparency of means is salutary .",
        "... the actual execution unfortunately does n't carry the full dramatic weight the movie makers believe .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an impassioned work of integrity and a human drama of observation , insight , and great import .",
        "a stirring and thought-provoking look at some uncomfortable truths that most americans ignore .",
        "michael moore can do a much better job of making potentially unsympathetic people more likeable in his pursuit for truth and justice .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has powerful moments , but it also sometimes descends into preachiness .",
    "id": "14301"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bee_movie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "amiable but no more .",
        "unfortunately , bees just are n't that funny .",
        "a surprisingly unfunny , belabored and unimaginative comedy , MOV is a huge disappointment considering the extent of seinfeld 's participation .",
        "watching this pun-filled cartoon is like falling into a tray of children 's watercolors -- the warm end , where oranges and yellows and ambers wave .",
        "MOV has a few charming moments and a scene or two with legitimate hilarity , but mostly it 's just mediocre .",
        "MOV does n't touch the bar raised so high by pixar , but it creates a little buzz of its own .",
        "MOV is a cute movie . not that there 's anything ... well , you know the rest . but cute is not what adults expect from jerry seinfeld , although children will be delighted .",
        "feels slight and attenuated , even at a brisk 82 minutes .",
        "the movie has some pretty pictures and a few good jokes , but not nearly enough . and the story suffers from sitcom attention-deficit disorder , veering off in a new direction every half-hour or so .",
        "what i like about MOV is its comfy , off-the-cuff charm : unlike a lot of animated family entertainment , it 's not all thwack smash kaboom .",
        "the film is undistinguished visually . worse , it is n't especially funny .",
        "some humor in MOV is too sophisticated for little kids , but there are enough dazzling action scenes to compensate . youngsters wo n't get an allusion to the graduate , but they 'll enjoy the slapstick that follows .",
        "it 's bee-buzzingly silly .",
        "all of this material , written by seinfeld and writers associated with his television series , tries hard , but never really takes off .",
        "i got antsy in the MOV .",
        "the depth of talent in the cast and gag writing shines through , but it 's only just enough to take your mind off of the flat animation .",
        "amusing comedy with likeable characters , colourful animation and several great gags , though the script is n't as focussed as it should have been .",
        "passes the time , but undoutedly one for the little ` uns .",
        "MOV has its moments but all in all there is very little sting in its tale .",
        "bright , sunny and almost instantly forgettable , even jerry seinfeld ca n't stop MOV from boldly going where far too many cgi animations have gone before .",
        "whatever happened to no hugs , no learning ? it 's enough to bring you out in hives .",
        "the animation is fine , the plot accessible enough for youngsters and it clocks in at a snappy hour and a half .",
        "events veer from the apocalyptic -lrb- the near-extinction of america 's flowers -rrb- to the inexplicable -lrb- the finale is a parody of an ` airport ' movie -rrb- , all presented with a glib yada-yada sense of inconsequentiality .",
        "sadly the animation fails to bee-dazzle - often looking a bit flat . overall , it has to be a bee-plus .",
        "this dreamworks film is not the sliced-bread marvel it has spent an enormous amount of money pretending to be . but it must be said that seinfeld 's script is a thing of wonder .",
        "on the whole , this is another disappointing animated effort and it resides considerably lower on the totem pole than this year 's current non-live action champion , ratatouille .",
        "the film is nutty , ecological , antically funny , and moving , all at the same time .",
        "what a treat to see a comedy that starts funny , is funny in the middle , and ends funny - unlike the usual hollywood model in which all the humour is used up in the first act setting up the premise , and then winds down into sentimentality .",
        "the best we can award is bee minus .",
        "seinfeld the professional cynic has become seinfeld the environmental crusader . who 'd have thunk it ?",
        "what distinguishes this better than half-decent comedy is its detailed insight into the bee brain",
        "this curiously flat animated comedy simply does n't have the sparkle one expects from a jerry seinfeld project .",
        "bee sure to see this .",
        "cleverly acted and beautifully rendered , `` MOV '' is another animated triumph from the studio that brought us `` shrek . ''",
        "anyone smarter than a fifth grader will get a kick out the ingenuity , stellar animation , and relentless higher level humor -lrb- what , no poop jokes ? -rrb- of a film that will reward multiple viewings .",
        "amusing and likeable , but scarcely memorable .",
        "given the amount of talent involved - ren\u00e9e zellweger , matthew broderick , rip torn , and seinfeld himself - it all feels like a terrible waste .",
        "it is mercifully less than 90 minutes long , but make that an hour and a half of witty , captivating enchantment .",
        "seinfeld has completely dumbed-down his normal clever wit in order to appeal to younger kids ; they 're probably the only ones who might enjoy this .",
        "if only every bee were named ` chris rock ' the movie would have the stinging humor it sorely lacks .",
        "the big monster in this movie is n't the human race , but those humans who failed to make a compelling film .",
        "a giddy , freewheeling , clever , delightful animated romp ` about nothing , ' a thing onto itself , the very definition of existential phenomenon .",
        "maybe it would have been better for seinfeld to make an animated movie about nothing .",
        "seinfeld , what happened ? you 've gone soft on us . sure , some of it is fun but where 's the sting ?",
        "MOV is never an unpleasant experience , but it 's never a particularly engaging or funny film either .",
        "seinfeld 's sardonic wit is as sharp and irresistible as ever ...",
        "will small children even care about what bees do ? all they care about is not getting stung .",
        "a friendly , joke-stuffed animated feature .",
        "a desperate , unfocused collection of bits and schtick that sends you out of the theater exhausted and unsatisfied .",
        "as its potential trans-species romance can never be consummated , the movie turns instead into a peculiarly balanced relationship comprised of financial and legal accord .",
        "call it the curse of high expectations but with jerry seinfeld involved , laughs should flow like honey but they do n't - unless you 're really into bee puns .",
        "seinfeld 's animated feature flies a little too fast to leave a lasting impression .",
        "seinfeld 's pleasingly idiosyncratic comic voice comes through in the haphazard , slaphappy storyline . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- his comedy provides sporadic chuckles but , you 'll pardon the expression , drones on for much of its running time .",
        "a kids movie with a moral , that 's rare ! ...",
        "... tries mightily to be cute and cuddly , and in this regard it succeeds ... at least for kids .",
        "personally , i think i liked `` nothing '' better .",
        "... may not be `` about nothing , '' but it is not about much more than the puny pun in the title .",
        "a consistently amusing bit of animated whimsy from funnyman jerry seinfeld that has the observational comic 's fingerprints all over it .",
        "has there ever been an uglier animated feature ? the eerie , fever-dream-like faux three-dimensionality , the cyborg-like humanoids , the septic , etiolated colors .",
        "its moral that even the smallest creature can make a world of difference is one to be appreciated . it is a shame , however , that it could not keep up its energetic and fun pace established within its first act .",
        "the hyperactive comic randomness is deadening",
        "it 's impersonal . it does n't come from anywhere interesting .",
        "the weak storyline hovers over a scene while foraging for material and then flits off to a new situation . without a strong narrative , the movie tends to drone on .",
        "while most animated features , even the bad ones , champion individuality , MOV flies in the opposite direction by rallying around the notions of conformity and subservience .",
        "`` MOV '' has a little bit of something for everyone . it 's loaded with action and sight gags for the kids and enough adult humor to keep the grownups happy .",
        "enjoyable fun even if it 's not particularly original .",
        "smarter than it is funny with delicious design .",
        "i was thoroughly entertained in this lively burst of nonsense that has little agenda except to amuse",
        "a falta de estrutura n\u0441o \u0436 o \u0449nico problema do roteiro , que ainda \u0436 prejudicado por di\u0440logos pouco inspirados e pelo desenvolvimento descuidado de v\u0440rias situa\u0443\u0448es .",
        "great fun",
        "what MOV really lacks is a compelling hero . seinfeld is essentially playing himself , so what we get is a stand-up comedian in a black and yellow sweater .",
        "another ground-breaking show about nothing -- a hornet 's nest of hype for a fat hive of nothing .",
        "not nearly as funny , clever or witty as one would have hoped .",
        "a big-screen , 90-minute saturday morning cartoon that 's really for grown-ups , but happens to be relatively safe and thoroughly entertaining for kids , too .",
        "one of the better animated films of the year , an enjoyable and consistently clever ride courtesy of the very original comic viewpoint of the man who made arguably the best sitcom of all time .",
        "MOV will make you think twice before swatting one of the yellow and black guys next time you 're being buzzed .",
        "here 's the biggest problem most folks will have with MOV : it 's not ratatouille .",
        "unless your idea of wit is an unrelenting stream of groan-inducing insect puns , `` MOV '' offers little more than buzzkill .",
        "it has enough buzzing wit and eye-popping animation to win over the kids -- and probably more than a few parents , too .",
        "kids should get a kick out of it , but anyone craving seinfeld 's usual brand of funny business will have to stick to tv reruns .",
        "while never as clever as it thinks it is , and lacking the internal logic that makes a pixar project hum with indescribable brilliance , MOV is still a witty , imaginative romp .",
        "MOV is fun , if not formulaic in its humor and story approach . the writers threw in every ... bee joke and situation you could think of , yet the movie still works .",
        "this well-meaning but comically limp offering from dreamworks animation inspires boredom more than anything .",
        "seinfeld 's droll , witty observations add to the adult appeal of ` MOV , ' and youngsters will probably enjoy its eye-popping colors .",
        "all in all , MOV 's large team of writers and directors scrape together enough for kids to enjoy , but kids these days have come to expect more than just `` enough '' from their animated movies .",
        "i liked MOV because it was cute , funny , family-friendly , and mercifully brief .",
        "there will be more gags and puns in the reviews of press pundits than could be found in the entirety of this film , which fails to create a bee world of any logic or surprise .",
        "a snazzy-looking mixed bag . kids will be diverted , adults will tolerate it , and all involved will be expecting something more imaginative than what jerry seinfeld has whittled together .",
        "it 's still the dreamworks model of big , recognizable voices playing their personas , but this time it 's an actual movie too . they wait a while to unload all the major pop culture references .",
        "harmless fun for the whole family .",
        "the jokes are bad -lrb- the puns are worse -rrb- , the voice direction is pitiful , and logic is thrown out the window in order for the third act to even exist .",
        "the most genuinely apian aspect of MOV is that it spends a lot of its running time buzzing happily around , sniffing out fresh jokes wherever they may bloom .",
        "MOV is certainly not low-budget , but it has all the staying power and creative value of a b-movie . the secret life of bees , as told by seinfeld , is a bore with a capital b.",
        "MOV is n't a b movie , it 's a z movie , as in dizmal .",
        "made for kids with more bee puns than carrot top and kenny bania could ever imagine",
        "bet you 're just itching to see `` MOV . `` this little honey was launched with an ad campaign possibly equal to the cost of launching a space shuttle ... bees have been everywhere .",
        "instead of gently skewering the conventions of contemporary animation , it simply follows them to a t",
        "begins warily as a mild chucker and then reveals itself to be an increasingly clever and very funny appreciation of a bee 's existence .",
        "certainly MOV could 've been smarter , faster , and far cleverer , and it 's disappointing to watch seinfeld settle for less . for a man who made a mint reveling in comedic risk on a weekly basis , his first movie lacks serious sting .",
        "jerry seinfeld returns to the mainstream spotlight with MOV , which proves as awkward and ineffective as george costanza 's attempts to wear a toupee .",
        "MOV just lacks spirit and energy . part of the problem may be that , as far as i 'm concerned , any animated movie released this year -lrb- and possibly in years to come -rrb- suffers in comparison with brad bird 's ratatouille .",
        "MOV feels phoned in on every level .",
        "pleasant but entirely forgettable .",
        "it 's on the easygoing level of surf 's up , and a full tick up from , say , over the hedge or the ant bully . but given the seinfeld pedigree it 's something of a disappointment .",
        "at its relaxed best , when it 's about , well , nothing , the slyly comic MOV is truly beguiling .",
        "does bee survive the hype ? not quite , but it is semi-charming and reasonably clever in that facile dreamworks animation kind of way .",
        "this digitally animated feature is not a great movie , but it is colorful , imaginative and solid entertainment . in many respects , it 's more educational and more exciting than it is laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "MOV is n't the second coming of seinfeld , but there 's just enough of his singular personality to engage fans and enough buzzy action to delight the holiday kid audience .",
        "seinfeld comedy is cute fun for the whole family .",
        "it 's one of the better animated movies of the year -- admittedly , rising to the top of a shallow pool .",
        "an often-inspired smart comedy for kids , and a vintage seinfeld laugh for adults .",
        "beyond its basic concept , MOV has n't the first idea where to go .",
        "this is a beautifully animated , cleverly executed , warm and funny adventure .",
        "regardless of its pg rating , if you are a fan of jerry seinfeld 's comedy style , then you will probably find a lot to like here . this is an incredibly witty film .",
        "the movie 's more than cute , funny , and -lrb- at 81 minutes -rrb- brisk enough to move families in and out of the multiplex in mass quantities , like the social insects we are .",
        "compare this to the output of a studio like pixar , and the movie really fits its title : a second-rate computer-animated comedy .",
        "seinfeld 's quick wit and glib personality are strong enough to give the scattershot story an illusion of coherence .",
        "rock has but two scenes in the film , but he needs a hundred more . give the man his own movie , please , if only because it 'd bee far better than this one .",
        "too confusing to be humorous .",
        "-lrb- regarding -rrb- ... the relationship between woman and bee ... a tender moment of their holding hands -lrb- yes , one is a bee hand -rrb- while on the terrace is sort of cute , sort of creepy .",
        "a spelling bee . a busy bee . a killer bee . but a seinfeld bee ? sorry jerry , your hapless honey-seeking hero does n't create much of an animated buzz .",
        "mostly amusing and good-natured , occasionally hysterical , and actually manages to sneak in a subtle lesson about nature .",
        "it 's not worth seeing , but if all the hype has you expecting a classic , you should lower your expectations .",
        "seinfeld 's observational humor is relegated to the edges of a lightweight story .",
        "absurd enough to delight kids , overstuffed with verbal and visual in-jokes for grownups , it 's a 90-minute joyride that barely pauses for breath . this is unquestionably the best movie that ever began as a bad pun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the riskiest move seinfeld made was to create an unlikable protagonist who is wrong every step of the way , but treat him like a hero .",
        "never funny , never meaningful , never coherent , never animated .",
        "it 's a minor film . it 'll be amusing once and then forgotten .",
        "if it 's not toy story , well , what is ? but MOV offers plenty of entertainment for all ages -- though , truth be told , the older the better .",
        "not a flawless animated adaptation of seinfeld 's sometimes-cynical , always-obsessive takes on the trivial . even at 91 minutes , it 's long , and some of its voices too shrill , but the energetic brio of its social satire stings without turning inappropriate .",
        "MOV is best viewed as an oddball career move rather than as a successful movie .",
        "a welcome diversion from dreamworks animation 's increasingly trying shrek series .",
        "the vibe is loose-limbed and fluky , and the gags have an extra snap that 's recognizably seinfeldian . if i believed in a sitcom afterlife , i 'd swear the whole thing was cooked up by kramer and george 's dad .",
        "infectiously amusing ? more often than not .",
        "after shrek the third 's flatulence jokes , the return of that seinfeldian wit brings animation up a level .",
        "you might have been able to get away with stuff like this in the pre-pixar age . not anymore .",
        "yet another animated flick with a starry cast in which a creature that ordinarily would seem pesky is rendered as not just harmless but even lovable and idiosyncratically human . enough already .",
        "is n't quite as funny as the swarm ... neither frisky nor imaginative enough to merit even its short ninety-minute running time .",
        "the mock outrage and dry sarcasm of seinfeld 's comic persona defines the movie 's hero , a worker bee with a high-pitched , often cracking whine .",
        "nothing about the movie resonates emotionally .",
        "jerry seinfeld 's comic sensibility enlivens this tale of a bee who wants to fly by the seat of his pants .",
        "seinfeld does n't need to go back to his ` show about nothing ' premise , but here 's hoping his next project can be about just a little less .",
        "a kid film with not enough going on .",
        "is it as bold as it might be ? does it blaze with invention ? is it the best babbling-bee urban biopic , bar none ? just about .",
        "everybody 's least favorite hive workers get an anthropomorphic makeover , courtesy of jerry seinfeld , in this animated flick that 's got some stinging wit but a story that 's strictly for the birds .",
        "it leaves no unpleasant aftertaste . if you take impressionable kids , you should be prepared to explain two things : no , bees and humans do not normally live happily ever after ; and yes , bees sometimes just sting you for the hell of it .",
        "the film 's charm , quickness and design carry the day .",
        "the whole thing 's pretty cute and breezy .",
        "genuine silliness is so rare a quality these days that it should n't go undervalued , even in a sweet little nothing of a picture like MOV .",
        "what a pleasure . after a cackle of serious dramas and actual letter grade b movies , this silly insect film was just the ticket to put a little honey in my tea .",
        "bland , watered-down seinfeld-ian humor for kids , amusing at best , grating at worst .",
        "relentlessly uneven yet basically entertaining ...",
        "without a particularly strong storyline and loaded with only modestly enjoyable gags , it putts along like a familiar old jalopy , reasonably likeable if eminently forgettable .",
        "MOV is a solid mix of comforting gags , clever language and a meandering plot that does n't seem to have enough gas to stretch out into a full feature .",
        "never sappy , often clever , and always great to look at . in short the perfect vehicle to keep the kiddies -lrb- and their adults -rrb- amused while getting across a well-framed message about species interdependence",
        "bee-boundaries are so last-year and fans are likely to understand it in seinfeldian-hysterical terms . to the rest of us it 's an overstretched been-there , seen-that concept .",
        "decade-old leftovers reaching for laughs .",
        "i ca n't believe i 'm going to say it , but this film is as busy as a bee .",
        "dreamworks animation is not pixar , no matter how hard it tries . dreamworks ' animated films lack the sort of effortless charm , animated grace and satirical wit that pixar seems to generate instinctively .",
        "MOV is a light , moderately entertaining romp . not that there 's anything wrong with that .",
        "an agreeable though tame animated picture that more than does the trick but is unlikely to become a super buzz flick .",
        "jerry seinfeld 's disappointing labor of animated-movie love is more of a lukewarm handholding experience than a full embrace .",
        "not only are the bees nonsensical , so is the plot , even grading on the fantasy curve .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has humorous moments , but its awkward premise and tame delivery render it mostly forgettable .",
    "id": "390896977"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10008587-beverly_hills_chihuahua",
    "reviews":
     [
        "why ?",
        "delgado -lrb- voiced by andy garcia -rrb- , a reluctantly heroic german shepherd , definitely deserves a movie of his own ! eat your heart out , rin tin tin .",
        "a shallow cinematic shill at best .",
        "kids movies over the past few years have proven they can be just as good as grown up films -lrb- wall * e -rrb- , but this one brings us back to the drawing board .",
        "in less enlightened times those responsible for making animals talk would have been burnt at the stake as sorcerers . that 's why those times were known as ` the good old days . '",
        "tremendously routine , in a way that an adventure film about talking chihuahuas should not be .",
        "the script 's one original idea , a lost aztec city populated solely by militant chihuahuas , comes too late to save this dog of a movie .",
        "MOV is n't terrible . ok , it 's kind of terrible , but it 's a talking-dog movie , and anyone who goes to a talking-dog movie without being prepared to step in poop deserves to ruin his shoes .",
        "even after a slow start , this silly kiddie flick has a little more pep than you might expect . it 's no doggie classic , but neither does it deserve a pooper scooper .",
        "for the seven year olds out there , this is a perfectly fun movie and there 's nothing that a cranky film critic can say to sour the experience .",
        "while cgi works its ventriloquism on the doggy mandibles , it neglects the human contingent , who are left to fend for themselves amid the manipulated menagerie .",
        "while it does n't work particularly well on any of those levels , it is a colourful addition to the always popular talking dog genre .",
        "upbeat talking-animal adventure is fun for kids .",
        "you could say MOV is lady and the tramp meets viva zapata ! , but seriously , i 've seen zestier attitude in a purina commercial .",
        "like cnn , the film assumes it needs nothing more than our unlimited interest in the drama of a white female gone missing in a foreign country .",
        "sure , it 's essentially legally blonde told from a dog 's perspective , down to chloe 's newfound self-awareness , but darned if it is n't awfully cute .",
        "compared to the best doggie flicks , it may be the runt of the litter , but like most mutts it grows on you .",
        "a surprise charmer that mixes family-friendly slapstick with shrewd adult humor .",
        "for kids who like dogs and grown-ups who do n't mind a movie filled with pro-adopt-a-shelter-dog messages , it could theoretically be worse .",
        "a painfully unfunny , virtually charmless talking-animals pic . what did the lovely jamie lee curtis see in this project that she felt warranted coming out of semi-retirement for ?",
        "in truth , this good-natured disney comedy is an engaging romp .",
        "this live-action disney comedy is the kind of family film which is aimed not so much at parents , as small children and their goldfish , as long as the goldfish do not have too long an attention span .",
        "it 's put across with enough brio to excuse the inherent stupidity of the premise .",
        "only watch this if you adore seeing dogs wearing shades .",
        "watchable , largely average family movie , enlivened by decent performances and the occasionally surreal , off-the-wall moment .",
        "you want to cringe as the picture begins , but you end up quite enjoying it .",
        "what does n't make sense is that while the doggies can follow human speech , the humans do n't get pooch talk , it 's all yap-yapanese .",
        "silly beyond reason , it somehow manages to win us over despite our doubts , and by the end we 're ashamed that we ca n't stop giggling .",
        "it 's cute and sweet and funny .",
        "it kind of reaffirmed a lot of cultural stereotypes .",
        "actually better than its premise and its trailer might lead you to expect .",
        "the story 's a bit dog-eared , but the voice cast adds plenty of energetic bite .",
        "it 's cute alright , with wild ideas , funny lines and a central premise that reinforces loyalty and being true to yourself . beyond the obvious frivolity",
        "ticket buyers older than 8 should simply close their eyes and ponder a more stimulating concept : beverly hills cujo .",
        "as depressing as it is to find so many gifted artists reduced to making a talking-dog picture , MOV turns out to be genuinely sweet .",
        "this anthropomorphic tale will likely please the kiddies , and the animal trainers and vocal talent are to be commended , but anyone over the age of twelve will be bored .",
        "some will think this is a cute funny movie , and the rest of us will go running and screaming from the theater begging god to take away our eyesight so we never have to see it again",
        "depending on your tolerance for talking chihuahuas , this live-action comic offering from disney could make for a fun family night out .",
        "chihuahua turns out to be a pretty good family comedy that is more than the sum of its effects .",
        "most movies in the talking-dog genre -- yes , unfortunately , there are enough of them to be a genre -- feature dogs doing stand-up shtick . but the pooches in beverly hill chihuahua have character , and so does the movie .",
        "aside from some obvious racial stereotypes and voices that occasionally stray into frito bandito territory , chihuahua has charm to spare for the adults , while offering plenty to keep young pups enthralled .",
        "a welcome surprise .",
        "i spent a lot of time in the early scenes wondering how much jamie lee curtis had to be paid to go on cooing in a demented way as viv , chloe 's besotted owner .",
        "once it gets the dumb ` talk to the paw ! ' jokes out of its system , it 's actually a reasonably charming , mostly benign kids ' movie that adults can watch without their heads exploding .",
        "an unfunny , uninventive live-action variation on animated disney animal adventures lady and the tramp , oliver and company and the aristocats .",
        "could cheech marin ever have predicted that he would once again appear in a movie that features his signature song , `` low rider , '' and that it would be such a dog ?",
        "portraying mexico as a breeding ground for criminal activity , imagining the local police as incompetent fools , and encouraging lines such as `` hold your tacos ! , '' the movie does n't exactly make a strong case for racial harmony .",
        "like most recent disney movies , this one has way too much going on in it , as if the producers were assuaging their distrust of the premise with meandering subplots and unnecessary characters .",
        "the good news is that `` MOV '' is not the 90-minute-long ethnic joke that the incessant trailers have been promising for the last few months . the bad news is that it is n't much of anything else either .",
        "quite sweet .",
        "the predictable story may be enough to keep dog-obsessed children entertained , assuming they do n't get distressed by the pups-in-peril aspects , but for adults it 's only sporadically entertaining .",
        "sublimely silly and oddly poignant , MOV -- that 's right , the one with the talking canines -- is lady and the tramp for lap dogs , roots for pooches , legally blonde told from bruiser 's point of view .",
        "at first glance , it seems like just another ` cute ' movie where we see life through the eyes of an animal . your first glance would actually be pretty accurate but as far as this genre goes , the kids should love it and adults wo n't need to keep checking the",
        "if celebrity purebred tinkerbell sees this canine consciousness-raiser , there could be a putsch in paris hilton 's purse .",
        "the real stars of this film are the dogs . the humans were lackluster in comparison . but the reality is that you ca n't beat talking dogs on the cuteness meter .",
        "in a year light on family films , this may be a good bet . exciting adventure , admirable messages , and good , clean fun -- but be warned , its bite is worse than its bark !",
        "paris hilton and lower-level office workers who own calendars featuring weimaraners wearing hats will love it .",
        "for most of MOV , all i could think about was drew barrymore . what might she have been up to while she recited her lines for chloe , the spoiled yet sad-looking live-action chihuahua that speaks in her voice .",
        "disney is now content with the likes of the wholly inoffensive , uninventive MOV , whose canine antics will divert undemanding youngsters and adults who believe the simple absence of profanity , sex and violence counts as a virtue .",
        "-lsb- during the credits -rsb- disney warns people to be careful when picking a dog and that all dogs deserve a good home . if only they were that concerned about their movie .",
        "it 's hard to go wrong with a movie full of talking dogs . but the makers of MOV sure try .",
        "the good news : MOV is not the apocalypse-signaling , cultural abomination its trailers make it out to be . the bad news : that 's pretty much the best thing that can be said about it .",
        "what appeared to have all the potential of a so-bad-it 's - fun masterpiece turned out to just be an average friendly enough kid 's flick that often wanders the deserts of mexico without much direction .",
        "younger audiences will adore this canine caper , though grown-ups might feel its one joke is stretched too far .",
        "it 's hugely silly , but peppy enough to be tolerable . what grates most are the patronising racial stereotypes : the dirty mexican dogs are just waiting to be rescued by la ladies and given a good bath .",
        "this piece of egregious silliness from disney - featuring live-action canines with cgi moving mouths - is n't quite as awful as it sounds .",
        "in a triumph of animal wrangling and cgi tinkering , the canine cast turn in better performances than some of the humans .",
        "... ultimately about as enthralling as a low-rent saturday morning cartoon .",
        "a kid 's film does n't have to be an all time classic to be watchable - once anyway - for the whole audience . no one in MOV seems to care enough to bother . and if they do n't care , why should i ?",
        "an appealing film for dog lovers and those seeking escapist entertainment .",
        "gosnell gracelessly walks us through cheap , generic talking dog material , while parents everywhere groan silently to themselves .",
        "a state-of-the-art kid-pleaser for sure , but recession-weary parents will probably find it a mite obnoxious .",
        "not that anybody would expect perfection from a film called MOV , but the chewed bone of a story makes it all mutts ado about nothing .",
        "it 's still only october , but i 'll go ahead and say it : MOV is the best film of 2008 starring a purse dog .",
        "if chihuahua is no babe or charlotte 's web , at least it 's in the alvin and the chipmunks ballpark . just remember nobody went to the pet store and grabbed a chipmunk on the way home after that one .",
        "a live-action movie with a boatload of cute pooches that , despite bewitching effects and a charming voice cast , buries its sentiment in a too-tangled tale .",
        "despite its superficial lip-service to self-actualization/realization , there has to be more to life than what MOV is putting out there , which is fit for neither man nor beast .",
        "MOV approaches but never quite achieves a truly spectacular level of absurdity .",
        "the film is MOV . the audience is the fire hydrant .",
        "in the words of another famous talking dog , MOV looks like something for me to poop on .",
        "MOV is hardly best in show when it comes to disney dog movies .",
        "a lady and the tramp for the taco bell set , MOV fits nicely into the long line of disney dog movies designed to delight children and animal lovers .",
        "this being disney , wholesome character-building messages abound , but for once they 're freshly spun as cautions against stereotyping both ethnic and canine .",
        "it 's a happy report that the preview 's bark is far worse than the movie 's bite . there is a chihuahua brigade -lrb- fronted by placido domingo , no less -rrb- , but thankfully no musical numbers . it 's a modestly charming old-dog family film with few new tricks .",
        "a doggone good movie for kids",
        "... it 's a lapdog of a script , all gussied up . and the beverly hills scenes made me want to arf .",
        "the terminally cutesy chihuahua is just another demonstratively derivative kids ' narrative that barks up the wrong creative tree ... -lsb- a -rsb- forgettable fleabag farce ...",
        "a single moment of magical realism shows the babe-that-might-have-been , very charitably speaking , had the makers of this doggie adventure-comedy chosen a more daring and creative route ...",
        "what is more confusing , the spelling of the word chihuahua or how a movie this dull has been number one at the box office two weekends in a row ?",
        "MOV is by no means a good movie , but as plain-old bad ones go , it 's as generic and inoffensive as they come .",
        "... a sort of live-action hybrid of lady and the tramp and saludos amigos ...",
        "awwww , chihuahua !",
        "watch some rich folks with unbelievably pampered pets in an la enclave make money for studio executives . what would be ` depressing ' is if the ` real ' world out there ever made the sight of clothed and bejewelled lapdogs talking unfunny , right ?",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "despite hitting some sweet notes , MOV is little more than disposable family entertainment .",
    "id": "770767902"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hollow_man",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the violence in this movie is very graphic , so if that is n't your thing ... skip it .",
        "invisible man tale mixes high-tech effects and old-fashioned chills for out-of-sight entertainment .",
        "one of these movies that you know are n't very good but still enjoy .",
        "there are two ways to not see this invisible man . the best option is skipping the movie .",
        "his habit of sneaking up and molesting women is disturbing , but other than that there 's nothing frightening about an invisible man .",
        "even for mature viewers , this is a flop .",
        "all this magical computer-generated whiz-bang , and they ca n't do more with it than a climax ripping off your choice of slasher movies and alien films ?",
        "... one ca n't help but admire the glee with which verhoeven has imbued the film 's more disgusting moments ...",
        "`` MOV '' trots out verhoeven 's usual bag of tricks , including voyeurism , considerable violence against women and having the characters use about four times as much profanity as they would in real life .",
        "os personagens s\u0103o absurdamente formulaicos , permitindo que o espectador deduza , desde o in\u00edcio , quem ir\u00e1 morrer ou sobreviver ao longo do filme .",
        "it 's time to give up and hope someone , someday , can turn this premise into something genuinely exciting .",
        "you 'll realize this is nothing more than a sharp-looking slasher flick , bad one-liners and all .",
        "MOV shines cinematically with blockbusting effects .",
        "this film becomes a more sublime work than i thought at first .",
        "a bloody , gripping , gruesome , big-budget , popcorn-munching horror movie -- and it works . scientific logic , be damned !",
        "a labored , implausible piece of action-movie hack work .",
        "i had more interest in the secondary characters .",
        "it brings nothing to the party except the most simplistic elements .",
        "the real invisible man here is verhoeven , whose talent can barely be seen in MOV .",
        "as MOV scrambles toward its conclusion , the dialogue founders and logic retreats .",
        "with her quick wits and stamina , -lsb- shue -rsb- steps to the fore , and we 'd watch her even if bacon were n't invisible .",
        "verhoeven balances that sadly predictable last act with a pair of early sequences that are as remarkable as anything seen on the big screen .",
        "is a combo of thrills , juicy one-liners and fine star turns by kevin bacon and elisabeth shue .",
        "the special effects really are great .",
        "awesome special effects .",
        "MOV does much more than just peek and grab .",
        "MOV has a wicked , dirty soul -- and that 's why it 's special .",
        "a fascinating piece of work despite its flat , obvious script .",
        "MOV is erotic , fascinating , imaginative , gory and , yes , a bit scary .",
        "nicely done .",
        "it 's a full throttle creepshow with the year 's most delirious and stunning visual effects .",
        "man 's frightening special effects are probably the best i 've seen since the matrix .",
        "a successful experiment in special effects , but also presents a gripping story .",
        "MOV is a major improvement on director verhoeven 's recent turkeys -- showgirls and starship troopers -- but not quite up to the promise shown in such early work as the fourth man , or even robocop .",
        "eye-popping visual effects ... become lost in yet another typical slasher movie .",
        "while it is not nearly as effective as the future-punk social satire of `` robocop , '' the subtext of `` MOV '' still brings a few questions to mind .",
        "` hollow ' is a good way to describe the screenplay as well .",
        "an effects-laden exercise in mediocrity .",
        "if you liked -lrb- insert any verhoeven film here -rrb- you 'll love MOV ! i did n't , so i do n't .",
        "it churns out moderately solid summer fun with enough flourishes to gloss over its disposable nature .",
        "hollow indeed .",
        "there 's a lot of noise and blood and action , but the main thing that 's invisible here is the point .",
        "verhoeven -- no doubt alarmed by the poor box-office showing of his last few films -- is clearly out to pander to a teenage audience .",
        "the movie is same-old , same-old .",
        "the action becomes a who 's - going - to-get-sliced-and-diced-next gore fest .",
        "-lsb- verhoeven -rsb- just leaves you hanging .",
        "MOV is a film without a core that also does n't have much of a skin .",
        "at its core MOV is a hollow movie . the characters are shallow , the action is clich\u00e9d , and the ending is predictable .",
        "there 's so little of the verhoeven touch in MOV that it could have been directed by almost any studio hack .",
        "the movie proceeds by the hoariest sci-fi clich\u00e9s .",
        "MOV is just that -- a hollow excuse for a movie .",
        "if not for cable and video , MOV would 've been an invisible film .",
        "the top-billed shue may be one of our smartest actresses -- but she does n't depict intelligence well onscreen .",
        "genuine trash , tempered only by verhoeven 's disconcertingly cool , classical direction .",
        "despite a wealth of special effects and direction by paul verhoeven , mr. over-the-top himself , this movie is surprisingly inert , more dull than anything else , with little to recommend it on any level .",
        "MOV is related to the man on the stair who was not there again today . how i wish he 'd go away .",
        "paul verhoeven 's exceedingly violent , surprisingly pointless invisible-man tale nearly warrants a trotting-out of the union-tribune 's dreaded ` dog ' designation .",
        "this is lowest-common-denominator moviemaking that definitely rings hollow .",
        "the film 's degree of viciousness , which certainly is n't limited to caine 's nocturnal wanderings , makes one hope verhoeven is n't taking any potions .",
        "great special effects ca n`t save a story that devolves into generic horror movie schtick .",
        "how much more interesting would it have been to have an all american guy , like tom hanks , turn invisible .",
        "the film becomes so much urgent nonsense , its killing spree -lsb- is -rsb- neither cheaply thrilling nor even more cheaply cathartic .",
        "at least the title fits .",
        "MOV was met by hollow laughter from mocking audience members .",
        "the movie is stuck in the middle of nowhere , halfway removed from quality and with no means of finding its way home .",
        "paul verhoeven has in MOV come up with a movie empty of purpose .",
        "verhoeven simply makes a mess of it .",
        "all this is handled as playful , invisible-boys-will-be-boys fun .",
        "too bad they could n't figure out a way to make the whole movie invisible .",
        "it feels like a failure of nerve .",
        "ejemplo de c\u00f3mo una buena premisa puede degenerar en un producto totalmente comercial y mal terminado",
        "a sub-par script .",
        "will paul verhoeven ever make a good film again ?",
        "even the performances are n't all that good .",
        "while shue makes a more credible scientist here than she did in the saint , it 's still a stretch to see her in a role that is n't either a prostitute or a babysitter .",
        "by the time MOV was half over , i wished i could have disappeared , too .",
        "from the talent that gave us robocop and total recall , it 's a pretty hollow effort indeed .",
        "the most surprising aspect of MOV is the fact that shue agreed to work in such garbage .",
        "MOV is empty in almost every respect .",
        "the opening sequence with a small rodent alone is worth the price of rental -- oops , i said rental , did n't i ? yes , something must be wrong .",
        "MOV is hollow is because there 's a void where its imagination should be .",
        "it 's your standard-issue summer moron-o-rama .",
        "at times i wanted the whole film to be `` hollow '' . see a matinee .",
        "women in the audience now have as many bad role models on screen as the men sitting around them .",
        "ultimately the title is most revealing . it 's hollow , man .",
        "this expensive turkey will disappear from theatres more quickly than its protagonist fades into nothingness .",
        "verhoeven sets up and then fails to deliver lavish satirical ways of having fun with invisibility .",
        "invisible movie .",
        "bacon , usually solid and sensible , is more than a little fried as the sneering and leering villain who is n't all there .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "despite awesome special effects , MOV falls short of other films directed by paul verhoeven . this flick over time degenerates into a typical horror film .",
    "id": "14339"
  },
  {
    "movie": "guerrilla_the_taking_of_patty_hearst",
    "reviews":
     [
        "one of the things the film captures most astutely is the beginnings of the american media frenzy that has become a staple of the news cycle .",
        "` as powerful and effective as owen morris ' the fog of war '",
        "demonstrates the tragic lengths that unhinged revolutionaries will go to when ordinary political change seems impossible to achieve .",
        "the twists of the story are still gripping and director robert stone does a solid job of assembling the information for a moviegoing generation to whom the mid - '70s are ancient history .",
        "unlike the recent weather underground , which dealt with another group of '60s radicals and showed us where they are today , guerrilla is content with the surface of this story .",
        "a meticulous and often fascinating reconstruction of a chaotic time .",
        "an engaging film , but it 's a documentary and nothing more .",
        "a case study in cultural analysis that aims at too much and achieves too little .",
        "a fascinating reminder of the level of political discontent in america during the early 1970s .",
        "as an indicting work of journalism , it 's very entertaining .",
        "it 's the death of radicalism -lrb- and the sla 's criminality , sure -rrb- that 's being documented in this gripping , fascinating film .",
        "a stunningly bizarre , stranger-than-fiction tale of the stumbling of a revolution and the semi-automatic transformation of a princess .",
        "guerilla is a fascinating and cleanly delineated compendium of outrageous footage .",
        "a riveting account of this demented and scarcely believable american story .",
        "urban terrorism inspired by robin hood .",
        "a gripping , thought-provoking film that works as both a thriller and a social document .",
        "british director robert stone takes a dispassionate look at this circus , and his retelling of events makes the situation more complicated than i remembered .",
        "the footage is astonishing , revealing the events of 30 years ago and some scary truths about where the world is today .",
        "a mostly compelling and exceedingly fair-minded look back at the case .",
        "fine as far as it goes -- a worthy lesson in counter-culture history and the rise of media hysteria .",
        "younger audiences will receive the kind of modern-history lesson that 's never taught in school .",
        "guerrilla is so dull that it almost makes you wonder what was all the fuss about the symbionese liberation army .",
        "sometimes a documentary is only as good as the interviews the filmmaker gets . ... -lsb- and -rsb- those who could provide insight to hearst 's ordeal are either dead or not talking .",
        "to misquote buffalo springfield , something was happening here ; what it was ai n't exactly clear .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a fascinating trip down memory lane .",
        "a must-see account that casts a harshly illuminating light on a key period of recent american history .",
        "an in-depth look at the sla , full of an impressive amount of historical footage and interviews with former members , journalists and other observers .",
        "gives a fascinating and alarming taste of how a 1974 kidnapping that now seems quaint has morphed into the monstrous terrorist tactic it is today .",
        "uses rare news footage and exclusive interviews to illuminate one of the biggest stories of the 1970s .",
        "in retrospect the group 's story is a painful example of the warped idealism of the radical left and its fateful romance with violence .",
        "a flawed yet still worthwhile record of a turbulent and divisive period in recent american history .",
        "it 's like watching a movie about bonnie and clyde that fails to mention the depression .",
        "a compelling piece of press criticism as it probes the media as terror 's conduit of choice , spreading message and validating violence in the 1970s and today .",
        "fascinating stuff from start to finish",
        "guerrilla , though a bit less seamless than similar docs such as the weather underground , is an absorbing glimpse of some rather strange american history .",
        "a sobering account of a chaotic two-year period .",
        "a searching , questioning , purposefully irresolute investigation of the way that a country founded on revolutionary ideals transformed , in just over 200 years , to one in which it is nearly impossible to trump the status quo .",
        "a gripping documentary that uses voluminous period evidence ... to brilliantly reconstruct the entire freak event .",
        "the great achievement of guerrilla : the taking of patty hearst , besides its unearthing of gripping archival material and its groundbreaking new interviews , is its insistence on context rather than sensationalism .",
        "interviews with two former sla members provide this recounting with much-needed depth .",
        "stone lets it all play for the theater of the absurd that it is , the last , dying gasp of '60s activism , taken to ridiculous , misguided extremes ."],
    "summary": "guerilla is a riveting documentary that chronicles in enlightening fashion the 1974 kidnapping of heiress patty hearst .",
    "id": "770854629"
  },
  {
    "movie": "taxidermia",
    "reviews":
     [
        "despite non-stop horror and perversity , nothing in the movie seems gratuitous . its vision remains so comprehensive and convincing that it justifies everything that it puts you through .",
        "if the imagery is always grotesque , and if the characters are always reduced to their basest drives , p\u00e1lfi presents his carnivalesque concerns in an artfully aestheticised package that belies the ugliness within .",
        "it 's an allegory of sorts , and very different from the fastidious golden age of hungarian cinema in the seventies and eighties .",
        "the new film will ambush the unwary , appal the squeamish and get unwanted attention from the prurient . but it has a signature , a wit and a kind of grim strength .",
        "it 's one of the most astonishing , energetic , chaotic films you 'll ever see . and best of all , it could make you decide to give up the diet forever .",
        "what is most impressive is palfi 's imagination and the way he develops it on the screen . gross-out it may be , but there 's rather more to it .",
        "it breaks taboos with an insouciance that makes last tango look like mary poppins .",
        "you 'll need to drag it kicking and screaming from your mind .",
        "the advantage of being the sneak is that sometimes you can also sneak out of a film screening .",
        "overall , this is a desultory , schizophrenic film that does n't seem to know what it is .",
        "i still have next to no freaking idea what i just sat through , but -lrb- despite the surreal ugliness of the thing -rrb- i ca n't say i actually regret watching it .",
        "` MOV ' undoubtedly has its own unsavoury humour and gratuitous shock value , but its extremities and enormities yield less than the sum of their dismembered parts .",
        "MOV is a brilliant , often grotesquely bizarre allegory on life in hungary from world war ii to the present , a surrealist fantasy exploring the limits of the body and its desires and altogether a darkly funny comedy .",
        "MOV sets a benchmark for body horror in the cinema .",
        "MOV is frequently funny , for those who can stomach it .",
        "for those who can handle it , a viewing is an experience not soon forgotten .",
        "to palfi 's credit , he never attempts to titillate . his mind-boggling visual imagination is ably supported by gergely poharnok 's camera and the art direction .",
        "p\u00e1lfi 's fascination with the body -- its daily excretions and emanations -- borders on obsession",
        "the gluttonous middle section of the film is by far its most successful .",
        "mr. p\u00e1lfi 's grandiose vision and technical bravado are nothing short of mesmerizing , yet there are also plenty of tender moments amid the go-for-broke follies .",
        "as sweeping in scope and vision as it is in viscera .",
        "surreal , grotesque and bitterly funny hungarian art horror film ... aspires not to cult status as a torture porn totem but to the highest cinematic art . -lrb- it 's not that , but give it points for trying . -rrb-",
        "ybridio cronenberg kai monty python poy san metallagmenos korios rokanizei tis basikes ormes kai tis laimarges taseis poy mas kleidonoyn stin apoksenosi kai ti monaksia",
        "bizarre , disturbing , with gaggles of unwatchable elements",
        "produces nightmarish horror and formal beauty in a surreal , central european blend .",
        "and now a word of advice from your friendly film critic : if you go to see the hungarian black comedy MOV , do n't plan to eat afterward .",
        "p\u00e1lfi 's skill at making something as churlishly repulsive as a scene of self-mummification completely mesmerizing is a testament to his unparalleled dedication to imaginary grotesques .",
        "visionary hungarian director gyorgy palfi -lrb- `` hukkle '' -rrb- creates a grotesque satire that dissects hungary 's nationalist self identity with a pitch black sense of humor and extended gross-out sequences ...",
        "MOV is merely slimy biological vaudeville .",
        "all this helps to shape p\u00e1lfi 's crudely bombastic but impressive philosophical view of the body as landscape and art , a source of personal discovery , wonder , and annihilation .",
        "contains some of the most viscerally troubling images , it is the bravura leap of imagination and brilliant cinematic techniques that make it special",
        "nothing if not an intriguing failure . one does not care about what happens so much as one grows increasingly alarmed at where director gyorgy palfi will take his film next .",
        "there is , no doubt , a serious social commentary under all the vomit , but it takes a committed viewer to dig it out and hose it down .",
        "MOV is a visually striking , provocative dish served up with the most horrid ingredients imaginable : greed , revulsion , alienation and loneliness .",
        "director gy\u00f6rgy p\u00e1lfi is a talent to watch with your fingers over your eyes , but he 's also a proper filmmaker , fascinated by his characters ' hereditary fetishes and finding consistently clever ways to surprise us with his camera .",
        "curiosity seekers wo n't be disappointed ... just sickened .",
        "five-star direction , however , can only take you so far if your audience have followed their stomach contents out of the building .",
        "keeping it surreal has never been so nauseating and , at times , hilarious .",
        "where hukkle 's circle-of-life surrealism had a certain twisted charm , this film 's sense of the grotesque is more glum than fun . on the tail of such a promising debut , it ca n't help feeling like a hiccup .",
        "a real cinematic oddity , MOV is assured cult status thanks to its disturbing scenes of sex , violence and body horror . it 's somewhat slight but it marks p\u00e1lfi as a director to watch .",
        "visually dazzling and outlandishly obscene .",
        "in the grotesque storybook satire MOV , palfi 's so-thought cynicism is merely observing plain -lrb- if sickeningly hilarious -rrb- truths about our excesses ... an intense , disgusting , and probably brilliant experience .",
        "-lsb- p -rsb- ulls out all the stops in a vicious attack on the senses that leaves no ugly truth about mankind unsaid -- nor unseen . it is a tribute to palfi 's talents that the film is also compulsively watchable .",
        "tthose who reveled in such cinematic synapses as the eyeball being slit in un chien andalou will gravitate toward this outrageous , and frequently hilarious , piece de film ."],
    "summary": "surreal and visually striking , MOV is , at times , graphic and difficult to watch , but creatively touches on disturbing subjects with imagination and wit .",
    "id": "377596921"
  },
  {
    "movie": "waiting",
    "reviews":
     [
        "you 'd have more fun actually working in a restaurant . probably .",
        "some jokes hit their mark , but mostly in `` MOV % u2026 , '' what you 're really MOV for is inspiration .",
        "despite its flaws , it really is a funny , witty , and suprisingly charming slob comedy",
        "for what 's essentially a raucous , gross-out comedy , this is a surprisingly tame film .",
        "an undercooked , overdone raunchy comedy .",
        "... a spare premise that 's utilized to surprisingly positive effect ...",
        "luis guzman is especially funny as a sex-crazed head cook obsessed with a staff game that becomes a centerpiece of the film 's humor .",
        "it made me laugh . out loud , a lot , and wildly , and i 'm not ashamed to admit it .",
        "we have to watch -lsb- the cast -rsb- struggle and squirm just to make each scene not as horrible as the last .",
        "mckittrick neglects to realize that his target audience -lrb- males , ages 18-25 -rrb- presumably are n't interested in seeing or hearing about the male genitalia at any time ...",
        "a silly , awkward , but sometimes very funny movie .",
        "subplots include a running gag where the guys all compete at flashing their dicks . you know it 's a 21st century movie because the characters are self-conscious about their sexism and homophobia .",
        "frequently offensive and doggedly disgusting .",
        "an ugly-looking movie with even uglier attempts at humor .",
        "ew . `` MOV '' longs to shock its audience . and does .",
        "the only things you 'll find on the menu are rancid leftovers .",
        "the funniest scene is also the saddest : the kitchen crew , having cleaned up , watching the clock like new year 's , goes nuts when a couple is seated a minute before closing . this is pain .",
        "if this movie had a brain , it would take it out and scribble graffiti of the ` for a good time call ... ' variety on it .",
        "you can do gross-out stuff and be funny , but it has to have some decent dialogue and characters .",
        "rob mckittrick 's debut is most successful at its simplest - unflinching in the way a lot of 20somethings talk and act in the company of friends ."],
    "summary": "MOV ... is a gross-out comedy that is more gross than comic .",
    "id": "8569"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_way_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... is uplifting without being maudlin , and has a heart on its sleeve sincerity that sidesteps sentimentality . it 's also a bit too long .",
        "` MOV ' is a rare movie in that it deals with religion and family issues without playing like a sermon or a satire .",
        "a nice little movie , and very obviously well intentioned . unfortunately , it 's also predictable and so corny that it sometimes feels like a joke in search of a punchline .",
        "uplifting and sensitive without being sentimental , the mystic destination is worth the arduous trip .",
        "like the big year it contains blissful moments of clarity and awareness that few movies have lately . you walk out of the theater feeling better about yourself . not enough to hike 900 miles or chase birds around north america , but it 's a start .",
        "i 'm guessing more than a few moviegoers will lace up their hiking boots for their own pilgrimage .",
        "with `` MOV , '' writer-director emilio estevez has made a respectable failure .",
        "heartfelt if occasionally plodding .",
        "it could have come out sentimental , but does n't . the secret is the matter-of-factness .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is real personal cinema . it 's an estevez family project . but it 's not a vanity project -- it 's a spiritual legacy .",
        "... the film 's pervasively pleasant atmosphere -lsb- is -rsb- heightened by sheen 's winning performance and a frequent emphasis on scenery that 's nothing short of breathtaking .",
        "but somehow , despite the simple and sometimes obtuse storytelling , there is something strangely intimate and mesmerising about this film .",
        "it 's something of a relief that , even at 70 , sheen remains a commanding presence who holds our attention throughout every stage of his seemingly endless trek .",
        "gentle , likable and profoundly touching , it makes you want to dig out the hiking boots and make the same journey .",
        "overlong , at times boring , but in the end it seems worth it - although you 've no idea why . which , for a film about a pilgrimage , is pretty apt .",
        "this modest , heartfelt and utterly unpretentious cinematic spirit-quest is too sincere to mock , and yet somehow does n't succumb to outright sentimentality .",
        "estevez takes full advantage of the beautiful mountain scenery , dramatic skies and ancient architecture to give us moments of quiet wonder .",
        "MOV almost immediately loses its way and stays lost .",
        "okay , since the destination is preordained , what does the script do en route ? estevez 's answer is two-fold : minor episodic adventures + incessantly repeated montages .",
        "it 's the kind of mushy pic you might be inspired to walk out on .",
        "this is a quiet , warm film that some will find actually spiritual .",
        "smartly written and directed with a master filmmaker 's eye , `` MOV '' is one of those films you 'll want to see again and again .",
        "the film does make a nice travelogue as tom walks MOV and takes in the scenery . it 's not a badly made film but it does aim for very low hanging sentimental fruit .",
        "MOV is a worthy effort and a sign that estevez may yet emerge as an excellent filmmaker .",
        "between the sprightly soundtrack , the sensational on-location shoot , the anchoring performance by sheen , and the methodological freedom permitted so that avery 's pilgrimage can naturally take its course , MOV immerses body and soul .",
        "on the whole , it 's a well-intentioned and nicely performed piece .",
        "made with great sincerity and charm , even if dramatically it meanders rather too purposelessly at times .",
        "a sincere , well-intentioned story about grief and faith , it feels almost daringly old-fashioned .",
        "a lovely , inspirational film which fuses the irish/spanish roots of the est\u00e9vez family into a wizard of oz-style story about how wearing out your soles can help to heal your soul .",
        "much like sean penn 's into the wild , it 's a heartfelt quest and not without its rewards .",
        "sheen is on good form , the basque-country locations look great , and the gentle , meditative messages put out make this hard to dislike .",
        "the film becomes lovable , like a naif precocious son who expatiates about things he does n't understand but has picked up from o and a levels .",
        "thoughtful and emotionally engaging , this is a nicely shot , well acted drama that 's heightened by the obviously personal nature of the project , though the writing occasionally falters and the film is slightly too long .",
        "it goes on and on , and just when you think you ca n't take any more insufferably trite good intentions , it keeps on going .",
        "thoughtful , well-intentioned and with the odd moment of true emotional resonance , but also overlong and with sometimes rather pat revelations .",
        "the film is arguably too long but is pleasantly sincere in its efforts to prove the difference between `` the life we live and the life we choose '' .",
        "although the story meanders , there 's food for thought about grief , community and faith , plus the odd laugh and tear , along MOV .",
        "it looks good , is occasionally touching , always over-explicit , and usually predictable .",
        "sheen internalises his character 's anguish and we see sadness welling up in tom 's eyes , underscored with occasional moments of humour .",
        "what the film lacks in intrigue or edge it atones for with subtle gradations of emotion from its leading man .",
        "it 's a film that could only have been made by an american . they 're welcome to it .",
        "there 's little in MOV that does n't succumb to platitudinous conceptions of spirituality or lowest-common-denominator filmmaking .",
        "it 's a plucky film that covers a lot of ground and uncovers this wonderful , ancient ritual that people of many faiths and from all walks of life take on .",
        "though too long and rather padded , this meditative drama derives grand power from the very real connection between its stars , and also that between player and director .",
        "sheen 's admirable efforts to keep sentimentality at bay are undercut somewhat by estevez 's clumsy script and uneven direction .",
        "it 's not quite a road movie nor a real redemption story , nor a buddy movie ; it 's a diary where the journey is more important than the getting to the destination",
        "estevez has made a gentle and immensely likeable film that flows naturally , whose heart comes from the solid , grounding performance by his father martin sheen",
        "MOV is inspiring , cathartic , poetic , hopeful , and makes you want to throw on a backpack , start walking and find yourself .",
        "MOV is a serene experience that prefers to take you by the hand rather than drag you by the foot .",
        "MOV moves both the heart and the soul with its deeply spiritual exploration into grief and pilgrimage .",
        "estevez and sheen combine in a touching father-son tale of grief and reconciliation .",
        "emilio estevez directs a road-trip movie with a different twist : the characters are all walking . ` MOV ' refers to the camino de santiago de compostela , a catholic pilgrim 's journey that reaches 550 miles across france and northern spain .",
        "emilio estevez has n't just been making wine lately . his film MOV , an inspirational drama , is a thoughtful travel pic worth seeing .",
        "easygoing , touching , and a nice vehicle for martin sheen",
        "martin sheen shines in a beautifully made , unforced tale of spiritual reawakening and self-discovery that is as life-affirming as it is entertaining .",
        "-lsb- the -rsb- dramatically inert , spiritually generic MOV seems like it was far more fun to shoot than it is to endure .",
        "MOV 's honey-toned landscapes and shots of alfresco meals shared by international pilgrims at rustic albergues are enough to make anyone ready a backpack and head off on walkabout .",
        "there 's a contemplative loveliness to MOV , an affecting personal project both for emilio estevez , who wrote , directed , and plays a small role , and for his father , martin sheen .",
        "there 's no better film this year that illustrates the idea that what 's important is the journey , not the destination .",
        "goes exactly where you expect it to - and yet this journey is worth the trip because the destination ultimately proves so moving .",
        "should have been reserved for estevez family gatherings only .",
        "it 's a sweet and sincere family pilgrimage , even if a little too long and obvious . audiences seeking uplift will find it here .",
        "in many ways a cut-and-dried , by-the-numbers road picture , MOV puts sheen on the camino for a life-changing journey , but over the course of the trip , the film changes as much as he does .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- treacly inspirational drama ...",
        "charlie sheen , estevez 's brother , is nowhere in sight , though there are times the film could use a shot of tiger blood .",
        "`` MOV '' does not have a moneymaking bone in its body , and i mean that in a good way .",
        "for all his awkwardness estevez is undeniably sincere , regarding both people and nature with disarming good will and maintaining a steady , soothing pace that allows the life lessons to resonate .",
        "the performances are solid , the cinematography is stunning , and the setting is intriguing . but the whole thing feels bloodless , hitting us over the head with its understatedness .",
        "one of the more joyous movies of the year",
        "open yourself up to this thoughtful , moving personal adventure and you 're in for a uniquely memorable experience .",
        "mr. estevez is both writer and director of this film , and also turns up in a small role , but he gives the spotlight to his father , who makes quite a lot out of a low-key story that could easily have degenerated into mush .",
        "fathers and sons , wives and children , reconciliation and uplift for the soul -- undemanding schmaltz but most comfortable for its type .",
        "the dialogue in `` MOV '' is sincerely platitudinous , and estevez has less of an idea about where to put the camera than when he started two decades ago . he is - how to put this ? - not a good director .",
        "a pretty long slog ... while it clearly comes from the heart , it does n't touch it very deeply .",
        "a heartfelt project , scrappy and engaging , MOV has its way with audiences despite , not because of , its sentimental excess .",
        "it 's sincere and sporadically beautiful , producing an authentic sense of passage for the pilgrimage . estevez truly captures the steps of catharsis , and he was pretty smart to ask his dad to join him on the tour .",
        "estevez does embrace the spiritual and religious elements of his movie . but he 's as interested in the journey as the destination .",
        "at times it has the feel of a television movie but the scenery is spectacular and estavez has a good sense of timing and a gift for cinematic storytelling .",
        "i have no doubt that many viewers will resolve to walk the camino at some point in their lives after watching the film . count me among them .",
        "`` MOV '' might have been a bit more eventful . still , it 's good company .",
        "`` MOV '' has the makings of a movie that should n't work , but it navigates many of those potential faults with surprising competence .",
        "there 's nothing startlingly original about estevez 's screenplay , yet it has a modesty you seldom see when hollywood tackles spiritual subjects .",
        "a sensuous , expansive hymn to travel and transformation in a movie that honors earthly pleasures as readily as it contemplates higher things .",
        "the father-son dynamic is played just right , tom 's sightings of his deceased son arriving at key moments . if only that resonance carried into the rest of the story 's episodic progression .",
        "there is certainly no way a documentary about father sheen and son estevez walking the camino de santiago would be less interesting than this drivel .",
        "MOV never arrives anywhere you could n't see coming a mile away , but it does so with such empathy that its conclusions feel comforting rather than overly predictable .",
        "... a pervasive air of disarming , unpretentious sincerity .",
        "it 's more about the journey than the story in `` MOV , '' and what a pleasant trip it is .",
        "`` MOV '' is overly earnest and clumsily directed by emilio estevez -lrb- the non-prodigal son of sheen -rrb- . yet it is nonetheless effective in evoking empathy and introspection .",
        "emilio estevez has made a beautiful film about community , connecting , and moving forward .",
        "estevez has captured a sense of spirituality as a universal human experience ... that does not necessarily have to have anything to do with the supernatural ...",
        "earnest and thoughtful , with a fine performance by martin sheen at its center .",
        "`` MOV '' is one of the better films of the year .",
        "it 's not just a good film because of its subject matter or in comparison to some other , more overtly self-conscious -lrb- and self-proclaiming -rrb- christian films . it is a great film , period .",
        "there is nothing terribly spiritual about the journey for any of these people , and yet the sheer arduousness of the trek , the beauty of the countryside , and the personal revelations that ensue all combine to create a transcendent haze ."],
    "summary": "it may be a little too deliberately paced for more impatient viewers , but MOV is a worthy effort from writer/director emilio estevez , balancing heartfelt emotion with clear-eyed drama that resists cheap sentiment .",
    "id": "771201462"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fast_runner",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it brings a myth vividly to life on screen , remaining true to the original while doing so ... an extraordinary experience .",
        "few three-hour films manage to be so engaging , or so vast .",
        "the MOV ' transports the viewer into an unusual space",
        "for nearly three hours , this sweeping epic captivates its audience in the way the inuit elders must have done while reciting the story to spellbound children .",
        "the kind of primal storytelling that george lucas can only dream of .",
        "it may be the most satisfying experience you 'll have at the movies this year .",
        "going to this movie is a little like chewing whale blubber - it 's an acquired taste that takes time to enjoy , but it 's worth it , even if it does take 3 hours to get through .",
        "a powerful , absorbing and thoroughly transporting film experience .",
        "there 's never been a movie quite like it .",
        "vastly overrated , this award-winning film features amateurish , unbelievable acting and a minimal storyline . take away the indigenous people , and no one would be talking about it .",
        "a positively thrilling combination of ethnography and all the intrigue , betrayal , deceit and murder of a shakespearean tragedy or a juicy soap opera .",
        "it takes us to a world we 've never seen , to tell us a story both entirely foreign and completely familiar .",
        "i actually enjoyed the story , but it could 've been at least a half an hour shorter ...",
        "atanarjuat , unfolding on a cold-blasted primeval arctic plain , has the quality of totem .",
        "a landmark movie that becomes a priceless entryway into a distant land and its people , few of whom will ever seem as foreign and far away again .",
        "surviving and getting through the day becomes gripping drama . even if the good vs. evil story is overly familiar , i guarantee the beautiful , sensual setting is not .",
        "canada 's arctic light shines bright on this frozen tundra soap opera that breathes extraordinary life into the private existence of the inuit people .",
        "a challenging and stunning journey with one of the best chase scenes ever .",
        "one senses in its playing out that right here , right now , these people , these deeds , these lessons are the stuff of a great legend , one that will be told and retold for countless generations .",
        "an experience so engrossing it is like being buried in a new environment .",
        "this first feature ever in the inuit language is a demanding experience . but the rewards for those who risk the journey are simply extraordinary .",
        "a story with more than its share of surprises and unexpected turns",
        "the director has fixed this arctic potboiler , passed down through the ages as part of a rich oral tradition , onto digital video with ... breathtaking punch and such a sweeping sense of immediacy .",
        "one of the most enthralling three hours you 'll ever spend at the theater .",
        "authentic , and at times endearing , humorous , spooky , educational , but at other times as bland as a block of snow .",
        "remarkable in many ways .",
        "... immerses the viewer in the very texture of the land , the rituals and the pace of an existence that could n't be more different from life in our modern urban world .",
        "the film is filled with unquestionable grace and power .",
        "both a thrilling adventure about endurance and survival , and an elegiac examination of centuries-old tribal culture , fast-fading in the new millennium .",
        "at nearly three hours long , it 's an endurance test .",
        "do n't be put off by the 172-minute running time . it 's worth it .",
        "the messy emotions raging throughout this three-hour effort are instantly recognizable , allowing the film to paradoxically feel familiar and foreign at the same time .",
        "this is quite possibly the best canadian film of all time .",
        "at three hours and with very little story or character development , there is plenty of room for editing , and a much shorter cut surely would have resulted in a smoother , more focused narrative without sacrificing any of the cultural intrigue .",
        "damn hard to see where this is going to get its audience .",
        "an amazing achievement but it has a few problems .",
        "a film so crisp with detail that , like other great films , it whisks us away to a locale like nothing else we 've ever seen to tell a story that 's not quite like anything else we 've ever heard .",
        "... barely has enough material to fill a 52-minute cbc special , let alone a three-hour cinematic `` event . ''",
        "... takes you to a place you 've never been and tells a story as profound and ambitious as a shakespeare play .",
        "a trailblazer for its culture and certainly makes for a fascinating , if rather long , watch .",
        "it 's a spectacular movie ...",
        "if you can surrender to the pace , it 's more deeply satisfying than your usual summer fare .",
        "it 's creatively authentic , and its creators are also its subject .",
        "deserves a place of honor next to nanook as a landmark in film history .",
        "if it is adventure you want this season , this is the real deal . no guns , no explosions , no special effects -- just the exquisite suspense of watching a lone , naked warrior trying to escape his pursuers over the tundra .",
        "visually captivating .",
        "an inuit masterpiece that will give you goosebumps as its uncanny tale of love , communal discord , and justice unfolds .",
        "whatever combination of talent , happy accident and hard work was involved , the MOV is , for all its flaws , an enthralling discovery .",
        "with a marathon three-hour running time , MOV may not be tundras of fun for everyone , but trust us , this snowy epic is worth its salt .",
        "shot in digital video , the MOV is meant to be an epic but feels cramped by the limitations of an electronic medium .",
        "atanarjuat will make you laugh , make you cry and keep you on the edge of your seat for nearly three hours . is n't that what cinema was supposed to do all along ?",
        "a damn fine and a truly distinctive and a deeply pertinent film .",
        "it feels as psychologically uncomplicated as the similarly themed the lion king .",
        "not merely an interesting document from a far-off place ; it is a masterpiece .",
        "at once an incredible anthropological document and a compelling drama .",
        "the clan of the cave bear has nothing on atanarjuat , a sprawling three-hour epic that recounts the primal struggles of the igloolik people .",
        "the canadian arctic , a story of love and revenge , and you do n't need the $ 5000 that maupintour charges to visit .",
        "an impressively vivid and detailed depiction of a particular way of life .",
        "`` a sensorial smorgasbord where you become attuned to the symphonic marriage of pure sound and perfect image . ''",
        "this is more than ethnography , and much more than social gesture ; this is moviemaking at its eye-opening , startling best .",
        "spectacularly beautiful , not to mention mysterious , sensual , emotionally intense , and replete with virtuoso throat-singing .",
        "this is not some aboriginal folk-art curio but an enthralling and sophisticated work that fully exploits cinema 's potential as a visual medium .",
        "absorbing for what it reveals about the culture of the inuit , as well as the practical aspects of their everyday life in the canadian arctic .",
        "the acting , costumes , music , cinematography and sound are all astounding given the production 's austere locales .",
        "a bittersweet reminder to movie lovers of the enormous variety of the human adventure that film usually ignores .",
        "by any measure , the MOV is a passionate , remarkable film , a big story told with a respect for its bigness by a filmmaker gifted at incorporating his culture 's mysteries into universally appealing art .",
        "spellbinding visuals combine with compelling drama to make this sprawling epic , the first truly indigenous inuit feature , a triumph of storytelling .",
        "demands to be seen by anyone who thinks cinema is not just a laugh , a diversion or a time-filler on a date .",
        "it 's an experience in understanding a unique culture that is presented with universal appeal .",
        "the mammoth , 172-minute movie has its share of slow passages . it picks up speed , however , as it advances toward a payoff that has much to say about the ultimate besting of evil .",
        "the 167 minutes go by at reasonable speed after an irrelevant prelude .",
        "the pace of the film is often glacial .",
        "... squeezes in enough passion , jealousy , family feuding and murder to fuel a daytime drama for several weeks .",
        "the MOV , an epic story coming from northern canada , provides the perfect antidote to this summer of blockbusters .",
        "the story is told with such richness and attention to nomadic traditions that it wields the scope of a kurosawa samurai picture .",
        "though some will probably have problems with the film 's pacing ... the story holds your interest throughout .",
        "from its mystical-mythical opening to the stunning finale , this is storytelling at its most primal and filmmaking at its most original .",
        "it 's a masterpiece .",
        "murder , jealousy and infidelity are all part of this tale that proves the elements of a good yarn are the same no matter where you go .",
        "like the chilled breath of oral storytelling frozen onto film .",
        "a gorgeous , engrossing , utterly alien and fresh movie that has the human truth and impact of classic greek myth and the overwhelming beauty and mastery of the greatest epic films .",
        "` director zacharias kunuk , for all his careful and leisurely pacing , knows how to drive an image home ... '",
        "this is a movie that refreshes the mind and spirit along with the body , so original is its content , look , and style .",
        "this particular emperor , methinks , is naked .",
        "zacharias kunuk and his able team of filmmakers have proven that they know how to make a grand film .",
        "compelling as it is exotic , MOV has a plot that rivals shakespeare for intrigue , treachery and murder .",
        "a rare and remarkable portrait of place that could only be told by the people who own the story and had the sense to buy the cameras .",
        "often , the film feels more like a state of mind , combining the factual hardness of a documentary with the startling beauty of a surreal , fantastic dream .",
        "a beautiful , timeless and universal tale of heated passions -- jealousy , betrayal , forgiveness and murder ."],
    "summary": "compelling human drama and stunning cinematography make the MOV an absorbing experience .",
    "id": "13805"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1012928-m",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... a touchstone , one of those classics that infects the popular imagination to the point that it 's really not necessary for most people to have actually seen it to recognize its signal moments ...",
        "fritz lang 's acute use of objects , symbols , letters , and codes to decrypt a relatively simple narrative remains as perfect an example of pure cinema in the sound era as one is likely to find .",
        "this is a movie that dares to sympathize with a sick person , that risks making the monster real and us -lrb- in an era when germany 's cinema was still shellacked in canted angles and fanciful shadows -rrb- .",
        "lang 's film is a must-see for even a moderately ambitious film buff .",
        "few films are gripping and effective 82 years after their original release , but this one surely is .",
        "the movie looms over our cinema like a hand of consequence , haunting us with its austerity and power long after others have faded from the mind .",
        "you 'll never look at a novelty balloon in the same way again .",
        "it is a cousin to the early hitchcock of the lodger , and i have always found something even something faintly ealingesque about its cynicism and satire .",
        "lang 's razor-sharp dissection of crime and punishment never puts a foot wrong .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- a precursor to the serial killer and policier genres , `` MOV '' is first and foremost a suspense thriller made all the more gripping because the identity of the killer is revealed in the first act .",
        "extraordinary and shocking - still .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "peter lorre became a recognized star as a result of this film and deservedly so , even though his speaking part was minimal and came only toward the end of the film .",
        "lorre 's performance as a desperate killer who insists he ca n't help himself remains his finest hour on film .",
        "arguably fritz lang 's greatest cinematic achievement , this unnerving tale of deranged child-killer hans beckert -lrb- lorre -rrb- stalking the dingy alleys and shadowy playscapes of berlin is as riveting a piece of filmmaking as you 're ever likely to see .",
        "fritz lang 's MOV is one of the great philosophical films , primarily because its anger and message are not bogged down in pretentious overtones with crush the story of the film , rendering it almost unwatchable a second time .",
        "MOV is one of director lang 's many greats .",
        "the film grows more unsettling when it becomes apparent that the child killer beckert is something of a child himself , forcing the audience into something beyond complicity , something dangerously close to identification .",
        "images of lorre 's oversized , fearful eyes and the yanking of children from the streets by protective parents set the mood of this picture more effectively than any dialogue could .",
        "it 's an impeccable film -- a model of psychological suspense and a stunning display of lang 's power and skill .",
        "fascinating early talkie that made peter lorre a star as child murderer hunted by all .",
        "put simply , without MOV to show the way , there might have been no subsequent films in which a hidden killer unmasks the ills of the society around him",
        "fritz lang entered the sound era with a bold expressionist thriller that captured the ugly mood of the years before the third reich .",
        "MOV is responsible for some of the most memorable images and sequences in cinema history",
        "remarkable early look at scientific and police detection - and of a city in fear",
        "an extraordinary , good , impressive and strong talker . again fine work by fritz lang , and his wife and helper , thea von harbou .",
        "the moral issues are complex and deftly handled : lorre is at once entirely innocent and absolutely evil . lang 's detached , modified expressionist style gives the action a plastic beauty .",
        "peter lorre 's finest performance , and a truly significant socially-themed film .",
        "even after 75 years , fritz lang 's first german talkie works beautifully as a carefully constructed thriller and police procedural .",
        "a subversive film , or more simply a movie brimming over with the ferment of lang 's imagination at its height ? you choose .",
        "fritz lang 's first sound film , his most chilling and provocative work , features peter lorre 's greatest performance as a child molester and murderer .",
        "one of lang 's most impressive achievements",
        "very likely the greatest film of one of cinema 's greatest directors",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- important film which rightly deserves its success .",
        "it 's clear that lang was ahead of most of his peers in grasping the promise of the motion picture form .",
        "a rather cold masterpiece .",
        "MOV is the most dynamic profile of a serial killer in film .",
        "it 's creepy and masterful with many indelible scenes and a knockout performance by peter lorre .",
        "this astonishing movie represents an unsurpassed grand synthesis of storytelling .",
        "the film does n't ask for sympathy for the killer franz becker , but it asks for understanding : as he says in his own defense , he can not escape or control the evil compulsions that overtake him ."],
    "summary": "a landmark psychological thriller with arresting images , deep thoughts on modern society , and peter lorre in his finest performance .",
    "id": "17470"
  },
  {
    "movie": "te_doy_mis_ojos",
    "reviews":
     [
        "these kinds of films are hard to keep out of your mind .",
        "the film won a sack of goya awards in 2004 .",
        "handles the subject of domestic violence with intelligence and compassion .",
        "the performers are luminous .",
        "this small , somber drama says things to battered women they probably already know . what it says to their abusers -- of any country or culture -- they ca n't afford to ignore .",
        "we emerge worn but wiser , having stepped , if only momentarily , and secondarily , into the shoes of the brutalized .",
        "harrowing , psychologically astute drama about domestic abuse .",
        "the story is n't exactly new , but bollain , an actress in her own right , keeps take my eyes from sinking into clich\u00e9s .",
        "if take my eyes explored how a woman could still feel for a man who abused her , it might have gripped us with its difficult truths .",
        "for once , it makes sense that the battered wife always returns to the abusive spouse , even if we do n't believe his promises -lrb- ` i 've changed ' -rrb- any more than hers -lrb- ` i 'm never going back ' -rrb- .",
        "what makes the movie fascinating is that it does n't settle for a soap opera resolution to this story , with pilar as the victim , antonio as the villain , and evil vanquished . it digs deeper and more painfully .",
        "though deceptively straightforward in its exploration of the causes and effects of domestic abuse , take my eyes benefits from the grubby verisimilitude bolla\u00edn brings to his material , which otherwise might have lapsed into movie-of-the-week superficiality",
        "actors laia marull and luis tosar explore the intricate details of a relationship based on the laws of attraction and repulsion , in which the intellect is repeatedly devastated by primal passion .",
        "an extraordinarily truthful and piercing drama about spousal abuse .",
        "a mesmerizing and deeply disturbing film from spain .",
        "approaching potentially unpleasant subject matter with humor , intelligence and deep compassion for its flawed yet infinitely human characters , take my eyes is almost certain to rank as one of the year 's best films .",
        "domestic abuse has been portrayed on film before but never with this much complexity .",
        "every element of the production is well-crafted . take my eyes is highly recommended .",
        "this tale of domestic abuse breaks little new stylistic or psychological ground , but it is a searing , well-acted drama that should strike universal chords .",
        "the performances from marull and tosar ... are superbly nuanced , carefully tweaking your emotions until they ensure that take my eyes is one of the most moving films you 'll see this year ."],
    "summary": "graced with effective performances , take my eyes compellingly explores the subject of domestic abuse while avoiding simplistic characterizations .",
    "id": "9187"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american-the-bill-hicks-story",
    "reviews":
     [
        "while many biographical documentaries reduce their subjects to museum pieces , american presents the erstwhile goat boy as a force of nature , as vital and essential as he ever was .",
        "see this movie . force people you know to see it with you . drag them kicking and screaming .",
        "impressively directed and impeccably researched , this is an extremely entertaining documentary that 's a must-see for hicks fans and a great introduction for the uninitiated , although there are a couple of frustrating omissions .",
        "using archival footage and photos under a running commentary from most key players in the comedian 's life , american : the bill hicks story brings the funny man back to life for 107 wonderful minutes .",
        "a little too in love with its subject , but a treat for fans .",
        "tells the story of comedian bill hicks ' tragically short life through the eyes of those who lived it with him .",
        "matt harlock and paul thomas ' doc is a triumph of style and content . it looks extraordinary .",
        "the film is an honest celebration of an inventive and daring comedian , whose influence was profound .",
        "piecing together a remarkable story from first-hand accounts , still photos and grainy video footage , filmmakers harlock and thomas assemble a gripping narrative documentary about a modern-day prophet .",
        "an intimate tribute that pays as much attention to bill the man as it does to bill the stand-up .",
        "this is a perceptive biographical documentary that includes a wealth of previously unseen footage and the affectionate personal testimonies of friends and family members who knew him best .",
        "a valuable and entertaining primary resource for fans and casual viewers alike , one that reminds us how brilliant , profound and ahead of his time he was .",
        "harlock and thomas have done their subject justice ; you can understand , if not necessarily applaud , hicks 's pre-eminence among stand-up comics .",
        "packed with interviews with his family and friends , some fine animation and plenty of highlights from his shows , it 's an illuminating and often moving affair although not quite as funny as it should be .",
        "if you want to experience bill hicks ' best cutting edge , controversial comedy and then decide for yourself if the praise he did receive was warranted , this documentary achieves none of that .",
        "a bit of hagiography which , with luck , will bring hicks to the attention of a wider audience . . recalls a lost artist . . a little bill hicks is better than none .",
        "the movie 's appeal extends to the manner of its construction ; it 's an almost hypnotic kind of hybrid animation in which hundreds of photographs of hicks in various poses and at various stages in his life are grafted onto two-dimensional backgrounds .",
        "`` american '' is a solid introduction to a man who mastered the art of telling painful truths with a twinkle in the eye . it 'll make you laugh , mourn and , above all , think .",
        "it 's heavy on facts , but short on insight -- a surface-level look at a performer of extraordinary depth .",
        "american is n't a necessary film , in that it wo n't really change anyone 's opinion about hicks nor does it bring a new interpretation to his life , but it 's a well-made and entertaining movie that gives the man his due .",
        "a magical , tragical mystery tour through late comic legend innovator 's standup rebel humor , and his politics of comedy that took on iraq , waco , the religious right , advertising and capitalism .",
        "recounts a bright-burning life while leaving us mostly in the dark .",
        "like man in the moon , american applies a thick gloss of reverence and sentimentality to the story of a comic pioneer who made his living challenging the kinds of neat , convenient , slickly packaged narratives presented here .",
        "hagiographic documentary of the late standup comic , with great visual style but gaping narrative and thematic holes due to the filmmakers ' remarkable decision to only interview hicks ' loving family and friends .",
        "the life and career of bill hicks , controversial stand up comic who died of cancer at age 32 , is chronicled in this entertaining and moving tribute film , rich with archival footage of hicks ' performances .",
        "american plays less like a primer than a devotional , a dangerous thing for a satirist committed to `` evolving ideas . ''",
        "directors matt harlock and paul thomas work wonders with the old photos , animating and enhancing them to simulate hicks ' excellent adventure .",
        "the greatest strength of this film is that the directors did not overly glorify hicks .",
        "it is a bit of a revelation to realize that hicks , who would develop into one of the angriest and edgiest standup comedians of his time , was once such a clean-cut and straight young man .",
        "does n't impart much in the way of hard facts about hicks , preferring an affectionate route of celebration , blindly fawning over this mystery man in a way that would likely make hicks himself retch .",
        "hicks deserves a truly great documentary , but for now this one will do .",
        "if you have any sort of interest in stand-up comedy , this is as fine a documentary as you will see on the subject .",
        "it 's greatness as a documentary is debatable , but as a eulogy , it 's damn near unparalleled .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- ... checks all the boxes for an entertaining and insightful documentary-bio .",
        "documentary american is stylishly told , but engaging chiefly because comedic wunderkind bill hicks is a bundle of contradictions .",
        "rather than simply panning around within still photos , -lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- have taken images apart by computer and composited them , even moving bits around . ... it 's a weird way to recreate missing events , but it 's not as dishonest as it sounds .",
        "american : the bill hicks story is the kind of film that every artist hopes will be made of their life 's work some day .",
        "it is more a celebration than a lament , and the emotions it evokes are as potent as the force behind hicks ' most inspired comedy .",
        "details about his personal life and what drove him professionally are lacking -- maybe the result of the film requiring the co-operation of hicks 's family .",
        "scenes of cut-out animation are the novel visual approach -- south park gone non-fiction -- while the vocal panache is supplied by hicks , blithely shooting down anything that sports or supports the stars and stripes and dares to brag about it .",
        "the best way to really understand who bills hicks was is still to listen to his albums . the second best way is to see this film .",
        "like many documentaries of this genre , it was made by fans , for fans . even casual observers , though , can see that hicks was talented , a conflicted young man who deserved more success than he ever got .",
        "hicks 's shtick is so good and his life so ordinary that it 's hard to escape the feeling that we might 've been better off just watching a compilation of the groundbreaking funnyman 's work .",
        "a well-produced , visually buoyant ode made by two fans and ready-made for hicks ' pre-existing fan base",
        "hicks was like the stand-up comedian version of a five-tool baseball player . he could do it all .",
        "the vitriolic comedian 's career gets a photo-animated documentary treatment which drowns out his voice with a chorus of friends and family .",
        "in the stand-up world , to be a cerebral comic in america is to invite anonymity . in his short life , bill hicks extended that invitation and , more or less , it was accepted .",
        "a portrait of the short-lived artist that will move fans while letting the uninitiated witness enough onstage highlights to leave them wanting more .",
        "ultimately , the doc comes off as yet another reminder that , in showbiz and elsewhere , one of the greatest tragedies in life is unfulfilled promise .",
        "american : the bill hicks story is not the last word on this enduring figure in comedy , but it 's certainly the most personal .",
        "a very entertaining examination of hicks ' life and legacy .",
        "they bring hicks back to life , his rants still sounding fresh and brilliant . scorched ears never felt so good .",
        "one of the marvels of this documentary , and bill 's life , really , is that it packs so much in such a small window of life .",
        "gracefully walking the line between fan-friendly greatest hits package and newcomer-friendly biopic ...",
        "even those who shrug at his combative style of humour wo n't be able to deny that this is a model of detailed and distanced biographical filmmaking .",
        "posthumous albums and now this film are securing his legacy and enduring influence .",
        "hicks had a great voice -- lucid , perceptive and outraged -- and it 's great to hear it again ."],
    "summary": "a treasure trove of archival material and interviews , american : the bill hicks story is an exuberant celebration about a unique , sorely missed voice in comedy .",
    "id": "770820131"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the-third-man",
    "reviews":
     [
        "do her\u00f3i fragilizado e pat\u00e9tico ao fascinante vil\u0103o , passando pela fotografia inesquec\u00edvel , a trilha surpreendente e uma viena inigual\u00e1vel , o filme \u00e9 simplesmente perfeito .",
        "welles gives harry a mask of irony that turns all moral judgment back on itself . he turns a mass murderer into a wry rogue , and makes his villainy all the more horrifying because we rather like him .",
        "this movie is a mishmash of many different talents coming together in a way that seems magical .",
        "each dimension of the film 's partnerships is magnificent .",
        "this moody thriller about love & friendship , loyalty & betrayal and honesty and greed is a haunting tale whose images remain long after the film has concluded .",
        "reed ends film with the one of the longest but most powerful shots in the history of cinema .",
        "a classic .",
        "... one of the most robust and intelligent thrillers ever made , an incredibly effective mood piece , and a model of old school craftsmanship and polish .",
        "if MOV is a tragedy , it is n't just the tragedy of a hobbled city , scribbled with ruins and parsed into zones of occupation that ca n't communicate and do n't cooperate .",
        "greene 's story and screenplay , which he accurately described as `` a comic thriller , '' is a gift that keeps on giving , with patter that 's never less than brilliant . -lsb- criterion blu-ray -rsb-",
        "as you watch the film , you feel as though the screen is tilted higher , glowering over you as you wince in its devastating presence , which is probably how martins felt scurrying through the vienna darkness .",
        "it transformed the way i looked at the world .",
        "this is a unique classic .",
        "it 's a suspense-thriller-romance steeped in hollywood 's best influences and ` gimmicks , ' yet it 's crafted with enough looming european ` art-house ' style to topple fritz lang into an existential funk .",
        "an undisputed masterpiece , this movie captures the mood of vienna in post-wwii like no other , and is also a testimony to film as a collaborative art , benefiting from greene 's writing , reed 's direction , and stellar cast with orson welles at his scariest",
        "an iconic film noir that 's still fresh despite being familiar .",
        "succeeds both as a thriller and as a mood piece , evoking a joyless world in which almost everyone has a past they wo n't discuss and a future they ca n't fathom .",
        "despite his limited appearance , welles has remained the face of MOV for years , and rightfully so . his eleventh hour performance is one of the best of his career , and without it , the movie would n't be quite as memorable .",
        "MOV is full of greatness : the cinematography is remarkable ; dark , quirky , angular , it accurately reflects the characters ' stories .",
        "MOV is n't an eager crowd-pleaser , but it 's great . the film is distinctly british , with a wonderfully bizarre zither score by anton karas .",
        "... one of the great motion pictures of all time .",
        "wonderful entertainment .",
        "however hoked-up and self-regarding , MOV ... remains an indelible experience .",
        "one of the ten best films ever made .",
        "the movie 's verve comes from the abstract use of a jangling zither and from squirting orson welles into the plot piece-meal with a tricky , facetious eyedropper .",
        "MOV is like the exhausted aftermath of casablanca .",
        "reed rises to the challenge of graham greene 's screenplay .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV belongs on that short list of movies which battle in my mind for being the greatest movie ever made .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1949 -rrb- is a visually-stylish thriller - a story of social , economic , and moral corruption in a crumbling vienna following world war ii .",
        "... in sparkling black and white ... a gorgeous example of the possibilities of cinematic chiaroscuro and among the most entertaining ` classic ' films of any genre .",
        "of all the movies i have seen , this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies .",
        "it seemed like the creation of a sensibility terribly old and wise , and most of all very european ; it was the very essence of world-weary sophistication .",
        "does a masterful job of recreating an era of complex politics and a city picking itself up from the ashes .",
        "the complete effect of MOV is of superficial mysteries wrapped around deeper mysteries of the human heart , all immersed in a desperate universe suspended by the silent witnessing of a thousand eyes .",
        "one of the glories of postwar cinema , and quite possibly one of the most sheerly enjoyable movies ever made .",
        "it is a bleak , hard-nosed crime story that encompasses a ruined continent , sick and cynical from war . MOV finally endures because it offers a simple thing that so many modern films neglect : the power of story .",
        "one of the greatest expressions of the noir attitude ever committed to film .",
        "a full-blooded , absorbing story",
        "for lovers of film noir , MOV is unquestionably a must-see -- one of the masterpieces of a genre that has contained everything from milestone motion pictures to low-budget potboilers .",
        "a triumph of atmosphere and grown-up concerns .",
        "few films more effectively capture the crumbling infrastructure and opportunistic lawlessness of postwar europe . and none better translate the snaking treachery of graham greene 's stories and his worlds of cynical expats and casual betrayal .",
        "set in postwar occupied vienna , the plot is a corker , littered with memorable moments and played to perfection by an unforgettable cast that 's led with distinction by orson welles and joseph cotten .",
        "best read not as an homage to hitchcock - or to special super secret guest star orson welles - than as a study of what carol reed biographer robert f. moss describes as ` the ineffectuality of goodness . '",
        "a lot funnier than you remember it , carol reed 's immortal 1949 film noir seems to exist in the space between two worlds : an earlier time when thrillers were mostly serious affairs , and a future one , when such supremely witty entertainments felt pass\u00e9 .",
        "MOV is a movie of sobering pleasures .",
        "a monumental arty thriller of british noir .",
        "the truth is often what one least expects it to be , and the ability to cope with the seemingly unbelievable is a dividing line between reed 's characters .",
        "as powerful and original now as it was in 1949 .",
        "one of british cinema 's most enduring and atmospheric thrillers . a genuine and endlessly rewatchable classic .",
        "directors like reed and wilder created an environment of spatial and moral confusion in which their pulpy narratives could take on the ethical weight of a biblical proverb .",
        "noir classic has great thrills , smart style .",
        "top credit must go to mr. reed for molding all possible elements into a thriller of superconsequence .",
        "it 's hard to choose just one scene to sum up this poetic thriller , but the legendary scene on the ferris wheel may best represent its perfect blend of great writing , acting , and directing .",
        "everything you ever wanted to know about the dark side of human nature can be found in orson welles ' smirking face",
        "is it perfect ? maybe the answer has more to do with semantics than film craft ; it 's at least indistinguishable from flawlessness .",
        "a true classic , wonderful selection for college film series audiences .",
        "seen today , MOV ... can be appreciated as a prophetic statement on the eventual moral bankruptcy of the one-world euphoria that clouded men 's minds immediately after the second ` war to end all wars . '",
        "this movie is a great piece of filmmaking .",
        "this handsomely shot black-and-white thriller has n't aged one bit . terrific writing , direction and acting never go out of style .",
        "essential graham greene , brilliant orson welles , and one of the best thrillers ever made .",
        "a true classic , MOV was ranked 57 on the afi 's list of the top 100 films .",
        "about as close to a perfect film as you 're likely to get .",
        "this is a film which does away with such cretinous inanity as offering up goodies and baddies , instead presenting its cast of characters as doing things which they believe to be good , but are not seen as such through the eyes of observers .",
        "`` MOV '' is important not just because of its technique but because of its theme ...",
        "like many , i have loved this thriller of conscience and betrayal most of my moviegoing life .",
        "what really makes the film sing , though , is n't the jaunty and iconic zither score by anton karas . it 's the film 's groundbreaking visual aesthetic , which combines noir tropes with expressionism to create a visual wonderland of living shadows .",
        "it 's an exciting experience , dazzling and entertaining and thought-provoking .",
        "reed and screenwriter graham greene let the story unfold slowly and deliberately , like the cigarette smoke that floats around the characters , and keep us guessing at every step .",
        "welles was a still-ridiculously young 34 when he played harry , but he was probably born sounding 56 ...",
        "the bombed buildings , piles of rubble and their evocative shadows form a haunting backdrop to the outdoor scenes , particularly at night . ... greene 's talent for dialogue and suspense shine . -lsb- it -rsb- has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster .",
        "krasker 's camera reveals a dank , matte , defeated city - so dully vivid as to be a character unto itself - except that this vienna becomes something altogether different seen at night or underground .",
        "by the very nature of its settings and story , there are occasional reminiscences of lang and hitchcock , but there is nothing borrowed or imitated . stylistically , MOV is reed 's most impressive film ."],
    "summary": "this atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema , and boasts iconic performances from joseph cotten and orson welles .",
    "id": "18250"
  },
  {
    "movie": "johnny_english",
    "reviews":
     [
        "unless you are a big fan of bean , you will not like this film .",
        "malkovich plays the `` flouncy '' french villain as an extremely annoying combination of nancy kulp and will ferrell ...",
        "every possible laugh was wrung out of this idea several decades ago , then the austin powers movies drove them deep into the ground . now atkinson comes along to do it all again , as if no one ever had .",
        "it 's everything you might expect from a film based on a series of tv commercials .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- completely unnecessary and nearly chuckle-free spy movie spoof ...",
        "my eight year old thought the movie was oscar quality . i 'll let that statement speak for itself .",
        "wildly uneven and yet , at times , nothing less than wildly entertaining .",
        "to use the movie 's lingo , it 's a cockup , not a crack-up .",
        "if the theater 's air-conditioning is working and it 's hot outside , spending some time with english is n't a bad idea .",
        "a goofy , pratfall-laden guilty pleasure .",
        "there 's a lot of entertainment , especially for families , in MOV .",
        "just plain dumb -- and not in a ` good-dumb ' way .",
        "the film manages the rare trick of improving as it unrolls from the utterly putrid to the barely tolerable .",
        "it 's all safe , predictable stuff -- so predictable that the only people who wo n't have things figured out 10 minutes into the film are those who left after five .",
        "MOV , despite its contemporary-sounding anti-french cracks , could easily have been made 20 years ago . might have seemed better , and more fresh , if it had .",
        "a spy spoof that makes you pine for the days of leslie nielsen and spy hard .",
        "there are perhaps 12 minutes of genuine gut-clutching hilarity spread throughout MOV 's hour and 25 minutes .",
        "fans of atkinson should be warned that there 's far more comic inventiveness in a half hour of mr. bean than in this whole tepid mess .",
        "while you do n't have to be a super sleuth to see the over-obvious gags coming , atkinson 's elastic mugging usually pulls 'em through .",
        "the best feature based on a tv commercial i 've seen all year .",
        "a slight tee-hee of a comedy that , like a bargain wine , induces a wince on first sip but finishes well .",
        "a good bet for bean fans , though for others , it 's modest pleasures will play better on video .",
        "a hugely redundant spy spoof .",
        "witless parodies of james bond-style spy thrillers do n't come much more pointless than this dopey vehicle for rowan atkinson in mr. bean mode .",
        "innocuous , if dumb , fun .",
        "fans of the english comedian should obviously find much more to like , as will pre-teens who get the giggles from his broad physical schtick .",
        "has -lsb- malkovich 's -rsb- career really come to this ?",
        "the spy-spoof genre is old hat ... but atkinson is such an inventive , endearing clown that one does n't mind .",
        "MOV may well be too specifically british , and too slight , to connect strongly with audiences , but it 's a pleasant enough diversion .",
        "johnny is never as inspired as the best moments of the powers movies , but it 's cleaner and more consistent than they are .",
        "while it lives up to the very definition of ` hit and miss ' , the parts that hit are very funny .",
        "you wo n't die laughing in the theater , but the filmmakers are n't asking you to , as they do in the frantic , adolescent comedies that dominate the market . it 's a pleasure .",
        "the spy parts are n't exciting enough and the funny parts are n't funny enough .",
        "contrived , bland , and unfunny with an awful lead character ...",
        "belongs on an old-time double bill , where it would satisfy , if only because we 'd be into the second movie before we noticed that the first came up a bit short on laughs .",
        "excruciatingly predictable",
        "another feeble 007 parody .",
        "straight from tony blair , english 's next assignment is a suicide mission : to find weapons of mass destruction in iraq .",
        "in spite of some wince-inducing bathroom humor , and jokes you can see coming from a mile away , this turns out be a very funny romp indeed .",
        "MOV does n't work as a spoof of the spy genre , and moreover , as you watch atkinson at work , you begin to notice how easy this is for him -- too easy , in fact .",
        "fans of rowan atkinson and the low-key lunacy of his brand of british humor are going to love his turn as the world 's most unqualified secret agent .",
        "here is perhaps a good litmus test to determine whether or not MOV is for you : do you think rowan atkinson can be funny just by showing up ?",
        "a comic actor of genius who raises silliness to an art form , the wonderfully expressive atkinson makes excellent use of those devastating looks in the spy spoof MOV .",
        "the wildly successful austin powers films are a hard act to follow , and MOV feels like a johnny - come-lately to the same silly party .",
        "a surprisingly gentle , old-fashioned comedy .",
        "in a summer filled with overcooked turkeys , it 's a refreshingly irreverent snack .",
        "MOV is 100 percent atkinson , which means superficial silliness and wacky pratfalls . if you 're looking for comedic depth or edgy irony , look elsewhere .",
        "-lsb- atkinson -rsb- is like a sketch-comedy troupe rolled into one body .",
        "the latest from mr. bean star rowan atkinson , is n't a great movie , or even that good a comedy . but somehow the flick 's monumental silliness offsets its shortcomings .",
        "rowan atkinson is a gifted comedian . too bad MOV is n't more befitting his significant talents .",
        "atkinson carries out his spy-spoof mission with candor and grace , or as much grace as a man can maintain while satirizing the trainspotting climb up through a soiled potty .",
        "if MOV does n't rollick with laughs it at least generally frolics with good-natured fun .",
        "surprisingly tepid .",
        "MOV plays like a tired exercise , a spy spoof with no burning desire to be that , or anything else .",
        "MOV wo n't leave you shaken or stirred ; it 's simply quite likable , and there 's nothing wrong with that .",
        "MOV is silly enough , but why ca n't this clever man make a clever movie ?",
        "MOV ... reminds us that the nation that gave us peter sellers and monty python also gave us benny hill .",
        "even several of atkinson 's falling-flat gags fall flat .",
        "atkinson really is funny in this movie -- maybe not pee-your-pants funny , but certainly hoot-out-loud funny .",
        "it is unabashedly silly and playful . i do n't think atkinson could be mean or offensive if he tried .",
        "if not for the similar austin powers movies , maybe a lot of what 's in this film would have played better , and fresher . but as it stands , it looks old hat .",
        "an extremely silly but effective enough romp for family auds .",
        "a likeable parody that , while never quite as side-splitting as it thinks it is , still contains a good number of well-worked comic set-pieces .",
        "it 's a zero , wandering around itself , benignly hoping that it will make us laugh even though it has not offered funny material or delivery .",
        "it 's the same bawdy british humour as the ali g movie , and there 's more inspiration in the gags from jackass . .",
        "there are few real belly laughs in MOV , but there is enough humor to keep an audience smiling for almost 90 minutes .",
        "por mais que tente , MOV n\u0103o \u00e9 p\u00e1reo para o inspetor closeau , derek flint ou austin powers . ali\u00e1s , n\u0103o \u00e9 p\u00e1reo sequer para mr. bean .",
        "it still seems that nothing will ever beat the genius of the val kilmer-fronted spoof top secret , but after the fiasco of the last austin powers movie , this is fun .",
        "as funny as a slap in the face with a dead sea urchin .",
        "the gags are telegraphed to such a ridiculous degree that you can see some of them coming literally an hour away . yet when the punchlines arrive , atkinson sells them with aplomb .",
        "smug with timely zingers like ` the only thing the french should be allowed to host is an invasion , ' the movie 's recommended strictly for bush advisers .",
        "what makes it work is the cast , who are able to wring more than a few laughs out of this tired scenario .",
        "` aunque puede parecer bastante obvio y bobo para muchos , por lo menos representa un buen rato de entretenimiento puro y sin complicaciones '",
        "there is plenty of opportunity for funny lines and great physical gags but the script really lets down the cast .",
        "penned by the guys who wrote the last two bond films . that means they 're incapable of spoofing themselves , which is a concept far more funny than anything you 'll see here .",
        "i 'm a rowan atkinson fan . silly yes , but usually a subtle whit tied like a rubber chicken to the site gags . unfortunately , i can not say the same for `` english . ''",
        "well , i guess this proves that americans are n't the only ones apt to characterize the french as obnoxious , power-hungry fops .",
        "mike myers has worked this material to death .",
        "at best a spotty spy spoof with little to say about the genre beyond what mike myers already accomplished in ` austin powers : international man of mystery ' -lrb- and wrecked in its two dreadful sequels -rrb- .",
        "while atkinson thankfully gets to repeat the physical humor of bean , MOV wallows in the gross-out antics of the austin powers flicks but has none of their energy or inventiveness .",
        "there were n't enough good laughs for me to recommend it to anyone other than the most devoted beanheads .",
        "dies on screen .",
        "inept and painfully unfunny .",
        "a poorly executed representative of the over-used spy spoof comedy .",
        "super predictable - a damn shame . atkinson deserves the right vehicle but unless you already love him , he can not transcend this vehicle .",
        "will jacques chirac inspire the next round of international spy movie villains ?",
        "a funny summer frolic .",
        "the good jokes are so infrequent MOV could be retitled you only laugh twice .",
        "so abominably blah that you 'll fall asleep in your popcorn .",
        "the film 's irreverence toward venerable british institutions may seem uproarious in johnny 's home country , but americans will find this just another summertime farce , falling back on stale scatological jokes when it runs out of better ideas .",
        "while atkinson has physical comedy skills and a deadpan delivery equal to sellers , his screenwriters take the easy , poo-joke route far too often .",
        "delightfully daft .",
        "MOV is a tamer austin powers crossed with get smart , with very little in the way of effective humor .",
        "a tedium torture test produced with little money and less comic know-how .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- a -rsb- lazily ingratiating spy spoof .",
        "MOV will delight those who arrive already convinced that they 'll laugh uproariously at every slapstick gag and every misused word . but it wo n't convince the rest of us .",
        "MOV would most favorably be described as a one-joke action comedy whose one joke wears thin quite quickly -lrb- and is n't remotely original to begin with -rrb-",
        "the laughs come grudgingly and infrequently in MOV .",
        "while atkinson is at his offbeat best , the film he has been placed within is sorely routine and more often blase than not , its every joke telegraphed far in advance of its ultimate appearance .",
        "unless you have an incurable case of anglophilia , save your hard-earned moneypenny for the dvd rental .",
        "this is strictly dull chuckles from dull wits .",
        "the spy parts are n't exciting enough and the funny parts are n't funny enough , but the overall effect is mildly amusing .",
        "like something that comes to theatres courtesy of a time warp rather than a projector ... rather tedious despite atkinson 's oafish charm .",
        "every single joke in this movie is telegraphed so far in advance that you can figure out the punchlines long before they actually arrive .",
        "so much of MOV should be funnier than it is .",
        "oh , i say ... let 's not make any more british-spy spoofs , shall we ?",
        "a complete waste of time",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a tame spy spoof that elicits infrequent chuckles .",
    "id": "11064"
  },
  {
    "movie": "grudge",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV , a slump-in-your-seat , would-be thriller , is a shockless shocker .",
        "the archetypal haunted house story might be more effective as a campfire story which takes ten minutes to tell ... as a 90-minute movie , it 's a crushing bore .",
        "a more successful reinterpretation than `` the ring . ''",
        "the MOV is a perfect halloween feature , a frightening ghost story that will have you flinching and screaming .",
        "way beyond a good , stiff halloween thrill .",
        "i eventually lost all patience . the movie may have some subterranean level on which the story strands connect and make sense , but it eluded me .",
        "the trouble with shimizu 's impressionistic approach is that it does n't entrench you deep enough inside anybody 's head or put you far enough behind anyone 's point of view for the scares to really work .",
        "... features some of the most unnerving imagery and soundscapes to be found on the screen ...",
        "finally , the key to making an americanized version of a japanese film is revealed : let the original director call the shots .",
        "it 's the ominous , mystical stuff of nightmares - a real spook-fest !",
        "karen is soon back on her feet -lrb- her particular athleticism is showcased during a buffy-like sprint across town near film 's end -rrb- .",
        "remaking a good movie is a losing game , so give the MOV credit for succeeding as much as it does .",
        "a genuinely chilling experience .",
        "rather than building to a climax , shimizu introduces his poltergeists too early . once the ghosts start rattling around , we can generally anticipate what 's coming next .",
        "a decent enough idea for a halloween horror trick .",
        "project might have been more successful if shimizu had style and/or atmosphere to substitute for his canned scares , cardboard compositions and flaccid cutting .",
        "a beautiful blend of tension , good performances , and a shocking ending .",
        "little more than a journey to the end credits .",
        "audiences seeking thought-provoking plots and unpredictable endings should take this movie with a grain of salt .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "director shimizu , as he did with ju-on , simply inserts something scary into every scene .",
        "to add to the tedium , the ever-bland bill pullman , who exits rather early , returns via flashbacks to mope around and be generally unimpressive -- which best describes this movie as a whole .",
        "... suspenseful even without much character development .",
        "la casa donde el mismo director entra por tercera vez , por vez primera ...",
        "most of my child-like fear can be traced to one scene where a serious scare happens in someone 's bed .",
        "shimizu deveria ao menos corrigir os furos mais grotescos da trama - principalmente se considerarmos que vem trabalhando com o mesmo material h\u00e1 quase cinco anos .",
        "generally speaking , i like a little more plot with my ` boo ! ' moments .",
        "there is a sleek , intoxicating artistry to shimizu 's film that makes you forget about things like cause and effect and character motivation",
        "it is n't frightening . sometimes , in fact , it 's laughable .",
        "while it has flashes of creepy imagery , it has absolutely nothing going on in between .",
        "it knows how to startle someone with a quick shock but it soon becomes apparent that it has no more tricks up its sleeve ...",
        "a grown woman actually hides under her blanket . in what version of the scary movie franchise does somebody use a blanket as protection from the crazy ghost spirit ?",
        "even shimizu ca n't stop hollywood from yet another miscalculated attempt to strip down and simplify overseas horror for the suburban mallrats .",
        "the precision of slow revelation is the focus , and shimizu makes good use of it to cloak a skinny plot and vague characters in enduring suspense .",
        "plenty of jumps and genuine creepiness ensue . and along with dead cruise kin , could you really ask for anything else ?",
        "if you consider sudden shrieks of music and pale asian children the pinnacle of all things terrfiying , then the MOV is your next favorite movie .",
        "no character development . no moments of real terror . no purpose for being . the MOV sucks .",
        "the new version is slightly less frightening than the original , but it 's still a scary psycho-horror that effectively replicates its bleak and crisp shocks .",
        "induces many more unintentional giggles than it does gasps of anxiety or fear .",
        "the sort of horror that exchanges character , narrative even atmosphere for a collection of dated scare - 'em tactics , not excluding loud sudden noises .",
        "a spine-tingling little creepshow .",
        "it 's sort of incredible , actually : shimizu , with raimi 's support , has created an english-language remix of his horror classic , and it mostly works . heresy !",
        "while there is some artfully ghastly imagery on display , the movie is just one surrealist chill after another , with no cohesive story line to connect the scares .",
        "mostly , it 's a tepid affair .",
        "adds nothing to the haunted-house genre aside from the horror of spilled ramen noodles on tatami mats .",
        "more than anything , the MOV suggests that it 's time for shimizu to move on .",
        "if you 're at all familiar with the earlier versions , you 'll see an intriguing refinement , on shimizu 's part , of scare tactics he 's worked with before -- and is doing better than ever .",
        "taken on its own terms ... it is a perfectly creepy excuse to cover your eyes and clutch your date 's arm for a couple of hours .",
        "less scary than creepy , the MOV may have lost some oomph in the translation from japanese to english .",
        "the MOV shows just enough blood to be scary but not self-indulgent .",
        "it 's a shivery fun time , filled with dark corners , deserted hallways and sudden apparitions . but it never manages to genuinely rattle you .",
        "it 's like a demo reel for shimizu , who may be a competent technical craftsman but does n't show even so much as a desire to tell a story .",
        "the new film 's hill of beans does n't loom very tall when its acting weight rests on the shoulders of sarah michelle gellar and the ever-likable but unassertive bill pullman .",
        "between our jumps of fright come lumps of time that take forever to pass .",
        "the MOV is a decent horror diversion : barely a classic , but still pretty atmospheric and suspenseful in its own right .",
        "the intent of shimizu 's us-produced feature debut is quite clear : do for japan what jaws did for swimming .",
        "a witches ' brew of elements done to better effect in ring , all of them wrapped in a disappointingly conventional haunted-house plot that barely approaches the latter film 's video-age invention .",
        "grisly ghost story lacks plot ; not for tweens .",
        "completely misses the point of the original .",
        "... just cannibalizes itself , exploiting japanese spirituality for a few saturday-night shocks ...",
        "-lsb- blu ray -rsb- only the hi-def obsessed should double-dip for this one , dvd owners can still sit pretty .",
        "as a pure , light , pg-13 thrill machine , the MOV is fairly successful . but it is not especially memorable .",
        "full review in greek",
        "creepy movie about ghosts with an unfair advantage .",
        "eschewing plot and a linear timeline for a stylish exercise in mood , shimizu sets the scenes with long silences and chilling images .",
        "there are some creepy images and gotcha scares but nothing can disguise the fact that this is just a `` who gets it next and how does he get it '' movie .",
        "the atmosphere is creepy and will make you jump , even if the story does n't make a whole lot of sense .",
        "fans accustomed to noisier , more graphic jolts may be impatient with the MOV 's measured insidiousness . others may find it refreshing , curiously so .",
        "there are so many events here but no real story . perhaps that is what 's making the drowned kabuki ghost so irate : she 's desperate to find a coherent script .",
        "the MOV is all about fright . it 's not about mystery , characterization or perverse amusement , all of which can turn horror into something more .",
        "fun , but it 's a weak cousin of such classic american ghost tales as the amityville horror , the exorcist , poltergeist and the shining .",
        "great at the creation of truly creepy atmosphere and the prompting of dread , but take it from a total coward -- adults wo n't be scared .",
        "the cold , impersonal climate of much of the decor proves more frightening than the secret at the movie 's core .",
        "while this remake of the 2000 japanese horror hit ju-on gets the atmosphere right , its plotting is often eye-rolling silly .",
        "anyone who has ever seen a horror flick will know where this one 's going every inch of the way .",
        "with a pumped-up budget for effects and no musical cues to tell you when to be scared , everything here is mad frightening .",
        "one of those horror movies that thoroughly spooks you while it 's up on the screen , but as soon as it 's over , the fear dries up and is replaced by questions about how the pieces and parts do -- or in this case , do n't -- fit together .",
        "we need to care about karen . that we never quite do is n't scary . it 's merely disappointing .",
        "-lsb- gellar -rsb- is matched in lethargy only by jason behr , who plays her american boyfriend with the same conviction one would find from a frat guy shopping for hoobastank cds .",
        "elegant and haunting , using simple elements like camera placement and blocking to maximize the eeriness .",
        "shimizu may have sold out and bastardized his own calling card , but at least he got the ghost hand thing in again .",
        "dismally lost in translation .",
        "... never goes beyond the `` schlocky . ''",
        "the MOV is that annoying blend of genuine scares and really , really dumb people",
        "although it ca n't seem to improve on the original , this effort should appeal to many due to the popularity of sarah michelle gellar .",
        "... foutrement inqui\u00e9tant et remplit admirablement sa mission : faire peur .",
        "the MOV is not the worst film of the year , but that 's about the biggest compliment i can give it .",
        "geller 's latest outclasses her `` scooby-doo '' adventures , but is not up to the level of the `` best of buffy . ''",
        "unfortunately , the MOV may leave you longing for the solid dramatic structure of freddy vs. jason .",
        "the ending is a major letdown . at the screening i attended , an audience of journalists and regular folks let out a raucous groan followed by a few peels of laughter .",
        "an abundance of above-average scares ultimately makes the MOV 's portrait of contagious anger , violence , and death creepily unsettling .",
        "stylish but shallow horror",
        "the images and sounds shimizu puts on the screen are often so disturbing and puzzling ... that they claw their way into your memory and stick around .",
        "wan na see something really scary ? then take in ben affleck 's performance in `` surviving christmas . ''",
        "a minimal , stylish look and sinister atmosphere support a ho-hum storyline and pedestrian script .",
        "the soundtrack 's dolby thumps and screaming violins head off any genuine scares .",
        "it 's disconcerting when fingers poke out of gellar 's head during a shower because nothing is likely to emerge from an actor 's head but dialogue and roots .",
        "a scattering of scary moments surrounded by scenes that only serve to test your patience and kill time .",
        "the MOV simply wants to make you wet your pants . even if it does n't , you 'll still find yourself in the market for a nightlight .",
        "the umpteenth variation of the haunted house tale , but with enough spooky style to call it a success .",
        "this material tries to camouflage its nagging repetitiveness with a lot of confusing flashbacks .",
        "it 's just not the kind of frightening that stays with you very long , unless of course someone decides to make the same movie ... yet again .",
        "the only MOV i have is against the people that asked this director to make the same movie again - only this time make it less entertaining .",
        "one of the flat-out creepiest films ever released by a major american studio .",
        "it 's enough to send you home with jiggly knees and a tummy ache .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a pg-13 horror film that aims for good old-fashioned spookiness .",
        "almost every single one of the american characters has maybe a third of the personality of the ghosts that haunt them , so you begin to think the MOV itself is less a curse than a perfectly reasonable eviction strategy .",
        "better photography , a spiffier budget , but it remains a ` what 's that ? ' and ` who 's there ? ' movie , triggering the responses ` whatever ' and ` who cares ? '",
        "as it turns out , there is such a thing as a horror film with too much mindless killing .",
        "bottom line , the MOV would have been ruined in the hands of a typical hollywood american director .",
        "some folks in the u.s. ... convinced shimizu to direct a hollywood-funded remake . the result is actually an improvement .",
        "is n't much more coherent in english than it was in japanese ... your neighborhood halloween haunted house is probably scarier than this one .",
        "`` the MOV '' is soulless , half-baked sludge that should have gone straight to video .",
        "the MOV lacks a premise . there are no rules , just scares and nothing else , and when the bottom drops out , there 's nowhere to fall",
        "you 'll resent seeing this movie .",
        "a haunted house that leaves you feeling less than spooked and more than a little ripped off ... . it 's ghost story 101 .",
        "the opening minutes hit us with a shocker on a par with the shower scene in `` psycho , '' and the tension rarely lets up thereafter .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i 've seen pokemon movies that are scarier .",
        "japanese cult chiller remake is n't your usual hollywood horror flick , but it also is n't very good .",
        "oh no !!! not again !!!",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "despite a few effective scares , this new MOV never really generates the right amount of tension .",
        "it 's disappointing to realize that the film truly is nothing more than a series of people dying . we usually like our thrillers to have something more to them .",
        "a visually interesting but fatally underwhelming horror film , cynically devised to avoid taxing the intellect of anyone on a third-grade reading level .",
        "nothing more than a cultural twist on the standard-issue haunted house movie , -lrb- but -rrb- i will give -lrb- it -rrb- credit ... for giving me goosebumps . lots and lots of goosebumps .",
        "a horror film that consists of virtually nothing but do n't - go-in-the-attic suspense scenes strung together with a reasonable degree of brooding mood and a minimum of logic .",
        "the MOV bears the imprimatur of sam raimi , but alas , neither his sense of fun nor his smarts .",
        "completely free of character development , tension , scenario , narrative , plot , intelligence , point , sociological relevance , technical aptitude , and scares .",
        "i want to scream in terror -lrb- like at a jennifer lopez movie , or when i stand naked in front of my mirror -rrb- . sadly , the MOV 's scares are n't accompanied by much else .",
        "it ai n't buffy , but it will have to do .",
        "genuinely surprises because one is never quite sure where it is headed next , all the while involving the viewer in freakish , unforgettably nightmarish imagery .",
        "even though the plot is a bit disjointed and the characters are underdrawn , the truly terrifying ghosts are more than worth the price of admission .",
        "-lsb- the MOV -rsb- is n't art , but as date-night fright flicks go , it 's effective .",
        "well this is not only the biggest disappointment of the year , but one crummy way to ruin my halloween .",
        "great ads/trailer , lame movie .",
        "those who 've seen shimizu 's creepy original are n't likely to be impressed ...",
        "many a movie has gone before the camera before the script was finished . the MOV went before the camera before the outline of the script was finished .",
        "without payoff , alluring buildup is n't worth much .",
        "the MOV is n't nearly as scary as the upcoming election .",
        "it 's no more impressive than hiding in the dark and shouting ` boo ! ' when someone walks into a room .",
        "the MOV is so amazing to look at that some might even be able to forgive the fact that the plot never kicks into gear . but i can not .",
        "a nonstop parade of nonsensical doings that makes you suspect most of the characters do n't have two brain cells to rub together .",
        "ju-on 's success rested in its powerful atmosphere ... yet that aura only presents itself sporadically in the yankee MOV .",
        "this american remake ... has a kind of watered down feel to it , as if it were just a necessary step to be taken in a long series of events .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "there 's some creepy imagery to be found , but not much in the way of logic or truly jarring scares .",
    "id": "17083"
  },
  {
    "movie": "adjustment_bureau",
    "reviews":
     [
        "matt damon and emily blunt fall in love and flee shadowy figures in the immensely stylish romantic thriller the MOV . if only the ending lived up to the build-up .",
        "less a rumination on free will than a potboiler with some intellectual pretensions , the MOV is a pleasant enough middlebrow mind trip .",
        "what conceivable conclusion could nolfi give , lest to suggest that ` the chairman ' or god , has a heart of stone , and cynically does n't believe in love or his own creation , man .",
        "taken as a whole , if you allow yourself to take a leap of faith the MOV is an intriguing , engrossing experience . at the very least , it just might be the perfect date movie .",
        "i ca n't imagine anyone 's ever speaking about this movie with fondness other than the people who made it , and maybe their close relatives .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- atrociously trite conclusion threatens to ruin the entire film , but perhaps if we can just get a hold of the right moleskine , we can make some adjustments , and it 'll be like that ending never happened ...",
        "a refreshing , romantic sci-fi adventure whatsit the likes of which hollywood rarely gambles on .",
        "the story has a real spiritual view , talking about the universe 's plan as if it 's a bureaucracy . it 's only an intro course though . the advanced courses would be total recall , dark city or gattaca .",
        "it 's a little like if men in black was recast with an army of john majors , and about as sexy as that sounds .",
        "it taps into your longing for the days when a sci-fi matrix could explain the world without making it a darker place .",
        "it 's hokum , but it 's entertaining hokum , mainly thanks to damon and blunt , who make an appealing couple .",
        "nolfi began his career as a writer , which perhaps explains why he tries to keep the action character-driven : the sweet chemistry between damon and blunt does at least make their romantic , potentially existence-threatening bond credible .",
        "damon and blunt are a perfect screen couple . she makes him appear so much more romantic than he has ever been before , and the complex plot is pushed aside by the glory of their love story .",
        "despite the profoundly unsexy title the film managed to land two fine-ass leads , whose chemistry essentially saves the film from its existentialist pretensions .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the on-screen pairing of matt damon and emily blunt is so winning that you may be willing to overlook the oddly modulating tone of the story that brings them together and then tries to keep them apart .",
        "science fiction with half a brain , a lot of weird , quick wit , and a surprisingly full heart .",
        "your preconception of this existential romantic thriller 's entertainment value is about to be adjusted .",
        "once again , after the obnoxious the informant and insufferable hereafter , matt damon uses movies to explain the world to audiences who just want to be entertained .",
        "highlighted by the wonderful emily blunt and george nolfi 's fine direction this is a splendid romantic excursion into science fiction .",
        "this is not the philip k. dick story it was supposedly based on , but it does look at engaging philosophical questions that a film like iron man would never even think of .",
        "philip k. dick 's story the adjustment team was published in 1954 . but the movie the MOV only trades on dick 's name . all else is shoved aside by george nolfi , who directed and wrote the screenplay .",
        "farfetched ? yes , but matt damon and emily blunt convinced me their characters belong together in this romantic sci-fi thriller .",
        "damon and blunt have such obvious chemistry we do start believing the ripple effects from a single kiss could indeed change our collective future .",
        "deliriously romantic , with damon and blunt 's chemistry perfectly capturing love 's ability to supersede all . 2011 's first mainstream movie that makes you feel something .",
        "unlike , schwarzenegger , tom cruise , harrison ford , and other dick adaptation heroes , damon has the physique of an everyman ; when he runs , and there 's a lot of running , it appears he might have at least two extra butt cheeks following him in the hov lane .",
        "the blunt/damon combination just about wins you over ... unless you were under the illusion this was jason bourne getting incepted .",
        "i can honestly say the MOV is the best meet-cute sci-fi rom-com about magic hats that i 've seen in at least three months .",
        "a bulked-up damon and the lithe blunt generate a strong chemistry and the scenes that establish their deep romantic bond are lovely ; she is more naturally effervescent here than ever before .",
        "exciting and deftly constructed .",
        "it 's about love conquering all . it 's about people risking everything for a chance at romantic joy .",
        "eventually embraces a few too many romance-movie clich\u00e9s , but its approach to the genre is skewed enough to feel fresh .",
        "at least the filmmakers have blunt and damon to rely on ; you can believe they share a love stronger than any revision .",
        "mr. nolfi , who is also making his debut as a director , is another unfortunate christopher nolan wannabe , so the movie is a preposterous muddle that borrows heavily from inception , without a single original idea .",
        "they 're called the MOV , but what they really are is the c *** block bureau .",
        "a largely entertaining and compelling paranoid thriller only let down by its final scenes .",
        "it 's impossible to avoid comparing this film to both inception and the truman show , as it delves into the issue of free will from a fantastical perspective . but this is a lighter movie , focussing on romance rather than weighty themes .",
        "with the exception of a few cute lines from emily blunt , it 's a bureaucratically grey and decidedly empty tale about very little .",
        "paranoia never looked so good .",
        "uma narrativa intrigante , tensa e rom\u0432ntica que mant\u0439m o espectador interessado durante a maior parte da proje\u0437\u0433o .",
        "if you can buy into the sci-fi angle , this rom-action is smart and brisk enough to stand above similarly-themed films -- helped tremendously by the chemistry of its stars .",
        "... more hearts-aflutter romance than nuts-and-bolts sci-fi .",
        "philip k. dick does n't always work on screen",
        "a romantic thriller that manages a rather remarkable feat : sending us on a headlong pursuit of life 's meaning , even as the banal everydayness of real life closes in on one side and the anything-goes magic of science fiction closes in on the other .",
        "focus on love story distracts from film 's concept",
        "the film 's chief interest is n't plumbing philosophical questions of fate , providence and autonomy but , instead , wallowing in skimpy fairy-tale romanticism .",
        "the MOV is smartly scripted and slickly directed , and is anchored by yet another compelling performance from the ever reliable matt damon .",
        "for a film with existential implications as severe as they are here , the dialogue is at times hokey , but the chemistry between damon and blunt is enough to enchant you .",
        "the science is murky but the chemistry is strong .",
        "not every philip k. dick adaptation is golden .",
        "a brisk and affecting slice of sci-fi that allows room for optimism and even god .",
        "the film bristles with the sort of contrivances that could incite derisive snickers . yet it moves with such brisk self-assurance that the chuckles arrive only at a few comedic rest stops .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an elegant fantasy , only slightly marred by rather too much science-fiction explanation .",
        "a metaphysical love story with some wonderfully droll ideas .",
        "nolfi 's movie works on an interesting scale and a disarmingly gentle spirit , even though it 's being sold as a hard-charging romantic thriller . i like it ; i hope it finds an audience .",
        "where the drama falters , the romance rises . damon and blunt make a smart and sassy pair . you want them to be together even if it does mean that their political and artistic futures will be thwarted and history will be denied .",
        "what results , against some odds , is an intriguing entertainment .",
        "the age old quandary of human purpose , told with a modern twist , in screenwriter turned director george nolfi 's superb adaptation of phillip k. dick",
        "stupid . regrettably , love conquers all . puts a stain on philip k. dick 's post-death career .",
        "blunt and damon have delightful chemistry , but this is still little more than a derivative , campy b-movie , which would be fine if it was at all what the filmmakers had intended .",
        "nolfi makes a memorable directing debut in this sometimes silly , but also suspenseful and entertaining story .",
        "as much of a wildman as philip k. dick was , it 's hard to imagine him being thrilled about his story being turned into a glorified episode of touched by an angel .",
        "a romantic action thriller with inception-like ambitions , this one , sadly , falls short .",
        "it 's matt damon and emily blunt who save the film , turning it from the overloaded political sci-fi romantic thriller it might have been into a breezy , charming love story .",
        "the so-called plan is derailed !",
        "it 's too bad that `` the MOV '' is so flimsy , because dick , as always , had a provocative idea , a pointed query about the role of chance in our lives .",
        "the struggle between free will and determinism gets dramatic play in this imaginative sci-fi romance .",
        "the film is a well-mounted time-killer with just enough dashes of humour to keep the nutty narrative digestible .",
        "dick 's speculations about cosmic bureaucracy typically had a playful , satirical edge . nolfi 's control of tone is less sure .",
        "a strange but not unpleasant broth of romantic drama , political thriller , and sci-fi-glazed metaphysics .",
        "there 's a smart and welcome sense of humour to the proceedings , and matt damon and , especially , emily blunt , give charismatic performances as the lovers cruelly separated by fate .",
        "both pretentious and silly , a picture that addresses serious issues of fate and free will in the form of a mawkish adolescent adventure yarn .",
        "too often , damon resembles a besotted , middle-school boy who 's chasing his crush not at recess , but in the matrix .",
        "... the over-explained softened edges of the story turn what could have been an exceptional brain-bender into a good , but fairly standard-issue heart-warmer .",
        "nolfi 's predilection for old-school cinematic technique over newfangled excess is refreshing and sometimes ingenious . and damon and blunt conjure a convincing chemistry .",
        "i think i would have liked it better had it been made in the '70s and starred charlton heston , but it 's a hard movie to hate .",
        "love story meets dark city , which does n't quite do justice to the moviegoing experience at hand , but comes close to describing the idiosyncratic , highly cinematic world nolfi generates here for his filmmaking debut .",
        "even as writer/director george nolfi fails to generate a more far-reaching narrative into the questions it raises , he has helped immeasurably by the kind of chemistry between his two leads that turns audiences into believers .",
        "damon and blunt are great -- it 's just a shame they do n't have a stronger adversary for their love .",
        "i 'm a sucker for movies about fate , destiny , and heavenly intervention-going all the way back to on borrowed time and here comes mr. jordan up through ghost town with ...",
        "a shrewdly entertaining mind-bender .",
        "you 've seen this sort of thing before , all the way back to it 's a wonderful life , even if its fake-serious energy and matte finish will temporarily and entertainingly trick you into thinking otherwise .",
        "as artistic endeavour this gives free will a bad name .",
        "this mind-meld of sci-fi thriller , morality play and passionate romance is worth seeing , mostly for the palpable chemistry between the lead actors .",
        "after decades of near misses , someone 's finally made a great movie out of a philip k. dick story -- by throwing out almost everything and spinning the concept in an entirely new direction .",
        "all of the shine is pointless with a weak story . by the time we reached the second act , ` the MOV ' became ` sex and the city ' meets the ` butterfly effect . '",
        "philip k. dick 's original science-fiction story gets an adjustment in ` the MOV , ' a fantasy , rather than a sci-fi piece , about freedom of choice and to what lengths we will go to pursue love .",
        "... artfully tells a story that unfolds elegantly and understands the importance and power of finding that special someone in your life .",
        "while it sets itself up marvelously , the MOV in the end simply fails on the follow-through and while the end result is a near-miss , it is nevertheless a miss .",
        "uses dick 's fantasy conceit ... to noodle concepts of fate , free will , chance , providence and theodicy in a tale of star-crossed lovers appealingly played by damon and blunt .",
        "the premise promises an engaging wronged-man thriller with metaphysical overtones , but director george nolfi fails to deliver .",
        "you wo n't think too deeply about the supernatural possibilities presented in the film , but you will respect them as clever and absorbing storytelling devices .",
        "now here 's something you do n't see every day -- a gripping , literate sci-fi film , full of thematic texture , emotional warmth , and existential complexity .",
        "it would be offensive if it were n't so clearly an object better pitied or ignored . it 's a conversation-starter for idiots , god bless 'em .",
        "sci-fi/romance hybrid mixes plot twists , serious themes .",
        "call it the kinder , gentler matrix",
        "a great springboard for faith-oriented conversations about free will fate , and the role of a higher power in our lives .",
        "the MOV has you pondering the angles throughout , and it 's a credit to newly minted director george nolfi that he never lets his foot off the gas pedal .",
        "as interpreted by first-time director george nolfi -lrb- screenwriter of the bourne ultimatum -rrb- , dick 's story transforms into an endearingly silly allegory of the mysterious interaction of free will and fate .",
        "a typically paranoid philip k. dick story about the fragile ` fabric of reality ' is repurposed as a reassuring fable about true love 's destiny and the rightness of the celestial master plan ...",
        "decent enough science-fiction silliness that could have done without the religious malarkey .",
        "fate , chance , and free will collide in the thematically rich sci-fi love story the MOV .",
        "though sporadically entertaining , the film raises more intriguing questions about fate and free will than it can handle effectively within its frame , but matt damon is well cast as everyman struggling to maintain control over his life .",
        "a curious mix of science fiction and romance , which i enjoyed much more when it was mysterious sci fi .",
        "the MOV is not entirely satisfying , and at times , quite silly .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- the simplicity works .",
        "it 's not a thriller ... adjust your expectations from what you may be expecting and you 'll find it hard not be carried along for the ride .",
        "by keeping the pace quick , the explanation light and the characters strong , nolfi achieves the near-impossible : a film puzzle you wo n't mind leaving unexplained .",
        "the doughy damon and aristocratic blunt do n't match up physically , and they never get any hepburn-tracy rhythms going that might create some current .",
        "when it comes to setting up the rules for its unearthly puppetmasters ' agenda and sticking to them , this fantasy adaptation does n't know dick .",
        "you 've got to admire the way it reins in the action sequences and concentrates on character development instead - something that 's about as common in hollywood as a bum bag made out of unicorn fur .",
        "at times intriguing and at other times rather silly , this adaptation of philip k. dick 's short story offers mystery and romance , yet is too tangible to be mysterious and is not sensual enough to be romantic",
        "an entertaining , if blasphemous mindbender suggesting that love conquers all , even the will of god .",
        "a surprisingly affecting sci-fi romance , aided immensely by the chemistry between stars matt damon and emily blunt .",
        "for the heaviness of the film 's metaphysics , there is something ineffably light and charming about it ... if frank capra made the matrix , it would be the MOV .",
        "it 's brave enough to be a bit loopy , and to hang its entire emotional throughline on a passionate romance .",
        "i was hoping for so much more -- i wanted so much more . but unfortunately `` the MOV '' needs some severe adjusting .",
        "without genuine villains to dislike , there is no suspenseful edge to the story .",
        "mostly intriguing , suspenseful and clever until it loses steam during the underwhelming , facile , anticlimactic third act .",
        "phillip k. dick was a lot of things , but few would call him a sentimentalist .",
        "a great date movie ; thoroughly romantic and a flight of pure fantasy . what girl would n't want to meet the man who would stand up to god and all his angels - sorry , the chairman and his corporate drones - for the woman he loves ?",
        "while the film 's source material dates back to 1954 , it is still one of the more original , though-provoking and down-right entertaining films to hit the big screen in years .",
        "the MOV 's corporate hierarchy of a surprisingly incompetent bureaucracy endowed with mystical powers that its agents use to keep the world on track -- right here under our noses -- is a suspension of disbelief that eventually collapses .",
        "the film 's notion that true love conquers all would fall flat with the wrong leads , but damon and blunt possess a lovely , laid-back chemistry that allows us to believe in their union .",
        "nolfi 's debut is a mild stunner , mixing hope and heart and love and the dire threat of losing it -- or , worse , never realizing you had it -- into a heady , original mix . more , please .",
        "even if the MOV does have a few permanent bruises from running the hollywood gauntlet , it 's still a valiant effort about reconciling destiny and desire that pays off in intelligent , playful and memorable ways .",
        "the MOV does sadly descend into science-fiction nonsense after a bold start , but it 's always enjoyable and you never lose sight of what 's at stake thanks to excellent character work from damon and blunt .",
        "romantic and intellectually stimulating , and like `` inception , '' it may have you arguing with your date on the ride home .",
        "there are plenty of great ideas throughout the film with determinism and the idea of free will all given some interesting twists , though it is sometimes muddled and preachy",
        "it 's rare when a film is able to blend together two different genres so well , especially when they are two genres that you do n't normally see together , in this case , science-fiction and romance .",
        "a fantastic piece of science fiction told in the flavor of a classic twilight zone episode",
        "these two crazy , impetuous kids clearly belong together . too bad the science-fiction plot says otherwise .",
        "although this drama offers up some interesting ideas about free will and faith , the story is n't smart enough to focus on these topics in an intelligent way .",
        "an original romance story with brilliant central performances from matt damon & emily blunt makes this one a winner in my books .",
        "the film meanders between its two styles and sets of concerns , but it adds up to a solid piece of cinema entertainment with a few brain-tweaking moments of paranoia .",
        "despite wobbling under the weight of some hefty ideas while straddling two genres , this sci-fi mystery surprises by emerging as a sweet , star-powered romance .",
        "i kept expecting rod serling to step into the frame , cigarette in hand , setting the stage for the bizarre turn of events about to befall the young pol and the lovestruck ballerina .",
        "accomplished filmmaking that features two highly attractive , talented leads , a healthy dose of sentiment , an intelligent script , and which takes you away for two hours from the quotidian worries and banalities of your regular life .",
        "big brother fantasy with style and real feeling , courtesy of an excellent matt damon-emily blunt pairing .",
        "the film degenerates into a repetitive game of cat and mouse in which roger sterling chases jason bourne through a bunch of magical doors .",
        "the fact that the MOV asks deeper questions is admirable , and it does so about an onscreen couple actually worth caring about .",
        "... if our current president got elected after admitting to having used cocaine in the past do you really think mooning someone in college would cause someone not to vote for him ?",
        "eventually the whole thing feels a little too silly to be able to take any of its inherent concerns meaningfully .",
        "a bit muddled through the middle third and a hollywood-like ending make for a good , though not a brilliant film .",
        "the bureau 's dictat is certainly a blow to the notion , held by a few lunatics , that there 's nothing more important in life than being happy . apparently it 's more important to be ambitious and attain some sort of status .",
        "what 's intriguing is that this is essentially a sweet love story coated in a layer of phillip k dick .",
        "the MOV offers an interesting sci-fi premise that will intrigue in its metaphysical nature , yet that intrigue is not repaid as the move becomes a glossy , effects-driven love story .",
        "too bad the film does n't have anything else to offer besides the chemistry between the photogenic leads , the handsome location shooting and the usual bromides ...",
        "... in the long list of films translating and transforming the stories of the ubiquitous philip k. dick , this falls in the ` watchable but disappointing ' category .",
        "nolfi and his colleagues make especially good use of new york , filming everywhere from the brooklyn waterfront to the lobby of the museum of modern art . it 's a fresh look at a familiar city . but nolfi drops the ball in the home stretch , and that 's ...",
        "an entertaining sci-fi romance that 's exciting in more than the usual will-they-or-won ` t-they ways .",
        "there 's a decided lack of information within the unraveling of the mystery behind the plot of the MOV that is equal parts admirable and frustrating .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- straight-ahead thriller that , when you stop to think about it , you 'll actually want to think about it .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "suspenseful , romantic and wryly funny , `` the MOV '' is the kind of film that reaffirms one 's faith in hollywood .",
        "in the goofball `` the MOV , '' matt damon repeatedly ignores instructions from god not to date emily blunt .",
        "with a few adjustments here and there , this could have been a great film , rather than a irritatingly flawed one with some great moments .",
        "`` the MOV '' is a smart and good movie that could have been a great one if it had a little more daring .",
        "so enveloping is the romance at its core , and the inventiveness of the story , that it can be forgiven for its minor transgressions",
        "damon has never been better , showing an emotional vulnerability . the movie 's other strengths include great special effects , superb cinematography , a wonderful musical score and an elegant wardrobe of high fashion designs .",
        "fans looking for something a little different will find it here - as well as the first real romance of the year .",
        "finding a movie that can so successfully pull off romance and otherworldly mystery is rare . when one comes along , it 's something that should n't be missed .",
        "nolfi suppresses high style , however , for a clean and spare look : a sparsely populated manhattan , crisp light , subtle visual jokes and rhymes . it 's a well-chosen tactic .",
        "it 's hard to imagine a more spectacularly silly film making it to theaters this year than the MOV .",
        "sometimes , a strong premise makes for a weak movie , which ends up drowning in its own clever conceit .",
        "enjoy it for what it is . just do n't ponder what might have been .",
        "two movies for the price of one , though only one of them -- a fragmented romance within a ponderous parable -- qualifies as a bargain .",
        "the premise is so mind-boggling and fraught with implications that it tends to obviate the action mechanics of the last couple reels .",
        "the MOV is n't a somber , elegant meditation on free will and destiny like blade runner -lrb- another adaptation of a philip k. dick work -rrb- . but at its most winning it does n't try to be .",
        "` the MOV ' misses by a mile . despite heroic efforts by damon and the lovely blunt to build a plausible love story , the movie dissolves into silliness .",
        "even though -lsb- damon and blunt -rsb- look awfully cute scurrying around the streets of new york city , there 's no escaping from the fact that this bureau winds up merely spinning its wheels .",
        "whether running or kissing or running and kissing -lrb- well , almost -rrb- , mr. damon and ms. blunt turn romance into a palpable race .",
        "a thoughtful and thought-provoking romance with a touch of the fantastic .",
        "despite nolfi 's nearly unacceptable plot contrivances and other flaws , this is likely to be a crowd pleaser for a number of reasons and blunt and damon are two of them .",
        "the MOV is not a film to be taken seriously in any way , but it has an interesting idea at its heart ...",
        "`` the MOV '' is what `` inception '' might have been like if it were written by nicholas sparks .",
        "it 's a breezy film masquerading as a sincere one , and while that 's obnoxious , it 's hard to hate a fun night at the movies .",
        "cradled in damon 's solidly reliable hands , even a movie as extravagantly silly as this one gains heft and credibility , an impressive accomplishment when you consider that the entire plot revolves around magic notebooks and spellbinding hats .",
        "far too neat and schmaltzy but otherwise a surprisingly witty film from the dark city/inception mould .",
        "it works surprisingly well as a weird , fun little movie .",
        "it packs a little of everything into an entertaining package : love story , mystery , action and discussion about free will and fate .",
        "when facebook friends , credit histories and text message logs expose our every - and dictate 99 percent of our decision-making - `` the MOV '' has a point . now you have a better excuse for losing your car keys than early-onset alzheimer 's .",
        "it believes itself to be a suggestive meditation on free will and destiny - not merely a crunchy bag of popcorn . it 's neither , being rubbish popcorn too , the sugar not disguising the staleness .",
        "problem is , the film 's premise only stands up for about a few minutes . that 's why it was written as a short story .",
        "a strong mystifying story that lays it all out and has you choosing fate over the plan .",
        "the misleading trailers for the supremely goofy `` the MOV '' promise action-packed sci-fi . what you actually get is a love-struck matt damon running for the us senate as he 's stalked by fedora-wearing angels .",
        "a smart , stylish thriller that melds science fiction , romance and hitchcock-ian intrigue with surprising ease .",
        "damon and blunt have such palpable chemistry from their very first scene that we utterly believe he would spend an entire movie vaulting obstacles to be with her . this is a pulse-pounding mix of science fiction , philosophy and theology .",
        "a satisfying spiritual love story about the preciousness of free will and the lengths some human beings will go to be with their soul mate .",
        "this is the trouble with `` the MOV . '' it reminds you of lots of other movies that are better than `` the MOV . ''",
        "an amped-up love-conquers-all fantasy , one replete with a dash to a church , a last minute declaration of love , and a cop-out conclusion that renders the preceding action pretty much irrelevant .",
        "the actors convincingly sell that passion , and their union smoothes any wrinkles an otherwise critical eye might spy as `` the MOV '' ... races along .",
        "an intriguing idea , which ironically gets thrown off its own track by an odd balance of tones and the fact that the conspirators are laughably ineffective .",
        "damon 's resolve is admirable -- a purity of heart that shows he 's trying to will a movie into being .",
        "a romantic drama that presents us with one of the most likeable couples in recent cinema .",
        "you can feel the influence of classic american movies like `` north by northwest '' and `` the graduate '' here , and while i wo n't argue that nolfi matches those examples , his ambition is admirable .",
        "it 's entertaining and fun and there are worse things you could do with an hour and a half .",
        "questions of predestination and free will are intriguingly posed and clunkily answered in the MOV .",
        "the first great movie of 2011 is thought-provoking , exciting , and swooningly romantic .",
        "a nearly-great movie , a rare piece that merges romance and science fiction into something that is at-times mesmerizing .",
        "an action thriller with a soul ; that is one trend we 'd like to see catch on .",
        "... a very light , charming movie , like some undiscovered '60s pop gem .",
        "the trailer for the MOV makes the movie seem like a gripping sci-fi thriller . if only .",
        "celestial bullies con people into imagining they 're in charge , while a higher authority is pushing them around and calling the shots . which stemmed from philip dick 's chronic bouts of madness , but gets a fresh coat of paint in its sentimental makeover .",
        "as a philosophical dialectic masquerading as a thriller , -lsb- it -rsb- works on many levels , and equally well on each of them .",
        "very exciting and entertaining while you 're watching it , but completely falls apart upon further reflection .",
        "extentialist questions about predestination and free will permeate this plodding sci-fi thriller about celestial messengers intervening on mortals ' search for soul mates .",
        "it gets the right combination of action , sci-fi , and most importantly romance . the fedoras do n't hurt either .",
        "hollywood can always count on philip k. dick , whose short story inspired the MOV , to bring something fresh to tired film formulas .",
        "in the end , no matter how tidy or preachy it gets , the relationship , and therefore the movie , works .",
        "reworks a matter of life and death with elements of it 's a wonderful life and shares techniques and themes with christopher nolan 's inception .",
        "the climax may side-step some awkward questions , and lack a killer twist , but romantics will be more than satisfied . damon and blunt should pair up again .",
        "whatever your preconceived ideas are of the film , it 's likely the end product will take you by surprise .",
        "` help , i 'm being followed by super-human salesmen in cardigans and hats ! '",
        "the film 's problems do not lie with its cast , further evidence that matt damon is one of our very best actors , a charismatic everyman . nolfi can not modulate the tone of his film , but he could get damon elected to public office .",
        "tricky , brash , and brisk",
        "damon and blunt have so much chemistry , the screen practically melts when they look at each other .",
        "a lively premise turned into an inert and uninsistent film by screenwriter and rookie director george nolfi .",
        "a slick , mid-budget movie that 's just brainy enough to excite moviegoers looking for something a little different .",
        "we know damon and blunt are a perfect fit mostly because they finish each other 's cutesy banter .",
        "it 's like the matrix , as remade by the hallmark channel .",
        "whether this movie works for you largely depends on whether you 're willing to work for it . to which i say : bring your gym clothes .",
        "compare the adaptation to the original and you see a complicated saga of personal sacrifice streamlined into a rosy tribute to love supreme . feels good , but also feels empty",
        "the narrative is all at once high stakes and low key , with most of the ` effects ' conveyed practically or through editing , and with the divine machinery grounded considerably by the chemistry between damon and blunt .",
        "nothing about it feels ordinary , even when its contrivances threaten to send it crashing to earth .",
        "because the chemistry between damon and blunt is so strong , what might have been a jumble of matrix-style oddments comes across instead as ardent .",
        "even if you like much of the story -lrb- and i did -rrb- , the muddled theology is baffling .",
        "impressively directed , nicely paced and superbly acted , this is a hugely enjoyable sci-fi thriller with shades of the truman show and sensational chemistry between the two leads ...",
        "the MOV presents itself as a paean to free will , to overcoming obstacles , to creating your own destiny-provided , that is , that you happen to be a dude .",
        "easily one of the best american love stories of the past year .",
        "the actors ' romantic scenes excel . just sitting side by side on a bus , their sexual connection crackles .",
        "the next time your cell phone drops a call , do n't get mad . at&t may be doing the lord 's work .",
        "you have to love a sci-fi film where the only real gadget is a hat .",
        "twisting fate and life as an unalterable plan is tail-chasing territory . it avoids potential plot convolutions with a fast moving , not-let-you-get-thinking script .",
        "a nicely paced exercise , one that benefits from both a sprinkling of humor and all-around strong performances .",
        "the compelling atmosphere is heightened by the inclusion of several absolutely electrifying sequences ...",
        "damon and blunt give such terrific performances you might almost forgive the movie 's dopey ending .",
        "dips into some heady issues -lrb- fate , free will , the relationship between humankind and its creator -rrb- while remaining in a fundamental mode of popcorn-munching entertainment .",
        "it takes awhile for the strangeness of this weird story to give way to a more secular rooting interest that eventually makes it very human and hopeful .",
        "although the MOV ultimately does n't explore its intriguing science-fiction/thriller scenario to the extent of similarly themed films ... it operates far more successfully as a romance .",
        "... the movie 's romance outweighs the fantasy and even the cgi , thanks to the playfully easy chemistry of matt damon and emily blunt .",
        "the movie is worth seeing just for the discussions you 'll have afterwards with friends about the illusion of free will and what might happen if you try to bilk your fate .",
        "a genuine , mutual empathy comes across between the leads that makes it all the more easy to root for them .",
        "it 's all hokum , but it travels well until it goes through a few more otherworldly tunnels and doors than it should have .",
        "they have the power to walk through doors in one part of new york and come out in another . that power involves hats . magic hats . natty fedoras , mostly . look , i told you it was loopy .",
        "with its different genres and better than most movies in the theater at present it probably will not disappoint .",
        "the zing here comes from echoes of the manchurian candidate , as well as the paranoid doominess of source author philip k. dick -lrb- whose 1954 short story gets completely revised -rrb- ."],
    "summary": "first-time writer/director george nolfi struggles to maintain a consistent tone , but the MOV rises on the strong , believable chemistry of its stars .",
    "id": "770810295"
  },
  {
    "movie": "grindhouse",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an intriguing package of faux trailers and senseless violence . rarely is there a film that is so unquestionably enjoyable . might give the '70s grind house flicks a good name .",
        "the numbness of sitting through nearly two hours of dreck is n't all that kills the momentum going in to death proof .",
        "has tarantino ever made a singularly authentic , sincere , innovative frame of film in his entire life ?",
        "the trailers for MOV movies were always better than the films themselves . sadly , the same is true of MOV .",
        "each film would have fared better as a 15-minute short .",
        "MOV is both impressive and disappointing . from a technical and craft point of view it is first-rate ; from its standing in the canon of the two directors , it is minor .",
        "it is a movie about watching itself , and that is both solipsistic and pure genius .",
        "-lsb- in death proof , tarantino -rsb- gleefully subverts the genre to keep us thoroughly entertained .",
        "thank you tarantino , thank you rodriguez , it was a pleasure ...",
        "while i believe tarantino to be a far greater artist when it comes to lining his cinematic and pop culture channelings with elements of profundity , rodriguez is something of a master at to-the-point entertainment .",
        "only somebody with enough resources and clout within the movie industry can resurrect an unpleasant exploitation genre and turn it into a funky and entertaining three-hour-plus cult opus .",
        "as much fun as being in a car crash .",
        "it 's the way rodriguez , tarantino , and their guests recreate an experience for you that really makes this one of the most inventive , entertaining , and incessantly cool movies of recent years .",
        "is the return of these two undeniably talented filmmakers to the house of grind fun ? to put it in the simple kind of terms you 'd be likely to hear in a MOV movie - hell yeah .",
        "the films seldom rise above the cheesy level of the very `` b '' movies they 're emulating , but MOV is a fun throwback to what it felt like to see exploitation movies at the nabes , drive-ins and inner-city theaters during the '70s and early '80s .",
        "-lsb- o -rsb- ne of the most exciting movie experiences in ages , one that demands to be seen on a big screen .",
        "enthralling and exhilarating in its explosive camp-driven excess , MOV is a combustible concoction that shamelessly stimulates the senses .",
        "a movie lovers dream come true , an absolute triumph in every way imaginable .",
        "an important fact to be noted about `` MOV '' is this : it 's three hours and 11 minutes long . after sitting through the rousing rodriguez feature that opens the film , and the three hilarious faux trailers that follow -lrb- courtesy of guest directors eli rot",
        "the combination of films in MOV proves to be true to the grungy grind-house tradition : some cool stuff , some icky stuff , and lots of so-so filler .",
        "i enjoyed the invented trailers the directors fold into the mix , but despite the jokey ` missing reels , ' these two full-length features are each 20 minutes longer than they need to be , and neither one makes much sense as narrative .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- gives dumpster-divers a chance to slum in the antiseptic safety of a multiplex .",
        "supped up with testosterone and estrogen , charred bits ' o flesh and more panty shots than the red carpet at the adult video news awards , MOV is the kind of movie that makes you want to contact a parole officer even if you do n't have a record",
        "it summons the most crackerjack pop charge of any movie with tarantino 's name on it since pulp fiction .",
        "these films are the equivalent of a low-rent , all-you-can-eat smorgasbord . you get a lot of everything , but somewhere along the line you can make yourself sick .",
        "more than just a fun three hours at the movies , MOV is a total immersion into movie geekdom , in which the packaging , marketing , lore , and accumulative experience are as much a part of the deal as the images that are up on the screen .",
        "setting aside the dubious coherence and suspect nostalgia of the enterprise , MOV is a fascinating exercise in genre reinvention , a showcase for two radically different approaches to homage .",
        "even if it 's all an aesthetic exercise , it 's an indulgence you do n't regret .",
        "MOV is insider fun when rodriguez is in charge and regrettable trash when tarantino takes over .",
        "tarantino and rodriguez are telling us something about what turned them on at the movies back when the thrills were as cheap as the tickets -lrb- and before hollywood started making steroidal versions of MOV movies with a-list stars -rrb- .",
        "MOV runs three-plus hours and is simply too much of a good-bad thing .",
        "as the best trash movies always reminded us , the art is in what you do with the old ones .",
        "the rodriguez segment is terrific and shows a director in complete control of tone , image and story .",
        "you do n't need to be an exploitation fanboy to appreciate the energy , imagination , and spirit with which rodriguez and tarantino pay homage to the cheapo cinema they love .",
        "it makes going to the movies an event .",
        "MOV is n't great cinema , but it is a genuine event picture , a rare good reason to venture out on a friday night with a big crowd and the necessary wad of cash .",
        "the fact MOV is able to engage a 21st century audience is due to quentin tarantino and robert rodriguez ' uncanny ability to figure out just what it is moviegoers do n't know they 're dying to see .",
        "rodriguez , to a fault , delivers a zombie movie that lazily apes the exploitation handbook , while tarantino , also to a fault , gives us a gabby picture that is about as un-grindhouse as you can get and still feature a killer stuntman .",
        "a film whose pop cultural penetration will be very deep for a select few , and conversely very shallow for very many , and that 's including those who even see it .",
        "the ferocity of the car-fight is something else , but death proof understands perfectly the sheer and audacious pleasure of watching .",
        "the whole thing tops out at about three hours and ten minutes ; while this may mimic the sort of `` bang for your buck '' that grindhouses provided , it 's a long time to sit .",
        "damaged or missing reels anticipating sexual excess disappear conveniently on cue , to keep the rating set comfortably at `` r. ''",
        "the films are bloody , stupid and buoyant in a kind of infantile way , celebrating mayhem , flesh and gore . planet terror is by far the livelier .",
        "it 's a heavily stylized , volatile , atomic sensory shockwave that is so hip and ice cool , you 'll need to visit myspace just to bring your overall awesome back down to a manageable level .",
        "terror planet is too much for its own good , but death proof leaves you wanting more .",
        "further proof that every movie is better when it has zombies in it , planet terror also demonstrates that every movie is better when it features a retired stripper/aspiring stand-up comedian with a machine gun in place of her freshly amputated leg .",
        "so over-the-top , it makes 300 look like a study in minimalism .",
        "you go to MOV for the same reasons people went to the original grindhouses primal , visceral action and primal , visceral sex -lrb- wait 'll you see how that 's handled -rrb- . nobody ever went for the acting or ` the art . '",
        "too often the films fail to separate what made drive-in shockers good -lrb- unapologetic bad taste and an ability to generate excitement on a shoestring -rrb- from what made them bad -lrb- the kind of self-indulgence that homogenized studio products filtered out . -rrb-",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "quite a deal for $ 11 -- a veritable smorgasbord of decapitations , impalings , attempted rapes , car chases , explosions , good and bad acting and well-endowed women in very short shorts .",
        "while not a washout , death proof is inferior to rodriguez 's masterfully over-the-top planet terror , which is more fun than is probably legal .",
        "it is not the movies themselves that are great , though the flesh-eating zombie thriller by rodriquez is the better of the two . rather , it is the way they are presented .",
        "one 's the bomb , while the other 's simply a bomb .",
        "a timed challenge for five directors to remove , impale , explode or gorily drip to the floor every body part possible . even if tarantino eviscerates too much momentum at the midway point , it 's still a giddy , ghastly blast .",
        "it 's sexy girl power mixed with frustrated male aggression , played out at 100 miles per hour on a sunny day . and it 's fantastic .",
        "MOV ... is a slam bam smash 'em up celebration of the freedom given film by the exploitation industry .",
        "MOV is not your dear aunt martha 's movie , but it 's a heck of a ride .",
        "packaging a three-hour-plus program may be daring , but pairing a long running time with junk-food cinema is enough to make you sick .",
        "your feature presentation : two movies made entirely of awesome .",
        "rodriguez understood the project the better of the two directors and made the more appropriate of the two films . tarantino appears to have gotten into making his film and then forgot what he was supposed to be doing .",
        "if you 've got a taste for blood and three hours to kill , MOV is for you .",
        "death proof is , in many ways , an amazing approximation of the old exploitation films , but with an unmistakable qt vibe . rodriguez , on the other hand , directs his half as the fever dream of someone who has only been told about exploitation movies .",
        "an ungainly creature that alternates moments of sheer brilliance with moments of stunning banality . fortunately , the former end up outnumbering the latter .",
        "rodriguez and tarantino have definitely raised the bar .",
        "it makes you believe in the power of guilty pleasures -- suggesting in its own fanboy way that even exploding zombies can be a form of art .",
        "exploitation cinema is combustible stuff that only highly trained professionals should be permitted to play with .",
        "in paying homage to an obsolete form of movie culture , MOV delivers a dropkick to ours .",
        "by stooping low without selling out , this babes-and-bullets tour de force gets you high on movies again .",
        "it 's too bad that planet terror is n't as great as death proof but hey , we 're getting two flicks for the price of one , so we ca n't complain too much , right ?",
        "hyper-sleazy and deliberately cliche-filled , it 's an affectionate homage to the deliberately tawdry exploitation movies of the 1960s and '70s .",
        "a long , blood-splattered stunt of a movie , MOV , may be something only critics and film nerds can love .",
        "designed for those who want to rock on schlock .",
        "what we 're mainly getting is two big directors with expensive movies pretending they 're niche directors with low funding . it 's an act , but an enthralling one .",
        "what amazed me however , was the unexpected feeling of feminine empowerment .",
        "MOV is more fun than an army of toxic zombies , or a shapely severed leg hitting the highway with a thump .",
        "a unapologetically entertaining double feature that , despite its drawn out runtime and clunky moments , has an inventive take on an old and often cringe-worthy genre",
        "two stars for planet terror , three stars for death proof and four stars for the fake trailers means an average grade of three stars overall .",
        "underneath the exploitation , tarantino and rodriguez offer film lovers the gift of nostalgia",
        "a museum installation of crap culture artifacts that is both entirely too much and not nearly enough . the tiresome , self-referential tarantino has become trapped in his own jack rabbit slim 's .",
        "here 's a movie that certain film fans will love.but that 's a small segment of the film-going community . so , even though i realize that aficionados of exploitation films will find this entertaining , other film goers will find `` MOV '' perverse and offe",
        "the only way it could be cooler is if rose mcgowan actually gave you a lap dance while you watched the movie .",
        "MOV is more homage than reinvention of schlock .",
        "planet terror is a great bad movie ; death proof is just plain bad .",
        "rodriguez and tarantino pay homage to the 70 's exploitation films : for me the tarantino breathtaking car-chase offering is superior to rodriguez 's zombie campiness .",
        "the 1970s exploitation movie gropes , bites , kicks , slugs , blasts , smashes and cusses its way back to life in MOV , a ` rodriguez/tarantino double feature ' that lovingly resurrects a disreputable but cultishly embraced form .",
        "the palpable cinematic elation and hip vibe that wafts from the screen is more than contagious ; it 's stupefying .",
        "like all double bills of the sick , shocking , perverse exploitation movies of old , one is better than the other .",
        "the sum is effectively greater than the parts , but tarantino knocks one out of the park with a brilliant action-thriller that stands up on its own merit .",
        "a gigantic ice cream sundae for old-school genre film enthusiasts .",
        "a decidedly mixed bag , this homage to exploitation films shows the idiosyncratic approach , strengths and weaknesses of its helmers . comparison of two segments is inevitable and so opinions will differ ; i much prefer rodriguez 's over the top zombie flick",
        "suffice to say , you 'll have plenty to talk about .",
        "a mixed-bag of a popcorn flick where more proves to be less .",
        "if it stops feeling like entertainment , then it must be art .",
        "tarantino must get a kick hearing his fantasies come out of these mouths . but for the first time here , it seems more than a little creepy .",
        "rr and qt do an excellent job of simulating the content of MOV offerings , but they do n't simulate the experience or the giddy kick .",
        "feel free to talk , howl , and throw your popcorn at the screen .",
        "a simulation of a night at the drive-in or downtown fleabag theater of your fondest imagination .",
        "go , i say , and enjoy .",
        "robert rodriguez and quentin tarantino return with a rousing tribute to the genre movies that inspired them .",
        "gloriously grotesque , hilariously horrific and exactly the shot in the arm movies have been needing for far too long .",
        "at three hours , the movie can become a bit of an ordeal . i 'd say pack a lunch , but if rodriguez and tarantino have done their job right , you 'll be too grossed out to eat it .",
        "one word , however , comes immediately to mind : fun .",
        "` death proof `` s defiance of expectation is as much a part of the MOV legacy as bare breasts and bloody knives . when the movie ends , we realize tarantino has lived up to the best tradition of his exploitation influences : he 's pulled a fast one .",
        "taken as a whole , MOV is a deliriously entertaining night out at the theater . this is one movie that absolutely wo n't have the same impact at home .",
        "almost literally dripping with film buffs ' excitement over how far movies have come , how far they have n't , and the onscreen bits and pieces that will never go out of style .",
        "if you appreciate the styles that rodriguez and tarantino are simultaneously spoofing and paying tribute to , ` MOV ' is the equivalent of a junk-food smorgasbord ...",
        "... there 's certainly no denying the effectiveness of MOV as an overall experience -lrb- one that virtually demands a viewing within the context of as large and enthusiastic a crowd as possible -rrb- .",
        "dense with allusive details and inside jokes , MOV is a postmodern exercise in nostalgia undertaken by two smart filmmakers , with a lot of help from their friends .",
        "tarantino 's feature death proof is the better homage to MOV , while rodriguez 's feature planet terror is more a contemporary update of the old drive-in movie genre .",
        "... a wholly unique experience that absolutely must be taken in on the big screen to get the full effect .",
        "raised exploitation to an art form",
        "the package as a whole is great , but the parts are uneven .",
        "robert rodriguez bakes a load of stale if bloody pastry called planet terror , while quentin tarantino fries up a tasty mess of fun with death proof .",
        "a weaponized adrenaline rush .",
        "shocking gore . excessive violence . gratuitous nudity . exploding pustules . hey , maybe your childhood was different than mine .",
        "does it feel like the real thing ? no . is it an incredible simulation ? yes , it 's pretty incredible .",
        "a rowdy jolt of quasi-nostalgic escapism .",
        "the whole thing runs a bit over three hours , goes by swiftly , contains countless film references and includes hilarious fake trailers .",
        "a navel-gazing exercise in nostalgia for a bygone era when trash cinema had its own lurid pedigree and roster of auteurs",
        "MOV is , at the end of the day , simply a fun time at the theater",
        "both films are wildly entertaining , as long as you 're ready for the high-intensity gore factor , the sex -lrb- mostly talk -rrb- and the violence .",
        "you can see the love in every frame .",
        "rodriguez offers up planet terror , a straight-faced send-up of a science-fiction/horror/thriller ... less satisfying is tarantino 's death proof .",
        "these are filmmakers who have followed their muse , for better or for worse , and what they 've come up with here rewards every bit of faith i 've ever put in them as a viewer .",
        "glorious and gratuitous trash cinema at its most entertaining and critic-proof .",
        "you wo n't have more fun watching anything in a movie theater this year .",
        "death proof pays a good deal less attention to looking like an old film and spends more time actually being shocking and unusual .",
        "... a film destined to be a cult classic .",
        "MOV is soaked in bloody nostalgia for the cheesy , disreputable pleasures of an older form of movie entertainment .",
        "an instant cult classic .",
        "both gentlemen have a palpable affection for the kitsch factor at work here , the energy of working on the edge with a low budget , and for the rush of seeing something so bad that it 's good , but only one of them can pull off the homage",
        "it 's the juxtaposition of MOV 's main parts that makes the whole work as well as it does .",
        "self = absorbed . excessive . tragically hip . you bet !",
        "a waste of time .",
        "regular audiences might have trouble getting through the film 's three-plus hours of b-movie excess .",
        "the dragging , plodding pace and creative misfire of tarantino 's movie is enough to put a big damper on the sum total of the rodriguez/tarantino double feature experiment .",
        "MOV contains thrills to keep viewers in their seats , plus moments to think about on the ride home , which will probably seem unusually fraught with peril .",
        "depending on your point-of-view , this is either a nostalgic stroll through a cheesy slice of american pop culture or an attempt to provide a tongue-in-cheek reinvigoration of it . most likely , it 's a little of both .",
        "tarantino has conceived a plot just as odd as the better , experimental '70s drive in films .",
        "the dynamic duo do their utmost to transport us back to the good old bad old days .",
        "love it or hate it , you sure get your money 's worth .",
        "if you can stomach rodriguez 's effort , fear not -- you 'll be rewarded with tarantino 's .",
        "if tarantino and rodriguez were hoping to make a film better than the poster , they exceeded their own expectations .",
        "... offers plenty of film-buff fun , yet rodriguez and tarantino are , in a sense , limiting themselves .",
        "too bad tarantino did n't do the zombie pic , too .",
        "for the one-of-a-kind experience all by itself , it is not to be missed . narrowing in one 's focus on the quality of what is offered , it is more of a mixed bag .",
        "as an exercise in aging-movie-geek nostalgia , MOV is a bloody good time .",
        "rodriguez goes for full-blooded faithfulness , tarantino goes for genre analysis and reconfiguration , and the results are , ultimately , about as coherent and fulfilling as a typical MOV double-feature .",
        "too bad , but this ambitious , scratched and weathered venture never manages a real death grip on the senses .",
        "their pastiches take the best of their nostalgic 1960s and '70s trash heap and reshape it into kitschy action comedies that stand as adoring monuments to the films that shaped their demented worldviews .",
        "any movie featuring the violent , painful death of fergie from the black eyed peas gets extra kudos from me .",
        "despite the occasional bump - ` n-grind over its three-hour-plus running time , there have n't been two films released in 2007 yet more worth your dollar .",
        "as amusing as the concept is , the actual result is a considerable disappointment - a high-tech forgery that lacks the disreputable charm of its models , which were made without the self-conscious affectation on display here .",
        "hopefully rodriguez and tarantino will make more of these .",
        "half smirk , half transcendence",
        "this is a movie theater experience . it needs to be seen at night , with a big screen and lots of friends .",
        "MOV is a great experience , packed with fun , thrills , chills and gore galore .",
        "delivers all the trashy , seat-squirming , eye-covering moments your fiercely racing heart craves . forget about `` guilty pleasures . '' call it a pleasure , and leave it at that .",
        "not just a movie but an event in its own right , MOV is simply unmissable in its complete form .",
        "a paean to the exploitation films of the 70s , built more for titillation than story-telling , MOV - especially the rodriguez sequence - is nearly impossibly silly , not necessarily a bad thing , and is certainly not for everyone .",
        "a mediocre attempt to play with exploitation fire without getting burned . a pair of anti-septic fakes that miss the entire point of exploitation .",
        "3-d naughtiness ! perverts in revolt ! sinful dwarfs ! and even a movie review , why not ?",
        "as a glimpse into the minds of two iconoclastic directors -- both of whom came of age watching the films they now pay homage to -- this retro-electric trip is sheer bliss .",
        "both features offered tons of action , kung fu fighting , comedy and over the top acting .",
        "a couple of hilarious , high attrition-rate horror parodies augmented by faux ads for four equally-outrageous releases , all adding up to a guaranteed treat for fans of those forgettable b-flicks of the fifties .",
        "the fun is in the one-thing-after-another delirium the movie induces , and in our breathless anticipation of what they 'll hurl at us next .",
        "a grueling thing to endure .",
        "yes , the hotly anticipated MOV opened to a smaller box office than are we done yet , which was hotly anticipated only by the people ice cube owes money .",
        "taken as a whole -- two movies and a handful of trailers -- MOV is pure popcorn fun .",
        "like the old drive-in speakers that you used to hang on your half-lowered car windows , it may not be the best way to experience the medium . but if your head 's in the right place , it can be a heckuva lot of fun .",
        "tarantino and rodriguez assume that we 'll relish the movie 's violence or shrug it off as play , as they do , but not everyone in the audience will want his enjoyment of it taken for granted that way .",
        "it 's nowhere near as much fun for fans to watch as it was for these fan boys to make .",
        "it is crazy , pulpy fun -- some parts of it more than others -- but it has some of the flaws that dog each director 's movies and , at 191 minutes , it gives audiences a bit too much of their money 's worth .",
        "their unabashed affection for the MOV genre keeps them from becoming arch , po-mo , or self-consciously ironic . this is a tribute , not a parody .",
        "MOV has plenty of fun moments , and with a running time of more than three hours you ca n't complain that you did n't get your money 's worth . but it only half works .",
        "truthfully , this movie was a slam dunk waiting to happen since rodriguez and tarantino hatched the concept .",
        "for those who want to witness a daring , albeit flawed , original freak show from two of hollywood 's elite directors that could turn the industry on its side , this is the only movie you 'll need to see all year .",
        "as was the case with most of the aip exploitation programmers it fondly recalls , MOV proves more entertaining to anticipate than actually to watch .",
        "a fun exercise in nostalgia .",
        "by the time fergie is dismembered by zombies , you know you 're in good hands . she tastes fergalicious , i 'm guessing .",
        "death proof was sensational . if only rose mcgowan could act .",
        "cool . stupid . juiced-up . feeble . stripped-down . self-indulgent . clever . sophomoric ."],
    "summary": "MOV delivers exhilarating exploitation fare with wit and panache , improving upon its source material with feral intelligence .",
    "id": "460859831"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1171939-perfect_stranger",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a homogenized and entirely pre-packaged `` thriller '' that does n't even bother doling out any `` thrills . ''",
        "relentlessly cheesy , exhaustive and about as stimulating as a cold medicine tablet ... in short , take this lofty advice and try not to talk to this particular stranger .",
        "they 're playing it too intense . this is n't that serious . it 's just a murder mystery with a little sex -lrb- very little -rrb- . that 's an exploitation movie . making it about internet chat does n't give it social relevance .",
        "a not-so-perfect ` sexual thriller ' that is short on thrills and any semblance of logic .",
        "an artifact from an alternate universe where halle berry and bruce willis star in ` basic instinct ' rip-offs for roger corman 's new horizons home video company .",
        "a film about secrets and lies , not to mention overacting and poor casting choices .",
        "with its sexual innuendos , red herrings tossed left and right , and illogic floating aimlessly , `` MOV '' is another of those disposable thrillers that offer nothing in suspense and plenty in annoyance .",
        "fine up to a point .",
        "MOV is n't great art by any stretch , or even art by any stretch , but it is perfectly functional low-to-middlebrow entertainment -- a b movie at ease inside its own gaudy skin .",
        "one of those formulaic thrillers loaded with a whole lot more plot than common sense .",
        "... a sleazy , irritating debacle .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- cautionary tale about the dangers of internet chat . you know , like everyone was worried about in 1996 . coming for summer 2008 : do n't go near the telegraph !",
        "the only problem is that there just is n't enough sex . oh , there 's plenty of halle berry ... but there is n't enough halle berry , if you get my drift .",
        "in the ashley judd role we have halle berry , whose post-oscar choices have included the notorious duds catwoman and gothika . whoever told you to make this movie should be ... sentenced to have to watch it .",
        "... one of those annoying mysteries where you stick it out to the end just to see the solution .",
        "even after it lurches from the far-fetched into the preposterous , MOV leaves a clammy residue of unease .",
        "slick , silly and sometimes amusing in a trashy sort of way ... although it constantly promises erotic interludes , ` stranger ' never gets around to delivering much of anything ...",
        "this is exactly the kind of movie that ashley judd would have starred in five years ago , only judd usually managed to retain some shred of dignity .",
        "early on i found that a prefect stranger was far from perfect .",
        "... an insipid potboiler that strains to be some sort of sexual thriller , but leaves you cold and bored instead .",
        "halle berry is off-the-scale bad ... -lsb- but -rsb- almost as bad as berry 's acting is the capricious and ridiculous script .",
        "as vacuous , white noise entertainments go , this is one of the finest .",
        "perfectly awful ... -lsb- a -rsb- luridly trashy whodunit that quickly degenerates into an appalling whydidtheydoit .",
        "convoluted moral ambiguity can be very unsatisfying in this techno-thriller .",
        "halle berry 's strong performance and a cool twist overcomes conventional plot",
        "a chat 'n cheat internet thriller about the potential fatal cyber-attraction of online flirting , the film is more sordid than suspenseful when it comes to messy human relations filtered through the world wide web .",
        "what begins as an elegant techno thriller quickly devolves into a trashy preposterously-plotted flick -- it 's much more fun to observe the stunningly beautiful halle berry change costumes than identities .",
        "by the time the big finish rolls around , you 'll be too jaded-too worn-down by the endless , pointless red herrings -- to muster an interest in whodunnit .",
        "MOV is an offensively slick and soulless piece of hollywwod crap . a movie filled with scuzzy people doing scuzzy things , there is not one person to care about .",
        "MOV is a perfectly mediocre thriller until the spectacularly stupid ending arrives .",
        "a laughably overheated thriller from the once promising james foley .",
        "the script overloads on so many reversals and red herrings that it implicates three more suspects while you 're on your way to the parking lot .",
        "a typical episode of law and order is less ridden with clich\u00e9 -lrb- which is saying something , given that the series is about as formulaic as it gets -rrb- and more satisfying .",
        "MOV soon begins to look like another setback for berry .",
        "everyone behaves like characters who are motivated not by emotion or logic , but the to and fro of a remote control or joystick .",
        "just when you thought the reaping was the most convoluted and overwrought flashback-riddled thriller starring an academy award-winning actress in theaters , along comes MOV .",
        "MOV , the new thriller starring halle berry and bruce willis , is far from perfect and , lame as it is , not quite lousy enough to pan with joy .",
        "even the biggest fans of halle berry and her beautiful body are going to be hard-pressed to find much to enjoy about MOV .",
        "you do n't see this ending coming because it is absurd , ridiculous , moronic , preposterous , ludicrous , foolish , stupid , and outrageous -lrb- i love my thesaurus -rrb- , none of which is thrilling or satisfying",
        "a better ending would have foley realizing that todd komarnicki is really the pen name of ravadem patel providing further proof that the director has n't had his hand on a glengarry lead since 1992 .",
        "if anyone , anywhere understands a single frame of this turkey , please feel free to e-mail me . i could use the enlightenment .",
        "a cheesy affair that casts so many baited lures that they tangle each other and do n't hook you .",
        "cliched , mostly routine and never especially satisfying . but it has a highly watchable performance by halle berry and a twist ending that , for once , likely will take you by surprise .",
        "life is full of choices , and halle berry has made another bad one with MOV , a perfectly off-putting thriller .",
        "there 's a vast , possibly bottomless pit reserved for thrillers that are neither good nor bad enough to be truly entertaining , and james foley 's MOV tumbles right into it .",
        "it 's so bad it needs new words for bad .",
        "the convoluted resolution to the murder mystery suggests the filmmakers were simply making it up as they filmed . and judging by her listless , almost blase performance , berry appears to be bored by the material .",
        "the twists flail along one after another until enough people have been incarcerated , incriminated , or killed to prevent any further deus ex machinas from imposing themselves on us",
        "this might be the first film in history in which product placement -lrb- in this case , victoria 's secret -rrb- might indirectly infer the guilt or innocence of a character , though it 's certainly not the first in which the tiresome ribisi plays a patented nutjob .",
        "it 's hard to choose the ickiest part of MOV ...",
        "watchable but ultimately frustrating thriller due to its unsympathetic characters , a dodgy script and an overdose of red herrings .",
        "much of the film takes place in computer chats , with an instant-message box taking up most of the screen , and berry and willis reading every line for those of us who are illiterate .",
        "starring victoria 's secret and reebok as well as halle berry in her first mainstream hit in years .",
        "a twist-burdened techno-thriller that would be by-the-numbers if it could count .",
        "what would happen if a late-night , d-grade direct-to-cable thriller excised all of the raunchily enjoyable elements and managed to attract an a-list cast ? the result might be shockingly like MOV .",
        "MOV is spam -- not only commercially generated , but irritating in the faith that buyers will be as dumb about internet-based thrillers as the sellers are . my advice is to delete without opening .",
        "boring suspense thriller made modestly bearable by halle berry 's measured performance . the `` surprise '' ending is a cookie-cutter that leaves you cold .",
        "the ridiculously convoluted plot is even fairly good fun to follow , right up to the genuinely surprising finale .",
        "as a thriller , it 's so by-the-numbers that it 's hardly worth keeping count .",
        "MOV is one of those movies in which nothing and no one turns out the way they originally seemed . and , maddeningly , that 's true of the movie itself , as well .",
        "fairly diverting until it starts becoming ridiculous .",
        "MOV is halle berry 's latest descent into career purgatory .",
        "stranger is n't as bold as basic instinct , which was all about goofing on what voyeurs moviegoers are . the performers are too solemn -lrb- only giovanni ribisi , as a creepy reporter , seems to be having fun -rrb- for starters .",
        "you wo n't react to any of the sleaze -- like going to a strip club right after taking a knee to the crotch .",
        "complex and convoluted , to say the least .",
        "straddles the line between intrigue and blandness until it decides it 's had enough and just sort of peters out .",
        "despite the presence of the luminous berry , MOV is really just another thriller , utterly disposable , in town for a few desultory weeks until it heads off to a mild afterlife on dvd and then richly deserved oblivion .",
        "amid all the dreck that has come out in the last few years , it 's hard to think of a title that approaches the audience with more cinematic bad faith . for shame !",
        "... limp and perfunctory .",
        "the movie would perhaps like to say something serious about the ease with which modern communications allows us to be multiple personalities , but that effort is lost in ineptitude .",
        "it 's a movie that exists to showcase an actor more than it exists to be a movie .",
        "even berry 's bodacious bod -lrb- the woman is blessed with some really good genes -rrb- is n't distraction enough to make MOV palatable .",
        "although the movie makes a case for its ending , taking you by the hand and walking you through the stink of all its red herrings , the effort is wasted . ro sounds like roe for a reason , and the logic behind this film was fishy from the start .",
        "... an ideal film for suspense audiences .",
        "a snake bit concept from the very beginning .",
        "a b movie with a bland title , histrionic acting and a ridiculous twist ending .",
        "loses its point about balancing different identities through the increasingly ludicrous twists and intense overacting",
        "while the story becomes dauntingly complex as it goes , the finale resolves its multiple mysteries seamlessly . MOV is the kind of polished diversion that the big studios should deliver twice a month , but do n't .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the murder clues are trotted out in dishonestly protracted fashion by screenwriter todd komarnicki , who plants red herrings as malodorous as a fish market at 5 in the morning .",
        "it might be selling itself as a `` sexy thriller , '' but the cheesy , smirk-inducing reality is that MOV would have been on the direct-to-dvd fast track had it not been for the names halle berry and bruce willis above the title .",
        "what 's next ? ` growing pain ' ? ` family tie ' ? any of those would probably be better -lrb- though not funnier -rrb- than this .",
        "by the time everything falls into place , it does n't much matter . the best thrillers do n't just show up for the closing credits , they are involving all along the way . that 's where MOV goes imperfectly wrong .",
        "a great thriller should be the model of simplicity . MOV , like so many other thrillers nowadays , is often complicated just for the sake of being complicated . this more-is-better approach is n't more , and it is n't better .",
        "this stupidly contrived thriller is all the more disappointing if you admire previous work by berry and director james foley .",
        "considering the twirliness of the story , this is a fairly straightforward film that knows where it 's going and how to get there . and there 's much to be admired in that .",
        "pink is the new black , 50 is the new 30 and , at the movies , confusion is the new suspense .",
        "all the hip technology , including e-mail hacking , tiny portable usb devices and fake im accounts , is supposed to make us feel disoriented by the modern lack of face-to-face communication , but it feels played out and overexplained .",
        "bad script and acting make MOV far from perfect .",
        "a revela\u0437\u0433o final \u0439 at\u0439 boazinha , embora absurda , mas a performance exagerada de berry , a dire\u0437\u0433o fr\u0431gil de foley e o restante do p\u0439ssimo roteiro resultam num filme verdadeiramente pat\u0439tico .",
        "there is entertainment to be had here , but it 's mostly at the expense of the film 's rambling , increasingly ridiculous plot .",
        "the story introduces clever twists throughout that make no sense and the ludicrous ending leaves viewers with a collective shrug .",
        "let 's say you have this beautiful blue tiffany 's box . and you throw in a week-old banana peel , an apple core and some week-old romaine . then you buy a spiffy card to go with the gorgeous container . would you then have a gift ? or garbage ? i 'd say it 's garb",
        "MOV makes a fatal mistake that too many modern-day thrillers make : it so desperately wants to fool you with its plot twists that it ends up playing unfairly .",
        "-lrb- giovanni ribisi -rrb- throws himself into every part like each is the opening night of hamlet on broadway . here he goes again in MOV , a strange little movie that spends most of its time as a straightforward , if silly , cyber-thriller before",
        "with its far-fetched endeavors and piling on the twists so high it 's no longer an executable maze , MOV disappoints in the end .",
        "at this stage in his career bruce willis 's hair is evacuating his scalp as if his head struck an iceberg and is going down with all hands .",
        "it 's difficult to get involved in romantic situations where neither partner can lift their fingers from a keyboard .",
        "people with access to vital information just show up when the movie needs them , then vanish again .",
        "for those who are interested in berry as both an actress and screen presence , this is one of the most satisfying films she has ever made . it capitalizes on her strengths and she owns the picture , from start to finish .",
        "the only reason this movie might not win any razzies next year is because no one will remember it even came out .",
        "a halle berry-bruce willis vehicle fresh as a commodore 64 .",
        "hear ye , hear ye . films do n't always have to be revolutionary slice-of-life cinematic art . sometimes they can just be cheesy , nonsensical fun . like MOV .",
        "even when the plot spins its wheels while waiting to reveal itself , there 's still plenty of atmosphere and a fairly decent performance from berry .",
        "its shiny plastic glamour serves to endorse the very phoniness it ought to be warning us about .",
        "reportedly , several endings were filmed ; perhaps some of them make more sense than this one .",
        "willis and berry 's joint star power makes their exchanges at least moderately interesting . but their characters ' supposed banter never reaches wittiness , and the cat-and-mouse angle is too mild .",
        "that 's right , it 's a techno thriller that treats the already clich\u00e9d topic of web abuse with an idiotic sense of discovery .",
        "tedious on just about every level .",
        "a perfect stinker !",
        "i 'm surprised that the red herring is n't extinct yet . it 's almost as if the makers of this film fished them all out of the sea and put them in this film",
        "this kind of adult entertainment will have parents pining to take their kids to movies again .",
        "instead of eroticism , there is tacky sub-porn ; instead of twists , there are knotty plot problems which may or may not have been fixable with script rewrites .",
        "some films are marred by absurd endings ; this dire journo-thriller is like one big mar. .",
        "a tangled mess .",
        "deep , man .",
        "screenwriters todd komarnicki and jon bokenkamp provide a script with enough foreseeable twists and turns that , if it were an actual road , a blind person would n't have any difficulty handling it .",
        "as far as hollywood thrillers go , MOV starts well with an interesting melee of characters and seductive close ups of the shapely miss berry . as berry 's ro gets close and personal with bruce willis ' ad-man harrison hill , the script turns feral",
        "what 's really irritating about MOV is not how bad it is , but how close it came to being good .",
        "people peek through windows , hack into computers and sneak into apartments without the slightest hesitation . we 're guilty of voyeurism , too , since the primary pleasure to be found is in seeing three confident leads play off each other .",
        "evincing a style that might best be described as deliciously retarded , it 's sort of like discovering that an old friend has placed you on a spam mailing list .",
        "nothing can quite top the climax , which arbitrarily assigns a culprit in a way that makes you question almost every single thing that 's transpired up to that point . and no , that 's not a good thing in this case .",
        "layered with improbable plot twists and hypocritical commentary , the movie is lurid and outdated when it wants to be hip and provocative .",
        "the weak mystery story massages you into indifference , then tries to clock you with one fungo bat of a loopy twist that leaves you questioning not reality , but why you just spent 109 minutes trying to give a darn .",
        "there 's a good thriller to be made one day about the way the internet both reveals and disguises its users , but this is n't it .",
        "more silly than suspenseful , this sleekly produced , high gloss piece of trash is n't quite in the so-bad-it 's - good category of schlock films , but it comes mighty close , thanks to a gonzo twist of an ending .",
        "MOV is so intent on fooling us with a last-minute ` gotcha ' revelation that it ignores just about everything else that matters .",
        "a psychological thriller in which both the psychology and the thrills are in short supply .",
        "a rarely suspenseful thriller with a twist ending of the worst kind : it takes too much explanation .",
        "while it begins dully enough for an investigative thriller , MOV quickly skids off into abject foolishness .",
        "the movie shows that the only thing worse than a generically screwy thriller is one with a selective narrator -- and one that does n't give viewers a fair chance to play along .",
        "while MOV had its moments and wisely made its characters less than perfect , it was a pedestrian yarn better suited for the small screen than the silver one .",
        "this one 's doa .",
        "a big cheat because virtually nothing of what happens in the first 100 minutes would ever really have happened if the truth that 's exposed in the final few minutes was true .",
        "columbia seems to be on a one-studio mission to revive that very '90s of film genres , the erotic thriller -- or are they determined to kill it off for good , considering such poor efforts as this listless halle berry vehicle ?",
        "... resembles one of those made-for-lifetime thrillers that seem to crop up on a weekly basis ...",
        "click for review",
        "un thriller m\u00e1s bien mediocre , inveros\u00edmil y rebuscado que pretende sorprender al espectador con una vuelta de tuerca final ... igualmente mediocre , inveros\u00edmil y rebuscada .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "despite the presence of halle berry and bruce willis , MOV is too convoluted to work , and features a twist ending that 's irritating and superfluous . it 's a techno-thriller without thrills .",
    "id": "462963908"
  },
  {
    "movie": "other_boleyn_girl",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's a straightforward , unpretentious joy , and one of the most purely enjoyable films i 've seen in some time .",
        "as sorority party filler or a double bill with the likes of cruel intentions , this movie ca n't be beat .",
        "the women in the cast are exceptional . ... the men are miscast .",
        "all the lush sets and elaborate costumes can not disguise the fact that portman is terribly cast .",
        "clumsy and clunky , totally lacking in passion and cohesion , this dull mediocrity is an insult to philippa gregory 's historical concept of the two rival sisters .",
        "a cautionary tale of what unchecked ambition and lust can do to a person , a family , a nation .",
        "i think the performances are really good .",
        "a disappointing costume drama .",
        "there are a few flaws including historical inaccuracies , but the spirited jousting of natalie portman and scarlett johansson as the boleyn sisters tantalises and tempts us royally",
        "there is n't an enjoyable character in the bunch of this tragedy that constantly spirals downward .",
        "the filmmakers have taken a trashy , overheated story of court intrigue and sexual duplicity and sucked the life out of it .",
        "the film moves in frustrating herks and jerks . what works is the combustible teaming of natalie portman and scarlett johansson , who give the boleyn hotties a tough core of intelligence and wit .",
        "lush historical drama is engrossing but mature .",
        "feminist subtext aside , the movie is primarily an excuse for ogling some blue-chip actor-flesh .",
        "the corrupting effect of absolute power and the disruptive effect of fine cleavage .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- oversimplified , overheated mediocre melodrama .",
        "the MOV turns british history into a chick flick soaper with high production values and a-list actors .",
        "set your bosoms to heave and prepare to have your bodices ripped : `` the MOV '' is in the house with a pair of 16th century foxes .",
        "when filmmakers re-imagine history , as they did with becoming jane and now with the MOV , affairs of the heart can get dicey . at least jane austen kept her head in the process .",
        "i 've read reviews calling this a campy bodice-ripper . if only ! it desperately needs a dose of the `` b $ & * % es on heat '' sass of the novel . instead , we have a milk and honey picture .",
        "there will always be adults who want to catch up on the history lessons they slept or passed notes through during their younger years .",
        "only in a movie this poorly made could a decapitation be dull .",
        "... has the aura of a penny-dreadful bodice-ripper .",
        "rather than being a boring , humdrum historical drama , this movie turns into a jerry springer episode from the 16th century .",
        "a run-of-the-mill costume drama that made me think more about running home and wikipedia-ing the characters than investing in the story before me .",
        "dreary",
        "apart from the close ups of the lead actresses in 16th century garb , this movie is recommended only to soap opera aficionados and lovers of corsets .",
        "irresistibly salacious soap opera , teeming with lust , scheming , backstabbing , and some outrageously overheated plot twists .",
        "the falling blade is the only element not missing the mark in this film . i wanted to call for the beheading after act one , and spare the audience instead .",
        "portman confere peso dram\u00e1tico \u0155 ana bolena , mas johansson e bana parecem seguir no piloto autom\u00e1tico . al\u00e9m disso , as liberdades hist\u00f3ricas tomadas pelo roteiro s\u0103o absurdas demais para poderem ser ignoradas .",
        "the history may have been narratively scrunched , but it 's all the true lives of some powerful and unfortunate people . very lush .",
        "a very entertaining and involving story of family and sacrifice .",
        "an all in the dysfunctional family royal romp with incestuous tendencies , this richly textured , dramatically disciplined , erotically laced and emotionally taut creation makes for weirdly kinky historical analysis , but pretty steamy pre-tabloid melodrama .",
        "the film gets a full ` this is a work of fiction ' disclaimer , even noting that any resemblance to any person living or dead is unintentional . that tells you something about how much trust to put in these historical cliffsnotes .",
        "an entertainingly sudsy trip through early 16th century english history .",
        "most of us know where this story is headed -lrb- ba-da-bum -rrb- , and in order for the moment in question to have impact -lrb- ba-da-thump -rrb- , anne should engender at least a modicum of sympathy .",
        "after covering much of its ground at a stylish canter , the MOV finishes at a plod .",
        "what boleyn girl lacks in character development , it makes up in vigor , immediacy and intelligence .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- vulgarized portrayal of the tudor court .",
        "portman and johansson are phenomenal alone and together .",
        "a genteel soap opera in which the sex and intrigue are so muted , so tasteful , that they practically blow off the screen in a scattering of dust .",
        "however embarrassed you might feel in the morning , this in an enjoyable movie with an entertaining angle on a hard-to-resist period of history .",
        "chadwick and morgan have cooked up a potboiler , the sort of thing that might have been fun to watch with bette davis and joan crawford as the boleyn sisters , while charles laughton lasciviously eyed the backs of their necks as henry .",
        "the MOV is an agreeable piece of filmmaking , carefully and sometimes artfully balancing solemnity with fluff .",
        "on-location exteriors throughout the english countryside , elaborate costumes , and colorful sets overrun with tapestries , mounds of food and large sporting hounds make this one of the most authentic-looking period films in recent years .",
        "ok as far as it goes , which is not far enough .",
        "as the girls ' mother , kristin scott thomas is basically reduced to shaking her head , sighing and wondering how things turned out so badly . indeed .",
        "more slog than romp , the MOV tells the salacious story of two hot blue bloods who ran amok and partly unclothed in the court of henry viii .",
        "unsexy and not particularly good-looking .",
        "if russ meyer had made the MOV , anne and mary boleyn would have yanked some hair , scratched some eyeballs , walloped each other in their respective kissers , and the movie would have been all the better for it .",
        "it might help if more effort had been made to make henry an interesting character -lrb- history indicated that he was -rrb- , but bana is all costume .",
        "a mild disaster .",
        "this streamlined adaptation of philippa gregory 's fanciful historical novel is fine fun .",
        "the MOV is almost too indescribable for words . it 's one of the most visually boring films i 've seen in some time .",
        "a hybrid of trashy period piece and stately masterpiece theater episode , this kitschy melodrama ca n't decide how much to exploit its juicy text about lusty king henry viii and his relationships with the boleyn sisters .",
        "a sexy , good-looking political bodice-ripper with an almost flawless cast at the top of its game .",
        "and what of these young american actresses ' putting on british accents to vie for the king ? they seem , at first , like coeds in a college production of the importance of being earnest , but once the dislocation fades , their commitment wins you over .",
        "it 's trapped between being a tense political procedural and a sensual sex drama and it does n't have the guts to be either .",
        "shot in high definition and filmed at many historic locations , the film somehow still lacks the splendor of an epic .",
        "adapted from philippa gregory 's 2002 novel , the potentially captivating subject of two sisters put before a womanizing king by their power-hungry father and uncle , is alas much less than the sum of its parts .",
        "the film 's seduction is all too obvious to ravish anyone .",
        "the movie makes history downright thrilling , and it may very well prompt viewers to pick up a book and learn more .",
        "not only lacks clarity but also any spark of real verve .",
        "what might have been delicious trash lacks the courage of its trashy convictions , and the result is high-born melodrama with the juice boiled out , so much dry cabbage on fine-china plate .",
        "with the MOV , the sheen and shine of the clothing and sets ca n't quite blind us to the fact there 's very little drama under all the drapery , and you 'll recall the textures of the fabrics long after you 've forgotten the threads of the plot .",
        "wow ! hot dueling sisters . beheadings . untold wealth and power . lush costumes . decisions that change the course of history . and , again -- hot dueling sisters ! so how come the MOV is such a snooze ?",
        "neither johansson nor portman convince .",
        "this overstuffed bit of fluff ca n't muster much in the way of excitement . it offers a yawn-inducing , sketchy and fairly questionable version of historical events .",
        "a richly appointed period piece , it features kingly tantrums , mistresses , bodices , roaring fireplaces , incest , and mutton . it also features sharply enunciated , period-perfect dialogue in which nary a contraction can be heard .",
        "ms. johansson fills the screen in her usually quiet but piercing manner .",
        "whatever its virtues , this is entirely too much melodrama to cram into a feature film . characters are lost , too much happens off camera , and the whole compacted thing feels like reader 's digest history .",
        "a sexy tudor soap opera about the beautiful , sensual and tragic second wife of henry viii .",
        "your eyes will probably roll before anyone 's head does .",
        "portman , johansson and bana may be hot , but they ca n't light a match next to the emotional fireworks of richard burton , genevieve bujold , paul scofield , vanessa redgrave and robert shaw .",
        "eric bana is absolutely fabio-lous ... ready to burst from the cover of a romance novel at any moment .",
        "it 's just another pointlessly dressed-up take on a story that 's already plenty overdressed .",
        "flamboyantly puts across the idea , be careful what you wish for . ambition , power and wealth are not what they are cracked up to be .",
        "well done and beautifully produced . satisfactorily explains the incest charge against anne boleyn .",
        "plays like a bad period soap opera , burying the fascinating complexity of the events of the 1530s in crude historical oversimplification and melodramatic cliche .",
        "in the hands of a more competent director , peter morgan 's strong script might have been turned into something more memorable .",
        "if you thought elizabeth : the golden age was over the top , just wait until you get a load of how her mother is portrayed in this risible soap opera .",
        "when the executioner finally makes his appearance at the end , it will probably inspire the kind of delirious relief and good cheer from audiences that is usually only experienced when christopher walken makes an unexpected cameo",
        "the MOV is a fitting prequel to the elizabeth movies : it 's pretty , passionate , and full of historical poppycock .",
        "director justin chadwick ... seems to have suddenly woken up behind the camera , with no idea of how he got there or what kind of film this is .",
        "... a slightly steamy , highly romanticized period melodrama with real movie stars and a commensurate costume budget .",
        "there are enough of these films now that you can stitch them all together and come away with a complete -lrb- if completely inaccurate -rrb- history of jolly old england .",
        "... a mix of history , lurid melodrama , sex , politics , and two top-notch actresses , making for a most entertaining brew .",
        "despite a certain amount of moral outrage and good performances from the lead actresses , it 's neither sexy enough to qualify as good trash nor serious enough to pass for history .",
        "if you 're indifferent to silly revisions of history and bad acting , you may enjoy the MOV . i 'm not , and i did n't .",
        "the MOV is the kind of potted historical drama that 's not good enough to take seriously and , sadly , not bad enough to be any fun .",
        "this rendering of the turbulent second marriage of england 's king henry viii -lrb- eric bana -rrb- proves too heavy-footed for the old movie two-step of setting up a morality tale , then exploiting it for heat and titillation .",
        "the filmmakers deserve credit for being serious-minded , but they might have hinted at the top of the film that all would not be well in the end .",
        "dialogue focuses only on how characters relate to each other . a game of love , lust , power , manipulation . nothing more aside from their rather single-minded aims .",
        "everyone will wonder why these girls continue to trust a king who constantly betrays them and wears such pimp-tastic fur .",
        "even by its own standards , the movie becomes increasingly macabre and ludicrous as anne 's machinations get the better of her , and everyone , including the audience , is left feeling shattered , shaken and vaguely unclean for having participated in all this .",
        "the umpteenth film incarnation of henry viii 's marriage to anne boleyn , the MOV races through the events at the tudor court like a triple-time miniseries .",
        "it probably should n't be the way in which high-school kids learn about henry viii and his court , but it 's a fun movie .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- ridiculously delicious soap opera ...",
        "the MOV works both as an engagingly sordid meditation on protofeminism and contemporized sisterhood set in a time and a place where either/or were grounds for , at the very least , defenestration .",
        "shares a trait with henry : it 's relentlessly powerful and makes up for its lack of well thought-out plotting with deftly effective execution .",
        "a highly absorbing rendition of an endlessly fascinating tale .",
        "it 's a fairly uninspired screenplay . and the same can be said for both the boleyn girls . they are both extremely fetching in their tight bodices but unengaging as characters .",
        "a rather titillating take on a racy historical novel , this is perhaps too ambitious in intent . more time , or more pruning -lrb- perhaps they should just have focused on the boleyn girl -rrb- , would have produced a richer and more enjoyable film .",
        "such unwieldy mechanisms only draw attention to the movie 's narrative contrivances .",
        "there are moments when you can see how terrific this film could have been",
        "with plenty of betrayal , attempted incest and beheadings crammed into this period episode of the young and the restless , the other boleyn sister has appeal in an otherwise stiff genre .",
        "if the late aaron spelling had lived long enough to produce showtime 's the tudors , the result might have been something like the MOV ...",
        "in an earlier era this would have starred bette davis and miriam hopkins and in its way , the MOV is just as trashy and enjoyable .",
        "if only there was some nobility among these royals .",
        "feels like an oscar-bait title that somehow got its dna mixed up with a daytime soap opera .",
        "hey , wait a minute , is the movie supposed to be this funny ?",
        "sticklers for historical accuracy are forewarned : this glossy production plays fast and loose with the facts , abbreviating , altering and excising entire character arcs and plot lines .",
        "a classy romantic cocktail distinguished by its tart yet breezy bite .",
        "not much of a visual epic maybe , but an absorbing , exciting costume drama that works as a historical romance , a family tragedy and a showcase for its young stars .",
        "chest-heaving displays of humiliation and social positioning ... MOV is n't high art , but it 's juicy ; 2008 's first guilty pleasure .",
        "superficial and staged",
        "take away the sumptuous settings and hollywood glamour and what you have here is like henry viii for dummies enacted by the cast of the oc .",
        "this soap opera with some really silly scenes is not even close to phillipa gregory 's spellbinding book .",
        "you have to rely on more than fancy costumes to make a period piece interesting .",
        "fascinating in its depiction of a troubled relationship between sisters that is anything but black and white . this emotionally ripe angle to a tragic story that could have been told any number of ways is where the film gets its potency .",
        "the MOV is the tudors as a romantic , sexy soap opera . with its beautiful young cast , this adaptation of philippa gregory 's best-selling potboiler is delicious fun .",
        "it 's history , british people , royal family , they need sons % u2026 yeah .",
        "the MOV pretends to be a serious historical romance , but it 's really just a bodice-ripper , a cheap harlequin paperback dressed up in frilly clothes .",
        "it is absurd yet enjoyable , and playing fast and loose with english history is a refreshing alternative to slow and tight solemnity ; the effect is genial , even mildly subversive .",
        "ultimately we are meant to eat chocolates , admire their trembling lower lips , and choose sides .",
        "a depressing soap opera of a film , `` the MOV '' makes early english history , at least for women , look like hades itself . and maybe it was . after all , a woman 's reputation and worth did not depend on so much on her education , personality and goo",
        "screenwriter peter morgan -lrb- the queen -rrb- gives the bodice-ripping action of philippa gregory 's novel a high-tone gloss by stressing the political machinations at work behind the bed-hopping .",
        "why in the name of ermine boleros would anyone make such a dull , coy and , worst of all , pretty film about anne boleyn ?",
        "worthy of thine attention ? corset is .",
        "with only one member of its love triangle really delivering , this packs less of an emotional punch than it ought . and who 'd be a courtier , eh ?",
        "ravishing frocks and heaving bosoms are the main constituents of the MOV , an entertaining bodice ripper lightly disguised as historical fiction .",
        "a rather titillating take on a racy historical novel , this is perhaps too ambitious in intent . more time , or more pruning -lrb- perhaps they should just have focused on the boleyn girl -rrb- , would have produced a richer and more enjoyable film .",
        "the worst thing ? it 's all hysterical and histrionic , and yet completely dull . i 'm not certain how one manages that .",
        "the talented cast is largely wasted .",
        "given the zing and zip of -lsb- screenwriter -rsb- morgan 's prior work , it 's fair to guess that the film 's want of rhythm and sweep is due to justin chadwick 's pedestrian direction .",
        "beneath the thundering horse hoofs and happy wedding fiddles is a viper 's nest of sexual intrigue that would be at home on desperate housewives ."],
    "summary": "though it features some extravagant and entertaining moments , the MOV feels more like a soap opera than historical drama .",
    "id": "770672985"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1112954-rookie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it soars with palpable sentiment and spirit .",
        "a powerful , soulful and touching evocation of family values , the american spirit , believing in yourself , not surrendering to age and living your dream .",
        "so unassuming and pure of heart , you ca n't help but warmly extend your arms and yell ` safe ! '",
        "salutes the singular power of yearning in our lives while also paying tribute to the unique ways in which others can help us make our dreams come true .",
        "does n't quite rise to the level of the ruth , gherig and aaron of baseball dramas - `` the pride of the yankees , '' `` the natural '' and `` field of dreams '' - but it comes mighty close .",
        "if you 're a fan of baseball thought , it 's a film not to miss , as any picture that loves the game as much as this film is truly a sports movie to see .",
        "it 's one of those baseball pictures where the hero is stoic , the wife is patient , the kids are as cute as all get-out and the odds against success are long enough to intimidate , but short enough to make a dream seem possible .",
        "quaid is in fine , big easy form , and delivers a deft performance .",
        "even when there are lulls , the emotions seem authentic , and the picture is so lovely toward the end ... you almost do n't notice the 129-minute running time .",
        "a rarity to be cheered : a smart , engaging family film that stands firmly in the best of the disney tradition .",
        "it 's a true family film with a good message , an endearing cast and nothing even a bit objectionable .",
        "morris ' story was a cinch to become a movie , and disney does an adequate if somewhat bland job in bringing it to the screen .",
        "a testament to the athletic spirit .",
        "it 's all plodding and predictable with a few heart-tugging moments .",
        "i hesitate to use the phrase ` family film ' because it has such fluffy connotations , but this is really a rare g-rated movie that 's suitable for all viewers .",
        "pretty decent g-rated family entertainment .",
        "i take back all of the nasty things i 've said recently about the struggling disney corporation .",
        "the story also has some toughness to it , some edginess . it is not too gooey and sweet .",
        "hits one out of the park for the ` they do n't make 'em like that anymore ' department .",
        "director john lee hancock concocts a suitable , cozy baseball drama that emphasizes certain kinds of relationships pertaining to the game and even beyond the game ... sprinkled with doses of perseverance and inspiration",
        "such a class act on so many levels that it feels as fresh and stirring as your first-ever baseball flick .",
        "as averse as i usually am to feel-good , follow-your-dream hollywood fantasies , this one got to me .",
        "the film should please baseball fans and even casual moviegoers if they 're willing to let the picture develop and unfold at its own leisurely pace .",
        "it 's an observant and worthwhile film that , for most of its running time , is a persuasive anatomy of middle-aged disappointment .",
        "the story is very keen to coddle its emotions and wrap the sports action in old songs .",
        "the idea is sentimental , but quaid dries all the sappiness out of it .",
        "it 's quaid who anchors the film with his effortless performance and that trademark grin of his -- so perfect for a ballplayer .",
        "it transcends the bland mediocrity of too many g-rated family films .",
        "manages a hit right down the middle .",
        "though the MOV is no hud , it remains an enjoyable , layered film .",
        "until the MOV came along , i 'd forgotten how good and smart a family film can be .",
        "slow moving , even pedestrian at times , yet this dennis quaid vehicle strikes a lot of genuinely heartwarming moments along the way .",
        "though hancock traffics in a lot of bogus small-town sentiment , the MOV exhibits a refreshingly honest understanding of baseball as a job , with long road trips away from home and a workmanlike routine .",
        "as morris , the reliable quaid throws heat , delivering smoothly in dramatic scenes and convincingly from the mound .",
        "at two-plus hours , the MOV is a good 20 minutes too long , but for father-son teams waiting eagerly for the umpire 's `` play ball ! '' , it 's an uplifting season opener .",
        "morris ultimately lasted two partial seasons in the majors , and the film 's rendering of his minor-league struggle is so enjoyable you want to see more of that and less of the everyday life preceding it .",
        "it 's quaid and his fellow actors , rachel griffiths and brian cox , who lift the film out of its intermittent doldrums , and together they deliver that rare thing : a nuanced sports movie .",
        "the MOV is shot through with star-spangled sentiment , but its light touch and `` true story '' origins combine to make it feelgood fun even for schmaltz-phobic brits .",
        "refreshing and compelling .",
        "this entry in the genre is a true story that is , sadly , hampered by some signposted plot developments and undernourished characters .",
        "deftly constructed to stoke the baseball-phenom fantasies of coulda-shoulda-woulda middle-aged guys and fields-of-dreaming young diamond studs .",
        "earnest , uplifting baseball melodrama",
        "sweet and engaging despite some flaws .",
        "in one of his greatest performances , dennis quaid puts nasty velocity and wicked movement on his delivery . a patient , emotionally honest sports film about resurrecting a dream and investing all you never knew you had .",
        "it spreads the inspirational butter thicker than the diamond action and buries the school team beneath morris ' quest for a new career , but develops a lyrical sense of what it 's like to resurrect self-worth and chase one 's dreams .",
        "earnest to the point of blandness .",
        "the MOV is one of those rare , wonderful ` formula ' films that ... favors understatement over exaggeration , subtlety over sentimentality .",
        "i would almost rather have seen an a&e biography than a concocted hollywood parable of unrealized dreams .",
        "all the uplift could easily get cloying , but director john lee hancock knows how to keep things in control , and the whole is surprisingly satisfying .",
        "a fine example of heartwarming real-life drama , with performances that ring true and some terrific moments that befit a classic american dream story .",
        "should you possess the slightest trace of sophistication , it 's likely to strike you as the sort of sappily uplifting parable that 's usually confined to the small screen .",
        "high drama , disney-style -- a wing and a prayer and a hunky has-been pursuing his castle in the sky .",
        "the MOV : rated g for gooey godly wholesomeness . may cause drowsiness .",
        "the best film about baseball to hit theaters since field of dreams .",
        "solid , lump-in-the-throat family entertainment that derives its power by sticking to the facts .",
        "the best baseball movie to come out in the last ten-plus years .",
        "the story is told -- not with sentimental plodding -- but in a real straightforward manner and with genuine emotion .",
        "features a handful of memorable scenes but ... does n't garner the type of impact it should .",
        "is it me or does this movie feel like the sanitized version of bull durham to anyone else ?",
        "the MOV is another disney sports movie in the spirit of remember the titans . if you liked that , you 'll probably like this .",
        "the strong and silent naturalistic performance of dennis quaid scores a strikeout .",
        "... this is a great story everyone should get a chance to see-a good family movie about someone achieving his dream .",
        "credit to the actors for still making it such a heartwarming affair , but like its leading character , the MOV had the potential to be so much more .",
        "sem apelar para o melodrama , o filme -lrb- baseado em uma hist\u00f3ria real -rrb- emociona e inspira o espectador .",
        "lovers of the genre will be surprisingly entertained . you know who you are .",
        "... quaid proves that this is the sort of role he was born to play .",
        "if they gave an oscar for best performance in a mediocre movie , dennis quaid should already be clearing his mantelpiece .",
        "my all-time favorite baseball movie .",
        "baseball season is here , folks , and the MOV is a good opening day experience .",
        "it shows us that things may not be like they used to , but we can still enjoy the celebration of things past .",
        "the emphasis on the human element makes this a real feel-good movie .",
        "the kind of old-fashioned biopic that makes you want to go out and read the book .",
        "for anyone who 's ever dreamed of anything bigger than a mortgage and a dog , it 's a sweet and inspiring story .",
        "this is a boy 's movie , a fact director john lee hancock ... and screenwriter mike rich ... make clear with such images as an anonymous boy and his dad in the stands watching the big game together , the father whispering pointers to his son .",
        "an effective inspirational drama for those on the verge of their first mid-life crisis .",
        "the movie starts with a legend and ends with a story that is so far-fetched it would be impossible to believe if it were n't true . this is the stuff that disney movies are made of .",
        "rachel griffiths creates genuine tension , but true to the disney spirit , hancock bails the audience from contemplating the fate of the hero too long .",
        "` the MOV ' charmed me with its old-fashioned family values , down-to-earth-characters , and nostalgic small town atmosphere .",
        "they do n't cheese it up , and that 's important . the true story is cool enough without getting experimental .",
        "few films capture so perfectly the hopes and dreams of little boys on baseball fields as well as the grown men who sit in the stands .",
        "the film has an innocent richness about it that is -lrb- in a word -rrb- infectious .",
        "despite failed ambitions and occasional servings of corn , the MOV manages to be both appealing and true to the game .",
        "it 's a paint-by-numbers job of the worst sort , stuffed with more tired old baseball baloney than harry caray and about as dramatic as shagging flies in st. pete .",
        "the film goes beyond being just another sappy , come-from-behind baseball yarn to score as an easygoing ode to modest , forestalled dreams .",
        "the film reminds us of the gentler era of the late 1950s and early '60s , when hollywood offered role models for kids .",
        "it 's a family movie -lrb- rated g , no less -rrb- that is actually about family , and one that treats families in a realistic , recognizable way .",
        "shamelessly manipulative , but it 's harder than you might imagine to steel your heart against its sentimental leanings .",
        "an authentic family treat .",
        "the result is a stilted string of short stories , many of which we 've seen before .",
        "the fact that the MOV is a nearly impeccable cinematic experience -- and a wonderful all-ages triumph besides -- is a miracle akin to the story the film portrays .",
        "i admit to finding baseball one of the dullest sports on the face of the earth , yet this movie is less about baseball than it is about personal aspirations .",
        "you can see why the filmmakers optioned the story from a sports illustrated article : it just works .",
        "the MOV camina con los pasos no de una estrella , no de un campe\u00f3n , sino de un simple ser humano que escucha la \u00faltima llamada a escena , el \u00faltimo aviso del destino y pese a tener las apuestas en contra , decide tomarlo",
        "the corn kevin costner cut down to build his baseball diamond in field of dreams has been used to make the MOV .",
        "despite the inherently moving story and the respectable work of director john lee hancock and the cast , something remains absent throughout the entire film : a certain sense of verve and personality .",
        "john lee hancock handles this disney production with at least some taste and skill .",
        "it 's hard to resist the movie 's whimsical charm .",
        "the movie 's eventual success should be credited to dennis quaid , in fighting trim shape as an athlete as well as an actor",
        "i left the cinema feeling pleased , but also kinda hollow . the film lets us bask and reflect rather than involving us in the meat of a story .",
        "the acting is good all around , including beth grant as jimmy 's mom and rachel griffiths as his wife lorrie .",
        "hancock 's heartfelt movie scores a solid hit .",
        "a sports film with feel-happy appeal for all , regardless of age or interest .",
        "a surprisingly effective film for all ages .",
        "what saves it is dennis quaid , a fine and generally underrated actor who plays a real-life small-town texas high-school science teacher and baseball coach who fulfills his dream of pitching in the big leagues .",
        "you get to enjoy the sport and this talented quaid fellow , who is seen way too infrequently for my tastes !",
        "toss in a superlative performance by underrated movie star dennis quaid , and you 've got the guy 's equivalent to steel magnolias .",
        "maybe it 's asking too much , but if a movie is truly going to inspire me , i want a little more than this .",
        "even though you know where the story is headed , it is nearly impossible not to shed a few tears when it gets there .",
        "... takes the beauty of baseball and melds it with a story that could touch anyone regardless of their familiarity with the sport",
        "quaid 's performance proves to be a solid anchor .",
        "-lsb- quaid -rsb- puts on jim morris ' game face , captures his pitching style and manages somehow to make ` bringing heat ' seem sexy .",
        "takes a simple premise and carries it to unexpected heights .",
        "a mostly believable , refreshingly low-key and quietly inspirational little sports drama .",
        "an unapologetically emotional film that does n't make you gag , one that manages to be sentimental without turning into a shameless wallow .",
        "it 's got a quiet , gentle grace that unexpectedly catches and carries you along on a hopeful little cloud .",
        "the MOV feels like baseball itself : sort of boring , sort of stately , yet possessed of an ineffable poetry that speaks to the young heart of old men and their sons .",
        "could this be the first major studio production shot on video tape instead of film ?",
        "a paint-by-numbers , clich\u00e9-riddled story that has one thing working in its favor -- it 's based on stuff that really happened .",
        "it 's hard not to get caught up in this improbable but true follow-your-dream tale .",
        "like the MOV , quaid simply steps up to the plate , sets himself and knocks it out of the park .",
        "packs an unexpected emotional punch that most conventional movies do n't have .",
        "the conflicts here are familiar , but the MOV presents them admirably and resolves them without sap overload .",
        "a film that plays things so nice 'n safe as to often play like a milquetoast movie of the week blown up for the big screen .",
        "the MOV is heartfelt and uplifting , and not condescending or sappy",
        "morris 's life actually makes for a rich tale of redemption , but you would n't know it from this pallid , flat movie .",
        "the whole family will certainly enjoy the MOV , but it 's a special treat for fathers and sons getting ready for the upcoming baseball season .",
        "the inspirational screenplay by mike rich covers a lot of ground , perhaps too much , but ties things together , neatly , by the end .",
        "ignore the obvious manipulation , the predictable plot points , and the french horns on the soundtrack and this corny tale about making dreams come true seems as if it could be a true story . which in fact it is .",
        "a fun family movie that 's suitable for all ages -- a movie that will make you laugh , cry and realize , ` it 's never too late to believe in your dreams . '",
        "it 's a feel-good movie about which you can actually feel good .",
        "it is n't the saccharine sweet rags-to-riches type story , and it is n't dumbed down .",
        "old-fashioned and friendly , and at times captivating .",
        "most will be drawn in by quaid 's determined strength , aussie rachel griffiths ' feisty texas gal and director john lee hancock 's confident handling of an unapologetically touching story .",
        "the movie is so resolutely cobbled together out of older movies that it even uses a totally unnecessary prologue , just because it seems obligatory .",
        "it is lucky to have dennis quaid , who is a fit 47 , give an extraordinarily honest and restrained performance as morris .",
        "morris ' story is exciting on its own terms , but the filmmakers seem unable to comprehend how to tell it originally and authentically .",
        "there 's nothing surprising about the MOV except how unexpectedly moving it is .",
        "this warm , charming , family-friendly movie is a surprising winner .",
        "a welcome relief from baseball movies that try too hard to be mythic , this one is a sweet and modest and ultimately winning story .",
        "it 's a terrific american sports movie and dennis quaid is its athletic heart .",
        "every once in awhile a movie demonstrates that filmmakers can come close to recapturing the golden age of cinema if they really , really try .",
        "it makes few mistakes , earns every tear and will leave you longing for the small-town texas home you never had .",
        "when it 's not glorifying baseball and texas myths , the MOV zips like a good fastball .",
        "what makes it worth watching is quaid 's performance .",
        "something particularly clean shines in this american fairy tale , a quality of simplicity that 's almost as hard to achieve in such movies as a middle-aged man 's boyhood dreams .",
        "the embodiment of the very message it so modestly conveys -- it 's the accomplished little guy we fervently root for .",
        "if the film 's vision of sport as a secular religion is a bit cloying , its through-line of family and community is heartening in the same way that each season marks a new start .",
        "perfect family entertainment .",
        "in one of his finest , most detailed and most honest performances , dennis quaid makes jim morris 's journey entirely credible .",
        "as inspirational stories go , this one is top-notch ."],
    "summary": "a heart-warming sports flick , the MOV greatly benefits from understated direction and the emotional honesty dennis quaid brings to the role of jim morris .",
    "id": "9518"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1139289-beauty_shop",
    "reviews":
     [
        "latifah is , well , latifah playing herself -- funny , brash , smart , likable and not willing to take any garbage from anyone .",
        "has plenty of laughs .",
        "without a real story , even a personality as indomitable as queen latifah can carry a movie only so far .",
        "despite queen latifah and its boisterous cast 's best efforts to style the perfect social comedy , MOV does n't quite cut it .",
        "... the makeover as therapy .",
        "a cramped sitcomlike vehicle , -lsb- but queen latifah 's -rsb- royal presence makes this little ford fiesta ride like an escalade .",
        "feel-good entertainment that is no less enjoyable for being somewhat predictable .",
        "it 's a bouncy , funny picture that i enjoyed -- one that mostly eludes the perils of sequelitis and spinoff-itis , a lusty comedy about the importance of looking good and getting the right scissors in the right hands .",
        "although not a chore to sit through , the whole thing seems rather clunkily thought out and offers precious little worth remembering once the end credits have rolled .",
        "should n't queen latifah be able to find better projects than an unnecessary spinoff like MOV ?",
        "i gave up the fight after hearing the phrase `` hotter than a jalape\u0144o 's hoochie '' .",
        "did you like the barbershop movies ? you 'll like this too .",
        "no matter how many jokes about big booties MOV tosses at us , it 's nothing more than barber shop lite .",
        "the camera observes big-bootied women , a fine guy who might be gay and alicia silverstone 's terminally white dancing , but it does n't exactly count as observational humor .",
        "MOV wo n't change any lives . like highlights on top of a familiar ` do , though , it 'll brighten things for a while .",
        "MOV is n't as much of a surprise because queen latifah is not as unexpected as ice cube ... in barber shop . however , it is a feel-good and sassy comedy ...",
        "who 'd have thought that two sequels in , the hair-cutting set-up would still be fun ?",
        "the film 's genial , blow-dry attitude keeps things from going astray .",
        "it is n't as much awful as it is fundamentally unnecessary .",
        "the film has a lot of good things around the edges , but its core lacks the spark that would make us want to return again and again to gina 's salon .",
        "the story is for the most part useless and thin -- the pilot of a failed sitcom .",
        "the loose , lively spirit of the performances breathes life into the cliches .",
        "you take the good with the bad .",
        "all that positive energy is in keeping with the film 's kinder , gentler vibe , but it 's not very interesting .",
        "playing an eccentric beautician who changes her look everyday , the incandescent alfre woodard shows she 's as adept at comedy as drama .",
        "MOV extends the popular barbershop franchise to atlanta and provides a sassy feminine counterpart to its cozy men 's - club vibe .",
        "this spinoff lacks the repartee and thought-provoking social commentary of the original and its sequel . instead , we get dumbed-down characters and juvenile booty jokes .",
        "starring the endlessly likable queen latifah , the force behind MOV is girlfriend power .",
        "overall , the parts do n't come together and jell as well as they did in the barbershop films .",
        "it 's like that fateful moment during a haircut when the scissors slip and that fun , rock 'n' roll shag suddenly becomes a mullet .",
        "worth visiting .",
        "its lackluster efforts to be raunchily topical about issues of race , class and sexuality leave its talented cast stranded without a paddle .",
        "a comedy that really works thanks to the appealing performance by queen latifah as an entrepreneur determined to fulfill her dream .",
        "raucous & funny , albeit stereotypical , it gives bawdy texture to the humor and a feel-good lift to the heart .",
        "... a carbon copy of barbershop , only with a female cast .",
        "it has some very funny moments but it tries to do too many things - it 's a bit like watching back-to-back episodes of a sitcom .",
        "i may not be fully qualified to evaluate this movie 'cause i 'm a guy . i do n't know what women talk about when they 're alone . maybe it 's what you get on screen . maybe not .",
        "the few serious notes in the movie are also its weakest . the film is on much safer ground when it 's playing culture-crossing for laughs ...",
        "funny , smart and better than either barbershop film",
        "queen latifah 's back on track . she has a long way to go to equal her role in `` chicago , '' in which she both starred and sang . but `` MOV '' is a better-than-average outing .",
        "it 's just a blast of hot air , and every bit as fleeting .",
        "it 's meant to be a gender switch on its predecessor , but it 's actually just a pale comparison .",
        "bille woodruff directs the comedy with a warm generosity of spirit , which gives all the actors in a delightful ensemble cast their chance to shine .",
        "queen latifah proved that she could be watchable in awful movies when she made taxi , although MOV never gets close to that particular level of badness .",
        "diverting but overly episodic ... never quite hangs together as a feature .",
        "as in the other two movies , the plot is a thin cardboard box carrying an assortment of observational doughnuts .",
        "so-so movie with great cast pushes pg-13 limits .",
        "this bottom-feeder 's sophomoric , locker room approach to black-white , gay-straight , and male-female issues can not be undone by a saccharine storybook ending .",
        "take one part `` barbershop , '' one part queen latifah , sprinkle in a tablespoon of ` you-go-girl ' and stir to get the confection of `` MOV . ''",
        "this is one film that should have been abandoned at the `` i 'm thinking about writing a new screenplay '' phase because it ultimately does no good whatsoever .",
        "latifah carries the weight of this film and does an impressive job given a script that 's crying out for a total restyle .",
        "the laughs come fast and easy in MOV , but the minimal-effort plot keeps getting underfoot .",
        "a very funny story that will make you laugh . enjoy this new comedy from mgm .",
        "has the stink of a bad perm all over it .",
        "a nice enough story , just not funny or memorable enough to make it into a winner .",
        "latifah does her best to keep it real , and that 's the sad part . what she and her girlfriends do to the english language is pretty darn ugly .",
        "this is the very picture of bland , uncreative filmmaking , and the fact that it was made by african-americans is just a further example of the tragedy of black-on-black crime .",
        "passable entertainment of the lightweight kind , providing several nice comic characters and scenes along the way .",
        "this hormonally hyper-charged emporium for dirty talk lacks sparkle and subtlety .",
        "i thought this was too much like the pilot for a sitcom .",
        "latifah is fun but the plot is a ` barbershop ' retread .",
        "as a crackling cultural feminine empowerment piece , MOV is about as well-rounded as an unshaped afro hairdo",
        "barbershop has been given a cinematic sex-change operation .",
        "takes the most outwardly memorable characteristics of barbershop ... and replays them again , with less genuine verve .",
        "it 's a boisterous and amiable movie but not , in the end , a very funny one .",
        "fun , sassy , and the only mainstream hollywood comedy you 'll ever see that features maya angelou quoted throughout .",
        "there is much to enjoy in the struggles and triumphs of latifah 's gina morris .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- wan , third-generation photocopy , only with chicks , and despite the fact that it 's an enormous mess , the terrific cast is undeniably ingratiating ...",
        "the film resides in the realm of mediocrity , dreadful in spots , enjoyable on occasion , and disposable throughout .",
        "for all the vivid , amusing characters that surround gina , MOV rightly belongs to latifah , who comes into her own as a star and an actress in this film .",
        "MOV has plenty of funny moments , along with randy , outrageous dialogue , but not much of a plot .",
        "i ca n't authoritatively say that silverstone 's slack-jawed , forced-twang performance is the worst in film history - i can only guess and hope that this is so .",
        "needs highlights and a trim .",
        "all jokes and plot points are telegraphed . you could n't miss the clues even if your head was in the sink .",
        "a dull script and slack direction .",
        "this came out a little uneven .",
        "you already know if you like this kind of thing or not . but if you do , there 's little not to like .",
        "an ugly little movie that is an insult to its origins and a waste of the queen 's considerable talents .",
        "has nothing new to say , but it has a lot of fun covering the same old territory .",
        "the movie finally manages to find its groove in the when director bille woodruff steps aside and allows his talented cast to mine the material for all it 's worth .",
        "even a sharp pace ca n't disguise the lack of dramatic momentum .",
        "looks , feels and unfolds with measured sitcom familiarity , right down to the storming of characters through the shop 's doors and the relentless crossfire of sassy putdowns .",
        "` MOV ' has it all -- great performances , an empowering story and tons of laughs .",
        "more than just racial slapstick and cheap maya angelou jokes .",
        "a series of individual bite-sized conflicts that would fit snuggly in a half-hour sitcom",
        "you may not `` get krunked '' with MOV , but you know what you 're getting into . it 's sitcom-ready material that delivers on its promise .",
        "rather clunky and unfunny , -lsb- but -rsb- its cast has enough personality to make it surprisingly entertaining .",
        "do your hair at home .",
        "ice cube and his investors continue their box-office gentrification of the inner city . as obvious and visually bland as a sitcom , but likable ...",
        "about as fresh as a jeri curl .",
        "lazy direction hurts this old-fashioned sitcom .",
        "the cookie-cutter plot is little more than a frame for the chemistry created by personalities tossed together in the cozy shop .",
        "... too amiable to dislike ... boasts quite the ensemble cast",
        "everyone appears to have a good time but the script ... covers nothing new and is little more than a series of vignettes",
        "this film is less a movie than a brand extension . speaking of which , it is as synthetic as cut-rate hair extensions and as obvious as its intrusive product placements .",
        "girls just wan na have fun , and so does the film , which recycles the requisite moralizing into a breezy , sporadically funny package .",
        "it 's hard to deny latifah her energy , but the MOV material is so tired it should come outfitted with a comforter and pillows .",
        "a ramshackle movie , jerry-built from leftover materials and ... so rushed to completion that it threatens to collapse from the effort to cobble everything together .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- formulaic but extremely good-natured comedy .",
        "both fresh and familiar , entertaining and uplifting enough in its own right even if it does n't quite measure up to its predecessors .",
        "funny , warm and relaxingly good-natured , the kind of movie that invites us to check personal woes at the door .",
        "a fluff job .",
        "the result is not so much a follow-up as a newly conceived comedy , and a good one at that .",
        "a bit too relaxed for its own good .",
        "thanks to queen latifah , it manages to keep its comic shape , even with the wind of familiarity blowing around .",
        "at this point , any humor left in the barbershop series is limited to a few stray clippings on the floor .",
        "it 's refreshing how most of the movie is essentially about the characters , their stories , their lives .",
        "the movie has a solid moral core that uses stereotypes to impart important lessons about respect , tolerance and hair conditioner . and queen latifah is irresistible ."],
    "summary": "despite a strong performance by queen latifah , MOV is in need of some style pointers .",
    "id": "17968"
  },
  {
    "movie": "district_9",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV fuses science fiction mayhem and biting social commentary as well as any film since starship troopers . it 's the rare alien invasion story that has the aliens running scared .",
        "the coolest , most intelligent action movie of the year . it 's visually striking and provides an adrenaline rush , but it also has a brain .",
        "in an ideal world , every hollywood studio suit would be forced to sit through MOV as part of a curriculum titled `` how to make a summer movie that delivers . ''",
        "majestic and matter-of-fact in equal measure , MOV provides purposefully difficult and uneasy food for thought to go along with its more visceral thrills .",
        "the film threads enough thoughtful commentary into its whirligig media-fractured action plot to mostly make up for its lapses into clich\u00e9 .",
        "it 's a bad joke that MOV will be hailed for its `` originality . '' the movie 's main fun comes from wondering what coin of the pop realm blomkamp will pluck out from his memory bank next .",
        "it 's an outsider blockbuster , a juicy , bravura piece of moviemaking pulp , and its hellacious style almost -- but not quite -- disguises its shortcomings as a story .",
        "the strangest , funniest , most original sci-fi flick you 'll see this year - or any year , for that matter .",
        "it 's a grimy , consistently surprising and fundamentally human-centric science-fiction yarn , reminiscent of the dystopian , semi-realistic 1970s tradition .",
        "-lsb- f -rsb- loored with surprise that this could ... feel so fresh , so original , so like nothing i 'd ever seen before ...",
        "a thundering blitzkrieg of seat-rattling entertainment with a sociopolitical message ; a cerebral sci-fi and apartheid allegory that is as heavily armed with provocative ideas as it is with armour-piercing , tank-splattering torpedoes .",
        "ghee whiz , how abusive can you get with a movie camera ?",
        "this is an excellent idea searching for a film worthy of it . this ai n't it .",
        "this stunning mindbender of a movie attempts to prove that science fiction can handle the heftiest allegorical payloads , even the appalling shame of apartheid .",
        "every once in a great while -- perhaps only a handful of times each decade -- that rare film comes completely out of left field to let us know that there are still some original ideas out there , and that cinema can still be fresh and exciting .",
        "MOV has too many gory vaporizations to qualify as a serious statement on race relations , but it does outclank transformers : revenge of the fallen by a wide margin , and you thrill to the cleanly cut action sequences .",
        "a rocking , rolling action drama about alien castaways that just want to go home , an evil corporation that wants to capitalize on them at any cost , and one man who freakishly gets caught in the middle .",
        "smart , funny , touching , thought-provoking and utterly insane in the action department , MOV is 2009 's most entertaining movie by a light year .",
        "despite its shortcomings , MOV is an engaging sci-fi romp that features solid cgi work .",
        "MOV has the potential to satisfy two mutually exclusive groups of bottom-feeding moviegoers .",
        "MOV is n't without its rough edges . it 's a bit obvious and does n't take as full advantage of its premise as it could . but it 's also a visually spectacular and cares mostly about its characters , and that 's a rare thing in film today .",
        "MOV is a bold , imaginative sci-fi entry , but let 's not get carried away with the hype .",
        "MOV delivers on all fronts % u2013 it 's an imaginative sci-fi tale , a gritty actioner , a dazzling effects film , a compelling dramatic story , a biting satire , and a flat out exciting piece of pop entertainment .",
        "MOV proves that sci-fi thrillers do n't have to be star-studded or mega-budgeted to be visually compelling and thoroughly entertaining .",
        "a thoroughly-absorbing , edge-of-your-seat thriller which is right up there with the best of sci-fi because of the subtle fashion in which it delivers its thought-provoking , universal message about ethnic tolerance .",
        "what is absolutely impressive are the visual effects : the hordes of aliens , the mother ship , the seamless blending of the real with the fantastic .",
        "in spite of its waning efforts toward fulfilling a challenging allegory about the treatment of immigrant aliens -- in this case with interplanetary aliens -- `` MOV '' settles into a gritty , spectacle filled , sci-fi movie that borrows liberally from films",
        "edgy , provocative sci-fi thriller that serves as a pop allegory for the racial tension of apartheid .",
        "MOV is a bracing breath of fresh air -lsb- that -rsb- wears its influences well , integrating them into a well thought-out drama about what it means to be human ... a drama with big guns , car chases and exploding cars .",
        "while MOV delivers thrills and chills to spare ... what lingers is the casualness with which we are willing to reduce others to sub-human conditions .",
        "like all great science fiction , MOV entertains mercilessly even as it challenges us to be better people . original , urgent and not to be missed .",
        "MOV is a cautionary tale about man 's inhumanity to aliens , especially those aliens who are high in cholesterol .",
        "really ca n't recommend this one enough and it should be considered a must see",
        "director neill blomkamp has packaged an original sci-fi film filled with cgi and action that most moviegoers will love .",
        "completely absorbing and intense . as audiences are compelled early in the film to `` learn from what has happened '' , blomkamp uses MOV to quietly remind us that it 's too late for some .",
        "easily the most exhilarating lesson in racial politics you 're ever likely to sit through .",
        "the movie also has the most emotionally perfect final shot since shaun of the dead , which , like this film , did not originate in hollywood .",
        "MOV 's skid into rote convention is matched by a retreat from the documentary conceit that so expertly delivered us into this strange world in the first place .",
        "if the basic idea is provocative , MOV never lives up to the promise of its allegorical freight .",
        "this remains a textbook example of fantasy cinema 's ability to tackle thorny moral issues while splattering the screen with gloopy creature effects .",
        "it 's remarkable for a first-time feature film director to keep a tight rein on all these elements and meld them with such dynamism and style .",
        "one of the sharpest pieces of sci-fi since star trek kicked off the season .",
        "MOV has so much potential and seems ready to engage with so many ideas that it 's disappointing when it turns out to be nothing more than a decent action movie .",
        "MOV is a brave attempt by first-time director blomkamp and well worth a look .",
        "this extraordinary science-fiction thriller does n't settle into a standard tinseltown orbit . instead , it sets its astonishing thrills and action in south africa .",
        "i applauded the splattergore moments and felt oddly touched by the emotional connection created to the prawns . go see this movie .",
        "blomkamp seems to want to invoke the memory of south african apartheid into the confusion , but he does n't know how . thus it remains largely a noisy action picture , barely different from all the stuff hollywood keeps churning out .",
        "socked in with the whiplash action and over-the-top gore is a story that 's shockingly funny , clever and emotionally resonant . MOV is that rarest kind of film , magnificent trash .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a sci-fi original .",
        "artsy vertigo , racial profiling from outer space , black on prawn violence , nigerian gangsters into cannibalistic health food diets , and inter-species creature sex for sale . and no , i did not have sex with that alien .",
        "this is one intense , intelligent , well-crafted action movie - one that dazzles the eye with seamless special effects but also makes you think without preaching .",
        "this ham-fisted apartheid allegory involving beleaguered insectoid space aliens herded into the eponymous south african ghetto wins several points because it craftily hybridizes much that was cool about '80s sci-fi .",
        "if sensitive , intelligent , and cat food craving creatures whose heads look like transplants from the ` star wars ' cantina scene is by itself not enough to pique your interest to see ` MOV , ' then wherefore art thou ?",
        "this is the movie transformers should 've been .",
        "overall , ` MOV ' is a uniquely moving , heartfelt and provocative drama that stays with you after you 've left the theater .",
        "believe the hype . as a sci-fi thrill ride , and a provocative commentary on xenophobia , MOV is definitely all that it 's cracked up to be .",
        "gross but fascinating ... it held my attention from start to finish .",
        "parental content review",
        "instead of running around and shrieking , this story posits an even more believable reaction to an alien invasion -- a bureaucratic one .",
        "MOV is almost wholly unique this year in combining fantastic action with thoughtful , narrative filmmaking .",
        "one of the most original , breathtaking and downright electrifying movie experiences of 2009 .",
        "the wonder is that despite its obvious roots , MOV feels staggeringly original .",
        "blomkamp is good at mustering speedy action and posting grisly sight gags in the background , carnage always hovering comically at the edge of your vision . but i 'm not sure that MOV entirely gets the earthling racism out of its own system .",
        "MOV will appeal to science-fiction fans , but ultimately disappoint those looking for a deeper exploration of contentious issues .",
        "MOV is a dark , surprising , exciting , whip-crack smart sci-fi thriller that grabs you from the beginning and never lets you go .",
        "a gritty science-fiction film that features a population of humanoid crustacean-alien creatures -lsb- that -rsb- is far more grounded in reality than any of the current rom-coms currently unspooling in your neighbourhood multiplex .",
        "MOV grabs viewers from first frame to last , not only with viscera but genuine intelligence that 's rare in any genre these days .",
        "the storytelling method is all jitter and no pulp .",
        "in using recent political history as the subtext for his story , blomkamp is following in a long science-fiction tradition : illustrating mankind 's persistent stupidity , even after we have supposed learned lessons .",
        "we 've seen most of the film 's elements before ... but all these ideas have never been assembled in exactly this manner before , let alone with blomkamp 's wit and style .",
        "works as political commentary , blood-splattering action flick and sneaky-funny comedy .",
        "the special effects are terrific and do n't overwhelm the harrowing story , which is surprisingly emotional .",
        "the reason MOV reverberates so loudly is because its moral indignation is cranked to 11 .",
        "science fiction as it was meant to be : intelligent and challenging .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "since the metaphor itself is pretty clear , blomkamp goes for the visceral quality of the images and situations .",
        "the film persuades us to look beneath the aliens ' chitinous exterior , and slowly eats at us as the images of racism , subjugation and internment become familiar and prod our conscience .",
        "`` one of the most intelligent science fiction entries in the last ten years ... ''",
        "un entretenido ejercicio de ciencia ficci\u0443n que es tambi\u0439n toda una alegor\u043da sobre la condici\u0443n racista y discriminadora del hombre .",
        "um presente inesperado para todos os f\u0433s de uma boa e inteligente fic\u0437\u0433o-cient\u043dfica .",
        "le film de neill blomkamp brille de par son audace et la pertinence de son propos .",
        "what an achievement in filmmaking .",
        "the movie falls into the same uneasy category as eight legged freaks : too tongue-in-cheek to be thrilling , not funny enough to be a comedy .",
        "it 's not for everyone , but for sci-fi fans and audiences who want something different from the run-of-the-mill no-brainer hollywood summer film , it 's a must-see .",
        "is there anyone -- prawn or human -- that we in the audience are prompted to care about ?",
        "a memorable , monstrous fable that 's consistently gripping .",
        "MOV is the real deal . hallelujah .",
        "in this summer of gargantuan mediocrities , a modestly budgeted project with an actual idea in its head , and the wiles to manifest it onscreen , exploding heads and all -- that 's something .",
        "MOV is independence day for the art-house set .",
        "a bloody good time . one of the most original movies of the summer .",
        "this is one of those rare films where seeming plot holes turn out not to be holes , after all .",
        "the backstory beats the hell out of the present-tense plot , a routine affair in which a well-meaning doofus working for the man is infected with a virus , starts turning into an alien himself , and falls in with the oppressed creatures .",
        "aliens and robots will get tushes in the seats , but what makes this blockbuster so outstanding is decidedly human .",
        "even in the movie 's most conventional stretches , blomkamp puts things across with terrific verve , using action and computer effects to enhance rather than trump story and character .",
        "MOV is a brave , intelligent and exciting film . some of its story beats fall into the `` unlikely '' category , but the central idea , the design , and the acting are so strong that you 'll likely go with it and have a damn good time doing so .",
        "neill blomkamp 's career-making debut film MOV mixes alien contact with apartheid politics , deftly creating one of the best sci-fi films in recent memory .",
        "myriad obvious ancestors prevent the film from feeling as revolutionary as some have claimed , though there 's nonetheless vitality to blomkamp 's expert implementation .",
        "MOV is the most exciting science fiction movie to come along in ages ; definitely the most thrilling film of the summer ; and quite possibly the best film i 've seen all year .",
        "the movie embodies speculative fiction , taking a real-world situation , applying it to a fantastic concept and then seeing how it makes us feel .",
        "MOV represents the sloppiest and dopiest pop cinema -- the kind that comes from a second-rate film culture .",
        "MOV is a down and dirty sci-fi flick that ... makes a point about racial prejudice .",
        "wielding wicked retribution , the clever MOV reinvents alien invasion with a wry wink .",
        "it 's a fascinating hybrid of a film , an anti-hollywood movie which incorporates a great deal of contemporary big-budget elements ... but with a tart , subversive sense of humour that leavens the violence and mayhem .",
        "copley 's wild-eyed performance as the luckless wikus has a lot going for it . the fact that he 's so ridiculous -- and so dogged -- adds to the pathos , for it 's patently clear blomkamp has no taste for easy endings .",
        "an engaging sci-fi parable rooted in both universal themes and a specific setting that often takes you by surprise with both its smarts and intensity",
        "a funny , violently gross , and wildly enthralling addition to the science fiction canon .",
        "-lsb- the `` popcorn '' egg-burning scene -rsb- in a way represents the whole film : there 's popcorn appeal for casual viewers , but something more vital and desperate at stake underneath .",
        "an energetic and tantalizing film that promises more than it can ultimately deliver",
        "it pulls off a rather impressive feat in being smarter and bloodier than any other action or sci-fi movie released this year .",
        "... a marginally entertaining endeavor that 's sure to leave most viewers wondering what all the fuss is about .",
        "even with a second half that 's significantly less compelling than the first , it earns points for its seamless special effects and its subtle but pointed sense of humor .",
        "despite my questions and small complaints , this is a great movie .",
        "this low-budget film with its unknown cast is recommended because it ultimately is thought-provoking and smart . this is n't a sci-fi thriller so much as it is a sci-fi drama . it poses several serious questions about the state of humanity .",
        "it signifies nothing . still , its sound and fury are undeniably impressive .",
        "an amazing movie , one that will sweep you up emotionally and intellectually , that will give you plenty to think over and even more to marvel at . it 's an achievement that needs to be seen to be believed , and once it 's seen it 's guaranteed to be beloved .",
        "it 's the film 's freshness -- with an original story , told in blomkamp 's unique storytelling voice -- that most defines MOV , injecting it with a feel of game-changing importance that elevates it above normal summertime fare .",
        "the disconnect between the first and second half of the movie shows you how great MOV could have been , if jackson and his financial backers had allowed it , instead of what it is , exciting , but with nothing lingering in the mind after it was over .",
        "while blomkamp 's disturbing thriller does have a semi-revelatory ending , the real secret is that MOV , for all its pomp and circumstance , is no more than a decent but scrappy science fiction flick .",
        "there 's a wonderfully sly , farcical verve to these early moments , but it dissipates when the script , with its strains of e.t. and the fly , moves into high sci-fi gear .",
        "in a summer where toy robots and action heroes have rocked the box office and killed brain cells , it 's nice to see a movie where some serious thought has been put into reviving a stale genre .",
        "the most audacious , auspicious sci-fi debut in years , neill blomkamp 's modest-budget `` MOV '' throws together xenophobic satire , political allegory and raucous action in a knockabout package reminiscent of paul verhoeven 's finest work .",
        "if you 're looking for the late-summer special-effects action fantasy with big franchise potential , forget about g.i. joe : the rise of cobra . -lrb- you already forgot ? fine . -rrb- instead , proceed directly to MOV .",
        "not just an excellent time for what it has to say , but also for the effortlessly exciting way in which it delivers the cargo .",
        "part alien invasion flick , part social commentary , neill blomkamp 's chilling , thrilling `` MOV '' is a wholly original work . and it features a star-making turn from sharlto copley .",
        "while the ambitious narrative bites off far more than can be satisfactorily chewed and digested , the fantastic ride through what must be a completely fictional world -lrb- right ? -rrb- is worth a view .",
        "screw avatar - this is what people will think of when they talk about science fiction at the end of the aughts .",
        "best when it operates as yarn rather than as social commentary , even if it is filled with logical inconsistencies .",
        "MOV is the most original , innovative and entertaining science-fiction film in years and contains the best mix of politics and spectacle since starship troopers .",
        "although the film is dripping in satire , blomkamp is more concerned with delivering a balls-to-the-wall action film . MOV has more in common with aliens than babel .",
        "it 's hard to dwell on racism and social injustices too long when you are being so thoroughly entertained .",
        "the wildest science-fiction film to come out all year .",
        "in a good summer , there 's usually a movie that will come out of nowhere and completely wow us . this is a good summer , and that movie is MOV .",
        "audiences everywhere will appreciate the sleek , pulsating , clever film that blomkamp has created .",
        "taking a traditional sci-fi approach , blomkamp examines contemporary society through a new prism .",
        "a late-summer jolt of serious science-fiction juice that marries breathless action to political satire and poignant drama .",
        "every now and then , a film comes along that both defies and compels description .",
        "about the only way MOV - a bloody marvelous action movie that 's part science-fiction allegory and part unabashed mayhem - could get more in your face is if it was shot in 3d .",
        "the film all but gets away from -lsb- the director -rsb- as battles take over and opportunities to explore the story as more than the sum of its weapons disappears .",
        "the fresh premise over , the stale action returns .",
        "inventive , intriguing sci-fi indie with mainstream polish is pure allegory - and is n't afraid of the questions it raises or the objections it may incur .",
        "copley is a revelation as the even tempered wikus , whose own evolution allows him to begin the film as cheerful as monty python 's eric idle and end the day tougher than christian bale in the last `` terminator '' film .",
        "it 's always exhilarating seeing something refreshingly new on screen , and even though we 've seen horror before , and aliens before , and the dirty deeds of capitalism before , it 's never been quite like this .",
        "the world blomkamp has created in this original creature feature is at once familiar and distinctive .",
        "MOV proves that there 's intelligent alien life in the movie universe this summer .",
        "for science-fiction fans looking for a bit more brainpower than transformers has to offer , MOV points the way toward redemption for a movie genre that could use an infusion of artistic ambition .",
        "the humanity of MOV adds another dimension to this multilayered , rewarding work - one of the best of the summer , and undoubtedly the most inventive from the multiplex this year .",
        "if you 're looking for a film with a heart and a soul that is n't afraid to examine the essence of what it means -- and what it might cost -- to be human , this is it .",
        "while the film is asking difficult questions , it is a first rank piece of science fiction . when it starts to answer those questions in the easiest and most predictable ways the film becomes just another loud summer action film .",
        "the film 's message , that compassion and humanity extend far beyond our own species , is n't subtle , but it is effective .",
        "low key in its excellence by just being solid and real and well thought-out ... substantial and revealing .",
        "the most gripping , intriguing and compelling sci-fi allegory to grace the big screen since 1968 's ` planet of the apes ' -- and that makes it an instant sci-fi classic in its own right .",
        "a superb realization of satire , irony , humor and the horrific , with a kick in the guts to human nature and the technical challenges of sci-fi action and destruction .",
        "... the last time i saw a genre film that felt like this much of a stick-the-landing home run was ` shaun of the dead ' ... a smart , visceral sci-fi parable .",
        "it has some terrific thrills and it 's probably worth a video rental , but overall it 's yet another case of action over ideas and messages over emotions .",
        "i know this word gets thrown around a lot and it should be used sparingly , but this film is very close to being a masterpiece in science fiction cinema .",
        "a revelatory debut , an inventive , daring , original piece of filmmaking that does n't just hint at a new arrival on the scene as much as blasts one into the film consciousness .",
        "this is vibrant , original and marks the arrival of a talent to watch .",
        "as an action director , blomkamp is no john carpenter . parts of the story are not dramatised but narrated direct-to-camera by supposed interview subjects -- a lazy device that reduces immediacy and momentum .",
        "a wonderfully-entertaining suspense thriller that reinvents and recharges the alien invasion genre .",
        "jolts with disturbing plot twists , disgusts with gory kills , showcases awesome and inventive alien technology , comments on inhumane medical experimentation and criticizes unchecked military might , but always remains in service of a nail-biting story .",
        "a bold and inventive science fiction vision that mostly excels but stumbles in the details .",
        "by avoiding the typical end of the world apocalypse that most alien invasion movies mandate ... MOV becomes that most elusive of science fiction films - a serious and thoughtful dissertation on who we really are .",
        "a giddy triumph of invention , tight plotting and an inspired appreciation that there exists an audience who like to be challenged as well as thrilled .",
        "whisking together raw docu-stylings , smart social commentary and wacky , insectoid aliens , blomkamp has delivered a true original . missing the thrill of brave , new , brilliantly realised sci-fi ? then do n't miss the no 9 ...",
        "MOV is 2009 's second hugely impressive sci-fi film after moon . both put fresh spins on well-explored concepts .",
        "who knew that a movie that begins like an apartheid spin on brazilian ghetto drama city of god , then mutates into the fly , would wind up pushing some emotional buttons in a way reminiscent of et ?",
        "MOV is that modern rarity : an adventure thriller that 's even better than its advertising campaign .",
        "fiendishly plotted and with awesomely kinetic -lrb- and outrageously bloody -rrb- action scenes , blomkamp announces himself in a major way , without letting the third act crescendo lose focus in a blur of noise .",
        "MOV 's city of god meets war of the worlds hybrid proves overbearing and under-convincing .",
        "an entertaining , technically superb if faintly unsatisfying futuristic thriller .",
        "for 85 minutes , MOV is a thinking creature 's action film , but its final brain-numbing half hour sacrifices most of that logic for loud blasts and unconvincing sentiment .",
        "for every person who walks out of the cineplex complaining that they want to see something different and original . that does n't mean it is awesome , but it is different .",
        "in MOV , racism provides the white guy with a very special growth experience .",
        "monty python-esque . reminded me a bit of the stormtrooper spoof on tv 's `` cops . '' sharlto copley sells it to us with grit , charm , naivety , and humor . he 's absolutely brilliant .",
        "in the midst of it all you almost take for granted the carefully rendered details of the setting , the tightness of the editing and the inventiveness of the special effects .",
        "aliens clash with humans in combustible sci-fier .",
        "the most deliriously inventive sci-fi action movie in years . truly , this is a game changer . james cameron may want to watch his back .",
        "a sci-fi-fueled indictment of man 's inhumanity to man -- and the non-human -- MOV is all horribly familiar , and transfixing .",
        "MOV succeeds brilliantly as an exercise in style , but the style promises a level of substance the film never quite delivers .",
        "you 've seen alien invasion flicks before , and you 've seen more than your share of summer blockbusters . but you 've never seen anything quite like MOV .",
        "the low budget makes everything look grimy , gutter-tech and real , and that suddenly seems striking and visually fresh compared to the slickly digital effects we 're all used to being bombarded by now .",
        "a sharp-edged science fiction parable that mixes metaphor and violent action with such dizzying confidence that you leave the theater feeling charged and alive",
        "a swift , subtle movie , it trusts us to do some of the work .",
        "the originality of the first hour is squandered as blomkamp unmasks corporate villainy and resorts to an increasingly programmatic series of action set-pieces that pit wikus and a friendly alien against the multi-national 's private army .",
        "a thinking man 's , or man-boy 's , transformers .",
        "... a fascinating opening hooks you completely ... and then , -lsb- director neil -rsb- blomkamp and his cohort -lsb- co-writer terri tatchel -rsb- run out of original ideas .",
        "this might go down as the year that science-fiction cinema , despite the deafening crash and clangor of sparring robots , began to rediscover its brains , heart and soul .",
        "this grossly engrossing speculative fiction bears jackson 's blood-splattered fingerprints but also heralds first-time feature director neill blomkamp as a nimble talent to watch .",
        "another metaphor for the misplaced , displaced and disassociated bisexual is how `` MOV '' shows how cruel humans can be % u2014especially to something they do n't understand . they have characterized these giant insect-like aliens as lazy , predatory , omniv",
        "... a speculative fiction with genuine emotional resonance .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- does what really good science fiction does and makes you think about the world you live in . it also does what mainstream crowd-pleasing sci-fi does and entertains with well-designed action scenes and classic hollywood tropes .",
        "after you 've watched a doomed alien race become obsessed with cat food and nigerian prostitutes , gunfights do n't seem all that impressive anymore .",
        "to call this the best shrimp-from-outer-space south african apartheid allegory ever made does not begin to do it justice . but it 's a start .",
        "has some original moments but overall it fails to impress .",
        "not as innovative as everyone wants to give it credit for , but still an interesting blast .",
        "it 's an original idea that loses its way , or simply becomes an action flick , your choice .",
        "the movie does satisfy the cravings for a smarter sci-fi movie and does have some rewarding aspects .",
        "the result is like a two-stage booster rocket , propelled by a tricky structure , deft style and original scenario before settling into the sort of orbit any fanboy could recognize and appreciate .",
        "a brilliant social commentary .",
        "you grow more and more impressed with the level of detail -- MOV is a horrible place , but it starts to feel like a real horrible place , and the plight of its ugly inhabitants begins , against all odds , to earn our sympathy .",
        "there are no quick , confusing edits to obscure fights or what the aliens look like ... most remarkable , though , is how their behavior and mannerisms evoke our own .",
        "... this auspicious debut will undoubtedly make a few studio executives regret killing halo .",
        "... a sci-fi parable about bigotry and corporate greed that , backed by jackson 's special effects house weta , brings a whole new world to the science fiction genre .",
        "a bold and creative science fiction adventure that shows the dire consequences of hating strangers and ignoring the spiritual practice of hospitality .",
        "peter jackson let neil blomkamp make his bad taste but with all of jackson 's expensive toys .",
        "we 'll know if MOV has become an instant cult classic if this halloween , children start dressing up as prawns .",
        "MOV is a ferocious fable . potent and provocative , it is an allegory for our time . it is bursting with contemporary themes -- oppression , greed , power , propaganda , and the conflict of disparate cultures .",
        "original in concept and thoroughly intense , this alien encampment sci-fi thriller quickly devolves into a gritty slaughter chase that never bores but rarely surprises .",
        "the film 's tone moves easily from the comic to the cruel , and the alien creatures look authentic . from the start , the film promises a fresh and thoughtful slice of swiftian sci-fi .",
        "you do n't feel bamboozled , fooled , or patronized by MOV , as you did by most of the summer blockbusters . you feel winded , shaken , and shamed .",
        "you have to go back to 1979 and the premiere of alien to find a sci-fi et movie as thrilling and innovative as director neill blomkamp 's MOV . his satirical fable on racism delivers all the toys and ploys for the fanboys while teasing and teaching t",
        "MOV ends on a touching scene that evokes ridley scott 's blade runner , but it 's an honest film that repays its debts .",
        "intriguing , inventive and energetic , blomkamp 's feature debut is a thoroughly tasty prawn cocktail .",
        "perhaps we 're witnessing a new dawn for politically engaged sci-fi and horror , with blomkamp as a latter-day george romero . either way , this is a stunningly impressive debut .",
        "you 've never seen a movie like MOV , but you 're likely to now see many more ... unless the big studio heads dispatch their own men in black with magic memory erasers .",
        "the first half is great : original , well-paced , superb production design . but the promising story ultimately falls flat , devolving into an overlong shootout , turning from provocative social commentary to e.t.",
        "MOV is hands down the best film of the summer and has made me love movies all over again . it 's engaging , explosive , and pure nonstop awesomeness - it 's what big summer movies are supposed to be .",
        "intense , graphically novelistic -lrb- though it 's an original story -rrb- and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained , even while the subtext is of a very serious nature .",
        "an explosive mixture of alien nation meets black hawk down !",
        "starts out as a genuinely disturbing treatise on bigotry before devolving into a violent blitzkrieg that lacks the inventiveness of the story 's earlier sequences .",
        "produced by peter jackson and announcing the arrival of a major new talent , MOV is one of the most original films this summer , an exciting sci-fi thriller that 's grounded in apartheid but whose significance goes beyond that particular context .",
        "MOV is a thoroughly original , super realistic , sci-fi-tinted tale of woe ; and at the end of the day we have to applaud such originality as loudly as we possibly can .",
        "technically superb , MOV is a feast of seamless digital work fused to live action , as it is also a smart fusion of documentary format with narrative fiction .",
        "the `` wow '' factor in neill blomkamp 's MOV is huge , so much so that it would be easy to overlook what a soulful , tragically heroic story it is .",
        "a galvanizing thriller that delivers an unfortunate mixed message through its ` alien apartheid ' metaphor ... a young white suburbanite might emerge from a screening thinking that aliens are cool , but , y' know , black folks are really scary .",
        "neill blomkamp 's visceral and thumping debut presents a fascinating and effective vision of the future , and of humanity itself .",
        "a genuinely original science fiction film that grabs you immediately , not letting go until the final shot .",
        "director neil blomkamp , whose future in hollywood should now be a lock , along with screenwriter terri tatchell -lrb- not to mention peter jackson , the film 's producer -rrb- have created a world with massive scope .",
        "i 'm still excited about the potential of MOV . the problem is , i 've already seen it .",
        "could have been better if it had remained focused on the main character rather than trying to show off a variety of filmmaking styles with a lot of flashy cg fx-driven action .",
        "funny and ferocious , cynical and satirical , MOV is both ingeniously clever and smartly thoughtful ...",
        "with its unique story , fantastic visual effects and real-world look , MOV is sure to be a future sci-fi classic .",
        "overall , with aliens that look like a crossbreed of roaches and lobsters , MOV is a bad episode of star trek meets an insipid apartheid mini-series . this was one disappointing sci-fi spectacle .",
        "`` MOV '' does show that blomkamp is not without talent and could very well one day make a truly great genre film , even if he has n't quite done so here .",
        "its early allegory may be blunt , but its second half begs for something even as heavy-handed as that to keep it involving .",
        "this baby has the stuff to end the movie summer on a note of dazzle and distinction .",
        "somewhere between very good and awesome , but no use nitpicking .",
        "MOV opens the door to a new and thrilling vision of the sci-fi genre . it 's a genuinely unique and compelling cinematic reflection of our times .",
        "it 's a brashly confident debut , full of sharp , inventive detail -lrb- the prawns are crazy for cat food -rrb- and rooted in a couple of big ideas . well worth the time , if not all of it .",
        "for a movie rife with violence and disturbing imagery , MOV has a guiding spirit that 's surprisingly sweet and even hokey . but that 's part of its charm .",
        "phone home , e.t. , and while you 're at it , you might ask for extraterrestrial help for the persecuted aliens being evacuated from MOV .",
        "a smart sci-fi about a group of alien refugees who come to earth and are imprisoned in an internment camp .",
        "in a film season full of bombastic , over-the-top and insultingly stupid fare , MOV proves that there is still life in the science fiction genre .",
        "good science fiction is always about marrying entertainment with something deeper . MOV 's shrewdly constructed story manages to be both plausible and out of this world , with lots of detail and subtle innovative quirks .",
        "a moderately entertaining slice of sci-fi action that does n't really work as idea-driven drama .",
        "far from your average monster debauchery or invasion extravaganza , MOV operates as an allegory for apartheid , xenophobia , corporate malfeasance , gentrification , and the dog-eat-dog nature of living in poverty under hostile and oppressive conditions",
        "MOV made me think , and it made me jump . this cool science-fiction thriller pumps up the tension to wow-factor levels .",
        "it 's too uneven and juvenile to deliver on its ambitions , and could easily be 20 minutes shorter -lrb- a dozen fewer shots of cgi goo hitting the lens would have sufficed -rrb- , but it 's ultimately too blazingly unique to not recommend .",
        "MOV does n't carry much weight as sociopolitical commentary or satire but , taken on the merits of its shrewd story sense and craftsmanship , it 's a popcorn entertainment destined to stay in our minds .",
        "MOV is an odd melange of a movie : part fake documentary , part body horror , part office comedy and part mechwarrior : it 's fresh and exciting if not groundbreaking .",
        "intriguing but ultimately jejune space-bug yarn",
        "easily one of the best and most surprising films of the summer , an edge-of-your-seat actioneer that represents the very best that science fiction has to offer .",
        "a highly admirable sci-fi flick that crackles with wit , invention , imagination and ingenuity .",
        "while the viral campaign and mockumentary style primed us for something in the vein of cloverfield , MOV ultimately proves to be in a much older tradition . this is pure body horror in the lineage of alien , the thing and the fly .",
        "with a relentless pace and seamless effects , this offbeat alien invasion thriller combines non-stop action with real emotion and provocative political themes . so not only is it thunderously entertaining , but it also makes us think .",
        "movie lightning has struck here , big time . because if this is n't what an instant sci-fi classic looks like - it 'll do until the next instant sci-fi classic gets here .",
        "MOV wins not only on story but acting , direction and special effects too . a gritty , bold and imaginative sci-fi that , along with star trek and moon , is one of the year 's finest .",
        "the creature effects , overseen by jackson 's weta workshop , are first-rate , but this appears to be one of those instances where the hype seems as likely to be detrimental as beneficial : more seasoned observers may emerge underwhelmed .",
        "a great example of how fresh science fiction can be when it 's not just handed over to the special effects team and then the marketing division . `` MOV '' is far from perfect , but every frame in it drips with ambition , energy and vision .",
        "i , for one , hope the inhabitants of earth never encounter visitors from another planet because the reality of how we might interact with them could be close to what is depicted here , and that 's a depressing thought .",
        "MOV is a wrenching , riveting , occasionally violent , often heartbreaking , and , above all , socially conscious science-fiction film featuring seamlessly integrated cgi effects alongside flat-out perfect performances .",
        "this is a great movie .",
        "MOV does a lot of things right , including giving us aliens to remind us not everyone who comes in a spaceship need be angelic , octopod or stainless steel .",
        "the standard action plot demotes MOV from a potential game-changer to simply a very good film . and considering the painful summer movie season we 've endured thus far , you ca n't ask for much more than that .",
        "are n't the best summer movies supposed to come out before august ?",
        "you enter with a thought-provoking quasi-doc-feeling essay on the not so black and white issue of emergent social groups , you exit with your mind splattered against the back row of the theater .",
        "there 's no doubt genre fans will eagerly surrender to the crafty , low budget charms of MOV ... it definitely has the goods",
        "blomkamp is a filmmaker to watch , with absurdly precise visual instincts . but MOV is his first film and it shows , bloating a fascinating fable to a point of collapse .",
        "one of the best sci-fi films of the decade and one of the most entertaining movies of 2009 .",
        "as an allegory of racial conflict and mass immigration , MOV never really goes anywhere : the appealing premise fades into the background before 20 minutes have elapsed .",
        "it 's a bore .",
        "original and ingenious , MOV is smart , funny and a terrifically entertaining time at the movies . that this is a first feature makes the film a marvel and neill blomkamp a filmmaker to watch .",
        "because neill blomkamp 's emphasis is on humanistic rather than cultural relevance , the writer-director 's feature debut is a genuine triumph nonetheless .",
        "it 's an unforgettable science-fiction actioner . it 's a commentary on the human condition . it 's a drama about undying love . it 's arguably the finest use of computer-generated imagery the big screen ever has seen.the grownups-only ` MOV ' is one of the",
        "as straight sci-fi action , it packs a punch , once you get past the ick factor .",
        "first-time director neil blomkamp smashes onto the filmmaking scene with his sharply original debut movie , delivering a fast-paced thriller packed full of gags and guts in the manner of his mentor , producer peter jackson .",
        "bounds from one contrivance to the next .",
        "this could have been one of the best sci-fi films of all time if it was n't for an extremely unlikeable lead . but the last 40 minutes are so awesome that i can still recommend it .",
        "smart , provocative , fun , and exciting ... MOV is everything that transformers 2 and g.i. joe tried - and failed - to be .",
        "... transcends its inspirations by focusing on story , character , and the very human disregard for others until you 've walked a mile in their shoes .",
        "an intelligent action-packed sci-fi film .",
        "MOV is one of the best films of the year and it marks director neill blomkamp out as a definite talent to watch .",
        "as a sci-fi blockbuster , it will dazzle your eyeballs and have you cheering from your seat . as a social commentary , it makes for uneasy viewing , and wears its pro-humanity message proudly on its sleeve .",
        "MOV is a south african sci-fi b-movie that punches well above its weight even as it falls back on inspiration from major-league precedents .",
        "this film has the enervating quality of a wet tuesday in the arcade .",
        "director neill blomkamp expertly marshals the action , and although the climactic exchanges settle into familiar territory , he provokes genuine moral outrage .",
        "when MOV works , it 's an explosive and exciting sci-fi that heralds the arrival of a major new talent .",
        "all the elements are familiar but blomkamp 's swaggering , guerrilla-style approach transforms them into a zestful slice of cartoonish mayhem .",
        "MOV is one of the very best films of the year - packed with suspense , action , humour and great performances , and directed with real style and panache ... brilliant !",
        "while a solid actioner , what makes it so special is a human heart that propels this wham-bam sci-fi film straight into deepest six-star territory .",
        "a lot of fun , highly original and the most entertaining action sci-fi to hit our screens for many years ."],
    "summary": "technically brilliant and emotionally wrenching , MOV has action , imagination , and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic .",
    "id": "770805203"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wrong_turn",
    "reviews":
     [
        "unless you 're looking for a midnight movie to watch in the middle of the afternoon , beware when you walk into the multi-plex or you just might make a MOV and wind up watching this - you 'll be sorry !",
        "a negative pickup by fox , dumped into theaters on friday without benefit of press previews , MOV is steeped only in frightless torpor .",
        "lazy would-be horror film .",
        "the plot unfolds like a slasher-by - the-numbers kit .",
        "dull , humorless slasher flick .",
        "there are a lot of things wrong with this movie , and no things that are right . it 's just about as bad a movie as i 've seen in all the years i 've been reviewing films .",
        "bad directions are the least of its problems .",
        "it entertained me for ` what it was . '",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- is better than the average entry in the subgenre because it eschews exposition in favor of thrills .",
        "this sleazy slice of hicksploitation features a band of inbred mountain men so monstrous and foul , they make the toothless hillbillies of deliverance look like the vienna boys choir .",
        "a stultifying blend of the texas chainsaw massacre , boot camp , and maybe the blair witch project , MOV is profoundly less than the sum of its influences .",
        "the sole saving grace of MOV is its honesty . you get exactly what you expect -- blood , guts and people being taken to the killing floor . but just because it 's honest does n't make it good .",
        "a movie that runs out of people to kill very quickly and seems in a huge hurry to be over .",
        "if you 're unfortunate enough to head down the path of seeing this film , that will be the only MOV you 'll likely remember .",
        "` deliverance ' us ! in this case the MOV is into the theater parking lot .",
        "the hills have eyes meets the texas chainsaw massacre meets jeepers creepers . this movie is relentless in its pursuit of scares and squirms .",
        "what distinguishes it is director rob schmidt 's edge-of-the-world atmosphere that incites fear by disarming its characters through alien locations .",
        "the set-pieces range from tedious to silly .",
        "the victim of a tired genre",
        "with stan winston 's disturbingly realistic effects and spine-chilling mountain men , MOV takes the concept of hillbillies to a whole new level . you seriously may never go into the woods again .",
        "one of the rare recent fright flicks to get the heart thumping .",
        "like most slasher films , MOV is not especially scary , though it does achieve a few moments of mild suspense .",
        "a blood-simple backwoods spatterfest that makes shameless use of the same old antirural moonshine hollywood 's been bootlegging for decades .",
        "we never actually see the cannibals eat anybody , which leaves me to wonder : are they really cannibals , or just slightly carnivorous pack rats ? we may never know the answer and we will probably never care . completely forgettable .",
        "this self-styled throwback to the down-and-dirty horror films of the 1970s and '80s never delivers what it definitely promises .",
        "it 's gruesome and nasty and a heck of a lot of fun for people who get a kick out of fangoria .",
        "proof that an old genre can still have life as long as filmmakers are willing to fill it with energy , humor and respect for the genre .",
        "any film that has marketing copy reading ` cannibalistic mountain men grossly disfigured through generations of in-breeding ' ca n't be all that bad , can it ?",
        "screaming fun .",
        "it 's a lot of fun -- if you like to grimace , jump and squirm in the theater .",
        "a cut above the recent lot of slasher films ... it does not feel as if it has to cater to audiences who want every plot point spoon fed to them .",
        "headed in only one direction : straight into the toilet .",
        "ao contr\u0440rio da maior parte das produ\u0443\u0448es do g\u0436nero realizadas nos \u0449ltimos anos , este filme acaba se revelando acima da m\u0436dia gra\u0443as \u044f boa dire\u0443\u0441o de rob schmidt .",
        "... talent does not matter much , just as long as the women?who , of course , all look like supermodels?wear skimpy , transparent outfits throughout the movie .",
        "this horror flick about young campers stalked and slaughtered by gruesome backwoods barbarians is a fairly decent crossbreeding of friday the 13th and deliverance .",
        "the understatement of the year . essentially , ax-wielding rednecks unite in a slasher flick that drives itself into a brick wall of no return .",
        "it gives what it promises : violence , creeps , and solid performances from the great cast ...",
        "it 's the usual quick-cut , this-is-all-we-can-show-you r-rated mayhem .",
        "a film of zero substance that also happens to be good old fashioned slasher fun .",
        "MOV is basically a well-made waste of time .",
        "the grey area is whether it 's schmidt 's fault or the zeitgeist 's that the film does n't resonate even ten seconds past the finish line",
        "the flick grew on me after i initially disliked it ... and that 's something not many horror films can do .",
        "evidently , the MOV i made was in the multiplex .",
        "slasher fans , take a whack at `` MOV . ''",
        "tense , well directed , adequately acted and frequently funny .",
        "the film is ludicrous and poorly directed , and the cast appears to be looking for the exit .",
        "to call MOV tedious and uninspired is to be kind .",
        "while i have nothing particularly against the horror sub-sub-genre that dotes on the dire doings of inbred hillbilly cannibals , my initial reaction is that it makes house of 1000 corpses look like a masterpiece .",
        "takes itself and the horrific situation it puts its characters in seriously ... a tense and frightful good time .",
        "this was already tired stuff when cult fave sleepaway camp came out in 1983 , and it 's downright comatose by now .",
        "sheer , unadulterated nastiness with no apologies .",
        "gory enough to satisfy jaded horror fans and scary enough to offer a decent , frightening night at the movies for everyone else .",
        "as long as you do n't take a MOV and wander into this film thinking it 's a run-of - the-mill horror flick , you 'll have fun .",
        "the biggest problem with `` MOV '' is that it fails to build its own mythology",
        "moderately suspenseful , but ... a good horror movie like this requires one of two things : interesting heroes or at least a conceptually interesting villain . here we are given neither .",
        "suffers a fate similar to that of many other horror and supernatural thrillers released in the last decade : it leaves you with the feeling that you 're watching an episode of the x-files , only mulder and scully never show up .",
        "it was a mistake to have one of the characters refer to the film deliverance in this low-rent horror flick , because all it does is remind us of much better cinematic efforts .",
        "schmidt makes us flinch the old-fashioned way -- by giving us a box seat to the unspeakable .",
        "while this movie does n't have the warped sensibilities of 1977 's similarly plotted the hills have eyes , it has decent performances and genuine suspense .",
        "with the tiniest bit of effort , MOV could have been a fun slasher flick , but no one involved seems to have cared about anything but a paycheck .",
        "you had me at inbred , cannibalistic hillbillies ! MOV is a hard film to not reccomend , but the film does nothing to distinguish itself in any way .",
        "a tedious slasher picture with yet another inbred monster as its star villain .",
        "MOV has plenty of bad - ations : decapitation , mutilation , evisceration . but it 's got an unexpectedly fun - ation - its hillbilly variation on panic room .",
        "it 's the kind of film where an actor from the wb walks through a run-down cabin , picks up a jar full of human teeth , goes , ewwww , then still continues to look for a bathroom .",
        "for a horror cheese-fest about six ill-fated teens on the verge of brutal maceration by inbred hick monsters , MOV is surprisingly worth the detour",
        "i got the feeling that a whole lot of talented people had gone and wasted their time on a project too bland to be worth it .",
        "if giggling hillbillies fuel your nightmares , then there 's a chance you 'll be rendered sleepless by this inept , wannabe horror flick .",
        "was MOV directed by the kind of in-bred mountain men depicted in the film ? the opening credits is the only device that drive the plot -- the rest is simply a squeal-inducing hunt movie .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "an unremarkable slasher flick that fails to distinguished itself from others of its ilk .",
    "id": "13811"
  },
  {
    "movie": "black_mass_2015",
    "reviews":
     [
        "`` MOV '' is a solid piece of filmmaking , from subtle beginning to the excessive end .",
        "in scene after scene , some fine actors go to town and dive into the material gratefully .",
        "what `` MOV '' gains in moral honesty , it loses in dramatic momentum . even filmmakers and actors as fine as these have n't managed to solve one of cinema 's most enduring challenges - making criminals interesting without exalting them .",
        "electrifying , mesmerizing , and filled with tour de force performances ... instantly the best film of the year so far .",
        "this parade of slaughter by someone who barely seems interested in his own fate grows monotonous .",
        "a crime drama that creeps and drips blood like a horror movie , and in many respects it is .",
        "johnny depp 's transformative shift into feared boston crime boss whitey bulger marks a career high for the actor who has finally regained his magic touch for portraying well-defined , memorable characters .",
        "the steady flow of sour deals , minor slights avenged , and prostitutes that require beating to death -lrb- poor juno temple -rrb- begin to wear on one 's attention .",
        "stellar talent soars in this stranger than fiction true life gangster tale .",
        "it 's the anti-goodfellas , for better and for worse . very entertaining , but there 's something missing .",
        "`` MOV '' is a strong , assured film , and depp 's turn as bulger is one of the best pieces of work in his long , eccentric career .",
        "MOV , a down and dirty crime drama based on the exploits of boston gangster james `` whitey '' bulger , is thrilling for a number of reasons .",
        "a solid addition to the gangster genre , then . they just forgot to give you anybody to care about or like .",
        "the most terrifying image on movie screens this year is the ice blue eyes of johnny depp as crime boss jimmy `` whitey '' bulger , opaque , implacable , and piercing .",
        "-lrb- johnny -rrb- depp , however , dominates `` black mass. '' his bulger is a cold-blooded reptile , a human cobra ready to strike at the slightest provocation .",
        "feels like the worst kind of history lesson where we never learn why we 're supposed to care about any of it .",
        "propelled by a raw and primal performance by johnny depp , scott cooper 's MOV will have you barricading your doors and hiding under the bed after seeing this corrosive gangster film .",
        "a bleak , claustrophobic based-on-fact film that draws us completely into a dark world of crime and complicity .",
        "while there 's nothing totally new here , MOV works the tropes extremely well and sets the scene early in the mean streets of 1970s south boston .",
        "depp digs deep in `` black mass. . ''",
        "MOV turns aviator shades and a receding hairline into one hell of a scary combo .",
        "MOV more or less limits itself to procedural status . within those aims , it 's a pretty good one , absorbing and well-made .",
        "a void about a void who 's in fact not a void but a person who , in the movie sense at least , deserves better .",
        "depp 's brutal antihero is the highlight of this compelling if somewhat familiar gangster movie .",
        "mortdecai is still the best johnny depp movie of 2015 .",
        "depp rarely possesses the aura of someone with his real-life character 's power .",
        "i 'm as susceptible as any other deskbound , conflict-averse fantasist to the visceral appeal of a good gangster movie . but `` MOV '' is n't one .",
        "if there 's a problem with MOV , it 's that the general arc of the story is well known ... its details reflect the plot points of many other gangster films . but it 's the getting there that 's the thrill .",
        "the acting in `` MOV '' is tremendous .",
        "it 's one of those movies that you do n't exactly enjoy -lrb- so many guns , so many deaths -rrb- , but you appreciate for its craft and tension , and for its cast 's willingness to lose themselves in the darkness .",
        "for MOV , johnny depp has dusted off his a-game , which has lain dormant for far too long .",
        "a mixed bag , full of diamonds in the rough and a few precious gems .",
        "though its impressively sprawling cast feels largely untapped , MOV is a much-needed reminder of depp 's capacity for subtlety .",
        "fine performances , especially from johnny depp , barely compensate for an undercooked , pedestrian screenplay overstuffed with too many poorly developed characters",
        "johnny depp proves again that he can take on any role and make us believe he is that character .",
        "... this is depp 's movie , and it 's about as close to the comeback role we all could have wanted for him .",
        ". . depp enters each scene as if he 's just come from a costume party , and won .",
        "scott cooper 's self-serious style has been oppressive in movies like crazy heart and out of the furnace , but this time he actually has real material to take seriously .",
        "how much longer must we subscribe , as moviegoers , to the sentimental brotherhood of violence ?",
        "it 's good to see depp back to form . shame about the movie he 's in , though .",
        "the tale of whitey bulger and his involvement with the boston fbi and his own politician brother never quite comes into clear focus .",
        "embedded in depp 's performance is the implication of a hard life , a man whose sociopathy is the result of his primal desire to be boston 's silverback gorilla .",
        "depp creepy and spot-on",
        "even with its few shortcomings , ` MOV ' is a powerful , well-made , well-acted film .",
        "i 'm sure the filmmakers were n't trying to make a mind numbingly boring film about the banality of evil , but that 's what MOV is .",
        "`` all this drinking , violence , destruction of property ... are these the things we think of when we think of the irish ? ''",
        "johnny depp as a villain works for me . not much else he does comes close to being as good as when he 's a bad guy . based on a true story , this is intense and depp is brilliant .",
        "what an ugly , droning nothing of a movie director scott cooper 's MOV turns out to be .",
        "it 's as if the spirit of a psychopath like bulger resists the camera . or maybe the movie is n't imaginative enough to penetrate his shell .",
        "... frightening depiction of bulger by johnnydepp as a cruel , coldblooded killer ... highlighted by a scene between depp and julianne nicholson that 's as disturbing as any scene between jodie foster and anthony hopkins in ` silence of the lambs . '",
        "but scott cooper 's MOV , based on the book of the same name by first-rate boston globe reporters dick lehr and gerard o'neill , is a misfire .",
        "-lsb- depp -rsb- holds the screen as pure malevolence .",
        "within the canon of boston gangster movies , this one is decidedly of the first order .",
        "`` MOV '' is a riveting character study and might land depp an oscar nomination , even if the film itself is not very ambitious .",
        "122 minutes of what with absolutely no why .",
        "MOV struggles to find something new to say about organized crime and the loyalty between men . but the only thing the film manages to do is remind us we 've seen all this stuff done before , and done better .",
        "cooper strives to construct a sprawling saga of corruption , only to end up with a few terrific scenes and a lot of dead air .",
        "this is a violent film about a criminally evil person who killed or corrupted almost everyone around him . depp 's portrayal of him makes this one not to miss .",
        "like any crime saga without a more potent thematic hook , the film 's relentlessly insular script dwells on themes of loyalty and fraternity .",
        "scorsese already did south boston gangsters to much better effect in the departed -lrb- no masterpiece -rrb- , and MOV lacks all the period pep of american hustle , where we actually cared about its delusional cons .",
        "early on , cooper 's movie finds an episodic rhythm and follows it to dramatic cul-de-sacs . just turn around and head somewhere else , from jai alai frontons in miami to shipping weapons to the irish republican army .",
        "-lsb- depp -rsb- festoons himself with bad teeth , an elfin nose , and malamute eyes with fascinatingly grotesque results . what 's new , however , is that he does n't seem content with just pleasing himself this time .",
        "johnny depp ditches the flouncy flourishes , silly accents and funny hats and gets back down to the business of acting in MOV , easily his finest film in a decade .",
        "it 's all handsomely mounted and strikingly shot . the performances are all good , and the dialogue has a muted grandeur . but you 'll also notice just how unriveted you are , just how little you can bring yourself to care .",
        "one only wishes that this gangster film was as memorable and riveting as the great lead performance of johnny depp .",
        "it may not be quite in the league of the departed or goodfellas but sharp direction and a chilling performance by johnny depp as whitey bulger makes this a worthwhile entry in the gangster film genre .",
        "whenever depp is on screen , it has a wicked , hypnotic quality ... but the dramatic core of the film is flat , which makes it feel more derivative than devastating",
        "depp gives one of his richest performances as james `` whitey '' bulger .",
        "MOV may not be transcendent , but , thankfully , it also is n't transcendence .",
        "johnny depp has certainly played a number of odd characters over the year , but this is the first time in memory he 's played a monster . and what a monster .",
        "a hilarious chowder rainbow of bad boston accents aside , MOV is such a sturdily faceless production that it could have come from a kit labeled `` whitey bulger biopic . ''",
        "it 's a familiar formula - most crime movies are these days - but in this instance it 's well-done formula .",
        "depp 's performance as bulger is as strong , and as energized , as anything he 's done on screen for years .",
        "while scorsese 's `` the departed '' will undoubtedly be in the back of your mind the whole time , MOV is a solid enough effort to appease fans of the genre .",
        "depp is electric in the role , not least because of the physical transformation of the dark-haired , dark-eyed actor into a man so pale and blonde he 's nicknamed `` whitey . ''",
        "MOV is an intriguing blend of classic gangster movie drama under the umbrella of an intimate bulger biopic .",
        "an involving look at a bizarre piece of criminal history . also , a very welcome return to form for johnny depp .",
        "there are bad people . sometimes they die , sometimes they go to jail , but they 'll always be recapped by the end credits .",
        "it cribs from just about everything martin scorsese has ever done in the genre - but without any of the complicated morality , stylistic artistry , or seductive panache . .",
        "an amazing subdued performance in evil by depp .",
        "the role is depp 's best in many years , and a welcome respite from the parade of prancing pseudo-villains-mortdecai , the wolf , barnabas collins , jack sparrow , willy wonka-to which he has devoted far too much of his career .",
        "MOV ably demonstrates that there 's still some life left in a genre that , just when we think we 're out , pulls us back in .",
        "props to depp for finding the calm centre in a violent , unpredictable character .",
        "while the whole is less than the sum of its parts , this retelling of the whitey bulger story sure has some magnificent parts .",
        "it 's a relief to see johnny depp so alive , so visceral , and so overwhelming . not since 2001 's blow , or better yet , 1998 's fear and loathing in las vegas , has he taken a film and run away with it like this .",
        "while depp is the main attraction , it is the remarkable story populated by an all star cast ... that make the film worthwhile .",
        "it 's not a bad movie , but it feels awfully familiar .",
        "depp finally breaks out of his years-long slump to remind us what a fine actor he truly is -- when he puts his mind to it . and , here , his mind is working 100 percent .",
        "johnny depp is transfixing as whitey bulger in a film that makes good use of tone and tension to tell its violent story .",
        "stars depp in a performance generating awards talk , makes a complicated story coherent without dumbing it down -lrb- much -rrb- , lets a bunch of strong actors do their things , and yet inspires little more than adjectives like ` efficient ' and ` workmanlike . '",
        "there are moments of icy violence , and some great lived-in faces among the characters . but this is no `` goodfellas . '' it 's just another punk , talking tough .",
        "MOV is a tightly wound piece of work , and cooper keeps its many small parts moving with ease .",
        "nicely grounded , even if depp is never more than `` jack nicholson lite '' and the film just another `` son of the departed . ''",
        "with all the talent on board here , expectations go beyond creepiness ; unfortunately creepiness is about as far as the movie ultimately goes .",
        "depp 's superb work here is a major turnaround in a career fallen to hats and halloween costumes .",
        "depp has completely vindicated himself with an electrifying performance as the vicious , snarling , unpredictable hoodlum who ruled the city of boston for many years .",
        "forget about his outings as tonto or mortdecai . depp is back in form as the ruthless killer .",
        "depp really is impressive . if only that were enough .",
        "a textbook for brilliant ensemble acting , johnny depp is ruthless , calculating , and magnetic in ` MOV ' .",
        "it might not be quite up to scorsese standards in terms of highly polished organized crime tales that equally unnerve & entertain viewers , but it 's solid work all around . -lrb- full content review - sex , violence , profanity , etc. - for parents available -rrb-",
        "whenever depp is on screen , nothing else matters .",
        "ambitious but anti-climatic MOV is an interesting miss ...",
        "for all its strengths , MOV feels , more than anything , like actors playing dress-up",
        "the dense drama offers one of the strongest ensembles of the year .",
        "seedy , sadistic story of south boston 's most notorious irish mobster - with johnny depp as sociopathic james ` whitey ' bulger .",
        "for anyone who 's ever dreamt of having his expectations met , there 's MOV , a movie that 's exactly what you think it 's going to be .",
        "it 's a very good film about a very bad man . but as well-crafted and well-acted as it is , it never rises to greatness because we 've been watching this story in one way or another going back to the time of jimmy cagney and edward g. robinson .",
        "johnny depp is oscar-worthy in this terrific crime biopic .",
        "MOV is confident , robust entertainment .",
        "MOV may not quite climb to the pantheon of gangster films that it emulates , but it remains at its best its own work of power and impact .",
        "it 's not the celtic godfather . depp is terrifying , and the cast is superb . but the film needs more heart and soul .",
        "it 's a mind boggling story , one in which a petty criminal built an empire by playing the f.b.i during the same years his brother billy was president of the state senate ... depp 's bulger is the strongest work we 've seen from the actor in decades .",
        "MOV is not one of the cinema 's classic mob pictures . depp 's performance is .",
        "johnny depp is at the top of his game , here , as whitey bulger , a very intimidating , larger-than-life monster without a functioning conscience .",
        "MOV has a familiar formula many have become accustomed to with crime films , but the surprisingly strong performance from johnny depp not only keeps matters intriguing but also allows you to appreciate the unsettling nature of the film .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "depp terrifies as dangerously violent real-life gangster .",
        "for all the deserved accolades depp will receive , this movie really is secretly -lsb- joel -rsb- edgerton 's .",
        "depp and edgerton drive MOV and in their hands this mob film rises above its rough spots . their performances are the reason to see black mass. .",
        "without a compelling perspective or any real insight into bulger 's sociopathic personality , it 's left to depp to carry the load .",
        "proof that even after all this time , audiences have n't even begun to see everything that johnny depp is capable of .",
        "most of the time , MOV feels far more fascinated with its situation than with the people in that situation .",
        "moody cinematography and a brooding sense of a community in which loyalty is everything add to the appeal of this sprawling , fact-based saga .",
        "the acting here is much stronger and more soulful than i would have expected , and not only from depp .",
        "depp 's performance , chilling as it may be , is rather basic , though formidable , with variable degrees of bulger 's anger and rage .",
        "bulger 's sharp blue eyes peer out from a menacing scowl , and an iconic monster comes to life .",
        "MOV does n't break any new ground , but it 's a meaty addition to the modern american crime genre .",
        "it 's not that this is a bad performance . it 's just that to play bulger -- a notorious real-life figure in boston 's underworld -- required depp to undergo the kind of physical transformation it 's hard to see past .",
        "johnny depp is more engaging than he 's been in years , even if his performance can feel a little restricted and one-note .",
        "where `` mass '' excels is with a stellar cast whose spot on performances keep your interest as the film moves along .",
        "nicholson steals the film in two minutes . i ca n't wait to see more from her .",
        "it is depp 's show , and once you stop being distracted by the efforts of the make-up department - which give him a high forehead , drastically slicked-back hair and the faint air of a visitor from outer space - his portrayal is utterly riveting .",
        "a gritty , beautifully detailed , get-under-your skin slow burn .",
        "depp 's unforgettable performance is the reason to watch the movie .",
        "the framing device of MOV is a series of interviews with witnesses to the crimes of james `` whitey '' bulger and fbi agent john connolly . it makes the actual scenes of the movie feel like the actors are re-enacting depositions .",
        "it feels like the entire piece was created for -lsb- depp -rsb- to prove he 's still relevant to non-burton fans , and what he creates is nothing short of terrifying -lrb- in a good way -rrb- .",
        "-lsb- depp -rsb- is evidently having a fine time - and if his aim is to make our flesh creep , from his perspective at least MOV must be reckoned a success .",
        "on paper , the new gangster drama MOV has much going for it . most notably , a remarkable true story , and the long-awaited return of johnny depp to ` serious ' acting . on screen , however , MOV does n't go anywhere much .",
        "what we 're left with is a gripping mood piece without a payoff , a film lacking the dramatic or emotional intrigue we associate with mob movies -- and that remain necessary to any film .",
        "moral selectivity is in full flight here , as things are done that are justified by the means",
        "johnny depp 's tour de force performance as legendary boston crime boss james ` whitey ' bulger carries this heavy hitting gangster film , in which loyalty is everything",
        "johnny depp turns in a terrific performance as a real-life cold-blooded killer .",
        "it 's depp 's best work in years , suggesting that maybe his insistence on hiding behind heavy makeup and wigs in almost every recent role has not been the problem .",
        "a riveting drama that takes us into territory previously unexplored in gangster movies .",
        "depp shows us what he can do with psycho-serial instead of charming , funny and slightly idiotic . and the effect is spellbinding .",
        "`` MOV '' is the sort of gangland film you would call run of the mill , if only it dashed faster .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a grievous , blood-strewn , sumptuously lensed portrait of a human monster who believed he was above the law -- and , for far too many years , kind of was .",
        "given depp 's performance and the high-calibre cast around him , it 's disappointing MOV is n't better .",
        "it 's impossible to take a movie seriously when the leading man looks - and acts - like goldmember .",
        "depp is undeniably striking as the film 's human centrepiece but his performance feels gimmicky ; it 's impossible to get past the freak factor .",
        "as scary as jimmy may appear , he 's anomalous and remote .",
        "depp hones in and practically disappears into the part of the psychopathic crime boss . you get chills whenever he 's onscreen , when his eyes can become as cold and menacing as any weapon .",
        "the two lead actors and the complexity of their involvement to each other carried my interest almost entirely throughout an untidy but compelling and gruesome crime opera .",
        "this is the best performance we 've seen from johnny depp in a while . he 's created a character who will keep you on your toes throughout the whole film .",
        "an effective entertainment buoyed by two men who literally make or break it .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't pretty , but it certainly is strong .",
        "the long overdue return of johnny depp , dramatic actor .",
        "we want more than just the facts , but the movie takes this story at face value and runs with it .",
        "the way -lsb- depp -rsb- plays bulger , where even a touch of his hand to a woman 's face is more threatening than a gun placed to an informant 's head , goes beyond the normal bounds of acting . this is greatness unfolding in front of our eyes .",
        "it 's well-made . it boasts a lot of good actors . it proves -lrb- if proof were needed -rrb- that johnny depp can underplay . but it 's also neither particularly compelling , nor exciting .",
        "johnny depp gives an utterly chilling performance as the notorious james `` whitey '' bulger in boston-set crime drama black mass. .",
        "`` this is just business , '' bulger constantly points out as he goes about his macabre activities . it feels like it .",
        "it 's a handsome post-scorsese gangster biopic with flavourful supporting performances and a strong sense of place , but it never takes off with the velocity of the film it most resembles , american hustle .",
        "`` MOV '' is like johnny depp 's troublesome mask of makeup : we 're not sure what , if anything , is going on underneath it , and its biggest failing is how close it gets to almost looking like the real thing .",
        "this is depp bringing his skills to the table as a man with a propensity for being both terrifying and charming , often switching between the two on a dime .",
        "MOV has the ambition to be goodfellas ; the fact that it failed does n't make the film a failure though ; it 's worth your time for depp alone .",
        "a big , brash , horribly watchable gangster picture taken from an extraordinary true story and conceived on familiar generic lines .",
        "fascinating and repellant , but nothing new .",
        "johnny depp does career-best work as notorious boston gangster james ` whitey ' bulger in scott cooper 's taut , elegantly understated crime drama .",
        "depp shines in a solid gangster biopic .",
        "the movie 's good enough that you should see it if you want to . but you do n't have to , and , in these parts , that matters .",
        "depp disappears into the character to create a cold-blooded killer who can create empathy when tragedy befalls his family , and he shows us a level-headed businessman who can strangle a woman to death and then take a nap before a dinner meeting .",
        "MOV aims for grandeur and misses embarrassingly .",
        "you forgive the zigs , zags , evasions and subplots for the hardcore power of depp 's performance and the film 's portrait of moral rot on both sides of the law .",
        "this is the sort of movie sidney lumet might have made in his prime -- intelligently written , handsomely mounted , and loaded with top actors .",
        "whether `` MOV '' eclipses `` donnie brasco , '' `` blow '' or `` public enemies '' remains debatable , but depp 's performance emerges as more memorable .",
        "depp dials into the man 's malevolent charisma and canniness . the connection is clear as a bell , and it 's as good as anything he 's done in a decade .",
        "individual scenes build to satisfying jolts , but the movie as a whole feels both derivative and disjointed .",
        "this is a good , solid , well-executed crime story . nothing more , nothing less .",
        "depp 's performance ... makes this journey into the world of a vicious crime lord endlessly engrossing and at times positively startling .",
        "despite being a fairly compelling true-life story with some fine performances , MOV never attains the greatness to match its ambition .",
        "coiled , magnetic , frightening and seductive , depp 's whitey bulger is more like the serpent kaa from the jungle book than he is your usual screen gangster . ... MOV gets far more right than it gets wrong in bringing the bulger-fbi saga to the screen .",
        "welcome back to the real world , mr. depp .",
        "MOV is n't the departed , and it 's a bit too black and white . but movie mobster fans can relax , cause the movie does n't need to have a hit taken out on it .",
        "the fact-based MOV places as an also-ran next to the departed , with its more fanciful spin on bulger myth , proving the dictum found in the man who shot liberty valance : `` when the legend becomes fact , print the legend . ''",
        "it 's absolutely chilling to watch depp . with bad teeth and a head of dramatically receding hair , the actor somewhat resembles jack nicholson in the departed but deftly avoids caricature as he grows more sinister with every murder .",
        "depp puts on a good show , but the movie does n't really move .",
        "as a historical document , the movie is strong , but as a story it limps , leaving us cold at the end .",
        "for all of its flaws , it 's the first american gangster film since `` eastern promises '' that has added anything truly fresh to the classic , street-level gangster story .",
        "scott cooper makes the deeds of bulger and his winter-hill gang a depressing roster of slightly escalating crimes-not only does crime not pay , it 's not very much fun .",
        "i believe scott cooper 's MOV can run with scorsese 's mob trilogy of goodfellas , casino and the departed ."],
    "summary": "MOV spins a gripping yarn out of its fact-based story -- and leaves audiences with one of johnny depp 's most compelling performances in years .",
    "id": "771383582"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1093874-superstar",
    "reviews":
     [
        "here is a portrait of a character so sad and hapless , so hard to like , so impossible to empathize with , that watching it feels like an act of unkindness .",
        "the story is simple -- almost painfully so -- but it still could have worked had the screenplay been more focused and innovative , and the characters dealt with more satisfyingly .",
        "forced bits of padding such as those just show that the concept really does n't merit more than the five minutes its allotted on saturday nights .",
        "the movie blows .",
        "little more than a warmed-over tv skit .",
        "there 's a message in there somewhere , but i 'm not sure it 's worth seeking out .",
        "redundant , repetitive and not particularly amusing , with an unacceptably low gag-to-laugh ratio .",
        "mary katherine 's best suited for the small screen , so wait for the video .",
        "i was amused . i was n't exactly enthralled , but that 's nothing to be surprised about when attending a film based on a 9-minute television skit .",
        "the script by steven wayne koren bumps along , using musical numbers and fantasy sequences as filler in a thin plot .",
        "the overall posture of the film is that we are just watching lots of five-minute bits strung together around an inane plot and irritating characters .",
        "a 5-minute comedy sketch of the same material would be preferable .",
        "the funniest snl movie since wayne 's world .",
        "it 's the first film in a long while to give a woman the freedom to ` get jiggy ' with all-out jim carrey-esque full body humor .",
        "as snl women go , only gilda radner seemed as willing to rib so much of herself for our pleasure .",
        "delivers plenty of laughs and succeeds on a level that recent snl movies did n't .",
        "former kid in the hall bruce mcculloch proves an able director .",
        "it 's one of the more watchable spin-offs from the show .",
        "we got ta give shannon credit for staying in fine schoolgirl form for MOV 's 90 minutes or so of teen silliness .",
        "MOV will rank closer to wayne 's world than it 's pat or roxbury . in saturday night live terms , that constitutes a masterpiece .",
        "silly but compellingly sweet movie .",
        "as the film goes on , the character does get depth , the situations do stay reasonably fresh and the humour keeps things mostly above the belt .",
        "MOV is quirky , funny , very often bizarre and surprisingly enjoyable .",
        "the three-dimensional and genuinely talented shannon is a real find .",
        "in the higher middle of producer lorne michaels ' cinematic oeuvre .",
        "seriously awful one-joke stupidity .",
        "about as funny as an oozing fever blister .",
        "a pleasant surprise .",
        "even snl fans will find this movie too long .",
        "mary katherine gallagher takes a little getting used to for the unwitting viewer . she grows on you , though , and , despite yourself , you get to like her quirky ways .",
        "contrasting the erotic with the disgusting is usually provocative and can be funny , but not in this underdog comedy .",
        "much more enjoyable than the sketches on which it is based , and shannon 's performance is brimming with fun and energy .",
        "this movie manages to have more touching and hilarious moments than most schlock comedies could hope for .",
        "`` saturday night live '' - sketch-turned-film is slight -- and surprisingly enjoyable .",
        "i 've seen this sketch numerous times on snl -- it is n't funny at five minutes , at 90 minutes it 's unbearable .",
        "just picture an snl skit that does n't know when to end , with no musical guest or at least a few commercials to break up the monotony , and you begin to get the idea .",
        "a funny character with a couple of trademark catchphrases does not on its own constitute a funny movie .",
        "simply stated , there 's not a movie 's worth of story here .",
        "there are some pretty goofy moments here , but the movie looks like it was just thrown together as a quickie to capitalize on snl 's anniversary .",
        "bikini waxing and pulling chin hairs is much more enjoyable .",
        "a stick-figure rembrandt that provides neither the quick surreal poke of a tv satire nor the full lustre of an actual movie .",
        "weighing in at 82 minutes , it 's nothing more than a one-joke snl skit stretched into a full-length motion picture .",
        "while the plot is well-worn and somewhat clumsily put together , the fine performance of shannon as the main character powers the movie along pretty well until the film stumbles to its predictable conclusion .",
        "the film proceeds predictably to the big , dull finale .",
        "the show belongs to shannon and her transcendentally dorky creation .",
        "another snl misfire .",
        "it 's a good thing for MOV that mary katherine generates so much laughing good will , since little else about the movie does .",
        "the film is reminiscent of saturday night live in two ways : both are about 90 minutes long and both are funny in about one skit in five .",
        "watching molly shannon make out with a tree is amusing , but not even someone of her comic endurance can drag out that joke for the entire doddering length of MOV .",
        "MOV is considerably less fun than a marathon of star search episodes .",
        "i might just watch it again when it comes on cable in eight months or so . but is it worth even the price a matinee admission ? no way .",
        "shannon offers a one-note performance that 's ultimately more silly than sustaining .",
        "jeez , i was yearning to leave after less than five minutes watching the spectacularly annoying , thirty-something molly shannon flounce around as an adolescent social misfit .",
        "sluggish and predictable .",
        "other than some slightly amusing moments where mary practices her make out skills with a tree and stop sign post , the rest of the intended humor simply fails to hit the right comedic notes .",
        "it 's dumb .",
        "MOV may not be the most unnecessary movie of the year , but it 's got to rank right up there .",
        "there 's really no reason for anyone to see this film except die hard shannon fans .",
        "a comedy with several good laughs but no convincing cohesion .",
        "the secret of mary katherine 's success is that she is n't afraid to risk looking foolish by trying too hard . the secret of shannon 's success is that she knows just how hard to try .",
        "synonymous with crap .",
        "MOV strikes a universal chord , no matter what rung of the popularity ladder we were on in high school .",
        "it has the usual malady : a premise that seems worn thin in ninety seconds , much less ninety minutes .",
        "MOV is , surprisingly , not awful .",
        "the MOV script is often dumb , sometimes derivative and frequently mean .",
        "a sweet story of self-discovery and romance ."],
    "summary": "dumb script and flat jokes made this another snl misfire .",
    "id": "12633"
  },
  {
    "movie": "about_schmidt",
    "reviews":
     [
        "payne and taylor have taken another giant step forward with a mature , adult piece of work that takes a rare and unvarnished look at life as it is .",
        "nicholson 's acting sets a new gold standard , making schmidt a movie you wo n't forget .",
        "while MOV features jack nicholson 's most impressively controlled performance in many years , the film 's mix of bleakness and cheap laughs has to be seen as a disappointment after the sharp satire and moral complexity of election .",
        "i just loved every minute of this film .",
        "MOV is about perfect . it has heart , humor and a healthy appreciation for the frailties of human nature .",
        "it 's an astonishing piece of acting and a really interesting film .",
        "on balance , i recommend the movie both for nicholson 's performance and for the opportunity to spend some time with the kind of man that we often meet in real life , but rarely see on screen .",
        "this road movie gives you emotional whiplash , and you 'll be glad you went along for the ride .",
        "more touching and thoughtful than kathy bates ' fat hoo-hoo , full frontal shot would suggest . but do n't worry , ladies : you get to see jack 's naked backside , too .",
        "ultimately this is a frustrating patchwork : an uneasy marriage of louis begley 's source novel -lrb- MOV -rrb- and an old payne screenplay .",
        "the laughs are n't broad , the tears are n't big , the people are n't special . which is , of course , what makes them so very special after all .",
        "there is n't one moment of its humor that is n't grounded in pain -- schmidt 's and our own .",
        "nicholson , emphatically off autopilot and acting entirely without vanity , perfectly captures schmidt 's fear , loneliness and fervent hope that his life is worth more than he 's come to assume .",
        "the movie is our story as much as it is schmidt 's , no matter if it 's viewed as a self-reflection or cautionary tale .",
        "this is a startling , resonant , life-affirming movie -- both deeply funny and deeply moving .",
        "it 's about everything . and nothing .",
        "an impressively bleak comedy with intimations of social satire .",
        "it will probably capture another oscar nomination for nicholson , who is best in the role when he is completely silent .",
        "one of the true pleasures of MOV is the way in which all of the characters are revealed to be as real as you or i and not just atypical caricatures created for our snickers .",
        "despite jack nicholson 's competence , this comedy about a midwestern retiree never goes beyond mocking its characters and flattering its audience .",
        "there 's nothing especially tragic and affecting here , just a bland character coping with some amusing family politics .",
        "payne 's movie is flat , depressed , and at times -- given this director 's talent -- disappointingly curdled .",
        "it 's truly a thrill to see the steady yet remarkable -lrb- not to mention darn exciting -rrb- growth exhibited by young filmmakers like payne",
        "showcases what 's easily one of the year 's best performances , and it 's thoroughly delightful besides ... one of the jewels of recent american film .",
        "jack nicholson flourishes as a contemporary uncle vanya .",
        "it 's a smartly written and very entertaining flick that fans of nicholson will not want to miss .",
        "this is the best type of comedy . in the theater , the material is worthy of gut-busting laughs , but reflection reveals the serious underbelly .",
        "impeccable acting makes every character a pleasure to watch .",
        "a cuttingly funny , moving portrayal of a man searching for meaning in his unremarkable , unmemorable life .",
        "it has a redemptive quality that is sentimental without being saccharine , and nicholson 's reflective and interior performance stings like the saline in a single tear .",
        "while some of the humor here is fairly broad , nicholson is at his most subdued , and he is therefore at his best .",
        "takes us on a journey toward self-awareness that is both deadpan hilarious and profoundly moving .",
        "i liked MOV a lot , but i have a feeling that i would have liked it much more if harry & tonto never existed .",
        "it 's a boring movie about a boring man , made watchable by a bravura performance from a consummate actor incapable of being boring .",
        "a thought-provoking and often-funny drama about isolation .",
        "the people in schmidt 's life are just like the people in ours : flawed , frequently ridiculous , but possessed of their own peculiar dignity .",
        "there 's no actor on the planet like nicholson , and here he 's at the peak of his powers .",
        "nicholson embraces his age and gives an understated , movie-carrying performance that constantly reminds us of his greatness .",
        "perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy , hope and despair , MOV instead comes far closer than many movies to expressing the way many of us live -- someplace between consuming self-absorption and insistently demanding otherness .",
        "kathy bates hijacks the whole film as roberta hertzel .",
        "MOV is undoubtedly one of the finest films of the year . if you 're not deeply touched by this movie , check your pulse .",
        "jack nicholson gives one of his best performances in years ...",
        "MOV is a road film and a character study very much like five easy pieces , and a fable of reconciliation poignant and pointed .",
        "payne has created a beautiful canvas , and nicholson proves once again that he 's the best brush in the business .",
        "flamboyant in some movies and artfully restrained in others , 65-year-old jack nicholson could be looking at his 12th oscar nomination by proving that he 's now , more than ever , choosing his roles with the precision of the insurance actuary .",
        "even while playing in a minor key with low-to-moderate tone colors , jack nicholson can knock your socks off .",
        "... an often funny , generally poignant and mostly realistic portrait of a common joe , trying to come to terms with the holes left after a lifetime of hard work .",
        "each deft stroke of payne 's pen is matched by a nicholson flourish , transforming the film into a moving , bittersweet ballet .",
        "MOV belongs to nicholson . gone are the flamboyant mannerisms that are the trademark of several of his performances . as schmidt , nicholson walks with a slow , deliberate gait , chooses his words carefully and subdues his natural exuberance .",
        "not a shred of movie-star vanity finds its way into nicholson 's portrayal of the beat-down everyman .",
        "it 's little more than a lightweight satire about the average life of a typical midwesterner that shows no affection for its characters like fargo does",
        "payne constructs a hilarious ode to middle america and middle age with this unlikely odyssey , featuring a pathetic , endearing hero who is all too human .",
        "using emotions that have been turned down so low they 're barely evident , nicholson remains utterly true to his character 's roots ; decades of self-denial and self-restraint have stamped out whatever fire was once in this man .",
        "MOV can be rough going ; the laughter always hurts just a little bit .",
        "a brilliant comedy , one of the best films of the year .",
        "MOV is solidly a wry , smart and intuitive showcase . payne has proven time and time again that he is a crafty social satirist whose finger is constantly on the pulse regarding his comical and caustic commentaries .",
        "alexander payne 's follow-up to his critically praised debut , election , struggles throughout to convey a purpose and vision . while the humor is evident in the premise , it fails consistently to execute successfully .",
        "one of the best films of the year .",
        "because of payne 's sacrifices to comedy , he does n't deserve someone as good as nicholson in the lead",
        "... a serious work with serious problems .",
        "that a film such as MOV can be so dark and yet so funny , so poignant and yet so uplifting , is something of a miracle .",
        "two hours of alexander payne encouraging the audience to congratulate themselves on how smart they are .",
        "warren schmidt is a strange man , but you 'll be glad you accompanied him on his journey .",
        "a lazy effort peppered only sparingly with inspiration .",
        "if you 're into quality filmmaking , this should have you doing cartwheels in puddles of your own saliva .",
        "it 's that face that lingers in one 's mind , long after the closing credits .",
        "sensitive , insightful and beautifully rendered film . one of the best of the year .",
        "MOV treads a fine line between glib and profound , between comic and sad , but in doing so shows the audience that it 's usually easier to laugh at someone than it is to take a hard look at them .",
        "the sharp comedy that occupies most of the film melts into a sentimental -- but not syrupy -- conclusion that is one of my favorite movie endings of the year .",
        "the beauty of alexander payne 's ode to the everyman is in the details .",
        "nicholson still manages to charm the pants out of us , even when he 's playing a gloomy retiree .",
        "together , nicholson and payne make MOV a cinematic miniature with a massive heart .",
        "a deft , incisive social satire that fills your heart with warmness with its recognizability , MOV first shows us the clouds and then gives us their often humorous silver linings .",
        "payne also understands what it has taken me most of a lifetime to comprehend : that the schmidts of this world are not to be easily dismissed .",
        "nicholson is fantastic .",
        "a crazed retiree finds himself bored with life and over-compensating . nicholson gives another terrific performance while the film 's pace drags everything else down .",
        "at once ridiculous and profoundly touching .",
        "-lsb- w -rsb- hen nicholson decides to bring a character to life , he 's so captivating that you forget he 's a movie star . such is the case with MOV .",
        "i do n't know if there is another actor alive who could have made MOV as entertaining as it is .",
        "great work by jack nicholson in the title role plus kathy bates , hope davis and dermot mulroney at the tempered hand of writer/director alexander payne .",
        "... director/writer alexander payne and writing partner jim taylor have given us yet another comic masterpiece , and certainly nicholson will be virtually guaranteed an oscar nod .",
        "com\u0439dia melanc\u0443lica que traz nicholson em grande atua\u0437\u0433o como homem amargo por n\u0433o ter feito diferen\u0437a no mundo .",
        "with nicholson , payne has made his best film yet , a movie that is funny and touching without ever compromising its vision .",
        "bring your patience to the latest jack nicholson film ... it 's very slow , but very rewarding .",
        "it 's a brilliant , honest performance by nicholson , but the film is an agonizing bore except when the fantastic kathy bates turns up . bravado kathy !",
        "nicholson has found his best character since randle patrick mcmurphy .",
        "as witty as election was , this is a deeper , more eloquent movie , and nicholson is extraordinary .",
        "this is a superb film and one of nicholson 's great performances , tamped down but magnetic .",
        "funny and yet depressing , schmidt 's bemused observations of his world made me laugh , but the exposure of that world 's lack of warmth made me want to cry .",
        "this is christmas future for a lot of baby boomers .",
        "payne has assembled a collection of brilliant elements here , but not all of them belong in the same movie .",
        "an utterly believable and gut-wrenching portrait of midwestern loneliness .",
        "MOV is nicholson 's goofy , heartfelt , mesmerizing king lear .",
        "a quiet , heart-rending masterpiece , one with an actor 's turn that people will remember , and rediscover , eons into the future .",
        "nicholson 's cranky father of the bride is as touching as he is exasperating , and the delightfully oddball MOV is just about perfect .",
        "trying their hand at hope , payne and taylor reveal they should stick to cynicism . but nicholson 's performance is powerful enough to shade this artificial sunshine .",
        "schmidt 's ponderings will touch every demographic . like all our lives , his is hilarious and tragic , filled with probing thoughts and whimsical nonsense .",
        "what `` MOV '' gets right are the small details of a life not so much lived as existed .",
        "i walked out of the theater not giving a darn MOV ...",
        "aceptable , pero una de esas que sin ese cast se ir\u00eda sin pena ni gloria directo a verla en video ...",
        "payne once again shows his deftness with the damning or heartbreaking details as his cast brings across a tidy masterpiece .",
        "` la actuaci\u00f3n de jack nicholson mueve a la ternura y la compasi\u00f3n . verdaderamente entra\u0144able . '",
        "hard to say what aspect of the film i found most disturbing ... the realization that -lsb- the character -rsb- resembles my dad ... or a hot tub scene with a naked kathy bates .",
        "delivers bittersweet comedy and a heartening message about the ever present possibility of finding significance in the world .",
        "some may choose to interpret the film 's end as hopeful or optimistic but i think payne is after something darker .",
        "... planos fijos , tomas largas , un ritmo pausado y una sutil observaci\u00f3n de sus personajes , sin estridencias ni grandes revelaciones .",
        "this is nicholson 's most mature work and along with five easy pieces and one flew over the cuckoo 's nest , the one for which he will be best remembered .",
        "un drame incroyablement \u00e9mouvant qui sait aussi bien faire rire .",
        "MOV is slice-of-life filmmaking at its sharpest and truest .",
        "painfully real moments are mixed with humorous , light-hearted bits - whenever the movie needs a pick-me-up , all schmidt has to say is two words - dear ndugu .",
        "a brutally dry satire of middle american numbness .",
        "that jack nicholson makes this man so watchable is a tribute not only to his craft , but to his legend .",
        "MOV winds up being about us all .",
        "there is a casual courage and dignity , and no small amount of obliviousness , in nicholson 's schmidt that will remind many younger people of their parents , and many older people of their brothers and friends -- and themselves .",
        "by turns hilarious and poignant , schmidt is about nothing special and everything important .",
        "the movie is n't just MOV as a personality , it 's a portrait of his world , and payne and co-writer taylor show a rare compassion for the superficially comfortable .",
        "the film aims to be funny , uplifting and moving , sometimes all at once . the extent to which it succeeds is impressive .",
        "as adult fare , it is rich and provocative .",
        "the movie feels as soft and as lost as schmidt himself , and it 's not until he reaches denver that it 's buoyed by a game supporting cast .",
        "tale of midwestern late-life angst is a triumph for star jack nicholson -- but a step back for co-writer/director alexander payne .",
        "ultimately , it 's in scenes where schmidt 's grief and emotional shock are evinced that jack shows he 's worthy of the plaudits which so freely come his way .",
        "nicholson makes a mediocre man wondrously memorable and is proof to the story-teller 's golden rule that every life hides a story -lrb- or two -rrb- .",
        "there 's something not only funny , but ultimately satisfying about seeing jack nicholson in `` MOV '' in bed with a women his age ...",
        "warm in its loving yet unforgivingly inconsistent depiction of everyday people , relaxed in its perfect quiet pace and proud in its message . i loved this film .",
        "no film this year is more successful in rousing real feelings and reactions .",
        "it 's the power of nicholson the actor , not jack the movie star , that we see here , and what 's perhaps most remarkable is that an extraordinary , vanity-free performance - what ultimately might be nicholson 's very best - emerges from such a thoroughly ordina",
        "i absolutely loved this film .",
        "a strange and fascinating balance of compassion and satire , riotous laughter and quiet drama .",
        "writer/director alexander payne -lrb- election -rrb- and his co-writer jim taylor brilliantly employ their quirky and fearless ability to look american angst in the eye and end up laughing .",
        "the film dares to ask you to care a fig about a completely ordinary and not terribly likeable old man , and perhaps one of the great accomplishments of nicholson 's career is that you do -- at least a little .",
        "mostly , the satire here amounts to nudging us into feeling superior to other people 's lives .",
        "MOV drives another nail in the coffin of irony . it is as lacking in irony as its blatant crayon drawing ending . it 's a synthetic antidote to an ironic world , a superficial contrivance that is getting voluminous applause from those who sho",
        "a simple , silent , static shot of nicholson 's face is one of the most beautiful , powerful , indelible images of the 2002 movie year .",
        "`` MOV '' is a hostility-provoking film for the same reason that american citizens have lost their civil rights . the picture endorses , nay lionizes , complacency , inaction and the privilege of the greedy to steal whatever they covet simply because th",
        "MOV is a touching , human story about a man who comes to the realisation that his life is nothing more than a failure .",
        "heartfelt nicholson , not for kids at all .",
        "alexander payne 's poignant serio comedy is a sharply observed character study , featuring jack nicholson in a towering performance as an ordinary american embarking late in life on a journey of self-discovery .",
        "sharply observed , alexander payne 's poignant comedy is a character study of an ordinary american , who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and in the process becomes humanized and extraordinary .",
        "it 's a commanding jack nicholson lead performance that puts it into a sublime league of its own .",
        "nicholson has provided an open window into this man , one like so many in that he had youthful ambitions to accomplish more than he actually did ...",
        "the dialogue and characters are fantastic and nicholson 's reactions in every scene are perfect .",
        "there 's no sign of a grinning madman or a troubled genius in nicholson 's latest screen incarnation warren schmidt , a mild-mannered insurance salesman so plain and boring he would put you to sleep if he was n't played with such wry , recessive aplomb by big",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "schmidt is suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the lack of activity in his life , where before , this seemed a right , to do nothing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is like the straight story and ikiru without beauty , warmth , the delightful discoveries along the way , or the hope .",
        "-lsb- y -rsb- ou laugh with a growing sense of dread because it makes you feel what it 's like to realize it 's too late to help yourself .",
        "a one-note movie . but you 've got to hand it to jack nicholson for playing that note so very well .",
        "the year 's most overrated picture . do n't bother .",
        "nicholson ... produces the most understated -- and one of the most powerful -- performances of his career .",
        "the pleasures of MOV are what might be called midwestern pleasures : a sly sense of humor , sturdiness , self-discipline , solidarity .",
        "a road trip of self-discovery , by turns hilarious and poignant , for a man unexpectedly at odds with the tiny world he has so laboriously made .",
        "by the end , the movie has become a reminder that average lives , lived by people who experience failures and learn from them , are extraordinary .",
        "to see a master actor rejoicing in his craft -- and a character both simpler and more complex than most of the people we ever meet on screen -- MOV is a worthy , artful journey .",
        "the film is a superb examination of life and should not be missed .",
        "a seriously good movie , a challenge to viewers , a rebuke of the way many americans live their lives .",
        "payne has taken a giant of american acting and awakened a midget in him -- a miserable , grumpy bore who seems to deserve his pipsqueak destiny .",
        "... humorous and brutal .",
        "nicholson has intentionally de-jacked himself to for this film , and the result is a performance that ranks alongside any this veteran actor has ever given .",
        "about middle-aged angst ; about an american malaise ; about an american original ; about shmidt",
        "the use of the letters to ndugu as narration was a touch of brilliance .",
        "warren schmidt 's existential winnebago could easily have been navigated by george babbitt .",
        "director alexander payne and co-writer jim taylor steer through the material 's inherent trickiness by making it funny without reducing it to an insensitive freak show .",
        "payne pokes fun of these people and these places because they 're what he knows best . and , to my eye , he 's also not above finding redeeming virtues in every last one of them .",
        "nicholson as heartland conformist and nine to five serf schmidt is the kind of character rarely seen in films , so self-effacing that he lives in the shadow of his own existence .",
        "these filmmakers have a feeling for the isolation of blasted lives , but they also ca n't resist putting them down .",
        "offers only the sporadic laugh , the less frequent original cultural insight and , at best , a craftsmanlike performance from its aging headliner .",
        "schmidt is a credible creation yet payne 's contempt runs synonymous to that of his native son 's .",
        "a must-see for nicholson 's mesmerizing performance , which would probably hold interest even if the sound were turned off .",
        "lays out an expansive , impressively even-handed vision of life in contemporary middle america .",
        "-lsb- nicholson -rsb- makes payne 's film look better than it is , but he ca n't save it from being overlong , repetitious , and flat .",
        "both as satire and as drama , MOV turns out to be a fascinating setback .",
        "an american masterpiece with jack nicholson as an angry and disappointed sixty-six year old whose heart is softened by a moment of grace delivered by a stranger from afar .",
        "payne 's latest attempt at satire falls short of impressing when it stars someone that is capable of delivering .",
        "one of the best , most understated performances of -lsb- jack nicholson 's -rsb- career .",
        "although schmidt ... does not build on the promise of payne 's earlier work , it is funny enough with sufficient star power to carry it home .",
        "MOV is largely about jack nicholson , in a comic showcase his fans wo n't want to miss .",
        "the story of an eternal optimist told by confirmed pessimists .",
        "nicholson 's understated performance is wonderful . as warren he stumbles in search of all the emotions and life experiences he 's neglected over the years .",
        "the film 's ending is not entirely happy . it takes the good with bad , suggesting that schmidt can not make his dark world bright again , but also exposing a small glimmer of hope that , if we try hard enough , we can make our own , small difference . payne , in b",
        "director alexander payne and his co-writer jim taylor stretch past the arch satire of ... `` election '' and `` citizen ruth '' to find a quirky humor and seeping humanity .",
        "what really keeps the film interesting and intriguing is the presence of jack nicholson",
        "humorous and , at the same time , incredibly sad because we see a bit -- or maybe even a lot -- of -lsb- schmidt -rsb- in ourselves .",
        "takes a person 's life , with normal , big , personal tragedies or stressors , and makes them feel as huge and unmanageable as they really are .",
        "MOV is a curious slice of americana ... the characters are so clearly drawn and the dialogue so rich , you are immediately hooked .",
        "a poignant marker in the career of a major artist .",
        "i liked how it used warren 's letters as the vehicle for sharing his journey inward"],
    "summary": "in this funny , touching character study , nicholson gives one of the best performances of his career .",
    "id": "13852"
  },
  {
    "movie": "21_grams",
    "reviews":
     [
        "` i\u044b\u0440rritu y arriaga crean una historia trepidante , poderosa y profundamente humana '",
        "a deeply spiritual film , dealing as it does with the core issues of life and death and the role god plays in them",
        "just go see it .",
        "it demands a great deal of actors whose faces and bodies are , for a while at least , our only temporal coordinates . yet all are off-the-charts remarkable .",
        "a puzzle at first , but by half way you may have figured it out , then it 's a wait until the end . character 's struggles with his or her course harsh reality is aptly realized .",
        "i\u044b\u0440rritu is dealing with love , grief and revenge in provocative ways that hollywood would never dream of , avoiding the sermons and obvious morals .",
        "after the disorienting first half hour , things get less interesting as they become clearer .",
        "a trio of noteworthy performances from watts , del toro , and penn is countered by lengthy , drawn-out , non-linear storytelling that guts the film 's dramatic impact .",
        "... so stirring , so inquisitive and so uninhibited by the restraints of cinema that it absorbed me in ways that few movies ever have .",
        "naomi watts covers a wide emotional range and is always believable , regardless of what is in the script , and some of what is in the script is very hard to believe .",
        "its trinity share enough body and blood for a half dozen catholic masses .",
        "a melancholy meditation on guilt and grief , powered by deeply empathetic performances from the three leads .",
        "-lsb- penn -rsb- , watts and del toro ... keep us distracted from the truth about 21 MOV : that it is permeated with melodrama and not nearly as deep as it would like to be .",
        "a capital-m movie , and the most flagrant kind : heavy emotion , heavy style , and lite philosophy converge and choke us with meaning .",
        "it grips us , moves us , astonishes us .",
        "this is a film that is ultimately driven by the performances of those involved and thankfully those performances are strong , engaging , and worth sitting through .",
        "inarritu establishes himself beyond the ranks of one-hit wonders eager to make the big time in hollywood and proves that amores perros was no fluke .",
        "despite the soap-opera plot and off-putting style , '21 MOV ' is , at times , an extraordinarily moving film ...",
        "the actors are magnificent . they unequivocally know who their characters are , inhabiting them so completely that you cease to remember these are actually actors , even stars .",
        "this may be the most brilliantly made movie of the year . but you do n't enjoy 21 MOV , you recover from it .",
        "21 MOV is a punch in the stomach of a movie .",
        "one of those rare films you can have a good argument about .",
        "every year needs a challenging masterwork , a movie that defies filmmaking convention and leaves an indelible mark on the collective psyche .",
        "the performances ... are the saving grace for this sullen dramatic thriller , making it watchable , even when co-screenwriter/director alejandro gonzalez inarritu does everything he can to sabotage their efforts .",
        "the performances , the way inarritu deconstructs and reconstructs the narrative , the grainy , gritty feel and look , all lead to the rare sort of experience that only a truly great film can offer .",
        "all the performances are first-rate , but it 's inarritu and his astonishing storytelling technique that will have you talking .",
        "this is a mesmerizing film that is the work of genius .",
        "a mind-bending , scrambled egg of a drama , 21 MOV is a powerful , provocative film with three impressive performances .",
        "i\u044barritu 's hopscotching narrative threatens to load down the stellar acting from its stars .",
        "it 's a movie where other people go through awful things and we have the privilege of trying to make sense of it all .",
        "fascinating because of the way the story is told -- and because of the existential issues that it forces you to consider .",
        "confounded my high expectations by being much too depressing for my taste .",
        "blessed with one of the strongest casts of any american movie this year , this bravura film , with its radical structure , is full of risk and reward .",
        "trust me , if you have a thirst for a good , dark drama , this one is a big gulp .",
        "boasts so many moments of sublime acting that it 's hard to know where to start .",
        "a terrible collision shatters more than the lives of three people . it shatters the very narrative of the story itself .",
        "although watching this story unfold takes hard work and undivided attention , it provides untold satisfaction .",
        "... a hurricane of melodrama and implausibly accelerating crises that seem orchestrated merely to turn up the intensity . ... at 125 minutes , -lsb- it -rsb- feels more like 240 .",
        "21 MOV thrashes wildly ... exhorting us to feel something . apart from the fleeting satisfaction of its structural parlor game , i felt little ... save exhausted boredom .",
        "the performances , by and large , outweigh the film 's unnecessary metaphorical gunk .",
        "quel est le poids de l'amour , de la vengeance et de la culpabilit\u05d9 ? \u05b0 vous de le d\u05d9couvrir .",
        "the structure simply does n't let any of the characters build an arc of growth or despair .",
        "the story never grabbed me , and the jumps in narrative time seemed arbitrary , soon becoming a distressing obstacle rather than a narrative lynchpin . not as good as it wants to be .",
        "`` 21 MOV '' commands a running discourse that runs as a constant thematic thread through all of humanity . the movie delivers life as a floating mysterious entity that we all share . it 's very few films that achieve anything remotely close .",
        "une oeuvre d'une rare intensit\u05d9 dramatique qui n ` a aucunement besoin de suivre un cheminement narratif classique pour susciter une vive r\u05d9action chez le spectateur",
        "thought-provoking film not for tweens/young teens .",
        "a highly emotional , thought provoking drama that easily lives up to the hype , 21 MOV is a film that has all of its bases covered : script , acting and direction .",
        "a sad movie about the irony of inescapable destiny , it left me captivated and trembling .",
        "despite juggled storytelling , the movie 's compelling .",
        "you wo n't soon forget the world that gonzalez inarritu creates .",
        "establishes -lsb- inarritu -rsb- as a major cinematic force .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- uncommonly ambitious , superbly acted , frustratingly flawed drama .",
        "the uniformly fine performances infuse the evanescent film with gravity .",
        "the performances are naturalistic , but the story is melodramatic -- it 's simply too bad to be true .",
        "challenges and provokes in unexpected ways .",
        "dripping with cinematic style .",
        "brilliantly acted but maddeningly structured .",
        "the performances by sean penn , naomi watts and benicio del toro are raw , honest and well-deserving of the awards they have gathered .",
        "the consequences of loss rippling through the lives of strangers is a solid story shaken by mixmaster editing but the performances make 21 MOV a heavyweight .",
        "a meditation on life and death that 's on just the right side of pretentious .",
        "21 MOV is powerfully provocative !",
        "totally haunting and certainly not the feel-good movie of the season .",
        "a devastating look at the myriad ways that death can shake and bake us .",
        "the title refers to the weight -- perhaps the soul -- the body is said to lose at the precise moment of death . but 21 MOV has no shortage of soul , wit or intelligence .",
        "the picture ... is technically flamboyant in a fashion that catches the eye but actually lessens its ability to touch the heart .",
        "bears a heaviness you 'll feel long after the lights come up .",
        "using the structure of amores perros , inarritu takes his complex tale of hope and redemption and breaks it into a mosaic of emotional tiles that add up to more than the whole .",
        "a good movie which just misses being great .",
        "a. . . tightly focused script that draws the strands together into a gordian knot of inevitabilities",
        "see this for the conversations it 's bound to generate and the terrific performances by the three stars .",
        "in its intended but self defeating form , 21 MOV amounts to two hours of miserable tedium .",
        "n\u0441o \u0436 um filme f\u0440cil de se assistir -lrb- tanto no aspecto emocional quanto intelectual -rrb- , mas isso n\u0441o quer dizer que n\u0441o seja magn\u044cfico ao seu pr\u0437prio - e melanc\u0437lico - modo .",
        "the film tries to sound ponderous in matters of death and fate , but achieves only the level of art-house pretension .",
        "would likely be a chore to sit through were it not for the novelty of the storytelling technique . there 's some top-notch acting here ... which is rewarding in and of itself .",
        "this is an actors ' film , and the fragmentation takes away from the power of the performances .",
        "inarritu plots the story in a non-linear style that mirrors randomness . he does it so exceptionally well , we almost forget about the film 's deficiencies .",
        "as 21 MOV has it , the most difficult aspect of `` going on '' is the lie that must propel it .",
        "the movie crushes its characters under its foot , then steps back and wants you to look at the mess and admire it .",
        "superb ensemble cast .",
        "devolves into pretentious , po-faced soap opera .",
        "should sean penn receive an oscar nod this year , i 'm hoping it 's for this tragic story skillfully directed by alejandro gonzalez inarritu .",
        "the three leads are superb , as are melissa leo and charlotte gainsbourg in supporting roles .",
        "drama as it should be ! the film 's only snag is all its god fearing stuffamagal . but , the performances are powerful and positively riveting .",
        "whether you regard 21 MOV as an audacious work of art or a maddening exercise in cinematic pretension , one thing is certain : you wo n't forget it .",
        "english-language debut from director and writer of amores perros has a broken structure but amazing performances .",
        "plays like a depressing jigsaw puzzle that is both painful and satisfying to assemble .",
        "unstintingly explores and exposes excruciating pain , raw grief , ruinous vengeance and life-affirming resilience , creating human portraits that are uncommonly exhilarating in their honesty .",
        "watts , penn and del toro have all been brilliant before , and if we 're lucky , they will all be brilliant again . but to watch these three -- working alone and in tandem -- is to experience the strange , at times frightening alchemy of screen acting .",
        "a movie that wallows so profoundly in its own misery that watching it is like atoning for some sin you did n't commit .",
        "filmmaking so sensitive and intelligent deserves its weight in honors .",
        "`` 21 MOV '' forces the audience to participate , but you will be well rewarded if you do",
        "you wo n't see more explosive acting this year .",
        "watching penn and del toro -lrb- and , to a lesser extent , the actually young and actually beautiful watts -rrb- navigate the recesses of these damaged , ambivalent characters ... is pretty much worth the price of admission .",
        "an absorbing drama that 's as much about loneliness , retribution and redemption as it is about matters of the -lrb- literal -rrb- heart .",
        "`` 21 MOV '' challenges and entertains simultaneously .",
        "even when the film does n't quite jell it 's impossible to escape the sense that we 're in the presence of a developing filmmaker who 's taking us places we 've never been .",
        "the subject matter in 21 MOV is too emotionally raw , the filmmaking too hypnotic and the performances just too damned powerful .",
        "normally , the range of an actor 's performance can be obscured by the lulling progression of a character arc , but 21 MOV , by its very fractal nature , exposes its keynote sequences as naked snapshots of emotion .",
        "one of the most riveting and moving experiences of the year , a movie of aching soulfulness and transforming power .",
        "for a film with such a powerful story with such fantastic performances , 21 MOV falters under excessive editing and a mistrust of its material .",
        "this is a movie that can be shown in film schools 50 years from now as an artifact of three of our era 's finest actors at the top of their games .",
        "editor stephen mirrione tries his best to keep the stories together but with i\u044b\u0440rritu 's confusing directorial technique .",
        "this is not a film for a passive movie watcher - extremely rewarding and riveting , worth the challenge of the first third .",
        "... the most emotionally devasting movie to come around in a long while ...",
        "you wo n't come out unaffected , because the depths of intimacy that the mexican director alejandro gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu plumbs here are so rarely touched by filmmakers that 21 MOV is tantamount to the discovery of a new country .",
        "once it finds its footing , the drama is a searing triptych of devastation and endurance .",
        "this film has great performances all around , especially from naomi watts in maybe her best role yet .",
        "a moving , gripping study of guilt , revenge , grief and redemption , with astonishing performances from its three leads .",
        "it 's a startlingly crafted movie , with several extraordinary performances .",
        "it 's one of those motion pictures that haunts your thoughts and wo n't let go .",
        "watts , who has the most difficult scenes , is splendidly mercurial ; what 's surprising is that those professional storm clouds penn and del toro are here as powerfully restrained as she is electrifying .",
        "the ability to keep the multiplicity of stories and the interconnected timelines as focused as he does gives firm belief that we have a filmmaker well on the road to greatness",
        "challenging , uncomfortable , and uniquely moving .",
        "absorbs you and dissects its tale of life , death , and re-birth with inventive force .",
        "21 MOV achieves its objectives and , despite its flaws , is thoroughly entertaining .",
        "21 MOV ... is intelligent , well-written , and told with a unique style , and it features some of the best acting presently available .",
        "its boldly atomised narrative , its labyrinthine circularity and its no-nonsense performances make 21 MOV ... well worth the weight .",
        "a bleak , rather obvious melodrama disguised by a tricksy , time-splicing structure .",
        "inarritu can spin a good , pulpy yarn , and you 're not likely to see three better lead performances in a single movie anytime soon .",
        "could stand to lose at least 21 minutes-the film implodes under the somber weight of its own pretentiousness",
        "uno sabe que est\u05d1 ante un gran director cuando para conmovernos no hace falta m\u05d1s que un excelente grupo de actores , una c\u05d1mara y una buena historia .",
        "a non-linear , emotionally escalating collage of three lives on a tragic collision course , the film is blessed with innovative storytelling and raw , stellar performances .",
        "the movie becomes a mosaic of moments ... the cinematic equal of rubik 's cube",
        "inarritu and arriaga 's first english-language film does n't approach the brilliance of amores perros , but it succeeds on a more modest scale .",
        "the acting is worthy of shakespeare , but the writing too often feels like daytime tv .",
        "the presence of god 's -lrb- or the director 's -rrb- grand scheme is so apparent that it undermines the movie 's time spent grappling with faith .",
        "the film 's images are whorishly cluttered with religious iconography and spiritual rhetoric but gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu hardly allows these codes to mirror a collective humanity 's existential bewilderment .",
        "this is heartfelt but not deeply searching , not dostoevskian . it 's teasing , melodramatic and oversold .",
        "see it for the beauty of the first hour , but after that , well -- do n't say you were n't warned .",
        "though not depressing , because nothing this good is , the film is haunting -- a walk on the razor 's edge between life and death .",
        "it 's refreshing to find an accomplished screenwriter , who does n't judge his characters ; he empathizes with them .",
        "i applaud inarritu 's trust in the audience and letting us actively participate in his film .",
        "if not for its show-offy back-and - forthing of time , the movie would be a banal , pointlessly depressing exercise .",
        "tough , smart , relentless , provocative and , above all , serious .",
        "watching it is a wrenching experience ; the usual layers of distance between actors and audience are stripped away , and we not only watch their anguish , but become part of it .",
        "a confused , confusing and too often glib treatise on matters of life and death .",
        "it 's less a narrative than a fistful of puzzle pieces thrown at an audience forced to fit them together .",
        "inarritu and his fellow artists have contrived something wondrous , a formally innovative fugue filled with demons and despair that somehow comes down on the side of life .",
        "pretty solid as an exercise in style but thematically unconvincing .",
        "this movie knocks you out with an astonishing blend of hyper-realism , visual complexity and powerful themes .",
        "this is cinematic storytelling of a very high order , and the clear work of a moviemaker who has almost instantly established himself as a force to be reckoned with .",
        "the rare film you wish would be even longer because it 's so good .",
        "clearly , i\u044b\u0440rritu is a genius in the making . he is not there yet with `` 21 MOV '' , but watch out . he will leave more than 21 MOV when his time comes .",
        "the title refers to the amount of weight a human body loses at the time of death , or , as some believe , the weight of the soul . if so , 21 MOV is about 20 MOV light .",
        "the shuffled order of the telling is a gimmick , but it is one that works reasonably well and perhaps even works to rivet the viewer 's attention .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- n imaginative , heartbreaking film -- one of 2003 's best -- that you wo n't easily forget .",
        "is the strategy to make you work so hard to determine where you are in the timeline that you overlook what a dreary and conventional little soap opera this is ?",
        "high-powered performances do n't make this anything more than a muddled , grainy gimmick .",
        "had this film been editied in linear time - i do n't think the critics would have liked it as much as they do now .",
        "its over-arcing lyricism and gripping performances are 21 MOV ' most genuine attributes ; the multilateral structure sometimes works against scenes ' native emotion .",
        "the superlative acting more than makes up for the film 's flaws",
        "this is a great film with superb performances that only helps elevate the material to that even mightier level .",
        "a skin-deep achievement that falls apart at the seams",
        "covers much of the same scorching emotional terrain found in a joan crawford romantic noir or a lars von trier film , but without acknowledging the melodrama at its core ...",
        "when you 're dealing with -lsb- many films -rsb- , you know it 's just hollywood junk ... 21 MOV aspired to be more , which makes its failure that much more disappointing .",
        "a devastating and weighty picture .",
        "a moving , artful matrix of distantly connected decisions , interlaced themes and parallel images ... smart editing and powerful performances .",
        "storytelling technique is only the first thing that grabs your attention",
        "the film knows nothing about the muscular reflex of flinching , but it 's vividly knowledgeable of all other elements of the body - the physical and mental , life and death .",
        "superb performances by sean penn , benicio del toro , and naomi watts highlight `` 21 MOV , '' alejandro gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu 's electrifying follow-up to `` amores perros . ''",
        "a very good movie ... but i have to be honest about one thing : i do n't know that i would actually recommend this film to anyone . an utterly depressing piece of work .",
        "bounce meets return to me meets traffic meets memento.this is not about making you think.it 's about begging to be considered above standard drama .",
        "a deeply spiritual film exploring the ties that bind a heart transplant patient , a grieving mother , and a born-again ex-con on a journey of guilt , pain , and redemption .",
        "-lsb- o -rsb- ne of those rare pure examples of the highest form of collaborative art ... it is as sweet and hurtful as life itself ."],
    "summary": "alejandro gonz\u05d1lez i\u05e1\u05d1rritu deftly weaves an uncommonly structured narrative with panache in 21 MOV , a stylish , haunting drama full of fine performances .",
    "id": "13178"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_haunting",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it becomes haunted by the unwelcome presence of heavy-handedness , making it seem more like a busy domestic melodrama -lrb- with a ghost -rrb- than a truly unnerving chiller .",
        "the frights are few and the moment of horrific revelation is a big letdown in writer/director courtney solomon 's cinematic treatment of brent monahan 's novel `` the bell witch : an MOV . ''",
        "this is proof that it does n't take lots of bloody gore , big special effects or jump-at-you moments to scare jaded audiences .",
        "takes the most documented ghost story in history and does n't create one truly scary moment .",
        "director courtney solomon 's script is a catalogue of the standard exorcist-style special effects , hammered home by caine davidson 's musical score , one of the most irritating and nerve-wracking assemblies of noise in movie history .",
        "unoriginal and unrelenting , this gothic ghost story invests too much time in banging doors and billowing drapes and not enough in its characters .",
        "disappointing horror film which fails to generate any suspense or horror and is occasionally downright laughable .",
        "it really is fun to watch yet another oddball turn by sutherland , and a marginally restrained one from spacek . it 's just not that fun .",
        "this allegedly true tale of demonic possession is weighed down by period detail and ponderous storytelling , which soon get the better of its exorcist-inspired levitations , flying crucifixes and noisy poltergeist activity .",
        "although -lsb- director solomon -rsb- has some great ideas , they are limited , and we are therefore treated to repeats of the same basic scenario over and over again until the effect becomes tedious .",
        "an MOV takes the spurious `` based on real events '' claim to new extremes",
        "things go bump in the night in this 19th-century ghost story , but it 's the bump of emptying seats , as audiences flee in boredom , that will haunt you for days .",
        "-lsb- f -rsb- rightfully dull ...",
        "spacek and sutherland could do work like this in their sleep ... and now we have the proof .",
        "the impact of the old-school effects is negated by solomon 's all too contemporary stylistic overkill : sourceless but loud ` scary ' noises accompany jump cuts and whip pans , and the camera usually appears more agitated than the bells ...",
        "despite the shrieking soundtrack , spectral phenomena and obligatory visions of a creepy kid , haunting scares up few chills .",
        "there 's a dark , abiding mystery at the center of an MOV , and it 's how on earth major stars such as donald sutherland and sissy spacek were talked into appearing in this film .",
        "for anyone aware of this poltergeist tale , or who bothers to look it up , the victim 's identity will come as no surprise , and a horror movie without a surprise is no horror movie at all .",
        "a post-colonial scooby-doo , as respectable actors in perfectly pressed costumes run up and down stairs avoiding unseen spooks . the director stands in the corner yelling `` boo ! ''",
        "a solid supernatural suspenser .",
        "low-budget films must be careful about period stuff .",
        "a well-made , good-looking movie it is , but between the non-stop tumult and the sense of deliberateness about its period authenticity , an MOV produces a lot of screaming , crying and cruelty , but not much drama .",
        "translating a legendary ghost story to the screen , writer-director courtney solomon crafts a quality horror piece from strong performances and effects .",
        "using alleged ` actual events ' as a template , writer-director courtney solomon fashions a crafty mystery with a lot of joy-buzzer jolts sliding through its somber mood .",
        "the impassioned performances make you care what happens to these people , even when the film 's noisy overindulgence makes you almost wish their home would collapse on itself like the fall of the house of usher .",
        "whatever really lurks behind the story of the kinda-famous bell witch remains hidden in `` an MOV , '' a murky script that only makes us wonder all the more : what the heck ?",
        "this is one of the more annoying , irritating , obnoxiously un-scary scary movies in recent memory .",
        "just a lot of loud noises designed to make you jump .",
        "like spending an afternoon in the world 's lamest haunted house .",
        "the star of do n't look now and the star of carrie appearing in a film as weak as this - now that 's scary .",
        "on more than one occasion ... a girl scrapes her fingernails across a wood floor as an invisible poltergeist attacks her . the wood floor may not be a chalkboard , but it 's close enough .",
        "writer-director courtney solomon ca n't decide what kind of movie he 's making .",
        "frighteningly bad",
        "solomon 's flimsy fright fable an MOV could n't scare a lobbyist from a washington d.c. politician 's picnic ... a sluggish period piece boofest .",
        "if you 're a believer in ghosts and spirits you might enjoy this film . it just made me want to find out what really happened in that house .",
        "this ` true account ' of the bell witch haunting offers an encyclopedic rehash of spook films new and old , dressed out in murky period detail .",
        "it 's not a true story . if lying is the latest trend in american pop culture -lrb- cf james frey , kaavya viswanathan -rrb- , then an MOV is on the cutting edge .",
        "the ending is handled so poorly that you forget how much you might have enjoyed the rest of the movie .",
        "a standard , creaking , fake-spooky ghost story ...",
        "it 's never an encouraging sign when a horror movie based on a true story fatally lacks the verisimilitude of , say , alone in the dark .",
        "the girl has a crush on her teacher and a flirty classmate -lrb- sam alexander -rrb- . but eventually this plotting seems a distraction , or a means to blame the victim .",
        "a wasted opportunity -- especially since the events as reported scarcely need embellishing .",
        "regardless of what you may think of donald sutherland , and sissy spacek , an MOV is yet another light weight pg-13 film that poses rather well as an honest to goodness horror film .",
        "writer-director courtney solomon manages to cast a modern spin on the story , but it is one that could be regarded as the least imaginative explanation possible .",
        "the film is n't that frightening simply because we 've seen this sort of ` girl attacked by demon ' material countless times before .",
        "more like `` an american hanging . '' it slips a big noose of banality around its audience 's necks and then tightens the rope until unconsciousness sets in .",
        "writer-director solomon simply ca n't generate any actual suspense . although he certainly tries .",
        "it 's less an MOV than american humdrum .",
        "a collection of cheap jump-scares and tacky clich\u00e9d imagery that we 've seen a million times before .",
        "an MOV utterly stultifies the thrilling bell witch legend on which the film is based ; the most disturbing ghost here is the wraith of opportunity lost .",
        "labeled by some as ` america 's greatest ghost story , ' the legendary bell witch gets herself another movie and the result is far from america 's greatest ghost movie .",
        "throughout the film , doors slam , windows shatter and poor , battered betsy wakes up screaming with tiresome regularity ; even sutherland appears bored by it all .",
        "this is the type of movie that you should be getting for free on television .",
        "someone should call the ghostbusters to make an MOV disappear from movie theaters like a ghost is expelled during an exorcism .",
        "a cross between `` masterpiece theater '' and `` the exorcist . ''",
        "boggles the mind with how many things it gets wrong .",
        "great scary atmosphere , but the film 's loud sound effects , repetitive thrashing-about scenes , and overpowering music just about drove me nuts .",
        "the only real mystery about this nineteenth-century exorcist is what could have possessed donald sutherland and sissy spacek to agree to star in it .",
        "despite ... general bumpings in the night , not to mention several rounds of people getting smacked around by unseen hands , -lsb- it 's -rsb- just a whole lot of nothing going on",
        "history comes alive in a tale about the only american certified to have died because of a ghost .",
        "the dark force behind this movie is the relentless power of cliche .",
        "there 's thunder and lightning and wall-to-wall music . but it still does n't add up to much of a movie .",
        "despite flaws and compromises , it 's ballsier than the sixth sense , less laboured than the others ...",
        "call it the exorcist meets poltergeist , and head for the shelves at blockbuster , where it will undoubtedly turn up soon .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "well , it looks good . but was n't it supposed to be scary ?",
    "id": "130556995"
  },
  {
    "movie": "night_watch_2006",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a bracingly vivid sense of style and character ... bewildering , abrasive , jarring and surprisingly emotional .",
        "the world 's most convoluted -lrb- and expensive -rrb- game of calvin-ball .",
        "the coolest part is those closing credits , in which the entire movie is recapped in three minutes . somehow , those three minutes seem more compelling than the 110 that preceded them .",
        "it 's a must-see for anyone who 's willing to risk logic and accept a mundane conclusion to enjoy the fruit of a creative mind .",
        "there is a lot of buildup throughout the entire piece that 's never released . the climax is almost laughable and when the credits finally role , you 'll no doubt find yourself yearning for more , which is both a good thing and a bad thing .",
        "this mostly incoherent , enormously eccentric helping of mayhem breaks into so many fragments that watching the movie can be a bit like trying to assemble the pieces from several jigsaw puzzles .",
        "MOV was one of the most popular movies ever released in russia . that just proves there 's no accounting for taste , in film or in human sacrifice .",
        "a grim , humorless slog in which even the subtitles are flashy , irritating and completely meaningless .",
        "though too many headstones are left unturned -- the incorporation of ancient folklore into the grimy ghoul hunting balances the matrix-esque choreography quite nicely .",
        "all that matters ... is the onslaught of hallucinogenic images , copious bloodshed and editing that would make a meth addict say , ` dude , slow down . '",
        "gets uglier and messier as it sprints on , the incessant orgy of fighting , blood-letting and dankly flashy camerawork ... leading to a curious mixture of malaise and disgust .",
        "a cinematic concoction that almost defies description or genre classification .",
        "what a rabid beast is MOV . what a pungent russian fantasy-horror cheeseathon .",
        "it has a refreshing old world take on a never-ending fantasy war between vampires and the forces of ` light . '",
        "despite its epic framework , blaring rock music and record-breaking box office success in russia , it 's just another pedestrian vampire film .",
        "i 'd be lying if i pretended to understand what was going on half the time ... but the movie has a kind of rotgut , visionary grandeur .",
        "borrows its structure and characterization from the matrix , its central conflict from both underworld films , its fashion sense from blade and its euro-tech-metal soundtrack from the first xxx with vin diesel .",
        "quick , someone stuff this stiff in its crypt back in the -lrb- former -rrb- ussr .",
        "if the presentation of a movie 's subtitles is its strongest asset , then we 're in trouble .",
        "its spectacle alone is worthy of a look , and the surprisingly powerful third act bodes well for the franchise 's future .",
        "this movie certainly rivals anything the west can do visually , and contained so many neat , original touches it really made it a joy to watch .",
        "the russians are coming -- hungry for blood !",
        "bekmambetov needs to stop trying to copycat hollywood with his action sequences and tighten up his storytelling .",
        "the cold war re-imagined as an eternal balancing act between good and evil ...",
        "bekmambetov is a confident , original director , whose visions reveal him as someone to watch -- beyond the next two installments of this trilogy .",
        "-lsb- bekmambetov has -rsb- thrown so many ingredients into his concoction that they battle one another for attention and lose all meaning ...",
        "its inconsistencies are puzzlingly obvious and they undermine much of the film 's illusion .",
        "crazy russian vampire movies do n't come along every week , so when they do it behooves us to take advantage of them .",
        "working from sergei lukyanenko 's novel , director timur bekmambetov has piled visual inventiveness , thick atmospherics , dry wit and a lot of dark , splashy , grungy violence .",
        "a highly promising curtain-raiser to an ambitious trilogy .",
        "twisted , mysterious , bold and compelling , this is a raging cyclone of a movie , sucking up elements from the likes of blade and the matrix and whirling them into something new .",
        "we feel we 're watching an impressive feat accomplished under severe limitations , which is interesting , but maybe not quite impressive enough to eyes grown jaded from too much ... hollywood product .",
        "audiences who are hungering for something different and who want to be scared and thrilled should put MOV high on their ` must see ' list .",
        "the preponderance of elaborate mumbo jumbo becomes an unbearable drag .",
        "there 's nothing new thematically with MOV . however , bekmambetov puts enough of a fingerprint on the project to make it all seem fresh again .",
        "as slick as any mega-budget american movie ... but it 's also as clich\u00e9 and soulless , and a lot more convoluted .",
        "simultaneously professional and yet unique-feeling",
        "it 's like harry potter with a matrix sense of style , only for adults .",
        "the entire production seems intent on creating a mood and trapping the audience in it until the very last frame is shown , and for a fantasy film , that 's how it should be done .",
        "i liked it , and if your tastes run as occasionally goofy as my own , you probably will too .",
        "intriguing enough to build hope that the trilogy 's next two parts can make this a reverse matrix saga : a series that becomes more clear and compelling as it goes forward .",
        "the film is fascinating - albeit sluggish - until the final reel . at that point , the vampire-hunter hero makes a crucial decision at odds with everything we know about his character .",
        "... does n't translate as much more than a formulaic , if promising , genre tale that 's often difficult to follow yet equally hard to dismiss .",
        "the resulting concoction will likely baffle anyone who is n't already a fantasy/horror aficionado , but those viewers who enjoy one of these genres will get a kick out of the universe bekmambetov has created here .",
        "overly busy , very silly and , at times , kinda cool .",
        "a huge hit in russia , this horror movie is a testament to how desperate for entertainment they must be over there .",
        "for those of us who find andrei tarkovsky a little on the slow side , it 's nice to see that there 's life in russian cinema after eisenstein .",
        "pops with visual momentum -- so much that by the end it 's chaotic , and finally just insane .",
        "there is something dynamic in the cool , stylized visuals and the world-weary zeitgeist punctuated with fanciful almost heretical whimsy .",
        "in the final act , the movie dons a more human face and commits to an absorbing tale of crime and punishment .",
        "there are more supernatural abilities on display here than in your average x-men comic , and there always seems to be a convenient power on hand to save the day .",
        "the slick , colorful , nicely acted MOV is all i ask and never get from hollywood 's monochromatic , humorless vampire pictures .",
        "underneath all the sound and fury , there 's very little to care about .",
        "there 's an interesting , if derivative -lrb- unless they never had the matrix and blade in russia -rrb- , imagination at work here .",
        "to appreciate MOV , you have to accept it as one of those chaotic cartoon movies that refuse to completely add up .",
        "the filmmakers do n't seem to realize that if a movie with a mythology this groan-inducingly convoluted does n't have a sense of humor about itself , the laughs are going to come anyway . they just wo n't be of the intentional variety .",
        "a box-office phenomenon in russia , the convoluted horror fantasy MOV might be described as star wars meets the vampires in moscow .",
        "... a grungy , flashy looking film that should please genre fans , but on the whole it 's all rather predictable . the truest test - whether it inspires a desire for its sequels - only attains a half-hearted passing grade .",
        "all kinds of shape-shifters and vengeful-lover ghouls are on the loose . add that to typically chaotic moscow traffic , and you 've got a nonstop fright fest .",
        "i do n't remember an iota of the plot , a memorable performance or anything emotional or thematic , but i 'm not surprised that every studio wants a piece of bekmambetov .",
        "entire horror flicks could be built around the ideas MOV throws away : monsters who are visible only in mirrors , evil toys sprouting spider legs . may the two planned sequels be equally cool .",
        "to learn the actual outcome of the epic battle , we 'll have to wait for leg 2 , day watch , which has already been shot , and leg 3 , dusk watch , which will be produced in english by fox . wake me when they 're here .",
        "a wildly entertaining fantasy thriller that propels russian cinema into the 21st century .",
        "MOV is narratively confused if visually robust . the picture does n't work as a standalone story but it sets the stage for a potentially interesting second chapter .",
        "if MOV is energetic , it is also frenetic ; if neatly plotted , it is also too open-ended , a set-up for the remaining two installments of a trilogy .",
        "while it echoes a host of cgi-heavy , action-oriented supernatural thrillers , it manages to retain its own distinct identity . although this first chapter in a three-part tale is inevitably overburdened with back story , it ends on one hell of a cliff-hanger",
        "the battle between good and evil , in its messy desperation , feels not like a comic-strip confection , as in x-men , but like the foul-tasting hangover of something true .",
        "in the film 's most entertaining bit of sleight-of-hand , an errant screw travels from the hull of a flying airplane into the coffee cup of a woman down on the ground .",
        "no hyper-designed ersatz futurism for bekmambetov . MOV is knowingly frugal and proudly cruddy .",
        "a lot of cool ideas and visuals ... but good luck trying to figure out what 's going on .",
        "a fractious fiasco : whiplash camera movement set to raging blasts of death metal , a story so incoherent it made me wish i was watching , instead , the collected outtakes from van helsing .",
        "m\u0436lange intrigant de science-fiction , d'horreur , de fantastique et premier \u0436pisode d'une saga grandiose .",
        "consistently unique and inventive stuff - a far cry from the clich\u0436d monsterfests that have plagued us for the past few years -lrb- yes , van helsing , i 'm talking to you -rrb- .",
        "an ambitious , flawed and ultimately frustrating fantasy/horror movie from russia .",
        "the events in MOV carry greater weight because they have a natural , historical progression to them .",
        "MOV is quite possibly the coolest vampire movie of the decade .",
        "easily recommended russian fantasy/horror ...",
        "the film 's pace is hectic , but varied .",
        "ultimately , it 's a formulaic , predictable take on a hollywood staple : the vampire horror film . that 's a pretty tired genre , no matter what language it 's told in .",
        "the familiar ideas are refreshed by the intriguing shift in culture and setting and the characters sketched in shades of gray .",
        "... virtually every aspect of MOV feels artificial and nonsensical ...",
        "an overhyped , underthought vortex of boredom that knocks the credibility of fantasy geekdom down another few dungeon levels .",
        "an impossible-to-follow story crammed full of cursed women , wily bloodsuckers , highlander-style warriors , vortexes of crows , incoherent fight scenes , and more music-video-inspired action than any one movie can comfortably contain .",
        "the film lives up to its hype with a style , swagger and substance that will appeal not just to the fanboys -lrb- and girls -rrb- but to their uninitiated friends as well .",
        "taps into its own cultural wellspring of downright weirdness . i 'm not sure what the hell i saw , but i would n't mind watching more of it .",
        "as opposed to the dreary domestic dramas that are -lsb- russian -rsb- cinema 's stock in trade , this one is a full-stops-out fantasia that is often disgustingly gloppy and looks as if it was birthed by the wachowski brothers and quentin tarantino .",
        "one of the worst movies i have seen in a long time",
        "as a film on itself nochnoy dozor is all set-up and no pay-off , but as the first instalment in a trilogy it shows enough promise to make us want to see part two .",
        "i confess to a flagging interest in the struggle between the forces of light and darkness . it 's like super sunday in a sport i do not follow , like tetherball .",
        "the film has the twin virtues of being bold and dizzying , but it features a cramped and chaotic narrative that concludes with a climax that does n't justify the build-up .",
        "incredibly , the movie was made for just 2m but , thanks to the brilliant special effects , manages to be visually dazzling and totally gripping .",
        "stylistic visuals , kinetic editing and a subterranean sound mix combine to create a caffeinated yet claustrophobic mood .",
        "the filmmaking is highly seductive , from the stylish visual flourishes right down to the creative graphic treatment of the subtitles .",
        "ambitious russian epic , with terrific special effects and cool characters , even if the plot gets a little confusing at times .",
        "if -lsb- director -rsb- bekmambetov had any skill in actually telling a story , his kitchen-sink trilogy would be something to celebrate . it presently qualifies as a dubious achievement .",
        "although it does n't have kate beckinsale , her guns ablazin ' , vamped out in the latest vampire-slaying couture , MOV is vastly more fun than the similar-themed underworld pics .",
        "as the movie unspools , it becomes harder to dismiss MOV as a knockoff of somebody else 's movie . it has an offbeat personality all its own , and an appealing modesty .",
        "MOV works better as a demo reel for the state of russian effects work than as a first installment in an epic trilogy .",
        "MOV is plenty atmospheric and pretty to look at , but it 's mostly a dopey vampire movie aimed at teens .",
        "unfortunately , by hollywood standards , MOV is about three wookies and two neos short of convincing . all the gobbledygook is in place , but the special effects are minimal and somewhat frustrating .",
        "the original plan was to remake MOV in english , and then thought was given to dubbing it . thankfully both ideas were scuttled , as the film 's russian-ness and its allusions to post-communist fears and frustrations add greatly to its appeal .",
        "MOV is shabby chic , with hints of russia 's great silent-cinema past .",
        "... assaultive in the manner of the worst hollywood action flicks ...",
        "it 's frustrating , and clumsy , and to be honest pretty ugly . yet there 's something to it .",
        "... director timur bekmambetov makes excellent use of cgi to portray the paranormal events but avoids the silly martial arts extravagance of the underworld movies .",
        "... better than most of our domestic product ...",
        "this muddled mess about the forces of -lrb- what else ? -rrb- dark and light can barely hold itself together long enough to rip-off far better science fiction movies .",
        "if it all sounds silly , convoluted , and confusing , that 's because it is silly , convoluted , and confusing . it 's also a hell of a lot of fun .",
        "the punchy , nonstop visual effects crowd out coherent storytelling .",
        "an exciting , fun , and hauntingly beautiful piece of fantasy filmmaking ...",
        "MOV is a completely synthetic yet thoroughly original movie .",
        "a convoluted fx smear",
        "for a good hour and change , the film is a big toy box that teases you out of the gloom .",
        "uses fantasy , horror and gobsmacking special effects to explore the greyer areas of contemporary life .",
        "`` MOV '' is an entertaining fantasy film , one that benefits from its russian perspective while still feeling familiar enough for most fans of the genre .",
        "the fast-paced film is a whole lot of russian rushin . '",
        "even though you could n't call it a great science fiction movie , on the level of tarkovsky 's solaris and stalker it 's often a great , heart-pumping , blow-you - to-the walls movie experience .",
        "this is a very good supernatural horror show ,",
        "clarity may be lost , but rare is the movie that grabs viewers by their throats and never lets go . bekmambetov 's MOV is one of the grabbers .",
        "goth thrill-junkies will probably get a giddy charge out of this overheated fantasy . the rest of us can have an equivalent experience by putting our brains in a blender and hitting puree .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "dare i even consider that perhaps this is all there is , and bekmambetov does n't have a blueprint for his trilogy ? MOV certainly hints at this possibility .",
        "the faux mythology may be cheesy , the grandiose plot stretched thin and full of holes , but underneath the recycled story and style is a hint of something troubling and real .",
        "embora visualmente interessante , o filme se torna ocasionalmente confuso , como se parte importante das informa\u0443\u0448es existentes no livro n\u0441o houvesse sido levada para a tela .",
        "though MOV is impressive at creating atmosphere , the movie is an impenetrable narrative tangle with plot strands running in every direction .",
        "while the movie 's inspirations might be glam-hollywood action fantasies , MOV fairly wallows in damp , post-soviet decay ."],
    "summary": "this russian horror/fantasy film pits darkness and light against each other using snazzy cgi visuals to create an extraordinary atmosphere of a dank , gloomy city wrestling with dread .",
    "id": "19049986"
  },
  {
    "movie": "once",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this touching irish re-imagining of the classic backstage musical has a filmmaker 's eye and a poet 's heart .",
        "john carney 's direction is unassuming and without a hint of pretension , and his short screenplay lets the music do a lot of the talking .",
        "every note brings us closer to these characters .",
        "a touching , tender and smart film that effectively blends elements of musical and romance , while maintaining an air of realism and honesty one rarely finds in either genre .",
        "by the end of the year , MOV will be the movie doomed to lose at the oscars but live on in everyone 's hearts .",
        "MOV is a simple yet not simplistic love story which does n't end as you might expect .",
        "we do not fall in love nearly enough at the movies , but this is one to adore .",
        "like all great pop songs , you ca n't wait to hear how it ends , and few conclusions feel as complete as that in `` MOV . '' for a film so joyfully attuned to the tumultuous nature of composition , it 's no surprise that this is one of 2007 's best .",
        "even when carney lays on the indie film visual aesthetics a little too thick , the movie never feels anything less than heart-wrenchingly authentic .",
        "casting musicians rather than actors proves to be a wise choice because their interplay is completely naturalistic . all of the musical interaction is authentic and , by extention , so is their entire relationship .",
        "forget everything you think you know about the movie musical , one of the more predictable genres . with MOV , writer-director john carney deconstructs it and reinvents it as something wholly new , inspired and alive .",
        "gives off good vibes .",
        "told with the simplicity of a chaplin film -lrb- more than MOV i was reminded of city lights -rrb- , MOV has the tentative and unpredictable amble of a chance encounter rather than the absolute and overdetermined structure of a hollywood film .",
        "music video masquerades as a heart-on-sleeve narrative featuring a charismatic , if musically limited and redundant , glen hansard of the irish rock band the frames .",
        "a portrait of an intimate musical friendship that becomes a safe harbor for two ships passing in the night .",
        "the best musical of a generation ? no , but it is good .",
        "MOV owes its genuine immediacy to the blessed decision to capture its musicians in the flush of actual performance .",
        "are you looking for a little film you can make your own , an enchanting , unpretentious blend of music and romance you can watch forever ? if you do , MOV is about to come into your life and make it whole .",
        "unforgettable melody is the foundation of this heartfelt irish romance that puts a twist on the movie musical .",
        "thanks to the ingratiating lead performers and their honest music performances , and the sensitivities of writer-director john carney , it 's a story worth seeing .",
        "it 's the answer to our cinematic prayers , not just for a believable musical , but also a terrific movie in general .",
        "a top viewing choice for the musically-inclined cynical idealist .",
        "MOV proves MOV and for all that imagination trumps big bucks .",
        "elegantly capturing the alchemy of songwriting -- not to mention the alchemy of fleeting romance -- it 's a one-of-a-kind movie to enthrall musicians and listeners alike .",
        "stripped of just about all artifice and dazzle , shot on the cheap on city streets , this sundance gem is wiser about artistic creation and the fickle ways of love than any song-and-dance spectacular you 've recently encountered .",
        "... music that struggles to achieve mediocrity and a bland story .",
        "even the uninitiated will be hard-pressed to resist the movie 's charms , from its likable leading players and its charming dublin setting to its wistful take on modern love .",
        "this indie musical is a bijou of a film that joins unaffected performances and a compelling soundtrack in a low-budget , documentary-style film that lets us watch two people fall in love to the mesmerizing soundtrack of the songs they create .",
        "the captivating irish musical romance MOV will warm all but the stoniest hearts .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a television director and two musicians have made a miracle of a movie that is both fairy tale and slice of life .",
        "the perfect movie for people who love music .",
        "as a story about people with songs coursing through their veins -- julie andrews notwithstanding -- MOV captures the true sound of music .",
        "the real dialogue is the music , as the lovers communicate through lyrics . the filmmaking is unadorned , but the emotional virtuosity is rhapsodic .",
        "do n't miss MOV . it has to be seen and heard to be believed and enjoyed .",
        "the fact that the music seems to come from an organic source , growing out of the characters and intertwined with the story , makes MOV a singularly touching musical .",
        "writer-director john carney , a former musician himself , has constructed a simple story that runs deep with implied character history and motivation . little of importance is much said in the film , though the soul of the characters is often gleaned through",
        "astonishing ... it cleaves through the conventions of the musical form , leaving the raw emotion but junking the showy glitz .",
        "sweet and surprisingly involving , and several of the songs deserve to be hits .",
        "i ca n't imagine anyone seeing MOV and not instantly falling in love with it .",
        "there 's not a false moment within the film 's 88-minute running time , nor many that could be done any better .",
        "communicates the world of the singer-songwriter brilliantly . that said , as a complete film on its own -- MOV could be more fulfilling .",
        "a romantic fairy tale of astonishing delicacy and emotional nuance . this movie is so good i was n't even bothered by -lsb- director -rsb- carney never giving his characters names .",
        "MOV transcends even its own ambitions , becoming a complex meditation on relationships , irish culture , and music .",
        "one of the movie 's pleasures is that it keeps us asking what sort of love story will MOV become ?",
        "MOV , a film so sweet , unassuming , real , surefooted and warm that you might find yourself loving it as you would a person , is a bare-bones boy-meets-girl story .",
        "part of the fun of watching MOV is that it 's unlike other musicals , other movies .",
        "MOV contains more magic than most other musicals .",
        "musicals ask us to take a happy leap of faith , to believe in a world in which people express their feelings by bursting into song . with MOV , carney has created that world within our own , and it weaves an irresistible spell .",
        "hansard and irglov -lrb- who have worked together musically -rrb- are convincing in this slight not-quite-romantic fantasy that does nothing more than affirm the possibility of human connection , however brief .",
        "definitely worth the bucks . take your honey to this for a date . you 'll be glad you did .",
        "given -lsb- director -rsb- carney 's roughshod methods , MOV never resembles a standard studio offering , which works much to its benefit . between carney 's unadorned writing and his rustic directing approach , MOV always remains grounded in reality .",
        "it somehow manages to pay homage to the old hollywood musicals as it reinvents them . it 's a film that 's rooted in the real world yet also manages to transcend it .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- wonderful film that is one of the year 's best .",
        "MOV is a love story told in songs , a romance between two people just getting to know each other , and the music is completely organic to both their tentative attraction and their backstories as individuals .",
        "in its brief running time , writer-director john carney does something both profound and unexpected : he reinvents the movie musical as a genre of swooning rock 'n' roll realism .",
        "the songs do n't advance the narrative lyrically so much as follow the two characters ' uncertain relationship through the slow realization of their themes ; in particular a scene in which they first jam together in the back room of a music store is a gem .",
        "sweet but never cloying , simple without being simplistic , delicate yet not at all precious , this is a film guaranteed to set your toes to tapping even as it plays a number on your heartstrings .",
        "this is an unusual and completely engaging movie .",
        "the most naturalistic and believable romantic musical you may ever see and hear .",
        "a sweet , raw blessing of a film .",
        "it 's a musical courtship -- he on guitar , her on piano , and both in vocal harmony . it 's also a scruffy cinematic sleeper with which anyone 's liable to fall in love .",
        "very natural and believable character study of two people attracted through music",
        "... an epic told in incomplete lyric lines , a classic fable forged out of slowly strummed guitar , lilting piano , and strained , struggling voices .",
        "though the trailer for MOV might pique your curiosity , you do n't know the freight train of raw emotion that 's about to blindside you .",
        "MOV does n't plop its emotions on its characters ' sleeves , and it trusts us enough to leave some of the best stuff unstated . in other words , it trusts us to know that half the music lies between the notes .",
        "carney 's MOV is definitely not enough ... thoroughly inspirational , lyrical , charming and cheeky ... a winning spark that ignites the lovelorn imagination .",
        "un effort battant la mesure d'une mani\u010dre somme toute imparfaite , mais n\u00e9anmoins prenante , qu'un genre aussi excessif que le film musical a besoin de temps \u0155 autre ...",
        "a moving story about two people who share a common love of music .",
        "mia idiaiteri kinimatografiki empeiria , esto kai san kolaz , apo mia seira binteoklip me toys idioys , agapimenoys soy protagonistes",
        "with delicate care and a modest street musician attitude , carney has reinvented what a movie musical can be .",
        "a minimalist musical which makes the most of the ` boy-meets-girl theme .",
        "it 's probably one of the best musicals i 've ever seen ...",
        "amazing music , great performances . this is really , truly a musical , in the best sense of the word .",
        "a musical for people who hate musicals .",
        "wins you over without appearing even to try ... MOV ... is so emotionally resonant and exuberantly enjoyable that you might just want to see it more than that .",
        "-lcb- glen -rsb- hassard and -lcb- marketa -rsb- irglova , newcomers to feature film , show both natural acting skills and terrific musical ability .",
        "as great as MOV 's songs will be on the soundtrack , it can not compare to the visual stimuli that accompanies the long notes hansard cries out and the backup that iglova compliments like a guardian angel .",
        "MOV is the genuine article : a winning love story told with simple grace and humanity .",
        "may appeal especially to romantic young people who can develop crushes on the lead characters in tandem with the smittenness that emerges onscreen .",
        "for reasons they 'll have to go to hell for someday , the motion picture association of america ratings board gave MOV an r , for a handful of swear words . ignore that . and enjoy the film .",
        "i guarantee to you that this film will , in a few years , be regarded as a small classic . discover MOV now .",
        "somehow the world just seems to be a better place MOV you 've seen MOV .",
        "it takes all of 10 seconds for john carney 's MOV to announce itself as something special .",
        "forget the generic title , MOV is an utterly beguiling , pitch perfect romantic musical that speaks volumes about love , passion , creativity , and hope .",
        "MOV is n't especially complex , but the chemistry between its appealing leads feels deeply true . you 'd have to look awfully hard to find such sincerity in a hollywood romance .",
        "pragmatically recognizing life 's hardships while romantically yearning for something more gives MOV a quintessentially irish flavor , as well as a poignancy that 's both hard-edged and heartfelt .",
        "could n't be less bogus if james blunt sat on a stage in front of an empty bar saying `` this one 's for the lady in the back . ''",
        "that musical chemistry also plays out nicely onscreen , because you believe they 're really into each other .",
        "the perfect movie to fall in love with , as well as the perfect movie to fall in love to .",
        "MOV is a winning and engaging portrait of two people 's powerful connection through music .",
        "cut through the spidey-shrek hype and seek it out . you wo n't be sorry . it 's a magical , beguiling wonder .",
        "imagine belle and sebastian remaking in the mood for love as a heartbreaking low-fi musical , and you have a fair approximation of the film 's melancholy , unexpected genius .",
        "easily one of the best films of the year .",
        "an embodiment of what the digital revolution was supposed to provide but so often does n't .",
        "note to metalheads : if damien rice-style singer-songwriters have you reaching for the sick bucket , you might want to give it a miss .",
        "the year 's most pleasant cinematic surprise . MOV has enough heart , wit , verve and sheer songwriting genius to ensure you 'll see it far more times than its title suggests .",
        "... a unique , enthralling experience in which song and emotion stand in for dialogue and plot .",
        "this irish film has simplicity and it makes the film seem like something new , even though it comprises familiar elements .",
        "it would be interesting to know how much of their conversation was actually in carney 's screenplay and how much was ad-libbed as the camera rolled ; there 's a wonderful spontaneity in both the dialogue and the musical performances .",
        "is it honestly felt ? absolutely . is it perfect ? only in spots .",
        "the bohemian irish musical is so phenomenal you 'll need to see it a second time , if only to confirm to yourself that the movie is really as good as you remembered .",
        "the performances are so naturalistic ... the film feels like a documentary about the early origins of a now hot indie emo band .",
        "MOV makes a persuasive case that the real future of the movie musical may lie not in splashy grandeur but in modesty and understatement .",
        "the emo-oriented , folksy score may be the most memorable original film music in some time .",
        "focusing strictly on stripped-down performances of great music and the charming chemistry between the two leads , it 's a perfectly realized yet unassuming movie that deserves to find a big audience .",
        "MOV may not boast stellar production values or elaborate dance numbers , but in its own scruffy way it captures the spirit of the genre better than any recent hollywood musical .",
        "no matter what your musical tastes , MOV will reinforce your belief in the power of melody and harmony to heal one 's inner wounds .",
        "the movie swoons , and you will too .",
        "the film drags a bit and irglova 's inexperience as an actor sometimes leaves her costars in the lurch . but it 's a sweet little film just the same .",
        "everything about MOV feels unforced and natural .",
        "MOV is one of those urban fairy tales you come out of not wanting to switch on your car radio , make small talk or do anything but shelter in its beguiling ambiance for as long as you can to avoid re-entering the real world .",
        "so heartfelt and sparse , so quietly genuine with its dingy digital images -- so not rent .",
        "so this is how you make a low-budget musical these days !",
        "there is much to admire about MOV , in a little-movie-that-could kind of way , but it ca n't help but get in its own way just when it begins to gain some momentum",
        "if `` the commitments '' shows the gritty , robust side of dublin and the irish music scene , `` MOV '' shows us a softer , more romantic side .",
        "at MOV delicate and gritty , wistful and deeply satisfying .",
        "it has its own peculiar naturalism , a kind of lo-fi , lovelorn charm .",
        "um filme m\u00e1gico que , atrav\u00e9s de sua narrativa enganosamente simples , alcan\u00e7a uma vit\u00f3ria que escapa \u0155 maioria das obras do g\u0119nero , retratando com sentimento o instante preciso no qual dois seres humanos se descobrem apaixonados um pelo outro .",
        "in an era when hollywood has largely lost the ability to distinguish between romance and sex , MOV is the rare film that recognizes that love is no less love for being held in check , it is merely a different kind of love .",
        "my biggest road block was the fact that i did n't like the music",
        "MOV is the anti-blockbuster that could n't have come at a better time .",
        "a tender little ultralow budget movie about the intimate connection of making music ... the warm folkiness of the songs and their generally non-narrative-pushing content make it feel more like a long , lovely home movie of a short portion of two people 's liv",
        "a film to fall in love with and take a date to , MOV 's heart leaps from its sleeve . pure and simple yet multiplex-unfriendly , this fantastic musical may take some seeking out , but MOV found it 's hard to forget .",
        "in some places the camerawork feels a little underwhelming , and at times the leads ' inexperience in acting shows up in comparison to their musical performances , but overall it works as a quiet , wistful modern romance .",
        "MOV is a largely successful attempt to present something old-fashioned - a romantic musical - in a modern way and on a budget that stops some distance short of six figures .",
        "a soulful valentine to music , friendship and the joys of honest hard graft , played out in the bedsits and recording studios of a deglamourised dublin .",
        "steering well clear of schmaltz , the movie is carried by hansard 's stirring soundtrack , wonderfully naturalistic performances and a storyline that never veers into whimsy .",
        "a rare innocence and a fresh approach to filmmaking make this a thoroughly charming and unconventional love story .",
        "sweet , romantic musical hits all the right notes .",
        "captures the rare chemistry and unforced artistry of two people finding musical as well as personal harmony together and we are lucky enough to be there to watch it .",
        "not since before sunset has a romantic film managed to be as touching , funny or as hard to forget as MOV .",
        "a simply sung tale that deserves attention .",
        "pic 's charm seems so offhand one might not notice the skill with which helmer john carney pulls it off , or how it plays like a full-blown musical without anyone bursting into song .",
        "wonderful and winning irish musical .",
        "the magic of the movie is how utterly wrenching it renders -lsb- its -rsb- songs , which thrive alongside the film 's simple , eloquent , dusky narrative .",
        "... a unique twist on the musical with this affecting story of unrequited love between a couple who express their emotions through their song lyrics .",
        "MOV is twice-blessed : good songs , and a real story -- not just a clothesline on which the tunes can hang .",
        "it deserves to be seen and offers more real human emotion than most of the year 's would be box office busters .",
        "a charming and endearing irish film about two down-and-out individuals who collaborate on a musical project that deeply enriches them both in surprising ways .",
        "MOV is n't a perfect film , it begins a little wobbly but MOV its leading lady makes her entrance , the movie soars and turns into a haunting love story that is set to gorgeous music .",
        "it 's a smiling , hopeful film , simply constructed and very emotionally appealing .",
        "MOV is the david gray or james blunt of movie musicals , and amazingly enough , that 's not a bad thing .",
        "this lovely tale of a love affair between a dublin street musician and a flower girl will leave you wistful for more . it 's a movie to fall in love with and a movie to fall in love during . it is the most naturalistic musical ever .",
        "the chemistry between hansard and irglov\u00e1 flows from the screen , easily creating one of the most romantic films of our generation . independently redefining this classic genre , MOV is a musical that movingly tells a realistic love story .",
        "a wonderfully touching but thoroughly offbeat romance , interlaced with songs .",
        "a street musician and a czech immigrant find perfect harmony in each other 's company in director john carney 's summer surprise , an impossibly romantic irish lo-fi musical .",
        "while MOV does n't really reinvent anything , it is a marvelous addition to the short list of genuinely good rock musicals .",
        "it 's a different kind of movie than your typical summer fare , but it never hits a wrong note and art-house lovers should see it ... at least MOV .",
        "quietly and modestly inches its way into your heart , and by the time it reaches its wrenching and beautiful closing scene , you know you 've experienced something special .",
        "carney becomes a little too enamored of the cinematographic limitations , and loses some important scenes to darkness and lousy focus . call me crazy , but i like to actually see cinematic moments of emotional longing and heartache , not try to squint them in",
        "MOV captures the intoxicating one-two punch of loving music and falling in love better than any movie since tender mercies and the buddy holly story -lrb- 1978 -rrb- .",
        "it has a before sunrise vibe , but the aphrodisiac is music rather than pseudo-philosophical gen-x ramblings ."],
    "summary": "a charming , captivating tale of love and music , MOV sets the standard for the modern musical . and with dublin as its backdrop , MOV is fun and fresh .",
    "id": "528361586"
  },
  {
    "movie": "national_lampoons_christmas_vacation",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the last funny installment of the series",
        "have n't watched it in awhile , but i remember it well and i remember enjoying it . one of the better vacation movies -lrb- vegas vacation is still the best , though -rrb- .",
        "amusing chase vehicle on its way to being a xmas perennial .",
        "the new film does little more than reintroduce these familiar characters -lrb- with new actors playing the children , who would otherwise be college age by now -rrb- and let them get on one another 's nerves in earnest .",
        "there never , ever should 've been more than one of these movies .",
        "the human frailty at the center of the story makes the jokes all the funnier . holiday films are rarely as priceless .",
        "as always the visual gags are more prevalent then the verbal ones , and are lit up in neon so you ca n't miss them .",
        "one of the great unanswered questions in hollywood is how chevy chase still gets work .",
        "many of those episodic moments , particularly in the film 's first half , are hilarious . but as picture goes along there are far too many dry spells .",
        "sequence after sequence seems to contain all the necessary material , to be well on the way toward a payoff , and then it somehow does n't work .",
        "it may be forgotten when it comes to top 50 lists of comedys , but it 's consistently funny , a mini-classic of it 's kind and a re-watcher when it comes to christmas .",
        "christmas vacation never quite reaches the levels of suburban-angst rage that other vacation movies do , but it does have its moments .",
        "christmas vacation may not be a fancy package , but it is a diverting stocking stuffer .",
        "the ultimate family holiday film , playing on both the heart strings and the horror to capture a genuine christmas spirit .",
        "... a roller-coaster ride of hilarity , poignancy , vulgarity , and just plain dumbness .",
        "hilarious , a classic",
        "the best of the four `` vacation '' movies .",
        "solid family fare with plenty of yocks .",
        "easily the funniest of the four vacation movies . just try keeping a straight face when the uncouth cousin eddie -lrb- randy quaid -rrb- is on screen .",
        "john hughes wrote the screenplay for this silly , warm little guilty pleasure that nails most of the trials and tribulations of spending the holidays with family .",
        "with enough sight gags to please slapstick fans and enough good-natured christmas cheer to qualify as a good holiday film , national lampoon 's christmas vacation should keep most viewers occupied and provide 97 minutes of goofy entertainment .",
        "in national lampoon 's christmas vacation , chevy chase 's family christmas tree is a little full with a lot of sap , much like this movie . but it 's a big-hearted fullness and it 's a smoothly stirred sap .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- fairly perfect blend ... of cartoon violence and mayhem and the pleasant lightness of a christmas movie ."],
    "summary": "while christmas vacation may not be the most disciplined comedy , it 's got enough laughs and good cheer to make for a solid seasonal treat .",
    "id": "10856"
  },
  {
    "movie": "existenz",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the only visual jolts come from cronenberg 's trademark images of grotesque amphibians and oozing intestines , and these creepy-crawly moments are merely repulsive , not provocative .",
        "in the hands of anyone else , the notion of computer game terrorists would be ludicrous , and even cronenberg fails to explain their motives , using the film instead to indulge in surreal exercises of dream logic .",
        "... too clever for its own good . once you catch on to the gimmick ... it is n't half as entertaining .",
        "jennifer jason leigh is an ideal cronenberg heroine , projecting a personality that is smart , wary and capable of obsessiveness .",
        "cronenberg 's commentary here , though grotesque , belies a certain intelligence .",
        "the premise is solid , the script is clever and well-thought-out , and the movie is consistently engaging ...",
        "bringing a light touch to the grave issues of mortality , illusion , identity , and technology that have obsessed him throughout his career , cronenberg turns them into a diverting , disorienting , ultimately inconsequential hand of solitaire .",
        "a s-fi thriller that challenges us to ponder the propensity we all have for surrendering ourselves to cheap thrills as a substitute for the boredom of reality .",
        "it 's a pleasure to find the brooding cronenberg turning out a trifle , even if it 's a dark trifle .",
        "MOV feels fresh , even if the impulses behind it were n't wholly original .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- meant to have a whiff of the philosophical , even if its intellectual ambition seems mostly limited to spelling affectations .",
        "-lsb- cronenberg is -rsb- a laughing existentialist here , a philosopher who sees the comedy in disorientation .",
        "i just do n't happen to like puzzle films of any kind , but i must credit mr. cronenberg with more intellectual depth than most of his fellow pessimistic movie pranksters .",
        "it 's a disturbing , disorienting sensation -- puzzles within puzzles , games within games -- that continues right up to the last shot .",
        "experienced gamers should find much to savor through the films unique assessments on the nature of reality .",
        "brave moviegoers and fans of writer-director david cronenberg will find funny dialogue and grotesquely engrossing scenes in his latest sci-fi horror tale .",
        "fans may find certain similarities between MOV and videodrome bothersome , but both films are the real thing .",
        "dark , delirious fun .",
        "it 's good art direction in search of an idea .",
        "an evolution for the filmmaker that will reach maturity in the quiet , devastatingly economical eloquence of spider .",
        "a genuinely jolting yarn ... cronenberg eventually succeeds in making the audience feel as disoriented as allegra ...",
        "leigh has not turned in a performance as mischievous and alluring in quite some time .",
        "this is cronenberg country and cyberspace is not a spotless , computer-generated playing platform but a decayed , visceral fug",
        "cronenberg needs more than ideas for his next film , he needs a good script and actors who are more suited for their roles .",
        "MOV keeps you guessing throughout , but this eventually becomes tiresome .",
        "at one point , jude law says , `` i find this disgusting but i ca n't help myself . '' me , too .",
        "because of the potential of the idea and cronenberg 's reputation as a film maker , it 's a real disappointment to watch MOV fall apart the way it does .",
        "the biggest flaw is the film 's patent lack of a life pulse",
        "cronenberg has created an emotionally weightless intellectual exercise that 's fun to parse but little fun to watch .",
        "cronenberg throws so much blood and guts into this film that at times i felt like i was watching the surgery channel on a tv placed in a tank full of bait .",
        "MOV is well thought out ... to a point .",
        "the typically cronenbergian preoccupation with organs and bodily fluids is much in evidence , but this is the first time you can imagine the director standing just beyond the frame , smiling as he goes for the gross-out .",
        "cronenberg makes leaps of logic , character , and setting so baffling that they do n't become clear until the end . even then , the final outcome is so devious you 'll sit poking yourself to make sure you wo n't disappear with the click of the projector .",
        "cronenberg slides between reality and virtual reality with such seamless morphing that it is sometimes intentionally unclear what world the characters are in .",
        "what matters to cronenberg is the imaginative trip on which his film takes its audience and the eerie feeling of unease it leaves with them at the end .",
        "it is a movie that exists in almost a dreamlike state , eminently watchable but too bizarre to really involve its audience personally . that is not a criticism , but only a statement .",
        "for the right audience the film is a kick .",
        "this darkly sexual sci-fi horror variant by cronenberg makes the matrix look like child 's play .",
        "at last , with his ecstatic , spellbinding , madly original MOV , cronenberg suppresses his yen for being a mere provocateur and makes an inspired , ingenious film that wants to be more than the stuff bad dreams are made of .",
        "MOV , the newest film under cronenberg 's name , is one of the more calm and least-daring of his movies . it 's also one of the best .",
        "managed to keep me interested in its development , despite several moments of `` are they still in the game ? '' frustrations , and stamped a vote onto my approval with a fun and appropriate conclusion .",
        "if you thought the matrix was an incoherent but mind-blowing experience , along comes MOV to blow it out of the cinematic waters .",
        "MOV is a good ride . but eat before you come . the meals on display here are for presentation only .",
        "above all , it is a galactic leap from any other film you 're likely to see this week . or this month . perhaps this whole year .",
        "i was hooked from the very beginning all the way to its abrupt and slightly disturbing ending .",
        "purely as a virtual reality thriller it works well and hard sci-fi fans will be glad at having seen it .",
        "a fine exercise of a film , but hardly a riveting piece of cinematic art .",
        "the first north american release of 1999 that can make you tingle while you 're watching it , then think three days later while you replay it at home .",
        "the matrix is mainstream sci-fi , but MOV , written by cronenberg , is much stranger ; it creates a world where organic and inorganic are not separate states , but kind of chummy .",
        "the story is such a mind trip that most of the audience will be equally and pleasantly confused .",
        "jennifer jason leigh , who in the past loved to play the absolute cynic with curled lip and gutteral voice , has never looked and sounded sexier ."],
    "summary": "gooey , slimy , grotesque fun .",
    "id": "13224"
  },
  {
    "movie": "beatles_a_hard_days_night",
    "reviews":
     [
        "finally , i know what a feel-good movie is .",
        "we loved them -- yeah , yeah , yeah . now we can love them all over again .",
        "richard lester 's tangential , effortlessly clever ode to the fab four , given the re-mastered print and soundtrack treatment , still feels fresh and alive .",
        "to watch the movie , and to enjoy such pop music classics as ` all my loving ' and ` she loves you ' is not merely to saunter down memory or penny lane , but to drink at pop 's headwaters .",
        "more than anything else , the movie is a snapshot of how much fun beatlemania really was .",
        "the film was easy to dance to and had a sound comic rhythm . it still does .",
        "the film is still entertaining and certainly easy to watch , especially if you have anything more than a passing interest in the band during their early days of worldwide fame .",
        "remains a must-see for any beatles fan , anyone who enjoys intelligent comedy , or anyone interested in seeing a moment of history caught poignantly on celluloid .",
        "an hour and a half of pure , chaotic bliss .",
        "no movie of the 1960s catches that era 's irreverent joy and exuberance as much as director richard lester 's beatlemania saga .",
        "it 's pure joy as i should have known better , and i love her and tell me why pour out over footage of thousands of screaming , weeping schoolgirls with bouffant hair and miniskirts pursuing john , paul , george and ringo .",
        "as invigorating and funny now as it was on its original release half a century ago , a hard day 's night offers both a perfect showcase for the beatles and an intriguing snapshot of fast-changing , early-1960s british society .",
        "the movie never feels like a nostalgia trip . it moves , breathes and sings with life .",
        "critic andrew sarris was n't just playing the fanboy when he described this movie as ` the citizen kane of jukebox musicals . ' he just might have been selling it short .",
        "an art film and an exploitation film , a comedy and a musical , a celebration of the beatles and a satire of their fame and fortune",
        "the beatles might break into song at any moment or they might run around a park goofing around while their songs are playing , but these moments truly work and they clearly helped to lay the groundwork for mtv videos and musicals to come .",
        "this re-release offers a refreshed glimpse of a long-lost english atlantis-and a farewell to it .",
        "a hard day 's night is a chance to experience to the joyous , early days of pop - while at the same time noting how the pressures of re-energising national life were beginning to close in on the enchanting innocence of youth .",
        "pure , delirious , irresistible joy .",
        "the results remain pop perfection .",
        "to watch the final concert segment is to look back decades and realize , as you do seeing vintage footage of duke ellington or frank sinatra or john coltrane , that it 's never really gotten any better .",
        "the music video by which all other music videos must be judged . and none top it .",
        "it 's the exuberance of ` ca n't buy me love ' and the chiming harmonies of ` if i fell ' that will leave a moony smile on your face when the show is over .",
        "filled with unforgettable moments , most having to do with the music .",
        "younger fans can see what beatlemania was really all about .",
        "do n't even try to keep a smile off of your face and a song out of your heart while watching the film . it 's just not possible .",
        "in its own fab way , a hard day 's night was a pivotal point in british filmmaking .",
        "still feels brand spanking new , and way cool .",
        "has survived the years like a disney cartoon classic .",
        "it captures almost everything good about its time .",
        "the film is mad , mad and crazy , shrewdly designed for the teenage and calculated also to attract the curious and the oldsters who enjoy this sort of thing .",
        "without question , this is a night to remember .",
        "a comedy classic that cross - pollinated jean-luc godard with the four marx brothers .",
        "you thought , like i once did when i was too young and punk rock to care , that the beatles were irrelevant old people who should just go away . this will convince you they were cool .",
        "the new , cleaned-up version -lrb- with a splendid dolby mono soundtrack -rrb- playing at film forum confirms its reputation as the greatest and most entertaining rock movie , ever .",
        "from the opening chords of the title song played over the group bemusedly fleeing from their fans , a hard day 's night creates pure , infectious joy .",
        "no previous rocksploitation film had ever done so splendid a job of selling its performers .",
        "director richard lester 's pop masterpiece is back and better than ever .",
        "there will always be beatles revivals , but we 're way overdue for a major richard lester revival .",
        "in a hard day 's night , the beatles , in song after song , pay homage to the faith of love , and that faith connects them to something ancient , lending this topspin musical its near oracular beauty .",
        "richard lester was the man born to direct this kinetic , kaleidoscopic comedy-with-songs , starring a quartet still fresh from the first gusts of chart-topping fame .",
        "the simple joys of mucking about are captured in this madcap concert tour farce with the beatles .",
        "a hard day 's night looks chaotic and slapdash enough -lrb- and just occasionally , for me , depressing enough -rrb- to count as an experimentalist or underground movie .",
        "an anarchic , ground-breaking breath of fresh air that weaves a fictional romp around a chaotic day in the life of the fab four as they try to make it to their big show .",
        "at a time when elvis and cliff were still making old-style musicals , this forerunner of the modern music video smashed the mould .",
        "it 's more than a movie ; it 's a key artifact -lrb- minus must or muss -rrb- of a cultural phenomenon .",
        "part musical bonanza , part laugh-out-loud farce , part satirical social document .",
        "the whole movie is an ecstatic mix of serendipity and invention . the beatles were ready for their cinematic breakthrough .",
        "rejected the status quo with an irreverent , quick-cutting documentary style that could fairly be described as mod , rocking and mocking .",
        "comes bouncing at you from every angle , rubbery and untameable with the joys of teenagehood .",
        "the rock and roll movie against which all others are measured .",
        "a kinetic musical extravaganza that proved to detractors there was more to the beatles than mop-tops and melodic pop hooks .",
        "charged with vitality , and inventiveness .",
        "it now strikes one as very much a product of its time , but it still has many pleasures .",
        "captured forever here in a filmic bottle is pop-culture lightning , not only beatles magic and energy but the spirit of the early 60s that sustained it .",
        "these three-minute singles still feel vibrant and alive .",
        "one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies .",
        "a hard day 's night conveys not just a joy in music and the beatles , but a joy in cinema .",
        "a sure-fire boxoffice smash .",
        "the documentary style of this movie masks its tight construction , clever script , and sublime anarchy second only to the marx brothers .",
        "the film moves with such joy , humor and fluidity that you ca n't help getting swept up in the frenzied action .",
        "director richard lester and writer alun owen -lrb- who has never gotten the credit he deserves -rrb- treat us to a fanciful day in the life of the beatles , filmed in 1964 at -lrb- they thought -rrb- the peak of the fab four 's popularity .",
        "the mop-tops are likeably relaxed , with lennon offering a few welcome moments of his dry , acerbic wit .",
        "american-born director richard lester serves up a helping of what , on this side of the pond , we came to think of as kicky , mod british filmmaking .",
        "see it for no other reason than the fact that it 's all too rare you can spend 87 minutes smiling and feeling positive about life .",
        "it 's by no stretch of the imagination a good film , but it gets over as a curio and a landmark in modern western culture .",
        "the cinema has had many landmarks , but few have been as entertaining .",
        "that lester and the beatles got away with the irreverent and superb hard day 's night is , by today 's standards , a miracle .",
        "the kind of timeless artifact that , decades after its making , still hits the senses like a burst of fresh air .",
        "it 's a fine conglomeration of madcap clowning in the old marx brothers ' style , and it is done with such a dazzling use of camera that it tickles the intellect and electrifies the nerves .",
        "the best british film of the 1960s .",
        "for fans this is a chance to enjoy the beatles ' legendary music and charisma with unprecedented clarity .",
        "richard lester 's inventive , humorous mockumentary of the beatles had a huge impact , forever changing the definition and limits of the musical movie genre .",
        "beatles classic as fabulous as the fab four .",
        "worth re-watching over and over again to relive the beatles music , personalities , and lasting legacy .",
        "at best , it is fun . but `` fun '' is not an aesthetic experience : fun remains on the surface . i have nothing against the surface . but it belongs where it is and should n't be taken for anything else .",
        "make a date to catch this on the big screen and be rewarded with pure magic .",
        "even when the band plays away from private eyes or songs simply play over disconnected footage of them having fun , the strength of their songcraft is stirring .",
        "let 's talk about joy , and about wistfulness , because one so often trails the other , and both are woven into the dna of a hard day 's night .",
        "of its time , sure , but eternally entertaining .",
        "it was a movie very much of its time , and in encapsulating that time so well , it has become a film for all times .",
        "a hard day 's night remains a highly lovable movie .",
        "shot in a mock-documentary style , with little or no plot to drive it , a hard day 's night was a refreshing , fast-cut glimpse into the lives of the fab four as they rode the runaway train of sudden global success .",
        "one of the most influential films of the past 40 years gets the spit and polish for a reissue -- and it still has n't aged at all .",
        "not only has this film not dated , it may even look fresher than it did in 1964 ; the zigzag cutting and camera moves , the jaunty ironies and pop-celebrity playfulness , are all standard issue now on mtv and its offspring .",
        "beatles fans will get a kick out of this , but those who do n't worship at the beatle shrine may be a bit flustered by its complete lack of a plot and incomprehensible accents .",
        "this delightful cinematic masterpiece answers the question `` do we still love them ? '' with a resounding `` yeah ! yeah ! yeah ! ''",
        "filled with funny lines and modest gags , a hard day 's night also presents the beatles in performance within the candid framework of the movie .",
        "great band , great music , great film . not only that , it remains a fascinating portrait of britain on the cusp of change .",
        "richard lester 's innovative film , the beatles ' debut feature , is a timewarp memento of that brief 1963-4 phase in their history known as beatlemania .",
        "a time capsule preserving the fab four 's charisma , joy , and youthful exuberance .",
        "a priceless piece of history , a commemoration of a time when pop stars were n't jaded and calculating , fans were n't psychotic and music was more important than marketing .",
        "everything about this movie is a smile .",
        "the result still seems fresh and different decades later .",
        "... if you do n't like the beatles , you do n't like rock 'n' roll . and if you do n't like a hard day 's night , you do n't like movies .",
        "captures the beatles when they still looked like they were having fun , back before drugs and psychedelia and yoko ono took effect .",
        "a breezy slice of silliness that pretty much has the beatles playing themselves .",
        "a love letter to innocence and euphoria and the sheer lifting joy of great pop music .",
        "it 's hard to estimate the effect the film had on the future of movies , television , and society in general .",
        "the deadpan humor and non-sequiturs are delivered with such dry perfection you often find yourself rewinding to see if you really heard what you think you did . -lrb- and you did . -rrb-"],
    "summary": "a hard day 's night , despite its age , is still a delight to watch and has proven itself to be a rock-and-roll movie classic .",
    "id": "9421"
  },
  {
    "movie": "last_resort_2001",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV ... marks the emergence of a filmmaker who , in cunningly addressing matters of restriction and escape , manages to really capture people with a camera .",
        "thank goodness for the shooting gallery -- while hollywood continues to churn out very little of interest , they rescue great little films like MOV from obscurity .",
        "admirably terse .",
        "an unabashed , if subdued ode to star-crossed lovers everywhere .",
        "a tragic but quite educational tour of the western countries ' refugee process .",
        "pawlikowski and his cast have been honoured for this film at festivals across the continent , the greatest award for them would be for you to watch and think .",
        "the intimate , unadorned performances add a realistic immediacy to entire piece .",
        "`` MOV '' does not have the feel of a fictional piece , but instead appears to be unfolding as the events occur .",
        "this quiet film gains its power from small moments and unforced , convincing performances .",
        "what was missing for me was a story that was engaging or interesting .",
        "one of the few films to get at the ways in which single mothers and their sons alternate being authority figures .",
        "effortlessly burrows beneath the surface of quietly desperate lives and finds the humanity within .",
        "writer/director pawel pawlikowski strikes a wonderful balance between pathos and tenderness .",
        "extremely apt in its storytelling ability .",
        "a small but surprisingly moving film ... reminiscent of the italian neorealist classics of the 1950s .",
        "a glimpse into passing lives that achieves warmth and significance through artful and unpretentious understatement .",
        "you walk out of the theater curiously touched .",
        "has a broodingly beautiful aesthetic sensibility .",
        "bittersweet and ultimately uplifting .",
        "as in loach 's films , the only real villains are the low-level bureaucrats of the welfare system -- a simplistic notion , to say the least .",
        "the film should help position the award-winning documentarian as a feature writer-director of considerable promise .",
        "MOV shares with movies like lynne ramsay 's ratcatcher and emmanuel finkiel 's voyages a simultaneous commitment to truth-telling and formal exploration .",
        "fasten your seat belt , and do n't blink for a second .",
        "this is the best class of poetic realism , the kind you can believe in without a trace of hesitation .",
        "MOV is a little treat of a quality film at a time when hollywood is releasing mostly dreck .",
        "in addition to imbuing MOV with a convincingly gritty atmosphere , director pawlikowski also loads the film with several fascinatingly seedy characters .",
        "`` MOV '' fits well into any big city theater , but wo n't entertain , nor interest most escapist audiences .",
        "from polish writer-director pawel pawlikowski comes a poignant sad sack tale of a young russian mother and her son cast adrift on foreign shores .",
        "dramatically low-key , MOV is beautifully acted , with striking realism .",
        "sometimes it takes a long day 's journey into night to see ourselves clearly and realize it is time to change our lives .",
        "pavlikovsky ... does a great job wielding his handheld camera to make this film feel like a documentary .",
        "sets itself apart with confident , stylized directing that perfectly suits the gritty performances .",
        "a remarkably thoughtful and disturbing work .",
        "a sobering and superbly realised portrait of a self-satisfied nation .",
        "throughout , the film captures that certain gloomy england of urban decay and rain , which makes tanya 's plight all the more emotional .",
        "there 's no denying that MOV is motivated by heart and solidly humane , altruistic intentions . the romantic glaze on the heartfelt core of the film , however , suggests commercial longings -- and naivete .",
        "a visceral , intimate drama .",
        "sensuous , charming , and uniquely moving .",
        "when will american filmmakers , mainstream and independent alike , tire of being shown up by international movies that capture authenticity as a matter of course ?",
        "reads like a perfectly nuanced short story .",
        "korzun is especially good .",
        "a heartfelt , thoroughly honest and sometimes heartbreaking account of a woman who despite being twice divorced is a naive and incurable romantic .",
        "a humane and surprisingly comic feature .",
        "all three leads underplay effectively , and the verite style reinforces the arbitrariness with which events impinge upon their lives and force some choices .",
        "a thoroughly and refreshingly internal tale of how the things that keep us from being truly free are within ourselves .",
        "pawlikowski deftly balances the bitter with the sweet here , which is graced by top-notch performances .",
        "pawlikowski 's style makes for compelling , if sometimes grittily depressing , viewing .",
        "a lovely first feature .",
        "balances gritty naturalism and compelling drama .",
        "pawlikowski and his actors surprise us with fully drawn characters who defy the hopelessness and doom of their surroundings .",
        "pawlikowski can not seem to decide whether he 's making a love story or a drama about refugees ; in any case , he does n't succeed on either score .",
        "gives grim and gritty a good name .",
        "a deft and moving study of displacement and self-discovery .",
        "captures a small breath of life in a place where we might not otherwise look for it .",
        "no plot description can really do this sweet , melancholy comedy justice ; it 's ineffable charm lies entirely in the delivery .",
        "obliquely affecting .",
        "moving and eerily beautiful .",
        "pawlikowski ... renders the events of MOV so unsentimentally that they unfold with the authenticity of an affecting documentary .",
        "small but surprisingly satisfying .",
        "polish director pawel pawlikowski is an exhilarating visual storyteller .",
        "though the film has its heart in the right place , it is ultimately a slight -- even dull -- effort which does n't match the promise of its moniker .",
        "gritty , offbeat , appealing love story .",
        "pavlikovsky puts a human face on a problem that often goes by as a blur on the evening news ."],
    "summary": "critics are raving about MOV , saying it 's a convincing , touching tale . particularly impressive is the lack of script during the film 's shoot .",
    "id": "331967143"
  },
  {
    "movie": "undercover_brother",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- austin -rsb- powers -lrb- coming again july 26 -rrb- now has competition in pure silliness .",
        "a joyful mix of high and low humor , pulled off with style and an eye for glamour .",
        "one ca n't help but feel that either the filmmakers missed some golden opportunities or that the source material simply ran dry before the picture could run its course .",
        "`` it 's all just an advertisement for the funkadelic soundtrack . ''",
        "it combines relentless energy with an aura of good nature for a formula that works .",
        "like any one of a number of saturday night live movies , MOV is fifteen funny minutes of material stretched thin over two hours .",
        "the smartest bonehead comedy of the summer .",
        "it 's about keeping it funny , and on that score MOV is right on .",
        "the enjoyable MOV , a zany mix of saturday night live-style parody , '70s blaxploitation films and goofball action comedy gone wild , dishes out a ton of laughs that everyone can enjoy .",
        "a colorful , cool and completely hilarious ride that 'll have you rolling through the outtakes .",
        "every broad stereotype and discomfiting joke carries the sting of truth .",
        "one of the smarter genre spoofs in years .",
        "there are some hilarious bits in MOV , but there are far more which are flat , dull and crass .",
        "little is done to support the premise other than fling gags at it to see which ones shtick .",
        "a surprisingly ` solid ' achievement by director malcolm d. lee and writer john ridley .",
        "a sparkling comedy in the vein of the first austin powers movie , continually pulling gags out of a richly varied stream of sources to create a delicious frappe of nearly nonstop laughs .",
        "the broad physical comedy is as reliable as a brick house .",
        "his name is MOV , and he 's one bad-mother-shut-your-mouth crime fighter - dolemite and shaft rolled into one .",
        "basically a five-minute sketch stretched out to feature length and dressed up in retro chic .",
        "as parodies go , lee 's film is refreshingly unpretentious and more silly -lrb- and inspired -rrb- than his cousin spike lee 's racial parody , bamboozled .",
        "quite like the first austin powers in that it 's pretty funny , but it could have been funnier if they 'd invented more loopy spins on the basic premise .",
        "first-time feature director malcolm d. lee does n't have a feel for the material , blows one sure-thing bit after another and fails to let , or make his cast be funny .",
        "the movie is n't just hilarious : it 's witty and inventive , too , and in hindsight , it is n't even all that dumb .",
        "a zany , simplistic , chaotic and outrageous comedy .",
        "sadly , contains too little of the fashion or the funk that made its predecessors so much fun .",
        "... a spoof comedy that carries its share of laughs - sometimes a chuckle , sometimes a guffaw and , to my great pleasure , the occasional belly laugh .",
        "the beauty of this smart , sharp comedy lies in its dexterity , as it raises one fist in a friendly black power salute and firmly gooses the whole audience with the other .",
        "MOV does n't go far enough . it 's just a silly black genre spoof .",
        "everyone in the theater -lrb- half black-half white -rrb- was laughing so hard at times that occasionally i could n't ever hear the dialogue - and it was turned up loud .",
        "an affectionately goofy satire that 's unafraid to throw elbows when necessary ...",
        "the movie is filled with such high spirits and good humor that the jokes are pointed but not barbed .",
        "eddie griffin , who was so much better than the films that encased him with john q and the new guy , is certainly likable enough here , but he rarely lets loose with the kind of manic talent he evidenced in those supporting roles .",
        "even during periods when the belly laughs subside , griffin continues to keep it really amusing with his exuberant flair for physical comedy and mock-serious swagger .",
        "inspired silliness .",
        "we want the funk - and this movie 's got it .",
        "think of it as a sort of black austin powers movie , only funnier .",
        "a devilishly funny and well-balanced film .",
        "imagine austin powers running into zoolander at a black panthers meeting ...",
        "achieves the perfect cartoonish look but makes some fine points about racism through its silliness .",
        "as hard as `` MOV '' tries to be a black `` austin powers '' , it lacks the demented brilliance of a guy like mike myers .",
        "obvious , obnoxious and didactic burlesque .",
        "you may not think too deeply about MOV once it 's over , but you wo n't be able to deny how much you laughed out loud .",
        "very funny , but did colin powell really deserve this ?",
        "for some reason , it works better at a drive-in than at a white bread suburban multi-plex . it 's spotty , but it could have been great .",
        "racially aware yet consistently good-natured , it 's surprisingly fun from start to finish .",
        "quick pace , no lulls , many silly bits and a soundtrack that knows how to back this kind of satirical comedy",
        "there 's not enough to sustain the comedy .",
        "airplane meets chuck jones meets kubrick meets the farrellys ... smarter and funnier than it has a right to be .",
        "the sketch comedy feel works wonders .",
        "eddie griffin is one of the funniest comedians in hollywood making films right now ... see why he 's still a bargain for top billing .",
        "an enjoyably retro ride that relies more on cultural awareness for its humor than sheer gross-out",
        "MOV '' is much , much funnier than even the first austin powers movie . its trailer is funnier than the second austin powers movie .",
        "funny ? fo ' shizzle .",
        "much of MOV plays as a funnier , if similarly addled , bamboozled .",
        "not only is MOV as funny , if not more so , than both austin powers films , but it 's also one of the smarter , savvier spoofs to come along in some time .",
        "the film works no matter which side of the racial divide you 're on , because nothing unites an audience quite like making fun of everyone .",
        "a smart send-up of spy movies , race relations and pop culture that packs more funny into its 86 minutes than austin powers will manage in a lifetime .",
        "it 's far from perfect -- as many jokes fall flat as succeed -- but like MOV himself , it 's smarter than most , and twice as solid .",
        "unfortunately eddie griffin is no eddie murphy .",
        "instead of packing an r-rated , politically incorrect punch , the film goes for the easy laughs without getting too raunchy or violent , and the result is mildly amusing but mostly mediocre .",
        "beating the austin powers films at their own game , this blaxploitation spoof downplays the raunch in favor of gags that rely on the strength of their own cleverness as opposed to the extent of their outrageousness .",
        "` MOV ' comes packed with possibilities , but ca n't keep its groove thing shaking with enough consistency to be any more than a ` saturday night live ' sketch that goes on too long .",
        "even the soundtrack selections are second - or third-hand .",
        "the satire is at both cultures ' expenses , which is a beautiful thing .",
        "while MOV is definitely one for the masses , it 's also full of sharp , smart satire .",
        "the movie just has too much on its plate to really stay afloat for its just under ninety minute running time .",
        "an impressive balance of well-executed slapstick and insightful -lrb- albeit silly -rrb- social commentary .",
        "there are a lot of laughs to be found in this film .",
        "silly and fun .",
        "it 's so refreshing to see a comedy that 's actually funny . i laughed so hard i was hurting afterwards . in fact , i demand a sequel .",
        "the film ends up tackling every racial stereotype imaginable and manages to generate a lot of laughs from it .",
        "nothing is sacred in this gut-buster .",
        "from the opening strains of the average white band 's `` pick up the pieces '' , you can feel the love .",
        "there are n't any slow moments and the jokes come fast and furious .",
        "a witty piece of genre deconstruction that 's curiously drunk on pomo knowingness for both the mofo mystique of 70s blaxploitation and the mojo bull **** of james bond .",
        "the spirit of genre-busting , racial-stereotype deconstruction is so strong and heady in MOV that it 's hard not to completely fall for its comic charms .",
        "not particularly good , but good enough for a comedy",
        "a spy movie-blaxploitation picture spoof that repeats itself so often , and hits its targets so erratically , you 'd swear it was adapted from a saturday night live skit .",
        "the most excruciating 86 minutes one might sit through this summer that do not involve a dentist drill .",
        "feels like one of those movies lifted from a saturday night live skit and then stretched way thin .",
        "a spirited and often funny lark of a movie .",
        "a flick that 's so stupid it 's smart .",
        "there 's an anarchic energy to this movie and a commitment to reality-based foolishness that wins you over .",
        "led by griffin 's smartly nuanced performance and enthusiasm , the cast has a lot of fun with the material .",
        "a live-action version that 's as funny and savvy as the original , even if one leaves the theatre exhausted by its barrage of pop-culture references , and perhaps disappointed by its softness as satire .",
        "there are laughs aplenty , and , as a bonus , viewers do n't have to worry about being subjected to farts , urine , feces , semen , or any of the other foul substances that have overrun modern-day comedies .",
        "traffics in the kind of prechewed racial clich\u00e9s that have already been through the corporate stand-up-comedy mill .",
        "one of the best comedies of its kind .",
        "if you like the austin powers franchise , chances are you 'll like this , regardless of your race . if you do n't , we 'll , i 'd have to say you 're just a jive turkey .",
        "the problem is , that half the time i laughed myself silly , while the other half , i was egregiously offended .",
        "every little piece of this project fell magically , hilariously in place , even if some of its gags do n't quite hit the target .",
        "not for one moment does it get serious or stop for a straight action sequence , and yet it develops into something genuinely exciting , just through the enthusiastic velocity of its streams of jokes and images .",
        "... zips along at a frenetic pace , but the lack of plot does eventually catch up with the rest of the movie .",
        "`` MOV '' fares better as a blaxploitation spoof than as silly-spy shtick . scathing but not scatological , `` brother 's '' withering insights are equal opportunity : here , white guilt is as satirically punishable an offense as propping up prejudice .",
        "stereotype-based satire ; not for young kids .",
        "much funnier and craftier than it had any right to be .",
        "funny at parts",
        "there is nothing undercover about this comedy . it 's solid . can you diggit ?",
        "i know we 're not supposed to take it seriously , but i ca n't shake the thought that MOV missed an opportunity to strongly present some profound social commentary .",
        "more often than not , the movie 's irreverent , ramshackle charms hit the mark .",
        "malcom d. lee is a consummate professional and has made a wise choice in how to approach this material , for a strong case could be made to use this as the initial tool in our school systems to begin serious discussions about race and class .",
        "-lrb- the film -rrb- uses the well-traveled conventions of racial stereotyping to make a grand little spy/action comedy .",
        "the movie 's contradictions of intent -lrb- opposing black stereotypes at the same that it 's reveling in them -rrb- hinder it from making any real comic statement .",
        "has the right mindset , but not always the right material .",
        "ub equally spoofs and celebrates the more outre aspects of ` black culture ' and the dorkier aspects of ` white culture , ' even as it points out how inseparable the two are .",
        "everytime you think MOV has run out of steam , it finds a new way to surprise and amuse .",
        "it 's breezily entertaining and culturally specific without resorting to gross-out jokes or cruelty .",
        "the summer 's first raucous comedy",
        "manages in two minutes what malcolm lee 's cousin spike 's bamboozled could n't in over two hours .",
        "an amiable if inconsistent send-up of and tribute to blaxploitation flicks of the early 1970s .",
        "austin powers is going to have to muster up every ounce of mojo he 's got to out-funny this soul brother spy spoof .",
        "the one-liners are clever enough and the physical comedy and pop-culture goofing sufficiently dumb and broad to make MOV ... a reasonably pleasant experience .",
        "griffin & co. manage to be spectacularly outrageous .",
        "displays the disarming nutball sensibility of a naked gun farce and the dead-on social satire of an on-its-game saturday night live sketch .",
        "it 's short , painless and likely to make even tough comedy customers laugh out loud a few times .",
        "a smart , shrewd , even charming spoof ... easily beats ` austin powers ' at his own game .",
        "good-natured , funny , fast-moving and short ."],
    "summary": "fast-paced and filled with racial gags , MOV serves up plenty of laughs and sharp satire .",
    "id": "11287"
  },
  {
    "movie": "win_win_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "some accomplished turns , and the mood of downbeat quirkiness has its appeal . plot contrivances scupper it though , and given mccarthy 's track record it 's a letdown .",
        "if there 's a more agreeable comedy now making the rounds , please , someone , tell me about it ... easily the best film i 've seen so far this year ...",
        "funny , agreeable and thoroughly enjoyable , if a little bit too neat and fortuitous in sorting out its entangled strands .",
        "trundles along for the most part in sitcom fashion , even down to the plinky-plonky background music .",
        "funny , touching , and beautifully acted , MOV is definitely a victory in humanistic storytelling .",
        "an under-the-radar breath of fresh air built on a strong cast and a smart script .",
        "writer/director tom mccarthy 's skill comes from an ability to hook you and make you care about his characters as if they are family .",
        "no disrespect : this is a nice little movie",
        "with this cast and these characters , even the predictable goes down very nicely indeed .",
        "another great ` family unit ' film from director thomas mccarthy and one of the best teen performances you 'll see with newcomer alex shaffer .",
        "a hugely enjoyable , warm-hearted drama that 's both funny and moving , thanks to a sharply written script , engaging direction and terrific performances from a superb ensemble cast .",
        "what 's just delightful about this wittily observed and touchingly truthful affair is the fact it offers consistently sherbety entertainment in the moment but ultimately holds to its purpose of saying something useful and genuine about real lives .",
        "while another actor might lose your sympathy , giamatti effectively portrays the quiet desperation of a decent man on the edge , and it 's his soul-searching turn that keeps you pinned to your seat .",
        "as with the station agent and the visitor , mccarthy creates a series of encounters for some astonishingly vivid characters .",
        "although there are times when MOV feels a bit self-consciously whimsical , it rings much truer than most .",
        "it 's a true win , win .",
        "riffs engagingly on the quiet desperation of ordinary , decent folk who find themselves in a fix , who take the wrong road for the right reasons .",
        "for all its witty observations on the trials of modern manhood , it never strays out of its blinkered suburban comfort zone .",
        "giamatti strikes gold yet again , in another unassuming , self-depreciating powerhouse performance full of brilliantly acted nuances , in a story brimming with bittersweet moments .",
        "honest , insightful , warm and witty . a proper delight .",
        "a sports movie in which winning is neither everything nor the only thing .",
        "although shafted by politicians and the economy , the middle class is now a winner on the screen .",
        "mccarthy builds his narrative with care and without sentiment and it 's impossible to not feel for these characters . who has n't taken an easier way out rather than the high road at some time in their lives ?",
        "i do n't think they 're believable at all .",
        "there 's no great narrative momentum to MOV , and that 's fine , because it 's such an enjoyable little slice of life .",
        "enjoyably pitched on life 's fork in the road between comedy and drama , the easy way and the hard way .",
        "rarely has the title of a film better described its contents . MOV is yet another funny , poignant and endearing creation by writer/actor/director tom mccarthy . turns out , sometimes there is truth in advertising .",
        "... the inhabitants of the film 's off-kilter world are as vividly realized and authentically portrayed as one might have expected .",
        "through three films , writer-director -lrb- and occasional actor -rrb- tom mccarthy has navigated a tricky line between winsome and melancholy .",
        "in its charming and self-effacing way , `` MOV '' is the most radical movie yet from writer-director tom mccarthy , and it may be one of the more daring movies to be recently released in america .",
        "as kyle , newcomer alex shaffer finds fresh colors in the old delinquent spectrum , and giamatti , who 's at his best , gives nervous scrambling an undertone of tenderness .",
        "the picture aims for little miss sunshine-like laughs and tears but is n't quite funny or dramatic enough although the characters are sympathetic and it 's very nicely performed .",
        "disappointing because it 's a film from tom mccarthy , the man who gave us the station agent and the visitor . MOV is equally humane , but just too cosy and pat .",
        "no actor does ennobled schnook better than paul giamatti .",
        "there are flips , bumps and falls before the resolution , and even if mccarthy ties up his various plot strands a little too neatly , the story will resonate with viewers suffering from recession blues .",
        "a deft , warm , serious and often very funny film .",
        "cute and smart indie about ordinary folks in new jersey and how they handle their small problems .",
        "it wo n't blow you away , but it remains a well-played and solidly entertaining family film .",
        "a slow-burn study of desperation eating away at the law abiding as they grow older .",
        "moving , funny and thought-provoking - MOV wins .",
        "trying to please a crowd need n't be a shameful business . tom mccarthy makes light comedies that notice the goodness and hospitality in unlikely people , yet stop short of sentimentalising them .",
        "MOV is slighter , and sappier , than it might have been . still and all , it 's a joy .",
        "paul giamatti turns sitcomish fare into a highly watchable dramedy .",
        "blessed is the go-for-it movie that can make room for dissonances and weirdness .",
        "an authentic , truthfull family film , and a nice change of pace for paul giamatti .",
        "w/d mccarthy addresses the everyday issues with such humanity and natural humor , intermingling the comedy and drama into a perfectly-hued shade of heightened reality ... that MOV is about as good as it gets .",
        "a film with a big heart ; it 's an eccentric dramedy and a crowd pleaser .",
        "an effortless dramedy about family and responsibility that transcends its situational humor with sublime comic performances .",
        "a disappointing domestic comedy in which all but the audience get what they want .",
        "there 's a lovely somber undercurrent at play here about recognizable people doing their best to carve out a decent life in a punishing economy .",
        "this movie wins you over , head and heart , without cheating . it 's just about perfect .",
        "this bittersweet dramedy may be the closest thing to an honest depiction of the state of contemporary american communities .",
        "funny , compassionate and authentic .",
        "MOV manages that rare feat of being good comfort viewing without feeling too comfortable itself .",
        "it 's a familiar chain of events that resolves these issues , but where mccarthy veers from the mainstream is in his focus on the small lightbulb moments over the slow-motion slam-dunks that usually mark the reversal in fortunes .",
        "the rare , humanist beauty of MOV is that none of its characters is a caricature , none of its plot twists a blatant play for tears or laughs , none of its appeal based on some mythical lowest common denominator .",
        "a decent feel-good film , but i expected more from mccarthy .",
        "this beautifully realised independent film about winning and second chances is one of those gems that easily finds its mark",
        "for all its clich\u00e9s , it would be impossible to really dislike a film that 's so innately inoffensive .",
        "thomas mccarthy 's focus may be far more everyday than his previous films , but MOV is a resonant , well-crafted drama with standout turns from the ever-brilliant giamatti and newcomer alex shaffer , who is certainly one to watch .",
        "you know , there is truth in advertising . or titles , i should say .",
        "how often is my ` generosity ' inspired by self-serving possibilities ? MOV is going to aggravate me for the rest of this year .",
        "the movie is amiable and funny but a little timid .",
        "is there anyone who can play an `` ordinary guy '' better than paul giamatti ?",
        "MOV is a warm , wonderful comedy , smartly written , full of great performances -lrb- particularly from supporting superstars amy ryan , bobby cannavale and jeffrey tambor -rrb- and bad haircuts -lrb- yeah , a lot of the characters have bad haircuts -rrb- .",
        "deftly illustrates how life is complicated and it is that rare family film that portrays life 's real challenges without glossing over the complexities of relationships .",
        "MOV is n't a morality play ; it 's just a really good story . but it does deal with an issue that could n't be more relevant : where do we draw the line when it comes to survival if it means clouding our sense of right and wrong ?",
        "in tom mccarthy 's MOV sports may seem to be the means for drama . but when considering the importance of wrestling to the characters , the sport shapes character and narrative .",
        "this combination comedy and drama works well , in part because of good performances by everyone .",
        "going down for a short count",
        "excellent performances of good characters in a story that 's not as rich as it apparently believes itself to be .",
        "beautifully observed , this serio-comic film is the stuff of life and , despite the plot contrivances , very engaging in its quiet way .",
        "it 's a wonderful screenplay ; observant , wise and nonjudgmental , drawing out its universal relevance from an intimate and subtle story of human weakness and strength",
        "is n't -lsb- tom -rsb- mccarthy at his best but it 's still better than most .",
        "MOV is n't the most visually stimulating 90 minutes you could spend at arthouses this spring , but it might just be the most emotionally stimulating .",
        "extremely well-crafted , what makes ` MOV ' a champ of sorts is how it maintains the right tempo throughout the film . gliding from one scene to the next , there is not a superfluous moment in the entire film .",
        "who will assemble a finer ensemble this year ? mccarthy 's MOV cast sheet reads like a film nerd 's fantasy football squad .",
        "its unfussy realism makes every funny moment and painful setback seem well-earned and believable .",
        "written and directed by tom mccarthy with an impeccable feel for off-center human comedy at its funniest and most heartfelt , its low-key qualities are so relaxed and unforced every moment feels like a gift .",
        "mccarthy has the incredible gift of developing seemingly simple characters into the most wonderful , complex beings that we rarely see on screen .",
        "giamatti always plays his characters with such apparent ease that he sometimes gets overshadowed by others , but his performance here -- yes , it is a march movie , we know -- is oscar-caliber .",
        "writer-director thomas mccarthy again captures the pain of the outsider .",
        "MOV is a wonderful movie and unless 2011 turns out to be a transcendent year for the art of cinema , i predict that it will appear on many a 10 best list .",
        "giamatti skillfully embodies the movie 's central riddle , how decency and opportunism can coexist in the same man .",
        "a comedy that is resoundingly profound",
        "giamatti , rooting down to the soul of this stressed-out , struggling man , delivers a marvel of a performance - all the more so because we forget that he is performing .",
        "it does n't surprise quite so much as mccarthy 's previous work , but its polish , strength and energy are impressive for a film of any size or pedigree .",
        "if charm were enough , this slight but very sweet domestic comedy would knock it out of the park .",
        "MOV is n't aiming for anything grand or life-altering , but sometimes it 's almost better to see a simple and resonant story told so well .",
        "giamatti knows how to play characters in conflict not only with the world but with themselves .",
        "though MOV seems overplotted , what finally emerges is an emotionally honest , economically real portrait of a guy who thinks he 's got things figured out , until more problems arise .",
        "low-key but disarming comedy-drama stars paul giamatti as a beleaguered small-town lawyer and wrestling coach .",
        "all these characters make a beautiful mess together , even if mccarthy spends too much time tidying it up .",
        "tom mccarthy made an impressive filmmaking debut eight years ago as the writer and director of the indie hit the station agent , which introduced us to peter dinklage and peter",
        "wry , whimsical and compassionate , it 's worth a trip to the multiplex .",
        "MOV earns its title as a genuinely warm film that surprises and delights with humour , intelligence and perfect performances from all its cast . the real winner is the audience lucky enough to catch this gem .",
        "a really well made dramedy that benefits from a funny and touching script by mccarthy and one of the best ensemble casts of the year .",
        "warmly observed and solicitous of its audience to the point of caress , MOV is as comfortable an experience at the movies as you might have this year .",
        "MOV is n't exactly easy to sum up or pitch in one sentence , which reveals how deceptively complex it is . it could be a modern jean renoir movie .",
        "this one really is winning all the way .",
        "funny , humane , and uplifting , the sort of smart entertainment that makes you happier than you were when you started .",
        "mccarthy has finally delivered a realistic take on the male teen , along with a tender , funny look at family and what it means to be a man .",
        "MOV is indie with the edges sanded down completely .",
        "mccarthy 's screenwriting is so supple , his characterizations so well-observed and sharply detailed , that none of the little story dovetails ... seem at all contrived or forced .",
        "a delight , a movie that 's smart and emotionally honest about juggling the problems life sends you . it 's already at the top of my list as one of the year 's best .",
        "a comedy that 's ultimately more touching than funny and a joy from beginning to end .",
        "despite embroiling its characters in thorny ethical and legal quandaries , MOV is after only uncomplicated tidiness .",
        "everything about mccarthy 's film feels easygoing and economical . his scripting is sharp and laugh-out-loud funny , with relationships and family dynamics establilshed quickly in an unfussy fashion .",
        "anyone who likes sports , drama and comedy will be happy they went to see it .",
        "so it 's a MOV for audiences , and it 's a reminder that there are fresh ideas and compelling stories out there . thank you , mr. mccarthy !",
        "MOV is a winner all the way .",
        "the film is a win-win as a quirky indie comedy and an upbeat sports yarn .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "sure , the plot sounds melodramatic , but `` MOV '' is more about its characters than its plot , and on that level it 's a total success .",
        "tom mccarthy 's third feature proves something incontestable : the writer-director has a way with american characters .",
        "it 's aptly titled . if you like character-based movies , there 's no way you can lose with this one .",
        "mccarthy 's story and direction do n't demand that the audience take sides one way or the other with mike . he and giamatti trust us to come to our own conclusions .",
        "mccarthy 's put together one terrific ensemble , including former state wrestling champ shaffer who 's a charismatic natural in his acting debut .",
        "there are no real surprises , but this is not to say that `` MOV '' is rote or formulaic . quite the opposite .",
        "an emotionally satisfying drama about sports , family , and money problems in which everyone gets a second chance . one of the best movies of 2011 !",
        "the fine acting , interesting characters , terrific script and , of course , direction are the reasons to do yourself a favor and see this film .",
        "shaffer , an actual top-ranked high-school wrestler , may not be a professional actor , but that 's almost certainly about to change .",
        "mccarthy has a rare ability to make familiar situations seem fresh in an era when many so-called indie films have become as predictable and formulaic as their big-budget brethren .",
        "mature dramedy triumphs with grace and wisdom .",
        "`` MOV '' is more comic than mccarthy 's other films , intentionally and successfully .",
        "the principal joy of `` MOV '' is how often it fails to meet one 's programmed expectations . the effect is oddly exhilarating .",
        "there 's a strain of the inspirational sports movie here , but it does n't overwhelm the sharply observed story of credible people trying to connect .",
        "if it does n't score a pin , it comes out a winner on points .",
        "a charming film , but loses focus when it strains to retain insight , artificially bottoming out the characters so their final reel reunion will mean something .",
        "a wonderfully acted little drama about a tight-knit group of ordinary people whom we get to know and like despite their quirks and flaws .",
        "a highly entertaining film that exudes all the warmth of tom mccarthy 's previous films but also has a sense of comic pace and timing that should allow it far greater appeal to a wider array of audiences .",
        "paul giamatti has the gift of taking movies that are falling into a million horrible pieces and making them watchable .",
        "giamatti brings his trademark plucky underdog quality to an imperfect man who should know better but whose heart is in the right place , and he plays both sides of that equation perfectly .",
        "in the end the film stacks up just this side of twee , as the sort of quirky fare that 's passably entertaining without ever offering anything real or remarkable .",
        "as mccarthy the director wrestles with mccarthy the writer , it 's this capable cast that keeps MOV worth watching .",
        "mccarthy works with more conventional material here than usual , solidly written and acted as one expects but lacking the emotional surprises of his earlier films .",
        "MOV is an all-around solid , well-written , brilliantly acted film that challenges and entertains . it 's a no-lose proposition .",
        "-lsb- mccarthy 's -rsb- writing reflects a wariness of human nature but he 's not cynical ; indeed , the story wraps up with a tenderness that feels true but completely without mush .",
        "giamatti makes a terrific american everyman , a more comical species of arthur miller 's tragic willy loman .",
        "a thoughtful and admirably nuanced moral drama .",
        "if you already know the work of filmmaker tom mccarthy -- who made the station agent and the visitor -- then you know you have a treat in store with this latest project .",
        "another unique story that is both moving and also believable at the same time , an increasingly-rare combination . `` MOV '' is the first great film of 2011 .",
        "you have a funny situation , and there 's some truth in it and unexpected characters , well-acted , and you may not have a great film but you enjoy watching it .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a lawyer unshackled from the usual cinematic stereotypes .",
        "MOV is one of those movies that grows in stature as you watch it .",
        "giamatti has become predictable as an avatar of middle-aged anxiety , but he 's less self-conscious than he was in barney 's version , and plays amusingly off mccarthy regular bobby cannavale .",
        "a small but pleasurable film that nonetheless leaves room for improvement , `` MOV '' is more like `` win tie '' on final calculation .",
        "mccarthy 's decision to focus so keenly on these characters and not the potentially destructive forces surrounding them is the most important one for MOV .",
        "though MOV is certainly mccarthy 's most commercial effort to date , it still benefits from the actor-turned-filmmaker 's affection for the unconventional .",
        "a thoughtful study of relationships and family dynamics , MOV wrestles the competition to the ground .",
        "mccarthy has found his emotional sweet spot , a gentle and complex story to set it in and the perfect title for it . ''",
        "`` MOV '' continues mccarthy 's streak of bringing realistic characters and realistic situations to life on the screen . he has clearly shown his talent for writing and directing , making him one of those directors to watch out for .",
        "there 's a real earnestness to the proceedings : if someone had relayed the setup to me via email or over cocktails , i would have bet heavily that we 'd be looking at a sappy mess of clich\u00e9s .",
        "in a still young movie year , MOV is already on the mat as one of the best .",
        "tom mccarthy does n't make great movies , but he makes movies about people i enjoy spending time with .",
        "MOV makes tom mccarthy three-for-three . grabbing the affection from the audience is what he wants , and dear reader , he ca n't lose .",
        "mccarthy understands the thrill of incontrovertible victory and our primal lust for it .",
        "one of the ten best films of 2011 .",
        "MOV is worth a look look . as indie dramedies go , it 's a good one .",
        "mccarthy has established himself as a craftsman of conventionally quirky pictures that are entirely about ingratiating themselves with the audience . within those limited parameters , MOV works .",
        "this disappointing hard-luck story is elevated above an average television sitcom only because of the exceptional cast . this eccentric moral fable should appeal strictly to the art house crowd .",
        "if life is indeed about enjoying the little things , then it 's entirely appropriate that the best scenes in MOV are the little slice-of-life ones .",
        "`` MOV '' is just that , a charming movie that wo n't make you regret praising it years later . there 's really not much more you could ask for .",
        "`` MOV '' is a very likable small movie . the characters and the situation feel authentic .",
        "as the movie 's frequently comical but believable characters coped with economic responsibilities and emotional challenges , i was reminded of ` the andy griffith show ' -- and i mean that as praise .",
        "it 's easy to undervalue a movie like `` MOV , '' because it does seem so offhand and entertaining . but this is near-perfect filmmaking ; not only does every piece fit together just right , but you forget there are even any pieces .",
        "stays true to the realities of the difficult situation it presents and still sends you out feeling hopeful and fulfilled",
        "it 's a solid effort that delicately balances hilarity , suspense and affection for its characters ' foibles .",
        "giamatti excels as the weak-kneed mike , nicely working his gift for inner conflict and outer bumbling . as his wife , amy ryan is a ballast of unflinching moral certitude ."],
    "summary": "rich , wonderful characters and strong performances populate MOV , with writer/director thomas mccarthy continuing to emerge as a great american humanist .",
    "id": "771224337"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1164582-trade",
    "reviews":
     [
        ". . an uneven job ... that is intermittently shocking and dull .",
        "it 's a sad but common story .",
        "treats sex slavery with roughly the same amount of tact and complexity with which the jean-claude van damme vehicle hard target treated homelessness .",
        "i was moved .",
        "other than showing how a trafficking pipeline might work , MOV is a total misfire , a strange attempt at making a buddy movie featuring a morose kevin kline and a 17-year-old mexican boy looking for his kidnapped sister .",
        "alternately gripping and frustrating , MOV is a regrettable disappointment .",
        "a transcendent rather than merely tragic film ...",
        "MOV has telegraphed the most sordid examples of the international child sex MOV into a small , somewhat exploitative thriller .",
        "there 's really no nice way to put this : MOV wants to be the traffic of sex slavery , and it fails at that task in ways that are alternately dreary , pretentious and vaguely sleazy .",
        "it labors under the delusion that it 's this year 's revelatory , eye-opening maria full of grace , when it 's little more than a b-movie with an overwrought conscience .",
        "rarely has a message movie been as noxious ... manages to be not only contrived and culturally offensive , but also exploitative of the illicit practice it theoretically opposes .",
        "this mostly effective dramatization paints a suitably ugly picture of the dehumanizing depths people are willing to go for money .",
        "a jarring mess of a movie , one that ends up seeming like no more than a particularly heavy episode of the cbs kidnapping drama without a trace .",
        "seems more exploitation than exploration ... ends up not illuminating its subject but cheapening it .",
        "in addition to one-dimensional characters , the plot is unconvincing , with contrivance heaped upon contrivance .",
        "human trafficking is an awful societal issue , and MOV happens to be an awful movie about human trafficking .",
        "a nasty , vile business , made more slimy because director marco kreuzpaintner does n't trust the intrinsic interest of his story , and pumps it up with chase details , close calls , manufactured crises , and gratuitous scenes .",
        "equally involving yet hard to take .",
        "without making a message movie , the filmmakers have shed light on a serious yet underappreciated sociopolitical issue .",
        "the movie often seems to be exploiting as much as illuminating the problem .",
        "the story of the victims on the road is harrowing , but the tale of the kind cop and the teenager with an attitude is a string of big brother clich\u00e9s .",
        "a routine crime melodrama with art-house message-movie pretensions .",
        "MOV takes on a serious , under-addressed international crime against humanity in a style that is somewhere between tv melodrama and drive-in exploitation , undoing its obvious good intentions and some truly provocative moments .",
        "overly symbolic shots of a lone bike in the street and a doll with its head torn off do n't do an already garbled cautionary tale any favors .",
        "the filmmaker tries to keep the energy up and the audience engaged by incorporating stylistic touches from the michael bay 101 crib sheet , whirling the camera around characters in crisis and lacing scenes with hack guitar rock .",
        "tremendously sincere but at times brutal drama .",
        "what ultimately tips the scales is its determination to avoid sentimentality .",
        "MOV has cojones for trying to lay the kind of political guilt trip it does on us with its sham aesthetics and lurid telenovela-writ-large storyline .",
        "yes , a conventional documentary about sex slavery would probably be more illuminating . it would also be more unbearable .",
        "a documentary about sex trafficking might have been more powerful . dramatizing the subject in this fashion , with a race-against-time road trip , breathless online bidding and a couple of different happy endings , simply cheapens it .",
        "just misses making its urgent point , which was surely the purpose of this emotionally stirring , troubling film , by turning up the excessively convoluted melodrama , and turning its eyes away from the sociopolitical issues that sex slavery thrives on .",
        "MOV is a dreadfully hollow film , empty of everything except pretension and self-importance posing as art .",
        "grim , hard to take , and nightmare-producing , MOV is not for the faint of heart .",
        "incredible -- in the literal , non-complimentary sense ...",
        "a scary , poignant , and unforgettable film that elicits our outrage and compassion as it puts faces and feelings on the victims of the international MOV in sex slaves .",
        "by introducing silly elements into a serious endeavor , the filmmakers undercut their own movie . in the end , we 're watching a somewhat exploitative movie about exploitation .",
        "MOV 's fictional drama is -lsb- hard -rsb- to believe , and impossible to justify .",
        "such difficult subject matter requires a harder-edged delivery , but hopefully this accessible drama will therefore get its message across to a wider audience .",
        "as cinema , ` MOV ' is flawed : the script is functional and the dry characters are hemmed in by the machinations of an unremarkable plot .",
        "if only the whole matched the power and potency of the details . masquerades as a searing expos\u00e9 , but turns out to be a lurid and overwrought account .",
        "a brutal , shattering story of child trafficking that is intended to deliver a sobering punch about the global human trafficking MOV , marco kreutzpaintner 's powerful drama is in fact based on investigative reports in the new york times .",
        "jose rivera 's script plays uneasily , as do some of the directorial flourishes : the shots of rose stems and caged birds are galumphingly emphatic at moments that need no underlining .",
        "kline and the talented gaitan do their best to engage on a human level , but ending with various sobering stats about the global sex MOV only underlines the film 's woefully misplaced dramatic emphasis .",
        "is it possible to agree with what a film is saying while disliking the way it says it ? MOV leaves no arm untwisted and no message unrammed .",
        "this cockeyed odd-couple road movie is well-intentioned , but it comes perilously close to feeding off the crimes it condemns .",
        "takes forever to get anywhere and the ridiculous ending does n't make it worth the journey .",
        "this involving film is weakened by a script that tries to create a formulaic thriller out of an important subject matter .",
        "with terrific performances and strong direction throughout , this hard-hitting thriller delivers a powerful wake-up call .",
        "it gets high marks for its lofty intentions , but it is only mediocre as a thriller and is clunky in its presentation .",
        "as a movie , MOV is so-so , but as an expos\u00e9 of how the new globalized industry of sex trafficking really works , it 's a disquieting , eye-opening bulletin .",
        "a movie that 's guaranteed to make you lose sleep .",
        "there 's plenty of intelligence peeking through the cracks in MOV . it 's just too bad it 's squandered on preaching to the converted in the worst sort of way .",
        "little more than a slipshod , trashy , sometimes exploitative thriller .",
        "however lofty the film 's intent , it 's hard to ignore the flaws in its making nor the protagonist 's own criminality relative to a captor 's religious hypocrisy .",
        "the film 's horrific and important subject matter is distilled into a lackluster lump of generic buddy-movie/road-picture components .",
        "MOV is as gripping as it is important .",
        "ill-conceived and executed by german helmer kreuzpaintner , MOV fails on every level , as expose of sex traffickers , as commentary on us ongoing illegal immigration debate , as portrait of innocent children violated by crime , and even as seedy thriller .",
        "MOV needed to be the united 93 of the human trafficking crisis . it 's closer to being the world MOV center .",
        "... occasionally uses exploitation to get you worked up about , well , exploitation .",
        "comes off like tv-movie sensationalism , sidetracked by distracting backstories and hard-to-swallow plot twists .",
        "a straightforward and uninspired look at the sex MOV .",
        "jose rivera\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s highly improbable and sensationalized screenplay leaves its actors no room for authenticity . marco kreuzpaintner directs with commendable energy , but squanders daniel gottschalk\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s gold-dust-strewn images on hyperventilating voyeurism .",
        "MOV plays like a slightly more culturally aware episode of walker , texas ranger .",
        "a bone-chilling , disturbing thriller about a forbidden subject the government would probably like to sweep under the rug .",
        "tells the story with gritty realism , but waters it down with laughable melodrama .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "with an exploitative style that seems more suited for tv shows like csi , MOV 's message about the reality of child exploitation is easily lost .",
    "id": "528392628"
  },
  {
    "movie": "101_reykjavik",
    "reviews":
     [
        "consistently entertaining , even as its plot becomes increasingly outlandish .",
        "a funny look at modern love through the eyes and culture of a slothfully detached and uniquely 21st century male archetype .",
        "there 's something deep and true beneath the humor .",
        "gudnason makes a delightful anti-hero , abril is a kick in the pants and the snowy locations are nicely integrated .",
        "does n't feel like ` foreign film ' homework .",
        "in spirit , 101 reykjav\u00edk is so almod\u00f3var that it could melt the polar icecap .",
        "for non-icelandic viewers , 101 MOV is ... of interest for the beautifully photographed glimpse , eccentric though it may be , into life in that little-known country .",
        "a fresh alternative to overrated blockbusters .",
        "a fascinating and sexy performance from spanish actress victoria abril as lola .",
        "as sullen and unlikable as hlynur would be in real life , it 's a credit to gudnason that we can give half a damn what becomes of him .",
        "but life , unlike mtv programming , does change now and then .",
        "kormakur 's need to make the picture fuller drowns it with inconsistency .",
        "a moderately amusing chronicle of one man 's fight for his right to lethargy .",
        "a times as flatly deadpan as hylner , at others as passionately eccentric as abril 's lola , 101 MOV is at least dedicatedly unexpected .",
        "uses a combination of humor , pathos , and general weirdness to good effect .",
        "the film is almost too successful in its depiction of reykjav\u00edk as the most boring spot on the planet .",
        "far too minor for me to bother with any loud complaints , and it definitely has enough material for sugar-puff entertainment .",
        "fulfills the basic requirements of good slacker comedy .",
        "finely acted and shot with a beautiful , understated cinematic sweep ... 101 reykjav\u00edk is a poignant , endearingly offbeat work .",
        "life in iceland never looked so bland and swingin ' at the same time .",
        "hilmer snaer gudnason makes hylner ... weirdly sweet and appealing , and as for the rest of the cast , well , we 've yet to see a movie that was not vastly improved by the presence of victoria abril .",
        "as an offbeat character study , it 's a curiosity well worth checking out .",
        "imagine , if you dare , ingmar bergman as a consummate slacker with a wicked sense of pop humour .",
        "the director wisely resists the temptation to treat slackerdom as just a blase counterpoint to the craziness of the world .",
        "hilynur serves as a likable antihero .",
        "there 's something juicily amusing about the nonjudgmental way kormakur views his characters .",
        "the movie is inconsequential , floppy-eared , frisky , yet no dog .",
        "101 MOV sometimes seems to be drifting pointlessly , but it keeps on righting itself , with moments of humor and imagination .",
        "culture clashes , gender roles and political correctnesses all get their moment in this droll winner .",
        "... there is more intelligence and humor in this 93-minute diamond-in-the-rough than in 10 american coming-of-age flicks .",
        "fails because it 's nearly impossible to care about the main character .",
        "kormakur ... balances tones with a smooth , mature confidence .",
        "it 's a strange and distant tale that would only appear on jerry springer in america but comes off as quirky and cute when presented from the cold nordic perspective .",
        "a film that 's as outlandish as it is entertaining .",
        "a tightly packed little snowball of a comedy that picks up steam as it rolls along .",
        "everything about this icelandic sitcom comedy seemed off kilter .",
        "has a generosity of spirit , sharp character observation and solid performances .",
        "funny , sexy , and utterly moored in its distinctive landscape",
        "as a tour through the messy lifestyles of the young and the wasted in europe 's most remote yet hippest capital , it 's entertaining and often hilarious .",
        "though the film ... has been described by some critics as ` almodovar-esque , ' actor-turned-director baltasar kormakur 's sensibility is far less outrageous .",
        "its dark , somber tone allows for a humor that feels far more human in temperament than that of any comedy released by hollywood this year ."],
    "summary": "a funny , offbeat romantic comedy about an unlikely tryst with the beautiful icelandic landscape as a backdrop .",
    "id": "20019"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cold_mountain",
    "reviews":
     [
        "minghella crafts enough resonant , lyrical images to make the engrossing MOV a finely polished , emotionally harrowing epic .",
        "minghella overdirects the movie like frazier overwrites the novel .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... a good epic that tries too hard to be great .",
        "MOV is ... like a painting hanging in a museum ... . it ignites your admiration , but fails to sufficiently seize your emotions .",
        "this could have been a powerful war story , but under the surface it is contrived and unconvincing and the performances are uninvolving .",
        "... it does achieve , if only intermittently , the aching feelings of love and loss , for both country and countrymen , that frazier depicted so unforgettably in his novel .",
        "in spite of an entire film 's worth of good intentions , you 'll either love it or hate it based on the ending alone .",
        "not many movies have characters you can warm up to the way MOV does . that makes it a real treasure .",
        "despite fine work by jude law and nicole kidman , the story feels hollow at its core , the central romance barely resonating as the life-sustaining force it 's meant to be .",
        "MOV is set in frontier america , but it 's staged in the wilderness of romania ! i knew something was wrong when the confederacy declared war against vlad the impaler .",
        "montagne un peu trop froide mais quelle beaut\u00e9 !",
        "MOV is haunted by the earmarks of a tv mini-series ... -lsb- but -rsb- left me in a dreamy state of mind ...",
        "-lsb- zellweger -rsb- keeps this mountain from deteriorating into a molehill of unrelenting melancholy .",
        "`` MOV '' is a well-wrought drama about love , loyalty and the ravages of war .",
        "handsome and fast-moving , if a little hollow .",
        "a gorgeous , epic film whose characters , story and production are just about perfect in every way .",
        "law 's performance and seale 's camerawork redeem the excesses of MOV , even though minghella makes the journey steeper than he ought .",
        "a grand and intoxicating love story more often felt than seen .",
        "nicole kidman and jude law get top billing , but it 's ren\u00e9e zellweger who steals the show .",
        "stirring and sad and lovely all at the same time , this movie reaches for cinematic heights -- and often finds them .",
        "has the big , glossy feel of a hollywood epic that 's been worked up by experts .",
        "kidman 's locks gets mysteriously re-highlighted during the civil war 's most depressed period - maybe zellweger 's ruby was as handy with foils as pitchforks .",
        "the brevity of each of these incidents is a function of the film 's structure , but it also creates a sense of perpetual dislocation .",
        "holds itself up with a sometimes labored studiousness that threatens , but never quite undermines , the inherent power of the story",
        "this romantic costume drama set during the civil war has both an epic scale and focused , personal stories .",
        "this one was good but i expected much more .",
        "a one note affair about the ravages of war in which beautiful people are dirtied up and walk around idyllic landscapes while bad things happen all around them ...",
        "beauty and skill bereft of passion or personality .",
        "even for a movie that works in pieces , all three leads are miscast .",
        "a good-looking but dull and eccentrically cast romantic drama set during american civil war .",
        "although there were some good moments in the film , mostly due to philip seymour hoffman , `` MOV '' never rises above the average .",
        "scaling a mountain might be easier than swallowing this pompous bag of feed",
        "a willed exercise in mythmaking .",
        "a successful adaptation .",
        "that the film MOV is so much better than the best-selling charles frazier novel makes it quite the rare thing -- only the godfather comes immediately to mind as an example of a major movie that so surpasses its source material .",
        "an unabashed romantic , minghella takes to ada and inman 's love story with appreciable feeling , but the irony of MOV is that it 's the director 's grasp of violent action that proves his greatest cinematic gift .",
        "one stunner of a movie .",
        "despite its surface allure and hi-lit cred , the hero remains opaque , the structure is episodic , and the film never quite attains the epic sweep it aspires to .",
        "takes a complex , episodic story and builds it into an emotionally satisfying whole . it might just make me take another crack at reading the novel .",
        "in terms of pedigree and sheer , lush filmmaking , the movie has class written all over it . and that 's part of the problem .",
        "-lsb- law 's -rsb- actorly determination matches kidman 's -- there 's more chemistry in their tintypes than their interactions -- although the script decrees that these cool operators make a sweet pair of sweeties .",
        "MOV is a movie of episodes , and minghella pulls off dazzling set pieces : he knows how to infuse violence with emotion , so it never seems gratuitous .",
        "a film of grand gestures and also intricate subtlety , which is unfortunately bogged down by the wooden performances of the leads and some pacing problems .",
        "a rapturous , unusual romantic adventure , detailing mostly unexplored sides to the civil war and female companionship .",
        "... a film that works , more or less , simply for being about real characters and how they cope with situations .",
        "lovely to look at , engagingly acted , but empty and ... well , `` cold '' pretty much sums it up .",
        "a film of many excellences undermined by a flawed narrative .",
        "a rapturous , moving experience that 's filled with drama , comedy , music , and action .",
        "MOV is an engaging story ... it is unfortunate that it occasionally takes itself too seriously for its own good .",
        "that ancillary characters are played by big-name supporting actors , each of whom seems to be working in a different register , just underscores the choppy nature of the story .",
        "law and kidman are the stars , but it 's the secondary characters that the audience will connect with and remember , especially ruby .",
        "the movie is captivating from beginning to end , and there is nary a boring scene to be found .",
        "minghella has meticulously crafted an intimate epic that , while it does have a somewhat cerebral tone , is clearly determined to translate frazier 's vision of human hope amid great brutality to the screen .",
        "is nicole kidman contractually obligated to interact with birds in all her films ?",
        "powerful but somehow distant , like a story being told in low tones across a room .",
        "one of the most intelligent and caring book-to-screen transitions ever made .",
        "a stunning drama .",
        "so full of hot air , any emotion is blown away -- gone , with the wind .",
        "an intensely personal story that catches two vivid perspectives of wartime with an almost eerie timeliness .",
        "handsomely mounted , but hollow at the core , MOV 's reach far , far exceeds its grasp",
        "so rich with detail that each viewer will discover a scene and a character worth cherishing .",
        "a civil war melodrama that never really has the emotional heft -- the oomph , if you will -- that audiences will expect .",
        "like frazier , minghella has artfully wrangled what is essentially a series of allegorical episodes into an emotional experience of cumulative impact .",
        "not that there are n't award-worthy performances here , there are . and not that it is n't good , it is . it 's just not that good .",
        "minghella , in his long-winded tales of love , has the storytelling prowess of a narcoleptic ulysses teacher",
        "it evokes a backwater of the civil war with rare beauty , and lights up with an assortment of colorful supporting characters .",
        "remains compelling even at over two-and-a-half hours thanks to great performances from law , zellweger and the collection of cameo appearances from the likes of giovanni ribisi and hoffman .",
        "-lsb- minghella -rsb- once again has achieved the miracle of transforming a difficult book with an inner narrative into a deeply satisfying film .",
        "the year 's most rapturous love story .",
        "rather than challenge with its ideas , MOV favours epic romance and movie star postures , making it a failure for its success .",
        "it is handsomely crafted , to be sure , but boasts little authenticity and zero credibility .",
        "borrowing thematically from aristophanes ' ` lysistrata , ' this pic is more to be respected than loved .",
        "whether we 're watching the domestic struggles of kidman or law doing moody wandering , scenes run on randomly , and do n't build into a structure with arc or emphasis .",
        "` a pesar de la falta de conexi\u00f3n emocional que existe por momentos entre los dos protagonistas , es un buen ejemplo de entretenimiento f\u00edlmico de alta calidad '",
        "anthony minghella acredita -lrb- erroneamente -rrb- ser david lean .",
        "napoleon said an army marches on its stomach . you 'll need a bucket or two of popcorn to get through this death march , and you 'll still suffer from battle fatigue .",
        "it is moving , painfully so , regardless what the cynics say .",
        "even though minghella took quite a few liberties with the novel , he managed to evoke the haunting spirit inherent in frazier 's prose .",
        "una l\u00e1stima , por todos esos recursos que no terminaron de ensamblar con el \u00e9xito que merec\u00edan .",
        "like all of minghella 's films , the best performance comes from the scenery .",
        "low emotional wattage in what ought to be a soaring romance .",
        "despite an epic tableau set against the backdrop of the civil war , this odyssey of a man 's journey back to the woman he loves is surprisingly dispassionate .",
        "minghella is well served by his cast . both principals are convincing , if neither rises quite to the heights of genuine tragedy .",
        "one of the best of 2003",
        "though flawed at times , it earns its oscar pedigree as a holiday moviegoing experience that 's worth climbing ... and if nothing else , it will surely take your mind off fighting the crowds at the malls .",
        "it evolves into two storylines each with rich texture and detail but ultimately goes for poignancy over fulfillment , leaving you as cold as the mountain .",
        "anthony minghella changed the story -lsb- by charles frazier -rsb- into a series of vignettes showing good people as good and bad people as bad with little shading .",
        "MOV is a universal quest story about the yearning for hope and home that enables two lovers to deal with the harrowing menace and the senseless violence of war .",
        "movie or mini-series ? the guests come into jude or nicole 's life , make their impressions , then the movie moves on to the next episode and the next guest star .",
        "for decades , hollywood has toyed with the idea of remaking or following up gone with the wind . that moment has finally arrived .",
        "anthony minghella has crafted a lush film resounding with blue-ribbon production values .",
        "i read the book . i knew what was going to happen . and i was still riveted and surprised by just about everything on the screen .",
        "the film is epic in length but narrow in scope ... . the tragedy of war is a factor , but it is not driven home as solidly as the tragedy of love .",
        "a compelling story ... memorable screen characters ... a tonic after the overdose of sword-waving on view this season .",
        "without the balance of the book 's poetic language , the images tend to overwhelm the subtle issues it raises about great and small conflicts .",
        "it may be oscar bait , but if so , it 's the weirdest oscar bait in many moons .",
        "those who found ... the english patient lovely to look at but ponderous and overstated are likely to feel the same way about MOV .",
        "... has a level of artistry and heart that i would normally not give mr. minghella credit for ... a little too long and still feels like something is missing ...",
        "an updated version of a romance story . passion is tempered with practicality , but it exists nonetheless . women are as pro-active in construction as men are in destruction .",
        "the statuesque kidman and the diminutive zellweger make a wonderful team",
        "law conveys his character 's romantic illusions and battlefield disillusionments very effectively , and kidman makes us believe her character 's initial awkwardness and gradual growth .",
        "kidman and law are chilly performers , and their fundamental remoteness drains the sublimated passion from inman and ada 's hope-sustaining romance . it also allows the supporting cast to steal the movie out from under them .",
        "... a good movie not a great one .",
        "with zero on-screen chemistry , jude law and nicole kidman star in ... a snoozer that is long , literary and lifeless .",
        "like dr. zhivago of 1965 , MOV is a tragic romance set amid a cataclysmic civil war .",
        "one of those rare pictures that makes you believe a viewing two decades from now will be just as grand as a viewing today .",
        "minghella crafts a complex and entertaining two-and-a-half hours with a cast who play their roles perfectly .",
        "MOV is one cold teat -- tough and lifeless , yielding nothing . when even a semi-nude jude law ca n't save a movie , it 's time to go direct to video .",
        "when the reel stops , the film will be remembered only as a muddled and tiresome misadventure .",
        "the vignettes are interesting .",
        "zellweger 's performance is major reason to catch this movie .",
        "the scenes feel like dominoes -- they once stood in a progression with room to breathe between , but now they 're down , overlapping each other , their potential energy stolen .",
        "it 's a depressing , violent and simplistic film that encourages the romantic to dream while causing others to doze .",
        "while the film is handsome to look at and has its fair share of realism , it also gets plenty sappy along the way .",
        "a civil war movie that wins some of its skirmishes but ca n't entirely escape battle fatigue .",
        "sometimes impressive , often exciting , but never delivers the home run we 're expecting .",
        "often entertaining in ways it does n't mean to be .",
        "-lsb- minghella -rsb- has , to a considerable degree , succeeded at bringing frazier 's civil war-era version of homer 's the odyssey to the screen with remarkable fidelity .",
        "underneath the movie 's cold surface , MOV turns out to be a volcano .",
        "minghella this time puts his symbolism so far up front that he might as well be placing it on the end of a stick and suspending it over the audience , 3-d style .",
        "an exquisitely crafted civil war epic that combines the epic romantic sweep of gone with the wind with a more intimate voice that speaks eloquently to the war-weary nation of today .",
        "as they might have said in the old days , this sweeping historical romance is one heck of a classy picture which is both its great virtue and its limitation .",
        "any trappings of today yield to the terrible poetry of that time and place .",
        "there is something distancing about the film , and i do n't refer to the romanian mountains standing for north carolina 's blue ridge .",
        "crowded with fascinating supporting characters , who make the long haul -- the movie clocks in at 2 1/2 hours -- worth attempting .",
        "minghella 's detail-rich film is like a beautiful piece of fabric , lovingly crafted by hand . and zellweger is like a big ol' stain , right in the middle of it .",
        "a work of palpable passion , fueled by tremendous performances , and it 's among the best movies of the year .",
        "excellent but upsetting , only for older teens .",
        "there are minor merits . mostly handsome production values , to mingehlla 's screen version of the acclaimed novel .",
        "only renee zellweger maintains a southern accent in this laughable attempt by director anthony minghella -lrb- `` the english patient '' -rrb- at filming charles frazier 's love story set amidst the turmoil of the civil war .",
        "so utterly manufactured for oscar , it was nauseating .",
        "despite its pretentious , episodic structure and emotional restraint , MOV retains its tension through multi-layered character development .",
        "MOV is a major achievement , studded with star performances from its entire cast , offering those who are prepared to experience it ...",
        "law interprets his laconic character so well that the lack of chemistry between inman and ada made me care very little if their romance was ever resurrected .",
        "a kitschy , lugubrious and deeply unhistorical exercise in self-congratulation .",
        "kidman and law share almost no screen time together , which harms the film . still , there are moments that are sufficiently ablaze , and make `` MOV '' a worthwhile diversion .",
        "a love story likely to leave you cold .",
        "it is a promontory of undeniable beauty and occasional power , but MOV remains so dark and distant on the screen -- shivering in a wintry gloom -- that it hardly casts an emotional shadow .",
        "a beautiful tale , tragic and mournful .",
        "the dazzle does n't add up to the sustained act of brilliance i 'd been expecting . for all its many strengths , the picture ultimately feels like a mild -- and i emphasize mild -- disappointment .",
        "good , sometimes thrilling , but it 's less a war epic than an evocative romantic melodrama with a patchy first hour .",
        "minghella eliminates or glosses over the complications and contradictions that made the book uniquely compelling .",
        "three quarters of MOV consist of some of the most masterful and absorbing filmmaking of the year .",
        "a sublime story of brute living and ethereal yearning .",
        "it 's grand-scale moviemaking you can feel in your heart and in your gut -- at once stirringly romantic and ruthlessly counter-romantic , just like the ambitious charles frazier best seller from which it was adapted .",
        "a stunning , if utterly gut-wrenching and heart-breaking civil war drama .",
        "a towering achievement of style over substance , glorious to look at and powerful to experience .",
        "-lsb- law and kidman -rsb- share a fatal lack of chemistry together , and it 's a flaw this grandly ambitious movie can not overcome .",
        "rises and falls on the strength of its individual sections and , just as crucially , on the judgment of the actors who populate each .",
        "terrible and slow-moving . kidman and law lack chemistry .",
        "it 's enough of a spectacle to enjoy . it 's too bad the stars are little more than serviceable and give the movie title an irony it could certainly do without .",
        "MOV is the best civil war film since gone with the wind .",
        "this ` mountain ' stands as one of those serious , high-minded pictures that it 's easy to admire from a respectful distance but difficult to be moved by in a visceral way .",
        "it was n't until zellweger 's spunky character hit the screen that things really got into a groove .",
        "the opening 45 minutes are among the worst of the year . they epitomize everything wrong with hollywood today ; melodramatic , clich\u00e9d , cheesy , overblown , and repetitive .",
        "... a weirdly entertaining , genuinely bizarre mixture of the high-toned and the tacky .",
        "a cinematic treasure -- it 's my favorite film of the year .",
        "a despondent and long-winded ode to `` gone with the wind . ''",
        "MOV is a technical triumph , to be sure , but it is just as lacking in pure soul .",
        "as he did with the english patient , director minghella performs a miraculous juggling act , balancing his epic , sweeping story with the subtleties of character and detail that make MOV breathe .",
        "feels curiously put together - it jerks together from event to event without any real flow and the two leads display absolutely no chemistry when they are on-screen together .",
        "when all of your supporting characters are more compelling and charismatic than your leads , your movie is in trouble .",
        "cold is right -- anthony minghella 's pretty , star-studded adaptation of the bestselling civil war romance never makes it above freezing .",
        "although not as precious as minghella 's the english patient , MOV marks a big decline in his artistry since the talented mr. ripley .",
        "never boring and achieves moments of lyrical beauty .",
        "hands down , the best thing about this film is t-bone burnett 's brilliant score and the songs by jack white and gabriel yared .",
        "minghella tries too hard here , carefully placing every element but stupidly forgetting to include any feeling .",
        "MOV is a handsome work of impressive sweep dotted with fine performances . it offers a few fine moments of wit , fear and emotional intimacy . but it rarely pulses with vital life .",
        "at 154 minutes , MOV is long and seems long , at times inspired , at times merely dutiful . but in most of the important ways , it succeeds .",
        "a page-turning , dutiful slog .",
        "first and foremost , about the ravages of wartime ... but framed to an intimate scale , tracing the devastating consequences such violence takes upon individuals .",
        "MOV wants desperately to be gone with the wind .",
        "it 's nice to see someone finally get the civil war right .",
        "minghella treats the epic romance between ada and inman so seriously that he comes dangerously close to letting the lovers suck the life out of the movie .",
        "crisp direction , wonderful cinematography , a well-written script and brilliant acting all combine to make this an engaging story of love and loss .",
        "civil war story of love and struggle is a carefully , expertly crafted piece of oscar bait that 's still satisfying .",
        "nicole kidman and jude law are as beautiful and affecting as they 've ever been and they 're surrounded by a greatish supporting cast .",
        "the ratio of small , efficient moments outweighs the icy , grandiose ones . minghella and his cast have no trouble scaling the little hills .",
        "... deeply unsatisfying in so many ways ...",
        "there are intimations of a genuinely moving film ; in its best moments , MOV is a fantasy that - like the lord of the rings movies - aspires to shakespearean heights .",
        "grim in places , and at times gratuitous , this is still terrific five-hanky drama with top-flight technical work , horrifically spectacular action , subtle introspection , rich characters and a love story to die for .",
        "as he did with the english patient , director minghella performs a miraculous juggling act , balancing his epic , sweeping story with the subtleties of character and detail that make MOV breathe .",
        "a movie of gorgeous moments alternating with many more that feel literate to the point of inducing boredom",
        "if the love story is asked to carry more weight than it can bare , at least this is a film of rich measure and ambition .",
        "a tough movie to sit through but a powerful one nonetheless and whilst its not the great film that it so longs to be , it is a strong journey worth taking if your prepared for it .",
        "occasionally breathtaking and always lovely .",
        "something to mildly admire rather than embrace .",
        "` above all , MOV is a story of women -- abandoned , starving , and learning to rely only on themselves and each other . '",
        "a romance set against the civil war should be as passionate and horrific as its backdrop . all we get with MOV is a really funny renee zellwegger",
        "it takes a lot to make a seated -- and crabby -- film critic go weak at the knees , but anthony minghella 's civil war epic did just that with one of the swooniest celluloid kisses i 've seen in a good long while .",
        "it 's a dichotomy of appearance , the forging of nature 's splendor defiled by base human behavior . that said , i wish it had stayed truer to the fatalistic mood it works up .",
        "a classically crafted civil war epic with actions and ideas aplenty - but not enough to fill its excessive length",
        "a searing and haunting period saga with a mournful , universal anti-war lament .",
        "renee zellweger is the best thing about this epic love story , but that 's not to say that jude and nicole are n't great themselves .",
        "over-the-top performances by hoffman and zellweger drew me out of the picture .",
        "like a secular version of ben hur without the chariot race , jude law 's character keeps going via the inspiration of a brief encounter with ada monroe",
        "anthony minghella does his best homeric impersonation with somewhat erratic results .",
        "part of the problem here is that the supporting characters ... are far more interesting than the long distance yearning of inman -lsb- jude law -rsb- and ada -lsb- nicole kidman -rsb- .",
        "MOV is the equivalent of comfort food : old-fashioned , earthy , satisfying .",
        "leaves you luke-warm .",
        "there are certain weaknesses that it can not overcome .",
        "convincingly elegant and unsparing , MOV is a sweeping and enriching narrative that captures the fancy and flashiness of old-fashioned poetic storytelling .",
        "unlike many previous entries in the miramax oscar derby , it 's actually quite good ... even as the hype surrounding it rises far louder than it merits .",
        "the problem with these epic movies is that the situations are far more interesting than the characters.every character comes right out of the ` epics for dummies ' handbook .",
        "it 's ` gone with the wind ' for the new millennium .",
        "a film of pretty pictures and clumsy exposition in which a southern carpenter wailing away with a hammer comments , ` i call this nail `` northern agression ! '' '",
        "it 's difficult to tell whether minghella chronically miscasts these epics , or if his mediocre direction stifles the cast he ends up with .",
        "-lsb- law and kidman are -rsb- not onscreen together much , but that means their few moments should be all the more urgent , and they are n't .",
        "here is a privileged example of a talented filmmaker at the top of his game , abetted by a dream cast that 's every bit as committed and passionate as he is .",
        "law and kidman meet the challenge of keeping their love story alive , even though they hardly ever share the screen . zellweger is fabulous as the mountain girl .",
        "watching this movie , it seems to be the next level down from great -- maybe too episodic . but it burns in the memory weeks after you see it .",
        "envelops you in another time , pulling you into a story of two people who , having barely connected before being separated , cling to that connection to survive until they can meet again .",
        "beautifully photographed , moving drama , with impressive performances from its three leads and a terrific supporting cast .",
        "blends every aspect of filmmaking -- sets , costumes , camerawork , acting , lighting , writing , editing and technology -- to tell mythic stories of love , death , courage , honor , loss and survival on the battlefield and on the home front in the 1860 's .",
        "law 's performance ... sustains us throughout the movie , just as love sustains inman during his long separation from ada .",
        "handsomely made and vividly acted .",
        "you walk out thinking of it not as a romance , but rather a film about the ferocious desire to survive , how love of place can feed that instinct , and how dire circumstances can inspire people to form unorthodox families .",
        "it 's a great old-fashioned wallow of a time at the movies ."],
    "summary": "the well-crafted MOV has an epic sweep and captures the horror and brutal hardship of war .",
    "id": "12931"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1208128-tyson",
    "reviews":
     [
        "toback fashions a sharp doc out of a blunt object .",
        "director james toback gives the audience a raw and realistic view into one of the biggest names in sports of all time .",
        "hardly anyone thinks of ... MOV as articulate and sincere . but director james toback does and captures these qualities in a fascinating , sympathetic portrait . MOV is a film of vast surprises .",
        "unless you just ca n't stand the sight of the guy , MOV is a fascinating film .",
        "the movie is a useful portrait of a mentally tortured man , but i 'm not sure it documents anything definitively biographical about MOV .",
        "deploying multiple split screens and a discreet but effective score , MOV is hugely engrossing at the same time that it is not entirely credible .",
        "MOV is about the processes that make mike MOV .",
        "it 's like a spalding gray monologue performed by a maniac .",
        "emotionally and psychologically raw , this is a revelatory experience . MOV has a second act , he could mentor a troubled teen like his savior cus d'amato .",
        "those who were furious at MOV will be made even angrier by toback 's film , for here is a fresh provocation-an attempt to restore to MOV the human dimensions that have been taken from him -lrb- by himself , of course , as well as by others -rrb- .",
        "toback 's rare close-up view of some of the inherent contradictions in american hero worship makes MOV a worthwhile coda to the mirage of athletic greatness MOV 's career represents .",
        "a revealing portrait of the troubled mike MOV elicits horror and sympathy .",
        "the closest most of us will ever come to an intimate chat with the champ .",
        "when MOV finally admits defeat and announces retirement , it 's those crinkly , hurting eyes you remember .",
        "MOV is a staggering movie .",
        "hypnotic and ultimately incomplete .",
        "more a testimony for the defense than a documentary , it 's a sympathetic portrait of a complex man driven by an anger that still bubbles beneath the surface .",
        "it 's good filmmaking with no pretense of balance . these days some people are okay with that in a documentary .",
        "it may be discomfiting at times , but it 's always honest , and like all of toback 's strongest work , it 's challenging from beginning to end .",
        "with MOV , -lsb- director james -rsb- toback has found a documentary subject as tragic and ridiculous , as bizarre and driven , as the heroes of his other films .",
        "toback , to his considerable credit , turns that view around by showing MOV as a complicated person who has more thoughtful things to say .",
        "for a documentary , this film is n't remotely balanced , telling the story only through the eyes of the boxer himself , along with historical footage . but it 's so expertly assembled that it 's absolutely riveting .",
        "very humane portrait of a potentially extremely unlikeable character .",
        "it 's certainly an effectively tough , unsentimental look at boxing .",
        "up close with a mumbling criminal - sorry , boxing legend - whom james toback probes for a conscience , finding crazy levels of self-delusion instead .",
        "not the full story - not even close - but this is ` iron ' mike MOV as you 've never seen him before . one of the most devastatingly personal on-camera confessionals ever put on screen .",
        "mixed with clips and photos from his tumultuous career but no contributions from peers or ` experts ' , this is a genuinely incisive portrait of a fighter at war with himself .",
        "the result is fascinating yet troubling .",
        "who is mike MOV ? soft-spoken lost soul ? vicious animal ? not even he knows . but it 's eerily fascinating to watch him try to figure it out .",
        "a grab bag of occasional split-screens and sometimes overlapping or echoing dialogue -- all of which does more to obscure than illuminate the self-deceiving subject .",
        "whatever you thought of mike MOV , this exceptional , fascinating film presents his story with all his warts in his own words .",
        "mike MOV is a damaged man but a man nonetheless . dismissing him as an animal , a habit he sometimes falls into himself , is an error . his mind is far from empty , although it 's a lonely , haunted place , and MOV is a howl of humanity .",
        "it is n't a profile ; it 's a conduit for MOV to speak his mind . he 's the film 's only voice , but even when he 's the only one talking , the story is still two-sided .",
        "it appears that toback is out to protect and defend his friend as much as anything else , and so -- while MOV is indeed fascinating -- it 's also a missed opportunity .",
        "MOV simply does n't provoke you enough intellectually . it feels mildly compelling , occasionally moving and revealing , but it ultimately suffers from too much style over substance .",
        "the stories are great , really demonstrative of how MOV became the figure he is . it 's amazing how real life has a beginning , middle and end .",
        "boosted by the combination of toback 's willingness to let MOV reclaim his public persona and the filmmaker 's refusal to shy away from the controversy that 's enveloped it .",
        "there has been a lot of backlash by those accusing the boxer of lying , but that is not the point of this tyson-toback collaboration . it is MOV 's story , truth or not , from his viewpoint and that is what we get .",
        "this doco goes a little way to portraying MOV as more human than animal . iron mike even sheds a few tears .",
        "... if MOV never manages to charm us , there are other times when he comes off as touchingly naive . he 's uncommonly empathetic to those who might think him a monster . it seems he often sometimes thinks of himself the same way .",
        "in these interviews , there 's a strange poetry to the way he talks about his life . i actually found it really moving .",
        "he 's amazingly frank about some of the people he does n't like , and he breaks down when he talks about his friends and the people he loved . a surprisingly fine documentary .",
        "MOV is presented via multiple split screen , with relentlessly frank and rhythmic sentences overlapping one another . the effect is mesmerising .",
        "brutally honest , MOV offers one perspective on the life of the boxer - his own . this intimate look is enough to carry the film through its fascinating portrait of the fallen hero .",
        "you certainly hope that the humility mike MOV is showing these days is genuine and not just an act .",
        "just relentless lisping monotonous speech that makes the prospect of entering the ring with mike seem attractive if only because it will be over sooner .",
        "in the end this is an unflinching portrait of a man , honest and beguiling . it puts MOV 's sins into context , but never excuses him . in a way , it 's also a very american story about success from nothing and the double-edged sword of money and fame .",
        "there is something compelling about the way he presents his version of the stories and scandals that surround him .",
        "MOV is indeed an intriguingly contradictory hulk , but he 's far from the troubling caliban toback 's own obsessions with athleticism and negritude make him out to be",
        "MOV 's dissection of his own struggles makes the film hard to turn away from . in that respect , MOV is a lot like a train wreck . in fact , MOV 's life is like a train wreck in a lot of ways .",
        "toback presumably wants us to see MOV as a product of his times , but we ca n't really buy that .",
        "boxing fans will be thrilled by toback 's film , filled as it is with multi-camera angles and behind-the-scenes footage of some of the greatest fights in the sports history .",
        "the greatest bout of MOV 's life was no singular opponent but him being an experimental pawn in the battle of nature versus nurture .",
        "turns out mike MOV , lo and behold , is n't that interesting after all . he 's an unreliable narrator , sure , but mostly he 's just a grotesque cartoon of every athlete who never had to answer for anything as long as they were making other people money .",
        "utterly absorbing and fascinating , MOV captivates viewers for its 90 minutes .",
        "until i saw MOV , i would n't have believed it possible to film a one-sided documentary that felt truthful and complete . ''",
        "whether or not the troubled mike deserves our sympathy , is left up to the viewer .",
        "toback 's approach to MOV pulls no punches . it is extraordinarily revealing .",
        "some of the best boxing action to be had in any film and an inside look at one of america 's toughest survivors .",
        "my hunch is this innovative documentary will make you look at mike MOV differently . not necessarily in a better light , but in greater context .",
        "it makes you look at him in a new light .",
        "a documentary that is as near to an honest apologia as we 're ever likely to get . it 's a fascinating story , though not a pretty one .",
        "plainly , this is n't the only account you would need to consult to form a proper picture of the man , but it 's a compelling spectacle , to be sure .",
        "... there ultimately reaches a point at which the former fighter 's relentless chattering simply becomes too much to take .",
        "one of the best biographical documentaries in years , a captivating examination of a life lived in the public eye but by an audience that barely understands it .",
        "this is an extraordinary portrait of a complicated and contradictory man and regardless of your previously held views towards him , it is complex and thoughtful enough to force you to reconsider and reshape them as a result .",
        "an oppressively fascinating look into individual -- and cultural -- pathology .",
        "james toback 's MOV is a documentary with no pretense of objectivity . here is mike MOV 's story in his own words , and it is surprisingly persuasive .",
        "MOV is terrifically compelling and , more than that , unexpectedly moving .",
        "an 88-minute stream-of-consciousness monologue that has you by turns sympathetic , perplexed , appalled , and enthralled .",
        "toback excises any counterbalancing voices from the project and leaves the final word in every case with MOV , even as the boxer exhibits a marked tendency toward self-contradiction .",
        "an extraordinary documentary .",
        "despite some compelling moments , this one-sided portrait of former boxing superstar mike MOV feels like a missed opportunity .",
        "forget the ear biting , forget the porn career , forget the wife abuse , at least he seems to have come to terms with these issues and might be closer to being at peace with himself .",
        "the term is n't generally applied to the subject of a nonfiction film , but ` starring ' is the right description for mike MOV 's participation in james toback 's provocatively sympathetic , impressionistic documentary portrait , MOV .",
        "this raging bull ... is unaware how simultaneously untouchable and vulnerable he is .",
        "though not probing enough , toback 's sympathetic docu captures vividly MOV the man , the celeb and the animal , but a more detached approach is required to make the film truly revelatory .",
        "ultimately , this may be the closest we 'll ever get to understanding how mike feels about himself , and there 's value in viewing that assessment .",
        "MOV is a mirror portrait that gets under our skin . through film , -lsb- director james -rsb- toback achieves what even his mentor norman mailer 's magnificent writing on boxing was never able to accomplish .",
        "-lsb- toback -rsb- gives us iron mike in all his monolithic multitudes and allows us , for a brief moment , to peer alongside him into the existential abyss .",
        "it 's MOV straight , no chaser ... it 's hard to imagine a movie getting closer to the bone than this one .",
        "MOV can be brutal with himself , but toback 's fawning documentary lets him off easy .",
        "MOV offers no point of view other that that of mike MOV himself . he 's impossible not to like and the gentle quality of his voice is entirely disarming .",
        "hey , if i were toback , i would n't exactly be poking this guy with a stick either , but the ultimate purpose of MOV is a budding mystery that 's never quite solved .",
        "although straightforward in format , the film capitalizes on an obviously intense connection between filmmaker and subject with psychological acuity and emotional power .",
        "toback steers MOV through every triumph and disaster you want to hear about , never pretending that the platform belongs to anyone but the man they used to call iron mike .",
        "toback 's split-screen moments , in which the film dissolves from gripping memories into something far closer to stream of consciousness , is pure documentary poetry . hold tight for a guided tour of MOV 's surreal descent into hell .",
        "MOV wo n't shatter all your preconceptions , but if you do n't at least question them , you have n't been paying attention .",
        "MOV does n't pretend to be a balanced picture , but it 's a fascinating peek into a teeming , demon-filled brain that is n't like anyone else 's .",
        "MOV may be the case of a subject not quite ready for primetime , a man still smarting from his past wounds , too narcissistic , frankly , to be very interesting .",
        "ultimately proves too subjective to truly get at the heart and mind-frame of its iconic subject .",
        "whatever preconceptions you have about MOV will be challenged in a modern story of self-destruction and renewal that is as much about one vulnerable man 's desperate need for guidance and security as it is a reflection on american society , the media , and",
        "a highly divisive figure tells his side of the story in a revealing film that still leaves too many questions unanswered .",
        "something of a clich\u00e9 .",
        "i ca n't say i 've ever wanted to be in mike MOV 's head , but this documentary by james toback certainly took me there , and i wo n't soon forget it .",
        "the movie tries hard to gain your sympathy for this troubled individual who admits that he never thought he would miraculously live to be 40 .",
        "until mike MOV writes an autobiography , this documentary will do .",
        "some parts are hilarious , some are heartbreaking and whether or not you think mike is a rapist or saint -- you ca n't help but feel his truth .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- erves only to show us a reprehensible example of the worst of american manhood , and of american celebrity ...",
        "with no sense that toback is pressing MOV behind the camera , it 's easy to see this as more of a puff piece propping up MOV 's sense of importance rather than any work of documentary filmmaking .",
        "i went into the movie ambivalent about him , but after hearing his hate-fuled , unself-aware rants , i shifted to the ` ca n't stand him ' camp .",
        "no other sporting figure has ever been afforded so much screen time for self-revelation : just another instance of iron mike 's one-of-a-kind status .",
        "stage-managed acts of public apology are de rigueur for penitent celebrities and athletes , but few lay it on the line like MOV does here .",
        "the result is as gripping as a title fight and as mesmerizing as a conversation with a cobra . you may not be happy with everything said , but you will not be bored .",
        "you wo n't know what hit you after watching MOV . this power punch to the gut is one of the best movies of any kind this year .",
        "stunningly candid , emotional and tremendously entertaining , this is mike MOV 's autobiography . director toback captures the controversial fighter at his most raw , and ironically , undefended",
        "MOV is worth seeing even if you have no particular interest in the sport or the man .",
        "after all the years of rage and calamity , iron mike appears to have found some kind of lonely peace .",
        "it 's a movie that 's thought-provoking without being intelligent and candid without being truthful . the same aesthetic choices that -lsb- director -rsb- toback seems convinced will set his documentary apart are also what diminishes its credibility .",
        "a brutally honest documentary gets mike MOV to put it all out on the record , and the results may surprise you .",
        "think you 've seen enough of mike MOV for a lifetime ? think you know as much about him as you want to ? think again , and see james toback 's terrific documentary MOV .",
        "like raging bull , like on the waterfront , even like woyzeck -lrb- the granddaddy of lumpenprole tragic drama -rrb- , toback 's portrait asks us to ransack the human animal to see if there is a soul inside - and if so , of precisely what kind ?",
        "it is a fascinating interview which would have been more powerful if tobak had n't pulled his punches .",
        "prepare to be floored yourself as the retired boxer delivers an emotionally devastating and nakedly honest confession about his life , times and crimes .",
        "james toback 's been close with MOV since the 80s -lrb- he played in toback 's black and white -rrb- , and this stab at redemption is subjective and sympathetic .",
        "despite its apparent one-sidedness , this is a riveting and unexpectedly moving documentary that 's guaranteed to make you view its subject in a new light .",
        "it makes for a fascinating film about a man who was drawn by fate into a level of fame and fortune he could n't deal with and has become a convincing ringside commentator on his own life .",
        "may be more argument than even-handed report , but it 's likely to alter people 's opinions about its subject while reinforcing their amazement at his career in the ring .",
        "toback keeps himself out of the picture and does n't follow every angle to the most satisfying conclusion ... but he sure gives us a mike MOV to reconsider .",
        "merely functions as a disingenuous attempt to make him palatable to the mainstream .",
        "the most remarkable revelation of the movie is its subject 's thoughtful , reflective eloquence and unflinching self-perception ... MOV may or may not be entirely who he says he is , but he 's probably not who we thought he was , either .",
        "documentary as ghost-written autobiography .",
        "-lsb- mike MOV -rsb- could hardly have wished for a more sympathetic protrait .",
        "like the heavyweight prize-fighter in his prime , this is documentary stripped back to its leanest form .",
        "half-appealing , half-pathetic .",
        "a one-sided account of mike MOV 's compelling rise and fall , told by the man who lived the tale .",
        "it all adds up to a fascinating psychological study , a film that goes beyond both the public persona and the fighter 's own spin to get at the frightened , angry , explosive , yet utterly understandable boy who became a very troubled and very public man .",
        "some documentaries grow in the shadows ; others demand to be made . the story of boxer mike MOV , powerfully recounted in a new film , is as rich as a dickens novel .",
        "listening to MOV tell his side of the story , you come to understand him with new depth and complexity ."],
    "summary": "a fascinating , emotional , and frank confessional from iron mike that sheds a sympathetic light on one of boxing 's most controversial icons .",
    "id": "770796354"
  },
  {
    "movie": "youve_got_mail",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the whole movie goes bland and flat as a fast-food knish or a blank computer screen .",
        "it 's handsome , professional moviemaking all around , just a little flat when it ought to soar .",
        "drenched in schmaltz and oozing with saccharine sweetness , hanks and ryan squeeze every last drop of cornball sentimentality out of the script , but -- despite all the puff about their on-screen chemistry -- fail to ignite many sparks .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "el amor traspasa las barreras de la cibern\u00e9tica para conquistarlo todo",
        "mail may not be as romantic as sleepless , but it 's wittier .",
        "this film enchanted me , and even if it did work for me slightly better as a comedy than as a romance , it 's still a great comedy -- and ryan and hanks are teriffic .",
        "the movie grows on you until you do n't want to leave it .",
        "you 've got mail is a valentine to the happenstance miracle of lovers and other strangers , a movie that regards modern romance as something that is , ultimately , old-fashioned to its core .",
        "that joe is smug , oily and a ruthless destroyer of small businesses , while kathleen intolerably twee , makes for some rough sledding that the combined star power of ryan and hanks does n't ameliorate .",
        "charmless and hokey !",
        "not only about pcs ; it appears to have been dictated by one .",
        "you 've got mail , is a sleek , well-photographed romantic comedy that actually compliments the beauty of nyc more than the actual stars of the film ...",
        "like e-mail , this movie is a message delivery system , no more .",
        "what a complete waste of time .",
        "at two hours , the froth on the comedy starts to dissolve like foam on a latte left standing all day .",
        "seasonal to the max , you 've got mail is a paradigm of product placement , packaged good cheer and innocuous irony .",
        "ephron 's updating of this material falls flat .",
        "of all the delights to be had while watching the enchanting romantic comedy you 've got mail , none gave me more joy than the performance of co-lead meg ryan .",
        "you 've got mail is a light and tasty little romantic recipe for the holidays .",
        "the entire movie is glazed with syrupy sweet generic moments ... that clash with the potentially enjoyable , devious grown-up comedy that nearly surfaces as joe and kathleen develop a flirty animosity as they continue to run into each other .",
        "succeeds because because it is such a refreshing dose of romantic fantasy -- and because it has such likable stars in tom hanks and meg ryan .",
        "it 's a feel-good movie that offers enough comedy and romance to warm the heart without risking a sentimental overdose .",
        "ryan and hanks have more winning smiles than most people have expressions !",
        "hanks and ryan are masters at making this kind of slight rom - com work , but even they run out of steam before the end .",
        "hanks and ryan have a chemistry that 's undeniable .",
        "you 've got mail is a relentlessly practical movie , big business versus little business , strangers touching over the internet versus real life volatility .",
        "this slick and entertaining film scores some salient points about the mixed attractions of online dating and the perils of modern relationships .",
        "you 've got mail has much in common with sleepless in seattle but ultimately pales by comparison .",
        "structural elegance is not the hallmark of mail ; neither is depth of insight into the nature of role playing , love , and identity .",
        "you 've got mail is a nice little romantic comedy that is boosted by perhaps the best romantic couple in the movies today , tom hanks and meg ryan , the stars of sleepless in seattle , and the overlooked gem joe vs. the volcano .",
        "there 's no denying the chemistry between hanks , whose comparisons to jimmy stewart are becoming annoyingly accurate , and ryan , whose schoolgirl cuteness is finally taking on a layer of matured confidence .",
        "light and romantic , funny , charming , and easy to sit through",
        "you 've got mail is a celebrity-powered wish-fulfillment , and that 's okay . sometimes it 's enjoyable just watching nice things happen to nice people , even if the nice people involved happen to be movie stars .",
        "insufferably cutesy-poo !",
        "even if you already live on the upper west side , you might feel the urge to move there before the film is over .",
        "a spotty and tedious two hour affair !",
        "warm , smart , and funny !",
        "a sweetly sentimental romance that shrewdly capitalizes on the foolproof allure of its stars .",
        "a love story destined to be remembered as one of the best of the decade .",
        "pretty typical ephron : shiny to look at , with myriad clever moments , the whole thing awash in more sentiment than frank capra ever dared .",
        "a magical combination of love , loneliness , humor , and conflict .",
        "the witty dialogue gets high gloss from two of the finest light romantic leads in hollywood , whose chemistry was already proven in sleepless in seattle .",
        "if you thought hanks and ryan were endearing in their previous teamings in ` sleepless in seattle ' and ` joe versus the volcano , ' you ai n't seen nothing yet .",
        "you 've got mail is a timely romance for this impersonal , computer-driven decade .",
        "what a sparkling , sweet treat ! it 's the most romantic movie of the holiday season .",
        "delightful and uplifting , you 've got mail is light as a souffle fresh from the oven .",
        "it lacks the freshness of the first film , but it 's still a charmer .",
        "you 've got mail is a valentine to new york 's upper west side neighborhood , a center of liberal , well-educated individuals who patronize a plethora of megastores and independents as well .",
        "crisp plot and smart and funny dialogue .",
        "mail offers us a fantasy version of new york , the one we 'd all like to live in , that only serves to enhance the film 's genuine new york magic .",
        "you 've got mail distills the essence of meg ryan and tom hanks . it 's a cute , funny , nice and ever-so-appealing romantic comedy .",
        "as warm and cozy as a cuddle under a favorite old quilt .",
        "another problem is chemistry ; remarkably , hanks and ryan have n't any until the last few scenes .",
        "boring , unoriginal , long-winded rehash of two of this writer 's earlier scripts , based on the 1940 film entitled the shop around the corner ...",
        "you 've got mail provides a perfectly cuddly night at the movies !",
        "nice !",
        "a romantic comedy in the long tradition of hollywood romantic comedies",
        "winning romantic comedy and great date movie !",
        "nora ephron and delia ephron 's screenplay is adequately warm and funny , and the characters sufficiently charming , to draw audiences in to the unlikely but ultimately engaging love affair .",
        "um filme carente de atrativos como os que fizeram de ` sintonia de amor ' uma pequena obra-prima entre as com\u00e9dias rom\u00e2nticas .",
        "fully-stocked , well-oiled and soulless , you 've got mail sure feels like a franchise operation -- all that 's missing is a greeter and a discount card .",
        "every time you 've got mail is about to choke on its own cleverness , it 's resuscitated by its extremely likable -- oh heck , let 's just call them lovable -- stars .",
        "this film made me feel like a christmas goose being fattened for slaughter . its force-fed diet of whimsy cloyed long before the eagerly anticipated romantic payoff arrived to put me out of my misery .",
        "yes , you 've got mail is n't strikingly profound or groundbreaking , but it 's one of these movies that just make you feel real good .",
        "it 's a good date movie , and i recommend it . but do n't forget to rent the shop around the corner .",
        "there 's no serious problem that would keep me from recommending the movie , but if you want a more organized , more serious , more humorous and more organic film , watch the similar sleepless in seattle .",
        "there is something marvelously contrived about this classic situation : two attractive and incongruous characters who do n't know what we know : they belong with each , and when the heck will they get together ?",
        "you 've got mail is probably not as engaging as sleepless , with which it will inevitably be compared , but it has its moments .",
        "tom hanks , meg ryan and america online . could you be anymore 1990s ?",
        "... you 've got a lot of saccharine sweetness in the film , but it 's a good kind of sweetness , a gentle , loveable , delightful sweetness .",
        "the clumsily loaded characterisation not only treats almost every other figure as dispensable , but does n't even bother to make meg and tom properly sympathetic .",
        "seductive !",
        "a great big hug of a film .",
        "the coincidences that make the destined lovers ' paths cross are n't contrived with much finesse , but the characters get in some decidedly clever lines .",
        "the well-honed dramedic performances by endearingly mock-cranky hanks and quirky , cryin ' ryan add just enough weight to what might otherwise float away ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "predictable-but-sweet romantic comedy .",
        "consistently charming and delightful !",
        "less than what you hoped for but pretty much what you expected .",
        "you 've got mail is not as saccharine as i expected , but the sugar-coated love story offers us nothing new or original .",
        "there 's no denying the on-screen chemistry between hanks and ryan , but still it never really seems to spark as much as it did in sleepless in seattle .",
        "better than sleepless in seattle",
        "impeccably inane !",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "great chemistry between the leads made this a warm and charming delight .",
    "id": "10050"
  },
  {
    "movie": "drag_me_to_hell",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV really is an unmissable experience , the sort of film that those with nerves of steel will want to see again and again . scary , electrifying and very , very funny , you wo n't know whether to laugh or barf .",
        "a diabolically funny , creepy and thrilling crowd-pleaser , as long as you 're willing to check your brain at the door and suspend your disbelief . it 's the ultimate midnight-movie experience that should to be watched with a large movie theater crowd .",
        "the looseness raimi allows himself here results in an especially joyous kind of filmmaking , the sort where the filmmaker 's delight in scaring us -lrb- and making us laugh -rrb- becomes part of the movie 's fabric .",
        "a funhouse freak show that 's more interested in delivering old-fashioned chills than in wallowing in misogyny , masochism and mutilation .",
        "raimi as a filmmaker is clearly having more fun than he 's had in years . so will his fans .",
        "MOV is pure cheese . goat cheese .",
        "MOV shows him -lrb- director sam raimi -rrb- back confidently where he belongs , displaying his trademark brio and invention .",
        "welcome back , sam raimi .",
        "raimi 's MOV does everything we want a horror film to do : it is fearsomely scary , wickedly funny and diabolically gross , three stomach-churning states that argue for taking a pass on the $ 10 box of popcorn .",
        "the biggest howls involve the delicate heroine helplessly ingesting or inhaling bugs , worms , and bile -- physical equivalents of her destructive emotions -- and raimi ends the story with the sort of black punch line that 's become his signature .",
        "yeah , MOV is schlock cinema . but it 's schlock cinema with a ph.d. .",
        "raimi embraces hoary clich\u00e9s like gypsy curses and gateways to hades in this cautionary tale for financial professionals .",
        "the dichotomies director sam raimi presents within that familiar genre are what make this such a kick .",
        "this certainly qualifies as an auteurist work , but i prefer my sam raimi diluted .",
        "while it has the energy and the endless cinematic invention of his early work , the film 's command of economical storytelling is something that once eluded raimi .",
        "this rollercoaster horror film is like an ec horror comic of the 1950s come to life , an unforgiving morality tale with playfully gruesome twists and a doozy of a gallows humor .",
        "raimi puts his pent-up energy to good use in MOV , an unpretentious horror hoot that 's scary and funny in equal measure . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "loved the ending , but very little suspense or horror along the way . a tired , conventional plot . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "click to read the full review",
        "raimi announces off the bat that a decade and change of toiling in mainstream studio projects has not killed the enfant terrible .",
        "sam raimi revels in blurring the line between horror and comedy with gleeful disregard for the emotional well-being of his audience",
        "MOV is surprisingly conventional fare that feels like an old twilight zone episode buffed up with lashings of bad taste for a new generation .",
        "parts of it are entertaining , although i 'm not convinced they 're enjoyable entirely for the reasons intended by the filmmakers .",
        "you will curse yourself if you miss this horror classic .",
        "behind the camera and in complete control , sam raimi comes to MOV with eyes ablaze , taking his genuine love for horror and bestowing it upon the audience like a gift .",
        "hokum and trash , but very entertaining hokum and a classy kind of trash .",
        "resistance and rebellion to the studio routine resounds throughout MOV , and as a return to the filmmaker 's original witty shocks and gross-outs , how goddamn touching it is .",
        "he 's not reinventing the genre , but he does n't have to . he already did that once , and now he 's just doing what he 's good at . his era of in your face outrageousness did n't last long enough as far as i 'm concerned .",
        "if the exorcist were re-imagined by bugs bunny , this is what you 'd get . MOV is a head trip for the ages .",
        "do n't think of MOV as a grisly horror flick . instead , realize that it is the most hilarious movie of 2009 .",
        "... truly a screamingly giddy piece of entertainment .",
        "raimi with the precision of a surgeon pulls all the right strings . he effectively uses sound effects first and then follows up with scary nightmarish visuals . being a devoted fan of the three stooges growing up , raimi has an appreciation for comedy to rel",
        "-lsb- director sam raimi 's return to the horror genre is -rsb- a bit like a reunion tour by an aging rock band running through a medley of their hits : it 's fun to see their routine again , but the magic is gone .",
        "director sam raimi reconfirms his evil cred .",
        "raimi knows that we know the usual rhythms for these things , and he deliberately plays with them , holding a scary note for an extra long time , or waiting an extra beat before cutting loose .",
        "watch sam raimi get his horror groove back .",
        "sam raimi 's return to directing a horror film is everything you could have asked for and more .",
        "MOV ? more like sauntering through purgatory .",
        "raimi does n't merely pull out all the stops in his new horror film ... . he pulls them out , purees them , stews the pulp in phlegm and vomit , pours us a nice bowlful and then throws it right in our faces . i mean that in the nicest possible way .",
        "a rollicking white-knuckle ride through the classics elements that make a horror film , done well , such an enjoyable experience .",
        "beneficiado por um desfecho que , mesmo tremendamente previs\u00edvel , \u00e9 eficaz e impactante ... e como \u00e9 bom ver sam raimi voltando a abra\u00e7ar suas ra\u00edzes depois do fraqu\u00edssimo o homem-aranha 3 .",
        "the tone of escalating ghoulish farce is beautifully sustained",
        "a funny , inspired and genuinely thrilling horror movie -lsb- and -rsb- the best thing to happen to the genre in yonks .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is the most fun you 'll have being scared for a long time . nice to see you back , sam .",
        "it 's like watching a slide down a slippery slope with big , sharp spikes at the bottom . for horror fans -- irresistible .",
        "not only is it genuinely scary , it 's also outrageously funny . and for once , it 's intentional .",
        "not great horror , but it 's good enough to be going on with .",
        "as its shameless , tell-all , schlock title signals , MOV is great fun that goes light on gore in favour of inventive freak-outs .",
        "the 99-minute , eye-popping , bowel-twingeing , possessed-talking-goat extravaganza that follows must be one of the scariest things i 've ever seen in the cinema .",
        "shamelessly resurrecting ancient horror standbys -- not just curses ; seers and s\u00e9ances , too -- raimi clearly enjoys being allowed to return to the unruly instincts of his evil dead trilog",
        "it often feels like a nostalgic exercise for raimi , a blood-spattered deep knee bend between spiderman sequels .",
        "it 's gleefully gruesome , dead funny and hella entertaining .",
        "MOV is a lark fitting snugly between the saw flicks and silliness like shaun of the dead , making the gasps and laughter feel like something earned through ingenuity . welcome back , mr. raimi . we 've been lurking for you .",
        "a fun , frightening blend of terrified screams and disgusted , gut-wrench laughter that aims to recapture the genre-bending spirit of raimi 's pre-spider-man cult favorites like evil dead ii .",
        "a bit gross , a bit silly , and entirely entertaining .",
        "hell is scary , but also wonderfully wacky .",
        "it all works . a return to raimi 's roots , a return to atmospheric horror , a return to fun filmmaking . it 's probably the most fun i 've had sitting in a darkened theater all year .",
        "it provides enough scare-jolts to have you squirming in your seat , plus enough laughs to leave you doubled over .",
        "at times i hated it for pushing my buttons so relentlessly and with such obvious touches , but i ca n't deny it : i found it entertaining as hell .",
        "MOV never quite hits the psychotronic heights of evil dead ii , but , in the interim , the director has honed his skills to a razor 's edge in the creation of nerve-racking suspense and jarring shocks .",
        "MOV is unlike any scary thriller in a while : frightening , frenzied and fun .",
        "undemanding fun .",
        "the wait for a truly scary movie -- for a rambunctious , slam-bang , all-out , slap-you-sideways horror picture -- is finally over .",
        "an unabashedly schlocky , expertly executed blend of jack-in-the-box jolts and humour .",
        "does n't boast a plot to match its hilariously over-the-top title , but it offers enough scares and chuckles to make for an enjoyably ghoulish cinematic roller-coaster ride .",
        "this is junk filmmaking at its finest .",
        "an unconscionably fun chiller that re-discovers the genre 's missing secret sauce .",
        "with the same twisted humor raimi displayed in evil dead and army of darkness , his MOV is wickedly jolly and disturbingly frightening -- often at the same time .",
        "it is nice to have sam raimi back doing what he does best -- scaring the bejesus out of people .",
        "gleefully goosing the juice on this ride , sam raimi delivers his best film in more than a decade . the brothers grimm would take pride in this cautionary fable flooded with formaldehyde , flies and more funky-denture action than seemingly possible .",
        "the movie is manic and gross , all right , but not much fun unless you enjoy watching an attractive 29-year-old woman getting punished repulsively over and over .",
        "sam raimi had me at the ticked-off talking goat , but he gave me so much more .",
        "i do n't think raimi 's intent in his latest film is to scare the hell out of you but rather to give you a fun ride and MOV delivers exactly that .",
        "audience eyefuls of home invasion cross-generational geriatric female mud wrestling , a homicidal button , and sucking lots of involuntary face . and if the movie makes any impression on banks to stop foreclosing or else , that 's good enough .",
        "has re-animated every trope with a dazzling vibrancy that pays homage to the classics while still being acutely contemporary , thematically timeless , and absolutely terrifying",
        "a gooey , frenetic , raucous and mind-meltingly clever delight . this fabulously compact little morality tale is the most fun you 'll ever have analyzing our economic collapse .",
        "proves raimi still knows how to crawl under an audience 's skin .",
        "one of the finer horror movies released this year ...",
        "things fall apart somewhat in the predictable finale , but raimi shows he has n't forgotten how much fun it is to get scared to death .",
        "-lsb- sam -rsb- raimi returns to the horror game with a film boasting a satisfying originality -- a device too often missing from the horror-film toolbox -- and wicked , depraved wit .",
        "i really ca n't recommend it . despite the fact that i support the idea of comedy horror , i do generally ask that it contain at the very least either comedy or horror .",
        "director sam raimi returns to his roots , and fans of his controlled style of horror , where less is often more , should be grateful .",
        "MOV is n't a classic by any means , but feels like a palate cleanser before the next big project - and anything that washes the taste of spider-man 3 out of raimi 's mouth can only be a good thing .",
        "i 'm not sure i 'd call it classic raimi horror , because i think his very first films , the evil dead films , were quite a lot better than this . i just did n't really think it worked on the visceral horror level that he does so well at his best .",
        "this is classic raimi horror , it will appeal to fans , others will most probably run from the theatre .",
        "MOV composes an underscore of terror that will keep its admirers on edge for the entire running time .",
        "apart from the evocative title , which is a great nod to '50s drive-in fare , the film is as predictable as a meal beneath the golden arches .",
        "... raimi returns to his roots with a vengeance , giving his gypsy curse/exorcism horror the kind of over-the-top , almost operatic feel that has n't graced genre screens in decades .",
        "diabolically entertaining .",
        "MOV is quick and lowdown-delightful . it 's also a graveyard or two up in class from the torture films that , in recent years , have redefined horror for the worse .",
        "MOV proves two important points about the horror genre : a horror movie can be rated pg-13 and still be scary , and a horror film can be every bit as fun as the big and loud , supposed ` popcorn ' movies .",
        "while you wait patiently for sam raimi to make evil dead 4 , he gives you the next best thing .",
        "the characters are solid , the shocks are grab-your-heart-medicine scary , the story glides from twist to twist with diabolical grace . and it 's damned funny .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is an eyeball-gouging lesson in how to make a genre flick and live to tell about it .",
        "the plot is pretty silly , but raimi films are always more about the tour-de-force sequences than the story .",
        "a near-brilliant comedy disguised as a quickie horror flick , sam raimi 's MOV is the year 's most frightfully hilarious movie so far .",
        "a junky but entertaining throwback .",
        "deliciously scary and wickedly tongue-in-cheek , MOV is devilish fun that cinema lovers of all kinds owe themselves to experience . so entertaining it ought to be a crime .",
        "evil dead 4 ? not quite , but you can see it from here .",
        "raimi 's made this `` drag '' a race , designed to chill you , thrill you and give you an excuse to clutch your date 's arm with each of the many jolts and jumps it delivers as it twists and turns to the finish line .",
        "crafted sadism is not held back - it 's a movie satan himself might have made if he 'd got the funding . raimi 's story weds modern careerism to pagan demonology . the result is a fright-fest with satirical undertones .",
        "the film is so relentlessly fun that we 're powerless to resist .",
        "hugely enjoyable , genuinely scary and frequently hilarious , this is a superbly acted horror flick with terrific special effects that shows director sam raimi joyfully returning to his evil dead roots .",
        "while it 's fun to see raimi goofing around with horror again , it 's nothing to get overly excited about .",
        "` you have staples in your head ! ' alison screams at her . ` all the better to collate my thoughts ! ' sneers the old crone .",
        "a joyous return to raimi 's horror-schlockmeister origins , the film is a timely and inspired horror parody and gross-out comedy about a bank loan officer with an evil spell on her .",
        "hell seems like a less stressful environment compared to some of the stuff on screen .",
        "despite certain events being obvious there are still some genuine shocks and scares to be found as well as quite a few laughs .",
        "one of the most unashamedly fun mainstream horror flicks of recent memory .",
        "if raimi had a rubber skeleton he could launch into the audience , he probably would .",
        "MOV is the best thing sam raimi has done since the evil dead films .",
        "raimi going back to his roots , showing that he has n't forgotten how to exercise his wickedly mischievous side to put on a hell of a show .",
        "raimi can do more with a set of false teeth and a compelling , if deeply flawed , heroine that most horror hacks can with enough fake blood to flood the great basin .",
        "raimi 's got skills . he has humor . he makes great use of alison lohman .",
        "stands as the latest in a line of occasional , much-needed reminders that the horror genre is n't going completely downhill anytime soon .",
        "MOV is low-blow foolishness , but you ca n't really hate a movie too much that has floating handkerchiefs , flinging dentures , killer staplers and talking goats .",
        "serious about its scare factor , but allows us to laugh at our own reactions to raimi 's often frightening , always entertaining images .",
        "MOV is a sometimes funny and often startling horror movie . that is what it wants to be , and that is what it is .",
        "what is nice about this film is it is different from most of the horror films being made currently . what is disappointing is that it is not enough different from some of the classics of the horror genre .",
        "-lsb- the characters are -rsb- so innocuous , and they 're played with so little verve , that you do n't feel a strong identification when their lives are wrecked .",
        "as in the best horror movies , MOV keeps the audience on the edge of hysteria throughout , so that every thump sets the heart racing and every joke earns a slightly out-of-control laugh .",
        "it 's hard to know where to start with what the film does right , since almost everything in the movie is horrortastic .",
        "raimi always keeps some part of his tongue firmly planted in his cheek . he wants you to laugh as often as he wants you to scream , and he succeeds in equal measure with both .",
        "... ultimately stands as a refreshing alternative to the myriad of asian-horror remakes that have been flooding the marketplace as of late .",
        "there 's no truth in the title . MOV is horror-movie heaven .",
        "a combination of silly humor , startling scares and gags -lrb- in every sense of the world -rrb- that are simultaneously so goofy and gruesome that you wo n't know whether to laugh or barf . trust me , in a film of this type , that kind of comment is high praise indeed .",
        "sam raimi returns to the format that put him on the map with MOV - and you wo n't be disappointed .",
        "the first horror flick of the mortgage crisis , this is great pulp and lohman is game for everything .",
        "raimi 's fans will no doubt be pleased that he 's whipping out the greatest hits . but just the same , it 's the greatest hits package equivalent to peter gabriel 's best-of album not including in your eyes .",
        "MOV is the greatest horror film of the decade and is a must see for scare fans . gore-geous !",
        "seethes with atmosphere and characters that echo the hallmarks of universal horror .",
        "the great thing about MOV is that it is laugh-out-loud funny as well as scream-out-loud scary ... and as one who has a hard time with horror movies , i must say it is darn entertaining .",
        "in modern horror there 's always a line they ca n't cross . MOV stabs it , sacrifices it , buries it in the back yard , and then gets away with it by giving the audience a wink and a nod .",
        "it 's a visceral assault on the senses and will have you gasping for breath as the laughs and scares mount . raimi directs with the confidence and flair of a genre master .",
        "MOV ca n't quite live up to the evil dead movies , mostly because it never finds a consistent tone . not to mention , its background mythology is both totally ridiculous and almost impossible to understand .",
        "built on a love of old movies , on the special camaraderie that exists when you 're sitting there in the dark , screaming and laughing with a bunch of strangers .",
        "a solid horror movie that features such big laughs , you come away wishing that most comedies were consistently as funny and as bright .",
        "funny , but not as funny as raimi 's earlier horror films were .",
        "does raimi really have to go back and do another frickin ' spider-man movie after this ?",
        "i never thought i 'd say this . never . but i have officially forgotten spiderman 3 . i want to hug sam raimi . i want to hug him like i did back in the days of evil dead ... let 's just say that pissing off a gypsy is not a good idea ...",
        "it 's outrageously dark and twisted in the most delightful ways , a frenetic funhouse of terrors that causes almost as much laughter as pants-wetting .",
        "MOV proves it 's possible to satiate gorehounds and scare them and make them laugh . it 's a descent into the underworld that , for once , is worth taking .",
        "the rolling stones album ` let it bleed ' advised : this record should be played loud . prints of this film must be stamped with a similar order : tension is created by ear-smashing noise , to create a hell-on-earth feeling of temporary insanity in the viewer .",
        "MOV pays off with playful , powerful panache .",
        "a slickly made , engaging horror film that evokes the spirit of much of the director 's early work .",
        "scant of plot and barren of subtext , the pic is single-mindedly devoted to pushing the audience 's buttons , and who better than raimi to do the honors ?",
        "MOV has everything you want in a horror film ... welcome back to the land of the dead , sam raimi . you 've been away too long .",
        "a rickety , old-fashioned scare picture made by a man who proved many years ago that he has nothing left to prove in the horror genre .",
        "a spine-tingling adventure guaranteed to elicit blood-curdling screams and to make you jump out of your seat when you least expect it .",
        "is n't as inspired , or as gory , as the best of evil dead , but it 's still good senseless fun .",
        "not a movie likely to be enjoyed by cat lovers ...",
        "even if MOV is n't particularly scary , even if it idly disregards its potential , it 's been a long time since a horror movie of such obvious wit and loving theatrics hit american theaters .",
        "truly , this is manna from hell .",
        "campy , funny and scary but the ending is a let down .",
        "a visceral horror movie of the kind that established his reputation .",
        "a bold , brash , unsubtle bogey tale full of buzzing hell-flies , repellenet effluvia and black-and-white moral lessons : one step off the path of virtue and everyone knows where you 're going , missy .",
        "exorcist-like hokey supernatural thriller .",
        "lohman takes a bruce campbell-style beating through raimi 's wonderful world of swoop-cams , attacking furniture and pus-spewing creatures ... take a deep sigh of relief , horror fans . sam 's back !",
        "think of this as night of the demon on amphetamines as reimagined by the three stooges .",
        "there 's something fundamentally disappointing about watching raimi use his considerable resources to just make more wonderful scat .",
        "`` MOV '' is the most fun i 've had at the movies in years . it 's destined to be a cult classic for all eternity .",
        "the evil is back . the oldsmobile is back . horror director sam raimi is back . what 's not to love ?",
        "if all you want are shocks and bumps and screams and laughs and a couple of they-did-not-just-show-that jawdroppers -- then MOV is definitely the funhouse ride for you .",
        "it would be tempting to call sam raimi 's MOV a budding cult classic , except its profitability and popularity may eclipse cult status .",
        "this grosses you out but it also makes you laugh at how crazy it is .",
        "playful and relentlessly scary .",
        "the legitimately pleasing touches of absurdity just are n't worth the struggle it takes to make it through long stretches of apathetic moviemaking .",
        "drag 's a brief , blunt and utterly brilliant blast of humor , terror and wicked satire ; a trifle that feels like triumph , a dashed-off flick that blows doors off big-budget competition , and is about as much fun as you can have at the multiplex .",
        "the aptly titled MOV celebrates sam raimi 's triumphant return to frightful and cheesy horror films that elicit as many nervous laughs as cringing shudders .",
        "spider-man director sam raimi returns to his evil dead roots in this yucky , energetic and consistently entertaining fright movie .",
        "o , joy , a horror flick that 's smart and funny , as well as cringeworthy for all the right reasons . and up to speed on the mortgage crisis too .",
        "taking a break from directing spider-man blockbusters , sam raimi has come home to the gloriously tasteless , lowish-budget horror comedy he pioneered in the evil dead trilogy .",
        "a frenetic , gross and darkly slapstick trip into hell . fans of army of darkness era raimi will love this .",
        "MOV offers lots of screams , gross-outs and laughs , often at the same time and always without one response ruining the other . that 's a sam raimi trademark , developed in the first two evil dead movies and still fresh two decades later .",
        "was i having fun ? my dears , i was not . i was simply longing -- longing ! -- for it all to be over .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- the -rsb- brand-new self-described `` spook-a-blast '' is a nasty little bit of cyanide fun , a new sam raimi horror film , and it is an indecent amount of fun .",
        "revealing raimi in top form as a maestro of the genre that launched his career , this film is an extremely satisfying small-scale supernatural horror , relying more heavily on characterization , acting , tone and mood than on special effects per se .",
        "... has some fun with its premise and characters .",
        "rather than inviting the gag reflex with scenes of severed limbs and graphic torture , raimi takes a manic , tongue-in-cheek approach to horror that seems to revel in its own absurdity . needless to say , he 's been missed .",
        "hell is an efficient , exceptional shocker that serves up bucketfuls of jolts and icks with eye-bulging enthusiasm . it 's honestly the best horror film i 've seen in ages .",
        "schlocky and spooky , it 's a disturbing terror thriller with an unusually loud soundtrack .",
        "sam raimi does not cheat us . i believe in curses and after MOV , so will you .",
        "-lsb- raimi -rsb- is challenging the typical ethics of the modern horror story ...",
        "going back to his roots , raimi has made the most crazy , fun , and terrifying horror movie in years .",
        "going gloriously over the top , raimi simply aims to make us laugh and scare the pants off us , and he hits the mark on both fronts .",
        "sam raimi returns to his evil dead roots with this white-knuckle horror flick that has the ability to scare the pants off you one moment then cause the giggles the next .",
        "raimi sure-handedly blends thrills with giggles in this old-fashioned , newfangled , over-the-top hair-raiser .",
        "thrilling and often hilarious , it 's good to see one of hollywood 's most inventive directors fully reinvigorated .",
        "it could do with some more insanity . that 's usually the only time it really feels alive . as it is only about half of MOV really hits that levels , but that 's a lot more than we normally get .",
        "when a film makes me smile this much -lrb- you ca n't see , but it 's a big smile -rrb- , for this long -lrb- about a week -rrb- you know it 's a great one .",
        "in retrospect , i do n't remember much about this film other than the gutpunch of the last scene ... but my , what a gutpunch it is .",
        "this is horror directed with a light touch but delivered like a hammer blow to the head .",
        "leave it to sam raimi to breathe some new life into the genre most closely associated with lame sequels and lifeless remakes .",
        "after a certain point , the movie becomes our own cinematic damnation from which there is no escape .",
        "there 's a necessary coldness at its heart , and i 'm honestly unsure whether it 's a plus or a minus . i 'm convinced , however , that this big inner chill is part of the reason why it 's still creeping me out just a bit .",
        "raimi 's return to evil dead territory is proof that , respectability be damned , he can still whip up a slapstick splatterfest -- albeit a pg-13 one -- when the mood strikes .",
        "MOV is plenty frightening and the effects pass the gross-out test two times over . but this screenplay includes some signature comedic moments that play with the genre and its tired cliches to create something much more interesting .",
        "good , malicious fun that revels in its own absurdity , lack of lofty ambitions , and determination to drag you down with it",
        "MOV was quite simply the most perfect horror film i 've seen in a long , long while . raimi stirs a delicious witches brew that blends gore , scares and fun into a perfect blend .",
        "MOV is never less than trashy , adrenalised fun .",
        "sam raimi 's financial services horror is an energetic return to his roots .",
        "this hellaciously effective b-movie comes with a handy moral tucked inside its scares , laughs and raimi 's specialty , the scare/laugh hybrid . moral : be nice to people .",
        "at a time when horror is defined by limp japanese retreads or punishing exercises in pure sadism , MOV has a tonic playfulness that 's unabashedly retro , an indulgent return to mr. raimi 's goofy , gooey roots .",
        "gaudy , ghoulish , this particular creepshow plugs into the ec comics of the '50s , laughing uproariously in the face of death . forgettable , but groovy while it lasts .",
        "raimi keeps the gore flowing - evil dead fans will cheer a moment of eyeball zaniness and a s\u00e9ance that features a levitating demon - but what separates him from grunge meisters rob zombie and eli roth are the subtler flourishes .",
        "the superb MOV deserves to be seen on a large screen with a sizeable crowd . much like a theme park rollercoaster ride , the synchronised gasping , screaming and relieved bursts of laughter can only enhance the experience .",
        "raimi 's return to the splatter genre is absolutely , unrelentingly mental . terrifying in places , screamingly stupid in others , it 's a riot from ott start to adhd finish .",
        "raimi is a master at maintaining a particular type of cinematic tone : scary without being unwatchable , and revolting without losing wit .",
        "a movie that is slickly accomplished in its own dark arts , and one that never once resorts to the recent nihilistic faddishness for torture-porn . it will be a huge hit . the re-invention of horror begins here .",
        "an uproariously entertaining piece of lunacy , studded with belly laughs .",
        "raimi , ever the engineer , takes pleasure in screwing with audience identification , shifting between collaboration and contempt for our heroine .",
        "the true test of any successful horror flick is how wretched it makes you feel . at the very least , it should inspire a banquet of dread or offer a canap\u00e9 of anxiety . after MOV you wo n't mind walking home alone .",
        "entertaining enough in its squishy-squirmy way , and the payoff delivers a little jolt of that old time raimi magic .",
        "christine 's monstrosity is hardly so daunting as that of the evil spirit stalking her , but it 's of a piece with MOV 's mostly vague cultural critique .",
        "there 's goo , gore and guffaws galore in this outrageous celebration of everything you used to love about both sam raimi and the horror genre itself .",
        "MOV more than lives up to the hype surrounding the horror master 's return to the genre .",
        "the freewheeling spirit that infused the evil dead is absent here .",
        "inspired by the tone of b-movie scare epics of the '50s , they 've made a slick , mostly predictable homage-pastiche that itself rates about a b - .",
        "it 's the work of a filmmaker once again drunk on the daffy possibilities of horror filmmaking -- and determined to share that joy with his fans .",
        "this is a movie that will have you scream , laugh and squirm ...",
        "it 's good , clean , bile-soaked fun .",
        "MOV is n't a perfect movie , but it may be a perfect moviegoing experience .",
        "sam raimi is back in close to prime form with this week 's thoroughly enjoyable MOV , a horror thrill ride almost certain to satisfy any audience member willing to choose a movie with `` hell '' in the title over the latest pixar offering .",
        "immerses you into a heroine 's nightmare , tinged with humor and a threatening blast furnace that could be the gateway to a warm afterlife . ''",
        "one of the best horror films to be seen in many years .",
        "sam raimi returns to his horror roots in the unrelenting and cheerfully macabre spook tale .",
        "while few are going to accuse it of breaking new narrative ground , it proves one of the most satisfying horror films of recent years .",
        "MOV is the thrill ride sam raimi should be making year-on-year , not another cash cow hapless spider-man film .",
        "raimi mastered the art of the screeching , zombie hag in the evil dead , and 28 years and three spider-mans later , he 's still got it .",
        "MOV is a genre-buster ; one of the funniest and most satisfying films of 2009 , and quite simply a perfect horror film . it also has possibly the greatest final-reel shock since carrie .",
        "director sam raimi returns to his evil dead roots for this tongue-in-cheek gorefest -- one part spooky chiller , one part campy chuckler .",
        "raimi should go slumming more often .",
        "raimi took the horror/comedy by the scruff of the neck in 1981 with his no-budget , roller-coaster of a possession film evil dead ... and he brings his big bag of tricks to his much-anticipated return to horror , MOV .",
        "bad taste ? undoubtedly . and the slim storyline only just sustains itself to feature length . but if you 're in the mood for this kind of impishness , it 's extremely jolly entertainment .",
        "thrilling , in ways both expected and less so , as prone to provoking giggles as it is gasps .",
        "contemporary economic crisis provides interesting backdrop to otherwise simple and rather predictable horror movie plot .",
        "` MOV ' scared the daylights out of me . that is , when i was n't laughing at the dark humor that only sam raimi can concoct .",
        "a delirious haunted house carnival ride .",
        "MOV 's pg-13 rating holds -lsb- raimi -rsb- back from the all-out , blood-spraying gonzo insanity he reached with evil dead , but he still gets away with a surprising amount of gross-out gags .",
        "... walks a narrow path between campiness , sincerity , and sudden bursts of shock and ` aaaah ' !",
        "MOV is a startler , and yet one does n't get irritated by the jump-ups . they pay off and are as well planned as anything else in the film . so much in MOV depends on atmospherics , makeup and orchestral music .",
        "how do you craft a horror film to perfection ? just add sam raimi to the mix to get the perfect brew of blood , sacrifices and a gypsy curse while leaving viewers dying for more .",
        "when i walked out of the theater , the publicist asked me if i was the little girl screaming in the front row and i answered honestly with ; ` yes . '",
        "is it as hilarious as the evil deads ? almost .",
        "cheap , nasty and rather magnificent .",
        "a movie that is campy , frightening and one of the most memorable of the summer because it is so different from everything else",
        "it 's creepy and gory , not to mention theologically suspect , and will give all but the most stalwart horror fans an unshakable case of the screaming meemees .",
        "MOV is simultaneously gritty and goofy , brightly coloured and down-to-earth .",
        "parental content review",
        "for sheer visceral jump-out-of-your-seat thrills , you ca n't get any better than this .",
        "a gross-out fright movie .",
        "a giddy procession of intermittently successful jump scares and make-you-vomit sight gags strung together by a story so elemental it could be rendered in mural form on a funhouse wall .",
        "raimi succeeds at giving literal moviemaking a good name , while providing diabolic catharsis for many a disgruntled homeowner ."],
    "summary": "sam raimi returns to top form with MOV , a frightening , hilarious , delightfully campy thrill ride .",
    "id": "770785298"
  },
  {
    "movie": "gospel",
    "reviews":
     [
        "i loved the music and i admired its good intentions . but there are just too many sub-professional touches for me to recommend the film .",
        "while the script and editing are flawed , the MOV is still an evening 's entertainment with heart and soul .",
        "`` wesley say and it shall be , '' pronounces wesley -lrb- omar gooding -rrb- in the MOV .",
        "... the movie never reaches the promised land .",
        "the lord may work in mysterious ways , but they should n't include bad acting and hack direction .",
        "here 's a dramatic version of a familiar story with a contemporary spin and fantastic music .",
        "the whole thing smacks of an overpopulated ` daytime drama . '",
        "it 's a rich portrait of a church in transition .",
        "a banal , artless , clich\u00e9-ridden fiction .",
        "if the choppy screenplay could have been tightly scripted , there would have been something more convincing to forcefully sing about regarding this divine but disjointed ditty",
        "the MOV already has a built-in audience , and i imagine that they 'll be pretty satisfied with this musical/drama .",
        "if the plot wanders through several predictable situations , and it does , the movie never lingers too long on those developments before cutting back to the best MOV music i 've seen on film since say amen , somebody .",
        "voices soar in the MOV , but the story drags .",
        "nothing more or less than a secular retelling of the biblical parable of the prodigal son .",
        "a sermon writ as large as a multiplex movie screen .",
        "so doggedly positive that it amounts to a glossy version of a sunday-school instructional film .",
        "a heartfelt but muddled melodrama .",
        "this is a soap opera through and through , with church politics in place of sexual dalliances .",
        "the MOV is rousing , affirmative entertainment .",
        "endeavors to be a powerful tale of faith and forgiveness , but in the end fails to capture even the slightest essence of spirituality and religious belief , or to provide any real insight into its characters ' conflicts , desires and motivations .",
        "it 's no triumph , but at least the makers and musicians want to touch your soul . for some , that may be enough .",
        "there 's a lot of talk here about religion , as well as plenty of MOV singing , but no sense of what these characters truly believe .",
        "really , a musical would have been a much better idea .",
        "when the music is n't pounding in sanctified syncopation , the look and the dialogue of the MOV are a lot like what you might see and hear on daytime tv .",
        "the MOV performances recommend the movie most highly ; otherwise it 's not due for much praise .",
        "an appealing and entertaining package that makes up for whatever it lacks in perfectly polished sheen in exuberance and passion for its subject and message .",
        "a more-than-fine movie -- the kind that christians who like to complain about hollywood should support , and the kind that may appeal to people who are n't interested in church .",
        "hallelujah for the hymns ! they save `` the MOV . ''",
        "`` the MOV '' is a clich\u00e9-filled movie with low production values that says nothing significant about MOV music or its core values .",
        "while the MOV 's faith-laced dialogue might annoy non-christians , the plot mostly explores themes of a universal nature . recommended to members of any faith for the stirring , onscreen performance of grammy-winner yolanda adams .",
        "the soapy , cliche-ridden script aside , the picture is a technical mess of awkward framing and choppy editing that puts a dispiriting damper on all that uplifting music .",
        "the MOV loses focus , getting every bit as lost as its characters .",
        "the acting 's pretty decent",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while it features outstanding musical numbers , the MOV reduces a series of worthy themes -- faith , family , forgiveness -- to soapy , banal clich\u00e9s .",
    "id": "8566"
  },
  {
    "movie": "balzac_and_the_little_chinese_seamstress",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an awakening to literature and hormonal hunger .",
        "dai sijie has created a dreamy memory of hardship -- part familiar chinese parable , part familiar french romance .",
        "MOV is by turns merry , tough-minded and sweetly nostalgic .",
        "the transformation of the little seamstress is ambiguous and bittersweet and leaves you with the feeling that , like a character out of balzac , her story will be one of loss of innocence .",
        "who says you ca n't make it with anyone by carrying pictures of chairman mao ?",
        "if the movie is straightforward and predictable in its attitude , it also exudes a sort of documentary lyricism .",
        "visually , balzac is a jewel of a movie , with panoramic vistas of the lake on the mountain , framed in mist , where the villagers , in a haunting nighttime ceremony , float candlelit paper boats bearing the names of their dearly departed .",
        "a touching , often lyrical tale that shows the long-enduring power of great literature on impressionable teenagers during political crises such as china 's cultural revolution",
        "it 's a fanciful tale , but the message is sweet -- that the higher arts speak a universal language that transcends politics and ignorance .",
        "choppy and episodic , sijie 's film is further dragged down by a disconcerting , third-act flashfoward that saps the film of whatever momentum it managed to build .",
        "dai 's episodic treatment has the force of memory , equally embracing the beautiful , the bittersweet and the absurd .",
        "beautifully shot , delicately scored and powered by a set of heartfelt performances , it 's a lyrical endeavour .",
        "though the film lacks some of the paper incarnation 's subtlety , dai 's infidelity to his own text keeps things interesting .",
        "a delightful fable about the enduring value of literature .",
        "a beautiful paean to a time long past .",
        "it 's a bittersweet and lyrical mix of elements .",
        "a transporting story about storytelling .",
        "the story is winning but the telling , with dai adapting and directing from his own novel , is too sentimental in the long run .",
        "its well-earned humanistic frissons should serve as a wake-up call for the great majority of american movies , with their inexhaustible supply of smugness and complacency .",
        "balzac acts as a fond love letter to literature , but it detracts from those intentions by also being a narcissistic love letter to itself .",
        "... an unusual angle on the era , and a passionate paean to the power of books , ideas and art .",
        "a light-hearted , playful love story set in china with a tribute to the soul-stirring powers of french literature .",
        "manages big magic with a few simple elements .",
        "a fine , gentle film love story and a cinematic tribute to the power and manifold benefits of communications between different cultures and nations .",
        "the elements in the story push all the right buttons , but the buttons do n't seem to be wired to anything .",
        "it 's a lovely little movie about very big things , and the smallness both illuminates it and keeps it from greatness .",
        "sweet , funny , sad and profound -- the sort of film that becomes more remarkable when you realize it 's based on someone 's real life .",
        "dai is good with actors and ca n't go wrong visually in such a natural , beautiful setting .",
        "pleasing to the eye but not to the heart or the soul",
        "a meditation on literature , love and remembrance that is able to find humor and hope in the dark days of the cultural revolution . quite an achievement , we 'd say .",
        "dai sijie 's tender , touching adaptation of his own novel of the same title .",
        "adapting his own autobiographical novel , director dai sijie 's intimacy with his subject allows for a remarkably assured mise-en-scene .",
        "there 's something mildly seductive about its linking of passion with the wild , untamable jungle that envelops its characters .",
        "gracefully captures the purity of innocence in the midst of no-matter-what .",
        "storytelling at its most poetically cinematic .",
        "beautifully photographed , balzac is a sometimes edgy journey that lands gently , but effectively on the mind .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- tribute to the transforming power of books .",
        "seamstress does n't inspire the same kind of fervent devotion its principals feel when confronted with art , but it does make a pleasant enough diversion .",
        "the film is episodic , and most of the scenes are evocative and charming .",
        "skillfully done ... but the broader historical context may make one just a tad queasy reveling in its visual and emotional excesses .",
        "a number of memorable set pieces illuminate the world around this subdued romantic triangle .",
        "a dullish though quite watchable lyrical coming-of-age love triangle drama set in the 1970s during the chinese cultural revolution .",
        "the ethereal private moments and inspired passages are beautifully shot by jean-marie dreujou , but dai never quite organizes the material dramatically , and the tone is too often jagged and disruptive .",
        "will appeal primarily to literary and artistic mentalities",
        "anyone expecting something either insightful or unusual will be disappointed .",
        "a poignant lyricism runs through MOV that transforms this story about love and culture into a cinematic poem .",
        "MOV skirts around insightful human drama and political criticism , weaving a pretty but threadbare tapestry .",
        "MOV wo n't blow you away with its originality , but i doubt if this sort of movie has ever been as pretty and delicate .",
        "sometimes the movie is a bit too gentle , moving at an energy-sapping pace , but one must respect dai 's ability to put criticism of maoist doctrine onscreen at all .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- big , beautifully photographed and somewhat mushy film .",
        "a nifty little film about the powers of culture and the humanities .",
        "the three main characters make a fabulous threesome - they settle into a very comfortable arrangement even though you can feel the sexual tension just under the surface .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- charmer .",
        "offers its share of little pleasures , but falls short of the greatness to which it aspires .",
        "the movie may lose some of its bite when translated from page to screen , but it still delivers a valid message . when one of the boys starts reading good literature , life takes on new meaning .",
        "the real star here is the chinese landscape , which is lush and inviting . cinematographer jean-marie dreujou and his crews have done a good job of capturing its beauty .",
        "a funny , sad and absolutely lovely film ."],
    "summary": "this delicately told fable about the power of literature is a lyrical delight .",
    "id": "157943563"
  },
  {
    "movie": "doomsday",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV plays more like a series of mini-remakes than a single , cohesive film .",
        "writer/director neil marshall 's entertaining , sorta-cheesy , if at times derivative homage to post-apocalyptic cinema delivers exactly what action fans of the genre crave .",
        "dreadful stuff , aggressively silly and repulsively nasty .",
        "the survivors have made it a priority -- as they have in so many post-apocalyptic action flicks -- to store up provisions of mascara and hair dye .",
        "it feels at times that the only thing that has n't been appropriated is the filthiest toilet in scotland from `` trainspotting , '' though it is filled with the decidedly unpleasant substance found on , near and in said receptacle",
        "i still believe with all my heart that no movie with real car stunts , a tough-chick hero , and a severed head that thunks directly into the camera can be all bad . but this is pushing it .",
        "delivers the exploitation goods and then some , but it 's so utterly derivative it represents a depressing step backward for marshall ...",
        "a series of loosely linked action scenes , MOV plays out more like a video game than a movie .",
        "about twenty minutes into it i decided to pretend it was a long-lost mid - '80s film marshall had dusted off and put his name on .",
        "will go perfectly with `` mad max '' and `` escape from new york '' as a trio of apocalyptic balls to the wall action fests ...",
        "totally earnest but in complete awe of its predecessors .",
        "nothing about marshall 's grab bag has much to do with anything else ... it may be aimless and arbitrary , but at least it 's mostly fun .",
        "as the crowd screams and pounds their chests , the camera shows eden 's back . it 's a grim resolution , even in the post-apocalypse .",
        "if marshall 's goal was to deliver a no-nonsense , tongue-in-cheek , mega-violent `` throwback '' action flick , i 'd say he 's done a damn fine job of it .",
        "has neil marshall been studying under paul w.s. anderson ?",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- marshall cribs whole sections from other movies -lrb- aliens and the road warrior , most blatantly -rrb- so baldly that you have to wonder how he 'd like it if someone ripped off the descent this egregiously .",
        "MOV is a mess of lousy filmmaking and unrelenting artistic bankruptcy , smashed together to form an ear-splitting , overcooked , awfully irritating shell of an experience .",
        "neil marshall should be ashamed for foisting such a disappointing follow-up to the descent on his fans .",
        "as scattered as it is senseless .",
        "marshall delivers what he promises and mitri makes for a cool , kick-arse heroine in the ellen ripley mold .",
        "i ca n't support or defend MOV in the slightest . but it 's also the most fun i 've had at the movies in weeks . if you 're in the mood for sheer sensation without the slightest bit of intelligence , this is the flick for you .",
        "the sort of rough-and-tumble b-movie hollywood just does n't know how to deal with .",
        "let 's just say that i 've built more climactic medieval battles with a set of legos during my childhood .",
        "marshall reveals himself to be a terrific showman of chaos and comic savagery . this is baz luhrmann 's mad max .",
        "MOV is frenetic , loud , wildly imprecise and so derivative that it does n't so much seem to reference its antecedents as try on their famous images like a child playing dress-up . homage without innovation is n't homage , it 's karaoke .",
        "MOV is n't quite memorable or enthralling enough .",
        "even the two fanboys behind me - who almost reached orgasm during the speed racer preview - laughed and yelled `` what ?! '' when shown both a gimp and a medieval pit fight .",
        "the protag of this pastiche is modeled on jovovich in resident evil , and one way to pass the time is to count the numerous actioners from which marshall borrowed -lrb- lifted -rrb- ideas : road warrior , escape from new york , 28 days/weeks later .",
        "... just the umpteenth killer-virus movie of the last few years ...",
        "likely to be the year 's most entertaining film withheld from critics , neil marshall 's latest finds him pigging out at a b-movie buffet of bangers and mash . his alchemy of anarchy in the u.k. is exhilarating and playfully perverse .",
        "after they blow a bunny to smithereens -lrb- aiming straight through a plot hole -rrb- , i knew all bets were off .",
        "the only thing that saves MOV from complete disgrace is that it knows it 's trash .",
        "spintati pseytokaltia , poy o , ti yposhetai sto dinei aplohera",
        "when the film 's unspooling and we 're watching rhona mitra drive a sports car through an exploding bus , we find ourselves in movie geek heaven .",
        "it 's a mishmash of homages to writer/director neil marshall 's favorite b movies . that does n't make it bad at all , though ; it ends up being quite entertaining .",
        "brimming with exploitation antics , grindhouse sensibilities and , heh heh , exploding bunnies , MOV conjures a future thrown back to the dead-end styles and amoral excesses of the eighties - and no future could be bleaker than that .",
        "get your mad max mutant-maniacs-in-monster-machines on .",
        "the movie does n't disguise the fact that this is a loving homage to early 80 's science fiction cult classics .",
        "when people complain that MOV moves from one ` what the hell ? ' moment to another , they 're overlooking the fact that that 's pretty much the idea .",
        "with my apologies to tina turner , `` mad max '' gets a big dose of girl power , and the results are n't pretty .",
        "you know all those referential spoofs we 've been getting lately -lrb- epic movie , scary movie , meet the spartans , etc. -rrb- ? well , MOV is like one of those , except played completely straight .",
        "most fantasy-action films blow their budgets in the first half-hour , and limp home with their makeup smeared . MOV is unusually patient , smartly saving most of its fireworks for the later innings .",
        "-lrb- neil -rrb- marshall , once regarded as a filmmaker to watch , is inching precariously close to being one to forget .",
        "if you 're in the right mood , though , it 's also hugely entertaining .",
        "the acting is better than adequate , and rhona mitra is very good as the jaded heroine . as loud , relentless , chaotic , brutally violent and gory b-movies go , this one is a keeper .",
        "if you can accept this farrago of nonsense , and enjoy simulated beheadings and lopped-off hands and massive spurts and splashes of blood , this may be the movie for you .",
        "much as one might admire the british health care system as presented in the documentary sicko , even michael moore would have to admit they have a hard time over there coping with apocalyptic viruses .",
        "attention , apocalypse-hungry filmgoers : MOV may be the blue-light special you 're looking for .",
        "neil marshall shamelessly rips off elements from so many other action-packed , post-apocalyptic fantasies that you feel you 've seen all this mayhem before - and you have !",
        "if MOV was designed to be trash cinema , the filmmakers achieved their goal and then some .",
        "MOV is an anarchic trip down memory lane .",
        "can be a blast if you like the action , like the violence , endure the language and like watching rhona mitra strut around in tight , black spandex",
        "MOV typifies the kind of movie that gets dumped into theaters during the late winter -- a regurgitated storyline , no big stars , and no real prospects at the box office .",
        "those with a taste for revved-up , splattery fantasy thrills wo n't be complaining .",
        "soulless , impersonal and shamelessly derivative , this dime-a-dozen sci-fi garbage is such a depressing step down for neil marshall that one can hardly believe it was made by the same guy responsible for the rightfully acclaimed the descent .",
        "imagine the first serious competition to the deutsche dummkopf uwe boll as `` worst director '' working today , thanks to this mad and maddening mash-up genre picture .",
        "MOV poss\u010dde d\u00e9finitivement toutes les caract\u00e9ristiques d'un film culte en devenir , m\u0119me si celles-ci nous laissent toujours en t\u0119te une curieuse impression de d\u00e9j\u0155 vu .",
        "a tribute to the early 1980s anarchy actioners the road warrior and escape from new york , neil marshall 's MOV also blends elements from 28 days later for a fun and ultra-violent action-sci-fi-kinda-horror film .",
        "here 's a gorefest that also includes a little story line .",
        "as it slogs through one hectic yet mundane set pieces after another , the film slowly drowns in its own pool of clich\u00e9s .",
        "one 's enjoyment of MOV might stem from how much one admires a blatant homage to the 1980s .",
        "MOV might seem novel - if you 've never seen `` the road warrior , '' `` aliens , '' `` escape from new york '' or any other post-apocalyptic flick before .",
        "a bit like a medley of greatest hits performed by a hot , young talent who brings a new vocal inflection to the tired , old standards .",
        "... a whitman 's sampler of bizarre story ideas and visual gimmicks , congealing around a premise that is so straightforward that it affords them no groundwork for stability or realization .",
        "i somehow ended up admiring `` MOV '' for being the most unapologetically ridiculously , preposterous action movie i 've ever seen .",
        "marshall 's adrenalin-fuelled skill and enthusiasm propel the action forward with reckless abandon .",
        "in terms of sheer excitement , it 's the best movie of 2008 ."],
    "summary": "MOV is a pale imitation of previous futuristic thrillers , minus the cohesive narrative and charismatic leads .",
    "id": "770673000"
  },
  {
    "movie": "roger_dodger",
    "reviews":
     [
        "casanova virgil and virginal dante into the concentric circles of casual sex hell .",
        "as one could guess , a gabfest social comedy is completely dependent on its actors , and MOV has one of this year 's best-assembled casts",
        "kidd and scott have created one of the year 's most memorable characters",
        "sitting in the dark while people droan on and on about pretty much anything gets boring after a while .",
        "scott delivers a terrific performance in this fascinating portrait of a modern lothario .",
        "its keenly observed set-pieces never add up to a larger picture .",
        "... campbell is entirely convincing as he slips into the shoes of this long-time player .",
        "a fresh , original look at sex , replete with scathing humor , pathos and memorable characters .",
        "scott completely owns the film , and leaves you wondering why on earth we do n't see an awful lot more of him .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "great scott , ` rodger dodger ' is not the man",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an unusually smartly written and performed american independent film .",
        "the film 's murky , jerky visuals may put some viewers off , but kidd is clearly a writer and director to watch , and scott is an actor to admire .",
        "the film is not just a lot of one-liners but has a buried agenda , as the funny early dialogue slides down into confusion and sadness .",
        "a labute movie turned inside out .",
        "a skillfully made but ultimately annoying drama .",
        "kidd 's script is rich in smart lines that have stingers in their tails .",
        "often hilarious .",
        "the performances are everything and they are uniformly excellent , but campbell scott , who is the centre of the film , is truly superb .",
        "kidd 's script is too optimistic to do its interestingly sleazy protagonist justice .",
        "despite poor production values , ` MOV ' holds the interest with the intelligence and insight of the story and characterizations .",
        "-lsb- director dylan -rsb- kidd might not be shakespeare -lrb- though he 's got a remarkably tuned ear for dialogue -rrb- , but his sense of structure and willingness to push the flawed , comic-tragic protagonist to the fore merits the grand comparison .",
        "if you 're as happy listening to movies as you are watching them , and the slow parade of human frailty fascinates you , then you 're at the right film .",
        "dylan kidd creates , with the capable help of his cast and crew , a terrific debut with the smart , funny and upbeat `` MOV . ''",
        "revives the art of smart , scathing movie conversation as it skewers manhattan 's singles scene while providing a goodly number of laughs .",
        "it is scott 's convincing portrayal of roger the sad cad that really gives the film its oomph .",
        "sly , sophisticated and surprising .",
        "sharply written and confidentially directed , the feature debut of dylan kidd is the kind of character study in romantic cynicism that actors live for . -lrb- campbell -rrb- scott savors every word ...",
        "aa delight for anyone who loves to absorb dialogue .",
        "takes delight in skewering -lsb- roger 's -rsb- carefully-formed suppositions while never entirely disproving his theories .",
        "good cutting dialogue that one-ups neil la bute 's for downright cynicism .",
        "the terrific and bewilderingly underrated campbell scott gives a star performance that is nothing short of mesmerizing .",
        "the perfect cross between swingers and in the company of men that we did n't know we needed until we had it .",
        "as a portrait in cluelessness , -lsb- it 's -rsb- a hoot .",
        "even at its grimmest , the movie hums along , thanks to the edgy , hand-held , on-the-fly cinematography and the snappy performances .",
        "the date movie that franz kafka would have made .",
        "razor sharp and remarkable , one of the year 's best films !",
        "pungently edgy comedy-drama about self-delusion and sexual gamesmanship .",
        "you wo n't like roger , but you will quickly recognize him . and that 's a big part of why we go to the movies .",
        "an exciting debut from promising , and fairly disturbed , young director/screenwriter dylan kidd .",
        "watching roger at work is n't always pleasant , but it 's one of the year 's most mesmerizing sights .",
        "a clever , exceptionally well-written film .",
        "a corrosive , verbally dextrous comedy , roger spotlights sharp , witty dialogue and a standout performance by campbell scott , whose too-cool - for-the-room persona is a perfect match with dodgy roger .",
        "there is n't a lot of profundity here , but MOV has a bright , breezy script and characters that will amuse .",
        "campbell scott 's amusing and contemptuous performance is the stuff of awards .",
        "a refreshingly unsentimental education .",
        "a sophisticated but intriguingly toxic comedy of manners .",
        "nice piece of work .",
        "a heady , biting , be-bop ride through nighttime manhattan , a loquacious videologue of the modern male and the lengths to which he 'll go to weave a protective cocoon around his own ego .",
        "MOV features a protagonist who 's so abrasive , it 's a wonder that he does n't send viewers charging for the exits . fortunately , campbell scott -lrb- the spanish prisoner -rrb- , and novice writer-director dylan kidd imbue the arrogant , predator",
        "i was aglow for some time with the levels and layers and brilliant character moments that stuff this film . this is why i review movies . go see it .",
        "kidd says he wants the extras to act as a ` film school in a box , ' but the overall effect is more ` it takes a village , ' indie-style ...",
        "blatantly arrogant , unapologetically misogynistic , morally repugnant , and absolutely hypnotic . all these descriptions and more can be applied to the character of roger swanson -lrb- campbell scott -rrb-",
        "other than the slightly flawed -lrb- and fairly unbelievable -rrb- finale , everything else is top shelf .",
        "... rogers 's mouth never stops shut about the war between the sexes and how to win the battle .",
        "some have condemned this film for ` filthy content . ' that 's like condemning a hospital for being a place of disease . kidd deals with ` filth ' the way a surgeon treats a tumor .",
        "scott 's hilariously hateful hauteur is able to counteract some falsely fuzzy notes in the ending .",
        "kidd 's story is a bitter pill to swallow - many will find the portrayal of roger as some kind of hero bizarre .",
        "the dialogue addresses our expectations , gets us laughing and stops the movie from becoming too obvious a character study .",
        "sharply written by dylan kidd .",
        "the best american debut since reservoir dogs .",
        "while sounding like nick hornby and looking a little like whit stillman , MOV paints its own sublime and wonderful impression of singles .",
        "first-time writer-director dylan kidd also has a good ear for dialogue , and the characters sound like real people .",
        "dark and disturbing , but also surprisingly funny .",
        "an entertaining look into the male psyche -- well , at least the psyche of males preoccupied with adolescent concerns .",
        "campbell scott 's performance gives the character an added dimension , one of inner sadness and loneliness that taints even his most deplorable speeches with potential sympathy",
        "scott 's low-key portrayal makes roger interesting .",
        "it only rarely becomes less than apparent that lurking behind these clever characters there 's a cleverer screenwriter , delighting himself as he takes turns setting each of them up for a verbal fall .",
        "the film 's highlight is definitely its screenplay , both for the rhapsodic dialogue that jumps off the page , and for the memorable character creations .",
        "it 's a minor comedy that tries to balance sweetness with coarseness , while it paints a sad picture of the singles scene .",
        "genuine movie magic ... it transports you to a place somewhere between eavesdropping voyeur and silent referee .",
        "it is less about treating others badly than about what happens to us when we do , a bleary-eyed look in the mirror behind the bar when they announce last call .",
        "roger 's totally sleazy , yet still manages to come off smart , funny and likeable , so does the movie .",
        "roger is not a character we are really meant to like , but how much one likes this movie may ultimately depend on the extent to which you are able to remain in the same room with him .",
        "kidd 's wickedly irreverent and succulent narrative cunningly cuts to the quick in the way it examines the boorish behavior of male mischievousness that ultimately serves as the needed comeuppance to redefine their consciousness .",
        "ourside the theatre roger might be intolerable company , but inside it he 's well worth spending some time with .",
        "starts as a tart little lemon drop of a movie and ends up as a bitter pill .",
        "MOV is an impressive first-time effort by dylan kidd , the director and writer . but like the teen in the movie who is trying to lose his virginity , the film never quite scores .",
        "it is a testament to mr. kidd 's skill that in his debut feature he makes such entertainment out of a character that could easily have seemed nothing more than an egotistical blowhard .",
        "does n't really add up to much .",
        "campbell scott , in the role of a lifetime , brushes past all the built-in limitations , seizes the role -- and us -- and turns it into a genuine tour de force .",
        "MOV is a little too programmed in its despair , but it coasts along on the jagged music of the modern lothario 's song .",
        "life 's just full of surprises . who 'd expect a movie about a rogue and his horny teenage nephew to be so good ?",
        "thanks to scott 's charismatic roger and eisenberg 's sweet nephew , MOV is one of the most compelling variations on in the company of men .",
        "shot perhaps ` artistically ' with handheld cameras and apparently no movie lights by joaquin baca-asay , the low-budget production swings annoyingly between vertigo and opacity .",
        "there 's a lot of tooth in MOV . but what 's nice is that there 's a casual intelligence that permeates the script .",
        "a wild ride of a movie that keeps throwing fastballs .",
        "wicked and funny , full of the kind of surprises too few movies can pull off but which first-timer dylan kidd handles with a sureness that is bracing .",
        "one of the smartest takes on singles culture i 've seen in a long time .",
        "though roger is hateful , he is consistently mesmeric . scott 's layered performance eventually allows glimpses through roger 's smoke and mirrors without being obvious .",
        "offers some fresh twists on the well-worn theme of sexual politics and shows how far some men still have to go to achieve emotional intelligence .",
        "it 's a movie dominated by conversation yet devoid of theatricality or staginess : a pictorial gabfest .",
        "think of MOV as a less mean-spirited version of your friends and neighbors .",
        "for kidd , MOV marks an arresting and auspicious debut .",
        "campbell scott 's fiendishly mercurial performance as razor-tongued womanizer roger is a revelation but it 's only one of this nimble film 's pleasures .",
        "kidd has made the rare film that 's more interesting and complex than it sounds , a feature that shares with its characters a willingness to take risks and ends up , like them , in places they never expected to be .",
        "an extremely promising first feature .",
        "in a career performance that deserves oscar consideration , campbell scott finds that middle ground in-between aaron eckhart 's chad & vince vaughn 's trent so that you loathe things that he says and does , but ca n't help but feel compelled to watch him do hi",
        "scott 's riveting performance makes good use of the well-crafted dialogue , drawing you irresistibly into roger 's cynical , misogynistic world .",
        "MOV avoids asking the thorny questions . as in , why is this insidious creep worth an entire movie ?",
        "-lsb- kidd -rsb- can write dialogue , work skillfully with actors , and he has a pretty good handle on urban loneliness of the knowing , virulent new york city variety .",
        "MOV is an enjoyably bruising tale of the inflated male ego that takes a hammering thanks to a little ironic justice .",
        "dylan kidd writes quotable dialogue and monologues that have the muscle of early mamet without the attendant sameness of every character .",
        "quite the most shocking thing about this out-to-shock indie is the discovery that it was shot on film , not on video . i was n't even aware that it was possible to make film look this amateurishly bad .",
        "an older cad instructs a younger lad in zen and the art of getting laid in this prickly indie comedy of manners and misanthropy .",
        "there is greatness here .",
        "a fascinating , uneven first feature from the young writer-director dylan kidd .",
        "we journey from appreciating roger as the ideal over-drinks conversationalist to someone we would cross the street to avoid .",
        "campbell scott finds the ideal outlet for his flick-knife diction in the role of roger swanson .",
        "what sounds on the surface like another generic sex comedy is actually a bitingly funny character study .",
        "... there is an unflinching quality to the film that makes it impossible to dismiss as just another character study of an unhappy man"],
    "summary": "the movie could have benefited from a more experienced director , but a great cast and script overcome any first time jitters the director may have had .",
    "id": "16578"
  },
  {
    "movie": "last_days_in_vietnam",
    "reviews":
     [
        "anyone who thinks history is dry stuff should see `` MOV '' - and heed its lessons .",
        "`` MOV '' will be broadcast in april on the long-running pbs series `` american experience . '' but it holds up on a bigger screen and deserves a large audience earlier than that .",
        "a film of great sadness , but also a galvanizing depiction of heroism .",
        "this is a solidly involving documentary that reminds us of one of the worst parts of our history , and of some of the best people who were a part of it .",
        "it 's a work that informs , inspires and angers , as it recounts the final hours of a war that kennedy 's uncle john began with the best of intentions , and president gerald ford ended with the worst of betrayals .",
        "there is enough triumph and tragedy and heroism and heartbreak here to fill three or four features , but director rory kennedy smartly packs everything into just 98 minutes , and so captures the rushed , chaotic , just-keep-going feel of those dark days .",
        "sometimes the stories we think we know , the stories where we do n't want to hear another word , turn out to be the most involving of all , the ones we in fact know the least about . so it is with `` MOV . ''",
        "deja vu , all over again , and riveting .",
        "a painstaking look at the heart-breaking situation that unfolded as the vietnam war came to an abrupt end .",
        "as a portrait of america in a moment both of idealism and betrayal , the movie is heartbreaking as well as inspiring .",
        "this fact-driven doc is eye-opening and at times thrilling . a sequence following a chopper pilot trying to get his family to an american aircraft carrier is like a short film unto itself .",
        "`` last days of vietnam '' is eerily foreboding for its implicit warnings to the fallout of political abandonment . but it 's also , on a more micro level , inspiring . even in failed wars , lives can be saved .",
        "masterful and oscar-worthy ...",
        "emotion packed thriller of america 's southeast asia dunkirk .",
        "perhaps the most striking thing about `` MOV , '' rory kennedy 's eye-opening documentary about the 1975 evacuation of the american embassy in saigon , is how calmly it surveys what was once among the angriest topics in american political life .",
        "one of the things that makes kennedy 's film so powerful is that it 's not just a story of stupidity and tragedy and incompetence , although there 's more than enough of those qualities to be found in the history of america 's vietnamese misadventure .",
        "as great documentaries do , `` MOV '' humanizes events that can seem merely factual in news reports and textbooks .",
        "a riveting tale told in the most pedestrian and unimaginative fashion possible .",
        "the grit of men and women scrambling desperately for freedom ahead of death and/or torture at the hands of the communists makes for a testament to human determination .",
        "it 's not a documentary that reinvents the form or will alter anyone 's perception of the war , but sometimes a rich , exhaustive chronicle is more than enough .",
        "a vital piece in the ongoing puzzle of the conflict , MOV is an eye-opening documentary that captures the charged emotions and troubled leadership that fed into an overall sense of panic .",
        "in sum , last days is the best kind of doc - it ties you up in knots .",
        "although kennedy follows the standard documentary format of archival footage and stills edited with current day interviews , she has constructed her telling of the story so expertly that her work is both moving and riveting .",
        "well-edited , provocative and thrilling . it would make a great double feature with hearts and minds .",
        "piecing together the myriad and moving vignettes of perseverance and humanity ... holds her focus and never succumbs to heavy-handed methods , allowing the participants and events to build the historical experience from the ground up .",
        "`` the MOV , '' at its core , is about moral courage - the bravery to confront the question of `` who goes and who gets left behind , '' as retired army colonel stuart herrington puts it .",
        "saying -lsb- MOV -rsb- is great is almost an understatement .",
        "inspiring and thrilling .",
        "archived film of the final , chaotic push to clear the embassy compound by helicopter is as dramatic as any thriller , heightened by stories of bravery and risk .",
        "splendid period footage and relatively little politics .",
        "nonfiction filmmaking at its finest , using incredible archival footage and fresh interviews to bring new light on an important , overlooked part of recent history .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't just about the horrific mistakes that were made by the u.s. government . it ultimately unveils the untold acts of heroism performed by a select few to save many . it 's a true testament to the human spirit .",
        "the film showcases the will and the commitment of brave individuals to do the right thing , defying executive orders even in the face of potentially treasonous consequences .",
        "a testament to people , as one source puts it , `` doing their best under terrible circumstances . ''",
        "that henry kissinger is there , uncontested as he pawns off the same dodgy claims he has for four decades , is a problem .",
        "powerful and terrifying .",
        "a `` you are there '' documentary with all the excitement and heartbreaks of a fast-moving narrative movie .",
        "any one of the episodes related in this doc could be adapted as its own feature-length hollywood production .",
        "the film tells in great detail a gripping moment in history that will enrich an audience 's understanding and shine a light on less and moments that might otherwise go unrecognised .",
        "`` MOV '' combines astonishing footage from april 1975 with the contemporary recollections of some who were there .",
        "riveting ...",
        "this is both a gripping suspense story and a profound moral drama .",
        "for american viewers who do n't know , the doc will be a worthy footnote to a long bout of deliberate cultural amnesia , but it 's too telling that the vietnamese remain in the background .",
        "first-person accounts put audience into gripping you-are-there saigon , april 1975 ... when it sticks with those with no political investment , testimonies are quite moving .",
        "it is hard to believe the events director rory kennedy depicts in MOV , even with incredible archival footage and enlightening interviews .",
        "rory kennedy 's essential film is history as it ought to be revisited , reinvestigated , renewed as documentary .",
        "there 's nothing innovative in the filmmaking , it 's simply a gracefully told story - tense here ; poignant there - with strong detailing .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- disarming documentary about the fall of saigon , a movie that is as much about human decency as diplomatic incompetence .",
        "good , but too narrow in focus and somewhat biased in those whose voices the filmmakers chose to share",
        "if voters are already tired of the red-state/blue-state reductionism in the dialogue surrounding american sniper and selma , last day 's conventionality may turn out to be an asset .",
        "totally unbalanced film . the north vietnamese army becomes the symbol of invading barbarians when as walt kelly put it , `` we have met the enemy , and he is us . ''",
        "paints a true-life picture of ordinary people with human consciences defying their orders and the law to do the right thing when bureaucracy fails them .",
        "authoritative and exhaustive . a must-watch .",
        "the film is rich in archival-memory and first-person recollections of many key figures , of higher and lower or no rank at all .",
        "by turning her attention to an underreported chapter in recent history , kennedy has found a trove rich with unreal imagery and stories of heroism in the face of defeat .",
        "`` last days of vietnam '' comes along to remind us that it 's never simple , and that pointing the finger becomes a futile exercise that can only accomplish paralysis .",
        "in the film , the morass of strategic confusion , political convenience , and stubborn personalities pushing an agenda is the prelude to a story of startling moral clarity .",
        "this film is stellar , a dead-on stare at the moments this country tries not to remember ."],
    "summary": "as gripping as it is inspiring , MOV offers a surprisingly fresh -- and heart-wrenching -- perspective on the end of the vietnam war .",
    "id": "771371918"
  },
  {
    "movie": "art_and_craft",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's an impressive film about quiet desperation and obsession.it 's an impressive film about quiet desperation and obsession .",
        "there is nothing illegal in his puffery , though clearly gift horses really should be looked in the mouth for better authentication and not waste staff time or museum space .",
        "a documentary about mark landis , a meek , eccentric southerner who donated hundreds of his forged artworks to museums but never tried to make money off them .",
        "an object lesson in how to make a good documentary",
        "a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating documentary about landis ' amazing feats as a forger and con man .",
        "it 's hard to dislike a guy who , at his worst , is a man -lrb- as landis puts it -rrb- on a `` philanthropic binge . ''",
        "this documentary about one of the most prolific forgers in history is a fascinating character study of two men , the forger , a man compelled to copy works of art and pass them off as originals , and the man compelled to stop him from from doing that .",
        "the moviemakers have created a unique portrait of a highly unusual , gifted oddball who is -- unlike his paintings -- a true original .",
        "operating out of a crummy lifelong bachelor 's apartment , this prolific art forger is an unassuming and even sympathetic mastermind . with his tall , thin frame and baldish head , he resembles an el greco eisenhower , accessorized with alfred e. neuman ears .",
        "an insightful glimpse into mental illness and an obsession with fame . just the story of a mild-mannered con man with issues . a film worth viewing .",
        "landis has made a lot of people very angry , and the movie deals with a serious issue - namely the way obsessions take control of us .",
        "craft has it easy in terms of documentary subjects , as landis is ready for his close-up , eager to share a distorted idea of himself with viewers .",
        "it 's the kind of story a filmmaker dreams of - and yet , `` MOV '' leaves the viewer uneasy .",
        "both a very entertaining , offbeat look at the art world and a riveting character study of one man who 's exploited it for his own amusement .",
        "`` nothing 's original under the sun , '' muses mark landis in the consistently compelling documentary `` MOV . '' but he seems to be discounting himself .",
        "MOV rightly supposes that critique of art-establishment phoniness never gets old , and it reveals how individual mental illness can manifest collective anxiety about cultural ideals .",
        "`` MOV '' contains some focus problems , but overcomes them by generally keeping its spotlight on mark landis .",
        "a fascinating look inside the troubled mind of a master of deception .",
        "wonderful and not a little sad .",
        "an entertaining and compelling film , MOV includes a cat-and-mouse component ... but the film blossoms when it instead focuses on its engaging lead character , examining the line that often connects art and madness .",
        "the constant scrutiny of a camera seems exploitative and cruel , even if you are at all suspicious when he rationalizes his behavior as childlike mischief .",
        "... MOV is a intriguing depiction of counterfeit impulses -lrb- both wrongly perceived and irrepressible -rrb- , immense talent gone awry and what lies behind the desire to create .",
        "the filmmakers profile the prolific mark landis with a non-judgmental straightforwardness that allows the sheer brazenness of his scams to generate both shock and amusement .",
        "this crazy-gazing docu never presumes to be much more than an extended version of the kind of story one might expect to see briefly spotlighted on 60 minutes . even so , all sorts of interesting questions.swirl beneath the surface .",
        "what 's fascinating about MOV is watching the filmmakers try to figure out which of their subjects is the story 's hero .",
        "a droll documentary that may remind you of errol morris ' work .",
        "by drawing a wide net , interviewing bewildered curators and following landis 's rise to notoriety in the art world , grausman and cullman find rare depth in eccentricity .",
        "there 's a hint of exploitation , but it does n't overpower the film 's hilarious insights into the smug pretentiousness of the art world , nor its riveting examination of how copying others as made landis an endearing original .",
        "landis is a lanky , quiet-spoken wisp of a man , his skull firm against the taut skin of his face , and sly amusement suffuses almost every pronouncement in a whispery , truman capote-like voice that is as still and clear as a bell .",
        "much like the experts drawn to landis ' paintings , MOV effectively invites viewers to question the honesty of what 's been placed inside the frame .",
        "cut 30 minutes and re-edit and there may be an interesting pbs program here .",
        "the filmmakers may not have made a great movie , but they have a remarkable subject .",
        "an entertaining if rather rambling documentary -lsb- about -rsb- a crafty artist indeed .",
        "what was intended to be a lurid stranger-than-fiction tale of high insanity in the world of high art instead turns into a gentle , loving character study that takes an empathetic , if still deeply puzzled , look at an unknowable man .",
        "perhaps the year 's most delightfully charming documentary .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "thoroughly compelling and fascinating with a brilliantly mad , enigmatic subject .",
        "mr. landis , who lives in laurel , miss. , and has operated under several pseudonyms , is the enigmatic core of a movie that becomes pedestrian only when the focus switches to a one-man crusade to expose him .",
        "this smartly produced and constructed art-themed art-house entry delivers a canvas of caper , comedy and delightful curiosities that engage and provoke some serious thought . like the hero 's forgeries , it deserves a close look .",
        "fascinatingly complex and endlessly entertaining documentary ... a film which , by measures , both intrigues and tickles you .",
        "compelling but dubious ...",
        "sympathetic yet gently unnerving ...",
        "sam cullman , jennifer grausman , and mark becker , the directors of `` MOV , '' have themselves an enticing subject in landis 's activities . they do not have an enticing subject in landis himself .",
        "deeply eccentric subject makes for an engaging art-doc .",
        "... jaunty and engaging .",
        "directors sam cullman and jennifer grausman maintain a bright tone and a melancholy undercurrent , which combine in an eminently watchable character study .",
        "an engaging character study with an awkward yet satisfying climax that could n't be scripted more perfectly ."],
    "summary": "the spotlight it shines on an apparently troubled mind may strike some viewers as exploitative , but MOV remains a thoroughly gripping glimpse into the life of a legendary art forger .",
    "id": "771379251"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cure_1997",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's more psychological than a genre movie , and that is the source of both its greatest interest and its biggest problem .",
        "kurosawa 's extraordinary direction drizzles a bit of psychological acid on everything , making it seem breath-stoppingly fresh .",
        "once again -lsb- kurosawa -rsb- takes on a familiar genre , the murder mystery , but he imbues it with so much angst and psychological juice that it takes on a life of its own .",
        "a grave , magnificently creepy thriller .",
        "a typically compelling film by kiyoshi kurosawa .",
        "a creepy , enigmatic bit of psychological terror that by its final ambiguous scene leaves you truly chilled .",
        "this is a movie that leaves one wondering just who it is who has been mesmerized .",
        "MOV has a cumulative power of horror which even seasoned filmgoers will not be able to resist .",
        "it 's one bleak film , and its ending would make kevin spacey proud .",
        "too shallow to enthrall , and it lacks the visceral energy to sustain itself as a genre piece .",
        "complex film with many things going on at once .",
        "MOV sticks with you -- it 's a movie about the power of suggestion that casts a troubling spell on the viewer as well .",
        "kurosawa takes a reasonably engaging thriller plot and turns it into a mesmerizing masterwork .",
        "cool and caustic .",
        "with long , uncut takes in which tension builds simply and quietly , MOV will have you under its spell .",
        "displays a sensibility so weird as to be its own recommendation .",
        "MOV provides a fascinating introduction to the artist . there is a new kurosawa on the block .",
        "rather than resort to clever plot twists and reversals , kurosawa constructs an elaborate psychological maze and then strands us in the middle of it .",
        "with its gift for infusing uneasiness into every frame , kurosawa 's moody , unnerving film continues to spook us even after the lights have gone on .",
        "for as calm and relaxed as the pacing can be , the film has a paralyzing uneasiness about it .",
        "a fascinating artifact as well as a most engrossing thriller .",
        "do n't expect the meticulously honed story of seven or an evening of pretzel-raveling a la memento . but if you 've had a particularly stressful workweek , it 'll make you question whether the stress was worth it .",
        "somewhat confounding , but utterly spellbinding .",
        "not since insomnia have we had a police thriller so subtle and mind-soaking , or anxieties so poisoned in a heart of darkness .",
        "a fascinating cinematic exercise which woozily suggests the fragile underpinnings of modern rational life by craftily employing genre conventions in unexpected ways .",
        "tough to shake even when it feels more like an exercise than a movie .",
        "an existentialist serial killer film that plays like what cohen 's god told me to might look like were it written and directed by `` beat '' takeshi .",
        "another strong vehicle for japan 's top male star , koji yakusho .",
        "an effective piece of shock cinema .",
        "a movie to get lost in .",
        "the scenes of utter nonsense -lrb- and there are many -rrb- are outweighed by those of genius , making MOV a relative standout in this budding genre .",
        "a dark and diverting urban psychologial thriller that is well-acted and staged but goes down an unconvincing metaphysical road in its conclusion .",
        "its astute inquiries into how human minds operate make it one of the few psychological mysteries truly worthy of the name .",
        "though there 's a memorable final confrontation in the protagonist 's mind , and a heck of a closing , most of the film 's second half is n't nearly moody enough .",
        "kurosawa definitely has a strong visual style and a knack for spinning engrossing , if not bizarre , stories that cross the genre divide .",
        "tone and atmosphere mirror subject to perfection in kiyoshi kurosawa 's hypnotic trip into the lower depths of the human mind .",
        "it 's well enough acted and directed to advance kurosawa 's claim to be taken as an important new voice in japanese cinema .",
        "it 's unsatisfying as a story precisely because it aspires to create a mounting sense of dread by enlarging questions rather than answering them .",
        "fragmented identity becomes the ultimate horror",
        "... what is this , an episode of the flintstones ?",
        "the approach is not an especially deep one , and in MOV it 's given more deliberation than it can bear .",
        "there is no clear-cut conclusion . the film is not wrapped up in a nice neat little package . kurosawa shows us a glimpse into this strange world and then pulls away , leaving us to figure out the answers , answers that may never come .",
        "the single best horror film i 've seen this century ."],
    "summary": "mesmerizing and psychologically intriguing .",
    "id": "19806"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1185801-the_express",
    "reviews":
     [
        "just because something has been done before does n't mean it ca n't be done again , and well . ` MOV ' is formula-driven entertainment of an uncommonly high order .",
        "as a sports non-fan , my definition of a good sports film is one that my dad and i both enjoy . MOV has the goods .",
        "maybe the real ernie davis really was this perfect , but the movie plays as if the filmmakers did n't want to offend his family .",
        "a far more intelligent movie than the ads might make it seem .",
        "the player , coach and even the wise grandfather figure played by charles s. dutton have at least one more dimension than the typical sports-movie stereotypes .",
        "performances help hold the movie together -- brown is solid , quaid 's natural charm takes the edge off schwartzwalder 's recalcitrance , and omar benson miller chips in another charming supporting turn as davis ' best friend .",
        "there 's a reason hollywood keeps making versions of this movie : they work .",
        "no matter what the very capable actors do to shake up the characters , they stubbornly remain types .",
        "... patently dishonest about a few things .",
        "consider that a virtue in a movie content to teach familiar messages without overstating them .",
        "gary fleder 's sporting drama has its heart in the right place but , sheesh , that title grows more ironic with each crawling minute .",
        "full of stirring speeches and manly chins quivering with emotion , every frame is a clich\u00e9 .",
        "the movie also has its heart in the right place and it is as earnest as it can be . it simply falls short of being a great movie .",
        "it makes the most of its on-the-field drama , but it tends toward gross generalizations and oversentimentality . ... as a result , the film is burdened with hokiness .",
        "MOV is running on two rails at the same time . there 's sentiment , which is true . and there 's sentimentality , which is not . at its best , MOV is a moving tribute ; at its worst , it 's conventional manipulation .",
        "at times MOV could n't decide whether it was telling a story of racial tensions , a general inspirational sports film or the tragic biography of ernie davis",
        "while never as trailblazing as its subject , MOV is a worthy addition to the lengthy canon of sports biopics .",
        "while there 's nothing remarkable about the way director gary fleder has brought MOV to the screen , this is a solid film that does justice to davis ' legacy .",
        "a fine example of the form . cliched and sentimental it might be , but in the case of MOV , these criticisms almost count as plus points .",
        "the sports-movie template is capable of absorbing any story and delivering the same uplift .",
        "everything is literally and figuratively black and white in MOV .",
        "in the past few years , we have seen lots of football films , and this is by far the best . i might even be so bold to say that this is the greatest football movie of all time .",
        "based on a davis biography , gary fleder 's account is a noble attempt at humanizing the myth , but it succumbs to the worst sorts of sports-movie clich\u00e9s .",
        "combines and surpasses both genres by virtue of its honest-to-gosh goodness .",
        "while ernie 's on-field accomplishments were extraordinary , it was the environment in which he struggled to achieve them that makes him the worthy subject of a motion picture .",
        "we 're not asking for another brian 's song , but does davis 's tale have to seem like a rehash of remember the titans ?",
        "inspirational true-life sports films seem to be a dime a dozen , but when they 're good , they 're worth their weight in gold .",
        "has dennis quaid really never played a college football coach before ? with his handsome , craggy face and likable intensity , he was born for the job .",
        "rob brown 's performance in the title role is solid and static , but dennis quaid 's portrayal of coach ben schwartzwalder provides a convincing metaphor for a nation going through a crisis of conscience .",
        "dennis quaid scores an emotional touchdown in this sturdy , factual football drama .",
        "MOV is a somewhat ordinary movie about an extraordinary life .",
        "it 's tough , admittedly , to sum up someone 's life in just two hours , and even tougher when that person is as genuinely impressive as ernie davis . unfortunately , this movie tries to cram it all in .",
        "packages a real-life story of athletic triumph and social progress into an accessible , rousing melodrama that is no less potent for being almost entirely predictable .",
        "sadly , however , this is all too familiar , which is something nobody could say about the real ernie davis .",
        "when it should be scrambling for inches , MOV keeps lobbing emotional hail mary passes .",
        "the movie might be a bit more interesting if davis had more to him than simply graceful gumption and victimhood , and if the spaces around him could be filled with something .",
        "it will make you care even if you do n't like sports .",
        "at times stirring , inspiring and thoughtful .",
        "MOV plays for our sympathy -- and wins .",
        "while MOV has too many bits and pieces of other sports movies in its mix to stand out , it does break the template in the last act .",
        "MOV may prove valuable to movie historians since it 's a compendium of virtually every sports movie clich\u00e9 ever contrived .",
        "despite its flaws , at least MOV does its best to honor this groundbreaking player 's memory .",
        "i already get espn classic at home , and i do n't need it recreated for me at the theater , thanks .",
        "even if you already knew the facts , you wo n't be able to help but reflect in awe at how much progress in the fight against discrimination has been made on a societal level .",
        "tries to be another ` brian 's song ' but does n't quite make it",
        "MOV sprints through cliches with its powerful story of a player and his coach .",
        "i suspect ernie davis really was an interesting person . he certainly led an interesting life . that 's all the more reason for being disappointed in MOV , as it reduces him and his accomplishments to mere plot points .",
        "the film does the job , in its conventional way . but it 's geared to throw the prime screen time in the direction of the guy playing the guy coaching the guy who 's supposed to be running the movie .",
        "despite appealing performances and kinetic football scenes , the storytelling is mostly conventional , except for two outstanding set pieces .",
        "quaid delivers one of the most stirring half-time speeches in movie history .",
        "quaid and brown are completely credible . we may know where things are going , but they do n't , and they 're feeling their way into a modern world ...",
        "the dilemma of movies ... about sports heroes that also make statements on social injustice is that they have to do a fair number of scenes involving sports .",
        "MOV knows what made the man great . it just has difficulty embodying that greatness itself .",
        "is -lsb- the significance -rsb- for davis to set a precedent as the first african-american heissman trophy winner ? i mean , honestly , are they going to make a biopic about halle berry and denzel washington 's oscar wins ?",
        "` MOV ' adopts a conservative game plan , running right up the middle on every play , stubbornly refusing to take chances and try the unexpected .",
        "with the stock market going through fits of manic depression , this movie serves as an inspirational distraction .",
        "exciting football games to watch , a lead character we can root for ... i wish it were about 20 minutes shorter , though .",
        "a fine addition to the recent genre of socially-conscious sports flicks highlighting individual feats for the collective meaning of those historic triumphs to the masses of black folks in search of civil rights .",
        "MOV plays it big and safe and conventional , but really , that just means everybody 's going to like it .",
        "if the best thing said about a football movie , oddly enough , is that it can be entertaining for anyone who could care less about sports , then this is a solid touchdown . skeptical couch potatoes take heart , a knowledge of the game is rarely required .",
        "a smartly updated old-fashioned espionage thriller .",
        "MOV eventually reaches its triumph-of-the-human-spirit climax , but it yanks too hard on the heart strings during the long journey there .",
        "too much synthetic spotlessness to score a real and grimy touchdown of credibility and inspiration .",
        "the pacing is off , which makes express feel longer than it actually is .",
        "a cliffs ' notes version of ernie davis ' life that turns everything he worked for into a hallmark card .",
        "-lsb- fleder 's -rsb- directorial bungling puts a terrible burden on the appealing cast .",
        "MOV finesses a cinematic hat trick : it 's entertaining , deeply moving and genuinely important .",
        "just about good enough to be the 40th best episode of friday night lights . which has aired 39 episodes .",
        "MOV raises the following rhetorical question : was davis ' life really that by-the-numbers bland or have the filmmakers airbrushed out all the prickly , complicated details ?",
        "wo n't make you feel much , because you 've already felt it the same way , in the same manner from other stories that got there first with more charisma .",
        "occasionally engrossing but overlong biopic of late-1950s college football star ernie davis , the first african-american to win the heisman trophy .",
        "davis deserves to be remembered , but as professionally crafted as MOV is , the movie is an almost instantly forgettable version of his life .",
        "accomplishes what it sets out to do . it chronicles davis ' trials and triumphs well enough . but still , it leaves you wondering what was going on inside the helmet .",
        "an uplifting -- and poignant -- tale ... but it 's told ... in very broad strokes that make their point as obviously as any tv movie would .",
        "a crowd-pleasing civil rights drama made all the more potent because it wraps its uplifting story in the trappings of a sports movie .",
        "-lsb- ernie davis ' -rsb- story is one all young athletes -lrb- and some hotdogging , grandstanding professional players -rrb- can learn from .",
        "express nails the pulse of davis 's life just right , incorporating his confidence , leadership , and exasperation into an engrossing , if not exactly groundbreaking , feature film .",
        "a sturdy sports flick about the legendary ernie davis who was the first african-american to win the heisman trophy .",
        "MOV tells the true story of college-football star ernie davis . it 's such a naturally compelling tale that one wonders why it has n't been filmed before .",
        "MOV is involving and inspiring in the way a good movie about sports almost always is .",
        "no film that 's 129 minutes long should be called MOV - how about the sleeper to oblivion ?",
        "entertaining drama biopic that marshals its collection of sports biopic cliches to winning effect , aided by superb performances from dennis quaid and rob brown .",
        "rob brown did a nice job .",
        "there 's nothing daring in the least about MOV , which , like most real-life sports stories co-opted by hollywood , strips the achievements of any individuality or historical worth and renders them all part of the same gumbo of sticky cliches .",
        "fact-based or fictional , no genre sticks to the playbook more rigidly than the sports drama . creditable addition to the canon though it is , MOV does not buck the trend .",
        "a tidal wave of corn syrup hardly mars this old-style , populist entertainment .",
        "the screenplay is stewed in such pieties , served up as warm and homely as apple pie - only there 's no taste to it .",
        "steams ahead with express-train determination , scooping on to its cow-catcher any cinemagoer hoping he can outrun yet another true-life drama about black sportsmen overcoming bygone bigotry .",
        "it 's hamstrung by both underdeveloped plot strands and overdeveloped visual style , but it still works in its own way , plowing through potential criticisms much like its titular gridiron hero plowed through tacklers .",
        "football fan or not , definitely be sure to see it .",
        "MOV delivers visceral gridiron energy . fleder and his crew capture the moments so many athletes refer to as ` being in the zone . '",
        "davis is played winningly , without a single false note , by rob brown . his coach , the irascible but decent ben schwartzwalder , is brought home beautifully by dennis quaid , who has quietly become one of america 's finest actors .",
        "... predictable but inspiring ...",
        "director gary fleder does an end run around the genre 's cliches , and cinematographer kramer morgenthau plays with desaturated color and highlights for a rich period feel .",
        "aside from managing to get made at all , the movie does n't do davis 's legacy any favors by giving us the store-brand version of his life .",
        "rob brown brings off the most difficult task . as davis , he crafts a persuasive performance of that unusual figure in movies : a genuinely good man .",
        "that rare sports film that is n't afraid to dabble in personal and social ambiguity .",
        "in MOV the football field is a place where people of very diverse backgrounds are forced to work together for a common goal and what happens on the field proves to have broader implications .",
        "like a biography plucked from the shelf of a grade-school library ... includes ample inspiration and sufficient history to get to its destination in `` express '' fashion .",
        "audiences of all ages already are cheering `` express , '' the newest sports movie that provides not only a biography of ernie davis but also a look at how the color barrier was broken on the football field .",
        "looking for a safe investment in this wildly sliding economy ? well , do n't bother flipping to the rob because here 's a tip you can take to the bank : buy shares in the clich\u00e9 factory .",
        "a cinematic touchdown .",
        "i always ask myself why they keep making these inspirational movies , but for some reason , MOV worked perfectly .",
        "extremely old fashioned and one dimensional",
        "MOV in nothing more than a less successful brian 's song set in the days of jim crow and unconscionable white supremacy .",
        "it 's your basic uplifting sports story about the underdog who fights against the odds and triumphs .",
        "what could have been a blindly reverent biopic , and/or a tediously respectable prestige picture , instead at least tries to deal with the issues it raises , and tries to do so with with some subtlety and grace .",
        "we may never see an original sports movie ever again . the last truly original sports movie was rudy , because it was never a story about winning % u2014 it was a story about heart . MOV shares a lot of rudy 's dna .",
        "inventing a hollywood racist agenda where it did n't exist , because this concentrates on ernie davis the football player , it does n't know the man , and that 's the better story .",
        "if he is a little too glowingly perfect , a little too heroic , it adds to the mythic feeling of the story ."],
    "summary": "this inspirational sports biopic set in the the civil rights era is interesting even for non-football fans , and features a great performance by dennis quaid as tough-but-fair football coach .",
    "id": "770675021"
  },
  {
    "movie": "willow",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... high production values , elaborate sets , and gorgeous cinematography make it worth seeing at least once . yet , i found in it no compelling reasons for a revisit .",
        "grand escapism",
        "MOV is medieval mishmash from george lucas , a sort of 10th-century star wars tossed together with a plethora of elements taken from numerous classic fables .",
        "a forgotten classic that holds a lot of nostalgia",
        "there 's a sunny feeling here that 's impossible to deny : a warm , inviting tone unseen in more recent fare .",
        "nice fantasy adventure , looking pretty dated now , but ably helmed by ron howard .",
        "magic-filled fantasy adventure for tweens and up .",
        "as a movie , it 's a hell of a video game",
        "it is n't without significant flaws , but overall an effective and memorable fantasy spectacle .",
        "this is how i always figured the project got started : ilm called ron , and said ` ronnnnnnn , we 're bored . '",
        "gad .",
        "a sloppy and intermittently goofy flick , but it still holds enough charm , excitement and good humor to please quest fans .",
        "it works better as a portfolio for ilm techies than an example of such hoary entertainment standards as acting , screenwriting , plotting , and direction .",
        "although the dragon is a fantastic early computer generated creation and must have cost a bundle to design , the film itself is too long , too slowly paced , and not very intelligent .",
        "though children will mostly be enthralled by the spectacles , even they might notice the weak story protruding through the industrial magic .",
        "the big budget ca n't conceal the fact that this fiction is fallow , more rootbound than spellbound .",
        "at the story level , MOV is turgid and relentlessly predictable .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "good production value and decent special effects , but the story is too insipid and slowly paced .",
    "id": "10072"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1221547-alice_in_wonderland",
    "reviews":
     [
        "could have been called alice in blunderland , burton 's latest is inferior to the childish disney feature in nearly every way .",
        "a fun film with awesome visual design . i think that over time detractors will mellow and burton 's alice will become a classic . bandersnatches and futterwackens not withstanding .",
        "even though burton is unable to channel much suspense or awe , the film is a sumptuous visual delight . it all adds up to a mildly enjoyable adventure , sadly lacking in ambition .",
        "a bland adventure fantasy , MOV may be pretty to look at , yet offers nothing more than tim burton 's now generic and uninspired brand of filmmaking .",
        "the imposition of a fairytale quest structure turns the surrealist wanderings -lrb- and wonderings -rrb- of a free-associating dreamer into a brusque crash-zoom , as alice hurtles towards her appointment on the good-versus-evil battlefield .",
        "the alice books gained fame for being totally unconventional , and you decide to make a totally conventional movie out of them ?",
        "... an endeavor that 's big on spectacle yet small on plot ...",
        "more disney than tim burton .",
        "despite stunning visuals and fine performances MOV never really goes anywhere . or rather it goes somewhere we 've all been before .",
        "an endless series of tedious set pieces , flat characterization , lethargic visual effects , a waste of raw talent ...",
        "lewis carroll is bent over a table , tears filling beneath his eyes . something in your heart breaks . your childhood , perhaps ?",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "burton 's imagination never lets up ... and while those 3-d effects do seem to fade into the background , you can feed your head on his wonderland for the entire trip .",
        "time to take some of lewis carroll 's advice , tim : eat me .",
        "it 's the kind of movie that should inspire you to get a blu-ray player and hi-def television if you do n't have them already .",
        "the movie is seeped in distinctive visuals , lavish photography and set design that recalls the wondrous texture of `` harry potter . '' what , then , held them back on taking further creative opportunities with the story ?",
        "this latest rendition of `` MOV '' is a journey worth taking mainly to see tim burton 's imagination at play . the story is so well-known , but you have n't seen it done quite in this way before .",
        "wobbles along as average entertainment garnered from a great book .",
        "for all of the wild , 3d effects , eccentric characters and sly nods to its source material , the highlights ... are the performances of his two favorite actors -- johnny depp and helena bonham carter .",
        "storytelling has never been burton 's strong suit and his weakness is here compounded by a desire to somehow squeeze carroll 's topsy-turvy , logical-illogical tales into a teen-friendly , disney-approved , big-screen adventure .",
        "that johnny depp 's take on the mad hatter is comparatively one of the more subdued performances tells you just how out there tim burton 's film is .",
        "a disappointment that 's still worth seeing , MOV lands near the higher end of burton 's lesser work .",
        "even considering the liberties burton has taken with the original text , it 's tempting to think that carroll himself would consider him an altogether frabjous match .",
        "so how 's the movie ? mostly frabjous . the visual palette is more artfully riotous than that of other alice films , the performances more zestful .",
        "it 's just hard to know why mr. burton , who does n't seem much interested in alice , bothered .",
        "visually fascinating yet perturbing and scary , it 's not a very young children 's movie , despite the pg rating .",
        "in many respects , this is the most crowd-pleasing burton film in many years .",
        "in its big-budget extraordinariness , alice is awfully ... ordinary .",
        "repetitive , lacking narrative momentum",
        "burton treats his material with abandon , but not contempt , and he has brought his mad hatter 's imagination to a new generation who have not yet read the books .",
        "burton 's turned MOV into a silver screen suicide note , once again mistaking an extended stay in hostility as a directorial statement of integrity .",
        "MOV is a lovely display of tim burton 's amazing offbeat aesthetics which win me over every time , but sadly does n't make for very much of a film .",
        "the movie feels wrong . i liked the individual pieces but it never works as a whole . it 's too much like burton 's other work and the 3d was awful .",
        "on paper , tim burton and johnny depp loose among the wonderland weirdoes , in 3-d no less , sounded sensational . but it 's a rather bland , forgettable flick .",
        "no knockouts here . no tkos , either .",
        "you leave the theater with a pleasant grin on your face , but by no means is it as wide as the cheshire cat 's , and that 's a shame .",
        "this creation is nice to look at but lacks energy , curiosity , or any kind of emotional draw .",
        "if there was one adjective i could pick to describe this new adaptation , it would be `` dispirited ''",
        "with its busy world teeming with sights but somehow as hollow at its core as say , a rabbit hole , the movie is a little like a splendid feast for the eyes , and not intended for devouring . or rather , a tantalizing travelogue a little heavy on tunnel vision .",
        "this is n't so much a movie but the coffeetable book about the movie 's production design ...",
        "the visual splendor is more than enough to feast your eyes on , so it 's too bad that the dialogue in the film could n't live up to its look .",
        "21st century alice matures and enters the matrix !",
        "i appreciate burton 's love for the characters as he expresses it through such creative wizardry . but , then , i also have a wistful feeling over the lightness of its total affect . a delicious snack but not quite a full meal .",
        "MOV reminds me most of sleepy hollow : empty , faux-atmospheric , and without soul .",
        "amid the visual pleasures , the plot additions feel limiting .",
        "much of underland is almost as gorgeous as pandora , but what makes MOV work -lsb- are -rsb- the terrific comic performances .",
        "it looks like a cgi head trip gone postapocalyptic . in the film 's rather humdrum 3-d , the place does n't dazzle -- it droops .",
        "tweedlee and tweedledum could have come up with a more compelling pseudo-sequel concept and crafted a more cohesive narrative .",
        "unfulfilling",
        "its best and strangest interludes assert burton 's skills as a fantasist , as well as depp 's as a squirrely , inventive character actor .",
        "one pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small , and the pills tim burton gives you do n't do very much at all .",
        "-lsb- depp 's -rsb- wide eyes and high whimsy feel a bit derivative of his willy wonka -lrb- another collaboration with burton -rrb- , but he invests so much of his ample energy and instinct in these roles that it 's hard to complain .",
        "gone : the liquid reality of dreams and a sense that anything can happen . in its place : another story of quests , destinies , and chosen ones .",
        "what a letdown .",
        "alice plays better as an adult hallucination , which is how burton rather brilliantly interprets it until a pointless third act flies off the rails .",
        "the film is always fun , but as carroll might have observed , it 's not much of a muchness .",
        "this wonderland is just listless , bland and derivative -- a mere technical undertaking from a disinterested filmmaker .",
        "sadly lewis lite and not without flaws but this is as burtonesque as one could wish for , a real treat for fans of his twisted imagination and great british character actors .",
        "MOV is something of a mixed bag -- it 's worth seeing for the effects and performances but it 's badly let down by a very disappointing script .",
        "purists will squeal , but it 's a workable and watchable liberty to take with an oft-filmed yet impossible to film novel .",
        "like alice , tim burton uses his trip down the rabbit hole to reassert his `` muchness '' . there is much to look at , as a result , but not much about which to wonder .",
        "the most wondrous thing about director tim burton 's take on the lewis carroll classic is how lacking in wonder it all is .",
        "`` frabjous '' may be a word carroll invented , but burton knows just what it means , at least in his own mind . he 's clearly excited to invite us inside , and as long as you 're open to so much muchness , you 'll be very glad he did .",
        "every bit of havoc and nonesuch is put in service of the story of alice 's feminist awakening , and it 's about as exciting as it sounds .",
        "it 's become a common argument against burton , this lack of dramatic drive , but it 's true in this instance .",
        "the beguiling wasikowska tethers the arcane anarchy with weight and emotional clarity , anchoring us as moviegoers to alice 's plight in both universes , up and under .",
        "its single biggest failing -- an affront to lewis carroll and the charms of nonsense literature -- is the fact that it makes sense .",
        "it highlights burton 's usual strengths , along with no small number of his weaknesses .",
        "whatever your personal feelings are about tim burton and his body of work , the man is a genius .",
        "much of carroll 's magical nonsense remains , even if burton 's film wobbles at the gates of anarchy and ends up being a more average affair than many might expect .",
        "he -lsb- director tim burton -rsb- beat the odds and made this alice a real wonder .",
        "a decent movie , but not the amazing , mindblowing , set the world on fire , change your life and curl your toes film people expect and want .",
        "this alice is a dud . if you want to experience a strange , unworldly story % u2014something like tim burton films used to provide % u2014stay home and read the book .",
        "there are certain cine-marriages that generate an indelible spark all their own . tracy & hepburn , bogie & bacall -- and now we get tim burton & 3d , creating the world we hoped for , and so much more .",
        "the trippy tale may divide audiences -- burton 's version remains a children 's story , though some may find it too over-the-top and idiosyncratic -- but to us , it 's a visual feast",
        "it 's very cool to look at , depp is entertaining , helena bonham carter is memorably crazy , and the too-conventional you-go-girl plotline is just an add-on to the visual cake .",
        "despite its flaws , wonderland is stuffed with more minute to minute amusement than you 're likely to get in anything else drifting through theaters , in or out of the third dimension .",
        "purists will be perplexed and the average moviegoer ultimately disinterested by director tim burton 's pedestrian spin of lewis carroll 's 1865 classic .",
        "it jumbles together a half-dozen or so other overproduced fantasies and wraps them up with typical , tiresome disney bromides and just enough snippets from the originals to remind you of what you 're missing .",
        "MOV may look fantastic , but there 's little else going for it . it 's emotionally cold , utterly predictable and there 's never any sense of peril .",
        "this may be the most fantastic , wondrous , and sinister realization of alice 's wonderland to date .",
        "the tim burton-johnny depp combo comes in colors and whimsy , but lacks tension",
        "MOV lands in a comfortable zone that should accommodate both kids and adults .",
        "MOV is normally not my cup of tea , but i was happy i joined the tea party this time .",
        "it 's a weak structure , thinly tied to the picture 's tired and antiquated theme about alice reclaiming her `` muchness '' and defying societal expectations .",
        "tim burton is the kind of director who probably does come up with six impossible things before breakfast . so it was a surprise to see him produce a film so lacking in joy , innovation and curiosity .",
        "re-emphasizes the nagging impression that the director is stuck in a creative rut , making pictures that are a tad too well-suited for his idiosyncratic style .",
        "la imaginaci\u0443n visual de tim burton encuentra terreno f\u0439rtil en los personajes de lewis carroll , pero el resultado luce poco original y sorpresivo . quien se destaca es helena bonham carter como la irritable reina roja .",
        "what should have been an eye-popping and jaw-dropping dream combination of two celebrated fabulists is instead a dour and unpleasant disaster that reduces one of the great modern mythical tales into a ugly mess",
        "this is easily burton 's finest work , and while he takes some liberties with lewis carroll 's classic , there are plenty of traditional `` alice '' traits to satisfy everyone .",
        "tim burton 's creative juices run dry in a decidedly boring and bland interpretation of MOV .",
        "a sharply detailed , wondrously three-dimensional fantasy in which its maker intuitively grasps so much of what 's good about the tale while simultaneously blind to what makes it great .",
        "did no one bother to mention to burton that lewis carroll 's 1865 story was not a lord of the rings primer but , in fact , a comedy ?",
        "it 's extraordinarily beautiful , extraordinarily bizarre , and - although purists will pooh-pooh the new storyline - absolutely entertaining .",
        "a stiff movie ... finds a way to make a lot of really weird stuff surprisingly boring .",
        "here 's a riddle : what 's MOV without wonder ? it 's a beloved character landing in the rubble of wrong-headed revisionism .",
        "considering what a to-do this massively budgeted entertainment is , that does n't add up to much . `` curiouser and curiouser , '' indeed .",
        "it might be time for johnny depp and tim burton to start thinking about seeing other people .",
        "wonderful visuals , bravura performances and crazy conceits mostly pave over some potted characterisation .",
        "MOV is n't quite the natural fit of director and material that it seemed to be on paper , but most of burton 's recent movies have been far more disappointing .",
        "a visually stimulating rendition that nevertheless comes off as lamentably timid .",
        "rather than a wonderland full of terrifying adventures and deliciously absurd whimsy , burton has created the underland , a place of terrifyingly , yet lugubrious , bad filmmaking . he dispensed with the whimsy altogether .",
        "gorgeously mounted but fundamentally humdrum , tim burton 's movie achieves sumptuous beauty with ease but fails to connect on a full-bodied emotional level , making for a pleasant but somewhat empty ride .",
        "... the visuals are overwhelming , the direction to most of the cast seems to be to chew the scenery , and we 're back to a movie being released in 3d for no discernible reason .",
        "a new story out of carroll 's mythmaking that fails to inspire interest , perhaps except as a rote exercise in mainstream weirdness .",
        "alice is a really good time , as well as a great example of how 3-d can be effectively used as a tool to immerse us in imaginary worlds .",
        "`` curiouser and curiouser , '' says alice in tim burton 's latest , and for the first time i do n't believe her .",
        "no background whatsoever is given , from initial intentions to their invariably sympathetic turns , to understand the motivation driving most of the character arcs ...",
        "impressive eye-candy , elaborate and gorgeously detailed in wall-to-wall cgi -lrb- the 3-d seems rather half-hearted though ; this is one that wo n't suffer much in regular old 2-d -rrb- .",
        "rated pg , according to the mpaa , for fantasy violence and ` a smoking caterpillar . ' the jefferson airplane would be proud ; lewis carroll devotees , however , may be less than enthusiastic ...",
        "i ca n't rid myself of the feeling that for all the funkily crepuscular mood that burton creates , this is a pretty conventional work .",
        "disney family fun with the odd carefully calculated dark patch . fine on its own terms , but a let-down given the talent involved . disappointinger and disappointinger .",
        "the film is like eating an amazing peanut butter and jelly sandwich except that tim burton forgot to cut off the crust . the beginning and the end could have been cut out .",
        "a sumptuous , bar-raising cinematic portmanteau that both honors and complements the source material .",
        "there is very little to praise in what amounts to burton 's most mercenary movie .",
        "visually splendiferous but wrongheaded , the movie is far more burton than carroll -- and not very good burton at that -- and far less than enchanting .",
        "a head trip into blunderland .",
        "... -lsb- burton -rsb- made an MOV film that was n't MOV . kinda .",
        "vizualno atraktivan film prepun grotesknih likova i cgi-efekata o kojima se donedavno nije moglo sanjati",
        "burton 's personal stamp is missing . on alice he is a director for hire , helping the disney empire repurpose one of its animated properties and reinforce its 3-d bulkhead .",
        "johnny depp , basicamente dependendo apenas da maquiagem e de pr\u0443teses , investe numa composi\u0437\u0433o caricata como o personagem exige ao mesmo tempo em que se apresenta em cena como uma esp\u0439cie de filhote assustado de madonna , gene wilder e elijah wood .",
        "for all its noise and distractions and cg decal , this wonderland is a zone void of imagination ; it proves how relatively mind-blowing avatar 's pandora actually was .",
        "kids will enjoy the characters and the 3d . but grownups ? well , not this grownup , who is a tim burton/johnny depp fan , and who expected more .",
        "anne hathaway is ridiculously miscast as a deliberately weird white queen , although the character is supposed to represent good against the red queen 's evil .",
        "such a delightfully giddy , silly , delirious movie . tim burton is n't being `` tim burton '' but is just having fun again , scrambling up the expected pieces",
        "logic and proportion have seldom fallen so shruggingly dead",
        "for better or for worse , it 's burton 's imagination that keeps the proceedings lively , even if its ' not as blatantly humorous as we 'd like .",
        "it 's a shame burton gets his lewis carroll mixed up with his tolkien and cs lewis . still , the film 's 3d visuals are fun to look at .",
        "wasikowska is a standout in the title role . and , as to be expected , depp thrives as the mad hatter .",
        "MOV is most certainly a lot of fun , with flashes of comic spark and occasionally interesting visuals , but considering the array of talent on hand , this tea party has been seasoned with a little too much sugar , and not enough spice .",
        "the challenge of reinventing MOV sees tim burton reinvigorated and refreshed . visually stunning and filled with a delightfully deranged group of inhabitants , burton 's immensely enjoyable wonderland is well worth a visit .",
        "though burton 's film boasts some excellent performances , as the caterpillar says to our heroine , it 's merely `` almost alice . ''",
        "... it is the red queen , played by bonham carter that shines the brightest . her childlike villain is brilliantly played in all its giant head glory",
        "MOV is a well-paced , beautifully crafted visual spectacle that makes good use of 3d for a cracking cinematic experience .",
        "an explosion in the crazy factory , the giddy MOV more than justifies its hype .",
        "tim burton 's muddled take on the classic lewis carroll tale has moments of lucidity but mostly seems as confused as its titular heroine .",
        "there 's a lot to look at in burton 's MOV , but nothing that 's worth remembering .",
        "the new alice is casually absurd , off-handed in its violence , and doggedly on message . the movie is not just three-dimensional but blatantly programmatic .",
        "burton brings his distinctive touch and johnny depp , mia wasikowska and helena bonham carter do their stuff but a hodgepodge of hollywood conventionality lessens the wonder .",
        "burton does n't just hit the bottom of the barrel but drills through the wood and starts tunnelling . its only saving grace are the arresting , if familiar , visuals .",
        "it 's nowhere near his best work but a superb voice cast , helena bonham carter and a few moments of brilliance see it through .",
        "a film adaptation should , of course , treat its source material as inspiration rather than dogma . but did burton have to get the books so entirely wrong ?",
        "it is time for tim burton to get his nose out of his own sketchbook .",
        "the wavering tone is as uncertain as alice 's decision-making , while the added-on 3-d is a distraction and as unconvincing as the entire misconceived venture .",
        "tim burton seems to have completely misinterpreted his source material , but that 's hardly a surprise at this point . it 's more like his trademark .",
        "what 's shocking about MOV is just how woefully conventional it all is .",
        "is MOV worth seeing ? yes , because it 's a feast for the eyes . but the story needed to be more imaginative and involving for this to become a massive hit , and it 's far from obvious whether it 's aimed at children or adults .",
        "a succession of chases and fanciful combats , more akin to dungeons & dragons than to carroll , leads to a peculiarly truncated climax . the 3-d effects are enjoyable , but the added depth ca n't make up for deficits in the concept or the plot .",
        "you can not believe the dreadfulness of tim burton 's MOV - gifted director takes on gaga script - until you see it . enchantment has gone thataway .",
        "if it could be bottled up , the label would read `` watch me . ''",
        "the fact remains -- alice does n't live here anymore .",
        "it 's something like a post-modern tale of self-discovery , although it works better as a nutty fantasy than as anything with a point .",
        "pese al flojo argumento , visualmente el filme es una fiesta , rescatando el oscuro estilo burtoniano pero asaltado ahora por la rebeld\u00eda del color en una direcci\u00f3n de arte realmente preciosista . en este contexto , la realizaci\u00f3n brillantemente hace justicia",
        "-lrb- burton -rrb- is the perfect person to put in charge of translating the magical world that carroll created to the big screen .",
        "alice , a wonder to behold , but cold .",
        "the tim burton-johnny depp combo comes in colors and whimsy , but lacks tension",
        "tim burton 's latest assault on the senses is partially redeemed by johnny depp 's brilliant acting .",
        "... enormously entertaining ... depp gives a performance that must be seen to be appreciated . he shows here that he is something special .",
        "i did n't find it to be the masterpiece i 'd hoped for . it 's good . it 's very good -- and there are flashes of greatness within it .",
        "great visuals , but lacking in story .",
        "combines the heavy-handed clamminess of unneeded brand remarketing with the hateful hollowness of overdone and empty computer-generated imagery . ... with burton 's uninspired , underdone and underwritten version , you only feel like you 're watching money .",
        "a bore and an affront to anyone who is even familiar with the concept of lewis carroll and his books .",
        "curiouser and curiouser -- but then , mixing fantasy and free enterprise has always been the disney way .",
        "a wildly inventive film straitjacketed in conventional narrative form .",
        "although the simplistic plot has been done before and smacks of narnia and lord of the rings , burton 's MOV is family fantasy/adventure at its gothic best .",
        "the visual inventiveness in this film is so impressive that it almost makes up for the ill-conceived script , which tries to turn lewis carroll 's classic tales into a lord of the rings-sized post-apocalyptic adventure epic .",
        "the most curious thing about this magical realist fable is how charmless and ultimately forgettable it turns out to be in the hands of tim burton .",
        "burton 's film feels no different than the formulaic the golden compass or the chronicles of narnia : the lion , the witch and the wardrobe .",
        "carroll purists and freshman english majors may be aghast at the change in story , but for those who watched avatar and marveled at the images but were left wanting by the wooden acting and tired story , alice is a treat .",
        "it 's as though the script meeting was held at the mad hatter 's tea party , with all the ideas put in teacups and thrown against the wall - all of them seem to have stuck but in no particular order .",
        "kids will drool at burton 's spectacle - grown-ups too - but they might also find this is n't the nostalgia trip they hoped for . where 's the bottle marked ` feel me ' ?",
        "you leave the theater with a pleasant grin on your face , but by no means is it as wide as the cheshire cat 's , and that 's a shame .",
        "iburton and woolverton pursue a message of self-fulfilment , not as vigorously as they might chase a rabbit but to the same delightful end .",
        "i found myself trying so hard to like MOV that the process of watching it exhausted me .",
        "depp and burton 's take on the wonderland franchise is frivolous and feckless , a charming little pleasure to welcome the warmer weather .",
        "cgi has not been good to tim burton . the ability to see every unrestrained nuance of his vision fulfilled has robbed his films of the creative zest and inventive verve which marked his earlier classics .",
        "burton , once a master of cgi , has gradually become its servant , or at least has allowed the studio to . the madcap ringmaster of gothic phantasmagoria does not exert his individual stamp on a book one might have thought he was born to film .",
        "the film , overall , seems familiar , and one did n't used to feel that about burton , which probably means he needs to dig deeper next time in search of true oddity .",
        "burton 's MOV joins the ranks of return to oz and hook in confirming that it 's rarely a good idea to return to the scene of a classic novel unless you have something new and exciting to bring .",
        "this magical world looks fantastic , especially in 3d .",
        "after the first 45 minutes , the film becomes as tedious as johnny depp 's accent .",
        "an entirely suitable marriage of material and filmmaker .",
        "burton manages to put his unique visual spin on the familiar elements of the story , although he never quite reaches the heights of jefferson airplane 's immortal anthem `` white rabbit ''",
        "the look of the film is electric with amazing creatures and incredibly varied landscapes from lush to bleak .",
        "burton treats the eyes and tickles the funny bone , no doubt , but the heart and mind are left wanting .",
        "not to say that tim burton 's made a bad film , more that this is a missed opportunity .",
        "carroll 's whimsical fantasy is transformed ... into a bombastic action movie with traces of j.r.r. tolkien .",
        "i found tim burton 's MOV to be a treasure trove full of delight and near-amazement . the imagery is bold and ravishing . MOV is surreal and smashing .",
        "quite tiresome in the end .",
        "dulled down by a leaden epic formula , the plot becomes jerkily predictable on its lord of the rings route . comedy and charming daffiness are sorely lacking -- it 's mostly ashen doom and gloom . ` tediouser and tediouser ! ' cried alice .",
        "first-rate fantasy ... made even better with digital 3d technology . tim burton can be hit or miss . this one 's a hit . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "there is mold all over this `` alice , '' and while some of it features the brightest of greens , a lot of it is predictably grim , but not in the way that burton fans have come to savor .",
        "a fantastical romp that proves every bit as transporting as that movie about the blue people of pandora , his alice is more than just a gorgeous 3d sight to behold .",
        "a visually imaginative fairy tale that suffers slightly from its predictable course but still manages to wow at all the crucial moments .",
        "despite its sluggish start , `` alice '' is an enchanting , witty and funny adventure filled with marvelous sights and set pieces .",
        "the mastery of burton is the way he marries all the elements",
        "the colours are dynamic , danny elfman 's score is larger than life and johnny depp is magical",
        "director tim burton returns to his ` a ' game with this magnificent , visually stunning movie that is not only one of his best , it is indeed a wonder .",
        "... wrong-headed in pretty much every way it can be , poorly designed , loud , and worst of all , boring . it is a catastrophe as a movie , and as a place marker in the career of tim burton , it is a big fat dead end .",
        "MOV is simply , um , wonderful ...",
        "the closest you 'll get to absolute madness without being locked in a room with padded walls ... a wondrous piece of escapism .",
        "MOV is a lovingly filmed and meticulously crafted interpretation of lewis carroll 's treasured tale , rife with fantasy , coated in gothic iconography and presented by a superb cast who nail their characters ' portraits .",
        "tim burton 's sensibility as imagist-fabulist fits the text , and though there 's much to admire visually , the film unfolds as a series of set-pieces , lacking heart , dramatic continuity , involvement , and gravity .",
        "burton and disney have found a glorious way to interpret fairy tales and fantasies .",
        "the true three-dimensionality here is the old-fashioned kind -- wasikowska 's fully rounded performance . throughout the technical razzle-dazzle , we keep returning to the pallor of that face , the gravity in those eyes .",
        "a stream of consciousness collection of magical encounters and whimsical characters .",
        "a generic , joyless adventure story .",
        "it 's a workmanlike effort that will enchant all but the youngest children while holding the interest of parents . that , by definition , makes for a worthwhile family outing .",
        "the visuals are stunning , as you would expect , but characterisation is weak , and depp 's turn is one bout of lunacy too far .",
        "alice ... even when made needlessly dark for this adaptation , is fuelled by one of the most outlandish imagination in victorian fiction and it 's terrific to see this rendered by the latest technology on the highest resolution .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "faithful to lewis carroll 's vision or not , i liked the ride tim burton took me on here .",
        "parental content review",
        "MOV is , strangely , about the movie you 'd expect based on the talent involved .",
        "the episodic nature of lewis carroll 's MOV does n't really lend itself to traditional three-act plotting , but screenwriter linda woolverton puts alice through her joseph campbell reluctant-hero paces , and none of it ever sparks .",
        "a regretful dud , a fantasy without magic and very little heart and soul .",
        "did burton get bored in wonderland ? the end result is a movie that is decently enjoyable escapism , but entirely forgettable in the long run .",
        "all new 3-d alice story is trippy and intense .",
        "the picture is oddly flat -- a disjointed pageant of virtuoso effects . it 's a triumph of design that falls short of wonderment .",
        "burton , bless him , knows you ca n't cg a soul .",
        "tim burton tosses $ 150 million down the rabbit hole with this gorgeously rendered -- but utterly disposable -- cgi epic .",
        "it 's difficult to imagine another modern filmmaker doing this degree of justice to this well-worn but deserving children 's tale . tim burton has created a classic for generations to come .",
        "a bona fide , bums-in-the-air fiasco that needs to be burned and the ashes hurtled off in the direction of the nearest black hole as soon as you can , nasa .",
        "tim burton 's version of MOV is a succession of fantastically gothic pranks -- noisy , exhausting , and under-realized , but also frequently dazzling and frightening .",
        "people who enjoy high fantasy like carroll 's classic work are more than happy to experience the insanity , but do n't necessarily want to be driven insane themselves .",
        "a really interesting movie .",
        "you 're not going to lose yourself in the story or the characters but visually MOV is a series of moving artworks that are a joy to gaze upon despite lacking any depth , even in 3d .",
        "suffering from a severe deficiency of wonder , this alice is by turns loud , lifeless and lacklustre , and so what should have been the perfect marriage of moviemaker and material instead does justice to neither .",
        "lord of the rings and every woman-warrior myth you 've ever heard of , with a lewis carroll overlay ... his worst since planet of the apes or batman returns .",
        "an exotic adventure tale about a young woman 's trip to an alternate reality and the testing of her will power , resourcefulness , and courage in the face of weirdness and danger .",
        "it 's more of a blunder than a wonder .",
        "frabjuous !",
        "curiouser and curiouser -- how does a film based on such fantastical source material end up , well , not so wonder-ful ?",
        "this parable of how alice must find the balls to chart her own path through the patriarchy of her victorian wood to become a real , bona fide , 1960s-era bra-burner .",
        "clearly burton 's visual aplomb and ease with special effects mesh with carroll 's imagination .",
        "when it comes to 3-d visual splendors , give me wonderland over pandora any day .",
        "burton and his team have put style over substance here , resulting in an uneven and frustrating experience .",
        "less a sequel to the original book than a sequel to the disney animated version of the book , this movie is a wonder to look at , but a chore to sit through .",
        "aggrieved feminist didacticism ... what i do n't think my daughters need is yet another case of squelched girl syndrome , \u0155 la monsters vs. aliens .",
        "you would think that a director like burton would be at home in the lewis carroll universe , and maybe that is part of the problem .",
        "visually stunning and sporadically amusing , but lacks thrills , heart and cleverness . it 's ultimately too scary for little kids and too unimaginative , pedestrian and bland for grown-ups .",
        "his 3-d `` MOV '' is delightfully burton-esque to be sure , brimming with the surreal and whimsical-macabre visual style we associate with the creator of `` beetlejuice '' `` edward scissorhands '' and `` corpse bride '' ...",
        "the sweetly surreal feeling of those original books has been lost . what always felt like an english garden party gone slightly off has been replaced by the grotesque and the gothic and the overdone .",
        "MOV has its moments of delight , humor and bedazzlement . but it also becomes more ordinary as it goes along , building to a generic battle climax similar to any number of others in cgi-heavy movies of the past few years .",
        "burton , one of the great visual artists in hollywood history , is incapable of making an uninteresting movie . still , i 'm not looking forward to the sequel promised in the last scene .",
        "even disney and a pg rating ca n't bury burton 's subversive wit . like carroll , he 's a master at dressing up psychic wounds in fantasy .",
        "while burton 's production is often sumptuous to look at , it is surprising how boring stretches of the film can be .",
        "indecision haunts every frame . the result is a clattering , hectic spectacle that by the end has run out of inspiration . it 's a home for abandoned ideas .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a , my name is alice , and my movie is amazing .",
        "though it has a few moments where you can see burton 's imagination giving way to disney convention , along with a bit of trademark burton darkness , the pleasures of alice are virtually always unexpected .",
        "carroll purists are likely to dismiss this alice as spuriouser and spuriouser . but who expects a faithful adaptation of a literary classic from timothy beetlejuice ?",
        "it 's best to keep your expectations reasonable , so you can enjoy the highlights .",
        "the movie 's strengths are the costumes , the makeup , the production design , the special effects , the vocal work and a terrific musical score by danny elfman that has a quality of magic and wonderment missing from the screenplay .",
        "the images rival anything burton has created for ` big fish ' and ` edward scissorhands , ' but the storytelling is n't quite as engagingly odd .",
        "this alice is more ripley , or lara croft , than timeless story heroine .",
        "if you 're taking pulls from the blue caterpillar 's hookah atop his magic mushroom , you care more about hot pockets than narrative integrity .",
        "lower your expectations , because tim burton has created a great canvas , just not a great film .",
        "... a feast for the mind , if not necessarily the intellect",
        "visually , which is where this ` alice ' really radiates , there are many riches . ken ralston 's visual effects are stunning and surreal ; colleen atwood 's costumes are dazzling ; and dariusz wolski 's photography is spot on .",
        "hooray ! tim burton 's amazingly bizarre ` MOV ' helped snap me out of my 2010 movie doldrums .",
        "the off-kiltered tim burton version of MOV might frightened younger children , confuse older ones and bore the adults .",
        "these are n't actors working in front of blue screens with obvious effects dubbed in later . you really are in wonderland . real life and cgi are seamless ."],
    "summary": "tim burton 's alice sacrifices the book 's minimal narrative coherence -- and much of its heart -- but it 's an undeniable visual treat .",
    "id": "770683926"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mash",
    "reviews":
     [
        "i can only be grateful to whomever was the brilliant producer who saw the potential for one of the best-loved series within this mess of dullness and mean-spirited randomness .",
        "if you 're among the tv show 's multitude of fans but do n't know much about its progenitor , you may be surprised at how much edgier and daring the dark movie comedy is .",
        "remains as sharp and fresh and relevant as it was on the day of its initial release .",
        "before ... the next war , both sides need to hire altman as the director . he knows the territory , works with ensemble casts better than anyone , and provides plenty of laughs .",
        "i always enjoy the movie when i watch it , but it will never hold anywhere near the same place in my heart or my memories as the long-running series .",
        "weird feelings watching this flick . it 's like funny , but after ten years of watching alan alda 's tv series ... it 's kind of negated the impact .",
        "altman 's black comedy perfectly expressed the anarchic , rebellious spirit of the 1970s with its blistering anti-war message and contempt for authority .",
        "rollicking , biting , satirical classic is so 1970 .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- `` m * a * s * h '' ruthlessly satirizes the hypocritical u.s. military , and de facto the u.s. government , for its systemic hypocrisies and arbitrary means of doling out draconian punishments to friends and foe alike .",
        "the quality of this acerbic study of life in a korean war field hospital has been too often overlooked because of the popularity of the tv series it spawned .",
        "i looked in vain for pertinence or surprise . nor was i shocked : without some maturity -lrb- if not by the participants , at least by the managers -rrb- , irreverence is merely brash .",
        "for me , m * a * s * h contains as much depression as humor .",
        "that it 's is so much of its moment does n't mean that it 's aged poorly ... it 's brash enough and inventive enough to still feel like a work of radicalism , more than 40 years on ,",
        "as a savage comedy about man 's rebellion in the face of death it has rarely been bettered .",
        "what lingers is the army 's sexism . at first it 's exposed but the story soon indulges in the humiliation of women . m * a * s * h * remains enjoyably irreverent but falls well short of the counterculture , anti-establishment war-satire it could 've been .",
        "it 's altman at his irreverent , hilarious best .",
        "m.a.s.h. , one of america 's funniest bloody films , is also one of its bloodiest funny films .",
        "one of altman 's bona-fide masterpieces . even better than the subsequent tv show . -lrb- easily . -rrb-",
        "altman 's best film and most influential .",
        "robert altman 's biggest success to date is also one of his least interesting films .",
        "one of the reasons m * a * s * h is so funny is that it 's so desperate .",
        "ahead of its time and still one of the most effectively subversive comedies ever to emerge from a major studio .",
        "clever camera setups , altman 's patented overlapping dialogue , wonderful sight gags and situations , and universally fine ensemble performances combine to make this one the most enjoyable war-themed films ever .",
        "although it is impudent , bold , and often very funny , it lacks the sense of order -lrb- even in the midst of disorder -rrb- that seems the special province of successful comedy .",
        "altman 's irreverent portrait of a korean war medical unit .",
        "not only essential to an understanding of its director , it 's equally essential to any understanding of film at the time it was made .",
        "robert altman 's korea-as-vietnam ` comedy ' demonstrates the best -- and worst -- of '70s cinema .",
        "if its bite and sass have diminished for today 's new audiences ... consider that a testimony to the attitude , style , and technique it pioneered and infused into american popular movies .",
        "a battle against the idea that ` a war movie ' had to be a serious affair .",
        "a good dint lower than its reputation , more so if you look at it not as one of the seminal 1970s films but instead as the first chapter from the finest filmmaking career spent examining the american mystique .",
        "altman chronicles the sardonic wasteland with a camera that 's always in the wrong place at the right time",
        "this is still watchable for the verve of the ensemble acting and dovetailing direction , but some of the crassness leaves a sour aftertaste .",
        "impudent and bold , m.a.s.h. , altman 's most commercial film , satirizes the glorification of war , military bureaucracy , social hypocrisy , repressed sexuality and other norms than have lost their validity .",
        "a black comedy that rings hollow today .",
        "in the end m.a.s.h. succeeds , in spite of its glaring faults .",
        "it shows altman 's stylistic signature in embryonic form .",
        "altman boiled away the muddled meat of literary pretension intended to smokescreen the essence of war : blood on the one side and semen on the other ."],
    "summary": "bold , timely , subversive , and above all funny , m * a * s * h remains a high point in robert altman 's distinguished filmography .",
    "id": "13313"
  },
  {
    "movie": "berberian_sound_studio_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "watching gilderoy behind the soundboard is like watching a maestro with his baton .",
        "this is the proverbial curate 's egg of a film : good in parts .",
        "mesmerizing , but the images stand alone and incomplete .",
        "the second feature from katalin varga director peter strickland is an idiosyncratic , impeccably crafted mindbender that shifts between the beguiling and the bemusing .",
        "MOV may scan as a psychological thriller , but it 's really a lavish gift to film geeks in a lovely matryoshka box .",
        "the creepiness builds with symphonic precision until reality truly is indistinguishable from fantasy .",
        "the first two acts are funny and fun in their moody evocation of both the period and the genre , but right around when gilderoy starts to lose his mind , berberian begins to lose its way .",
        "fantastic in the technical aspects of cinematography and especially sound-mixing . toby jones is as reliable as he always is and the movie never really bores you .",
        "on the surface an amusing black comedy that parodies the horror movie 's continual status as the cultural black sheep of the cinematic landscape , but it 's most prominently concerned with painting a sonic portrait of alienation .",
        "terror of sorts takes place inside a studio creating a schlock horror movie in a film that shows technical expertise with only a moderately involving narrative .",
        "i appreciated the caressing style of the cinematography , fetishizing and sexualizing even the most inanimate and mundane recording equipment and sound-related props , but it 's overall hollow and unsatisfying .",
        "MOV is a masterfully made film that will please audio experts , cinephiles and horror fans .",
        "unfortunately , this film enters lynchian territory -lrb- read : it makes zero sense -rrb- in the last act and in an act of cinematic proctology , it disappears up its own arse .",
        "by the last half hour the film has descended into a procession of totally un-scary and mostly boring random images .",
        "that keen awareness of aural matters also allows director peter strickland to convey the engineer 's deteriorating hold on reality with genuine subtlety .",
        "the narrative rule of thumb is show , do n't tell , but this film does the opposite , to sinister effect .",
        "low-key and suggestive , berberian probably is n't for gorehounds , but it 's a persuasive study of breakdown .",
        "a treat for fans of vintage horror cinema -lrb- in particular , the experimental giallo genre -rrb- and vintage sound gear , this stylish , darkly humorous thriller locks us in a claustrophobic studio in 1970s italy for a paranoia ride .",
        "the movie gilderoy 's editing begins to feel more real than the one we 're actually watching .",
        "... almost seems like the result of a perverse lars von trier exercise : make a movie that 's a tribute to a particular genre without showing any elements that are the actual hallmarks of it .",
        "it was n't until the movie was over that i realized it had pulled off the neat trick of creeping me out without showing even a single drop of blood .",
        "do n't rush your judgement . once you let MOV actually sink in , you 'll realize just how beautiful strickland 's mind-melting experience actually is .",
        "`` MOV '' may be the finest tribute to the old-school cinematic craftsmanship of the sound mixer and foley artist i 've ever encountered .",
        "definitely a curiosity piece , but one gets the sneaking suspicion it was n't also meant to be an inert one .",
        "as ifc clearly realizes , MOV is a niche item , but a niche item whose target audience should embrace it with a hearty ciao , bella !",
        "horror fiends looking for cheap thrills may be disappointed . but those with a flair for the offbeat might find themselves unnerved and riveted .",
        "genre aficionados can enjoy the subversive and atmospheric quirks , while strickland expertly juggles tone and dark humor in a compelling and suspenseful oddity .",
        "it accomplishes the tricky task of paying homage to one type of scary movie while indulging in an entirely different style itself .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- as if someone took all the raw footage from argento 's `` suspiria , '' and gave it to antonioni to recut . but , in a way , the disjointed dreaminess of it is the point .",
        "a clever , elliptical , slightly bizarre and altogether transfixing psychological thriller .",
        "director peter strickland reaches for something more significant that he never quite finds , but by then you may be too entertained to care .",
        "mr. strickland 's movie becomes a bit of a vortex at the beginning , though its milieu is too engagingly recreated to dismiss .",
        "you might shuffle in your seat a little during the film , but like last year 's other unnerving british surprise , kill list ... you come out of the theater on edge and off kilter , amazed at the craft displayed .",
        "`` MOV '' is spooky right up to the minute it turns stupid .",
        "much like this film 's main character , you ca n't quite explain what 's got you so afraid -- you just know that you are .",
        "manages to evoke the crimson-splashed shockers of the 1970s without so much as a single frame of actual carnage .",
        "fans of dario argento and mario bava will appreciate the references . even for newcomers , there are minor chords to enjoy . if only there were less screaming .",
        "there 's a lot to like here , although i will admit that it 's a film i admire for its originality more than i actually enjoy .",
        "a twisted tribute to analog moviemaking and 1970s italian giallo horror flicks .",
        "a lush , disturbing voyage into a gradual mental breakdown , artfully crafted by director peter strickland , who provides magnificent attention to detail and a fixation on an unsettling sense of decay .",
        "a delicately detailed immersion into the world of z-grade italian horror cinema that ultimately may or may not be a horror film itself ... a tense , teasing triumph .",
        "an unshakeable tune , delivered by a director operating at rare pitch and purpose .",
        "what MOV accomplishes is a return to a more basic style of film-making than we 've become accustomed to in recent years .",
        "crammed with detailed craft , its appeal is further widened by dealing in universal fears : homesickness , identity , mental health .",
        "a stupendous is-it-isn ` t-it horror film marked by a disarming audaciousness both technical and creative .",
        "in this era of cookie-cutter cinema , strickland 's deeply personal moral and stylistic vision deserves the highest praise .",
        "brilliantly directed , cleverly written and beautifully designed drama that plays like a disturbing lynchian loveletter to the art of horror filmmaking and features a terrific performance from toby jones .",
        "bold , brave and visionary filmmaking ...",
        "both times i have seen it , its vision , ingenuity and sheer gobsmacking audacity have blown me ten feet out of my seat .",
        "in just two films strickland has established a striking , unusual voice ; long may he continue to find opportunities to make this boundary-stretching , genre-fuddling work .",
        "radishes , cabbages and melons meet horrific ends in MOV , a down-the-earhole psychodrama where what you hear is more terrifying than what you see .",
        "for much of british director peter strickland 's MOV , not much actually happens . but for the devoted cinephile , it 's utterly entrancing .",
        "while it 's a loving homage to movies like dario argento 's suspiria and is crafted with tons of style , it leaves out one key ingredient : being even remotely scary .",
        "this twisty psychological horror yarn from writer/director peter strickland is the best kind , one that is open to many interpretations but can be enjoyed on its own creepy and insinuating surface .",
        "... stylishly creepy psycho-thriller that pays homage to the italian horror scene of the '70s .",
        "a movie that may whisper dark secrets into your ears at night , when you 're trying to forget it .",
        "MOV follows hitchcock 's doctrine fully : what information audiences fill in with their imagination is always more horrifying than anything that can be filmed",
        "poses some compelling questions about the emotional and mental impact of making dark , violent , disturbing films .",
        "MOV refuses such a climax : it at once celebrates giallo and takes it apart , disassembling it like derren brown explaining an illusion .",
        "if you 're open to films that fearlessly twist the conventions , and that mine the language of sound and image for their own strange potential , you 'll get a kick from this rivetingly inventive , abrasively un-british piece of nightmare cinema .",
        "a one-trick pony , but it 's a reasonably cool trick .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "`` berberian '' fascinatingly lays bare the meticulous complexity of audio dubbing in the analog era .",
        "MOV is a film for critics . general public -- come at your own risk .",
        "ultimately , MOV is just an exercise in meta -- a movie more about generating sensations than making sense -- but it 's provocative and effective in the way it shows how a movie does n't have to be `` real '' to be disturbing .",
        "it messes with your head in ways that is impressive , but it also seems too abstract for its own good at times . its unsettling atmosphere and strong performances make MOV one of the more distinct psychological thrillers out there .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "writer/director peter strickland intriguingly weaves into the story a movie-within-a-movie that we barely see , but we hear .",
        "regardless of what you call it , it 's a highly accomplished , intelligent , and effective piece of work , perhaps the best genre film i 've seen since the innkeepers .",
        "a sometimes interesting , sometimes head-scratching movie that pays homage to the old ways of the sound mixing world and to the `` giallo '' genre of horror that was prominent in italy during the 1970s .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- not only exploits one of cinema 's most important modes , it also attempts something more difficult : turning a genre movie into a work of art .",
        "fans of dario argento and mario bava films take notice .",
        "a filmmaking puzzle that reveals the magic of movies to be something of a black art .",
        "one of the movies of the year .",
        "peter strickland 's crafted the perfect metaphor for film spectatorship : essentially , how sound functions to augment the moving image , induce psychological effects and suture you into its immaterial world .",
        "with such a range of vivid sights and sounds , the film is a stunning , often mesmerising experience",
        "puts a dent in the mind that is sure to keep people pondering until the end of days",
        "the final third is nonsense and in danger of resembling a monty python sketch at one point .",
        "... even the most astute viewer will be hard pressed to explain what the heck is going on here ...",
        "while beautifully crafted , it 's impossible to recommend this to anyone who hopes to have an entertaining movie-going experience .",
        "it 's rare for a movie to be so cool yet also be so disappointing .",
        "a dazzling curio in which every sound effect reverberates with multiple meanings .",
        "utterly distinctive and all but unclassifiable , a musique concr\u010dte nightmare , a psycho-metaphysical implosion of anxiety , with strange-tasting traces of black comedy and movie-buff riffs . it is seriously weird and seriously good .",
        "psychedelic aesthetics , psychogenic fugues - it is the disorientating giallo lynch might have made .",
        "anchored by a typically flawless performance by jones , strickland 's second film begins as an audio geek 's dream , before spiralling inexorably into the stuff of david lynch 's nightmares .",
        "the estimable jones does a very good job of conveying gilderoy 's mental disintegration , but as psychological thrillers go MOV is more art house than giallo and probably wo n't unhinge too many viewers .",
        "you never get to the point where you think this is it , or that the film has even truly begun . not that you ever want things to end .",
        "some are hailing it as a masterpiece . i 'd say it 's a missed opportunity .",
        "the fun of the film lies in the tricks of the trade used before the age of computers and digital effects and older viewers will feel a shiver of nostalgia at the sight of celluloid , magnetic tape and reel-to-reel recorders .",
        "for all the ghosts summoned up , MOV still comes across like nothing else you 've ever seen - or , more to the point , heard .",
        "strickland disorients viewers with a sly meta-horror that reflects upon both the artifice that goes into genre films , and the uncomfortable reality that can underlie their vicious depiction of women ... it 's the giallo lynch might have made .",
        "nothing much happens and when it does -lrb- possibly in gilderoy 's head -rrb- it 's completely bemusing .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "its reach may exceed its grasp , but with MOV , director peter strickland assembles a suitably twisted , creepy tribute to the italian giallo horror movies of the '70s that benefits from a strong central performance by toby jones .",
    "id": "771310314"
  },
  {
    "movie": "disaster_movie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "rushed into production with no better drape for its threadbare gags than cloverfield , this carpet-fouling mongrel of a movie no more deserves release than do anthrax spores .",
        "consider the word ` putrid . ' if i had an online personal dictionary , the films of jason friedberg and aaron seltzer would link to my definition of that word .",
        "cobbled together with plotlines , characters , catchphrases and other assorted gimmicks still lodged in the short-term memory cavities of our pop cultural consciousness .",
        "i want to say thanks again and thanks for proving that dumb movies pretending to be comedy will not stand any longer ...",
        "it 's hard to put into words just how excruciatingly painful it is to watch MOV , but let 's just say it will make you appreciate those dreadful experiences in your life like , say , going to the dentist or waiting in line at the dmv .",
        "MOV is not , as you might have guessed , a parody of disaster movies . but it is a disaster .",
        "since many of the targets -lrb- cloverfield , hancock , kung fu panda -rrb- already have a cheeky self-consciousness , the comedy rarely seems more than a hasty patchwork of cheap-shot allusions .",
        "MOV is lazily written , insulting rubbish and it 's unquestionably one of the worst films of the year . avoid like your life depended on it .",
        "i 'm not sure if disaster is the worst movie the boys have churned out , but , at this point , that 's like asking if a bullet hurts more than a knife .",
        "of MOV it is difficult to speak , or even think , articulately , a handicap that seems to have afflicted the film 's makers .",
        "personally , the sneak would like to place friedberg and seltzer on a blazing upside-down boat which is about to be hit by a meteorite .",
        "not a comedy , more a medical affliction , MOV 's symptoms include apathy , regret and eventual despair .",
        "it 's not even value for money if you 're a moron .",
        "it 's not the worst of the franchise , but it 's dangerously close .",
        "insert `` of a '' between the two title words and you have my opinion of this film",
        "perhaps they 'll eventually make one called spoof movie , which would brilliantly parody the genre by being consistently funny .",
        "none of it is amusing , so there 's probably enough suicide-inducing material here to make a send-up of the happening redundant .",
        "MOV , the latest disposable parody of disposable hollywood movies , has a shelf life of about five minutes , tops .",
        "why would you watch a bad movie about better movies , when you could just rent the originals instead ?",
        "here 's what they got right : the name of the movie . disaster , indeed .",
        "i half expected to see the spoof-making team in direct address , explaining the supremacy of the tentpole uber-alice , perhaps while backed by emperor palpatine .",
        "i wish to god they would find something else to do .",
        "no one spoofed in the film -- yes , including jessica simpson -- is more worthy of derision than the people responsible for making it .",
        "movie metaphor junkies be on high alert , for a horny dr. phil , michael jackson hiding out in a car trunk with a little boy and a pet chimp for good measure , and a bad imitation juno blasting lactating breast milk as a deadly weapon .",
        "it 's sad when a movie is so bad , it becomes the subject of late-night debates on whether it 's better or worse than uwe boll 's postal .",
        "as depressing and empty a cinematic experience as any other picture this year or last -lrb- or maybe the whole decade -rrb- . to label it as simply unfunny or vacuous or ugly or boring would be a compliment .",
        "so ugly , unpleasant and devoid of laughs that the notion of releasing a film with such a title on the third anniversary of hurricane katrina is actually one of the least offensive things about it .",
        "leaves one with a feeling of failure -- and the knowledge that , come this spring , these idiots will more than likely be back",
        "pointlessly rancid and redundant ... hopefully , MOV will indeed vanish as quickly as a three-second burp at a chili-eating contest .",
        "the `` jokes '' are limp and pathetic or stillborn , timing is ignored , performances are a not-so-giddy mug-fest . audiences are left wondering when the freshman cast is going to learn the rudiments of performing .",
        "indeed a disaster first , and a movie barely .",
        "honestly , if the makers of this ever got serious about making web-based comedy , i reckon that they would absolutely rock it .",
        "a dumb , dumb film , to be sure , but also undeniably funny in more spots than a right-thinking , mature adult person feels comfortable admitting .",
        "a woman a few rows in front of me at the preview chose to write 20 minutes worth of text messages , rather than watch the movie . even though she was not paying , the price was clearly too high .",
        "since they have so little material to work with in the first place , friedberg and seltzer flog each joke well beyond its limits .",
        "ca n't somebody make friedberg and seltzer stop ?",
        "if judd apatow is the jesus of modern comedy , seltzer and friedberg are the anti-christ - and sadly just as prolific",
        "the zucker/abrahams movies were genuinely funny , at least some of the time . but this ?",
        "surely even bovine american teenagers have to realise their intelligence is being insulted sooner or later .",
        "yet another entry in the jason friedberg-aaron seltzer series of movie spoofs , this scattershot collection lame gags is the definition of disposable entertainment .",
        "why , oh why , is the spoof franchise that began with scary movie still churning 'em out ?",
        "puerile beyond belief and a possible hazard to brain cells , the only thing this offensive dross gets right is the title .",
        "the result is a series of extraneous , deplorably unfunny scenes and sketches stitched together in completely haphazard fashion .",
        "anti-comedy . anti-cinema . anti-life .",
        "it could be the first great mainstream art experiment . or , perhaps , since the opening word of dialogue is `` shit ! '' , the jokes are mostly about it , and the characters are regularly covered in it , it is more likely that the movie itself is just , well ...",
        "it 's a merry , reckless mess , like a blender that gets revved up too high and spews everything out all over the countertops .",
        "by the time the disco-dancing , man-eating chipmunks turned up , my mind had turned to the weekend .",
        "i checked , the opposite of funny movie and awful film were available for titles , but MOV works absolutely perfect .",
        "seldom has a pic been more appropriately titled than MOV , yet another frantically unfunny free-form farce from the unfortunately prolific writing-directing team of jason friedberg and aaron seltzer .",
        "no one expects sophisticated wit from this type of movie , but would it be too much to ask for more than a chuckle every 10 minutes ?",
        "it 's quite frankly stultifying that friedberg are seltzer are ever let anywhere near a studio boardroom after having defecated out their previous movies , much less this one .",
        "embarrassment . it 's a feeling you should get used to , freidberg and seltzer . may you never befoul another cinema with your grotesque comic abortions .",
        "every time one of these friedberg-seltzer movies is released the sum total of human knowledge is reduced .",
        "like hepatitis b , this is one of those movies you just hope will go away .",
        "a poorly staged , entirely laugh-free big screen exercise that , despite its name , is not really a genre spoof at all , but rather merely an excuse to -lrb- attempt to -rrb- poke fun at hollywood movies from this calendar year .",
        "having to watch and review ` MOV ' must be payback for the juvenile pranks i took part in as a teenager .",
        "it 's juvenile and crude , and it ranks right up there as one of the worst films of the year .",
        "this might have been edited down to 20 minutes of entertaining film . maybe one day the team involved will start employing editors and produce something we can all look forward to .",
        "rarely has a movie had a more appropriate title .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- budget-less pastiche of sub-mad-magazine parodies culled from the trailers of almost every summer movie .",
        "the pomposity of big-budget b-movies can certainly be taken down a notch , but friedberg and seltzer rely too much on trailer moments for their broad comedy .",
        "depressingly , these magpie parodies are so cheap to produce they ca n't fail to make money -- which probably means this interminable franchise is far from over .",
        "there 's no nice way to say this , so i 'll just say it : writer/directors friedberg and seltzer are a scourge . they 're a plague on our cinematic landscape , a national shame , a danger to our culture .",
        "MOV is the latest and most slap-dash of the movie parodies to atrophy out of the scary movie franchise .",
        "irrelevant , never-funny references to everything from juno to american gladiators",
        "like the bastard child of best week ever and the mud that runs off of football players ' cleats after a rainy game , this is n't a movie you see . it 's one you survive .",
        "come on , pedophilia is funny and a michael jackson joke is never not timely , right ? wrong . it 's not timely or funny .",
        "it 's too easy to say MOV deserves its title , but why put more effort into trashing it than the filmmakers did into writing it ?",
        "crude , dumb spoof is n't worth your time or money .",
        "no ! no ! no ! no ! no ! no ! no ! no ! no ! wrong !!!",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "returning to their seemingly bottomless well of flatulence humor , racial stereotypes , and stale pop culture gags , jason friedberg and aaron seltzer have produced what is arguably their worst movie yet .",
    "id": "770768860"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1001781-batman",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- it -rsb- provides two hours of more than solid entertainment .",
        "langourously paced , but compelling rethinking",
        "tim burton is a genius when it comes to set design and atmosphere , but he ca n't film an action sequence to save his life .",
        "there are a lot of things wrong with MOV , but it still makes for decent entertainment in the fine tradition of the typical low-intelligence summer movie .",
        "dark , eerie , mean spirited , i love it",
        "even though its standing has diminished in the wake of the countless superhero flicks that emerged in the new millennium , the pros still outweigh the cons .",
        "only minor burton , with hindsight on our side , and its chief merits and flaws are as one of the formative texts of superhero cinema .",
        "michael keaton makes a credible hero , and jack nicholson is downright manic as his nemesis .",
        "is it interesting ? fitfully . is it fun ? not much , gotham city fans , not much .",
        "a dark and refreshing interpretation of one of comic kingdom 's most beloved characters , MOV successfully wiped away the memory of the camp 1960s television show and proved that comic book movies can be highly entertaining viewing .",
        "the element of surprise appears in every frame of this motion picture , creating a rich sense of joy and mystery that seems to befuddle burton and his primitive instincts .",
        "while keaton and nicholson are dazzling in their roles , burton never quite finds much to explore with bruce wayne , and that 's wasted potential .",
        "stylish , violent , and often dull MOV adventure .",
        "as a movie spectacle , it delivered . as MOV , well ... it got a lot of things wrong .",
        "uneven in tone , but keaton 's great and the movie just looks like a million bucks .",
        "... MOV has n't gone totally stale .",
        "visually arresting but dramatically undernourished , the film suffers from bland characterization -lrb- particularly by basinger 's vicki and the other `` good '' crime fighters -rrb- and is ultimately saved by jack nicholson 's bravura turn as the diabolical joker .",
        "... the yardstick by which all subsequent MOV movies are measured .",
        "a cynical cinematic masterpiece .",
        "despite a handful of good minor performances -- michael gough is the definitive alfred -- and despite some striking bits of music from prince , it really has nothing of its own to offer .",
        "that nicholson could make this homicidal maniac so sympathetic is a testament to his performance .",
        "a celebration of form over story",
        "i guess i did not expect better , but i had hoped for it nonetheless .",
        "was it worth the wait ? actually , yes .",
        "a triumph of design over story , style over substance - a great-looking movie with a plot you ca n't care much about .",
        "nicholson does indeed blow everybody else off the screen . sometimes it seems this movie should be called joker instead of MOV .",
        "... a success for several reasons , but most of the credit goes to director tim burton 's brilliant visual interpretation of a dark , ominous comic book .",
        "tim burton 's MOV manages to avoid all the potholes that the MOV story might have strewn in the way of an unwary filmmaker and he manages to avoid them all with aplomb .",
        "it 's just plain fun .",
        "wow . i ca n't believe how little i enjoyed about this movie after all of these years of not having seen it .",
        "a dark reinvention of the MOV legend ; the only offkey piece is jack nicholson 's way over the top performance .",
        "good film ... it kind of reeks of the '80s now , but it 's still dark fun .",
        "as robin might have said of this semi-boondoggle : `` holy overkill ! ''",
        "the idea of doing a dark , neurotic , highly stylized and highly claustrophobic superproduction is an audacious and appealing one , but director tim burton has only made it halfway there .",
        "MOV is a stunning achievement , especially through the incredible and unique visualization of director tim burton .",
        "nicholson is n't only offering a brilliant bit of self-parody here , he 's doing it in service to the character",
        "it is , unfortunately , awfully difficult to revisit tim burton 's MOV with an impartial eye in the wake of christopher nolan 's genre-defining dark knight trilogy ...",
        "nicholson 's joker is a villain worthy of a real superhero and keaton 's MOV gets to perform some cinematic superheroics of the first order .",
        "highly recommended even for fans who think MOV begins and ends with nolan 's trilogy .",
        "it 's an unforgivably flat ending for a movie of such astonishing contours . but its first two-thirds -- which should be called the joker 's big misadventure -- is probably the best film of the year .",
        "-lsb- nicholson -rsb- has never been more commanding . not only because he does an outstanding job , but also because so much of the movie 's creative energy is devoted to making the joker one of the most startling movie characters in recent memory .",
        "the storytelling has weaknesses , but the characters are fascinating .",
        "an exhilarating mix of cartoon lore -lrb- though not nearly enough for rabid batpurists -rrb- , screen presence -lrb- this is pretty much the jack and mike show -rrb- , psychological murkiness -lrb- though it could have used even more -rrb- and demented gothic goofiness .",
        "dark , haunting and poetic",
        "gloomy and not particularly entertaining",
        "the story is a mess ... scenes and lines of dialogue make no sense ... keaton makes hardly any impression in the role , in or out of the mask .",
        "the movie that gave birth to the summer blockbuster remains impressive .",
        "in the end , one 's reaction to burton 's blockbuster is little more than that of the joker to MOV : ` where did he get those wonderful toys ? '",
        "burton brings back film noir elements to the new MOV , elevating it to a dark , demented opera .",
        "overly dark , broody , and campy . a disservice to the classic tv show and the more serious comic series .",
        "the conceptual side of the movie -- two rather sick two-sided antagonists having it out in a black and sordid context -- lingers .",
        "director tim burton effectively echoes the visual style of the original bob kane comics while conjuring up a nightmarish world of his own .",
        "it was , however , easily the biggest box-office hit of 1989 , and one of the highest grossing films in history , a testament more to its massive marketing campaign than to its quality .",
        "supposedly a superhero movie for grown-ups , this is actually a pretentious farrago .",
        "a void of underdeveloped style and halfhearted execution .",
        "the wit is all pictorial . the film meanders mindlessly from one image to the next , as does a comic book . it does n't help that the title character remains such a wimp even when played by michael keaton .",
        "bring back adam west .",
        "despite its failings ... a hugely influential movie with literally towering design , mordant wit , and a hall-of-fame performance by jack nicholson ."],
    "summary": "an eerie , haunting spectacle , MOV succeeds as dark entertainment , even if jack nicholson 's joker too often overshadows the title character .",
    "id": "10483"
  },
  {
    "movie": "down_and_out_in_beverly_hills",
    "reviews":
     [
        "richard dreyfuss in top form .",
        "paul mazursky has n't only remade jean renoir 's sublime 1931 boudu saved from drowning : he 's yuppified it , inverting virtually every meaning until the film becomes a celebration of the crassest kind of materialism .",
        "let me just say that MOV made me laugh longer and louder than any film i 've seen in a long time .",
        "as a comedy of manners it has a dependably keen aim , with its most wicked barbs leavened by mr. mazursky 's obvious fondness for his characters .",
        "one of mazursky 's few completely successful films .",
        "an uneven satire with some wit , but sometimes too strident .",
        "a sparkling social commentary that does n't skimp on the laughs .",
        "filled with hilarious incidents and clever one-liners .",
        "silly but fun , and a big box-office earner .",
        "although it is more of a comedy of manners than a well-developed story , there are enough yocks and bright moments to make it a thoroughly enjoyable outing .",
        "the cast is entirely up to the comic hysteria mazursky requires of them , though mike the dog steals whatever scene he is in .",
        "on the basically farcical level where it chooses to stay , it is a funny and likable movie .",
        "a single moment of magical realism shows the babe-that-might-have-been , very charitably speaking , had the makers of this doggie adventure-comedy chosen a more daring and creative route ...",
        "funny with bite",
        "three great turns in one side-splitting movie",
        "a funny and poignant if also broad reworking of renoir 's classic , boudu saved from drowning , paul mazursky 's satire also works as a critique of l.a. nouveau riche and their crass lifestyle , reflected , among other things , in the garrish color palette .",
        "this update of renoir 's boudu saved from drowning starts life as a satire on the tribal rites of the new and filthy rich , but goes badly wrong somewhere down the line .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "an enjoyable farce that relocates jean renoir 's boudu saved from drowning to '80s california , offering fine comedic performances from nick nolte , richard dreyfuss and bette midler .",
    "id": "14078"
  },
  {
    "movie": "pulse",
    "reviews":
     [
        "aparentemente , n\u0103o h\u00e1 aparelho moderno que seja imune \u0155 invas\u0103o de fantasmas dispostos a utiliz\u00e1-lo a fim de se espalharem pelo mundo .",
        "decent horror remake with a strong cast , atmospheric direction and some genuinely scary scenes - you 'll never log on to your computer again . probably .",
        "as the ghosts suck the life out of their victims , the audience suffers the same fate .",
        "to add to the insult there is n't even some nudity . .",
        "the potential it has to be an adult thriller is ruined because it 's just more teen marketed crap .",
        "the unanswered questions in the original added to the mood , but by trying to answer even just a few of them , this MOV just gets more confusing and less scary .",
        "boring youth movies are the result of boring youth characters .",
        "... the requisite happy ending smacks of studio interference ...",
        "a remake that ai n't an upgrade .",
        "do n't get me wrong . this is n't a bad film , just not particularly good .",
        "it would have been a lot scarier if the film 's college kids , haunted by comrades who stare back at them from cyber-hell , looked like they had lives worth saving .",
        "the remake begins with the same premise and appropriates the most striking visuals , grafting them onto a more explicable but equally dull george romero-style doomsday scenario .",
        "the film frames its horror as if the ghosts are so many pinocchios , yearning for what seems inherently valuable to humans .",
        "dead on arrival .",
        "as is frequently the case with remakes , it probably would have been better to have let the original rest in peace .",
        "... in the ranks of j-horror remakes , -lsb- MOV -rsb- ca n't compete with the ring and the grudge .",
        "a handful of creepy visuals ca n't make up for a mountain of shortcomings .",
        "a curiously dull americanization of one of the finest examples of subtle , moody j-horror out there .",
        "most contemporary japanese horror movies concentrate on mood and do n't much bother with plot . but this brain-dead remake is full of yammering about suicide clusters , flu epidemics and hard drives .",
        "hideously ugly to look at and not even worth following .",
        "hollywood 's slick-looking but dumbed-down remake , directed by first-time feature filmmaker and commercial veteran jim sonzero , hits a new low .",
        "the subtle mystery of the original is lost through over-the-top scenes .",
        "the american version of kiyoshi kurosawa 's MOV mimics the plot fundamentals , but lacks any traces of mr. kurosawas creepy minimalism and conceptual rigor .",
        "MOV is most cunning in its overarching theme : what americans have to fear most are hidden dangers in their midst .",
        "the film cleverly attempts to make technology as scary as the ghosts , but those most likely to fear technology are least likely to see it .",
        "what was dreadful and trance-like in the original feels here like nothing-much-at-all sandwiched between some stock horror jolts .",
        "an hour into the movie , i shut out the story and dialogue entirely and just focused on the visuals . that made the boring bell and the cast of third-string teen movie supporting players somehow easier to bear .",
        "MOV is the remake of a 2001 j-horror film that was derivative and pokey , even before hollywood got its hands on it .",
        "sonzero flubs the icy scares by turning the dead into garden-variety life-force vampires instead of haunting , pathetically melancholy ghosts whose lonely afterlife would have given sartre himself a cold chill .",
        "it 's intended as an indictment of our overdependence on communications devices , but the premise is out-of-this-world unbelievable .",
        "this domestic redo of kurosawa 's ghost story is a reasonably sinister scary movie that faithfully taps into its predecessor 's existential dread and distrust of technology .",
        "captures almost none of the original 's ambience , piling on the rote , head-banging shocks in lieu of clammy ambiguity .",
        "what 's the point in warning of the perils of the information age by creating a scareless , formulaic film that fits so snugly into the thoughtless consumerism of the culture you 're trying to criticize ?",
        "riddled with obtuse plotting and a noticeable lack of continuity , MOV steams forward with such unabashed inanity , you really have to give your brain a rest to even make it to the end .",
        "completely unconvincing and almost prodigiously unscary .",
        "the movie is far from great , but it certainly holds your attention .",
        "MOV is a lesson in horror filmmaking 101 - a generic , uninspired slog through just about every single genre clich\u00e9 ever committed to celluloid .",
        "a creepy , clever thriller is re-envisioned into the type of clich\u00e9-filled teen horror movie that wes craven spoofed in the scream movies .",
        "sitting through this movie is a joyless chore . MOV does n't have one .",
        "the idea is better than the execution , unfortunately , although director jim sonzero does create a few extremely eerie moments .",
        "what 's the lesson here ? should we all be talking to each other with two cans and a string ?",
        "like naomi watts and sarah michelle gellar before her , bell spends this hollywood remake of a japanese cult hit at an emotional dead end .",
        "a dumbed-down remake of kiyoshi kurosawa 's disturbingly abstract japanese horror film .",
        "the technophobic horror flick MOV is a cautionary tale that could have been dreamed up by a frustrated parent : if you do n't get off of that computer , kids , you 'll turn into a zombie .",
        "as usual , this cheaply made pg-13 horror flick is all atmosphere and no horror .",
        "this techno-themed horror film is n't nearly as scary as watching your computer crash .",
        "fails to find the relevancy it desires and the momentum it needs , all the while unleashing a series of hoary teen thriller clich\u00e9s and cheap throwaway jump scares .",
        "MOV is dead on arrival .",
        "even at its worst , it 's entertaining , but the missed opportunity of the truly great horror film it might have been gnaws at you .",
        "for all those defects , MOV is entertaining enough , providing one wants nothing more than an undemanding diversion .",
        "ideally a horror movie will make your heart race , but as it turns out , MOV barely has one .",
        "like so many stateside remakes of celebrated japanese horror pictures , the american version of MOV foregoes the original 's thematic underpinnings in favor of cheap scares .",
        "you are likely to feel excluded from the experience the characters are having because none of their fear is vicariously transposed onto you .",
        "neat idea ; horrible execution . no wonder the studio could n't -lrb- decide -rrb- where to unload this turkey .",
        "this story should have been condensed down to fifteen minutes as a setup for a new kind of zombie film .",
        "the new american remake is a soulless imitation .",
        "what really separates it from the pack is its thematically rich exploration of how communications technology can unwittingly bring about a sort of cultural death .",
        "MOV , co-written by horror maven wes craven , is no scream - but that does n't mean it 's not a scream all the same .",
        "the internet is trying to kill you . your cellphone also seems to be nursing a serious grudge . they may both be conspiring with your blackberry ... and your tivo ... and possibly your washing machine .",
        "the j-horror remake wheel spins again , spitting out this pathetic americanization of kiyoshi kurosawa 's apocalyptic fable .",
        "it was hard to find the MOV in this tame remake .",
        "a cheap , hollow shell of the terrifying and intellectually engaging japanese film on which it 's based .",
        "MOV is n't awful . it 's just an uninspired fright-fest with ghouls we 've seen before and not enough creative style to make us forget that fact .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "another stale american remake of a successful japanese horror film , MOV bypasses the emotional substance of the original and overcompensates with pumped-up visuals and every known horror cliche .",
    "id": "190815565"
  },
  {
    "movie": "perfect_storm",
    "reviews":
     [
        "overcomes a slow start and overly predictable sub-plots to create a thrilling and affecting experience .",
        "a perfectly told tale of humans courageously facing nature 's fury .",
        "more like `` the perfect bore ''",
        "the MOV is incredibly absorbing and tremendously exciting and its one of my favorite , if not one of the best , of the year 2000 .",
        "quite slow from the gate to half , where it rushes like a waterfall to the near end , it 's a stirring ride , but not a must see film .",
        "commendably ambitious and genuinely exciting .",
        "the sights and sounds of the halloween storm are staggering . it is fearsome . it is awesome . it 's as scary as hell .",
        "a rare treat in a summer movie .",
        "for once , we have a film in which the fx guys dominate and yet , human truth and drama shine through .",
        "nearly a perfect film",
        "a few decent action scenes fail to make up for this badly scripted , badly acted tale .",
        "it is n't a very good movie .",
        "the stick-figure people in the script have n't the slightest chance of making an impression .",
        "it 's not perfect -- nor even predominately successful -- with storytelling and character development .",
        "if you want character based drama , forget it .",
        "the MOV makers forgot the best part of a true story is always the true story .",
        "the MOV is as detached and mechanical as a production of moby dick staged by the weather channel .",
        "i found many of the scenes way over done .",
        "the special effects may be state of the art , but ultimately , digital water looks like digital water .",
        "the book is a far more rewarding experience than the movie .",
        "a solid , rather than breathtaking , picture .",
        "have you ever wondered , while contemplating your aundry spinning , what it would be like to be trapped in the rinse cycle ? well , now we know .",
        "a well-crafted example of a film of pure sensation",
        "exciting , engaging , and , at times , majestic .",
        "drags the viewer , willingly or not , into the heart of the action .",
        "a great tragedy suffocated by tyrannical sentimentality",
        "the storm itself has more personality than anything else on screen .",
        "an awfully good film",
        "the most realistic and horrifying storm ever put to celluloid .",
        "despite the film 's forgone conclusion , director petersen maintains the suspense .",
        "feels more like a made-for-tv movie",
        "scary and sad are the main concerns here .",
        "the thrills come in an emotional vacuum -- even more problematic considering petersen spends so much time trying to develop a human center .",
        "an expertly crafted hollywod entertainment ... -lsb- constructed -rsb- as a series of grippingly fateful ` moments of truth . ' -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the storm looks perfect , but the real danger here is the tidal wave of mediocrity and cliches .",
        "the story could 've told itself in a compelling way without invented drama .",
        "once the digital effects commence the MOV has all the impact of watching a friend play nintendo .",
        "a stinker fit for the chum bucket .",
        "in the end , all the audience is left with is the feeling that you 're really glad not to be a fisherman .",
        "the perfect example , of how the newest visual effects movies have the capacity to overwhelm everything -- from actors to plotlines -- except in the end , maybe , their audiences .",
        "this is a very special hallmark production with big production values .",
        "if i had seen the movie on television , where it belongs , i would have turned it off .",
        "perfectly wretched .",
        "it 's formulaic and there are cliches , but the walls of water , created by fluid dynamics simulating real-life phenomena , are awesome .",
        "a sense of reality is essential , and it 's sorely lacking .",
        "a gripping drama that virtually bursts from the screen with lashing , kinetic power so realistic it could literally make someone seasick .",
        "... a thrilling amusement park ride , albeit one freighted with the knowledge that nature does treat some unfortunate souls this roughly",
        "the movie itself is like a raging storm : impossible to ignore while it 's happening but easy to forget when the weather has died down .",
        "those simulated waves are huge , and you can practically feel the wind and the rain pelting down .",
        "think of something with the heart and soul of a conrad yarn , yet buttressed by very special effects and shrewdly packaged for devotees of the outdoor living network",
        "the special effects , especially that awe-inspiring final wave featured on the promotional material , are truly awesome .",
        "senti pena daqueles pescadores - n\u0103o dos que estavam na tela , mas sim daqueles que inspiraram o filme . eles , sim , merecem nossas homenagens . o resto \u00e9 fantasia barata .",
        "not terrible , but distinctly disappointing , not nearly as engaging or thrilling as its premise seems to promise .",
        "gives us little in the way of character development this time .",
        "a picture that leaves one thinking less about the fates of the characters than about how the actors had to spend most of their working days soaking wet .",
        "the MOV is far from perfect .",
        "humans are irrelevant to an effects extravaganza .",
        "it may have been the MOV , but this is the imperfect movie .",
        "the movie is a technical marvel , with scenes of rampaging nature that approximate ominous visual poetry . but dramatically , the ambitious film is hollow .",
        "an excruciatingly deafening , agonizing rusty nail of a movie .",
        "the film feels as if it had been edited down from a much longer version .",
        "ca n't match its visual poetry with compelling drama .",
        "we know the film has macho commitment , because it wastes so many good actresses .",
        "the perfect bore .",
        "not sufficient to create in the viewer a sense of sympathy for each character .",
        "the MOV , which is ultimately a not - very - good movie , is basically a combination of twister and armageddon -- two other not - very - good movies .",
        "the MOV ' looks and feels like too many other movies in which ships struggle to stay afloat as the mad seas thrash around them .",
        "the movie starts to sink long before the boat does .",
        "while it is obviously invested in heroicizing the swordfishermen , in the end , the film trivializes the vastness of their experience , by containing it in so many cliches .",
        "for audience members familiar with the story , the protagonists ' journey is liable to feel like a simple , and dull , waiting game .",
        "opens with a squall of anticipatory clich\u00e9s .",
        "there 's just not quite enough before the showpiece to make it memorable as a whole .",
        "this sure-thing mega-hit is strictly scrod .",
        "the audience , with good reason , is much more conflicted in the end about this voyage than the crew , and so we are put in the unfortunate position of feeling superior to these men .",
        "even filmmaker wolfgang petersen ca n't salvage the adrift-at-sea wreck that is the MOV .",
        "the film 's story trades that it in for a ride whose memory evaporates the minute you turn your back to the screen",
        "little concern for plot or character .",
        "the film rarely manages to generate much in the way of suspense or terror .",
        "a marvellously evocative volume of nonfiction storytelling has been reduced to the phoniest kind of computer-generated images .",
        "soggy , cardboard-thin clich\u00e9s",
        "much of the exposition , however , is assaultively clumsy .",
        "its final scenes milk emotion so blatantly that petersen puts steven spielberg to shame .",
        "somewhere inside the MOV there 's a near-perfect movie drowning under gale-force swells of romanticized sea-faring melodrama .",
        "like so many things about this movie , that speech is intended to deepen our understanding of the character and ennoble his quest , but winds up sounding as real as the proverbial fishing story .",
        "once at sea , the MOV collapses in a heap of spectacle and a dubious piling-on of scary incidents .",
        "even if you 've read the book and know how it ends , petersen makes the journey compelling and suspenseful .",
        "the MOV is a wild ride , if you have the stomach for it .",
        "the MOV is the perfect picture for the looming hot summer nights .",
        "the MOV shook me , and the feeling lingered .",
        "the movie 's biggest problem is that it has no real story to tell , and no characters who seem capable of talking about anything but their sense of oncoming doom .",
        "after a while the unending tumult simply becomes monotonous .",
        "by the time you 're finished , you may be as waterlogged as the actors .",
        "it succeeds well enough , if far from perfectly .",
        "the MOV is much more than a seagoing twister .",
        "the film 's commitment to realism makes it a lot more engaging .",
        "has noticeable problems with characterization and dialogue . but once that awesome storm ... gets cranked up , it 's hard to remember what those difficulties were , let alone care too much about them .",
        "the MOV could be the vessel that sails -lsb- clooney -rsb- into the treacherous waters of megastardom .",
        "when so many movies promise a roller-coaster ride , storm is one of the few that delivers more than noise .",
        "disaster epic catches the perfect wave .",
        "this entire second half -- with catastrophe upon catastrophe hurled at us -- redeems the movie 's messy human - interest opening .",
        "this is a solid , heart-pounding movie filled with action , fx , drama , courage and tragedy .",
        "una tormenta perfecta es , con mucho , la experiencia f\u00edlmica m\u00e1s intensa del a\u0144o",
        "as for the storm , i found wolfgang petersen 's direction so engrossing that i failed to evaluate the quality of the special effects .",
        "this is one summer movie that is more about human drama .",
        "this movie is capable of hitting you with gale force .",
        "pretty much a character study with lots of special effects",
        "it 's all about money and pride .",
        "the starring role is usurped by the stunning weather effects .",
        "packs a cinematic wallop during its best sequences .",
        "MOV is thrilling but ca n't match the terror of the book .",
        "the poignant knowledge that this tragic tale really happened is enough to elevate the movie beyond just another summer special-effects showcase .",
        "it provided me with just the right amount of mindless entertainment that i needed over this hot , sticky , summer holiday weekend .",
        "the 50-foot waves and screaming winds -lrb- a blend of industrial light & magic effects and the real-life hurricane floyd , which arrived during filming -rrb- are exceptionally terrifying ."],
    "summary": "while the special effects are well done and quite impressive , this film suffers from any actual drama or characterization . the end result is a film that offers nifty eye-candy and nothing else .",
    "id": "12647"
  },
  {
    "movie": "darkness_falls",
    "reviews":
     [
        "more silly than scary , it 's the horror movie to give horror movies a bad name .",
        "if you need to be really scared of the dark , you 're better off making up stuff from the shadows in your own room .",
        "the only scary thing about this movie would be the price of any admission to go see it .",
        "the script is so derivative , so junked up with cliches , so monumentally obvious and so stupid that no one should take ` credit ' for it .",
        "the film revels so brazenly in genre cliches that it eventually earns admiration for boldly going where nearly everyone has gone before .",
        "anyone who caught they last november will have a real jolt of deja vu .",
        "-lsb- the -rsb- plot could be written on a pinhead .",
        "MOV is the perfect horror movie for those who find the tooth fairy scary .",
        "when MOV , it pretty much trips over its own feet .",
        "sadly , the makers of MOV ca n't find that flair , even with a bag of high-powered flashlights .",
        "MOV marks the first time foreplay is implied in the phrase `` i need to get this gravel out of your scalp . ''",
        "one can almost imagine director liebesman walking out of the lackluster blair witch sequel going ... `` i could have done it better . '' and he did .",
        "... so unoriginal in its execution that it serves to prove two things : 1 -rrb- this genre is played out , and 2 -rrb- as long as crap makes money , studios will continue to make crap .",
        "its unbearably loud and witless disposition conjures images of studio heads wanting to numb young test audiences into submission .",
        "MOV is a no-brainer that aims to entertain even if it does n't enlighten .",
        "stephen king without the snap , david lynch without the kink , teen horror without the teen hormones , MOV falls apart in a crescendo of creepy-crawly hoo-ha .",
        "with it 's no-name cast and dopey plot , there is little to explain why this generic piece of work did not go straight to dvd .",
        "MOV casts a pall over its genre rather than do it justice . it should , however , appeal to horror fans looking for a cheap thrill .",
        "announcing her presence with a phlegmy wheeze , the fairy strikes swiftly and sometimes even scarily , thanks to stan winston 's ace special effects . but the movie 's premise ... telegraphs her appearances and eliminates suspense .",
        "the ` story ' has editing in place of atmosphere , noise in place of subtlety .",
        "MOV ... on its face .",
        "a truly awful and extremely loud scareflick .",
        "the gloomy cinematography and rapid-fire editing ensure that the tooth fairy is n't overexposed , but you ca n't see much of anything else , either .",
        "there 's not a jot of originality in MOV , but there are a few good scares .",
        "when MOV , boredom rises .",
        "MOV has some chilling scares and spooky scenes , but not enough of them to keep your interest -- or to reward all the effort the movie puts you through .",
        "could just as well have been titled dumb then dumber for the way its plot makes decreasing sense even by the low standards of b horror flicks .",
        "the best thing to be said for MOV is that it contains one decent piece of advice : stay in the light . when the lights are on , after all , this movie wo n't be shown .",
        "as far as semi-abandoned midwinter hollywood compost goes , though , MOV basically brings home the bacon for horror fans .",
        "it 's an instantly disposable and shamelessly derivative piece of work , but first-time feature helmer jonathan liebesman shows a savvy flair for atmospheric visuals ...",
        "a flick with no real bite .",
        "a dreary exercise in cheap shocks aimed at kids .",
        "nothing about this makes sense , even by the standards of bad horror movies .",
        "about as scary as a ride on a minor roller coaster , it unrolls its amplified butcher-block shock effects within the first five minutes .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- relentlessly derivative horror cheapie .",
        "something tells me john agar would be looking down with pride at MOV .",
        "the horror genre is n't dead yet even if schlock movies like this one keep trying to bury it .",
        "there 's a lot of noise and blurry action in ` MOV ' -- like the start of my worst migraines .",
        "there is n't a character that changes in any way during the proceedings - unless you consider being lopped into bits by an angry spirit to be character development .",
        "there 's no bite to this .",
        "as amateurish as first-time director jonathan liebesman is with handling his performers and their roles , he is a clear technical expert , heightening a distinguishable , foreboding atmosphere while delivering thrills and chills at a clip rate .",
        "like something salvaged from stephen king 's wastebasket .",
        "of course , though , the climax takes place in a lighthouse -lrb- no subtlety there -rrb- , and every person of authority , the cop , the lawyer , the doctor , are all incapacitated ...",
        "the adults in full review | original score : 1.5 / 4",
        "there 's no particular reason to see it unless you 're a dyed-in-the-wool fan of weird -lrb- and loud -rrb- noises , things not quite seen and obvious plots .",
        "there 's only so much sustainable interest things jumping randomly out of dark corners can hold for most sentient beings .",
        "silly and pointless , but manages to make you jump a few times .",
        "there 's a lot that 's familiar in MOV , and not much that 's good .",
        "as MOV devolves into an uninteresting chase movie , it disappointingly squanders the film 's sorta-clever premise and genuinely scary opening scene .",
        "it 's a downer to see so much effort expended on such junk .",
        "MOV is the movie to see if you 've ever wondered what a movie plays like with all the unimportant stuff -- narrative , character development -- cut out and the action kept in .",
        "neophyte director jonathan liebesman tries to dredge up chills with loud noises and those unexpected black cats that jump out of total darkness ... for a really scary tooth fairy , try tom noonan in michael mann 's `` manhunter . ''",
        "the story and characters are so thin that MOV has nothing to offer but the entertainment value of child endangerment .",
        "a lamebrained attempt at horror that is just a derivative pastiche of ideas lifted from other bad films .",
        "the truly frightening darkness ... is when the house lights dim and this wretched excuse for a thriller starts up ... a chaotic jumble of horror movie tropes .",
        "exactly what a horror movie should be ; fun , scary , fast paced , and with ` jump ' moments galore .",
        "oy , how it falls .",
        "it begins with not one but two prologues ; one character turns up out of nowhere , his introduction no doubt left on the cutting-room floor ; and the paltry 85-minute running time includes 15 minutes of end credits .",
        "a mish mash of horror-movie clich\u00e9s .",
        "the kind of movie that gets laughs entirely unintentionally .",
        "all semblance of plausibility is extracted , leaving a cast of tv actors to struggle with a plot with more gaps than an eight-year-old 's grin .",
        "it 's only slightly more enjoyable than having army ants gnaw at your privates .",
        "so bad it 's almost painful . skip it .",
        "a very flawed but entertaining and cheesy monster flick that would be fun to watch around a crowd with some popcorn .",
        "film lovers beware ! the evil spirits of boredom will befall should you enter a darkened cinema and endure MOV .",
        "the terrible acting , the awful pacing , and laughable special effects make the horror of watching this movie all too unintentional .",
        "incrediby , the nitwit pun in the title is one of the more intelligent things in this lame-brained , incompetent horror film .",
        "there 's a spooky excitement to the opening and closing showpieces that 's noticeably missing from the boring middle stretch .",
        "every manufactured ` boo ! ' operates on a logical void in this latest no-budget , teen-targeted music-video exploitation of childhood night terrors .",
        "since when does the tooth fairy inspire terror ? guess what ? she still does n't .",
        "MOV has pushed my tolerance for hollywood horror movies to the edge .",
        "there are more than a few images in this film that may linger once the theater empties ... just imagine how much money parents could save if they let their little ones watch this ... !",
        "fangoria subscribers will spot shameless cops from the haunting , the fog , the blair witch project and jeepers creepers , to name but a few .",
        "there are occasional flinch-inciting moments , and there 's even a pretty good sense of humor at work , but for the most part MOV is run-of - the-mill and derivative .",
        "lackluster thriller .",
        "the only thing scary is reading the credits and realizing that there were three paid screenwriters whose combined iqs could only create something as brainless as MOV .",
        "MOV is a sorrowful testament to just how little in the way of talent , thought or even concept is needed for a movie to get made these days .",
        "despite a few suitably creepy moments early on , the film quickly settles into a rapid-fire cutting style that renders much of the action incoherent .",
        "it 's just boring .",
        "what 's supposed to rattle us as a bout of simulated night terror , comes off more as an acute episode of extreme nearsightedness .",
        "do you really need me to tell you how scary this horror show is n't ?",
        "formulaic and uneventful .",
        "the kind of movie that gives horror a bad name .",
        "how this painfully terrible film -lrb- even by january standards -rrb- got a theatrical release is beyond me .",
        "the filmmakers are more in the dark than the one-dimensional characters that fill this chilled chiller .",
        "the biggest problem with the characters is that they have all taken lobotomy pills . they are even more stupid than characters normally are in horror flicks .",
        "the first new horror film of the new year is the sort of unmitigated donkey crap that makes even a hardcore horror fan like myself understand why the genre is held in such disdain by non-fans .",
        "this is horror-flick boo-ya at its most rote .",
        "MOV breaks even , at least for horror fans , if not for horror snobs",
        "` director jonathan liebesman helms a ridiculously familiar and arbitrary cheesy horror tale that does n't effectively challenge the simple conventions of the fright genre . '",
        "depending exclusively on countless endeavors of the past to emit its energy , the picture would serve as a worthwhile experience only to those who have never seen a horror movie in their life .",
        "simply put , MOV is like that snake that eats itself : by the time minute 80 hits the screen , you 'll have completely forgotten about minutes 1 through 10 .",
        "it 's not the idea , but the execution that is bothersome . it 's totally predictable .",
        "two good elements of the film are the music score by brian tyler and the top notch sound design by john schiefelbein",
        "inventive fiction masquerading as age-old , local legend deteriorates into a wholly generic creature flick .",
        "MOV banks on the type of psychological thrills that made old-fashioned horror films a hoot .",
        "hoping for a good scare while watching this mess really is like pulling teeth .",
        "disappointing horror film that is neither frightening nor amusing .",
        "there are some scary moments in this film , but basically they 're because -lrb- 1 -rrb- it reminds you so much of almost every other horror movie you 've ever seen and -lrb- 2 -rrb- they fill the soundtrack with unsettling and loud noises that would make anyone jump .",
        "utterly woeful and mostly just banal effort .",
        "the tagline reads , `` evil rises . MOV , '' but they clearly forgot the third caveat : `` slumber ensues . ''",
        "a quick and cheap horror flick that will come and go in less time than it takes for you to finish reading this review .",
        "this is a self-consciously silly , completely disposable multiplex movie that does its best to deliver its fair share of chills while struggling to keep a straight face .",
        "a joyless amalgam of horror movie cliches .",
        "while it took three screenwriters to come up with MOV ' countless variations on ` stay out of the dark ! , ' many more may have been necessary to provide an interesting plot or developed character .",
        "darkness fell along with my eyelids , during this dire by-the-numbers horror film .",
        "a conventional , mildly frightening , low-grade horror flick with some humor -lrb- often unintentional -rrb- and as many gaps as a seven-year-old 's mouth .",
        "you will find more frights in finding nemo . and you might just have more fun playing with your lollie wrappers , performing shadow puppets on the screen - or even picking your nose - than enduring this dimly lit horror movie .",
        "the characters are empty , the performances wooden , and of course , the grave little kid is omniscient .",
        "the problem is that both the plot and the characters are so thin that it 's hard to care about anything that 's happening on screen .",
        "there are a few cheap scares , but overall the film is , well , toothless .",
        "this is , quite simply , horror porn , with barely any connective tissue linking each set piece .",
        "provides for more than acceptable campfire fare -lrb- although at under 80 minutes , it lasts less than most duralogs -rrb- , with occasional moments of genuine visceral fright .",
        "darkness has fallen and it ca n't get up .",
        "irritating sound effects , cheap scare tactics and a comically bad script all add up to the year 's first senseless cinematic attack on the senses .",
        "what a terrific title : graceful , creepy , foreboding , and totally undeserving of the repetitive , irritating horrorfest that sadly follows .",
        "with an above average number of jump scenes but only a few scant moments that are truly scary .",
        "the only way to get any entertainment out of this movie is to watch it with somebody who gets easily scared .",
        "even worse than kangaroo jack , and that 's a statement i was hoping not to make for at least a few more weeks -lrb- or until that charlotte church movie comes out -rrb- .",
        "several other things fall as this 76 minute monstrosity lumbers along , including -lrb- but not limited to -rrb- your hopes , your interest level , and finally , your eyelids .",
        "if it 's successful at the box office , look for hollywood executives to green-light the bone-chilling tale of the easter bunny and the macabre legend of tickle me elmo .",
        "pretty much the whole of this unholy horror flick is shot under cover of night , the small-town-in-new-england kind where the woods are deep and the barometer always points to rain .",
        "though MOV is n't anywhere close to as frightening as last year 's the ring or signs , it 's certainly a continued step in the right direction for the horror genre .",
        "granted , logic is hardly a high priority element in slasher films , but MOV sets a new bar for lack of it .",
        "knowing that they do n't have the scariest movie around , it would seem as if the filmmakers have vowed to make it the loudest .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a derivative movie where the scares are few and things do n't make much sense .",
    "id": "11813"
  },
  {
    "movie": "syndromes_and_a_century",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is beguiling and confounding , and i hope to see it again soon : when i do , i suspect i 'll understand it even less and yet love it more .",
        "an artful experiment that 's imposingly cryptic but comes from a respected filmmaker , it should appeal to its art house niche .",
        "sporadically mesmerizing imagery and a miasma-like atmosphere but only fits and starts in the way of plot .",
        "the film functions not only as a loving tribute to the past , but as weerasethakul 's attempt at experiential preservation .",
        "a delightfully relaxed and entertaining thai movie about a country hospital and two doctors who work there .",
        "apichatpong 's patient , observant camera seems to be lying in wait for the moments in which these desires break through the surface , when the spiritual greets the mundane",
        "typically slow , sensuous , mystifying and often mesmerising .",
        "an unusually patient and good-natured portrait of rural/urban crossover ... of clinical , spiritual , and popular perspectives , of romance and absurdity and barely voiced grief .",
        "an essential piece of cinematic art",
        "are these parallel tales a buddhist romance ? an attempt to induce something like 3-d narrative depth ? a consideration of repetitive human activity over the course of a lifetime ? you might as well ask why the breeze is rustling the leaves .",
        "his fifth feature , MOV , might be -lsb- the director 's -rsb- most purely intoxicating .",
        "this gentle film with surprising dollops of humanistic humor floats by like a dream upon which we are eavesdropping .",
        "weerasethakul has become less and less dependent on narrative , relying instead on emotional impressions and rhythms -lrb- and even a few deadpan laughs -rrb- .",
        "-lsb- the director 's -rsb- quiet sense of humor and colorful characters are endearing but the pleasures are less in the abstract story than the flow of his moods and the shades of his atmospheres .",
        "if you allow the film to wash over you , it can be appreciated as an essay on the power of memory .",
        "watching syndromes and century is like reading a samuel beckett novel , only it 's slow , confusing , and bleak . okay , so it 's like reading a samuel beckett novel .",
        "the moment-to-moment textures of MOV are so densely real in their minimalism that they make you suspend all interpretation and simply exist in the present .",
        "this one appears to simply be scenes set in a rural thai hospital that were strung together at random .",
        "the fragmented images and dialogue have the feel of a nostalgic dream - one you will either groove to or sleep through .",
        "there 's nothing here that resembles narrative urgency , but this is a quiet masterpiece , delicate and full of wonder .",
        "while MOV may not be going anywhere fast , or even slowly , it certainly looks -- and more importantly , feels -- beautiful getting there .",
        "the mysterious MOV welcomes viewers into a world of simplicity and strangeness .",
        "it 's absolutely mesmerizing .",
        "the latest daydreamy film from this thai auteur of languor is fragrant with tender love and sly humor .",
        "you have to abandon any preconceived notions about movies and allow your mind to be seduced by the mystifying , occasionally humorous world of a one-of-a-kind filmmaker . you might even find yourself becoming a fan .",
        "its rhymes and echoes make its folds endlessly fascinating .",
        "this film is alive to the small pleasures of watching people interact -- or fail to . its individual sequences spin along , lovely and mesmerizing , and they 're not really all that hard to understand , in and of themselves .",
        "no psychological or sociological interpretation is offered , but the lovely whole that slowly emerges has profundity precisely because of its inclusive reticence .",
        "occupies a fertile space between narrative and art object .",
        "a challenging , invigorating whiff of the magical properties of sensual cinema .",
        "knowingly enigmatic , but more accessible than the director 's previous works .",
        "as delicate , complex and strange as any rare orchid , and as unlikely to appeal to mainstream tastes , MOV more than delivers on the enigma promised by its bifurcated title .",
        "this curio sometimes bemuses , but it 's utterly fresh and alive .",
        "this portrait of life is all about the yin and the yang , so it follows that for everyone who finds it dull there are those who will be captivated .",
        "do n't think of it as film . think of it as a series of paintings that talk to each other , raptly and quietly .",
        "profoundly mysterious , erotic , funny , gentle , playful , utterly distinctive , it is the work of the thai director and installation-artist apichatpong weerasethakul , who now has a claim to be approaching the league of kiarostami and haneke .",
        "as ken tynan said of waiting for godot , nothing happens , twice .",
        "do n't watch it for plot , or character development ; revel instead in its evocation of warm , wistful moods , its sly sense of humour and its fierce commitment to creating a mystical cinema far from the orthodoxies of both independent and mainstream cinema .",
        "the pic has a buddhist aura surrounding it , leaving a warm and happy feeling with the viewer .",
        "a quieter , shorter but scarcely less idiosyncratic specimen of rorschach cinema than inland empire ."],
    "summary": "despite having little in the way of narrative , apichatpong weerasethakul 's syndromes is a poignant and mesmerizing memoir .",
    "id": "351527694"
  },
  {
    "movie": "greatest_game_ever_played",
    "reviews":
     [
        "not a feel-good , root-for-the-underdog movie , but a caricature of one",
        "this charming film -lrb- editing tricks aside -rrb- , is rich in humor and period detail , and amazingly suspenseful considering we already know the outcome .",
        "a great underdog film that is absolutely stolen by the 10 year old caddy played by josh flitter . if you do n't love him , you have no soul .",
        "i 'm going to bet that bill paxton loves golf . because , despite his deftly directed `` frailty , '' `` the MOV '' rolls all over the place .",
        "the most visually and emotionally dynamic film ever made about a game of golf -- perhaps the most visually and emotionally dynamic possible film about a game of golf .",
        "as a film replay , the greatest game is hardly that , but it 's at least a pretty good one .",
        "riddled with underdog cliches and embellishments , and lays the sentimentality on thick at every opportunity , making the emotional response feel more manipulated then genuine .",
        "more than any such movie i remember , the MOV celebrates the ideal of sportsmanship .",
        "movies about golf are seldom , if ever , ` great . '",
        "it may not be , as the title says , the greatest game every played , but it certainly is a darn good round of golf .",
        "there 's a par for every hole , and paxton pretty much hits exactly that -- sometimes over and sometimes under , but always close , with no surprises .",
        "while the based-on-a-true-story plot is intriguing , the disney-fication process brings it down to a third-grade level .",
        "... this is a fable meant to rouse , complete with swelling strings . it is n't a movie about real people at all , despite its insistence on using real names .",
        "slick and sassy , it 's not the greatest movie disney 's ever made ... but it 's closer than we 've seen in a while .",
        "greatest game is a studied , thoroughly entertaining sports drama that defies all expectations , returning the honor to the game of golf , and the thrill back into movies .",
        "could use some editing and less reliance on clich\u00e9 special effects , but it is a great feel good story .",
        "doing justice to the sport but not entirely to the drama which suffers from choppy introductions and half-hearted class distinctions in mark frost 's screenplay .",
        "for those who believe watching golf on tv is equivalent to spending the afternoon watching grass grow , this movie will do nothing to alter your perception of the sport .",
        "the latest and least effective of disney 's inspirational sports movies .",
        "like the best fairy tales , the MOV works precisely because it is so simply told , so devoid of irony and cynicism .",
        "it 's kind of like watching a chicken try to fly . there are a lot of feathers going everywhere , but it does n't seem to be getting anywhere .",
        "a classic sports-underdog tale gets solid , affecting treatment .",
        "predictable though it is , the picture is rousing and well paced , and the final competition is effectively suspenseful .",
        "an affectionate ode to sportsmanship .",
        "it 's not easy to find a movie that both horatio alger and happy gilmore would endorse wholeheartedly , but the true-life golf story the greatest game every played qualifies .",
        "paxton hits the ball squarely in capturing the psychology of his characters , but hooks it into the sand trap of effects and thematic overselling .",
        "the sappy musical score , the pretty photography , the underdog hero -- it basically pillages every sports-themed film you can imagine , but lacks one essential ingredient to make it work : the heart .",
        "the final results wo n't surprise anyone who 's seen a movie before -lrb- disney produced , after all -rrb- , but there 's a lot to be said for the delivery .",
        "unless you 're already a golf fan , you may fall asleep , since two-thirds of the film is devoted to a stroke-by-stroke recap of the 1913 u.s. open .",
        "a fairly entertaining family film .",
        "it 's the fast and the furious version of golf .",
        "the film doggedly pursues its obsession with class , repeatedly teeing the point up and then following it like a duck hook into the rough .",
        "unsubtle ... a disappointment for adults , -lsb- but -rsb- still qualifies as a peppy object lesson for would-be overachievers .",
        "it 's light years more watchable than the version of golf one endures on a sunday afternoon on tv .",
        "the greatest game plays like it was assembled at a screenplay factory .",
        "as ouimet strides toward the 18th green on the last day of the open , it 's impossible not to feel the crowd 's excitement .",
        "the psychological game of golf has probably never been presented better on screen . everything else about the movie is a straight shot down the fairway , predictably pleasing by not veering off into anything too interesting .",
        "if it were n't for shia labeouf , the charmingly awkward young star of disney 's holes , we 'd be stuck with a glorified tv movie , complete with lousy cg effects and indecipherable golfing montages .",
        "the film is sugary , simplistic and riddled with cliches -- yet it still manages to absorb you in its story and even carry you with some of its emotions .",
        "a jazzy , snazzy crowd-pleasing sports drama .",
        "the ever-swelling musical score would embarrass a metamucil commercial .",
        "the MOV may not be quite as superlative as its title , but it spins an engaging tale of sports triumph .",
        "the longest movie ever made .",
        "despite the endless heart-tugging cliches and predictable storylines , disney once again demonstrates its ability to push the right sentimental buttons in an underdog sports film .",
        "if you 're not willing to stand in the rain during a major tournament , you 're gon na get bored with these movies .",
        "-lsb- director bill -rsb- paxton 's narrative is confusing at first , but the film is entertaining overall .",
        "better suspense than many sports movies , in spite of clich\u00e9s and anachronisms",
        "... the film is so well made , the acting so good , the period so well captured , and the photography so captivating that it 's hard not to like it .",
        "the game is full of suspense , twists and turns . the characters are fascinating . the locations , sets and costume designs are all first-rate . the story is held back by the disney formula , but is strong enough to overcome it .",
        "the characters model some wonderful behavior for youngsters % u2014things like tolerance , restraint , persistence , good manners , and good sportsmanship . things that , sadly , seem to have gone the way of knickers .",
        "i do n't want to just take their word for it ! show me what was so special about this guy 's game !!",
        "greatest game succeeds because it has enough history and authenticity to please golf enthusiasts while maintaining enough heart and human drama to appeal to the rest .",
        "it manages to be surprisingly entertaining for a golf movie , but otherwise it has nothing new going on .",
        "the warm and unabashedly sentimental tone overcomes the audience 's defenses , mostly because labeouf is so down-to-earth and appealing .",
        "that the film works as well as it does -- or at all -- is largely due to the old-fashioned appeal of the story and its likable cast .",
        "undeniably great , the movie is not . but a good tonic , it is .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- fatally repetitive film .",
        "this may not be the greatest golf movie ever made , but it 's head and shoulders above other recent screen treatments of the sport .",
        "the story 's hard to resist .",
        "one of those great sports movies that 's not just about the sport - when an audience spontaneously breaks out in applause , you know you 're watching something special .",
        "even someone who ca n't distinguish a bogey from a birdie will get caught up in the greatest game every played .",
        "amiable in tone but hamstrung by the obviousness of a foregone conclusion .",
        "the game is reimagined by director bill paxton and cinematographer shane hurlbut as a series of grand , sweeping shots .",
        "if it were n't for professional obligations , ` the MOV ' would have been my chance for the greatest nap ever taken .",
        "working on a far larger scale , paxton 's second directing effort is as crowd-pleasing and broad as his debut , frailty , was gothic and disturbing .",
        "this film is better than it has any right to be .",
        "the greatest game never thrills on an emotional level the way the best of sports films -- a hoosiers , say -- can , but it 's a satisfying entertainment nonetheless .",
        "with winning performances , fancy camerawork and a classic root-for-the-little-guy scenario , greatest game tees off with the best of them .",
        "i know it 's all about how well they construct the journey , but i just kind of felt like , okay , we know exactly what 's going to happen here .",
        "-lrb- bill -rrb- paxton , wisely , has directed a movie that is more than about golf . it also is a social commentary on class and overcoming social barriers .",
        "ouimet versus vardon probably was the greatest golf game ever played , and paxton and frost do it justice , but i would n't sit through another simulated hole of it for tiger woods 's salary .",
        "a pretentious and predictable game .",
        "it puts its head down and plays a very strong game on the back nine , and ends up as the gripping and uplifting sports movie it was supposed to be all along .",
        "the MOV is as feel-good as any sports movie you 're likely to find .",
        "francis ouimet 's story is a good one , and the greatest story may ultimately give golf films some much needed credibility .",
        "the prospect of yet another uplifting , history-based disney sports drama sounds like enough to make a grown man pull his head off his shoulders , but this bill paxton-directed golfing memoir is surprisingly easy to sit through .",
        "though hardly terrible , the greatest game mostly sits there limply -- it lacks the charming swagger paxton dependably brings to his own acting roles .",
        "gets a little lost in the rough , but straight down the middle is a nice underdog story about a 20-year-old former caddy who beats the greatest player in the world .",
        "leave it to director bill paxton to up the ante and deliver a wholly enjoyable study of perhaps the greatest golf upset of all time .",
        "aside from the title 's hyperbole , it 's yet another uplifting , feel-good sports story that 's destined to be a perennial on tv 's golf channel .",
        "i am not a golf fan but found the MOV absorbing all the same .",
        "actor-director bill paxton covers a golf tournament in ways espn never imagined .",
        "a crowd-pleasing winner .",
        "by the time the field has dwindled to ouimet and vardon , it 's a match between good-guy heroes . we 'll be happy no matter who wins , and happy that it 's finally strolled to a conclusion .",
        "it 's by far the most inspirational sports movie to come along in many a month .",
        "the film will have to settle for a bogey rather than a par .",
        "the MOV strides gracefully across a well-tended but uncrowded field : the golf film .",
        "like a two-legged seabiscuit , it 's a real crowd-pleaser .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- overloaded movie .",
        "good acting , lush locales and snazzy special effects ca n't disguise the fact that it 's a profoundly uncinematic sport , not even in a movie about the first american to shatter the sport 's long-standing class barrier .",
        "as sports movies go , it does n't get more exciting than this .",
        "a sweet-natured , prettily photographed and at times genuinely exciting drama , bogged down by some thinly written characters and syrupy music .",
        "a wholesome family film with loads of mainstream appeal .",
        "you do n't have to be a golf fan to appreciate this classy , heartfelt film .",
        "an old-fashioned , heartfelt film , exquisitely constructed by director bill paxton . ... -lsb- it -rsb- proves how superb a film can be without a single star in its heavens .",
        "simply put , the MOV has no balls .",
        "an american working-class youth takes on an immensely talented englishman in the 1913 u.s. open and surprises everyone .",
        "the movie is so hungry for love that the orchestra shrieks , caps fly into the air , and the slo-mo oozes in when the lad merely forces a final play-off ... and there 's still 20 minutes to go !",
        "too long ; winds up in the rough .",
        "... as doofy , mawkish and unsubtle as the title makes it sound .",
        "absolutely a formula feel good sport 's film - a natural to succeed at its goal -lrb- much like its main character -rrb- as long as it does n't choke on a stroke . you 'll feel good .",
        "the title 's definitely an exaggeration ; this is n't a great ` game , ' but it 's a pretty good one ."],
    "summary": "despite all the underdog sports movie conventions , the likable cast and lush production values make the MOV a solid and uplifting tale .",
    "id": "8263"
  },
  {
    "movie": "double_indemnity",
    "reviews":
     [
        "wilder trades cain 's sun-rot imagery for conventional film noir stylings , but the atmosphere of sexual entrapment survives .",
        "macmurray has seldom given a better performance . it is somewhat different from his usually light roles , but is always plausible and played with considerable restraint .",
        "writer/director billy wilder cements all the hallmarks of a style that comes into its own with this wicked and suspenseful portrait of capitalist greed and post-war anxiety .",
        "notable for its perfect cast , great performances , deft direction and of course that sparkling dialogue .",
        "the perfect material for wilder to remake himself as hollywood 's dark jester for decades .",
        "edward g. robinson stars as macmurray 's associate , but it 's barbara stanwyck that rules the roost as one of cinema 's most diabolical femme fatals .",
        "if you like your dialogue hardboiled , your lighting shadowy , and your femmes fatales preposterously evil , then look no further : billy wilder 's 1944 adaptation of james m cain 's insurance-scam novella .",
        "right up there with billy wilder 's very best work .",
        "sizzling and sassy , this thriller still cuts it amongst today 's effects-laden offerings .",
        "small gestures , inflections and body language all accumulate to deliver a fascinating scenario that we ca n't help but watch as it winds relentlessly towards its majestically shadowy conclusion and terrific ending .",
        "indelible , coal-black noir that any self-respecting studio would n't have the audacity to finance today .",
        "the very best noir there is ? quite possibly .",
        "for the generation that grew up thinking of macmurray as the kindly father-figure on `` my three sons '' and stanwyck as the regal matriarch of `` the big valley , '' it 's a jolt to see them playing such devious , money-hungry types .",
        "picture making at its dramatic best .",
        "the ultimate film noir crime picture .",
        "fred macmurray like you 've never seen him .",
        "classic film noir and classic billy wilder . what more can you ask ?",
        "who 'd ever believe fred would grow up to have such a sweet ` three sons . '",
        "in this carefully modulated performance -- she never even raises her voice -- stanwyck is the ultimate lollapalooza , all legs and sneers and helpless eyes .",
        "criminally fun .",
        "few other directors have made so many films that were so taut , savvy , cynical and , in many different ways and tones , funny .",
        "such folks as delight in murder stories for their academic elegance alone should find this one steadily diverting , despite its monotonous pace and length .",
        "three superlative perfromances , by stanwyck , fred macmaurray , and edward g. robinson -lrb- the best of their careers -rrb- , along with sharp , witty , macabre , and double-entendre dialogue , makes this quintessential noir one of the best wilder movies .",
        "an accepted classic and archetypal film noir , billy wilder 's MOV is visually drab and flabby around the edges .",
        "wilder 's direction is crisp and the lighting and cinematography -lrb- by john f. seitz -rrb- have become iconic touchstones .",
        "the film is a brilliant collision of evil and the mundane , and one of the reasons viewers respond to it so well is that it makes the mundane seem a little sexier in the resulting debris .",
        "thanks to dvd , phyllis will always be there waiting for you . same chair , same perfume , same anklet , ready to make you wonder what she wonders .",
        "one of the true gems of film noir .",
        "stanwyck , macmurray and robinson are superb in classic murder for profit story .",
        "film noir at its finest , a template of the genre , etc. . billy wilder in full swing , barbara stanwyck 's finest hour , and fred macmurray makes a great chump .",
        "variations and tributes ca n't blunt the sting of wilder 's acidic noir benchmark",
        "film noir is the most intoxicating of hollywood cocktails , and none is more potent than MOV .",
        "this expert night of the hollywood soul is such a genre axiom it practically scans like a mid - '40s shopper 's catalogue for noiristes ...",
        "the quintessential film noir -- acid and snappy , and shockingly cold-blooded .",
        "quite possibly the most perfect example of film noir to emerge from hollywood during that genre 's reign .",
        "MOV is the season 's nattiest , nastiest , most satisfying melodrama .",
        "even though you already know it is n't going to end well , it 's suffused with a clammy-handed anxiety that belies its age . the dialogue , too , is classic wilder -- almost poetic in its snappy , purple lyricism .",
        "this is the gold standard of '40s noir , straight down the line .",
        "the picture never fully takes hold of its opportunities , such as they are , perhaps because those opportunities are appreciated chiefly as surfaces and atmospheres and as very tellable trash .",
        "dark , dialogue-heavy classic of grim suspense .",
        "this classic thriller from director billy wilder is one of the best-loved examples of film noir ever made .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1944 -rrb- is director billy wilder 's classic film noir masterpiece - a cynical , witty , and sleazy thriller .",
        "representante m\u0440ximo do noir , conta com uma trama fascinante , atua\u0443\u0448es impec\u0440veis , fotografia e dire\u0443\u0441o irretoc\u0440veis e , \u0436 claro , di\u0440logos inesquec\u044cveis .",
        "both a starkly realistic and a carefully stylized masterpiece of murder .",
        "not only is MOV one of the archetypal films known as film noir but it is regarded by many as the first true film noir . it is also one of the best .",
        "a splendidly chilling noir tale about murder , immorality , lust , and greed ."],
    "summary": "a dark , tautly constructed adaptation of james m. cain 's novel -- penned by billy wilder and raymond chandler -- MOV continues to set the standard for the best in hollywood film noir .",
    "id": "17019"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1197016-mirrors",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... often far more entertaining than it has any right to be .",
        "i love a good horror movie , and this offered something different from slasher remakes and zombie flicks .",
        "in the end , the story fizzles out , with the second stanza bordering on the downright farcical .",
        "it 's too bad that other elements of ` MOV '' lack the brilliance of its visual artistry .",
        "one of the better films of the infamous j-horror remake onslaught . relatively speaking .",
        "even the most forgiving fans of supernatural horror will balk at MOV ' cookie-cutter characterizations , predictable shocks , and ridiculous , punishing plot .",
        "brutal horror movie offers little to reflect on .",
        "kudos to you if you can figure out what in god 's name that ending is supposed to indicate , because i 'm lost at this time ...",
        "sutherland 's natural stoicism does make the more risible developments and dialogue a bit easier to stomach -lrb- a moment when he goes all jack bauer on a nun comes to mind -rrb- .",
        "alexandre aja must have thought that just because he 's basing a film around MOV acting irrationally , he can proceed to remove logic from all aspects of the film .",
        "clunky dialogue sets up the film , unlikely backstory drives it along , and it all concludes in a ludicrous cataclysm of cinematic hyperbole .",
        "as joe bob briggs used to say : `` too much plot gets in the way of the story . ''",
        "while watching it wo n't necessarily lead to seven years of bad luck , it does make for a fairly aggravating 110 minutes .",
        "ranking far below the adaptations of `` the ring '' and `` the grudge , '' this asian horror film re-make is simply ludicrous .",
        "by the time he pulls a gun on someone pivotal to the mystery , it 's not that the movie is doing 24 . it 's just that the movie has no motivation for that character to be involved , so they force it , via his jack bauer moves .",
        "there 's a crippling sense of familiarity about the whole shebang that no one seems remotely bothered about fixing . let 's hope they all get seven years bad luck .",
        "kiefer and costars paula patton and amy smart spend most of the film looking at their own reflections and getting freaked out by seeing their faces cgi 'd into a gory mess .",
        "this is without question the dumbest horror movie of recent years . there is simply no way to piece together its fractured shards .",
        "aja 's way with gristle and grue makes for a number of arresting images , and the second half , in which the secret of the MOV is gradually revealed , is actually stronger than the first .",
        "really does n't have much up its sleeve other than parlor tricks and gimmicks .",
        "alexandre aja 's inability to delineate credible or interesting characters results in 110 wasted minutes for anyone unfortunate to wander into an auditorium where this is playing .",
        "-lsb- aja 's -rsb- pedal-to-the-metal intensity only serves to heighten the film 's fundamental ridiculousness .",
        "this remake of a south korean movie ultimately provides fewer scares than the average aging baby boomer feels every time they look into a reflective surface .",
        "at nearly two hours , MOV is overlong for a summer horror toss-off , and the movie 's three or four false endings make it seem even more of a haul .",
        "a minor chiller and major downer from the talented alexandre aja .",
        "alexandre aja keeps the suspense tight for most of the movie , only to fritter it away in an overblown ending .",
        "MOV is too lugubrious and misconceived to reflect the talent of those involved .",
        "i suppose offscreen spring-loaded cats is in active development even as i write .",
        "alexandre aja proves once again that he is the best horror movie maker working today .",
        "a slab of shoddy , hollow rubbish that ca n't be bothered to concoct imaginative frights or even tenuous bonds between its supernatural terror and its characters ' human drama .",
        "despite some creepy scenes and superb special effects , MOV is let down by a ludicrous script and some dodgy acting , though it remains watchable on a so-bad-it 's - good level .",
        "te story is efficient but strangely uninvolving and not nearly as scary as the korean version .",
        "sutherland does a passable job of clenching his jaw grimly % u2014 lest it , too , be torn from his skull , perhaps .",
        "kiefer sutherland plays a variant of his jack bauer character -- except that this time , it 's the audience he tortures , and he fails to defuse the bomb -- the movie , that is .",
        "MOV have served as wonderful props and symbols in various genres , but in this poorly conceived and executed remake of the asian horror flick , french helmer aja does n't fully exploit their potential for spooky effects .",
        "at the goofiest point , a pane of glass actually bites kiefer sutherland . he yells at it , but the mirror does n't listen .",
        "jack bauer can disarm nuclear weapons without breaking a sweat , but he apparently ca n't locate a script worthy of his real-life alter ego .",
        "MOV is a minor success , meaning it 's a pretty big failure as well .",
        "in suspiria , udo kier says that `` bad luck is n't caused by broken MOV , but by broken minds '' - well after making this silly movie , director alexandre aja might think otherwise",
        "when we should be feeling fascinated by the unfolding mystery and creeped out by things acting up nastily , we instead find ourselves thinking too much and asking questions .",
        "the unfeasibly large number of scenes where sutherland must swap lines with the title characters makes the wait to get to the good stuff feel like an eternity .",
        "an unexpected twist elevates this well constructed supernatural thriller whose chilling concepts and vivid imagery make it a scary experience .",
        "ena remake poy oso pio polla soy leei , toso pio ilithio fainetai",
        "MOV is n't going to do aja 's burgeoning stateside career any favors .",
        "kiefer sutherland 's bad days in 24 are frolics in the park next to the nonsense he endures in this scandalously poor supernatural horror .",
        "the combination of sutherland 's beyond-the-call gravitas , director alexandre -lrb- high tension -rrb- aja 's demento visual sense , and a spookily lyrical ending earns it at least a short-term stay in the halls of yick .",
        "from making the terrific high tension , director aja should know better , but it seems that he has been seduced by hollywood to make shallow remakes for the rest of his career .",
        "at some point aja appears to have decided that he can not be bothered with all this remake malarkey , and instead he just goes completely ape with his plotting ... could well go on to become a cult classic .",
        "the director , alexandre aja , knows how to reflect the fear in people 's heads , but he gets too ensnared in a backstory that 's just gothic business as usual .",
        "faint praise alert ! MOV is nowhere near as bad as the initial reviews - and poor box office - portend .",
        "if you 're looking for another the sixth sense , the devil 's backbone , or the others , then MOV will definitely disappoint ; however , if you just want to see some wild , wicked witchery and trippy trickery , you will get your money 's worth .",
        "it skirts along the edge of greatness , but for every one thing it does right , it does another so inconceivably wrong .",
        "the ground zero for ghosts here is a burned-out luxury new york department store , making this yet another thriller with post-9 / 11 associations .",
        "aja attempts to take a slow-burning ghost story and turn it into one of his over-the-top gorefests and loses the essence of the story in his endeavors ... before wasting any money on this at theaters , you should probably reflect on it a bit ...",
        "with aja slathering on the cheap boo scares , overseeing rancid performances , barely investing in his screenplay , and showing questionable gorehound taste in violent imagery , MOV eventually reflects absolute tedium .",
        "an empty enterprise that provides a few moments of goofy fun , MOV reflects back nothing .",
        "filmmaker alex aja is a dab hand with the gore , and it 's only too bad you 've already seen most of the movie 's good stuff in the trailers and advertisements .",
        "alex aja has not only made the worst film of his career in MOV , he 's made possibly the worst film of the year .",
        "an ultimately uninteresting work that serves as a potential low point for one of the more promising genre filmmakers in recent times",
        "there 's no denying it has its moments . there 's also no denying it does n't have enough of them .",
        "... the mystery of the MOV is too complicated and too quickly solved ...",
        "aja ... apparently thinks that metaphysical speculation is for wimps ; his audience wants red meat , and he 's going to give it them , no matter how inappropriate it is .",
        "if you found aja 's previous films repellent , vile and stupid , this may make you rethink your probable decision to dismiss him as eli roth with a french accent .",
        "the plot makes absolutely no sense but i loved the ending",
        "inane , dull and about as scary as a drippy bottle of windex , MOV is a rip-off of the shining that substitutes a deserted department store for shining 's hotel and a strung-out kiefer sutherland for strung-out jack nicholson .",
        "how could horror be so dull ?",
        "audiences wo n't be crazy about what they see in these MOV .",
        "the main problem with MOV is its truly clunky screenplay , which fails to support the often stylish visuals .",
        "supernatural troublemakers and psychos under glass in an endlessly dreary , disappointing remake having less to do with keeping you awake at night than struggling to stay awake during viewing .",
        "this is a film that starts out strong , but turns silly once you bring the lights up on the plot .",
        "tedious ... like an `` unrated '' dvd version of itself",
        "the concept is n't the problem here , it 's the execution . never campy enough to qualify as a guilty pleasure or consistently scary enough to work as pure horror .",
        "it 's so ridiculous that it even makes the exorcist franchise films seem more sensible .",
        "not since star wars ' furry chewbacca has a male screen character made as much pointless noise as kiefer sutherland - either in this movie or as jack bauer in 24 .",
        "it 's not the worst entry in hollywood 's catalogue of asian horror remakes , but is aja 's most disappointing film to date .",
        "there are a few effectively grisly moments , but no really new ideas .",
        "the remake retains the sensationally creepy ending and it 's all reasonably done , but no real chills .",
        "MOV is n't a total wash of a horror film , but it is not unreasonable to expect more from a filmmaker who has delivered stronger , more confident works in the past .",
        "entertaining dross , but could be another seven year 's bad luck for keifer 's big screen career .",
        "MOV reflects little beyond splat pack auteur alexandre aja 's desire to push his genre into less punishing and more profitable territory .",
        "the script fails to come up with a convincing reason for the MOV behaving as nastily as they do , and the final twist is effective only if you do n't , as it were , reflect upon it .",
        "this lame supernatural horror screams straight-to-dvd , with little in the way of scares , but yawns aplenty .",
        "on reflection , MOV may have been better going straight to the dvd shelf .",
        "some credit for this stylish screamer goes to sutherland , forming his doughy-handsome features into an emotional punchbag . more credit goes to nemec , sowing a harvest of dark invention in the vast spaces ."],
    "summary": "inconsistency and listless plot make this k-horror remake a less-than-frightening time at the movies .",
    "id": "770740067"
  },
  {
    "movie": "doom",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... a thoroughly mediocre aliens ripoff .",
        "you know a video-game-based movie is bad when making it look more like a video game is an improvement .",
        "unlike the game , this gore-heavy and moronic science-fiction thriller does n't feature a player-control aspect . so there 's no way to skip past the early dull moments , or to end the game -- er , movie -- early .",
        "when the video game-to-movie thing becomes this literal , it only makes you wonder why anyone would want to see a big-screen MOV at all .",
        "MOV is like some kid came over and is using your computer and wo n't let you play .",
        "no one 's got their game on in MOV .",
        "the only way this movie becomes any fun is when it stops impersonating a game and simply becomes one .",
        "MOV is a treat for sadists , an empty time-passer for people who need only continuous noise and action , and a bane to the rest of us . be warned or encouraged accordingly .",
        "it 's possible there 's not a single moment in the movie - in terms of dialogue , plot or design - that ca n't be directly attributed to another flick .",
        "... about 15 minutes of action , violence and thrills diluted in about an hour of watching large men roam small , pipe-filled corridors holding absurdly large weapons .",
        "there 's so little to go wrong that those who like their entertainment mindless and violent will find little fault .",
        "when a movie is based on a video game , we expect it to kick butt and take names , and MOV does .",
        "MOV fans , rejoice ! the movie might not be intellectually stimulating , but it 's huge fun .",
        "try this on for size , `` everyone else 's chances at an oscar are doomed . '' i do n't mean it , but it is a cool quote , putting earl dittman to shame !",
        "it has its strengths , but it 's clunky , awkward , and repetitive every step of the way .",
        "too bad we did n't have bill paxton 's hudson to relentlessly shout out ` game over , man . game over ! '",
        "it 's surprising the rock 's latest is as bearable as it is .",
        "the phrase `` worse than super mario brothers '' should not be tossed around lightly when it comes to feature film adaptations of popular video games",
        "however low your expectations are for the movie take on the videogame MOV , lower them more",
        "-lsb- k -rsb- nows it 's a videogame movie and knows it 's an aliens ripoff and still ca n't muster up enough winkingness or snark to at least be clever about it ...",
        "it does n't feel like you 're in outer space , nor even cyberspace . it feels like ohio .",
        "MOV borrows gimmicks from other sci-fi/horror movies -- and not very well -- without creating enough of its own to do the trick .",
        "MOV becomes tedious in a hurry .",
        "MOV is n't doomed , but the movie does n't let loose and really rock until its final third .",
        "another sorry chapter in hollywood 's infatuation with video games , MOV is basically a deadly dull rehash of resident evil , which in turn was a third-generation clone of aliens .",
        "not only do we rarely get to participate in the fun -- fun being the chance to watch demon guts splattered across the walls -- but there 's barely any to be found .",
        "this is n't worth turning off the playstation to go see .",
        "beyond a couple of cool guns and one long , gory , clever first-person shot , MOV is something the video games have never been : dull .",
        "MOV is , hands-down , the best video game-based movie ever -- by far .",
        "MOV has some good jolts and action sequences , and never takes itself too seriously . however , watching the squad roaming around the dark corridors and sewer system of the research station starts to get repetitive .",
        "it comes as no surprise that the director blunders the material badly , if you can even call it material to begin with .",
        "is n't half bad because you sense the filmmakers approached a limited concept with the right amount of fun and dedication in mind .",
        "while it does n't necessarily break much new ground , its makers are also smart enough to not try to do more than they have the means to convincingly accomplish .",
        "even for a movie based on a splatterrific shoot - 'em - up videogame , MOV is doomed .",
        "fans of the game would rather play it themselves than watch someone else do it for them .",
        "if this had been made as a spoof of 1950s black and white sci-fi horror films , it might have been fun , what with the clash of zombie and sci-fi and mad scientist elements .",
        "forget dumb , stupid , loud , and endlessly derivative . i can live with those . but boring ? i just did n't see that one coming .",
        "during the obligatory explanation scene in MOV , i was quickly disinterested . i kept thinking , ` okay , enough talk . let 's start blowing things up . '",
        "hollywood has rarely produced a series of films as consistent as those based on video games : a dozen of them now , and not one has been any good .",
        "if he 's not careful , the fact that the rock 's characters - except for his comedic turn in be cool - are dreadfully similar is going to take its toll on his popularity .",
        "what might have made for exciting action scenes tend to become mechanical exercises in first-person-shooter monster-blasting .",
        "this actually is n't as bad as it could have been . that 's not high praise .",
        "MOV is irritating enough to make you blow off some steam by spending a couple hours gunning down demons .",
        "the filmmakers produced a mindless action movie that is n't mindless enough .",
        "charmless and brainless .",
        "this is fun , but not as much fun as just playing MOV .",
        "i kept expecting the `` game over '' message to flash up , but it never did .",
        "the final act is worth the price of admission for fans of the game . all things considered , though , i 'd much rather just be playing the game .",
        "... a guilty pleasure .",
        "will never be any better than average , but we were always promised unapologetic , violent , action-oriented fun and so if you go in with that in mind you 'd have to have a stone-cold heart not to have a blast .",
        "too often MOV is mindless entertainment minus the entertainment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- i -rsb- wonder how the respected cinematographer andrzej bartkowiak -lrb- prizzi 's honor , terms of endearment -rrb- came to direct such muddled , derivative crap .",
        "game over .",
        "despite some solid moves against viewer expectations , MOV ultimately embraces the cliched MOV of all video game movies .",
        "the only downside is that you ca n't use cheat codes to reach the end of the movie .",
        "in this formulaic , claustrophobic shoot 'em - up , based on a video game , soldiers quell a mutant uprising on mars .",
        "a good movie version of a video game as opposed to , say , an actual movie .",
        "MOV may be by the numbers , ... but those numbers add up to the most cleverly engineered video-game movie made to date .",
        "MOV ai n't shakespeare . but it 's not bad .",
        "it 's a deadly bore .",
        "the predictably heavy metal-scored film 's primary directive is to recreate the mindless mayhem of its joystick-controlled roots .",
        "... it surprised me by actually being a lot better than it deserved to be .",
        "it 's unfathomable how many times hollywood has struck out in attempts to convert popular video/computer games into movies . this is the kind of misfire that reinforces negative stereotypes .",
        "just call it ` aliens for dummies ' -- dark , murky , loud , gory and incredibly dull .",
        "those who step up to the box office window and request `` MOV '' will get what they asked for .",
        "a mostly standard-issue marine fetish festival and also a regressive role for the rock . he should never have to drop an f-bomb once , let alone 15 times , to seem tough .",
        "... mainly works as a celebration of very big guns -- one guy walks around with what appears to be a rototiller -- and the sort of holes they can put in living flesh .",
        "like the sci-fi horror action adventure game upon which it based , MOV is an unapologetically big , loud , raucous adrenaline rush .",
        "i 've already seen enough of everything that MOV has to offer .",
        "high art and smart sci-fi it is not , but you have to hand it to a film that plays its cards right , lays everything out on the table , and goes for broke .",
        "MOV may not be a sure-fire hit , but it 's certain to satisfy its target audience .",
        "the level of trouble you 're in when you 're down to stealing from uwe boll flies right off the scale .",
        "with uninspired fight choreography and sequences so dimly lit the viewer has a hard time deciphering where and what anything is , director bartkowiak reveals he 's no ridley scott when it comes to tension and buildup .",
        "director andrzej bartkowiak wants to give us the ultimate sugar rush , but all we get is the rush with none of the sugar and the come down is headache inducing .",
        "yes , MOV is a bad movie but you already knew that .",
        "a rip-off of the alien movies and george a. romero 's far superior zombie flicks , MOV is doomed to be awful .",
        "... shows less human dimension than the new wallace and gromit movie .",
        "it really just makes you want to play MOV .",
        "MOV plays like a third-generation knock-off .",
        "so niche-marketed to gamers that it might as well not be considered a film at all : it 's a marketing tie-in , albeit one with some exceptional production values .",
        "a lot like sitting next to your buddy , looking over his shoulder while he plays an old first person shooter on his computer . watching is n't as fun as playing .",
        "MOV fans , this is the movie that you 've been fragging for !",
        "the painfully long and insufferable last act is like being stuck in a bad first-person shooter video game nightmare .",
        "it 's pretty clear by now that characters in sci-fi movies have never seen a sci-fi movie .",
        "i recommend MOV with a lot of hesitation .",
        "easily the best videogame-to-film adaptation yet .",
        "is one aspect of this film really worse than the others ? no . they 're all equally bad .",
        "a blasting,blood-splattered shoot - 'em - up , it minimally utilizes the game 's first-person , role-playing perspective - and there 's no interactivity .",
        "i 'm sitting here shakey of hand and bulgey of eye , trying to convey just how pitiful this film is . yet no words i can think of do justice to this dross . it is just awful .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- dark , violent , nerve-wracking , trigger-giddy waste of time .",
        "shlocky , brainless shoot-em-up fun that 's almost as much fun as playing the game it 's based on . probably .",
        "if you 're going to make a video game adaptation this boring , why not just call it myst and be done with it ?",
        "after something goes horribly wrong at a science lab , martian monsters get to smell what the rock is cookin '",
        "well ... i 've seen worse . and that 's about the only recommendation i can make for `` MOV , '' yet another movie that 's based on a video game .",
        "so busy trying to look steely and hip that it forgets to engage us on any other level .",
        "shows , once again , that most -lsb- video games -rsb- ... are best left in their original form , allowing people to get their visceral thrills in the way they 're accustomed -- with a control pad .",
        "botched experiments unleash drooling monsters and zombies , and there are many chases through grimy industrial corridors , and if you think this sounds just like a rip-off of aliens and -lrb- gulp -rrb- resident evil , you are correct .",
        "MOV is a standard science-fiction/horror film that threatens to be substandard before perking up considerably in its final half .",
        "it takes someone who has actually played the game to explain what a colossally bad idea the MOV movie -- and most films that use video games as source material -- was from the start .",
        "there 's never a dull moment in this surprisingly clever imagining of one of the most popular video games of all time , especially considering that the murderous mayhem and extreme bloodletting that are its hallmarks remain intact .",
        "this movie proves that the best place to enjoy a video game is in your living room with a cordless precision controller iron-gripped in your sweaty hands .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- gory , shameless aliens -lrb- 1986 -rrb- rip-off .",
        "videogame geeks and lan-party enthusiasts everywhere , prepare to meet your MOV -- because it 's really not all that bad .",
        "the movie takes itself so seriously ; it has eliminated all possibility of fun . you 'd be better off going back to the video game and skipping the doomed movie version .",
        "just an alien knockoff , albeit a serviceable one .",
        "as far as i can tell , no one is at the controls of MOV .",
        "who knew that a life-and-death struggle in the dark with psychotic hybrids could end up being so bland ?",
        "there 's no rule that videogame movies have to be idiotic . and there 's no rule that action-horror flicks need be dumb .",
        "a bland lifeless piece of science fiction fodder that really does n't pay homage to the game .",
        "just your basic aliens rip-off with the name of a formerly popular video game franchise tacked on it .",
        "the long , long in development film adaptation of the classic video game shooter , MOV is a decent enough action film as long as you do n't expect too much out of it .",
        "just feels like the rock marking time and paying more dues until the more interesting and challenging offers come his way .",
        "if gaming is about playing , why would a gamer want to watch movies like this ?",
        "for a movie based on a video game , it brings what it promises",
        "a nifty piece of low-ambition entertainment that knows exactly what it is , and delivers fairly well on its promises .",
        "roger ebert put it best , `` MOV is like some kid came over and is using your computer and wo n't let you play . ''",
        "the best thing i can say about MOV is that it is n't nearly as bad as the vast majority of video-game-to-film adaptations .",
        "as a grand big screen video game brought to exaggerated life , MOV is about as flexibly entertaining as a needlessly squeaky joystick ... an over-extended misfire .",
        "it 's a loyal screen version of the game . that 's to say it fulfills expectations without actually being good .",
        "the rock 's version of the gung-ho zombie marine is nearly as gnarly as dolph lundgren 's -lrb- in universal soldier -rrb- , and definitely more personable",
        "the performances are awful , the action sequences are impossible to follow , the violence is gratuitous , the lighting is bad and i have my doubts that catering truck was even up to snuff on this project .",
        "`` our mission is to find our necks , '' rock tells his ornery platoon . `` i left mine in a locker at gold 's gym in 1985 , and i have n't seen it since . ''",
        "what the movie lacks in story , it makes up for in cost-cutting : it 's mostly shot in dark , endlessly redressed hallways , and its advertised beast is never fully shown .",
        "i 'm not ashamed to admit that i like director andrzej bartkowiak 's dmx/jet li movies , but he 's out of his depth here",
        "gamers would be better off playing MOV or sitting in front of a blank screen than wasting time with this incredibly dull aliens rip-off .",
        "you 're supposed to watch a movie and play a videogame ; they want us to watch a videogame -lrb- which is not fun -rrb- and feel like we 're playing a movie -lrb- which is not possible -rrb- .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "sure to please fans of the video game , but lacking in plot and originality to please other moviegoers .",
    "id": "8839"
  },
  {
    "movie": "edge_of_darkness",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's a middling comeback , tentative , wary of much , and a fascinating portrait of a hollywood icon doing his best to tiptoe back into the audience 's good graces . and gibson , a blue-eyed charmer to the bitter end , almost manages it .",
        "an uneasy translation , and while there 's an undeniably perverse pleasure in watching gibson mow down baddies once again , the film as a whole does n't form a narrative convincing enough to support such action cinema luxuries .",
        "the showdown with gibson almost singlehandedly saves the movie -- almost",
        "gibson , who has always been an undervalued actor , does a sturdy job as a grieving dad who still engages in conversations with his dead child ; it 's almost a letdown when he puts aside his mourning sickness and spirals into melodrama .",
        "gibson roots craven in credible middle-aged fatigue as if to prove he 's a truer artist than his haters claim .",
        "gibson is a credible , attractive hero , as he has always been , so if you want fast-food action , here 's your movie .",
        "kill someone 's only child , and what do you have ? you have a righteous avenger role almost too well-suited for gibson 's persona .",
        "this is easily one of the best films of mel gibson 's career and his performance is right on target .",
        "fairly solid thriller with a strong performance from gibson and some nice directorial touches , though die-hard fans of the tv series are advised to steer clear .",
        "MOV has earned its january release date -- this movie deserves to be dumped into theaters with little fanfare .",
        "the film , while it does n't lack tension , never catches fire . compared with the mini-series , it seems flattened out and improbable . it 's as if the change in setting has changed the mood too . and not for the better .",
        "this dramatic thriller tries to pack so much into two hours that it ends up feeling thin and repetitive . but it 's great to have gibson back on screen .",
        "what 's left still holds up nicely , thanks to firm plotting , campbell 's neat direction and a brace of decent performances .",
        "despite the sometime derivative trappings of the modern thriller , he delivers an intense slice of solid entertainment - although he never quite captures the trust-nobody paranoia of the original series .",
        "as if to divert the viewer from the mounting feelings of frustration and bafflement , gibson crashes a car or cracks a skull every couple of scenes .",
        "by the final reel the script has lost all interest in the plot 's complexities and drops the pretence of `` darkness '' in favour of a frenzied shoot - 'em - up .",
        "perforated with plot holes , and disastrously unsure of its tone , it starts steadily and sombrely , before switching to a hysterical parody of a conspiracy thriller : a parade of irrelevant car chases and ridiculously public assassination attempts .",
        "mel gibson 's grief-ravaged , vengeance-seeking boston cop is the best thing about this decent , unnecessary revamp of the 1985 bbc drama .",
        "MOV quickly devolves into another showcase for gibson 's snorting-bull act , a routine he could happily have shelved during his time off .",
        "it 's no candidate for greatness , but it does a good job of condensing a six-hour story into a lean thriller without feeling as if too much has been sacrificed .",
        "a bleak but engrossing and gripping thriller .",
        "love him or loathe him , the melster still has screen presence . that 's why he 's a star .",
        "disappointingly neutered in its own right , but considering the talent and material involved it 's almost heart breaking",
        "that inner pool of feral rage and icy intensity gibson routinely dips into has more than enough liquid left for one last dunk , even if it 's in service of a role gibson has explored countless times before .",
        "in a comeback role -lrb- his first in 7 years -rrb- , mel gibson is decent as the grieving , vengeful father , but the effort not effective in resurrecting the paranoia , anti-government , anti-big business thriller , which was popular in the 1970s .",
        "campbell 's topnotch production team yields predictably polished results , but the director 's decision to revisit the late troy kennedy martin 's teleplay , finally , feels lacking .",
        "there 's nothing especially edgy or dark , or darkly edgy , or even particularly twilit about MOV , at least as thrillers go .",
        "somber with a supernatural dimension , this tense thriller does n't catapult the viewer into the dark as brusquely as you might anticipate .",
        "it 's unusually well-written for a bloody actioner , and has unexpected layers .",
        "MOV is a meathead revenge picture , but it 's very satisfying .",
        "i liked the pace and the pulse of the film , but it launches no genuine surprise and , despite being irradiated with scenes of sickness and morbid one-liners , has little afterglow .",
        "perhaps the intrigue could have been boosted a little , but the formidable performances , biting script and campbell 's flair for visual storytelling make this a riveting , smart and unexpectedly moving thriller .",
        "gibson remains as rough and tough as ever , yet his older figure and stern demeanour provide a personable core to what could have spiralled out into a violence frenzy or incomprehensible whodunit .",
        "among the guns , fisticuffs and kicks , gibson plays craven as both vulnerable and lethal . mel gibson plus lethal . that is an original concept .",
        "there are plenty of tense , even powerful moments , but they 're surrounded by so much talky bullshit , illogical plotting and mumbly dialogue that they quickly lose all meaning .",
        "everything about MOV feels second-hand , though . the plotting is stodgy , the dialogue clich\u00e9d , and even the action sequences never get out of second gear .",
        "the film version condenses six episodes of edge-of-seat suspense into an engrossing two hours .",
        "ray winstone 's shady character represents both the screenwriter 's desperate attempt at coherence and the audience 's confusion ; especially as he keeps delivering the line , `` it 's my job to keep it convoluted . ''",
        "it 's a deeper and more thought-provoking film than i could have expected or imagined .",
        "a top-notch thriller ... a well-crafted addition to a genre that has made a refreshing and welcome comeback in recent years .",
        "the most interesting component to this mel gibson vehicle happens off screen . this movie is a totally thrill-less thriller .",
        "there 's more emphasis on bloodlust than grief -- a shame considering the mini 's most powerful moments explored craven 's deeply conflicted agony .",
        "mel gibson desperately needs a good movie . his fans need to see him in one . i am sorry to report that MOV is not it .",
        "there 's undeniable catharsis -- albeit an ugly , somewhat unsettling catharsis -- in MOV .",
        "gibson still knows what he does best , as a star should , and creates tension just from never letting the tears poised in his eyes fall .",
        "it is an engrossing and thoughtful film that balances bullets and blood with moments of introspection and musings about the nature of family .",
        "a shot that defiantly fixes on mel gibson 's balding pate from behind is the only evidence of the volatile actor-director 's famous penchant for cinematic self-flagellation here .",
        "although its paranoid trappings about nuclear weapons and radiation are more fitting to the eighties than today , campbell 's new MOV is a taut adult thriller .",
        "an intense mel gibson performance anchors this brutally effective crime thriller .",
        "i hope the miniseries lives up to its reputation , because the film version is a dud , devoid of any tension , suspense or good storytelling .",
        "for the third act it loses all credibility and suspense by derailing into a messy and pulpy mash-up of dr. no and death wish .",
        "a new genre is emerging in which aging a-list actors play fathers off on a rampage to rescue their daughters or avenge their deaths .",
        "what 's really disturbing is the manner in which the violence is presented . it 's not campy fun and it 's not realistic for a reason ... it wants you to cheer along : enjoy the bloodlust !",
        "an uneven , somewhat meandering thriller is given emotional pull by mel gibson 's excellent comeback performance . the lethal weapon has n't lost it .",
        "scriptwriters william monahan and andrew bovell have sadly sacrificed some of the original 's cultural specificity and its slow-burn quality .",
        "solid , hard-hitting and tense , `` MOV '' is a drama for grownups who enjoy thrillers .",
        "this movie marks the return of `` mad mel '' and he is in rare form . he dominates the film by being believably bereaved and vengeful",
        "the plot complications involving nuclear waste and political maneuvering have been trivialized beyond all meaning . but watching gibson in a revenge fantasy feeds all my needs for a bloodlusting b-movie feast .",
        "the pace is languorous , the volume -lrb- with the exception of three or four jolting episodes of violence -rrb- low , the lighting dim and grim .",
        "passable action thriller crafted solidly but unimaginatively , with a penchant for ridiculous tough-boy banter .",
        "this paranoid corporate political thriller is almost certain to disappoint anyone hoping for a repeat of the brooding suspense of the original .",
        "perhaps `` perversely watchable '' might be the right term to describe the film .",
        "you 've seen it , but it 's still entertaining ... a well-made genre-blender by professionals who know how to coax tears , deliver thrills .",
        "mel gibson looks battered and lined and tired ... but that serves him well in this brutal , paranoid thriller , a perfect role and strong comeback for the one-time mega-star .",
        "a long , complicated affair that has its moments but suffers from an overwrought plot .",
        "how did this canny , savvy performer get roped into such a dud for his big acting comeback ?",
        "mel gibson shines in this kind of role , and he 's at his very best in this politically charged thriller about a veteran homicide detective who goes after the murderers of his 24 year old daughter .",
        "mel is at the top of his game as the t-1000 of angry , grieving fathers",
        "acting in his first film since 2003 mel gibson is a bit rusty ...",
        "the film depends on gibson 's performance , and he comes through .",
        "as compressed and updated by screenwriters william monahan and andrew bovell , it 's just a conventional , divertingly propulsive , borderline boilerplate corporate-high-jinks thriller .",
        "a flatfooted but surprisingly agile trenchcoat thriller .",
        "a flawed thriller , to be sure , but the kind of edgy , captivating kind with great cast and production values that i go to the movies for .",
        "gibson tries on a boston accent -lrb- it needs work -rrb- and boringly underplays his character before the inevitable `` mad mel '' makes his appearance in the third act .",
        "gibson expresses a grief that is heartbreaking .",
        "remember the simpsons episode where mel gibson lets homer re-cut his movie and the results are ridiculous ? this is like that movie . it aims for serious but comes off hilarious .",
        "although entertaining , if workmanlike , for the first hour or so , it gets too carried away with its conspiracies - plus gibson 's faux boston accent is just terrible .",
        "gibson proves he 's still not to be messed with in a film that reasserts him as a sturdy , if rather grizzled leading man . a pity , though , this required campbell to cookie-cut his masterly '80s tv series into a formulaic actioner .",
        "for anyone prepared to make the necessary allowances - and there are a lot of them - it 's an exhilarating ride . and at the very least , you get to see gibson back on vengeful form . he 's not too old for this s ** t yet .",
        "mad mel can do vicious vengefulness like few others , but not even he can overcome a script that makes him do many things that are palpably stupid .",
        "gibson is on good form and campbell , as you would expect from the director of casino royale and goldeneye , stages some effective set pieces .",
        "this tumble towards knee-jerk revenge makes a brutish mess of a once-intelligent piece of storytelling , as if charles bronson had bagged the ralph fiennes role in the constant gardener .",
        "the film takes the revelations and twists at a hectic gallop , though it omits the spiritual , gaia-is-angry mysticism of the original . it 's not too bad , though it lacks the style of the recent film version of state of play .",
        "it 's a bold comeback by hollywood 's prodigal son , but he does n't beg for sympathy either . if only such guts could be found in the script - instead of splattered all over the floor at the last minute - this might have been a classic .",
        "here the genre seems painfully clich\u00e9d and heavy handed , implausible in one scene , gratuitous in another , then in turn sentimental and trite .",
        "gibson is willing to embrace the chance to be this generation 's charles bronson .",
        "without action , compelling characters or a coherent point of view , MOV does n't have a glimmer of good qualities .",
        "MOV is offered as a political thriller , but with real-world politics removed . what we 're left with is a familiar mechanism for delivering a vicarious , violent , wish-fulfilment fantasy .",
        "gibson looks every bit his age , but he can still bring the fierce determination as well as anyone in the business .",
        "a conspiracy that extends to the highest levels of tedium and confusion .",
        "the only edge here is in the title . this is indeed your father 's thriller .",
        "ray winstone delivers the story 's grim message to noir fans as if it were a bonbon on a tray : ` we all know what the facts are . we live a while , and then we die sooner than we 'd planned . '",
        "the plotline ... is so convoluted , it goes way past silliness ; the big reveals are obvious , and by the time they come to fruition , suspense has long since leaked away .",
        "-lsb- gibson 's -rsb- steady , sobering performance goes a long way toward distracting from the movie 's schlocky plotting and unimaginative construction .",
        "campbell adopts such a slow , ponderous approach to the material that you 're sound asleep before any of the particulars sink in .",
        "MOV ' moments of tension and excitement arrive in so many fits and starts that it never comes together cohesively to make a palatable potboiler .",
        "it worked for denzel and liam . why not mel ? losing a child gets an audience on the side of the hero faster than anything . mel is in fine form . stick to acting , buddy . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "the movie , directed by martin campbell , is solid entertainment , with a decent script and some choice dialogue .",
        "it 's certainly a worthy attempt at resurrecting the genre , but with guys like martin campbell and william monahan pulling the strings , MOV should have been a whole lot better .",
        "MOV is at its core a story about a man grieving from an inconsolable loss . this does n't ground just the film , it grounds gibson 's performance , which is among the best in his career . possibly the best .",
        "even with its flaws , it 's a top-notch nail biter that tries to be less about the kills and more about the thrills .",
        "all attempts at profundity are silenced by the deafening anger at the movie 's core . and the deeper the film delves into its layered plot , the more ludicrous it becomes .",
        "martin campbell 's direction keeps the uneasy mix of death wish 2 and michael clayton taut for a good deal of the running time",
        "relativno pristojan akcijski triler koji ipak daje dobre razloge hollywoodu da vi % u0161e ne skrnavi filmske i televizijske klasike",
        "convoluted action thriller .",
        "though ray winstone does his best to elevate this story , in the end MOV is a fairly basic mel beats up the bad guys flick",
        "MOV is reasonably well executed , but its competence reeks of fatigue . another dead kid . another angry dad . another day at the office .",
        "this film could have been two hours of gibson scanning through microfiche and it would n't have been any more dull .",
        "mel delivers on the darkness the title promises . it seems like his most intense performances since lethal weapon . i could imagine some of the scenes in this comparing to riggs ' suicide attempt .",
        "a remarkably accomplished thriller , one that 's never anything less than good and even approaches the edge of greatness .",
        "edge is a gripping thriller reminiscent of martin scorsese 's oscar-winning the departed , and mel gibson serves up a ferocious performance .",
        "if MOV exists simply to get mel gibson back on the big screen ... so be it .",
        "MOV is effective as a cathartic revenge yarn , at least until the absurdities begin to pile up during the final half-hour .",
        "it 's a revenge thriller ripped from today 's headlines . well , ripped from the headlines of 25 years ago , anyway .",
        "campbell and his cinematographer , phil meheux , create a pervasive sense of dread , with danger lurking around every corner of boston and its environs .",
        "if it sometimes seems as if we 've seen this particular mel gibson movie before , well , we have n't seen it for a long time . and it has aged reasonably well .",
        "martin campbell returns to the once edgy and jagged ground of his excellent bbc miniseries MOV with a much slicker spin that sheds much of what made the first go around so good .",
        "monahan mistakes rambling exposition for captivating back-and-forth and campbell does n't help any by making the film as drab and turgidly paced as possible .",
        "gibson , of course , snaps and snarls and blows out some brains with a joylessness that is thoroughly enjoyable . it 's like he never left .",
        "sadly the movie is a ponderous , unnuanced , run-of-the-cyclotron thriller .",
        "films like this are musicals for people who enjoy gunfire and mel gibson being shouty . they 're that satisfyingly heightened version of reality no one actually gets to experience .",
        "a thoughtful and harrowing drama about the lengths people will go to survive - and the changes of heart that one person undergoes to help them .",
        "the attempt at grittiness comes off soft .",
        "adapted from the landmark bbc mini-series by original director martin campbell , MOV is a polished piece of political suspense masquerading as a crime drama and pulling off both rather successfully .",
        "gibson brings his full tormented game : whatever 's wrong with the movie , it is n't him .",
        "mel gibson returns with one of his finest performances in the gripping yet patchy thriller , MOV .",
        "gibson does righteous anger better than just about any living actor , and MOV thrives best when he 's pushed to the limit",
        "a death wish movie that 's bamboozled itself into thinking it 's somehow important .",
        "it does n't exactly herald the return of mel gibson , movie star , but mel gibson , working actor % u2014 that title fits .",
        "while the film is generally boring and by-the-numbers for the majority of its running time , it adds enough surprising twists to make itself worthwhile .",
        "an entertaining enough thriller , even filled with enough dumb dumb plot holes , to if not welcome the butt kicking , heart of gold mel gibson back into good graces , at least give him a temporary access pass .",
        "give this one a pass and see winstone in 44 inch chest instead .",
        "even though gibson gives a fine performance , this film succeeds because of director martin campbell , who keeps the pace up and the tension rising .",
        "MOV is a surprisingly well-done thriller . unfortunately , after an hour and a half of substantial filmmaking , it collapses into a lethal weapon # 6 climax . but the bulk of the film is worthy .",
        "it 's a mel gibson film . you take him as he comes , which is usually at full pelt .",
        "... a passable yet wholly underwhelming piece of work ...",
        "MOV is entertaining .",
        "with clint eastwood seemingly retiring from the acting game , it 's good to still have at least one aging , scowling badass who is n't afraid to unleash the righteous thunder",
        "if payback and ransom dated and had a child it would be called MOV . gibson and winstone shine in this revenge film with a purpose .",
        "gibson nicely underplays the role of the father/cop/extremely crabby guy , but then why would n't he ? he 's done it about a dozen times before .",
        "gibson has n't had a starring role in seven years , but he has no trouble returning to work . that he looks a little wearier , and a lot older , simply adds to his character 's pathos .",
        "mr. gibson 's performance is certainly intense , but the gleeful energy he once brought to such hits as lethal weapon -- or even to conspiracy theory , an excellent flop -- has turned toxic , and his somber scourge is no fun at all .",
        "no longer quite so movie star handsome , gibson 's deeply lined features and thinning mane complement a performance that is finely tuned and textured -- mournful , cunning , determined and explosive with rage .",
        "gibson 's character here is a man crazed with grief . but it looks as if gibson is just using that as an excuse to act crazy , period .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- uprisingly underpowered , a plodding police procedural that thinks that holding back on ` action ' makes it ` serious ' even in the absence of anything substantial to take its place ...",
        "complicated and stupid , a waste of mel 's considerable talents and worse , a waste of your time .",
        "while it 's not quite a return to form , the film is welcome comeback vehicle for gibson .",
        "this crisp , gripping drama of brutal criminal intrigue and sinister moral violence is smart and absorbing in its every nuance , and gibson dominates the elaborate action with an assured performance that 's as authoritative as it is affecting .",
        "his face lined by life , he 's -lrb- gibson -rrb- more murtaugh now then riggs .",
        "a dark , brooding ` death wish ' - style melodrama that aims for the complexity of a good political thriller but does n't quite achieve it .",
        "MOV fails as a comeback vehicle , as a remake and , to a lesser degree , as a popcorn thriller .",
        "an above average thriller about a young woman caught up in a nasty and secret government conspiracy",
        "is this a drama about a father 's loss ? no . is this a political thriller ? maybe , but a good thriller should consistently surprise the viewer . the movie 's revelations are met with a resounding `` duh . ''",
        "a crime drama that 's exciting in the moment and that lingers in the mind .",
        "gibson remains -- despise or defend him -- a uniquely fascinating screen presence as our shattered hero .",
        "it 's been nearly eight years since his last starring role onscreen , but fans need n't worry : mel gibson still has the makings of a formidable action star .",
        "... gets bogged down with a very talky script , little-to-no action , and a convoluted plot involving an energy corporation cover-up , corrupt government , and nuclear weapons .",
        "... we must sit through inexorable hokum and titillating violence ... right up until the infuriating end .",
        "after 7.5 years in which his only starring role involved a drunken traffic stop , mel gibson returns -- and he 's the same old mel . -lrb- emphasis on the word `` old . '' -rrb-",
        "in the end , all the plotting is basically thrown out the window anyway to focus on a gun-toting gibson hunting down the people who 've wronged him . - nerve.com",
        "MOV is n't a great film but it 's crisply efficient one that 's almost always engrossing ... gibson has fire in his eye and gravel in his bahston accent .",
        "the film 's populist avenger is quintessential gibson .",
        "in a time when the films grossing the most are 3d , cgi monsters , it was a relief to see what is , essentially , a good old , well acted story . other filmmakers would do well to remember that , as pretty as the icing is on a wedding cake , no one wants to eat i",
        "on the surface , MOV might seem like your typical violent revenge thriller , but it actually has some intriguing layers and surprising twists that get your full attention .",
        "crazy mel returns from the MOV . i 'm not sure what i expected from this movie but it is a good solid return to form for mel . just stay off the coo-coo pills .",
        "after a solid , sensitive first-half , it disintegrates into standard-order , often senseless and inconsistent action , centering on maniacal mad mel .",
        "... a thriller that will keep you guessing right up to its poetic but fitting ending .",
        "a cross of the lovely bones and no way out , only in bostonese !",
        "the mix and match of genres can certainly work in the right hands , but campbell , an excellent journeyman director , never quite nails it down here .",
        "a flawed , middle-of-the-road , mildly enjoyable thriller .",
        "the weightiness and the catastrophic implications of the conspiracy do n't sit well with what is essentially a death wish-inspired revenge fantasy .",
        "the headline hoohah of the last couple of years made most of us forget that gibson is an exceptional actor .",
        "not only is MOV gibson 's best work in a decade -- a big improvement over such drivel as what women want -- it is a well-crafted thriller .",
        "feels condensed and convoluted , with too many cheap shortcuts to tie things together .",
        "works simultaneously as a taut action-thriller , an engrossing murder mystery , and an evocative statement on the dark side of big business and governmental politicking .",
        "a byzantine plot sinks the movie .",
        "both tom and the man who plays him seem intent on expiating some transgression .",
        "there are few things worst than a film that has entire scenes , characters and events that roam freely like feral orphans , abandoned by the plot . MOV is replete with them .",
        "smart enough to play some games with genre logic , and involving enough to make us go along with the notion that it 's more than its surface , even if it 's not .",
        "parental content review",
        "... the 1985 miniseries stands up just fine twenty-five years later . the feature film version will be forgotten in twenty-five days .",
        "gibson has the gravitas and charisma to hold our attention",
        "glossy exploitation cinema without guts .",
        "an otherwise entertaining revenge thriller with mel gibson and ray winstone shining above material that transforms throughout the course of its plot ...",
        "as expertly headlined by mel gibson ... MOV makes a virtue of its fatalism , while ace mainstream director martin campbell compensates well for the script 's shortcomings in the credibility department . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the whole fails to really satisfy as either an action or mystery thriller .",
        "... recalls contemporary american crime fiction as much as british conspiracy thriller , and at its best it 's a piece of blunt force drama ...",
        "standard rogue copseeks-revenge story is more entertaining than most thanks to mel gibson 's seething -lrb- and likely self-referential -rrb- turn as police detective thomas craven , who 'll stop at nothing to bring down the corporate meanies who did in his daughter .",
        "while it offers nothing particularly new or original , it does maintain one 's interest and provides a welcome return to the screen of a fine actor .",
        "for all his silly charm , undiminished by his off-screen controversies , gibson is most fascinating when wrestling with his demons .",
        "with the lack of energy infused in the film , it 's hard to get truly embroiled in the conspiracy but that does n't mean MOV is a complete failure .",
        "boasting a nuclear facility roach motel where you ca n't check out , a villain politician who just happens to be a democrat , and a kindly hitman played by ray winstone , but who was originally robert de niro until he backed out over creative differences .",
        "slow and silly plot notwithstanding , if you like your mel gibson out of control and a little bit crazy , this movie is for you .",
        "an initially intriguing policier that gradually loses suspense and cleverness as it bites off more than it can chew .",
        "gibson delivers some great lines in the movie . his successful return to the screen mirrors clint eastwood 's performance in `` gran torino '' .",
        "mesmo n\u0103o sendo um grande filme , ao menos prova que gibson ainda pode carregar um projeto com facilidade .",
        "amid the foreseeable twists and overused plot points , i had a lot of fun watching mel gibson kick ass",
        "MOV is more detective story than action-packed taken knock-off , but if you miss mel gibson on the big screen it 's worth checking out .",
        "mel gibson is back and he 's got an edge-of-your-seat thriller to show for it .",
        "it 's good to have you back , mel .",
        "both smarter and thornier than advertised . gibson is beginning to breathe the same rarefied craggy air of folks like lee marvin , robert ryan , and warren oates ... see the movie ; stay off his lawn .",
        "gibson lights a bonfire under his old self , and once word gets around about this taut , seamless thriller , his body of fans may come full circle ."],
    "summary": "for better and for worse , MOV offers vintage mel gibson , working within the familiar framework of a bloody revenge thriller .",
    "id": "770797691"
  },
  {
    "movie": "rumble_in_the_bronx",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a true original at work , a man who can take a ski , a pinball machine or a football helmet and make them part of his own graceful brand of art .",
        "as the guy who cleans up a ghetto , helps a crippled kid and does battle with a rampaging hovercraft , chan shows off the muscle of a superhero and the charm of a deft comedian .",
        "the emphasis here is on impossible stunts and hilarious gags . when one of the bad guys says , ` i ca n't believe this guy , ' the audience will likely agree .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "awe-inspiring .",
        "the very medium of the moving picture exists to create the suspension of disbelief , and there is no greater live performer than chan to make us believe you can beat up a street gang with a linen jacket and refrigerators .",
        "you can smirk at rumble and deny its pedigree with some justification , as long as you concede that it 's 10 times more fun to watch than before and after and mary reilly put together .",
        "the fun of MOV is watching chan build up one inventive and off-the-wall action scene after another .",
        "first-class acrobatics , second-class comedy , a third-class plot .",
        "it 's not often you find a movie as exciting and awful as MOV .",
        "if you are an action fan , and have n't seen chan before , definitely see this film . if you do n't have the taste for the genre , however , there is absolutely nothing here to draw you in .",
        "chan , doing everything at once including all his own stunts , has an infectious energy that will help to remind you why you love movies .",
        "as the star cheerfully camouflages massive bandages on a twisted ankle , we also get a glimpse of just how far chan is willing to go to please his audience .",
        "the whole point is jackie chan - and , like astaire and rogers , he does what he does better than anybody .",
        "unlike most action stars , chan understands acting . his face is as flexible as his body , and , when he 's moving , he 's like a violent , supercharged combination of gene kelly , fred astaire , and buster keaton .",
        "some dizzyingly exciting action marks chan 's stateside debut .",
        "it 's light on plot and character , but the stunts are well staged .",
        "a daft , but hugely enjoyable gangster romp .",
        "whoever demands three-dimensional characters , thoughtful exploration of some important issues or even some semblance of plot from a movie should never watch MOV .",
        "i 've seen jackie chan movies in cantonese with no subtitles , and it 's easy to shake off the plot that you do n't understand and just root for the good guys . the same goes here .",
        "chan 's insistence on his own fallibility and vulnerability , taken with virtuoso scenes like the fight involving 101 domestic appliances , shows why he means more to his countless fans than six us action stars put together .",
        "yes , the production values for support acting , dubbing , and photography are marginal , at best . but , the stunts and action sequences are a breath of fresh air when compared to the bloated , hi-tech hollywood actioners we 're seeing .",
        "great action strung together by the weakest of plots .",
        "great fun despite cheap , shoddy production and dubbing .",
        "it 's jackie chan delivering tasty kung fu smackdown . as long as that 's what you go in looking for , you wo n't be disappointed .",
        "chan is his usual amazing self onscreen .",
        "rumble is nonstop action .",
        "it 's set in new york but made in the more affordable vancouver , the plot makes no sense , the costumes are from some '80s timewarp , the acting ranges from lousy to a little better , the dialogue dubbing is atrocious . and the movie is pretty terrific .",
        "even though you know what 's coming up , it 's damn compelling stuff .",
        "more than a martial arts whiz , the 41-year-old chan possesses the comic timing of a born clown , the grace of a broadway hoofer and the daredevil bravado of an evel knievel .",
        "despite the picture 's numerous shortcomings , MOV still packs more laughs and inventive action than most of hollywood 's jaded action product .",
        "jackie chan kicks butt , gets beat up , kicks more butt , survives a collapsing building , skis in his sneakers behind a hovercraft , foils a heist , befriends a motorcycle gang , falls in love , and attends his uncle 's wedding . what more could you want ?",
        "giddy , surprising and raucous fun .",
        "the film may look amateurish , but the camera-work is fluid , the best to catch chan 's choreography .",
        "the most fun-loving film of the current season .",
        "the story is nothing more than a thin veneer and a poor one at that over a movie to show off the martial arts talents of jackie chan .",
        "a giddy triple somersault of a film that makes no sense whatsoever , although in its best moments it is as much fun to watch as a death-defying circus act .",
        "an awkward hybrid of asian and american film techniques .",
        "if anything , MOV is a good example of a foreign film trying to look american and failing miserably .",
        "for once a film 's ad line has a whiff of truth about it : ` no fear . no stuntman . no equal . '",
        "the plots is dopey as usual , the acting is dreadful and the humor ai n't very subtle , but at least , tong has a talent at crafting fast-paced action scenes .",
        "all of chan 's movies are dumb fun , and this was no exception .",
        "it 's really complicated : see , there 's these bad guys ... and then jackie chan beats the crap out of them .",
        "chan 's u.s. breakthrough may not be his best , but it 's up there ."],
    "summary": "an entertaining jackie chan stunt-fest in which the impressive action sequences overcome the low production value and by-the-numbers plot .",
    "id": "14249"
  },
  {
    "movie": "The-Rum-Diary",
    "reviews":
     [
        "for the most part , it 's just plodding along with the occasional dash of humour .",
        "it 's been so fabulously written , wonderfully acted ; depp is no stranger to representing the essence of thompson and he 's brilliant .",
        "a sprawling , superficial , sporadic story that fails to live up the expectations of it 's inspiration , it 's star and the previous cinematic incarnations of the man .",
        "feels like its been squeezed out of a tube rather than shot out of a canon .",
        "perhaps this material works better as a novel , where thompson would have been able to take his time developing each story as it occurred , but as a film , it just does n't work .",
        "of obvious interest to thompson acolytes and of no obvious interest to anyone else . as a fan of thompson and robinson , i enjoyed the film 's laid-back shagginess .",
        "depp and writer-director bruce robinson -lrb- `` withnail & i '' -rrb- pack the script with pithy hunter-isms , hurling many of thompson 's euphonious locutions at us right from the opening scene .",
        "intriguing performances help MOV successfully capture the spirit of the source material -- even if the result is a scattered piece of filmmaking .",
        "i 'm glad depp and thompson were so close , and i 'm sure hunter would have been touched by the tribute . but that does n't make it any fun for the rest of us to watch .",
        "an entertaining but misfired take on the formative years of famed gonzo journalist hunter s. thompson .",
        "there are strong moments , usually on the comedy side , and robinson does an excellent job of infusing the movie with the right amount of seediness .",
        "the hangover from MOV does n't hit until the uninspired third act .",
        "MOV is sort of the filmic equivalent of an unexpected blast of jazz -- an amusing slice of tropical noir beholden to little more than its own snappy rhythms .",
        "misses greatness , but contains elements of greatness of the kind that only comes from filmmakers who are willing to take real chances .",
        "call this one ` fear and loathing in puerto rico ' ; same actor , same author , same dull result .",
        "for a booze-soaked tale , MOV is dry viewing .",
        "MOV is entirely predictable in its unpredictability .",
        "by now , debauchery modeled on hunter s. thompson has begun to feel old hat",
        "full of affection for the late dr t , this droll if bitty frolic is destined to form a triple bill someday with fear and loathing and where the buffalo roam .",
        "boozy and incoherent , appealing primarily to cultish devotees of hunter s. thompson - of whom there are obviously far fewer than anticipated .",
        "a strange , shaggy trip through a landscape of failure with depp as the understated , hungover tour guide .",
        "plot less and passionless .",
        "maybe if you have a little rum before viewing you can enjoy the diary , i however was not impressed .",
        "MOV feels about as focused as an all-night bender , which i suppose is kind of the point , but is its natural , rugged charm enough ?",
        "a prozac picture when a touch of reefer madness would have helped .",
        "a fitting tribute to hunter and the demise of the american dream , but first and foremost a thrilling and funny snapshot of a country on its knees and a writer finding his feet .",
        "it 's funny as hell in places and touchingly warm .",
        "enjoyably ramshackle , frequently funny drama that delivers the appropriate flavour of early hunter s. thompson , thanks to terrific performances , a literate script , superb production design and a cracking soundtrack .",
        "while wearing the politics lightly , robinson neatly captures the transitional , expectant mood of both the time and the place .",
        "in the time it takes to watch MOV , you could walk halfway across the isle of wight .",
        "may johnny depp 's devotional labors on behalf of his late pal now cease .",
        "slow and strangely conventional -- two words that should never apply to thompson or his work .",
        "22-year-old hunter s. thompson wrote a novel about men in their 30 \u2032 s working for a puerto rican newspaper , equally soaked in the title libation and the brinier flavors of cynicism and failure .",
        "the vital part of kemp 's -lrb- and , by extension , thompson 's -rrb- development in MOV is the discovery of his voice , a concept with which robinson seems disinterested .",
        "it 's a sort of unofficial prequel to fear and loathing in las vegas , more likely to appeal to college students drunkenly completing their writing assignments than lusty ladies with a navy jones .",
        "rum is in short supply and a diary might have come in handy to understand who paul kemp is beneath the surface . that is , if the viewer had been given a reason to care in the first place .",
        "one has to wonder if the studio will make back its investment of some $ 45 million . but obviously , depp is as big a box office draw as anyone , so it will be interesting .",
        "those of us who appreciate and celebrate oddness , and johnny depp , will be pleasantly rewarded .",
        "it never got weird enough for me .",
        "a mild lark disguised as a wild bender , `` MOV '' is also a touching tribute to thompson himself , who committed suicide in 2005 .",
        "MOV is an overheated , heartfelt tribute . it 's celluloid strained through a homemade still and fermented until near toxicity",
        "this is a film that depends more on tone and atmosphere than narrative strength . it wo n't be to everybody 's taste , but i found it diverting and easy to take .",
        "MOV is too timid ... recounting thompson 's words , but never really providing us with any insight into his mind .",
        "the supporting cast of journalistic riffraff is uniformly excellent .",
        "this may simply be a matter of sensibility , but i just do n't find this sort of self-absorbed counterculture non-narrative interesting . my kingdom for some drama .",
        "a refreshing change of pace for depp and a welcome comeback for robinson .",
        "MOV is too muted to convey the intensity that propelled thompson past most of the other magazine feature writers of his boozy era .",
        "MOV is a woozy mess that should never have made it to theaters . but then , it stars johnny depp , so it did .",
        "it is n't great . but it gets close .",
        "there was a reason `` MOV '' did n't find a publisher until a late-in-life thompson resurgence , and it 's clearer still in this adaptation - there 's no real drama here .",
        "a noble shot at a novel barely worth reading , much less filming , and the fact that it comes as close as it does to really working is a minor miracle , and one worth seeing",
        "jazzy and colorful , full of men and women in swell clothes driving cool cars , MOV has a bit of a seedily exotic graham greene vibe , and robinson moves things along at a nice , casual clip , even in the film 's more overheated moments .",
        "the film has many flaws -- overlong , episodic , earnest -- and yet if does offer vivid insights into the identity formation of the cult writer as a young man and of the broader context of puerto rico .",
        "this ` rum ' lacks the punch it should have had ... runs out of steam as it proceeds , fading like a drunk on his last legs .",
        "in every move , depp makes you believe this was a passion project for the actor , one he dedicates to thompson .",
        "at best diverting , at worst drearily conventional , MOV is pre-gonzo thompson . but the seeds are there , ready to yield a harvest of fear and loathing .",
        "`` MOV '' has been retroactively hunter s. thompson-ized . and not for the better .",
        "what 's missing is a sense of dramatic urgency . the film is a colorful travelogue unsure of where it 's going .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        ". . sozzled through and though without ever getting in the groove of a true bender",
        "after years of watching johnny depp give performances from behind thick rings of pirate eyeliner or masks of outlandish tim burton makeup , it 's a relief to see him , more and more often these days , acting with nothing but his real face .",
        "boasts a highly impressive cast and contains some great touches , but it 's too long by a half hour and meanders severely in its second half .",
        "it may not break new ground , but it is easily the best of the film adaptations of thompson 's work .",
        "while it 's not 100 % successful , most of the time it will have you either laughing hysterically or mad as hell .",
        "raggedly uneven in its execution -lsb- with several stories -rsb- all vying with one another in tone and mood and point and nothing but depp 's chameleon-like performance to tie them all together",
        "writer/director robinson is anything but disciplined ... and he 's more inclined to just turn the camera on and let depp do his thing . which depp does very well , but as talented and watchable as he is , even he ca n't completely save the picture .",
        "hunter s. thompson hated phonies ; in a lot of ways , MOV is one .",
        "reimagines a piece-of-shit novel as a piece-of-shit movie",
        "MOV has no mighty gonzo wind . even with a push from its thompson-worshipping star , johnny depp , it leaves our freak flag limp .",
        "maybe depp just does n't want to upstage his hero .",
        "watching this film is like downing too many margaritas in the noonday sun ... should have been an insanely irreverent nose-thumb at convention . instead , it 's a civics lesson in social responsibility",
        "despite some scattered moments of bad craziness involving the hero and his drinking buddies , the spine of the story is no strange and terrible saga but a conventional morality tale .",
        "the whole movie is one big , beautiful , funny , nostalgic blast and a fine , fitting tribute to a writer who relished skewering sacred cows .",
        "like the tropical breezes that fairly waft off of the screen , it reeks of promise yet to be fulfilled . and booze . lots and lots of booze .",
        "maybe this is a film that the faithful will see in a different light than a neophyte",
        "depp stares off into space , as if his brain were being slowly eaten by worms , and he speaks in a robo-monotone . you could call his acting `` cool , '' but a more apt description would be monochromatic and hollow .",
        "`` MOV '' panders to fans of the thompson legend with very broad drug-booze comedy that sits uneasily with the movie 's pretentions to anti-colonial commentary .",
        "there are times when the story behind the making of a film is more interesting than the finished product . this is one of those occasions .",
        "there is n't a single character in this jam-packed movie who does n't register vividly , and that is a tribute to the antic skills of robinson ...",
        "this is a rambling , shambling , period piece that never quite comes together .",
        "depp plays a real person but is just a sleepwalker in a meaningless dream . what happened to acting ? how about an interesting story ?",
        "... a sporadically brilliant mess , caked with dust from sitting on the shelf for three years - fitting since the half-finished source novel moldered in a desk drawer for decades .",
        "depp , who was a long time friend of thompson and portrayed him in `` fear and loathing in los vegas , '' manages to get under the skin of the great gonzo journalist and give the audience a brief look at what made him tick .",
        "a more interesting movie if you have some rum in you at the time .",
        "it flirts with becoming a great journalism tale , or at least a whimsical journalism tale , but that vein leads nowhere , too . nor is it much of anything else , except a disordered ramble through thompson 's creative imagination .",
        "depp adroitly captures the `` gonzo '' spirit of the journalist/author/ingester of many substances .",
        "if you 'd like to see one version of the story about how the real thompson became the famous , public thompson , `` MOV '' is a solid and entertaining telling of that tale .",
        "paul may be played by one of the most charismatic actors alive , but for the most part , he is just another boozy hack .",
        "`` MOV '' exudes a cheery , beery sense of warmth and affection .",
        "the juice that powers `` MOV '' has very little to do with the title drink , and almost everything to do with johnny depp looking happily intoxicated to play a real character again .",
        "we have some fun with it , but you can tell the actors -lrb- not to mention the characters -rrb- are having a lot more fun than we are .",
        "it 's sort of chaotic . it swings around all over the place but it 's nicely done . it 's nicely acted and johnny depp 's terrific .",
        "johnny depp gets lost in paradise and a film with no plot .",
        "after all the promise of a perfect cocktail , MOV quickly becomes like being the only sober person at a party where everyone else is absolutely trashed .",
        ". . engaging and entertaining , at times deadly serious in its own way , with lots to say ... a satisfying and often funny telling of a great true story",
        "you can smell the debauchery in this rum-soaked caribbean paradise where truth plays tug-of-war against complacency ... it 's a heady tale with seductive elements and depp waltzes brilliantly into the tailor-made role",
        "because the pace and trajectory changes so noticeably , `` MOV '' almost feels like three different films . some may like that ; i did n't .",
        "this very funny , keenly observant movie meanders in the best way possible .",
        "there are some good things including a great soundtrack and strong performances from the likes of giovanni ribisi and michael rispoli , but it is a disappointing and overlong affair .",
        "a literal-mindedness about hunter s. thompson 's metaphors infuses the film : scary puerto rican natives threaten paul and salas during their wild nights , rich white men look overstuffed in their wicker chair .",
        "-lsb- d -rsb- isappointingly unengaging ... -lsb- f -rsb- eels sadly quaint from our perspective today , half a century into the journo-zombie infopocalypse ...",
        "while it may not be ground breaking stuff , MOV should register as a delirious ode to the 99 % .",
        "there are a couple of humorous moments , but not many .",
        "sexy , spunky and clever ... neither vacation nor bender ; it 's the enthralling blur of being lost somewhere in the middle .",
        "the undertaking was a labor of love . the results are more a labor of `` like , in parts , '' but they certainly do n't resemble anything else on screen at the moment .",
        "an agreeable time-waster for the onlookers and its star .",
        "feels loose but lackadaisical -- a shaggy-dog story that 's mostly shag and little dog .",
        "`` rum '' is certainly very funny in spots , but it 's also disjointed and unfocused to a point of aimlessness .",
        "we have the feeling that kemp/thompson saw much of life through the bottom of a dirty glass and did not experience it with any precision . the film duplicates this sensation , not with much success .",
        "never comes close to matching its subject 's passion .",
        "robinson is a solid director and MOV is rarely dull .",
        "we have some fun with it , but you can tell the actors -lrb- not to mention the characters -rrb- are having a lot more fun than we are .",
        "depp , while always fun to watch , phoned this one in .",
        "more a vague ramble of places , people and loose events than a film . now we know why mr. thompson consigned the manuscript to a dusty box in his basement for decades .",
        "the flick , whose advertisements were obviously channeling fear and loathing in las vegas , is a slow , sometimes intriguing , mess that lacks direction and rich characters .",
        "the conflicts are undercooked , johnny depp 's performance rote and the film mired in a sort of existential haze .",
        "perhaps they needed more rum while filming MOV .",
        "the result is a strange push-pull between depp 's farcical inclinations and robinson 's world-weariness , and while it does n't totally gel , eckhart and heard do some really interesting work on the margins .",
        "for depp , this is a welcome return to the rebellious character actor he used to be -lrb- long before he became a billion-dollar savior for disney -rrb- , and i 'd like to see him continue to explore thompson 's work on-screen .",
        "a lengthy drinking binge of a movie : it 's fun for a while , seems to offer more meaning than it actually does - and leaves you wishing it had n't ended so badly .",
        "it 's a muddled movie in dire need of a cleaner edit , but there are moments of tremendous clarity that bring out some amusingly crooked behavior , articulated with a tight thompson shuffle by depp .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- was made three years ago , shelved in some musty editing room where unreleasable movies go , and looks it . the dust still shows .",
        "you ca n't deny the fun of seeing depp retro-construct a muted version of his vegas mugging like de niro riffing on brando 's don corleone .",
        "writer-director bruce robinson has rewritten thompson 's autobiographical novel in the inebriated-buddy image of his withnail and i ; his dialogue is wickedly quotable , his moral outrage unabashed .",
        "if they ever make a time travel tourism film about 1960 puerto rico , it will be the opposite of MOV .",
        "an imperfect portrait of what so often is overlooked when it comes to thompson : his writing , and his obsessive dedication to it .",
        "fans of hunter s. thompson may appreciate the way his words are realized , but the story is fairly flat and there 's a lot of dry exposition .",
        "it 's impossible not to admire the mild , sweet-tempered eccentricity of `` MOV '' ...",
        "MOV 's plot , so to speak , often drowns in its stream of gonzo consciousness . it is a movie of vibrantly decadent parts that never truly become whole .",
        "charming though the majority of the film may be , for a story about a man finding his voice , this one eventually loses its nerve .",
        "MOV could use a shot of the mania that fueled terry gilliam 's fear and loathing in las vegas . as deadpan as he is , depp could use a crazed benicio del toro to complement his cool .",
        "a mirthless , sparkless `` comedy '' of galley journalism and tyro bohemianism in 1960s puerto rico .",
        "despite some crazy antics , the film takes an earnest , slightly too-faithful tone that makes it strangely leaden .",
        "rich in atmosphere and brimming with eccentrics , the picture should be a home-run for robinson who has plenty of opportunities to indulge in withnail-style insanity but the picture never quite takes off .",
        "it clomps across two long hours on four flat tyres .",
        "depp , that purring persian cat of an actor , never looks drunk or scared or angry in any way , and the final defiant journalistic call to arms against the `` bastards '' is just hot air .",
        "a rare glimpse into the mind of the gonzo writer and among depp 's best work .",
        "while the actor 's motives are very touching , this comical road trip to puerto rico during the eisenhower era is a bore .",
        "this is a rambling comedy with enough good moments and witty lines to compensate for its messiness .",
        "it 's this romantic sub-plot and the film 's strangely unsatisfactory climax that stop it being perfect .",
        "the film looks good and robinson gives his actors lines they can spit out with some relish .",
        "a subpar comic adventure that 's nonetheless admirable for its restrained vision of thompson in his early gestation period .",
        "the film as a whole is best appreciated as a succession of richly rendered moods , plenty stimulating in the moment but rarely coalescing into something greater .",
        "despite an occasional gleam in depp 's eye , this is something you 'd never associate with thompson : sluggish . robinson directs so earnestly it might be a portrait of the artist .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- as with bruce robinson 's enormously popular cult film `` withnail and i , '' `` MOV '' is an alcohol-soaked story of a search for self that comes from crawling through the belly of the beast .",
        "the film too often feels like a series of perfunctory episodes that do n't cohere into a satisfying whole .",
        "hilarious , sexy and intoxicatingly entertaining hunter s. thompson romp .",
        "it 's too bad a similar level of thought did n't go into having the screenplay do more with the material than simply place it on-screen .",
        "robinson , who also wrote the screenplay adaptation , does n't present the cartoonish thompson we 've come to expect . it 's a refreshing , grounded view of the writer .",
        "overlong yet quite affecting in parts , MOV ends up an arresting snapshot of puerto rico in 1960 , even if its story is only sporadically compelling .",
        "MOV remains a relatively mild diversion , not at all unpleasant but neither compelling nor convulsive .",
        "it 's pretty much withnail & i in a tropical climate , but far less fun .",
        "never coheres as anything but a set of disconnected incidents .",
        "it is just disappointing - sadly not interesting or funny enough .",
        "if the end result does n't quite manage to stir up the indignation robinson obviously intends , it 's still a creditable and very likeable offering .",
        "there are colorful moments in ` MOV , ' but they do n't jell together . it feels more like a 1st episode than a movie .",
        "it 's not until the close that depp as thompson 's screen surrogate finally uncorks the cascading darkly comic poetic rage that he would go on to direct against the world 's ` bastards ' , but by then it 's too late to set the movie on fire .",
        "by the time it finally gets going , viewers may have lost patience with it .",
        "it 's a smart , good-looking adaptation - if nothing else , proof that robinson deserves more directing work - but just a bit too sober to truly excite .",
        "much of it is interesting to a short point , well directed with good scenery etc , but the introduction of substances means depp looks far too pirates ' fit .",
        "the result is a lot of myth-making fun with depp as thompson 's faux-naif 30-year-old alter ego paul kemp ."],
    "summary": "it 's colorful and amiable enough , and depp 's heart is clearly in the right place , but MOV fails to add sufficient focus to its rambling source material .",
    "id": "770768030"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1052692-1052692-speed",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the best action picture hollywood has made in years .",
        "we 've seen this done before , but seldom so well , or at such a high pitch of energy .",
        "hopper and reeves make for a great match-up and the tension never stops .",
        "the epitome of a popcorn flick : entertaining and relatively harmless .",
        "watchable junk .",
        "there is no letup in this slick action adventure . there is also no character development and the story is n't really believable , but who cares ? this movie is fun .",
        "cleverer action films -lrb- die hard ii and the fugitive , for instance -rrb- deliver more sardonic intelligence , but this one still gets the job done .",
        "relentless without being overbearing , this is one likely blockbuster that does n't feel too big for its britches . it 's a friendly juggernaut .",
        "good suspense movie , third act is weak",
        "an exhilarating thrill machine that goes from 0 to 50 in the opening minutes and never lets up .",
        "sandra bullock steals the movie . you can actually see her working her charms on keanu during certain scenes ; he cracks a smile from time to time .",
        "eventually , inevitably , -lsb- it -rsb- goes too far , too fast , and ends up off the rails .",
        "a classic of its kind .",
        "if you 're inclined to pick it apart and ask a lot of questions , you 'll quickly conclude that there 's zero chance this kind of scenario would unfold in the real world , but it 's so well done here , you just do n't care .",
        "for sheer thrills and excitement , few films can touch speed .",
        "succeeds primarily because of de bont 's attention to detail and , specifically , the way his camera moves through the inner workings of hopper 's bombs and the various modes of transportation they theaten .",
        "reeves finally proves that not only can he act , he can be do some great stuff if he is cast and directed right .",
        "in a film like this , timing is everything , and everyone from the stunt coordinators to the crew-at-large seems to have gotten it right the first time .",
        "if you have a thirst for hard action and suspense of a high order , speed satisfies big-time .",
        "the pace was a guaranteed adrenalin-pumper , dennis hopper was suitably psycho , and keanu and sandra made their careers .",
        "de bont has assembled it with masterly precision . and speed looks terrific . there are breathtaking aerial shots , mind-boggling stunts , and camera positioning that you just do n't expect . it 's a rocketing eyeful .",
        "speed kills -- it kills wit , character , charm and empathy . but it does go fast . since that is its sole reason for existence , one must say it achieves its narrow goal brilliantly .",
        "it 's more than a mere knockoff . it 's a clever , carefully constructed action machine that generates lots of high-octane thrills and spills . what it lacks in originality , it more than makes up for in full-throttle pacing .",
        "it 's easy to poke fun at some of the more far-fetched scenes and , at times , cheesy dialogue , but this is still one hell of an action movie .",
        "keanu reeves and dennis hopper are fun to watch as the dueling protagonists , and sandra bullock is fetching as an astonished commuter who finds herself behind the steering wheel .",
        "pure adrenaline-pumping entertainment of the highest order .",
        "a riotously enjoyable locomotive of action , speed is driven by a premise of such crystalline purity that its ridiculousness becomes part of the fun .",
        "believe it or not , the most exciting movie of the year takes place mainly in an elevator , on a city bus and on a train car .",
        "the deft arabesques of cinematographer andrzej bartkowiak juice up the suspense , and if you 're not too put off by the sheer ridiculousness of the story you wo n't be bored .",
        "the result is clean , delirious , and , yes , speedy -- the best big-vehicle-in-peril movie since clouzot 's the wages of fear .",
        "action directing is a put-up-or-shut-up game , a skill that ca n't be faked or finessed ; even a 10-year-old can tell if you 've got it or not . and on the evidence of the invigorating speed , jan de bont has definitely got it .",
        "there are very few action movies that cut to the chase quite as quickly as speed and then have the stamina to keep it up for nearly two hours .",
        "the story is a starting gun , a reason to roll out the high-tech action movie chase and demolition experts . it 's gaudy action shtick , and it 's fitting that the last stop is at hollywood boulevard .",
        "talk about simple . but the film 's sheer cut-to-the-chase straightfowardness is part of its appeal .",
        "just when you think speed is over , it takes you on a new high .",
        "fast-moving , totally undemanding and relentlessly entertaining , this actioner should do more for the career of sandra bullock than for that of its nominal star , keanu reeves .",
        "not only is this flick a taut and wonderfully-crafted thriller , but speed has some of the highest ` rewatchability factor ' i 've ever witnessed in an action flick .",
        "` speed ' may not make much sense , but it moves so fast you wo n't have time to think about it .",
        "all niceties of plotting , characterization and acting have been eliminated from this stripped-for-action vehicle , which is 116 minutes of pure adrenaline .",
        "athough it hits any number of gaping credibility potholes on its careening journey around los angeles , speed delivers the goods as a non-stop actioner that scarcely pauses to take a breath .",
        "filled with plenty of chills and thrills ; it speaks to the modern mania for velocity .",
        "the very fact that much of the story unfolds on a speeding bus and later on a speeding subway provides an intrinsic , inexorable sense of momentum . speed is worth the ride .",
        "`` thoroughly ridiculous and completely entertaining ''",
        "in each sequence is packed the sum thrills of a jean-claude van damme and steven seagal starrer combined .",
        "jack traven is the perfect role for reeves . he is asked to do little more than set his jaw and look good in a tight t-shirt , and he 's good at both .",
        "the film takes off from formula elements , but it manipulates those elements so skillfully , with such a canny mixture of delirium and restraint , that i walked out of the picture with the rare sensation that every gaudy thrill had been earned .",
        "a very exciting two hours .",
        "audiences may have experienced similar stories before , but they are seldom done this well and with this level of energy .",
        "the smart and sassy bullock is a knockout . she makes us believe the impossible things annie is doing and , better , makes us care .",
        "the most breath-stoppingly thrilling motion picture to open since the original die hard .",
        "a really entertaining film , full of breathtaking stunts , explosions , chases and other spectacular actions . unfortunately , those qualities seem to wear off on the second viewing ...",
        "speed lives up to its title , delivering carefully crafted action/adventure thrills without ever breaking out of the genre rut .",
        "undeniably , the picture now and again supplies that edge-of-the-seat sensation ; yet , by action-adventure standards , speed is leaden and strangely poky . it never seems to shift into overdrive and let fly .",
        "the plot becomes so overextended , as reeves and hopper wage their endless public transportation battle , even the hardest die-harders will consider leaping off way before the final stop .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a terrific popcorn thriller , speed is taut , tense , and energetic , with outstanding performances from keanu reeves , dennis hopper , and sandra bullock .",
    "id": "14748"
  },
  {
    "movie": "man_of_the_year",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an awkward mix of standard genres that does n't give us what we desperately need in this increasingly desperate political season -- a black and snarling assault on our imbecile status quo .",
        "confusion and mixed messages work against a coherent viewpoint -- and laughs .",
        "a wishy-washy thriller with political leanings that never quite fit .",
        "pic eventually overcomes an awkward start and turns into a satisfying candidate for the disposable movie dollar with a story that stays on your mind .",
        "in short , it would have been great if it had stopped , oh , 12 minutes in .",
        "there 's nothing about MOV that 's quite as fantastic as its depiction of moribund saturday night live as culturally and politically relevant .",
        "as well as this may have worked as a comedy ... it tries too hard to be a thriller and a drama , which is where it falls flat on its face .",
        "it 's a difficult assignment to pull all the genre strings into a tight ball of serio-comedic yarn . my cat hillary could have done a better job with less effort .",
        "robin williams ' character ca n't decide when to be goofy and when to play it straight , and neither can this uneven `` what-if '' political comedy from writer-director barry levinson .",
        "MOV is often so wildly off the mark in its depiction of how elections are run , it 's hard to believe that it was directed by the same guy who helmed wag the dog .",
        "a surprisingly complex and dark satire that skewers the media as well as the political process .",
        "writer-director barry levinson had better fortune -lrb- and results -rrb- with the prescient wag the dog than he does with his latest political satire , the uneven and uninvolving MOV .",
        "following poor career choices in `` rv '' and `` the final cut , '' robin williams is finally back doing what he does best : intelligent stand-up comedy .",
        "the film 's writer-director and headliner are guilty of committing the very crime they warn against -- entertainers taking themselves too seriously .",
        "robin williams , surprisingly subdued here , makes his character as believable as a comedian-turned-president can be .",
        "MOV is a total mess .",
        "while they let williams go , which is good , they do n't give him enough time to do so , which is n't . what remains is a hollow political polemic with great acting .",
        "... remains virtually intolerable throughout its overlong running time due primarily to star robin williams ' relentless mugging and writer/director barry levinson 's inordinately mediocre screenplay .",
        "a political comedy with spunk that capitalizes on several bizarre trends in contemporary american politics .",
        "in a pre-election season full of drama , contention and surprise , MOV arrives on the scene with the blistering impact of a spoonful of cold mashed potatoes .",
        "the movie 's satire is fairly gutless , the bulk of it could be contained in one five-minute williams monologue and the majority of the running time is taken up with a poorly motivated love story and a ponderous thriller subplot .",
        "the comedy is drab and predictable . the satirical flourishes are so soft that they are hardly worth mentioning . the thrills are diffused by tonal shifts working against them .",
        "when great premises go wrong , the result is movies like MOV .",
        "-lsb- barry -rsb- levinson has written and directed in many genres . but rarely has he made a film as indecisive and diffident as MOV .",
        "nothing in the film works , and here 's something upon which people of all political affiliations can agree : MOV is one of the worst of the year .",
        "barry levinson , director of films as diverse as diner , bugsy , and wag the dog , is a national treasure . so , it is with deep disappointment that i report MOV is dross .",
        "MOV is merely a robin williams stand-up routine wrapped in a limp script .",
        "MOV is a movie that can be smart-funny and astutely topical .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- levinson seems to be torn between making a political jest and a suspense thriller . neither works .",
        "this being robin williams , it 's hard to find his routines as vote-winningly hilarious as they 're meant to be .",
        "there are good moments , although it does n't work properly either as a satirical thriller or a rom-com .",
        "cynicism or stupidity ? it 's hard to say which has the run of this idiotic satire in which robin williams plays a talk-show host who runs for president on a ticket of cleaning up politics .",
        "one of the least convincing political satires of the millennium so far - no bite , no vision and no laughs .",
        "lame political comedy misses the mark .",
        "uneven , but never less than entertaining .",
        "MOV has some nice ideas and a handful of excellent scenes , but it struggles to find the right tone and is hamstrung by a ridiculous plot point .",
        "too compromised to be more than a reasonably pleasurable entertainment , as if it is scared about what it is saying about the american political process .",
        "political comedy morphs into attempted thriller in this confused , fitfully entertaining film .",
        "trust me , a sloppily-edited , unmanageable insult to the intelligence with far too many shortcomings to deserve any further analysis .",
        "ellie 's the locus for the film 's instability and lack of direction , while the guys get to tromp around in its more explicitly comic terrain .",
        "a failure as satire -- a failure as a political thriller and a failure as an ill-conceived romance . that 's three failures in the space of one movie .",
        "the biggest problem with MOV is that , much like american dreamz , which came out earlier this year , it simply does n't seem to know what genre it aspires to be .",
        "levinson has written and directed in many genres . but rarely has he made a film as indecisive and diffident as MOV .",
        "barry levinson is a case study in narrative schizophrenia , with no idea what he wants his film to be .",
        "when the thriller plot collides with the comedy , what 's left is mangled , twisted wreckage ...",
        "sloppy political satire ... williams has all the edge of tom delay at a greenpeace convention .",
        "it 's the same lazy performance we always get , with williams groveling for laughs via his patented physical shtick and repertoire of stale jokes that were already pass\u00e9 around the time roman emperors began chucking christian standup comics to the lions .",
        "it 's a comedy ! no , it 's a romance ! no , it 's a thriller !",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- piece of pithy political pap . sadly , -lsb- this -rsb- man has all the biting promise of a crooked two-bit hack accepting a corporate kickback at a chucky cheese restaurant .",
        "the opening narration by christopher walken starts sucking the life out of the film before it gets a chance to gain any momentum .",
        "it did n't know if it wanted to be a satirical comedy or a political thriller .",
        "MOV , the weaker brother of the wag the dog and good morning vietnam polital satire family , relies heavily on conceptual humour and robin williams ' shenanigans to carry the boneless plot through .",
        "the robin williams you love . a very entertaining movie and a showcase for the brilliant robin williams .",
        "if you look the other way and go with it regardless , MOV can be an idealistic pleasure .",
        "it 's not a simple genre film , and some will find it complicated to digest for that reason , but if you 're up for a bit of intelligent stimulation , this will reward",
        "levinson pose les bonnes questions par le biais d'une d\u00e9marche artistique un peu laborieuse , mais qui n'en demeure pas moins directe et efficace .",
        "eschewing personality , it mistakes pandering for insight .",
        "robin williams turns in his smartest , funniest performance in at least a decade .",
        "rarely has williams ever seemed so rote , so glaringly sleepwalking through a role .",
        "ignore the propaganda this picture is peddling .",
        "lacks humor and bite .",
        "... is n't as biting as `` wag the dog '' was , nor as prescient , but it throwsan issue into the ring as it entertains its audience .",
        "in reality MOV is one half the robin williams show and one half dour thriller involving a rigged election and the evils of electronic voting machines . the second half nearly obliterates the film .",
        "rather than being integrated into something complex , the different tones are at war with each other , leaving the whole unsatisfying . luckily there are dozens of good lines , which at least keep the movie from being dull .",
        "i think i recall a few of the jokes from the ford administration . which makes sense because as irreverent and subversive as it wants to be , it is just bland .",
        "MOV is only comedy of the year for about 45 minutes . then , it becomes failed opportunity of the year .",
        "so haphazardly fails to recognize the ironies of its own failings that it unwittingly makes george w. bush funnier ... when he 's trying to be funny .",
        "man has the kind of dizzying tonal changes that makes one wonder if a p.a. should 've administered a breathalyzer test on levinson during production .",
        "american politics gets off easy ; even chris rock 's head of state -lrb- 2003 -rrb- had more guts .",
        "it will draw audiences who want to see topical humor , and it will bog them down in a typical thriller , before capping things off with an earnest yet cautious political statement .",
        "it 's more jay leno than jon stewart , and there 's no way that 's a compliment .",
        "not funny , not timely , not thrilling , and no courage of its own convictions . an embarrassment for all concerned .",
        "this is really two movies in one -- an exemplary political satire and an average thriller , tied together with romantically shopworn president-as-an-average-joe tropes from dave and the american president .",
        "MOV sets its audience up to ponder the unthinkable , loses its resolve and congeals into reassuring kitsch .",
        "would make a terrific half-baked double bill with american dreamz .",
        "MOV has to be one of the most frustrating dropped balls in recent multiplex memory .",
        "robin williams and barry levinson evoke memories of their 1987 collaboration good morning , vietnam with this insightful political dramedy . but those expecting a light-hearted farce will be sorely disappointed .",
        "warning ! do n't pay any attention to the dismal promotion for this film . despite what you see , it 's an entertaining comedy-thriller .",
        "in MOV , a thriller without thrills collides with a mirthless comedy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "robin williams proves to topical comedy what lawrence welk is to smoking jazz , and a marketing bait-and-switch leads to a ludicrously dumb paranoid thriller . it lazily hopes its conceit and comedian work . neither does .",
        "its screenplay needs not another run through the typewriter , but a first run through the shredder .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- a mess , but if you 're willing to pick through it , there 's some gold amongst the dross .",
        "MOV starts out funny -- at least that 's the intention -- and then morphs into a kind of paranoid thriller . neither one of the movie 's split personalities is particularly good .",
        "there 's a preston sturges lesson in MOV : entertaining folks is its own civic duty . at times , making citizens laugh -lrb- and think -rrb- might be the most honorable profession of all .",
        "at a time when politicians are most in question , -lsb- director -rsb- levinson feels no qualms about depicting the process as a hilarious and yet dangerous farce .",
        "williams ' scene as dobbs debating his presidential opponents alone is worth the price of admission to this film . it is laugh-out-loud hysterical .",
        "instead of a highly relevant political satire , writer-director barry levinson takes the easy way out and churns a paint-by-numbers tale of corporate malfeasance . guess he had no special interests in creating a smart , savvy comedy .",
        "MOV is a well-intentioned mess , a dated , yuk-it-up sloppy civics lesson with such a lack of conviction that it backs away from the very questions it poses .",
        "no one will mistake MOV for movie of the year , but it says some things worth being said without the usual straight face .",
        "it 's all right when it 's trying to be a comedy or a savvy electoral satire . but it takes a disastrous wrong turn into paranoid political thriller territory and never recovers .",
        "mainly it 's a shambles , though for once williams gets to do what he 's best at -lrb- his stand-up shtick -rrb- , and the absurd story , no matter how carelessly assembled , keeps moving .",
        "-lsb- laura linney -rsb- shines out of this unappealing murk like a sunflower planted in a coal mine .",
        "compared to wag the dog , another levinson political satire that did its dirty work before 9/11 , MOV is sloppy , disjointed and weak .",
        "it 's certainly no political classic , but it 's worth at least a couple of electoral votes .",
        "for a film that wants to decry business as usual , MOV seems awfully content to play by the rules .",
        "the second half of MOV bears practically no relation to the irreverent comedy the movie 's trailer sells you -- much like a politician who does n't keep any of the promises that lured you to vote for him .",
        "a few moments do not make a new mr. smith goes to washington . frank capra can continue to rest in peace .",
        "MOV is longer than the fdr administration , less funny than calvin coolidge and deader than abe lincoln .",
        "only in filmmaking does one very good idea plus another very good idea sometimes add up to one less-than-great picture .",
        "the writing is lazy , the movie focuses on all the wrong things and the tone lurches unpleasantly between gum-soft comedy and lukewarm thriller .",
        "MOV is a moderately funny little movie that is n't pointed enough to successfully skewer its political targets .",
        "MOV is n't movie of the year . it might have been an ironic condemnation of electoral fraud and the malignant sway of corporate profits . but for a while , anyway , it had my vote .",
        "a genre-less , imaginative riff by an intelligent filmmaker on the state of the country .",
        "robin williams does n't need to prove he can act , not after the fisher king , the night listener , good will hunting and mrs. doubtfire . what he does in MOV seems a long way from actual acting .",
        "packaged as a rollicking political comedy , writer-director barry levinson 's much-ballyhooed reunion with robin williams wobbles unsteadily between broad humor and paranoid thrills . the result is a bland muddle .",
        "barry levinson 's MOV squanders a promising premise ; it 's ultimately overlong , underwritten and strangely unfunny .",
        "prepare for whiplash as MOV veers in an instant from astute comedy to complete disaster .",
        "the movie is strangely determined to move political commentary to the back row while bringing to the fore a dull , conventional thriller about electronic voting .",
        "MOV pretends to reach for a steak knife and draws a plastic spoon instead .",
        "MOV jerks unexpectedly from laughs to suspense to drama to satire . more to the point , the film does n't really seem to have a point ; it offers a parade of mixed messages .",
        "it 's a nearly tone-deaf satire of american politics and the culture of celebrity , a comedy without enough laughs , a satire without enough bite .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- ends up feeling as phony the process it so desperately wants to skewer .",
        "robin williams would never stand a chance , either as a presidential candidate or as a tv talk-show comic , a major drawback in a what-if scenario so self-congratulatory and smug .",
        "the deadly serious corporate malfeasance story does n't mesh well with williams ' politically humorous antics .",
        "is there any other comedian who recycles material as often and for as long as robin williams ? he 's the last man in america who thinks monica lewinsky jokes are still funny .",
        "a hybrid of so many parts that it would be unwieldy even if it were executed very well . but as it happens , it is n't .",
        "even though it 's only two-thirds of a solid comedy , it does n't take a high-priced pollster to figure out that this is a far better ratio than a lot of other recent yukfests .",
        "the new robin williams comedy MOV is the sort of thing you almost feel sorry for .",
        "what is it about robin williams that he often appears in these wild misfires , pictures that are so full of promise yet so disastrous in execution ?",
        "the eleanor stuff makes the comedy move more methodically than tucson 's downtown renewal efforts .",
        "all the audience can do with this doa comedy is wait for their next chance to see robin williams do another stand-up routine , providing a precious break in an otherwise tedious film .",
        "what keeps MOV alive is the homey interplay of its principals .",
        "despite levinson 's split purpose , making it into a ` dramedy , ' it 's timely and thought-provoking .",
        "levinson has gone from wag the dog to `` screw the pooch '' .",
        "many actors were paid to pretend williams is still funny in MOV .",
        "in fact , there may well have been one or two funny lines in MOV , but by that point they were lost in the staggering repulsiveness .",
        "it wants laughs but is n't willing to do what it takes -- take off the gloves and land some blows to the body politic -- to earn them .",
        "a few observations about the hollowness of party politics , plus robin williams doing lots of funny shtick as a jon stewart-like comic running for president , have been thrown together with low regard for logic or consistent tone .",
        "in 1938 , adolph hitler was chosen as time 's MOV . somewhere , there 's a witty sequeway about this fact and just how awful robin williams ' movie sharing the same `` accolade '' is .",
        "dusty jokes about mama cass and karen carpenter -- how 's that for topical humor ? ... unfortunately , most of the funny moments in ` man ' come when the film is playing it straight",
        "it 's a comedy , a political thriller , a love story : barry levinson 's MOV tries to be all things to all people and fails on every count -- a little like the generic , ineffectual politicians it 's pretending to excoriate .",
        "hey , it 's robin williams getting elected president . why would you turn that movie into some espionage thriller ?",
        "levinson lines up a flabby and humorless series of mini-homilies on current political evils , from corporate donations to tv ads , like a nader-ish `` plague on both your houses '' scold .",
        "there are several flaws in the story content and the pacing , but this movie still gets my vote .",
        "MOV makes telling points and has a lot to say , but it loses its voice along with its consistency around the mid-way point , and that will likely make it an also-ran in the box office race .",
        "the picture betrays its own underlying philosophy about the importance of comedy in politics when , for the better part of its second hour , it becomes completely humorless .",
        "-lsb- l -rsb- acks all conviction in its would-be insurgent attitudes and lacks any courage in seeing through to a tough conclusion the political realities it pretends to attack .",
        "though williams can still make us laugh , MOV does n't deserve your vote .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "weakened by second-half attempts at thriller and romance , this presidential comedy also fails to hit any sharp political notes , resulting in a confused and unsatisfying mess .",
    "id": "314387293"
  },
  {
    "movie": "bamako_2007",
    "reviews":
     [
        "rather miraculously , pic succeeds in painlessly educating its viewers about global politics and economics while it describes contemporary africa with freshness and clarity .",
        "that the g8 's policies have been disastrous for africa wo n't come as news to anyone who goes to see african art-house films .",
        "while the film may be impaired as an oral treatise , sissako 's use of the trial is still vindicated . it provides rich symbolism in what is , on the whole , a stimulating work .",
        "a thought-provoking film , told in a traditional african form and unique in the often fraught annals of african film-making .",
        "you ca n't help thinking that the only people who 'd sit through this movie are those already aware of the issues involved .",
        "in the week of the good shepherd this stinging indictment of western involvement in the third world is timely - or would be , if anyone bothered to see it .",
        "there are countless moments that are subtly transfixing . even seemingly casual shots - of vendors peddling knock-off gucci glasses , policemen flirting with local women , a man attached to a drip lying alone in a room - linger in the imagination .",
        "distinctive , with commanding moments .",
        "born of indignation , MOV bears devastating witness to the iniquities of free trade and globalisation from a malian perspective .",
        "yes , this is strong stuff , but spoken in an articulate , measured , passionate west african voice , it 's impossible to ignore .",
        "lensed in warm tones , with impassioned contributions from the non-professional witnesses .",
        "MOV is a work of cool intelligence and profound anger , a long , dense , argument that is also a haunting visual poem .",
        "MOV puts nothing less than economic injustice on trial , arguing the guilt of the world bank , the imf , and the entire apparatus of first world economic domination for the crime of african oppression .",
        "it 's surprisingly moving , funny , tragic , strange and undogmatic .",
        "a gritty and gutsy examination of how african nations are suffering incredible hardships and poverty under the boots of western globalization policies .",
        "MOV ends pessimistically , which is understandable since it carries a continent on its shoulders .",
        "very important , very impressive .",
        "this sophisticated picture about a desperate situation expresses its optimism through its style and its respect for the people who appear in it .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- sissako has an unusual camera eye , patient and alert to the ebb and flow of both the courtroom sequences and the outside scenes . the music is wonderful as well .",
        "trial movies can be painful , but MOV is a powerful polemic leavened with moments of beauty and humor .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- intimate , urgent and wildly imaginative indictment of post-colonial economic policies in africa .",
        "MOV is challenging without a doubt , but sissako 's righteous anger never loses its ability to connect to the heart , even in the film 's densest thickets of symbolism .",
        "MOV is an attack on globalization that is endlessly cogent , confrontational -- and , best of all , as captivating as it is illuminating .",
        "awkward , dull film .",
        "overall , MOV is a passionate plea , filled with interesting ideas and wrapped up in an uneven presentation .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- sissako somehow manages to reconcile the passionate words of the debate and the mundane activities surrounding it , but he seems most interested in noting and even marveling at the subtle comedy of their coexistence .",
        "a strange and often haunting little film .",
        "the central conceit is audacious , but the film feels oddly slack and inert , livened only by testimony better suited to another forum .",
        "ironically , in an attempt to give africans a voice , sissako drowns them out .",
        "miraculously manages to be not merely ferociously partisan , but dramatically compelling and a feast for the minds of moviegoers , not overly nourished these days .",
        "abderrahmane sissako makes no pretence at neutrality with this indictment of globalised capitalism .",
        "credit -lsb- director -rsb- sissako for entertainingly blending serious international issues with the daily comings and goings of village life .",
        "for all its outrage , MOV is not a work of righteousness . -lsb- director -rsb- sissako is a poet , and the filmmaking in this new picture is stuff of a deserving laureate . sissako is thinking about the small but mounting consequences of big ideas .",
        "heated speeches about the international monetary fund , debt relief and global responsibility may not sound like your idea of friday-night entertainment , but -lsb- director -rsb- sissako makes a strong case .",
        "heavy on polemics , the drama nevertheless does not neglect the human story behind all the politicizing .",
        "a passionate , challenging drama from the fine mauritian writer-director abderrahmane sissako .",
        "much of the nearly two-hour film consists of impassioned but lengthy speeches about interest rates , deficits , poverty and corruption . this is no way to entertain an audience , so sissako throws in a few hastily drawn characters and a threadbare plot .",
        "after the resonant and lyrical experience of sissako 's criminally unseen waiting for happiness , which could have been an alternate title for MOV , this new film represents a colossal downgrade .",
        "dramatic features born and bred on the african continent are rare commodities on these shores , and the opportunities they offer can stretch far beyond film appreciation and into the realm of world understanding .",
        "if jean-luc godard had kept his sense of humor , he might be making engaging movies like MOV .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "profoundly in context with the world as it is in its acute hour of human need , in response to the urgency of the critical historical moment .",
        "unlike other recent films about the plight of africa , MOV channels its outrage more directly , yet with greater subtlety , by recruiting real-life witnesses to africa 's economic crises .",
        "a clumsy , talk-heavy and crushingly heavy-handed hybrid . while it may have the best of intentions , MOV is sometimes hard to watch .",
        "MOV is a film that grows on you . its power is subtle and you do n't really feel the impact until it 's all over . and when it has , its left with you something unshakeably real .",
        "free of the indignant self-righteousness of michael moore 's lowbrow sloganeering , abderrahmane sissako 's poetic drama offers a clear-sighted examination of third world economic collapse .",
        "MOV is an amazing polemical political film like no other .",
        "MOV puts globalization on trial",
        "sissako 's bolt of lightning is how he once again merges spaces : he sets the trial out-of-doors ... editing the village 's daily events as if they are all a part of the trial 's fabric .",
        "issue-driven drama has rarely been so polemic as it is in this fierce attack on the world bank and international monetary fund 's role in african poverty .",
        "rather than detract from the seriousness of the issues , sissako 's light touch encourages a deeper level of engagement .",
        "writer-director abderrahmane sissako is to be admired for not giving up on a film that features many african voices that do cry out to be heard .",
        "while worthy , MOV suffers somewhat fromits structure . some of the testimony becomes so complicated that unless you are an expert or really truly versed on the subject , you just might tune out -lrb- as i found myself doing on occasion -rrb- .",
        "by all accounts the year 's best african film ."],
    "summary": "a courtroom drama and a portrait of everyday mali life , MOV approaches both subjects with equal skill and success .",
    "id": "341815498"
  },
  {
    "movie": "red",
    "reviews":
     [
        "while the action is good , the movie is n't as cool as it thinks . if you replace bruce willis with gene hackman , then you have a hit on your hands about these ` old ' agents .",
        "much of the enjoyment comes from seeing these respected thespians so thoroughly embody cartoon characters ; it 's like sidney lumet directing space jam .",
        "proof , if more were needed , that the artistic collision between the aging baby boomers and their comic-book-obsessed progeny makes for some mighty strange , but not unentertaining , bedfellows .",
        "one of those rare action comedies that actually delivers action and comedy , and one where the alleged humor does n't consist merely of wisecracking heroes blowing away cardboard villains .",
        "what really works for MOV is our shared history with the actors involved .",
        "action sequences are just poorly shot . it feels like they took a few comic panels from the book , but you do n't see the effects of a given action .",
        "retired cia agents get dragged back into harness , and the is truth is that they could n't be happier in this good-natured action movie spiced up with a dash each of comedy and romance ...",
        "you 're never too old for mayhem .",
        "the kicker is in the casting : bruce willis , morgan freeman , john malkovich , mary-louise parker , brian cox and helen mirren all come out to play .",
        "director robert schwentke does as much as he can with the cartoonish story and stunts but after a while can no longer maintain the illusion that MOV is actually about anything .",
        "a pitch-perfect parody of over-the-hill action heroes nails and sustains the right tone throughout . of course , when you 've got helen mirren stationed behind a mounted machine gun , how can you fail ?",
        "laced with enough laughs to make this work as both an action ride , and a comedy . mirren and malkovich steal the show .",
        "the film is not entirely successful in evoking the goofy , satirical tone of the dc comic source material , but it 's an entertaining fare for adults , benefiting immensely from its vet and skillful cast .",
        "the movie 's goal , shrewdly , is to see how much fun its collection of oscar nominees and winners can have playing the over the hill gang of espionage . plenty , as it turns out .",
        "too long , too busy , too loud , and too reliant on slam-bang stunt work , MOV 's glib dialogue and sinister government scenarios begin to wear .",
        "the ensemble is terrific . these are pros at work here , and they not only show up the new action-star punks but prove they 're far from expendable .",
        "like boarding a sinfully designed roller coaster that keeps breaking down during the frantic ride ... a picture with incredible concentration to surface details , but a turgid bore in the suspense realm .",
        "MOV really had the chops to go the distance . somewhere along the line , it wandered off the path .",
        "what it lacks in originality , it makes up for in helen mirren with a gun , which should be a requirement of all movies from now on .",
        "MOV is an average shoot - 'em - up except for the wrinkled fingers pulling triggers ... as if the aarp issued licenses to kill .",
        "MOV starts to devolve into nonsense well before it takes advantage of the many things it has going for it .",
        "MOV might just be the best romantic comedy of the year .",
        "MOV is long , predictable , derivative , and without doubt one of the most entertaining experiences to be had in a cinema this year .",
        "no one gets hurt , okay ? see ? he 's just faking his death . now let 's get you some cocoa and a dvd of miss congeniality 2 .",
        "schwentke keeps things light : light on big laughs , light on unique action set pieces and light on any sense that these game but retired spies are too old for this crap .",
        "its silliness becomes wearisome the longer it continues , but i found it as entertaining as , say , clint eastwood 's space cowboys , and could happily sit through it again .",
        "this is an amusing crowd-pleaser , pitting wisdom and experience against youthful arrogance and gullibility .",
        "call it the film equivalent of the traveling wilbury 's ... a sly caper film that boasts an oscar laden , all-star veteran cast yet is anything but old and tired .",
        "MOV is a goofball lament . it 's saying that in the good old days , or at least in the good old movie days , our killers were good-time guys .",
        "the novel aarp-action vibe is loose and pleasant , even if the sensitive viewer ca n't help wishing gunplay and murder were n't so easy to accept as escapist entertainment .",
        "they 're not too old for this shit .",
        "this is a flawed but highly enjoyable actioner , bouyed massively by its big-hitting stars and a cheekily dark sense of humour .",
        "it could use more blammo . and more witty . and more everything else . but it requires nothing from you and , in turn , gives back a reasonable amount of action-tainment , so you still come out ahead in the bargain .",
        "a visually explosive film that leaves little time to catch your breath .",
        "if the prospect of seeing dame helen letting rip with a ginormous machine gun while dressed to the nines tickles your fancy , give the film a go .",
        "here 's another pound of proof supporting the theorem that `` story is about thoroughness , not shortcuts . ''",
        "typical action-blockbuster stuff , entertaining and mindless , that is elevated by the high-wattage cast .",
        "... filled with the kind of sprightly paced , lighthearted violence that 's supposed to evoke chuckles but mostly seems under-heated and over-loud .",
        "attitude is what drives this movie from its opening sequence through to the turning point",
        "what the expendables could have been .",
        "almost becomes a ca n't miss film because of john malkovich .",
        "give me helen mirren with a semi-automatic weapon and morgan freeman smiling , `` we 're getting the band back together , '' and i will happily settle back and enjoy the popcorn .",
        "MOV positively dares you not to have a good time .",
        "though the actors are all , in theory , welcome company , this ensemble never really gels .",
        "it 's halfway between comedy and action , and it does n't quite work as either .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "what might have been a guilty-pleasure romp is hobbled by poor direction , sloppy pacing , and a story line that ca n't decide whether it 's farce or a retread .",
        "this is a capable , experienced cast with extensive acting chops , and it 's trashy fun watching them descend to the level of the material , which has mirren in a sleek ball gown , capably letting rip with a 50-caliber machine gun ...",
        "MOV is never quite the kick-in-the-pants that it should be .",
        "although there 's no dearth of spectacular gunplay and fisticuffs in robert schwentke 's light-hearted actioner , what makes MOV really rock is old-fashioned movie-star style .",
        "once it works its way up to a certain volume -- jaunty , one-dimensional , unserious mayhem -- it stays there , forever .",
        "MOV shoots blanks at familiar targets .",
        "while not in the same league as kick-ass or scott pilgrim vs. the world , MOV is still overall a playful and highly entertaining action/comedy .",
        "all the stars are fine and the supporting cast is never less than perfectly adequate . still , there 's something missing .",
        "it entertains and then goes away , a perfectly ephemeral late-summer time-waster that for god knows what reason , cropped up in mid-autumn .",
        "say what you want but a group of old pros know how to make an entertaining movie .",
        "helen mirren can do no wrong . give her a sniper rifle and the world is but putty in her hands .",
        "it 's the kind of cast that lends more credence to the material than it deserves .",
        "MOV is `` chick noir . ''",
        "it veers between high-octane and dullish moments .",
        "i du n no how a film that climaxes with helen mirren wielding a machine gun could be this disappointing . but somehow , r.e.d. pulls it off .",
        "not to be confused with the early - '90s kieslowski film of the same name . definitely not .",
        "highly enjoyable comic action-thriller with a sense of humor about itself ... holds your interest while alternately thrilling and amusing , without insulting your intelligence .",
        "a spunky comic action drama about a colorful band of old timers called out of retirement to help an old buddy , a former cia agent .",
        "MOV instead exhibits all the get-up-and-go of a grandpa on the verge of an afternoon nap .",
        "MOV is an agreeable piffle , a fun action/comedy that 's silly without being moronic .",
        "compared to such generic , flashy duds as knight and day or the expendables , MOV goes down like a flute of fine champagne . here 's how it 's done , youngsters .",
        "as an exercise for movie stars of a certain age , it sure outclasses the expendables .",
        "... a star-studded , action-packed , loaded-with-laughs , great time !",
        "one of the most enjoyable things i 've seen this year , and i would absolutely recommend it .",
        "there 's fun to be had watching willis and parker banter , and listening to malkovich toss off arrhythmically timed one-liners .",
        "the movie 's biggest pleasure is seeing a bunch of old pros -- bruce willis , morgan freeman , john malkovich and helen mirren -- having so much fun .",
        "when people this talented get together there 's an expectation of entertainment that this inert comic book adaptation just does n't deliver .",
        "that 's some serious a-team physics when you can put upwards of a thousand .50 caliber rounds into a bunch of cars and not even wound anyone .",
        "a lengthy procession of geriatric-assassin jokes -lsb- that -rsb- offers a chilling portent of what lies in store should soon-to-be-ex-governor schwarzenegger ever return to the big screen .",
        "not that i 'm complaining , mind you . the plot may be as creaky as the knees of its cast members , but as broad , big-budget spy yarns go , this is one that surprisingly does n't require a nip , tuck or lift .",
        "instead of remaining true to the much darker graphic novel , `` MOV '' goes for the funny bone , using what amounts to wink-and-a-nudge stunt casting that never gets past its own cleverness .",
        "old people who kill people are so much cuter than young people who kill people , right ? in a movie like MOV , that 's all we need to know .",
        "MOV has ka-booms , rat-a-tat-tats and a wildly extended first date . it 's edgy and fantastically gooey -- and flaunts it .",
        "a fun spin on the spy genre with the seasoned veterans showing up the more inexperienced greenhorns . chances are you 'll be seeing MOV once the positive word of mouth hits .",
        "they had me at helen mirren firing automatic weapons .",
        "the star turns are MOV 's raison d'\u0119tre , with the winking performances filling the place of any credible dramatic tension .",
        "if you do n't smile at the image of a stunningly beautiful dame helen mirren , resplendent in a gorgeous white gown , plowing down gunmen with her 50 mm caliber tripod mounted gun , then you simply ca n't be helped .",
        "although tailor-made for genre fans , it benefits from flavors of humor and romance that keep its appeal from being fanboy-only .",
        "schwentke and his cast have taken some decent enough source material and polished into a small gem .",
        "gripping smalltown thriller , with a strong script , superb direction and a terrific central performance from brian cox . fully deserves its place in the best of the fest line-up .",
        "an amusing , light-footed caper about a team of aging cia veterans rudely forced out of retirement .",
        "an engaging , well-made action comedy that benefits from the talents of its decidedly mature cast members , even if it unspools with a pace better suited to their generation than the moviegoers that grew up watching their earlier movies .",
        "explosions ! sight gags ! a bald , bombastic bruce willis ! but helen mirren steals MOV every time she opens fire .",
        "a smart , slick endeavor that gets added mileage from its cast of seasoned screen vets . how seasoned ? the arithmetic mean of the five top-billed stars ' ages is 59 ; throw 93-year-old ernest borgnine into the equation , and the calculator starts to overheat .",
        "gathers a great cast that makes `` the expendables '' look , well , expendable . this is an extremely funny , action-packed movie in which gimmicks such as helen mirren blasting guns do n't grow old .",
        "thanks to terrific performances by parker , malkovich , and willis , and fine directing by schwentke . i had a smile on my face the entire time .",
        "it 's a totally wild ride , full of gun battles , explosions and fisticuffs , liberally sprinkled with the tongue-in-cheek comedy we 've come to expect from mr. willis .",
        "now this is a fun film ! okay -- it 's ' not oscar material , but it has great cast and a lot of action -- and sometimes in this crazy , hectic world , that 's all you need in a movie .",
        "the winking , self-reflexive tone mutes any possible emotional investment .",
        "stars four oscar-winning actors . it 's not every day that you 're able to use ` helen mirren ' and ` heavy artillery ' in the same sentence , but MOV gives you the opportunity .",
        "this is an impressive ensemble for such a slight movie , but in a story so weightless , it might just float away without these performances to keep it grounded .",
        "well-cast action comedy is entertaining -- but very violent .",
        "of all the washed-up washed-out over-the-hill too-old-for-this-sh * t action-hero movies we 've had thrown at us this year ... MOV is by far the most amusing , the most clever , the most tongue-in-cheek , the most fun ...",
        "this geriatric spy caper provides a showcase for a gray ensemble that 's obviously enjoying themselves , but they 're having more fun than we are .",
        "MOV stands for `` retired , extremely dangerous , '' though `` reasonably entertaining diversion '' works too .",
        "MOV is neither a good movie nor a bad one . it features actors we like doing things we wish were more interesting .",
        "the low-energy , high-boredom MOV is exactly like every other spy movie , except the spies are older .",
        "helen mirren in evening wear and combat boots blazing away at the bad guys and looking like the epitome of sophistication while she 's doing it . what else do you need to know ?",
        "none of it holds together if you think about it too much , but the movie works because , for the most part , you 're never tempted to .",
        "lives up to the talent involved , using the eccentric ensemble to elevate a loopy action-comedy-romance .",
        "this latest adaptation of a hip graphic novel fails to fill in the spaces between the action with anything terribly interesting .",
        "MOV is n't a great movie , but it 's great fun , and if that sounds like damning with faint praise , you take things too seriously .",
        "there 's the occasional twinkle from distinguished performers obviously not taking it too seriously , but this is by and large a waste of their talents .",
        "MOV has its moments , including a finale that finally provides the action comedy vibe we expected all along , but it still has to count as a mild disappointment",
        "MOV may look tantalising on paper , but the end product is nothing to smile about .",
        "the cast are clearly having such an immense amount of fun you really ca n't help but join them .",
        "MOV is an efficient and expertly made flick , although it lacks a personal touch from director robert schwentke .",
        "it 's very silly and runs out of steam well before the end , though there are one or two gags .",
        "rowdy espionage by over-the-hill undercover hotheads that is less about belligerent bragging rights , than generation gap self-parody . and a pg rated willis initiated phone sex sidebar for unrequited lovebirds , in prolonged perverse celibate cia desire .",
        "more playful than the expendables , more charming than the losers , willis and co deliver a warm -- and fun -- actioner that benefits greatly from its seasoned cast .",
        "an exhilarating and immensely entertaining movie relying on the old battleships of the screen to come out guns blazing for a sunset thriller with exceptionally high stakes",
        "like the camera , we jump , zoom , flip from one location to the next . the circumstances are far from predictable as is everything that happens in this syncopated film that sizzles",
        "bruce willis has n't been given material this solid to work with in years .",
        "parker , busy with her tv series weeds of late , does n't make a lot of movies . so it 's a pleasure to see her tossing off sly asides in the face of danger .",
        "what makes this movie so much fun is the cast .",
        "in an industry , and in fact a country , that only appreciates youth , it 's nice to see a movie about `` old '' people .",
        "-lsb- strikes -rsb- a careful balance between quasi-cartoonish shoot-outs and oddball humor , which ranges from droll to silly without ever going too far over the top .",
        "MOV , perhaps the first cia-aarp flick , fits seniors with grenade launchers instead of slippers . i say it 's about time .",
        "only in hollywood is someone seriously old at 55 , but this is the underlying thesis of MOV , and it works like a well-worn charm .",
        "the one-liners zing right along with the bullets in a playful pas de deux of mayhem , misdirection and mordant humor .",
        "i literally shed a nerd tear because i could not handle the awesome nature of the action sequences in this film . imagine the ocean 's films with machine guns .",
        "it is possible to have a good time at MOV , but it is not a very good movie . it does n't really try to be , and given the present state of the hollywood economy , this may be a wise choice .",
        "as all-star action romps go , MOV does n't reinvent the wheel or anything , but it 's a lot more fun than the expendables .",
        "this is a case of sheer quality and quantity of acting talent coming to the rescue of a wayward film .",
        "geezer g-men gone wild !",
        "good fun , and though it breathes hard in the second half , the ensemble has charisma to spare .",
        "this action-comedy has a wacky tone that 's entertaining but never involving .",
        "beneath its light exterior is not only a neat , if unsubtle , political undercurrent but a rebellious streak about how the allure of firing an rpg outweighs the prospect of retirement .",
        "what MOV lacks in incomprehensible muscle-bound meatheads it makes up for in humour , story and action .",
        "it 's a fast-paced action-comedy with strong visual effects and enough spark in the dialogue to be good fun , but its trashy spy novel sensibilities mean the characters and plot will soon be forgotten on leaving the cinema .",
        "it is the strong cast , which also includes richard dreyfuss and brian cox , which elevates this film and makes it a fun watch .",
        "director robert schwentke adapts warren ellis and cully hamner 's darker graphic novel and colourfully retools it as a sort of thinking man 's expendables .",
        "not many actors can get away with switching in and out of character , and yet willis does it with ease , confident in our love . and we do love willis .",
        "classiest . comic . book . movie . ever .",
        "malkovich 's performance is over-the-top even for him , and freeman seems to be waiting for a call from his agent .",
        "it 's as if the studio simply assembled a huge pile of money in the middle of the back lot , set it ablaze and started filming . and i wish they had , because it would have been more interesting to watch than this .",
        "MOV is an insult to our memories and to our intelligence , an unfunny farce whose veteran cast is cashing a retirement check .",
        "if you 're missing the rush you get from a great , fun summer movie , bundle up , go watch MOV and have a blast .",
        "a retiree exclaims , ` we 're getting the band back together ! ' a band that not only knows how to play the golden oldies ... but consists of them .",
        "there is a breath of fresh air amidst the deadening gunplay ...",
        "patience is key when it comes to MOV , the latest action ensemble to hit the cinema .",
        "a beautifully executed , slow-motion , guns blazing bruce willis ' exit from a spinning cop car proves you are going to have the best time you 'll have in a theater all year .",
        "... nothing in MOV feels real , just relatively entertaining .",
        "it 's a slight movie , but there is pleasure to be had ...",
        "an action comedy as entertaining to watch as it evidently was to make .",
        "`` MOV '' is a smart , well directed action film that counts among its cast an incredible fourteen academy award nominations and four awards .",
        "unfortunately , while MOV 's stars may have gotten better with age , its many clich\u00e9s have not .",
        "an excruciating bore on screen without a sense of wit , fun or action worth your attention . with MOV , schwentke earns his spot on the not-to-watch list and the hoebers must be taken into custody and thrown into cinema jail .",
        "a high-octane dose of summer-flavored fun , an aarp action film that comes along just in time to add a little levity -- and some serious weaponry -- to hollywood 's serious-minded fall awards season .",
        "if anything , MOV works better as a comedy than as an action film , which automatically makes it better than most of its peers .",
        "director robert schwentke sensibly gives his cast free rein but abandons any pretence of credibility as the retirees dodge numerous bullets and rockets . the venerable cast deserved a more intelligent vehicle for their talents .",
        "with its self-deprecating humour , and a hilarious performance from malkovich , the film -- though it never makes the least bit of sense -- is easy to take , and there are a few snappy lines of dialogue , too .",
        "a fast , funny , smart , adult-oriented action-comedy that generates precisely the kind of giddy vibe the expendables lacked .",
        "it is kick-ass , with helen mirren as hit-girl .",
        "yes , it 's silly . but ` MOV ' is above-average because it boasts so much serious star power .",
        "the film 's two romances are implausible , the dialogue is drawn out with geriatric pauses and the constant funk soundtrack does little to make sense of a plot more disjointed than brian cox 's knees .",
        "i ca n't say i 've warmed much to bruce willis films before now . i went to see MOV with no expectations , and came out thoroughly cheered .",
        "while it 's a movie richly endowed with big names , you come away imbued with the happy thought that they all left their egos at home .",
        "who knew helen mirren would be all sorts of awesome with an uzi ? we did .",
        "having lost all intrigue by the sub-standard third act , the picture becomes a sluggish chore that takes far too long to reach its dopey finish .",
        "if the story made more sense and the humor were more abundant , this could have been a bona-fide winner . instead it falls smack in the realm of forgettably mediocre .",
        "there 's fun to be had with mirren 's victoria and , even more so , john malkovich 's weird , lsd flashbacking marvin boggs , but the plot is pretty humdrum and the film ultimately forgettable .",
        "how it all ends up is significantly less interesting than how they get there . it 's a hoot to watch the elegant mirren shift from high heels to combat boots , as she gamely goes from arranging flowers to being locked and loaded .",
        "just as inexhaustibly stupid and utterly routine as any number of john cena , paul walker or vin diesel vehicles those young whipper-snappers eat up .",
        "MOV is n't edifying , ennobling , or artful . it 's just an utterly satisfying combination of big kicks , cheap thrills and real laughs .",
        "while not perfect , MOV is the popcorn film of the fall season , not to mention more entertaining than most of the pictures from what was a pathetic summer .",
        "it 's not that it does n't have effective moments , it 's that it does n't have as many as it thinks it does . the film 's inescapable air of glib self-satisfaction is not only largely unearned , it 's downright irritating .",
        "an amusing action-movie romp , ` MOV ' boasts a stellar ensemble that makes up for its director 's deficiencies .",
        "although it 's full of wasted potential , MOV is a prime example of a mediocre film elevated by raw star power .",
        "schwentke must think his audience is very easily pleased .",
        "never tell hollywood action heroes in their 50s and 60s , that they 're a bit past it .",
        "a solid action comedy , but the flashy visuals and stellar cast ca n't hide what feels like a slightly missed opportunity .",
        "it 's all a big goof , but it holds together so that you can enjoy the ride rather than wonder if it will ever end .",
        "a fast-paced romp that severs ties to realism early on and once we suspend our disbelief and put our brains into neutral , the film is a lot of fun .",
        "no amount of jazzy cool can hide very large problems in the plot department .",
        "action films with a sense of humor can be the best medicine sometimes at the movies . it 's just that this one has one joke repeated over and over again -- and the one-liners are n't that funny .",
        "a daffy but enjoyable action-comedy that assembles some impressive oldie firepower .",
        "expendable ? perhaps . better MOV than dead ? most definitely .",
        "MOV offers cheap thrills and a few nice gags . it could have been more than that , but the appetite for this stuff is insatiable .",
        "si el entretenimiento funciona , adem\u00e1s , se debe en gran parte a un atractivo elenco que se divierte como loco jugando a los esp\u00edas y a los h\u00e9roes de acci\u00f3n .",
        "a fun little spy thriller that twists the old adage that you ca n't teach an old dog new tricks and suggests that perhaps they can teach you something new instead .",
        "dame helen mirren looks like martha stewart on the outside but rambo on the inside ; you wo n't see anything sexier this year than mirren wielding an automatic weapon .",
        "ok , so this is not exactly shakespeare or even david mamet . it 's more like mad magazine 's `` spy vs. spy '' on crystal meth , or a geriatric `` kick-ass . ''",
        "it delivers a few thrills here and there but ultimately a bland story and forgettable characters turn MOV into a mediocre action film at best .",
        "the low-key character comedy gets buried under all the pyrotechnics .",
        "oh , that `` MOV '' was the giddy romp it might have been , it promises to be or it thinks it is .",
        "a playful action blockbuster with a top-shelf cast and a refreshingly unconventional concept .",
        "the best reason to get out there and see it is to see these actors take on this kind of over-the-top material . the fun they appear to be having on screen ends up being quite contagious .",
        "put your brain on hold for a few hours and you 'll enjoy this light-hearted action comedy .",
        "all the stars seem to be having great fun playing goodies and baddies and running around shooting things . but they could do the same thing paintballing , sparing us from having to watch them and avoiding having to spend 60 million dollars in the process .",
        "the cast 's efforts go about halfway to compensating for MOV 's lack of inspiration elsewhere ."],
    "summary": "it may not be the killer thrill ride you 'd expect from an action movie with a cast of this caliber , but MOV still thoroughly outshines most of its big-budget counterparts with its wit and style .",
    "id": "770860164"
  },
  {
    "movie": "big_mommas_house",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie has some big laughs , yes , but never reaches takeoff velocity .",
        "... neither funny nor stimulating .",
        "the movie 's not phat , just big-boned .",
        "the movie is more than a single never-ending fat joke , but not much more .",
        "you may find yourself waiting for a commercial break . sadly , it never comes .",
        "lawrence gives this depressing effort his all , but that is not nearly enough .",
        "not even the talented lawrence can make it very funny .",
        "it 's not only inferior to all murphy 's movies -lrb- even coming to america -rrb- , it 's a lot less funny than most of lawrence 's own film work .",
        "-lsb- martin lawrence -rsb- delivers .",
        "the make-up effects are astonishing and amusing , there are no surprises",
        "witless , formulaic material .",
        "big momma 's house is as uneven as the readout on a binge dieter 's bathroom scale .",
        "mr. lawrence is better when forced to react to his co-stars .",
        "it 's as big a failure as battlefield earth .",
        "hitting the mark with most of his well-timed jokes , lawrence only falls down when he means to .",
        "yet the dialogue is funny -lrb- mostly punny -rrb- in unexpected ways .",
        "makes good use of prosthetics and silicone to grab laughs .",
        "the driving force that kept us rolling in the aisles focuses on the brilliant physical comedy of lawrence .",
        "big , broad , and ballsy , an overstuffed martin lawrence looms large in big momma 's house and appears ready to toss a gross-out shtick at tom cruise and m : i-2 .",
        "big momma 's house certainly is n't a great film , but it 's a fun and funny enough diversion that one probably wo n't really mind .",
        "the more irritating aspect of big momma 's house is the feeling of inevitability attached to each and every assembly-line joke .",
        "seeing martin 's faux -lsb- breast -rsb- appear on his shoulder is awfully funny , until about 45 minutes of the same joke being repeated ad nauseam .",
        "even though lawrence 's act is getting repetitive , it 's still good enough to make for an amusing time .",
        "the plot 's going nowhere , so why not bring on the fun ?",
        "there 's something about a plus-size floral housedress that brings out the best in many male comics , and lawrence is no exception .",
        "the comic spell that hangs over the plot like a tent of engorged cellulite , and which asks us to dig every corny , contrived , old-hat bit of folksy nonsense and jolly raunch that the writers can cram into us .",
        "the whole project works so hard at creating funny situations that lawrence gets no chance to be funny as himself .",
        "a formulaic misfire .",
        "big momma 's house seldom finds anything funny for lawrence to do in drag .",
        "funny martin lawrence in drag with potty jokes .",
        "idiotic `` comedy '' is larded with thick makeup and thin performances .",
        "lawrence is n't doing anything that has n't been done before , and he 's certainly not doing it any better .",
        "o sonho de martin lawrence \u00e9 ser eddie murphy . infelizmente , por\u00e9m , lhe faltam duas coisas : o talento do \u00eddolo e a capacidade de atrair bons roteiros .",
        "squarely aimed at the type of audience willing to overlook all sorts of inconsistencies and stereotypes in a movie as long as it includes a few juicy toilet jokes .",
        "everything about big momma 's house looks like a twice-told joke .",
        "the movie has no audacity or verve ; it 's all recycled toilet jokes , cheap sentiment , and caricatures .",
        "this is a film that appears to have been made without benefit of a script -- it 's a seemingly random collection of shots and scenes strung together with no concern for continuity , common sense , or an audience 's intelligence .",
        "big momma 's house gives even the notion of summer movies a bad name .",
        "big momma 's house feels thrown together without much thought or effort .",
        "the saddest thing about big momma 's house is that it wastes a talented cast in roles that force them to act like idiots in order for the plot to advance .",
        "other than a few fun moments , big momma 's house does n't turn out to be the rip-roaring drag queen comedy it promised to be",
        "the hitch is that malcolm does n't realize what a honey sherry is -- even a well-padded fat suit ca n't hide malcolm 's romantic urges , and this state of affairs sets up the film 's subplot .",
        "-lsb- big momma -rsb- is about as old as her pantyhose .",
        "big momma lacks the guts and the wits to go for anything but cheap laughs .",
        "an infectious , good-hearted bag of fun .",
        "wade through the slower spots and you 'll be rewarded with some hilarious bits .",
        "if you loved the tv series , then you 'll love this . if you hated the series then you might as well catch the movie on cable .",
        "there are gorgeously funny parts .",
        "lawrence does n't give big momma any special , hidden slyness .",
        "lawrence 's exuberant lead performance and occasional contributions from a game supporting cast do make for some hearty howls here and there .",
        "farcical adroitness and martin 's ablity to turn on the charm keep big momma 's house perking along .",
        "big momma 's house is much like the baseball games we 've been seeing at enron field lately -- a lot of action with poor results .",
        "this is pretty much a lazy film with a few lighthearted moments and no substance .",
        "it 's the nutty professor meets mrs. doubtfire , but without the humor of the former or the heart of the latter .",
        "had me cackling and stomping my feet along with the rest of the preview audience .",
        "this movie may well disappoint fans seeking the blue-streaked lawrence of stand-up and tabloid infamy .",
        "we get a full serving of silly with barely a taste of funny and entertaining . no big laughs here .",
        "big momma is broadly entertaining and efficient .",
        "this movie is rotten .",
        "the thin sliver of a plot is just an excuse to get lawrence in costume and let him do his thing .",
        "a fat suit with a paper-thin plot does not a movie make .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "big momma 's house is funny in some parts , but it is essentially a one-joke movie .",
    "id": "11526"
  },
  {
    "movie": "lara_croft_tomb_raider",
    "reviews":
     [
        "poorly-staged action sequence , boring exposition , poorly-staged action sequence , boring exposition , etc. etc. , the end .",
        "big guns , bigger breasts ...",
        "in the department of numbing ineptitude , the pacing runs a neck-and-neck race with the dialogue .",
        "so pandering and pebble-brained you 'd guess it had been test-screened on barnyard animals .",
        "quite simply , i had a blast watching it .",
        "an emaciated excuse for entertainment .",
        "right now my greatest fear in life are the words tomb raider 2 .",
        "half-sketched and tedious",
        "there is more tension in jolie 's t-shirts than in the dramatic action .",
        "damn ! you can toss every page of this script up in the air and no matter what order they fall in , just shoot that sequence .",
        "a disjointed adventure movie that has no place to go",
        "a lacklustre start to what is nonetheless sure to be an extremely lucrative franchise .",
        "nothing scares lara , so nothing scares us , the audience .",
        "the movie has only two modes , killing people with guns , feet and fists and killing time with dopey dialog .",
        "`` i was pretty much bored to tears . ''",
        "plays exactly like a video game committed to film -- and , no , that 's not a compliment .",
        "delivers a rollicking good time , and does n't aspire to more .",
        "as for jolie , one can certainly sympathize with her desire to do something different , but as far as this film is concerned , game over .",
        "it 's like being stuck with a player who spends hours searching the same few rooms for impossible - to-find keys because he or she does n't know the trick to skipping the early boring levels .",
        "loud , banal , empty , frenzied , plasticized , flavorless , drab , violent in a bloodless way and sexy in a sexless way .",
        "con una historia mala , actuaciones simplonas y direcci\u00f3n mediocre , tomb raider es otro de los grandes fracasos del a\u0144o",
        "una cinta comercial disfrutable y veraniega .",
        "sorry to be crude , but sometimes a guy has to admit to his animal instincts .",
        "in the end , for all her \u00fcber-babe sexiness , there is something just a wee bit humourless about angelina jolie .",
        "they are both visually very stunning to look at , both a wee on the wooden side , acting-wise , and both a mite forgettable .",
        "sleek , almost embarassingly entertaining summer blockbuster .",
        "not disastrous , but somewhat disappointing nonetheless .",
        "there 's a lot of motion in this motion picture , but not much movie . video gamers may find it enough ; adventure film fans may long for more .",
        "it 's frustrating to watch the filmmakers unable to make the pulse-pounding leaps that their title character would complete with ease .",
        "this just in : women have breasts !",
        "not perfect , but slick ... a strong b + .",
        "movies like tomb raider are designed only to part fools from their money .",
        "the verdict on the big-screen lara croft : angelina jolie , hot . tomb raider , not .",
        "they 've taken a mega-popular video game and turned it into a mega-void .",
        "it is extremely rare that a movie is so bad that it actually makes me angry , but tomb raider is that rarity .",
        "definitely a rushed job .",
        "unbelievably , laughably bad .",
        "better than mummy returns .",
        "has two good scenes amidst the creative dead zone that surrounds them .",
        "makes `` super mario bros. '' look like `` rocco and his brothers '' !",
        "tomb raider is mostly one big action sequence after another , which would be fine if only they made some sort of sense .",
        "characters say things like , ` my bum 's fallen asleep , ' and ` how much longer ? ' my thoughts exactly .",
        "it seems like the filmmakers got equally caught up in the idea of jolie as croft , so much so that they forgot to build a credible movie around her .",
        "a series of spectacular set pieces filled with eye-popping special effects , although -lsb- director simon -rsb- west does fall back on his trademarked overuse of sound .",
        "this could have been one of those rare so-bad-it 's - good movies , but the experience of watching it falls short of that mark .",
        "with a sequel already in the works , this video game is better left in the arcade .",
        "most of the chase sequences feature more jiggle than you 'd get in a `` three 's company '' marathon . as her astounding exercise regimen shows , lara treats her body like a temple ; many will worship it .",
        "more than being just a terrible movie , tomb raider is a disturbing exercise in the mythologies of sexuality .",
        "the ingredients are in place for a movie that could be a blast . execution ... is where the film falls flat .",
        "plot and performances are buried beneath special effects in ` tomb raider . '",
        "a wonderfully visual , fantastic action-packed entertainment , full of amazing effects and a stunning , sensual super-heroine that really packs a punch .",
        "a mindless taco bell commercial - errrrr ... summer effects vehicle that is utterly and depressingly devoid of any and all human drama ... grade-a feces .",
        "this is one badly made picture with a star whose charisma is its only positive value .",
        "the movie sags whenever the action stops .",
        "you never get any explanation of who these people are or why they do what they do .",
        "jolie kept her side of the deal , everyone else owes her big time .",
        "this would have been a better action movie if the last 10 minutes were replaced . any computer-game player knows the last battle is supposed to be the toughest .",
        "let 's face it , people going to see this movie expect two things : lots of action and lots of slo-mo shots of jolie running .",
        "video-game based action-adventure blockbuster that just about delivers in terms of its casting and action sequences , but falls on its face when it comes to script , plot , character and dialogue .",
        "i feel sorry for jolie and the myriad of stunt trainers and set builders who designed all this great stuff , only to have the likes of director simon west come in and mess it all up .",
        "like her gaming counterpart , she 's all pretty eye candy without much of a soul or even an interesting personality .",
        "ultimately , the film is set piece after set piece after set piece ... . literally . one set at a time , one scene at a time .",
        "loud , tedious , boring and self-important , this movie offers nothing fresh , original or surprising .",
        "even the action , which should be this kind of brainless summer movie 's saving grace , is spare and unexciting .",
        "while lara croft : tomb raider is as cumbersome as most films in this subgenre , angelina jolie makes it watchable .",
        "repeat after me , `` it 's a video game , it 's a video game , it 's a video game '' .",
        "nothing much else in tomb raider lives up to jolie 's sexy posturing and confident butt-kicking .",
        "its heavily mined narrative throws all sorts of ridiculous twists into the mix in order to put croft through her punishing paces .",
        "angelina jolie rocks , but dull script deflates adventure film .",
        "like its klunky predecessors , tomb raider always feels as if scenes are missing or that it was edited by edward scissorhands .",
        "not that many of the young fans who have turned lara croft into one of the history 's first cyber-celebrities are likely to miss the lack of emotional depth .",
        "good , bad or indifferent it does n't matter a hoot what critics think about the live action adaptation of the most popular interactive video character in history .",
        "it 's yet another movie where you frequently have no idea what 's going on or why .",
        "the movie credits five separate persons for the story and screenplay , a quintet of scribes who might better consider a career shift into acting -- they 've clearly done a splendid job of impersonating monkeys at a typewriter .",
        "the plot is not a plot at all but one of those outlandish fantasy premises that one can swallow in the interests of propelling a game , but sounds embarrassingly silly when spoken aloud .",
        "this movie could have been the long sought-after successor to raiders of the lost ark , except for the fact it lacks a damn good story .",
        "anyone who wants to see an actual movie , well , tomb raider stands as another mediocre addition to our ongoing summer of crap .",
        "the film plays like a humorless first draft of what could have been the new indiana jones adventure .",
        "a disappointingly joyless romp with none of the self deprecating we-know-this - is-stupid-but-it 's - kind-of-fun drollness that can make such films bearable .",
        "do n't pack up your pc -- tomb raider the movie has nothing over its electronic counterpart .",
        "this year 's battlefield earth .",
        "almost completely lacking in genuine thrills .",
        "the movie never summons the slightest pretense that there is anything at stake for the audience .",
        "a visually spectacular yet oddly cheerless experience .",
        "a jerky , fragmented tale that jumps from one exotic location to the next without any explanation or flow .",
        "worth watching .",
        "some great action sequences , but not much else .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- movie based on a video game that 's unafraid to look absurd but lacks the self-conviction needed to come off as camp .",
        "so inferior as art and entertainment .",
        "how do you have a pitch perfect actress play the role and then offer no rewards for fans that have been waiting for this for years ?",
        "even by video-game-movie standards , this is an arrogantly , almost smugly empty and incoherent mess .",
        "all the world can blow up around lara croft -- and it does here -- but who cares when there 's no reason to fear for her life ?",
        "it might be easier to list the things that were good about tomb raider , but little comes to mind .",
        "displaying boobs , brawn , and brain -lrb- in that order -rrb- , angelina jolie renders a splashy perfromance but the movie , which is like a video-game turned big-screen entertainment , is not good ; another missed opportunity to have a femme-driven action-adventure",
        "in the end , croft loses to the most dangerous villain of them all : mediocrity .",
        "a tedious bore that deserves early entombment .",
        "lara croft : tomb raider is a movie in need of a joystick and an off button .",
        "finally , a reasonably entertaining movie , inspired by a video game . and they said it could n't be done .",
        "highly anticipated adaptation of the popular computer game is uneven , sometimes awkward , but angelina jolie makes the title character a virtual icon of female competence and coolth .",
        "notably devoid of stuff to engage the mind .",
        "the herald of a cold , heartless , soul-dead cinema for a numbed audience with no interest in human emotion , just a craving to have its synapses jolted .",
        "so deep was the concern that jolie fully realize the role of lara croft : tomb raider that the story got lost in the jungle .",
        "the miracle is that lara croft : tomb raider is no stunt . somehow , they made a genuine movie out of it .",
        "it 's for people -lrb- young ones -rrb- whose taste in entertainment was formed by comics , channel surfing , video games and theme parks .",
        "not much here , apart from lara 's snugly tailored costumes and some entertainingly old-fashioned production design by kirk petruccelli .",
        "tomb raider is full of the things that made raiders of the lost ark a cool ride .",
        "the dialogue is hackneyed and heavy-handed , with cheesy puns that might have been lifted from an old-time college fraternity skit .",
        "the movie version of her ` life ' is just a jumble of every indiana jones and james bond movie ever made .",
        "a surprisingly bland affair .",
        "rarely rises above the level of a poor man 's raiders of the lost ark. .",
        "for a modestly budgeted project -- this movie 's well-done and watchable , even occasionally elegant .",
        "if only the story that surrounds this watchable heroine were as well-stacked .",
        "character shadings take a back seat to confusing exposition and feeble mysticism .",
        "a shallow , cliche-ridden mess that keeps blowing up on screen .",
        "sitting through `` lara croft : tomb raider '' had me wishing i 'd brought a playstation to the theater because the entertainment sure was n't on the screen .",
        "the combined impact of angelina jolie , lots of action and computer animation does n't make up for a convoluted and dull storyline , ponderous dialogue and weak antagonists .",
        "angelina jolie was born to play lara croft but simon west makes her journey into a game of frogger .",
        "the film lacked energy , a consistent pace and well ... a fun time !",
        "if it 's just a hot babe wearing a closet-full of tight shirts , this movie just might do . but if it 's tomb raider you really want , keep your playstation plugged in .",
        "bury it -- before the stench overwhelms us all .",
        "is everything that the mummy returns could have been , but was n't .",
        "adequate popcorn movie fare , but it never manages to make it to the next level .",
        "it 's all about action and ogling .",
        "tomb raider 's preoccupation with time is puzzling , given the movie 's leisurely pace .",
        "jolie gives lara an upper class british accent , but it 's so denatured that she sounds like one of those british techno-pop goddesses on a valium drip .",
        "perhaps fans of the game will better understand the characters and what ultimately substitutes as a decent story , but for the rest of us , the details are hazy at best when not being utterly ridiculous .",
        "just plain dullsville .",
        "here is a movie so monumentally silly , yet so wondrous to look at , that only a churl could find fault .",
        "of all this summer 's mindless blockbusters , this is arguably the most fun .",
        "any script that features dialogue about ` awesome and terrible powers ' in an unironic way should be put out of its misery before someone gets hurt .",
        "all questions of religious symbolism aside , if you think about illuminati , eyes , and triangles , while looking at the back of a dollar bill -lrb- right over where it says , you may get a better sense of which almighty this movie really worships .",
        "despite angelina jolie being perfectly cast as the title character , and some imaginative set-pieces , it would n't be out of place to call this film boring , since it lacks the energy and wit it deserves .",
        "` time was stolen from us ! ' someone cries as they go chasing around fighting over the two halves of a mystical tablet that holds the key to the past and the future . yup , i 'd say 1 hour , 44 minutes , to be exact .",
        "a movie for young boys and slightly older boys . for the rest of us , it 's so inept it does n't even provide an opportunity to ogle angelina jolie properly .",
        "this film does n't just want you to turn your brain off , it wants you to dropkick it into your neighbor 's backyard swimming pool .",
        "merchandising , not story-telling , is this movie 's forte .",
        "you defeat a monster , you walk into another room , and there 's another monster to defeat . repeat until time is up .",
        "a shapeless and graceless mess .",
        "this plot has two major strikes against it : it 's mindless and convoluted .",
        "jolie is a passionate , proud , beautiful woman . so how come she 's playing a character based on a video game , in a movie whose marketing campaign features a game called the taco bell quest ?",
        "my only problem with the film is that with a plot this ridiculous , it ought to have been more tongue-in-cheek , like `` the mummy returns . ''",
        "finally , we gals have a bonafide pg-13 hero to look up to .",
        "when it comes to the action scenes , west is all thumbs . his camera always seems to be in the wrong place , and the scenes never build momentum .",
        "as much fun as watching someone else play a video game .",
        "-lsb- jolie 's -rsb- glittering , libidinous impudence gives this packaged piece of corporate schlock a strange integrity -- perhaps even a soul .",
        "mostly incomprehensible but theoretically enjoyable for a teenaged boy , like a visit to hooters might be enjoyable ... for a teenaged boy .",
        "see summer films such as tomb raider , swordfish and pearl harbor over and over again , as young people are wont to do , and your mind is liable to atrophy from lack of use .",
        "we think you 're better off playing the videogame -- at least there the characters do n't speak .",
        "unlike most modern action directors , who view action the way porno directors see sex -- as an exhausting , noisy marathon -- simon west spaces out the set pieces so they retain some actual thrill .",
        "the latest and glitziest movie adaptation of a video game suffers from most of the faults its less-endowed predecessors did : two-dimensional characters , confusing action and just plain bad storytelling .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "angelina jolie is perfect for the role of lara croft , but even she ca n't save the movie from a senseless plot and action sequences with no emotional impact .",
    "id": "10375"
  },
  {
    "movie": "muscle_shoals_2013",
    "reviews":
     [
        "only the genre 's most studious followers will be able to watch MOV without being regularly astonished : even if it sometimes gets lost in its byways , greg `` freddy '' camalier 's documentary tells an extraordinary story .",
        "one of the year 's most entertaining and enriching nonfiction films ... moving and joyful .",
        "the film mixes an impressive array of interviews with plentiful archival footage .",
        "the film possesses considerable persuasive power despite its modest substance and simple construction , making it very much like the timeless songs it showcases .",
        "this is a work that 's a must-see for even the most casual of music fans , while still so chock full of moments of grace and beauty that even the most jaded of us that have seen umpteen other variations on this story can still properly fall in love with it .",
        "has funky magic in it . ooh , baby , does it ever .",
        "deals with the intriguing mystery of why so much funky music came from this one town .",
        "the documentary is a little slapdash , but then so is the very idea of what MOV means . is it the town itself ? or the celebrated rhythm section that started at one studio and then formed its own ?",
        "a marvelous doc about the creation of the fabled MOV sound -- as powerful today as it was 50 years ago .",
        "even fans who do n't know MOV by name know its music by heart . now they can also see how much soul went into it .",
        "director greg `` freddy '' camalier skillfully , unhurriedly unfurls a wealth of classic music-biz tales as told by a who 's who of r&b , soul and rock 'n' roll royalty and various other players and purveyors .",
        "it 's mandatory viewing for fans of the classic rock , soul and rhythm and blues of the 1960s and '70s .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- alternately maddening and magnificent documentary .",
        "if you 're a music buff , than MOV is a must-see ! it 's a well made documentary about an important time in music history that 's informative , poignant , funny , and always engaging .",
        "as the documentary demonstrates , knowing it when you hear it is one thing , but trying to explain the origin of the MOV sound and its qualities is like dancing about architecture .",
        "if you liked '20 feet from stardom , ' you 're going to love this .",
        "like 20 feet from stardom , another standout music doc of 2013 , MOV skillfully shines a light on unheralded musicians whose names usually are not illuminated .",
        "ruminations on native american legends and helen keller 's water pump would be fine in an alabama travelogue , but in ` MOV ? ' could n't we please get back to `` mustang sally ? ''",
        "just as `` sweet home alabama '' speaks for itself without revealing its meaning , so does this american story of ferment and feuding and amazing pop music .",
        "featuring interviews with r&b and rock royalty while exploring the uniquely american sound that crossed racial boundaries , MOV is oddly paced and tone-deaf to its own message at times , but still important viewing .",
        ". . MOV and its presentation does n't reinvent the wheel ... the treasure trove of stills and found footage makes for a compelling and effortlessly watchable film that even the casual music fan should find themselves totally engrossed in .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- charming , reverently shot ramble .",
        "it might have functioned even better as an hour-long tv documentary . but with such great music coming , one hit after after another , it 's always a joy to watch .",
        "the soulfulness of the MOV sound and surroundings is readily apparent from the opening minutes , and director greg camalier does an admirable job rifling through interpersonal conflicts and band breakthroughs .",
        "-lsb- camalier 's -rsb- rambling love letter to a unique american sound is not only full of the beautiful landscapes and small town americana which inspired it , it has an enveloping , beautiful heart .",
        "exceptional music , unexceptional documentary on the swampy sounds of the famous tennessee backing band .",
        "... well worth seeing for it 's well-chosen mix of present-day interviews and archival footage , enlivened by many musical selections .",
        "the lightning rod figure here is rick hall , `` the founder of the music business in MOV '' ... at 80 , hall remains sharply opinionated , and his extensive recollections give MOV its spine .",
        "as personal as the film gets , it never becomes overly sentimental or nostalgic ; rather , it 's a celebratory work alive with simple pleasures .",
        "a stubborn charmer whose life was a magnet for tragedy , hall is the emotional centre not only of the MOV sound but of this film .",
        "the movie is more a collection of cool people telling great stories than it is a structured documentary -lrb- despite camalier 's attempts in that direction -rrb- . but in this case , that 's enough .",
        "director greg `` freddy '' camalier augments the talking heads with unusually evocative vistas ...",
        "a well made , endlessly fascinating and impeccably researched documentary that tells a riveting story and is packed with great characters , terrific anecdotes and fabulous music .",
        "the archival footage is strong , camalier is generous with musical clips , and the talking heads generate some drama when describing epochal moments like aretha 's first session .",
        "occasionally baggy , always sincere , this is an essential document of a defining era when ` soul ' really meant something .",
        "a stomping good doc .",
        "it 's about music at its most primal and mystical essence , exploring the way the soul of a place seeps into and informs the sounds that come out of it .",
        "at once overstuffed with interviews and intellectually underdeveloped , the movie charts the area 's music industry and what is lyrically if elusively called the MOV sound .",
        "a sumptuously assembled , exhaustively comprehensive film about music that changed lives .",
        "camalier 's tuneful if somewhat overlong anecdotal history does the most justice to the MOV sound just by listening to it .",
        "hall 's backstory , riddled with tragedy , gets the proper attention and respect here . but it 's the music that wo n't let you stop watching .",
        "it is amazing to see how this style and sound came to fruition as it changed the careers of artists like aretha franklin and created some of the most memorable albums and songs from artists like etta james , the rolling stones , lynyrd skynyrd , and -lsb- more -rsb- .",
        "retrospective rockumentary deconstructs the secret of a legendary alabama music studio 's success .",
        "an extraordinary story of singers , songwriters , musicians , producers and , most of all , two recording studios in a small southern city .",
        "camalier makes an excellent job of combining talking-head interviews with music , anecdotes and folklore .",
        "though MOV can seem a little conventional , you could never say the same thing of its soundtrack",
        "a bit lengthy but packed with great music , this is a solid documentary that musicians and fans of soul music will likely enjoy .",
        "emotionally moving but messy , it survives thanks to its superb songs , great cinematography and insightful anecdotes - in spite of its lack of a satisfactory conclusion .",
        "supremely enjoyable , MOV does n't add much to the record , but it will probably induce you to flip through your collection for a few to spin .",
        "the director wisely does n't turn this into cavalcade of stars , keeping the focus as much on the man who built this hotbed of creativity and the musicians who played behind the household names .",
        "do not leave the film until the last credit rolls by .",
        "`` MOV '' is filled with great stories , characters and songs -- and , really , what else could you want from a music documentary ?",
        "it all makes for a pretty glossy package and a treasure trove for music geeks , but there 's a human angle to this story that will appeal to just about everyone .",
        "music docs with untold stories about unsung talents are an increasingly scarce commodity . but MOV hits pay dirt with this vivid history of two recording studios that became crucial hotbeds of deep southern soul and funky rock 'n' roll .",
        "warm , enjoyable , smooth and lightweight , this celebratory documentary is a gentle tribute to a remarkable man and his work .",
        "the anecdotes work without the music , but if you like the music ... dang , it 's a stairway to heaven .",
        "the film runs a tad long -lrb- just under two hours -rrb- and could stand another edit , but mick , keith , bono and aretha are on a roll , man .",
        "director greg camalier weaves the interviews together as if he were making music , composing a film with storytelling rhythms and emotional chords . soul aficionados will savour every beat",
        "as aretha might say , respect .",
        "although the intriguingly named first-time director greg `` freddy '' camalier makes the twice-told tales of the film 's second hour watchable , they end up paling in comparison to its essayistic first half .",
        "and lo , the musical miscegenation was good .",
        "a galaxy of stars recall the magic of it all , although a little less boring bono would have been a bonus .",
        "the movie never quite captures the magic of MOV , but it 's still fun to hear old pros like aretha franklin and keith richards trade tales .",
        "what is it that makes the music recorded in the studios in this small , out-of-the-way part of alabama so magical ? that 's the question this documentary film tries to answer .",
        "it posits that the spirit of community forged by the musicians that created this music was part of its magic , and listening to it in the movie , it 's hard to argue . the records they created defined an entire genre and hold up today as completely timeless .",
        "its story is well-worth telling .",
        "a mesmerizing documentary ...",
        "it is hands down one of the best music documentaries ever made .",
        "MOV may not appeal to every generation 's musical tastes , but for those of you who love that sweet soul music and crave that ol' time rock & roll , believe me : it 's just the ticket .",
        "what makes the documentary MOV so fine besides a kicking soundtrack ? well first , there 's its deep sense of place .",
        "greg camalier 's debut feature offers a worthy if sometimes ponderous take on a significant slice of u.s. popular music history .",
        "even casual music fans will enjoy behind-the-hits doc .",
        "even if the MOV sound is n't on your ipod , you 'll like seeing where it came from",
        "two new docs on american culture merit attention",
        "overall , it 's joyous , uplifting - and as funky as the music at its heart .",
        "music history at its elegiac best",
        "this geeked-out tribute to the rural alabama town that birthed an improbable amount of classic r&b and rock does n't have a theory behind its parade of hits .",
        "camalier does n't offer any theories as to why MOV happened , his film nicely sketches what did happen , and why it mattered .",
        "amiably hodgepodge doc .",
        "in the debut documentary of greg `` freddy '' camalier , it 's a toss-up as to which is more magical -- the physical place of MOV , alabama , or the music it produced ."],
    "summary": "essential for soul fans and entertaining for novices , MOV offers a compelling , warts-and-all glimpse at one of the most fascinating stories in modern american music .",
    "id": "771351757"
  },
  {
    "movie": "herb_and_dorothy",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this easygoing movie fully captures the couple 's charm and offers a unique look at the '60s and '70s new york art scene .",
        "megumi sasaki 's convivial MOV is both a double-portrait of the diminutive couple , now in their 90s and 80s , and a sketch of the art , and artists , collected by these vest-pocket rockefellers .",
        "as the film progresses , we become captivated by the enchanted existence -lsb- MOV vogel -rsb- have made for themselves .",
        "MOV certainly proves there 's more than one way to be an art collector . it just does n't probe deeply enough and ask thorny questions about the nature of collecting and the nature of art , and how they relate to one another .",
        "ultimately , the tale is inspiring : why ca n't we all be like the vogels and become great collectors ?",
        "briskly and engagingly cinematic . ... -lsb- their compulsive collecting seems -rsb- at once crazy , smart , generous and enormously endearing .",
        "a fascinating , warm and delightfully charming documentary that finds just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually .",
        "as they share their views of modern art , director megumi sasaki 's film feels like a cozy visit with neighbors whose insights are priceless .",
        "the vogels -lsb- MOV -rsb- , sitting in their same old apartment , overflowing as ever , make for charming company .",
        "delightful , involving doc about an unlikely couple who became pioneer contemporary art collectors with working-class salaries .",
        "herb & dorothy describes and amply illustrates the extraordinary saga of the vogels , who double-handedly built one of the most important collections of minimalist and conceptual art in history with their modest salaries .",
        "delightful , involving documentary about an unlikely couple who became pioneer contemporary art collectors with working-class salaries .",
        "first-time filmmaker megumi sasaki 's documentary herb & dorothy is as simple and straightforward as the subjects of its title .",
        "former journalist megumi sasaki 's warmhearted celebration of these adorable do-gooders cements their significance to the art world and introduces them to the rest of us .",
        "you ca n't hate the film anymore than you can hate MOV . but this is lazy work .",
        "when was the last time you saw older protags , or a happily married couple , in american film ? in this charming docu , the vogels recall vividly their experiences in life and art over the past four decades .",
        "MOV , a documentary by megumi sasaki , grows on you just as its subjects do .",
        "it 's impossible to leave this movie believing that the vogels are weirdos or naifs . a wealth of artists and curators testify to their strong eye , unwavering enthusiasm , and clear judgment .",
        "as director megumi sasaki 's leisurely yet absorbing documentary tells it , the crusty postman and the mild librarian emerged as the fred and ethel mertz of modernism , championing the early careers of such artists as sol lewitt and christo .",
        "if ripley 's believe it or not ! were still around , MOV vogel would surely be in it for amassing a world-class art collection on the most ordinary of working-class salaries .",
        "a solid and engaging documentary that shows the chasm between art and those that are removed , for various reasons , from its creation and most readily accessible exhibition to be a largely artificial construct .",
        "sasaki balances her subjects ' yarns with insights into the cultural moment that shaped them and vice-versa , in particular the shift from abstract expressionism to the sparer gestures of minimalist and conceptual art .",
        "a hist\u00f3ria da paix\u0103o incontrol\u00e1vel do casal vogel por arte contempor\u00e2nea \u00e9 algo n\u0103o s\u00f3 tocante , mas educativo .",
        "the movie gives us an eyeful , but the unexamined irony is that the nice old couple ca n't sell the rest of us on why it 's good ."],
    "summary": "while perhaps not as probing as it could have been , megumi sasaki 's languidly paced documentary is as entertaining as it is inspiring .",
    "id": "770799089"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1017352-red_sonja",
    "reviews":
     [
        "arnold 's last barbarian role -- worth it for that if nothing else .",
        "the scene where nielsen stands at the molten river border of the ` land of eternal night ' looks particularly good .",
        "mr. fleischer brings absolutely no playfulness to what might , at least , have been enjoyably light . and he brings out the worst in a cast that was ill-chosen to begin with .",
        "horrible spawn of the mediocre conan the barbarian .",
        "worst of all , there 's a charmless brat prince for sonja to take under her wing .",
        "it 's a truly horrible concoction , filled with stiff , overly serious dialogue , wretched performances , bad lighting and a lazy score by the otherwise great ennio morricone .",
        "unwatchably bad sword-and-sorcery nonsense .",
        "... pure silliness , but not silly enough to qualify as amusing . face it ; it 's just dull .",
        "the film is at least as good as conan the destroyer . which is faint praise , indeed .",
        "sure , there are a few funny moments here and there with several obviously intended jokes , but director richard fleischer never milks the elements of self-parody for what they 're worth .",
        "the dialogue passages do n't exactly play like noel coward , but this is a movie that succeeds rousingly well on its own humble , saturday-night terms .",
        "MOV returns to those olden days when women were women and the menfolk stood around with funny hats on until called forth to be whacked at .",
        "none of this would matter if MOV was the least bit exciting , or sexy , or even funny . instead , it ` s lumbering , oddly prim and laughable .",
        "this is a sword-and-sorcery adventure for those who like their action fast and furious , their dialogue ropey and their acting filled with more ham than a butcher 's shop .",
        "if you are rapt by swollen muscles , heaving bosoms , swordplay and a tirade of hammy , fantasy claptrap , the woefulness of this film wo n't put you off .",
        "the title sounds as if this movie is about a communist spy , or maybe a new flower . no such luck .",
        "deathless lines of dialogue like `` in life all is not swordplay '' make MOV laughable in ways that the screenwriters did not intend .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "incredibly stupid",
        "hilariously awful",
        "fleischer could have directed this movie from his living room via speaker phone and achieved the same result",
        "no , he 's not conan this time !"],
    "summary": "dull , poorly directed , and badly miscast , MOV is an uninspired conclusion to schwarzenegger 's barbarian trilogy .",
    "id": "10784"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wild_hogs",
    "reviews":
     [
        "truly awful , monumentally inept , wholly unwatchable .",
        "i 'm not sure how well it speaks of a comedy if the funniest scenes come during the closing credits .",
        "fluff aimed at conservative middle america , a cynical go-with-the-demographic-trends movie that 's shallow and stupid , but featuring big names guaranteeing box office success .",
        "this is n't a movie with any meaningful insights to share about the heartfelt concerns of the over-forty set , but is rather an ill-conceived , `` coming-of-age '' style misadventure which could just as easily have revolved around some recent high school grads .",
        "perhaps i was in a good mood , perhaps my expectations were so rock bottom , but hell , i did n't hate it ...",
        "disneyfied easy rider for the suburban set .",
        "i can only assume a bike wreck is much more gruesome than a car accident . luckily , i have never seen one , but after watching MOV , i can imagine .",
        "no .",
        "instead of opening up the throttle , hogs ends up idling and spreading exhaust .",
        "becker is handy with a camera and totally knows where the film 's bread is buttered , focusing all his energy and attention on his four stars .",
        "well , it 's been 15 years since city slickers so it 's about time someone would rip it off and hope nobody notices .",
        "MOV are nothing but tame piggies on a highway to hokum . honk if you think these overpaid hacks should take their bikes to the nearest shop for creative repairs .",
        "the film does go for the cheap laugh far too often , but it 's certainly not bad enough to be grouped along with the rest of this season 's trash .",
        "the laughs may be more sporadic , but they still come . and sometimes that is about all anyone can wish for . just make sure to check that brain at home -- you wo n't be needing it .",
        "... an indolent , pg-13 , disney `` biker '' flick that does for comedies what exxon did for prince william sound .",
        "a blas\u00e9 road comedy with less than five funny moments in total but plenty of tired gay jokes to pass around .",
        "an especially lame comedy based on nothing but a situation . the humor is farce or slapstick , so character development does n't matter . establish the types , put them in one crazy mix-up after another and you 're done .",
        "an easy target to criticize given its over-the-hill , homophobic , below-the-belt , yet not altogehter unbelievable contrivances . but macy , liotta and tomei keep it real .",
        "how prophetic of tim allen to say in the film 's opening , ` i do n't think i 've been out of cincinnati in over 12 years . ' wishful thinking . next time go for 13 !",
        "MOV really does n't spend much time on the road . good thing , too , because after the guys are found sleeping side-by-side and skinny-dipping together , the writers must have run out of homosexual panic jokes .",
        "i firmly believe that if the actors in a movie are having a good time , that sense of fun can potentially come off the screen and infect the audience . MOV , for me , was this kind of movie .",
        "undoubtedly more fun to make than to watch , these wheezy city slickers are un-easy riders .",
        "travolta could do more good for his career by affixing buxom mud-flaps to his jowls and hauling an eighteen-wheeler cross-country .",
        "this contemptuously formulated comedy , about four middle-age-crisis-suffering men going on cross country motorcycle road trip , is n't worth the film stock it was shot on .",
        "sure , the humour is broad and slap sticky , and many of the situations sophomoric and preposterous , but i still found myself smiling throughout `` MOV . ''",
        "it 's bland and forgettable ; it 'll probably do okay when it plays on a plane .",
        "this bumpy buddy comedy stays in low gear for almost its entire journey . ... as the leader of a pack of redneck bikers , hammy ray liotta is so nasty , even his tattoos have a record .",
        "ok , so MOV is predictable at best . ... there are some laughs to be found .",
        "a film you 'll want to see twice to catch all of the punchlines , `` MOV '' is a great ride down the comedy highway .",
        "one of those lowest common denominator movies that aims only for easy laughs and a quick paycheck for its main actors",
        "the movie frees you of the belief that making it in hollywood requires finely honed skills . if the writer and director of this coarsely honed sitcom could get hired , then the studio doors must be wide open .",
        "a last-minute appearance by a surprise guest star may save the day for the four friends , but it comes nowhere near saving the movie .",
        "was n't my cup of tea ... although i 'll go ahead and say there were a couple of good jokes here and there involving birds .",
        "it 's the gay-panic-a-lympics !",
        "a more appropriate title would have been wild bores ... it 's a movie running down the middle of the road , and you know what you find in the middle of the road ? bad movies and slow squirrels .",
        "actually manages a few decent comedic moments - almost in spite of itself .",
        "i can imagine albert brooks sitting in a theater watching this garbage and praying that it actually ends like easy rider .",
        "... low octane comedy running on fumes .",
        "the landscape of MOV is cluttered with the comic equivalent of suburban sprawl , an endless cyclorama of rehashed jokes and whiny complaint .",
        "somehow , hogs is n't a torture device ; in fact , it 's pretty amusing when it puts its mind to it .",
        "MOV is n't wild so much as a mild evocation of better fish-out-of-water flicks .",
        "allegedly , the picture was shot in picturesque new mexico . effectively , it might as well be picturesque new liskeard .",
        "it 's a joyless cross-country romp in which the heroes confront crazy animals , lascivious hicks and rest-stop bathroom horrors .",
        "` a lot can happen on the road to nowhere , ' reads the tagline on the poster for MOV , a comedy that also illustrates exactly how nothing can happen on the road to nowhere .",
        "the movie ends with an ode to easy rider , but without the satisfaction of seeing any of the characters gunned down by hicks .",
        "it 's ` city slickers ' on bikes , probably someone 's idea of a 40 year old guy 's ultimate fantasy movie .",
        "it 's immediately forgettable but not inordinately painful , more like a routine cleaning at the dentist 's than a root canal .",
        "the movie has exactly four laughs .",
        "what financial strings had to be pulled to get john travolta , tim allen , martin lawrence and william h. macy to sign on for this second-class city slickers ?",
        "MOV is a formulaic road picture that hits a few potholes , thanks to an uneven script and stale comedic devices .",
        "none of the actors has a character to play , but each brings a likable persona to MOV , and that helps smooth over more of the stinky script 's rough edges than you 'd expect .",
        "there really is n't much more to say about MOV beyond the appallingly unfunny results it extracts from squeezing travolta , tim allen , martin lawrence and william h. macy into leather jackets and propping them on high-performance motorcycles .",
        "MOV is more tired , worn out , and sagging than its protagonists -- an arthritic comedy whose humor is below mediocre and whose drama is cringe-worthy .",
        "if MOV went hog wild into comic anarchy -- heck , even creativity -- it might have been worthy of its overqualified cast . as it stands , this weak effort will bring them sacks of money , but no respect .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a little cute cussing , a few decent jokes , a lot of sight gags involving spills on the bikes these ` mild ' hogs get by on being good-natured , and willing to trade a little star power for the chance to ride and get paid for it .",
        "the gags are witless and surprisingly gross -lrb- insect splatter , feces disposal bags , inadvertent homosexual come-ons and the like -rrb- . the four actors , each accustomed to being at the center , never develop any rhythm , any chemistry , any anything .",
        "even chevy chase would n't be caught dead doing this stuff .",
        "MOV ' laughs are n't lasting , but it allows just enough room for its cast to showcase what they do best .",
        "slack direction from walt becker -lrb- national lampoon 's van wilder -rrb- sullies this formula comedy , but the cast is agreeable , particularly marisa tomei as the diner owner who falls for the constipated macy .",
        "never fails to take the low road . it 's a waste of celluloid , filled with potty humor , gay jokes and the unfortunate transformation of real actor william h. macy into a living crash-test dummy .",
        "MOV is an oinker . feeding us slops of dud comedy are stars who ought to know better by now .",
        "perhaps it 's not within the purview of a mere critic to question the judgment if not the sanity of disney executives who green-lit this travesty , but who exactly did they envision to be the audience ?",
        "if you listen closely , you can hear your brain cells fizzling .",
        "MOV is lame enough throughout that you wonder why john travolta , martin lawrence , tim allen and william h. macy signed on for it .",
        "a couple of homophobic jokes is just ignorant , but in a formulaic slapstick comedy , the obsessive nature of director walt becker and writer brad copeland 's interest is just plain weird .",
        "this movie stinks of exhaust and desperation .",
        "of the major stars , it 's macy , not surprisingly , who offers the most texture , soul and self-deprecating humor in this light but appealing comedy .",
        "boy , is this one lame wheezer of a movie . MOV actually feels as though it might take longer to watch than it did to write .",
        "MOV is n't as jaw-droppingly awful as its trailers suggest .",
        "though overly broad and slapstick simplistic , MOV offers a handful of robust laughs , as well as the fun of watching four ingratiating performers .",
        "unexpected romance , amusing pratfalls and comic performances combine to make ` MOV ' a rollicking good time at the movies .",
        "... a cast composed of actors who are bad enough on their own , and who together amount to something unholy .",
        "throughout the film , john travolta , martin lawrence , et al do n't seem to be bonding so much as acting at each other .",
        "like a 90-minute episode of full house , if danny tanner went to ozzfest and taught everyone how to protect piercings from infection .",
        "are so many american men so oppressed by the ` horrors ' of modern life -- high cholesterol , uppity wives , smartass children , cell phones , boring jobs , the general dead-eyed awfulness of suburbia -- that they need a stupid movie like this one to tell them t",
        "travolta has occasionally gotten down in slop like this before . allen and lawrence practically live there . but macy , the guy from fargo and magnolia and seabiscuit ? say it ai n't so , bill .",
        "a note to screenwriters everywhere regarding characters over 50 whose inability to use the internet results in being trapped on a porn site -lrb- see MOV and because i said so among others -rrb- : it 's not funny ; please stop doing it .",
        "is this the best we can do in the realm of star-driven commercial comedy ? if so , i 'll take norbit . i 'll take because i said so . i 'll take i 'll take sweden .",
        "an unending cycle of gay-panic and object-collides-with-testicles jokes and some laughable moments of maudlin sincerity , all to a soundtrack that regurgitates without irony every song that 's ever been in any motorcycle movie in film history .",
        "no cliche goes unloved in this piddle about four aging cincinnati dudes who try to find their bliss by hog-riding till they reach the pacific .",
        "why watch this film when you could stay home and put your head in the oven instead ?",
        "this predictably sappy plot yields some surprisingly ruckus comedic moments .",
        "the premise will likely remind you of city slickers . the bad news : MOV is no city slickers .",
        "the road trip plotline and parade of c-list cameos suggest a 21st-century cannonball run , and that 's not far from the truth .",
        "born to be reviled .",
        "so bewilderingly overflowing with gay camp and homoerotic context , it 's a regular travolta , queen of the desert .",
        "walt becker 's rancid midlife-crisis `` comedy '' seems serenely unperturbed by the grand canyon between the least likable protagonists in recent memory and the audience-tested need to impose redemption onto them .",
        "a middle-age version of billy jack with a benji plot",
        "very little that happens is unexpected or offbeat , and even the most dire situations are resolved in pat , tv-sitcom style . the only wildness in this film is in its title ; the movie itself is about as dangerous and shocking as your average beer commercial .",
        "the main thing about the guys in MOV -- the main source of the movie 's fumbling attempts at humor -- is that they 're not gay . really . seriously . no way .",
        "at one point , tim allen proclaims : ` i 'm lame . i 'm just lame -- admit it , i 'm lame . ' tim , you 're preaching to the choir .",
        "if it 's a laugh you 're after , you have a better shot at getting one by reading a bazooka joe wrapper . at least you get a piece of gum with that .",
        "the characters are not consistent and behave crazily in order to advance what little plot there is .",
        "this could have been a city slickers on cycles . but it 's an incredibly lazy movie , from the on-the-nose casting to the soundtrack -lrb- '70s vintage road rock -rrb- to the script to the scouting of locations .",
        "there are a couple of genuinely funny sight gags , but most of the roadside attractions of MOV are either boring or outright annoying .",
        "if you can imagine city slickers with bikes instead of horses and without the wit , the likable performances and jack palance , then you have a pretty good idea of what this movie is like .",
        "mind-sodomisingly mediocre family comedy .",
        "a humiliating medley of ghastly slapstick stunts . walt becker is the author of this nonsense . he ought to be sued .",
        "sounds great , with this cast of men of a certain age on big scary two wheeled monsters . unfortunately it only pulls it off in places .",
        "there 's not a single funny joke in the entire film , unless your idea of humour involves characters repeatedly crashing into things .",
        "with its central theme of male bonding , MOV is a moderately amusing and entertaining road trip whose likeable cast is its main draw .",
        "not exactly high test , but enough comedic octane for four rad guys to tickle our pistons if we 're not overly mature about it .",
        "women , hmmmph !",
        "a vacuous male-bonding farce ... made worse by dumb slapstick interludes and the failure of the stars to generate much comic wattage .",
        "as stupid and bad as the movie gets , there 'll still be people out there who find it hilarious .",
        "MOV has little story and even less characterization to its stereotyped players .",
        "this shallow comedy imagines itself as an amalgam of st. elmo 's fire , the wild bunch , and deliverance .",
        "the fun comedic turns by the starry quartet partly makes up for the predictable broad humor of this vulgar road comedy .",
        "uninspired script and broad slapstick yuks wo n't earn this any plaudits , but slick , safe package should do ok with north american mall auds .",
        "it 's hard to hate it , trashing the film would be kind of like kicking a puppy in the head .",
        "... not as dumb as it might have been ...",
        "the film 's a bumptious weekend ride : the engine could use tuning and the plugs are shot , but it gets you most of the way there .",
        "-lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- overload on shaky slapstick and unvarnished homophobia , and they stage the phoniest romantic subplot ever .",
        "i 'll take a crashing yet sincerely aimed failure any day over the by-the-numbers , lowbrow audience-pandering slickness of MOV .",
        "eminently forgettable .",
        "offensive and unfunny , hogs is cinematic roadkill , so you 'll wan na steer clear .",
        "the cast of MOV could only have been interesting in a movie about over-the-hill movie stars making a movie about over-the-hill regular guys slipping into the mind-numbing pointlessness of middle age -- but that would have been an ironic .",
        "this is just another waste of time i 'd really hate for you to undergo -- and pay for .",
        "a formulaic laugh machine that 's entirely predictable .",
        "MOV is every bit as terrible as you 'd expect a film with john travolta , tim allen and martin lawrence to be .",
        "well , this is an awful movie.so why did i give it two stars?because , despite the fact that this script is driven entirely by a lowest-common-denominator approach to getting middle-aged men in the theaters , the movie has two single minutes that are simply",
        "... inordinately silly , entirely forgettable ...",
        "in many ways , MOV is the worst type of movie - a cynical affair that means to rob its audience by promising a romping good time it has no intention of delivering . i really think a lot of the people involved ... should be ashamed .",
        "films like these are built for speed , not comfort . the big name cast is there to drag in an audience for the opening weekend , so the picture makes its money before word gets out .",
        "a comedy that 's beneath its one-time a-list talent .",
        "rediscovering one 's inner manhood and earning everyone 's respect boils down to fighting the bad boys . another measure of manliness involves repeatedly making fun of a gay highway patrolman -lrb- john c. mcginley -rrb- and tossing in plenty of homophobic jokes .",
        "the actors possess enough charisma and good spirit to charm even if there 's the sneaking suspicion that their skills are in service of something mediocre .",
        "this collection of gags on male menopause , genuinely offensive gay-cop jokes and bumper-sticker life lessons is beyond intolerable .",
        "the previews for this silly little film looked horrid , but it broke disney box office records for march . so i saw it with my folks and heck , if we all did n't have a good time !",
        "among these pigs in a blanket of cliches , john travolta is particularly cringe-worthy ...",
        "it 's city slickers with horses and cattle replaced by motorcycles and a lot of gay jokes . the celebration of conformity is where its aura of laidback inclusiveness is revealed as a pose .",
        "the `` gay panic '' humor is so rampant that it 's reasonable to wonder if cast and crew members wrapped each shooting day by beating up a homosexual off-screen .",
        "soulless , boring , formulaic and utterly convinced that its audience wo n't care .",
        "petrol-headed fifty-somethings into lynyrd skynyrd and the allman brothers will probably relate to some of the funnier scenes . the rest , including pre-teens , are advised to avoid it like el plago .",
        "an innocuous , monotonous comedy that at least has a playful spirit , but its tone does n't amount to much when pitted against forced shtick and an even more forced attempt at a plot .",
        "an enjoyable enough ride for the undemanding viewer",
        "all of a sudden there 's hope for `` gigli '' !",
        "the MOV gripe , bicker , and bond , and a couple of them even find true love in female forms .",
        "the entire cast aquits itself and none do anything so embarrassing that they can continue to have something to fall back on when they make bad investments .",
        "takes the goofy route through the material , with corny slapstick and hackneyed jokes , none of which are remotely funny .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is a dreadful combination of fish-out-of-water jokes , slapstick , and lazy stereotypes .",
    "id": "450816743"
  },
  {
    "movie": "x2_xmen_united",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as irresistible as movie-theater popcorn -- a lavish , reasonably intelligent , well-acted sequel with kick-butt effects that outdoes its predecessor , 2000 's x-men , in almost every department .",
        "a fantastic sequel with kinetic action scenes and a thirst for the next chapter in the series .",
        "the best new addition to the corp is alan cumming 's nightcrawler . his pointy ears , yellow eyes , and blue skin make him the most creepily beautiful presence in the pageant .",
        "where x-men was often restrained , x2 soars , and it 's a much better film for it .",
        "... once you strip away the fact that the endeavor is mismanaged and lacks essential treasures , it has quite a few decent isolated scenes ...",
        "i felt it low-grade boredom , especially when the characters began to talk .",
        "best of all , this is a film which excites the eye without numbing the brain .",
        "x2 ... is what the first film should have been ; it 's not a comic adaptation , it 's a sci-fi film that stands on its own merit .",
        "a summer firecracker .",
        "with x2 , our modern day movie superheroes have evolved . they are as human as they have ever been , and the more human they get , the more exciting they are to watch .",
        "singer seems like he wants a place in professor xavier 's school for having enough arms to juggle all the plots , which are onscreen .",
        "if this keeps up , sequels might just get a good name .",
        "this snazzy sequel to bryan singer 's comic-book smash x-men is sleek and sexy , filled with delicious characters and effects . just do n't compare it to the original .",
        "while it lacks spider-man 's emotional wallop , x2 : x-men united represents the purest translation of comic book action to the big screen .",
        "an infectiously good time , x2 will no doubt make you forget about the doldrums of human existence and leave you wondering what kind of mutant you 'd most like to be .",
        "... has more subplots going than your average daytime soap operas , but with outcast superheroes instead of rich folk ! in fact , it follows very closely the kind of interrelationships and characterization that made the x-men comic books popular for so long .",
        "x2 is solid , especially when you put it alongside the original and others like it . at the same time , it is completely disposable .",
        "it works perfectly and is never less than believable in an unbelievable , comic-strip kind of way .",
        "aside from the -lrb- perhaps -rrb- overly thrilling spectacle of wolverine 's `` berzerker rage '' the lion 's share of excitement comes from the returning villians and the introduction of nightcrawler .",
        "` grandes efectos especiales , una estupenda historia y acci\u00f3n sin l\u00edmites . ahora , todos somos mutantes '",
        "generally watchable , totally disposable , but passable .",
        "as far as heavily hyped , commercially savvy , slickly produced blockbuster extravaganzas go , this one 's a keeper .",
        "sports enough cool characters and exhilarating set pieces to make you sit tight through the dull bits and tolerate most of the superficial silliness .",
        "stryker 's agents crashing the mutant school look just like the ins officers retrieving elian gonzalez",
        "michael dougherty 's script builds on what went before instead of being a mere rehash , and if you like this sort of thing , you 'll have a grand old time .",
        "a far more moving experience than you 'd ever expect from a comic-book movie .",
        "storm falls victim to the same trap that so many other black characters in ensemble casts fall into - we 'll call it the geordi laforge factor .",
        "x2 has everything fans could want in a sequel !",
        "one of those rare superior sequels - a dark , often exhilarating and occasionally even thoughtful improvement on its portable plastic predecessor .",
        "one of those rare gifts that completely eclipses its predecessor , building on it to create a perfect and wonderful cinematic experience .",
        "there are several memorable bits and genuinely affecting performances .",
        "like that issue of the uncanny x-men that you 'd get every once in a while : the setup for a future episode in which the exciting stuff happens .",
        "overflowing with deep characters in compelling relationships , rich with the always-timely message about bigotry and acceptance , and ... delivers more action and excitement than in the first round .",
        "... sucks you into it 's mutated version of reality , grips you with chilling intensity , and does n't let you go for it 's entire running time .",
        "as far as summer entertainment goes , x2 : x-men united is about as good as it gets .",
        "full of dazzling special effects , stunts and fight scenes , but the story is not as strong as the story in the first film .",
        "... the most successful big budget comic book adaptation since superman : the movie and batman .",
        "very smart , if way too long .",
        "singer is so hung up on the intricacies of his plot that he never allows the world he 's portraying to cut loose into atmospheric fantasy .",
        "during shooting , singer constantly referred to the empire strikes back as his template -- and , by jove , he 's made a movie that 's worthy of the comparison .",
        "just like its mutant characters differ from humans , the x-men franchise differs from most other comic-book cash cows . it 's sadder , saucier and significantly smarter .",
        "a great comic-book movie .",
        "parallels to 9/11 , john ashcroft , the patriot act and the rest of the bush administration 's racist thuggery are obvious ; the movie creates a stirring tide of activist force .",
        "gets bogged down with too many endless fight scenes and too many characters to juggle .",
        "exciting , fast-paced , and avoids most of the pitfalls of taking itself too seriously .",
        "suffice to say that i was steadily engrossed and entertained and ultimately moved by a drama that is , in the end , more human than mutant .",
        "the thrills rocket past so quickly that we seldom get the satisfying pleasure of a movie that knows how to use its spaces , gizmos and trained bodies .",
        "overplotted , a soulless maze of special effects and relentless action .",
        "singer is very good at scene staging , and at linking one scene to the next , creating the kind of downhill momentum that 's exactly right for the matinee-movie stories like x-men united .",
        "the genius of singer 's movie is how easy he makes it for us to recognize and relate to this supposedly ` strange ' world .",
        "the whole project has been developed with enough know-how , unstinting ingenuity and organized energy to lift it far above its flaws .",
        "the marvel age of cinema has truly arrived . ` nuff said .",
        "a comic-book movie with a sense of playfulness , a welcome streak of humor and just the right touch of gravity .",
        "a substantial improvement over x-men , in many ways .",
        "most of the good things about x-men are once again in evidence in this continuation of the epic .",
        "last year , i ranked spider-man among the best comic films made but was hesitant to call it no. 1 . the leader has arrived .",
        "as thoughtful spectacle with some tremendously talented performers , it 's bryan singer 's x-cellent adventure .",
        "fortunately , bigger usually equals better here , and when it does n't , it equals just as good .",
        "performances are solid throughout , with the actors managing to straight-face their way through some truly inane dialogue .",
        "director bryan singer skilfully keeps multiple subplots spinning while moving inexorably towards a climax that puts the first film 's liberty island sequence in the shade .",
        "x2 's excessively complicated and character-crammed plot , which only a teen boy could care about enough to follow closely , has a nasty human bigwig -lrb- brian cox -rrb- fomenting a war against the mutants .",
        "x2 is an interesting fantasy , always aware of its need to remain that way . considering today 's hollywood , that may be its most amazing power of all .",
        "x2 still feels like a prologue . no matter how much goes on , you feel like nothing has happened .",
        "the light tone and modest character development of x-men have given way to an avalanche of digital effects and a bloated symphonic score .",
        "this satisfying new installment looks like just the thing to get the summer blockbuster season off to a supercharged start .",
        "x2 is the movie the first one should 've been .",
        "bryan singer lifts the x-men franchise out of the formulaic superhero realm in his rip-roaring sequel .",
        "bigger , brasher , sexier but much , much more confusing .",
        "fx-heavy franchise pics simply do n't come any better than this .",
        "full of action , babes , story , and style -- now just axe about half the cast so we can have some focus .",
        "fleshes out a futuristic world that is never entirely remote , spiced up with the stinging social issues of the immediate present .",
        "the plot is pure comic book , but it 's immensely entertaining fun .",
        "singer has put together the perfect opening to the summer-blockbuster season .",
        "fans of the `` x-men '' legacy will love the film . to the rest of us , it 's as if we 're asked to follow along on a trip without a roadmap to help guide the way .",
        "opening the summer blockbuster season with flair , x2 : x-men united overtakes its hype to land the title of best comic book movie ... ever",
        "a shortcut title , a shortcut movie .",
        "bryan singer is a director who realizes that comic books are more than just pulp .",
        "it is fun , it is explosive , but it is not a classic , not even in the comic-book genre .",
        "singer has made a fast , furious and sometimes funny superhero flick that should appeal to most anyone .",
        "like the original , x2 succeeds in that neither the writers nor actors treat the comic-book material , like , well , a comic book .",
        "the kind of grand , slick , flashy popcorn entertainment that delivers on its promise of producing eye-popping , heart-thumping , cheer-aloud fun .",
        "it 's exciting , thrilling and , best of all , it 's got brains and a heart .",
        "playful , witty , lively , capable of a surprise or two and emotionally satisfying , exactly what one wants from an action movie .",
        "this may not be a grownup movie but -- unlike the star wars franchise or the batman sequels -- it is a movie that grownups can watch minus the requisite bottle of excedrin .",
        "a slightly flawed film that will nevertheless give fans of the comic book and first film a plenty good buzz .",
        "x2 : x-men united is the kind of movie you enjoy for its moments , even though they never add up .",
        "that rarest of action films , devoid of clich\u00e9s and surprisingly attentive to the humanity of its characters .",
        "this is a welcome change after the mediocrity of spider-man and the outright garbage of daredevil .",
        "yes , there 's action , fun , and even some well-earned tension . but x2 is simply lacking the gel , the magic , the super-power of that strong first film `` x-men . ''",
        "stylishly dark and visually thrilling with turbo-charged mutant action , x-men 2 is a spectacle that delivers on every count .",
        "succeeds more in the special effects department than as a fable about our current , troubled world .",
        "all of this may sound fine and dandy , but it makes for a very busy film that , even at roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes , buckles under the weight of its own ambitions .",
        "so much inventive stuff that it takes your breath away -- from massive set pieces to amazing stuntwork to tiny details .",
        "singer has attempted to be true to his characters , and his intentions are well founded .",
        "the summer has arrived , and with it possibly the best sequel we 'll see this year ... the x-men are back , and back with style .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- his is a dazzling bit of comic book adaptation , but it never insults the intelligence .",
        "even better than the first .",
        "thanks to ample action , a stellar cast , amazing effects and a storyline that 's solid without being convoluted , it 's xcellent entertainment .",
        "the `` x2 : x-men united '' dvd is straight butter and a must own dvd for any true film fan .",
        "a superbly done roller coaster of a sci-fi/fantasy spectacle .",
        "a fitting salute to a comic that has spanned many decades and fans of all ages .",
        "x2 is motivated by a love of the action and characters . it 's chaotic sometimes , and parts of it drag . but the affection shows , and you feel the director 's enthusiasm .",
        "... a virtual how-to for superhero sequels ...",
        "on a purely visceral level , the movie is a doozy .",
        "in trying to be everything to everybody , it meant nothing much to me .",
        "the effects used for nightcrawler are some of the coolest ever !",
        "it 's not bad for a comic book story .",
        "a major disappointment .",
        "x2 : x-men united is such an entertaining , action-packed film that you almost forget it 's about tolerance and political activism .",
        "everything a super hero movie should be !",
        "sequels are known to hardly be a shade on the original film that spawned them , but in this case , x men 2 is not only as good a film as the first , it 's possibly a much better one .",
        "that rare sequel : one that deepens , darkens and expands upon the original .",
        "`` i 'm gon na go get the jet ready , '' says halle berry as `` storm . '' get the jet ready !? what exactly was she intending to do ? hang some jackets in first class ? restock the onboard revlon products ?",
        "a much superior sequel",
        "busier , funnier , and more involving .",
        "it succeeds pretty well in rising to the challenge that most sequels face : how to give the audience more of what it responded to the first time while feeding its appetite for novelty .",
        "x2 perfectly marks the mutant spot .",
        "stands as a worthy enough follow-up , but just a notch less successful ... lacks the faultless pacing and focused storytelling of the original .",
        "hugely enjoyable sequel that 's every bit as good as the first film .",
        "while most movie-goers will love the film 's sheer thrill ride , x-men fans might leave a little disappointed . the best , i guess , is yet to come . .",
        "`` x2 '' has two times the heroes , two times the action , and two times the fun of the first ...",
        "first-rate and imaginative special effects are paired with a story that raises issues beyond exactly how much of what rebecca romijn stamos is wearing is just blue body paint .",
        "a smooth , shiny entertainment that hums like a jeweled clockwork toy .",
        "would this sequel not just live up to being a sequel of the first film , but even more closely live up to the expectations of fans , some of whom have been fans for over three decades ? yes .",
        "the best approach is to just kick back and enjoy the ride .",
        "it 's as superfluous as it is redundant : x-haust to the nth power .",
        "the special effects have definitely improved .",
        "that rarity among sequels , a follow-up with as much artistic integrity , complexity , humor and well-designed action as the original .",
        "much like its predecessor , x2 is a cold , unfeeling , soulless film , a movie with dollar signs in its eyes and adamantium coursing through its veins .",
        "the whole may be less than the sum of its parts , but some of those parts are nifty .",
        "there 's much to applaud in a superhero movie that takes aim at mortal problems -- from hate , prejudice and intolerance to hyper-surveillance and the corrupting influence of power -- and hits most of its targets .",
        "clearly , this movie is designed to sell action figures rather than make sense .",
        "it 's artificial drama cloaked in big production spectacle . which does n't mean it ca n't be fun .",
        "a double rarity : a sequel that improves on the original , and a big-budget blockbuster that actually has something to say .",
        "singer has assembled a fabulous cast that guarantees both gravitas and believability .",
        "special effects take a bow in this lively sequel that sacrifices narrative pleasure for flashy technique .",
        "as a big screen comic book , x2 is the most rewarding i have yet seen .",
        "like the first film , this one once again failed me to draw me into the world of the x-men .",
        "a bigger and better sequel to the 2000 original .",
        "les mutants reviennent sur nos \u00e9crans en tr\u010ds grande forme",
        "the emotional spectrum has widened , too , encompassing buoyant mirth and heroic tragedy .",
        "possibly one of the best superhero franchises in history , x2 is thoroughly engaging , well acted and well plotted . bryan singer is a master of the genre .",
        "bryan singer ... makes sure the animating theme of this series -- the freedom to be different in the face of intolerant authority -- does n't get lost in the din of battle .",
        "singer and his screenwriters know the value of a surprise and they deliver their share without dipping into the absurd . the result is a movie that surpasses expectations , a superhero flick that can rightfully take its place alongside the best .",
        "x2 feels very much like a step on the way to something else ; but if you can forgive it that , and its occasional hastiness , it 's well worth going to see .",
        "it takes a true cinema talent to turn the daunting and rather unwieldy 40 years of material into a coherent yet complex , smart yet incredibly fun entertainment that satisfies both the fanboys and newbie moviegoers alike .",
        "suffers from acute sequelitis . the characters are n't as vibrant , the dialogue is n't as witty and the action is n't as fresh as they were the first time around .",
        "a wonderfully populated adventure , with the franchise even more compelling the second time out because of our familiarity with the characters .",
        "may be the best super-hero movie yet made .",
        "with its top-notch special effects , x2 promises to be a real crowd-pleaser .",
        "first-rate popcorn cinema and a superfly awesome kick-off to the summer movie season .",
        "harry potter gets daggers in his hand and meets the lord of the rings while star wars plays on in a comic book universe generated , once again , by computers .",
        "moves with the lightning speed , raw power and athletic grace of , well , a genetically mutated superhero .",
        "of the many comic book superhero movies , this is by far the lamest , the loudest , the longest .",
        "the longer the movie goes , the more its 133 minutes prove wearing .",
        "the movie makes up in dynamite what it loses in drama .",
        "although frequently inventive and fun , x2 too often gets bogged down in long ponderous scenes . a frustrating film , it suffers a bad case of bloating .",
        "... if greatness eludes it , it remains sure-footed and dependable nonetheless , an exemplary roller-coaster ride that expands and enhances the work that came before it .",
        "wolverine makes the movie -- a wry , raw , charismatic character , embodied by the excellent hugh jackman .",
        "... a significant improvement over the original in nearly every way .",
        "a bigger and bolder film than the first . the only way that x2 could bring the audience closer to the comic book experience would be to slap it in a pair of spandex . the perfect summer flick !",
        "goes beyond the comic-book movie label in a way no previous super-hero movie has done : it 's well-done sci-fi action-adventure that honors its pulp origins but does n't depend on them ... the most ambitious , sprawling super-hero saga to date .",
        "funny , reasonably crazy , and unpretentiously faithful to its source .",
        "for once , the trailers do n't lie . this is really good - better than the first , actually , and maybe even in the same company as spider-man .",
        "the director allows time , within the action , to cultivate the spirits and souls of his heroes -- and even some of his villains .",
        "it could be its own creature : super-generico . that 's not the worst thing for a movie to be , but it 's not quite marvel-ous either .",
        "once you get past issues related to trying to figure out who everyone is , how they relate to one another , and what their powers are , the movie turns out to be pretty entertaining .",
        "... -lsb- it -rsb- just feels like director bryan singer and his cast are more confident and self-assured , resulting in an action-packed , witty and even thought-provoking yarn .",
        "this time out there 's more action , more character development , more special effects and a much bigger budget .",
        "x2 has an emotion the first film lacked , and , sometimes , the full-blooded intensity that the best pop myths tend to tap .",
        "director bryan singer 's determination to remain true to the legions of `` x-men '' comic book fans is clearly evident in this second film .",
        "brisk and involving with a streamlined forward propulsion , it 's the kind of superhero movie we want if we have to have superhero movies at all .",
        "rich special effects , emotional subtext , and wry attitude that deftly out-ranks the original -lrb- but nightcrawler annoyed me -rrb- .",
        "any disappointments in plot are easily overshadowed by the joy in watching this valiant comic environment take shape on screen .",
        "x2 has some surprisingly touching moments and some surprises to boot .",
        "with so many people running around in spandex and capes , the movie begins to resemble a costume ball .",
        "x-men already rammed its message down our collective throats . now they 're back for seconds .",
        "the plotting seems dangerously self-interested , being concerned almost exclusively with the survival of the mutants themselves , and , behind the succulent effects , the tone is oddly hectoring .",
        "bigger and badder than no. 1 , but still a blast .",
        "in singer 's hands , you never feel there 's anything at stake .",
        "there 's little zest , less grace and , particularly in the writing , no creative spark to ignite the imagination .",
        "for this brief shining moment , the `` x-men '' universe held perfect pitch , and funny book movies had a new standard of execution to live up to .",
        "a truly superior sequel to the original ...",
        "` x ' hits the spot .",
        "this has set the standard very high for this summer and it will be interesting to see what , if any films , can match its calibre .",
        "the higher aspirations sometimes weigh the action down , creating a story that is interesting but not always engaging , lacking the exuberance that could have made it truly exciting .",
        "bigger and more ambitious in every respect , from its action and visceral qualities to its themes .",
        "just once it would be nice to fashion an action sequence in these films where all the x-men team up to use their forces all at the same time",
        "just plain smart , rip-roaring summertime cinematic fun .",
        "exciting . exhilarating . extraordinary . exceptional .",
        "sleek , smart and sophisticated for a far-fetched fantasy .",
        "the expanded cast and cameos will keep fans drooling , but the film never feels over-packed as we get a little history on wolverine -lrb- hugh jackman -rrb- and setups for a few characters for interesting turns in future films .",
        "superhero sequel has more action , bigger stakes and a sprawling cast , adding up to big-time popcorn satisfaction .",
        "one knows this is all fiction because in real life george w. bush would no doubt have sent off all the mutants to guantanamo bay in violation of several international treaties ...",
        "what a great way to start the summer movie season !",
        "an engaging spectacle of energy and special effects built around a doomy mood and an ensemble cast vigorously pursuing a story line that is n't nearly as snazzy as the dressing .",
        "a movie about the x-men could be an examination of outsider psychology - it could be as dark and deep as ingmar bergman 's skammen . but no one here is interested in making anything so esoteric as art .",
        "my goodness , are these x-men ever busy !",
        "it 's a relief to see a sequel that measures up to the original .",
        "singer not only creates a compelling story with strong characters , but he 's also able to improve upon the original by bringing the civil rights subtext into a post-9 / 11 perspective .",
        "x2 : x-men united is sure to appeal to the masses on a super-charged visceral level . overall , this favorable farfetched fable diligently spins a web of pure inventive flashiness",
        "contains maybe the best effects work i have ever seen , with the various spectacular sights not registering with the audience as spectacular because the wizardry that created them does n't call attention to itself .",
        "get ready for the first true cinematic blast of the summer !",
        "very much like its predecessor : slickly made but overstuffed with characters and excessively busy .",
        "a hugely enjoyable adventure that does what all sequels should : it fleshes out the themes and ideas of the first part instead of merely staging variations on the stunts and jokes that audiences loved .",
        "big-budget , crowd-pleasing , multiplex material that does n't insult your intelligence is a rare commodity these days , so i have no problem at all encouraging you to drop eight bucks on this one .",
        "where x-men felt fragmented and impersonal , x2 explodes with ass-kicking style and sass .",
        "there 's invigorating charm in x2 's many scenes of unhurried playfulness and gentle puns on serious themes of tolerance .",
        "x-men 2 \u00e9 um filme de super-her\u00f3is feito para adultos .",
        "double your pleasure with this visually stunning and thematically inventive sci-fi spectacular where mutant humans battle the zealous forces of law and order .",
        "director bryan singer ups the ante in x2 , introducing new characters and creating plot lines that will lead to future adventures . meanwhile , he accelerates the action so the movie 's 134 minutes speed by like an express train .",
        "x2 : x-men united is a thoroughly intriguing sequel in the x-men series , a pure adrenaline ride . but with a weighty -- and very important -- message attached , the film also makes you think .",
        "if you 're an x-men fan , the theater is the only way to get the full impact of the effects - they 're pretty awesome .",
        "with a nod to ` the empire strikes back , ' this is an exciting , action-packed superhero saga with a timely message about tolerance and sacrifice .",
        "not only is it much better than the first movie , but it stands so well on its own that you do n't need to have seen its predecessor .",
        "it still is not great , but it is better .",
        "... x2 has everything you 'd want in a comic book adaptation ...",
        "whereas x-men felt like it was holding back a bit ... the sequel leaps forward , full of confidence .",
        "it would have been nice to see more character development , but if quirks and subplots for each of the x-men were explored , that would take a 15-hour movie .",
        "is the sequel worth the 3-year wait and the ticket price in ? the answer is `` definitely yes . ''",
        "it 's by far the best movie adaptation of a comic book , ever .",
        "stryker keeps x2 from exceeding the sum of its otherwise impressive parts .",
        "after about 1 1/2 hours , i thought , ` this has been a great movie ! ' when the 2:00 mark came and went , i was saying , ` is this ever going to end ? '",
        "improves upon the formula of the original and gives a significantly greater amount of action , but the formula is still rather expository in nature and the action has a tendency to be rather generic .",
        "x2 is considerably deeper -- and eerily relevant at this moment -- than its surface .",
        "no actor has ever inhabited the spirit of a comic character the way hugh jackman has .",
        "for most of its runtime , x2 has the indescribable x-factor of rollicking entertainment .",
        "the primary improvement over the first film ... is that this one is simply more enjoyable with less heavy lifting .",
        "offers a diverting mix of insight and spectacle , human and superhuman .",
        "turns out it is possible to be big without being stupid .",
        "x2 is n't inspired , but it 's fine .",
        "determined to do ` justice ' to their source and show a little bit of all the mutants , both films focus on numbers -lrb- lots of x-men , lots of crosscuts , lots of plots -rrb- rather than their built-in perverse substance .",
        "bryan singer 's x2 : x-men united is a mutant leap forward in comic book filmmaking .",
        "the best superhero sequel since superman ii .",
        "for the most part , the effects are top-drawer , and the story creates a mild undertow of emotion ."],
    "summary": "tightly scripted , solidly acted , and impressively ambitious , x2 : x-men united is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general .",
    "id": "10568"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1083171-perfect_murder",
    "reviews":
     [
        "loaded with dramatic irony in the first half and with tension in the second , the film gives douglas another chance to do his slick , sinister best ; paltrow a chance to extend her emotional range ; and mortensen a chance to play the chameleon .",
        "andrew davis -lrb- of fugitive fame -rrb- has created a new and improved version , with first-rate performances .",
        "an effective remake of an ineffective hitchcock thriller .",
        "what andrew davis has essentially done is to take one three-star movie and turn it into another three-star movie .",
        "andrew -lrb- `` the fugitive '' -rrb- davis ' film is less than perfect but it 's a murderously fun way to spend a couple of hours in a darkened movie theater .",
        "his -lsb- davis -rsb- direction is swift and very effective , and the movie , shot in shades of ebony -lrb- the color of black marble -rrb- , looks exceptionally handsome .",
        "you do n't have to believe a word of the strained dialogue in a MOV to be seduced by the movie 's chilly high-gloss ambiance and its skillfully plotted update of frederick knott 's play ...",
        "... a MOV has inexplicably managed to eliminate almost everything that was worthwhile about dial m for murder , leaving behind the nearly-unwatchable wreckage of a would-be '90s thriller .",
        "i think it works like a nasty little machine to keep us involved and disturbed ; my attention never strayed , and one of the elements i liked was the way paltrow 's character is n't sentimentalized .",
        "while the resolution may never be in doubt , how the film arrives there is a constant source of pleasure .",
        "this unscary thriller also suffers from dreadful miscasting , not the least of which is pairing gwyneth paltrow and michael douglas as the leads .",
        "somewhere , alfred hitchcock is yawning .",
        "... there 's nothing about this thriller to prevent it from soon becoming enmeshed in the memory with others in which michael douglas wears a starched collar and grits his teeth .",
        "paltrow , too , is generally a good actress but there is a paint-by-numbers quality to her work here .",
        "as is the case with too many remakes , the slick new take falls short .",
        "... the story offers so many lapses in logic , so many plot holes and so much dialogue to howl for that there 's plenty to talk about afterward .",
        "davis weaves a gorgeously lush film , charged with high tension , but the listless script renders his efforts alarmingly mundane .",
        "... snoozy , slack ...",
        "what the film lacks is suspense , surprise -lrb- the new ending is a dud -rrb- and passion .",
        "a MOV begins better than it ends , and the pleasures it offers turn out to be more of a transitory nature .",
        "a resolu\u0437\u0433o n\u0433o faz jus \u0430s duas primeiras horas de proje\u0437\u0433o .",
        "none of the amusement gained in watching the performances , unfortunately , amounts to much , as the script , in a desperate attempt to lend action interest to the original , static , puzzle plot , compounds surprise turn after surprise turn .",
        "... a fast-paced thriller that probably will leave alfred hitchcock aficionados mourning its shallowness -- but not until after they 've enjoyed an adrenaline rush .",
        "... simpers along with relatively little suspense or thrills ...",
        "slick and twisted tale provides two delicious hours of intrigue and mystery , along with some unexpected wit and black comedy ...",
        "... the film is so lacking in anything original that it is hardly worth recommending .",
        "a streamlined , high gloss , touch-tone remake of the lesser-hitchcock classic . harken ye back to the days of rotary dialing .",
        "a thriller without much genuine suspense is n't much of a thriller even if the atmospherics are dead-on .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a slick little thriller that relies a bit too much on surprise events to generate suspense .",
    "id": "13408"
  },
  {
    "movie": "honeydripper",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is an electrifying period piece about how music can bring folks together and generally save one 's soul -- or at least its final 15 minutes is . the rest of the time , it 's just a lot of sassy talk and scenery .",
        "even more than the music in this musically rich picture , the great pleasure of MOV is in watching danny glover as tyrone purvis , the club owner .",
        "john sayles is back in the saddle with another film in his regional cinema series",
        "like a rich and complex novel rendered as a visual experience that is equally rich and as unabashedly poetic in its images as sayles is with his metaphors",
        "the cumulative effect is very tasty indeed .",
        "it survives on its versatile leads , its smoky cinematography -lrb- courtesy of dick pope -rrb- and its seductive musical performances , which run from gospel to jazz to blues to the to the electrifying kick-start of early rock 'n' roll .",
        "never reaches its full tempo",
        "those who are patient will be rewarded with an engaging cast and the type of rousing ending that makes it worthwhile .",
        "MOV 's story is n't anything you have n't seen a dozen times before , but where sayles succeeds is in his ability to dramatize the psychological and linguistic details that give identity to a subculture struggling for survival .",
        "strangely , and perhaps due to the music , the film moves with more verve than much of sayles ' recent work . but it 's still flat and disappointing .",
        "MOV , by veteran american director john sayles , shows just how much life music can give to a movie .",
        "a movie with a lot of pulled dramatic punches , MOV is still very likable . its real attraction is real blues stars playing live with an energy that would float a much lesser movie than this .",
        "a contemplative fable , MOV locates the moment but misses the heart-pounding , gut-wrenching explosion -- the history is there , the thrill is n't .",
        "john sayles is a natural storyteller and national treasure , dedicated to spinning narratives of america , state by state , into a vibrant quilt of 20th-century american history .",
        "MOV is a pleasant enough story , but when sayles is involved , it is a shock to feel so little .",
        "with its cotton-field locations , diddley-bo props and scripted nods toward blues history and mythology , ` MOV ' somehow feels touristy rather than authentic -- as if it were a product of research rather than passion .",
        "together with production designer toby corbett and costume designer hope hanafin , they get their visual cues from the narrative and the music , creating a rich , down-to-earth environment where violence and magic seem equally possible .",
        "the film gets better as it goes along , and it closes with a rousing musical flourish , as immensely charismatic newcomer clark jr. finally hits the stage . at last , sayles ' sleepy drama wakes with a start .",
        "MOV , is medium-grade -lsb- john -rsb- sayles .",
        "a leisurely , atmospheric production with lots of time to appreciate -lsb- sayles ' -rsb- largely african-american cast , along with rocking musical interludes and just the faintest wash of spirituality .",
        "written and directed by the indefatigable indie idol john sayles , the movie is well-acted , but it 's as talky as if it were written for the stage , with fatally slow pacing .",
        "it 's a lovely portrait of a fabled time and place , but was n't there a bit of ugliness , too ?",
        "it 's about ordinary people living in the shadow of nagging , day-to-day racism , and about the music that reminds them of what 's right with the world rather than what 's wrong .",
        "MOV takes forever to develop its characters , its period and its location . but once it 's done all that , the payoffs are rich .",
        "MOV , directed by john sayles , is a shambling fusion of pop mythology and social mosaic .",
        "... suffers from lethargic pacing , so a lot of good will is required to make it through to the electric climax .",
        "a musical period piece that manages to be lighthearted and socially conscious .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- sayles is -rsb- more concerned with spinning a ground-level human comedy than searching for pie in the sky . his movie is rich with characters and flowing with music .",
        "the film does feature a host of interesting characters and , as always with sayles , the dialogue has more than a few zingers .",
        "john sayles , after 27 years and 16 films , is the ancient mariner of independent cinema , navigating the constantly swirling waters of the genre with passion and skill .",
        "this is n't the kind of flashy big issue movie that makes people stand up and take notice . it 's quiet and moody , with outbursts of strong emotion and energy .",
        "inert",
        "in this allegory , you understand , times change and troubles stay the same .",
        "an engaging and inspirational tale ... handled with graceful understatement .",
        "it 's optimistic , and maybe it does n't have a heck of a lot to do with history , but it 's a tale well told .",
        "while this may not be the rowdiest birth-of-rock - 'n' - roll film ever made -- it 's very likely the least rowdy -- sayles addresses a transitional moment in his own patient , precise way .",
        "it 's a leisurely paced period musical drama set in the jim crow south of the 1950s that 's steeped in the black southern mores ... .",
        "the large cast is admirable , but the joint does n't so much jump as shuffle earnestly from foot to foot .",
        "... a tone deaf movie , filled with obvious , overly expository dialogue and sometimes patronizing symbols .",
        "the movie 's central story is too slight and predictable to justify all the embroidery sayles adds around the edges .",
        "in the endearing musical time-piece MOV , the indie icon -lsb- sayles -rsb- lets his narrative gifts take the lead and the social issues follow like a tight bass line .",
        "this movie is dripping a lot of things , none of them honey .",
        "it 's best to forget the story here and focus on those small moments that shine in any sayles film .",
        "moviemaking seems to have become almost magically easy for this independent writer-director .",
        "it 's infused with some great music .",
        "it 's time to acknowledge john sayles ' dependable good intentions . his latest film , MOV , may have slipped through the cracks of december 's big-ticket releases , but it 's easily sayles ' best film in a good while .",
        "this is minor league sayles , filled with strong performances and rich in evocative historical details , but lacking the freshness that would 've made it something more .",
        "although MOV won a screenplay award at the san sebasti\u00e1n film festival , it 's not sayles ' strongest work . part of the problem is that it keeps building to a rock - 'n' - roll payoff that never quite arrives .",
        "john sayles returns with another literate , professional , yet highly enjoyable film .",
        "it 's a solid history lesson that 's less solid as a movie , simply because so much of the weight seems to be crammed into a too-fragile framework . as a film , MOV is fine history put to less fine use .",
        "the wonderful cast , mainly black , carries it all with ease , even sailing past occasional false moments .",
        "gorgeous cinematography , fine acting , splendid music , good old-fashioned story -- what 's not to like ?",
        "it has all the reliable components of sayles ' films : a strong social conscience ; well-drawn characters whose lives overlap convincingly ; a languid pace that allows for the honest unfolding of their foibles and fears ; a vivid evocation of a place and time .",
        "john sayles 's mediocre honeydipper is flanked by two great scenes .",
        "john sayles is to be commended for again serving up a thought-provoking slice of african-americana sans the shucking and jiving which hollywood typically attaches to black-oriented fare .",
        "trudging nobly under a mantle of impeccably earnest intentions and a fussy , too-quaint-by-half production design , MOV lags and drags to its utterly predictable end . there 's not a spark of spontaneity or soul about it .",
        "falls quite short of its mark , mostly due to the poor casting as well as a deathly slow pace that far too often veers away from -lsb- the film 's -rsb- greatest strength , which is the music .",
        "so lacking in punch or drive that you just start waiting for the thing to end",
        "this likable , laidback movie goes down well , a pleasant dash of southern comfort with some great tunes mixed into the batch .",
        "life in a black alabama community in the 1950s and the frantic efforts of a juke joint manager to keep his club open .",
        "sonny blake turns out a literally electric performance on his electric guitar .",
        "filled with observant , atmosphere-drenched , folkloric vignettes that delineate racism in that time in that place .",
        "any time sayles clicks with his material this succinctly , the results are thrilling .",
        "it 's awfully difficult not to be drawn into this refreshingly low-key and simple tale .",
        "examining the interaction of characters within the racially-tense , musically-rich south , circa 1950 , john sayles questions how much of our actions are determined by our environment , a consistent theme in his work .",
        "MOV is a decent but lesser entry in the unique and praiseworthy oeuvre of john sayles , a maverick filmmaker who has done more to showcase america , its pros and cons , and diversity than any other filmmaker alive .",
        "has john sayles finally lost his mojo ?",
        "with each turn of events being telegraphed well in advance , there are no surprises in sayles ' script . the cast , however , headed by glover 's complex portrait of a man plagued by his past , is fresh enough to cover the stale plot mechanics .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- wonder of beautifully observant cinema , a sneakily magical immersion in a lost place and time ...",
        "the only surprise in all this scripted sentiment is its apparent conclusion that maybe the blues deserve to be dead",
        "as sayles is messing with a brilliant legacy one can only hope he 'll exercise more discernment the next time he sets downto write a script .",
        "the scenes involving musical performances ... are the best parts of the movie , and it would be much enriched if there were more of them .",
        "think of it as an expert piece cultural anthropology with a beat that you can dance to .",
        "very light and quite predictable .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV 's electric musical numbers and sharp performances make for an exciting film , despite its slow pace .",
    "id": "770675536"
  },
  {
    "movie": "conan_the_barbarian",
    "reviews":
     [
        "let 's face it : arnold is well-cast . but the movie takes itself way too seriously .",
        "too dull to be unintentionally funny .",
        "not since bambi 's mother was killed has there been a cannier movie for kids than MOV .",
        "MOV is an extremely long , frequently incoherent , ineptly staged adventure-fantasy set in a prehistoric past .",
        "a big , sweaty , pulpy adventure tale that 's both exciting and unintentionally amusing .",
        "when it comes to the great lines -lrb- and mottos -rrb- of cinema , it does n't get much better than this .",
        "match verdict : no goals , slow build-up , but much absorbing action off the ball .",
        "balls-to-the-wall swordplay flicks do n't get much better than this",
        "arnold 's first real movie -lrb- not counting hercules and the villain -rrb- . very serious , needs more humor , but a good debut .",
        "muddy and serious , but refreshing compared to other comic book movies .",
        "MOV by john millius is ... one of the top ten motion pictures ever made .",
        "no comic book stuff here : the film is dark and gloomy with excessive violence .",
        "john milius is skilled at allowing his story to unfold as though you were reading a pulp novel , never letting you get bored . he always throws something at you that 's reminiscent of the best in fantasy novels .",
        "schwarzenegger has probably never been better-cast .",
        "even 17 years after its release , MOV still weaves a spell capable of ensorcelling fans of fantasy adventure .",
        "a stirringly grandiose music-video epic",
        "... should appeal to most anyone with a bent for fantasy and swashbuckling derring-do .",
        "there is a real anticipation as schwarzenegger is unveiled as the barbarian and sets off on the road to independence . but for whatever reasons , the actor has a minimum of dialog and fails to convey much about the character through his actions .",
        "ok sandals and loin cloth muscle adventure ... which made arnold a star .",
        "a film that only wants to be described by the single adjective `` awesome '' , though `` epic '' would do in a pinch .",
        "this primitive , mythic epic catapulted schwarzenegger to movie stardom after being a famous body-builder .",
        "... ironically undone by its star , a preening peacock eager to sow the seeds of self-parody with a well-placed camel punch .",
        "visualizing robert e. howard 's creation in the midst of the reagan era is an offer the auteur ca n't refuse",
        "following the release of the dreadful 2011 reboot , the original has been labeled a `` classic , '' but let 's not kid ourselves .",
        "essential 80s cinema with some amazing elements , including the unflinching violence for the time and the brilliant score by basil poledouris",
        "its magnificence stems from the very properties we should be condemning with all our might .",
        "a classic tale is told through fascinating visuals , cheesy characters and good old fashioned muscle-bound strength ."],
    "summary": "though conan may take itself too seriously for some , this adventure film about a former slave seeking vengeance is full of quotable schwarzenegger lines and gritty action .",
    "id": "16016"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1084398-life_is_beautiful",
    "reviews":
     [
        "with MOV , the final frontier of schmaltz has been reached .",
        "the film 's title , which very well could have been a straightforward declaration prior to the war , becomes a source of twisted irony once we witness guido pull down the grate outside his humble bookshop and the words jewish store are seen sprayed across th",
        "wrenching holocaust fable with bittersweet humor .",
        "roberto benigni 's finest hour arrived in 1997 when the triple-threat writer/director/actor delved deep into charlie chaplin territory - see `` the great dictator '' -lrb- 1940 -rrb- .",
        "this cross between schindler 's list and hogan 's heroes works better than it has any right to , but not as well as most people would have you believe .",
        "benigni 's point , made with tender sensitivity , is that a child 's innocence is worth protecting .",
        "benigni does with the nazi setting what chaplin did n't dare in the great dictator -- he lets the liberating nonsense triumph .",
        "sentimental and contrived , benigni 's well-intentioned holocaust dramedy may only work as a children 's fable . inexplicably , it won a prize at the 1998 cannes festival .",
        "it embraces the bravery of its victims , and educates its audience through truly accessible characters .",
        "i had thought the other sister was appalling in its exploitation of the mentally disabled to grab your entertainment dollar , but that was nothing , nothing compared to what the funny little italian man has wrought .",
        "audiences will be laughing hysterically while crying their eyes out .",
        "three parts charles chaplin to one part buster keaton , benigni 's guileless courtship fable is a latter-day screwball farce in the best sense .",
        "it 's not easy to sit through MOV . between benigni 's mugging , the often flat comedy , and the structure of the piece , it 's actually quite hard . but those up to challenge will receive ample dividends .",
        "it is to the film 's glorious advantage that it does reveal that every cloud , especially the black nimbus of war , has a silver lining and that , indeed , MOV .",
        "MOV has come under attack in some circles for mocking the holocaust . nothing could be further from the truth .",
        "by the end of MOV , you see that benigni is no fool , he is a comic genius with a heart as big as the world .",
        "regardless , the film 's second half is a tender and tragic treatise on the transcendence of a parent 's love , and the power of man-made magic to reconstruct the world .",
        "the holocaust requires no dramatisation to shock us . but this irritating little euro-chaplin has found a new way to present something we 'd all rather look away from .",
        "it 's a high-wire act without a net , and benigni pulls it off with astounding grace and sensitivity .",
        "benigni certainly knew the risk he was taking with his idea , but the circumstances overwhelm him .",
        "in the real death camps there would be no role for guido . but MOV is not about nazis and fascists , but about the human spirit .",
        "you 'll laugh ! you 'll cry ! you 'll smile through the evils of genocide !",
        "this is an excellent movie for families to watch together , to discuss not just the historical framework but challenges that parents face when they see their children learn about tragedy and unfairness .",
        "explores the power of laughter to lift the human spirit even in the face of extreme tragedy .",
        "winner of the grand jury prize at cannes , MOV deserved every vote it got .",
        "i have an incredible difficulty having my words do justice to this film .",
        "art-house sentimentalists will likely go for beautiful in a big way , but even those who aggressively resist manipulation can find a lot to admire .",
        "benigni is an original , carrying off a task that no other filmmaker has realized in quite the same way .",
        "brilliantly spectacles the glorious to nauseating extremes the gift of life affords us ... while encouraging our participation in the former .",
        "giving myself to the film , i was rewarded with one of the most moving and crushing films in years .",
        "benigni 's unique film contributes in a small way to our understanding the affects of the holocaust .",
        "a lasting impression is not made by its laughs or sense of reality , but its huge heart .",
        "a daring , highly original work .",
        "treat yourself , and seek out this film .",
        "many times i was struck by the need to laugh and cry simultaneously , and that odd combination lingered with me long after i finished watching .",
        "but that 's what 's so extremely interesting about this film . it 's deceptive and clever , and it certainly had me thinking it was something else and not such a downbeat film .",
        "one more brave and indispensible little film about the holocaust , this one from an unlikely source , comic roberto benigni .",
        "the film is a triumph of performances , from benigni 's surprisingly subtle lead turn to youngster giorgio cantarini , who is extremely impressive in his debut role .",
        "es una ense\u0144anza de los valores primordiales que debe de mantener el ser humano en circunstancias donde la \u00fanica v\u00eda de escape posible es la muerte",
        "it works so hard at being cute that it forgets to be funny .",
        "through roberto benigni 's joy of spirit , MOV powerfully reaffirms life itself .",
        "the movie is a solid work and wholesome reminder of the holocaust .",
        "the lesson that benigni ultimately imparts is that it 's easy to convince a child horror does n't exist as long as it stays out of the way while the two of you are goofing off .",
        "its intentions may be sound , but its achievements fall far short of the ambitious mark it sets for itself .",
        "sentimentality is a kind of fascism too , robbing us of judgment and moral acuity , and it needs to be resisted . MOV is a good place to start .",
        "warm and even loving without being cloying or spilling over into easy sentimentality",
        "the picture does n't work , at least not to the extent it was intended to .",
        "the movie 's eventual transition from silly fun to heartstring-tugging tearjerker mode comes off as limp at best .",
        "roberto benigni 's comic fable about one family 's struggle to survive in a nazi concentration camp is in offensively poor taste .",
        "-lsb- benigni -rsb- somehow succeeds at such a genre-bending convention -lrb- or unconvention , if you think about it -rrb- , finding just the right balance between humor and drama so that the film in no way is condescending to the subject matter .",
        "dares to laugh in the face of the unthinkable . and because benigni can be heart-rending without a trace of the maudlin , it works .",
        "benigni 's movie made me want to throw up .",
        "... silly , to be sure , implausible , sometimes slapstick , often sophomoric ; but it is never disrespectful . ... a sweet and moving experience .",
        "`` holocaust comedy '' + `` life-affirming drama '' = molto hilarious dramadic cadffefmng . perhaps cadffefmng should mean `` magical taste of realism . ''",
        "shows how humor is a rich spiritual resource that enables us to cope with the unexpected and to smile through the unbearable .",
        "if this is a fantasy , it is probably a compensation we need when facing the reality of history .",
        "yes , there are heaps of charm and poignancy in this trifle , but it 's a trifle nonetheless -- light-and-bright , for sure , but also slight-and-trite .",
        "how appealing you find it will probably depend on your response to benigni 's screen-hogging routines -- the line between endearing and irksome is a fine one .",
        "inspiring , heartrending , funny , sad , surprising and richly imagined .",
        "a dramatic rendition of the fortitude required to reclaim the violated spirit and the imaginary optimism needed to save a dying innocence .",
        "he film 's absurdist account of fascism gives the first half rich comic flavors that grow darker as the story progresses .",
        "the movie manages to incorporate all these things into a moving yet unsentimental story about the beauty of maintaining one 's wits while stumbling blindly in the insane no man 's land that lies beyond wit 's end .",
        "the movie is partly set inside a concentration camp , yet it has more to do with charlie chaplin than oskar schindler , as it uses slapstick pratfalls , social commentary , and gentle satire to create a touching tale of love .",
        "hilarious . heartbreaking . hopeful . imaginative .",
        "it combines a charming romance with a dash of farce , stirs in a little poignancy , and ends up a very enjoyable movie .",
        "a deeply touching story told with imagination and humor .",
        "its strained poignancy is as thick -- and sweet -- as honey .",
        "its sentiment is inescapable , but genuine poignancy and pathos are also present , and an overarching sincerity is visible too ."],
    "summary": "benigni 's earnest charm , when not overstepping its bounds into the unnecessarily treacly , offers the possibility of hope in the face of unflinching horror .",
    "id": "10097"
  },
  {
    "movie": "lenfant_2006",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the filmmakers let many scenes linger too long but manage to achieve a sense of realism that occasionally packs dramatic punch . a likable -- not lovable -- child .",
        "the exceptional thing about l'enfant is how intensely dramatic the film makes the consequences of bruno 's choice .",
        "the minimalist tone may be an acquired taste -- which might be why -lsb- the dardennes ' -rsb- films have been overlooked at the oscars but awarded the golden palm twice .",
        "l'enfant becomes like one of those nightmares where someone does something terrible , then tries to make it right , then gets into a bigger and bigger mess .",
        "plain-good storytelling : rigorous acting , handheld urgency , and editing prowess render the whiff of manipulation moot .",
        "renier does more with one expression than most actors do with their whole kit . it 's fun , infuriating and uplifting and it 's never boring . great flick .",
        "focuses on the here and now , the possibility that all human beings have within them compassion , remorse and the capability to sacrifice their own interests for another .",
        "this is a movie about the kind of everyday miracle we all need to believe can happen -- how the tiniest glimmer of human connection can lead the most miserable specimen out of darkness .",
        "what interests the dardennes ... is not only how bruno became the kind of man who would sell a child as casually as a slab of beef , but also whether a man like this , having committed such a repellent offense , can find redemption .",
        "meatier than anything that 's likely to be released this year",
        "bruno is a classic character from the pen of jean-pierre and luc dardenne , the belgian filmmakers who find beauty and redemption in the direst of circumstances .",
        "as a slice-of-miserable-life drama , l'enfant is no picnic . but that is the value of a dardenne film . the brothers indulge in social and cinematic realism , obliging us to look closely at the unwatchable .",
        "` l'enfant ' is not an easy film to watch , but i did find it fascinating and worthwhile .",
        "while it does n't measure up to such past -lrb- palme d'or -rrb- winners as ` pulp fiction ' and ` the pianist ' , it does have a certain attraction for the viewer once it gets into its central story .",
        "without a lot of overheated action , the consequences of bruno 's behavior cloud the next few hours of his life . the character is a surprise as both a dramatic creation and a human being .",
        "if you think britney and michael were careless with their babies , you have n't seen anything yet .",
        "the miracle of the filmmakers ' work would seem to be the perfectly struck performances of the leads .",
        "here is a film where god does not intervene and the directors do not mistake themselves for god . it makes the solutions at the ends of other pictures seem like child 's play .",
        "belgian filmmakers jean-pierre and luc dardenne are masters of naturalistic drama in which characters reveal themselves through a grimace or a gesture , rather than artfully scripted speeches .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the beauty of -lsb- dardennes ' -rsb- movies , much like flannery o'connor 's stories , is that they think no one is beyond rescue .",
        "l'enfant is certainly a skillful , engaging movie , but a step backward for this talented team .",
        "l'enfant nudges both its protagonist and its audience toward unlikely affection .",
        "there is a probing awareness and conscience in the dardenne films , without schoolbook lessons tapped onto our thick foreheads , though the emphasis on ethics could put their work on a shelf near the elegant works of eric rohmer and even robert bresson .",
        "for all the squalor and extremely upsetting subject matter , you ca n't take your eyes off the screen . the dardennes have a gift of finding a sort of beauty in ugliness .",
        "deceptively simple , stripped to the bare necessities , it quietly dramatizes the consequences of lying , cheating and stealing in a way that takes your intelligence for granted .",
        "even for a useless criminal , bruno is just not a compelling personality . unreadable lumps generally are n't .",
        "if you 've never seen a dardenne picture , this is the one you should rush to see . 5 out of 5 stars",
        "the film belongs to jeremie renier and deborah francois .",
        "everything about l'enfant feels devastatingly real .",
        "as a character study it delivers the goods , fraught with the sweet tension and painful heartbreak of coming of age and living on the edge .",
        "another engrossing character study worthy of recommendation from the dardennes",
        "the story of a convincing and well-drawn prick whose redemption does n't feel earned .",
        "apesar de todas as falhas de car\u0431ter do protagonista , ainda torcemos por sua reden\u0437\u0433o % u2013 uma proeza que o filme alcan\u0437a sem manique\u043dsmos .",
        "what is astonishing , and most admirable , is the way the filmmakers manage to create sympathy for this pathetic loser .",
        "l'enfant marks the first time that -lsb- the dardennes -rsb- seem interested in projecting more than just art-school indifference .",
        "... as much a tone poem as bresson 's balthazar : bruno is a donkey as well as a child , and his redemption is uncertain .",
        "an observant and effective study in character and setting , suitably grave and distinctively realized .",
        "every act in the film has a mythic resonance .",
        "a searing work about a severely flawed person 's heartbreaking stabs at redemption .",
        "i found myself grudgingly admiring the film on a technical level while being slightly annoyed with it on an emotional level .",
        "... intrigues with its small observations of what makes people tick .",
        "l'enfant is more than just a morality play . it is an investigation of the societal forces that create such misguided people , such overgrown children .",
        "no one is likely to leave l'enfant unaffected by the dardennes incisive exploration of the consequences of a world where some of its citizens have found a way to rationalize , and even ignore , what was if not unimaginable , at least unforgivable .",
        "it 's not -lsb- the dardennes ' -rsb- finest work -lrb- which would be 1999 's shattering drama rosetta -rrb- , but is still a worthy addition to an impressive resume .",
        "l' enfant is a dire and daunting character study and relationship drama set among the underclass in an industrial belgian bleakness ...",
        "hooks you in with its near-inconceivable but sadly realistic premise and tugs you along by the tightened heart strings . although it devolves into traditional formula , the film still retains intrigue with its impenetrable central character .",
        "could be that the brothers are getting either bored of their shtick or fond of their reputation .",
        "like all the dardennes ' films , l'enfant is a vivid , dickensian report from the most dispossessed precincts of society .",
        "told without sentiment or an excess of didacticism , the story of redemption among the urban underclass carries considerable power but never becomes a truly searing experience .",
        "a gritty slice of real life , relentlessly in focus , though always humane .",
        "fran\u00e7ois is heartbreaking in her debut role - here 's hoping the belgian film industry takes note and we see more of her in future .",
        "bland and predictable .",
        "an example of how cinema has the power to convince , to move and to compel with the fewest possible material resources .",
        "a gritty fairy tale about repentance that starts out small and gradually grows in power and intensity , as if by magic , until you 're feeling as panicked and desperate as its protagonist .",
        "viewers in europe have swooned , it is said , at this movie 's painful inching toward redemption . against that , i have to report a slow drip of disappointment .",
        "for all its bleakness , the latest film from the dardenne brothers offers hope and you 'll take away from it how much you have to be thankful for .",
        "unlike the great foreign films of old , l'enfant makes catharsis look easy .",
        "l'enfant is a forceful , impassioned and unsparing triumph from jean-pierre and luc dardenne .",
        "fran\u00e7ois gives a marvelously expressive performance as sonia .",
        "the slyly generic title of jean-pierre and luc dardenne 's l'enfant -lrb- the child -rrb- suggests ample room for doubt about who 's the real kid in their new film .",
        "absolutely terrific .",
        "`` l'enfant '' follows in their fierce and unsparing tradition , a tale of a destitute young couple under extraordinary pressure from without and within .",
        "a genuine tale of redemption .",
        "in the end , the film itself may be of less consequence than the emotions it stirs up in the viewer . can we forgive the unforgivable ? should we ?",
        "a simple moral fable told with compassion and nerve .",
        "its story appears simple , but l'enfant offers subtle insights into bruno 's behavior as it progresses .",
        "-lsb- the dardennes -rsb- break down whatever barriers a more formal film might have offered the audience for protection .",
        "the journey and character evolution of bruno is subtle and believable , thanks to renier 's performance .",
        "story thrives on how realistic , unsentimental , bleak and penetrating it is .",
        "many will exit humming peggy lee 's ` is that all there is ? '",
        "a miracle .",
        "a lethargic , often slovenly chore .",
        "a particularly unlikeable protagonist , the sky-high expectations that come with a palme d'or and the distinct sensation of `` been there , seen that '' ...",
        "with belgian auteurs the dardenne brothers behind the camera , there are deeper levels to explore in another stark but gripping construction of social realism .",
        "a rigorously austere masterpiece infused with intense humanism .",
        "although it 's safe to say that the film is as entertaining as it is distressing , this is bog-standard dardennes at best , and questionable as a palme d'or winner .",
        "does not present any convincing evidence that bruno is either so dense or so uncaring as to be remotely capable of selling his son on a whim",
        "there was a lot of grumbling after l'enfant was screened for critics .",
        "a sad social commentary in the style of robert bresson .",
        "like spike lee 's 25th hour , l'enfant focuses on the redemption of a sinner , but it 's debatable whether l'enfant really earns its teary finale .",
        "focuses on an irresponsible couple who nonetheless gain our sympathy .",
        "throughout this raw , often brilliant drama , the dardennes refuse to judge these deeply flawed characters .",
        "the dardennes waste no time involving the audience in the narrative , through both their hand-held , cinema verit\u00e9 style of filming and by having events take place in real time .",
        "the intimacy the directors achieve with their actors is nothing short of uncanny : renier and fran\u00e7ois go about their business with such naturalness and determination , you forget there are performances going on .",
        "the dardennes ' eye for detail and feel for character rhythms give it an authenticity , and their compassion and belief in redemption give us a reason to care .",
        "more likely to elicit shrugs than applause from the audience .",
        "by recording events with such detailed dispassion , the dardennes avoid undue melodramatics . consequently , this palme d'or-winning confirmation of the world 's cruelty remains unflinchingly powerful .",
        "preachy , overly symbolic and worst of all , dull .",
        "those masters of small-scale realism , belgian brothers luc and jean-pierre dardenne , have created yet another beautifully acted , exquisitely observed morality tale .",
        "the remarkable thing about the dardennes is their complex single-mindedness . each film is an odyssey -lrb- toward grace ? -rrb- in a world that could hardly seem more material .",
        "a hard-hitting and involving morality tale about the thief in the heart of a greedy young man .",
        "the infant grabs hold of the viewer 's heart with his sheer vulnerability and dependence on parents who are only beginning to learn how to take care of themselves .",
        "the dardennes ' documentary style -- real locations , hand-held camerawork and no music -- help increase not only the realism , but the claustrophobia .",
        "it 's expertly directed in a low-key , naturalistic way that brings to mind french auteur robert bresson . it 's also emotionally forceful and contains heartbreaking performances by jeremie renier as bruno and d\u00e9borah fran\u00e7ois as sonia .",
        "it does n't need a lot of dialogue . it is able to deliver its message in almost purely cinematic terms .",
        "adequate , to be sure , but far from extraordinary .",
        "an exploration of the existence of morality -- where does it come from , especially in a world as cold as what 's presented here ?",
        "a film about roads and cell phones , decaying buildings and people who ought to be budding , indifference masked by buffoonery , the belief that money just floats around .",
        "a masterpiece",
        "another terrific , ultra-realistic family drama fom the talented dardenne brothers , winner of cannes film fest top prize .",
        "the dardennes have managed to concoct an engaging and often suspenseful drama without ever calling upon fancy camerawork , sensational performances , or even so much as a musical score .",
        "although `` l'enfant '' won the coveted palme d' or at the 2005 cannes film festival , it is a grossly disappointing movie .",
        "it 's a thin story and the film is unremarkable in cinematic terms , except for the tension that the dardennes manage to maintain , thanks to top performances from j\u00e9r\u00e9mie renier and d\u00e9borah fran\u00e7ois",
        "un baldazo de realidad que confirma a los hermanos dardenne como dos sensibles observadores de personajes marginales ."],
    "summary": "the dardennes continue to excel at presenting works of rigorous naturalism , with detached observations of authentic characters that nevertheless resonate with complex moral issues .",
    "id": "126518660"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cheaper_by_the_dozen_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the humor in sam harper 's script is as malnourished as hilary duff appears to be .",
        "even the bloopers during the closing credits stink .",
        "running a painfully long 100 minutes , the movie is made up of a tiresome series of predicable , slapstick moments .",
        "for the most part , director adam shankman keeps the mayhem comprehensible .",
        "it aims to be pleasant and good-natured , which it is . there are enough laughs scattered throughout to keep everything moderately amusing , and the cast is likeable .",
        "when cutesy family-oriented comedies start to show the strained buffoonery of its leading star -lrb- martin -rrb- , you know it 's time to hang up the hat and call it the day .",
        "the movie may play better on video screens in the back of minivans , but i suspect even seat-belted children will remain unimpressed .",
        "while their last movie relied on boisterous physical humor , this is built on a family feud .",
        "this by-the-numbers pratfall-fest is as synthetically generic as a `` happy holidays '' card from your realtor .",
        "shankman drops the ball at the finish line , jettisoning the tough-love fun for cheap sentimentality .",
        "sequels tend to be stupider by the dozen , and part two is perhaps overshadowed only by the banality and pointlessness of say , leprechaun 6 .",
        "unfortunately in this instance , more does n't make merry , only mayhem .",
        "we likely have a sequel because the first steve martin family comedy successfully grossed 3 1/2 times its budget by teasing light humor out of family high jinks . that 's all fine , but did it have to be set in summer camp-style ?",
        "steve martin is kind of like your uncle who still gets to play quarterback during the holiday family football game , even though he has n't thrown a touchdown since 1992 .",
        "the kids will love it ; parents will just have to put up with it .",
        "this film is funniest when it does n't try so hard .",
        "sequels to comedies usually come with a risk to one 's digestive system , and sequels to bad comedies should carry a warning label .",
        "` cheap ' is the word for MOV .",
        "with three inspired comics -- martin , levy and hunt -- as the adult leads , cheaper 2 is not an entirely wearing experience . but its predictability borders on the insulting .",
        "two dozens and ours together do n't have a dozen laughs between them .",
        "its heart is in the right place , but a reliance on gimmicks and sentiment undermines the story . in the end , both the laughs and the tears here come just a little too cheap .",
        "there 's something pernicious about a toxic mix of sitcom and snickering sex jokes getting packaged and effectively sold as wholesome fun for the family .",
        "this is definitely a family trip to stay home and skip .",
        "there 's a discernible lack of enthusiasm from almost everyone involved , and duff , who 's gone from wholesome to haggard in two short years , is flat-out scary .",
        "a sequel every bit as bland , forced and flat as the generic 2003 comedy which spawned it .",
        "i think it should be considered child abuse to inflict this tripe upon children .",
        "i was convinced i was going to hate this film . but , it did n't bug me as much as i thought it would .",
        "MOV is so incredibly bland and by the numbers it 's painful to watch ... it 's just a collection of unfunny moments that are both uninteresting and annoying .",
        "martin and levy mug for their close-ups and then retire to their trailers while the stunt doubles do the really hard work .",
        "all i wanted to do was rent ron howard 's parenthood again just to remind myself that steve martin once made a film about families that was both honest and funny .",
        "MOV dishes sweetness and sentimentality in holiday-sized portions . it has its heart in the right place . too bad it only fitfully locates its funny bone .",
        "a cheerless sequel to an uninspired remake .",
        "the film is at its best when it 's not trying to be desperately funny , but that 's rare .",
        "if the creators seem lethally bored with their product , most viewers will find their patience tested , too .",
        "there is a good movie to be made about the difficulties parents have in letting go of their children . actually , ron howard already made that movie . it was called parenthood and it starred steve martin .",
        "there is no hilarity , just a couple of veteran funnymen going through the hellishly predictable motions in this unimaginative and unnecessary sequel .",
        "unfortunately , this family comedy does n't live up to its promising premise .",
        "moviegoers who enjoyed the pg anarchy the first time around should find amusement in the second dozen . if the last picture left you with a migraine and a sense of claustrophobia , the sequel will be another bout of pain .",
        "jimmy 's kids ' resentment is noticed only by the keenly attentive carmen electra .",
        "in this hollywood fantasy about a family with 12 kids , nobody does chores , we never see dirty dishes and mom -lrb- bonnie hunt -rrb- is always immaculately groomed , dressed and smiling june cleaver-style , right down to the tasteful string of pearls .",
        "for those unlucky souls who may be forced to take children to the sequel , there is a bit of semihappy news : although ` dozen ' was obnoxious , ` dozen 2 ' is merely innocuous .",
        "it 's a strange feeling to come out of a movie aimed at kids , much less a sequel to something like cheaper by the dozen , and not feel as though i need a shower and a vasectomy .",
        "cute kids . harried fathers . wise , understanding mothers . some stupid pet tricks . a little girl falls in love . over-protective father messes things up . money is n't everything . tender moments . and lots of pratfalls .",
        "sure ai n't a movie . nope , it 's a product , pure and very simple and carefully tested to sell to the widest possible market .",
        "the only ones who are likely to have any investment in all this would be the on-set caterers , who probably bought their own vacation homes after preparing meals for 24 .",
        "this half-hearted , obviously obligatory sequel feels labored and twice as long as it really is .",
        "noisy , silly , gratingly upbeat , and piously sentimental , MOV is what passes for wholesome family entertainment these days .",
        "watching steve martin in MOV is like watching emeril manning the kitchen at arbys .",
        "all the characters get in fights but , spoiler alert , everything ends with hugs , violins , good wishes and warm hearts .",
        "as i watched this sequel , a certain good feeling began to make itself known . yes , the movie is unnecessary . however , it is unnecessary at a higher level of warmth and humor than the recent remake yours , mine and ours .",
        "heed my warning : unless you guys stop going en masse to movies like the first cheaper by the dozen , genuinely funny people like hunt , martin and levy will forever be forced to pay their heating bills doing bland franchise fillers like this .",
        "this messy blend of silly slapstick and oversentimentality probably wo n't please children , teenagers or adults .",
        "many families are likely to find MOV a holiday treat .",
        "give dozen a slight edge to the mournful yours , mine & ours as a holiday season bottom-feeder , because martin and levy are better at slapstick than dennis quaid .",
        "a harmless , inoffensive bit of family programming during the holiday season -- and there 's nothing wrong with that . but ` harmless ' does n't have to mean dull .",
        "i wanted to watch one of the great comic geniuses of the last 50 years make me laugh , and i got stuck watching steve martin in a wetsuit being dragged behind a boat . life 's full of disappointments , is n't it ?",
        "after making shopgirl , it appears steve martin had a lobotomy .",
        "when a film makes $ 190m at the box office , you have to expect a sequel . this one is just as good as the first ... actually a little better .",
        "bland , canned but studiously professional .",
        "yeah , cheaper is right .",
        "a textbook example of how not to mess with success , MOV is every bit as forced , synthetic , banal and mawkish as the first edition .",
        "martin 's soul is for sale , dirt cheap .",
        "shallow , meandering , predictable , padded , and jam-packed with one unfunny , hoarily conceived slapstick bit or pratfall after the next .",
        "the big baker clan goes for a vacation at a wisconsin lake , and we get drowned in a sea of slapstick and schmaltz ... but it 's actually an improvement on its predecessor .",
        "concerned with pat platitudes about learning to say goodbye , the importance of family , and the superiority of parental leniency over authoritarian strictness .",
        "okay , everybody , back to your shopping -- there 's nothing to see here .",
        "MOV is predictable , manipulative , and probably funded by the taliban , but that does n't mean you wo n't enjoy it .",
        "MOV is simply a case of plastic characters jumbled together with a contrived script , shoved in a hollywood comedy oven with the timer bell ignored .",
        "cheaper by the gross .",
        "this sequel is just a string of lame slapstick gags , where steve martin acts handicapped , makes a fool of himself and gets a wetsuit stuck up his butt .",
        "... -lsb- takes -rsb- a dated , sitcom approach that reveals just how little the filmmakers think of their audience .",
        "a miserable experience filled with crude slapstick , cruder sentiment and retrograde jokes .",
        "a couple of good chuckles ca n't redeem this sappy mess .",
        "` MOV ' is one of the reasons that movie viewership dropped off in 2005 .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- cinematic bataan death march of pratfalls , kicks to the crotch , leg-humping dogs , pseudo-adorable rugrats who are a collective menace to society , and stomach-turning schmaltz ...",
        "if you go to this movie and find any decent laugh in there whatsoever , you should know right now that i have nothing but utter contempt for you .",
        "a family fantasy that plays at being happy and picture-perfect but primarily comes off as fake and dismayingly unfunny .",
        "the treacle spreads like molten lava and everyone ends up flat on their molasses .",
        "`` cheapr by the dozen 2 , '' is not as ghastly as one might expect . in fact , it has moments that are realistic and sweet .",
        "crammed with moppet mayhem , mawkish sentiment and bruising slapstick , it 's a flat-footed retread only right to lifers could love .",
        "... you may get a half-hour sitcom 's worth of laughs , but little more .",
        "... feels cobbled together by a committee fresh from a marathon of family reunion and summer camp comedies .",
        "i wonder how many meetings they had before they came up with that title . and did n't we just see this movie a couple of weeks ago , and was n't it called yours , mine and ours ?",
        "any movie that stars steve martin and bonnie hunt ca n't be all bad , and this one is n't .",
        "here 's a sentence i never thought i 'd write : carmen electra is more interesting than steve martin .",
        "this cheerless , tiresome sequel is so tastless and flimsy that it proves big families are n't much fun after all .",
        "it 's the snobs vs. the slobs ! and this holiday 's no picnic !",
        "all in all , the emphasis in this title is less on the ' 2 ' and more on the ` cheaper . '",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a sequel to a remake , cheaper 2 wastes its solid cast in scenes of over-the-top , predictable humor .",
    "id": "24465"
  },
  {
    "movie": "henry_poole_is_here",
    "reviews":
     [
        "even with its failures , MOV takes on material that very few filmmakers even attempt . for that reason alone , the picture deserves respect .",
        "henry poole may be cynical , but pellington never allows his movie to be .",
        "a quiet , graceful drama that sneaks up on you .",
        "you can feel the filmmakers ' manipulation at every turn , yet there 's a melancholy and life-is-a-gift spirit that still conveys .",
        "henry too often seems like a suffering cipher rather than a real guy with real problems .",
        "occasionally vacuous .",
        "this director deals in faces and facts , the camera closing in on his actors so they can deliver their big picture pronouncements while crying on cue .",
        "the only big question you may be asking yourself after watching this will probably be `` what could -lsb- fill in the name of any of the talented people inexplicably involved here -rsb- have possibly been thinking when they signed on ? ''",
        "MOV is one of those average guy-miracle stories that are supposed to make you feel good , but instead it just makes you feel used , and used rather badly .",
        "there is something contrived about this story in which people with major problems find a resolution .",
        "this is n't a movie : it 's a sermon .",
        "the combination of placid technique and wilson 's amiable , offhanded approach to a sketchily drawn character leads to a dissolution of dramatic interest around the midpoint .",
        "... examines ... in a sometimes subtle and sidelong poetic way , is examine the ways people recover and heal .",
        "your faith and your patience wo n't fare well for sitting through the slow-moving , lackluster MOV .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- works only insofar as you buy into its premise . if you 're a skeptic ... the real miracle may seem that the film was made at all .",
        "how seriously the filmmakers take the miracle of the stucco wall is up for debate , but the movie 's ultimate revelations feel unearned .",
        "MOV is a gentle , personal film that gets great work from its cast and its unashamedly sweet messages about loneliness , hope , love and faith seem awfully brave these days .",
        "MOV is the subject of a great concept which is executed well in the acting and writing department but suffers from its awful music choices .",
        "there 's a version of MOV that i would 've liked to see , and the painful thing is that it 's not that far off from the real thing .",
        "there may well be a market for simple-minded , high-budget tales of christian redemption ; if so , henry poole should do very well at the box office .",
        "a stronger script focus and less unanswered questions about henry poole might have made the film more appealing .",
        "i went as someone who finds religion a 50-50 mix of fascinating and indigestible . i came out the same and have no expectations of encountering a stucco savior any time soon .",
        "although the ending is unsurprising , henry poole remains an interesting character .",
        "`` MOV '' is not a movie , but rather a sketch for a screenplay that was never written . if ever there was a cinematic impetus to give up all hope for humanity and free expression , it is this patronizing , condescending , and vacuous waste of cell",
        "a noble effort but misguided and largely bloodless .",
        "gooey , ponderous , and maudlin . it 's less a tale of religious rebirth than a faith-based hallmark card .",
        "an easy film to surrender to .",
        "for a mildly quirky comedy-drama , MOV has some surprising philosophical heft .",
        "every so often there 's a tabloid news story about the virgin mary seen in a piece of toast or mother teresa on a tortilla , and most of us equate them with elvis sightings . this film is for the rest .",
        "the movie is certainly flawed , but if you 're able to suspend disbelief for the spiritual premise and can appreciate quiet little character-driven films where not much happens , you can do worse than this innocent and often lovely film .",
        "thanks to wilson 's sympathetic performance and pellington 's restraint , MOV may just succeed in warming hearts and lifting spirits .",
        "MOV is a movie that asks all the big questions and then , weirdly , wrecks itself by offering puny answers .",
        "it 's like a pushy neighbor who keeps inviting you to church and wo n't take no for an answer .",
        "director mark pellington neatly underplays the more maudlin touches of rookie albert torres ' script and draws a richly complex performance from the usually bland wilson .",
        "henry poole never quite approaches the ecstatic .",
        "sometimes funny and sometimes tender-verging-on-rubbery .",
        "a snarky film filled with messages about faith ? you better believe it .",
        "sincere , relentlessly somber parable about a severely depressed man whose self-imposed suburban exile is upended by a familiarly-shaped stain on his wall .",
        "even if you 're not religious -lrb- like me -rrb- , henry poole is an inspiring , charming little movie that is about believing . a little syrupy at times , but ultimately moving .",
        "as it bludgeons us with sappy talk of miracles and a ridiculously loud , these ! songs ! are ! meaningful ! soundtrack , the film is more likely to inspire cynicism than hope .",
        "pic 's tendency to lecture on the power of faith and religion and on the demerits of science seems to assume an almost childlike audience that needs to be spoon-fed pablum .",
        "overall , the film lacks dramatic heft .",
        "after several genre films , pellington goes back to his indie roots with a personal , semi-effective spiritual fable about the vagaries of life and death and the healing , redemptive powers of love .",
        "a grossly obvious take on the draining push and pull of faith , the picture is warm to the touch , just not digestible or , ultimately , meaningful .",
        "that the film is ultimately not about whether the guy gets the girl , but about whether the guy will be able to make peace with his past and go on to live the life he deserves , is pretty remarkable in itself .",
        "a film that christians will embrace , if only from sheer gratitude ; here , at last , is a depiction of christian faith as something other than the domain of cranks and loonies .",
        "its story could n't be more corny , redemptive , or inspirational .",
        "pop songs hold the skinny plot together , but a surprisingly caustic luke wilson is the medicine that helps the sugar go down .",
        "i felt let down by MOV , which seriously examines questions of religious faith until it skips away at last from being pinned down .",
        "henry poole script has no splash .",
        "some touching moments , but too blandly inspirational .",
        "a spiritual movie with the power to emotionally touch believers , agnostics and atheists -- in that descending order , i suspect . it does n't say that religious beliefs are real . it simply says that belief is real . and it 's a warm-hearted love story .",
        "one of the few really appealing features that have come along during this summer 's movie dog days . here 's a film that actually tries to tell a story and tries to say something substantive instead of just blowing things up or going for the cheapest joke .",
        "hope and faith , by their very nature , are issues that need to be handled with question marks . and yet , MOV features nothing but ham-fisted periods .",
        "prepare to gag . ... it has a theme rather like the current political one of `` hope you can believe in . '' well , i 'm here to tell you that this hope is full of audacity but not much veracity .",
        "although some may find this slow , i thought it was adequately paced and that the approach to a controversial subject even-handed and interesting .",
        "it 's too uninspired to be inspirational .",
        "a deeply spiritual movie about miracles , hope , love , and living in the present -- one of the best films of the year .",
        "sober discussions give way to a clumsily handled finale that does n't stand a prayer of satisfying most discerning viewers .",
        "a shaggy god story , theological capracorn that will be indigestible except to the already converted ... MOV is a movie that is n't all there .",
        "the kind of movie where you could read the first 20 pages of the screenplay and accurately predict what will happen in the remaining 80 .",
        "a few smart turns in a forest of stupid does n't make a film smart .",
        "pleasant , if insubstantial .",
        "if you 're a sucker for a new age-meets-old-time-religion tale and you have nothing else to do this weekend , then this one 's for you . everyone else should stay home .",
        "a charming break-out for luke wilson but not the role that provides him with the dynamics we want . touching with the right amount of mystery . great family viewing but no thrills .",
        "with characters named esperanza , dawn and patience that signal deeper meaning , MOV traffics in the kind of inspirational kitsch that only a true believer could swallow .",
        "the further the characters venture into the mystic , the more the movie itself seems to dissipate .",
        "at times you feel as if you should raise your arms and shout `` hallelujah '' or `` amen ! ''",
        "faith-themed dramedy has heavy themes , drinking .",
        "in the world of MOV miracles exist , faith is the wisest operating principle and intelligent thought is everywhere discouraged .",
        "wilson plays disillusionment convincingly , the supporting cast -lrb- especially barraza -rrb- is golden , and director mark pellington has just the right touch to bring off a teary-eyed inspirational drama .",
        "the lord may work in mysterious ways , but the filmmakers behind sensitive , life-affirming indie dramas about brooding young men stumbling towards redemption are an awfully predictable lot .",
        "-lsb- this -rsb- story of retreat and redemption , while deeply personal , may mean more to pellington than to the audience . the miraculous elements in albert torres 's script that offer hope also strain credulity .",
        "it never even gestures at the philosophical heavy lifting of exploring alternate interpretations of ambiguous events .",
        "if ever a movie pushed my cynicism buttons , this one was it ...",
        "this film really and truly moved me .",
        "good intentions , and a rare attempt to embrace spirituality on screen , are n't enough to make MOV a worthy destination .",
        "what , exactly , constitutes a miracle ? do they really happen ? you 'll be thinking about it , hopefully even talking about it , after the credits roll .",
        "drives home the themes in a natural and honest way that never comes off as preachy .",
        "divine intervention notwithstanding , the box office here would ordinarily be meek , but in trying times movies about `` something to believe in '' tend do better than the ordinary bleak-and-hopeless fare that typically drives domestic box office .",
        "tell him to go away .",
        "despite an excellent performance by luke wilson and a promising start , MOV ends up an overindulgent misfire . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "henry poole works hard to convert us , even pulling out quotes from noam chomsky , but it feels a little too much like a bumper sticker .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "one of the best films of the year . you 'll laugh , you 'll cry ... you 'll truly appreciate life !"],
    "summary": "full of hallmark-truisms and pop songs presented with strained significance , this comic foible intends less to convert than to preach to the choir .",
    "id": "770682052"
  },
  {
    "movie": "across_the_universe",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there 's brilliance in there , that 's undeniable -- and if you 're in the right mood , that will be all you need .",
        "something that would have been a bad idea for an off-broadway concept show has inexplicably been turned into a bloated two hour and eleven minute movie musical .",
        "a taymor triumph . a m\u00e9lange of creativity using the beatles music to express a generation in full . the fresh interpretation of the music is perfection .",
        "you could make the same movie using the music of huey lewis . and most likely a less embarrassing one .",
        "julie taymor has delivered an audacious , idiosyncratic creation that plays like a riff on hair with fab four cachet , stretching a thin love story across one tumultuous decade .",
        "a lush , interesting mix of media - song , old-school psychedelic effects , acting & dance . it 's a musical tribute to rock 's most loved british band that plays out in america .",
        "despite the film 's coda , the classic all you need is love , you 'll need more than love -- like patience and tolerance -- for taymor 's overlong -lrb- 133 minutes -rrb- , self-indulgent , excessively stylized musical collage , hampered by generic and banal narrative .",
        "after hair , hairspray and the mass marketing of tie-dye , can the '60s be shrunk to fit any further ? yes , indeed .",
        "every little thing julie taymor does is magic .",
        "julie taymor 's love-it-or-hate-it musical is hugely ambitious but it works brilliantly , thanks to strong performances , a fantastic script , terrifically integrated songs and taymor 's inspired direction .",
        "... a mess that might be the camp classic of 2007 .",
        "julie taymor 's wildly ambitious ode to the fab four is a flawed but occasionally fabulous change of pace .",
        "MOV is an oddity that crosses over to exhilaration and crooked beauty often , keeping the audience on their toes with this mash note to communicative spirits and rousing free-range creativity .",
        "john lennon would be proud .",
        "i saw a film today , oh boy .",
        "it 's flawed but sometimes gorgeous and uplifting .",
        "phantasmagorical ! it 's a unique - if incoherent - counterculture voyage to nowhere . all you need is love , man .",
        "since the film is really an excuse to listen to the beatles , you 'd be better served simply pulling out the old albums or putting your beatles ' mp3 or cds in a playlist on shuffle .",
        "even those resistant to or unmoved by the story can appreciate taymor 's settings of the songs , and the arrangements by t-bone burnett and other studio masters .",
        "here 's an interesting failure : a collection of strung-together music videos -- scored with beatles tunes -- that have plenty of broadway pizzazz but no emotional resonance , a lot of visual distractions but nothing original to say .",
        "you have to be totally open for the experience in order to appreciate and get lost in the weird , wonderful world julie taymor creates onscreen ...",
        "designed to encourage appreciation of the director 's visual flair and the sheer joy of the music . and such visual flair it is ; and such joyful music .",
        "a monumental miscalculation of a musical .",
        "the film is too gauche to work as a real musical and too flat to work as camp .",
        "it is overlong and under-plotted , visually vibrant but thematically pale . the characters are more alive in the original beatles songs than they are on the screen .",
        "a resplendent feast for the eyes . just do n't expect anything resembling a coherent storyline .",
        "when it comes to the in-between scenes , the direction falls back to a routine , rudimentary style . -lrb- it makes a far better trailer than a movie . -rrb-",
        "i 'll go ahead and say it : i 'm embarrassed by how much i liked this movie .",
        "the thin narrative wobbles like an alcoholic after last call .",
        "the rent-like ensemble of yearning young people at the center of the story is a drag ; i wanted to turn the sound down on them and say rude things .",
        "contrary to what you may have heard , love is n't all you need .",
        "MOV , in which taymor shoehorns , contorts and otherwise bullies some of the fab four 's greatest hits into a vapid hollywood musical , is the kind of project that must have looked great on paper . on screen , eh , not so much .",
        "sometimes it works brilliantly , other times -lrb- masked dancers gyrating on ocean waves -- ick ! -rrb- you just want to run .",
        "yes , this is tour de force stuff , and yet , just like a good pop tune , the premise is all boy-meets-girl simplicity .",
        "an often-dazzling rock opera set to the accompaniment of 33 beatles songs .",
        "a phantasmagoric trip through the 1960s with the melodic music of the beatles and a strident salute to love , liberation , and creative expression that will take your breath away if you just go with the flow .",
        "a monumental achievement that somehow snuck through the hit machine system ... there wo n't be a better film come oscar time ... i 'm just grateful that it exists .",
        "MOV ca n't achieve the transcendence and exhilaration musicals strive for , but it often generates a singular kind of magic you 've never experienced before .",
        "you have to work so hard at forgetting everything you know about the boys from liverpool , even as the movie constantly throws their monumental achievements directly at you , that it 's frequently not worth the effort",
        "an ambitious failure , but a failure nonetheless . for a film celebrating life and love , MOV ironically and unforgivably leaves the viewer feeling cold .",
        "not quite the masterpiece it could 've been , but as an experiment , as entertainment , and as a tribute to the group 's lasting inspiration , it works",
        "one of those movies some people will hail as artistic , imaginative and visionary , while the rest of us wonder if those people are high .",
        "taymor 's reach exceeds her grasp for fully half this ambitious film 's running time , but the other half is visually inventive and vividly attuned to the melancholy of the beatles ' 1960s songbook .",
        "you 'd have been better off sampling the brown acid at woodstock than risking brain cells on MOV , the bizarrely ornate nail julie taymor hammers into the beatles ' coffin .",
        "for die-hard fans of the fab four -- and anyone who was touched by the magic of the '60s -- the film is a strange , nostalgic , suitably outrageous ode to a very real revolution in consciousness .",
        "the movie succeeds on sheer catchiness , and -lsb- director -rsb- taymor piles on enough visual extravaganza to conceal the fact that there is n't much of a story .",
        "if you 're willing to submit to the schmaltz and the clich\u00e9s , then there is a fun anticipation in not knowing what creative imagery or long-loved song taymor might use next .",
        "watching some sequences is as close to an actual drug experience as clean living can offer .",
        "just when you think the movie ca n't possibly get more literal , more kitsch-infused , more mortifyingly soft-headed , it does .",
        "despite all the inventive work , the film never achieves the soaring sense of bliss that would place it in the pantheon of movie musicals .",
        "julie taymor 's adventure in beatle-land is a huge success , ripping the songs that defined a generation and its -lrb- dashed -rrb- hopes for peace in a microcosm of a love story",
        "whatever one thinks of it , it 's clear that this film is n't made from a recipe for mainstream american embrace .",
        "it 's more than a nostalgia trip . the real pleasure lies in taymor 's ability to make it all seem brand new .",
        "an ambitious mess of a movie that stretches a thin premise across a bold canvas , resulting in moments of near ecstasy mixed with a nagging lack of emotional involvement",
        "thoroughly entertaining and delightfully tuneful , this fun little film will have you singing to yourself for days afterwards .",
        "misses by the size of the atlantic ocean in getting to what the beatles were about .",
        "uma obra frustrante , mas suficientemente curiosa para merecer uma pouco efusiva recomenda\u0437\u0433o .",
        "while the story is not entirely coherent , the great beatles music and numerous effective cast musical performances makes up for the film 's narrative weakness .",
        "it 's a dicey proposition to reverse-engineer a story , and MOV shows the strain ... -lsb- nonetheless -rsb- a very impressive music-video anthology . -lsb- dvd review included . -rsb-",
        "for my money , give me the original songs and a beer any day , but for a cute treat with a linear story and engaging characters , i suggest `` MOV '' ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a shorter cut , stripped of some of the forced multiculturalism and contemporary political references , would play like gangbusters in middle schools .",
        "proves compelling enough to give meaning to the whole as a successful experiment and stylization , if predictable and sentimental .",
        "a marvelous visual experience that works even for non-beatles fans .",
        "visually and thematically audacious ...",
        "the actors all do considerable justice to the fab four 's classics , but they are ultimately failed by taymor 's neglect of actual story .",
        "a baby-boomer masturbatory center",
        "the dvd two-disk set gives us the remarkable movie plus lots of extras",
        "MOV does n't completely work , but when it does , you 're in for one wild and wonderful ride .",
        "` MOV ' is whimsical silliness , imaginatively constructed but precious and gratingly excessive .",
        "chooses cheesy and nostalgic mis-en-scene over meaningful engagement with the musical material . a terrible disappointment .",
        "its crazed ambition . when it falls , it falls far , but at least that means it 's reaching high .",
        "MOV does n't have a story so much as a sloppy collage . it drops in character names from the lyrics and shoves in a new song whenever possible . but it only manages to do all that by mangling ideas and misreading the music .",
        "an interesting failure , not a fascinating one .",
        "an example of how not to let your `` grand idea '' get the better of you and make you forget about the basics of moviemaking , like character , plot , and , because this one 's a musical , people who can sing .",
        "MOV actually renders the greatest rock and roll music ever written as desperate and irritating as britney spears ' flop sweat .",
        "a wildly creative magical mystery tour of a film that 's dying to take you away , dying to take you away , take you away .",
        "MOV captured my heart , and i realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person . imperfections , however glaring , become endearing quirks once you 've tumbled .",
        "it 's overlong , exhaustingly so , and barely held together by the flimsiest of narratives .",
        "it is n't just another movie about the momentous events of the '60s , but rather a valentine to the era 's artistic and idealistic spirit as symbolized by the music of the beatles .",
        "the movie is no more than an interesting experiment and a rarity among movie musicals in that even if you enjoy it , you wo n't want to hear it again .",
        "a groundbreaking , rule-bending , expectation-smashing musical .",
        "the romance will be painful and tumultuous , and the film will find a way to tie together all external events to this seemingly personal connection .",
        "it 's beautiful , moving , silly , strenuous , overreaching , exuberant and one of a kind .",
        "think of it as more like a video installation at a gallery than a movie .",
        "a magical mystery tour with the power to restore one 's faith in both movies and music .",
        "the beatles will certainly want to drive across the city to see MOV .",
        "the jump the shark moment : weary soldiers tote the statue of liberty across a tabletop vietnam to the strains of the ` she 's so heavy ' chorus from ` abbey road . '",
        "this addictive and ambitious little pic will help you remember why you loved the beatles so much in the first place .",
        "a low-rent , off-broadway spectacle that 's desperately in need of a stage",
        "MOV serves up a handful of brilliant music videos badly strung together by a lame narrative that borrows heavily from hair .",
        "two thirds amazing , one third off-putting and boring psychedelia , but the amazing stuff generally wins out .",
        "beatles musical hits strong notes amid sex , drugs .",
        "some sort of absurd miracle -lrb- or miraculous absurdity -rrb- .",
        "there 's so much to like , even love , about MOV that you 're even more exasperated about its faults .",
        "if you can get past its relatively minor failings , it 's hard not to be seduced by the big heart of this chaotic , colorful movie .",
        "as beatles tunes are turned into schmaltzy goo , you 'll learn nothing about vietnam , hate the fab four , and still have no clue what it means to be an eggman or a walrus .",
        "MOV feels like something entombed on broadway , made to instruct bored tourists while grasping after importance . it 's an anomalous musical epic : a pop movie without the excitement of pop .",
        "in this amazing tribute to baby boomers and beatles fans everywhere , ms. taymor has filled the screen with eye-popping music videos that actually tell a story - not stop it .",
        "somehow , the beatles ' precious diamonds are glaringly missing from lucy 's sky if not in julie 's unevenly charismatic but cluttered and customary universe .",
        "a movie made by beatles obsessives , for beatles obsessives ...",
        "trying to cram 33 songs and a reductive ` greatest hits ' approach to '60s politics into one movie is a tall order .",
        "you need to know right up front that i 'm a music junkie , a person who can not stand to go very long without hearing music i love . although i count hundreds of musicians among my favorites , the beatles are in my top 10 .",
        "... the long and winding road that is julie taymor 's opulent , eye-filling , and disappointingly uninvolving musical extravaganza ...",
        "just as often silly as it is clever .",
        "julie taymor 's MOV is an imperfect film , but it 's still five-full-stars ' worth of imperfect film .",
        "MOV is n't beholden to any stage incarnation . it owes its vision to the vibrant imagination of its director , who created a musical that reminds us how cultural-political events can change our tune .",
        "MOV will have ardent defenders , but in the long run , it will do nothing to infuse life into the current minirevival of movie musicals and is as soft-headed as the wishful refrain all you need is love .",
        "one could never argue that MOV is n't ambitious . however , like many ambitious movies , this one fails spectacularly .",
        "MOV goes irretrievably off key thanks to thin , artificial storytelling and director julie taymor 's hammer-handed approach to an already floundering script .",
        "all the stylistic flourishes in the world can not cover up a screenplay that works better as a game to guess which song will accompany which cheesy generalization next .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- visionary attempt to wed a story of young love and 1960s war protest to the lennon-mccartney catalog .",
        "this lavish labor of love constantly walks a slender thread between masterpiece and folly , but when all is said and done , it confirms , for me , taymor 's status as a master .",
        "an innovative , marvelously constructed musical full of heart , humor , and feelings .",
        "you feel , after two hours and a bit , that the beatles deserve better and the sixties a more defiant touch .",
        "it 's too long , and the ambitious imagery -lrb- strawberries turning into bombs ? -rrb- occasionally misses the mark . but it 's a fun ride all the same .",
        "the film 's too long but when it works , as in a slickly choreographed military induction scene with taymor 's trademark giant puppets and carnival heads , it 's exhilarating .",
        "this is like watching a car-crash in slow motion .",
        "MOV is much too literal-minded to be the far-out , visionary folly she may have intended - not so much cinema on lsd as the ravings of an earnest hippie in a recovery programme .",
        "the more this musical tried to look relevant , the more dated it felt .",
        "what makes this the battlefield earth of musicals is the plot - a wafer-thin affair that might have been written by someone who once skimmed a short magazine article about the 1960s while waiting for their hair appointment .",
        "after two hours of butchered classics , it 's just a relief when it 's over .",
        "like most musicals , the visually stunning MOV has its hits and misses . but , as the film uses the beatles ' back catalogue as its songbook , there really should n't have been any duff notes .",
        "the wide-eyed , openhearted sincerity of the thing never slackens , and neither does its spirit of invention .",
        "thankfully , sturgess keeps the film grounded with a rumpled , earthy charm , and wood brings much-needed emotional depth . and yes , the songs will strike a chord as well .",
        "all you need is love ... but a coherent vision does n't hurt either .",
        "so far out it ai n't never coming back . this flamboyant vehicle for the beatles ' music is boldness exemplified - even if it does frequently trip on its own ambition .",
        "MOV is a classic example of ambition exceeding execution .",
        "... julie taymor 's rhapsodic mash note to john , paul , george and ringo falls just short of breathtaking .",
        "the experience of the movie is joyous .",
        "julie taymor 's flower-powery phantasmagoria is ambitious but ultimately tiresome .",
        "MOV would make for a much stronger picture if taymor had worked from a better dramatic script , one that fleshed out the characters and made them a distinguishing force out to make history , like the beatles themselves .",
        "while it 's overlong and not without problems , there can be no denying that taymor has made an impressive , distinctive and unforgettable contribution to the musical genre .",
        "taymor 's signatures are visible throughout , but she is clearly trying hard to gussy up a screenplay that plays more like the wonder years without the cultural insight .",
        "this ambitious musical balances its visual outrageousness with a moving story . it 's a little exhausting , but also wonderful .",
        "muddled , overlong .",
        "i never realized what a lush cast of characters populate fab four records . or how giddy it would be to see max , jude , jo-jo , prudence and sadie come to life .",
        "a load of kids singing beatles tunes ? you better believe it .",
        "there 's a lot of great stuff here , but it just does n't come together .",
        "taymor has mistaken a deeply clich\u00e9d view of the late '60s for a radical slice of the zeitgeist . let it be .",
        "it 's the sort of movie non-fab four fans may struggle to like , occupying a space somewhere below the inspired dynamics of moulin rouge but well above the dated dirge that was rent .",
        "the beatles survived peter frampton and the bee gees , so they 'll survive julie taymor , too .",
        "good casting and the wonderful strangeness of taymor 's vision means that this movie is great fun .",
        "most of the songs are performed in such saccharine style and staged so literally that they almost seem like they belong in a broadway show . that 's a very bad thing .",
        "MOV is disarming , discombobulating and disappointing .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "psychedelic musical numbers ca n't mask MOV 's clich\u00e9d love story and uninteresting characters .",
    "id": "563717185"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1013139-maltese_falcon",
    "reviews":
     [
        "frighteningly good evidence that the british -lrb- alfred hitchcock , carol reed , et al. -rrb- have no monopoly on the technique of making mystery films .",
        "excellent but too mature for the littlest kids .",
        "immaculately designed , evocatively photographed , and easy to watch but also spiky , morally complex , and ultimately unsettling .",
        "it 's the classic hardboiled private-eye movie ; the nervy maiden offering of its celebrated director , john huston ; the first glamorous star vehicle for humphrey bogart ...",
        "the MOV is the first crime melodrama with finish , speed and bang to come along in what seems ages .",
        "exceptionally crafted",
        "`` the stuff that dreams are made of , '' comments spade about the elusive black bird of the title , a sentiment easily applied to this indisputable masterpiece .",
        "john huston 's first whirlpool of seekers and patsies",
        "the film is made up almost entirely of talk , and yet the performances are so wonderfully flamboyant and focused that conversations become the action of the movie .",
        "this spade is no stranger to the guile of shady clients and colorful suspects ...",
        "film noir at its finest .",
        "a true masterpiece .",
        "a must-see for anyone who wants to see a classic film the way they used to make 'em .",
        "the perfect movie experience .",
        "the definitive sam spade portrayal .",
        "classic detective film , but not quite the masterpiece it 's supposed to be",
        "huston 's curdled view of humanity -lrb- especially women -rrb- is already evident in his debut film , a punchy and redoubtable exercise in mystery .",
        "mr. huston gives promise of becoming one of the smartest directors in the field .",
        "sam spade \u00e9 o personagem definitivo de bogart : c\u00ednico , arrogante , frio e cruel , spade possui todas as caracter\u00edsticas do t\u00edpico her\u00f3i dos filmes noir .",
        "it 's rare when you get everything to work so well as it does in this pic .",
        "john huston 's debut is still primo noir .",
        "now that 's some tasty classic noir .",
        "bogart became bogart in john huston 's great first film , a trend-setting , brilliantly cast adaptation of dashiell hammett 's hardboiled novel ... this was the stuff that dreams -- and hollywood -- was made of .",
        "best in noir - best in bogie - one of the best ever .",
        "gets my vote for the greatest piece of american film noir , simply because everything about it is so flawless .",
        "like two other amateur directors who appeared the same year -lrb- orson welles and preston sturges -rrb- , huston knew what he was doing .",
        "one of the most interesting aspects of this classic movie is the way that sam spade thinks though the moral dilemmas .",
        "this is no ordinary tale of crime and detection .",
        "filmed almost entirely in interiors , it presents a claustrophobic world animated by betrayal , perversion and pain .",
        "one of the most brilliant directorial debuts in hollywood 's history , this gem of a movie catapulted humphrey bogart to major stardom , offering one of his finest roles -lrb- with many memorable lines -rrb- as detective sam spade .",
        "it 's the stuff that dreams are made of .",
        "among the movies we not only love but treasure , the MOV stands as a great divide .",
        "the MOV -lrb- 1941 -rrb- is one of the most popular classic detective mysteries ever made , and one of the first in the dark film noir genre .",
        "a seminal moment in the development of what would come to be known as film noir .",
        "with its dark , complex plotting , stark black-and-white photography , concentration on the baseness of man , and a cynical mood sustained to its still shockingly grim conclusion , this is the prototypical film noir .",
        "perfect use of the old mcguffin .",
        "this is one of the best examples of actionful and suspenseful melodramatic story telling in cinematic form .",
        "the MOV is among the most important and influential movies to emerge from the hollywood system -- as significant in some ways as its contemporary , citizen kane .",
        "if ` the MOV ' does n't qualify as the best private-eye yarn ever filmed , i do n't know what does .",
        "sharp and jagged ... stripped clean",
        "... part of what makes a film great is its power to obliterate whatever preconceptions we bring to it . there is brittle wit and sparkling harm and a very adult sense of fun present in the MOV ; it still works as a movie",
        "who can argue with bogart 's glower or mary astor in her ratty fur ?"],
    "summary": "suspenseful , labyrinthine , and brilliantly cast , the MOV is one of the most influential noirs -- as well as a showcase for humphrey bogart at his finest .",
    "id": "17027"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_theory_of_everything_2014",
    "reviews":
     [
        "eddie redmayne 's captivating performance will be compared to daniel day lewis 's in `` my left foot , '' but it is important to note how much life , joy and humor he brings to the role with little more than a cocked eyebrow , a few facial muscles and his eyes ...",
        "a strongly acted , handsomely crafted film that nonetheless feels bland and unsatisfying .",
        "redmayne and jones are beautifully compatible as hawking and his then-wife jane as they navigate the ebb and flow of 25 years of their relationship .",
        "this is sheer poppycock , of course , but it makes for fine drama , and that 's all cupid and oscar care about .",
        "MOV surpasses the standard biopic to become an unexpected and moving love story between stephen and jane hawking . the acting is superb in this winning film .",
        "on one side is mr. redmayne 's remarkable presence . on the other is ms. jones , whose lovely freshness and calm intelligence complement everything her co-star does .",
        "stephen hawking , a genius challenged by a progressive neurological disease , is a role that demands miracles of an actor . and eddie redmayne , in a landmark performance , delivers them .",
        "MOV is a modest film , a simple film , but an honest and impressively-restrained one , and it should serve to launch redmayne into rarefied air as an actor , deservedly so .",
        "marsh takes a complicated persona and reveals a range of dimensions . the result is an engaging biopic that is often quite moving .",
        "it 's disappointing to see hawking 's life slotted into the conventions of the biopic genre , from a meet-cute at a cambridge party to a centerstage ovation for our genius hero .",
        "an intelligent love story that touches the heart by exploring the sacrifices both parties made to cope with stephen hawking 's debilitating disease .",
        "despite handsome production and two brilliant lead performances , MOV stumbles into virtually every pitfall that afflicts biopics about geniuses .",
        "time is at the heart of hawking 's work , and it animates MOV , too .",
        "`` MOV '' is mostly a conventional biopic about two very unconventional people , and it rests comfortably in the hands of the two actors playing stephen and jane .",
        "MOV is , in its nature , very emotionally powerful ...",
        "anchored by a pair of mesmerizing performances from eddie redmayne and felicity jones , the film almost functions as a more thoughtful companion piece to the blockbuster interstellar , which also concerns itself with matters of the heart amid the cosmos .",
        "redmayne does bravura work , but MOV does n't have the imagination or ambition to be anything more than his showpiece .",
        "there 's a mischievous quality to redmayne that seems a good match with the wit hawking has always managed to convey with a raised eyebrow and a mechanically-voiced quip .",
        "MOV is deftly funny on occasion and lustrously made , key virtues for a film where the plot is largely summarized on wikipedia already .",
        "not flashy , but backed by two of the year 's finest performances , this intimate drama is a revealing look at one of the more fascinating individuals of our generation .",
        "pleasing to watch ... but -lsb- leaves -rsb- little lasting impression .",
        "MOV reveals the man behind the icon : courageous , mischievous , funny but also difficult and selfish .",
        "the debate between theist and atheist has been played out in all matter of social circles for years now , yet it 's only now that a film tackled such a subject in such a beautiful , heartbreaking and enlightening way .",
        "defying every expectation both scientific and personal , this film depicting the extraordinary story of stephen hawking is unforgettable",
        "not an idealistic , all flowers and cuddles ordeal - it 's a veritable depiction of true love , and companionship .",
        "not an idealistic , all flowers and cuddles ordeal - it 's a veritable depiction of true love , and companionship .",
        "eddie redmayne twinkles and tickles the intellectual friskiness of stephen hawking in james marsh 's lively , bright MOV , a brisk telling of the early years of the scientist , best-selling author and survivor .",
        "hawking himself has seen this film and pronounced it `` broadly true , '' and that diplomatic generalization touches on what 's right about it and what 's wrong .",
        "there are no significant revelations , but maybe that 's the beauty of james marsh 's biopic about stephen hawking : MOV is n't looking for answers to the universe .",
        "it nestles into your consciousness with soft lighting and inspiration .",
        "`` MOV '' is for everyone who finished stephen hawking 's a brief history of time and felt they needed more detail about his marriage .",
        "surely there 's more to hawking 's life than this .",
        "redmayne 's options for conveying this emotional core might seem limited , but like hawking , he does n't allow the laws of nature to constrain him . with a smile , a frown , or a tear , he says everything without uttering a word . it 's a wondrous thing to behold .",
        "directed by james marsh , the biopic MOV reminds us that hawking was once a vibrant , able-bodied young man who careened around early '60s cambridge on his bicycle .",
        "in many ways , ` MOV ' is a celebration of life in all of its beauty and sadness .",
        "it 's a creative innovation , i suppose : frictionless filmmaking for a movie about physics .",
        "a smart genius biopic .",
        "these are adult people dealing with substantial problems with intelligence , love , wit , charm and respect for each other . this should not be so rare to see in a movie , but it is , and it is wonderful to see .",
        "highlighted by an extraordinary performance by eddie redmayne , MOV offers an easy introduction to stephen hawking for people curious about the brilliant astrophysicist but intimidated by the whole `` astrophysicist '' thing .",
        "when the full force of the disease hits , hawking is reduced to a twist-tie of a human being , sentenced to a life of gigantic thoughts and pathetic movements . he 's pretzelled .",
        "eddie redmayne knocks it straight out of the universe",
        "starring eddie redmayne as stephen and felicity jones as jane , the two develop a masterful and sonorous dynamic that behaves as a naturalistic relationship that inhabits qualities of both love and sadness .",
        "james marsh 's biopic salutes the famous physicist 's commitment , but falls short of exploring his brilliant ideas .",
        "in its potted appraisal of hawking 's cosmology , MOV bends over backwards to speak to the layman , and relies on plenty of second-hand inspiration . but it borrows from the right sources , this theory . and that 's something .",
        "a well-done soulful , touching story of stephen and jane hawking 's lives - sure to get some oscar buzz",
        "`` MOV '' offers intimate scenes from a very specific and challenging marriage , warts , black holes and all .",
        "hawking 's innovations and refusal to subscribe to outdated modes of thinking merely underscore the utter conventionality of his film biography .",
        "bordering on the bland , stepping into hallmark territory on a number of occasions , this love-filled biopic still managed to melt most of our reservations away .",
        "like this awards season 's other scientific british biopic the imitation game , the film suffers from a squeamish reluctance to really engage with the harsh realities of its story .",
        "the problem is that it 's a reprise of a relationship designed to meet the approval of the living-breathing counterparts .",
        "redmayne uses his eyebrows , his mouth , a few facial muscles , and the fingers of one hand to suggest not only hawking 's intellect and his humor but also the calculating vanity of a great man entirely conscious of his effect on the world .",
        "theory is eye candy , filled with rich , luminous parties , luscious english countryside , and cold hospital halls . its cinematic beauty aside , the film is not a sappy love-conquers-all tale .",
        "the beautiful jones seems limited in how deep she can burrow into jane 's frustration and sorrow . but then , anyone would be lost in redmayne 's wake .",
        "how jarring to see a film so devoid of conflict , tension or struggle .",
        "marsh has somehow made a tearjerker -lrb- albeit a highbrow one -rrb- about the life and times of a cambridge physicist - and that itself is an achievement .",
        "james marsh 's film reorders events and soft-soaps the acrimony , yet boasts an appealingly unconventional coupling and eye-catching performances from its shooting star leads .",
        "redmayne 's quietly exuberant performance is admirable and engaging , never over-stressing its tour de force dimension . but the real colour is brought by felicity jones as jane ...",
        "it 's almost impossible to overhype redmayne 's performance in this witty , touching and very classy british drama .",
        "like so many cinematic lives of the famous , it loses track of the source of its subject 's fame .",
        "an unusual point of view prevents this from ever turning into the standard biopic , but it 's eddie redmayne 's staggeringly committed performance as stephen hawking that makes the film unmissable .",
        "despite its title , MOV is less about astrophysics and more about the quantum mechanics of human relationships under pressure .",
        "as the mathematical wunderkind who advanced a scientific theory beyond anyone 's imagination , the great young actor eddie redmayne -lrb- my week with marilyn , les miserables -rrb- , gives the most electrifying performance of the year .",
        "a stirring and bittersweet love story , inflected with tasteful good humor ...",
        "that it works is a testament to its strong performances and a real sense of empathy toward both sides of the featured relationship .",
        "absorbingly lovely and sad ...",
        "a tale of resilience , energized by superb acting across the board .",
        "a solid , duly moving account of their complicated relationship , spanning roughly 25 years , and made with impeccable professional polish .",
        "it is beautifully shot , well acted and - in the end - tearfully inspiring .",
        "a pair of very strong performances ca n't keep MOV from succumbing to the stultifying gravity of biopic conventions .",
        "it even has hawking fumbling with the title of his first book , suddenly realizing he should interject ` brief ' into what was once ` a history of time . '",
        "MOV is the laundry detergent version of the story of astrophysicist stephen hawking and jane wilde .",
        "redmayne captures stephen 's innate charm and self-effacing humor , while jones radiates a resolve and inner strength ...",
        "anyone who 's seen errol morris ' expressionistic documentary on hawking knows a conventional approach is n't ideal for the als-afflicted genius-which is n't to say james marsh 's new film does n't succeed on its own more modest terms .",
        "entertaining enough bio-pic that , for the most part , avoids the over-treacly elements .",
        "redmayne makes you forget you 're watching an actor put himself through punishing contortions . he keeps you focused on the soul of a man trapped inside a malfunctioning body .",
        "this is not a brief history of time ; it is a brief history of love . and it is as complex and deceptively deep as any of the physics .",
        "this is rich material for the film 's lead actors , and both are superb .",
        "`` MOV '' is a brainy bio that exerts a gravitational pull on the heartstrings .",
        "believe it or not , even world class scientists have private lives .",
        "for this film to work , the lovers had to work - thankfully , redmayne and jones have an easy , enchanting chemistry ...",
        "marsh 's latest film walks a fine tightrope , providing an engaging , provocative and accessible look at these remarkable individuals .",
        "if nothing else , MOV is an encyclopedia of lame shortcuts , from its grainy faux home-movie wedding sequence to its tendency to fade out the dialogue in order to underline-and inadvertently undercut-a traumatic moment .",
        "hat makes MOV so deeply affecting is the two wonderful performances by its leads .",
        "both redmayne and jones have been hovering on the cusp of breaking out in a big way , and MOV is the ideal vehicle to capitalize on their talents and push them to the next level .",
        "depicting stephen hawking as this smiling , pathologically beatific quip machine where nothing changes but the wheelchair saves us the difficulty of imagining him as a real person .",
        "it also stands as a tear-courting visualization of hawking 's and our precious quandary : time .",
        "meticulous in its adherence to conventional narrative inducement , this biopic only offers a sanded-down and embossed vision of stephen hawking and jane wilde 's 30-year marriage .",
        "what shines through loud and clear , though , is the humanity in hawking 's incredible story .",
        "although it 's narrow gauge and barely touches on hawking 's breakthrough theories about time , space and matter , it 's really well made and spectacularly well-acted .",
        "there 's little acrimony in MOV , which may reflect hawking 's actual outlook or just the movie 's puppyish desire to please .",
        "gorgeously produced account of the struggles of the young stephen hawking and his wife jane features award-worthy performances by eddie redmayne and felicity jones .",
        "extraordinary and inspirational , as eddie redmayne realizes a challenging physical , mental and emotional transformation , comparable to daniel day-lewis ' in ` my left foot . '",
        "it would be easy to fall into the trap of wishing this look at one of the greatest minds on the planet was something more , dare i say , intellectual . but this movie is a love story . and a fine love story it is .",
        "relative merits aside , MOV is very good , its chief assets being the extraordinary story of hawking himself , and of course the performance .",
        "prettily shot and glossily produced , this is a film that 's easy to like but equally easy to forget , being almost entirely content free .",
        "... a rather ordinary biography of an extraordinary life , less inquisitive and ready to test boundaries than the brilliant mind it portrays ... . the strength is a graceful performance by eddie redmayne as hawking , in the the mix through awards season .",
        "the film both adheres to and gently upends the conventions of the great man genre .",
        "eddie redmayne is so convincing as famous physicist stephen hawking that you will likely be unable to separate the two men in your mind once this genuinely moving , if slightly maudlin , film flickers to a finish .",
        "this is a handsomely produced , sensitively acted picture , one that 's eager to have you wipe away a tear with one hand while handing over gold statues with the other .",
        "director marsh is a gifted documentarian , but at this point , his dramatic technique is too shallow to get inside his characters ' heads .",
        "a brilliant and beautiful film that gives us a more personal and intimate look at this amazing genius of a man than we 've ever seen before .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- while possessing an outstanding performance by eddie redmayne in the role of the great theoretical physicist stephen hawking , `` MOV '' is formulaic to a fault .",
        "a sweet film . eddie redmayne and felicity jones are remarkable .",
        "what redmayne does is breathtaking-and it never feels like a performance . in a much less showy role , jones does her own heartbreaking work as the woman who dedicated her life to loving and caring for hawking .",
        "redmayne and jones are terrific in a mature look at the marriage of stephen hawking and jane wilde",
        "redmayne and jones are sublime .",
        "though the marriage eventually crumbles , what a joy to see a relationship that 's anything but formulaic .",
        "redmayne makes you believe every minute he 's onscreen that he is stephen hawking , with all his genius , wit and determination intact even as his body withers around them .",
        "a strong and moving offering about facing long odds and nonetheless moving forward . -lrb- full content review -- sex , profanity , etc. -- for parents also available -rrb-",
        "hawking 's actual longevity may shock the medical world , even now , but his remarkable will to survive is no surprise at all .",
        "jane hawking 's inspirational love story of her life with stephen is the stuff for which movies are made .",
        "a sweet fairy tale of the marriage between a living legend , anti-god `` saint '' and the wife who attended to his every need . a nice whitewash . it 's not a warts-and-all film .",
        "redmayne should be getting a lot of notice for his performance ; it 's palpable , it 's poignant . jones , too , is terrific .",
        "MOV treats stephen hawking 's intellectual accomplishments like rom-com filler .",
        "it may be nitpicking to ask a film to fill in more of the difficult details in light of the care and concern given to the source material .",
        "it has the slick sheen of prestige oscar-bait , and its frustrating that it views this most unique relationship-one which surely has more contradictions and asterisks than 99 percent of marriages-through the same lens of every other rose-colored biopic .",
        "redmayne will get the lion 's share of attention for his performance , but jones 's portrayal of jane can not be underestimated , as her ability to convey the conflict between her character 's fortitude and her emotional exhaustion is the film 's foundation",
        "a well-made , well-acted but unexceptional film about one of the most exceptional figures of the last half-century .",
        "must a film about an extraordinary man be so ordinary ?",
        "marsh and cinematographer beno\u00eet delhomme 's exquisite harnessing of light and the former 's guiding of jones and redmayne to performances of surpassing delicacy elevate such passages to something beyond douglas sirk .",
        "redmayne handles all the stages of hawking 's terrible disease with great tact , always careful to portray the man and not the illness .",
        "there 's no question redmayne is the movie 's main attraction . he captures the idealism of the young hawking , an idealism that does n't fade even later in life when he can use little more than his eyes to convey it .",
        "it 's probably sweetened with too much sugar , but it 's still a good movie with some very impressive acting work .",
        "a pair of splendid performances drive the movie , but like the cosmos that professor stephen hawking studied in order to unravel the secrets of the universe , it is cold and distant .",
        "neatly constructed , heartfelt triumph-over-adversity pictures have their place . this one is particularly sly in the way it folds complex and sometimes painful ideas about love and commitment into a somewhat glossy package .",
        "redmayne succeeds because his internal hawking is as convincing and compelling as his external hawking .",
        "operates on the theory that audiences will find more value in hawking 's expressions of oprah-level sentiment -lrb- ` where there is life , there is hope ' -rrb- than in his mind-blowing science .",
        "enhanced by a brilliantly transformative performance from eddie redmayne as hawking , director james marsh 's film is professional in every respect . but it takes itself way too seriously .",
        "it 's a captivating story about one of the most fascinating people on the planet , punctuated by redmayne 's special performance .",
        "director james marsh won an oscar for his incredible art-crime documentary `` man on wire , '' and here he proves capable of walking a tightrope between science and sentiment .",
        "in MOV , director james marsh has crafted an emotional , affectionate tribute to stephen hawking , love , and life itself .",
        "well-acted and often moving , theory of everything is ultimately an insightful love story that just happens to be about stephen hawking .",
        "solidly good brit oscar bait .",
        "the film may have its hallmark moments and gloss over an unflattering fact or two , but in the end it triumphs as a portrait of a brave , brilliant man and the equally courageous woman who gave him everything .",
        "it 's a traditional , handsome , for-your-consideration biopic in many ways , but it 's also deeper than that , and marsh includes little grace notes that do n't conform to the standard formula .",
        "redmayne 's astonishing physical transformation is the film 's showiest feature , but the subtler emotional transformations he and jones display over the course of their characters ' embattled marriage are just as impressive .",
        "sometimes superficial examination of the life of a genius that never adequately explains how its title applies to its content .",
        "the acting lifts the highly fictionalized story out of the realm of banality and bromide .",
        "a glossy , manipulative but affecting portrait of a brilliant man struck , but not struck down , by a terrible malady .",
        "` MOV ' paints a brilliant portrait .",
        "in a biopic-heavy oscar season , redmayne 's crack performance pays homage to a man who has advanced the studies of quantum mechanics , general relativity and black hole radiation .",
        "a very convincing and affecting portrayal of an important figure in modern science .",
        "MOV provides both insight and comfort . there are many ways to make a relationship work .",
        "the treatment of the subject matter goes over to what is essentially religious adoration .",
        "a well-written , well-directed movie an average person like myself can grasp . if i want a more complicated explanation of the universe , then i can refer to hawking 's book , `` a brief history of time . ''",
        "redmayne and jones prove that marriage is just as absorbing -lrb- and perplexing -rrb- as quantum physics .",
        "a compassionate and inspiring look at an extraordinary life , anchored by two of the best performances of the year .",
        "this is a poignant , probing , often cheekily playful portrait of an ordinary marriage of opposites sustained over decades in extraordinary circumstances .",
        "dutiful , coy and by the numbers .",
        "redmayne 's committed performance captures his subject with thrilling conviction .",
        "redmayne , jones , cox and peake portray the principals and their emotional web with delicacy .",
        "it might be a conventional biography , but the performances in the lead roles elevate it to an emotionally satisfying look at a marriage .",
        "it 's a film about the expanding universe that seems to want to contract and contract and eventually shrink into itself and be gone .",
        "there 's no big bang to james marsh 's biopic of cosmologist stephen hawking , just a whimper from audiences as a well-acted but soapy drama shifts too smoothly through its storytelling gears .",
        "no matter how much of this story is true , the movie is a pretty lie .",
        "there can never be enough reminders that a person with a disease is a person , not the disease .",
        "captures hawking 's intellectual vigor as well as his comical spirit",
        "marsh 's movie is inspiring enough , which is the unspoken point of the biopic ...",
        "MOV is everything you did n't know about stephen hawking .",
        "it still feels formulaic , but that 's to be expected without being able to go very far beyond the range of the memoir it dutifully draws on .",
        "jones plays her with quiet determination and suppressed strong feelings . her fine performance never gets eclipsed by redmayne 's , though he 's given the inevitably showier role .",
        "depsite the by-the-numbers trajectory of its narrative , the film is renewed by redmayne and jones ' impassioned turns .",
        "everything is given a substantial boost by its stars , who deliver exceptionally nuanced performances .",
        "follow up by looking into the real story , but this is a moving film about what a complicated thing a marriage is .",
        "... riveting subject matter that 's employed to disappointingly tepid , run-of-the-mill effect ...",
        "redmayne plays the role so vividly that the film 's shortcomings stop mattering . his turn is amusingly playful and emotionally touching . to call it excellent is an understatement .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this is the adult , classy version of the fault in our stars .",
        "if you are interested , even slightly , in what distinguished stephen hawking , this is not the film for you . it has about as much to do with his theoretical breakthroughs as does a judd apatow movie .",
        "redmayne and jones are fantastic . it 's just a shame about the rest of the movie .",
        "MOV hits all the right beats , though never quite soars .",
        "MOV serves as a fitting reminder that beyond the extraordinary maths lies a man : mortal , flawed and confounded by love .",
        "the film is at pains to show what a rebellious genius he was , but it also goes out of its way to show that hawking was also something of a jerk . if the film is intended as a valentine to hawking it 's a very barbed one .",
        "once MOV reaches this transitional period of hawking 's storied career , the film immediately rights itself from its wonky beginnings .",
        "MOV features incredible oscar-nominated performances from eddie redmayne and felicity jones , but ultimately it 's unable to strike a good balance between stephen hawking 's personal and professional life .",
        "for those deadened by the transformers saga comes MOV , a stephen hawking biopic to remind us even prestige movies made with good intentions can be interminable too .",
        "more specificity and insight into treating the condition daily would have been impressionable instead of skimming through hawking 's life events .",
        "the most surprising thing about MOV , which looks from the outside like a movie about stephen hawking , is that it 's a movie about jane , his first wife .",
        "watching him -lsb- eddie redmayne -rsb- slumped in an electric wheelchair , simulating the effects of hawking 's motor neurone disease , it 's easy to forget you 're looking at an actor .",
        "eddie redmayne 's performance - wrapped in his uncanny physical investment - is the absolutely vital key in this film and it 's a scorcher , both sensitive and brave and effecting and devoid of sentimental mush , yet infinitely sad and moving",
        "the film does communicate enough of hawking 's discoveries to let us know why he 's an important thinker . but this movie about a great woman and a great man ends up merely good .",
        "MOV is surely inspirational , but it glosses over some ugly chapters in stephen and jane 's relationship .",
        "brilliant mind comes to life in teen-friendly film .",
        "this is acting out of the my left foot handbook , except ... redmayne rarely deviates from hawking 's whimsical quizzicality . it 's a less wrenching , more user-friendly tour de force .",
        "`` MOV '' is not afraid to reveal honest , intimate and emotionally painful moments in this couple 's relationship . we witness two characters who are heroic but human as they struggle to get to heart in the center of their own universes .",
        "... the noble patient , served up with heavy doses of tea and sympathy .",
        "it works best as a study of human vulnerability and love 's way with us all , and as such , a handsomely mounted , slightly hollow picture by the end becomes a very affecting one .",
        "an unremarkable bio-pic about a remarkable man .",
        "mired in an unremarkable will-they-or-won ` t-they forbidden love that distracts from the more intriguing drama at hand .",
        "any film made about two living people , with their cooperation , is necessarily going to be limited by considerations of tact and taste , and that goes double or triple in this case .",
        "a portrait that mirrors the mysteries of the vast universe with those of life on this terrestrial plane .",
        "redmayne , showing us the sparkle beneath the increasingly knotted and crippled body , will make you forget that he 's not the real hawking .",
        "marsh 's constant , reverent attention to the small things saves this film from its tendency toward convention and foreground its astonishing lead performance .",
        "touching story about a couple able to weather many challenges thanks to their partnership approach to marriage .",
        "as though it were the easiest thing in the world , `` MOV '' juggles and elaborates on the three main areas of hawking 's life - his work , his illness and his marriage .",
        "this is mostly a story of a relationship , and in that regard MOV succeeds admirably .",
        "it 's an exceptional film , not because of its protagonists ' impressive triumphs , but because it honors their struggle .",
        "many moviegoers may think they already know a good deal about hawking 's achievements , but they would do themselves a disservice to miss out on redmayne 's almost perfect performance .",
        "`` MOV '' breaks down simply , perhaps too much so : a great performance in a good movie .",
        "MOV is half love story , half biopic , and we never get enough of either .",
        "what is the idea of romantic companionate marriage , in all its crackpot `` till death us do part '' absolutism , if not a theory of everything ?",
        "well-crafted but formulaic , a glossier version of the kind of movie the lifetime network shows every month .",
        "eddie redmayne and felicity jones are perfect as stephen and jane , providing the humor , strength and emotion required in any marriage , whether it 's a real one or a reel one .",
        "fine performances by felicity jones and eddie redmayne highlight this whitewashed account of stephen hawking 's marriage to jane hawking , based on her second book . a film on her first book , which told the real story , would have been far more interesting .",
        "the triumph of redmayne 's performance is that stephen , after he becomes incapacitated , is the same eccentric , quizzical quester that he was when he was sprinting across the cambridge campus .",
        "as gentle , reliable , and pretty to look at as the falling of the leaves . it also has approximately the same level of dramatic tension .",
        "`` there should be no boundary to the human endeavor , '' we 're told at some point in MOV . but how would this movie know ? there are enough boundaries in it to induce claustrophobia .",
        "for all the scientific rhetoric about the nature of time , what matters most here is how it forges , and then tests , the bond between two people .",
        "people paying to see the film most likely wanted to witness a story about somebody who was extraordinary . why , then , would they want a perfectly ordinary film ?",
        "the film oscillates between superficial treatments of science and corny moments of `` you can do it ! '' kitten-hanging-from-a-branch bromides .",
        "movies about handicapped heroes rise or fall on the quality of the leading performance , and redmayne 's soars on rocket boosters .",
        "the picture milks adversity , quietly at first and then more loudly as the plot pleasantly idles forward . it 's a strategy designed to wring maximum waterworks from an emotionally vulnerable audience , and kudos to marsh , because it genuinely succeeds .",
        "eddie redmayne and felicity jones enliven a straightforward , bbc-grade drama with two mesmerizing performances , antithetical but equally assertive .",
        "the film is focused on a marriage to the degree that this is a melodrama with too many paint-by-numbers cliches of the biography film formula .",
        "the story of stephen hawking and his wife jane is the most unabashed kind of oscar bait , but it 's also quite moving .",
        "stephen hawking is the best thing that 's ever happened to redmayne 's career , and MOV is a treat .",
        "MOV offers interesting characters and standout acting . i wish it had delved deeper into its characters , but for what it is -- a romance involving one of the great minds of humanity -- it 's engaging and moving .",
        "it looks and feels like utter cornball but the sheer commitment of the stars makes the whole thing deeply watchable .",
        "it 's a suitably polished affair , and eddie redmayne and felicity jones deliver fantastic , award-ready performances . but somehow all that polish keeps those accomplished parts from connecting into an emotionally-engaging or unified whole .",
        "it 's the sort of slightly dry , just-the-facts storytelling you might think a scientist would endorse .",
        "if the film unfolds like a fairytale , at least it 's a fairytale that does n't often get told .",
        "redmayne towers : this is an astonishing , genuinely visceral performance which bears comparison with daniel day-lewis in my left foot .",
        "how redmayne , not just able-bodied but downright pretty , twists himself into the famously blighted professor , and then projects the thought processes behind the disability , has to be seen to be believed .",
        "these days `` everything '' has also come to serve as a lazy synonym for `` no one thing in particular . '' and while that usage may not describe steven hawking 's theory of everything , it certainly does fit the movie about his life .",
        "at its best -lrb- which is often -rrb- , director james marsh 's affecting biopic of the cosmos-rattling astrophysicist stephen hawking plays deftly against schmaltz .",
        "for a film about stephen hawking , the premiere voice on the physics of time , space -- and , gee , the universe -- it 's only appropriate that the bio-pic formula is expanded . an extremely powerful film with great cinematography and fantastic performances ."],
    "summary": "part biopic , part love story , MOV rises on james marsh 's polished direction and the strength of its two leads .",
    "id": "771366367"
  },
  {
    "movie": "a_separation_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "estabelece definitivamente asghar farhadi como um dos diretores mais consistentes e fascinantes do cinema contempor\u00e2neo .",
        "rashomon-like in its perceptual complexities , truth vs. belief , asghar farhadi 's drama forces us to constantly shift our assessments and allegiances .",
        "in the guise of a whodunit , farhadi paints a nuanced portrait of iranian society that , seen through our western eyes , looks at once utterly alien and strikingly familiar .",
        "farhadi is less concerned with the bugs and variations in human perception than cracks in the average moral compass , little fault lines that prompt good people to make bad decisions .",
        "the progressively tedious atmosphere ultimately prevents the film 's final scenes from making any real emotional impact ...",
        "feels like a peek through a neighbor 's window .",
        "... like being caught in a barbed-wire fence of ethical dilemmas .",
        "for all the stifled truths of its characters , farhadi 's film feels like a gust of brisk air .",
        "it 's an indictment of a culture in which religion and tradition poison a legal system . it is an exploration of the power of a lie . it is a mystery and a courtroom drama . above all , however , it is a tale of love and sacrifice .",
        "this is primarily a human story about a marriage unraveling , the husband torn between love for his daughter and devotion to his father , the daughter torn between one parent and the other .",
        "it 's a portrait of an essential and sympathetic human dilemma , and in that it 's both real and timeless in ways that transcend borders , cultures and languages .",
        "`` MOV '' moves beyond one couple 's sundering marriage to reveal growing rifts between generations , ideologies , religious mind-sets , genders and classes in contemporary iran .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV shows the human struggle for respect and a better life . it 's a struggle rife with human frailty . asghar farhadi is a sly writer and director , and leaves us with questions that are provocative and elusive .",
        "very few movies capture as convincingly as MOV does the ways in which seemingly honorable decisions can lead to interpersonal conflict -- even disaster .",
        "one of the year 's best reveals life in iran",
        "a tragically familiar family drama whose heartbreaking `` for want of a nail '' sequence of events spirals out of control at an intimate and individual level .",
        "a meandering , nerve-wracking , ultimately worthwhile tour of contemporary iranian urban life .",
        "above all , farhadi 's parable teaches that a rush to judgment inevitably turns back on the judge .",
        "smart , provocative , and brimming with ungovernable human emotions .",
        "to say the piercing iranian film MOV is about divorce is a bit like saying the wizard of oz is about a pair of slippers .",
        "with great power and subtlety , farhadi transforms this ugly quarrel into a contemporary tragedy .",
        "MOV twists and turns , layering on crucial details and moral quandaries in each scene , never for a moment allowing us the luxury of identifying too easily with any single character .",
        "you wo n't see a more absorbing film all year .",
        "it 's well acted , thoughtful , using a realistically messy scenario to draw together strong central themes . unusual and well worth a look .",
        "this is a movie that makes you pay attention to action and consequences in a way that has more or less completely disappeared from mainstream cinema .",
        "a stunning piece of work , beautifully telling a raw human story with expert writing , direction , photography , editing and acting",
        "a remarkably poised marital thriller from iran , full of surprise developments and suppressed volatility .",
        "explores the religious , cultural , social and judicial minefield that is modern iraq through the story of a divorcing middle-class couple .",
        "the iniquities of contemporary iran are essayed in this absorbing , award-winning marital drama about the ways in which tiny events can have cataclysmic consequences .",
        "a masterpiece of intimate , dramatic filmmaking .",
        "an eye-opening experience , and a fascinating glimpse into a culture that 's totally alien to my eyes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the characters are deliberately ordinary , but their stories take on the weight of myth .",
        "`` MOV '' is a great movie , a look inside a world so foreign that it might as well be another planet , yet so universal that its observations are painfully familiar to anyone , anywhere .",
        "ambiguous and enigmatic , it revolves around the termination of a marriage in contemporary tehran .",
        "a gripping family drama .",
        "partly a courtroom drama , partly a political satire and partly a twisty thriller that gradually draws you in and becomes more engrossing with each new revelation .",
        "is it possible , the movie asks , that children , with their belief in absolutes , have purer moral compasses than their forced-to-compromise parents ?",
        "a quietly lacerating portrait of familial discord that morphs into a wider portrait of society and law ... while the setting might be foreign , its concerns are universal .",
        "expectedly , the volatility is penetrating , but the feature is methodical , stewing in every last moment of unease and contemplation , stretching to a point where farhadi is practically lapping himself .",
        "what counts is that talented writer/director asghar farhadi structures it in a culturally compelling and mysterious way , while balancing all the characters to avoid easily typed `` good guys '' and `` bad guys . ''",
        "farhadi 's carefully wrought narrative and the ways it handles the fragile emotions of its characters truly sets it apart , not only from contemporary iranian cinema but world cinema in general .",
        "an exquisitely acted , ambiguous , believable portrait of a society where everything-religion , tradition , justice , gender politics , medicine , everything-is royally and perhaps irreversibly screwed up .",
        "it resonates deeply thanks to its universality , which it miraculously achieves without ever once selling out the social mores of its location . profoundly affecting , wonderfully performed and endlessly surprising .",
        "one of the best foreign films of the year , at once particular and universal in its concerns .",
        "farhadi brings us as close as can be to these characters , but he also refuses to editorialize or nudge us too far in any one direction .",
        "farhadi demonstrates a hitchcockian flair for suspense , while his cast deliver faultless performances .",
        "barriers both transparent and persistently present encase the characters of MOV , constricting them in ways social , cultural , religious , familial , and emotional .",
        "a light yet powerful islamic family drama that refuses to cave in to stereotypes .",
        "a solid iranian oscar-entry that puts women in the forefront in a battle of wills that happily posits more questions than answers .",
        "`` MOV '' could hardly be more concrete , or contemporary , or dramatic .",
        "director asghar farhadi torques each twist of the intricate narrative with jewelled precision . right under the noses of the theocratic regime , he has made a family drama inlaid with a sly critique of iran 's obdurate patriarchy .",
        "will make you re-examine everything you thought you knew about iran .",
        "impressively shot and acted , MOV refuses to judge its characters : everyone here has their reasons .",
        "powerful art cinema that challenges political and social unity in iran .",
        "cleverly , as new details emerge about what really happened , your sympathy lurches from side to side like amy winehouse doing back to black at the belgrade alhambra .",
        "` MOV ' is lively and suspenseful as both drama and debate .",
        "quietly revolutionary film-making , executed in a thought-provoking fashion while triggering an exciting new iranian voice of its own in this genre .",
        "a bit of a slog , although fresh and even lyric in moments .",
        "impressively directed and sharply written , this is a compelling and emotionally gripping human drama with terrific performances from a strong cast .",
        "a movie you 'll muse upon for new shades of meaning .",
        "proves to be a masterful insight into the spiritual and secular hypocrisies currently fragmenting iranian society .",
        "an outsider could see these characters as misguided . that 's not the reality however . farhadi slips us into their shoes and we appreciate each of their perspectives .",
        "asghar farhadi has written a superb screenplay and directs it with equal brilliance . he has managed to make a film that says something about the state of affairs in his iran and weaves that message into an engrossing tapestry of mystery and drama .",
        "the complex realities of human emotions and experience are more than sufficient to carry a film , and farhadi does n't let fussy direction or attempts to be overly clever get in the way of letting this brilliant , quietly insightful story unfold .",
        "a clarion cry that cuts through the xenophobic clutter and the dense fog of war to show that not everyone `` over there '' is a boogeyman waiting to jump out of the closet . if that sounds terribly simplistic , just consider where we live .",
        "MOV is more than a character study ; it 's a deftly plotted drama that unfolds layer after layer and will leave you asking all kinds of questions about your beliefs and moral judgments . fascinating stuff .",
        "the story has no winners , and the daringly ambiguous ending defies simple conclusions . even the title can be taken multiple ways .",
        "the movie opens the door on a foreign culture , yet the people do not seem that dissimilar . ... . they deal with some of the same struggles ... -- generational and class conflicts , ideological differences , and connecting and communicating emotionally .",
        "a devastating portrait of two families in crisis , with their class differences representing the title 's true ` separation . '",
        "`` MOV '' deals with some very murky issues , but it does so with astonishing clarity .",
        "the movie is a singular mix of the foreign and the familiar , but is it the best 2011 film in the whole wide world ? a 99 ? i ca n't say that i concur with my colleagues on that score .",
        "beyond the impeccable performances and direction , it 's foremost an exceptional piece of screenwriting , so finely wrought that the drama seems guided by an invisible hand .",
        "the academy award for best foreign language film belongs right here ... ` MOV ' is a landmark film . no way will you be able to get it out of your head .",
        "together and apart , hatami and maadi are magnetic .",
        "a richly written and performed legal procedural from iran that enlightens as well as entertains .",
        "what 's fascinating is how the various issues -- religious or practical -- are played out in these two quite different families , yet always come down to irreconcilable differences between rebellious women and their stiff-necked , controlling men .",
        "a movie that continually surprises you , reminding you that the best films are the ones that deal with complex emotional truth , rather than a clich\u00e9d cinematic version of it .",
        "thought provoking and powerful drama . one action becomes the trigger for the unravelling that filmmaker asghar farhadi explores : secrets , lies and truths are exposed",
        "the performances and direction match the sharply observed screenplay , which is layered and nuanced , never settling for the pat answer . indeed , it avoids answers as much as it can , giving audiences a far more interactive experience than most films",
        "farhadi does not talk down to his viewer , and he trusts his audience to make their own decisions .",
        "MOV explores how presumed social norms are extremely tenuous and how threats to these almost illusory ideas can threaten our sense of personal security .",
        "these people seem so real they might live next door . and they probably do .",
        "finely crafted drama teems with conflicts involving class , generations , mental health and good old fashioned lying .",
        "one of MOV 's many virtues is the way it gradually reveals , rashomon-like , the complicated facts , half-truths , and lies that each character tells for perfectly legitimate reasons .",
        "a brilliant , mesmerizing drama , incredibly well-acted by its ensemble cast",
        "`` MOV '' is a plaintive fable of the human condition that unites us .",
        "what is a sin ? what is right ? when is it okay to lie ? all these questions swirl in a movie that might possibly be the best foreign language film at this year 's academy awards .",
        "a searing iranian film about divisiveness as a toxin in relationships .",
        "getting absorbed in the film 's complex layers of procedural negotiation and domestic argument , you 'll realize that we often settle for too little from our screenplays .",
        "the audience is rocked back and forth in sympathy ... in a tangled predicament . -lsb- n -rsb- one is one-dimensional in the superb ensemble -lsb- as -rsb- the point of view changes by minutes .",
        "the film wraps us , with stunning directness , in the complex folds of its characters ' passions .",
        "what makes it so good is that no one is bad . these humans , desperate to do right , are caught up in a perfect storm of inhumanity . the evil is in the ecosystem .",
        "an incisive look at entangled family ties in modern iran ... where self-deceit is as pervasive in this society as anywhere else .",
        "offers a fascinating , impartial view of modern iran .",
        "the emotional oscillations that pulsate through MOV -- with its tangle of unfulfilled needs , sliding values , unspoken desires , male posturing , and feminist dilemmas -- are as thrilling as the antics in any hitchcockian thriller .",
        "this is not the iran that the nightly news has turned into a land of evil and inhumanity . these characters are people who love and feel anger and regret . they 're simultaneously familiar and new .",
        "crafts a minefield out of the mundane and may very well be a masterpiece for it .",
        "MOV is not the work of a constrained artist . it 's a great movie in which the full range of human interaction seems to play itself out before our eyes .",
        "farhadi 's true focus is the flawed capacity for any law -- any form of cold rationality , period -- to address the slippery nature of human affairs . it 's a frantic microcosm of life itself .",
        "tensely involving iranian drama with niche potential .",
        "the miracle of MOV is that it does n't spare any of its characters , nor does it seek to indict them . it is a democratic portrait of a theocratic world .",
        "a constant surprise , a film that captures the drama and suspense of real life as urgently as any picture released this year .",
        "tense and narratively complex , formally dense and morally challenging .",
        "movies with this kind of moral complexity are rare , so not only is it worth seeking out , it 's one you need to see with friends because it invites -- or rather demands -- debate afterward .",
        "simin 's and nader 's divorce debate is the first of many complex issues raised and passionately argued in MOV .",
        "so much fun to watch that you could very nearly miss the important fact that it is also as piercing a critique of iranian society as that country has produced in some time .",
        "far more than just the simple domestic drama it pretends to be , filled with subliminally veiled statements that add up to something with far more layers and levels .",
        "one of the year 's most engrossing films , directed by asghar farhadi from his richly layered screenplay -lrb- some advice : pay particular attention to what occurs in the sequence following the opening credits -rrb-",
        "there are no heroes or villains in this story : there are only everyday figures who try their best and struggle to survive .",
        "nothing earth-shattering happens in MOV , but the straightforwardness of this view of a disintegrating marriage , set in the context of complicated cultural and religious mor\u00e9s , is dramatic by itself .",
        "you may also find that some aspects of this very foreign story seem disturbingly not all that foreign .",
        "... subtlety and a sense of profound decency ...",
        "offers an unwritten ending that must be decided by each viewer .",
        "it 's fast paced , exciting , thrilling , edgy , moving , engaging , and - in its portrait of a justice system almost radically alien to the one i live under - absolutely fascinating .",
        "a clever , insightful and heartfelt examination of human frailty that makes watching subtitles seem like a breeze .",
        "it 's the little moments in farhadi 's film that are its most important , speaking every bit as loudly as its big , narrative-driving moments .",
        "although the film might serve as a portrait of iran 's two conflicting social groups as reflected in the green movement/ahmadinejad clashes , it is much more about moral contradictions that any society has to face . a masterpiece .",
        "if any one film can re-inject life into an entire national cinema , it 's MOV .",
        "dynamically shot and paced like a thriller , the film has the density and moral prickliness of a good novel .",
        "asghar farhadi 's MOV serves as a quiet reminder of how good it 's possible for movies to be .",
        "it 's a deceptive , hitchcockian mystery whose clues are laid out so carefully you 'll probably miss them , and a complex philosophical fable in which every character is morally compromised .",
        "it 's a thrilling domestic drama that offers acute insights into human motivations and behavior as well as a compelling look at what goes on behind a particular curtain that almost never gets raised .",
        "a downbeat family drama of no particular distinction gradually turns into a mystery that raises painful moral questions .",
        "we ca n't believe our own eyes . how can we begin to pick one of the many competing narratives before us ?",
        "riveting",
        "it is a rigorously honest movie about the difficulties of being honest , a film that tries to be truthful about the slipperiness of truth .",
        "sophisticated and universal yet deeply intimate , MOV is an exquisitely conceived family drama that has the coiled power of a top-notch thriller .",
        "i know i was n't expecting one of the year 's best movies to come from iran , but here it is .",
        "while the specifics are rooted in iranian culture , the broad strokes are entirely universal -- it 's an intelligent , intriguing and inviting film .",
        "grand metaphorical fiction that unpacks a weighty and involving story",
        "... interesting , and engaging , in both a storytelling and sociological/cultural study fashion .",
        "some films wear their artistry so lightly they appear simply to be happening , the inner workings of the story guided by an unseen hand .",
        "the film involves its audience in an unusually direct way , because although we can see the logic of everyone 's position , our emotions often disagree .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- puts us in the uncomfortable role of the adjudicator .",
        "it 's small . it 's real . and it 's deeply moving .",
        "this is a trenchant emotional thriller that you watch in dread , awe , and amazing aggravation .",
        "culturally specific but universally relatable , this slowly escalating iranian drama boasts incredibly impressive motivational clarity .",
        "emotionally resonant beyond the filmmaker 's own country and culture , it is a compassionate yet searingly precise film that refuses to name villains , nor to let any of its protagonists off the hook",
        "sometimes , in an attempt to do the best we can for the people we love , we end up wreaking irreparable damage .",
        "i hope `` MOV '' is the beginning of a new cinematic dawn for iranian filmmakers .",
        "asghar farhadi 's emotionally epic movie is not just a masterpiece dramatically , it is a movie dramatically of its moment .",
        "fahardi 's accomplishment is to have brought to the screen a group of equally complex , equally flawed , and equally human characters whose only real problem is that they must live life with each other .",
        "... riveting , enormously resonant and impressively acted ...",
        "... a complex and nuanced movie about the ... the collapse of a relationship between intelligent people of good will . it is heartbreaking and subtle , the sort of film that some folks say is n't made often or well enough by the usual hollywood suspects .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- flawless domestic portrait .",
        "writer-director asghar farhadi performs some kind of miracle with the tension and complexity he produces from such a simple set-up .",
        "MOV infuses a great insight into modern iran with a powerful insight into the human condition - this demonstrates the power and poetic potential of cinematic drama . it 's a must see .",
        "you can not watch the film without feeling kinship with the characters and admitting their decency as well as their mistakes .",
        "as pure entertainment , `` MOV '' is flawless . but as social commentary , one could infer a conservative agenda .",
        "a case study in how simplicity can produce spectacular results that extend far beyond a film 's budget .",
        "ambiguous endings can work for some films , but it does n't here . still , the powerful performances and near seamless screenplay leave little else to be desired . MOV deserves its oscar ."],
    "summary": "morally complex , suspenseful , and consistently involving , MOV captures the messiness of a dissolving relationship with keen insight and searing intensity .",
    "id": "771237246"
  },
  {
    "movie": "life_aquatic",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the effect is often soporific .",
        "previously , anderson 's films contained so many ideas they threatened to burst at the seams ; with the MOV , it appears that 's happened .",
        "in the hands of less capable filmmakers this quirky fish tale might have sunk itself , but murray and anderson manage to reel it in .",
        "the MOV with steve zissou is another playful tribute by wes anderson to a wacky individualist .",
        "wes anderson follows rushmore and the royal tenenbaums with ... the same film for the third time .",
        "this wacky , wistful , occasionally humorous satire disappoints . eccentrics afloat , it 's an offbeat ship of fools .",
        "intermittently brilliant , intermittently hilarious -- and occasionally tedious .",
        "anderson may be incapable of making a dull film -- he 's certainly incapable of making a dull-looking film -- and from its fake-docu introduction to its full-circle conclusion , his movie looks interesting and unique .",
        "forgetting to give any character a smidgen of emotion -lrb- it 's funny because it 's straight-faced ! -rrb- , this ends up a series of strange vignettes that you wo n't soon care about , either .",
        "this is a leaky vessel sailing in circles , not the wonderful life we were expecting .",
        "anderson 's ability to deftly flip between whimsy and sentiment remains intact .",
        "orson welles said a film studio was the best train-set a boy could have , but the MOV is something else : anderson uses the sound stages of cinecitt\u00e1 like a kid playing with toy boats in the bath . he makes one hell of a splash .",
        "there 's nothing wrong with wes anderson 's the MOV with steve zissou that a digital insertion of gene hackman would n't solve .",
        "successfully , the film employs a sense of discovery that is befitting ; you 're eager to see what zissou sees beneath the ocean 's surface . you just may not feel what he does .",
        "suggests that wes anderson may have become too immersed in his own meticulous and idiosyncratic world to quite realize that he 's left ours far behind .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's precious little humanity on display and steve zissou is nowhere near as compelling a character as his similarly downbeat bob harris in lost in translation .",
        "there is a distinct sense that anderson is trying to re-invent himself with this film .",
        "funny , gorgeous , and touching in spurts .",
        "the film 's storyline plays out as a comic riff on moby-dick , which is hilarious if you 're on anderson 's wavelength but will probably bore to tears those who are n't .",
        "kudos for tone and flavor , but if you take the meat of something we are n't inclined to eat , all the best seasonings in the world wo n't save it .",
        "anderson holds steady to the delicate emotions that run beneath this stormy comedy of betrayal , death and forgiveness .",
        "a pearl of a movie -- maybe it 's a little precious , but it 's also luminous .",
        "it 's a collage of half-measures .",
        "it 's so cool all the life has drained away , leaving nothing behind but a faint whiff of attitude .",
        "murray 's dry humor goes a long way toward making an essentially reprehensible character into a slyly entertaining portrait of middle-aged angst , egoism and neediness .",
        "i savored every frame and gorged on every sound -lrb- being a fan of '70s bowie helps -rrb- .",
        "admirably scruffy in its droll comic pursuits , but has all the storytelling aplomb of a sunday-funnies section .",
        "it 's part of that american eccentricity to obsess over growing up . anderson 's obsession has genuine , daffy substance .",
        "one of the year 's most ambitious and richly entertaining pictures .",
        "the MOV with steve zissou is anderson 's best film to date .",
        "wes anderson 's most self-conscious movie to date . it 's also his worst .",
        "almost entirely whimsical . it bears little resemblance to reality , well , maybe hollywood reality ...",
        "well , this is a painful review to write . the film is a mess . the really odd occurrences are just that ... odd . they have no resonance .",
        "there was some great action and some funny bits but i found this film a little too strange for my taste .",
        "i guess i was just in the mood for -lrb- wes anderson 's -rrb- latest offering , `` the MOV with steve zissou . ''",
        "i really do n't know what to make of this movie , other than to say that it was definitely the least impressive addition to anderson 's filmography so far .",
        "stylish , quirky , enjoyable comedy-drama , with a superb ensemble cast and a terrific soundtrack - this is a treat for fans of anderson 's work , although the uninitiated may be less impressed .",
        "wes anderson has been hailed as a genius by many . on this evidence , he 's not quite there yet , but if you liked bottle rocket , rushmore , and the royal tenenbaums -- you 'll like this .",
        "only the beatles ' yellow submarine equals the MOV with steve zissou for brilliant , psychedelic surrealism .",
        "the result is something rich and strange , both a comedy of the absurd , and an allegory for all those who find themselves at sea .",
        "a lovable masterpiece replete with oddity and imagination .",
        "overall , un-evenly entertaining . rich quality moments somewhat make up for substantial downtime . undoubtedly , this will prove a risky film .",
        "blithely flits from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again with such an agile sleight-of-hand that the two eventually merge into a surprisingly coherent amalgam",
        "worth mentioning in the same breath as rushmore or the royal tenenbaums ? absolutely not .",
        "the MOV stands on its own as a genuine piece of great , progressive filmmaking for the hardworking director .",
        "not as fresh and surprising as , say , rushmore . still , i 'll take a filmmaker who keeps using the same interesting devices over one who does n't even know any .",
        "this laughless and smileless dud ... is as dead as a doornail .",
        "all of director wes anderson 's movies have an idiosyncratic charm , but quirkiness alone is n't necessarily a virtue .",
        "why is it that so many people think this filmmaker is the voice of their generation ? is their generation that vacuous ?",
        "the pirate attack is so outright unreal , it may be as real as anything else in either the documentary or the fiction .",
        "the story -lrb- written by anderson and noah baumbach -rrb- meanders in such a meaningless way that the visual details , as carefully wrought as they are , come off as mere props .",
        "wes anderson takes another spiky , askance and hilarious look at family relationships , while at the same time paying homage to those goofy nature films of the 1970s . it 's a disarmingly enjoyable film that you never want to end .",
        "i admired it more than i liked it , and there was a lot about it that i did n't even admire .",
        "it 's a beautiful picture to look at , as all of his films are , but good use of color and mixing up your film stock do not a classic make .",
        "i 'm eager to see what anderson might achieve with his muse when he strips away some of the busyness and shrinks the parameters of his playground . until then , we 've got the funny , bewildering , giddy spectacle of the MOV .",
        "the film , in its slices , is really quite grand .",
        "entertaining enough to earn a recommendation as a light piece of eye candy",
        "the movie 's driving force is anderson 's signature sense of humor . the underlying -lrb- and unspoken -rrb- joke of this oddball farce is that it is transparently fake .",
        "it is heartening to reflect that the best of bill murray may be yet to come .",
        "this is a movie to watch a million times and never tire of .",
        "aquatic gave me plenty to ponder . but i also remember that , while i was watching it , i wished it were more fun .",
        "i think it 's the closest thing to a new millennium buckaroo banzai that we 'll ever see .",
        "the problem with MOV is not that it 's not funny , but that anderson is already repeating ideas and recycling characters from his other films .",
        "this waterlogged bit of whimsy is the cinematic equivalent of a belly-flop .",
        "lately , i 've complained that `` gross '' does not equal funny . well , `` weird '' does not equal `` entertaining . ''",
        "smug and slow moving . who cares about steve zissou ? for anderson , it is all about the boat .",
        "flat , unfocused and weirdly random .",
        "if there 's anything more tiresome in film today than hip irony , it is forced irony , and here comes a boatload .",
        "the film is very prickly , and full of offbeat humor that is n't welcoming to anyone who does n't buy into the cold , wooden tone .",
        "often , the MOV borrows too much from the characters of anderson 's earlier work . but the humor and imagination of the piece more than makes up .",
        "it 's sad to see the filmmaker himself sinking under the weight of his own ambition .",
        "this is one of the most irritating , self-conscious and smug films of the year , working neither as a dark comedy nor a character study .",
        "little can convey the texture of the texan writer/director 's fourth feature , other than to say it is unmistakably andersonian , as off-kilter and tricksy as the royal tenenbaums .",
        "an interesting , but not entirely entertaining film .",
        "anderson has balanced what 's funny about his concept with a generous number of jokes on-screen ... it makes me expectant again .",
        "all of anderson 's offbeat cinematic ingenuity ca n't disguise the fact -lrb- or is maybe the reason -rrb- that the MOV just does n't have much going for it emotionally",
        "the movie is so listless yet so proud of its whimsy that it demands someone to point out the obvious : in the aquatic life with steve zissou , wes anderson jumps the jaguar shark .",
        "a unique achievement .",
        "if you like murray , and you can savor the concept of a movie that could be a bulked-up version of one of his old saturday night live skits , you will likely like the film .",
        "-lsb- wes anderson -rsb- fourth and most elaborate film fits no genre and defies quick summary .",
        "the film is often quite funny .",
        "it is messy , perplexing and weird , but in a good way .",
        "director wes anderson 's best work to date .",
        "all you need to join team zissou is a red knit cap , a blue speedo , and apparently , a bad sense of humor ... the comedy is so subtle , it 's easy to miss completely .",
        "do you ever feel like everyone but you is in on the joke ?",
        "stubbornly devoted to wes anderson 's precociously detailed and miniature worldview but still one-of-a-kind .",
        "anderson 's latest endeavour will have you yawning from start to finish . **",
        "a take off on jacques cousteau 's life that never takes off",
        "your whimsy tolerance will be tested .",
        "zissou is the latest manifestation of the character that anchors all of anderson 's films -- the mournful king who realizes his kingdom is slipping away .",
        "if anderson can ever focus on actually making a movie -- instead of proving how zany he is -- the man may create something of lasting value .",
        "-lrb- bill -rrb- murray 's blank stare might be because there 's nothing he can do to improve things . usually it 's a device he uses to accent eccentricity .",
        "... the MOV stirs up some sugary silt at the bottom of your gut .",
        "it may be impossible to love the MOV with steve zissou , but it 's remarkably easy to drown in its sea of eccentricity .",
        "MOV may not be as cuddly as his other productions , but it still resonates loudly with grace , joy and originality . it 's a remarkable piece of filmmaking .",
        "murray shines through anderson 's artificial half-movie -- always offering something sadder and deeper . still , it 's hard to get invested when the director wo n't stop winking .",
        "rich , strange and almost inexplicably satisfying , MOV is very much a movie to see and treasure .",
        "a mixed-bag but worth a look .",
        "an often clever film with some genuine laughs and a playful streak .",
        "not entirely successful , but colourful , charming and packed to the gunwales with talent .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- inematic flotsam that drifts quickly out of mind .",
        "for some , anderson 's world is too hermetically sealed and downright strange to be affecting ; for others , there 's an irresistible charm to his eccentric characters .",
        "anderson needs to diversify his bag of tricks a.s.a.p. -- unless he wants to exhaust his audiences ' good will by cycling them through the same dreary spirals of ennui as he does his characters .",
        "much of what happens feels rough , as if anderson never completed his shooting script ... but individual moments ... just might keep you entertained throughout the film 's near-two-hour running time",
        "aquatic seems willfully eccentric without ever letting the rest of us in on the joke .",
        "if you go with it , you 'll love the film .",
        "like the jaguar shark , the MOV is hard to get a hook into .",
        "while one may expect a little more consistency from a film with such acclaim , consistency is hardly the order of the day when one is making iconoclastic and unconventional movies like anderson does .",
        "... has a slow and natural progression , as anderson 's oceanographer searches for the shark that killed his partner , getting sidetracked by every possible diversion along the way . the diversions are kind of where it 's at .",
        "... about another anderson dreamer whose ambitions far exceed any real talent .",
        "quirky and oftentimes absurd , the MOV is an action comedy of misfit proportions .",
        "' ... the plot is off kilter , the wit is as dry as a james bond martini , and all the characters are wacky . '",
        "though it looks like a wes anderson film , it does n't feel like one .",
        "the movie , well , it stinks like a rotting beached whale .",
        "say what you will about the film but it 's not cookie cutter . it finds its own rhythm to march to . the MOV surprised me every few minutes .",
        "might have worked better as an amusing diversion , but anderson is clearly trying for more . he 's tried too hard .",
        "what peculiar cinema of the sea wes anderson 's the MOV with steve zissou is .",
        "with or without steve zissou , anderson 's disaster can now be mentioned with the titanic , cutthroat island and the exxon valdez .",
        "the audacity of the MOV is in director wes anderson stepping through fashionable attitude and into human essence .",
        "if you 've disliked -lsb- anderson 's -rsb- other films , there 's no reason to check this one out . if you 're a fan , this may prove to be the acid test .",
        "... has an uneven tone and an erratic rhythm that might have been grating were it not for the anchoring performances of murray and wilson ... and the consistent looniness ...",
        "full of -lsb- wes anderson 's -rsb- many trademark flourishes .",
        "as the grizzled peter pan , murray puts in his most understated and complex performance ; he 's by turns pathetic , obnoxious , and scintillating .",
        "it hearkens back nicely to rushmore ...",
        "lacks the energy and snap of previous anderson films , but as bill murray says about a jaguar shark : ` it 's pretty good , is n't it ? '",
        "any movie confident enough to end with the cast jauntily walking down the street -lrb- a la buckaroo banzai -rrb- is worth a look .",
        "what 's most troubling about anderson is how lifeless his movies are getting .",
        "the MOV is a sluggish , lifeless , monumental disappointment -- annoying , smirking and self-satisfied about its own cleverness and ironic detachment .",
        "who cares ? this is boring . the actors are clearly bored and it 's hard enough to stay awake . do n't bother .",
        "there 's not a convincing character to be found , and none of the film 's dramatic scenes or emotional catharses have the ring of truth necessary for us to be affected .",
        "the MOV is full of moments of strange tranquility and screwball juxtaposition .",
        "the movie is so arrogant and self-satisfied that if it had genitals , i would kick them .",
        "hovers frustratingly somewhere between charming and only mildly amusing .",
        "a funny , smart and satisfying cruise into the triangle of comedy comfort .",
        "stocked with colorful characters , episodic wit and well-placed pop tunes , aquatic stays funny even as it flails about at sea .",
        "with his perpetually slumped shoulders and downcast eyes , murray nails his character 's weariness ; you feel tired just looking at him . but lethargy is not necessarily something you want in an audience , and eventually the movie starts to seem fatigued .",
        "the MOV is a movie deeply immersed in movie lore , and the more seasoned the swimmer the richer the experience .",
        "it 's too fragmented , lacks pace and is filled with so many eccentricities that it 's hard to discern the point , if anderson is even trying to make one . but watching anderson fail is still more rewarding that watching other filmmakers succeed .",
        "i 've got to hand it to wes anderson . his films do n't always work , but they are never boring .",
        "has its small pleasures , but mostly it just flaps around like a dying fish",
        "i ca n't recommend it , but i would not for one second discourage you from seeing it .",
        "despite its cast and director , it 's an amazingly unfunny movie , drowned in its own conceits , half-strangled by the tongue so obtrusively in its cheek .",
        "the visuals are all there -- if films got prizes for best poster , this one would be a shoo-in . but story , heart and purpose all seem to be lost at sea .",
        "at times arrogant , furious , ridiculous and mopey , in the end , steve zissou carries the MOV with an understated grace .",
        "vastly disappointing , an uneasy mixture of characters and events , artifice and realism .",
        "there are rewards if you make the effort to understand what anderson and co-screenwriter noah baumbach are trying to say , and at times the MOV with steve zissou is weird , wild and wonderful .",
        "murray 's deadpan performance is one of the many disappointments in the movie : it 's a minimalist bit of acting , in both style and effort .",
        "a ruse of a film that does n't have a tenth of the wit it thinks it has .",
        "the MOV is anderson 's least interesting film , and should serve as a demonstration of the vapidity of his so-called brilliance .",
        "the film 's meta-fey title alone is an example of why some people adore anderson and why he drives others absolutely crazy .",
        "under murray 's steerage , this satiric outing with a sea-going tv personality commandeers the funny bone and will be the best of the year for many a passenger .",
        "quirky and bill murray-ish but does n't always click .",
        "this is one dreary , listless film . the sooner it is forgotten and the once-promising director restakes his claim in being someone to watch , the better off we all will be .",
        "once again , he creates a hermetic , glassed-in movie world of postmodern anachronisms that charms and distances in equal measure .",
        "not a perfect movie , but ... it is my # 1 film of the year .",
        "wes anderson is increasingly concerned with art direction and offbeat touches , to the point where story and characters become an afterthought .",
        "it 's like a grown-up returning to stevenson 's treasure island and rediscovering what was so great about it in the first place .",
        "the precocious director is stuck with a lamentable case of arrested development .",
        "murray 's inertia spurs anderson to new heights of directorial inertia . steve zissou is n't the only filmmaker undergoing a mid-life crisis .",
        "there 's no doubt that anderson is an inventive filmmaker bursting with ideas . the problem is that he has n't found a powerful story to contain them .",
        "the MOV drifts along at a lazy pace , the occasional encounter with pirates notwithstanding .",
        "torn between heartbreak and hilarity , i found myself squirming with conflicted delight , braying like a circus clown on the outside while merrily crying away on the inside .",
        "twisted yet exquisitely witty .",
        "anderson benefits tremendously from the always-engaging production design by mark friedberg , a delightful score by former devo-ian mark mothersbaugh , and the always-engaging performances by top-notch actors .",
        "like the film 's fake fish , the MOV is endlessly fascinating to watch but , if you look closer , there 's not much there .",
        "noah baumbach collaborated on the arch script , whose bittersweet weirdness leaves a residue even as the narrative disintegrates .",
        "even bill murray , leading a now-typical set of odd andersonian characters , ca n't keep this one afloat .",
        "all you need to know is that the film is a rare original , something of lasting value that will keep you engrossed and entertained in a dry , downbeat tone that is focused and filmic and fantastic .",
        "there is a charming 90-minute comedy somewhere in MOV , but the extra 30 or so minutes in this version point out just how self-indulgent anderson is becoming .",
        "the david bowie songs sung in portuguese on the soundtrack of the MOV with steve zissou are a lot like the movie itself . you may not understand the language , but you recognize what 's being said as familiar and reassuring in some way .",
        "if that 's true , maybe anderson is wearing his heart on his sleeve for the first time : he could be paying wry tribute to the medium , showing real love for the process that lets him use his offbeat gifts . but i would n't bet on it .",
        "it 's one of the great mysteries of contemporary hollywood that a talent as sideways as wes anderson gets bankrolled by a major , and not famously risky , studio like disney .",
        "ultimately , it 's hard to connect with these odd , distant people , and though the film has an ending that finds some grace , it 's too little , too late .",
        "murray 's deadpan presence holds it all together . like france 's jacques tati , he 's a master of minimalist angst and perfect straight man to a darkly comic world and anderson keeps him skillfully positioned at the eye of the storm .",
        "this movie is so odd , so uncommercial and so unformulaic , particularly for something produced by a major studio -lrb- disney , in this case -rrb- , that i ca n't imagine how anderson got his idea for it past the front office and in front of cameras .",
        "it 's not funny . neither is it sad , or moving , and without any of that , the MOV is not much of a movie .",
        "the whimsy feels forced , and murray is the only player allowed to hunt for laughs . more goldblum would have helped . wilson acts overshadowed , dafoe has too little screen time and blanchett is only a middling straight man .",
        "for a while , MOV gets mileage out of its quirkiness and the promise that a real plot will kick in . but it 's not to be , and for most of the film 's second half it feels like anderson and his characters are treading water .",
        "its sporadic droll moments tempt one to view it with a charitable eye until patience is exhausted by the end .",
        "i thought i had seen the nadir of moviemaking art . but i had not reckoned with wes anderson . if i had a rating lower than zero , this one would get it .",
        "i should have been completely exasperated with the MOV , with its wispy story and wonder-cabinet production design , but to my surprise i found it mostly delightful .",
        "launches with enormous promise , then sinks into a quagmire of misfired humor and misbegotten characters .",
        "an exquisitely evocative movie that elevates rueful melancholia to a superpower .",
        "a potentially great little cult picture shrieking in protest at being bumped up into a $ 50 million studio movie whose only real pleasure is its happy-color production design .",
        "wonderfully weird and wistful .",
        "what might have a self-consciously quirky comedy is deepened and humanized by its rich performances , especially from murray , who keeps getting better and better .",
        "this may a film composed only of little moments , ah , but what moments they are .",
        "a work about conflict , it is itself conflicted , torn between the confidence of a gifted filmmaker and the insecurity of a gifted writer .",
        "magnificent display of talents not weaved into coherent story",
        "has a quiet comical edginess that reflects the poignancy of the situation and the characters .",
        "the garish , exotic , retro styling is anderson at his visual best . in terms of character and sensibility , though , this is sadly anderson at his worst .",
        "even when caught in a rut , anderson 's obsessive vision still yields many exhilarating surprises .",
        "a film i 'll be able to return in years hence and have lovely waves of happiness wash over me .",
        "the director magically conjures emotional dividends in the film 's invigorating last moments , which wordlessly celebrate an underrated and truly andersonian virtue : solidarity .",
        "wes anderson creates a highly stylized and peculiar world , which either works for you or it does n't . it works for me beautifully ...",
        "full review in greek",
        "this take on undersea adventure movies , though studded with amusing bits , feels smug and self-satisfied , as if the quirkiness no longer is merely a by-product of the way anderson views the world .",
        "expect the absurd , the bizarre , the sweet , and the occasionally surreal , and you 'll probably have a darn good time with the MOV ."],
    "summary": "the MOV with steve zissou is getting soaked by many critics , who call it smug , ironic and artificial . still , others have praised the movie 's sheer uniqueness , eccentricity and whimsy .",
    "id": "12895"
  },
  {
    "movie": "antwone_fisher",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the life of MOV may indeed be one that cries out for a movie treatment but you would n't know it from this tepid bio .",
        "it works . i laughed , i cried , i left the theater with a bounce in my step .",
        "it 's no surprise that as a director washington demands and receives excellent performances , from himself and from newcomer derek luke .",
        "even howard stern and eminem showed more humility in creating their onscreen portrayals than fisher does .",
        "a stunning achievement for actor/director denzel washington .",
        "... an extremely touching story",
        "this is the sort of noble , well-produced tearjerker that 's bound to work for some people , but one that lacks any real force , conviction or even a single surprise .",
        "yet another year-end , by-the-numbers , button-pushing biopic , but this one is sub-par even when compared to its sickly , tired brethren . it 's a dime-a-dozen film that 's being touted as a hit simply because it 's denzel washington 's directorial debut .",
        "... a triumphant , three-way debut .",
        "hard , endearing , caring , warm . bring tissues .",
        "at first , the fact that this movie does not follow the usual pattern can feel disconcerting , even amateurish . ultimately it gives the movie a kind of messiness and heart that provides extra authenticity .",
        "so beautifully acted and directed , it 's clear that washington most certainly has a new career ahead of him if he so chooses .",
        "maybe as a world-class actor himself , denzel knows how to get the most out of his performers .",
        "at first i thought that it was just the black version of good will hunting , but it turned into so much more .",
        "it 's a familiar story , but one that is presented with great sympathy and intelligence .",
        "a crowd-pleasing tearjerker ... a film whose earnestness and dignity almost -lrb- though not quite -rrb- overcome the narrative 's sentimentality and lack of surprise .",
        "induces the sort of catharsis that leaves you feeling released , enlightened and in deeper touch with humanity .",
        "offers an impressive melding of quietly radical images and ideas with , yes , an old-fashioned , crowd-pleasing holiday tearjerker .",
        "in a perfect world you 'd have pancakes every morning and every movie would be a 5 . this is the real world and the movie is a 3.5",
        "denzel washington gives a sensitive yet powerful performance as a navy psychiatrist , and newcomer derek luke is a pleasant surprise as the title character .",
        "washington and luke give honest , touching performances in an african-american exposition that refreshingly puts the spotlight on black aggression from a different , subtle point of view -- riveting in spite of its uneven and saccharine-coated tendencies",
        "a film of quiet dignity and calm intelligence that takes no shortcuts to its emotional payoff ... at times it even seems a little stolid and self-serious , a little too earnest for its own good .",
        "this is a fine family film .",
        "an uplifting drama ... what MOV is n't , however , is original .",
        "a riveting story well told .",
        "here , washington has taken a real-life memoir and turned it not into a sappy melodrama , but an honest , respectable and engaging character study in which the dramatics are just as important to the plot as plot itself .",
        "eavesdrop on someone 's psychoanalysis , someone with an attention-grabbingly troubled childhood",
        "with all its pedestrian moments , the film still has the power to sweep you up .",
        "... it 's the raw personal story , at turns disturbing and uplifting , that gives the movie it 's weight .",
        "as an actor , denzel washington is excellent at fleshing out roles , and he shows the same ability behind the lens , fully developing his characters without allowing the pace to slow .",
        "as an actor , denzel washington has demonstrated remarkable humanity , talent and intelligence . now he 's showing the same sort of skill behind the camera .",
        "fisher has a powerful story to tell about the failure of the system to protect children & the subtly devastating consequences of instability & neglect .",
        "a competent tearjerker ...",
        "in his debut as a film director , denzel washington delivers a lean and engaging work .",
        "an uplifting , near-masterpiece .",
        "the film never becomes great until the final act . the rest of the film seems fake , even if it is inspired by actual events .",
        "MOV certainly does the trick of making us care about its protagonist and celebrate his victories but , with few exceptions , it rarely stoops to cheap manipulation or corny conventions to do it .",
        "a fine film that proves the past is never too bleak -- or the future too hopeless -- to discover a productive new life , and a home and family to share it .",
        "who writes a screen treatment of their life and then an autobiography ?",
        "the problem with MOV is that it has a screenplay written by MOV based on the book by MOV .",
        "much of the film seems to miss the mark emotionally , but the ending hits the bull 's - eye , and does so without sacrificing authenticity .",
        "trivial where it should be profound , and hyper-cliched where it should be sincere .",
        "fisher has bared his soul and confronted his own shortcomings here in a way ... that feels very human and very true to life .",
        "fisher greedily encourages washington and hollywood to rape his integrity in the name of ben franklin , not to mention oscar .",
        "a special film with some really special performances from the young actors and of course denzel washington .",
        "fisher 's story is worth telling , and the few clunky narrative tricks he employs in ` MOV ' do n't come close to diminishing that .",
        "denzel washington 's directorial debut is a handsomely made tale of challenge and triumph diminished by `` after school special '' morality .",
        "almost all of washington 's film has the ring of emotional honesty ; the film is marred only by an overbearing feel-good finale that ties up an assortment of loose ends in a too-tidy bundle .",
        "denzel washington 's directorial debut reveals a capable -- if often alarmingly low-key -- presence behind the lens .",
        "less cinematically powerful than quietly and deeply moving , which is powerful in itself .",
        "some wise editing could have made the film stronger , but also would have considerably cut washington 's screentime .",
        "both star and director acquit themselves with dignity , in a movie that treats the emotional life of a troubled man with uncommon sensitivity and insight .",
        "`` MOV '' is an earnest , by-the-numbers effort by washington . it wo n't rock any boats but is solid meat-and-potatoes filmmaking .",
        "heartwarming and touching , and it features a stirring , needed message about putting the past to rest .",
        "the film starts out as competent but unremarkable ... and gradually grows into something of considerable power .",
        "the film works well as a conventional tear-jerker drama told in a straightforward no-nonsense manner .",
        "everything -- even life on an aircraft carrier -- is sentimentalized .",
        "conventional story elevated by two impressive lead performances .",
        "this film is easily one of the year 's best because it never hides its intentions , but still carries a heavy impact . MOV 's strength relies on simplicity , charm , and craftsmanship",
        "washington , in his debut as a director , delivers a solid piece of craftsmanship .",
        "washington the director could n't have made a smarter choice for the title role -- or chosen a more appropriate project to make his own .",
        "inspiring without being too preachy , fisher does n't try to be more than a solid storytelling , which , in this case , is enough to leave you blubbering like a little baby .",
        "earnestly inspirational , conservatively moralistic and little on the bland side .",
        "an absorbing , well-acted film with a low-key sense of humor .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- washington ... reigns in the triumph-of-the-human-spirit sap that tends to sink awards bait like this .",
        "the performances are uniformly excellent , first-time director washington keeps things moving with admirable efficiency .",
        "while the path may be familiar , first-time director denzel washington and a top-notch cast manage to keep things interesting .",
        "well-meaning to a fault , MOV manages the dubious feat of turning one man 's triumph of will into everyman 's romance comedy .",
        "why this story ? as it stands , it 's the story of a clean-cut kid who becomes an even nicer clean-cut kid .",
        "there is real heart beneath the movie 's thick shellacking of lost man-child sensitivity , and generally terrific acting that makes matters credible .",
        "a nicely-drawn , humanistic character study and a genuinely romantic romance .",
        "what could have been heartfelt feels contrived and manipulative .",
        "although MOV is formulaic and at times predictable , it 's also beautifully measured and assured , a confident , extraordinarily well-acted film about a man overcoming a dark life of murder , incest , abuse and abandonment .",
        "a mind-numbing , soul-deadeningly dull experience , it is a miracle of mediocrity , a small wonder : how can anything be quite this tedious ?",
        "a noble , but largely undistinguished work , one that may very well make a lot of people feel warm and fuzzy inside , but is also quickly forgettable",
        "a moving story of determination and the human spirit .",
        "... so positively heartwarming , the main character so well drawn , and the drama so involving , none of the film 's imperfections seem very important .",
        "... one of the year 's most insightful and evocative films .",
        "when the tears start coming , they 're not jerked from you -- they 're honestly earned , and they 're a both a relief and , yes , an affirmation .",
        "washington is customarily solid as the naval shrink , but directs without imagination or flair , sticking to hollywood conventions and skimming over the harsher aspects of fisher 's life .",
        "it does n't amount to a whole lot , but it 's frequently moving and reasonably well made .",
        "a portrait of suffering and redemption for its own sake , MOV arouses only shallow pity .",
        "the structure the film takes may find matt damon and ben affleck once again looking for residuals as this officially completes a good will hunting trilogy that was never planned .",
        "an involving , inspirational drama that sometimes falls prey to its sob-story trappings .",
        "there 's nothing in either the conception or execution to lift it above a tv-movie tear-jerker .",
        "expect a few tears of joy in the audience . and expect to see this film showing up on some lists of the year 's best films .",
        "not only is it unusual that this emotional story of how a damaged boy became a whole man made it to the screen at all , it is a measure of its strengths that it overcomes storytelling flaws that would have disabled a weaker project .",
        "an oscar-worthy , emotionally honest , feel-good saga with a universality that stands out in a season of singularly depressing and cynical hollywood product .",
        "while reeking of a good will ordinary people , denzel still creates a compelling story .",
        "a film that begins with the everyday lives of naval personnel in san diego and ends with scenes so true and heartbreaking that tears welled up in my eyes both times i saw the film .",
        "a tender and touching drama , based on the true story of a troubled african-american 's quest to come to terms with his origins , reveals the yearning we all have in our hearts for acceptance within the family circle .",
        "i felt good while watching the movie and had an extra jump in my step as i walked out of the theater .",
        "uniformly well-performed and blessed with a spotless screenplay that could easily pass a naval inspection .",
        "crafted with the same measured intensity and quiet authority found in his best onscreen work , denzel washington 's debut behind the camera , MOV , is an emotionally charged true-life story of one man 's tenacity and eventual redemption .",
        "all in all , this is the best debut behind the camera from a major actor in a long while .",
        "for sure , MOV is corny . but it 's corny in a way that a hollywood movie about a boy who just wants to go home ought to be corny .",
        "it 's luke 's performance that makes this movie tick .",
        "there 's a simplicity and heart to MOV ... that 's extremely appealing .",
        "-lsb- washington 's -rsb- strong hand , keen eye , sweet spirit and good taste are reflected in almost every scene .",
        "washington directed , and like most actors-turned-directors he brings great care to establishing performances , favoring strong close-ups .",
        "the level of acting elevates the material above pat inspirational status and gives it a sturdiness and solidity that we 've long associated with washington the actor .",
        "watchful , flinty , unexpectedly vulnerable -- and so cathartic it could wring tears from a stone .",
        "if the movie is clunky and raw , it 's also heartfelt , and director/star denzel washington is smart just to keep things simple and stay out of the way of the movie 's improbably powerful autiobiographical story .",
        "a film as modestly underplayed and as unassumingly classy as the star who also directed it .",
        "marks a strong directorial performance by washington , who foregoes tricky maneuvers and allows the emotions and details of his story to carry the day .",
        "it is an inspirational , heart-tugging story of the kind oscar might be willing to embrace .",
        "that the real MOV was able to overcome his personal obstacles and become a good man is a wonderful thing ; that he has been able to share his story so compellingly with us is a minor miracle .",
        "MOV 's overriding honesty even survives the film 's obligatory , sick-making crane-shot-with - swelling-music final image .",
        "celebrates family in a way that 's deeply felt by the director and screenwriter/subject and no doubt will be shared by viewers of any ethnicity .",
        "a movie that resonates with truth and caring and , thanks to the uncommon rapport between luke and washington , grabs at the heart like nothing else this year .",
        "though the screenplay -- written by the real-life fisher -- seems a bit self-aggrandizing , even stone-hearted cynics would be wise to pack tissues .",
        "admittedly moving and even occasionally uplifting , `` fisher '' just seems like a film road well-traveled so many other times .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "washington has a successful if modest debut film under his belt .",
        "i started getting watery eyes half an hour into it and then the waterworks hardly ever stopped .",
        "washington 's compassion as an actor comes through in his directing , as he gives his movie the time and space to let the characters breathe .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV transforma sua pr\u0443pria hist\u0443ria em uma li\u0437\u0433o de resist\u043ancia e humanidade .",
        "has the capability of effecting change and inspiring hope .",
        "rings false , belittling instead of honoring its sensitive subject with its twinkly score , kid-glove nobility and cloying payoffs . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "devastating story of abuse based on real life .",
        "sails the same route as dozens of hollywood psychiatry dramas ... its power lies in the rich themes and performances .",
        "it is to washington 's credit that he keeps it just real enough to move our hearts and our heads .",
        "yes , MOV is a good movie , in the way that lima beans are good food . you may leave the theater feeling fortified , but you 'll have a bad taste in your mouth .",
        "the most remarkable thing about MOV is the real-life story on which it is based .",
        "for his directorial debut , denzel washington -lrb- has made -rrb- a haunting and resonant film covered with a potent southern gothic chill .",
        "soupy and sentimental , but with an underlying belief in itself that keeps the rhythm constant and just about manages to reach the gut .",
        "while the film is rated pg-13 for language and the brawling , this is one film that high school teachers can use as a teaching tool without any rationalization .",
        "luke is one actor who is sure to be with us in a big way for years to come .",
        "in his debut as a director , washington has a sure hand . his work with actors is particularly impressive .",
        "the acting helps push the movie past its familiarity into something that rings earnest and true .",
        "is MOV 's story inspirational ? yes . does he need to repeatedly tell us just how inspirational it is ? no , but he does anyway . that 's what keeps the film from standing tall .",
        "i found myself getting choked up by the ending , which evokes the joy of knowing that a lot of people love and care about you .",
        "a dull , straight-forward autobiopic , devoid of nuance , idiosyncrasy and character .",
        "luke 's performance as antwone is strong and stirring enough to rekindle that vintage phrase ` a star is born . '",
        "a by-the-numbers patient/doctor pic that covers all the usual ground",
        "it is a movie that leaves you feeling uplifted , even if the actual telling of the story feels mundane .",
        "an assured directorial debut that goes straight for the tear ducts ."],
    "summary": "washington 's directing debut is a solidly crafted , emotionally touching work .",
    "id": "11438"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_good_lie_2013",
    "reviews":
     [
        "that 's why `` MOV , '' in spite of all its good intentions , is so frustrating . it is a story that deserves much more than such a bland , flat retelling .",
        "a heartwarming , culturally significant , though possibly ill-timed drama about survival , community and the strong bonds of family .",
        "director philippe felardeau finds some extraordinary landscapes here . and his camera also lingers over his characters ' faces , striking maps of their pain , their hunger , their loss .",
        "you heard of a feel-good movie ? this is a feel-right movie .",
        "a touching , generous-hearted movie that touches on immigrant experience with grace .",
        "there are lessons to be learned here . and ultimately the heart of `` MOV '' is in the right place .",
        "it 's often earnest to a fault and fearful of its deeper , darker implications . still , you wo n't leave MOV unmoved . its heart really is in the right place ,",
        "even if the ending is a bit predictable , we still want to see it happen . we want to feel good about what happens to these characters , and fortunately , MOV allows us to , with just a little bit of a heart tug at the end",
        "`` MOV '' is an emotionally dishonest account of a very real , common occurrence involving thousands of people who made their way to the united states in dire circumstances . those refugees deserve better that this film , and so too do filmgoers .",
        "a drama that takes pains to sidestep some message-movie conventions but nonetheless fails to deliver an appreciably memorable or thought-provoking experience .",
        "so well-intentioned that it 's hard to entirely dislike .",
        "may not be anything like witherspoon 's answer to ` the blind side , ' but definitely worth seeing .",
        "witherspoon graciously steps into the background to make this sudanese `` lost boys '' saga work",
        "in examining the most basic human bonds , it closes some of the distance a privileged audience may feel when confronted with the reality of the way the rest of the world lives .",
        "a compelling film - occasionally a bit too earnest , perhaps , or overly broad in its humor , but often deeply moving .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a movie that knows where its heart lies and remain so faithful to that premise . ... as good as the story is , it is the performances that make this a must-see film .",
        "`` MOV '' may be a little too soft . but it largely avoids mawkish sentimentality and casts a glow that is increasingly absent nowadays from films depicting international strife .",
        "MOV honestly earns its laughter and tears , even if it has to do so by way of some hollywood window dressing .",
        "the pieces do n't always fit together as neatly as you might wish , but if you let it , `` MOV 's '' heartwarming soul will win you over .",
        "true-hearted , warm , wise , inspiring , and funny",
        "a big , eager puppy of an issue movie that plants its paws on your chest and licks away at your cheek in eager expectation of praise .",
        "an emotionally warm and immensely appealing story of the immigrant experience of some survivors of the 1980s genocide in sudan .",
        "the political becomes personal , eye-opening and moving in MOV .",
        "this is very much a mainstream movie meant to shine a light on the plight of people who were ignored for too long . for that reason alone , it 's well worth seeing .",
        "the film belongs to three actors you 've never heard of , but if putting witherspoon 's mug on the poster is what it takes to get people to go see it , then that 's a good lie .",
        "this glossy dramatization of the lost boys story at least keeps the focus on its sudanese subjects while relegating the roles of the well-intentioned americans to those of facilitators instead of saviors .",
        "there 's a sense that MOV wants to say something profound but the message is as muddled as its delineation of history is .",
        "the main characters are played by actual refugees-two of whom were child soldiers-and their uninflected , authoritative performances compensate for the feel-good simplifications of margaret nagle 's script .",
        "the rougher edges of the likes of in this world or the golden dream were perhaps beyond its multiplex-oriented remit , but falardeau works in surprising levels of funny , winning , stirring detail .",
        "you can not fail to be moved by this story of young sudanese refugees - and not just to tears either .",
        "MOV is an honest , honourable film at which there is no shame in shedding tears .",
        "a fascinating look at what happened to many sudanese refugees , but also at how people who come from underprivileged parts of the world experience the united states .",
        "it still deserves credit for fore fronting the latter 's story , but as with any issue , it 's never really just enough to acknowledge that you 're looking at it .",
        "heartbreaking but hopeful drama about sudanese lost boys .",
        "falardeau and his screenwriter , margaret nagle , add compelling details and small grace notes where they can .",
        "charismatic leads and a good heart prove enough for tale of lost boys",
        "a moving and haunting script -- also a funny one , at times .",
        "the most powerful scenes might be the gut-wrenching trek the sudan people must make in search of a safer land than their war-torn home , and it adds a depth that separates `` MOV '' from most other cinematic experiences .",
        "in substance as well as style , `` MOV '' amounts to two films joined together ; the first is very good , the second good enough .",
        "reese witherspoon may receive top billing and be the star plastered larger-than-life on the posters , but scripter margaret nagle and director philippe falardeau steadfastly keep their attention where it belongs , on three of the lost boys of sudan .",
        "the poster suggests a redux of ` the blind side , ' times three . at top is reese witherspoon , airbrushed and beaming with charity . at bottom are three faceless africans . thank goodness this image is not an accurate representation of the movie 's priorities .",
        "this is a hollywood-delivered chronicle of the immigrant experience that earns its justification through good will and tact .",
        "it never shies away from the horrors of war-torn parts of africa , yet it is also able to deftly change gears to have a sense of humor and keep us engaged throughout this emotional whirlwind .",
        "in a bait-and-switch worthy of its title , `` MOV '' may lure in viewers eager to see a reese witherspoon movie , but they 'll fall in love with something else entirely .",
        "the bond between carrie and these `` lost boys '' makes for a sincere , simplistic and poignant tale .",
        "ultimately , it 's a decent , well-meaning insight into the plight of the so-called lost boys -lrb- actually 3,600 sudanese boys and girls -rrb- who were found ... thanks to uncle sam .",
        "strong performances from arnold oceng , ger duany and emmanuel jal ensure that the characters of mamere , jeremiah and paul are never reduced to `` exotic '' victimhood .",
        "a unesco educational resource cast in the style of an unreconstructed 1970s sitcom .",
        "it is a warm-hearted picture , and its flaws are forgiveable .",
        "the challenges of america 's welfare system give this impeccably honourable film a vivid set of hurdles to surmount , and it does n't feel overegged or excessively sentimentalised .",
        "reece witherspoon 's presence as an indomitable kansas city charity worker may be its main selling point , but the heart of this fact-based drama is the long journey taken by a group of refugees from the sudanese civil war .",
        "this timely , light comic study of what it means to be a refugee makes for a refreshingly un-hectoring watch .",
        "most of the time , hollywood applies so much energy to warming your heart , the excess energy turns your brain to mush . MOV works as well as it does precisely because of an intelligence , humanity and restraint we rarely see in hollywood films .",
        "the film is predictable but affecting and often funny in its depiction of the young sudanese attempting to adjust to us culture .",
        "MOV is an open-hearted christian parable about faith and self-sacrifice .",
        "MOV is not a typical message drama filled with big statements and teachable moments . but in its modest , quiet way , it shows some of the dignity and determination of the refugees it portrays .",
        "the finely calibrated performances of the three leading men pull the film through to its moving conclusion .",
        "the strengths of `` MOV '' are its lack of adherence to convention , its selective use of its nominal star and its decision to dwell on the sudanese transplants ' struggles and triumphs .",
        "by aiming to be a crowd-pleaser , it fails to do justice to a harrowing part of recent history .",
        "benefits from reece witherspoon 's understated performance . . . a gentle giant and beautifully restrained film .",
        "although it falters when it strays from the immigrant perspective , MOV is an undeniably powerful drama , rooted in authentic performances from its four main actors .",
        "quite contrary to traditional hollywood standards , the film does not approach a story about the third world through the eyes of a western protagonist , but rather through the eyes of those who live the story directly",
        "an inspirational , feel-good drama about the lost boys of sudan who make good as refugees in america and change the lives of americans in close contact with them .",
        "it 's a sappy , but occasionally sensitive , coming-to-america story that hits all of the familiar beats . it has one very big problem , though , and she 's played by reese witherspoon .",
        "sure , it 's reese witherspoon whose face is plastered on all of the ads , but this film does n't belong to her , and MOV is all the better for it .",
        "i never thought i 'd be so happy to see so little of reese witherspoon in a reese witherspoon movie .",
        "if a measure of tasteful restraint is detectable , it serves at least to allow for the depiction of human emotion instead of the market-driven blandification of history .",
        "has more truth than expected .",
        "these are performances that blur the line between acting and being .",
        "it 's a very good film , with some genuinely poignant moments .",
        "a well-told tale that illuminates the experiences of the 20,000 `` lost boys '' -lrb- and girls -rrb- of sudan , with such grace , insight and humor , it can be forgiven a few simplifying liberties taken in the name of moving the narrative along .",
        "`` MOV , '' for all its sincerity , has a slick , produced quality to it , a hollywood sensibility that it simply can not shake off .",
        "good old-fashioned storytelling that truly works . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "a vital project that commands attention and pays off in heart and soul .",
        "if a moviegoer ca n't cry for the great tragedy of these sudanese children , and be touched by their small victories , then who on earth deserves our tears and cheers ?",
        "surely it 's for the best that such white-girl-to-the-rescue theatrics account for just one scene in a movie that otherwise has the good sense to focus on four sudanese refugees offered shelter in america .",
        "one of the smartest choices in `` MOV '' is to acknowledge that witherspoon 's carrie has as much to learn from the sudanese as they do from her .",
        "this is n't just another film that puts a white face on the black experience , as in ` cry freedom , ' ` mississippi burning ' and ` the last king of scotland . ' it really is about three young men trying to make a go in a new land .",
        "sensitive and sincere , it 's an inspiring , redemptive tale of courage and compassion .",
        "director philippe falardeau gets more dramatic mileage from unknowns , former sudan refugees themselves , lending an authenticity that should n't be undercut by movie star intrusion ."],
    "summary": "MOV sacrifices real-life nuance in order to turn its true story into a hollywood production , but the results still add up to a compelling , well-acted , and deeply moving drama .",
    "id": "771354991"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tupac_resurrection",
    "reviews":
     [
        "tupac : resurrection is surprisingly direct ...",
        "lazin 's remarkable achievement is to catch tupac in the act of discovering himself . it 's something to see .",
        "a poet warrior of the first order emerges in this riveting chronicle of the brief life and times of rap superstar tupac shakur .",
        "even hard-core fans will learn something .",
        "by the time you 've heard the gunshot that signals his 1996 death , you will feel that this world lost a very important voice .",
        "tupac : resurrection gives us a little bit of both but , more than that , leaves us with the impression that tupac shakur had a lot more left to say .",
        "content to be a kind of valentine to the slain rapper -- so reliant on recycled mtv footage that it feels more like a behind the music special than a feature film .",
        "the film gives a fine sense of why shakur 's fans carry the torch for his legacy . but it 's better from the perspective of that spirit on the streets , not up in the clouds .",
        "a must-see not only for fans of shakur 's music but for anyone who appreciates a well-told life story .",
        "the film would have been strengthened if it had been a little more willing to challenge tupac 's behaviour .",
        "a dishearteningly incomplete portrait .",
        "whether he 's dead or alive , this film reveals tupac to be a scared , skinny kid with a gun , and a vulnerable human being who could easily be pierced by bullets , just like the rest of us .",
        "the winning conceit of producer/director lauren lazin 's flamboyant documentary about the life of tupac shakur is that the late rapper 's voice is the primary source the audience hears .",
        "gripping documentary , see it with your teens .",
        "tupac 's evolution as an artist showed us a young man who was an activist , involved in the community , who showed signs of becoming a more self-aware and self-critical artist , as his music moved from the political to the personal .",
        "it 'd be easy to write off paramount 's tupac : resurrection as a cheap publicity stunt .",
        "director lauren lazin masterfully stitches together bits and pieces of shakur 's interviews to underline the big , shakespearean themes -- ambition , violence , redemption -- that seemed to define his life .",
        "director lauren lazin keeps us hooked by letting -lsb- tupac -rsb- tell his story in his own words , through video clips and recorded interviews .",
        "the strength of this movie is that it never flinches in showing us why -lsb- tupac -rsb- made the choices he felt he had to make -- even though they ended up costing him his life .",
        "this project makes it easy for anyone to understand not only the sanctified , semicrazed star , but the complicated web of elements that created and destroyed him .",
        "even if the warts in the portrait are reduced to mere blemishes , it provides as full a picture of a gifted artist as can be expected of an authorized biography .",
        "it would be difficult to come away from tupac : resurrection without some level of admiration for this complex artist .",
        "a compelling piece of propaganda .",
        "an outside perspective is exactly what this movie needs toward the end as shakur 's grip on his identity becomes shaky .",
        "offers mainstream america a look at shakur 's immense talent and the ever-expanding world of hip-hop music .",
        "it 's unfortunate that his cinematic life is told with a collage of such static , uninvolving devices as scrapbook photos , journal entries , stock footage and oft-seen mtv interviews .",
        "resurrection is clearly pitched to fans who want a warts-and-some , officially sanctioned memento of their fallen hero .",
        "a story of violence , and it 's superbly told .",
        "informative and interesting reflections on his life by the man himself .",
        "the film paints a convincing portrait of tupac as a true artist whose talents embraced a big chunk of entertainment : acting , music , poetry , dance .",
        "a captivating movie worth seeing .",
        "a strong film , with some genuinely revealing insights into the life of its charismatic and paradoxical subject .",
        "`` tupac : resurrection '' is one of the most eerie documentaries you 'll ever see .",
        "a revelation .",
        "docs like this help to banish the fear of movie audiences that non-fiction pics are nothing but talking-heads bore-fests .",
        "a balanced , insightful portrait of the provocative hip-hop icon .",
        "lazin 's documentary may be somewhat one-sided -- afeni shakur 's involvement guaranteed that -- but it 's still immensely enlightening , and a genuine gift to tupac 's fans .",
        "take away the typical lush life or hard life images you associate with rap , and shakur 's struggles are common",
        "it 's amazing stuff .",
        "mtv offers an airbrushed portrait that does nothing but perpetuate the myth of an ` angelic ' hoodlum .",
        "tupac sold more records after his death than when he was alive . ultimately forsaking clarity and insight , tupac : resurrection is geared firmly towards that audience .",
        "do n't expect investigative reporting ... . tupac : resurrection is a trip through a man 's head .",
        "intriguing but ultimately frustrating .",
        "as engaging and complete a portrait as we are ever likely to get .",
        "tupac : resurrection does not shy away from the violence or controversy in the rapper 's life , but this film is a love letter , no question . shakur comes across as smart , energetic and deeply philosophical .",
        "valentine or propaganda ? no matter how you swing it , this is an energetic introduction to the godfather of gangsta .",
        "a shoddily-made documentary , with many scenes looking like fifth generation copies of bad videotapes ... the film is for tupac 's dyed-in-the-wool fans only .",
        "... a much more conflicted portrait of the late rap star than the documentary itself admits .",
        "intriguing documentary narrated by the slain rapper himself .",
        "resonant and fascinating .",
        "the interview clips that comprise the sole voice-over are carefully chosen to illuminate both pac 's scorching charisma and debilitating paranoia .",
        "this poignant , albeit overly poetic documentary claims to capture the slain actor/rapper ` in his own words . ' that aspect of it does n't totally work , but plenty else does .",
        "earns its place as one piece of a pop-culture puzzle , a genuine reflection of a period that still echoes throughout the culture .",
        "filmmaker lauren lazin has created a loving tribute to this late star as if he was her own son . fans will approve .",
        "it 's a little too forgiving of his more serious character flaws , and it skirts some of the more unpleasant aspects of his life , but it 's a moving tribute in the end .",
        "though we do feel the need of other voices to provide perspective , tupac : resurrection is even-handed for a single-point - of-view film .",
        "it 's a tale told well , but from a definite perspective .",
        "as its title suggests , tupac : resurrection is less concerned with analyzing shakur than with bringing him back to life , for which his fans can only be grateful . for everyone else , this film provides an affecting , partial portrait .",
        "a sympathetic but honest look at a man whose formidable talent was equaled only by his penchant for making bad choices .",
        "this is an important document and a fresh , intimate portrayal .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- never breathes long enough to revel in the magnetism and wit of a conflicted personality who burned through his talent like he knew he was n't long for the world .",
        "this mesmerizing documentary makes clear what a talented performer and vibrant presence shakur was .",
        "a well-wrought , if highly subjective , introduction to shakur , especially for the curious .",
        "while resurrection provides a few precious moments of personal and social insight , it 's basically just another product line in the endless marketing of shakur as an urban martyr .",
        "let 's assume you are a person who never intends to see a doc about rap music , but might have it in you to see one . this is the one .",
        "even if rap is n't your thing , tupac 's is an intriguing life story -- and nobody tells it better than him .",
        "a kiss-up rather than a real examination of the rapper 's life .",
        "the movie is like an extra-strength episode of mtv 's diary , which is like a&e biography in the first person .",
        "an open-ended , honest portrait of a hugely talented young man .",
        "in a year of outstanding documentaries , `` tupac : resurrection '' rates up there with the best .",
        "to say he was complicated does n't even begin to scratch the surface of what tupac was really about . unfortunately , neither does this film .",
        "fans , of course , will devour this film , but there 's plenty to chew on for the uninitiated as well .",
        "tupac : resurrection affirms that tupac shakur , the big rap star and a fine actor murdered in 1996 after surviving five bullets a few years earlier , can be resurrected , at least commercially .",
        "while tupac : resurrection includes some never-before - seen family photos and performance footage , and excerpts from the late rapper 's journals , it offers little in the way of new information or insight into the rapper 's world .",
        "it does have the limitations of the form : selective memory and admiring treatment that errs on the side of its subject . but resurrection also humanizes shakur even as it enshrines him and soft-pedals some difficult questions .",
        "lazin 's film gets off to a bad start with a miscalculated opening sequence presented in a way that implies we 're listening to shakur speak about his own murder , an impossibility that undermines the film 's documentary credibility .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- absorbing experience .",
        "it never addresses the problem that the more tupac opens his mouth to explain what his music is or is n't about , and what role in society it is or is n't supposed to serve , the more obvious it becomes that his views are n't reflected in the actual music .",
        "it 's great to hear a person no longer with us captured so bountifully in interviews , talking and even bubbling about his friends , his legacy and his scrapes .",
        "tupac 's fierce charisma keeps this documentary watchable until the bitter end .",
        "this film 's title is accurate . tupac shakur is more alive than he 's ever been -- and more endlessly fascinating than ever .",
        "as poignant as it is informative ."],
    "summary": "there 's no question where the director 's loyalty lies in this one-sided tribute ; however , tupac 's charisma makes this doc an engaging sit .",
    "id": "14017"
  },
  {
    "movie": "alvin_and_the_chipmunks_chipwrecked_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "even with a wealth of material , the movie is more groan-worthy than giggle-inducing .",
        "it 's an uninspired and instantly forgettable film . but it completely succeeds by its own standards : an 87-minute rainy-day distraction that will probably make a zillion dollars .",
        "only david cross , as arch-enemy ian hawke , manages to wring a few laughs from the sodden script , but for those you have to listen to such chipmunk teen speak as `` totally adorbs '' for 90 minutes .",
        "it might divert the tiniest tots but grumpy adults will be wondering why dave did n't call in pest control long ago .",
        "there simply is n't enough material to withstand a feature-length running time in between the musical numbers .",
        "... there are a lot of wonderful family-friendly films out there this season . alvin and the chipmunks : chipwrecked is not one of them .",
        "`` chipwrecked '' serves up more of the derivative chaos that floats this franchise 's boat .",
        "pity the poor adults in the cast : they do n't have a chance . adults in the audience do n't have much of one , either .",
        "there is chipmunk gambling . there is seductive dancing by chipettes wearing only towels . there is a musical gag involving the lyric `` whip my tail back and forth . ''",
        "maybe for the next installment , they can go off to college and find something better to do than making these silly movies .",
        "eighty-seven minutes , the duration of this auditory assault , would be sufficient to slaughter every brain cell and induce blithering idiocy .",
        "with all the digital and environmental tomfoolery , it 's a shock that chipwrecked was n't released in 3d , and that renders it ever so slightly more respectable . but seriously , jason lee , you 're so much better than this . please , stop now .",
        "set out the rodent traps for this lazy exercise in children 's entertainment .",
        "patently , obviously unacceptable on any kind of storytelling level .",
        "`` chipwrecked '' will probably be a winner with families that have small children , but older children may squirm and adults will find themselves wondering how such a promising premise got so quickly beached .",
        "stale for anyone older than the preschool set .",
        "if you ca n't get enough of aggressively cute animated rodents shaking their fuzzy tails while singing helium-voiced covers of funk and hip-hop dance hits and spouting clich\u00e9d ` urban ' catchphrases -lrb- ` oh no she di'int ! ' -rrb- , then this ` squeakquel ' is for you .",
        "a sarah palin joke ? a charlie sheen wisecrack ? is this a chipmunks movie or a letterman monologue ?",
        "to stoyntio me shma ta kaboyria stoys proypologismoys den eide fysika to logo na gyalisei sth synexeia mia paragwgh poy tha toy apoferei $ 400-500 ekatommyria opws kai na ` xei",
        "there 's a germ of a light , goofy kids movie somewhere in here , but it 's buried under a pile of clich\u00e9s .",
        "chipwrecked is a mind-numbing piece of uninspired baloney , meant only to pacify hyperactive children .",
        "within 5 minutes , i concluded that no one over the age of 4 could possibly withstand more than 3 minutes of those hideous rodent voices without suffering permanent damage .",
        "number of chipmunks who speak fluent chola when necessary : three . number of spider-man/pepe le pew mash-ups i ca n't really get into : one .",
        "good news : the shrill cg rodents , who last infested theaters in 2009 's squeakquel , are stranded on a jungle island with little hope of survival . bad news : they 've brought us along .",
        "the ship 's captain , at the beginning of the film , is named captain corelli . this little item kept me amused for a good ten minutes .",
        "cross is the only provider of laughs in this film , which is now just a franchise machine whose purpose is to gouge yet more cash out of the kids who liked the previous two films .",
        "with each cast member wearing a pronounced paycheck face , chipwrecked assumes a dtv stance for this unimaginative sequel , dishing up the bare minimum to keep cashing in on the brand name .",
        "the inexplicably popular live action/animated series featuring a bevy of screechy-voiced singing rodents reaches its third -- and one fervently hopes , final -- installment .",
        "aside from the in-laws threatening to stay until the new year , one of the worst things about christmas is a new alvin and the chipmunks movie .",
        "if only they were truly stranded on that desert island ...",
        "by the time the gang performs a rendition of ` ai n't no stoppin ' us now , ' i wanted to reply , ` well , you do n't have to rub it in . '",
        "in the end , i 'd rather hang onto fond memories of my eisenhower-era record , squeaky voices and all .",
        "87 minutes of high-pitched singing , shenanigans , bad behaviour and family bonding , enlivened by a decent sarah palin joke .",
        "even by the exceedingly lenient standards of second sequels to terrible kids ' films , chipwrecked feels particularly arbitrary and devoid of inspiration .",
        "for kids , familiarity , silliness and dave 's unconditional love make it appealing . for adults , the best it has to offer are nostalgia and a running time under 90 minutes .",
        "the gags are mostly slapstick and , as such , are a welcome change from the smut of adult hollywood these days .",
        "it all seems rather jaded this time around , and even the pop songs -lrb- usually a saving grace in these movies -rrb- feel tired .",
        "you know there is something wrong with a movie when even david cross in a giant pelican suit is n't funny .",
        "the animated chipmunk singing group creates generic funny-animal antics on a tropical island . after two critically lambasted but huge hits , why make any effort at imagination or originality ?",
        "how is ` alvin and the chipmunks : chipwrecked ? ' abysmal to anyone over the age of 7 . -lrb- content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "the obvious nods to castaway , lost and other pop culture references are barely worth a grin .",
        "once you 've tuned into the inane chipmunk banter , film three in the series , chipwrecked , still manages to charm while thrilling the kids ...",
        "the movie is a way to kill 90 minutes if you have small children to amuse , but those 90 minutes could also be spent with them at the library , maybe , or at a swimming pool .",
        "harmless -- and charmless .",
        "ratatouille aside , our children should not be playing with disease-carrying rodents .",
        "silly threequel is full of pop-culture references and jokes .",
        "you usually have to go to an adam sandler movie , or the quad cinema , to see something as incompetently made as `` alvin and the chipmunks . ''",
        "chipwrecked lacks the charm and energy of the earlier films and stranding the animals on an island is a flimsy contrivance to force alvin to grow up .",
        "they die horribly .",
        "slightly better than the second film thanks to decent comic performances from jason lee and david cross , though it still manages to waste the talents of the voice actors involved and the songs are even more irritating this time around .",
        "small kids will love it ; i found it more than endurable .",
        "overall , mike mitchell 's assault will appeal only to the under-10 set and send everyone else running for ear plugs .",
        "to be fair , this franchise was never intended to appeal to anyone over six . but you do wonder how the filmmakers still managed to contrive something so unfunny and trite .",
        "largely inoffensive but equally unimaginative .",
        "flails about in search of a creative reason to exist .",
        "it 's probably quite a few people 's idea of hell - being trapped on a desert island with alvin and the chipmunks for ear-drum-testing company .",
        "puns like these would be unforgivable coming from a human . from high-pitched rodents , they prompt calls for an exterminator .",
        "there 's a wilful awfulness to the script that 's occasionally quite appealing : in one scene , alvin pledges to turn the chipmunks ' `` punishment into fun-ishment '' .",
        "either the `` alvin and the chipmunks '' movies are getting better , or i 've accidentally buried my brain for the winter .",
        "chipwrecked is the sort of sunday afternoon trifle that will mollify children and mortify their parents .",
        "it starts out as not so much a movie as a commercial for carnival cruise lines -- which perhaps should n't be a surprising turn for a strictly cash-in threequel ... and , anyway , can you bring rats on a cruise ship ?",
        "... on some level , i really want to like these movies - but i can never remember them long enough .",
        "well , at least it is n't in 3d .",
        "i briefly fantasized about how it might have perked up last week 's `` new year 's eve '' if zac efron or hilary swank had a romance with one of the chipmunks of either gender .",
        "the film will mostly appeal to the youngest of viewers , who probably instead should be reading a book or playing in the fresh air .",
        "cheerful , not too scary , easily digestible -lrb- albeit some of the dialogue is indecipherable for us non-chipmunks -rrb- and relentlessly energetic , chip-wrecked stays afloat delightfully",
        "in between the cutesy musical covers -lrb- from the go-go 's to lady gaga -rrb- , the young rodents engage in harmless slapstick and even learn a bit about themselves .",
        "the third in the series about the singing chipmunks and their exasperated but perpetually forgiving human father is a little brighter and sweeter than its predecessors .",
        "it 's no big surprise that this franchise is suffering from serious squeakquelitis .",
        "chipwrecked is derivative and predictable and not for anyone who 'd rather be watching schindler 's list . but it 's good , clean old-fashioned family fun .",
        "meant for a kiddie audience . adults will be brain dead by the time they sit through all the squeaky songs",
        "shrill , silly and furry - these squeaky-voiced , computer-generated rodents are back for their third formulaic frolic .",
        "hopefully this third instalment might bring the series to a close - they say bad things happen in threes ...",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "lazy , rote , and grating , chipwrecked is lowest-common-denominator family entertainment that 's strictly for the very , very , very young at heart .",
    "id": "771219444"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mad_max_beyond_thunderdome",
    "reviews":
     [
        "miller never falls back on the formulas that have become the bane of too many recent action films , and his sustained cuts lend a clarity to the proceedings .",
        "an astonishing display of virtuoso cinema that is destined to take its place among the most vivid and freshly imagined fist-to-groin contests in the medium 's history .",
        "quality , visionary sci-fi .",
        "disjointed but it still rocks .",
        "gibson impressively fleshes out max , tina turner is striking in her role as aunty -lrb- as well as contributing two topnotch songs , which open and close the picture -rrb- and the juves are uniformly good .",
        "the performances are superb . the script allows gibson to bring a welcome new dimension to the mad max character , and the actor rises to the occasion .",
        "great goofy fun .",
        "the punky energy of the earlier films has given way to a self-conscious striving for significance , obscuring miller 's considerable kinetic talents in favor of a lumpy didacticism .",
        "enough imagination , wit and ingenuity to put recent spielberg to shame .",
        "good action plus tina turner . welcome indeed .",
        "both the most spectacular and the most cerebral installment to date .",
        "definitely the worst movie in the mad max series . weakly plotted , largely a re-hash of the previous movie without even the vaguest hint of tension .",
        "the directors , george miller and george ogilvie , borrow from every source they can find ; movie buffs can pass the time spotting the lynch shot , the leone shot , the jodorowski shot , and all kinds of others .",
        "there is something to get excited about in this third chapter of the mad max series : the powerhouse presence of tina turner .",
        "MOV is n't a bad movie . it has entertaining sections , decent performances and more than a few provocative images . but it also has a major shortcoming : it 's too darned sane .",
        "the third in mel gibson 's sci-fi series is the weakest , but it remains a hugely entertaining futuristic spectacular .",
        "outrageously sinister , unblinkingly violent , MOV is everything that fans of the futurist road warrior could hope for and more .",
        "it 's hard not to wonder why beyond thunderdome is n't better .",
        "beyond thunderdome is the third in george miller 's mad max series , and it closes the trilogy like a lightning blast followed by the ominous , resonant drone of thunder .",
        "this middle portion of the picture becomes dangerously preachy , but just before we and max are bored , director miller returns max to his roots , a screaming chase sequence through a desertlike australian landscape .",
        "if `` mad max '' embraced a geneticist 's acumen and `` the road warrior '' a philosopher 's spirit , `` thunderdome '' is about cold , hard economics - not just in bartertown 's transactions but the market expectations that come with the receipt of studio funding .",
        "this infusion of money and production by a major studio gives the film a slightly more polished look , but is inferior to the previous two films in every other way .",
        "more visionary and more entertaining than the first two .",
        "a huge step down from the first two , but still watchable -lrb- if only for the action -rrb- .",
        "despite some funky oddities and a smashing climactic chase , this pales in comparison to the road warrior .",
        "this film has showier stunts than its predecessors , and a better sense of humor . it also has tina turner , in chain-mail stockings .",
        "mel gibson proves to be a formidable warrior .",
        "let 's face it , MOV is n't terribly memorable .",
        "the weakest of the mad max films , but the thunderdome cage match is worth viewing .",
        "an admirable conclusion to the mad max trilogy : softer than its predecessors , but possessing its own unique voice .",
        "bartertown is convincingly detailed , and the fight in thunderdome is thrilling , ludicrous stuff , goofy and thrilling at the same time .",
        "not a shade on the originals , but still action to the max !",
        "weakest entry in the series"],
    "summary": "beyond thunderdome deepens the mad max character without sacrificing the amazing vehicle choreography and stunts that made the originals memorable .",
    "id": "10815"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_beauty",
    "reviews":
     [
        "very clever , hugely entertaining .",
        "easily one of the year 's best films .",
        "this cinematic rose is truly the one to pick .",
        "this chronicle of suburban families imploding in slow motion contains genuine laughs , but they escape through clenched teeth .",
        "MOV mesmerizes because every moment , however caricatured , hits a nerve in each of us .",
        "kevin spacey 's work in the movie is the best film acting that he has ever done .",
        "it truly , honestly makes me see the beauty in the world , a goal not many films have achieved . in short , it gives me pause .",
        "silky , seductive and unsettling , MOV is an dazzling piece of movie-making , nimbly shifting from dark comedy to drama to horror to pure poetry and back again .",
        "MOV takes its place among the best family dramas of recent decades .",
        "wildly funny and unpredictable .",
        "it wants to be an original beauty so much that it does n't realize just how plain and ordinary it really is .",
        "belleza americana es el espejo de una sociedad que ha querido vivir enga\u0144ada durante d\u00e9cadas y que ahora comienza a despertar a la realidad",
        "it is the screenplay , that penetrating , character-driven screenplay , that surely makes MOV one of the best -lrb- if not the best -rrb- films this year .",
        "a visually extravagant , entrancingly dark comedy about how people fall apart and build walls of angst between each other",
        "the kind of artful defiance that hollywood is usually too timid to deliver : a jolting comedy that makes you laugh till it hurts .",
        "as ever , spacey is brilliant with his edgy , almost psychotic creation , delivering alan ball 's quick-witted script in superb , deadpan fashion .",
        "cinematographer conrad l. hall uses shadows and the color red to startling effect , and director sam mendes moves around his characters so assuredly , i realized you do n't even need dialogue to follow the plot .",
        "a film which turns the microscope on the human condition in all its ragged glory .",
        "as it detects increasingly vital signs of life behind the absurd surfaces that mr. mendes presents so beautifully , the film takes on a gravity to match its evil zest .",
        "simultaneously gripping and frustrating , MOV is the best film of the year that irritated the hell out of me .",
        "MOV brings a bracing blend of cunning , insight and compassion to the drama of a suburban family coming apart .",
        "annette bening gives the performance of her career .",
        "bening 's performance is nothing short of exhilarating .",
        "artful , wise and darkly witty .",
        "the language is brutal and lyrical .",
        "it is art that entertains and tells us something about ourselves .",
        "it explores the endemic problems haunting many contemporary families : consumerism , unemployment , drugs , peer pressure , loneliness , discrimination and violence .",
        "there are six main characters and another half-dozen smaller parts in MOV . all of them are well written and well acted .",
        "nothing short of perfection .",
        "this film is solid gold .",
        "it may take several viewings of this extraordinary film to mine all of its spiritual riches .",
        "this is definitely a knife-to-the-heart movie -- the kind whose potent effect is easy to feel yet hard to describe .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- near-masterpiece .",
        "there is beauty to which this movie is stone cold blind : beauty it tramples on as ignorantly as buddy kane or col. fitts .",
        "a hist\u00f3ria \u00e9 uma pequena metralhadora girat\u00f3ria que n\u0103o se preocupa em poupar alguns dos mais arraigados valores do american way of life .",
        "a great , tremendously entertaining experience . i only wish there were more films this satisfying .",
        "mendes has assembled `` MOV '' from other groundbreaking films . his ambition lies in the way he presents `` MOV '' as a modern version of the major films he copies .",
        "when all is said and done , does n't really offer anything new .",
        "a dynamite comedy-drama .",
        "les recomiendo leer entre l\u00edneas , la realidad mostrada es devastadora , demasiado `` bella '' y `` ordinaria '' para algunos ...",
        "from the opening moment we know we 're in the hands of gifted , assured , focussed filmmakers .",
        "like network in the 1970s and ordinary people in the '80s , MOV is a scathing reflection of contemporary american life .",
        "there 's so much to see in this movie that , with every blink , you 'll miss something amazing . something poignant . something timeless .",
        "the obvious star is spacey , who makes lester such a human character that you ca n't help sympathizing with him , despite the many embarrassing gestures on his part .",
        "a heart breaking-retching-touching-intestine churner .",
        "it 's a picture with a great cool shiny surface , and it boasts superb actors , witty and iconoclastic writing , vigorous and imaginative direction and brilliantly stylized cinematography .",
        "it 's a black comedy that 's supposed to be about the hollowness of the american dream , but in fact ... it reveals the moral and intellectual bankruptsy of hollywood .",
        "hilarious , cynical , disturbing , yet emotionally satisfying .",
        "i think it unfolds as a profound masterpiece , then collapses in a muddle of probably unintentional , certainly unnecessary pessimism .",
        "MOV is a singular accomplishment so specifically keyed to spacey 's talents that it mandates going out on a limb to say it contains the performance that will ultimately be regarded as ` the one ' .",
        "what MOV has to say is n't pretty , at least not in the conventional fashion , but it is a brilliant , exhilarating piece of filmmaking .",
        "superlatively well-made .",
        "... a novelistic integrity , a cool black comic sensibility and , at its core , a raw throbbing monster of a busted heart .",
        "shrouded in ugliness despite brilliant performances by bening and spacey .",
        "there 's so much right -- and so much wrong -- with this lauded , scathing look at suburban discontent .",
        "an uncompromising , sometimes uncomfortable , but utterly exhilarating movie , easily the best yet this year .",
        "it is a great film and will definitely be regarded as one of the best films of the 90 's ... right next to titanic .",
        "time and again , you fear mendes wo n't be able to sustain such a confident shuffling of his pack , but somehow he does , and for once the result is a genuine surprise .",
        "it challenges and disturbs as it invigorates and entertains .",
        "one of the year 's very best pictures .",
        "an astonishingly assured first feature from transatlantic theater whiz kid sam mendes .",
        "moves from mirthful to moody and to downright overwrought near the climax .",
        "an original , a tour-de-force exhibition of acting missing from the movie screen so far this year .",
        "there are times when `` MOV '' feels like it might be toppling over into melodrama , but mendes grabs the reins and reels his actors in , generating power and a lot of perspiration in the process .",
        "filled with moments of uncommon intelligence , sensitivity , truth and wit , MOV is an instant american classic .",
        "spacey 's style and delivery save the film time after time .",
        "as the world changed in the past five years , so did the relevance of MOV .",
        "complexity , say quite a few of my colleagues . lies , i say .",
        "one of the edgiest movies of the year .",
        "a stylish film about an american family that pretends to be moral and enlightened , but revels in its mean-spirited sarcasm and its championing of self-interest .",
        "dark , intelligent , scandalous , emotional , and truthful -- one of the year 's best .",
        "brit sam mendes makes an impressive directorial debut with a glossy , well-acted satire of the american burbs , a theatrically stylized meditation that combines the zeitgeist of 1950s eisnehower with that of 1990s clinton .",
        "this is what movies are all about .",
        "director mendes guides an artful path between desire and self-disgust , playing youth against experience , male against female .",
        "beauty is a blood-chilling dark comedy with unexpected moments of both fury and warmth , a strange , brooding and very accomplished film that sets us back on our heels from its opening frames .",
        "director sam mendes presents some memorable images , and moments of kubrick class clarity , but the whole does not hang together .",
        "MOV is a very funny film that packs an unexpected emotional wallop .",
        "it never justifies the blatancy of its opening , and it never does anything to freshen what is only one more journey through familiar fortyish unfulfillment .",
        "there 's too much dead air around the dialogue and the comic pacing is nonexistent .",
        "the dark , deeply ironic ending , though given away by our narrator in the first few minutes of the movie , stays with you for weeks after it 's all over .",
        "worth seeing as a snapshot of american society at a peculiar juncture in its unfolding as an empire .",
        "the film struggles with its mood swings and is marred by its own tonal and thematic inconsistencies .",
        "though the film is outrageously entertaining , its relentless struggle to find social relevance becomes so heavy-handed that it leaves you feeling sucker-punched .",
        "if you enjoy `` films '' then rush right out . otherwise put it on your `` must rent '' list .",
        "moviemakers who feel betrayed by the cheery sitcoms of their adolescence can now take it out on all the rest of us and , as a bonus , get points for profundity too .",
        "an incisive if over-the-top take on familial dysfunction .",
        "above all , `` MOV '' is about finding peace and a sense of wonder in the least likely of places , such as your inner torment or , failing that , perhaps a floating plastic bag .",
        "a millennial classic .",
        "powerful acting , great story , but far too mature for kids .",
        "the flaws that exist in MOV are effortlessly overcome by a cast that blossoms . spacey in particular exhibits a rare wit and gravitas with lester 's weary frowns and cutting smirks , proving his mettle in this career peak performance .",
        "it 's daring in that it sympathizes with a protagonist who 's a pederast though its portrait of an american family on the brink of collapse is essentially a cartoon",
        "one of the most startling , brilliant pictures to come out of a major studio in many years .",
        "an elusive and allusive work of art that wo n't be pinned down easily .",
        "recently , happiness and election have taken pot shots at suburban morals and ethics , but none has hit so close to the bone and so on-target as MOV .",
        "it 's like norman bates getting good advice from mother .",
        "as the latest mainstream movie symptom of our premillennial malaise , MOV is so brilliantly acted , written , directed and visualized that for all its despondency and despair , it is a lot of fun .",
        "amazing .",
        "the movie , despite its exaggerations and caricatures , does grip you , ever so slowly at first , and pull you in .",
        "an explanation of why i love the movies so much .",
        "at this point in the year , i 'd readily call MOV one of the best movies of 1999 . it is certainly the best-acted , with kevin spacey a standout among a stellar ensemble cast .",
        "with lester as its guide , MOV peels away the layers of what passes for normalcy in contemporary suburbia to reveal the creepy-crawlies under the neatly trimmed lawns .",
        "a sitcom with a brain , though its depth is pretty synthetic .",
        "near-perfect .",
        "marvelous filmmaking on every level .",
        "startling , brilliantly assembled .",
        "because the film 's visual conception and most of its performances have such disturbing power , in dreamlike fragments MOV is able to burrow inside the cliche to understand how it came to be .",
        "the real star of the film is alan ball 's exceptional script , which continually reveals new , surprising layers in characters that initially seem like cartoonish types .",
        "despite the acting , which ranges mostly from good to terrific , mendes is the real discovery here .",
        "exhibits a stable , consistent tone and style , using brilliant direction , incredible acting and a smart screenplay that balances the comedy with the morbidity .",
        "funny and highly entertaining .",
        "cripplingly broad , with network-sitcom beats dressed in r-rated threads ... -lsb- endorses -rsb- a particularly adolescent male point of view .",
        "MOV was a deserving best picture and lester 's rich existential journey and social commentary of modern america peels away the inauthentic and superficial to reveal the epic allure in a bleak suburbia .",
        "i ca n't remember the last time i 've seen a mainstream , big-studio release this well-acted .",
        "beauty is never less than fascinating and always visually stunning .",
        "mendes and screenwriter alan ball , both making their feature debuts , resort to a few heavy-handed tactics to get their points across , but their sheer audacity is so exhilarating it hardly matters .",
        "the hairpin turns from farce to melodrama , from satire to bathos , are fresh and deftly navigated , but almost every one of the underlying attitudes is smug and easy .",
        "boldly challenging our sympathies , -lsb- lester -rsb- somehow wins them because , to borrow a phrase , he 's a man in full .",
        "this amazing and impassioned fantasia about american loneliness begins as satire and ends with a vision of the sublime .",
        "MOV is a profoundly satisfying piece of cinema which works its way inside you , grabs hold of your heart and simply refuses to let go .",
        "in their scathing portrayal of middle-class anxiety , screenwriter alan ball and director sam mendes create an average joe determined to unearth the carefully buried truths of his life .",
        "british theatre director sam mendes made an astonishing film debut with this sublime black comedy about midlife crises .",
        "savagely funny and sympathetically insightful .",
        "an acerbic , darkly comic critique of how social conventions can lead people into false , sterile and emotionally stunted lives , MOV is a real american original .",
        "surprising and enjoyable .",
        "MOV is a devastating motion picture of unconceivable power .",
        "one of the great films of the decade .",
        "a dark comical masterpiece .",
        "peers between the white picket fenceposts of suburbia to reveal emotional toxicity and unexpected grace .",
        "i somehow liked the film more than i probably should have .",
        "MOV accomplishes in a mere two hours , what many movies and sequels all year long have not ; it makes the viewer reason and empathize with the great american family .",
        "delights in confounding our expectations again and again ... in its probe of what lies beneath the shiny surface of everday life , `` beauty '' sometimes recalls david lynch 's `` blue velvet '' or his ground-breaking tv series `` twin peaks . ''",
        "i 'd have preferred that this realization be stumbled across by means other than pot and lust , still , a great film .",
        "you know you 're in the hands of a true filmmaker when you feel invited , at every turn , to share his sense of entrancement . i got that feeling in just about every frame of MOV .",
        "bravo and roll out the oscar nominations .",
        "MOV is an american classic .",
        "hilarious , painful and brutally frank .",
        "i think lester burnham is destined to become an iconic american character , one with a life well beyond the film that spawned him .",
        "one of the best films of the year .",
        "-lsb- the filmmakers ' -rsb- attacks on real-estate agents , corporate america and suburbia are n't so much shooting fish in a barrel as they are shooting fish in a shallow dish .",
        "flaws and all , this is intelligent , exhilarating , effervescent film-making , and a remarkable debut from sam mendes .",
        "disturbing , bleak , thought-provoking .",
        "MOV approaches a manic , almost cartoonish edge without falling over . both spacey and bening use extraordinary comic timing to bring these very sad , lost characters to life .",
        "alan ball 's script is a terrific piece of material , and mendes responds directly to its subversive , provocative vision of a curdled american dream .",
        "mendes manages to give individuality and distinction to some extremely familiar material .",
        "why , then , did i enjoy it so little ? because of its unrelenting self-importance : MOV wants us to know , in every shot at every turn , just how clever and mercilessly cutting it is .",
        "kevin spacey gives the performance of his life .",
        "a truly beautiful , poignant and brilliantly funny film , it does n't get much better than this .",
        "it took a british stage director to create the ultimate movie about the american family .",
        "this engrossing centrepiece meshes with subplots involving burnham 's dysfunctional family and unbalanced neighbours , in a virtuoso study of isolation , repression and fulfilment . mendes infuses the lush visuals and lyrical script with dramatic panache .",
        "the writing is acidically amusing without ever trying to conceal the loneliness at the heart , the direction a perfect frame for the characters and the wonderful performances that create them .",
        "kevin spacey is the greatest actor of his generation , hands down , no contest .",
        "the film is stunningly poignant , and when first time cinema director mendes turns his hands to the serious aspects of the disintegration of human souls , the funny lurches to the profound with hardly a flicker of disruption .",
        "MOV is deeply disturbing , acerbically funny , brilliantly acted , breathtakingly original and highly sophisticated .",
        "a tightly coiled rage seethes beneath the pretty surface of MOV , a wickedly funny black comedy directed by newcomer sam mendes .",
        "this is spacey 's best performance since he took home an oscar for the usual suspects .",
        "this seriocomic autopsy of middle-class virtue has the capacity to startle and surprise , and a gift for finding grim humor at the heart of tragedy .",
        "mendes loves his performers , framing their big moments with suburban metaphors and dizzily poetic fantasies .",
        "with its parade of neurotics , psychotics , bigots and deceivers , MOV is an endlessly rewatchable black comedy .",
        "a terrific film about troubled souls .",
        "compelling to watch , full of black humor , evocative imagery and wrenching sadness .",
        "-lsb- beauty -rsb- is certainly adept at showing how awful life in the united states is at the moment -- and that 's what gives it some bite . but it 's no less adept at taking that awfulness and making it pleasurable to watch -- and that 's what makes it entertaining .",
        "mendes can stake a claim alongside the likes of kubrick and egoyan as one whose cinematic vision both challenges and entertains .",
        "MOV is a comedy because we laugh at the absurdity of the hero 's problems . and a tragedy because we can identify with his failure .",
        "MOV offers one of the best ensemble casts you 'll see in any american movie this year .",
        "hilarious , slightly sick , and super-edgy .",
        "an incisive , deliriously funny and profound vision of the american dream hitting meltdown .",
        "MOV is that rare instance where all the elements of a movie -- story , setting , acting , shot construction -- come together to convey its message .",
        "if it is never really as profound as it seems to think it is , MOV is consistently entertaining .",
        "the movie is an impressive achievement , yes , but not always a deep and effective one .",
        "you ca n't help but wonder how people find themselves trapped in situations where they have all their happiness and energy sucked right out of them . you ca n't help but wonder if it will happen to you .",
        "original in story , interesting in premise , acted sharply by its well-rounded cast , directed in a manner made all the more absorbing , and edgy and humorous enough to keep me going .",
        "astounding .",
        "well-acted , reasonably insightful , and often laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "this is a rare and outstanding film that deserves attention and will challenge some heady competition for a place as the best film of the year .",
        "what , at first , promises to be an insightful satirical look at a suburban american family unravels into a familiar tale of infidelity and rebellion .",
        "MOV is a flat-out masterpiece , surely the best movie of the year ; indeed , an all-time classic .",
        "kevin spacey gives a performance , in what may be one of the great films of our time , that will surely garner him an academy award nomination .",
        "bitterly funny and beautifully crafted .",
        "the world 's most honest sitcom ."],
    "summary": "flawlessly cast and brimming with dark , acid wit , MOV is a smart , provocative high point of late '90s mainstream hollywood film .",
    "id": "12878"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1048445-snow_white_and_the_seven_dwarfs",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... the very definition of a classic ... and the newly restored , thx-mastered dvd transfer is breathtaking .",
        "more than the grandfather of full-length animated films , it is a genuine classic in its own right .",
        "songs like ` heigh-ho ` and ` some day my prince will come ' are timeless ; people who have n't seen this in years still recall every word .",
        "it is a classic , as important cinematically as the birth of a nation or the birth of mickey mouse .",
        "arguably the best disney ever .",
        "while i see the film 's importance from a technical aspect and laud it for its sense of mood , it 's not at the top of my list of animated classics .",
        "to one degree or another , every animated feature made since owes it something .",
        "MOV may not be the ` fairest of them all , ' but being the very first of them all is reason enough to admire the effort .",
        "walt disney 's greatest achievement , the sensation of the motion picture industry ... unbelievably beautiful ... unutterably charming ... the beloved fairy tale comes to vivid life .",
        "more important historically than it is entertaining .",
        "one of the most important films in the history of popular cinema , and film fans must never forget the incredible achievement it was in 1937 . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it is snow white 's afterbirth that merits both canonization and destruction .",
        "to say of MOV that it is among the genuine artistic achievements of this country takes no great daring .",
        "disney 's first animated feature pushed the art form in thrilling new directions , completely redrawing a much-loved fairy tale of bad stepmothers , forest glades and handsome princes that previously existed only on the printed page .",
        "the film is as charming as it is novel in conception and execution and it is so bound to appeal as strongly to grown-ups as to youngsters .",
        "some early sequences seem a tad uncertain , but a little way in all becomes surer of itself and , for now going on eighty years ago , a miracle .",
        "great movie , great treatment , but if you 're particular about your collection , know that the combo pack is available in both dvd and blu-ray packaging .",
        "the film 's overall effect is undeniable , not only on the history of cinema as a whole , but in each new viewing that reveals another dimension or additional detail , the sum total of which is one of the true cinematic masterpieces",
        "it luxuriates in the art of animation , watching the various animals race through the woods , or watching snow white running scared from an array of imaginary horrors .",
        "there are only a tiny number of films that have come anywhere close to equaling its achievement .",
        "always a classic",
        "this story has it all : brilliant characters and a wonderful , satisfying story .",
        "largely it succeeds because it really is a great deal of fun .",
        "this is both an entertaining old movie and a significant historical document . if you love film , then you must see MOV .",
        "you 've probably seen it 15 times by now , so why not make it 16 ?",
        "so perfect is the illusion , so tender the romance and fantasy , so emotional are certain portions when the acting of the characters strikes a depth comparable to the sincerity of human players , that the film approaches real greatness .",
        "in addition to its historical value as the first animated feature , it is still a delight , with memorable songs and characters .",
        "it 's a delightful family fantasy film that is timeless , one that both children and adults can enjoy .",
        "most remarkable in snow white 's romps through the forest with her pack of animal pals , disney 's brilliant cell animation has rarely been equaled .",
        "... the animation itself is top-notch , and in a number of darker sequences -lrb- snow white 's terrified entry into the forest , for example -rrb- , disney 's adoption of expressionist visual devices makes for genuinely powerful drama .",
        "this is animation as it had never before been experienced .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1937 -rrb- is the first full-length animated feature -lrb- 83 minutes in length -rrb- in color and with sound , one of disney 's greatest films ,",
        "like many of the disney films , from pinocchio to fantasia , this film is a cinematic rite of passage -- for children and adults .",
        "the first time was the charm with the queen , probably still the most effective , scariest , and coolest villain disney has yet created ."],
    "summary": "with its involving story and characters , vibrant art , and memorable songs , MOV set the animation standard for decades to come .",
    "id": "9380"
  },
  {
    "movie": "soul_power",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this has no contextual structure at all . it is essentially the archive footage slapped together .",
        "conscientiously , if conventionally edited re-hash of the oscar-winning `` we were kings . ''",
        "in addition to the expected shots of ali and don king in all their megalomania , the intimate portraits of james brown , bill withers , and b.b. king in his triumphant homecoming are as powerful as their performances .",
        "passionate fans of the music will relish these archived images while regular moviegoers will be entertained , but not moved by what they see .",
        "as the record of a cultural event , MOV is a hit-and-miss affair .",
        "gluttons for these artists and for music festivals in general might wonder , as i have , whether there 's any way the filmmakers might share more of the remaining 123 1/2 hours .",
        "a non-stop head-bobbing knee-bouncer .",
        "some may complain about the lack of contextualizing material but what is on the screen is so exciting and energetic that most viewers will probably be too busy tapping their feet and swaying their heads to the beats on display to notice or care .",
        "documentary about the three-day music festival preceding the famous ali-foreman fight has its moments , but plays too much like what it is : outtakes from the oscar-winning when we were kings .",
        "a thrilling time machine that lets you travel to zaire in 1974 to see legendary performers bringing it all back home .",
        "james brown and b.b. king anchor this footnote in boxing history , but the film peaks near the midpoint with bill withers ' truly soulful performance of `` hope she 'll be happier . ''",
        "director jeffrey levy-hinte pads out the concert footage with not always stimulating backstage stuff , but the music makes it all worthwhile .",
        "ali motormouth footage left over from when we were kings . actually , this whole film was made from wwwk leftovers , we learn . but we manage to forget that detail whenever the music soars .",
        "offers a vivid glimpse of a fascinating moment in musical history , racial politics and global pop culture .",
        "unseen for 35 years , its spectacle is undimmed , and you can pick many highlights .",
        "the behind the scenes record of the event is fascinating , both in terms of the mechanics of successfully creating such a massive enterprise and in the personalities involved .",
        "the concert footage is excellent , with brown in decent form , even if in truth he was already a decade past his creative peak . good music movie , thin documentary .",
        "capturing the site , the sounds , the smells , and the sweat of a major musical happening , MOV is irresistible .",
        "busting with footage left in legal limbo for over three decades , jeffrey levy-hinte 's documentary is uproarious and uplifting .",
        "while MOV is bound to be compared to the oscar-winning ali/foreman documentary when we were kings , it never scales the same heights .",
        "while there 's an awful lot to like about this infectious celebration of a remarkable event featuring some superb , larger-than-life performers at the top of their game , the enterprise comes across as a bit of a missed opportunity .",
        "it does n't disappoint . the line-up reads like a who 's who of 70s soul and r&b . and the sound quality 's shockingly good .",
        "some fascinating behind-the-scenes footage and some astonishing performances .",
        "in linking the legendary 1974 rumble in the jungle with the music festival that ran alongside it , we get a remarkable glimpse of the day 's racial and political issues .",
        "the movie is surprisingly dry and flavorless . it certainly does n't help that filmmaker jeffrey levy-hinte put this collection of footage together without any narration and with a bare minimum of narrative captions .",
        "for a documentary about a music festival , MOV does n't include nearly enough music .",
        "... if you are a fan of any of the musicians ... or maybe i should say if you 're completely unfamiliar with any of the musicians mentioned - then MOV is well worth seeing . or at least hearing .",
        "it 's hard not to wish that maybe there was a little less of muhammad ali promoting himself and a little more of the concert .",
        "watching MOV is like flipping through polaroids of that era . the color is a little washed out and everyone looks amazingly young .",
        "does its part to widen this historic concert 's potential audience base .",
        "b.b. king . bill withers . miriam makeba . celia cruz . and james brown , earning every inch of the title , `` godfather of soul , '' who all by himself probably deforested a few acres around kinshasa with the volcanic blast of his set .",
        "MOV is a window into a time when anything seemed possible .",
        "the documentary gives us a tantalising taste of what appear to have been some incredible performances . such is the quality of the footage and sound recording that you rather wish the film was longer .",
        "MOV leaves you wanting more , and not in a good way .",
        "the performances are fine , but this feels like a companion piece to ` when we were kings ' rather than a work that can stand on its own ...",
        "director jeffrey levy-hinte does a terrific job re-creating a landmark moment , with behind-the-scenes footage complementing triumphant performances .",
        "a vibrant and joyous new documentary .",
        "a dazzling chronicle of the african american music expo that was meant to accompany the 1974 rumble in the jungle heavyweight title bout between muhammad ali and george foreman in kinshasa , zaire -lrb- now congo -rrb- .",
        "the movie is crisp and quick and looks as if it were shot yesterday , but for all that , MOV is ultimately disappointing .",
        "an edifying glimpse at a moment in black history when the world really was looking on .",
        "this is musical history that deserves to be placed alongside the best of its era .",
        "brilliant archive footage and blistering live performances - an exhilarating concert film .",
        "as a concert film it 's unparalleled : a stunningly photographed , soul-stirring celebration .",
        "ultimately it 's the music that makes this film a cause for celebration -- especially the chance to see ` soul brother # 1 ' james brown and his blistering band perform at their absolute prime .",
        "it 's impossible not to be moved .",
        "MOV turns out to be an unusually resonant time capsule , one that weaves together theatrics , musicianship , cosmopolitanism and sharp political critique in a vibrant look-back that 's at once celebratory and wistful .",
        "it 's best seen as a breezy entertainment and a reminder of how potent some of these performers -- many of whom are dead -- were in their primes .",
        "watching the godfather of soul on the big outdoor stage , you think back to his appearance in the t.a.m.i. show a decade earlier . and then you think : i feel good .",
        "a footnote to a masterpiece .",
        "MOV is the indispensable companion film to leon gast 's thrilling 1996 documentary when we were kings .",
        "it packs the emotional and historical power of a heady ` family gathering ' celebration of african and , to use the term then in fashion , afro-american pride .",
        "MOV works fabulously as both a concert film and a time capsule of a time and place when gods of black masculinity joined forces to make an international statement of togetherness .",
        "a lively and entertaining documentary about a three-day concert of r & b music held in 1974 in zaire , africa .",
        "what 's infectious in MOV is the almost shocking optimism of its america-meets - africa '70s world-beat vibe .",
        "MOV is worth seeing -- and hearing -- for the evocation of an era and above all , for the exuberant and infectious performances .",
        "MOV is marvelous , and no wonder -- among the performers in this concert film are james brown , b.b. king , bill withers , miriam makeba and celia cruz , all at the peak of their powers .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- , even with its classic performers and songs , falls short of sparking the thrill it should .",
        "the well-preserved -lrb- or well-restored -rrb- footage , and the simple joy of the artists , easily put any misgivings in the shade .",
        "a compilation of captivating performances by legendary titans of music , `` MOV '' shows the real power of soul .",
        "seems destined to join classic concert films like woodstock and gim me shelter in the musical archives for its ability to capture the feel of the times and really make you feel like you were there .",
        "likeable documentary that serves as a fascinating companion piece to when we were kings .",
        "documents the bass line running under the absurdly politicized , hyper-kinetic boxing match that found muhammed ali facing off against then-titan george forman",
        "the performances that MOV captures are so captivating , so exciting , that it holds its own ... i defy anyone to sit still through this infectiously funky doc .",
        "leon gast 's documentary when we were kings , about the 1974 ali-foreman \ufb01ght in zaire , now has a great companion piece .",
        "`` MOV '' is an imperfect social document of a time when anything seemed possible . here 's proof that michael jackson never had a thing on james brown .",
        "ali 's bravado-soaked words , breezily tossed off after he disrupts a don king press conference , also serve as an artist 's manifesto for the film 's musical acts : celia cruz , the spinners , fania all-stars , bill withers , b.b. king , miriam makeba , and others .",
        "flavourful behind the scenes footage mingles with infectious concert performances to make this a very welcome record of a unique piece of music history .",
        "though conventionally filmed in a chronological fashion , this could be the most energetic movie this year .",
        "the sporadic appearances by ali hopelessly unbalance the proceedings , his fiercely outspoken interviews providing the only morsels of substance .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "featuring some incredible performances from many 70s soul legends , MOV is an exhilarating snap-shot of a bygone era .",
    "id": "770798458"
  },
  {
    "movie": "born_on_the_fourth_of_july",
    "reviews":
     [
        "hey ... cruise can act !",
        "tom cruise proves he 's more than a chiseled face in stone 's anti-war epic .",
        "signaled oliver stone 's transition from iconic commentator to tremulous anarchist .",
        "sledgehammer stone deals from a grotesquely stacked deck as usual",
        "typical jingoistic stone bullroar , but professional .",
        "a forceful and admirably heartfelt performance by tom cruise galvanizes this picture , which should be more powerful than it is considering the darkness and fullness of the emotions at its center .",
        "MOV is ... the most ambitious nondocumentary film yet made about the entire vietnam experience .",
        "this is a sad case of a film with high and noble intentions that features great dramatic performances , but it ends up being a superficial epic , diluted , limited , and strangely unmoving .",
        "made when oliver stone still had cred and cruise was n't a laughing stock . a fine movie .",
        "i 'll give stone credit for capturing the craziness of kovic 's life , but he fails to give a human face to his free fall .",
        "not the sort of movie you actually enjoy , but its thought-provoking subject matter and haunting images are not easily forgotten .",
        "a great performance by cruise",
        "tom cruise , who takes kovic from clean-cut eager teen to impassioned long-haired activist , is stunning .",
        "though departing from the source material , ron kovic 's stirring chronicle of his vietnam experience , this film is a good companion piece to oliver stone 's oscar-winner platoon , showcasing star tom cruise in one of his most dramatic performances .",
        "not counting his iconic themes for such blockbusters as star wars and jaws , this might feature john williams ' best music score to date .",
        "an exceptional feature on every level of execution , also displaying a rare sensitivity to stone that he would spend the rest of his career trying to bury in violence and experimentation .",
        "unflinching story of vietnam vet turned activist .",
        "cruise 's impassioned performance as kovic is an impressive accomplishment .",
        "a compelling , elegiac film , particularly encouraging after the simplified morality of platoon .",
        "stone does populist anti-war with a passion .",
        "whether or not you agree with its politics , and it 's sure to spark some debate , there 's no denying the film 's power .",
        "stone has found in cruise the ideal actor to anchor the movie with simplicity and strength .",
        "oliver stone -lrb- best director oscar -rrb- directs this film about individuals whose traditional patriotism is ambushed by the vietnam war and reborn in political protest .",
        "as deeply felt as platoon , as graphic and unrelenting as salvador , but it 's less manipulative than the former and more dramatically integrated than the latter , because cruise anchors the movie .",
        "nothing cruise has done will prepare you for what he does in MOV .",
        "stone has created a film whose overblown parts add up to far less than the epic whole he had in mind .",
        "this is an impassioned movie , made with conviction and evangelical verve . it 's also hysterical and overbearing and alienating .",
        "if this is a four star film , you can rest assured that three of those stars come from the balls-out bravura of tom cruise in the lead role ."],
    "summary": "led by an unforgettable performance from tom cruise , MOV finds director oliver stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious \u00e9lan .",
    "id": "16218"
  },
  {
    "movie": "big_lebowski",
    "reviews":
     [
        "bad news for those in search of accessible comedy ; good news , as always , for those who work at finding oddball flourishes and well-disguised social commentary .",
        "since the MOV does n't have an idea in its head , it has to fill the empty space with ` witty ' conceits",
        "it sounds like another precious coen brothers gimmick , but in bridges ' hands it becomes a hysterical running joke .",
        "in a perfect world all movies would be made by the coen brothers .",
        "outstanding acting , writing , direction and photography all combine to make this a great comic success .",
        "some viewers have criticized the movie for being too much of a shaggy dog story , lacking a cohesive point or purpose . yet to look for the point is to miss it entirely . coen-heads hop aboard for the ride .",
        "nearly everything in the MOV is a put-on , and all that leaves you with is the coens ' bizarrely over-deliberate , almost teutonic form of rib nudging .",
        "the comedy here is sometimes so sharp that you could roll in the aisle with laughter and not seem any odder than the characters you see onscreen .",
        "the dude and sobchak begin as caricatures too , but they 're allowed to grow into something deeper , if only because the humanist economy of the coens ' surrealist vaudeville allows for a couple of human beings within the tapestry of freaks .",
        "much of ` lebowski ' is amusing , some of it is downright hilarious and all of it is stylish , with plenty of the coens ' usual inventive shot composition and tricky camerawork .",
        "the movie is more fascinating than funny , one you 're more likely to discuss afterwards that laugh at while it is playing .",
        "this deliberately messay comedy stars jeff bridges as a slack-brained pothead , but the funniest turn is given by john turturro as a gay latino bowler who urges his ball with sexy thrusts of his pelvis .",
        "the MOV may have a reputation for being the late night movie of choice for some burnouts , but it 's much more than your average stoner film .",
        "not that the MOV is without its charms , but , like its central character , it is occasionally aimless and incoherent .",
        "this broad farce about mistaken identities would have worked much better if the filmmakers had n't mistaken their own .",
        "outrageously fun .",
        "the MOV is a mess . but what a glorious , wonderfully-entertaining mess it is .",
        "definitively the coolest comedy in a long time .",
        "a film that may be instantly forgettable but should keep you grinning for a couple of hours .",
        "nimble , crackerjack entertainment with the crazed , anything-goes humor and the visual splendor we have come to expect in the best of the coen brothers ' offerings .",
        "in many ways , the MOV has surpassed fargo as the coens ' high-water mark .",
        "after seeing and enjoying lebowksi at least four times over the years , i can plainly see why the movie freaks have embraced this off-kilter comedy so enthusiastically .",
        "loopy , unfathomable , profane and very funny .",
        "it 's the actors that make this film : without the perfect casting ... and without their perfect comic timing , it would n't work . but it does work , every minute .",
        "it 's pretty much impossible not to love the dude .",
        "i 'd probably hate all of this stuff if i did n't think the movie was so damn hilarious .",
        "far from being shallow pastiche , it 's actually about something : what it means to be a man , to be a friend , and to be a ` hero ' for a particular time and place .",
        "i wish the coens the best , but they 're going to have to do better than this . i know they can .",
        "one of the best comedies of the nineties , and the best film thus far from the coen brothers .",
        "there are bits of brilliance here as in all coen brothers movies . just not enough of them .",
        "there are more ideas here , more wacko side characters and plot curlicues than the film can support , and inevitably it deflates from having to shoulder so much .",
        "it may not be fargo , but you 'll be swept away by the sheer nonsensical , farcical wonder of it all .",
        "the MOV does n't always bowl strikes . but in this wacky comedy , even the gutter balls are funny .",
        "no , it 's no fargo . it 's the most flamboyant , erratic , spontaneous movie the coens have ever made .",
        "jeff bridges as the dude is stroke of casting genius .",
        "-lsb- the coens -rsb- rummaged through political and personal history for the underpinnings of this los angeles caper , from 1998 , sending up , with rueful astonishment , the american way of war .",
        "on one hand , it has many layers , but on the other hand , it 's just about a dude who wants his rug back .",
        "a very funny and twisted comedy ...",
        "enormously entertaining !",
        "... yet another in a long line of promising yet disappointing comedies from joel and ethan coen ...",
        "one of the funniest , coolest , most absurd cult films ever made , and one of the best from the dynamic duo - joel and ethan coen .",
        "it 's essential .",
        "it 's the whole proud , embarrassing sociopolitical , cultural heap of american history-and the american century in particular-in two fleet , funny hours . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the coens concoct an absurdist chandler-esque mystery , drop in a couple hilarious dream fantasies , and even bring in a drawling sam elliot to narrate this tall tale like a western myth .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- you 'd never guess that the movie is loosely based on raymond chandler 's detective novel `` the big sleep . ''",
        "leave it to the coen brothers to use a man urinating on a rug as the catalyst for an entire film 's events .",
        "by taking it easy , the dude abides and becomes a spiritual teacher of crazy wisdom .",
        "this is a film that has great visuals and has genuine laugh-out - loud humor .",
        "it 's best just to accept the MOV on its own anything-goes terms .",
        "like a good caucasian , joel and ethan coen 's l.a.-based crime-caper-comedy is an acquired taste , but potentially addictive once you take to its perfectly offbeat blend of seemingly disparate elements .",
        "viewers with a taste for bizarre , even surreal , humor will have a ball .",
        "a genial spoof about life on the unhinged margins of l.a. that 's a lot more carefully constructed than it pretends to be .",
        "it 's the wealth of great characters and their insane dialogue that make this a memorable film .",
        "this time , they have all the parts together , but someone forgot the glue .",
        "o ` dude ' \u00e9 um personagem absolutamente fascinante .",
        "although there are plenty of laughs to be had , what ultimately makes this film feel like a minor effort is the lack of the tightly coiled -lrb- albeit noticeably bent -rrb- internal logic that governed the duo 's previous efforts .",
        "inside the minds of joel and ethan coen is a wonderfully weird place .",
        "if nothing else , the dude speaks for me when appraises the music of the eagles .",
        "the result is a lot of laughs and a feeling of awe toward the craftsmanship involved . i doubt that there 'll be anything else like it the rest of this year .",
        "this movie seems to me almost a mishmash of the worst bits that were left out of previous coen brothers outings .",
        "to what do we owe the pleasure of the coen brothers ' new joie de vivre and love for their fellow man ?",
        "stylish and wickedly funny black comedy illuminated by a great performance from jeff bridges , and loaded with all the coen brothers ' trademark wit and flair .",
        "i 'm not a fan of the coen brothers , but this is an entertaining enough diversion .",
        "a wild ride for adults only .",
        "adds up to considerably less than the sum of its often scintillating parts .",
        "bridges does more with his deflated body language than many comedians can manage by chewing the furniture .",
        "as with raising arizona , the MOV gives us a protagonist whose dopey innocence seems to be his only protection from the real world .",
        "if it 's all supposed to be in fun , why does it feel so much like an insult ?",
        "this is a terrific movie .",
        "the coen brothers try really hard to be outrageously funny , and they succeed more often than they fail .",
        "it never really bored me at any point , but at the same time , it never really excited me either .",
        "the coen brothers throw this film into the gutter , never developing what could have been a strictly ballroom-like spoof of the bowling world .",
        "... a loving study of los angeles loserdom .",
        "like meeting the three stooges after they 've blasted their brains with mind-altering drugs , time-traveled into the 1990s and landed in a vintage bowling alley .",
        "the MOV tiene el efecto deseado : creer en los personaje , a\u00fan sin creer necesariamente en la historia .",
        "an indulgent spoof , MOV is n't a straight gutter ball , but it 's no strike , either .",
        "joel and ethan cohen are in the midst of just such a golden streak right now .",
        "this uneven screwball comedy -- a disjointed and half-hearted attempt by the coen brothers to return to the raising arizona style -- is bound to underwhelm even their most fervent admirers .",
        "it 's weirdly engaging , like its hero .",
        "this plot need not be taken too seriously . watching it amble along is enough of a treat , since the coens populate this story with oddballs and bowling balls of such comic variety .",
        "a typical coen brothers film is like no film you 've ever seen .",
        "when you 're having a down day , pop in the MOV for a little pick-me-up , and always remember : the dude abides .",
        "as tempting as it is to completely dismiss the MOV , it 's hard to do because the coens are able to create wickedly funny eccentrics and possess the ability to energize certain actors to inhabit them completely .",
        "there is no satisfactory beginning , middle or end to it , but it does have its moments ."],
    "summary": "typically stunning visuals and sharp dialogue from the coen brothers , brought to life with strong performances from goodman and bridges .",
    "id": "14281"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fast_and_furious",
    "reviews":
     [
        "better than the last two , but still pretty mindless action .",
        "while it 's good to see the original cast back , there is n't much of a story and even less action to keep you entertained .",
        "this popcorn flick satisfies the vicarious need for speed and pushes the pedal to the metal .",
        "fast & furious is all about the speed and crash-boom-bam of the high-octane action , and on that score , it delivers admirably . does its built-in audience really need anything more ?",
        "parental content review",
        "unfortunately for fast fans , this one runs out of gas early on ...",
        "this souped-up edition is bigger , faster , louder - but not necessarily better .",
        "the plot is utterly incomprehensible , but the legions of street racing fans hopped up on nos and full throttle energy drink are n't going to care .",
        "director justin lin still has n't learned film geography . even the kinetic tunnel races , meant to nitrocharge the movie , fall flat from spatial incoherence . you barely know what 's happening , and to whom .",
        "the imagination of the almost-identical title matches the imagination of the almost-identical script .",
        "tokyo drift director justin lin films this one with the most flair and no small amount of destruction .",
        "a tryptophan yawn .",
        "even the most mundane lives occasionally sparkle with moments of exhilaration , and so does moscow , belgium .",
        "writer chris morgan 's already proven a predilection for action over logic and director justin lin , who 's switched gears from sundance darling to sequel hack , plays to his strengths .",
        "like a lemon that 's been tricked out with a fancy paint job , fast & furious wo n't stand up to much scrutiny under the hood .",
        "a franchise that started as a corrective for distressing action-movie trends becomes what it started out hating . time for something new .",
        "works as a mindless collection of racing sequences and cool cars , made all the better because of diesel 's extremely likable bad-boy persona and a director who knows how to keep his foot on the gas , action-wise",
        "% u03b7 % u03b5 % u03b9 % u03c3 % u03b1 % u03b3 % u03c9 % u03b3 % u03b9 % u03ba % u03ae % u03c3 % u03ba % u03b7 % u03bd % u03ae % u03bc % u03b5 % u03c4 % u03b7 % u03bd % u03b1 % u03c1 % u03c0 % u03b1 % u03b3 % u03ae % u03c4 % u03c9 % u03bd % u03b2 % u03c5 % u03c4 % u03af % u03c9 % u03bd % u03b5 % u03af % u03bd % u03b1 % u03b9",
        "` fast & furious ? ' the stars of this sequel are more like sluggish & vaguely grumpy , though it 's nothing a little bit of fiber in their diets could n't cure .",
        "` neat to watch ' summarizes the film quite nicely . the revenge subplot that drives MOV is uninteresting since we have n't seen these characters in eight years .",
        "fast & furious is a piece of junk , but at least it is an entertaining and endearing piece of junk . for a franchise i actively dislike , this is the best of the bunch .",
        "general unoriginality contributes to ` the fast and the furious ' series ' own issue as a ` seen one , seen 'em all ' series .",
        "if it 's not MOV automotive action you 're after , hoping instead for a cohesive character driven plot , then you 're more likely to just get furious pretty damn fast .",
        "fast & furious could be called grand theft autopilot . lin knows that his demographic does n't care about truth . they want to see stuff smash up - and in as outlandish and outrageous a way possible .",
        "a completely disposable action movie .",
        "the dialogue resembled bad '80s porn with extreme overacting and cheesy one-liners . ironically , fast & furious is like porn , you want them to shut up and get to the action !",
        "fast & furious succeeds because the action is supercharged in a style that recalls mel gibson 's apocalyptic classic , the road warrior . the characters are more than cartoonish , and the plot grips the road .",
        "MOV milks the cars/chicks/hip-hop vibe for all it 's worth , which is roughly $ 8 , if you 're male , 18 and under .",
        "... pretty much contains the same high-octane hollow hedonism that has run through this routinely noisy , frenetic film franchise ... this speeding-wheel spectacle has all the charm and intrigue of a shopping mall speed bump .",
        "everything that happens here happened in the three previous chapters -- and in cannonball run , for that matter .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "here 's hoping this is the last , but after the huge amount of money it has taken already in the states , do n't be surprised to see a 5th .",
        "is n't worth even the most forgiving action fan 's time ...",
        "bummer .",
        "as hard as it is to believe , having the old gang back really does make a big difference , just not big enough . lin is n't the director to offer anything new enough to make fast & furious worth your time unless you 're a hardcore fan of the series .",
        "the tagline for this film is : ` new model , original parts ' . it should be : ` are you dumb enough to pay for the same film twice ? '",
        "though i admit the title of the film is slightly dumb , i ca n't really fault much else going on here .",
        "provided a cinematic equivalent of nos to the franchise with a tone shift that helped make it one of the most popular and profitable action series in the last decade .",
        "... a combination of kinetic filmmaking and hulking charisma that can only be called bro bliss .",
        "one wishes fast & furious had the whole package -- as much smarts as speed -- but as an uncomplicated , undemanding lark , it 'll do .",
        "as brashly dumb as all the earlier pictures in the series , but this time there is also a more rampant mean-spirited streak running through it .",
        "all four films feature terrific stunts . but fast & furious is the first film since the original to be smart about how far to stretch logic without sacrificing the desired macho swagger and revved-up emotions .",
        "as exciting as they are , the action sequences still never pick up enough dramatic momentum to make us care .",
        "by the fourth installment of the franchise , fast & furious has shed two articles from its title , regained the four original lead actors , and turned shamelessly into a monotonous unofficial edition of the grand theft auto gaming series .",
        "... when it comes down to it , this is really a classic western with cars instead of horses .",
        "one of the film 's biggest laughs is showing title credits . clearly , after a prologue in which thieves play chicken with a burning , tumbling oil tanker , the possibility exists this is a steven soderbergh experimental gamble . dumb , fun & entertaining .",
        "lin makes the few set pieces sandwiched between the many flat , talky scenes count as much as they can .",
        "director justin lin does n't have the love of design that made the 2001 the fast and the furious a deliriously beautiful noir .",
        "unfortunately for the wider potentials of the series , the human inter-relationships gain little traction , taking second place to the ripping rubber and screaming pistons .",
        "-lsb- d -rsb- amn if there ai n't enough street racing in this here street racing movie ...",
        "come on dude , let us see the race ! we did n't buy tickets for an artist 's recreation .",
        "hopefully for the next go-around , the series will plunge even further into the crash-em-ups and flip-e-doos that feel so organic to the attitude of the series , and less into that thing called `` acting '' i 'm assuming the entire cast is trying to pull off .",
        "` the cast was available ' is no reason to make a sequel .",
        "this means many loud racing sequences -lrb- ably directed by justin lin -rrb- that look like the very video games inspired by these movies : candy-colored automobiles , digital dashboards and automated female voices .",
        "fast & furious is exactly and precisely what you 'd expect . nothing more , unfortunately .",
        "fans who are only looking for automotive porn may enjoy themselves , but the relentless dude pandering eventually loses its charm .",
        "slick but idiotic action flick ... does n't have any real power , and no intelligence whatever , under its glossy hood .",
        "both screenplay and plotting are basic but the action scenes are a wonder to behold if you can forget the number of civilians who would have been killed as the chases progress through various cities .",
        "it 's just filler between lots of jerkily edited car porn .",
        "`` ride or die , remember ? '' er , not really , no . more like `` yawn and forget '' , as nabokov once recommended . only 13-year-old boys and jeremy clarkson could possibly enjoy this .",
        "the story makes precious little sense but the car chases help to keep you awake and smouldering hunks walker and diesel get to make eyes at each other one more time .",
        "the film appears to have been not so much directed as welded together out of other bad movies that have crashed and burned .",
        "as far as car chase movies go , it 's right on the money with great action scenes , terrible dialogue and some seriously sub-par acting .",
        "there are only a couple of things to be said about this movie : the cars are fast , the racing is faster and none of it makes the slightest bit of sense .",
        "the soundtrack pounds away as the cars compete in the most unbelievable races with so many quick cuts and cgi that you hardly know who 's where in relation to anyone else . but it does n't matter .",
        "you know why movies like MOV are so easy to pick on ? because they take themselves so damn seriously .",
        "lots of action scenes with the cars , while the cast pretend to drive fast . and that 's it .",
        "fast & furious represents a drastic drop in quality for the series . the reason is simple : it abandons the central premise of the franchise , which seems a betrayal of the very thing that made the other entries so enjoyable .",
        "the stars are back in the fourth installment of this fast-cars/hot-chicks series , which tells you a little something about the rocky roads their careers have traveled since 2001 's original film .",
        "like brian and dom , fast & furious would benefit from more female company . and vin diesel 's mumbling sulk gets to be a drag after a while .",
        "the awful writing and weak acting keeps the movie from delivering an experience as strong as the original .",
        "enough with the brooding and the emoting . what fast & furious needs more than anything is some hint that the people involved know how ridiculous it is .",
        "fast & furious reconfirms that car-chase movies -- good , bad , or mediocre -- all assume the future employment of the quaint old fast-forward button .",
        "a tepid , repetitive and digitally augmented hot cars-hot women thriller that might probably wo n't give vin diesel and paul walker the career boost that the fast and the furious did .",
        "in the jammed landscape of mass-market new releases , it offers an attractive getaway route from self-importance , snark , and chatty comedies about male bonding . here , stick shifts do the talking .",
        "it 's not called `` fast & furious : schindler 's list '' . perfect reboot if you like the genre . big crashes , property mayhem , and sparse dialogue .",
        "a film that ultimately feels more like a cobbled together rent-a-car than a sleek euro-styled crotch magnet",
        "acting is n't really the point of fast & furious . indeed , this cast can barely act interested .",
        "chris morgan -lrb- the screenwriter on `` the fast and the furious : tokyo drift '' - 2006 -rrb- is to blame for a script that runs more like a '70s ford pinto than the hopped up muscle cars burning rubber onscreen .",
        "removing the `` the '' from its predecessors ' title not once but twice , fast & furious 's abbreviated moniker harkens back to the series 's 2001 original while simultaneously expressing a tough curtness that marks it as its own model .",
        "with his sleepy-eyed gaze and biceps that no shirt can contain , diesel quietly commands the movie .",
        "it definitely could have used more humor and , according to the alpha males in my viewing party , more sex appeal ... and we 're not talking about injectors and camshafts .",
        "with diesel anchoring the storyline , and director lin dazzling us with his car crashing extravaganzas , fast & furious will likely unleash another series of sequels .",
        "what 's amazing about this loud , lazy film -lrb- they could n't even be bothered to give it a title -rrb- is that it 's still entertaining",
        "furious entertainment for a moment of `` populist rage . '' but it 's hard to escape the feeling that fast & furious is more than a little ... mechanical .",
        "what is this , the fourth ` MOV ' movie ?",
        "the latest film is extremely noisy , features some fine stunt driving , particularly in its opening sequence , but it 's dramatically a bit of a dribbler . i 'm still trying to figure out the relationship between the opening of the film and the ending .",
        "the ending leaves just enough of a cliffhanger that a fifth installment is all but guaranteed . if it 's anything like this one , i 'm down for the ride .",
        "early , pre-credit scenes are so meticulously choreographed and expertly edited that you just can not wait for the real film to begin . however , minutes later , you ca n't help wishing the thing would just hurry up and finish .",
        "diesel 's bassoon-voiced , low-watt charisma seems best placed in this franchise , and there is an undeniable spark with his foil walker , who 's all white teeth and californian tan .",
        "noise , noise , noise . crunched metal and shattered glass . more noise . revving engines . vin diesel 's giant head . hot chicks in tight miniskirts . even more noise . the end .",
        "we get stuck watching vin diesel and paul walker squint and say words in a weak approximation of acting , wasting precious time that could be spent enjoying street racers zipping through crowded thoroughfares and jumping over obstacles .",
        "this is dumb , loud and fast , with a questionable attitude towards road safety and a supporting cast apparently recruited for their tattoos rather than their acting ability .",
        "ultimately , there is nothing on offer here but speed and fury . if you 're tempted to revisit something of this ilk , watch the fast and the furious , or better still track down the vastly superior cop-in-the-criminal-underworld action flick point break .",
        "slick action , hot hardware , shame about the screenplay ... still , it 's the best since the original tfatf , and fans of diesel 's gravel-voiced swagger will get a kick seeing him reprise the role that put him on the map .",
        "this is not rocket science , it wo n't tax your brain , it wo n't win any oscars but it will have you on the edge of your seat and give you a great two hours of adrenaline pumping entertainment .",
        "`` as silly as it is derivative , with quite a bit of unintentional comedy , but the action scenes deliver , and car fetishists will find much to love . ''",
        "following in the skid marks of its predecessors , this fourth installment of auto erotica reunites the original cast for one more go around the track .",
        "if it were a dvd , you 'd fast & forward to the chases , but not forgive & forget the crushing disappointment . in cinemas , you have to endure exposition and sob-you-were-my-best-friend scenes . it 's clearly time for fast & furious vs. the transporter ...",
        "turn off your mind , though , and there 's some fun to be had from some of the better whizz-bang sequences .",
        "run a mile in any direction from MOV .",
        "a carbon-rich orgy for eunuchs of the freed speed creed .",
        "by far the weakest entry of the four .",
        "aside from the opening sequence , there 's nothing imaginative about it , and the actual filming is routine shaky-quick-cut stuff .",
        "boiled down to its essentials , f&f is four pretty swell auto-race video games encased in the bloated carcass of a script , by chris morgan , that must have been researched in the archive of movie cliches .",
        "it delivers on the title 's promise .",
        "this example of presummer pop diversion will be best appreciated by future audiences flabbergasted by its unabashed revelry in fossil-fuel consumption .",
        "it 's time for these car fiends to slam the heap into ` park . ' diesel should use his esp powers to find a better gig with a franchise that still has some gas -- such as maybe the pacifier 2 ?",
        "it 's MOV , but it 's also noisy and dumb % u2014and inferior to the original in every way . remember to use your turn signal when moving into the pass lane .",
        "the director , justin lin , brings the same pinpoint reflexes to the action as he did in tokyo drift .",
        "the words plod , slow and drag should never even come close to a car chase movie , but that 's what comes to mind instantly after watching this clunker .",
        "the reunion is fun and frantic , like the original on double nitro .",
        "feels about as fresh and lively as a piece of burnt rubber .",
        "everything here cuts to the chase , with personalities presented in a streamlined shorthand , and dramatic plausibility sacrificed to the need for speed ... fast & furious , fatuous & forgotten .",
        "a superfluous , wandering plot ultimately keeps it from attaining the heights of a modestly diverting action thingy , dooming it instead to the pits of a modestly disappointing action thingy .",
        "the script does n't quite have the fire power to make this actioner 's hot wheels sizzle convincingly",
        "instant immersion is the style of this franchise , plunging audiences into high octane race and chase mode from frame 1 . and it works .",
        "more of the same . yawn .",
        "i can count on half a hand the things i found appealing about the middle fifty minutes of this movie , but i 'll be damned if i do n't want to know what happens next ...",
        "running on empty ...",
        "guaranteed to provide simple , straightforward thrills for anyone seeking temporary distraction from the routine and monotony of a life not lived through the window of a candy-colored automobile .",
        "walker 's acting is so somnambular that even his car 's steering wheel stands a better chance at grabbing an oscar nomination .",
        "the fastest , most furious movie ever . it is so fast , you 'll be furious with excitement . i 'm going to try to write my review fast , but that might make my editor furious .",
        "perhaps the most significant thing about the fourth installment , by far the weakest entry in the franchise , is indicating how much pop culture has changed : it looks and feels like one of the many glossy videogames the series itself has inspired .",
        "fans of one of the most successful franchises of the ' 00s deserve more than this lackluster , boring , inanely written , poorly acted , forgettable trip around the cliched block . `` meandering & lethargic '' would have been a more accurate title .",
        "it seems deftly appropriate that they would decide to remove the two ` the 's from the title , the most replaceable word in the english language and compensate their absence with two of the most transparent ciphers to ever get above-title billing .",
        "if you 've enjoyed this ride before , you 'll enjoy it again . if you think the actors do n't have quite the emotional range of the vehicles they 're driving , you probably wo n't .",
        "like a souped-up show car , fast & furious is all gleaming surfaces and muscular detailing , but there 's absolutely nothing going on under the hood .",
        "one of the first great sequels for 2009 ! non-stop fun from 0 to 200",
        "any suggestions for the title of fifth film ? how about fast & furious : i 'm gon na kick your ass ? or , no , i know : fast & furious : tokyo drift .",
        "if you are a fan of the first film in the series and can forget about the two predecessors , then this is the sequel you have been waiting for . vin diesel is back !",
        "oh yeah , there are also lots and lots of car crashes -- so many , in fact , that it feels at times like a big-screen version of an auto industry bailout plan .",
        "it 's dumb , but it 's fun , and it does n't pretend to be otherwise .",
        "there 's not even much car-racing in it -- and why would anyone want to watch this movie if it does n't have a lot of car-racing in it ?",
        "thrilling ride with high speed chases and action packed fighting that will satisfy any appetite .",
        "everyone on screen gets to do the adrenaline-pumping , id-heavy stuff people who park neatly in their little suburban shopping mall parking spaces -- people like us -- never get to do .",
        "this is a movie about street racers ... criminals in fact , and there was nothing grimy or dirty about it at all .",
        "this is more of the same .",
        "a film that is neither too fast or furious -lrb- more like slow and cranky -rrb- ...",
        "mt. rushmore sports a more animated ensemble cast than on display here , each of who seems content to try and outglare the other .",
        "insert your own car-related gag here for the uninspired fast & furious .",
        "the sequel that should have followed the fast and the furious ... sharp editing , cool stunts , and cars going way too fast still make for a fun time at the movies .",
        "-lsb- awful race scenes are -rsb- why you want to see this movie . even more unfortunate : what passes for a plot is interspersed between them . are you catching my tokyo drift ?",
        "you do n't need a road map to conclude this franchise has run out of gas and is going nowhere .",
        "wild car chases and ridiculous humor do n't make a film good , but they sure can make it fun to watch .",
        "no matter what , it 's safe to say that this entirely acceptable retooling of the franchise makes for a satisfying experience for those who enjoy four-wheeled chases , hot bodies , hot cars , and a tall dose of tough-guy machismo .",
        "the stars look bored out of their minds when the fourth episode of the franchise stalls between racing sequences , which is all too often in a flick where 106 minutes speed by in what feels like at least four hours .",
        "people who want nothing more out of a movie than an extended rap video -- there 's lots of hip-hop , close-ups of cars , and women in shiny tiny shorts -- may be satisfied . but this movie is n't much more than a re-do of the first film in the series .",
        "this franchise is out of gas .",
        "this will personally go down as the flick that really made me realize how much i hate cgi stunts .",
        "the end result , while it provides moments of kinetic entertainment , is too repetitive and uneven to be satisfying .",
        "a technical team the size of a small army attempts to inject some life into fast & furious , the fourth entry in the urban auto franchise , but only succeeds in upping the decibel level of this grating , clamorous mess .",
        "fast & furious spends a lot of time advertising how exciting it is , without actually being exciting .",
        "as superfluous sequels go , fast & furious makes deuce bigalow : european gigolo seem vital .",
        "a strange piece of nostalgia , where , without apology , fast cars still rule and fuel is burned with abandon .",
        "high speed designer fleet crash 'em up border wars lined with hottie wallpaper , that 's pretty much same shenanegans , different day . and without benefit of border patrol agents , passports or speeding tickets .",
        "the good news is that the movie 's speedy and strong enough to deliver some well-tuned excitement , even if it 's as bulky and brainlessly bright as the muscle cars it celebrates .",
        "i 'd rather see diesel re-teamed with the co-star who was his true soulmate , the special co-star who brought out the best in him - the duck from the pacifier",
        "if all you want to is extreme car chases , explosions , and violence ; then this is well worth the price of admission .",
        "has plenty of visual eye candy with its slick cars and action-packed sequences , but it 's ultimately low on surprises , imagination and palpable thrills , even if you 're willing to suspend your disbelief and to check your brain at the door for 107 minutes .",
        "enough is enough",
        "paul walker , with his two-day bristle of beard and touch-too-tan complexion , has the incipient , leathery look of a man who will look about two decades older when he turns 45 .",
        "if you are a fan -lsb- of the franchise -rsb- , i think there is absolutely some good fun to be had .",
        "there was a time when car movies used to be about the cars . the star of this picture is a computer , creating cgi car crashes . the picture is a phony .",
        "plays like an overgrown parody of the first three movies combined .",
        "it certainly is MOV but it is also lacking in basic plot structure and character building",
        "fast & furious is everything it sounds like : crass , unoriginal , and mostly tiresome .",
        "MOV gets off to a terrific start but quickly runs out of gas , thanks to a lazy script and some unimaginative action sequences .",
        "the action will get your heart racing like a shot of nos to the eyeballs . however , that rush comes at a cost of a story-line comedown . if you 're feeling simple , or drunk and stoned , this would be a perfect way to spend the night .",
        "people drive fast , perform improbable stunts , things blow up , and the leads glare at each other a lot .",
        "a return to gloriously idiotic form for the street racing series .",
        "diesel is still charismatic thug dominic toretto , walker is still determined cop brian o'conner , and the story is still dumb .",
        "rival street racers battle a mexican heroin ring . hard-hitting , satisfying action fare , with vin diesel returning to help restore an ailing franchise ."],
    "summary": "while MOV features the requisite action and stunts , the filmmakers have failed to provide a competent story or compelling characters .",
    "id": "770685393"
  },
  {
    "movie": "gosford_park",
    "reviews":
     [
        "best enjoyed as an opportunity to see a who 's who of the british film acting community in what amounts to a modestly amusing series of sketch-comedy bits .",
        "clue ! meets remains of the day",
        "it was sort of like going to a dinner party and finding yourself surrounded by a group of insufferable snobs , none of whom you would ever think of inviting to your house .",
        "all in all , MOV has nothing nice to say about anybody , and i like that in a movie .",
        "for the first time in his lengthy career , the director 's gone all british -- and , once again , it looks smooth as silk .",
        "good , but certainly not one of altman 's better or more memorable works .",
        "robert altman and a ridiculously talented group of english actors have crafted an upstairs-downstairs comedy of true originality -- a british costume film that 's funny but not at all fusty .",
        "often a rich pleasure to see , hear and think about .",
        "one of those rare films that yields even more on subsequent viewings than it does on its first engaging encounter .",
        "this is an exemplary exercise in anglophilia .",
        "every detail rings true ; every performance , even the briefest , is a gem .",
        "an outrageously talented , audaciously large cast gets down to murderous skullduggery .",
        "altman is one of the few contemporary directors who consistently showcases excellent women 's roles , and he 's rewarded with a symphony of strong performances .",
        "the all-star conclave of mostly british talent altman has brought together would be a pleasure to watch no matter what sort of film they found themselves in .",
        "so craftily made that it ca n't help pleasing .",
        "what a treat it is to peep in on these clever , nasty people and their scandalous goings on .",
        "everybody 's so good in this !",
        "a succulent and devious drawing-room mystery that , in its panoramic way , takes a puckish pleasure in scrambling and reshuffling the worlds of upstairs and downstairs .",
        "it is the work of a master but it is not a masterwork .",
        "though faultless in production , `` MOV '' does n't quite break away emotionally .",
        "the venerated american director 's best film since short cuts .",
        "qualifies as a solid double , maybe a triple .",
        "a sweet tune , airy but not quite gay , and it carries a sardonic edge .",
        "disappointing is too soft a choice of words .",
        "like a hedge maze at an english country house , you can lose yourself in it , for good and ill . but you 'll likely want to give it another try when you emerge .",
        "the most enjoyable altman effort in nearly a decade .",
        "at its best when it is about nothing .",
        "the film is at its best as social satire , as altman and screenwriter julian fellowes take every opportunity to expose and skewer upper-class snobbery .",
        "the joys of the film are legion .",
        "MOV is less a sobering microcosm than it is comically subversive , a great , convoluted upending of period conventions .",
        "opulently designed , meticulously directed , cleverly written and wittily acted by a cast as polished as the floors .",
        "abounds in scenes to savor . it 's a feast , and one of altman 's best .",
        "for the usually great robert altman , this is a terribly disappointing directing effort .",
        "the performances are utterly delightful , from stephen fry 's inspector to maggie smith as a hilariously catty relative .",
        "there are some interesting things happening in park , most notably the clashes between servant and aristocrat , as well as man and woman .",
        "a smart , perceptive , funny and sometimes touching social satire about life during the dying days of the british empire .",
        "gooses a creaky genre into new relevance , but it offers no compelling stories and largely wastes the talents of its stellar cast .",
        "after a series of clever but unexceptional `` little '' movies , altman emerges with one of the best films of his career -lrb- which is saying a lot -rrb- , juggling a complex plot and a huge cast in a thoroughly entertaining british comedy-mystery .",
        "altman 's fecklessness pretty much reduces the likes of derek jacobi and alan bates to bit players who have n't been given any bits .",
        "an elegant , awfully english affair -- an atmospheric country-house whodunit with a stellar cast and crew from the uk .",
        "altman takes you from one delicious subplot to another , serving up mirth and misery in equal measure and exploring the gulf between the lives of those above and below stairs .",
        "an intruguing commentary on the separation of the classes that will bring back memories of the remains of the day .",
        "wonderful british whodunit with some sexual content .",
        "taking advantage of a splendid cast , a sharply focused script and the fresh english setting , `` MOV '' emerges as one of the most satisfying of robert altman 's numerous ensemble pictures .",
        "contents and style converge smoothly and seductively in altman 's luxuriant period drama that applies agatha christie murder-mystery format to a rigorous anatomy of british class structure in the 1930s , with all the who 's who in u.k. in the cast .",
        "altman 's unexpected venture into agatha christie territory works a treat .",
        "it 's lovely to see that altman , now in his 70s , still has an acid bite that would sting filmmakers half his age .",
        "altman juggles about thirty different characters , moving them from the upper-class upstairs to the servants ' quarters ... and he does so without losing the audience .",
        "pret-a-porter and dr. t. & and the women , tarnished his '90s comeback , but the ornery altman is back in top form here .",
        "please do n't raise an eyebrow when you hear such lines as , `` desperate for a *** ? '' or `` too many fags . they 'll be the death of me . '' the locale here is english society . the date : november 1932 . and the `` fags '' that are being chatted about are puffed on , so pl",
        "MOV is a fancy attempt with a lot of style and , the press notes brag , authenticity ; but it 's a long bore .",
        "proof positive that so many people are just too eager to lavish praise on a project that involves british accents and period costumes .",
        "five stars do n't do it justice .",
        "altman is a supreme artist-joker , and the jest this time is that the most american of film directors has given us a finely wrought british whodunit with the emotional layering of a first-rate novel .",
        "MOV is steeped in grace and style , yet an undercurrent of tension buzzes throughout the proceedings .",
        "a winner well before the murder mystery must be resolved .",
        "altman at the top of his game .",
        "sold as a murder mystery , MOV is less a whodunit than a who 's - doing-what-to-whom",
        "resurrects the manifold pleasures of a polished tale brightened by a glittering array of classy british players .",
        "the film plays and feels loose and off the cuff , but never random . no movie this year approaches its nimbleness and fluidity in mixing character , theme and wit .",
        "an ambitious , entertaining twist on the classic british country-house murder mystery .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the clue genre never looked as good as it does in robert altman 's MOV .",
        "altman 's best film since the player and one of the best in his long career .",
        "an anglophile 's delight .",
        "MOV earns the most dreaded label of all : overrated .",
        "un microuniverso retratado con un gusto tal que dan ganas de ir a descansar y a retozar con semejante grupo de personas y personajes ...",
        "a visual feast .",
        "not a classic but certainly classy .",
        "works as a murder mystery , a comedy of manners , a human drama , and a social commentary simply by providing a rich tapestry of characters and relationships , status and class .",
        "cinema used to its full artistic potential",
        "o filme flui de maneira sempre interessante .",
        "was it biting social satire , or was it only smug and misanthropic ?",
        "is there anyone but altman who could have pulled off such an effervescent mix of satire , affection , and devastating rebuke ? and attracted such an ensemble ? and let everyone work at this high level ?",
        "a virtuoso ensemble piece to rival the director 's nashville and short cuts in its masterly interweaving of multiple characters and subplots .",
        "a grand and glorious entertainment , and a welcome return to form by one of today 's directorial giants .",
        "despite its little twists and departures from the norm , MOV is basically a crowd-pleaser , a slight film with a fat ensemble all keen to entertain .",
        "a sheer delight .",
        "it 's been nearly 10 years since an altman film has been as consistently entertaining as this one is .",
        "ranks among robert altman 's best work ever .",
        "the performances range from good to great ; it 's a shame that their efforts do n't coalesce into a more resonant result .",
        "one of robert altman 's best which is another way of saying ` one of film 's best . ' and at least eight reasons oscar needs an ensemble acting category .",
        "maggie smith is superb as a the most snobbish of english society women in this upstairs-downstairs sendup .",
        "acute social observation ... leavened with humor and the undercurrent of -lsb- a -rsb- mystery spoof",
        "altman 's signature , having a giant gala cast is in evidence with the credits reading like a who 's who of british acting - simply delightful .",
        "it 's about time grumpy old genre-annihilator robert altman got around to blasting the british drawing-room saga .",
        "most of the action -lrb- and i use the term loosely -rrb- is seen from the eyes of the servants , then discussed ad nauseam .",
        "like most altman films , `` MOV '' employs a sizable cast and the focus of the story bounces from character to character , like a bee sampling flowers in the garden .",
        "folks , this film is pretty weak .",
        "may not be altman 's greatest triumph , but it is one of his finest works in years and it is one that is worth revisiting again and again",
        "as always , altman graciously leads a wonderful ensemble cast , and many of them are worth kudos .",
        "robert altman once again -lsb- dr. t -rsb- takes us to a place where the people are so annoying that they get in the way of the story",
        "trust me -- not high-brow critics -- this is atmospheric dribble .",
        "the whodunnit aspect is not the meat of the movie . it is instead the characters themselves and their personal affairs , hang-ups , and peculiarities that make the film interesting to watch .",
        "MOV goes down as easily as a warm brandy after one of the seven course dinners popular at the enormous english country house where the story is set .",
        "what is most gratifying is watching the most american of directors capture the english idiom so well .",
        "this is n't academy award material , but it 's good enough to provide an enjoyable afternoon or evening , especially for those who love 1930s-era british drama and intrigue .",
        "as with altman 's best movies , MOV is above all an entrancing hum of atmosphere and texture .",
        "since this is the end of the year , when all unused superlatives expire like vacation time , let 's call it the best assemblage of actors in any movie this , last , or next year .",
        "another full frontal assault on the hollywood studio system .",
        "a top-drawer entertainment from start to finish .",
        "obviously choreographed by a director of great skill , yet the sheer number of the players allow few to really register in a mystery which offers few surprises",
        "in a year bursting with very few remarkable achievements , `` MOV '' emerges as one of the best and most engrossing features of 2001 .",
        "the movie spends all its 137 minutes convincing us how dazzlingly intellectual it is .",
        "the most leaden and uninteresting threads of the film 's first half become the most important elements in the murder mystery .",
        "an ambitious-but-off-kilter film that desperately searches for but never finds its mark .",
        "an interesting ensemble mystery .",
        "blends the rules of the game , upstairs downstairs and ten little indians into a rich feast that will have adult filmgoers licking their chops .",
        "altman invites an artistic conundrum : should a movie be considered great if it only fits together after repeated viewings ?",
        "... the plot seems little more than an excuse to explore textures and generate atmosphere ... to present us with a microcosm of society worthy of trollope .",
        "it bored me so much that i was n't able to watch it straight through ; it took me four attempts to get to the closing credits .",
        "robert altman expertly depicts pre-wwii british class struggle ... there 's no better portrait of hierarchical doom .",
        "a scintillating comedy-drama and one of -lsb- altman 's -rsb- most richly moving and entertaining pictures .",
        "hopefully , we can find ourselves just as intelligent as the characters and filmmakers . these are the type of films that remind us what great storytelling is .",
        "carpeted with dry wit and filled to the rafters with salacious secrets and unspoken animosity ...",
        "an unbearable runtime , waaaaaaaay too many characters and almost zero story .",
        "this is the highest caliber of masterpiece theater cheese , politely seedy , deliciously droll , served up by a anglophile 's dream cast .",
        "it 's dryly , acidly funny .",
        "every aspect of it ... emerges triumphant , spinning together as elegantly as a stage full of dancers en pointe moving in unbelievable unison .",
        "i guess you could make a drinking game out of it . take a swig every time somebody comes on screen and you have no idea who they are or what their purpose in the film is .",
        "if you 're a anglophile , you 'll enjoy it . if not , do n't bother .",
        "gosford is a go , despite some flaws .",
        "even with some huge names of british stage and film topping the bill , and a sharp dissection of class distinctions , its scope is too encompassing to be completely enjoyable .",
        "if altman 's last effort , last year 's dr. t and the women , was one of his most critically reviled films ever , MOV should do much to salvage his reputation .",
        "altman seems to be having a good time running his spectacular cast through its paces , and you will , too .",
        "altman has always shown particular skill at managing ensemble casts , and it 's on display here .",
        "a tongue-in-cheek hybrid of many things .",
        "a crafty little gem .",
        "enormously entertaining murder mystery .",
        "tells a story that is important , heartfelt and very , very sad .",
        "the kind of generous , sardonic , deeply layered movie that altman has made his own .",
        "altman is once again back in top form .",
        "altman 's finest work in years , a stinging yet sensitive satire tempered by a tender sympathy for his repressed souls .",
        "one could go on and on , cataloging the pleasures that pour forth from the screen ."],
    "summary": "a mixture of upstairs , downstairs , clue , and perceptive social commentary , MOV ranks among director altman 's best .",
    "id": "13293"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_descendants_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a beautifully touching , tragic and amusing follow-up film from the director of sideways .",
        "MOV manages to even surpass those stratospheric expectations most fans will have walking into the theatre .",
        "MOV is humane , decent , and close to real quality .",
        "people looking for a good lei would be wise to say aloha to ` MOV , ' alexander payne 's hawaiian-set luau in which laughter and tears combine for a cinematic feast .",
        "MOV is an exercise in why women are such horrible , despicable shrews . when this film is n't demonising its female characters for daring to be unhappy in their marriage , it 's condescending them for showing too much emotion ...",
        "a truthful , warm-hearted , deeply moving film about loss , about death , about legacies and , yeah , family .",
        "mr. payne 's undeniable knack for naturalism makes `` MOV '' a wholly persuasive and heartfelt experience .",
        "i enjoyed clooney 's performance enormously without ever buying it for a second .",
        "-lrb- clooney -rrb- is at the top of his game in his scenes alone with the comatose elizabeth . asking questions that are unable to be answered , his pain at his loss and her betrayal is heartbreaking .",
        "here 's where i am right now : MOV is the best movie of 2011 . it is the movie of the year , in many ways beyond its simple superlative overall excellence .",
        "well-acted and touching with a mild eye for human foibles , this is one of the better-written films of the year .",
        "like `` sideways '' and `` about schmidt , '' `` MOV '' lets alexander payne show us the other america and the other americans - little lives caught up in small but epic problems far away from the la la land of hollywood hype , sex and violence .",
        "each year there are usually one or two films that do n't deserve all of the insane praise they get -lrb- last year 's the fighter is a prime example -rrb- and it looks like `` MOV '' is one for this year .",
        "it 's smart , funny , heartbreaking , heartwarming , wise , and , despite some sad moments , genuinely optimistic . i experienced more feelings watching it than i usually get from ten movies .",
        "MOV is damn near perfect . director alexander payne is a master of the human comedy and george clooney has never exposed himself to the camera this openly .",
        "if you see MOV , see it for clooney -lrb- and woodley -rrb- , but do n't believe the hype that it 's one for the ages .",
        "at once mellow and light , there 's hardly a scene that does n't somehow revolve around death , or other grave matters .",
        "what 's so special about payne 's approach in MOV is how acutely observed and subtle the movie is , especially since the previews are selling it as a broader , more absurd comedy .",
        "although it 's not quite a black comedy , it 's still filled with the patented payne quirky characters and i love clooney in roles like this .",
        "heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking story about love , death , duty and responsibility",
        "like the waves on the beautiful hawaiian beaches , our emotions rise and fall in this splendid , emotionally rich drama in which laughter and tears are balanced on the precarious surfboard of life",
        "dwells on how , just beneath the surface of that teen who seems a shrugging idiot or that woman who seems an everyday mom , there rustles an undergrowth of pain , or loss , or heartache .",
        "MOV is a heartfelt and tragic piece , but it 's also mature and very funny .",
        "a marvellous follow-up to 2004 's sideways - well worth the wait .",
        "hay un humor asordinado debajo del drama de matt king -lrb- sentida labor de george clooney -rrb- , tanto que se trata de la pel\u00edcula m\u00e1s seria del director alexander payne hasta el momento , lo que no quiere decir la menos optimista .",
        "if MOV occasionally slips a notch below payne 's highest standards , it 's a wry , intelligent look at the contradictions and complexities of human emotions .",
        "a lot of MOV is affecting , but its mushier tone is often less emotionally resonant than the bitter sarcasm of payne 's earlier work .",
        "for every moving or darkly comic or genuinely surprising moment , there 's a cloying one close behind .",
        "the master of modern america cinema is indeed back , with a suitably understated bang .",
        "there are flashier directors working today , but payne 's position at the forefront of contemporary filmmaking comes from telling richly human stories filled with wit , insight and unique charm .",
        "payne 's movie is one more love letter to imperfection that renews my affection for the predicament of being human .",
        "one of the year 's best films , a bubbly meditation on family and responsibility that weighs just enough to matter .",
        "clooney has never been better , displaying more range and less actor-ego than ever before ... MOV would still be a splendid movie without him ; with clooney , it 's one of 2011 's very best .",
        "audiences will argue about whether it 's a comedy or a drama , but they 'll agree they saw a wonderful film .",
        "MOV finds payne , now 50 , having arrived in midlife with a new maturity , eschewing solipsism and snickers for a deeper engagement with the world .",
        "there are ample opportunities for the film to soak in pathos , righteousness , farce , or pictorialism , and payne manages to nod at those pitfalls without falling into them .",
        "an emotionally ennobling film that wears its compassion on the sleeve of its ugly hawaiian print shirts .",
        "it 's good , but far less than you 'd expect from the guy who started his career with the gleefully provocative citizen ruth and election .",
        "in the hands of writer-director alexander payne , clooney has rarely seemed so much at home .",
        "payne displays a knack for both perfect casting and using his lead actor in sometimes unconventional , unexpected ways",
        "director alexander payne prefers to start a movie with one strike against him . he always picks a dislikable protagonist ... then , as he slowly gives characters self-awareness , he gives us reasons to watch and care about them .",
        "the best thing here is clooney , cleverly dropping some of his man 's man mannerisms to make matt less of an idea and more of a human .",
        "clooney takes up the archetypal role of unofficial investigator , with a younger sidekick in tow . though the film offers a fine portrait of character growth , it 's allotted by the crime-themed structure of the avenger film .",
        "the perfect combination of dramedy , tragedy and familiar fallouts that simultaneously brings tears of joy and sorrow , with seemingly effortless effect .",
        "the last , touching final frame is worth the entrance price alone .",
        "moving and blackly funny , MOV deals with universal emotions about the nature of family which will strike a chord with everyone",
        "worth seeing for the outstanding performances from george clooney and shailene woodley - and a great advert for hawaii .",
        "warm , subtle and gentle , MOV demonstrates what can happen when indie talent is nurtured to mainstream success .",
        "this sweet , sad new film from alexander payne holds a promise of gentleness that is fulfilled , and a promise of complexity that is n't .",
        "worth the wait . do n't stay away for so long next time though , alex.",
        "it 's worth seeing for the sharp but uneven human observations in the script and direction by alexander payne -lrb- sideways -rrb- , and sometimes it 's fun -lrb- but mostly exasperating -rrb- watching george clooney trying to act as he struggles through ...",
        "watching a film as mature , moving , original and unpredictable as ` MOV ' renews my faith in american movies , and reaffirms alexander payne 's status as one of our most gifted storytellers ...",
        "payne 's observational humor and attention to detail yield something emotionally epic . everything from beachfront jogs to hospital confessions reveals layers of humanity and absurdity .",
        "it 's lovely - funny and sad and funny/sad in ways you ca n't always pinpoint , capturing both the perpetual pacific island breezes and the unsettled interior lives of hemmings ' characters , chief among them the attorney played by george clooney .",
        "while MOV is n't as sharp as payne 's earlier films , it 's the rare crowd-pleasing tearjerker where the tears feel earned .",
        "an ultra-polished picture in which every emotion we 're supposed to feel has been cued up well in advance . there 's nothing surprising or affecting about it . not even clooney , who works wonders with the occasional piece of dialogue , can save it .",
        "clooney is remarkable in alexander payne 's film about loss , confusion and getting by .",
        "payne is an unobtrusive director , a filmmaker who lets the script do the walking - in this case , perhaps too much .",
        "wants to be mature but ca n't help shortchanging its drama through constant reliance on its protagonist 's unimpeachable nobility .",
        "great movies like MOV ' do n't only take an audience on an absorbing journey - in the hands of ... alexander payne and a superb cast headed by george clooney , you feel like you 've come to know the characters ' entire lives in the span of two hours .",
        "clooney is brilliant as the emotionally jolted hero of payne 's droll yet immensely moving film . in its perfectly wrought eloquence , it may be the best film of the year .",
        "another over praised george clooney film .",
        "as ten-year-old scottie tries to sort out the specter of her mother now , inert and silent following a water-skiing accident , she faces questions she ca n't begin to articulate .",
        "you think you know exactly how this work-distracted father is going to reconnect with his daughters , and what obligatory moments the movie will provide , but both the script and the stars are too smart for that .",
        "a grown-up , emotionally complex film buoyed by clooney 's wonderfully nuanced performance .",
        "a dismal cacophony of turgid emotion and lame comedy .",
        "george clooney , an actor who more often than not appears in exceptional projects , finds another gem in MOV .",
        "i loved watching george clooney 's character interact with everyone . i did n't care about the finished result , just the process .",
        "shining above extraordinary performances by the entire cast is nick krause , who had me laughing out loud uncontrollably .",
        "as ever , payne -- adapting a novel by kaui hart hemmings -- walks a fine line between caricature and compassion .",
        "a tragedy infused with comedy -lsb- that -rsb- calls for a balancing act from filmmaker and star alike , a tightrope they navigate with nary a wobble .",
        "the challenge in describing the film is that it does n't neatly fit into any pigeonhole . it 's a serious movie that happens to have a sense of humor , because payne and his collaborators see the absurdity in everyday existence .",
        "as the morally conflicted and mentally distraught matt king , clooney gives what could be regarded as the most well-rounded and emotionally raw performance of his distinguished career .",
        "the story keeps you guessing as to where it will go , and it features some piercing moments of emotional truth .",
        "to call `` MOV '' perfect would be a kind of insult , a betrayal of its commitment to , and celebration of , human imperfection . its flaws are impossible to distinguish from its pleasures .",
        "there are too many times when you are not sure whether to laugh or be doleful or squirm . for example , the grandmother with alzheimer 's who thinks she 'll be visiting queen elizabeth . this turns into a tasteless judd apatow moment .",
        "it left me cold . the pathos is as unearned as the protagonist 's privilege .",
        "mahalo , alexander .",
        "a grown-up , perceptive , funny film about family and responsibility , subjects rarely covered in movies except in cliched , romantic terms .",
        "payne manages to keep the delicate balance between these antics and the somber nature of what 's happening in matt 's life .",
        "MOV hums along fueled by the imperfections that make us all human , while trying to uncover moments of grace and wisdom despite those imperfections .",
        "... we fill in vast gaps because we know and presumably like the star . there 's nothing really wrong with that , but payne 's done better work , more substantial work .",
        "no , it 's not sideways , but alexander payne 's emotionally complex drama is hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure , boosted by a stellar turn from george clooney .",
        "what a pity the artistic trust -lrb- director/co-writer alexander payne along with nat faxon and jim rash whose screenplay was based on kaui hart hemming 's novel -rrb- could n't find a way of making the protagonist 's character more sympathetic .",
        "speaking insightfully and realistically , george clooney , shailene woodley and amara miller are a delight to watch .",
        "`` the descendents '' is terrific .",
        "becomes a human , believable and quietly moving film .",
        "director alexander payne 's best film .",
        "hawaii 's lush and luminous landscape is well appreciated , but it does nothing to mask the maddeningly irrational plot-points payne expects us to swallow in the name of an alleged skewering social commentary .",
        "... all about taking things that could be salacious and sensational , and paring them down to a realistic , deeply affecting , human level .",
        "one of the ten best films of 2011 .",
        "as with sideways and about schmidt , payne finds clever ways to blend sharp comedy and warm drama to create a seriously involving and entertaining film .",
        "a kinder , gentler , less interesting alexander payne .",
        "payne has mastered the knack of balancing moods and tone , leavening complex emotional moments with sometimes downright goofy humor .",
        "a quirky , methodical detour through tropical paradise .",
        "it works like a charm ... to the extent that one 's critic self wants to resist the urge to break down why it 's working .",
        "this unforgettable movie succeeds by making audiences feel like a part of the family . clooney knocks it out of the park with a marvelous performance . woodley makes a strong bid for a supporting actress nomination . the supporting players are all given ...",
        "mockery and empathy seesaw , the balance precarious -- and thrillingly so . it 's the noblest kind of satire : cruel and yet , in the end , lacking the killing blow .",
        "a very good movie , filled with precious , small , touching moments . i suspect that it will stay with you long after the credits fade .",
        "this movie had me the minute george clooney , as the responsible but not particularly engaged matt king , describes himself as the `` backup parent '' .",
        "a family tragedy brings a high-powered lawyer closer to his two young daughters in this affecting and often funny comedy-drama featuring a deft star performance by george clooney .",
        "a richly rewarding , originally conceived , at times even oddly humorous and exquisite , sensitively crafted film . and in which clooney continues to move beyond movie star vehicles , and venture into risky roles like this bad dad , with humbling grace .",
        "it 's quite literally clooney 's best performance in a while .",
        "this mature , well-acted dramatic comedy is deeply satisfying , maybe even cathartic .",
        "flawless in the still manner it approaches crippling encounters with grief and disgust , dryly expressing the necessary unraveling of a distracted man . the descendents is simply terrific , profound yet understated .",
        "director and co-writer alexander payne again shows the most acute and perceptive understanding of the american psyche of any current director .",
        "the latest exhibit in payne 's careful dissection of the beached male , which runs from matthew broderick 's character in `` election '' to jack nicholson 's in `` about schmidt '' and paul giamatti 's in `` sideways . ''",
        "a family drama whose distinction comes primarily from its nuances and subtleties .",
        "i kept expecting it to get better , but it just sort of did its thing and called it a day .",
        "it 's clooney and woodley 's movie , as they become a team before our eyes .",
        "an introspective and heartwarming film , unafraid to convey its story with pleasing simplicity .",
        "with so many balls in the air the temptation is to rush from one plot strand to another , but payne takes the opposite approach . he also captures the complexity of emotional reactions that grief stirs .",
        "in playing an everyman stranded between anger and duty , clooney earns an emotional payoff that a lesser actor would simply demand .",
        "payne has a gift for life 's messiness , the mash-ups of pain , humor , anger , terror , and longing that collide in the midst of big moments and domestic dailiness .",
        "descendants is a good film , with strong performances and some wonderfully human , funny moments . but with a sharper screenplay , it could have come all the more closer to paradise .",
        "writer-director alexander payne 's fruitful collaboration with america 's premier actors continues with MOV ' .",
        "devastating , moving dramedy about death and forgiveness .",
        "`` the balmy breezes and small-town intimacy of island life give `` MOV '' a leisurely tone that distinguishes it from payne 's more angry-edged work . ''",
        "with a great role for a movie star , an idyllic setting and the best dialogue of the year-this might be the year 's oscar frontrunner .",
        "-lsb- clooney -rsb- is a movie star who ca n't shake -lrb- and does n't want to , one suspects -rrb- the baggage of that good fortune , yet consistently works to blend into the ensemble for the sake of story . MOV gives us his most emotional work to date .",
        "payne has always tended to look at society from the perspective of a curious , puzzled alien , but now the alien has grown moist-eyed and affectionate .",
        "MOV is probably the best film of 2011 .",
        "it has been over seven years since payne 's last film , `` sideways , '' was released and the man has not lost his touch .",
        "george clooney gives a wonderful lead performance in his new film MOV but clooney has always been more than just a handsome face , he 's a proper movie star and in that old hollywood tradition , he 's also an everyman , one of us .",
        "no doubt the awards hype around the film will get people into cinemas but it does n't warrant the attention considering payne 's previous work and clooney has put in much better performances .",
        "few films have captured so perfectly our awkward reactions to grieving that may be inappropriate - or merely human .",
        "understandable when dealing with payne 's typically directionless protagonists , MOV occasionally feels like it is unsure of where it 's going , yet it still always ambles along at a pleasant pace regardless .",
        "a thoroughly rewarding assembled-for-adults dramedy that benefits immensely from both its island locale and one of george clooney 's finest performances .",
        "MOV is a devastating and rewarding emotional journey .",
        "will keep you soaked in its melancholy until the very end ...",
        "sort of like a shotgun marriage between jimmy buffett and harry chapin .",
        "a dramedy directed by the same hands that helmed `` sideways , '' `` MOV '' is one of the year 's best movies . it 's a grownup look at loss and betrayal , with terrific performances and memorable characters you 'll root for , warts and all .",
        "overrated , but not a bad movie",
        "`` MOV '' goes on too long , but that 's its only flaw . and frankly , i can see why payne and his editor decided to go with this print instead of making some awfully tough decisions .",
        "MOV '' tackles some of the prickliest issues a contempo family can face with such sensitivity that it 's hardly noticeable you 're being enlightened while entertained .",
        "mark your oscar ballots : beautifully written , splendidly acted , alexander payne 's new serio comedy about love , forgiveness and redemption , adds another glorious panel to an already distinguished -lrb- if still brief -rrb- career .",
        "clooney and the elder daughter -lrb- shailene woodley -rrb- give oscar-worthy performances in this hard-knocks film that will have you laughing one moment and sobbing the next .",
        "a drama of unusual nuance . it lingers , spawns thoughts , connections , as a great film ought .",
        "after his last feature , mr. payne was compared by some to billy wilder for his wit , and by others to jean renoir for his humanity . after this one i 'd compare him to the man who made `` sideways . '' it 's the highest praise i know .",
        "it 's one of the year 's best pictures , one to savor and think about .",
        "its pace is as leisurely as a day in its hawaiian setting , which makes the lovely parts lovelier but its angsty moments even more torturous and uncomfortable .",
        "a splendid comedy-drama about a father coping with his comatose wife and difficult daughters represents high points for george clooney and alexander payne .",
        "callng chevy chase . george clooney has taken your role . MOV calls out for clark griswold and his brood -- the griswolds in hawaii . this time around george clooney plays the clueless dad .",
        "surprisingly warm feel good film about coping with a tragic loss .",
        "payne once again feels his characters ' pain and this makes for something very special , an achingly sad comedy of errors .",
        "MOV is beautifully shot -lrb- by phedon papamichael -rrb- and compellingly performed , especially by its young stars , and it has moments of startling tenderness . if only it did n't feel phony to its bones .",
        "MOV is a wonderful film , full of nuance and beleaguered humanity .",
        "a large patch of the movie 's social contract are the hawaiian notions of ` aina , malama and pono . it joins the short list we are n't embarrassed to screen for malahini .",
        "a heartbreaking story with satisfying emotional payoffs , and truly beautiful hawaiian photography .",
        "george clooney and shailene woodley are terrific as lost-soul dad and old-soul daughter in alexander payne 's funny , thoughtful film .",
        "marked by stellar performances and an incisive screenplay , MOV packs a real hawaiian punch .",
        "even as payne 's weakest film , MOV is still worth seeing",
        "i understand clooney is playing a detached father and husband , but there 's no explanation why a financially well-off man basically without a job has no clue about his wife and children .",
        "a tough , tender , observant , exquisitely nuanced portrait of mixed emotions at their most confounding and profound -- all at play within a deliciously damp , un-touristy hawaii that 's at once lush and lovely to look at .",
        "clooney will most definitely be getting an oscar nod for his touching , open and honest work .",
        "`` MOV '' has all the qualities of a special story . and it should be on the short list of oscar 's favorites .",
        "MOV has a jaunty , energetic air about it . it 's just the thing to lure you into the heart of a family tragedy .",
        "it 's a picture that once again prompts the self-answering question , `` is george clooney great , or what ? ''",
        "it 's more straightforward and sentimental than most payne films , and at times it lands very close to sitcom territory . but it also has scenes as wrenching and as true as any onscreen this year .",
        "in its mixture of wit , warmth , poignancy and perceptiveness , it 's a worthy addition to payne 's remarkable string of winners .",
        "easily payne 's most notable work since his 1999 breakthrough `` election '' and quite possibly the finest work of his entire career .",
        "in clooney , MOV has a backbone of anguish and basic , human decency .",
        "tough , touching and unsentimental , payne 's low-key hymn to loving , losing and learning to move on is a pleasing addition to an impressive oeuvre .",
        "payne has the ability to make something as rich and as joyous as sideways , and MOV is not it .",
        "george clooney shows up for oscar season more reliably than elmer fudd shows up for the first day of rabbit season -lrb- or maybe that 's duck season -rrb-",
        "are you ready for a forgiving , humane alexander payne ? he 's pretty good at it , even if it 's new to him .",
        "MOV gives george clooney another fine role as a comfortable man shaken by the realities of life .",
        "payne has a particular skill for making movie stars seem like normal people , and the resolute normalcy of the cast helps to show hawaii not as a resort paradise , but as a place like any other where people live , work , love , and die .",
        "payne continues to live up to his name as a wry observer of modern american crises .",
        "this intelligently written , beautifully photographed , intensely emotional family drama is among the best of 2011 and should earn george clooney an oscar nomination .",
        "... a typically watchable yet far-from-consistent effort from the filmmaker .",
        "a film that 's as moving as it is witty and dark . it 's simply terrific .",
        "has the same mix of lightness and depth of payne 's past films even if the material does n't feel nearly as strong .",
        "you care for these people , who are utterly real . they also have great lines , such as ` paradise can go fuck itself . '",
        "i 'm a notorious softie , and i found things to like about the film , most particularly clooney 's performance ; but i remained untouched .",
        "begins as a rambling tale about an inept father wrestling with tragedy and gradually builds toward a satisfying emotional payoff .",
        "the hawaiian setting gives MOV a distinctive flavor that survives payne 's efforts to bury it in schmalz .",
        "mostly , MOV deals wisely with the complexities of coming to terms with the death of a loved one who leaves a mess behind .",
        "it 's warm and human and beautifully made , and it is one more triumph in a long list of recent triumphs for george clooney as a movie star and an actor both .",
        "if there is a lighter side to director alexander payne , `` MOV '' is it .",
        "telegraphs every emotional beat and holds the viewer 's hand every step of the way , giving us the most sanitised and programmatic version of catharsis imaginable .",
        "clooney holds his tribe together",
        "MOV is a film that 's honest in its emotions . it effectively presents the consequences of adultery , the sadness in death and the love which family always have for one another , even when they hate what they 've done .",
        "a career-changing performance by george clooney , playing a dad - that in of itself is a seismic shift ; he 's nearly always been the lothario or lone wolf - coping with his wife in a coma .",
        "it 's possible to blame the book -lrb- as it 's -rrb- ... despite reviewer comparisons to roth and updike , just a longer version of judy blume 's tiger eyes .",
        "if you can get past all the heart tugging , life lessons and by-the-numbers bonding , there are a handful of amusingly offbeat developments and decent laughs here .",
        "a touching enough to recommend tale about an absentee father 's belated , if bittersweet , quest for redemption .",
        "becomes more enjoyable and somehow even looser as its plot tightens , and as the hand-holding narration disappears .",
        "it 's smart and beautifully made , but alexander payne had the opportunity to punch the audience in the chest , and did n't take the shot . pity .",
        "a masterful and emotionally rich movie about the grief of parting and the agony of separation in the life of a father whose losses lead to new and transformative connections .",
        "clooney offers an assured , multidimensional performance , nailing both the deathbed remorse and the physical comedy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "alexander payne has a knack for finding the humor in pain without losing heart .",
        "alexander payne has won an oscar for best adapted screenplay , but you 'd never guess that from this clumsily written drama .",
        "it 's such a disappointment that MOV -- alexander payne 's first film after a seven-year hiatus following sideways -- is n't a better movie than it is .",
        "alexander payne has been gone so long , it 's easy to forget just how good he is . with MOV , the director 's first feature since 2004 's sideways , he reminds us what we 've been missing .",
        "a guaranteed multiple oscar nominee and the film that cements alexander payne as one of the top filmmakers of his generation , MOV is nothing short of a masterpiece .",
        "payne introduces a circle of friends and family , and shows us the connections , and conflicts , in play . and he makes it all feel lived-in , real .",
        "i ca n't think of another movie this year that made me laugh or weep harder for the whole lumpy business of being - the compromises and connections that get us through the day and somehow add up to entire lives .",
        "from beginning to end , everything that happens in `` MOV '' feels false .",
        "this is a modest marvel of a movie .",
        "as is typical with payne , awkwardness abounds leading to some moments of excruciating comedy .",
        "not as laugh-out-loud funny or as overtly moving as you might expect , but with an underlying honesty and authenticity that make the characters linger long in the memory .",
        "as is the way with payne 's films , we go away feeling that every man is an island - and it 's only a matter of time before each of us finds ourselves deserted .",
        "-lrb- george -rrb- clooney gives a complex and complete performance as a man who put his career ahead of his family , and is stumbling to try to reconnect to make his life whole again .",
        "payne 's interest is the human drama : he 's very much the director-as-novelist and MOV has all the satisfactions of a story well told .",
        "set against the lush backdrop of the hawaiian islands , MOV is a heartbreaking portrait of a family in crisis .",
        "a non-preachy exploration of the depth , width and complexity of life , love and relationships , and this great gift we call humanity .",
        "the mix of slapstick and pathos is exquisitely judged , but the viewer needs to be patient for the film to work its magic . adjust to its rhythm , though , and you 'll be rewarded by a wry and perceptive view of the human comedy .",
        "moving , thoughtful and frequently hilarious , it 's good to have payne back .",
        "the saving notes are the film 's minutiae . there are dialogue moments in payne 's drollest , enemies-on-edge style .",
        "another winner for clooney and payne . warmly funny , and life-affirming .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- perhaps the best thing `` MOV '' has to offer is its depiction of hawaii as a place like any other that only appears as a tropical paradise on the surface .",
        "clooney delivers a tender performance that makes up for him not quite looking the part . woodley 's just as good , if not better .",
        "payne 's exploring new territory , but it also feels like he 's holding himself back , attempting to evolve through repression .",
        "another beautifully chiseled piece of filmmaking - sharp , funny , generous , and moving - that writes its own rules as much as about schmidt or sideways did .",
        "we get vested in the lives of these characters . that 's rare in a lot of movies . we come to understand how they think and care about what they decide .",
        "for these talented collaborators , the time is now , and MOV is the pinnacle of their successes",
        "`` descendants '' finds its footing , hitting payne 's unique note of comedy/drama , and benefits greatly from some terrific third-act appearances by actors in small but crucial supporting roles .",
        "this is stealth comedy , richly delivered , and the rising oscar buzz around it is deserved .",
        "a movie that manages to be heart-breaking and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time .",
        "a stunning tightrope act of comedy , sentimentality , drama , and the character definition that can only come from a man who has spent his life observing the complexity of the human race .",
        "`` MOV '' is one of the stranger and yet one of the more effective weepers in recent years .",
        "MOV may be director alexander payne 's finest outing to date .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "payne manages to give the film a lightness that makes it uplifting or at the least fulfilling , rather than depressing .",
        "the sharp wit and commitment to damaged men remain , but with his newfound appreciation of what goes unsaid , MOV sees payne finally becoming the filmmaker many have claimed he was all along .",
        "this film is one of the best films of 2011 and should compete for top awards when the academy awards roll around .",
        "it 's rare for a director to strike the right chord with every film but alexander payne has managed it .",
        "payne , whose early features were set in his native omaha , has always shown an acute if unconventional sense of place .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film 's tone is quaint but the story dramatic and the characters maintain the ability to shock and surprise .",
        "MOV becomes a kind of exhilarating , island-hopping road movie with matt as much in search of himself as of his wife 's mysterious lover . along the way he 's learning what it means to be a man , to understand himself and others .",
        "... a solid , grown-up film that reminds us that there 's real heroism in simply living day to day .",
        "uma narrativa artificial e fr\u00e1gil que soa mais como a vis\u0103o de um roteirista alienado de hollywood sobre a vida de uma pessoa comum -lrb- multimilion\u00e1ria , claro -rrb- do que como algo com o qual indiv\u00edduos reais poderiam se identificar de alguma maneira .",
        "there 's some pretty tricky material for payne and crew to navigate , but anchored by a terrific cast it 's a journey of hurt and healing that lingers .",
        "clooney 's understated modern man is not filled with self-importance , as he learns to appreciate what is truly important in life . ` MOV ' is pleasant if easy cinema .",
        "emotionally engaging and frequently funny , this is a satisfying drama with a sharply written script , likeable characters and a terrific performance from george clooney that 's certain to garner some attention come oscar time .",
        "as directed by alexander payne , the film moves seamlessly from wry humor to heartbreaking sadness and takes clever deviations from the expected ."],
    "summary": "funny , moving , and beautifully acted , MOV captures the unpredictable messiness of life with eloquence and uncommon grace .",
    "id": "771236985"
  },
  {
    "movie": "beastly",
    "reviews":
     [
        "maybe the next time they tell this story it 'll star the cast of jersey shore and the garbage pail kids . why should n't it ?",
        "in every aspect , from story to tone to characterization to visual aesthetic , it 's laughably perfunctory , as though everyone involved were too embarrassed to give it more than a half-ironic token effort .",
        "a tween-baiting update that sullies the elegant fairytale with privileged brats in penthouses . MOV is a crass , spirit-sapping bore .",
        "` MOV ' is a special brand of hogwash : a fairy tale that preaches inner beauty while refusing to obscure the looks of its doomed hero .",
        "fails to convince on every level , thanks to an ironically charisma-free performance from alex pettyfer .",
        "MOV has some groan-inducing lines and acting to match .",
        "it 's not nearly as bad as you 've probably heard , thanks to a mercifully short running time and decent performances throughout , but a sloppy script denies MOV the hormone-infused gravitas it desperately needs .",
        "MOV does n't quite cover it . not even monstrous , gruesome or grotesque come close .",
        "beneath it all , however , is a movie with a good heart .",
        "somewhere inside ` MOV ' is a gorgeous , intelligent film , straining to get out of a ridiculous subplot and dopey set-up .",
        "a clueless , pointless inanity that 's destined for the dvd discard bin , while disney 's 1991 ` beauty and the beast ' remains on the top shelf .",
        "another sad example of the twilight effect .",
        "`` MOV '' is a poor representation of its source material and creates a monster out of it its inherent themes .",
        "undeveloped characters , undeveloped performances , undeveloped emotions and a mess of a script that could have benefited greatly from an extensive rewrite . or at least some singing crockery .",
        "definitely appealing to teen girls , anyone else will only accompany them if they have true inner beauty .",
        "thoroughly solidifies the fact that cbs films ' head is firmly lodged up its cathode ray tube .",
        "... all strained wisecracks and moony teen angst ...",
        "the one thing that i could call a high point is neil patrick harris as kyle 's blind tutor .",
        "worth getting excited for the fact that it rings in a brand new subgenre : the post-twilight emo fairy tale . excited ? `` terrified '' , i meant to say .",
        "this is beauty and the beast for the twilight generation ; they 've paid for abs and sparkles , and they insist on getting their money 's worth .",
        "there are flashes of genuine wit and charm that , while they can not support the rest , hint at what was intended and not realized .",
        "for a fable about a magical curse , `` MOV '' is strangely earthbound . and once it starts , it just seems to go on sappily ever after .",
        "MOV is such an excruciating morality play that it feels more like a punishment to the audience than the characters .",
        "MOV starts off promising , but it turns ugly fast .",
        "teens convinced that a pimple will kill their social life will find MOV bracingly honest . it 's the cynicism , not the phoned-in uplift , that works in this jv grand guignol .",
        "lackluster romance is heavy on lessons about superficiality .",
        "MOV falls flat as a love story , and what we 're left with are a few interesting ideas presented in the most patronizing way possible .",
        "disney did it better but this is an acceptable re-telling of the old beauty and the beast legend .",
        "stunningly bad .",
        "MOV plays as an apologia for bad boys and the saintly girls who find them irresistible .",
        "you have to admire the bravery of the filmmakers , who went ahead and made a movie despite not understanding the subject matter . it 's also pretty impressive that anyone could miss the point of beauty and the beast .",
        "... MOV benefits substantially from an uplifting , thoroughly satisfying conclusion that 's arrived at without the assistance of a fake break-up ...",
        "at one point when hudgens ' character points out that she prefers substance over style , one can only wonder what she would have thought of MOV .",
        "resistance to this sort of commingling of the classical tale with the high school milieu is , as ever , totally futile , and to its credit , MOV does n't try so hard to fit within the framework of the fairy tale that it bends itself all out of shape .",
        "to redo the beauty and the beast and introduce a movie version of classic literature to a texting addicted , reading challenged generation , at least do it right .",
        "imagine beauty and the beast rewritten by a pack of teen girls high on twilight and gossip girl , and you get an idea of what you 're in for with MOV .",
        "an adequate updating of the `` beauty and the beast '' tale for a sliver of young film fans",
        "no one erred by choosing to mothball MOV for eight months . it was only in the mistaken decision to release it that the ugly came roaring out .",
        "MOV gets one timeless fact right : for hatchet faces , fatty cakes and frankenskanks , high school can definitely feel like a curse .",
        "meant to cash in on the craze for fantasy films about hormonal teens started by a certain chick-lit vampire series , MOV merely shows how twilight got it right .",
        "hudgens is a likeable on-screen presence , olsen a complete riot , and pettyfer teases teeny bits of a performance as a genuinely unpleasant baddie that could be the making of him one day , should the right script come along .",
        "daniel barnz 's movie certainly does n't have any inner depth behind its slick surface , but neil patrick harris 's nifty wisecracks , mary-kate olsen 's spooky glares and the brisk pacing means that MOV is n't quite as hideous as you might imagine",
        "under-rated .",
        "so this is n't a great re-imagining of the classic fairy tale beauty and the beast , but MOV does have mass tweener appeal .",
        "it 's basically programming a generation of young girls to yield to the will of a patriarchal society and grow up to become biddable stepford wives . this evil must be stopped .",
        "some snappy pacing and hints of pain throbbing beneath the cool sarcasm of teens push much of MOV past its skin-deep pandering to a teen demographic . still , this 21st-century fairy tale does n't wilt , but it 's not quite refreshed , either .",
        "... tone deaf -lrb- do students today really say `` hurl chunks '' and `` too cool for school '' ? -rrb- , predictably plotted , filled with drippy love songs that would embarrass bryan ferry .",
        "beauty and the blech .",
        "undermines its central message about substance over style by sacrificing characterisation for glossy visuals .",
        "beauty and the beast except with the lusty , gothic menace that makes that story interesting replaced by moany teenagers and crap acoustic guitar music . or , in short , dawson 's freak .",
        "a slipshod teen sudser starring 20-year-olds playing 17-year-olds penned as 12-year-olds .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- tin-eared , corny attempt at fairy-tale interpretation .",
        "i 'm not a 13-year old girl , so i could n't care less about pettyfer 's six-pack abs , so i was focused on what a horrible actor he is with some of the klunkiest , most ridiculous dialogue",
        "how ridiculous , corny , and obvious is all this ?",
        "more than lives up to its name with ultra-campy performances , high-glucose direction -lrb- daniel barnz -rrb- , laughable dialogue , cheesy effects and a back-lot simulation of a manhattan street that would n't pass muster on an after-school special .",
        "watching MOV is n't nearly as disturbing as reflecting upon MOV . so , if there 's an opportunity to immediately dive into a nap after a viewing , perhaps there 's a good time to be had .",
        "oh , yes , the script is a little ham-fisted , plowing through exposition and establishing character with a steam shovel , but in a tale like this , sometimes being obvious and cutting to the chase can be a virtue .",
        "it would be disturbing if it were n't so incompetently hilarious .",
        "i 'm a half-century too old for such tween swill as that which is regurgitated in cbs films ' MOV , '' another in the ever-expanding clones of twilight wannabes ...",
        "disney 's animated film featured characters that were more alive and human than this live-action film .",
        "roses and love bloom , and you might giggle yourself sick , but this is the kind of cornball entertainment that rainy afternoons were made for . throw in a cozy sofa too . MOV will size down well on your television .",
        "it takes guts to transform heartthrob alex pettyfer into a disfigured hero for the bulk of MOV , a contemporary retelling of beauty and the beast . it takes even more guts to do it differently than the book 's fans might expect .",
        "like pettyfer , vanessa hudgens is blessed with amazing looks to go along with her limited acting .",
        "there 's just not enough substance to make MOV anything more than another cheesy teen romance movie .",
        "MOV is just as superficial and obsessed with looks as the characters and the mindset it rails against , which would seem like a bitter , frustrating irony if it merited the emotional reaction to care that much .",
        "MOV manages to show you all the ways it might have worked by missing every available mark , sometimes by the gaping expanse between alex pettyfer 's ears , sometimes only by the feline curl of vanessa hudgens ' smile .",
        "in an era of bullies and mean girls , `` gossip girls '' and `` pretty little liars , '' it 's nice to have such a tenderhearted fairy tale .",
        "a pallid , formulaic teen romance that might have benefited from a little snark .",
        "it 's dogged by awkward dialogue , a ridiculous plot and lackluster performances , especially by the leads , alex pettyfer and vanessa hudgens .",
        "`` MOV '' is not the best or the worst teen movie i 've ever seen , but given the talented cast -lrb- especially harris -rrb- , i would have loved to see them tackle a more realistic reboot .",
        "MOV , for all its potential pitfalls , works better than it has any right to .",
        "there is one good thing you can say about `` MOV '' : the title perfectly sums up what you 'll see on screen .",
        "the best thing about this movie -- starring alex pettyfer , vanessa hudgens and mary-kate olsen -- is that it 's only 86 minutes long .",
        "what really grates about this movie , apart from the atrocious script , direction and acting , is the premise that `` unusual '' is synonymous with `` ugly . ''",
        "the hilariously awful tale of a selfish jerk who learns absolutely nothing ... full of helpful tips on dating strategies such as underhanded manipulation and blatant stalking .",
        "director daniel barnz casts his own spell of bad dialogue , soppy montages , and ringing cell phones as a plot device to ensure that the fairy tale retains no traces of the beautiful or bestial .",
        "blandly literal and flabbily familiar , the great irony of MOV is that this filmed version of the classic parable of how beauty is only skin-deep has so very little going on under the surface .",
        "poorly written , amateurishly acted and cheesily made , ... this high school morality tale that recasts the old fairy tale for the ` twilight ' audience ... resembles a chintzy afterschool special with supernatural overtones .",
        "trite and formulaic , MOV is an inoffensive snooze .",
        "a brain-dead update of the classic fairy tale whose feeble understanding of its own point runs only skin-deep .",
        "an intolerably sappy `` beauty and the beast '' for the clearasil set .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a sly and pleasant-enough young-adult programmer that is more likeable than not .",
        "everything and everyone looks very pretty , with even kyle 's disfigurement looking like it would make a cool t-shirt logo ; nothing , and nobody , makes any sense .",
        "beauty and the beast lite . might appeal to 11-year-old girls .",
        "MOV is tolerable enough for a march release . yes , that is damning with faint praise .",
        "sure , MOV 's underlying message is a worthy one , but by the time the film gets there the audience 's ability to empathize will be sorely tested .",
        "it 's possible you need a break from the dirty mind of `` twilight . '' but in favor of a dollar-store `` beauty and the beast '' with no mind at all ?",
        "from conception to execution , this is a misguided effort to update the classic fairytale for a younger generation ; if you like the fable , please revisit the 1946 jean cocteau film or even the 1991 disney animated musical .",
        "the filmic equivalent of the word , `` duh . ''",
        "it 's been over a year since cbs films launched and their curse still is n't broken .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "fundamentally misguided , poorly written , and badly acted , MOV adds little to the legacy of its timeless source material .",
    "id": "770809501"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10009926-alvin_and_the_chipmunks_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "surely this qualifies as cruelty to humans .",
        "it 's not all quite as absurdly endearing as the first film was , but it 's still pretty darn cute , and almost entirely inoffensive , certainly as kids ' movies go .",
        "its young target audience will find this latest chipmunks iteration entertaining . the story is simple enough for little kids to follow and at 88 minutes the movie does not wear out its welcome .",
        "it seems as if no professional actors were hired in the making of this motion picture .",
        "funnniest moment ? the loud snores from a fellow critic at the press preview .",
        "betty thomas delivers pretty much the bare minimum : peppy , brightly colored , tune-filled nonsense sure to meet the low , low standards of its pre-kindergarten core audience .",
        "will kids eat up this cutely fractious claptrap ? of course they will . they 'll eat up whatever you put in front of them . but that does n't make the squeakquel good for them .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- could be the most aggressively terrible movie of the year .",
        "there 's a lot of parents that will roll their eyes at this movie . however , it is very cute if you can get in the spirit of the movie , and kids are going to love it .",
        "it 's far from the most unpleasant kiddie flick i 've sat through this year , although i would be misleading you if i promised you lots of laughs .",
        "being aimed at children is n't a valid excuse for a movie to be simple-minded and illogical . you know that , right ?",
        "instead of paying for celebrity voices that are rendered unrecognizable , why not pay for better writers ?",
        "not so much good as it is low-key , amusing , and painless .",
        "parental content review",
        "whatever limited charms the first version had -- mostly david cross ' portrayal of ian , the greedy manager who exploits the furry creatures -- have since soured .",
        "the story is so paper-thin one surmises it was scrawled on soggy toilet paper somewhere",
        "the world 's most irritatingly high-pitched rodents are back and noisier than ever , in this lobotomised rip-off of the high school musical franchise .",
        "like the three stooges , mchale 's navy , and the brides of funkenstein , the chipmunks are a true pop-cultural sleeper sensation .",
        "they call this the `` squeakquel '' and that 's about all you 'll want to know about a film that remorselessly pulls all the levers of the first highly successful box-office attraction .",
        "this desperate sequel - sorry `` squeakquel '' - is such a blatant cash-in that the producers might as well have gone straight round to young viewers ' houses and stolen their piggybanks .",
        "richard widmark is dead but his spirit improbably lives on in this ` squeakquel , ' in which the allegedly adorable harmonizing rodents cause an old lady in a wheelchair to roll down a steep flight of stairs ...",
        "kids will love it but adults will squirm . a little squeak from the chipmunks goes a long way .",
        "the film never tries too hard to be cool , features adorable rodents in fetching knitwear , and includes helium-voiced chipmunks shaking their tushes as they cover beyonce songs . just great .",
        "blending cgi and live action , this `` squeakquel '' to the witless 2007 kids ' film proves just how dangerous such technology is when placed in the wrong hands .",
        "watching talented , funny people like zachary levi , david cross and wendie malick go from one demeaning and painfully stupid situation to the next is excruciating .",
        "despite its success as a babysitter for preschoolers , it 's a not a very good film .",
        "non-discriminating little kids will squeal with delight , but do n't expect them to learn anything other than the phrases `` dutch oven '' and `` pole-dancing . ''",
        "the film as a whole is only marginally less entertaining than playing roadkill frisbee .",
        "a disappointing sequel with painfully few laughs .",
        "the whole thing is rather insipid . but thomas makes it smoother and more palatable than it deserves to be .",
        "it 's mildly amusing and the climax is pretty exciting but , all in all , i 'm not sure the squeakquel was strictly necessary .",
        "the slapstick required of everyone , animals or not , will exhaust even parents who remember the chipmunks ' original hits .",
        "thomas brings a light campy touch as she did in 1995 's the brady bunch movie .",
        "three digimated rodents play guitar , go to school and create merry hell , all for the benefit of the `` holiday season '' audiences that made the original chipmunks movie a `` global phenomenon '' to the tune of 350m . that 's not phenomenal - that 's criminal .",
        "... silly but harmless ...",
        "is n't much worse than the original , but unfortunately it 's no better .",
        "even if there 's little here for older viewers to enjoy , youngsters will love the slapstick action and catchy soundtrack .",
        "there are plenty of lame pop-culture references to apocalypse now and taxi driver , should any losing-the-will-to-live parents need a final push over the edge .",
        "fractious , family-friendly and funky , it 's nevertheless cutsey charmless . expect an inevitable threequel .",
        "the squeakquel is astonishingly high-pitched , like 100 helium balloons being let off in your head . a caveat , then : dogs may pick up on subtleties i 've missed .",
        "what we 're offered is a succession of lifeless scenes punctuated by pratfalls that only a handful of kids in the audience found funny . next .",
        "alvin and the chipmunks : the squeakquel offers exactly two big laughs for its kiddo target audience -- one involves passing gas , the other a shot to the crotch .",
        "yes , it 's probably a good film for children . but when films far more sophisticated and enjoyable like `` up '' or `` where the wild things are '' come out , a film like this merely seems trivial .",
        "with an unengaging plot , flat jokes and shameless product placement , alvin is a late contender for worst film of the year .",
        "harmless , diverting and forgivably silly fun that will delight kids while keeping adults awake and , for the most part , amused .",
        "zachary levi is easily the single worst element of the squeakquel , which speaks to the depths of annoyance the actor plummets to . the cartoons show more wit and ease with a punchline than this guy .",
        "the chipmunks are as cute as ever here , but the plot is almost insultingly predictable , even for the youngest of viewers .",
        "the chipmunks , in the first film , were the mathematical creations of a computer ; watching the squeakquel , the fun of the first film fades away as you realize that this time around , you could just as easily say that about the script .",
        "kids will love this movie and % u2014 as history teaches % u2014 they love the chipmunks . it 's fast-paced , has plenty of music , a really funny fart joke and a happy-ending life lesson .",
        "this is perfect entertainment for those who find ` teletubbies ' and ` dora the explorer ' to be a little too highbrow .",
        "a half-assed , low-budget enterprise trading on children 's endless appetite for talking animals",
        "hollywood used to know that a good children 's movie is one that can be enjoyed by the whole family . it 's not just about keeping the 6-year-olds in their seats .",
        "there are worse forms of torture .",
        "an unsatisfying sequel to a very mediocre first film . it is so unfunny and painful that i actually saw people walking out of the free screening i attended .",
        "a frenetic but undeniably funny follow-up that offers twice the number of singing-and-dancing rodents in another seamless blend of cgi and live-action elements .",
        "ross bagdasarian 's enduring characters are a bit tougher to endure in this charmless sequel .",
        "perfunctorily cute , the only selling points of this squeakuel are its seamless mix of cgi and live-action , and that it goes by in a flash .",
        "at one point , cross 's character takes a full-frontal hit in the groin from an errant toy motorcycle .",
        "the earlier alvin movie made more than $ 217 million just in the united states . it 's hard to imagine this somewhat confused sequel doing as well .",
        "`` alvin & the chipmunks : the squeakquel '' is pure cinematic poison from start to finish and does roughly for holiday moviegoing what irving mainway 's bag o'glass once did for holiday gift-giving .",
        "little kids will love it . you 'll need a hazmat suit .",
        "if the chipmunks do n't make you smile , you 're nuts .",
        "it 's one that will keep little moviegoers happy without driving their parents too squirrelly .",
        "it 's not entirely thomas 's fault : what are you going to do with those fat-cheeked , helium-voiced singing critters but slap together enough `` awwww '' moments to make the toddlers happy and enough knowing winks to keep parental bums in the seats ?",
        "a surprising array of stars play the helium voiced sextet , safe in the knowledge that noone is going to be offended by this charming chipmunk squeakquel .",
        "as tedious as it is inevitable , alvin and the chipmunks : the squeakquel is as ho-ho-hum as can be .",
        "an oddly entertaining , if mindless , way to spend an hour and a half on a saturday morning with a seven-year-old .",
        "every time an adult ended up in traction or broke wind , the three-year-olds in the audience were freshly ecstatic .",
        "whatever slim charms there were in the nostalgic , musically cute and slapstick-friendly first film of chipmunk mania are squished right out of the squeakquel like so much rodent roadkill .",
        "the squeakquel is painfully high-pitched . it reaches frequencies that could make bats plummet from the sky , clutching at their little ears in agony . it 's as if a mosquito equipped with a power tool is attempting to drill its way through your eardrum .",
        "alvin , simon and theodore deal with the pressures of high school in this modest , family-friendly upgrade from the singing-and-dancing chipmunks ' muddled debut feature .",
        "a kids ' movie with few laughs for the older viewer .",
        "in a crowded cinema , this is every post-pubescent 's nightmare .",
        "a truly terrible , utterly witless comedy .",
        "alvin must be the most unsympathetic lead in any kiddie franchise , and having him do squeaked-up de niro impersonations does n't help .",
        "i must be the old stinker . i think that if you 're activities cause property damage , you 're a vandal . it 's not cute to behave irresponsibly if the result is thousands of dollars in repairs . that 's just destruction .",
        "easy resolutions pop up and there 's no real drama , with flat jokes , overacting and wasted comic-talent voices slathered between the plot 's thin slices-of-strife like cheap peanut butter .",
        "kids may enjoy -lsb- it -rsb- . but kids also would enjoy an all-candy dinner -- which is why grown-ups have to step in and help them make better entertainment choices .",
        "i never thought the day would come where i 'd wish i were watching scooby-doo rather than what 's actually onscreen .",
        "throwaway fun at some points of the film , but on the whole it 's simply very frustrating .",
        "were they always this boring ?",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "this squeakquel may entertain the kiddies , but it 's low on energy and heavily reliant on slapstick humor .",
    "id": "770805259"
  },
  {
    "movie": "talk_radio",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's midnight in america and there 's a lot of angry people out there in the darkness . if that 's the main point to oliver stone 's MOV , it 's the only one .",
        "if you 've ever listened to late-night talkback and found some of the callers unsettling , you 're bound to relive that feeling",
        "MOV ... is a nearly perfect example of how not to make a movie of a play .",
        "he asks an accepting audience , both in the film and in the theater : how much crap will you take , and why ?",
        "holds up a disturbing image of a consumer culture where trash is viewed as treasure and excess spells success .",
        "one of stone 's unqualified failures , by which i mean that even his usually muscular style ca n't partially redeem .",
        "oliver stone 's overly dramatic new ending puts a damper on things , but bogosian has never been more magnetic",
        "far more eric bogosian than oliver stone , and still timely , even after fifteen years .",
        "oliver stone ... turns -lsb- eric bogosian 's -rsb- play into a visually achieved , intense and unforgettable movie .",
        "powerful . eric bogosian is a revelation .",
        "if you think you 're unshockable , see this film and then see what you think .",
        "MOV has all the charm of a conversation with morton downey jr. and geraldo rivera . it 's fascinating without being likable . it 's exploitative , mean-spirited and angry ... and very compelling .",
        "oliver stone 's MOV makes you laugh , makes you mad and keeps you edgily watching for the killers in the shadows .",
        "just how far can barry go ? that ` s what stupified audiences will begin to wonder at the outset of this riveting drama .",
        "not to put too fine a point on it , bogosian is prickly , irritable , alienating and overwhelming . underwhelming , however , is the way that director oliver stone has taken monologuist bogosian 's intimate off-broadway play and `` opened it up . ''",
        "MOV is an exhaustively and exhaustingly unpleasant portrait of an unpleasant guy .",
        "as a director , stone has a way of merging with the point of view of his protagonists , which is to say that his films are as jittery , wired-up and fragmented as they are .",
        "the overall effect is disturbing yet mesmerizing ; most of the movie takes place in the radio studio while the hero is on the air , and the moral questions raised by his incendiary brand of broadcasting are left provocatively open .",
        "the monologues are chilling , but too many subplots interfere with them .",
        "the film has a purposefully repellent but fascinating quality . bogosian ` s performance , based on his stage play , is spectacularly demented .",
        "MOV is directed by stone with a claustrophobic intensity .",
        "powerfully directed by oliver stone , whose swirling camera transforms a radio studio into a white-hot caldron of words and emotions .",
        "stone wants more . in salvador and platoon he found drama to match his message ; here he must invent tragedy to suit his spleen .",
        "stone 's hyperkinetic direction keeps you riveted . he stalks every move champlain makes around the studio as he revs up bigots , druggies , sex fiends and religious fanatics whom he then viciously puts down .",
        "an underrated movie , MOV has matured into a strong reflection on the nature of celebrity . oliver stone has n't made many better films .",
        "this gripping picture dating from the time when director oliver stone made good films rather than sensational headlines , features a tour-de-force performance from eric bogosian .",
        "fueled by a brilliant performance from bogosian , MOV is an intense experience that will leave most audiences feeling drained .",
        "-lsb- eric bogosian -rsb- is what makes MOV worth seeing , and he is what you 'll be talking about afterward .",
        "bogosian commands attention in a patented tour-de-force . supporting performances are all vividly realized , notably michael wincott 's drug-crazed champlain fan invited to the studio for a tete-a-tete with the host .",
        "champlain 's distorted perspective is compelling , despite stone 's sometimes flashy direction as he attempts to wrest cinematic qualities out of the essentially stagey material .",
        "a riveting portrait of a complex man .",
        "MOV has the loony intensity of those impassioned conspiracy theorists who look out at the world and see patterns of corruption spreading in all directions ... it 's another of stone 's wake-up calls to america .",
        "the voice-in-the-dark hysteria comes no less out of stone , seizing the success d'estime transplant for the personal , even confessional , quandary of the anguished truth-teller in the end engulfed by the system ."],
    "summary": "the gripping union of a director and star at the peak of their respective powers , MOV offers the viewer a singularly unlikable character and dares you to look away .",
    "id": "15446"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_cabin_in_the_woods",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's fun and gives this genre a new twist .",
        "go .",
        "it 's funny and witty at times , and it has some decent jolts here and there . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "the wonderfully inventive meta-story leads to a riotous conclusion that trashes the rules of the teen fright flick .",
        "this cabin may not be the parthenon , but it 's definitely a place to worship the gods of horror .",
        "the script is inspired , the direction is sprightly , and the third act does not falter . and everything you need to know is in the title . well , almost everything .",
        "this movie gives me faith that hollywood is actually willing to do something outside the box in the name of entertainment .",
        "the expected happens , but with a twist .",
        "an entertaining and wholly original genre hybrid film that has more than a few tricks up its sleeves .",
        "this is the most fun i have ever had watching a horror film .",
        "if it 's true that you always kill the thing you love , then horror honchos joss whedon and drew goddard have taken an ax to slasher cinema in MOV and chopped it up for kindling .",
        "MOV stays strictly within the preset motion picture mandates . if two years on the shelf results in something this fun and refreshing , then all movies should be left to age . this one has matured magnificently .",
        "spectacle for spectacle 's sake , but infiltrated by intelligent commentary and an atmosphere of generosity and inclusion .",
        "for horror hounds who love a larf , and those of us who always wondered exactly what that dry-ice stuff that rises out of the forest-floor moss is .",
        "clever and inventive , the film delivers to the hard core horror fans as well as to moveigoers seeking wild fun .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- before you waste your time and money on this cinematic mongrel , check out `` mindhunters . '' it 's not a perfect slasher picture either , but it 's a damn sight better than `` MOV . ''",
        "this horror-reality movie is extremely well-crafted . it has some humor to go with all the mayhem and the story keeps you guessing for a while .",
        "MOV revisits the formula that lets viewers feel superior -lrb- in terms of knowledge -rrb- and also anxious -lrb- because of that knowledge -rrb- .",
        "it 's hard to overlook the transition from smart to smart-assed and the dispensation of credibility for a weightlessly nihilistic punchline .",
        "... dumbass slasher-movie hokum ...",
        "i wo n't be so bold as to declare ` MOV ' the best horror movie ever made , but it is sort of the ultimate expression of the genre . ` genius ' is a word i 'm toying with .",
        "veteran writer joss whedon and first-time director drew goddard deconstruct the horror genre like never before .",
        "unless you 're a whedon buff , wait for dvd .",
        "goddard and whedon clearly achieve exactly what they set out to do , even if it is just as clearly not in line with the mass audience 's expectations .",
        "all the meticulous buildup leads to a hugely satisfying payoff . despite all its ironic detachment , it has tons of laughs , some truly jaw-dropping moments , and a couple scenes of unexpected poignancy that make it more than a parody movie .",
        "not for the nervous , and possibly not for the novice horror aficionado , ` MOV ' is gory good fun that could easily be spoiled if i go into too much detail ... which i refuse to do .",
        "the setup is intriguing but the balance feels off . goddard and whedon overplay the winking postmodernism .",
        "the most daring , original , and innovative horror movie i 've seen in more than a decade .",
        "this is a movie that 's worth seeing ... for the clever story , for the hype . and the less you say about it to your friends , the better ... just convince them to go with you .",
        "to reveal anything more about this film would be criminal .",
        "MOV cooks up angles from every possible cliche horror film , pops them into the oven , peppers to taste and - presto - an original recipe .",
        "this movie borrows elements from several genres , throws the concoction into a blender and what comes out is a dish that is edible , but too soggy to enjoy . too hipster and meta for its own good .",
        "equal parts `` hatchet '' and `` hunger games , '' `` MOV '' is a successful mix of horror and science fiction .",
        "in the end , is `` cabin '' much more than whedon and goddard flexing muscles in mental masturbation ? not really . but watching them pull it off is worth a couple of tickets to their gun show . after all , as one character says , it is cooler with a merman .",
        "a forceful , funny , frightening and ingenious horror flick .",
        "it aims to play fast and loose with the splatter formula .",
        "do you remember what it was like to have fun -lsb- with -rsb- horror movies ? i do ... and so does the film .",
        "is it scary ? not especially . but there are enough gory surprises around every bend to keep you laughing/screaming/cringing .",
        "it 's fair to say this is n't just a horror , but one of those winking , meta-exercises in formula apparently written by a very sarcastic fanboy .",
        "a fantastically-crafted debut by goddard with so many moving parts , one would expect a far more experienced director would be necessary to pull it off .",
        "a super-entertaining , super-slick love/hate letter to horror with a final 20 minutes that 's stunningly bonkers .",
        "absolutely genius movie . totally brilliant ... i do n't know how anyone can possibly make a horror movie again . cabin renders all past and future examples of the genre superfluous ...",
        "look for it to thrill you , scare you and tickle you - all at the very same time . it 's a wild ride - hop aboard before someone spoils it for you .",
        "what the movie finally is , then , is a diversion : a reasonably smart and exceptionally well-constructed one . and nothing more .",
        "amusing , ingenious and unexpected , revealing what may really be lurking in the darkness .",
        "more than anything else , cabin feels like the endgame of so-called fanboy culture in the way in which it is first and foremost about itself , interested only in a fundamental adherence to rules of its own devising and fenced off from the world at large .",
        "a dazzling blend of scary movie clich\u00e9s and self-referential callouts subverted by a mind-warping twist that the writers roll out slowly from the beginning rather than saving for a conventional 11th-hour gotcha !",
        "i personally would n't consider it a game-changer but MOV kept me on my toes and has many interesting elements .",
        "witty , scary and wickedly entertaining , MOV takes on and savages the biggest monster in the horror genre : caricature .",
        "a bloody open love letter to the horror genre that 's funny , scary , and thought provoking . one of the best films of 2012 .",
        "the movie is one wonderfully , maze-like con game .",
        "some fans may not cotton to its over-the-top evisceration and reanimation of genre history , but i found it exhilarating , like one of those special-issue comic-book splash panels in which the artist tries to squeeze in as many superheroes as possible .",
        "what 's not to like ? horror fans with a brain will dig the clever script . the gore is there along with a true sense of concern for the victims . if only all horror films could be like `` MOV . ''",
        "a mind-blowing horror-show cocktail of gods , movie monsters and mythology .",
        "unflinching as it is unconventional , this gory composite of multiple genres also might be the first thinking man 's slasher film .",
        "whedon & co. obviously have more fun with this genre than most people .",
        "a smart , and occasionally daring , homage to horror movies that both satirizes the genre and brings new life to it .",
        "this sassy , exhilarating monster mash will provide riotous entertainment for all but the faint-hearted .",
        "the audience will have so much fun that they 'll leave the theater on a high rather than recognize that everything they like about horror has either been destroyed , or goddard and whedon think that it should be .",
        "MOV takes a stereotypical horror film set-up and does extraordinary things with it .",
        "but it 's not so much the `` why '' as it is the `` how , '' and i personally found the payoff quite satisfying .",
        "everybody likes to be in on an inside joke , but so many horror films have hopped onto the bandwagon of self-awareness that the joke itself may be getting tired . if anyone could reinvigorate the concept , it 's joss whedon and drew goddard ...",
        "while i feel the movie cuts to the chase a little too soon , possibly due to budget constraints , it 's one heck of an entertaining ride .",
        "and you thought you were just headed for a weekend getaway .",
        "a horror movie embedded in a conspiracy flick embedded in another horror movie-the most inventive cabin-in-the-woods picture since the evil dead and the canniest genre deconstruction since scream .",
        "this movie might look like a scream-fest from the outside , but what you get on the inside is a very clever and extremely funny pseudo-scarer .",
        "most horror movies adhere to genre conventions , subvert them or spoof them . producer joss whedon and director drew goddard , who wrote the screenplay together , do all three at top speed .",
        "the climactic one-two punch of special-effects chaos and meta-movie chin stroking should have the fanboys trembling with delight .",
        "it does n't always work and it 's rarely scary , but damn if it is n't entertaining as hell ... but goddard and whedon are striving for something more than just spectacle for spectacle 's sake , and that 's where they stumble .",
        "for the first two acts , it works better when it is going for laughs rather than scares , but by the time the climactic battle comes around all bets are off as the film turns into a willy wonka funhouse of homage and carnage that is most satisfying .",
        "as goddard and whedon jump back and forth , the pieces snap into place ; then just when you think you 've got it all figured out , they throw something else at you .",
        "it 's ... remarkable to see a mainstream movie touch on so many fascinating , powerful ideas without losing sight of its prime directive : to scare the socks off its audience .",
        "MOV does for horror what annie hall did for the romantic comedy .",
        "MOV is smart , savage fun written by fans for fans .",
        "an instant classic , endlessly clever and thrilling , and well worth the wait .",
        "playing on the cliches of the genre , the film avoids being a straight-out spoof by building to a satisfying , over-the-top climax .",
        "joss whedon and drew goddard have gone all out to revitalize -lsb- the horror genre -rsb- with their brilliant take on an old tale .",
        "not so much scary as it is a fun and twisted carnival of modern horror .",
        "this is a must-buy blu-ray . MOV is an excellent movie , it looks and sounds great , and there are plenty of informative bonus features . highly recommended .",
        "it works thrillingly for audiences , especially the pointy-headed kind who have been trained to predict the outcomes of every week 's slasher .",
        "MOV is nothing short of brilliant .",
        "anyone who presumes to love horror movies needs to see MOV .",
        "MOV is continually smart , funny and surprising , reflecting horror films back at themselves in new and exciting ways .",
        "from the moment the title card hits the screen , you 're guaranteed to be entertained as consistently as you are surprised .",
        "... a film of such frothy geekery that watching it is like having a comic-book store dropped on your head .",
        "clever meta-horror , with plenty of hyuks to match the yuks .",
        "MOV is a shrewd , ingenious look at the programmatic elements of the genre , a satire that is also a lenient celebration , and it could wind up being a set text in any ma course in horror .",
        "a supremely creative and original horror/comedy that goes in some genuinely shocking directions .",
        "it 's outrageous but also great fun .",
        "a horror movie that 's clever and surprising ? that 's entertainment . kudos to drew goddard and joss whedon .",
        "the only comedy-horror that ever worked was an american werewolf in london - and it worked because it was about character .",
        "`` cabin '' is so bent on switcherooing the heck out of us that it ends up resembling a tv soap such as `` glee '' ...",
        "whedon and goddard bake their cake and eat it too .",
        "you 'll feel like horror is revitalized , like its importance is more obvious than ever . that might be cabin 's greatest achievement , reminding us why we love and need this genre .",
        "one of those rare films that 's just pulsing with energy on so many levels - as genre-loving comedy , as straight-up horror , and as something you 've simply never seen before . MOV is a great film .",
        "wry nods to the evil dead , ringu , hellraiser and a tale of two sisters , among many others , will delight fanatics .",
        "cabin in the woods is witty , scary and incredibly inventive . this is a must-see genre bending horror movie - miss it at your peril .",
        "drew goddard 's giddily brilliant MOV has a lot on its twisted mind .",
        "though it has the potential for real greatness it settles for ultimate audience satisfaction , which is pretty close to greatness anyway .",
        "a massively entertaining , awesomely inventive twist on the traditional ` teenage kids go to a spooky house in the woods ' genre that falters in the final reel , when things get too bizarrely excessive .",
        "just take my word on it , this film rocks . if you are disillusioned with the state of modern horror -lrb- and you should be -rrb- this is just the shot in the arm the genre has needed .",
        "a surprisingly entertaining effort that works because it strikes a smart balance - embracing as well as rejecting viewer expectations and knowledge of the horror genre .",
        "even when all hell breaks loose , that hell is cushioned by air quotes , with the audience buckled up for benign , heady fun .",
        "a very entertaining , very intelligent dissection of horror movie cliches .",
        "cabin goes beyond the parody of the scream franchise into darker , richer territory .",
        "zest counts for a lot , and resonance carries the day .",
        "if you think you know where this movie is going , then you have no idea what you 're in for -- and that 's the beauty of it .",
        "the movie invigorates the genre , which is a rare and welcome thing .",
        "while this film is not for everyone -- those who like their slasher film cliches without irony should n't bother -- anyone who likes brains to go with their blood are bound to appreciate what whedon and goddard have conjured .",
        "one of the best movies of 2012 so far , in any genre .",
        "by the time the ride is over , director drew goddard and co-writers goddard and joss whedon will change course three or four times , nodding and winking but never losing momentum .",
        "whedon refuses to keep the clich\u00e9s entirely intact . in keeping with the overall theme , nothing is entirely what it seems , and nobody is entirely who they seem .",
        "though there are plot holes in the elaborately concocted scenarios , MOV gets points for the twists and turns that come along with its sly wickedness .",
        "quite a bit of it is great , and most of it works , and the stuff that clicks is outrageously entertaining and funny , sometimes with surprising depth .",
        "MOV is both chilling and cackle-inspiring . most significantly , it 's consistently surprising , and that alone is cause for recommendation in the age of endless reboots and the non-stop barrage of demonic possession movies .",
        "one part horror film , and one part comedy with a hint of self reflection on a genre lacking challenging concepts .",
        "cabin is really , really fun . but here 's my minor quibble : all the fun gets in the way of the scares .",
        "a much-needed smack upside the head to anyone expecting a typical slasher flick , and a must-see for anyone who 's ever wanted to smack any horror character for ever suggesting that everyone should split up .",
        "this long-awaited horror movie is smart and fun , packing unexpected surprises while cleverly recalibrating genre expectations .",
        "you should expect the unexpected and that 's what we get as a traditional horror movie set up gives way to some droll , increasingly bonkers post-modern nonsense ...",
        "this film plays with our expectations of what a horror movie is and tries to upend them , and for the most part succeeds .",
        "fans of whedon are fond of repeating the mantra `` in joss we trust '' - and with good reason .",
        "close to geek paradise ... the movie may be funnier than it is scary , but for the right crowd , this collection of nightmares will feel like the best dream ever .",
        "the script for this horror romp is almost too inventive , cleverly combining clashing genres and playing hilariously with a range of cliches while thoroughly grossing out the audience .",
        "the movie , heavily hyped by fanboys and long-delayed , is n't scary . by the third act , whedon has written himself and his characters into a corner too silly to gracefully get out of without cheating .",
        "where scream put a postmodern twist on slasher films , MOV takes on the whole genre and twists even harder .",
        "this is not a perfect movie ; it 's so ragged , it 's practically constructed of loose ends . but it 's exciting because it ventures so far off the map .",
        "it 's not until the last third that the movie shakes off the obligatory plot points and goes somewhere truly creative and interesting .",
        "there is a scholarly , nerdy , completist sensibility at work here that is impressive until it becomes exhausting .",
        "a post-scream scream , this genre puzzle rearranges the pieces to create quite the hoot .",
        "like scream before it , the film is a simultaneous dissection and celebration of all the tropes to which it pays homage , while also managing to be a superb example of the genre in its own right .",
        "you can expect twists , laughs and freshness .",
        "not all of the twists work , but most are self-knowing enough to keep you guessing until its -lrb- literally -rrb- groundbreaking conclusion .",
        "as a take-off on genre convention it 's amusing , even if as a horror movie it proves rather mild .",
        "mind blown , hair on fire . seeing `` MOV '' set a new personal benchmark for fiendishly creative takes on genre entertainment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i thoroughly enjoyed this movie 's gory silliness , but i have the feeling it may be overpraised for infusing a modicum of wit into a genre that usually demonstrates so little .",
        "you may think you 've seen this before , but you have n't seen it quite like this .",
        "the movie is smart , funny , unpredictable , deeply weird , and thoughtfully cast ...",
        "let 's just say that if you like smartly twisted spins on worn-out horror cliches and if you have a strong stomach for flying body parts , put down the newspaper/laptop and go - we 'll talk later .",
        "... fun and meta-aware , but hardly original - it 's like the scooby doo group entered an evil dead/chainsaw mashup via the truman show , and `` scream '' already ran with the concept .",
        "it 's a smart , nasty picture , reinvigorating stale screenwriting ingredients -- a delirious valentine to slasher archetypes and monster mayhem .",
        "to say that thecabin in the woods is n't your average horror movie is like observing that king kong is n't your average ape .",
        "all the actors do a decent job with whatever is thrown at them -- usually sharp objects .",
        "the result is a film that might be too smart for its own good , a piece of meta-fiction that 's all meta . MOV is n't trying to scare us as much as it 's trying to enlighten us about being scared , then settles for amusing us about it .",
        "whedon 's and goddard 's screenplay reads like both a love letter to horror movies and a good-natured treatise on what 's wrong with them .",
        "a fiendishly clever genre rubik 's cube that demonstrates , if nothing else , how much fangoria fare benefits from the wicked wit of a real writer .",
        "it 's all great fun until the ending , which feels a little too safe , simple and silly to what had otherwise been an enjoyably twisted horror film .",
        "MOV is a quick-witted , mind-bending fright fest . a truly rare and original horror film .",
        "in a year that 's looking to have a very strong lineup of horror and genre movies , it 's very likely that MOV will come out the king of the hill .",
        "would you like your head thoroughly messed with ? then check straight into MOV .",
        "the pleasure in MOV comes from its audacious tuggings-away of the dramatic rug under your feet .",
        "taking a leaf out of scream director wes craven 's book , joss whedon both uses and skewers horror film clich\u00e9s for this enjoyable tongue-in-cheek slasher .",
        "MOV is a horror movie about horror movies . except not really . it 's a horror movie about what horror movies do for us , about why narratives of horror mean something to us .",
        "a remarkable and genuinely captivating original .",
        "it has so much else going on with it that even those not already predisposed to the horror genre will find it a blast as well .",
        "the filmmakers have a real love for the horror genre and its tropes and archetypes , and while much of what goes on here will have special resonance for fellow buffs , you do n't have to be a scholar of spooky movies to appreciate how the story 's being told .",
        "MOV is a fiendishly clever , constantly imaginative horror thriller that keeps springing new surprises on the audience right up until the end credits .",
        "if you like nutty energy , wacky ideas , crisp dialogue and scary , bloody , gory , grotesque and twisted movies - man , are you going to have a blast this weekend .",
        "for all of its many intellectual pleasures , and smart commentary , cabin in the woods is a visceral roller coaster of a movie at heart . and like the best thrill rides , when it 's over , you just want to get back on and go again .",
        "everything about `` MOV '' is a delicious practical joke ...",
        "MOV has some big laughs and lashings of gore ...",
        "may be the strangest , yet , oddly compelling movie you will ever see in your life .",
        "a pulpy , deceivingly insightful send-up of horror movies that elicits just as many knowing chuckles as horrified gasps .",
        "movies that mean to deconstruct movies seem to be made solely by and for cinema vampires , those ghost-faced geeks whose pallor is rarely challenged by exposure to the sun .",
        "the less you know about this movie going in , the more fun you 're going to have .",
        "cabin is a meta-horror-comedy mash-up that , at least for two-thirds of its running time , holds together smartly .",
        "the end result is an admittedly uneven piece of work that does seem as though it 'd benefit from repeat viewings ...",
        "the best movie of the year so far .",
        "MOV manages to throw the horror and comedy genres into a blender , and the result is a delicious product that 's ridiculously fun and warrants watching at least once .",
        "i do n't know that this movie exceeded my expectations , but it certainly matched them .",
        "MOV is crammed with so many twists and turns that the mere thought of reviewing it and ruining the fun for others is scary in and of itself .",
        "this is a movie that knows it is capitalizing on the clich\u00e9s and stupidity of its genre , but refuses to bow to the same simple-minded standards to achieve something more",
        "an original and audacious horror-comedy that oftentimes works better than it should .",
        "one hottie , one cutie , one stoner , one jock and one intellectual go to a remote cabin in the woods . if this sounds like a setup for a joke , well , it kind of is .",
        "taking its cue from michael haneke 's deeper , crueler funny games , MOV explores why we-sicko viewers-take pleasure in the suffering of others .",
        "a great one-off idea brilliantly executed .",
        "the best thing to do in relation to MOV is to avoid spoilers and go see it .",
        "i have n't enjoyed a film as much since the artist , and this is easily the most fun i 've ever had watching a slasher movie .",
        "it looks as if the film has an ambition to do for horror cinema what the book of revelations did for christianity .",
        "whedon slays again with a triple onslaught of horror , humor & sci-fi . forget about staying away from the cabin ; rather , stay away from all the spoilers . just go and see for yourself .",
        "a next-generation scream , a self-referential horror film that tongue-in-cheekily deconstructs its own genre .",
        "a fun puzzle movie .",
        "the film manages not only to present the genre with knowing winks and give it a few necessary nudges but also treats it with undeniable respect .",
        "` cabin in the woods ' is not just a great horror film , but also a thesis on why we need horror films and what role they serve in our diet .",
        "the strength of ` cabin ' comes in the playful nature of the screenplay . goddard and whedon play everything tongue and cheek in a completely meta atmosphere .",
        "whedon and goddard are n't just having a fun little go at tired horror movie conventions -- they 're trying to nuke the entire genre .",
        "what follows is what could be described as a clever and wildly fun deconstruction and reassembly of the standard hollywood horror flick .",
        "it 's a horror movie about horror movies ; it destroys horror movies , too .",
        "keep your brain working while you watch this movie .",
        "the first movie in a genre often known for its meathead simplicity , that 's nearly undone by the scale of its ambition .",
        "meta musings leave this reviewer cold",
        "a smart and fun horror film",
        "toes the line between parody and deconstruction , but it transcends its subject matter rather than just subverting or co-opting it .",
        "utterly novel and audacious , MOV completely rewrites the scary movie as we know it . intelligent , imaginative and too much fun , it redefines and sets a new standard for the horror movies that will come after it .",
        "highly recommended for fright fans interested in a more cerebral brand of bloodletting .",
        "what do you do when a genre has completely played itself out ? you reinvent it one last time and let all hell break loose .",
        "whedon and goddard -lrb- who penned horror film cloverfield and here directs his first feature -rrb- have clearly had enough of the old clich\u00e9s . but out of their dissatisfaction they have created a cool , crazy movie .",
        "you need n't be a fanboy to enjoy the moment when the ride really takes off and the spectacle flowers . a scary imagination will do just fine .",
        "a motion picture about the endurance of horror as a historical watermark , where it has been , and where it might be able to go from here , it 's no less than an all-encompassing celebration of a too often spit-upon genre .",
        "on paper , MOV is an exercise in knowing the drill , but goddard executes it with serious brio and wit .",
        "the most maniacal monster movie ever created .",
        "the idea is to set up a movie we 've seen a hundred times before , and then to rearrange it into something new and deliriously satisfying .",
        "if MOV were a meal , it would consist of 90 minutes of studying a well-written menu , and then ordering the cream pie , which arrives in your face . sweet , sweet release .",
        "an entire row of what they call `` fanboys '' at the screening i attended laughed all the way through the movie , although i failed to see anything remotely amusing .",
        "enjoyable , blackly comic horror with strong performances , a decent balance of gore and gags and a script that 's both witty and inventive ...",
        "the filmmakers are less interested in providing a slow buildup to their frights than in splattering the clich\u00e9s of the form in funny , spirited ways .",
        "let 's just say that if you trust in all things joss whedon -lrb- director of the recent avengers triumph -rrb- , the mere mention of his skilful and inventive co-scripting collaboration with talented drew goddard will be recommendation enough .",
        "an amazing , tidy little thriller that , like its escher-like movie poster , gleefully turns the horror genre upside down .",
        "in order to subvert any popular form , entertainment first has to work on its own terms . goddard and whedon are too busy geeking out to bother with those requirements .",
        "what i can definitely tell you , without giving away any of its secrets , is that cabin in the woods is going to be a pleasant surprise for just about everyone .",
        "like most of the scream movies , MOV provokes chills of dread even as it hilariously deconstructs the horror movie sub-genre by sub-genre .",
        "do yourself a favor and go see it . then , when talking about it with friends who have n't seen it ... shhhhhh .",
        "i 've always wondered how people in horror flicks make such terminally stupid decisions ... and where the old coot predicting doom gets his information . this movie answers , in a freaky-gory manner so far off-the-wall that it could be a coffee table .",
        "a terrifying horror film , a cackle-worthy satire and a thought-provoking dissection of the genre .",
        "the target audience is clearly horror geeks with a clear knowledge of the genre and its cliches . but if you are one of those people , then you 'll probably not enjoy a movie more this year .",
        "certainly one of my favourite films of the year so far and a must-see for anyone wanting to be genuinely shocked by the places a walk in a dark , dark wood can take you .",
        "-lsb- whedon finds -rsb- an inventive way to subvert the genre with a re-twist of the dreaded knife of horror , and a very acute big brother eye .",
        "cabin is perfectly enjoyable without ever quite feeling like there 's anything at stake .",
        "i think you 'll find that your visit to the genre-bending MOV will prove to be one of the most unabashedly enjoyable trips in years . i hope you enjoy the ride .",
        "MOV will undoubtedly be one of the best horror-thrillers you 'll see all year , as well as one of the best films . it will also standout as an all-time horror classic .",
        "a deliciously dark horror-thriller that brims with twists , turns and sneaky secrets and manages to spin the horror genre on its head to really deliver some smart chills .",
        "this is n't just the funniest slasher movie i 've ever seen . it 's probably the slasher movie to end all others . there 's no point in making another . seriously , this film says everything there is to say about the genre .",
        "not since scream has a horror movie subverted the expectations that accompany the genre to such wicked effect as MOV .",
        "intelligent , witty and cine-literate in a charmingly self-referential way , MOV sets out to do something different and does it with bravado .",
        "detention , which will come out this year . . goes to the next level on meta movies . but cabin is n't trying to be meta ; it 's focused on genre . those are different types of satire so i can appreciate cabin taking genre further than ever .",
        "cabin in the wood has a lot of fun with the conventions of straight-ahead schlock .",
        "this may be the most creative american horror film in decades .",
        "MOV is the closest anyone 's ever likely to get to a lighthearted stoner version of michael haneke 's funny games .",
        "an absolute delight ; though i will not vouch for the delight apt to be received by those not well-versed in the genre it so playfully references and mocks .",
        "like a senior thesis about the modern horror genre masquerading as a movie",
        "quirky and fun but not as great as it thinks it is .",
        "clever enough stuff until the computer generated monsters run amok .",
        "... enough unemployed characters from whedon 's failed series dollhouse to staff every abercrombie & fitch in beverly hills .",
        "horror cinema subversiveness need not preclude actual horror , a fact that 's unfortunately lost on MOV .",
        "the finest horror comedy in years , MOV is a potent , hilarious apology for decades of generic horror fare .",
        "it 's pretty clear from MOV that co-writers joss whedon and drew goddard love horror movies almost as much as they are annoyed by them .",
        "the film deserves credit for trying something original and having the courage to follow through on its vision .",
        "`` MOV '' is a fantastic poke in the eye of our horror-movie expectations .",
        "funny , smart and blood-soaked use of an old horror trope . fans will spend much time freeze-framing the eventual video release to catch all the details .",
        "a genre-bending concoction of horror , action and comedy -- a big ball of evil dead , scream , matrix , the hunger games , scooby doo , zombieland , and a lot of season 4 of buffy .",
        "`` MOV '' gets at the story underneath the story , and the reason behind the clich\u00e9s .",
        "analyzing cabin in the woods after the fact is in some ways more satisfying than actually watching the movie itself .",
        "this movie has its tongue so firmly in its cheek , it 's poking through and making a really nasty hole .",
        "dare i suggest that -lsb- this film -rsb- is better at exploring questions about our voyeuristic culture ... than the hunger games ? yes , i think so .",
        "the less you know , the more you 'll enjoy it , and we 're not going to spoil it for you . that 's what the internet 's for .",
        "it sounds like the oldest horror story in the book but from the first scene of MOV it 's clear that the director , drew goddard , and his co-writer , joss whedon , are bent on turning the formula upside down .",
        "a genre film that offers a considerable amount of horror and a lot of fun , especially as the leading characters seem to be variations on the old scooby-doo team .",
        "a twisty puzzle , as promised by the rubic 's cube cabin on the film 's poster , this blood feast has gore galore to satiate your thirst .",
        "ranks among one of the most wryly self-aware works of american pop culture entertainment in years .",
        "really just another instalment in the live-action scooby-doo franchise",
        "horror films are supposed to be scary , but not very smart . MOV is both . it 's about as clever as you can imagine a film of this type being that is also this wicked and this brutal .",
        "set to emerge as the year 's best horror movie .",
        "clever enough to make you reconsider how you look at horror films . and a ton of fun , too ."],
    "summary": "MOV is an astonishing meta-feat , capable of being funny , strange , and scary -- frequently all at the same time .",
    "id": "770785486"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_future",
    "reviews":
     [
        "july 's film-making is a taste i have yet fully to acquire , but she has a distinctive vision , a style , placed before you on a take-it-or-leave-it basis . i took it .",
        "july , who gave us the lovably odd me and you and everyone we know , has layered on so much self-conscious whimsy - monologues from the cat , dialogues with the moon and other dashes of magical realism - that the central drama struggles to be heard .",
        "this strange film reminds me of some stories by franz kafka , such as ` the trial . ' it is a story which makes no sense when viewed objectively , but hangs together well enough as a subjective experience .",
        "nobody but july could have made a film so defiantly insufferable .",
        "parece apenas interessado em lan\u00e7ar o meme dos `` lolcatz '' como g\u0119nero cinematogr\u00e1fico .",
        "miranda july takes the twee and cute thing way too far this time",
        "many viewers , especially her detractors , ca n't see the forest for the twee in july 's films . that 's certainly true of `` MOV '' - but burrow down past the creepy-cutesy touches , and you find a film that 's painfully real .",
        "you end up feeling sorry for the cat but not for sophie and jason , who seem unable to deal with life , love or , in fact , anything .",
        "july 's new film is n't as witty or touching as her debut but she still manages in her off-kilter way to say something original about her characters ' hopes and fears and illusions ... but viewers with an aversion for whimsy should probably steer well clear .",
        "it 's parodic sundance independent cinema - pure , aimless , triple-brewed whimsy .",
        "miranda july may be a bit too weird for her own good . on the other hand , it is a glorious weird .",
        "it 's easy to be distracted by the talking cat or the talking moon , but they are merely wallpaper over a yawning chasm of panic and disappointment .",
        "july 's second film , while not quite as perfectly realised as her debut , nimbly avoids the ` sophomore slump ' , providing the curious with another window into her highly idiosyncratic world .",
        "kooky indie experimental film that might have something intelligent to say about leading a weird life , but was such a tiresome watch that it turned me off .",
        "whimsy both conceals and sugars some rather bitter observations on change and mortality .",
        "as they contemplate the difference between a couple of months and five years , sophie and jason begin to think more substantively about time .",
        "a playfully self-aware dig at the emptiness of some modern lifestyles that will make you check your own .",
        "i 've seen MOV ... and it 's not bad at all .",
        "not a crowd-pleaser by any measure , but a mature , bold and recklessly inquisitive film , however unpleasant it is to consume in the moment .",
        "july 's romantic fantasy of stagnation and romantic drift has depths , but they 're hidden behind walls of kookiness ."],
    "summary": "a dark and whimsical exploration of human existence that challenges viewers as much as it rewards them .",
    "id": "771225871"
  },
  {
    "movie": "swingers",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's not the most creative of plots , but it captures a generation and the down-on-your-luck-in-so-many-ways motif effectively : it 's like comfort food , with more heart than liman usually provides .",
        "what it lacks as a cutting character drama , it makes up for in easily quaffable lifestyle porn , though it 's up for debate whether one of those things is equal to the other .",
        "director-cinematographer doug liman gets points for breathing a bit of life into an already tired indie sub genre .",
        "four guys hang out , kid one another , get into scuffles and flash their gonadal searchlight for available women . yikes , have n't there been enough variations on the multiple-buddy movie ? actually , no .",
        "a winningly confident snapshot of the nightlives of a bunch of young showbiz wannabes in a very upto-the-minute hollywood .",
        "one of the sharpest male-oriented comedies of the 1990s .",
        "liman and favreau concoct a consciously derivative world for these guys , and though it 's appropriate to the movie , i got tired of it after a while .",
        "the arc is nothing new , but the writing and pacing make it fresh and energetic , at least enough for it to have became a cult classic .",
        "ninety minutes spent learning how not to pick up girls . this is what the movies were made for , is n't it ?",
        "directed in flair by doug liman , with winning performances from jon favreau and vince vaughn , this comedy is the most successful since diner of what could be described as a cycle of `` walking and talking '' and `` hanging out '' pictures .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- insubstantial but satisfying project that 's a good movie for 20-somethings and everyone else who wants to get a smile out of someone else 's relationship angst for a change .",
        "a guy film that gives you something to latch onto , that makes male bonding both believable and appealing .",
        "the film is so well paced that it 's an honest to goodness multiple viewer . in fact , it had more appeal to me on a second viewing , mainly because i missed some sneaky stuff the first time around .",
        "fresh , zesty , if unfortunately titled , MOV rocks .",
        "the ultrahip settings and characters are a great backdrop for an angst-y comic relationship movie . this one deserves a second viewing .",
        "captures the yearnings and motives - both romantic and pathetic - of guys in their 20s like no film since diner .",
        "promises more than it delivers .",
        "screenwriter favreau strengthens the characters and the reality of the situations by making wonderful use of language and male jargon .",
        "actor-screenwriter favreau and director liman demonstrate with MOV that they 're definitely ` money . '",
        "this kind of story -- a staple of low-budget features -- is getting awfully stale , and the injection of humor ca n't completely invigorate the proceedings .",
        "the acting is fantastic from everyone , epsecially favreau and vaughn : favreau shows great comic flair as the neurotic , down-on-his-self-esteem guy ; and vaughn is just , well , `` money '' -lrb- word for cool in their clique -rrb- .",
        "the movie is sweet , funny , observant and goofy with a small `` g , '' which means you do n't get paid , but at least you do n't have to wear the suit .",
        "inventive , smart and very funny .",
        "one of those very rare movies where you really come out a changed , happier person -- at least for awhile . hey , maybe i 'm money , and i do n't even know it !",
        "a swinging good time ! vaughn is a revelation",
        "mr. favreau wrote this screenplay with his real friends in mind . and the cast 's camaraderie is appealingly clear .",
        "rarely has the american male been portrayed more accurately ... or with funnier results .",
        "the first and best outing from favreau and vaughan . trendy , but hilarious . vegas , baby - vegas !",
        "this movie is definitely `` money , '' baby !",
        "this exercise in indie hipster cool is ` money ' -- and that 's no joke , baby .",
        "shows that honesty and humanity are n't incompatible with comedy in modern hollywood .",
        "blessed with a brilliantly quotable screenplay , one of the most electric and insightful ever written .",
        "like a les brown tune , a really dry martini and a hug from a good buddy , MOV makes you feel warm all over , baby .",
        "it 's no masterpiece , but it 's real .",
        "MOV is uneven , amateurish and borderline misogynistic . but it 's also very funny , and it never loses its cool .",
        "not only are its characters more realistic and sympathetic than quentin tarantino 's , but MOV is much more good-natured and even likable than anything he has ever done .",
        "favreau 's script and doug liman 's direction are what makes this little tale come alive .",
        "it has an energetic , snappy script , punctuated by countless great lines , a strong ensemble cast , while doug liman 's direction is fresh and alive .",
        "MOV has a few good laughs here and there , but never achieves anything poignant .",
        "an independent film shot for around $ 250,000 that lacks a cutting-edge , something indie films should not leave home without .",
        "jon favreau has created what amounts to a comedy with a national geographic twist , a charming , almost documentary account of the habits of the north american human male in the wild .",
        "not particularly insightful regarding male pattern loneliness ... but it is damn funny to a guy whose been there ."],
    "summary": "funny , heartfelt , and effortlessly cool , MOV made stars out of vince vaughn and jon favreau , established doug liman as a director to watch .",
    "id": "14550"
  },
  {
    "movie": "star_trek_iii_the_search_for_spock",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... a somber , mournful installment of the star trek franchise . and when the defining trait of your series is dullness , this is n't exactly the best strategy .",
        "an emotionally satisfying science fiction adventure .",
        "not bad , but the series would boldly go to better places .",
        "christopher lloyd !",
        "almost certainly the best of the `` bad '' star trek films ... and for the first 30 or 40 minutes , it 's not really even bad , to speak of .",
        "not many trekkies would list the search for spock as their first viewing choice , but it rarely lets you down .",
        "these are classic directorial occasions , and nimoy rises to them with fervor , in effect beaming his film up onto a higher pictorial plane than either of its predecessors .",
        "stirring but sad science-fiction enterprise .",
        "this 1984 film 's few and unimpressive special effects evidently qualify it as science fiction , but the genre it really belongs to is the male weepie : there has n't been a gooier buddy romance on the screen since joe buck took ratso rizzo to miami .",
        "it 's reasonably entertaining fare for non-fans .",
        "something of a let-down , a longwinded paean to the grandeur of leonard nimoy 's famous vulcan character , which should n't come as much surprise since nimoy himself directed it .",
        "directed by leonard nimoy , this episode could best be described as functional , in that the situation is interesting enough for a routine episode of the tv show .",
        "nimoy 's first turn at the director 's helm makes for reliable viewing , though no one will ever mistake it for one of the best .",
        "the enterprise crew blasts us with existential phaser hits , but this third series entry betrays its western roots so badly the spurs are showing . glorious - if derivative - fun .",
        "the best odd-numbered trek movie .",
        "all the old enterprise personnel carry the film , as it is more concerned with character re-animation than development .",
        "familiarity breeds contempt since this is not really a notable entry in the star trek series .",
        "` star trek iii ' takes nearly forty minutes , much of which is filled with silly , mystical exposition about the current state of spock 's soul , before things start moving . the last twenty minutes are equally slow , but the stuff in between is quite enjoyable .",
        "it has the physique and will of a bold adventurer , but it 's afflicted with acute brain-stem damage . mixed in among some of trekdom 's best moments are some of the canon 's sloppiest choices ...",
        "one of the best of the series .",
        "decent sfx , but a little more action would n't have gone amiss .",
        "may be the unappreciated middle child of the trek franchise , but it 's still one of better and more indispensable episodes .",
        "contrived but involving .",
        "this is a good but not great star trek movie , a sort of compromise between the first two .",
        "the humanity of the star trek series , unexpected as it is in a sci-fi setting , remains the series ' best feature .",
        "offers a thiought-provoking treatment of the mind-body problem .",
        "cheesy but cool , especially when spock gets his space burial by being ejected into space in a giant sunglasses case .",
        "if wrath of khan is the ` action ' entry and voyage home is the ` comedy ' installment , then search for spock is the ` drama ' - and it 's a damn good entry overall ."],
    "summary": "though it may be short on dazzling special effects , the search for spock is still a strong star trek installment , thanks to affecting performances by its iconic cast .",
    "id": "12642"
  },
  {
    "movie": "princess_diaries",
    "reviews":
     [
        "one can not dismiss a movie in which andrews , that rare woman in the hollywood garden of girls , reminds us that bell-like enunciation , unfailing politeness and proud posture are markers of self-respect accessible to all , whether commoners or royalty .",
        "the flaws in the MOV ' dated story line are numerous and irritating , its message about physical beauty is frustrating , and you might want to think twice before taking any curly-haired , eyeglass-wearing child to see it .",
        "the story it tells is distressingly out of date , especially in its antique notions of what constitutes `` success '' for girls .",
        "it 's not grand cinema , but it is an enjoyable confection that will give some families an excuse to spend some time together .",
        "the film is broad , cute , and calculated at every turn .",
        "not as sophisticated as pretty woman , but much more interesting than bride .",
        "the perfect film to take one 's daughter to .",
        "the film 's san francisco locale looks great , and the movie has random moments of sparkle . but it reeks of familiarity .",
        "the film is fun , though it 's easy to imagine a fresher , lighter version without marshall 's heavy showbiz hand .",
        "a sloppy and convoluted film .",
        "one of the most delightful and touching comedies to grace the big-screen in years that features no swearing , no sex , no violence , no drugs -- and no dull moments .",
        "a non-animated g-rated movie is a rarity these days but the rating here reflects the fact that all the guts , all the good stuff , has been exorcised from the finished product .",
        "its very unhipness is part of its charm",
        "a modest , enjoyable fairy tale that easily outcharms its animated stablemates of the past decade .",
        "if your child 's insecure about her appearance , do n't take her-it 'll teach her that she 's not valuable unless groomed,beautiful,self-sacrificing , & well mannered .",
        "`` above all , the MOV has heart . that 's rare to find nowadays ''",
        "the princess may need a therapist not a diary when everyone is finished with her .",
        "as slick , professional and bland as anything else garry marshall has directed in recent years , including 1999 's runaway bride and the other sister . he does n't do edgy .",
        "it is a charming bit of fluff , aimed at younger audiences , but there is not much cleverness to it and it is sloppily constructed .",
        "does raise a lot of decent if familiar themes , exploring teen self-awareness , self-consciousness , friendship , ego and the like .",
        "a charming story that transcends gender and age entertaining with sprightly ease .",
        "slugs through its almost two hour running time .",
        "i 'm sick of these movies .",
        "those in the market for what it has to offer will find it pleasantly agreeable , and those who are n't wo n't be in the theater in the first place .",
        "the film is so carelessly made that every surprise in the story is given away very early on -- we know from the beginning exactly what will happen , and scenes are so badly staged that any comic or dramatic potential is lost .",
        "a very watchable , very warm little disney comedy .",
        "as far out of the intended demographic as i am , i have to admit there were certain pleasures to the movie .",
        "`` the MOV '' requires a lot of suspension of disbelief , and if an audience is n't willing to go there , then the film simply does n't work .",
        "despite two decent performances from anne hathaway and julie andrews , this harmless , recyclable comedy by garry marshall ca n't help but deliver the same old thing , in the same old way , with little spark and even less believability .",
        "most of the plotting and situations are trite .",
        "those in the target audience will love it .",
        "the most surprising thing about this movie is just how little humor or heart it has .",
        "97 percent of the movie is ham-handed and by-the-numbers .",
        "surprisingly little time is spent mining the comic potential of mia 's education , with the comedy rationed in favour of a tiresome amount of attention lavished on her ongoing school problems .",
        "the movie is one to savor for its good humor and big heart , despite some hackneyed fairy-tale notions .",
        "a surprisingly sophisticated comedy .",
        "pretty and pretty amusing but wholly fake .",
        "gina wendkos ' script , based on meg cabot 's novel , leaves much to be desired .",
        "occasionally funny but more often hackneyed , schmaltzy , predictable and overdone .",
        "uninspired and forgettable .",
        "it works great for its target audience -- young girls -- but it will struggle to find its way with anyone else .",
        "this cinderella fantasy transforms a geek into a princess , and teaches a few life lessons along the way .",
        "the unexpected rewards of director garry marshall 's -lrb- `` beaches '' -rrb- latest spin on the well-worn pygmalion fairy tale are numerous .",
        "terrific fun for girls and their families , too .",
        "this fairy tale , which feels as if it were made in the 1960s , deatures a star-making performance from the child-actress anne hathaway",
        "notions of responsibility , surrogacy , rites of passage and the value of friendship are gone through , but the highlighting of modern tropes merely serves to emphasise the film 's conventionality .",
        "a light , uneven pygmalion story that may win young girls over with its wish fulfilment theme and teen movie staples , but does not live up to the expectations created by the cast and director .",
        "marshall milks the san francisco scenery for all it 's worth , but is all thumbs when it comes to squeezing the full comic possibilities of the story ...",
        "that this failed is largely down to the stilted , clich\u00e9d dialogue of the screenplay ; fans of the wittier novel by meg cabot may well be disappointed .",
        "it has a premise fraught with potential , but that potential goes largely unfulfilled due to a curious timidity by the filmmakers .",
        "it would probably best be reserved for a gals ' matinee out ... it 's like ` cinderella ' in modern dress .",
        "screenwriter gina wendkos , working from meg cabot 's novel , resorts to monotonous movie clich\u00e9s : almost uniformly cruel classmates and a callous , cacophonous mob of media jackals .",
        "a great chick flick that is fun for the whole family !",
        "the MOV can be quickly summed up as a series of bland vignettes about a 15 year-old girl 's makeover as if directed by an 80 year old man .",
        "amounts to a -lsb- pretty woman -rsb- sequel with a gangly teenager replacing the hooker with a heart of gold .",
        "it 's easy to suspend , or at least relax , critical capacties in the name of good , wholesome fun .",
        "a refreshingly -- but not aggressively -- reformist fairy tale that does n't talk down to its audience .",
        "there is n't anything distinctive to make it particularly memorable .",
        "bumpy but endearing .",
        "it 's just too bad that the filmmakers did n't pay more attention to delivering a well-made and at least somewhat original film that everyone could simultaneously enjoy and appreciate from a crowd-pleasing and artistic standpoint .",
        "a sweet movie from a sweet director .",
        "all young girls are princesses inside , although many do n't know it and some never will . the more movies that let us in on this wonderful secret , the better .",
        "only anne hathaway 's charisma and a cute script save this movie from becoming completely painful .",
        "entertaining , light-hearted , and maybe even a little wise .",
        "this old-time story works one more time due to newcomer hathaway .",
        "squeaky clean and rather sweet .",
        "hardly a cross-dressing update of my fair lady . but in its own blanded-down fashion , it captures just enough of that show 's metamorphic zest to make you wish it were .",
        "`` the MOV '' just gives a high gloss sheen to a perfectly average piece of disney live action entertainment .",
        "you can take your 5-year-old and her great-grandmother , and they 'll both enjoy the picture just as much as you do .",
        "the MOV is a sweet and absurd little fairy tale that should play better to its demographic than marshall 's reprehensible pretty woman .",
        "maybe if there was more of mia and clarisse knocking about frisco together and less of mia and her continual high-school tribulations , the MOV as a whole would feel just as special .",
        "the g-rated MOV could be a television pilot , but it ca n't hope to compete .",
        "aspires to be nothing more than a light time out for girls who still believe they can marry a backstreet boy . and it works as such . for all others -lrb- i.e. , guys -rrb- , it 's nothing to write home about .",
        "the movie seems to equate her life-changing decision with the choice to be confident in her newfound cuteness . yuck .",
        "it would all be agreeable enough if marshall did n't drag things out , making what should be a 90-minute disney movie into a two-hour affair that keeps getting sidetracked with needless subplots .",
        "too cute and too messy at the same time .",
        "gets the duckling - to-swan ambivalence just right .",
        "pack the girls into the minivan and rest assured that you and your offspring will leave the theater with a rosy , cheery glow .",
        "is breathtaking in its mediocrity and wrong-headedness .",
        "a delightful , amusing fairy tale that it leaves you wanting more .",
        "after a rocky start , the film gradually develops its own goofy charm .",
        "so aggressively bland and inoffensive that it practically recedes from the screen .",
        "the MOV is a march through the swamp of recycled ugly duckling stories , with occasional pauses in the marsh of sitcom cliches and the bog of idiot plots .",
        "even if the parents in the audience roll their eyes at this movie 's flimsy plot , clumsy dialogue and unbelievable characters , young girls will no doubt fall for the fantasy .",
        "the MOV is directed by garry marshall , which should make any thinking gal run screaming from the multiplex .",
        "an ideal family film .",
        "a half-hearted attempt by director garry marshall to rip off pygmalion , as well as replicate his smash 1990 hit pretty woman .",
        "modest at best .",
        "has disney wholesomeness stamped all over it .",
        "a likable throwback to an old tradition of pictures from the disney studio .",
        "gina wendkos ' screenplay dutifully installs roadblocks in mia 's path , but her future as princess is never in doubt ; it 's in her training where the comedy should lie , but virtually never does .",
        "a film that will drive you nuts because the momentum of happiness is soured too much by idiot plots , bad writing and too much wasted time on supporting actors in feeble subplots .",
        "fitfully amusing comedy .",
        "this is a great big luscious lollypop of a movie , terrific fun for girls of any age and for their families , too .",
        "it 's solid target-audience entertainment , but it 's also all-too-sappy filmmaking .",
        "andrews ' performance is the spoon full of sugar that helps this medicine go down .",
        "to be effective , many movies require the viewer to engage in a willing suspension of disbelief . for the MOV to work , the viewer will have to engage in a willing suspension of higher brain activity .",
        "this innocuous , frothy fairy tale is n't so off-putting as you might imagine , thanks in large part to andrews ' ageless charm .",
        "a welcome rarity .",
        "the MOV is n't always perfect . but it fills an empty spot in the hearts of girls of all ages who have been pining all summer for a movie like this .",
        "gooey , glossy and girly , it 's also a sweet and charming cinderella story .",
        "it 's noteworthy that the family-friendly disney film the MOV manages to wring some originality out of its fairy-tale plot .",
        "the classy julie andrews almost saves this picture from mediocrity .",
        "el diario de la princesa es el regreso de estos estudios a las comedias blancas e inocentes .",
        "the film was directed by garry marshall , who turned `` pretty woman '' into a fairy tale for big girls 11 years ago . in many ways , `` diaries '' is the g-rated remake ...",
        "despite the hackneyed quality of the pretext , nice performances save this film from itself .",
        "it 's a cozy message for young girls , even if it 's couched in a predictable plot that is pure disney .",
        "these diaries have too many dull pages and not enough juicy bits to keep you interested .",
        "... does n't hold much appeal for those outside its target audience .",
        "garry marshall directs with the same fairy tale charm he gave `` pretty woman , '' but without the disturbing prostitution angle .",
        "it 's another movie where teenage girls look like a bunch of unfeeling idiots or worse .",
        "it 's an absolute credit to the cast that the MOV has charm at all .",
        "what starts as a feel-good movie quickly degenerates into a feel-bored movie , not least because at two hours it 's at least thirty minutes too long .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a charming , if familiar , makeover movie for young teenage girls .",
    "id": "9627"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tin_cup",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a formula sports comedy with a lot of non-formula human comedy .",
        "the golfing equivalent of bull durham -- and just as enjoyable .",
        "this film 's overriding message is as pleasing as its flippant , skillful banter .",
        "as sports movies go -lrb- regardless of the sport -rrb- , this one turns in a respectable showing , injecting some intelligence and maturity into a story that easily could have succumbed to a flood of ` struggling underdog ' cliches .",
        "one of the best films of 1996 with its message that in love and in sports , playing it safe ca n't hold a candle to taking risks and acting from the heart .",
        "if you are a golfer , you 'll have a better time out on the links .",
        "MOV , starring kevin costner as a likable loser , accomplishes the impossible , maybe the unimaginable -- it makes golf entertaining .",
        "kevin costner 's golfing romance has ok swing but bad form .",
        "this is a marginally enjoyable film . it could have been a lot better with more effort .",
        "predictable and lame .",
        "like other shelton movies , it 's dappled with interesting characters .",
        "all the golf action and happy `` feel-good '' emotions that audiences expect -lrb- and want -rrb- but ... without following the traditional sports movie conventions .",
        "dispiritingly conventional and obvious .",
        "nobody in hollywood knows more about sports and is less sentimental about them than shelton .",
        "you can almost feel writer-director ron shelton praying for lightning to strike twice , but to no avail .",
        "MOV works for viewers of any handicap .",
        "as he always does in comedy , costner grants an irresistible gleam of gallantry to male mulishness .",
        "the dialogue and characters are convincing and intelligently developed . russo wears vulnerability and neediness like a second skin , while costner plays the tragic hero with considerable charm .",
        "what makes MOV such an unabashed pleasure is shelton 's care in writing and developing interesting characters .",
        "costner has n't been this charming and spontaneous for years .",
        "amiable and constantly amusing rather than uproarious , this mangy tale of a ne'er - do-well 's fitful assault on personal and professional respectability benefits greatly from kevin costner 's ingratiatingly comic star turn .",
        "the climactic game , in which roy , in a way that defies prediction , attempts to sink the shot of his life , is the most rousing sequence of the year , a celebration of what it really means to win .",
        "lose about 30 minutes and there may be a stronger film in there .",
        "shelton resurrects the likable costner of `` bull durham '' in this genial golf comedy .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- sweet comedy .",
        "give him a fleshed-out character whose sense of humor is as strong as his code of ethics , and costner relaxes and never puts a foot wrong .",
        "how could you not love the guy ?",
        "while the new movie is generally pleasant , it 's also creaky : you know exactly where it 's going and it takes too long to get there .",
        "you 're about to get bonked on the head with a has-been story , mediocre acting , and some squirmingly painful dialogue .",
        "unfortunately , much of the movie 's plot hinges on our belief that costner is hopelessly , head-over-heels in love with russo -- and they just do n't have any chemistry together .",
        "this is a pleasant enough throwaway film you will not remember in the fall .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- quirkily easygoing comedy .",
        "breaking down the golf trajectories into separate shots during the sports climax comes across as an expedient form of cheating -- the very opposite of authenticity .",
        "ron shelton appears to understand two things better than any other contemporary film-maker : sports , and kevin costner ."],
    "summary": "breezy and predictable , MOV is a likeable sports comedy that benefits greatly from kevin costner 's amiable lead performance .",
    "id": "13203"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1015052-night_of_the_living_dead",
    "reviews":
     [
        "landmark horror film somewhat blunted by bad acting .",
        "reinvented the american horror film",
        "there is a resounding lack of sentimentality that cuts through the death and chaos , as a desperate bunch of people fight to stay alive .",
        "shocks come from the way in which romero repeatedly presents a clich\u00e9d situations in which we think we know what 's going on , only for romero to pull out the rug from underneath , thereby producing a greater shock .",
        "it 's the funniest but most real-looking horror film ever made .",
        "gets under your skin and burrows into your blood and psyche .",
        "maybe the best movie ever made in pittsburgh .",
        "the latest `` ultimate edition '' features a digitally colourised version as well as an audio commentary by mike nelson .",
        "chuckle , if you can , during the first few minutes ; because after that laughter catches in the throat as the clammy hand of terror tightens its grip .",
        "this is horror at its most probing , subversive and socially aware , with a truly harrowing ending that reveals the dangers of misdirected fear and prejudice .",
        "i felt real terror in that neighborhood theater last saturday afternoon . i saw kids who had no resources they could draw upon to protect themselves from the dread and fear they felt .",
        "over its short , furious course , the picture violates so many strong taboos -- cannibalism , incest , necrophilia -- that it leaves audiences giddy and hysterical .",
        "a tightly-edited , claustrophobically-framed horror film that retains , along with its relevance , its ability to startle and appall .",
        "the grandaddy of them all . created a whole new genre '",
        "a doozie .",
        "one of the best films ever made , and possibly the most influential horror movie of all time .",
        "oft-copied zombie classic is still intense and gory .",
        "the racial subtext spoke volumes in 1968 . once the zombies start knocking , only a fool would cling to segregation .",
        "carve -lsb- s -rsb- open the guts of american culture , using violence and even the horror genre itself as a tool rather than an end .",
        "if -lsb- romero 's -rsb- original vision of the undead looks dulled by today 's standards , his embedded political commentary on racism feels just as sharp .",
        "director george a romero redefined the meaning of horror for fear-sated audiences in the 1960s with this seminal classic .",
        "subjects us to the kind of unrelenting nightmare we only wish we could wake up from .",
        "it 's pitch perfect in writing , mood , and scares , and still holds up to scrutiny , no matter how harsh .",
        "it 's a virulent portrait of an america in flux and decay , from the flag billowing near the graveyard at the start to its disturbing depiction of a lynch-mob mentality . but night also transcends its period through sheer intensity .",
        "the original and the best .",
        "`` MOV '' became a seminal film without being a particularly good one . it nudged horror movies away from creepy-but-family-friendly into adult films featuring gruesome violence and nihilistic overtones .",
        "i ca n't underrate its intangible ability to bypass my rationale and lunge straight at my subconscious . when it 's really cooking , it 's the scariest film i 've ever seen .",
        "this disc is done right !",
        "although pic 's basic premise is repellent -- recently dead bodies are resurrected and begin killing human beings in order to eat their flesh -- it is in execution that the film distastefully excels .",
        "george romero set a new standard for horror with this low-budget opus .",
        "romero saw the enemy , and they are the zombie masses among us . there is nowhere safe to hide .",
        "one of the most nightmarish films ever made , and one that 's still hard to laugh off today .",
        "there 's a brute force in MOV that catches one in the throat .",
        "seldom have so many pundit parses and public praises owed so much to so little as in the case of the career-launching ` MOV . '",
        "this little seat-of-the-pants regional production chewed up and spit out taboos like raw meat in a feral feeding frenzy .",
        "arguably the greatest horror film ever made - and one of the greatest in any genre - ` night ' is also the ultimate b-movie .",
        "sorry , but it really is n't that scary in this day and age .",
        "MOV happens to rank squarely with the greatest films ever made , period .",
        "a quarter of a century old and it is still absolutely terrifying .",
        "george romero 's remarkably assured debut , made on a shoestring , about a group of people barricaded inside a farmhouse while an army of flesh-eating zombies roams the countryside , deflates all genre clich\u00e9s .",
        "the dialogue and background music sound hollow , as if they had been recorded in an empty swimming pool , and the wobbly camera seems to have a fetishist 's interest in hands .",
        "this film managed to successfully mesh the concepts of flesh-eating zombies , isolation , and global panic realized on a claustrophobic and intimate scale .",
        "a spare , disturbing classic .",
        "it 's the anticipation of horrible scenarios that makes the film work so well .",
        "ainda hoje permanece como um dos melhores do g\u0119nero ."],
    "summary": "george a. romero 's debut set the template for the zombie film , and features tight editing , realistic gore , and a sly political undercurrent .",
    "id": "50375489"
  },
  {
    "movie": "brooklyn_castle_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "overlong . it wanders . it needs trimming . but the director never goes far wrong when she just hangs with the kids , focusing on their focus , capturing their disappointment at losses and the thrill of each victory on the chessboard .",
        "set against a backdrop of deep budget cuts and high-stakes testing , this story makes an eloquent plea for the crucial but endangered role of afterschool programs in public education .",
        "there is much of what you expect -- gifted kids , dedicated teacher , tense anticipation , thrilling victories . the characters are endearing and their stories are stirring .",
        "a truly wonderful , uplifting film - because it 's an emotional experience that 's driven by appreciating and celebrating what these young kids can do .",
        "among the team 's racially diverse roster , four leaders emerge ; sticking doggedly to the competition-doc template , dellamaggiore traces their parallel paths to the finals .",
        "it 's clear that chess is n't just a game ; for these students , it can also open doors .",
        "every player knows the finality when the other player sadly turns over his king , signaling surrender . we know it even better when we do it ourselves .",
        "it 's a heartwarming look at the exact reason why we need to fund after-school programs and give more attention to the arts .",
        "great story , well-made , what 's not to like ?",
        "as the film offers glimpses of the kids ' inner lives and external experiences , it helps you see how expansive both can be .",
        "beyond telling the touching stories of these unlikely champions , MOV serves to raise a battle cry for funding for after-school programs .",
        "it 's a wonderful documentary look at an astonishingly successful public-school chess program that manages to be more moving and heartening than you expect . which is saying a lot .",
        "the film 's structure is routine , but the film does n't sidestep its more serious issues , while its charming subjects make it a winner both on and off the chessboard .",
        "i might have preferred less of the focus on winning and losing and more on the cause , which i find strange coming from me , since i rarely am crazy about issue docs .",
        "if the film occasionally bumps up against the limitations of its spellbound-like template , its refusal to ignore the social issues outside of the classroom proves it 's more than simply a novelty human-interest story with impressive knight moves .",
        "we ... gain a keen sense of how chess in particular helps otherwise academically challenged kids find a way into their own brains .",
        "it would be easy for this film to be a very obvious , very shallow story in which the moral is that even kids from the worst possible circumstances can succeed . that 's not what it 's about .",
        "there 's an irresistible cinematic appeal to watching kids dedicate themselves to fundamentally non-kid-like practices like competitive ballroom dancing or studying etymology to ease their way in spelling bees .",
        "... a powerful and positive story about dedicated teachers helping kids succeed no matter what their circumstances",
        "like chess , not exactly a high-energy experience but seeing what these kids accomplish , seemingly against all odds is breathtaking all the same .",
        "... provides a corrective to the popular image of american schools as obsessed with sports and popularity , and it makes the strongest possible case for funding after-school activities .",
        "chess , brilliant young students and great teachers potent mix .",
        "MOV does a superb job of celebrating the triumph while reinforcing the relentless vigilance it requires from everyone involved .",
        "with MOV it 's really nice to see so many young , positive minds at play in the world , and to cheer on so many smiling children dreaming of enlightened futures .",
        "MOV is inspiring stuff that grabs you by the throat and will leave you cheering - quietly of course . no shouting in a chess match .",
        "there 's a general spirit of triumph and perseverance to `` MOV '' that 's inevitably uplifting .",
        "`` MOV '' easily checkmates your inner cynic .",
        "katie dellamaggiore 's lively and affecting documentary introduces us to a cast of characters that 's very winning -lrb- in both senses of the word -rrb- .",
        "the admirable MOV transcends its formula to become an optimistic look at extracurricular education and young people .",
        "an irresistibly uplifting doc .",
        "enlightening , inspiring and expertly crafted .",
        "MOV provides a snapshot of indomitable american can-do attitude , and gives one hope .",
        "we meet five of the team 's members and several of their teachers ; by its end , you 'll be rooting for them all .",
        "`` MOV is a compelling , engaging and inspiring documentary , featuring junior high kids that you can relate to . even if you do n't know the game of chess all too well , it wo n't stop you from enjoying this pleasant film . ''",
        "it 's not to sir , with love : it 's fierce ambition , the channeling of emotion , and hours of drilling .",
        "the i.s. 318 team ? a delightfully motley , vulnerable , multicultural bunch , whose addiction to chess has allowed them higher aspirations for top high schools and , eventually , college and careers . you will root for them like crazy .",
        "socioeconomic concerns bring depth to doc about pre-teen chess whizzes .",
        "as inspirational academic stories go , it does n't get much better than this .",
        "`` MOV '' is an engaging tale , and the principal is wrong : these kids are much more lovable than the yankees .",
        "heartwarming and educational .",
        "it pays to consider even the small details of society 's greatest investment in the future : our future generations .",
        "it 's deeply satisfying watching these public school , hard-knock kids win , and ms. dellamaggiore knows it .",
        "... a smart and emotionally satisfying documentary that also manages to show that not every american public school is a graffiti-strewn money pit .",
        "the message is that chess can motivate working-class kids to become better students , and though that 's nice to know , the movie does n't illustrate this theme in much depth .",
        "a great subject goes a long way in this standard but effective entry in the amazing-kids documentary category .",
        "this engaging , entertaining film might just spur you to become involved in some way in making sure that important and productive public school programs survive the recession and further budget cuts .",
        "what may well be the most optimistic , inspiring and downright thrilling movie released all year ...",
        "i do n't know diddly about chess , and i still loved it .",
        "castle is suspenseful , funny and , particularly in its depiction of the challenging home lives of some of the kids , moving .",
        -1
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is a warm , engaging , and even uplifting documentary about chess-playing whiz kids .",
    "id": "771271065"
  },
  {
    "movie": "in_bruges",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... quirky , engrossing and often mordantly funny ...",
        "if monty python made a black , shoot - 'em - up satire , this is what it would look and sound like .",
        "MOV may , at its core , be just another tarantino-esque shoot - 'em - up with jokes , but it 's been a long time since someone 's gotten one right .",
        "a brilliant black comedy that successfully moves from character-driven shenanigans to suspenseful thriller .",
        "as with all road movies , it all comes down to chemistry , and almost every character in MOV convincingly connects , selling the story 's absurd twists and turns .",
        "does n't need to be too hip or too cool to be damn good .",
        "this dark comedy shifts effortlessly between silly and sobering , and it finally gives colin farrell the chance to be as funny as we 've long suspected he could be .",
        "as the ` ironic ' contrast between historic flemish beauty and modern vulgarity and violence increases , the movie becomes overdetermined in its twist-of-fate plotting and over-reliant on thuggish humor ...",
        "mcdonagh shines more as a writer than director but he displays a fresh , darkly comic take on life that 's quite welcome .",
        "offbeat and off-putting , unless you 're really heavily into `` guilt and sins and hell and all that . ''",
        "a jolly satiric romp with very astute talents in all departments , including the travel agent .",
        "even when the film goes off the rails , however , it 's still a fun ride .",
        "after losing his way in things like alexander , ask the dust and miami vice , farrell has never been better .",
        "sharply uneven , MOV is a film of some charming scenes and witty moments , demonstrating helmer 's love for language but suffers from rough and frequent tonal changes .",
        "a shaggy , not-all-that-good-but-good-enough gangster comedy ... violent , intermittently amusing and very 1992 .",
        "the breeziness and eventual dramatic weight of the story , along with the hilarious , snappy dialogue , help the film rise above its basic ordinariness .",
        "good chemistry between gleeson and farrell , lots of wisecracks , laughs and blood .",
        "hard to beat a good crime story lightened up with honest laughter and existential angst .",
        "just when you think you 've seen every possible variation on the hit-man genre , irish playwright martin mcdonagh in his feature debut has fashioned an audacious combination of old world grace and modern ultraviolence .",
        "this half-comic , half-serious account of two irish hitmen who are sent to the titular belgian burg to cool their heels after a job is moderately fair as a nutty character study , but overly far-fetched once the action kicks in .",
        "maybe it 's just that the cycle of hitman film escapades is played out for the time being , but MOV might have been better off using a silencer .",
        "for all his movie 's tough talk , it 's a sometimes slipshod construction .",
        "playwright martin mcdonagh 's debut feature of his own script shows still-tentative cinematic skills , yet his flair for dialogue and inanity delivers the laughs as the bodies hit the cobblestones .",
        "MOV is funny and flashy , but as it ends you know you 've been laughing because it truly hurts , and every flare and flash of the talking and the killing have left something much more subtle burned into your brain .",
        "it plays really engagingly , with the leads doing a wonderful mutt and jeff act and the camera lingering lovingly over scenery that looks awfully pretty in the moments before it gets spattered with blood .",
        "this is funny and touching ; subtle whilst incredulous , any which way -- it 's clever , endearing and lots of fun .",
        "an intriguing mix of situational humor and existential dread , a balancing act of light and dark , memorably executed .",
        "one of the most original films in years .",
        "mcdonagh 's trademark is dark humor , the ability to humanize inhuman situations , and plot twists you do n't see coming . expect all of these here , along with gorgeous cinematography by eigil bryld .",
        "the first film to earn a place on my 2008 10-best list , MOV is a laughing skull of a movie .",
        "it 's got wacky hit men and wackier situations . and it 's intentionally funny . but there 's this unabashed sadness running all the way through it .",
        "if MOV does n't end up being the funniest and most quotable movies of the year , then it should be very close .",
        "the humour is offbeat and frequently very un-pc , the entire cast play off each other beautifully and this is all round a refreshingly original film .",
        "not a comedy for everyone , but definitely a comedy for some , especially those who enjoy dark , un-politically correct comedy and who do n't mind a bit of blood and violence amongst the laughs .",
        "an entertaining blend of dark comedy , gruesome suspense and tender emotion",
        "the dialogue is front and center , in spite of the picturesque setting and all the goings-on , and it 's the best thing about the film .",
        "everything comes together in a climax that acts like one in a standard crime thriller but means a bit more .",
        "the sight of a coked-up colin farrell karate-chopping a racist dwarf in the neck alone is worth the price of admission",
        "i thought it was fantastic .",
        "a near-masterpiece , impossible to pigeonhole or predict . it is the kind of great movie that could only be made by a neophyte .",
        "... it 's certainly difficult not to admire the fervor with which both farrell and gleeson tackle their respective characters and the film 's ample dialogue ...",
        "a film that 's so bloody wonderful -lrb- in both meanings of the word -rrb- that all other movies this year might as well go straight to video .",
        "MOV is the first movie by the celebrated irish playwright martin mcdonagh , who also wrote the script . it 's an electrifyingly funny take on the euro-gangster flick .",
        "visually stunning photography of the silent byways and crannies of the ancient medieval city of bruges frames a story of guilt and honor played out by wonderfully demented hit men .",
        "the handling of the violence seems like that line about jesting at scars if you never felt a wound .",
        "MOV is a weird mix of bloody violence and situational comedy that occasionally provides a sombre meditation on mortality , and even functions as a picturesque travelogue to boot . and it works .",
        "one of this holiday season 's most pleasant dark-horse dramadies .",
        "mcdonagh has an expert hand when it comes to depicting cases of arrested development like this , or characters whose conviction that they are `` nice people '' is baldly contradicted by the way they act .",
        "it was a joy to watch colin farrell rekindle the magic seen in his earlier performances .",
        "moonlighting playwright martin mcdonagh yanks a trapdoor on his gallows humor - jerking from wry cringe comedy to a surreal congregation of blind skinheads , fat americans and high midgets before a violent , solemn climactic parable about purgatory .",
        "no chit-chat passes by without an ornate bit of would-be profane drollery",
        "an offbeat black comedy , part buddy movie and part odd couple with better weaponry , MOV comes cocked with twists and surprises .",
        "entre la comedia negra y la tragedia sangrienta , una pel\u00edcula inusual y con ciertos rasgos de originalidad no apta para todos los est\u00f3magos o sensibilidades .",
        "MOV , with its blunt , black wit running up against its moral fiber , manages to have its violent-crime-comedy cake and transcend it too .",
        "the film is a trifle , but a darkly entertaining one .",
        "a rude and riotous laugher .",
        "the first great film of 2008 ... finally , an original hitman drama .",
        "it is easily one of the best debut feature films in recent memory . the notion of a pair of hit men cooling their heels as they 're forced to play tourist in a picture-postcard town is clever enough . but as the story unspools , it grows more intriguing .",
        "a kind of eccentric , wisecracking waiting for godot that shifts gears into a bloody , unpredictable action spectacle that never loses its heart .",
        "MOV is not a great movie , but there 's no mistaking that it 's the product of a great talent .",
        "nothing is new about MOV , and yet writer-director martin mcdonagh makes it seem fresh .",
        "overplotted , choppy , and contrived , it nonetheless has a curious vitality that makes you wonder where mcdonagh will go next .",
        "disappointingly strip-mines the very fatigued comic hit-man genre to diminishing returns .",
        "there are good moments laced through the severely uneven MOV , but the best reason for seeing it is bruges itself .",
        "marketed as a much faster-paced shoot - 'em - up than it ultimately is ... go for the scenery , stay for the act iii climax and ralph fiennes .",
        "the two lead actors , brendan gleeson and colin farrell , were great in their respective roles .",
        "when it is a dark comedy full of feisty dialogue and humorous pulp fiction-type exchanges , MOV is fantastic .",
        "brooding , tense , allegorical , quirky , tragic and unbelievably funny , MOV may be the most intelligent , introspective and bizarre gangster thriller in quite some time , perhaps ever .",
        "brilliantly sharp screenplay oozes pathos , incongruity and comedy of the blackest kind ... hilarious yet tragic , unpredictable yet conventional , but always involving and surprisingly moving",
        "if you 're stuck , MOV does n't seem to be a bad place to be .",
        "a very dark comedy that gets sillier and bloodier and less funny as it nears its violent conclusion .",
        "every once in awhile , a film will come out that just slaps you in the face . and i mean that in the best possible way .",
        "the performances , by both farrell and brendan gleeson , have an unpredictable , appealing , off-kilter , bull-in-a-china-shop quality that transcends the material 's innate familiarity .",
        "for a movie i knew nothing about going into , it really surprised me and i had a great time watching it .",
        "it 's definitely not to everyone 's taste , but the most interesting pictures never are .",
        "what 's a pair of irish hitmen doing MOV ? i.e. , what are two colorful but hackneyed movie stereotypes doing in belgium 's most well-preserved medieval city ?",
        "the movie gradually deepens from odd-couple comedy into catholic-themed drama , but it remains marvelously funny throughout .",
        "-lsb- director mcdonagh 's -rsb- seesawing between slapstick and horror comes across as opportunistic because ultimately he can not place the lives of these men in a credible moral context .",
        "a brutal and at times amusing excursion .",
        "it feels contrived -- often clever and sometimes funny but always self-conscious , one of those indie flicks where the damn quirkiness is plastered on and right in your face . it 's like an architect making the gargoyles the centrepiece of his church .",
        "while -lsb- director mcdonagh -rsb- proves less skilled at managing a plot-driven narrative , sensational performances from all involved -- farrell , dangerous and dim , has n't been this natural in ages -- more than shoulder the burden .",
        "gleeson and farrell have a fine , natural chemistry , so it 's a shame when circumstances change and rob the film of its greatest asset , especially when that charm is replaced by silly shoot-outs that leave the audience stranded in an unintended purgatory .",
        "MOV manages to toy with cliche while avoiding it entirely .",
        "if you could hoist a film on your shoulders and parade it through the theater for adulation and hoorays , the new british crime comedy MOV would be the one .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "gleeson is a delight and farrell gives his best performance in ages , capturing both the unrepentant philistine and endearing vulnerability at war in the tormented ray .",
        "gleeson reminds us that the best acting always looks like no acting at all .",
        "MOV is a refreshingly different take on the hitmen genre .",
        "the stars ' foul-mouthed riff on laurel and hardy is shamefully entertaining while director martin mcdonagh 's dialogue is cynical and disgracefully funny .",
        "MOV is a wildly imperfect feature debut , but it does make you curious to see what else mcdonagh has to offer .",
        "tightly scripted and intricately plotted , the buddy film manages the neat two-step of being simultaneously profane and engaging .",
        "i never expected to be moved by MOV , but i was .",
        "those who know mcdonagh 's work know a vein of darkness will run deeply through the comedy . it has seldom been darker . or funnier .",
        "almost certainly the most expletive-riddled film of the year , irish playwright martin mcdonagh 's feature debut puts a fresh spin on the hitman genre that 's part harold pinter , part laurel and hardy and part fellini .",
        "imperfect though it may be , MOV has charms that are difficult to resist , much like the city for which it 's named .",
        "clever , unpredictable and entertaining , with moments of anguish ...",
        "the twists and turns of mcdonagh 's elaborate plotting , its tremendous location of the medieval city of bruges in belgium , and the high level of performances from everyone involved makes it one of this year 's pleasures .",
        "despite its graphic violence , MOV remains a hilarious comedy with poignant moments , while never tipping over into maudlin territory .",
        "colin farrell has redeemed himself , and shown he is an actor of the first rank .",
        "mcdonagh 's dialogue is often bruisingly funny -- particularly once hambone ralph fiennes makes his belated entrance -- and his sense of the absurd never falters .",
        "mcdonagh directs with supreme confidence , just as he writes .",
        "if you enjoyed last year 's underappreicated you kill me , book yourself a return ticket to bruges .",
        "while the individual parts of the movie satisfy , MOV does n't really come together as a whole .",
        "funny and thrilling , you 'll find redemption MOV",
        "despite the contrived conclusion , it all works marvellously , and that 's thanks to some terrific performances .",
        "mcdonagh does n't quite reinvigorate the genre , but if you liked lucky number slevin or you kill me , you 'll like this too .",
        "full of black humor and sharp comedic jabs , but with an undercurrent of genuine soul searching .",
        "for all its very snappy dialogue and daringly crass humor , MOV aims to be about , in one character 's words , `` guilt and sins and hell and all that . ''",
        "there are several standout moments , but as a whole it feels rather flat and arrested . for a film about purgatory , however , that might be appropriate .",
        "unfortunately , the finished product is lost somewhere in the messily finger-painted tones ; bruges is a decent blast of uneasy cinema , but is ultimately crushed under the weight of its own self-adulation .",
        "` MOV ' discloses nothing that is not at once discernible and , even with new wrinkles , does not measure up against better caper-gone-awry works .",
        "could colin farrell 's true calling be as a comedian ?",
        "you 'll be glad you spent time MOV",
        "this film debut by the theater writer and director martin mcdonagh is an endlessly surprising , very dark , human comedy , with a plot that can not be foreseen but only relished .",
        "it may be a tarantino knock-off in the end but it is one of the most entertaining tarantino knock-offs that i can recall seeing in recent memory .",
        "... intriguing mix of bloodletting and laughter .",
        "fun fun",
        "with MOV , the british gangster movie gets a croydon facelift . it may not be new , but it 's a wonderfully fresh take on a familiar genre : fucked-up , far-out and very , very funny .",
        "hugely enjoyable , frequently hilarious comedy-thriller with a superb script and terrific performances from gleeson and farrell .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- ntellectual slapstick , a ticklish combination of comic torment , a brutal grasping of life 's fickleness , and sheer bloody violence that is like a shout in the dark against it ...",
        "the unbelievable sensitive hit men trifle might have worked if it was just a travelogue about the belgian flemish fairytale medieval city of bruges .",
        "but for all the showy action and spurty blood , it 's the evolving intimacy between ken and ray that is most compelling in MOV .",
        "mcdonagh breathes new life into moldy pulp fiction tropes with a heavy-duty helping of irish catholic angst , mixing the sacred and the blisteringly , side-splittingly profane .",
        "as the film reveals its surprising depths , its witty convolutions and its deep sense of irony , you realize that you 're in the presence of something unusual indeed .",
        "as a black comedy , MOV is a work of comic genius .",
        "it somehow manages to never stop being brutally funny , while also becoming tragically bleak .",
        "MOV is a haunting and hypnotic movie , just the thing to get lost in .",
        "too good for action , its action is flaccid ; too good for hip , its hipsterism is tired .",
        "writer/director martin mcdonagh has created something tonally unique , a film that is hilarious and tragic , irreverent and wistful , peopled with characters learning to love life with death all around them .",
        "a perfectly titled and thoroughly engaging -- if at times gleefully violent -- black comedy .",
        "farrell has n't been this good in some time , and his loose , funny performance suggests he should try comedy more often .",
        "-lsb- mcdonagh -rsb- talks a blue streak beautifully , but he has yet to find the nuance and poetry that make his red images signify with commensurate sizzle and pop .",
        "a fantastic start to a new career .",
        "... not , fortunately , a hollywood film and does n't dumb down for its audience . instead , martin mcdonagh makes you pony up and pay attention to his complexly woven tapestry .",
        "an unfunny comedy , this dismal effort is so full of plot holes it could pass as swiss cheese",
        "its mock-artistic thriller trappings notwithstanding , ` MOV ' is basically a funny , tragicomic two-hander , with the casting of farrell alongside gleeson enabling a pleasing irish inflection .",
        "a morality tale with a distictly coen-ish air , making excellent , occasionally surreal , use of a great location and lacing the comedy with bloody unpleasantness . it even has a quirky score by coen collaborator carter burwell .",
        "a double-act with depth , the cast of MOV seize upon an invigorating script and defy expectations .",
        "it 's like prime era mamet with relentless , unstoppable super-profane dialogue !",
        "colin farrell raises eyebrows , belly laughs and sympathy in martin mcdonagh 's debut feature .",
        "ralph fiennes is no sexy beast and writer/director martin mcdonagh is stronger on dialogue than story , but this is still a laugh-out-loud dark comedy , giving colin farrell his finest role in ages .",
        "there 's a mametian rat-a-tat to mcdonagh 's dialogue , but the offbeat humor and the characters ' genuine pain and regret feels unique .",
        "MOV has unforgettable moments of depth , lots of pitch black humor , outrageous , unbelievable twists that are nevertheless quite entertaining and the teaming of gleeson and farrell who jointly deliver an acting knock out .",
        "a wonderfully absurd film . mcdonagh is never stuck for a brilliant kiss-off line . i doubt he 'll ever be stuck for an audience either .",
        "farrell has brought his a-game to this cracking little comedy-noir written and directed by martin mcdonagh . he is absolutely superb .",
        "feels like two short films bolstered end to end , one a deliciously dark comedy with a heart of gold and the other a less accomplished gangster flick that is too derivative and neatly tied up for its own good .",
        "MOV lurches from pretty but uninformative tour-of-the-town footage to static conversations between ray and ken , dully framed .",
        "all the proletarian poetry in the world ca n't save this movie from its blurry mess of mixed motives .",
        "... the -lsb- year 's -rsb- first terrific -lsb- film -rsb- . ... -lsb- n -rsb- ot to take anything away from the others -lsb- but -rsb- the big surprise here is just how hilarious farrell is .",
        "when it 's funny , it 's hilarious ; when it 's serious , it 's powerful ; and either way , it 's an endless pleasant surprise .",
        "martin mcdonagh 's raucous dark comedy teeters between cheeky humor and violence , overplaying both to varying degrees .",
        "after playing one too many sullen poseurs it 's clear colin farrell and ralph fiennes had a ball making an inky black comedy seething with grandiose invective .",
        "for what it 's worth it 's not often you get to see an angry irish hitman doing coke while hanging with dutch prostitutes and a racist dwarf .",
        "a bravura , genre-twisting gem . this is one picture that packs a wallop .",
        "fun romp filled with likable hit-men , breezy dialogue and unexpected diversions .",
        "a cleverly written and humorous script by renowned playwright and director martin mcdonagh , together with outstanding performances by colin farrell , brendan gleeson and ralph fiennes , results in one very brilliant film .",
        "the revelation is farrell , whose natural petulance as an actor has never chimed so well with his deeper reserves of childlike vulnerability .",
        "the word ` unexpected ' is a severe understatement when regarding the narrative genius of MOV .",
        "in the end , the only problem i see with MOV is that it will be a tough film to market to a mainstream audience .",
        "what could have been an all-too familiar story of guilt , betrayal , male bonding and honour among thieves , gets a smart , endlessly surprising treatment here .",
        "MOV earns its laughter -- gales of it , if you 're tuned into its chattering rhythms . but its triumph lies in mcdonagh 's ability to seamlessly merge such snappy , waggish tones with bleak tragedy , and not compromise the story 's truthful integrity .",
        "it all gets a little bit chaotic but at the same time i enjoyed this film .",
        "sure , there are clumsy film edits and there are too many close-ups , but an emphasis on character and acting is exactly what is missing in much current film .",
        "in terms of showing what farrell is capable of as an actor and not just as a marquee name , MOV stands alongside the new world .",
        "famed irish playwright martin mcdonagh 's film debut MOV is a ferociously funny , deadly serious character study of two dublin hitmen holed up in the titular belgian town .",
        "... has trouble balancing the movie 's twisted humor and explosive violence , creating glaring shifts in tone that make watching MOV a wild , if only sporadically satisfying , trip .",
        "like farrell 's shaky shooter , this comedic thriller hits its marks most of the time .",
        "it 's hard to mix dark wit with real tragedy , but that 's what writer-director martin mcdonagh pulls off with MOV , a wonderfully realized examination of unintended and deadly consequences .",
        "those who can withstand the verbal assault on their sensibilities will be rewarded . the film features some very good performances , as well as an interesting take on the morality and mental strain of being a killer .",
        "` after i killed him , i dropped the gun in the thames ' -- so begins MOV , an insanely clever thug 's tale so rife with obscenity that those 11 words form one of the longest complete sentences that can be repeated safely here .",
        "MOV is memorable for its two leading men , whose mutt and jeff killers are nearly as fascinating and likable as those played by samuel l. jackson and john travolta in pulp fiction .",
        "MOV is what guy ritchie might dream about making if , in fact , he could make a worthwhile movie anymore .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- mcdonagh got winning performances from all of his cast , and the film exudes a charming sense of fun .",
        "writer-director martin mcdonagh revels in splattering his profane , bloody film all across bruges ' lovely cobblestones , and the result is a spectacular , hilariously transgressive debut .",
        "in the end , MOV is a bit arch and artificial , but it is more than redeemed by farrell and gleeson 's presence , and by the bushwhacking wit of the film 's writer/director .",
        "melancholic music and a torpid pace do n't make MOV profound , but they are symptomatic of this phony , pretentious crime film 's schizophrenia .",
        "it 's obvious why -lsb- director -rsb- mcdonagh wanted to launch his film career with bang-bang instead of talk-talk . but his timing seems off .",
        "not entertainment for the faint-hearted and mindlessly censorious , and in this particularly chaotic period , it seems right in tune with the times . it goes almost without saying that the acting of the three leads is , in a word , splendid .",
        "it 's deeply insulting to movie audiences when an award-winning playwright thinks that this sub-tarantino nonsense carries the essence of cinema in some way .",
        "here is an unapologetically irreverent european flick that makes subtle character development as effortless as colin ferrell 's upward bent eyebrows .",
        "once the shooting starts , everything collapses , and the ending is the kind that causes head-shaking . it 's as if the filmmaker realized he wrote himself into a corner and had to resort to a contrivance to bring things to a close .",
        "no one wants a movie that tiptoes in step with political correctness , yet the willful opposite can be equally noxious .",
        "a cold little jolt of cruelty , which is more than most crime thrillers can offer .",
        "nothing more than a modern film noir incongruously set in a medieval city , but ... made enjoyable by its unusual locale , tart tough-guy dialogue and a strong cast .",
        "a gruesome , confused stumblebum of a movie .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "featuring witty dialogue and deft performances , MOV is an effective mix of dark comedy and crime thriller elements .",
    "id": "770679093"
  },
  {
    "movie": "not_another_teen_movie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this parody of teen comedies is just teen comedy by the numbers , for those who can only count to three .",
        "a film 's always in trouble when it has more screenwriters than cast members .",
        "with so many gags coming at us so fast and furiously , some of them are bound to misfire . but , hey , that 's ok : there 's always another gag around the corner , and chances are it 'll be funny .",
        "surprisingly funny .",
        "beyond the obligatory sight gags -- and a french-kiss scene that would simply stun the aarp -- much of the film elicits little more than weak giggles .",
        "laugh-out-loud funny at times , comic bits that , no matter how stupid or base , make it virtually impossible to suppress a chuckle .",
        "there simply is n't anything to say about it -- good or bad . maybe that 's because it is n't a movie at all , just a string of scenes .",
        "while not oscar-worthy stuff , MOV does make the laughter grade .",
        "many of the movie 's targets are just too big and too obvious to elicit more than a smile of recognition , and the movie quickly degenerates into little more than a game of spot the -lrb- generally unfunny -rrb- reference for fans of the teen genre .",
        "in director joel gallen 's attempt to spoof the genre , he has merely added another lame entry to it .",
        "plumbs new depths of offensiveness for its stomach-churning crudities .",
        "for anyone for whom these films are a guilty pleasure , this pretty much delivers in terms of silliness and over-the-top laugh attempts .",
        "it is obvious that the creative forces did not take the film to seriously and if you do not , you just might find yourself laughing along .",
        "... crude and unfunny , one of those movies that seem to be put together by cynical marketers who have reason to be convinced american moviegoers will laugh at - and celebrate - any movie that `` dares '' invoke scatological play and sexual titillation .",
        "... any flick that features molly ringwald as a woman who hates teenagers is okay in my books .",
        "uses the unwelcome scary movie method of spoof comedy , in which timing is ignored and jokes are prolonged and beaten to the point where they 're just obvious , not funny .",
        "teenage wasteland -- strictly for older teens .",
        "filmmakers showed great affection for the material they parodied and this is always an important ingredient for any successful parody .",
        "MOV is a little like watching christina aguilera make fun of britney spears .",
        "not too bad as long as you know what you 're getting into ...",
        "gruesomely unfunny , an appalling debacle that 's like one long , agonizing groan ... an astoundingly awful picture .",
        "it ca n't help but fall prey itself to a final deadly genre clich\u00e9 : its soundtrack outsparkles the movie .",
        "not only is it consistently clever , but it has respect for many of the movies it lampoons .",
        "stupid , offensive entertainment delivered with nothing more than a smirk is still stupid and offensive .",
        "a lowly slice of wanton vulgarity that will have people smacking their heads and exclaiming , ` not another idiotic spoof movie ! '",
        "like the generations it entertains , the vitality of the teen movie genre waxes and wanes .",
        "too much of MOV simply duplicates previous films , without adding anything .",
        "forget the teen movies ; what this one has to worry about is audience members thinking ` not another parody . '",
        "natm gets in a few good jabs , but to call this a movie is to malign such thoughtful , well-constructed films as dude , where 's my car and freddy got fingered .",
        "for every one and a half good jokes , there 's a bad one , yet when its funny , its more often than not , very funny .",
        "we can proudly agree that it is indeed the most obvious and hypocritical comedy of 2001 .",
        "almost immediately disposable , fading from memory before it even ends .",
        "the targets may be obvious , but director joel gallen and his squad of screenwriters happen to be the first to open fire . they ca n't help but score plenty of hits .",
        "one of the most incompetent , thoughtless , witless , smug , cynical , one-dimensional , puerile , boring and deadening movies i have ever seen .",
        "no vale la pena gastar el dinero en un monumento a la estulticia y la superficialidad como es esta cinta .",
        "just when you think films have got as bad as they 're ever going to be , along comes a picture that takes cinema to a whole new level of shoddiness .",
        "will you remember -lrb- it -rrb- six months after you see it ? probably not . but you will remember that you had a good time watching it .",
        "this scattershot and dissolving satire accomplishes nothing more than recycling copycat material from the idiotic teen films of today and yesteryear it thinks it 's skewering in savvy fashion .",
        "nothing here breaks new ground , but funny is funny is funny , and joel gallen 's sly little movie is funny enough .",
        "a blandly attractive cast , hit and miss jokes , excessive helpings of scatological humor , unsure direction ? sure seems like another teen movie to me .",
        "for the most part natm requires passing acquaintance with the source material .",
        "by the time a member of teen-movie royalty makes a cameo in the film 's finale , MOV has long exhausted any hope of succeeding . instead it becomes , well , just another teen movie .",
        "if ever there were a genre long overdue for a vicious lampooning , it would have to be the clich\u00e9-plagued ... teen comedy/romance . now the time for reckoning has arrived .",
        "teen is nothing more than the timelessly crude throwaway project it wants to be .",
        "i admit i laughed once or twice but not enough to recommend anyone plunking down hard cash to see it .",
        "a willfully bad film that makes fun of inadvertently bad films : the results are predictably unwatchable .",
        "it was not good to see yet still more wretched excess in the jokes about characters being sprayed with vast quantities of excrement .",
        "a headache-inducing , lame-ass ride down memory lane .",
        "MOV is a happy , nasty and frequently hilarious assault on 20 years ' worth of youth pictures .",
        "another major culprit here is joel gallen , a former mtv exec whose idea of ` direction ' is to drive a joke into the ground and continue to milk it long after it has become annoying .",
        "despite an occasional laugh here and a chuckle there -- comes off as a hit or miss endeavor that unfortunately has more of the latter and never comes close to kicking into comedic overdrive .",
        "the makers of MOV should be embarrassed that , in parodying she 's all that , they copied most of the plot and then made a movie that bogs down in the same places as the original .",
        "save your time , save your money , save your soul . stay at home .",
        "joel gallen -lrb- who created the mtv movie awards -rrb- and screenwriters michael g. bender , adam jay epstein , andrew jacobson , phil beauman and buddy johnson all seem to have labored under the delusion that alluding to pop-cultural tropes is inherently comical .",
        "if you look hard enough , you will find the inner beauty within MOV . you will win the big football game , and become prom queen , too .",
        "more often than not you 'll be groaning from painful recognition rather than actually laughing .",
        "more like a game , with checklist of the stereotypes and classic teen film scenarios , than it is a movie .",
        "how do you take jabs at things that were supposed to be comical in nature to begin with ? MOV never quite figures out the answer to this .",
        "perhaps the most tasteless comedy ever aimed at a multiplex . at least until the sequel .",
        "there is , apparently , a very fine line between parody and suckiness . spoof films , by definition , take ideas one step further than their predecessors . MOV goes an extra couple steps , and it all comes off as frantic desperation .",
        "MOV perfectly sums up how i feel about it .",
        "it 's a bad sign that the features MOV is parodying are funnier than the movie itself .",
        "a cinematic mad magazine aimed squarely at the toilet-humor sect .",
        "yeah , it 's another teen movie , all right -- the worst one ever made .",
        "has about as many laughs as groans .",
        "wonderfully good spirited and unabashedly raunchy .",
        "nothing like a vulgar teen comedy to whet a dry holiday whistle , but i 'll take mine with splash of humor .",
        "i left with an overwhelming feeling of what might have been -- not a lot unlike , i suppose , the high school experience itself .",
        "only randy quaid is able to do something with this detumescent script .",
        "spotty , only slightly inspired and occasionally amusing fluff .",
        "MOV is hollywood 's answer to the whoopee cushion .",
        "what scream did for horror movies , this movie does for 80 's - 2001 teen movies , with a great soundtrack .",
        "a big , fat , juicy spitball lobbed , with mostly dead-on aim , at the teen-smarm clich\u00e9s that have accumulated like so much earwax over the last three years .",
        "unlike young frankenstein , airplane or the first naked gun , MOV fails to stick to a story and carry it through to the end .",
        "it 's stupid , it 's obvious , it 's scatological and violent -- but it made me laugh and i 'm giving it thumbs up , god help me .",
        "half the jokes in this one are funny and work , while the rest are unfunny and lame .",
        "if you have a high tolerance for unblinking gross-out gags and you love making fun of freddie prinze jr. flicks , odds are you 'll have a good time with this one .",
        "a breath of fresh , frisky air , even if it does hinge on cliches .",
        "along with this venial sin of simple redundancy , the picture commits the less pardonable crime of commercial irrationality .",
        "if you have n't brushed up on the latest freddie prinze jr. bomb , you 'll simply feel stuck in detention .",
        "crass , misogynistic , homophobic and racist , it lacks finesse , originality and humor .",
        "references are n't the same thing as jokes , and often a gag peters out before the scene is over .",
        "the jokes are overlong and lean heavily on the most obvious and most raunchy .",
        "the cinematic equivalent of being near-drowned in human excrement .",
        "no one expects a movie like MOV to be anything but silly and crass , but one could hope it could be more consistent and less vulgar .",
        "the level of cleverness rarely rises above the parody of shannon elizabeth 's character in american pie .",
        "a clever satire that 's layered like a breakfast club sandwich with sly in-jokes , sight gags , gross-out scenes , and , of course , requisite bathroom humor ."],
    "summary": "natm has some funny moments , but the movie requires the audience to have familiarity with the movies being spoofed and a tolerance for toilet and sexual humor to be truly effective .",
    "id": "14614"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cinderella_story",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie strains to bend the fairy tale to accommodate another coarse high school comedy of air-headed teenage vixens ganging up on a meek little angel .",
        "the sort of entertainment that makes you happy to be grown up and able to avoid the current onslaught of trite , lazy , unimaginative films aimed at tween-agers .",
        "what we have here is a failure to communicate anything the least bit interesting unless you 're under 10 and this is your first cinematic rodeo",
        "alas , the attempts by writer leigh dunlap and director mark rosman to modernize this fable fall flatter than cinderella 's arches after a night of dancing on glass slippers .",
        "a sloppy , idiotic mess that demonstrates nothing but contempt for anyone deluded enough to actually watch it .",
        "in this awkward , updated fairy tale , the shallow , bland script drowns in so many cliches that it becomes tedious , except for the most devoted `` lizzie mcguire '' fans .",
        "you might imagine her father 's death by earthquake is a terrible trial , but , this being a romantic teen comedy , the trauma is fleeting .",
        "feels like a pro forma tv movie from the get-go and relies almost entirely on duff 's likability to hold the audience 's attention .",
        "the whole thing feels like detached adults ' cartoonish idea of what high school life is like .",
        "the efforts to find cinderella and struggles with fiona take longer than they should , but there is an old-fashioned happily ever after ending for everyone who deserves one .",
        "under the charmless direction of mark rosman , the actors seem to be frozen at the rehearsal stage , with the blessed exception of a sublimely funny jennifer coolidge as the botoxed horror of a stepmother .",
        "instant sugar shock .",
        "a mostly charmless affair .",
        "a MOV misfires as a comedy and offers no fresh twists or clever turns on this ancient fairy tale .",
        "this teen movie is all about the packaging .",
        "writer leigh dunlap and director mark rosman tart up their cinderella variation with the predictable accoutrements of teen comedies .",
        "in typical lizzie spirit , it 's harmless , it 's sweet , it 's corny , it 's fun and it all comes out impossibly right .",
        "a step down for duff , who owes her fans and herself something fresher than another lazy rehash of the world 's most-exploited fairy tale .",
        "thanks to a charming cast and several bubbly moments , adults in the audience may find themselves genuinely entertained by the pleasantly feathery story .",
        "the timeless fairy tale is updated into a cookie-cutter specimen of the teen-girl comedy .",
        "i 'm too much of a man to enjoy this movie ... remarkably , duff is not annoying .",
        "duff needed to channel tv-lizzie for this role , but instead she gives us milquetoast .",
        "if you let them , studio executives will take endless advantage of the fact that many kids have no discernment whatsoever , as will hilary 's producer-mother .",
        "mostly boring , sometimes quite clumsy , and never particularly interesting .",
        "when not unnecessarily bland , synthetic , and indistinguishable from undistinguished teen tv , a MOV is unnecessarily coarse and dumbed down , with every character except sam and austin subject to perfunctory ridicule .",
        "stock characters played broadly in a script rife with clich\u00e9 plot devices and a bad case of the blands",
        "it 's got enough humor to get a smirk about every five minutes , but also has enough cheesiness and stupidity that i 'll have forgotten all about the movie in about a week .",
        "modern footwear simply does n't fit this perennial fairy tale heroine , who 's been reborn as a valley girl in a rendition that stumbles in almost every conceivable way .",
        "a bibbidy - bobbidy - bomb ... more pumpkin than gilded coach , more smelly sneaker than glass slipper .",
        "lacks the guiltily pleasurable panache -lrb- and punch -rrb- of other recent chickadee flicks posited as protofeminist fairy tales .",
        "does justice to its well-known source material while putting a pleasant spin on it . it 's better than one may be lead to expect , which is perhaps the best compliment of all .",
        "from its uninspiring title -- and certain turnoff for young males -- to its limp slapstick and uneven acting , a MOV arrives with a dull thud .",
        "if some films are made to order , the market-researched a MOV has the stretch marks to prove it .",
        "clearly a movie that is aiming strictly for its target audience of young girls .",
        "at worst , it 's an insult even to the intelligence of 12-year olds .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- treads the confused ground of instilling anti-image and antiauthoritarian values while its heroine 's bliss is wrapped in an idea that status and wealth equal happiness .",
        "the result is pure pumpkin , though fans of squeaky-clean , helium-voiced hilary duff might fall under its sickly sweet spell .",
        "i look at `` MOV '' as i would look at early elvis films - this is a teen movie made for the sheer enjoyment of her fans .",
        "it 's all way too bland .",
        "every high school clich\u00e9 in the book is dredged up for this piece of fluff",
        "a MOV definitely is for the younger film crowd . it 's unabashedly simplistic and formulaic , made to highlight the charms of -lrb- hilary -rrb- duff .",
        "besides adolescent girls who either want to be hilary duff or want to slobber over chad michael murray , the story offers nothing new to an already beaten-to-death teen genre .",
        "the only thing missing is the pumpkin that turns into a coach . that 's ok , because duff turns into a turkey way before midnight .",
        "this year 's one-zillionth mean-girl movie , and that 's not the only thing here that 's played out .",
        "chad michael murray could be the next johnny depp , or he could be the next luke perry - only time will tell .",
        "let me get quickly to the word that best describes this movie . it is horrible .",
        "airy and blithely romantic at first , but very quickly descends into unintentional absurdity and stays there ... . it 's pre-fab ` fun ' at its most mirthless .",
        "make it stop . please , make it stop .",
        "a MOV does n't break any new ground , but it 's a well-acted little breeze of a film -- perfect if you 're a 12-year-old girl .",
        "with a few hilarious exceptions , the jokes are bland and unfunny , and the fairy tale reinventions are n't creative or witty enough .",
        "enough sugar to induce a diabetic coma .",
        "there are no original twists , no fun takes on the archetypal characters , no interesting visual style to make the movie pop .",
        "i honestly did not realize a movie could squeeze this many hollywood clich\u00e9s into 86 minutes .",
        "lackluster comedy ... could have been titled you 've got instant messages .",
        "desperately conceived by even the most insipid standards of contemporary teen-queen cinema .",
        "you can say of this movie , truly , that they took the most famous tale in the world and broke it .",
        "give this wannabe cinderella a big bibbitti bobbitti boo .",
        "viewers outside -lsb- duff 's -rsb- demographic will find only the occasional shining moment in this generic picture .",
        "it 's not a terrible movie , just a disappointingly pleasant one .",
        "duff is cute and chirpy ; murray is cute and bland , and the stepsisters squabble a lot . ho-hum .",
        "this witless little comedy takes the classic fairy tale and turns it into a hilary duff vehicle about popularity , e-mail and cell phones at a san fernando valley high school .",
        "the mind is more fragile than , say , teeth , and cotton candy like this will quickly cause irreparable cavities in the brain .",
        "its take is about as original as its title , full of recycled ideas and half-hearted performances .",
        "poorly written , poorly acted exercise in banality and studio greed .",
        "a benign , whimsical semblance of its namesake fairy tale .",
        "rather than anything original or humorous or , heaven forbid , romantic developing from this fable , we get only tired clich\u00e9s and worn-out stereotypes .",
        "` a MOV ' makes so many good chocies , you wish you could like it more than you do .",
        "i took a friend 's 10-year-old daughter to see the film , and she found it ` too childish . ' and who am i to argue with a member of this film 's target audience ?",
        "charles perrault must be spinning in his grave .",
        "duff has yet another brainless movie to add to her repertoire .",
        "the movie will wash over adolescent female audiences who do n't know any better like melted brie on 110-degree asphalt , but for the rest of us it 's a grueling waste of time .",
        "funny and sweet update of the MOV .",
        "this is simple , lazy storytelling rendered merely functional by appealing leads and the eternal lure of romantic fantasy .",
        "a couple of cruel stepsisters are thrown in to push the cinderella angle , but their asinine antics merely highlight first-time screenwriter leigh dunlap 's stunning lack of talent and imagination .",
        "with the chance to be fresh with a traditional fairytale , director mark rosman and his filmmaking team still indulged in the same old , tired teen-movie tricks .",
        "it 's all very silly , unconvincing melodrama .",
        "duff plays off her lizzie maguire persona as a cute but unassuming girl , but also conveys soulfulness and earnest longing .",
        "content to be another candy-coloured fantasy . it 'd be easier to enjoy it as such if most of the young characters here were n't mean-spirited caricatures who chiefly serve to illustrate sam 's virtues .",
        "an instantly forgettable wisp of marshmallow that revisits the same teen-crush cliches that have surely been in play since the days of the classic fairy tale it ransacks for inspiration .",
        "the prince is a wet rag , the slapstick stepsisters are dull and even the fretful sam seems colorless .",
        "the premise -- scripted by leigh dunlap with a reported uncredited polish by callie khouri -- is largely preposterous , but rosman embraces rather than evades those obstacles .",
        "while a MOV is cute and reasonably intelligent , it falls prey to the same curse that afflicts most movies in this genre -- a stunning lack of originality .",
        "the weak plot may entertain little kids still glued to lizzie mcguire reruns , but this just is n't really funny or interesting -lrb- even in an updated and kitschy way -rrb- for the rest of us .",
        "nothing 's particularly risky or original , but neither is anything all that repulsive .",
        "just about the same exact movie as all those other trifles aimed at the tween girl demographic that have been unleashed upon the unsuspecting moviegoing masses this year",
        "... the picture is n't the prince of a vehicle duff 's been looking for .",
        "only several charismatic actors and fleeting moments of genuine romance survive this modern thrashing of the age-old fairy tale .",
        "mean girls it 's not ; a plastic butter knife has more edge . but sometimes it 's nice to know your kids wo n't cut their fingers .",
        "leigh dunlap 's script abounds in one-liners of mild pedigree at best , and under the direction of mark rosman a timeless tale has been transformed into an enervated sitcom .",
        "a terrible movie , sappy and dead in the water .",
        "the movie starts off keenly aware of the hokum of fairy-tale schemes . yet , like a slew of similarly themed movies -lrb- the prince & me and 13 going on 30 -rrb- , it has a hard time giving its audience a brand-new vision .",
        "anyone who 's not already a duff fan should stay away . and given the lack of energy and innovation at work here , even fans may find this one redundant and lackluster .",
        "once upon a time there was a lovely fairy tale , then an evil curse was cast upon it and it was turned into this movie .",
        "this reviewer 's young daughter and her friend - both anticipating third grade - decided they enjoyed the film because the mushy stuff was kept to a minimum ."],
    "summary": "an uninspired , generic updating of the classic fairy tale .",
    "id": "10321"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tangerines",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is a tense , moving , nuanced anti-war drama .",
        "for all of the potential , historically specific revelations regarding nation and religion , MOV elects to become bathetic hokum .",
        "small in scale if huge in heart and scope , MOV uses four characters to limn the religio-nationalistic hostilities unleashed by the dissolution of the soviet union in 1992 .",
        "the cinema , so infatuated with loud bangs and flowering orange blasts , does , as ivo says , cheat us . director/writer zaza urushadze instead gives us a clever , claustrophobic plot befitting a three-act play .",
        "MOV works primarily as a showcase for its trio of lead actors , who work hard to make their characters ' gradual yet quick thaw seem not just credible , but inevitable .",
        "a thoughtful , quietly compelling parable set in a time of civil war .",
        "the film telegraphs its pacifist message early on , but it 's still deeply affecting .",
        "as a writer-director , urushadze has the vision to come up with lingering images-like ivo 's long , sensitive hands guiding pieces of wood to a buzzing saw-and the taste and the film sense to pick them up again only when needed .",
        "accompanied by a melancholy but atmopsheric refrain from niaz diasamidz , which gives an excellent sense of place as well as adding to the elegiac mood , the film is a great example of how powerful and universal small but well-crafted stories can be .",
        "slaps an honest emotional sincerity and a dry , almost humorous pragmatism in the face of macho posturing and identity tribalism .",
        "the acting is solid ; ulfsak is ideally cast as the easygoing , timeworn woodworker .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "georgian writer-director zaza urushadze avoids histrionics or moralizing , relying on a strong cast that expresses the film 's central argument about war 's absurdity largely through taciturn action , not words .",
        "simple , direct and achingly melancholy , `` MOV '' unfolds in a setting that feels timeless . urushadze 's filmmaking feels timeless , too , and it 's rich , lovingly observed , masculine work that successfully shrugs off the temper of `` macho . ''",
        "there are some touching interactions between the players , but the film 's humanism is too predictably calibrated .",
        "the film works not because of any kind of historical specificity but because of its ability to simplify .",
        "writer-director zaza urushadze turns this fragile premise into a superior chamber drama .",
        "MOV offers a relatively quiet reflection on the important elements in life . but the movie feels like the first two acts in a morality play , and i want to see the third .",
        "MOV , the first estonian picture nominated for the foreign-film oscar , has a heart as ripe as the citrus fruit of its title , but its message does n't yield much juice .",
        "it might be willfully na\u010fve , but it also successfully argues that the path to peace begins with a laying down of not only guns , but also cynicism and distrust .",
        "`` MOV '' is an example of lean , unadorned old-school filmmaking where familiar style and technique combine to unexpectedly potent effect because of the great skill with which they 've been employed .",
        "a melancholy morality tale that beautifully illustrates the folly of conflict and blind hatred .",
        "MOV explores the absurdities and complexities of the ensuing nationalistic , territorial and religious fall-out with an admirably simple set-up .",
        "the funniest and most profound film about war since dr strangelove .",
        "a quietly profound study of the unfathomable nature of conflict .",
        "this is a film that mines the profoundest truths from the simplest of stories and underlines the sheer absurdity of the situation .",
        "it is tremendous storytelling : engaging , intelligent , and with some lovely touches .",
        "although set in a specific time and place , the film 's message about human life is universal . and director/writer zaza urushadze makes his points without being heavy handed , overt or politically demonstrative .",
        "the anti-war message is not new but the film delivers it eloquently and with quiet , insistent dignity . and sadly , it 's a message that 's still not being heeded .",
        "it 's not often that you watch a film stripped of all the usual bells and whistles , let alone one that packs the emotional punch of zaza urushadze 's MOV .",
        "the film is a character study , a chamber piece with incursions , a morality play with a thoughtful sense of its own boundaries .",
        "a most effective antiwar movie though an oversimplification that seems to say that if you get two enemies to sit down with each other over soup , shashlik and a hard-boiled egg , a peace treaty will soon emerge .",
        "in an age of incestuous ties between the pentagon and hollywood that produces films like `` american sniper '' , thank god for the estonians who remind us of what a horror war is .",
        "a small-scale , poignant and accessible anti-war statement .",
        "although the subject of civil war within the former soviet countries has been tackled in other movies , this retelling is one of the most concise and affecting .",
        "we know war is petty , we know it kills and divides , but MOV saddens us and makes us feel the pains of war , when it really counts .",
        "a lovely , unassuming anti-war film that all adults should see .",
        "leading an impressive cast , ulfsak , an accoladed estonian actor , is quietly commanding as the war-weary , heroic ivo .",
        "quietly break -lrb- s -rrb- your heart with the folly of humankind",
        "it is difficult not to be moved by `` MOV , '' which begins to feel like a legend despite one 's nagging sense something is missing from the film 's hasty third act .",
        "though the themes about war and peace will be familiar , this is good , old-fashioned storytelling - with a high level of craftsmanship .",
        "uses its small scale to say something big .",
        "humanity is the theme of this oscar nominated drama in which an old estonian man opens his home and heart to two rival ` children of death ' - a chechen mercenary and a georgian soldier ... hope is a wonderful thing",
        "nakhashidze is splendid as the malcontent ; he carries a life story in his world-weary facial expressions . casting directors , take heed : this guy is a character-star waiting to be noticed .",
        "if the lesson about our similarities outweighing our differences is obvious , the conclusion is unexpected and unforgettable .",
        "this remarkable piece of antiwar cinema honors its theme , and the movie medium .",
        "`` MOV '' is a modest film , sure of its proportions and clear about its intentions . the key to its effectiveness lies with the actors ...",
        "every time the viewer feels ok to kick back they 're whacked them over the head by crude message-mongering or unsubtle ironies .",
        "MOV ends up being serviceably bleak , but rarely compelling .",
        "by the end , georgian director-writer zaza urushadze has performed a small miracle by presenting the insanity of war in such a compact form .",
        "excellent performances from the ensemble cast -lsb- ... -rsb- elevate what is an otherwise theatrical treatment of a timeworn narrative .",
        "MOV becomes an object lesson in the resilience of ancient animosities , and the limits , sadly , of common sense .",
        "because the conflict between abkhazians and georgians is so sketchily drawn , the ultimate heartwarming tone of the film seems not so much unearned as unspectacular .",
        "urushadze 's excellent cast imbues their thinly drawn characters with a great deal of life , but the roles are so transparent that the film feels like more of an advertisement for peace than it does an argument for it .",
        "the shift from philosophical parrying to actual combat does n't make MOV more compelling ; on the contrary , it suggests that the filmmakers did n't have the confidence to tell their story without falling back on genre tropes .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV ' impassioned message and the strong work of a solid cast more than make up for the movie 's flawed narrative and uneven structure .",
    "id": "771375391"
  },
  {
    "movie": "up",
    "reviews":
     [
        "if it had lived MOV to its golden first five minutes , MOV would have been the film of the decade . as it is , it remains the best animated flick of 2009 , a funny , moving , beautifully made argument that dreamers can move mountains .",
        "the creative leadership of the pixar team restores clarity , simplicity , and courage to storytelling , establishing a daunting gold standard for family films .",
        "a sure lock on an animated film oscar nod , MOV delivers a wondrous world filled with people and creatures you 'll fall head over heels in love with .",
        "a joyous , wacky , sometimes bittersweet story of love , loss and making your dreams come true , MOV does what pixar movies usually do % u2013 it far exceeds our expectations .",
        "it 's beginning to seem as if pixar 's delivery of one of the very best films of the year will be an unstoppable annual tradition . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "filled with wonderment and intrigue , it tells a timeless tale of adventure and aging that touches on almost every emotion .",
        "maybe movies are getting worse or maybe pixar is getting better or maybe it 's a combination of the two - but MOV is one of the year 's best .",
        "a hugely enjoyable work , whose care , craftsmanship and creative courage are rarely found in mainstream films - animated or otherwise .",
        "one of its best : touching , funny and graphically exciting .",
        "MOV delivers a half hour of pure cinematic magic , followed by the rest of the film which is merely very good .",
        "do you like hearing kids screaming and parents rushing their children out of the theater never to return ? me too .",
        "if it sounds like i ca n't find anything in MOV to be curmudgeonly about , that 's because i really ca n't .",
        "i do n't want to oversell this film but , really , how could i ? it 's the first great film of the summer , indeed , of the year .",
        "nobody these days tells stories as cinematically as do the people at pixar .",
        "through its writing , direction and execution , MOV does n't just achieve hipness , it transcends it . with its spirit of fun and adventure , it echoes raiders of the lost ark -lrb- only funnier -rrb- -- it 's a thrill ride , but a thrill ride with heart .",
        "whether you view it in 3-d or 2-d , you and your family are in for a terrific , fun-filled ride . without doubt , ` MOV ' is the best movie so far this year .",
        "for a story well told , an adventure with genuine thrills and a heartbreakingly believable love story , there 's not much better than MOV .",
        "a lovely , entertaining , summer comedy adventure . do n't miss it .",
        "the honesty of the story here , as beautifully depicted and acted by asner and young jordan nagai is so real , so palpable , you almost forget you are watching an animated film at all .",
        "the title is deceptively simple , which is fitting , because the latest achievement from pixar animation is deeper and more complex on every level than it would initially appear .",
        "a feather-light farce with a delicious dose of the sentimental , it is n't the animation company 's biggest , most complicated or even its best . it 's just a film in which most every oddball element of an odd yet familiar story works .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- heerful and fantastical yet never unrealistically optimistic ... -lsb- t -rsb- he cleverness and originality of MOV is nearly boundless ...",
        "as in their finest work , the pixar filmmakers have created thrilling cinema simply by rifling through its history .",
        "pixar 's tenth animated feature film clocks in as one of their best .",
        "what other animated film has contemplated the anxious stubbornness of the elderly to cling to whatever independence they can for as long as they can , to remain connected to familiar places and things ?",
        "pixar really set the bar high with wall * e and even though this film falls a little short , it is still sweet , visually stunning and filled with a ton of heart .",
        "both a breezy children 's adventure yarn and a serious consideration of love , death , and lives left behind .",
        "MOV is actually about rediscovering your soul , or surviving the worst and making the most of it . it 's funny , illuminating , deft , accomplished , mesmerizing , warm , and in the end , as inspiring as its title .",
        "parental content review",
        "if you 're old enough to sit quietly through a feature film , go see it .",
        "it 's a swashbuckling , continent-hopping adventure and an under-stated , nuanced psychodrama . it 's a wildly creative fantasy and an almost devastatingly poignant piece of realism .",
        "what you will love about MOV is what you do n't expect it to be .",
        "practically perfect in every way , this is pixar 's most uplifting adventure yet !",
        "themes of adventure , home , and inner childhood are all tweaked and rejuvenated with as much spark and pop as high-flying carl himself . a spry , imaginative romp through the jungle of the imagination .",
        "all you need to know is that john lasseter and andrew stanton are executive producers of `` MOV '' .",
        "`` MOV '' is pure magical fun !",
        "MOV , like all pixar films , has a story to match the quality of the visuals .",
        "a tremendous tale of unfulfilled dreams and fulfilling promises . pixar continues a winning streak of brilliant films .",
        "its refusal to sugarcoat death and loneliness deepens its appeal , with carl 's longing for ellie so palpable , few wo n't be moved as the film wends along its harrowing way .",
        "it is among -lsb- pixar 's -rsb- most emotional pictures , a heartfelt , high-altitude exploration of love and loss and letting go .",
        "i laughed , i cried , i spooned a balloon animal .",
        "pixar 's magic still has sparks to spare .",
        "the opening sequence of MOV sits in silence , telling the story of carl and ellie and is so overfilled with emotion , tears fell at the end of this beginning .",
        "once the balloons make their grand , eye-popping entrance in a kaleidoscope of color and texture , the film becomes chaotic and silly , and coasts downhill for the remainder .",
        "MOV is arguably pixar 's finest achievement to date , and is surprisingly mature -lrb- and moving -rrb- in its subject matter .",
        "pure joy and one of the best films of the year . you got ta have a good story , and this one is a gem . it even made a bit misty-eyed . good stuff from pixar . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "one of pixar 's most emotionally satisfying creations .",
        "disney/pixar 's MOV is a triumphant masterstroke for the studio and their teflon reputation .",
        "the first from pixar to be filmed in disney digital 3-d , MOV looks and sounds great . the script is charming , touching and altogether delightful ; the voice talent perfectly suited to the characters .",
        "do n't be surprised if MOV is sitting pretty atop our top 10 films of the year list come the new year .",
        "MOV has much to offer kids but more to offer adults . we 're so entertained we do n't realize we 're exploring tough questions . how faithful are we in the promises we make ?",
        "an instant cartoon classic coming courtesy of a successful collaboration by the good folks at disney and pixar .",
        "... if you 've ever wondered what kind of jokes dogs would tell if they could speak , here 's your chance .",
        "pixar again raises the bar to wondrous new heights .",
        "there are not words enough to express how good MOV is .",
        "a highpoint of ingenuity and storytelling in the pixar canon and indeed the animated form .",
        "a masterclass in narrative exposition , and the moments explaining their childlessness will bring a lump to your throat .",
        "pixar triumphs again with a delirious fantasy that has one leg in the real world of hopes dashed and realised and the other in the cartoon tradition of journeying and adventure .",
        "MOV , as ever , is all about the characters . and the observations of human -lrb- and animal -rrb- behaviour . and the exquisitely timed physical comedy .",
        "vies with monsters inc and wall-e as the best and most inventive of the pixar films - with , as it were , added depth .",
        "a pixar pinnacle . that may seem like outlandish praise , given the animation studio 's sterling tax record . but when was the last time you walked out of a pixar movie simply giddy , as if you were high on computer-animated pixels ?",
        "extending the patented pixar mix of humor and heart , MOV is the studio 's most deeply emotional and affecting work .",
        "as of may , best picture of the year : another jewel in pixar 's crown , MOV is a truly uplifting experience , a themtically inventive , emotionally touching , poignantly romantic film that lingers in memory long after seeing it .",
        "MOV chooses old-school heart and soul over modern-day cynicism . how refreshing .",
        "another year , another pixar masterpiece . ho hum .",
        "the sheer brilliance of MOV lies in its ability to make something so deep , profound and complex seem so innocent , fun and simple .",
        "it feels nervy and adventurous and a little messy , the result of formidable creators and genuine wits working on an enormous budget , enormously well-spent .",
        "MOV is an absolute masterpiece with a great message that never becomes anything less than incredibly entertaining , striking a perfect balance between moving sentiment and rollicking fun .",
        "hold onto your seats as pixar takes you on yet another delightful adventure MOV , MOV and away .",
        "fun , thrilling , imaginative and tender with breathtaking cgi effects , but it 's much funnier and exhilarating for kids . adults will be often amused , but they 'll find that it lacks the `` wow ! '' factor , brilliance and genuine warmth of a truly classic pixar ...",
        "a fantastic experience the way only pixar could make it , a touching , intelligent story punctuated with gentle whimsy and bold excitement .",
        "this is , along with wall-e and the incredibles , one of the most sophisticated pixar movies ever made .",
        "an often funny , whimsically sweet-hearted fable about a boy in an old man 's body and a regular little boy , who embark upon an adventure in a house tethered to thousands of ether-filled balloons .",
        "all this deflated cinema and pixarism mischaracterizes what good animation can be -lrb- as in coraline , monster house , chicken little , teacher 's pet , the iron giant -rrb- . MOV 's aesthetic failure stems from its emotional letdown .",
        "MOV is quite wonderful entertainment blending moving moments with action-packed sequences and comedy . buoyant and beautiful , it is a movie must .",
        "not only the best kids movie of the year but one of best movies of 2009 .",
        "everything MOV does with quiet , time-bestriding imagination is a triumph .",
        "MOV is buoyant with thrills and spills , yet it 's anchored , quite movingly , in the acceptance of mortality . this rollercoaster ride will leave everyone on an MOV .",
        "MOV has wit and warmth , wonderful storytelling , winning characterisations and a palette of bright and beautiful colours . if ever an animated production was a serious contender for a best picture oscar , then this is the one .",
        "MOV matches or surpasses pixar 's previous hits like toy story , monsters inc and finding nemo . it shares their joyousness and visual flair , but for all its flights of fancy is more firmly rooted in the real , human world .",
        "there are frequent pangs of sadness throughout the film that beautifully balance both the adrenaline-charged action and broad comedy . this keeps both our hearts and minds involved with the story .",
        "MOV is a soaring -lrb- ha ! -rrb- achievement , visionary entertainment , and one of the very best films of the year - animated or otherwise .",
        "the first ten minutes or so of pixar 's latest animated wonder are cinematic perfection .",
        "those pixar geniuses have done it again - this is a hugely entertaining , beautifully animated and powerfully emotional film .",
        "a lush visual rendering of the pennsylvania dutch proverb , ` we get old too soon , and too late smart . '",
        "per usual , the nuances of human relationships are conveyed via pixar 's predictably acute attention to detail , coded in a mysterious evocation of mood .",
        "has more heart and soul in its tiniest pixel than most competitors ' movies can boast in their entirety .",
        "the pacing is perfect , the animation looks terrific , the emotional range is wide , and there are a few sly jokes you might not catch the first time around . that 's okay ; you 'll want to see it a second time anyway .",
        "as buoyant and richly tinted as the balloons that figure so prominently in its story , MOV is also thoroughly grounded in real emotion and ideas of substance .",
        "so fantastically buoyant , so soaring and so universal , that it 's hard to check the urge to get down on one 's knees before the cinema screen and give thanks for the joy of being a moviegoer .",
        "like the outfit 's previous film , wall-e , MOV is superb in setting MOV characters and a world that hankers over memories of yesteryear , but once the adventure moves into its obligatory action denouement , it enters a world of stereotypes that disappoints .",
        "it 's an unusual , magical film with which to open an art-house festival .",
        "i challenge you not to tear MOV .",
        "the first 10 minutes of pixar 's fantastical 3-d animated adventure MOV are a sublime testimonial to the purity and magic of the cinema . i know because i was a sobbing basket case by minute 11 .",
        "it 's quite simply the best pixar yet , seamlessly melding stirring emotions and thrilling adventure into a classic tale about letting go of the past and embracing the moment .",
        "MOV is breathtaking in its imaginative detail and astonishing in its emotional range .",
        "the glory of pixar 's films as that they touched on universal themes , all the way through , that just happened to also tickle kids . this one starts out that way , and then settles comfortably into being a kids film .",
        "quintessential pixar .",
        "there might not be a more dependable name in all of hollywood than pixar , and their tenth animated feature , MOV , continues the studio 's remarkable hot streak .",
        "what makes MOV such a satisfying film is the story of an old man deciding that he still has life left to be lived . and that life is an adventure .",
        "alternately funny , touching , exciting and visually dazzling , often all at once , this is the kind of film that you genuinely need to see twice in order to fully absorb everything it has to offer .",
        "a wonderful film , bursting with creativity and remarkable , in the way pixar efforts usually are , for being a ` family film ' that does n't pander and treats its story like serious business .",
        "it 's breezy , clever , hilarious , and entertaining -- all par for the course at pixar -- and has the depth and intelligence that separate pixar from every other animation factory .",
        "the most tender , touching and deftly told love story of the year is in the opening few minutes of MOV ...",
        "MOV is yet another triumph from the incredible pixar studios .",
        "i loved , loved , loved MOV . i can not praise it enough .",
        "if you feel down , a sure cure is to see `` MOV . '' it will lift your spirits and make your heart soar .",
        "a symphonic balance of captivating silence and clever dialogue , belly-laugh humor and tear-in-the-eye despair , fast-paced action scenes and scenes slowed for their precious detail , MOV orchestrates its talent into one truly unforgettable piece .",
        "real men cry at MOV .",
        "all filmmakers protesting that they only spoon feed kids the crap they crave , i present to you pixar 's two recent stars : a silent robot and a geriatric widower .",
        "after a strong takeoff , MOV lands on dead grounds .",
        "MOV is a beautifully balanced effort that will take you MOV , MOV and away on its beautiful balloons .",
        "this is one of pixar 's better films , comparable to ` the incredibles . '",
        "pixar delivers -lsb- another -rsb- piece of expertly-rendered , artful entertainment ... that does n't pander to kids and that families will still adore .",
        "pixar has gone past the point where they made animated films that happened to be good stories . now they are making good stories that happen to be animated .",
        "... 3d does n't tell the story -- the backbone of any quality film . MOV has a great one that holds MOV no matter how many dimensions are used .",
        "it 's no surprise that MOV was chosen to open the cannes film festival . this is a work of art .",
        "MOV is an engaging , exciting , warm-hearted trip at the movies . MOV starts slowly , but picks MOV helium and soars ... in 1923 buster keaton made the balloonatic . 86 years later MOV enters the buster keaton stratosphere .",
        "MOV is a high stakes adventure like nothing else we 've ever seen .",
        "from start to finish MOV is simply amazing .",
        "another buoyant and life-affirming pixar yarn . how do they keep on doing it ?",
        "another original , boundary pushing story . it 's not quite nemo , but it will have you shouting ` squirrel ! ' at every opportunity .",
        "what 's so impressive about MOV is that the film-makers never lose sight of their adult concerns .",
        "visually , MOV is breathless perfection , a dream ride of vivid colour and wit . it also has emotional depth . carl 's sense of failed purpose is felt : indeed he and muntz are both , for different reasons , seeking fulfilment .",
        "the humour gets weirder as it goes on and it 's among the lightest of pixar 's films , but the first 20 minutes offer the saddest , most poignant sequence seen in an animation film since bambi 's mother died .",
        "pixar 's most commercially daring and most fanciful film to date .",
        "a coming-of-old-age story that breaks the heart , tickles the funny bone and fires the imagination , MOV is a captivating , exuberant delight . and did we mention it contains the greatest moment in movie animation ? oh .",
        "uplifting , upstaging and uproarious , this beautifully crafted animated adventure is buoyed MOV to the heavens by a heart-gladdening story of genuine warmth and poignancy .",
        "so expertly put together , so beautifully written and filled with such brilliant and believable characters , it 's no exaggeration to say we 're in the throes of a golden age of animation not seen since disney 's heyday from the 1930s to the 1950s .",
        "pixar 's tenth film is one of the most uplifting ever made . it 's an instant classic and one of those rare movies which will appeal to all ages and intellects . it has heart and intelligence , beauty and excitement , plus loads and loads of imagination .",
        "what 's marvelous about MOV is how confidently it assumes the audience will smartly follow wherever it wants to take us .",
        "pixar has done it again , in every best way possible .",
        "MOV is a breathtaking ride into the realm of pure imagination . MOV shames the pap that now passes for family entertainment -lrb- yes , night at the museum 2 , i 'm talking to you -rrb- .",
        "it 's a joy to watch , for any age .",
        "i ca n't say that MOV is the best movie made by the cgi masters at pixar . i can say , though , that there is none better .",
        "a tenderness and spirit that is like helium for the heart .",
        "another triumph for pixar - a 3-d animated feature about a memorable cross-generation friendship that is also a probe on the true meaning of adventure",
        "do you think pixar ever gets tired of the monotony of good press ? if they do , they better get over it . MOV is a spellbinding gem , powered by pure whimsy and so deeply moving you forget entirely that you 're watching animation .",
        "i would n't have changed a thing about the movie , but my stomach might have .",
        "this is one of those rare occasions where everything works ...",
        "an animated movie that 's far more human than most live-action ones , and easily maintains the exalted standards we 've come to expect from pixar . it 's guaranteed to raise your spirits .",
        "while it may seem to have a limiting premise and characters , it 's done so well that it 's easily on par with the pixar films that came before it .",
        "only pixar could take a simple adventure story and turn it into a profound statement about life 's infinite possibilities .",
        "this is really special .",
        "a near masterpiece . 1st half is absolutely brilliant -- a beautiful compelling work of art . i laughed , i cried , i ogled at the rich visuals . sweet and touching theme .",
        "the movie is packed with lovely jokes , some of them funny in inexplicable ways .",
        "the key to pixar 's success has always been the perfect blend of heart and humor -- and they 've certainly done it again here .",
        "colorful , fun and delightful -- exactly what is expected from pixar .",
        "has something of the craziness of the classic donald duck and scrooge mcduck comic-book stories created by carl barks in the 1940s and '50s ...",
        "it 's sharp , funny , tear-jerking , and there is simply no better time to be had at the movies for anybody of any age",
        "the first third is pretty dark for kids , but once the house lifts off the movie soars .",
        "a beautiful film in every sense of the word , MOV belongs at or near the top of the list of pixar 's best movies .",
        "so for kids , an adventure movie . for adults , an adventure on a whole different level .",
        "MOV is less visually exuberant than many of the other pixar films , but in this case that 's a plus .",
        "while MOV achieves liftoff and even soars , it encounters enough turbulence to result in a bumpy flight .",
        "rarely has any film , let alone an animated one powered by the logic of dream and fantasy , been able to move so successfully -- and so effortlessly -- through so many different kinds of cinematic territory .",
        "while their latest achievement ca n't quite one-up wall-e , it offers soaring highs that are bound to enchant viewers of any age .",
        "from the title onward , MOV is a stratospheric success . it 's guaranteed to lift your spirits , and not with a pushy dreamworks-style gag reel of celebrity voices and committee-processed one-liners .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with its tenth film , pixar has seemingly raised its own stakes , delivering a tale of such richness , such poignancy and such incredible imagination that one can only marvel at their dedication to the art of storytelling .",
        "MOV , the latest lovely fantasy from the artists at disney 's pixar animation , it 's a truly fantastic adventure -- a lighter-than-air daydream about a cranky widower , a chubby boy and their amazing journey .",
        "pixar has set the bar impossibly high . that they clear it here by a foot and not by a mile does n't mean they have n't succeeded in serving MOV extraordinary entertainment .",
        "there 's still something breathless about MOV , but i wonder if the pixar formula is n't starting to show its seams ...",
        "this film is lovely in attitude and execution . in a world that sometimes seems filled with mean people , mean institutions and mean humor , MOV is friendly , affirming and deeply moving . it 's funny , too , but never at anyone 's expense .",
        "the outrageously inventive fable that it tells lifts it above the mundane and sends it floating off to the heights of charm as if carried by a helium balloon .",
        "MOV may not quite rank as pixar 's finest film , but it is certainly the animation studio 's oddest and bravest picture , and possibly its most beautiful .",
        "best since finding nemo .",
        "technical brilliance and nuanced storytelling lift pixar miles above the competition .",
        "my six companions and i uniformly fell in love with this movie , and i ca n't wait to see it again , even at $ 15 for 3-d .",
        "it works not because the animation is impressive -- and it is -- but because they have a well-thought-out script and compelling characters ...",
        "a wonderful , whimsical flight of fancy , a wild 3-d excursion into storybook delirium that is nonetheless firmly grounded in trecognizable human emotions",
        "minus a lot of laughs for children pixar 's beautiful animation alleviated by michael giacchino 's magnificent music transports us to a far away make-believe place in the blink of an eye .",
        "get ` MOV . '",
        "hampered by a poor , almost cryptic advertising campaign , MOV returns pixar to their storytelling roots as experienced in previous films like the incredibles and ratatouille .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- could easily have been cloying , but instead proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise , as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled .",
        "how powerful are the folks at the pixar animation studios ? their latest offering , MOV , can possibly make you cry within the first 15 minutes .",
        "how much do i love this movie ? if it were mathematically possible , i 'd give it five stars out of four .",
        "in the hands of peter docter and gang , the exploits of a grumpy widower and an eager eight-year-old become incredibly entertaining in ` MOV . '",
        "MOV is challenging , emotionally and narratively , but it trusts viewers to keep MOV ; pixar has never been interested in talking down to children or their parents .",
        "to watch MOV with any attention is to be moved and astonished by the economy with which specific visuals are invested with emotion throughout .",
        "pixar will one day make a stinker , but i 'm happy to report that MOV is not it .",
        "good , not great , pixar",
        "MOV delivers like no other movie released this year thus far , operating as a massive summer movie and an intimate character study at the same time and with equal impact .",
        "the celebrated animation studio reaches great heights -- again -- with a surprising story that 's about a whole lot more than an old man with a flying house .",
        "the most shocking thing about MOV -- a trick pixar plays with eerie regularity -- is how easy it all seems .",
        "writer-directors pete docter and bob peterson present hilarious insights into bird brains and canine psychology and treat thornier human emotions deftly .",
        "pixar 's high-flying 3d adventure of an aged widower and his eight-year-old accidental stowaway is a constant delight . word of mouth should soar .",
        "a whimsical story that taps into the magical relationship between the young and the old .",
        "yet another pixar film that 's approximately 3 billion times better than almost all other animated movies .",
        "pixar has done better in the past , but , until their next masterwork arrives , MOV will do nicely as the winsome fable it is .",
        "many a pixar film has been nominated for the best animated feature academy award . `` MOV '' may finally be the one to snag a nod as best picture , animated or otherwise .",
        "MOV may be the first pixar film about actual people , and for all of its computer-generated visions and 3d inventions it 's always about human emotion and human experience .",
        "the characterizations are fairly coarse cartoons , in contrast to the emotionally rich cartoons that have become pixar 's hallmark . they 're more schematic than organic , and that applies to the plotting as well .",
        "because the movie 's grounded , it 's free to fly where it wants , and it does so with an exuberance and poignancy that at times feels majestic .",
        "gorgeously rendered in subtly immersive 3d and full of organic cinematic nods , this is a rare , wondrous story of true love and dream-catching . of holding on and letting go . you will believe a house can fly .",
        "they should create a new category for this year 's academy award for best vocal acting in an animated film and name asner as the first recipient .",
        "for family audiences looking for heart and laughs , ` MOV ' soars above the rest as the funniest film of the summer .",
        "a sweet , tender film that is easily one of the best films of 2009 , and with its 3d experience , it is the first film of the summer that is a must-see in the theaters .",
        "this cast a spell over me , hitting all the right notes , and reminding me once again , why i love films so much in the first place .",
        "the new pixar animation feature `` MOV '' goes boldly where even live-action movies rarely dare .",
        "the filmmakers let our imaginations take flight with carl 's house and we willing tag along for the adventure .",
        "opens on a note of human subtlety that goes beyond what we expect of a cartoon and grows into what may very well be the most touching human drama of the year .",
        "MOV , MOV and away",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a film that opens daringly ends with a shout-out to star wars",
        "i 'm not as filled with the same helium for disney/pixar 's MOV as other critics , but i 'd be cruel if i was n't lifted by the story of rediscovering a life of adventure .",
        "a triumph of animation and imagination , MOV is impossible not to enjoy , with its combination of adventure , true love and humour",
        "new beginnings and a spirit of adventure are the themes of this enchanting animation from pixar in which a lonely old man and eager young boy fulfil their dreams in a helium propelled flying house . ingenuity and humour are in abundant supply",
        "the flight -- especially in 3-d , which is the best way to experience MOV -- is a marvel of art come to life",
        "it 's often said that pixar makes children 's movies that adults can appreciate ... in reality , it makes movies for adults that children will tolerate -- sometimes only just .",
        "the imagination just soars when that house takes off with all those helium filled balloons .",
        "MOV is one of the best pixar films , which means it 's something very special .",
        "a sweet and gentle fable ... sad & funny & thrilling all at once .",
        "funny and poignant and full of life , MOV easily qualifies as one of the best movies of the year so far . go with someone you care about .",
        "a vibrantly bubbly exploration of how life 's great adventures can stem from death 's gloomy depths",
        "you never know what you 're going to get with this sort of thing , if people will sit on their laurels and bask in the concept or go to the effort of working out a compelling story . luckily the folks at pixar are n't known for taking the easy way out .",
        "... an animated masterpiece ...",
        "adventure is about escaping death 's closure , but it 's also about clinging to life 's openness - letting one escapade 's end evolve into something new . `` MOV '' is a tremendously affecting story of indomitable love , infectious spirit and embraced possibilities .",
        "has there ever been a bolder moment in a children 's film than one in which the lead character essentially sets off on his final journey into the heavens ?",
        "as corny as it sounds , MOV soars to new animation heights .",
        "no matter how you look at it , through the innocent eyes of a child or the wider , wiser worldview of an adult , the bright , buoyant MOV brims with imagination , adventure , humor and heart .",
        "the most successful moments use screenwriter peterson 's rapid-fire witty dialogue and sight gags .",
        "everything else is MOV to the studio 's usual standard , blending gorgeous and imaginative -lrb- but never gimmicky -rrb- animation with zippy storytelling , heartfelt sadness and laughs .",
        "MOV is a more more classic piece of entertainment , which cleaves to the pixar template of being beautifully rendered , emotional and laugh-out-loud adult funny , all the while capturing the na\u010fve charm of old-school disney .",
        "this is a wonderful film . it tells a story . the characters are as believable as any characters can be who spend much of their time floating above the rain forests of venezuela .",
        "even the out-of-place moments and blunt conceits can be forgiven , as they perform dutifully in service to the kind of thrilling movie adventures we regular folks can only dream of , but which the wizards at pixar perform with ease .",
        "breakneck speedy , hysterically funny and appropriately lithe , MOV handles itself in action with the same intensity as with comedy , never stopping to leave room for a laugh or a gasp .",
        "MOV is a story of human bonds remembered and new ones forged , and never for one moment does it seems insincere or contrived .",
        "easily the summer 's , and probably the year 's , most enchanting movie , MOV is a buoyant delight .",
        "pixar tops itself with its new animated offering MOV , a movie so visually and emotionally skillful that it makes monsters , inc. look positively antic , toy story seem like mere child 's play , and wall-e appear as sentimental fluff .",
        "everything about MOV is an MOV , in the most visceral and poetic ways .",
        "pretty close to being a perfect outing at the movies . and considering the marvels pixar has already given us year after year , that 's a stunning achievement .",
        "pixar 's most mature and refined chunk of animation to date .",
        "MOV emerges as a gentle hymn to adventure of both the soaring , storybook variety and the smaller , less obvious kind -- the perilous , unpredictable and richly rewarding journey of ordinary , everyday life .",
        "if such first-rate entertainment simply offers a remarkably fun experience instead of a life-changing one , it 's only because we 've come to regularly expect epiphanies from its creators .",
        "if only live action adventure movies were as well-written , subtle and painstakingly realized as this , we might be willing to renew our almost expired belief in the transporting powers of what pauline kael called `` movie movies . ''",
        "an enjoyable movie that 's also something pixar 's work usually is n't -- forgettable .",
        "a thrilling , heartfelt and humorous family film with enough jubilant energy to lift you right off your seat .",
        "the lessons of MOV lift us , even as they ground our heroes in what really matters .",
        "an absolutely rollicking adventure , MOV combines incredible animation with funny , old fashioned storytelling .",
        "what a magical , marvellous movie .",
        "its pg rating hints that this is one of those toon tales that will resonate more powerfully with adults than with kids , and never more so than in the sequences between carl and his wife -lrb- did we really just witness a miscarriage in an animated film ? -rrb- .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an exquisite work of cinematic art that also happens to be the funniest , most touching , most exciting and most entertaining movie released so far this year .",
        "with ratatouille , wall-e and now MOV , pixar animation studios has graduated from moviedom 's finest animation house to its most consistent producer of great cinematic art , period .",
        "is MOV top-shelf pixar ? no . but is it quality summer movie entertainment ? absolutely . even when the folks at pixar aim to keep their feet solidly on the ground , they ca n't help but soar .",
        "MOV is n't merely good -- it is a thoroughly entertaining film that is downright great .",
        "its charms appear to have been applied with surgical precision ; by the end , i felt expertly sutured , but not much else .",
        "another near-perfect pixarian blend of escapist fun and heart-warming sentiment .",
        "pixar 's latest hero is a septuagenarian , misanthropic crank . and this film is all about him . it should n't work . we should n't like him , or want to watch him . but we do . you will . and you 'll love it .",
        "as beautiful as anything the animation house has yet produced -lrb- and their first feature in 3d -rrb- , it is at times meandering and not a little mawkish , but its vivid primary colours conceal a great deal of shaded nuance .",
        "click to read the full review",
        "mais um exemplo de como a pixar consegue construir , digitalmente , aquilo que a maior parte dos realizadores contempor\u00e2neos falha em criar com atores reais : hist\u00f3rias e personagens repletos de humanidade e do\u00e7ura .",
        "pixar 's unwavering standard of excellence is simply unfair , as it spoils us audiences who then expect other films , animated or live action , to measure MOV .",
        "the latest computer-animated adventure from pixar studios has a simple premise that should enchant viewers of all ages , fusing childhood fantasies of escape with adult feelings of melancholy and regret .",
        "overall it is MOV there -lrb- pardon the pun -rrb- with the best of the big studio cgi animations for kids and adults .",
        "webster 's online dictionary gives genius five definitions . they should add one more : pixar . twenty-two academy awards , four golden globes and three grammys qualify the studio .",
        "the overall look of the film , with its breathtaking aerial views of south american landscapes and its symbolic interplay of squares and circles , puts every other animation studio to shame .",
        "MOV recalls finding nemo in the grace with which it balances thrills and tenderness .",
        "this is probably the most original of all -lsb- pixar 's -rsb- films to date , and the realism brought to the screen is constantly surprising .",
        "it propels the viewer MOV , MOV and away in an experience combining smart , imaginative storytelling with dazzling dreamlike visuals , creating an experience that is the special province of animation -- at once utterly convincing and completely impossible .",
        "you can tell that this film was a labor of love , and that the cast and crew were sufficiently inspired by the material to craft a children 's movie that is destined to be a classic .",
        "were the filmmakers behind MOV scared by their own movie 's seriousness ?",
        "rest assured , it gets funny . and it 's thrilling , too , as the third act takes place almost entirely in the sky .",
        "a film like MOV makes it clear that pixar has moved beyond the point where it feels the need to pander to children .",
        "the look of MOV is a world away from pixar 's usual cgi intricacies -- simple in a way that only artists with a genius for complexity can achieve .",
        "for any run-of-the-mill movie studio , MOV would represent a major achievement . but this is pixar we 're talking about ... and so the standards have to be a little tougher .",
        "saying MOV ranks somewhere right in the middle is like dissing the bottom half of the top 10 titles that any genre has to offer . and if that is where MOV appears on the list of 2009 's best films , then so be it .",
        "better than at least 90 % of the non-pixar animated movies being produced , as well as a film experience that can be fully embraced for its originality of vision and tone .",
        "how many production houses can boast of reordering audiences ' favorites lists with each new release ?",
        "exudes a wit and wisdom that elevates it to the animated adventure apex .",
        "a near perfect feature , a thrilling combination of humour , pathos , action and drama . utterly original , endlessly inventive , and brilliantly crafted to appeal to old and young alike , it may well be pixar 's finest feature yet .",
        "a must see , in whatever format .",
        "lo notable de pixar es que tampoco parece pretender alcanzar nuevas metas , ni siquiera superarse a s\u00ed mismos , con cada nuevo proyecto . simplemente lo hacen lo mejor que pueden .",
        "MOV soars .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a solid disney adventure feature animation using pixar .",
        "... adventure , humor and beauty to spare .",
        "pixar does it yet again with a competitor for the best film of 2009 ...",
        "pixar 's stunning 3-d adventure is an upper for everyone .",
        "if wall-e was pixar 's jim cameron movie , MOV is their jean cocteau film .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- kid 's adventure yarn embedded in a grownup tale about grief and regret , purposes lost and rediscovered .",
        "MOV is full of fun and fantasy , and also earns its pg rating with complex emotional situations .",
        "a powerful , often hilarious film .",
        "indeed , MOV has first-rate animation and superlative voice work , but it 's the heartfelt story that cements its status as the best film of 2009 so far ."],
    "summary": "an exciting , funny , and poignant adventure , MOV offers an impeccably crafted story told with wit and arranged with depth , as well as yet another visual pixar treat .",
    "id": "770671912"
  },
  {
    "movie": "oss_117_lost_in_rio",
    "reviews":
     [
        "ca n't overcome the fact that it 's sending up a 007 series that -- with the exception of 2006 's superb casino royale -- already plays like a parody of itself .",
        "it 's generally friendly and enjoyable , but it sags a bit .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "stupid , racist , sexist and yet weirdly lovable , bumbling detective hubert de la bath is back in o.s.s. 117 : lost in rio .",
        "the tenor , tone and immaculately lampooned art direction often make up for shtick that gradually grows thin in the belly-laugh department .",
        "time to retire oss 117 's license to kill before any more innocent people suffer .",
        "... when all else fails , -lsb- jean -rsb- dujardin 's smug grin and oblivious conviction in his every knee-jerk prejudice makes the character work .",
        "laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "all this is mighty silly , but there 's something to be said for watching a french movie that , for a change , is n't about l'amour , existential angst , or madness .",
        "michel hazanavicius 's parodic return to the 1950s espionage novels of jean bruce is sharp , uproarious and outrageous enough to overcome its minor lulls and flaws .",
        "by sacrificing the knowing anachronisms of its predecessor , lost in rio also sacrifices most of its wit .",
        "strutting around like a rooster in a thin-lapeled suit , 117 is n't much different from other comic bond figures , but the movies find a fresh and exceedingly rich vein of comedy in his airy sexism , racism , and colonialism .",
        "spouting enough racist and anti-semitic platitudes to incite unrest across the planet , this knockoff bond 's sheer delight is sorting out sinister political grossout swipes and brutal historical truths , from all the just plain silly fun .",
        "lost in rio wins giggles only when rubbing its spy milieu up against sheer randomness , but the sight of dujardin 's self-absorbed mug carving up a rubber crocodile for survivalist sustenance can only do so much .",
        "the part is tricky , but jean dujardin does it well , greeting every woman with a cocky jean-paul belmondo smile , and every foreign disaster with calm . thank heavens france is here to help !",
        ". . hands down the funniest movie of the year to date",
        "less raucous than cairo , nest of spies , this new adventure for the suave but bigoted french super-agent is still extremely good fun , with its amusing script , hilarious characters and astonishingly detailed production design .",
        "may well be the second funniest spy spoof ever made .",
        "it 's the grooving to composer ludovic bource 's fab xylophone beats and dujardin 's hyena laugh and heroic self-regard you 'll remember .",
        "atmospheric , with authentic 60s/70s capering all over brazil .",
        "just as before , i found myself grinning sheepishly when i was n't laughing , though the gags are less plentiful than before . this naughty , silly and wildly non-pc film , looks to me easily the equal of the clouseau adventures .",
        "i sort of liked the 2006 film , and i sort of like this one , too . i may like it a little more , because dujardin grows on you .",
        "the story is lame and the action is flaccid , but as hubert would be the first to tell you , the french have a word for those who ca n't take a joke : c'est la vie .",
        "sequelitis is apparently not purely an american phenomenon .",
        "... a truly funny spy spoof that delivers its comedy goods and pokes fun at everything and anything , especially oss-117 .",
        "dujardin has flawless comic timing as the hero who may stumble but -- with the arch of an eyebrow and a flash of a grin -- always rises to the defense of the r\u00e9publique .",
        "it 's larky , snarky fun .",
        "a reasonably pleasant surprise .",
        "writer-director michel hazanavicius amusingly sends up the genre 's visual and verbal codes , and relishes satirising oss 117 's sexist and anti-semitic views by pairing him with a beautiful female mossad agent .",
        "what 's really lost in rio is the participants ' sense of humor .",
        "bolstering its rejuvenation of the '60s french spy spoof franchise , this sequel to `` oss 117 : cairo nest of spies '' -lrb- 2006 -rrb- walks a fine line of non-politically correct comedy that grabs precarious laughs just before the gags hit the floor .",
        "i do n't know that we actually need agent oss 117 , but the world is a slightly better place with him around . and the film itself is a harmless trifle -- make that truffle , chocolate of course .",
        "in fitful bursts , lost in rio reaches further than its predecessor , delving into a loopy absurdism .",
        "i do n't know about you , but i look to french films for stylish love stories and potent social dramas . i definitely do n't look to gallic movies for slapstick comedy , a genre at which the french are especially bad .",
        "a very funny french comedy of a variety that usually does n't make its way here .",
        "mr. dujardin , a skilled comedian , deftly embodies the spy 's combination of cluelessness and condescension , but it 's an act that eventually wears thin .",
        "a winning spoof of the earlier 007 films ... liberally peppered with funny bon mots and character bits .",
        "director michel hazanavicius loves his sublimely naive bigot , and so do we",
        "hilarious , often silly french hit is the latest in a franchise that spoofs the james bond brand , in the spirit of `` get smart '' and the pink panther films . the yank audience is out there , but can it be uncovered ?",
        "this is like a subpar naked gun feature cooked up by eisenstein and godard during a drug-addled lost weekend . where 's leslie nielsen when you need him ?",
        "it is dujardin who wins the day -- and eventually , of course , the gimlet-eyed girl -- as the perfect , preening fool .",
        "the chief glory is the way its director , michel hazanavicius , manages to copy the thrillers of the time while taking the mickey out of them - this is funny , mischievous and sly .",
        "a berretta that is a few shots short of a full clip , michel hazanavicius ' lightning jabs at the spy super-hero fantasy are disjointed . too little , too late ?",
        "it 's puerile slapstick for the most part , energetically performed and shot in period style -lrb- splitscreen effects , garish decor -rrb- - but nobody will mistake it for a milestone in spoof .",
        "an amiable , mel brooks-style spoof that mercilessly satirises the gallic bond 's racism and breezy misogyny . glamorous locations , expert production design and sly nods to the swinging sixties setting are all endearing .",
        "there are good riffs about how to track down nazis in brazil , and dujardin trying to spit-roast a crocodile is good value . but it 's too often crass and laboured , this time .",
        "the gags are packed in tight and are a satisfying mix of those you can see coming from far over the horizon and those that jump out to surprise , although there are few real laugh-out-loud moments .",
        "essentially recycling nest of spies with different locations and less reliance on historical events , part three will require some fresh ideas , but until then this is a good joke worth the repeating .",
        "not only is it funny , it looks and feels fantastic , thanks to its duplication of the breezily kitsch cinematography and direction of sixties spy flicks , right down to the technicolor wash .",
        "thoroughly enjoyable , frequently hilarious spy spoof with a terrific comic performance from jean dujardin .",
        "with its shaky camera zooms and ridiculous abundance of split-screens shots , it also nails once again the stylistic quirks of the pop films of the 1960s in a way that 's more astute than austin powers and funnier than recent hollywood efforts ."],
    "summary": "led by another appealing performance from jean dujardin , this sequel offers more absurdly fun action -- and more politically incorrect humor -- for fans of '60s spy films .",
    "id": "770809484"
  },
  {
    "movie": "exorcist_the_beginning",
    "reviews":
     [
        "let 's hope exorcist : the beginning marks the end of a franchise that never should have gone beyond the 1973 original",
        "plenty violent . and bloody . and gory . what it is n't -- not really -- is scary .",
        "although harlin has n't directed a full-out horror movie since 1988 's a nightmare on elm street iv , he seems to have spent most of the time since memorizing them .",
        "it 's not despicable . it is merely boring .",
        "trips over itself in a rush to get gross and then lingers too long on pustules , gaping wounds and maggots .",
        "a perfectly mediocre horror film .",
        "the pacing is slack , and the increased level of blood and guts seems like a desperate move . and most of the special effects -lrb- especially the cgi work -rrb- are really shoddy .",
        "if you 're looking for groundbreaking badness , you need n't look much further than the new exorcist prequel , which is one interminably grisly waste .",
        "despite a high body count , shock cuts and loud noises , this prequel to william friedkin 's 1973 horror film fails to deliver any palpable shivers .",
        "the film focuses too much on gore and weird special effects .",
        "you 'd think evil would have multiple game plans , kinda like joe gibbs or bill parcells . instead , hawley and harlin just want to reenact their favorite scenes from the original",
        "a sincere -- and sincerely problematic -- film that may have been shot twice , but deserved a third try to get things right .",
        "stellan skarsgard 's haunting portrayal of a man struggling with his faith overshadows the special effects and horror aspects of this ` exorcist ' prequel .",
        "the special effects work on the film is so mediocre that the audience actually laughed at one moment that was intended to be terrifying . demonic butterflies ? please .",
        "suitable only for teenagers on a first date or mel gibson catholics .",
        "ignoring the essentially inward story of the exorcist , -lsb- harlin -rsb- has created a sprawling anything-for-a-jolt movie , more in the spirit of a midnight teen-scream flick than a portrayal of a dark night of the soul .",
        "it manages a trifecta of pain : it 's dull , it 's grim , it 's stupid . how 's that for a recommendation ?",
        "harlin 's hackwork screams volumes of a falsely moody and generic scarefest ... an inexplicable tease for true horror hedonists",
        "nothing seems believable and the scares never come .",
        "what would possess a filmmaker to create another `` exocist '' movie ?",
        "this is what happens when an entire movie is created via reshoot .",
        "a plodding mess of a movie , with very few frights , and those that are there are all timeworn clich\u00e9s .",
        "a great waste of time , talent and resources",
        "maybe the long-troubled , twiced-filmed prequel should be called exorcist : the boring .",
        "wandering into the territory of cinema as audience punishment .",
        "... it does n't have anything interesting to say ...",
        "the prequel ... just goes to show , once again , that the exorcist was a one-of-a-kind film . but you know how it goes : the power of cash compels them .",
        "a snorefest interrupted briefly by a only a few semi-decent moments .",
        "a $ 54 million sensationalistic hack job that is heavy on gore and cheap shocks and almost completely devoid of any sense of genuine human , social , or religious insight",
        "schrader 's vision still comes through , despite harlin 's excessive and posturing blood-letting .",
        "a horror movie that starts off decently but quickly falls victim to clich\u00e9 .",
        "it 's ironic that the producers enlisted harlin specifically to up the movie 's fright quotient , because the finished product contains zero scares . laughs , on the other hand , are abundant .",
        "it 's not that they did n't try to make a good film . they just did n't try to finish a good film .",
        "... a soul-deadening , feature-length hodgepodge of clich\u00e9d horror reveals and unstylish gore-for-the-sake-of-gore , sewn together with loose threads of dull exposition .",
        "i would think that john boorman , director of exorcist ii : the heretic , is now officially off the hook . this is n't entertainment ; it 's assault and battery .",
        "the beginning tries to be three films in one , but winds up lacking coherence or any identity of its own . however , it is n't horrible when taken as a simple horror flick .",
        "shocks are few and the terror is more ooky than chilling , which will terrify -lsb- only -rsb- those members of the audience suffering an obsessive-compulsive neat freakness",
        "the film 's pace is slow and deliberate , probably in an attempt to try to build mood and suspense , but all it manages to build is excruciating boredom .",
        "saying harlin succeeded in making it less cerebral might make the studio happy , but audiences are likely to still be bored beyond belief .",
        "could rival exorcist ii : the heretic as the most ridiculous and boring horror movie ever made",
        "when it was first released , the exorcist caused nausea , fainting and heart attacks ; by comparison , the beginning elicited waves of giggles and guffaws from a preview screening audience .",
        "harlin keeps it creepy , atmospheric , and disturbing for the first half , but when it progresses past the halfway point silliness ensues .",
        "as shocking as an dokken album cover and , finally , as pious as the passion of the christ .",
        "harlin 's film does n't even work on the level of entertaining schlock like peter hyams ' devil thriller end of days .",
        "reams of tedious exposition finally give way to a random jumble of horror movie clich\u00e9s , rising to a shrill pitch of hysteria that is never remotely frightening .",
        "some things are better left mysterious , and some movies better left unmade .",
        "brutal . not for kids .",
        "an utter violation of anything that ever made the exorcist memorable ... just gaudy effects and things jumping out to say `` boo ! ''",
        "more than 30 years after the original hit screens , along comes the very best of the sequels .",
        "contrived , clich\u00e9 , murky , muddled , and an utterly gory mess ...",
        "the serious catholic themes that made the original film genuinely disturbing have been flattened out into a cartoonish backstory pitting merrin against nazi storm troopers .",
        "most of the movie feels nothing like an exorcist film .",
        "flawed , but still good .",
        "this is not horror . it 's sadism .",
        "by the time the three or four false endings are finished and the credits roll , moviegoers will be left wondering whether schrader 's version will be released on dvd .",
        "it rates fairly high on both the scare-o-meter and gross-out scale , with an early hyena attack guaranteed to have you flinching in terror .",
        "maybe schrader 's more subdued take was really the only way to approach this story . hopefully one day we can all see the difference .",
        "... a movie that unfolds with all the urgency of a history channel production .",
        "not good to be sure , but hardly the unwatchable black hole of suck we had been led to anticipate .",
        "by the time we get to the real exorcising , it 's too late . we 're bored with , and as , hell .",
        "this one wo n't make your head swivel .",
        "... i had goose-bumps on my goose-bumps clear to the top of my head ...",
        "` if you ca n't scare 'em , repulse 'em ' would appear to be the motto of exorcist : the beginning .",
        "never feels like anything other than generic , brain-dead , dolby-jolt , multiplex hackwork -- i kept expecting skarsgard 's habitually catacomb-prowling merrin to bump flashlights with lara croft .",
        "never underestimate the box-office appeal of a boring horror film .",
        "a lot of noisy tomfoolery that never coalesces into a solid horror yarn , lacking even the beloved pea soup 'n' rotating noggins that made us quake way back when .",
        "... atrocious ...",
        "the hellishly long buildup works , but the payoff is predictable , pitting merrin against a contortionist white devil in a blue dress .",
        "stellan skarsgard deserves another movie . this cruel , nasty , ugly prequel deserves to be exorcised right off the marquee .",
        "this exorcist prequel is more or less what used to be called a b-movie . even b-movies , however , had to please audiences on some level .",
        "pena que , em vez de merecer seu pr\u00f3prio cap\u00edtulo nos livros de hist\u00f3ria do cinema , tenha se revelado digno apenas de uma nota de rodap\u00e9 .",
        "harlin amps up the sound effects and gore in an attempt to disguise the absence of any genuine scares .",
        "-lsb- harlin 's -rsb- skill has never been proven and here , with effects that make the original look state-of-the-art , we see a film that is trapped in empty suspense and faulty terror .",
        "... an interesting little piece of entertainment : stylized , ambitious , and filled with scenes in which the element of creepiness seems genuine rather than synthetic .",
        "i was mildly surprised when it did n't stink up the joint . in that regard , you can call it the queen of the damned 2004 .",
        "it never approaches the stratospheric badness of exorcist ii : the heretic , but this lemon does its damndest to heap more dirt on the franchise 's grave .",
        "... yes , it is as bad as you 've heard .",
        "yet another film where a loyal black man dies to save his `` master , '' a hollywood trend that 's downright sickening .",
        "not unlike exorcist ii . it 's a huge mess with passages of great beauty , juxtaposed with a few truly scary moments and a bunch of hokum and stupidity .",
        "exceedingly lame production has few frights and not much story either .",
        "blood , flies , maggots , ravenous hyenas , power failures , grave-digging and much ineffectual voodoo ensue .",
        "warner 's late-game recruiting of a vulgarian like renny harlin to tack on some barf-bag moments is simply an insult to fans of the original .",
        "boring as hell .",
        "the priest grabs a rifle and blasts away : father merrin , action hero .",
        "although old scratch is n't strong enough to fight off the baltimore catechism for very long , the scares are good enough .",
        "working nazis into the satanic brew certainly ups the evil ante , but it does n't help make exorcist : the beginning a worthwhile movie .",
        "this may be called the beginning , but it probably spells the end of the franchise . there are a few good jolts , but it 's more creepy than scary .",
        "simultaneously boring and overwrought -lrb- especially in the laugh-inducing climax -rrb- ... fails as a sequel , as a metaphysical exercise and even as a cheesy exploitation item .",
        "this is the kind of film that mysteriously vanishes from most participants ' resumes .",
        "if this violent , tedious and gore-splattered prequel to the horror classic is any indication , the devil has officially become boring .",
        "jesus , mary and joseph -- could they have made a worse movie out of exorcist : the beginning ?",
        "an all out gore fest that would make mel gibson blush .",
        "impressive on a number of levels and awful on precious few .",
        "director paul schrader delivered a movie that the studio did n't like . now renny harlin makes one that nobody likes .",
        "the beginning surpasses both sequels , yet it still feels like a potboiler that regurgitates reliable jolts as if it were sticking to its own rites .",
        "the original exorcist verged on being demonic child porn . this beginning simply feels as if it has no end .",
        "this one is all hokum and not willing to dig deeper than into the familiar demonic bag of horror movie tricks .",
        "an example of the studio getting exactly what they ask for and the final product suffering because of it",
        "mr. harlin 's helming is uninspired enough to remind you that he 's the fellow responsible for such tankers as cutthroat island and driven .",
        "the battle here is not between father merrin and the devil . it 's between those who 'd make a scary film about a priest wrestling with his faith and those who 'd prefer an artificially adrenalized satanic smackdown .",
        "harlin 's hamfisted horror-show offers an hour and a half of tooth-grinding boredom followed by 20 minutes of all-singing , all-dancing , knees-up stupidity .",
        "exorcist : the beginning makes the mistake of confusing loud noises , grotesque images , obscene violence , and buckets of blood for frights .",
        "a botch job of mistimed scare scenes , bland characters and computer-generated hyenas .",
        "the prequel to william friedkin popular shock opera emphasizes unpleasantness over scares and coherence .",
        "one would think studios would shy away from this dead horse ; i guess the power of crap compels them .",
        "it is n't quite hell , but clambering to the end of this dusty remnant of an idea is certainly purgatory .",
        "it does n't disappoint .",
        "what is rather horrifying is how this would-be thriller manages the bizarre feat of being simultaneously dull and completely ridiculous .",
        "carves out its own niche by combining the christian horror of the original with the cruelties and crassness of colonialism .",
        "laughably poor prequel that is dumb , nonsensical and not remotely scary -- however , it remains watchable thanks to stellan skarsgard .",
        "the acting is serviceable at best , the direction unfocused -- and the special effects and makeup cheesy-looking .",
        "what begins as a reasonably watchable if shamelessly derivative occult thriller gets progressively sillier as schlockmeister director renny harlin piles on the cheap scares and red herrings .",
        "the scariest thing here is the editing , which is - bar none - the worst i have ever seen in a mainstream hollywood movie .",
        "interesting but not compelling , spooky but not scary ... succeeds only in surpassing the first unnecessary sequel .",
        "pokey , blood-spattered , cheap-scare - larded prequel .",
        "this annoyingly disjointed shocker stumbles badly after promising early scenes , and quickly devolves into a chaotic blur of underdeveloped characters , illogical transitions and standard-issue scary-movie tropes .",
        "nothing in the movie is noteworthy , except for maybe its offensive treatment of children .",
        "this movie is no exorcist , but it 's no alien vs. predator either .",
        "the best thing that can be said for it is that everybody got paid handsomely for killing off a franchise .",
        "in broad strokes exorcist : the beginning is a compelling story -- but the devil 's in the details .",
        "a grimly goofy , tediously bloody , dismally un-scary trashing of friedkin 's original that fits comfortably with the myriad other ` supernatural ' disasters of recent years .",
        "there 's been a tremendous struggle to bring exorcist : the beginning to theaters , and having seen the end result , it 's hardly been worth it .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a mediocre , gory horror film , nowhere near the quality of the 1973 original .",
    "id": "13326"
  },
  {
    "movie": "adieu_au_langage",
    "reviews":
     [
        "godard seems almost giddy in his use of 3-d .",
        "the single film from 2014 that most actively tries to find a new language for filmmakers to inhabit , and honestly , it might be the most consistently captivating one as well .",
        ". . we keep going back to roxy and , astoundingly , godard just about succeeds in allowing us to see the world through the dog 's eyes , the implication being that it is the purer form of experience .",
        "throughout this enigmatic film 's short running time , i could n't for the life of me make out what godard was trying to say .",
        "a film that 's stuffed with language , its title notwithstanding .",
        "if this kind of synaptic brainstorm sounds like an invigorating cinematic experience , i 'm here to tell you that watching goodbye to language on a big screen will be 70 minutes well spent .",
        "a hugely entertaining and almost entirely inscrutable lark , with a punk rock air of both surrender and rejuvenation .",
        "working in 3-d for the first time , mr. godard pushes the envelope and - depending how you look at it - trolls the format for all its worth .",
        "i 'm attaching four stars more out of helplessness than critical acumen , by the way ; if the film is beyond language , it 's certainly beyond a traditional rating system .",
        "put in short , the film is chaos , but glorious , wondrous chaos that lets us see what genius looks like from the inside .",
        "the result is , beyond question , the finest way that the -lsb- 3d -rsb- format has ever been put to use .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- `` goodbye to language '' is a vibrant think piece about modern man 's constant state of fear of the frankenstein culture of violence that governments and corporations have created .",
        "this is an experimental film by its most pure definition .",
        "the master still knows what he is doing even if we often do n't .",
        "the elder filmmaker 's take on our world of separations and alienation .",
        "MOV , which ends with a dog 's bark and a child 's cries , is a masterpiece , a film attuned to a future that likely will not come to pass .",
        "cinema is a vernacular of domination , and quaking with revelations both formal and personal , the film attests that godard has spent his career apologizing for it .",
        "overall , the concise , often impermeable experience does justice to the title by indicting a society on the verge of self-destruction with its own tools .",
        "unlike anything else you 'll see this year .",
        "if `` goodbye to language '' -lrb- the title must be ironic , right ? -rrb- were to appear without godard 's name attached , how would it be received ? that 's the only really interesting question provoked .",
        "the sheer assaultive power of goodbye to language makes it godard 's most vibrant and exciting film for some time and , you might say , his most terroristic .",
        "from its opening intertitled quotations , it 's patently obvious who has made this movie . and yet it somehow feels fresh , exciting and new within the godard canon .",
        "it leaves me almost speechless , slightly mystified , strangely wistful and perhaps with a mild case of eye strain , but delighted nonetheless .",
        "`` goodbye to language '' seems like an appropriate title if it 's meant to suggest that logic and sanity have completely disappeared from this world .",
        "reviews of jean-luc godard 's latest film ... generally include the phrase `` not for everybody . '' so the potential viewer has to ask herself or himself : `` am i everybody ? '' turns out i 'm not .",
        "3-d is the ideal toy for an old enfant terrible like godard to play with . packed with dazzling images , the film makes 3-d feel like something brand-new to the medium .",
        "it is there to jolt , to challenge , to disrupt : the old brechtian imperative .",
        "the title says ` goodbye , ' but jean-luc godard says hello with a stimulating and playful meditation on the state of the world and the possibilities of the image .",
        "all in all , it is intriguing exercise in social criticism . but it 's an unpopular message delivered in an unbearable execution .",
        "it probably ca n't be called a great film , but it 's a teasing and exhilarating one , one that flirts with despair but somehow , i think , comes out on the side of joy .",
        "it 's something of a miracle that a filmmaker still has the capacity to wow an audience with the aid of those bulky glasses .",
        "aside from anything else , godard has made the most striking use of 3d since that unlovely medium came back into vogue .",
        "it 's a good bit funnier , as well as freer in its rapid-fire associations , than the more strident and structured film socialisme .",
        "MOV is a film that brings us face to face with doubt , despair , and everyday existential confusion , made in a state of pure liberty .",
        "it 's like someone gave godard a list of everything you 're not supposed to do in a 3d movie , and he did every one of them . which is why he 's a genius .",
        "this is a master filmmaker whose interest in form and its instruments have kept him vital .",
        "-lsb- godard 's -rsb- 3-d technique is the first advance in deep-focus camerawork since the heyday of orson welles ; it lends the settings a sumptuous intimacy as it restores the astonishment of sheer perception to the art of the cinema .",
        "goodbye to language can be oddly , ineffably mesmerising , though for those of us who appreciate the notion of storytelling will leave rather unfulfilled",
        "is it difficult , abrasive and pretentious ? absolutely . but there are worse things to be than any of those .",
        "compared with captain america or whatever , goodbye is `` revolutionary . '' but so what ?",
        "this is easily my favorite godard film in a long time -- since weekend , in fact , which was made before i was born .",
        "a film you need to see again should be a film you want to see again , and the oblique beauty of goodbye to language , shot in 3-d , has a tractor-beam-like pull .",
        "goodbye to language follows in the eye-searing , mind-spinning wake of godard 's recent features , taking the fragmentation even further than in his film socialisme .",
        "even at a brisk 70 minutes , goodbye to language is dense with too many ideas and innovations to unpick on one viewing .",
        "my relationship with goodbye to language has not been a honeymoon of unruffled bliss , but i 'm glad to have had it , and can say unequivocally that it should be seen in an environment where its 3d effects can do their work -- that is to say , in a cinema .",
        "goodbye to language is far more stimulating visually and aurally than it is intellectually , but at 83 , godard is still pushing the form . i 'll take it .",
        "the innovation raises the spirits , but gives you a splitting headache . that 's how it is with godard , who revels in his dreams so willfully that the results are frequently frustrating and opaque .",
        "jean-luc godard is an original and at 84 has lost none of the youthful vitality he demonstrated in his first feature .",
        "anyone interested in the possibilities of the moviegoing experience - what can happen in a dark theater - owes it to themselves to say hello to `` goodbye to language . ''",
        "at 84 , godard is still looking for new ways to express himself , though he thinks it harder than ever to achieve meaningful interpersonal communication in the information age .",
        "goodbye to language 3d challenges the very ways in which we watch movies . and that 's the point . the things jean-luc godard is able to do with 3d as a medium are astounding .",
        "jean-luc godard is the acknowledged mascot , if not master , of intellectual cinema . in `` goodbye to language 3d '' the 84-year-old auteur ... reprises his longstanding suspicion that words are worthless .",
        "the reason to buy a ticket is to take the ride , though , and seeing what 84-year-old godard does when given an extra dimension is intensely fascinating .",
        "shooting on various low - and medium-grade digital cameras , godard turns `` goodbye to language '' into a rumination on memory , communication , everyday life and sexual tension .",
        "old dogs , similar tricks , but hardly tired .",
        "for better or for worse , godard has traded roller coaster thrills for a carnival of gimmicks .",
        "godard ca n't stop himself from exploring new ways to make pictures . he seems to enjoy doing so almost as much as he enjoys frustrating the expectations of those who still want a movie to have a beginning , a middle and an end , in that order .",
        "in goodbye to language 3d is a new inspiration -lsb- for godard -rsb- , used for artistic , fun-of-filmmaking reasons . that alone is cause for celebration .",
        "there 's a lot to unpack here , but even if you 're just staring slackjawed , like an idiot who will figure this all out later , it can be a lot of actual , honest-to-god fun - and usually very funny .",
        "it joins the very short list of intriguing experiments in 21st-century 3-d , which otherwise comprises werner herzog 's `` cave of forgotten dreams '' and wim wenders ' `` pina . ''",
        "at 83 , godard continues to push boundaries , even if his latest movie may baffle all but the most devoted film theorists .",
        "lots of luck figuring any of this out before dozing off .",
        "watching it is , i would imagine , as close as we 'll get to being able to be godard , sitting there thinking , or dreaming . it 's a documentary of a restless mind .",
        "the everyday world is made vivid and strange , rendered in a series of sketches and compositions by an artist with an eccentric and unerring eye .",
        "the experience of being eluded by jean-luc godard has its consolations , foremost among them the 83-year-old director 's prerogative to elude .",
        "as far as purely aesthetic experiences go , i doubt anything i 'll see anywhere this year will beat jean-luc godard 's goodbye to language .",
        "the helter-skelter non-story does not stay long on anyone or anything but tackles a range of topics obliquely .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "as visually thrilling as it is inscrutable , goodbye to language 3d offers a late-period masterpiece from a legendary director still very much in control of his craft .",
    "id": "771379104"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cars_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it took real willpower to sit through this entire mess , and even my granddaughter -lrb- 10 -rrb- said `` that was a terrible movie , grandma ; i did n't like it . ''",
        "MOV feels like a rival animation studio trying to copy the pixar formula - and failing .",
        "despite the bucktoothed charm of the truck named mater and a plot that pays lip service to alternative fuels , the john lasseter-directed animation does not turn the lemon into lemonade .",
        "-lsb- pixar -rsb- t has set such a high bar with what it has done with animation and storytelling over its 25 years that when it falls short -- and it does fall short with MOV -- the disappointment can make a perfectly good , entertaining movie seem like a letdown .",
        "this being pixar , MOV looks fantastic , but the studio has never given audiences -- especially audiences over the age of 10 -- less reason to be emotionally invested in the beautiful shiny things flying across the screen .",
        "especially coming from pixar , this frantic but uninspired ` toon is a major disappointment .",
        "there is a lot to like about `` MOV . '' the 3-d animation is sumptuous , the action sequences are exciting . it manages to be witty enough to engage adults while being 100 % kid-friendly .",
        "i blow a piston whenever 2006 's cars gets trashed as the runt of the pixar litter . the sequel is a tire-burning burst of action and fun with a beating heart under its hood .",
        "how **** ing sad this movie is .",
        "it is a good film , but lacks the emotional punch of `` up '' or the exquisite ending of `` toy story 3 . '' maybe this one is bad enough that the establishment will allow an animator other than pixar to win the top awards this year .",
        "without the warm-hearted innocence mater brings to screenwriter ben queen 's madcap espionage adventure , lasseter 's sequel would be little more than a superior technical exercise , visually impressive but so slight as to seem superfluous .",
        "if you were the kids that the merchandising is aimed at , then you would love this film . it 's just not for us .",
        "no , MOV is n't another pearl from pixar , but it 's entertaining and well-made .",
        "with the love story jettisoned in favor of explosions , a confusing plot and poorly defined characters , MOV goes nowhere fast .",
        "it looks like a pixar film , but it sure does n't feel like one .",
        "the new runt of the pixar litter . but so what ? if the pixar gurus occasionally want to kick up their heels and make movies that offer only surface pleasures , then so be it . the only requirement should be that they entertain , which this certainly does .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... MOV is a bright and breezy excursion that avoids the slow patches the original had ...",
        "cars dazzled my eyes and warmed my heart . MOV ... inspired resistance instead of welcome .",
        "the animation is superb , but the length and sledgehammer delivery takes MOV down to second gear .",
        "minor pixar , but it would be a major film were it made by just about anyone else . i , for one , will not get greedy .",
        "unlike the duller than duller `` cars , '' this is better than the toys they sell along with it .",
        "a fairly disastrous sequel ...",
        "undoubtedly flawed , this animated film is still -lrb- barely -rrb- worth seeing .",
        "with MOV it seems pixar may have fallen on the self-made sword of success . but even for adult audiences , it is no more than middling - it is neither terribly good nor terrible , but it still out-performs the majority of rival animation studios ' output .",
        "it 's so eye-popping that MOV easily ranks as one of the best 3d entries this year .",
        "despite a more interesting plot , MOV still leans on a number of problems established in the first film -- specifically leading men , lightning mcqueen and mater .",
        "MOV is a very messy concoction , but it does prove entertaining every once in a while .",
        "at a time when some `` grown-up '' action films are relentlessly shallow and stupid , here is a movie with such complexity that even the cars sometimes have to pause and explain it to themselves .",
        "larry the cable guy has helped make mater one of pixar 's sweetest creations . he just happens to reside in the studio 's least-magical franchise .",
        "not that MOV is an actively bad animated film . it 's just sort of an average animated film .",
        "unlike most pixar fare , this is n't a movie you can imagine many adults wanting to see without their children in tow .",
        "although it would be unfair to label MOV as unwatchable , it is surprisingly tedious in parts and not as satisfying as one might expect .",
        "a convoluted , boring storyline and a way-too-long feature .",
        "`` MOV '' blows a gasket .",
        "i have such high regard for pixar and its creative team , led by john lasseter , that it actually hurts to knock one of their movies-something i 've never done before . but then , i 've never gotten a headache watching any of their previous films . despite ...",
        "between the smart visuals and the dumbed-down script , MOV manages to be good enough - which , considering pixar 's past levels of brilliance , is a considerable disappointment .",
        "a sequel with a lot of horse power under the hood , but little else .",
        "cars sequel revs up action and mixes in spy thrills .",
        "visuals look spectacular and action sequences take full advantage of the 3d format so you feel like you are burning rubber down winding roads at dizzying speed .",
        "MOV wo n't win any new converts , but will sell an awful lot of car toys .",
        "unlikely to be regarded among the best of the american studios ' work , MOV is a likeable sequel with dazzling visuals and adheres to everything disney stands for .",
        "pixar 's first bad film relies more on merchandising opportunities than storytelling ones .",
        "the whole thing 's basically theseus ' paradox as performed by a cast of sentient automobiles .",
        "though technically up to snuff , it 's flat-footed stuff .",
        "kids will be entertained and so will adults . i just did n't find myself particularly engaged .",
        "the action is non-stop and pleasing to the eye , but somewhere along the way , pixar 's soul was left behind .",
        "do n't tell the kids , but santa claus is n't real and pixar is fallible .",
        "the summer 's first must-see family film is another cross-generational treasure from pixar-disney , with a full tank of humor , high-tech animation in the service of a good story , and heart .",
        "this is also one of the most violent pixar films , with cars being shot at , thrown into the ocean to drown and dying . yes , dying . it tries to be a bond film , but when was the last time you let your five-year-old watch one of those ?",
        "pixar moves into the fast lane for a sequel that does n't flame out , but is burdened by too much plot",
        "... by pixar 's outrageous standards of oscar shoo-in virtuosity , this sequel is a disappointment at best .",
        "globe-spanning sequel to pixar 's 2006 automative adventure is a visual treat , but has less to offer mature viewers than the studio 's recent top-of-the-line models .",
        "not every pixar feature needs to be deeply profound or lead you to the brink of tears for it to be a worthwhile experience . what 's so wrong with just having a blast at the movies ? most of the time that 's all my inner-child needs .",
        "while the little ones will have plenty to feast their eyes , ears and short attention spans on , grown-ups should accept that this is one pixar effort that treats the adults in the audience more like baby sitters .",
        "`` MOV '' is a honda needing a body shop as compared to the pristine ferrari that was `` cars '' . it 's an unequal pixar blend for adults and kiddies that never evolves into the storytelling success of its predecessor .",
        "there is nothing here to justify a sequel , other than the merchandising revenue . what they have given us is a limp , over-stuffed film that lacks class .",
        "for the first time , we get a sense of ` let 's just knock this out ' instead of ` let 's knock this out of the park . '",
        "sidekicks exist to steal the show , not carry it like tow mater is asked to do in MOV . the redneck rust bucket is on screen so much that 3-d glasses should come with tetanus shots .",
        "the rare sequel that improves on its predecessor , this lightning-paced caper-comedy shifts the franchise into high gear with international intrigue , spy-movie spoofery and more automotive puns than you can shake a stickshift at .",
        "heartless , convoluted , and boring",
        "the original movie has been debugged and rethought . it 's funnier and sharper .",
        "the movie is an interesting reminder of how very , very high the pixar wizards have set the bar . sometimes they make masterpieces ; sometimes , as in this case , they just make pretty good movies .",
        "the constantly shifting scenery and the over-reliance on mater 's idiocy combine to produce a fatigue not common to better pixar efforts .",
        "this is mater 's movie . it 's a materthon . i would call it materific if he did n't leave me longing for walle 's robot to crush him into a silent cube .",
        "pixar runs out of gas . into a brick wall .",
        "young kids will like this , but that 's about it .",
        "mater is dumb , excitable and puppy-dog loyal , his idiot-savant automotive expertise grounded in humble , blue-collar simplicity . i doubt anyone will protest much , but pixar has now found its redneck jar-jar binks . such a proud moment .",
        "with toy story 3 , one could sense the heartfelt devotion the filmmakers put into visiting those characters again ; i do n't feel it here . MOV is still a highly entertaining bit of animation , but the soul is n't filled by watching it .",
        "cute cars and some terrific animation , but MOV lacks compelling characters and a clever story . pixar is so adept at providing emotion and laughs . this one lacks both .",
        "cars ' second lap wisely trades the tepid americana of the first go-round for a tangier takeoff on globe-hopping spy adventures .",
        "of all the great pixar films and franchises , `` cars '' is perhaps the most difficult to embrace .",
        "pixar had never produced a clunker , but with `` MOV , '' the animation studio has not only stalled , it 's gone into reverse .",
        "mediocre pixar is still way better than what any other animation studios are doing .",
        "i hate to say this , but MOV is the first pixar movie that feels dead inside .",
        "someone must like mater , who 's already had his own spinoff tv show . just as someone must like larry the cable guy , who voices him . but that someone is n't me , and if it is n't you , you 're in for one very long matinee .",
        "all winning streaks must come to an end , but this is ugly .",
        "a work of disheartening anonymity ... not only is MOV mediocre , it does n't even feel like mediocre pixar .",
        "like the first film , MOV runs out of gas . unlike the original , this one fails to cross the finish line .",
        "MOV '' never seems to rev up to its full potential . at one hour and 53 minutes , it feels sluggish and padded . the film lacks spark and drive .",
        "a too long and repetitious sequel to the winning first film that is part cars , part james bond , part transformers , and part beverly hillbillies .",
        "the first pixar feature film that seems unnecessary -- more marketplace contrivance than passion project .",
        "as an animated feature MOV is good as long as you can put up with mater , but as a pixar movie its missing much of the magic that you 've come to expect from the studio .",
        "for the first time in its 25-year existence , pixar has created an utterly ordinary film .",
        "it 's good fun but , with so many characters and plot strands , it also feels cluttered and rather chaotic .",
        "MOV is beautiful to look at , but the characters still do n't really grab hold of your hearts like woody & co from toy story or even the fish in finding nemo .",
        "ironic that cars continues to be pixar 's most underpowered juggernaut - but you have to admire the body work .",
        "lasseter delivers some exciting race sequences set in , among other places , paris and london , but the stop-start nature of the yarn results in a rare instance of pixar failing to fire on all cylinders .",
        "sweet turbo mother of fuel injections , what is this ?",
        "time , perhaps , for the franchise to be towed off to the scrapyard . sorry , pixar .",
        "it 's not vintage pixar , but MOV is still streets ahead of most of the animated pack .",
        "MOV is beautifully animated but it 's also frequently dull and painfully unfunny , thanks to an irritating lead character , an overstuffed script , several poorly conceived jokes and a plot that 's probably too complicated for its target audience .",
        "aesthetically MOV is as accomplished as anything the studio has done , but look under the bonnet and the script does n't quite have the sophistication to shift into top gear .",
        "a great deal of know-how has been poured into MOV but there 's no way this cutesy scenario can work on multiple levels .",
        "only the youngest audience members will be amused -lrb- if a bit squirmy -rrb- ; older kids and parents will find their patience tested . at least pixar 's peerless animation remains a treat .",
        "a hypocritical bore of a film that is fundamentally no different in tone , humor and plot than your average larry the cable guy film .",
        "the cars characters will never be in danger of melting my heart , but the spy antics in this film are enough of a rip-roaring distraction to carry me through the almost two-hour running time .",
        "fine as a mild diversion , but up against pixar 's high standards , it 's a definite disappointment .",
        "the first pixar film that could understandably be dismissed as filler .",
        "at least MOV looks as expertly sleek and sturdy as audiences have come to expect from the standard-setting animation company , which is celebrating its 25th anniversary .",
        "MOV narrowly avoids becoming pixar 's first truly bad movie , but it 's definitely the studio 's worst movie .",
        "while it does n't hit the grand heights of other pixar films , there 's still a lot of fun to be had here .",
        "too much of the movie putters along on autopilot .",
        "feels like it was written by someone who got fired from an eddie murphy film , or jay leno . it 's the sequel no one asked for .",
        "lasseter and his team 's pitch-perfect way with genre cliches revs up the espionage subplot .",
        "lightning and mater are both likable characters . their odd-couple friendship makes `` MOV '' worth watching , even if some elements of the film are n't fully carticulated .",
        "they said it could n't be done . but pixar proved the yaysayers wrong when it made its first bad movie , `` cars . '' now it has worsted itself with the even more awful `` MOV . ''",
        "this is a movie made for kids who grew up on tiny tin versions of their favorite vehicles , a group outside the often adult reach of a typical pixar experience .",
        "as lovable as mater is , let 's face it : a little bit of larry the cable guy goes a long way .",
        "unless you have a kid in tow who wants to see about 75 new cars that you 'll later have to buy for them in toy form , this movie is n't a must-see .",
        "you 'd think that the grown-up audience that actually buys the billions of dollars worth of cars toys and other merch would n't have to deal with being so studiously ignored , especially when no other pixar movie has ever intentionally shut them out .",
        "it 's mater to the rescue every time the plot bogs down .",
        "as silly and soulless spy spoofs go , MOV has its moments here and there .",
        "ultimately , MOV is n't a bad film but it does have some deadly dull stretches and never hits top gear .",
        "one for the scrapheap .",
        "a mater overload is on the cards , and much as the new characters add some dimension , it 's still a mater-mcqueen show , essentially .",
        "it 's funny , entertaining , and visually witty . i could happily watch it again , just for the ingenuity of the background detail .",
        "mater 's ugly-americanism may be ` humorous , ' but simmering below the surface of this story is the horrifying prospect of another kind of american idiocy taking hold around the world : ` intelligent design . '",
        "it is all quite jolly and fast-paced , a feast for the eyes , but there 's not much for the mind or the heart .",
        "the invention here is often still dazzling , the race sequences are invigorating and spirited voice work atones for the inexpressiveness of the cars themselves . even so , this is n't pixar at top gear .",
        "it unquestionably sparkles visually and the very youngest kids will still enjoy it , but between MOV and particularly pixar 's three previous features stands a wide chasm of quality .",
        "so-so .",
        "not much engine-power here .",
        "pregui\u0437oso no desenvolvimento de seus personagens e clich\u043a na elabora\u0437\u0433o de sua trama .",
        "yes , `` MOV \u2033 is better than `` cars . ''",
        "notwithstanding john turturro 's amusingly smug italian f1 speedster and a few lighthearted jabs at japanese tv and technology , MOV generally remains stuck in neutral .",
        "MOV is such a mess , it makes the original look like it ought to rank among pixar 's masterpieces by comparison .",
        "it 's sometimes funny , often silly but never really transcendent , though the same could probably be said of the original , as well .",
        "MOV is not a bad sequel , just a disappointing one -lrb- though cars was not great either -rrb- , a structurally messy animation that goes overboard as compensation for the flawed narrative .",
        "you never believe any of the movie 's homilies are more than shallow truisms tacked onto an overlong toy commercial .",
        "lackluster and misguided , dialing up the noise and violence while a cast of allegedly beloved characters are left in the rear-view mirror , playing second fiddle to explosions and gunfire .",
        "pixar 's least-serious film to date : playful , silly , crammed with one-liners and throwaway sight gags . though it lacks the immense depth of feeling that characterizes the studio 's more acclaimed releases , it 's by no means hollow .",
        "MOV looks like the work of multiple committees completing various objectives , with varying degrees of success .",
        "this souped-up sequel kicks it into high gear with new characters , slick animation and a global espionage caper .",
        "`` MOV '' teaches gentle kid-friendly lessons about the importance of friendship and being yourself and introduces some great new characters in its parallel spy drama and auto racing plots .",
        "a tedious action caper that has only a handful of laughs and suffers from a dearth of storytelling magic . it 's shockingly un-pixar-like .",
        "tedious , derivative , and with little inspiration , MOV is not only the weakest pixar effort , it is also the studio 's first genuinely bad one .",
        "it 's a worthwhile diversion ... but let 's hope that lasseter and friends soon return to the emotional ambition that has made pixar such a reliable brand to date .",
        "apparently co-director john lasseter is so in love with the idea of talking cars that he could not see that it falls short of the standards he is responsible for establishing .",
        "here is the most important thing you need to know about this movie : larry the cable guy has top billing .",
        "MOV demonstrates that not every hit movie merits a sequel .",
        "as appalling as any motion picture released so far in 2011 . ruthlessly betrays every last thing the original so passionately stood for .",
        "if you have kids under 10 , you 'll at least marvel at the multiple car chases and car races this sequel delivers . but for everyone else , this is the first pixar movie that you should skip entirely . -lrb- full content parental review also available -rrb-",
        "MOV runs out of gas . it 's on fumes -- and some of them pretty noxious . there may be enough color and motion to initially interest children , but the plot will lose them , and boredom may follow .",
        "lasseter should have left this sputtering galumph on the table and pumped the gas into toy story 4 .",
        "more of a spinoff than a sequel , MOV succeeds on the back of a much more likeable hero and plot full of silly fun and adventure .",
        "not a total car wreck but has enough `` dents '' plotwise to make it less than a pixar movie should be",
        "pixar can do bugs , fish and toys , but they just ca n't bring these cars to life .",
        "it seems the gang at pixar animation studios is human after all -- they 've finally come out with an out-and-out stinker .",
        "it 's finally happened . pixar 's mythical run of great films is over .",
        "MOV 's lovely globe-spanning graphics and 007-ish action give it a slight edge over its sire , but not by much . the overlong , convoluted plot and charmless , bargain-basement humour is way beneath pixar standards .",
        "exceptionally colorful and bright animation mingles with a multi-layered storyline that bogs down around the lowbrow humor of larry the cable guy .",
        "even with its highly adroit usage of 3d , this animated exercise in busyness has an incomprehensible james bond-ian storyline that should baffle young ones as much as it grates on their elders .",
        "despite its technical and design finesse , this ranks as pixar 's weakest project to date , as well as the first from the animation powerhouse that can be described as craven .",
        "lightning and mater mix it up with formula 1 and spies in yet another pixar winner .",
        "hits the gas with a simpler story about friendship , bolder visuals , good natured humor , and wall to wall action .",
        "formally , everything 's in order-it 's an attractive film with some ingenious action sequences-but the problems overwhelm the pleasures , leading to the conclusion that this film 's trouble is under the hood .",
        "even pixar , as trustworthy a brand as there is , lays an egg from time to time . in the case of MOV , it 's a rotten egg to boot .",
        "if you 're going to set the standard in animation , however lofty it may be , you best be prepared to live up to it . and MOV , it pains me to say , does not .",
        "a light summer feast for the senses that will have the whole family vrooming , for sure .",
        "this is n't an animated film , this is a cartoon .",
        "base-level entertainment on a familiarly laid racetrack . while unfolding against a sumptuous visual backdrop , MOV does n't have the same adventurousness of spirit that marks pixar 's best efforts .",
        "frantic , loud , colorful , `` MOV '' is pure unfiltered stimulation without the thematic weight of the original . what it loses in gentle observations , it more than makes up for in explosions , spy movie conventions , and more explosions .",
        "the film 's frenetic pace will keep the kids from getting bored but overall MOV does not further pixar 's previously pristine legacy . MOV makes for a decent play date but is not an especially good movie .",
        "for the first time in its 25-year history , pixar has produced a picture that has no reason to exist -- other than the obvious monetary one , of course , or maybe director john lasseter 's desire to make a faux james bond movie .",
        "in terms of story and atmosphere and overall feeling , `` MOV '' is a brand-new experience - and a distinct improvement .",
        "the law of averages has finally caught up with the most remarkable studio in modern movie history , the dream factory that lived up to buzz lightyear 's joyous cry of `` to infinity and beyond . '' this frenzied sequel seldom gets beyond mediocrity .",
        "all the shifts in location with four big races and the spy story get overly complicated without drawing us in , a disquieting sense of missing the forest for the trees .",
        "harsh criticism for this kiddie-focused sequel is not unwarranted , but my thought is that the film works best when not put into the pixar context . viewed in a vacuum , MOV is solid family entertainment .",
        "it 's not that `` MOV '' is an unpleasant exercise in animated filmmaking . it 's just such a perfunctory one . the sequel is about as captivating as a trip to the disney store at the mall .",
        "did no one , at any point , simply ask , `` do we really want larry the cable guy carrying this movie ? ''",
        "we 've come to expect perfection from pixar , mostly because pixar expects perfection from itself .",
        "after eleven artistically and financially successful features , pixar has delivered their first dud with MOV .",
        "it 's not that MOV is bad-it 's just ordinary , and pixar has never made ordinary .",
        "there 's more going on than there was in cars and the globe-trotting 's a gas . but compared to the pick of the pixar pack , this is some way down the grid .",
        "it 's hugely sad that the emeryville studio have turned in their first dud but the stark reality is that MOV really offers very little for neither kids nor adults .",
        "what an irony that MOV is in many ways the epitome of the fast-paced , superficial postmodernity that its predecessor bemoaned .",
        "`` MOV '' is a solid vehicle for pixar .",
        "a rollicking , free-wheeling joy ride .",
        "a sequel that improves on the original , MOV is sheer delight .",
        "the sequel zooms along quickly enough , but its attempts at humor are often stale and forced and there 's a distinct lack of emotion to the proceedings .",
        "after the serviceable first film ... this sequel puts the accelerator to the floor and never looks in the rear-view mirror .",
        "a really fun movie with a lot going on in it .",
        "with `` MOV , '' pixar goes somewhere new : the ditch .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a tad too complicated but there 's a large bonnet full of surprises , laughs and adventures as brilliant action and chaos explodes onscreen",
        "MOV is not only the weakest pixar film to date , but it 's the first one that can be sadly dismissed as not particularly worth seeing .",
        "utterly brilliant animation , inventive story telling and thrilling spy movie with heart",
        "it 's sweet-spirited , visually delightful -lrb- if aurally cacophonous -rrb- , and it will make for a pleasant enough family afternoon at the movies . but we 've come to expect so much more than mere pleasantness from pixar that MOV feels almost like a betrayal .",
        "`` MOV '' might be a better james bond film than five or six of the actual bond films , and the fact that its hero is a bucktoothed , redneck tow truck without a hood does nothing to detract from its -lrb- admittedly modest -rrb- appeal .",
        "it 's pixar 's first clunker .",
        "if it 's going to be diet pixar , at least it 's action-packed diet pixar -- with overwhelming , detail-choked production design that occasionally had my jaw lowering like a forklift .",
        "it does just about everything but tell an actual story .",
        "`` MOV '' hardly seems like a pixar movie at all - it lacks the studio 's usual emotional ambition , it settles for the gag-a-minute style of its commercial rivals , and is by far the studio 's least original movie .",
        "there are a lot of expertly designed action scenes and some very detailed , great-looking set pieces , but in the end , making mater the main character turns the film into kind of a forrest gump lite .",
        "a sensory-overloaded sequel that revs to a confusing , high-octane frenzy , never forging any emotional connection with the audience . but the accompanying short , ` toy story hawaiian vacation ' is delightful . keep the short - can the feature .",
        "bad creative decision # 1 : making cars a spy movie . the whole point of cars 1 was to slow down and appreciate life . now it 's a busy generic caper . bad creative decision # 2 : cars with guns .",
        "not since hee haw has the south been so successfully slandered ; larry the cable guy 's live action films are beyond abysmal , and his hayseed , grinning rube act is no less offensive or cynical when transposed into cartoon form .",
        "it is gorgeous - as gorgeous as any animated movie is likely to be in all of 2011 ... and it has a completely awful story and script .",
        "this is one pixar film where you really do feel the length as keenly as the merchandising push .",
        "take the family , and leave your cynicism at home if you dare . even though MOV does n't top my pixar list , it 's still a great film .",
        "pixar 's first true disaster , which totally fails to understand what was good about the first film , or what 's great about pixar itself .",
        "it 's an example of what a sequel should , or at least can , be .",
        "MOV is marginally better than its predecessor , but the same problem still remains : cars just are n't very interesting as anthropomorphic animation vehicles -lrb- pun intended -rrb- .",
        "given pixar 's track record , it would be easy to forgive MOV as a swing and a miss . yet the movie is more disconcerting than that .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is as visually appealing as any other pixar production , but all that dazzle ca n't disguise the rusty storytelling under the hood .",
    "id": "770805427"
  },
  {
    "movie": "monkey_kingdom",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an engaging , kid-friendly nature doc with a hint of social commentary rolled in .",
        "a populist take on simian society and alpha leadership leads to an entertaining look at caste systems in the animal kingdom .",
        "the cheekiest , funniest , and most purely entertaining entry in the disneynature series .",
        "the film should hit the sweet spot for family audiences .",
        "with its sumptuous photography , razor-sharp editing , and a delightfully comic narration by tin fey , `` MOV '' shows us like no other film in recent memory how closely animals act like people .",
        "the cumulative effect is cheerily life-affirming , a bracing infusion of macaque-style joie de vivre .",
        "MOV is delightful , and its swinging and vaulting best any stuntwork you 'll see in this year 's summer blockbusters ...",
        "the imagery of this film will linger in this reviewer 's mind long after the monkey names are forgotten .",
        "it 's hard to imagine what message children will take away from this film other than that monkeys are just like characters in a fictional disney movie , which they are not .",
        "monkeys .",
        "the film offers a valuable life lesson in the powers of determination and timing , but most of all it 's darned entertaining .",
        "you know how nature docs work . you forgive the hoked-up comic relief ... and tasteful allusions to death and dying and procreation because the tight shots of maya 's lil ' kip are so durn cuuuuute .",
        "it 's been clear for awhile now that tina fey rules . `` MOV '' is just the latest entertainment to benefit .",
        "as much fun as a tree full of toque macaques , MOV is arguably the most entertaining of disneynature 's eight features .",
        "assess to what extent we 're witnessing man-ufactured monkey life ... -lsb- or -rsb- just pay no attention to the men and women behind the curtain and simply enjoy the underwater photography of monkeys swimming .",
        "MOV is beautifully shot by co-directors mark linfield and alastair fothergill , who each have a slew of nature-doc credits to their names .",
        "stick around for the credits to find out how pivotal scenes were shot for this worthy addition to disney 's long tradition of nature family films .",
        "disneynature 's documentaries have proven to be exquisite to watch , but time and again , they falter , if not fail outright , at telling stories without getting in their own way .",
        "although its chief asset is its inherently entertaining subject matter , `` MOV '' does far more than just let the cameras roll : it teases a compelling drama out of one monkey tribe 's complicated social hierarchy ...",
        "MOV may be disneynature 's low point thus far , but that does n't mean it is n't a great time .",
        "you 're likely to laugh and learn in equal measure-and so will your little ones .",
        "another winning entry in disneynature 's collection of easily accessible documentaries . -lrb- full content review -- violence , etc. -- for parents also available -rrb-",
        "adorable as expected but also surprisingly absorbing , with marvelous narration from tina fey .",
        "an enjoyable documentary , with some painless lessons . and a good heart , too ...",
        "this latest production showcases lavish , breathtaking cinematography , in addition to heartwarming stories about the inhabitants of these gorgeous lands .",
        "while previous entries in this series have been over-anthropomorphized , defanged and declawed , mark linfield & alastair fothergill 's -lrb- `` earth , '' `` chimpanzee '' -rrb- latest is a winner with an organically spun story",
        "it pretty closely follows the disneynature formula , so do n't expect anything groundbreaking . you can , however , expect a sweet and entirely enjoyable all-ages delight .",
        "you could n't do much better than `` MOV '' to get kids invested in learning about , and protecting , the natural world .",
        "if you do n't love monkeys already - and really , we all should - then `` MOV '' will swing you in the right direction .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't going to be mistaken for science , but it 's extremely entertaining .",
        "`` MOV '' tugs our heartstrings to the top of the trees . with a lot of patience , and perhaps a little trickery , directors mark linfield and alastair fothergill have produced a simian `` cinderella . ''",
        "what we witness in MOV is nothing less than amazing .",
        "`` MOV '' clocks in at a very digestible 82 minutes and does n't overstay its welcome . it does n't monkey around - that 's left to the film 's subjects , who are more than happy to oblige .",
        "the story of the colony 's exile and return feels like a dull sermon , but the animals themselves , with their expressive faces and moe howard hairdos , can switch from slapstick to pathos faster than charlie chaplin .",
        "everything MOV lacks in scientific rigor , it makes up for in pure entertainment value-and then some .",
        "the lead monkeys are such an engaging trio , and the filmmakers are so successful in capturing them in vibrant images , that family audiences will probably be charmed , if not enthralled .",
        "you 'll wish the narrative could be as au naturel as the photography , but MOV makes for pleasantly diverting eco-tainment .",
        "tina fey-narrated monkey documentary is funny , educational .",
        "if it helps convey zoological and ecological lessons to children with short attention spans , then so be it .",
        "MOV is a passable time-passer , with lovely visuals and positive if oversimplified messages about conservation and motherhood , but nothing more .",
        "engaging live-action eco-documentary , combining education with entertainment ...",
        "all in all , this is one of disneynature 's best in-country outings so far , so much so that you 're very likely to leave the theatre feeling downright giddy and more connected to the world than before .",
        "it might be tempting to roll your eyes at the disney-ness of it all . then again , maybe it 's that disney-ness that keeps you watching all the way to that happy ending in the first place .",
        "MOV moves so smoothly and quickly that the filmmakers ' time-consuming dedication and labor-intense toil stays , as it should be , invisible .",
        "the filmmakers bring us to places and creatures we would never see otherwise , so we get education along with the entertainment",
        "this may be an unabashed , disneyfied version of nature . but it 's also fun , touching , and expertly assembled .",
        "it 's a wondrous way for the whole family to spend 81 minutes . and most importantly , part of your ticket purchase during opening week goes to protecting this endangered species ."],
    "summary": "MOV 's breathtaking footage of primates in the wild is likely to please animal lovers of all ages .",
    "id": "771378525"
  },
  {
    "movie": "24_city",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a blend of documentary and drama which is by turns movingly authentic and deliberately artificial .",
        "a familiar scenario both here and in china , but jia zhang-ke has shaped it into a complex and lucid cinematic poem about identity , transience , and loss .",
        "24 MOV includes evocative footage of factory 420 's dismantling , but emphasizes people over place .",
        "in -lsb- jia zhangke 's -rsb- chronicle of the changing fortunes of a defunct but once glorious aeronautic factory and its workers through talking heads and wordless images exclusively , the documentary strain prevails to simple , yet emotionally reverberating effect .",
        "jia purposely refrains from voicing any opinions here and its authenticity may be arguable , but if pure fiction is so often taken as historical testimony , why should n't half-fiction qualify for the same honours ?",
        "jia zhangke seems to be entering a new phase of his fascinating career with 24 MOV , a documentary/fiction hybrid that reworks the director 's signature techniques and strategies to stunning and self-critical effect .",
        "in the end , the filmmaker 's fragmented approach marks an interesting , if not entirely successful , departure for one of china 's most talented working directors .",
        "24 MOV belies its documentary origins with overtly poetic film language : the film is an elegiac visual symphony of carefully framed compositions , trompe l'oeil camera movements , posed portraits , internal rhymes and mysterious vignettes .",
        "24 MOV wo n't change the minds of detractors -- it is his most painfully slow yet -- but it might change the minds of his supporters , including this critic , for jia attempts something that is , in the end , unforgivable .",
        "strongest moments are when the pristine hd lensing by hong kong 's yu lik-wai -lrb- a jia regular -rrb- and wang yu , and warm string music by yoshihiro hanno , take over in montages showing the gradual dismantling of the factory .",
        "zhangke never hints much about politics ... his is more the story of ordinary people caught up in history and still determined to live their lives as well as they can . it 's both relevant and resonant .",
        "the film takes on an operatic feel , moving between euphoria for the new and lament for the lost .",
        "reflective historical documentary on ordinary chinese workers .",
        "enthralling , beguiling and haunting .",
        "chinese arthouse fixture jia zhang ke looks at the closure of a state-owned factory in chengdu , combining real interviews with awkwardly am-dram mock ones .",
        "punctuated with eyebrow-raising poems about aeronautics factories , its treacle-paced obliqueness will frustrate some viewers . but the pay-off 's a layered , haunting portrait of china in its shift to a capitalist economy .",
        "a deeply serious and sombre film , trying to find a way of telling the stories of people affected by the gigantic political and economic changes sweeping that country whose concerns must in the end affect us all : 21st-century china .",
        "history weaves in and out of faces that purl their monologues -- real or scripted -- as jia presents the past as a giant , invisible river .",
        "an intriguing hybrid of fiction and documentary , this film chronicles the dismantling of a notorious factory in chengdu to make way for a new luxury community . it 's skilfully assembled , but a bit dry for western audiences .",
        "this subversively old-fashioned hymn to industrial production is filled with offbeat , vaguely absurd details .",
        "celebrated filmmaker jia zhangke melds fiction and non-fiction filmmaking to portray the new betrayals in store for the chinese as they shift to capitalism -- ones not very different from the old betrayals of a paternalistic society .",
        "brilliant evocation of maoist-minded workers alienated by china 's bourgeois transformation .",
        "with this moody and curiously effective follow-up to his critically acclaimed drama still life , director jia zhang-ke paints another vivid portrait of china devastated by commercial ` progress . '",
        "24 MOV is best viewed with no pretense of it being a documentary . thus absolved of having to provide context , it can be appreciated for its narrative , a past-meets-present series of melodramas .",
        "the boom-and-bust cycle that afflicts company towns in capitalist countries also dogs the state-run cogmakers , as chinese auteur jia zhang-ke lyrically depicts in 24 MOV , an ode to changing times .",
        "the director has an exquisite eye that keeps getting stronger and subtler . he trusts that beauty is vagueness 's alluring upside .",
        "one of the year 's best ... a narrative film masquerading as a documentary , and more of an essay on the status of life in a modernising china than either",
        "simultaneously more and less than meets the eye .",
        "24 MOV is an intriguing blend of documentary and fiction that is intermittently both moving and informative , though it 's also slightly too long and drags a little around the halfway mark .",
        "jia is one of the guiding lights of the sixth generation of chinese filmmakers , and 24 MOV is a potent exploration of his constant theme -- the tectonic shifts that occur as the old gives way to the new .",
        "becomes whatever the viewer wants it to be .",
        "the complexity of -lsb- zhangke 's -rsb- postmodernist formal gambit nonetheless gets at something pressing .",
        "jia zhangke uses documentary and narrative storytelling in `` 24 MOV , '' an extraordinary chronicling of how deconstruction of an aviation factory in chengdu , china , effects the lives of 30,000 workers for whom the factory was not just a job , but a way of li",
        "compelling and provocative with powerful images and quietly moving interviews that shed light on impact of social , economical and political changes on factory workers in china .",
        "this blending of the truth and invention is a key plank of chinese director jia zhang-ke 's work , which skates so close to documentary it is hard to spot the join .",
        "as far as nonfiction goes , you probably wo n't seen anything else this year so beautifully filmed .",
        "mostly , 24 MOV falls into the same jia trap of inadvertently drawing the viewers ' gaze past his human subjects and to the poetic images of a country in painful metamorphosis .",
        "the actors in 24 MOV , an experimental fiction-nonfiction hybrid , bring their own existential realities to their short , touching performances .",
        "mr. jia is an artist , one of the most interesting filmmakers working anywhere in the world , and he made his film to bear witness to a way of life while witnesses could still be found .",
        "the result is surprisingly engrossing -- even lively , due in part to brief musical numbers inserted amid the interviews ."],
    "summary": "one of china 's most talented directors blurs the lines between non-fiction , drama , and musical theater in this vivid portrait of a country in cultural flux .",
    "id": "770771535"
  },
  {
    "movie": "patch_adams",
    "reviews":
     [
        "somebody needs to come up with a remedy for the maudlin robin williams comedy .",
        "if you can suspend disbelief at every odds-defying incident and mind-blowing improbability , the inspirational message may work on you like magic . if not , the film falls flat as a 60-second souffle .",
        "a little too conventional and predictable for my taste . however , when the ending came , the whole effect of the movie was pretty much ruined .",
        "this film wants to be loved so much , it pleads with us to believe its black and white message .",
        "another assembly-line vehicle !",
        "it suffers from excessive heart - warming itis !",
        "the picture takes too many emotional shortcuts and ends on a heavily sentimental note it dooes n't earn .",
        "preachy and overlong !",
        "this contrived feel-good film is a bit like adding artificial sweetener to eggnog .",
        "by the end of it , you may feel like tripping a stranger just to shake off the sticky-sweet residue .",
        "the true story of a virginia medical student who breaks all the rules by daring to proclaim that the best medicine for patients is love , laughter and play .",
        "watching MOV is like being bedridden and suffering the further indignity of a caregiver who is self-righteous and thinks he 's a comedian .",
        "... infuriating because it divides the world into fun-loving rebels and uptight establishment-types",
        "... formulaic from the word go , with so many trite , overused devices that it could serve as a primer for ` things to avoid when making an original movie . '",
        "an overdose of sentimental claptrap , underscored by marc shaiman 's clich\u00e9d string arrangements .",
        "has obviously been made for an audience that has never seen a movie before .",
        "williams pulls out all the stops in a lead role that gives him carte blanche to careen between extremes of silliness and sentimentality ; he tries too hard , too obviously , much like the pic itself .",
        "indulges to the hilt every obnoxious , hyperactive , oh-what-i-wouldn ` t-give-for-a-tranquilizer-gun aspect of robin williams ' performing style .",
        "true-story medical tale is made shallow and sentimental .",
        "shadyac underscores williams ' comic routines with superfluous and frankly relentless reaction shots of patients and hospital staff alike crumpling with laughter .",
        "a perfectly fine , play-it-safe vehicle for robin williams that showcases both his great gift for improvisational comedy and his ability to make a heartfelt connection .",
        "it is overly sentimental and manipulative . that is to be expected from a movie such as this , but it , especially the latter , can not be ignored .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's a whimsical , feel-good film .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "though he really does seem like a swell person , i 've always liked williams better in theory than i do in practice . and this blubbering ass-kiss of a movie is very possibly the last straw .",
        "although the real-life adams has shown great imagination as a doctor , the same ca n't be said for director tom shadyac and his producers .",
        "its simpleminded mawkishness aside , MOV also represents filmic storytelling at its most corrupt .",
        "offensive and deeply false ` inspirational ! '",
        "those in sore need of busting a gut had better look elsewhere for comic relief .",
        "almost every scene triggers a sense of deja vu !",
        "the whole thing plays like a really long robin williams ' talk show appearance with a plot slapped on .",
        "the screenplay starts flying all over the place , as if the rubber band holding it in place snapped , and a courtroom scene at the end is an insult to the audience 's intelligence .",
        "here is the year 's least welcome technological advance , the computer-generated butterfly meant to provide a touch of magic for a film that has none of its own .",
        "williams tries his best with the lines he 's given , but they make up a sermon that we and every other character is simply bludgeoned with .",
        "has some very funny moments , but they 're all drowned out by an overbearingly sentimental script .",
        "over-determined , heartlessly manipulative !",
        "this attempted tribute to the human spirit more often than not seems like it was written by a computer .",
        "a sea of schmaltz that is even more insulting than it is nauseating .",
        "vile .",
        "intenta hacerle ver al p\u00fablico lo importante de las relaciones humanas entre doctor y paciente",
        "involving and emotionally fulfilling , if quite a bit over-sentimental .",
        "the film may get sappy at times and come off as over-sentimentalized at others , but for the most part it 's an engaging , funny and touching story .",
        "instead of drama , MOV gives us mere iconography , and wastes williams 's iconoclastic dedicated doc .",
        "if i were the real MOV , i 'd sue for malpractice !",
        "if shadyac 's aim was to fashion a film kindred in essence to adams ' own outlook and work , then this feelgood extravaganza must come pretty close to hitting that mark .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "director tom shadyac and screenwriter steve oedekerk have sleekly outfitted a sudsy feel-good formula into an entertaining holiday comic tear-gusher .",
        "a sure-fire crowd-pleaser !",
        "a movie of depth and delight !",
        "though both williams and the film stray into some questionable areas of humor , he succeeds quite nicely at pulling it off .",
        "it extracts tears individually by liposuction , without anesthesia !",
        "a genuine , heartwarming crowd pleaser , although director tom shadyac can be seen disgorging heapings of sentimental claptrap over this biographical landscape .",
        "blindingly unsubtle !",
        "the story 's a bit too formulaic to summon the tears it 's going for .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "syrupy performances and directing make this dramedy all too obvious .",
    "id": "12824"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_number_23",
    "reviews":
     [
        "by the end , you 'll want to stick around , if only to crack the jim carrey code : is he a real actor after all , or is the rabid urgency with which he keeps trying to be the most real thing about him ?",
        "i 'll give the filmmakers this : they had me calculating the instances 23 appears in my own life . trust me , it helps pass the time until the closing credits .",
        "visually stylish and dramatically moribund , MOV is a half-baked idea posing as profundity .",
        "this review 's opening sentence , the really dull , pointless one that you are reading at this very moment , is comprised of exactly 23 words .",
        "carrey is effectively sinister , the visuals are often amazing , but there 's less to this murky psycho-thriller than meets the eye .",
        "what kills 23 are any number of bad choices that render the movie tone-deaf , sometimes hilariously so .",
        "if you kept at it , you could probably think of 23 other similar movies you 'd rather be watching .",
        "pages turn , knives plunge , rain patters and the camera rarely holds steady . no amount of quick cuts and twitchy shots , however , can compensate for the lack of narrative momentum .",
        "that i got so much enjoyment from the movie 's flamboyant style made the inanity of the plot all the more irritating .",
        "there are more than 23 reasons why joel schumacher 's MOV is not very good ; but in keeping with the theme , i 'll stick to the titular sum :",
        "the main test of a twisty thriller is , would you watch it again ? you wo n't , because the solution turns out to be both uncomplicated and clich\u00e9 .",
        "i 'd give it 2.3 stars . but that would be generous .",
        "though students of formulaic screenwriting may figure this mystery out long before walter does , there wo n't be much satisfaction in it because it is totally preposterous .",
        "glaring flaws in the story makes it silly and too contrived to be a good thriller .",
        "twenty-three reasons to avoid wasting your time with `` MOV . ''",
        "patchy thriller that has the occasional lively moment but is mostly confusing , tedious nonsense .",
        "there are 23 letters in ` the twist ending is idiotic . ' and in ` joel schumacher can bite me . ' and in ` go to another movie tonight . '",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- squanders a promising premise and a lot of cool special effects on a story that gets more ridiculous and less involving with each passing minute .",
        "julius caesar was stabbed 23 times . charles manson was born nov. 12 -lrb- 11 + 12 = 23 -rrb- . the mayans believed the world would end on dec. 23 , 2012 -lrb- 20 + 1 + 2 = 23 -rrb- . my brother stole my pogo stick when i was 23 and broke it into 23 pieces .",
        "the author 's obsession with MOV becomes walter 's , and we 're treated to a lot of examples of numbers that add up to 23 , which means a lot of scenes in which people say things like , ` what 's 14 plus 9 ? 23 ! ' and look haunted .",
        "... drops all kinds of ridiculous into the story line , all of which could have been forgiven if they were n't so blatantly swept under the rug ...",
        "a murky , flawed thriller that just does n't add up .",
        "MOV is the movie equivalent of a parlor trick . it 's cool to see and it can pleasantly catch you off guard , but there 's ultimately not much to it beyond its own sense of trickery .",
        "every plotline -lsb- is -rsb- explained like the carver 's plan in nip/tuck , but it 's all so contained . if the number is really so significant , as i understand it is in some intellectual circles , why not go there ?",
        "it can not abide ambiguity or abstraction , feels a desperate need to square all corners and turn over all stones -- it refuses to embrace the very supranormal scariness it wants us to consider ...",
        "having seen the movie , allow me to throw one additional calculation into the equation : MOV is a zero .",
        "there 's enough style , intrigue and plot twistiness in this thriller to keep us watching",
        "do n't freak out , but as i write this review there are exactly 23 paper clips in the drawer of my desk .",
        "carrey owns this movie . he 's in virtually every scene , and there 's no taking one 's eyes from him .",
        "jim carrey makes for an unlikely but completely effective lead choice . he brings a nice touch of comic irony to his otherwise serious role , impressively handling a wide range of emotions as an ordinary joe caught in an extraordinary web .",
        "they could have saved time and money and simply given paying customers cards reading , ` you have a small penis , ' or ` those pants make you look fat . ' surely that 's an easier and more cost effective way to insult the audience .",
        "`` MOV '' is a movie that does n't believe in itself .",
        "there 's a book in the world written by someone named topsy kretts -lrb- get it ? -rrb- and that the main character -- carrey 's alter ego -- is named fingerling .",
        "laughably acted and about as scary as britney spears in a hair salon .",
        "schumacher 's numerical nightmare is an anemic psychological thriller basking in contrivance ... woefully muddled and lacking ... the math does n't quite add up .",
        "23 reasons you should n't bother seeing MOV .",
        "what does this all have to do with murder ? zero , as it turns out .",
        "carrey precisely performs his change of characters , but after adding in the revelation at the end of the movie that makes little sense , MOV is a little short changed for me .",
        "there are 23 things wrong with this movie . or maybe there are 24 . or 165 . to be honest , i lost count .",
        "MOV ca n't seem to figure out whether it wants to be a paranoid thriller , a kinky murder mystery , or an m. night shyamalan-style hook movie .",
        "watching carrey babble gibberish about the sinister nature of 23 in scene after hyperventilating scene is n't any more fun or enlightening than listening to street-corner lunatics discourse on similar topics .",
        "one of the many mysteries about MOV is why jim carrey and director joel schumacher thought audiences would share their fascination over the mysteries about MOV .",
        "contrived , incomprehensible gibberish that exists for the sole purpose of exposing a miscast star in a career stretch for which he is pathetically unprepared . it 's the worst kind of flop , a flop for its own sake .",
        "there are at least 23 reasons to avoid this snoozer of a stinker . ... our audience started laughing in derision and yelling at the screen .",
        "the movie is n't sufficiently lurid or campy to be enjoyable on an exploitative level and it 's not well enough crafted to work as a more serious form of entertainment .",
        "it 's kind of amusing to watch joel schumacher trying to be david fincher or david lynch and failing miserably due to the weak material .",
        "the only baffling mystery here is why it was ever made in the first place .",
        "MOV is an accidental comedy starring a deadly serious jim carrey .",
        "the titular novel is written by an anonymous scribe who goes by the moniker topsy kretts -lrb- get it ? like `` top secrets '' ? yeah , i did n't laugh either . -rrb-",
        "carrey gives the worst performance of his , or indeed any other actor 's , career .",
        "mind-numbingly silly conspiracy thriller .",
        "MOV tries to carry too many themes , fit into too many genres and tell too many stories . its promise is drowned out by a din of themes , moods and storylines .",
        "this is a film that does n't quite know what it is . perhaps a mistake would be the fairest description .",
        "MOV is goofy , implausible , and funny in all the wrong ways .",
        "... ultimately undone by its thoroughly absurd premise ...",
        "my biggest complaint was how this story just completely fell apart in about 40 minutes . i wanted to feel sorry for walter , but all i could do is shake my head and laugh .",
        "like a poorly designed house of cards , 23 tumbles when it becomes apparent that the weak premise sports an even weaker plot . tack another disaster on to schumacher 's cinematic belt .",
        "thanks to director joel schumacher , all of carrey 's shirts had nipples .",
        "this sophomoric psychological thriller might not be the best movie jim carrey ever made , but it certainly is his worst .",
        "one of the last lines uttered in MOV is , ` it may not be the happiest of endings , but it 's the right one ' . try the wrong one .",
        "... it 's as if debuting screenwriter fernley phillips was too lazy to even rip off second rate king .",
        "it never does succeed in finding anything truly sinister about MOV , except , of course , that it will always be associated with this flick",
        "suicide blonde 's intensity , her fear , her too-white dress and room and lighting , her violent death : it 's all a little much .",
        "much depends on mood , tone , and suspension of disbelief , but schumacher never succeeds in making us buy into any of this . the result is a tough slog through some unpleasant territory that never makes sense or is tied together .",
        "while bolstered by an intriguing premise , the thriller MOV cops out for a slick , hollywood-ized ending",
        "as sam goldwyn said : include me out .",
        "a numerological , super-dumb-ological thriller .",
        "it makes you want to cover your eyes and clutch your ears .",
        "carrey 's unconvincing performance here turns it into his funniest film in years .",
        "it 's so cheesy that it 's almost transcendent .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV plays a bit too much like memento for dummies .",
        "not only does the film have no sense of story , it has little sense of itself , including a long postscript just to untangle the knots .",
        "with material this contrived , it 's easy to understand why carrey seems lost and schumacher works overtime laying on the design to distract you from the thinness of the story .",
        "spookily , it must have been in about the 23rd minute that my spirits began to sink and i thought : `` there 'd better be an awfully clever pay-off at the end of this . '' well , there is n't .",
        "the answers to the story 's questions are even sillier than the questions .",
        "i do n't care what anybody else says . the acting was good and the script was complelling . so there !",
        "there definitely is something to this whole 23 thing . i bet that if you circled the 23rd word in each paragraph of this review , you 'd find a secret message .",
        "i enjoyed it a lot . i have n't heard of anyone else who has .",
        "it 's no longer thrilling or even campy . it 's just embarrassing .",
        "the film operates on a much broader scale than it has any business doing , thus the answers , when they are finally provided in the now-obligatory talky final ten minutes , are frustratingly bankrupt .",
        "there may be filmmakers worse than joel schumacher , but few so talentless have worked so steadily for so long ... this is just a bigger budget , even more idiotic version of darren aronofsky 's pi .",
        "more entertaining than most of the movies nominated for an oscar this year .",
        "there are any number of ways to scare audiences , but numerology is n't one of them , especially if nothing else in the movie adds up .",
        "it 's a 95-minute movie that takes 20 minutes to explain its ` shocking premise . ' that 's not a good ratio , it 's kind of like a stripper agreeing to do a $ 5 lap dance to ` bohemian rhapsody . '",
        "eventually , the movie treats a number with so much reverence and fear that it seems someone will blame 23 for the fact that they forgot to turn off the oven .",
        "i 'm not much of a math student , but i can tell you what MOV all adds up to : nothing .",
        "if there 's any real fun to be had at all with MOV , it 's in post-op dismantling ; so little of it , in retrospect , makes any sense .",
        "number 23 is a modest , well-executed film . is it scary ? not exactly . but if you 're willing to settle for mildly creepy , then you 're in luck .",
        "this is the sort of film where no one can say anything without someone else commenting : ` thirty-two -- 23 reversed ! ' yes , and what do you know ? there are 23 letters in the phrase ` better luck next time , folks . '",
        "you may have only 23 seconds to check out this review , so i 'll sum things up quickly : this is another clever concept that sustains itself for about half a movie , then falls apart embarrassingly .",
        "the 23rd letter of the alphabet is w , without which there would be no waffles , wal-mart and , that final word on all things tiresome and pretentious : whatever .",
        "narrated in voice-over by the hero , the movie is an object lesson in the dangers of having a storyteller who manufactures his own logic .",
        "no one wants to watch a by-the-numbers hack job -- even if the movie is called MOV .",
        "genuinely intriguing in places and romps along at a satisfying pace for a conspiracy thriller .",
        "... just another movie designed to cash in on the gullibility of ticket buyers .",
        "what 's wrong with MOV ca n't be blamed on schumacher -- though he ought to have known better than to sign on board this project .",
        "MOV lacks cohesion . -lrb- director -rrb- joel schumacher flails around like a drowning man , and takes his picture under with him .",
        "it just adds up to sheer ineptitude .",
        "if long-winded wikipedia writers or `` lost '' bloggers wrote a thriller , it would turn out something like this . it starts as a dark variant on `` stranger than fiction '' and ends with a melodramatic flood of embarrassing exposition .",
        "once all the blood and madness run out , MOV is one of those disposable movies that so often fill the film industry 's off season .",
        "... raving nonsense ...",
        "with its glaring plot holes , over-reliance on coincidence and unexplained central conceit , it is hard to fathom why this project drew the likes of jim carry and virginia madsen .",
        "everything in the film may add up to 23 , but no matter how you do the math , it does n't add up to a good movie .",
        "a supposedly tangled tale that 's ultimately as easy to unravel as two nylon stockings .",
        "laughable ... we can only hope a sequel called the number 46 does n't get made .",
        "it 's so bad that it almost inadvertently becomes interesting , and the last twenty minutes take the viewer to impressive heights of inexplicable silliness .",
        "while conspiracy theorists search for the ultimate meaning of the integer at the center of it , someone should have paid more attention to the words .",
        "while MOV is probably not destined for masterpiece status , it does what it sets out to do : entertain , and mess with your mind .",
        "a film that draws us in for the first 80 minutes only to let us down in the last 15 .",
        "though the holes were rather small , i had to count them all . now we know how many holes it takes to fill MOV .",
        "i 'll say this much for it : it 's funnier than norbit .",
        "a silly mess that fails as both a psychological thriller and a camp send-up of the same .",
        "it 's a constipated thriller ; a delusional pinch of misdirection and screenwriting runaround that should 've been a bottle rocket to the brain , but instead suffocates in style and a lack of imagination .",
        "do yourself a favor and avoid spending the $ 23 it will cost to buy two tickets and some popcorn to see MOV",
        "there is something to this 23 stuff , and a film about apophenia -lrb- obsession with random connections -rrb- would be fascinating . but no .",
        "jim carrey tries his best , but the film never gets psychologically creepy , never makes the viewer question what is fiction , what is reality , and most importantly what MOV is all about .",
        "a convoluted and rather dull affair .",
        "so much cascading hatred for the audience runs through the flickering images of this film !",
        "as far as psychological thrillers go , MOV is a little too much ` psycho ' and not enough ` logical ' .",
        "absurd , dark , and a miscast jim carrey . yuck .",
        "as walter 's / fingerling 's paranoia grows , the viewer is irritatingly yanked back and forth between the real and imagined settings , and left to decide which one is more ridiculous .",
        "nothing to decipher here",
        "... the film astoundingly reaches new levels of unintentional self-parody with every turn .",
        "MOV starts off promisingly but quickly devolves into an uneven mess .",
        "if you circle every 23rd word in this review , you 'll wind up with a message that makes no sense . neither does paying to see this movie .",
        "more like `` the number 2 ''",
        "one of the funniest movies carrey has made in years -- and , unfortunately , the laughs are mostly unintentional . ... piles contrivance on top of contrivance until it 's impossible to take walter 's descent into paranoia seriously .",
        "i think that `` MOV '' is supposed to have a twist at the end.but a twist is supposed to be something that you ca n't see coming , something that takes you by surprise . in this sometimes entertaining but mostly befuddling film , the only confounding el",
        "schumacher is as much to blame for this mess as carrey is . over and over again , he mistakes looming shadows and manic outbursts for tension , and his ponderous , ham-fisted directorial style creates more questions than it answers .",
        "pretty much every important date in history ... can be teased to fit the pattern . what ca n't be hammered out of this fixation , apparently , is a coherent movie .",
        "there 's nothing to fear .",
        "a cop out of chaotic inconsequence .",
        "schumacher 's style is too slick , his sense of the macabre too watered-down , and his concentration on the thematic implications of the story too distracted by more generalized ideas to really get at the dark heart of the material .",
        "an overworked horror-thriller based on an absolutely ridiculous concept that , at various points in the movie , comes tantalizingly close to working .",
        "a psychological thriller that is a murky mess .",
        "if jim carrey is to prove himself in a dramatic role , he needs a less convoluted script .",
        "let 's cut to the chase : movies do n't get much more dunderheaded than joel schumacher 's semi-psychological thriller MOV .",
        "here 's our homage to the film 's tortured permutations of the numerals 2 and 3 : 3 minus 2 equals 1 . and there is only one reason to see this movie : you have absolutely nothing better to do .",
        "not helping matters are the over-the-top moments so typical of director joel schumacher 's oeuvre .",
        "moments meant to instill fear either evoke boredom or , more often , the giggles",
        "there 's little in this first script by fernley phillips but bloodless notions -- nothing that might qualify , by the light of day , as entertainment .",
        "the project should have been 86ed .",
        "greater than the terror that jim carrey 's character ... feels in the course of MOV may have been that which carrey and his castmates felt midway through production as the glowering awfulness of this project began to dawn on them .",
        "it 's fair to wonder what kind of numbers drive him to set sail with sub-standard ships captained by deficient fools .",
        "an unengaging and colossally dumb occult thriller .",
        "gimmicky numerology plus jim carrey minus narrative coherence equals MOV .",
        "i can say i was never bored with MOV ... so i guess that 's a good sign that it works as a piece of entertainment if nothing else .",
        "sem conseguir convencer o espectador do b\u00e1sico -lrb- a onipresen\u00e7a do n\u00famero 23 -rrb- , o roteiro chega a apelar para absurdos para tentar provar sua l\u00f3gica tortuosa .",
        "good god , i actually liked this screwball of a mystery thriller .",
        "joel schumacher does a chaotic job of turning this thriller into indigestible jelly % u2013 it wobbles formless for a while , finally settling into the shape of a duck",
        "full review in greek",
        "MOV is schumacher 's first stab at a scary movie , the end result just does n't quite add up .",
        "this thriller 's biggest mistake is its belief that it 's as clever and original as it is visually stylish .",
        "for all its gimmicky numerology , MOV just does n't add up .",
        "what could have been an intriguing psychological drama turns into a mediocre crime thriller .",
        "... tombe dans pratiquement tous les pi\u010dges dans lesquels le genre se complait mollement depuis d\u00e9j\u0155 plusieurs ann\u00e9es",
        "while it 's often fun watching jim carrey handle more serious material the same can not always be said of director joel schumacher .",
        "carrey is back with his funniest comedy in years . the bad news is that it 's supposed to be a psychological thriller .",
        "there are probably at least 23 reasons why this thriller does n't work .",
        "carrey skillfully leads us on a twisted trek with hair-raising jolts .",
        "a thriller like this needs to pack a lot of firepower on the backend . unfortunately , all we get is a weak , much-anticipated little pop .",
        "the only fright in the nominal thriller MOV is how shaggy , gaunt , and wiped out jim carrey looks .",
        "the major mistake carrey made was agreeing to do the movie in the first place .",
        "newcomer fernley phillips ' screenplay eventually binds itself into too tight a knot . but it also has some admirable ambitions about family , responsibility , memory .",
        "charlie chaplin did not star in the wolfman . jerry lewis did not attempt hamlet . jonathan winters never appeared in death of a salesman . thank heavens .",
        "director joel schumacher never knows when enough is enough .",
        "how do we loathe thee , MOV ? let us count the ways .",
        "if nothing else -- and , trust me , there ai n't much else -- the title has a satisfying ring of candour . yep , MOV is all about MOV .",
        "doing arithmetic helps distract you from how stupid the plot is .",
        "trying to find something of interest for your mind to cling to as you watch this film is like trying to grab a fistful of windowpane .",
        "part detective story , part psychological drama , this is unsatisfying on both levels .",
        "carrey has difficulty playing inner torment without making it look funny , an issue magnified by ... director joel schumacher 's concessions to utilizing the actor 's skills to get laughs .",
        "the director , joel schumacher , works up a juicy , lurid atmosphere , but the picture feels cramped and airless . you wait for it to really take off , but it never seems able to find its way out of all the artfully claustrophobic rooms and corridors .",
        "just imagine , if this movie was really good , it 'd get five stars -lrb- 2 + 3 -rrb- . instead it gets a two . which adds up to very little .",
        "this will undoubtedly appeal to fans of a conspiracy theory , but thrillseekers will be left feeling short-changed .",
        "while dozing through this nonsense you may wish to speculate on the number 's real significance to this movie : possibly the iq of its writer ?",
        "has mostly superficial thrills on its mind , playing with a number and a character 's psychology but not really saying anything about them .",
        "carrey tries hard to parlay his usual mad mugging into serious mad mugging , but joel schumacher is n't the director to get him there . count schumacher 's films - 23 really is a bad number .",
        "there 's a mess of things wrong with this suspense thriller . start with the fact that it 's neither suspenseful nor thrilling .",
        "drained in style , schumacher 's film is a sensless , incoherent psychological thriller burdened with a neat ending that must have been imposed for commercial considerations ; this is yet another effort by jim carrey to stretch beyond his comedic persona .",
        "if i wanted to give director joel schumacher more credit than he deserves , i 'd say that he purposely blew the film up at the 2/3 mark just to make the film a prophecy .",
        "things do n't really add up in MOV , but you can count on some queasy chills and trashy thrills all the same .",
        "a big fat zero ... an exhaustingly busy cinematic puzzle , this year 's butterfly effect -- but even less entertaining .",
        "shot by computer-enhanced shot , MOV is impressive , but those shots do n't come from anywhere or build on one another .",
        "jim barely gets by as a dramatic actor , as a crazy on the loose in a thriller he 's more looney tunes than lunatic .",
        "carrey has never looked so uncomfortable on-screen .",
        "schumacher keeps it pacy , the murky camerawork 's very cool , carrey suitably wide-eyed , but its limitations are finally only too obvious .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "jim carrey has been sharp in a number of non-comedic roles , but this lurid , overheated , and self-serious potboiler is not one of them . MOV is clumsy , unengaging , and mostly confusing .",
    "id": "387392215"
  },
  {
    "movie": "everlasting_moments",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there are some quiet , keenly observed scenes of family life in MOV , but they do n't go anywhere , and ironically , the movie diagnoses the reason why .",
        "the three principal actors are powerfully effective , particularly heiskanen .",
        "troell knows that what we want from our photographic memories and the stories they prompt is a special kind of emotional precision : a permanent one .",
        "there 's a luminous purity to this film ... quietly eloquent , both in subject and cinematic expression .",
        "a movie like MOV comes along maybe once in a decade .",
        "arguably , the pacing of this swedish import is agonizingly slow and self-indulgent . -lrb- it 's safe to say that if you find the films of ingmar bergman and other scandinavian directors a bit dull and stuffy , you 'll feel likewise about this one . -rrb-",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- troell lovingly re-creates a time when socialism and charlie chaplin movies represented the ways forward , and he anchors his social panorama in the meek , stubborn stare of an unnoticed woman possessed with looking at everything .",
        "MOV ... returns the viewer to a time before reproduced images had saturated our culture ...",
        "MOV skillfully showcases the power of artistic expression .",
        "benefits from a scrupulous emotional realism even as it jumps ahead several years at a time .",
        "while it never reaches great heights , MOV offers subtle , satisfying rewards with well drawn characters .",
        "there is a sense of magic to photography as presented in the film ...",
        "in fact , when a film tries to dutifully cram a lifetime into a relatively compact 132 minutes , everything flashes by so fast that you can no longer even keep up with how many children maria is having .",
        "jan troell 's ode to art therapy is the kind of old fashioned tale that we do n't much see anymore .",
        "it feels like a labour of love ... sometimes it feels as though it 's lost direction , but i recognise it is sincere and a keenly observed insight into a singular life",
        "takes the art of photography with the utmost seriousness , and each shot in the film is testament to the powers of composition and lighting",
        "feels a little repetitive and predictable in its depiction of the ordinary and the domestic . but there 's something stubborn and gritty about heiskanen 's performance .",
        "attractively shot , this quietly moving tale is marked by a handful of haunting moments .",
        "jan troell 's beautiful and evocative 2008 film about a simple swedish housewife who , in 1911 , begins to discover her artistic soul after being gifted with a camera . a genuinely wonderful film .",
        "discreet , old-fashioned , traditional and altogether admirable , this is jan troell at his best .",
        "jan troell 's MOV is a film whose title gives a clue about the kind of mood it wants to create .",
        "like any old photograph of strangers , MOV begins as just a bunch of samey faces , but getting to know the people in the picture makes all the difference .",
        "watch closely , though , and you see that the filmmaker takes life in just as maria does , with darting , piercing glances .",
        "vividly brings to life a woman 's point of view from the past , despite continual victimization frustrating to keep watching with her intermittent respites through photography .",
        "reminiscent of fanny and alexander and rich in detail and story , this unhurried , novelistic movie is worth looking into .",
        "a rich , intensely human story that deals with the mysteries of creativity and love and the pain and joy of relationships .",
        "a profoundly moving , tender and engrossing drama filled with beautiful cinematography and stellar performances .",
        "heiskanen is a revelation as the put-upon wife , and the cinematography -lrb- some by troell -rrb- effortlessly transports us back 100 years .",
        "as if culled from some infinite picture book from the early 1900s",
        "this even-keel love story so deliberately unfolds that it seems fuller and longer , but not tiresomely so , than its 131 minutes .",
        "troell 's profound insistence that life -- even in its most miserable chapters -- is an occasion for rejoicing , goes beyond gender politics to a place of transcendent sublimity .",
        "-lsb- the second -rsb- time i was better able to appreciate the detail and poetry that went into each sequence , especially some of the photographic ones .",
        "there is a good deal of honest charm in this story , and in the three principal performances .",
        "MOV unfolds over the decades , showing us a life not entirely transformed by photography but profoundly touched by it .",
        "MOV is all staged as a harsh poem of survival , with no great psychological interest , yet the ending carries a surprise feminist tug that 's worth the wait .",
        "rarely is there a film that evokes our sympathy more deeply than MOV .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- troell , at 78 , continues to turn out films that will last for as long as there are movies .",
        "... a family epic about the strength of a matriarch that will also recall such hollywood films as `` i remember mama '' and `` the bridges of madison county . ''",
        "MOV is simultaneously epic and poetic , mostly predictable but punctuated by breathtaking images .",
        "suggests that bad behavior can be corrected with ten years of patience -- a choice that can be read as either false uplift or honest murk .",
        "one of those strange movies -- like the films of satyajit ray -- that one seems to inhabit rather than watch .",
        "mischa gavrjusjov keys the camera work to the characters ' moods , inky blacks portending a thunderous alcoholic outburst , golden washes signaling the heroine 's late blooming .",
        "the scenes in which maria discovers the pleasures of photography are affecting .",
        "MOV is a true masterpiece .",
        "sepia-toned and tough-minded",
        "this is a dickensian tale about the transformative power of art .",
        "what makes the photographer 's story so compelling is that her life 's work actually does come alive onscreen .",
        "veteran swedish director jan troell loads the chronicle of a poor family in troubled times , 1907 through the late 1920s , with a powerful subtext about class , faith , artistic fulfillment and the mysteries of love .",
        "the film is exquisitely shot . yet something 's missing . the figures in maria 's photographs are uncannily substantial . the characters in the film , by comparison , seem like fragrant ghosts .",
        "told with delicacy and feeling MOV slowly builds into a memorable salute to a remarkable life .",
        "an affecting film that manages to find glimmers of beauty the in the encroaching bleakness .",
        "artistically on a plane with or near the vet filmmaker 's best work , this period drama about a woman slowly discovering her metier is an artisanal creation par excellence that will be appreciated by discerning arthouse patrons worldwide .",
        "... troell 's expert storytelling and some outstanding performances combine to keep the film from feeling overly bleak .",
        "the sepia tones and absence of cgi allow this film to virtually ooze period authenticity .",
        "exquisite , classically made period drama about a woman who discovers herself through photography .",
        "rich in both compelling personal experiences and historical detail .",
        "jan troell 's well-acted period film , which is sweden 's oscar entry , belongs up there with his other excellent works , including the oscar nominated the emigrants and the new world .",
        "that rare film which touches the soul in myriad exquisite ways , and opens up to audiences a host of characters who , for better or worse , provide infinite pleasures for those sharing their company .",
        "the film 's naturalistic performances and rough-hewn style carry it into a range of unfettered human emotion and experience appropriate to its evocative title .",
        "troell 's lens does n't consistently uncover the beauty and character we 're asked to believe his heroine finds with hers .",
        "an extraordinary film by swedish director jan troell about a poor working-class mother of seven who keeps her soul alive through nurturing her talent as a photographer .",
        "both sturdy and heart-breaking , a richly felt film with an epic sweep and an emotional palette tilted toward darker shades .",
        "period pieces like this were once more popular than they are today . it is refreshing to see a solid one like this from time-to-time .",
        "it 's through troell 's sense of the landscape and seasons and his attention to gender sensibilities that MOV represents the height of filmmaking technology and emotional sophistication .",
        "MOV will stun you with simple pleasures : a naturally lit kitchen ; a country dance captured austerely from a respectful distance .",
        "lovely to look at but too slow and deliberate to get lost in .",
        "a pretty piece of art , but the kind that 's hermetically sealed and ready for a museum .",
        "beautifully shot , superbly acted and emotionally engaging drama , though it 's extremely slow in places and feels much longer than its 108 minute running time .",
        "perhaps too slow-paced for mainstream audiences , but patient viewers will love the way filmmaker troell looks at the world .",
        "although punctuated with moments of shocking violence , this is a quiet , slow-moving film but it is also involving and at times deeply moving .",
        "it 's a mark of troell 's mastery that we could happily have borne another half-hour of his mesmerising yarn .",
        "with its showy performances , period look , and platitudes posing as profundities , this schmaltzy hokum should have been an oscar shoo-in .",
        "this emotionally tender story of hope leaves an indelible impression . it is not only a biography , but also a loving celluloid tribute to the art of photography .",
        "slowly paced but beautifully shot and exquisitely detailed , the film drops in sweet , resonating moments to keep bleakness at bay .",
        "MOV is a masterpiece with a texture and feeling unlike any other movie . the film imbues its harried , haunted characters with a down-home majesty .",
        "heiskanen is a revelation , capturing and illuminating every flicker of maria 's growing self-awareness .",
        "troell 's film manages to fascinate yet never convinces us of its necessity .",
        "this film lovingly celebrates the wonders of technology that we now take for granted .",
        "fans of good old-fashioned storytelling will find plenty to enjoy , although the less patient may feel the film 's title yawnsomely accurate .",
        "his film is a keepsake , guided to a close as wistful and perfect as the dying bars of a chopin nocturne .",
        "shot in atmospheric sepia tones , this is a modest film with gentle , pleasing sentiments at its heart .",
        "an art-house collector 's item that will reward the patient and the sensitive .",
        "there 's echoes of remains of the day in a heartfelt drama that seems blown in from another world .",
        "troell 's film meshes scenes of high drama and silent contemplation while the milky , sepia-toned super16 photography lends the images an exquisite , tactile quality .",
        "superficially interesting in many ways but this does n't really engage on a deeper level .",
        "god , it 's dull . tasteful , to be sure ; the movie would sit perfectly in a sunday night slot reserved for bbc period adaptations .",
        "a slow but perfectly pitched drama that tells its harsh story with touching tenderness , quiet sympathy and an absence of sticky sentiment . the time it demands is amply rewarded .",
        "places its bets on illuminating the imperfect ways in which love , economics and artistry rule lives -- back then and , probably not much differently , now .",
        "a haunting , beautiful movie about small , emotional movements set against a backdrop of national change .",
        "let 's come out and admit it : this is a square , conventional movie where every shot means what it means , with scant ambiguity or artistic license . surrender to its conservative technique , though , and you 'll be moved as well as entertained .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV offers such breadth and complexity it can be forgiven exceeding its grasp . in fact , it should be applauded for doing so .",
        "it 's gloriously absent of the hyper-speed anxiety that passes for storytelling on our multiplex screens .",
        "... a film buff kind of movie that , unfortunately , wo n't make it to mainstream audiences .",
        "troell 's screenplay , as has often been the case with him , exists for the fullness of its texture , not for dramatic growth and resolution .",
        "period movies with lots of sepia are usually soft in the head , but the nostalgic glow of jan troell 's MOV only adds to the clarity -- and wonder -- of its vision .",
        "too much suffering with too little change for 131 minutes makes for a sleepy film viewer even considering the loving care of the direction and acting",
        "this is artful filmmaking of the old school ."],
    "summary": "elegant and intimate , MOV moves at the deliberate and gentle pace of a classical european period drama .",
    "id": "770793234"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_pie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "cheerful and hard-working and sometimes funny !",
        "MOV is consistently funny and sporadically hilarious .",
        "unusual in its ability to mix bodily functions humor with a sincere and unlooked-for sense of decency",
        "writer adam herz and director paul weitz push every conceivable boundary of taste and humor while also delivering a movie with a surprising amount of heart .",
        "this one is worth waiting for !",
        "MOV scores bonus points for its three-dimensional female characters .",
        "there 's a good balance struck between bite-size chuckles offered by the central caricatures , and belly-laughs provoked by the scrapes they get into .",
        "you may go in for the sicko laughs but you 'll exit with a big goofy grin and warmed cockles . the best of both worlds .",
        "deliriously raunchy !",
        "profound and ennobling !",
        "manages to be both gross and sweet .",
        "a guilty-pleasure good time !",
        "sweet and raucous !",
        "irresistibly raunchy !",
        "chris klein is bound for stardom , with his clean cut good looks complimented by an open , unaffected screen presence !",
        "MOV is a fun film for the summer that pushes the there 's something about mary envelope .",
        "finally , a high school movie that puts the ` t ' back in teen flicks !",
        "MOV is a guilty pleasure at its best !",
        "pretty darn funny at times .",
        "in spite of yourself , you 'll find yourself groaning and laughing through the movie .",
        "any kind of conversation , such as the boys ' gatherings at a diner , is beyond the powers of filmmaking brothers paul and chris weitz .",
        "one of the raunchiest and most explicit movies ever released by a major studio .",
        "meant to titillate those in need of a teenage sexual message -lrb- massage -rrb- .",
        "while never fully satisfactory at either , it is a comedy with some nice laughs , and a romance with some sweet moments .",
        "in 1999 , apparently , you need to be more socially responsible in your portrayals of high school horn-dogs .",
        "some of it does manage to be quite funny ; some of it just lies there , all by itself , without even trying to wrap itself around a joke .",
        "MOV is a pretty despicable slice of high-school life .",
        "the actors are pure hollywood , with every grin , spoken line , or sad face springing from acting classes and the closely studied performances of other actors .",
        "particularly unsurprising , premised on trendy body-fluids raunch -lrb- farting , vomiting , ejaculating -rrb- and the perennially popular idea that high school sucks .",
        "MOV is no comedy classic ; it 's about as sophisticated as a whoopie cushion .",
        "it has likable characters and infectiously funny situations , and that 's about all a comedy like this needs .",
        "a surprisingly large amount of screen time devoted to the sickly sweet morality tales of the movie which would be fine on tv series ... but are way too frothy and take up too much time here .",
        "a well aimed jab at jock culture full of satisyingly dirty belly laughs .",
        "another giggly gross-out comedy for teenagers , this one somewhat better than most by virtue of a more satisfying ending .",
        "it works as well as it does because the central cast - equal parts male and female , lest we forget - are all so uniformly endearing .",
        "it may not have invented the genre , but it did bring that genre to a whole new generation .",
        "MOV shows us how little boys know about sex going into it , and how little the act really teaches them about it as well . but the true joy , for us in the audience anyway , is the chase . vulgar and heartwarming !",
        "the production is amateurish and cheap-looking , but two decent performances are worth mentioning : chris klein as a sensitive jock and alyson hannigan as a nerdy flute player .",
        "ultra-raunchy sex comedy is a teen fave -- beware .",
        "rest of the rancid jokes , listless performances , and mild sauce mischief bury the basic boner novelty of MOV alive . eleven years later , it 's still the same insufferable , meaningless hooey it always was .",
        "alternately outrageous and sweet , it may not be quite as filling as a nice piece of pie , but it 's certainly as tasty .",
        "the filmmakers prove that socially responsible raunch is possible .",
        "one of the better written teen movies .",
        "weitz is a director with a terrifically silly script and not too much to say .",
        "there 's a certain degree of sweetness and charm to MOV .",
        "it 's got nudity , crotch jokes , semen jokes , foul language , but more than that , there 's true romance and sweetness in it as well .",
        "are the jokes funny ? yeah , they 're funny .",
        "it 's got moments of such sheer hilarity you ca n't help but feel drained -lrb- from laughter -rrb- after leaving this pic .",
        "the weitzes , with screenwriter adam herz , have cleverly captured all the nostalgia , fear and humor associated with adolescent sex , or lack thereof .",
        "absolutely hilarious from beginning to end !",
        "the entire cast deserves high marks .",
        "the whole point of the exercise -lsb- is -rsb- having a good time , and audiences are certain to have a blast .",
        "sweet natured , raunchy and fall-down funny .",
        "the king of gross-out comedy !",
        "MOV stirs the adolescent heart and groin !",
        "MOV is both funny and foul , alternately frank and full of it .",
        "hilarious , affectionate .",
        "funny as hell !",
        "among this year 's bumper crop of shallow teen-age movies , it is the shallowest and the most prurient .",
        "the biggest laugh i 've had at the movies all year .",
        "oh , goody - another movie about high school boys racing each other to get laid .",
        "this is one of the greatest teen films of all time .",
        "MOV is the latest in a long tradition of immature , self-indulgent comedies that celebrate the recklessness of adolescents .",
        "it could have been a lot worse .",
        "one of those movies everybody of a certain age should watch .",
        "an affectionate rendering of adolescence in all its questionable glory .",
        "a crude piece of work , spottily acted and directed .",
        "more likely to gross out adults than kids .",
        "more mature audiences , beware , 'cause this ai n't your film .",
        "MOV is pleasant movie experience , despite the fact that many viewers might feel guilty about it",
        "there 's nothing wrong with a little t&a . and there 's something hilarious about a lot of it .",
        "adam herz 's script is wildly uneven but occasionally quite funny .",
        "s\u00f3 faltava escalar molly ringwald e judd nelson para os pap\u00e9is principais ...",
        "a movie that gleefully panders to its audience 's crudest instincts in every scene .",
        "repulsive filmmaking that shows nothing but a nasty , clear contempt for its viewers .",
        "their honest reactions , complete with humiliation and their attempts to shrug it all off , create surprisingly endearing kids .",
        "better than we might expect , but in the end it 's simply a noble addition to the lower ranks of thoughtful teen comedies .",
        "sex never works by deadline and usually proves itself to be more mysterious and complicated than it could ever be imagined in horny adolescents ' fantasies .",
        "paul weitz , who never directed before ; chris weitz - his brother - who never produced before ; and adam herz , who never wrote a screenplay before , have cooked up two hilarious hours of impure pow .",
        "... more gross-out behavior . the result is not so much offensive as it is spectacularly ho-hum .",
        "could use a lot less of the outrageous porkies humor and a lot more of the subtle humor of the graduate .",
        "more interested in sexploits than sex , more adept at gross-out than girls .",
        "a calculating and exploitative , brightly shining object designed to draw teenagers like moths to a flame .",
        "the movie fails as comedy , farce , coming-of-age story , showcase for young actors and commentary on anything whatsoever .",
        "beyond nauseating and all too familiar !",
        "an overall icky movie !",
        "arch and pretty dull , with a certain sour undertone . and it just is n't very funny .",
        "pie is more like the c student who later makes a bundle , then comes back to endow the school .",
        "the story was primitive , the characters unmemorable , the direction unsophisticated , the writing cliched , the photography and music drab , the pacing uneven , the acting varying from adroitly funny to exaggerated .",
        "will undoubtably please its target audience of teens and early twenty-somethings , but may prove to be a bit too much for older audiences .",
        "a fairly interminable teen comedy ...",
        "cheap , soft-core porn masquerading as comedy .",
        "the tone is always upbeat and the characters are likable , so it 's difficult to take offense at even the grossest jokes .",
        "i laughed loud and often enough ... to recommend it even though it could have been more .",
        "the four male leads are so engaging , and their exploits laced with such slices of real life , that anyone who has been there , done that wo n't be able to help but have twinges of real feeling for the fresh-faced lads .",
        "it takes almost 30 intolerably slack minutes to set it up and get it rolling .",
        "the usual assortment of sex gags and bathroom jokes .",
        "its biggest attraction is that it 's roll-in-the-aisles funny .",
        "it casts actors who look plausible and treats sex with honesty and no apologies .",
        "what could be more amusing than a bunch of sex-obsessed teenagers ? almost anything .",
        "jarring moments , coupled with the fact the movie simply is n't that funny , make for an uneven viewing experience that is best done while couching out at home .",
        "adam herz 's screenplay is slick , straight-forward funny with zero subtext .",
        "director paul weitz never quite pulls off the balancing act of there 's something about mary , in which the farrellys managed to be goofy and sweet and gross all at once .",
        "it 's the regrettable return of the high-profile , low-brow sex comedy , aimed at idiots and hormone-driven teenage boys .",
        "most of MOV just is n't smart or clever enough .",
        "half-baked !",
        "there is a serious crisis facing those who make comedies that are funny because they break taboos . there are n't any taboos left .",
        "a sloppy mess !",
        "does for deep dish baked goods what `` there 's something about mary '' did for styling gel .",
        "wise and yet fresh .",
        "you 'll want the ending delayed because you 'll be enjoying the movie that much .",
        "despite a few gross-out gags and a corny wish-fulfillment finale , `` pie '' is closer to a `` fast times at ridgemont high '' than it is to the infamous `` porky 's '' trilogy .",
        "the film works on many levels because its protagonists ' ineptitude is so believable .",
        "MOV is n't worth enjoying because it 's hot ... but because it 's sweet .",
        "an often raunchy , sometimes hilarious and occasionally touching story of hormones gone mad .",
        "even though it makes you feel queasy at times , MOV will leave you smiling .",
        "not for oldies , not for squares .",
        "it 's a tastier and more thoughtful recipe than most teen raunchfests can boast .",
        "the no-holds-barred rowdiness of MOV makes it worth seeing ."],
    "summary": "so embarrassing it 's believable , MOV succeeds in bringing back the teen movie genre .",
    "id": "17097"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1212910-warrior",
    "reviews":
     [
        "easily one of the best sports dramas in recent years",
        "few attempts are made to explain the technicalities and nothing is left to the imagination in terms of the brute strength required at this level .",
        "relies on the graininess of the indie/gritty shaky-camera style rather than on the integrity of the narrative to convince viewers the film is more artful than cornball .",
        "there have been a lot of movies about fighting , but few have been more personal and emotional than this one about a whole family of fighters divided by a bitter past of desertion , alcoholism , regret and death .",
        "take the underdog fantasy of rocky and multiply it by two , add an even more dysfunctional family than the one in the fighter , throw in mixed martial arts and you have the formula for rousing fight drama MOV .",
        "even though christ transforms hearts , believers are n't promised new lives devoid of suffering . such an accurate depiction of faith is rare in hollywood and even many faith-based productions .",
        "just enough unexpectedly terrific moments of big-ticket emotion and quiet introspection to make a clich\u00e9-barraged first hour and eye-rolling plot turns feel more disappointing . still , it boasts vivid fight choreography and a trio of top performances .",
        "a m\u00e9lange of rocky , on the waterfront , the wrestler and the fighter .",
        "carries you along despite its obvious faults and pretensions",
        "not a knockout , but worth a few rounds nonetheless .",
        "an adrenaline-soaked saturday matinee type of movie .",
        "the film takes off into the stratosphere , perfectly balancing concise editing , strategic momentum and masterfully performed fight dances while never letting the audience forget why this is happening and where we are in the competition .",
        "director gavin o'connor has turned the octagon of ultimate fighting into a cage of boiling family emotion .",
        "`` MOV '' could have used a bit more guts . but it 's still a knockout .",
        "this fictional drama about two men struggling with the anger planted in them by their abusive father has moments of power that push through a fake-out script .",
        "nolte 's performance is masterful , marshalling together pain and regret and a slowly dawning comprehension in a single wince . but all this film has going for it besides him are its incredibly brutal fight scenes .",
        "a cheap exploitation picture wrapped in miles and miles of stale would-be oscar scenes ...",
        "a surprisingly affecting story .",
        "it 's just a shame that , when the punching and kicking really gets started during the film 's final third , the 140-minute tale goes flabby due to an uncomfortable mix of sincere populist enthusiasm and artistic ambition .",
        "even susan lucci is rolling her eyes at these soap opera twists and turns , but MOV is pretty good .",
        "three great actors and a smart script -- combined with the rah-rah sports movie we all know and love .",
        "lovers of the sport and macho men in general be warned : MOV is so beautifully constructed and emotionally engaging , the tears are almost certain to fall . bring a hankie and/or a very discreet companion .",
        "these are characters painted in such broad strokes that , while the sense of their journey is there , the feeling behind it winds up lacking .",
        "yes , the coincidences are fast and furious , but both edgerton and hardy give powerful performances as damaged men .",
        "this is a rare fight movie in which we do n't want to see either fighter lose .",
        "MOV is a man-weepie of the highest hollywood order , a would-be rocky for an empire in decline .",
        "o'connor chucks away everything that was interesting or dark or subtle in `` MOV '' and replaces it with a pseudo-individualist , sub-freudian , tea party-friendly fantasy .",
        "familiar fight movie tropes are followed , but the dramatic stakes that o'connor lends the proceedings give them uncommon involvement and an even rarer sense of suspense .",
        "... an instant classic that manages to surpass even the original rocky in terms of effectiveness ...",
        "against all odds , MOV sucks you in and leaves you thrumming with excitement .",
        "hardy , edgerton and nolte vigorously dig into this toxic dump of sour , hostile emotions and their exchanges are bruising .",
        "tom and brendan are enough to offer a satisfying payoff - even if minor characters are left flailing in their wake .",
        "a straight genre picture , but the best mma movie ever .",
        "MOV is one of the year 's best films that has everything audiences are looking for in a sports movie experience . visually exciting fight sequences are matched by an emotionally complex story with believable characters full of conviction .",
        "MOV reveals itself to be more than just a brainless slugger - like the best boxing movies , it 's able to utterly wrap you up in the moment and have you punching the air come its conclusion .",
        "MOV is an ode to valour-ruined men , in war , in peace , in the octagon .",
        "`` MOV '' is basically an action flick for chicks . you would not believe the amount of melodrama .",
        "the punches always seem that much harder when you understand just why they hurt .",
        "director gavin o'connor tries sprucing up the material by swapping out boxing for mixed martial arts , but it 's still the same old story told the same old way . at least real steel had robots .",
        "the scariest man in movies right now might be tom hardy . he somehow makes his sinews seethe .",
        "`` soul of a lion . '' i jotted that down . for with `` MOV , '' it seems to apply .",
        "the set-up sounds gallingly crude and derivative , yet `` MOV '' turns it into a one-two punch of gripping action and powerful drama .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the two leads , edgerton and hardy , pull off their respective roles - rising above the cliches and the melodrama - with ferocity and focus .",
        "yes , this is a mixed martial arts movie . it 's also one of the most heart-wrenching and deeply felt films of the year .",
        "all the director and co-writer gavin o'connor does is apply old boxing-film tricks to what is , for the movies , a new sport . then he doubles them .",
        "`` MOV '' is like the rousing `` rocky '' sequel that stallone never thought of .",
        "it is appropriately blunt , powerful and relentless , a study of male bodies in sweaty motion and masculine emotions in teary turmoil .",
        "every time you start resisting , somehow the film makes the sale , again .",
        "one of the most emotionally involving sports movies ever ... surely as moving a film as possible to make about people beating the stuffing out of each other .",
        "soap opera plot aside , ultimate fighting fans will eat this one up . as for the rest of us , it depends .",
        "MOV is a must-see , even for those who dislike sports movies .",
        "the very well-written script ... successfully squeezes new life out of many fight-movie , sibling-rivalry and irish-catholic cliches . edgerton 's and hardy 's performances are excellent , as is nolte 's . exciting , visceral filmmaking at its best .",
        "i cried three times ! while a bit manipulative , i found myself emotionally invested in every character to the point where i could almost feel the punches !",
        "a ludicrous mashup of the dysfunctional family of `` the fighter '' and the entire rocky series .",
        "it 's a movie with as much heart as violence , somewhat cliched and calculated but still an exhilarating screen experience . you would n't believe how good this movie is , and i would n't blame you .",
        "a film that 's a powerhouse for all the old-school reasons : a tremendous cast , identifiable characters you care about and a story that both excites and moves .",
        "there are extraordinary degrees of emotion and intelligence to be found in every word spoken by tom hardy and joel edgerton .",
        "exceedingly far-fetched but undeniably rousing .",
        "the word `` gravitas '' gets tossed around a lot , but MOV has it in spades .",
        "MOV 's three principle characterizations are compelling - nolte in particular gives a tempered performance as the shambling , sad-eyed wreck of a dad - but not enough to mask the film 's lesser elements .",
        "MOV is an epic , beautiful film , a must see !",
        "it 's too corny to live . but the picture is a slam dunk . i mean a ground-and-pound double-leg takedown . it 's really gripping .",
        "... slow , predictable , woodenly acted , and utterly preposterous .",
        "tom hardy 's riveting performance as a tommy conlon in MOV plays like a teaser of things to come when he takes on the role of bane in the next batman movie .",
        "i had problems with the fighter , but on balance , i have more with MOV , which does a nice job of mostly subverting the inevitable genre cliches but has trouble coming up with anything new to fill the void .",
        "nolte , his face weathered from life -lrb- has it really been 35 years since he played young tom jordache on `` rich man , poor man ? '' -rrb- would easily make my short list when oscar nominations come around .",
        "if you pass on seeing MOV simply because you do n't like mma , you 're denying yourself the chance to see a solid , well-made , emotionally gripping movie .",
        "` MOV ' makes you cheer , sweat , laugh and in a completely shocking twist , cry just a little bit .",
        "if another writer , someone that does not telegraph the entire story , was brought in to help the multiple hat-wearing o'connor , there could have been some surprises in store for the viewer .",
        "right up until a poorly chosen ending , i was caught up in every twist and turn .",
        "subtle it ai n't .",
        "though it 's essentially an astronomically silly formula sports movie stuffed with bone-crunching action , ` MOV ' plays so skillfully as family melodrama that it should connect even with viewers who would never think of watching an mma match .",
        "MOV might be a fairly conventional fight movie in many respects , but it 's a damned fine one that more than holds its own against the challengers in its weight class .",
        "it all goes down quite easily in a highly entertaining , crowd pleasing sort of way . -lrb- parental movie review also available -rrb-",
        "... for all of its supposed realism and reflection of hard times in america , the movie plays out as complete fairy-tale nonsense . it is n't a working-class success story -- it 's a working-class fantasy world .",
        "o'connor does n't just provide rah-rah fighting -- he makes it mean something . it 's a pretty sneaky trick , giving us a testosterone-driven fight movie that also makes us cry .",
        "director gavin o'connor comes out swinging in this flawed but fiercely moving family drama ... strong stuff .",
        "o'connor treats the brothers ' stories like two separate movies , but both are cliched , and we do n't learn enough about the rules of mixed martial arts to be drawn into the many , many bouts we see .",
        "while `` MOV '' does offer enough jaw-snapping action to sate any ` roid-ragers in the audience , it works on deeper levels as well .",
        "an immature , contrived , sap-infested drama of feuding family members , feel-good histrionics and mixed martial arts .",
        "the final third of the film , which covers the sparta tournament in great detail , is a breathless triumph ; a genuinely adrenaline pumping crescendo .",
        "with great intensity , MOV is a pleasant surprise , capturing the heart and spirit of a champion .",
        "a double-barreled rocky for the mixed martial arts generations , the practically epic fight film MOV is one of the most exhilarating surprises of this summer movie season .",
        "a top-notch entry in its respective genre and an all-around fine character drama .",
        "the way it cobbles together the multiple storylines and relationships makes MOV a more emotionally satisfying film than the fighter . lionsgate may want to get the train going on an oscar campaign for nolte .",
        "MOV makes a creditable attempt at expanding the scope of the mma films - and whilst not always successful - the powerful performances should keep many people happy",
        "this tale of two brothers competing in a mixed martial arts contest is gritty , laboured and totally devoid of suspense or surprise , despite the best efforts of actors tom hardy and joel edgerton .",
        "trumping even genre classic rocky , MOV packs a grand emotional wallop thanks to top-tier performances and the fact that you do n't want either fighter to lose .",
        "MOV is an unbelievably effective film , not just because it 's emotionally rich , but because it does n't treat the mma sport like a joke .",
        "in gavin o'connor 's hands ... the few-holds-barred matches are certainly the main event : subtle characterization and deep back-story are not wanted on this two-fisted voyage of the conlon family .",
        "one can not genuinely fault MOV for the clich\u00e9d elements of its story , simply because reviving the clich\u00e9 is the whole point .",
        "a sports movie about a martial arts tournament and an intimate drama about letting go of hatred and opening the heart to the healing balm of forgiveness .",
        "not far removed from its true-to-life counterpart ` the fighter , ' ` MOV ' is about two men who decide to enter a mixed martial arts competition for two very different reasons .",
        "its most rewarding moments being the well-choreographed brutal mma fight scenes .",
        "a superb drama , and a remarkable sports film .",
        "MOV is a weirdly affecting hybrid , a 100-proof melodrama that 's two-thirds sylvester stallone and one-third eugene o'neill . think rocky 's long day 's journey into night .",
        "` MOV ' is a contrived , if also entertaining , irish-american gothic fable pumped with steroids and schmaltz about brothers facing one another for a $ 5 million cash prize in an mma championship cage .",
        "fantastic family drama features intense martial-arts fights .",
        "it 's also a fight movie that knows all the fight movie cliches and does n't shy away from embracing them wholeheartedly . but it hits its marks and hits them well , and feels fresh even as it traffics so deeply in the familiar .",
        "enough ancillary surprises , and clever spins on classic tropes , to add a piquant sense of discovery , as well as some genuinely gripping suspense",
        "for all the contemporary references , it 's essentially a spin on the story of cain and abel , which may be the reason it feels timeless .",
        "for some viewers -lsb- it -rsb- will be a knockout , a movie that comes on strong , like tommy ... for me , it came on more like brendan ... in the end wrangling me to the ground .",
        "o'connor films the fight scenes , and the fight training scenes leading up to them , with the requisite oomph .",
        "the beats are familiar , the stakes are high , the fights are brutal , and the rewards are just .",
        "the mma bouts in `` MOV '' are undeniably thrilling , but it 's the cages that paddy and his sons have built for themselves that contain the most drama .",
        "old line-gargler nolte remains an effortlessly moving presence , while hardy and edgerton embody their archetypes and handle the physical demands .",
        "perry 's fight choreography is exceptional -- you do n't have to be a fan to follow the action or get thoroughly caught up in each match .",
        "skillfully made and adrenalin-fueled , MOV is nothing like what i expected . it overcomes inescapable boxing and martial arts clich\u00e9s and leaves you thoroughly sated , energized and wanting more .",
        "like rocky squared : an underdog story with two underdogs . . a blast of excitement and roaring physicality . you do n't have to be a fan of the sport to get a charge out of it .",
        "alas , although the acting 's uniformly strong , and the film has kitchen-sink grit to spare , it errs more on the side of 1995 's rocky iv than john avildsen 's '76 original ...",
        "works like gangbusters -- tears will be stifled by the end of the sibling vs. sibling finale -- and most of the credit should go to hardy , nolte and edgerton .",
        "the picture develops a serious limp . o'connor seems terrified to play any of this with subtlety , despite the movie 's finest moments played quietly .",
        "hardy is as good an actor as there is working today ; his intensity here is amazing . nolte has n't been this good in a long time . and edgerton holds his own with both .",
        "all in all , though , MOV wins on points , even with a resolution that did n't work for me .",
        "the coincidences and melodrama are piled on as thick as tom hardy 's neck muscles , but , thankfully , the movie , and even hardy himself , shoulders it .",
        "a blistering and well-observed emotional drama that does a terrific job of being much , much more than just a fistfight .",
        "this does n't pack a punch like ` the fighter ' - but it 's still a must for grapple fans .",
        "what takes place outside the ring -lrb- or cage , in this case -rrb- is at the heart of this knockout of a movie , not the flying fists , jabbing kicks and bone-breaking body slams of its well-staged fight scenes .",
        "sweaty yet sentimental slug-fest , delivering a knockout punch",
        "as compelling and savage as the fight scenes are , it 's the brutal personal dynamics that keep us interested .",
        "has to conform to the lunkhead straitjacket of the tournament format : one dufus pounding another in extreme close-up for what seems like an eternity .",
        "MOV will help cement hardy 's status as one of our most charismatic and muscular stars after the likes of bronson and inception , not forgetting his riveting turn as ricky tarr in tinker , tailor , while edgerton makes an implausible character believeable .",
        "emotionally engaging drama that transcends its ridiculously clich\u00e9d script thanks to strong direction , impressive fight sequences and a trio of terrific performances from joel edgerton , tom hardy and nick nolte .",
        "hardy 's physicality here is something to behold : you wonder how many personal trainers he worked his way through to get those neck muscles .",
        "sickly sentimental , but the barnstorming fight scenes will leave you counting stars .",
        "it 's about broken families coming together . it 's about economic desperation and about america getting off the ropes and recovering its fighting spirit .",
        "with miracle and now MOV , gavin o'conner can lay claim to being the finest sports-drama director working today .",
        "drawn-out and threadbare , its occasional moments of authentic family drama failing to carry the weight of the 140-minute running time .",
        "the family drama resonates strongly with a resolution that , in retrospect , seems like the only way the brothers could have rediscovered blood ties . meanwhile their fights are downright compelling .",
        "as so many films get lost in the friday shuffle of new releases , it seems easier for a quality , smaller film to miss its audience . do n't lose MOV . it 's one of the best films of 2011 .",
        "MOV is emotionally intense and decently acted , but it 's too familiar as family melodrama and too manipulative as populist and inspirational sports picture .",
        "o'connor has established hardy as a star and successor to a young , intense marlon brando . hardy gives so much emotion and commitment to every character he plays , that he is a dazzling revelation .",
        "a sports film whose promise of a more nuanced take on familiar genre tropes ends up battered and bruised .",
        "an improbably effective and affecting mix of raw emotions and exciting smackdowns .",
        "there have been so many fight movies to come out of hollywood that you would n't think there was room for another , but turns out there is .",
        "even if MOV could have or should have shaped up into something bigger , it 's impossible not to recommend .",
        "they call them `` male weepies '' for a reason and yes , dude , i cried .",
        "MOV ends up feeling a lot bigger than you expect it to .",
        "only one thing actually needs to work , and it does ... the important part is that when it gently treads on your heartstrings after all the pieces are in place , you get sniffly .",
        "somehow , among the clich\u00e9s and familiar story lines , the actors rise above the muck and make a movie that 's entertaining to watch .",
        "the movie is so skillfully made , and the performances are so convincingly real -lrb- hardy is sensational -rrb- , that , as it reaches its cathartic , winning finish , it achieves a surprising compassion and honesty .",
        "the point here is not the triumph of some hypothetical good guy ; the point is the beating out of brains",
        "a hodge-podge of inspirational sports movie cliches mashed with pseudo-intellectual bullpucky trying to rise above its stand as a blatant advertisement for mixed martial arts",
        "the chip on tommy 's -lrb- tom hardy -rrb- shoulder is so large it 's metastasized into fleshy musculature in this overly familiar but effective fight picture .",
        "the best movie i have seen this year . hardy , edgerton and especially nolte are outstanding !",
        "a tougher , meaner animal than close cousin the fighter , with hardy , edgerton and nolte at their pugnacious , heart-wrenching best .",
        "boys working out their issues with their fists and feet is n't a particularly original metaphor , but MOV makes some unexpected choices that allow the film to punch above its weight .",
        "it hardly rewrites the rulebook , but MOV is a powerful , moving and brilliant sports-pic-cum-family drama . like the fighter , but with kicking .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- magnificent . the 21st century version of `` rocky '' and `` raging bull '' rolled into one , `` MOV '' is as solid as tom hardy 's steely ab muscles .",
        "MOV sets its sights on something much deeper than fighting .",
        "o'connor builds ` MOV ' from tropes and cliches and constantly subverts them in assembly . it 's fascinating .",
        "ultimately , this movie is more about the dark , bloody conflicts within the human heart than it is about what transpires in the cage .",
        "a brilliantly executed film that succeeds both as a family drama and one of the most exciting sports films you 're likely to see this year .",
        "MOV made me want to get on my feet and cheer . move over brian 's song - this is going to become a `` guy cry '' classic .",
        "gavin o'connor 's attempted something i ca n't honestly remember seeing before in a sports film , and he 's pulled it off in spectacular fashion , creating one of the year 's most rousing pieces of emotional entertainment as a result .",
        "it 's a great fight movie , even if you , like me , could not care less about mixed martial arts . but it also plumbs the emotional depth in a way that the fighter really focused on doing , but never quite did .",
        "suddenly thunderdome does n't seem like such a pipe dream anymore .",
        "formulaic yes , but the best iteration of this formula in a very long time .",
        "MOV is a superbly acted and emotional film about manhood , family and never submitting to life 's beat downs .",
        "its three leads certainly deserve consideration for their artfulness in being able to infuse it with intimations of quality .",
        "dotted with emotional honesty and strong storytelling that you only find in truly special movies .",
        "grainy , hand-held cinematography ca n't lend authenticity to the forced emotion .",
        "the film 's great achievement is not in the way it manages to drop us suitably wimpy audience members right into a good ol' fashioned no-holds-barred fight , but that it can be ... touching , heartbreaking and emotionally satisfying at the same time .",
        "as fight films go , MOV is as gutsy as they get , with not just a big cash prize at stake but a whole family",
        "a towering , punchy film in which redemption is the key theme ... a career-making role for edgerton",
        "a welcome throwback to big studio movies with heart , mind , and blood running through their veins .",
        "it 's great that a hollywood movie finally takes mixed martial arts seriously as a sport , but unfortunate that it had to be this one .",
        "MOV resists many opportunities to seal an easy resolution , and for this you remain with it until the final punch .",
        "this heartfelt fight drama is rocky for the ufc crowd . ... MOV works fine as a popcorn fight flick , but it really excels as a character drama about a broken family seeking to repair itself .",
        "hits things so hard , both literally and metaphorically , that it 's hard not to feel pummeled yourself by the time it 's over .",
        "a likely candidate for induction into the pantheon of great boxing movies .",
        "a skillfully made film complete with strong performances and a surprisingly gripping emotional core and it is those elements that help keep it humming along even when it threatens to collapse under the weight of its occasionally hokey plotting .",
        "choppy editing makes a hash out of the fight scenes , and , by the end , a neanderthal sensibility asserts itself : a brotherly beating makes the heart grow fonder .",
        "the plot is shakespeare meets balboa .",
        "story , character , development and outcome are hackneyed , done elsewhere , sometimes worse , often better , but you ca n't keep a good story down for the count .",
        "moving in a blatant sort of way"],
    "summary": "MOV relies on many of the clich\u00e9s that critics of the genre love to mock -- and it transcends them with gripping action , powerful acting , and heart .",
    "id": "770857926"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_attack_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film is most interesting as an articulation of how its main character 's initial status as an emblem of inter-religious understanding quickly dissolves following a suicide bombing .",
        "we are left at the end with imponderables and questions , things that will ricochet around your brain long after this compelling and unsettling movie ends .",
        "puts a human face on a place and a conflict where religion and ethnicity still trumps education and achievement -- israel .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- intelligent , involving movie that 's by turns a murder mystery and a politically charged argument about contemporary palestinian identity .",
        "suliman , who plays amin , also starred in paradise now , and it 's no stretch to say MOV is the most urgent , unblinking movie about the israeli-palestinian divide since that 2005 stunner .",
        "this doleful and nuanced middle eastern tragedy is unlike any other recent film from the region in various ways .",
        "a gripping , personal examination of a seemingly unresolvable conflict .",
        "an engrossing and rounded look at the religious , political , and cultural factors behind arab-israeli enmity in the middle east .",
        "telling this story from the point of view of the perpetrator 's anguished , bewildered spouse is an inspired idea , and it may work very well in khadra 's book . suliman , however , is the wrong actor for the job .",
        "arresting and upsetting ...",
        "MOV turns into a listless verbal assault , batting easy back-and-forth arguments on fundamentalist dogma , bomber hero worship , the occupation blues , etc. , that simply rehash the usual talking points .",
        "`` MOV '' is about madness , personal and political , and a tragic overlap of the two beyond understanding .",
        "demonstrates as a director the kind of elliptical reserve more commonly associated with terrence malick .",
        "it 's an accomplished drama anchored by an understated , captivating performance from an actor who fills nearly every frame of every scene .",
        "... ziad doueiri has made the most extraordinary film on middle eastern suicide bombings yet by turning it into an investigative love story .",
        "the israeli-arab conflict is stripped to its most intensely personal level in MOV , a haunting and heartbreaking meditation on violence , choice , love and duty that is one of the most remarkable films of the year .",
        "delicately executed thriller balances its political baggage with unflagging suspense .",
        "MOV successfully walks a fine line , examining both sides of a complex issue while remaining focused on amin 's personal torment .",
        "emerges as one of the more piercing pieces of fiction on this subject .",
        "suliman gives his all as the bereft , bewildered amin , and the stern , bald-headed gavriel , in a smaller role , comes off as the ultimate israeli authority figure .",
        "as this film demonstrates in so many ways , the intractability of the arab-israeli political situation is , to put it mildly , not easily resolved , least of all onscreen .",
        "the film unfolds like an endless argument , and in a way that 's perfect ; the unhappy union at the heart of `` MOV '' is n't just the one that amin and siham had , but the forced one that that jews and palestinians continue to have .",
        "it 's a sorrowful film , as amin finds some answers he does n't want to hear , and discovers that other answers are simply unknowable .",
        "intimacy , memory and questioned identity all bleed into one dejected protagonist who ca n't quite do the heavy lifting that the screenplay calls for .",
        "we learn that beneath some urbane and sophisticated israelis lies a cold and hardened heart . we see palestinians who live to commit terror without regard to its consequences .",
        "a sort of mystery in reverse , ` MOV ' is both a character study and a love story . it 's also about terrorism and the driving forces behind catastrophic acts .",
        "`` MOV '' does n't force us to pick a side . but it does force us to question our outsiders ' hope in conciliation .",
        "screenwriters ziad doueiri and joelle touma pull quite a few punches here , making the doctor improbably naive about israeli-palestinian tensions so that his transformation seems profound .",
        "seen with an open mind , it 's an experience that gets under your skin in ways you wo n't expect .",
        "the result is a quiet power-so quiet in fact that the score is almost non-existent-that never risks sentimentality or exploitation .",
        "contrary to its blunt title , MOV takes a nuanced and thoughtful approach",
        "certainly not easy to digest , but the internal struggle director/co-writer ziad doueiri isolates here is exceptional at times , giving the divisive topic the meditative approach it deserves .",
        "MOV spreads the blame around for what is undeniably a nasty situation , any way you look at it .",
        "what results is a film very much aimed at a western audience , that is surefooted and fearless even as it ventures deeper and deeper into the dark heart of one of the most defining and complex conflicts of our time .",
        "engaging and tragic",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- urns from pointed social criticism into an absorbing mystery ... that departs from stereotypes ... to become a gripping political thriller and a disturbing warning .",
        "this is not a soft-hearted movie offering quiet hope .",
        "`` MOV '' starts out strong and swiftly unravels somewhere past the midpoint .",
        "MOV is an ineluctably involving study of a civilized man caught in the middle of a ruthless , bloody conflict .",
        "though it 's never less than involving , it grows in stature as it unfolds and ends as a more subtle and disturbing film about love , loss and tragedy than we might initially expect .",
        "a stark portrait of love , politics , and betrayal .",
        "remarkably accomplished and self-confident .",
        "-lsb- doueiri -rsb- does a fine job of presenting us with two worlds in conflict : modern , prosperous and progressive tel aviv , and nablus , a city of shadows , squalor and paranoia .",
        "answers prove more elusive than the questions .",
        "drenched in the sweat of spontaneous revelations , and the blood of deep betrayal , this story of an assimilated arab living in tel aviv forces the viewer to ask deeper questions about the very nature of `` terror '' -- as well as its adjacent `` ism . ''",
        "imagine a blissful life taken away : story of an arab man who 's assimilated into israeli society but finds out that his wife was a suicide bomber . nothing new here about the conflict , fair portrayal of the sides , thought provoking without solutions .",
        "it 's set up as a descent into the heart of darkness , but it ends up playing out in pallid shades of grey .",
        "thoughtful israeli political drama .",
        "arouses profound questions about fanaticism , cultural identity , and the essential mystery of other people , even those we think we know best .",
        "the prevailing mood is somber , but the film is particularly affective at conveying the senselessness of trying to make sense of a conflict that has gained nothing beyond a vast waste of human life .",
        "a wrenching tale of an arab surgeon assimilated and celebrated in tel aviv , who discovers his wife 's darkest secret .",
        "this picture may have been intended as only an intelligent drama made out of current conditions-which it is-but it leaves us with a bleak prospect that may be darker than what was intended .",
        "MOV is the best kind of anti-war propaganda film , calm in feeling and mood , yet truly terrifying in showing the scourge of our age : terrorism , which can strike anybody , anywhere , at any time .",
        "for all its politics ... `` MOV '' is a personal story of a man whose romanticized memories of his wife prevent him from seeing the truth and moving on ."],
    "summary": "tense and suspenseful while remaining smart and understated , MOV honors its complex subject with an intelligent script and captivating performances .",
    "id": "771315283"
  },
  {
    "movie": "good_shepherd",
    "reviews":
     [
        "stoic , simmering and almost film noir , the MOV creates a very dangerous and intriguing world",
        "the film finally resembles nothing so much as its most persistent symbol : an objet d'art crafted to impress with empty trickery .",
        "while -lsb- de niro is -rsb- a whiz with actors , he 's no francis coppola , and his calculated , observant tone grows cold .",
        "unfortunately a heavy pace and an unnecessary time-jumping device mar `` the MOV . '' that said , the intricate story is blessed with an intelligent script -lrb- by eric roth -rrb- and brilliant performances .",
        "the MOV is not an easily embraceable picture , but the story it tells is simply too compelling to dismiss , even at its ugliest .",
        "the MOV leaves you longing for the other , better political thrillers it evokes .",
        "if you think george tenet 's central intelligence agency was a disaster , wait until you see robert de niro 's torpid , ineffectual movie about the history of the agency , the MOV .",
        "perhaps it 's fitting that a movie about the early cia be tangled and opaque , but this drama loosely based on the life of uberspook james angleton verges on incoherence .",
        "matt damon is so good at action , you wish he 'd been given some here . instead , buttoned up in his company-man suits and snap-brim hats and clark kent specs , he 's all inwardness , an impenetrable blank .",
        "seems to have been inspired by two of de niro 's more celebrated movies , ` the godfather part ii ' and ` once upon a time in america ' ; if it lacks the bravura set pieces of those films , it at least unfolds with its own whispery integrity .",
        "no previous american film has ventured into this still largely unknown territory with such authority and emotional detachment . for this reason alone , the MOV is must-see viewing .",
        "at nearly three hours , the reach is so vast the movie never finds its shape .",
        "hardly a lightning bolt , and hardly one that deserves 160 deadening minutes of misdirection and repetition .",
        "it 's a risky narrative strategy , and if it 's not always riveting , it is apt : defined by his secrets , edward recedes from his own story .",
        "the MOV feels authentic because it keeps everything on a human scale . there 's no mythologizing the agency ; there 's just a solid depiction of how it was shaped by human beings .",
        "any time the MOV tries to get dramatic , it goes limp from the effort , straining to impress us with the human cost of the cold war spy game .",
        "a slick and classy production , dripping with talent and expensive production values .",
        "de niro juggles the myriad big-picture parts with reserved professionalism ; it 's the central character , ironically , that 's the movie 's achilles ' heel .",
        "the assured complexity of the film is only half successful as a result , including the central emotional throttle of father-son traumas . but it 's still an engaging work , crafted with great care and attention to detail .",
        "overlong and a little overstuffed , but de niro 's ambitious tale of the cia 's cold war genesis is still worthy , smart and relevant .",
        "imagine a white anglo-saxon protestant version of the first two godfather movies drained of operatic passion but left with all their epochal sweep , double-dealing violence and richly detailed verisimilitude .",
        "though illuminating as a history primer on the cia , the MOV has the spark of an 8 a.m. college lecture .",
        "many things happen in the MOV , but very few of them are especially interesting or , more to the point , memorable .",
        "deniro 's direction is masterful here - he uses `` the godfather '' as his structural and thematic template yet tonally his film is as cool as its predecessor is hot .",
        "-lsb- robert de niro has -rsb- made one of the best pictures of the year .",
        "it turtles forward for 160 minutes with unrelenting , humorless solemnity , as if everyone involved were unaware that it has arrived three decades too late to matter .",
        "this rangy spy saga , odd but not unrewarding , oscillates between murmured , hushed skullduggery and the eerie quiet of its central character .",
        "it 's a rare occasion when you emerge from a sprawling three-hour movie thinking about how much they left out .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if robert de niro had directed ` casino royale , ' bond wouldhave been suitable for masterpiece theater . and that 's nota compliment .",
        "as impenetrable as the -lsb- cia -rsb- itself .",
        "if the lives of cia spies are really this dreary , they may as well keep their secrets to themselves .",
        "the MOV is the film francis ford coppola should have directed instead of the godfather part iii .",
        "it 's a rich concept -- the godfather , part ii set in langley , va. -- and it might have been a classic if someone like francis ford coppola had come out of semi-retirement to direct it .",
        "sad to say , but robert de niro 's the MOV , an ambitious and starry but lamentably interminable attempt to trace the beginnings of the central intelligence agency , may well have you counting sheep .",
        "if you 're looking for action , the MOV will be a letdown . but as a deep meditation on the nature of espionage , it 's a minor classic .",
        "stellar cast , plodding storytelling .",
        "an intricate , deliberately paced 2-hour and 37-minute work that not only quietly presents this quicksand world but also makes us feel what it would be like to live in it .",
        "damon once again demonstrates his flair for creating inscrutably devious characters .",
        "the MOV is a painstakingly composed film , as planned and programmed and puzzled over as tactical maneuvers on a chessboard .",
        "the MOV is a flat draft of history that looks at the central intelligence agency 's early years through the horn-rimmed gaze of a fictional spook .",
        "the cinematic spy world has never been so dreary .",
        "told with a visual efficiency that belies the film 's considerable length , shepherd is a muscular , unsentimental movie about shadow warriors and dark compromises . it takes its audience 's intelligence for granted and rewards it at every turn .",
        "moving from 1939 to 1961 , an incident-heavy script finds enough material to keep several movies percolating , yet it seldom reaches a boil .",
        "while de niro 's direction is certainly stylish , the frosty performances are off-putting .",
        "robert de niro sat at the feet of francis ford coppola and martin scorsese , and learned his lessons well .",
        "deniro 's cia tale shows some good film-making but simply too much of it .",
        "painfully overlong , weighed down by its own self-conscious seriousness and filled with nonsurprises , the MOV will appeal only to those who like dreary tales filled with unlikable characters .",
        "it 's surprising that this three-hour tour of thirty-some years of history moves as well as it does .",
        "better than average , but barely .",
        "the MOV is a quietly sweeping , intensely intelligent and nail-biting history of the central intelligence agency .",
        "not a film everyone will like . but those who do will appreciate de niro 's insistence on accurate detail .",
        "never manages to create a gripping strand to hold our attention .",
        "de niro deserves credit for the broad , ambitious canvas he 's worked on , but his movie is just as mechanical and humourless as his protagonist .",
        "165 minutes of my life i will never get back , damn it . this is one shepherd that 's lost control of its flock .",
        "apropriadamente mergulhado em sombras e bel\u044cssimas imagens em contraluz , \u0436 o segundo trabalho de de niro como diretor , que revela , aqui , um olhar inspirado para composi\u0443\u0448es e , como j\u0440 era de se esperar , um talento ineg\u0440vel para a condu\u0443\u0441o do elenco .",
        "the MOV tells a compelling , complex , personal and political story and tells it extremely well . it 's an engrossing film .",
        "it 's a film for fans of john le carre , rather than ian fleming .",
        "better than any of the feature film versions of john le carre 's novels and nearly as good as the tv mini-series based on tinker , tailor , soldier , spy and smiley 's people .",
        "touches are just enough to earn the MOV a third star . but de niro might want to stick to acting in future .",
        "on paper this had `` belter '' written all over it . sadly , damon 's lifeless performance in the lead role failed to keep me gripped throughout the movie 's bum-numbing 167 minutes .",
        "it makes a little noise about what might take place under the radar in a democracy .",
        "patient viewers will find much to appreciate in this chilly yet absorbing drama .",
        "... solid and thoughtful but relatively unexciting -- the kind of film that 's more admired than loved .",
        "the film purports to tell the inside story of the first 20 years of the cia , but damon 's bourne movies are more realistic spy stories .",
        "much like screenwriter roth 's munich , takes a complex set of issues and provides an angled illumination that does n't easily let the viewer off the hook .",
        "a rich , complex and galvanizing look at the cia . deniro has crafted a near-epic and first class film that engages us with its scope , multi-layered plot and brilliant cast .",
        "the mesmerizing espionage thriller chronicles the inception and ascendancy of the cia .",
        "robert de niro 's icy drama , from eric roth 's densely researched original screenplay , unfolds over the course of two decades and traces the history of modern-day spycraft .",
        "it 's like watching a fish stare at you from inside the magnifying wall of an aquarium , and about as exciting .",
        "it 's a long -lrb- nearly three hours -rrb- , deliberately paced film , and an intelligent one .",
        "except for helping you maintain a consistently slow pulse rate , the MOV is n't good for much .",
        "it has a fascinating central character and the right actor playing him , with an excellent supporting cast -lrb- michael gambon ? alec baldwin ? timothy hutton ? all great . -rrb- . but it has n't figured out where to take the story .",
        "directed by robert de niro , the MOV is an origin story about the c.i.a. , and for the filmmakers that story boils down to fathers who fail their sons .",
        "a meandering , near-three-hour epic that tries hard but basically fails to be the godfather of cia movies .",
        "the MOV is serious adult moviemaking , a truly surprising effort from de niro , a man deeply interested in the art , craft and psychology of espionage .",
        "the MOV does occasionally strike the right , creepy note .",
        "ambitious , multilayered",
        "there are no impeccably tailored dinner jackets to wear while sipping stirred martinis , no brainy bombshells to seduce , no cool gadgets , no sportscars . this is dirty -- in all senses of the word -- tradecraft .",
        "robert de niro 's sophomore directorial effort is so subdued that in the end it feels like nothing of significance has happened .",
        "de niro is endlessly fascinated with the birth and evolution of the central intelligence agency , but his film is such a mind-numbing bore that it is impossible to recommend .",
        "a smart , multilayered espionage drama .",
        "damon is solid as usual , but as the film rolls into hour three , his inscrutability starts to feel less like a personality trait than an unwillingness to develop the character .",
        "the MOV does contain occasional tense moments and threatens , at points , to blossom into an actual thriller . but instead , it remains a character study of a character who is frustratingly hard to read .",
        "robert de niro 's the MOV is a remarkable study of the corrosive effects of fear and power on an establishment insider who puts duty above all else .",
        "director robert de niro 's no frills approach to spying is probably a more realistic one , but not always as interesting .",
        "the movie is carried by wilson 's professional relationships , propelled by an able supporting cast .",
        "a cool-headed thriller , and a richly detailed character study that traces the birth and evolution of america 's foreign espionage bureaucracy , the MOV also marks a significantly more mature , assured directing turn from robert de niro .",
        "handsomely crafted and impeccably acted by an all-star cast , this quietly riveting and meticulously detailed film presents a fascinating portrait of cold war-era espionage .",
        "the MOV is a rich , sprawling film stuffed with fine performances and capable of expanding to take in vast chunks of history or narrowing to concentrate on delicate human moments .",
        "it 's a perfectly paranoid world that director robert de niro chronicles in this patient , methodical thriller .",
        "i 've seen glaciers with a faster pace and better focused on its intrigue .",
        "even if the movie 's vast reach exceeds its grasp , it 's a spellbinding history lesson .",
        "one of the most impressive movies ever made about espionage .",
        "the MOV is equally fascinating as a character drama and as a cold war thriller .",
        "ostensibly the untold story of the birth of the c.i.a. , robert de niro 's film is really the most mundane psychological profile of the year .",
        "`` the MOV '' is all about tone and the stoic atmosphere of secrets and lies that protects u.s. government agents . it 's about a milieu of insidious self-important people in positions of power who took advantage of their autonomy .",
        "excessive running time -lrb- 168 minutes -rrb- and deliberate pace are not the problem of de niro 's ambitious saga -- it 's the lack of a proper dramatic paradigm to illustrate vividly what often comes across as history lecture , though the facts are fascinating .",
        "it 's tough to slog through a movie that has no pulse .",
        "damon is terrific in the role -- all-knowing , never overtly expressing a feeling .",
        "a buttoned-up , shadowy dramatic recounting of the early days of the buttoned-up , shadowy central intelligence agency .",
        "if you 're a skeptic who 's intrigued by government cover-ups and secret societies , let `` the MOV '' lead you into its web of deceit .",
        "the final film is simply so emotionally neutered that it 's impossible to care about what happens on the screen .",
        "de niro seems to be good with actors but less successful at stringing a movie together , and keeping it together , scene by scene .",
        "... a dead-in-the-water hulk ...",
        "robert de niro 's fictional take on the founding of the central intelligence agency lacks two key components of the spy genre : suspense and action .",
        "the out-of-order sequencing adds little in terms of thematic structure , and thwarts all attempts to get swept up in the film 's narrative flow .",
        "intelligent and totally absorbing ... the most underrated film of ' 06 .",
        "this expertly made film is fascinating and gripping . and it 's also so long that it feels like an entire tv series on dvd .",
        "his wife does n't love him , his son 's scared by him and he seems to be on better social terms with his enemies than his friends . then again , we ca n't quite blame them . we do n't like the guy either .",
        "cool , cynical irony drips from every moment ...",
        "as long as it is , shepherd speeds through its leading man 's life , cramming in 30 years without elaborating on any of them .",
        "a cinematic still-birth .",
        "it 's almost impossible to buy wilson as a pioneer who helped shape one of the world 's most intricate and devious intelligence agencies , leaving us to wonder how the cia could ever have gotten off the ground through the labors of such an utter stiff .",
        "clocking in at nearly three hours , the MOV is a numbing history of the c.i.a. that leaves you novocained .",
        "daniel craig rarely stopped flexing as the new james bond ; here matt damon hardly moves a muscle .",
        "robert de niro made up for lost time by making `` the MOV , '' a film that feels like it takes 13 years to watch.that 's an exaggeration . the sprawling , 160-minute epic only feels like it takes seven hours .",
        "the problem is that de niro nails a particularly emotionless , chilly , paranoid tone -- and then stubbornly refuses to modulate it for damn near three hours .",
        "it 's the story of the season : trim about a half-hour and you could turn a good movie into a great one .",
        "the sort of le carre that even le carre does n't write anymore , but without the british accent ... a solemn but compulsively fascinating puzzle .",
        "the type of movie that would probably improve with repeat viewings , but god only knows who could sit through this experience twice .",
        "a well-acted drama about the genesis of the cia and the zealous patriots who made it into a powerful agency animated by fear and paranoia about our enemies and distrustful of everyone .",
        "takes its half-truths , conspiracies and betrayals way more seriously than we do .",
        "an intricately-plotted political potboiler which makes the idea of working for the cia seem anything but romantic .",
        "robert de niro directs a near-epic-film of near-epic-length that nearly works .",
        "the psychological profile of wilson ... is muted and torturously paced , though damon 's frosty bourne identity demeanor is perfect for the job .",
        "even schindler 's list had moments of humanity and that was the freaking holocaust . lighten up , dudes .",
        "an impeccably designed production , the MOV shoots for greatness and almost gets there . the secret is out : it 's just too darn long .",
        "-lrb- robert -rrb- de niro 's pacing and editing is so precise that you do n't want the story to end .",
        "stays with you long after a standard-issue espionage flick has dissipated in a hail of bullets .",
        "two and a half hours of watching unidimensional matt damon is about two hours too much , especially considering the ludicrous characters with whom he plays here .",
        "an epic bore . so slow nothing happens but talk for 3 hours .",
        "not boring , exactly , but undeniably tedious .",
        "the movie remains only academically involving .",
        "the tempo takes some getting used to , but it 's only a matter of time before the sinister urge of the c.i.a. takes hold , and de niro 's aesthetic choices start to find their groove .",
        "the good sheperd feels like it escaped from a parallel world that never experienced the one-two punch of jaws and star wars and instead based its blockbuster formula on the godfathers .",
        "solid , respectable filmmaking , egregiously overlong -lrb- a plague this time of year , it seems -rrb- but still highly watchable .",
        "a historical drama that 's as dry as a textbook .",
        "damon 's slow realization of his family 's seemingly endless cycle of unhappiness is heartbreaking , even if we are way ahead of him .",
        "an offbeat epic , a chronicle of espionage and skullduggery that features little in the way of traditional action ... but the movie is exceedingly well-made ... and full of eerie atmosphere .",
        "... a rich film that rewards careful attention ...",
        "director robert deniro also brings in the human side of the story without making it feel like an intruder , or a snoozer .",
        "the MOV is drama at its best , a complex meditation on the freedoms we take for granted and proof that just a little information about how we maintain them is way too much .",
        "intelligent , yes , politically astute , stuffed to the gills with a-list acting talent -lrb- overstuffed in fact , there are cameos a go-go -rrb- , but too frozen with a sense of its own seriousness to grip .",
        "the film 's watchable enough if you 're indulgent of its flaws but at 167 minutes it does tax the patience .",
        "a serious film about a seriously relevant subject that , despite its flaws , fulfils much of its over-reaching ambition .",
        "polished spy drama is a classy affair .",
        "de niro 's second film features terrific performances and several impressive scenes , but he appears to have forgotten to hire an editor .",
        "well-crafted and well-acted , but ever-so-slightly worthy and strangely unaffecting . given the track record of the cia , it probably ought to be angrier .",
        "a wan , muted film that is never less than interesting , but rarely more than that either .",
        "a very dark , murky film , resentfully critical of the dysfunctional cia family .",
        "damon 's shirts are always crisp , but he has the charisma of a perfectly groomed corpse .",
        "infused with that glow of earnest deliberation characteristic of liberal hollywood when focusing its well-paid talents on a worthy cause .",
        "not quite unlocking the secret history of the cia .",
        "in a mystery worthy of the cia , the MOV ends up being both too long and too short .",
        "while a bit unwieldy at nearly three hours and at times slow going , the film is absolutely fascinating for anyone who shares de niro 's passions .",
        "the MOV , for all its noble intentions , manages to make even espionage boring .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "stylistically engaging , narratively murky , historically worthless .",
        "as a punishingly ambiguous and astonishingly thorough tragedy , `` the MOV '' shows that emotions as human as any errors can undermine intelligence and questions whether god and country alone can be enough for a man 's soul .",
        "a isappointing hybrid that 's too bloated , diffuse and tedious to work as a regular length movie -- yet has not enough emotional range or narrative focus to be considered a great epic drama .",
        "you will probably come away from it impressed but unmoved .",
        "seems thoroughly conflicted about whether it actually buys what it 's selling .",
        "damn near drowns itself with its unwaveringly solemn sense of importance",
        "a pesar de su extensa duraci\u0437n , la pel\u044ccula no parece tener un minuto de sobra . el relato es apasionante , y est\u0440 servido por un actor-director que ha aprendido mucho de sus maestros .",
        "publici `` dobri pastir '' ne govori ni % u0161ta % u0161to ona , na ovaj ili onaj na % u010din , ve % u0107 nije znala",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though ambitious and confidently directed by robert de niro , the MOV is ultimately a tedious drama that holds few surprises and succumbs to self-seriousness .",
    "id": "377510718"
  },
  {
    "movie": "frank_millers_sin_city_a_dame_to_kill_for",
    "reviews":
     [
        "familiar actors come and bloodily go , generally failing to make sense of reductive roles .",
        "after the near-brilliance robert rodriguez achieved with 2005 's sin city comes the sequel that has been promised for so long it crossed that line where people just stopped caring . and with good reason .",
        "the narration feels overdone and the stories are n't as captivating .",
        "unfortunately , the long-awaited sequel sin city : a dame to kill does n't prove to be worth the wait . whereas the first film was kitschy , ambitious schlock , its sequel is a monotonous , shallow , parody of its predecessor .",
        "unfortunately - very unfortunately - a dame to kill for offers nothing new and feels terribly , sadly , redundant .",
        "creative , lurid , immature , and pointless",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for proves that no matter how many clouds and thunder you put on a screen , it 's hard to catch lightning in a bottle a second time .",
        "more of the same , yet shockingly less .",
        "the fact that the performances are stronger this time does n't compensate for what is just a hundred minutes of droning nonsense .",
        "i ca n't actually be sure that anything happened .",
        "needlessly confusing and narratively fractured , the only real sin in this movie is the lost potential .",
        "the visuals have n't changed much but they remain a wonder to behold .",
        "this stylish , 3-d film with noir-ish , deliciously naughty characters amounts to a campy satire .",
        "a dame to kill for is n't likely to create converts out of those uninterested in the pulpy side of fiction . but it more than earns its keep in terms of lavishing love , mildly ironic as well as pretty damn earnest , on pumped-up noir .",
        "rodriguez and millar really ca n't be troubled slowing down long enough to take an interest in where their characters are headed . instead , they gorge the screen with stylized mayhem and grubby sex .",
        "miller 's original comic-book frames serve narrative functions , but these movies are all grabby graphics , devoid of compelling style .",
        "the conceit also feels more out of its time than it did in 2005 ; this sort of unrelenting bleakness is more clich\u00e9 than daring now .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for relishes style over substance . but , man , it 's ugly .",
        "always a pleasure to observe , despite its unsavory aspects , so artfully artificial ... style is no problem . a reason for this movie besides it is a mystery .",
        "when severed heads tumble across the screen like fleshy soccer balls for the umpteenth time , all the visceral thrills of graphic dismemberment fade away . who knew hyper violence could feel this routine ?",
        "nine years after the pages first turned on sin city , and with three major parts recast , this dame to kill for is sashaying into town long after everyone has lost interest .",
        "the class of the impressive cast and the immersive film noir atmosphere just about sustains our interest in a film that 's most striking visual effect is the hair on bruce willis 's head .",
        "the script is dull , heavy-handed and predictable , with only a few twists and surprises ... these characters are simply not compelling .",
        "lacks a sense of propulsion ; there 's no sense of movement towards a significant dramatic payoff .",
        "instead of fanning the franchise flames , a dame to kill for tosses a wet blanket on the fun , stumbling with a plodding follow-up that 's missing the insanity and most of the grim highlights that made the original so memorable .",
        "packed with stylish visuals , a dream cast , tons of attitude and crazy over-the-top action , for better or worse it delivers exactly what you 'd expect in a ` sin city ' sequel .",
        "the whole movie consists of shiny hot rods and dick wounds , like an 11-year-old and his grumpy grandpa playing gi joes together .",
        "at some points the film lags , loses focus , especially in the segues between vignettes where you can hear the gears creak . thank goodness it 's so pretty to look at , and it is fun to count the references to classic films .",
        "it 's hard to believe that so much visual elegance has been brought to bear on material so ugly , and yet the disjunction is intentional , and the film is all of a piece .",
        "for those who appreciated robert rodriguez and frank miller 's 2005 campy , kinetic film noir homage , sin city , the 2014 follow-up , sin city : a dame to kill for is unlikely to disappoint .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for is an exhausting pedal to the metal car chase that goes in circles , collides with a brick wall , and leaves the audience as they 're thrust through the windshield and cuts to black before they hit the concrete .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "you do n't expect to be exhausted by reams of soul-sick narration and artful chiaroscuro compositions , but that 's what happens .",
        "though it does n't recapture the sense of innovation of the original , and occasionally feels fragmented , sin city : a dame to kill for provides an entertaining , though familiar , ride for those anxious to revisit that world .",
        "the vision remains uncompromising and it dazzles far more than any sequel should .",
        "it 's a town of bad women and worse poets , where the fists are hard , the talk is tough but nothing is for real - and nothing does n't add up to much .",
        "stylistically and tonally , the sin city franchise has n't evolved one bit .",
        "a relatively worthy follow-up loses some luster from the time passed while still delivering the originality of miller 's visuals and rodriguez 's flair for action .",
        "as usual with `` sin city , '' much of the vibe is about echoing genre touchstones , while the look is n't quite like anything else the digital age has seen .",
        "frank miller and robert rodriguez 's sin city : a dame to kill for is like paris after the zombie apocalypse : beautiful to look at but not a living soul in sight .",
        "the movie 's trademark mix of live action and drawing techniques -lrb- white silhouettes , reddened lips , an abundance of venetian blinds -rrb- looks fantastic . if it 's depth you want , you 've knocked on the wrong door .",
        "not everything works in sin city : a dame to kill for and the novelty of the original film is long , long gone , but we still get the kind of classical guys and dolls dramatics that delivers on both the crime and the always-potent punishment",
        "it 's not exactly a `` check your brain at the door '' sort of movie , but it is one that appeals to our more animal instincts .",
        "sex sells , but this film-noir sequel makes you feel dirty if you 're left thinking that 's enough . and if you count how many bullets are fired and compare it to how many holes you can shoot through its plot lines , the latter outnumbers the former .",
        "does n't reach me with its mindless display of stylish violence and its misanthropic humor and clunky dialogue , but then again neither did the original .",
        "rodriguez and miller trade in disreputable teenage kicks and they lay the style on with a trowel .",
        "frame by frame , the images still dazzle , but miller and rodriguez 's brash pulp-noir sensibility now feels jaded .",
        "worth seeing for its visual splendor , and for that fearless , unapologetically scene-chewing performance from green that encompasses the archetypal madonna and whore , as well as the endless depths of the rage endemic in the exploited female .",
        "not as fresh as the original , but there 's still plenty to enjoy in this stylized comic book noir .",
        "story-wise , it does n't quite hold up to the original ` sin city . ' but ` sin city : a dame to kill for ' will still entertain fans of the original film that dazzled grownup viewers with its violence and the look of miller 's graphic ` noir ' novels .",
        "visually stunning but emotionally lifeless ...",
        "not much has changed in sin city , but if you enjoyed your last visit more of the same should be more than enough .",
        "more of a pictorial companion piece to a graphic novel than a movie , leading one to wonder why miller does n't just employ rodriguez as a photographic panel artist - all we 'd be missing is green 's gravelly purr .",
        "the brutal , sadistic stories and mannered macho dialogue do grow tiresome , sapping the film of energy and interest .",
        "it 's not that it 's all bad ; it 's that `` sin city : a dame to kill for '' feels an awful like , well , `` sin city . ''",
        "exudes cool in every frame .",
        "another exercise in seeing eva green bring her a-game ... she practically rewrites title to be a dame to see sin city 2 for . sin city remains a place of broken dreams & lost opportunities , an exploitation movie that does n't fully exploit its opportunities",
        "if only the characters did n't have to talk .",
        "the artistry in visuals and storytelling is so self-conscious it becomes fetishistic .",
        "the greatest sin of `` frank miller 's sin city : a dame to kill for '' is the way its high style is brought low -- visually stunning , but emotionally vapid , unrelentingly violent , its splendiferous comic book cast mostly squandered .",
        "this is one badass movie .",
        "punishingly stylized , this marriage of comic-book panels and hard-boiled dialogue has a heaviness that ca n't be explained solely by its cynicism or lack of wit . it 's a blunt instrument whose visual shadings far surpass the kill-or-be-killed storytelling .",
        "this second trip to the same noirish well has come up dry .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for is a known commodity that is pretty much on par with the original . at the very least , seeing the smoldering eva greene melt the screen is worth the price of admission .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for is a jumbled but still enjoyable followup that , for most moviegoers , arrived on the scene too late .",
        "the film kind of slogs along , never achieving anything close to the hypnotic , edgy buzz that fans , myself included , are certainly looking for during another trip into sin city .",
        "the tone is almost completely humorless , unless you factor how over-the-top the noir homage gets . it 's like the whole movie is spoken in batman voice .",
        "there are a handful of ways in which a dame to kill for actually improves on the first movie . alas , none are enough to prevent it from being a substantial disappointment .",
        "as a whole and complete anthology , a dame to kill for falls short of the first .",
        "the spectacle of a black-and-white cartoon world soon wears off , leaving a dark , noir tone that 's relentlessly hard-boiled . in short , it 's just not any fun .",
        "the noir fatalism seems secondary to the imagery , whereas in sin city the imagery served the ideas .",
        "green has affected shades of noir in previous roles , but as the scheming ava lord , she is a terrific femme fatale , luxuriating in miller 's chandler-esque dialogue while devouring the scenery and every inhabitant in it .",
        "frank miller 's brand of knuckle-dragging machismo is not exactly my cup of testosterone , but this `` dame '' is a wonder to behold .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for crackles with dark energy and , with the addition of eva green as a sultry femme fatale , entertains as a sublimely sinful pleasure - even if the original remains unparalleled .",
        "i 'm not sure what mood i 'd have to be in to truly enjoy `` sin city : a dame to kill for . '' but i 'm not in it .",
        "the novelty of seeing this aesthetic for the first time is absent , but rodriguez and miller make up for it with giddy action , some gorgeous eye candy and great casting .",
        "the images on-screen hewing ever more closely to miller 's original comics . streets have rarely looked so mean , yet so removed from reality .",
        "in sin city , the prose is purple -lrb- `` she slips out of her coat like it 's christmas wrapping '' -rrb- and the cons are plentiful . and every scene sucker-punches your eyeballs .",
        "visually , the film 's technique is thrilling . there 's hardly a camera setup anywhere that does n't look like it could be a frame ripped from a comic book or graphic novel .",
        "amidst the gazillion 3-d bullets flying , this long awaited sequel commits the biggest crime of all : it gets boring .",
        "the characters do n't click , and the action feels dull .",
        "it is , in almost every way , inferior to its predecessor . it 's poorly paced and repetitive .",
        "brutal , boneheaded and boring , a glass-bottom boat ride through the sewer of writer-creator frank miller 's fetishes , sin city : a dame to kill for truly stands on its own clumsy , over-shot feet as potentially the worst film of 2014 .",
        "eva green is sexy , funny , dangerous and wild - everything the film needed to be - and whenever she 's not on screen , we feel her absence as though the sun has blinked off .",
        "it 's 100 solid minutes of wearying pastiche , and i found myself checking my watch a lot .",
        "this new `` sin city '' features the signature characteristics and many of the original 's characters but seems less adventurous . it feels a little flabby and self-satisfied . the element of surprise is gone .",
        "the movie is a more joyless affair than all this suggests . had you never seen a film noir , nor read any raymond chandler or mickey spillane , you would not guess from watching this picture that the genre was known for whiskey-dry wit .",
        "on the whole this is an impressive , complementary second trip .",
        "every frame is some kind of digital marvel , yet the most impressive sights are old school : the blunt-instrument fearsomeness of mickey rourke 's frankensteinian prosthetic face and the dangerous curves of femme fatale eva green 's often undraped body .",
        "the paradox of the movie 's aesthetic is that it strips the environment of the very thing required to sustain it : grit .",
        "this sequel has girth . the filmmakers got the magnificent unclothed eva green as cinema 's deadliest femme fatale but jessica alba gets star billing ?",
        "this is one of those sequels that is probably a better film when absorbed within the frame of reference of its predecessor .",
        "the motifs and the voiceovers may be noir-inspired , but miller has pumped up the genre 's violence until its nuances disappear .",
        "the sordid sagas on display here are by and large a feeble bunch , further hampered by atrocious continuity errors that suggest rodriguez and miller did n't even have any recollections of making a sin city flick before this one .",
        "the latest sin city is a major let-down after the brilliance of the original film in 2005 .",
        "reviewers were forbidden from posting a word about this sequel until opening day , lest we give away the shocking secret that it 's a carbon copy of its predecessor .",
        "it does n't add much to the first `` sin '' but cinemaphiles will like its style .",
        "this is a great cast , but with the few exceptions they simply serve the effects .",
        "the cartoonish mayhem in sin city : a dame to kill for aims for a film noir sensibility , but too frequently the script simply resorts to anachronistic scenes of jessica alba twerking .",
        "with nine years gone since the first sin city film , it was way too long , yet well worth the wait , to finally get the sequel .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for is as frank miller-y as a taliban whiskey enema",
        "neither significantly better nor worse than its predecessor , the belated sin city sequel is more of a repeat , rather than a continuation , of the original .",
        "as in the first film , there are judicious stabs of color ... and alba is a showstopper in a fringed cowgirl outfit . but nine years wiser , we know that pretty things are n't always worth killing for .",
        "the aesthetic quality is still there , even if there have n't been too many great leaps since rodriguez unveiled `` sin city '' in 2005 . but the stories are n't nearly as engrossing .",
        "`` sin city : a dame to kill for '' is worth the watch if you expect nothing more than disparate comic-strip frames of action . but nine years in coming , this follow-up ultimately fizzles .",
        "feels like a half-hearted obligation . the plot is disjointed , the pace grueling . the performances range from flat-lining to bonkers .",
        "it 's taken nearly 10 years for filmmaker robert rodriguez and graphic novelist frank miller to get around to making this sequel , but it was worth the wait because the technical advancements make this second triptych of stories even more visually stunning .",
        "a lot of what miller can get away with on the page -- the cliched tough guy banter and existentialism 101 -- falls flat when played live .",
        "no , it 's not as good as the original , but this still finds frank miller and robert rodriguez doing their best to make a worthy follow-up , and they come surprisingly close .",
        "with the element of originality gone , this trip to sin city just ai n't as gripping as the first . but you got ta admire its style .",
        "sin city is by no means a place you 'd wish to book a family holiday , but 102 minutes immersed in this melancholic world does just the trick .",
        "unmistakably an exercise in style over substance .",
        "graphic novelist frank miller once again shares directing credit with robert rodriquez toward creating a sequel that is every bit as narratively gripping and visually stunning as their original `` sin city '' -lrb- 2005 -rrb- .",
        "the film 's brainless , chest-beating brand of hyper-pulp calls into question whether sin city was any good at all , or whether the novelty of its visuals and storytelling merely masked a howling nothingness at its core .",
        "it 's neither high art nor noir , but it 's what a sin city film should be .",
        "if you must see -lsb- sin city : a dame to kill for -rsb- , save a few bucks and see it in 2d and buy yourself a snack with the savings .",
        "you ca n't help noticing that in robert rodriguez and frank miller 's world , practically all the male actors are over 40 , but all the women are under 35 .",
        "an unnecessary sequel that 's empty and arduous , little more than vignettes on vengeance and cruel parades of sociopathic power performed as gleefully ultraviolent shadowplays .",
        "a sumptuous visual feast for the eyes engulfing the audience in a dark , bleak world .",
        "a character growls : `` i 'm going to that place where there 's no pain or thought . '' no pain or thought ? that 's sin city in a nutshell .",
        "the film just falls flat , which is ironic since the 3d looks stunning .",
        "here 's the news from sin city , where all the men are strong , the women are good-looking and the plotting is below average .",
        "the picture is completely owned by eva green , whose trademark nakedness is offered in generous measure .",
        "little more than cartoon rapt with overwritten voiceover ... if the ten-year gap provided anything , sin city : a dame to kill for can be easily separated from the original .",
        "it 's visually stunning and well-acted , yet it grew a bit tiresome towards the end .",
        "it 's always fun to get more of something you love , but at the same time you can understand why you did n't see any of this the first time around .",
        "a better looking , more sexually explicit and more repetitive version of the original",
        "this is rodriguez 's second sequel in a row in which he turns sex , violence and exploitation into an occasional for dullness . for a film loaded with decapitations and gun-toting ladies in bondage gear , sin city gets really tedious really quickly .",
        "a dame to kill for shares some of the downsides of the first , particularly dubious female characterisation . but this retains the gritty , grueling vice-grip on graphic-novel noir that made sin city so enjoyable .",
        "not as groundbreaking as the original , nor as expansive as all the best sequels are . but with some excellent cast additions , and miller on murky form , this still sizzles to the touch .",
        "as an exercise in style , it 's diverting enough , but these mean streets are so well traveled that it takes someone like eva green to make the detour through them worth the trip .",
        "whereas a single , stinging one-liner would have sufficed jacques tourneur or fritz lang , frank miller 's overcompensating flood of pulpy dialogue only renders his characters flat and sans empathy .",
        "perhaps it is slightly one-note . yet this bolder vision conveys the essence of co-director frank miller 's art better than ever .",
        "if you showed the sin city midnight world in smaller doses , as a weekly series on late-night cable television , the slick graphics and cold kink might be more compelling .",
        "this sequel , which starts off promisingly , soon bogs down , its relish for tawdry , hyper-violent titillation eventually becoming as monochromatic as the black-and-white images .",
        "rare indeed is the movie that features this many bared breasts , pummeled crotches and severed noggins and still leaves you checking your watch every 10 minutes .",
        "why sit through this pimply excuse for pulp fiction ? why not read the real boys -lrb- goodis , cain , thompson -rrb- , or see the real films -lrb- forget it , jake . it 's not chinatown -rrb- ?",
        "the movie winds up folding under the weight of its own heavy tone , itself another victim of the darkness and nihilism of sin city .",
        "the movie 's all just broads and mugs and gats and gore .",
        "anyone offended by graphic violence , kinky sex and eyefuls of nudity should stay away . but for those who like their fiction hard-boiled like a rock and naughty to the bone , expect to be pleased , if not thoroughly satisfied .",
        "spotty and slipshod , an unsteady , mostly vacuous excursion that not only shines a light on how much better `` sin city '' did it , but virtually erases from memory with each passing scene .",
        "it 's amazing how much has to happen in sin city : a dame to kill for in order to make every single piece of it seem pointless .",
        "the film really could have been something had the filmmakers made us care to the same extent that they 've overloaded us with eye candy . -lrb- complete parental content review also available -rrb-",
        "rodriguez 's computer generated backgrounds , which blew our minds nine years ago , no longer have that element of surprise but they are still breathtaking to behold .",
        "in a hollywood landscape where so much action cinema in plagued with sameness , i can not in good conscience give anything with this level of inspired design an entirely negative review .",
        "the plot may meander a bit but this sequel is still worth seeing for its magnificent visuals and a few choice cameos that keep the story humming along .",
        "eva green powers the main story and provides a solid counter-balance to the original film in which most of the women were victims .",
        "by trying to relive the glory days , ` sin city : a dame to kill for ' ruins what may have actually not been such a good time in the first place .",
        "sin city : a dame to kill for does n't explode onscreen the way the first one did . miller 's monochrome palette , splashed with color that shines like a whore 's lip gloss , does n't startle as it once did .",
        "there 's over-the-top sex and violence galore in this artificial world constructed from comic books , ` tec novels and film noir - but if it starts with a bang , it ends with a bit of a whimper .",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- ven though sin city : a dame to kill for is n't as effective as its predecessor , it is still a worthy trip to a brutal and exciting world .",
        "sin city may be warped and a little stale , but it remains a familiar , semi-intriguing place where love and desire can make a fool of almost anyone .",
        "no snappy lines ; melodrama and vicious violence prevail . less a pastiche of noir than a hyper-sado-macho parody . there 's a scuzzy sense of pointlessness throughout as this noir caricature-slicked franchise goes through its animotions .",
        "if sin city was a hard-on of sex and violence told in an eye popping world of gritty nourish delights , than sin city : a dame to kill for is its impotent follow up .",
        "sin city 2 is n't a particularly inferior film to its predecessor . it 's just that , after all this time , the novelty is no longer there .",
        "there 's a bleak beauty to all of this , but also there 's a reliance on stereotypes , male and female , that , while they come directly from the source material , are starting to become irritating .",
        "while it 's not the mind-blowing event that the first film was , there 's still enjoyment to be had , and eva green makes anything she stars in a must see .",
        "while it might not feel as complete and well-rounded as the first movie , sin city : a dame to kill for is a worthily prurient follow-up that offers up a whole bundle of new cinematic tricks , and a rogue 's gallery of exciting new characters .",
        "the stylistic brilliance of the sin city sequel is much the same as its forerunner in 2005 - an explosive interpretation of frank miller 's graphic novels in which dames are curvaceous temptresses and men are killing machines at the ready",
        "the mood is dry as gunpowder - and as explosive",
        "coalesce -lsb- s -rsb- into a sort of indistinguishable mushiness in rodriguez and miller 's flabby directorial hands .",
        "becomes full-on parody without even necessarily recognizing it .",
        "the self-consciously stylized `` sin city : a dame to kill for '' is so driven to capture its peculiar visual aesthetic that it obliterates everything else - character , narrative , emotion and logic - to achieve it .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a dame to kill for boasts the same stylish violence and striking visual palette as the original sin city , but lacks its predecessor 's brutal impact .",
    "id": "686049251"
  },
  {
    "movie": "office_space",
    "reviews":
     [
        "ruthlessly funny stuff , so relentlessly acerbic that it makes dilbert seem downright reverential by comparison .",
        "sure , it 's funny , but its humor springs not so much from gross-out shock as from the shock of recognition .",
        "when peter actively rebels and is ironically rewarded for his efforts by the head honchos , the picture loses its bite -- what began as discomfiting satire soon devolves into silly farce .",
        "the charms of the first half of MOV , which allow the audience to overlook the shoddy direction and uninspired acting quickly fade , leaving the impression that this a hollow movie when the credits roll .",
        "as in his animated tv shows , mr. judge reveals an utter lack of interest in narrative , character development or story-telling structure , but a well-honed instinct for the absurd and unholy in everyday life .",
        "this ai n't quite the best comedy there is , but i still enjoyed watching it .",
        "judge nails bureaucratic stupidity in the workplace with absolute accuracy .",
        "judge 's sense of the ridiculous serves him well .",
        "white-collar office work is savaged with zany glee in this inventive comedy that really cooks .",
        "a dead-on satire of office politics and life in a cubicle .",
        "more than a comedy ... it is an anthem for the downtrodden cube-borgs everywhere , who have had the life and soul stomped out of them by an uncaring corporate entity .",
        "mesmo perdendo o ritmo no terceiro ato , o filme faz rir na maior parte do tempo -lrb- especialmente em fun\u0437\u0433o de seu olhar irreverente sobre o cotidiano dos ` pobres ' burocratas -rrb- .",
        "in places i laughed so hard i thought i might throw a diskette .",
        "the pleasures are mild and offset by irritations , but on balance the movie is n't so bad . you 'll laugh , you 'll sigh -- you 'll look at your watch .",
        "the last half is a disappointment of routine , mildly amusing humor .",
        "the beauty of MOV is its love for the mundane , and how people will go to sad , sad lengths to eradicate it .",
        "if the movie suffers from mild aimlessness and editorial confusion , and it does , those are relatively small speed bumps to endure for such a canny and quick-witted affair .",
        "um , yeah ... why do n't you just go ahead and ... buy this dvd ... that 'd be great .",
        "anyone who 's logged time in an office will be laughing hysterically at all of the little indignities .",
        "judge 's plots may be a bit shallow , but his characters , and the things they say , are genuinely funny .",
        "works more efficiently at its modest goal than any fax machine known to mankind .",
        "who has n't sat at his desk after lunch and spaced out for an hour ? who would n't love to march the copy machine into a field and go to town on it with a baseball bat ?",
        "plays like a live-action version of the `` dilbert '' comic strip . a smart , funny satire .",
        "a take-this-job-and-shove-it movie about the crushing malevolence of the corporate environment , it 's on the verge of being really good .",
        "some horrible monday , why not cut work to see it ?",
        "a shapeless comedy of little merit .",
        "frequently uproarious .",
        "the quintessential modern-day workplace comedy .",
        "a mildly funny satire on contemporary office work in america .",
        "even if it does n't up live to its inspired beginning , mike judge scores something with all the marks of a workplace cult classic with his first big-screen , live-action outing .",
        "the gags about the daily grind and what happens when a drone forgets how to be submissive make for beautifully low-key satire .",
        "it 's essentially a series of shorts linked together , but this does n't deny the movie 's deft examination of the insane minutia that plague contemporary workers .",
        "a frightening number of people are going to recognize themselves in this movie .",
        "anyone who thinks moviegoing ca n't be a cathartic experience should see MOV .",
        "a nice meat-and-potatoes comedy .",
        "as uneven and unfocused as MOV is , it hits home with enough jokes to make it an enjoyable comedy .",
        "if you do n't laugh in the first five minutes of this delightful offbeat comedy , i 'm afraid there is little hope for you .",
        "as an update on eternal verities of life near the bottom rung of the corporate ladder , it 's both knowing and amusing .",
        "... a lukewarm , lighthearted yet wry stab at office politics that will strike a responsive chord among many a 9-to-5er .",
        "judge may not be fully aware of how wildly talented he is , which , in a hollywood culture swarming with talentless blowhards , makes him something of an anomaly .",
        "in his first live-action outing , judge does a fair job at making sick jokes about corporate america , he just does n't seem to make enough of them .",
        "imagine a live-action version of dilbert , or in the company of men reconceived as a lighthearted romp , and you get the idea of MOV , the auspicious live-action debut of mike judge .",
        "is n't it a shame that people expect certain conventions from their movies -- niggling little things like interesting plots with beginnings , middles and ends , and maybe a little character development thrown in for good measure ?",
        "MOV , a knowing , somewhat slight , often hilarious sendup of cubicle culture , exploits the yuks in the chronic misery of those routinely exposed to the monotonous gray of corporate minds and company decor .",
        "this unconventional satire of work relationships and office politics is one of the oddest studio comedies in years .",
        "the film does n't make a strong case for judge to move beyond cartoons to live actors .",
        "the more you peer beneath the surface humor of MOV the scarier and more serious its vision of contemporary existence becomes .",
        "a hilarious knockdown of corporate culture .",
        "the creator of beavis and butt - head has made a laid-back , even subtle comedy that generally favors mischievous ironies over outlandish jokes .",
        "MOV feels cramped and underimagined . i think judge is capable of making an inspired live-action comedy , but next time he 'll have to remember to do what he does in his animated ones -- keep the madness popping .",
        "so good , you should quit work to see it .",
        "it is full of enough great sight gags and dead-on casting that anyone who has ever suffered in a cubicle surrounded by brain-dead twits and bonehead bosses will be able to pick out almost everyone from his office among the characters .",
        "it was only a matter of time before a dilbert-esque office comedy hit the screens .",
        "brilliant !",
        "hits the mark with a resounding thwack as it skewers stupid memos , corporate cutbacks and mealy-mouthed consultants .",
        "anyone who 's recently spent any time chained to a desk will probably find much to recommend mike judge 's film .",
        "a wickedly funny take on the deskbound worker .",
        "a wry , perceptive , always-amusing comedy .",
        "i got into so many laughing convulsions that i found myself choking !",
        "leave your mind-numbing jobs and march to the nearest megaplex .",
        "a sharp satire of the stale , numbing existence of the american office drone .",
        "a wily , inventive workplace comedy that 's a scream in its finest moments and consistently amusing otherwise !",
        "although the movie has hilarious moments throughout , its thematic thinness is writ fairly large on the big screen .",
        "besides judge 's basic ability to write a decent '90s pop culture gag , livingston seems to understand the work-challenged mentality of his poor schmo , peter gibbons .",
        "i find that it is not funny , not well rounded , and overall not well staged .",
        "drably shot , unimaginatively written and shallowly acted .",
        "so much dull non-humor .",
        "enough laughs and signs of rueful recognition for the audience .",
        "i would recommend this movie to all people who live , or have survived , this kind of an office environment , are looking for a light comedy , and do n't mind a thin plot .",
        "a surprisingly good-natured comedy about the suppressed rage and paranoia of unappreciated employees .",
        "you can check your brain at the door and still get a good laugh from MOV , or you can hold on to your brain and get an even better laugh .",
        "lazy , loosely connected .",
        "as dull as the cubicle work that it 's about !",
        "it 's just not at all satisfying , even if it does have its head in the right place and comes with a powerhouse of great jokes .",
        "mike judge has taken his gift for creating hilarous short films and overstayed his welcome .",
        "the movie 's dialogue is smart . it does n't just chug along making plot points .",
        "plenty of laughs !",
        "the actors are obviously lost , and most have a hard time breaking through the flat surface that cartoonist judge has drawn for them .",
        "its plot may be a standard-issue office drone 's revenge fantasy , but its characters and its nowheresville setting are uncannily realized .",
        "a pretty listless satire of workplace culture .",
        "livingstone makes a good hero for this story . he 's likable in a bland kind of way ; you believe him as an office drone .",
        "a wry tale of vengeance against cubicle culture , and anyone who has ever worked in one will find much to laugh about .",
        "the film 's subject alone is enough to make it engaging and watchable .",
        "MOV comes up short in the final reel .",
        "the black humour is sometimes funny , but the violent jokes come a bit too close to 1990s reality .",
        "grasping and aimless !",
        "runs out of steam while meandering through what becomes a less than inspired comedy caper .",
        "it has the loose-jointed feel of a bunch of sketches packed together into a narrative that does n't gather much momentum .",
        "fails to sustain its comic momentum or high energy level .",
        "observations on the modern MOV are dead-on , and i dare you not to laugh out loud at a few of the sophomoric jokes !",
        "at the end of the work day , this picture is an all out hoot -- go see it !"],
    "summary": "mike judge lampoons the office grind with its inspired mix of sharp dialogue and witty one-liners .",
    "id": "13020"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_hangover_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it feels a little bit like that fourth dirty martini - not a good idea at the time , and probably to be regretted later .",
        "oh , what a headache-inducing , unapologetic money grab we have in `` the hangover part ii . ''",
        "this is a faded copy of its predecessor , only raunchier -lrb- if you can imagine -rrb- and with better scenery .",
        "somebody must have roofied me . i left the hangover part ii feeling dazed and abused , wondering how bad things happened to such a good comedy .",
        "sluggish , erratic attempt to duplicate the first , better movie .",
        "`` the hangover part ii '' is such a complete copy of the original 2009 hit comedy that i 'd be surprised if the writers even bothered to create a new microsoft word file when they wrote it .",
        "if there 's such thing as plagiarizing your own work , hangover part ii is the best example . also , for those folks who drink to get plastered , fist pump at the club , splurge on a hooker and say racial epithets for fun - you 've finally found your franchise !",
        "we all enjoyed ourselves during that first movie . but now ... well , the hangover has begun .",
        "according to phillips , the ` part ii ' in the title is a nod to the second godfather , which matched the genius of its forerunner . ironically , his own sequel offer is one you should refuse .",
        "loud , dumb , occasionally obnoxious but truly , unashamedly hilarious .",
        "every time a character in this follow-up groans `` i ca n't believe this is happening again '' , you can only nod forlornly in agreement .",
        "a tasteless , preposterous and ultimately pointless tale of east meets west which lurches from one improbable set piece to the next including the bizarre concealment of a dead body and a high-speed car chase .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- the formula mold that worked so well the first time around loses some steam in this follow up to the most successful r-rated movie",
        "business and creative people go together as well as fine wine at a burger joint . for this sequel , the brass beat out the artists and afford us the double-edged sword of the same exact formula from two years ago .",
        "there are a lot of things to dislike about this derivative sequel , but at the top of the list is its appalling vulgarity , which crossed the line the first avoided .",
        "despite a few slow patches , it is loaded with gut-busting laughs . after its much brainier predecessor , though , it feels like a well-meaning kid forced to follow in the footsteps of his genius older sibling .",
        "it 's a tribute to the filmmakers , particularly director and co-writer todd phillips , that the best way to approach the hangover part ii is to talk about what it is n't . it is n't a typical sequel , either a watered-down encore or a muddled -lsb- extension -rsb- .",
        "directed , like the wildly successful first film , by todd phillips , it airlifts the original characters , premise , and story structure out of vegas and plonks them down in bangkok in near-identical form , save for a few instances of ante-upping .",
        "whereas the hangover was borderline outrageous as it stacked one mesmerizing vulgarity atop the next , this second exercise in bad manners -lrb- presumably of four -rrb- feels rote in comparison .",
        "the hangover part ii is the worst sequel of all time .",
        "hangover 2 far too familiar",
        "if you liked the hangover , you 're going to like the hangover part ii because it is the same movie .",
        "... -lsb- it -rsb- sacrifices plausibility , believability and empathy with anything that does n't validate its lead characters ' ` wolf pack ' mentality in the service of a smirkingly cynical attitude .",
        "one drink too many , the hangover part ii relies too much on its talented cast and not enough on the laughs .",
        "the guys are just as clueless after a wild night on the town , but getting lost amid the goggle-bright lights of las vegas seems like a fairground ride compared to bangkok .",
        "more a horror than a comedic film , as if todd phillips is making a kind of `` heart of darkness '' argument with bangkok as his backdrop .",
        "this is not a case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery-it is indolent narcissism of the most nauseating kind .",
        "... as needless a contemporary sequel as one can easily recall ...",
        "if you can look past the fact that this film is closer to a remake than a sequel , it 's an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half . might not be original , but it 's still funny .",
        "`` it happened again . '' that 's the opening gambit of the hangover : part ii , but sadly the same can be said of the franchise .",
        "it might not be quite as much fun as the first film but it 's fun enough - and that 's all that counts . plus , there 's a monkey in it .",
        "less a sequel than a remake , the hangover part ii brings the wedding smashers to bangkok with more outrageousness but diminishing returns . still , initial grosses will be explosive .",
        "the movie 's an unclean thing and a mostly unfunny one .",
        "using the original as a template , the hangover part ii colors within the lines , but does so with bright fluorescents rather than drab primaries .",
        "the action is fast , the gags are plentiful - and many actually are funny if you check your squeamishness at the door .",
        "if the first film was `` the godfather '' of comedies i 'd have to call this once `` the godfather part ii . ''",
        "we do n't know what 's more bizarre : phillips ' sensibility , or how he avoided an nc-17 . we profit -lrb- mostly -rrb- unscathed .",
        "if you want to avoid plot spoilers for the hangover part ii , do n't watch the hangover .",
        "the hangover part ii is n't nearly as fresh or as funny as the original , -lsb- but -rsb- it still gets plenty of good mileage out of what is essentially the exact same joke .",
        "phillips seems to be relying all too heavily on the idea that we just want to see the first movie again . -lrb- we can do that . at home . for a lot less money . -rrb-",
        "the result is a cinematic illustration of the law of diminishing returns , in which more money , more exotic locales , more crazy situations and more mike tyson all fuel a familiar carnival of abasement .",
        "now that we know them , the core characters are all the funnier ; they 've become an american suburban version of the three stooges .",
        "i am not going to deny the hangover part ii follows the same blueprint as the first film , but , to be honest , it did n't bother me one bit . the reason ? i was too busy laughing to care .",
        "the missing person , the seamy urban setting , the gradual accretion of clues : the hangover films are , essentially , hard-boiled crime stories spun into comic depravity .",
        "darker and meaner than the original but just as funny and horrifying .",
        "are we really so immature and/or penis-averse we have to shriek like middle schoolers every time one ... pops up ?",
        "think of it as a decent high school football player who suffers from having an older brother who was all-state two years earlier .",
        "at least it 's not in 3d .",
        "the hangover part ii feels like the fifth or sixth installment in the franchise . it 's that out of fresh ideas .",
        "is it as brilliant as no. 1 ? no . how could it be ? but hangover deux still provides lots of fun laughs , and there 's more zach galifianakis ' twisted alan . this is good .",
        "you could literally smash yourself in the face with a frying pan , stumble into this movie and mistake it for the original ... almost .",
        "it 's really pretty simple : if you laughed at the first `` the hangover , '' you will most assuredly laugh at `` the hangover part ii . ''",
        "it just might be the worst sequel ever to a really good movie .",
        "whereas the original had the wonderful epiphany of watching a comedy that actually did n't suck , the hangover part ii sticks strictly to its own formula - and to a fault .",
        "the hangover part ii revels in its wickedness , and encourages viewers to do so as well . it 's kind of infectious . just because you like it , does n't mean you have to feel good about it .",
        "phillips has no sense of comic energy , relying instead on the actors ratcheting up their characters ' hateful traits to 11 .",
        "... on the whole the movie is depressing . that 's right , a big studio r-rated summer comedy followup to the biggest r-rated comedy of all time is depressing .",
        "it falls into the classic trap for sequels made primarily to cash in on the unexpected success of a movie : tell the same story again , only louder .",
        "it 's dumb , yeah , and hugely indefensible , but the hangover part ii 's also a specific vision of bliss .",
        "the guys could make 12 more of these movies , do just as well every time and get audiences to laugh and laugh at themselves for laughing . that 's a lot of laughing , and that 's the hangover : part ii .",
        "although the production went all the way to thailand , the comedy never ventures far from what worked in vegas .",
        "for all the talent hangover ii reassembles , our boys just ca n't muster the hair of the dog that bit them the first time around .",
        "proving that 2009 's the hangover was a fluke , this sequel returns to filmmaker todd phillips ' more usual mean-spirited style",
        "the sequel has some mildly amusing moments , but it has a slapdash quality to it , and at 102 minutes , it feels padded .",
        "the stock dismissal `` more of the same '' has rarely been more accurately applied to a sequel than to the hangover part ii , which ranks as little more than a faded copy of its predecessor superimposed on a more brightly colored background .",
        "a film that seems to have been written mainly with the find and replace function on microsoft word .",
        "i ca n't dismiss the ugliness behind many of its antics .",
        "to paraphrase statements from the characters : we 've done it again does n't do it again .",
        "... makes an excellent companion piece to the original ...",
        "unless moviegoers themselves are willing to shoulder some of the blame , it 's useless to try and figure out why the hangover part ii is so bad . the film only exists because , after the hilarious 2009 movie ...",
        "one could easily mistake this supposed blockbuster for a mockbuster . after all , it was co-written by one of the scribblers of the scary movie series .",
        "there are plenty of d\u00e9j\u0155 vu moments , ... but before you know it , phillips yanks you in an entirely unexpected direction , continually ramping up the stakes , the raunch and the visceral humor .",
        "the hangover part ii falls into the greatest trap of the comedy sequel : assuming the audience wants the exact same thing , but even more so .",
        "it delivers what you 'd expect from the team that brought you the first film but nothing new ... unless you think a monkey smoking and thai trannies are something new and exciting .",
        "... director todd phillips wrongly seems to think he can solve any problem with more mayhem . how about better jokes instead ?",
        "maybe every wild party boy has a deep-seeded inner queer .",
        "... almost the same gang of dimwits are up to the same shenanigans , with thailand substituting for vegas .",
        "there are one or two good jokes and the cast is mainly likeable but the rest of the material is so predictable and tawdry that the entire film becomes something of a chore",
        "i think the first one is like gone with the wind compared to this tired old turd .",
        "overall , your enjoyment of this film will correlate directly to your enjoyment of the previous film . if you liked it , you 'll like this one , if not , you wo n't enjoy the sequel as it 's just more of the same .",
        "it is the epitome of lazy hollywood filmmaking .",
        "visually dazzling , well shot and perhaps richer in character than the first film -- but also nowhere near as clever , refreshing or funny .",
        "if you love the first film , seriously , do not see this one . you 'll ruin two movies at once .",
        "raunchy and unfunny , this sequel feels like a simple retread of its predecessor .",
        "the hangover : part ii shows the writers have absolutely no faith in their characters or their own ability to take them somewhere new .",
        "the cast is once again at the top of their game and there are some genuinely hilarious moments , but on the whole , the hangover part ii is way too similar to the first film to be enjoyable .",
        "if you enjoyed the first one , i bet you 'll enjoy this one . but a little less .",
        "telling a bad joke twice does n't mean it was any good the first time .",
        "what happens in bangkok is n't as much fun as when it happened in vegas , but it 's still worth the trip .",
        "i need jokes . something more than a situation recycling the situation in the first one . i 'd like filmmakers who , worldwide grosses aside , show more of an interest in filming visual comedy -- gross-out , violent , action-based , whatever -- with some finesse .",
        "it 's no fun to report that this one is so perfunctory , so deeply routine even as it struggles to feel unhinged .",
        "a severe bout of sequelitis afflicts this eagerly awaited but only sporadically amusing follow-up , which changes the locale from las vegas to bangkok , but keeps the formula intact .",
        "the hangover part ii is what the label says : another day in which you sit there with blurred vision and a headache wondering how you came to be in the same room as several dozen other people debauched by hollywood .",
        "a veritable textbook case of what not to do when re-making a comedy that depended on sheer surprise for most of its appeal .",
        "most of the laughs go down easily . most .",
        "mistaking meanness for edge , borderline racism for irreverence and disregard for women as ` boys will be boys ' solidarity , this ` part ii ' is as horrifying as a ` saw ' sequel , but with fewer laughs .",
        "it 's still fun to watch , but the first one was better .",
        "sure , it 's a rehash of the first movie 's plot , but it 's still funny . just not as funny as the original .",
        "same deal as the original .",
        "what 's missing is a huge part of what made the first film so good : the element of surprise .",
        "funnier than the first one , for what that 's worth .",
        "what was dumb in the original is dumber in the sequel ; what was crude in the original is cruder in the sequel ; galiafinakis was obnoxious in the original and he is more so in the sequel .",
        "director todd phillips should be given credit for making a darker , edgier film but a lot of the shock is lost with predictable material .",
        "it 's fun to hang out with these guys again ... until it is n't . the problems with the first film seem amplified in the second .",
        "by definition , a sequel is just more of the same . in the case of the hangover part ii , that 's a very welcome redundancy indeed",
        "i did n't laugh a whole lot at this grimier , darker sequel , but i found it consistently more interesting , visually and thematically , than the first .",
        "it 's a dark and morbid cash-in and nothing more ...",
        "trade out las vegas for bangkok , a tiger for a monkey , a lactating hooker for a trannie stripper , a missing tooth for a face tattoo , and you 've got todd phillips 's rote , dispiriting replica of his own surprise smash hit .",
        "copies the original so slavishly that it 's the equivalent of a big-screen rerun .",
        "if you superimposed a diagram that mapped out all the narrative beats , characters and jokes in `` the hangover part ii '' over one for `` the hangover , '' the two would align almost perfectly .",
        "the hangover part ii never makes a convincing argument for its existence , but it works exactly as much as it has to in order to not be a bad movie .",
        "part ii is everything the first movie was , and less . it 's crucially missing laughs and intelligence .",
        "not rotten - just not fresh - following its own raunchy , shenanigan-filled formula .",
        "sure , it has some scattered big are-you-kidding ? laughs , but could they have at least pretended that they were n't making the exact same movie ?",
        "bangkok may be bigger , sexier , sleazier than vegas , but this sequel feels tired and cautious . ed helms does everything he can to make a not very funny film work .",
        "there 's no simply no way to connect with this film on a story basis .",
        "the sequel turns not dark but revoltingly cruel .",
        "it would be nice if phillips could find something original to say when we all get together to tear the next town apart .",
        "the movie exceeds expectations ! the acters carve out a special comedy niche that will not be easily forgotten . they operate like a well-oiled machine with perfect comedic timing and a contagious form of winning camaraderie . the clever lines of ...",
        "laff-out-loud raunchy ... delivers on its promise to not leave one sacred cow standing , one nationality or sexual designation unsullied . how many films can make that claim ?",
        "a lazy excrescence",
        "it 's all very close to being offensive , but as the joke 's on the americans , the film gets away with it .",
        "`` the hangover part ii '' is what you will expect . i do n't think it was better then the first but it did a great job at being just as good .",
        "the hangover part ii sees the same ingredients shaken up in the kaleidoscope , but a less attractive and far less amusing pattern emerges .",
        "this film is more fun than it has any business being .",
        "those yearning for some summertime bawdiness at the movies would be well-advised to check out bridesmaids instead , as any random scene in that picture is better than anything on display in the hangover part ii .",
        "the things that worked best about the first movie still work ... while the things that were worst have become even more grating .",
        "adheres to the old maxim `` if it ai n't broke , do n't fix it , '' yet somehow manages to break it while not fixing it .",
        "the lads in the `` hangover '' `` wolfpack '' seem a tad winded , this time around . from concept to execution , `` hangover part ii '' has a `` been there , done that , jailed for it '' feel .",
        "the mpaa 's elaboration of the film 's r rating says the movie has `` pervasive language , strong sexual content including graphic nudity , drug use and brief violent images . '' also other stuff . maybe their space was limited .",
        "it tries to tell the same story again , with slight variations and bigger , louder , raunchier jokes and action . more , as it often does , turns out to be less .",
        "well , it 's not as good as the original movie . it is darker and harsher in tone and the comedy is more cruel . it 's also cruder .",
        "it 's amazing how fast a fresh comedy idea can go stale .",
        "todd phillips directs with increased confidence , but in every respect , the hangover part ii is a cowardly cash-in , devoid of novelty or daring .",
        "stranger , funnier . this is male bonding through f 'd - up adversity , compared to what previously felt like acquaintances drunkenly coming to terms with their own simmering anger .",
        "the unexpectedly wonderful thing about this sequel is that it actually improves on the jokes .",
        "i have the sad duty to report i found this more elaborate , play-it-safe sequel far less fresh or funny .",
        "your head hurts like hell , the whole thing feels horribly familiar , and it 's just not funny any more . can this really be happening again ?",
        "the filmmakers ca n't recapture the original 's novelty or freshness , so they up the raunch level considerably ; the matter-of-factness of the transsexual and gay-panic jokes is almost progressive .",
        "phillips and his co-writers , craig mazin and scot armstrong , seem to have launched into this project with a misguided faith in their own brilliance , but nothing resembling an idea or a story .",
        "raunchy comedy sequel is cruder , less funny , than original .",
        "if the hangover gave you hope for hollywood - yup , there is some creativity and boldness left - the hangover part ii sinks it .",
        "pushing the envelope farther and making this more crass did n't increase the funny .",
        "the hangover made the actors a-list hollywood stars . but despite the indisputable talent of this cast , the hangover part ii does n't deliver the same zany punch of its predecessor .",
        "maybe what goes on in vegas really should stay in vegas .",
        "as much as the original `` hangover '' was fresh and funny , `` the hangover part ii '' is just stale and painful .",
        "it follows the same essential pattern as its predecessor , but the ingenious loopiness is gone ; the mechanism behind it grinds instead of whirrs .",
        "alas , this time there are about three or four mild laughs in the whole picture , and the entire visual aspect of the movie is a botched disappointment .",
        "unless moviegoers themselves are willing to shoulder some of the blame , it 's useless to try and figure out why the hangover part ii is so bad . the film only exists because , after the hilarious 2009 movie broke box-office records for an r-rated comedy ...",
        "for me , the bottom line is , did i laugh ? and i did . as much as i did the first time around .",
        "this may be the one time in recorded history where a second hangover is a good thing . bartender , serve up another round with the wolf pack .",
        "if its hugely successful 2009 predecessor served up a lot of raucous laughs and guilt-free entertainment , this seems intent on dishing out morning - after-style punishment for all the fun that was had .",
        "missing is the deliriously unpredictable inventiveness of the first film , replaced by variations on its most memorable bits .",
        "the reason -lsb- the first one -rsb- worked so well was because of the unique concept and the mystery structure . now the concept is familiar and the mystery is n't engaging . -lsb- this is -rcb- the very definition of a lazy , pointless sequel .",
        "seamlessly applies the hangover structure to a new setting . the beauty of it is it could happen anywhere , or with anyone -lrb- i.e. franchise . -rrb-",
        "as this is the boys ' fate , it speaks also to assumptions about viewers , that they 're satisfied with a wheel that takes them nowhere surprising , repeating a semblance of plot points and a series of gags .",
        "if you laughed your butt off in the first film , you 'll laugh half your butt off here , and even that is generally worth the price of admission these days .",
        "you know , this is n't all that original . even for a sequel , it 's unashamedly derivative . but i kept thinking , as i gasped , sometimes with laughter and sometimes from shock , that ` the hangover part ii ' still is hilarious more often than it 's not .",
        "while not quite in the league of , say , the empire strikes back or the film that it amusingly references with its title , the godfather part ii , the hangover part ii really is a sequel to savour ... right to the bottom of the bottle .",
        "the hangover : part ii feels more like a bangkok tourism project pitched at rapey frat boys .",
        "a soulless and badly unfunny retread of everything that worked the first time .",
        "the actors are having a great time with unfunny , repetitious dialogue .",
        "ca n't justify essentially reenacting , beat for beat , the plot of its predecessor .",
        "so closely mirrors its blockbuster predecessor in every vital aspect that it can scarcely claim the right to call itself a sequel .",
        "a huge disappointment . not funny .",
        "in this world of give - 'em - what-they-want , the team behind the 2009 comedy hit has reconvened to try and do just that . too bad it does n't work .",
        "essentially , it 's ocean 's 12 ... if a monkey stole the movie .",
        "like a bad case of d\u00e9j\u0155 vu , the hangover part ii is a cruder , much more morbid , and essentially less funny retread of the first film .",
        "it 's not that `` hangover ii '' is a notably bad movie . it 's more that nothing in it seems to justify all the effort spent to add a new but nearly identical series of episodes to the original .",
        "the hangover part ii is , for the most part , an exceedingly hacky comedy .",
        "those who enjoyed the hangover for its gross out insanity will appreciate this film , and it is possessed of a stronger ending than its predecessor , however anyone looking for novelty or a fresh take will be disappointed .",
        "the premise and the execution are numbingly familiar , and what was funny and unexpected about a guys-bonding-under-pressure movie the first time around becomes : `` are they kidding ? again ? ''",
        "such is the genius of the original movie , it still feels fresh in carbon copy form with some more end credits guaranteed to have anyone who has just popped a boiled sweet in danger of laughing themselves to death .",
        "shifts to bangkok for a few laughs and a whole lot of desperation .",
        "some movies try to solve the mystery of life . the hangover part 2 only tries to solve the mystery of the binge . it reaches that easily reachable bar .",
        "this buzz-kill follow-up suffers from a pervasive sense of been there , drunk that .",
        "may be a rehash , but it 's a funny rehash .",
        "one of the most uninspired and unoriginal sequels you 'll ever see . or not see , if you 're lucky .",
        "stu , phil , and alan are like the three stooges : the backdrop may look a little different , but it 's the same ladder to the gut and poke in the eye again .",
        "more mean spirited than fun .",
        "the hangover part ii is n't a dud , exactly -- some of it is very funny , and there are a few memorable jolts and outlandish dirty moments . but it feels , at times , like a routine adventure film set overseas .",
        "it feels less like the hangover part ii than it does like the hangover 2.0 , as if phillips were trying to go back and make the first film funnier instead of making a new one .",
        "the implausibility of this happening again and to the same guys is balanced out by the chemistry of the wolfpack and the unexpected edginess of phillips who strives for the outrageous and for the most part really hits the mark .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the makers of the hangover part ii have pulled off one of the most blatantly lazy acts of filmmaking in recent memory . and it still works .",
        "five credited writers have made the sequel darker , much less funny and provided the type of bad behavior in another country that pretty much defines the term `` ugly americans . ''",
        "man , did they blow it with this one .",
        "this is n't even really a sequel to the hilarious 2009 comedy smash set in las vegas . it 's virtually the same movie , just transferred to another continent and with the raunch wildly amped up .",
        "wastrels think the formula for a hangover is the hair of the dog , but this flaccid follow-up to the hit comedy expects us to swallow the entire rotting carcass .",
        "it is n't so much a sequel as it is a translation , a translation for those who prefer to drink up their humor garnished with a groin kick and a mid-coitis choke instead of a wink and a nod . bottoms up .",
        "little more than a repetitive , desperate sequel , the very definition of unnecessary",
        "as the film goes on its dull , dim-brained , slapdash way , there is n't a solitary laugh in sight . not one . a person could n't write worse jokes if he or she tried .",
        "the laughs may be fewer and the gasps more `` ewww '' than `` wow , '' but there is still some pleasure in seeing those guys suffer .",
        "the equivalent of a drunk college student waking up the morning their book report is due and desperately trying to remember what they saw in the crappy movie version .",
        "you already paid for and saw this film two years ago . though , the version you saw then was a thousand times better . beyond disappointing !",
        "giving the people what they want is one thing . making nearly the exact same movie a second time , but shifting the setting to thailand , is just ... what , lazy ? arrogant ? maybe a combination of the two .",
        "its sense of fun-loving camaraderie feels forced and tinged with buzz-killing danger .",
        "a monkey drug mule , a monk with a vow of silence , trans-sexual , russian thugs , a kidnapping and a cut off finger are some of the disparate elements of this highly anticipated sequel , which sadly is only a pale imitation of the very funny original",
        "there are guffaws of rude comedic shock and there are hair raising incidents , but it still feels like a poor sequel .",
        "sticking with the same winning formula , phillips has made a near carbon copy of the original . this makes it less surprising but still entertaining .",
        "triggers fewer belly laughs-per-minute than the original , yet nevertheless generates more than enough yucks to satisfy fans of the gross-out genre .",
        "less a hangover and more a mild irritation .",
        "while these characters were amusing the first time around , phillips and his screenwriters do n't bring much new to the party .",
        "darker and more desperate than the previous go-round , this one might have done better just to sleep it off .",
        "tasteless , pointless , tactless and pretty much anything else you care to stick the ' - less ' suffix on .",
        "part ii has too many over-the-top moments that pull back the curtain and remind viewers that nothing we 're seeing could ever really happen . what 's left are some big laughs but little genuine pathos .",
        "film-makers todd phillips and co make no apologies for being creatures of habit and sticking to what worked for them before .",
        "painfully unfunny sequel that desperately tries to recapture the magic formula of the original film with increasingly tedious results .",
        "if director todd phillips used the first movie to see how far he could push the envelope , this one licks and seals it .",
        "it might not be great or legendary , but you are going to laugh .",
        "stu , alan and phil are likely to remain america 's favorite penitents , and there 's still some -lrb- though not as much -rrb- humor in their pain .",
        "i ca n't believe how precisely everything does happen again , except that what was fresh and surprising in las vegas turns rancid and predictable in bangkok , where yet another wedding is scheduled to take place .",
        "it 's not with a sense of delight that you realise you 're on exactly the same ride again but with dawning dismay .",
        "the terrific idea behind the first one -- a mystery story based around a night of total debauchery -- has no more shock .",
        "how much you 'll go for it depends on whether , like our beleaguered comrades , you partake in a tipple before seeing it ...",
        "the hangover part ii gets considerable mileage out of following precisely the same structure as the first film .",
        "director phillips whips along proceedings at break-neck speed , perhaps in the hope that we wo n't notice how all the quirks we loved the first time are nothing like as funny the second time",
        "it 's the same movie , just with different details plopped in place of the previous ones .",
        "i laughed all the way through it , just like i laughed all the way through the first one .",
        "the more rational characters have lost any redeeming qualities and this makes the film hard to watch - for all the wrong reasons .",
        "best watched drunk - that way you might awake with no memory of the experience .",
        "every time phillips pushed his undoubtedly formulaic sequel down yet another squalid alley for the sake of a shocking joke , i grew to appreciate , respect and even love `` the hangover part ii . ''",
        "we 've been on this bender before , and no matter how raunchy and un-pc the hangover part ii is , there 's no disguising that this is just warmed-up leftovers that will leave a nasty taste in your mouth .",
        "the spirit is meaner , and the tone is much darker -- both of which zap the vibe of what made the original film so much fun in the first place .",
        "though it hews to the template of the original , director todd phillips has one strategy to fall back on : upping the ante .",
        "just laziness with an active passport , employing an exotic locale to cover the moldy odor of a rehash . there are laughs to be had , but one must suffer through a disheartening display of d\u00e9j\u0155 vu to find them .",
        "despite all the similarities , despite the same madcap plotting and hysterically unhinged comic filth , the hangover part ii veers into much darker territory .",
        "the hangover part 2 definitely has its moments and a few big laughs throughout , but the most memorable thing about this second substance-induced amnesia comedy is how ultimately forgettable it is .",
        "what can be believed as reliable word-of-mouth is that the hangover part ii will not leave fans with a sore head or a sorry frame of mind .",
        "a colossal disappointment , the term dialed-in should be replaced with MOV .",
        "repeating the structure of the first film beat for beat , writer/director todd phillips keeps things fresh by going sleazier and more depraved , a litany of pain and suffering played for laughs . it 's one part comedy to four parts juvenile delinquency .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as to whether the whole thing works , yes and no . galifianakis , i think , has definitely overextended his repertoire , but cooper and helms still engage , mainly because they are so good at sustaining their hysteria . cooper is especially consistent ."],
    "summary": "a crueler , darker , raunchier carbon copy of the first installment , the hangover part ii lacks the element of surprise -- and most of the joy -- that helped make the original a hit .",
    "id": "771095631"
  },
  {
    "movie": "girl_on_the_train",
    "reviews":
     [
        "t\u00e9chin\u00e9 has made a half-captivating , half-baffling tease of a movie in which one woman 's destructive whim has the effect of making anti-semitism look like a myth .",
        "feels like two different films cobbled together , without much to connect one to the other ... the disconnect between the two is huge .",
        "there might have been deeper currents of envy and displaced shame to plumb in the case of MOV , but for once this reliably penetrating filmmaker has n't found them .",
        "... exuberant but unfocused drama about a recent french news story that caused a sensation before being exposed as bogus . jewish-themed elements may also help fill seats .",
        "a complex and well-acted french film about lying and other deceptions that bring dark clouds and bad weather into the lives of the characters",
        "though told with verve and acted with diamond-like preciseness , it never plumbs the core of its story , and so risks being as serene and unreflective as jeanne herself",
        "techine glosses over the story 's most potent issue : france 's complicated relationship with its jewish community .",
        "given several years ' distance from the media blitz , t\u00e9chin\u00e9 brings clarity , maturity , and perspective to the case while still subtly addressing all the thorny social issues the affair touched off .",
        "it is dequenne who holds the film together -- she and t\u00e9chin\u00e9 's youthful touch , which belies his 66 years .",
        "a seductive drama .",
        "\u00e9milie dequenne projects little in the lead ; neither her passion nor her foolhardy decision to draw attention by claiming the mantle of victimhood convinces .",
        "a movie whose blitheness does n't know when to quit .",
        "although this stylish and ominously paced vehicle starts with a full itinerary , it never makes a vital connection .",
        "a character study par excellence , that simmers and lingers and reveals itself only by inches .",
        "perhaps the most prominent characters in the film are the trains themselves . they keep roaring past and taking the camera into dark tunnels , a ubiquitous , vaguely malignant presence .",
        "t\u00e9chin\u00e9 's choice of zag over zig succeeds in upending the audience 's expectations , although it 's not clear to what end .",
        "could have been a bit more focused and refined but it is still a rich , deep , and complex drama with spectacular performances by deneuve , blanc , and dequenne .",
        "although the main character 's motivations remain largely a matter of conjecture , the MOV is a compelling piece of cinema .",
        "the MOV reverberates with a quiet , seductive power .",
        "the movie seems likely to be about anti-semitism , but that 's more the occasion than the subject .",
        "what results is an irreducible and complex portrait of the drama that is modern life . t\u00e9chin\u00e9 , much to his credit , has transformed here a thoughtless action into something that is capable of making the mind reel with implication .",
        "it 's a love story from the uniquely expansive -- and inquiring -- point of view that makes t\u00e9chin\u00e9 france 's most fascinating contemporary filmmaker .",
        "the french-made drama is too aloof and measured , even when things should get more heated and emotional .",
        "techine once again displays a masterful control ofall aspects of his movie , a typically rich character study .",
        "the film 's complex political and social themes are frustratingly simplified , reducing events to bare-bones implausibility and making empathy hard despite the impressively subtle performances .",
        "the film 's big strength is its unwillingness to dish out easy answers",
        "a rare disappointment from andr\u00e9 t\u00e9chin\u00e9 ...",
        "the film does n't quite solve the puzzle -- why the girl did it -- but it doodles intriguing equations and theories on the blackboard .",
        "it 's an interesting approach , avoiding didactic hand-wringing in favour of elliptical character drama ...",
        "andr\u00e9 t\u00e9chin\u00e9 's spellbinding storytelling glosses over the issue somewhat , but never deplorably so .",
        "we do n't come close to understanding jeanne 's very particular choice of fabricated victimization , and t\u00e9chin\u00e9 , erring too much on the side of enigma , does n't seem to , either .",
        "understated but involving , the MOV tells a very personal and specific story that resonates with wider insight into the state of modern france .",
        "lacks sufficient focus , plausibility and an emotional core despite being provocative with a terrific ensemble cast and ... milie dequenne 's charming , radiant performance .",
        "every world-class director is allowed to misstep now and then , so do n't be too hard on andr\u00e9 t\u00e9chin\u00e9 .",
        "unlike a lot of ripped from the headlines films , andr\u00e9 t\u00e9chin\u00e9 's ` the MOV ' makes no effort to surprise viewers with unflattering or tragic revelations about its protagonists .",
        "the MOV is a bit of a crime caper , but crimes of the heart , indeed , defects of personality , are what veteran filmmaker t\u00e9chin\u00e9 is about here , with spotty success .",
        "like techine 's best films , the movie appears to be a story about nothing - until it suddenly becomes a meditation on the vagaries of the human heart .",
        "it 's a well-acted , but frustratingly inconclusive exercise .",
        "her act causes a bit of trouble , but thankfully t\u00e9chin\u00e9 does not focus on it ; instead he 's interested in the truthful reactions of the characters , their combination of hurt and relief .",
        "this is t\u00e9chin\u00e9 's gift -- not just detail , but telling detail ; and not just slices of life , but slices as rich as a cassata cake .",
        "do n't expect any kind of neo-documentary examination of cause and effect . that 's not filmmaker andre techine 's style , and this is one of his most successful films .",
        "how do you say tawana brawley en francais ?",
        "t\u00e9chin\u00e9 's unsettling the MOV is his best film in years and already one of 2009 's highlights , freely inspired by a sensational real-life media furor .",
        "the movie is held together ... by the fluidity of his style and his characteristic blend of lightness and gravity .",
        "a delightfully complex plot brings to life an actual event that consisted of a young woman 's false accusation of an anti-semitic attack .",
        "master filmmaker andre techine -lrb- `` les egares , '' 2002 -rrb- presents a deceptively minimalist story of a french girl 's false allegations regarding an anti-semitic attack during a train commute that shook france during the summer of 2004 .",
        "at the age of sixty-six , -lsb- t\u00e9chin\u00e9 -rsb- approaches the exploits of his characters with a gusto , and a willingness to be led astray , that borders on the adolescent .",
        "this provocative and involving piece proves that the french tradition of intelligent , adult film-making is still healthy .",
        "techine fashions a brilliantly complex , intimate multi-strander , held together but somewhat skewed by the central perf of emilie dequenne .",
        "for better or worse , there is n't a human experience that french director andre techine can resist lathering into a tone poem .",
        "the film is based on a play , but it is to the director 's credit that it never shows the claustrophobic trappings of a proscenium stage .",
        "t\u00e9chin\u00e9 offers a character study in lieu of context for the similar 2007 hoax that threw the french press into a tizzy , and like many of his best films , this what-if examination works best as an actors ' showcase ."],
    "summary": "it 's a bit of a comedown for director andr\u00e9 t\u00e9chin\u00e9 , but this fact-based drama raises some thorny questions -- and benefits from strong performances by catherine deneuve and emilie dequenne .",
    "id": "770805320"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fantastic_four",
    "reviews":
     [
        "we know what comic book movies are capable of being . they can have greatness in them . MOV has nothing more than okay-ness .",
        "before the inevitable and surprisingly anticlimactic battle with doom , we are treated to two extreme-sports demonstrations , several training montages , -lsb- and -rsb- an ill-advised love triangle .",
        "if i were to put the same amount of effort into my review that the folks behind MOV expended trying to entertain you , the rest of this page would be blank .",
        "weighted down with a turgid story and utterly middling special effects , the MOV is n't likely to be stan lee 's favorite of the nearly dozen marvel comics adaptations either out already or on their way .",
        "MOV is left passing off dopey comedy and performances as playfulness .",
        "if exposure to cosmic rays made all women look like jessica alba , then every lifetime movie should glow green .",
        "heaven forbid a summer blockbuster embrace its popcorn-munching appeal and rescue the industry from the 2005 box office slump .",
        "superheroes are only as good as the supervillain , so let 's get these forces clashing early on and often .",
        "MOV is a special-effects extravaganza , but its plot is mired in issues that only schoolboys care about .",
        "along the lines of such tongue-in-cheek action films as `` sahara '' and `` national treasure . ''",
        "yes , it 's kinda stupid , but it 's basically fun .",
        "marked by na\u010fve storytelling , goofy but dumb tone , clumsy look , and cheesy special effects , the outdated MOV is worse than the hulk , elektra and daredevil .",
        "whole chunks of necessary explanation feel like they 've been left on the cutting room floor",
        "low indeed have marvel 's fortunes sunk when this is the best they can send against their archrival 's superior batman begins .",
        "right from the start the movie smells like a stinker because of its z-grade casting . worst of all is julian mcmahon , overacting as a kevin spacy-ish dr. doom .",
        "not the best movie of the summer , but it may the best accompaniment to popcorn .",
        "` MOV ' could have been hot , but in the hands of some studio blockheads , the premise is stretched so thin that it disappears .",
        "there 's nothing terribly fantastic about this ho-hum futuristic foray .",
        "more superhero sitcom than comic book adventure , the movie lacks a strong , dramatic through-line .",
        "rarely terrible , let alone memorable , it 's a brutally average piece of disposable summer entertainment that fades from the mind like some hazy , half-sleeping dream .",
        "... begins to feel like it comes from the one comic book even a comic-book geek would be embarrassed to be caught reading .",
        "it exists largely to entertain and delight , which used to be precisely what summer blockbusters were engineered to do .",
        "despite a litany of co-branded products , the good folks at 20th century fox overlooked the two most important ones : a blindfold and a set of earplugs .",
        "-lsb- l -rsb- ike a kiddie ride when i 've been primed to expect the biggest , baddest , meanest emotional-roller coaster of a sexy action movie when it 's all about guys in tights .",
        "MOV falters most in its cynical approach . obviously gearing for a sequel , the movie goes heavy on development and light on action .",
        "if there was ever any doubt that action scenes depend more on context than flash , MOV proves it .",
        "as total packaging , you ca n't deny that this show is handsomely wrapped .",
        "it 's done with an agreeable confidence and flair , the actors all fit comfortably in their roles and the effects are fun .",
        "a lack of pretense should n't mean a lack of wit or excitement ...",
        "far less than fantastic .",
        "one wonders if an added character named sleeperman would consider joining the crew because then this simplistic sci-fi dud could have been dubbed as fantastic snore",
        "it 's kind of incredible how little happens in this movie .",
        "after such recent downers as ` war of the worlds ' and ` dark water , ' this campy film version of marvel 's longest-running comic book series is a breath of fresh air .",
        "a lousy excuse for a big-budget action film .",
        "the perfect summertime movie . munch your popcorn and let your senses absorb all the fantastic fun .",
        "bland performances throughout . and really , who wants to make jessica alba the invisible girl ? what a bad idea . i want her to be visible at all times .",
        "who are these half-wit hollywood clowns that keep hiring cleavage-candy actresses with no measurable talent to play laughably bespectacled scientists in action movies ?",
        "how fascinating that a film about super-humans was made by a collection of sub-humans ; what a topsy-turvy world in which we live .",
        "-lsb- director story takes -rsb- as his inspiration an industrial film of the 1950s , wherein dick and jane learn the wonders of zinc while the audience snoozes in self-defense .",
        "this clumsy , cheesy , chintzy adaptation , with its f/x that look dated the moment you see them , is like something left over from the '60s , the heyday of marvel 's longest-running series .",
        "so corny , cheesy and second-rate , the infamous 1994 version is n't looking so bad after all .",
        "metza-metza . the ff is just not that fantastic t ` all ...",
        "a movie about depressed superheroes trying to become unsuper is as boring as it sounds .",
        "MOV is a movie that could have been a lot better - but it could also have been a lot worse .",
        "ao menos , a vers\u0103o de corman se assumia como lixo .",
        "the comic book adventure is a fun , escapist change of pace from all the politically weighted popcorn fare on the scene this season .",
        "... too bouncy to be an elektra bummer , but should make marvel mascot stan lee think twice about burning another lucrative bridge with unintentional hilarity .",
        "a perfect storm of wooden acting , hackneyed direction , inane scripting and laughably cartoonish special effects produces a shapeless mess more wearyingly stupid than arch-villian dr. doom is evil .",
        "you do n't expect realism from a comic-book movie , but you do want the characters to seem larger than life . here , they look like contestants at a costume party .",
        "it 's better than the roger corman version , but that 's not saying much .",
        "the film generates little tension or excitement , dawdling its way towards the climactic showdown between the heroes and the villain , doctor doom .",
        "a movie that never delivers on its premise ; a movie that takes promising character dynamics and gullet-stuffs them with idiot dialogue ; a movie that will alienate all but the wee and easily impressed with its frequent lurches into stupidity .",
        "a popcorn popper , a cinematic sugar buzz . and blessedly so .",
        "by being late to the multiplex marketplace , the film version offers little we have n't seen done before and done better .",
        "not a bad movie , but it is a film likely to alienate the fan base of the comic book on which it is based .",
        "a fantastic bore . foursome marred by lousy writing and directing",
        "a fantastic bore .",
        "tim story -- who , based on his previous work in the small-scale barbershop and the painfully poor taxi , was clearly the wrong man for this job .",
        "the result is hardly fantastic , but it is quite a lot of fun .",
        "with a sort of backdoor approach to superherodom , another comic strip from the minds of stan lee and jack kirby hits the celluloid .",
        "on its own terms , MOV is a pretty lousy movie , but it looks even worse coming on the heels of so many recent first-rate comic book adaptations .",
        "a fairly dull , thoroughly mediocre adventure -- hardly the cinematic treatment marvel 's first family deserves .",
        "fantastic ? uh ... hardly . `` MOV '' was no. 1 at the box office because of a good old-fashioned advertising campaign .",
        "tim story 's screen adaptation of the marvel comic is cheesy in production values ; it 's the clash of personalities that makes the film in any way fantastic .",
        "ten years in the making , and this is all we get ?",
        "so bad it takes points away from batman begins .",
        "MOV is n't even close to sin city , batman begins or even constantine , but it 's a relatively quick , vibrant , focused origin story .",
        "MOV is essentially campy fun ; this is the sort of movie schumacher 's batman and robin was trying to be .",
        "sad , then , to see that the marvel rag that elevated the human element in the pow-biff-bam of the superhero world has been transposed into the most plastic of comic-to-movie adaptations yet .",
        "take the movie on its own lighthearted terms and , chances are , you 'll be taken in .",
        "at their best , the results have a comic zip that the x-men pictures have largely lacked .",
        "a funky , fun film version of the famous marvel superhero concoction .",
        "superheroes ' origin stories are inherently background-heavy , but director tim story and screenwriters simon kinberg , michael france and mark frost spend too much time on setup .",
        "when the four finally use their different powers together to fight doctor doom , it 's enough to get you past the torpor of origin movie syndrome and make you hope for a sequel that gets right down to business .",
        "the MOV get treated reverently , but not seriously , in this modified retelling of the story , but then it 's hard to take any one seriously who goes to work for dr. victor von doom and doom industries .",
        "how about the okay quartet ?",
        "even if you can get past the acting -- and in the case of the beautiful , blank alba , that 's asking a lot -- the film just sits there , not exactly torturous , but never very exciting , either .",
        "a human rubber band , a transparent woman , a guy on fire , a walking rock pile , and a guy named doom seem perfectly plausible in the funny books.on the big screen , not so much .",
        "devotes as much time to a creaky love triangle as it does exploring the fantastic powers of its foursome . and that begs the question : who goes to a movie like this looking for what is essentially a bad episode of dawson 's creek ?",
        "fantastic it ai n't , but not bad it sort of is .",
        "a wildly uneven , sporadically slapdash action-adventure that amuses in fits and starts .",
        "it 's not particularly fantastic , but MOV is passable summer popcorn fare .",
        "unlike most recent comic-book adaptations , MOV does n't think it 's about anything . in fact , it 's doubtful that the film thinks , period .",
        "too insipid to live .",
        "despite a good cast , this is a badly made film that only barely works as brainless filler .",
        "... another comic book movie with a lot of special effects . ... a complete waste of time .",
        "there were some things to like about f4 scattered throughout . the ingredients were all there , but the chefs need to be replaced",
        "MOV functions at the level of a below average saturday-morning cartoon .",
        "there are four different movies in the MOV struggling to get out .",
        "the feature is neither disappointing , nor memorable . it is just average , which is something a superhero or band of heroes can not be .",
        "an obnoxious movie in which potential adventure is sideswiped in favor of watery characters and dialogue that feels like it was lifted from five or six reality shows .",
        "the new MOV might have been palatable if we had n't already met a certain wall crawler or caped crusader on screen .",
        "MOV is what it is , and i 'm okay with what it is .",
        "MOV is anything but , and should serve as an indication that maybe its time to put the brakes on the current avalanche of comic book adaptations .",
        "its plot is stretched thin . its creativity is nearly invisible . its logic is rocky . and the whole enterprise goes up in flames .",
        "i guess `` commonplace four '' or `` tedious four '' did n't have the same ring to it .",
        "MOV never strives to be `` fantastic . '' it works as a human story and succeeds due to dimished expectations set by a horrible marketing campaign .",
        "about as dynamic as teddy ruxpin ... in its willingness to go for cheap jokes and awful schwarzenegger-style wisecracks , ` fantastic ' is reminiscent of ` batman and robin ' ...",
        "a colorful , young-skewing flick ... but one as hopelessly bland as it is behind the times .",
        "a more accurate title would have been `` the fantastic two and the other two , not so much . ''",
        "there was nothing that i could point to and say , `` that was stupid . '' considering the atomic wasteland of superhero properties committed to film , that 's saying a lot .",
        "the radiation-altered members of the MOV do n't show their humanity . rather , the superpowered quartet is little more than a bland collection of four-color caricatures .",
        "not a great film but a good opening chapter ... a film about a superhero family that 's actually a family-friendly superhero film .",
        "let 's hope the follow-ups turn out to be better -- they could hardly be worse .",
        "never goes deeper than the ink on a comic book",
        "a garish mediocrity .",
        "not all that exciting to watch , let me tell you .",
        "when the playboy , joke-around character is the best part of the film , you know you have problems .",
        "director tim story manages to give it no character whatever , with the casting making things worse .",
        "light , brisk , fun , daring , then an awesome bridge crash scene ! then it 's down hill from there . still , just barely above average .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- part from some undeniably slick effects ... the wow factor in this movie is surprisingly minute ... -lsb- o -rsb- nly julian mcmahon 's nefarious psycho , dr. doom , shows real promise here .",
        "if the equally naive superman were released today , would it receive a similarly cold reception ?",
        "-lrb- chiklis and evans -rrb- play the roles as though they had read the MOV their entire lives .",
        "can be fun if your expectations are low enough .",
        "the whole thing lacks oomph and identity .",
        "it 's sporadically entertaining but never amounts to more than mediocre four .",
        "a not-so-bad mindless bit of camp escapism that does n't try to eclipse its dime-store comic book roots .",
        "their trip into space may be another small step for man , but it 's a giant leap backward for the comic-book-turned-action-movie genre .",
        "a bad superhero comedy that takes its time going nowhere .",
        "story ca n't infuse this juvenile hunk of entertainment with either the wit or the savvy to make it seem like anything more than an overblown version of saturday - morning tv .",
        "-lsb- the writers are -rsb- so busy setting up the premise that they barely get around to exploiting it .",
        "a film that 's nowhere near as fantastic as it should be . something 's missing . and that something is most likely a strong director .",
        "the kind of do n't - ask - too-many-questions action-hero movie where the humor is tasty and the fx are wicked-cool .",
        "potential audiences would be better entertained by reading all the reviews to see how many synonyms can be used for the word `` bad . '' and it would be much cheaper , too .",
        "MOV is a popcorn movie that delivers a fluffy , buttery treat",
        "after this lackluster outing , the thought of a sequel is a stretch even mr. fantastic might not be able to make .",
        "if you want to see how members of a family that 's fraught with discord and dysfunction learn about teamwork and the nature of kin -- and dispatch bad guys in the process -- rent the incredibles .",
        "the ff are unpretentious and nerdy and they bicker with each other , giving the film a loose , buoyant quality in between action sequences .",
        "no disgrace , but it 's far from a classic either .",
        "it is , in no way , an improvement over the unreleased roger corman version from 1994 .",
        "entertainment as junk food : enjoyable as it goes down , if not particularly good for us , and it does n't stand a yugo 's chance in the indy 500 of lingering in our memories .",
        "it puts a smile on your face and you ca n't resist the charming nature of the film .",
        "about 100 times more enjoyable than daredevil .",
        "the only story you 'll find in MOV is the one attached to the last name of its director .",
        "the protagonists of this film certainly deserved a better fate .",
        "lee and kirby built marvel comics on the foundation of the ff and it 's no stretch to say this franchise could still be going strong a decade later with a better opening act .",
        "MOV is terribly miscast . it 's poorly written , visually uninteresting , and worst of all , boring . the film drags considerably . there are huge gaps without any action and it brings the pacing to an unbearable crawl .",
        "MOV is actually very true to its source material - often literally so - but generally misses the spirit entirely .",
        "some comics just should n't be turned in to movies ...",
        "director tim story -lrb- `` barbershop '' -rrb- sets an uneven tempo for the embarrassingly clunky script by michael france -lrb- `` hulk '' -rrb- and mark frost -lrb- `` storyville '' -rrb- .",
        "the film is made in the internet equivalent of capital letters and its simplistic morality stands out on the big screen more so than on the small page .",
        "an opportunity squandered by marvel , which really needs to watch its quality control more closely .",
        "four-play without any climax .",
        "the film is affable enough , though nothing much seems to be at stake .",
        "after the recent crop of enjoyable superhero movies , this is just an embarassment .",
        "aficionados of the comic book will cringe ... but hey , it 's a fun popcorn flick .",
        "oh yes , it 's catwoman bad .",
        "the most endearing terms i might come up with for this film are ` dorky ' and ` cute , ' but ` cute ' is never what a superhero movie aspires to be .",
        "a painful , sluggish black hole of simultaneous bad ideas and no ideas at all .",
        "a not-great movie made slightly better by the addition of some extra character development and breathing room , the MOV extended edition is a must-own for fans of the original comic book .",
        "the happiest comic book movie on earth ... by now the only way to give us something different is to show people who enjoy being superheroes .",
        "meet mr. mediocrity , the human kindling , the obscure woman and whatchamacallit . they form the mediocre four and boast the power to slightly entertain and somewhat enthrall .",
        "almost fantastically bad .",
        "faces a huge obstacle , and does n't overcome it well ... develop 4 heroes and 1 villain in less than 2 hours and provide an exciting story full of visual wonder .",
        "poor ben grimm suffers the most tragic fate . he is transformed from the charismatic , brilliant actor michael chiklis into a giant prosthetic goofy suit that fools no one .",
        "a wasted opportunity to breathe fresh life into the marvel universe 's long-stodgy elder statesmen .",
        "MOV , for all of its super effects and glossy finish , is a hollow movie experience .",
        "this movie is more like a b-grade comic book adaptation than the a-list production it should have been .",
        "fantastic flop",
        "falls below even the likes of batman & robin and the punisher and all involved should be ashamed of actually inviting comparisons to the shelved roger corman adaptation .",
        "no doubt roger corman 's version was worse , but it was probably more entertaining .",
        "in trying to nail just the right mix of comic book action , comedy and pathos , the movie emerges as a tone-deaf mishmash of underdeveloped characters , half-baked humor and unhatched plotting drenched in cgi overkill .",
        "very smooth , if overly familiar .",
        "the film is entertaining and moves along at a good clip , but when you reach the anticlimactic ending , you realize that nothing really happened , and that for every cool scene there was a badly directed one .",
        "the good news is that this MOV film manages to capture a lot of what made the comics appealing . the bad news is that the final product is n't quite as good as it could have been .",
        "everything about it bears the stench of amateurs , from the unspectacular special effects to the sitcom-lame dialogue to the butchered storyline .",
        "all-talk , no-action superhero flick is a dull , drab mess of shallow plots , dull characters and bland effects .",
        "so much ... is bungled with inept storytelling and watered-down dialogue , and story is so powerless to right the course , that MOV winds up more dopey than fun .",
        "had the filmmakers deliberately set out to insult , demean , and trample upon lee and kirby 's legacy , they could hardly have done a more efficient job .",
        "shows how filmmaking through market research , screenwriting by committee , and over-dependence on moviemaking technology can result in huge , colourful , loud but totally vacuous and heartless movies .",
        "marvel comics continues to empty out its stable of superheroes with this entertaining tale .",
        "a better than average comic book effort .",
        "tim story gives the marvel comics superheroes the barbershop treatment .",
        "fantastic it most certainly ai n't .",
        "finally , a movie that explores what happens when a group of people who ca n't get along find themselves freakishly mutated by cosmic radiation !",
        "full review in greek",
        "not all comic-book films have to be as weighty and angst-filled as a graphic novel . MOV is neither fantastic nor incredible , but it 's entertaining nonetheless .",
        "... there is little sense of wonder or excitement in MOV . it is merely a middling contender among a surplus of superhero movies .",
        "aqu\u00ed lo que cuenta es tener una buena bolsa de palomitas y dejarse llevar por la nostalgia del cuarteto m\u00e1s famoso del mundo despu\u00e9s de los beatles . s\u00f3lo eso .",
        "none of it 's any more impressive than the stuff you can find in your average video game .",
        "it 's hard to tell if the other actors are awful or if it 's the script .",
        "an overinflated b-movie with no grace , no subtext , no wit , and featuring beefcake/cheesecake actors who look like they 've been plucked from the soaps .",
        "real fans of the comics will probably be turned off by MOV 's narrative limitations , while outsiders older than 12 are likely to quickly dismiss the power rangers-style goofery .",
        "you can feel the flopsweat of the screenwriters , laboring to make their jokes work and their scenes interesting .",
        "what could have been the brilliant set-up to an ongoing franchise is instead turned into a vacuous slice of summer escapism .",
        "compared with the psychological probing and spiritual brooding of batman begins , MOV is proudly dumb , loud and inconsequential .",
        "it certainly looks stunning , and there 's even a try at injecting some human drama and strong emotion into the action stew .",
        "sometimes the hollywood treatment can be a superhero 's greatest arch-nemesis .",
        "it 's fun to watch superheroes who are n't quite at ease with their abilities , but the incredibles -- last year 's similarly themed animated film -- is livelier and funnier .",
        "a fun , fast and fantastically performed movie , and a pretty good interpretation of the comic",
        "fant\u00e1sticamente ignominiosa pero culpablemente entretenida",
        "the really good superhero movies , like superman , spiderman 2 and batman begins , leave MOV so far behind that the movie should almost be ashamed to show itself in the same theaters .",
        "could have been dumb fun ... unfortunately , the filmmakers succeed in getting only the dumb part right , omitting the fun entirely .",
        "reducing a summer blockbuster to the scale of a primetime sitcom is novel , but it is n't admirable .",
        "the best of the comic book movies in recent years have demonstrated that thrills and spectacle do n't have to be strangers to wit and grace .",
        "michael chiklis wo n't have to put on that uncomfortable thing outfit again .",
        "the key to the success of marvel comics adaptations is that even as the characters have fantastic powers , they remain ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances .",
        "lacking any coherent vision , of all the recent movies derived from comic books , this is among the weakest .",
        "as marvel comics fans already know , being zapped by a radioactive cloud in outer space alters your dna according to your sense of self .",
        "chiklis breathes fresh life into perhaps the silliest comic book character adapted for the big screen with a genuine humanity that can be felt even through the bulky foam costume .",
        "it 's certainly an adequate summer popcorn movie ."],
    "summary": "marred by goofy attempts at wit , subpar acting , and bland storytelling , MOV is a mediocre attempt to bring marvel 's oldest hero team to the big screen .",
    "id": "1790"
  },
  {
    "movie": "moneyball",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the great thing about this movie is that it works even if you do n't follow or care about baseball .",
        "a terrific film that makes a point about winning that is sophisticated and left me with a deep appreciation for anyone who tries to do something revolutionary and is afraid of failure but does n't let that fear stop them .",
        "a smart , subtle and quotable tale that 's happy to take that familiar formula and give it frequent , unsentimental , but still satisfying , tweaks .",
        "pitt is outstanding putting his heart and soul into this oscar-caliber performance . hill offers comedic relief as the awkward , fish-out-of-water computer nerd . the hearty round of applause at the end of the advance screening indicates the groundswell of . .",
        "it should be no shock that the film is intelligent and well-made , considering the source material ... what 's somewhat surprising is how engrossing a story about the business side of baseball can be ...",
        "what is most maddening about `` MOV '' is that its hall of fame potential is squandered on crass sentimentality , a lack of focus and a exasperating refusal to take a hard look at the way the business of baseball is run today .",
        "it 's the best baseball movie since `` bull durham . ''",
        "`` MOV '' is n't ultimately about baseball as much as it is an exploration of those who do and do n't adapt to change .",
        "coasts along the old-fashioned way : on great performances and a surprisingly engaging script",
        "while the screen tells us it 's 2002 , the struggle to define ourselves within an economic chokehold could n't be more on the money right now .",
        "brad pitt rips through the dialogue in one of the easiest , funniest and most natural performances of the year . he and this movie knock it out of the park .",
        "once i stopped pining for the movie MOV might have been , i settled in and had a good time with what it was .",
        "a highly entertaining and smart piece of entertainment -lrb- parental movie review also available -rrb-",
        "MOV is slick and good-looking , and it feels alive to its very core .",
        "pitt 's grace under fire carries things along nicely , and there 's a fine supporting performance by parks and recreation 's chris pratt as uncertain first baseman scott hatteberg .",
        "one of the ten best films of 2011 .",
        "keeps the economic talk in check and brings the human drama to the forefront .",
        "jerry maguire just got some overdue company with MOV , which features pitt and hill in perhaps their most likable roles .",
        "two features into his directing career , bennett miller has managed to refresh not only the traditional biopic , but the inspirational sports drama as well .",
        "i enjoyed this film ... with certain reservations .",
        "with razor sharp wit and delivery , brad pitt and jonah hill are sensational together , hitting MOV clean and out of the park .",
        "MOV is , in the end , undone by its excessively subdued atmosphere and pace ...",
        "the cast compliment the writing , with pitt and hill nailing every golden line they were handed .",
        "the process of winning",
        "even when delving deep into stats talk , one does n't need to be at all interested in baseball , much less sports geek minutiae , to be hooked in .",
        "it gives mr. pitt , who hurtles through the movie , a chance to scat like a juiced-up ella fitzgerald , working his phones and seemingly every other general manager in the country , as he transforms a new baseball philosophy into action .",
        "the mark of a truly great sports movie is one that appeals to people who do n't like sports .",
        "although you do n't have to be a sports fan to enjoy it , `` MOV '' is one of the best baseball movies imaginable .",
        "i 'm not sure i 've ever seen a sports movie quite like this , and that 's a major compliment .",
        "the unfathomable blend of chance and expertise at work do more than dazzle , they explain why men and women will surrender their lives to a dream .",
        "baseball , for better or worse , has always held itself to greater importance , suffused with the history of the nation itself .",
        "a decent baseball pic , which is rare .",
        "... holds its characters and the implications of its story at a cool distance .",
        "MOV is a film about losers , but when those losers do manage to pull out a win , it 's truly something to cheer .",
        "MOV soars , not on game footage , but on beane confronting the naysayers , or working with brand to bring his unorthodox methods into this most orthodox of sports .",
        "far more than a baseball movie , it 's already generating terrific oscar buzz .",
        "the movie does achieve something nearly impossible : someone who does n't even like the sport may care about billy beane and the 2002 oakland athletics .",
        "those who enter the cinema unstirred by either the sport or by the joys of stats are unlikely to come out converts .",
        "like the 2002 oakland a 's , MOV is far from perfect . it has some great moments , but there are plenty of losses along the way .",
        "for all the concentration on numbers , the film never loses sight of the fact that this is a game of people .",
        "brad pitt is excellent as beane , and he manages to give a largely internal performance that still communicates volumes .",
        "`` as is the case with most memorable sports films , bennett miller 's `` MOV '' engages , amuses and educates us with moments that happen off the field of play , rather than with what happens on it . ''",
        "while intriguing and beautifully presented and featuring a mature and compelling performance by brad pitt , MOV is oddly never as engrossing as the subject matter suggests it should be .",
        "writers steven zaillian and aaron sorkin resurrect the old adage `` it 's not whether you win or lose , but how you play the game '' to drive this uncannily sharp , penetrating look at how oakland athletics general manager billy beane helped reinvent baseball .",
        "the end result mirrors the actual season MOV depicts , a memorable run but a loss in the final game played .",
        "a fine , strong , adult movie , and its theme can easily apply to any number of other walks of life .",
        "the film tries to coast on its charm without asking much of its audience .",
        "MOV is n't just a great baseball movie ; it 's a great movie about baseball - and there 's a difference .",
        "australia may not exactly be mad for the game , but i suspect - i hope - that the latest film from bennett miller -lrb- capote -rrb- will inspire a few more people to become immersed in it .",
        "a well-written and incredibly smart film about baseball .",
        "with its wonderful performances and well-written script , `` MOV '' is one of the better sports movies of recent years .",
        "MOV is more interesting than your typical sports drama thanks to the direction . bennett miller takes a rather grey , cement-enshrouded setting and gives it a little pizzazz .",
        "a thinking person 's baseball movie .",
        "great performances , exciting moments , and creative cinematography make MOV a home run for both baseball and movie fans .",
        "`` MOV '' ultimately leaves you with goose bumps all over , except not the good kind you get from a rousing crowd-pleaser .",
        "like billy beane 's 2002 oakland a 's , this movie may not be a total winner , but it sure offers up a lot of memorable thrills .",
        "baseball curses are tough to beat -lrb- as anyone in boston can tell you -rrb- , and at least this one left us with a decent movie .",
        "MOV is a restrained drama with moments of unconventional excitement .",
        "an entertaining look at what could have been a very dry subject .",
        "it really really all comes down to one star banner : brad pitt unfurled .",
        "the best baseball movie since bull durham -- albeit still a notch below that movie 's league .",
        "MOV is exactly like MOV -- infused with intelligence , amusing in its attacks on false gods , but way easier to admire than to love .",
        "a tender reminder that the heart sometimes still matters even if we now live in a technology-driven , digital age where machines lead and humans follow .",
        "MOV is an impelling triple . it 's smart , agile , and effective . but it 's anti-climactic . director bennett miller and writers sorkin and zaillian could swing for a home run , but instead they settle for a base on balls .",
        "a sports movie that gives us something more than a key win to root for , but its extra-innings length takes some spin off the ball .",
        "it 's the movie baseball hot stove and transaction junkies have been waiting for their entire lives .",
        "brad pitt may be the big draw but it is jonah hill 's performance that gives the film its flavor . and when they are both on screen the movie is at its best .",
        "it is not easy to make a film about quiet courage and unassuming heroes like these , but this film rises to that challenge and hits one right out of the park .",
        "immediately one of my favorite baseball films , as well as one of my favorite pitt performances . only time will tell if i can delete ` one of ' from those sentences .",
        "just like any baseball game , `` MOV '' has its slow points . but while you 're waiting for something of substance to happen , there are plenty of worthwhile glimpses behind the scenes of a low-budget baseball club to keep your interest .",
        "a smarter-than-average crowd pleaser . hill and pitt are fantastic .",
        "baseball movies are hit and miss , but this one is the shrewdest take on the game since ron shelton 's bull durham and it has appeal that reaches beyond the ballpark .",
        "a rousing success , an intelligent and propulsive piece of locker-room drama .",
        "highly entertaining , especially for ballfans .",
        "how do you make equations into compelling drama ? answer : you ignore them and go on with the show .",
        "the movie is n't about the love of the game as much as adapting to change , sticking to your guns , not letting conventional wisdom get the better of you . -lsb- it 's -rsb- rebellious anti-establishment story arc should make it a populist crowd-pleaser .",
        "brad pitt anchors it with a performance that might be the best he 's ever given as a leading man .",
        "though more abstract than most mainstream films , MOV is still a movie that should appeal to a broad audience .",
        "credit is due to the most unlikely and surprising piece of this movie puzzle , jonah hill .",
        "given that steven zaillian and aaron sorkin are two of the best screenwriters in hollywood today , it 's no surprise that there is some great dialogue .",
        "a solid , bustling social comedy at the 130-iq level , MOV boasts the zinging , stinging repartee of grown men working at a kids ' game and tired of being handed the prevailing line of bull .",
        "baseball is more than just america 's pasttime or america 's game . it is america . MOV should leave outsiders more appreciative of the game through an exceptionally crafted piece of work and true baseball lovers in seventh heaven .",
        "not a typical sports movie , but a deep and probing film that gives us a glimpse at the high-stakes games that happen off the baseball diamond .",
        "who knew computer statistics , conference calls , and silent introspection could produce one of the finest baseball movies around .",
        "fantastic , inspiring baseball drama covers all its bases .",
        "the unlikely tandem of brad pitt and jonah hill helps drive what is arguably the most compelling and insightful baseball-themed film since robert redford launched a homerun into the stadium lights in the natural .",
        "MOV is a rare beast : a sports film that is actually a good film .",
        "pitt takes one of the least showy roles of his career and turns it into one of his best .",
        "with phenomenal performances given by its key leads , brad pitt and jonah hill , the film works on multiple levels and can be considered as one of the best films of 2011 . you do n't have to a baseball to enjoy this film . it 's pure , solid entertainment .",
        "you 'll laugh quite a bit at MOV , snickering at the absurdity of the situations and the often more ridiculous responses . what you might not do is care .",
        "it inspires because it says that sometimes overlooked people are worth a second look , without succumbing to a disneyfied `` anything is possible if you follow your dreams '' trope .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- manages to make the analysis of stats a fascinating subject matter for a feature film .",
        "regrets , second chances and the intense pressures of professional sports collide in this terrific drama , capped by an excellent performance from brad pitt .",
        "sophisticated and hugely entertaining , with pitt and hill an unlikely but terrific buddy team . a delight even for someone who knows and cares next to nothing about baseball .",
        "as much fun as a baseball movie ought to be but rarely is .",
        "the movie does n't quite come together , but it 's full of smart , cynical talk , and it 's very entertaining .",
        "a feel good movie of the highest order , upbeat and positive , more of a really well done yet piece-of-cake puff profile than a great film .",
        "a baseball movie whose intelligence takes us backstage to hear sometimes electric conversations among the business people involved in america 's great pastime .",
        "there 's no reason MOV should be remotely watchable , let alone freaking amazing , which it surely is",
        "this is a subtle , elegant and altogether triumphant film about a subject i thought i was tired of , told with an artistry and freshness that is positively thrilling .",
        "like the a 's themselves at this time , `` MOV '' has enough unlikely pieces that do work -- and it generates enough underdog goodwill -- to make you want to stick around for the final out .",
        "brad pitt makes me almost like baseball . he 's endearing and insists on looking his character 's age .",
        "MOV secretly injects the magic of baseball by way of laughs , tension , and really great dialogue .",
        "it really happened , it 's really corny , and it 's really great .",
        "brad pitt is having a really good year .",
        "like a businessman settling into his recliner after a hard day 's work , brad pitt has slid into middle age with an ease that 's both pleasurable and enviable to watch .",
        "... is n't really a baseball movie , or even a sports movie - it feels more like a smart procedural from the '70s .",
        "one of the most fascinating star turns of the year .",
        "unfolds smoothly as the kind of baseball movie that even those who could n't care less about baseball will find engrossing",
        "a winner .",
        "tasteful , entertaining , but not entirely satisfying . ` how can you not be romantic about baseball ? ' beane asks , twice . a more relevant question might be : how can you be romantic about sabermetrics ?",
        "recognizes that sometimes , happily-ever-afters are more complicated than uplifting hollywood films can manage .",
        "pitt is mesmerizing -- he 's high-strung and laid-back all at once . it 's an oscar-worthy performance .",
        "do n't be surprised when brad pitt 's name is announced in the best actor category .",
        "both a radical departure from the sports genre norm ... and an ultimate affirmation of the thrill of the game",
        "MOV is one of the best and most viscerally exciting films of the year .",
        "on some level `` MOV '' is about loyalty : loyalty to an idea , loyalty to a partnership forged by desperation , loyalty to the values you believe in .",
        "a witty and captivating look at thinking outside the diamond .",
        "may not feel quite like the classic baseball movie others have achieved , but it 's certainly pleasant enough to be enjoyable even by non-sports fans .",
        "the dramas and relationships that matter are off the field , and they sort of feel like oakland a 's baseball - a lot of walks and singles , not a lot of home runs .",
        "MOV is a smart , funny , and thoughtful baseball movie that tells us more about what happens in the managers ' offices than out on the ball field .",
        "`` MOV '' exploits pitt 's regular-guy likability without sacrificing the procedural elements or dumbing down the baseball .",
        "a sharp , smart script ... manages to make -lsb- a -rsb- potentially dreary subject almost as fascinating as sorkin did the world of computer programming in ` the social network . '",
        "`` MOV '' reminds us , in case we needed reminding , why brad pitt is a movie star .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- may be the first baseball film to tap into the thrill of strategizing - of manipulated cause and effect - as entertainingly as you 'd expect from a movie about chess or a casino heist .",
        "a thinking person 's sports flick about the impact of the maverick oakland athletics general manager on the game of baseball .",
        "best scenes in this fresh , fact-inspired , charming feature are between brad pitt and jonah hill , who -lrb- with justice -rrb- should get his first oscar nomination . no need to know baseball to enjoy this entertaining but not great -lrb- it lacks cohesiveness -rrb- film .",
        "remember those old '30s musicals that generated sizzle out of backstage machinations , charismatic producers conning investors and starstruck unknowns hitting the big time ? that 's how MOV plays ...",
        "MOV should be a much better movie than it actually is .",
        "pitt 's beane is as original a character as i 've seen in a baseball drama .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "sorkin 's dialogue in MOV is as brilliantly acerbic as it is in network . luckily so , because for a baseball movie , there is n't much baseball .",
        "MOV is one of the few movies to leave me thinking `` that should have been a segment of this american life . ''",
        "starring brad pitt in top movie star form , it 's a film that 's impressive and surprising .",
        "baseball fans know this story , but miller puts it all in fascinating context . this is a thinking person 's baseball movie , a more complex version of the inspirational sports story .",
        "this is a film about a guy fighting the establishment . i do n't think one has to be a baseball fan , or even know anything about it , to enjoy it .",
        "a deeply american film about a uniquely american sport in which a principled guy takes on the moneyed titans because he ca n't stand the unfairness of what they 're doing to the game he still loves .",
        "it 's tense , strangely funny in a lot of spots and -- if you grew up loving old-fashioned , seat-of-the-pants baseball , as i did -- the most depressing movie of the year .",
        "it 's to the director 's credit , and pitt 's , that MOV is anything but bloodless -- in its own quiet , unspectacular way , this movie courses with life .",
        "smart , minor-key entertainment .",
        "MOV astutely depicts money as the hot-button dividing line in our culture and reflects the value that true success comes not from wealth , but from having the vision to try something new , and the confidence to pursue it .",
        "it reeled me in very quickly with its interesting story , a few surprising twists and an unexpected number of laughs .",
        "a sharp , shrewd and satisfying film about winning , losing and playing the odds , when the odds are playing statistics instead of relying on conventional gut instincts",
        "despite the hoopla surrounding its premiere at this year 's toronto international film festival , this fact-based baseball drama remains a rather dry , if serviceable , affair .",
        "a fascinating and entertaining peek inside the part of big-time sports that we rarely see and an odd couple 's determination to think outside the batter 's box .",
        "does a crowd-pleasing job of drawing out the drama , tension and subtle sideline shadings of a story that is essential built on a high-stakes game of numbers .",
        "bracingly brainy",
        "there are lots of films about baseball and only a handful of films about mathematics -- even fewer showing mathematics in a favorable light .",
        "despite being a tale of the front office , it also works as a tale of the haves vs. the have-nots , and rarely panders to its audience , putting it in the higher eschelon of sports-underdog movies .",
        "i kept hoping for something about the film to surprise me . very little did .",
        "more closely resembles the social network than it does can-of-corn horsehide epics like field of dreams or the natural .",
        "everything in beane 's story and in `` MOV '' could 've been rendered dull or sappy or both by a lesser director . it is , at heart , about a man out to redeem himself .",
        "geek-stats book turned into a movie with a lot of heart .",
        "if you like baseball , you will love this movie . if you hate baseball , you will still love this movie .",
        "it seems absurd on its face to convert lewis ' tale of front-office wrangling into a sports movie , but bennett miller 's shrewd adaptation , scripted by steven zaillian and aaron sorkin , turns it into major league for stats wonks .",
        "pitt and hill make beane and brand seem like the year 's most intriguing couple , bringing deep shades of humour and pathos to their characters that help make MOV more than just another sports or baseball movie .",
        "a smart , intense and moving film that is n't so much about sports as about the war between intuition and statistics .",
        "a wavering , intermittently smart story of daring to think differently that often flattens its narrative into formula .",
        "MOV turns an unlikely subject interesting , making a professional sport the nexus where past and future collide .",
        "miller does a great job of making number-crunching and deal-brokering exciting .",
        "... has the snap and crackle of a timely behind-the-scenes documentary .",
        "pitt , who has a producing credit , is not the sole reason this tremendous -- yet intimate -- sports tale soars over the fences . the bench is deep . and the script has a powerful but finessed swing .",
        "-lsb- pitt -rsb- provides ballast and a swaggering humor to a movie that , too often , strives to be the social network of baseball movies .",
        "brad pitt knocks it out of the park in ` MOV ' .",
        "baseball teams have more than three players on them .",
        "now if only zaillian and sorkin could work their magic and make the actual game of baseball that exciting .",
        "one of the most electrifying and entertaining movies of the year .",
        "the real protagonist of MOV , however , is beane himself , played with great charisma by brad pitt .",
        "MOV illustrates what can happen when a non-fiction book that 's more about ideas and processes is translated into a feature film .",
        "of course it 's a story of the little guys taking on the giants but it 's so much more . even if you do n't like sports movies you 'd be hard pressed not to enjoy this one .",
        "a sports movie about disappointment and falling just short . manages to make the dealing , stealing , and brain-wheeling in stadium offices enthralling .",
        "though it ca n't top the source material , MOV the movie is much like the undervalued players -lrb- misfit toys , as they 're described -rrb- that beane hires to populate his team on the cheap : it gets on base every time , and is occasionally exceptional .",
        "possibly the smartest , sharpest baseball movie since 1988 's bull durham .",
        "one of the most soulful of baseball movies -- it confronts the anguish of a very tough game .",
        "you do n't need to understand anything of baseball to get behind this , a chest-swelling story about second chances and flipping a finger up -lrb- even a giant foam one -rrb- to the man .",
        "based on michael lewis ' nonfiction book , this film is written , directed and played with both intelligence and emotion .",
        "while making no effort to explain the terminology - mathematical or baseball-ical - the script throws enough fastballs to keep even the most ignorant of us limeys entertained .",
        "as an example of smarter-than-average hollywood fare - and a sly dig at modern sporting politics - ` MOV ' has all the key bases covered .",
        "do n't be surprised to see pitt in the best-actor oscar race come the new year .",
        "MOV lies at the intersection of math and baseball , where -- wait , come back ! it is n't boring , i promise !",
        "america 's favourite past time is turned into a numbers game , as tradition clashes with progression in the baseball drama MOV .",
        "the entertaining banter between pitt and jonah hill is n't quite enough to make such an insular world compelling .",
        "to say that `` MOV '' is `` inside baseball '' is to undersell the idea of that sentence . this extraordinary hybrid of a movie lives and breathes the game , yet its achievement is bigger than that .",
        "even if you 're not at all familiar with the story , this was bound to happen , as they were hardly going to make a film about a losing team .",
        "a topical corporate shakedown story that anyone can relate to in this day and age , and it 's all down to the pitt-hill chemistry that keeps you engaged .",
        "a whip-smart , tough-minded treatment of the world 's most sentimentalized subject .",
        "oscar season has officially begun .",
        "a crowd-pleasing baseball movie for people - like me - who do n't like baseball movies .",
        "`` MOV '' is consistently entertaining , even if it does n't add up to much .",
        "thanks to the strange kind of alchemy that makes films as joyously unpredictable as any evenly-balanced sporting fixture , putting pitt in a baseball movie pays off with remarkable results .",
        "like a cold beer under a bluebird sky ; like a flawless line drive on a warm summer 's day ; like a long , languorous seventh-inning stretch - `` MOV '' satisfies .",
        "brad pitt in a dugout . oh dear ; oh dear . here is baseball , reel upon reel and inning upon inning .",
        "an accomplished , bracingly intelligent film that scores points on all fronts ...",
        "what we 're left with is a sporadically entertaining mess . MOV is unsure about what -lrb- if any -rrb- risks it should take .",
        "dramatizing executives at their labors , even those privileged to bask in sexy industries like major league baseball , should n't make for scintillating cinema , but MOV , like the team it celebrates , finds a way to win .",
        "it 's the best film about statistics you 're ever likely to see .",
        "it 's an engaging , almost exotic film .",
        "naysayers have been claiming for years that the MOV book would n't work as a movie . but ultimately , it 's the cinematic touches that keep this film version from becoming something exceptional .",
        "i 'm still wondering how people indifferent to baseball will respond to the story of the 2002 oakland athletics and their smartest-kid-in-the-sandbox general manager . but i will say this - the casting is strong , and the human drama has universal appeal .",
        "... much of what makes it all work is pitt and hill , who have the kind of quirky chemistry that pops off the screen but always feels rooted in reality .",
        "impressively directed and sharply written , this is a hugely enjoyable , largely clich\u00e9-resistant sports drama with great performances from brad pitt and jonah hill .",
        "even if you think you do n't care about baseball , i 'd urge you to give it a try .",
        "director bennett miller wisely allows pitt to dominate the movie with his irresistible charisma .",
        "... a smart sports film that 's as unique in its approach to the genre as beane 's was to the sport .",
        "proving second chances can happen `` MOV '' takes you on a joyous journey that makes it one of the top family films of 2011 .",
        "it takes a brave studio picture to recognize that there 's sometimes more to the sports genre than the common trifles and clich\u00e9s audiences have been predisposed to expect these days .",
        "MOV easily stands among the finest baseball movies around , though i admit that 's not saying a whole lot since competition in that category is fairly light .",
        "this is a real cinderella tale about a man whose vision brought his team from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the heap .",
        "miller , who earned a best director academy award nomination for `` capote , '' keeps the tone of the film flowing seamlessly . he works in archival footage brilliantly , giving the game sequences almost a documentary feel .",
        "there 's nothing romantic about the behind-the-scenes look at baseball in MOV . it 's a story of negotiations , statistics , professional clashes , and inner turmoil .",
        "it is pitt who is in every way the heart of the movie , his natural confidence and grace a lovely balance to the formulas with greek letters and the endless statistics .",
        "some might call it a thinking man 's sports movie , but that 's both untrue and condescending . it 's just ... different .",
        "an inspirational story that brings everyone to the handrail cheering and clapping .",
        "`` MOV '' is a hilarious and provocative change-up , entertaining without feeling the need to swing for the fences .",
        "`` MOV '' offers real drama that 's tied to both a big game and a big picture .",
        "has to be described as an example of what hollywood does best .",
        "a well-written , sharply acted film that 's guaranteed to garner attention .",
        "pitt is terrific as the film 's complex , driven protagonist , and he and a heavy-hitting supporting cast , including philip seymour hoffman 's stubborn coach , take aaron sorkin 's smart script and knock the ball right out of the park .",
        "i had been reduced to a slobbering gushy mess by the end of this gloriously entertaining movie even though i 'd spend the entirety of the running time before this marveling at how this is the least sentimental baseball movie ever .",
        "brad pitt 's the mvp here , of course , giving a great worn-down , tired-eyed , torn-in-too-many-directions performance , the kind they give awards to when it 's time for that sort of thing .",
        "` MOV ' shows what you can tell .",
        "a wordy but well-paced and thrilling film , closer to co-writer aaron sorkin 's the social network than previous baseball-themed big hitters bull durham or field of dreams .",
        "fascinating , moving and very funny to boot , this will entertain both those who love the game and those who say : `` it 's just rounders ! '' brilliant .",
        "consistently exciting and highly intelligent , as you might expect from a script by steve zaillian , who wrote schindler 's list , and aaron sorkin , who created the west wing and won an oscar for the social network .",
        "you do n't need to know the first thing about obp or ops to get caught up in the drama . this is a classic underdog story that just happens to have baseball as its backdrop .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "a highly detailed , fascinating slice of baseball history , ` MOV ' will appeal to both sports aficionados and those -lrb- like yours truly -rrb- who are not . this is the true story of how a manager met the challenge of a small budget and beat the odds .",
        "while its compatriots focus on strength , MOV celebrates strategy , recounting the unlikely true story of how brains triumphed over brawn",
        "MOV is a great sports movie , yes , but it will also cross audiences . it 's one of the year 's finest .",
        "MOV looks like an underdog sports movie , but it veers away from the path usually followed by films of the genre . my suggestion is that you set aside any preconceptions and just go with the flow .",
        "it 's hard not to be romantic about this film !",
        "the truest , most intimate underdog film in years .",
        "a movie about baseball that contains surprisingly little baseball , it 's more like the bad news bears with an economics degree .",
        "MOV is a winner , one of the freshest and smartest sports movies in years .",
        "directed by capote 's bennett miller , this is one helluva good sports movie . it 's a terrific movie , period .",
        "writer aaron sorkin works best at auctioneer speeds , and some of the best scenes involve pitt 's character working the phones , calling and stalling other teams ' managers , trading players like a used-car salesman .",
        "this is a baseball story that 's less about game-winning hits and more about people willing to challenge the establishment .",
        "brad pitt is at the top of his own game as beane . cocky and often nonchalant , he is gnawed by doubts that he tries to cover by grabbing a snack or pitching a grin .",
        "that such a literally spreadsheet-intensive story could register real human thought and feeling at all has to count as some kind of triumph ."],
    "summary": "director bennett miller , along with brad pitt and jonah hill , take a niche subject and turn it into a sharp , funny , and touching portrait worthy of baseball lore .",
    "id": "771189939"
  },
  {
    "movie": "caterina_in_the_big_city",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a lovely and thoughtful exploration of the end of childhood innocence .",
        "MOV wo n't change your life , but it moves along spiffily and the young teghil is adorable as she adventures gamely onward .",
        "a warm and resonant comedy .",
        "it 's not a satire , it 's a family drama whose social and political thoughts flicker like a neon sign on the fritz . alas , sentimentality is the movie 's pilot light .",
        "like its heroine , MOV is delightfully unclassifiable , a modest , unassuming movie , but a rule-breaker nonetheless .",
        "subtitles that are damnably hard to read are all that gets in the way of virz\u011b 's story , which simultaneously suffices as a teen drama and a political metaphor .",
        "a blend of gentle comedy and poignant drama .",
        "the film uses its surprisingly sly humor to win over the audience and also manages to say quite a bit about the differences between the haves and have-nots of the world , yet without becoming too full of itself .",
        "a charming and wise film about a teenage girl who moves from the italian suburbs to the pulsing metropolis that is rome .",
        "teghil , with her soft , plain features and sad eyes , gives a sweet , honest , unaffected performance that brings virzi 's themes to full bloom in the bosom of teenage anxiety ...",
        "according to paolo virzi 's vibrant coming-of-age drama , italian teens are just like their american counterparts , except that who they vote for matters more than what they wear .",
        "a fluffy and fun coming-of-age-in-rome comedy .",
        "paolo virz\u011b captures the breathless excitement and sharp disappointments of adolescence .",
        "despite outward appearances , paolo virzi 's utterly charming fable is actually a razor-sharp political satire that tries to make sense of italy 's current political situation while expressing the frustrations of ordinary citizens .",
        "caterina is smart , sassy , compassionate and critical .",
        "a young woman comes of age with the insight that two politicians ostensibly on different sides can embrace each other because at base , they 're both insincere .",
        "13-year-old alice teghil is brilliant in her acting debut , as is sergio castellitto as a psychologically deviant father and husband in this metaphor of modern italy .",
        "this is not another teen movie . it 's a sly political satire disguised as a deceptively light italian coming-of-age flick .",
        "this dramatic comedy is an italian style mean girls .",
        "the social and political particulars may be uniquely italian , but the underlying theme -- of adolescence and its myriad pains -- cuts across all cultural and language barriers .",
        "... a funny , affecting , and intricate comedy that continually surprises and gets better as it goes along .",
        "played in a manic , volcanic manner by castellitto , giancarlo is a constant source of humor and embarrassment .",
        "though caterina is unusually well-acted and crafted for this kind of movie ... giancarlo is the one character who makes the movie special .",
        "it 's an adolescent-to-adult drama that never veers into maudlin or sugary territory . there 's a realness on screen that translates to any culture .",
        "caterina faces challenges in this coming-of-age movie , but nothing earth-shattering or exceptional .",
        "an odd , and oddly dishonest bird .",
        "caterina in the city is a coming-of-age story , of course , but its adult characters are also well rendered .",
        "the italian MOV is sloppy , but it 's on to something .",
        "on the surface , MOV is like mean girls , italian-style . but it 's much more layered than that .",
        "a truly wonderful coming-of-age tale , suffused with wit and warmth .",
        "the movie uses the competition for caterina 's loyalty to portray the school as a microcosm of italian society under prime minister silvio berlusconi . any way you look at it , it 's not a pretty picture .",
        "comedy veteran paolo virzi brings a light helming touch to a story with a lot to say about contemporary italy .",
        "despite its slightly overblown histrionics , castellitto 's furious performance gives the film a welcome measure of righteous indignation .",
        "pitch-perfect performances and a light-handed but razor-sharp script keep this satire brisk and biting .",
        "caterina va in citta has outrageously funny scenes -- but it 's a very dark sense of humor . the film is really about personalities .",
        "-lsb- teghil 's -rsb- sensitive work goes a long way toward overcoming the unfocused script , which , despite its incisive characterizations , never quite settles into a cohesive tone ."],
    "summary": "this witty movie succeeds as both a modest teen coming-of-age story and a satirical microcosm of italy 's political climate .",
    "id": "439091542"
  },
  {
    "movie": "galaxy_quest",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the premise is the best thing about the movie , but it 's such a dandy premise that it is almost enough .",
        "each actor plays an actor playing the sci-fi characters . it 's a bit difficult to keep track of who 's who , and ultimately the characters are so underdeveloped it 's even more difficult to care .",
        "the big ideas fall short too often .",
        "it has fun with the characters , the dilemmas , the imagery , and source of inspiration . without genuine depth , however , the film will have a hard time reeling in a widespread audience .",
        "six hilariously-scripted parts , but they run out of laugh material long before the movie ends , and MOV must then limp to the closing credits supported by its actual plot , which is stupider than anything star trek ever devised .",
        "it 's a clever premise but not one that lends itself to an hour and 42 minutes of high jinks .",
        "an affectionate , riotously funny parody that freely takes jabs at various elements of its subject but never seems mean-spirited or malintentioned .",
        "far too lively and good-natured to deserve harsh criticism ; in a season full of prestige-hungry oscar wannabes , it 's nice to see a film interested primarily in putting a smile on your face .",
        "it 's clean , has all the requisite eye candy and slapstick for the younger set , and -- most distinguishing of all -- an uncommon level of sophistication for the adults .",
        "it is impressive that director dean parisot kept the chuckles coming as long as he did . this is a one-viewing film , but pleasant enough .",
        "exuberant , enormously funny .",
        "it may be a bit too violent for the very young moviegoers , but older children and parents may have a good time together watching some make-believe heroes transform themselves into the real mccoys .",
        "you do n't have to be a trek weenie to have a good time at this spoof cum homage to fandom and the enduring appeal of cheesy tv , but it helps .",
        "sly , good-natured and fun , despite the presence of tim allen .",
        "quest skirts dangerously close to being the thing it parodies : a second-rate space opera .",
        "it 's a film that falls far short of its potential and , during its dull moments , you ca n't help contemplating its assorted missed opportunities .",
        "more frequently than not , however , the screenplay by david howard and robert gordon opts for safe and bland over satiric , leaving us with a movie that 's watchable but frustrating since it 's so rife with unexplored potential .",
        "the idea of actors being mistaken for their roles was used in `` the three amigos , '' but `` MOV '' mines the comic potential better .",
        "star trek spoof boldly mocks where no one has mocked before .",
        "an irresistibly silly , fluffy , giddy bit of fun .",
        "even if you 've never seen a gene roddenberry creation , it 's still a hoot .",
        "there are genuinely imaginative special effects which manage to be recognisably in the spirit of the cheesy originals .",
        "a sparkling blend of sci-fi and comedy that affectionately spoofs every star trek clich\u00e9 known to man , romulan , or klingon .",
        "relentlessly pokes fun at the rabid fans of sci-fi geekdom and the has-been actors that they deify ... yet gives the geeks and has-beens get a chance to become real heroes",
        "it 's hip , it 's funny and it is one of the better ensemble efforts -- both in front and behind the camera . i had a fun time .",
        "a frivolous but funny comedy with great special effects and admirable performances . this should become a lasting classic , even for people who do n't watch star trek , which it so cleverly spoofs .",
        "fast , light and funny , MOV has a wide , generation - spanning appeal -- and you do n't have to be a die-hard trekkie to enjoy it .",
        "the movie 's cast is delightful .",
        "there 's a surprising amount of affection in the satire .",
        "a stellar cast .",
        "good-natured fun .",
        "MOV has both a story and a back story , which is rare for this kind of romp .",
        "more ingratiating than uproarious , MOV nonetheless emerges as one of the holiday movie season 's more pleasant surprises .",
        "a lot of wacky fun .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a star trek spoof with an intelligence that 's vulcan and a wit that could make a klingon grin .",
        "a christmas present filled with impressive special effects and silly gags , which is far more entertaining than its packaging might have led anyone to believe .",
        "before tropic thunder , there came this clever and satisfying spoof of `` star trek '' and its enduing fan phenomenon .",
        "despite a premise that sounds far from promising , MOV turns out to be an amusing adventure that ofers both good comedy and reasonably exciting science fiction .",
        "while gently spoofing the old star trek series and honoring it , MOV creates and inhabits its own uniquely lovable universe .",
        "an enormously entertaining pop-culture ride .",
        "the film never really bloats or sags , and remains utterly pleasurable throughout its entire running time .",
        "a fantastic science fiction comedy",
        "hilarious , fast , funny , fresh fun for the family .",
        "MOV works not just as a parody or a send-up of a type of film . it works as a basic space adventure as well .",
        "effects and production design are splendidly integrated into the overall enterprise , which is even more enjoyable for being so unexpected .",
        "a hilarious spoof of trek and trek fandom . while MOV could have easily taken potshots at geeks , rather the film acts as more of a celebration of these sometimes misguided devotees .",
        "a playful send-up of science-fiction conventions that has enough laughs to please audiences looking for something a little light among all the year-end cinematic gloom .",
        "it 's a sci-fi film . it 's an action picture . it 's a comedy . and , surprisingly , it works .",
        "exhilarating and affectionate .",
        "deliciously funny !",
        "imaginative special effects and appealing performances .",
        "an congenial , occasionally laugh - out - loud satire that has a broad affection for its target .",
        "the movie is a delightful and imaginative parody of star trek .",
        "star trek nerd-dom gets affectionate homage in MOV .",
        "it 'll beam you way , way up .",
        "the film 's warm-fuzzies are formulaic and not at all genuine . the humor , though , is clever and keenly satiric without being mean-spirited .",
        "an agreeable time-killer of a movie .",
        "this movie really is for the whole family . it 's funny , it has some really cool creatures and special effects , a heart-warming story and even a very slick ending , tied directly into one of those super-fan convention halls .",
        "at its heart , this a fluffy genre parody that knows exactly what it is and economically fulfills the mandate of its limited goals without veering off toward the grating self-indulgence of spaceballs .",
        "a laugh-filled , good-hearted spoof .",
        "the wisecracks fly fast and furious .",
        "an exceptionally funny science-fiction comedy .",
        "this movie is more than one joke or one idea . it 's a thoroughly satisfying comedy -- and a respectable space adventure , as well .",
        "when the movie works , it works well . however , MOV treads dangerously close to becoming a parody of itself .",
        "focusing on fun , the direction of this film steers like a spaceship through a mine field , dodging in and out from strong to `` dr. who cheesy '' and back .",
        "divertida cinta que van a disfrutar los fan\u00e1ticos de la ciencia-ficci\u00f3n ... y lo que no lo son tambi\u00e9n",
        "the drolleries take precedence over the special effects .",
        "affectionate , often clever and unflaggingly funny !",
        "a big , dumb piece of fun that will do little for your heart or intellect , but will undoubtedly leave you laughing .",
        "the cast is terrific . tim allen , sigourney weaver , alan rickman and tony shalhoub are familiar faces , and look so out of their depth in the middle of all this silliness that of course we find ourselves smirking .",
        "a wildly entertaining sci-fi comedy , a perfect cup of interstellar action-adventure eggnog to compliment the serious yuletide films .",
        "it 's very funny at times , sports an excellent cast , and is often very entertaining .",
        "entertaining and enjoyable .",
        "spaceballs meets the six clueless samurai .",
        "frequently riotously funny stuff , playful , silly , and fun . and all without styrofoam boulders , to boot .",
        "this science-fiction comedy is so extremely silly , so inventively goofy , that even those who are n't diehard trekkies may find something to like about it .",
        "it 's as bad as you would imagine , and yet it 's as good as it could possibly be .",
        "sometimes the lamest ideas translate into the funniest films , and MOV is a perfect example of this strange paradox .",
        "its affectionate , lighthearted laughs add a little sparkle to the holiday schedule .",
        "as long as the cast is confronting bad dialogue memories , rock-monsters and beam-me-up malfunctions , the film is quite funny .",
        "original , entertaining and very funny .",
        "a surprisingly funny comedy . fans of the original star trek will be the ones who enjoy most of the film 's in-jokes . but , there 's something humorous in here for everyone .",
        "MOV the movie is such a thrill for true fans of trek and the like because while it does look a bit askance at fandom , it does n't satirize fans and the objects of their adoration so much as celebrate them .",
        "it 's silly and even stupid , but the sci-fi spoof MOV is also really funny .",
        "director dean parisot is willing to go more than ten seconds between gags . while this reduces the number of laughs , it substitutes quality for quantity .",
        "recommended to people who have seen more than a few episodes of `` star trek , '' and especially to those who have ever been to a trek convention",
        "a riotous good time in the theater .",
        "it 's a pretty funny movie , and thinking about all this too much while seeing it will just ruin all the jokes .",
        "in many ways , MOV is more fantasy than science fiction . it 's a lighthearted romp .",
        "a sweet-spirited and clever film for anyone who 's ever been a sci-fi nerd -- or laughed at one .",
        "the movie 's humor works best when the illogic of the tv show gets in the way .",
        "for fans of science fiction MOV is a sweet , funny valentine to their obsessiveness .",
        "with dry , understated wit and an attitude that is giddy without being sophomoric , MOV succeeds in being one of the more enjoyable comedies of the season .",
        "star trek fans will be thrilled with this goof on the classic '60s sci-fi series .",
        "we really come to care about the characters .",
        "surprisingly funny , even heartwarming .",
        "an amiable comedy that simultaneously manages to spoof these popular futuristic space adventures and replicate the very elements that have made them so durable .",
        "a very funny science fiction and trekkie spoof .",
        "a cleverly written spoof-adventure that more than rises to the occasion . not only are the jokes dead-on , but the story and characters actually work as a decent sci-fi movie , complete with superior special effects , a grisly villain and even romance .",
        "a pure joy from start to finish .",
        "boldly going where few parodies have gone before .",
        "meet the thermians : the biggest science-fiction nerds of all time .",
        "i 'm still laughing .",
        "a one-joke movie that makes such good use of its one joke that it almost demands a kind of grudging admiration .",
        "see it , enjoy it , and remind yourself why having fun is never a crime .",
        "the entire cast is game for the ridiculous , while stan winston 's aliens and ilm visual effects give this the gloss of a straight-faced sci-fi spectacle . beam on up ."],
    "summary": "intelligent and humorous satire with an excellent cast -- no previous trekkie knowledge needed to enjoy this one .",
    "id": "10245"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1195800-my_winnipeg",
    "reviews":
     [
        "maddin is a real film-maker with a confident , fluent movie language that is evolving in fascinating directions .",
        "guy maddin docu about his hometown gives fans everything they 'd expect , plus a few moments of unexpected sincerity .",
        "maddin mixes personal reminiscences with elaborate fantasies of masonic rituals and collectivist brothels , to construct a vision of winnipeg as a city of sleepwalkers .",
        "a remembrance of things forgotten .",
        "maddin 's exploration of his dysfunctional family life mirrors the crumbling facade of this major city . the symbolism is potent ; the skill with which maddin applies it , masterful .",
        "presented with such dreamlike flourish and humor that watching the movie is extremely entertaining .",
        "it 's so personal and so funny and so moving . guy maddin uses cinematic arts and crafts to convey his feelings about his home town",
        "leaves one alternately giddy and groggy",
        "MOV is too funny and touching to be labeled purely experimental . it 's magical , but the type of movie magic all can enjoy , if they only take a walk through the winter wonderland known as winnipeg .",
        "it 'll stay with you and haunt you in the best possible way long after you left the cinema .",
        "deep , rich sound accompanies distressed , often unfocused black-and-white shots of nighttime winter streets , garishly lit interiors and archival footage . splashes of color in cut-out animation segs add to the texture .",
        "in the narration maddin claims that winnipeg has ten times as many sleepwalkers as any other city in the world , and though he 's surely making this up , it conveys his own sense of entrapment amid the town 's dreaminess .",
        "the dominant maddin is the narrating filmmaker , more palpably present than usual in the sound of his voice , bemoaning a lost golden age of his hometown faced absurdities of the tall tale .",
        "it is a bygone hallucinatory dream location steeped in melodrama , which reveals contemporary truths as it embraces a ferocious fictional construct .",
        "-lsb- director guy maddin 's -rsb- striking combo of fact and fiction ... keep the eye interested and the mind wondering what is real or not .",
        "it might sound horribly arrogant to turn a `` documentary '' about a city into a history of your own emotional development , but the more one studies the body of maddin 's work , the more it makes sense .",
        "-lsb- maddin -rsb- 's basically playing at being a busby berkeley for the chronically depressed and/or cheerfully repressed .",
        "this autobiographical meditation is seductively funny , as well as deliciously strange , and hauntingly beautiful , as well as stream-of-consciousness cockeyed .",
        "MOV is like no documentary you 've ever seen .",
        "this haunting phantasmagoria of a film -- comic , singular , surreal -- is not only something no one but the canadian director could have made , it 's also a film no one else would have even wanted to make . which is the heart of its appeal .",
        "a dryly hilarious picture .",
        "one comes away not with an understanding of winnipeg as a geographical location but a state of mind , a place where sleepwalkers wander and dream and never leave home because in their hearts , they never really want to .",
        "the film , shot in black and white , like most of maddin 's creations , is a treat for fans and a migraine for the uninitiated or terminally dull .",
        "maddin has concocted his own urban myth - an oddball chronicle that re-maps his city 's darkest back-lanes and by-ways as a repository for a lost innocence that neither he nor his fellow winnipegers can ever fully recover , nor ever truly escape .",
        "-lsb- maddin -rsb- has so much inspiration that , of all our filmmakers , he must possess the greatest need to create .",
        "an incredibly creative docu-fantasia that explores the memory , history , dreams , and myths of his canadian hometown .",
        "in the bizarre and singularly delightful MOV , -lsb- director guy -rsb- maddin offers a docu-history of his hometown , entangled with memories of his childhood .",
        "the latter part of ` MOV ' turns too easily to rant against the selling of the cherished past to a rush to modernity .",
        "a fine salute to a place that , like maddin 's mind , comes off as a packrat for barely surviving memories .",
        "this is an achingly beautiful film full of black-and-white images working as both stark reality and soft-focus dreams . maddin contemplates the far-off sense of leaving winnipeg and seeks renewal through an anti-nostalgic look back at it .",
        "MOV is maddin 's best filmmaking since the not-dissimilar confessional bargain-basement phantasmagoria , cowards bend the knee . the editing is dense ; the action is fluid .",
        "... no one else out there makes movies like this , and it has enough highlights that guy maddin fans should still seek it out .",
        "MOV is overloaded and digressive -- it comes with the territory -- but it 's also grounded in a place , maddin 's manitoban hometown , and it 's painfully engrossing .",
        "... an unusual valentine to a city , shot through the heart by maddin 's curious cupid . a must-see for fans , a great introduction to the director 's work for the uninitiated .",
        "witty , moving and visually dazzling .",
        "an affecting , dreamy , chris marker-esque , cin\u00e9-essay .",
        "it 's probably -lsb- maddin 's -rsb- best work yet ... his easiest , funniest and most watchable film .",
        "despite the film 's incredible specificity as one man 's take on one city , the wistful MOV achieves a powerful universality .",
        "superbly made , frequently funny and surprisingly moving , guy maddin 's weird and wonderful semi-documentary is a genuine treat .",
        "this is a secret history , and it 's a wonder .",
        "... dark , mesmerizing .",
        "... a product designed to appeal solely to fans of filmmaker guy maddin 's admittedly off-kilter sensibilities ...",
        "weird , fascinating and uproarious , MOV takes place not in chilly manitoba but in the dreamscape of canadian filmmaker guy maddin 's overheated imagination .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an unhinged , utterly delightful ` documentary ' .",
        "the world would be a better place if every city had its maddin .",
        "much of what maddin asserts as truth is balderdash . he was not , for example , born in the locker room of the local hockey team 's arena .",
        "some scenes of this docu-fantasy will try the viewers ' patience . others are small gems .",
        "reality or just another maddin fever dream , whichever , the images are striking .",
        "another unique , phantasmagorical , handcrafted spectacle that again confirms -lsb- maddin 's -rsb- place as one of independent film 's wittiest , wildest and most singular talents .",
        "ingeniously madcap and heartfelt ... more than just a whimsical curiosity , MOV takes an extraordinary leap forward ...",
        "this tongue-in-cheek `` docu-fantasia '' about the hold his snowbound manitoba hometown has over him is weird , winning and hilarious .",
        "holding its hallucinatory blend of archival footage , animation and skewed recreations of scenes from maddin 's childhood together is the director 's inspired , entertaining narration .",
        "an awfully funny rendering of his home life as the runt of the litter",
        "may be the year 's stand-out achievement in alternate realities .",
        "part real documentary and part drop-dead hysterical farce ...",
        "shot in his signature black-and-white , the movie sustains a dreamlike quality that freely allows non sequitur ideas , historical events , and memories to come alive .",
        "an entrancing riffle through the olde curiosity shoppe of the filmmaker 's psyche .",
        "restaging his youth but making his own detours , maddin transforms winnipeg into a city of mystery .",
        "guy maddin 's films are always delightful , but his latest , MOV , has an added treat for film buffs : it features ann savage !",
        "MOV , which combines archival documentary images with freshly shot passages , is more concerned with lyrical truth than with literal accuracy .",
        "poignancy might be the last thing you 'd expect from this film",
        "you 're unlikely to find an easier entry into maddin 's wild world than this black-and-white ` docu-fantasia ' , a dryly funny , cheerfully false autobiography .",
        "a movie that is as happily warped and enthusiastically disturbed as the rest of -lsb- director guy -rsb- maddin 's eccentric cinema .",
        "snow and ice fill the frame in MOV , guy maddin 's ookily brilliant evocation of his childhood .",
        "maddin creates a rich tapestry weaving together fact and fiction .",
        "maddin translated his befuddlement of winnipeg to me , but not his fascination .",
        "it 's sometimes uneven , but it 's glorious , too , with constantly churning invention and the guarantee that you have never seen anything like it before -- unless it came from winnipeg and guy maddin .",
        "a soft , drifting dream of a motion picture .",
        "this love/hate tribute to -lsb- director maddin 's -rsb- hometown is one of the year 's weirdest , most memorable 80 minutes of celluloid .",
        "a film that makes what would seem like a mundane documentary into a funny , charming , relatable and interesting exploration of maddin 's home .",
        "it 's actually maddin 's most accessible film , and underneath the surreal images and foreboding narration is a relatively familiar message : you can go home again . and if you do , feel free to take some creative liberties here and there .",
        "given its unusual blend of fact and fiction , the film is a real head-scratcher . like most -- if not all -- of maddin 's films , it 's as bewildering as it is visually arresting . and yes , that means it 's an acquired taste .",
        "for the uninitiated , i heartily recommend this free-associative , autobiographical gem .",
        "part documentary , part autobiography , part psychotherapy , maddin 's smooth narration and pithy asides take us in his inimitable style on a journey through what he dubs `` the coldest city in north america '' .",
        "it 's a twisted but beautiful love letter to a city , not factually correct but emotionally true . at least for -lsb- director guy -rsb- maddin .",
        "if you love movies in the very sinews of your imagination , you should experience the work of guy maddin .",
        "maddin 's weird , beautiful , funny and entertaining look at his hometown is probably about as personal and revealing as he 's ever likely to get .",
        "the best way to take MOV is with a box of popcorn and a grain of salt .",
        "the result is maddin 's most personal film and his easiest to love .",
        "MOV is a mobile collage , and its assemblage is fascinating ."],
    "summary": "MOV is a charmingly irreverent ` docu-fantasy ' from the unpredictable mind of guy maddin .",
    "id": "770682755"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1175072-license_to_wed",
    "reviews":
     [
        "dismissing MOV as a comedy unworthy of a sitcom is to insult sitcoms .",
        "robin williams is merely annoying in this comedy with a few lively laughs , but a nonsensical and uninvolving plot .",
        "two up-and-coming stars get left at the cinematic altar .",
        "spit-and-paste bilge .",
        "ken kwapis ' comedy ploughs a well-tended furrow , from the hard truths our lovebirds discover to williams ' family-friendly schtick . there are n't enough laughs or sparks to warrant saying , `` i do ! '' at the box office .",
        "dismal comedy that 's every bit as bad as the words robin williams plays a comedy priest might lead you to expect .",
        "you end up loathing the reverend so much that he leaves himself no room to bring you round to his side in time for the obligatory feelgood finish .",
        "if ever there was lawful impediment for a marriage to not go ahead , it 's this mess of a movie .",
        "cute story with a few good laughs .",
        "robin williams has made so many one-star comedies that it 's impossible to keep count at this point . but rest assured that there 's a multiplex in hell that screens them on a perpetual loop .",
        "despite its fuzzy , getting-to-know-you message , the movie itself offers zero motivation for any of its protagonists .",
        "if for any reason your wife or girlfriend - or both - try to drag you to this thing , break up with them instead . it would be less painful .",
        "like some weddings , MOV is a long sit and a bland buffet .",
        "krasinski and moore are an adorable couple , but marriage material they are n't , especially since they 're given a mere ten minutes to form a full-fledged relationship before williams breathlessly barges into the picture .",
        "you have to go back to the worst hanna-barbera cartoons to find gag material this excruciatingly contrived .",
        "this assaultively unappealing ` romantic comedy ' could well mark the opening salvo in a whole new hollywood campaign against movie piracy . anybody who 'd steal this dud would stink just from carrying it around .",
        "want to enjoy MOV ? go in expecting to have your eyes gouged out . i promise you 'll be pleasantly surprised .",
        "i hereby pronounce you a flop .",
        "a misguided , not to mention mean-spirited , premise for a story .",
        "any movie with this many eye-rolling moments should have its comedic license revoked .",
        "... a grating , nigh unwatchable piece of work .",
        "you wo n't care if they walk down the aisle or off a short pier .",
        "somewhere , rainn wilson is smiling to himself.that 's because , unlike some of the rest of john krasinski 's castmates from `` the office , '' he was n't involved in `` MOV , '' a wretched excuse for a romantic comedy .",
        "all this witless tastelessness is headed toward happiness for all concerned . their happiness will not equal yours when you see the credits finally rolling .",
        "if ever there was a ceremony or ritual that needed to be called off , it is the one that begins with the act of buying a ticket for this movie .",
        "even for a romantic comedy this one 's too full of ridiculous situations .",
        "it 's a shame that robin williams continues to take roles that exploit and water down his talent .",
        "stunningly mundane .",
        "it 's the kind of pic where i wished i walked out of the theater with a paper bag over my head .",
        "if you have seen the trailers for this film , you have seen most of the funny moments and are not missing anything in this by-the-numbers rom/com .",
        "comedies do n't get much lamer than license to wed. . working from a flawed premise with characters lacking credibility and plot turns more moronic than funny , the movie flatlines in about five minutes .",
        "another by-the-books exercise in formula romantic comedies ... no surprises and no real reason to have to subject yourself to this .",
        "as with 50 % of all marriages in this country , this film breaks down irretrievably , leaving all concerned feeling hurt , angry , and not a little betrayed .",
        "robin williams plays a reverend running the marquis de sade school of marriage counseling in this desperately unfunny movie .",
        "krasinski affirms that he can carry more than a desk job on the office , and moore plays straight gal in a film that improves , at least , on her last role in the ugh-inducing because i said so . MOV does n't fail her this time .",
        "the worst idea for a studio comedy since last year 's equally dreadful failure to launch .",
        "... a film that 's an early favorite for worst comedy of the year .",
        "all it does is make you wish -lsb- robin williams -rsb- never discovered movies -- or , at least , stuck to voicing cartoons and doing the odd , occasional drama .",
        "the movie is a pastiche of tortured slapstick , groan-inducing dialogue and a lethal dose of treacle , apparently awaiting one of williams ' trademark sprees of riffing and vamping to save the day . that moment never comes .",
        "a pleasant enough diversion for anyone who likes their comedies as light and fluffy as their popcorn .",
        "just another mediocre addition -- worse than the best sitcoms , better than the worst -- to the expanding list of movies that make netflix a far more appealing option than going to a theater .",
        "it is only the latest attempt by a hollywood studio to pander to prurience and piety in a single gesture , and to avoid giving offense by treating all possible factions of the public equally , which is to say like idiots .",
        "will robin williams ever divorce himself from the unholy union of silliness and sentimentality ?",
        "anyone who wanders into MOV expecting a sweet-natured romantic comedy is likely to feel like the sensitive surface of that metaphorical tongue : ripped off .",
        "for all the hollywood obviousness of the reassuring ending , -lsb- director -rsb- kwapis and his writers put over the subversive message that marriage can be maddening .",
        "all poor krasinski can do is sigh , look to the camera , and beg for deliverance .",
        "this is the sort of lobotomized , condescendingly lazy movie that leaves you resentful of hollywood .",
        "it 's supposedly a romantic comedy , so imagine a couple of hilarious physical jokes -- you know , a guy takes a baseball to the face , ha-ha -- and channel in a few moments of robin williams doing his improv shtick around some key words .",
        "the creepy-faced robot twin babies are funny -lrb- for a while -rrb- ; the rest of the film is not . it 's like meet the parents with dr. phil as the officiant from hell .",
        "you 'd never know from MOV that krasinski is a big asset to the office . here , playing an unappealing male lead , he merely smugs his way through the assignment .",
        "anyone who has been through the process of church-mandated marriage preparation counseling should get a chuckle out of MOV , that is if the comedy were n't so badly handled .",
        "reverend frank offers rib-ticklers such as : ` on the honeymoon , pretend to be surprised . ' in the theater , pretend to be entertained .",
        "the chief reason why nothing works here is that the actors , talented performers all , just do n't seem to be in the same movie .",
        "this bewilderingly bone-headed movie convinces that ben and sadie , should be kept as far apart as possible , if only to prevent them from breeding the kind of morons who would see nothing wrong with a movie such as licence to wed - or worse still , make it .",
        "MOV never escapes the combined trap of terminal blandness and a severe lack of decent jokes .",
        "the comedy , starring robin williams as a reverend who wo n't marry couples until they have passed several ridiculous tests , raised a good few laughs .",
        "josef goebbels had a home movie made of the failed 1944 hitler assassins being hanged from meathooks with piano wire . it probably had more laughs , more fun , more feelgood moments than this family comedy .",
        "i now pronounce licence to wed a total flop .",
        "divorce is more fun than this film .",
        "the worst film i 've seen so far this year .",
        "forget wedding crashers ... this is a plain old wedding disaster .",
        "robin williams is back in this horrifically embarrassing and misconceived wedding comedy .",
        "the biggest letdown , is williams , whose manic improvisations now bear all the hallmarks of a pub bore .",
        "it 's exactly what it looks like from the commercials -- a one-joke movie , and that one joke is n't even funny to begin with .",
        "the dull romance between sadie and ben is revealed as little more than a prop for the comedian 's patented schtick .",
        "it 's a bit short of laughs , but there are a few cute ideas in this formulaic , predictable romantic comedy .",
        "i would honestly rather watch the holocaust in colour than sit through this again .",
        "as someone engaged , i felt they disrespected what marriage can and should mean . and most importantly , i 'm offended at their attempt at cringe-worthy humor .",
        "sadly , MOV lived up to my expectations 100 % . that is to say , it was unfunny and uninspired .",
        "you know it 's bad when there are more interesting things happening during the outtakes in the closing credits than in the movie itself .",
        "predictable wedding comedy is all about williams .",
        "this movie is an ecclesiastical disaster and , like the rector of stiffkey , williams should be thrown to the lions .",
        "it 's not quite as bad as some would have it -lrb- it will not , for example , kill puppies -rrb- , but it is really very horrible .",
        "a blitzed-looking man stumbling out of a screening of this dreadful excuse for unromantic comedy volunteered that the best part of the movie was when robin williams got socked in the jaw . could n't agree more ...",
        "williams , who seems to have shown up for a payday , lacks any of his typical spontaneity and might actually be sleep-joking through some scenes . an utterly uninspired movie that will leave you not wanting to get married , ever .",
        "williams is the worst offender . even he finally seems to be tired of his own act .",
        "williams doing his bad boy standup comic cleric routine with relish , can be counted as performing an act of salvation on a movie desperately in need of such not quite divine intervention .",
        "forget about saw , hostel and all the other films in the new , notorious torture-porn genre . if you 're looking for a really sick movie , check out license to wed. .",
        "you know you 're in trouble when the outtakes during the end credits are the best part .",
        "the inert MOV shambles along one lame scene after another .",
        "` MOV ' is a comedy fiasco .",
        "... even if i could have put up with the unpleasantness of this as comedy , i still would have balked at the eventual portrayal of this monster -lsb- williams -rsb- as an angel in disguise .",
        "i have rarely seen a movie with less self-knowledge than MOV , an awful comedy made ever so slightly fascinating because of its dual personality .",
        "unleashing robin williams in the least flattering possible manner , MOV squanders the modest chemistry between its appealing central couple uniting its elements in an astonishingly flat romantic comedy .",
        "a droll , amusing cautionary tale about the chances of living `` happily ever after '' - and wait for the zany outtakes during the final credits .",
        "williams has become a comedic glass ceiling , a black hole of laughs that guarantees every scene he 's in will make nails on a chalkboard sound appealing .",
        "mandy moore is so likable , while robin williams is so not . -lsb- but -rsb- john krasinski is like wallpaper . he 's just there .",
        "the only amusing thing about MOV is the idea that it 's supposed to be funny in the first place .",
        "williams ' reverend frank is so obnoxious that he 'd empty the pews as fast as this dreadful movie will empty theatre auditoriums .",
        "weddings are supposed to be happy occasions , but this shrill by-the-numbers comedy provides little reason to smile .",
        "this crude and unfunny comedy represents one of the low points in what has already been a disappointing summer-movie season .",
        "like a creepy kid who has taken a few too many ritalin tablets , MOV bounds around the screen wildly , overanxious to prove its wackiness .",
        "MOV is set on a plane of existence not inhabited by intelligent life , but by widespread nincompoops .",
        "the story ends with a sentimental clunk . to say the picture is n't funny is putting it mildly . it is n't tolerable .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it used to be annoying when robin williams insisted on wrecking comedies with his overbearing shtick . now , it 's just sad and pathetic .",
        "there 's bad , there 's awful and there 's horrible , and then somewhere beyond that , in its own kingdom of lousy -- where all the milk curdles and the jokes are n't funny -- is license to wed. .",
        "so lifeless and bland you will only see it when transformers is sold out and your girlfriend thinks that jim guy from the office is cute .",
        "the trials ben and sadie go through are nothing compared to the obstacle course inflicted on the audience , who has to work very hard to find anything entertaining or enjoyable .",
        "going to this movie is at least a more enjoyable way to spend the fourth of july weekend than participating in the coney island hot-dog eating contest .",
        "the outtakes that accompany the end credits suggest that making the movie was a blast ; it 's a shame the same ca n't be said for watching it .",
        "the movie is plodding , predictable , formulaic and , worst of all , not funny .",
        "it 's highly amusing and its cast is extremely persuasive , playing the kind of roles that kill most careers : genuinely nice people .",
        "what this is really about is yet another entry in one of the more loathsome comedy genres , the humiliation of the hero .",
        "somewhere along the way , somebody should have pulled this license , at least until the writers found funnier stuff for everybody to do .",
        "MOV is another lamebrain hollywood comedy in which a peanut gallery of the shrill and the narcissistic conspire to drive a wedge between two innocents .",
        "it makes marriage look like the biggest mistake of all time , and the multiplex a prison from which there is no escape .",
        "one of the year 's worst comedies , and in a year that has already contained ` norbit ' and ` wild hogs , ' that 's saying something .",
        "if you ca n't predict how it all turns out , you 've never seen a family sitcom .",
        "-lsb- krasinski and moore -rsb- have bankable chemistry , and it allows license to float along for longer than you 'd think possible .",
        "sometimes i wonder what really goes on in the offices of studio executives .",
        "i was so tempted to walk out of license to wed. . and i have never walked out of a movie , not in my ten-year career as a film critic , not before .",
        "do they have what it takes to keep it cool and stay together long enough to get hitched ? trust me , you wo n't care .",
        "no matter how hard i try , i 'm finding it difficult to write anything positive about license to wed. . this movie is bad from top to bottom , front to back , and start to finish .",
        "the movie 's premise is n't a story . it 's a stand-up comedy joke ...",
        "`` MOV '' is so awful that if i had to choose between sitting through it or `` rv '' again , i would actually have to sit and think about it for a while",
        "looks like robin williams has replaced cuba gooding , jr. as the kiss of death on the set of any comedy .",
        "forget blasphemy against the holy spirit , wasting our time with MOV is the one unpardonable sin .",
        "too dependent on williams to fill in the humorless gaps here , and the humor itself just is n't funny in the first place .",
        "sadie -lrb- mandy moore -rrb- and ben -lrb- john krasinski -rrb- are getting married -lrb- because they met at the start of the movie . -rrb-",
        "... a romantic comedy misfire that could send aspirant newlyweds and anyone else in attendance down the wrong aisle -- to the exit door .",
        "be sure to say `` i do n't '' to MOV",
        "this is both a robin williams movie and a mandy moore movie . there 's really no saving that .",
        "MOV might have been a cutting comedy ; instead it 's a mild embarrassment for all concerned .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "featuring one of robin williams ' most shtick-heavy performances , the broad and formulaic MOV wrings little out of its slightly creepy , unappealing premise .",
    "id": "625475402"
  },
  {
    "movie": "sling_blade",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is the best movie i have seen in a long time .",
        "a fine motion picture .",
        "-lsb- thornton -rsb- does wonders with yoakam , who could have played a standard villain but always manages to suggest a man trapped within his prejudices .",
        "if there were the slightest justice and curiosity in the academy award process , thornton 's work here would get a nomination .",
        "MOV takes you down paths full of primitive , almost biblical implications , but it also finds comic relief in moments of palpable tension .",
        "the lure of MOV is both elemental and hauntingly familiar , and i would not be surprised if thornton 's breakthrough film is one day considered a classic in its own right .",
        "ambivalence reigns in MOV . for every funny moment there is a shocking revelation . for every cute bit of dialogue interplay there is a disturbing recollection .",
        "american films rarely depict the lower-class milieu as respectfully as this unsentimental drama .",
        "if you can adjust to thornton 's extremely mannered performance , the piece is effectively chilly .",
        "MOV gives you plenty to think about , and neither the story nor the quality of the film can easily be forgotten .",
        "by its midpoint , however , thornton has begun forcing both the film 's poetry and the preternatural goodness of its simple-minded protagonist , and MOV 's sweet charms begin to curdle .",
        "thornton 's performance is riveting .",
        "it will make you laugh and cry . and it will make you think long and hard about the last time you saw a movie this good .",
        "-lsb- thornton -rsb- performance is so good that his directing may be slighted .",
        "in MOV , thornton lays claim to the title of hyphenate of the year .",
        "a mesmerizing parable of good and evil and a splendid example of southern storytelling at its most poetic and imaginative .",
        "a real gem .",
        "all the actors in MOV do magnificent work , but it 's thornton who stays with you for days .",
        "MOV does homage to psycho without slavishly imitating the memorable parts .",
        "there is a lot of rich atmosphere here , and thornton 's own central performance is riveting .",
        "this riveting character-driven drama is a cautionary tale about the ways in which violence desecrates all life .",
        "there is almost nothing slipshod about the film and i suspect that it will only seem more impressive the further we get from the flurry of hype ...",
        "MOV derives its power from thornton 's affecting characterization of karl childers .",
        "... a moving , poignant , humorous , chilling , and melancholic motion picture , with a bravura turn from its writer/director/star .",
        "a southern gothic tale of love and redemption that feels at every turn strikingly original",
        "this may not make the film a party renter , but in a tired indie world of guns , goatees and slack urban romance , it 's the razor-sharp real thing .",
        "an abundance of long , flat medium shots that rob the film of intimacy and give it a sleepy pace .",
        "a masterpiece of southern storytelling .",
        "there will never be another film like MOV . and i reckon we 'll have to live with that ... mmm-mmm .",
        "the film 's many rewards can not be described in conventional terms .",
        "excellent character study of a mentally challenged person .",
        "thornton offers a subtle , thoughtful script , generally sensitive direction , and an understated performance , uh-huh .",
        "thornton brings three key ingredients to the table : distinctive , rich , authentic southern locations , patient and painterly atmosphere , and a precise and fresh character to study . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "well acted , a multi-leveled story and a pure honesty make MOV one of my favourite films of the 1990s .",
        "marking billy bob thornton 's debut as a director and solo writer , MOV is a powerful southern gothic parable about good and evil .",
        "much of the audience appeal relies on the film 's simplicity",
        "everything is overly telegraphed , and you can see where the movie is going from a mile away , but it is worth the journey to discover a character like karl .",
        "a deep and thoughtful masterpiece - now on director 's cut dvd !",
        "these days thornton is seen primarily as an actor , but with `` MOV '' he proved a true auteur .",
        "billy bob thornton has created a great american original , a fascinating character who is both victim and savior .",
        "if you like films where the acting takes center stage , then MOV is the film for you ."],
    "summary": "you will see what 's coming , but the masterful performances , especially thornton 's , will leave you riveted .",
    "id": "13636"
  },
  {
    "movie": "monsoon_wedding",
    "reviews":
     [
        "nair captures the way large family events bring together people who have a lot in common and a lot to disagree about .",
        "thoroughly satisfying , subtle , steamy and as evenly balanced between serious and joyous as the best weddings actually are .",
        "nair just does n't have the necessary self-control to guide a loose , poorly structured film through the pitfalls of incoherence and redundancy .",
        "it sings , it dances , it parties with pride .",
        "it 's never laugh-out-loud funny , but it is frequently amusing .",
        "a feast for the eyes and ears as its story is a banquet for the heart .",
        "it glows and sings with color and music , and with the humanity of its characters .",
        "one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature .",
        "cinematic home cooking at its most savory .",
        "the movie is a whirlwind , chock full of life .",
        "brimming with characters and with life .",
        "nair does a sentimental wedding movie at least as well as nancy meyers , if not vincente minelli .",
        "fills the eyes brimmingly and , at moments , hits the heart .",
        "nair ... in crafting an enchanting movie about a modern indian family , fills the screen with blooming marigolds , blossoming romances and sizzling dance scenes thrown in just for the heck of it .",
        "an intricate , heartfelt tribute to the enduring power of love .",
        "filmmakers who can deftly change moods are treasures and even marvels . so , too , is this comedy about mild culture clashing in today 's new delhi .",
        "provides a visually dazzling and deeply affectionate glimpse of the tensions and traditions that animate much of modern indian life .",
        "pulsates with unforgettable characters and only-in-delhi comedic situations .",
        "a joyous occasion",
        "wedding is a picture filled with color and vibrancy .",
        "an outpouring of joyousness",
        "director mira nair pulls together the indian diaspora in this energetic , charming and occasionally chilling slice of punjabi life .",
        "there are just too many people for the characters to be well developed but this deficiency is balanced by the intimacy of declan quinn 's cinematography .",
        "rarely do films come along that are as intelligent , exuberant , and moving as MOV .",
        "nair stuffs the film with dancing , henna , ornamentation , and group song , but her narrative clich\u00e9s and telegraphed episodes smell of old soap opera .",
        "a joyous , nay , exhilarating movie in praise of family .",
        "throwing caution to the wind with an invitation to the hedonist in us all , nair has constructed this motion picture in such a way that even the most cynical curmudgeon with find himself or herself smiling at one time or another .",
        "an engaging , evocative and intermittently powerful ensemble piece .",
        "mira nair 's distinctive , wholly engaging approach is somewhere between dogme-style immediacy and bollywood-calibre excess .",
        "in its organic way , it brings up issues that thoughtful american viewers are more interested in dealing with than they might have been had the cataclysmic events of last september not happened .",
        "nair assuredly navigates the narrative and its characters with minimal confusion , although this steady hand seems a bit languorous at times .",
        "all in all , a great party .",
        "a teeming ensemble comedy shot fast and cheap but with such gorgeous colors and music and swirling silks that you leave with a feeling of riches , of superabundance .",
        "funny , smart , perceptive , troubling and ultimately joyous .",
        "swirling , loving , and brilliantly , sensuously colorful , mira nair 's MOV energetically celebrates love , family , a culture that comfortably accommodates past and present .",
        "MOV does what altman 's own the wedding could not : it allows us to celebrate a questionably blessed occasion without feeling embarrassed or complicit in some traditional scam .",
        "starting in a cartoonish way , it grows into a well-developed soap opera -- in the best sense of the term .",
        "... by the time it 's done with us , mira nair 's new movie has its audience giddy with the delight of discovery , of having been immersed in a foreign culture only to find that human nature is pretty much the same all over .",
        "so purely enjoyable that you might not even notice it 's a fairly straightforward remake of hollywood comedies such as father of the bride .",
        "nair does capture the complexity of a big family and its trials and tribulations ...",
        "this movie is a real tonic .",
        "nair does n't treat the issues lightly . she allows each character to confront their problems openly and honestly .",
        "i found the american influences on the modern culture interesting , the unfamiliarity and introduction to their traditions carried a stronger resonance , a worth of exploration .",
        "this is breathtakingly good filmmaking -- thoroughly entertaining , deeply moving , warmly funny and profoundly evocative .",
        "a sweet , poignant and richly perceptive piece of work .",
        "director mira nair , best known for mississippi masala , a cross-cultural love story with denzel washington , as well as the oscar-nominated salaam bombay ! , aims for pure joy and achieves it .",
        "crowd-pleasing in the worst way .",
        "nair keeps the disparate threads of the many interfamily relationships under control and shows just how universal dysfunction can be .",
        "sabrina dhawan 's screenplay is vibrant with witty dialog .",
        "at heart , the film is not that far removed from a well-written soap opera , but its modern-day delhi setting and its cultural subtexts make up for the pat familiarity of its situations .",
        "the people are so real , the emotions so true .",
        "the swirling visuals make for a sensual delight that 's seductive but does n't quite conceal the darkness under the gaudy surface .",
        "after awhile all the film 's elaborate charms begin to feel as empty as a disneyfied fairy tale .",
        "intoxicating .",
        "the film is a joyful glimpse into a world brimming with song and spirit .",
        "it 's funny , touching , dramatically forceful , and beautifully shot .",
        "a colorful , joyous celebration of life ; a tapestry woven of romance , dancing , singing , and unforgettable characters .",
        "nair achieves her usual level of dramatic competence .",
        "nair 's wisest , most life-affirming drama .",
        "this is a gorgeous film - vivid with color , music and life . delight your senses and crash this wedding !",
        "it 's as if nair had set herself on a careerlong mission to strip from every storytelling element all the years of manipulation and bad acting that have turned them into clich\u00e9s , until all that 's left is simple emotion , fully experienced .",
        "just when you think you 've got it all figured out , the movie becomes something better , something decidedly more insightful , with a lot to say about family ties and loyalty .",
        "every scene is alive with color and music and passion .",
        "some movies present an idealized view of marriage and family ; others seem eager to debunk it . mira nair 's exuberant art-house crowd-pleaser takes the third way .",
        "a burst of color , music , and dance that only the most practiced curmudgeon could fail to crack a smile at .",
        "a my best punjabi 's wedding full of the emotions , melodrama , singing and shouting that make weddings so funny , no matter what the culture .",
        "an unabashedly affectionate film that becomes a benediction of blessing to its participants .",
        "MOV is one of those rare and delightful movies that exposes moviegoers to an unfamiliar and wonderful culture while simultaneously showing us the universality of the people .",
        "strongly infused with an unmistakably exotic bollywood flair while addressing themes and concerns that are universal .",
        "a friendly , easily digestible outing seasoned with just the right amount of emotional bitterness to keep it from becoming sticky sweet .",
        "smell , taste and enjoy !",
        "by the last shots of the family members dancing and laughing , i was as happy as them !",
        "may not have as much gusto as my big fat greek wedding , but has more refinement and flair",
        "nair 's cast is so large it 's altman-esque , but she deftly spins the multiple stories in a vibrant and intoxicating fashion .",
        "nair does n't use -lsb- MOV -rsb- to lament the loss of culture . instead , she sees it as a chance to revitalize what is and always has been remarkable about clung-to traditions .",
        "a movie to fall in love by and with , a wedding to unite both the two film families and the dazzled multicultural movie audiences who watch them .",
        "a feel-good picture in the best sense of the term .",
        "one of those wonderful foreign films that allow americans to appreciate another culture and learn how we are the same as much as how we are different .",
        "nair and screenwriter sabrina dhawan deserve credit for wrapping up this big bundle in such a likeable package backed by such a great musical score .",
        "superbly acted , gorgeously photographed , enjoyable and engaging drama by mira nair , with a terrific soundtrack to boot -- the perfect hollywood/bollywood crossover film .",
        "MOV is not to be missed .",
        "the best day out you 'll have this year .",
        "it 's not just a touching , funny , multi-layered drama ; it 's an exuberant love poem to a city and a culture in transition .",
        "the romantic comedy even goes into somber territory , but it never loses its grasp of tone or its undenying beauty .",
        "es una de esas pel\u00edculas de las que uno sale reconfortado , agradecido , genuinamente sorprendido .",
        "strongly infused with an unmistakably exotic bollywood flair while addressing themes and concerns that are universal-namely , the bonds of family and , most importantly , love .",
        "um filme alegre , colorido e fascinante .",
        "so alive and colorful -lrb- both literally and metaphorically -rrb- that it 's easy to overlook its formulaic nature",
        "una delicia , una cinta obligada y algo de lo mejor que se ha visto en mucho tiempo .",
        "the old-world - meets-new mesh is incarnated in the movie 's soundtrack , a joyful effusion of disco bollywood that , by the end of MOV , sent my spirit soaring out of the theater .",
        "this eye-popping indian wedding comedy is a guaranteed art-house hit . too bad it misses all the good jokes .",
        "uneven , but worth the trip .",
        "exhilarating ensemble piece from india .",
        "a captivating cross-cultural comedy of manners .",
        "punjabi weddings are notorious for their lavishness , and nair 's intoxicating soap opera revels in the sights and sounds of this clamorous family ritual .",
        "an energetic and amusing romantic drama about the power of love to make things whole .",
        "there 's nothing wrong with MOV , but we 've seen it all before .",
        "delightfully rendered",
        "an ensemble comedy awarded the top prize at last september 's venice film festival , MOV pulsates with music , dance , vibrant colors and laughter . but it also glows with quiet moments of drama .",
        "an optimistic and luscious film .",
        "the impression of cosmopolitan modern india , of diaspora lives thrown into collision and collusion , is engaging in itself , but the emotional optimism here is the most heartening aspect of this vivacious film .",
        "... among the most universal of films",
        "a big , galloping party movie in which the party in question is a clear metaphor for the world .",
        "nair 's stereotype-shattering movie -- like the polymorphous culture it illuminates -- borrows from bollywood , hollywood and cinema verite , and comes up with something exuberantly its own .",
        "splashy , noisy and downright fun .",
        "mira nair 's most colorful and most fully realized film",
        "not content to merely direct traffic of intersecting characters , mira nair never lets the scurrying ensemble lag or their stories flag . `` MOV '' is one of the most culturally savory , joyously exotic comedies since `` strictly ballroom . ''",
        "much of the movie 's incidental fun comes from acute little observations and clever set-pieces .",
        "a late radical shift in tone , from jittery exuberance to ruinous alienation , strikes an impressive contemporary note amid all the obeisance to custom .",
        "the movie gains more resonance as it goes along , drawing us in just as large family reunions do .",
        "the humor and humanity of MOV are in perfect balance .",
        "MOV works as a comedy , a melodrama , a giddy romance and a dance film . it 's a wonder to behold .",
        "an infectious cultural fable with a tasty balance of family drama and frenetic comedy .",
        "a lively , engaging film that captures and holds your attention with its colorful balance of modern and traditional india and an assembly of actors who throw their hearts into their work .",
        "MOV is eminently disposable , but that 's its charm . it stays with you just long enough to make you smile .",
        "even if you think new delhi is a long way away , the people in this intimate movie are as close to us as family .",
        "nair has succeeded in her mission to capture the energy and essence of a punjabi family in modern india .",
        "with this movie , -lsb- nair -rsb- seems to have gotten every atom of her cosmopolitan sensibility onto the screen in one chaotic but cogent swirl of influences .",
        "-lsb- nair -rsb- seems finally and truly at home in this film , whose prevailing tone is a testament to her comfort and ease ."],
    "summary": "an insightful , energetic blend of hollywood and bollywood styles , MOV is a colorful , exuberant celebration of modern-day india , family , love , and life .",
    "id": "12935"
  },
  {
    "movie": "seven",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the most disquieting and powerful hollywood thriller in years .",
        "the real star of MOV , however , is the gloom and doom of the setting : an unidentified blight of a modern city .",
        "fincher handles the violence with sensitivity , announcing its obscenity in spoken analyses and briefly glimpsed post mortem shots , but never showing the murderous acts themselves .",
        "if you think you know where the story is going , think again . this movie has an unconventional ending worthy of the anti-hero movies of the seventies .",
        "the filmmakers stick to their vision with such dedication and persistence that something indelible comes across -- something ethically and artistically superior to the silence of the lambs that refuses to exploit suffering for fun or entertainment .",
        "fincher and walker take these hackneyed ingredients , play with them in the context of a brilliantly cohesive plot , and present something consistently fresh -- and very , very dark .",
        "so chic , studied and murky it resembles a cross between a nike commercial and a bad polish art film .",
        "the situation is formulaic , but director david fincher contrives a stylish , intentionally ugly look that transcends the pulp narrative .",
        "because the movie believes in its mission , the climax is likely to resonate in your head for hours , perhaps days after viewing .",
        "hannibal lecter , say hello to john doe .",
        "focus , freeman and film craft make MOV difficult to dismiss as a stylish exercise , but employing this grisly subject matter for an exercise of any kind is a queasy way to go .",
        "lean back , peer into the darkness , oh , and hold on to your popcorn and your date exceptionally tight when they get to ` sloth . '",
        "the crime scenes are rendered in sickening detail , and the whole film has a murky , madly pretentious tone .",
        "the opening credit sequence is a mini masterpiece of filmmaking .",
        "it 's certainly unnerving -- gory and sometimes frightening -- but it 's also fairly standard , even predictable .",
        "dark , brooding , occasioanlly funny , satirical , smart , and entertaining .",
        "for most of its two hours , se7en is a horrifying and smarter than average crime thriller . then it shifts to a whole new level , with a couple of twists that just do n't happen in this genre .",
        "an unsettling serial killer police procedural that , for two hours , gets under your skin viscerally until it delivers the final blow with an unexpected ending that is as bold and shocking as it is terribly logical .",
        "the pace is fast and the shocks build beautifully . the actors within it all reel with convincing horror .",
        "it 's not the identity of the killer that gives MOV its kick -- it 's the way fincher raises mystery to the level of moral provocation .",
        "unfortunately , screenwriter andrew kevin walker 's finale , in addition to its grossness , feels like an act of treachery against the viewer .",
        "MOV , a grisly social allegory drawn in blood and spawned in despair , casts a lingering , malodorous spell .",
        "dark , gripping thriller which saves its most shocking revelations for the final scenes .",
        "noticeable skill has gone into the making of MOV , but it 's hard to take much pleasure in that .",
        "viewers looking for a silver-screen gross-out will be disappointed , but others will appreciate this mature thriller , which proves once again that the best suspensers keep their violence off-camera .",
        "good as it is , it misses greatness by not quite finding the right way to end .",
        "the trouble with MOV is that while the premise is intriguing , the movie is gluey , bumbling and singularly un-thrilling .",
        "once homicide detectives morgan freeman and brad pitt catch on to his modus operandi , there 's little left in the movie to think about except , gee , wonder how the murderous maniac will do sloth or envy ?",
        "MOV , the eerie new homicide thriller , has a tantalizingly morbid atmosphere of unease .",
        "`` it is one of the best and most intelligent serial killer films ever made . ''",
        "a harrowingly bleak vision that haunted me in the theatres and made my flesh slick with fear even on this recent re-viewing .",
        "one of the best thrillers of the '90s .",
        "the angles , the faded tones , the close-ups and quick cutting to intense music were all so unusual and disconcerting i was caught off guard . i immediately felt both mesmerized and at risk . and that was just during the opening credits .",
        "both brad pitt and morgan freeman give great performances in this film .",
        "despite some truly fantastic work throughout the '90s and 2000s , se7en still remains director david fincher 's best film , albeit by a very narrow margin .",
        "david fincher is at the top of his form with MOV , one of the darkest , creepiest , and most brilliant serial killer pictures in american film history , far more interesting than silence of the lambs .",
        "eerie suspense film with a surprize ending that provides quite a jolt !",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- overrated film , but it is still well-done .",
        "unfortunately , the movie 's clammy design , glum cinematography , and lugubrious pace try to persuade us that what we 're watching is n't an ingenious , silly piece of pulp but a serious meditation on the nature of evil .",
        "... an unrelenting examination of the evil that may or may not be festering inside every one of us .",
        "an intensely claustrophobic , gut-wrenching thriller .",
        "what freeman brings to the movie is humanity at the heart of a nightmare .",
        "the odd thing about MOV , however , is that except for its facile , familiar and ridiculously gimmicky plot , it 's a pretty involving murder mystery .",
        "as with all the best chillers , the real horror is left unseen and to the viewers ' imagination .",
        "for all of the portentous atmosphere , MOV runs on a routine cop-show plot .",
        "as the story progresses , the film manages to become quite engrossing , but it is a bit disconcerting that it can be so compelling and repugnant at the same time .",
        "when 's the last time you saw a movie in which the divine comedy figured as a significant plot point ?",
        "it is very tiresome peering through the gloom trying to catch a glimpse of something interesting , then having to avert one 's eyes when it turns out to be just another brutally tormented body .",
        "well worth a look .",
        "grisly and disturbing , but very , very good .",
        "we stumbled out of a screening of the new psychological drama MOV gasping for breath , and with a pounding headache and a stomach knotted like a boy scout badge test .",
        "eventually , with its irrationally downbeat ending , MOV even drags the viewer down into the abyss .",
        "along with the camerawork , the sets by arthur max were depressingly and shockingly perfect .",
        "the film 's rewards lie in its characterizations , thought , atmosphere , action , mystery , and suspense .",
        "MOV is unnecessarily gory and runs for a little too long , but neither of these elements detracts much from the film 's enjoyability -lrb- unless you have a weak stomach -rrb- .",
        "shaky camera shots , dark sets and a disturbing script that takes its characters to the extremes of emotion all contribute to the film creating a unsettled feeling that stays with you for a couple hours after the credits roll .",
        "the movie is riveting in a gut-twisting way , but i , myself , would not call it `` entertaining . ''",
        "grim , slick , shocking thriller . older teens only .",
        "positively dripping with a soggy , oppressive atmosphere , the film is blanketed with a miasma of madness .",
        "the investigation and the clues that lead to the murderer are well thought out and continually provocative . as a narrative , the film is quite involving .",
        "MOV is a work of extraordinary style , upsetting power and narrative daring .",
        "although the story is n't original , it 's powerfully directed by david fincher , and morgan freeman gives another of his superbly understated performances .",
        "unfortunately , most of the scenes in MOV are unlikely , which means that by the end of the movie the duo is battling not just an insane killer but an off-the-wall screenwriter .",
        "cria um mundo opressivo , cinza e angustiante que parece determinado a constantemente lembrar seus ocupantes de que a vida \u00e9 cruel , injusta e sem sentido .",
        "after 20 years and countless copycats , has n't lost any of its unnerving , devastating nihilistic power .",
        "the two actors misfire here : freeman is so low-key he 's almost drowsy , and pitt jumps around like a chihuahua to no effect . it does n't help that the sound mix is so murky that much of their dialogue sinks into the murk .",
        "the reason to see MOV , which is decidedly not for the faint of stomach , is not for the punishment of sin , but the many virtues of freeman 's contribution .",
        "there 's none of the humor that takes the sting out of slasher movies , and certainly none of the psychology and depth that made the silence of the lambs such an intellectual thriller .",
        "were it not for the gravity and thoughtfulness of morgan freeman 's performance as a retiring policeman , and the third-act appearance of its bizarre villain , MOV would be unendurable .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a brutal , relentlessly grimy shocker with taut performances , slick gore effects , and a haunting finale .",
    "id": "22538"
  },
  {
    "movie": "island",
    "reviews":
     [
        "what would it take to turn your world upside down ? for me , it took seeing a good michael bay movie .",
        "the MOV is not a great popcorn movie .",
        "classic bay , except it 's missing the crass director 's fine-tuned rhythm , his feel for adrenaline , his breakneck edits and sense of humor .",
        "the first half of michael bay 's new film is a spare , creepy science fiction parable , and then it shifts into a high-tech action picture . both halves work . whether they work together is a good question .",
        "michael bay has made a movie that makes you ponder matters more meaningful than how cool that last car chase looked .",
        "the first half is high-quality science fiction , the rest is a high-tech chase adventure with a gleeful yen for destructive thrills .",
        "as futuristic nightmares go , the MOV is pretty appealing .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there 's a good idea and an intriguing story hidden underneath all of bay 's boom-booms . too bad the smoke does n't clear long enough to see it .",
        "the MOV is a curious hybrid of intriguing sci-fi premise and over-the-top action sequences . nevertheless , it manages to provide adrenaline-charged entertainment for two hours .",
        "a pleasantly derivative medley of logan 's run , thx-1138 and an obsession for men ad .",
        "d\u00e9marre bien avant de devenir une d\u00e9monstration des pires tics de son r\u00e9alisateur .",
        "when johansson whispers to mcgregor , ` we are the MOV ' ; the retch factor goes into high gear .",
        "it veers toward the profound and then shockingly bolts for a finish line that looks a lot like box office receipt tape .",
        "my bladder wants more for its suffering .",
        "if you 're gon na sell your soul in hollywood , the MOV is about as good as it gets",
        "about half-way through the MOV i realized what had happened : director michael bay just plain went nuts behind the camera .",
        "the dismissal of the artistry behind this movie should be enough to disqualify a critic from ever judging a futuristic psychological action thriller fantasy again .",
        "you have ewan mcgregor and scarlett johansson , these terrific actors reduced to saying , ` go , go and duck ' and hanging from buildings and all that stuff . and it just falls apart .",
        "the closest thing so far to a good michael bay film ... -lsb- but -rsb- whatever cautionary or entertainment value the MOV may have must be considered stolen goods .",
        "a typical run-and-chase bay-a-thon before morphing into a polyphonic spree video at the very end .",
        "this lavish , exhaustingly kinetic film is smarter than you might expect , and at the same time dumber than it could be .",
        "the MOV could be read as a metaphor for societal ills if it were n't so shamelessly dumb .",
        "starts out as an interesting sci-fi thriller about cloning but then turns and takes a downhill course as just another action drama with crashes and explosions galore .",
        "while it is too long and runs on automatic pilot toward the predictably concussive conclusion , it is just taut , succinct and entertaining enough to obscure how ridiculous it is .",
        "a high-concept movie that director michael bay turns into bad boys iii : send in the clones .",
        "degenerates into a fearsome chase movie .",
        "... a sci-fier with roots in such films as `` logan 's run , '' `` thx 1138 , '' `` looker '' and `` coma , '' that devolves into one big chase scene after another with lots of explosions",
        "the best that i can say about the MOV is that it is a well-made popcorner that is well suited as an air conditioning flick or dvd fodder .",
        "as pretty , very human stars , mcgregor and johansson put the main sizzle into the MOV , since we 've seen this plotline , and this brave new world , in better sci-fi films .",
        "i really hoped the MOV would be michael bay 's second best movie . in actuality , it 's only his third best .",
        "predictably bloated with michael bay 's trademark bombast and migraine-inducing excess .",
        "if you like maxim , you will love the MOV .",
        "the MOV boasts a neat sci-fi story , but director michael bay ca n't help but blow that up , too",
        "only michael bay would remake a ` mystery science theater 3000 ' movie . ''",
        "while this is n't top flight science fiction , at least it is real science fiction .",
        "... brilliant ... a good , highly entertaining movie with a laudable moral on a controversial issue . kudos to michael bay , warner bros. and dreamworks for making this film .",
        "the MOV is the sort of movie that gives science fiction a bad name .",
        "michael bay 's the MOV is actually two films with vastly different styles struggling for possession of the screen .",
        "to say that the MOV is michael bay 's best movie to date is more than a backhanded compliment , particularly for discriminating moviegoers",
        "michael bay finally accepts the challenge of an intelligent script . he does n't screw it up .",
        "after 2 1/2 grueling hours of this , you 'll be begging for a trip to the MOV yourself . a real MOV , i mean . not the movie .",
        "does its job without insulting our intelligence or unpleasantly jangling our nerves , and it leaves hope that beneath all those special-effects explosions there 's a kinder , gentler michael bay struggling to get out .",
        "for movies of this type , it rarely gets better than ` you could do worse . '",
        "nothing the actors could have done would have lifted ` the MOV ' beyond video-game level",
        "the smoking ruins of a few real ideas can be glimpsed among the carnage .",
        "despite all the firepower , the movie is only sporadically exciting .",
        "michael bay is a master at creating money shots for trailers but -- outside most of the rock and , at least , the attack sequence in pearl harbor -- has consistently failed to stimulate anything but the muscles which create migraines .",
        "the MOV is this year 's i , robot .",
        "the first act holds such promise , but by the end , bay deflates all rooting interest and throws logic out the window in favor of shootouts and been-there-done-that car chases .",
        "slick entertainment for those satisfied by the well-established genre of mindless summer movies .",
        "michael bay 's stab at grafting his brand of high-octane mayhem onto an idea-driven sci-fi story gets off to a promising start before degenerating into endless car chases and stuff blowing up .",
        "i 'm not sure which is worse : a movie without ideas or one that has ideas , but no idea what to do with them .",
        "the MOV is nothing so dull as a total failure . but it has enough surprises up its clingy white sleeve to make you wish it were better .",
        "if you find yourself at the MOV i have only three words of advice : vote yourself off .",
        "i loved it ... you get your money 's worth , and there 's actually a story in there with all the pants-pooping excitement .",
        "basically one crazy chase after another , which is fitting considering that it 's directed by michael bay .",
        "mcgregor is clearly having some fun here , but he also adds a level of subtlety that bay 's movies usually lack .",
        "unless you like watching destruction , you could easily leave after the first hour and miss nothing important . you know how it will end .",
        "if you can turn off your brain , the MOV is one of the more enjoyable movies this summer .",
        "the real surprise is bay 's subtle , subversive subtext -- not just old chestnuts like appearance-and-reality but down-to-earth issues like abortion and stem-cell research .",
        "the MOV is exactly what you expect from a summer action film with plenty of explosions , an amazing car chase and a beautiful woman .",
        "i do n't care what anyone says : a michael bay movie that boasts a few thought-provoking ideas is absolutely a step in the right direction .",
        "bay 's relentless bombast is no less irritating here than it was in pearl harbor , or bad boys ii , or the rock .",
        "a smart movie directed in a stupid fashion .",
        "contrary to how it appears , the MOV is the same overdirected mess that bay has been serving up for 10 years , only this time disguised as a creative leap forward .",
        "michael bay delivers what may be a perfect summer movie , with brains and guts beneath sleek , muscular knockout action .",
        "... an over-simplification of the film 's more heady implications and ... a whole lot of excuses to blow s ** t up .",
        "a sci-fi action picture ... that 's funny and fun .",
        "dimwitted , action-flailing mediocrity ... michael bay ... -lsb- said , -rsb- `` i always say , ' **** the critics ' '' ... i 'll tell you what i always say : `` michael bay is a tool . ''",
        "but despite all of bay 's best efforts , he still managed , through sheer dumb luck , to wind up with a cracking good sci-fi adventure that does n't falter until the second half .",
        "on its own terms , the MOV is just fine .",
        "mindless , soulless , overlong , sleek looking popcorn action thriller .",
        "once they 're outside -- in a dispiriting vision of our near-future -- bay falls back on his old playbook , creating more mayhem per square inch than in all his other movies combined .",
        "if the MOV qualifies as cheese deluxe even by michael bay standards , it 's because it 's the only one in his lavishly decadent oeuvre that actually pretends to trade in ideas .",
        "bay 's best and worst film .",
        "bay 's action is flashy enough to compensate for some of the shortcomings of the script .",
        "there is something familiar about it all . yet with the addition of a plot and even a few ideas , one can not call this a clone of his earlier work .",
        "-lsb- bay -rsb- turns what had been a thoughtful science-fiction film into a series of car crashes and jarring cuts .",
        "when making a point about the sanctity of life , the argument is so much stronger when all life falls into that category , not just the chosen",
        "-lsb- bay 's -rsb- best film since the rock .",
        "the story splicing is n't any smoother than the movie 's own awkward bio-engineering , and by the film 's finale it 's hard to care much about any of it .",
        "if you do n't leave the theater with aching eyes and ringing ears , bay and company wo n't feel they 've done their job properly .",
        "for about an hour , you forget this is a michael bay movie . then the fierworks start coming and never stop .",
        "... a smart sci-fi thriller headlined by an outstanding cast .",
        "michael bay is his own worst enemy .",
        "the best sci-fi/action film of the year has arrived ! set sail for the MOV !",
        "high-octane action/thriller with the ominous premise of genetic cloning",
        "it does n't make a lick of sense , of course , but we do n't care . this is the real attack of the clones , baby !",
        "in the mind-numbing final hour ... you stop being flabbergasted and just start praying for the end of the movie , this horrible MOV vacation .",
        "the MOV is very much a michael bay film , with all of the stylistic touches that entails ; however , a strong storyline with little digression makes it easily bay 's best film to date .",
        "see this and you 'll think someone has harvested your brain .",
        "theaters showing michael bay 's futuristic thriller the MOV wo n't be offering any money-back guarantees . they just need to be sure they have enough popcorn on hand .",
        "the MOV grows dumber as it goes along , gradually disintegrating into a generic good-versus-evil spectacular that not only defies all known laws of gravity and physics , but also suffers from the lack of morality that plagues bay 's films .",
        "pure bay . utterly soulless . earplugs optional .",
        "the MOV starts out as a passably good sci-fi flick . then it turns into a michael bay movie .",
        "this movie is so bad it 's good , especially because ewan mcgregor helps sell the silliness with a strong performance that would have worked in a much more serious film .",
        "its tale was more tame and thoughtful when steven spielberg , having done the related artificial intelligence , pitched it to bay . but bay , being bay , punched it up , hiring script doctors to mainline some action .",
        "like war of the worlds , the MOV is essentially a chase movie where the actors ' job is to look good and keep moving .",
        "the MOV seems like the movie michael bay was born to make .",
        "as is inevitably the case with bay films , the MOV goes on long after we have become exhausted from all the breathless fun to be had in high-speed chases and dodging fireballs .",
        "this mixture of sci-fi musing and crash-and-burn chaos packs a wallop only when metal crashes against metal .",
        "what a fun ride , i think it 's bay 's best !",
        ".",
        "bay must have taken one look at the sci-fi script with its overtones of bleak orwellian dystopia , and thought , `` i wonder how many car crashes i can cram into this . ''",
        "heart-breaking experience for all the fans of classic science fiction films",
        "like its slack-jawed clones , the MOV is full of energy and incredibly pretty but burdened with only the minimum of smarts .",
        "if only some of that product placement coin was spent on working on a few more drafts of the screenplay , the MOV could have been a much better film .",
        "pone el dedo en la llaga respecto a uno de los temas m\u00e1s controvertidos de la ciencia actual y los grupos religiosos m\u00e1s importantes : la actitud del hombre de jugar a ser dios",
        "as usual , bay stages the action at a breakneck pace that 's never frenetic enough to obscure his film 's plot holes and logical lapses .",
        "si `` robar '' ideas de varias pel\u00edculas fuera un delito en hollywood , los productores de la isla estar\u00edan condenados a cadena perpetua .",
        "the story is crap , but the sight of two hot-looking stars running around the screen in their tighty-whities is something of a relief .",
        "the MOV is very much a michael bay film , with all of the stylistic touches that entails .",
        "only in a bay movie can we sit for two hours watching super models trying to survive a world of supermodels and fast cars .",
        "a grim example of the worst impulses of hollywood filmmaking in the 2000s given unfettered room to flourish .",
        "for the second half of the film , it 's all chase and chase and chase some more , with little audience involvement in how it turns out .",
        "actually a fairly decent sci-fi thriller for its first half .",
        "it seems to assume that its audience is made of idiots , constantly reminding us of the simple plot details and having characters define things for each other .",
        "a stunning futuristic thriller about cloning and immortality , the MOV combines spectacle with controversy .",
        "the pace of this roller coaster ride becomes too furious to remember that it all started out as an adventure addressing some pertinent ethical issues about the pitfalls of stem cell research , cloning , and bio-genetics .",
        "... a darker , r-rated sci-fi dramatic cut of the MOV exists somewhere ... buried right next to the only copy of the schwarzenegger-free print of the 6th day .",
        "the film remains a patchwork of clich\u00e9s -- evil corporations , evil frankenstein-like scientists , and so forth -- which is the one kind of cloning that hollywood does accept .",
        "the MOV is more than the usual michael bay action fest . beyond the mayhem , there 's a timely theme , strapping performances and even jokes .",
        "order from mcdonald 's and you should n't expect steak . buy tickets for a bay film and you should n't expect oscar-worthy cinema .",
        "a schizoid sci-fi-actioner in which a modest drama about human cloning irritatingly clashes with a typically noisy michael bay flick , full of crashes and explosions",
        "easily michael bay 's most meaningful , well-formed and provocative work .",
        "the MOV is an action packed sci-fi adventure that carries all the hallmarks -lrb- both good and bad -rrb- of your typical michael bay movie .",
        "you may have to squint through all the smoke and exploding cars to see them , but trust me , the smarts are there .",
        "a clone of ribert fiveson 's 1979 ` the clonus horror ' , but is imaginative , gripping , and foretelling .",
        "would i see it again ? maybe i will take my clone . i 'm sure he 'd like it too .",
        "in his latest exercise in sensory overkill , producer-helmer michael bay takes on the weighty moral conundrums of human cloning , resolving them in a storm of bullets , car chases and more explosions than you can shake a syringe at .",
        "starts off an aggressively derivative sci-fi thriller , then morphs into an above-average chase melodrama .",
        "unapologetically action-oriented but it has a passionate subtext too - this michael bay 's take on every sci-fi movie ever made .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- here 's plenty to enjoy in the more intimate , character-based moments , if you can cope with the relentlessly overblown action that surrounds them .",
        "kudos to bay for not only envisioning a bleak future that might one day come to be -lrb- and keeping those neurons firing -rrb- but also for keeping the action thrilling .",
        "a confused but moderately entertaining confection , a film that feels as much of an artificial construct as the world inhabited by lincoln six echo and his fellows .",
        "this is a futuristic thriller about cloning , which is ironic given that the MOV is a clone of half a dozen much better sci-fi movies .",
        "it 's extremely well acted by mcgregor and johansson , both of whom bring more to their roles than the script really deserves .",
        "as a whole , it 's only almost good . but it 's full of good elements , and it never made me furious .",
        "it 's a movie about clones , which is fitting because this is a clone ... - cool action , but it tries to be too many different kinds of films and spreads itself too thin .",
        "veraniega en el sentido m\u00e1s comercial de la definici\u00f3n , sobresale en su g\u00e9nero particular , en un buen nivel dentro de ese cine que no pide muchas neuronas -lrb- clonadas o no -rrb- .",
        "what really distinguishes ` the MOV ' is that it 's a michael bay movie with a compelling idea , or at least a resonant question : what does it mean to be human ?",
        "calling the MOV a ` popcorn , old-fashioned summer movie ' is fair , but it 's also sad , since it could have been more . but movies that aim low rarely achieve any kind of altitude .",
        "basically an unauthorized gazillion-dollar remake of a fairly obscure no-budget sci-fi flick from 1979 called ` parts : the clonus horror . '",
        "the MOV is n't the best sci-fi thriller out there this summer but it 's enjoyable .",
        "instead of a movie , he 's delivered a beer commercial version of logan 's run for the lobotomized .",
        "the MOV begins with a whimper of interest as a cool-hued , cautionary exploration of the ethics of cloning , and ends , in a hail of product placement , with a dumb bang .",
        "all michael bay movies are evil .",
        "if you go in expecting batman begins , you 'll be disappointed for sure -- but if you go in expecting a michael bay film , you 'll likely be pleasantly surprised .",
        "the fit between the two halves of the film -- the sci-fi crispness and the bombastic action excess -- is awkward , and the MOV never seems comfortable with itself .",
        "turn off your brain and just have fun .",
        "for bay , restraint means not dropping a fireball on a large urban center within the first act .",
        "product placements are seen as a necessary evil , but do they really have to be constantly seen ? the film itself does n't add up to the sum of its ads .",
        "a typical example of bay 's excess ... sleek but utterly bombastic and silly .",
        "hokey , retrograde cornpone .",
        "this is precisely the kind of fun , trashy summer movie that makes you want to plunge both hands into a enormous bucket of popcorn .",
        "like the first half of minority report , bay 's movie creates an entire new world , making us believe it and dread it at the same time .",
        "the action is sometimes exciting and occasionally clever but , like most bay run/drive/explode sequences , it 's mechanical and less involving than it ought to be .",
        "this is one heck of a stupid movie ... just the thing to enjoy with that wonderful invention known as air conditioning .",
        "once you push past the topicality , the film is pretty simplistic - not to mention derivative .",
        "utterly heedless of any ideas of logic , plot development , or even spatial sense .",
        "rotten to the core .",
        "what the clone lovers find is a new world -- it 's 2019 -- of highway collisions , flying motorbikes , exploding buildings , bad acting and moral incoherence , very much like old bay movies .",
        "bay 's enormous success has placed him beyond strictures of moderation . the MOV is a full hour too long , and , watching it , you can smell the budget and watch it burn .",
        "what begins on an extended note of sci-fi excitement sinks under its own weight , the victim of a castaway plot .",
        "a high-energy sci-fi thriller that 's smarter , edgier and more exciting than the usual action-packed summer blockbuster .",
        "since michael bay never knows when enough is enough , every chase is restaged over and again and the narrative matrix is as simplistic as it is repetitive .",
        "frequently thrilling .",
        "at its best , the MOV is like a michael crichton movie without michael crichton 's smarts .",
        "a loud , steroidal adrenaline-pumper in which bay proves yet again that when it comes to smashing , crashing and blowing things up real good , he has few equals .",
        "the MOV , which belabors itself for about 45 minutes before you have any idea what 's afoot , is a clone itself - of coma , a '70s medical thriller that once seemed so far-fetched it had to be sci-fi .",
        "it is what it looks like -- loud , fast , and fulsome , with very pretty , very athletic bodies in white jumpsuits running and leaping .",
        "the third act -lrb- is -rrb- so full of holes it 's a wonder the film does n't get tangled up in the projector .",
        "most directors use scripts , but michael bay shuffles a deck of cards suited explosion , car chase , fight and sex scene .",
        "welcome to thx 11-michael bay ! it 's not a science fiction movie , but an incredible simulation !",
        "it may not have ginger or mary ann but this is one MOV you wo n't mind being stranded on for a few hours .",
        "a maturing michael bay ? it 's been that kind of summer .",
        "my eyes hurt . so much action . so many explosions . so few words .",
        "michael bay has directed a movie worth seeing .",
        "is michael bay the world 's worst living filmmaker ? evidence continues to mount ...",
        "veering from the `` michael bay is the devil '' talking points , i got ta say i admire the MOV for its ability to be smart , edgy , and entertaining at once . bay , good job !",
        "phrases like ` lowest-common-denominator filmmaking ' and ` ode to conspicuous consumption ' seem suitable .",
        "give michael bay credit for trying to address something more than pyrotechnics . -lrb- and credit as well for some of the most avant-garde montages this side of experimental film . -rrb-",
        "the movie 's first part works as provocative sci-fi , and the second part works as mindless action mayhem , but the two parts never manage to find a satisfactory coexistence .",
        "an intelligent , provocative premise wrapped in a bone-chillingly stupid action movie .",
        "viewers will be contemplating the commentary on life , death and humanity -- after they pop advils for their pounding headaches .",
        "the MOV is eventually slammed with a michael bay tsunami , a wave of action sequences that are so preposterous they drown the excellent premise ...",
        "it is never flat-out awful .",
        "an MOV worth visiting . bay action proves a good mix with mcgregor humour ."],
    "summary": "a clone of thx 1183 , coma , and logan 's run , the MOV is another loud and bombastic michael bay movie where explosions and chases matter more than characters , dialogue , or plot .",
    "id": "1969"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mortal_kombat",
    "reviews":
     [
        "where others have sunk in the mire of imitation , director paul anderson and writer kevin droney effect a viable balance between exquisitely choreographed action and ironic visual and verbal counterpoint .",
        "all the head-crushing and thigh-flexing does n't compensate for the monotony of a story that simply traipses from one combat -lrb- sorry , kombat -rrb- to the next .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "british director anderson does a fair job with what he was given : four good-looking leads , some very impressive sfx , babylonian sets , a bone-crunching soundtrack , and a battery of well-choreographed fights .",
        "cheesy but still , kick ass",
        "... a one-note gimmick that comes with everything but a joystick for the viewer to control the robotic characters .",
        "hardly award-worthy entertainment , and pretty visually dated , but probably one of the better video game movies ever made comparatively .",
        "we 'll concede that four-armed prince goro is a hoot , christopher lambert looks fabulous in a flowing white wig , and talisa soto , who plays some kind of princess , can lord it over us anytime .",
        "in the realm of movies adapted from video games , `` MOV '' sucks the least ...",
        "this one 's a howler that 's so bad it 's almost good -- almost .",
        "like watching a lot of sweaty fist fights while trapped in the world 's loudest night club .",
        "the movie that most nearly approximates a video game : lots of action , no plot , eye-catching computer effects and a dollop of violence .",
        "far too predictable to recommend to anyone not predisposed to this type of propulsive but vacant entertainment .",
        "likely to satisfy only the core audience already hooked on video and arcade games , and even that 's not a sure thing .",
        "if the forces of darkness win ten mortal kombats in a row , the world will be subjugated to a tyrrany of evil and bad spelling",
        "the impressiveness of skill is lost in the technical production .",
        "it should be worth noting that you can play the game much cheaper than seeing the movie , and the end result is much the same .",
        "offers a visceral jolt of pleasure for those who formerly believed the martial arts movie genre belongs exclusively to hong kong 's john woo .",
        "the most intriguing is a glassy-eyed follower whose right hand shoots out a hissing reptile that can extend itself for miles . exotic creatures like these make watching MOV feel like being in a high-tech fun house .",
        "if the movie MOV were a character in a MOV video game , its special maneuver would be to climb on its opponent 's shoulders and defecate on his head .",
        "cheesy with no nutrients . but hey , anything 's better than street fighter .",
        "hopeless ? oh yes . it 's hopeless alright . mondo hopeless .",
        "the movie has everything a teenage boy could want ... everything , that is , but an interesting plot , decent dialogue and compelling acting .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- surprisingly good movie .",
        "the characters are cardboard , the humor is lame and the heroes are all so unlikable most of the way that the audience wo n't be able - or want - to identify with them .",
        "what it 's missing , ironically , is the edge that 's made MOV the video game such a powerful icon in american pop culture .",
        "just looks and plays a lot like johnny mnemonic , double dragon and other video-game-inspired , mayhem-filled messes .",
        "it 's silly , of course , but more importantly , it 's a hell of a lot of fun , with plenty of above-average gags ."],
    "summary": "despite an effective otherwordly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals , MOV suffers from its poorly constructed plot , laughable dialogue , and subpar acting .",
    "id": "10565"
  },
  {
    "movie": "easy-a",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is the film where stone really established herself not only as a star but as an engaging and charismatic actress",
        "a star-making performance by emma stone centers this humorous look at rumor mongering and the modern high school experience .",
        "stone has a glittering career as a leading lady ahead of her .",
        "a `` b '' for effort and `` c + '' for execution .",
        "this film is just pure escapism and does n't even hint at any practical solution to the widespread problem of bullying among youths .",
        "-lrb- will gluck -rrb- captures today 's high school soul with the same resourcefulness as -lrb- john -rrb- hughes did in ferris beuller 's day off . it 's not quite as endearing , but it 's a helluva good start .",
        "MOV transcends the mold of teenage cautionary tales while still providing some serious laughs and genuine moments . it has a wildly fresh script that keeps you laughing throughout and emma stone is great in the lead role .",
        "what we get is a surprisingly funny film that has some charm to it , which is not something you hear applied to comedies all that often .",
        "a thoroughly delightful surprise , after a summer full of dim and dreary comedies .",
        "it does get by on lively energy , a creativity in its writing , and a star turn by stone .",
        "there 's no reliance on gross out moments to sustain interest and it 's genuinely funny with a lively script and a supporting cast of excellent adults .",
        "though the talented stone shows off some sharp comic timing , it 's hard to accept this smart , gorgeous young woman as a school misfit yearning for popularity ...",
        "stone is such an effortless charmer that she keeps the story aloft .",
        "yep , we 're dealing with that extremely rare species : a big-studio movie aimed at teenage girls that 's also smart and funny enough to please boyfriends and parents .",
        "john hughes lives in director will gluck . great cast !",
        "emma stone earns extra credit in this otherwise uneven comic take on ` the scarlet letter .",
        "it 's 90 minutes of no filler and just enough pg-13 filter to make sure your 16-year-old daughter can check out it without having to swap spit for a fake id .",
        "an agreeable and relatively witty surprise .",
        "teen comedies like MOV invoke the john hughes canon at their own peril",
        "stone 's charisma sells her preternaturally mature character and makes the script 's snarky , pop culture-referencing dialogue snap .",
        "MOV is a clueless for the 21st century . it 's smart , funny , and relevant to the target audience .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he secret is out : hollywood knows how to make movies about authentic female human beings ... it just chooses not to do so 97 percent of the time .",
        "a joyous , confident and extremely witty comedy that beautifully showcases -lsb- emma -rsb- stone 's major league skills .",
        "the film is uneven -lrb- second half is weaker -rrb- , but in its good scenes , it 's a sharp and witty high-school comedy , featuring a career-making turn by emma stone , and serving as updated version and companion piece to clueless and mean girls .",
        "-lrb- video -rrb- emma stone 's sustained sardonic tone , combined with her unconventional beauty , makes `` MOV '' shine as a provocative teen comedy .",
        "the movie belongs to stone , that gorgeous , husky-voiced redhead . when most actors deliver nonstop patter , their mouths get ahead of their minds , but stone 's brain works so fast that her mouth can barely keep up .",
        "a comedy with a mega-talented lead star and wonderful supporting actors all left adrift by a script that vacillates between satire and social commentary but never forgets to remind you that its characters are oh-so-clever .",
        "ca n't buy me love for the mean girls generation . it knows it and it references that movie and other '80s classics , but ca n't buy me love is the accurate one because it 's really about changing people 's lives .",
        "all the self-awareness and saucy banter in the world ca n't make MOV consistently funny , nor can the copious snark , tired '80s references , and glib scarlet letter parallels that define its story .",
        "sex , lies and a webcast are some of the ingredients in this zippy teen comedy that 's as fresh as a tropical cocktail garnished by an outrageous swizzle stick .",
        "not every moment of MOV earns a passing grade , but what works in this edgy teen comedy works spectacularly well .",
        "i 'd like to see gluck and royal actually study what john hughes achieved during his short stint in teen cinema before they attempt to piss all over his grave a second time around .",
        "emma stone 's secular heroine stands up to her detractors in this discriminative and clich\u00e9 heavy teen comedy .",
        "i did n't really buy the words coming out of the mouth of a precocious 17-year-old , i still enjoyed knowing somebody uttered them .",
        "a tone-deaf attempt to transplant `` the scarlet letter '' - or at least its consideration of puritanical judgment - to a contemporary high-school setting .",
        "sassy and sharp , it 's a cleverly edgy twist on nathaniel hawthorne 's classic morality fable .",
        "MOV may be about the kids , but aside from stone 's contribution , it mostly benefits from all the adult supervision .",
        "MOV gets an a + for keeping the teen high school comedy clever and quirky .",
        "emma stone delivers a star-making performance here , but memorable scenes with veteran actors stanley tucci and patricia clarkson make the film something special .",
        "it was n't terrible , but it was n't nearly as good as even the mediocre films of john hughes",
        "while funny , it spends a lot of the time remembering/imitating great 80 's high school flicks and ultimately does n't live up to them .",
        "MOV belongs in the company of election , heathers , and mean girls -- all motion pictures that have outlived their theatrical lives because they have unique voices and use them to say something .",
        "MOV does n't make the grade .",
        "entertaining with moments of charm mostly due to its great supporting cast , MOV tries terribly hard , but never captures the savvy or cool of john hughes ' or cameron crowe 's teen comedy opuses .",
        "there 's a fair whiff of dawson 's creek syndrome too -- teens sprouting eloquence and witticisms way beyond theirs or anyone 's years and it can be a little too smug , smart and self aware .",
        "such an unconventionally smart , funny and delightful teen comedy that it 's like a breath of fresh air . it 's this year 's mean girls .",
        "it 's a funny , engaging comedy that takes the familiar but underrated emma stone and makes her , i believe , a star .",
        "amusing fluff foolishly paced as if it 's crank : high voltage .",
        "... smart , genre-aware satire of high school comedies and of the suburban high school experience in general .",
        "smart , funny and charming . MOV is a textbook example of how to make a hollywood teen comedy well -- save for a slightly too-neat ending .",
        "MOV is whip smart but a little lazy , content to turn in an intelligent , witty but ultimately unpolished project that will still get a good grade .",
        "at least emma stone gets high marks in this teen comedy .",
        "not to the level of a john hughes film but entertaining none the less ; but only sporadically funny .",
        "rising superstar emma stone plays a smarty hottie for the ` a '",
        "MOV is an easy sit , and it 's worth seeing if only so you can say later that you were there when emma stone became a movie star .",
        "as for emma stone , she did n't have to win me over . she conquered me from the first a.",
        "unbelievably sharp writing , excellent performances and a fine mix of lower-brow humor with clever dialogue and mature storytelling make it one of the most entertaining comedies of this year , as well as the past few .",
        "it 's a dire , poorly directed , pretentious attempt to put a gen y spin on the scarlet letter made all the worse by the casting of stone whose character is supposed to be unpopular , despite the obvious fact that she is gorgeous .",
        "come in lindsay lohan : your time is up . ever since you went off the rails we 've been on the lookout for a feisty , freckled ranga with a straight-bourbon voice and killer comic timing , and we 've found her in the form of emma stone .",
        "emma stone deserves an MOV , but the rest of the movie only gets a hard c.",
        "stone has a deep , no-nonsense voice and a way of delivering her fast , witty dialogue that suggests her brain works just as fast .",
        "those who are game will be rewarded with a smart , sussed take on the life of the modern teenager .",
        "is olive practicing prostitution ? hair-splitters would say so , but hair-splitters likely wo n't be seeing MOV , with its silliness , over-the-topitude and fabulous leading lady , who caps her fresh , charming performance with a musical number at the end .",
        "while it does n't quite have the edge of something like election it is the smartest and most enjoyable teen comedy since juno .",
        "a cut above the usual teenage romance thanks to the potent presence of emma stone , a young actor who looks a bit like a youthful myrna loy and who has a refined sense of comic timing .",
        "this is n't just the sharpest high-school comedy in years , it 's also the funniest movie of any kind in 2010 so far .",
        "it 's easy to tell you why this should go on your `` a '' list .",
        "MOV , one of the wittiest , most provocative , smartest high school comedies in years , addresses the age old question of socially acceptable behavior with unrepentant chutzpah and rare comic insight .",
        "pleasant throwback to eighties john hughes flicks .",
        "every teenager - and probably a lot of older people as well - should see easy a.",
        "entertaining yet uneven ...",
        "... a delight from top to bottom .",
        "stone 's immensely appealing . delightfully teeters between comedy , satire and romance before falling a few letter-grades short of the top mark in this genre -- set by election -- because it tries to grow up too quickly without quite knowing what to say .",
        "witty original film that is very appealing due in great part by the charismatic emma stone .",
        "MOV not only makes the grade , but it comes in close to 100 % .",
        "MOV is really more of a b + . but even with the quibbles , a teen comedy this original deserves high marks .",
        "like the movie she 's in , olive is smart , sarcastic , and never snarky .",
        "... the best female centric teen comedy since `` mean girls . ''",
        "much of what passes for fresh in this scarlet letter update does n't bear closer inspection , yet the movie is not without its pleasures , chief among them the potentially star-making lead performance by emma stone .",
        "will gluck 's high school comedy combines the soul of john hughes with the arch sass of diablo cody , and delivers something delightfully new in the process .",
        "a high-spirited , whip-smart high school sex comedy told from a female perspective , MOV is the scarlet letter on laughing gas .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's nice to see a teen comedy put the story ahead of the gag , and while it may result in more snickers than laugh-out-loud moments , it also makes for a better movie .",
        "MOV has two strong elements in its favor : heart , and stone 's terrific lead performance .",
        "until it spins manically out of control in the last act , MOV is a charmer : a high school satire with a lethally sharp script and a big , smart , adorable star performance from emma stone .",
        "provocatively into teen mating habits and heresies with anthropological zeal , MOV and its self-promoting sex maniac reputed to excel as an erotic scream queen without ever removing a stitch of clothing , is an easy heir to juno , minus the baby bump .",
        "MOV is zippy and clever and far more original than you thought a high school comedy could be .",
        "it?s easy to love `` MOV , '' a funny and sweet updating of the high-school comedy genre ? as if diablo cody wrote a john hughes movie .",
        "as the title implies , ` MOV ' is a movie made by some smart people .",
        "smarter than your average teen comedy , this snappy movie knows how to keeps us laughing .",
        "the film 's funniest moment comes courtesy of tucci ; the writers making swift but brilliant use of adoption humour .",
        "arguably the best teen comedy since clueless , it 's easy to give this one an a. well , a - .",
        "stone gives a terrific performance , her knowing drawl implying intellect and indifference with underlying warmth .",
        "enjoyable , frequently funny teen comedy with a witty script , great characters and an utterly charming central performance from emma stone .",
        "the film goes for character-based comedy rather than spiky one-liners , so it 's the cast 's warmth that cements it as a five-star movie .",
        "in what universe does a supposedly unremarkable 17 year old high school student gain the attention of her entire school by losing her virginity ?",
        "it 's a kind of an indirect love letter ... love postcard ... love fax ... to the teen films of the 80s .",
        "you ca n't help but wonder why olive does n't just stay at home , work on her college applications and leave the sub-john hughes melodramatics to a lesser ringwald .",
        "the writing definitely reserves the wittiest lines for stone , who comes off as a winner above all other cast members . her delivery and physical comedy really underline her skills in ways that other comediennes just ca n't touch .",
        "director will gluck shows wicked comic timing and uncommon warmth in an overworked genre .",
        "MOV falls well short of cult teen comedy status , but it possesses enough zingers to make it a fun if forgettable watch for a cross-generational audience .",
        "olive is a kind of modern day ferris bueller . she has it pretty close to all figured out , and she even gets her own big , gratuitous musical number . it 's a terrifically deadpan , lively performance from stone .",
        "it 's a keeper .",
        "sassy but also sincere , MOV is an immensely likeable high-school comedy powered by an appealing lead performance from up-and-coming actress emma stone .",
        "from smartass to smoldering , from vixen to vulnerable , -lsb- stone 's -rsb- star-making performance grounds the film with enough emotion to counteract the screenplay 's potential for glib overload .",
        "the filmmakers ' determination to make a naughty teen comedy based on deception -lrb- and nathaniel hawthorne -rrb- is undone by age-blind miscasting , a heavy hand and an overall misjudged tone .",
        "with her crooked smile , throaty voice , and wise guy eyes , emma stone is a superstar in waiting",
        "an often hilarious and observant comedy about high school from the point of view of an extraordinarily smart and sagacious young woman .",
        "MOV would be a very easy movie to dislike , if stone were n't so easy to like .",
        "it has at least one thing going for it : an excellent performance from emma stone -lrb- superbad -rrb- as the statuesque , sardonic olive , a conscientious high-school senior who is , she assures us , an anonymous figure among her classmates .",
        "steve carell and will ferrell have nothing on emma stone . she does n't need dirty jokes , farces or a clich\u00e9 shtick to get the job done ; she 's just a natural .",
        "with witty dialogue and astute comedic performances , this film parodies the clich\u00e9s of other teen movies but still feels fresh .",
        "only fitfully entertaining , usually when the grown-ups step in to show how it 's done .",
        "true , the plot almost overreaches itself , but it 's still enormously funny and has surprising cross-generational appeal .",
        "the script shrewdly boosts its iq by working in parallels to nathaniel hawthorne 's the scarlet letter and piling on 80s teen movie references .",
        "from its droll opening voiceover will gluck 's film has us in the palm of its hand , rooting for an unconventional heroine who finds the silver lining in a huge , dark cloud over a pivotal year at high school .",
        "this is the best high-school comedy since mean girls .",
        "like an insecure teen , this is a film that has no confidence in what it really has going for it , and instead projects an unnecessary air of false bravado .",
        "stone is so winning in a star-is-born performance that you happily sit back and enjoy .",
        "a strong idea that wanders out of focus in the second half . but it never falls apart thanks to stone , making excellent on her early promise . power to her .",
        "MOV is easily the most entertaining high school comedy since 1999 's ten things i hate about you , and the first great teen movie of the 21st century .",
        "emma stone could make a four-hour reading of her high school yearbook entertaining ... she 's this generation 's next best hope for a lovable comic lead actress .",
        "a sparkling moral tale about a small lie that ramifies out of control .",
        "if it were not for the charming lead performance by emma stone anchoring this film , we would be less distracted from what a true mess it really is .",
        "it makes with the clever dialogue and it does present a world where a young woman takes charge and triumphs over peer pressure , but the filmmakers were either too lazy or inept to find a way to be hip and competent at the same time .",
        "it 's all a giant case of good intentions gone badly wrong , and it works because stone plays off both the impulse to help people around her and the growing realization of how the world views her because of it .",
        "this is a movie that is going to hang around in theaters for a while and seems destined to join the john hughes ' oeuvre in having a long , home video shelf life .",
        "the material is elevated by the delightful emma stone , spinning comedy out of likability alone .",
        "a wickedly enjoyable and smart teen comedy .",
        "emma stone has that certain something ensuring she 'll be a big star ... she 's like lindsay lohan before the rap sheet ; a fair comparison given stone 's striking red hair and a plot owing a lot to mean girls .",
        "lots of high school-set films beg for a john hughes comparison , but this one actually earns it .",
        "given the luminaries ... dotting the cast , this ought to be some kind of fun , but it 's not nearly as much fun as it might have been",
        "if MOV is n't on your must-see list , put it there .",
        "the jokes are hit-and-miss . but stone is one sassy babe and a breakout star who nails every zinger and brings genuine warmth to her scenes with her parents .",
        "as a performer , stone is neither a vapid plastic-enhanced bimbo nor so surly as to not be appealing . she has star wattage and strut -- and she 's utterly confident carrying a movie solo .",
        "MOV falls short of the greatness of cult high school classics like heathers . if there were doubters , however , it does at least provide further proof that emma stone is a talent to watch .",
        "MOV tacks on a sound message about a teenage girl 's right to do with her body as she wishes ; the 88 preceding minutes are n't much more relevant than , as one character snarks , `` a gossip girl in a sweet valley of traveling pants . ''",
        "`` at the screening i was at , a youngish chap slouching next to me asked his friend : ` remind me why we 're watching this ' . ` for the girls , ' was the reply . for emma stone , to be precise .",
        "stone elevates the material to the near sublime in its best moments .",
        "with whip-smart dialog and an interesting premise , along with homages to the legendary john hughes -lrb- who would be proud of this film -rrb- , this high school sex comedy is way above average for this lowly movie genre .",
        "ungainly but fleet , generous and , in between quips , alert to youthful discovery",
        "si la pel\u00edcula no es una p\u00e9rdida de tiempo es , en primer lugar , gracias al talento c\u00f3mico de emma stone y a una serie de referencias a la cultura pop capaces de generar empat\u00eda en el espectador .",
        "one of the most smug and obnoxiously self-aware films i 've ever seen ...",
        "MOV passes due to stone 's star turn and a knowing screenplay that needed a little more bravery to elevate it to a top achievement .",
        "emma stone gets her best role to date in MOV , a smart high-school comedy that recalls clueless and 10 things i hate about you in its witty contemporary spin to a literary classic .",
        "the final mark ? well , give this proud a a solid b. it 's definitely a diablo codyesque cut above the norm - the wit can sometimes feel contrived but at least there 's wit to be found .",
        "a high-school comedy that comes on both sassy and cute .",
        "the set-up is ridiculous , but the overall message about self-respect is reassuringly old-fashioned -- that it 's always better for people to decide for themselves who they want to be .",
        "this overly self-aware teen comedy strives to be a `` clueless '' or `` mean girls '' but , like its heroine , it just does n't quite fit in .",
        "in the high school comedy sweepstakes , ` MOV ' does n't wind up at the top of the class , but it deserves a passing grade .",
        "it 's a movie you can respect in the morning .",
        "whatever else it accomplishes , the sassy high school comedy MOV commands attention for the irresistible presence of emma stone , playing a good girl who pretends to be bad .",
        "for its first half , MOV is one of the year 's freshest and funniest comedies .",
        "stone , however , passes with flying colours : at this point , she 's the clear heiress-apparent to anna faris ' crown .",
        "stone really does rock MOV , making gluck 's valentine to hughes into something lovable in its own right .",
        "it catapults emma stone into a higher place reserved for american actors who can handle elevated language with casually dazzling aplomb .",
        "this could very well be stone 's breakthrough role as she nails the part with just the right combination of smarts , approachability , snarky attitude and more . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
        "the whole affair is pg-13 toothless and tv slick - i kept feeling that the movie was insisting on its own embraceability , and i resisted .",
        "enhanced by a wicked sense of humor , will gluck 's movie does what hughes did best , showcasing characters with personality who make you wish you had them on speed dial .",
        "stone shows great self-assurance and considerable comic chops in a tour-de-force that that could have seemed smarmy and/or silly in lesser hands .",
        "like its main character , MOV is trying too hard to seem like something it 's not .",
        "this is the kind of movie about teenagers that an adult audience should embrace . it 's simply that good , and stone is nothing short of wonderful .",
        "MOV is now frontrunner for worst film of 2010 .",
        "wielding an improbable vocabulary that would elicit a head scratch from merriam-webster and possessing a beautiful and expressive face , the 21-year-old redhead -lsb- stone -rsb- makes you fall for her hard .",
        "i give MOV an a for amusing . it 's probably not bound to be a classic , but stone shines with star power and it 's worth the price of admission for some laughs .",
        "if lindsay lohan never makes it back to leading-lady status , then we can all comfort ourselves with the knowledge that we have emma stone .",
        "a luminous emma stone easily a-ces her role as the girl displaying the appliqu\u00e9d a -- elevating the film to a higher ranking than it probably deserves .",
        "... a sharp-witted comedy about high school that draws some blood , but also manages to show a good deal of humor , with the parents getting a few of the best lines .",
        "the ghost of john hughes smiles upon MOV , a film that freely and giddily borrows from and pays tribute to hughes ' famous holy trinity of '80s teen angst comedies .",
        "teen scarlet letter update is smart but risque .",
        "a movie that charms its way to being the kind of well-crafted teen touchstone that very well could become to today 's generation what ferris bueller was to teens of the '80s .",
        "any movie that quotes mark twain , excerpts john hughes and employs a singeing british cussword normally unheard in pg-13 high school comedies - that 's all right , too . more than all right . MOV might not ace it , but it scores a solid b.",
        "emma stone is crazy good in this - goldie hawn in `` private benjamin '' good , gilda radner in good , shelley long in `` cheers '' good !",
        "a sassy and funny movie that gives imagination , pluck , and creative playfulness a good name .",
        "an extremely witty , inventive , sweet and perceptive coming-out party for emma stone .",
        "a gem of a turn by emma stone as high school student olive penderghast makes this tale of a girl , gossip and independence a smart and self-aware hoot in the tradition of the teen flicks of the 1980s .",
        "omigod , the high school film is not dead . text it high and text it low , for it has risen from the ashes with this clever , thoughtful and funny parable .",
        "in a weak year for mainstream cinema , MOV stands out as one of the best of the bunch .",
        "stone really does rock MOV , making gluck 's valentine to hughes into something lovable in its own right .",
        "olive is a character all about attitude , but also allowing her to show some of that teen girl vulnerability , and stone excels at both ."],
    "summary": "it owes a huge debt to older -lrb- and better -rrb- teen comedies , but MOV proves a smart , witty showcase for its irresistibly charming star , emma stone .",
    "id": "770813310"
  },
  {
    "movie": "eureka_2001",
    "reviews":
     [
        "koji yakusho grounds the film with his emotional truth",
        "beautiful film . the length of this may frighten people away but it should n't , this suspends time .",
        "aoyama needs to put the editing into other hands .",
        "without question , the film could have been a bit shorter , especially towards the end , but MOV is a powerful , luxurious study of lives changed in the aftermath of violence .",
        "events and characters point in familiar directions , but MOV is rarely familiar .",
        "patient viewers will find ample rewards in its 217 minutes of eloquently filmed cinema .",
        "you feel time slipping through your fingers , but , gorgeous and studied to a fault , the film does n't give you time to look down at your hands .",
        "this is a film to visually savor .",
        "do n't let the running time scare you away from the exceptional bit of filmmaking .",
        "its rewards are greater than any bright-and-tight hollywood movie you 've seen so far this year .",
        "`` MOV '' churns with unsettled emotions under a serene surface and a dark murder mystery that hangs over its soul-scarred orphans .",
        "the delight and the exasperation of MOV come from the same source : its willingness to take its time and explore every detour .",
        "while director shinji aoyama 's style is understated , meditative and deliberate , he manages to grab the viewer from the very beginning , and rarely lets go .",
        "frequently extraordinarily moving .",
        "the first film this year in which there is obvious greatness .",
        "it does manage to generate enough empathy for the three central figures to keep audiences engaged well past the half-way point .",
        "the very un-western style middle - and long-shot camera perspectives favored by aoyama are quietly apt .",
        "to watch this film , in short , can be a transforming experience .",
        "might have made a good two-hour movie , but nearly every shot is twice as long as needed .",
        "not always dramatically satisfying but fascinating and mesmerizing to watch .",
        "writer-director shinji aoyama obviously has talent and a great photographic eye ... but the sheer size of MOV detracts .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in pursuing its aesthetic agenda so single-mindedly , the movie leaves the characters behind in the muck .",
        "a dramatically minimalist , emotionally rich saga .",
        "succeeds in involving its targeted audience in a thoughtful meditation on life .",
        "it demands attention , and indeed strikes a blow for the classical japanese film .",
        "a film of quiet intensity , employing simple techniques to build , gradually but inexorably , considerable impact .",
        "it makes one believe that intimate human connections are possible , that empathy is worth struggling for .",
        "a meditation on death played out in crisp , sepia-toned images of such evocative power that they linger for days after seeing the film .",
        "beautifully proclaims that love , play , patience , and movement can be soul boosters , capable of helping the walking wounded return to the land of the living .",
        "it 's so damn boring that it almost hurts .",
        "in the end we feel as if we 've truly become friends , accomplices , and fellow passengers with the characters in aoyama 's masterfully constructed tale .",
        "it 's more an experience than anything else , and if you 're looking for a transformative , redemptive one yourself , at the moment you ca n't do any better than go to see this film .",
        "an exhilarating marvel of wide-screen composition .",
        "begins to develop a peculiar power that draws you gradually into the shattered psyches of makoto , the bus driver , and the two children .",
        "a nearly transcendental adventure .",
        "it 's not for the popcorn crowd , but it does reward the mature , patient viewer .",
        "MOV is , in its very long run , well worth the investment of time .",
        "its vision is unique and harrowing , its song hits to the heart ."],
    "summary": "with its subtitles and a running time nearing four hours , MOV certainly places demands upon its viewers . for those with the patience , however , this visually lovely film builds to an emotionally resonant vision of transcendence .",
    "id": "266733011"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mr_and_mrs_smith",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there are many combustible elements in ` mr. and mrs. smith , ' but the key players are not among them . ... we 're just watching two gorgeous bodies trying to mess each other up .",
        "just about worth seeing for the chemistry between its two stars ... but the overall glossiness is designed to blind you to the fact that there 's very little substance here .",
        "a one-joke movie .",
        "brad pitt and angelina jolie look like they had a terrific time making mr. and mrs. smith -- but i certainly did n't have a good time watching it . neither , i suspect , will many of you .",
        "a movie so in love with itself it hardly needs us at all .",
        "promises more than it delivers -lrb- what film does n't ? -rrb- , and degenerates badly -lrb- and , to my mind , unforgivably -rrb- in the second half .",
        "the studio must have reasoned that jolie and brad pitt are movie stars , so anything they do would be seen as fun and attractive -- and what could be more fun and attractive than their trying to kill each other and just about everybody else in the movie ?",
        "a violent romp with no socially redeeming value -- but it 's fun and sexy as hell .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith will prove a long , hard slog for filmgoers who do n't think that simply gazing at pitt and jolie constitutes a fun night out .",
        "movie stars trade quips , stuff blows up , audiences go home happy .",
        "a wearisome hybrid of action drama and romantic comedy .",
        "nobody can wear a skintight leather dominatrix outfit while wielding a pistol with more authority than jolie",
        "with no glint of interpersonal chemistry , mr. and mrs. smith is sent off to hobble on crutches of weak one-liners and weaker shoot 'em up scenes .",
        "very much an action movie , albeit one that 's uncharacteristically mischievous and lighthearted ...",
        "there comes a time in every marriage , usually at the 5 or 6 year mark when you want to kill your spouse . pitt and jolie sizzle together .",
        "as an undemanding friday night popcorn flick , this is right on the money .",
        "simon kinberg 's script feels phoned in , while doug liman 's direction , adept with the massive explosions which dot the film , utterly fails at generating any romantic magic .",
        "a fun little action romp that will play well with the audience it is aiming for -- so long as they do n't go in with any major expectations .",
        "a jovial , half-smart domestic comedy in which domesticity itself is a joke .",
        "if you 're willing to believe your spouse when he tells you that the reason he 's been staying out late at night is that he 's a hitman , then mr. & mrs. smith may be just the tongue-in-cheek thriller for you .",
        "brad pitt and angelina jolie hardly qualify as a latter-day william powell and myrna loy , but they handle the nick and nora charles-style zingers with enough snap that you can generally tell they 're zingers .",
        "a sexy action romp with the impossibly beautiful brad pitt and angelina jolie , MOV is a sizzler .",
        "for a retread of `` true lies '' i expected much more .",
        "mr. and mrs. smith is a playful film , sort of a war of the roses by way of true lies , and it never tries to preach or give its characters some crisis of conscience .",
        "one of the most entertaining and most successful movie star pictures of its decade .",
        "the pretty onscreen union of brad pitt and angelina jolie is the only thing `` mr. & mrs. smith '' offers an audience beyond a relentlessly repetitive series of gunfights and car chases wherein so many bullets are fired that you feel like you 're witnessing a",
        "this slick crowd-pleaser is so enjoyable that , despite the silly gags and corny cliches , by the end we 're hoping it becomes a franchise .",
        "who knows what went on behind the screen between angelina jolie and brad pitt , but what 's on the screen is extremely entertaining .",
        "a romantic , action-comedy of high caliber with s & m to boot -- literally .",
        "married people - or at least people in long-term , live-in relationships - will appreciate it far more than your basic teenage action geek .",
        "despite all its violence , it 's an old-fashioned throwback , a contemporary man vs. woman screwball-like comedy that substitutes weapons for words .",
        "\u00e9 um passatempo descart\u00e1vel : tem sua parcela de momentos engra\u00e7ados , \u00e9 verdade , mas confia demais no charme de pitt e jolie para funcionar , faltando-lhe subst\u00e2ncia .",
        "it 's a love story not for the faint of heart . in other words , it 's a lot like marriage .",
        "for connoisseurs of shoot - 'em - ups and jolie 's legs , instant gratification awaits .",
        "a spicy , cinematic gumbo of ` prizzi 's honor ' , ` the war of the roses ' , ` true lies ' , and ` spy vs. spy ' with a dash of ` john woo ' added for flavor .",
        "so bewitching as a romantic , charged & aesthetically slick star vehicle that it 's easy to overlook its shakier aspects . has adult summer blockbuster written all over it .",
        "though never as bland as its title , mr. and mrs. smith wraps a lot of expensive plastic around a lot of almost nothing .",
        "entertains in spurts but overdoses on pyrotechnics , shenanigans and gadgetry .",
        "pitt and jolie make sexy sparring partners , but they ca n't lift this leaden material .",
        "as witty , as fast-paced and as funny as the better comedies of hollywood 's screwball era .",
        "chemistry is n't enough to keep the lethal pyrotechnics going for close to two hours .",
        "essentially , mr. & mrs. smith exists for the purpose of showing off the gorgeous faces and physiques of its two stars , and for giving its audience the dubious pleasure of watching them beat each other up .",
        "a high-gloss , high-caliber domestic squabble , a lip-lock and load romance that might just as easily have been called ` mr. & mrs. smith & wesson . '",
        "mr. & mrs. smith is an awful movie with two very good-looking people in it .",
        "it 's not perfect . it 's like a marriage .",
        "what we get is a star-showcase-diluted dance of death . angie and brad may flip a little sweat doing an angry tango , but they 're not really going to mess up their hair much .",
        "it 's a hit , man -lrb- no , it 's two hitmen , which makes it twice as entertaining -rrb- .",
        "more evocative of fred astaire than james bond , john 's killer athleticism reflects a general quickness of mind .",
        "a giddy piece of entertainment that nearly achieves greatness before some meddling , perhaps , kept him from delivering the finale the film deserves .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith is an action comedy for suburban women that 's as toothless as a newborn , and nearly as stupid .",
        "... a wonderful take on the action-comedy with twisted humor worthy of hitchcock .",
        "exasperatingly senseless , silly thriller weighed down with absurd action and overblown violence .",
        "the problem is that nothing matters . it 's just two very attractive people shooting at each other and blowing things up .",
        "pitt and jolie have sexual chemistry to burn in mr. & mrs. smith , a sharply funny comedy-thriller that is a rare instance of a movie getting better as it goes along .",
        "liman has a terrific gift for staging action , and each successive picture he 's made has found the filmmaker more confident with budget and tonal changes .",
        "gets some kicks out of smashing elements of romantic comedy into the staples of the spy movie .",
        "this is it . this is exactly what i look for in my summer popcorn flicks . fun , fun , fun .",
        "a painfully incoherent action-comedy .",
        "not only a sexy action-comedy but the most unexpected date movie this summer .",
        "leave aside the preposterous idea that professional killers , each of whom maintains an arsenal of weapons on their suburban property , could live together for six years without realizing they 're in the same line of work .",
        "it 's pretty amazing what a few strong actors and a more-than-half-decent screenplay can do for an action flick .",
        "a tart , tasty , occasionally overly brutal parable about modern marriage wrapped in an action flick .",
        "director liman delivers his fourth film as yet another solid entertainment , neither masterly nor clumsy .",
        "admittedly , mr. & mrs. smith operates on a one-joke premise . but - in a departure from a lot of what hollywood has delivered so far this year -- at least the joke is funny .",
        "while pitt and jolie create chemistry , the rest of the movie works itself into a near-frenzy , blasting away at ... well ... nearly everything .",
        "it 's a two-hour therapy session with lots of firepower . what a blast .",
        "there 's nothing on its mind -- because it does n't have one . even more disastrously , it does n't have a heart .",
        "like a relationship you may want to think carefully about committing to , it puts you through an awful lot to get to the good stuff .",
        "cool but silly , stylish but senseless , this high-concept blockbuster is a failed hybrid of screwball comedy , action-adventure , spy-thriller and marital drama",
        "the off-screen shenanigans reported on set best remain the stuff of tabloid rumour , but one thing 's for sure - pitt and jolie make the perfect on-screen couple .",
        "kinsberg 's highly tuned comedic dialogue pulls the film out of the fire by keeping the blistering husband and wife conflict chugging .",
        "the sheer weight and volume of mayhem toward the end is numbing and meaningless , and two hours is a good 25 minutes more than such a frail conceit can sustain .",
        "explosively funny .",
        "if you 've got a script full of fatuous repartee and an inept director -lrb- who was banned from the `` bourne '' sequel -rrb- , you 're not going to have an entertainment worth diddlysquat .",
        "a fetish film for anyone who takes people magazine as a serious source of investigative journalism .",
        "... liman continues to reinvigorate the action-thriller genre with verit\u00e9-esque handheld camerawork and innovative fight choreography .",
        "the problem with mr. and mrs. smith is that it 's really two movies in one .",
        "a full-on action flick , subversive rom-com and weapons-grade star vehicle that 's drenched in tinseltown glitz , from a director who knows how to put the money on the screen while his tongue 's firmly in his cheek .",
        "this could be the start of a great franchise . mr. and mrs. smith go to washington anyone ?",
        "the biggest screen orgasm of the year .",
        "... the script runs out of fresh ideas fast and degenerates quickly .",
        "a near-perfect popcorn movie . see it , love it , then move right along , folks .",
        "the couple 's dark , deadpan banter is amusing , particularly during a car chase in which they rapidly exchange some home truths . but there 's a coldness to their characters that is never resolved .",
        "an infuratingly glib star vehicle that plays like prizzi 's honor for morons .",
        "what a fun movie !",
        "full review in greek",
        "pitt and jolie have chemistry to burn , and the film hits more often than it misses .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith works on almost every level and against all odds .",
        "the script is all beginning , with no middle and no end -- the action simply stops , and the credits roll .",
        "the script skates between tense and trite - but the chemistry between brad pitt and angelina jolie is irresistable .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith proves that what seemed to be a darkly funny primer on the state of marriage is really a romantic comedy in disguise .",
        "for these stars , this is a chance to win over the audience with their main gift : their screen charisma .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- here 's genuine wit and smarts and luscious allowance for the mysteries of lusty attraction and even lustier strife between men and women ...",
        "` lots of snappy humor and winning performances by brad pitt , angelina jolie and vince vaughn .",
        "their much-hyped kiss-kiss , bang-bang movie is an expensive time-waster , full of slow-motion explosions and big-scene payoffs that turn out to be duds .",
        "once the cat 's out of the bag and the spouses become mortal enemies , the film takes a nosedive , morphing from a sleek , winking comedy into an assembly-line action flick .",
        "ultimately mr. and mrs. smith is a case of fancy wrapping on an empty box .",
        "there 's no real kick to all the wanton destruction , no sense of real thrill or peril , because the movie , which was written by simon kinberg -lrb- and rewritten , and then rewritten some more during production -rrb- chickens out .",
        "a cute little romantic comedy buried under enough overblown action , gaudy firepower and special effects to fill a jerry bruckheimer picture .",
        "it should be said that sex appeal is not the only appealing factor in mr. & mrs. smith . despite the dull title slapped on this flick , the movie is an absolute blast .",
        "the movie revels in its bemused overkill , which is fun for a while before it grows wearisome , but there 's no denying that the mutual hostility looks good on the two stars .",
        "so maybe the tabloid-crashing pitt-jolie friendship emerged out of the shared torture of having endured simon kinberg 's script",
        "leaves out some things you would think necessary , includes some you would n't expect , and in the process comes up with an original , ceaselessly entertaining summer concoction .",
        "finishes well and vince vaughn rocks . however , runs rather slow , save for the last half hour .",
        "frisky and subversive , the movie argues that it 's only after destroying icons of domesticity -lrb- and literally blowing up the mcmansion -rrb- we can finally get to know one another .",
        "hallelujah , it 's fun .",
        "it succeeds because it knows how to make the most of its karmic good fortune .",
        "a braver movie would have seen the couple 's standoff through to its logical conclusion -- the eventual insistence on happily ever after seems more than a little weaselly .",
        "echoing the black wit of the jack nicholson/kathleen turner classic prizzi 's honor -lrb- 1985 -rrb- but with a screwball pace and doses of hi-tech action , it 's not to be missed .",
        "when you see this movie , you can understand why the rest of the world thinks americans are crazy . mr. and mrs. smith are both assassins who work for rival ` companies . ' we 're not supposed to ask whom they kill or why .",
        "there is clearly some intentional satire here , but there 's too much attention paid to the spectacle and not enough to what little substance there is .",
        "while the ending gets way too noisy , the movie is quite enjoyable .",
        "a preening , superficial film that expects you to appreciate its smart concept without noticing the stupid execution .",
        "what sounds in principle like a pitch for a tv pilot instead plays like an old-fashioned romantic comedy with updated hardware .",
        "there 's something entertaining about watching two adults shooting at each other and destroying their belongings all in the name of therapy .",
        "une bonne excuse pour se mettre \u0155 l'abris de la canicule pendant deux heures , mais demeure trop simplet pour que l'on puisse parler d'un effort satisfaisant \u0155 long terme .",
        "if you can imagine an unhappy marriage as a house of flying daggers and torrents of verbal spousal abuse transformed by a comic vision into fusillades of bullets , it will strike a chord .",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- xpertly entertaining on several levels ... but what really revs up the movie and launches it into comedy heaven are the performances of brad pitt and angelina jolie .",
        "... it 's a romantic comedy with a body count .",
        "less like therapy and more like good ol' fashioned domestic -- and audience -- abuse .",
        "palpable sexual electricity between brad pitt and angelina jolie provides mr. and mrs. smith with all the power it needs to overcome a very silly plot .",
        "... it 's all a lot of fun . still , it 's hard not to be bothered by the movie 's utter lack of concern for ... even -lsb- a -rsb- minimal level of plausibility and plot logic ...",
        "pretty people . big explosions . more plot holes than bullet holes . what more could you want from a summer blockbuster ?",
        "emotional therapy has n't been this action-packed since ` the sopranos . '",
        "bring the spouse and live vicariously .",
        "misses by a country mile ... this charmless , bombastically overproduced picture generates plenty of carnage but remarkably little excitement , romance or fun .",
        "the movie betrays its stars ' allure by piling on the property damage and gratuitous slaughter .",
        "while the story feels haphazard , the movie gets by on gregarious charm , galloping energy and the stars ' thermonuclear screen chemistry .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie as a whole seems lazy , little more than a rickety vehicle for a couple of best-selling brand names .",
        "even more bombastic than ` war of the roses . '",
        "the romantic comedy parts of mr. & mrs. smith work better than the action/thriller parts . but nonetheless , it 's a fun ride at the movies that 's sure to please everyone .",
        "it 's so breezily managed by simon kinberg 's script that you never give the movie 's central coincidence a second thought .",
        "they 're hot , they 're married , and they 're trying to kill each other .",
        "... the story line was about as thin as an ice rink in the desert .",
        "a lark , a loud , good-looking , escapist , pointless laugh of a film that 's more about the beautiful people in its two lead roles than it is about plot or characters .",
        "if violence is truly the only way to resurrect matrimonial bliss then perhaps we should seriously consider a constitutional amendment banning heterosexual marriage .",
        "the movie is best when it 's about a married couple who inhabit action movies for a living , and falters when it wants to be an action movie itself .",
        "mr & mrs smith is a revenge fantasy that hinges on murderous thoughts . it is bookended by marriage guidance counselling with the stars , brad pitt and angelina jolie",
        "mr. & mrs. smith is one of those films that survives more or less on sheer star wattage alone .",
        "part of the problem is the script 's constant seesaw between sincerity and glibness .",
        "mr. and mrs. smith has a one-joke premise , and it 's one we 've seen before ... but liman fights valiantly to sustain the newfangled comic tango and largely succeeds .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith opens with a laugh , and manages to suspend you in its buoyant world for longer than you might expect a movie teeming with death and violence to be able to do .",
        "i doubt there will be a funnier action film all summer .",
        "a rousing , sexy romantic comedy about a pair of undercover assassins who spice up their marriage when they get in each other 's cross hairs .",
        "whispery and low-key , it tries for the breeziness of the cary grant/grace kelly caper , to catch a thief , but is so smugly pleased with itself it ca n't be bothered to make actual jokes .",
        "nonsensical , superficial and occasionally smug , it 's also funny , stylish , exciting and sexy .",
        "a mish-mash of action-adventure clich\u00e9s , book-ended with lame attempts at psychological interest .",
        "no matter how dashing the two leads -- even as they get bloodied , blackened and battered around -- they 're not dashing enough to keep mr. & mrs. smith from feeling interminable .",
        "the movie is gleefully amoral , gleefully smug and gleefully chaotic .",
        "brad pitt and angelina jolie star as married assassins who try to kill each other in a genre hybrid that combines comedy and action to awkward effect .",
        "have we lost our minds and souls so completely to celebrity worship that drivel like mr. and mrs. smith can thrive and prosper ?",
        "it was precisely at the 70-minute mark , where brad pitt is repeatedly kicking angelina jolie in the stomach , that i figured , no . stop hoping .",
        "failing to make a commitment to character development or genre , mr. & mrs. smith feels like a bad relationship that goes on way too long .",
        "a film with enough snap , crackle and pop to keep the gob of any sceptic shut for a couple of hours .",
        "should have been funnier , or at least not played the dramatic irony card so soon ... lags and uneven pacing kill the chemistry .",
        "a dry , twisted commentary on marriage and intimacy .",
        "complaints about character triviality aside , if you 're in assassin mode you might want to line up the smiths in your sights for an explosive summertime escapade .",
        "more attention is lavished on the fight and chase scenes than the relatively superficial message , but you do n't go to a big budget summer movie in search of ingmar bergman .",
        "the stars ' sizzle plus dialogue to die for and stylish direction make mr. and mrs. smith a summer hit .",
        "if you factor out jolie 's eye-candy quotient , what remains of mr. and mrs. smith could barely fit into a box of junior mints .",
        "in the end , star charisma and liman 's style win us over and we relax into a sophisticated summertime diversion that is noticeably intended for adults .",
        "how do you escape into a character when your persona is so overwhelming ? the alternative is to indulge in escapist mental floss that no one takes seriously .",
        "one more emotionless , brainless , overproduced action film .",
        "... an attempted high tech update of yesteryear 's urbane screwball comedies . it works for a while , then liman lets the gadgetry overtake the repartee .",
        "a surprisingly witty film punctuated by some truly humorous bits",
        "the script became a jumble of disjointed scenarios that prolongs the agony with inanity that fails to work even within the confines of very , very black comedy",
        "what makes the movie work is that pitt and jolie have fun together on the screen , and they 're able to find a rhythm that allows them to be understated and amused even during the most alarming developments .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith offers a witty look at matrimony and its day-to-day tribulations .",
        "... the film comes off as nothing less than a huge disappointment .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith has a beginning , but it lacks the always important middle and end .",
        "brad pitt , angelina jolie and director doug liman team up for a perfect piece of snap-crackle-popcorn entertainment .",
        "but this is n't about plot , it 's about snappy banter and blowing stuff up ! silly fictions hitting each other , right ? . what more do you want , philosophy ?",
        "somewhere among the impossibly athletic gunplay and impossibly witty sparring by two impossibly attractive leads is a sly , incisive metaphor for the modern american marriage .",
        "the sharp dialogue is too often drowned out by the incessant explosions and automatic weapons fire .",
        "the filmmakers thought that the combined star power of pitt and jolie rendered inessential the need for a coherent narrative , basic structure and an actual resolution .",
        "since the dialogue is so spectacularly good , we care as much about these two facing their `` relationship '' as we do watching them , well , beat the crap out of each other .",
        "brad pitt and angelina jolie mock marriage through star-romance disorder - hollywood insiders claiming subversive status by assuming they 're a joke worth caring about .",
        "... a stylish and slick romantic romp that is a sheer blast ... a stimulating actioner that is quite funny and visually appetizing .",
        "forget all the bad press ; the smiths are a load of fun .",
        "substitutes gadgets , explosions and trashy double entendres for genuine sophistication .",
        "both actors handle the comedy and action with equal aplomb , he with his every-dude casualness , she with her hot-babe intensity . sorry ms. aniston , but the two have chemistry .",
        "pitt is smooth , while jolie has the sexiest , in-your-face screen presence in decades -lrb- she 's a walking , talking special effect all on her own , and she 's a great actress . wow ! -rrb- .",
        "a chemistry-free film .",
        "mr. and mrs. smith is great fun ! it 's no academy piece - but it 'll give you some laughs , and giggles , while watching things go boom and bullets fly about ...",
        "pitt lends just the right amount of bemusement to make the proceedings seem , well , if not quite credible , then at the very least charmingly farfetched .",
        "what more could you want than to see two beautiful people fight , chase , shoot , dance and make up ? it 's when harry met sally with guns .",
        "an absolutely ridiculous movie that happens to be ridiculously fun .",
        "fast-paced with just the right blend of genres , mr. and mrs. smith is surprisingly good .",
        "... a cute , action romance that benefits from its budget and stars",
        "a kicky , twisted thrill ride , with enough laughs to leaven what can be read , at heart , as a metaphor for the modern marriage .",
        "this is liman 's first bomb , after three killer films .",
        "mr. & mrs. smith is like the war of the roses combined with one of those `` spy vs. spy '' cartoons that used to run in mad magazine .",
        "from a deep-fat fryer of brangelina publicity comes not a greasy meal , but a solid summer souffle that crackles thanks to great chemistry , good action and an inventive score .",
        "beyond the james bond-style jokes and an excellent score by john powell , the film is as flimsy as jolie 's outfits , but it 's still fun .",
        "that it does work is due to the chemistry of the two stars , to some clever dialogue , along with lots of eye candy .",
        "see mr. and mrs. smith and send a clear message to us rep roy blunt -lrb- r-springfield -rrb- : people love brad pitt and he could kick your butt !",
        "very good .",
        "actioner thrives on killer stars . jolie and pitt sizzle as assassins .",
        "... a conclusion that promises that we 'll have to endure a sequel whenever someone finally decides how the originally movie actually ended .",
        "angelina is so cool and so ... everything , pitt has to break a sweat just to keep up with her ."],
    "summary": "although this action-romance suffers from weak writing and one too many explosions , the chemistry generated by onscreen couple pitt and jolie is palpable enough to make this a thoroughly enjoyable summer action flick .",
    "id": "1121"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_lunchbox",
    "reviews":
     [
        "batra allows ila and sajaan 's relationship to develop slowly and subtly , like an old photograph , and the tender humor adds exactly the right amount of spice to what is already a delicious mix of melancholy and hope .",
        "the perfect date film , guaranteed .",
        "somewhere in -lsb- its -rsb- moments of joy , lies the film 's optimistic message about life , and how it should be lived . which sounds syrupy , but it 's far from it . it 's magical .",
        "it dragged for me a tiny bit towards the end but , generally , i really enjoyed it .",
        "the subtle performances of the leads , the remarkable irrfan khan and the engaging nimrat kaur , make ` MOV ' a pleasure to watch .",
        "though this much-touted , cuter-than-cute , try-hard romantic film from india has been showered with festival glory and glowing reviews from across the world , it unspools as a likeable but pretty unexceptional little confection .",
        "MOV is the kind of picture that envelopes you like a warm blanket , charming you with its slow-building affection and life-altering curries .",
        "MOV is either a piquant romance or a wise comedy . the director 's confidence with such a delicate story makes it successful as both .",
        "ritesh batra in his debut feature , stirs his flavours gently , allowing the delicate aromas of human interaction to blossom unexpectedly in a heart-warming romance",
        "a charming portrait of two lonely hearts who connect across a city of more than 20 million people .",
        "ritesh batra 's charming , melancholic debut , MOV , is a sign that indian cinema 's renaissance -lrb- chafing against the gaudy excess of bollywood -rrb- has matured . we should all start paying attention to what india 's cooking up .",
        "a romantic comedy based on the most trifling and sentimental of conceits , while deftly avoiding a descent into schmaltz .",
        "MOV , sweet and bitter , full of heartache and hope , asks its audience to accept the possibility that something `` new '' can happen , and then revel in the possibilities .",
        "the picture belongs to world-class actor khan . i 'll wager right now that there wo n't be a better performance all year , though it 's not the type to win awards .",
        "from the start , the movie mingles savory realism with elements of magic .",
        "atouching and credible story that easily draws the viewer into the lives of its characters .",
        "the quality of the story and -lsb- ritesh -rsb- batra 's deft skill at telling that story makes this a special film .",
        "as in an old nora ephron comedy , each of the prospective lovers is supplied with an irritating comic foil .",
        "like a lot of movies , but especially foreign films , `` MOV '' has a central idea and winning characters , and it builds a compelling situation .",
        "MOV resonates with bittersweet realism , and the bold recognition that if some things are meant to be , then others are meant to be for only a moment .",
        "this could be cloying in a `` lake house '' sort of way , but instead `` lunchbox '' is warm and sweet-tempered , as these two private people are able to reveal their inner selves in a way they ca n't to those closest to them .",
        "this is a real charmer of a film : a wry and gently comic mumbai-set drama with a level of quiet observation that rekindles memories of bill forsyth in his prime .",
        "batra clearly adores his characters . we get a taste for them , too .",
        "a rolls royce romantic comedy set in mumbai that rides on a delectable , bittersweet central turn by irrfan khan .",
        "as convincing a story about aging and compromise as it is a romance .",
        "seek out this beautifully made and acted little gem of a movie . you will not regret it , and i think i 've just found one more 2014 release that will be on my ten best list .",
        "MOV is honest and touching , and features a pitch-perfect performance by khan , whom american audiences might remember from life of pi and slumdog millionaire .",
        "who cares if the conceit feels a shade schematic ? MOV is perfectly handled and beautifully acted ; a quiet storm of banked emotions .",
        "one of those films that gives words like `` tender '' and `` touching '' a good name . you would need to be some sort of monster to resist its charms .",
        "delicately judged , handsomely photographed and beautifully acted MOV marks an impressive debut from ritesh batra that is recommended to romantics of all ages .",
        "a charming and restrained romantic drama as intoxicating as the most savory masala .",
        "while films with this subject matter are often gooey at their core , MOV offers fully realized , tough-minded characters who just happen to be spicing up their lives with touches of humor and hints of mystery .",
        "a very special film that transcends its origins ; despite its simple premise , it 's a story that could really only take place in mumbai .",
        "the film is a marvel of understatement and intelligence , exploring the loneliness and regret two people are able to express to each other , perhaps because they are strangers .",
        "the patience in mercurially presenting the characters ' backstories and desires is matched by the film 's genuine curiosity about the healing power of sharing stories .",
        "a slow-building , pleasingly low-key romantic dramedy set in mumbai .",
        "first-time feature writer-director ritesh batra has come up with a wonderful new approach to the epistolary story .",
        "we 're barely into the new year and one of the top ten films of 2014 has already arrived ... experiencing lunchbox is like being exposed to your first truffaut . you know here 's an artist you 're going to have a long , prosperous relationship with .",
        "like pineapple raita , MOV is sweet and savory , although its ending invites anxiety , like a too-spicy curry .",
        "a minor classic that remembers it 's not sizzling sex scenes that make movie love stories work , it 's the longing .",
        "`` MOV '' does n't offer easy solutions , but it is filled with keen observations . all meals should be this satisfying .",
        "a sweet and savory epistolary romance",
        "a lovely little film from a place where the little things linger .",
        "in a hamburger world , `` MOV '' is comfort food .",
        "charming and whimsical , it 's a feast for the eyes .",
        "first-time writer/director ritesh batra deserves credit for mining gently captivating drama from a pitch that could have just ended with passive-aggressive post-its left on the office fridge .",
        "there 's nothing wildly original here , but it 's carried off with charm and wit , and a pair of very enjoyable central performances .",
        "by its final act , pressing home the most un-bollywood message that life 's often more complicated than the movies , it 's assumed the feel and weight of a well-observed short story .",
        "a pleasure , from the fascinating intricacies of mumbai-style interlocking lunch containers to the quietly masterful performance of khan .",
        "subtly savory romance , providing nourishment for the soul .",
        "... an immensely appealing premise ...",
        "this long-distance love story is comfort food in any language , perfectly agreeable and unlikely to surprise .",
        "a wistful , elegant love story played out across the streets of mumbai , MOV is an unexpectedly aromatic charmer from first-time film-maker ritesh batra .",
        "by time credits roll on MOV , to call it at a rom-com trivializes what is a far more textured picture .",
        "this is a charming crowd-pleaser that is made with love -- just like the food in the titular lunchbox . better yet , it 's just as delectable .",
        "leaves you hungry for indian food and friendship over loneliness",
        "a moving piece of cinema .",
        "the themes are universal , even trite , but the details are authentic and specific .",
        "there are no big scenes or intense dramatic moments ; it 's filled with observational details about character and place , adding up to a subtle but memorable look at desperate lives in transition .",
        "writer-director ritesh batra 's `` MOV , '' a romantic-comedy about two strangers in mumbai who develop an unlikely connection , may well be the start of a distinguished cinema career .",
        "khan 's performance is in itself a tasty buffet , filled with a simmering anger , desperate loneliness , and a biting sense of humour .",
        "at best , your heart goes out to the two isolated characters . at worst , you may go to sleep .",
        "first-time writer-director batra nearly overplays his hand at a couple of moments , but all in all this is a film of finely judged reserve , and acutely anti-sentimental .",
        "a romantic 's delight .",
        "this warm and affectionate human comedy from india is charming in a delicate and unforced way .",
        "batra 's directorial debut is no monumental step forward in the medium , but it does belong to a rare breed of movies that embraces the prospect of new and unforeseen love wholeheartedly , without cynicism or superficiality .",
        "this warm and funny indian film takes a set-up worthy of the great romantic comedies of hollywood 's golden era and develops it into a touching story of connection , with echoes of lost in translation in its tone and characterisation .",
        "this gentle romantic drama , by the indian director ritesh batra , packs twenty minutes of action into its hour-and-three-quarters running time .",
        "a lovely romance of the correspondent genre -lrb- `` i sent a letter to my love , '' `` 84 charing cross road '' -rrb- which at once feels very nostalgic yet also modern with its two lonely protagonists finding expanded horizons beyond their enclaves in a sprawling mumbai .",
        "a charming , bittersweet , utterly chaste love affair forged over food and cemented by kindred spirits .",
        "batra deftly finesses the will-they-or-won ` t-they potholes in the plot . if he never quite moves the story into chekhovian terrain , he does at least manage to make it into something more than an indian o. henry knockoff .",
        "MOV 's combination of well-drawn characters , thoughtful storytelling and vividly-realized setting makes it an easy recommendation for quality-starved moviegoers .",
        "it 's a sweet , gentle movie comprised of long takes and thoughtful observations .",
        "it 's a slight idea for a film , but director ritesh batra -lrb- who also cowrote -rrb- nicely expands it ...",
        "a clever setup that harkens back to `` you 've got mail '' and `` the shop around the corner '' does n't quite pay off in india 's warm-hearted comedy-drama `` MOV . ''",
        "a poignant tale of an unlikely romance in india .",
        "for the acting alone , `` MOV '' is a sumptuous treat .",
        "an extraordinary indian movie about love , loss , and yearning .",
        "MOV comes across as a crafty crowd-pleaser , but with a clever structure -lsb- . -rsb-",
        "MOV is a first feature for director ritesh batra , but it nicely captures the almost overwhelming crush and noise of contemporary india , and it plays cleverly and delicately with the tension of whether its two correspondents might eventually meet .",
        "MOV ultimately registers as a too-hesitant portrayal of hesitancy , and its pleasures are largely incidental .",
        "the comedy is more wry than uproarious , the melodrama gently poignant rather than operatic , and the sentimentality just sweet enough to be satisfying rather than bothersome .",
        "we will be hearing more from this exciting young filmmaker .",
        "a widowed mumbai office worker begins a correspondence with a lonely housewife in this slow but rewarding drama , a cousin to the epistolary near-romance `` 84 charing cross road . ''",
        "`` what do we live for ? '' is the question that pops up in MOV , a romance set in mumbai . the film , a first feature from ritesh batra , aims to offer a meaningful answer : we live , ideally , for love .",
        "if co-writer and director ritesh batra occasionally takes his sweet time getting from point a to point b , it 's equally true that he gives the audience a nice , comfortable ride .",
        "palatable , but not very spicy or exotic",
        "it 's sublime .",
        "do not attempt to see MOV on an empty stomach . to do so is simply torture .",
        "MOV offers us a naturalistic glimpse of middle-class life in modern mumbai .",
        "warm , and warmly predictable .",
        "`` MOV '' is a feast of delights , one of the best stories about the connection between food and love the movies have ever seen .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a humanist fable from india , the film is actually a romance in the classic tradition , a `` brief encounter '' transposed to the rhythms and flavors of modern-day mumbai .",
        "it 's a slight film , but director ritesh batra , making his first feature , encompasses the film 's gentle performances into the chaos of mumbai ."],
    "summary": "warm , affectionate , and sweet but not cloying , MOV is a clever crowd-pleaser from first-time director ritesh batra .",
    "id": "771355933"
  },
  {
    "movie": "john_wick",
    "reviews":
     [
        "keanu reeves quips and kicks and does it all with an impossible level of cool .",
        "it 's awesome , watch it at your earliest possible opportunity .",
        "... as close to a pure adrenaline rush as you 're likely to find at the moment ... forget the bogeyman , reeves ' titular character is the baryshnikov of professional killers .",
        "keanu reeves is back . and he 's angry .",
        "smart action film .",
        "the best american action movie in a few years .",
        "revels in the killings .",
        "keanu reeves met MOV at the perfect moment of his career .",
        "stylishly violent and not much else .",
        "after years , decades even , of watching violence onscreen , revenge movies just do n't seem to have as strong an impact . this realization is where the terrific MOV finds its inspiration .",
        "90 minutes of senseless , stylishly filmed slaughter by a nondescript man killing other nondescript men .",
        "while the body count grows numbing and repetitive , `` MOV '' actually is more compelling in the aesthetically heightened , specifically detailed world it depicts .",
        "plot is not the movie 's strong suit . but stylish set pieces are .",
        "it 's all sharp stuff from stahelski and writer derek kolstad , and reeves finds decently tailored material in their mix of busy physicality , spare drama , and wickedly dry humor .",
        "without any recognizable humanity to its characters , `` MOV '' remains a disposable piece of violent revenge fantasy , the latest version of which always seems to be more tiring than the last .",
        "`` MOV '' is all about the action , a beautifully choreographed ballet of bullets , knives and deadly punches . it 's also a triumphant return to the action genre for keanu reeves .",
        "with a well-developed main character , outstanding action sequences , and a good dose of laughs along the way , MOV easily ranks as one of the best and most entertaining action films of the last several years .",
        "a pretty humourless and violent film , which grinds on and on with more and more gleaming black suvs getting trashed .",
        "there have been so many awful revenge thrillers lately that we 've almost forgotten that it 's possible to make a good one ...",
        "MOV is exactly what you 'd hope for from a modern action movie - laced with tension , loaded with thrills and not afraid to unleash a few well-timed laughs .",
        "a giddy helping of artful violence delivered with a wink and a cheeky grin . unsurprisingly , MOV 2 is already in the works .",
        "although the fight scenes are as cool and crunchy as compacted snow , it 's the world around wick that appeals most . all chrome , concrete and neon , it looks like something drawn straight from a brilliant graphic novel .",
        "this is a sleek , wet , near noir , with neon and shadows aplenty . essentially , it 's really rather good .",
        "a perfect role for keanu reeves , whose deadpan delivery makes the most of the surprisingly amusing script .",
        "reeves serves up a emphatic reminder of his action hero credentials with a charismatic and acrobatic performance .",
        "wick is as you would expect , all style and no substance , not even a hint . what it does , it does well , but its ambitions are incredibly limited .",
        "back in action-hero mode , keanu reeves joins forces with his ` matrix ' stunt double to deliver a slick and satisfying revenge thriller .",
        "where have you gone , keanu reeves ?",
        "keanu 's best role in years is , shockingly , one that does n't require a lot of talking .",
        "unburdened by exposition , reeves is free to do what he does best : be one of his generation 's best action stars . MOV is a perfect vehicle for him .",
        "after a marked absence from the genre , reeves resoundingly returns with an effortless , kinetic style that positions the film extremely well for any potential follow-ups .",
        "one of the most excitingly visceral action flicks i 've seen in ages .",
        "both ludicrous and ludicrously entertaining , `` MOV 's '' stylish look , b-movie vibe and less-is-more , longer-takes-are-stronger-takes approach to action make it a standout .",
        "MOV adds little to the revenge thriller genre , save for a few stylish shots .",
        "a badass , stylish piece of genre filmmaking . but it 's also a kick-ass 65-minute story banging around in a 96-minute package .",
        "this is the most entertaining keanu reeves action vehicle since the matrix . MOV is a wild and bloody ride that hardly lets up until the final frame .",
        "fists and bullets fly freely as keanu sets his sights on a russian mobster . what more could you ask for ?",
        "the film is really a study of efficiency -- not only in its characters and plotting but also in how its hero works .",
        "it 's a modest movie , yes , but it 's got style , know-how , hits the spot and knows enough to keep reeves kicking ass constantly but saying little . satisfaction pretty much guaranteed .",
        "the mordant humor of derek kolstad 's script quickly dries up , the movie starts taking itself seriously , and the pleasure gives way to the guilt .",
        "if we 've learned nothing else from the movies , it 's that you do n't mess with a man 's dog . because said man is likely some supreme ultimate bad-ass who goes on to kill you , your idiot buddies and the massive criminal organization to which you belong .",
        "stahelski and leitch , both former stunt men , unsurprisingly tackle action sequences with glee ... but the quieter scenes are more sophisticated , incorporating a sense of fantasy and visual splendor that almost makes the wafer-thin plot feel fresh .",
        "it 's not perfect . but it is special , especially for a mid-budget hollywood action drama , and it has stuck firmly in my mind since that late-night screening last friday .",
        "it 's a film where there 's almost no plot and what plot there is is totally predictable . so it 's just a series of gun battles and , after five minutes or so , you get heartily sick of it .",
        "like the man himself , MOV does whatever it wants and gets the job done .",
        "the action mounted by chad stahelski , a veteran stunt coordinator making his directing debut , is unrelenting , ultraviolent and , after a while , as monotonous as reeves ' one-note performance .",
        "in terms of plot and performance , MOV is cleanly predictable , but the execution is impressive .",
        "with flashy fight choreography and on-the-nose performances from an all-star cast , MOV delivers a solid action flick experience worthy of keanu 's pedigree in the genre .",
        "reeves is charismatic and kind of otherworldly , and the stunts are shot and presented clearly enough that you can tell what 's going on . what else do you need ?",
        "... an entertaining action film which seems to be taking place in an alternate universe .",
        "it 's a movie with a stunt-man 's heart - real fights , no robots , muscle cars .",
        "it is blood , death , and noise .",
        "aside from its comic-book noir sensibilities , it offers little more than a collision of hollywood cliches built around a contrived plot we 've seen countless times before .",
        "while at times repetitive , MOV builds up plenty of goodwill with its lean , no-nonsense story and some highly-impressive action set pieces .",
        "by the time the seemingly endless climax rolls around , MOV has confirmed its place as a generic actioner ...",
        "it 's a b movie made with a-student love for the relentless thrill of bodies in brutal motion .",
        "this movie is so over the top , you ca n't track it on radar .",
        "this is a film where every human being is a sack of meat waiting to be tenderized .",
        "director chad stahelski handles the frenzied fusillade with flair . the action scenes in MOV , while brutal , are also rather breathtaking .",
        "it gets old fast .",
        "stahelski has created an impressively distinctive , self-contained world for MOV that emphasizes sophistication and stylishness .",
        "reeves brings just the right amount of killing tenacity , tempered by a five-year absence from the job , to make wick formidable yet slightly vulnerable .",
        "keanu reeves has n't been this cool since the matrix",
        "the action scenes are done fairly well , both from the standpoint of the choreography -lrb- not being edited to death like some such genre pics -rrb- & reeves handling the physical requirements of such stunt work -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "vengeance is accelerated into unflinching action sequences to make this film unmissable . MOV can proudly be shelved next to the raid 2 as one of the best action films of the year .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it holds no candle to keanu reeves ' holy trinity of `` point break , '' `` speed '' and `` the matrix . '' but this impish , insolent reminder of reeves ' instincts for adrenalized action should count as time off for good behavior from his stint in movie jail .",
        "MOV is a rousing action thriller of the sort rarely encountered in theaters these days .",
        "reeves is rather good in the physical , personable and -lrb- yes -rrb- emotional sense , in a role that plays to his strengths while also allowing space for surprises of the dramatic variety .",
        "gearheads may be more devastated by the loss of wick 's '69 mustang . because let 's be honest : beagles are plentiful , but they only made a few hundred of those boss 429s .",
        "action film is stylish , entertaining but extremely violent .",
        "you do n't go to MOV for plot any more than you 'd go to raw deal or out for justice for the same back in the day . you go because you know the star , and you want to see him give a beatdown .",
        "MOV feels like action manna for its cleanly designed gun-fu sequences ... but the revenge plotting is deeply dopey and we should n't have to choose one or the other .",
        "here 's something you do n't see very often : a movie that knows exactly what it is , and knows you know it too .",
        "a fun film and one that delivers what it promises , if little more .",
        "a lovingly crafted , pleasingly characterful effort that delivers impactful , imaginatively executed thrills .",
        "exists more or less entirely as a highlight reel of great action choreography .",
        "MOV has rebooted reeves in action-man mode ... it 's a sleek , energising revenge juggernaut with a touch of comic-book chic .",
        "a compact , punchy film without an ounce of flab on it ... it 's just a short , sharp , bullet-driven bulldozer of a movie that snaps necks and blows out brains .",
        "overall , wick is a whimsical , but satisfying shoot - 'em - up . not all of the bullets hit the mark , but that 's not really the point .",
        "if you can put up with the constant gunfire and the aggressive score , MOV offers ridiculous but satisfying action .",
        "just as he did in speed and the matrix , reeves has found a way to take an action genre and do it just a little bit better than everyone else .",
        "perhaps all action movies should be directed by stuntmen .",
        "an almost zen-like exercise in wholesale slaughter as abstraction .",
        "reeves ... elevates it all . gliding through the carnage in a three-piece suit , steely eyed and steel-fisted , he is , in short , most excellent .",
        "funky-elegant , weirdly funny , visually intoxicating . i love this movie so much for how it 's different about being more of the same old stuff we always love .",
        "stahelski and co really show their mettle when it comes to the film 's extravagant battles . eschewing fast cuts in favour of long , beautifully choreographed takes , they give the fight scenes a clarity and grace that puts most other action movies to shame .",
        "it 's a lean , mean and extremely violent b-movie that 's already being confirmed as the first part of a franchise in the making .",
        "emotions matter little . story matters less . morals do n't register at all . but the rhythm of the killing creates its own irresistible machine music .",
        "MOV works because of its sleek , artisanal dovetailing of style and sincerity .",
        "a film where action speaks louder than words .",
        "just when you have all but given up hope for keanu reeves ... there comes the hyper-stylised revenge movie MOV . and you remember what you loved about him in the first place .",
        "its saving grace is the sheer operatic excess of the bloodletting .",
        "ultimately MOV plays like a fantasy free version of the crow . if you liked that , this will put wind beneath your wings .",
        "numerous fight sequences are staged with a great deal of skill and style in this lean , propulsive , action-packed revenge thriller .",
        "this is not an action movie in the michael bay lineage ; rather than an escalating series of explosions , MOV offers a slow burn , sizzling in a manner true to its hero 's surname .",
        "so it 's that kind of movie , walking a thin line between extreme violence and farce . reeves has slipped off that tightrope more than once of late but he 's got perfect balance in this one .",
        "`` MOV '' transforms the current zeal for hit-man movies into a mix of propulsive homicide and giddy farce .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "kinetic revenge yarn with wrinkles drive-in movie critic joe bob briggs might appreciate , like martial arts moves at point blank bullet range ; what he 'd call gun fu . there 's also car fu , knife fu & beagle fu but the less said about that , the better .",
        "he 's never been the most expressive of actors , but this role suits reeves fine -- mysterious , brooding , silent , sullen and super-cool , but capable of releasing an unstoppable torrent of deadly force in an instant .",
        "a perfect commercial comeback role for reeves , playing into his low key intensity with style and savagery",
        "`` MOV '' is a guy movie -lrb- and for women who like keanu - especially as he plays a sensitive man who grieves the loss of his wife and puppy -rrb- and it is chock full of action , many shootouts and , one of my favorite things , real , live action stunts .",
        "harboring few ambitions beyond knock-your-socks-off action sequences , this crafty revenge thriller delivers with so much style - and even some wit - that the lack of substance takes longer than it should to become problematic .",
        "a get-what-you-expect movie of the highest order , but it pulls off some of the slickest , sickest video-game-style action i 've seen this year .",
        "MOV excels , unapologetically , at what it seeks to be : a fun , pulpy , violent b-movie action romp , built upon a cool mythology within a compelling noir world .",
        "stahelski stands a bit back from the fights and keeps them clear and coherent , rather than impressionistic .",
        "MOV is little more than 101 minutes of keanu reeves running around shooting people in the head because they -lsb- spoiler redacted -rsb- . that 's literally all there is to it .",
        "cinematic greatness it 's not , but `` MOV '' never aspires to more than what it needs to be : an exciting reminder of why action movies are fun in the first place .",
        "MOV is the kind of fired-up , ferocious b-movie fun some of us ca n't get enough of .",
        "when reeves , who seems to be challenging cruise in the ` what , me 50 ? ' do-my-own-stunts department , gets back in gear , he 's like a ghost warrior , twirling , rolling , spinning , stabbing , firing on all cylinders so quickly he 's gone before the bodies drop .",
        "yeah , i 'm thinkng ' 80 's action movies are back !",
        "get ready , because MOV is totally out of control",
        "2014 has seen its share of big screen lethargy , but MOV is a potent reminder that concentration on the visual essentials and a sharp sense of narrative goals are all any filmmaker really needs to cause an exceptional commotion .",
        "keanu unleashed . gunbattles without end .",
        "an underworld fantasy that grafts crisp action on to rian johnson-esque world-building , producing one of the more fully realized shoot - 'em - up flicks in recent memory .",
        "`` MOV '' is like the action-movie version of a shark - a non-stop killing machine that dies if it ever stops moving .",
        "brawls that are exciting in the beginning become dull as each sequence attempts to outdo the last . but MOV has a more interesting story and better fights than most , not to mention , if too briefly , a puppy .",
        "the brilliant frontrunner of the genre . hail the return of reeves back on top in this exciting `` kill-them-all '' aria . the soundtrack is fantastic . keanu , stay with this franchise and away from romantic movies .",
        "a slick , propulsive and ridiculous crime picture that strides like an automatic machine gun",
        "the man known to most for the utterance of a single exclamation asserts his place as an action star two decades after point break and speed convinced audiences that he might just have the chops .",
        "stahelski stages a number of fluid action sequences , mixing brutality with clarity and just enough wit .",
        "things pick up once the film realizes that character development is n't as important as the ensuing nocturnal game of cat-and-mouse involving abundant chases , explosions , and shootouts .",
        "a flagrantly formulaic picture , one which feels as if it should have starred chuck norris back in 1986 .",
        "the blood-slicked , vividly drawn film universe MOV illustrates is such a generous slice of pulp that , even if not original , per se , it exudes a confidence rarely seen these days , surefire franchises be damned .",
        "it 's silly but fun , with just enough wry dialogue to let the audience know it 's in on the joke and plenty of high octane action to keep the heart pumping .",
        "the depth of one man 's thirst for retribution is immeasurable in MOV , a carnivorous thriller not ruined , shockingly , by the suddenly-useful vacant stare of leading man keanu reeves .",
        "relentlessly violent and fierce , it revolves around revenge , retribution and redemption .",
        "reeves is in his element : a natural in hard-edged action thrillers from speed to the matrix , he has the benefit of a screenplay that gives him little to say .",
        "wickedly funny , with a dry wit and upended expectations not only about the character himself but the underground world that sucks hims back in .",
        "MOV is a low-grade actioner with cheap laughs , cheap thrills and a lot of fun .",
        "a vicious action flick that 's both preposterous and enjoyable , the sort of movie you might not want your preteen kids to see but that you 'll probably take some guilty pleasure in .",
        "it 's smart but not so smart that it does n't deliver good , dumb thrills .",
        "yes , he 's back , and this is high-grade genre filmmaking .",
        "co-directors david leitch and chad stahelski , who both come from a stunt background , keep the action relentless , although it builds to a kind of monotony in the latter stages .",
        "sorry , keanu , but you stole my time and you murdered my brain cells .",
        "efficient and stylish , rattling off genre conventions with aplomb .",
        "meet MOV . if the name does n't ring a bell , his fists will .",
        "smart , exciting and thrilling , this revenge thriller marks a great return to form for keanu reeves .",
        "the scenes of hand-to-hand combat are stupendous , often playing out in long-take medium shots that allow us to savor the fight choreography , and the production design is an eyeful .",
        "the film is thematically thin , and it has a tendency to embrace the action genre 's more obnoxious elements , but there 's a proudly no-nonsense air to its nonsensicality .",
        "go for reeves as a killing machine , stay for the blood spray and gnarly action , smartly and calmly photographed by jonathan sela .",
        "adorned with a shiny suit , sharp-toed shoes and matted , unkempt hair , reeves moves like a greased bullet through this action film beaming with vibrant life , even though it mostly deals with death .",
        "reeves is wonderful here , a marvel of physicality and stern determination - he moves with the grace of an old-school swashbuckler .",
        "imagine a combination of `` unforgiven '' and `` men in black , '' and you 're getting close .",
        "a dark fantasy of violence in which the hero is n't the pacifist , it 's the guy who really loves his dog",
        "surprisingly sharp and witty touches lift it above the usual bang bang . there are n't many movies where the funniest line is `` oh . '' twice .",
        "lean , gritty and filled with visual pizzazz . it 's refreshing to see someone other than liam neeson in a revenge thriller . keanu reeves is in top form !",
        "action movies are about movement , and MOV pursues that goal with remorseless verve .",
        "this is a straightforward action film with a simple plot . the basic plot is similar to that of ` the road to perdition , ' but without the additional emotional complexity of the earlier film .",
        "stahelski and reeves have been doing this since the matrix , where stahelski was martial arts stunt co-ordinator and reeves ' double . he makes reeves look real good at shooting russkies in the face .",
        "do n't bother with this baloney . watch a good korean movie like `` i saw the devil '' to see how a revenge movie is done right .",
        "a hyper-violent slice of entertainment .",
        "a bloody , cathartic ride .",
        "a thrilling and relentless shoot-fest is countered by understatement in this cool , ultra violent , heavy-action revenge thriller in which keanu reeves shoots , kicks , punches and stabs his way through an army of russian bad guys .",
        "a lean , colorful , crowd-pleasing bloodbath .",
        "cool ? the film sweats cool .",
        "`` MOV '' wo n't redefine action movies , but it perfectly exemplifies what i want from an action film when i go . have fun with the world , shoot the action well , motivate it in a way that does n't feel cheap .",
        "MOV features a terrific movie star turn by keanu reeves along with superb action sequences and robust/creative world-building that puts the would-be `` let 's make a marvel-style expanded universe '' copycats to shame .",
        "`` MOV '' is ostensibly a b-grade action movie about a hitman 's quest for -lrb- bloody -rrb- revenge , but in keanu reeves ' nimble hands , it becomes a much more joyous experience .",
        "the universe that that 's set up is an intriguing one . the mission that wick embarks on a compelling one . and in terms of action , drama and excitement , the film truly delivers .",
        "MOV also sports an interesting premise and a surprisingly sharp bit of world-building not normally seen in your average shoot 'em up .",
        "kolstad 's script does an excellent job of building a world rich in pulpy noir archetypes , hinting at entire criminal infrastructures operating just beneath the surface of society .",
        "a style and tone as impressive as its action .",
        "MOV is a fuse that first-timer chad stahelski struggles to light , but once the flame catches , it 's a short fuse that burns fast and hard .",
        "more than a few oohs and aahs will accompany reeves ' dynamic dance of death .",
        "sensational action scenes make `` MOV '' one of the best keanu reeves outings in some time .",
        "utterly formulaic , but still compelling , thanks in part to a fine villain , clever story touches , and clear-eyed direction from david leitch and chad stahelski .",
        "mostly it 's keanu playing bang-bang . if that sounds great , go see the movie . if not , congratulations on aspiring to better things .",
        "if you are an action film fan , you 'll like MOV .",
        "MOV is such a pleasure to watch , it 's like if fred astaire shot a lot of bad guys in the face .",
        "it 's a beautiful coffee-table action movie .",
        "`` MOV '' breathes life into a genre that one might have thought was exhausted , and i would n't mind seeing it launch a franchise as long as all the same players are in place . i just hope that , next time , wick does n't buy a cat .",
        "any accusations of excess without an excuse are silenced by the film 's cunning sense of humour , and some bonus plotting that exploits these relatively ` lighter ' moments to the hilt .",
        "yet , for all the film 's stylishness and a body count worthy of a small civil war , there 's no getting around the fact that stiff , stoic reeves -- who is capable of a few funny , deadpan lines -- is n't a particularly compelling lead action figure .",
        "for a movie in which dozens of people are violently shot in the head , MOV is an awful lot of fun .",
        "is it necessary ? no . is it fun ? hell yeah .",
        "a classic revenge-fueled action pick with the classy reeves giving it more heft than perhaps it deserves .",
        "does n't leave a single clich\u00e9 unturned .",
        "MOV was made by first time director chad stahelski , who came into the industry as a stuntman . his expertise in that area obviously came in handy with this .",
        "instead of complimenting one another , the direction and plotting effectively end up cancelling each other out , which makes this promising action throwback a faint echo of the past rather than an invigorating retro blast .",
        "a fantastic action picture , and one of the best revenge thrillers in a long time .",
        "stylized almost to abstraction -lrb- and sometimes to distraction -- such flourishes as fancifully designed subtitles diminish the intensity -rrb- , this superior revenge film presents life as a series of pitiless , brutal and lethal negotiations ...",
        "a smarter-than average action spectacle that 's one of the best of the genre ."],
    "summary": "stylish , thrilling , and giddily kinetic , MOV serves as a satisfying return to action for keanu reeves -- and what looks like it could be the first of a franchise .",
    "id": "771386515"
  },
  {
    "movie": "on_the_outs",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a starkly honest and affecting dramatic feature directed by lori silverbush and michael skolnik .",
        "socially relevant and convincing , MOV should help to raise awareness that violent crime is no longer a man problem .",
        "an attention-grabbing showcase for three promising actresses in sharply drawn lead roles .",
        "the performances are terrific : none is showy or actorish but earnest , truthful jobs laying bare souls in anguish .",
        "saves itself from after-school - special territory thanks to tough , human performances and plenty of streetwise authenticity .",
        "well-meaning but mediocre .",
        "documentarians by trade , the directors use rough dv cinematography and no score to amplify their tale 's sense of lived-in reality .",
        "though not highly structured , this is an intriguing docu-drama about teen delinquents in jersey city .",
        "lori silverbush and michael skolnik 's film must live and die on the strength of its lead performers . luckily , most of the time they are up to the challenge .",
        "guerilla storytelling on a profound level .",
        "it will break your heart . never manipulative and unflinchingly honest ... it 's filled with poignant images and painfully accurate dialog .",
        "a powerful blending of three independent yet crossing stories from the wasted dead ends of life .",
        "the central trio handles the narrative burdens well .",
        "it delivers a genuine emotional wallop .",
        "what makes the film feel genuine , however , are the performances .",
        "the lives of three desperate teenagers unravel in a docudrama based on actual case studies of young women who spent time in the jersey city juvenile detention center .",
        "too unstructured for its own good .",
        "there 's a real-life immediacy to these stories , each of which demands that viewers see beyond such convenient , dehumanizing labels as ` drug dealer , ' ` crackhead ' and ` pregnant teen . '",
        "a work of harrowing , visceral power .",
        "the filmmakers ' sense of outrage is palpable , matched only by the despair coursing through the movie 's brief 81-minute running time .",
        "it 's raw , it 's gritty , and it 's excellent .",
        "nothing short of awe-inspiring : riveting and real , a truly important work which is , blessedly , about something .",
        "a trio of troubled latinas linked by lawlessness in super-realistic , female empowerment flick not to be missed .",
        "a sporadically powerful but uneven little film , in which moments of insight and conviction alternate with others that seem contrived and mawkish .",
        "judy marte once again shows that she 's an actress to watch . she 's a commanding presence on screen and demands that you feel for her , even though her story is not the most sympathetic .",
        "harrowing and heartbreaking , MOV is persuasively performed by fine actors , yet has the real feel of a documentary .",
        "granted that MOV does n't explore any new realms of destitute city life but it still contains unspeakable moments of desolation and disillusionment .",
        "it succeeds , if unevenly ."],
    "summary": "with powerful lead performances , this gritty docudrama about the desperate lives of three young women in jersey city packs an emotional wallop .",
    "id": "291433174"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1190660-over_my_dead_body",
    "reviews":
     [
        "for what it is -- a romantic comedy about the rivalry between a jealous ghost and a flaky psychic for the love of a veterinarian -- over her dead body is not bad .",
        "a stumbling romantic lark about a bubbly psychic who throws down with the shrill ghost of her boyfriend 's former fiancee , over her dead body is a stiff of a supernatural comedy .",
        "norman z. mcleod , constance bennett , roland young , alan mowbray , and co. must be turning over in their graves to see this is what their brilliance in the first two `` topper '' film has wrought .",
        "a harebrained rom-com diversion offering few laughs and little romance .",
        "a one-eyelash-above-average supernatural rom-com .",
        "this january has been surprisingly pain-free , a rarity for sure , but this heap brings matters back to a stark reality .",
        "unlike its stubborn corpse bride , over her dead body will decompose quickly in the memory before fading forever into video oblivion .",
        "the quirky romantic comedy works largely because of good writing , and rudd 's deadpan delivery of same . that he can do so as slapstick erupts around him makes it all the funnier .",
        "the movie 's visuals and ghost jokes are a waste of time , but the delightfully kooky bell and the wry rudd occasionally strike spontaneous sparks .",
        "what 's really spooky is that even the weakest desperate housewives episode packs more heat than this tepid romantic comedy-fantasy .",
        "there 's just no end to america 's love affair with blandness , is there ?",
        "this is no career high , but it 's impossible to actively dislike rudd .",
        "none of it makes sense -- logically , emotionally or dramatically .",
        "proves that longoria parker can be as annoying as she is beautiful .",
        "this stale comedy about a vengeful ghost would be depressing if it were n't so disposable .",
        "the line is fine between cute and annoying .",
        "this charmless , mediocre romantic comedy with supernatural overtones is nearly laughless .",
        "writer-director jeff lowell could have gone many different ways with this idea -- the screwball comedy of heaven can wait , say , or even the wistful , unabashed romanticism of ghost -- but he takes the low road more often than not .",
        "a viciously boring retread of every movie you 've ever seen in which dead people come back to watch over their loved ones .",
        "thoroughly unoriginal and screams of desperation . over her dead body is a fitting title ; this is a doa dud .",
        "... a clanking frankenstein of a movie , stitched together from pieces plundered from the bodies of romantic comedies that went before .",
        "it 's marketed as a supernatural romantic comedy . the problem is that it 's neither very romantic , nor comedic -- and things are n't appreciably better on the supernatural front .",
        "this insipid , staggeringly dumb entry from new line stoops to unprecedented new lows likely to stun even the most jaded cynic .",
        "there are some flat-out great moments in a largely mediocre film , which is enough to shoot it to the very top of its class - it is midwinter , after all .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- clumsy supernatural comedy , dogged by truly lifeless plotting and a near-total lack of chemistry .",
        "what exactly is the joke here ? she 's a ghost who wants to stop her fianc\u00e9 from dating a living person . so she 's the bad guy , right ? and what 's her plan ? just keep talking loudly ? what a big comic set piece that is .",
        "` over her dead body ' is doa .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- offense of a ghost comedy .",
        "it 's not the dead body you have to worry about in over her dead body . it 's the dead brain cells : yours .",
        "the top-billed star of over her dead body dies within five minutes of her first appearance , and if the majority of the other characters in the movie suffered a similar fate , i would n't have complained much .",
        "everything about the movie is as clunky and unimaginative as the title .",
        "for all its faults , over her dead body offers at least a few sporadic laughs , which automatically makes it one of the less awful january-february releases .",
        "it 's one of those movies you want to dismiss but ca n't bring yourself to turn away from .",
        "while not horrifically bad , it 's as mediocre a motion picture as you 're likely to find in a multiplex this season .",
        "for a pure shot of cinematic depression , nothing quite tops opening credits that end with '' ... and jason biggs . ''",
        "disappointing comedy that struggles to overcome the combination of unlikeable characters , a poorly judged , largely unfunny script and a distinct lack of chemistry between the leads .",
        "... so bland , lifeless and unimaginative i wanted to poke the screen to make sure it was really there .",
        "based on a contrived premise to begin with , romantic ghost comedies are a tricky genre , calling for inspired writing , light touch , charming performances , all of which are in short supply here .",
        "even the worst movies are capable of bending the laws of time . still , there 's something really special about the way over her dead body makes its 93 minutes seem more like nine hours .",
        "blithe spirit with all the blitheness and spirit sucked out .",
        "the film -- pinched from ghost in every relevant particular -- is pretty moderate .",
        "... neither funny , charming or anything else that will make it a memorable hour and a half of viewing pleasure .",
        "ghost-lite romantic comedy is only so-so .",
        "not a life-changing romantic comedy , but it 's funny enough , has charming leads and breezes by in its quick 97 minutes .",
        "a wild and wicked catfight comic romp as eva longoria gets booted up to heaven and returns to planet earth with hell to pay , when she fumes over sharing her man . no , not that one !",
        "sweet jesus",
        "well , this could have been a lot worse , instead it 's just a piece of forgettable , mediocre fluff .",
        "the writing is intelligent , the pratfalls mostly work , and everyone is having a good time .",
        "about a dozen other movies have used variations on this plot . and every single one of them has been smarter and more entertaining than over her dead body .",
        "have romantic comedies so run out of ideas that they have to cherrypick other genres for new material ? hauntings and exorcisms are n't usually the stuff of romantic comedies , but that is exactly what you get in the ridiculously flawed yet funny , over h",
        "a desperately unfunny farce that does n't need an audience so much as an exorcist .",
        "lowell has little to say about loss and love . but there 's a talking parrot , and on some days , that 's enough .",
        "ghost gets a romantic-comedy redo with this strained love-triangle tale .",
        "over her dead body will find its best audience on airplane flights , where viewers will be unable to get up and leave without parachutes .",
        "`` over her dead body '' tells the story of an obnoxious and thoroughly unpleasant woman who dies in the first scene and still continues to annoy and aggravate . unfortunately , it turns out that the film itself suffers from the same condition .",
        "you may remember noel coward 's blithe spirit . this is bleh spirit .",
        "move over , ` one missed call . ' you now face stiff competition for worst movie of the year from ` over her dead body . '",
        "if it were considered unseemly to speak ill of dead films , then the only thing to recommend about over her dead body would be the lead actor 's palpable indifference .",
        "as a fledgling couple , ashley and henry fail to generate much on-screen heat . you would hardly notice anything `` romantic '' happening if the characters did n't verbally announce it . the list of tiny yet vital problems could go on ...",
        "silly , campy and tepid - no hearts 'n' flowers here .",
        "the grating presence of longoria parker will be enough to ruin the movie for many , but she 's just one of many shortcomings in this romantic comedy , which seriously lacks both romance and comedy .",
        "for what is essentially a screwball comedy , over her dead body is surprisingly uninspired , a frothy concept that offers little satisfaction in the way of execution .",
        "you ca n't even feel sorry for henry , because anyone blind enough to want to marry kate is clearly delusional and deserving of any misery that comes his way .",
        "the worst night at the movies in this young year .",
        "unfortunately wit-deprived .",
        "body gives us a bunch of people who would be better off dead .",
        "the tale -lsb- falls -rsb- short on imagination .",
        "the kindest context in which to put over her dead body , which was written and directed by jeff lowell , is that of a training film , a public display of people trying to master their craft . the best way to see it is not at all .",
        "writer/director jeff lowell settles for a story that takes a little too long to tell , concocted situations a little too implausible to buy and repartee that occasionally hits the dartboard but never gets close to the bull 's - eye .",
        "derivative does n't always mean dull , and this madcap paranormal love triangle is charming on its own terms .",
        "over her dead body , billed as a romantic com edy fantasy , is in reality a mystery : the case of the missing jokes .",
        "over her dead body is , if nothing else , a conversation piece . among the important discussion points it raises are , ` what was paul rudd thinking ? ' and ` does eva longoria parker think ? '",
        "there was some nasty potential to be mined from over her dead body 's premise , but the movie simply is n't wicked enough to go anywhere that could really be funny . it 's the casper of supernatural sex farces .",
        "blithe spirit seems an obvious inspiration for this film , which contains touches of ghost as well . but over her dead body ultimately belongs in a different category , one usually occupied by straight-to-dvd releases .",
        "sometimes a movie is so richly , gloriously , flamboyantly stupid that it starts to become fun to watch .",
        "this all plays out pleasantly , predictably , unmemorably , but what do i know ? i 'm a guy . my mind was probably elsewhere .",
        "an unsurprising entry in that hoary micro-genre of romantic comedies to feature a fresh-from-the-corpse disembodied spirit who just ca n't seem to get a move-on .",
        "a wan , sad-eyed romantic comedy .",
        "this is a film that 's completely happy being its silly little self . and if it produces some giggles along the way -- and it does -- it has done its job .",
        "over her dead body itself is a movie haunted by the annoying , humorless performance of eva longoria parker .",
        "a comedy like this needs actors with crack timing , a script that 's worthy of them and an overall spirit of effervescence . but save for rudd 's occasional displays of sarcasm , there 's little here that raises a smile , never mind a chuckle .",
        "consider for a moment how this movie might play if it took itself seriously . would it be better than as a comedy ? i suspect so .",
        "the ghosts of romantic comedies past must have visited writer/director jeff lowell as he pounded out the screenplay .",
        "as far as romantic comedies go , the hackneyed over her dead body falls more towards the bottom of the heap",
        "parker , who must have phoned in her performance during a weekend break from desperate housewives , is simply awful .",
        "over her dead body is to romantic comedy what spam is to meat . but at least with spam , you get cool packaging .",
        "-lsb- eva longoria -rsb- brings a jennifer lopez level of suck to the screen .",
        "after these 97 minutes , resting in peace sounds pretty good .",
        "over her dead body is the kind of date movie that could bring a relationship to a screeching halt . if your date likes it , go back to match.com .",
        "fitfully amusing , but disappoints when you fork out money in a theater to enjoy the delights of the lead actors .",
        "silly in a memorable way .",
        "starts out badly , gets much worse , and then after it is just dull for a while , it veers off into a whole new category of awful .",
        "eva looks like one of those creatures from i am legend and distracts you from the story . that might have been the plan , and a blessing",
        "` over her dead body ' is a supernatural romantic comedy that 's guaranteed to make viewers loose their faith in love in this world or the next .",
        "just enough laughs to make it watchable , despite longoria 's insufferable performance .",
        "... a tired , utterly forgettable effort that boasts little in the way of positive attributes .",
        "a languid , thinly sketched and habitually unfunny supernatural comedy .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- stilted , contrived , slapdash collection of lazily acted , badly written scenes thrown together into something that writer-director jeff lowell hopes you wo n't notice do n't quite connect to one another ...",
        "over her dead body may be the worst romantic comedy i 've ever seen , although i hesitate to make such a resolute pronouncement about a movie that 's so barely even there .",
        "rudd and bell can only goes as far as the director allows , and their efforts are further neutered by an odious supporting performance from jason biggs and longoria 's grating turn as a vengeful , horrible actress . i mean spirit .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "with few laughs and little romantic chemistry , over her dead body lacks the ingredients of a successful romantic comedy .",
    "id": "770678536"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_girl_with_the_dragon_tattoo_2009",
    "reviews":
     [
        "noomi rapace throws herself into the title role , but something about the conception of her character , and about the far-reaching urgency of the sociopathic shocks behind the killing , smacks of a filmmaker pushing too hard .",
        "barrels beyond a pastiche of classic mysteries by paring down a very exposition-heavy novel into a very visual thriller that doles out the revelations for maximum suspense .",
        "the characterisations are only half-deep , and some of the coincidences almost ridiculous , but the twists and turns are the main game .",
        "an intriguing , intelligent and suspenseful thriller boasting a radiant , captivating performance by the scene-stealing noomi rapace .",
        "this is a capable , engaging thriller , which ties up one mystery even as it asks another about the past of lisbeth salander . the screen has a new avenging angel .",
        "newcomer rapace is captivating as the heavily pierced and tattooed femme and resourceful anti-authority avenger . at the same time , she is also able to successfully convey her complex character 's more vulnerable , emotionally wounded and softer side .",
        "it 's efficient , and it builds up the tension as we cut between the dangerous life of lisbeth salander and blomkvist 's investigation on a wintry northern island into what happened in the mad , bad , sad vanger family 40 years ago .",
        "stieg larsson 's best-selling crime novel has all the makings of a cinematic thriller . as directed by niels arden oplev in swedish with english subtitles , tattoo is mesmerizing .",
        "MOV is rife with nightmarishly violent and horrific behavior . it 's intense , graphic , frightening . and , yes , exhilarating .",
        "... a dark and twisty thriller that would have benefited from a bit more style and less fascination with the seamier aspects of the story .",
        "there 's nothing calming about director niels arden oplev 's style , which is fast and furious and smartly mirrors content .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- strong contender for thriller of the year .",
        "noomi rapace more or less looks the part that the filmmakers do n't let her fully play .",
        "those who stick it out will see an especially dark murder mystery that presents swedish society as corrupt and profoundly antagonistic to women .",
        "a densely plotted 2 1/2 - hour saga , with enough mutilation , serial homicide , s&m rough stuff , cold-blooded violence and frank nudity to spice up the saggy bits .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "told with a jolting , lurid energy , the runaways feels oddly off-balance .",
        "like a respectable tv pilot ... lays the groundwork for an intriguing series and succeeds best in introducing its key characters .",
        "if you ignore MOV -lrb- from the global bestseller by the late stieg larsson -rrb- because it 's in swedish with english subtitles , you probably deserve the remake hollywood will surely screw up .",
        "do people love the original book so much they 're willing to forgive a film that is sorely lacking in substance , motivation , action , tension , ambiguity and style ?",
        "stieg larsson 's ... millions of fans -lsb- were -rsb- waiting to pounce on any missteps ... fortunately , director niels arden oplev has got things right .",
        "so exquisitely crafted and the final result is a good treat for anyone who enjoys the journey of movies .",
        "... the rare film that lives up to the hype preceding it .",
        "witless , suit-and-tie porn posing as great art .",
        "dragon tattoo is from the beginning far more about it 's hero 's than it 's villains which is a pleasant change . it 's dark and dismal and beautiful and human and everything a crime film should be .",
        "a clever story of murder and mystery interspersed with various acts of cyber-crime and corporate intrigue , it 's the most refreshing thriller in recent memory .",
        "rapace goes out of her way to insure you never forget her lisbeth salander , a diminutive gal with a colossal chip on her shoulder .",
        "the final result is an adaptation that 's just about as successful as its literary predecessor , with the film occasionally exceeding the book in a few areas ...",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "lisbeth salander is a lady with an intellectual capacity and determination for revenge like no one we 've ever seen . noomi rapace captivates us with that , and a mercurial beauty that fulfills steig larsson 's image precisely .",
        "noomi rapace offers up such a strong , sexy and determined presence that to watch her kicking ass both literally and from behind her computer is to watch a star being born right before your eyes .",
        "a great piece of natural indie noir film making that entertains for all of its 152-minute run time .",
        "the author is a sharp social critic , so what his characters uncover is n't just crime , but a whole dark side to swedish society -- not least a terrible , sadistic misogyny .",
        "a stylish thriller with real complexity , people with interesting faces , a sensational actress cast as an ambisexual goth hacker heroine -- the news about MOV is nothing but good .",
        "lisbeth salander is the first heavily punked-out , mentally unstable heroine in the mystery-thriller genre , and she 's a kick-ass wonder to watch .",
        "it 's the rare 2 1/2 - hour film that does n't make you look at your watch once . MOV is such a film .",
        "a finely plotted , stylishly photographed and brilliantly acted whodunit that clocks in at 2 1/2 hours but never seems long .",
        "rapace , whom i 've never seen before , captures those contradictions so magnetically that whenever she was off-screen , i found myself wishing the movie would just stick with her .",
        "after `` shutter island '' and `` red riding , '' a scary british trilogy sure to find a cult following on dvd , the swedish thriller `` MOV '' arrives , and it 's a perfect addition to the horror show .",
        "an engrossing and classically suspenseful story",
        "-lsb- w -rsb- hile the film offers silly fun for a while , its ultimate schizophrenia and self-seriousness become its undoing .",
        "everyone has secrets in the MOV , a mind-bending and mesmerizing thriller that takes its time unlocking one mystery only to uncover another , all to chilling and immensely satisfying effect .",
        "usprkos toga to je larsson i kod nas ario i palio po knjiarama , hrvatski distributeri dosad nisu imali razumijevanja za vedsku trilogiju",
        "graphic sexual violence in thrilling subtitled crime drama .",
        "very few murder mysteries are as dark as this one . fortunately , there is also some light in this movie to offset all that darkness .",
        "it 's really quite ingenious in a rather basic way .",
        "met with much success throughout the world , and one must wonder if its rather old-fashioned mystery feel had something to do with it .",
        "an overlong , gestating , and sadistic version of a murder she wrote episode , MOV is all hype , confusing shocking imagery for thrilling storytelling .",
        "it 's not surprising david fincher has put his hand up for the remake , as the subject material is right up his alley , a la seven and zodiac but an english-language remake seems so pointless -lrb- as usual -rrb- given the quality here .",
        "fans of the book have been disappointed in this workmanlike adaptation , but coming to it with no expectations it is quite involving ...",
        "rapace , a brooding beauty who won a swedish oscar for this performance -- and also appears in two more forthcoming installments of this series -- invests lisbeth with a powerful , wounded dignity ; she 's much more than a lara croft-style cartoon .",
        "intense and indelibly gripping thriller",
        "an engrossing , well-directed and superbly acted mystery that could be the thriller of the year .",
        "the mismatched leads make a compelling pair , and director niels arden oplev keeps the action relatively tight .",
        "`` girl '' is very much a movie without concession or restroom breaks : go prepared . the downside is that too much is not enough : the relentless - frequently unlikely - rush of events may astonish , but does n't allow much emotional involvement .",
        "a heady brew , but a largely satisfying one .",
        "the acting , cinematography and production design work well without being overstated . we are n't treated to dutch angle abuse to falsely inflate tension . instead , the story and the characterizations drive the suspense .",
        "the story that was so compelling on the page , about the disappearance of a teenage girl 40 years earlier , feels simplified and literal .",
        "a clever mix of classic noir themes and commercialized filmmaking techniques .",
        "it 's the tender rapport that develops between lisbeth and the older blomqvist that sustains our interest in this violent , overlong film .",
        "one of the best whodunits in quite awhile . despite the length , you want the story to go on after it 's finished . hope to see these characters again . a great film ! paul chambers , cnn .",
        "powerful , graphic , funny and disturbing , an astounding piece of cinema .",
        "it is more stolid , more swedish , but moves along cleverly . and there is a compelling incongruity - like judge brack trying to comprehend hedda gabler - in the plainness of niels arden oplev 's direction , contemplating the infinite wheels of human darkness .",
        "this overlong but absorbing murder mystery , adapted from the first of a best-selling trilogy by the late journalist-turned-crime writer stieg larsson , dabbles in some pretty dark material .",
        "it 's an exhilarating ride - well paced , gripping and with an intelligently crafted narrative , meaning it will without doubt have appeal beyond its already established fan base .",
        "it compresses the twisting , complex plot into a darkly compelling thriller in which all the elements have room to breathe and nothing feels rushed or oversimplified .",
        "it 's an enjoyable peek at the nasty underbelly of society .",
        "if the whole trips up with an ordinary first few chapters , rapace , blomqvist and oplev ensure that it delivers in the end .",
        "it 's an intriguing , dramatic and sometimes frightening mystery , well worth a look for lovers of gritty thrillers .",
        "their dynamic is the main strength of the film ; it 's just a shame so much reverence has been paid to the novel 's many twists and turns . it 's paced more like a tv mini-series than a cinematic experience .",
        "it 's hypnotically watchable and tense as a drum .",
        "a dark and brooding story that only gets more disturbing over the course its 152 minute runtime .",
        "the eponymous `` girl '' is the only reason to see this dull , misconceived drama that centers on a defamed male journalist who takes a job with a rich industrialist .",
        "a ballsier than thou babe who really knows how to rescue her timid man from danger and relishes retaliatory rape in reverse , delivers potent screen enigma in the masculinization of a profoundly sexually damaged female psyche .",
        "you watch this slick , headache-inducing piece of trash in constant awe of how much lower it could possibly go .",
        "a dark vitality fuels this cold case in the cold north of sweden .",
        "brilliantly directed , beautifully shot and superbly written .",
        "for fans of larsson 's books this could be the highlight of the cinemagoing year - for the rest of us it 's a solid , enjoyable but emotionally unengaging detective story .",
        "the pace may flag at times , but the potent and authentic characterisation of mikael and lisbeth does wonders for the stamina .",
        "despite some flaws , it 's worth seeing this well-executed , well-acted swedish murder mystery , which broke box office records ; you 're not likely to face such a tough , outrageous -lrb- anti -rrb- heroine in any american film",
        "the effect is a diminution of the book 's giant reputation , which , on reflection , may not be such a bad thing .",
        "director niels arden oplev finds visually compelling ways to convey something as cerebral as puzzle solving , building an intriguing mystery with surprising twists and turns .",
        "danish director niels arden oplev faithfully and intelligently transfers the first volume of stieg larsson 's hugely popular detective trilogy to the screen .",
        "an intriguing and sometimes disturbing mystery that works reasonably well as a stand-alone film .",
        "the violence in this movie is so intense and upsetting and ... i do n't think actually serves the purposes of the storytelling or the points this movie wants to make .",
        "highlighted by noomi rapace 's terrific performance , this is a good mystery , albeit with graphic scenes of torture and sadism , despite often illegible subtitles .",
        "oplev focuses on the characters with grim intensity , simultaneously delivering a suspenseful thriller spring-loaded with shocks .",
        "all a little too much like an entry in the ilsa , she-wolf of the ss series .",
        "there 's a lot to revel in , be provoked by and obsess over .",
        "this is not your mother 's murder mystery , unless ... she has an appallingly bleak vision of modern society that occasionally fixates on the historical misdeeds of the corporate/industrial world and the correction thereof .",
        "MOV grapples with far more than `` whodunit . '' and it does a handy job of answering that question , too .",
        "catch it before the inevitable u.s. remake .",
        "supremely efficient in its storytelling , it 's also acutely atmospheric and suspenseful ...",
        "MOV is a compelling thriller to begin with , but it adds the rare quality of having a heroine more fascinating than the story .",
        "it 's over-long and almost pathologically detailed , but it 's also an extremely effective and well-made thriller .",
        "veers from visconti 's the damned to jonathan demme 's the silence of the lambs without the decadence or the thrills of either . in this case , the victim is larsson .",
        "the cluttered narrative leaves little room for character development , though director niels arden oplev does manage to accommodate plenty of gratuitous torture and rape .",
        "the film makes excellent use of the cold scandinavian landscape to emphasize the story 's gloomy loneliness . and rapace and nyqvist have compelling chemistry .",
        "can we please have a moratorium on serial killer , holocaust and child-abuse combos ?",
        "when it gets going , oplev 's film delivers but it 's way too long -lrb- at around 150 minutes -rrb- and will test the patience of many audience members .",
        "every so often , you get the gift of watching an under-the-radar actor bloom into a critical-mass phenomenon before your bloodshot eyes ...",
        "a breathless , edgy , entertainingly pulpy genre picture .",
        "steered by director oplev 's firm but fluid hand , the plot remains logical and credible , even during its most brutal revelations .",
        "if only MOV provided the food for thought the novel gave us , it would be a far better film .",
        "played with an unrelenting intensity and lithe grace by noomi rapace , salander is the driving force in this down-and-dirty swedish language adaptation of stieg larsson 's international bestseller .",
        "stieg larsson 's blockbuster crime thriller is brought successfully to the screen , with its quirky scandinavian details intact .",
        "director niels arden oplev builds the tension masterfully , the chilling sub-plots delivering shock after shock , while rapace has an enigmatic presence that burns through the screen .",
        "this film is probably too long , and it 's only after the first hour that the narrative engines are properly revved .",
        "the story demands we swallow numerous implausibilities , including scores of killings going undetected over several decades .",
        "rapace 's performance is altogether more thrilling than any that can be imagined from kristen stewart , natalie portman or any of the mooted co-leads in the promised hollywood remake .",
        "`` MOV '' is a sophisticated piece of exploitation cinema that announces its identity as such early on .",
        "a slick thriller with a surfeit of craftsmanship , rather more entertaining , perhaps , than it is memorable or `` good '' .",
        "the storytelling intelligent , and the two leads are endlessly watchable . the casting is impeccable .",
        "none of its 146-minute running time is dull , each turn of the plot makes sense , and the outcome of just about everything is extremely satisfying .",
        "it 's a rare phenomenon on american screens : a paranoid , vigilante-glamorizing left-wing vision . i just wish its heroine had been given emotional shadings beyond suffering , rage and sullen endurance .",
        "a lurid , painstakingly rendered episode involving the ` girl 's ' sexually abusive probation officer is redundant and suspect ; it offers a chance to identify with a leering abuser even as it encourages a lust for revenge .",
        "reminiscent in tone and execution of a well-worn agatha christie novel , as it should be .",
        "built in the hollywood tradition , it 's a dark and relentless thriller , and one of the most engaging and accessible foreign films to come along since tell no one .",
        "rapace 's haunting , enigmatic lisbeth is the element that leaves you eager for the next two installments . she 's fantastic , and so is the movie .",
        "... a sensational , spine-chilling thriller that will leave you clenching the arms on your theater chair until your knuckles turn white .",
        "the film belongs to noomi rapace , who creates one of the most fascinating screen creations in recent memory",
        "it 's long but this is a film that is as permanent as any tattoo .",
        "satisfying mix of mystery , detection , psychosis , weird romance and social criticism .",
        "even shorn of many of its darkly evocative subplots and characters , this adaptation of swedish novelist steig larrson 's lacerating thriller is true to the story 's bitter heart .",
        "the film becomes a mish-mash of television crime dramas , albeit a stylish one .",
        "lisbeth 's actions essentially communicate that two wrongs make a right . but after you see what she goes through , her strength to fight back makes you want to cheer .",
        "salander is one of the strangest and most eccentric female heroines you will ever encounter .",
        "appreciation of the film relies more on the performances than the problem-solving , and rapace delivers a complicated and deliciously contrary performance that tattoos lisbeth salander straight onto the brain .",
        "a bracing survey course on the mystery genre set in a scandinavian landscape as cold as a killer 's kiss .",
        "hacker meets journo and pleasure meets pain in this complex screen adaptation",
        "director niels arden oplev and two credited screenwriters have trouble resolving all of this and putting a somewhat happier spin on the story and characters at the end .",
        "you do n't mess with lisbeth salander . and you 'd do well not to miss her , either .",
        "good detective stories need a solid mystery , sure , but they also thrive on unusual characters . the swedish girl with the dragon tattoo has a whopper .",
        "it unfolds not with the breakneck velocity of a typical movie of this sort , but with the gradual , unforced , character-based focus of a novel .",
        "this action/art-house hybrid miraculously manages to be faithful to larsson 's novel without seeming slavish .",
        "the mystery holds our interest , surprise sex scenes grab our attention and the well judged tone is superbly maintained from start to finish .",
        "the film is conventional but compelling , and tries not to get too cheesy . its biggest score is the casting of rapace , who here redeems an otherwise demographically ingratiating character and launches a sensational movie career .",
        "weaves a dark , complex tale ... an engrossing , extremely well-made movie",
        "... a movie as lush , dense , character - and story-driven as the lauded novel .",
        "slyly inverts all manner of gender conventions by having its narrative orientation gradually shift from a rather unengaging , anodyne hero to an altogether more dynamic and self-reliant heroine -lrb- the girl of the title -rrb-",
        "gives a relatively faithful idea of the novel 's ingenious construction but only glimpses of its scathing portrait of sweden as a corrupt , bankrupt and misogynistic society .",
        "the slickly plotted mystery ... and the relentless pace of the leads , clues , revelations and cliffhangers make for a brilliantly satisfying whodunit .",
        "while this is a good murder mystery , it is an even better film about a strong woman who refuses to be a victim . rapace gives a stirring performance as the weird , disadvantaged woman helping mikael .",
        "the film version by director niels arden oplev is a faithful adaptation of the novel ... perhaps too faithful to work completely as cinema , but well-produced nonetheless .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- ee it if you love movies with compelling characters doing fascinating things and overcoming tremendous obstacles to get to an immensely satisfying end .",
        "director niels arden oplev recognizes larsson 's affinity for the structure of american mysteries , and gives the film a slick hollywood pacing that keeps it constantly driving forward without ever sacrificing the inherent brains or guts of the story .",
        "a stylish mystery that both conforms to the genre and departs from it in interesting ways .",
        "it may not address every need of a commercially conscious viewer , but those with enough patience will be rewarded with something rich - and revelatory .",
        "an engaging thriller that makes the most of its complex characters , -lsb- but -rsb- it 's still not as good as the book .",
        "revel -lsb- s -rsb- in its seedier aspects ... while appropriating every aesthetic trope from the modern hollywood thriller handbook .",
        "MOV is a handsome thriller , anchored by an arresting performance in the title role by noomi rapace .",
        "a well-acted , visceral story of an avaricious family that includes three nazis and a serial killer .",
        "nothing beats a good whodunit .",
        "a long and drawn-out swedish crime-drama .",
        "it 's easy to forget how dissatisfying so much hollywood trash is until you see a good imported version .",
        "a poisonous gem , in large part thanks to fearless performances and an unwaveringly graphic sensibility that does n't flinch at the most horrific parts of larsson 's story .",
        "rapace -- while not mapping exactly to the book 's physical descriptions -- owns the role so thoroughly that one can only hope the role does n't end up owning her and limiting her opportunities .",
        "the film is at its best during the first hour or so , as the many threads of the central mystery are slowly , but surely woven together .",
        "although MOV does n't overcome all of its genre 's clich\u00e9s -lrb- particularly in the unnecessary romance between its leads -rrb- it still shakes off most of the cobwebs that have for years been creeping into detective films .",
        "... a quality translation , comparable to what ron howard could have done with his dan brown films had the source material been worthy .",
        "imposingly violent , tightly plotted , and the superbly acted , the picture is an intriguing introduction to these acidic characters and world of abuse , taking viewers on quite a ride .",
        "MOV is exceptionally well-acted . but i 've sort of had it with this stuff , whether it 's american or swedish .",
        "more of a compressed miniseries vomited onto the big screen , an experience that feels like it has had some critical information cut out of it rather haphazardly .",
        "the movie takes its time entangling a reporter-turned-investigator and a hacking punkette into its multigenerational family mystery , but once it gets there it becomes a solid , old-fashioned slab of detective fiction .",
        "i 'll happily sit for two more movies featuring this pair ; i only wish there could be more .",
        "... while all of the performances are strong , rapace owns this movie and this character , to the point that casting anyone else as lisbeth seems ridiculous .",
        "the entire third act seems contrived , unconvincing and not compelling .",
        "a hollywood version would have gone right for a blood-spattered prologue , while this swedish version -lrb- faithful to the best-selling book by stieg larsson -rrb- slowly builds its chills , creating an overwhelming feeling of dread .",
        "a haunting and relentless film ... but for the scenes -lsb- of violence , rape and torture -rsb- , i would recommend -lsb- it -rsb- without reservation .",
        "the swedish thriller ` MOV ' miraculously causes the adjectives ` convoluted ' and ` implausible ' to become positive",
        "a chilling detective tale , a horrific sexual abuse drama and an overlong , emotional , tie-up-every-loose-end melodrama that is sure to be half an hour shorter when hollywood remakes it without swedish dialogue and probably without the cool swedish edge .",
        "the picture , reduced to a black-and-white kind of manhunt , is visually black-and-white as well . it 's set in the snowy landscape of rural sweden , where the self-effacing and pale-faced blomkvist blends into the wintry scenes .",
        "MOV takes one on a journey down the icy roads to hell , with a dogged , investigative journalist and an avenging punk angel -- an odd couple par excellence ."],
    "summary": "its graphic violence and sprawling length will prove too much for some viewers to take , but noomi rapace 's gripping performance makes MOV an unforgettable viewing experience .",
    "id": "770798724"
  },
  {
    "movie": "kumiko_the_treasure_hunter",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as portraits of mental illness go , `` kumiko '' is slender but even-handed , neither romanticizing its heroine 's mania nor tipping into melodrama or horror .",
        "`` kumiko , the treasure hunter '' is a supple combination of little red riding hood adventure , ironic road film and cross-cultural confusion .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the simplicity of the setup works , so perhaps all of this layering -- of truth and legend and flights of fancy -- is an unnecessary burden here .",
        "kumiko , the treasure hunter , a cool and ambitious slice of weird from austin 's own zellner brothers , works best as pure fairy tale , a quest to find a fortune that the audiences knows does n't actually exist .",
        "surprising , mystical film about lonely woman on a mission .",
        "an intriguing indie and certainly one-of-a-kind . the coen bros. likely would approve .",
        "fans of obscure cinema will fall in love with this beautiful , cryptic , and outstanding treasure hunting pilgrimage . the more you think about kumiko , the treasure hunter the more treasure you find buried within the film .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's a strange movie , and perhaps not all that easy to love , but if the filmmakers had gone straight for `` lovable , '' then they might have ruined the unique spell they have cast .",
        "... a beautiful , chilly odyssey .",
        "a truly mystifying human puzzle .",
        "kumiko , the treasure hunter is a moody comic allegory about desperation , disconnection and dreams that uses fargo , the coen brothers classic , as a touchstone to examine modern life .",
        "kikuchi brought humanity to the robots-vs . - monsters action of pacific rim in a small supporting role , and she ups that much more with the meek title character of kumiko ...",
        "strange as it sounds - and is - kumiko comprises a lingering display of empathy for its heroine , marching stridently on through her own peculiar headspace .",
        "what i saw was a case of filmmakers blissed out on their own hermetic concept .",
        "i ca n't say that this austere , beautiful movie satisfied my impatient desire for answers . -lrb- it seems , in fact , to be a rebuttal to that desire . -rrb- but i 'll be thinking about kumiko 's journey for a long time .",
        "another vaporous sundance hit ...",
        "the specifics of this movie are engaging , but the big picture stays buried .",
        "is the story , and its heroine 's fate , a fairy tale or a delusion ? if the former , the movie is as sweet as a disney-inspired anime . if the latter , kumiko is deeply sad .",
        "she 's a loner with a singleminded , completely absurd mission ... and the film goes along with her , right to the curious end .",
        "kumiko feels like a collection of amusing and/or depressing riffs stitched together within a context that barely matters .",
        "file this one under `` odd and interesting but ... ''",
        "a melancholy ode to impossible dreams from the austin , texas-based filmmaking zellner brothers .",
        "if kumiko , the treasure hunter takes its time , it 's time worth taking .",
        "the movie is lovely to look at . its compositions make clever use of color and space , and kumiko , in a crimson shawl on the snowy plains , is a striking figure .",
        "if you 're in the mood for something different , you 're in luck : `` kumiko , the treasure hunter '' takes elements of the traditional quest story into completely new places .",
        "in the title role , kikuchi is impressive , easily handling kumiko 's comic and more somber sides and never allowing us to settle into a single or simple interpretation of the character .",
        "kumiko , the treasure hunter pretty much succeeds as a work of magical realism .",
        "a haunting , fantasy adventure for the ages in one of this century 's most breathtaking independent films .",
        "the zellner brothers ' kumiko , the treasure hunter is as strange , surreal , and darkly funny as it is ultimately tragic .",
        "little is explained , and even less is revealed about what makes kumiko tick . but for the patient and inquisitive , the ride can be maddeningly absorbing , unearthing its own kind of treasure .",
        "though kumiko , the treasure hunter is a sad story , it keeps that sadness at bay with touches of whimsy as kumiko sets out into the snowy wilderness to find the treasure she needs to be there .",
        "at her best , kikuchi evokes the little match girl , bathing her bleak existence with too-brief warmth .",
        "what should be a tragic story has so many upbeat turns that it charming and effective .",
        "with the gorgeously shot , sweetly paced kumiko , the treasure hunter , david and nathan zellner make a strange , funny , sometimes alarmingly deadpan leap forward from their likable earlier features .",
        "despite its stasis , the feature is an original vision , best suited for those with high tolerance for art-house adventuring and an appreciation for the mischief the coen brothers conjured in their seminal 1996 hit , `` fargo . ''",
        "the film 's steady accumulation of little quirks - such as the fact that kumiko has embroidered her treasure map on a piece of fabric , using a freeze-frame from `` fargo '' as a template - soon grow tedious .",
        "it 's a beautiful and provocative film that will stick with you long after it 's over .",
        "an engaging , even surprising feature .",
        "the filmmaking team of david and nathan zellner ... have channeled kumiko 's visionary madness into a memorable , haunting and highly original american movie .",
        "an endearing unlikely heroine in an utterly charming escapade .",
        "a good -- but not entirely likable -- film that might have been great but is n't quite , owing to a central character who becomes increasingly unsympathetic .",
        "a haunting , funny , beautifully austere film about obsession , delusion and fantasy , all held together by the remarkable , and the remarkably still , performance by rinko kikuchi .",
        "nihilistic but wonderful",
        "if sheer visual and aural ravishment is your bag and enough to get you through a feature film - then this one 's for you ... if story is your thing , the film will be less successful , and if character motivation is your jam , it could be deeply frustrating .",
        "for all its formal beauty and dry comedy , there is a certain heartlessness in inventing a bleak , artsy fantasia on the grave of a real dead woman .",
        "kumiko is gorgeously shot and scored , with a dreamlike ambience and slow-burning narrative that vacillates between beautiful and unsettling .",
        "... a rigorous if miniature work of art , a movie that betrays tremendous discipline in every aspect , from its traditional , almost formal , visual approach to the eerie score ...",
        "like the money from ` fargo ' that inspires kumiko 's quest , this movie something of a buried treasure itself .",
        "a work of rigorously disciplined eccentricity , kumiko , the treasure hunter is at once entirely accessible and yet appealing only to a rarified crowd ready to key into its narrow-bandwidth sense of humor .",
        "you can read this droll film as a fable , and that 's probably better than as a picture of mental illness .",
        "by the time that you get to an ending as frustratingly ambiguous as the beginning , it becomes clear that this road movie is more calling card than fully realised film .",
        "the film , especially in its second half , after kumiko lands at the minneapolis-saint paul international airport , is resolutely more invested in , and sympathetic toward , its heroine than her fetish objects .",
        "a monumental bore from start to finish .",
        "the script posits sadness but can be uplifting and gives rise to various interpretations , ending in dream or warm fuzzy fulfillment of a vision .",
        "it settles firmly into the perspective of a lost soul who finds solace in the swaddling security of fantasy .",
        "with an airiness that recalls both jarmusch and at-times the aforementioned coens , zellner tightrope-walks between whimsical and gravid .",
        "it 's hard to think of a film that ties itself so closely to another cinematic text while still retaining such an original tone .",
        "is kumiko simply naive , or is she mentally ill ? the film 's perfect ending does n't try to solve that riddle , but it will make you feel as if you 've just seen something hypnotically original .",
        "living up to the expansiveness that its sega genesis-like title suggests , kumiko , the treasure hunter 's action possesses that rare ability to take on a radically different meaning as its narrative unfolds",
        "this quietly magnificent piece should put the zellners on the map : one day , the coens will make movies inspired by them .",
        "an unlikely mix of true-life tragedy and urban myth inspired this sweet , melancholy comedy ...",
        "completely original , technically proficient , and simply mesmerizing .",
        "a delightfully mannered and eccentric delight .",
        "kumiko 's unique vision makes for humour and pathos in david zellner 's film .",
        "rinko kikuchi is amazing as kumiko .",
        "this movie could easily be cruelly humorous or embarrassingly overwrought , but walks the tonal tightrope over both .",
        "david zellner co-wrote the screenplay with his brother nathan , as two brothers pay homage to two other brothers who know how to make damn good movies - and yet this holds its own , in what is a more than worthy effort .",
        "a beguiling fable of buried treasure and movie-fed obsession .",
        "one of the best films to ever premiere at sundance .",
        "a little long and convoluted , but it has a good heart and an absurdist wit",
        "odd , mystical , strikingly original ...",
        "a peculiar oddity that should appeal to those whose tastes favor the offbeat .",
        "MOV is a real find ... an oddly funny and often heartbreaking portrait of mental illness as well as exploration of both the freeing power and danger of cinephilia .",
        "kumiko , the treasure hunter continues to create dissent in my mind ; and that certainly makes it worthwhile .",
        "kumiko , the treasure hunter is a wonderful little film that dares to dream , and dares you to dream with it .",
        "there 's a spooky poetry to the climactic sequences of kumiko , as a one-of-a-kind individual disappears into the snow , in search of a memorable movie prop that also disappeared into the snow .",
        "its ambiguity should dazzle and delight ; even in its darkest reading , kumiko goes into the night softly , like a bunny rabbit retreating from the severity of the world .",
        "it 's the rare case of a story that 's inspirational and devastating at once .",
        "the film 's great strength is in its eerie expressive visuals .",
        "the zellners may have their missteps as storytellers , but without question they 're consummate image - and mood-makers .",
        "stark , dark , bleak and funny . just like `` fargo . ''",
        "beautifully acted , smartly written , skillfully directed , and gorgeously photographed",
        "... grounded by a moving performance by producer rinko kikuchi who is surrounded by a memorable cast of supporting players . this melancholy comedy will haunt you .",
        "a deranged pseudo-feminist fable , kumiko , the treasure hunter takes its tedious time getting to its unrewarding destination .",
        "kumiko only comes into its own when -lsb- she -rsb- arrives in minnesota and must deal with locals as she heads up to fargo despite knowing very little english .",
        "the title of the movie seems to promise adventure , and the movie does deliver that , though not in the conventional manner .",
        "lyrical , memorable and beautifully conceived film about a woman charging after an elusive dream misfires in its final moments .",
        "a delicate , haunting study of a woman who has in several senses lost her way .",
        "the beauty of kumiko , the treasure hunter comes from the zellners treating a silly , whimsical premise with utmost seriousness .",
        "a road movie which transcends its ultra-quirky log-line .",
        "there can hardly be a bigger waste of time than this piece of twee nonsense .",
        "this is a quirky and deadpan comedy with an undertow of sadness that not even the occasional scene-stealing close-ups of kumiko 's pet rabbit eating noodles can alleviate .",
        "weirdly funny and weirdly sad , one woman 's slo-mo nervous breakdown becomes an exercise in pathos that is unforgettably poignant .",
        "a fascinating - at times illuminating - tightrope act , but rarely an enjoyable one .",
        "it 's a unique , funny and ultimately crushing descent into the deep well of loneliness , that cannily blurs the lines between fantasy and reality .",
        "too shallow and incurious to succeed as a character study , the film drifts aimlessly in a manner that frustrates and finally alienates .",
        "this smart riff on the coen brothers ' 1996 classic fargo is is a blend of wonderfully offbeat black comedy and much darker themes involving a central character who ...",
        "there 's little doubt that kikuchi has put a lot of herself into the role of kumiko , but the film does n't probe very deep . the film upholds the annoying tradition of festival cinema of being an extended anecdote rather than a sustained story .",
        "rinko kikuchi 's superb core performance and some striking photography stand out in the latest feature from the zellner brothers .",
        "a fine and original movie that touches on a damaged lead character with grace . and , duh , fargo fans should be especially intrigued .",
        "i 'm thankful real life is not governed by coen bros. ' omniscience .",
        "basically an interesting failure .",
        "the flavor is odd and completely irresistible .",
        "the interesting thing for me is the film 's intermittent excursion from drama into bleak comedy",
        "it 's wonderful",
        "the film 's chief delight -- and it is , for the most part , quite delightful and quirky -- lies in these marginal characters .",
        "a great film for people who are tired of associating the color black with sadness and despair : now , both of those things are available in snowy white !",
        "darkly humorous at times and deeply somber at others , kumiko , the treasure hunter is an ambitious film that feels no need to over tell their chosen story .",
        "this is a tale of delusion , illusion and confusion given life through a powerful performance by rinko kikuchi ."],
    "summary": "powerfully acted and lovely to look at , kumiko , the treasure hunter offers a treat for cinephiles with a taste for the pleasantly peculiar .",
    "id": "771371921"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1097046-dinosaur",
    "reviews":
     [
        "offers $ 200 million in special effects and a script worth about 2 cents . still , that wo n't bother the picture 's target audience .",
        "sucked me in like a tar pit .",
        "one thing is certain : disney has thrown down the gauntlet to the wave of animated competition coming this summer .",
        "MOV labors at meticulous visual details adults will marvel over .",
        "groundbreaking !",
        "the characters are terrifically articulated .",
        "MOV is n't perfect but , like the creatures it depicts , it is awesome to behold .",
        "the script has lines adults will appreciate , mixed with howlers .",
        "a quick blast .",
        "one MOV that wo n't soon be forgotten .",
        "if storytelling is the creative equivalent of water , i should point out it 's no surprise these dinosaurs find themselves trekking over endless expanses of dusty , dry terrain .",
        "if you look past the seamlessly realistic cgi , there 's nothing at all memorable about the movie .",
        "it 's certainly good to see that disney did n't give us just another song-and-dance romp , but in their attempt to be serious , they forgot to keep us entertained as well .",
        "compounding the problems is the weird confluence of genuine landscape photography with digital animation .",
        "it would n't have hurt to spend some of that money to tell a story as original as the movie 's design -- though i 'm sure i speak for millions in thanking disney for not including any stupid songs .",
        "if studios are going to be paying out hundreds of millions of dollars for these films , should n't some of that money go to writers whose imaginations match the visuals ?",
        "the voice work is merely adequate , with marguiles , sweeney and alfre woodard -lrb- love & basketball -rrb- particularly unstriking .",
        "for each of its grotesque 84 minutes i stared at the screen depressed and appalled , realising i was watching something historic -- the moment when feature-length disney animation became a MOV itself .",
        "once you get over the ` ooh-ah ' factor and tuck into the ultraformulaic tale , MOV is a dino-snore .",
        "for a story that takes place some 65 million years ago , MOV is awfully reliant on recent recycled parts .",
        "the movie follows a rather dull tale similar to the 1988 animated film the land before time .",
        "... do n't expect much more than eye candy .",
        "as a result of its breathtaking visual effects , MOV is a landmark film .",
        "directors ralph zondag and eric leighton deserve high praise for their innovative blend of filmed settings and cgi wizardry .",
        "by the time `` MOV '' offers us the sight of seemingly hundreds of homeless dinosaurs moving wearily across the desert , it 's likely you will have forgotten the creations you 're watching are not real , living , breathing creatures .",
        "it is an awsome experience , visually ; on the story side it 's a tad thin .",
        "sadly , there is little sign of the benefits of evolution in the storytelling itself , which sticks too closely to a narrative template seemingly dating back to the mesolithic era .",
        "MOV mixes state-of-the-art visuals with bottom-of-the-barrel scripting .",
        "utimately it is the look of the film that makes an indelible impression .",
        "the real reason to go to this film is the animation , which places these ultra-realistic , digitally created characters with `` real , '' live-action backgrounds that have been digitally doctored .",
        "a skillful blend of old-fashioned disney storytelling and newfangled computer animation makes for an effective and frequently spectacular summer family film .",
        "the story does n't matter much when a movie looks this good , and it 's a breakthrough of technical achievement .",
        "it 's the small details , like dino-skin , that blu-ray really brings to life .",
        "stunning , but can be dark and scary in places .",
        "when you have spent $ 200 million on `` the dumber version of the land before time '' , you deserve everything that comes to you .",
        "it is the next generation of high technology that further blurs the lines between reality and fantasy .",
        "the ultimate in special effects movies ... unfortunately , the story being told is not the best that disney has presented as its annual animated masterpiece .",
        "aurally and visually this creature feature is a treat .",
        "parents , you may enjoy the scenery but remember the dinosaurs talk , so bring your earplugs .",
        "the very young target audience for the movie will love every minute of it , but then again , they also look at lunchables as fine dining .",
        "tougher-minded children among us may find it hard to sit , without embarrassment , through this bizarre mixture of paleontology , preposterous anthropomorphism , and fuzzy-headed new age myth-making .",
        "designed more as a cash machine than a piece of cinema .",
        "visually , it 's even more astonishing than the high-profile trailers made it look , an astonishing blend of real-life backgrounds and computer-generated characters . it 's a shame that the script seems to have been wholly computer generated as well .",
        "plot ? what plot ?",
        "this film just felt dry .",
        "plot ? what plot ?",
        "you begin to get used to the film 's pictorial wondrousness -- to take it for granted , even -- and start to realize that the characters and story are exceedingly mundane , unsurprising and pre-programmed .",
        "this film is packed with wonderful eye-candy . the first ten minutes , or so , are dialogue free . they play so well that it is a complete disappointment when the dinos begin to talk .",
        "MOV cuts a bland , compliant figure , its narrative and characterizations subservient to splashy feats of cgi legerdemain .",
        "by 45 minutes into the movie , i was nudging my friend and asking if he was as bored as i was .",
        "the sad story of the dinosaurs is one of the few walt disney got right the first time .",
        "for all its impressive wizardry , disney 's latest effort mostly comes off as a visually spectacular lesson in how not to tell a story .",
        "a story as old as , well , fossils , but the little ones will like it anyway .",
        "unfortunately , what the film lacks is a good story , good characters , and good humor .",
        "indeed a sight to behold -- and one well worth paying the full movie ticket price to see -- but it could 've been a more nourishing feast for the mind .",
        "though a bit ragged on the technical side , the film showcases a simple story with a moral that the younger members of the audience can understand and appreciate , plus some heroic and amusing characters with whom they can relate .",
        "it 's great splendor in need of some fun .",
        "for all its technical wonders , MOV is strictly kids ' stuff .",
        "yaaaaaaawwn .",
        "a distressingly lifeless concoction .",
        "an anemic and familiar story without any particular vitality , pep or point .",
        "... too saccharine , too undemanding , and all too brief to satisfy .",
        "the plot could n't be more stale if it wafted from a sarcophagus .",
        "well , bambi meets godzilla again in the new computer-cartoon epic MOV , but the results are n't so witty .",
        "MOV does exactly what it should : take the wee ones on a vicarious trip through an adventure both visually terrifying and emotionally thrilling at the same time .",
        "a most impressive technical accomplishment . . -lsb- but -rsb- by the sixty-minute mark , even the visual splendor starts to lose its luster .",
        "i enjoyed the movie as sheer visual spectacle",
        "its commitment to palaeontological credibility still takes a back seat to storytelling , with a lot more disaster and conflict than leaf-munching and hibernating .",
        "the experience is as luxuriant and intoxicating as a theme park ride ; more remarkably , it feels like a real movie .",
        "even though the traditional aspects of cinema are lacking , it 's hard not to be impressed by the package as a whole .",
        "a serenely pleasing kiddie movie that invites little ones to sink into their MOV dreams .",
        "the technological mastery is dazzling .",
        "a must-see for anyone who wants to see the next stage in computer-generated animation .",
        "the picture is a dazzler .",
        "pure disney formula .",
        "mostly , this is just a great-looking cartoon that looks a lot like a live action film .",
        "unfortunately , while each of these set-pieces is striking in the visual sense , the story in which they are marred lumbers along much like an aging brachiosaurus .",
        "the movie makes us feel there are real perils in the struggle to survive the predators , and that visceral sense of danger keeps us on edge .",
        "the simplest story since fantasia - but the animation will knock your hair off . i was agape at what a bunch of 1s & zeros can do .",
        "dinosaurio no ser\u00e1 un cl\u00e1sico pero bien vale la pena verla . a final de cuentas , ver es creer",
        "had it been any longer than 80 minutes , i would have given serious thought to making an early exit .",
        "o roteiro n\u0103o faz jus ao colossal esfor\u00e7o realizado pelos animadores .",
        "a mi parecer , esta produccin se hizo para lucimiento de la animacin ... y vaya si lo consigue !",
        "aladar with his nurturing spirit is a superb role model for children . it is rare in any movie to see a male leader animated by kindness and cooperation .",
        "maybe it 's just the barney hater in me , but i prefer my dinosaurs without dialogue .",
        "the sort of picture that has you sitting there going , ` wow ! '",
        "an unbelievable visual feast .",
        "for every kid everywhere , and for every adult still a kid at heart , the dinosaurs are the thing , and here , finally , disney does justice to our dreams .",
        "MOV , although still impressive , just misses being a great , truly revolutionary film .",
        "while the film maintains a strong moral centre and never attempts to replicate the savage reality of such a situation , it still might be a little too scary for young audiences .",
        "this big-budget marvel raises the bar for the animation community , even if its script does n't have the spark and sheer entertainment value of recent disney cartoon features .",
        "while the visuals are larger than life , the story falls short .",
        "a feast for the eyes but a rather routine entry in the respectable folio of great disney animated movies .",
        "MOV is another refrain of the old disney song .",
        "it is definitely a kid 's movie , but one that gives the older audience something to greatly appreciate .",
        "nothing we 've seen before -- not the jurassic park or toy story films -- has quite prepared us for the total immersion into another world that this film delivers .",
        "this groundbreaking movie is nothing short of a visual miracle .",
        "bambi on steroids .",
        "though the enhanced location background shots are so-so , the character animation is amazing , with details of scales , fur , facial expressions -lrb- which you just have to grant the dinosaurs -rrb- , baggy skin and wet bodies in rainstorms .",
        "the opening scenes are truly astounding .",
        "the story is from familiar fairy-tale turf in the ways of good vs. evil , and every bit of it is thrilling to look at .",
        "commendable weekend fare for the small fry .",
        "the animators have done a tremendous job of making the animals fit in each scene .",
        "the fur -lrb- individual hairs are manipulated -rrb- the dino-skin effects are most impressive .",
        "will leave audiences of all ages awestruck .",
        "the audience is left with a beautiful setting populated by predictable and largely uninteresting characters .",
        "if the devil is in the details , then this is one devilishly delightful film .",
        "visually powerful , yet depressingly cold and clinical .",
        "technical innovations notwithstanding , it `` s basically a well-made kiddie flick .",
        "the film is such a visual feast that it 's often easy to ignore its narrative failings .",
        "as it is , MOV is still one heck of an action adventure .",
        "MOV is a fable , and a hugely and sometimes wondrously watchable one , even if its emotions retreat to certain levels of programmed predictability as the film proceeds .",
        "in its lumbering , sometimes bloody way , it 's some trip .",
        "a visual breakthrough in realistic computer animation that should delight kids -- and adults , at least for the first half-hour .",
        "a certified wonder .",
        "MOV astonishes and disheartens as only the most elaborate , most ambitious hollywood products can ."],
    "summary": "while MOV 's plot is generic and dull , its stunning computer animation and detailed backgrounds are enough to make it worth a look .",
    "id": "10427"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1149496-1149496-red_eye",
    "reviews":
     [
        "works extremely well as a fast-paced adrenaline rush , but not so well as an allegory on today 's government and security issues .",
        "while not particularly original , red eye is immensely entertaining and a fine example of the classic suspense-thriller .",
        "hitchcock , of course , got lots of mileage out of just such absurd plots . but wes craven , whatever other strengths he has , is n't hitchcock .",
        "quick but satisfying .",
        "terrific casting can work wonders for a movie . if the stars are good enough , logic gaps as deep as the marianas trench disappear in the performers ' glow .",
        "this mid-air thriller sees the director not so much soaring to the heavens as merely coasting along on auto-pilot .",
        "the psychological mind-games are played to the hilt , the pressurised cabin air increases the edge-of-the-seat tension and the 85-minute flight time is gratifyingly short .",
        "fans of the thriller genre will probably be scared and entertained , but seeing red eye is more like watching a good television show than a good movie .",
        "not the most sophisticated psychological thriller , yet slick fun deftly handled by craven and his leads .",
        "this is a screenplay so unbelievably bad that not even two very fine young actors and a director known for his knack for suspense can salvage it .",
        "for a movie getting unceremoniously released during the dog days of the summer movie season , red eye deserves a look .",
        "a tightly-wound , tense thriller that 's worth the trip to the theater .",
        "sometimes you have to be grateful for simple pleasures .",
        "-lsb- wes craven -rsb- should have stayed with what he knows best .",
        "` efficient ' is among the highest adjectives of praise i can apply to a thriller , and this is one efficient movie .",
        "red eye proves once again that imaginative wrapping enhances any package 's appeal .",
        "there 's a crackling b-movie vibe to this gripping little thriller .",
        "leave it to director wes craven ... red eye is a nail biting , edge of your seat experience , and he does it all in under 90 minutes .",
        "if you can suspend enough disbelief to follow a plot that sacrifices itself on an altar of cheap , end-of-picture thrills , you 'll get your money 's worth .",
        "while a few of the film 's more preposterous story elements do remain glaring , red eye is nonetheless enjoyable and exciting , something more than merely a guilty pleasure .",
        "a one-trick action thriller that feels like a poor cousin of an episode of 24 .",
        "briskly paced , it takes less time than a flight from denver to l.a. . it may not be a classic , but it 's way more satisfying than a mini-bag of pretzels and a soda .",
        "the movie works best when the action is confined to two people on the plane , because it is n't able to resort to silly action . cillian murphy is excellent at being menacing .",
        "sitting through red eye is like watching a master carpenter at work on a custom bookcase . no one would call the result art , but you 're sure bound to admire the sheer craft of the thing .",
        "there are no dinosaurs , starships , monsters or special effects involved . just two humans pressed too close to one another , locked in a fight for survival . what could be more frightening ?",
        "rare these days is the thriller that takes its time , allowing us to get comfortable with the characters and the characters to get comfortable with one another before starting the chase or inducing the shocks .",
        "the set-up is n't classic craven so much as it is hitchcock -- strangers on a train combined with saboteur , with the average joe , or jane , called upon to provide heroic feats in service of his/her country .",
        "a mostly smart scary movie , red eye effectively updates the slasher flick to address current fears .",
        "mcadams is excellent because she shows lisa 's strength and cunning without ever underplaying her vulnerability .",
        "taut and claustrophobic , with hardly a wasted word or gesture ...",
        "an immensely dumb , immensely fun thriller .",
        "wes craven 's airplane thriller strips down the mechanics of suspense to bare basics .",
        "-lsb- craven finds -rsb- another new way to stoke our apprehensions of being caught vulnerable and helpless .",
        "the kind of quick-paced , jolt-packed and ultimately throwaway film that 's always welcome in the summer .",
        "mcadams and murphy keep this air disaster just gripping enough to survive . they 're two actors to watch -- although one hopes we 'll be watching them in better films than this .",
        "a film that delivers high tension without the baggage of postmodern irony .",
        "... slick and unpretentious , it wants nothing more than to be this year 's cellular -- and for maybe an hour or so it succeeds .",
        "red eye is a model of swiftness and efficiency , shrouded in a veil of secrecy .",
        "a reliable addition to craven 's canon , despite some shaky scriptwriting and ludicrous developments .",
        "if you can sit back , buckle up and forgive the plot holes on its runway , craven 's bumpy ride is rollicking entertainment , careening from winking humor and cutting dialogue to big action payoffs .",
        "smart , funny , and keenly aware - even celebrating - of its own wild contrivances , it 's the stuff of popcorn-movie bliss .",
        "a good measure of the movie 's white-knuckle fun comes from craven 's old-hand familiarity with the way thrillers tick , predicated on the smallest and most banal of missed connections , the kind that get an audience to go crazy .",
        "wes craven does a magnificent job in directing this slow-burn , short-fused thriller .",
        "the setup flies , the tension builds , and screenwriter carl ellsworth cooks a taut summer page-turner of a thriller with mild political overtones .",
        "the movie is a pleasant surprise at the end of summer , and an exciting detour from one of the most influential directors of horror films .",
        "an airborne suspense thriller that terrifies with a smile .",
        "runs into problems over logic as it battles plot line turbulence .",
        "teach this one in film schools . maybe it could save us from all those stupid , nobody-would-do-that plot turns , flaccid formula screenwriting and thrillers that run so long they lose their thrills .",
        "craven 's terror-alert white-knuckler is a zippy , unpretentious entry in the subgenre , hinging on the enforced proximity of cat and mouse .",
        "this is a sophisticated genre movie , and it 's effective on many levels .",
        "please fasten your seat belts -- you 're in for quite a flight .",
        "once the plane touches land , things go downhill . the movie devolves into a by-the-book action flick .",
        "the bulk of the movie is taut , compelling , and simply consists of two people talking to each other .",
        "red eye packs all the tension of a turbulent flight but ends with the equivalent of a stale sack of pretzels",
        "red eye is a lean , efficient thriller ... with an ingenious premise and a snappy pace .",
        "wes craven takes off with taut , tense thriller - buckle up for a turbulent flight !",
        "there is something to be said for a movie that dares to live the clich\u00e9 and work smarter , not harder .",
        "given that red eye runs less than 80 minutes without credits , the utter failure of its final act is damning .",
        "a great film ? no , but red eye does what it sets out to do , which is more than i can say about most of the films i 've seen this year .",
        "it 's only the conclusion of the film that makes red eye less than horrormeister wes craven 's finest work .",
        "fast and furious and tightly focused and blessedly short at 85 minutes , it recalls not so much today 's bloated , computer-crazed films , but tighter melodramas of the '50s .",
        "red eye does n't just stick to the basics -- it reminds us why they still matter .",
        "a taut thriller that advises : do n't talk to strangers .",
        "it 's a minor film , no question , but it 's also one that could exist in no other time with this kind of resonance .",
        "at last - the perfect summer film . wes craven delivers a quick , tense high . you got ta go !",
        "red eye relies on hoodwinking an audience with its tension , so that the sheer illogic of the conspiracy plot can slip by without detection .",
        "mcadams delivers a tour de force ; murphy is delightfully evil , and craven makes a smashing debut with a taut thriller that would be welcome in hollywood 's golden era .",
        "wes craven tries his hand at hitchcockian suspense in red-eye , and turns in a modest b-movie thriller that 's just as invigorating as it is easy to pick apart .",
        "an especially effective and efficient thriller .",
        "no doubt for his next movie wes will be back to his worn out horror tricks , but for seventy five out of eighty five minutes he 's taken a welcome side trip .",
        "establishes a mood and manages to keep it edgy and claustrophobic throughout .",
        "played out with a squirm-inducing tension that occasionally supersedes the instinct to breathe",
        "this is the film that panic room wanted to be , and it 's not so obsessed with being slick and overstylized that it loses sight of the basics .",
        "` red eye ' is a movie that flies for a while , but is finally grounded by its heavy cargo of unbelievability .",
        "a slick suspense thriller with no real surprises , but it is so well-crafted that it soars above most recent entries in this over-worked genre .",
        "a terrorist tale with a far-fetched storyline and finale .",
        "`` red-eye '' is a movie worth staying up for .",
        "this film ... reminds us that -lsb- craven -rsb- 's one of the real masters of horror .",
        "a perfect grace note to an exceptionally action-packed summer movie season .",
        "craven 's best since scream one .",
        "with their riveting performances in ` red eye , ' cillian murphy and rachel mcadams are on the way to a-list movie stardom .",
        "a brisk , little hitchcockian thriller with some nice , ghoulish touches courtesy of craven .",
        "it 's preposterous but deliciously so , and we eagerly suspend our disbelief .",
        "craven uses the claustrophobic confines of the airplane well , keeping things moving to create visual interest but always making us aware of how vulnerable lisa feels .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- brisk , efficient b movie .",
        "taut . tense . gripping . suspenseful . this reviewer has n't used those words in so long i think i heard the keyboard cough . nevertheless , they all apply to wes craven 's red eye .",
        "in short , red eye hits the bull 's - eye .",
        "this is what we call summer entertainment , and who would have thought that a mid-august barnburner would emerge as one of the best films of the summer ?",
        "there 's something to be said for a movie that takes a modest premise , executes it efficiently and sends us packing in less time than it takes to cook a roast .",
        "craven , an old hand at menace , shifts gears smoothly from the slasher parodies of scream , offering a more subdued brand of suspense .",
        "current ` it ' girl rachel mcadams and irish heartthrob cillian murphy had best hope this one passes beneath the radar at supersonic speed .",
        "it 's encouraging that craven cast two relative newcomers who are excited about being in the film , rather than stale stars earning a paycheck .",
        "red-eye is the work of a filmmaker in command of the full resources of the camera in telling a story visually and with economy .",
        "craven 's taut thriller is a b-movie wrapped in a glossy package , but the expert carftsmanship barely conceals the fact that enjoyable as it is , the film is basically plotless",
        "craven tries high-concept terror and learns why even hitchcock had trouble with small spaces",
        "superbly sustained tension ... makes the fights between brad pitt and angelina jolie in ` mr. and mrs. smith ' look like innocent roughhousing .",
        "craven wastes no time with blas\u00e9 character development or backstory , launching into his 85-minute chiller without warning",
        "a flight into fright that will keep your eyes wide open with fear and suspense .",
        "saying that it 's better than craven 's last film is n't much more of a compliment than saying that its last reel is funnier than anything in the 40-year-old virgin .",
        "a nail-biting 90 minutes at the movies . wes craven got it right this time . hop aboard for the thrill-ride of the summer !",
        "it 's good , clean fun , although a bit unbelievable at times .",
        "reminds us that moviegoers and air travelers both pack themselves into tight rows of padded seats where they may experience turbulence and even white-knuckled terror ...",
        "almost all of this movie is shot on a plane . unfortunately it was n't fatally injured .",
        "tight and tense . `` red-eye '' delivers the thrills .",
        "a genuine white-knuckle flight ... though it hits some narrative potholes and logical turbulence , it takes you where craven wants you to go .",
        "a jet-fueled dynamo of airborne horror , the film marks the revitalization of director wes craven .",
        "a minimalist exercise in maximalist suspense .",
        "first-time screenwriter carl ellsworth and director wes craven do n't come up with a single clever way to generate suspense .",
        "if you stop to think about it , the setup is kind of silly ... but , luckily , director wes craven ... keeps things brisk enough that you rarely do stop to think about .",
        "features a scheme so needlessly convoluted that the heroine in peril even spends most of her time complaining about its ineptitude .",
        "preposterous , to be sure . and the credibility gap only widens as jack 's lethal mission nears its consummation . but by that point , craven already has us in the palm of his hand , smooth-talking us with a finesse worthy of his dashing villain .",
        "coming in at a fairly miraculous 85 minutes ... its built-for-speed , no-nonsense style goes a long way toward juicing this summer 's dog days .",
        "a nifty thriller that plays like b-movie blast from the past .",
        "a fun , suspenseful romp , thanks to good acting and an even better , economic 85-minute running time .",
        "tight ... taut ... gripping ... craven 's most suspenseful film since the hills have eyes .",
        "until he moves into action territory , wes craven keeps the tension tight and mostly avoids big plot holes .",
        "one to watch on an airplane with the sound off .",
        "... takes off , climbs to cruising speed and lands in a blink of an eye . it moves fast , but not fast enough that you do n't notice the fly-by-night feminism at work .",
        "after a summer of crashes , bangs , endless chase scenes and special effects that belittle the actors standing in front of them , what a pleasure to see characters in a thriller doing what people like themselves possibly could do .",
        "book your seat for this one now .",
        "... tense , exciting , and thoroughly entertaining ...",
        "craven pulls off what george romero could n't with his `` land of the dead , '' namely , successfully widen the scope of his subject matter and patented style .",
        "even during the final sequence ... , red eye delivers . that 's because this is a thriller with horror as a lightning rod .",
        "for wes craven , who i like a lot as a slasher director , he really goes into a different direction with this .",
        "a nearly perfect thriller .",
        "it took forever , but the best thriller of summer 2005 has finally arrived . the gripping , seat - clutching suspense in this baby will pin you to your seat .",
        "smart performances -lrb- by up-and-comers rachel mcadams and cillian murphy -rrb- highlight wes craven 's overnight fright .",
        "if you 've seen its theatrical trailer then you 've seen `` red eye . ''",
        "it pulls just about every nail-biting , edge-of-your-seat trick imaginable , yet gets away with it through what is , admittedly , a clever and original gimmick .",
        "most rollercoasters last less than two minutes and you have to wait an hour to ride them . for that i consider red eye one helluva bargain .",
        "mcadams does a wonderful job pulling all of this together to be equal parts scared , vulnerable and tough enough to kick some booty .",
        "this nifty , tense thriller directed by wes craven brings together a classic setup and a relevant-sounding if thoroughly undercooked story involving worldwide terrorism .",
        "it falls apart near the end , but does so in such a fun way that it 's still every bit as exciting and entertaining .",
        "wes craven weaves a masterful staging , right up until lisa and jackson get off of the plane .",
        "for one tense , nail-biting half hour , it 's up there with craven 's best .",
        "the film 's contained setting and solid performances drag it over the top and make it a flight to book and enjoy if not necessarily forever remember .",
        "fanatically intense .",
        "begins as a tense , well-written and brilliantly directed psychological thriller .",
        "almost too happy to be your standard , paranoid , woman-in-peril , audience participation thriller .",
        "a rock-em , sock-em , deliriously fantastic wedge of pop thriller , red eye cleanses craven 's past sins away , at least for the time being .",
        "a lean , no-nonsense thriller that depends on fully realized characters , drum-tight pacing and effective storytelling to deliver the goods .",
        "red eye is a wind-up machine of elegant simplicity , an increasingly uncommon breed among today 's bloated genre films .",
        "craven is back on fine form with red eye - easily one of the finest suspense thrillers of the year .",
        "craven 's direction is brisk and efficient - he packs in fights , chase scenes , suspense sequences and explosions and still manages to wrap up the movie in just over 80 minutes .",
        "a classy thriller that scoots along at breakneck speed .",
        "rare these days is the thriller that takes its time , allowing us to get comfortable with the characters before starting the chase or inducing the shocks .",
        "as a friday night dvd movie , this is passable . as a multiplex movie event , it never leaves the runway .",
        "no screen fatigue here . red eye is a lean , focused work that concentrates much of its claustrophobic terror within the not-so-friendly skies .",
        "a taut , terrific thriller",
        "its parts are greater than its sum ; small pleasures not commensurate with the quality of the film as a whole .",
        "there are enough thrills during the final third to give red eye viewers a few of craven 's patented jolts near the end . but it requires forbearance for both a silly script and uneven pacing to get to that point .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- goes painfully traditional in its last act , but until then it 's an extraordinary exercise in claustrophobia : a movie hitchcock might have made about our 9/11 paranoia .",
        "that all-too-rare hollywood creation : a tightly wound , intelligent , and gimmick-free suspense film .",
        "wes craven banishes the memory of cursed to bring us a lean thriller that 's just right for armrest-gripping .",
        "a single hour episode of the tv show ' 24 ' contains more of the kind of suspense craven was trying for .",
        "does n't fully mine the modern fear of post-9 / 11 air travel",
        "red eye stretches believability to the breaking point more than once , but the story moves with such headlong speed that there 's scarcely time to object .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a movie that , like its heroine , is lithe , limber and quick-thinking . like a triple latte from the airport starbucks , red eye will keep you awake , jittery and perched on the edge of your seat for pretty much the entire flight .",
        "a relentless heaping of masterfully created full-throttle suspense in a thriller that is as time and story-efficient as it is good , old-fashioned fun .",
        "there is n't a bit of the plot that is not predictable , but there 's always a giddy thrill in seeing someone pop out from behind something where you had not expected him to be .",
        "the problem is that this film has nothing particularly new and original to make it stand out from the thrillers like , for example , larry cohen writes .",
        "craven serves up a giddy and taut psychological thriller that will have audiences proudly reaching for their assigned barf bags .",
        "it 's all too big and too self-conscious , culminating in a third-act chase that makes one preposterous move after another .",
        "poderia ser um bom filme produzido para a tev\u0119 . como esfor\u00e7o para cinema , no entanto , \u00e9 apenas mediano .",
        "strictly b-grade fare , but it has a playful wit and enough genuine tension to make it worth your time and money .",
        "just when you thought that wes craven was washed-up , back up he comes like one of the killers in his films , teeth bared and meat cleaver grasped firmly in hand .",
        "if constructing a thriller could be likened to building a house , then wes craven 's red eye is a perfect piece of architecture : it 's clean-lined and soundly structured , without a foot of wasted space or any materials left unused .",
        "disbelief is never suspended by this silly waste of decent talent",
        "the movie turns into a complicated duel that depends on precise observation of physical detail and moment-by-moment continuity so closely calibrated that it 's impossible to find a wasted shot or an exaggerated emotion .",
        "i 'm not claiming masterpiece stature for red eye , just a solid professionalism in the acting , writing and direction that seems inextricably related to the modesty of its intentions .",
        "there is n't enough visine in the world ! ''",
        "wes craven turns in a tightly wound roller-coaster ride . intellectually , you know it 's improbable , but you ca n't help but raise your hands when the big drop comes .",
        "like flying in coach , red eye is fast and economical , delivers its share of jolts and gets a little bumpy toward the end .",
        "damn entertaining and - even better - at just 85 minutes , it 's refreshingly economical .",
        "who knows if craven 's back on track , but for the first time in years , he 's drawn shivers from the power of story and suggestion , not the awfulness of his movies .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- horoughly enthralling and completely rip-rousing ...",
        "the tension rises mostly from the verbal game of cat and mouse of the hunter and hunted sharing adjacent seats .",
        "it 's not a bad movie ; it just did n't scare me at all , though it did make me reconsider my preference for window seats .",
        "it moves through its paces competently but with little inspiration and even less real interest -- this despite the fact that thrillers are close cousins to horror films , which ought to put them squarely in craven 's milieu .",
        "why a terrorist looking to kill the deputy secretary of homeland security would take pity on saving the people in the rest of a miami hotel building is beyond me .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "with solid performances and tight direction from wes craven , red eye is a brisk , economic thriller .",
    "id": "5078"
  },
  {
    "movie": "lake_house",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... a soap bubble of a movie -lsb- that 's -rsb- pretty to look at ... but the slightest breeze or poke will make it go away .",
        "a mature and earnest romantic drama that is far superior to the bubblegum we usually get .",
        "the story 's time-travel elements never quite make sense , but subtle performances and directing give this film an unexpected edge .",
        "let 's get the negative stuff out of the way first . this plot is shot full of holes . nearly all time-travel movies are shot full of holes , and this one is especially spongy .",
        "i was hot to trot for the exit halfway through , but a dogged sense of duty kept me stuck in an endless present .",
        "those wishing to suppress real-life traumas may submit to the deliriously stupid romantic time-travel drama the MOV -- i did and had a jolly time .",
        "as melancholy slow as brokeback , only minus the hunks , the chemistry and the gayness",
        "do n't try to think it through too thoroughly . just go with it . the tenderness of the story just might make it worthwhile .",
        "this is really a strange premise for a movie . i did n't say bad , i simply meant odd , and at times , confusing .",
        "-- there are all kinds of unexplained phenomena in the world , so who 's to say that there ca n't be some sort of time warp where two people , years apart , can actually communicate with each other ?",
        "costars reeves and bullock , back together again for the first time since 1994 's `` speed , '' have more chemistry than ever , but they 're stuck with a script with such a blatant disregard for time/space logic that the film rankles no matter how serious its char",
        "a chronological brain-teaser confounding enough to keep you busy trying to figure out whether those holes are in the story or in your logic .",
        "the relationship that grows between bullock and reeves is beguiling , as are the emotional parallels their characters share .",
        "there is still chemistry between sandra bullock and keanu reeves , but a heavy dose of hollywood metaphysics keeps them apart for most of this wondrously illogical time-travel romance .",
        "there is a germ of a good idea in the notion that an imaginary suitor can be more powerful than a real one . but director alejandro agresti is n't the man to pull it off .",
        "genuinely insipid .",
        "a time-travel love story that salutes the spiritual practice of waiting .",
        "even with a low-wattage pair like keanu reeves and sandra bullock , the concept is too touching to deny .",
        "the sluggish pace weighs down the story and the ending is thought-provoking , but not in a good way .",
        "the MOV has the sensibility of something conceived by stephen king after an overdose of chocolate-covered cherries and valentine cards .",
        "this insultingly dumb film does n't even have the good manners to be fun .",
        "moving along like a turtle crossing the road , ` the MOV ' gave me a drowsy feeling that lasted all day . it was a real downer for me .",
        "oppressive earnestness ... takes its heaviest toll on the leads , robbing bullock of her spunk and reeves of his beatific sexiness .",
        "taps subtle , soft-spoken beats of a passionate and lonely heart that , in time , helps us forget the overall implausibility of the situation .",
        "the story makes no sense logically , but it works romantically .",
        "it 's to the film 's great credit that silly elements never get in the way of the film 's grand passion",
        "prepare to have your energy drained by this dispiriting production .",
        "it could be a good idea , but the fantasy is leaden and refuses to play by the rules it itself set up . so it is not very good as a fantasy and it really does not work as a romance .",
        "i could n't spoil the plot if i wanted to , since i have no idea how it all ties together .",
        "time warps this time ` round .",
        "if i were sending letters back in time to someone advising them on which films to skip , i 'd probably forget to even mention this .",
        "the MOV is one of the more befuddling movies of recent years . the premise makes no sense , no matter how you turn it around in your head .",
        "MOV is hazy , low-tech romantic filmmaking , and its no shove policy is exactly why it works so well .",
        "auburn 's script does have some logical problems . in the year 2006 , kate totally would google alex , since he might be full of bull",
        "bullock and reeves have appealing chemistry and some nice tearjerker moments , but audiences should speed by this house on their way elsewhere .",
        "supposed to be sweeping and romantic , but instead takes on an uncomfortable and creepy undercurrent .",
        "the MOV follows the pattern of a dime-store paperback romance novel .",
        "the joy lies in getting there , with lush visual direction by alejandro agresti and appealing performances by ms. bullock and her old speed co-star keanu reeves .",
        "instead of paying attention to the love story , you 'll be staring at the capacious holes in the plot . while the premise might seem hard to understand , it 's really not . it 's just hard to swallow .",
        "the sheer novelty of it all helps make the film seem a pleasant and refreshing change of pace .",
        "i have always felt that both ms. bullock 's patented expressions of anguish and mr. reeves ' stoical minimalism have been somewhat underrated .",
        "while the movie is n't as bad as its dubious trailer portends , it suffers terribly from a truncated narrative puzzle device that connects two lovers from different eras via an old-fashioned mailbox at a MOV .",
        "the most romantic movie since ` somewhere in time '",
        "the MOV demands a serious suspension of disbelief , but if you accept it as a romantic bit of nonsense , it has its pleasures .",
        "the last time bullock and reeves were together on screen the result was speed . this should have been entitled stop .",
        "a compelling idea delicately handled and neatly played , especially by bullock . it just lacks the emotional directness to turn the good into the great .",
        "... an effective romance ...",
        "if you 're not sucked in by the romance of the story , there 's a chance you 'll find it laughably awful , thanks to poorly written lines and keanu 's delivery of the world 's least convincing sneeze .",
        "who knows -- perhaps it 's not a glitch in the fourth dimension that kate and alex must traverse , but rather just some bad editing .",
        "one of the most nonsensical and unsatisfying films of the year .",
        "keanu reeves and sandra bullock bring their respective talents to this badly fumbled attempt at a supernatural romantic comedy .",
        "an intriguing idea . too bad the asteroid sized temporal paradox ruins the end of the flm .",
        "even for those who buy into the basic ideas , there are credibility gaps that the MOV can not surmount . and for those who attempt to apply logic to this movie , everything will come crashing down like a poorly balanced house of cards .",
        "she 's in the future . he 's in the past . jack the dog , straddles both dimensions . what 's next ? a love story framed by the reimann hypothesis ?",
        "endless implausibility , cheesy dialogue , and the inert personalities of its charisma-zapped leads conspire to doom this chilly magical mailbox love sham . nice soundtrack , though .",
        "a little under water , but it still floats .",
        "phantom mail ... a postal carrier 's worst nightmare ...",
        "keanu reeves and sandra bullock reunite for the first time since 1994 's `` speed '' in a film that should be named `` slow . ''",
        "... does n't cut the mustard as a time warp movie , which will disappoint the men , although it does get passing grades as a romance , which will please the ladies .",
        "a satisfyingly sarcasm-free ode to the flickering absurdity of romance",
        "time-travel films often bring up a lot of questions , and they often fall apart with thoughtful scrutiny , but that 's part of the fun . however , one should n't be wondering that the only benefit these two have with this magical mailbox connection is that they",
        "while this tale of magical realism has potential for delightful originality , the love story lacks heat , the science fiction premise spirals into senselessness , and the third-act twist is alarmingly apparent within the first 10 minutes of the movie .",
        "dear keanu and sandra : speed is more your speed",
        "it 's hard to recall a recent picture in which bullock has been allowed to draw upon her natural charisma ... after about 20 minutes , you just wish somebody would tickle her .",
        "bullock 's decision to play kate as a morose kill-joy is particularly inexplicable . she 's getting letters from some hot architect through a hole in the time-space continuum , and yet her expression remains impassive , her voice flat , her outlook maudlin .",
        "a movie that 's trying with all its might to be an earnest , poignant relationship drama , yet it fails at each and every turn thanks to zero chemistry between its leads and the complete absence of a coherent plot .",
        "` the MOV ' is one of those romances that strives for unconventionality at the expense of clear storytelling and good sense .",
        "the entire concept sounds like something tony leung dreamed up on a bender during 2046 . sure , it 's complete nonsense ... but what lush , irresistibly entertaining nonsense .",
        "reunites the stars of speed for a film that 's beautifully shot but about as unspeedy as humanly possible .",
        "good , but put simply , any romance that does n't make at least one successful major assault on your tear ducts is one handkerchief shy of great romance .",
        "reeves and bullock bring the right balance of emotions to their roles . they give the MOV its humor , its drama , and its undeniable romantic spirit .",
        "for all its magical realism and relative beauty and intelligence , ` the MOV ' is a confusingly downcast chick-flick .",
        "even if you are willing to suspend your disbelief , the film still has some problems .",
        "kleenex wo n't be necessary for watching the wannabe weepy the MOV , but some sort of pain reliever is essential - because trying to determine whether this time-travel romance functions logically will seriously make your head hurt .",
        "it 's refreshing to see the much-maligned reeves show many colors in his acting palette . and the subdued bullock is an excellent complement , the puzzle piece that squares off his jigsaw personality .",
        "the most expressive performer in the film is the house .",
        "this could all be a miserable mess , but it works , somehow .",
        "these few bits and spurts of stirring cinema are otherwise drowned in a silly muck of cobbled-together quotations from more notable films and books .",
        "let 's do the time warp again .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "somehow , one thinks , your tear ducts will come away from this without incident .",
        "remember what a fun couple sandra bullock and keanu reeves were in speed ? well , forget that .",
        "this is a project whose elements , from concept to script to casting , refuse to follow the usual formulas , which is good , yet they never quite cohere .",
        "it does n't quite work , but it fails with warmth .",
        "a supernatural romantic melodrama in the vein of ghost , though not as trashily enjoyable or charmingly sexy , this enigmatic movie , a remake of a mediocre korean meller , reteams sandra bullock and keanu reeves for the first time since speed .",
        "maybe i 'm just overly romantic or sentimental or just plain naive , but i probably liked the MOV more than i should have .",
        "enough of the plot and its paradoxes . what i respond to in the movie is its fundamental romantic impulse . it makes us hope these two people will somehow meet .",
        "engaging .",
        "the MOV swamps its heart-aimed ambitions with too many head - scratching moments .",
        "the MOV is the type of movie you hear friends groan about hollywood not making anymore . it 's an old-fashioned romance that scoffs at today 's frantic pacing , leisurely seducing us with its heartfelt story about the timeless value of love .",
        "the list of inconsistencies is far too long and laborious to recount .",
        "not to spoil anything , but frankly , the two leads have more chemistry in the scenes where their characters are apart than they do when they 're together .",
        "we also know the last time keanu and sandra shared the screen together . that was yesterday and speed . this is today and snail . i 'm not betting on a tomorrow .",
        "the MOV may float your boat if you 're starved for romance , but really , love deserves better .",
        "it 's sweet , and it works .",
        "this is one of my favorite movies so far this year .",
        "a few anomalies could be forgiven , but such obtuseness in putatively sharp cookies , no way . particularly when the climax wobbles off into the corner of the time/space continuum known as `` what the heck was that ? '' .",
        "the MOV 's opening credit sequence , during which calligraphic letters overlap and burst into plumes of smoke , is the first of the film 's many charms .",
        "banal , boring and unsatisfying ... falters because its premise never really works .",
        "watching it is like being force-fed cotton candy laced with xanax -lrb- or vice versa -rrb- .",
        "could n't be more heavy-handed and schmaltzy : the supposed magic dust is poured on with a trowel rather than a teaspoon .",
        "the spectacular ending is completely sublime . this charming film is one worth savoring again and again .",
        "i do n't know what you do with a script like this , wherein the dynamics that keep the characters apart are as ludicrous as those that bring them together .",
        "-lsb- the MOV is -rsb- for profundity through multiple story levels that are n't fully realized .",
        "it 's a delicate , hyper-romantic atmosphere , pensive and steeped in longing , that covers over the story 's inconsistencies -- or at least offers enough distraction to make us not care .",
        "a one hankie weepie for gals who really do n't want to see any superhero action flicks that usually come out this time of year .",
        "this is the first time reeves and bullock have been paired since the 1994 hit speed , where they were stuck on a bus that would blow up if its speed dropped below 50 mph . there 's no danger of that kind of velocity here .",
        "with reeves and bullock proving that their chemistry is still combustible , the story scarcely matters .",
        "a pretty soap bubble of a movie . it 's lovely to look at and calming to watch , but do n't try to touch it - it just might pop and vanish , right there in your hand .",
        "there 's only one answer to this epistolary screen romance : return to sender .",
        "a mess that works on the level of swoony fantasy if you 're willing to accept that it makes absolutely no sense , not even within the context of its supernatural premise .",
        "you 'd think that reeves ' character would be a little more curious about what his lady friend might have to say about microsoft 's share price , say , or if there 's going to be a housing bubble .",
        "the only real magic in the MOV is that kate and alex have never heard of e-mail .",
        "the pieces of the puzzle do n't fit together to form a coherent or satisfying narrative , and all you 're left with is a big , dumb ` huh ? '",
        "something 's terribly wrong when the most engaging character in a sandra bullock film is a female dog named jack .",
        "love beats logic any time ... do n't you know that newton 's 3rd law of love stories is more powerful than einstein 's theory of relativity when it comes to the space-time continuum of romance ?",
        "if kate -lrb- bullock -rrb- , a doctor with easy access to computers , would just take 10 seconds to google the man she professes to love so much , the movie could be over in five minutes .",
        "for all its impressionistic efforts , the MOV does n't imagine a time or space beyond romantic conventions . and you 're left waiting .",
        "like all good romantic movies there 's a beautiful house on the lake and a cuddly dog . good dialogue , great direction , sweet cinematography and good acting -- even by keanu .",
        "it 's odd , but now i can say i 've seen a movie which makes the timing of character interaction in the `` star wars '' prequels look fantastic .",
        "the MOV is made of glass , but the view straight through it is rather pleasant all the same .",
        "evokes some lovely , quiet moments ... -lrb- but -rrb- despite a few effective episodes , ` the MOV ' gets so caught up in teasing the brain that it forgets to touch the heart .",
        "the resolution , which attempts elegance and grace , is too abrupt and ill-considered to work either logically or emotionally .",
        "sucks the magic right out as we wonder why the filmmakers and even the characters just are n't having more fun with the possibilities beyond improbably homaging speed to bridge the two of them .",
        "i ca n't believe that even the most rabid chick-flick masochists would n't gag on it .",
        "does so many chronological back flips it eventually forgets which way is up .",
        "despite the conventions , and a time travel gimmick that winds up being an utter mess , there 's something worth appreciating here which makes it certainly worth a look",
        "considered as a vehicle for what i was looking for , -lrb- namely these two stars -rrb- a success . as a critic , some things you forgive .",
        "... an adaptation of a south korean existential romance , and it certainly moves and feels like few love stories from this country . you could call it slow , but a kinder word would be contemplative .",
        "reeves y bullock no interpretan el papel de su vida , sin embargo cumplen con las expectativas del p\u00fablico en un producto ligero de fin de semana .",
        "it refreshingly becomes less about time travel and more about the choices we make and the chances we miss .",
        "agresti has effectively skirted around hard logic with his velvety presentation .",
        "sandra bullock and keanu reeves , two actors with talent i admire , launched their careers -lrb- at least as movie stars -rrb- on a runaway bus -lrb- speed -rrb- in 1994 . they appear to be throwing themselves under one here .",
        "you know the picture is in trouble when the best actor is the dog and the dog is n't even named lassie .",
        "while it 's not the worst entry from either actor , it 's certainly another lame-brained blemish in their careers .",
        "just when we think we 've come to terms with its brand of poorly-plotted silliness it ups the ante once more .",
        "bullock holds her half of the movie up well , proving that she can do subdued just as well as sunny .",
        "i knew the MOV was a fairy tale , and not one aimed at my half of the gene pool . nonetheless , i enjoyed this languid romance between chicagoans separated by two years .",
        "the film moves toward a spooky coincidence that canny viewers will predict in the first act . i wish i had n't ; it killed all the film 's suspense and much of its dewy seduction .",
        "the problem lies with whoever insisted bullock and reeves be so dour and melancholy .",
        "neither of the characters have any fun with this wonderful time travel device . it makes them both seem fake , because any normal person would at least say , ` tell me who to bet on in the superbowl next year . '",
        "why an actress so adept at playing spirited women insists on playing glum , lost souls in movie after movie is beyond understanding .",
        "it may have a nice view , but this is one house with a decidedly shoddy foundation .",
        "film is a mass hallucination . when you get lost in it , you do n't see the strands that hold things together ; but when it does n't work , all you see are the seams .",
        "the time-warp romantic fantasy the MOV is a puzzle that is maddeningly obtuse , emotionally overstretched and virtually absent a sense of interior logic .",
        "the sort of dopey movie best appreciated while wearing pajamas .",
        "a bit too moody and metaphysical for its own good .",
        "the MOV is a pleasant , engrossing little movie , with some wit and delicacy and a keep-you-on-your-toes narrative .",
        "pulitzer prize-winning playwright david auburn 's script brings a certain amount of emotional resonance to an otherwise silly premise .",
        "as soon as kate lets drop that her favorite author is jane austen and the nick drake songs kick in on the soundtrack , you know this movie wo n't be taking any prisoners . do n't fight it with logic , because you 'll lose .",
        "those of you who ... wish to view it as a romantic fantasy rather than hard science fiction may respond more positively , though it 's not a sure bet .",
        "more a valentine to chicago 's architecture than the aching love story it purports to be , the MOV is a slow-moving , never-igniting tale of calendar-crossed lovers that grows less convincing as it proceeds .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "the plot of the MOV is a little too convoluted , and the film fails to pull off the sweeping romance it aims for .",
    "id": "155655156"
  },
  {
    "movie": "limitless",
    "reviews":
     [
        "here 's something unusual - a hollywood film with fresh ideas .",
        "as if we , too , had taken some drug , it 's not until we shrug off the visual effects of the film that we realize that the plot is rather silly . but holy hallucinogens , that eye candy ca n't be beat .",
        "cooper 's an able light comic performer as well as a shrewd dramatic actor , and `` MOV '' lets him run considerable distances in both directions .",
        "MOV has an intriguing concept - and while it 's not explored as deeply as it could have been , the film still delivers a satisfying ride .",
        "... all flash and sizzle , but still delivers ; it 's equal parts superhero wish fulfillment and cautionary yuppie satire , and it 's also a hell of a fun ride .",
        "if you want a movie with a sermon , well , look somewhere else . but if you want an adrenaline shot to the heart , look here .",
        "MOV is limited , but intriguing nonetheless .",
        "MOV may not be as brainy as it would like to think it is , but it 's a relatively sharp and surprisingly playful head-trip , a satisfyingly novel twist on mindless entertainment .",
        "occasionally skirts greatness and is definitely worth your time . but it could have been much more .",
        "MOV is the sort of b-movie roger corman would make 50 years ago , riffing on a studio smash like inception without the lofty budget or ideas .",
        "MOV is frustrating , in part , because it could have been much better .",
        "in a way , the movie is as involving and addictive as the fictitious drug it conjures up .",
        "based on a novel by alan glynn , leslie dixon 's intelligent screenplay moves along at a brisk pace .",
        "i think they 're trying to trade on cooper 's handsome mug when what they should be emphasizing is the tight , weird , unpredictable evil-cat-and-equally-evil-mouse angle . but no matter why you go see it , you wo n't have a bad time .",
        "... a fascinating thriller with fine pace that never lets up .",
        "a bracing story that examines what intelligence will and will not buy and what is the effect that such a drug would have on society",
        "fine cast and premise sullied by soulless handling . frustratingly limited in its power to entertain and engross .",
        "moves so fast you do n't have time to think",
        "... a humdinger of a science fiction thriller that scoots easily from shaggy-dog fable to noir mystery to conspiracy thriller and winds up on the dark side of twilight zone .",
        "a fun romp in this cautionary tale that glides by relying heavily on star bradley cooper 's charisma .",
        "like any drug , MOV starts out as something refreshing and stimulating but when you come down you 're stuck wondering where the last few hours went .",
        "part fantasy fulfillment , part paranoid thriller , this is a subversive faustian tale .",
        "a movie that gets a lot of mileage out of good old-fashioned wish fulfillment . consistently entertaining .",
        "the filmmakers does n't sweat the fact that eddie is a chemically enhanced fraud . what scares them is any possibility of alienating the movie 's target audience with a downer ending .",
        "on one level MOV something of a conventional thriller ... -lsb- o -rsb- n another it 's a tale of high finance hijinks and intrigue ... -lsb- a -rsb- nd on yet another level it 's something of a traditional gangster film . it 's just all over the place .",
        "MOV is fairly smart , and smart films are few and far between .",
        "it 's a lot of fun to watch , turning slowly as it does from the initial glee of discovery to the inevitable addiction issues and a transformation into a dark , suspense-fuelled drama .",
        "with his pin-up looks and ineffable lack of gradation , bradley cooper is a compelling anchor for this sort of material -- you 're both rooting for him and weirdly hoping for a bit of dark comeuppance , which makes for some intriguing tension .",
        "cooper has to prove convincingly pathetic , then motivated , then desperate to his audience , and he 's ideally cast in his first major leading role as something of a modern-day icarus .",
        "while so many films have already taken us down this rabbit hole , `` MOV '' will be remembered for forgetting to make us care we 've fallen down it the second we leave the theater .",
        "what would you do if you could take a pill and suddenly access 100 percent of your brain power ? this is the premise behind MOV , a sci-fi thriller that looks as if its makers utilized around 30 percent of theirs .",
        "it 's like watching the fonz get free songs by punching a jukebox , and that never stops being fun .",
        "it 's well made , filled with interesting ideas , and just odd enough so that it 'll once again prevent neil burger from becoming a hollywood darling .",
        "smart and sharp . great concept soon to be a reality .",
        "what 's the fun in worrying about losing your soul when you can gain the world ?",
        "` MOV ' is a fast moving , fantasy fun ride and full of thrills . cooper , with a winning charisma , makes the film interesting to watch .",
        "add it all up , including the nifty twist at the end , and what we have here is a fun hollywood flick with a good head on its shoulders .",
        "an energetic , enjoyably preposterous compound - it 's a paranoid thriller blended with pseudo-neuro-science fiction and catalyzed by a jolting dose of satire - directed by neil burger .",
        "cornish develops her character more in one scene than cooper does in the whole movie .",
        "it 's a fanciful story and quite a good one . i enjoyed it and i thought bradley cooper was much better than he 'd been in things i 'd seen him in before .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- erratic but often wickedly sly thriller .",
        "burger plunges into the material at such a headlong pace and with sufficient adrenalized style as to propel this essentially trashy thriller and distract from the abundant loose ends . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "while it 's not that the film-makers do an amazingly stunning job with the idea , it 's perhaps more that they do n't fumble it at all .",
        "to see the two leads face off verbally is a treat ...",
        "there are highs , and it may be fun for a while , but in the end it 's a thudding , relentless road to nowhere .",
        "begins like an update of roger corman 's ' x - the man with the x-ray eyes ' but abandons its probe of the soul-sucking price of power addiction to pander to the idea that audiences demand slick fantasy-role-model heroes and happy endings .",
        "dubious values and undercooked philosophy aside , MOV is an engaging and often good-humoured trip that moves at quite a lick and benefits from being directed with some flair .",
        "it 's not the science that 's important , it 's the momentum , the conceptual journey , the dynamism of the head games and chemically-enhanced battle of wits ...",
        "one complaint you can not level at MOV is that it is unoriginal or uncreative . in an upcoming summer of senseless sequels and repugnant remakes , limitless-warts and all-is at least something we 've never seen before .",
        "is MOV a science fiction movie ?",
        "a fun , stylistic flick that seems like something slumdog millionaire director danny boyle would do if he wanted to make a d.a.r.e. commercial .",
        "it would be curious to see the four or five endings the makers of MOV came up with before they settled for this one , which is smeared with the fingerprints of test audiences and focus groups .",
        "`` MOV '' misfires on any number of points ; it 's not a particularly smart or imaginative yarn .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is the kind of slick trash that upstart distributors often embrace as a stepping stone to the sort of clumsily reckless trash at which big studios uniquely excel .",
        "without much fanfare neil burger has emerged as one of the best suspense directors in the business .",
        "if you 're jonesing for an addictive thriller , MOV goes down easily and creates a contact high with zippy pacing and hypnotic visuals .",
        "MOV riffs boundlessly on what it means to be creative and how chemical stimulation -lrb- speed , booze , whatever -rrb- can tamp and temper the willpower necessary to achieve greatness . it 's all fun and games until you start seeing stalker .",
        "despite the presence of de niro and cornish , MOV is pretty much a one-man show . happily , cooper is up to it . MOV may not be a slam dunk , but this guy 's got it .",
        "certainly there are a few times `` MOV '' teeters on interesting possibilities , but it has a weird way of pulling back on its most stimulating ideas .",
        "MOV is an amusing , clever tale of self-actualization run amok . it 's also a surprisingly effective hybrid of comedy , drama and action .",
        "the visuals are giddy , illustrating eddie 's high with fun house lenses , over-exposed colors , supersonic edits -- and , when side effects kick in , dizzying flights through the streets of new york .",
        "let 's describe neil burger 's latest as director `` abraham polonsky 's ` the matrix . ' '' it 's a hyper-local amped-up manhattan melodrama that pulses through one man 's mind , one user 's bloodstream .",
        "paradoxically absorbing , yet cliched and empty , this power-based new york story is a bit of an entertaining thrill ride , probably far more popcorn-engrossing than it deserves to be ...",
        "MOV brings the seduction of self-enhancement to your local cineplex in a witty package that 's pretty enough to keep you intrigued",
        "relationships are shortchanged and this brisk , fantastical tale fails to find any emotional traction .",
        "while it does have some entertaining moments and other moments where possibilities rear their heads , it never quite lives up to the premise .",
        "an enjoyable film that tries to move beyond the standard thriller .",
        "for a movie about hyper-intelligent human beings , MOV is surprisingly sloppy and ultimately rather brainless .",
        "despite some snazzy camera angles and showoff-y technique , MOV dashes any hopes of originality when it ends up being nothing more than a cautionary tale about drug addiction",
        "not just a cool film to watch , but a cool film to see",
        "bradley cooper is his usual innocuous but personality-free , walking wallpaper self and hence not up to the challenge .",
        "thought provoking and with new york brought to life flash intellige by flashy camerawork , MOV is cool , funny and intelligent .",
        "MOV is a deliriously loopy thrill-ride but all the better for it .",
        "the keys here are momentum and visual effects : effects to let you see what eddie is feeling , momentum so you do n't have too much time to think about what you 're seeing .",
        "cooper , whose eyes are startlingly blue here , holds the screen .",
        "it is just one big drug itself that when taken emboldens you with the power to see that bradley cooper should not be headlining a film , leslie dixon should not be writing it and neil burger must never be allowed to helm a major motion picture again .",
        "MOV hits you like an adrenaline rush that will have you saying , `` i 'll have what he 's having . ''",
        "cooper 's performance coupled with bruger 's stylized directing puts even the out of place ending firmly into a comfortable pocket of enjoyability .",
        "starts off as an ambitious , gripping , quasi-sci-fi thriller and turns into an over-the-top mess . but it 's never dull , and looking at bradley cooper is never bad .",
        "`` MOV '' is a heck of a ride . on the way to its unpredictable -lrb- if less than wholly satisfying -rrb- conclusion , it is entertaining , a little silly and visually dazzling .",
        "this premise offers a lot of opportunities for straight popcorn fun , and the director seizes every one of them .",
        "there are imperfections but there is entertainment value in MOV , not the least being bradley cooper 's engaging central performance . there 's a twist but it 's not what you think and the visuals are fabulous",
        "it 's a gee-whizz novelty movie along the lines of inception , with great effects and some visual wows .",
        "the opposite of alzheimer 's , as unsavory characters compete to snatch up an egghead performance enhancer turning slackers into spontaneous geniuses . the director may not be dropping nzt , but his finger is on the pulse of a vividly realized contact high .",
        "director neil burger flaunts flair , with bursts of stylised escher-esque camerawork -lrb- dig those speeding super-zooms -rrb- , saturated colour and a euphoric soundtrack .",
        "featuring a charismatic leading man and interesting premise , MOV is a viscerally appealing sci-fi thriller yet fails to tap into its vast potential .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- propulsive , unexpectedly funny thriller .",
        "MOV should be so much smarter than it is .",
        "burger fails in creating the paranoia infused techno morality tale he so wanted to make , with themes such as the consequences of powers given and not earned , and the destructive nature of addiction , failing to relate on an emotional and even moral level .",
        "one has to wonder , would you take nzt if you had the opportunity ?",
        "we 've all seen that beer commercial featuring `` the most interesting man in the world '' . move over , pal -- you 've got competition .",
        "the secret to making a great , or even just a good , thriller these days seems to have been lost . maybe the key is not so much feeling invincible as knowing what your limits are .",
        "do n't believe the abs ... i mean the ads , bradley cooper is mostly dressed in his latest film MOV .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- `` MOV '' is n't a perfect sci-fi thriller . but it gives you a fleeting sense of what it might be like to really be the smartest person in the world .",
        "the philosophical ramifications of becoming the most intelligent man on earth are either too complex or hold too little appeal , with the peeks into eddie 's beautiful mind conveyed through saturated color schemes and letters tumbling down from the rafters .",
        "... a solid and effective tale about the temptation of power .",
        "unpretentious , compact , and loads of fun as it parses the combustible combination of ego , brains , and money",
        "we 've seen this idea before , but they did play around with it ... so you 're not sitting there the entire time : ` i feel like i 've taken the drug when it comes to this plot . ' no .",
        "one wishes that the film had been more daring in its exploration of what such a situation might entail , questioning rather than reveling in the flashy surfaces of wealth and power",
        "the hallucinatory movie gets credit for bringing up the issue of untapped human potential . the movie 's `` what if '' wish-fulfillment fantasy theme ultimately falters , runs out of steam and breaks down with an ending that is well beyond belief .",
        "`` MOV '' may please a few looking for a shallow fantasy thriller , but wo n't fire up the synapses of the intellectually demanding .",
        "burger and dixon provide the dangerous downward spiral that consumes eddie , but it would n't work without cooper .",
        "a mess . starts off great , but ruined by a ridiculous second half . there may be a good movie on a cutting room floor somewhere , but this ai n't it .",
        "not only does it fail to come across as the smart entertainment that it wishes that it was , you can actually feel it killing your brain cells as it goes on and on",
        "the pill hits him like a combination of ritalin , steroids , speed , and super-powerful ginkgo biloba , like spinach hits popeye , if it grew his brain instead of his muscles .",
        "burger 's stylishly directed film makes up for any narrative hiccups with a mix of wry humor and comic-book-inspired visual flourishes .",
        "if you 're willing to ignore the many leaps in logic , his fast-paced thriller goes down easy enough with a side of popcorn .",
        "it 's a movie that knows its limits and works pretty well within them .",
        "if there were a pill that made people smarter , i 'd donate an extra supply to the creators of `` MOV . ''",
        "`` MOV '' only uses 15 , maybe 20 percent of its brain . still , that 's more than a lot of movies do .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- learly was not written by someone taking this best-you-can-be pill ... it 's not awful . it 's passably entertaining . but it thinks it 's taking risks yet never goes out on any ledges .",
        "an energetic fantasy , both cerebral and physical , with bradley cooper playing the charming lead .",
        "the cinematic equivalent of a meal high in calories and low in nutrition ... dresses up a weak narrative in a glitzy explosion of technical virtuosity intended to conceal its shortcomings .",
        "very limited , actually .",
        "a loopy joy from start to finish , bradley cooper proves that he 's the real deal .",
        "while this film fails to break the typical hollywood mold , it is still entertaining enough in a wish fulfillment fantasy kind of way .",
        "ironically for a film so keenly centred on the idea of reaching one 's own potential , MOV does n't nearly begin to realise its own .",
        "`` MOV '' really just wants you to go with the flow of the id over ego . in the end , it 's a passable , darkly comic pharmacological mystery with visual panache that plays fast and loose , but never boringly , with the `` pharma '' and the `` logical . ''",
        "`` MOV '' delivers the goods in terms of fun , suspense , and an above-average story . the twists and turns never appear without reason , and cooper delivers an assured , charismatic performance that lifts the film .",
        "cooper proves to be a leading man in this sleek thriller about addiction , drive and the american dream .",
        "`` MOV '' is the perfect way to kick of spring with a highly addictive motion picture that has you wondering would you try nzt ?",
        "frenetic thriller about a drug that unleashes your brain 's full potential does n't quite achieve its own , but star bradley cooper and director neil burger make the most of it .",
        "is the fact that cooper becomes a high-yield stock broker who likes to sleep with models supposed to mean that he 's misusing his powers , or that screenwriter leslie dixon thinks this is the goal of every person on earth ?",
        "for all its peripatetic energy , MOV still winds up with the same-old blazing guns and wanton destruction of property . no matter how smart you may be , hollywood will figure out a way to dumb you down .",
        "MOV delivers some pleasurable punch -- and rarely makes you feel small .",
        "even bradley cooper lapping thirstily at a pool of blood ca n't save a dumbass sci-fi fable on the perils of increased mental capacity .",
        "this movie 's veneer of knowing slickness is more than canceled out by a thick , fatty layer of stupidity .",
        "there is some irony in burger 's attempts to dumb down a film about hyper intelligence , but it 's not an act of cleverness . it 's closer to fumbled filmmaking , cruelly corrupting the itchy high MOV once handled so superbly .",
        "punchy and witty entertainment with an adept balance of adrenaline rush and clear-eyed sobriety .",
        "if this guy were really in command of all his previous experiences , he 'd know better than to take out a loan from a generic russian goon . does that ever turn out well ?",
        "alternate-reality thriller is n't as smart as it thinks .",
        "timing is everything and , in this case , the moral repercussions of this drug-crazed sci-fi-er ring are especially reprehensible .",
        "it feels vapid , even when it 's trying to persuade us of the nefarious significance of nzt , in large part because the screenplay is so indecisive about the impact of the drug .",
        "bored ? lack of wish-fulfilment in your life ? take MOV for quick , over-the-counter relief .",
        "hugely enjoyable thriller with a sharply written script , pacey direction and a terrific central performance from bradley cooper .",
        "directed by neil burger -lrb- the illusionist -rrb- , MOV works best with some high-powered visual sequences which heighten our own senses .",
        "it 's more jan de bont than christopher nolan , but when the ride is this exhilarating , sometimes the destination just does n't matter .",
        "director neil burger uses trippy , vertigo-inducing sequences to put us inside eddie 's head and there 's a quick-cutting pace that would leave many recent thrillers standing in the dust .",
        "it 's involving and entertaining , and sometimes even thought-provoking . and it gives cooper a role that perfectly uses his skills as an actor .",
        "eventually , there are huge gaps in logic that make the movie seem really stupid .",
        "you 'll definitely regret it in the morning , and wonder what the hell you were thinking , but as hedonistic cinema trips go , MOV 's power to entertain - while it might not live up to its title - just about extends to its 105 minute running time .",
        "it 's scatty and fast paced , and director neil burger employs some gaspar no\u00e9-style , bad-trip cg effects to heighten the mood .",
        "bradley cooper becomes a star with this film . he stands toe to toe with de niro and never blinks .",
        "a nice surprise on the acting front for MOV is that it coughs up the first half-decent role robert de niro has had for several years",
        "better living through chemistry is a debatable notion satirically explored in this briskly paced , suspenseful thriller .",
        "a strangely arid experience , without the gleeful , drugged-out weirdness of a truly offbeat endeavor .",
        "not really a horror film -lrb- blood-slurping notwithstanding -rrb- , MOV is more a suspense-thriller that should appeal to fans of tension and adrenaline .",
        "without a complex thought about narcissism , merit , or addiction , MOV is content to be an empty , one-note , satire-free fairy tale of avarice and corporate-political ambition .",
        "directed with a pulsating fervor by neil burger , MOV is absurd but entertaining action-adventure escapism .",
        "a clean-cut piece of entertainment that delivers an invigorating and engaging high with no nasty side effects .",
        "it 's very well directed . the ending may be a little pat , but the journey is a trip .",
        "an intriguing premise ca n't disguise the standard action thriller plotting that leaves MOV a little too limited in its scope .",
        "some of its conceits may not hold up under intense scrutiny , but , generally speaking , it 's a good time at the movies .",
        "MOV just wants to give you a good time , and it does , yet the film leaves you wondering : now that our world has been saturated with antidepressants , is this where big pharma strikes next ?",
        "if you have any moral qualms about checking out a film where about 60 % of the suspense comes from a junkie trying to hide or retrieve his stash , this is n't the film for you .",
        "... even as we 're dragged along by its brisk pacing and occasionally smart twists , there 's a nagging feeling a better film 's in here waiting to be made .",
        "too bad leslie dixon tapped less than 20 percent of hers while penning her underdeveloped script .",
        "... a potent parable about the risks of playing with fire .",
        "the plot is utter tosh but executed with such flamboyant style that you might think it was shakespeare . or not .",
        "burger does a dazzling job of conveying eddie 's supercharged mental capacity - when eddie 's pepped-up on nzt the images really zing .",
        "a flawed but entertaining sci-fi thriller ...",
        "perhaps a better title would be limited .",
        "the escalation of greed is a major factor in the film , and the unsettling aspiration of always wanting more - the ugly side of the american dream - is rife .",
        "good , if limited .",
        "you could pick the script apart for impossibilities . but why bother ? it 's much more enjoyable to shut your brain off and have a good time .",
        "what 's fresh about this concept is how it turns perfect intelligence into a superpower and tries to imagine its real-world applications . what 's less fresh is the ensuing plot ...",
        "the ending has loads of leverage , and the film has plenty of moxie . nice ride !",
        "there are certain actors who you can just look at and instantly fall in love with . tom hanks is one . drew barrymore is another . bradley cooper is not .",
        "MOV ' highs are sustained and visually snappy , a david fincher-esque vision of new york conquered . but the side effects are a little troubling .",
        "as a power trip geared to young males , the movie 's kick is as strong as anything in `` the social network '' with the bonus of glamorous cooper in the lead .",
        "MOV rocks .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the disappointment is that for all of the possibilities , `` MOV '' never gets beyond `` limited . ''",
        "overall it 's smart entertainment that even manages to make robert de niro , cooper 's co-star , sound fully engaged .",
        "for a plot about super-intelligent people , the screenplay is surprisingly dumb .",
        "gripping thriller about the heady and nightmarish journey of a struggling writer who becomes a kind of tortured \u00fcber-mensch after he takes an unapproved wonder drug , starring bradley cooper in a breakthrough performance .",
        "the movie is too chaotic to be very good . but it 's fun and not stupid , which is something .",
        "the problem with `` MOV , '' other than its lack of muppets , is a charismatic but unappealing protagonist .",
        "nothing new , but it 's told in a completely captivating way .",
        "you almost feel yourself getting smarter as you watch . remember how you felt sitting through transformers 2 ? kind of the opposite of that .",
        "like a fast-food shake , the film tastes vaguely metallic and predominately of something approximating vanilla ... sometimes you 've just got ta satisfy your cravings .",
        "... a watchable yet far-from-engrossing high-finance thriller .",
        "it 's a little like the question posed by the classic ` flowers for algernon ' : what would happen to a person who suddenly became brilliant ?",
        "MOV fails to reach its potential .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- ingenious , extremely violent thriller ...",
        "despite some illogical plot turns it 's a hollywood film that for once refuses to get moralistic about its vacuous premise ...",
        "a flashy techno-thriller .",
        "a neo-noir sci-fi chase thriller with pharmaceutical tendencies . fun stuff .",
        "MOV may not pass a demanding test of logic . but hitchcock once told me , `` logic is dull . '' MOV is certainly not dull ."],
    "summary": "although its script is uneven , neil burger directs MOV with plenty of visual panache , and bradley cooper makes for a charismatic star .",
    "id": "771036677"
  },
  {
    "movie": "going_clear_scientology_and_the_prison_of_belief_2015",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a fleet and surefooted account of scientology 's origins , hubbard 's years at sea escaping u.s. taxes , and the misery and harassment faced by the church 's apostates .",
        "hollywood and scientology have often collided , but never quite as explosively as they do in going clear , the revealing documentary by oscar-winning filmmaker alex gibney .",
        "this frequently jaw-dropping documentary ... demonstrates vividly how a cult can spread among people searching for something greater in their lives , some advantage over others , some grand answer .",
        "there is little breaking news in going clear , but the film is eye-opening for those who have n't seen past reports .",
        "excoriating , compelling , genuinely frightening documentary from oscar-winning director alex gibney -lrb- we steal secrets ; enron -rrb- about the strange workings of the powerful scientology movement . forget the tom cruise/john travolta/south park jokes .",
        "even if half of gibney 's film was to be considered tainted , the work of people who have scores to settle , it would be hard to dismiss . they ca n't all be liars .",
        "there is order and selection , of course - to say that this is storytelling is not to impugn its parts - but much of what he has to show you is remarkable in or out of this context .",
        "going clear : scientology and the prison of belief ... is at times jaw-dropping , scary , unnerving , even disturbingly funny .",
        "whether you come away seeing scientology as a cult that ensnares vulnerable people or as a faith of self-empowerment , the film leaves a terrible taste of too much information . this must be its point , but take heed just the same .",
        "we hear the other side -- the people who have left the organization ... what they have to say is equal parts fascinating , disquieting , and downright frightening .",
        "while he does n't really uncover much that 's new in `` going clear , '' the way he 's collected and assembled testimonials , documents and archival footage creates a cumulative effect that 's chilling .",
        "a triumph of content over form : you could eliminate even more of going clear and still have it play like an early contender for the scariest film of 2015 .",
        "bring me louis theroux ! there are many moments during this disappointing depiction of scientology where you may be crying out that very same plea .",
        "gibney , despite his overly personal stamp , has presented as comprehensive a study of a deliberately secretive organisation as it possible at this point in time .",
        "alas , alex gibney 's going clear : scientology and the prison of belief is merely a competent and informative documentary , a snappy collation of everything you 've already heard and read about l ron hubbard 's dubious money-spinning , ahem , `` religion '' .",
        "gibney is too subtle and diligent a film-maker to indulge in a one-sided hatchet-job . the tone of going clear is inquisitive , not sensationalist .",
        "many faiths make space for doubt . alex gibney 's going clear : scientology and the prison of belief demonstrates that one belief system uses it as a weapon .",
        "a documentary that simply draws a picture of an organisation that is wealthy , secretive and controlling , a narrative that has been dominant for years .",
        "if even half of what is alleged in -lsb- going clear -rsb- is true , then it 's not just an incredible doco , but a first-rate horror movie as well .",
        "going clear takes on its topic from an interesting and unexpected angle .",
        "while there 's no denying the chilling implications of the film and this organization , it 's hard not to wonder about the many threads going clear leaves untouched .",
        "it is n't about questioning a belief system but rather those who would manipulate and exploit it .",
        "if going clear were a hollywood thriller , i 'd complain that it 's too over-the-top . but this is real life , which is mind-blowing , and as a documentary , it 's disturbingly good .",
        "consider `` going clear '' an audit for the former leaders and most prominent members of the church of scientology , now willing to come forward and allege abuse , intimidation , and brainwashing .",
        "there is an immediacy to hearing former church members ' stories from them .",
        "going clear unpeels scientology layer by layer via testimony from former high-level church officials who have never spoken up before . the result is the most exciting - and disturbing - work of cinematic non-fiction in a long time .",
        "it 's a superbly crafted , compassionate study of the state of mind that made -lsb- people -rsb- believe that acquiescing was their only ticket to eternity .",
        "for a group with property assets in the billions , it 's a major piece of the puzzle , revealing a critical failing : for a religion with so much to give , why do they do so little for so few ?",
        "the cult is right to be scared . going clear is spectacular stuff . literally .",
        "director alex gibney has found persuasive witnesses and clips to tell his story in clear , strong terms .",
        "`` going clear '' proves to a be a valuable starting point in the discussion and confrontation of a religion that appears more interested in the width of wallets than the depths of souls .",
        "it does n't add a lot to what was known about the church , but it puts it all in a compact format that hits scientology squarely in the thetans .",
        "going clear is the kind of jaw-dropping experience that makes you question everything you know about the current make-up of our world",
        "going clear : scientology and the prison of belief is yet another entry into alex gibney 's incredible resume of consistently objective and powerful documentary films .",
        "alex gibney 's film , like wright 's book , is a useful contribution to what looks more and more like an urgent social priority : the push to discourage people from praising the chains that bind them .",
        "it may be a documentary but going clear is as incredible as anything hollywood could dream up .",
        "what it lacks in original detail it makes up for in the power of repetition -lrb- a lot of people went through the same trauma -rrb- , and the emotive resonance of seeing the church 's survivors and reformed enforcers .",
        "chilling , damning stuff .",
        "it 's not a sense of outrage that viewers are left with . it 's sadness .",
        "these stories , coupled with the church 's history of attacking critics and its criminal activity in securing its tax-free status , make for a hair-raising , but all too credible , expos\u00e9 .",
        "the heart of the documentary centers on alleged physical abuse of church members , with some of them being placed in a facility known as `` the hole '' and made to participate in humiliating disciplinary games .",
        "-lsb- going clear -rsb- does n't merely peek under the church 's zealously maintained guise . it disrobes this controversial religion to reveal an emperor without clothes , an organization that runs on fear and weakness .",
        "there is a sense of latent awakening that gibney manages to capture , and that 's the most compelling part about ` going clear . ' that dawning realization will be spreading soon enough , and that 's clearly what terrifies the leadership of scientology the most .",
        "whatever my misgivings about the movie , it 's brought this stuff to the forefront , and paved the way for the sort of pushback against scientology 's tactics that may not have been possible just a few years ago .",
        "in which the world 's most dauntless documentary-maker takes on the world 's most litigious religion -lrb- we 'd call it a cult but we do n't want to get sued -rrb- .",
        "confirms all negative inklings you may have about this purportedly shady organisation .",
        "if you 've ever wondered about scientology , you ca n't go past this riveting doco by oscar-winning filmmaker alex gibney",
        "whether you find this film revelatory , vindicating or provocative will rather depend on your preconceptions about scientology -- or about religions in general . in any case , it 's pretty gripping .",
        "lays out a lucid argument against the organization , combining engaging interviews , archival footage and evocative visual illustrations .",
        "what we do n't get is anything new . nothing about katie holmes ' great escape , no leah remini at all . this story did n't end four years ago , even though the movie does .",
        "going clear is hardly the first takedown of scientology ... but gibney goes further in prying open the corner of the human psyche that wants to believe and belong , regardless of the cost .",
        "going clear delivers on its promise to make your eyes pop , and then some .",
        "gibney , the pre-eminent documentarian right now , presents the facts cleanly : this is an abusive cult , and here 's the proof . it 's relentlessly fascinating viewing . wright did the hard yards , but that does n't mean this is n't awesome . it 's a must-see .",
        "you could n't call going clear : scientology and the prison of belief entertaining , exactly , but it is absolutely riveting .",
        "gibney 's films refuse to dwell on the ambiguities or hypocrisies that might make them more worthwhile than a half hour on youtube and wikipedia .",
        "if the film 's value as an expos\u00e9 is limited , `` going clear '' is nonetheless sterling as an official record of condemnation .",
        "this impeccably assembled and argued film represents a brave , timely intervention into debates around the organization that have been simmering for some time .",
        "alex gibney shakes the scientology tree in his crackling film version of lawrence wright 's nonfiction bestseller .",
        "will likely pop some eyes among those only casually acquainted with the church 's bizarre workings .",
        "a thought-provoking and disturbing look at one of the most controversial and written-about organizations of the last fifty years .",
        "a lively and watchable documentary if not an especially enlightening one .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- searing , scalpel-sharp documentary ...",
        "while `` going clear '' is unapologetically one-sided in its dim view of scientology , the issues it raises ... will make you think about the film long after it 's over .",
        "by focusing on the powerful and damning stories of the church 's most destructive practices , including the forced `` disconnection '' of members from family and friends , gibney has made a forceful and memorable case .",
        "going clear is a heat-seeking missile that does n't take long to find the heat .",
        "by the time you finish watching going clear , you 'll be left `` clear '' and hungry for justice .",
        "even if you are familiar with the contours of the controversy over scientology , gibney 's documentary ... is worth watching , particularly for the personal stories of former members .",
        "it 's hard to believe that the big , paranoid , litigious cult started by l. ron hubbard will survive alex gibney 's clear-eyed , eye-opening and damning documentary going clear : scientology and the prison of belief .",
        "if wright 's book was a blistering polemic , then gibney 's film is a great companion piece that shows the human side of a slow-motion tragedy .",
        "director alex gibney 's hauntingly effective going clear ... suggests only trouble ahead for the frequently criticized and always strange church of scientology .",
        "gibney ... has a gift for showing the workings of complex social systems , and he lays things out clearly and in a well-aced fashion ...",
        "going clear is effective , especially when gibney spends time on the more personal stories of his various interview subjects .",
        "going clear penetrates the nature of faith to confront anxious questions about why any of us believe the things we do ."],
    "summary": "thoroughly disquieting but impossible to ignore , going clear : scientology and the prison of belief is a searing investigative work from a master documentarian .",
    "id": "771412053"
  },
  {
    "movie": "first_descent",
    "reviews":
     [
        "i do n't need dave grohl 's screaming to convince me h\u013akonsen 's 60 degree plunge down a 7,000 foot peak is super awesome .",
        "though i admire the athletes , the film failed to capture my interest in them or the sport .",
        "MOV comes off as an overlong , overstuffed promo for an ` industry ' that has n't needed promoting since the movie 's target audience was in diapers .",
        "they 're amazing athletes .",
        "it does n't get gnarlier than this .",
        "at almost two hours , MOV still moves along briskly , offering something for everyone , including the skeptical crowd that still thinks all snowboarders smoke pot and listen to black flag .",
        "an adequate if slightly overlong history of the sport , descent adheres to the same storytelling trajectory as documentary predecessors on surfing and skateboarding .",
        "while snowboarding enthusiasts will eat up every minute of its two-hour running time , it 's thin stuff for the unconverted .",
        "these people are out of their minds .",
        "honestly , with all due respect to alaska , one guy zipping down a mountain on a snowboard looks about the same as any other , regardless of what state he 's in .",
        "at its best , fairly often , the movie rises above hammy devices .",
        "the endless snowboarding depicted in MOV was probably much more fun to do than it is to watch .",
        "a sports documentary that occasionally veers toward becoming a lovesick advertisement for a popular sport but winds up celebrating with sweet earnestness the headstrong individual and his or her community of likeminded renegades .",
        "this is good fun and exciting material hosted by a number of engaging personalities -lrb- whose ages range from 17 to 40 -rrb- who have all achieved the central dream of humankind : making a living on their own terms doing a thing that they love .",
        "happily , the filmmakers take the trouble to imbue their figures with personalities , so that each run takes on its own individual significance .",
        "the segments of MOV that trace snowboarding 's history are a complete hash , a jumble of old ` boarder footage and generic interviews .",
        "MOV is a must-see for snowboarders and fans alike , but even neutral parties can take something away from it .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- sometimes thrilling extreme-sports doc .",
        "hardcore fans will appreciate the handful of genuinely gnarly aerial sequences , but these gravity-defying stunts , which can be thrilling as part of a five-minute james bond pre-credit sequence , grow very tedious when repeated over almost two hours .",
        "there 's so much intriguing information about the way snowboarding morphed in the last 40 years from outlaw avocation to olympic competition that you sometimes wish the movie would jettison its central narrative thread .",
        "i have a sneaking suspicion that -lsb- this -rsb- is a huge put-on , the latest jape from christopher guest and his merry band of mockumentary tricksters .",
        "it might have been a blast . as it is , it 's more like a damp squib .",
        "you get to see crazy people do stupid stuff you have to be very very very drunk to try",
        "dewable entertainment !",
        "it 's a good reminder why going to the local bijou is sometimes better than renting a video or dvd .",
        "a sweet primer , not only into the history of snowboarding , but into the minds and lifestyles of some of the key participants in the sport .",
        "despite some moments of truly athletic beauty MOV is a fairly empty sports documentary that celebrates the gloss of the lifestyle , but does n't do much to try and get under its skin .",
        "if you 've ever wanted to get a taste of the slopes from the comfort of a movie theatre , this film will do .",
        "if you 're a diehard snowboarding freak , then welcome to your new favorite movie .",
        "if this had been an imax film , it could have been even more spectacular . it could also have been forty-five minutes shorter .",
        "woah . gnarly . how many times do you hear anyone say that any more ? here 's a movie for those who ca n't get enough of snowboarding , documentaries about sports , or people whose vocabularies include `` gnarly . '' because `` MOV '' contains all three .",
        "the history of snowboarding as a sport might be interesting if anybody really knew anything about it , but if this movie is any indication , no one does",
        "if you 're not a fan of the sport , this docu-mercial will be mostly uphill .",
        "the end result is n't hard to rethink as surfer dudes on ice .",
        "for nonsnowboarders , it 's hard to figure out what those fans are so excited about .",
        "the hardy fools -- i mean , visionary pioneers -- in this movie are so gravity-defying that i had to look at the press notes afterward just to make sure no computerized special effects were used .",
        "judging from the clips in this film , there are several snowboard videos produced for 1/100th the budget of this film that are far more entertaining . wait to rent it .",
        "as documentaries about extreme sports go , MOV seems a middle-range effort .",
        "but the filmmakers feel compelled to turn it into a be-all , end-all piece with a history lesson of the sport that feels curiously incomplete and superficial .",
        "there 's probably a good snowboarding movie coming some day . this is n't it .",
        "it 's a sweaty-palmed blast watching the five daredevils risk their lives to be the first person to hurtle down what was thought to be unridable terrain . hold your breath and hang on .",
        "equal parts historical retrospective and espn-style thrill ride .",
        "what should have been a thrilling 90-minute sport adventure runs on for 20 more repetitive minutes . MOV is exciting , but less would surely have been more .",
        "curley and harrison have created a surprisingly tedious , overblown defense of a sport that , while ushering in the era of `` extreme '' games , does n't boast the cinematic potential or charismatic stars of its cousins on the asphalt and aquatic waves .",
        "adrenaline rules , dude . if only the movie would give the audience more of it .",
        "an overlong and surprisingly dull documentary about snowboarding .",
        "vastly entertaining , -lsb- if -rsb- slightly overlong .",
        "pic displays filmmakers kevin harrison 's and kemp curley 's love of snowboarding , but suffers from an unjustifiably long running time , considerable repetition and a generally awkward structure .",
        "MOV is boring , repetitive and maddening about a subject you 'd think would be fairly interesting .",
        "there are only so many times you can show a freestyle snowboarder spinning in the air and waxing philosophic before both get old",
        "visually , this is one of the most arresting sports documentaries in years , and it does n't skimp on the visceral thrills , either .",
        "MOV might become tedious for anyone wondering what all the fuss is about . but for those who have felt the thrill of carving an `` s '' down the side of a mountain on a snowboard , this movie is cheaper than a lift ticket .",
        "if this chronicle of snowboarding has no more heft than a fresh coat of powder , it 's awfully fun to roll around in .",
        "descent might appeal to those who are curious about the sport , but i have trouble believing it will convert anyone ."],
    "summary": "this snowboarding doc scores with its dazzling array of snowboarding stunts and beautiful scenery , but loses points with shameless product placement and an overlong runtime .",
    "id": "23092"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tenacious_d_in_the_pick_of_destiny",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... the funniest movie musical since south park : bigger , longer & uncut ...",
        "it 's stoner comedy of the most absurd kind , part fryboy mental drizzle , part wink-wink audience baiting , and wholly , utterly funny .",
        "it 's not that a lot of the content is n't really , really funny -- but it is n't exactly fresh , either .",
        "the plot pings along energetically , and if it rarely makes much sense , it usually finds the shortest distance between two jokes . like a dumb but infectious rock song , you ca n't really justify loving the movie for any serious reason .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "although some jokes and songs are recycled from the band 's back catalog , the movie contains plenty of new material , a mix of killer tunes , monster laughs and savvy references .",
        "even with jack black 's eyebrows and a musical showdown with the devil , MOV is kind of a whiff .",
        "... deficient in the joke department .",
        "less rocking on and better jokes would have made tenacious d seem more than just tenacious .",
        "school of rock got high and watched harold and kumar , and the pick of destiny was the story told to the cops upon waking up in the drive thru .",
        "it 's spinal tap and wayne 's world rolled into one burrito supreme , with extra rocket sauce !",
        "the duo strains at their comedy the same way they strain at their music .",
        "MOV proves one thing : rock and roll never dies . it just gains weight .",
        "the narrative , not surprisingly , is really just an excuse to string together a series of comic and musical setpieces , some of which work better than others .",
        "clearly intended to be viewed through a haze of marijuana smoke , it 'd be against the law for us to recommend this film .",
        "tenacious d 's big screen outing is extremely patchy but the laughs just about compensate for all the dull , unamusing bits .",
        "the film 's as big and flawed as the band itself . but just like any concertgoer wants their favorite band to pull out all the stops , so too will every d fanatic want another hour of this rambling , pumped-up and psyched-out acid trip of a film .",
        "... designed to appeal solely to fans of jack black and kyle gass ...",
        "when they were n't performing , i frequently lost the will to live .",
        "tenacious d : the pick of destiny has some low-brow laughs , but ultimately the silliness of the story and black 's frantic antics are n't enough to sustain the 90-minute plus running time .",
        "... the film is also one of the funniest films of 2006 ...",
        "this jolly rock n roll comedy , sprinkled with amusing one-liners and hilarious sight gags , is a spinoff from the short-lived hbo comedy series starring jack black and kyle gass .",
        "the script , written by black , gass and director liam lynch , packs in gag after gag -lrb- and cameo after cameo -rrb- , but there 's not enough dramatic impetus to keep it from becoming a drag .",
        "sure , the movie 's half-baked . but there 's a very good chance the audience is , as well .",
        "the movie lags on occasion , but it also has quite a few laughs .",
        "despite its cult-movie trappings , it 's a genial dumb comedy that has more in common with lowbrow laffers like harold & kumar go to white castle and zoolander than this is spinal tap .",
        "a script as saggy as the duo 's bare tushes .",
        "for the amount of years it took to bring their cultish misadventures to the big screen , someone must have had a b-side script cause that would have been a letter up .",
        "these guys are very funny , but i have a feeling that deep down they would n't mind if you took them seriously .",
        "... plays out like a bill and ted adventure that stalls a bit in its third act plotting .",
        "some of the jokes are apparently recycled from the d 's hbo show , but if you 're hard-core enough to notice , it should n't matter-even the greatest band in the world has to play the hits for the fans .",
        "for teenaged metalheads who do n't know any better , this may seem like fun .",
        "not as bad as the godawful trailer might lead you expect , but not the gut-buster that longtime fans of the d must have been hoping for , either .",
        "five years since tenacious d 's eponymous debut album went platinum , the mock rock band has perhaps missed the zeitgeist in which to successfully release a biopic on the origins of the self-proclaimed greatest band on earth .",
        "i can understand -lsb- black -rsb- wanting to make king kong , but nacho libre was a dismal affair and tenacious d is n't much better .",
        "the first ten minutes are brilliant and then , for the most part , the fun -lrb- and music -rrb- screech to a halt .",
        "you 'll probably be better off watching it with a bud , if you catch my -lrb- double -rrb- meaning .",
        "if thou wouldst rock tonight , thou couldst rock mightily tonight at MOV .",
        "gass and black should have been given a few more chances to go completely bonkers .",
        "the movie feels giddy and eruptive , dopily enthralled with itself , and more or less made up on the spot , especially when it lapses into pure rock opera .",
        "it 's pointless to nitpick a film this ostentatiously loose and loutish , but in the film 's execution much of that spirit just comes off as lazy and careless .",
        "the pick of destiny is often hard to resist because gass and black are playing such amiably clueless losers . but for the real-life performers , satirizing stupidity is a dubious achievement we 'd like to see them outgrow .",
        "... low-wattage power slide down a yellow-brick road of thrash cliches , stoner skits and music-video parodies",
        "tenacious d would be a great little movie -- well , it could have been -- if the rest of the film were as funny as the rock-opera sequence that kicks it off . or as crudely amusing as an animated spoof of thx ads that precede the film .",
        "jack black 's constant mugging and eyebrow wriggling reaches an obnoxious new low in the awkwardly titled MOV . he is brash and loud , as his pupils bounce around their sockets like pinballs .",
        "most of the movie farts along at the level of a wayne 's world sketch .",
        "my advice : set aside the money you would have spent on a ticket toward buying the soundtrack . that way , you can get all that 's moderately good about MOV without having to endure the substantial bad .",
        "far from a hit , tenacious d probably will do just fine on the midnight-movie circuit .",
        "dude , where 's my guitar pick ? i du n no , look in your bong .",
        "jb and kg are overweight hetero life-partners in rock , despite the fact that they fit none of the typical rock star stereotypes .",
        "tenacious d is utterly harmless and totally pointless . black and gass have been at this so long their dirty little joke has all the punch of a catskills routine .",
        "starts off fine enough as a silly , laugh-filled rock opera , but , eventually , becomes just another stoner comedy running on attitude",
        "while fans of the hbo-born duo are already giving this a thunderous `` a , '' for the rest of us it 's ultimately a tendencious `` b. ''",
        "the pick of destiny is a gravitron ride of nard-crunching brilliance and explosivo satisfaction , and it 's been a long time coming for tenacious d.",
        "it 's a one-joke movie -- sort of how tenacious d is a one-joke band -- but it 's a joke that can be pretty funny sometimes .",
        "destined to become the most hilarious musical epic ever .",
        "would have been a great hbo comedy hour special . it 's not so great , however , as a 98-minute feature ... eventually starts to seem like one of those drawn-out arena-rock anthems with three drum solos ...",
        "too many slack moments and gratuitous chase sequences kill the momentum .",
        "will the audience be ` rocked ' by the band 's wily charms or let down by a slack story that repeats too many decade-old jokes ? stoked or bummed ? everyone knows rock is about rebellion , so f * @ # it : call me stoked .",
        "the film has `` dorm dvd '' scrawled all over it in black sharpie .",
        "if the whole movie were as good as the opening five minutes , when black leads a mini rock opera with metal gods meat loaf and ronnie james dio , -lsb- it -rsb- would be the greatest movie of all time .",
        "being a jack black fan is mandatory for this zany , energetic and relentless buddy movie , rock opera and crass low-brow comedy which no doubt has more appeal with mood enhancers - a hyperactive dose of jack black in a self-indulgent rock fantasy .",
        "apart from the cameos , the movie limps along from one satiric rock song to another , with only the music to carry it .",
        "may just win over the rockers of old and new ...",
        "little more than a set of sketches strung along a plotline that is gossamer light .",
        "while the flick has a few funny moments likely to make the general public laugh , at heart it 's a tenacious d tribute layered with asides and inside jokes scripted with the group 's diehard fans in mind .",
        "i enjoyed it , though as a casual fan who also dug the tenacious d album and dvd , i do n't know how it 'll play for newcomers .",
        "`` tenacious d '' is a movie for fans of the hilarious spoof-rocking duo . you know who you are .",
        "yup , it 's jack black -- with an `` r '' ... really .",
        "tenacious d and the pick of destiny is diverting and fun and a great treat for fans , but it 's as forgettable as chinese dinner at the nursing home .",
        "long may they continue to walk in ronnie james dio 's short but comforting shadow .",
        "manages to hold our attention for an entire 97 minutes , a feat that even metal bands with real marshall amps are hard-pressed to accomplish .",
        "nonbelievers need not apply . and that means you , manilow fans .",
        "a daft , often uproarious rock opera that may become a cult favorite .",
        "it might be too easy , based on all the bong jokes , to suggest the writers could n't distinguish between ` funny ' and ` lame ' because they were high . but i 'll suggest that , anyway .",
        "even considering black 's prodigious talents , pick gets tiresome way too quickly .",
        "there is n't enough plot to fill out the film 's 90-minute running time , but there are rude laughs ... and inspired bits tucked in amid the padding .",
        "there 's nothing heavy about this metal-loving comedy , and there 's a lot that is good-hearted .",
        "once again , we have a movie that packs about 20 minutes of entertainment -- much of it involving the band 's occasionally funny lyrics -- into a 90-minute package .",
        "black thrives in these grubby environs . his full-throttle bodily chaos makes more sense in movies done on the cheap than in blockbusters and polished comedies .",
        "the bottom line : jack black rocks -- especially when he rocks .",
        "if you got a buzz from beavis & butthead and bill & ted , dumb and dumber and spinal tap , you 'll probably get a bunch of chuckles out of tenacious d : the pick of destiny .",
        "they were going for crossroads . they settled for vh-1 storytellers .",
        "while fans of black and gass will be thrilled by their music and antics , you can walk in knowing nothing about the band and still be entertained .",
        "baked and half-baked .",
        "fast and funny , and you ca n't beat the songs .",
        "unless you 're a longtime fan or you 're coming to the theater directly from the movie 's enchanted forest of magical mushrooms , you 'll probably find this shaggy underdog origin story an unspectacular waste of time .",
        "even if you 're not a stoned adolescent , there 's plenty to appreciate in liam lynch 's loopy , cheerfully lowbrow comedy .",
        "some of the bits work ; just as often , they do n't . black and gass ' appealing rapport masks those problems for a while , but eventually , they , too , wear out their welcome .",
        "absurdly overlong skit masquerading as a feature film .",
        "shows -lsb- black -rsb- at his comic best -- overly enthusiastic and quick to anger without ever becoming a buffoon .",
        "the pick of destiny ai n't going to win any awards , and the girls do n't get much of a look-in , but it will strike a few power chords with a certain generation that is too old to disco and too young to die .",
        "the camaraderie that penelope spheeris sharpened in the first wayne 's world is missing . so is the sincerity of its metal passions .",
        "for fans , a crowd-surf over tenacious d 's best bits . for the unbaptised , a novelty movie of a novelty band , big on spirit but in search of a script .",
        "if you have to ask what kind of push-ups members of the band tenacious d require , this is n't the movie for you ...",
        "i was n't always sure what i was watching , or who thought it up , but it was always amusing and never boring .",
        "-lsb- the pick of destiny -rsb- tries to make up in enthusiasm what it lacks in creative inspiration .",
        "i found it mildly amusing . i did n't hate it .",
        "satan looks pretty dang cool ; the rest of the movie looks crummier -- and is less amusing -- than a 1970s crown-international drive-in picture .",
        "so why would anyone who was n't already a fan want to go to this thing ? i du n no",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- hilarious bastard child of this is spinal tap and wayne 's world , and one of the funniest movies i 've seen this year .",
        "an underwritten doodle , directed by liam lynch , that you 'd swear was constructed by high school kids with mom and dad 's camcorder .",
        "begins with flatulence , ends with flatulence and is one big gaseous emission in between .",
        "the entire film plays like an inside joke . tenacious d fans will get it ...",
        "the premise might have worked as a half-hour sitcom but stretching the material out to fill the length of a feature film was not a wise idea .",
        "just fasten your seat belt for an undisciplined , unrefined mess . that 's a compliment , by the way , on the movie 's pleasures and appeal .",
        "strictly for the tenaciously devoted .",
        "fails to deliver the goods as an action comedy .",
        "it 's not especially well-crafted by director liam lynch , but many of its scenes are written and , especially , played with enthusiasm and verve by black and his genially droll partner , kyle gass .",
        "starts out inspired ... ends up sort of lame , obvious , and kind of tired ,",
        "it feels only half thought through -- funny but stretching one joke far beyond the breaking point .",
        "only the most diehard d fans will forgive the flaws in this erratic comedy that probably wo n't stand-up to multiple viewings .",
        "makes bill & ted 's excellent adventure look like a model of cerebral wit ... there 's a difference between genuine satire and three stooges-style stupidity .",
        "this stupefying buddy movie has uproarious gags , most of them due to the movie 's mock-rock-opera conceit , which finds the heroes singing their way from abusive childhoods through pathetic open-mic gigs .",
        "a comedy sketch , painfully prolonged to movie length .",
        "when called upon the movie rocks , and rocks hard .",
        "it 's hard to complain too much about this loosey-goosey romp 's patchiness when one of the rocking songs features the lyric `` you 're gon na gargle mayonnaise '' ... and the reference is n't to hellman 's .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- is n't as fresh or weird as the short films that made tenacious d cult heroes but does capture enough of their spirit to please fans .",
        "in terms of comedies aimed at the dazed and confused , tenacious d is hardly the pick of the litter , but it litters enough laughs in its wake to do more than just blow smoke ."],
    "summary": "tenacious d fan will find this movie hilarious ; everybody else will see only a low-brow concept movie and a small assembly of jokes stretched past the 100 minute mark .",
    "id": "314096471"
  },
  {
    "movie": "blue_crush",
    "reviews":
     [
        "possesses something rare : a degree of genuine reverence in its depiction of surfing as a sport and a subculture .",
        "this formulaic surfing safari turns out to be a heartfelt tribute to the potency of grrl power .",
        "` MOV ' swims away with the sleeper movie of the summer award .",
        "despite the fact `` MOV 's '' characters are thinly written with acting as transparent as a politician 's apology - i liked the film .",
        "this is surfing like you 've never seen before !",
        "the film is lightweight but deft summer entertainment .",
        "MOV achieves something no other surfing movie has even attempted : it tells a good story , with a lovely screenplay and engaging characters .",
        "you almost feel like you have been out there on the waves .",
        "i found a rare moment when i could n't predict where it was headed , but john stockwell directs at such a breezy clip and the surfing shots are so galvanizing , i did n't mind .",
        "it cuts to the core of what it actually means to face your fears , to be a girl in a world of boys , to be a boy truly in love with a girl , and to ride the big metaphorical wave that is life -- wherever it takes you .",
        "the energy caught on the water kept making me tense my legs as if i was going to fall off my surfboard at any moment .",
        "rarely has a sport been captured on film with such daring originality and nailbiting tension .",
        "a pure celebration of riding the waves .",
        "for a movie that has to do with surfing , there is too little actual surfing footage in the film .",
        "and although this film wants to invite the invigorating spirit of a competitive female-oriented sporting fable , MOV simply rides the waves in mediocrity while achieving no real sense of splashy excitement despite its scenic vibrancy .",
        "much credit must be given to the water-camera operating team of don king , sonny miller , and michael stewart . their work is fantastic .",
        "i had no trouble going to the beach with kate bosworth ...",
        "an agreeable enough summer diversion .",
        "MOV has all the trappings of an energetic , extreme-sports adventure , but ends up more of a creaky `` pretty woman '' retread , with the emphasis on self-empowering schmaltz and big-wave surfing that gives pic its title an afterthought .",
        "a big , sexy , sun-splashed thrill ride .",
        "the movie is n't nearly dumb enough to be much beach fun .",
        "i weep for the future when a good portion of the respected critical community in this country consider MOV to be an intelligent film about young women .",
        "i guarantee that there are four separate shots throughout this movie of characters wiping out , and hitting their eye on the exact same underwater rock .",
        "MOV is a real splashdance ... filled with jaw-dropping photography that breathlessly drags you into the waves head first and leaves you soaked with awe .",
        "i 'd suggest a triple feature of beach party movies as a far more pleasurable % u2013 and intellectually rewarding % u2013 experience .",
        "on its own limited terms , MOV is a complete success -- a genuine billabong-hit of adrenaline .",
        "MOV works because it takes the sport - and its practitioners - seriously .",
        "like a convenience store frozen beverage , john stockwell 's `` MOV '' is an exhilarating cool blue rush .",
        "the body-doubling and face-pasting are unfortunately blatant .",
        "on a certain base level , MOV delivers what it promises , just not well enough to recommend it .",
        "a great-looking movie about surfing with a marginal love story grafted onto it , in much the same way an arm might be grafted onto a cocker spaniel .",
        "there 's absolutely no reason why MOV , a late-summer surfer girl entry , should be as entertaining as it is",
        "not `` the endless summer , '' but filmed well enough to register artistically .",
        "it 's inoffensive , cheerful , built to inspire the young people , set to an unending soundtrack of beach party pop numbers and aside from its remarkable camerawork and awesome scenery , it 's about as exciting as a sunburn .",
        "no hay mucho material histri\u00f3nico definitivamente . pero la bosworth no lo requiere -lrb- jeje -rrb- . brilla una colecci\u00f3n de fotograf\u00edas impresionantes de acci\u00f3n y olas . s\u00f3lo eso .",
        "the feature film hidden within does not begin to match the fabulous scenery .",
        "in all , american girls could do worse than have MOV as their own summer action movie .",
        "i 'm sure that an interesting film could easily be made about girl surfers , this just ai n't it .",
        "though the visuals are often gorgeous , the dramatic elements do n't always work quite as well as they should because there is not enough attention given to them .",
        "the amazing film work is so convincing that by movies ' end you 'll swear you are wet in some places and feel sand creeping in others .",
        "down deep , the film is just a surfer-chick coming-of-age tale , albeit one awash with likeable characters and unforced drama .",
        "first and foremost ... the reason to go see `` MOV '' is the phenomenal , water-born cinematography by david hennings .",
        "do n't forget the waves . they 're the stars of this show , and MOV smartly never lets you forget it .",
        "MOV is like a pop song you can never understand the words to , but the tune is so irresistible you find yourself humming along .",
        "predictable storyline and by-the-book scripting is all but washed away by sumptuous ocean visuals and the cinematic stylings of director john stockwell .",
        "it somehow managed to make its way past my crappola radar and find a small place in my heart",
        "MOV has brains and heart to go along with its beautiful looks .",
        "when there 's no dialogue , this film stays right in the pipeline . when characters open their mouths , it ends up in the tripeline .",
        "acceptable in general outline , and helped by excellent surfing footage , MOV nevertheless ca n't seem to sustain any momentum .",
        "definitely a fun flick . see it .",
        "heterosexual males between 13 and 20 , prepare to have your pants go crazy .",
        "this north shore for girls has plenty of good vibrations , like stars kate bosworth , michelle rodriguez , mika boorem and even a real surfer chick , sanoe lake .",
        "MOV is as predictable as the tides . ... the movie feels stitched together from stock situations and characters from other movies .",
        "the best thing to do is bring a walkman and a really good pair of headphones and watch it while listening to your favorite assortment of surfer hits .",
        "-lsb- stockwell -rsb- captures the rush and glory , and the total tidal awesomeness of the sport .",
        "it 's pretty standard teen fare , although the gorgeous surf cinematograpy helps distinguish MOV from the pack .",
        "a tony scott-ish concoction of music and images , swirling around characters who are drawn in the barest of sketches , and i do mean barest .",
        "these are n't your usual movie surfer girls : -lrb- they -rrb- ride their own boards and carry themselves with the physicality of athletes ...",
        "with dialogue that ranges from simple-minded to corny , even looking at perfect surf and sandy beaches begins to get tiresome .",
        "what you end up getting is the vertical limit of surfing movies - memorable stunts with lots of downtime in between .",
        "a perfect example of marketing and screenwriting 101 .",
        "the only ending that would have made me happy is if MOV suddenly became jaws 5 .",
        "despite the deep-ocean setting , it has all the profundity of a kiddie wading-pool ... the banality of the script is matched only by the ineptitude of the acting and direction .",
        "apart from dazzling cinematography , we 've seen just about everything in MOV in one form or the other .",
        "flies out of the gate and entertains for a good 30 minutes before the inevitable wipeout .",
        "the film would have been more enjoyable had the balance shifted in favor of water-bound action over the land-based ` drama , ' but the emphasis on the latter leaves MOV waterlogged .",
        "it 's a day at the beach -- with air conditioning and popcorn .",
        "even the girls ' combined charms ca n't stop `` MOV '' from being a dead in the water dud .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as drama , ` crush ' is often snicker-worthy ... do n't be surprised if you find yourself more than willing to forgive the film 's shortcomings , though .",
        "MOV is like jurassic park as the gigantic waves attack with the ferocity and the sound of t-rexes . it 's a real adrenaline rush .",
        "if there has ever been a better fictional film made about surfing ... if there has ever been a more beautiful film of any kind about surfing ... i have n't seen it .",
        "bosworth is a star in the making , but even she ca n't outshine the surfing footage , which is flat-out spectacular .",
        "an engaging , formulaic sports drama that carries a charge of genuine excitement .",
        "it 's the brilliant surfing photography bringing you right inside the massive waves that lifts MOV into one of the summer 's most pleasurable movies .",
        "much like these surfers and their passion , MOV is a rush i would like to experience again .",
        "while bosworth may be pretty and look good in a bikini , having someone who could actually surf would have brought an authenticity to the film that it badly lacks",
        "bosworth feels insubstantial and looks generic -- she 's twice compared to a barbie doll by other characters ,",
        "every bit as shallow as you 'd expect , but ten times more fun than it deserves to be .",
        "an estrogen opera so intensely feminine that it serves as the antidote -lrb- and cannier doppelganger -rrb- to diesel 's xxx flex-a-thon .",
        "... has a bit more going for it than just bikini babes and bitchin ' waves . but the plot is ankle deep at best .",
        "consider this movie the remix to all those testosterone-fueled sports flicks with an overabundance of half-naked chicks .",
        "the target audience should go home wanting a surfboard for christmas .",
        "the acting is generally not bad in this movie ... but the real star is the camerawork .",
        "proves to indeed be the formulaic bore it appears to be , however nicely dressed up -lrb- or undressed , depending on one 's perspective -rrb- it is .",
        "stockwell has made half of a good movie . now he needs to figure out how to craft a film with words worthy of the beauty of its images .",
        "apesar de um ou outro di\u00e1logo se render ao clich\u0119 do `` ven\u00e7a-seus-medos ! '' , o filme \u00e9 bem realizado , conta com protagonistas carism\u00e1ticas e transforma o surfe em um esporte com incr\u00edvel apelo cinematogr\u00e1fico .",
        "surfing is not a particularly complex thing to figure out from the outside , but here the photography and editing do well to demonstrate the beauty of how it all looks while moving with a momentum that wraps us up in the physical drama .",
        "affable yet forgettable ...",
        "tough yet tender surfer heroine story .",
        "sporting a cast of up-and-coming actresses , john stockwell 's surfing flick offers up a slice of entertainment that acknowledges its roots and whose throw away pleasures arrive with no guilt .",
        "when the movie attempts to tell a story on land , you might want to bring along a flashlight and a magazine .",
        "the film 's plot may be shallow , but you 've never seen the deep like you see it in these harrowing surf shots .",
        "while the plot rarely rises above the level of serviceable , it 's actually not as moronic as might have been expected , with the characterizations being somewhat less stereotypical than usual .",
        "man , is this movie mentally deficient . we 're talking wheel of fortune stupid .",
        "most of the storylines feel like time fillers between surf shots . the movie is n't horrible , but you can see mediocre cresting on the next wave .",
        "it 's hard to resist being swept up in MOV , not least because david hennings 's shimmery photography carries the breeze and spray of the island right into the theater .",
        "like -lsb- a tv ad -rsb- for a sports drink that invites you , perhaps , to `` catch the wave , '' camera riding the crest to capture that refreshing feeling caffeine-free MOV provides .",
        "looking at the posters for MOV , which show bosworth , rodriguez and lake posing with bikinis and surfboards , i expected another mindless surfing movie . MOV is anything but .",
        "unlike most surf movies , MOV thrillingly uses modern technology to take the viewer inside the wave . by the end you ca n't help but feel ` stoked . '",
        "with so much to feast my dazzled eyes upon , i barely noticed that the plot was missing in action .",
        "MOV is the perfect gen-x surfer movie , a triumph of style over substance ...",
        "one of the best fictional movies ever made about the whole surf culture .",
        "try to take your eyes off kate bosworth long enough to catch a look at those fantastic hawaiian waves .",
        "while surprisingly sincere , this average little story is adorned with some awesome action photography and surfing .",
        "MOV offers the most intense visual experience i 've had at the movies all year .",
        "move over gidget . universal has rolled out a new breed of surf picture that just may reinvent the genre .",
        "the ocean photography is positively exhilarating .",
        "seeing how lame the trailers were for MOV , the film itself is something of a surprise . it 's watchable , and not just for the surfing action .",
        "to anyone who takes it for granted that females are capable of making up their own minds and taking risks , MOV has nothing to distinguish it , save some exciting surfing footage .",
        "the story might be simply told , but it is universal and effective and not at all tawdry .",
        "when it 's all wet , MOV is highly enjoyable . when it 's on dry land , though , this surfer-girl melodrama starts gasping like a beached grouper .",
        "MOV is so prolonged and boring it is n't even close to being the barn-burningly bad movie it promised it would be .",
        "we understand that these girls make the movie an inversion of the typical male sports genre picture . but they 're given nothing intriguing to do except wear mix-and-match beachwear and drive a cute old car .",
        "MOV never bobs to the surface as anything other than a formula picture .",
        "there are girlfriends , day jobs and bad dates in the way , but what it 's really about is the waves .",
        "MOV follows the formula , but throws in too many conflicts to keep the story compelling .",
        "is n't terribly original , but it does have the refreshing virtue of showing people smacked around by tsunami-sized waves that , for a change , are mostly not computer generated .",
        "it is trashy good fun .",
        "some surf movies fail because they take surfing too seriously , dwelling on the spiritual sense that comes from riding on the surface of a mighty power . MOV fails for the opposite reason .",
        "never has a shower scene been more superfluous , for anne marie is so wet , so often , that her bikini bonds with her tan and her perfect hair to forge a one-woman water world .",
        "MOV is one of those tough-to-sell late-summer flicks made for marketing impossible dreams and fashion . but its main failure is the way it undermines its heroine 's drive and strength .",
        "the presence of bosworth and the terrific surfing scenes and amazing camera footage make the film worth checking out , especially if you love surfing or just watching mother nature 's oceanic ` special effects ' at work .",
        "think of it as gidget , only with muscles and a lot more smarts , but just as endearing and easy to watch .",
        "though it leaves such dramatic threads unresolved and sticks too firmly to the standard sports formula , MOV invigorates a silly , tired film genre ."],
    "summary": "the surfing sequences are exhilarating , but the plot is pretty forgettable and trite .",
    "id": "11611"
  },
  {
    "movie": "jackass_number_2",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film 's candid-camera skits are mostly unoriginal .",
        "it 's sadomasochism at its drunkest .",
        "oddly enduring , crap though",
        "a lot more money than when they made their first film . but no more sense .",
        "i could n't look away , and neither could anyone else in the audience i saw the movie with . we hooted and hollered at the screen , captured by a single involuntary impulse .",
        "the title tells all . to hell with it .",
        "i ca n't recommend their methods , i will applaud their energy and commitment to this particular brand of stupidity .",
        "like the happy train wreck jackass has always been , the boys deliver sequences at once stomach-turning and undeniably entertaining ...",
        "repetition is the point and the sticking point of number two , which is all about self-reference and reiteration .",
        "vomit.there . if that got your attention , and it sickened you , please proceed to another review .",
        "... it 's ultimately impossible to deny the comedic value of such interludes .",
        "jackass : number two is a lot like the first jackass , but with oscar winners .",
        "it 's almost like getting the band back together , which is great for jackass fans if they do n't mind that the super-group is pretty much set on playing the exact same tune .",
        "you laugh , you cringe , you wonder what the hell modern civilization is coming to .",
        "if you 're not a fan , get off your high horse and unleash your inner 15-year-old masochist !",
        "thanks to knoxville and co. , there is no stunt left untested , no boundary unbroken and no gag reflex left unprovoked in jackass : number two - and this , resolutely , is a great thing .",
        "it 's very funny , and i struggled to muffle my wild laughter most of the time .",
        "the schoolboy skits are shorter and greater in number than the first jackass movie , but the laughs and howls they provoke are just as loud and many .",
        "johnny knoxville , bam margera and company prod themselves into a hilariously fascinating exploration , and exploitation , of their own psychological fears . after all , a director like spike jonze would n't be a hanger-on if there were no subtext .",
        "the older the pranksters get , the grimmer their stunts feel",
        "at the end of the film , one actor pronounces , ` it 's just not funny anymore , and i want to go home . ' amen to that .",
        "if the judges stuck hooks in the american idol contestants and used them for bait each week , even i would have to tune in occasionally .",
        "the images burn into the retina like the spots you get from staring at the sun .",
        "a solid hour-and-a-half , plus outtakes , of gratuitous violence and endless stupidity .",
        "though i understand that the film is intent on being no. 1 in no. 2 , it is not ever necessary to show someone making doody on camera , thanks .",
        "only adolescent boys -- the movie 's target audience , despite a well-earned r rating -- will appreciate the most extreme gross-out gags , none of which can be described in a family newspaper .",
        "the movie does n't break any kind of new ground but who really expected it to ? it 's still good for a laugh .",
        "there are worse things to be found in the slimiest corners of the internet , but this second film installment of the mtv series brings the lowest excesses of webcam exhibitionism to the mutiplex .",
        "i do n't recall being in physical pain from laughing -lrb- which happened a couple of times during the first film -rrb- , but the sequel still delivers what it promises . this is the godfather ii of tasteless prank films .",
        "you have to marvel at the way these guys keep coming up with ingenious ways to hurt themselves .",
        "one of the more positive things i can say about jnt is that it serves the function of a crash diet : after seeing it , you will not want to eat again for a very , very long time .",
        "to call the humor sophomoric would be to overstate its sophistication . call it infantile , and you 'll be much closer to the mark . but it 's hard to deny that many of the more outrageous bits have an exhilaratingly potent , shock-you-into-guffawing impact .",
        "the first half hour was hilarious . the second half hour got repetitious and tedious .",
        "ask yourself this : did the title make you laugh ? if so , you 're probably the target audience .",
        "you 've got to give it to the jackass crew : their commitment to their crass craft is awe-inspiring .",
        "quality is relative when you 're talking about a movie where a man ingests beer through a tube inserted into his rectum .",
        "the laughs here are so big - i 'm talking doubled-over , fall-out-of-your-seat big - that they are meant to be shared in a theatre full of similarly helpless viewers .",
        "there 's no denying the ingenuity it takes to design this stuff . who else besides knoxville would think to wrestle a boa inside a kids ' ball pit ?",
        "just like the lord of the rings , i ca n't wait for the third part of this trilogy .",
        "i laughed more in the first fifteen minutes than i have in the entirety of any 90-minute comedy this year . at the risk of sounding like a sicko , i liked this depraved movie a lot .",
        "their second feature film features much of the same and then much more of the same as a few really big laughs almost forgive how repetitive it all is .",
        "there 's no debating the jackass gang 's commitment to our amusement , but i find it more tolerable in thirty minute doses -- with commercials .",
        "you 'll laugh 'til you puke , if you do n't puke first .",
        "the jackass crew uses their stunts to test their immunity -- to skull fractures , to deadly infections , to permanent damage , and , most importantly , to growing up .",
        "a masterpiece .",
        "if there were an academy award for picture most likely to make an audience puke , then jackass : number two would win it hands down .",
        "there is inherently something riotous about watching a man get pubic hairs glued to his face . i 'm not sure why , but it just is .",
        "the jackass films were made for the sole purpose of getting a crowd of drunken lunkheads together for a night of brainless hilarity . nothing more , nothing less .",
        "as h.l. mencken acidly noted , no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the general public .",
        "knoxville at one point sports a t-shirt with a slogan that says it all : `` f *** art : let 's dance . ''",
        "just as outrageous as fans were hoping it would be .",
        "if anything , we can always count on johnny knoxville 's jackass crew to find creative new ways to make us squirm .",
        "some will call this movie a symptom of cultural decay , but if it is , who the hell wants to be cultured ?",
        "the only thing that might be considered amusing in the entire film are scenes in which the irksome bam margera finally gets some comeuppance .",
        "some segments hit , some miss , but watching these casually captured shenanigans is , in a sense , refreshing , because it makes us realize how inured we are as an audience to action sequences from all the same , predetermined hollywood angles .",
        "... when seen with a rapt , rowdy audience , the film becomes ... a joyful celebration of the depths of human degradation .",
        "it does exactly what it 's supposed to do .",
        "the movie does what it set out to do : entertain its core audience of guys like me who were weaned on beavis and butt-head .",
        "the double feat of jackass is that it weds the obviously juvenile with the arrestingly profound . the boys of delta kappa epsilon and their tas can watch this movie in the same theater .",
        "true to its aim , jackass 2 probably will leave fans more satisfied than the vast majority of films this year have left moviegoers .",
        "it 's seems so pathetic and desperate steve-o . you do n't need to lose a limb in order to be loved . enough .",
        "jackass : number two aims low and hits lower , but is as hilarious and uncomfortable an encounter as possible .",
        "... the film does elicit some genuine laughs , and that is what a comedy should do .",
        "it 's hard to like jackass these days , but it 's impossible to hate it either .",
        "... a film that aims for the lowest-common denominator and falls even shorter .",
        "it 's probably fair to warn animal-lovers that there 's a fair amount of animal distress in the movie - snakes , in particular , get a pretty rough deal all round and the bulls do n't seem too happy either .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- sporadically hilarious assortment of weapons-grade idiocy .",
        "remember kids , do n't try this at home . or anywhere else for that matter .",
        "niilista como o original , torna-se moderadamente divertido em fun\u0437\u0433o de seu inesperado n\u044amero musical e do sentimento de camaradagem entre seus astros , que parecem realmente torcer uns pelos outros .",
        "fortunately , several of these stunts are amusing and amazing , combining courage with a witty idea .",
        "the bottom line with jackass number two is as it was for jackass number one . if you are susceptible to its faecally-focused charms , chances are you will have a frolicking good time with it . if not , you have been warned",
        "even if you ca n't stomach -lrb- or stand -rrb- what they 're up to , you still have to admit that these goons execute their gags exceptionally well .",
        "this movie has upped the ante so much that i think the only way a third can top it is to intentionally cripple or kill one of the guys .",
        "i do n't know what to say about jackass : number two . what is there to say , after all , about a 95-minute foray into feces , intestinal gas , horse semen and a beer funnel inserted into a body cavity that 's quite obviously not someone 's mouth ?",
        "of course these capers do hurt and the frisson of real danger is always there . but the performers understand the simple integrity of a slapstick gag , and they 're prepared to suffer for its entertainment value .",
        "strange as it might be to say , jackass : number two is just the kind of vicarious excitement for which the movies were invented .",
        "if you 're expecting anything other than morons being morons , then you 're the jackass .",
        "one must admit , however grudgingly , that there 's a kind of warped integrity in their compulsion to keep topping each wretched stunt -- sometimes within the same stunt .",
        "you have to admire the fact that , for these guys , ` anything for a laugh ' really means anything . and for all the moronic behavior , there are also some inspired dadaist moments .",
        "be forewarned , when you 're not laughing out loud you could well be trying hard not to lose your lunch .",
        "as merry pranksters they have no match , and as they age -lrb- knoxville is 35 now -rrb- , they only grow in appeal .",
        "made for an audience that actually thinks beavis and butthead were meant to be desirable role models .",
        "as awesome as it is stupid -lrb- and that 's pretty awesome -rrb- jackass number two is an idiot 's delight . simple , unadulterated sub-mental joy .",
        "flat-out the funniest film ever made .",
        "it tells us seomthing about the demoralizing state of movie audiences today when donkey dung like this tops the box-office .",
        "it 's all pretty hysterical , in a cathartic , if cringe-inducing way , but it becomes too much for one sitting , as even the participants themselves are at times shocked by what unfolds .",
        "the material alternates between nauseatingly grotesque and frighteningly cruel , with only a smidgen of humorous trigger happy tv-like asides to quell the torture .",
        "while the movie wallows in bad taste and will never be mistaken for high art , it 's effing hilarious . so there .",
        "you just wan na know if it 's good , right ? oh , yes , it 's good .",
        "irresponsible ? sure . but for the most part , also funny -- and that 's the point .",
        "the screams of laughter come fast and furious in this frat boy 's fever dream of a circus sideshow .",
        "if ever a studio film was released in theaters with the power of making audience members puke all over themselves , this is it .",
        "here 's a way to spend 90 minutes completely devoid of social benefit .",
        "debased , infantile and reckless in the extreme , this compendium of body bravado and malfunction makes for some of the most fearless , liberated and cathartic comedy in modern movies .",
        "more absurd and grotesque than we 've seen before , as if everything prior was merely child 's play .",
        "yes , it contributes to the decline of western civilization , but yes , it 's funny .",
        "you can be offended all you want , but laughing at a guy who craps on a miniature toilet is only one step away from the cute baby who slips in his poop on america 's funniest home videos .",
        "whether you laugh , shriek or fight the urge to puke reveals as much about you as years of psychotherapy .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i could n't help laughing at these idiots .",
        "it would be easy to go on at length about how tasteless and repulsive the movie is , but what 's really depressing about it is the repetitiveness and tedium .",
        "the new dose of jackass is way dumber , grosser and gayer -lrb- there are more things shoved up male butts than a cowboy could dream of up on brokeback mountain , and the guys even sing a homo anthem from la cage aux folles -rrb- .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "better than any sequel to a movie of a television show has a right to be , jackass : number two dares you not to laugh .",
    "id": "287865350"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ghost_dog_the_way_of_the_samurai",
    "reviews":
     [
        "drily funny .",
        "dryly funny and important .",
        "rich , intellectual .",
        "ghost dog intersperses the rules and regulations of two disparate groups , the mafia , to dramatize the decline of the old loyalties ...",
        "jarmusch appreciates the value of an evocative soundtrack .",
        "ghost dog can be as now as the latest hit rap disc , with its hip-hop-culture references and remarkably chilly and affecting score by the rza of wu-tang clan .",
        "a profoundly original and compelling film .",
        "ghost dog ... is like sitting a parked car in an interesting neighbourhood with a good stereo for nearly two hours .",
        "a quirky , unique fable featuring the most original character to hit the screen in years .",
        "jarmusch gets an absorbing and fascinating performance from whitaker .",
        "within -lsb- his -rsb- off-kilter sensibility , there has always been a zenlike simplicity and elegance , and that aspect of jarmusch 's work reaches full fruition in ghost dog .",
        "jarmusch has introduced historical references ... that have opened up his imagination and extended his thematic and affective range well beyond that of his first five features .",
        "forest whitaker is superb in the title role . the rza 's score is sublime . heck , even director jarmusch deserves kudos for this one .",
        "too whimsically staged to take as serious suspense , too grimly real to be amusing .",
        "fascinating but uneven .",
        "too solemn .",
        "the movie ambles along without much direction .",
        "only the most ardent jarmusch fan will be able to suspend disbelief , and the movie turns into an exercise in ideas rather than an excursion along a stable narrative route .",
        "jim jarmusch is perhaps the only director who could pull off a film that mixes excerpts from the text of hagakure : the book of the samurai with mafioso entanglements , and hip-hop street knowledgry .",
        "quite a delightful surprise , a characteristically deliberate but singularly amusing shaggy-dog tale .",
        "jarmusch and whitaker are masters at work proving once again that you do n't need a huge budget to tell a meaningful story .",
        "an act of pure , unadulterated creativity that boasts its narrative gambles and poetic whimsy as badges of honor ... one of the most improbably gorgeous films of the year .",
        "jarmusch 's original film , which deconstructs the mobster genre as seen through the eyes of a samurai , is by turn eccentric , mysterious , and mythical , defying viewers expectations",
        "amusing , melancholy , and meditative , ghost dog is a modern classic of the hit man genre .",
        "at once a tribute to traditional notions of honour , loyalty , friendship and professionalism , and a stylish , ironic pastiche inspired by the likes of melville and suzuki , it 's very funny , insightful , and highly original .",
        "one of the coolest movies to come down the pike in years .",
        "visually creative film with a remarkable use of color and music .",
        "jarmusch blends these disparate themes into a cohesive film that combines humor and truly unique characters with eastern philosophy , mobster flick and shoot - 'em - up western .",
        "ghost dog himself is so remote and focused on his path , it 's hard to drum up a lot of identification or sympathy .",
        "i can scarcely think of ways to improve this engrossing , original , near-brilliant production .",
        "deeply hypnotic as well as entertaining .",
        "it just might be one of those intriguing films that requires an acquired taste .",
        "credit must go to the writer-director for taking a unique approach rather than following the path of many a filmmaker by bastardizing traditional japanese ideologies into a complete bloodbath of chop-socky or a surrealistic abstraction .",
        "rambling yet slyly enjoyable .",
        "whimsical , funny , violent , quirky and oh-so-cool .",
        "ghost dog is an impeccably shot and sensationally scored deadpan parody of two current popular modes -- the hit-man glorification saga and the cosa nostra family drama .",
        "-lsb- cinematographer robby m\u00fcller -rsb- gives ghost dog a dark , seedy look , and rza 's score is likely to be one of the year 's best .",
        "as elusive as it is entertaining , as complex as it is simple .",
        "i happen to have found the results exhilarating .",
        "funny but not scornful , wise but not imperious .",
        "an inventive , hypnotic and intelligent urban fable .",
        "a poetic meditation on mortality and honor that delivers the action and suspense of any good gangster film .",
        "ghost dog does right by fans of gangsters , hip-hop and samurais .",
        "stark , dark , dramatic and deep .",
        "a sad , funny , often hypnotic film .",
        "... a reflective film and , in its eccentric way , a comical one .",
        "it 's original , sharply funny , and rather moving",
        "both a return to form and a heartening attempt to move beyond jarmusch 's increasingly restrictive formal style .",
        "whitaker has an amiable face that can tighten into a mask of steely determination in a heartbeat ; i could n't imagine another actor in the role .",
        "rueful , funny , deliciously off-kilter .",
        "a haunting and mesmerizing film .",
        "by turns irritating and inviting ; jarmusch 's allusive metaphysics has a sensual glide , but much of what he 's doing here is also too , too hip .",
        "in a profoundly unethical world where even the mafia code of honor and devotion to the family has been degraded by cowboys whose first loyalty is to their own sorry asses",
        "jarmusch , with his noble sincerity and real affection , ca n't begin to give this grisly , somnambulant essay on the cross-cultural matrix of violence born of over-stimulation and numbness a life of its own .",
        "is there a market for self-consciously stylish movies about gangsters if the films operate in what seems like slow-motion ?",
        "jim jarmusch has come up with an unusual and unique product . unfortunately , the film 's erratic tone severely detracts from its few positive qualities .",
        "ghost dog is muddled and aimless .",
        "demerits for the dull execution .",
        "this is the sort of film that every adult synapse in your head knows is hipster poppycock , escapism to nothing .",
        "while it 's not a film to enjoy , it 's one adventurous movie-goers may appreciate .",
        "yes , it does have some ` deep ' messages to deliver , but ghost dog is also very entertaining .",
        "surprisingly funny .",
        "sometimes a movie gets you so bad that you need to tell people how excited you are about it .",
        "ghost dog is ... a delight for those who know his work , maybe a mystery for those who do n't .",
        "ghost dog is a wholly original creation made up of borrowed parts .",
        "ghost dog ... is an early 21st century urban black man who 's remodelled himself after the samurai warriors of medieval japan , adopting and embodying an alien culture through a weirdly admirable act of will .",
        "no other filmmaker has made such a bold statement about the parallels of societal violence that exist between cultures , whether ancient eastern , mafioso , or urban gangster .",
        "a self-conscious but surprisingly entertaining fusion of gangster , martial-arts and western movies .",
        "compellingly strange twist on the mafia genre",
        "whitaker makes a compelling lead , and the sense of humor here is refreshingly wry and ironic .",
        "little details , as well as whitaker 's performance ... elevate this film .",
        "a handsomely shot , cool-sounding head-scratcher of a film that probably is n't worth the wear on the fingernails .",
        "it 's a small , offbeat , extremely well-crafted little film that 's full of terrific touches . it 's also the funniest mob comedy in years .",
        "it 's a bit somnolent , but the interactions between whitaker and his mob bosses strike a few sparks .",
        "... i was lulled by the relaxed storytelling .",
        "this is a picture by turns amusing and melancholic , sweet-centred and dark-edged .",
        "the solitary ghost dog remains too remote a figure to sustain much interest , and certain elements of the film do not fit well together .",
        "it reminded me how vibrantly original an honest-to-god independent film can be .",
        "less a pastiche than a mastermix from a cinematic dj at the height of his formalist powers , ghost dog is pretty ill -- but it 's not evil .",
        "smart , engaging , and weirdly cool , ghost dog defies easy pigeonholing in favor of a complexity all its own .",
        "the director ladles on winking ironies and surprise chuckles .",
        "by the end , whitaker 's character has generated true poignance .",
        "the film is full of moments of stifled hilarity ...",
        "downbeat , stylish and strange film",
        "a gem of a movie !",
        "hypnotic and quietly subversive .",
        "sometimes you score points just for doing something different .",
        "there 's enough excitement in this dark , violent saga of a modern samurai at war with a family of aging jersey gangsters to attract more than the art house crowd .",
        "ghost dog : the way of the samurai brings the minimalist director who found fame with 1984 's stranger than paradise back to the land of the living .",
        "ghost dog : the way of the samurai was written and directed by jim jarmusch , the perfect and perhaps only filmmaker for this material .",
        "jim jarmusch , the king of indie cool , strikes another blow against the empire ..."],
    "summary": "an innovative blend of samurai and gangster lifestyles .",
    "id": "13267"
  },
  {
    "movie": "monsterinlaw",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a kind of meet the fockers-lite , with bitchy scheming substituted for flushing toilets .",
        "what do socio-economic differences , career discrepancies , basic incompatibilities and a teenage wardrobe on a thirtysomething matter when there are movie tickets to sell ?",
        "lopez is treacly sweet to fonda and finally attempts some tepid revenge about two-thirds of the way through . but too late : we 've lost interest .",
        "another generic concept-driven romantic comedy that is high on concept , low on comedy and about as romantic as a prenuptial agreement .",
        "an unappealing comedy with a terminal case of bad choices",
        "this monster is ultimately one flat-footed beast .",
        "roaring through the film like a california wildfire , fonda gives a powerhouse comic performance ...",
        "jane fonda makes it out alive , but the movie never drew a breath to begin with .",
        "monster-in-law proves that the once intense ms. fonda is capable of laughing at the world in general and herself in particular .",
        "it repeatedly falls to fonda to sell the movie 's wheezy concept of the mother-in-law as battle-ax . and like any trouper attempting go-for-broke comedy for the first time at her age , she holds nothing back .",
        "fonda : pushing , pushing up daisies .",
        "the laughs are as scarce as coke machines in the kalahari .",
        "why fonda chose this embarrassing project for her first film in 15 years is , as they say , a puzzlement . she 's the best thing in it ; at times , it seems she 's the only thing in it .",
        "this is n't a very smart movie , rattling along as it does in the bright , superficial , meaninglessly expert way of too many modern romantic comedies -- and definitely of too many jennifer lopez comedies .",
        "... a film that occasionally rises to the level of merely unfunny before lapsing back into excruciating and offensive .",
        "lopez chooses to declaw herself and play a sweet milquetoast , a mouse showing up for a catfight .",
        "fonda does n't work out .",
        "taken as a whole , this dark comedy from robert luketic -lrb- legally blonde -rrb- is torturously slow , stupid , shallow and predictable . but there are a few shining components .",
        "no amityville horrors , no murderous little girl phantoms and not even paris hilton can contend with the likes of fonda .",
        "is it worth 10 bucks to watch jennifer lopez and jane fonda retread the same sitcom territory trampled twice by ben stiller and robert de niro ? the short answer is ` no . '",
        "if fonda is partly suited to her role , jennifer lopez is not at all suited to hers .",
        "-lsb- sykes -rsb- can get a little nasty for the sake of a joke - something lopez and fonda , protective of their images , are n't willing to do .",
        "it 's a crude , obvious comedy , which occasionally clunks , but it 's often very funny , as well as being a really shrewd bit of popular entertainment .",
        "monster-in-law is a comedy without laughs and a catfight without claws .",
        "in any case , the news here is not the movie but the movie star . jane fonda is back , and let 's hope the movies can figure out how to plant her somewhere she can flourish .",
        "trust me , monster-in-law not only makes more sense as an unforgiven-ish parable of old-school hollywood feminism 's wrath , it 's worlds more fun .",
        "fonda , who returned to movies after a 15-year absence only to find herself facedown in a plate of tripe , handles her on-screen humiliation with considerable grace .",
        "fonda and sykes are made for each other , and their incessant bickering and arguing are about the only things that give monster-in-law any life .",
        "like knott 's landing gone defcon five , with fonda and lopez in a mega-diva catfight that involves such estro-centric issues as dress sizes and china patterns .",
        "fonda dives headlong into the comic mayhem of her role , and yet maintains the style and grace and gravitas of a major hollywood diva .",
        "this really plays a like a really bad sitcom from forty years ago .",
        "in `` monster-in-law , '' jane fonda emerges from her recent tobacco bath to take on her first movie role in 15 years . the good news ? at 67 , she 's still smoking .",
        "fails on so many levels that it is difficult to even know where to start .",
        "was this really the best movie jane fonda could find to restart her movie career ?",
        "-lsb- director robert -rsb- luketic tries to revitalize lopez 's public image by pitting her against an older actress 's degrading portrayal .",
        "i sided with the mother .",
        "let 's see how long this one stays at number one with the release of `` star wars episode iii : revenge of the sith '' on its heels .",
        "... barbie-doll romance intertwined with an exchange of vulgar and sometimes offensive salvos between the future in-laws .",
        "fonda as a dominatrix in the will-she , wo n't - she shallows of entertainment , with lopez her match in campy mindlessness .",
        "fonda fans will lap this up , but even they will agree it is no `` barefoot in the park . ''",
        "this shrill , undermotivated , feature-length catfight between jennifer lopez 's demure prospective bride and fonda 's unhinged prospective mother-in-law makes sure to underline , boldface and exclamation-point every plot turn and line of dialogue .",
        "if the screening i attended is anything to go by , this is a gay men 's movie whose primary function is to doll fonda up like a drag queen and let her rip .",
        "the movie could have sunk its claws deeper , but fonda floors her comeback vehicle and you 'd have to go to pre-pop diva days to find lopez this effortlessly appealing .",
        "cette com\u00e9die pu\u00e9rile n'offre absolument rien qui n'ait \u00e9t\u00e9 mieux fait avant .",
        "fonda and lopez take a potentially tired concept and give it new life",
        "close , but no wad of chewing tobbacco out of the mouth of a vietnam vet .",
        "forgettable fluff .",
        "calm and collected , even when going stark-raving mad , fonda has the veneer of a true movie star and sells her title character through the sheer virtuosity of her performance .",
        "for all the frenzied -lrb- and badly staged -rrb- i love lucy-style slapstick , the movie 's core conflict is just a marketing concept , a fluffy showcase of dueling auras with nothing much at stake and nothing really imperiled .",
        "even when monster-in-law becomes a rote , predictable ride , you want to watch it just to see what the actress will do next .",
        "back to screenwriting school for somebody .",
        "monster-in-law is n't a particularly good movie if what interests you is the art of film -- cinematography , editing , screenwriting , staging , little things like that .",
        "jane fonda came back from the dead , and jennifer lopez came back from gigli to make the new comedy monster-in-law .",
        "poor jennifer lopez . despite star billing , she is but a spectator at fonda 's fireworks show .",
        "it 's a one-joke movie , but we keep laughing because of the way the stars keep telling the joke .",
        "it 's a perfect comeback vehicle for a 67-year-old actress -- light , safe , undemanding and sure-to-be commercial . it is also a fairly tedious , stupid picture , but you ca n't have everything .",
        "it lacks the meanness and vulgarity of much modern comedy -lrb- good -rrb- but fails to replace it with any meaningful insight or satire .",
        "without movie stars in the lead roles , these characters would be insufferably dull -lrb- in other words , they 'd all be as vanilla as vartan -rrb- , and director robert luketic knows it .",
        "granted , monster-in-law is meant to be a laugh-fest , but it stoops very low and is too unkind to its actors in its pursuit of laughs .",
        "monster-in-law has a stupid script , sure , but you 'd think somebody would have had the courtesy to tell lopez the picture was a comedy .",
        "the run-of-the-mill comedy might not be the monster hit jennifer lopez is seeking , but it opens up the possibility of seeing more of the talented jane fonda .",
        "reviled for selling themselves , for wielding power , fonda , lopez , and to an extent , sykes have turned their seeming threats into commodities .",
        "the humor of this movie has been pitched at the wrong level ... it 's just 100 minutes of women being cruel to each other .",
        "i think if ` monster-in-law ' had been a horror flick instead of a comedy it might have worked for me . as is , it 's just a horror of a movie .",
        "it 's finally happened . jennifer lopez has finally made a film that does n't make you want to chew off your own arm inside of about 20 minutes .",
        "a one-joke comedy that achieves the oxymoronic feat of being fluffy and flat at the same time .",
        "there 's only one reason i 'm giving this three stars , and that 's jane fonda , whose talent is , well , monstrous .",
        "if director luketic and writer kochoff have to fall back on these unfunny , antediluvian routines , they should learn another trade .",
        "in a movie about diva-to-diva warfare , each diva is miscast .",
        "it takes awhile for ` monster-in-law ' to bare its teeth , but once the movie does ... everything on the screen begins to click .",
        "jane fonda digs into her part with such campy relish that she seems to be having an actor 's holiday in an otherwise overly campy , calculated and uninspired comedy .",
        "the script ca n't even get from a to b without the seams showing .",
        "... jane fonda probably should have stayed retired -lrb- the actress emerged from a 15-year sabbatical for this ? -rrb-",
        "the experience of viewing this movie represents a one-way ticket into tedium and a forced 90-minute imprisonment with jennifer lopez and jane fonda , both of whom give performances that can charitably be called cringe-inducing .",
        "knockabout comic is just the latest incarnation in fonda 's life so far . let her rip .",
        "the movie might have been better served had it simply tossed out the lopez character and given us more of fonda .",
        "a deeply dispiriting movie , not just because it is grindingly bad but because jane fonda actually chose this for her comeback after a 15-year absence from the screen .",
        "a particularly uninspired sitcom that 's desperately recycling hack-material at cyclone speed to no avail",
        "fonda joins a select sorority of mature , serious actresses made silly by the movies .",
        "i know monster-in-law is just a slapstick comedy , but is it too much to expect the characters to exhibit routine intelligence ?",
        "how can you not admire a movie that might find itself picketed by veterans groups and peta at the same time ?",
        "somebody help me - i 'm turning into roger ebert .",
        "it 's safe to say there is not one surprising or memorable moment in the bland `` monster-in-law . ''",
        "a fingers-across-the-blackboard sitcom .",
        "strident and unvaried , this one-joke farce is as silly and lazy as any third-rate sitcom .",
        "essentially meet the parents redux with fonda in the scarifying de niro role .",
        "lots of potential for laughs but few if any genuinely funny moments .",
        "fiendishly good fun .",
        "as comebacks go , monster-in-law may do for fonda what the empire state building did for king kong .",
        "... feels like some rejected tv sitcom pilot with its inane one-joke premise about fussing females and their trivial tirades ... a clueless and contrived concoction",
        "the romance is not interesting ; the catfights at least have some potential",
        "we 've got a halfway decent little comedy ...",
        "a banal and lukewarm slice of romantic comedy and family histrionics .",
        "there 's a real hunger to fonda 's performance , an anything-can-happen quality that 's more exciting than a thousand polished star turns .",
        "forget that boring subplot about getting married . this movie is a no-holds-barred catfight between the world 's most psychotic mom and the pop star audiences most love to hate .",
        "... an obnoxious romantic comedy that takes every stereotype about pushy in-laws and morphs them into a practically unbearable mix of broad slapstick and shrill bickering .",
        "... great when it was called `` the wedding planner . ''",
        "the nastier comedy that monster-in-law demands is a bad fit for -lsb- luketic -rsb- .",
        "fifteen years absent from the big screen , and this is what jane fonda comes back to ? catfights with j. lo ?",
        "we liked this better when it was called meet the parents and had that peeing cat .",
        "even when lopez and fonda share the same scene , as they often do , they are in different movies .",
        "the wisecracking wanda sykes steals this mediocre girl-fight from her big-name co-stars .",
        "billed as a comedy , this low-wattage sitcom is both ill-tempered and mean-spirited -- not least when it 's cracking anti-gay jokes and making snide suggestions about incest .",
        "a comedy so inconsequential it might not pass muster as a network sitcom .",
        "for a romantic comedy , it 's neither romantic nor funny .",
        "monster-in-law delivers the most laughs of any comedy since meet the fockers .",
        "fonda 's presence recommends monster-in-law on some level , but the film as a whole does n't match her vitality .",
        "viewers who buy a ticket to monster-in-law may find it easier to forgive fonda for her disastrous 1972 trip to north vietnam than lopez for starring in gigli .",
        "monster-in-law has a hard enough time justifying its antagonist 's monstrosity .",
        "the comedy is broad and the story is too clumsily calculated to maximize its star power , but the teaming of fonda and jennifer lopez , if not inspired , is good enough to at least partially mask the script 's myriad flaws .",
        "turns out jane has come back to make a 95-minute mother-in-law joke . scratch that , now i 'm exaggerating . a joke is funny . a joke has rhythm and structure and timing and a punch line . this , by all evidence , is no joke .",
        "the phrase ` chewing the scenery ' never made much sense to me -lrb- is this a phrase used in normal human conversation ? ever ? -rrb- , but i know it when i see it . and jane fonda gnaws it to the bone in monster-in-law .",
        "lopez is no help with a performance that is so cutesy , so one-note , that she could have phoned it in .",
        "fluff has it 's place , and it 's awfully good to see feel-the-burn jane back in action , unrepentant and laughing at herself and the world .",
        "if there is any reason to watch monster-in-law -- a chore best reserved for a day when the flu has rendered you incapable of the ability to discriminate between good and bad -- it is to see fonda acting again after all these years .",
        "had the script paid more attention to its characters ' emotional details , this monster could have been a ball .",
        "if you want to see jane fonda munch scenery , you 're in the right spot .",
        "monster-in-law , is only saved -- by the skin of its teeth -- by co-stars , jane fonda and wanda sykes .",
        "full review in greek",
        "it 's nice to see jane fonda back on screen . one just wishes it were in a better picture .",
        "in this casting match-up , lopez is totally outclassed .",
        "for such a rich premise , kochoff produced a fairly lackluster script .",
        "for a revenge comedy to work , the villain should be so despicable that you relish those moments when the victim turns the tables and gets even . this flick is misleading because the title character is not really mean , but rather a sympathetic figure .",
        "in the american tradition of diva moms from hell .",
        "fonda is terrific playing the mess that is viola . her introduction tells you everything you need to know about her : after learning she has been fired she attacks a vacuous britney spears clone on air . it never reaches that kind of mean-spirited fun again .",
        "the catfight battle between fonda and lopez barely reaches a simmer before all is forgiven and the audience is dismissed from their seats .",
        "you 've got the makings of one royally uninspired comedy and utterly generic hollywood mess .",
        "gra\u00e7as a este filme , descobri um fato fascinante : um gar\u00e7om sempre ter\u00e1 impulsos incontrol\u00e1veis de servir as pessoas , mesmo quando for apenas um convidado em uma festa .",
        "any robust inertia quickly dissipates as the plot takes pointless , senseless twists so the two women can inflict themselves on each other .",
        "in the battle between j-lo and j-fo , the audience is the loser .",
        "red bull -lrb- c -rrb- is highly recomended - 'cause the laughs aint gon na keep you up for this rehashed hoopla ...",
        "there 's just so much tomfoolery between the two , it felt like i was watching a special divorc\u00e9e edition of viva la bam .",
        "while there are moments of hilarious nastiness , the film continually opts to play it safe .",
        "the film portrays women as jealous , manipulative bitches , while men are hapless boobs with no emotional intelligence .",
        "maybe 35 years from now jane fonda will apologize for this picture , too .",
        "tired comedy pits jennifer lopez and jane fonda against each other ... and the audiences loses .",
        "j. lo and fonda are booty and the beast ...",
        "monster-in-law is an outrageous , slapstick , over-the-top comedy that had me laughing throughout .",
        "this horribly unfunny comedy is downright embarrassing to everyone involved , especially fonda , who gives a screeching , one-note performance .",
        "yet another decently made but utterly forgettable comedy .",
        "fonda is in great shape , but she * is * slightly older than joan crawford was when mommie dearest co-starred with a thawed caveman in ` trog . ' at least crawford got top billing .",
        "do you , movie-viewing public promise to shell out nine bucks , laugh and tell your friends this is great ? the correct answer is i do n't .",
        "the movie promises us a catfight . instead it gives us mewling kittens .",
        "fonda 's performance seems so stiff - so strained - that novocaine immediately comes to mind .",
        "the redoubtable ms. fonda is the main attraction in monster-in-law , which generates just enough laughs to raise it a notch above serviceable .",
        "monster-in-law is first and foremost a triumphant comeback for fonda , whose acting chops complement a presence that puts most of today 's stars to shame .",
        "sykes is a perfect foil to fonda 's daffy socialite . that the two work together so well is a tribute to their respective skills and professionalism , especially screen newcomer sykes .",
        "to boost this movie 's rating to ` worth seeing ' would make me feel like a publicist or simply a dope .",
        "the comedy is shamelessly stupid and flagrantly vulgar by turns .",
        "monster-in-law , where bridezilla meets godzilla , is a comedy so anemic , so toxic , that even dracula would n't bite .",
        "if you 've ever wondered what jane fonda would look like while scaring off a bear , the ghastly monster-in-law is the movie for you .",
        "the intentionally over-the-top , at times cheerfully wicked , streak is greatly harmed by a cop-out conclusion that pushes the tone toward falsely uplifting mawkishness .",
        "a slapstick chick-flick that flirts with a real theme before degenerating into the tale of two women playing sadistic tricks on each other .",
        "jane fonda returns to the big screen in a comedy so one-dimensional and craven that it makes meet the parents look avant-garde .",
        "monster-in-law proves two things : jane fonda can still act and jennifer lopez still ca n't .",
        "the stakes seem so petty and the tactics so unimaginative that it has no more appeal than stale wedding cake .",
        "monster-in-law fails the gene siskel test : ` is this film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch ? '",
        "elaine stritch displays the real deal in in-law acid as viola 's late husband 's mother in the film 's last act",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while jane fonda steals the movie in her return to the screen , a tired script and flimsy performances make this borderline comedy fall flat .",
    "id": "10"
  },
  {
    "movie": "flow_for_love_of_water",
    "reviews":
     [
        "flow makes the case against the privatization of water , which is happening in gazillions of impoverished communities around the world , not to mention north american backyards .",
        "flow is the kind of terrifying , impending-apocalypse documentary none of us wants to watch but all of us probably should ; it is n't the most enjoyable experience you 'll have at the movies this year , but i would n't doubt if it 's one of the most eye-opening .",
        "this is a film that trickles instead of roars .",
        "when filmmaker irena salina does marshal the facts , flow is an eye-opening , troubling 90 minutes that makes us think twice about an element we take for granted .",
        "salina 's film is a very effective primer of an underreported problem . if nothing else , it made me thirsty .",
        "you 'll never want to buy a bottle of water again after seeing this essential documentary about the blatant theft being committed by companies like nestle that have helped make water the third biggest global industry behind electricity and oil .",
        "an enlightening documentary about the global war over water and the progress being made by activists against multinational corporations and their campaign of privatization .",
        "... astonishing in the amount of information packed into its lean ninety-three minute running time ... enthralling -lrb- and frightening ! -rrb- to listen to .",
        "i have already stopping buying a bottle a day to bring to the office .",
        "offers up a call-to-arms against bottled water conglomerates that , in its structural sloppiness , feels like a high school student 's tossed-off research paper .",
        "along with this sobering information , filmmaker irena salina 's docu includes a distinct note of optimism that should help the film flow smoothly through the festival pipeline before eventually settling on dvd .",
        "there are more than 116,000 manmade chemicals floating around our allegedly clean h2o supply . one scientist even points to the recent discovery of prozac in texas tap water -lrb- which , come to think of it , actually explains a lot about the lone star state . -rrb-",
        "go with the flow and you 'll discover not only that a billion of the world 's people are without fresh water but that even areas within the u.s. face scarcities .",
        "salina 's film might have been stronger had it not tried to cover so many water-related issues . but there 's no denying its power .",
        "one thing is for sure : after you watch flow , you 'll think about that next glass of water you drink or that next shower or bath you have and not take either of them for granted .",
        "touching on everything from the cost citizens of poor countries pay for water to corporate hoodwinking in the bottled-water business , flow makes you thirsty for more information",
        "grim but ultimately hopeful , flow makes a convincing , impassioned case that concerned citizens need to fight for the right to clean water just as assiduously as yauch and his beastie compatriots once demanded the right to party .",
        "the argument presented in ` flow ' is hardly one to disagree with , but the movie still falls into the self-defeating pattern of the genre as practiced now .",
        "this documentary finds a good balance between terrifying statistics , depressing images , talking heads , and hopeful suggestions .",
        "irena salina 's astonishingly wide-ranging film is less depressing than galvanizing , an informed and heartfelt examination of the tug of war between public health and private interests .",
        "`` flow '' critiques the commodification of water , which has resulted in increased global inequities .",
        "flow might be alarmist propaganda , but with an estimated 20 years left before california 's water supply is used up , it might be time to respond to the alarm .",
        "channeling soylent green , flow is fresh when it ties issues of supply , cost , quality , and extraction on 5 continents with the rise of giant water companies .",
        "your tap water might be making you sick . but your bottled water might be making you sicker , while also enabling the environmental rape of the american heartland and unconscionable extortion in the third world .",
        "the doomsday tone of the movie quickly becomes wearying , and after a certain point the information is simply repetitive , and thus loses much of its impact .",
        "all of salina 's interviews and data tell a graphic story about corporate water piracy , the complicity of governments , the burden put on the poor and the scam of bottled water . but she ca n't quite jam it all in and still have a film that , well , flows .",
        "it is required watching , because only concerted citizen action can stop the trend .",
        "as if we did n't have enough to worry about .",
        "yeah , we really do n't have enough to worry about these days . so why not grab a pellegrino and see `` flow , '' irena salina 's documentary about the end of the world 's water supply as we know it ?",
        "the inconvenient truth at the center of flow : for love of water is that while the oil crisis is intensely debated and documented , disasters involving an even more essential fluid go perilously unnoticed .",
        "it 's a plainly one-sided call to arms , but with good reason -- you may never look at your faucet without flinching again .",
        "-lrb- director -rrb- salina makes flow function as a wake-up call to those who take such issues as an international given .",
        "one of those charming little documentaries that make you question whether the human race is really worth preserving .",
        "not all documentaries are solution-oriented , but this is .",
        "the film is filled mostly with talking-head interviews and very one-sided reporting . so it 's lucky that these are subjects that are extremely topical right now , and are of interest as a result .",
        "educational polemical documentary .",
        "you may never buy bottled water again after this .",
        "before ending on a somewhat hopeful note of defiant activism , irena salina 's globe-hopping documentary is a terrifying downer .",
        "although meandering at times , flow is still a serviceable documentary spouting daunting informational facts and figures about the freshwater supply threats and the perilous consequences that inevitably follow .",
        "the documentary shows in no uncertain terms that if we continue to abuse our water supply , earth will become uninhabitable and humankind will become extinct .",
        "the film makes a convincing case for better oversight of public water systems , water conservation , better water treatment systems and better control of industrial pollution which contaminates water supplies .",
        "problems are addressed in a narrative progression that gets more horrendous and builds into utter despair , except for the final few words of activism and optimism .",
        "the overarching theme here is that the earth 's freshwater supply is being contaminated , sucked dry and ` privatized ' for the benefit of huge corporations that are establishing themselves as the heirs to the oil cartels ."],
    "summary": "flow is an informative , disturbing and enthralling film that highlights a criminally underreported problem .",
    "id": "770682499"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1009113-halloween",
    "reviews":
     [
        "responsible for jump-starting jamie lee curtis 's career , this one so thoroughly and thoughtfully exploited american angst that it 's no wonder we had to sit through a slew of derivative slasher flicks for the better part of the next decade .",
        "considered by many to be a modern horror classic , MOV succeeds through simplicity .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1978 -rrb- is a genuinely scary , stylistic and tasteful , extremely well-crafted slasher/horror classic from young film director john carpenter",
        "perfect entertainment for the night of october 31st in any year .",
        "flawless for what it is : a completely immersive , visceral dynamo of stylistic belly-jiggling and spine-shivering .",
        "MOV remains untouched -- a modern classic of the most horrific kind .",
        "one of the first and the flat-out best of that ghetto of the horror film genre , the slasher movie .",
        "it 's hard to get behind a main character who 's so unexciting . but maybe michael myers is the real main character . in which case , mission accomplished : i 'm freaked out .",
        "one of the scariest movies ever made .",
        "MOV is an absolutely merciless thriller , a movie so violent and scary that , yes , i would compare it to psycho .",
        "one of the best horror films ever made . john carpenter deserves a medal for his effective build-up of suspense , his knack for casting and his sensationally-scary michael myers !",
        "MOV brilliantly uses its widescreen frame , a lot of hand-held camerawork , and scary foreground and background action .",
        "perhaps not quite so resonant as psycho to which it pays due homage , but it breathes the same air .",
        "if donald pleasance tells you something is important , you should listen to him .",
        "john carpenter 's 1978 tour de force , perhaps the most widely imitated film of the 70s .",
        "... the kind of fright flick in which the plodding monster has his victim in his grasp and then inexplicably stabs the couch five feet to the right of her .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "... if there 's one john carpenter film which is a must-see , it 's MOV .",
        "made on a tiny budget of $ 300,000 , and shot in only 20 days , MOV is one of the most influential , imitated , and commercial indies in american film history .",
        "well worth another look on the big screen .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- simple but horribly effective low-budget suburban horror ...",
        "still relevant . still scary . make a date on MOV night to witness cinema 's scariest michael myers -lrb- unless you 've seen the love guru -rrb- causing carnage on the big screen .",
        "MOV still remains the greatest horror film of all time .",
        "sets the standard for slasher films and horror in general ...",
        "carpenter obviously knows the genre well and he builds a properly terrifying atmosphere through his well-paced direction . it 's an effective entry for its intended market .",
        "a seminal slasher that gets better with age .",
        "first michael myers slasher fest is n't for kids .",
        "if you 've only seen it on network television or it 's been more than a few years , do yourself a favour and rediscover this one soon .",
        "it 's boring . it 's not scary . there . i said it .",
        "the most significant triumph MOV achieves is measured by the bulk of films that follow and emulate it .",
        "one of the more successful indie forays into the slasher/horror film genre .",
        "it 's freaking scary . after a recent viewing , i was charged with going through the house and turning on all the lights .",
        "even after repeated viewings , carpenter 's minor masterpiece holds up as a staunchly effective thriller that will always stand head and shoulders above the cinematic progeny it spawned .",
        "regardless of how silly you think it all is , this will have you scared witless by the time the end credits roll ; low budget horror hog heaven .",
        "after a promising opening , MOV becomes just another maniac-on-the-loose suspenser .",
        "they should have broken the mold when they released MOV , for when it comes to escaped-maniacs-on-the-loose films this one 's the real deal .",
        "a real trick and treat . genuinely creepy stuff .",
        "arguably , the greatest horror film of the past thirty years .",
        "effective little thriller , but about as far from a great classic as you can get .",
        "virtually perfect . it is the one horror film that i would beg each and every lover of movies to watch , if i could pick only one .",
        "who could have predicted that the low-budget pic MOV would have a profound influence on an industry , not to mention on the concept of MOV itself ?",
        "to call MOV merely brilliant is n't giving it enough credit . as a horror film and as a historical milestone that single-handedly shaped and altered the future of an entire genre , it 's downright transcendent .",
        "... except for its shamelessly -lrb- and irresistibly -rrb- zingy music score -lrb- by the director -rrb- , MOV achieves its considerable power almost entirely through visual means .",
        "a modern horror classic .",
        "the film hits us at a level deeper than most slasher films , and even as we are entertained by it , we are drawn in by its powerful suspense and implications .",
        "the movie itself is repressed ; hitchcock would have admired the way carpenter artfully avoids explicit bloodshed .",
        "john carpenter and debra hill 's film is a genuine landmark in the horror-thriller genre .",
        "since there is precious little character or plot development to pass the time between stalking sequences , one tends to wish the killer would get on with it .",
        "very possibly no other seminal seventies film -- not the godfather , not star wars , perhaps not even jaws -- has had a greater influence on popular culture ."],
    "summary": "scary , suspenseful , and viscerally thrilling , MOV set the standard for modern horror films .",
    "id": "16363"
  },
  {
    "movie": "left_behind_the_movie",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it may have seemed plausible on paper , but left behind , the conspiracy-laden , christian-themed thriller that has sold five million copies in book form , just looks ludicrous on screen .",
        "so awful that even true believers will have difficulty staying awake .",
        "a classic case of preaching to the converted , this relentlessly boring movie is unlikely to appeal to anyone except hard-core fans of christian sci-fi .",
        "for all its intimations of fire and brimstone , the film is n't remotely frightening , and the high-school-level acting does n't help .",
        "a competently made film hampered by wooden performances and a script that has a few too many ` gee whiz ' moments of dialogue .",
        "one of the better efforts , up there with don murray 's the cross and the switchblade .",
        "while the book has its share of contrivances ... this 95 minute movie rushes over everything so quickly , that the plot holes look an awful lot bigger .",
        "nearly unendurable .",
        "unless you are well versed in that particular interpretation of the book of revelation , you 'll just be scratching your head .",
        "an exceedingly poorly made motion picture .",
        "the movie 's script , acting , and production values are not up to the standards of mainstream hollywood theatrical productions , but it is filmed with a lot of sincerity .",
        "a little hard to believe .",
        "despite minor flaws and a few details missed in the transition from novel to movie this is a movie with a powerful message that is not to be missed .",
        "behind weaves a satisfactorily compelling end-of-the-world drama .",
        "the only thing `` left behind '' made me want to do was pray that it would soon be over .",
        "turns biblical scripture into boneheaded action-adventure with only the slightest lip service paid to serious issues of faith .",
        "we 're asked to buy kirk cameron as a hardcore journalist covering an international crisis in the middle east ?",
        "a sloppy , disjointed job .",
        "as a film , it 's terrible .",
        "a christian fundamentalist film styled as a grade-b sci-fi action thriller .",
        "might be extremely effective while preaching to the converted , but it 's no great shakes as secular entertainment .",
        "neither as bad you might fear nor as good as you might hope .",
        "whatever the central message , the movie 's still a blundering cringefest , thanks to unintentionally laughable dialogue , hackneyed writing and uninspired direction .",
        "rest assured , left behind is n't a bad movie because it 's christian ; it 's a bad movie because it just is n't good .",
        "this picture 's b-movie values probably play better on video than in theaters .",
        "a weak proselytizing device masquerading as a movie .",
        "as a film , it 's a sorry mess of addled plotting that serves up byzantine paranoia about conspiracies lurking around the united nations .",
        "how you respond to it will depend mostly on whether you accept the idea of a rapture or think we 're approaching the ` end times , ' as some apocalyptic christians say .",
        "solid , unexceptional mix of thrills and human drama .",
        "left behind will leave many christians scratching their heads in bewilderment should they grow curious enough -- or bored enough -- to watch it .",
        "there are various absurd developments that will have most everyone chuckling , rolling their eyes or simply getting up and leaving after too many such occurrences .",
        "it 's pretty spooky but director vic sarin , screenwriter allan mcelroy are unable to sustain much suspense or credibility .",
        "the loosely scripted story is further burdened with clunky dialogue and performances , shoddy continuity , and , well , kirk cameron .",
        "the almost total absence of anything that actually looks like a narrative is one of left behind 's issues , but it 's not , honestly , one of the biggest .",
        "mix of apocalyptic book series and the bible .",
        "these folks get eternity in heaven , while i 'm stuck here watching the left behind trilogy . i 'm calling my rabbi .",
        "lame dialogue and acting is rescued by interesting plot and characters .",
        "atua\u0443\u0448es rid\u044cculas em um filme absurdo .",
        "whoa .",
        "the storytelling is heavy-handed , the plot convoluted , the direction inconsistent , the acting wooden and the effects cheesy .",
        "in the end , or maybe in the beginning , it wo n't merely be the unfaithful on the screen who will feel left behind .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "poor production values , slow pacing , and an implausible story makes left behind a movie only for the faithful .",
    "id": "10120"
  },
  {
    "movie": "upside_of_anger",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV is n't as good as any of its actors .",
        "a drama mined with comic moments , the movie 's got an oscar-worthy performance from three-time oscar nominee joan allen .",
        "while most of the movie has a welcome feel to it , the ending carries as much absurdity as anything in diary of a mad black woman .",
        "any disappointment i felt about elements of this movie was overshadowed by the fine performances of kevin costner and joan allen , especially the latter .",
        "allen and costner have the kind of genuine , unquestionable chemistry that ca n't be faked",
        "do yourself a favor and catch this fine film on the big screen .",
        "there 's no downside to the crackling costner/allen pairing , but binder spreads himself thin . he puts in play too many subplots about allen 's budding daughters .",
        "achieves a harmonious balance between truth and consequence .",
        "if you 're in the mood for a well told tale of dysfunction and discovery , seeing this simply does n't have a downside .",
        "the downside is the slow pace of the movie .",
        "a fiercely funny human comedy with jokes that sting and leave marks .",
        "is mike binder the new woody allen ?",
        "do n't go into the MOV expecting the usual convenient and happy hollywood solution to serious problems . that , to me , is the real upside .",
        "the movie was written and directed by mike binder , who has zero hits in his writing/directing career , and `` upside '' will keep that record intact .",
        "` the MOV ' demonstrates the downside of moviemaking .",
        "not a bad movie -- and worth seeing for costner 's and allen 's performances -- but i 'm inclined to think that ultimately its intentions are less than honest .",
        "too much of the MOV is informed by unquestioned social mores .",
        "binder ... has an astute ear for dysfunctional family dialect that enriches his complex story .",
        "joan allen has been saddled with so many repressed characters that it 's a pleasure getting to see her break free . she 's brash , she 's funny , and she lights up the screen .",
        "part romantic comedy , part melodrama , and all joan allen .",
        "admit it : you thought kevin costner 's best performances were miles behind him .",
        "allen and costner get to flirt and fool around and distract us from the rest of the movie . they 're doing it a favor .",
        "even if it is too slow and never as good as it should have been , iit does have undeniable pleasures , the chief among them is watching costner and allen do marvelous work .",
        "a few great moments wedged into a fairly bland film .",
        "the film has exhausted itself with fits of glib hysteria long before its truly stupefying final twist , a stunning betrayal of audience trust .",
        "brilliant ! i ca n't wait to see it again !",
        "costner and allen show you what it means not just to play a role but to inhabit it .",
        "an engrossing and well-acted psychodrama about the toxic side-effects of anger , a potent and volatile emotion .",
        "clearly inspired thematically by american beauty , but unable to reach its status or impact .",
        "costner 's funny and sincere in a role that winks at his many previous baseball movies . and joan allen brings home the kind of performance that wins awards .",
        "a terrific performance by joan allen as one who is angry for the wrong reasons .",
        "a poignant . bittersweet , exquisitely evocative movie that packs an emotional wallop . it 's richly touching without being sentimental .",
        "playing a drunken , bitter matriarch , joan allen gives such an astounding performance in the MOV that she elevates the film above its melodramatic trappings",
        "quite a bit of fun .",
        "the film is full of emotional truth , and it gives allen , at long last , the star vehicle she so richly deserves .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "entertainment for grownups , a la james l. brooks",
        "it 's a film without a sufficient spine .",
        "funny , funky , but ultimately phony ...",
        "i 'm not convinced there is an upside to anger , but the best thing about this film is that it gives two actors absolutely perfect roles .",
        "mike binder 's femme-dominated domestic drama hooks the viewer immediately , and is flecked with enough bitterly comic touches to make this an easy-to-digest variation of an angst-ridden tale .",
        "the actors tune in to their individual characters perfectly , but this is allen 's show .",
        "allen rages , fumes , cries , laughs , tosses back vodka and tosses off sharply pointed verbal and physical barbs at everyone around her . and what fun she is !",
        "a mature , informed piece of work that sticks in your head , your heart and your throat long after it 's over .",
        "finally -- a well-acted , well-written drama for grownups , about grownups , that even contains grownup romance .",
        "by treating his deeply flawed characters with equally deep warmth , binder manages to tell viewers not to let bitterness consume them without coming off like a hypocrite .",
        "ms. wood does her best with the material , as do allen and costner . it takes more than good acting to make a good movie , though . good writing helps , and there 's not enough of that here .",
        "the film is carried by costner and allen , who project a chemistry so incrementally built on reluctant camaraderie , they almost seem like siblings .",
        "an emotional reality check that is profound , laugh-out-loud funny , articulate and shattering .",
        "the upside of mike binder 's deeply flawed attempt to marry midlife romantic comedy with domestic farce is two nearly perfect performances by joan allen and kevin costner .",
        "offers a lot of smart dialogue and six nicely developed characters .",
        "the MOV is the upside of allen .",
        "a squarely suburban movie with a distinctly bourgeois-shaped window on the world , but it 's genuine and exceptionally well observed .",
        "a fresh , funny , pointed comedy",
        "the mixture of sitcom and soap opera that worked in ` terms of endearment ' feels stale here , especially since the final-reel revelation is more cheat than treat .",
        "the movies have n't rewarded allen 's formidable talent with a star turn that cuts her loose and unfurls her resources . until now .",
        "allen may be the stand-out , but the others do hold their own . she and costner have terrific chemistry , and each of the four actresses playing terry 's daughters are strong -lrb- in particular , wood continues to impress -rrb- .",
        "long , slow , boring , movie with a nonsensical plot promoting hollywood 's secular immorality ending with a foolish , sophomoric soliloquy that serves as a fitting epitaph .",
        "terry is , in short , a great role for any actress . and allen , who is n't just any actress , rips into it with the relish of a woman looking to reinvent her career .",
        "what the MOV gets right -- especially the work by allen and costner -- is more than enough reason to spend some time in the unhappy wolfmeyer household .",
        "i 'd suggest a better title would be the upside of alcoholism , '' but i really ca n't think of any upside to this film .",
        "binder 's film is an intriguing , funny and sad look at a family in crisis .",
        "hell hath no fury like joan allen scorned . we always knew she could act , but we never knew she could play a pissed off mother of four like a rabid pit bull with rouge .",
        "allen breathes fire into the role , turning what could have been a shrill character into a tower of raging rediscovery .",
        "features many good scenes that feel authentic , but is interspersed with awkward ` movie moments ' that do n't ring true .",
        "allen 's great performance eventually is neutered in obeisance to the false notion that fictional characters must go through a redemptive arc for their stories to be of value .",
        "writer/director mike binder ... deftly blends comedy and drama until the writer 's urge to add a heavy dose of irony at film 's end makes it veer off course",
        "allen is one of the most reliable american actresses , and her intelligence and wit raise the quality of a movie that often feels as if it belongs on the lifetime cable network .",
        "throughout her career , allen has often been the best thing in lesser pictures . how refreshing to see a movie rise to her capabilities .",
        "perhaps it 's a sign , then , of how starved we are for movies with grown-up characters doing grown-up things that it 's easy to ignore the downside of upside and give the film a pass . allen and costner should find another movie to make together .",
        "a wonderful , sophisticated romantic comedy about the resilience of love in the face of competing emotions .",
        "this is no terms of endearment .",
        "not even allen , however , can save the film from its own excesses .",
        "a valiantly flawed effort boosted by noteworthy star turns that make the two-hour running time a rewarding filmgoing experience .",
        "a pleasant surprise , a sprightly comedy with a dramatic aftertaste .",
        "binder has created a middle-aged female protagonist of rare depth and complexity , a jilted wife played by the great joan allen with screen-grabbing gusto .",
        "writer/director mike binder and his ensemble cast , headed by actress joan allen , prove that even the hoariest of set-ups can still produce excellent drama , providing the writing is sharp and the acting superior .",
        "there are a few loose subplots in mike binder 's film , but that only adds to the sense of its real-life charm . you 'll be upset if you miss it .",
        "endeavors to airmail the middle-aged suburban angst made fashionable by american beauty safely back to cynicism-free sitcom territory .",
        "high-caliber drama-comedy about an abandoned wife makes joan allen an early front-runner for 2005 's best actress .",
        "superb",
        "the MOV feels like it could have used some judicious re-writes to streamline the story to fit the just-under-120 minute run time",
        "its comedy is refreshingly black and its farcical edge sharp .",
        "costner takes over a jack nicholson part and perfectly engages us . not every middle-aged star needs tarantino to have a career resurrected .",
        "uptight joan allen gets drunk and goes ballistic in this flawed , deeply satisfying picture , offering kevin costner a chance to re-discover his off-kilter comic timing .",
        "-lsb- f -rsb- inds acrid humor in the blackness of unrelenting fury while never letting its characters be less than fully human ...",
        "a superior suburban chick flick .",
        "showy and door-slamming but very watchable .",
        "this is well worth investigating .",
        "entertaining but flawed look behind suburbia 's twitching curtains .",
        "self-pitying and saccharine , this big whining ball of dross drags itself across the screen for two interminable hours , climaxing in a twist ending that comes with neon road signs attached .",
        "hilarious , moving and intoxicating .",
        "the final twist is misjudged , and it does n't cohere at any level ; but some funny moments .",
        "a grandstanding performance from joan allen is the main attraction in this suburban dramacom .",
        "compelling and honest with flashes of dark humour which makes this a meaty comedy drama .",
        "while beautifully cast and acted , this focuses on its comic strengths to the detriment of the drama , creating an unbalanced tone and leading to self-conscious attempts at serious observation . a pleasant watch , but nowhere near as profound as it thinks it",
        "binder 's writing is matched by the top-notch talents on display here .",
        "no actress has neck muscles like joan allen - able to gracefully reach upward or , here , stiffly twist into a double helix of tension and anxiety . it 's not simply witty repartee and good chemistry . it 's about comfortable situations that ca n't really last .",
        "the screwiness feels patterned and arbitrary . there 's little upside here .",
        "upside is better-than-average as a mid-budget suburban film dramedy but positively gangbusters if you imagine it as a two-hour television pilot .",
        "not half bad , though only half good .",
        "always more than a mere by-numbers domestic drama , the MOV is desperately , darkly funny , with dialogue to , er , die for , and a perfect cast .",
        "the MOV is a sharply written , insightful and enjoyable film with many layers .",
        "writer/director/actor mike binder -lrb- writer on hbo 's `` the mind of the married man '' -rrb- is to blame for this melodramatic game of three card monte .",
        "if you 've doubted kevin costner or joan allen over the last few years , this is a terrific chance to see them both firing on all cylinders .",
        "a smart , funny , yet , at the same time , unrelenting look at what happens when a midlife slump collides with a midlife crisis .",
        "very watchable .",
        "engaging , brilliantly directed , frequently funny and ultimately moving drama with a terrific script and superb performances from allen and costner .",
        "despite the xeroxed plot and a horribly misguided ending ... nearly redeemed by a cast that wrings out every last bit of potential from the formula .",
        "this is a movie that rests on its two leads . allen and costner play their parts like injured predators licking each other 's wounds . they are magnificent , and they are healing .",
        "women may appreciate this movie more , but even i can see the upside .",
        "it feels like a bloated lifetime tv movie .",
        "writer/director mike binder scripts sarcastic humor and dialogue that just avoids being glib , thanks in part to a pair of rich performances .",
        "a better than average dip into the family well .",
        "if only binder had trusted the MOV as a showcase for two performances by aging actors apparently comfortable about getting older .",
        "a funny comedy for adults .",
        "standard-issue .",
        "... hits that specific note of comic melancholy that best captures real life .",
        "it is a true joy to see a wonderful actress get such a juicy role to sink her teeth into . if only it happened more often .",
        "can only be described as american beauty lite -lrb- and carb free ! -rrb- .",
        "a sharply funny , piercing examination of righteous indignation .",
        "the story develops with a mind of its own , free from convention and formula , and packs a heck of a twist at the end that does what a twist should do .",
        "a `` grown-ups '' sort of comedy , and one that delivers strangely satisfying laughs while always putting character above all else .",
        "both costner 's character and performance merit comparison to jack nicholson 's oscar-winning portrayal of a gone-to-seed astronaut in terms of endearment .",
        "unfortunately , outstanding performances by allen and costner are n't given much of a viable dramatic context .",
        "fulle review in greek",
        "allen 's imperious turn and costner 's affable charm go a long way to ensuring you 'll look back on anger with affection .",
        "costner shines as the persecuted suitor who tries his best not to mind when being nagged and belittled by his regally shrewish object of desire , up to a point .",
        "these people take awkward chances and affectionate pot shots , and they put their feet in their mouths in uncomfortable moments of heightened emotion , all with smart , sharp but entirely natural dialogue .",
        "binder wrote this movie for joan allen , and it is her flinty performance that gives the undertaking what claim it has to success .",
        "especially strong performances and a dynamic script make this suburban drama both engaging and entertaining , as writer-director-costar binder adeptly combines comedy and emotion .",
        "l , yet the movie 's there 's spiky humour and ample breathing room for the material , yet the movie 's rather too intent on parading its own wisdom .",
        "i liked these characters precisely because they were not designed to be likable -- or , more precisely , because they were likable in spite of being exasperating , unorganized , self-destructive and impervious to good advice .",
        "that anger is explored only superficially and most of the women seem merely to be ornamentation , defined by their problems .",
        "allen gets to the heart of the movie 's humor without ever winking .",
        "it stands as a strong piece of comic filmmaking , elevated by allen 's acid-laced performance and costner 's shambling charm .",
        "there 's little upside here .",
        "this vehicle was designed with allen in the driver 's seat and she roars with it , giving a performance as hilarious as often as it is bitter and tragic .",
        "binder is too facile an observer to get anywhere near the complexities of a house full of women -- instead , terry is a prickly goddess , and the daughters are an assortment of muses .",
        "unfortunately , despite predictably fine performances all around , the overall effect of the film is hampered by poor directorial execution and an act-three plot twist that defies plausibility .",
        "intriguing for most of the way , only to be undermined by a late revelation that confuses its thesis beyond repair .",
        "-lsb- binder 's -rsb- film is a raging morass of misogyny , a self-congratulatory exercise in mental masturbation .",
        "it feels like a retread of several better movies , with a nastier , more bitter edge .",
        "what 's best about upside is its gonzo-sitcom craziness , a situation that lends itself to enjoyable performances .",
        "-lsb- allen and costner -rsb- deliver pitch-perfect performances that lift the MOV several notches above the sometimes schematic script and direction .",
        "binder creates a familiar , complex , realistic , deeply human dynamic between his characters , and provides each actor rich layers of feeling and humor with which to create them .",
        "the movie offers smug observation posing as insight and judgment posing as sympathy .",
        "the upside of this movie are the performances - it 's worth a look .",
        "joan allen steals this poignant and sometimes funny film .",
        "the upside here is the brilliant work of joan allen and kevin costner . yes , that kevin costner .",
        "few movies these days aim at adults , or even above the waist , so this film is to be treasured .",
        "... generates enough moments to be recommended to anyone looking for a engaging , adult drama with a little alcohol mixed in for fun .",
        "allen 's desperate housewife makes this trip into suburbia worthwhile .",
        "a sharp , funny comedy-drama that provides a spectacular showcase , perhaps even a signature role , for allen .",
        "-lsb- l -rsb- ike leaving las vegas , the MOV provides a galvanizing turn for its star -- a daring alloy of pungent misery and jaw-dropping antics .",
        "allen makes the most of her role -- the tiny scene where she walks in on two certain people in bed with one another is a wondrously sharp statement of total acting commitment .",
        "even though binder 's characters are all gems , the filmmaker needs to further hone his storytelling craft .",
        "costner delivers a subtle , engaging performance that 's completely different from anything he 's done before and might just mark the beginning of a new phase in his career .",
        "kevin costner -lsb- as denny davies -rsb- is a joy to watch .",
        "contrary to my expectations , kevin costner is growing old gracefully .",
        "though it 's easy to poke fun at costner , here is a movie that , for the first time in a long time , allows him to display his goofy affability .",
        "a maior ironia \u00e9 constatar que , apesar do filme se propor a mergulhar no universo feminino , a figura mais carism\u00e1tica do filme \u00e9 o ex-jogador vivido por costner .",
        "perfectly adult , perfectly acted and perfectly adorable , it surprises and charms for most of those 90 minutes .",
        "despite denny 's sturdy support , the MOV belongs to terry .",
        "this is one of those films with a math problem , where the sum of its parts do not add up . but what parts !",
        "meant to explore anger , all this picture does is manufacture it .",
        "though this is not the type of serious film likely to win many awards , allen gives one of her best performances .",
        "the characters are actually believable , and the messes they get into approximate real life .",
        "this rich , supple , truly felt movie is a big leap for binder , and while he clearly studied the sitcom manual for timing and structure , the film rises like a bubble above soap opera .",
        "shelton ... understands both genders and can write for them .",
        "one seriously enjoyable film , filled with laughs and recognizable situations and people you might know or like to know .",
        "allen , who is without doubt one of the best actors of her era , gets to go places she has never before gone , while costner gets to remind us exactly what it was we were drawn to in bull durham ."],
    "summary": "a comedy / drama for grown-ups , with fine performances by joan allen and kevin costner .",
    "id": "12925"
  },
  {
    "movie": "shaun_of_the_dead",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the most entertaining horror movie set in the british isles since an american werewolf in london .",
        "it not only functions as a parody of the genre , it works as a straight-up entry , and ends up being a loving homage .",
        "ridiculous and heartfelt , it 's both the funniest zombie movie and the scariest romantic comedy you 're likely to ever see .",
        "it 's dude , where 's my car ? meets 28 days later ... perhaps dude , where 's my zombie ? would be more appropriate .",
        "like all self-respecting zombie flicks , the oft-funny MOV deals as much with wicked social commentary as it does with gruesome murder and maniacal mayhem .",
        "british-import `` rom-zom-com '' has a little undead life to it , but it 's definitely a zombie-come-lately .",
        "spiced with a healthy supply of jokes and enough gross-out gags to keep youthful audiences gagging happily .",
        "it 's frequently laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly scary .",
        "finally , a great zombie movie ! disguised as a romantic comedy !",
        "` MOV ' is that rarest of birds-a film that not only lives up to its considerable hype , it actually exceeds it .",
        "i think the movie is one of the most hilarious i 've ever seen ... but the symbolism and depth of the movie make me appreciate it as a masterpiece .",
        "if the zombie genre steadfastly refuses to die , we can be grateful to MOV for breathing fresh , diverting life into the form , with subtle visual humor and a smart , impish sense of fun .",
        "comedy and horror are real life partners , of course , and who better to bring all this to life in a zombie movie than the brits ?",
        "a modern masterpiece , this is probably altogether the funniest and scariest film i 've seen in years ...",
        "MOV is not only one of the single best zombie movies ever made , but it 's also as close to perfect as a film can get .",
        "pedestrian direction and script sap what anarchic fun this movie could 've been",
        "some funny moments , but for adults only .",
        "like romero 's best efforts , the movie is motored by a keen observational reality , cleverly twisting the characters ' mundane world inch by inch until the real nightmare dawns on them .",
        "highly recommended .",
        "... not only a loving , teasing homage to the romero dead films . it 's also a superb zombie film in its own right ...",
        "in this most apocalyptic of genres , MOV is not unlike a ray of unexpected sunshine - even if it has a little red on it .",
        "for everyone who likes good acting and great writing , it 's a bloody fun time and a wonderful display of how parody should be done .",
        "some scenes are too talky , too much like a sitcom , but whenever that threatens to sink the film , the zombies appear and save the day -lrb- if you see what i mean -rrb- .",
        "despite the emphasis on humour , shaun shows its zombie movie credentials with some impressively gory special effects makeup and a willingness to despatch cast members in an exceptionally gruesome fashion .",
        "it may only be april , but what we have here is pretty likely to be the british comedy of the year , its knockout final punchline planting a silly grin on your face that takes some while to fade .",
        "the pasty , scruffy pegg shows a surprising amount of range for the unlikely hero of a zombie flick .",
        "mixing horror and humor is no mean feat , but MOV tightens throats in fear without making the laughs stick there in the process .",
        "pegg , who cowrote shaun with director edgar wright , shows off expert timing , whacking punchlines and zombies with equal panache .",
        "if you like pegg and director edgar wright 's cult channel 4 series spaced , you 'll enjoy this deadpan blend of undergraduate humour and hardcore horror , which ransacks george a romero 's dead saga and virtually every italian zombie flick for inspiration .",
        "do n't be surprised if this clever entry finds favor with a crossover crowd that could n't care less about a guilty-pleasure genre but appreciates the cheeky humor on display here .",
        "pegg and wright brilliantly send up both the zombie genre and british society by showing how mindless everyday life is -- there are zombies all around us !",
        "enough of a pointed study of character that it 's more than just a collection of some of the best and most ridiculous jokes in a generation .",
        "the movie bogs down and the humor seems to dry up , though the blood continues to well , spurt and spew .",
        "it may want to be , as the british might say , a bloody riot , but in fact it seems to suffer from a case of comedic anemia .",
        "those witty brits . they may have lost the overseas colony that became the u.s. of a. , but they sure know how to spice up a zombie flick with bloody humor .",
        "finally , a good zombie movie with some decent fart jokes .",
        "a side-splitting , head-smashing , gloriously gory horror comedy .",
        "is n't the sure-fire smash cult flick its advance buzz suggested , but in its own way , it may be a first - a ` cute ' zombie flick which employs subtlety in its humor",
        "it 's being billed as a zombie romantic comedy , but it 's not rotting hill - it 's definitely a zombie adventure movie first . and it 's a hoot and a half !",
        "a diverting little horror romp worth catching .",
        "not only the best zombie film since romero 's earlier work , but also one of the funniest comedies in a long time .",
        "good-natured enough to recommend it to fans of the genre .",
        "bill nighy adds a spark as the detested stepdad , the ghoul make-up is george romero-worthy , and the final zinger makes it all worthwhile .",
        "this is that rare , lucky film that gets to have its brains and eat them , too .",
        "the best male bonding film since last orders and the best romantic comedy since love actually . oh , and it 's a great zombie flick , too .",
        "we faithful of the church of blood and ultra-gore have been waiting a long , long time for a movie like MOV , at the very least since 1993 .",
        "... -lsb- a -rsb- devilishly dandy flesh-eating farce ... uniquely hilarious and horrifying ... shaun and his cannibalistic cohorts will truly get under your skin .",
        "if you like your romance with a few entrails on the side , this was made for you ! more emotion and more laughs than you get from most horror movies - best use of zombies ever .",
        "what a sheer delight that we now have a romantic comedy that puts false hope where it belongs : in the face of the annihilation of the entire human race .",
        "this is played for laughs , but director edgar wright also builds up suspense and dread better than a lot of straight horror flicks",
        "the cast make a cosy fit , the patter is still sitcom snappy , but wright also has the visual snap to carry this saga of backyard apocalypse .",
        "even when in danger of self-destructing , it cadges laughs with smart lines , silly observations or blokish inside jokes about zombie movies , video games and pub nibbles .",
        "a romantic zombie comedy that tips its hat to george romero and mines one very funny spoof that does n't ignore the rules of the zombie horror genre -- though it does tamper with them .",
        "shaun is able to balance the comedy and the gore in a way that will satisfy both zombie genre fans and less bloodthirsty viewers .",
        "co-written by director edgar wright and star simon pegg , this gory zombie satire is filled to the brim with charming english wit .",
        "writer-director edgar wright and co-writer and star simon pegg have terrific fun riffing on zombie lore .",
        "the office meets annie hall meets night of the living dead .",
        "silly drop-dead sight gags that do n't seem to work as well as intended but , nevertheless , offer some humor .",
        "a bizarre mix of genuine romance , flagrant gore , riotous comedy , and somber drama , opens this weekend as one of the most startlingly successful and odd movies all year",
        "the fact that MOV , a cross between 28 days later and wayne 's world , succeeds at all is probably the result of a special alchemy accessible only by its co-writers , simon pegg and edgar wright -lrb- who also directed -rrb- .",
        "cheeky and unexpectedly charming .",
        "it 's intelligent , funny and utterly disgusting all at once .",
        "it 's a grisly but sweet ode to friendship , love and the george romero zombie trilogy .",
        "a zombie movie with a heart and a funny bone - as well as a good many other internal organs .",
        "... so endlessly clever and bloody hilarious -lrb- make that bloody and hilarious -rrb- ... that it sets a frighteningly high bar for any zombie flicks that lie in its wake .",
        "a british zombie flick that works not because of the crowds of undead , but because the guy trying to exterminate them was himself running out of reasons to live .",
        "has its pleasures , which are mild but real .",
        "never has the ` silent-but-deadly ' -lsb- or sbd -rsb- been used with such care .",
        "right from the clever title ... your expectations are up for something different . you wo n't be disappointed .",
        "idiosyncratic and strangely sweet .",
        "co-scripters pegg and wright structure it as a classic three-acter -lrb- set-up , journey , finale -rrb- with enough twists , character development and small set pieces to keep the comedy boiling .",
        "plays brilliantly with our familiarity with zombie genre -lrb- yes , i actually said that -rrb- convention .",
        "both genuinely funny and authentically horrifying , it puts the average horror comedy to shame .",
        "the film offers homage to zombie films with a pythonesque lilt .",
        "wonderfully original , fast-moving and funny .",
        "george romero 's zombie trilogy has generated an endless parade of remakes and rip-offs , but this clever british spoof comes closer than many to the bitter satire that makes his movies so distinctive .",
        "MOV offers a welcome riff on a well-worn horror standard .",
        "it 's a knowing look at a perennial pop-movie genre and an ingenious variation on the romantic-comedy theme featuring an appealing and talented cast .",
        "` MOV ' has that most vital ingredient of any good zombie film , an underlying layer of social commentary that gives the script a brain .",
        "the main problem is that shaun feels like a high-budget , season-ending , extended-length tv episode . once the situation itself is milked for laughs , the film falls flat .",
        "nightmarish for all the right reasons .",
        "works hard to find a delicate balancing act between generating tension and humorously subverting it , often in the blink of an eye",
        "MOV is quite simply a film you should not miss . a deserved hit in the uk , this hopefully marks a return to form for british cinema .",
        "a well executed one-joke movie . but , even it 's a good joke , it 's only one joke .",
        "... who better to trust with your life than someone you would n't trust with anything else ?",
        "a terrific horror movie send-up ... even filmgoers who normally shy away from shockers will probably have a good time ...",
        "a singularity among the clones it so deftly and ingeniously parodies .",
        "a more complex film with a lot more plot and character depth than you would expect of a lowly horror genre film .",
        "for a comedy , the material is awfully bloody . but it 's good , silly fun nonetheless .",
        "delightfully silly , slathered with gore and yes , even touching at times , MOV should at the very least highlight wright and pegg as the british comedic force to watch for the future .",
        "the film has gruesome effects that wo n't disappoint zombie lovers .",
        "it 's exuberantly , consistently funny .",
        "zombies or no zombies , this is the funniest film of the year .",
        "` a raging success at pretty much everything it does . '",
        "gleefully funny -- and gruesomely gory .",
        "a wonderfully funny spoof of zombie movies ... and of the kind of life that can turn a man into the walking dead .",
        "transforms the unintentional camp of the zombie subgenre into full-on , hilarious comedy .",
        "enough originality , clever set-ups and witty humor to keep anyone entertained .",
        "a very loving , intelligent addition to the zombie genre .",
        "a drop-dead-funny comedy .",
        "the movie 's great joke never wears out its welcome : many of the living are virtually indistinguishable from the undead .",
        "desperate , dull and enough to have romero 's zombies spinning in their graves . well , more than usual , anyway .",
        "what separates MOV from the likes of scary movie and makes it twice as effective is the fact that it never resorts to cheap parody .",
        "one of the best romantic zombie comedies ever !",
        "a clever spoof film that 's actually well-written , witty , dynamically shot and edited , thankfully lacking the mentality of expelled phlegm .",
        "there are certainly touches that only the homegrown crowd will get , but there 's sufficient energy and scattershot horror movie references that it should please fans of gross-out humor everywhere .",
        "it is , in terms of pacing , comic references and home furnishings , an undeniably british production , and hugely enjoyable for it .",
        "the amusing but inconsistent MOV is a marriage made in hell .",
        "not only is MOV one of the funniest movies you 'll see all year , but , as the ads helpfully point out , it 's also a terrific romantic comedy ... with zombies .",
        "intelligently wicked and bloodily appealing in an agile sort of way .",
        "MOV will appeal to audiences of all ages and tastes , and is a fine example of british comedy done well .",
        "it works best when it treats -lsb- the zombies -rsb- more as an impediment to be overcome by the sheer britishness of the characters .",
        "it 's a comedy . it 's a horror film . it 's a head-crackin ' good time .",
        "it 's a funny take on zombie movies that 's also an enjoyable social commentary .",
        "it 's like the office except with flesh-eating zombies .",
        "if ever a movie screamed `` wait for the video '' this is it !",
        "surprisingly endearing ...",
        "MOV is either a zombie flick masking as a comedy , or a comedy masking as a zombie flick , or beautiful girls masking as a zombie comedy .",
        "the zombie-movie genre already has some wink-wink funny entries , but this u.k. smash hit , written by pegg and wright , takes the prize . it 's a bloody hoot .",
        "it 's more enjoyable than most zombie movies or romantic comedies are in their own rights .",
        "the most original comedy from either side of the pond in years .",
        "a cool , savvy zombie romance , replete with witty , dryly sarcastic dialogue under fire .",
        "rife with finely observed lunacy as our dim-witted hero attempts to save the day armed with little more than a cricket bat and ... the body language of an agitated gerbil",
        "a smart , cultish , semi-disgusting homage to the fine british art of not bothering .",
        "impeccable performances ... crack timing ... horror plaudits aside , MOV is out in front as the funniest comedy of the year .",
        "taken on its own shaky legs it 's a wittier genre coda than abbott and costello meet frankenstein .",
        "this is a zombie movie with brains . or , as the zombies themselves would put it , with braainnnnssss .",
        "MOV is by far one of the most entertaining horror movies -lrb- and comedies ! -rrb- i 've seen all year !",
        "though i prefer the hard-core zombie scares of danny boyle 's 28 days later , pegg and wright -- who are rumored to resemble a real-life shaun and ed -- keep the blood and the laughs gushing .",
        "MOV 's splattering of scatological jokes and goofy gruesomeness never fully congeals .",
        "one of the funniest movies of the year !",
        "MOV is an unexpected double joy : an unmissable english movie about the undead which is far from braindead and , simultaneously , a beautifully observed , very funny comedy .",
        "witty , energetic and appropriately self-mocking , cheesy fun .",
        "enjoys the weird distinction of being one of the year 's funniest comedies and one of the best zombie movies ever made .",
        "british comedy that is actually funny . not only that , but it 's clever , funny , anarchic , funny and refreshing . and it 's funny too .",
        "much of the film is very funny as it explores the eccentricities and daily routines of these londoners .",
        "it 's a dead man 's party driven by inspired sight gags , witty repartee and likable , dare we say , cuddly characters .",
        "... the best comedy and the best horror movie of the first nine months of 2004 .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- the inevitable switch to romance taints the irony that came before like backwash .",
        "watching this slacker store clerk turn into a master zombie hunter to win the woman he loves is a refreshing way to approach the genre .",
        "the whole outlandish situation is treated with typical english stoicism , leading to some wonderfully funny moments .",
        "successfully blends comedy , horror , suspense , a killer soundtrack , and social commentary into ninety-nine minutes of cinematic sweetness .",
        "the success has much to do with director edgar wright , who co-wrote the film with comic pegg , but pegg is who brings the film to life -- along with nick frost as ed , the dimmest best friend a guy can have .",
        "for those who do n't mind a little laughter with their zombies -lrb- or perhaps it should be the other way around -rrb- , this is an unusual source of entertainment .",
        "proves that uplifting romance does n't have to take a back-seat to gory disembowelments but rather they can happily co-exist .",
        "the film is brilliantly subversive and funny with great reactions from pegg and frost as they portray the two most idiotic zombie fighters ever seen on film .",
        "the biggest surprise -lrb- and asset -rrb- here is pegg , who imbues the slightly daft shaun with a good nature and bigger heart , providing the film with a central figure you actually care about .",
        "MOV is good , goofy fun , but given the attendant hype ... there may be a danger of excessively high expectations from horror fans .",
        "pegg e frost formam uma dupla c\u00f4mica brilhante e o roteiro oferece in\u00fameras piadas que , apesar de n\u0103o exatamente brilhantes , s\u0103o inspiradas o bastante para provocar o riso .",
        "... a film in which all the sad compromises of adulthood are symbolized by a pressing need to lop off your undead neighbor 's rotting head with a cricket bat . nicely done .",
        "a film geek 's dream come true ... shaun is a delightful romp through bloody entrails and pints of beer .",
        "a traditional zombie film introduced as a romantic-comedy and infected with a sly british-cum - `` the simpsons '' intelligence and sensibility .",
        "laudable inventiveness and satirical daggers that stick it to the aimless , video game addicted slacker generation .",
        "a guaranteed gut-buster for anyone even vaguely familiar with the fundamentals of zombiedom .",
        "a fun outing that somehow never really quite takes off ...",
        "a tale of terror set in leafy london suburbs , MOV is not only the funniest zombie movie for years but also , without a doubt , the best .",
        "the scares are played with efficiency and sincerity , eliciting laughs because of how far director edgar wright is willing to take them .",
        "-lsb- who -rsb- said you could n't have a zombie romantic comedy ? why ca n't the male lead express his undying devotion for his ladylove by bashing dead people in the head ... ?",
        "for the satirically inclined , many chuckles are found in the run-up to the survivors ' late-in-the-film , unfunny desperation .",
        "this film is like a crossbreeding of george romero and mike leigh . this satire laughs at the tropes of the zombie movie , but even more at the foibles of english life today .",
        "MOV aims for the head and the funny bone , and scores a major hit with both .",
        "ineffective as satire , comedy , and horror .",
        "a colorful british genre mash-up that crossbreeds the zombified existence of late twentysomething interpersonal ennui with a literal attack of the undead .",
        "au-del\u0155 de la qualit\u00e9 de jeu des acteurs et des textes , les nombreuses r\u00e9f\u00e9rences et les divers hommages pr\u00e9sents dans le film en font un incontournable .",
        "by going over the top on horror and below the belt on humor , this clever british import hits an uproarious cinematic chord .",
        "the comedy quotient makes this more accessible to general audiences than most movies centering on the undead .",
        "shaun 's dry wit , and humor is why it succeeds where most zombie film 's fail . it 's the funniest movie of the year .",
        "the filmmakers , clearly fans of the genre , have got the zom and the com parts down cold .",
        "makes the best use of zombies since michael jackson 's ` thriller ' video .",
        "there is gore aplenty for those who like to look at it , and a bounty of winking jokes for those who would prefer to laugh at it .",
        "screamingly funny .",
        "members of the cast , most of whom hail from british tv sitcoms , have crackerjack comedic timing , and their characters have been written so well you 'd watch them with or without zombies .",
        "its secret is the same one that keeps us interested in the better examples of the movies it pillories : the writers , director and actors make us care about shaun and his friends .",
        "sure , there are rotting , gory corpses in MOV , but they are the wittiest rotting , gory corpses you 'll ever see .",
        "an exuberant , fresh and funny romantic comedy that just kind of happens to feature the living dead .",
        "... at once a splatterfest and a satiric generational statement .",
        "playing the stereotypical twentysomething everyman , pegg has a disarming fragility that evokes a bit of empathy from anyone ever stuck in a rut .",
        "who knew pint-glass realism and splatter satire could make for such frighteningly smart fun ?",
        "MOV is n't as funny as it 's purporting to be .",
        "... the second half of the film is just a standard horror movie showdown with a few mildly amusing gags .",
        "un classique du film d'horreur moderne .",
        "at last a zombie film hits the big screen with humor and romance .",
        "a fun and exuberant tribute to our favorite zombie movies , and one that deserves to be ranked alongside of them on its own merits .",
        "shows not only respect for the zombie genre but respect for the audience ...",
        "MOV stands up as a horror movie as well as a comedy .",
        "there 's nothing like the end of civilization as we know it to rouse a rudderless slacker into action .",
        "as a zombie flick , shaun is more entertaining than most , with chills , a certain quota of the usual gnawed entrails , and a band of survivors fighting off wave after wave of assault from the undead .",
        "amid all the blood and gore -- and laughs -- shaun also has something to say .",
        "zombie movies have been spoofed before , but this one lurches to the top of the list on the strength of its twisted british wit and oh-so-clever mix of laughs and horror .",
        "i love george romero 's zombie pictures , and i love deadpan english humor , but i had no idea that the two would mesh as happily as they -lrb- mostly -rrb- do in MOV .",
        "extremely well made but only sporadically engaging ...",
        "there 's something delicious about seeing a bunch of post-thatcher north londoners slowly learn to distinguish between their customarily low-yield environment and an epidemic of grave-defying cannibalism .",
        "with the exception of romero 's trilogy -- the godfather of zombie movies -- this is the best zombie movie ever made .",
        "you 're aware the filmmakers have paid attention over the years and even if you have n't , MOV is still a bloody blast .",
        "while there are laughs and inspired moments , the comedic aspect almost disappears at the height of the movie , in favour of the goriest events i can remember in recent cinema .",
        "casting bill nighy as a zombie -- or more accurately , a zombie to be -- may not be precisely innovative , but it 's clever and wholly enjoyable .",
        "by treating the genre as a joke , this satire , whose title plays off george a. romero 's 1979 golden oldie , dawn of the dead , yields ironic dramatic dividends .",
        "arguably the most intelligent , hilarious sendup of the horror genre seen in decades .",
        "this movie is destined for cult greatness . see it now and you can say -- honestly , for once -- that you were there in the beginning .",
        "dr. strangelove , evil dead 2 , MOV"],
    "summary": "MOV cleverly balances scares and witty satire , making for a bloody good zombie movie with loads of wit .",
    "id": "12873"
  },
  {
    "movie": "you_will_meet_a_tall_dark_stranger",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is a very minor entry in the writer-director 's prodigious canon , despite the major-league cast .",
        "there are enough pleasantries and good jests in this new film to make a meal .",
        "it wo n't be a very enchanted evening at MOV .",
        "minor but still quite enjoyable .",
        "for the most part , everyone struggles through , with at best mixed success . the audience included .",
        "if one can suspend their inherent sense of familiarity about the current proceedings , they will discover a typically well-written , wryly-humorous and decidedly spiritual -lrb- though not religious -rrb- take on timeless themes .",
        "a lively and funny ensemble comedy with yet another intriguing mix of stars and lesser-known talents playing deeply flawed human beings in search of love and fulfillment .",
        "this kinder , gentler allen is still clever , still amusing , and the film itself is a confection tempting enough to consider a taste . yet there is that empty-calorie letdown after it 's over . maybe it 's time to book another trip to spain .",
        "allen refers to `` a tale told by an idiot , full of sound and fury , signifying nothing . '' that 's a pretty high-toned way to limit his liability for the lackluster quality of this very slight entry in the canon ...",
        "this love letter to the reaper and his unknowable timetable is a bracing addition to an erratic , yet indispensable oeuvre .",
        "allen 's mixed experiences with london stand in sharp contrast with his love affair with the french capital -lrb- the setting for last year 's return to form , midnight in paris -rrb- .",
        "like a second hand clothes shop , it is comfortable rather than exciting , predictable rather than refreshing , even though it boasts a great cast who believe in their master , woody allen",
        "it may not be allen 's best work , but this flutter and change of hearts is easy to watch and enjoy as wishes and dreams play their tug of war",
        "the cast is the main draw here , but it 's also the movie 's biggest problem . hopkins and jones are excellent , and a greater focus on that couple might well have resulted in a much better film .",
        "i 'm fighting the urge to just cut-and-paste from my older reviews of allen 's late-career output , as that seems to be how he writes his screenplays these days .",
        "woody at his weakest .",
        "it 's one of allen 's lesser films yet , as is so often the case with his b-material , it still features terrific performances ... and a cluster of truth-nailing scenes that are better than what you typically find in major releases .",
        "MOV is the amnesiac relative of allen 's body of work . it 's wearing the fleshy mask of all that you love ; but conducts itself with an abrasive and frightened detachment .",
        "how many times do you want to watch the same woody allen movie ? what 's your tolerance threshold for repeat visits back to his couch ?",
        "maybe the next one will be a return to form for the living legend , and hey , at the rate allen is churning them out , one of them has to be good , right ?",
        "more often than not , allen seems to sidestep his worst habits .",
        "more appealing than last year 's grating whatever works , MOV is n't a woody allen classic , but is still pleasantly watchable .",
        "over-written and under-realized , it 's allen in desultory word-processor mode , barely able to muster even his usual amount of resigned cynicism about this crazy ol' life .",
        "it 's a meandering and rather aimless movie that would be considered trite if made by another filmmaker , and yet it has such a family resemblance to other , better woody allen movies that it 's easy to stick with it and enjoy it .",
        "MOV is every frame a woody allen film , but it is n't very much more .",
        "we never get a critical sense from allen that this movie was worth making in the first place . it 's a work of habit more than inspiration .",
        "the only real pleasure one can have with `` MOV '' is with allen 's neat screenplay structure , studded throughout with all kinds of parallels , both obvious and ironic .",
        "can films be mellow and bitter at the same time ? starting with match point in 2005 , woody allen 's movies have deepened and become more gimlet-eyed about the human condition .",
        "woody allen revisits familiar themes in mature comedy .",
        "in his mid-70s and working mostly abroad , allen has settled into a new groove . but it 's not a deep or enlivening one . his despair has finally become weightless -- a reflexive shrug .",
        "it 's one of his better films of late . cynical fatalism is woody allen 's home turf , and it 's a pretty finely honed shtick at this point .",
        "woody allen 's `` london effect '' continues winningly with this droll morality play about people 's awful choices of love partners .",
        "beware the film that opens with a quotation from shakespeare .",
        "in the autumn of his career , toiling exclusively in europe , woody is like an aging cabinet maker still blessed with craft but grown erratic in design .",
        "allen 's disillusioned themes are repeated , and so are his methods . as a writer , he seems tired ...",
        "-lsb- allen 's -rsb- latest has an empty , soulless feel .",
        "unexpected parallels abound , piquant moments of revelation flutter by , and though the narrator of the piece insists that it is only a rehashing of shakespeare?s quote about sound and fury signifying nothing , it is anything but",
        "subpar , shoulder-shrugging effort from woody allen . he wastes an intriguing cast on this slight tale .",
        "much of the writing is good , and the acting is superb , but the constant wrangling wore me out at times .",
        "it is literate , humane , insightful and profoundly and mercilessly comic .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- is n't particularly profound ; it 's a bit of sound and fury signifying nothing , but at least it 's an interesting moment of pondering from someone who 's been there .",
        "it 's as if the dour interiors had been reworked by a more forgiving , generous filmmaker who wants to move beyond stereotypes and discover what he calls the `` beautiful and ironic '' aspects of life .",
        "even in a minor way -lrb- and it is , make no mistake , a minor film -rrb- , allen is still able to find new approaches to the same questions that have vexed him for most of his career .",
        "it 's a highbrow romantic farce , without the laughs .",
        "at times it seems like every woody allen film is nothing more than a sequel to crimes and misdemeanors .",
        "woody allen may still be funny , but he 's sure not much fun anymore .",
        "allen?s sex farces have lost their former snap , but the movie?s uncharacteristically long takes add a degree of intimacy and excitement that he rarely musters nowadays .",
        "to put it bluntly : allen no longer seems to have any idea how real people behave or talk .",
        "unpleasant people behave selfishly until it stops , rather than ends , in this latest trifle from woody allen , who once again manages to persuade a-list talent to help him make a c-list movie .",
        "lucy punch supplies a high-powered comic energy that makes you mope every time the camera leaves her presence .",
        "none of this breaks new ground , but as is often the case with allen , the ridiculous absurdities of the characters undermine the habitual pessimistic pose .",
        "... not top shelf woody allen , but it serves up a few good laughs thanks to an engaging cast and witty woody-isms .",
        "the fact that moldy fatalism feels truer to allen 's worldview than , say , the faux-sensualism of vicky cristina barcelona does n't exactly ameliorate the sourness of this ensemble dramedy .",
        "at almost 75 years old , woody allen still believes we need `` the eggs '' - the buzz of relationship however crazy or forbidden . so we do , but what a pity that lately , from him , they come parboiled .",
        "if this were my very first allen film , my reaction would be , `` that 's it ? ''",
        "at once a cynical examination of infidelity and a sweet love story that rewards good people , stranger is thoroughly entertaining ... and allen 's best film since crimes and misdemeanors .",
        "the skill of the construction , and the efforts of the excellent cast assembled to play it , make it an intriguing , fitfully amusing piece , although a rather misanthropic one .",
        "this wry look at the fallout of marital timebombs manages to create a few moments of amusement , true , but its use of a pile driver when a ball peen hammer would have done the trick takes the edge off the craftsmanship .",
        "neither sufficiently funny to work fully as comedy , nor emotionally involving enough to succeed as a drama , the movie is one of allen 's blander efforts -lrb- ... -rrb-",
        "i could n't get away from these shrill , complaining people fast enough .",
        "classic woody -- an ensemble cast of brilliant actors , a timeless story that could be set virtually anywhere and crisp writing and direction that neither lollygags or rushes .",
        "in MOV , the only people who retain their happy visions are the most deluded . it 's probably a good metaphor for 2010 .",
        "even the plain black-and-white title sequences and old-timey musical score feel less like the affectations of a stubbornly independent artist than the rut of someone who ca n't find anything fresh to say .",
        "like a visit to a beloved senior at a resting home , woody allen 's new comedy amounts to a mostly pleasant , sometimes trying afternoon .",
        "unpleasant people behave selfishly in this latest trifle from woody allen , who once again manages to persuade a-list talent to help him make a c-list movie .",
        "allen has been criticized for leaving some of the plot lines up in the air and several characters in the lurch . but he seems to be making a point : neat hollywood endings are as phony and dangerous as cristal 's ramblings .",
        "woody allen has been directing films for 41 of his just-shy-of-75 years , and if his best work is behind him , there 's something heartening in the recent run of form he 's enjoyed ...",
        "the result will never be mistaken for shakespeare but could be considered a sex farce in the tradition by rabelais or moli\u010dre .",
        "is n't a comedy and barely registers as a drama . i 'd call it a tragedy , but the only ones truly suffering will be the paying audience , forced to endure allen 's umpteenth variation on the false comfort provided by marriage .",
        "superficially supernatural , the wish-fulfillment comedy of manners and morals is not one of woody allen 's best but an amusing diversion .",
        "i was so depressed after leaving the theater , i had to crawl to the nearest video store and rent a marx brothers movie in order to revive myself .",
        "woody allen makes one of his `` couple '' films particularly enhanced by hopkins ' realistic view or mortality .",
        "at this point , it 's all just variations on a theme , and stranger is a minor but pleasant variation",
        "MOV gives another gaggle of actors the chance to boast they made a woody allen movie - just not a very good one .",
        "-lsb- w -rsb- raps up in one neat little package ideas about romantic fate , our yearning for something better than the pretty good thing we might already have , and an up-to-the-minute restlessness ...",
        "this is a film from the twilight of woody allen 's career and talent",
        "at least on one viewing and with no distance -- it falls shy of being a great woody allen picture .",
        "how 's this for an invite ? -- allen is asking us to patronize a movie with a title that translates to : ` you are going to die . '",
        "a consistently underwhelming effort ...",
        "i 'm starting to think allen makes movies like he files his tax returns . some years business is fantastic , other years it 's struggling . but he still files one every year . this year , business was so-so .",
        "the slight pic benefits greatly from the talented ensemble cast that makes more of the tiresome dialogue than can be expected .",
        "although allen 's field of poorly adjusted people may be interesting to watch run around for a while , they shed little new light on an already well-expressed cynical point of view .",
        "the talented cast fails to gel into a dynamic ensemble : you just see actors going through familiar paces .",
        "woody allen cranks out another formulaic interweave of romantic crushes , with old jazz on the soundtrack to supply some artificial gaiety .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "if ever there were an example of an artist with nothing left to say , woody allen is its living definition .",
        "some moderately interesting characters occasionally do some mildly amusing things , but in the end no one is satisfied , least of all the audience .",
        "while tall dark can be a tad stilted , taking place as it does in allen 's fictionalized universe , most of it functions so smoothly it makes you forget about all the strings being pulled",
        "what passes for allen 's idea of an innovative sex gag ? anthony hopkins ' doddering character alfie counting down the minutes until the viagra tablet takes effect .",
        "a choice cast and , as usual , some snappy allen patter and observations on amour-or the lack of it-will hit the bulls-eye with allen fans who follow him wherever he goes .",
        "to cheer for these rubes would be to cheer for the fool who runs onto the field at a sporting event .",
        "by now it 's clear woody allen does n't much believe in god , destiny or the notion that life has any larger meaning , a message he tubthumps to increasingly feeble and unpersuasive effect in MOV .",
        "it is ineffably facile , often absurd and seems like a souffl\u00e9 that just wo n't rise .",
        "allen has assembled a cast of incredible ability , but the result is hampered by his script .",
        "despite an illustrious cast and new faces for woody allen -lrb- hopkins , watts -rrb- , this comedy of manners is a minor feature , only sporadically humorous , rehashing many of the director 's old ideas .",
        "for its light tone and often hilarious humor , the film is sure to entertain , but it wo n't be remembered as vintage woody allen .",
        "it sounds like damning with faint praise , but woody allen 's MOV is easily the best of his recent london-based films .",
        "the movie ends just when complications start to set in , which makes you wonder how invested allen really is in the little melodramas within this comedy .",
        "allen has here an interesting idea-that placebos may ` work better ' than medicine-to noodle over and ultimately reject ; it 's just a shame he does n't entertain us more in the process . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "a string of a-list british acting talent adds a zing of interest to this somewhat uneven woody allen relationship farce . yet despite its failings , the film is enjoyably watchable and packed with knowing observations .",
        "though allen has never been exactly feelgood , his previously endearing pessimism has given way to a mean-spiritedness that here borders on misanthropy .",
        "there 's plenty of ambiguous intellectual heft lurking behind the curtain of mediocrity - so it 's a pity it feels like it was dashed off in a few hours one afternoon .",
        "woody allen 's latest comedy-drama features superb performances from a traditionally impressive cast but is let down by a disappointing script that seems to actively avoid dramatic impact .",
        "when i saw the words `` tin ear production company '' in the end credits , i was n't sure if it was a joke or a piece of authorial honesty .",
        "overall it 's a cold and inconsequential piece that wo n't be remembered with affection .",
        "you will dislike this rubbish movie .",
        "still no signs of the master re-living past glories , but more than worthwhile for allen diehards .",
        "allen avoids giving any possible answers or resolutions - apart from ` getting in touch with your spiritual side '",
        "MOV continues the selfishness and lack of faith that in manhattan once seemed to observe moral decay , and hannah and her sisters became a symptom of . there 's been no real progress since ...",
        "MOV is a typically wry , rueful ensemble piece in which love makes fools of everyone .",
        "it 's interesting and worthwhile , with creative vitamins that are absent in so much of what fills the cinemas .",
        "the distinguished actors are as strong as you would expect , the narrative structure is well-crafted , and there 's something curiously bracing about allen 's misanthropy .",
        "a narrator alerts us at the outset that this tale is -lrb- to quote macbeth -rrb- `` full of sound and fury , signifying nothing '' . i suppose we should be thankful for the warning .",
        "allen has said he makes films as they offer him a distraction , and he has created just that : an enjoyable but instantly forgettable distraction .",
        "this is no manhattan or annie hall , and while it 's true woody allen is n't as good as he used to be , neither is anyone else .",
        "elaborately plotted , perfunctorily directed , unevenly acted and short on verbal wit .",
        "another wretched woody allen release gives yet another round of hollywood actors the chance to tick him off their legends-to-work-with lists without giving us much to enjoy in the process ...",
        "frothy but uninvolving . again .",
        "it 's hard to escape the feeling that allen has told this story so many times before - and so much better .",
        "there are few surprises in a film that finds woody the director -lrb- he does not act here -rrb- on the autopilot he has increasingly resorted to as he continues to crank out an average of a film a year , as he has over four decades .",
        "as always , allen gets some great people to work with him , and gives them some wonderful moments to play .",
        "piecemeal to a fault , woody allen 's latest is a drop in the bucket compared to the auteur 's early films ...",
        "yet another change-up in the woody allen approach : a drama played with comedy rhythms . . continually surprises by coming back to earth , rather than launching into the heavens .",
        "like the worst of late-period allen , the film recycles character types from his previous work without inventing new reasons to summon them into existence .",
        "it 's the closest allen has recently come to the insightful depictions of the human condition that once were his forte .",
        "the writer-director is in fine if unflashy form , putting a splendid cast through relationship hell in what turns out to be an oddly un-jokey comedy about marital meltdowns .",
        "if i wanted to laugh at people behaving badly , i 'd just watch jersey shore .",
        "is genuine happiness possible , allen wonders , and can it last ? as charmaine and cristal suggest , enlightenment comes at a price . and all things considered , 12 bucks seems like a bargain .",
        "it 's terribly touching , as well as entertaining , to watch everyone 's struggles , and instructive to discover that the screwiest people on screen are the only ones who find true happiness ."],
    "summary": "it 's sporadically amusing , and typically well-cast , but MOV is n't one of woody allen 's more inspired late-period efforts .",
    "id": "770874814"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10010940-happy_tears",
    "reviews":
     [
        "moore steals MOV by underplaying -- in what may be the warmest performance of her career .",
        "in this year 's crop of oscar-nominated shorts , the animated category beats the live-action offerings .",
        "a vulgar , happy-as-cancer aberration that takes the dysfunctional family idea to a new low . whimsical , yes . happy , never .",
        "not even the reliable posey can salvage this slag heap , and fans of the iconic indiewood starlet -- poseyphiles ? parkerheads ? -- will be especially crestfallen .",
        "succeeds only at suggesting the incompatibility of returning-home dramedy and surrealistic flights of fancy .",
        "other than the guest-starring appearance of cy twombly canvases , nothing distinguishes this poor relation of the savages from all the other emotionally fraudulent amerindies about familial dysfunction and reconciliation .",
        "MOV , is simply weird . the funny has gone missing .",
        "lichtenstein dutifully unpacks the family 's unhappy past , but he 's so easily distracted by surreal dream sequences and colorful supporting characters that his main story gradually dries up into a sitcom .",
        "MOV is less of a mess than it looks like , despite its quirk-infested , baggy midsection .",
        "the story always feels edgily , sometimes jerkily , unpredictable before surprisingly opting for a conventional wrap .",
        "if the plot unfolded in a less formulaic way , this could have been an impressive dark-tinged comedy . but in the end , it 's more a case of talented actors trying to find something fresh in a fairly stale tale .",
        "hollywood 's strong female actors have in lichtenstein a young talent who gives them the roles they deserve .",
        "MOV is a complete mess of a movie , but lichtenstein conjures some sweet moments and striking metaphors -- and none more striking than posey 's $ 500 boots , which look either black or blue , given the available light .",
        "what 's worse , the super-tired plot or the pretentious daydream asides ? despite demi moore and parker posey , the only time i was happy was when i was leaving the theater .",
        "realism falls victim to quirk yet again .",
        "it works more often than it does n't , but it never quite goes where you expect . and that 's rare enough to be noteworthy .",
        "MOV settles for the usual moments , even at its quirkiest .",
        "on its way to a climax that ends every plot strand on an unrealistically upbeat and pat note , MOV loses sight of what made the film so engrossing in the first place .",
        "in the role of a dialed-down , capable woman , demi moore suggests dramatic possibilities for future roles . she projects a kind of calm , and it 's attractive .",
        "i had better write my review as soon as possible because it 's going to fade from memory pronto -- it bearing such little resemblance to humanity as i know it .",
        "not all of the subplots work , but with its flights of fancy , strong acting and a cockeyed skew of family dysfunction , MOV most certainly tries .",
        "an oddball family drama with idiosyncratic characters and a handful of surreal scenes .",
        "a cringe-inducing , self-consciously kooky indie comedy that 's best enjoyed for its taste of rip torn , who , judging by his recent alleged bank break-in , comes to loose-cannon stuff naturally .",
        "writer and director mitchell lichtenstein struggles to find the humor in a host of horrors .",
        "you do n't necessarily believe these are real folks but boy they sure are entertaining .",
        "sometimes dysfunctional families are better kept for personal consumption rather than being unleashed on the world at large .",
        "one of those awkwardly pretentious attempts to seem hip and profound by simply depicting people acting really goofy",
        "reminds one of how bad american independent films ... can be .",
        "demi moore and parker posey play polar-opposite sisters dealing with their aging father -lrb- rip torn -rrb- who 's showing signs of senility , soiling himself and shacking up with his `` nurse '' -lrb- ellen barkin -rrb- .",
        "it 's rarely dull and confidently guided by the cast , but it offers little in the way of overall impact , despite creative visual flourishes and a screenplay rooted in the devastating game of personal reflection . it 's cold to the touch .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "replete with quirky indie cliches , MOV wastes some fine performances from demi moore , parker posey , and rip torn on stale formula .",
    "id": "770804183"
  },
  {
    "movie": "analyze_this",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a killer comedy !",
        "a reliable piece of fluff that delivers the goods .",
        "de niro and crystal are a crackerjack pairing , and their interplay is loony enough to make you forgive the movie being stuck in neutral most of the time .",
        "run and see this ! you will be bursting with guffaws .",
        "the film is a worthy showcase for de niro and crystal to spar .",
        "classic scenes and hillarious lines make this one of the year 's best movie .",
        "delivers big laughs on a consistent basis !",
        "this movie 's got an original premise , some convincing performances by its leads , especially deniro in an atypical role , and plenty of fresh humour sprinkled throughout its spaghettilicious body of fun .",
        "director harold ramis keeps the gangsters real and funny at the same time .",
        "slick and rambunctious !",
        "there are a few scenes that feel like something right out of a scorsese film , which underlies the thin line between the drama and the comedy of the gangster lifestyle .",
        "the first reel of this movie has some of the best comic timing and the sharpest comedy dialogue i have seen and heard in a long time .",
        "MOV could have been a terrifically horrible movie . it also could have been really really funny . it was definitely neither .",
        "it 's a treat to watch robert de niro -- the goodfella supreme -- tweak every gangster role he 's ever played .",
        "an empty , soulless film .",
        "la cinta sale adelanta por el s\u00f3lido trabajo de sus actores , quienes se muestran a gusto con sus personajes",
        "this one does nicely for a fitfully funny rental .",
        "moments and lines are so perfect that they linger in the mind .",
        "manages to generate plenty of laughs around the fears and the foibles of these two men who still have n't gotten their acts together midway through their lives .",
        "a near-flawlessly paced comedy .",
        "robert de niro gets the best out of his performance as the psychologically - challenged gangster .",
        "what de niro ends up doing is simply burlesquing himself , much as he would do if he were guest-hosting saturday night live .",
        "it all ends in a hail of bullets and profanities -- but the laughs keep coming .",
        "thanks to three very strong writers ... and the willpower of its leads , MOV turns out to be an amusing piffle . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it 's a one-joke movie , but it 's an awfully good joke , told here by experts .",
        "sometimes very funny , but wears its sudden tone swings and flurries of profanities like a pair of cement shoes ...",
        "-lsb- de niro and crystal -rsb- would seem to be perfectly cast as this oddest of odd couples , but something has gone wrong with the comic chemistry .",
        "not since midnight run has mr. de niro been afforded such a perfect opportunity to flex his comedic muscles .",
        "the comedy is heavy and the use of the stars lazy and cliched ...",
        "even though it 's only march , MOV is going to be the comedy to beat this year - nothing else so far has come close .",
        "here 's a clever comedy you ca n't refuse .",
        "good fella on the couch .",
        "buoyantly funny !",
        "perennial heavy viterelli shines as de niro 's craggy buttonman !",
        "a welcome springtime surprise !",
        "a witty , smart and knowing picture that marks a kind of return to form for both its male stars .",
        "funny partly because de niro and crystal do what we expect them to do , and partly because they do n't .",
        "ramis has made a fleet , unself-conscious , eminently enjoyable picture , where one-liners carom merrily like stray bullets , and where there 's casual ease , like the drape of a sharpster 's trousers , in the rapport between its two stars .",
        "frequently funny and occasionally hilarious !",
        "an offer you ca n't refuse !",
        "a sitcom disguised as a movie !",
        "some good jokes but a bad plot .",
        "MOV makes the mistake of anchoring its whole story on an amusing but thin premise .",
        "loses track of its own ideas , and its own story .",
        "starts out funny but quickly loses its way .",
        "after a very funny first half-hour into MOV , it becomes painfully apparent that it 's really just a skit masquerading as a feature film .",
        "degrades so dramatically that in the last act crystal is reduced to ad libbing through an over-long mock-wise guy schtick .",
        "de niro has a good eye for parody and is the best thing about the film .",
        "... a movie so sluggish and corny , not even a script written by shakespeare could have saved it .",
        "unfortunately , the movie unspools in the second half .",
        "you do n't go into MOV expecting to be surprised ; you go into it hoping to be amused . using that yardstick , the film is a terrific success .",
        "unfortunately for every gag that deniro and crystal pull off -- and they do have an effective comedic chemistry -- the script strands them in eddies of frivolity .",
        "it makes for an interesting balance of laughs and shoot-outs , but what really makes it fly is the perfect casting of robert de niro , the quintessential big screen gangster .",
        "flaws aside , in the end MOV comes across with the goods -- crooked guys and straight-up laughs .",
        "in midnight run -lrb- 1988 -rrb- , de niro and charles grodin made a wonderful team , but the pair in MOV does n't seem to click in the same way .",
        "what we learn -- yet again -- is that potentially terrific comedies are often whacked by filmmakers who feel the need to spread a little therapy themselves .",
        "nothing new , especially for its stars , but it 's good fun nonetheless .",
        "a witty , upbeat comedy that is more concerned with making its audience laugh than any other of its cinematic virtues -lrb- or lack thereof -rrb- .",
        "the jokes come on like gangbusters .",
        "although this comedy has been getting more praise than it deserves , it is nevertheless a solid , funny comedy .",
        "talent can certainly help any film out , but when the written material is n't up to their level , what we are virtually left with is a vacuum of thin air .",
        "slow , uneven and only intermittently humorous .",
        "could use a lot of therapy !",
        "crystal stays focused , while deniro yowls and bawls without shame .",
        "it 's hard to imagine with crystal and deniro that you can go wrong , but the script gets tired very quickly .",
        "a one joke movie that never really takes us anywhere particularly clever .",
        "robert de niro is so funny !",
        "comically dexterous !",
        "harold ramis ' MOV is the mob parody billy wilder or preston sturges might have made if they 'd had access to robert de niro and the f-word .",
        "consistently funny !",
        "de niro 's precise comic timing and colorful line readings constitute pic 's greatest pleasure !",
        "the masterful billy crystal shows his mettle as a stand-up comic able to conform to romantic and other situations with his stock of surprises .",
        "magnific !",
        "de niro is delightful and funny !",
        "sizzling comic chemistry from the deniro-crystal combination",
        "smart , amusing",
        "a decent comedy , but it was capable of being much more .",
        "in its first two acts , harold ramis 's comedy uproariously mines its premise for all its comedic worth .",
        "offers a rollicking good time , balancing drama , suspense , and action , as vitti 's psychological troubles have the audience literally howling with laughter .",
        "crystal is good , and de niro is even better .",
        "stereotypical and typecast !",
        "as the movie plods on , the jokes start to fall flat .",
        "it ends up a one-joke picture , with feeble variations .",
        "a series of botched opportunities .",
        "the movie never rises above trite and obvious gags : bodies in car trunks , lunkhead henchmen , idiot feds with their wires crossed .",
        "billy crystal could turn `` othello '' into an insipid , feel-good movie .",
        "great _ bleep _ movie . funny as _ bleep _ .",
        "an enormously appealing comedy .",
        "harold ramis has to take the blame for some sloppy direction here and there , but overall the end product is sound enough to get by , especially if the audience is big .",
        "do n't MOV , just enjoy it .",
        "the laughs are frequent and full .",
        "genuinely funny !",
        "this comedy with the deceptively glib premise is actually surprisingly funny , thanks to a chuckle-worthy performance by robert de niro .",
        "a brilliant concept , brilliantly executed -lrb- pun intended -rrb- .",
        "billy crystal comes into his own with a monologue that will just make you howl .",
        "the work of competent talents who knew exactly where the good-enough line was and did n't feel particularly inspired to push far beyond it ."],
    "summary": "MOV is a satisfying comedy with great performances by de niro and crystal .",
    "id": "13689"
  },
  {
    "movie": "shanghai_noon",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's dumb as a board but often funny -- as long as you keep your brain in the car and get in touch with your inner 14-year-old .",
        "MOV is hardly as enervating as its trailer would lead you to believe -- but not by much .",
        "-lsb- wilson 's -rsb- quiet self-satire plays like a persistent gnat reminding you that you 'd rather be waching another movie .",
        "the typical machinations of an event movie dictate multiple overblown climaxes that leave one less than bowled over .",
        "ultimately dragged on for too long .",
        "dey 's pedestrian direction threatens to drain the fun from even the good stuff , by finding the least interesting way to shoot nearly every scene .",
        "far too much time passes between good punches and punch lines .",
        "does n't have the zing of chan 's hong kong-shot efforts .",
        "an uneasy mix of post-modern , self-referential archness and spaghetti western bravado that 's not likely to please anybody .",
        "it 's not especially good , but not bad , either .",
        "i 'm pleased to report that MOV is the best jackie chan movie in many moons .",
        "dey ultimately lets chan down . if the legendary actor could have brought in old school chum sammo hung , he could have made this a great picture .",
        "the first half of this film is great entertainment , and then it starts to unravel , but not before chan establishes himself as a dynamic comedian .",
        "the movie walks the line between good stupid humor and embarrassing stupid humor , and usually manages to stay on the good side .",
        "this movie is not about plot -lrb- which is a shame because there might have been a good story to tell here -rrb- , it 's about fun martial arts action . and mr. chan as usual , delivers . service with a smile .",
        "much of its strength comes from the central clash between jackie 's indomitable energy and wilson 's knowingly anachronistic cool , while lots of visual and verbal gags keep things whistling .",
        "you ca n't get a whole lot less substantial than this , but well-played , friendly banter is tough to do , and the film hits its mark perfectly on that front .",
        "though the film nakedly seeks a wide audience through conventional plotting and characterization -- and despite being -lrb- like most action movies -rrb- guy-centric -- MOV provides good , clean `` family '' fun . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "engaging jackie chan movie for older teens and up .",
        "as far as light , brainless summer entertainment goes , it makes the grade .",
        "MOV will change the way you feel about the recently maligned genre .",
        "jackie chan continues his late-blooming cinematic conquest of hollywood with this oafish wild west comedy , an often funny , formulaic , and sometimes bumbling , buddy movie .",
        "succeeds in excitement where this week 's other big release , mission impossible 2 failed .",
        "a satisfying and often exciting film .",
        "this one looks like a sure bet for seven weeks -lrb- at least -rrb- of audience good fortune .",
        "although adherents of chan 's drunken master theatrics will no doubt be less than impressed , it 's still head and shoulders -lrb- and arms and legs -rrb- above similar hollywood skirmishes .",
        "as western spoofs go , though , MOV is whooping good fun .",
        "it 's one of those rare comedies that makes you gasp with laughter until your eyes are watering and you start choking diet coke up through your nose .",
        "expertly mixes thrills and laughter .",
        "MOV will be wilson 's breakthrough role .",
        "this plot has made the rounds in umpteen action flicks , but director tom dey seems to have more on his mind as he gleefully sends up the hollywood western .",
        "even at under two hours , MOV feels lengthier than a double bill of the good , the bad , and the ugly and once upon a time in the west .",
        "an entertaining comedy that far surpasses his previous american films .",
        "chan and wilson make a great comic team .",
        "MOV is , in classic western tradition , a celebration of male bonding , unabashedly juvenile , boyishly risqu\u00e9 and disarmingly sweet .",
        "for chan , it 's a step in the right direction , although he has yet to be given the opportunity to bring the full force of his charisma to bear on an english speaking audience .",
        "if you see only one martial arts western this year -lrb- and there is probably an excellent chance of that -rrb- , this is the one .",
        "a mis-matched buddy movie that really works .",
        "wonderfully , smartly funny , an entertaining treat to watch .",
        "this one is for the boys -- it 's about ridin ' , kickin ' and spittin ' . and it 's high time you got out to see it .",
        "in fact , chan virgins might consider taking this opportunity to lose it with MOV .",
        "jackie chan 's western action-comedy should offer you a fairly good time .",
        "it 's nothing short of a comedic blast to watch .",
        "my jaw ached by the end of the film , because i had been grinning nonstop for two hours .",
        "a winning madcap comedy ...",
        "jackie chan has his best american movie role so far as chon wang .",
        "wilson is so perfect that he steals the picture right out from under chan .",
        "it has great dialogue and superb stunts and fight sequences .",
        "jackie chan 's latest comedy-adventure is an amusing genre-blender , mixing chan 's hong kong action with hollywood 's cowboy tradition .",
        "unstintingly funny .",
        "it is precisely the movie for which jackie chan fans have always dreamed -- a true jackie chan film , financed with hollywood money .",
        "this is not the laugh riot that you might expect . same goes for the fighting . there 's certainly a lot less here than in the average jackie chan movie .",
        "this is almost mel brooks territory : the frontiersmen think the chinese are jews , while the white settlers think it 's the sioux who are . this is equal-opportunity nuttiness , and there 's a method to it .",
        "not since mel brooks ' hilarious blazing saddles has there been such an outrageous western as MOV .",
        "it makes the most of chan 's talents , a martial artist who infuses all of his films with charm and good humor .",
        "it 's funnier and more polished than it deserves to be . there 's absolutely nothing you can take seriously , which is a good thing since none of the cast seem to be taking it seriously themselves . so just sit back and , like them , enjoy the ride .",
        "i watched , fascinated , as one of the most gifted athletes i have ever had the privilege to watch worked his magic .",
        "chan is saddled with the languorous , droll wit of owen wilson and the result is tedious .",
        "do n't let my regret at the repression of jackie 's glorious insanity stop you from seeing MOV - go and enjoy it .",
        "not only does it resurrect a nearly defunct sub-genre , but it succeeds far more than it has any right to .",
        "jackie chan 's east-meets-western action comedy is surprising fun .",
        "jackie chan and a cowboy film all in one - as inspired as wispa 's decision to add biscuit bits .",
        "wilson is the glue that holds the story together , and propels MOV to the same stature held by rush hour .",
        "MOV is an accomplished follow-up to jackie chan 's first big-budget us film rush hour .",
        "director tom dey does an admirable job of capturing all the tremendous agility of chan . it almost seems like sammo hung , one of chan 's best asian directors , was working in tandem with dey .",
        "the movie wild wild west should have been .",
        "having jackie chan 's capable martial arts talents involved in this mix helps to keep the humor level high and the fight scenes exciting .",
        "while the western boastfulness may get on your nerves , owen wilson and jackie chan make the adventure a barrel of fun .",
        "if only a little of the resources had been spent on a good script , MOV might have been the great jackie chan movie his fans have been waiting for .",
        "first time director tom dey 's movie looks pretty good is relatively well put together , but storywise , it just wanders aimlessly through various western clich\u00e9s .",
        "writers alfred gough & miles millar heap on the racial and ethnic stereotypes but , in general , they let jackie chan do a lot of what he does best : acrobatic fighting .",
        "somehow manages to stay reasonably sunny and lighthearted without resorting to the condescending who-cares-it 's - just-a-movie attitude that sunk mel gibson 's ` maverick ' a few years back .",
        "the barroom brawls and open-air confrontations look uncommonly authentic , and yet , given the solid chemistry between chan and wilson , the audience can look forward to amusing exchanges during the relatively quiet intervals .",
        "... not so much a laugh riot as it is an affable romp .",
        "the chemistry between wilson , who plays a sort of poor man 's sundance kid , and chan is infectious , feels genuine and consistently pays big comic dividends .",
        "five times better than it should have been .",
        "one dazzling feat of derring-do follows another , defying descriptions in the speed and bravura of chan 's martial artistry .",
        "fast , furious and , quite often , very , very funny .",
        "MOV is the movie wild wild west tried to be last summer .",
        "a sure-fire summer crowd-pleaser , and the most enjoyable western comedy since blazing saddles , MOV is a cheerful , good-hearted delight .",
        "light but satisfying .",
        "strikes a good balance between humor and action .",
        "it is impossible to believe that jackie chan and owen wilson wo n't soon be back in a sequel .",
        "nutritional value may be nil , but its have-fun-by - poking-fun philosophy is a treat and can only improve your mental health .",
        "i had a great time !",
        "looked as thought it might be another chop-suey salad toss ... yet MOV manages to stir this into a repast audiences wo n't be able to keep themselves from eating up .",
        "MOV makes for a nice guilty pleasure outing .",
        "-lsb- chan -rsb- still can turn a silly little action comedy like this into a high-spirited , butt-kicking good time .",
        "gough and millar pepper the story with enough silly gags and droll one-liners that it 's easy enough to stay alert between chan 's chest kicks and balletic twirls .",
        "has charmingly effervescent , sometimes-hilarious chemistry between chan and wilson .",
        "a middling old west oater that falls flat at least as often as it finds the funny bone .",
        "MOV is n't the worst film of the year . but , for me , it may be the most disappointing .",
        "the plots for most chan movies are glorified coat hangers on which to drape elaborate fights and sight gags . MOV is slightly more sophisticated , but it still treats plot twists and peripheral characters as impositions .",
        "sit back and enjoy the laughs , the violence , and the urine jokes .",
        "MOV is all the lighthearted fun last summer 's heavy-metal wild wild west was n't .",
        "forget mission : impossible 2 , if you want to have a good time at the movies , go see this !",
        "the film is fine summer entertainment for people who do n't take their movies or themselves too seriously .",
        "-lsb- chan -rsb- 's not only a great martial artist but he 's a hell of an actor too .",
        "a fun little flick that chan or western buffs should go check out at a matinee .",
        "the film is a little long for a western action-comedy but keeps the high kicks , amazing stunts , and villains coming .",
        "MOV lassos up all the revisionist laughs and action scenes that last summer 's wild wild west botched .",
        "though certainly not serious -- even downright stupid at times -- chan 's newest film , MOV is , like all of his films , an immensely entertaining and irreverent experience .",
        "funny , cinematically attractive and endearing .",
        "for jackie chan to succeed in hollywood , hollywood must let jackie be jackie -- something the jokey western MOV does only sporadically .",
        "the next time an international action star comes calling on hollywood , and needs a buddy action-comedy partner , i hope they pick owen wilson again .",
        "MOV is a fun outing , filled with stunts and gags that will please chan fans . it 's not art , but it is entertainment .",
        "in spite of the rather unimaginative plotting and scripting owen wilson and jackie chan each turn in engaging performances .",
        "it 's hard to imagine why anyone of any age would find other elements of this movie 's attempt at a comic text even mildly amusing .",
        "the jokes are obvious and rarely funny .",
        "the movie is n't completely unlikeable , but it 's not for chan connoisseurs .",
        "MOV , which lacks rush hour 's manic energy , also lacks confidence in its own much bigger , potentially fascinating story .",
        "soon degenerates into a formula , dum-dum buddy picture that strains the talents of its ingratiating cast , as well as the audience 's patience .",
        "so awful i ate like a human iguanadon just to keep from yelling profanities at the screen .",
        "a thoroughly enjoyable film , it is -lrb- arguably -rrb- jackie 's best movie ever .",
        "starts slowly , spending too long on the set-up , but once it kicks into gear , the film is a frothy treat .",
        "whatever your favorite moment , it 'd be hard to deny that MOV is anything less than a rootin ' - tootin ' , chop-sockin ' hoot .",
        "MOV is a jackie chan flick set in the old west . if that inventive screwball setup is n't enough by itself to get you itching to see the movie , please feel free to read on .",
        "the odd-couple pairing clicks , and MOV is funny enough that it could make buddy pictures respectable again .",
        "in addition to his incredible martial arts skills , chan also proves to be a master at comedic timing . his innocent sensibility is a nice match to his physical talent , keeping him as vulnerable as he is powerful .",
        "a tasty matinee snack .",
        "the story is compelling enough on its own to make a good -lrb- albeit overdone -rrb- action flick .",
        "chan looks as if he 's having fun and it rubs off .",
        "if summer movie season is the postmodern equivalent of the traveling circus , then jackie chan is a one-man big top , his own ringmaster , acrobat troupe and clown act ."],
    "summary": "although the plot is really nothing to brag about , jackie chan and owen wilson work well together . the cinematography looks great , and jackie delivers a hilarious performance . this is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser .",
    "id": "10748"
  },
  {
    "movie": "blue_ruin",
    "reviews":
     [
        "-lsb- with -rsb- MOV , -lsb- director jeremy saulnier -rsb- muffles the humor with darkness and grounds the violence in a stumbling revenge fantasy enacted by a lost and fractured soul .",
        "MOV is a confident venture that smartly doles out its story in pieces , leaving the audience to happily follow its trail of breadcrumbs .",
        "a gory instant-classic cult film about a maladroit revenge killer .",
        "MOV is the rare film that is nearly consistently tense , the suspense only temporarily subsiding about an hour into the story . it 's a welcome respite .",
        "MOV succeeds on the strength of saulnier 's skill at slowly escalating the tension , even with a would-be action protagonist who is almost comically inept .",
        "an effective regional crime drama in the key of jeff nichols , but lacking his emotional and thematic complexity .",
        "not much is said , but much is communicated in a blood-soaked film that acts as its own accuser .",
        "MOV stands out because of the way it frames this revenge mission as a preordained conclusion , an unstoppable journey toward a brutal end .",
        "though the film more than fulfills its genre requirements as a tense , diamond-sharp 90-minute thriller , saulnier never lets the action get cartoonish or detach itself from the flawed characters perpetuating it .",
        "it has more of a kinship with ` shotgun stories , ' jeff nichols ' film on a bloody family feud that brings hatfield and mccoys-esque tussling into the supposedly tamed present day .",
        "saulnier spills a lot of blood , but he 's an extraordinarily responsible and appealing craftsman .",
        "a stripped-down tale of revenge with bloodied hands and a blackened heart , this viscerally intelligent thriller takes a new stab at an old genre with refreshingly distressing results .",
        "... a rueful repudiation of the adage that revenge is sweet .",
        "upends genre expectations by placing an unskilled , often hapless and physically undistinguished everyman in the violent ` revenge ' role that a hollywood movie typically would assign to an invulnerable tough guy played by the likes of liam neeson ...",
        "a tight , taut , suspenseful little thriller ... offering an effective series of tension-building sequences punctuated by outbursts of violent action .",
        "though coloured by indie sensibilities , MOV offers the momentum of hard-edged pulp and the viscera of full-on exploitation cinema .",
        "saulnier works intelligent and engrossing variations on the revenge thriller .",
        "saulnier makes impressive use of silence and slow camera movements , allowing the suspense to simmer until violence seems practically inevitable .",
        "blair , an unheralded actor , carries the whole picture . he 's in practically every scene , and his performance is fascinating because in his eyes you can see the character struggling desperately with himself .",
        "MOV is violent but it impressively avoids the glorification of bloodshed ; instead , -lsb- director jeremy -rsb- saulnier deftly shows just how terrifying , unnerving , sad and awful it is to take a life .",
        "mocking vigilante violence while slapping it on in gorgeous splatters , `` MOV '' is little more than an archipelago of attacks and retaliations that pay off only in blood spilled and vendetta advanced .",
        "`` MOV '' is an uneven film , and there are slip-ups along the way , but the tension that settles in slowly like a low-grade fever keeps you with it .",
        "director jeremy saulnier has worked largely as a cinematographer , and `` MOV '' is marked by careful compositions and lighting .",
        "blair is excellent in the lead , but the filmmaking is the true star here .",
        "suspenseful and intense in parts , darkly comic in others , there 's a brilliant tone to this memorable piece , as saulnier manages to find the perfect middle ground between humour and morbidity .",
        "it 's a dark trip that only grows darker with each stomach-turning twist , but saulnier brings an elegant touch to the frame that makes the whole movie feel different from your average violence-laden revenge film .",
        "MOV 's fierce narrative momentum derives from the inexorable logic of eye-for-an-eye reciprocity .",
        "a movie made with terrific filmmaking and storytelling technique , -lsb- that -rsb- solidifies jeremy saulnier as a director to keep an eye on .",
        "a lean , unsparing carousel of vigilante-style comeuppances , `` MOV '' brings newfound immediacy and quaking apprehension to a plot that , on paper , sounds as if it has been seen many times before .",
        "saulnier makes some interesting choices that reveal he has more on his mind than just indulging in mindless mayhem with spurts of dark comedy .",
        "saulnier is also a cinematographer , and he 's in complete control of the film 's conflation of human-scale horror and tragicomedy .",
        "MOV redefines the revenge picture . it continually creates moments of hold-your-breath suspense .",
        "a prismatically efficient thriller .",
        "the everyday suburbs and wilderness of virginia come to life as places of rustic beauty and grim reality .",
        "it 's a smart , bloody thriller that keeps springing weird new directions on you .",
        "a hauntingly memorable , even thoughtful shoot - 'em - up . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "... a quietly powerful low-budget revenge thriller that gradually reveals secrets about its characters to ratchet up the tension .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- n atmospheric , elegant piece , a more delicate , intriguingly nervous piece of pulp noir .",
        "... a genre film , but it 's not an empty-headed one . it 's accessible in the same way jim thompson 's crime novels are ...",
        "a crafty little thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat -- in all the ways that are good and familiar .",
        "MOV is a simple story well told ; it marks promising work from both saulnier and blair , and delivers on its promises of a tightly-wound descent into hell .",
        "the absolute antithesis of the standard cheer-on-the-wronged revenge thriller , MOV is a stripped-down take that unfolds much the way it might in real life .",
        "as an action film - which , in small bursts , it is - MOV is disquieting and raw , like commando turned inside out .",
        "a real trip .",
        "sparse of dialogue , terrifically ominous and full of low-key , high-quality performances , `` MOV '' is a vigilante tale even haters like me can get behind .",
        "MOV is as visually striking as one might expect a film helmed by a talented cinematographer to be . but saulnier has more than a great eye ; he 's got the soul of a natural filmmaker ...",
        "MOV takes a simple premise and keeps the universal truth while ditching the universal cliches .",
        "with its strong and singular sense of itself adding realness -- and real art -- to what could have been another revenge thriller , MOV stands apart .",
        "MOV is more artful and evocative than any recent revenge picture , but it 's still drivel .",
        "MOV may occasionally be midnight-movie lurid , but not at the expense of deeper questions about vengeance 's diminishing returns .",
        "MOV is a low-budget yet highly accomplished revenge thriller although whether you have the stomach for it is another matter .",
        "much of the pleasure of MOV is letting its urgency coil around your heart , daring it to move .",
        "there 's something extraordinarily ordinary about saulnier 's approach that cuts right through the thin skin of vengeance .",
        "a riveting southern gothic revenge thriller - a suspenseful reinvigoration of the genre - that seems to be over in the first 20 minutes , and then finds horrific new places to take you .",
        "as an exercise in cinematic style , `` MOV '' is well worth seeing .",
        "essentially a lurid revenge story but filtered through an arthouse sensibility , peppered with stillness and deglamourised violence .",
        "a thriller that feels natural and improvisational , even when you know it 's so tightly plotted it will make you drive your fingernails into the armrests .",
        "MOV is a taut , tight , incredibly tense but also laugh-out-loud funny revenge thriller the likes of which only come out once in a blue moon .",
        "a riveting revenge thriller written and directed by jeremy saulnier and built around a singular performance by macon blair .",
        "to call MOV a revenge thriller is to sell this barbed-wire-sharp and altogether surprising american indie short .",
        "a truly original revenge thriller .",
        "MOV is distinguished by the way it allies solid storytelling to fine craftsmanship .",
        "by reducing its principals to stock figures in an extended chess game , it ends up providing steady , neatly staged thrills , but little else of substance .",
        "the principal character 's conversations are so flabby that you can not be blamed for wanting to avoid him .",
        "MOV is a raw portrayal of revenge that refuses to glorify violence , as macon blair teams with jeremy saulnier for another punchy indie success .",
        "not just a solid southern gothic revenge story , but as vivid a depiction of homelessness as you 'd ever want to see .",
        "my favorite revenge film since chan-wook park wrapped up his vengeance trilogy .",
        "MOV is an awesome and bloody thriller that also takes a good , hard look at the toll revenge can have on individuals as well as those around them .",
        "a ripping-good revenge flick with a radically simple premise ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a revenge film filled with enough unpredictability to keep your attention and violence that serves the story rather than being gratuitous - though it does , at times , make for difficult viewing .",
        "this crowd-funded sleeper recalls such genre masters as the coen brothers and sam peckinpah . see this .",
        "MOV is an extremely polished revenge thriller , but it 's been buffed so much that it begins to dull in the areas that should be more striking .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "darkly comic and frequently gripping , revenger 's tragedy MOV proves jeremy saulnier is a director to watch .",
        "strong suspense levels help maintain good momentum and blair anchors proceedings admirably . the conclusion is a tad contrived , but there are enough twists and turns along the way to ensure that genre fans will be suitably thrilled .",
        "a very bloody film noir , directed with tremendous ingenuity by jeremy saulnier , MOV benefits from its pared-down style and macabre humour .",
        "you could n't ask for a more unlikely avenger than the ill-equipped sort-of hero of MOV , and that 's precisely why it 's far , far more suspenseful than the typical violent revenge thriller .",
        "does a great job of masking how little it has to say about the bloodshed it deals in .",
        "revenge thriller MOV has at its centre that stock cinematic type , the grieving loner on a mission of retribution , yet jeremy saulnier 's low-budget film is a world away from the wish-fulfilment fantasy of the death wish movies and their ilk .",
        "a sublime noir that deserves to be seen , such is its power and brutality .",
        "subtle and heartbreaking , this revenge drama will be hard to forget .",
        "... an impressively spare thriller ...",
        "MOV is tragedy on an intimate scale , but do n't let its tiny budget fool you . it looks far more costly , which is fitting as its emotional toll is higher than the norm too .",
        "a quiet , confident , and surprisingly excellent revenge thriller .",
        "the best coen bros. noir since they were making them .",
        "excellently-acted , beautifully shot and deliberately-paced to nail-biting perfection , MOV takes a deserved place in the pantheon of no-holds-barred revenge thrillers .",
        "the true power of MOV is its ability to find tension in the little things , not showy acts of violence .",
        "a lean and suspenseful genre piece that follows a bloody trail of vengeance to its cruel , absurd and logical conclusion .",
        "odd revenge genre low-budgeter keeps the tradition of revenge killing all too alive .",
        "a feral and staggeringly well-conceived revenge saga .",
        "it may be the finest cinematic plea for pacifism since munich , or it may just be a great thrill ride .",
        "dark and freaky , this brutal , low-key revenge thriller throws a bunch of relatively simple people into a moral quagmire , and drags us in as well .",
        "it 's uneven and underdeveloped , but MOV succeeds as a lean and unflinchingly brutal take on a familiar genre .",
        "tightly focused and uncluttered suspense drama about a man on a tragic mission ... . jeremy saulnier delivers a simple but gripping piece of somber entertainment .",
        "one of the most masterful thrillers of the year .",
        "saulnier and his best friend/star blair have created an intriguing , inept antihero but the old crime that haunts him and the family behind it are so crudely drawn that the film turns into a genre exercise .",
        "it 's a taut , unflinching first act ... but as the bodies pile up and the plot circles in on itself , that beautifully constructed web of suspense begins to unravel .",
        "a lean , tough , thoughtful thriller with depth , MOV establishes jeremy saulnier as a promising indie auteur and macon blair as an unusual leading man .",
        "it 's a brilliant , slow-burning american revenge thriller that hardly puts a foot wrong , a work of startling violence and profound conscience that announces the arrival of an exciting young director .",
        "a twitchily well-acted thriller , as well as a suspenseful and sometimes very funny examination of revenge .",
        "a cunning , suspenseful thriller that bears comparison to the coen brothers ' blood simple , MOV is an impossible-to-ignore calling card from writer/director jeremy saulnier . hollywood awaits .",
        "a taut , atmospheric and darkly comic revenge thriller .",
        "the violence is unfailingly nasty , the humor suitably dark , and the human center holds due to dwight 's endearingly short-sighted , continually fallible , yet understandably just mission against those who squandered his own happiness decades before .",
        "this is a filmmaking career you want to get in on the ground floor of .",
        "the killings multiply . but so do the moments of kooky cinematic grace .",
        "deftly shot and dynamic to the end .",
        "it 's special work , intelligent and measured , reviving the possibilities of the subgenre . saulnier establishes himself as a major talent with MOV .",
        "fans of the darker side of the coen brothers -lrb- `` blood simple , '' `` no country for old men '' -rrb- and quentin tarantino should take note .",
        "`` MOV '' is a movie about revenge , but it reaches far past the bottom-shelf titillations of fantasy to tell a richer , character-driven story with a protagonist who 's less avenging angel than ghost .",
        "this hard-boiled , unironic revenge thriller is held together by a mesmerising lead performance from macon blair .",
        "the filmmaker works with economy and has a knack for creating a sense of foreboding , which is good because the plot is simply a working out of the old saw that violence begets violence .",
        "the righting will be bloody , and he will be good at only some of it . saulnier 's work is behaviorally nuanced , vitally designed , framed and cut , blue-to-bruise blue-to-beyond-bruise and even at its leanest moments , rocking with brooding unease .",
        "saulnier 's script avoids exposition ... the filmmaker reveals each bit of truth only as necessary , turning an otherwise straightforward plot into an increasingly dense mystery .",
        "it gets uglier . and as it does , the lessons become more apparent to you , if not to dwight .",
        "MOV belies its modest means to deliver gripping tension and an unlikely character study .",
        "the world does n't need another empty genre exercise . but as MOV reminds us , it can always use more filmmakers of saulnier 's resourcefulness , sensitivity and quiet assurance .",
        "with the same brand of realist irony the coens used to cool down blood simple , writer-director jeremy saulnier slows the genre 's heartbeat to gripping effect .",
        "a lean piece of thriller filmmaking with a potent human core .",
        "exponentially inspirational ; MOV is a film that feels like intimate atomic fallout out from an event that radiates through the lives of two families . filmmaker jeremy saulnier is irrevocably one to watch .",
        "an umpredictable journey that manages to build up tension and interest the whole time . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "brilliant stroke to have a nebbish carrying out a one-man vendetta against a gang of bad guys rather than a charles bronson retread .",
        "even though at some points it hints at dark humor in a coen brothers kinda way , this movie is far from making you laugh . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "every shot in this film is carefully selected to bring the most out of this thrilling story . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "as the corpses pile up , MOV plays like an ever-expanding mexican standoff , death met with death in a sprawling network of violence that implicates a whole gun-crazy nation .",
        "visually arresting , impressively taut and enjoyably idiosyncratic , saulnier - who did his own cinematography -- marks himself out as a director with a strong voice that we will , with luck , be hearing a lot more of in future .",
        "understated , atmospheric and compelling , MOV has an art house indie aesthetic reminiscent of the coen brothers ' debut blood simple , and that 's high praise , indeed .",
        "MOV is as tiny a movie as they come , but it packs a stinging punch .",
        "it is a simple story , sparsely but stirringly told , and saulnier uses it to make a statement about the terrifying ease with which americans can arm themselves to the teeth .",
        "watching doe-eyed dwight leave his car keys at a murder scene , bungle a kidnapping and miss shooting his target from 2ft away is a tense and unpredictable experience .",
        "MOV starts promisingly with a hairy hobo living in a blue , rusty , bullet-holed pontiac on a delaware beach .",
        "MOV is a brutal stripped back thriller that suggests more great things to come from jeremy saulnier .",
        "the leading man of jeremy saulnier 's mesmerizing MOV is not the kind of actor who usually gets to anchor a motion picture , let alone a violent revenge picture , and that 's part of what makes the movie work .",
        "we understand that dwight 's mission of revenge is juvenile and indefensible , but blair manages to make us root for him nonetheless ."],
    "summary": "smart , stripped-down , and thrillingly grim , MOV proves that a well-told revenge story can still leave its audience on the edge of their seat .",
    "id": "771355909"
  },
  {
    "movie": "chicken_run",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this wonderful visual treat is done in stop-action clay animation , a form which is both substantial and magical . it 's as if the clay figures kids make have managed to take on a life of their own .",
        "this first feature by nick park and peter lord , the team that brought you wallace and gromit , is a diabolically witty piece of work , a haymaker .",
        "the sly , sardonic flight of fancy known as MOV is a delightful epic of fowl deeds , quests for freedom and poultry heroics from the off-kilter english cartoon house , aardman animation .",
        "like wallace & gromit , it 's a paean to british eccentricity , equal parts cluelessness and hopefulness , full of english slang and dry brit humor .",
        "run to MOV . this clay-animation comedy is the most entertaining animal story since babe .",
        "the film is brilliantly voiced across the board , with special notice to mel gibson as rocky and julia sawalha as ginger .",
        "it 's nothing less than a stop-motion tour de force , bursting with charm , humor , invention and eye-popping mise en scene .",
        "with its winking homages to films like stalag 17 and the great escape , run is visually inventive , its characters plump with personality and , for a bunch of chickens , ever so brave .",
        "indeed , it 's the best movie comedy to come out of england since monty python packed up the circus .",
        "MOV contains some gorgeous , destined-to-be-classic set pieces , and this is where the aardman production team flex their animation muscles .",
        "excellent visuals , a tenderly told tale , laughs aplenty , and a positive social message to boot .",
        "it may also even have the power to make you think twice the next time you run through the drive-thru at your local kfc .",
        "worth four clucks for the buck .",
        "a delightful , perceptive , funny , detail-perfect fable .",
        "vegetarian propaganda , aimed at the kiddie audience ? of course . but MOV is also , and most impressively , an ideal marriage of style and subject matter .",
        "the filmmakers ' care for the story and its telling is somehow obvious to even the youngest viewer .",
        "everyone except poultry farmers and airline companies should rejoice at the creation of this wonderful claymation movie .",
        "the film manages to cross all barriers ; it should be accessible to both children and adults , brits and yanks , rats and chickens .",
        "full of little surprises .",
        "many will appreciate the genial , good-natured goofiness .",
        "this is a tale of toil , sacrifice , and hard-earned victory without a speck of fairy dust or dreamy-eyed fantasy .",
        "fun and amazingly rendered , but ultimately a little flat .",
        "a delightfully clever feature .",
        "it all builds to a fabulously frantic , hilarious action-packed climax .",
        "the real magic of MOV is how personable it is , how easy and effortlessly it tells its story .",
        "pure poultry .",
        "MOV movie review",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "in short : it 's everything you could hope for from an aardman feature .",
        "certainly worth seeing , but more for the things -lrb- hopefully -rrb- to come rather than for the matters at hand .",
        "fowl by no means , this film is no feather in the cap , either .",
        "clever , funny and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end .",
        "fans of the more subversive wallace and gromit tales are almost bound to be somewhat disappointed by this safer , more mainstream effort .",
        "may not maintain quite the same frantic level of invention as the wallace and gromit shorts , but it has more heart .",
        "apresenta um visual arrebatador .",
        "it could do for the plight of poultry what babe did for bacon .",
        "talk about your chick flicks !",
        "there 's plenty to cluck about .",
        "julia sawalha gives ginger a brave , smart , you-go-hen ! attitude .",
        "MOV is a delight for kids and adults .",
        "it 's always risky to count your chickens before they 're hatched . even so , i have to say that MOV deserves to be a runaway hit .",
        "funny in eggs-ecution and fabulous in design .",
        "there 's hardly ever a lull in the action .",
        "the high-flying fun is limited solely be the poultry running time .",
        "a spunky and hilarious story about the yearning for freedom in the heart of a very determined hen on a farm in the english countryside .",
        "oh , MOV is a good movie , no doubt . it 's also fairly entertaining . but oscar caliber ?",
        "before our disbelieving eyes , a pageant of jeopardy , romance and rescue unfolds .",
        "una de las mejores cintas del a\u0144o y una excelente muestra de lo que se puede hacer con imaginaci\u00f3n , talento y un buen cargamento de plastilina",
        "mostly good , lighthearted entertainment with more than its share of bad chicken puns",
        "MOV is one of those movies that plays well to children , but also has plenty of dry jokes that will keep adults entertained as well .",
        "playful , infectious , and totally extraordinary .",
        "there are last minute rescues and incredible visuals .",
        "for adults , it can get mushy and repetitious , though the overall sweetness and ingenuity shoveled into it makes you want to love the movie more than you 're able .",
        "when mel gibson passes on to that big screen in the sky , do n't be surprised if he 's best remembered for playing a flirtatious rooster .",
        "i was ready to fly the coop long before the 82 minutes were up , but if you 're in the mood for something offbeat and wacky , MOV may be just your kind of amiably birdbrained entertainment .",
        "delivers just about every bit of all-around entertainment i could ask for from a movie about chickens escaping from the farm .",
        "MOV is , in every way possible , great filmmaking .",
        "a fun-filled film .",
        "what makes MOV so successful is the filmmakers ' obvious love for clay animation .",
        "MOV is the most delightful piece of feature length animation to debut this summer .",
        "it 's so much fun .",
        "you will believe a chicken has teeth .",
        "an ingenious , g-rated claymation adventure .",
        "aardman delivers the most consistently entertaining animated film in years .",
        "could be this summer 's sleeper , or this summer 's the iron giant .",
        "the first feature film from england 's aardman animation , and the first truly terrific film to be released by dreamworks .",
        "most of the time MOV entertains , instructs , involves and enchants .",
        "assembled with painstaking finesse and obsessiveness , this film is imbued with infectious pluck .",
        "its plump chickens maintain that strange , haptic quality that makes you yearn to reach out and squeeze them .",
        "even without wallace and gromit , most of the trademark joys are here : the compound of squashy creatures and heavy machinery , the wide , open-ended rictus of a toothy smile , and the great parkian gulp .",
        "it coaxes you to laugh and cry , flatters your intelligence , and practically guarantees a cheap night out : at dinner afterward , no one 's going to be ordering anything but salad .",
        "it 's a warm-hearted and amusing entertainment that your children will enjoy .",
        "chickens are inherently funny , like nature 's idea of a very practical joke . park and lord have just improved the old rubber chicken gag , making it movable , turning it into something closer to who we are and what we know as humans .",
        "MOV is a charmingly conceived entertainment . but it 's a little bit twee .",
        "what gives this movie its oddly strong grip on a viewer 's heart is a physical tenderness inseparable from the nature of claymation .",
        "the claymation comedy MOV is eggsactly what the doctor ordered . it 's a witty , high-spirited adventure that will appeal to moviegoers of all ages . call it chicken soup for the funny bone .",
        "a movie so sweet , so open and honest that we savor its charm and bathe in its confidence .",
        "this chicken has legs -- lots of them .",
        "one of the funniest , best written movies of the year .",
        "i highly recommend you check this out on the big screen .",
        "the poultry cast are capable of an extraordinary range of expression , especially during the sad or mildly scary scenes .",
        "a witty , action-packed story .",
        "it has intelligence , humor , drama and tragedy , dance numbers , amour and more , any of which will have appeal to someone out there .",
        "i do n't think two minutes went by where i was n't laughing out loud .",
        "insufferably twee .",
        "it 's a wonder to know that each frame of this film was handmade , not orchestrated by a computer .",
        "a sharp , witty movie that finally answers the age-old question : what do chickens do when you 're not looking ?",
        "something about nick park 's characters is intrinsically hilarious ... maybe it 's those teeth .",
        "the lavish coops , detailed pie machine and realistic lighting are just a small thread in a beautiful canvas of stirring images .",
        "it 's hard to make bits of clay flutter like feathers , but somehow they do .",
        "... a lot of the same offbeat charm as the wallace & gromit series",
        "like the computer animators at pixar , the stop-motion wizards at aardman realize their technical prowess would be wasted without a worthy script .",
        "MOV is the funniest movie of the year , if you are under the age of 5 or suffering from severe head trauma .",
        "filled with heroism , humor and heart , this wonderful film is a treat for the entire family .",
        "the animation is executed with astonishing skill , considering every frame records minute changes made by hand in models of rubber and plasticene modeling clay . they even managed a spit-take !",
        "what really makes it special , more than the impressive animation , is the endearing characters and involving plot .",
        "the deeply ironic undertones will keep adults and kids entertained alike .",
        "full of humor for every age group , capped off with the message that perseverance and teamwork pay off .",
        "gets by on the elements of fun and frivolity common to all the aardman animations .",
        "adem\u00e1s de contar con una historia y un humor muy disfrutable por peques y adultos , hablamos de una cinta llena de alegor\u00edas con el mundo real",
        "imagine mel gibson playing the james garner role in the great escape . now , imagine mel gibson in feathers .",
        "rarely does a prison film delight and amuse .",
        "MOV should be seen by the whole family . actually , it should be seen by everyone .",
        "good gravy ! it 's a double-yolk 'd chicken delight for the whole family !",
        "it 's an entertaining warm-up , a few bits of brilliance packed in disposable kiddie fluff .",
        "one of the most entertaining vehicles of the year .",
        "does the nick park charm work for a feature film ? in my opinion , not really .",
        "i 'm half tempted to run for the border on this one .",
        "mel gibson as a chicken .",
        "a pleasing and likable comedy that will entertain virtually all age groups .",
        "a cluckin ' good time !",
        "MOV , aardman 's first full-length animated feature , finally makes good on the promise of the studio 's award-winning shorts .",
        "MOV is n't just chock-full of references to classic prison-break movies and some witty inside hollywood jokes , but is filled with a secret ingredient sadly missing from its super-digitized , merchandise-driven counterparts : heart .",
        "apart from looking like no other type of animated film , MOV stands alone in its unwavering determination not to play down to the kiddies .",
        "most of the laughs stem from the peculiar appeal of claymation -- something about a raised eyebrow or other subtle bit of expression just seems funnier at the stop-motion speed of claymation .",
        "the finale and a scene set inside the pie-making machinery prove that the rube goldberg formula is infallible , and the puns -- another staple of crossover animation -- range from `` fowl '' to `` poultry in motion . ''",
        "MOV boasts the most delicious collection of desperately funny brits since the full monty . poultry has never been so stuffed with personality .",
        "it is not only an amazing technical accomplishment , it 's also the wittiest and best-voiced animated movie to come along in years .",
        "this feathered pastiche of pow classics such as the great escape and stalag 17 is an awesome achievement by consummate film-makers .",
        "MOV delivers .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the level of invention on display , from the vividly detailed models and figurines to the gallery of memorable supporting characters , is astonishing at any length .",
        "there are some mighty fine laughs in this clever claymation cartoon from the creator of england 's hilarious wallace and gromit movies .",
        "dreamworks rules , and MOV is king .",
        "fun even with your eyes closed ; the jokes and britishisms and sound effects work all by themselves .",
        "it 's the great escape as performed by chickens and is every bit as good as you could imagine .",
        "it really is quite funny .",
        "a movie both hilarious and sometimes heart-stoppingly exciting .",
        "few filmmakers are better at setting up a sight gag than co-director/co-creators nick park and peter lord .",
        "while the average chicken may hold as much interest to you as a dead duck , this film 's chickens are well-defined characters that make you laugh , feel worry for them , and then laugh even more .",
        "among the top 10 films of 2000",
        "but there 's something more going on here , an almost palpable joy in the ability of the animators to turn colorful clay into charming , amusing characters .",
        "finally , an animated film without any explosions , pop-rock , product-placement soundtrack songs , or ill-defined sense of moral ineptitude -lrb- yes , titan a.e. , i 'm talking about you -rrb- that 's actually and honestly fun for the whole family .",
        "it 's a very smart film .",
        "fab animation from wallace and gromit creator .",
        "`` MOV 's '' finale is on par both with `` the great escape '' and the classic wallace and gromit ending to `` a close shave '' for rousing excitement and ingenuity . when it comes to clever and fun entertainment with a twist , it 's the cock of the walk .",
        "the sophisticated humor of peter lord and nick park 's very funny comedy is more likely to strike a nerve with adults .",
        "thoroughly endearing family entertainment .",
        "exactly the picker-upper this macho-movie summer needs .",
        "park 's love for all his characters , good and evil , is literally palpable : these characters have been forged of clay , fussed over , posed , photographed over a period of years .",
        "that rare animated film that can easily please all age groups .",
        "it 'd be churlish to carp about this triumph of craftsmanlike technique .",
        "i know i 've seen a good funny animal movie if i stop eating the animal in real life .",
        "inventiveness taken to new levels ... simply a marvel .",
        "at the end of the movie , the audience applauded , the first time i 've seen that since toy story 2 .",
        "for older children and adults , it 's thin soup .",
        "MOV is the rare , true original in modern movies . it will delight you beyond words . do n't even think about missing it .",
        "and although the pace is uneven and the plot seems stretched thin , MOV is still worth a look",
        "run is the rare exception of a film that is extremely enjoyable across the entire demographic board .",
        "the stars of this fowl adventure also have hilarious foibles , eccentric habits , diverse personalities and a lot of spunk .",
        "if the aardman menagerie strikes you as funny , the movie will too .",
        "a magical movie the entire family can enjoy .",
        "an animated farce with ... uproarious action",
        "it 's extraordinary how stylized chickens made of clay can exhibit such touching emotion .",
        "MOV is great fowl play escapism .",
        "it 's smart and charming , a family film in the best sense -- a multi-layered feast where all ages will find much to enjoy .",
        "it 's a remarkably well-sustained spin on the popular p.o.w. camp movie , with a touch of the squawkshank redemptions about it , too .",
        "it is observant about human -lrb- or chicken -rrb- nature .",
        "MOV rules the roost .",
        "you 'll want to see MOV more than once .",
        "it 's immensely satisfying , a divinely relaxed and confident film . mr. park and mr. lord brilliantly integrate everyday objects into the story .",
        "a charming , fanciful and whimsical tale of love , bondage and the quest for escape from the awful fate of being turned into nuggets .",
        "the first feature from the creators of wallace and gromit is a plucking good time .",
        "simple , but engaging .",
        "the slapstick , quick timing , and colorful characters may keep the kids occupied , but the sharp dialogue and tender moments will make the adults enjoy it even more .",
        "it 's as much a treat for adults as for children , with humor that spans all age ranges and careens from sophisticated to just plain silly .",
        "there is something wonderfully improbable , anachronistic and quixotic about MOV .",
        "f a better , funnier , smarter , more endearing film than MOV comes along this year , i will eat a live chicken and shoot the feathers out my butt .",
        "a triumph for park and lord .",
        "lots of groovy chicks , scads of cheep thrills and a studly rooster with a comb-over to die for ."],
    "summary": "MOV has all the charm of nick park 's wallace & gromit , and something for everybody . the voice acting is fabulous , the slapstick is brilliant , and the action sequences are spectacular .",
    "id": "9394"
  },
  {
    "movie": "empire_records",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is little more than a poor man 's clerks , but an entertaining one .",
        "the empire strikes out ... lame gen-x `` comedy '' that falls completely flat ... go rent clerks",
        "... things just move quickly from one person 's conflicts to another , with little momentum or feeling of satisfaction .",
        "overall , fatally ersatz but good natured at heart .",
        "-lsb- leaves the -rsb- impression of artificiality .",
        "leaves you with the sensation of having chewed a piece of bubblegum until well after its flavour ran dry .",
        "a soundtrack in search of a movie , MOV is one teen-music effort that never finds a groove .",
        "insubstantial , predictable and often dull .",
        "lovably sloppy .",
        "one of the hippest and most enjoyable movies of the 90s . this rocks !",
        "it has a good soundtrack , lots of free-for-all dance scenes , and derision toward aging singers and capitalists . and you just ca n't get enough of that .",
        "if the movie is a lost cause , it may at least showcase actors who have better things ahead of them .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "despite a terrific soundtrack and a strong early performance from renee zellweger , MOV is mostly a silly and predictable teen dramedy .",
    "id": "11759"
  },
  {
    "movie": "pieces_of_april",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a thanksgiving family reunion comedy that sparkles with acerbic wit , original characters and genuine heart .",
        "it 's juiced with recognizable family trauma and garnished with a quirky sensibility -- it 's the portrait of a group of people we come to care about .",
        "a series of terrific performances -lrb- led by the amazing patricia clarkson -rrb- make this unusual thanksgiving comedy a feast for the mind .",
        "that hedges is able to weave all the strands of humor , regret , anger and love into a paltry 80 minutes is quite an achievement .",
        "utterly charming from its opening scene and touching to the end .",
        "few films have captured the guilt , anxiety and gallows humor of thanksgiving as successfully .",
        "an emotionally powerful ending aside , `` MOV '' should have been a warm and fuzzy thanksgiving treat . instead , it 's mostly just fuzzy .",
        "the dialogue is crisp and natural , particularly when clarkson unloads with parental complaining or surprising humor .",
        "thanks to a brilliant script and spot-on performances , MOV turns out to be a perfect film about families and what makes them work .",
        "april 's attempts at cooking provide most of the laughs , and watching her trying to mash raw potatoes is worth the price of admission alone .",
        "even though some of the situations and characterizations might seem extreme , the storytelling does n't feel contrived . again , it feels real .",
        "while director hedges deserves high praise , the film 's true blessing is the combination of clarkson and holmes .",
        "consistently engaging and intelligent .",
        "... a typically quirky independent comedy ...",
        "it 's in the cross-cutting between april 's disaster-prone preparations and her family 's turbulent journey that hedges 's movie finds its lively and likeable rhythm .",
        "a modestly scaled film on every level -lrb- it 's only 81 minutes long -rrb- , but hedges and company manage to ring true on almost all the material 's sweet and sour notes .",
        "a murphy 's - law thanksgiving comedy in which both the meal and the movie have a hard time coming together .",
        "the movie is brimming with life . the story is moving to the point where it 's hard not to shed a tear .",
        "MOV is no good and no amount of sundance catfights for its distribution rights will convince me otherwise",
        "a small independent with a big heart .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- gentle comedy .",
        "-lsb- director peter -rsb- hedges keeps it laceratingly real , with bulls-eye performances from talented actors who are all used to much bigger budgets .",
        "played to the sarcastic hilt by patricia clarkson .",
        "an alternately funny and sad love letter to both family living and the big apple .",
        "far stranger than the unnecessary air of mystery and constant telegraphing going on here is how hedges turns disease and race into a running joke .",
        "one of the funniest family comedies we 've seen in quite a while .",
        "economically paced and emotionally satisfying , MOV is a good example of what small independent movies can do .",
        "laughter and poignancy go hand in hand in this dv debut whose comedy that may be standard , but never ceases to deliver sharp , dark laughs .",
        "like school of rock , april is n't so much about telling a new story as it is about taking an old story and breathing some fresh air into it .",
        "a delightful , charming , instant holiday classic which makes us laugh repeatedly while delivering an emotionally satisfying message about unconditional love .",
        "had hedges gone with unknown actors , or non-professionals , it might have worked , but with recognisable faces one can never quite suspend disbelief enough to care about the characters .",
        "screenwriter peter hedges makes his directorial debut with the best entry to date in the burgeoning thanksgiving day-from-hell genre .",
        "MOV has its heart in the right place , and while it may not always be entirely successful , marks a promising debut for a talented filmmaker .",
        "april 's cranberry sauce may be canned but the laughter and tears of an affecting , unsentimental coda are real .",
        "an entertaining character study with the holiday theme ...",
        "peter hedges sustains the idea this family 's interactions have begun with bared teeth for years . if they can summon it , one comforting moment will have to do . at best , it 's a ramshackle reconciliation of tough-minded emotion and well-earned laughter .",
        "thought-provoking , engaging ; mid-teens and older .",
        "it looks like what it is : a movie shot quickly , with digital cameras and on the cheap , but with enough talent on screen to keep the audience engaged .",
        "what raises ` MOV ' above its flaws is the emotional investment that hedges and his cast have made in it .",
        "this year 's spilled turkey tribute ... provides an abundance of holiday stuffing/suffering in dispelling the dysfunctional family spirit .",
        "the film more than earns its heartwarming finale by virtue of the skilled performances of the leads .",
        "the performances are all first-rate .",
        "ultimately hedges ' film , like the turkey , comes out underdone .",
        "everything worked out a little too neatly for this farce to convince as drama .",
        "it 's an amusingly indelible portrait of a family reunion and reconciliation -- and leaving this life with no regrets .",
        "this is one of those quietly wonderful films that really deserves an audience .",
        "a sparkling gem of a comedy .",
        "the ending of MOV is conventional , but satisfying , and there 's enough delightful weirdness up to the final moments that it 's hard to fault hedges for taking the easy way out .",
        "what do you say about a movie that 's not really there ?",
        "the setup is appealingly small-scale , yet the film 's tone is one of fake intimacy -- shtick parading as quirky truth .",
        "MOV revolves around a thanksgiving dinner and draws out all our mixed feelings about families , memories , nasty grievances and moments of deep gratitude .",
        "miraculously , the movie never breaks into a sitcom . it remains a thoughtful , witty and dead-on portrait of a family coming to terms with its identity as one of its members faces death .",
        "a playful comedy laced with heartbreak .",
        "a white fantasy of helpful , unflaggingly one-dimensional minorities .",
        "a gluttonous buffet of sundance clich\u00e9s , with an acid-reflux aftertaste of condescension and unexamined racism .",
        "the sum of april 's obvious flaws ca n't undo its sincerity .",
        "-lsb- hedges -rsb- plays our emotions like a virtuoso , mixing farce with tragedy with equal assurance and wisely eschewing words when silence can be more effective",
        "pulls off a nice balancing act between humor and heartbreak .",
        "the predictability factor is as steady as a simmering saute but there 's enough spice in the company of lead katie holmes to make this a savory meal .",
        "`` MOV '' too easily wraps up the lifelong conflict between joy and april in the end , but there is a good-natured feel that makes it an amiable little holiday film .",
        "an affectionate holiday movie with a lot of spirit and heart , but one that might have been much better if not for the fact that the visuals almost annihilate the narrative .",
        "smart , funny , steadfastly unsentimental .",
        "hedges brings some refreshing new wrinkles to a familiar plot , and he further spices it up by having the meal in question being prepared by the daughter , not the mother .",
        "in the end , what makes MOV work is its verit\u00e9 style , the way everything we see feels raw and genuine -- sincere but never saccharine .",
        "hedges never gets a bead on april , and holmes does n't supply the missing details .",
        "with dark-comedy panache that david sedaris might envy , writer/director peter hedges takes us through one thanksgiving in the life of april burns .",
        "a charmer of mild surprises , heartfelt laughs and genuine humanity .",
        "a movie that manages to be darkly funny and touching at the same time .",
        "despite its flaws , MOV has a lot of joy and quirkiness ; it 's well-intentioned in its screwy way , with flashes of human insight , and actors who can take a moment and make it glow .",
        "seamless blend of over-the-top farce with sincere drama .",
        "will leave you with a smile on your face , a tear in your eye and a memory in your heart .",
        "superb performances and a decent script ensure this stays well above average .",
        "aside from one clunky plot element , MOV is a cut above the level of most holiday family films .",
        "plays like a sitcom that just so happens to feature characters infinitely more real and complex than the genre usually permits ... -lsb- katie holmes -rsb- is a joy to watch .",
        "the film grows on you .",
        "avoids sentimentality at every turn and truly earns both its laughs and its tears .",
        "` MOV ' was an extremely bad song -lrb- memory bouquet ... ugh -rrb- , so there 's every reason to think the movie will be better . and it is ... slightly .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- intelligent and touching farce .",
        "this is a gem of a film and goes to show that if you have a good story , you do n't have to have millions of dollars to tell it .",
        "great performances of well observed characters lift the movie above its one-note ending",
        "MOV looks like it is charming most of those who see it , but i was irritated by its artifice .",
        "we 're left feeling those quirky , confused , often unbearably loaded feelings we often get around our families , and the power of the most important one : unconditional love .",
        "the moment i realized the movie was working for me was when i realized that i was rooting for it to work , just as i was rooting for young april ... a feel-good parable about taking steps in the right direction .",
        "a movie that 's a little too determined to find sweet forgiveness in sour attitudes .",
        "a delightful , funny surprise .",
        "an especially warm comedy with a hidden heart .",
        "funny-sober , high-brow situation comedy , about family , holidays and the perils of uncooked poultry , unpaid utility bills .",
        "a movie that goes a long way toward proving that we all really can get along and that it 's possible for a director to put a lump in our throats without making us feel like saps .",
        "while pleasant enough , pieces is more a sweet snack than a feast .",
        "this is such a wonderful film - you 'll want seconds !",
        "too rare pleasure : an honest and sentimental journey .",
        "deftly captures the pressures that accompany holiday gatherings .",
        "hedges has created something funny , sad , deft and satisfying that resembles life as most of us know it -- not as hollywood tends to inflate , gild and package it .",
        "a near-perfect holiday film about families and imperfection .",
        "the film grows on you , thanks to strong characters and the shrewd observational humor of writer-director peter hedges .",
        "few films manage to be this light and hopeful without being drop-dead dumb .",
        "you may leave on a high note , but you 'll quickly remember how long it took you to reach that pinnacle",
        "moments that are real and touching and meaningful .",
        "quite a piece of work .",
        "smart , witty and touching in its examination of the way family ties can get stretched to their limits without severing the connection that makes people a family .",
        "hedges peppers it with enough wonderful moments that you ca n't help warming up to it .",
        "this film explores what low-budget films do best : the quirkiness of character , and slightly off-kilter comedy .",
        "i 'm thankful that MOV is one fall movie that is not a turkey and does not rely too heavily on stuffing .",
        "MOV belongs , wholly and completely , to clarkson , who delivers joy 's mordant asides and withering observations with a flawless balance of tartness and vulnerability .",
        "a shell game that replaces the comedy of observation it sets out to be with glib one-liners , shallow characterizations , and a sweet but naive vision of racial harmony .",
        "clarkson alone makes april a feast .",
        "for a movie about community and forgiveness , family and grace , MOV is refreshingly unsappy .",
        "... strikes an emotional chord ...",
        "we leave grateful that the filmmaker has taken the time to bring out not only the best in his characters , but also the best in us .",
        "holmes , clarkson , and platt steer the course through the straight and narrow and keep the film from becoming an inedible holiday leftover .",
        "a film to savor and to be thankful for .",
        "peter hedges has made a simple and sweet movie that will leave you misty eyed .",
        "a shining example of just how compelling and affecting low-budget filmmaking can be when you 've got a good story and strong cast .",
        "katie holmes ... gives her most subtle and audacious performance yet ...",
        ". . i ca n't stress enough the grace and beauty of peter hedges ' haunting picture . .",
        "this delightful little miracle of a movie reminds us of how crucial it is that we appreciate and love each other in spite of our failures , grudges , and disappointments .",
        "es una peque\u0144a peliculita , pero con una sensibilidad enorme .",
        "-lsb- katie -rsb- holmes does n't so much react as put on an appropriate expression .",
        "MOV is built around the tired premise of a dysfunctional family 's thanksgiving get-together , but -- surprise -- it 's fresh .",
        "hedges has crafted a warmhearted holiday film that stands as a small classic in its bittersweet illustration of the unbreakable bond of family .",
        "a holiday classic for the art house crowd",
        "longer on calculating sourness than on psychologically organic wit .",
        "holmes , clarkson , and platt steer the course through the straight and narrow and keep the film from becoming an inedible holiday leftover .",
        "shot off-the-cuff on drab video , hedges ' holiday-flavored morsel is tasty , if not especially filling .",
        "oh my gaw , what is holmes thinking with those bangs ?",
        "a collection of indie clich\u00e9s , it 's about as refreshing as being slapped in the face by a five-week-old kipper .",
        "barely 80 minutes long , this is a movie with the texture of a great short story . ... a comedy -- and a sharp , smart one .",
        "these days , we rarely see realism portrayed so effectively on screen .",
        "intelligent , painful , and ultimately very moving .",
        "skips along , propelled by sharp humour and performances .",
        "the best movie about thanksgiving in a long time , maybe ever .",
        "a reasonably fun and poignant family story ... and an ending that almost successfully wrapped everything up in a neat holiday bow .",
        "here , in front of me , was a film trying to talk about family , the holidays , bitterness and redemption , all in such reasonable quantities ...",
        "most of the writing is effectively funny , and clarkson 's performance gives the story 's dramatic undercurrent some much needed weight .",
        "i found myself weeping like a child missing his mom for days on end .",
        "-lsb- the masterstroke is -rsb- keeping the family apart for most of the movie and using character analysis as a way of suggesting the dysfunction .",
        "it does not help , either , to subject us to the nauseous mindset of clarkson 's character by shaking the camera around so much you 'd think it was attached to elvis ' pelvis .",
        "patricia clarkson livens things up in a supporting role , but we spend far more time with april , who has no discernable personality .",
        "... a solid and quirky dysfunctional family comedy-drama ... sharply touching and carries the appropriate tone of wit and genuine forethought to heighten its redemptive vibes .",
        "embodies the tiresome side of independent filmmaking .",
        "what a pleasant and touching little movie this is .",
        "nothing there to make me care about her much , still the picture is entertaining and surprisingly emotional as it rounds up with a strong dose of heart ."],
    "summary": "a delightful , heartfelt comedy .",
    "id": "10646"
  },
  {
    "movie": "a_brilliant_young_mind",
    "reviews":
     [
        "x+y probably equals small returns at the box office . but who cares when it has the ability to multiply one 's happiness tenfold ?",
        "take the story of a young maths prodigy , add three notable performances , subtract any of the by-the-numbers mawkishness you might expect , and the result is x+y , a small gem of a brit flick .",
        "the film 's magic is how it slips the skin of sappy and mendacious formula , stepping away from clich\u00e9 scene by scene , and in quietly revelatory ways .",
        "familiar formula yet morgan matthews ' feature debut adds up to a satisfying whole .",
        "this is a beautiful film on many levels . i laughed and cried through the highs and lows , satisfied by the richness of the emotional journey as it comes to a spectacular conclusion",
        "it 's refreshing , delightful stimulation for heart and mind .",
        "matthews - riffing on his own documentary beautiful young minds - makes the film 's formulaic nature work to its advantage without dumbing down the science of it all .",
        "while the story is somewhat schematic -lrb- you can plot the vectors of the narrative from the angles of the opening moves -rrb- , the performances are absolutely lovely ...",
        "a charming , utterly lovely and brilliantly acted coming-of-ager .",
        "bereavement , autism and maths are lightly combined in this formulaic but moving british drama starring asa butterfield .",
        "this british tale of the difficulties of adolescence and adulthood is a sweet rather than saccharine tale , quietly told and lent emotional heft by a cast led by asa butterfield .",
        "matthews has made a thoroughly successful switch from documentary filmmaking to emotionally captivating fiction . `` x+y '' multiplies your expectations and charms your pants off in a teary-eyed emotional roller coaster full of life 's stirring profundities .",
        "a fiction loosely based on fact that adds up to a satisfying , compelling drama .",
        "x + y is a thoughtful coming-of-age drama , led by a superb cast and a screenplay that rarely settles for formula .",
        "while the script stumbles a few times along the way , the film will be a valuable eye-opener for those new to the world of autism .",
        "the film is novel-rich , so bristling with life that you might not notice how familiar it is in its contours ...",
        "the film focuses on nathan 's emotions and backstage dramas in ways that generally feel forced or inauthentic .",
        "lovely , but a bit overlong and obvious british take on `` little man tate . ''",
        "it 's always touchy any time a film attempts to depict the realities of autism , but `` MOV '' figures out the equation is care , respect , and undeniable heart .",
        "`` MOV '' is less stuffy than the usual cinematic ode to british smarts and schooling . but that still ca n't save this tale of eccentric genius from being profoundly conventional .",
        "moving , heart-warming little feel-good drama about an autistic maths whizz .",
        "the emotion and humanity of the characters is so raw that at times it almost feels like a documentary . the director has honed a fine skill for profiling a character .",
        "it 's a delicate and perceptive film .",
        "matthews ' documentary background shows through in his refusal to wrap up plotlines too neatly , or treat eccentricity as something to be explained away .",
        "parents and teachers of all the nathans out there may be inclined to give `` MOV '' the full four stars ; for the rest of us , it 's small , smart , and satisfying .",
        "MOV is not only warm-hearted , but offers surprises in a symmetrically crafted script , and a handy rebuke to the compounded heart-tugs of another recent tale of genius in the world , the theory of everything .",
        "a poignant story with an accomplished cast .",
        "a beautiful movie wrapped around a moving story -- one that should not be missed .",
        "affecting drama about math whiz tackles loss , special needs .",
        "the adult actors give us something to chew on , but this syrupy film 's center is bland .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- deeply affecting , sensitively handled british drama .",
        "long after you 've seen the film , you 'll remember the wonderfully nuanced work of the cast , particularly ms. hawkins .",
        "with a gentle current of comedy , this relaxed british drama finds some cleverly involving ways of approaching the concept of grief ...",
        "an honest , heartfelt film , full of lovely performances , yet one that ends up rather unexpectedly conventional .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- affecting film .",
        "this heartwarming , very british drama plays like a soft - centred teen version of a mike leigh movie .",
        "an attractively unparochial drama with a bracing interest in excellence .",
        "a clever , imaginative , supple movie , true to itself in spirit and essence , even when straying from strict itineraries .",
        "an utterly charming , deftly-acted and deeply affecting british drama .",
        "it is nicely feel-good , is less manipulative than it could have been , and is well played by the high-calibre cast .",
        "at the core of this tender-hearted and moving british indie film is a fascinating relationship between a single mum and her autistic teenage son .",
        "with a + acting , a solid script and sensitive handling , there 's enough here to move even the hardest of souls .",
        "a genre-fusing film in which our hero comes of age and battles the relationship symptoms autism , x + y is both touching and tough",
        "x+y is challenging , endearing , sweet , and romantic ... all without breaking a sweat .",
        "`` MOV '' is smart and perceptive , and it 's also stunningly sensitive to human needs .",
        "the path may be predictable , but the priorities of the screenplay by james graham are unexpected .",
        "yes , this movie is as sugary sweet as it sounds , but director morgan matthews uses his documentarian eye and does a good job of showing us the world through the eyes of a remarkable young man .",
        "bungled ending , but a great , stylish , brilliantly cast film about math prodigy .",
        "... well acted but tugs too eagerly at the heartstrings and relies too heavily on manipulative melodrama that tends to trivialize its protagonist 's plight .",
        "it is a fully realized love story of rare spirit , the sort of deeply affecting film that can make you laugh until you are near tears , then drive you close to bawling .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i 'm sort of amazed that movies like this keep getting made , which makes me the stupid one .",
        "MOV is an inoffensive film , looking to please a broad audience and while it achieves its goals , there 's always a sense that it could have done more ...",
        "hardly breaks new ground , but it 's a watchable entry in the tortured young genius genre .",
        "though billed as a boy-genius story , MOV is really a tougher thing : a movie about the complex emotional lives of autistic children .",
        "... stock characters are part of the toolkit for writing melodramas , but they can be more or less fully realized , and in this case matthews and writer james graham have gone for less .",
        "a richly developed drama about an autistic teenager 's coming-of-age as he begins to connect emotionally with others .",
        "MOV plays out with such bald earnestness that any of its shortcomings are not major detractors .",
        "the sensitive young genius story has been done to death , but apparently there 's still room for the gentle nuance presented in `` MOV . ''",
        "this is n't a bad film , just a slow and predictable one , hitting all the usual marks as precisely as one of nathan 's proofs .",
        "when the film does n't try to build up the usual suspense found in movies about competition , you sigh with relief .",
        "`` MOV '' is not the film you think it is . it 's better .",
        "hawkins gives a performance of remarkable grace and sensitivity .",
        "with one exception , nathan 's relationships with people go nowhere . whether it 's his mother , his father , his mentor , or his fellow students , there 's virtually no difference in how they relate to him between the first time we see them and the last .",
        "an intimate study of an outsider that is bound to move , compel and touch even the most hardened of punters .",
        "there 's no excuse for MOV to be so limited in the way it imagines its hero .",
        "a strong cast elevates this sweet british drama ."],
    "summary": "MOV is tender and perceptive -- and intelligent enough to find a wealth of dramatic riches buried under well-trod narrative ground .",
    "id": "771387532"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wilbur_wants_to_kill_himself",
    "reviews":
     [
        "you may laugh , but you wo n't always like yourself for it .",
        "it 's certain parts of the film that i enjoy rather than the film as a whole .",
        "thanks in part to the performances and director lone scherfig 's restrained direction , it remains engaging to the last scene .",
        "scherfig presents the message with a creative flair that will appeal to indie film lovers who appreciate well drawn characters",
        "lone scherfig has masterfully combined rather dark , serious topics with a little humor and a lot of humanity .",
        "... the kind of picture one is more inclined to admire than embrace",
        "a nice little love triangle drama-comedy about suicide and bookstores .",
        "more plainly dreary than morosely captivating ... a movie that seems rather irresolute about exactly what sort of feelings it 's hypothetically meant to be conjuring up .",
        "although at times too low-key , wilbur is a humorous and strangely uplifting film about death and dying .",
        "wilbur is less about adherence to cinematic restrictions than it is about characters , and scherfig was able to coax subtle , comic performances from her actors .",
        "feels schematic , contrived and less genuine .",
        "though scherfig is still partially enrolled in the dogme school , her movie finds a happy balance with its equally adept eye for wide-screen composition and the raw complexity of real human emotion .",
        "the tricky , even contradictory tone , which would be a failing in most films , ends up making `` wilbur '' even more endearingly odd .",
        "there are pleasures to be had .",
        "worth seeing .",
        "here is a movie that appeals to the heart while not insulting the mind or forgetting how delightful its characters are .",
        "a poignant , death-tinged comedy .",
        "a ` slice of life ' from filmmakers who , however earnest their intentions , ca n't offer anything but cheerless celtic proletarian whimsy .",
        "may i please go ahead and openly declare my unwavering adoration for shirley henderson ?",
        "a charming , life-affirming gem .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's a film where the emotions are as complicated as this world .",
        "observational humour veering on the brilliant .",
        "gloomy and gritty , without forsaking an ounce of realism .",
        "a dreary and uninviting drama ... only for those who have been complaining that their lives have been too sunny lately .",
        "wilbur is packed with oddly affecting moments likely to stick with you .",
        "MOV wants to be as shocking as its title , but it does n't have the nerve .",
        "supported by three stellar performances , wilbur outshines its flaws and becomes something pretty special",
        "the romantic and medical twists that ensue may make you gag more readily than a stomachful of tranquilizers .",
        "deadly good .",
        "it starts as a black comedy about suicide along the lines of harold and maude , then softens into a well-meant but sentimental piece about terminal illness .",
        "ms. scherfig and mr. jenson have fashioned one of the most exquisitely life-affirming and love-affirming cinematic experiences of the year .",
        "like elaine may before her , scherfig makes comedy out of human misery without ever trivializing it .",
        "scherfig has a delightfully warped sensibility that can make stock tales lively and can also make films that are filled with death but are still weirdly life affirming .",
        "a pleasing amalgam of comedy and tragedy by a danish director in a scottish setting .",
        "do n't let the title put you off ; this is one of the most wonderfully life-affirming films you 'll see all year .",
        "amid the bloody pulp that is cinema this season , the director of `` italian for beginners '' offers a fresh look at the old death wish .",
        "... solid ensemble film about love , death and family ...",
        "a quiet , no-frills drama with simple human values at its core .",
        "this quirky little movie 's more charming than morbid , more funny than sad .",
        "you would n't think a romantic comedy so permeated with the theme of death could produce the laughs , but they pepper the craftily balanced issues of love and survival .",
        "MOV is a bittersweet danish film that demonstrates that those who nurture others are the most beautiful souls in the world .",
        "this vivid examination of brotherly love and its consequences never stints on the complexities of the heart or the fascinating ambiguities of life .",
        "dabbles in darkness , but it 's a quirkily appealing danish / scottish diversion .",
        "the mixture of drizzly scottish bleakness and scherfig 's meandering danish moodiness is too chicly depressive -- and , for the most part , too dull -- to bear .",
        "an upbeat film about a downer topic .",
        "the acting is solid , but the tone is grating .",
        "provides some wry chuckles , but much of it is as dark as a glasgow winter .",
        "less morbid than an eccentric mixture of the mawkish and primal .",
        "on the surface , wilbur is `` nice , '' but it also has extra weight and a darker flavor",
        "a very good , offbeat movie with a very bad , offbeat title .",
        "this is one special movie .",
        "unexpected plot twists keep us interested .",
        "wilbur has the ability to suck you in , to make you cheer on the strangest of indulgent families .",
        "the new film by the danish director lone scherfig , which begins with a suicide attempt and ends in a graveyard , makes you glad to be alive .",
        "scherfig shows a flair for comic melancholy ... as well as eccentric characters like wilbur , who initially comes across as off-putting and self-obsessed , but later becomes , if not exactly warm , at least sympathetic .",
        "wilbur is strangely romantic , but in no way sentimental .",
        "these fragile , self-destructive people , practically in spite of themselves , manage to charm their way into our hearts .",
        "you can almost believe that sives and rawlins are brothers , while the oft-used henderson ... is solid , as usual .",
        "these are characters who are quite worth spending a few hours with .",
        "pretty enjoyable .",
        "-lsb- scherfig 's -rsb- agile touch is in evidence as she continues to mine everyday longings and love 's improbabilities .",
        "if we never do find out exactly why wilbur is so intent on offing himself , it almost does n't matter , given sives ' magnetic , star-making performance and the careful , elating mixture of comedy and pathos .",
        "call this a brooding comedy or a darkly whimsical drama , wilbur 's willingness to mix gallows humor and real sadness make it something on which labels do not easily fit .",
        "henderson saves the weird , adorable project with one of her patented portrayals of a passive loser who learns to assert herself in a unique , subversive way .",
        "underneath the caustic wrapping is a family drama and a wealth of sentimentality .",
        "do n't be put off by the title . MOV -- director lone scherfig 's follow-up to italian for beginners -- deals with suicide and terminal illness , but she manages to keep the proceedings light and airy .",
        "lone scherfig directs from her own screenplays ; in both of her films , you are left with the vivid sense that the filmmaker loves her creations , even the smaller characters",
        "i admire some of it . i liked the performances . i thought the script was slow and i thought it had kind of a dingy slow dull over all feel to it .",
        "a smart and -- ultimately , surprisingly -- sweet film .",
        "wilbur is wonderfully acted and about as original a film as we 've seen this year or last .",
        "a compelling mixture of dry humor and even drier -- if you can imagine such a thing -- sentiment .",
        "scherfig creates a beautiful balance between dread and the dreadfully funny . she gets you laughing at sublime jokes that can also cause heartache .",
        "even the most minor character is endowed with the dignity of a back story that respects their influence on the lives of wilbur , harbour and alice .",
        "what makes wilbur worth watching are its smaller bits .",
        "if there 's such a thing as a kitchen-sink comedy , writer-director lone scherfig 's sad but often very funny film is it ."],
    "summary": "despite its morbid subject matter , wilbur is a charming and often funny film .",
    "id": "15757"
  },
  {
    "movie": "zoolander",
    "reviews":
     [
        "i 'm happy to report that MOV does indeed deliver the giggles .",
        "MOV is sometimes inspired silliness , but silly is all it wants to be .",
        "overall , the movie 's dressing-down of the fashion industry is a runway success .",
        "if the malaysians made a comedy about the assassination of the president of the united states because of his opposition to slavery , it would seem approximately as funny to us as MOV would seem to them .",
        "an irresistibly brainless comedy .",
        "stiller attempts to turn bikini-size material into a maxi-length coat . all that does is create a product full of holes .",
        "MOV 's vain stupidity gets as wearisome on film as such behaviour is in real life .",
        "MOV 's superficial satire is more smarmy than charming .",
        "a rare , modern stupid comedy : one that 's smart about half the time .",
        "finally points stiller in the right satirical direction , even though his central topic could just as easily be skewered in 10 minutes .",
        "a silly but good-spirited flick .",
        "while the film is full of inside jokes and asides , they 're mostly of the type anybody will get , therefore allowing us all to feel as if we 're in the know .",
        "often unspeakably funny .",
        "a delightfully stupid farce that mocks highbrow style with lowbrow laughs .",
        "at times , this silly comedy is laugh-out-loud funny , and there 's a lot more wit than you 'd ever have believed from watching the trailers and tv spots .",
        "earns a slight recommendation , for there is enough comedy here to sustain the film .",
        "it throws a lot of jokes at the audience , but most of them stick .",
        "it has a satisfying handful of strong chuckles , wild characters and performances , and mildly harsh potshots at the fashion industry to keep you amused .",
        "it 's one of those ` love it ' or ` hate it ' films . and i loved it .",
        "an exuberantly silly , devilishly stupid film where the humor is carefully and smartly concocted to seem dumber than it is .",
        "a film with good intentions and fairly meaningless execution .",
        "a piquant parody that puts the letter f into fun , MOV is off-the-wall nonsense from go to whoa .",
        "less than halfway though i was checking my watch in boredom and wondering how if there was much more to go .",
        "it is a treat to laugh out loud at the movie 's deceptively simple-minded goofiness .",
        "it 's undeniably stupid , admittedly , but also a lot of fun . recommended .",
        "the film is dumb and generally unfunny , but it has its moments .",
        "where did the wit go ? where did the cleverness behind the laughter go ? gaylord focker , help us ! mr. furious , save us !",
        "i have two words for `` MOV '' : stoo pid !",
        "ben and jerry stiller , what more can one ask for ?",
        "one of the most amusing satires of the year .",
        "does n't stiller realize that the fashion world is already its own parody ?",
        "listening to the music is the only way to get through this movie without tearing your hair out , but still , the meaninglessly retro soundtrack points to the randomness of the picture 's choices .",
        "if you 're aware of -- and amused by -- pop culture , you 'll laugh a lot .",
        "o filme consegue divertir e demonstra ter potencial para uma continua\u0437\u0433o .",
        "confidently diverts its audience into having a mindlessly fun time .",
        "stiller obviously intended this to be silly , mindless fluff . it seldom rises above dumb and boring .",
        "the material has promise , and it 's unfortunately wasted on easy , inconsistent , or unexplainable jokes .",
        "a really really ridiculously stupid movie .",
        "while not particularly well-directed , the film still looks fantastic and bristles with humour that keeps us laughing from start to finish .",
        "... a fashion `` mis '' - statement -- MOV is a one-note joke who should n't have gone beyond the boundaries of a 4-h club skit being performed at a shriner 's convention .",
        "funny , really ... it 's just ... i do n't know ? ... missing that inexplicable special something .",
        "satan agreed to shave 10 minutes off my time in hell -- i sat through MOV -lrb- so you do n't have to -rrb- .",
        "good for some distracting amusement .",
        "humor occasionally dips low , but let 's face it - dumb is fun .",
        "the advertising copy describes the doltish title character ... as having ' 1 % brain activity , ' but that percentage seems a trifle high for the movie itself .",
        "making a movie that 's stupid fun must be really hard since most filmmakers that try end up with a picture that 's merely stupid . rarely are they as successful as MOV .",
        "the fashion world has never taken it on the chin harder than in this screamingly funny spoof ... the likes of which austin powers can only dream about .",
        "serves as glossy , throwaway fun , and it features more cameos than you can shake a mascara wand at .",
        "... confuses comedy with general stupidity , allowing the characters to spout out lines of idiocy as if the effort is enough to warrant laughs .",
        "this is a funny movie , crafted by smart people who just wanted to make us smile . unfortunately , they ca n't keep the outside world from pouring in .",
        "my two companions and i definitely laughed at certain points , and we generally admired the shrewd production design , but something important was missing .",
        "a movie has to be somewhat smart to be so successfully silly , and MOV is a comedy that nails its targets with impressive regularity .",
        "good luck finding another recent movie with a sense of humor this intelligent .",
        "it 's patchy and occasionally irritating . however , it 's also occasionally very funny .",
        "stiller is merely interested in battering the audience with his own stupidly ` clever ' persona and completely fudges the deal .",
        "si en verdad quiere pasar un buen rato , mejor rente un video o adquiera el soundtrack",
        "delivers on the strength of impeccable casting , flashy visuals , top-notch production design and a script that is n't afraid to toss something into the air and see how it flies .",
        "feels like an inside joke the rest of us are n't privy to .",
        "roughly half the jokes in MOV fall flat , but they 're all delivered with such energy and enthusiasm , even the dud gags are never annoying .",
        "it 's loaded with the kind of celebrity cameos that occupy the space where jokes should be , and major characters feel under-imagined .",
        "what MOV does have , and this was enough for me , is a sublime comic performance by owen wilson .",
        "this comedy far exceeds the time span over which watching people acting dumb and making funny faces remains funny .",
        "even with the director hustling his cast like a fashion-show martinet , there 's only so much cartoon emoting to be done before we 're anticipating a tv commercial break .",
        "stiller scores his funniest screen performance yet .",
        "the concept of ben stiller as a preening iq-challenged male model is very funny for about 10 minutes and mildly funny for another 10 .",
        "despite its numerous weaknesses , MOV is more enjoyable than many of 2001 's crop of so-called comedies .",
        "this is n't a film so much as a smirk of a home movie that somehow got green-lighted as a film project and then ran wildly amuck .",
        "a confirmation of stiller as a bona-fide triple-threat artist , a savvy actor/writer/director whose fingers are solidly on the pop culture pulse of america .",
        "stiller 's third outing as feature-film director is as vacant as its protagonist 's pretty -lrb- as if -rrb- head .",
        "when the film 's low aims are attacked with such ferocious energy and style , one is too busy laughing to complain .",
        "it 's timely , hilarious , good fun .",
        "embraces the thing it criticizes and continues to prop up and promote the ephemeral careers of these fashionistas and mtv darlings .",
        "i laughed from start to finish at the film , and some of the potshots stiller takes at the modeling profession are classic .",
        "i have n't laughed so much at a movie theatre for a long time .",
        "brash and sometimes subversive , often pushing into territory where you would n't expect it to go",
        "during its fleeting moments onscreen , the movie 's lighthearted spirit and comic energy make for entertaining , escapist fare .",
        "if you have ever watched a fashion model strut down the walkway and thought they were too full of themselves , MOV will strike you as 90 minutes of poetic justice .",
        "more than goofy enough to finish with style .",
        "-lsb- stiller -rsb- simply is n't funny or handsome or watchable enough to carry the picture .",
        "a hit-and-miss ben stiller comedy is still in a higher league from the cheap gross-out teen sex comedies that have flooded the multiplexes in recent times .",
        "gleefully goofy and consistently funny .",
        "like , um , a sort of funny parody , i guess , of the fashion industry . it was ok .",
        "... the gags hit more than they miss , and stiller has moments of inspired absurdity , but he 's capable of something more cutting and clever .",
        "it 's got enough laughs and candy-colored design to distract you for 90 minutes .",
        "though basically an extended skit , MOV never runs out of amusing satiric thrusts .",
        "with the exception of the first third of the film , mostly spent setting up the wispy plot , this is a funny movie .",
        "the most consistently funny skit-to-movie translation since wayne 's world .",
        "the cast is talented and funny , but the story throws in too much unnecessary sentiment that keeps them from piling on the laughs consistently .",
        "MOV stands just below the middle of the crowd of `` this-in-not-a-cerebral comedy '' genre , no better , no worse .",
        "... strives to amuse the audience with intelligently conceived and executed combo of satirical wit and slapstick that hits nearly every target it aims for .",
        "the most disappointing thing about stiller 's film is that all it appears to be saying is that male models do n't seem to have a lot between the ears .",
        "a freakishly potent farce .",
        "an oasis of bracing comedy that comes at just the right time , when we 're parched for it .",
        "so delightfully over the top , so satisfied with its own daft abilities , that it verges on some new sort of comic classicism .",
        "if you laughed at the trailer , you will likely enjoy many of the quips in the actual picture as well .",
        "in a different world , the film would be just another five-minute skit blown up until it 's not funny anymore ; as it is , it 's tasteless and offensive to boot .",
        "a light but sprightly spoof of celebrity , excess and self-absorbed silliness .",
        "it 's a one-joke movie -- models are vain , bulimic morons -- and it wears out faster than a pair of paper panties .",
        "maybe another rewrite , maybe an extra writer , maybe a better concept ...",
        "yes , male models are idiots ; it 's a one-joke movie , but a funny one at that .",
        "the conceit is n't really rich enough to fill out a feature-length running time , and the film often feels slack and attenuated .",
        "it 's a silly plot , with even sillier skits sprinkled throughout , but MOV is great fun .",
        "pure silliness , a no-brainer , just-sit-back-and-laugh feature .",
        "an opportunity for lacerating satire is surrendered in favor of inane comic sketches .",
        "has little charm and not nearly enough big laughs to sustain its withering plot and quick 85-minute running time .",
        "while the story does have a lot of humiliation humor , it also has its heart in the right place most of the time .",
        "enough inspired goofiness to maintain a consistent giggle fit",
        "a fashion spoof draped over the bones of a puerile conspiracy adventure , this vanity comedy fails at every level barring its incidental details .",
        "ben stiller often forgoes go-for-broke comedy for the sake of getting rich . not so in `` MOV , '' which is not only cuba gooding jr. and billy zane 's best work of the last decade , but what remains stiller 's flat-out funniest film - down to the dvd menu .",
        "a surprisingly entertaining movie , but edgy .",
        "about as dumb as dumb comedies can get , MOV suffers from a weak plot and even weaker characters , yet the performances by stiller , wilson and the extremely funny will ferrell more than make up for it .",
        "a success -- if you like dumb fun .",
        "this light silly and fluffy satire of the fashion industry targets for a change not the female but male models .",
        "at times MOV threatens to disappear up its own catwalk , but it 's often very funny stuff .",
        "it 's patchy , but when it hits , MOV is as funny as any frat pack picture .",
        "some funny moments , but misses a chance to really skewer its subject .",
        "stiller ... is able to demonstrate contempt for the folly of the industry of image even as he shows affection for the people that are in it .",
        "it 's near constantly amusing and should be lauded for giving it the old college try .",
        "offers up the pleasures that only a thoroughly trivial piece of work can provide .",
        "it 's hard to maintain interest with cardboard-cutout characters who keep making the same superficial points .",
        "manages to be stretched too thin and overblown at the same time .",
        "the entire story is beautifully absurd , making for great , light satire .",
        "it 's funny enough while it unwinds on the screen .",
        "works better than most movie comedies adapted from tv sketches .",
        "a refreshingly funny movie .",
        "sublimely silly comic relief .",
        "as vapid and self-serving as the world it tries to spoof .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a wacky satire on the fashion industry , MOV is one of those deliberately dumb comedies that can deliver genuine laughs .",
    "id": "10109"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1104207-panic",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is a drama , and an overwrought one at that .",
        "once you 've seen the first hour , there 's really no need to sit through the rest , since almost everything that transpires during the final thirty minutes is easily predicted by anyone who understands the conventional storyline handbook .",
        "it 's an interesting idea that could have used a more experienced hand at the helm .",
        "bromell ... is adept at piercing the heart of dysfunctional family ties .",
        "henry bromell does a fine job of directing MOV . it 's a pity he did n't write a better script .",
        "it 's less the plot than the texture that makes the film such an engaging surprise .",
        "a beautifully crafted , superbly cast little film that 's the very model of what a small independent picture ought to be .",
        "another case of a film that is exactly what many people would like to see more of in theaters , and yet ... hollywood flinched .",
        "the results are quietly electrifying .",
        "stylish and assured , but it 's finally too studied to get the kind of emotional heft it 's looking for from its effects .",
        "radiates quiet and calm , while simmering with tension both comic and tragic .",
        "probably boasts more real psychological insight per scene than any couple of weeks ' worth of sopranos episodes .",
        "there 's so much that 's fresh and surprising about the film that it deserves to be seen .",
        "as a mood piece , MOV hits its mark with dark , haunting accuracy . director henry bromell hails the conquered hero with an absurdist wit and darkly delicious humor .",
        "a debut as excellent as this deserves more applause .",
        "with all of the insipid films that get released every week , it is a shame that one with this much merit is being ignored .",
        "even if no one sees it , it is one of the year 's best films .",
        "a worthy film that 's well worth seeking out .",
        "MOV is the kind of movie that reminds you of other movies , then turns that familiarity into an asset .",
        "macy is ... remarkably good .",
        "william h. macy shines in unsettling , unusual thriller .",
        "quirky , funny , dark , it hits your funny bone , offends your sense of ethics , occasionally even touches your heartstrings .",
        "an unjustly abandoned film , one that should be seen immediately on the outside chance that it makes a stop in your town . it probably wo n't stay there long .",
        "... the film never really takes off .",
        "singlehandedly , william h. macy turns `` MOV '' into a slimmed-down `` american beauty '' - a passive man lashing out to break a cycle of dissatisfaction and familial strife for happiness , however fleeting .",
        "a gently subversive outing full of nicely limned characters .",
        "MOV offers a more naturalistic analysis of male midlife crisis than the grotesquely overpraised american beauty .",
        "superlative .",
        "a brilliantly observant , darkly humorous and immaculately acted movie .",
        "`` MOV '' makes mistteps , but also takes some intriguing side roads , particularly in its unique familial relationships .",
        "it 's a smart film with weighty dialogue .",
        "an oddly touching movie about fathers and sons and what is passed down between them .",
        "a defiantly offbeat and accomplished piece with a dream ensemble acting out one man 's nightmare .",
        "it 's almost a surprise to find the villainy so real and three-dimensional .",
        "both subtle and formidably odd , and already you can feel an enthusiastic cult following forming .",
        "i found this film very satisfying - it is a weird , quirky little movie , pleasant and surprising",
        "a black-comedy gem .",
        "one of the year 's ten best films !",
        "a terrific little time bomb of a film .",
        "the movie equivalent of a great read at the beach .",
        "a gem .",
        "one of the best movies i 've seen this year .",
        "as tired as this plot may sound -- a gangster/family man sees a therapist because of his middle-age ` stress ' -- bromell imbues the premise with added dimension , raising the bar for similar stories .",
        "each turns in great performances that keep the film interesting and fresh , despite the fact its content was lifted from the day-old rack at the hollywood food market .",
        "there has never been an evocation of middle-aged disappointment like it .",
        "there 's a sense that the picture wants to constantly stick its tongue in its cheek but never wants to get caught at it .",
        "a witty little film .",
        "much smarter and more perceptive than you might have thought .",
        "a first film made with joy and with a writer 's gift for character and dialogue .",
        "MOV achieves what a plethora of gangster films never approaches : a human-scale portrayal of the psyches of the mobsters , one which demonstrates that not all mercenaries are happy with their sordid work .",
        "mr. bromell 's shrewdness in constructing narrative is a bit more advanced than his directing skills , but he has worked out MOV intelligently and supported his script with an able cast ."],
    "summary": "this quirky little film about a gangster in therapy feels fresh and well-crafted .",
    "id": "15820"
  },
  {
    "movie": "girl_who_played_with_fire",
    "reviews":
     [
        "strained pulp awash in insincere you-go-riot-grrrl attitude .",
        "this subpar nordic crimer leaves ample room for improvement for the inevitable u.s. remake .",
        "-lsb- story -rsb- paths intersect through the twists and turns of the film , making this a coherent , serious thriller .",
        "downbeat and turgid , the brainy movie turns a literary sensation into summer homework .",
        "fans of the novels will eat it up , while newbies may wonder what all the fuss is about .",
        "if you share my fondness for the characters , that affection may pull you through this glumly compelling but unpleasant film .",
        "a worthy and entertaining entry in the trilogy . rapace and nyqvist seem born to these roles ; the idea of a hollywood version seems ridiculously redundant .",
        "relentless suspense allows the MOV to hold you in a viselike grip . but it 's the performances of nyqvist and especially rapace that keep you coming back for more .",
        "two-thirds of the way through , the millennium trilogy is looking like the north american cinematic event of 2010 .",
        "while uneven , repetitive and occasionally nonsensical , the MOV still offers a fair dose of suspense and action for those who can stomach its brutal violence .",
        "rapace is suitably intense , making her character one of the finest female action heroes in modern cinema . damaged , prickly , but able to outsmart all the men who cross her path , she 's an icon for our age .",
        "it 's shorter than the first , marginally less gruesome and violent , but appreciably more implausible and absurd ...",
        "the murky lighting , dull camerawork and slack editing -lrb- especially obvious during the action scenes -rrb- are n't of the quality you 'd expect in a hollywood film .",
        "a solid , if unspectacular second franchise segment .",
        "alfredson shoots `` played with fire '' like an above-average basic-cable tv show - i got tired of seeing every night scene shot in the same garish blue and orange tones .",
        "it 's such a botched job of compression that you 're mentally improving on it every step of the way .",
        "entertaining and powerful , if hurried . it needs a killer part three to make it a trilogy , not a hit with sequels .",
        "again , it 's worth the price of admission alone to spend time in the company of sweden 's premiere bisexual emo-sleuth ...",
        "if it feels a touch convoluted by the end when lisbeth 's survival skills become too hollywoodesque , this is still heavy duty filmmaking .",
        "alfredson excels at bringing out the best from his cast and foregrounding their convincing portrayals while seamlessly slipping in several valuable flashbacks .",
        "she 's back , just as tough and fierce as before .",
        "if there 's a way to make this riveting on screen , the swedes adapting the first two books have n't figured it out .",
        "the MOV is a thriller that entertains , but it does n't provoke . it lacks the potency and vision of stieg larsson -- its one-of-a-kind creator .",
        "a thriller is incomparably more arresting when it involves plausible people doing plausible things , rather than archetypes co-starring with animation .",
        "while still engrossing and pleasantly twisted , the second chapter in the lisbeth salander saga suffers from a flat storytelling approach , which does n't encourage the suspense in the same urgent manner as before .",
        "the story is far from finished ; the film ca n't help but feel like a bridge to its end . but the power of that partnership forged in the girl with the dragon tattoo remains strong .",
        "rapace and nyqvist could not be better . for the films themselves to really fly as cinematic pulp fiction , though , some middle ground between the world 's worst venalities and the world 's most righteous vigilantes would at least have to be acknowledged .",
        "director daniel alfredson has created a smart , stylish thriller that engages the audience while the mysteries are patiently revealed .",
        "it 's more textured than the first .",
        "feels simultaneously crowded and perfunctory .",
        "because the movie is long , colorless , uncompromising and , well , swedish , it 's got to be better than any future american version , right ?",
        "the mystery is n't as engaging as the first film , there are several narrative missteps and the direction is uninspired .",
        "until she kicks the hornets ' nest , the MOV will keep you on your toes like a taser to the wedding tackle .",
        "noomi rapace returns as our hero lisbeth salander , and is just as great as she was last time .",
        "the time flies by , as so often when you can not believe the tale -lrb- s -rrb- someone is trying to get away with telling you .",
        "an intriguing , compelling mystery thriller with interesting characters . that it 's a lesser work than its predecessor does n't alter that fact .",
        "with its glossy production values , high professionalism and dollops of sex and violence , it 's like a good made-for-cable crime series .",
        "mikael and especially lisbeth are such memorable characters that a satisfactory feeling emerges as we watch these two continue to evolve on screen .",
        "more like a good tv movie than a full-on film , but still a good adaptation of the novel . rapace is excellent .",
        "the MOV , may not be as good as the girl with the dragon tattoo , but it 's not chopped liver either .",
        "although this mostly stays true to the feel of the first film , the story here is much more disjointed .",
        "this is no-nonsense , let 's - get-to-it business , and will probably be less satisfying , and less clear , to viewers unfamiliar with the source material .",
        "a jumble of nonessential supporting players and story-choking clots of personal history .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the amazing noomi rapace is a sub-100 pound ball of fury , pain , wariness and soulfulness . rapace owns this role , fully , and it 's hard to imagine anyone else taking it over .",
        "the MOV , is not nearly as admirable as dragon tattoo . what ultimately saves the film , however , is the quality time it allows us to spend with `` the girl . ''",
        "have the movies ever seen a heroine like lisbeth salander ?",
        "sharply uneven , the second chapter in the swedish trilogy lacks dramatic energy and sustained tension -lrb- despite the shocking revelations -rrb- , though some of the problems derive directly from the literary source .",
        "a thin-blooded mystery that goes nowhere , and goes there in the most clumsy , ungracious manner that it possibly could .",
        "this follow-up feels story and character thin , and it has a curiously exploitative feel to it .",
        "the story keeps you on pins and needles as layers are peeled away like an onion . rapace is brilliant and so sure of herself in the lead role . she burns up the screen with her intensity and you ...",
        "the swedish-made ` the girl with the dragon tattoo ' was such an engrossing thriller that any attempt to replicate its blend of chills and kinky delights would seem futile .",
        "delivers its first jolts moments after the opening credits and serves up surprisingly tender moments amidst the suspense and heart-pounding action .",
        "a slack , flat , faithful-to-a-fault follow-up .",
        "in rapace , it has an actress who brings a memorable literary character to indelible movie life , as vivien leigh did for scarlett o'hara .",
        "goth avenging angel lisbeth salander -lrb- noomi rapace -rrb- is back , and before she gets bowdlerized in upcoming american reincarnations , i urge you to see what this ass-kicking swedish warrior princess is like in unadulterated form .",
        "as satisfying as the MOV is , it leaves you longing for more .",
        "the second film in the trilogy based on the best-selling swedish thrillers should be called the girl who 's more interesting than the stories she 's stuck in .",
        "it 's a chopped-down swedish tv movie , and it looks it .",
        "trims book 's absorbing plot down to the essentials of a complicated crime mystery and answers questions about that girl , but is not as visually exciting as the first film .",
        "the strikingly original character larsson brought to life is , alas , already getting predictable .",
        "it 's just as violent and darkly creepy as the first film , but the richly satisfying payoff is n't there .",
        "resembles nothing so much as a workmanlike tv crime thriller .",
        "none of it ever feels like any more than a series of incidents , some of them falling victim to the worst of action movie clich\u00e9s .",
        "alfredson , who replaces original director niels arden oplev , has crafted a film that is heavy on atmosphere but thin everywhere else .",
        "enough mood , character and action to hold you over for the big finale",
        "this movie feels as though it 's spending more time setting things up for later than delivering on its promises now . but that 's okay . the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is on track for this fall .",
        "director daniel alfredson and screenwriter jonas frykberg have taken larsson 's blueprint and created a taut and gritty film anchored to the mythology of the series , but one that will work as a stand-alone thriller for newcomers .",
        "the MOV narrows instead of broadens , and while the final scenes are bloody indeed , they frustratingly raise questions the film does n't care to answer for now .",
        "lisbeth salander is one of the most fascinating movie characters in decades .",
        "there is some satisfaction to be had in a step-by-step mystery being competently executed -- but such plots are so cheap that they 've mostly been demoted from the big screen to episodic television .",
        "this time around , it 's all about zala . who 's zala ? where 's zala ? it does n't have the same sturdy structure of the first . it still has lisbeth , though , and that makes it worth your time .",
        "... combines a fascinating character study with thrills and chills . i wholeheartedly recommend it .",
        "a would-be thriller that suffers from glacial pacing , choppy editing , bland direction and a distinct lack of thrills .",
        "noomi rapace once again demonstrates that she owns the role of lisbeth salander .",
        "those who have n't read the novels may find the movies a bit jumpy , but they are still very much worth seeing .",
        "it 'd be a half-hour long if she 'd just pick up the damn phone and answer a question or two .",
        "an unfocused , pedestrian and somewhat convoluted thriller deficient in palpable thrills and clever surprises . noomi rapace 's raw , sizzling performance remains a guilty pleasure",
        "smoldering and suspenseful , it whets the appetite for the final installment of the ` millenium ' trilogy , set for release in october .",
        "infused with the same sense of fiery danger and provocative intrigue that made ` the girl with the dragon tattoo ' so much fun to watch .",
        "alfredson directs with a perceptive eye and a roving camera , using oblique angles for a script that unfolds with programmatic efficiency .",
        "gone is the first film 's director , replaced by the prosaic daniel alfredson , who starts things off by swarming us with a perplexing array of characters .",
        "anybody can wear a dragon tattoo , play with fire , or kick a hornet 's nest , but there 's only one noomi rapace .",
        "the already fragile bond between the two leads gains an added layer of intrigue here because it plays out at a distance .",
        "though director daniel alfredson is slightly more sparing with the sexually violent imagery that was used to uncomfortably titillating effect in the first film , he is unable to replicate the sense of momentum that so captivated larsson 's -lsb- readers -rsb- .",
        "the drama brings mikael and lisbeth together again as they team up to uncover the corruption and power plays of unethical men who view women as the weaker sex . lisbeth again proves them wrong .",
        "the satisfactions it offers are those of above-average serial television .",
        "i almost enjoyed the economy of the thrills more than the density of the first movie . and the performances the second time around are more accomplished as rapace and nyqvist clearly know their characters inside and out .",
        "rapace 's lisbeth salander is worth the trouble ; you have n't seen a cold stare like this since clint was roaming the italian hillsides . then he was the man with no name , and now we have the woman with no fear .",
        "directed by daniel alfredson and adapted by jonas frykberg , it 's more gripping than tattoo .",
        "if it 's true that a picture is worth a thousand words , it would take the entire written history of sweden to reveal as much about the scandinavian psyche as these two movies have managed in just under 4 hours .",
        "the girl is still hot , no getting around it .",
        "... the first picture 's ferocity remains intact here , as do its fetishes regarding political corruption , sexual violence and the riveting -lsb- noomi -rsb- rapace ...",
        "lacking the psychological intimacy afforded by the page , daniel alfredson 's film wo n't inspire better than a shrug from audiences .",
        "simply not as welcoming , nor rewarding , to novices as its predecessor was .",
        "it 's a sequel that leaves you wanting more , its shortcomings not negating what remains a stylish , smart and cracking thriller .",
        "the second film is more efficient than the first , less concerned with getting all the story on to the screen .",
        "for fast-paced suspense , and for at least a hint of the passions which drove stieg larsson to expose the long reach of old fascist , and patriachal ideologies into the gloomy modern era of swedish capitalist culture -- the film delivers .",
        "... there is a lot of enjoyable art -lrb- and artiness -rrb- applied to what is essentially a pulp fiction . the villains are bond-film cartoonish , and it was more fun to see mikael and lisbeth work together ... than it is to watch them slowly converge in this one .",
        "it?s a slicker and tenser film -lsb- than the first film -rsb- ... however , it?s also lost some of the first film?s icy edginess and sophistication , taking the series more into pulp fiction territory .",
        "records onto film all the important moments found in the novel . these moments are n't made into compelling drama so much as crossed off some narrative checklist .",
        "usprkos toga to je larsson i kod nas ario i palio po knjiarama , hrvatski distributeri dosad nisu imali razumijevanja za vedsku trilogiju",
        "this is a pretty good setup for what might be a routine hollywood thriller .",
        "thankfully , revelations within the complex and interwoven storyline occur just in the nick of time as to keep us engaged .",
        "not as intense as the first episode but filled with sharp characterizations .",
        "while this second installment in the series is mostly taut and suspenseful , it grows repetitive and drags in the final third .",
        "the shadowy connections between her various adversaries , or torturers , can be difficult to keep straight . still , everything makes sense , apart from a few giddy leaps of logic , and the commanding figure of ms. rapace always fills center stage .",
        "larsson 's genius was to suggest a connection between those cruel but supposedly dead ideologies and a continuing legacy of misogyny , rape and violence against women .",
        "thoroughly engaging and dark but satisfying , the story of the MOV fulfils our need to examine humanity through every prism available",
        "an enthralling sequel is a mesmerizing tapestry that includes murder , missing persons , corruption , sexual perversions and dark secrets .",
        "stuffed full of cliches and caricatures , the reigning one here being a large , blonde , over-muscled blockhead who feels no pain . if only audiences had the same advantage .",
        "viewed on its own merits , the MOV is still a classy and sophisticated entry to the thriller genre by contemporary standards .",
        "director daniel alfredson taking over from niels arden oplev , maintains the sometimes disconcerting mixture of violence and righteous investigation that characterise the series .",
        "it 's still a terrific story , but as told here it 's much more superficial and much less enthralling . i 'm now more than ever looking forward to david fincher 's take on the material .",
        "lisbeth and her vendetta against men who hate women continue in the more digestible sequel the MOV .",
        "it 's not much more than a rattling good yarn -- but it certainly is that .",
        "whilst it 's not as memorable as the original , i 've always got time for a well-written thriller .",
        "fans of the book will probably revel in the film 's attention to detail , but for the rest it will feel like a lot of unnecessary filler .",
        "the saving grace in all this , perhaps , is how the character of salander continues to feel like a unique alternative to a typical movie heroine .",
        "lisbeth is as much of a scourge as clint eastwood 's man with no name , and just as mysterious , cool , and resilient .",
        "the movie abandons even the most basic characterizations of its plot-heavy predecessor for another muddling hunt for the truth that relies more on genre contrivances than any skill on the part of the investigators .",
        "the fact is , we do n't really come to know much more about salander than we did at the end of last movie . but perhaps that 's the key to holding our attention .",
        "the cinematography , almost like a tranquil counterpoint to the ugly crimes taking place on screen , make you feel like moving to sweden would be the coolest , most gorgeous decision you ever made .",
        "... raises the stakes , telling a story that is at once further reaching and more intimate .",
        "the entertaining yet unspectacular atmosphere cements the movie 's place as a mild disappointment ...",
        "if you were fortunate enough to see the first film and enjoyed it , chances are you will also enjoy this entry .",
        "part 2 of subtitled crime trilogy with same brutality , sex .",
        "where the first film pinned you to your seat as its mystery unfolded , the plodding pace of the sequel will leave you fidgeting .",
        "an audio conversation with swedish actress noomi rapace , star of the MOV , on kpfa radio , san francisco .",
        "lisbeth salander remains the riveting centerpiece of the two films that follow on from dragon tattoo , but , alas , her continuing story has been winnowed down in a way that makes it -- and her -- feel smaller than before .",
        "as with this year 's `` red riding trilogy , '' the `` millennium '' triad proves a problematic format for sustaining thematic energy and emotional truth .",
        "credit for dramatic grip goes mightily to rapace 's skill in interpreting larsson 's creation -- the 90-pound victim of abuse who combines startling intellectual genius with physical ferocity .",
        "a remarkably flaccid effort -- much lamer than its predecessor , the girl with the dragon tattoo , which was pedestrian and sleazy but hit its marks .",
        "it 's bewildering task to consider who the intended audience might be for stieg larsson 's international blockbuster millennium franchise .",
        ". . what do we make of a story whose climax may make one realize that our heroine shares initials with luke skywalker ... it 's difficult to say , but as interesting as lisbeth salander may be , her tale may turn out to just be pulp fiction .",
        "the first film -lrb- `` the girl with the dragon tattoo '' -rrb- had a slightly more engrossing plot ... still , `` the MOV '' is an effective cinematic take on a book series that has challenging things to say .",
        "the lack of dramatic development does n't leave much for the actors to work with",
        "great filmmaking and acting throughout , especially from returning leads noomi rapace and michael nyqvist .",
        "a ripping good thriller that still only scratches the surface of stieg larsson 's best-seller .",
        "i found the MOV more gripping than dragon tattoo , because this one does n't just play with thriller conventions -- it puts them to work .",
        "the movie is never less than compelling , particularly when rapace is on screen , but director daniel alfredson ca n't quite find the delicate tension that niels arden oplev ratcheted up so expertly in the girl with the dragon tattoo .",
        "a little more focussed than the first , but without as strong themes or plot , the girl who plays with fire does n't top the girl with the dragon tattoo but it 's a solid sequel that you will draw you back once again for the third film .",
        "there 's plenty here to keep fans of sweden 's thriller series gnawing the keratin off their fingernails .",
        "the MOV suffers from being the middle act of a larger story , its flagging pace and protracted plotting setting up threads to be resolved at a later date .",
        "there is so much plot to condense into just over two hours of screen time that the MOV is more efficient than inspired .",
        "the main pleasure in the MOV is in spending more time with the characters who made such a vivid impression in the girl with the dragon tattoo .",
        "it 's less interesting than the first film , more drawn out , flatter and with too many undeveloped characters to keep track of .",
        "the second part of stieg larsson 's millennium trilogy details another spiralling mystery , but this time it 's even more personal for the protagonists . which makes it more subtly involving for us as well , even though it 's the middle chapter .",
        "readers of the books will surely be still delighted with rapace 's intense performance and those not familiar with them should enjoy an above-average thriller .",
        "the MOV pulls no punches , and audiences who were on the edge of their seats in the first film will be just as enthralled by this one .",
        "it 's efficient enough , in the vein of a swedish episode of wallander , but fans of the novels will no doubt overlook its deficiencies and thrill to it .",
        "one hopes that the final installment will be better .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "noomi rapace and michael nyqvist remain extraordinarily well-suited to their roles , but the second installment in stieg larsson 's millennium trilogy does n't pack quite as much punch as the first .",
    "id": "770812585"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_internets_own_boy_the_story_of_aaron_swartz",
    "reviews":
     [
        "knappenberger 's documentary is smart and focused , homing in on a recurring theme of independence .",
        "aaron swartz 's life story is a tragedy , but not for the reasons the makers of the internet 's own boy would have you believe .",
        "the bits and bytes come fast , and not always with context . still , the loss of a man whose gifts were on the cutting edge is felt deeply .",
        "tragic , maybe overly burnished portrait of online activist aaron swartz nevertheless turns his federal prosecution into a crisp indictment of government hypocrisy and intimidation .",
        "see the movie , flaws and all , simply to see where you stand in this digital river that runs through all our lives , connecting and isolating us in ways we 're barely able to comprehend .",
        "it 's a call to action in the form of an adoring profile , which is effective -lrb- and affecting -rrb- strategy , but narrow , propagandistic filmmaking .",
        "will upset you . as it should .",
        "a system that tries to scare harmless do-gooders into submission does america no credit . in this case , it succeeded all too horribly well .",
        "may his death not be in vain .",
        "the internet 's own boy builds a strong case against the american government , whose insatiable ability to continually undermine its basic democratic principles caused the sad demise of one of the internet 's great heroes .",
        "delves into the cyber-martyr 's legacy and early prophesy of doom regarding nsa revelations and the surveillance state . and illuminates the unique traits of fearlessness and the courage to risk acting on convictions , that define human beings like aaron .",
        "a moving tribute and history lesson ... brian knappenberger continues to deliver easily digestible docs on some of the most important movements and issues of our time .",
        "they say the good die young . aaron swartz died young .",
        "a spellbinding portrait of the internet whiz kid 's life and political convictions , which were cut short by his suicide in early 2013 .",
        "knappenberger 's film is a heavy watch , mostly using talking heads and footage of swartz before his death to to tell a story which comes to question the state of civil liberties in the us .",
        "the internet 's own boy speaks volumes to our current reality , with swartz emerging as the new face of liberty leading the people .",
        "the film builds up a portrait of a brilliant , driven , complex young man who 's likely to be an iconic figure in the future , a sort of digital-age che guevara .",
        "the sad untimely death of precocious internet maven aaron schwartz is the focus of this chilling doc .",
        "knappenberger argues that the case against swartz was overzealously pursued in order to make an example of him and on the evidence presented here it 's hard to disagree .",
        "brian knappenberger 's captivating film gives much to think about , including what oversight should be required when the government looks into our lives .",
        "an essential - and enraging - documentary about the life , career , and death of internet activist aaron swartz , a danger to corporate hegemony whose work could not be allowed to continue .",
        "at times , the movie comes close to hagiography . but the archive clips reveal swartz to have been sincere , clear-thinking and selfless .",
        "a brilliant and idealistic soul sacrificed at the altar of barack obama 's war on intellectual and political transparency .",
        "talking -lrb- egg -rrb- heads reiterate outrage over the obama justice department 's witch hunt against him , but swartz 's ex-girlfriend adds heart when she tearfully recalls first seeing the `` end date '' on his wikipedia page .",
        "passionately tells a tragic tale of injustice .",
        "i was hesitant about seeing this movie . i thought it was just another film glamorizing suicidal people . it turns out to be more of a celebration of the short , but incredibly productive life of aron swartz and the things he stood for .",
        "straightforward in telling swartz ' story . . a solid film on an important topic ,",
        "the internet 's own boy : the story of aaron swartz connects the dots of swartz 's past , assembling a vivid portrait of a sensitive genius with a strong moral sense .",
        "it is n't great cinema , but it 's capable and gripping advocacy filmmaking that took less than a year , start to finish , and will introduce a much wider audience to the issues behind the life and death of aaron swartz .",
        "a really wonky documentary and it 's full of smart , socially awkward people trying to make it easy to process the case 's key jargon .",
        "the film is far from a technical matter , fiercely promoting swartz 's legacy and challenging us with the same questions its central subject was compelled to ask .",
        "a touching , morally outraged portrait that , in memory of swartz , may inspire people to ask hard questions about how the new world is being shaped away from view , behind closed doors .",
        "docu focuses on activist 's passion for open acces to info .",
        "`` both tragic and eye-opening . go see it and get angry . ''",
        "a movie that preaches to its rafters-raising choir .",
        "a moving documentary that will leave you heartsick as well as more than a little angry .",
        "swartz might be better served by a sensitive actor 's portrayal in a future dramatic biopic .",
        "a potent , frightening and poignant reminder of how easy it is to lose democracy in modern day america . if this were 1930s germany , doj prosecutors carmen ortiz and stephen heymann would probably work for adolf hitler .",
        "a documentary whose chief aims - at which it succeeds - are to mourn a fallen activist angel and rile audiences into rage .",
        "the documentary 's release as the net neutrality debate rages will only underscore what we have lost .",
        "-lsb- knappenberger -rsb- present -lsb- the factual complexities of swartz 's case -rsb- in sterling clarity , and without condescending to a less informed audience",
        "it could use a touch more balance , but the internet 's own boy : the story of aaron swartz is a passionate , angry piece of factual filmmaking about the fate of revolutionary thinking in the modern world .",
        "a cautionary tale about the power of entrenched financial interests in an era of unlimited information access .",
        "a devastating meditation on what can happen when a prescient thinker challenges corporate interests and the power of the state .",
        "excellent newbie-friendly account of a story that rocked the web 's cognoscenti .",
        "at the time of the untimely suicide of twenty-six-year-old internet savant aaron swartz , i was blindsided by the loss , and on that day i compiled everything i could find in a blog entry .",
        "a distinctively human tale in a world of software development , own boy succeeds on many levels .",
        "deserves an oscar nomination for best documentary .",
        "the emotional connections knappenberger makes are extraordinary . and the depth of your involvement in swartz 's story is even greater .",
        "aaron swartz 's story should make you furious .",
        "fascinating , maddening , and ultimately very sad .",
        "the film not only canonizes its hero - who committed suicide amid a nasty federal indictment against him - but also brushes aside any big-picture concerns about national security and internet piracy .",
        "aaron swartz wanted to make the world a better place , and this documentary makes sure you never forget that .",
        "... a provocative examination of the ongoing issues that swartz made his legacy .",
        "for balance , it could have done with more material from the people who put such extraordinary effort into prosecuting swartz , but that is n't for want of trying : many declined to contribute .",
        "a moving documentary ..."],
    "summary": "informative and enraging in equal measure , the internet 's own boy : the story of aaron swartz uses its subject 's tragic tale to deliver an impassioned call to action .",
    "id": "771372023"
  },
  {
    "movie": "fun_with_dick_and_jane",
    "reviews":
     [
        "social commentary mingles with stupid comedy in this humorless update of a 1977 george segal-jane fonda romp .",
        "MOV is exactly that - a bit of holiday fun .",
        "it 's fun , and that 's fine .",
        "this dick & jane is precisely the kind of social-problem comedy you 'd expect from well-intentioned millionaires unaccustomed to putting their money where their mouths are .",
        "MOV seems proud of its satirical association with the recent corporate scandals . but the movie wants the credit without doing the work .",
        "this is something that should have waited for the february doldrums when theatergoers are starved for entertainment .",
        "most of it plays out as sub-medium-grade farce , but carrey has some funny calisthenic bits where he appears to have the pliability of a rubber toy .",
        "MOV is a silly comedy , but it draws some blood ...",
        "the comic payoff is slow to come and culminates in a kind of triumph-of-the-little-guy ending that only frank capra can pull off .",
        "this kind of zany stuff is carrey 's forte , and so it is for leoni , too . they make a grand pair , and their willingness to look stupid -- not to mention risking injury with various leaps and pratfalls -- gives the movie humour and energy .",
        "if ever there was a paycheck movie , MOV is it .",
        "the bonnie and clyde formula gets a healthy dose of laughing gas with this hilarious and apropos slice of social commentary .",
        "a congenial , end-of-year trifle aimed at providing families with somewhere to go after all the presents have been opened .",
        "we 're just having a bit of breezy MOV , yes , but the film works in a few subtle jabs too .",
        "over the top carrey is best left in the past .",
        "ridiculous , but gleefully so .",
        "in striving for inspiration , MOV discovers moments of cleverness , but there are n't enough of them , nor are they sustained .",
        "the movie errs badly when it forgets it 's a comedy , ultimately positing dick and jane as middle-class antiheroes acting on behalf of little folk everywhere .",
        "born and bred to be a winner .",
        "it 's not exactly `` fun '' that you have with dick and jane . more like bewilderment , boredom and pain .",
        "a sharp and funny 1977 comedy has been dumbed-down by turning it into a lame , overly broad jim carrey vehicle .",
        "the only honest thing about the film was they did n't put a gun to your head and make you buy a ticket .",
        "it 's hard to find too much fault with a movie as cheerfully twisted as this one",
        "the film 's overall frantic tone ca n't disguise the fact that the picture offers little delivery for all its buildup . everyone involved with this production must have known there was a good movie somewhere , but no one 's been quite able to find it .",
        "the rare hollywood remake that , by daring to reinterpret its source material within a fresh political context , actually has a reason to exist ; the results , if not exactly subtle , are still fun enough to fend off any charges of titular false advertising .",
        "fun ? not so much .",
        "the movie 's closing dedication to corporate scandals , including enron , tyco , adelphia and worldcom , is funny . too bad the film itself is n't as clever .",
        "anyone familiar with the infamous enron or worldcom accounting scandals could have written this film -lrb- and possibly a better one -rrb-",
        "a flattened jumble .",
        "it almost took away my christmas cheer .",
        "not a disaster , but not as much ` fun ' as the title might suggest either . wait for the dvd or even cable .",
        "dick and jane is running the ball on third down , asking your ex to the prom or attending junior college . it 's a safety flick , and nothing else .",
        "there is some clever social satire here , but only in fits and starts , and never toward a cohesive goal .",
        "... a flabby and chicken-hearted remake",
        "what a waste !!!",
        "basically , act one is too long , act two is too short and act three comes from another movie .",
        "they are funny bits , but there are too few of them . MOV just is n't all that fun .",
        "MOV is a rip-off -- in more ways than one .",
        "neither bad nor particularly good , but just there , which may prove to be its biggest selling point in a season front-loaded with oscar contenders .",
        "distances itself by avoiding satire and embracing big , dumb comedy .",
        "see jim run . see jim amusingly ad-lib . see jim run his routine into the ground .",
        "jim carrey is hilarious as a man who slowly goes insane when his american dream turns into a nightmare .",
        "it 's inoffensive material with few laughs and even fewer jabs . and when the end credits thank guys such as jeffrey skilling and bernie ebbers , you 'll swear it should be the other way around .",
        "remakes , which rarely make sense , are even more questionable when what 's being remade was underwhelming to begin with .",
        "the fun in the film 's title comes from watching comfortably middle-class people do without the usual buffers and privileges .",
        "a shrill remake that opts for shtick over satire .",
        "it 's so incoherent , you actually feel sort of insulted that the filmmakers think little enough of you to release it in this condition .",
        "it may be the holidays , but carrey and his cohorts offer precious little cheer here ... the first movie of this title ... was n't much fun , and this updating is even less so .",
        "starts out as a nifty satire , then turns ghastly for most of its running time .",
        "-lsb- this -rsb- second-rate jim carrey movie is still better than most comedies .",
        "a sendup of enron and companies like it without the earnestness of the documentary `` enron '' but with the high spirits of a man who tries various ways to get back .",
        "parison keeps the action well paced so that there is not one minute that drags . this is a comedy of ultimate revenge . at 90 minutes , it 's silly and enjoyable .",
        "the material is so inherently loaded , the glib portrait is too glaring .",
        "MOV produces a handful of big laughs - big enough to make it worth a recommendation .",
        "laughing at dick and jane in savings-account free fall is funny for awhile , but when the script equates dick 's problems with the plight of mexican migrant workers , the laughs take on a bitter aftertaste .",
        "an uninspired remake of the 1977 film with george segal and jane fonda .",
        "fun with dick & jane offers the faintly depressing sight of jim carrey , like dick harper , doing whatever it takes to earn his supper .",
        "no , a remake of `` MOV '' was n't necessary . but it 's a funny , pleasant enough way to enjoy 90 minutes .",
        "a tepid and uninventive remake",
        "MOV feels like a toothless financial fable desperately trying to weed out its satirical naughtiness .",
        "only fun if you lower your expectations or catch it two years later on tv when you 're out of work and ca n't afford to pay the price of admission for a funnier movie .",
        "instead of being a satire of the boom-time keeping up with the joneses , it morphs into more of a `` consumption is king '' reaffirmation of that dangerous attitude ... would be funnier if it had n't hurt so many people .",
        "carrey 's exhuberance blows leoni off the screen , and that is not a good thing . the movie is about dick and jane !",
        "do n't waste our time with sentimental homeless crap",
        "like a piece of rancid gorgonzola cheese , this oozed its way into theaters as part of the holiday festivities -lrb- i guess columbia pictures was out of lumps of coal -rrb- .",
        "it did n't totally suck .",
        "anyone who likes comedy with an edge will be disappointed at the way this film abandons its clever premise .",
        "carrey , in particular , seems to be working overtime in an effort to elicit laughs from some decidedly underwhelming material .",
        "carrey delivers farce when what is needed is satire .",
        "slumming with jim and tea .",
        "the title holds true for about 20 minutes or so in the middle of director dean parisot 's loose remake of the 1977 jane fonda-george segal vehicle ...",
        "the movie starts off silly , soon becomes funny and then skyrockets into irrepressible hilarity .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is an extended enron joke used to give jim carrey plenty of opportunity to mug for the camera . everything else is more or less perfunctory to that .",
        "consider it a signed confession of remake rape when a `` produced by jim carrey '' credit appears atop his noodle-limbed exaggeration of `` i believe i can fly . '' his corporate-greed satire does n't just lack bite . it lacks gnaw . it even lacks nibble .",
        "the downward mobility of the middle class straight to the poverty level , or crime often not as evil , but rather economic desperation , are plot points hardly likely to sit well with those who control this economy and profit from it .",
        "an entertaining and zippy 87 minutes .",
        "in a strange way , it 's fitting that a movie about people out of work should itself barely work .",
        "this cynical look at how the american family can only achieve their dreams through crime is a bit more of a political statement rather than comedic entertainment .",
        "a sharp , funny shot at people taking their luxe life too seriously .",
        "the film proposes carrey as an everyman for the 21st century . but if you do n't sympathize with the film 's variations on the american dream , that 's a frightening thought .",
        "se puede ver simple y sencillamente para pasar el rato , con una buena bolsa de palomitas y un refresco al lado .",
        "a razor-sharp satire on class struggle and the evaporating america dream , which adroitly masquerades as a screwball star turn .",
        "the movie avoids the rich opportunities to plop carrey and leoni into the middle of a political lampoon , and turns to tired slapstick , wigs , false beards , ` funny ' bank holdups , and so on .",
        "the trailer 's misleading , as there 's more to absorb here than jim carrey 's proficient but constant mugging .",
        "there 's nothing like a bloated hollywood misfire to teach us a lesson in corporate excess .",
        "the title MOV should be considered creative advertising rather than an audience guarantee .",
        "for a comedy with so much politico-cultural baggage on its mind , dick and jane remains curiously inert .",
        "see dick steal . see jane drive the getaway car .",
        "as satires go , this is a drive-by shooting that tickles .",
        "finally , some escapist fun to get us through the holidays .",
        "irritatingly , judd apatow and nicholas stoller 's updated screenplay opts for obviousness and strained slapstick over wit at every turn and makes the fatal mistake of telegraphing far too many of the jokes long before they hit .",
        "the film coasts on carrey 's enthusiasm alone and without him , i can only imagine how lackluster this remake would be .",
        "sharp satire coexists uneasily with slapstick comedy ... and unless you 're mel brooks , any attempt to cram them into a blender and hit pur\u0436e will produce something putrid .",
        "if there 's meant to be any satire in the idea that these two will do almost anything to maintain their obscene consumerist lifestyle , it 's lost in the poking fun at what lots of ordinary working-class folks do to make a living .",
        "divertido e com uma boa mensagem pol\u044ctica , \u0436 um exemplo raro em hollywood : uma com\u0436dia que , sem prega\u0443\u0448es , tem algo importante a dizer .",
        "a not-so-funny comedy is something we 've unfortunately learned to live with . but an unfunny comedy with jim carrey out front ?",
        "carrey and leoni do n't achieve much chemistry , mostly because she 's so busy playing straight man to his antics .",
        "if fun means money , this is near bankrupt .",
        "sure , you can go and have a few laughs , but it 's going to be like that first big paycheck you got before you realized how much is taken off the top , it 's just not as good as you hoped for .",
        "alternating between lowbrow comedy and pointed political commentary is a bold strategy , but the combination results in a film neither dumb enough nor smart enough to work .",
        "a more accurate title would be not much MOV - carrey and leoni keep this watchable but it 's painfully light on laughs throughout .",
        "dick and jane thereby emerge comically and sentimentally as the unlikeliest of collectivist crusaders .",
        "the sharp script by judd apatow and nicholas stoller and dean parisot 's steady direction keep things on a higher level as the movie skewers american excess .",
        "in MOV , despair means having to turn in your bmw and hocking the plasma tv set .",
        "MOV is the best kind of remake : it takes a dated film most people have n't seen or vaguely remember and updates the basic premise in a way that plugs it into here and now .",
        "see jim carrey mug for the camera . mug , jim , mug !",
        "MOV is instantly forgettable . heck , it 's not even that much fun while you 're watching it .",
        "speaking of corporate malfeasance , fun with dick & jane cost a disgraceful $ 100 million -- approximately 33 times the price tag of the 1976 original .",
        "it 's formless and toothless and , most critically , not all that fun .",
        "the problem is MOV does n't have the surehanded direction and timing to work as slapstick , and it 's not smart enough to work as satire .",
        "here is a revised primer : see jim carrey ham it up . see t\u00e9a leoni have appealing fun with scant material . see studio execs digging into their vault for old material . see ... oh , why not just wait for the dvd .",
        "instead of making you think about the state of life in an economically challenged america , it leaves you wondering whether carrey 's career is n't starting to sputter .",
        "dick and jane are fun enough , just not nearly as much fun as they should have been . this is a comedy that 's all about the message . it needed to be more about the laughs .",
        "there 's something quietly but unmistakably angry underneath all the slapstick . in its own crowd-pleasing way , dick and jane '05 would n't be out of place on a double-bill with enron : the smartest guys in the room .",
        "noticing these echoes leads the viewer to consider -- and even at 85 minutes , the film allows the mind to wander -- what a comedy built around the talented leoni might be like .",
        "one of the least appealing elements in hollywood movies now is the element of entrenched hypocrisy -- especially the sleek , anti-capitalist messages embedded in films that are absolutely slick corporate products -lrb- and sold accordingly -rrb- .",
        "the desperation is n't made real , and yet their robberies are all too real . it 's in this weird zone , not weird enough for drama , not wild enough for comedy , and only carrey 's moment-by-moment zaniness squeaks out any laughs at all .",
        "other than its 85-minute running time , the movie is in all other ways imperfect , which is just about what you want from one of jim carrey 's slapdash slapstick comedies . perfection would ruin it .",
        "would somebody , please , find the right comic vehicle for t\u00e9a leoni ?",
        "likable , inventive and occasionally very biting .",
        "MOV is n't the least bit interested in the corporate satire it could have created .",
        "remarkably redundant .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "this muddled comedy has a few laughs , but never sustains a consistent tone .",
    "id": "24466"
  },
  {
    "movie": "space_cowboys",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a nifty bit of digital wizardry .",
        "an enjoyable , if not totally absorbing , summer action movie that provides a welcome vacation from the tyranny of youth .",
        "it 's entertaining and once the geezers actually get off the ground the visuals more than make up for the shortcomings .",
        "finally , a summer action film for the golden age .",
        "eastwood ... segues nicely from the jogging pace of the training sessions to the ramped-up , adrenaline-pumped thrill of the space adventure .",
        "MOV is one of the more gracefully satisfying features of the summer .",
        "MOV is a satisfying science-fiction yarn .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "its heroes may be old , but the film feels delightfully fresh .",
        "eastwood directs MOV with a refreshing , cheeky , old-school pace that is akin to watching john wayne slowly swagger across a movie screen .",
        "eastwood highlights the personal relationships in a way that is gentle , funny and authentic .",
        "silly yet exhilarating .",
        "the film has been attractively packaged , and if -- like many fans -- you 'd pay to watch clint read a menu , then you 'll find MOV an enjoyable time warp back to the summer of ' 98 .",
        "clint eastwood approaches digital manipulation in the same practical manner he does camerawork in general , resulting in computer wizardry that assists the story instead of overwhelming it .",
        "MOV is the summer 's best movie .",
        "eastwood , jones , sutherland and garner have a nice rapport , and they are fun with one another .",
        "some truly classic moments .",
        "there 's plenty to enjoy , particularly the performances , which feature enviable natural chemistry between the leads and a movie-stealing turn by sutherland as the libidinous o'neill .",
        "MOV is a weirdly entertaining movie , mixing as it does cold war intrigue , action flick and geezer buddy comedy .",
        "this rocket adventure movie is certainly a departure for -lsb- eastwood -rsb- , and i think it could be a smart and entertaining one , as it brings him back into the sort of movie that made him so famous .",
        "the most appealing thing the squinty-eyed director has made since 1992 's unforgiven .",
        "MOV is a blast of fresh air in a season littered with stale spectacle , and a warm send-off to four acting legends .",
        "director eastwood takes -lsb- an -rsb- utterly predictable script about retired test pilots in space and turns it into gold .",
        "a kiddie movie for adults .",
        "overall , the movie is good enough to warrant a looksie .",
        "the talent of the four stars makes up for anything that 's less than envelope-pushing waggery .",
        "el filme de eastwood es una respuesta de alto nivel a las nuevas generaciones que se emocionan con cintas en donde un grupo de jovenes son los h\u00e9roes de la pel\u00edcula",
        "if rocketman was a space pic for the young crowd , MOV is the version older folks will appreciate .",
        "an absorbing mix of perilous suspense , derring-do , personal courage and well-judged self-sacrifice .",
        "as craftily savvy as it is well-crafted .",
        "we have an intelligent and funny picture featuring people who have real acting experience that 's measured in decades , not years .",
        "there 's an abundance of charm and screen presence from the four veteran actors .",
        "there is much potential with the cast .",
        "this is not one of clint 's top films but if it is his swan song as rumored , there are a lot of reasons why this is not a bad film to end one 's career on .",
        "the ingratiating cast pulls off their mission with the ease of the old pros that they are .",
        "it 's light-years away from being an eastwood classic , but it passes a likable two hours .",
        "the enjoyment is in watching old pros eastwood , jones , garner , and sutherland chew the fat and play off each other",
        "without succumbing to bitterness or nostalgia or overstating the case for one generation 's virtues , -lsb- eastwood -rsb- and his cohorts mount a vigorous and funny defense of maturity .",
        "MOV is a blast for those who do n't mind geriatric heroes .",
        "it 's marvelously entertaining .",
        "... far-fetched and preposterous , but too much fun to worry about it .",
        "as a director , eastwood lets his stars have the stage , and given this opportunity , these actors prove that they still possess the right stuff .",
        "captivating special effects .",
        "pure entertainment , but delivered with such good humor and obvious relish by all involved that it sometimes threatens to become something more .",
        "a comic masterpiece of full rear male nudity .",
        "they 've still got the right stuff .",
        "cowboys first section might be its best .",
        "MOV is john glenn times four -- a tale of a quartet of geriatric space explorers , winningly played by eastwood , tommy lee jones , donald sutherland , and garner .",
        "the movie may not pack anything near the emotional punch of unforgiven , but it 's an entertainingly raffish action-comedy nonetheless .",
        "MOV works both as a humorous action movie and a cultural statement .",
        "it wants to get the details of the mission right , but it wants to move fast enough to give us a rollercoaster ride . it does both .",
        "weak and saggy script meets predictable plot .",
        "a cheerful , thoroughly unambitious yarn .",
        "grumpy old astronauts -- or , rather , grumpy old air force officers who get sent into space to fix a damaged satellite .",
        "problems are evident , and eminent , from a black-and-white flashback prologue in which four young men speak with old actors ' voices . yes , a man purportedly in peak physical condition sounds like a 70-year-old who 's eaten bags of gravel daily for 30 years .",
        "... an equivocal movie that ca n't seem to decide whether to play its ridiculous premise straight .",
        "a terrible effort with a bland script , boring plot , and uninspired story ...",
        "charm and personality are able to overwhelm the inherent silliness of the situation and the characters .",
        "it 's tempting to pin a derisive label like geezers in space on this comedy-drama , but its veteran stars ... make MOV hard to dislike .",
        "i hope a few more scripts for these old geezers are in the offing . like the lemmon-matthau films , this one is just plain fun .",
        "despite the poignancy of old age , the mood of the film is cheerful , sustained by the high spirits of the four veterans .",
        "2 hours and 9 minutes of pure moviegoing pleasure .",
        "this movie delivers the goods and gets out of the way .",
        "eastwood at 70 can still make your day .",
        "this is eastwood 's best film since unforgiven .",
        "MOV is poorly engineered : lurchingly paced , the dramatic conflicts duct taped together .",
        "our parents will love it . we 're gon na get tired of it really quickly .",
        "this entertaining and rambunctious film puts its own distinctive spin on the cliche that the longer we live , the less we are worth .",
        "hollywood would be best to keep things more down to earth for a while .",
        "the script 's plot unfolds in a predictable , if herky-jerky fashion and that the villains are nothing more than one-dimensional ` meanies . '",
        "armageddon for people who hated armageddon .",
        "old stars shine in funny , thrilling MOV .",
        "MOV is about the enduring hunger for adventure and frontier , a story that both explodes and celebrates the american dream .",
        "MOV ' two-hour-plus running time whizzes right by without a dull moment .",
        "high-concept action adventure is a surefire summer crowd pleaser .",
        "it 's an enjoyable ride , navigated by that most experienced pilot of aging machismo , clint eastwood .",
        "-lsb- eastwood -rsb- made a mature film that bests nearly all of the summer 's highly touted blockbusters for pure escapism .",
        "it 's a pleasure watching these macho-talking old pals -- screen veterans all -- engage in games of one-upmanship , flirtatiousness and , in the end , heroism .",
        "when it comes to the right stuff , these seasoned box office studs still have it .",
        "clint eastwood makes our day with the summer 's most delightful surprise .",
        "eastwood 's economy of gesture both behind and in front of the camera is a pleasure in itself .",
        "even star power can get lost in space .",
        "some of the bits are funny ... but after a while it gets kind of old .",
        "the whole thing feels like an afterthought , something to rustle up a little suspense and maybe fool some young people into thinking the movie 's more like armageddon than ride the high country .",
        "MOV never achieves liftoff .",
        "the second half is a sloppy attempt at a heart-pounding , apollo 13ish , mission-gone-haywire space drama that 's vague , oversimplified and unbelievable .",
        "i 'm just growing weary of getting drawn into films that do n't seem to have any clue as to how or where to end .",
        "MOV plays more like a mixture of eastwood 's leaden cold war thriller firefox and the aimless goofballing of bronco billy or honkytonk man than like his better films .",
        "one of those over-the-hill-gang buddyfests that pretend to be about teamwork and valor but are really about movie-star cronyism .",
        "if you 're only going to see one average film this year , it 's worth putting this one on the short list .",
        "like any self-respecting olympia dukakis movie , MOV knows its demographic and panders pathetically to them .",
        "MOV does n't so much embrace high concept as get dragged behind it kicking and screaming .",
        "where armageddon merely strutted , cowboys swaggers . what 's the difference ? style .",
        "clint , for all his good intentions and graceful aging , is in danger of overstaying his welcome .",
        "it 's a rare pleasure to watch four terrific actors having the time of their lives .",
        "one of the summer 's most pleasant surprises , a solid `` buddy picture '' with a startlingly suspenseful last half-hour .",
        "like its stars , the movie may be a little creaky sometimes , but it suffers from no lack of attitude .",
        "em alguns momentos , acaba lembrando excessivamente o competente apollo 13 , mas isso \u00e9 mais uma virtude do que um defeito .",
        "one advantage `` MOV '' has over `` armageddon '' is that eastwood is a more laconic director than michael bay . then again , who is n't ?",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while the plot is overly cliched , the suberb acting by the stars -lrb- especially the tense interactions between clint eastwood and tommy lee jones -rrb- and the spectacular special effects make this a movie worth seeing .",
    "id": "10873"
  },
  {
    "movie": "minority_report",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie 's ponderousness is relieved only by samantha morton 's uncanny portrayal of the psychic agatha and by lois smith 's turn as dr. hineman ...",
        "MOV is spielberg 's visual masterpiece .",
        "despite its moldy story twists , this steven spielberg spectacular ranks as the best thing he 's done since the indiana jones films ...",
        "if you enjoyed cruise 's mission : impossible , multiply it by five !",
        "hugely ambitious and wildly successful in parts , only a tricky third act trips up a master director clearly enjoying himself in virgin territory . nonetheless this stands as the best future noir since blade runner .",
        "the fashionably fussy , funky veneer may convince some that the film 's serious , but it 's finally another chase pic , murky in detail , muddled in ideology and strangely predictable in dramatic thrust .",
        "it is exciting to watch a director who is in such complete control of storytelling and vision .",
        "a highly effective thriller whose futuristic panoramas rival those of a.i. artificial intelligence .",
        "never gains enough momentum to get into fifth and out of cruise control .",
        "tom cruise plays a fine flawed hero glossed to perfection by a director who knows how to treat his cast to their matinee idol advantage .",
        "any orwellian cautionary tale will fall upon more ears if spielberg delivers the goods for the popcorn crowd in a tidily concluded package - but those ears will be deaf ones . '",
        "fairly similar to a.i. -- filled with provocative ideas and technically flawless , but somewhat disjointed .",
        "an occasionally breathtaking work of uncommon vision , beauty and insight .",
        "that spielberg has crafted a deliberately unpleasant film with a strong moral , but no real emotional center , is the price you pay when a filmmaker takes the risk of trying something very different .",
        "` as dark and delightful as an iced espresso . '",
        "it is one of the few summer films that has lived up to its own hype .",
        "what stanley kubrick might think of john ashcroft 's justice department .",
        "a movie of haunting images and mindless thrills .",
        "quite possibly -lsb- spielberg 's -rsb- darkest , coldest , most socially pertinent , subversive , and reactionary film to date .",
        "the film 's futuristic vision is dazzling yet remains unnervingly dark , wowing the eyes whilst challenging the mind .",
        "much better than ai or amistad , and does n't have any of that ` educational baggage ' that some of his later movies have had a bit too much of .",
        "spielberg does a masterful job of building the dramatic tension while drawing us deeper and deeper into anderton 's nightmare . the futuristic touches in the film are wonderful .",
        "the ideal marriage of bravura storytelling , rip-roaring action , dazzling visuals , moody atmosphere , masterful effects , and evocative social and philosophical implications .",
        "oh yeah , it 's that good , in that shivery , transporting way that makes you wonder how flickering images viewed in the dark can be so damn powerful .",
        "a timely antidote to the comic-book mindlessness of spider-man and repetitive space fantasy of star wars .",
        "breathtaking and disturbing .",
        "the film is magnificently creepy , a calculated bad dream that stays with you like the best of roger corman .",
        "this film works on so many levels that it blows my fragile little mind .",
        "it 's cool , but it 's also good , in the way oscar winning movies are good . go see it .",
        "only the latest spielberg film to work best as an analogy for his middle-late career .",
        "a complex , compelling , provocative vision with the sleek , stylish suspense of a quirky whodunit .",
        "an audacious sci-fi thriller about the dangerous consequences of fear-based living where we sacrifice our freedoms for the pipe dream of safety .",
        "steven spielberg has given us so much to think about and gone about it in an entertaining way . do n't miss this film .",
        "the long-range appeal of `` MOV '' should transcend any awards it bags . this is one for the ages .",
        "a first-rate sci-fi , action thriller with great futuristic toys and a premise that has more substance than your average sci-fi film .",
        "for his first attempt at film noir , spielberg presents a fascinating but flawed look at the near future .",
        "... starts as a desperate , suspenseful chase through a technologically spasmodic city , but seamlessly evolves into a chilling commentary on the ethics of life , death and the dangerous game of playing god .",
        "the best movie of its kind since ` brazil . ' lucas , take notes . this is how you use special effects .",
        "the craftsman quality of the work , fine cast , good writing and superior f/x may make this a member of the best , ever , sci-fi flicks .",
        "spielberg 's picture is smarter and subtler than -lsb- total recall and blade runner -rsb- , although its plot may prove too convoluted for fun-seeking summer audiences .",
        "definitively ambitious , aggressively affected and strangely affecting ...",
        "spielberg conveys adult vulnerability in our over-saturated information age . MOV is a futuristic adventure with a humanistic , spiritual pulse .",
        "the MOV card gets a solid ` a ' for top-notch movie escapism , amazingly tense and kick-ass action scenes .",
        "... spielberg has at last decided to make his audience 's pulse pound rather than need the assistance of a life support system as in last year 's a.i. artificial interlligence .",
        "the jetpack chase scene alone is worth the price of admission ... whatta rush ! run , baby , run !",
        "a heart-pounding experience that makes you think and contains a gallery of characters that will haunt your nightmares for years to come .",
        "it 's hard to imagine wanting anything more -- even from a cruise-spielberg matchup .",
        "this film is such a virtuoso high-wire act , daring so much , achieving it with such grace and skill .",
        "MOV is major entertainment and truly mesmerizing science fiction ! this may be ... tom cruise 's finest role .",
        "the plot is captivating and the story is solid ; unfortunately , spielberg wields the philosophical subtext with such a heavy hand that it feels as if you 've been beaten over the head with it .",
        "MOV is more humdrum than horrible . it is n't futuristic film noir ; it 's just everyday film beige .",
        "despite minor weaknesses , `` MOV '' is the work of an inspired director , and is definitely deserving of a complete and thorough investigation by viewers .",
        "a terrifically entertaining specimen of spielbergian sci-fi .",
        "the effort is less surprising than the impressive and often spectacular way in which it succeeds .",
        "spielberg has managed to pick from all his best attributes as a director and combined them to make this roller coaster ride through a fantastically detailed future world .",
        "violent , graphic , and breathtaking in its emotional ugliness , this is a classic , ambitious film that restores diminishing faith in the world 's most influential medium .",
        "although ... visually striking and slickly staged , it 's also cold , grey , antiseptic and emotionally desiccated .",
        "MOV adds yet another jewel to director spielberg 's crown , and another entry to the short list of truly thoughtful and intelligent films in the futuristic science fiction genre .",
        "spielberg , working with futurists who speculated about how we 'll live in 50 years , comes up with a considerable amount of eye candy that also adds heft and believability to his story .",
        "a film that can get you high on the sheer magic and exhilaration of making movies .",
        "there is much to praise here , as spielberg 's onscreen technical wizardry represents , in many ways , the apex of this art form . he seamlessly blends cgi and live action in a series of action sequences that are among the best he has ever filmed .",
        "lacking a consistent view of his source material , spielberg pulls out all the stops by attempting to roll three wildly different genres -- action-adventure , psychological thriller , and futuristic tone poem -- into one film .",
        "amazingly , spielberg ... has managed to suppress his own worst excesses and create a movie that does justice to dick 's ideas .",
        "MOV is a film for the critical cognoscenti as much as it is for the goober-munching masses , and succeeds for all audiences .",
        "o roteiro inteligente e a dire\u0437\u0433o en\u0439rgica transformam o filme em uma obra intensa , ambiciosa e surpreendente . os \u044anicos equ\u043dvocos dizem respeito ao excesso de al\u043dvios c\u0444micos e ao for\u0437ado final , mas s\u0443 .",
        "the first two thirds of the flick are astounding ... but that last half hour or so is completely and utterly superfluous .",
        "spielberg -lsb- seems to -rsb- tack on a happy ending to every film lately , as if he wants to apologize for making a film that was so dark and dystopian for the previous 90 minutes .",
        "spielberg fuses his ability to create astounding images to thought-provoking material ...",
        "cold and scattered , MOV commands interest almost solely as an exercise in gorgeous visuals . that 's not vintage spielberg and that , finally , is minimally satisfying .",
        "the film reaches toward greatness but fails because it is too perfect a projection of its creator . nevertheless , we should celebrate it , because this makes it -- flaws and all -- more valuable than 1,000 soulless , committee-hatched flicks .",
        "MOV is the perfect balance between the work of stanley kubrick 's vision and steven spielberg 's own vision of film storytelling .",
        "a fast , dark and entirely engrossing movie that ... does n't quite add up . never mind . it 's a trip just to look at the thing .",
        "thrilling , provocative and darkly funny , this timely sci-fi mystery works on so many different levels that it not only invites , it demands repeated viewings .",
        "spielberg 's realization of a near-future america is masterful . this makes MOV necessary viewing for sci-fi fans , as the film has some of the best special effects ever .",
        "the result is somewhat satisfying -- it still comes from spielberg , who has never made anything that was n't at least watchable . but it 's also disappointing to a certain degree .",
        "MOV is n't spielberg 's best film by a long laser shot . but it may be an even bolder statement than his mostly brilliant yet roundly rejected a.i. artificial intelligence .",
        "cruise will never be a master thespian , but there 's no one better at putting across the charisma of control , and the opening sequence of report is an astonishingly fluid demonstration of his gifts .",
        "spielberg remains under stanley kubrick 's directorial spell , but report has almost none of the mawkishness that crippled the last fourth of a.i.",
        "all goes well until tom 's balls pop out . is this a setup or just a gratuitous mental image ?",
        "if this movie is n't a hit , there really is no god ... either that , or he has extremely bad taste in film .",
        "top-notch summer entertainment .",
        "spielberg 's fable of crime and punishment in tomorrowland is imperfect but still impressive .",
        "spielberg apparently ca n't resist throwing in a cheerful , make-em-weep ending , which pretty much ruins the movie .",
        "a memorable futuristic thriller that will leave viewers wanting to see it again and again .",
        "enjoy the first two hours of MOV and then prepare for what may be a disappointing wrap-up .",
        "perhaps not the best possible marriage between entertainment and serious content , but it nevertheless represents step in good direction for spielberg .",
        "a twisting thriller that brings spielberg back into fine form .",
        "during the movie my mouth dropped to the floor in shock at what i was seeing : steven spielberg playing again ... finally .",
        "the action is fun , but the more you think about it , the slighter it feels and the more holes show .",
        "visually stunning and imaginative , this otherwise generic cop drama totally drops the ball when it comes to its most interesting and unique aspects of free will vs. pre-determination .",
        "strong on atmospherics and ideas but dissolves into a series of routine , plot-heavy endings .",
        "a fast-moving , entertaining , thought-provoking film that leaves you feeling vaguely empty because it might have been a classic .",
        "the result is uneven , particularly as a thriller , but with flashes of brilliance .",
        "as thought-provoking and visionary as it is flat-out entertaining .",
        "the two main women in this film make the pre-crime unit possible , but do n't benefit themselves . guess the future is n't that much different . the guys are still having all the fun , while the girls either make that possible or sit by and watch .",
        "while the film , deftly imagined by screenwriters scott frank and jon cohen , does n't entirely hold together , its dark , twisty chases and tricky puzzles have much more going for them than spielberg 's last foray onto similar turf .",
        "spielberg is the rare director who does not want to invite viewers to gawk at or applaud his special effects . he just wants them to be part of the action , the wallpaper of his chosen reality . here , thankfully , they are .",
        "spielberg 's visual imagination has never been more splendid .",
        "MOV seems to rush by with very little letup . it combines action and intelligence and at times will have you on the edge of your seats .",
        "spielberg 's sharpest , brawniest , most bustling entertainment since raiders of the lost ark and the finest of the season 's action epics .",
        "as spectacular as the film may be on so many levels , its achilles ' heel is the few brief but positively pivotal flaws in the plot .",
        "a masterful work infused with beautiful and haunting visuals , outstanding performances from tom cruise and a gifted supporting cast -- and a story that challenges the mind and engages the spirit .",
        "the movie is a joy to watch .",
        "you can think and have fun .",
        "the film 's success is in line with what american films historically have done best , which is to excitingly tell a strong story with high style and just enough substance .",
        "though this film is a little long , it is still very entertaining and a fun summer mystery set against an incredible sci-fi background .",
        "it is a kickass , dense sci-fi action thriller hybrid that delivers and then some . i have n't seen one in so long , no wonder i did n't recognize it at first .",
        "what a concept , what an idea , what a thrill ride . this is a more fascinating look at the future than `` bladerunner '' and one of the most high-concept sci fi adventures attempted for the screen .",
        "MOV is the best sci-fi film since blade runner .",
        "MOV embraces rather than avoids its fundamental paradox : ` it 's not the future if it did n't happen . '",
        "wraps a detective thriller and a paranoid orwellian future into a metaphor for the submissive act of viewing film .",
        "impactante , espectacular e inteligente . sentencia previa es la mejor pel\u00edcula en lo que va del a\u0144o . un nuevo cl\u00e1sico del g\u00e9nero .",
        "steven spielberg brings us another masterpiece",
        "i too have seen the future and MOV is going to be the best science fiction movie of 2002 ...",
        "cruise and spielberg did the right thing -- not just the commercial thing -- in merging their talents . MOV is extraordinary .",
        "MOV is undeniably a visual feast . there 's so much eye candy to digest , so many little details to drink in .",
        "smart , ambitious , fast and fascinating , MOV is a movie to restore your faith in hollywood .",
        "making good on the best aspects of a.i. , namely that stark and singular look of a future dominated but not quite overwhelmed by technology , spielberg creates a stunning world where the past and present collide .",
        "this is an intelligent , immensely enjoyable sci-fi thriller that 's head and shoulders above the usual summer blockbuster nonsense .",
        "there 's no doubt that the sci-fi thriller is an ambitious , complex , visually stunning and periodically exciting piece of futuristic film noir , but it 's labored down by a heartless , contrived and very talky storyline ...",
        "an exhilarating futuristic thriller-noir , MOV twists the best of technology around a gripping story , delivering a riveting , pulse intensifying escapist adventure of the first order",
        "should knock the socks off anyone who enjoyed spielberg 's `` a.i. ''",
        "MOV is moviemaking at its best and what movie going is all about .",
        "one of -lsb- spielberg 's -rsb- most compelling and entertaining films ever .",
        "a provocative message about free will ought to be a formidable challenge , yet the movie sails along astonishingly smoothly under spielberg 's control .",
        "astonishing ... -lsb- frames -rsb- profound ethical and philosophical questions in the form of dazzling pop entertainment .",
        "this thing is so good it 's ridiculous . i feel like an embarrassed schoolgirl with a crush .",
        "pulses with fascinating ideas , memorable images and thrilling action sequences .",
        "as with a.i. , spielberg 's admirable intent is to create a prescient , serious science-fiction movie . but neither a.i. nor this film comes close .",
        "steven spielberg creates a ghastly , frightening world in MOV , a world light -- or , rather , dark -- years away from the honeyed allegories and adventures he made earlier in his career .",
        "intelligent , exciting , funny and emotionally involving , MOV shows you can have your popcorn and eat it , too .",
        "the most intelligently fun movie spielberg has ever made .",
        "MOV wo n't go down as one of spielberg 's greatest films -- there are a few gaping holes in the plot , and some awkward attempts at humor . but it 's a wonderfully chilly thrill ride while it lasts .",
        "say hello to the new-millennial steven spielberg of MOV . for the second consecutive movie the uber-director infuses artsy sci-fi with macabre humor and sociological pretension .",
        "this is the kind of pure entertainment that , in its fullness and generosity , feels almost classic .",
        "while not perfect , this sci-fi flick and its various scenes and sequences are likely to grow on viewers hours or days after seeing them , which is always a good sign .",
        "the story is undeniably engrossing , thanks in part to cruise 's strong performance as an emotionally scarred protagonist fighting for his life .",
        "steven spielberg outdoes himself with a vivid , troubling depiction of a futuristic society where lawlessness , of all things , has become the latest form of pollution .",
        "a powerful and entertaining story .",
        "MOV is ultimately more of a popcorn flick than a debate movie , but it 's a spellbinding film nonetheless .",
        "the entertainment value in this entire escapade is as much the design and detail of a future world as it is in the immersion of good actors into the dramatic folds of the dark and sometimes confusing storyline .",
        "MOV is exactly what the title indicates , a report .",
        "the director creates a vision of the future that 's richly detailed and fascinating .",
        "... one of those rare movies with commercial aspirations that invites and even rewards thought .",
        "spielberg 's most unpleasant and derivative film , a nasty , tired , predictable affair that makes hook look comparable to schindler 's list .",
        "un monumento a la ciencia ficci\u00f3n ; una joya influenciada por cl\u00e1sicos como blade runner y una profunda admiraci\u00f3n por el film noir ; MOV brilla en la pantalla .",
        "a very good film for all of its running time , fascinating for most of it and visionary for some of it .",
        "cruise brings just the right shading of depth to his performance . he allows glimpses into anderton 's emotions but does n't forget that , when all is said and done , this is an action movie .",
        "terrific action sequences , seamless special effects , devilishly underhanded humor , and an excellent supporting cast .",
        "much of MOV is inspired , but the movie is also packed with oddball , overdone acting , the occasional clunker cliche and the feeling that spielberg could n't leave well enough alone .",
        "this is a great film . i can think of only one flaw , although the passage of time or subsequent viewings might bring up more .",
        "it 's a festival of cool , from its virtual this and virtual that to its black-clad , angst-ridden hero .",
        "despite a few dangling plot points , MOV actually improves upon dick 's work in its narrative complexity .",
        "as we debate what personal rights to sacrifice for the sake of national security , ` MOV ' makes for a fascinating , if fanciful , case study .",
        "mr. spielberg , you have restored my faith in sci-fi -- and more importantly , you have restored my faith in you .",
        "this is finally spielberg stripped of sentimentality and pulsating with a cruel edge .",
        "spielberg and cruise are back to top form .",
        "MOV gets an ` a. '",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "spielberg has managed to marry science fiction with film noir and action flicks with philosophical inquiry .",
        "it 's simply wonderful to see spielberg in charge of a tightly wound popcorn movie again , though in his words report is more ` gourmet popcorn . '",
        "candy for the brain as well as the eye .",
        "MOV makes the matrix look tame . this is big studio , commercial filmmaking at its best .",
        "shallow , noisy and pretentious .",
        "the action sequences are first-rate summer fare , and the art direction is superb .",
        "a thinking person 's action flick that grips you on the basic popcorn level but also leaves you with something to think about in the end",
        "MOV is seemingly structured as a very liberal attack on the orderly disorder of our own judicial system .",
        "MOV aspires to more than mere mindlessness , but fails miserably , and as a result crystallizes nearly everything that i dislike about spielberg 's films .",
        "the film dissolves into a predictable who-dunit , but as a movie of ideas -- religion ! technology ! free will ! -- it 's ambitious and breathtaking . great toys , too : robot spiders and magnetic cars .",
        "the most detailed creation of a future society since blade runner .",
        "an amazing picture with both the excitement of the `` indiana jones '' trilogy and the thought-provoking vision of `` close encounters of the third kind '' .",
        "offers generous servings of food for thought along with breakneck excitement and eye-popping special effects .",
        "... a sea of fresh ideas and approaches , expertly crafted not just to keep the audience engaged , but to nourish their senses in the process .",
        "while it strays from dick 's narrative , it nails the basic premise and some quintessential dickian motifs .",
        "if it loses in the inevitable comparison to blade runner , it does establish a world of chilling risk , in which the main murder victim is privacy .",
        "a classy , chilly quasi-hitchcockian affair .",
        "my own MOV is that it stinks .",
        "packed to the gills with juicy movie ingredients .",
        "final report : good , yes ; great , no .",
        "a fantastically confident and exhilarating thrill-ride into the future which far more satisfactorily combines kubrick 's chilly sense of the alienating and the bizarre with spielberg 's own mastery of sugar-rush suspense tactics .",
        "the overall experience of this film is a powerful one .",
        "there are flaws , but also stretches of impact and moments of awe ; we 're wrapped up in the characters , how they make their choices , and why .",
        "if steven spielberg is the heart of MOV , tom cruise is the muscle , philip k. dick is the brain and stanley kubrick is the spirit hanging over them .",
        "great action sequences follow , of a type spielberg has not done since the `` indiana jones '' series - fast paced while also a bit tongue-in-cheek and even morbid .",
        "spielberg is back on track with one of the best sci-fi films to come along in quite some time .",
        "an accomplished genre flick .",
        "script care , sweet visuals , etc. and strong pace all keep the film fun , strikingly compelling and the viewers from slipping into a few holes in logic .",
        "one of the few films i 've seen so far this year that i would recommend and it is one to see on the big screen .",
        "ferociously intense , furiously kinetic , it 's expressionist film noir science fiction that , like all good sci-fi , peers into the future to shed light on the present .",
        "vigorously entertaining and tremendously weird , `` MOV '' feels like a vintage action comics adventure spiked with acid . it 's an uncommonly melancholy blockbuster about demons ruthlessly determining our fate even as we relentlessly flee them .",
        "violent sci-fi detective movie is n't for kids .",
        "the most fun a spielberg film has been for a long while .",
        "this has to be one of spielberg 's best ever ...",
        "... a stylish , thoughtful , and thought-provoking future-noir thriller .",
        "while the way in which MOV presents these ideas makes them far more incredible and fantastical , it 's their truth ... that turns the film into something far more dark and sinister .",
        "nothing short of a masterpiece , breathlessly suspenseful , dazzlingly exciting , subversively profound , and punctuated with just the right flashes of light and dark humor .",
        "brilliantly realised , complex and humane , MOV is easily on a par with blade runner as one of the best adaptations of philip k dick 's work ever made .",
        "the most exciting piece of work spielberg has delivered in ages .",
        "there 's something auspicious , and daring , too , about the artistic instinct that pushes a majority-oriented director like steven spielberg to follow a.i. with this challenging report so liable to unnerve the majority .",
        "for all its gee-whiz special effects and cool stunts , the film is really a dark mystery ; it 's hitchcock version 2.0 .",
        "director steven spielberg proves he 's more than just a big name ; he actually is a top-notch director .",
        "this is so markedly superior to almost everything else that 's been in theaters over the past several months , it reduces the competition to also-ran status .",
        "working as both a thriller and a mystery , the movie has all eyes glued to the screen and all brains in overdrive .",
        "a summer entertainment adults can see without feeling embarrassed , but it could have been more .",
        "rivals some of spielberg 's top adventure/science fiction epics , such as close encounters and raiders of the lost ark. .",
        "this is one of those rare blockbusters that satisfies both in its big spectacle and in the small , intimate moments .",
        "the most interesting , successful , and basically honest work this director has done for a long , long time .",
        "unlike other summer fantasy entertainments , MOV offers no escape from thought -- just what the majority of movies ought to be doing .",
        "not only is it spielberg 's best , but it could have been one of kubrick 's as well .",
        "where george lucas ' characters are geeky , spielberg 's are freaky , where lucas offers fantasy , spielberg offers flesh , where lucas makes you wonder , spielberg makes you ponder .",
        "spielberg has not just infused the movie with action and intelligence , but with grace and elegance as well ... one of the best sci-fi movies ever !",
        "this excellent film , following the beautiful and under appreciated ai : artificial intelligence , establishes spielberg as the current master of the genre .",
        "it has more substance than most spielberg films and definitely more of an edge . looks like the director 's kid gloves are off . this is a good thing .",
        "likely to be remembered alongside blade runner as one of the most influential and stunning pieces of science fiction to open up the imagination of audiences everywhere .",
        "cold , unmoving , and desperately in need of a beating heart and a soaring soul , MOV is one of the most depressing disappointments of the year .",
        "mainstream films do n't get any better than this one .",
        "it 's not the crowning achievement in steven spielberg 's oeuvre , but MOV stands on its own sturdy sci-fi legs .",
        "spielberg is like a father who tells his kids scary bedtime stories but ca n't bear it if they have nightmares .",
        "... director steven spielberg once again presents a glimpse of the future while tom cruise redeems himself along the way for ` vanilla sky ' .",
        "MOV is the action film kubrick never made . while at times amusing , it is truly a horrifying and fascinating piece of art . this is not only a document of our future , but a film for the future .",
        "not simply steven spielberg 's most prescient sci-fi work but also one of his finest .",
        "the movie 's combination of old and new influences energizes its believable futuristic elements .",
        "for its stunning visuals and standout performances , MOV -- or at least the first three-fourths of it -- might just be the best movie so far this year .",
        "high-concept science-fiction escapades often try to impose new ways of seeing , but spielberg seems intent on blistering our optic nerves .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- takes themes from blade runner , total recall and especially the little seen gary fleder-directed impostor and stirs them up into an absorbing thriller .",
        "this masterfully sleek vision of the future from director steven spielberg is an awesome mix of skewed science fiction , twisty hitchcock-style thrills , stunning blue-grey tinged photography and outstanding design .",
        "though his movie wraps challenging ideas and ingenious visual conceits in a futurist film-noir style , it 's pretentious , didactic and intentionally but mercilessly bleak .",
        "too much of MOV is facile , albeit at a very high level .",
        "this is a grown-up movie by men who 've suddenly realised that their inner peter pans have deserted them .",
        "the worst thing about the new steven spielberg picture is the title , MOV . the best thing about it is pretty much everything else .",
        "this one blends the best aspects of the mature spielberg 's often warring personality .",
        "a cerebral film noir for the 21st century that 's constantly reinventing itself visually in the hands of a multi-faceted director still unsure of his current voice .",
        "as a science fiction movie , `` MOV '' astounds .",
        "a mesmerizing whodunit .",
        "gives us a lot to chew on , but not all of it has been properly digested .",
        "he first two-thirds of minority reportare such a good time that what happens at film 's end does n't quite obliterate it .",
        "easily outperforms a.i. as the most enjoyable film kubrick never made .",
        "it 's rare to find a film that dazzles the eye , challenges the brain , and satisfies our lust for fast-paced action , but MOV delivers all that and a whole lot more .",
        "some may quibble that the 144-minute length accommodates at least one too many endings . but such quibbling will diminish in view of the film 's overall impact .",
        "smart science fiction for grown-ups , with only a few false steps along the way ."],
    "summary": "thought-provoking and visceral , steven spielberg successfully combines high concept ideas and high octane action in this fast and febrile sci-fi thriller .",
    "id": "11560"
  },
  {
    "movie": "beach",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the real downfall of the movie is that there 's only so much meaningful interplay you can get out of a beachful of slackers and some tanning oil .",
        "not bad , but not really worth the effort .",
        "a movie that tries to take us from heaven to hell but winds up leaving us in limbo : exasperated and dumfounded .",
        "the MOV is beautiful , everyone has a lovely tan . but it 's nothing to write home about .",
        "the MOV is the kind of literary rubbish that makes you trace the patterns in the carpet while you 're supposed to be watching the screen .",
        "the movie is an experience , of a sort they had a name for in the '60s : bummer .",
        "the problem here is not acting . it is story .",
        "an uneasy blend of tones and styles , a disappointing return to the spotlight by its star and another jumbled effort by its director .",
        "tedious and unsatisfying .",
        "a kind of adventure holiday for the mtv generation rather than a cautionary tale of a society that turns in on itself .",
        "boyle manages to heighten the impact of the MOV with visceral imagery , high-energy cutting and sharp-edged social commentary .",
        "the MOV looks and sounds fantastic .",
        "as it stands , the film is competent enough to be bearable , but not enough to hammer home any points of interest .",
        "ao aceitar protagonizar esta produ\u0437\u0433o , dicaprio comprova ser um artista que ambiciona mais do que ser apenas um milion\u0431rio sem nada de inteligente para mostrar no curr\u043dculo .",
        "it does n't really come off , but it 's an admirably ambitious , and mostly very engaging , coming-of-age adventure that apes the spirit of joseph conrad .",
        "ultimately , it seems more bland than bad .",
        "as many spiritual teachers have warned : if you do not want pain , do n't only seek pleasure .",
        "the MOV , designed to provoke audiences , stops for too many hollywood moments to get the job done .",
        "the glimpses of paradise are so intoxicating that it 's easy to ignore the cliches and enjoy the drama anyway .",
        "a deeply flawed adventure film with heavy themes about the fragile nature of paradise",
        "the film 's story goes from decent to bad to awful .",
        "the film itself turns out to be much like its hero richard : good-looking , slightly cryptic and ultimately more than a little tiresome .",
        "leo 's journey into the heart of darkness is , unfortunately , far from convincing .",
        "an utterly common and uninvolving amalgam of paradise photography , detached pop psychology and watered-down danger .",
        "... an epic for pipsqueaks .",
        "this movie succeeds in style , music and leo , but ultimately fails to string along a story good enough to warrant a hearty recommendation .",
        "you can throw this adaptation of alex garland 's novel back into the sea .",
        "settles down into something vaguely formulaic .",
        "the MOV is quite easily the most colorful bad movie of the year ...",
        "leo spazzes out like a frat boy at every opportunity , and his later descent into madness looks more like a descent into the world 's worst martin sheen impression .",
        "its narrative waters become rather muddy in the late going , and its currents finally do n't run very deep .",
        "while watching the MOV , you 'll feel every wave of water , every breeze of air , every ray of sunshine . but not much else .",
        "is n't much conflict in its plot",
        "... a cross between the blue lagoon and lord of the flies , with a whole lot less going on than meets the eye .",
        "it was just too bad that the story did n't have more weight , or should i say some weight .",
        "not at all a bad film -- simply a misguided one that is ruined by an amateurish screenplay that is missing three important elements : a heart , a brain , and the nerve to be courageous in its storytelling .",
        "structured for an audience more familiar with mtv 's road rules than with joseph conrad 's heart of darkness .",
        "an unmitigated flop !",
        "the movie feels like a mixed-up collection of high points from a book .",
        "beautiful to watch , but this paradise is just a mirage -- ultimately there 's nothing there .",
        "a seriously confused film that makes three or four passes at being a better one and does n't complete any of them .",
        "the MOV wears its self-importance on its sleeve , but never truly earns it .",
        "the last 40 minutes are n't merely dissatisfying -- they 're virtually unbearable .",
        "lacks imagination and energy .",
        "the MOV is not a terrible movie , just an insubstantial one .",
        "a lazy film that thinks it 's being profound .",
        "... riddled with bizarre contrivances and unlikely scenarios .",
        "the film equivalent of eating one of those circular rice wafer things that taste like nothing .",
        "while it thumped along , i had plenty of time to ponder the other and better movies that it reminded me of .",
        "three-fifths of a great movie sunk by a crucial tonal misstep . a cross between lord of the flies , swiss family robinson and apocalypse now .",
        "by attempting to combine elements of mystery , adventure , action and romance , ` the MOV ' becomes too jumbled to follow with much interest .",
        "a brilliant example of changing the material to suit the medium without losing the message .",
        "a narrative that tries to juggle thriller elements , tons of pop culture imagery , and way too much philosophical baggage .",
        "a mad assemblage of earlier , better bungle-in-the-jungle stories .",
        "in pitching for the mass market , boyle 's film has allowed itself to be rebranded as a hollywood star vehicle , a cynical assemblage that is never more than the sum of its market-researched parts .",
        "boyle takes a seriously wrong turn in the closing third of the film .",
        "if you scrutinize the story , holes appear .",
        "all the beauty in the world ca n't camouflage the movie 's gorgeous emptiness .",
        "what works on the page starts to seem silly on the screen .",
        "it 's hard to believe a studio would green-light a film so emotionally lukewarm and even downright hokey as this if not for leo 's presence .",
        "less - than - gripping .",
        "the film has nowhere to go but down .",
        "derivative and insubstantial .",
        "it has a mythical pull to which anyone who 's ever felt trapped inside an office cubicle , yearning for escape , will relate . the surprise is that the movie makes that cubicle seem like a mighty nice place to be .",
        "it could have been a seductive fable with a concealed sting ; instead , it 's just a lazy moral tale .",
        "the appeal of the new leonardo dicaprio vehicle the MOV can be summed up in one word : scenery .",
        "the MOV taps into something powerful that ca n't be overwhelmed by individual moments of silliness .",
        "leo is surprisingly masculine , charming and effective in this stylish , gorgeous , but clumsily structured nintendo-generation update of lord of the flies .",
        "well paced , acted and filmed , always interesting , with only a few sticky moments and rough end .",
        "despite a flat finale and some laughable hypothesizing about pursuits of liberty , the movie has its own addictive elements : well-used electronica , darius khondji 's photography and the nonstop charisma of its star .",
        "the MOV never really strays from the commercial track while exploring its inhabitants ' hopes and fears , but considering that we in the audience can take it in without getting sand on overheated feet makes the experience a worthy one .",
        "dicaprio especially is to be congratulated . he proves once again he 's more than just another pretty face .",
        "the scenery never loses club med magic , and dicaprio remains a star even when almost eclipsed by bad dialogue .",
        "worth spending a little time on .",
        "dicaprio 's teen idol status may be the primary reason he gets so much ink in the press now , but his talent will keep his name in the memory for years to come .",
        "the film does not aspire to sociology . it just wants to tell a story . and that it does well .",
        "it 's hobbled by odd plot contrivances and some less-than-stellar acting from dicaprio .",
        "an embarrassing disaster that should have been ` beached ' while in pre-production .",
        "many of the film 's problems lie with the source material , which reads well in print but seems ludicrous and contrived on the big screen .",
        "it will likely appeal to moviegoers more interested in scenery than substance .",
        "dicaprio has shifted from giving performance -- and often good performance -- to giving persona , and the MOV is nothing if not a vehicle engineered for that shift .",
        "it 's MOV blanket bingo revisited , but with a eurocast and more exotic locations .",
        "a dark , muddled , ambitious but derivative piece .",
        "murky , pretentious and torturously inert .",
        "the MOV needed a director , because it 's a little tough to tell what danny boyle was doing all those months in thailand .",
        "a big part of the problem with the MOV is that most of its characters are so thinly developed , their behavior feels completely arbitrary .",
        "the MOV is a flick only leo 's mom and his schwab broker could love .",
        "i felt like i was drowning at the MOV instead of watching it .",
        "plays like a combination of the blue lagoon and a video game .",
        "while movie fans who prefer straightforward thrillers will be disappointed , those who are willing to sort through something less tidy are going to find the MOV an intriguing , if uneven exploration of the dark side of paradise .",
        "the deeper into which this film travels in both plot and character behavior and motivation , the further it sinks into muck and general absurdities .",
        "a complete escape package ? not even close .",
        "very handsome to look at ... but it 's equally apparent that as a narrative the film is extremely silly and disjointed .",
        "the second hour is an incomprehensible mess .",
        "fails to convincingly represent the psychological link between the protagonist 's fantasies and his need to redefine his concept of paradise .",
        "unfortunately , this film is too diffuse to be successful .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "critics say the MOV is unfocused and muddled , a shallow adaptation of the novel it is based on . points go to the gorgeous cinematography , though .",
    "id": "13286"
  },
  {
    "movie": "spring_summer_fall_winterand_spring",
    "reviews":
     [
        "thanks to first-rate performances , the lovely shifts of the seasons and the resourceful , minimalist script , the film gently holds the heart -- and ultimately moves it .",
        "a balm for the soul and a reminder that even in the frenetic city , the cosmos has its own steady pendulum .",
        "it drifts around in a slow circle like the houseboat on the lake , but patient audiences will find the trip worthwhile .",
        "this is as close to a zen experience as the movies offer .",
        "it 's a harsh story told against a lush backdrop , sad without being sentimental and instructive without being preachy .",
        "do n't be surprised if days after seeing this beautiful little film you discover it has taken up residence in your head .",
        "this meditative character study is mesmerizing in its own peculiar way .",
        "this is not a movie of action , but of meditation -- a tale that unfolds , like the seasons , allowing us time to explore its meaning and its mysteries .",
        "the film 's effect is magical , drawing its viewer in and causing it to grow , wilt , lust and despair through an entire life in 98 minutes",
        "a wise and brilliant movie .",
        "spring , summer , fall , winter ... and spring provides an oasis from contemporary rhythms .",
        "hay momentos de sobrecogedora belleza -lrb- ... -rrb- cuando logramos meternos dentro de un relato cargado de poes\u00eda como \u00e9ste .",
        "this is one eastern film that shows a world view that is very different than the western view of the universe .",
        "spare and contained , with a timeless quality that makes it seem less a product of an individual human imagination than a collective memory ...",
        "truly remarkable , this is the most accessible of his films , to be sure , but there remains an edge that makes it all the more remarkable when the film settles in to be simply quiet and beautiful . exceptional .",
        "precious few movies are so agog with wonder at the absolute majesty of nature .",
        "somber , serene and stirring .",
        "as the buddhists might say , you have to experience it firsthand ; reading about it is not enough",
        "i 'm sure over two dozen people have used the word ` meditative ' to describe it , but , with its contemplative moments and exquisite use of natural color , the word simply fits .",
        "slow , yes , but never boring and frequently moving .",
        "beautiful and absorbing .",
        "a unique and exotic work of art that strikes a universal chord .",
        "the lessons offered by spring , summer are as old as time . and for those who choose to worship at the altar of cinema , the images are unforgettable .",
        "this is not a film that will appeal to everybody , but students of film would be wise to check out how to paint a picture on screen .",
        "be prepared for a quiet , melancholy movie that provokes thought and contemplation .",
        "a sublime , witty , gritty and transcendental movie reflecting one man 's life journey .",
        "what makes it a must-see is the breathtakingly lovely cinematography of dong-hyun baek , whose camera work makes nature and the seasons come alive .",
        "exquitely beautiful -- a breath of fresh air .",
        "for many , the overall effect will be less as universal mythology than as lovely anthropology .",
        "austere in style but deeply humane in its outlook ... a visually enthralling , spiritually uplifting film that portrays a man 's journey from childish naivete to enlightenment .",
        "a work of transporting beauty",
        "the story is compelling , but spring , summer sends your thoughts off in mystical directions , as you contemplate what it has to say about grace , learning from mistakes and accepting that we are all part of a plan , even if that plan is not clear .",
        "the picture 's extraordinary beauty is inescapable .",
        "the film is only 98 minutes , but kim is so meticulous in his storytelling that it seems as drawn out as the title .",
        "the film is most interesting when it bypasses the universality of its spiritual lessons and becomes culturally specific -lrb- a buddhist ` sutra , ' a ritual sucide ... -rrb-",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- film with a power to seep into your soul like few others can ...",
        "as the seasons pass , lessons are learned , mistakes are made and , inevitably , many audience members are put to sleep .",
        "the payoff of this intoxicating film is less a deep , coherent message than a series of gorgeous surface images : the smoky visuals , the calm , committed rapport with nature , the dramatic seasonal shifts .",
        "as with most collections of short stories , some are more interesting than others . and the pacing is extremely slow -- almost meditative .",
        "ki-duk ... impressively fuses style and content .",
        "spring , summer , fall , winter ... and spring may arrive cloaked in buddhist theory but its premise is more halloween than hallowed .",
        "a mystical primer on buddhist spirituality , and an immediately absorbing story about lessons that we all must grapple with , regardless of faith and culture",
        "the bressonian mixture of intense labor , bodily devotion , and the palpable breath of spirituality across the frames is a peak few films seek to scale , and even fewer attain .",
        "action lurks beneath amazing images , meditative tone .",
        "like nature itself , both elementally simple and complexly beautiful .",
        "it 's a movie rich in buddhist philosophies , yet full of incidents and observations that are easy to grasp , regardless of your beliefs .",
        "great chillout cinema .",
        "the impression this movie leaves is profound : here is an artist who sees things whole .",
        "this meditation on spirituality , loneliness and accountability could touch your heart 's core .",
        "although not as gut-wrenching or politically pugnacious as some of his previous work , kim 's film allows a sense of moral renewal unclouded by sentimentality and without blurring his remarkable cinematic idiom .",
        "an accomplished , contemplative work rooted in the philosophy of buddhism .",
        "a triumph of sheer cinematic craft that mirrors its characters ' contemplative natures while extolling the virtues of lives simply led .",
        "here 's what kim ki-duk 's latest does n't have : defecatory closeups , icepicks in the tuckus , inappropriate use of fishhooks , audience members puking , or critics passing out .",
        "poetry in motion .",
        "this sense luscious korean film provides a luminous meditation on the wisdom of buddhism and the ways in which life is an exquisite spiritual teacher .",
        "far from a maxim-expounding sermon , the film is a fresh spring of irrational visual pleasure .",
        "the triumph of spring , summer is that even those of us who do n't happen to be buddhists can catch a glimpse of ourselves in the spinning wheel of hope , destruction , suffering , and bliss .",
        "kim ki duk , in this exquisitely simple movie , manages to isolate something essential about human nature and at the same time to comprehend the scope of human experience .",
        "backed by a terrific south korean/german production crew , kim ki-duk is in total control of his material , its rhythms and its tone .",
        "just as every action in the film has its own reaction , every image evokes the oneness of the film 's characters to their natural surroundings .",
        "unlike many movies , this one feels completely organic , as if there 's no other way it could play out but this .",
        "if tarantino 's film is built to thrill , spring , summer is made to last .",
        "lush and succinct images support the twists and turns of nature 's natural terms and the rumination of man 's evident shortcomings .",
        "arrives with the gale force winds that signal a major new international talent in kim ki-duk .",
        "using perfectly composed shots to amplify an emotionally resonant story , the film successfully argues that ` artistic ' films do not have to be boring .",
        "-lsb- spring -rsb- probably represents the purest and most transcendent distillation of the buddhist faith ever rendered on the screen .",
        "perhaps most impressive are kim 's simple yet profound cyclic repetitions , which build to a climatic transcendental moment before once again returning to life 's circular flow",
        "a masterful portrait of the seasons of a life .",
        "absolutely stunning and unforgettable ... you 'll want to savor this gem again and again with repeated viewings .",
        "visually arresting , baek dong hyun 's cinematography will stay with you even as the film 's facile moral lessons fade away .",
        "kim 's movie conjures a sense of spiritual discipline as suspenseful as it is stunning to watch and exhilarating to contemplate .",
        "as meditative and beautiful as its title would indicate .",
        "there 's a timelessness to spring that 's enchanting .",
        "a beautiful film .",
        "the film may not lead to enlightenment , but it 's a remarkable achievement nonetheless .",
        "where kim 's best-known movie , the isle , was a stomach-churner , this beautifully composed canvas is the sort of film one falls into , resurfacing at the end with great reluctance .",
        "in the end , inner peace is found by all -- on screen and in the audience .",
        "in some ways , this is less a movie than a meditation . but that does n't mean , like any meditation , it does n't offer its own rewards .",
        "the work of both master and disciple , containing at once scenes of enormous beauty and warmth , crafted by kim 's inner octogenarian , and those darker passages sealed with the imprint of a still-restless iconoclast .",
        "although it takes a while to flesh out its message if you are patient , it is a very rewarding film , even if you have to take a deep breath and slowly say the title .",
        "proves that the most local story is sometimes the most universal , the simplest tale sometimes the most complex .",
        "a little gem , it keeps its conflicting or varying themes of tranquility and violence , sacred and profane love , recklessness and wisdom , in almost perfect balance .",
        "with its heart-stopping setting , gorgeous images and a lovely little story , it 's as fresh as woodland dew .",
        "the floating monastery strikes one , at first , as far too empty a stage for a movie of any length , but it becomes , in the end , a meditation on walls , rules and memory , on the keeping out and the keeping in of life .",
        "this subtly entrancing paean to seasons earthly and emotional is to the developing male psyche what whale rider is to the female , and deserves equal acclaim .",
        "exquisitely crafted .",
        "beautifully composed as the film is , it borders on preciousness .",
        "misidentified as gentle , the picture just approaches conflict in a better way .",
        "by turns humorous and tragic , kim 's film folds buddhist belief into scenarios that capture the eye while they provoke the mind .",
        "a transporting sort of experience at the movies ."],
    "summary": "a visually stunning and contemplative piece of work .",
    "id": "13076"
  },
  {
    "movie": "friday_after_next",
    "reviews":
     [
        "ice cube , the flick 's producer / writer/star , should have spurned the project and just camped outside movie theaters with a bell and a tin can to beg for cash . it would have been more honest .",
        "intended as a wackily good natured satire of urban life for african americans , this movie is really just a stereotype-laden snoozefest .",
        "MOV has the same problem that next friday did -- it 's called where 's chris tucker when you need him ?",
        "a mixed bag : there are a few cheerful presents in it , but more lumps of coal ; and some of it is ho-ho-horrible .",
        "without the aid of the original 's chris tucker , and because we 've seen most of these gags before , the laughs are as scarce as st. nick in summertime .",
        "it 's bedeviled by labored writing and slack direction .",
        "there 's an audience for it , but it could have been funnier and more innocent .",
        "far more enjoyable than its predecessor .",
        "cube and epps play off each other well , but the comedy 's success lies mostly in its talented stable of supporting actors .",
        "lacks the spirit of the previous two , and makes all those jokes about hos and even more unmentionable subjects seem like mere splashing around in the muck .",
        "it gets old quickly . watch barbershop again if you 're in need of a cube fix -- this is n't worth sitting through .",
        "i did n't laugh at the ongoing efforts of cube , and his skinny buddy mike epps , to make like laurel and hardy 'n the hood .",
        "MOV is a lot more bluster than bite .",
        "all comedy is subversive , but this unrelenting bleak insistence on opting out of any opportunity for finding meaning in relationships or work just becomes sad .",
        "i wish i could say `` thank god it 's friday '' , but the truth of the matter is i was glad when it was over .",
        "neither as good as its direct ancestor nor as clever as the original friday , this is , to put it bluntly , all seeds and stems .",
        "you 'd have to be applying pretty loose critical standards to describe MOV ... as a good movie , but in the coming weeks it may certainly prove a useful one .",
        "frenetic but not really funny .",
        "writer cube and director marcus raboy vigorously mix christmas cheer and and real life , and the result is as tasty as eggnog spiked with whiskey .",
        "the only reason you should see this movie is if you have a case of masochism and an hour and a half to blow .",
        "the film definitely has an audience out there . yet , it beats me what they found so funny as what 's offered is simply quite awful .",
        "friday movies are a lot like an african-american version of seinfeld ; they 're really about nothing . and if you can appreciate the cultural dislocation of their urban california milieu , same as seinfeld , they can be funny as hell .",
        "hews to the sequel curve -lrb- first one good , the rest increasingly mediocre -rrb- .",
        "leisurely , waxy potpourri of messy sight gags , coarse sex jokes and all-pro bad behavior .",
        "the movie often feels as if it were just marking time , counting on your memory of the first two films to make you laugh at characters who seemed much funnier , and less belabored , seven years ago .",
        "the movie has no respect for laws , political correctness or common decency , but it displays something more important : respect for its flawed , crazy people .",
        "damn , ice cube does n't look like he 's aged a day since last friday !",
        "... the best in a truly awful series .",
        "a manically generous christmas vaudeville .",
        "-lsb- a movie -rsb- that seems to have forgotten its own jokes , much as those who watch it will forget everything about it a week later , stoned or not .",
        "humor does n't get much broader or thinner than this .",
        "it shares the first two films ' loose-jointed structure , but laugh-out-loud bits are few and far between .",
        "a christmas story it 's not , but there are worse ways you could spend your holi-daze in the ` hood .",
        "epps has neither the charisma nor the natural affability that has made tucker a star .",
        "it 's all a rather shapeless good time ...",
        "just for fun -- a break from shopping , tree trimming , cooking , cleaning , wrapping and all the rest .",
        "ice cube is n't quite out of ripe screwball ideas , but MOV spreads them pretty thin .",
        "cranks up an impressive amount of energy considering that it 's the third installment .",
        "the constant flow of calamities spotlights a lot of talented and funny people under music video veteran marcus raboy 's buoyant , good-natured direction .",
        "to call this film a lump of coal would only be to flatter it .",
        "a raucous , riotous , blisteringly obscene comedy .",
        "contains more painfully unfunny , misogynistic and sometimes racist shtick than the first two films combined .",
        "a movie just for friday fans , critics be damned . if you already like this sort of thing , this is that sort of thing all over again .",
        "the appeal of the vulgar , sexist , racist humour went over my head or -- considering just how low brow it is -- perhaps it snuck under my feet .",
        "a whole lot foul , freaky and funny .",
        "this is surely one of the most frantic , virulent and foul-natured christmas season pics ever delivered by a hollywood studio .",
        "the jokes are sophomoric , stereotypes are sprinkled everywhere and the acting ranges from bad to bodacious .",
        "to my taste , the film 's comic characters come perilously close to being amoses and andys for a new generation .",
        "MOV is the kind of film that could only be made by african-americans because of its broad racial insensitivity towards african-americans .",
        "all this south central color gives MOV a lived-in feel that endears you to the characters and the way they live .",
        "i like my christmas movies with more elves and snow and less pimps and ho 's .",
        "it 's still loud , crude and lewd but without the loopy energy and bright characterizations that helped to distract from the fact that there was never much going on in the plot department .",
        "loud , chaotic and largely unfunny .",
        "there must be an audience that enjoys the friday series , but i would n't be interested in knowing any of them personally .",
        "this is a terrible movie , one of the worst comedies of the year .",
        "this is n't a `` friday '' worth waiting for .",
        "never having seen the first two films in the series , i ca n't compare MOV to them , but nothing would change the fact that what we have here is a load of clams left in the broiling sun for a good three days .",
        "'t was the night before christmas and all through the ` hood , friday fans were wishing the new sequel was good .",
        "a south central la comedy with more of the flavor of halloween , the film is more about ghetto strife that 's just too agitated to , well , pause for claus .",
        "perhaps the main problem with MOV is that everything is too manic to be memorable .",
        "... more cartoonish than anything else ...",
        "it 's become abundantly clear that series star/writer/producer ice cube has n't a clue as to why the first friday became such a beloved cult classic in the first place .",
        "something to offend everyone ."],
    "summary": "this friday installment is more shapeless and stale than its predecessors .",
    "id": "13566"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1017641-risky_business",
    "reviews":
     [
        "one of the finest film explorations of the end of innocence .",
        "seeing -lsb- cruise -rsb- so baby faced is the biggest surprise , but his talent was definitely visible .",
        "it 's easy to forget the idiosyncracies of a film that so successfully trades on adolescent male fantasies and nightmares . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "for writer/director paul brickman , this was a case of being in the right place at the right time and , perhaps most importantly , getting the right leading man in place .",
        "de mornay does sterling work as the helpful hooker , but this is cruise 's big chance , and he relishes it , putting in a believable and likeable performance .",
        "it works well as a comedy but one cringes at the thought that it defined , for a while , the social expectations of a generation .",
        "writer/director paul brickman has honed a sharp satire on american go-getting here .",
        "as adolescent adventures go , MOV is an invigorating , first-class affair : it manages to make coming of age a witty proposition .",
        "a capitalist wet dream ; one that we have long since woken up from screaming .",
        "it 's sexy , smart and funny , but also stylish and filled with social satire and commentary on the culture of money .",
        "involving and entertaining",
        "it 's funny because it deals with subjects that are so touchy , so fraught with emotional pain , that unless we laugh there 's hardly any way we can deal with them -- especially if we are now , or ever were , a teenage boy .",
        "writer-director paul brickman can therefore be accused of trying to have it both ways , but there 's no denying the stylishness and talent of his direction .",
        "one of the key films of the 1980s , and proof that a teen sex comedy could merit serious consideration .",
        "paul brickman makes a splashy debut with a stylish youth satire that conveys more vividly reagonomics and the corrupt and decadent decade of 1980s than serious dramas like wall street ; it 's also a wonderful showcase for tom cruise , who became a star .",
        "good ' 80 's teen movie with a suitable soundtrack and the loveable cruise displaying his new found starry confidence .",
        "what distinguishes it , however , is that it 's hovering permanently on the brink of stark , staring disaster in a way that strangely recalls the graduate .",
        "mildly diverting , wildly overrrated .",
        "a classic ! welcome to stardom mr. cruise .",
        "now classic cruise-in-briefs highlights the goings on .",
        "apesar de ing\u0119nua para os padr\u0151es contempor\u00e2neos , esta com\u00e9dia ainda funciona gra\u00e7as ao carisma jovial de cruise .",
        "still tom 's only convincing performance -lrb- apart from losin ' it -rrb- . and that trainride -- honey !",
        "paul brickman shows a very strong filmmaking talent , which might blossom if given material worthy of it .",
        "a generation-x classic , and a career-maker for tom cruise .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- improves as it goes along .",
        "a movie that is part caper comedy , part suburban satire , and all eighties .",
        "tom cruise was never this young , was he ?",
        "a taut , bitter , sharp and nearly flawless film .",
        "the roots of american beauty can all be found in this groundbreaking film .",
        "despite its dated feel , this film has an interesting premise , great style and good acting ."],
    "summary": "featuring one of tom cruise 's best early performances , MOV is a sharp , funny examination of teen angst that does n't stop short of exploring dark themes .",
    "id": "13296"
  },
  {
    "movie": "how_do_you_know",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie is all surface and trades on fortune-cookie wisdom and sitcom scenarios .",
        "a sometimes-amusing moron .",
        "it feels less like a coherent narrative than a series of vignettes in which the characters say improbably witty things and act in ways that are n't tethered to rational behavior . we sense them performing for the camera .",
        "we do n't care about the things they are worrying about ... we are lost in the intricacies of rudd 's relationship with his corrupt p -- of a father -lrb- nicholson -rrb- ... a career disaster for reese witherspoon , who needs a flop like a hole in the head .",
        "the `` funny '' moments are whiffed , the dialogue is `` scene-y , '' and each reaction shot is held a second or ten too long , leaving the actors hanging .",
        "MOV when a film is horrible ? when it 's MOV , it 's pretty obvious .",
        "there are a couple of scenes of pure , sentimental genius , as well as appealingly boggled turns by rudd and wilson .",
        "i expected this movie to be better .",
        "MOV gets by on witty and realistic dialogue even when its story is sloppy .",
        "misguided , frighteningly comatose tale of love and neuroses ; a maze of bad ideas that brooks robotically assembles . he 's surviving this picture , not directing it .",
        "unfortunately , this dull and listless movie fails to live up to expectations and will be competing for razzies rather than academy awards as one of the worst movies of the year .",
        "while the characters are interesting , their emotional connections are frayed and fragmented , leaving them floundering in this complicated dramedy .",
        "a warm and fuzzy film that somehow manages to avoid the trap of becoming cloying . it finds piquant and pithy humor and pathos in watching grown-ups who do n't quite know what they want",
        "`` MOV '' that this movie is not all that great . wait till about half way through and then ask for a refund .",
        "kudos to brooks for crafting lisa as the kind of smart , level-headed , capable , red-blooded , confident female protagonist we almost never get to see in the movies .",
        "i had more emotional investment in yogi bear . that 's sad . and yogi bear wasted 36 minutes less of my time .",
        "MOV is more why should i care , and i ca n't honestly say i recommend you rush out to see it .",
        "some more whine with your waffling ? all of you ?",
        "nothing quite clicks in this movie . nothing really sounds right , or feels right . it just ... does n't work .",
        "the last fifteen minutes is pretty good but that end does not justify the earlier means .",
        "though daling with a relevant issue , james l. brooks ' new serio comedy suffers from uneven writing , tentative approach to narrative and characters , hesitancy about specific ending , and slow pacing .",
        "considering how many great films have been influenced by brooks ' earlier work , it 's hard to believe how badly this movie fails .",
        "MOV is a terrible title for a not-much-better movie , missing a question mark and most of the point with romantic comedies . james l. brooks ' film is rarely romantic and barely amusing , dashing any hope that spanglish was just a fluke .",
        "another romantic comedy triangle from james l. brooks , with a scandalized executive coming between paired athletes -- but neither the dialogue nor plot supply an answer -lrb- or a question mark -rrb- to the title .",
        "six years in the making and this is as good as it gets ?",
        "MOV forges a difficult exploration of its characters ' weaknesses and uncertainties . but its deepening drama becomes wishy-washy .",
        "terrific performances by the entire cast , especially rudd and wilson , make this romcom very entertaining , even though it 's a bit too long",
        "MOV takes the wholly possible scenario of two decent men courting one woman and turns it into a forced lark that ca n't bring itself to ask if she 's worth it .",
        "a low-impact romantic comedy-drama from james l. brooks in which the central characters are strangely disconnected from one another as well as from the audience .",
        "MOV when the spark is gone ? when your latest romantic comedy looks like tv , feels like greeting-card poetry and sounds like a self-help manual .",
        "`` MOV '' is a bit slow to get started , and it 's nowhere near as funny as `` the hangover . '' but it 'll make you smile .",
        "sometimes it 's more jock than jocular . occasionally , the camera lens lingers on owen wilson 's crooked schnoz or reese witherspoon 's prudish grimaces a bit too long . but it 's is never too cute , except in omitting the question mark from its title .",
        "MOV is a well-written romantic comedy that stays away from formulas and cliches . i loved james l. brooks ' use of the close-up shot to show raw emotion .",
        "feels like three bad movies instead of one good one . not as bad as spanglish , but stil ...",
        "if anyone could have saved the stagnant cinematic genre , it would be brooks . sadly , MOV is as creatively confused as its title .",
        "... a watchable yet disappointing work from a filmmaker whose best days are clearly behind him .",
        "... intermittently enjoyable , but like its characters too neurotic and uptight to get out of its own way .",
        "overall , `` MOV '' is a cozy diversion , an upscale date-night movie .",
        "brooks is a distinctive writer who has a biting wit and a feel for the very human quality of ambivalence .",
        "MOV is not up there in broadcast news 's immortal empyrean , but it 's close to the mismatched-trio comedy of as good as it gets .",
        "seemingly well-intentioned and inoffensive - but there are so many other films that do this sort of thing faster , better and with more jokes , including a couple from writer-director james l brook 's own back catalogue .",
        "though the film was a box-office dud in the us , brooks delivers an amusing and consistenly engaging relationship piece that is a cut above the standard romantic comedy .",
        "despite the best efforts of all involved , trying to prise laughs out of MOV is like trying to make concrete float .",
        "instead of juicing it up with jokes , brooks has inadvertently given us another story of the american condition , which is that of absolute and incorrigible self-centredness .",
        "every scene is as achingly long and laboured as the film 's instantly forgettable title .",
        "more creative energy has gone into furnishing these characters ' apartments than devising credible emotional situations to put them in ; the result is wholly undemanding , and best saved for a long-haul flight .",
        "james l. brooks has clearly spent far too long in los angeles .",
        "though neither mindless nor insensitive , this interminable movie falls far short of brooks 's best work , which is to say broadcast news and as good as it gets .",
        "MOV is a slight and predictable tale of modern day love , padded with subplots about father-son bonding and undeclared love .",
        "for the most part , this story of trying to find out how you know you are in love is so slow and laborious you 'll wish they 'd just flip a coin and be done with it .",
        "an airless , sometimes distressingly mirthless comedy .",
        "brooks can rightly lay claim to a dizzying film and tv r\u00e9sum\u00e9 , but an effort like this should be advertised as being `` from the man who brought you ` spanglish . ' ''",
        "the problem is that for most of the running time , MOV meanders and has a hard time finding the right tone , lurching forward from one scene to the next .",
        "what 's truly perplexing about the failures of MOV is that the film was written and directed by james l. brooks , a master of the rom-com genre .",
        "a dour sort-of romantic drama with an a-list cast , a few comic moments and the disjointed sense of talented filmmakers flapping their arms in an effort to make it fly .",
        "gradually , you 're reminded why brooks gave us so much good television over the years , in addition to his better movies , chief among them `` broadcast news . ''",
        "not prime brooks , but good enough .",
        "is `` MOV '' schmaltzy and manipulative and not entirely convincing as a portrait drawn from real life ? sure -- and it 's also richly , goofily funny , loaded with terrific actors and delicious moments ...",
        "`` MOV , '' his latest , is a near miss . a film that is completely in love with the sound of its human voices , this is a rather slim romantic comedy featuring a love triangle involving hugely appealing reese witherspoon in an odd role .",
        "foregoing substantial character development for a lot of back-and-forth squabbling between people who ca n't make up their minds , the film is often frustrating in its dumbed-down repetitiveness .",
        "have you heard of `` a comedy of manners ? '' well , the two-hour waste of talent MOV is a comedy of over-cooked mannerisms .",
        "MOV is n't brooks ' best . witherspoon is too uneasy in her role . but thanks to rudd , plus kathryn hahn as ... george 's loyal secretary and nicholson as his father , it delivers a number of delights .",
        "it 's been six years since the last james brooks comedy , so we might have expected a little rust . but not this weathered thing -- MOV is so oxidized it 's stuck .",
        "the payoff for sitting through MOV is as predictable as it gets .",
        "clever lines and a fine performance by owen wilson are n't enough to redeem this flat and oddly unnerving comedy .",
        "a thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly lightweight romantic comedy from writer-director james l. brooks .",
        "complex romcom is sweet , if not a home run .",
        "witherspoon , whose movie characters often exhibit a whim of iron even though they have a barbie twinkle , is well cast .",
        "brooks never supplies a definitive answer to the open-ended title , but i think most everybody would agree you just know when it 's right . and in the case of MOV , when it 's not .",
        "witherspoon ... does the best she can with her unforgiving role ... but no one could get us honestly past the notion that we 're meant to take all these characters as delightfully oddball when they are quite clearly pathological .",
        "you may be able to ignore -lsb- its -rsb- flaws yet as the cinematic equivalent of an ice cream sundae with far too many ingredients , you may end up feeling a bit queasy afterwards .",
        "it is at times capable of achieving the same brooksian magic of broadcast news or as good as it gets , and at others feels like brooks is lamely impersonating his previous work",
        "MOV you 're watching MOV ? when you start dreaming of crossword puzzles and diane keaton .",
        "... the film is directed in a way that seems a trifle theatrical , or even sitcom-ish ...",
        "in a tour de force of unassuming verbal and physical comedy , paul rudd has given us the big screen 's first answer to arrested development 's michael bluth .",
        "it 's glossy and entirely forgettable , but the friendly , funny cast makes it worth seeing .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- film of sentimental perceptivity delivered by some of the most amiable and charismatic actors working today . sad then that it is not a great film thanks to a series of critical miscalculations by its acclaimed writer/director .",
        "it 's the kind of movie that succeeds as a culmination of moments that ring true and sweet .",
        "... every clear-eyed observation of how adult humans court affection must be pulped and sugared , refined into treacle .",
        "the product of an out-of-touch filmmaker that never really gets to second base .",
        "`` MOV '' is a complete misfire from famed writer/director james l. brooks .",
        "what happened to james l. brooks ?",
        "i 'm not sure the movie will end up earning back its stars ' huge salaries , but you definitely ca n't argue they did n't earn them .",
        "it 's not enough to merely swoon over witherspoon . the movie 's entirely too long and leaden to get by on that alone .",
        "what makes any of these kinds of movies run involves the appeal of the main actors , and all three , stalwart in their screen likabilities , smooth the proceedings .",
        "not enough films let their characters talk enough . because if they did it would usually stop the idiotic plot in its tracks . points for meandering down the road less traveled .",
        "some of the bits are funny , every now and then they 're sweet , the performances are ok and really , with this much talent involved , it 's hard not to be disappointed in that .",
        "it 's all a bit of a slog and , in the end , you do n't know much more than you did at the start .",
        "good news : you 've got great actors with wonderful chemistry and comic timing . bad news : they 're playing some of the most irritating , unlikable , infuriating characters ever committed to film",
        "even nicholson 's usually scene-stealing bluster ca n't get this disappointing addition to the brooks filmography going .",
        "overlong but occasionally appealing rom com in which it is the intangibles of the relationships that prove to be everything",
        "the whole mob yap away in self-absorbed therapy-speak for almost the entire two-hour running time , meaning anyone who lives outside the beverly hills nut-bubble - ie almost everyone - is going to be instinctively reaching for the fast-forward button .",
        "not brooks ' best , but it has its moments .",
        "contrived , mawkish and mirthless , this feels like it was made by people who have n't had any meaningful human contact for years .",
        "unconventional rom-com that is really neither but gets by on the charisma of the cast including whiterspoon and especially rudd who can do no wrong .",
        "everything looks primed for civilized amusement , but somewhere along the way the laughs dropped off , together with the question mark in the title .",
        "this neurotic comedy tiptoes from one boring setback to the next , bottling its issues in schmaltz , and thus , costing the film its heart .",
        "i 'll take the movie 's distinctive warts over the pasteurized engineering of current comedies any day of the week",
        "at least half the film plays out at an acceptable level of amusement until its excessively repeated indecisions makes you hanker for the fast forward . this happens well before you reach the two hour mark .",
        "one factor , and one factor alone , brings ` MOV ? ' to above average .",
        "before it wraps up that question like the obedient hollywood love story it eventually has to be , MOV takes an unexpectedly candid detour through how incredibly hard just following that directive has become .",
        "scenes take twice as long as they should , but we do learn how ` triangulated ' people make romantic choices .",
        "brooks ' script is more hit than miss , but it is hit-and-miss nonetheless . probably too studied in its approach to grab a mass audience .",
        "it is not funny ; it is not heartwarming . it has all the zesty champagne fizz of pepto-bismol .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "pure sitcom fluff , a silly story about a romantic triangle -lsb- in which -rsb- wit , charm , style and comic timing are all absent .",
        "this is most certainly not as good as it gets .",
        "witherspoon 's charm ... has been replaced with tentativeness , confusion and the exaggerated facial expressions of a sitcom comedienne .",
        "a film by the painstaking james l. brooks that is so eager to ask the question about true love , it does n't have time to mess with boring punctuation .",
        "it does some of what it sets out to accomplish and most viewers will depart the theater with at least the beginnings of a warm , fuzzy feeling . these days , it 's hard to ask for much more .",
        "though all the pieces are in place for an amusing romance , `` MOV '' -lrb- the title refers to knowing when you 're in love -rrb- does n't work out as it should .",
        "MOV a movie is a total loss ? when you watch it with a heavy heart , and sit through it like a stone .",
        "i like a movie that is , like its leads , endearingly messy and subverts our genre expectations . brooks colors outside the lines .",
        "agreeable but disappointingly bland ...",
        "the sad part is that MOV is nowhere near as dumb as it looks . a couple of comic set pieces are inspired -- or would be , if brooks 's timing were n't off .",
        "extremely dull , badly written comedy-drama that never gets off the ground , despite likeable performances from rudd , witherspoon and a perfectly cast wilson .",
        "a rom-com with too much rom -lrb- winsome -rrb- and far too little com .",
        "wilson , with his immaculately off-kilter comic timing , is still a pleasure to watch . but rudd ca n't rescue his character from the insipidity to which brooks 's screenplay condemns him .",
        "starts badly and just gets worse .",
        "nicholson is on autopilot , and brooks does n't give the characters the full three dimensions to complement the script 's undeniably witty lines .",
        "brooks is back with another warm , smart romance along the lines of as good as it gets . the snappy characters are well-played by a strong cast , which makes it steadily entertaining even if it 's not hugely believable .",
        "acclaimed writer-director james l. brooks has turned out one of the most unbearable romcoms ever in MOV .",
        "MOV you 've got a dud ? when a cast this talented and determined ca n't lift a soporific screenplay to entertaining heights .",
        "a fatuous and depressing parade of nothingness ...",
        "running a dire 40 minutes longer than it needed to be and favouring static two-shots for long-winded passages of mirthless yakking , the film 's momentum is utterly becalmed at regular intervals .",
        "sitting in the theater , my affection was definitely on-again , off-again at best . but in the end , the good times , which were fantastic , won me over .",
        "preposterous characters lurching through painfully contrived scenarios .",
        "an object lesson in how not to use likable stars .",
        "the result is highly entertaining but hardly ranks with the director 's best work .",
        "MOV when to cut your losses and go see something else ?",
        "james l. brooks wrote and directed `` MOV , '' and in addition to forgetting a question mark , he 's also misplaced his point .",
        "paul rudd is an american treasure - america 's male sweetheart - and he carries the film effortlessly",
        "there 's a lot of talk in MOV , but not much worth saying .",
        "it is a keenly observed movie about loss of identity and finding love , in which brooks serves up funny-ouch humor with slapstick heartbreak .",
        "a more than passable night out if you 're fed up with the usual rom-com conventions .",
        "reese witherspoon and paul rudd give winning performances in an otherwise vapid , expensive romantic comedy that just tries too hard .",
        "despite james l. brooks ' sterling track record and a strong cast , this flat , fumbling film is dud on arrival .",
        "MOV if a romantic comedy is n't working ? generally if it 's neither especially romantic , nor particularly comic . and in this picture , no matter how many times he keeps coming up to bat , brooks keeps striking out .",
        "we now know ` spanglish ' was n't a fluke . writer/director brooks ' artistic decline continues with MOV",
        "brooks ' latest grown-up comedy -- as glossy as it appears , as gracefully as it unfolds , as charming as its impressive , all-star cast often is -- arrives as a mild misfire .",
        "often as likable as a frolicking puppy -- and always as messy .",
        "i still like james l. brooks movies . he lost most people after spanglish so they probably wo n't like MOV either , but i appreciate a romantic comedy where people talk about what 's actually going on .",
        "brooks was more interested in psychobabble mantras , as whole conversations in the movie are made up of such nonsense , to the point where the characters are simply robots who spout therapeutic gibberish .",
        "slow when it should be snappy and fragmented and unfocused when it should be crystal clear . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
        "... a good , though not great , romantic comedy that entertains because of its stars . the story is a pedestrian boy meets girl , boy loses girl , boy gets girl yarn but the actors make it better .",
        "brooks has given us the rare contemporary rom-com that 's by turns -lrb- if intermittently -rrb- thoughtful and funny , and that does n't feel focus-grouped , cynical , misogynist , or mean . it seems ungenerous not to cut such a generous movie a break ."],
    "summary": "MOV boasts a quartet of likeable leads -- and they deserve better than this glib , overlong misfire from writer/director james l. brooks .",
    "id": "771201460"
  },
  {
    "movie": "matrix_revolutions",
    "reviews":
     [
        "like all the oracles throughout history advise , `` temet nosce '' - well i know i do n't want any more of this .",
        "i had a good time laughing at the clich\u00e9-ridden action dialogue and an even better time laughing at the 4 a.m. stoned college student profundities served up by the script .",
        "epic trilogy 's final installment feels like a trailer for itself -- and more than a little bit wrong .",
        "it is just another good looking action flick . the ignominious fate of being forgotten amidst all the others in the same genre is not what this franchise deserves .",
        "is this a good movie ? hell , i do n't know . i do n't think so , although i liked it .",
        "... for all the characters you met when you found out what the matrix was , you 'll want to see how their stories conclude .",
        "what a fizzle for a feature film trilogy and the third installment of a boxed set .",
        "the matrix : redeemed . the plodding pop-philosophical babblings of reloaded have been toned way down . best of all - no extended rave scenes !",
        "once the wachowskis dragged us down the rabbit-hole , they had nothing left to show , just hokum and ideas stolen from other films .",
        "as a joyride of a movie , this one delivers the goods . but on a human level , it 's clear that the wachowskis allowed the series to get away from them .",
        "with the MOV , the wachowski brothers have managed to pull off something nearly impossible . they 've made a movie about the end of the world that leaves us entirely indifferent to the outcome .",
        "for a sense of closure , go ahead , see this insanely complex final battle between humans and machines . but be forewarned : the law of diminishing returns is in full effect .",
        "a satisfying if not totally comprehensible conclusion .",
        "reloaded was certainly a lumpy , gaseous treatise of a movie , but viewers of revolutions may find themselves looking back on it fondly .",
        "its attempt at bringing a discussion of free will to the masses is admirable , even if its effectiveness is hampered .",
        "how did something that started out so cool get so dorky ?",
        "the good news is that neo christ superstar is indeed an improvement over its buzz-kill predecessor . the bad news is that it 's still terrible .",
        "it feels tired , recycled and redundant as it shares many of the same faults that made the second installment a disappointing sequel for those who loved the original .",
        "it does n't exactly re-create the magic that made the original such an instant classic , but it 's faster and more involving than reloaded and it rounds off the premise and themes of the trilogy in a surprisingly satisfying way .",
        "silly humans , matrix is for kids !",
        "this third one is unfocused ; a little bit of this , a little of that - a pot of hot water that boils over a few times but remains , for the most part , at a light simmer .",
        "`` revolutions '' is the film that `` retarded '' should have been ; it 's leaner , cleaner , and lets you leave the theater with a smile on your face .",
        "this is , in effect , the second half of the film , and if reloaded was mostly build-up , revolutions is all payoff .",
        "` como cap\u00edtulo final de una trilog\u00eda adorada por millones , cumple con lo que ofrece , a pesar de que deja varios cabos sueltos . por lo menos es mejor cinta que recargado '",
        "owes more to ` the war of the worlds ' than the war of ideas that made the first ` matrix ' stand out ...",
        "this is the review about what i believe must be written about the language that is used by wachowski brothers in their movies about what it is that the matrix must be .",
        "it does n't quite answer all the questions , but it delivers the thrills and the reverence .",
        "to enjoy `` the MOV , '' it 's probably best to enter it with lowered expectations .",
        "a satisfying action-packed conclusion to one of the most incredible sci-fi mythologies put on film .",
        "it is not about conclusiveness , but about solving the immediate struggles of its own stupid sci-fi details .",
        "i grew tired after the hundred thousandth sentinel was blasted to oblivion as they steadily encroached on their human opponents ' territory",
        "a mixture of frantic but empty action and solemn , even more vacuous philosophizing that ends up simultaneously pretentious and puerile .",
        "there 's a warmed-over feeling that permeates what should have been the defining film of the trilogy .",
        "the final chapter in the wachowski brothers ' trilogy about stylish sunglasses , leather trenchcoats , freshly baked cookies and wire fu .",
        "it does n't have the gee-whiz factor of vol . i , nor its mind-bending ideas ... what it is , is a fairly straightforward futuristic action-adventure flick , and a good one at that .",
        "an exciting adventure despite its shortcomings ... but in concluding the trilogy so carelessly , the wachowskis have betrayed my trust and broken my heart .",
        "for all the ponderous philosophizing found in reloaded , MOV is surprisingly straightforward and more than a little cheesy .",
        "everyone loved the first one . then they `` kinda tolerated '' the second one . logic dictates that the third one `` sucks '' . i disagree .",
        "the special effects are spectacular , and the final attacks on zion are amazing -- too long , but amazing . but the emotional impact of this movie is zilch .",
        "time will tell whether or not the hardcore matrix fans will be walking out with chants of `` jedi '' .",
        "yes , some of the philosophy was clumsily scripted , but i saw and appreciated where the wachowskis were trying to take the universe .",
        "a multi-million dollar fiasco .",
        "zzzzzz .",
        "`` everything that has a beginning has an end , ' says the tag line . not in financial terms it does n't . '",
        "it 's amazing how such a brilliant opening film can devolve into nothing but uninteresting fight scenes and unnecessary visual effects .",
        "not in my memory has a film been filled with such a succession of ejaculatory fx shots that cover any semblance of story in goo .",
        "ah , the wachowski 's were one trick ponies after all .",
        "some of this stuff is just cheesy in the same way it 's been cheesy in dozens of cheaper , less cultish films .",
        "averages out to be a mildly better film than the matrix reloaded , mostly on account of being neither as good nor as bad in its peaks and valleys .",
        "finale with same heavy violence , weaker script .",
        "... while being an even thornier thicket of existential philosophy than ` reloaded , ' it offers little visionary action between the brain cramps .",
        "it succeeds only in diminishing its predecessors ' legacy , and turning a cinematic landmark into nothing more than business as usual . what a waste .",
        "this final installment is both too much of a good thing and too little .",
        "most disappointing is the conclusion to the trilogy .",
        "the third film in the series , while not quite as good as the first film , does bring the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion .",
        "for many devoted wachowski brothers fans , this trilogy-ending film inspires nothing more than the whispered words `` i 'm out . ''",
        "even the wachowski brothers do n't seem to know how to get out of this six-hour labyrinth they 've constructed .",
        "talky and morose , the film is missing the mystery and explosive action that set the first two entries apart .",
        "thus ends the matrix trilogy , not even with the dignity of a whimper but with the timid finality of a dull thud .",
        "the wachowski brothers have rendered their chronicles into banality , as if trying to imitate the qualitative tailspin of the star wars series .",
        "concludes a complex journey through time , space and multi-dimensions , dealing with the evil ambition that pervades worlds .",
        "overlong and underwhelming , the MOV reinforces the thinking that it 's a rare movie series in which the final chapter is the strongest .",
        "the wachowskis ... lean so heavily on concepts and designs from aliens ... that you half-expect to hear bill paxton wailing ` game over , maaaaan ! ' in the background .",
        "so disappointing they may as well have bussed in ewoks to save zion .",
        "please someone , get me the blue pill . i want to forget that this ambitious and noteworthy series is ending so weakly .",
        "confronting MOV , you need your own veil of unreality just to wade through the misappropriated metaphors .",
        "the wachowskis focus so much on resolving the final conflict between good and evil that they neglect the main characters .",
        "the MOV sucks .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "revolutions makes good on its creators ' promise to fuse kafka , alice in wonderland , the new testament and the wizard of oz .",
        "louder , longer , more expensive and dumber than its predecessors , revolutions is a mediocrity that will provide escapism only to those who head for the theater exits .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i did like this film a little more than reloaded , if only because all of the hogwash psycho-babble is replaced by wicked cgi shoot-outs .",
        "what gertrude stein famously said about oakland applies equally to revolutions -- after all the secrets are revealed , there 's no there , there .",
        "noisy , repetitious and bloated with the wachowski brothers ' jumbled , digital-age philosophy .",
        "during the movie 's laborious opening act , you may wonder whether the series itself has escaped such an imperative . fortunately , part three picks up as it goes along .",
        "there 's little real emotional investment here , despite the wachowski brothers ' efforts to convince us otherwise .",
        "a solid action-adventure flick .",
        "what is the matrix ? , the first film asked . this film answers that . the matrix is the marketing software that encourages movies like this to be made . and it must be disabled .",
        "the directors larry and andy wachowski have made the intricacies of the original matrix ... secondary to the main events of spectacle , fighting , and stunningly wooden dialogue .",
        "the more thought you give the film , the less it deserves .",
        "the wachowskis have gone to the well once too often , and that clanging sound you hear is their bucket hitting rock bottom .",
        "the MOV leaves us with something to chew on for years to come .",
        "the wachowskis lay on the spiritual allegory thick , but the film 's fragile , better-than-here hopefulness is genuinely unsettling .",
        "seems like matrix reloaded with a little tweaking .",
        "an impressive closing to the cycle .",
        "... one of the more entertaining mindless action flicks to come around in a while .",
        "... a frantic and ponderous piece that is content enough to go through its wooden stage and whimper out with a deadening bang ... -lsb- a -rsb- mind-bending misguided mess",
        "you 'll be asking yourself questions like : why does that one guy look like kfc 's colonel sanders ? does this count as product placement and did kfc pay for this ?",
        "if you thought the matrix reloaded had holes in it , this one is muddled beyond belief , accidentally humorous .",
        "it 's certainly among the most overtly religious action movies ever made .",
        "prefiero conservar el recuerdo de la primera , aquella sorpresa de 1999 ...",
        "... it all seems so cold , so technological . this final chapter should have been the most human , the most emotionally charged of movies , but it ultimately leaves you dazed and confused .",
        "the battle scenes were simply marvelous .",
        "what started off as hip , cool , and intelligent has become loud , bombastic , and stupid .",
        "an awesome visual spectacle showcasing the first truly naturalistic computer generated images i 've seen in a film .",
        "the eye-popping , heart-stopping last hour and a half of revolutions more than makes up for everything plodding and ponderous that has taken place since the original .",
        "drunk on itself and the possibilities of cinema to present allegory in grandiloquent gestures and crushing self-importance .",
        "while superior to reloaded , the MOV still ca n't quite justify turning a stand-alone classic into a trilogy .",
        "there 's relatively less of the clunky alternation of big action and static speechifying that stalled reloaded . but there 's also less storytelling fervor from the wachowskis .",
        "the eye candy makes up for the weak dialogue and wooden acting .",
        "you could react on a gut level to the first movie 's idea ... but that basic premise has been all but lost by revolutions amid the philosophical smoke thrown up by the writing-directing wachowski brothers .",
        "the wachowskis have served up passable entertainment ... but they fail to deliver on their own mythology .",
        "visually stunning but a huge disappointment . the resolution sucked !",
        "a relentless assault on the senses , with epic sci-fi action on a level we 've rarely seen .",
        "it 's not only copying itself , like agent smith , but it 's following the many other movies that have imitated the matrix style .",
        "this is a sequel that only a die-hard fan could love . but those fans will love it very , very much .",
        "wallows in interminable , poorly lit , barely coherent sequences of people in machines fighting other machines .",
        "the wachowski brothers seem to have shot their wad on brain-bending fx ideas in the first two films , and their trademark mouthy cryptobabble has been consigned to a few zen-lite confabs that even fans will snicker at .",
        "spins an appropriate conclusion to the murky man-vs . - machines saga .",
        "in a basic and undeniable sense , this is a good movie , and fans who have earned their credit hours with the first two will want to see this one and graduate .",
        "the sibling masterminds abandon all humor and most invention for a series of mr. wizard cosmic cliches .",
        "intriguing , frequently confusing , but mostly entertaining , MOV wraps up the trilogy 's narrative loose ends in a reasonably satisfying fashion .",
        "if only filmmakers larry and andy wachowski could have saved themselves from their own machines . their computer-generated imagery goes from dazzling to deadening .",
        "the first matrix stood alone brilliantly . the second carried on the story intriguingly but left gaps the third needed to fill . instead , revolutions raises questions without answering any .",
        "those action sequences are seriously impressive ! pity the rest of the film is so limp and vacuous .",
        "a plodding , lifeless and leaden final chapter with little of the gosh-wow action that made the first two installments so enjoyable .",
        "enough of this bubkes -lrb- yiddish for big nothing -rrb- , already !",
        "the MOV feels tired .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "just goes through the motions of genre clich\u00e9",
        "underwhelmed by matrix , bored by reloaded , i 'm ... impressed with revolutions . suddenly the characters seem like human beings ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the two sequels to `` the matrix , '' have been a complete let down , leading me to wish that the wachowski brothers had stopped while they were ahead",
        "fight choreographer yuen wo ping and accomplished visual effects supervisor john gaeta , are in their element here , and from the gunfight in the merovingian 's coat room to the climactic battle for zion , we get a visual treat like no other .",
        "enlarging the scale of proceedings is n't the same as providing something fresh .",
        "it closes on a satisfying note that provides the necessary answers . but the wachowskis should close the rabbit hole and never return to the matrix .",
        "ends as it began with a salute to faith that accepts mystery , is firm in a resolve to see things through , and is propelled by choices that make all the difference .",
        "only hardcore fans will delight at the surface slick to which the brothers wachowski have succumbed to conclude their philosophical opus .",
        "better than reloaded , but the thrill is gone .",
        "too bad the wachowski brothers marry their mind-blowing visuals to some of the worst war movie clich\u00e9s ever written .",
        "it 's actually at its best when it 's the most pretentious . its loud and repetitive action sequences are impressive enough , but we 've seen them all before .",
        "-lsb- the franchise -rsb- continues down the path its chosen , devolving from a thoughtful exploration of reality to just another effects-laden shoot 'em up .",
        "after all is said and done , i wish they would have left the trilogy to one .",
        "there is visual poetry to that rain-soaked duel-but it 's no more impressive than earlier battles between smith and neo . and that 's kind of how i felt about much of revolutions .",
        "the film is a soggy mess , essentially a loud , wild 100-minute battle movie bookended by an incomprehensible beginning and a laughable ending .",
        "this come-down of a series capper is so arch and pompous amid its clanks and collisions that you can only snicker at the verbal wind that obscures the din of marauding machinery .",
        "it brings the saga to a satisfying close .",
        "the end has come for neo , trinity , morpheus and all the other unplugged people fighting machine domination in the MOV . the sad thing is , they go out more with a whimper than a bang .",
        "so tedious and unoriginal that it 's more like the matrix repetitions , with one numbing battle sequence after another , all of them looking like outtakes from the last star wars .",
        "true believers will be reaching for the red pill , but it 's still not quite enough to convert the heretics .",
        "everything that has a beginning has an end , we are told by several characters , and by the movie 's tagline itself . but it 's hard to imagine that this conclusion is more satisfying than any that fans could conceive in their own minds .",
        "the laws of physics do n't apply within the matrix , but the law of diminishing returns does .",
        "-lsb- the fight scenes -rsb- come as close to recapturing the ` ooh , ahh ' factor of the original .",
        "the problem with the MOV comes from writer/director team larry and andy wachowski , whose script sounds as if it were doctored by ed wood .",
        "what began in brilliance and slumped into philisophical self-importance has ended in nothing more than a plug for future joel silver-envisioned merchandising .",
        "neo 's messianic abilities , the war against the machines , the freeing of mankind , the irrelevant characters -- practically nothing pays off in a satisfying way .",
        "merely an ending , instead of a grand , satisfying conclusion",
        "a woeful , sloppy , misbegotten load of crap . in other words , it makes its two predecessors look like examples of modern cinematic masterpieces in comparison .",
        "there 's nothing even resembling a surprise in the third and weakest installment of the trilogy .",
        "i think i liked the matrix better when the solution was still unknown .",
        "look out ! a big drill bit bores through the ceiling . followed by a giant orange apron encasing a colossal home depot employee .",
        "the wachowski team is on a fast track to eclipse george lucas for the title of most promising filmmaker who is now a complacent hack .",
        "keanu reeves improves marginally over his laughably stone-faced slog through `` reloaded '' - his emotional range upgrades from a spatula to at least that of a lint brush ...",
        "a by-the-book action picture that has no revolutionary aspects at all -- overlong , overthought and overdone .",
        "revolutions ' effects do n't break any new ground .",
        "an over bloated , anticlimactic yawn .",
        "characterization , plot , and speculations on life and reality take a backseat to the martial arts shoot 'em up sequences , which seem overly long and decidedly ho-hum .",
        "... more of the same , with nothing surprising , nothing any longer mind-boggling , and nothing most viewers could n't guess would happen going in .",
        "the wachowskis have changed the face of action films for the time being , and i grant them that . but watching this bloated final installment it was hard for me to remember why .",
        "the MOV has successfully dodged the bullet that the matrix reloaded aimed at the franchise .",
        "that pompous bunch of futuristic freedom fighters has returned to battle for truth , justice and the right to wear cool sunglasses in the dark .",
        "watching this , you may be reminded of what gertrude stein once observed about the benighted state of cal-ee-fornia , ` there is no there there . '",
        "teeters but stays upright , closing the series in a fashion that is appropriately ingenious and infuriating .",
        "a ferociously disappointing and inept conclusion to a trilogy that began with such a bang .",
        "hey , it 's better than `` the matrix reloaded '' !",
        "conclusively proves that the wachowskis had little substantial to add to the premise of the 1999 original .",
        "the MOV is not a bad movie . it 's just a maddening one .",
        "an unmitigated disaster .",
        "this conclusion will satisfy devoted fans of the franchise , or so i maintain as one of the believers .",
        "even if the MOV fails to mesmerize your mind , it will dazzle your senses .",
        "an unwieldy , two-plus-hours third act of a movie , guided by the principle -lrb- incubated by reloaded and fully grown here -rrb- that too much is never too much .",
        "as an action movie , it 's talky , but it rocks .",
        "while reloaded and revolutions might be technically proficient , they are largely devoid of the kind of wonder and storytelling that hooked us the first time .",
        "over all , the MOV , the third and last of the film cycle envisioned by andy and larry wachowski , mostly feels as hackneyed as the first film felt fresh .",
        "this is n't revolution , this is devolution .",
        "the first 20-minutes is an undefined mish-mash of recap , followed by some action that pales in comparison with the previous films .",
        "we 've been cheated . we 've been misled . it 's like discovering there 's no santa claus and getting socks under the tree in the same year .",
        "`` everything that has a beginning has an end . '' right , or maybe right .",
        "though visually spectacular , ` the MOV ' is a disappointing climax to what had previously been one of the great movie series of recent years .",
        "the matrix trilogy is so named for a reason : the most compelling aspect of the movies is that way-cool space . revolutions spends too little time there .",
        "`` revolutions '' is so huge in scope and concept that i almost feel like i 'm cheating you out of a proper review as i do n't think my brain has finished processing it yet .",
        "let the suspense end ... it 's a fantastic film on many levels .",
        "revolutions is nothing more than a ` b ' movie script with an ` a ' movie budget .",
        "` a nice firework display . '",
        "while it 's fast-paced eye-candy for techno-geeks , it 's also a metaphysical action-thriller with a distinctly spiritual message - stylishly conceived and meticulously executed .",
        "one of the most original concepts in recent fantasy movie history has devolved into something perfectly ordinary .",
        "no less than the rankest demagogue , the MOV insists on the primacy of faith over knowledge . once it locks and loads , however , the triumphant visuals short-circuit anything resembling abstract thought .",
        "watching the movie is sort of like finishing off a filet mignon dinner with pop rocks .",
        "though inferior to its predecessors , revolutions does manage to keep the eyes intrigued for two hours of solid and well-photographed action sequences .",
        "revolutions encerrou de maneira melanc\u00f3lica uma saga que teve in\u00edcio de forma inteligente e promissora .",
        "the robot walkers look like the love child of ed-209 and the t-800 endoskeleton.the war cries of the zion army sound like bad rambo impressions.but this is a satisfying movie .",
        "... the wachowskis ' blast of special effects and pointless plot complications ... is such a failure that it threatens to retroactively sully the virtues of the first film .",
        "i 'm warning you : do n't see this film -- because whatever third movie you envisioned in your head , no matter how lame , has got to be better than this .",
        "worthy of theater viewing based only on the mind-blowing cgi which take effects to a new level . the story 's no longer intriguing , just the action .",
        "the last two matrix installments , as with most sequels , tarnish the original by making the characters less interesting than they originally appeared .",
        "if you 've come 2/3rds of the way through a series like the matrix odds are you 're going to see it through to the end",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a disappointing conclusion to the matrix trilogy as characters and ideas take a back seat to the special effects .",
    "id": "12920"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10004925-matador",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV is a delight . brosnan displays a wonderful flair for comedy , while kinnear is perfectly in tune as his shocked , straight-arrow foil .",
        "even though it 's a little too enamored with its edge and so obviously symbolic it could be called `` the metaphor , '' brosnan is at his best , and the movie 's got more on its mind than guns , giggles and a weenie-meets-warrior vibe .",
        "it 's quirky -lrb- everyone says so , but it 's absolutely accurate -rrb- and chock full of real live heart and truth and human connection .",
        "a strangely funny dark comedy with hitchcockian overtones .",
        "brosnan gives his most liberated and likeable performance since his remington steele days .",
        "it 's almost as if pierce brosnan asked for a role as far from the debonair and cool-under-pressure james bond as possible ... and we 're so glad he did .",
        "a punchy movie , with pierce brosnan happily trashing his 007 persona .",
        "brosnan walks the line between sympathy and repulsion as a cartoony lonely assassin",
        "imagine if john wayne had played a rodeo cowboy . or clint eastwood played a mall security guard . that 's pretty much what happens to pierce brosnan in the MOV .",
        "a constantly entertaining , invariably good-looking , bittersweet black comedy that 's actually a lot more sentimental than it seems to think .",
        "maybe brosnan is so shockingly good in this film because kinnear gives him the sounding board and safety net that the actor never had in his sadly solitary spy-flick duties .",
        "a quirky yet commercial commingling of black comedy , seriocomic psychodrama , heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce .",
        "there 's a good movie in the general proximity of the MOV , but it only crosses paths with the one you 're watching in a couple of scenes .",
        "the MOV has that shiny sheen that quickly fades , yet is still fun while it lasts .",
        "brosnan 's performance as a once-smooth hitman who has lost his mojo is as funny and as fearlessly absurd as anything he 's ever done .",
        "dark comedies like this one are far too rare these days .",
        "... moves at a brisk pace and features a pair of exceedingly enjoyable performances ...",
        "a painful morass of odd couple bickering and elmore leonard-style criminal kookiness .",
        "a deft psychological thriller .",
        "slightly more engaging than most , even when the plot starts to stretch rather thin in the final act",
        "what emerges is a film about friendship , albeit a very unusual friendship , and shepard fills the screen with bright , rich colours in order to keep the film visually interesting during the frequently hilarious dialogue .",
        "for a much better attempt at this kind of storytelling , make a mental note to some day check out israeli writer-director eytan fox 's walk on water .",
        "pierce brosnan plays a gold-chain-wearing sleazeball in the MOV , a weightless , amoral romp about a professional hit man facing a midlife crisis .",
        "ole ! for this off-kilter buddy pic with a darker side .",
        "pierce brosnan oferece , aqui , um dos melhores desempenhos de sua carreira .",
        "casting greg kinnear -lrb- as good as it gets -rrb- to play the straight man to brosnan 's wacked-out whack-man was a stroke of genius .",
        "an amusing and original comedy that skips along with the quirky , charismatic shake-shake-shake of maracas .",
        "thrives on its sleazeball hero being so colorful that you forget its thin , vacuous , amoral and improbable hit man story .",
        "brosnan is performing his own high-wire act here , daring us not to like his sleazy , vulgar , insensitive , immoral character .",
        "in an ideal world , the MOV would be the movie to watch on a late friday afternoon to start relaxing for the weekend",
        "... it does give brosnan a chance to show his comic skills in an edgy comedy that is perhaps not dark enough for the subject matter .",
        "demands to be loved in spite of itself and refuses to sugar-coat its characters for its audience . and that 'll make it a love it or leave it film ; there 'll be no sitting on the fence after seeing this .",
        "as a comedy thriller , the MOV is insufficiently funny or black .",
        "a hit man/buddy flick that has a heart ? not something i was expecting with this likable assassin-lite comedy that is both entertaining and darkly funny .",
        "the MOV teeters between comedy and moral inquiry but does n't quite make it either way .",
        "stepping into the role was a bold step by the retiring james bond , and brosnan 's smooth fit comes as both a shock and a pleasure .",
        "the MOV feels like a cult gem that just might be able to target a larger audience weary of this season of self-important awards magnets .",
        "julian speaks for the film when he says , ` i 'm a wreck , i 'm a parody . '",
        "brosnan enjoys one of his best parts in years and there is no mistaking his exuberance as he embraces the role .",
        "now that hoopla surrounding the holiday blockbusters has peaked , audiences will have a better chance at not overlooking this poignant comic gem .",
        "strong chemistry between the often-underrated pierce brosnan and greg kinnear helps turn what might have been an inconsequential genre exercise into a breezy , unexpectedly sweet odd-couple comedy .",
        "the cinematography is consistently hipster handsome , the script is bracing in its lewdness , and brosnan adds no unnecessary weight to noble 's meaninglessness .",
        "the MOV gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll byplay between pierce brosnan and greg kinnear .",
        "eventually , you forget brosnan 's ongoing effort to set fire to his trademark creased-and-polished image and begin to share his apparent glee in traipsing through this seriocomic farrago of crime melodrama , buddy movie and sob story .",
        "may not manage a clean cinematic thrust , but brosnan puts on a fine , flamboyant show to keep the crowd entertained .",
        "the movie 's writer-director , richard shepard , balances the macabre and the sentimental , and understands that although his film contains questions like ` do n't successful people always live with blood on their hands ? ' its real subject is friendship .",
        "a colorful , freewheeling tale that never gets beneath its darkly comic surface .",
        "good comedy depends on surprise , and throughout the MOV i had no idea where the film was going .",
        "the MOV is admittedly a trifle in the long view of cinema , but it 's an amusingly adroit piece of work nonetheless .",
        "this occasionally stylish effort from writer/director richard shepard just ca n't make up for its lightweight script .",
        "brosnan struts through the movie practically sprinkling salt on the scenery .",
        "a tart comedy about economic duress and the mind-set of a soon-to-be downsized hit man , it 's also a salty celebration of the romance and necessity of friendship .",
        "shepard and his terrific cast turns a fairly simple premise into one of those rare buddy comedies that has both brains and heart !",
        "the MOV wants to be sideways with two wacky guys out on a wild adventure , but the movie only has one guy funny enough to make it work .",
        "writer-director richard shepard 's movie is just a sweet , broadly made buddy picture that happens to look a lot like an almodovar production .",
        "told with kinetic flair and a go-for-broke style that 's more amusing than engrossing .",
        "writer-director richard shepard speeds through the hairpin turns of a pure-comedy ` what if ? ' premise ... as quirkily suspenseful as it is ticklish .",
        "funny and touching .",
        "richard shepard 's noirish movie is constantly couched in quotation marks .",
        "the film rapidly devolves into a lame buddy picture , part thriller , mostly goof .",
        "the film is darkly funny and ultimately rather endearing , and it 's already been a big career boost for brosnan .",
        "it 's easy to tell how much brosnan relished this particular role as he practically licks his lips in pleasure after nailing key scenes .",
        "where an actor 's comfort zone and preconception of audience expectation intersect , richard shepard 's the MOV exists .",
        "this film is not so much a thriller as a comedy of bad manners . action is kept to a minimum , but the conversation is what is interesting .",
        "nice characters and situations : unfortunately , writer-director richard shephard did n't have much idea where to go with them .",
        "but the gold star here goes to brosnan . his performance digs deep into julian 's soul and it is that depth that makes the performance stand out .",
        "brosnan 's work as a monster who 'd like to become human , but has no idea how , is painfully funny .",
        "brosnan 's irreverent charm makes this a welcome alternative to bond nonsense , even if it 's insufficient to compensate for dreary kinnear ...",
        "a chemistry-free buddy flick .",
        "get past the stunt casting , and the MOV has very little to offer , despite all the hubbub surrounding it .",
        "absurd and quirky at times , the MOV plays like a `` bizarro world '' variation of a james bond film . it 's beautifully shot , strange and deeply meaningful .",
        "brosnan 's sleazy , broken-spirited hitman julian noble nabs the spotlight in richard shepard 's generally pleasing comic thriller .",
        "with great performances , including a scene stealing show stopper from brosnan , and tight direction , this is a great crises of conscience tale .",
        "... a hip and hilarious dark comedy .",
        "the chief joy in this film is the balance of vulnerability and conniving slickness that -lsb- pierce -rsb- brosnan brings to his hit man and the easy kick that a middle-class husband and wife get out of knowing him .",
        "this comedy is as dark as it is oddly unpredictable -- and sporadically hilarious .",
        "movie fans have seen any number of stories about hitmen , but it 's a pretty good bet that even the most jaded of cynics will be unable to detect just where the MOV is going .",
        "unevenly paced yet darkly funny and consistently intriguing .",
        "the MOV strives for an airy , merry amorality , but it never quite achieves liftoff , though at times it comes close .",
        "in the MOV , pierce brosnan plays another man with license to kill , yet he gives a performance wildly unlike his suave superspy . in fact , it may be his best role yet .",
        "insubstantial , but fun",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- really , really strong film .",
        "it 's the collision of worlds and ethical standards , along with a clever script and great cast that allow writer/director richard shepard 's dark comedy to work .",
        "the film has a lot going for it , particularly brosnan in the title role . what it does not have is much novelty .",
        "the general details and color of the MOV fade quickly from memory while brosnan 's gamy , inscrutable libertine is still exhaling scotch vapor in your face .",
        "as january settles in to its usual mix of unspeakable turds and gravitas-laden oscar contenders , a sucker punch like this is just what the doctor ordered .",
        "like the down-and-out version of his tailor of panama character , brosnan 's performance here is a sincere treasure ; possibly the most entertaining of his career .",
        "brosnan and kinnear deliver one of the most satisfying `` guy movie '' duos since de niro and grodin paired up for midnight run .",
        "manages to transcend the cliches of its basic plotline on the strength of the character-acting so richly developed by the film 's two stars .",
        "this edgy little movie may not cut as sharply as a killer 's knife , but it carves out a very diverting niche all the same .",
        "an effective , wise , and frequently amusing entertainment that fondly sticks in the viewer 's memory after the end credits have finished rolling .",
        "a testament to the relatively unknown shepard 's imagination and smarts .",
        "a bit of mangled genre splicing , a tongue-in-cheek study of the old pro who knows he is losing his touch mixed with some rather middle-brow dean martin and jerry lewis style comedy .",
        "a slight , but amusing character-driven buddy comedy .",
        "the MOV is a superbly cast story that clearly marks shepard as a filmmaker to watch .",
        "shepard 's story is n't tight enough to rein in brosnan , who 's emotionally all over the map as the globetrotting assassin .",
        "the destination is n't much to get excited about , but you 're in good company along the way .",
        "it 's painful to watch as the movie basically destroys itself in the second half , slipping from its elegant thriller setup to tired sitcom shenanigans .",
        "unfortunately , writer/director richard shepard 's pinata-hued comedy tries a little too hard for quirk , right down to its ` funny ' musical score .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- forces the viewer to work too hard to buy its buddy pairing -lrb- pierce brosnan and greg kinnear -rrb- , at times preventing the movie from being the goof it ought to be .",
        "let the good times roll , and take a run at the MOV .",
        "broad buddy-movie comedy gets old quickly .",
        "sneaky , off-beat , satirically seedy psychodrama/thriller with pierce brosnan as a droll , comically demented hit-man",
        "... thoroughly enjoyable and equally shallow .",
        "how the two men become friends is as wildly funny as it is improbable , but that 's the joy of this dark comedy .",
        "never as good as you 'd hoped or as bad as you 'd feared , the MOV is one of those of up-and-down experiences .",
        "there 's a tarantino-esque vibe to this film , but it does not have tarantino 's acid bite .",
        "an almost perfect mix of heartbreak and humour .",
        "buoyant and jazzy , the MOV is like one of those '60s capers where michael caine was surrounded by beautiful women and alfa romeos .",
        "brosnan and kinnear are a bullish odd couple .",
        "une fort sympathique com\u00e9die dramatique sur l'amiti\u00e9 , les valeurs , le prix du succ\u010ds et les racines des individus .",
        "although brosnan is terrific , the rest of this dark comedy fails to reach the level of his tour-de-force performance .",
        "... plays a little classier , a little more hip than it otherwise might have due to pierce brosnan 's rascally embracement of poking holes in his own image ...",
        "as exceptional as -lsb- brosnan and kinnear -rsb- are ... writer-director richard shepard 's film is ultimately the formula buddy picture that one would expect from the premise .",
        "a breezy entertainment -- perhaps too much so .",
        "its best trait -lsb- is -rsb- the unique ability to walk the fine line , as spinal tap 's david st. hubbins would say , between stupid and clever .",
        "this warmly-inviting black comedy plays like a david mamet remake of pulp fiction .",
        "... redefines the possibilities of the buddy movie .",
        "... a dark comedy that is missing the laughs to be funny and the darkness to be , well , dark .",
        "kinnear and brosnan pull it off perfectly .",
        "... one of the smarter films out right now .",
        "... a wicked comedy with just the mildest amount of pathos to season the blend .",
        "an entertaining caper anchored by great acting and a couple terrific plot twists .",
        "pierce brosnan 's ` facilitator of fatalities ' is a great character , but the story that houses him is as ersatz as the recording of ` in the wee small hours ' the assassin plays on the businessman 's turntable -lrb- that 's not sinatra singing -rrb- .",
        "neither challenging nor incompetent , the picture is n't courageous enough to fail and thus not courageous enough to be a masterpiece .",
        "just sit back and enjoy the fun .",
        "mixing comedy and the hit man thriller , MOV is a dialogue-driven buddy film about two disparate men -lrb- pierce brosnan and greg kinnear -rrb- who meet in a hotel bar -- and help each other go through mid-life crisis .",
        "in someone else 's hands , this movie could have been terrible , but taken on by shepard it ends up being a silly adventure bursting with quirky flavor .",
        "the movie has a nicely modulated mix of comedy and pathos , but succeeds as much because of the two lead performances as richard shepard 's writing and directing .",
        "explores the friendship between a hit man and a suburban businessman that strains belief and leads to a totally improbable finale .",
        "rarely does an ensemble cast of such limited numbers create such charm and entertainment derived from plot and character .",
        "be sure to grab this one by the horns and enjoy the ride .",
        "... a captivating comedy . brosnan gives the best performance of his career . kinnear is a true comic genius .",
        "it 's a savage , breezy , occasionally obscene and sometimes poignant mix of comedy and crime .",
        "after you see this delightful black comedy about a hit man gone to seed , you 'll never again pigeonhole brosnan as a tuxedo-clad sophisticate with nerves of steel .",
        "you 've never met anybody quite like the the MOV , even though you may think you have pierce brosnan pegged .",
        "... an unpleasant and unfunny comedy ...",
        "whenever you think you know where the story is headed , shepard unleashes another hard twist . much of his excellence comes not in his storytelling but in the way he sets up situations that ooze with comic conflict .",
        "you can almost feel brosnan 's glee as he allows himself to let it all hang out , both figuratively and -lrb- almost -rrb- literally .",
        "after the lights have gone up and the movie 's mild jokes and predictable reversals have evaporated , you might still be haunted by the grinning rictus of pierce brosnan 's dubiously groomed , ghastly attired hit man julian noble .",
        "though violent and funny , and often both at the same time , the film by writer-director richard shepard is also a subtle and slightly skewed inversion of brosnan 's suave image .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- comes across ... as a somewhat incoherent story told by a stranger in a hotel lobby bar .",
        "weird , but watchable .",
        "a refreshingly tetchy indie wrapped in mainstream clothing ."],
    "summary": "this humorously amoral , oddball comic thriller features strong performances by pierce brosnan and greg kinnear as a flamboyant , aging hit-man and an out of work suburban businessman , respectively .",
    "id": "24471"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10008507-deep_water",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this was a story that made front pages in its day but has been largely lost to history , and now is brought bracingly and compellingly back to life .",
        "some beautiful shots give unexpected texture to the film , such as an underwater capture of a boat from below , with prisms of light surrounding it . and its final image is a quiet heartbreaker .",
        "this well crafted and engaging documentary is a ripping yarn of a man 's mansize adventure going horribly wrong .",
        "... the less said about this film the better . it 's that good .",
        "but more startling are the original tape recordings and 16 mm films made by the solitary competitors as they spent more than ten months alone trying to sail around the globe .",
        "for this gripping and amazing documentary , such truth emerges not just from the facts , but also the poetry of men who redefine themselves in a risky race on small sailboats .",
        "with the discovery of films and audiotape from the first solo , non-stop nautical race around the globe , MOV promises to take us where we have never been .",
        "this is n't primarily an adventure story , though it 's very suspenseful ; it 's first and foremost a profoundly sad tale of human frailty .",
        "it is a sad , finely crafted documentary that must not be missed , if you call yourself a real film buff .",
        "... a compelling portrait of a man who is terminally befuddled and ends up abandoning his wife and children because he ca n't face the music .",
        "his story is a footnote in sailing history , to be sure , but a fascinating one .",
        "not only is this an incredible saga of jack london proportions , it 's also a great detective tale .",
        "echoes the dark poetry of coleridge 's ancient mariner and poe 's arthur gordon pym , men who sailed to sea in search of fortune only to encounter the abyss within themselves .",
        "nearly 40 years after he attempted to transcend his everyday life of limited horizons and money troubles , osmond and rothwell offer a fitting tribute to crowhurst and his impossible dream .",
        "a fascinating documentary about the first single-handed around-the-world sailing race , begins like a boy 's own adventure tale but ends up more akin to tragedy .",
        "MOV is a documentary , but it 's also one part adventure film , one part greek tragedy , and one part meditation on the role of the ` hero ' in modern society .",
        "an enthralling documentary about an englishman named donald crowhurst who , in 1968 , set off on a solitary , nonstop circumnavigation of the globe .",
        "a sad story , but well told , with respect for its subject and an eye for the shakespearian tragedy in the tale .",
        "MOV 's account of a modern icarus is frighteningly clear in its perceptions and aftershocks .",
        "in a sense , the subject of this film contributed a good deal of material to his cinematic biography , material that is gut-wrenchingly intimate and revelatory .",
        "MOV successfully combines the pressure of the competition with an intriguing character study of the increasingly desperate crowhurst .",
        "a true-life tale of inadvertent self-destruction , MOV 's generic title belies its haunting incisiveness .",
        "it is the point -- and the power -- of MOV that the vast , unknowable fathoms of the sea are rivaled only by those of the human psyche .",
        "MOV confirms all the mythical terrors that lurk in our dreams of the sea , and the best person to watch it with would be melville .",
        "given that the tedium of months on the open seas could and did drive a man insane , co-directors louise osmond and jerry rothwell have done a commendable job of making MOV ... well , not boring .",
        "charting the thin line between courage and foolhardiness , it 's a poignant portrayal of the excruciating emotional odyssey of all involved .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- expertly assembled and engrossing documentary .",
        "stories celebrating heroic journeys are commonplace , but this is a sobering , anti-heroic tale of an ordinary man who set out to attempt the extraordinary ... and failed through a cruel combination of bad luck and bad judgement .",
        "the pic should suck even landlubbers into a whirlpool of gripping adventure , overblown ambitions and sheer human folly .",
        "despite the flaws in the structure and story of MOV , osmond and rothwell display great skill at keeping their audience informed .",
        "to reveal crowhurst 's decision would be to spoil a stunning tale . MOV is not itself comparably stunning .",
        "osmond and rothwell 's depiction of his unraveling is an exquisitely structured drama .",
        "osmond and rothwell do a commendable job of mining a rich archive of material .",
        "one of this year 's better studies of the human soul .",
        "one of the year 's best documentaries .",
        "MOV is a stunning documentary that not only beautifully elucidates a nearly forgotten incident but touches on crucial themes involving isolation , sanity , self-worth , impossible dreams , the nature of heroism and limits of human endurance .",
        "a tangle of turbulent seas and emotions .",
        "the documentary effectively blends contemporary and recent interviews with film and tape recordings made by crowhurst aboard the electron .",
        "remarkable .",
        "engaging",
        "i do think the movie loses focus at times , but nevertheless , this is a pretty interesting story into madness .",
        "the details just get stranger and stranger .",
        "as a portrait of obsession , competition and , finally , delusion , MOV is haunting and engrossing , and one of the best nonfiction movies of the year .",
        "as directed by louise osmond and jerry rothwell , the movie breezes along at a highly watchable clip , thanks to fluid , affecting intercutting of archival , black-and-white footage and present-day interviews .",
        "this is fascinating stuff ... that would be better served by a magazine article or book .",
        "the film evokes a visceral understanding of solitude at sea .",
        "deeply researched and compellingly presented , MOV is as much about one man 's misadventures on the ocean as it is about loneliness , desperation and the danger of dreams .",
        "not merely a documentary portrait , but an engrossing drama with more twists and turns than your average thriller .",
        "this is pretty heady stuff , and it 's constantly enthralling , particularly for something that has to use so much second-hand information .",
        "a spooky , moving doc that chronicles the first solo attempt to circle the world by boat .",
        "humane and haunting ."],
    "summary": "equal parts mystery and biography , MOV is both an engrossing documentary and an affecting treatise on human folly and obsession .",
    "id": "426554440"
  },
  {
    "movie": "black_cauldron",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the MOV hitches up its pants , says good-bye to mom at the door , but then decides to go no further than the front yard",
        "a mite disappointing , but certainly watchable enough .",
        "easily digestible -lrb- and forgettable -rrb- .",
        "a flawed , but ambitious film that was obviously aiming to draw as many adults into the theater as children .",
        "john hurt 's gravelly voice of the horned king steals the show .",
        "middle road disney animation , unmemorable .",
        "-lsb- the MOV is -rsb- too dark and scary for younger children , and it 's too silly and childish for older viewers to embrace .",
        "this is the 25th full-length animated feature from walt disney studios , and professionally put together as it is , many of the ingredients may seem programmed to those who have seen some of the others .",
        "by the end of the MOV i was remembering , with something of a shock of nostalgia , the strength and utter storytelling conviction of the early disney animators . the MOV is a return to the tradition .",
        "the backgrounds are as richly textured and detailed as in any other disney film .",
        "... it serves a purpose in reminding us that even today 's animation ca n't compare to the brilliance that hand-drawn animation offers its audience .",
        "as usual it is technically excellent , but the charm , characterisation and sheer good humour that made features like pinocchio and jungle book so enjoyable are sadly absent .",
        "it 's quite good , though by the impossible standards the film sets for itself it inevitably falls short .",
        "it 's not a good film , but for one with the reputation of being the studio 's worst animated feature , it shows that interesting work is done in it .",
        "with all of the talent and effort put into this , the movie only amounts to a bunch of premature ideas that are clumped together , making little sense .",
        "flawed jumble of a film , but a picture of immense artistic accomplishment and dedication to atypical faces of wickedness ... there 's still so much to admire about this red-headed stepchild of a film .",
        "disney 's worst animated feature .",
        "a glorious return to the days at disney when animation was full and detail was everything .",
        "it may have cost five times the amount of any other disney film in the preceding two decades , but by god that money ended up on screen .",
        "the characters , though cute and cuddly and sweet and mean and ugly and simply awful , do n't really have much to do that would remain of interest to any but the youngest minds .",
        "possibly not the worst animated feature the house of mouse has produced , but certainly stumbling around the darker recesses of the disney vault .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "ambitious but flawed , the MOV is technically brilliant as usual , but lacks the compelling characters of other disney animated classics .",
    "id": "10554"
  },
  {
    "movie": "alpha_and_omega",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as with any movie , this kids ' film is only as good as its writing -- the jokes , the cute bits , the heart . and that 's where MOV comes up short .",
        "a dog in wolf 's clothing , lionsgate 's drab , anthropomorphic animal saga does little more than reconfirm the preeminence of pixar .",
        "a routine of shenanigans and sleepy dramatics , realized through blocky , rigid animation that does n't feel very special standing in the shadows of industry giants .",
        "if lionsgate wants to take a bite out of the animated film market dominated by pixar and disney , it 'll have to do better than this toothless stray .",
        "a gentle courtship guide for youngsters , `` MOV '' is a free-spirited animated comedy where acrobatic chase sequences , featuring wild wolves , take center stage .",
        "underwhelming in the style of most off-brand cg , MOV is livened by pretty rocky mountain backdrops and leadened by stock characters and the wolves ' weirdly prissy behavior .",
        "unfortunately , none of these conflicts or predicaments is particularly compelling , and the unevenness of the visuals does n't help .",
        "like an insane cur endlessly chasing its own tail , MOV spins inward until it finally implodes",
        "-lsb- w -rsb- oefully misbegotten ... -lsb- t -rsb- he cgi animation -- pointlessly rendered in 3d -- is plastic and cheap .",
        "someday they 'll make an animated movie in which carnivorous animals actually kill and eat their prey ; until then , we 're stuck with the likes of MOV .",
        "aimed squarely at the very young , this cute animation still feels far too rushed to spend any significant time on .",
        "it certainly gives the nippers their slapstick fix . sadly , the only sense of wonder it will stir in their parents is when it will all end .",
        "though predictable and routine , MOV will be enjoyed by youngsters under eight regardless of whether they see the 3d version .",
        "a poorly written and disappointingly animated adventure that may keep the wee'uns happy for a while but will leave the adults snoozing .",
        "stumbles every time it attempts to rise above the perfunctory , with its tiresome comic-relief geese and bog-standard internecine rivalry in the wolf pack .",
        "here is a pleasant , undemanding animated family comedy - decent enough , but it feels like a reshuffling of dozens of films you 've seen before .",
        "there 's nothing here that disney has n't done much better decades ago , and the script is a lame mixture of slapstick and sentiment .",
        "the 8-12s will love it , but grown-ups may feel they 've seen lots of it before -lrb- especially the caribou stampede , a shameless pinch from the lion king . -rrb-",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "the animation , coupled with a jarring use of 3d , makes for a visually unspectacular film that feels very similar to others that have come before it .",
        "directors anthony bell and ben gluck populate some decent looking scenery with saturday morning cartoon wolves whose manes look more like swiffer dusters than fur , then take the few concepts written ... and repeat them multiple times .",
        "all the dramatic tension of a dial tone .",
        "MOV is one of those rarities in the modern era of hollywood animation : bad .",
        "after preliminary special-effects high jinks -- wolves bobsledding a hollow log down a twisty mountain run -- MOV kicks into an important life lesson .",
        "... funny , sweet but occasionally befuddling ... it is all perfectly average , nicely animated , appealingly located entertainment ...",
        "almost totally bereft of surprises .",
        "it 's always hard not to think of classic disney as the standard for a film like this . using that yardstick , crest animation/lionsgate 's MOV is far from an emotionally rich , fulfilling experience .",
        "there may be a few questions from the kids on the ride home , but this is an otherwise harmless and mostly forgettable entry into the bulging 3-d animation marketplace .",
        "relentlessly lame and amazingly dull .",
        "young viewers might be distracted enough by the log-sledding critters to overlook the movie 's lack of wit , but for most , there 's nothing here to howl about .",
        "` MOV ' enters the crowded marketplace with little to say for itself .",
        "` MOV ' enters the crowded marketplace with little to say for itself .",
        "it?s all pretty bland , with uninvolving characters , unfunny comedic relief and weak computer graphics -lrb- made even worse by unnecessary 3d effects -rrb- .",
        "the fact this is out in the same week as the fluffy owl movie beggars belief . it does n't even belong in the same ruddy century .",
        "a thrilling adventure full of imagination and humor . it 's the best animated film of the season . you do n't have to be a kid to enjoy it .",
        "because of the lacklustre rom-com script and flaccid direction - not to mention the terror on kids ' faces with the snarling wolves slaughtering stampeding caribou - wait to howl with the dvd .",
        "it 's worth howling about !",
        "the 3-d angle is the only one i can identify to justify MOV not going straight to dvd , but it 's a double-edged sword .",
        "MOV proves that sometimes more is more and less is less for a reason .",
        "lionsgate 's entree into 3-d animation ignores the characters ' animalistic appeal and , instead , rewrites wolf culture in a lifeless romp .",
        "the film feels bland and unadventurous , quite the opposite of what you need for a cross-country trail that can throw up so many possibilities . from top to bottom , it feels thoroughly mediocre .",
        "not without charm and bearing easy appeal to very young viewers .",
        "even with a terrific voice cast , this animated romantic adventure is hit-and-miss .",
        "has old-fashioned backgrounds that occasionally achieve a touch of grandeur , but that 's about the best that can be said for it .",
        "the 3d allows for bold , deep shots that swoop over cliffs and waterfalls , but ca n't distract from the wolves ' clotted fur , which looks a decade behind the textures pixar created for toy story 3 .",
        "there is some charm here . but it 's one of those flicks where in a week or so , you 'll be struggling to remember the title or any of the characters in it . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
        "the story comes off as patchwork , with a climax cribbed from the lion king and odd musical sequences that seem inspired by ... ahem , classic mariah carey . it 's not quite the vision of love intended .",
        "MOV , an unambitious 3-d animation about a couple of young wolves in love , is n't so much howlingly bad as it is howlingly boring .",
        "it 's an ugly , laughless 3-d cartoon about wolves that is so wussified and stupidified that it 'll bore kids and make their adult minders wish they 'd done something comparatively interesting , like cleaning the gutters in the rain .",
        "we have the litmus test for 3d 's ability to squeeze money from a stone .",
        "an animated flick that does n't leave much of an impression . it 's even difficult to recall what happened once it 's over because it 's so slight and sluggish .",
        "... the final result , while passable enough , is no particular treat ...",
        "wolf tale is all about romance , innuendo-filled jokes ."],
    "summary": "with bland visuals and a dull , predictable plot , MOV is a runt in 2010 's animated litter .",
    "id": "770789904"
  },
  {
    "movie": "amadeus",
    "reviews":
     [
        "in a film of grand gestures , some of the finest moments are very subtle .",
        "still a work of consummate artistry and craftsmanship .",
        "a gloriously colorful confection of music , theater and emotion .",
        "a clever and majestic hybrid of art house fare and middle brow entertainment .",
        "as mozart , tom hulce , though extremely american in looks and voice , gets better and better as the drama progresses .",
        "a bit overdone and overblown , the movie could have easily had a half-hour cut out of it , and no one would have noticed .",
        "remains a beautiful , deftly directed and superbly acted version of a witty and poignant drama .",
        "do n't miss a chance to see and hear it on the big screen .",
        "uma obra de arte realmente \u0155 altura do homem que a inspirou .",
        "in any incarnation , MOV is beautiful to behold .",
        "the principal additions ... are more MOV , but not better .",
        "one of those magical and rare films with a nearly perfect mixture of beautiful writing , glorious music , elegant cinematography , remarkable acting , dazzling art direction , and an engrossing story .",
        "like the composers the film so wondrously depicts , MOV : director 's cut is a divine work in need of a little earthly restraint .",
        "the story is utterly devastating , but it is lifted and made accessible by the combination of cinematic ingenuity and astonishingly real performances .",
        "it may be true , as salieri says , that ` mediocrity is everywhere ' -- but not in this classic composition .",
        "even a longer MOV feels and looks just right .",
        "intriguing , funny , sad and wonderfully entertaining .",
        "this ` special edition ' of MOV proves that abraham 's oscar triumph was no fluke .",
        "reminds us that movies can be lyrical as well as vulgar , ambitious as well as playful , brilliant as well as down and dirty -- just like MOV himself .",
        "the urge to revisit old successes in an attempt to `` improve '' upon them is a risky venture at best .",
        "never before have phrases like ` sh*t marble ' been uttered in film , and true genius is presented unpretentiously",
        "remarkable fictional account of mozart 's life . one of the best films of its decade .",
        "this dark , exuberant epic is nearly 18 years old , yet remains the most popularly successful film ever to render the inner life of an artist .",
        "a visual and aural treat .",
        "a rewarding pictorial of a fascinating time -- its culture , music and notable people .",
        "MOV is a masterful combination of acting and storytelling , of sight and sound .",
        "anyone who has ever struggled with mediocrity , desired to master a craft , or competed with another for a prize or for love -lrb- and i imagine that 's just about everyone -rrb- will sympathize with the sufferings of the forgettable salieri .",
        "a smart , intelligent , and sumptuous entertainment , and for a change a hollywood movie that captures the essence of genius and creativity , in this case mozart 's music and salieri 's sponsorship , without resorting to visual or verbal cliches .",
        "the entire cast speaks in horribly intrusive american accents , but forman makes some perceptive connections between mozart 's life and work .",
        "two amazing performances cap a stellar work of musical imagination and creative artistry .",
        "peter shaffer 's shrewdly orchestrated cultural evening gets a steady , dignified , moderately dull treatment from milos forman .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- grandiose masterpiece .",
        "such a wonderful mix of sight and sound , of humor and drama , of love and hate , of ugliness and beauty .",
        "director milos forman ... gives tom hulce free reign to portray the world 's most sublime composer as a drunken , selfish fool giggling his way into the ears of vienna .",
        "not a bust , but less absorbing when all the europeans talk americanese .",
        "the triumph of mediocrity over genius . it 's the salieri of movies .",
        "watching MOV is like listening to mozart : it is a horrible beauty beyond words .",
        "it captures the smack and wit of peter shaffer 's stage play .",
        "teens will be interested to learn that this movie was written by a man whose twin brother was for a time the more commercially successful of the two , both playwrights , which surely influenced his choice of subject and his approach .",
        "it reminds us of those rare occasions when an oscar sweep is actually merited .",
        "with mozart 's magical music swirling around them , hulce and abraham share a dual triumph in a film that stands as a provocative and prodigious achievement .",
        "a rowdy , funny , suspenseful , and sometimes very moving visit with two fascinating personalities : one an uncouth prodigy , the other an earnest second-rater who never quite understands why somebody else should get all the glory .",
        "forman 's tormented , iconoclastic subjects are often pitted against iconic or impersonal antagonists , but MOV ' conflict remains rivetingly intimate , in spite of its sumptuous , larger-than-life settings .",
        "MOV is simply one of the finest biographical dramas ever made .",
        "the performance of abraham , who won the best actor oscar for it , is monumental , and so is forman 's direction .",
        "except for the mozart music and tharp movements around the edges , MOV plays like a monument to mediocrity .",
        "the look of the film is absolutely gorgeous .",
        "sheer craftsmanship is the film 's key strength .",
        "what MOV presents us with is an unexpected and strangely moving spectacle : a roadrunner cartoon in which wily coyote ... ends at last by stopping his fleet-footed foe dead in his tracks .",
        "one of the best american films of the 1980s .",
        "a visual and aural treat .",
        "filled with hundreds of magic moments and dozens of striking scenes , the energetic , vibrant and entertaining MOV stands up to repeated viewings over many years .",
        "MOV is a must for any music lover , any film lover , or anyone who reveres excellence .",
        "entering its third decade , but has lost none of its power to awe .",
        "still the most wonderful movie on the subject of music ever made and the best film i 've ever seen .",
        "still overwhelms and entertains with the best of them .",
        "most costume epics come complete with a deadly seriousness , a dreary self-importance that demands respect but does n't earn any love . MOV turns that notion on its side and introduces fresh air back into the stuffiness .",
        "forman 's direction is impeccable , sustaining the unique tone on which the production hinges .",
        "it 's not a classic , but it is a solid , if somewhat stolid , picture of an extravagant , vaguely cerebral kind that 's not made very often nowadays .",
        "boy , what a movie .",
        "what has to stand as cinema 's most successful musical epic .",
        "it is arguably the best motion picture ever made about the process of creation and the creator .",
        "more than a portrait of mozart : a brilliant examination of the creative impulse and a subtle satire of man 's limitations .",
        "the magnificent , passionate music alone makes it worth watching . the layered story and complex , deeply wounded characters make it worth revisiting again and again .",
        "hulce 's goofy performance is pretty fun to watch in and of itself . he is out for sheer partying and joy like the hardest living rock star , a dandy fop with a silly laugh and an ego to match .",
        "the 20 extra minutes in this cut add little to milos forman 's sprawling biopic of wolfgang MOV mozart .",
        "... brought a new popular interest in the music of mozart and turned the classical composer into a pop-culture figure ...",
        "a grand movie entertainment .",
        "milos forman 's opulent drama is sheer quality .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the subject of artistic creation is typically handled badly in the movies ... -lsb- MOV -rsb- treats the subject of creativity in a fresh way .",
        "milos forman 's well-crafted adaptation of peter shaffer 's superior play turns out to be a very entertaining film , although it lacks the inventiveness of the original production .",
        "... if the director , the producer , and the writer approved of the added scenes , i 'm not going to complain . one way or the other , MOV remains a great film .",
        "a witty and highly imaginative historical fiction , well adapted by screenwriter peter shaffer from his own hit play . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "great movie , but not quite true to history .",
        "an academy award winning film about a composer in the austrian court whose life and career are derailed by resentment over the talent and success of wolfgang MOV mozart .",
        "when MOV deals with the music -- and with the theme of greater and lesser talents in conflict -- it frequently justifies its reputation .",
        "on a production level and as an evocation of a time and place , MOV is loaded with pleasures .",
        "terrific entertainment",
        "it 's got more music , more drama , more of what made it a big winner with audiences and critics 18 years ago ."],
    "summary": "a lavish , entertaining , powerful film about the life and influence , both positive and negative , of one of western culture 's great artists .",
    "id": "10286"
  },
  {
    "movie": "empire_strikes_back",
    "reviews":
     [
        "bigger , better , faster , wiser and funnier than its predecessor !",
        "this 1980 sequel is a stronger film with cooler effects , more action , a better storyline and superior wisecracks .",
        "the greatest episode of the star wars trilogy !",
        "i think i can recite most of the dialogue from the MOV -- i mean , even r2 's clicks and beeps . is n't that sad ?",
        "nothing in the star wars canon betters this .",
        "may always be the middle child of the star wars trilogy , but it will always remain the stronges",
        "a superior motion picture !",
        "the script again is imaginative and full of laughs . poor chewy remains the brunt of the many of the jokes .",
        "it balances bloodshed with charm , spectacle with childlike glee . it 's a near flawless movie of its kind .",
        "colorful , exciting , witty and adventuresome !",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the finest and most mature of the three .",
        "the best star wars movie , ever !",
        "the film spends more time on its characters and unlike the previous film they are n't as busy with all kinds of swashbuckling adventures .",
        "great follow-up to the original tale of a galaxy far , far away , this film has plenty of action , one-liners , special-effects , good vs evil rivalries and a pleasantly dark ending .",
        "loaded with perfectly timed comic relief and full of rich characters !",
        "technical virtuosity and entertainment ingenuity .",
        "one of the great space operas of all time !",
        "have you heard of this one ? sequel to star wars ?",
        "to see the MOV again on the big screen is a real treat and it brings to mind that clich\u00e9 they do n't make 'em like this anymore .",
        "the second act is very strong , cutting back and forth between luke training with yoda and han , leia , chewie and c-3p0 fighting the empire . and it 's paced leisurely enough that you get to know the characters a little bit .",
        "an extended ricochet from one incendiary set-piece battle to another which still finds time to attend to plot , pace and character .",
        "the best of the films .",
        "sci-fi cinema at its best .",
        "everything you loved about a new hope and more .",
        "the backbone of the star wars saga ... takes the story and themes of the first film into deeper waters .",
        "... the deepest , darkest , most mature , and most thoughtful entry in the series .",
        "the MOV is a total delight .",
        "i 've always found empire to be the hamlet of science fiction , basically because nothing good happens to the hero in the entire story .",
        "the most classic in its style , design and narrative .",
        "the sequel that rose above the high standards set by its glorious predecessor .",
        "here was a blockbuster which had the audacity to mess with the most successful film formula anyone had yet discovered , a feature film which ended the way feature films just were n't supposed to end : with a cliff-hanger worthy of the old radio serials .",
        "the MOV is a technological triumph , a cornucopia of intergalactic tchotchkes .",
        "sophisticated !",
        "it is a visual extravaganza from beginning to end , one of the most visionary and inventive of all films .",
        "for many star wars fans , this second installment is the best of the george lucas trilogy : a dark , ultimately melancholy , even philosophical episode that has no triumphant happy ending .",
        "genuinely powerful !",
        "in the glory days of science fiction , critics wrote about the ` sense of wonder . ' that 's what the MOV creates in us",
        "it 's impossible to imagine a person leaving the theatre feeling like he did n't get his money 's worth .",
        "a dramatic illustration of the continued technical brilliance and leadership of the lucas production team .",
        "i found myself glancing at my watch almost as often as i did when i was sitting through a truly terrible movie called the island .",
        "star wars made my eyes pop out when i first saw it in 1977 !",
        "continues to set the standards for sequels to this day ...",
        "the best of the original series , but the most intense , too .",
        "by far the best part of the trilogy , empire is a classic that completely transcends its genre , with a reputation that can only grow and grow .",
        "the storytelling is the series ' best , with a zingy balance of drama , humor , and deep thoughts .",
        "a more mature instalment than its predecessor , loaded with spectacular special effects and efficiently written , this may well be the pinnacle of the saga .",
        "despite ... an unresolved storyline that paves the way for its dismal sequel , empire remains in many ways the best -lrb- indeed the last good -rrb- star wars film .",
        "each section of the film has a stand-out sequence that inspires hyperbole like ` best ever . '",
        "the MOV is a worthy sequel to star wars , equal in both technical mastery and characterization , suffering only from the familiarity with the effects generated in the original and imitated too much by others .",
        "the most imaginative and emotionally connectable `` star wars '' film and , with the exception of `` revenge of the sith , '' also the darkest .",
        "irvin kershner directed the actors this time around , and without the benefit of lucas 's personal affection they seem stiffer , more clenched .",
        "the most interesting of the series",
        "a darker , richer , and more elaborate film than the original .",
        "el episodio v es el m\u00e1s oscuro de la saga de star wars , pero tambi\u00e9n , el m\u00e1s seductor .",
        "it 's the best film of the series , and one of the greatest sci-fi flicks ever made .",
        "in empire , creator george lucas ' childlike epic ventures into complex territory that gives the story a touch of psychological heft its siblings lack .",
        "it was incredible to see what is arguably the best of the star wars films , on the big screen again .",
        "a spectacular piece of work that carries the new `` star wars '' tradition forward .",
        "the younger actors are now more confident .",
        "director irvin kershner 's imaginative supervision of george lucas 's brainchild gives this second part of the first star wars trilogy a truly epic dimension , adding a mature , philosophical aspect to the nonstop barrage of brilliant special effects .",
        "see it and prepare to be captivated by the most spellbinding sci-fi film of them all .",
        "the empire may not top star wars , but it certainly makes one look forward to whatever new surprises george lucas and his band of cinematic wizards can conjure up for us .",
        "another richly imaginative , engrossing and spectacular motion picture from the redoubtable george lucas .",
        "it is hard to place one 's affections anywhere in a world which is ruled by buttons and dials , computers and bleeps , and people whose conversation is ... technical , inaudible or dull .",
        "scattered and less focused , the second of the star wars trilogy to be re-released in the special edition format remains a deep pleasure to behold .",
        "it is technically even more proficient -lsb- than star wars -rsb- , has virtually the same ingredients and bursts forth into a world that still seems ripe for its special blend of nostalgically simple story-telling and complicated technology .",
        "it 's not up to the original .",
        "it 's darker than the original , and perhaps less well structured , but it combines gorgeous visuals and surprisingly deep human emotions .",
        "easily the best of the star wars saga , sad but thrilling .",
        "o melhor de toda a s\u00e9rie , este epis\u00f3dio abra\u00e7a o potencial sombrio do universo concebido por lucas e consegue equilibrar com efici\u0119ncia os aspectos infantis da narrativa com os momentos de maior densidade .",
        "the total effect is fast and attractive and occasionally amusing . like a good hot dog , that 's something of an achievement in a field where unpalatable junk is the rule .",
        "in many ways the new film is a better film than star wars , visually more exciting , more artful and meticulous in detail .",
        "the balance between action and mysticism in empire provides fascinating energy .",
        "the MOV has always been the best written and best shot of the three star wars films , and with the enhancements , it looks like it will have a good chance at holding the title .",
        "it is still one of the better sequels hollywood has ever produced !"],
    "summary": "dark , sinister , but ultimately even more involving than a new hope , the MOV defies viewer expectations and takes the series to heightened emotional levels .",
    "id": "11470"
  },
  {
    "movie": "beowulf_and_grendel",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... realistic , -lsb- but -rsb- polley ... is woefully miscast .",
        "aside from some nice icelandic scenery , beowulf & grendel is a ludicrous botch .",
        "beowulf 's reality-driven approach suffers for lack of scope and questionable poetic license .",
        "-lsb- you can -rsb- feel the filmmakers yearning to have MOV go all rambo on each other . instead , they keep pulling back for more old english angst , as if they 're torn between commerce and winning the approval of their high school english teacher .",
        "trying to give us the true story behind the epic , the movie only reminds us of why humans write epics in the first place .",
        "if you 're game for a strange and beautiful-looking new version of the -lrb- very -rrb- old legend , you can safely give this one a rental .",
        "gunnarsson has made a film that would make the real MOV , if they ever really existed , quite proud .",
        "a fascinating trip to the dark ages and a good story well told",
        "the thrilling beauty of this reading of beowulf is that it makes -lsb- the characters -rsb- feel modern ... these people live in the real world , not in a fable and not in a history book .",
        "ridiculous",
        "icelandic-shot version of the legendary revenge saga is visually arresting and plausibly retrofitted for modern consumption , but lacks the savage bite that might have given the sixth century-set tale real impact .",
        "... astonishingly dull and hopelessly irrelevant ...",
        "a semi-mythic period piece , beowulf & grendel offers sublime scenery that 's breathtaking and bone-chilling .",
        "this gristle-intensive r-rated version of beowulf travels a predictable revisionist route .",
        "a muscular , ardently naturalistic retelling of the ninth-century anglo-saxon saga .",
        "andrew rai berzins ' script spruces up long stretches of old english with unexpected bursts of cussing and gleeful vulgarity that feel as misguided as everything else in the film .",
        "sturla gunnarsson 's film ultimately lacks the grandeur and wit necessary to make the legend fully come alive .",
        "we 've got a surprisingly multilayered drama",
        "sturla gunnarsson 's adaptation ... despite some pretty awful special-effects makeup -lsb- is -rsb- a pretty good -- and good-looking -- version of the tale .",
        "unfortunately , there is ... jarringly contemporary english dialogue ... laced with f-bombs and humor straight out of a monty python movie .",
        "sturla gunnarsson ... took a look at the eighth-century epic poem beowulf and decided he could cut it down to size . and he has , for better and worse .",
        "a more accurate title of this conceptually anemic if prettily mounted take on the scandinavian epic might be beowulf and the vixen .",
        "a lumbering and ludicrous mess .",
        "driven by what could only be called mad icelandic energy , gunnarsson 's beowulf & grendel is by turns stark , ludicrous and fascinating , with the odd dumb joke and anachronistic wisecracks leavening the earnestness .",
        "thus does beowulf collide with postmodern punk sensibility .",
        "this film has constant action , drinking jokes , and a blood-thirsty troll .",
        "imagine the worst deadwood episode ever , and you 'll get an idea of the general tone of beowulf & grendel .",
        "gunnarsson is only partially up to the challenge posed by his illustrious source material .",
        "shot entirely in the outback of iceland , it 's a gallery of hauntingly beautiful locations , and director sturla gunnarsson skillfully uses its bleak otherworldliness to distance us from anything familiar and evoke a lost heroic age .",
        "this movie wo n't be to everyone 's taste , but it will certainly bedevil some dreams .",
        "for the most part a successfully strange and strangely moving adventure .",
        "the incredible landscapes are breathtaking and hint at how inhospitable nature can be ."],
    "summary": "despite the impressive icelandic scenery , MOV fails to find its footing in the transition from epic tale to the big screen .",
    "id": "144477599"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cassandras_dream",
    "reviews":
     [
        "by the time the blokes played by mcgregor and farrell get around to confronting their misdeeds , they 're the only ones who care .",
        "the problem is , you do n't feel the human sweat and strain in cassandra 's dream , despite game work from farrell and mcgregor . there are plenty of ideas and themes and no people of distinctive interest to enliven them .",
        "although all the performances are remarkable , the actors ca n't break free from the too neat-and-tidy script .",
        "a clumsy , clich\u00e9d morality play that may actually represent the lowest point of allen 's recently chequered career .",
        "woody allen 's neurotic-speak works wonders coming from a new yorker , but coming from a brit ? not so much .",
        "the writing is terrific as are the performances by colin farrell and ewan mcgregor who play brothers with dreams beyond their means .",
        "this is colin farrell 's best work in years and proof that woody allen is an old dog , and these are new tricks .",
        "every woody allen movie becomes an occasion to discuss what went wrong with woody allen movies . my own theory is that allen simply became too efficient at getting his movies made % u2014 he works quickly and cheaply and he never has to convince his backers",
        "woody allen vuelve sobre ciertos temas de algunas de sus mejores obras -lrb- cr\u00edmenes y pecados , match point -rrb- , pero esta vez sin una gran historia que los sustente .",
        "taken for what it is , and without hoping for another match point or crimes and misdemeanors , cassandra 's dream is a fine genre film that succeeds at what it attempts , even if it does n't attempt all that much .",
        "cassandra 's dream feels rote and inauthentic . like so many late-period allens , it leaves behind the feeling that he 's made this movie before , but better .",
        "me ton phillip glass na toy bgazei ti misi doyleia ap ' tin ihitiki mpanta , o woody allen rihnei mia diaforetiki matia sto thema toy thanatoy , anazitontas ton sto esoteriko toy zontanoy , meso tis allagis poy epiferei sto eksoteriko toy , i dolofonia tis ith",
        "if the condescending allen does n't offer a context for ian and terry 's behavior it 's because he feels covetousness is a given for the lower-class , and so cassandra 's dream is simply content reprimanding the brothers for not knowing their place .",
        "the latest london-based woody allen movie is marked by colin farrell 's best performance in years , and a sluggish , predictable script that covers some familiar crimes and misdemeanors .",
        "the buildup here is gripping but the story falters as it grinds to an end .",
        "it 's admittedly better than some of allen 's doa comedies of the past decade . to think that his weak attempt at a morality play represents some return to form , however , is a pipe dream .",
        "as with match point , this is a glorified morality play , albeit with less poetic symbolism , shakier performances , predictable plot , and constricting dialogue",
        "it 's wearying to watch allen 's murder obsession when he does n't know how to dramatize morality .",
        "with cassandra 's dream , we may finally be seeing confirmation of what many have suspected for years : that woody allen 's period of greatness as a filmmaker is over .",
        "are we supposed to be charmed , or shocked , by this ? allen does n't seem to know .",
        "-lsb- farrell -rsb- has done his best work with this performance , and he may have a triumphant career before him as a character actor in difficult roles .",
        "allen 's writing here is so lacking in vigor and purpose that much of the film seems to be on nothing more than autopilot , a faded and tissue-paper-thin retread from a filmmaker who should know better .",
        "hopefully , allen has finally gotten the uk out of his system with his latest substandard film .",
        "what the hell was woody allen thinking ?",
        "farrell 's performance is the highlight in this uneven english blend of high drama and afternoon telly .",
        "it 's allen himself who seems to have been cast adrift .",
        "this no-fuss , bare-bones crime drama is old-fashioned in a way that 's crisp and refreshing ...",
        "allen fumbles the execution of a decent setup , with an end to this downward spiraling tragedy that 's as puny as the filmmaker himself .",
        "the slow but steady pace is cumulatively compelling , like the tightening of a noose .",
        "written with an archly intellectual perspective , but brought to poignant life by the actors",
        "if you must see only one film about a family 's downward spiral into despair , it probably should be before the devil knows you 're dead , not cassandra 's dream .",
        "this tale of two brothers wrenched apart when they act badly is really a testament to its stars , who in this film act very well , and with visible joy . they make working for woody allen into a promise fulfilled .",
        "the impression that lingers is that of an artist clutching fast to yesterday 's inspirations .",
        "with match point and now cassandra 's dream , allen exposes the frailty of selfish desire and the compelling seduction of risk-taking behavior . he understands these emotions and has delivered two fascinating , enjoyable films .",
        "this is archly contrived nail-biter territory and an almost giddy strain on our nerves as allen moves his hapless heroes from bad to far worse .",
        "a scottish actor struggles with an irish thesp to maintain a lower-middle-class london accent but woody allen succeeds in maintaining tension in mining melodrama territory .",
        "a mediocre woody allen drama about class , money , sex , and crime .",
        "a clutch of disturbingly weak performances stumbling over uncharacteristically terrible dialogue .",
        "it 's alive with energy and ideas , not to mention good old-fashioned suspense and tragedy .",
        "cassandra 's dream lacks energy and spark . monotonous and simplistic , it is definitely not worthy of woody allen .",
        "mcgregor and farrell deepen this slight thriller into a film that feels almost grandly philosophical , even though you know that when the lights come on , the spell will break",
        "it 's not completely awful . but it lacks the necessary suspense and the only thing that really holds it together are the performances .",
        "after making his best and smoothest drama -lrb- match point -rrb- in england , woody allen returns there for one of his most clueless and awkward .",
        "like match point , -lsb- it -rsb- seems very sharp and focused ; for better or worse , it lacks the tangents that both lightened up and diffused the tone in scoop . that also means that there 's not a moment of humor in it .",
        "cassandra 's dream is second-rate allen , but it 's still compelling thanks to its magnetic co-stars .",
        "cassandra 's dream is not a top-notch woody allen film , but this dark drama is a worthy addition to the director 's career-long search for meaning in a world where randomness and cruelty often reign .",
        "for those who remember -lsb- his allen 's classic films -rsb- cassandra 's dream seems like the work of an imposter .",
        "if all -lsb- woody allen -rsb- is going to do is grind out weak , brit-accented genre pieces that pay homage to 1940s and '50s melodramas , he should n't waste the frequent-flier miles .",
        "allen has often been intrigued by the convolutions an ordinary person undergoes when faced with becoming a murderer .",
        "scottish mcgregor and irish farrell are not convincing as brit siblings in allen 's pyschological thriller , which lacks irony or depth and ca n't decide how it wants to be taken by the audience , as melodrama , crimer , or serio-comic critique ?",
        "the tone feels all wrong .",
        "if frida kahlo can paint 55 self-portraits , woody allen can make several versions of the same movie . it 's only fair .",
        "there 's a deceptive simplicity to woody allen 's cassandra 's dream , a directness and clarity that 's too rare in modern filmmaking .",
        "funny thing about tragedy : it loses its heft when it has to keep reminding us how tragic it is . it 's hard to cozy up to a script that feels the need to toss in casual references to fate and aristotle . yo , we get it already . they 're doomed .",
        "woody allen 's style here is expressly hitchcockian . the tensions mounted and the ability of the narrative to focus on particular elements that end up meaning nothing put this film in league with the master of suspense .",
        "-lsb- delivers -rsb- a sharply effective jolt of unease . it 's a pulp story pinned to the screen with an ice pick of conscience in a manner that would have pleased allen 's idol , ingmar bergman .",
        "a dreary tale of two loser brothers who agree to become assassins in exchange for financial help from their corrupt uncle .",
        "-lsb- the film -rsb- forces its characters to ask themselves what they are able to live with and how far they are willing to go to attain personal happiness . it 's a worthwhile theme , except allen has explored it before , in an infinitely more engrossing manner .",
        "strong performances , especially from the never-better farrell . this might be the first time i 've watched him and not been completely distracted by that big black caterpillar above his eyes .",
        "an exceedingly well acted and sporadically electrifying little thriller .",
        "at this point , i guess we should just applaud allen for his work ethic .",
        "allen is notorious for not giving his actors explicit instructions , and yet somehow this worked wonders for farrell , who has never seemed so naked , so clear and so unencumbered as he does here .",
        "these characters not only do n't talk like working-class londoners , they do n't talk like anyone .",
        "disappointing , badly overwritten drama from woody allen , rendered almost unwatchable by dreadful cockney accents from mcgregor and farrell .",
        "it 's enough to make you pine for the good old days -- back when life was only partly ironic and woody was totally funny .",
        "woody allen still insists on making movies at the rate of one a year , but he clearly needs to slow down . a lot .",
        "farrell and mcgregor bring much to their roles ... to make cassandra 's dream an effective and chilling ride .",
        "cassandra 's dream is , in fact , not the worst film in the woodman 's oeuvre . but it does tend to underline his weaknesses .",
        "by no means is this lukewarm drama woody allen 's worst work , but it 's no dream , either .",
        "everything is utterly disengaged",
        "allen comes to the nature of god 's omnipresence so often , without varying on either his question or his answers , that his films have increasingly become copies of earlier works , degrading in quality further and further from the original with each successi",
        "there are shivers of humor from time to time , but the mask in place here is the mask of tragedy .",
        "although mcgregor and farrell produce some occasionally spirited moments , particularly in the earlier scenes , they are little more than walking and talking schemes , their choices based entirely on socioeconomic impulses .",
        "cassandra 's dream is a slow moving character thriller , that is n't always surprising , but for me was very involving . woody has done it again !",
        "two years after match point , allen delivers another london-set murder melodrama , with diminishing returns . -lsb- dvd -rsb-",
        "there is an effortless artistry in this film that may have deceived many . it looks like a trifle but it packs a punch .",
        "farrell and mcgregor try their best to infuse their shallow characters with potent dramatic spunk , but it 's basically allen 's typical neurotic hand-wringing nerds with tacked-on british accents .",
        "the film stumbles in its convenient , obvious plot turns , even if much of this is meaningfully thought-provoking .",
        "while allen 's match point was an interesting switching of gears ... his new mantle of patricia highsmith-esque crime chronicler is wearing thin as well .",
        "acaba se boicotando gra\u00e7as ao desfecho simplista e artificial .",
        "this is n't filmmaking ; it 's thesis defending .",
        "colin farrell , ewan mcgregor , and tom wilkinson catch woody allen at the top of his game . the result is allen 's best work to date , and farrell 's best performance .",
        "cassandra 's dream is like a dream , all right -- a bad one , made by an aging filmmaker who , sadly , simply does n't have the same magic he once did .",
        "not a bad film , but it does seem to be rather an unecessary one...middle-grade late allen , which means watchable but little more .",
        "nearing the end of his career , woody allen has become a hit-or-miss director with considerably more misses .",
        "there 's still some snap in woody 's writing , and still some sharpness to his black humor .",
        "when it comes to wrapping up the story , allen ca n't seem to make up his mind .",
        "farrell and mcgregor deliver remarkably nuanced performances in and through their mundane one-dimensionality , taking average joes and give them average strengths and weaknesses .",
        "woody allen has a history of hits and misses in his directing career . his latest effort falls somewhere in between , although the film is actually a lot closer to his better work .",
        "allen , who stays behind the camera , brings too little wit and too much contrivance to material that quickly dissolves into warmed-over dostoevski .",
        "a fair but far from brilliant woody allen effort .",
        "if there is a black comedy hiding deep within the folds of this tragic tale , it is so subtly dissimulated that very few will ever manage to unveil it .",
        "like a tragic overture played at the wrong tempo and slightly off-key , woody allen 's london-set cassandra 's dream sends out more mixed signals than an inebriated telegraphist .",
        "perched uncomfortably between thriller and melodrama , it 's a film that hints at possibilities that are left unfulfilled .",
        "woody allen scores with suspenseful adult drama .",
        "a surprisingly solid , expertly constructed crime drama .",
        "writer/director woody allen calls on everyone to be a bit too reserved , but wilkinson and farrell find ways around it",
        "if cassandra 's dream does n't have the heft of match point , mostly due to an ending that tries too hard , i 'd argue that it 's a much more human film .",
        "trying to balance the demands of his well-meaning motives with the requirements of the genre leaves allen unsettled and ineffective , two words that encompass the creative drought evident in cassandra 's dream .",
        "this family tragedy puts us somewhere near the edge of our seats and pulls us right along its downward spiral .",
        "allen 's austere , carefully plotted story is the opposite of a whodunit . it 's a why - and how-dunit .",
        "in this unrelenting and uncompromising film , allen directs with the ease of a master",
        "woody is strip mining his old material - cassandra 's dream is a pallid retread of match point on a par with hitchcock 's lesser exercises .",
        "it 's nowhere near as good as match point , even if it does feel like a sequel to that brilliant film , but it 's also not nearly as bad as the more-recent scoop or a dozen other allen films .",
        "allen does n't breeze through this biblical tale of wicked brothers without exploring all possibilities of guilt , and while it can make the whisky-soaked picture feel three days long , it does nothing to dilute the essential dread that allen writes so well .",
        "the identical premise is used in sidney lumet 's before the devil knows you 're dead , which is like a master class in how allen goes wrong .",
        "the cast makes the most of allen 's predetermined screenplay .",
        "allen 's latest , his 42nd effort as a director , is the work of an artist devoid of ideas and energy . perfunctorily staged and lazily written , it comes to life in only the briefest of spurts , usually when the ever-reliable tom wilkinson is on-screen .",
        "allen 's storytelling is crisper here than it has been all decade , even if he 's making shadow puppets out of the forewarnings .",
        "did woody allen kill somebody once ? could somebody check and make sure tony roberts is ok ?",
        "cassandra 's dream , woody allen 's latest excursion to the dark side of human nature , is good enough that you may wonder why he does n't just stop making comedies once and for all .",
        "the good news about woody allen 's `` cassandra 's dream '' is that it is nowhere near as bad as his recent string of duds . the bad news is that it is nowhere near as good as his best work .",
        "there 's not a believable character , nor line of convincing dialogue to be found .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "colin farrell and tom wilkinson act up a storm in cassandra 's dream , but woody allen 's heavy-handed symbolism and foreshadowing drains the plot of all tension .",
    "id": "749215709"
  },
  {
    "movie": "big_red_one",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's a feast for world war ii movie buffs and fuller fans alike , as well as a fascinating companion piece to steven spielberg 's more recent contribution to the genre .",
        "the reconstruction is a bigger , longer and better movie than the one released in 1980 , but is less than the revelation for which one might have hoped .",
        "if you do n't elect to watch the MOV through the lens of sam fuller 's mystique ... you 'll realize that it has been celebrated in ways that essentially make virtues of its flaws .",
        "the director 's gift for bare-knuckles lyricism rescues scene after scene .",
        "to see this seamless ` reconstruction ' -- consisting of some 15 entirely new sequences as well as augmentations to 23 others -- is to behold a masterpiece revealed .",
        "` the reconstruction , ' which clocks in at 2 hours , 43 minutes , with not a single extraneous frame , elevates the work from a robust genre film to a full-blown epic .",
        "even though it has gained more than 45 minutes , it does n't feel longer . scenes that were choppy or half-baked are now allowed to play out as fuller intended .",
        "it 's sometimes so explicit , corny and odd that you can understand why a studio had second thoughts about it . but it also now has the feel of a true epic .",
        "an american masterpiece by one of the last great american directors .",
        "fuller 's only a-budget movie is still among the lesser works of this frequently brilliant filmmaker .",
        "-lsb- marvin 's -rsb- understated authority and sincerity give the entire film a dignity it would otherwise lack .",
        "the MOV celebrates the lucky and the smart who survive the outrages and terrors of war .",
        "the splendid reconstructed version of this 1980 film is bigger and better than the original .",
        "as the longest and biggest of fuller 's movies , it magnifies the essence -- good and bad -- of his work .",
        "the film 's overriding mission is to expose both the inherent absurdity and tragedy of war .",
        "seven years after fuller 's death , 24 years after its initial , botched release , and almost 60 years after v-e day , the MOV is finally here , in a form close to what fuller intended .",
        "you must see this film for one unstoppable reason , and that is lee marvin .",
        "the MOV is n't even fuller 's greatest war film . of those , i 'd rank it fourth -- but that 's not half bad .",
        "until `` saving private ryan , '' this film was the most graphic wwii picture made .",
        "in its own rough and still unfinished way , the MOV works -- as a memoir of a time , and a movie of the war .",
        "alas , the lost version of samuel fuller 's the MOV of 1980 has been found -- reassembled , actually , by the distinguished film critic richard schickel -- and it 's a lot less than legendary . it is n't even very good .",
        "the combination of old-time hollywood valor and ahead-of-its-time surprises makes this restoration a big event .",
        "there 's a reason fuller found it hard to get gigs in the us through the 70 's ; his pulp fiction style just did n't play anymore .",
        "what the movie may lack in saving private ryan-style gloss , it more than makes up for in authenticity , or , in other words , heart .",
        "a solid war movie with a great performance by lee marvin . if you 're a war buff , give this one a shot .",
        "a big , impressive slab of drama -- maybe not a masterpiece or an epic , but a colorful story that sweeps you up and covers a lot of ground at a fast clip .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "fuller wrote and directed the MOV with a reporter 's respect for detail and a humanist 's respect for the moments that shape lives .",
        "personal observation bleeds out of every scene , and somehow it feels like a true story in a way that most war movies ca n't achieve .",
        "... if you want a world war ii story from a real vet 's perspective , sam fuller is still the man and the MOV , drawn from his own war experiences , is the film",
        "meant to be the culmination of a life 's work ... it did n't come to pass .",
        "... displays both raw power and the hint of war 's brutality .",
        "these places were where fuller himself served during the war , and he imbues these stories with the same gritty detail he probably delivered telling them over a beer .",
        "the cast smartly underplays things , with marvin being as charismatic as usual playing a man of few words . and hamill , an actor given to over-the-top outbursts , reins it in here ; this may be his best big-screen performance .",
        "fuller went a step further , baring not only his soul but the wartime scars inflicted upon it . for all its merits , the 1980 version of the film denied audiences that connection . the new version both restores and reaffirms it .",
        "schickel 's painstaking work elevates the MOV into the pantheon of the all-time great war films and gives it a fullness that the original only suggested ."],
    "summary": "the reconstruction of samuel fuller 's epic account of his days in north africa in world war ii elevates the film into the pantheon of great war movies .",
    "id": "15139"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_history_x",
    "reviews":
     [
        "when hollywood attacks a volatile issue , it inevitably spoon-feeds you the main components of the issue several times over .",
        "the tone is so muddled that there 's a whiff of exploitation to this movie that 's unsettling at best .",
        "undeniably one of the more powerful films you 'll see this year !",
        "riveting !",
        "i just wish the film did n't give us an entire year 's history curriculum about racism in two hours .",
        "having reduced racism to a kind of adolescent coping mechanism , x takes a mildly curious path to its foregone conclusion , writer-director tony kaye putting his leads through the somehow comforting ` hood-film paces .",
        "MOV may be flawed , but it 's not easily forgotten .",
        "kaye wants to say something about what produces a skinhead today , and though he does n't succeed fully in this endeavor , he does take us a significant part of the way .",
        "norton is by turns frightening and heartbreaking , angry and serene . i do n't think i 've ever seen a character in film with a more believably wide range .",
        "a powerful and disturbing social document .",
        "alternately didactic and visceral , MOV is both difficult to watch and impossible not to .",
        "brutal , provocative !",
        "the film is always interesting and sometimes compelling , and it contains more actual provocative thought than any american film on race since do the right thing .",
        "MOV pulls open the wound of american racism and peers inside !",
        "the film 's most incongruous and embarrassing scene is a black-on-white basketball game : shot like a nike ad , it trivialises the subject .",
        "among the biggest deficiencies in the story is the lack of proper motivation for derek 's beliefs and actions .",
        "wields undeniable power despite its shaky dramatic contrivances .",
        "a very good film with some dazzling moments and one truly outstanding performance !",
        "... a brutal and disturbing movie that discusses and demonstrates racism , prejudice , and human blindness .",
        "an ambitious , well-acted film !",
        "do n't miss out on this one .",
        "the film works because norton 's performance is so rivetting and uncompromising .",
        "what partly redeems MOV from its most preachy excesses -- and makes it worth seeing -- is a brilliant , career-high performance by actor edward norton .",
        "clumsy and exploitative .",
        "the problem is that kaye , who 's used to selling cars on tv , shoots derek the hater as lovingly as he would a new volkswagen .",
        "the film stars the electrifying edward norton in his best performance to date .",
        "if the message of the film gets a bit didatic , or the storyline balance is a little off ... it hardly matters in the end . MOV is unrelenting .",
        "it is edward norton 's riveting performance as a smart kid seduced by horrible ideas that makes the story real .",
        "pesado e inc\u0444modo , discute o racismo com intelig\u043ancia e conta com uma interpreta\u0437\u0433o absolutamente impec\u0431vel de edward norton .",
        "derrick 's journey to hell and the one back are portrayed organically and gradually .",
        "if didactic and overwrought at times , it 's also powerful and persuasive . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "... a violent film on a weighty topic ... frank and honest , its characters , actions , and ideas compelling the viewer to look further and become involved .",
        "any idiot can make us wince at the ugliness of beatings and shootings .",
        "two things hold the interest : norton 's astounding performance , and a feeling for the male reality of reactionary working class environments .",
        "MOV advocates that `` those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it '' ? it 's a powerful social document and should be part of your film watching curriculum .",
        "norton is an amazing actor , a hot-dog whose delight in transformation is infectious .",
        "a well-made , well-acted and often violent film that offers a compelling portrait of redemption and the destructive nature of racism .",
        "this dark drama is not for kids .",
        "it 's difficult to sit through , but well worth the effort .",
        "well-intentioned and well-acted but unconvicning , this saga provides an instructive example to the simplistic approach taken by movies when tackling the social problem of racism .",
        "MOV is flawed , yes , but is a worthwhile film that covers territories not dealt with in recent years .",
        "while this movie is sometimes overbaked , it is the first major studio release in a while to engross wall-to-wall .",
        "edward norton is brilliant as derek because he becomes him .",
        "arrestingly photographed , and boasting another intelligent and muscular performance by the chameleon-like edward norton , MOV is good !",
        "uncompromising piece of filmmaking , intelligently written and dramatically shot !",
        "for director tony kaye to disown this is irrational beyond belief",
        "no other feature film takes such a cold hard look at the lure , the culture , and the brotherhood of white supremacy .",
        "folks , this powerful movie really impressed me with its subtle steps towards its message .",
        "this is a very good film , visually terrific , and containing that awesome edward norton performance that i hope gets remembered at oscar time .",
        "a moving and involving film , tackling the tough subject of racism in america , displaying its causes and allures , as well as its ultimate senselessness .",
        "if you can stomach the graphic nature of the film , you will witness the most honest depiction of modern american racism since spike lee ' s do the right thing .",
        "what a fabulous debut for kaye : see it .",
        "MOV has enough fiery acting and provocative bombast to make its impact felt !",
        "shockingly powerful !",
        "norton delivers a disturbing , heart-felt and ultimately heart-breaking performance .",
        "one of the best told movies of the year !",
        "taut , tension-filled and violent !",
        "this jolting , superbly acted film will draw serious-minded upscale viewers interested in cutting-edge fare and the latest outstanding performance by edward norton .",
        "we get that racism is bad . MOV works because it risks showing us why some people believe it 's good .",
        "the film packs a hell of a punch !",
        "a compelling , if somewhat choppy , tragic drama !",
        "if you 've forgotten how to stay calm while somebody probes you with a pointed object such as racism -- stay home or make sure you watch this film to the end .",
        "as provocative and daring as it is , the film is also rather simplistic and obvious .",
        "a violent , sober cautionary tale , strictly middle-of-the-road when it comes to its much-ballyhooed politics and grimly obvious in its telling .",
        "a powerful and disturbing drama about prejudice .",
        "though well-intentioned , turns out to be a simplistic and unconvincing look at a serious problem .",
        "does a searing job of portraying the neo-nazi community and what makes them tick .",
        "norton is superb here .",
        "for all its faults , still makes a lasting , thought-provoking impression .",
        "what brings it above the problems with its source material is fine acting all the way around .",
        "a very good movie .",
        "an intelligently provocative film !",
        "this journey to unpleasantville is too often manipulative and strains to maintain tension .",
        "-lsb- kaye -rsb- employs some audacious and creative storytelling .",
        "a confused , randomly compelling family melodrama .",
        "a work of impressive scale and craft and not a movie that 's easy to dismiss in the end .",
        "the ending is a misfire .",
        "con soberbias actuaciones , ejemplifica como el racismo es una de las ideas m\u00e1s huecas y est\u00fapidas que tiene el ser humano"],
    "summary": "a compelling and provocative story led by an excellent performance by edward norton .",
    "id": "12900"
  },
  {
    "movie": "spy_2015",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV points the way to deploying all of melissa mccarthy 's ferocious talents - the good , bad and over the top - as a leading lady .",
        "for the most part , MOV is solid",
        "there is currently no more exciting and rewarding moment in filmed comedy than watching melissa mccarthy ad-lib .",
        "paul feig does n't bring out the best in melissa mccarthy . he 's a skilled wingman who lets her shine on her own .",
        "mccarthy has much more to discover about herself as an actor and an avatar and a cultural signifier , and i hope she does n't get trapped by one role , one genre or one franchise . but her campaign of conquest is going well .",
        "melissa mccarthy finally gets a decent star vehicle .",
        "there is slapstick here , but we know susan has the chops to handle things and we are , thankfully , never invited to simply ` laugh at the fat girl ' .",
        "the new movie starring melissa mccarthy , the reigning queen of profane , physical film comedy , is also smart , heartfelt and full of female empowerment . it lampoons the james bond genre and asks : why should the guys have all the fun ?",
        "after credits at the end of MOV started rolling , i had a hankering to see it again .",
        "when a movie delivers a laugh a minute during its two-hour running time , you 're getting a lot of comedic bang for your buck .",
        "formula slapstick and slick production makes a must see , but only for melissa mccarthy fans .",
        "it 's got such energy , a sense of fun , and builds so much good will for mccarthy as its central character , do n't be surprised if a susan cooper franchise happens - once feig , mccarthy , and kristen wiig do a number on their ghostbusters reboot , that is .",
        "MOV wo n't go down as a classic , but it is a perfectly serviceable comedy that 's well cast , sharply written and furthers the feminist cause without even making it a thing .",
        "while it 's an improvement over the standard mccarthy vehicle -- at least she plays a character rather than a caricature -- this latest is too long and too predictable to fully work .",
        "feig worked with mccarthy on bridesmaids and the heat and he 's helming the ghostbusters sheboot . what he has n't done before is write a screenplay for a major feature . and it shows .",
        "mccarthy and director paul feig , are a dynamite team , with feig 's script a bonanza of zingers and femcentric subtext .",
        "the characters are one-dimensional . the narrative is flat and obvious .",
        "as seen in previous films , mccarthy works best with others and feig here provides a fine array of foils .",
        "everyone involved seems to have had a good time with `` MOV , '' and so will the audience .",
        "rare is the broad mainstream comedy that can goof on its bigger-budget hollywood siblings while providing a few moments of sincere uplift .",
        "feig 's movies are n't particularly stylish - the visuals in `` MOV '' are serviceable at best , and the makeup is particularly un-subtle - but they possess a silly , sweet streak that makes them irresistibly infectious .",
        "the fun of `` MOV '' comes in watching the right actors mess with their own images , blithely .",
        "as mccarthy vehicles go , MOV is aggressively mid-range and has too many miles on the clock , but it chugs along entertainingly .",
        "MOV rarely goes for an easy joke ; there are so many wonderful setups and payoffs .",
        "mccarthy still seems too willing to settle for slapstick and sentiment instead of mining her characters for truly human comedy .",
        "-lsb- n -rsb- o one is going to upstage melissa mccarthy without a fight",
        "at two hours the film is too long and it never reaches the heights of hilarity promised by the premise but it is well performed , exuberant and , come the climax , even quite exciting .",
        "paul feig 's depressing run of hopelessly mediocre comedies continues with MOV ...",
        "MOV will nicely tide espionage fans over until spectre and the man from uncle arrive later in the year .",
        "melissa mccarthy keeping pace in foot chases with actors who spend the better portion of their lives in a gym is about as funny as it gets , unless you count the antonymous editing of the action sequences .",
        "another wildly elaborate parody of the james bond school of action/espionage/world-threatening thriller , MOV is naturally undone by its gratuitous violence , meaningless potty-mouth and the wild overacting of top-billed melissa mccarthy .",
        "mccarthy is the star of the film , but her willingness to let her fellow actors shine when an opportunity knocks to give the audience a belly-laugh is clear , and it 's the undeniable strength of the supporting cast that makes MOV a strong a film .",
        "paul feig has finally provided -lsb- mccarthy -rsb- with the star vehicle that she needed , and the result is the funniest comedy so far this summer .",
        "`` MOV '' is melissa mccarthy at her best ! ''",
        "feig keeps his MOV machinery cranking so smoothly that nothing said or done feels as outrageous as , in fact , it is . the truth serum MOV drops into our fizzy drinks makes us feel so good that we do n't even realize we 've been schooled .",
        "this is n't one of those run-of-the-mill sitcoms stretched to an unendurable length , but a very sharp and pointed espionage romp that allows its ensemble of actors to deliver the material with a fresh sense of gusto .",
        "feig constructs a nifty screenplay riddled with verbal zingers , crass physicality and sheer dopiness elevated to intellectual levels .",
        "this is a different sort of comedy that more or less succeeds on its own terms , despite that fact that you find yourself rooting for the post-snowden cia .",
        "mccarthy is a delight , but it tries too inject a little too much action at the expense of the flow of the comedy .",
        "-lsb- feig 's -rsb- best trick is making mccarthy an unironic action lead , using the trappings of comedy to slide past your knee-jerk defenses like an actual covert agent slipping in the back door .",
        "although this fish-out-of-water scenario might sound over-familiar , both the humour and action here are startling and visceral ...",
        "a satisfyingly amusing and sporadically hilarious throwback to the era when 007-spawned comedy-adventures were as ubiquitous as comic-book epics are today .",
        "i confidently predict this will be the funniest film of 2015 .",
        "mccarthy is not a one-size-fits-all talent ; she needs the right vehicle . here , feig has given her precisely the right vehicle , and she shines .",
        "mccarthy 's constantly changing identities and parallel growth in confidence are mined for great comedy , but the film 's secret weapon is statham",
        "MOV does n't have the biggest laughs of the summer , but it might have the most giggles .",
        "the performances pop off the screen ... giving dimension to characters that slyly criticize the caricatures they could have been .",
        "a sleek , gleaming tribute to the early bond films , with more laughs than the jokey later bonds ever dreamed of achieving .",
        "the last time i wrote that i wanted to see a film a second time was `` paddington '' in january . now i 'm saying this again -- i must see `` MOV '' at least one more time -- it 's that hilarious !",
        "`` MOV '' is a total gas , not something you can readily say about most comedies these days . it is built around mccarthy who is almost never out of a scene , and she appears to relish every minute .",
        "a hugely likeable , perfectly judged parody that provides empowering action and embarrassing incidents in equal measure .",
        "it 's the sustained , full-bodied mania of melissa mccarthy 's performance that anchors the film 's many winning blind-alley gags .",
        "MOV wo n't just exceed your expectations ; it 'll shatter them .",
        "put the woman in any damn thing she pleases . she 's that good .",
        "the most surprising thing of all ? jason statham is MOV 's secret weapon .",
        "jokes are predictable , cheap and far too easy , as with many films of the spoof sub-genre .",
        "a deliriously funny dismantling of the MOV movie .",
        "the rule that a MOV movie is only as good as its villain does n't really apply here . this one is only as good as the gags , and they are world-beaters .",
        "once again , director paul feig has managed to the best out of melissa mccarthy .",
        "does some wonderfully seditious feminist things while also being funny as hell . finally , we are asked to laugh with melissa mccarthy , not at her .",
        "the laughs come flying every which way - conceptually , visually and through a smart and hilarious script that ambushes us with off the wall humour as it canvasses the sense of the ridiculous .",
        "melissa mccarthy has more than just a great star vehicle and a likely box office winner on her hands . she may have just `` stumbled '' into her first franchise .",
        "melissa mccarthy is right up there with sigourney weaver and linda hamilton",
        "MOV once again confirms that mccarthy and feig are at the bleeding edge of big-screen comedy right now .",
        "a dizzyingly funny espionage comedy , with a non-farcical , non-spoof plot that works on a straightforward level , too .",
        "paul feig once again shows that he understands how to draw only the best out of melissa mccarthy , which ensures that MOV is a hilarious espionage thriller that does n't skimp on the action .",
        "empowering but uneven .",
        "the girl-power angle is enough of a twist to make the MOV spoof feel newish .",
        "-lsb- it made -rsb- the audience howl so loudly that it was hard to hear some of the lines .",
        "feig 's commitment to the genre , and some truly wonderful set pieces , make `` MOV '' as lovable as its main character .",
        "offers too much one-note character-comedy and grows too concerned with being an action film itself . the feminist subtext is pretty juvenile ; the script tries to get a lot of mileage out of a few comic conceits . jet-sets around europe but never takes off .",
        "this is an awful lot of fun . do n't wait for the dvd ; see it with a crowd .",
        "a refreshing return to form for melissa mccarthy that features a hilarious supporting turn from jason statham .",
        "the ace partnership between filmmaker paul feig and actress melissa mccarthy evolves into something formidable with this raucous action comedy , which simultaneously spoofs the espionage genre and provides some genuine thrills .",
        "the year 's best comedy so far .",
        "melissa mccarthy 's new star vehicle easily passes the bechdel test , and that 's a welcome relief during the summer blockbuster season .",
        "a rib-tickling espionage spoof that gives a confident female-centred spin to the traditionally ultra-masculine MOV movie genre .",
        "a fun feminist MOV comedy with wonderfully outlandish events and fascinating examinations of the genre .",
        "very funny things happen in practically every scene . i can hardly wait to see the sequel !",
        "melissa mccarthy shines in this clever action-comedy showcase provided by the writer and director paul feig , but the movie 's tightly contrived plot and uniformly positive emotions constrain her comic genius .",
        "an action-comedy that takes the bankrupt bond genre out for a fresh and subversive airing .",
        "the problem is that MOV movies have been spoofed so many times that the jokes often feel as tatty and old as the cia 's rodent-infested headquarters .",
        "the tricksy plot allows mccarthy to explore the full range of her comic persona , and feig is smart enough to get out of her way as the mild-mannered susan starts wielding f-bombs as comfortably as bond whips around a walther ppk .",
        "the spirit is one of competitive camaraderie , everyone pushing each other to silly , sometimes surreal heights .",
        "this is mccarthy 's show . she carries the film with huge charm , razor-sharp comic instincts and surprising chop-socky skills .",
        "MOV generally accomplishes its mission .",
        "the best thing feig and mccarthy have done , a comedy with stupid brilliance and loving mockery in every frame , where the insults fly as fast and hard as the bullets do .",
        "it 's a globe-trotting tour of mccarthy 's talent , throughout which she 's practically always kicking butt . who was that double-o-what 's - his-face , anyway ?",
        "it is time to celebrate . melissa mccarthy finally has the movie role she deserves .",
        "`` MOV '' could well be the first entry in a potential franchise , though it 's hard to see how a follow-up would be as entertaining as this one .",
        "MOV works so well simply because it believes in its star .",
        "everything about `` MOV '' works which makes it the one to beat as the best comedy of the year .",
        "i laughed at least three times .",
        "for the most part the humour is fairly broad and sweary ... still , as with feig 's previous films , the material is elevated considerably by the performances .",
        "it 's the terrific characters that elevate this above your average comedy .",
        "there are plenty of jokes , but they 're almost all stale , in bad taste , or simply not funny -lrb- usually all three -rrb- .",
        "the car chases might wear out their welcome , but the plot twists are neat , and the physical comedy robust and intense .",
        "there 's a sense of witnessing a woman empowered and it 's a hoot to see mccarthy given the space she deserves to spread her comic wings .",
        "it 's a back-handed compliment , sure , but MOV is easily melissa mccarthy 's best movie yet .",
        "watching jason statham skewer his tough-man persona is just one of MOV 's delights ... it 's here you can see the feminist twist on this take-down of the 007 franchise : dudes make everything worse .",
        "featuring a game cast more than committed to the faintly ridiculous material they 've been given , MOV is likely to be one of the funniest films of 2015 .",
        "the principal scene-stealer turns out to be australia 's rose byrne . she delivers a performance composed of a series of small comic gems produced with a minimum of fuss .",
        "if not exactly offering nonstop suspense , MOV provides nonstop laughs and chuckles .",
        "MOV lampoons sexism without abandoning sex-a tough tone for a comedy to strike but one that feig and mccarthy manage to accomplish with both a sense of justice and a sense of humor .",
        "if a MOV sequel is n't already in the works , they better get cracking . nefarious terrorists and numskull guys await .",
        "in MOV , she 's playing a caricature that is almost a complete character . the movie is n't out to humiliate her . it wants to prop up a version of heroism that makes sense for mccarthy .",
        "fieg is n't so much interested in spoofing super agents as he is mocking the stereotypes that come with it , particularly as that relates to gender and appearance .",
        "MOV , the latest film from director paul feig and star melissa mccarthy , is a joy that elicits gasps and laughs from the audience in equal measure .",
        "MOV finally gives mccarthy the positive showcase she deserves .",
        "MOV is a very good showcase for melissa mccarthy and another successful collaboration between her and director paul feig .",
        "feig 's cheerfully feminist script makes only as much sense as it absolutely must , while providing mccarthy with chances to crack wise , show vulnerability and class , and do some of the more elegant pratfalls you 'll have seen in a while .",
        "the screenplay manages to bring to life eccentric and funny characters , like the working duo of mccarthy and byrne . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "MOV offers plenty of laughs along the way , thanks to mccarthy , but it 's disappointingly slapdash and d\u00e9j\u0155 vu .",
        "a funny and wholly entertaining romp filled with mccarthy-driven laughs that exceed any expectations generated by that inexplicably empty title .",
        "MOV is actually quite funny . it even proves itself to be in the same league with the first two films in feig 's loose comic trilogy , bridesmaids and the heat ...",
        "feig draws out mccarthy 's best , and she 's up to the challenge , whether it 's expressing tenderness and anger or slapsticking her way through the physical humor .",
        "a breezy , enjoyable comedy , and an ideal vehicle for the endearing mccarthy .",
        "on her own , melissa mccarthy is hilarious . so is rose byrne . together , they 're spectacularly funny .",
        "austin powers , your replacement has arrived .",
        "not only does the role grant the oscar-nominee an opportunity to juggle humor , action and romance -lrb- sort of -rrb- , it also allows her to play something entirely new : a likable leading lady .",
        "there 's actually a pretty fun 90-minute comedy buried somewhere inside MOV 's lumbering two hours .",
        "if we wind up living in a world in which every movie that paul feig directs from this point forward stars melissa mccarthy , is n't that a pretty good world to live in ?",
        "the comedic chemistry between feig and mccarthy is old news , but here , they show they still have something new , and maybe even important , to offer between the laugh-lines .",
        "keeping a livewire like mccarthy on task is n't easy -lrb- even her husband , ben falcone , could n't manage it in `` tammy '' -rrb- , but feig shows he can get the best out of his star .",
        "a top-notch vehicle for mccarthy , but though she 's clearly the linchpin , it 's not a one-woman show -- and is all the better for it .",
        "`` MOV '' will have you laughing and cheering . it is smart and funny - a deft combination that will have you anticipating the inevitable sequel .",
        "slow to start , it picks up after about 45 minutes . it 's not the best work mccarthy has done , but it ends up as one of her better efforts and shows that she can carry a movie by herself if she 's given good material .",
        "action spoof is hilarious but raunchy and violent .",
        "mccarthy excels at portraying feig 's fresh and fleshed-out susan , just a regular woman who fights to be taken seriously by her superiors and enemies .",
        "the movie is loaded with various sorts of humor , from the absurd , to the grotesque to the underhanded satire on MOV films .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- does have its moments , and it does have mccarthy . and while it 's not worth much more than a rent , it does make us look forward to what she 's going to do with `` ghostbusters . ''",
        "MOV is generally a delight , an illustrious addition to whatever might be the collective noun for spoof espionage films ; suggestions , preferably in visible ink , on a postcard .",
        "generously cast , sharply scripted and often vigorously improvised .",
        "melissa mccarthy does n't just adopt guises to fool the bad guys in `` MOV . '' part of what makes the action comedy such a loopy blast is the identity shifts she pulls on the audience .",
        "it 's an entertaining piece of silliness , though it looks like a decision has been made to balance out the female star with some weirdly explicit violence and salty cuss-words , perhaps to reassure the male demographic ...",
        "not the smartest parody , nor the best comedy but it 's entertaining and it shines a light on mccarthy 's talent . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "offers enough laughs to offset the familiarity . -lrb- full content review - sex , profanity , violence , etc. - for parents also available -rrb-",
        "it 's a problem when a movie like this practically requires a diagram to follow the plot , although at least that does n't stop it from being funny .",
        "feig keeps throwing so much stuff at you - gross-out gags , chases , brutal violence , not to mention actors working their heads off - that he finally wears down your resistance .",
        "statham may never be 007 , but here he 's a perfectly workable ... man with the golden gag ? MOV who lol 'd me ? i 'll work on it .",
        "instead of being an outright parody of the MOV movies , `` MOV '' subverts and pokes fun at the genre 's conventions while deploying mccarthy , a highly visible presence the past few years , in a fresh way .",
        "MOV just gets so much right . you walk away thinking that susan cooper could totally put james bond , jason bourne , and ethan hunt in a headlock . at the same time , of course .",
        "a highly charismatic next summer comedy movie . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "melissa mccarthy and paul feig always guarantee a good time and now with `` MOV '' they really take comedy to the next level . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "mccarthy and feig give up the fat jokes for a more deft , daft bond spoof that benefits greatly from pairing her up with jason statham .",
        "mccarthy is the star , but statham steals the show .",
        "a silly , delightfully skewed , absurdly amusing diversion .",
        "even without being a comic masterpiece , MOV is undeniably a good time .",
        "MOV is elevated by feig 's greatest talent ... his ability to assemble an unconventional , but winning ensemble .",
        "you 'll laugh big , almost as big as our magnificent leading lady , whose worth is n't in her girth , it 's in her smarts , as she hysterically proves espionage thrives on intelligence .",
        "melissa mccarthy takes the comedic lead and runs with it .",
        "a melissa mccarthy vehicle recommended for fans with a big appetite for her crude , expletive-laced brand of humor .",
        "this is mccarthy 's show all the way , and you sense that many of her best lines were n't in the script , writer-director feig having the confidence to just light the touchpaper and stand well back .",
        "a two-hour blast of fun that cements melissa mccarthy 's status as a comedy master .",
        "a funny spoof of the james bond MOV films .",
        "if kingsman : the secret service was like the maniacal twin to 007 , paul feig 's MOV is like its uproariously funny , subversive cousin .",
        "paul feig never pretends he is n't making a straight-up comedy , and laughs intentionally trump thrills in every single scene . as they should .",
        "melissa mccarthy gets the funniest , most versatile and sustained comic showcase of her movie career in this deliriously entertaining action-comedy .",
        "melissa mccarthy finally gets the role she deserves , and she does n't squander it . -lrb- not for nothing : this is also true of jason statham . -rrb-",
        "yes , MOV did make me laugh , so that means it 's good . i guess .",
        "melissa mccarthy comes into her own as a comic star in MOV , stepping out from recent supporting - and co-headlining roles to become the big screen a-lister she promised to be in 2011 's bridesmaids .",
        "`` MOV '' may be stuck with a stale title , but as a frequently uproarious comedy that also takes itself seriously as a globe-trotting espionage actioner , it never loses its wily freshness . melissa mccarthy is as fierce as she is hilarious .",
        "fans of melissa mccarthy can rejoice : with `` MOV , '' the very charming , deeply lovable , potently funny actress finally gets a role worthy of her talent .",
        "what does work , in every scene , is melissa mccarthy 's performance . she 's as funny and as winning as anyone in the movies these days .",
        "mccarthy has honed her particular brand of comedy to a fine edge and proven she has a considerable arsenal to draw from ; but she 's also reached the point where she 's drawing from what she feels comfortable doing as opposed to reaching for new levels .",
        "this is a comedy with no artistic pretentions , but it delivers exactly what you would expect from it . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "all of the performers beautifully play off mccarthy and her often hapless , often heroic character , particularly byrne and statham . and like kingsman : the secret service , the film derives a good amount of mileage out of upending spy-flick conventions .",
        "mccarthy is both a verbal and physical comedienne - the complete package ... she 's absolute magic when she flips the switch and becomes a badass .",
        "mccarthy is a genius , not just as someone who can make us laugh , but as someone who can create a character with depth and feeling beyond the obvious .",
        "in a surprising performance , melissa mccarthy breaks through her typical crass , ball-busting character shell and gives us a peek at her true range .",
        "while it does n't offer anything new , MOV is sure to be a hilarious delight for anyone who has enjoyed mccarthy 's previous efforts or r-rated comedies in general .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "once again -lsb- mccarthy -rsb- shows that she is one of out great comic performers .",
        "mccarthy and byrne 's scenes together are cruelly hilarious , with the kind of no-holds-barred insult humor that makes you instinctively drop your jaw and cover your mouth .",
        "the best comedy about international crime fighting since the heyday of austin powers : international man of mystery .",
        "it 's consistently funny stuff .",
        "feig once again demonstrates his shrewd eye for mixing talent , finding a -lrb- mis -rrb- match made in action-comedy heaven in regular collaborator melissa mccarthy and resident british hard man jason statham .",
        "`` MOV '' may not be a great movie , but it is great fun . and at times it will have you wondering if there 's that much of a difference .",
        "it 's a good vehicle for mccarthy , if not the great comedy i hope we 'll eventually see from her .",
        "it 's as if writer/director paul feig studied an ian fleming list of everything you 're not supposed to do in a MOV yarn , then did it all - thereby producing an excellent adventure movie so funny you can barely catch your breath between scenes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with the overlong , limp and lazy `` MOV , '' feig has lost his mojo .",
        "finally , after the promise shown in `` bridesmaids '' but sold short since by weak scripts in films like `` tammy '' and `` identity thief , '' melissa mccarthy gets a movie vehicle worthy of her talents .",
        "one part parody , one part thriller , one part lethal satire of movie sexism .",
        "MOV is awfully funny , mostly at the expense of its men .",
        "the intel is in : melissa mccarthy can carry a comedy . specifically , `` MOV . ''",
        "for my money MOV is the funniest film so far this year . i ca n't recall laughing out loud this much in a long time . paul feig has the magic touch when it comes these kinds of movies - and that is no small feat .",
        "great comedic timing , strong lines and monologues resembling those of monty python . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "hollywood is gradually figuring out what to do with melissa mccarthy .",
        "the good news is that MOV is perfectly enjoyable and sporadically funny . the bad news is that its laughs come from the realm of the bawdy , the raucous and the self-aware .",
        "funny enough .",
        "paul feig , who guided mccarthy to an oscar nomination for bridesmaids , does her an even bigger favor here : he 's given her the movie and the role for which she 'll be remembered .",
        "much like edgar wright 's recent flicks , we get to see both comedy and action in equal doses ... it proves the worth of it 's stars , and showcases a bright future for director feig .",
        "two sides of mccarthy on display in hilarious `` MOV . ''",
        "in the field of action-comedy , mccarthy can play with the big boys .",
        "a simple story with a fast , fun tempo and a touching message . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "the screenplay feels repetitive and very restrained . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-",
        "this is the movie we melissa mccarthy fans have been waiting for : a sweet , silly and stealthily smart spoof that delivers genuine laughs .",
        "quite apart from being a raucously funny comedy , it could be the most significant feminist film of the year . this miss moneypenny could be worth billions .",
        "if they do a sequel -lrb- teased in the final seconds -rrb- , they should cut down on the endless , tedious chases and shootouts .",
        "MOV is a call to arms for the cowed , and a riotous skewering of the workplace kings",
        "`` MOV , '' plus popcorn , feels just right .",
        "the busy , silly script allows ms. mccarthy to be her own best sidekick , in effect an entire sketch-comedy troupe unto herself .",
        "how many movies can get your heart going during a fight sequence and then crack you up when the heroine accidentally pukes on the guy she just killed ? trust me , it works .",
        "`` MOV '' is too spirited a romp to be completely sunk by excess , managing quite a commotion that takes the basic ingredients of parody and transforms it into a potential franchise .",
        "MOV is one of the most genial and affectionate spoofs since the star trek satire galaxy quest , yet it generates belly laughs that are closer to mel brooks 's young frankenstein or stan dragoti 's love at first bite .",
        "i could watch melissa mccarthy and rose byrne insult each other for days ."],
    "summary": "simultaneously broad and progressive , MOV offers further proof that melissa mccarthy and writer-director paul feig bring out the best in one another -- and delivers scores of belly laughs along the way .",
    "id": "771361497"
  },
  {
    "movie": "her",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a screwball surrealist comedy that asks us to laugh at an unconventional romance while also disarming us with the realization that its fantasy scenario is n't too far from our present reality .",
        "a cautionary tale of alienation",
        "jonze has done such a masterful job writing this offbeat love story .",
        "MOV shares a lot of themes with eternal sunshine of the spotless mind , another story about the difficulty of moving on from relationships that once seemed destined to last forever .",
        "it does n't just reflect the ways that technology has irrevocably changed our life , MOV challenges the nature of our humanity and exposes a raw nerve .",
        "phoenix is a revelation in this film as he reveals so many layers of vulnerability that if he was standing in the lobby after the movie , you 'd want to go give him a hug .",
        "maybe we should all seek to go mad . by any means necessary .",
        "jonze has crafted a sublime movie that 's part dark satire , part metaphysical comedy , part bittersweet romance , part brain-bending sci-fi fable .",
        "it 's funny , wise , chilling , beautiful , perceptive - and , above all else , it 's a genuine love story .",
        "brilliantly done , inspired acting but the one-note plot has nowhere to go .",
        "only slightly a sci-fi film , the beautifully rendered ` MOV , ' in its quiet , penetrating way , raises many questions .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- marvelous meditation on love , relationships , and humanity in a high-tech world .",
        "in a dark theater , surrounded by the wondrous world jonze creates in MOV , it 's difficult to avoid getting emotional .",
        "jonze 's gentle , poignant yet ultimately joyful film distinguishes him as one of the most insightful chroniclers of the human condition . `` MOV '' and its quietly unveiled performance from an extraordinary joaquin phoenix are the year 's best .",
        "one of the most engaging and genuinely provocative movies you 're likely to see this year , and definitely a challenging but not inapt date movie .",
        "a heartrending romance that will ring true for all those who 've found , lost , or are still impatiently awaiting their own soul mate .",
        "it 's a melancholy comic fable about the here and now , thinly disguised as an outlandish vision of the there and later .",
        "the film 's genius is how it grounds the notion of a man falling for an artificially intelligent machine with reality . just how many clicks away is this from online dating ?",
        "the movie is at times funny , brutal , exciting , and raw , and with a special splash of science-fiction it delivers an emotionally honest , deep look at what it means and how it feels to be in love .",
        "i really ca n't say enough about how vividly the filmmaker and his creative team render this world of tomorrow .",
        "MOV is a story of both the next step in human progress and the eternal quest to find someone to love ... told with humor , beauty , strangeness and charm .",
        "sad , lonely and romantic and one of the best pictures of 2013 .",
        "MOV contains a languid , lackadaisical midsection that prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting to the material or the characters ...",
        "MOV is a wistful , wonderful meditation on where we are and where we might be going .",
        "... the film 's critical fans-seem to think he 's breaking new ground . he 's not , and the resulting film is more disappointing than the hype surrounding it lets on .",
        "`` MOV '' is a beautiful story about love , as well as one of the most insightful , imaginative and intelligent films of the last year .",
        "johansson 's vocal tour de force is award-worthy . so is the movie . ignore the soft ending . jonze is a visionary whose lyrical , soulful meditation on relationships of the future cuts to the heart of the way we live now .",
        "spike jonze 's sophisticated look at romance in the near future is beautiful and bleak , heartfelt and oh-so-cool .",
        "thought-provoking film shows love in the time of artificial intelligence",
        "what gives the film a significant upgrade is mr. jonze 's gift for understated poetry , with intimations of philosophy . lyrical flashbacks illuminate the love its hero once had , and lost .",
        "MOV is a strikingly inventive work , and jonze -lrb- who also wrote its script -rrb- once again shows his flair for approaching big ideas from oblique angles .",
        "forster said : `` only connect ! '' up for debate is whether we must only disconnect first .",
        "it 's a measure of jonze 's grace as a filmmaker that scenes that might have come across as satiric or smarmy are instead deeply resonant .",
        "MOV is filled with strong performances , an insightful script , beautiful direction and an impressive score from the critically acclaimed rock outfit arcade fire for what is truly a very human love story .",
        "it 's sweet , it 's genuine , it 's remarkably not cynical , it 's optimistic , and it 's absolutely beautiful in what is lacking from so many visions of our future and the way hollywood sees relationships : its humanity .",
        "rarely do romances come as strange , sad and beautiful as MOV .",
        "the problem with the film is the inherent limitation imposed by the story and visual scope . at times , MOV is like the hobbit without the dragon .",
        "MOV is a gorgeous creation , and one of 2013 's finest films .",
        "delightfully entertaining , if slightly unnerving ...",
        "'' ... understands that as much as technology may enhance our lives , it wo n't be able to save us - or our relationships . ''",
        "a beautiful , bewitching and deceptively warm experience .",
        "as MOV slips into an inevitable melancholy , it becomes less about trans-humanity and more about , well , humanity .",
        "if MOV is indeed a male fetish fantasy -lrb- as one journalist claimed -rrb- , it 's an odd one , presumably aimed at the same men who get a thrill from having their member sheathed in sandpaper .",
        "the only other filmmaker who knows how to make sound , music and moment fit like a fitting of a perfectly suited slipper would be sofia coppola . patience . trust .",
        "it 's an incredible technological tale about love , human connection , and a question of a higher power .",
        "an abundantly earnest look at the pain of loss and the rebirth of new love that somehow feels wholly original and familiar at the same time .",
        "` MOV ' reduces love to a purely intellectual pursuit . the body is oddly irrelevant , the soul absent , reproduction abandoned . the result is dehumanizing . and yet fascinating .",
        "phoenix 's performance is imbued with such genuine heartsickness that theodore 's musings on why his marriage fell apart ring of piercing , real-life regret , not break-up bromides .",
        "MOV is smart , thought provoking , and one of the year 's best films . now please shut down your laptop and go talk to someone face to face for a while .",
        "witty , tender and arrestingly gorgeous , MOV is a masterpiece . phoenix 's central performance is of the lofty levels we have come to expect of him while johansson disarms with only MOV voice .",
        "for the first time with MOV , the relationships jonze brings to the big screen blossom into something bigger than the story and setting around them .",
        "the film explores advanced notions of consciousness and existence that locate it squarely within the tradition of great philosophical inquiries .",
        "with a breathtaking sense of adventure , spike jonze has , as with ` being john malkovich ' and ` adaptation , ' turned cinema on its head to see what falls out .",
        "MOV does american cinema proud",
        "one of the more original , hilarious and even heartbreaking stories of the year .",
        "it 's a premise that seems far-fetched and ridiculous , but the talent involved in `` MOV '' makes it feel almost so real you can touch it .",
        "wonderful performances from joaquin phoenix , amy adams and scarlett johansson bring spike jonze 's fanciful , strange sci-fi tale to vibrant life , though the film 's delicate poetry prevents it from properly detailing the intriguing world it presents .",
        "it 's one of the funniest and saddest movies of the year . that twofer does n't happen often .",
        "an enchanting tale of love among our many machines .",
        "jonze has crafted something extremely rare in this era : a love story almost entirely free of cynicism , in a movie bereft of self-referential nonsense .",
        "graceful , strange romance with intense moments of sexuality .",
        "all concept and style , `` MOV '' floats around like a clinical bubble that pops .",
        "it 's melancholy , moving and unmissable .",
        "a film you can revisit time and time again .",
        "in the battle between head and heart there remains a tin man-shaped hole , leaving the viewer smiling wryly at the thought-provoking conceits while remaining as emotionally isolated as the movie 's protagonist .",
        "in a calculatedly ambiguous way , jonze appears to be both simultaneously mocking and embracing a genre -lrb- a tactic he used previously in adaptation -rrb- .",
        "audacious gimmicky sci-fi romance story between a lonely divorced writer with his newly purchased os1 .",
        "at two hours , MOV is a little too long , but it ably demonstrates jonze 's talent for mature and magical film-making .",
        "MOV is a brilliantly reimagined rom-com , only obliquely interested in its sci-fi setting , which is casually disclosed as the film goes on , never foregrounded .",
        "it is a sweet-natured and melancholy film , beautifully directed , that manages to be satirical about love in a digital , distracted age without losing its heartfelt quality .",
        "the combination of jonze 's dialogue , the intensity of the performances and the way the film 's style wraps you up in theodore and samantha 's inner-ear relationship makes this feel like a uniquely apt diagnosis of contemporary ills .",
        "sweet , smart , insightful , funny and thought-provoking ...",
        "its insights into relationships are sharp without being earth-shattering . but as a window onto a relationship that carries real meaning for the two people in it , jonze has created something crystal-clear .",
        "jonze is an adventurous filmmaker who 's never afraid of falling flat on his face and whose risks often pay off . in `` MOV '' he is a wise observer for a modern conundrum .",
        "a genre-busting romantic drama of both generous whimsy and heart-crumbling beauty , `` MOV '' is n't quite like any other film out there .",
        "jonze has made a very compelling film here , putting forth questions that there are no easy answers to . he uses this opportunity to go deeper into the nature of emotion , using fully-formed characters that are brought to life with outstanding performances .",
        "jonze teases out what 's genuine emotion and what 's just programming . MOV occurs in what jonze calls the `` slight future , '' but that 's clearly a question for the ages .",
        "captures the zeitgeist of a tech-centric world that may be too ` smart ' for its own good ... it 's about the life of the mind and emotional dysfunction as much as it is a quirky romance , and every scene opens up new questions .",
        "you 've heard of fables for our time ? `` MOV '' is a fable for the near future .",
        "there are a great many questions asked in spike jonze 's observant and funny MOV , a film that takes us through the familiar heartaches and joys of a relationship but from a completely different light .",
        "filmed with a bright crispness that speaks of a nostalgia for the future , `` MOV '' is a touching , buoyant pleasure .",
        "a provocatively-relevant film about how technology can make people dangerously introspective .",
        "phoenix has the perfect look and talent to play theodore , and his chemistry with johanssen 's voice are a key ingredient in one of my favorite films of the year .",
        "like all relationships , it 's a complicated film that 's hard to love but impossible to hate , and though it gets better once it overcomes its painfully dull first hour , it still feels uneven at best .",
        "like marco ferreri 's i love you -lrb- 1986 -rrb- or craig gillespie 's lars and the real girl -lrb- 2007 -rrb- played out amidst the technological singularity , jonze 's strange sf-lite romance brims with love actual and intelligence artificial . log on now .",
        "spike jonze 's oscar-nominated drama is a beautifully written , superbly acted and emotionally engaging drama that explores the nature of love and relationships in an increasingly digital world .",
        "with only a hint of a futuristic setting , spike jonze takes a remarkably honest look at human emotions as a man and his computer 's intelligent operating system fall madly in love with each other .",
        "there are some memorable moments ... and phoenix is very watchable .",
        "a concept like MOV can be expressed satirically or sincerely but it ca n't easily be both . jonze , who also wrote the screenplay , plumps wisely for the second option . it 's the right move .",
        "set in the not-too-distant future , this is a poignant , moving love story for the apple age .",
        "we need more subplots . -lrb- even just one . -rrb- instead we get a life sentence of staring at phoenix 's face while the actor , as skilfully as he can , goes through the 12 steps of disenchantment in his one-man la therapy classes .",
        "the film seems very new , but the sentimental ending is as old as the hills . there are some great moments .",
        "this unlikely m\u00e9nage-a-trois has created an offbeat romance of remarkable warmth and credibility .",
        "whimsical futuro-romance effortlessly evolves into ambiguous , unfathomable hard sci-fi in spike jonze 's best film to date .",
        "this is a movie you want to reach out and caress , about a man who , like everyone else around him in this near future , has retreated from other people into a machine world .",
        "` MOV ' offers a mind-bending look at love and loneliness in the near future .",
        "if , like me , you 've admired jonze 's ambitions more than you 've responded to his results , you may find that MOV puts his means and his ends on more equal footing . he shoots for the moon and , this time , hits it .",
        "MOV is a remarkably ingenious film but , more important , it is a film that transcends its own ingenuity to achieve something akin to wisdom .",
        "very simply a masterpiece , a profoundly openhearted exploration of emotional connection .",
        "unlike anything else you 'll see this year . it 's a romantic drama that dares to be different and with jonze at the peak of his storytelling prowess , it 's easy to love .",
        "the best things in the movie are n't transporting or diverting but merely incite intellectual recognition : yes . ok . that 's amusing .",
        "jonze 's sci-fi scenario glorifies relationships that are based on love , fidelity , honesty , close listening , and , above all , in-person intimacy .",
        "an intoxicating and profound romantic drama that offers new insights into our dependence on technology .",
        "jonze uses the concept as a means of exploring what makes us human ...",
        "jonze tells the ancient story here with great sensitivity and lyricism , the kind of artistry that machinery can never replace .",
        "spike jonze 's singular , wryly funny , subtly profound consideration of our relationship to technology - and to each other .",
        "the not-too-distant future of spike jonze 's MOV is both utopian and dystopian - a mesmerizing , provocative , and romantic world to soak up .",
        "with his new movie MOV ... jonze creates the splendid anachronism of a movie romance that is laugh-and-cry and warm all over , totally sweet and utterly serious .",
        "this is a probing , inquisitive work of a very high order , although it goes a bit slack in the final third and concludes rather conventionally compared to much that has come before .",
        "there is definitely heartbreak here , as there seems to be in most of his films , but there is also healing , and that feels like something new .",
        "the idea certainly has an inquisitive edge , but it 's not just a cheeky provocation ; jonze infuses the conceit with genuine passion .",
        "jonze 's visions for the future , from the website where theodore works to the `` class mom '' videogame adams ' character has designed , feel disturbingly spot-on .",
        "with phoenix 's face and johansson 's voice , jonze has solved the screens-are-boring problem .",
        "MOV left me as empty as an unplugged monitor .",
        "a keeper of a film , quietly dazzling",
        "a beautifully shot provocation that is more interesting as a conversation on the way home than as an experience in the cinema .",
        "jonze has made a sweet , smart , silly , serious film for our times , only set in the future .",
        "seriously , i think this is the first time i can remember seeing phoenix smile on camera since `` parenthood . ''",
        "nossos sentimentos , enfim , s\u0103o reais ou apenas express\u0151es qu\u00edmicas de nossos pensamentos e dores ? n\u0103o , mais importante do que isso : faz alguma diferen\u00e7a ?",
        "MOV asks us to consider what constitutes a ` real ' relationship in a world where every interaction is filtered through technology , making it feel like a vital contemporary romance .",
        "-lsb- jonze 's -rsb- latest , the futuristic sci-fi romance , MOV , is another film of unrivaled excellence , one that taps into ideas and themes in the way only the mind of mr. jonze can . it is hands down the best american movie of 2013 .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- tender , wry , deceptively modest package -- and the closer you look , the more it reveals itself to be the proverbial movie for our times .",
        "a beautiful film about love and loneliness in the technological age .",
        "a sensitive and genuinely curious look at programmed living and the follies of possessive love that unfolds like when harry met skynet",
        "... MOV is an emotionally involving and wonderfully layered look at our desire to reach out and connect ... it 's both sweet and considered and observant about our fears , masks and growing alienation .",
        "there 's a dangerous naivete here",
        "a wild and weird romantic story about the intimate relationship between a lonely man and his computer operating system who calls herself samantha .",
        "what 's in your laptop ?",
        "MOV was brilliant at constantly stroking my boner for subtle absurdity .",
        "spike jonze does n't simply direct . he innovates .",
        "while parts of it are hilarious just as one would expect , the rest of the film takes on a surprisingly somber tone .",
        "`` MOV '' is the finest writing and directorial endeavor of spike jonze 's career .",
        "while intimacy and exclusivity are the core ideas being explored , very little is taboo ... ` eliza , ' you 've come a long way , baby .",
        "MOV is a winning discussion of the idealization of women and the possessive nature of monogamous relationships in a somewhat warmer fashion than vertigo or ruby sparks while admitting that its a problem for both genders .",
        "MOV explores fantastical ideas in ways we wish more films would : cerebrally , maturely , and non-reliant on action .",
        "a lyrical , deeply felt movie with a surprisingly gentle spirit .",
        "this quirky , clever , thought-provoking film is an all-too-credible prediction of the way humanity is heading , but is also sharply observant of the way we interact with technology , and each other , today .",
        "mesmerizing and heartfelt and a terrific example of thought-provoking -lrb- rather than laser blasting -rrb- sci-fi . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "a not very satisfying , not especially nourishing combination sci-fi story/romantic comedy .",
        "the amount of pleasure you take from MOV is likely to correlate with your willingness to suspend your sense of disbelief .",
        "... anyone who has found themselves intoxicated by another soul should find much to love in MOV .",
        "phoenix is as sweet and soulful as we always suspected he might be .",
        "with funny work from chris pratt as theodore 's boss and fine performances from amy adams as his mousey friend and phoenix himself , this had the capacity to become darker but jonze is n't interested in being nasty .",
        "as touching as it is funny , as profound as it is absurd , MOV is a true 21st century love story .",
        "the romantic intimacy is remarkable considering the two main characters never kiss , or share an embrace , or even look at one another .",
        "beneath jonze 's rueful whimsy and bittersweet soft-focus love story lurks the prospect of a dystopian sci-fi thriller",
        "as expected for such an acclaimed film , it is extremely well-written and well acted . it is a wonderful love story . but computer sex ? i could n't quite buy it . trust me fellas , the computer is faking it .",
        "with jonze playing down his trademark absurdist humour and opting for a melancholy tone , we are left with a rather sad cautionary tale about the future of human intimacy .",
        "an old-fashioned romantic convention run through an innovative wavelength of sci-fi wi-fi that does n't seem all that out of sync with today .",
        "spike jonze is , despite proof consisting only of four features , one of the best filmmakers working today . his latest , MOV handily verifies it .",
        "acerbic , emotional , provocative , it 's a risky high dive off the big board with a plot that sounds like a gimmick but ends up haunting , odd and a bit wonderful .",
        "a poignant love story that measures the emotional toll of living too deeply within the virtual world .",
        "spike jonze never blinks . he adores theodore and wants him to be happy . who are we to judge what makes a man happy ?",
        "jonze seems to be heading for a far quirkier ending than the one he actually delivers , but he does tap into the zeitgeist with his unlikely romantic fable .",
        "a daring piece of work ... turns what could have been a one-joke movie into something much deeper and more emotionally thoughtful .",
        "far from being a cautionary tale , MOV highlights how technology itself can not only fulfill our emotional needs , but also clarify our relationships with the people it 's meant to connect us with .",
        "MOV is a 21st-century love story that perfectly captures the mood of the times .",
        "`` MOV '' goes light-years beyond science-fiction cliches . as the story progresses further into unexpected territory , `` MOV '' sometimes feels like an out-of-body experience .",
        "spike jonze 's glorious 21st century love story not only swept me off my feet , but also shot an arrow deep into my heart .",
        "-lsb- spike -rsb- jonze 's perspective is somewhere between non-judgmental and approving . if anything , it normalizes what should be -lrb- and probably is -rrb- a very abnormal , maybe unhealthy union .",
        "quirky and quixotic , spike jonze has fashioned a sadly surreal , screwball comedy/drama , subtly exploring how we perceive and interact with those around us .",
        "what makes MOV so potent is that it does to us what samantha does to theodore . we are informed , cosseted , and entertained , and yet we are never more than a breath away from being creeped out .",
        "`` MOV '' understands that technology sometimes prevents us from connecting with each other , but it also says technology can teach us how to be with each other .",
        "MOV uses a familiar idea to sci-fi fans - machine sentience - and spins it in a new and exciting direction .",
        "jonze is reaching for something profoundly sincere with his fourth film , presenting a highly entertaining meditation on love . it seduces you - much like its protagonist is seduced by johansson 's exquisitely smoky voice .",
        "it boasts a number of wonderfully written profundities , but there 's little connective tissue to bind them . the result often feels more like a beautifully appointed bulletin board than a grand mural .",
        "jonze 's film could probably have been condensed into a half hour `` twilight zone '' - type episode , but i will admit that phoenix , and especially the sultry voice of scarlett , keep this feature length film intriguing .",
        "like the os1 , the plot of `` MOV '' is always evolving in unpredictable ways .",
        "the brilliance of MOV lies in how it uses a sci-fi concept to reconstruct the traditional arc of a romance , from getting-to-know-you to growing apart .",
        "surprisingly touching and tender ... commentary on the modern realities of personal connection .",
        "MOV is told from theo 's perspective , and all he can ever really know about samantha is that she 's infinite-and when it comes to another person , what 's more real than that ?",
        "there are many , many feelings stuck into MOV , pin-cushion-style , but the result is a kind of overstuffed stupefaction .",
        "i was almost as bored by him -lrb- the self-indulgent protagonist -rrb- as MOV . '",
        "who would have predicted that one of the more aching screen romances in recent years would be between a man and his computer ?",
        "the science fiction supports the story without overpowering it -lrb- and without forcing you to make those pesky `` would this really work ? '' calculations in your head -rrb- , and the romance is genuine - even if it 's virtual .",
        "the one-sheet text ` a spike jonze love story ' completely sums up the film 's weird and wondrous imagination , charm , and poignance .",
        "raising a host of questions about how we interact with technology and each other , MOV is an elegantly constructed piece that seamlessly interweaves drama , design and dialogue .",
        "it 's an entertaining film . that said , the film does have tickets on itself . spike jonze 's elegant direction is so seductive it might lead you to buy into the pretensions of profundity about just how deep his fable-like story goes .",
        "a strangely penetrating look at our future in a tech based world of isolation with a quietly moving and vulnerable performance by joaquin phoenix .",
        "for all its techno-focus , a very human love story about our need for connection . strange , witty , honest and curiously comforting .",
        "poses some big , complex questions , about consciousness , free-will and the limits of human understanding . yet when all is said and done , heartbreak proves devastatingly simple .",
        "if making a film is about dealing with compromises - as so many directors have told us - one of the beauties of jonze 's work is that he does n't appear to have made many .",
        "if judd apatow had directed this , it might have made a very good comedy , but in jonze 's hands it is beautifully philosophical and heartfelt . utterly , devastatingly beautiful .",
        "it 's the key question in MOV - where do love and humanity begin and end ? - and it lingers long after the film is over .",
        "the latest film directed by spike jonze begs the question : is touch a necessary sense for love ?",
        "i need a writing service to articulate the love that i have for `` MOV '' ... spike jonze has done something remarkable with MOV . he 's created a love story that feels brand new , yet abstractly familiar .",
        "it 's hard to imagine any actor of his generation who could have carried off the lead role in MOV other than joaquin phoenix .",
        "singularly brilliant concept makes for a highly intriguing viewing experience until it begins to peter out towards the end .",
        "in MOV , jonze transforms his music-video aesthetic into something magically personal .",
        "jonze 's satiric , brave-new-world premise is undeniably clever , but it 's also a bit icy emotionally .",
        "though scenes occasionally start to feel static , jonze usually finds entertaining ways to keep the film 's tricky conceit going .",
        "by working within the framework of a romantic drama , jonze creates an emotionally honest film that feels endearingly familiar , yet enticingly unique .",
        "it 's an odd , sad love story , combined with a meditation on technology as an accelerator of social loneliness . not a small part of it seems to be an allegory of lonely guys and their fear of women .",
        "MOV is a romantic computer comedy . it 's a rom-com.com .",
        "makes you want to put down your iphone , and to reach out and touch someone .",
        "jonze -lrb- `` being john malkovich , '' `` adaptation '' -rrb- makes it all palpable with a combination of charm , humor and human interaction for theo in the form of an intriguing best friend -lrb- the always convincing amy adams , appearing almost unrecognizable -rrb- .",
        "strange , silly , sincere , sweet and seriously smart .",
        "if in ten years we see people seeking the solace of love from digital companions , we 'll have only to say that spike jonze showed us the way .",
        "phoenix delivers a herculean performance , managing to be nerdy , needy , thoughtful and emotional at all the right moments .",
        "MOV pushes some interesting notions and sports some lovely dialogue ... still , the film contains enough niggling details to prevent me from jumping on the best of 2013 bandwagon .",
        "it 's not really a sci-fi movie ; it 's about you and me and everyone else , trying to make sense of this strange condition of humanity . and sex",
        "an intricate and intimate relationship between a romantic wordsmith and dislocated husky voice of his intuitive operating system . this film about love of a virtual kind is inventive , outlandish , gentle , revealing , warm , funny and quirky to the nth degree",
        "a legitimately grown-up movie about love and relationships , as well as one of the most insightful ever made on those subjects .",
        "`` MOV '' is the `` gravity '' of inner space .",
        "jonze has something spectacular here , but he 's all too eager to bury the movie in unnecessary pauses , with a glacial pace hurting the picture 's ambition to find a climatic place of catharsis .",
        "a lonely young man falls head over keyboard in love with his computer 's operating system ... it 's not just any operating system , but one designed to be empathetic with humans , and has scarlett johansson as its siri-with-sex-appeal voice . who could resist ?",
        "a stinging romance for our solipsistic techie-centric times .",
        "the key to `` MOV '' is that not really a movie about technology at all . it 's almost entirely about male/female relationships",
        "... poetic processions of images wash over the viewer , warmly enveloping and immersing as jonze sidesteps easy paths , going deep into his characters . and we relate , simultaneously and unguardedly , ... perhaps discovering truths and insights .",
        "an exquisitely conceived and executed fable about the need for , and difficulty of , human connection .",
        "jonze encourages our awe at the mysteries of life even if they arrive in the form of technology .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is a gorgeous fable about the way technological innovation is always a crapshoot and about the way such inadvertently violent changes can poke at the human heart . jonze navigates such tricky spaces with a warmth he 's never before shown .",
        "the movie has earned critical acclaim for capturing the zeitgeist of gadget-based narcissism , though it strikes me as the sort of thing made by someone who could use some actual problems to worry about .",
        "a bruised and beautifully layered piece of storytelling , which zeroes in on our desire for connection .",
        "like the two main characters , romance and science fiction are infused magnificently in MOV . there just are n't enough rooftops to shout my love for this film .",
        "moving , melancholy , sweet , sexy , and very , very funny , i feel such fondness for jonze 's MOV ... becoming self aware : it 's not just for robots anymore .",
        "endlessly fascinating and frequently sublime . smart , insightful , funny , etc. .",
        "it 's a far cry from your typical relationship , but it is one that will prove how blind love can be and that it truly can make you do crazy things .",
        "gives moviegoers much to think about and discuss , on levels both sophomoric and profound .",
        "the film really nails the modern urge to replace human connection with technological ones , and the pitfalls that await such a decision",
        "iv you could zee MOV through my eyes ... she vould n't look zoftvare at all .",
        "in his most accessible and romantic film yet , jonze 's unique premise is relatable , prescient and may be coming soon to a relationship near you .",
        "a sublimely original film about human connections that feels personal - yet makes a haunting statement about all of society .",
        "jonze 's MOV is a work of sweeping , poetic genius .",
        "the movie is brilliantly visualized and consistently compelling and - although this is not a flaw , but an observation - it definitely says different things to different people .",
        "... a silly , not credible meander down a road to nowhere .",
        "it sticks to its premise and goes deeper and expands there .",
        "the quasi-science fiction story of the film feels entirely possible , as phoenix stares around him at passersby , all entranced with an electronic device in their hands .",
        "`` MOV '' is an immersive universe that 's sometimes faintly satirical but more often lovelorn and transcendent .",
        "it 's the rise of the machines as romantic dramedy , and the singularity as romantic tragedy . it 's the nicest , gentlest sci-fi horror film ever .",
        "i have n't stopped thinking about MOV since i saw it . it 's a gift when anything does that .",
        "liberation from MOV body seems to have freed johansson as an actress ; she gives the most complex performance of MOV career using only MOV smoky , flexible alto voice ."],
    "summary": "sweet , soulful , and smart , spike jonze 's MOV uses its just-barely-sci-fi scenario to impart wryly funny wisdom about the state of modern human relationships .",
    "id": "771356295"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1146673-1146673-stealth",
    "reviews":
     [
        "cohen undermines his own effort to make a 21st century top gun by using so many quick cuts and zooms that we ca n't even appreciate the action sequences . i almost got motion sickness .",
        "the movie 's shallow script , plastic acting , and fourth of july explosions seem more appropriate for a pricey boxed game at best buy .",
        "it seems as if it were a video game gone amok .",
        "the noise is so headache-inducing that we welcome even the silly dialogue that forms at least part of the movie when the characters are on the ground .",
        "if we 're going to be fighting the war on terror in perpetuity , could we at least get better movies out of it ?",
        "a movie filled with dumb moments .",
        "young , dumb and full of fun .",
        "flies completely under the entertainment radar",
        "rob cohen has officially killed more brain cells than drugs & alcohol",
        "stealth is a ` check your brain at the door ' sort of action film for those who just want the amusement park ride ... and do n't worry about whether it makes any sense",
        "top gun 's best of the best meet 2001 's hal in rob cohen 's latest sensorial attack , a derivative action-adventure that 's basically an ultra-produced videogame",
        "for a prime example of hollywood 's dearth of imagination one need look no further than stealth",
        "i 'm not sure if i should club it to death or hug it .",
        "... this pseudo-stylish yet laughable flyboy fable runs out of some serious fuel in the storytelling department ... glaringly unimaginative as a thumping techno-thriller",
        "reflects cohen 's own aesthetic modus operandi of replacing all traces of humanity with digitized artificiality .",
        "a headache and tinnitus .",
        "overlong , disjointed , and rarely compelling , stealth has the capacity to put viewers into a catatonic state .",
        "the stars are asked to chew on the driest of technobabble , and to strike poses of flyboy and flygirl moxie that make them look callow rather than heroic .",
        "an unholy combination of ` dr. strangelove ' and ' 2001 ' that manages to trash both those kubrick masterpieces at once .",
        "despite its creative premise involving a robotic and intelligent fighter jet which goes bad , is remarkably uncreative in coming up with a story that actually makes use of this cool toy .",
        "preposterous and predictable , stealth hides 2 pleasures under its wings . it is laughably bad , and it provides the adrenaline pumping thrills of a video game .",
        "anyone with a playstation 2 , surround sound , and an aerial combat game can duplicate , if not surpass , this dismal display .",
        "daisy , daisy i 'll blow you out of the sky / i 'm half crazy , seen top gun too many times ... a plumb guilty pleasure .",
        "stealth is n't clever and has no sense of humour about itself .",
        "more of a flying turkey than a tale of airborne action , `` stealth '' begins to nosedive moments from its liftoff until it spirals out of control about half-way through .",
        "it 's hard to completely hate this , hokey as it is , because you still want to root for the good guys in the end .",
        "for at least the first hour , stealth is a saebcpsos -lrb- shockingly and excruciatingly boring columbia pictures sack of s -- -rrb- .",
        "some genuinely enjoyable and surprisingly dove-like parts , hidden in a clumsy homage to 2001 .",
        "weakly written and cynically contrived ...",
        "just imagine the hilarious genre-spoofing team america : world police sans puppets without the jokes ...",
        "some of us , however , are at least as interested in software as hardware , which often makes stealth tedious going .",
        "ultimately , however , how much can you act when you 're confined most of the time in an ultra-cramped cockpit -- even if you do have a golden statuette ?",
        "stealth offers a plot so laughably preposterous that you halfway expect instructions to flash on the screen with a point tally in the corner .",
        "competent and entertaining , ridiculous and fun .",
        "has stealth shown up on your radar ? shoot it down before it steals 2 hours of your life .",
        "`` stealth '' hits the target dead on .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- hilariously absurd slice of american cheese ...",
        "its muddled ending goes a long way toward negating positive memories of its candy sugar rush .",
        "... watching this movie becomes physically painful .",
        "this movie hated me from the opening scene ; two hours later , the feeling was more than mutual .",
        "a dull aerial action film .",
        "stealth is a dreadful , forgettable , abusive motion picture , and it makes the january stinker alone in the dark look kubrickian in comparison .",
        "when your movie is about a magical talking airplane , and yet the magical talking airplane is not the silliest thing about the movie , then you should not make any more movies .",
        "stealth is a pretty fair military-hardware action movie until you start thinking about it -- at which point it turns incredibly sour in your mouth .",
        "` team america ' without puppets .",
        "cohen is no stranger to cornball excess but stealth is his chef-d'oeuvre , a movie so audaciously preposterous and jingoistic it plays like a parody of the genre .",
        "beyond mind-numbing explosions , stealth 's effects are good , especially the whooshing flight scenes . but as eddie shows , humanity matters , and computer wizardry wo n't fill an empty plot .",
        "there is little to recommend beyond the action sequences , unless you like your arrogant-america , flag-waving jingoism taken to extreme lengths .",
        "stealth succeeds in satisfying a dozen different pubescent fantasies while simultaneously violating every aspect of logic and good taste .",
        "the script has just enough ideas , however bluntly expressed , to lift it from the eye-candy pack .",
        "hollywood hokum ? absolutely . pop-culture propaganda ? perhaps . yet stealth goes beyond feeding our popcorn proclivities .",
        "stealth does n't so much crash and burn as just fly and fade into its cgi-created sunset .",
        "-lsb- stealth -rsb- is the filmic embodiment of all that is indulgent , gratuitous and downright dumb in pop culture .",
        "has the makings of a kitsch classic .",
        "... director rob cohen and screenwriter w.d. richter go for the basics , using `` frankenstein 's '' lightening bolt to give life to `` 2001 's '' hal with wings",
        "a slick piece of summer entertainment that is counting on elaborate special effects to make its derivative , convoluted story line all but irrelevant .",
        "the dialogue is often drowned out by engine noise .",
        "its name is a likely indicator of its performance at the box office .",
        "a flashy piece of artificial intelligence that travels at mach-5 but goes nowhere .",
        "almost apocalyptic in its stupidity",
        "you 'll groan , you 'll wince , you 'll gasp , but you wo n't be bored -- and if you stay through the end credits , you 'll be rewarded with a perfectly ridiculous capper .",
        "stealth should live up to its name by flying into and out of theaters without anyone knowing it was even there .",
        "while stealth repeatedly hits air pockets of plot nonsense , cohen provides -lsb- fun -rsb- in abundance .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the latest and , in many ways , most preposterous hunk of big-screen action to come out of hollywood in some time .",
        "i know i 'm your agent , babe , but i got ta come clean with you - maybe picking stealth as your first movie after ray was n't a very good idea .",
        "this is the sort of action movie that , in spite of its title , you can see coming a mile away .",
        "kara ejects over north korea and before you can say `` owen wilson , '' she 's scampering all over mountaintops and dark plains .",
        "watching stealth , you ca n't help but wonder why the filmmakers did n't save themselves -lrb- and sony pictures -rrb- a lot of time and money and just make a video game instead of a movie .",
        "instantly disposable effort .",
        "stealth is flimsy and forgettable , but it does have a few worthy action and special-effects sequences .",
        "the script is borderline terrible .",
        "stealth is so over-painted with cgi that it does n't look as real as the sequence starring shepard that inspired it in the right stuff , a movie made with model airplanes .",
        "aggressively stupid and blissfully unaware of it , stealth follows a robot plane on a journey of self-awareness .",
        "undoubtedly a perfect example of everything that 's wrong with contemporary action flicks , although the movie is n't quite as bad as it 's been made out to be .",
        "... a chocolate-coated mothball , tasty enough on the outside but unsafe to swallow ...",
        "a technical marvel , but an uninvolving failure at an emotional level .",
        "ends up resembling its robot plane : fast , sleek , soulless and monotone .",
        "... a crude jerry bruckheimer knock-off with a laughably insipid script ...",
        "memorable for being forgettable .",
        "neither entertaining nor exciting , the dumb and noisy stealth will hopefully live up to its name by fading quietly from movie theaters .",
        "it 's basically the videogame version of top gun ... on steroids !",
        "i went into this film not expecting much . i was pleasantly surprised .",
        "h\u00e1 boas id\u00e9ias espalhadas aleatoriamente ao longo do roteiro ; pena que s\u0103o massacradas pela presen\u00e7a organizada de bobagens .",
        "if stealth were a recruitment film for aircraft-carrier duty , one would be tempted to say , ` mission accomplished . ' as a feature film , it 's a washout .",
        "after 110 minutes of this , atheists will storm monasteries and acrophobics will scale redwood trees , anything to find an oasis of calm .",
        "the sort of movie that makes you pine for michael bay .",
        "stealth is a offense against taste , intelligence and the noise pollution code -- a dumbed-down top gun crossed with the hal 9000 plot from 2001 .",
        "move over , michael bay . the island is no longer the loudest , dumbest movie of the summer .",
        "a phallic masterpiece . my testosterone level went up 10 % .",
        "... so many beautiful explosions here that ` stealth ' might work as a fetish film for pyromaniacs .",
        "recycled top gun thrills with three hot-shot pilots and a rogue american droid fighter plane .",
        "lucas insists , `` i just do n't think war should become some kind of video game . '' too late .",
        "this rip-roaring action movie is great fun if you do n't engage your brain",
        "stealth is about absolutely nothing , and pretty much everything at the same time : terrorism , technology , warfare , grungy alt-rock , conflicted choices and cool flying footage .",
        "this is best watched while on illegal drugs , not that i 'm advocating that sort of behavior ...",
        "it 's not new . it 's not interesting . i wish it would go away .",
        "stealth is nothing but a big , dumb summer action flick - with a strong emphasis on `` dumb . ''",
        "plays like a slapdash assemblage of the greatest hits of conspiracy-minded action cinema .",
        "does n't really generate any emotion at all other than apathy .",
        "this material brings out the worst instincts in director rob cohen .",
        "stealth flails around with cheesy techno-babble , a lame attempt at an inter-office romance between lucas and biel , and a bizarre final act that reeks of desperation .",
        "even by the degraded standards of dim-witted summer blockbusters , this is sorry stuff .",
        "aiming to join the jerry bruckheimerjerry bruckheimer/michael baymichael bay school of american movie war games , stealth is just too dumb to make the grade .",
        "witless but marginally watchable for almost 70 minutes of its bloated 120-minute length - until it begins to take itself entirely too seriously .",
        "the blueprints for stealth called for long-forgotten spare parts , and the end result will likely cause a box-office crash .",
        "the scent of scorched popcorn movie is in the air ...",
        "a premise with paltry propulsion .",
        "completely oblivious to it 's own inherent stupidity .",
        "has little more than color and motion going for it .",
        "boy , that jessica biel sure is hot . and , boy , those videogames sure are fun . so , if you like jessica biel and videogames , go see stealth",
        "stealth offers the kind of razzle dazzle action michael bay only thinks he creates .",
        "full of explosive mayhem and pulse-quickening aerial combat , this high-flying action romp offers polished , if derivative entertainment .",
        "so cosmically god-awful that it raises the bar for such upcoming titles as dukes of hazzard , deuce bigalow and supercross .",
        "it ai n't brain surgery , but stealth is one of the smartest stupid movies of the summer .",
        "the movie does deliver the video game goods but strands its characters in a no-man 's - land of crude characterizations and silly dialogue .",
        "stealth is squarely aimed at the game boy -lrb- and , because of jessica biel , game girl -rrb- demographic who will salivate over the play station version",
        "stealth is a widescreen video game , except all the audience can do is watch instead of grabbing a joystick and playing along .",
        "will please non-discriminating action hounds while leaving everyone else in search of a little meat unfulfilled . it 's as fun as it is instantly forgettable .",
        "stealth 's strengths are obvious -- high-tech marvels and a good cast -- so are its flaws . at its worst moments , a mad robot seems to have taken over the movie , too .",
        "a movie about a robotic , super-intelligent warplane with a second act that consists of court-martials , generic rescue missions , and people sneaking around with crowbars .",
        "the movie is absolutely consistent -- it 's just as wildly improbable at the end as in the beginning .",
        "hey , its not like we came to this movie for its plot or anything .",
        "you know the old joke about military intelligence being an oxymoron ? stealth proves it .",
        "rob cohen 's airborne adventure stealth commits the cardinal sin for an action movie : it 's very , very dull .",
        "no matter how hard cohen flogs it , whips it , beats it , shakes it , kicks it and prods it with a sharp stick , stealth , his latest , just does n't spring to life .",
        "stealth manages to be so ridiculously unconvincing you think you 're watching a live-action version of last year 's sublime action-movie puppet satire team america .",
        "stealth breaks the astound barrier before you can say , ` woo-hoo , that blew up real good ! '",
        "it 's nothing you have n't seen in behind enemy lines , but it does provide biel one more opportunity to start stripping .",
        "stealth flirts with competence when it reprises behind enemy lines , and staggers into hilarious ineptitude when it borrows from 2001 : a space odyssey .",
        "checks should be mailed to the estate of stanley kubrick for the brazen lifts from 2001 : a space odyssey and a small one from dr. strangelove .",
        "visually and sonically boisterous , stealth updates top gun , but with special effects replacing plot and character development .",
        "dumb fun .",
        "harsh and tasteless , it does n't even qualify as a popcorn movie . popcorn , at least , has some taste to it , and a certain airiness .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "loud , preposterous , and predictable , stealth borrows heavily and unsucessfully from top gun and 2001 .",
    "id": "2131"
  },
  {
    "movie": "maid_in_manhattan",
    "reviews":
     [
        "despite its flaws , MOV is a perfectly serviceable date movie , and a decent showcase for a leading lady who clearly is ready for better things .",
        "until her raging celebrity wore off a bit , i had written off jennifer lopez 's abilities and charisma , but here you go - honest proof that it still exists .",
        "writhing under dialogue like ` you 're from two different worlds ' and ` tonight the maid is a lie and this , this is who you are , ' this schlock-filled fairy tale hits new depths of unoriginality and predictability .",
        "there 's not a comedic moment in this romantic comedy .",
        "the heroine is written as a classic underdog with whom we ca n't help but sympathize , but lopez invests her with the extra dose of dignity and quiet determination that gives her substance .",
        "a skillful , glossy , formula picture , given life by the appeal of its stars .",
        "so bland and utterly forgettable that it might as well have been titled generic jennifer lopez romantic comedy .",
        "extr\u0119mement convenu et presque enti\u010drement d\u00e9nu\u00e9 de charme .",
        "does n't get the job done , running off the limited chemistry created by ralph fiennes and jennifer lopez .",
        "the same people who got that warm , fuzzy feeling in their tummies from sweet home alabama will be right at home here . by the way , that 's not a compliment .",
        "this piece of fluff is nothing more than a wanna-be `` pretty woman . '' pass , please .",
        "when we catch ourselves sighing at the end , we get mad that we 've fallen for this same old formula all over again . but mad in a nice way .",
        "MOV works because it 's charming , and enjoyable .",
        "MOV ultimately leaves nothing whatsoever for the viewer to grasp ... leaving another dead carcass of hollywood convention packed away and frozen for reheating by audiences who can find nothing else in the cupboard to eat .",
        "the usual cookie cutter romantic comedy material you 'd expect from meg ryan or julia roberts .",
        "undeniably pleasing if not particularly memorable .",
        "talented individuals labour over the contrivances in this lightweight romance , and if the result 's fluff , at least it 's painless .",
        "so routine that just about everyone involved looks bored .",
        "clothing is a side dish to the main hollywood fantasy menu of the film but it sets a darker tone to the fluff of the story .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "its cinderella plot delivers exactly what audiences are expecting ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "by film 's end , marisa swallows her shame and accepts her second-class citizenship with pride while marshall and america learn to love their exotic asset .",
        "the rags-to-riches plot should keep hopeless romantics happy , but you just ca n't help wondering what hugh grant , sandra bullock and a team of decent joke writers might have achieved with this one .",
        "the fantasies of cinderella and the american dream are joined and buffed up for unsure romantic results .",
        "MOV has charm on its side .",
        "funcionando -lrb- ainda que rasteiramente -rrb- como um romancezinho \u00e1gua-com-a\u00e7\u00facar , encontro de amor pode at\u00e9 ser um passatempo inofensivo , mas certamente voc\u0119 encontrar\u00e1 op\u00e7\u0151es melhores em sua locadora .",
        "the eva peron of pop is now a maid in MOV .",
        "this is the stuff of bread and circuses , a feel-good movie to surprise no one and yet give all us working-class saps a sliver of hope .",
        "there 's no palpable chemistry between lopez and male lead ralph fiennes , plus the script by working girl scribe kevin wade is workmanlike in the extreme .",
        "so pick up a dust rag and tidy up your room -- you 'll have more of an engaging experience than being subject to this baseless , breezy hokum .",
        "with a romantic comedy plotline straight from the ages , this cinderella story does n't have a single surprise up its sleeve . but it does somehow manage to get you under its spell .",
        "a good story with humor and great performances .",
        "it 's a charming romantic fantasy .",
        "MOV is a nora ephron movie with the cutesiness replaced by genuine charm .",
        "it would have been nice if the audience had been treated to some originality . wishful thinking i guess .",
        "j. lo will earn her share of the holiday box office pie , although this movie makes one thing perfectly clear : she 's a pretty woman , but she 's no working girl .",
        "`` MOV '' is a charmer , a pc `` pretty woman '' that ditches the odious prostitution theme for class commentary",
        "in the affable MOV , jennifer lopez 's most aggressive and most sincere attempt to take movies by storm , the diva shrewdly surrounds herself with a company of strictly a-list players .",
        "the movie would almost qualify as pleasant , were it not for a certain condescension in its treatment of working-class life and its offhand assumption that lives not buoyed by riches or aggrandized by fame are hardly worth living .",
        "a lovably old-school hollywood confection .",
        "it 's really hard not to like jennifer lopez , and she 's a wonderful , likable underdog in this .",
        "it 's a warm , if pallid , romantic comedy that may not do much more to burnish lopez 's reputation , but will certainly not bruise it .",
        "little more than a bedtime story for 12-year-old girls .",
        "the charisma of jennifer lopez and ralph fiennes comes through relatively untarnished . they 're an unlikely couple , but it really does work here .",
        "succeeds where many others have failed -lrb- sweet home alabama being a recent example -rrb- by actually being romantic and side-stepping tedium .",
        "an undemandingly agreeable trifle that should satisfy anyone in search of an old-fashioned cinderella story at the megaplex .",
        "while it 's not perfect , the faults are easily overlooked by the spirited performances of its cast .",
        "as flimsy and predictable as they come , but still a reasonably tolerable bit of formulaic fluff .",
        "entertaining date movie but bland and predictable .",
        "` it 's better to go in knowing full well what 's going to happen , but willing to let the earnestness of its execution and skill of its cast take you down a familiar road with a few twists . cynics need not apply . '",
        "the film embraces the fantasy wherein the working class latina might crash the world of wealthy white folks , bodaciously , on her own terms , and with some education to offer .",
        "lopez does n't do anything out of the ordinary . in fact , it looks like she may have simply cloned the same expressions she put on in her other successful romantic comedy , the wedding planner .",
        "not so much a movie as a collection of career moves .",
        "love may have been in the air onscreen , but i certainly was n't feeling any of it .",
        "as a romantic comedy it stands out amongst its peers . the critical attacks hurled on it , like those on its star , seem mostly unwarranted .",
        "comes not from a screenplay but from a handful of self-help books and fairy tales and fashion magazines cut and pasted together in a glossy montage committed to celluloid .",
        "during a movie season filled with dark , heavy , and sometimes brilliant oscar-bait , it 's kind of nice to get an unassuming little picture that only wants to put a smile on your face .",
        "calculated fluff that hinges on a couple of gross miscalculations .",
        "what 's here will satisfy fans of the leads but without laughs and little romance -- this does n't exactly fit the mold of solid entertainment in this genre .",
        "a textbook example of light holiday fare , expect it to stick with you at least as long as one of j.lo 's marriages .",
        "you have never seen a leading man more cynically miscast , or more ill at ease with the intended career change , than fiennes in this picture .",
        "the sad truth is that as a couple j. lo and mr. fiennes fail to duplicate the movie-star charisma of julia roberts and richard gere .",
        "MOV might not look so appealing on third or fourth viewing down the road ... but as a high concept vehicle for two bright stars of the moment who can rise to fans ' lofty expectations , the movie passes inspection .",
        "natasha richardson has a droll turn as a blowsy socialite competing for fiennes ' attention , but fiennes himself is inexplicably frosty . yet it hardly matters -- there 's already enough pixie dust to make this glass-slipper fantasy fly .",
        "with an ending this weak , it 's enough to make you forget there was anything charming about MOV in the first place .",
        "an updated `` cinderella '' story , MOV makes agreeably diverting viewing for most of its running time , though after the magic runs out at midnight the movie meanders through an autopilot resolution that lacks a glass slipper .",
        "everything in MOV is exceedingly pleasant , designed not to offend . it goes down easy , leaving virtually no aftertaste .",
        "the ending is so inspirational , it may just make you want to kill yourself .",
        "anyone who wants to start writing screenplays can just follow the same blueprint from hundreds of other films , sell it to the highest bidder and walk away without anyone truly knowing your identity .",
        "director wayne wang , stung no doubt by the poor reception given his nc-17 fit of boldness the center of the world , tries to freshen up this stinker through confusion and implausibility .",
        "the car battery of romantic comedies : ` carefully calibrated for maximum manipulative effect . '",
        "MOV never pretends to be more than it is : a pretty movie about pretty people in pretty surroundings falling in love -- and on those terms , it 's not a bad night at the movies .",
        "MOV handles well one of the most difficult components of the romantic comedy , the contrived trial separation .",
        "director wayne wang proves with MOV that even predictable movies can leave you feeling warm and fuzzy .",
        "each time the story threatens to stall , wang turns the audience 's attention to lopez and fiennes , a couple of enormously attractive actors who truly seem fascinated by each other .",
        "the film works largely through its cannily assembled cast .",
        "it 's the sweet cinderella story that `` pretty woman '' wanted to be .",
        "problem is , there really is n't any dialogue here that suggests that marisa is truly sassy , or charming , or candid , or that the would-be senator is either brilliant or senatorial , or that her accent-less son is not simply on loan from hogwarts .",
        "manhattan is nothing more than a trite christmas present from lopez . this film seemed to last longer than some of her relationships .",
        "painless date movie .",
        "it 's harmless , diverting fluff . but it 's hard to imagine a more generic effort in the genre .",
        "trite , banal , cliched , mostly inoffensive .",
        "in general the picture is so committed to inoffensiveness and to hammering home its uplifting , bootstrap message that it lacks the necessary element of malice .",
        "so brisk is wang 's pacing that none of the excellent cast are given air to breathe .",
        "maybe this is why the movie is n't any good . entertaining is n't its main function . it 's designed to sell us a bill of goods .",
        "as saccharine as it is disposable .",
        "as strenuously as it strives to make all the fake , standard promises to its target audience , MOV succeeds because , ultimately , performance wins out over formula .",
        "these two are generating about as much chemistry as an iraqi factory poised to receive a un inspector .",
        "do not disturb yourself with this flick .",
        "MOV proves that it 's easier to change the sheets than to change hackneyed concepts when it comes to dreaming up romantic comedies .",
        "if this deeply lame cinderella story , apparently the result of an unholy tryst between pretty woman and working girl , had an original idea in its head , that idea would swiftly die of loneliness .",
        "it 's tough to imagine this film being any better than it is .",
        "jennifer lopez and ralph fiennes make another cinderella story -- and the supporting cast and wayne wang 's direction make it pleasant .",
        "it 's supposed to be a romantic comedy - it suffers from too much norma rae and not enough pretty woman .",
        "employs so many mechanical plot devices , it might want to change its title to made in a factory .",
        "a diverting trifle that will amuse you while it 's on the screen , then fade from memory while the final credits roll .",
        "take a dash of cinderella , add various safe , predictable , cute scenes , a couple of funny characters , plenty of pretty woman make-up .",
        "executed by the joy luck club 's wayne wang with the professional dispatch of someone delivering room service .",
        "occasionally , the script ventures into territory that makes it seem like a different kind of fairy tale ... but the captivating performers are more than enough to give this cinderella story a night at the ball .",
        "if you think that jennifer lopez has shown poor judgment in planning to marry ben affleck , wait till you see MOV .",
        "a predictable cinderella story in the pretty woman / working girl mold that is undone by a preposterous plot and its stars ' complete lack of chemistry .",
        "... the movie is diverting enough due to some great supporting performances and a breezy storyline .",
        "love may transcend social class and ethnicity but the necessary chemistry between jennifer lopez and ralph fiennes never clicks .",
        "even cary grant would have trouble bringing any conviction to kevin wade 's script .",
        "lightweight montages and fairy-tale platitudes fit the narrative like a glass slipper .",
        "it 's badly acted , blandly directed , and could have been scripted by someone who just graduated from elementary school .",
        "undeniably pleasing , if not particularly memorable .",
        "a cinderella story so formulaic you 'll be looking for a glass slipper .",
        "preteen and teen girls who are among j.lo 's biggest fans may swoon over all this glop , but more discerning viewers may just want to scrape their shoes clean .",
        "the numerous faults and rather mediocre to bland execution of the story results in this effort turning back into a pumpkin without any chances at finding the right glass slipper fit .",
        "-lsb- lopez -rsb- is completely believable in the lead . she has a great instinct for picking roles she can embody , and she gives this one a special radiance , grace and dewy-eyed credibility .",
        "apart from the see-through script that is like a '30s society comedy dumbed down to i am sam 's maid , the film is most marked by the flagrant waste of talent .",
        "made-to-order for the singer-actress 's target audience , preteen girls and their obliging moms .",
        "romantic comedies and date movies are rare this holiday season . so , if the mood strikes , MOV will probably satisfy it . but just barely .",
        "jennifer lopez has star power , genuine talent and considerable assets , but she 's wasted yet again in a grossly predictable romantic comedy .",
        "director wayne wang coaxes such terrible performances from his cast it 's difficult to tell who is most appalling .",
        "leave reality at the concession stand along with your $ 20 for popcorn , candy and a large drink .",
        "` carente de imaginaci\u00f3n , mal dirigida , peor actuada y sin un \u00e1pice de romance , es una verdadera p\u00e9rdida de tiempo y dinero '",
        "instead of a fairy tale , we have a tale told without imagination . it 's cinderella gone stale .",
        "it 's a condescending , totally unbelievable film made worse by poor dialogue , acting and directing , all strung together by a laughably cliched cinderella story . .",
        "the story strikes a delicate balance between the cinderella legend , where the charming prince rescues her from a dreary life , and the self-help notion of working to get a better job .",
        "an enchanting cinderella story , MOV rises above the city skyscrapers to offer a delightful interlude for those who love happily-ever-after entertainment . a mix of pretty woman , you 've got mail and notting hill , here 's a film whose whole is m",
        "like pretty woman but without the laughs . or the chemistry .",
        "the bizarre casting sets the tone for a romantic comedy which mistakes asinine for amusing .",
        "the script is so lazy it snores , and wayne wang directs like he walked onto the wrong set - true enough , in its way .",
        "... it 's not pretty woman - she 's not a hooker , she 's puerto rican !",
        "a warmly romantic comedy and a wonderful christmas gift for viewers from the joy luck club 's wayne wang",
        "and i then ask you , if i do n't believe in the characters , their romance , their conflicts , and find the entire film predictable , what is left ?",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- instantly discardable romantic comedy .",
        "it 's formulaic , but manages to be mildly entertaining .",
        "aims for mediocrity and hits the middle of the target",
        "it tries to brush aside the social importance placed on monetary luxury , all while indulging in its own romance-to-riches cinderella fantasy .",
        "everyone involved is pleasant enough , which is probably the best way to describe the movie .",
        "suffocated at conception by its munchausen-by-proxy mum . punish the vehicle to adore the star .",
        "fairy-tale formula , serves as a paper skeleton for some very good acting , dialogue , comedy , direction and especially charm .",
        "... an airless , prepackaged julia roberts wannabe that stinks so badly of hard-sell image-mongering you 'll wonder if lopez 's publicist should share screenwriting credit .",
        "... turns so unforgivably trite in its last 10 minutes that anyone without a fortified sweet tooth will likely go into sugar shock .",
        "the only suspense is whether lopez ' strapless ballgown or fiennes ' forced smile will drop first .",
        "honestly , at this point in lopez 's career i no longer expect her to marry or co-star with latino men , but surely there are other white men j.lo 's core audience would enjoy fantasizing about .",
        "factory-made romantic comedy without an ounce of creativity or a shred of unpredictability .",
        "alternately politically correct and confusingly archaic , with a devastating lack of romantic connection between its two stars .",
        "this sparkling cinderella tale provides the additional kick of watching the glass slipper crack through the glass ceiling .",
        "the movie does n't ask much of lopez as an actress , but it understands her persona fairly well .",
        "the story is so light and sugary that were it a macy 's thanksgiving day parade balloon , extra heavy-duty ropes would be needed to keep it from floating away .",
        "not terrible , but not memorable , MOV delivers what you 'd expect : mediocre , get-out-your-hankies romantic fare .",
        "MOV may be instantly forgettable , but it works its magic while it lights up the screen .",
        "whoever thought that lopez and fiennes would spark the same frisson -- and box-office -- as julia roberts and richard gere in pretty woman was dreaming in technicolor .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "too blandly generic , MOV also suffers from a lack of chemistry between lopez and fiennes .",
    "id": "10550"
  },
  {
    "movie": "virgin_suicides",
    "reviews":
     [
        "content in its bland enigmas , the MOV is exquisitely boring .",
        "i am tired of seeing male adolescent sexual fantasies as deeply symbolic of life , the universe , and everything . but these are the themes the MOV wants so desperately to present to us as fresh and new .",
        "an always impressive tale of teenage insecurity , deprivation , angst , and lust .",
        "both accomplished in its direction and marred by freshman mistakes .",
        "coppola 's adaptation of jeffrey eugenides 's novel is both tender and devastating .",
        "a disarmingly wispy film given its subject matter , which is pretty much spelled out by its title .",
        "the film is an evocative visual depiction of a typical suburban family and community .",
        "it will resonate with anyone who 's ever gone through adolescence . it ranks with the very best films of the year .",
        "not so much about plot as it is about feeling",
        "spunky directing debut by sofia coppola unfortunately plays like after-school special .",
        "the movie ultimately succeeds because of its convincing emotion . in contrast to big-screen bummers we see every week , this movie conveys genuine sorrow .",
        "the film unspools with such a rich and peculiar unpredictability that it feels as though we are seeing -- or dreaming -- these things for the first time .",
        "an interesting story .",
        "i ca n't quite give the movie a negative review , because i do concur with the critical consensus that coppola has made an impressive directorial debut .",
        "see this film and be captivated by the spell it casts .",
        "full of amazing performances .",
        "this corrosive tragi-comedy is a surprisingly well-put-together little movie that achieves most of its goals .",
        "sofia coppola is working from a fundamentally strong source , and she has put together a cast and crew that make the MOV worth watching .",
        "this shimmery , darkly comic adaptation of jeffrey eugenides ' novel marks the assured , often inspired feature film debut of writer-director sofia coppola .",
        "a visually stunning , emotionally wrenching trip through the dark side of 70 's suburbia .",
        "a stellar debut feature from sofia coppola and it 's a must see .",
        "a rather stunted and sliggish exercise in style whose sporadically haunting visual quality does n't make up for its shallowness and ponderous pace .",
        "mergulhando com sensibilidade na amargura do universo adolescente , com seus anseios e frustra\u0443\u0448es , coppola estr\u0436ia de forma memor\u0440vel na dire\u0443\u0441o .",
        "concentration on either the writing or the direction , but not both , may have spawned a better film from first-timer sofia c.",
        "coppola 's direction engagingly avoids the coming-of-age cliches and the film boasts an excellent performance from kirsten dunst .",
        "a disarmingly poetic - and specifically female - vision of adolescence that it belongs in a category of its own .",
        "if missteps hold the film back from achieving the full grandeur it aims for , there is no denying the way it conjures a magic-realist american suburbia , rarely before brought so convincingly to life .",
        "black comedy has never looked so good .",
        "in the end , the strengths of the movie are overwhelmed by what is pretentious , unplugged and boring to boot .",
        "if -lsb- coppola 's -rsb- debut film is any indication , talent does run in the family -- even if it is a somewhat disjointed talent .",
        "sofia coppola tackles the issue of teenage suicide with an assured treatment in the MOV , effectively employing a seriocomic tone .",
        "it 's yet another case of blame-the-parents , and , more precisely , blame-the-overprotective-mother .",
        "an assured feature debut , this darkly humorous exploration of a tough subject benefits from an original narrative and the fact that the appealing cast consists of actors who are the same age as the characters they play .",
        "a very curious and eclectic piece of work .",
        "intense , imperfect movie about teen suicide .",
        "a surprisingly intricate struggle with absence , grief , and memory .",
        "sofia coppola 's adaptation of jeffery eugenides ' 1993 novel plays like a sweet , sad dream .",
        "sofia coppola 's compelling , ethereal fable about adolescent loss of innocence is claustrophobic and uncomfortable , but profoundly affecting and gently funny . `` the MOV '' advises teen years are sometimes best remembered as a long-ago vacation .",
        "the tone of wistful regret and longing does n't preclude a good deal of gentle humour . it 's a restrained , subtly suggestive piece which disintegrates if you try to get a fix on it .",
        "the strongest directorial debut of the year .",
        "the film slices through its dizzying succession of events with clean , swift efficiency .",
        "a disturbing , surprisingly humorous and insightful film .",
        "it 's hard to remember a film that mixes disparate , delicate ingredients with the subtlety and virtuosity of sofia coppola 's brilliant the MOV .",
        "the film is beautifully shot and contains some decent performances , but in the end , i just did n't get it . i kept waiting for something to happen to bring it all together . nothing does .",
        "more than most recent movies about suburban adolescence , the MOV catches both the triviality and the grandeur of youth , its prosaic details and its mythopoetic flights .",
        "the film just bored me stupid . very few laughs , even less memorable scenes , and definitely not an ` entertainment ' film , by any stretch of the imagination .",
        "coppola has created a detective story without a solution and a coming-of-ager without discernable characters .",
        "too much of coppola 's direction ... is devoted to scoring easy points against the squares of suburbia and their hideous home decor to create a properly magical atmosphere .",
        "the film is an effective and aching portrait of that awkwardness that 's unique only to adolescence .",
        "a handsome , unfetishized reconstruction of the era .",
        "a devastating , haunting motion picture of inconceivable power .",
        "no detail is too minor to escape coppola 's attention : the thump of a needle hitting a record , the tickling of a clock and the drip from a leaking roof are just as important in setting the scene here as the styx anthems , peasant skirts and shaggy haircuts .",
        "the MOV captures in stylized vignettes the intertwining strands of innocence , desire and despair in the psyches of teenage girls .",
        "behind the lens , coppola 's direction is sure-footed , her pacing perfect .",
        "one of the most promising directorial debuts in recent memory , with the ability to cast a spell i have yet to shake three weeks after seeing the film .",
        "in the final analysis , we are deliberately and cleverly left hanging , as unsure of the causes of the alienation of these children as we were when we entered the theater . that , in no small measure , is what makes this an exceptional film .",
        "coppola has a way with actors .",
        "may haunt you for some time to come .",
        "contrary to the expectations of cynics who still blame coppola for single-handedly ruining the godfather : part iii , this film is quite an achievement .",
        "the best thing about ms. coppola 's adaptation of jeffrey eugenides ' book is the atmosphere . it has a dreamy quality about it that both excites and mystifies .",
        "at the film 's best , coppola shows a deftness at editing , weaving together soft superimpositions of faces and readings of cecilia 's diary to give a feeling of innocent yearning .",
        "a highly affecting film unafraid to exact an emotional toll .",
        "the film , with its large ensemble cast , is well acted , and director coppola gets the best out of old pros .",
        "cool , odd and languorous as its main characters , the MOV provides a fittingly postmodern debut for screenwriter/director sofia coppola .",
        "the MOV maintains a deliberate , vague distance .",
        "an uncompromisingly honest picture of teen life .",
        "sofia coppola does have a firm aesthetic grasp on the '70s , and an even firmer emotional grasp on teenage-hood , evident in the excellent acting she has teased from the ensemble cast . but surface is not enough to make the MOV live .",
        "kirsten dunst is marvelous as the most adventuresome of the girls , and josh hartnett is fine as the high school hunk .",
        "though she wisely foregoes drawing simplistic conclusions from a story brimming with unanswerable questions , coppola does n't scratch very far below the surface of this enigmatic fairy tale .",
        "short on real insight .",
        "worth seeing .",
        "MOV succeeds as a contemplative metaphor ; dream like and eerily detached .",
        "the film is stylish and unarguably thought-provoking .",
        "weird but compelling .",
        "tragic , haunting , and sometimes darkly comedic , this movie leaves a strong impression in its telling of a story about the destruction of innocence .",
        "sofia coppola 's adaptation of the MOV ... captures the loveliest visuals and bits of language from eugenides ' book and faithfully , but not slavishly , transfers them to the screen .",
        "the movie will inevitably be compared to the ice storm , due to time period and some tone similarities , but it pales terribly next to that milestone of the genre .",
        "a lovely , luminous dream .",
        "an ambitious and enjoyable piece of work .",
        "-lsb- coppola -rsb- has the courage to play it in a minor key . she does n't hammer home ideas and interpretations . she is content with the air of mystery and loss that hangs in the air like bitter poignancy .",
        "with its morose subject matter , this comedy would certainly have to be classified as a black comedy , but its tone is disarmingly light .",
        "there are a lot of good individual elements on display , yet they never quite gel into something that completely satisfies .",
        "a weird and glorious tribute to ephemera of every possible sort .",
        "a haunting tale and a stunning directoral debut from sophia coppola .",
        "an extremely sure-handed filmmaking debut from coppola , daughter of francis . her script alone is a marvel of subtlety and intelligence .",
        "all the snickering about francis 's little girl ca n't hide the genuine talent at the heart of this film , talent that has only begun to find a voice .",
        "a heartbreaking glimpse at the secret life of adolescents ... shockingly tender and remarkably acted .",
        "... a tragic fable , as diffuse as an imperfectly remembered dream",
        "when a film 's most sensible character commits suicide within the first 15 minutes it can not be a good sign .",
        "all style , no structure .",
        "as for coppola , she shows a lot of her father 's audacity but as yet not much of his talent .",
        "sofia coppola has made one of the most unusual films ever fashioned out of the fears and the fantasies of adolescent boys .",
        "the film coalesces into a truly transporting experience .",
        "kind to all its inhabitants ."],
    "summary": "sofia 's successful directorial debut lies in the movie 's compelling story and the actors ' genuine emotions .",
    "id": "13003"
  },
  {
    "movie": "in_the_land_of_women",
    "reviews":
     [
        "cuddly and uneven .",
        "kasdan could use a few more screenwriting lessons from his oscar-nominated father , but he 's off to a decent start .",
        "somehow , kasdan 's script is able to gloss over potential sand traps , and heads into the safer territory of emotional redemption for all involved .",
        "wistful and uneven , jonathan kasdan 's -lsb- drama -rsb- is like garden state by way of a john hughes movie -- but less engaging than either .",
        "MOV exhibits enough kindness and empathy throughout that it passes the test of a slice-of-life movie : you miss these people once the film ends .",
        "reminiscent of those dreaded `` and then i suddenly realized something '' stories that surface week after week in college writing workshops . ... there are a few superb moments ... they sparkle like a handful of diamonds scattered across a sandbox .",
        "MOV is a pretty enough place to visit -lrb- particularly the design-mag interiors of ryan 's character 's home , all precisely coordinated to match her eyes -rrb- , but as a movie it appears to have nothing to say .",
        "brody 's apparent ease in his own skin and his skills as a listener make carter an engaging fellow and make it understandable why , as soon as he moves to town , people start confiding in him .",
        "the movie seemed to be getting along fine without the melodrama . at times , it seems to be getting along just fine without carter , but maybe that 's just me .",
        "solid acting , especially from the women , and a few good colin farrell jokes make this familiar tale better than it probably should be .",
        "as soon as it 's over , you start forgetting about it . it 's not a bad movie , it 's just fine .",
        "brody is the epitome of the trustworthy , funny , approachable , but magnetic nice guy that you would marry in a second if he really existed . it was like tom hanks and john cusack had a love child .",
        "jonathan kasdan infects them with a smart-ass self-awareness and a grandiose sense of vitality that borders on preciousness . it has that baby boomer quality of his father 's films without any of the history to back it up .",
        "touching-but-treacly chick flick for moms & teens .",
        "i distrust any film in which people stand and argue and/or kiss in pelting rain",
        "kasdan 's gift for the smart crack is consistently undercut by a well-developed taste for schmalz .",
        "here 's a cameron crowe film that , oddly enough , was n't directed by cameron crowe .",
        "writer-director jonathan kasdan - he of the much-loved , short-lived freaks and geeks -- is no stranger to quirky characters . but why is it then that the characters in land -- especially the high schoolers -- ring so false ?",
        "the script is problematic . much of it feels half-formed ; there are some potentially interesting ideas but they are not really developed well . the audience is supposed to take certain things on face value -- and there are many missed opportunities , particu",
        "ah , poor poor carter . will he emerge strengthened or diminished by his encounters in this faraway land ?",
        "brody ... cranks out soft-core porn scripts in l.a. and yearns to author a memoir of his high school years . i have a feeling the world has more use for the soft-core porn .",
        "nothing about this movie rings true . it 's a huge misfire that falsely parades around like something important and wildly profound .",
        "as a portrait of a young man 's rather late coming-of-emotional-age , it 's pleasant but unexceptional ... firmly situated in the mediocre middle .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- tedious and unsurprising narcissism ... is the only halfway genuinely emotional thing propping up this stilted and artificial flick .",
        "a lukewarm but emotionally honest debut suburban drama .",
        "writer-director jon kasdan 's attempt at character-based dramedy manages some good scenes , but as a whole MOV feels incomplete and inauthentic .",
        "the meek , mopey comedy MOV is the film equivalent of a sensitive emo band with one foot in alternative rock and the other in the squishy pop mainstream : a softer , fuzzier garden state .",
        "one of those films in formed by intimate personal experience -- the experience of seeing garden state .",
        "there may be no logical answers , but even so , this trip to kasdan 's land of women ends up being more of a good idea than a bad one .",
        "a solid effort with an insightful script and strong performances .",
        "-lsb- kasdan -rsb- has drawn such terrific performances from his players that the film 's shortcomings are excusable .",
        "apart from leaning a bit much on his soundtrack and letting olympia dukakis indulge her crazy-granny jones , kasdan does his work with a largely steady hand .",
        "why make a garrulous movie about people in crisis if olympia dukakis winds up muzzled ? of all the troubled gabbers in kasdan 's film , the prickliest and most proficient is wasted in a few brief scenes .",
        "kasdan displays a whimsical sense of humour that translates nicely to the screen . it will be interesting to see what he does next .",
        "a sincere , smart and modest movie .",
        "with dialogue that is often precious though occasionally thoughtful , kasdan has made a film that 's not bad , just irritating .",
        "the characters all speak just slightly above a whisper , as if everything they say must be so extremely important that we are required to sit up and listen very carefully .",
        "the movie is n't all that bad thanks to a band of cast members who rise to the occasion and somehow make it all seem plausible .",
        "a near-two-hour marathon of phony soul-searching by suburban caricatures set to a grating soundtrack",
        "filled with soporific , indulgent dialogue .",
        "apart from borrowing from garden state and in her shoes , there 's a sense of big chill lite -- made by someone with a much lamer record collection .",
        "only slightly less clumsy overall than against the ropes , but at least it plays to co-star meg ryan 's ability to suggest volumes of repressed emotion .",
        "the peculiarly male self-centeredness seen here is repulsive and astonishing . meg ryan 's breast cancer , the grandmother 's dementia , the teenage girl 's angst : all these traumas primarily exist to help a young man find himself .",
        "were it not for brody 's impeccable line delivery and charming demeanor , the film would be unpleasant to watch primarily because of alternating scenes of deadpan hilarity and emotionally draining character backstory .",
        "i 'm not sure what world of women kasdan experienced to define his characters , but in MOV they 're about as realistic and interesting as cardboard .",
        "a movie with one awkward identity crisis .",
        "smart and funny in ways many people no longer expect from american comedy .",
        "the film belongs to brody , an endearing screen presence .",
        "although there are individual scenes that are beautifully conceived and scripted , the work as a whole does n't quite gel .",
        "... well done , well-acted , -lrb- and -rrb- entertaining , even though i did n't buy its dubious plot .",
        "a decent film that does n't occupy a single neat genre category , and often does n't seem able to decide who it 's trying to speak to .",
        "a poignant study in empathy and , ultimately , rebirth .",
        "the screenplay by kasdan is soggy with earnest clich\u00e9s .",
        "is it too early to call for a moratorium on earnest comedy-dramas about overly sensitive , hyper-verbal young men working through emotional crises by having deep , meaningful conversations with manic pixie dream-girls ?",
        "this potentially saccharine weepy has an authentic ring , thanks to jon kasdan 's script and a cast capable of delivering clever lines that sound just about right for whatever situation they 're in .",
        "kasdan , perhaps living out some of his own angst through brody 's befuddled-writer character , knows how to explore the inner workings of human nature .",
        "these are purely movie creatures -- entities that may , in fact , arise from pods and exist only in relation to other movies and movie creatures .",
        "this first film by writer/director jonathan kasdan reveals him to have a good ear for dialogue and the foibles of growing into adulthood . with the inclusion of greater originality in his plotlines , he should grow into a director to watch .",
        "this is not an awful movie , but it fails to capitalize on some real opportunities that could have made it better and deeper .",
        "an admirable first effort and likely to be enjoyed by women who would n't mind meeting that good-looking , self-effacing young man , and men who may be under the illusion that they in some way resemble him .",
        "most of this is harmless enough , but kasdan 's hollywood logic is simply too implausible .",
        "his ostensible profession is writing soft-core porn , but he really wants to be a serious novelist . if so , the life experiences he gains in this soppy , schematic weepie wo n't help much .",
        "the whole mess feels like a television pilot that was never picked up .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "kasdan has talent and intelligence , but he has n't quite figured out how to tackle this story .",
        "the kind of movie where everyone has problems , people reveal their deepest longings and fears to a person they just met , and every scene seems to start with the phrase , ` i have to tell you something . '",
        "it ca n't decide on a tone , so it jars the viewer from one moment to another .",
        "the `` young man 's post-traumatic discovery of life 's value through quirky people tale '' is an obscure genre that 's somehow attracted zach braff , cameron crowe and jon kasdan .",
        "while it catches something of the romantic zeitgeist of this time , much in the way the big chill did in the early '80s , i suspect this wo n't have the same stamina .",
        "the acting is good , which really is no reason alone to spend good money on seeing this throwaway picture in the theater .",
        "shows very little respect for women and makes a youthful male soft-core porn writer into a supposed seer dispensing wisdom .",
        "there 's no denying that `` MOV '' has its moments of endearment , but jon kasdan 's weepy coming-of-age dramedy lacks emotional authenticity .",
        "so pillow-soft that its most jarring element is the countenance of meg ryan , whose once warm , sunshiny face has been nipped and tucked into a rigid feline joker grin .",
        "despite adam 's glorious performance , the show stealer was olympia dukakiswho was hilarious in every scene . from claiming she was dying every second to answering the front door with no pants . she stole the show for me .",
        "unintentionally makes a case for believing that the young have nothing of interest to say to their seniors , and very little of interest to say to each other .",
        "engaging if underwhelming .",
        "it hits all the emotional cues right on schedule , pushing an audience 's buttons with dull factory precision .",
        "as phyllis , dukakis is every bit as effervescent as she was in her oscar-winning supporting role in `` moonstruck '' -lrb- 1987 -rrb- .",
        "MOV combines hugs and `` pain '' and dialogue so fakey-cute it makes your ears hurt .",
        "this comedy drama is capably acted and undeniably touching in spots , although less than two weeks after seeing it , i can remember having been undeniably touched but not much else .",
        "MOV does n't for a moment feel messy and chaotic where it counts .",
        "kasdan 's script mines familiar ground without finding gems . that 's too bad , because it 's blessed with honest , unflinching performances from three leads .",
        "it feels like kasdan has piled one event on top of another on top of another , as opposed to building a believable story arc .",
        "what matters here are n't the narrative events , so much as the movie 's emotional textures .",
        "kasdan has made a winning if overly pat first feature notable for its keen ear , its preference for character over plot and its refreshing modesty .",
        "it 's a wistfully humorous romantic weeper with emphasis on the humorous .",
        "first-time writer/director jon kasdan 's witty dialogue mixed with brody 's pitch-perfect portrayal of the lovable loser make this film different and worth seeing .",
        "the movie is shot well -- especially for a first-timer . but after a while the semi-realized , semi-familiar story line weighs it down , as do the loads and loads of talk .",
        "manages to appreciate the boldness and the beauty of women without getting too girly about it .",
        "a lot of pop-music montages -- great soundtrack , by the way -- stand in for actual acting or directing , and there 's not a single thing here that has n't been done better before .",
        "... while the movie is littered with precisely the sort of problems one generally associates with a first effort , the filmmaker does a nice job of infusing the proceedings with just enough authenticity and heart to maintain the viewer 's continued interest .",
        "kasdan , who also wrote the screenplay , allows a fairly large variety of problems to accrue .",
        "kasdan is the son of director lawrence kasdan . so while he should know better , he can be forgiven his many rookie errors . why ? because in creating carter and getting nuanced work from brody , he has shown promise .",
        "lip-locking lapses aside , carter 's relationships with sarah and with lucy are rooted in the sharing of ideas and dreams and disappointments and fears .",
        "considering the setup features three attractive , lovelorn characters , kasdan takes a fairly high road . but his script only feigns insight .",
        "no one is conniving or desperate enough for the movie to become a decent melodrama . and the conversations are too stale to culminate in interesting romance .",
        "the kind of movie that gives the term ` chick flick ' a bad reputation .",
        "jonathan kasdan seems to have inherited his father lawrence 's knack for creating sympathetic characters and giving them clever , articulate dialogue ...",
        "appealing performances from brody , meg ryan and kristen stewart are enormously helpful in giving the film what ultimately gets it across the finish line : an endearing , shaggy-dog likability .",
        "it is amazing to discover just how much this absorbing , intelligent picture has going for it : a strong sense of time and place , interesting characters , painfully sincere direction and an intriguing scenario that pauses and breathes in all the right places",
        "the scent of narcissism wafting off the screen in jonathan kasdan 's dreary directorial debut is so overpowering , you 'd be wise to walk into the theater wearing a gas mask .",
        "i ca n't recall the last -lsb- film -rsb- that filled me with the kind of utter loathing and contempt that this one did .",
        "one of those talking-about-their-feelings movies , but one the audience can connect with due to the strong dialogue and even stronger acting",
        "kasdan 's clueless psychological insight leaves -lsb- ryan -rsb- stranded .",
        "if first-time director jon kasdan had something more thematically devastating in mind when he wrote women , you 'd never know it from the final product .",
        "... a charming , quirky film that does n't break new ground but has some lovely performances .",
        "writer-director kasdan has made the best film he can make now , which is no small thing . he will make even better ones in the future , which might be a very big thing indeed .",
        "it 's the kind of production that 's pleasant to watch because it allows viewers to spend some time with believable characters who face ` regular ' problems , but do so without becoming boring or overly familiar .",
        "the film belongs to brody , irritating and endearing and relatable in ways that actors rarely are .",
        "the o.c. may be over , but adam brody is n't .",
        "with an age-old cinema theme of a young man 's maturation , it also needs to land female ticket-buyers but seems a lot like something women could find at home on the we channel .",
        "just what we need . another formula indie dramedy that tries to be garden state , but winds up being merely garden variety .",
        "without all the soppy plot devices , the land of women might have been someplace worth visiting .",
        "an appealingly scruffy if overly programmatic drama .",
        "kasdan fils makes a feature debut as writer-helmer of a coming of age saga that recalls the graduate , positing a confused youngster between an ailing mom and rebellious daughter , sans the nasty tone of that satire ; adam brody and meg ryan are terrific ."],
    "summary": "while pleasantly acted , MOV is a dramatically stilted film with underdeveloped characters .",
    "id": "602621026"
  },
  {
    "movie": "imagine_me_and_you",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie has good energy , it 's easy on the eyes and the strong supporting cast includes celia imrie , anthony head and darren boyd .",
        "parker has a weakness for the outrageous narrative coincidence .",
        "when weak british comedies imitate bad american ones , all we get is mediocrity with more verbal velocity .",
        "the characters never really emerge as individuals ; they 're pretty puppets , moving through their prescribed paces .",
        "as nice as it is to imagine popular movies depicting lesbian relationships without guilt or trauma , imagine me & you ultimately trips over its own daft enthusiasm .",
        "had it not been for the homosexual content this script would have been considered too crappy to film",
        "romance is fine and dandy , but when it 's treated as the cake , instead of the icing on it , you hardly end up with an authentic , interesting story",
        "i guess there 's something progressive going on when a lesbian love story gets to be just as dreadful and tacky as most straight ones .",
        "perabo and headey sizzle with unrequited desires , and the film , directed by ol parker , is often hilarious .",
        "the story settles for bad sitcom humor , a pedestrian romantic-comedy plot and a ridiculously sunny conclusion that belies the complexity of the situation and provides every party involved with an easy way out .",
        "i really like the people in MOV , but i ca n't stand the movie they 're stuck in .",
        "whether you can invest in the central conceit is iffy , but parker gets a lot of mileage out of deftly managing the delicate balance of sweet and tart , sentimental and clever .",
        "a tepid sort of romantic comedy , with lengthy stretches during which nothing much happens punctuated by bouts of paralyzing boredom or , on rare occasions , random but fleeting hilarity .",
        "parker overdoes it , whipping up a confection that manages to be too cute , too corny and too indifferent to emotional reality to matter .",
        "a surprisingly old-fashioned romantic comedy , a film of lovely british parks , of antiques auctions and cluttered , lived-in homes and very good-looking 30-or-so 's trying to be sophisticated .",
        "the accents are pleasing to the ears , but other than that it is trite and shameless , willing to do anything to please .",
        "insufferably cutesy , this twee british flick acts like it invented lesbianism -- is n't it adorable how women can be gay , too ? -- and pats itself heartily on the back for its own cleverness .",
        "as formulaic as a trigonometry textbook .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "there are more imaginative movies , i suppose ; but there are also worse ways to spend a gloomy afternoon than in a london photo-shopped to perfection .",
        "takes a tragic stumble into the dangerous syrupy-blather zone by insisting on a happy , upbeat ending .",
        "it 's all proper and predictable and superficial .",
        "not just sappy and implausible , but unoriginal .",
        "compared to the incredibly perfect adventures of these two british girls in love , everything else pales , especially the clueless men around them . check that . the men are ok as long as they cry and take their emasculation like men .",
        "the film flirts with emotional honesty much of the way , until parker realizes he might have to leave a character or two sad , angry , lonely or unfulfilled . then the script turns to cotton candy , invalidating the honest first half .",
        "the film sidesteps the usual love triangle romantic comedy formula of hurling itself into all-out praise of fresh , vibrant infatuation by treating it as a zero-sum game that requires a loser .",
        "if only ennis from `` brokeback mountain '' could hop off the screen , wander next door and watch `` MOV . ''",
        "a film where a scene in which a fancy sofa is purchased at an auction is treated with more heat and excitement than any of the subsequent action that may or may not occur on that very same sofa .",
        "it 's not hard to like these people and to empathize with their romantic plight .",
        "what makes imagine me & you noteworthy at this particular moment in film history is that it openly faces issues that brokeback mountain avoids .",
        "dopey chaste lesbian movie without lust , passion , or sex .",
        "the mainstream auds who would respond best to pic 's fluffy aesthetic might balk at its sapphic storyline , while gay and lesbian viewers will find girl-on-girl action here far too tame .",
        "imagine if kissing jessica stein had been made by the four weddings and a funeral people , and you pretty much get the gist of MOV , a pleasant if pedestrian british romantic comedy .",
        "... this is the sort of movie that 's almost impossible to all-out dislike -lrb- provided one approaches it with the appropriate mindset -rrb- .",
        "although imagine me & you -lrb- never much liked that song -rrb- tries to tap into a popular theme , we never believe that rachel and luce are the slightest bit interested in one another .",
        "the film also has a distinctly sitcom-like quality and is poorly paced , like an overlong episode of will & grace .",
        "imagine me & you has its charms , but for a movie about loving radically , it sure plays it safe .",
        "... neither great nor awful : on tv , it might seem better , but it 's simply underpowered for the big screen .",
        "maybe it 's a sign of progress that a mediocre gay romantic comedy can enter the mainstream marketplace and not create any stir .",
        "... a bit like a poor man 's four weddings and a funeral ... although there are a few laughs and the slick script is peppered with juicy one-liners , it 's mild and rather mannered as we fail to connect with the characters when it really matters .",
        "snappy writing and spot-on performances from a terrific cast help the movie avoid all the pitfalls of clich\u00e9 .",
        "parker 's command of moldy clich\u00e9s is fluent -lrb- one character even says , with a straight face , ` follow your heart ' -rrb- .",
        "parker has a sensitive approach to the crise d'amour , but his lacklustre leading ladies contribute to an uneven tone .",
        "if you 're in the mood for a moonstruck trifle with a drizzly london setting , this might not be such a bad choice . all that 's required is that you be as open-minded as the movie is open-hearted .",
        "the film is so concerned with squeezing laughs out of the audience that it barely takes time to make sense of the circumstances .",
        "the comedy is n't very funny , the characters are n't particularly kind , and the plot is n't remotely credible .",
        "... though this lesbian-themed entry in the notting hill and four weddings and a funeral category neatly accomplishes the genre 's other requirement , the ability to double as travelogue , its players are availed of precious little wit .",
        "congratulations are in order for rachel 's sexual awakening , but we might as well applaud the dull girl for falling in love with the nearest bunch of lilies rather than the florist .",
        "... while the film 's tasty london settings add a whiff of elegance , parker 's confection collapses because we never believe rachel and luce as destined soul mates . the blame rests entirely with perabo 's meager performance .",
        "parker 's frothy relationship drama/comedy of manners throws a few curves into the rec room of romantic triangles .",
        "the film 's conventionality is what makes it simultaneously progressive and a great , big snooze .",
        "if you ca n't guess how the whole thing ends than you clearly have n't seen enough of these movies and probably deserve to sit through another .",
        "a bewitching romantic drama set in london about love at first sight and the consequences of this sudden surge of love that defies all reason .",
        "romantic comedies do n't get more generic than this one .",
        "drama overwhelms imagine 's strident attempts at comedy .",
        "maddening politeness rules the day in this london-based comedy ...",
        "there 's nothing wrong with love at first sight , but for perabo -- who had shown no signs of being gay -- to suddenly get weak in the knees for a woman she does n't know on the day of her nuptials is pushing reality just a bit , no ?",
        "a little more thought into the characters ' motives and the consequences of their actions might have made the film more resonant , instead of fluffy and mildly puzzling the way it is .",
        "simple and unmemorable , something to watch on a lazy evening when there is nothing else to watch on the telly and quickly forget once it 's over .",
        "we need a villain instead of a victim if the happy romance between rachel and luce is going to work .",
        "matthew goode should kiss the writers ; he has the best lines -lrb- guaranteed to make any straight woman swoon and offer themselves up as his rebound girl -rrb- .",
        "matthew goode and the capable supporting cast ca n't save this film from its bland mediocrity",
        "the enervating trifle imagine me & you will soon be gathering dust -lsb- on the shelves of video stores -rsb- .",
        "naming a film after a song generally displays a lack of imagination .",
        "in short , it 's an absolute louse of a film -- 94 minutes of unimaginable , unspeakable awfulness .",
        "enjoyable romantic comedy that succeeds thanks to likeable characters and some good gags , despite falling foul of all the usual rom-com traps .",
        "imagine me & you shamelessly embraces every romantic-comedy clich\u00e9 in the book .",
        "imagine me & you is more about fidelity and respect - or rather the lack thereof . it does n't matter if the characters are gay , straight or bi . cheating is cheating .",
        "charming , quirky brit romance has mild gay themes .",
        "a generally pleasant distraction .",
        "the american perabo -lrb- doing a good english accent -rrb- and headey are likable leads -- and goode brings a touching vulnerability to his role as the luckless heck .",
        "a witty and immensely enjoyable british romantic comedy .",
        "it 's a fluffy little concoction that 'll capably fill 90 minutes , but it 's not destined to become anybody 's newest favorite .",
        "brit-com business as usual , right down to the outbursts of posh swearing and the fraught , last-minute dash through the london traffic .",
        "parker 's charmingly bittersweet romantic comedy tackles quite a serious subject with sensitivity and respect .",
        "as a directorial and romantic debut , it shows promise for parker 's future projects .",
        "british accents and names like ` heck ' just are n't enough to compensate for the generic quality and general lackluster feeling inspired by the film 's plot and characters .",
        "an innocuous , fluffy little nothing of an almost-pleasant movie .",
        "cinematic mush",
        "most of the running time is devoted to sitcom devices involving family members , friends , double meanings , close escapes and sincere heart-to-hearts .",
        "there 's a cinematic tradition that movies taking their titles from pop songs turn out to be bombs . ` imagine me & you ' upholds it .",
        "filled with plastic people , it strikes one false note after another in its painfully predictable plot .",
        "a gooey , tiresome bore , unconvincing in its lesbian relationship and deeply silly when it tries for big comic moments .",
        "applies the posh britcom formula perfected in hits like four weddings and a funeral to a lesbian romance with slick if fairly mild results .",
        "the characterizations are wooden , the interaction maudlin and the plot totally predictable .",
        "a romantic , tolerant and tame twist on the notion of love at first sight , MOV displays respectable people confronting difficult feelings in a mature -- if simplistic -- way .",
        "everything has its rightful place , everyone has their happy purpose , and you ca n't help but grin at the sheer winning symmetry of the thing .",
        "parker never gets in hugging distance of the clever wittiness of love actually , and the screenplay makes its featherweight american predecessor kissing jessica stein seem like edward albee .",
        "... elevated to the status of pleasant diversion thanks to its comic supporting cast .",
        "there 's enough chemistry and sexual tension between the leads for imagine me & you not to be hopelessly boring .",
        "charming performances from the ensemble cast",
        "the real departure is not the gender of the loved one -- it is the violation of the `` almost '' rule of comedy . the disconnect between tone and action prevents it from achieving the essential spirit of lightness and possibility .",
        "settles disappointingly for rom-com cliches . it does n't even bother to explore its own premise .",
        "the cordial company of the characters and the snappy wit of the script make ol parker 's british romantic comedy the equivalent of comfort food a pleasant cinematic snack ."],
    "summary": "aside from its lesbian theme , imagine me & you can only offer more of the same generic rom-com cliches .",
    "id": "2864899"
  },
  {
    "movie": "minis_first_time",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a deliciously evil black comedy that 's sure to elicit lots of shameful giggles throughout .",
        "mini 's first time is delectably vulgar for 20 minutes or so , almost too bad to be true , but it soon loses its cheap-thrills appeal .",
        "mini is a wonderful character , and she 's the villain you simply ca n't help but root for , watching the dominoes fall where they must , and lets these yuppies self-destruct .",
        "trashy but fun , mini 's first time is like one of those paperback books you might take to the beach . you do n't brag about having read it , but you enjoy every page .",
        "much of the film reeks of decadence and new money-the snazzy cars and clothes and the boxy , minimalist modern stone and glass interiors that are as cold as the characters themselves .",
        "touches fleetingly on an interesting phenomenon - namely , the manner in which a father 's advances simultaneously disgust and enthrall his teenage stepdaughter .",
        "a lethal joyride through the debauched lifestyles of l.a. 's glamour-industry elite .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "mini 's first time is a down-and-dirty exercise in depravity and debauchery ; in other words , just the kind of plot that gets us to turn off the tv and head for the multiplex -- blue states and red states alike .",
        "it does n't help that first-time screenwriter/director nick guthe created such a superficial group of characters . few , if any , seem believable or are interesting enough to care about .",
        "the characters in mini are played by fine performers -lrb- alec baldwin , jeff goldblum , carrie-anne moss -rrb- , but they 're still one-note .",
        "pitch-black and bound to offend anyone who 's not on its wavelength , nick guthe 's entertainingly slick debut is a mordantly funny slice of lust , crime and sleaze life set in the world of l.a. 's industry elite .",
        "the director has created a stylish spoof filled with some razor-sharp dialogue and truly wild , original moments .",
        "mini 's first time is not about taking an honest look at adolescence . it 's not even really about teens , or high-school life , or upper-class marriages . what it 's about is an unpleasantly pervy adult male view of teenage girls .",
        "surrounded by all these pros , reed more than holds her own : she has so much integrity about being amoral that she keeps the audience dangling between disgust and admiration .",
        "mini has a cleverly devious wrap-around ending , but you have been warned : it 's twisted .",
        "the swirl of bad girl shenanigans , hollywood satire and noir-ish melodrama in mini 's first time that was intended to make for an icy cocktail of prurience and moral insight tastes more like freezer burn instead .",
        "it 's a bad , preposterous and horrifyingly cliched black comedy about a girl gone wicked .",
        "guthe is so anxious to show us what a larcenous tramp mini is that he never shows us any other sides to her . we have her pegged from the get-go , even if no one in the movie does .",
        "a bloated waste of time and money ... an unequivocal low .",
        "mini 's first time is bret easton ellis territory with palm trees , explored by smarmy blunderers .",
        "mini is too tame for skina-max and too inane to survive on the art-house circuit . it 's a pretentious erotic thriller that gives honest trash a bad name .",
        "a comedy that 's a mix of mean girls , mamet and mephistopheles .",
        "a cheeky neo-noir that updates double indemnity for the high school set , mini 's first time trades in black humor so dim you 'd need a flashlight to find it .",
        "mini is impossible to like , especially since she delivers some of the worst narration ever spoken , and her final lines are like a big middle finger to viewers foolish enough to enjoy the film .",
        "part of mini 's charm ... may be in its single-minded devotion to the utterly depraved and comically debauched .",
        "a dandy exercise in depravity , debauchery , and cynicism .",
        "black teenage comedy in a cautionary tale about the dangers of kids growing up alone .",
        "mini 's first time unfortunately degenerates into a sexed-up version of a law & order episode .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "this black comedy wavers between sleaze and satire , without ever fully committing to either .",
    "id": "248006765"
  },
  {
    "movie": "herbie_fully_loaded",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this herbie is loaded all right . unfortunately , it 's with spare parts from dozens of other equally mediocre underdog sports films .",
        "i personally did not hoot or chortle or chuckle or holler or wonder , not once .",
        "it 's a silly , fun , non-offensive , fluffball of a movie ...",
        "-lsb- robinson 's -rsb- fun permeates the entire film , and it 's irresistibly infectious .",
        "fully loaded adds up to little more than a cynical marriage of marketable commodities -- lohan , nascar and the durably profitable bug himself .",
        "while fully loaded does n't have much for grown-ups who think characters need dimensions or a good story requires an unexpected turn or two , it offers a nice pit stop of nostalgic memories .",
        "as serviceable an introduction as any to the notion of a sentient set of wheels .",
        "five credited writers have managed to complete the script without a single surprise and with a couple of odd omissions .",
        "but for all this pretense toward plot , really , herbie 's point is nascar and commercial tie-ins .",
        "a paint-by-numbers script means that herbie : fully loaded , despite its dying to please four-wheeled star , often comes up flat .",
        "zippy , brightly-colored fun . the film flies right by at such a stylish clip that the viewer hardly has time to realize how very slight the whole thing is .",
        "fast-paced with nary a dull moment , herbie : fully loaded is a fitting comeback for the magical love bug .",
        "thanks to a clever , subtly subversive script and spirited , tongue-in-cheek direction , fully loaded enthusiastically embraces its absurdity and emerges victoriously fun .",
        "they 're the only two reasons to see the movie .",
        "it 's formula with a capital f , but the high-energy ridiculousness propels it to victory .",
        "lindsay lohan continues her reign as queen of disney remakes .",
        "no amount of anti-jiggle cg work can fully diffuse the sexual undertones racing beneath the cute and cuddly hood of this modern update of the kid-friendly 1970s series .",
        "i suppose there are worse ways to spend a summer evening than in the company of this cast and the r2d2-like automobile , but has n't the day of herbie come and gone ?",
        "one time too many around the track ... a mishmash of slapstick , action , romance , domestic comedy and feel-good feminist fantasy .",
        "as the movie 's title implies he 's been updated , now he 's possessed by the devil .",
        "lohan is practically a victim in her own car , helplessly trying to regain control of her possessed vehicle . it 's like an update of stephen king 's christine for kids .",
        "it sounds hokey , but the nostalgic quality of the whole herbie experience makes fully loaded a charming family film .",
        "` walking on sunshine ' is casting a dark cloud over the movies .",
        "herbie : fully loaded is that modern rarity , a genial , sweet-natured family film , g-rated and proud of it , an old-fashioned disney movie to the core .",
        "herbie : fully loaded contains almost exactly the same plot as this year 's racing stripes , a film about a girl and her zebra . this is almost certainly coincidence , but it just adds to the feeling that we 're watching something reheated .",
        "this would be a standard baby-sitter of a movie without one hypernatural flame-haired element .",
        "director angela robinson gets as much mileage as is possible out of herbie . but even a car with a life of its own is bound to run out of gas .",
        "now you know why the moms or dads who must go to family movies are always holding reefer .",
        "herbie is a g -- for good , if not grand .",
        "solid family entertainment .",
        "will probably be appreciated best by very young children , although nostalgic adults might get a kick out of seeing old number 53 race one last time .",
        "for a movie about a car that comes to life , this movie is surprisingly lifeless .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- will amuse kids , but this bug is low on comic gas .",
        "herbie feels modern in all the right places , with a young heroine whose presence on the track is never questioned or undermined .",
        "all ends well , everyone gets what 's coming to them , and any 9-year-old girl who does not stand on her seat cushion and cheer has remarkable self-control .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with the onslaught of her public activities and associations , ms. lohan will have a hard time convincing the masses as the virginal maggie .",
        "it 's nice to see that disney remembers its past , even if four decades of social change and global issues seem to have made no impact on it whatsoever .",
        "the movie 's last half hour is a drag , the rousing race sequences bogged down by the nascar product placement .",
        "a rotten , stupid film , without a hint of cleverness or imagination .",
        "harmless , witless , unoriginal , uninventive , mildly entertaining and not liable to do any permanent damage to anyone who watches it .",
        "for a movie about a car that 's alive , there 's a lot that 's dead here ...",
        "nothing here beats the old-school sight of a halved bug placing first and third in a race . a snippet of that scene is more exciting than any of herbie 's newfound trickery .",
        "i 'm still eager for children 's films that are n't supersized or edgy or flatulent . i just want them to be better than ` herbie . '",
        "this film will not do much to restore disney 's fortunes . lohan does seem to want to grow up ... but she pretty much sleepwalks through this film .",
        "lindsay , pre-drugs .",
        "the `` lohan '' -lrb- lindsay -rrb- hits a g-rated double as college grad maggie peyton , the daughter of a famous car racing family , opposite a self-possessed volkswagen bug named herbie .",
        "this new extreme installment of disney 's `` herbie '' franchise is an attempt to resuscitate the property when it should have stayed long dead .",
        "... exactly what we can count on from a disney comedy these days -- weightless , nonabrasive entertainment , appealing mainly to the youngest of children .",
        "... a thoroughly innocuous piece of work ...",
        "una muy agradable sorpresa veraniega que bien vale la pena disfrutar con la familia , con una buena bolsa de palomitas y , lo m\u00e1s importante , con alma de ni\u0144o",
        "... depressingly wholesome .",
        "hopefully , this movie will neither encourage the trend of guys naming their cars -- or body parts -- nor bring back the vw bug ...",
        "here 's an idea -- give lindsay lohan the keys to a car and see what wreckage comes of it .",
        "lohan 's perkiness can seem a bit too practiced , but she 's surrounded by pros who do n't play down to the material .",
        "a grande for\u00e7a deste longa reside no charme de herbie . lohan pode at\u00e9 ser uma atriz renomada da atualidade , mas aqui serve como mera coadjuvante de luxo para o veterano 53 .",
        "it 's a no-brainer that disney would do a re-make and a no-brainer is what we got .",
        "an enjoyable summer movie that kids will love and adults wo n't object to .",
        "yes , it 's silly , but it 's also thoroughly engaging .",
        "will never become as classic and as fondly-remembered as the original , but for disney 's youth branch it 's a step in the right direction .",
        "passes quickly and doles out enough sentimentality to stay pleasant .",
        "... a winning combo that could herald a new lease of life for this surprisingly resilient franchise ...",
        "like a dodge k-car with 350,000 miles and a good engine - it gets you from point a to point b but the ride is n't much fun .",
        "a classic kids ' movie , it redefines the word ` silly . '",
        "a girlpower essay , feeble in its reach , unconvincing in its execution , cute in its tone , endless in its unspooling .",
        "the moment that white volkswagen bug rolled into view , i melted .",
        "loaded does not address the fact that a car with superpowers in an auto race is a lot like a home run hitter who takes steroids . herbie is the new jose canseco .",
        "the filmmakers have carefully studied the original and tried hard to recapture what made it work : in this case , a certain wide-eyed innocence .",
        "an above-average family film that 's just winning enough to entertain both the grown-ups and the kids .",
        "the movie is pretty cornball .",
        "a bland piece of work , more so than the original .",
        "we learn about the value of family , listening to your heart and , above all , the importance of corporate sponsorship .",
        "as that ancient beetle with the number 53 on his hood reminds us , when it comes to good kiddie fare , it 's about the heart , not the horsepower .",
        "stuck in a role that no one could steer straight , lindsay lohan looks aged by the experience .",
        "i took my parents ! we had a great time . very well directed and edited to a sweet clipping pace . never a dull moment . this is just good clean family fun !",
        "here 's my theory ... lohan actually died several months ago in a late-night partying incident and she 's been replaced by a sophisticated robot .",
        "matt dillon is terrific ; michael keaton is wasted in a horrible script poorly directed that will only appeal to very young children , who applauded at the end of my viewing .",
        "between matt dillon 's jeff gordon impersonation and the bass pro shop references , this is a high time at the cinema for the nascar fan !",
        "any responsible person should be wary of a vehicle that accelerates on its own , winks with its headlights and sprays hot oil at hostile onlookers .",
        "i guess that wacky little car might amuse small children , but the special effects are surprisingly weak , the story is beyond clich\u00e9d and the attempt to wedge the hot nascar scene into the movie is just clumsy .",
        "-lrb- director angela -rrb- robinson keeps the automotive antics to an acceptable level most of the way , although pushing things a notch too far in the finale .",
        "c'mon , lighten up ! it 's a `` herbie '' movie .",
        "it 's a gateway to advanced consumerism , with entertainment as a secondary concern .",
        "... but for the most part they do the most insipid , uninspired stuff . stuff like `` the love bug vii . ''",
        "the silly story , however , will do nothing for viewers who like even a touch of substance or plausibility with their summer entertainment .",
        "make no mistake , the vw 's latest incarnation is your typical disney stuff : sweet in spots , way too syrupy most of the time -- but somehow it works .",
        "this remake is about half of a very likable film . but in movies -lrb- as in auto races -rrb- it is n't how you start , it 's how you finish . and herbie should have kept something in the tank for the late going .",
        "this is n't a movie for the ages , but it is a movie for young ages , the kind of film you can unashamedly take your kids to and know they 're learning the magic of film .",
        "not wacky enough for the kids it seems to be aimed at and not edgy enough for the teens who by now comprise the bulk of lohan 's core audience , herbie puts the brakes on her run of successful disney remakes .",
        "herbie is the kind of funny , frenetic family movie that really does offer something for everyone .",
        "the comedy is pleasant for a while , and it 's a totally harmless movie for kids , but it runs mostly on a high-octane mix of slapstick comedy and special effects -- with little for discriminating moviegoers to enjoy .",
        "a movie that features such old-fashioned comedic virtues can be refreshing , which makes it even more unfortunate that this particular g-rated comedy contains sexually suggestive humor and references .",
        "herbie : fully loaded proves that a movie about a souped-up volkswagen beetle with the engine of a rebel and a will of its own can still be a pedestrian outing .",
        "herbie maintains a special place in the heart of legions of little-boys-turned-men who love their cars like extensions of themselves .",
        "the movie is savvy enough to toy with these conventions and wacky enough to take a few risks , and it adds up to a fair enough matinee diversion , much like its predecessor .",
        "carries a ton of excess baggage , the heaviest being all the crass product placements .",
        "amidst the doom and gloom of all of the 2005 summer blockbusters , this is a light , airy , fun-filled bubblegum romp .",
        "it accomplishes what it sets out to do , which is to distract the children of america from the horror of their eventual futures for a couple more hours .",
        "a new generation has the joy of watching this amusing anthropomorphic auto .",
        "its vibrating crowd scenes and splashy visuals will please the seven-to-12 set .",
        "lindsay lohan 's tight outfits continually threaten to put the kibosh on the film 's g rating .",
        "gets points just for not being the perfect man . and beyond that , the movie just is n't that bad .",
        "why anyone thought it was time for herbie to make a comeback is beyond me , but here he is .",
        "hello . hoagie here . my driver invited me to `` coast-write '' this review .",
        "a fun , silly family movie that , like its star , has more under its hood than expected .",
        "not the kind movie to overanalyze - it 's the kind that if you just sit back and enjoy the incredible silliness of it all , can make you feel like a little kid again .",
        "while you wo n't care about the human characters , you may find yourself pulling for herbie .",
        "though lohan does n't embarrass herself in a film in which she appears in virtually every frame , this tepid tribute to girl power hardly represents a step forward from lohan 's breakthrough roles .",
        "brainless but painless",
        "enjoyably silly ... the movie 's primary purpose is to convince a new generation that herbie is still hot ... and , on those terms , -lrb- it -rrb- succeeds .",
        "there 's something to be said for lowering your expectations .",
        "herbie moves along swiftly enough , but it suffers from a poor sense of direction and certainly ca n't keep pace with the original .",
        "against all expectations and laws of loathsome overexposure , herbie is a lot of fun .",
        "director angela robinson -lrb- d.e.b.s. -rrb- is saddled with a committee-written script whose transmission sticks and even sputters at various intervals .",
        "aside from one unintentionally hilarious dialogue scene involving giving up & herbie squirting a load all over lohan 's chest , it 's about as innocuous as family fare can get .",
        "there 's a lot of pg-13 jiggling .",
        "a more-than-acceptable timewaster for both the jungle-gym set and their captive chaperones .",
        "revamped car-is-the-star franchise will appeal to kids , even if it wo n't go the distance for their parents .",
        "a fast paced , breezy ride for the summer . the story sets up a lot of racing scenes to show herbie in action and other scenes to set up herbie 's slapstick gags .",
        "how can a car that winks compete with shrek or buzz lightyear ? could n't producers have given herbie a goatee or sticker of calvin peeing on kit from knight rider .",
        "i 've never quite understood the appeal of the sentient car .",
        "it fails to capture the breezy charm of the 1968 original ... ranking instead with some of its more unfortunate cheesy sequels .",
        "a zippy ride full of slapstick humor and a feel-good underdog story that should win over both young kids and their nostalgic baby boomer parents .",
        "it was funny then , and it 's funny now .",
        "herbie gives by far the most endearing and convincing performance in the film . we love herbie because he has a heart and soul . the movie has neither .",
        "herbie : fully loaded is a perfectly silly movie for a silly season that in recent years has forgotten how to be this silly .",
        "herbie : fully loaded is one of those movies lohan-haters wait for , so they can unload invective and anger , but it 's not bad enough to fulfill their desires .",
        "herbie : fully loaded is a solid bit of wacky fun that reintroduces the franchise back onto solid ground .",
        "if you 're not asking much from it , fully loaded can be a decently fun movie ; it 's otherwise a harmless and unremarkable kids ' flick .",
        "herbie : fully loaded , with its emotional-roller-coaster story beats , will work like gangbusters with kids .",
        "herbie : fully loaded is n't painful , and , considering the possibilities , that 's saying a lot .",
        "marketing hype and product placement overload aside , if you are in the mood for a fluff film , it does n't get much fluffier than this . it achieves it 's limited goals .",
        "time has not been kind to herbie .",
        "jason 's movies , while intended to be scary , are sometimes sorta funny , while herbie 's movies , while intended to be funny , tend to be a little scary .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "herbie : fully loaded is a decent kids movie that is pretty undemanding for adult viewers .",
    "id": "1784"
  },
  {
    "movie": "what_dreams_may_come",
    "reviews":
     [
        "director vincent ward 's view of heaven is surreal and spectacular !",
        "it 's such a lavish , awesome spectacle !",
        "the imagery , though it 's constantly switching moods , remains delicious .",
        "few films delight the eye the way vincent ward 's MOV does !",
        "a stunningly original visual journey to heaven , hell , and beyond .",
        "the overall look was original enough and impressive enough that i can fairly recommend this movie .",
        "just as the devil gets all the good lines , it is easy for a dramatic , chaotic hell to upstage a meditative , placid heaven",
        "a visual blast .",
        "unfortunately , this movie is much less than the sum of its inspirational parts .",
        "MOV is a soulful piece as you 'll ever see !",
        "the pedantic script 's tedium is more than offset by the handsomeness of the production .",
        "you 'll rarely unearth another film with such visual imagination and glorious use of color .",
        "the most important question this film asks , is how could one take robin williams seriously ?",
        "visually breathtaking and intellectually intriguing !",
        "the film greatly suffers from a lack of any substantial plot !",
        "muddled and confused !",
        "the set design , artistic direction , special effects and cinematography of this film are all stunning .",
        "for all its fabulous imagery and occasional dab-your-eyes moments , MOV never rises to the wonderment of its own irresistible conviction -- that love can live beyond the grave .",
        "this is still a very special movie experience that must be seen on a big screen , but it is n't quite the masterpiece it could have been .",
        "starting out as an exploration of the imagination , the film ends with an eloquent statement about compassion .",
        "dripping with bold visual aplomb and sugar-coated mysticism , vincent ward 's film is a staunch romantic 's romance for those who believe-or want to believe-in eternal love .",
        "as rare and odd , and visually breathtaking , as modern filmmaking gets !",
        "it 's such a lavish , awesome spectacle !",
        "the afterlife movie soars to new visionary heights in ` MOV . '",
        "here 's what 's wrong with giant movie screens : you can fill them with extreme close-ups of robin williams ' face !",
        "all the weeping and hugging the characters do ca n't make up for the film 's fatal lack of texture and psychological nuance .",
        "aside from having one of the worst titles in recent film memory , `` MOV '' fails by trying to be all things to all people .",
        "the film lurches ... toward greatness , dazzling the viewer with a spectacular view of heaven that is not only beautiful but also profoundly moving .",
        "it 's a sullen and woefully boring religious sermon ...",
        "worthwhile for thoughtful teens .",
        "this is what happens when you try to make a philosophical movie about spirituality without making anybody uncomfortable .",
        "this ambitious afterlife romance introduces provoking themes , but williams eventually leads the way back to familiar hackneyed ground . the grandiose art direction provides moments of wonder , but the muddled script gives them no raison d'\u0119tre .",
        "has two things going for it -- its spectacular , academy award-nominated special effects and the fact that it ends . everything else about this ridiculous , three-hanky film sends it sharply into nightmare .",
        "visually , it 's one of the great movies of its decade ; dramatically , it 's rather blurry and baffling .",
        "it may push just the right buttons for some , but it had the perverse effect of making me want to wear black , read some sartre and revel in a meaningless and empty universe .",
        "keeps poking the viewer with an emotion stick .",
        "the problem here is pretty much everything .",
        "la cinta se vuelve bastante lenta , dando la impresi\u00f3n de estar en un mal sue\u0144o",
        "a long , slow , pretty dull ride .",
        "not to say that this disappointing romantic fantasy is derivative , but it seems more like a hodge-podge assembly of scenes from other movies than a cohesive feature film .",
        "it 's not much , other than the vision thing .",
        "for all its deep thinking and strong feelings , MOV suffers from an overwhelming banality .",
        "if the film 's morose sentimentality sidesteps ludicrousness , it 's also not very dramatic .",
        "ultimately it 's too trippy -- and drippy -- for all its visual finery and erudite musings .",
        "in both concept and execution , they testify to painfully banal sensibilities .",
        "MOV ? if i were a betting man , i 'd say none . zilch . nada . bleech .",
        "a heaping serving of metaphysical gobbledygook wrapped in a physically striking package .",
        "`` MOV '' is a like an abstract painting , full of vivid brushstrokes that hint at deeper meaning .",
        "vincent ward taps into the very core of romantic yearning , coming up with an admittedly sappy but no less poignant tale of true , pure love .",
        "a visually breathtaking work !",
        "a treasure of the imagination ; a spectrum that reminds us that anything is possible when you are making movies .",
        "` MOV ' is so breathtaking , so beautiful , so bold in its imagination !",
        "a visual feast not to be passed up and bound to pack an emotional punch for many viewers !",
        "i stunned myself by really enjoying this one .",
        "no oscars to float around , but good work from all involved .",
        "spectacularly imaginative ."],
    "summary": "an insubstantial plot overshadows the beautiful , surreal scenery .",
    "id": "11789"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1019544-spartacus",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the most courageous thing about it , from today 's standards , is that it closes without an obligatory happy ending , and an audience that has watched for 187 minutes does n't get a tidy , mindless conclusion .",
        "it is a spotty , uneven drama .",
        "the liberal message is delivered with a heavy hand , but the film also boasts some stirring action and intelligent dialogue .",
        "an absolute classic by one of the great american directors .",
        "kubrick 's gladiator film is the pinnacle of sword-and-sandal epics .",
        "meant to be seen on the big screen .",
        "it 's especially strong , and more typical of kubrick , in the first half -- before satire gives way to sentiment .",
        "rousing in patches , but kitschy in so many others - a mixed bag .",
        "director stanley kubrick was obviously just collecting a paycheck for this one , though he stages some intricate battle scenes . too bad he obviously could n't have cared less about the lame love story and political machinations behind the scenes .",
        "many scenes ring passionate and rousing , while others are campy and silly , and somehow they all work together .",
        "though this stuff could have been directed by anyone , the greatness of MOV is in the stretches everyone remembers .",
        "MOV to this day remains one of the most rousing action epics ever filmed .",
        "the comparative frankness of the politics , sexuality , and violence , and especially the downbeat third act and memorable finale give it a dramatic heft beyond its predecessors .",
        "seeing MOV in this restored version , with its original overture , intermission and a few inserted pieces of footage that had been excised after initial screenings , is nothing short of spectacular .",
        "it is in the observation of human detail , and in many memorable little scenes that the film scores most heavily over other epics , and in which it finds an inner strength .",
        "one of the last truly great roman epics .",
        "based on a true story of a slave revolt in 73 bc , dalton trumbo 's script mixes the corny melodrama typical of the epics of the era with some quite affecting , moving moments .",
        "... a passable historical epic that has little in common with the rest of kubrick 's output ...",
        "there have been other versions of the MOV story , including a silent epic and a more recent tv series , but kubrick 's film ca n't be beaten .",
        "kirk douglas , while a little old in the role , makes a fine action hero , and stanley kubrick 's still-accessible directing made the movie click .",
        "thrilling epic is too intense for the youngest .",
        "while it suffers from some of the flaws of epics of this era-such as an overly sanitized portrait of life at the time , and anachronistic visions of fashion and lifestyle-spartacus also boasts some stirring action and intelligent dialogue",
        "douglas is terrific as the iron-jawed slave fuelled by righteous fury .",
        "the great-granddaddy of ridley scott 's gladiator has n't lost any muscle tone after nearly half a century , and kirk douglas 's direct , unpretentious performance as the great slave-rebel MOV is more engaging than ever .",
        "one of the greatest hollywood epics .",
        "more than a standard good vs. evil drama , the movie is about a hero 's inner struggle to persevere in carrying out an ideal that 's almost certain to lead to his demise .",
        "this may be the most literate of all the spectacles set in antiquity .",
        "MOV is a classic movie and this retored copy looks stunning on the big screen .",
        "arguably the greatest sword 'n' sandal movie of them all .",
        "decades later , it 's still one of the most intelligent and stirring histrical epics to have come out of hollywood , serving as a model for future generations of filmmakers .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- very attractive film because it does n't lack spectacle .",
        "... notable not only for its expected sword play and scenery , but for the genuine complexity of its characters , their relationships , and their political intrigues .",
        "asurprisingly apt companion piece to paths of glory in its consideration of the mechanisms of power .",
        "still stands out because it has a certain intelligence and underlying political agenda moving beneath its technicolor surface",
        "of all the historical epics , this pretty much takes the biscuit , with an unbelievable cast , incredible cinematography and plenty of quotable scenes .",
        "a true spectacle . the restored version rates a 5",
        "all in all , where the movie is flawed , it 's due to following the cinematic conventions of the era .",
        "this epic saga of the price of freedom is thrilling to watch , the struggles of conscience as gripping as the brilliantly staged battle scenes .",
        "though this is hardly a kubrick film , since kubrick was n't involved in the preproduction , douglas 's wisdom in calling on kubrick to bail him out on this ambitious production is evident throughout .",
        ". one of the most widely publicized films of recent years , the $ 12 million bryna production has terrific marquee power for class patrons , action fans and teenagers alike , thus insuring boxoffice returns of blockbuster proportions .",
        "MOV actually is pretty decent , and worth watching 10 times before giving the far inferior gladiator a look ."],
    "summary": "featuring terrific performances and epic action , kubrick 's restored swords-and-sandals epic is a true classic .",
    "id": "11189"
  },
  {
    "movie": "jimmy_neutron_boy_genius",
    "reviews":
     [
        "after seeing this do n't be surprised if your toaster goes missing and jimmy becomes a fixture on big and small screens for years to come .",
        "... a serviceable piece of juvenile entertainment with high production values and low expectations .",
        "the story is slow in parts but as this is a nickelodeon film , it is filled with all sorts of fun moments that children are sure to love .",
        "apesar da trama engra\u0437adinha , jimmy neutron falha em dois aspectos importantes : em seu roteiro e na qualidade de sua anima\u0437\u0433o .",
        "stylish 3-d computer animation , good characters .",
        "like a rollicking adventure from the fevered boyhood imagination of calvin from calvin and hobbes : the gooey aliens , the boy-genius gadgetry . except with jimmy it 's real .",
        "... -lsb- an -rsb- engaging and entertaining animated feature .",
        "the characters are comical and dynamic -- especially jimmy , carl and sheen -- and the outer space scenes are no less than stellar .",
        "una cinta para los peque\u0441ines pero tambi\u0439n disfrutable por toda la familia",
        "one of those movies that you watch when you 've got nothing better to do , munching jelly babies and smiling at the exuberance on the screen",
        "imaginative and well-paced .",
        "has its own boyish charms .",
        "jimmy neutron should appeal to carbon-based life forms both young and old -- at least until the media blitz becomes unbearable .",
        "though it looks cool in a funky sort of way -- it has characters and situations that likewise feel more than a little pre-fab .",
        "dexter 's laboratory , but without the irony .",
        "this boy genius should be grounded .",
        "nothing spectacular but likely to entertain most younger kids .",
        "it 's certainly nothing worse than a saturday-morning cartoon . but , aside from the sparkling animation , it 's not substantially better either .",
        "thanks to nickelodeon , this is another addition to their great track record of imaginative , child-friendly movies .",
        "the charm of jimmy neutron is that it 's both futuristic enough to intrigue kids and retro enough to hook their parents .",
        "there 's barely more invention in the animation than in the concept .",
        "after monsters , inc. , this movie may be a bit of a letdown , but there are some scenes that will delight elementary - school-age children and older preschoolers .",
        "it 's no ` shrek , ' and not even a ` monsters , inc. , ' but it 's a genial kidflick that should amuse the younger set .",
        "lacks the quality of story , character , humor , and animation that we 've come to expect in the seven short years of computer-animated film history .",
        "a mostly fun way to spend 77 minutes and , with its lovely candy-colored visuals , it looks good too .",
        "the voice work is well executed and the '50s - style settings and designs mixed with contemporary references and gadgets make for interesting visuals .",
        "yes , `` jimmy neutron '' is kids ' fare but it is well made and intelligent enough for the parents to enjoy themselves , too .",
        "a gee-whiz loop-the-loop of fun and frolic rendered in 3-d computer animation .",
        "that perfect combination of bright adventure to entertain the kiddies and clever jokes and retro cultural references to amuse the adults",
        "awesome , wacky , originality is diluted mildly by a rote sci-fi wrap up . otherwise , could have been one of the best films of the year . still very fun !",
        "this is a movie that is neither sentimental nor cheap ; it never takes itself too seriously , and it has faith in the intelligence of its audience .",
        "as a kids ' movie , it 's a zippy diversion .",
        "fun family film for the young and the young at heart .",
        "jimmy neutron is a fun computer animated movie and is a tolerable way to entertain kids for a couple of hours .",
        "it 's loud -- so it 's as though it 's trying to over-compensate for a decided lack of heart .",
        "this spirited cgi kiddie creation ... is absolutely popping with personality and prodigious production design .",
        "the most delightfully original children 's film of 2001 .",
        "though nickelodeon insists the target audience is six to 14 year olds , the plot , characters and design seem far more appropriate for preschoolers .",
        "it does n't have the little in-jokes that make shrek and monsters , inc. fun for grown-ups . but adults who appreciate the art of animation may enjoy the look of the picture .",
        "neutron 's relatively conflicted , walking an awkward line between the absurd and the downright lame .",
        "the gang at dna shows a knack for capturing the limitless wonder and imagination we draw upon in childhood .",
        "works better on television .",
        "a modest and charming bit of family entertainment .",
        "sure , it 's little more than an 80-minute nickelodeon cartoon , but jimmy 's near the top of its class .",
        "this is a kids-only flick and anyone over the age of twelve will be squirming in their seats .",
        "a misstep or two aside , you do n't have to be a mensa member to know that kids are going to enjoy it .",
        "good news for you moms and dads out there who will undoubtedly be dragged by their kids to see this film -- it 's actually quite good !",
        "put simply , jimmy neutron rocks .",
        "maybe i 'm hopelessly mired in my own private retroville . after jimmy neutron was over , i felt glassy-eyed and a little headachy .",
        "for all their rambunctious energy and rebellion , these kids are innocents out of a 1950s sitcom and the film steers clear of the adult in-jokes and bodily function humor that litters so many recent family films .",
        "while somewhat less inspired than its big-screen competition , this nickelodeon adventure-comedy proves to be humorous , clever , and engaging -- for children and parents alike .",
        "the intentionally stylized feel of a computer game fits the story 's tone , somewhere between `` tomorrowland '' today 's world of cell phones and headphones .",
        "one of the pleasant surprises of the holiday season .",
        "though the movie has its moments , tv seems a better place for jimmy 's high-tech antics .",
        "a delightful little film worth taking your kids to .",
        "suffers in comparison to the year 's other animated fare . innocuous .",
        "a lickety-split , madly packed , roller-coaster entertainment that might almost have been designed to make you scared of how much smarter your kids are than you .",
        "more clever than we have any right to expect .",
        "-lsb- w -rsb- hen they went into the outerspace adventure it just got so silly and it did n't really go anywhere and it just kind of lay dead there .",
        "jimmy neutron is one righteously neat piece of glossy animated entertainment .",
        "jimmy neutron just does n't have enough power to sustain itself to feature length , though children -- the movie 's real audience -- may be so dazzled by the spectacle of jimmy flying through space with his robot dog that they wo n't notice .",
        "jimmy emerges from his debut film as one of nickelodeon 's most promising and compelling characters .",
        "children up to age 4 will be diverted , while those from 5 to 10 will secretly pull out their game boys . anyone over 11 will be bored to tears .",
        "this little charmer both celebrates and kids the corny conventions of family sitcoms .",
        "the ultimate ` love your parents ' message is simple and obvious , but the film offers a lot of fun on the way to that end .",
        "clever , funny , and even has a great lesson .",
        "as frothily entertaining as this caper is , it 's unlikely to prove as popular with grown-ups as shrek and the toy story movies .",
        "it has some quality computer-generated graphics , while the story and artwork are imaginative ."],
    "summary": "what jimmy neutron lacks in computer animation , it makes up for in charm and cleverness .",
    "id": "9585"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cold_weather",
    "reviews":
     [
        "congenial , to be sure , but also so very subtle that it never becomes more than a confectionary dash of moody pleasantness .",
        "not for everyone . but for those who can revel in the moment , this seemingly nondescript effort offers some unexpected depths .",
        "... a film that derives its tone from the northwest coast that seeps into the characters who live there .",
        "MOV is good in so many subtle ways , i despair of doing them justice .",
        "just at the point of losing its audience , a nifty little film suddenly emerges .",
        "it feels like you spend 96 minutes seeing the sights of portland . this movie becomes tedious and the sluggish pace requires the viewer to have lots of patience .",
        "there are few conventional thrills on offer here , but plenty of humour and charm .",
        "katz 's characters are beautifully observed , the autumnal photography of downtown portland is lovely , and the tension is expertly maintained ...",
        "this is a slacker detective story , emphasis on the slack , and if you can downshift into its loping rhythms , it 's pretty wonderful .",
        "the obvious low , low budget is a mere obstacle for a filmmaker who uses intelligence , talent and humor to tell an entertaining yarn .",
        "there are a few good moments . but not enough to make the journey necessary or justify the abrupt ending .",
        "katz is content to hang back with his easily relatable characters , dipping his toe into genre tropes as a way of examining the mystery of their general twentysomething malaise .",
        "` MOV ' is an engaging and inventive act of genre-tweaking with no bells and whistles attached , and it represents a huge leap forward for an increasingly promising filmmaker .",
        "katz is a triple threat , his editing every bit as important as his writing and directing for his movies ' sense of place , shifting tonalities , and emotional vibrations .",
        "katz here shows himself to also be one of the few american directors of his generation -lrb- he is 29 -rrb- with a strong sense of composition and movement , sound design as suspense , landscape as character .",
        "the movie is charming in spite of itself , even if you do n't really care about the characters , the mystery or the resolution .",
        "a satisfying movie altogether , although in a lot of ways it feels like a step backwards for -lsb- director aaron -rsb- katz , artistically .",
        "` slow cinema ' at its slowest , this indie drama with comic touches is a dreary haul",
        "it 's as if the audience is being tested : can you appreciate such slow pacing and focus on character , or do you need your fix of hollywood plot ?",
        "the result is pretty entertaining , though most of that entertainment derives from katz 's skillful exploitation of gumshoe formula .",
        "the movie completely goes off the rails .",
        "the movie is like a butterfly half out of its cocoon , emerging with many fond looks back to the protective walls .",
        "pic represents considerable progress for katz , a founding member of the mumblecore movement .",
        "once the story picks up , however , damned if katz does n't create genuine suspense , even though the stakes are almost hilariously low .",
        "katz has honed the offhand observational techniques of mumblecore , gazing at characters and genre rather than navels ; i ca n't wait to see where he looks next .",
        "a detective movie that works much better as a story of sibling bonding .",
        "the arrested-development movie meets sherlock holmes in aaron katz 's accomplished , playful film about an aimless hero turned detective .",
        "this amateur-detective tale ignores the clich\u00e9s of the form to forge its own path , right up to its surprising ending .",
        "there is a decent story at the center of MOV . unfortunately , it is only about a half-hour long .",
        "not a riff on mystery stories so much as it is a riff , pure and simple , on the mystery of stories .",
        "though the film does n't always deliver on its ambitions , this clever mash-up of genres ripples with an ingratiating confidence .",
        "ambitious , if not always satisfying .",
        "huh ?",
        "some will respond to the film 's mumbling minimalism and there is something mildly heart-warming in seeing aimless individuals gaining a sense of purpose .",
        "american micro-budget auteur aaron katz makes a delightful leap forward with this slouchy , deadbeat mystery yarn .",
        "andrew reed 's moody cinematography and keegan dewitt 's percussive score reinforce the noir mood , as katz plays delightfully droll games with genre convention .",
        "MOV is not without its charm but it really does test the patience of the viewer .",
        "minimalist to the point of self-indulgence though admirable in its economy , MOV is a very different kind of thriller . think brick by way of arthur conan doyle .",
        "utterly delightful mumblecore mystery that plays like a slacker version of sherlock holmes and is by turns gripping , moving and laugh-out-loud funny , thanks to a superb script , engaging characters and terrific performances .",
        "it 's an advance on katz 's other efforts .",
        "the key to good mystery fiction is a sense of setting and characterization . this understated , naturalistic take on the detective story gets that right .",
        "... MOV is a lot more than a well-observed but meager mood piece . it 's a seemingly enigmatic but ultimately fully realized and generous cinematic experience .",
        "something finally happens about 40 minutes into aaron katz 's amiably low-key feature .",
        "almost a textbook example of how to do more with less . it 's about aimless people who suddenly find their aim .",
        "MOV is not near the kind of marlowe-esque throwback to an era of tough guy speak that brick was , but it never wanted to be . it is more about wannabes not quite sure what they wannabe .",
        "unfolding in wintry portland , this is a beautifully photographed tale , where the mystery itself is a red herring .",
        "the world 's first mumblecore `` thriller '' - a good idea for a movie that someone , in the future , should execute a bit less lackadaisically .",
        "a clouds-and-all portrait of home that feels more like my town than just about anything i 've ever seen -- a harder trick than it would seem , but one worthy of mastering .",
        "the strange moments are patiently drawn out and sometimes beautiful , but it 's tough to open a film like this without establishing a character framework to build on .",
        "as the practically somnambulist doug , lankenau has a ramshackle charm that recalls mark ruffalo , while dunn does wonders with a part that has to be created mainly in reaction shots .",
        "the movie does have a charm that develops gradually .",
        "the fact that the stakes end up being ridiculously low does n't matter . that 's just one more appealing element of the film 's unconventional intrigue .",
        "with only the most natural of conversations and an exacting relay of close-ups , intimate two shots and meditative landscapes , mr. katz reveals how the self-knowing individual becomes known to others , and me turns into we .",
        "a witty and funny mumblecore mystery .",
        "well worth the trip .",
        "`` MOV '' is much less interested in providing a satisfying mystery than dwelling on the quirks of its aimless and awkward protagonist -- anyone unwilling to go along risks severe boredom .",
        "there 's much to like in these chilly climes .",
        "can mumblecore make a decent crime thriller ? from the evidence provided , the answer would be a qualified yes .",
        "mildly compelling and amusing , but somewhat uneven and dull . the sexy trieste kelly dunn invigorates the film in a radiant , charismatic performance .",
        "in terms of storytelling sophistication , his latest feature , MOV -- despite the fact that it falls down cold in the last act -- feels like a step toward something bigger and better ."],
    "summary": "for viewers who manage to stay invested in its occasionally aimless story , MOV proves a surprisingly sophisticated blend of mumblecore and indie noir .",
    "id": "770860494"
  },
  {
    "movie": "da_vinci_code",
    "reviews":
     [
        "some protesters believe that if you see this film , you 'll go to hell . they got it backwards . i think if you go to hell , you 'll probably see this film while you 're there .",
        "over the course of two and one-half hours , the film unfolds in a series of dull and unengaging episodes .",
        "the movie version is so faithful to dan brown 's hit book it should come with a dust jacket ...",
        "if you want a taut adventure story , read the book . if you want a simiplistic tale with average performances and irritating alterations to the source material , watch the movie .",
        "if you want an entertaining yarn about the knights templar , historical secrets , and cryptic codes hidden in famous documents and artifacts , go rent national treasure .",
        "does what a good film adaptation should do : illustrate the best parts of its source material and still manage to make a highly enjoyable film for the uninitiated .",
        "even as a visual aid , the MOV is a deep-dyed disappointment . paris by night never looked murkier .",
        "it still had the necessary element of encyclopedia brown cerebellus-ex-machina , but it was visually interesting and did n't slow down the action with book-digging % u2026they made the film well , they just took the path of least resistance , and for that i can",
        "it would have taken a more imaginative approach and vision not within the reach of howard and goldsman to make the material come alive as a movie .",
        "completing the trail of cryptic clues simply becomes an end in and of itself -- think sudoku : the movie -- with little in the way of whimsy , star chemistry or excitement to enliven the dour plod .",
        "... it 's not very good -- long -lrb- 2 hr .32 min . -rrb- and mostly inert .",
        "... a crackling , fast-moving thriller that 's every bit as brainy and irresistible as dan brown 's controversial bestseller .",
        "... mr. howard and mr. goldsman handle the supposedly provocative material in mr. brown 's book with kid gloves , settling on an utterly safe set of conclusions about faith and its history , presented with the usual dull sententiousness .",
        "for people who insist that the movie is never as good as the book , your case just got stronger .",
        "the MOV is just what the moviegoer ordered .",
        "the truth is that the MOV is a pretty-good-but-who-cares effort , a moderately interesting diversion that will hold audiences in the moment but leave them unmoved and unchanged .",
        "... competent if only occasionally thrilling .",
        "the film is faithful enough , but it 's hard to imagine it making many converts .",
        "every time langdon starts to educate sophie , the urge to tune out is overwhelming .",
        "the film lacks the deductive appeal of the book -- the way it compelled you to match wits with the protagonists . instead , what might have been a cerebral treasure hunt bogs down in a miasma of nonstop exposition .",
        "a faithful adaptation of a boring , poorly written book . bring lots of caffeine .",
        "langdon 's not a human character , but an amalgamation of pop-up trivia and pensive stares and there 's nothing hanks can do to make him sympathetic , interesting or engaging .",
        "these offerings by howard and goldsman are not enough to turn a page-turner into something that survives and transcends a media phenomenon , in the way of such bad novels as the godfather and jaws .",
        "like indiana jones and the last crusade , with less humor and action , but more intriguing ideas .",
        "the movie is so nervous about offending anyone that it 's hardly any fun .",
        "the book was more cinematic than its on-screen version so that the very act of adapting it throws it out of balance . what is left to the imagination in the book comes across as heavy-handed and over the top on screen .",
        "director ron howard -lrb- a beautiful mind , cinderella man -rrb- has reveled in themes of humanity struggling to be great and good . and he finds enough of that idea in the MOV to render him reverential .",
        "it is like a cilice itself , confining and constraining the characters , the story and , finally , the audience -- but never drawing blood .",
        "a thriller that 's cautious , dutiful , competent - good enough to make its pile of money , but not bold enough to capture imaginations the way brown 's book did .",
        "ron howard does n't so much solve the MOV as preserve it under glass . it 's a bloodless best-seller adaptation , competent but uninspiring , rather like the vast bulk of howard 's long filmography .",
        "... a jigsaw puzzle -lsb- that -rsb- turns out to be a lot less fun than you hoped it would be when you started piecing it together .",
        "absent is the pure guilty joy of sequential puzzle-solving ; instead of participating in the hunt , we 're shoved off to the side as a couple of crashing boors do it for us .",
        "all told , the movie comes off as a too-hurried , too-superficial cliffsnotes reduction of a book that really ca n't withstand much in the way of simplification .",
        "howard does n't move the story along as quickly or as smartly as he should . -lrb- it 's a sad state of affairs when hanks ' character is actually asked to utter the words ` we have to get to the library , fast ! ' -rrb-",
        "i 've solved the MOV - % u2013 here is its secret : zzzzzzzzzzz .",
        "ron howard 's adaptation of dan brown 's the MOV is a marriage made in mediocrity .",
        "like a two-bit philosopher working the wrong side of the stone , howard has managed to turn gold into lead .",
        "on film , the MOV is not so much a fascinating puzzle as a prolonged slog through material that resists the screen .",
        "ron howard 's adaptation of dan brown 's bestseller is punishingly long , dramatically overwrought and fatally short on the thrills we demand from summertime blockbusters .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as for the film 's entertainment virtues , forget it . this is one of the most talky and pretentious major films in memory .",
        "the movie is woefully plotted and just flat-out , eye-crossingly dull .",
        "all of the actors seem to be on overacting pills save for hanks , who may yet rue the day he ever stepped off that giant piano and into big , self-important blimps like this .",
        "no audience member left behind . asleep maybe , but not behind .",
        "... sporadically engaging but mostly dull ...",
        "there are moments when this film , like tom hanks ' hair , laid there like a limp noodle . is this film , at times , pretentious , overlong , and boring ? god yes . but it 's also intriguing , suspenseful , and engrossing . i was sucked in .",
        "da vinci tis sure to stir up a big ol' nest of locus-n-controversy . but it 's a helluva film !",
        "a stirring and ambitious ad for the book .",
        "where 's ed harris when you need him ?",
        "it fells a little silly to watch movie stars like tom hanks make gee whiz , awestruck pronouncements about the bloodline of jesus christ out loud .",
        "the secret is out . the MOV is dull .",
        "for all the hype surrounding the film adaptation of dan brown 's the MOV the movie is surprisingly typical .",
        "one could classify the MOV as diverting , but it has sidestepped greatness by a wide margin .",
        "whatever your beliefs , `` the MOV '' is a film to be seen and , more importantly , discussed .",
        "they make fun of you for watching their movies , and still they get paid !",
        "the exposition is actually the best and most valuable part of the film",
        "too meekly middlebrow to really affront",
        "what seems credible on page is ludicrous in action .",
        "so intent on being faithful , the davinci code forgets to be entertaining .",
        "any movie with a skulking albino assassin begs for campy , self-aware treatment , but howard and scripter akiva goldsman serve it all up straight-faced .",
        "who knows whether dan brown was motivated by a distaste for catholicism or merely by money ? regardless , it seems dishonest for him to foist his debunked heresies on the gullible , unsuspecting public as if they 're the god 's honest truth .",
        "a great film to look at and salvatore totino 's cinematography is pitch-perfect .",
        "a mystery thriller that entertains .",
        "i felt it moved along a little too quickly , as if a tour guide with a pressing dinner reservation was determined to make all the appointed stops , but did n't linger long enough to let the impact soak in .",
        "although it 's handsomely produced on a grand scale and solidly acted by an international cast , the MOV somehow manages to drain nearly all the intrigue right out of brown 's jigsaw puzzle of a religious conspiracy thriller .",
        "ultimately , it 's a work of fiction that , translated to another medium , seems to have lost its punch .",
        "ron howard 's beautifully framed the MOV sticks to author dan brown 's controversial wild goose-chase thriller pretty religiously .",
        "as well-crafted and engaging a movie as can be expected from its dense and sometimes convoluted source material .",
        "dvc is a freakish book and a lavishly ludicrous film , a bouncing mass of high-priced gas given some stability by culture-tour settings -lrb- even isaac newton 's tomb and , of course , the mona lisa -rrb- and by hanks ' solid , sensible presence .",
        "i 'll say it : it is anti-jesus and anti-catholic . unintentionally though , it is a recruiting film for opus dei . where do i sign up ?",
        "sinister yet only mildly suspenseful , this overly cautious `` code '' certainly is n't all it 's cracked up to be .",
        "the MOV the movie suffers the sin of being afraid to make the same kind of mischief with its sacred text -- brown 's book -- that the author did with a certain other blockbusting bestseller .",
        "only ian mckellan seems to understand the profound silliness of the film in which he finds himself , and he camps it up accordingly ; the rest of the cast soldiers grimly through this preposterous , 148-minute marathon looking understandably exhausted .",
        "... a mildly satisfying religious thriller that is a bit silly .",
        "the movie does n't have the pulp excitement that the author 's gimmicky storytelling generated . in fact , it often has no excitement at all .",
        "... it 's a thriller with a lot of explaining to do , which it does , endlessly , while we wait for an actual movie to break out .",
        "the most controversial thriller of the year turns out to be about as exciting as watching your parents play sudoku .",
        "the film becomes an exercise in moving people and clues around . it 's like a sherlock holmes story without holmes , watson or moriarty .",
        "monotonous , colorless and entirely too serious , the film self-flagellates all the fun out of dan brown 's story .",
        "holy controversy , it 's ... underwhelming !",
        "if there 's anything to be learned from this dud , it 's that when you decide to adapt an explosive property like the MOV , playing it safe is n't safe ...",
        "it does n't fit the standard mold of the summer season -lrb- this seems much more like a fall release -rrb- , but the MOV is a mystery worth the indulgence .",
        "it 's a long trip around religious theories and elaborate puzzles , but it 's a trip worth taking for some slow-burn decoding delights .",
        "gutless .",
        "the greatest threat that dan brown 's novel , and now ron howard 's film of the same , poses to spirituality is the same threat that any bad art presents the human soul .",
        "unlike da vinci , this is not a masterpiece .",
        "there is a natural limit as to how deeply any film , but especially a would-be summer blockbuster , can dig into radical ideas of faith and history . to his credit , ron howard hits that limit .",
        "suffice it to say that this film is n't as bad as it is simply dopey and dull , and that nothing i or any other critic says will dissuade millions from seeing it anyway .",
        "an out of sorts howard transforms what should be a fun treasure trail romp into something inert and borderline dreary .",
        "some of my best friends have read and enjoyed the davinci code , and i will do my best not to hold that against them .",
        "how dark the con of ron - the MOV plays sort of like national treasure with any sense of fun sucked out of it .",
        "por que assumir um projeto que se tornou c\u0439lebre justamente por despertar uma enorme pol\u043amica se voc\u043a n\u0433o ter\u0431 coragem de abra\u0437\u0431-la ?",
        "a film that never rises beyond the workmanlike to the inspired .",
        "a jumbled , joyless affair that neither entertains nor enlightens .",
        "think of all the great men throughout entertainment history who have sought the holy grail : king arthur . indiana jones . macgyver . robert langdon ? see , it just does n't work .",
        "the script explains everything twice , spelling out the big words three times , so that even if you 've never heard of jesus or mary magdalene you can still figure out this story .",
        "howard takes a strangely respectful approach to the overheated mysticism of the novel , turning the film into that most boring of genres : the pious blockbuster .",
        "ron howard and screenwriter akiva goldsman struggle mightily to cram as much as possible of dan brown 's labyrinthine thriller into a 2-hour-28-minute running time , resulting in a movie both overstuffed and underwhelming .",
        "rather than being intriguingly provocative , the whole thing comes off as just a rather clumsy provocation .",
        "howard 's relentlessly gloomy tone will have viewers sleeping on the edge of their seats .",
        "so faithful it borders on bland",
        "just my opinion , but i think that most people have read the book and will see the movie out of a sense of cynicism and doubt of the teachings of the church , and not because they make for quality entertainment .",
        "it does n't take a great code-breaker to decipher the fact that for all the elaborate theorizing and running about in it , this movie is awfully empty-headed and flat-footed .",
        "here 's the gospel on the MOV : it 's a total snore .",
        "howard lacks the skill as a filmmaker to glide over laughable dialogue and preposterous myths to concentrate on the good stuff -- like solving the riddles , decoding the mysteries -- that does make the MOV so appealing as a story .",
        "the 149-minute film is a crackling rendition of dan brown 's novel , siphoning off unneeded fat and fancy and leaving us with a streamlined train of a picture that never stops moving .",
        "falls back on the time-honored hollywood trick of saying something provocative , then quickly cushioning the statement to tone down its potentially offensive nature .",
        "that it is risible and dim-witted does n't make it less disgusting .",
        "where it really goes wrong is in taking itself so darned seriously .",
        "so , does the MOV live up to the hype ? sort of . it 's not a terrible film by any stretch , but it 's not perfect either .",
        ".",
        "all in all , a respectable and predictable adaptation .",
        "the pacing of a gregorian chant and none of the passion",
        "too measured to be lively , too skittish to be provocative , too dramatically slack to be more than a ploddingly literal book-on-film .",
        "at least the theological controversy does n't swamp the fun .",
        "it is simply one of those movies which may have been made with the best of intentions but tries to appeal to too many people to be remotely interesting .",
        "... the MOV may be controversial and even heretical -- but worse , still , it 's plodding , tedious , deathly dull .",
        "judging by the cinematic results , dan brown 's mega-best-seller is one of those books that should have remained on the printed page .",
        "there 's no code to decipher . da vinci is a dud -- a dreary , droning , dull-witted adaptation of dan brown 's religioso detective story ...",
        "a polished affair with moments of interest , but simply far too long , too talky and just not interesting or clever enough to engage let alone entertain .",
        "part conspiracy thriller , part religious epic , part family melodrama , but not satisfying on any level , this vastly disappointing film will frustrate viewers who know the book and will bore those who do n't due to the rambling and confusing storytelling .",
        "takes itself way too seriously to be taken seriously .",
        "bad enough to offend even an atheist .",
        "an old-school thriller just as heavy on intellect and thought-provoking ideas as it is on chase sequences and shootouts .",
        "... what reads like a rollercoaster now plays like a booby-trapped scavenger hunt .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- wishy-washiness and its general tonal flatness betray a clock-punching mentality the cast and crew seem to have adopted for its production .",
        "grand theft grail",
        "it is a satisfying movie going experience that will ensure mona lisa is still smiling after the box office receipts are in .",
        "i can not vouch for the novel , but the movie is a remarkably underwhelming experience .",
        "duh vinci code is brain-free summertime escapism .",
        "there , i 've said it -- i liked `` the MOV '' .",
        "so deep the sleep of man -lrb- and woman -rrb- who buys a ticket to the MOV",
        "... feels relentlessly disjointed and garrulous . consequently , this da vinci does n't paint a pretty picture when it comes to tossing around its chaotic clues .",
        "dull vinci bore",
        "that the film was released during the summer blockbuster movie season should give audiences a solid idea of what to expect -- a glossy movie first , a provocative hypothesis on the roots of christianity second .",
        "the catholic church has nothing to fear from this film . it is not just tripe . it is self-evident , spirit-lowering tripe that could not conceivably cause a single member of the flock to turn aside from the faith .",
        "the MOV is exhibit a in how things that work on the page do n't always translate on-screen .",
        "if you enjoyed the book i do n't see how you could fail to enjoy the movie .",
        "on its own cinematic terms , it 's a moderately entertaining ride , sort of like the nicolas cage hit national treasure only done with more style and a more respectable cast .",
        "i never found it dull . it 's often preposterous -- yes , a fast-driving psychotic albino monk would be my first choice for an inconspicuous assassin -- but rarely boring .",
        "you 'd think director ron howard would remember that film is supposed to be a visual medium , but the inert code has less dynamic content than a sunday-school filmstrip .",
        "... only occasionally reaches the level of uninspired competence and almost never soars above .",
        "un thriller menor que probablemente aburrir\u00e1 a quienes hayan le\u00eddo la novela y aturdir\u00e1 con su confusa trama a quienes no sepan nada de la historia .",
        "... a first-rate thriller ...",
        "sudoku : the movie .",
        "director ron howard and screenwriter akiva goldsman have remained profoundly faithful to the text , though it 's harder for them to recapture the summer-beach feel of the book .",
        "mckellen 's character tells them ` you two are anything but dull . ' alas , the same ca n't be said about the film .",
        "... it is fun to imagine that there is a thread of truth to the MOV 's speculation about a conspiracy to conceal the true role of women in christianity ...",
        "the movie works ; it 's involving , intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations .",
        "you know a movie 's a dud when even its self-flagellating albino killer monk is n't any fun .",
        "how can a film contain so many clues yet remain utterly clueless ?",
        "the problem is the pace , which suffers when demands of explication force howard to pull his foot off the gas .",
        "voltaire , never a huge advocate of organized religion , would be having a fine chuckle nowadays over the current dan brown brouhaha .",
        "ron howard plays it too safe keeping fans of the book in line , objectors at bay and alienates anyone coming into the hype with thoughts of ` that 's what everyone is up in arms about ? '",
        "is it really necessary to add a whirlwind of cgi planets to hanks ' consideration of a sphere-based puzzle , or cut to crane shots of greek architecture and writhing , toga-clad women when he name-checks a pagan event ?",
        "stripped of its so-called revelations , this is an awfully silly thriller .",
        "the MOV has its moments , but it 's unforgivably dull in places and frequently both poorly directed and laughably silly .",
        "way too long and duller than watching da vinci 's paint dry ... takes away the book 's little credibility and makes the flaws more obvious .",
        "a faithful , slightly mechanical rendering of brown 's theological thriller -- yet due to its incendiary content , the film is engaging enough .",
        "not even ian mckellan can bring it to life ... and when ian mckellan throws in the towel , you know the difficulties are too large to fix .",
        "ian mckellen plays teabing , the only character in the film worth watching , as if the role was written for him .",
        "... the real secret to `` the MOV '' is that there is no secret .",
        "only mckellen divines that the MOV is supposed to be fun , and his performance becomes an inside joke that leaves mckellen with a smile as enigmatic as the mona lisa 's .",
        "ideas that are genuinely challenging to people 's beliefs do n't come from sources like ron howard . his movie is a professional , workmanlike effort -- a passable potboiler and not much more .",
        "as a film derived from a book , the MOV is n't a fiasco on the order of the bonfire of the vanities nor is it a triumph a la the lord of the rings . instead , it 's an acceptable but uninspired simulacrum .",
        "despite its two-hour-plus running time , howard manages to make more sense of it all without dispelling the mystery -- and leaves little time for anyone to ponder any inconsistencies .",
        "the rabid protestors do n't have much to worry about . the emperor has no clothes , and what remains is far from pretty .",
        "the definitive moment of the movie comes when ian mckellen actually delves into a lengthy powerpoint presentation . you would be forgiven for thinking you 've somehow slipped into a columbia pictures marketing meeting .",
        "in a marketplace rife with guides for idiots , dummies and the rest of us , this movie stands as the novel 's priciest cliffsnotes .",
        "frankly , it 's a stinker .",
        "a bad adaptation of an okay book",
        "what 's wrong with the MOV can be summed up in one word : everything !",
        "if only it were allowed to be merely a cheesy romp , an indy jones movie with more sophisticated stereotypes and far less humor . but apparently this is no mere pop novel-turned-high-hat megaplex product .",
        "hanks ' harvard symbologist alter ego is about as bland as a bowl of cold oatmeal , but it 's not his fault % u2013 he 's given less dialogue to work with than a cirque de soleil mime .",
        "i wo n't go so far as to recommend it , and i ca n't imagine ever wanting to see it again .",
        "the MOV is baloney , but as a film , i have to admit that it 's entertaining baloney .",
        "fast food that does n't taste fast .",
        "indeed , everything about the MOV is insular and insipid . somewhere inside this creaky , crappy film is a real adventure romp waiting to be revealed .",
        "no , it 's not as bad as you 've heard . it 's worse .",
        "heaven help me , i ca n't resist spilling the beans of brown 's hysterical heretical history : it was professor plum in the vatican library with a lead chalice .",
        "the MOV succeeds as a popcorn film .",
        "so dan brown is n't umberto eco , and the MOV ca n't hold a rosebud to citizen kane . howard still plays by the book closely enough to entertain fans and the uninitiated alike .",
        "clipped at the wings in howard 's adaptation is a rich pagaent of esoteric knowledge and french history . beneath every calling card is a better , truer story ... the information is out there in the public domain for modern tropes , however twisted .",
        "feels far more like tv fodder than something worthy of the big screen . the plot is intriguing and the acting pretty good , but the final finish is lackluster .",
        "the book kept you breathless ; the movie makes you restless .",
        "like a revved-up show and tell : call it show and tell and tell again .",
        "for once we have a thriller that is 90 % idea and 10 % action rather than the other way around .",
        "the movie was , simply , a disaster . i did n't care about the characters . i swerved between being overwhelmed by the endless expositional dialogue and shocked by how obvious certain story choices were .",
        "if you take this stuff seriously , one way or another , you 're sure to be duped . you 've got to hand it to mr. brown : so dark the con of man , indeed .",
        "it 's not often that this thought comes to mind while watching a tom hanks movie . but in the MOV , the actor is solidly miscast .",
        "... more entertaining and satisfying than the novel .",
        "the MOV is as slavishly faithful to its source as the first two harry potter pictures , which explains the film 's deadly , stop-and-start pace .",
        "opens the door for many spiritual seekers to think afresh about jesus , sexuality , the sacred feminine and the great mysteries that can not be contained in dogmas .",
        "about as good a movie as can be expected from a novel that is decidedly un-cinematic .",
        "... the more you liked the book , the more likely you are to like the movie .",
        "if there 's a flavor to describe director ron howard 's all-too-faithful adaptation , it 's vanilla .",
        "at once cerebral and melodramatic , ` the MOV ' should please those who think and those who feel . ''",
        "retarded , ridiculous and crushingly dull .",
        "... a melodramatic , sometimes lifeless film that is missing the suspense of the popular novel .",
        "on balance , i was far less involved with the movie than i was with its source , but appreciate the effort to decode the book much more than i 'm inclined to deride it .",
        "and mary magdelene said unto jesus , ` what do your parents do ? ' and jesus replied ` my mom 's a virgin and my dad 's handy . ' said mary , ` if your mom 's a virgin he 'd better be . '",
        "the movie was never going to be as good as the book and everyone knows it .",
        "looking for that holy grail of blockbuster movies ? keep looking . you wo n't find it in `` the MOV , '' an overblown , bland ghost of the best-seller by dan brown .",
        "`` the MOV '' is essentially just another average hollywood thriller . nothing more .",
        "a big budget bore .",
        "this flabby and blab-infested movie demonstrates once again why hollywood should stop trying to adapt international egghead blockbusters -- books about books , or about various sorts of twisty antiquarian arcana -- into films .",
        "would 've worked better as a made-for-tv mini-series .",
        "it 's hard to comprehend how a film with so much questioning and answering between characters has less character development than poseidon .",
        "the MOV is exactly the sort of pot-boiling movie the readable but preposterous -lrb- and poorly written -rrb- novel deserves .",
        "may not be without faults , including some unlikely action montages and occasional overacting , but boredom is not one of them . this thing is about as dull as street luge .",
        "it 's sad -lrb- even disturbing -rrb- to admit but those who 've banned the film may actually have done potential ticket buyers a favor .",
        "an oppressively talky film that is n't exactly dull , but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material .",
        "a jumble of historical myth , religious symbology and international thriller-action makes for an unwieldy , bloated melodrama .",
        "... overblown so-so suspense flick ...",
        "there might be a riveting adventure thriller to be made from dan brown 's controversial bestseller , but this is not it . melodramatic , overlong and dare i say occasionally boring , ron howard 's the MOV gets lost in the maze of its puzzles and media",
        "perhaps an interesting side-piece to those already fanatical about the book , but ultimately a lifeless adaptation that reveals the flaws of its source . so dark , the con of dan brown .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "what makes dan brown 's novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of the MOV .",
    "id": "155654983"
  },
  {
    "movie": "les_amours_imaginaires",
    "reviews":
     [
        "every frame is a joy to look at , and the three leads very appealing .",
        "hipster 's delight .",
        "there is something rather flimsy about heartbeats . that said , it certainly shows that dolan has quite a career ahead of him .",
        "lushly , not to say swishly made , the whole thing is really just a pseudo-poetic trifle .",
        "a subtle and painfully amusing battle of wills .",
        "it 's likeable enough , though there 's far too much slow motion .",
        "who knew being young , beautiful and hip could be so tedious ?",
        "in dolan , the hipster crowd might well have found their latest poster boy .",
        "may be the most raw and visceral cinematic portrayal of infatuation i 've ever seen , with nearly every shot conveying aching , unrequited desire .",
        "the film is a dream bubble , fragile and precious , that lingers over your head and heart , until bursting with the final scenes .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "opening with a recurring set of interviews with love scorned young people , heartbeats lays down a tonne of 20-something sarcasm communicated through tongue-clicks , snide smirks and eye-rolls galore .",
        "alas , although heartbeats is quite lovely to look at , there is n't much going on after all .",
        "`` heartbeats '' charts its own course .",
        "not too deep but oh so pretty , `` heartbeats '' presents a hyper-stylized look at a love triangle , a sort of `` jules and jim '' for millennials .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "while light on plot , this beautifully crafted film captures the emotional plight of its three young protagonists with insight and immediacy .",
        "the vibe of the french-canadian `` heartbeats '' is better conveyed by its original title , which needs no translation : `` MOV . ''",
        "it 's nearly impossible to believe that so young a filmmaker should be so fully formed and have such an arsenal of gifts .",
        "director dolan focuses on the fetishes of fashion",
        "mature viewers may grow weary of so much posing but dolan 's take on modern romance and the wear and tear on friendship seems tailor-made for viewers under 25 .",
        "spends 100 minutes dispensing painful examples of how infatuation turns people into idiots .",
        "there are moments of heartbreaking beauty in it - although dolan is still a work in progress . he 'll get better - he 's immensely talented - but he 's not quite there yet .",
        "girl likes boy who likes boy -lrb- or maybe he does n't -rrb- sounds like that recent reality-tv scenario , but there 's very little reality at play in this hollowed-out , tricked-up montreal-based drama .",
        "you would n't want to spend time with any of them ; they 're pouty , moody , pretentious and otherwise unpleasant . just like this film .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- madly stylish montreal-made delight ...",
        "the film couples high comedy with spiritual solitude . that 's not just a slo-mo stunt , it 's a cockeyed triumph .",
        "the actors are submerged in a layer of artifice so thick that it 's impossible to regard the characters as anything but pawns in the writer-director 's cinematic game .",
        "it contains all the passion and drama that animated i killed my mother , but carried across with greater assurance and technique .",
        "a and b love c , who 's oblivious , but xavier dolan only wrests a few chuckles from the old `` is he or is n't he '' tease .",
        "`` heartbeats '' looks good , and it has some funny dialogue . but there is n't enough to sustain the film 's running time .",
        "a stylized and compelling portrait of the fever of romantic love in all it stages from immediate attraction through the yearning for reciprocation .",
        "the new movie confirms mr. dolan as a wildly talented , carelessly extravagant filmmaker nakedly in thrall to idols like wong kar-wai , jean-luc godard , fran\u00e7ois truffaut , bernardo bertolucci and pedro almod\u00f3var .",
        "a thrilling visual experience directed with a very personal style",
        "dolan 's stylistic touches and cinematic tributes make heartbeats a sumptuous , striking pleasure . but do n't be fooled by all that fanciness ; although he probably would n't like to admit it , he owes a great deal to traditional american romcoms ...",
        "the story feels tired , and the cyclical ending is about as surprising as the calorie count of a cinnabon .",
        "dolan is so impressed with his own aesthetics that he insists that half the movie contain ass-numbingly long slow-motion shots , just so you can savor it .",
        "what xavier dolan 's sophomore effort lacks is a true sense of purpose .",
        "stylishly directed and featuring a terrific soundtrack , this is an engaging , enjoyable and frequently funny comedy-drama with strong performances from the three leads .",
        "it 's part of a very specific genre of slightly pretentious , slightly irrelevant nouvelle vague throwbacks that are nonetheless pretty decent . and this is the decentist i 've seen in some time . dolan , i salute you .",
        "quebec director xavier dolan 's follow-up to his precocious art-house hit , i killed my mother , is a sweet and creamy , puffed-up dessert of a film .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "there 's a lot that works in heartbeats -- so much that its flaws stand out in disappointingly sharp relief .",
        "the triangulations of their desire are amusing but dolan , as a director , is all attitude .",
        "an undeniable triumph of artifice , heartbeats acts as a kind of bizarro fantasy mirror , aestheticizing and glamorizing the madness that arises from unrequited sexual obsession , as drunk on beauty and blind to truth as its deluded singles .",
        "a french-canadian `` jules and jim , '' the lamely retitled `` heartbeats '' -lrb- `` MOV '' -rrb- is an impressive second feature from 21-year-old canadian wonderboy xavier dolan .",
        "a pretty decent film in its own right , and a remarkably good one if you consider the filmmaker turns 22 this month .",
        "a palate cleanser of a movie : unfrenetic , reflective , even melancholy .",
        "all the dramatic protraction gets at both a heaviness of romantic desire and emotional viscosity .",
        "it 's a bright , slight romp that seems to want to zero in on the pain and trauma of romantic obsession . if the filmmaker were n't having such fun mocking characters who fall hard while pretending not to , it might just be able to achieve that .",
        "dolan is proving to be adept at and unafraid of teasing out the flaws of his characters , seemingly more concerned with whether they are interesting than whether an audience will like them .",
        "remember the name xavier dolan . you 're going to be hearing it a lot in the future .",
        "dolan may not have quite developed his own voice yet , but he certainly knows how to crib from the best and the film features a dazzling array of style that 's bold and truly communicates the film 's adolescent emotions .",
        "that dolan has squeezed a feature out of a love triangle that ultimately may not even really exist speaks to the intensity of such an intimate experience .",
        "it can seem as if style is all in dolan 's films , but as well as revelling in its pleasures , they also dissect its limitations - sometimes without anaesthetic .",
        "dolan has a gift but he has n't fully unwrapped it .",
        "ultimately , dolan 's image-led central characters and their shallow , bitchy concerns wo n't appeal to everyone , but those who 've experienced l'amour fou themselves will find plenty to enjoy .",
        "ultimately what makes `` heartbeats '' tick is that it 's less about love objects and more about friends who are stuck with each other , for better or worse .",
        "at 21 , actor-filmmaker dolan proves that i killed my mother was no fluke . this is even bolder filmmaking that continually takes risks with its material",
        "a fizzing delight that tips a nod to the masters of the french new wave without sacrificing its identity or sense of freshness . recommended .",
        "sumptuously photographed and elegantly stylised , heartbeats ' exterior is as seductive as schneider 's r-pattzalike . dig beneath the surface , though , and there ai n't much there .",
        "the magic of heartbeats is comprised not just of its subtle acting , but also of it colors , music , fashions , editing , and cinematography . if it is n't perfect , it promises that dolan in coming years will constantly be closing in on perfection .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- `` heartbeats '' is a witty movie for chic twentysomething misfits who almost know what they want .",
        "dolan 's characters may for the most part be keenly observed , but it all becomes eye-rolling when he takes his stylization into overdrive .",
        "too many musical interludes , too much posing , and generally not enough meat in the sandwich .",
        "though his results are sometimes raw , dolan seems to be chronicling heartache as he discovers it . indulge him .",
        "so much of the impact of heartbeats is erotic because it always withholds sex or breaks it up into pieces .",
        "xavier dolan is the new darling of canadian cinema , and it 's easy to see why .",
        "the romantic-farce plot is nicely structured , the characters are written more sharply , and st\u00e9phanie anne weber biron 's glossy images are a pleasure to behold ."],
    "summary": "an art film to the max , heartbeats intriguing and appealing premise is sometimes buried by director xavier dolan 's filmmaking flourishes .",
    "id": "771040507"
  },
  {
    "movie": "good_luck_chuck",
    "reviews":
     [
        "does -lsb- cook -rsb- want to lose the hip , smart 20 - and 30-somethings his comedy routines are aimed for and become a sort of second-rate adam sandler attracting teenagers who giggle like beavis and butt-head at shots of naked women and disgusting jokes about sex ?",
        "... there 's an opening scene ... that 's little more than kiddie porn , leaving an ugly tast thereafter .",
        "it tries to be a sappy love story , an incredibly vile gross-out comedy and an envelope-pushing soft-core porno movie all at once . it ends up being an unappealing abomination .",
        "there 's an audience out there for this kind of thing , but if this is what passes for funny , what in the world of comedy does n't qualify ?",
        "cook has a nice comic personality but zilch in the way of comic material . but then , it 's not as if any of those teenage boys are going to care about that .",
        "raunchy in the extreme , MOV like its sexually jaded cavity expert , forlorn dentist charlie , wants it both ways , juxtaposing alba 's lovestruck innocent with cook 's overcooked , reluctantly lusty flesh magnet .",
        "tony-winner dan fogler , as cook 's childhood friend , is embarrassingly foul , and even criminally cute jessica alba is wasted , playing cook 's painfully clumsy gal pal/penguin nut in this alternately warm and ugly ball of whacks .",
        "the makers of this shameful waste of celluloid have padded their work with fat jokes , homophobic jokes , gratuitous nudity and various bodily functions , while harboring a fundamental hatred for women .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- fetid romantic comedy ... in short , if it were n't for bad luck then the chump chuck would n't have any cinematic luck at all .",
        "while only 96 minutes runtime , it felt far longer , prompting me to check the time repeatedly . not a good thing for a romantic comedy .",
        "who are these people ?",
        "the writers take the story precisely where we 've come to expect . that said , we 've certainly seen worse this year .",
        "the ultimate low point comes during the closing credits , when dane cook 's charlie performs bestial acts with a stuffed toy penguin . as if grapefruit used in the same way as american pie 's apple pie is n't bad enough .",
        "the movie goes out of its way to be offensive , even by today 's standards . the interesting thing is that it does it in an otherwise charming romantic comedy that 's actually funny .",
        "not funny or romantic ; too raunchy for all ages .",
        "a tedious stream of nightmarish deja vu .",
        "average comedy that squanders its decent premise in favour of a splattering of unfunny gross-out gags .",
        "if wedding crashers is in your top ten rom-coms ever , you might not hate this . otherwise , it 's too gross to be sweet and too sweet to be gross .",
        "a ramshackle piece of fleeting entertainment .",
        "it 's our dumb luck that this movie has be foisted upon us .",
        "normally , i start to get the dry heaves when i see dane cook on the big screen , but this movie makes him likable",
        "a blow-to-the-crotch , boobie-shot kind of comedy",
        "laughs are mia in this month 's comic raunchfest .",
        "if i had a choice between suffering through a dane cook film or the outtakes from carrot top 's chairman of the board , i 'd go with the latter .",
        "this is a lying movie full of lies . the first lie is that the mere presence of cook is automatically funny .",
        "to best summarize the violent tonal changes that plague MOV , imagine for a moment if bachelor party had a subplot concerning the events of 9/11 .",
        "does n't bode well for cook 's movie career , and it 's just another in a line of feature comedies that would n't cut it even as television sitcoms .",
        "its very premise is enough to have you reaching for the remote after ten minutes unless you 're in the mood for breasts , dirty jokes and male chauvinism .",
        "alba shines brightly as the beautiful , independent klutz who steals cook 's heart . maybe fate will see to it that appearing in this movie will guarantee her next role is a winner .",
        "a movie that simultaneously squanders its leads and its dvd extras .",
        "shoddily written .",
        "cross the street to avoid this one .",
        "to paraphrase one of chuck 's girlfriends , this is a film that finds no shame in licking the sand off the balls of comedy .",
        "crude , vulgar and dispiriting to watch .",
        "MOV has its moments - though the half-decent comedy moments are outweighed by the gags that fizzle and the cruddy loutish moments .",
        "an unpleasant sex romp of the kind robin askwith made in the 1970s .",
        "terminally unfunny",
        "if it was n't for the presence of leading lady jessica alba , MOV would be lucky to get even a dvd release .",
        "as dire a cum-com as ever shot its load on a cinema screen .",
        "the script is so reliant on wish-fulfillment it forgets to add those important little touches : you know , wit , sincerity , characterisation , that kind of thing ... a very cheap shot - and hardly anyone calls him ` chuck ' .",
        "we 've never gotten the appeal of cook , and this did nothing to explain it .",
        "the cracking performances from alba and cook do wonders at papering over these creative fissures .",
        "if you ca n't say anything nice , do n't say anything at all , right ?",
        "the only plausible scenario in this movie is the idea that a woman would be so annoyed by dane cook , she 'd be willing to put a curse on him .",
        "... a bit like being at an entertaining party ruined by a some obnoxious loud-mouths shouting obscenities .",
        "whether or not you appreciate dane cook 's spastic , hyperactive brand of observational humor , he can not be held solely responsible for the unmitigated disaster that is ` MOV . '",
        "... comes off as the latest misfire from erstwhile comedian dane cook ...",
        "apparently someone out there thought it would be a good idea to capitalize on american 's love for penguins and gross-out comedies .",
        "a transparent excuse for a constant parade of topless females eager to assume a compromising position . the only thing missing was a cheesy porn soundtrack .",
        "what is n't forgivable , though , is being boring , and MOV has all the engaging magnetism of an unflushed toilet .",
        "the final screenplay is as devoid of real emotion as it is of real characters .",
        "... wants to position itself as a first-date movie , but it 's a first-date movie for those who do n't believe in second ones .",
        "some movies are so scummy that after watching them you feel the need for a shower ; after sitting through this one , you might think a scouring pad is in order .",
        "telemarketers should target fans of the movie because anyone who can buy cook as a good-hearted dentist who travels to guatemala to help sick children will buy anything .",
        "somebody please stop dane cook before he becomes a movie star .",
        "dane cook plays a dentist in MOV ... having had braces , three tooth extractions , three bone graphs , and three dental implants , i can say with relative ease that none of that was as painful as watching this pathetic waste of celluloid .",
        "the film is some sort of humor-deprivation experiment .",
        "when a film has as much going for it as MOV did at the onset , and the magic is flying , it is positively heartbreaking to watch it all deteriorate by way of such glaring condescension .",
        "a lot of dirty-minded snickers , but not as many genuine laughs as you might have hoped for .",
        "despite a strong cast , the filmmakers squander a clever premise for a series of unoriginal , cheap jokes .",
        "i 'd like to be able to say they could n't pay me to see this flick . alas , it 's apparent i can be bought , and pretty cheaply too .",
        "amazingly , it is even worse than it looks .",
        "it 's a good device either for science-fiction or romantic comedy . but since there 's no intelligence to drive the jokes , the gimmick turns tiresome quick .",
        "it 's stupefying in its dullness and vulgarity .",
        "it 's a strictly date-night-rental affair , and if you still get ryan reynolds and dane cook confused , this will do little to help sort things out .",
        "please hollywood , do us a favor . no more dane cook ! i think i 'll make a ribbon for this cause and start wearing it .",
        "you too will find yourself saying , `` better luck next time chuck . ''",
        "alba manages to imbue the proceedings with a modest degree of charm , but the moment she exits the frame the movie stalls , unable to overcome the sheer blandness of its ostensible star .",
        "-lsb- ... -rsb- they have about as much chemistry as john hinckley and jodie foster",
        "it is the audience who will feel cursed .",
        "gross . exactly what the target demographic wants and gets .",
        "just when you think things ca n't possibly get worse , they do . and then some .",
        "no doubt , the outtakes on the dvd release will prove useful for recovering sex addicts and in vomitoria .",
        "some of the audience seemed to be having fun , but for me it was like a farrelly brothers gross-out without the laughs .",
        "first-time director mark helfrich brings a ham-fisted insistence on the obvious and a tendency to overstate raunchy humor until the raunch becomes a bore .",
        "let me say that i have seen this hump-obsessed raunch-com , but you have n't . and , hopefully , you 'll be working to keep it that way .",
        "the film 's key problem ? it 's not funny . but almost as fatal , chuck ca n't even exploit its simple central premise right .",
        "there 's still time , but for now , fogler gets my vote for the worst performance of the year .",
        "here is the dirty movie of the year , slimy and scummy , and among its casualties is poor jessica alba , who is a cutie and should n't have been let out to play with these boys .",
        "i could live with MOV 's determination to humiliate a cutie pie such as alba and its ongoing cruelty toward obese women .",
        "chuck actually goes much further and becomes more sexually crude than apatow 's work , and its attempts to become redemptively cute are way too saccharine .",
        "a desperately unfunny mix of romantic and gross-out comedy .",
        "MOV has laugh-out-loud moments , many more if you 've never outgrown giggling at somebody saying a naughty word .",
        "it 's a sexed-up , dumbed-down dr. t and the women , with penguins to pacify women who 've been railroaded into going to this movie by their loutish boyfriends .",
        "it 's all rather messy in lots of ways . fortunately the appealing presence and physical comedy of cook and fogler fill a lot of holes that would otherwise just be dirty ditches .",
        "it 's worth mentioning for the third time that this movie is much closer to caligula than sleepless in seattle .",
        "MOV looks like the unscreenable bits of bad movies best forgotten retrieved from the cutting-room floor .",
        "there is nothing good about this luck .",
        "` superbad ' and ` knocked up ' got the delicate balance just right for this kind of raunchfest . ` chuck ' apparently did n't get the memo .",
        "the jessica alba/dane cook love match is degraded by vile jokes , a boorish attitude toward women and a smutty tackiness not seen since those stupid nudie-cuties of the 1960s .",
        "the main audience for MOV wants to confront one of the central cultural questions of our time : will jessica alba take her top off ?",
        "the sex jokes , all of them clammy and stale , are reminiscent not of wedding crashers but of an eighth avenue peep-show booth in 1979 .",
        "only a truly unhappy , crabbed mind could possibly imagine most of these jokes .",
        "i 'm tempted to suggest it was made for 13-year-old boys , but i remember being 13 , and i 'd have been offended if anyone had suggested movies this awful were made for me .",
        "the lucky people are the ones who decide not to suffer through this drek .",
        "an r-rated doris day film set in a shopping mall . amazing enough , but who will pay to see it ?",
        "if you 're expecting something smart from dane cook , you 're out of luck .",
        "yecch !",
        "a poor man 's version of a judd apatow-style raunchy romantic comedy .",
        "that the film even tries to be heartfelt is egregious in itself , but `` good luck '' finding it among the horrendously executed slapstick , equally disastrous gross-out humor , and so much blatant racism , homophobia , and scorn for everyone else .",
        "what if you took one of the underwhelming matthew mcconaughey romantic comedies like failure to launch and added t&a , gross-out humor , and the gorgeous jessica alba ?",
        "it casts aside all ambitions for cleverness or wit and instead focuses just on being crass . there 's no fun in that unless you 're a 13-year-old boy .",
        "MOV is the anti-superbad .",
        "can we finally just admit that dane cook is n't funny ?",
        "legislation needs to be passed guaranteeing that any movie in which dane cook appears will find his character smacked in the face with a shovel and dumped into an open grave .",
        "ewww ... gross !",
        "`` MOV '' is a soft-core male indulgence posing as a hip hollywood good luck chuckle .",
        "if you like slapstick , see it .",
        "you could probably make a good movie out of MOV 's pitch ; that just did n't happen here . and i like a good , funny , smutty comedy ; the problem is that MOV is a bad , unfunny smutty comedy .",
        "cook and alba generate about as much chemistry as a mongoose paired with a rattlesnake .",
        "this is an unoriginal , dull-witted , juvenile , crude , offensive , idiotic and pointless romantic comedy that makes no sense . none .",
        "MOV is so undistinguished that it feels like an extended screen test .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a shortage of laughs and an undercurrent of mean-spiritedness undermine MOV , squandering a decent premise on gross-out humor and shopworn slapstick .",
    "id": "528347193"
  },
  {
    "movie": "che_part_two",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this film is stronger than the first . the pale , sepulchral tones give a ritualistic eeriness to the long pursuit scenes .",
        "it 's expertly made , mind you , and features a performance from benicio del toro , practically masked in whiskers , that is both brave and sincere , like the mistaken che himself .",
        "soderbergh deserves all credit for attempting a very un-hollywood project , an objective , forensic war film in the lineage of pontecorvo 's the battle of algiers , and as benicio del toro is convincing as the warrior in decline .",
        "this second part of the che saga is beautifully presented but annoyingly rambling at times .",
        "director steven soderbergh 's one-dimensional portrait of the revolutionary hero continues unabated in the second part of his over-reverential biopic .",
        "gripping , elusive and something to be experienced , MOV continues to offer up surprises , frustration and - above all - fascination .",
        "his film is brilliantly shot , capturing the chilly bareness of the landscapes through which the rebels yomp , but it 's formalist and clinical to a degree that will challenge viewers eager to identify with the figures it depicts .",
        "che part 2 is still problematic in that it unfolds at a glacial pace . though it 's at times hypnotic in its lethargy , the episodic structure is not easy to trudge through .",
        "can be dry , but it 's never less than interesting , well filmed and honestly acted .",
        "meticulous in its showing of the nuts-and-bolts of jungle warfare , it may be the closest we 'll ever get to an art-house action movie . as a tribute to che , it beats a t-shirt .",
        "superbly directed , intriguingly non-traditional biopic with a terrific central performance from benicio del toro , though it drags considerably in the middle section .",
        "luckily for us , soderbergh is one of those rare directors who 's able to make uninterrupted misery engaging .",
        "these are films that are certainly thought out clearly but not nearly felt enough .",
        "the film quickly turns into what can best be described as a lot of wandering around in the bolivian jungle .",
        "the film 's narrative flow is less driven by events , which are revealed in spurts , but are drawn along as their inevitable consequences .",
        "... a deeply interesting and commercially brave movie , one that recognizes the limits inherent in cinematic biography . it is meant to be experienced , not sounded for meanings , and is weakest when soderbergh caves into his poetic impulses ...",
        "certainly soderbergh gives you a sense of the boredom of war - as the days tick by on the screen , you feel your own will to live begin to falter .",
        "soderbergh has no interest in sentimentality , or back story , or even really in guevara 's philosophy , except as a rigorously footnoted onscreen reflection . practically rejecting outright the concept of poetic license , che is radical as a biopic .",
        "part two is the more interesting film . ... gorgeously shot in a lyrically linear style , with combat often depicted with carefully composed extreme long shots ,",
        "as a standalone film this is far less enjoyable than the first , but there is enough in here to engage and entertain for the duration .",
        "after the exhilaration of part one , the mood of part two seems somber , almost funereal , but it 's integral to the story .",
        "... while part two needs part one and not vice versa , it is part two that is the more cinematically daring and enveloping .",
        "the persuasiveness of the film 's reconstructions is impressive , but there is hardly ever any tension . it 's hard to tell exactly what soderbergh was hoping to achieve .",
        "at this length , that 's an unforgivable sin .",
        "why bolivia ? we do n't know , and by the time guevara picks his way to capture and execution it 's hard to care .",
        "most scenes have very little dialog , relying on the expressive faces of the strong cast",
        "darker in tone and more introspective thematically , che : part 2 is the more interesting of the two films .",
        "a gripping , astringent portrayal of what happens when you try to force a revolution on territory which is n't fertile ground , in and of itself , soderbergh 's second instalment exerts a certain analytical intrigue .",
        "this is n't a biography -- it 's a nature show where guevara is the lion .",
        "soderbergh 's guerilla-style filmmaking lends a grittiness to part two that puts you in the action ...",
        "twice as long as it needs to be , but it is also only half the movie it should have been .",
        "coming directly after the enthralling sweep of the argentine , it 's easy to lose some faith in soderbergh 's ability to obtain a consistent pace to the picture .",
        "benicio del toro is superb as the asthmatic , pipe-smoking che , while the supporting cast capture the frustration of a disintegrating armed struggle .",
        "che two is deeply impressive : austerely confident , coherent and mysterious .",
        "the saving graces are a commanding performance from del toro and the inspirational humanity of guevara ; even facing defeat and death he still has an unshakable belief that right will prevail and social justice will flourish .",
        "it 's well staged , but a good deal less gripping than the first part and the political background is less clear than it might have been .",
        "saying that a film has too much insight is hardly damning .",
        "like guevara 's slog through the bolivian undergrowth , MOV is a hallucinatory journey into the heart of darkness , defined by a performance of great presence .",
        "having given us che the icon , del toro now gives us che the man : an asthmatic , flawed individual , powerless to prevent events spiralling out of his control . the film itself is far less compelling .",
        "this plodding , one-paced , dramatically inert movie is almost entirely surface description .",
        "i have not sensed such movie pomposity since elizabeth taylor 's cleopatra entered rome on a juggernaut borne by slaves . che comes in at 257 minutes-worth of arrogance - it 's so long that director steven soderbergh has had to play solomon and cut it in two"],
    "summary": "the second part of soderbergh 's biopic is a dark , hypnotic and sometimes frustrating portrait of a warrior in decline , with a terrific central performance from del toro .",
    "id": "770686043"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1090759-deep_blue_sea",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the repeated lifting of material from other films eventually sinks this one into mediocrity .",
        "harlin delivers all the thrills , explosive action and sheer gore that audiences have come to expect !",
        "it 'll get your date to jump into your lap , and that 's really what a movie like this is all about , right ?",
        "MOV is an enjoyable little b-movie , mean and gory and single-minded in its pursuit of cheap thrills .",
        "director renny harlin uses sound well and moves that camera around with lean , mean , visceral clout .",
        "strangely monotonous , with distressingly few chuckles .",
        "a corny cornucopia of outrageous guffaws and giggles topped with spine-chilling thrills .",
        "MOV is an example of how expert action filmmaking and up-to-the-minute visual effects can transcend a workmanlike script and bring excitement to conventional genre material .",
        "the emotional edge in harlin 's direction -lsb- is -rsb- unquestionably as impressive as his action expertise is .",
        "one of the shrewder , more efficient terror machines that 's followed spielberg into the water .",
        "a gross , flagrant , in-broad-daylight violation of the law of billing .",
        "a silly no-brainer !",
        "this is one of those ridiculous movies in which people stand around mouthing cliches and weak jokes as they await the next attack .",
        "the characters are two-dimensional and the story is intensely formulaic .",
        "for action-starved audiences suffering through a summer drought of flying glass and fiery explosions , this cheese barge may hit the spot .",
        "this film was not what it could have or should have been , but it sure could have been a lot worse .",
        "the characters in the story make one stupid decision after another , as if they were trying hard to fail the ultimate pop quiz .",
        "sharks for dummies !",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "dumb , laughable .",
        "a lame jaws wannabe !",
        "a no-brainer if there ever was one .",
        "unsalvageable b-movie junk .",
        "finally , a trashy summer movie that lives up to its billing !",
        "an entertainingly trashy and derivative carnivore spectacular !",
        "it 's stupid and violent , and proud of it .",
        "if science can make sharks super - intelligent , why ca n't it do the same for screenwriters ? ... for a movie about the advancement of knowledge , `` sea '' is often flabbergastingly dumb .",
        "harlin , perpetrated , i mean , directed cutthroat island , but oddly enough , it did not stop studios from giving him big bucks to repeat his mistakes .",
        "ll cool j and thomas jane -lrb- are you looking for the new steve mcqueen ? he 's right here -rrb- keep the movie rolling .",
        "... silly , campy material presented as serious high adventure .",
        "i ca n't imagine wanting to see MOV again , but as a one-time-only , low-expectation , sunday-afternoon diversion , it kept me amused .",
        "was britain and were brits really this boring in the '40s and '50s ?",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "some upscale action-cheese -- plus who does n't love cool j ? but the movie 's exposition and plotting are mega-lame ; kurtzman & orci probably pray to MOV every morning .",
        "despite scene after scene of mayhem , harlin manages to create and and sustain extremely well-coiled tension .",
        "call it silly . call it obvious -- there 's nothing more obvious than a shark attack . but this is one of the few big-fish horror films that still has the power to surprise .",
        "harlin , in telling a standard tale of morality and conflict , turns in a plotless , empty picture that dissolves into an emotionless videogame .",
        "the script is so poor that any attempt to introduce a straw-man argument about medical ethics and animal testing is embarrassing .",
        "ok , i understand how gene therapy made the sharks smarter , but what made the scientists so stupid ?",
        "here finally is the big , loud , jump-a-minute summer movie everyone 's been craving !",
        "a taut , exciting thriller that takes movie-goers and characters deep under water and leaves them gasping for breath .",
        "a fat , irresistible twinkie of a summer thriller !",
        "yes , in its dumb , bludgeoning way , it 's fun !",
        "a big , dumb action movie done the right way , with decent characters , something resembling a point and monsters you can root for .",
        "packs a brutal scare !",
        "MOV is full of half-completed characters doing generally stupid things .",
        "shockingly fun deep-sea carnage extravaganza . go sharks !",
        "a nail-biting rollercoaster ride of thrills and adrenaline .",
        "a neat package of terror , sharks and special effects !",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the picture has one thing going for it : the element of surprise .",
        "bloody good fun for anyone seeking mindless summer distraction .",
        "um exemplo de tecnologia utilizada a servi\u00e7o da hist\u00f3ria .",
        "a lumpy chowder of thrills , fx and camp .",
        "a soggy effort .",
        "a scary film about some of the consequences of messing with mother nature .",
        "what more can anyone ask from an unpretentious piece of pure action escapism ?",
        "go in expecting a masterpiece of modern cinema , and you are surely setting yourself up for a disappointment . but go in expecting to be genuinely entertained , and you 'll have yourself a rollicking time .",
        "this movie is pretty bad , but the sharks are too tough !",
        "not a smidgen of originality !",
        "there have been some dumb killer-animal movies made before it , but MOV could set a new industry low in that genre 's intelligence level .",
        "it 's no `` jaws , '' it 's not really that scary , but it is fun .",
        "slam-bang , glug-glug excitement !",
        "the thrills are such a rush , however , and the balance of digitized and analog effects is generally so satisfying that pic 's sheer dumbness finally becomes part of the fun .",
        "a fun , brainless thrill ride .",
        "una cinta m\u00e1s en la que la forma de contar una historia es suplantada por una gran cantidad de efectos especiales",
        "despite a whole raft of contrived nonsense , it 's also scary .",
        "mindless fun requires a lighter touch and more suspense than director renny harlin can deliver .",
        "you might guess that this movie will feature yelling , at least once , ` let 's get the hell outta here ! '",
        "a goofy roller-coaster ride into the spiky jaws of funhouse horror .",
        "silly dialogue , petrified acting , ludicrous exposition .",
        "renny harlin 's pretty good when things happen fast and not much good when characters talk slow - or at all .",
        "one of the few good `` jaws '' ripoffs ... a thriller with some teeth .",
        "unpredictable , fast-moving !",
        "sea manages to scare the hell out of you , even while you 're laughing at the horrible script and generic lines !"],
    "summary": "aside from a few thrills , MOV is unoriginal and unintelligent .",
    "id": "13703"
  },
  {
    "movie": "robin_hood_2010",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV achieves something you never would have thought possible : it makes you nostalgic for kevin costner and bryan adams .",
        "i liked it . it 's on a par with scott 's american gangster : no revelations , but a satisfying , large-scale genre movie , toned up by its cast .",
        "it takes all of the ` merry ' right out of his merry men . thatis -- until a cheesy final action scene that negates all the fussy seriousness that came before it .",
        "this looked like the airplane version of the movie and not the epic it could have been .",
        "the short story by dorothy m. johnson should have so reminded them that ` when the legend becomes fact , print the legend . ' not the other way around .",
        "it does n't frolic like flynn , delight like disney , or careen like costner , but this rewiring of the MOV fable splatters around the muck agreeably , hitting soaring points of romance , villainy , and daredevil archery .",
        "despite a heavyweight back story that would break the spine of most action crowd-pleasers , scott 's sure-handed way with a narrative means that the action never lets up , culminating in a spectacular medieval d-day landings setpiece .",
        "it 's like an episode of 24 with furrier overcoats .",
        "learning what made hood is well and good , but could n't that have taken 30 minutes , with the rest of the movie being about a wanted philanthropic criminal ?",
        "ridley scott 's spin on the classic MOV yarn starts out with great promise , but by the time 140 minutes tick away and the film collapses into hollywood clich\u00e9 and convention , the audience is half expecting to hear bryan adams ' everything i do . full review | original score : 2/4",
        "a richly detailed movie that is at least as good as the oscar-winning gladiator , the first collaboration between scott and crowe .",
        "MOV was a workmanlike film with nothing special to recommend it other than the two lead actors and beautifully shot english countryside .",
        "robin and marian are played by a scowling russell crowe and a grim cate blanchett , who has the face of a wooden squaw stained by decades of cigar smoke . i ca n't remember a more un-fun-looking couple .",
        "`` and so the legend begins , '' the new movie tells us at the end . but it 's too late .",
        "crowe 's accent roams the british isles depending on who he is acting opposite , which is distracting , but blanchett is luminous with an unshakable nottingham burr , which adds warmth to some choice lines of dialogue .",
        "a big , sweeping epic executed in a manner that makes all the spectacle and pageantry appear effortless .",
        "shouting its way into theaters like a medieval music video , this outlaws and inlaws prequel features the usual period village pillaging of feudal pub party animals , no-nonsense feminist peasant blanchett , and a single fleeting crowe/cate pg kiss .",
        "MOV is good rather than great , ultimately falling victim to its own self-seriousness despite flashes of genuine excitement .",
        "this is watchable enough but it never feels like a proper MOV movie -- we 'll have to wait for the sequel for that .",
        "fake beauty and fake history rob MOV of previous moral value . it 's no longer `` legendary '' because scott and helgeland 's sham realism trivializes history .",
        "in part shaken off the shackles of rumoured script problems to provide an experience that remains entertaining despite some rigidly formulaic filmmaking .",
        "la recomendaci\u00f3n es simple : salgan disparados -lrb- como flecha del arco -rrb- hacia las salas . es momento de ver el nacimiento de la leyenda de MOV en una versi\u00f3n que jam\u00e1s se ha visto .",
        "MOV is a bland film and by trying to appear so respectable it has lost most of the charm of the original folklore .",
        "the cast , production and costumes are terrific . the story is so muddled and lousy it stains gladiator . crowe was right to fight % u2013 as rumored - with scott . crowe looks great .",
        "a visually appealing blockbuster but one which mangles history and legend alike .",
        "the directorial choices are , for the most part , so lazy , the blockbuster engineering so blatant , that MOV often falls into self-parody .",
        "i thought -lsb- MOV -rsb- was going to be the best film of the year ... -lsb- it -rsb- never gels .",
        "despite -lsb- its -rsb- problems , it is still worth seeing mainly because of its fascinating take on the characters .",
        "dark and depressing , this adventure lacks all of the excitement and joy of many of MOV 's previous adventures .",
        "it 's a prequel of sorts to the popular folklore , a prequel that nobody asked for .",
        "i do n't know if anyone can better direct the kind of swords-and-horses action on display here .",
        "ridley scott brings his usual keen cinematic eye and pain-staking attention to period detail to MOV , bringing an uninspired script to life without a grander purpose than to just exist as a typical summer movie .",
        "a solid change of pace for those seeking something a bit more substantial amid the sound-and-fury norm .",
        "there are fleeting moments when scott 's camera captures some of the mystery and magic of the greenwood , catches sunlight and shadows and glancing figures flitting through the trees - and you glimpse the enduring potency of the MOV myth .",
        "... something of a misstep that sometimes borders on terrific yet mostly meanders in and out of just okay in sherwood forest .",
        "if you do n't want a chillier , wetter gladiator then why are you even thinking of buying a ticket ?",
        "MOV looks great , with the sort of well-executed mise-en-sc\u010dne we 've come to expect from scott , but it 's a lot of sound and thunder that amounts to nothing .",
        "you know you 're in trouble when it takes two and a half hours for the legend to , well , begin .",
        "metaphorically , scott 's ` MOV ' misses the bulls-eye , but at least hits the edge of the target .",
        "` in this version of the tale , ' said ridley scott , ` MOV fires a desk telephone at a bullseye from 100 yards and hits it square on . '",
        "ridley scott and russell crowe have stripped the fantasy away from MOV and replaced it with ... boring .",
        "i give it props for being epic in scope and behind all its missteps there 's still something to ponder about the MOV legend that 's worth pondering .",
        "... dares to suggest that `` the best '' -lrb- is -rrb- behind -lrb- MOV -rrb- , but it simply does n't wash for a legendary hero to be without greater adventures to look forward to .",
        "it may not be your father 's MOV but it is an entertaining film just the same .",
        "the resolution does n't suggest the future social activist fugitive and model of altruism re-engineering class structure through thievery whom we expect .",
        "amid all the battle hubbub and archery antics , russell crowe manages to make us believe this MOV is a man of thought as well as action .",
        "an exercise in tedium .",
        "it 's an ersatz epic about men in fights -- grim fights , grinding battles , clanking combats that are repetitive and , in a movie that runs 140 minutes , all but endless .",
        "a pointless , uninspired rehash , it begs contemporary relevance by making what might be half-hearted gestures at tea party discontent with repeated bromides condemning taxation and demanding the right to bear arrows and poach the king 's deer .",
        "a joyless , character-driven , medieval history lesson with an inordinate amount of realistic , graphic violence .",
        "taken on its own merits , `` MOV '' is a handsomely made and entertaining movie that reworks the traditional hood characters into a `` braveheart '' - like medieval action/war film . just do n't expect any green tights .",
        "between scott 's sense of the epic sweep , helgeland 's robust script and an extremely strong ensemble , this movie , lodged well within the middle ages , is anything but middling .",
        "the action 's here , there , and everywhere ... but all this to-ing and fro-ing fails to advance the narrative with the compelling force you crave in movies .",
        "scott is at his best directing the action sequences and moving the story forward but is unable to imbue the characters with any dimensionality .",
        "exactly the sort of sturdy , energetic pseudo-historical epic that scott can deliver in his sleep .",
        "ridley scott and a vast army of actors , crew and extras produce a massive new MOV that stands with the veteran director 's best work .",
        "it 's a resolutely grim and grubby lesson in 13th-century british history filtered through all the requisite trademarks of a summer blockbuster .",
        "an intelligent , layered story suited to our grim , patience-trying times .",
        "there is a whole lot of meanwhile in this crowded , lumbering film .",
        "MOV fans hoping for some of the dash and wit of the classic films that starred douglas fairbanks and errol flynn should set their expectation meters to off .",
        "were that many people clamoring to see what 's basically x-men origins : MOV ?",
        "scott aims high , but never hits the target . his salvation is an ability to create and manage effects and name actors giving noteworthy performances .",
        "i would have preferred a MOV film .",
        "the movie could have just as easily been called santa claus for how much it has to do with the legend",
        "-lsb- it ends -rsb- with the snotty card `` and so the legend begins '' , just to rub it in a bit that whatever we just watched , it sure was n't legendary . legendarily boring , maybe .",
        "the cast of veteran actors do their job in a workmanlike manner and maintain the serious mood . other strengths are the medieval costumes and ...",
        "the production reins over the story .",
        "-lsb- ridley scott 's -rsb- primary interest seems to be that of all `` generals in the arts , '' to wow us with action set pieces garnished with bits of faux-profundity and cliff 's notes historicity .",
        "overlong , convoluted , mostly bland and underwhelming despite solid performances , rousing action sequences and impressive production values . it suffers from excessive style over substance .",
        "MOV does n't become the swashbuckling bandit of sherwood until the final moments , when the tag `` and so the legend begins '' appears . you may walk away liking this MOV well enough , but wishing you had seen the sequel .",
        "while it 's true that this MOV is unlike any you 've seen before , it 's also one that you may not want to see again .",
        "MOV merely dots the lines in a tale that , despite wanting to add new dimensions to a worn character , and perhaps kick-start a franchise , still feels like a retread .",
        "MOV is a high-tech and well made violent action picture using the name of MOV for no better reason than that it 's an established brand not protected by copyright .",
        "this is n't your father 's MOV , and wo n't be your son 's , either .",
        "scott 's film has tremendous strengths -- fine battle scenes , a strongly realised interpretation of events and a commanding lead performance -- but the weak spots diminish the overall effect , leaving it a valiant try rather than an unqualified success .",
        "so unrelievedly slow and solemn throughout that it feels more like an exceptionally rigid museum tour than the full-blooded adventure that it should be .",
        "saving private robin !",
        "MOV turns out to be , despite impressive battle scenes and countless horses , an actor 's showcase .",
        "there is no denying that scott and crowe work well together .",
        "a slightly soggy popcorn adventure . far from being a robin for the ages , it 's a retelling you 'll hardly care about while you 're watching it and barely remember after the lights come up .",
        "if ridley scott 's aim was to bewilder , then MOV must be counted a storming success . from the opening scene , we are offered little idea of who is doing what to whom . as for why : forget it .",
        "thanks to understated acting by crowe and blanchett , and despite a rather tired storyline -- `` MOV '' is worth seeing on the big screen .",
        "to tell a tale , of epic scale , with ridley scott again . and if you should moan , he 'll beat you with a phone . russell crowe . russell crowe . russell crooowe .",
        "in their efforts to do something new and different with the MOV character , scott and his merry band of filmmakers have robbed him of everything that made him great .",
        "the problem with russell crowe 's new take on the legend is that it has one muddy boot in history and the other in fantasy . the middling result is far from a bull 's - eye .",
        "what saves the movie , which is quite flawed but still scott 's best in nearly a decade , is its majestic feel for the english landscape .",
        "luckily , i chugged a red bull before the film started because ridley scott 's MOV was slow , boring and lifeless . the only strong point was the film 's villain .",
        "a painful 2.5-hour slog through monotonous battles , pointless name-checking and excessively elaborate plotting .",
        "the swash buckles under the weight of heavy verbiage in MOV , ridley scott 's well-intended but weakly executed retelling of the ancient woodland hero legend .",
        "how can it be that my geeky little heart has been ripped from my chest and my geeky little soul crushed underfoot like so much spilled popcorn on the floor of the multiplex ?",
        "perhaps the worst , and most shameless , aspect of this tedious affair is that it 's essentially a prequel for the MOV better known for his redistribution of wealth .",
        "http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/robin-hood-2010",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this new version from ridley scott is rich in history and adventure , a swashbuckling epic that attempts to explain the man behind the legend .",
        "as in so many summer behemoths , the real stars are the projectiles-in this case , arrows with their own point-of-view shots , zipping through the air and finding their targets with pinpoint accuracy .",
        "too much of this and not enough of that . this archer has missed his mark .",
        "`` MOV '' is a jolly good show , with spurts of violence for the guys and just a hint of men in tights for the gals .",
        "like his weapons of choice , MOV needs to soar ; scott has anchored him in a needlessly self-important tale that only rarely achieves the lightness of flight .",
        "england and france in the 13th century , a time of injustice and mud . it 's the same message one can garner about feudal society from monty python and the holy grail in less time and with a great deal more entertainment value .",
        "like the 2004 king arthur , ridley scott 's mud-spattered epic focuses on the man behind the legend . but it 's the legend people have loved and kept alive for hundreds of years .",
        "it 's a little like making a johnny appleseed movie , but having him plant peach trees instead because peaches tested better with the 15-to-27 demographic .",
        "cheer up , MOV , you 're a screen icon , for crying out loud .",
        "in director ridley scott 's take -lsb- of MOV -rsb- , what was green is now grey , lively now lethargic and merry now miserable .",
        "simultaneously simplistic and over-plotted , revisionist and predictable ...",
        "... the filmmakers laudably avoid a mere regurgitation of the traditional version ... but there 's a real down-side to this as well : i.e. , the film ends just when the fun usually starts .",
        "the MOV we get from scott and crowe is neither rollicking fun nor clever re-imagining .",
        "with its cast of thousands and impressive sets , MOV looks great but this is not the gritty re-imagining of the merry men that many had hoped for - in fact , it hardly even counts as a MOV film .",
        "i 'm thinking the title of the movie should be ridley scott 's MOV - how to make the english hate the french again .",
        "scott 's adaptation ... -lsb- is -rsb- about separating the legend from the man ; it 's about bringing robin of the hood out of the stratosphere of adulation and presenting him as a regular , human man .",
        "it 's a blah story with roots in neither history nor popular myth , and it does n't set up MOV as someone we 'd care to follow after this story is told .",
        "good but not great . the meatier story always follows the introduction , right ?",
        "we never even get to see robin steal from the rich and give to the poor . that 's because the film is a prequel in search of a sequel . with any luck , we wo n't get one .",
        "there 's so much stuff crammed in here that the filmmakers forget to tell a truly engaging story .",
        "stars with the talent of russell crowe and cate blanchett diminish their stature by appearing in unchallenging roles like these and mediocre pictures like this . i was n't expecting much and i was disappointed .",
        "scott delivers on spectacle , but our hero is more mr nice guy than maximus meridius . he lacks real purpose and the film ends up being a jolly ramble through medieval times .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "scott gives the proceedings an air of sombre importance , resulting in a film that -lrb- ... -rrb- feels strangely laboured and lacking in the pleasure that even the darkest adventure can provide .",
        "i 'm just so sick of this . this grim , joyless , faux-realist medieval world ... movies in this king arthur / kingdom of heaven mold that seem almost entirely lacking in sympathy and affection for their hero 's world .",
        "while scott is one of the few directors who could field-marshal this sort of spectacle and still deliver a coherent film , simply ending up with a fitfully engaging behemoth of a movie is n't accomplishment enough .",
        "it does n't breathe new life into a genre as did gladiator , scott 's first pairing with russell crowe , but it 's a brawny reimagining of a beloved old myth , a period popcorn movie turned out with professionalism and gusto .",
        "a rousing and well-acted screen interpretation of the backstory of MOV before he became a heroic outlaw and champion of the poor .",
        "this MOV misses its mark . in fact , he dramatically overshoots the target .",
        "i 'd rather watch the kevin costner version a hundred times before enduring another viewing of this plodding , pointless medieval monstrosity .",
        "a rather pointless update of the -lrb- theoretically -rrb- timeless tale . ridley scott and russell crowe 's latest pairing is not without its pleasures , but fails to deliver the action you might expect .",
        "it 's all damn entertaining material . even when you 're not sure what it 's doing here , you ca n't help but enjoy it .",
        "it 's rattling good entertainment , scott and crowe 's best since gladiator . i hope there is a sequel .",
        "an extravagantly hollow experience that feels disconnected from the original character , and ca n't survive the ferocious scowl of russell crowe .",
        "-lsb- ridley -rsb- scott 's straight-faced approach robs the legend of its sense of fun , turning a hero of the people into a figurehead for self-serious filmmaking .",
        "if it 's sword-on-sword with arrows-in-the-air action you want , MOV delivers in a big way .",
        "imagine pirates of the caribbean without johnny depp , and you 've got an idea of the flavor of MOV : grand scope , engrossing period action and performances that are appealing -- but just shy of indelible .",
        "damned if those dual spoilsports , the gladiatorial director ridley scott reteamed with his portly star russell crowe , have n't drained every drop of merriment right out of the myth .",
        "the endless plot twists may be perplexing , but they work to make the movie feel eventful and involving : after 140 minutes , audiences will feel like they 've been somewhere , lived through something .",
        "this robin is undoubtedly more authentic to the realities of life in 12th-century britain than the iconic errol flynn version . that does n't make it more enjoyable .",
        "none of it comes together , and none of it makes you root for a second go-round in which , presumably , our hero would get on with the robbing-of-the-rich-and-giving-to-the-poor for which he 's celebrated .",
        "the script itself has a sense of struggle behind it , with too many story lines and too little resolution .",
        "if this truly is ridley scott 's preferred cut , he has proven unable to justify the existence of yet another MOV film .",
        "MOV is head and shoulders above the sort of lightheaded epics hollywood typically offers during the summer season .",
        "in a motion picture buried by its own lifeless , meandering self-importance , the viewer looks at the screen , takes it all in , and questions every step of the way why he or she should care whatsoever about any of it .",
        "russell crowe is suitably earnest , brave and modest in the title role , although his accent wanders all over england with perhaps a trace of scotland ...",
        "from the get-go , this is a completely fresh take on a familiar tale -- so fresh , in fact , the story feels completely unfamiliar .",
        "the film gets notably dumber as it continues , culminating in a final battle overstuffed with unlikely and ill-conceived moments shot in overwrought slow-motion close-up .",
        "a sober , impressively staged period drama and battle epic .",
        "despite its abundant flaws and historical howlers and generally dimwitted tone , MOV is a surprisingly enjoyable work of popcorn cinema , if you 're willing to take it on its own terms .",
        "what this MOV lacks in fun it makes up for in epic sweep .",
        "rarely has the story of an outlaw of the people been so uninspiring .",
        "a very long stroll through an overcast renaissance fest",
        "it 's strange to complain about historical inaccuracies in a film about a legend whose origin is heavily debated ; however , that 's exactly this film 's biggest problem .",
        "audience rousing cinema of this size and class does not come along often . a titillating conclusion leaves open the possibility of a sequel , and if MOV is anything to go by , then more than merrier .",
        "its $ 200-million budget is on the screen . this is a big-scale ambitious period epic in the 60s grand tradition . it seeks to retell a well-worn tale , to put old wine in a shiny new bottle .",
        "nice cinematography and set design aside , `` MOV '' fails at its most basic level -- it 's not particularly entertaining , and as such , it 's not particularly worth your time .",
        "b\u0431sicamente un buen entretenimiento , que especula sobre los or\u043dgenes del legendario personaje sin respetar demasiado la verdad hist\u0443rica .",
        "what is missing from this version of MOV is the fun that usually goes with things like robbing the rich and giving the loot to the poor . this comes across as very serious , and it does n't need to be .",
        "this is not your father 's nottingham and that 's a good thing .",
        "MOV is n't a bad movie . but it is a frustrating , deeply flawed and wholly unnecessary one .",
        "one of ridley scott 's worst movies .",
        "the film is pretty , and there are a few solid moments every hour . but considered as a work of cinema , with paid professionals involved , it 's an extremely lackluster story .",
        "prestige epic lost without an awards season .",
        "taking a page from so many comic book adaptations of late , the movie basically serves as an origin story/prequel to the MOV who challenges corruption . this is essentially his walkabout .",
        "the film recasts the classic tale as a super-serious , social-realist tract about feudalism , tyranny , murky photography and how horrid those french were .",
        "if the word `` prequel '' means that there 's a sequel , i 'm looking forward to it .",
        "the filmmakers have destroyed its magic . and worse , they have taken away the joy .",
        "of course marian has to fight now too because women always fight in movies now and this is like everything else . remember when that was new ? it was actually a big deal when it started happening . now it 's another clich\u00e9 .",
        "scott 's films are usually high on technical polish but iffy in terms of emotional engagement . this one scores on all counts .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "director ridley scott continues his exploration of tyranny and religious war mongering with his entirely new take on MOV , one which places the character in historical context to develop the roots of the legend .",
        "a torpid action movie about land reform with the exhausted quality of material so thin you can see right through it .",
        "MOV boasts graphic battle scenes and ingenious intrigue , a sense of history that may not be accurate but feels authentic , and a love story that smartly plays with gender and hollywood stereotypes .",
        "this is a cracking good yarn , and you should n't miss it . it lifted my spirits in these troubling times , and should do the same for yours .",
        "this is strong stuff .",
        "... in an age of endless prequels adding backstory no one ever asked for , the only thing this MOV is stealing is the audience 's time .",
        "entertaining but too complicated for its own good , this MOV will doubtlessly make off with some good box office , but is unlikely to steal your heart .",
        "it 's as if what scott really wanted to do was make a movie about the signing of the magna carta , then got cold feet .",
        "ridley scott and screenwriter brian helgeland have given the tea party another thing to rail against .",
        "if you go into MOV not knowing the title - and if you do n't pay close attention to a couple of the characters ' names - it 's possible to not even realize this is a MOV movie .",
        "this latest rehash of MOV is a prime example of what happens when big stars lose respect for the audience .",
        "the epitome of what 's wrong with hollywood 's modern prequel mania - it tells no story , offers no new insight into the characters and is all about putting everybody into the positions you 'd rather have seen them at in the beginning .",
        "the film is 140 minutes long , and it ends at the part where things are just starting to get interesting . the story that comes after this one -- that sounds fun ! but not this one .",
        "scott 's films are all starting to bleed together . while i respect and appreciate his creative predilections , i confess i am tiring of his oeuvre . it has become worn out and familiar . each film is something of a copy of the last .",
        "in a partial attempt to relive the glory of `` gladiator '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- , director scott and star russell crowe reunite for another go at the period action-adventure with this reboot of the tale of robin `` the hood '' and his `` merrier '' men .",
        "a rousing , thrilling epic that never forgets there should be interesting characters involved in all those banquets and battles and feuds .",
        "pretty much ill-conceived from the ground up but saved by a couple of strong performances and a wealth of well-researched period detail . not the most elegant defense , but like the movie , it 'll do .",
        "MOV , an inherently useless look at the origin of the folklore hero , drains the character of all significance .",
        "while the performances are good - overall MOV is overly long and does n't tell the story you 'll want to see .",
        "-lsb- ridley -rsb- scott has created another masterful period piece of the highest caliber , one that gets your adrenaline pumping as it draws you into its story .",
        "there are great roaring fires and buckets of mead but none of it will ever warm you to russell crowe , whose charm seems to diminish by the nanosecond .",
        "if errol flynn 's archer was a new deal advocate of wealth redistribution , russell crowe 's dour awol soldier is a robin of the hood that tea partiers can embrace : a rebel against the tax and central-government tyranny of a callow young ruler ...",
        "iako predstavlja razo % u010daranje , MOV % u0107e starijim gledateljima koji se sje % u0107aju costnerovog princa lopova , ipak pru % u017eiti odre % u0111enu utjehu",
        "the legend lives on . actually , this film is set right before the legend begins .",
        "yes , it 's dour , but it 's also gritty and not nearly as silly as most `` MOV '' adaptations .",
        "this is not the classic 1938 the adventures of MOV , but it is an excellent tale that harks back more to ridley scott 's kingdom of heaven than his gladiator .",
        "why , this is n't MOV , it 's the angsty modern superhero . it 's MOV as a 12th-century batman . did we really need this ?",
        "s\u0443 se torne visualmente interessante j\u0431 em seus cr\u0439ditos finais que combinam anima\u0437\u0433o e live action atrav\u0439s da rotoscopia -- mas a\u043d j\u0431 \u0439 tarde demais , posto que , para chegarmos ali , fomos obrigados a enfrentar 148 minutos de proje\u0437\u0433o .",
        "boring and joyless , felled by a convoluted , mostly inconsequential plot , as huge chunks of the movie are taken up by negotiations and gamesmanship between characters we do n't care about .",
        "parental content review -lrb- all the details you need to know -rrb-",
        "a lot of care went into crafting the handsome production but not enough into making the handsome hero come alive .",
        "russell crowe and cate blanchett make a great pair of heroes .",
        "as a panel in the output of versatile helmer scott , this prequel is detail-oriented but it 's too serious , grim and verbose , posited between kingdom of heaven -lrb- a flop -rrb- and gladiator , which while not great , offered pleasures that the new picture denies .",
        "the entire cast is superb .",
        "grown-up but not too serious ; action-packed but not juvenile .",
        "the attention to detail is extraordinary , from the dialogue and the storyline to the myriad elements in production design , as the filmmakers create a convincing , raw , unjust and dangerous world - england as it might have been almost 1,000 years ago",
        "scale , spectacle and heart make ridley scott 's MOV a heart-pumping and satisfying tale , with russell crowe etching his initials on robin 's bow as surely as he left them on maximus ' sword in gladiator",
        "scott has an eye -- and it 's a very good one -- for sieges of castles , charging horsemen , hand-to-hand combat , glistening swords arcing through the air and deadly arrows whistling toward helpless targets .",
        "this physically imposing picture brings abundant political-historical dimensions to its epic canvas , yet often seems devoted to stifling whatever pleasure audiences may have derived from the popular legend .",
        "ridley scott is such a fine craftsman . his cuts and camera moves , his sound blasts , are all in service to the story . and this is a really old one .",
        "as crowdpleasers go , it 's anemic and underwhelming . as history and heritage , it 's even worse .",
        "the MOV of myth and moviedom is for the most part awol . why should we have to wait until the last five minutes to see crowe crack a smile , let alone split an arrow ?",
        "after the anemic kevin costner version of years past , ridley scott 's `` MOV '' arrives with just the right amount of historical gravity and production largesse ; but in giving over merry men for gritty action , the story bears no resemblance to its swash",
        "a glum , darkly serious , and slow-moving origin story that takes an exceedingly long time to get to the point where the movie should have actually begun",
        "he might be wearing chainmail , but he 's no iron man . he might as well wear the tights and pointy shoes !",
        "an early episode establishes robin 's change , from crusader to champion of the beleaguered and besieged , a fighter for ... muslims ' rights ?",
        "a muddled compromise that likely wo n't please history buffs , MOV aficionados , or casual summer-movie viewers .",
        "in one unfortunate regard , ridley scott 's grimy MOV lives up to the actions of its legendary character : it , too , robs -- but just from richer movies .",
        "instead of the usual romantic adventure , scott and screenwriter brian helgeland offer a gritty drama , using the MOV story to depict the birth pangs of liberty . they ground the film in the details of medieval life .",
        "ridley scott and russell crowe will be better off pointing their arrows in different directions after this dark age howler .",
        "who does n't smile at the thought of the tale of rollicking MOV , maid marion , and the merry men ? i can name a couple : director ridley scott and star russell crowe . this dour duo bring a heretofore unexplored gloom and doom to the age-old fable .",
        "it 's as if you were watching a movie about the 13 years jesus spent doing god-knows-what , and it ended just before he started that whole preaching career .",
        "i 'm all for a new take on an old story . but scott and his screenwriter , brian helgeland , work so mightily to turn robin into a stolidly noble , pre-notorious version of himself that they forget to make him at all magical . rousing . a hero of the gle",
        "sturdy and taut , but inches shy of rousing",
        "MOV hits the bullseye .",
        "in MOV , director ridley scott has no problem in ratcheting up action . but scott does have a problem in ratcheting up drama .",
        "ridley scott and his usual oscar-winning crewmates turn the familiar old english legend it into a robust , thumping epic . the pacing is a bit uneven , but it keeps us thoroughly engaged .",
        "presents all the appropriately leafy sets and sharp blades but delivers little heft to legendary characters .",
        "i 'd like to be able to say that the climactic battle sequence is so spectacular it redeems the film , but it 's literally too little , too late . scott 's done it all before , and better",
        "at about two hours and 20 minutes , `` MOV '' is heavy on exposition and dialogue and short on action . there seems to be a lot of dead space in which nothing happens . the movie could very easily have been trimmed to two hours or less .",
        "a slog of a history lesson ... despite its impressive technical aspects .",
        "a beautiful bore : robin has daddy issues and ridley scott pushes income redistribution",
        "for all its flaws , this is an entertaining romp which deserves to be seen on the big screen .",
        "considering the effective dark knight ending , -lsb- MOV is -rsb- the type of movie you 'll go see and , if someone later at applebee 's asks you if they should go , you 'll shrug and say `` sure . ''",
        "if 200 arrows fly through the woods , do they make a sound ?",
        "the villains here chart new territory in one-dimensionality , the essential storyline is bereft of surprise and the picture ends where most MOV tales -- sensibly , as it turns out -- begin .",
        "think you know all about the legend of MOV ? ridley scott wants to fill you in on every bloody detail .",
        "a dark and brawny version of the MOV legend that anchors itself in english history and loses some of the merriment in the process .",
        "it 's a little too obvious and ham-handed in places to be a really good movie , but any film that lasts two hours and 20 minutes without seeming like a long , hard slog ca n't be all bad .",
        "it 's leagues better than the 1991 kevin costner fiasco and thankfully devoid of a bryan adams song . but that 's not good enough , given the talent in front of and behind the camera .",
        "apparently grim and gritty makeovers of iconic heroes are n't just for comic-book movies anymore . england 's legendary bandit and his merry men acquire a somber new origin in ridley scott 's ambitious but turgid historical epic .",
        "is there a less promising director-actor team at work today than ridley scott and russell crowe ? i guess tyler perry and tyler perry , but that 's about it .",
        "the world probably did n't need another version of this famous tale , even though it arrives with outstanding production values and an impeccable pedigree .",
        "mistaking cinematic conventions for realism , scott and crowe suck the personality out of the character , transforming him into a dry , humorless sod .",
        "little more than a generic medieval actioner .",
        "surprisingly convoluted for a film that is at its finest when delivering visceral wham-bam battle sequences ."],
    "summary": "ridley scott 's revisionist take on this oft-told tale offers some fine acting and a few gripping action sequences , but it 's missing the thrill of adventure that made MOV a legend in the first place .",
    "id": "770800465"
  },
  {
    "movie": "chariots_of_fire",
    "reviews":
     [
        "based on the true story of two men who run in the 1924 olympics , hugh hudson 's oscar-winning film is absorbing and inspirational but also middlebrow",
        "i 've never stayed awake through this whole movie , despite many attempts with lots of coffee . it ranks in my book as the movie that least deserves a best picture honor",
        "a period piece that explores timeless themes of temporal ambitions and higher purposes , of commitment and sacrifice , of ability and spirit .",
        "the cast is impeccable from top to bottom , and the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat reliably go for the gut . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it 's an exceptional film , about some exceptional people .",
        "a bit stiff , but a genuinely engaging look at athletes with more than medals on their minds .",
        "it 's an uncomfortable reminder of how the memory can cheat and the academy awards can favor nostalgic sentimentalism over strong storytelling .",
        "although it is extremely well made , i frankly do n't understand what the shouting is about . good , yes ; great , no .",
        "granted , this is a british film and so you expect a restrained , understated reaction from the runners , but it 's this decided lack of fun that makes the movie drag so much .",
        "what fails as drama are the races themselves , shot front-on so that we do n't know who 's winning until the tape is breasted , but hugh hudson 's decision to use slow motion and david watkin 's beautiful lighting lend them a proper heroic burnish .",
        "vangelis was the secret weapon that riefenstahl did n't have .",
        "worthy sports flick that avoids playing only to cliche",
        "is it possible to run in slow motion and not hear vangelis ? this is the signature of all great films , a classic scene forever imprinted in your imagination .",
        "as world events have proved time and again , this is a timeless story , rooted in an era long before anyone had thought of spandex or terrorist attacks .",
        "a pleasant , mildly inspirational movie but hardly worthy of all the accolades it received .",
        "the battered britons may have some excuse for enjoying this nostalgic re-creation of empire ideology , but what 's ours ?",
        "really this is an overblown piece of self-congratulatory emotional manipulation perfectly suited for thatcherite liberals .",
        "even after 31 years , MOV does n't simply impress ; it inspires .",
        "a pleasant inspirational movie that failed to inspire me .",
        "lavish and uplifting sports movie driven by finely honed performances , and home to one of the most iconic sequences in 1980s british film .",
        "no imbalance mars the pic , whose cross-the-board achievement lifts it to an impressive level of unified accomplishment .",
        "emotionally lacking , MOV is only limitedly entertaining as a piece of cinematic history and a glimpse into the history of a handful of olympic hopefuls .",
        "this is quite possibly the most lyrical , most spiritual sports movie ever made .",
        "appreciation of this picture does n't demand a love of sports , merely an understanding of human nature .",
        "tells the true stories of two young men who become champions at the 1924 paris olympics and their religious commitments .",
        "now , 20 years later , it 's dated . in some ways that actually benefits the film as its true age somehow helps its 1920s setting but other aspects suffer .",
        "enhanced considerably by vangelis 's stirring score - has a film ever owed so much to its music ? - the picture also works as a poignant paen to youthful hopes and the passing of time .",
        "this is strange . i have no interest in running and am not a partisan in the british class system . then why should i have been so deeply moved by MOV ?",
        "worth watching despite providing another reason to put words `` oscar '' and `` overrated '' in the same sentence",
        "chariots is a film for the ages .",
        "sir john gielgud and patrick magee head up -- but do n't show up -- director hugh hudson 's excellent cast of mostly unknown british actors . the cinematography , too , is splendid .",
        "despite its bombastic tendencies , chariots has a healthy glow that 's charming .",
        "it is an affirmation of clouded and second-hand values -- and , as a result , it becomes vulgar .",
        "the film is not just about the race between abrahams , the jewish law student -lrb- ben cross -rrb- , and scottish missionary eric liddell -lrb- the late ian charleson -rrb- . it 's a character study and a social history too .",
        "from the opening scene of pale young men racing barefoot along the beach , full of hope and elation , backed by vangelis 's now famous anthem , the film is utterly compelling .",
        "oddly , for a film about triumph over adversity , there 's nothing as uplifting as the opening and closing jogs along a windswept beach .",
        "a movie that , with the help of vangelis papathanassiou 's wonderfully stirring music , lifts the spirits to a new high .",
        "this 31-year-old oscar winning true-life drama climaxing at the 1924 games proved a winner all the way . and it still is .",
        "vigorous but rather scattered .",
        "a roaringly good examination of competition , nationalism , conscience , and faith played out against a inspiring backdrop of sheer physical exertion and achievement .",
        "the key actors all do good work , and the unlikely conflation of athletic ambition and religious controversy makes for a potent combination .",
        "like every element in this picture , the actors look right ; they seem to emerge from the past , instead of being pasted on to it , as so many characters in historical movies seem to be .",
        "brilliant true story of 1924 olympic footrace .",
        "there have been a lot of sports dramas made into films over the years , including `` rocky '' and last year 's over-praised `` the fighter , '' but `` MOV '' remains one of the best because it transcends sports .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- airless saga of university toffs building themselves up to run for god and country at the 1924 summer olympics in paris ...",
        "the film still soars . even vangelis ' music , so overplayed since the film 's release , still works magic in the proper context .",
        "an odd , malformed antique that still manages to retain a certain surface-level charm .",
        "a bold , intelligent , romantic film with all the lineaments of a classic , and a score by vangelis as instantly hummable as the music for jaws .",
        "the reason it succeeds with audiences around the world is that it 's a stirring tale about inspiring people .",
        "in my opinion it stands on the podium of sporting movies just below raging bull .",
        "to be clear , there 's no way -- no way -- this should have won the best picture oscar over warren beatty 's magnificent reds , but it 's a far better movie than its detractors claim .",
        "it 's an uplifting motion picture that does everything a good picture should do : it moves us . it challenges our mind . and it touches our heart .",
        "there 's drama here , but it 's work getting to it .",
        "unfairly dismissed by some as an empty exercise in cheap schmaltz , this has an old-fashioned innocence that celebrates the human spirit with a lot of careful detail ."],
    "summary": "decidedly slower and less limber than the olympic runners at the center of its story , the film nevertheless manages to make effectively stirring use of its spiritual and patriotic themes .",
    "id": "10818"
  },
  {
    "movie": "american_graffiti",
    "reviews":
     [
        "anyone who has spent their teenage years cruising up and down main street will connect with the film ... which is part of the reason i did n't .",
        "nearly 40 years later it still plays as a loose and vibrant testament to an era that is so distinctly america .",
        "brilliant and highly influential .",
        "playfully suggests what life was like for white teenagers in small-town america during the 1950s and early 1960s .",
        "this superb and singular film catches not only the charm and tribal energy of the teen-age 1950s but also the listlessness and the resignation that underscored it all like an incessant bass line in one of the rock - 'n' - roll songs of the period .",
        "maybe the best film about teenagers ever made .",
        "wonderfully evoking the feel and spirit of the era , this is one of those rare movies you live through rather than watch .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- hugely influential docu-drama .",
        "it 's one of the all-time great feel good films , but its sly cultural commentary is what makes it the masterpiece that it is .",
        "MOV is a music-infused tone poem - a fond , delicate trip back to an era often forgotten .",
        "director george lucas has evoked the era in a most authentic , moving , and aesthetically pleasing way .",
        "MOV still bears the mark of a superb filmmaking talent .",
        "MOV acts almost as a milestone to show us how far -lrb- and in many cases how tragically -rrb- we have come .",
        "trend setter , nostalgic , feel good hit",
        "a hallmark film of the 1970s .",
        "it is a very good movie , funny , tough , unsentimental .",
        "destined to be an instant classic . the performances are timeless .",
        "... not a bad film but not an exceptional one either . it 's modestly entertaining to watch , but i did n't find it really involving",
        "i love star wars more , but strictly speaking , this is probably a better film .",
        "rock-solid proof that lucas can write characters ... or at least could . great cast , warm nostalgia , and wonderful music .",
        "MOV has a timeless power that speaks to everyone who was ever a teenager .",
        "a funny-serious movie with gorgeous cars and colours and an amazing feel for the artefacts of an instantly vanished era .",
        "coming-of-age classic still a must-see for teens .",
        "there is brilliant interplaying and underplaying , of script , performers and direction which will raise howls of laughter from audiences , yet never descends on the screen to overdone mugging , pratfall and other heavy-handed devices normally employed .",
        "lucas ' direction is skilful and assured -- he follows several stories with wit and sensitivity -- and he 's matched by his cast , the whole film perfectly evoking the end of an era .",
        "the film that launched a thousand careers .",
        "a brilliant work of popular art , it redefined nostalgia as a marketable commodity and established a new narrative style , with locale replacing plot , that has since been imitated to the point of ineffectiveness .",
        "... the ultimate nostalgia movie of all time ...",
        "if last picture show presents gloomy portrait of small-town life prior to the advent of tv , lucas moves the setting forward by a decade , in 1962 , when tv had already become the mainstay of pop culture , though for his youths , radio is the relevant medium .",
        "a successful tribute to an era of optimism and competitiveness which was bitchin ' -- and now seems very far in the past .",
        "lucas ' sleeper hit ... casts a rose-colored eye back to a placid pre-vietnam america , a time when rock 'n' roll was young and hot rods were cool .",
        "young george lucas ' influential hallmark film MOV -lrb- 1973 -rrb- recreates the feel , landscape , and sounds of early 60s",
        "teen tales do n't get much better than this ."],
    "summary": "one of the most influential of all teen films , MOV is a funny , nostalgic , and bittersweet look at a group of recent high school grads ' last days of innocence .",
    "id": "10200"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1018047-sabrina",
    "reviews":
     [
        "script is long on glibly quipping dialog , dropped with a seemingly casual air , and broadly played situations . the splendid trouping delivers them style . leavening the chuckles are tugs at the heart .",
        "... a classy fairy tale , with plenty of sparkle amid the occasional fizz .",
        "a charming reworking of the classic cinderella story , billy wilder 's MOV featurs a terrific cast , headed by william holden , humphrey bogart -lrb- in a comedy role ! -rrb- , and best of all audrey hepburn .",
        "it 's a perfect souffl\u00e9 of a movie -- or to borrow an apt phrase from ian anderson , it 's a ` breath of champagne on a sparkling night . '",
        "ignore the critics who say this is one of billy wilder 's minor works . it is a major movie , a masterpiece of romantic comedy , and it still looks as fresh as a daisy .",
        "what you end up with is hardly vintage wilder , but certainly one of those warm , comfortable movies it 's nice to curl up with on a sunday afternoon .",
        "sure , it takes a familiar road , but there 's certainly enough bubbling under the surface to keep the heart of the film relevant and appealing more than a half-century later .",
        "it 's odd that wilder 's script lacks a sharpness to balance all the love that 's in the air",
        "this is never less than glittering entertainment , but somehow a certain measure of lead has found its way into the formula .",
        "MOV , much like its characters , follows conventions rather than challenges them .",
        "hampered by an unimaginative script ... nevertheless manages to be a thoroughly charming , delightfully romantic variation of the cinderella story .",
        "there may be further objections to the feature 's overlength and spotty tempo .",
        "ultimately , what we 've got is a light comedy that 's super-charged by a strong cast , excellent direction -lrb- billy wilder keeps things moving -rrb- and a sharp script .",
        "abundant charm and humour",
        "it is a story as light as a feather and as old as yesterday 's news , as transparent as a society column item and as smug as a foreign-made car . but mr. wilder ... has made it into a commentary as crisp as a screed in a smart magazine .",
        "all in all , MOV is an intelligent , mildly entertaining also-ran .",
        "skip the harrison ford remake and go straight to this original classic .",
        "leave it to billy wilder to try to capture roman holiday 's lightning in a bottle with MOV",
        "a frothy delight .",
        "a semi-classic for the semi-literate .",
        "it 's a cinderella story that gets turned on its head , a satire about breaking down class and emotional barriers , and a confrontation between new world callousness and old world humanity .",
        "just as much chilling as it 's witty .",
        "bogey and hepburn - classic .",
        "wilder 's tastelessness now seems his major artistic strength .",
        "... the results were satisfying , as bogart played drawing-room comedy with aplomb .",
        "a perfect audrey hepburn vehicle ."],
    "summary": "with its humorous script and its stars ' immense charm , MOV remains a resonant romantic gem .",
    "id": "18228"
  },
  {
    "movie": "australia",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film 's rapid changes of tone often make for a bumpy ride .",
        "this costly , much-troubled , forever-in-production epic nonetheless falls short of its lofty ambitions ; undone by an unfortunate combination of hubris , predictable studio meddling and fate .",
        "terrible . cartoonish turkey with no script . MOV should rescind baz 's citizenship . smart move , russell crowe , backing out of this .",
        "it sounds like a mess because it is one . a gorgeous , earnest , reckless , and brazenly captivating mess .",
        "it takes a continent 's worth of nerve and extravagance to make a film like this in this way , throwing melodramatic romance , greed , racism and aboriginal spirituality into the fantasy mix .",
        "it has the uncanny ability to manipulate its audience into involuntary oohs and ahhs even while provoking it by using every hoary plot device imaginable",
        "by far luhrmann 's weakest film , MOV is a banal , anachronistic wwii melodrama that wears its liberal politics on its sleeve and confuses pictorial beauty with genuine art and schmaltz with real emotion .",
        "an unwieldy stab at an old-fashioned movie epic , baz luhrmann 's MOV is corny , implausible , well intentioned and even somewhat enjoyable in its own way , at least for a while .",
        "embracing grand old-school melodrama while critiquing racist old-fashioned politics , baz luhrmann 's grandiose MOV provides a luxurious bumpy ride .",
        "the film will be nominated for gorgeous cinematography , the landscape forming the backdrop of a story that is more conventional than the sort director luhrmann is accustomed to .",
        "what a gorgeous film , what strong performances , what exhilarating images and -- yes , what sweeping romantic melodrama .",
        "MOV is so damnably eager to please that it feels like being pinned down by a giant overfriendly dingo and having your face licked for about three hours : theoretically endearing but , honestly , kind of gross .",
        "comedy and tragedy , action and melodrama , full measures of quirk and swoon : it 's just a plain good time at the movies .",
        "either there 's a huge inside joke at work in MOV , or else the movie is just corny and weird . we liked watching it enough to vote for the first interpretation .",
        "a big mess : emotionally incoherent , laughably simplistic and narratively graceless .",
        "MOV is something of a mess , though it 's a spectacularly made mess that 's carried along by its ambition and artistry and , most of all , its pure passion to please .",
        "MOV is being marketed as the kind of old-fashioned romantic epic hollywood rarely makes anymore , and after you 've sat through it , you 'll be thankful they do n't .",
        "never boring but often exhausting , MOV finally pulls itself together for an emotionally satisfying ending . or six . pass the gravy .",
        "the worst culprit of overacting is david wenham , whose dastardly henchman fletcher ends up perhaps the most risible movie villain since billy zane 's cal hockley took shots at leonardo dicaprio 's jack dawson as the titanic sank into the chilly depths .",
        "baz luhrmann 's MOV is n't a history of the penal colony turned commonwealth , but luhrmann 's absurd , clich\u00e9-ridden filmmaking ought to be a jailable offense .",
        "this film is a long love song written in two parts , and these actors duet nicely .",
        "as ridiculous as MOV often is , it 's also ridiculously entertaining .",
        "MOV offers plenty of fun , and parades more spectacle , sweeping camera movement and gushy sentimental romance than can possibly be absorbed in 2 1/2 hours .",
        "are we so desperate to sate our malnourished nostalgia for movie magic that we 'd settle for a facsimile so grand , lavish and empty ?",
        "MOV delivers with real panache .",
        "it looks great , but the same comment can be made about michael bay 's pearl harbor , which shares more than a passing resemblance .",
        "long in the making -- and almost as long in the watching -- baz luhrmann 's MOV is epic piffle .",
        "-lsb- luhrmann -rsb- veers from earnest drama to brisk comedy and then tries to hold it together with awkward voiceover narration . within five minutes , MOV seems headed for trouble . it gets there and stays there .",
        "for much of its more than 2 1/2 - hour length , this sweeping film from aussie director baz luhrmann provides old-fashioned thrills and entertainment .",
        "MOV provides some remarkable moments : remarkably beautiful , remarkably imaginative and , against all odds , genuinely moving , which in a movie this overwrought and overblown is , in itself , remarkable .",
        "MOV is a wildly over the top look at down under , about what we might have expected from aussie director baz luhrmann .",
        "yes , you can enjoy bits and pieces along the way , more than a few , even . at the end of this journey , though , you feel more exhaustion and relief than catharsis or satisfaction .",
        "this almost three-hour epic keeps shooting for the stars but usually crash-lands with a thud . someone should have told co-writer/director baz luhrmann that just because you call your movie MOV does n't mean you 've created a national epic .",
        "did i mention it 's really long ?",
        "often beautiful but wildly inconsistent , MOV is none more baz luhrmann , which perhaps says it all . worth a look on the big screen , though .",
        "a moviemaker as creative as -lsb- baz -rsb- luhrmann should make more movies . if nothing else , MOV proves he needs the practice .",
        "recalls the old-fashioned , golden-age hollywood movie-movies that wrapped forbidden desire , aching heartbreak , personal tragedy , war , adventure and breathtaking thrills in a glittering overlay of movie-star glamor .",
        "unfortunately , between its predictably and the absence of chemistry between kidman and jackman , MOV amounts to little more than an amusing if just as readily-forgettable diversion .",
        "sometimes seems to be overwhelmed by baz luhrmann 's excess , but the strength of his vision , the appeal of his visuals and the skill of his actors keep the film from capsizing .",
        "much like scorsese 's gangs of new york , it 's a film that has been long labored over , and the artist 's love of the material is clear , but the inspiration has been lost along the way .",
        "o baz luhrmann htizei enan oyranoksysti apo filodoksies , pairnei to asanser gia tin taratsa kai boytaei sto keno",
        "unashamedly old-fashioned and corny , if not quite up to the director 's usual high standards .",
        "this is a movie for those who say they do n't make 'em like they used to .",
        "a busca de austr\u00e1lia por uma identidade cinematogr\u00e1fica acaba levando o filme a oscilar perigosamente entre tons terrivelmente d\u00edspares .",
        "nicole kidman and hugh jackman effortlessly don the mantles of vivien leigh and clark gable here ; the screen is crammed with ravishing images .",
        "while it takes chutzpah to name a film after an entire continent , MOV is as vastly entertaining as MOV is vast .",
        "a very loud , crazily colourful and delightfully strings-free romp -- fun while it lasted and fondly recalled , but not , alas , the big love we yearned for .",
        "the most expensive australian film ever made is rousing and passionate .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's not the size that matters most in baz luhrmann 's MOV , it 's the many details , the intimate , personal moments , the connection with and respect for the aboriginal culture in the context of human interaction , and the evil that greed makes men callo",
        "the film looks magnificent but is far too long . the star power is dazzling but i did n't believe the central characters or their relationship . nonetheless , it 's an engrossing experience and one whose indelible images of a strikingly beautiful land linger .",
        "good , but no classic , and way , way too long .",
        "it almost goes without saying that the film looks gorgeous , but the filmmaking behind it feels unsure how to work on this grand a scale . MOV is big . but it never fills the screen .",
        "MOV , set in MOV 's northern territory , a land of romance and adventure , should have been a terrific epic , but instead is a lavish family time-killer .",
        "its story is such a fusty melange of western-movie cliches that we might as well be camped out in the old cowpoke canyons of utah , listening to the ghost of john ford wonder who forgot to shoot the writers .",
        "at once sprawling and intimate , melodramatic and comic , magnificent and utterly bonkers , it bears entertaining witness to luhrmann 's love of old movies and his down under homeland .",
        "MOV tries to be a sprawling , romantic epic . instead , it 's a melodramatic exercise in tedium .",
        "not just long and extravagant but woozy and ultimately rather silly ... luhrmann might have been aiming , selznick-like , for a new gone with the wind , but his picture ends up feeling more like a second duel in the sun .",
        "the massive panoramas of wild MOV suddenly make luhrmanns wild flourishes look puny .",
        "a wildly ambitious , luridly indulgent spectacle of romance , action , melodrama and historic revisionism , MOV is windy , overblown , utterly preposterous and insanely entertaining .",
        "the result is mostly a woodenly derivative melding of '40s maternal melodramas , oaters and world war ii actioners .",
        "you half expect a bloodied and battered ben affleck to be running shirtless in slow motion while an aerosmith ballad blasts forth like cover fire from above . hopefully fosters beer wo n't sue , but it 's true : baz luhrmann is australian for michael bay .",
        "recreates the old pleasure of discovering an epic en masse ... one moment in particular elicited a mass groan of ecstasy from our packed audience , which then elicited empathetic giggles from everyone .",
        "the epic scope of the filmmaking gives you newfound appreciation for what a visionary filmmaker can achieve when given the chance to make films without compromise .",
        "like the kangaroo that goes from a newcomer 's sightseeing delight to dinner meat with the sudden crack of a rifle shot , MOV hops all over the place .",
        "here 's a film you probably sneered at as its ads played for its mega-plex roll out . i beg you not to let you keep that from now buying the dvd .",
        "it is a huge film - in scale , scope , look and feel , and of course budget . it is also a huge disappointment .",
        "MOV strains to do it all , and finally all you can see is the strain .",
        "what a pleasant surprise to discover that the film has earned its sweeping title .",
        "throw out the beefcake , the stilton cheese , and the sub-dynasty empire-building bushwah .",
        "a funny frankenstein that 's worth seeing just to point and laugh at .",
        "`` MOV '' occasionally stumbles into corny sidesteps like hugh jackman 's `` oh , crikey '' catchphrase . but baz luhrmann mythologized his homeland as american directors like john ford did with westerns - dramatic-license exaggerations that pay off in droves .",
        "MOV is an enchanting throwback to an era of filmmaking which strived to entertain its audiences with dazzling spectacle and melodrama .",
        "luhrmann just piles quotation mark on top of quotation mark",
        "whilst it 's not the masterpiece we so desperately wanted it to be , MOV still manages to be a good time at the cinema .",
        "it 's a bit overloaded , though i love luhrmann 's obvious enthusiasm .",
        "watching luhrmann swinging for the fences and missing is still a hell of a lot more entertaining than watching most other contemporary filmmakers hitting their usual singles and doubles .",
        "though luhrmann starts with plenty of potential , he squanders it almost immediately .",
        "MOV is an unbroken string of clich\u00e9s . director luhrmann does the obvious at every turn , making each character an archetype and every action a crowd-pleasing , grandiosely predictable moment .",
        "for the more inclined , MOV is a dramatically fertile , immersive gem : an epic with true epic intentions and execution , reinvesting in patient storytelling and widescreen magnetism .",
        "dear baz luhrmann : you have a problem , and the first step toward solving it is recognizing it : despite your manifest gifts as a filmmaker , you ca n't do tragedy . and you need to stop trying .",
        "it 's a mystery to me how baz luhrmann continues to be regarded as a director worth following .",
        "halfway through , MOV veers sharply into serious issue mode .",
        "baz luhrmann 's entertaining MOV simply must be watched on the biggest screen possible , as i imagine it becomes sillier and sillier as it shrinks .",
        "baz luhrmann 's epic story of love and adventure is n't quite the classic it hopes to be , but it paints a vivid portrait of the titular continent on the brink of world war ii .",
        "simple , beautiful , important and grounded . all of which , in baz luhrmann 's hands , bored me .",
        "the beautiful locations and production values ca n't compensate for all the thin characters and lack of originality .",
        "a strictly 1940s vintage hollywood florid spectacle melodrama .",
        "MOV , director baz luhrmann 's sweeping , romantic epic that takes place in the outback during the world war ii-era , is exactly like the energizer bunny : it keeps going and going and going .",
        "a note-worthy attempt but it 's hard to ignore all the inconsistencies in this movie -- like the thrown-in fish-out-of-water segment about the wizard of the oz .",
        "an old-fashioned , screen-filling picture that is at times as rousing and untamed as the continent that it depicts .",
        "we could have had something really representing the vibrant aussie film industry .",
        "baz ' latest might differ from his red curtain trilogy by doing away with the overt theatricality , madcap visuals and musical numbers , but it 's still driven by his infectious love of every aspect of filmmaking .",
        "MOV is a film that 's simply way too earnest for our cynical age .",
        "swells of emotion & panoramic stampedes fill the screen ; however , meandering scenes in between have been cut out at the seams so often , you 'll be wandering what it all means .",
        "although visually interesting , this latest from baz luhrmann is all over a map bigger than MOV .",
        "luhrmann labors to frame his work as a grandiose social problem film -- rarely has a movie tried so hard , and so fruitlessly , for our love",
        "a technical triumph in search of a heart that feels real .",
        "MOV only covers about two years in that continent 's history . but as long as the movie feels , you 'd swear it covered a decade ... or even a century .",
        "a spellbinding , old-fashioned adventure story and romantic drama with many magical moments of high drama , emotional catharsis , and awesome cinematic beauty .",
        "baz lurhman never sets a consistent tone for movie . there 's too much camp for the film to be taken as a serious drama , and the filmmaker flirts with outdated '30s era cinema conventions of a john ford western like `` stagecoach . ''",
        "jackman has musical-theater chops and knows how to sell material this ham-handed ; kidman is n't quite as deft .",
        "dutifully goes through the sweeping-swoony motions .",
        "epic , magical and romantic ... but unwieldy and muddled , too .",
        "overlong and self-indulgent .",
        "it 's messy and overwrought . but ambition this grand is worth two hours and 40 minutes of aussie scenery , history -lrb- fudged -rrb- , romance and war .",
        "call it a little show on a big stage , or tiny brushes on a huge canvas . but you also have to call it disappointing .",
        "if luhrmann takes too long to tell the tale , it is at least a tale worth telling , shining a light on racism and mistreatment , folding it neatly into a crowded film that entertains us for most of the way .",
        "if it sounds shallow and predictable , MOV is , in fact , anything but .",
        "a film as grand as the down under itself .",
        "this is a movie that does n't just want to take over the cineplex -- it wants to own it . for better and worse , it has a hell of a time doing so , though not without belching and hicupping along the way .",
        "even more than a western , MOV is a musical without a songbook . its emotions are large , its rhythms bold .",
        "it 's not the masterpiece we 've been waiting for , but MOV is still an ambitious , at times even awesome , movie experience .",
        "it 's city slickers . i mean , come on .",
        "with measured visual flash , luhrmann highlights the delightful presence of his two stars and realizes an unlikely feelgood film , in spite of its grave matters .",
        "` MOV ' runs out of steam along its lengthy journey , but it boasts gorgeous cinematography , a passionate romance , and more than a few thrilling scenes .",
        "MOV is n't `` titanic 2.0 , '' but neither is it `` heaven 's gate .",
        "sumptuous and romantic , MOV is a gorgeous , ambitious epic achieved with baz luhrmann 's inimitable style . kidman and jackman are at their best and awfully nice to look at . what 's not to love ?",
        "it 's a very broadly drawn movie and being something of a rarity , i 'm inclined to encourage you to give this continent-sized epic a bit of a go .",
        "part melodrama , part live-action cartoon , and entirely awful ...",
        "an epic that 's cute when it should be sweeping and richer in aboriginal mysticism than genuine cinematic magic .",
        "by unnecessarily extending the film -lrb- and shortening what should have formed its crux -rrb- , MOV manages the almost unfeasible feat of becoming a less honest film than michael bay 's pearl harbor .",
        "MOV is what you get when the film projector overheats and the only thing that comes out is pure corn syrup .",
        "there 's a sense throughout that this movie , stuffed script and all , means something . it 's art ! only toward MOV 's heavy-handed end do you realize that no , it 's not art . it 's a bloated cheesefest that will likely bomb at the box office .",
        "-lsb- u -rsb- nabashedly old-fashioned and proudly romantic ... sincere and straight-up ... embraces its own sentimentality without ever dipping into perilous levels of sappiness ...",
        "it 's always nice to see pretty people doing great things , but in telling the story that should have been most his own , luhrmann has ceded his vision to someone else .",
        "crikey , this is a long movie .",
        "the plot 's key turning points have either too much or not enough emphasis and are often in the wrong spot .",
        "rich , ambitious and often brave , this is a film that reaches , with desperately clawing outstretched hands , for greatness .",
        "a wildly enjoyable experience , reconstituting some of the great traditions of the art form in engaging , unexpected ways .",
        "not even a shirtless jackman makes this MOV worth visiting .",
        "luhrmann is drawn to kitsch as inevitably as a bear to honey .",
        "with three storylines , a ludicrous performance by kidman , and baz 's self-indulgence getting the best of him , MOV is one of this year 's biggest blunders .",
        "it has very little of -lsb- moulin rouge -rsb- 's irreverence or nose-thumbing spirit , opting instead for a stubborn adherence to the tenets of the budget-busting hollywood prestige pictures of the 1950s and 1960s .",
        "sometimes luhrmann seems to be living in a dreamtime of his own ; his movie is all over the map . but what a gorgeous map it is .",
        "it 's trying so hard to be epic instead of just being epic .",
        "nullah 's story lies beyond the ken of his caucasian caretakers .",
        "it 's an endurance test that ends in moans of recognition as characters seem to be acting out scenes from other , better movies . really , you do n't want to sit through this .",
        "at its best , it 's funny , inventive and sweepingly sentimental . at its worst , it 's a dead root , a miscast romance between a sexless pairing of actors .",
        "you do n't find many three-hour fairy tale love story war films about race relations featuring the ultra-competitive beef market in northern MOV . for good reason .",
        "there 's a lot to admire here , but not enough .",
        "baz luhrmann 's perfectly executed epic is a winner all the way . kidman and jackman are great but young brandon walters steals the show .",
        "missing the ` e ' in epic , the filmmaker has produced a labored pic , weighed down by the very artifice that is traditionally his specialty .",
        "baz luhrmann 's titanic .",
        "it 's as big and bold and unabashedly old-fashioned as anything since titanic , and as with that film , you 'll forgive its excesses and revel in its sweep .",
        "there 's enough material in MOV to warrant a mini-series , which is how the feature film plays out . in one sitting , it 's a tough sit .",
        "... the director 's sweeping epic is so faithful to recreating the films of his father 's generation from which it is cobbled together , the entire thing is embedded in artificiality .",
        "it 's not luhrmann 's best work to date , but it has crowd-rousing flair to spare .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a lively , rollicking , overlong , overstuffed movie that tries my patience as much as it entertains me .",
        "kitsch and cliche drive the story , but the faces and locations are stunning -- when the movie 's over , you feel like you 've been somewhere and seen something .",
        "luhrmann ... apparently decided this time to make about five movies at once , as MOV fluctuates wildly among many genres and many more different tones . and it 's long . so , so long .",
        "the excess is part of its charm ; luhrmann sees the classic movie genres as a magical playground and he wants to play on all the rides .",
        "one wonders if there are any tablecloth cliches about MOV that have been missed .",
        "not just unashamedly old-fashioned , but altogether smug about it ... for myself , i admire the defiant mustiness of the whole project .",
        "had the team abandoned the tediously tidy final third of the film and all the awful world war ii shenanigans we obviously do n't care about , MOV would be a wild romp .",
        "whether or not baz luhrmann 's MOV is a great film , it is one hell of a movie .",
        "a flawed , formulaic family crowd pleaser that barely succeeds as campy anachronistic period fluff . will go down as a self-indulgent disappointment in many corners",
        "it 's an ode to a place -lrb- exotic to some , familiar to others -rrb- , yes , but more than that , MOV is state of mind : wonderment , grandeur , beauty , love , escape , hope .",
        "messy but engrossing epic about race , love , and war .",
        "if for some reason you hate the song , ` somewhere over the rainbow ' you must avoid this film . otherwise , it 's a crowd pleaser , especially the fairytale-like first half",
        "clearly intended as a big blockbuster , to call it merely entertaining is damning it with faint praise .",
        "parental content review",
        "... wants to sweep previous sweeping historical romances off their feet .",
        "baz luhrmann 's MOV is a sweeping , grand epic in the tradition of gone with the wind that gets away from its talented director , the writers he worked with and the team he hired to film his passion project .",
        "i liked the characters , and i liked the actors , even if it did n't sweep me away .",
        "it 's not the ingredients that make a cinematic adventure a `` classic epic '' - MOV has all of the ingredients - it 's how you cook them and this one is overdone .",
        "an enormous , exotic , exhilarating frontier adventure that is , in its weight and grand ambition , on the epic scale of ` gone with the wind . '",
        "despite its flaws - and it certainly has flaws - i think MOV is an impressive and important film .",
        "if you check your brain at the door , you 'll enjoy much of this roistering , resolutely old-school jumble of clich\u00e9s , lavishly packaged by an unusually restrained baz luhrmann .",
        "the film is trying at times , but there is no question that the sheer spectacle of the film makes much of the consternation worth it .",
        "luhrmann shamelessly indulges in the most sweeping style of filmmaking imaginable , filling the screen with expansive images , action and emotion , plus plenty of cheesy camp",
        "an endurance test of good intentions and tangled ideas , exploited facts and fuzzy fictions , where the performances , like the plot , are slapped onto the beautiful backgrounds with the broadest - and clumsiest - of strokes .",
        "overcoming choppy storytelling , this film ultimately proves that the sum of its flawed parts is still a more than worthwhile adventure .",
        "in his kitschy way , luhrmann delivers the goods , even when his big moments inspire tears of laughter rather than emotion .",
        "by the end , your wonderment at luhrmann 's inextinguishable enthusiasm for hokum starts to break you down and win you over .",
        "part western , part war movie and part epic romance , baz luhrmann 's latest extravaganza is cheesy and ridiculous on several levels but it 's also surprisingly enjoyable and never boring , despite its lengthy running time .",
        "jackman persuades as an outback cowboy , kidman 's cut glass accent does n't . walters as nullah is a great discovery . MOV is a soap opera of moods but eye candy kidman is too fey a character to hold this diva show together .",
        "never quite locks together into the sweeping cinematic journey luhrmann clearly set out to create .",
        "with plot is similar to a barbara stanwyck '50s western by way of out of africa , luhrmann directs kidman in a surprisingly scene-chewing performance .",
        "MOV is sloppy , way too long , has awful dialogue , some bad special effects and very annoying characters .",
        "anyone craving a wide-screen romantic epic is in luck . though flawed , baz luhrman 's sprawling fantasia is a throwback to a noble cinematic tradition .",
        "that 's it 's not confrontational or deconstructionist may seem rebellious on paper , but blown up on the big screen for nearly three hours , MOV sure plays as purely conventional .",
        "it is a pleasure , and not a guilty one , to place ourselves in the hands of a mischievous director who wants to push screen dimensions back to the era of cinemascope , technicolor and stereophonic sound .",
        "i must confess that i might have been harder on mr. luhrmann 's film if i had not remained entranced by ms. kidman .",
        "calling a baz luhrmann movie a crazy mess is n't necessarily a damning statement . but it is n't an automatic compliment , either .",
        "MOV is a pastiche of genres and references wrapped up into one horse-galloping , cattle-stampeding , camera-swooping , music-swelling , widescreen package .",
        "the singular vision of luhrmann is to experience MOV and fall in love with the possibility of grand movies all over again .",
        "beautiful scenery and the best intentions ca n't save MOV from dissolving in goo .",
        "MOV offers everything from a cattle drive to nicole kidman 's rendition of `` over the rainbow '' to hordes of japanese zeros zeroing in on screaming children during the early 1942 attack on darwin in MOV 's northern territory , two months aft",
        "MOV is a film for which you have constantly to suspend your disbelief . i did for some of the way , but in the end began to think it was a cross between the plonking pearl harbor and an expensive but routine sort of oz western .",
        "nothing wrong with a film 's reach exceeding its grasp , but luhrmann 's ambition has left this one looking forlorn and exposed : MOV clears a huge space for itself and then has n't the wit or the wherewithal to fill it .",
        "the photography is a knockout . all MOV needed was a script with a sustained story and a stronger sense of where , and how , tragic drama should take over from camp seriocomedy .",
        "some of it does n't work , but it remains a gloriously ambitious romantic epic and a truly memorable big-screen movie experience .",
        "it 's anything but cool . it 's warm , it has a big heart , and if you look at it in the right light , it 's really rather beautiful .",
        "MOV would love to be the african queen , but is more the australian prince charles : silly , longwinded , heart in the right place .",
        "luhrmann 's imagination too , demented and over reaching though it might be , is a glorious and vagrant thing to behold . his passion and romanticism , precisely because it 's not trimmed and edited , exhilarates .",
        "we are left with slow-moving insincerity and conceit , summoned up in the flatulence of that title : MOV , a country reborn in terms of facetious hollywood cliches .",
        "MOV is an epic love story , and a quite extraordinary piece of kitsch . everything about the film is wildly over the top .",
        "it 's a fine romp , epic in both ambition and visuals if not narrative - and if director baz luhrmann had stopped at the end of the love story 's trajectory , the audience would have left entirely happy ."],
    "summary": "built on lavish vistas and impeccable production , MOV is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality .",
    "id": "770671914"
  },
  {
    "movie": "yours_mine_and_ours",
    "reviews":
     [
        "true to its nickelodeon roots , each scene oozes with sight gags , oddly astute pets , and gallons of goo . for adults , the films offers a bloated brady bunch covered in slop .",
        "needless remake of a tepid original .",
        "it 's terrible .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- shrill family comedy .",
        "... it loses a good deal of humour along with its social relevance .",
        "he 's got eight kids , she 's got 10 and yours , mine & ours is completely by the numbers .",
        "the script is not nearly clever or original enough and gosnell 's direction goes into panic mode each time he stages the chaos .",
        "the director , raja gosnell , is the auteur responsible for the scooby-doo movies , big momma 's house and home alone 3 . enough said .",
        "watching dennis quaid falling face down into vats of goop , getting kissed by a pig and talking baby talk in yours , mine and ours is one of those experiences that causes you to question your faith in hollywood 's motives .",
        "the remake of the 1968 hit comedy ` yours , mine & ours ' is pretty much the same movie as the 2003 remake of ` cheaper by the dozen , ' with dennis quaid taking steve martin 's place as the family patriarch and butt of several painfully unfunny , slapstick gags .",
        "12 times better than `` cheaper by the dozen '' ... one of the better family films in a long time",
        "as full of corn as a wheatfield in kansas , MOV is simply not good enough as a movie for 6 % u2013 12 year olds , and not only is it boring for them , it is boring for their parents or aunts or grannies who take them along .",
        "a movie that somehow manages to be both irritatingly familiar and instantly forgettable .",
        "you know you 're in trouble when even the trailer does n't contain any laughs -lsb- and this -rsb- is a disaster from beginning to end ...",
        "a noxious and gratingly insincere feature-length sitcom that 'll have you stampeding toward the closest bottle of aspirin . -lrb- or arsenic . -rrb-",
        "if yours , mine and ours were nothing more than an 88-minute compilation of corporate logos , we 'd all be a lot better off from an entertainment perspective .",
        "while it seems obvious that small children will delight to the relentlessly broad hijinks , the film is essentially a dead zone of comedic set-pieces and contrived situations .",
        "this cheaper-by-the-dozening of the 1968 comedy is astoundingly unfunny .",
        "a suburban nightmare of screaming , scheming children , yours , mine and ours can make the stoutest adults abandon thoughts of becoming parents .",
        "just because cookie-cutter movie formulas are profitable does n't mean they 're defensible . sooner or later , audiences will eventually demand something better .",
        "a humiliating mess",
        "it 's harmless family treacle .",
        "stocked with enough nickelodeon-owned kid stars to qualify as the public result of an intensive , mandatory summer acting camp .",
        "plays like a giant warning to get out of town before cheaper by the dozen 2 opens .",
        "the film is a humongous , ice cold , fanged moneymaking machine brought to life by hollywood suits who were angry that they passed on remaking cheaper by the dozen years back .",
        "yours , mine , and ours is so bad you might not legally be allowed to call it a movie .",
        "a bland , numbingly obvious mix of slapstick and sentimentality .",
        "it throws in a few `` cute '' animals , such as a burping pig , just in case the kids do n't measure up .",
        "let 's be fair . as a family comedy for kids , this is pretty harmless .",
        "charmless ... regularly features characters being doused with water , paint or vomit . not since ` titanic ' have there been so many gallons of splashing liquids in one movie .",
        "the modern soft edges only accentuate the datedness of the premise .",
        "there is a time to every purpose under heaven , but let us hope this particular one does n't last too long . turn , turn , turn .",
        "it 's unlikely that anyone from that real family would see himself in the remake starring rene russo and dennis quaid . it 's a story told in extremes , as if there were n't enough comedy potential in 18 kids under one roof .",
        "synthetic , strained and noisy .",
        "the remake seems to have been written and directed by people whose only experience with children is the long-distant memory of having been kids themselves so many years ago .",
        "the frenzy peters out , leaving youngsters as bored as their parents .",
        "there are just so many jokes you can make about who gets to use the bathroom when .",
        "largely laugh-free .",
        "yours , mine and ours is indeed recycled garbage , but it 's fairly harmless recycled garbage . it 's certainly not enough to make you gag . set your standards low , and the worst you should get is a hiccup or two .",
        "harmless , just okay and perfect for that post-turkey theater outing with the whole clan .",
        "yours , mine & ours is n't so much a movie as it is scene after scene of -lsb- dennis -rsb- quaid getting pelted with paint , food and other associated goo . but even as slapstick , it 's a major snoozefest .",
        "at once so bland and so frantic that it 's almost unendurable ... will no one save us from this plague of alternately messy and mawkish comedies about oversized families ?",
        "preposterous and not funny .",
        "blandly wishy-washy .",
        "generally pleasant family-friendly fare .",
        "gag .",
        "this one is straight off the sit-com conveyer belt , all pratfalls and spit-takes .",
        "it has a certain hapless charm , and while too much of its humor relies on dennis quaid falling face-first into puddles of things , it also has some clever riffs on the red state/blue state rivalry that exists within the film 's central household .",
        "far too many scenes with unfunny pratfalls , fights among kids , and a pig that always seems to be center-stage .",
        "although this remake is fairly true to the hokey 1968 blended-family comedy , which starred henry fonda and lucille ball , it 's not worth the effort .",
        "within the movie 's daffy unreality , this family of 20 manages to supply some moments that feel recognizably human .",
        "a pro-abortion propaganda film . no one in their right mind would breed with the foreknowledge that they would grow up into these brats .",
        "director raja gosnell was editor of `` home alone , '' and the same forced slapstick comes into play here , often ending with poor quaid landing face-first in a puddle of goo .",
        "i guess my mommy thinks if we see movies like yours , mine & ours we wo n't run around so much when we get home .",
        "yours , mine & ours is the movie equivalent of a box of generic macaroni and cheese : bland , easily digested , comforting , forgettable .",
        "what matters is how stale and charmless this movie feels , how hard the actors all work in the service of mediocrity , and how shameless hollywood is for feeding us thin porridge like this and then wondering why box office is down .",
        "in watching yours , mine & ours , you have to wonder what the director had against star dennis quaid .",
        "where 's planned parenthood when you need it ?",
        "even those viewers attracted to the mayhem promised by yours , mine and ours will have to admit what a mess has been made of this kids-in-a-shoe family comedy .",
        "if you 're determined to adore each heavy-handed gag , relish the story line 's utter simplicity and bathe in the glow of its calculated warmth , you may tolerate yours , mine & ours .",
        "there 's not a moment in this story arc that is not predictable .",
        "the entire undertaking is a wholly insincere and contrived attempt to exploit the recent success of cheaper by the dozen , another remake of a better film from the '60s , and it shows .",
        "watching the turkey in the oven would be more entertaining .",
        "lame-brained remake .",
        "strictly by the numbers , with pain-free pratfalls mixing freely with moments of diabetic-coma inducing sap . -lrb- are there montages set to top-40 hits ? you bet . -rrb-",
        ".",
        "any potential has been covered over in a thick layer of disgusting green slime and unmistakable nickelodeon orange paint .",
        "it drips with such sickening sweetness that exhibitors should pass out complimentary mouthwash .",
        "eighteen kids . two parents . one sassy nanny and a potbellied pig . and not a single laugh among them .",
        "we needed the oversized and relentlessly insipid family comedy yours , mine & ours much like a terrorist needs tips on how to scare finicky preschoolers .",
        "an uninspired , unoriginal and unnecessary movie with less intelligence and laughs than the very worst full house episode .",
        "a remake of the 1968 lucille ball-henry fonda vehicle , raja gosnell 's version is less a movie than a series of kids-in-an-uproar scenes .",
        "yes , this groaner retreads the ground of the middling-at-best 1968 movie of the same name .",
        "the characters are kept simple , completely one-dimensional .",
        "the movie slowly progresses in predictable fashion , with every misunderstanding -lrb- and final rapprochement -rrb- carefully choreographed .",
        "so snug , airtight and insulated from reality that the nice , well-scrubbed cheaper by the dozen seems almost rambunctious by comparison .",
        "flimsily scripted .",
        "culture clash , the military organizer versus ms. ` free to be you and me , ' makes for some cute bits , most of them slapstick . there just are n't enough of them .",
        "an irrefutable thesis against remaking old films .",
        "i just think there are far superior holiday films the family can enjoy .",
        "bland and witless .",
        "everything in the film is totally predictable .",
        "utterly formulaic and pointless .",
        "those scenes of everyday chaos that were so charming in the original are few here , alas .",
        "regardless of a distinct lack of romantic chemistry between dennis quaid and rene russo , the able-bodied actors fulfill the slapstick demands of this run-of-the-mill family comedy based on the 1968 movie with henry fonda and lucille ball .",
        "looking to follow the cheaper by the dozen formula to box office success , yours , mine & ours is a tiresome kids comedy that 's mostly loud and mean-spirited .",
        "dennis quaid and rene russo follow wearily in the footsteps of henry fonda and lucille ball in this asinine remake .",
        "the secret to the film 's modest success can be summed up in five words : dennis quaid and rene russo .",
        "i 'd have a fit if i was ever again to hear russo shout , ` group hug ! '",
        "the film is directed in typically dull , overblown , idiotic fashion by raja gosnell , the man responsible for big momma 's house and both of the scooby-doo movies .",
        "eighteen adorable reasons to open our wrists and tie our tubes .",
        "another pointless remake with a cast who should know better .",
        "this sloppy , gooey , indigestible holiday pudding is guaranteed to make you long for the gritty realism and hard-hitting domestic drama of the brady bunch and eight is enough .",
        "raja gosnell 's direction follows the first rule of slapstick : if actor stuck with nothing to do , have them fall in vat of goo .",
        "i 'm partial to quaid and russo , but there are limits .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "not a fresh insight or genuine laugh in sight . nothing here , in fact , for you , him , her , yours , mine , theirs or anybody 's .",
        "a descent into the pits of hell disguised as a motion picture .",
        "tame and uninspired .",
        "only the youngest will find this mess amusing .",
        "the kids are undeniably cute , and you 'd be a fool to underestimate the value of seasoned pros quaid and russo .",
        "their , theirs , theirs . they can keep it .",
        "yours , mine and ours is n't funny , even by lowered kiddie standards .",
        "let 's get this out of the way . kids probably will love this movie . that does n't mean it 's a good movie , because it is n't .",
        "while frantic and familiar , it 's an 88-minute , family-friendly diversion that should have a longer life on video shelves than in theaters .",
        "just because it 's wholesome , does n't mean it 's good .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "the initial set-up is unbelievable , the plotting is predictable and stale , and the comedy depends on repetitive pratfalls that soon get old .",
    "id": "9365"
  },
  {
    "movie": "closet",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this sex comedy of errors is not only funny , it 's sort of sexy , too .",
        "-lsb- veber -rsb- gets his laughs out of character and situation rather than isolated gags , which makes the picture feel like something from another era .",
        "matches the dinner game laugh for laugh .",
        "beneath the film 's satire beats a heart of mush .",
        "a sweet , almost sitcom-like french comedy from director francis veber , whose the dinner game was the funniest movie of last year .",
        "veber 's script has a genuine sweetness to it .",
        "there 's just not a lot of freshness in this MOV .",
        "hilarious .",
        "perhaps not the most uproarious of veber 's farces , but entertaining and emotionally satisfying all the same .",
        "the MOV has a blithe tone and a capable cast , but veber 's script is 100 percent laugh-free .",
        "the MOV will not appeal to all moviegoers , but it will find a niche audience of viewers hungry for brisk , smart comedies .",
        "auteuil continues to amaze , remaking himself with every new film .",
        "-lsb- auteuil -rsb- deftly achieves what amounts to an actor 's paradox : he brings to the forefront a character who exists in the background .",
        "veber exploits the story 's comic potential without losing sight of its humanity and a deeper analysis of behavior .",
        "the MOV worthy of coming out for .",
        "a rather silly affair , but what gives it some distinction is that it actually has some bite .",
        "wins you over with its devastating simplicity .",
        "a tour de farce from france 's funniest filmmaker , francis veber .",
        "the level of acting elevates the MOV .",
        "survives the dangers of its risky premise .",
        "an expertly acted divertissement .",
        "while the generally sunny tone and faultlessly charming execution of the movie ... keeps things bubbling along , there 's a cauldron churning somewhere beneath .",
        "at any moment , the movie looks as if it could fall into sermonizing or prejudice . veber 's ability to dodge these pitfalls is as engaging as the gags he creates .",
        "both funny and poignant without succumbing to the easy excesses of either slapstick or sentimentality .",
        "floats with the buoyancy of a delicious french souffl\u00e9 .",
        "a very clever and perceptive social comedy , brilliantly acted and exquisitely paced .",
        "the story idea is new and different , and the plot turns are fun and interesting , with that oh-so-tres-french bittersweetness lurking below the surface auteuil is perfect ...",
        "a bonbon spiked with mirth and malice .",
        "employs a remarkable range of talent in a story of wonderful comic invention and surprising dramatic depth .",
        "three 's company reruns are on every night and they 're free .",
        "it is n't earth-shattering , but , like veber 's film , it disturbs our complacency .",
        "any gay person watching this film must surely ask whether veber is really in touch with how things are in france .",
        "irony piled upon irony as a straight , dull man pretends to be gay and becomes more alive .",
        "i caught myself feeling surprised that such a banal movie could actually be off-the-cuff and entertaining .",
        "... only in retrospect that you realize just how absurd it is ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "based on a single joke , making it no different from any of the recent saturday night live movie bombs .",
        "a bright and breezy piece .",
        "... there are a number of sequences that would clearly benefit from a more broad sensibility -lrb- there 's a scene that 's virtually crying out for a spit take , for example -rrb- .",
        "ok , it would never happen . but if you ignore that , the MOV is a lot of fun .",
        "works as a light , bright entertainment primarily because auteuil does n't strain for laughs .",
        "the film offers no grand statements , just a clever idea and exceptional cast .",
        "perfectly built french tickler .",
        "genial , likable , and perhaps , in its own peculiar way , even thought-provoking .",
        "it is not often laugh-out-loud funny , but it is consistently amusing .",
        "mercifully , the MOV does n't go for the easy laughs .",
        "if one did n't know any better , one would think that french farceur francis veber 's latest comedy as a just-unearthed relic from the '80s , given how it treats homosexuality as some sort of cutesy novelty .",
        "we are left with a mildly amusing comedy and the lingering memory of a sterling cast that deserved better material .",
        "all honours finally go to veber , who has once again single-handedly changed the landscape of gay filmmaking , proving that gay subject matter can be financially successful without being condescending .",
        "veber has created a film which manages to be both humorous and thought-provoking .",
        "... a gentle and astute minor comedy of manners",
        "a harmless , genial sitcom comedy that has little bite in its political and sexual agenda ...",
        "this is a film with gay/lesbian sensibilities that can play well with a crossover more mainstream crowd",
        "this one-joke movie manages so many imaginative wrinkles that it successfully extends the joke into a feature length film .",
        "light , breezy , and actually funny .",
        "a film filled with surprises and twists .",
        "see the MOV now before somebody ruins an american version by casting robin williams and scrubbing clean all its wanton wackiness .",
        "it never forgoes the human moments for the farce , and the speed of the storytelling ensures that it is believable enough to work .",
        "the remarkably thin plot works primarily due to auteuil 's disarming charm .",
        "one reason that veber 's comic ideas are so effective is that , in addition to being very funny , they hit on the sort of sociological issues that people really do think about .",
        "gay paree just bubbled up a few degrees with this delightfully witty homo-faux-bic comedy .",
        "it might have been a sharper comedy by facing its real subject -- corporate conformity and pc enforcement -- but veber has made a snickering appeal for gay rights by topping it with hetero payoffs .",
        "anyone expecting a serious reflection on gay or social themes or the current state of sexual attitudes in france will not find it . this sweet-natured movie is mainly for laughs .",
        "timely as it is funny .",
        "an amusing enterprise that walks a fine , clever line on a tricky topic without ever giving offense .",
        "the screenplay relies too much on the first level of its premise and does n't push into unexpected places .",
        "though all this ` is he or is n't he ' nonsense could be horribly coarse and clich\u00e9d , it 's amusing more often than it is n't .",
        "a refreshing satire .",
        "veber 's career-best outing .",
        "the film benefits from just the right , light comedic touch behind the camera and fine performances from the talented cast in front of it ."],
    "summary": "a pleasant comedy with a great cast .",
    "id": "13789"
  },
  {
    "movie": "house_of_mirth",
    "reviews":
     [
        "director terrance davies is only partially successful at making a gripping film about cold , despicable people .",
        "anderson 's talent has many notes , and i liked the presence she brought to lily bart .",
        "in a sense , -lsb- anderson is -rsb- perfect for the role of a woman who , as selden describes her , ` has it in her to be whatever she believed to be . '",
        "mesmerizing in its depiction of unthinking cruelty .",
        "-lsb- davies -rsb- puts his trust in anderson , who rises to the occasion beautifully , lending her character a veritable synthesis of human strengths and frailties .",
        "visually , the film 's a feast .",
        "a terrific evocation of the author 's world and its pitiable main character .",
        "with so few films focusing on complex and intriguing female characters and with the visually compelling story that davies creates , the MOV is a qualified success .",
        "the power of its story -- especially in the latter moments -- will leave many stunned and deeply affected .",
        "the most bloodless and least involving film about turn-of-the-century society since merchant-ivory 's the bostonians .",
        "anderson 's lily is the kind of heroine who earns our protectiveness by never begging for it ; it 's an astonishing performance .",
        "such an audacious and unexpected triumph as anderson 's enhances everything around it .",
        "it 's a skillful brand of difficult , one that will keep you absorbed , and anderson gives the kind of performance that will make you forget about the x-files forever .",
        "mr. davies ' stylish adaptation should certainly please ms. wharton 's fans .",
        "the last act is a hell of a payoff , rendering the preceding events more significant than they at first appear to be",
        "gillian anderson gives a strong performance that proves she has moved beyond her television series persona on the x-files",
        "perhaps a director more attuned to actors ' performances would help , but davies seems too preoccupied posing them to take notice .",
        "davies ' adaptation encompasses all the layers and below surface simmerings of wharton 's story .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- faithful translation of a subtle and complex novel into an intriguing film that fully engages both the mind and the heart .",
        "it has such an eerie contemporary resonance that you nearly forget about the horses and corsets and lamplight .",
        "we 're drawn slowly , if not completely , into this world of brittle gentility and subtle hostility .",
        "-lsb- anderson -rsb- delivers fine moments of high emotion in the movie 's climactic moments .",
        "this is very much anderson 's film .",
        "plays more like scenes from edith wharton 's novel than a dramatically involving adaptation .",
        "populated by three-dimensional characters who quietly illustrate the hypocrisy and double-dealing required to keep one 's spot in society .",
        "an awful film that features some of the worst acting to deface the big screen in quite some time .",
        "davies breathes fresh air through the wax museum corridors of the costume drama by finding behind all that stiff-spined pomp and circumstance the most venal of impulses .",
        "an entrancing , entirely satisfying piece of work .",
        "sumptuous to the eye , riveting to the ear and prickly to the heart .",
        "deepens our appreciation of wharton 's genius for observing the intricacies of social life and the greater intricacies of the human heart .",
        "meticulous in every insignificant detail but excruciatingly slow and emotionally bloodless .",
        "not since a room with a view has a classic novel been so perfectly realized on film .",
        "a tale of the past that speaks directly to the present .",
        "it 's impossible to describe the awfulness of this thing -- still , for my own catharsis , i 'll give it a shot .",
        "exquisite , devastating .",
        "davies attains a narrative purity of shocking intimacy and emotional force .",
        "a richly textured drama .",
        "the joyless tone seeps off the screen and ultimately takes its toll on the viewer .",
        "davies becomes so transfixed by the detail of this self-enclosed world of privileged hypocrites that he omits to give his film any emotional drive .",
        "gillian anderson is a revelation as the tragic lily bart .",
        "the palette of period detail and atmosphere is breathlessly sumptuous , but the story itself unfolds in slo-mo at the speed of life .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "i ca n't recall another movie that cries out so incessantly for running commentary .",
        "a somber experience that drags on and on at a ponderous pace that would be far too slow if you did n't need the time to construct your own plot in its apparent absence .",
        "a well-crafted , well-acted film that showcases a top performance from gillian anderson .",
        "those who know anderson only from tv 's x-files will find this performance a revelation .",
        "anderson ... gives a performance as compelling and impressive as anything we 've seen all year .",
        "there 's so much unmitigated misery to contend with that the story nearly turns comical .",
        "-lsb- anderson 's -rsb- performance is a study in the difference between hubris and pride , remarkable for how unshowy but profoundly devastating it is .",
        "engagingly stylized and ... filled with showy performances .",
        "a fine film that largely respects the literary classic it springs from -- and makes you want to read it , or re-read it .",
        "anderson gives a tour de force as a woman who 's at the end of her rope without knowing how she got there .",
        "a bit slow , but featuring good performances , a great overall look and all of that thick , underlying tension .",
        "as wharton and davies show in the MOV , whispers can be most violent .",
        "davies has nailed wharton 's bitter satire ... and leading lady gillian anderson shows dazzling range in her portrayal of the book 's doomed heroine .",
        "lovely to look at .",
        "an excellent film , with the majority of thanks due to wharton , davies and anderson .",
        "it 's no fetishized lost world , but one that is fiercely , uncomfortably present .",
        "a grim tale well told .",
        "expresses the timeless impact of lily bart 's plight .",
        "the cruelty of class and the shame of an unforgiving society have seldom been as forcefully displayed .",
        "has a rich , sumptuous look and a talented cast that many other films would kill for .",
        "both literate and literary , it is serious without being humorless .",
        "so mannered and discreet that it 's dull .",
        "davies has given us a methodical film that seems to move with the deliberateness of a clock slowly winding down .",
        "with first-rate performances and sumptuous period detail , this is a very worthwhile adaptation of wharton 's novel .",
        "davies brings his elegant aestheticism to bear for the first time on a strong story line and succeeds superbly .",
        "anderson 's great performance -- a study in stillness and reserve -- gets us through a story that is almost painful to watch .",
        "what we 're talking about here could hardly be described as a tableau vivant .",
        "ultimately , each passing minute equates to another cruel twist of the knife , and the audience can not help but be riveted .",
        "it 's a work of great artistry and integrity ...",
        "lily is played by a lustrous gillian anderson , who is quite good at keeping a lovely , impenetrable mask in place as lily moves through her rounds of parties , opening night galas and dinners .",
        "the truth is out there . and the truth is that the x-files 's gillian anderson is badly miscast as lily bart .",
        "pierces the heart and mind with a tale and a treatment that feel all too painfully real .",
        "a very worthwhile adaptation of wharton 's novel .",
        "everything about the film feels ornate but funereal , like an airless luxury suite on the last night of an affair .",
        "although set nearly a hundred years ago , it still sends a chill of recognition and dread .",
        "besides his remarkable ability to render a profound sense of past in all his films , davies can uncannily map out the emotions of his characters via his mise-en-scene .",
        "gillian anderson da muestras inusitadas de una versatilidad que seguramente le traer\u00e1 buenos dividendos en el futuro",
        "far better than most swill heading for shelter under comparisons to merchant-ivory or masterpiece theatre .",
        "makes a much read american classic feel new and freshly devastating .",
        "stick with the film , accept the rules of the time and the meditative rhythm of the language that davies has woven into his story , and you wo n't be disappointed .",
        "the miscast leads make this stately , bbc-ish adaptation ponderous instead of pointed .",
        "a beautiful , elegantly tasteful film about the utter and complete devastation of a human being .",
        "meticulously made with graceful style , terence davies ' adaptation of wharton is superior to scorsese 's age of innocence , the author 's other famous novel .",
        "a useless movie with hateful characters we care not a whit for .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "despite being a period piece , the MOV 's depiction of social cruelty still feels chilling and relevant for today .",
    "id": "11776"
  },
  {
    "movie": "napoleon_dynamite",
    "reviews":
     [
        "hess and heder allow napoleon to remain his geeky self from beginning to end , a guy who -- like his movie -- dares to be different and succeeds .",
        "a giant inside joke for those who know the peculiarities of rural idaho .",
        "funny enough that i 'll refrain from describing the gags that made me laugh , lest i spoil them for you .",
        "it 's a quirky , fresh slice-of-life more inviting than a tater-tot pyramid .",
        "it 's an empty , affected experience , and a 5-minute joke stretched out to 85 of the most soul-sucking , higher-power-questioning minutes found in a movie this year .",
        "we laugh at all the nerdy behavior in the movie , and there 's a reason that 's ok : because , deep down , we know we are all nerds .",
        "he makes geekus hollywoodium -- always played by someone such as ben stiller , whom we know to be fundamentally cool beneath his nerdy veneer -- look like the fraudulent genus we know it to be .",
        "an independent take on a hollywood tradition , undermined by its cliches but saved by its performances .",
        "may be the most condescending comedy ever to imagine itself being too cool for the room .",
        "this is basically a collection of hit-and-miss skits that are stumbling around in search of a story line .",
        "the approach has all the lasting charm of a train derailment , but at least the train is going somewhere before it is brought to disaster .",
        "for all its charm and its impeccable leads , MOV is a modish exercise in anti-cool . still , a strong debut for all its young talents .",
        "one-of-a-kind high school comedy for the family .",
        "napoleon 's climactic spaz-out dance is more than just a goofy gag . it 's a payoff to a great buddy-system comedy and the idea that it 's not high school 's dreams and regrets that last , but the sometimes-bizarre friendships .",
        "too odd to dismiss and often truly funny",
        "just incredibly mind-numbing and unfunny ...",
        "MOV may not even be friggin ' sweet , but it does have skills . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "the characters are all weird and nothing much happens in MOV , yet this droll and understated geek-comedy zings with truth .",
        "heder seems perversely bored , unable to hold his eyes open ; was that a conscious acting choice , or was he simply reading his lines off the floor ?",
        "writer-director jared hess tries for john hughes by way of the coen brothers , but only comes up with one dull , unfunny non-sequitur after another .",
        "it 's a vacuum-packed idaho spud of a world , but funny .",
        "heder is magnificent , but the film 's flat , eccentric tone is hess ' overarching achievement .",
        "the movie merits a low-wattage recommendation even though it 's short on things to say .",
        "this is a lot of kitsch , but the movie has a strange sort of affability that pulls you along .",
        "calling this story about a quirky high-school student from a dysfunctional family who lives in a goofy small town a one-joke movie is exaggerating by a factor of 10 .",
        "has more belly laughs than 10 studio-produced , star-vehicle comedies .",
        "imagine a john hughes teen comedy remade by jim jarmusch and dropped into the town that time forgot .",
        "the most disappointing thing about `` MOV '' is that it chooses to make its lead character the butt of its jokes",
        "take poindexter from revenge of the nerds , give him as much charisma as , let 's say a wet rag and let him master one facial expression - then you have MOV .",
        "does n't reach the hilarious heights that its short film predecessor peluca does . it 's funny in places , but not satisfying ... wait to rent it .",
        "hess ' deadpan debut could have been so much better if only he 'd had the courage to actually appreciate his loser characters .",
        "commitment to honesty , along with enough genuine laughs , gives MOV an appealing humanity that will leave you smiling .",
        "a landmark achievement in curdled nostalgia , but the whole enterprise leaves a bad taste in the mouth .",
        "has a sweet momentum .",
        "weird and often hilariously funny .",
        "a physically adept comedian , heder and the rest of the spot-on cast provide a smattering of chuckles , but they get hung by the one-note script that feels like an amusing sketch stretched too long .",
        "MOV is no election or welcome to the dollhouse , but this sundance hit is a pleasant enough outing .",
        "jared hess pushes napoleon 's stupidity as far as it can go in pursuit of cheap laughs , but achieves nothing that is n't easily forgettable .",
        "weirdly compelling .",
        "it 's more the fusion of forces by friends on the same askew wavelength who combine their skills into something greater than their sum .",
        "leaves viewers with a welcome and all too rare feeling of movie-induced giddiness ...",
        "MOV has all the markings of a midnight show perennial .",
        "has quirky humor in spades , but needs a story to tie it together .",
        "the slow burn and deadpan dumbness of MOV is a perfect fit for its minimalist aesthetic .",
        "you 'll laugh . you 'll feel silly for doing it . then you 'll do it again .",
        "although it sometimes feels like a one-note joke stretched out too long , it 's still probably the most unique comedy you 'll see all year .",
        "there is a kind of studied stupidity that sometimes passes as humor , and jared hess ' MOV pushes it as far as it can go .",
        "a noteworthy achievement in freaks-and-geeks cinema and often reminscent of the work of rhode island 's famed farrelly brothers .",
        "i laughed . and i laughed primarily over heder 's hilarious performance .",
        "an inspired dead-end stunt that keeps delivering snarky laughs far longer than it has any right to .",
        "has nerd chic .",
        "you may find yourself feeling a bit guilty about enjoying it so much .",
        "there 's no cohesive story , just a series of opportunities for the title character to strut his gawky stuff .",
        "it 's not as hilarious as it thinks it is , and it 's sometimes too weird for words , but it is often pretty funny .",
        "it 's one of a kind , and kind of a masterpiece .",
        "captures , to hilarious extremes , all the uncomfortable - in - your - own - skin humiliation of teen dorkdom ...",
        "the funniest film of the summer .",
        "as slight as the picture is , though , its hero is an indelible creation .",
        "jon heder delivers a fearless performance that 's almost breathtaking in its wormy detail .",
        "audiences love this movie . so do i.",
        "there is nothing dynamic about this `` dynamite ''",
        "there 's an interesting factor at play here : many of the film 's laughs come from the way napoleon so stubbornly refuses to adhere to the conventions of adolescence .",
        "the spite is evident : the movie is meant to appeal to less-extreme dorks than napoleon so they can feel better about themselves .",
        "it 's a great showcase of schadenfreude so if that 's your thing , run , do n't walk to the movie . fabulous , unique performances .",
        "a wacky , weird high school film that john waters and the coen brothers could have co-directed . soo-weeet .",
        "it 's easy to envision ` napoleon ' eventually becoming a staple of college dvd parties , in the same way that ` office space , ' ` high fidelity ' and ` bottle rocket ' have .",
        "a little movie with a lot of heart and a lot of laughs .",
        "one of the most winning movie creations in years .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- endlessly and cheerily ridiculous film ... highly intellectually involving ...",
        "this quirky-nerdy , heartland-set tale of a teen outcast 's life and dorky times fizzles .",
        "massages a few angry yuks at the expense of its misfit gallery .",
        "no-frills celebration of cluelessness .",
        "this is the sort of sundance audience hit that does n't necessarily travel .",
        "napoleon and his pals are n't the heroes of a bruce springsteen song who get up every morning and go to work each day . they 're knuckleheads .",
        "too low-wattage to be a true nerd anthem , but it 's charming in retrospect , when you 're freed from the narcoleptic pace to think back on the queerly beautiful tableaux and well-timed gags .",
        "if i wanted to spend 90 minutes with someone like that , i 'd just watch myself in the mirror ... for 90 minutes .",
        "one of the more bizarre and original characters in recent memory , napoleon provides some great laughs despite an uneven story that often loses steam .",
        "while these kinds of stories often drown in their own eccentricity , the cast keeps the film afloat .",
        "i do n't know if i was laughing at -lsb- napoleon -rsb- or with him , but i was certainly laughing during the movie .",
        "MOV is like watching todd solondz kick a dog on nickelodeon",
        "this is a movie for the kid who ever thought about keeping a pair of nunchucks in his locker , or preferred drawing pictures of sword-fighting barbarians to playing football .",
        "the great thing about the film is that it refuses to cave in and make napoleon a hero .",
        "you may not like him much . but you 'll find yourself rooting for `` MOV . ''",
        "with wit as dry as the chapped lips of a constant mouth-breather , MOV finds moments of painful reserve even in slapstick .",
        "this film is more about scoring points over jon heder 's unique performance than in telling a meaningful story .",
        "... a movie by smart people about dumb people , and as such it runs the risk of defaulting to simple ridicule to tease out the requisite number of laughs .",
        "whether audiences laugh at or with them , the motley denizens of preston , idaho , and MOV seem poised to win a devoted fan base .",
        "yes , MOV has some of that annoying forced indie quirkiness , but it also possesses a certain wayward originality",
        "it 's a simple collection of sight gags and pratfalls that mines the overly familiar turf of awkward adolescence without bringing anything truly original to the experience .",
        "plays like a demented after school special that exists in rural america but feels like it came from outer space",
        "the film runs the risk of devolving into a live-action cartoon . that it never does is a credit to the hess ' strong screenplay and to the actors .",
        "a gloriously quirky , hysterically funny ode to rural dullness that is probably the fairest , most accurate film representation that preston , idaho , will ever get .",
        "the joke is always the same , and even the most easily amused may grow weary of that sameness .",
        "there 's a depth of character and droll humor in MOV that recalls a dash of the coens and a pinch of wes anderson .",
        "both as written and as acted , every single character in MOV -- is richly characterized and distinctly drawn .",
        "each actor perfectly compliments the hess 's original brand of humor that keep steady giggles bubbling from the audience , inspiring frequent bursts of uproarious laughter .",
        "imagine an out-there cartoon and watching it spring to live-action on the big screen .",
        "jon heder gives a classic slapstick performance , something along the lines of the silent great harry langdon , that sleepy-headed weirdo baby , after a hormonal growth spurt .",
        "these characters never conform , and neither does the film .",
        "after watching so many big-budget movies loaded with special effects , i appreciated this film 's simple production values , even those opening credits written on plates of food .",
        "if you walk in with an open mind and an acute appreciation for forging truly unique characters and interactions , you 'll come back five times .",
        "an offbeat , frequently funny comedy that gradually wins you over , much like its central character .",
        "-lsb- . . -rsb- sans une v\u00e9ritable ligne directrice , le film ne poss\u010dde pas suffisamment d'attraits pour en faire une com\u00e9die r\u00e9ussie .",
        "plays , hilariously , like revenge of the nerds directed by david gordon green ... it 's legitimately funny and fresh , and it does n't glom onto any obvious formula .",
        "hess knows his characters -- sad sacks and misunderstood nerd geniuses who inhabit straight-laced middle america .",
        "ostentatious and pointless , firing quirkiness out of a machine gun and saying nothing in the process .",
        "while it runs out of steam near the end , it never runs out of charm , thanks to jon heder 's narcoleptic zeal as the title character .",
        "its acutely observed triumph is also its undoing : it 's hard to satirize oppressive tedium without becoming oppressively tedious . this movie 's not low-key , it 's no-key .",
        "guaranteed to win over the geek inside most of us",
        "not much really happens in this film but it 's an oddly heart-warming character study and will ring bells with anyone who has ever spent any time in a small town .",
        "what is touching , however , and perhaps the film 's central theme , is the strength , however strangely expressed , of the friendship between napoleon , deb and pedro .",
        "... makes a good attempt for about its first quarter hour at showing us the dilemma of the high school outsider .",
        "it 's honestly kinda sweet and moving -- the blissed-out celebration of the lurking outcast inside all of us .",
        "\u00e9 recheado de estere\u00f3tipos dos mais ofensivos , mas torna-se agrad\u00e1vel e divertido gra\u00e7as ao apelo de seu personagem-t\u00edtulo .",
        "` march to the beat of your own drum , ' the movie may say , ` but we will laugh at you . '",
        "a roschach test of viewer empathy ... while i respect the concerns of those who find the movie cruel , i have to side with those who find it ultimately endearing .",
        "functions like an excruciating episode of jerry springer .",
        "bubbles with barely suppressed loathing for its characters and setting .",
        "revels in its own kookiness and is the most engaging teen movie to emerge from the states for many a year .",
        "a wry and sober comedy about family neglect and social ostracism that is deeply , truly funny",
        "supremely condescending ... if you need to look down on others to feel better about yourself , ` MOV ' is the movie for you .",
        "in fourth of july terms , its pop is less dynamite than firecracker .",
        "... a wonderfully skewed story that weaves together tater tot fetishism , a voracious llama , tether ball , internet dating , and the high school presidential race ...",
        "a small-scale , deadpan film .",
        "this goofy american original works largely due to the determined weirdness of star jon heder",
        "MOV is a quirky and appealing comedy set in idaho about an oddball teenager who waits patiently until he gets his chance to shine on his own terms .",
        "a thrift-shop wes anderson pastiche masquerading as the latest in cult-film haute couture .",
        "maybe if i were n't as far removed from high school as i am now , i 'd be much more into the movie 's warped depiction of teenage wasteland .",
        "nerdiness will never seem the same .",
        "it 's an outlandish , goofy diversion .",
        "` this is pretty much the worst video ever made , ' napoleon complains . ... i know exactly how he feels .",
        "there are lots of laughs for those who enjoy the sight of bottom dwellers doing stupid things that make them look even more idiotic .",
        "for those who think there'e nothing funnier than yokels acting like idiots for 90 minutes straight .",
        "with a low-key sense of humor and without the slightest whiff of sentimentality , hess delivers a film about geeks that makes revenge of the nerds look like the hollywood tripe that it is .",
        "a quirky , one-of-a-kind comedic gem . even when you are n't laughing out loud , you wo n't be able to stop from smiling .",
        "you 'll laugh till it hurts .",
        "the most fascinating outcast since harold and maude . trouble is , harold and maude were going someplace ; their story had a direction .",
        "a trashy midwestern remake of rushmore .",
        "the 2004 sundance crowd-pleaser has got the tableaux suitable for diane arbus photos down pat , but no real interest in the people negotiating those life situations .",
        "an epic , magisterially observed pastiche on all-american geekhood , flooring the competition with a petulant shove .",
        "best nerd movie since ` american splendor . '",
        "even if you do n't like the film and its freak-show depiction of small-town life , it 's hard not to admire the commitment of jon heder 's performance .",
        "when the audience roared at napoleon 's almost spastic way of slicing the air with his limp-spaghetti arms , i cringed .",
        "the bits are hit-and-miss , though the funny ones are often very funny .",
        "a very funny sketch of high school nerds in rural idaho",
        "napoleon may start out as a caricature , but there is a subtle and gradual change that occurs .",
        "you must see it to believe it because this film is entirely original . the movie 's final line will have you in stitches . it 's the most romantic line ever said on film !",
        "hess does creatively produce a droll gem that exudes a nerdy naughtiness worthy of exploring in all its deadpan deliciousness",
        "... feels sort of like the work of a lousy wes anderson cover band .",
        "the movie 's deliriously specific detail , affection for its characters , unexpected developments , and genuine sweetness keep us laughing with napoleon , not at him .",
        "a call to be yourself in light of those around you and have confidence in whatever your ` skills ' may be , no matter how geeky or nerdish .",
        "a few minutes in , we know all the punchlines .",
        "MOV is like a cinematic bully , picking on the nerds with apparent glee",
        "mistakes insults for jests and racism for narrative guile .",
        "i 'm cracking up already thinking about that uncle again , who is obsessed with 1982 .",
        "one of the most original and quirkily endearing debuts since wes anderson 's bottle rocket .",
        "like a confused film school student , director jared hess is happy to pay homage to his film heroes , but does n't have enough passion to say much of anything in his own voice .",
        "MOV is n't exactly the year 's funniest film , but it does make for a memorable experience that can be enjoyed over and over again .",
        "leave this one for the dogs .",
        "it 's a cast of brilliant caricatures , and as such recalls the films of wes anderson .",
        "seething with teen-angst irritability and an obstinate blind ignorance to just how much of an outcast he is , MOV may be the biggest dork in the history of high school movies .",
        "for most of its length this delivers a steady stream of uncomfortable gut laughs .",
        "if you have an indie film sense of humor -- and those of you who have it know what i mean -- you 'll probably enjoy this flick .",
        "i began to appreciate the neat reversals of expectations , slow pace and serene non sequiturs of the plot , the film 's smart approach towards teen alienation , ludicrous ambition and impossible dreams .",
        "MOV may be forcefully weird and intermittently humorous , and you might not know what the heck to make of it , but there 's nothing shocking about its screenplay .",
        "as long as you do n't mind making fun of the afflicted , there are some killer comic moments .",
        "delights in deadpan % u2013 celebrates nerd . and is a testament that beauty can be found everywhere . a charming , albeit quite odd cinematic piece . harold and maude - lite ."],
    "summary": "a charming , quirky , and often funny comedy .",
    "id": "10007"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1072385-kingpin",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV makes inspired comedy by channeling the weber spirit-and the humble reality of the circuit-through the frame of an inspirational sports movie .",
        "the combination of the overkill factor and a basic mean-spiritedness finally sinks it for me .",
        "... a pervasively uneven comedy that just is n't able to overcome its various deficiencies ...",
        "it 's bill murray who easily swipes the picture -- he 's at his unctuous best as ernie mccracken , an oily bowler with an ego as enormous as his libido .",
        "funny , outrageous , vulgar . the only bowling comedy in memory .",
        "crude and hilarious",
        "i found the sleazy comedy more tedious than watching an actual bowling match .",
        "ends up with a seven-ten split between hilariously tasteless and just plain distasteful .",
        "it 's funny in parts in a tasteless , farrelly brothers way . freedy johnston 's incidental music provides one of the 90s most pleasing scores .",
        "the farrelly brothers funniest comedy .",
        "has plenty of clever sight gags and outrageous jokes you ca n't help laughing at , no matter how hard you resist .",
        "... fun , even if most of it is based on cruelty and hardship .",
        "with maybe 25 belly laughs , the brazenly crude MOV is often uproarious , but be forewarned that its creators apparently conceived it underneath a limbo bar . how looow can a funny guilty pleasure go ?"],
    "summary": "MOV has its moments , but they 're often offset by an eagerness to descend into vulgar mean-spiritedness .",
    "id": "13310"
  },
  {
    "movie": "undefeated_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "what makes this a terrific film is how much we care about the players .",
        "`` MOV '' needs less of what we know we 've seen -lrb- the football stuff -rrb- and more of the players ' and coaches ' lives , which even if we feel we 've seen , we have n't .",
        "... an inspirational and often touching film that lets us get to know a dedicated coach who has faith in his players and delivers what he promises -lrb- almost -rrb- .",
        "i regret that we do n't meet more of courtney 's players , but that might have required a miniseries rather than a movie . and `` MOV '' makes sure the coach who is its central figure is more complex and fascinating than most fictional movie characters .",
        "it may call to mind the blind side or remember the titans , but there 's no hollywood glitz in the blighted burg of manassas .",
        "what lifts ` MOV ' above other sports docs is the remarkable force of bill courtney 's personality .",
        "it 's a bit too long and a bit too vague at times , but this is a film about dedication , progress and the bond of human effort . it just also happens to include football .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- stirring , emotional portrait of a high school football team in the impoverished neighborhood of north memphis , tenn. .",
        "courtney really does believe all that stuff about adversity and character , and the film is moving for its modest tale of boys learning to act like men .",
        "this is a film that does n't cater only to the traditional football fan .",
        "in introducing us to -lsb- coach -rsb- courtney ... MOV finds its voice",
        "just like a well-fought playoff win , it 'll leave you a little misty-eyed .",
        "this is one of the best sports documentaries of the last few years and while i do n't think it should have won in a very good year for non-fiction film , i 'm really not upset at all that it did .",
        "finds the warmth and vulnerability that is sometimes hard for outsiders to see beneath the rough , damaged exterior of the impoverished memphis neighborhood where much of the action takes place .",
        "the hardened inner-city kids here are far more authentic than anything hollywood can offer , and as a result the film has a raw emotional weight that commercial features rarely achieve .",
        "MOV does more to draw a straight line between the desire to win -lrb- as opposed to actually winning -rrb- and the character of a man than a thousand locker room pep talks .",
        "this film is distinctly minor league . but it does provide the thumbs-up emotional lift of a bumper-sticker message on game day .",
        "this year 's oscar winner for best documentary feature seems almost too good to be true ... but that 's what makes it so effective .",
        "it 's a credit to directors daniel lindsay and t.j. daniels that the personal stories of the kids and coaches resonate more than the wins and losses .",
        "MOV is undeniably inspirational stuff .",
        "a remarkable documentary about the power of commitment and resolve",
        "`` MOV '' is an emotional and effective film , and i 'm happy for it .",
        "for the most part admirably chooses honest documentation over emotional manipulation .",
        "has a huge heart . there wo n't be a dry eye in the crowd .",
        "a compelling documentary chronicling not just football exploits but a few bona fide cases of quality character revealed .",
        "this emotional love letter from a coach to his team follows a downtrodden memphis high school football team through a tumultuous season which tests the patience of the coach and the tenacity of the players .",
        "if you can get through this movie dry-eyed , you are made of sterner stuff than i.",
        "should be required viewing of anyone who is committed to becoming a teen athlete -- or a coach of one .",
        "i wanted it blow my mind , to flatten me . demanding , i know .",
        "forget about `` blind side '' . this is the real deal , a stirring documentary about high school football that will move you to tears .",
        "MOV chronicles a championship season but covers turf that extends miles beyond the football field .",
        "`` MOV '' presents itself as a look at a single season in the life of a striving high school football team in impoverished north memphis , tenn. , but really it 's about so much more .",
        "while `` MOV '' travels well-tilled inspirational ground , it 's also an irresistible story of football , faith and the lust for happily-ever-after black-and-white endings .",
        "inspirational sports stories are hardly cinema rarities , but this documentary ... is a good example of the genre , made better by the fact that it 's true rather than ramped-up fiction .",
        "if the film had something to say about football as football instead of football as life , i 'd be interested . it does n't .",
        "transforms the story of a struggling high-school football team into a deeply moving portrait of teens learning , for the first time , that they 're capable of greatness .",
        "it does n't take long before MOV finds an intimate perspective , showing interest in the nuances of personality , making the film more than just a collection of touchdown miracles .",
        "there are interesting edges and unexpected sides to `` MOV '' beginning with that title - because , not long after we 've settled in , we watch the team lose its very first game .",
        "i wish the directors had emphasized more of the players ' personal lives apart from the football field . but , in the end , this is a documentary about courtney and the transformative powers of caring . he works wonders on his players and they reciprocate .",
        "inspiring football documentary about the power of teamwork .",
        "the agony of defeat in this movie is every bit as transporting as the thrill of victory .",
        "in the abstract , it sounds like the outline for hollywood 's next glossy hit ; in its particulars , it 's a moving treatment of a team whose fiercest opponent is despair .",
        "it 's about inspiring those without inspiration . instead of a mere worst to first , MOV is just that -- the best .",
        "the ultimate praise given to sports movies is always , `` even if you do n't care about sport x , you 'll care about these characters , '' and that 's certainly true of MOV -lrb- i do n't , and i did -rrb- .",
        "made with equal parts style and compassion , this is one of the best docs you 're likely to see this year , football fan or not .",
        "it 's the kind of story that will stir the heartstrings , and even , quite possibly , those of the academy of motion picture arts & sciences .",
        "if life is getting you down , an inspirational sports flick is always the right choice . and it 's even better if you can find a documentary like the heartwarming `` MOV . ''",
        "a `` hoop dreams '' - style story about sports and society that inspired me and made me mad in about equal portions .",
        "MOV may be familiar . but it is an unscripted , unadulterated score .",
        "-lsb- it examines -rsb- issues of class and race through the lens of its ragtag athletics program while also reinforcing american mythos of bootstrapping , hard work and community . its triumphs are bittersweet , but they 're irresistible .",
        "with a story that proves to be heartwarming and predictable , MOV mostly plays according to the script familiar in its fiction and nonfiction counterparts .",
        "in truth , the story that unfolds is better than the filmmakers ' sometimes overwrought attempts to frame it ...",
        "where the season takes them , and the entire team , is a satisfying mix of sports-movie uplift and heartbreaking realism .",
        "not only does the truth set one free but also acknowledging unpleasant realities sometimes makes the platitudes seem like more than something off a locker room poster .",
        "as far as american football flicks go , it 's the closest to touching the greatness of h.g. bissinger 's tome friday night lights and michael lewis ' the blind side .",
        "this is a valuable story from what one interview subject aptly refers to as the ` have-nots ' of one of america 's richest sports .",
        "it may be a film that feels rather than analyses , but MOV is a compelling , uplifting experience that ca n't fail to move even the most us football-phobic .",
        "` MOV ' is no ` hoop dreams ' , but it 's sturdily built and worthwhile .",
        "gripping , well made and genuinely inspirational documentary that packs a powerful emotional punch , even if some of the scenes seem suspiciously contrived for maximum tear-jerking purposes .",
        "can take its place proudly alongside the best in the genre .",
        "enjoyably upbeat and intelligently inspiring .",
        "it 's an example of those who have helping those who do n't and everybody winning . that 's not socialism ; it 's just the social contract .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- it 's tempting to wax poetic about the energetic 2009 season we witness the manassas tigers play through , but the meat of the story comes down to three players .",
        "an inspiring documentary about a caring coach of a losing inner-city football team .",
        "bring tissues . you 've been warned . and you do n't even have to be a sports fan to be moved .",
        "courtney and his crew all seem like nice people , but if there 's an unironic audience for this kind of romantic jock-cup fondling , i 'm not interested in knowing it .",
        "it 's diving deeply into knotty matters of patience and parenting , along with plenty of unfixables as well .",
        "... this story is a familiar one , but it is superbly told , and there 's more than a little memphis funk in the storytelling ... to make this filmmaking stand out .",
        "awards recognition should only boost the coffers of a doc that features echoes of the popular , based-on-a-true-story gridiron movies the blind side and friday night lights .",
        "makes a substantial emotional impact whenever coach bill courtney and his powerful words dominate a particular scene .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- winning documentary .",
        "it is a powerful reminder of the difference one person can make -- and of the consequences when no one is willing to make that difference .",
        "it 's a surprisingly moving , emotional film , even for those who -lrb- like me -rrb- know little of football ; by its end , you just might be blinking away a few tears .",
        "peers empathetically into a tiny world and opens it up for its audience , who , in turn , will surely open their hearts to it .",
        "even though the film relies on many of the clich\u00e9s of the form , MOV is a masterfully crafted work that honestly scores a touchdown .",
        "`` MOV '' does n't have a deep penetration of poverty and race in its playbook , but it does have enough heart to make substantial forward progress .",
        "for all its good intentions , the film , like its main subject , is a tourist , earning trust as it earnestly captures the incredible struggles of these young men , but never digging deep enough to actually make the story theirs .",
        "a touching documentary that offers a field-level portrait of male mentorship , compassion and unvarnished hope - all without a hollywood ending .",
        "combines the gritty reality of `` hoop dreams '' and the heart of `` friday night lights , '' along with a dash of `` the blind side . ''",
        "volunteer high school coach bill courtney says , `` football does n't build character . football reveals character . '' the triumphant sports documentary `` MOV '' proves that it does both .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a watchable movie , no question . but perhaps best filed under guilty pleasures .",
        "MOV works the whole macho-sentimental template so vigorously and well it 's practically a reflexive response to cry foul , but you 'd have to find heroic reserves of cynicism not to care at all about the precarious fortunes of these unformed bruisers .",
        "MOV is far more interested in the resilience of the human spirit than one hundred yards of green turf .",
        "a reminder of the power of good in a world where most people get too caught up in superficial matters . a wonderful documentary that will point life 's purpose in the right direction .",
        "-lsb- e -rsb- xtraordinary in how it turns upside-down the typical feel-good , triumph-of-the-underdogs tropes of the subgenre ...",
        "if you find yourself reaching for the kleenex during the film 's final emotionally charged minutes , you most definitely wo n't be alone .",
        "all eyes are on the ball , while the future screams from the sidelines .",
        "even if you have no interest in american football this is a compelling and inspirational story that brings a tear to the eye .",
        "it 's an affecting and encouraging story .",
        "MOV is all heart . even those who could n't care less about american football will find this an affecting story about a man who really gives one hell of a damn .",
        "a stirring , finely crafted human-interest story about underprivileged lives touched by the rewards of shared experience .",
        "a familiar inspirational sports documentary .",
        "documentarians dan lindsay and t.j. martin have created a friday night lights for a new decade .",
        "at its best , MOV is a hail mary td pass . other times , it 's a routine punt . MOV is an anthem of decency and empathy . it 's also about living on the edge - of society and life ."],
    "summary": "it covers familiar sports documentary territory , but MOV proves there are still powerful stories to be told on the high school gridiron .",
    "id": "771249339"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the-super-mario-bros",
    "reviews":
     [
        "they should have used cheat codes to make this a winner .",
        "if the very expensive special-effects extravaganza super mario bros. is any indication , we probably wo n't be seeing legend of zelda : the movie very soon .",
        "super mario bros. is about as playful and challenging as an unplugged pinball machine .",
        "this film 's two directors and three screenwriters have clearly tried hard to breathe life into their nonstory , to the point where the film 's intensity seems more crazy than cynical .",
        "as the ad campaign helpfully pointed out , `` this ai n't no game , it 's a live-action thrill ride . '' half-true : it is surely not a game , for it is typically held that games are pleasurable .",
        "game over , man .",
        "despite eye-catching sets and smart casting , this first feature-length film to be adapted from a video game is a bloated muddle .",
        "wildly overproduced and derivative .",
        "ultimately , it 's one more stop in the arcade , beckoning , waiting to soak up time and money .",
        "unfortunately , the highlights are sporadic .",
        "bizarre , replete in often stunning special effects and verrrry strange from the outset , super mario bros. is curiously entertaining , even though it often makes little sense .",
        "bombs explode , cars careen and crash , people leap from dimension to dimension in this blaring , glaring picture . kids might get a charge out of the mayhem . i got the vapors .",
        "there are none of the game 's hidden pleasures , such as booby traps or treasure caches , and the casting is peculiar .",
        "scenery rushes by , noise blares , characters pop up wearing new costumes that they could n't possibly have had time to change into as they eluded their adversaries .",
        "even moviegoers who do n't own nintendo -lrb- if any such species exists -rrb- will thoroughly enjoy these superheroes . and chances are , this is only the beginning of their film exploits .",
        "devotees of the game may derive some pleasure from seeing its obstacles given quasi-flesh and set in motion , but that inert pleasure soon pales in a torrent of none-too-special effects , confusing story line and characters without personalities .",
        "this movie , which was directed by music video whiz kids rocky morton and annabel jankel , is sweet and funny and full of bright invention . in short , it 's a blast .",
        "the movie is the trailer , shown over and over and over again .",
        "it will baffle kids , bore adolescents , and depress adults .",
        "as everyone knows , arcade-style diversions are not known for strong , original narratives or well-developed characters . in that sense , this film is worthy of its inspiration .",
        "while it is n't as bad as it was initially built up to be , it is an early example of why videogames do n't make good movies .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "despite flashy sets and special effects , super mario bros. is too light on story and substance to be anything more than a novelty .",
    "id": "10586"
  },
  {
    "movie": "look_at_me",
    "reviews":
     [
        "at best , a most watchable character study of lives that are more interesting than compelling .",
        "MOV confirms what the taste of others suggested - that jaoui has a sharp talent for cutting through the self-absorbed baloney of the french bourgeoisie .",
        "the pleasure of the film , as in many french films from renoir to rohmer , is in the exactitude of observation , the accuracy of the portrait and the elegance of the writing .",
        "perhaps because she is also an actress , jaoui understands motivation and interaction , and , with co-star jean-pierre bacri , who plays the father , creates characters of substance and dimension out of scraps of human weakness .",
        "although little about the story seems surprising or spontaneous , the film 's delights lie in its acute observation of the characters and their interactions .",
        "jaoui is something of a romantic , yes , but she 's also a bit of a cynic - or at least an amused realist .",
        "flawlessly acted and meticulously observed .",
        "both an implicit protest against the blindness of power and an equally fervent protest against the acquiescence of men and women who are too weak or too compromised to stand up for themselves -- that is , most people .",
        "but add up these formidable parts and all you get is still a distant story of wealthy and miserable french literati stewing in their own self-contempt .",
        "... does more than flatter its audience 's sense of taste .",
        "bacri and jaoui happens to have a soft spot for their countrymen , which results in a warm , funny movie for us to like , too .",
        "a biting and insightful tale of life in parisian literary circles , and how celebrity and ambition can send ripples through relationships .",
        "agn\u010ds jaoui 's second film is the type of light , foucauldian romantic comedy that only the french can make .",
        "a sharp illustration of how it feels to resent someone you know you 're supposed to love .",
        "the work of a wry , generous filmmaker who wants to sympathize with even her most self-centered characters ...",
        "-lrb- ... -rrb- una comedia humana que incluso depara , seg\u00fan la sensibilidad de cada uno , varias notas de emoci\u00f3n .",
        "examines a variety of questions , such as superficiality versus substance , materialism versus self-worth , and taking advantage of others versus forming sincere relationships .",
        "`` MOV '' is a wholesome work of fully rounded dramaturgy that spins on a gyroscope of sustained emotional momentum .",
        "forces the audience to ride the waves of some complicated relationships without having a built-in hero or heroine for which to root .",
        "sadly , too much focus is spent on showing character traits that any kind of coherent story or compassion for characters is destroyed .",
        "MOV ... states the film 's theme : the difficulty of getting ... attention and the horrible realization that , when it comes , it usually comes for the wrong reasons .",
        "jaoui 's witty comedy of manners has an empathy that recalls the works of woody allen in the 1980s .",
        "a wryly funny and insightful film that works on many different levels .",
        "this audience-pleaser is smart and acerbic .",
        "jaoui and bacri skewer celebrity worship , sensitively explore women 's body issues , delve into relationship dynamics and brilliantly examine the myriad ways people deceive themselves .",
        "the plot , what little there is , moves at a snail 's pace , and the subtitles do n't help speed things along .",
        "it 's a sweet little movie that shines with the brightness of a tiny jewel .",
        "it just goes to show what you can get with a talented cast , intelligent writing and solid direction .",
        "gets under the skin of these varied individuals and reveals them in rich complexity and highly individuated quirkiness",
        "the multitalented jaoui and bacri excel on every level ; her direction is efficient and unobtrusive , their script dissects the nuances of corruption by celebrity with a razor-sharp scalpel , and they deliver a pair of subtly unsparing performances .",
        "the perfect story about what 's wrong with self-involvement .",
        "why this won the best screenplay award at the last cannes festival escapes me .",
        "it 's a tender , expertly wrought piece of human exchange , and therefore a scarce beast .",
        "... a perfectly tuned sense of character nuance -lsb- that -rsb- holds you more spellbound than 90 percent of hollywood 's `` crowd-pleasers . ''",
        "these hapless malcontents , sweating and puffing as they strive for validation from a man who lacks sufficient backbone to live his own life , let alone theirs , are beautifully observed .",
        "while jaoui 's film is interesting to watch , it dawdles enough to lose its storytelling grip . that said , she remains a tantalizing talent .",
        "comparisons with woody allen in his prime are n't out of order .",
        "the ironies and emotional truths running through the dense screenplay are too manifold to catalog here .",
        "this bonbon spiked with malice is a triumph for jaoui , who takes witty and wounding measure of the small betrayals that leave bruises on us all .",
        "not only do jaoui and bacri excel at portraying their themes of power and self image , they have a great deal of fun with word play",
        "set in a sophisticated parisian milieu , MOV becomes a fascinating study in moral compromise as well as an astute depiction of life among a small group of intellectuals ostensibly living the good life .",
        "the thing about a movie like this is , the characters may be french , but they 're more like people i know than they could ever be in the hollywood remake .",
        "... smart and sometimes bittersweet ...",
        "rarely does a director assemble a set of characters so infantile in their emotions and so irritating to be around -- at least if they want anyone to actually pay to see the movie .",
        "occasionally plodding yet mostly wonderful ... jauoi is quickly proving herself as one to keep an eye on , and possibly even more .",
        "a witty and psychologically perceptive look at the parisian literary scene .",
        "gently funny and wise , MOV has lots to say about the power of art to make us see the world in a new light , about people who suck all the oxygen out of a room and about how the people in their wake must cope .",
        "gorgeously photographed , sublimely acted and perversely funny , MOV creates sympathy for characters who are everything that hollywood wisdom tells us viewers wo n't identify with .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "jaoui , crisply efficient as sylvia , reveals herself as a talent to watch , and berry disappears into the role of lolita , carrying the movie on her weary shoulders .",
        "it is kept blithely in flux by jaoui 's darting tempo , her fond delight in actors and her comical use of cell phones , and the music that includes cuban pop and jazz and monteverdi , schubert , mozart .",
        "newcomer berry is not only able to hold her own with her more experienced co-stars , but she 's the real standout here .",
        "though it 's verbose and cynical in the typical french fashion , the movie is well-acted .",
        "hey , if you 're into whiny soap operas about self-obsessed people who never shut up complaining about how miserable they are , have at it .",
        "-lsb- has -rsb- a light , sometimes hilarious touch .",
        "MOV is sly , discomfiting and great exploration of fame and beauty .",
        "an almost perfect film about decidedly imperfect people ... manages to be both profound and delightful .",
        "lightly enjoyable .",
        "jaoui sets her wryly observant sights on family , artistic ambition and the tyranny of physical appearance , and the result is a bright , briskly moving film whose modest scale belies the universality of its themes .",
        "an overrated mound of misery .",
        "ironically and appropriately , the character who actually says `` MOV '' remains least noticed throughout .",
        "it builds , almost imperceptibly , to a vision of a world in which no one looks at anyone , at least deeply enough to see beyond the trappings of beauty or fame .",
        "one of the many marvels of this keenly observed family saga is the rapidness and economy with which it establishes a disturbing father-daughter dynamic .",
        "not many movie scripts have the psychological complexity of a first-class novel , and those that do tend to speak in fluent french .",
        "it 's funny what the french cherry-pick from the u.s. culture they otherwise despise .",
        "a fine motion picture -- simple , direct , and offering truth .",
        "... a bittersweet look at the joy and frustration and inspirational possibilities of art in a world fixated on appearances and measured by the marketplace .",
        "in the tradition of jean renoir , eric rohmer or robert altman , MOV is a multi-character comedy of manners -- or , more accurately , ill-manners .",
        "liberal in its worldview , wise in its knowledge of human behavior and so open to the shortcomings within all of us , it makes hollywood films seem like the emotional equivalent of teletubbies .",
        "an insightful portrait on how proximity to fame can change the way people react with one another .",
        "a marvelous , uncommonly observant , and unexpectedly rousing group portrait from writer-director-actors agn\u010ds jaoui and jean-pierre bacri .",
        "this is the kind of fluid , balanced comedy-drama that woody allen wishes he could still make .",
        "the self-involved characters in this emotionally smart , beautifully acted and uncommonly insightful film help us look at ourselves .",
        "the film 's reputation on the arthouse circuit precedes it , and rightfully so .",
        "you wo n't be able to dismiss this movie as easily as etienne ignores lolita .",
        "like a two-hour car trip with different people taking turns complaining every 20 minutes",
        "it 's a marvel that reverberates long after we leave the theater .",
        "the accent is on `` me , me , me . ''",
        "the characters exude moral three-dimensionality ; they 're not built to behave or please us . they 're not bound by that inflexible hollywood contract to modify their lives and morals just in time for the ending .",
        "if you 've ever wanted to spend a few hours with a screenful of depressed bores , this is your film .",
        "now that woody allen has gone off the rails , it seems the next best thing for urbane moviegoers seeking sharp , educated comedic dramas is french up-and-comer agn\u010ds jaoui ...",
        "MOV is a well-written and brilliantly acted french drama about the sharp edges of celebrityhood and criticism in the literary world .",
        "on the talky side , but like jaoui 's directing debut , the taste of others , it offers uniformly excellent performances and smart observations on social and family interactions .",
        "all these proceedings would be harsh and sordid if they were not softened by the sublime music of mozart , schubert , handel and beethoven , sung by the choral group to which lolita belongs , and in which she finds a spiritual salve .",
        "a wonderfully emphatic and entertaining film .",
        "a wonderfully witty and observant comedy-drama .",
        "comme une image will linger in the mind long after the end-credits have disappeared .",
        "a wry , understated , comic gem populated with wonderful characters , fine performances and , crucially , a great amount of compassion .",
        "a sharp sense of humour and irony keeps this from being yet another talky french film , but only just .",
        "a gem of comic melancholy .",
        "MOV , succinctly paced and written with economy of style , will strike chords of human recognition amongst us all .",
        "a student of patrice chereau and eric rohmer , a considerate joui sees the humanity in everyone .",
        "a witty and acute examination of friendship , ambition and betrayal in the parisian literary world .",
        "while this is not new territory , the observations are sharp , the acting is superb , and the dialogue is rich with irony and biting subtext ."],
    "summary": "an observant drama-comedy about self absorption .",
    "id": "11243"
  },
  {
    "movie": "paycheck",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film discards serious discussion for mexican standoffs and action scenes , trading the possibility of complex rewards for simple pleasures .",
        "a mildly entertaining slice of science fiction that 's anchored by some top-notch action .",
        "MOV is john woo lite .",
        "it 's nice to know that there 's a director out there who still knows how to use marquee stars and to blow stuff up real good , without resorting to cgi fakery .",
        "clearly , the whole cast was here simply to collect - yes , you guessed it - a pay cheque .",
        "ben affleck is one of the blandest actors vying for hollywood 's action movie crown now that harrison ford is on pension ...",
        "there is enough left of the original idea in the movie to recommend it , just barely .",
        "this could have been a terrific movie . unfortunately , paramount and director john woo -lrb- who was responsible for the lamentable windtalkers -rrb- , ruined it by prolific special effects .",
        "inexpressibly ropey sci-fi thriller joylessly directed by john woo and based , natch , on a philip k dick short story .",
        "the characters are charismatic , the action sequences strong and the plot -- adapted from a philip k. dick story -- better than average .",
        "the possibilities of dick 's premise are never really exploited , just used as the framework for limp action set-pieces .",
        "writer dean georgaris and director john woo propel a viewer through shoot-outs , chases and suspense sequences that break enough new ground to feel fresh .",
        "how sad to see john woo churn out an action thriller so thoroughly generic .",
        "we 're left with the painful reality that MOV might get alfred hitchcock , but it certainly does n't know philip k. dick .",
        "a flat , derivative pseudo-thriller ... certainly the weakest of woo 's american movies . and before you ask , yes , i have seen ` hard target ' -lrb- and rather liked it -rrb- .",
        "the swiss could take lessons ... on how to mold something so cheesy and full of holes -lrb- but -rrb- the picture -lrb- gets by on -rrb- woo 's distinctively , gratifyingly slick cinematic tactics .",
        "forgoes originality in favor of stock thriller trappings .",
        "a big , well-paced thriller that 's scads of fun as it races along to a suitably woo-esque climax of gunshots , acrobatics , and way cool slow motion effects",
        "there 's only limited suspense and absolutely nothing like a character you can believe in .",
        "woo is n't as much interested in ideas as in the physical complications they provide . nor does he work too hard to give the scenario credibility .",
        "every scene screams , ` i 'm only doing this for the money . '",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it falls about midway along the spectrum of movie adaptations of dick 's work .",
        "the first third builds up suspense through dialogue , plotting , ambiguity . then woo apparently recalls that he 's expected to fill pictures with chases , explosions and ` stylish ' trademarks .",
        "ben affleck is a handsome fellow . no argument there . what he is n't is a particularly compelling leading man .",
        "this mishmash of philip k. dick , cheesy romance , hitchcock references and woo 's own bmw commercials is sadly outdated on delivery .",
        "a mostly tangled affair that betrays an intriguing premise and botches most opportunites to deepen the proceedings .",
        "MOV is classic john woo : not challenging , but a fun ride as long as you do n't try to pick it apart .",
        "plenty of chases , shoot-outs and fights that are flashy but not particularly impressive , especially by woo standards .",
        "when will ben affleck 's perceived star power fade away ? he just does n't seem to have the inner angst and soulfulness that you see in the eyes of cruise , pitt or even damon .",
        "if ever a movie title summed up a viewer 's assessment of all those involved it 's this one .",
        "it does n't take a world-famous genius to peg this thing a MOV movie if there ever was one .",
        "dick 's nifty sci-fi plot is undermined by hollywood present , from vapid affleck to woo 's explosively dreary finale .",
        "john woo delivers some fun thrills in an otherwise lackluster action pic .",
        "desperdi\u0437a uma \u0443tima id\u0439ia em prol da a\u0437\u0433o descerebrada .",
        "` if nature abhors a vacuum , how come affleck has n't been struck by lightning yet ? '",
        "a brisk , enjoyable , implausible sci-fi thriller .",
        "nothing in the movie is a surprise .",
        "at times , the whole thing feels like a parody of the genre . still , director john woo makes all this nonsense thoroughly entertaining , full of the slow-motion explosions , mexican standoffs and the doves you 've come to expect .",
        "without woo 's zest for kinetic energy , MOV would be just a few neat ideas stuffed inside a stiff , stifling adventure .",
        "the amazing thing about john woo 's steely , impersonal adaptation of philip k. dick sci-fi story ... is how it vanishes in front of our eyes even as we watch it .",
        "the law of diminishing returns appears to have caught up with hollywood 's philip k. dick infatuation .",
        "ranks with impostor as among the least memorable of big-screen adaptations of the late s.f. author 's canon .",
        "starring ben affleck and uma thurman . and ben affleck and uma thurman 's stunt doubles .",
        "ben affleck 's latest action flick comes on strong , but ends up just another action flick without sufficient funds .",
        "a film that squanders a potentially intriguing premise and , in john woo , a stylish director on a film that is merely content to waste them on a silly collection of clich\u00e9s .",
        "acting is hard to do . watch affleck try it and barely make a go of it .",
        "director john woo , progenitor of film violence as stylized artistry , rests on his laurels here . he keeps the action sufficiently engaging , but never mind-blowing .",
        "the one thing we can not forgive in a would-be thriller is boredom . even woo 's trademarks , the fluttering birds and the two-gun stand-off , feel perfunctory .",
        "MOV does n't even attend to its own internal sense : if the future changes moment by moment , then how can michael possibly anticipate it ?",
        "john woo ... plays this one largely by the numbers",
        "coming up short on just about everything - from the casting and dialog to the action sequences - woo rides the high of a strong story into the ground .",
        "it lacks pace and inventiveness , never drawing anything meaningful or exciting from the premise .",
        "generally succeeds as an action movie and occasionally slips as a smarty pants work of speculative fiction , but fun overall .",
        "... the latest corpse in a long string of casualties left by ben affleck 's ` star power ' and credibility void as a man of action .",
        "tout le monde ici s ` est donc content\u0439 de venir chercher son ch\u0438que de paie ...",
        "let 's just say 2003 was not ben affleck 's best year .",
        "an intelligent sci-fi thriller that 's intriguing and exhilarating .",
        "is affleck in it for the salvation of the world or uma thurman 's booty ?",
        "the film elaborates greatly on philip k. dick 's short story but has too many redundant action scenes .",
        "at the end of john woo 's latest hollywood misstep , ben affleck hefts two bags of manure on his back and stumbles around , effectively defusing anything cogent i could say .",
        "limp retread of minority report .",
        "MOV is bad enough that it may convince some movie-goers not to go to another film just because it was made by john woo .",
        "too smart for a mindless actioneer , and too slick to capture the full moral weight of dick 's dystopia .",
        "forget about seeing it .",
        "MOV 's no breakthrough , but it 's the tightest john woo movie since his hong kong heyday .",
        "MOV is the sort of noisy nonsense that woo 's earlier action movies made irrelevant , but alas not extinct .",
        "the first hurdle is the hardest : accepting ben affleck in the role of possibly the most intelligent man on the planet .",
        "only dedicated fans will be willing to overlook MOV 's relatively weak cast and lackluster fights and chases .",
        "for the average escapism-craving joe , MOV is a breezy way to forget about reality for two hours .",
        "affleck is no schwarzenegger but director woo works with what he 's got . with uma thurman as the action sidekick/love interest , how bad can it be ?",
        "a good bit of the negativity surrounding the film would n't exist if it starred anyone but ben affleck -lrb- well , maybe not mark wahlberg either -rrb- .",
        "what 's the problem ? ben affleck is perfectly believable as a guy who spends two hours confused and with a dazed look on his face .",
        "you 've seen roadrunner cartoons with more suspense than this entirely predictable hash .",
        "a pleasant enough diversion .",
        "it moves quickly , does n't belabor the obvious , does n't do anything stupid , and will be forgotten the moment you exit the theater .",
        "doves might be symbolic for many of the classic struggles in film and literature . but something they drop from their business end embodies what `` MOV 's '' all about .",
        "if you 're looking for a fun alternative to the heavy-drama oscar contenders and you like sci-fi action thrillers , MOV will fill the bill .",
        "operates at the level of a game boy shoot - 'em - up : all action , bells and whistles , but no substance .",
        "appealingly silly for most of the way , and then stunningly , unfathomably absurd in its climax .",
        "MOV fails to fully explore the interesting question it poses and regresses into a brainless actioner .",
        "begins with a clever concept and eventually settles for being little more than a ` there 's not a moment to spare ! ' chase picture ...",
        "this is one affleck misstep you ca n't blame on j. lo .",
        "the blanks , and there are many , are filled with dunderheaded plotting and logic usually reserved only for james bond movies .",
        "MOV , if remembered at all , will only be for how derivative the memory of these two great masters of their fields has become .",
        "woo 's sci-fi thriller puts `` macgyver '' into a philip k. dick short story , never taking itself too seriously .",
        "sadly , the once glowing hollywood promise of ben affleck and director john woo has gradually given way to good MOV hunting .",
        "the strength of MOV is its story which , despite being infused with the trappings of a hollywood action film , still hangs together .",
        "seems like yet another job for hire for the great filmmaker , but one with a strong enough story to sustain our interest for two hours .",
        "a light-weight and entertaining piece of sci-fi",
        "total recall without the ambiguity and fifty first dates without the jokes . now i 'm referencing movies that are n't even out yet , what 's wrong with me ?",
        "while the tautly paced MOV succeeds at keeping your attention , it offers nothing at all to think about or even remember once its two hours have run their course .",
        "how appropriate that woo 's awkward sci-fi nutty narrative is about memory loss seeing as though this convoluted clunker is utterly forgettable .",
        "fails to satisfy as either a dickian head trip or a woo-zy thriller ...",
        "it 's hard to imagine dick ever writing anything as empty as this .",
        "just add an underwritten love interest , a scruffy yet lovable sidekick , stir violently and overcook action sequences . serves millions , but tastes bland .",
        "MOV is nothing more than an adequate thriller ; a standard chase movie .",
        "there are countless fascinating possibilities involved in philip k. dick 's story , and i 'm kind of sad that the ones ranking highest in the minds of the filmmakers was the opportunity to have chase scenes and blow stuff up real good .",
        "this is cinematic cotton candy at its most caloric , and could pass as worthy yet inconsequential entertainment if it only had a tenth of a brain .",
        "a story that does n't make a lick of sense , even on its own coherence-mangling terms .",
        "by-the-book thrills speed by giving the film an exhausting pace , but it does n't translate into the heart-pounding suspense the film promises .",
        "one of those thoroughly entertaining flicks that is easily forgotten .",
        "with its bland central character , and collapsible contraption of a plot , MOV leaves little after-effect .",
        "instead of a nifty thriller , woo delivers typical bombast , making what should be an exciting film feel like ` exhibit a ' in the case against modern action films .",
        "makes little of its fascinating premise and seems to show the once-mighty woo running out of breath and ideas .",
        "gives further proof of the eroding skills of filmmaker john woo , for whom MOV is surely a career low .",
        "efficient and occasionally fun -- but never to the extent that you can overlook its shortcomings .",
        "it 's all about getting a fat MOV .",
        "without ever quite becoming boring , MOV seems to narrow into a routine pattern , and a plot that at first had nuance and the hint of a broader meaning degenerates into chases and standard action .",
        "as soulless a film as woo has made .",
        "maybe a MOV was all director john woo and stars ben affleck and uma thurman had in mind when they made this half-hearted , inept sci-fi thriller .",
        "you may not buy everything about this movie , but you 'll likely leave it with a smile .",
        "dean georgaris ' script leans too much on affleck going macgyver at the exact right moment .",
        "dean georgaris scripted MOV from a philip k. dick story , and john woo turned it into the sort of film plastic that groans of metal fatigue .",
        "less exciting than it should have been .",
        "affleck is just fine when he plays a regular guy , but whenever he tries to , like , act , he ends up looking like a perplexed and mildly retarded simian .",
        "the film 's greatest drawback was its director 's lack of vision and understanding of the world of technology .",
        "a bloated thriller that runs out of steam long before its final interminable chase .",
        "once jennings starts mcguyvering his way out of trouble using items from his manila envelope of tricks , the story careens into a brain-dead end .",
        "blazingly stupid , punishingly dull .",
        "it 's less like a movie than a dvd burned using a file-serving web site where you can download favorite movie scenes .",
        "if a movie is going to flout , or at least bend , the laws of the universe , it at least ought to obey its own internal rules .",
        "ben affleck stars in a mix of hitchcock style and 21st century mind games that ca n't quite cash itself .",
        "though the premise is provocative enough , the execution feels like a host of other violent action-drenched movies .",
        "-lsb- woo -rsb- still has pretty much of a tin ear for american performances , so he lets affleck doze through the starring role . the film feels as if it has no center .",
        "it 's a sci-fi thriller that 's so tired , routine and smothered in deja vu that it 's rather shocking to think it was directed by john woo .",
        "as a genius running for his life , affleck 's got the intensity of a frat brother racing to return a keg before he loses the deposit .",
        "unlike woo 's face/off or broken arrow , there are no stunts , special effects or kinetic moments in MOV that really blow you away .",
        "the second half of the film is one overlong action sequence linked to another .",
        "a terribly muddled mess .",
        "just more of the same old , lame old .",
        "you leave MOV feeling as if you 've just watched a big-budget version of a made-for - television movie .",
        "belongs with the likes of impostor : a near-future tale of paranoia and suspense of disappointingly generic proportions .",
        "has the feel , alas , of a movie that woo did so he could get to do something else -- it 's not a very personal work for him , and it lacks freshness .",
        "affleck gives a sleek , economical performance as jennings .",
        "the whole project bears the marks of a bored director , and a script in constant flux .",
        "this smooth but bland thriller may be the best we could possibly expect from john woo directing a philip k. dick adaptation , especially when ben affleck is added to the mix .",
        "there 's a sense of treading water about this movie .",
        "some remedial script work is in need , and the characters are far from compelling . but the action is up to scratch and it rattles happily along .",
        "for those who enjoy a ripper of a good yarn , MOV is good value .",
        "most of it is very predictable and so obvious and instantly draws us away from the characters because everything here feels very artificial and very staged .",
        "`` MOV '' is a no-brainer action movie with just enough sci-fi thematic input to keep it spicy .",
        "playful but inconsequential ... the interpretation of dick 's intriguing concept is a street which mostly just dead-ends into noisy silliness . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "MOV takes two hours to watch and two minutes to forget .",
        "it 's not necessarily high brow sci-fi , but it is very accessible to the mainstream eye .",
        "this movie just sags , even in the action scenes .",
        "woo 's stylish touches fall flat in this forgettable project",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "though dick 's short story has an intriguing premise , woo reduces it to a lot of meaningless chases , shoot-outs , and explosions .",
    "id": "11014"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10011295-samson_and_delilah",
    "reviews":
     [
        "like no australian film i 've seen . timeless and also utterly contemporary , it will leave hearts bruised , but aching with joy .",
        "visually stunning , this impressive feature debut places an aboriginal love on the run tale against a fascinating socio-cultural context that 's little known to non-australians .",
        "non-actors rowan mcnamara and marissa gibson do n't so much perform their roles as live out the lives of those who have been around them . their ability to involve us and to make their characters real is astonishing .",
        "it 's not in 3d , you wo n't have heard of the cast , and i suspect the budget was in the low five figures . however , this tender little gem is as good as anything you 'll see this week .",
        "filled with brusque tenderness and dusty beauty , director warwick thornton 's first feature is a fine and moving example of outback neorealism .",
        "it could n't be more powerful .",
        "director warwick thornton has a sharp eye and a big heart but his film is relentlessly grim .",
        "tender and beautifully acted , it 's a unflinchingly bleak glimpse of life on australia 's margins .",
        "is it hopeful , or entirely hopeless ? i do n't know - but found myself finally moved by this desperately sad film and by the performances of rowan mcnamara and marissa gibson as the lovers themselves .",
        "one of the most original , impressive australian films for years .",
        "first-time feature filmmaker warwick thornton chooses to avoid political stridency or cheap drama in favour of something much more complicated , artful and engaging .",
        "tough , uncompromising and truthful , yet funny and heartwarming when it needs to be -- this is highly recommended .",
        "the surreal leitmotifs ... keep the essence alive even when the drama appears dormant .",
        "this is for me one of the most wonderful films this country has ever produced . it is exquisitely made , it 's full of discipline . there 's not a spare moment in it .",
        "there is a profound statement about love in this film -- a commitment to caring which goes way beyond the pleasure principle .",
        "beautifully made and acted , this is a wrenching portrait of young aboriginal australians at grave risk .",
        "a tender film , and an honest one , but it 's tough going .",
        "it 's a predominantly bleak story , but never defeatist , and it stays with you .",
        "this astonishing , unworldly and brutally straightforward film has the capacity to challenge and change perceptions of what an australian film can be .",
        "thornton 's film offers a unique experience set in the heart of australia , and it surely will be a rare moviegoer who does n't respond to the drama and humour he exposes in this tender and brutal love story .",
        "it is the most confronting , powerful , honest and important film about indigenous culture yet made in this country .",
        "samson & delilah is an original -- everything about warwick thornton 's haunting film lingers . the images , the landscape , the music .",
        "the film may be hard as hell to watch , but it 's even harder to look away from .",
        "thornton 's grip on familiar narrative tropes comes to more and more resemble a choke-hold up until the film 's lovely final moments",
        "this sterling 2009 debut by warwick thornton is harrowing and tragic but has a stoic , stately realism that elevates the material way above victim politics .",
        "there 's little dialogue in MOV and the film has a gritty , sun-baked poeticism to it .",
        "spare and beautiful , samson & delilah gives viewers a peephole into two characters ' struggle in a corner of the earth not visited enough on film .",
        "this lovely , aching film opts for romance in the face of modern ruin .",
        "one of the great political films , masked as one of the best personal films , of 21st-century cinema . for all its unsparing , quietly condemning look at australia 's treatment of aborigines today , it ends on a grace note of devotion and tender care .",
        "director warwick thornton 's artistic choices alienated me as viewer and made me pray for the end .",
        "thornton is n't concerned about filling in the lines , requiring viewers to make the connections for themselves . the film is all the more engaging for it .",
        "a poetic , tender and unflinchingly real love story . its powerful visuals , music and raw , captivating performances will leave you feeling deeply moved .",
        "thornton 's command of space , location and mood is exemplary , recalling the taiwanese master tsai-ming liang in the way this love story plays out in the interstitial spaces of the city .",
        "an extremely grim story of a particularly nasty culture clash , and yet writer-director thornton tells it with wit and irony",
        "the corporeal manifestation of socio-ethnic politics is one of thornton 's many visual tools rather than his primary editorial goal .",
        "one of the many feats director thornton pulls off in this beautifully observed , thoughtful picture is that the leads spend the entire movie without uttering a word to each other . sometimes , words are just redundant .",
        "engaging drama that slowly gets under your skin , thanks to striking cinematography , a sparse but effective script and strong performances from its two young leads .",
        "you wo n't be alone if you come out of MOV in a dream-like state , as the mesmerising power of this new australian film is overwhelming .",
        "the australian establishment 's ghettoisation of the indigenous population is exposed with stern realism and wry humour in this uncompromising drama .",
        "thornton is brilliant at capturing the isolation that marks these kids ' lives and inviting us into their bubble , a place where we come to see tenderness behind rough exteriors and understand the prejudices they face .",
        "how do you know you 're looking at a pretty good piece of filmmaking ? when the director and actors can make you care about the central characters even though they exchange almost no dialogue .",
        "the actors succeed at portraying a couple whose bond is strong enough to not require words .",
        "pitched somewhere between city of god and the dardenne brothers , MOV is unsparing in its brutal vision of the world .",
        "thornton 's modest little story about two indigenous teens had been hailed as ground zero for a glorious new wave in australian cinema . for once , the hyperbole seems justified ...",
        "the spiritual here is every bit as powerful as the physical .",
        "a unstinting look at the social outcasts of australian society made by a member of aboriginal society , its grim narrative punctuated by off-kilter humor in a minimalist style .",
        "director/writer warwick thornton makes the mistake that hobbles too many new filmmakers : an overindulgence on arresting visuals but a deficit of compelling storytelling .",
        "first-timers mcnamara and gibson deliver instinctive , assured performances ."],
    "summary": "alternately beautiful and heartrending , MOV is terrifically acted and shot , and presents a complex portrait of what it means to be australian .",
    "id": "770808521"
  },
  {
    "movie": "skyline_2010",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... there is , for the most part , simply no shaking the feeling that the really interesting stuff is happening elsewhere ...",
        "this pretty awful movie is from a team of visual effects-making brothers , colin and greg strause , who 've been making stuff look awesome for several years now .",
        "i think MOV ultimately fails as a movie .",
        "MOV might be a midnight b-movie , but it 's also hopelessly inept and a grievous waste of time and talent with no ending whatsoever .",
        "MOV packs some impressive money shots , however with its tracing-paper-thin script there 's not enough propping up these whizz-bang set pieces .",
        "the filmmakers thought that all it would take to make a movie is some special effects , but this film only goes to show what most people already know : a film should n't be designed around something meant to be an afterthought .",
        "a big screen b-movie with a convoluted plot and limited scope - inundating viewers with melodrama instead of the alien invasion apocalypse occurring outside .",
        "directors colin and greg strause eschew things like a credible script and decent acting to focus on cgi enactments of hapless apartment dwellers being rammed into slimy alien orifices .",
        "with its lack of a big-name cast , and the strause brothers ' proven willingness to embrace bleakness , ... MOV holds out - and then fulfils - its promise of anything goes , from the mesmerising intro to the bitter , bananas end .",
        "MOV has lots of tv actors going through the motions -lrb- faison , balfour , brittany daniel -rrb- and one tv actor -lrb- dexter 's david zayas -rrb- giving a performance that 's so spectacularly amateurish that it renders moot all of the other major problems the movie has .",
        "the premise of this low-budget sci-fi thriller might be familiar from signs , war of the worlds , and cloverfield , but the lesser acting talent is more in line with plan 9 from outer space .",
        "wait for the dvd and you wo n't miss a thing .",
        "one of the worst movies of 2010 ...",
        "the dialogue is risible , there is no headline star like a tom cruise or will smith , nor is there a young star like dakota fanning to give us a wide-eyed interpretation .",
        "stands alongside the last airbender as one of the worst films of the year .",
        "maybe the brothers strause are to be admired for getting this cheesy trash into theaters instead of letting it be relegated to the syfy channel . they 've got moxie , anyway .",
        "if aliens ever invade earth , it will be to stop us from making another movie as bad as MOV .",
        "the cheap-looking cg effects -- and creatures cobbled together fromthose in a dozen other movies -- make even the boring humans look interesting .",
        "it certainly feels that the screenplay , full of cringingly cheesy dialogue and utterly reliant upon the most rote genre machinations , was never anything other than a frustrating annoyance for the strause siblings .",
        "MOV is pure eye candy , but it 's mighty tasty .",
        "how this managed not to go direct-to-dvd -lrb- and actually get a wide distribution rather than just a handful-of-theaters dump -rrb- is one of 2010 's great cinematic mysteries .",
        "yes , this is a genuinely so-bad-it 's - good movie . this film is crushingly awful , tedious and moronic , but i was often howling with laughter .",
        "more and more frequent attacks by the brain-sucking outer space invaders ... do n't come so much as frights or thrills as they do a form of relief ; as long as the mayhem 's going on , we 're spared the dialogue .",
        "like cloverfield , MOV unleashes rampaging beasties on the streets , only this time they 've arrived in massive spaceships -- and they 're here to collect human brains . it 's a shame none of the MOV protagonists seem to possess any .",
        "there 's a kind of magic that happens when a movie inspires complete strangers to ridicule it to each other on the way out of the theatre .",
        "an ordeal by tedium",
        "a mess of a movie that reaches a completely ridiculous and unexpected -lrb- but not in a good way -rrb- conclusion .",
        "derivative enough to be called `` adherence day , '' `` MOV '' knocks off so many alien-invasion films you can almost hear commentary referring to `` cloverfield '' or `` district 9 '' moments . the `` MOV '' moment ? future filmmakers wo n't be so stupid as to ape that .",
        "let me say upfront and with absolute clarity that MOV is a bad film . so why do n't i feel any animosity toward it ? i guess because despite everything that was wrong with this film i still had fun and laughed more than i did at due date .",
        "takes an enthusiastic premise of intergalactic war and reduces it to glimpses of chintzy cgi-laden chaos sandwiched between lengthy stretches of tedious , amateurish dramatic filler .",
        "instead of making the most of its low-budget limitations , MOV fights against them and goes down in defeat .",
        "a minor step above a sy-fy original sauteed with the theatrics of a `` melrose place '' - type nighttime soap , MOV is certainly ambitious and appropriately epic in scale , but also hampered by a plaguing amateurishness in its other aspects .",
        "the only fascinating thing about MOV is that that such a mad muddle of a movie can even exists in an era of corporate homogeneity and purported quality-controlled .",
        "MOV is a piece of junk , even in a movie climate littered with expensive -- though sometimes fun -- junkiness .",
        "a good example of what can visually be achieved on a tight budget , but an even better example of why filmmaking should be left to filmmakers .",
        "a movie with this many quality special effects should n't ever be as genuinely boring as this .",
        "the science-fiction thriller MOV falls squarely -- and a little endearingly -- into the roger corman tradition of cheap cash-ins on popular hits .",
        "a laughably bad sci-fi mash-up with some above-average special effects .",
        "i suppose it 's fitting that a movie about aliens extracting human brains would eventually lose its head .",
        "the film plays like cloverfield redux , except with less personality and tension .",
        "`` MOV '' plays like an effects guru 's resume reel , not a movie .",
        "a cut-and-paste monster mash with no business whatever in a multiplex . heck , if you tuned into this on cable on a sunday night , you 'd be cancelling your subscription .",
        "for a movie on a $ 10 million budget , it delivers more and better bangs for the buck than many blockbusters ten times the price . it 's just a shame they could n't find actors who deliver equal efficiency . or script doctors , for that matter .",
        "perfect drive-in fare . too bad there are n't more drive-ins .",
        "while flawed , few will go see MOV and not have fun .",
        "the story 's brain-snatching aliens must have attacked the filmmakers before they invaded the rest of los angeles .",
        "a weak science fiction film that does n't know how to end so it just stops .",
        "pure tosh . on absolutely no account pay money to see this film . wait until it 's given away free with a magazine and start at around the forty minute mark .",
        "... a special effects-filled mash-up of alien invasion films , one that again poses the age-old genre question that has been on the minds of characters since `` night of the living dead '' : `` should i stay , or should i go ? ''",
        "there are a couple of genuine surprises , and few pretensions about delivering an efficient , popcorn-worthy entertainment .",
        "imagine it 's 1953 and you 're watching a movie called ` brain suckers from planet x ' , and you might even have a good time .",
        "once the ace special effects and full-on monster mania take prominence over the soap opera plot , it does become weirdly fascinating .",
        "the directors have worked on the sfx in everything from 2012 to avatar , meaning that once we get outside , things finally get going .",
        "visual-effects wizards greg and colin strause directed , showing more affinity for the city 's steel and glass than for any of the characters .",
        "it 's got awesome giant spaceships and massive lumbering monsters and epic explosions and gory kills and it 's ... a dumb-fun matinee flick for sure .",
        "MOV , if not always successful , refashions the modern alien invasion motif as the hopeless siege that it should be .",
        "look up in the sky : its a bird ! its a plane ! no ... . its every single alien invasion movie rolled into one epic fan film . mind you , it does have a wonderfully messed-up twist ending .",
        "delivers all the saturday night whizz-bang and sunday morning brain-ripping you could want .",
        "impressive effects ca n't disguise an uninspired reheat of space invader films .",
        "an underwhelming and derivative sci-fi thriller that 's only marginally more impressive than a run-of-the-mill syfy channel telepic .",
        "simply awful ... like a syfy network saturday night special that 's inexplicably escaped to the big screen .",
        "one of the worst movies of 2010 : an appalling distinction in a year so bereft of quality filmmaking .",
        "a b-movie extravaganza , MOV is a sort of sci-fi sampler of every alien invasion movie ever made .",
        "so bland it 's easy to forget the title only minutes after exiting , this emmerich-by-numbers invasion movie exists only to offer you the cutting edge in unconvincing special effects .",
        "makes the cliche-riddled guilty pleasure of independence day seem like the second coming of 2001 : a space odyssey",
        "we get some watchable flurries of hunt - 'em - down suspense between the interminable kvetchings of the human prey , but the only salient reason to see this is the creature design , by those hr giger-inspired wizards alec gillis and tom woodruff jr. .",
        "trapped inside what looks like a marina del rey condo complex , the principals raise and lower the blinds , run up and down the stairs and occasionally venture outside , while the audience , if it has the energy , yells : `` no ! do n't do that ! that 's stupid ! ''",
        "clich\u00e9 , cheesy , and boring , MOV is all blue sheen and no soul .",
        "taken in the spirit in which it 's hopefully intended -- a brainless thrill ride -- MOV is a slick genre piece that entertains for 92 minutes and is forgotten as soon as you walk out of the cinema .",
        "this is n't a movie : it 's an fx demo reel ... MOV is n't about anything : it does n't reflect any contemporary fears that afflict individual people or anxieties that grip our entire culture ...",
        "it 's like a trip to a kmart staffed by the ugliest beings imaginable .",
        "it 's finally here : the most boring alien-invasion movie ever .",
        "the strauses used their tech savvy to make a marvel of logistics that looks every bit as slick as a studio tentpole . it 's just a shame they have n't figured out a way to cg a decent story . yet .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "these are n't moviemakers who live even in other movies , let alone the world . they live in hard drives .",
        "behold : it 's indepen-dunce day .",
        "` MOV ' is an outlandishly awful excuse for a movie about aliens from outer space . people not only groaned at the end of this monstrosity , but one guy in the audience was so angry that he actually began to swear ,",
        "if ` MOV ' never seems interested in pushing the envelope , it at least begins with enough promise to suggest a competent thriller . no such luck .",
        "compared with the recent spate of sci-fi films such as district 9 , star trek and most of roland emmerich 's disaster films , MOV struggles to live up to its own expectations , bereft as it is of any humour or soul .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a middling sci-fi entry , MOV offers proof that solid special effects alone can not overcome a flat storyline filled with uninspired dialogue .",
    "id": "771203481"
  },
  {
    "movie": "mutant_chronicles",
    "reviews":
     [
        "oh , lighten up ! it 's a pulpy combo of starship troopers , the dirty dozen and sky captain . perfect for a rainy saturday afternoon .",
        "not only ridiculously lame but sickeningly contrived",
        "MOV is the dirty dozen - but with murderous mutants !",
        "... suffers from a pervadingly low-rent sensibility that proves impossible to overlook .",
        "you wo n't understand what 's going on and , even worse , you wo n't care .",
        "i dearly hope john malkovich got paid handsomely for his two days of embarrassment on-set .",
        "every guy has watched an action film and wondered when we 'd get to the good stuff , but from minute one we 're given `` the good stuff , '' but it 's just not executed well enough , and the film is too kitschy to really be enjoyed .",
        "the feature is better executed in a shoot-first-ask-questions-later style that encourages silence and brutality . once the material is asked to explain itself , the entertainment value of the film curdles immediately .",
        "MOV has an intriguing premise , good performances and some decent effects , but it 's let down by some terrible pacing and an extremely dull script .",
        "there is some excitement to be had . however , it looks like a computer game unwisely made into a movie without the money to do it justice .",
        "there 's no doubting the frenetic energy of simon hunter 's steampunk thriller with its deft mixing of cgi and live action . the mutants are artforms of grotesqueness and truly terrifying .",
        "a cheesy attempt to throw everything at the screen , this futuristic thriller would no doubt work much better as a videogame",
        "a cranium-pulverisingly dull and badly acted sci-fi action non-thriller .",
        "the production notes describe this as an epic sci-fi action thriller like no other , which is on every level a blessing - it 's like being dropped into a tar pit of underlit tedium .",
        "rubbish cgi , rubbish acting , rubbish storytelling . throw in a few mutants and a better-than-it-deserves cast and you get this sci-fi timewaster .",
        "but a screenplay that sounds like it was hewn from chunks of wood is a great leveller , so everyone comes out looking equally inept .",
        "there 's lots of shooting , grenades exploding and things going bang and , even if the film gets bogged down by some needless religious mumbo-jumbo , the whole thing looks great in a grimy , blade runner kind of way .",
        "when the ridiculous and the sublime come within kissing distance like this , you know that , script or no script , hollywood has found a way to have a wonderful time .",
        "are excitable eight-year-olds - this movie 's intellectual target audience - really going to wait another ten years before they can watch it legally ?",
        "this is a gruesome film , even by modern standards . it is also utterly devoid of a point , or interesting ideas .",
        "this movie is lost from the start and never finds its way . plays like a video game with repetitive special effects and wooden dialogue .",
        "the computer-generated imagery falls short when it comes to supplying the gore for the fight scenes : the bright splashes of red look almost literally photoshopped onto the settings .",
        "definitely is n't setting any precedence , but it 's serviceable and fun .",
        "it 's a murky film , in terms of both plot -lrb- overcooked -rrb- and visuals -lrb- underlit -rrb- , proudly artificial and yet burdened with a severe pulp deficiency .",
        "shoestring special effects and flimsy storytelling make MOV a b-movie fantasy in search of an old times square moviehouse .",
        "... makes one long for the comparatively straightforward incompetence of filmmakers like uwe boll .",
        "it 's photogenic people killing mutants before green screens ; what more could you ask ?",
        "stylized , slapdash sci-fi bloodbath is gory and grim .",
        "the reason most movies do n't include aliens , zombies , weird mysticism and a lot of swordfighting is that each of those elements ... takes time to explore and nurture into something compelling .",
        "combine some of the most misguided design decisions in years with dialogue , plot , and characters out of an uwe boll film and you have a definite misfire",
        "oloklirotiki adynamia ton synteleston eite na kratisoyn to pantrema sto paradosiaka apodekto , eite na to perasoyn sto prohorimeno aisthitika , os stilistika proothimeno , geionontas se akribos sto kentro enos paradoksoy yparksiakoy uncanny valley",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "bad acting , poor cgi and clunky script mean this sci-fi thriller is lacking in all departments including the thrills .",
    "id": "770681656"
  },
  {
    "movie": "gomorrah",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an operatic film about organized crime , an ambitious work of social , physical and spiritual geography .",
        "gritty and intense , it reveals the ugly , soft underbelly of the mafia-type organization that rules naples and its environs .",
        "another film that critics will champion and average filmgoers will scratch their heads over , while wondering how they got snookered out of the price of a movie ticket .",
        "... an obvious choice by italy as its entry into the oscar race for best foreign language film . unfortunately , it was not one of the five films selected ...",
        "as even-toned as a documentary , it plays like the short cuts of sicily ; we 're not sure who we 're watching or why , but by the bloody end we 're caught in a web of violent fools",
        "a dull repeat of the sopranos , only without any character development .",
        "the malignity can be oppressive -- this is a far cry from fellini finding poignant uplift in the slums -- but the dramatic structure is complex , the details are instructive , and the sense of tragedy is momentous .",
        "MOV takes the time-honored mafia genre and gives it an all - new twist .",
        "darkly compelling .",
        "MOV is a corrosive and ferociously unsentimental fictional look at italian organized crime .",
        "an equally riveting , brutally honest and horrifying drama .",
        "the result demands a patient viewing , and maybe more than one ; only after a second dose did i get the measure of -lsb- director -rsb- garrone 's mastery , and realize how far he has surpassed , not merely honored , the author 's courageous toil .",
        "do n't look for resolution , romanticism , or comic relief in this underworld tour , shot with a fast , you-are-there look and no pity ; you wo n't find picaresque goodfellas or sopranos-style ziti eaters here . instead , there 's the power of damning truth",
        "... resembles a post-apocalyptic mob movie done by robert altman .",
        "a war photographer 's journal , taken at ground zero of the essential , inescapable tragedy of being human .",
        "the movie presents the camorra as a meat grinder through which all things within its orbit must pass .",
        "the more you know about the story behind the story , the better it is",
        "the film is a curative for the romanticism of the godfather and scarface .",
        "directed by matteo garrone , MOV is both a staggering realist thriller and a jeremiad .",
        "if the godfather is the operatic pinnacle of gangster movies , let MOV be its biblical counterpart .",
        "a tough , cynical , blistering fictionalized study of the camorra crime organization that controls much of naples .",
        "sidesteps grandiose gestures and statements in favor of a grimly matter-of-fact chronicle of how pervasive the mafia influence has become .",
        "deservedly winning a major award at cannes fest , garrone 's multi-layered chronicle of crime as big business and way of life is a bleak , gripping , powerful and realistic saga that goes beyond american and brazilian films like the godfather or city of god .",
        "a sombre , slow , but well-paced study of organised crime in urban naples that leaves a very grim taste in the mouth .",
        "a gritty drama based on a bestselling italian novel about organized crime that focuses on the lives of five different players in the system .",
        "the frightening people and the story they enact are defined by a camera technique which makes them flesh-and-blood , not larger-than-life spectacle .",
        "MOV is a powerful example of that thrilling current of energy which right now is lighting up italian cinema .",
        "but his prowling observational technique makes it pungent and frightening in scene after scene , an entry-pass to some obscure circle of hell . all in all , not an easy night out , but not an easy one to forget , either .",
        "if you want to see a gangster film that is n't all about stylized violence , then MOV is for you . more thoughtful than most gangland films , its attempt to show how organized crime has infiltrated every level of society is impressive .",
        "great films change the way we think about cinema . a masterpiece can alter our perception of life . matteo garrone 's startling film , MOV , about the criminal underworld in naples , is one of these rare movies .",
        "it 's ugly . it 's powerful . but it 's hard to look away .",
        "MOV , a portrait of mob-ruled naples , is a violent , long , hopeless , dispiriting movie , and also possibly a work of genius .",
        "what the director has created is a ferocious portrait of total corruption .",
        "director matteo garrone has adapted saviano 's kaleidoscopic technique , loosely adapting the book for the screen , creating an episodic , sprawling and , finally , overwhelming portrait of ordinary lives engulfed by violence , hopelessness and evil .",
        "-lsb- director -rsb- garrone 's messy storytelling compounds an already messy history . he 's a powerful filmmaker , though , and a fearless one . he knows where the bodies are buried -- and he shows them to us .",
        "reading about a film should never be more exciting than watching it .",
        "such an ambitious and fascinating effort thematically that it 's impossible to ignore .",
        "the sprawl makes it hard to follow ... but it makes its point about the reach of the camorra and the culture it has spawned .",
        "hell seems terribly familiar in MOV , an italian gangster film with a near-documentary feel .",
        "a powerful look at the world of organized crime that is both completely deglamorized and utterly engrossing from start to finish .",
        "by fashioning its stories to get in as much impact as possible , mostly from the stark ugliness of their realities and their bold endings , the movie achieves a satisfying level of effectiveness .",
        "probably the most authentic and unsentimental mafia movie ever to come out of italy .",
        "a thrillingly bleak crime pic .",
        "it is a full and frank indictment of a system that has not just failed but utterly decayed and is breeding more and more criminals .",
        "thug-life fantasies here provide lures into ruthlessly complex realities and rigmaroles - slamming characters ' faces into the rug before it 's pulled from beneath them . the notion that anybody could be a don dies in a blaze of energy , rage and ambition .",
        "despite its disjointed structure , MOV comes to a narrative convergence without ever actually having to bring its stories together . each climaxes independently , yet it all feels like one piece .",
        "`` MOV '' soberly shows the low-life thugs for what they really are , resisting the convention of casting them as anti-heroes in scorsese or tarantino land .",
        "the camera 's performance , like that of the actors , keeps growing in scale and expressivity , even as life gets worse and worse .",
        "this might be one of those movies that are more fun to praise than they actually are to watch .",
        "matteo garrone does n't so much reinvent the gangster genre as much as he reimagines it , taking all the usual trimmings and turning them inside out .",
        "the sheer pervasiveness of corruption is eye-opening , and it justifies the narrative structure somewhat , but it seems a slight point to be making over the course of two and a half hours .",
        "the neapolitan mafia , known as the camorra , gets the syriana treatment in matteo garrone 's gomorra -lrb- MOV -rrb- , one of the most incisive organised-crime films to emerge from any country since the 1970s .",
        "this is gritty , it 's raw , it 's incredibly realistic and it 's terrifying and stylized .",
        "you ca n't escape the comorra -- and with patience , at the end of the film , that point will be depressingly and effectively clear . i think you should see it .",
        "a chilling , fresh addition to the mob movie genre .",
        "as much as the victims and aggressors in naples mafia movie MOV seek to repress consequences of gangsterism , they are , of course embodying them .",
        "buried in the muck of despair",
        "the film 's multiple strands might reflect a trend in multiple story lines . and it works to persuasively argue just how pervasive the corruption is in this community .",
        "a carnivorous candor permeates every frame with blood-curdling fascination and dread .",
        "MOV is stark and powerful filmmaking , a welcome alternative to romanticized american mob melodramas .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it upends everything you think you know about the mob and mob movies .",
        "stark , raw and brutal , this is n't hollywood 's romantic version of the mafia .",
        "an ambitious , sprawling picture about the epic swirl of italy 's criminal underbelly .",
        "visceral but disciplined and beautifully acted .",
        "MOV brings subtle artistry and character insight to the observational , plot-drive-phobic school of filmmaking that 's so popular among serious auteurs at the moment .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- here 's nothing here to draw us in -- nothing particularly interesting or engaging about the stories or the characters .",
        "an unusually thought-provoking , annoying , difficult and ultimately unique work that might not be one of the year 's best , but is surely among its most interesting .",
        "avoiding the conventions of gangster movies , it presents a slice of the ghastly reality of life in the crime-infested areas of naples that has remarkably authenticity and immediacy .",
        "the action and bloodshed are amped up in the final half hour , but it 's still not enough to land the clearly intended knockout punch .",
        "impactante justamente por evitar se concentrar nos poderosos que se encontram no topo da hierarquia da camorra .",
        "tinsel town can indeed be blamed for making such ` made ' man movies compelling . director matteo garrone shows us how truly disturbing and unrelenting such a story can be .",
        "the fingerprints of the camorra are everywhere , this film wants us to know , and its grip is lethal .",
        "moving his camera like a documentarian , garrone creates a grab-your-throat sense of immediacy .",
        "the performances are so `` real '' they do n't seem like acting at all .",
        "garrone avoids punching the usual emotional buttons : his stories have no heroes , his crime lords no glamour , and his victims no nobility .",
        "brutal and unrelenting , this documentary-style expose of the camorra -- the naples equivalent of the sicilian mafia -- burns away all hints of hollywood glamour ...",
        "MOV manages to be artful without being arty .",
        "garrone 's gloomy assessment of the new world order is painfully on target : corruption comes in many guises , and it 's as impossible to stop as it is to track .",
        "there 's not much room for optimism here , given the wide-ranging influence of the camorra , so all we can do is put our faith in the movie itself and the hope that the truth , simply and powerfully told , can make a difference .",
        "MOV presents a glimpse inside a disturbing but simultaneously fascinating world .",
        "there 's nothing extraneous about it , nothing excessive in its violence or its art . it 's as desolate as it needs to be and no more .",
        "an unforgettable portrayal of the unglamorous gangster life , which is often short and never sweet .",
        "this may not be a perfect movie but it is memorable , angry at what it finds but determined not to produce either lily-white heroes or colourful villains .",
        "the remorseless , glamourless scenes - their businesslike realism , their shrugging fatalism , their workaday brutality - come closer than most films to identifying and depicting the `` banality of evil '' .",
        "consequently , there is not enough time to get close enough to any of the characters . but if your interest in crime clans extends beyond big guns , this is a must-see .",
        "easily the finest of the week 's films , though it 's unlikely to be showing anywhere near you , is MOV , a warts-and-all italian drama about the threat posed to civilisation by organised crime in naples and beyond .",
        "the familiarity of most of the plot lines could limit its popularity .",
        "a look at the sprawling and incredibly powerful camorra crime family in italy shows mostly the lurid details of conventional crime . the value of the film lies in exposing crime that is not business as usual .",
        "nakalyptei ki apokalyptei me to apostasiopoiimeno kai katharo blemma ntokimanterista , mia efialtiki gomora , se aenai katastasi akiryhtoy polemoy , adiaperasti apo ahtida elpidas esto kai me ti morfi diaplekomenis dikaiosynis ki eksoysias",
        "MOV is a thoroughly engaging , well directed crime drama with a strong script and terrific performances . highly recommended .",
        "a searing , epic vision of a city in the grip of gangland terror . the multi-stranded plot takes some unpacking , but the characters , camerawork and unflinching realism compel like a gun to the head . the best gangster saga since city of god .",
        "blame tv 's magisterial the wire if MOV seems superficial . but whereas tv has multiple episodes to penetrate the heart of its story , matteo and co are to be commended for this all-encompassing overview of organised crime .",
        "the chilliest part of watching MOV is knowing that it 's inspired by real events .",
        "an extraordinary film which in many ways feels like a documentary : a mosaic of explosive raw footage that pieced together knits a profoundly disturbing portrait of organised crime in italy today",
        "the sinewy production could almost pass for documentary % u2013 if only doco makers could get such amazing access . but that 's why the film has been hailed as groundbreaking . it is also heartbreaking .",
        "the film 's power in capturing some of the seemingly banal moments of everyday life punctuate with bang-bang fervor the human loss that accumulates later .",
        "gomorra has its own nerve , as well as the filmmaking intelligence to strip the cliches from its densely packed , authentically inhabited narrative . the new moviegoing year just got one hell of a jolt .",
        "it 's a masterpiece that deserves to be ranked up there with mob epics like `` goodfellas '' and `` once upon a time in america , '' even as it rebukes the conventions of those movies .",
        "... grinds away in documentary fashion , like relentless evil wearing on the soft hearts of the poor .",
        "over the course of this sprawling mosaic about the world 's most fearsome mafia organization , the neapolitan camorra , -lsb- director -rsb- garrone makes the business look like a beast of many tentacles , spreading misery and death to everyone it touches .",
        "the sense of authenticity in this movie is palpable , but the scenes are sometimes so dark and so impenetrable that it takes a herculean effort to keep up with who 's who and what 's going on .",
        "director matteo garrone replaces the romance and glamour of the genre with brutal , documentary-style realism , and humanizes it in the process .",
        "matteo garrone 's provocative film fictionalizes the bleak , horrifying tales of ordinary people swept into the businesses of the camorra , while illustrating the global reach of the neapolitan mafia .",
        "a mob film that 's as far from the genre 's standard operating procedure as could be imagined",
        "while compelling enough -lrb- to paraphrase our president -rrb- , ` MOV ' is less than riveting because of its loose narrative structure .",
        "as a result of the hardhitting , unflinching and accurate story , the author went into hiding after threats and is now under police protection .",
        "a very localized canvas of the ` criminal empire ' with five interwoven strands of the narrative , each one leading to the same fatalistic ending , attesting to the ultimate invincibility and inevitability of this 'em pire . '",
        "-lsb- makes -rsb- brilliant use of seemingly endless array of run-down and abandoned buildings and spaces .",
        "next to hbo 's the wire , which depicted an enormous financial ladder and also brought to life the characters on every rung , the movie is small potatoes : excellent journalism , so-so art .",
        "if you are looking for heroes , you wo n't find any in this film .",
        "... while -lsb- the -rsb- experience may often seem like viewing a crowd from a moving merry-go-round , one can not help but be left with a sense of overwhelming hopelessness .",
        "the biblical MOV was a stinkhole of depravity and corruption . well , god took care of that one . no one earthbound seems able to obliterate this one .",
        "the portrait it paints of this society in the grip of this tawdry but immensely powerful and rich organization is scary indeed .",
        "gomorrha transcends its medium and evidences humanity at its most despicable , and rates as an unconventional and unmissable instant classic .",
        "could MOV and il divo signal the return of italian political cinema ? here 's hoping .",
        "it 's a challenging approach , and while there are some terrific moments within the film , as well as suspense and action -lrb- including a spectacularly staged car crash -rrb- , there 's also frustration as a result of the regular cutting from one story to another .",
        "it is a challenging approach , and while there is suspense and action -lrb- including a spectacular car crash -rrb- , there is frustration as a result of the regular cutting from one story to another .",
        "we do n't get to know the characters , exactly , but we experience something more interesting : we are brought into disconcerting , almost documentary proximity with the lives they lead and the worlds they inhabit .",
        "dicen mucho m\u00e1s sobre la camorra las leyendas finales del film que las dos horas y pico que les precedieron .",
        "the result , while admirable , is curiously flat and unengaging .",
        "check that omerta b.s. at the door . this is all about the bottom line .",
        "un film \u0155 la fois lourd , tragique et hautement instructif figurant assur\u00e9ment parmi les plus marquants \u0155 avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 r\u00e9alis\u00e9s sur le sujet .",
        "where 's bobby and marty when you really need them ?",
        "it 's alert , superior directorial work from garrone , who , perhaps not even realizing it , has redefined the nature of the mob genre .",
        "every story strand informs the others , creating a devastating 360-degree view of how organized crime impacts the country 's everyday people .",
        "in the pantheon of mob bosses and crime stories , its characters are okay , but they 're hardly good fellows .",
        "detailing daily life inside a criminal state , it 's a new sort of gangster film for america to ponder .",
        "drained of energy and vigor , MOV confuses gangster fantasy for art .",
        "given the breadth of the story , the characters never achieve much depth , but they 're part of a larger pattern : the younger ones are eager to find their way into the organization while the older ones are desperate to find their way out .",
        "you may never want to visit southern italy after seeing this film .",
        "matteo garrone 's powerful and authentic gomorra one of the most realistic films on organized crime to hit screens",
        "utilizing a mesmerizing documentary style that studiously avoids glamorizing the horrors , garrone cherrypicks episodes from saviano 's muckraking tract , building to a chillingly matter-of-fact crescendo of violence ."],
    "summary": "portraying organised crime with an unflinching realism , this gritty and searing italian crime masterpiece pulls no punches .",
    "id": "770769989"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hairspray",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an odd hybrid that lacks both the rambunctious energy of a live performance and the expressionistic pull of a great movie musical .",
        "a rousing alternative in a marketplace packed with noisy , special-effects-heavy sequels , MOV is the best and most entertaining movie adaptation of a stage musical so far this century .",
        "no winking , no mugging -- just earnest , wholesome , knock-your-socks-off fun .",
        "it 's a toe-tapper to make your forget sashaying pirates , comic-book heroes , robot camaros and cartoons . this is the movie event of the summer .",
        "though not as scabrous , as sharp or even as musically memorable as john waters ' original , it retains much of his filthy , big-hearted sensibility .",
        "offering plenty of body and a lot of lift , MOV gels kitsch styling with show-stopping tunes to mould a memorable musical .",
        "MOV exceeded my expectations and , while it is n't my favorite movie of the pool-and-beach season , it 's enjoyable enough to earn a recommendation .",
        "this bright , bouncy movie musical is a happy surprise , a candy-colored ode to outsiders that left me with a big grin .",
        "MOV proves that summer movie fun need n't be witless and/or soulless .",
        "all of that is just done so well , and you just love the spirit of this .",
        "a goofy bouffant of a movie primped with rich '60s atmosphere and held together by the gloss coat of marc shaiman 's swinging music .",
        "there 's one show-stopping number after another in this entertaining and infectiously fun movie that 's unabashedly campy and simply delightful .",
        "until they make pink flamingos : the musical , we wo n't fully realize john waters ' talents on broadway",
        "less focused than john waters ' subversive and satirical original , but nonetheless brings a smile to your face and is destined to get your feet tapping .",
        "good morning moviegoers . each new MOV 's an open door . each new `` tracy '' a fantasy each new version a symphony",
        "john travolta is no divine . and this shiny musical just does n't have the crazy , messy charm of john waters ' original .",
        "it rocks the house ! guaranteed to be an unqualified 100 % summer smash , it 's a total blast . you have got to see travolta 's hilarious , risk-taking performance to believe it ! he -lrb- or is it she -rrb- and the entire cast are terrific .",
        "the still-burning fire of baltimore 's dicey racial-relations history is reduced to torched creme brulee . but , song for song , this is the bounciest , bubbliest movie musical of the modern era , and it boasts john travolta 's best performance in a decade .",
        "expect about a movie version of the latter . after all , how many variations of the same story can you have ? but adam shankman 's `` MOV '' works , and delightfully so .",
        "... just about the most joyous hollywood musical since singin ' in the rain ...",
        "could adam shankman be the unlikely savior of the movie musical ?",
        "... the most fun you 're likely to have at the movies this summer .",
        "enjoyable movies are released every week , but movies that have the capacity to delight -- movies like MOV -- are few and far between .",
        "if this movie were in a can , it would spray out fun everywhere .",
        "once you see this delightful film , that catchy beat will pound away in your chest for days .",
        "the songs will really get the blood flowing .",
        "this MOV honors its source and emerges as a relentless joy machine .",
        "MOV is fun in a way that most movie musicals dare to dream .",
        "brilliantly written , superbly acted and achingly funny , this is a terrifically entertaining musical that will have you grinning from ear to ear throughout .",
        "if nothing else , travolta is convincing as an ugly broad . more to the point , he 's obviously having a good time",
        "for a movie musical fan like me , ` MOV ' has it all -- rousing song-and-dance routines , talented performers , a feel-good story , and timeless appeal .",
        "the happiest movie of the year .",
        "lively and enjoyable .",
        "MOV is an energetic romp , but as a social statement -- which it pretends to be -- it 's cartoonish . and as a playful look back at a time and place , it 's simplistic shtik . it 's a mountain of whipped cream , with an occasional chocolate sprinkle .",
        "for a star-studded big-budget musical , MOV does a nice job of retaining the funky sweetness of the original .",
        "a lively , ebullient crowd-pleaser that replaces satiric spark with sitcom slickness , but is still good , clean fun .",
        "if any movie musical could threaten the standing of retro favourite grease , it 's this one .",
        "director-choreographer adam shankman has come up with one of the purest entertainments of the summer .",
        "it pays respect to the original while also carving its own image as a truly good musical .",
        "much as MOV serves as a showcase for the effervescent charms of newcomer blonsky , its greatest trick is to revitalise the careers of a few old hollywood faithfuls .",
        "in alchemy the transmuting of materials between forms distills them to their purest elements . in film , the opposite is true . the more iterations , the more muddled things get . MOV is good at what it does but not everything it does is good .",
        "much of the fun comes from director-choreographer adam shankman 's happy acceptance of musical staples",
        "shankman 's crassly theatrical attenuation of MOV only draws gay culture away from a moment of american history with which it ought to have a great deal in common",
        "it falls to individual efforts by the cast to keep the eye and ear coming back for more .",
        "... there reaches a point at which such sequences start to take on repetitive and superfluous qualities ...",
        "... MOV is a surprisingly effervescent ice cream soda of a musical , fizzing with sly comic performances and a bonanza of heel-thumping numbers .",
        "the new MOV is n't quite as good as the original . but this modern parable for the size zero generation is a mane attraction .",
        "while travolta may be the box-office pull , it 's walken who is a revelation . MOV is lucky to have him , and so are we .",
        "who knew that baltimore was this bouncy ?",
        "a terrific , good looking , beautifully acted ride and a perfect summer change of pace",
        "you may want to ponder whether or not john waters ' ` transgressive ' art is entirely lost in the homogenization of his original , or you can just sit back and enjoy the fun .",
        "a much-needed respite from summer 's big , noisy , special effects adventures , MOV is old-fashioned fun , wearing its retro like a badge of honor ; the `` coolest '' thing about this uplifting musical is how mainstream it is .",
        "only a die-hard grump could resist the giddy charms of MOV .",
        "the film 's an irresistible time capsule of that camelot summer , blending girrrrrl power , social consciousness and faux - '60s pop with the fizz of a soda jerk whipping up a root beer float .",
        "even though this exists to sell zac efron 's face -lrb- squeal ! -rrb- , it 's still worth watching for the peppy music , over-the-top acting and feeling that you 've ingested a rather sweet after-school special .",
        "a safe , self-congratulatory fantasy which revisits the civil rights era not for a valuable history lesson but for an escapist , syrupy sweet , sing-a-long trip down memory lane to an unrecognizable , hollywood utopia that never existed .",
        "despite travolta 's best efforts , he might as well be dressed like vincent vega or danny zuko . he just ca n't sell the second ` x ' chromosome .",
        "while a little bit long , MOV is ultimately one of the more engaging and fun movies of the summer ...",
        "as mile-high-wig musicals go , the film version of MOV is less polished but more fun than dreamgirls . both are drag revues at heart , one funny , the other serious . i prefer the funny one .",
        "travolta 's rather unfunny and sometimes tone-deaf turn in drag and a fat suit is the one sore-thumb element in what is otherwise a pretty energetic and enjoyable musical-comedy .",
        "more sheer good-hearted fun than anything that 's come out this summer .",
        "a mostly buoyant , candy-colored diversion , leavened by perky performances and upbeat numbers whose lyrics and melodies you 'll be hard-pressed to recall once you 've left the theater .",
        "rhythm , raucous behavior , and racism . what else could one desire from a great musical ?",
        "expertly conceived , fun and infectious .",
        "MOV is a playful , kitschy , sweet but snarky tribute to the era of sky-high bouffants , tv dance parties and desegregation .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "that MOV is good-hearted is no surprise . the surprise may be that this MOV , stuffed with shiny showstoppers , is actually good .",
        "a straightforward , unfussy musical comedy , one that entertains twice as much as the dour dreamgirls .",
        "bouncy and campy , a cotton-candy entertainment feast .",
        "the most rousing , most engaging and most successful movie musical in ages .",
        "one of the more likeable films of the year , an unexpected surprise on every level that will likely keep toes tapping through its theatrical run and far beyond .",
        "MOV more than fulfills that most basic -lrb- but not easy -rrb- task of the movie musical : it leaves audiences frugging their way down the aisle .",
        "john travolta takes on john waters in MOV , and the result is anything but a drag in this appealingly goofy , all-singing , all-dancing screen adaptation of the broadway musical based on the 1988 film .",
        "great fun - and certainly the best musical of the year so far .",
        "this movie musical about the plus-sized white girl who shakes her way onto a segregated teen dance show and brings black high-schoolers with her is a laughing gas .",
        "the movie pulsates with so much energy and excitement that it sometimes seems it will come bouncing off the screen . but then someone applies another layer of lacquer to their ` do , and the whole boisterous bouffant of a show somehow sticks together .",
        "works so well as a musical that i ca n't remember anymore what it was like when it was n't one .",
        "waters cultists have ample reason to be wary , but the film retains a surprisingly subversive edge that undercuts its blinding surface gloss .",
        "MOV opens on the upbeat with big-girl heroine tracy turnblad bopping down a baltimore street . she 's got ta dance . from there this frantic musical comedy rarely takes a breath .",
        "this screen-to-stage-to-screen disaster spits in the face of john waters ' decade-defining pop pastiche of harmonious camp and progressive thinking , retaining the basic plotline and anti-segregationist morals but none of the authenticity .",
        "when MOV slows or stumbles , which it often does , the direction and choreography -lrb- both by adam shankman -rrb- pull it back together fast , and it keeps on trucking .",
        "... the movie envelops its audience with good vibrations .",
        "silly , wears thin , but loads of fun",
        "the real star of this MOV is director-choreographer adam shankman .",
        "a funny thing happened : i was having so much fun watching this movie that when it was over , i felt a strange feeling of disappointment . i could have sat there all day .",
        "bright , campy and wonderfully light , MOV reminds us that fun comes in all shapes and sizes . it 's also one of the few ` event ' movies this summer that does n't outstay its welcome . that 's worth singing about , no matter what your name is .",
        "the best musical of the year .",
        "campy and sweet-natured , MOV will shake away any summertime blues .",
        "from the moment the first note of good morning baltimore rang out i was hooked on the alluring wit of MOV and the infectious charm of nikki blonsky .",
        "still sings and swings in all the right ways .",
        "like a box of pure sunshine .",
        "at once stagy and cinematic , ` MOV ' blends the old-fashioned power of singing and dancing with the elixir of forbidden love .",
        "-lsb- c -rsb- ould n't be more charming and joyous , more get-up-and-dance toe-tapping , more simply agreeable ...",
        "MOV arrives as a big , bundle of fun , infectious to the core and accomplishes more often than not what the best musicals are prone to do .",
        "blonsky is sassy and adorable , a knock-out vocalist with great comic timing ... she smiles , and we 're won over .",
        "perfectly modulated to waters ' merciless mocking of surface pretension and the cult of cool",
        "newcomer nikki blonsky should be the talk of the town come oscar time .",
        "the only film out this summer i have been begging everyone to see , and the one film i 'm willing to see again and again .",
        "i suppose this whole movie-to-broadway-musical fad is fine , as long as when the shows head back to the screen they are at least as lively as MOV .",
        "just ok because it tries too hard to appeal to all , and feels a bit old fashioned .",
        "near perfectly coiffed as a bit of fluffy summer escapism",
        "as an adaptation of an adaptation , MOV beats the odds against turning a musical based on a film into a credible movie .",
        "when blonsky dances , it 's embarrassing .",
        "this is born-again anti-establishmentarianism .",
        "zac efron , the star of the popular disney channel production `` high school musical , '' is a triple threat on screen . as i sat in the theatre and listened to the audience and their reactions i could n't help but think this guy could turn out to be this generat",
        "fellas , there are going to be a lot of little hotties at this movie . here is an ideal place to catch them off-duty , their hair up in scrunchies . no , it wo n't turn you gay .",
        "the young and old cast division creates a colourful world of people and ideals . it 's an abstraction of an era made resonant , contemporary , and purely joyful .",
        "unlike eddie murphy 's exploitively unfunny attempts at fat and female , john travolta makes his character absolutely endearing and charming by playing it relatively low-key .",
        "refrescante e inolvidable ejemplo de lo que debe ser un musical . shankman revive el esp\u00edritu de los musicales de anta\u0144o , con una cinta llena de color , energ\u00eda y coraz\u00f3n .",
        "i ca n't recall a movie with this many flaws that i liked so much .",
        "traditionally , movie musicals are released in the ` serious ' fall season . but the shamelessly exuberant MOV is a summer film and proud of it .",
        "MOV is a feel-good musical that , for a change , actually makes you feel good .",
        "several beautifully intercut musical numbers keep the action moving and the dialogue in between is sweet , tart and subversive .",
        "with its wisecracking screenplay , period-perfect pop score , and shankman 's splashy choreography , this may be the funniest , dancingest screen musical since singin ' in the rain .",
        "travolta is good , but the real stars are the other actors , especially newcomer nikki blonsky as tracy turnblad . ... amanda bynes , in pigtails , steals many a scene with some terrific eye work .",
        "the recent revival in big-screen musicals has waited for a film like this : refusing to shriek diva-like for our respect , but rather winning us over like an old friend who always throws the best parties .",
        "the third reincarnation of MOV works as both a buoyant feel-good musical and a broad , goofy and totally irresistible celebration of the '60s .",
        "what it offers is n't really a nostalgic look at a ` more innocent time ' so much as a saucy wink at a casually vicious time that is constantly being sold to us as innocent .",
        "you 'll come out of the movie happier than you went in , and humming a few peppy new tunes to boot .",
        "it 's a pallid , unthreatening version of waters ' original , but it 's also breezy , light entertainment , good clean fun on the order of -- who 'd have thought it ? -- disney 's blockbuster high school musical .",
        "... -lsb- a -rsb- refreshingly jubilant spin on filmmaker waters ' classic tongue-in-cheek tune-maker MOV ... spirited pizzazz and a peppy ode to retro-artistic sentimentality",
        "thinking big is exactly what this extravaganza of a musical does to perfection , as it brings the broadway musical hit to the screen with aerosol cans filled with energy , joy and star power",
        "i actually ca n't remember the last time a movie opening made me so cheerful .",
        "one of those stage-to-film adaptations that leave very little doubt that as good as everything is in the film , it was consistently better on stage .",
        "unlike many of the hairdos on display in the film , `` MOV '' is anything but stiff .",
        "the main point of a movie musical is the song and dance , and that 's where the relentlessly happy `` MOV '' packs a knockout punch .",
        "infectiously fun musical with a message .",
        "... how can you not like a movie in which john travolta and christopher walken sing a love song to each other ? and you believe it !",
        "on almost every level , MOV surpasses expectations and is probably one of the best studio musicals to come out in years .",
        "travolta as bosomy mom edna in perky fat suit , with flab-infatuated spouse walken never far behind , pretty much steals the show from everybody else as he impressively shakes his bountiful booty across the dance floor .",
        "a blast of fresh air , from the vivid sets and costumes to witty directorial touches , funny cameos and spectacularly enjoyable production numbers .",
        "the miracle of MOV is that it does exactly what it sets out to do . it takes the sassy 2002 broadway musical translation of -lsb- john -rsb- waters ' most accessible film and brings it to the screen with energy , wit , sex , laughs , craft and unabashed fun .",
        "there 's wit here , and a fair amount of entertainment to be had , but do n't expect the feral spikiness of the original , as shankman , a choreographer as well as director , aims to please the very audience whom waters usually tries to shock .",
        "a lively , engaging and sweet-natured movie musical .",
        "MOV mixes aerosol-light social commentary with its affectionate cinderella story and adds just enough wink-wink naughtiness to keep the earnest melodrama at bay .",
        "MOV is more fun than anything we 've seen at the multiplex so far this year . and unlike most of this summer 's blockbusters , it 's got something on its mind .",
        "adam shankman 's MOV is a great big sloppy kiss of entertainment for audiences weary of explosions , cgi effects and sequels , sequels , sequels .",
        "MOV delivers an even bigger sugar rush than the hit broadway musical , which had already expanded on the exuberance of the 1988 john waters comedy that spawned it .",
        "a mix of savoury issues and sweet songs that lets the latter win out . it 's short on the subversive vibe of john waters ' version , but if catchy tunes and a cast having a blast are all you 're after , this will leave a smile .",
        "big , bouncy , brainless musical .",
        "from the sly , satiric opening sequence to the buttons-bursting finale , this is a rollicking roly-poly high point for the modern movie musical .",
        "marc shaiman 's peppy music conspires with shankman 's energized , retro-musical choreography to make for a giant cinematic grin -- a dimpled dental testament of faith in the powers of nice over nasty , tolerance over bigotry and aerosol over the ozone .",
        "MOV is perfectly pleasant -- i smiled to myself all the way through it -- but it 's not as exhilarating as the show .",
        "some magical balance between the cast members , the set design , the songs and director adam shankman makes it work .",
        "though colorful , cheery and energetic , there 's something missing from this song-and-dance routine .",
        "even if the new MOV seems a welcome return to camp for travolta , his mock seriousness is as frozen as ever .",
        "the film works best for me when they are making fun of the racial climate of the 1960s .",
        "i will confess that travolta totally turned me around . a mountain of a woman in his female fat suit , he commits 150 % to the role .",
        "the most refreshing and enjoyable musical of this century % u2014hairspray .",
        "like your high school 's production of `` grease '' : a musical about sex with a chastity belt strapped to its waist .",
        "one 's enjoyment of adam shankman 's motion picture will largely depend on one 's tolerance for conflict-less , feel good musicals .",
        "an amazing cast sings and dances across the screen with such flair and passion its completely infectious .",
        "caso tivesse 20 minutos e alguns n\u00fameros musicais a menos , MOV poderia ser uma surpresa t\u0103o divertida quanto o original -lrb- que tampouco \u00e9 um cl\u00e1ssico -rrb- . inchado como ficou , por\u00e9m , \u00e9 apenas um passatempo pouco memor\u00e1vel .",
        "adam shankman 's movie of the broadway MOV gets better as it lumbers along , but there 's something garish about its hustle -- it 's like an elephant trumpeting in your face .",
        "by the big finale , even homophobes will tap their feet . ok , maybe not . but the less close-minded are sure to respond . MOV has a beat . and you sure can dance to it .",
        "with its zesty dancing , strong performances , goofball details and sweet message of acceptance for all , MOV might just be this summer 's happiest hit .",
        "at the risk of sounding as manic as corny collins , baltimore 's answer to dick clark , this latest screen incarnation is guaranteed to flip your wig .",
        "the movie is a throwback to mgm musicals of the '50s . but it 's a giddy , unselfconscious throwback . that in itself is refreshing .",
        "MOV is one of the most enjoyable translations of a broadway musical to the big screen ever .",
        "... a nearly complete triumph that emphasizes the old school musical virtues of fine singing and choreography over mtv-style razzle-dazzle edits and showy vocal gymnastics .",
        "it 's hard to keep a smile off your face and your toes from tapping during this unpretentious and spirited adaptation of the stage musical by director/choreographer adam shankman .",
        "it 's amiable , it 's bouncy , it 's got a sweet unknown in the lead flanked by a cast of bankable stars and , providing as it does an amiable and bouncy and sweet escape from a summer 's worth of clunky blockbusters .",
        "MOV is a grease for the new millennium , just the kind of bubblegum musical that keeps your toes tappin ' , except this time john travolta is wearing a fat suit and nylons . shiver .",
        "MOV is an infectious aerosol comedy with nearly every hair in place .",
        "everything about MOV is huge -- big figures , big ` dos , big musical numbers and big fun . it deserves to be a supersize hit .",
        "the unexpected pleasure of MOV is that it does n't beg to differ .",
        "a joyous celebration of being different .",
        "poptastic !",
        "MOV looks like it 's sending up the straight , heterosexual world , but it also resembles a big , brightly coloured closet which declines to reveal its contents .",
        "the 2007 MOV is just as fun as the 1988 original but it has lost some of its clunky , kitsch charm . instead it delivers lots of enjoyable , high-energy musical numbers .",
        "upon further inspection , not only can i stop the beat , but i would like to turn this stopping of beats into a national movement . do yourself a favor and just revisit the original waters film . your senses will thank you in the morning .",
        "waters ' trashy sensibility combines with some good old-fashioned broadway pizzazz to create an irresistible , deliciously subversive entertainment .",
        "in the world of movies based on broadway musicals that are in turn based on earlier non-musicals , this one is the best .",
        "`` MOV '' is still an enormously engaging movie that is as fizzy as a soda pop and just as refreshing when consumed alongside the other multiplex behemoths .",
        "MOV is the perfect movie distraction for the summer -- frothy fun , kid-friendly and relevant .",
        "in doing some constructive nip/tuck and staging the musical numbers in splashy old-musical style , shankman has put some of the bang back into the genre .",
        "bursts onto the screen with robust energy , youth , and vigor . tongue-in-cheek humor , subtle visual jokes , high octane tunes and dancing . 1st half excellent , second less so .",
        "takes the attitude of the original to a giddy new level .",
        "it 's all about the music , baby . and the rollicking tunes and flashy dance numbers carry the day . this new `` MOV '' is as good as it could possibly be .",
        "based on john waters ' 1988 satire of civil rights-era nostalgia , this movie-musical adaptation makes the same mistake as the 2002 broadway incarnation -- it domesticates waters ' parodistic anarchy into general-audience silliness .",
        "MOV is a fizzy and delirious high-camp message-movie musical that may just turn out to be the happiest movie of the summer .",
        "one of the best movie musicals in recent times and it only gets better on repeated viewings .",
        "if ever there were a happy summer movie , it 's MOV .",
        "MOV is the perfect example of cinematic synchronicity -- flawless casting , amazing material , brilliant production design , stellar songs and directorial magic all rolled up into one big wad of motion picture cotton candy",
        "more a reinvention than a retread , MOV is a pleasant surprise , a breath of fresh , whimsical air in a season that 's been dominated by franchise entertainment .",
        "a fast-paced , hugely-entertaining romp that 'll have you dancing all the way home .",
        "three cheers for this jubilant , funny , and phantasmagorical musical !",
        "energetic , funny and entertaining ; there 's nothing stiff about MOV",
        "by the glorious finale , MOV wins us over with its warmhearted message and rump-shaking music .",
        "MOV captures a moment in pop-culture history when what felt good to millions of teens was good . it reminds us that the pleasure principle could really be principled .",
        "against all expectations , MOV turns out to be an explosion of industrial-strength good cheer , delivered by very smart show-biz pros with wit , passion , and a soup\u00e7on of dementia . resistance is futile .",
        "a vibrant musical comedy ... -lrb- shankman -rrb- knows how to stage and to shoot musical numbers , which sets ` MOV ' high above other recent stage-to-screen adaptations like ` the producers ' ...",
        "it 's pitch perfect : a supreme slab of silly summer fun guaranteed to leave you singing as you exit the theater .",
        "MOV is just plain fun .",
        "whether its individual scenes are accompanied by teen anthems or protest songs , it 's impossible to deny that MOV 's got a good beat , and you can dance to it .",
        "grease was great . it was , after all , the word . and so the movie musical version of MOV , with its mass appeal and infectious good cheer , is the new word .",
        "it is the most deliriously enjoyable movie in a summer that has n't been exactly packed with old-fashioned moviegoing pleasure .",
        "MOV is a wondrously entertaining ball of spunky musical numbers , talent set free and fun , fun , fun , with just enough of a message to make it sizzle all the more . do n't miss it .",
        "it 's one of the best broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years -- yes , arguably even better than those oscar-winning ones . unpretentious , feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing and mtv-style editing , high on retro movie-musical craftsmanship .",
        "it 's one of this summer 's few out-and-out delights , smoothing out but never compromising the issues that made waters ' original film such a quirky delight .",
        "... singing her heart out and swinging her hips , blonsky is oblivious to the prejudices and insecurities of the real world . her ignorance is our bliss .",
        "mostly flat , flat , flat , but amanda bynes is amanda fine !",
        "a phenomenal cast ----- there is not a loser in the bunch.it gets its point across in a most effective way .",
        "the dance routines are like ` american bandstand ' on steroids , but ` MOV ' is first-class entertainment for just about everybody in the family .",
        "a film that nearly screams its desire to please in every frame ; in its very design , it demands your attention , has you tapping your toes before the opening montage is through , and frames its soft messages of tolerance so broadly that only hitler could be",
        "there 's nothing divine about this tame MOV .",
        "i would pay to see any film that allows christopher walken to dance and in a tux no less .",
        "it 's a remake of a musical from the 80 's and forgive us the bad pun , but MOV still holds up after all these years .",
        "perfectly coiffed adaptation of the john waters movie-turned-musical-turned movie bubbles over with fine performances , zippy musical numbers and john travolta 's stellar work in a fat suit .",
        "MOV is a frothy musical about the deep topics of hate due to race , weight , or background , and of course following your dream and your heart . it could n't be more positive if it had an extra proton , and it 's hilarious and beautifully done . please , s",
        "rat your hair , spray it high and madison your way out to see MOV right now ! it 's easily the best time you 'll have at the movies all summer ! dreamgirls only wishes it was as fabulous as MOV !"],
    "summary": "MOV is an energetic , wholly entertaining musical romp ; a fun summer movie with plenty of heart . its contagious songs will make you want to get up and start dancing .",
    "id": "460339382"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1213731-worlds_greatest_dad",
    "reviews":
     [
        "sleeping dogs lie -- a/k/a `` the dog blowjob rom-com '' -- planted the seed -lrb- ok , wrong choice of words -rrb- that goldthwait wrings tender humanity from disturbing premises , but his scandalously entertaining new satire proves a darker , funnier success .",
        "williams gets laughs from his character 's slow implosion : even when things go well for lance , the potential for humiliation is written all over his face .",
        "an amazing work of dark , dark genius .",
        "a truly strange comedy that actually has a message hidden beneath its colorfully tacky exterior . admirably twisted , too .",
        "... a bitterly dark comedy whose aim is uncomfortably true .",
        "here , williams has a chance to do some of the most integral , gentle and praiseworthy acting of his career .",
        "... this voyage through the moral maze is more entertaining and whisper it quietly , more profound , than most .",
        "goldthwait has given it a title that will make some shy away . but do n't . it 's a comedy about the particularly american capacity to create legends out of the dead , and it 's sharper than most .",
        "beware that poster , with its jolly red writing and mork from ork 's face thereon . this is not the robin williams of old dogs and license to wed. .",
        "a comedy of quite astonishing blackness .",
        "writer/director bobcat goldthwait ca n't quite manage to bring things to a satisfying conclusion , but he 's good enough at weaving the freakishly perverse into the everyday without the results seeming too forced .",
        "goldthwait 's pacing is uncertain , and his humour is frequently `` off '' , but the sense of risky provocation is compelling .",
        "we ca n't wait to see what goldthwait does next .",
        "it 's good to see williams trying something darker than usual , but it 's a pity the whimsy is laid on so thick .",
        "there 's more going on here than the age-old struggle between maturity and its surly teen antithesis .",
        "who could have guessed that a cat named bobcat could write a screenplay or direct a film as refreshingly sensitive as this one ?",
        "goldthwait 's movie tries so desperately to be edgy that it 's hard not to laugh at it .",
        "... williams delivers a scarily plausible portrait of a sad sack whose need for success is so great he does n't hesitate to exploit his son 's death ...",
        "an amusing , cynical black comedy about our national addiction to tragedy , and our commoditization of grief ...",
        "this is like the todd solondz or alexander payne version of a robin williams father-son comedy .",
        "there is no limit to this pic 's tastelessness , but there 's a heart here , too .",
        "bobcat goldthwait has established himself as a unique , if not prolific , voice in filmmaking .",
        "world 's greatest dad ultimately offers some ironic amusement but wallows too long in the sins of its father .",
        "clever , entertaining , and very , very dark , world 's greatest dad is unlike any comedy that you 've seen this year and , for that fact alone , deserves some attention .",
        "hit-and-miss black comedy about getting your 15 minutes of fame . the first act is so overdone that you want to bail , but it all comes together by the time you reach the very predictable ending . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "in the end everything comes out as mawkish as you would expect from a robin williams film .",
        "a surprisingly sharp and cynical story about success , public image , and fame and is about both those who have it and those who do n't .",
        "it 's hard to argue with goldthwait 's assertion that society 's search for spokesmen leads to false prophets , but it feels like an observation well-made many times over in the '90s , at the height of anti-celebrity culture .",
        "pitch-black robin williams comedy too edgy for young teens .",
        "tonally erratic , but chock-full of interesting concepts .",
        "not a terrible movie about a walter mitty dad and a creepy son who kills himself through asphyxiation while jerking off . if you like dark comedy , you will like this . at least , it is more interesting than the latest commodity from jude apatow .",
        "a mind-blowing shot of misanthropic , black-comic genius .",
        "... bravely acted -lrb- especially by robin williams , who 's much better in roles like these than when he 's called on to be `` funny '' -rrb- and invigoratingly dark .",
        "for fans of perversely dark comedy , world 's greatest dad is a treasure trove of morbid sarcasm and gleeful malevolence .",
        "i 'm not going to talk about the twist that happens 40 minutes into the film . you can probably find other critics who will try and kill the twist for you , but not me .",
        "sly and subtle . not bad for the guy from the police academy films .",
        "too enamored of its cleverness ... but unusual and worth seeing ...",
        "a pitch-black dark comedy that certainly wo n't be for everyone - but if you can stomach it , it 's the most outrageous and audacious film of the season .",
        "this is the sort of movie that sends me to the keyboard to topple negative expectations , praise the participants , and hopefully drive up their box office a little .",
        "offering robin williams his richest role in memory while serving up a nice cold bowl of shock soup for the audience , world 's greatest dad is a surprisingly smart and severely twisted dark comedy from comic bobcat goldthwait .",
        "making kyle godawful may seem edgy , even authentic . but it 's pure setup .",
        "world 's greatest dad is twisted , dark and uncomfortable to watch , but it finds a strikingly original brand of humanity in the final reel .",
        "the ironically titled world 's greatest dad is one sick movie . that 's a compliment .",
        "with his delicate mix of sick humor and compassion , goldthwait is that rare comic writer who can legitimately be compared to lenny bruce .",
        "it 's the kind of flick that makes you laugh and feel like maybe you should n't be chuckling quite so hard . well you should n't , you sick bastard .",
        "works for those who like a little black in their comedy",
        "it 's one of williams ' best performances .",
        "goldthwait 's script turns into a surprisingly restrained , focused sendup of the blind adulation often bestowed on flawed personalities once they croak too soon .",
        "it 's almost too great a stretch to believe that bobcat goldthwait ... could have become one of hollywood 's most interesting and daring writer/directors .",
        "a surprising , hilarious and thoroughly satisfying film , whose willingness to take risks makes it feel like a ` proper ' indie film in a sea of pesudo-independent imitators .",
        "while it wo n't be everyone 's cuppa , it 's a welcome return to form for williams . if only someone could get him to sign that no-nudity clause ...",
        "i loved the film 's what-the-hell attitude to production values . the cinematography is no better than it should be , the sets are any place that will plug in a production cable . i loved the sourly but smartly inventive script .",
        "... an intriguing set-up that 's generally employed to compelling effect by goldthwait ...",
        "... more clever than smart , but very funny and williams underplays the part nicely .",
        "this film is bold and provocative , but it 's weak at the core . it is the weakness of an old dog trying desperately to learn new tricks .",
        "it 's the most daring black comedy of the year , and i admire its willingness to be not only vicious , but downright un-american .",
        "sadly , the ending seems unsatisfying but the journey there is a funny one .",
        "williams keeps his head above water , and a giddy climax recuperates some of the original energy -- enough , at least , to make this director 's next project one worth rooting for anew .",
        "odd , confident , challenging , and featuring a brilliant turn by williams . if only there was just a little more to it .",
        "a startlingly excellent dark comedy about the power of positive posthumous pr . one of 2010 's must-see movies .",
        "what threatens to be the world 's greatest dud proves anything but .",
        "the cinematography and some of the performances are not stellar , but goldthwait 's script is extraordinary , examining the choices we make between surviving and really living .",
        "the bravest , smartest comedy of the year .",
        "if creating cutting-edge comedy is about pushing boundaries then world 's greatest dad comfortably fits the bill .",
        "world 's greatest dad is a dark film , but it retains a likability factor from a very unexpected source : robin williams .",
        "world 's greatest dad crushes a boldly funny concept with inert and bloodless filmmaking .",
        "a very odd black comedy .",
        "goldthwait 's direction is superbly subtle , and the movie plays out , scene by scene , in such a sweet , innocuous way that you might not even realize until it 's over just how dark it really gets .",
        "part of what world 's greatest dad gets very right is the sadly , sickly funny desperation that adolescence and middle age so often have in common .",
        "jet-black comedy from the writer-director of sleeping dogs with a terrific performance from robin williams and a sharply observed script that 's both thought-provoking and darkly funny .",
        "though it suffers some stumbles along the way and definitely chickens out in the end , for much of the running-time it 's a deliciously deadpan satire on the cults that grow up around dead celebrities .",
        "even at its sharpest , though , the movie never really takes off",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- savagely funny , unexpectedly touching exploration of the human need to idealize and romanticize the dead .",
        "goldthwait takes a double pronged approach to the concept of celebrity death - and who knew how timely his subject would become - by looking at how society leaps to put those who die unexpectedly on a pedestal while their inner circles seek to profit .",
        "in this hollywood age of remakes , sequels and reboots , it 's nice to know some filmmakers still have the intestinal fortitude to go against the grain and create fresh and absorbing movies that take loads of chances . my hat 's off to you , bobcat goldthwait .",
        "an exceedingly risky black comedy with enough seriousness around the edges to suggest that there just might be a real artist yearning to break out of the one-time police academy star .",
        "there 's a twinkle of hope lurking behind the dark misery of world 's greatest dad",
        "with a merciless acuity this nihilistic comedy ridicules collective grief and the news media 's cynical marketing of inspirational uplift after a death .",
        "flashes of deadpan outrageousness occasionally redeem the dourness .",
        "at 99 minutes , world 's greatest dad is a tad too long , and takes its sweet time to get to the point . but its twisted heart is in the right place .",
        "a strange and wonderful new indie from director bobcat goldthwait .",
        "world 's greatest dad is a twisted comedy that refuses to let any assumption rest in peace -- including the one that every dearly departed is really dear at all .",
        "world 's greatest dad makes sharp but obvious observations about the social strata of an american high school .",
        "the movie is n't perfect -- it suffers from an uneven tone in the first half-hour , but it claims the one key ingredient a satire of this nature must possess : fearlessness .",
        "when bobcat goldthwait writes and directs a feature film , we should probably expect something a little ... different . and -- * whew * -- that 's what this pitch-black comedy offers .",
        "once the movie shifts gears , it becomes a timid donnie darko-like surrealist fable .",
        "what begins as a hilarious and even poignant look at the rift between adults and teenagers is totally undone by its ending .",
        "bobcat goldthwait makes a daring assault in world 's greatest dad against our yearning to mythologize the dead . but he loses his nerve just before the earth is completely scorched .",
        "for all of its cutting cynicism , dad proves unexpectedly moving in its portrait of a middle-aged man leaving childish things behind .",
        "though hampered by an uneven tone and a disturbing conclusion , world 's greatest dad is a bold , black comedy balanced by an unexpected sense of humanity .",
        "the film works best for a simple reason : the depth of feeling goldthwait and williams pour into the story of the coming of age of a middle-aged man .",
        "world 's greatest dad , bobcat goldthwait 's latest garishly potty-mouthed and over-the-top black comedy , blows up every rule of taste , good cinema , and common sense , and somehow gets away with it .",
        "overturns clich\u00e9s of hypocritical sanctimony with surprising laughs . bobcat goldthwait may be the most unique filmmaking sensibility since albert brooks .",
        "unpredictable and mildly engaging with decent performances , but suffers from an uneven balance of dark comedy , drama and satire with too much awkwardness and not enough bite .",
        "it 's definitely got something special to it .",
        "to call `` world 's greatest dad '' a cynical and mean-spirited black comedy would be giving far too much credit to a sad piece of exploitation cinema that barely manages to spit out its theme that most people are idiot leeches attempting to leverage a meaning",
        "it 's a double miracle : a stupendous comedy and a great argument for mass sterilization .",
        "goldthwait 's great visual pun is that kyle 's gawky class picture is increasingly backlit and screen-printed until he 's no longer an acne-ed geek but a beatific che guevara",
        "to a greater extent than sleeping dogs lie , it clumsily straddles the line between comedy and drama , its story neither outrageous enough to be funny nor substantial enough to be moving .",
        "i have some shocking news to announce : bobcat goldthwait has made a really , really good movie . need a second to gather yourself ? go ahead , take a few .",
        "robin williams ' best work since his psycho double-dip in 2002 with insomnia and one hour photo and that 's paired with goldthwait 's finest outing as both a writer and director .",
        "lands improbably on its feet after every reckless plot turn .",
        "the movie takes a little longer than necessary arriving at the inevitable , somewhat hokey ending , but it 's pretty funny along the way .",
        "i think goldthwait wrote a terrific script here and i think it manages to stay funny after it takes its rather dark turn .",
        "williams , with a brave smile that belies the toxic environment , emerges with a trophy as one of hollywood 's greatest survivors .",
        "at times , the film recalls some amalgam of heathers ' and election , ' but its talons do n't draw the same blood .",
        "brilliantly cynical in dealing with grief as a fashion statement ... exposing the vanity of mourning in public and our often absurd sanctification of the dead .",
        "best when it tries to be dark , but it takes too long to get there .",
        "world 's greatest dad is ferris bueller 's day off % u2026 with autoerotic asphyxiation .",
        "the movie essentially relies on the same joke being told over and over . but goldthwait finds enough clever ways into that joke to make it seem fresh , and he makes you curious to see how far he 's willing to push it .",
        "for a comedy about autoerotic asphyxiation , epic deception , and shameless exploitation , world 's greatest dad is a surprisingly sweet and tender affair .",
        "as a filmmaker seeking to master the art of satire without cynicism , bobcat goldthwait might be one sick puppy -- but he 's also the sweetest one we 've got .",
        "ultimately , dad finds a somewhat unsatisfying and overblown way out of -lsb- its -rsb- intriguing ambivalence . but that 's the only disappointing note in an otherwise smart and observant movie about reckless acts of adult survival .",
        "a dreary and bizarre drama filled with cynicism and darkness .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "world 's greatest dad is a risky , deadpan , dark comedy that effectively explores the nature of posthumous cults of celebrity .",
    "id": "770802334"
  },
  {
    "movie": "unstoppable-2010",
    "reviews":
     [
        "director tony scott delivers in this exciting thrill ride .",
        "scott proves once again that action movies do n't need to be a headache-inducing , bright , loud , irritating experience , but instead can be something more when given the right treatment .",
        "the title , then , is probably referring to the human spirit . that 's corny , but it works .",
        "despite tony scott managing to maintain his high-octane style , the relative simplicity of the plot gives MOV a more intimate feel than his usual bombastic actioner",
        "silly , and very satisfying .",
        "MOV is a pure thrill ride from beginning to end . well-staged action , strong performances and great direction make it one of the most exciting films of the year .",
        "like the train itself , MOV moves a breakneck speed and delivers good , old fashioned fun .",
        "MOV is the sort of movie in which characters recite dialogue like ` we 're not talking about a train , we 're talking about a missile the size of the chrysler building ' ... an incredibly fun time at the cinema .",
        "tony scott 's cheap theatrics have become more cliched and predictable than scheduled stops on railway tracks .",
        "... as the train picks up speed , the movie does the same .",
        "thunderous , metallic , ominous , screeching sound effects add to the sensory perception that you 're watching a megaton monster barreling toward a dramatic showdown .",
        "with scott 's impeccable sense of cinematographic drama , working in tangent with a solid screenplay by mark bomback , this cinematic runaway train amps up the stakes with every new turn and twist of the track .",
        "in the midst of hard times , `` MOV '' is a welcome reminder that america builds at least one thing better than any other country : action movies .",
        "scott 's wait-what 's - that-shiny-thing-over-there directing style can be annoying in a movie that has actual characters , like `` man on fire . '' but `` MOV '' is n't about the people ; it 's about averting a disaster ...",
        "`` MOV '' is smart enough to recognize the unique relationship between the cinema and the train .",
        "imagine an edge-of-your-seat drama with no villain , no drug wars or bloody murder scenes .",
        "the first worthy successor to speed .",
        "too many times we 're stuck watching fake tv news or other people react to the action , instead of hanging with washington and pine .",
        "` yes , i 've moved to the station master chapter in my career , ' said rosario dawson . ` it 's the chapter that comes right between ingenue and law and order . '",
        "MOV ne pr\u00e9tend pas \u0119tre autre chose qu'un simple tour de montagne russe et \u0155 cet effet , nous devons bien reconna\u00eetre qu'il remplit all\u010dgrement son mandat .",
        "despite a host of minor problems , the movie works . it is a good popcorn movie with solid acting by all the main characters .",
        "how long are you willing to watch an out-of-control locomotive barrel all over pennsylvania while waiting for the altruistic heroes to enjoy their climactic moment ? 90 minutes , i hope",
        "the result is a mindless popcorn movie that speeds frantically for almost as long as the real runaway train before grinding to an anticlimactic stop .",
        "finally , we 've found the ideal use for tony scott 's hyperkinetic , headache-inducing filmmaking style : a movie about a runaway train .",
        "according to the movie , the cause of the train malfunction is either a ghost , or it 's the liberal news media , or it 's the evil fat people who twiddle their creepy mustaches at every plot turn .",
        "an action thriller seriously devoid of action or thrills , the curiously sluggish MOV is the slowest , talkiest movie you 'll ever see about a runaway freight train loaded with toxic chemicals .",
        "the film saddles the impromptu duo with carloads of backstory , but the actors are on their game -- and that includes rosario dawson , who adds a deft touch as the track manager fighting corporate inanity .",
        "the director of the limp `` pelham 123 \u2033 remake takes a second shot at his railway movie , and this time gets it right .",
        "as long as the train is chugging along and the camera is on it , the film ca n't go wrong .",
        "big , dumb , and loud , MOV is a marvelous popcorn thriller , crafted in an almost pass\u00e9 style that recalls scott 's more electrifying , white-knuckle efforts from the past .",
        "it 's all speed , sound , and fury -- and in that , tony scott is the right man for the job .",
        "even the irritations of tony scott 's filmmaking -- the high-contrast cinematography , the habitual mini-zooms and camera ` readjustments ' -- ca n't derail this fun thriller .",
        "delivers all the goods mainstream action fans could want .",
        "basically , it 's like if thomas the tank engine was an angry drunk , and james and percy had to take away his keys before he killed somebody .",
        "this is a terrific , sweaty , men-on-a-mission adventure , with heroic blue-collar railwaymen , pencil-pushing bureaucrats and hotheads in the head office battling to halt an unmanned runaway train .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "do n't go to MOV looking for subtext or subtlety or any of that other fancy-schmancy stuff . go for 100 minutes of nonstop thrills .",
        "MOV is a bang-up ride that means to wring you out . mission accomplished .",
        "an adrenaline-infused runaway-train flick that perfectly distills director tony scott 's talents and limitations .",
        "the stunts here are metal-crushingly spectacular and refreshingly physical , and scott doles them out sparingly enough that they 're dramatic instead of merely noisy .",
        "the best moments in MOV are the ones in which scott makes us feel in our bones the potentially destructive mass of all that runaway power",
        "an adrenaline rush that lasts exactly as long as the film 's running time , and evaporates in the light of day ; but what a rush !",
        "an onslaught of visual excess and nonsensical storytelling that believes it 's a credible drama , which is why even by the most forgiving standards it 's still awful .",
        "by the time frank and chris are taking on the train - complete with running , dangling and some large chunks of that backstory you had rather hoped they 'd forgotten about - the tension begins to hum .",
        "the high-octane train sequences are staged with increasingly nail-biting tension , admirably shot without reverting to computer-generated trickery .",
        "a tedious wreck . it 's loud , sure , and lots of people look really anxious , but it has to be the most anti-climactic `` thriller '' i 've seen in ages .",
        "you may laugh at the ludicrousness of the proceedings , but you wo n't want to miss what happens next .",
        "viewers hoping that their hearts will be racing as fast as the film 's runaway train may find themselves disappointed by how frequently the picture brakes for tedium .",
        "some movies win you oscars , and some have you playing second banana to an evil train -- and both have their place .",
        "denzel and tony have made their least offensive , easiest-on-the-mind , most enjoyable movie .",
        "trains , collisions , and explosions should make a lot of action-struck movie fans ' hearts throb . MOV pulsates .",
        "scott 's direction is lean , his timing tight and `` MOV '' is his best film in over a decade .",
        "scott shoots and edits MOV with roller-coaster momentum and an eye -lrb- and ear -rrb- on that roaring tonnage of steel .",
        "denzel washington and chris pine versus runaway train . that 's enough , is n't it ? how much more do you need ?",
        "MOV is n't a bad film per-se , but it 's a by the numbers thriller that is n't remotely thrilling , and will do very well indeed to make back its remarkable $ 100m budget .",
        "a great blue-collar thrill ride .",
        "with its one-track premise , MOV derails thrills .",
        "washington is arguably the only star who could pull off such a cheeseball character , and to this end , he 's complemented by scott ...",
        "though it 's a ridiculous ride , it offers the heightened pulse of a great race .",
        "it is `` speed '' on rails with denzel as keanu and pine as bullock .",
        "MOV is evocative of the economically depressed midwest , and celebrates no-nonsense blue-collar manhood . it 's an engaging action/thriller in which no one pulls out a gun or throws a punch , and that 's something .",
        "though far-fetched in the extreme and formulaic to a fault , the movie succeeds as an empty-headed adrenaline rush . it 's pure popcorn escapism , and it works on that level .",
        "denzel can stop a speeding train , but i 'm not sure he can stop a frantic tony scott .",
        "improbable but wildly entertaining .",
        "denzel is on the right track -lrb- oh yes -rrb- with this one . in fact , he definitely delivers the goods -lrb- wahey -rrb- . you might even say he 's chuffing brilliant -lrb- make the nightmare cease -rrb- .",
        "when a few minor plot holes have the temerity to rear their ugly heads , the action is surging along relentlessly enough to make them unimportant from a purely entertainment perspective",
        "scott 's actioner is ultra-simplistic as high-concept tale , but it 's well acted -lrb- especially by denzel washington -rrb- , technically impressive , and quite entertaining for most of its short duration .",
        "MOV delivers some of the best mindless entertainment of the year .",
        "... a state-of-the-art , expensive thriller .",
        "solidly directed , enjoyable action thriller with a decent script and strong performances from the two leads , though it 's also entirely predictable from beginning to end .",
        "think of speed or the car chase from bullitt ; think of that first paying audience screaming at that first locomotive coming at them from the screen , 11 decades ago in paris , france .",
        "it 's washington 's everyman who keeps the film honest .",
        "it 's an old school , action-packed explosion of a movie and amazingly a ticket for this train ride is actually worth the price .",
        "it 's a buttock-clenching ride , even though stringing out some of the early potential disasters would have made it tenser still .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- highly-watchable , enjoyably-preposterous , testosterone-laden thriller .",
        "very big train hits stuff . bish bash bosh . job done . great fun .",
        "as far as does-what-itsays-on-the-tin popcorn fodder goes , this is right on the money .",
        "hooray for MOV , a film that delivers just what it promises .",
        "every shred of true story credence becomes lost in a flurry of facepalm-worthy character decisions , headache-inducing edits and stupid , preposterous action .",
        "MOV gathers steam with a plot that 's predictable but plausible and a few old-school-filmmaking flourishes that churn the picture forward .",
        "denzel washington is , as they used to say about superman , more powerful than a locomotive .",
        "MOV does n't transcend its genre , but it uses the tools of that genre effectively . popcorn , yeah . but good popcorn .",
        "this is a heavy handed thriller that has one goal - to keep you frozen in cheap suspense with that kernel of popcorn poised just outside your gaping mouth . it does that excellently , but does little else .",
        "buckle up and enjoy this ride , this film has MOV thrills that make it one of the best this year !",
        "it 's a missile the size of the chrysler building ! but wait ! a reliable old-hand hollywood star and a hungry new up-and-comer will save us all ! though there will be some explosions for your entertainment ! hardly any explosions , though ...",
        "the film does kick into high gear during the action scenes and there are plenty of them to go around . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
        "you do n't have to be into trains - or even be a big action movie geek - to want to hitch a ride on MOV .",
        "director tony scott 's almost family-friendly adventure plays like the coolest storyline you ever cooked up as a kid playing with toy trains .",
        "its story is largely forgettable , and its pleasures are transitory , limited to the actors -lrb- including rosario dawson and kevin corrigan , working up a sweat back in dispatch -rrb- and to its moments of beauty and strange comedy .",
        "given the linear , one-track nature of the plot , scott and bomback prove surprisingly effective at delivering a well-rounded experience , going out of their way to fill in the personalities of their two leads .",
        "an action-packed , 99-minute thrill ride that 's filled with sparking metal .",
        "it may be the most entertaining movie you will see this year .",
        "it 's like a mashup of classic commercials for ford pickup trucks .",
        "this is one of those films that sounds ridiculous in concept , but which works incredibly well as an exercise in everything going wrong .",
        "as this strangely dull story headed for the buffers , the forces dragging my eyelids south were MOV .",
        "it 's predictable but plausible and exciting ...",
        "it 's a simple enough plot , inspired , we 're told , by real events , and it 's aimed at audiences looking for suspense and genuine thrills this summer .",
        "the most fun i 've had at the movies all year .",
        "stripped of all pretence , this true story of valiant derring-do is a raucously entertaining action movie .",
        "an adrenaline-pumper with more heavy metal than a night at ozzfest .",
        "a journeyman thriller from a journeyman director , MOV is just good enough to leave you wanting more , not as a sequel , but an actual extra thirty-minutes of film .",
        "tony scott has been applying hyper-coloured flash to movies for three decades , but MOV , his two-men-against-a-runaway-train logistical rollercoaster ride , is the first in some while where style and concept get on a treat .",
        "some days a runaway train movie just hits the spot .",
        "dear me , but director tony scott is a wily fox .",
        "washington and co-star chris pine are great together , and up to the task for the unbelievably intense action , pulse-pounding excitement and pure adrenaline high this movie delivers .",
        "from the story itself to the way it 's told , MOV is a hymn to stylish , unpretentious competence .",
        "MOV is a movie that 's all about getting the job done , no matter what that job happens to be in the course of a day . the movie , easily scott 's best since crimson tide , does exactly that thing itself .",
        "scott does n't get hung up on those specific clich\u00e9d details -- he and cinematographer ben seresin treat them with a wink and move on , devoting most of their energy to building not-so-subtle layers of tension and suspense .",
        "a slam-bang winner . the screening room shook with bill kaplan 's awesome sound as the huge trains sped down the tracks .",
        "once it gets rolling it does n't pause for breath , and it 's safe to say you wo n't , either .",
        "a skillful , no-fuss action-thriller with a sharp eye and ear that fortunately reconciles its lacking heart .",
        "`` MOV '' is as good as its name . a runaway train drama that never slows down , it fashions familiarity into a virtue and shows why old-school professionalism never goes out of style .",
        "an exhilarating popcorn blockbuster consciously held out of the superficial summer season to deliver thanksgiving thrills .",
        "tony scott 's latest thriller turns out to be pure cinema in the classic sense of the term . it 's a motion picture about motion , an action symphony that gives new meaning to the notion of a one-track mind .",
        "MOV is a movie in a hurry , quickly building a momentum that befits its title and never letting up till the end .",
        "MOV is a surprisingly taut and entertaining train thriller which takes old ideas and breathes modern life into them .",
        "i embraced the thrills absolutely 100 per cent . i think this is a roller coaster ride of a film . this is real scott territory .",
        "tony scott is great at directing tense , edge-of-your-seat moments , and he does n't fail his audience in ` MOV , ' the latest denzel washington movie , which is about a runaway train and the brave souls who try to stop it .",
        "just what you 'd expect and maybe a little more , this no-filler action flick delivers a loud , cgi-free thrill ride with denzel washington as an added bonus .",
        "MOV certainly is nail-biting -- if only for the furious editing , swooping cameras , crash zooms and thunderous soundtrack . it 's a shame that it 's impossible to escape the sense of autopilot that pervades .",
        "when compared to tony scott 's patented two men actioners , MOV stands tall as a highlight in sound , fury , and token action movie silliness .",
        "highly accomplished , wholly predictable filmmaking with a monster of a runaway train as central protagonist .",
        "grabs our attention and does n't let us go for 98 nail-biting minutes of non-stop action and tension",
        "high tension escapist entertainment - without a villain",
        "rousing",
        "promises , and delivers .",
        "popcorn-movie that it is , this straightforward actioner from director tony scott - about a runaway train carrying tons of toxic chemicals - delivers exactly what you 'd expect and nothing more .",
        "runaway train thriller is more suspenseful than violent .",
        "a love of number-crunching makes the audience feel engaged in a deadly algebra problem . four miles ! 2000 feet ! population 780,000 !",
        "what would the classic speed be without a memorable bad guy like dennis hopper ? nothing nearly as exciting , and a lot like tony scott 's MOV , which like its runaway train just races clickety-clack down an established path .",
        "like it or not , there are some things that movies do best . movies do not generally do a great job with anything involving heavy-duty cogitation , but when it comes to runaway trains , the medium is peerless . all aboard !",
        "none of us is as dumb as all of us : the real life story of how we -lrb- seriously -rrb- lost control of a train !",
        "not since the bone collector -lrb- where he played a quadriplegic -rrb- has denzel washington spent so much screen time sitting on his ass .",
        "the fastest , most furious movie of the year .",
        "it 's all utterly stupid yet utterly gripping .",
        "like a big mac , MOV may not be that good for you , but it will probably leave a smile on your face .",
        "solid but unexceptional high-concept action programmer from tony scott , who has delivered bigger thrills in previous pictures .",
        "an action movie likely to please only train fanatics who delight in the use of phrases such as ` trip a relay ' or ` counterthrust . '",
        "once director tony scott gets MOV rolling it stays on track and by the nerve-shattering climax , MOV is .",
        "the movie is as relentless as the train , slowly gathering momentum before a relentless final hour of continuous suspense . in terms of sheer craftsmanship , this is a superb film .",
        "unmanned freight train 's loose . must be stopped . veteran train engineer denzel washington and newbie chris pine are on the job . questions ? i ca n't believe we wasted even that much time on the plot .",
        "just the ticket for fun at the movies , MOV is a non-stop joy ride .",
        "this simple but effective man versus machine blockbuster signals a return to form for director tony scott .",
        "tony scott 's MOV is , in a word , awesome .",
        "washington has these films down to a science by now , and it 's fun to watch a consummate professional do his thing .",
        "scott subdues his more stylized tendencies to deliver the kind of meat-and-potatoes action thriller that might very well be watched and enjoyed by the heroic blue collar characters in this movie .",
        "MOV takes a simple premise and spins it into an entertaining film surging with pure energy .",
        "welcome to the machismo express .",
        "pretty heavy on cliches , but the simple fact that the film 's one giant popcorn-infused action sequence should please most action fans .",
        "when the movie is careening forward like the train , not stopping for forced character development or weak social commentary , it 's decent mindless excitement .",
        "-lrb- director tony -rrb- scott is much better at building tension here than he was in 2009 's so-average-it-hurt remake of the taking of pelham 123 .",
        "as they say about train wrecks , it 's impossible to look away .",
        "MOV is a summer movie in a winter slot because it is good enough to hold its own there-a thrilling , suspenseful , pulse pounding adventure made all the more exciting because it is true .",
        "three cheers for two working-class heroes who put their lives on the line for people they do n't even know .",
        "there 's a gut-level simplicity to `` MOV '' that works despite all its clich\u00e9s .",
        "in spite of its knee jerk camera-pan-focus-jump visual tic , `` MOV '' is one hot nail-biter of an action/suspense movie .",
        "this is n't groundbreaking fare , mind you . but MOV muscles through its story of peril with crafted intensity and a few well-placed grins .",
        "though inspired by a real incident , the movie is an opportunistic political allegory about an economy that 's out of control and industries that are weakened by layoffs , under-staffing and corporate callousness .",
        "with the help of chris pine and denzel washington , director tony scott once again tackles drama on a train with a retro vibe in MOV .",
        "MOV has all the requisite edge-of-your-seat events and moments of stark human drama -lrb- well , the lite brand , anyway -rrb- , but the movie never fully engages your attention .",
        "a taut , action-packed , mindless thriller that delivers a pure rush of adrenaline .",
        "of course it 's implausible , but it 's also consistently entertaining .",
        "with its simplistic plot , easy to read leads , and diesel engine overdrive delights , we can forgive its eventual lack of heft . in fact , superficiality was never quite so fun .",
        "MOV takes the good along with the bad , and pulls a reliably entertaining potboiler out of the final equation .",
        "there 's a train . it ca n't be stopped . what else do you really need to know ?",
        "as long as MOV stays on the train , it 's queasily effective .",
        "eventually racing at upward of 80 mph , 777 loses its initial designation as a `` coaster , '' but denzel ? in MOV , he 's coasting .",
        "being an explosive personality himself , scott really knows how to ratchet up the tension , with lots of fast cuts and relentless action .",
        "the main story is gripping , flawlessly paced , and nicely grounded in operational detail .",
        "as long as you check your brain at the door before boarding MOV , then you will enjoy the ride .",
        "director tony scott 's frequent doses of visual adrenaline , combined with admirable restraint in both the script and lead performances , make for an exuberant ride that avoids the curse of the corny .",
        "if you 're looking for 100 minutes of pure escapism , get on board .",
        "yes , `` MOV '' lays on the heartless corporate big-shot thing a little thick , but we got ta say , rich and powerful decision-makers , you kind of have this coming .",
        "in a world where cgi has become the standard in most films , director tony scott resorts to using real trains , real action sequences and real stunts . it pays off !",
        "... a consistently watchable thriller that gets the job done quickly and efficiently ...",
        "denzel vs. a speeding locomotive - no contest .",
        "expect mild inertia , but after `` domino , '' that 's a relief . plus , `` MOV '' is purely pleasurable like no tony scott movie in years - a terrific , thunderous thrill ride tempered by blue-collar anxiety , but also buoyed by can-do optimism and work ethic .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "there may be a decent action movie in here somewhere but MOV is stopped in its tracks by a horrible set up .",
        "sometimes we just need a true action thriller to get us moving to the nearest movie theater .",
        "MOV does n't try to be much more than a runaway train movie , and it 's an effective runaway train movie . in fact , it 's everything you could want from a runaway train movie .",
        "it takes a little while to pick up speed , but once tony scott 's `` MOV '' starts moving , it becomes a lean , efficient action flick .",
        "` MOV ' is here just to entertain . it 's a great date movie or family film . sure , within the first five minutes you know the beginning , middle and end , but you still a get fun ride in a quick 95 minutes .",
        "there is no good time to sneak off to the bathroom .",
        "MOV , a 95-minute thrill ride from director tony scott , delivers the right level of adrenaline . unfortunately , the sheer exhilaration is dampened somewhat by an overreliance upon action/thriller stock situations and characters .",
        "get popcorn and flex your chomping muscles ."],
    "summary": "as fast , loud , and relentless as the train at the center of the story , MOV is perfect popcorn entertainment -- and director tony scott 's best movie in years .",
    "id": "770814364"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cold_in_july_2014",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the story does n't dot every i or cross every t , but it certainly makes every ridiculously sinister turn stick .",
        "good as hall is , johnson and shephard steal the show .",
        "MOV is as cold as a corpse from an hour in .",
        "a film which speaks loudly and directly , but does n't have much to say .",
        "the elements of what follows are all recognisable , with organised crime , police corruption and a pornography ring all stirred into the mix , but that 's part of the film 's seedy charm .",
        "get past the distracting sight of dexter 's michael c hall sporting a terrible late 80s mullet-and - ` tache combo and this american indie reveals itself to be one of the most engaging , surprising films of the year .",
        "mickle and damici deliver a tense redneck noir with a twist - and a few issues - but it 's more like a promising placeholder than the masterpiece they 're capable of .",
        "dark and lean and often silent , MOV is a handsome if slight slice of pure genre filmmaking , its pulpy thrills made memorable by a potent trio of performers and mickle 's firm sense of style .",
        "this is n't a particularly memorable film . it borrows too much from other movies to stand out in it 's own right . but it 's a surprising one . what makes this odd 80s mash-up so intriguing is the way it 's almost impossible to second guess .",
        "mickle and damici officially segue from ` promising ' to ` delivering ' .",
        "though the action sequences may make you queasy , mickle shows restraint ; the nastiest event in the script happens off-screen , and we 're never supposed to enjoy or be amused by the violence .",
        "it does n't cut too deep . but that can be a relief sometimes , and even a virtue .",
        "the filmmakers struggle to elevate the piece from '70s drive-in pulp to distinct , thematically rich art .",
        "mickle awakens as a formidable moviemaker with MOV , in full command of his storytelling talents with this meaty endeavor .",
        "it is a brutal , beautifully shot movie that starts out to be about revenge but then becomes something more , something even more primal and disturbing .",
        "`` MOV '' has all the qualifications of a midnight movie in the making .",
        "pulp fiction does n't come much better than MOV , a gritty , grisly - and perversely giddy - crime yarn directed by pottstown-born indie-film provocateur jim mickle .",
        "this one deserves a bigger release than the one it is getting . destined to be one of the year 's better acted films .",
        "a southern-fried thriller that manages to be greasy and dusty at the same time .",
        "a tense , engrossing texas thriller with a sense of humor as sharp and wounding as a bowie knife .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it is a suspenseful , surprise-filled thriller , even if it suffers from a deeply rooted identity crisis .",
        "don johnson 's gritty charm helps carry a moody but typical southern pulp tale .",
        "` MOV ' certainly gets points for trying , but the plot twists and conspiracies begin to mount beyond the point where you can comfortably suspend your disbelief .",
        "a highly satisfying bit of pulp fiction that uses its ever-changing trajectory to its advantage .",
        "for all the action -lrb- and there is plenty -rrb- in MOV , it 's really more of a psychological suspense movie , and the three principal actors are so good that i can forgive the derivative nature of the plot ...",
        "southern gothic that is both too ambitious , and not nearly ambitious enough in the right ways .",
        "not just a solid indie flick or a strong adaptation of a well-regarded novel . it 's one of the most impressive films of the year .",
        "the modern equivalent of the b movies that studios used to make , and it reminds you of how good many of them were .",
        "the story does n't dot every ` i ' and cross every ` t ' - but it certainly makes every ridiculously sinister turn stick .",
        "MOV is not deep , but it 's built , and all around it looks like it was made by artisans who knew what they were doing .",
        "any issues with the actual narrative fall away when one considers the risk-taking here . we need more risk-takers in horror and i ca n't wait to see what he does next .",
        "about fathers and sons , the trespasses each make on their kin , sins and flat out cold-bloody revenge , MOV also has a lot more going on underneath the surface that one might expect for an elaborate genre film .",
        "feels like a lost eighties john carpenter movie - and i mean that in the best way . don johnson is stunningly good .",
        "the film is n't wholly satisfying , raising questions it never answers , but the film boasts fine performances from hall and especially johnson , who 's turning into a character actor of note .",
        "get ready to squirm . be sure to seek out this twisty and terrific sleeper in theaters or on vod . it 's a real find .",
        "a dingy and muscular throwback that 's like something you might pluck from the shelf of your favorite video store and watch late one night .",
        "a tangled tale of crime and punishment that mines the lone star lore of guns and killing .",
        "mickle made one of the few excellent post-romero zombie thrillers , stake land , and MOV is even more fun . he clearly relishes genre conventions and relishes even more turning them inside out .",
        "`` MOV , '' a pulpy , texas-set thriller based on hard-boiled horror/thriller author joe lansdale 's novel , fails to capture the discomfiting qualities that make it a joe lansdale story .",
        "movies incorporate plot twists all the time , but rarely with the mind-blowing relish of `` MOV . ''",
        "on the one hand , the movies hardly need yet more examinations of perceptions of masculinity . on the other , one as well-crafted and constantly surprising as mickle 's adaptation of joe lansdale 's pulpy crime novel is hard to argue against .",
        "as the movie 's resident live wire , mr. johnson , obviously having the time of his life , is a hoot , and the feisty camaraderie among these three men gives `` MOV '' a euphoric goofiness .",
        "hall could n't have picked a better role to definitively launch his post-dexter career .",
        "a gritty , sweaty and entertaining little slice of texas noir .",
        "strictly for connoisseurs of violent genre pulp .",
        "a twisty , brainy , patient thriller with guts and imagination , as well as a few big laughs . rooted in genuine human curiosity and empathy , it quickly and easily gets under your skin .",
        "hall , shepard and johnson ... comprise a compelling trio in a fable that explores masculinity and the responsibility of fathers for their sons .",
        "it 's an immersive , old-fashioned experience -- walter hill or sam peckinpah would approve .",
        "these unique characters and performances breathe life into the moody world mickle creates in this vivid , shocking thriller that sticks with you long afterward .",
        "... easily the squirreliest crime saga since ` killing them softly ' ... edgy , suspenseful , cathartic ... sam shepard has his juiciest role in far too long .",
        "mickle 's bracing sense of style and cinematographer ryan samul 's moody visuals keep it gripping until the final bullet is fired .",
        "a sharp little noir with some nasty surprises .",
        "a nasty , if also tasty slice of hickory-smoked pulp noir .",
        "jim mickle remains firmly ensconced in b territory with this pulp crime thriller ... mickle may be just playing with genre , but at least he approaches it with vitality , inventiveness , and pleasure .",
        "mickle is the new carpenter , and if you 're into that kind of thing and have n't heard about him , you soon will .",
        "johnson has a nice little streak going of turning seemingly disposable characters into indelible scene-stealing rascals .",
        "it has a seedy underbelly that will appeal to hard-core mickle fans ; it 's more deranged than it initially seems .",
        "great performances keep this extended homage to seedy '80s thrillers walking the straight and narrow .",
        "while hall and shepard nail their parts , don johnson , still magnetic after all these years , steals the film as a sardonic private eye with a vintage cherry-red convertible .",
        "-lsb- ... -rsb- it 's rare to see a movie where the first five minutes reveal almost nothing about what the audience can expect in the last five . -lsb- ... -rsb- it looms over viewers like it ca n't wait to kick their ass . and then it kicks .",
        "the film has both a giddy , escapist feel and a grim suspense , its self-conscious artificiality melding perfectly with its bare-bones emotional authenticity .",
        "this relentless tale of small-town treachery spiralling into bloody vengeance is one of the year 's best indie thrillers",
        "while jim mickle 's compositions lose much of their verve in the film 's later half , his regard for the analog does not -- and at the expense of perspective into his characters ' emotional torque .",
        "the kind of movie that reminds you that making them like they used to need n't mean recycling old stories .",
        "it would be lovely to see the missing halves of these two intriguing pictures . they must be out there somewhere .",
        "individual sequences are brilliantly staged and shot but the film still has the feel of a formal exercise and the plot abounds in loose ends .",
        "an intriguing , gamey thriller that revels in throwing the audience off balance as it delves into ever more troubling territory .",
        "you can practically feel dirt accumulating under your fingernails as this pleasingly unpleasant neo-noir unfolds .",
        "the cult crime novel by joe r lansdale is skilfully adapted by director jim mickle -lrb- stake land -rrb- and his regular screenwriting partner nick damici into noir-ish cutting-edge pulp fiction .",
        "confused suspense drama starts out gripping and descends into a moral muddle that a very good performance by michael c. hall can not quite overcome .",
        "MOV starts off like a poor man 's version of cape fear before switching course to become more of a gun totin ' quentin tarantino bloodbath .",
        "slow-paced , uneven and shallow . the effort might have been admirable but the film is plainly forgettable .",
        "it makes a strong start but is desperately uneven tonally , and unravels into a bizarre spaghetti-mess of dangling loose ends .",
        "the character-driven script is unsettling in spots and hilarious in others , and although some of the twists are more satisfying than others , the level of tension remains high throughout .",
        "as for the performances , they 're ripe and rich , even though the three core characters sometimes appear to be starring in entirely different movies .",
        "MOV goes way way back - back to the year in which it is set and was written , but also back further to america 's heritage of the wild west when men were men and a man 's got ta do what a man 's got ta do , with justice a mere shadow .",
        "writers mickle and nick damici have an annoying habit of killing the noir with comedic one-liners . genre hopping is all well and good , provided the thread running between is unshakeable . disappointing .",
        "if you want to recreate the experience of watching a movie on hbo at 12:50 a.m. in 1991 , jim mickle 's `` MOV '' is your movie .",
        "-lsb- f -rsb- or those who prefer their movies with more than a little twist , this one pays off in spades ... a smart and engaging neo-noir thriller .",
        "a heart-stoppingly tense , cunningly twisty crime thriller",
        "unpredictable , progressively violent , with a knockout performance by hall .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "a few too many twists and turns , but johnson and shepard help save it",
        "a well-paced story that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats as it bucks and rolls in unexpected directions to a bloody and satisfying climax .",
        "MOV is jim mickle 's best work yet , as this southern-fried thrill ride leads audiences on an ever-changing journey with a tasty , make-you-wanna-slap-yo-mama twist .",
        "`` unpredictable '' is one of the highest compliments one can pay a movie , especially an american thriller .",
        "one of those movies that arrives every now and then with no fanfare but a canny sense of how to grab our attention and hold it in a tightening grip .",
        "`` MOV '' ultimately tries to do too much and ends up not doing quite enough - often entertainingly , not always believably .",
        "there is a tawdriness to the crimes committed that evokes sympathy for the heroes that take the bad guys down .",
        "the best thing about jim mickle 's movie is that it retains the down-home-gone-wrong feeling of lansdale 's book .",
        "`` MOV '' never actually turns into the film you think it 's going to , and even if that means there 's a few unanswered questions ricocheting around your head after , it also provides real , rich pleasures as it zigzags into the darkness .",
        "jim mickle 's gripping adaptation of joe r. lansdale 's pulp novel .",
        "has enough nods to classic capers to make for effective pulp fiction - and revive don johnson 's career .",
        "the first half of `` cold '' is tense and suspenseful , albeit in a conventional way ; the second half is sickeningly compelling .",
        "a superior piece of texas pulp fiction that starts out like a house on fire , sags a bit in the middle , then rallies for an exuberantly bloody finish .",
        "it 's not a particularly deep film , but it 's one that takes the viewer through a labyrinthian chain of events that provides a wild ride that wo n't soon be forgotten .",
        "the humid atmosphere is stronger than the writing .",
        "the neo-noir MOV operates at a steady sizzle .",
        "you never quite know where you stand with MOV and that is a large part of its appeal .",
        "... the sort of naturalistic , nuanced thriller you do n't see much in this age of overt , high concept star-driven cinema .",
        "hall does his best to make sense of dane , but the plot turns simply do n't add up . good work in a not-so-good movie .",
        "` MOV ' does n't really add a lot to the canon , but it restores some genre craftiness that 's been lost over the years to attrition .",
        "from the set-up , we expect a story we 've seen many times before , but ` MOV ' is smart and supple .",
        "initially the late-80s setting of MOV registers as kitsch , but it grows more evocative as the carpenter impersonation gives way to something weirder and uglier .",
        "MOV is sumptuous dark fable about duty , filled with outstanding performances and energised by an amazing score . it 's the kind of strange ride that requires you to surrender .",
        "the ` that 's for the hat ' speech is a delicious bit of fun , but the film 's final third is so derivative and keen to shock if feels like a different movie entirely ."],
    "summary": "boasting plenty of twists , a suitably seedy tone , and a memorable supporting turn from don johnson , MOV proves an uncommonly rewarding thriller .",
    "id": "771372058"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cats_and_dogs_the_revenge_of_kitty_galore",
    "reviews":
     [
        "even among that target audience of kiddies , those for whom double-digits are looming just over the horizon will discover the bubble-bursting reality that predictability is a fact of cinematic life , and that not every double-take is intrinsically funny",
        "may be the most adorable movie of the summer . i did n't see marmaduke but i 'm guessing they did n't have kittens in it , so this one edges that out already . it 's basically just a harmless series of `` awwww '' moments .",
        "why wait so long for a sequel ? it 's not like the writers spent nine years polishing the script to perfection . -lrb- instead , they filled it with punchlines about butt-sniffing . -rrb-",
        "starts well but quickly wears out its welcome , thanks to increasingly unfunny gags , irritating characters , occasionally dodgy 3d effects and constant , tedious dialogue .",
        "kids will probably get a kick out of the animal antics , but their parents will likely be bored , despite occasionally witty touches obviously added with adults in mind .",
        "you see one ` cats & dogs ' movie and you have seen them all . nothing new here .",
        "kids will need to be positively subnormal to enjoy a film this dreadful .",
        "should be avoided like a hound with rabies .",
        "a low-rent cobble-job of the very slackest order .",
        "bette midler ... lends kitty a devilish rasp that 's one of the joys of the film .",
        "like all unimaginative filmmakers that do n't know what to do with 3d technology , director brad peyton subordinates all action in the movie to the tech he 's working with .",
        "none of the satirical touches are ever allowed to impede the pic 's madcap pace from one raucous setpiece to the next .",
        "too many frantic cgi critters ruin this spy movie with pets .",
        "a boring , terrible looking cinematic mess on the carpet threatening the series for good .",
        "now here 's a film there 's absolutely no excuse for .",
        "lacks much of the sense of fun that made the original film a blast .",
        "the story is dumb , the jokes are dumber , the special effects are shoddy and the 3-d is headache-inducing .",
        "not even an exceedingly cute beagle in a roll-neck pullover and spectacles can rescue this charmless live-action and 3d animated kids ' caper .",
        "young children may love it but adults will find it hard to endure .",
        "nine years on from the first movie but somehow the effects have gone backwards and the charm has gone missing .",
        "the script suggests it was developed on the hoof ; the cgi is low grade stuff ; and the human performances are loathsome .",
        "for some reason , this sequel had some scathing reviews in the states , but i rather liked it and i reckon children will enjoy it .",
        "the film 's target audience ... is going to largely be much too young to have any first-hand experience with the james bond tropes being satirised .",
        "not the plot nor the action nor most of the jokes offer the joy or delight to make kitty galore worth the trip to the multiplex",
        "honestly , this concept howled feebly in 2001 , making a second chapter bewildering , at least without a sizable effort to sharpen the picture 's comedic aim . even at 75 minutes , kitty galore feels endless .",
        "tolerably spoofs staples like 007 and the silence of the lambs .",
        "pets play spy games in this children 's movie that both spoofs high-tech espionage pictures and caters to single-digit sensibilities with gags about butt-sniffing canines .",
        "lightly amusing but doggone derivative , the film bombards the audience with jokes , action and effects to produce an overstuffed experience that rarely enchants .",
        "the only reasons to see this sequel is bette midler as kitty galore , and some satirical allusions to pop culture phenoms -lrb- james bond , hannibal lecter -rrb- , but for a 81-minute adventre it 's rather weak and charmless .",
        "the digital `` peanut butter '' making animals move their mouths to slumming celebrity voices is impressive , and the critters are well-trained in emotive head tilting . but for the love of babe could we get more done with it ?",
        "it 's all rather silly and somewhat sweet .",
        "this chatty 3d spy spoof is as hard-pressed for laughs as marmaduke , once you get past the novelty of `` hey , the dogs and cats are talking . ''",
        "no movie -- whether aimed at adults or kids or canines themselves -- has the right to be as tiresome and unoriginal as this action-comedy mutt .",
        "you have to strive for that kind of failure",
        "winds its way towards its conclusion with scant imagination , except in a purely technical sense .",
        "let me be direct about this : i gave `` this a half-star because it contains cute animals and , at the end , there are entertaining clips of animals that are n't in the movie .",
        "it 's beneath any cat to be sprayed repeatedly with a water bottle , or completely shaved , let alone dubbed by bette midler .",
        "while the jokes are obvious , this fun family film has a big heart , an element missing from the recent slew of kids ' movies about animals .",
        "passes the way a pet lover hopes euthanasia goes for their beloved feline or canine-a blur of motion , moments drifting by in a numbing fog , then the blissful end , free of pain at last . a forgettable , clunky cgi tinkertoy .",
        "the revenge of kitty galore -lrb- in 3d -rrb- is loud , colourful and silly enough to tickle the 5 - to 10-year-old target group , but only for about half its length .",
        "this uncalled-for sequel to the mediocre 2001 talking-pets affair cats & dogs is all needless noise and second-rate cgi gunk , and never , ever funny in any sense of the word .",
        "unlike the original it 's too talky and chaotic to engage with either kids or adults .",
        "if we are going to put words in the mouths of furballs , they surely have to be funnier than these .",
        "having real animals speak through the hideous magic of cgi is inherently creepy , and it 's depressing to hear kitty and doggy thoughts come out so banal and jokey .",
        "it 's made just for less-discriminating kids and perhaps a few very easily amused adults . emphasis on very .",
        "proof that kids comedy still requires quality storytelling and engaging lead performances to be successful .",
        "the premise was inspired -- sort of -- the first time around , but not so much nine years on .",
        "cats & dogs : the revenge of kitty galore may be in 3-d , but it 's the satirical vibe that makes the live-action kids comedy pop .",
        "the only wit on display here is roger moore plummily intoning the phrase `` butt-sniffing . ''",
        "acompletely unnecessary , nearly laughless sequel to the surprising 2001 hit , which stretched the one-joke , talking-animals concept as far as it could .",
        "civilization as we know it has ceased to exist .",
        "about as unremarkable as a film about talking animals organized into competing intelligence agencies can be .",
        "for grown-ups , kids , dogs , cats -- whoever 's watching , there 's enough here to keep them entertained .",
        "exploits every clich\u00e9 with abundant good cheer and an admirable , unapologetic ridiculousness .",
        "for an inflated premium 3-d ticket price , you , too , can enjoy the movie in all its sub-par visual glory .",
        "the film feels underdeveloped and ` under-imagined . '",
        "goofy animal adventure is full of first-grade humor .",
        "it succeeds as a modestly funny midsummer diversion .",
        "the 3d conversion is awful . the special effects are awful . the acting is awful . the movie is awful . stay away from this movie .",
        "mostly , though , kitty galore is a grind , as well as proof that `` what up , dog ? '' is n't any funnier when a pigeon says it to a dog .",
        "we should be getting hollywood level special effects , not rejects from build-a-bear .",
        "just the latest , lamest example of the `` sequel nobody asked for '' syndrome that frequently infects hollywood like manger",
        "a rather tepid special-effects spy movie for kids , in the same vein as ` g-force , ' if you 'll forgive the expression .",
        "a harmless but fun hot-weather diversion for the family .",
        "better than the original cats & dogs . but so is a rabies shot .",
        "cats and dogs working together for the greater good ? woof .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- f you measure your age in more than single digits , you can give the new cats & dogs a miss .",
        "if there are moments that aspire to the smart satire of the austin powers franchise , they 're fleeting .",
        "it 's with the ostensibly adult humor that the picture gets into trouble . ... this funny-animal man saw a lot of potential go to waste ...",
        "four-year-olds - and 34-year-olds - deserve better .",
        "the notion of pets leading a double life has been much tapped for family movies , and the kid-friendly spy genre has been wrung dry .",
        "fur flies in this frothy , innocuous , critter-filled romp - but it 's certainly not worth the 3-d price bump .",
        "bette midler , sean hayes , katt williams and the rest could ad lib funnier material in their sleep than the drivel they 're given here . so , for that matter , could you .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "cats & dogs 2 will be disappointing to fans of the original and will probably fail to capture any new hearts in its own right .",
        "no matter that the film felt lumpish and witless , i have to say that the kids at the preview laughed a lot .",
        "there are just enough effects-driven laughs but a bit too much talky dead space in this not-at-all-anticipated sequel to the tepid , poorly animated 2001 film .",
        "the story is where this movie falls apart from a grown-up 's view . it 's got an overwritten script that seems like it 's been churned out of a weekend screenwriting course .",
        "and , dare i say it , cats & dogs : trokg is a well-made parody film , sinking its canines into spy genre cliches with gleeful abandon , in a way that its predecessor never quite did .",
        "the action is cute , to be sure , but the cuteness wore off quickly for this adult .",
        "i think young children will enjoy the movie very much , while adults will probably opt to go out into the kitchen and wash dishes while the tykes watch it .",
        "for comedy value there is little to choose between the expensive antics here and the primitive spy charade enacted by apes in the 1970s tv series lancelot link : secret chimp .",
        "a dog 's breakfast .",
        "the kitties and puppies are cute to look at , no doubt , but your average cat on youtube is far more charming than anything in this kitty litter .",
        "dogs and cats are far funnier and more engaging when they behave like , well , dogs and cats .",
        "this is a busy espionage feature with talking pets , so children may well like it . although there 's humour in the film aimed at the grown-ups who accompany those children , the movie is for the under-10 crowd .",
        "why is n't there a group that protects moviegoers from films like cats & dogs ? something like : the do n't underestimate moviegoer brainpower society - or dumbs .",
        "youngsters will no doubt flock to see it , which is a good thing , only if it keeps them out of traffic .",
        "once again , it does not matter how many big-name stars you assemble , if the writing sucks -- so does the movie !",
        "for a mediocre brand of children 's action/comedy , `` cats & dogs '' accomplishes its not-so-lofty goal with honors .",
        "at the screening i attended , most of the laughs from youngsters came during the end credits while clips of animals not even in the movie were being shown .",
        "a lazy , painfully dull , unfunny and nauseatingly silly action comedy that should have gone direct-to-dvd .",
        "a horrible movie that likely will entertain -lrb- very young -rrb- children . but when movies like `` toy story 3 '' and `` despicable me '' are still in theaters , it feels irresponsible to force them to see this .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "dull and unfunny , this inexplicable sequel offers little more than the spectacle of digitally rendered talking animals with celebrity voices .",
    "id": "770805223"
  },
  {
    "movie": "finding_nemo",
    "reviews":
     [
        "further proof that the folks at pixar are ceaselessly , unflaggingly more clever and imaginative than anyone else working in big-budget feature animation .",
        "the amazing thing about pixar is that in every film , i go in with incredibly high , unrealistic expectations , & they always excel beyond them .",
        "simply the most entertaining movie you 'll see all year .",
        "this movie reaffirmed my love for the cinema .",
        "it 's the brilliant animation and witty script that lift this film from retread material to sublime entertainment for kids and - equally - their parents .",
        "you know exactly how this one ends ; yet getting there is such an enjoyable delight .",
        "beats any disney animated film through 1960 and probably a good deal later .",
        "-lsb- once again pixar -rsb- ensures that the label ` family film ' is n't ` a movie only your tots will enjoy ' but something that actually is for everyone .",
        "`` MOV '' was funny and a little scary , at least for the little tykes .",
        "pixar 's masterpiece . it feels dizzy with color and drunk on its own otherworldly creation . sure , it derives most of its splendor from what actually exists on our ocean floors , but that does n't make it any less wondrous .",
        "each frame of MOV is a visual delight .",
        "if ever there was a film that was n't broke , this is it . so naturally they converted it into 3d for a special re-release this weekend . -lrb- stupid irony . -rrb-",
        "a timeless delight .",
        "it 's a great movie , so much fun , an acheivement that should be enjoyed by children of all ages and worth seeing it in 3d .",
        "sea-worthy w/enhanced visual lure and rich , humorous characters set in a double narrative ; this 3d revisit allows us to fall overboard all over again .",
        "when the blunt head of bruce the shark slams into the screen like a hammer , everyone -- adults included -- gasps",
        "at its best , the added dimension is merely harmless , making the movie blurry enough that you need special glasses to make it sharp again .",
        "i believe my sensitivity to certain creative choices of the picture has dulled some , while age has opened my eyes to its complex relationships and tireless sense of exploration .",
        "think of this re-release as an encore , a handy touchstone for you and your kids . `` MOV '' was and remains the gold standard against which all other modern animated films are measured , a classic from the day it premiered .",
        "you connect to these sea creatures as you rarely do with humans in big-screen adventures . the result : a true sunken treasure .",
        "a treasure trove of visual splendor .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- disney/pixar 's 3d upgrade of its classic animated children 's movie - using the expensive xpand 3d format - has the duel effect of darkening the film 's vibrant colors while adding considerable depth to the screen .",
        "if the pixar vault was on fire and they could only save one film , it 'd be this eminently re-watchable modern fairy tale ... looks all the more stunning with this state-of-the-art 3d retro-fit .",
        "there 's nothing fishy about its success . it 's got intriguing anthropomorphic characters , a compelling story and pixar 's fanciful computer-generated animation . it 's fun , bubbly , fantastic . sea it !",
        "is pixar capable of making a bad film ? whether a serendipitous confluence of talent or ... some divine being at work in our world , either way , the answer , i think , must be no .",
        "MOV is a witty and epic adventure packed in unlikely wrapping .",
        "it 's full of bright visuals , inventive animation and enough cute characters to fill , well , an ocean .",
        "a rousing underwater adventure set in the great barrier reef that celebrates youthful independence and lances the illusion that parents can make the world safe for their children .",
        "MOV captures a level of wonderment and dark sentiment unmatched even by the previous great works of pixar . walt disney 's throne is very much at risk .",
        "the artwork is gorgeous and the characters are strong .",
        "a thing of beauty , hugely entertaining and way cool .",
        "latest computer-animated offering from pixar is a giant leap forward visually , even if the story treads familiar ground ... uh , water .",
        "an enchanting animated feature .",
        "... MOV '' captures the audience with vastly touching characters the audience really cares about .",
        "although MOV reaches a new watermark in animation , it does n't have the endearing characters or driving plot of toy story and monsters , inc. . but then , classics are tough acts to follow .",
        "a clown fish without a punchline , a blue tang without a memory , a scarred prison hero fish , and a stoner dude sea turtle make for this summer 's tallest fish tale .",
        "i do n't know how the staff of pixar does it , but this is their fifth overwhelming achievement in a row .",
        "like toy story , a bug 's life , and monster 's inc. , it features amazing animation , great characters , sharp wit , smart humor , and a story both timeless and timely .",
        "... the movie is chock-full of color and fun , ambitiously gliding through one vibrant scene after another as it reveals an engaging and beautiful world ...",
        "lives up to the proud , relatively new tradition of monsters , inc. , a bug 's life and the toy story films .",
        "the underwater backdrops take your breath away . no , really . they 're so lifelike , you almost feel like holding your breath while watching .",
        "spectacular visuals , non-stop laughs and action -- plus a pc message . that 's some package , no ?",
        "pixar 's super genius continues to flow with no ebb in sight .",
        "there was n't one element i did n't love about this captivating movie .",
        "fish , schmish . this is a movie about humanity , and i doubt if we 'll see a more compelling father/son relationship this year .",
        "parental anxiety may not be the kind of stuff children 's films are usually made of , but this perfectly enchanting movie knows how to cater to its kiddie audience without condescending to them .",
        "pixar 's employees , masters of computer-generated animation , capture the look of the ocean like no artists before .",
        "the best animated underwater picture since the little mermaid .",
        "as eye-popping as nemo 's peepers and as eccentric as this little fish with asymmetrical fins .",
        "it was as funny as i remember and brilliant because it is subtle . it just knocks it out of the park . i love everything about this movie , one of my favorite pixar movies of all time , 5/5 schmoes . the new sound/3d adds to the greatness that is nemo .",
        "a rare example of a movie that not only survives its 3-d conversion but benefits from it",
        "it 's bright , it 's beautiful and it has n't aged a day . so why , then , do we need to see it in 3-d ?",
        "it 's downright curmudgeonly to remain focused on the negatives when the rest of the picture is saturated with invention and wit .",
        "a great blend of storytelling and technology .",
        "the 3d gives the images a little more depth but they already had heft and weight . the 3d is a money-making gimmick , nothing more .",
        "MOV 3d is a quality post-conversion experience that successfully enhances the 2003 film 's original standout visuals .",
        "gill is platoon 's sgt. elias if he 'd survived sgt. barnes ' treachery and returned to civilian life weary and hard-bitten from his experiences . and also a fish .",
        "thanks to a solid script by director andrew stanton -lrb- a pixar regular -rrb- , many of the human actors who give voices to the computer-generated fish wind up becoming more engaging than when they appear in flesh-and-blood .",
        "a genuinely funny and touching film that , in less than a decade , has established itself as a timeless classic .",
        "if you 're fishing for fun in an ocean of movie mediocrity , grab the kids or the grandkids , fork out a few extra bucks and see this one in three-dimensions .",
        "one of the strongest releases from disney in years , thanks to the work of andrew stanton , possibly one of the most successful directors you 've never heard of .",
        "enchanting ; written with an effortless blend of sweetness and silliness , and animated with such rainbow-hued beauty , you may find yourself wanting to freeze-frame it .",
        "a gem , popping with cool tropical colors and wondrous sea creatures .",
        "the moment all the gorgeously rendered inhabitants of this beautiful undersea realm open their mouths , they sound surprisingly , and rather depressingly , human .",
        "constantly delights and refreshes the eye -- it 's a summer vacation in itself .",
        "a dazzling , computer-animated fish tale with a funny , touching script and wonderful voice performances that make it an unqualified treat for all ages .",
        "a near perfect example of movie magic that will appeal to viewers of all ages .",
        "it 's business as usual -- the usual being stunning visuals , a charming story , and a dab of emotional resonance thrown in for good measure .",
        "there is beauty and brilliance in every frame .",
        "once again , the team at pixar proves that the freshest , most entertaining films coming out of hollywood today are the animated kind .",
        "as with all of pixar 's earlier efforts , the animation in this movie is superb . they just keep getting better .",
        "... with father 's day just a few weeks away ... ` nemo ' swims off with hearts of all ages .",
        "one of those rare movies where i wanted to sit in the front row and let the images wash out to the edges of my field of vision .",
        "MOV is n't quite up there with the company 's finest work -- there 's finally a sense of formula setting in -- but it 's hands down the best family film since monsters , inc. .",
        "rarely matches the emotional depth or richly textured worlds of predecessors monsters , inc. and a bug 's life , but it has a sly sense of humor and evocative voice acting .",
        "... a parable for parents terrified at the thought of preschool .",
        "there may be plenty of fish in the sea -lrb- for now , anyway -rrb- , but few films can manipulate you like MOV and have you not mind .",
        "pixar heads under the sea and finds subject matter that could n't be more perfectly suited to its vivid style of computer animation .",
        "erupts with sea creatures that showcase stanton and company 's gift for character and peerless eye for skewering contemporary culture .",
        "visual imagination and sophisticated wit raise MOV to a level just below the peaks of pixar 's toy story movies and monsters , inc. . .",
        "degeneres does vocal duties by which all future voiceovers and dubs will be judged .",
        "strikes the perfect balance between the charm and childlike innocence of disney animation and the cutting-edge humor and hipness of the old warner brothers cartoons .",
        "on its visual elements alone , MOV could get almost any kid started on a love of nature -- even if us older specimens know that it 's a deep understanding of human nature that keeps the whole thing swimming .",
        "more familiar in its story line and characters than previous pixar films , it 's nevertheless stuffed with wit , energy , charm and clever touches .",
        "a captivating little adventure that gives its animated characters as much heart as personality and that 's a heaping helping in both cases .",
        "pixar 's fifth feature-length film continues an uninterrupted string of winners ; and from a visual standpoint , it 's the studio 's finest effort .",
        "even though MOV is n't pixar 's best , this animated comedy-adventure is still more imaginative and more clever in any five of its 100 minutes than most films manage in a full 90 minutes ... or 120 , for that matter .",
        "an exquisitely touching saga about a father tracking down his lost son .",
        "this is a classic - bring on the sequel !",
        "every frond and fin pokes out at you .",
        "re-releasing nemo in 3d gives a whole new generation the chance to enjoy it in cinemas for the first time - as well as adding extra depth to the wonderful scenes from the ocean deep .",
        "though some scary parts may make the very young fret unduly , the film also puts forward some thoughtful messages for both children and their parents . -lsb- blu-ray 3d -rsb-",
        "while mr. brooks is very funny , ms. degeneres gives a bravura comic performance , as well as a touching one .",
        "the animation is so sleek and the action so perfectly paced that even the sharpest viewer could be forgiven for overlooking some unimportant lapses in internal logic .",
        "it looks more stunning than ever .",
        "an easter treat .",
        "detail is what holds your attention from frame to frame : the panorama of soft and hard corals , the different textured sea bottoms , the undulating seaweed , and the schooling sardines that look flashy and real as can be .",
        "i do n't exactly worship pixar , but `` MOV '' is truly a great film .",
        "forget about being a great kids movie -- MOV is just a great movie .",
        "is n't quite as clever and wonderful as we 've come to expect . even as such , it remains pretty clever and wonderful .",
        "basically another winner , though it ca n't quite muster the kind of emotional tug that appeals to all generations and made several of the earlier pixar films such instant classics .",
        "lives up to pixar 's high standards for wildly creative visuals , clever comedy , solid characters and an involving story .",
        "the creatures in MOV are more real than some flesh and blood actors .",
        "a simple test of humanity : if you do n't laugh aloud while watching it , you 've got a battery not a heart .",
        "saying that MOV is pixar 's weakest effort to date is like a starving man telling you the third piece of pizza you 've given him was n't as good as the first .",
        "those pixar strengths -- story , humor , characters , and art ... shine through , more dependable than rising of the ocean tides .",
        "treats family audiences to a sweet , resonant story and breathtaking visuals .",
        "pixar has done it again .",
        "the peerless partnership of disney and pixar is officially five-for-five .",
        "` entra\u0144able , divertida y profundamente humana , es una obra de arte imprescindible . '",
        "crafted with such care that the story , characters and colours positively pulsate .",
        "what a catch - this whopper of a fish tale takes you beyond the sea .",
        "just when you thought they could n't possibly do it again , the guys at pixar bat it out of the park with MOV .",
        "there are 3.7 trillion ideas in hollywood for an animated film ; disney and pixar have found another one audiences wo n't be able to resist .",
        "there are so many subtle jokes , or little bits of insight into these fish 's minds , it proves yet again that pixar strives to make a complete experience instead of just ` some cool-looking graphics . '",
        "add water and you have an instant disney/pixar classic .",
        "MOV will please audiences of all ages with its raucous spirit and outrageous moments .",
        "it was one of those instances where i found myself recounting out loud the funniest moments to someone who just saw the movie with me .",
        "la originalidad de sus universos y personajes , lo disparatado y divertido de sus situaciones , la inteligencia de muchos di\u00e1logos , y la reconocible humanidad con que los animadores visten a sus criaturas , son los principales ingredientes que contribuyen a",
        "for obvious reasons -lrb- no toys ! -rrb- , this feels like a much more grown-up film than previous disney-pixar movies .",
        "a expressividade dos personagens \u00e9 tamanha que os di\u00e1logos tornam-se at\u00e9 mesmo dispens\u00e1veis .",
        "MOV is distributed by disney , and it has what the most heartfelt disney animated features used to have : rapturous imagery matched with real wit .",
        "a lavish feast and the best family catch of the summer blockbuster season .",
        "pixar 's turned in an instant classic .",
        "deliriously inventive and soaked in a warm and generous wit .",
        "pixar continued its run of superb computer-generated animated features with this jaw-dropping underwater adventure .",
        "pixar 's fourth feature for disney is yet another miracle of computer animation , an instant classic , but with less of the surface brightness of toy story or monsters , inc. .",
        "the latest flood of wizardry from pixar , whose productions , from toy story onward , have lent an indispensable vigor and wit to the sagging art of mainstream animation .",
        "-lsb- dory 's -rsb- throwaway lines are funnier than anything that comes out of all the other fish combined , balancing out the dull father-son-must-be-reunited story at the core of nemo that threatens to make this just another cartoon .",
        "like pixar 's previous films , MOV mines humor from the oddities of an unknown world but stays grounded in a familiar one , finding recognizable elements of heartbreak and happiness amid the ink-jetting octopi and irritable flounders .",
        "MOV is laced with smart humor and clever gags , and buoyed by another cheery story of mismatched buddies : a pair of fish voiced by albert brooks and ellen degeneres .",
        "it 's an ocean of eye candy that tastes fresh even in this add-addled era of spongebob squarepants .",
        "... the computer animation reimaginings of the undersea orgies of color orchestrated by nature are mind-blowing .",
        "MOV is terrific entertainment .",
        "proof that pixar is the babe ruth of animation . still batting a thousand .",
        "winning , invigorating entertainment for the entire family -- technically brilliant , attentive to detail , and precisely tuned between story and character .",
        "fin-tastic -- hilarious , moving and beautiful to look at , this is another instant classic .",
        "every single frame of the film is rendered with such detail and warmth that even without a compelling plot it would be a joy to watch .",
        "` like a road movie , only wetter . '",
        "ellen degenerous and albert brooks lend their voices to the craziest fish ever to talk on screen , and dame edna -lrb- barry humphries -rrb- performs a turn as a vegetarian shark !",
        "beautiful to look at , and not without humour , but ... its waters are starting to taste just a little stale .",
        "MOV may be the most beautiful and detailed animated movie ever made .",
        "the best father-son story in all of hollywood animation , and maybe animation generally ... exploits the potential of computer animation like no film before it and few films after it .",
        "this stonking film is a perfect example of total cinema , combining tragedy , excitement and humour , all wrapped up in one amazing looking package .",
        "i challenge any adult to ignore the artistry of the amazing opaque jellyfish floating through the ocean . the animation is incredible .",
        "this is not the first time pixar 's animators have been engaged with the natural world , but they 've never been as deeply immersed as they are in this undersea fantasia .",
        "is this kid 's stuff ? that 's a complicated question but the answer is a thing of beauty that will have children enchanted hook , line and sinker .",
        "a vivid charmer of a movie that makes a welcome addition to the growing gallery of computer-generated animated features .",
        "MOV is superlative family entertainment , joyous and alive in a way few films are .",
        ". . the computer animated imagery is once again exquisite ... the bad side , the story line is only pleasant .",
        "a gem of a movie , and exactly what we expect from our friends at pixar .",
        "it turns out that pixar does fish like nobody does fish .",
        "if pixar was fishing for another big catch in their stable of entertaining hits , nemo is the prized filmmaking flounder that takes the absolute bait .",
        "the plot is delightful , the animation spectacular ... the colors gorgeous , the message positive and the score by thomas newman fitting .",
        "i have never been to australia , but i just ca n't imagine scenery more beautiful .",
        "fast , funny and brackisly beautiful .",
        "continually floods the viewer with more extraordinary sensory input than anything previously .",
        "colorful and entertaining for kids and witty enough to engage adults .",
        "for a computer-generated cartoon to provoke laughs , thrills and a few tears , that 's not just a great movie -- that 's perfection in pixels .",
        "delivers with a colorful , lush and witty world under the sea .",
        "pixar is so consistent that reviews of their films basically write themselves . MOV is greatness !",
        "you wo n't need a map to unearth the treasures buried in nemo .",
        "absolutely beautiful to look at , even when it has a bad case of the cutes .",
        "as gorgeous a film as disney 's ever put out , with astonishing qualities of light , movement , surface and color at the service of the best professional imaginations money can buy .",
        "a superb animated film .",
        "i really ca n't remember an animated feature in which the voice work sounded so accomplished , redolent with emotional subtleties and crack comic timing .",
        "MOV is like a great foreign film , its visual and energy having such clarity that subtitles -lrb- or words or stories -rrb- are almost unnecessary .",
        "no doubt , MOV marks yet another huge advance in the world of animation . the technical term for these advances , in layman 's language , is `` holy mackerel ! ''",
        "with its phenomenal animation and heart-warming story , MOV is a resounding hit with this daddy-daughter combo .",
        "the computer graphics create a visual world that you would actually see if you dived down 50 feet on a coral reef",
        "a hundred different little moments constantly impress either with their use of movement and light or their use of stillness and darkness .",
        "my fondest wish is that pixar does n't hire or fire anyone for the next 25 years . what these magicians are capable of is nothing less than pure cinematic gold .",
        "as notable for its well-crafted story as it is for its breathtaking animation .",
        "far more sophisticated and ambitious than what typically passes for ` family entertainment . ' ... manages to be extremely funny , thrilling and sometimes a little scary as well .",
        "MOV will engross kids with its absorbing story , brightly drawn characters and lively action , and grown-ups will be equally entertained by the film 's subtle humor and the sophistication of its visuals .",
        "a captivating and richly resonant aquatic fable , with characters whose gills and fins belie their deliciously human -lrb- that is , flawed -rrb- personalities .",
        "in not just a crowd-grabber but an instant classic , albert brooks achieves a new height vocally as marlin , the dad .",
        "the visuals pop , the fish emote and the ocean comes alive . that 's in the first two minutes . after that , they do some really cool stuff .",
        "so advanced - with lifelike motion and imagination-tingling artwork stroked with a silicon paintbrush - that it makes its predecessors come off as crude , ancient scrawlings on a cave wall .",
        "it 's a whale of a tale that 's well worth catching . even if fish is n't usually your dish .",
        "MOV works terribly hard for every scrap of charm or humor it imparts .",
        "as we now expect from pixar , even the supporting fish in `` MOV '' are more developed as characters than any human in the mission : impossible movies .",
        "click to read review",
        "' ... excellent storytelling with superb , eye-popping animation ... '",
        "fantastic animation , a great cast , and hilarious laughs make MOV a must see movie for the summer .",
        "MOV is a triumph , with a different , richer feel than any previous pixar film . aided by a smart , evocative score by thomas newman , the story is funny , moving and completely engrossing .",
        "if it 's not quite a tidal wave of entertainment , it 's a welcome dip in the ocean nonetheless .",
        "each obstacle is a fabulous set piece with not-always-obvious lessons to be learned and smart , original humor .",
        "as the voice of the forgetful dory , ellen degeneres shows us how memento could have been a comedy in this entertaining and visually stunning family flick .",
        "it 's all tremendously entertaining stuff , with oodles of wonderful detail and superb direction by andrew stanton .",
        "a splendid eco-friendly comedy set in the great barrier reef .",
        "artistically , it 's up there with the all-time animated greats .",
        "the tropical pleasure is a beautifully imagined adventure that beguiles children and tickles adults .",
        "the animation in MOV is quite breathtaking and this movie , created by pixar , the same outfit that made toy story , looks like the undersea world of jacques cousteau .",
        "it looks great , of course : all the pixar movies do . but the genius of those other movies lay in their actual stories -- stories as inspired as the animation .",
        "MOV is ultimately a rewarding , engaging , compelling , and even spiritual adventure that works charismatically on multiple levels .",
        "a beguiling piece of storytelling and creates a magical underwater world through its imaginative graphics and sound effects .",
        "visually , MOV is spectacular . the animators render theses scenes with exquisite detail and vibrant color , reaching beyond mere cgi-wizardry to artistry .",
        "MOV is a wonderment , certainly not human , yet humorously humane .",
        "a spectacular comedy-adventure that 's never less than totally immersive . not quite the masterpiece that toy story was , but it 's the closest pixar have come since .",
        "proves that even when pixar is not at the top of its game , it still produces better animation than some of its competitors on their best days .",
        "another terrific pixar pic for all generations .",
        "MOV merely transplants human suburban anxiety to an underwater realm .",
        "could have been stronger , but it 's still fun and has good heart . ditto to what steve rhodes said .",
        "creates a very high benchmark for this summer 's other films to strive to best , and i do n't think any of them will .",
        "a wonderfully engaging entertainment that is a visual masterpiece as well as a darn good tale with loads of humour and excitement to appeal to the child in all of us .",
        "another masterful piece of family entertainment from pixar .",
        "a great film for its timeliness , and a greater film for its timelessness .",
        "i ca n't say that this movie was as exciting , original or captivating as many of its predecessors and would recommend it more to the toddlers .",
        "MOV is cute and clever , but it 's no toy story , a bug 's life or monsters , inc. .",
        "pixar has interlaced its energetic storyline with the moody strains of a classic thomas newman score , lending an element of darkness that ingeniously penetrates the perpetual submarine light .",
        "pixar respects both kids and parents-which can not be said for certain big green ogres of animation .",
        "several scenes are scarier than edward norton 's mustache in `` the italian job . ''",
        "the latest feature from pixar animation is another splendid , eye-filling installment in the studio 's unbroken string of classics .",
        "more than just high calorie viscera , MOV is the best american comedy in two years .",
        "another extraordinary effort from the unbeatable disney/pixar team .",
        "the animation team gives weight and depth to the sea itself , filling it with specks of life and creating a sense of movement with currents and bubbles .",
        "the junior set will most definitely enjoy the jokes and the yarn , but it will be the adults who learn the biggest lessons this time around .",
        "a fish story that hooks you from the opening scene .",
        "the kids will appreciate the vivid characters and brilliant animation , and you 'll surely appreciate the witty adult humor and human themes ...",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "MOV is undoubtedly another jewel in the pixar crown and another example of the disney conglomerate 's ability to ride that company 's coattails to success .",
        "`` MOV '' is a whale of a treat .",
        "a fish tale the whole family can enjoy .",
        "the creators are cracking themselves up first , the way the warner bros. animators did in bugs bunny 's golden age ; it works for anyone with a sense of humor .",
        "what 's unique and joyous is that it creates a whirl of slapstick and sentiment all its own , in an environment so otherworldly and beautiful that leaving the theater will give you the bends .",
        "a visual marvel , every frame packed to the gills with clever details , MOV is the best big-studio release so far this year .",
        "terrific-looking and sweet , it 's certainly up to the superior standard pixar has set for prime family entertainment .",
        "i was swept up in its dazzling stream of rainbow corals , amused by the stoner turtles going with the flow , sharks battling their own regressive instincts and degeneres ' scatterbrained dory .",
        "after four pixar features under their belts , it is painfully easy to see the clich\u00e9s emerging .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "magical . god knows how they do it , but pixar is easily the most consistent , most intelligent movie shop in hollywood .",
        "a joyous delight for audiences of all ages .",
        "enthralling , and gorgeous , from start to finish .",
        "brilliantly conceived pixar movie is loaded with family values , albeit the salt water variety .",
        "yet another quantum leap for the pixar folk .",
        "c'mon , it 's pixar . would you expect anything less than perfection ?",
        "visually stunning but dragged down somewhat by insipid dialogue .",
        "in this seamless blending of technical brilliance and storytelling verve , the pixar team has made something as marvelously soulful and innately , fluidly american as jazz .",
        "nemo , with its ravishing underwater fantasia , manages to trump the design glamour of earlier pixar films .",
        "wonderful writing generates several layers of humour -- from the innocent joys of childish fun to more complex comedy , but never at anyone 's -lrb- or any fish 's -rrb- cruel expense -- as well as an engaging dramatic plot .",
        "not worth the trip to the cinema but is worth every cent as a home entertainment blu ray purchase .",
        "i could write an entire dissertation on how much i love this movie .",
        "tremendously well-made , marshaling the techniques of live-action filmmaking better than any cgi feature up to that point ever had .",
        "sweet father-son tale with some very scary moments .",
        "unlike the greatest children 's films , i never once forgot who the target market for MOV really was .",
        "the concept of a fish with short-term memory loss sounded dubiously annoying , but degeneres just swims off with it",
        "it 's the give-and-take between degeneres and brooks that gives the saga its big heart .",
        "children and adults alike should be enchanted ... as quietly charming , cheekily amusing a family feature as you 're likely to encounter this summer .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- aquatic joyride .",
        "very clever and imaginative indeed .",
        "a surprisingly touching metaphor for how a parent 's natural impulse is to be overprotective but one needs to have trust in their kids and let them leave their life .",
        "there 's real heart in this movie without needing lots of superficial whiz-bang stuff .",
        "with the release of MOV , the creative team at pixar has redefined what is known as being ` on a role . '"],
    "summary": "breathtakingly lovely and grounded by the stellar efforts of a well-chosen cast , MOV adds another beautifully crafted gem to pixar 's crown .",
    "id": "9377"
  },
  {
    "movie": "le_week_end",
    "reviews":
     [
        "writer / director team kureishi and michell add to their partnership with an insightful look at a life-long commitment .",
        "likely to strike the strongest chord with couples who understand there 's a double meaning to enduring love .",
        "this is intelligent , intimate , lived-in drama that packs a startling punch .",
        "life and love on the rocks finds a way in the city of light in this pleasing , light hearted romantic comedy .",
        "an accomplished , bittersweet drama that 's more bitter than sweet .",
        "lightly played , often very funny and shot all over paris with energy and wit , and boosted by superb , inquiring turns from broadbent and duncan .",
        "duncan and broadbent give warm and intelligent performances . in their faces you can see the ghosts of the kids meg and nick once were : stroppy , horny and happy .",
        "it 's a poignant and frank delight , perfectly summed up by the most awkward after-dinner speech since festen .",
        "the film is too smart to offer us resolution : instead , we get reconciliation , and if it happens to pay homage to a certain dance sequence from a classic film of the french new wave , then so much the better .",
        "hugely entertaining , utterly charming and emotionally engaging british comedy-drama with a superb script by hanif kureshi and a pair of terrific performances from jim broadbent and lindsay duncan .",
        "not even paris can gloss over how this couple 's banter and familiarity have turned into bickering and discontent .",
        "by its ambiguous yet hopeful end , we 're at one with nick and meg : sometimes , you just have to dance . somehow , you go on .",
        "... a forgettable trifle that continually squanders the efforts of its talented cast .",
        "such a pleasure to hang with lindsay duncan and jim broadbent -lrb- even when bickering and lamenting -rrb- .",
        "once the characters start explaining the sources of their unhappiness , the drama becomes less compelling , largely because their problems seem far from insurmountable .",
        "a tale of two brit boomers looking for lost love in paris , this is who 's afraid of virginia woolf ? with room service . broadbent and duncan have never been better . their eyes and body language say as much as the dagger-sharp dialog .",
        "unsentimental and bittersweet ...",
        "michell lets meg and nick 's problems - and their underlying affection - unfold naturally , gracefully , over the eventful weekend . he also harks back to the french new wave to embody the couple 's youthful ambitions and their nostalgia for an earlier paris .",
        "the trip is a rewarding one that ends on a note of bittersweet magic that is hopeful without being the least gooey . you need to see this film .",
        "a playful serio-comedy about marital discord that is more depressing than funny .",
        "the upshot is a perfectly calibrated essay on a very british form of hope and foolishness .",
        "it 's autumn in paris and the autumn of their lives , which acclaimed writer hanif kureishi captures beautifully . his two-handed script is sharp , sardonic and full of wisely observed one liners .",
        "to any criticism levelled against le week-end , there is always a built-in riposte in the form of lindsay duncan . it remains one of the enduring disgraces of british cinema that she has been so overlooked and underemployed by the medium .",
        "duncan and broadbent are wonderful , especially duncan , whose eyes alone could educate an entire drama school .",
        "it 's a serious piece of work , but it 's awfully in love with its own bebop moves .",
        "all three of the film 's central characters are challenging . but they 're so recognisable -lrb- and beautifully performed -rrb- that , despite yourself , you ca n't give up on them .",
        "definitely one for middle-aged neurotics , but enjoyable all the same .",
        "like a 20-years-later sequel to before midnight , this sharply observant comedy-drama follows a couple through a soul-searching weekend in which they evaluate their relationship with real wit and emotion .",
        "the whole movie , beautifully judged , keeps surprising us .",
        "the film is beautifully acted , truthful and thought provoking but a few more laughs would have helped .",
        "le week-end is aiming for authenticity between two people who have known each other for a very long time , but the end result is more like 90-minutes full of two hoary geese honking at each other that is practically excruciating to endure .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "-lsb- it -rsb- lacks a solid plot or even much structure -- yet it works beautifully .",
        "an often intense and poignant comedy-drama -lsb- that -rsb- actually leaves you wanting more because it 's created characters so rich .",
        "deceptively lightweight , with dark depths and hidden currents .",
        "funny , original and compelling .",
        "a small-scale , well-observed drama .",
        "nathalie durand 's cinematography , michell 's generosity in putting paris on display , and the wit and candor of the performances make le week-end a trip well worth taking .",
        "le week-end is a dense relational drama indicated by tricky , wordy interplay and sharply-observed performances .",
        "a marvelous little unpacking of the meaning of happiness , precisely what constitutes it , and how to know whether you 've found it .",
        "i wo n't spoil the ending , nor will i deny its playful charms .",
        "as this pair mooch about town , broadbent and duncan negotiate their transitions in mood with a style that effortlessly conveys the sense of an entire life unfolding .",
        "le week-end takes a subject looked at by many , and presents an engaging and original story that many who come before have failed to achieve .",
        "there 's little in the way of dramatic fireworks or intimate epiphanies . the emotional messiness is just too schematic and neat , suggesting theatrical rather than real-world inspirations .",
        "a loosely structured but acutely observed relationships movie with a wide streak of painful comedy .",
        "despite its rough turns and bumpy exposition , le week-end is absolutely a trip worth taking , full of moving moments and well-earned laughs .",
        "although the film is profound and moving indeed , one does wonder how a viewer of a certain age might respond to it .",
        "before long the movie -- as neatly constructed as it is -- is n't really behaving like a movie , but more like life , as it 's lived by a fractious pair of empty nesters who find themselves at a crossroads .",
        "although it 's advertised on the movie poster as being the work of '' ` notting hill ' director roger michell , '' let there be no confusion between that marvelous , sometimes bittersweet romp and this bitter pill to swallow .",
        "at turns charming and subtly complex , le week-end is no grand affair to remember , but it 's a fine enough showcase for two winning talents and the sort of mature take on romance we do n't see nearly often enough .",
        "all of this elevates le week-end to the level of intelligent film without sacrificing humor , bite , and beauty , all of which it has in scads .",
        "deeper , darker , and more intersting than lightweight british fluff",
        "the right marriage of character , actor , scenario , and emotion to pay off with rich human behavior and not simply tearjerking .",
        "wonderfully acerbic , tender , moving and insightful .",
        "roger michell 's film contains frequent nods to the french nouvelle vague -lrb- notably jean-luc godard 's bande \u0155 part -rrb- , while hanif kureishi 's screenplay may be a trifle bookish and spiky for some tastes .",
        "two glowing central performances and one effervescent support turn are just three of the many reasons to journey to the streets of paris for le week-end , the fourth and arguably best collaboration between director roger michell and writer hanif kureishi .",
        "le week-end 's melancholy and sometimes downright bitter disillusionment are plain to see behind the ooh-la-la veneer .",
        "veteran actors jim broadbent and lindsay duncan are terrific in `` le week-end '' as the couple , capturing the irritations that build up on long-term relationships , while still finding room to laugh at each other 's eccentricities .",
        "a funny-sad , shrewdly observant portrait of a marriage , and of the disappointed dreams and thwarted ambitions of late-middle age .",
        "it all adds up to a surprisingly honest and entertaining affair that manages to delight without running away from darkness .",
        "a tough watch at times , but it 's honest and powerful , with a difficult-to-achieve lightness to it that injects warmth and humour in all the right places .",
        "`` le week-end '' soars because of the glorious leads , reliable jim broadbent , veteran of mike leigh movies , and lindsay duncan , acclaimed on the british stage .",
        "it 's as if the filmmakers are stealthily allowing us to eavesdrop on a marriage that 's evolved from bonding to bondage .",
        "imagine george and martha of ` who 's afraid of virginia woolf ' in paris .",
        "not exactly a breezy getaway , the film visits the sites , and drops down on rougher terrain , too .",
        "this extra-dry mix of drama and comedy is supposed to reflect the complexities of real life ; but as a movie , it 's so schematic and schizoid , it leaves us scratching our berets .",
        "wisely , director roger michell -lrb- `` notting hill '' -rrb- does not burden hanif kureishi 's literate , witty and emotionally nuanced script and the impeccable performances with an attempt at personal style .",
        "director roger michell -lrb- `` notting hill '' -rrb- has the good sense to step back and let broadbent and duncan work their magic on hanif kureishi 's script . they do n't disappoint .",
        "an alternately prickly and knowing tone poem to desire and disappointment whose light touch belies far deeper , darker human understandings .",
        "... will appeal most strongly to people near their characters in age , as it 's too easy for younger people to wonder why people who have it so good are complaining ...",
        "the actors achieve a terrific chemistry , and the screenplay avoids cliches in its modest exploration of aging and commitment .",
        "even the redoubtable broadbent succumbs to unchecked pathos and self-loathing . only duncan 's gorgeous suppleness and alertness keep meg from seeming cruel and overly acidic .",
        "consistently surprising and bravely raw , le week-end cuts right to the bone , and does so in such an intimate manner , it feels splendidly authentic .",
        "not whiff of `` acting '' here",
        "... although certain observations strike a chord and individual scenes work , `` le week-end '' feels stagey and does n't breathe - it 's all highs and lows with little middle ground , bipolar cinema .",
        "director roger michell and screenwriter hanif kureishi -- who have worked together four times , most recently on venus -- have a keen sense of the vicissitudes of long relationships .",
        "a nuanced romance for grown-ups .",
        "broadbent and duncan have such an easy way between them , the sort of back-and-forth banter of affection and bickering that only comes after spending long stretches of your life with another person .",
        "the stakes are high but there is no chewing scenery -- it 's the natural , casual vitriol that scathes most .",
        "`` le week-end '' is a ruefully funny look at a long-term marriage .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "sad , sweet , dark , funny and possibly even redemptive .",
        "it 's easy to tire -lrb- if not despair -rrb- of them , but both lead actors are in fine sparring form , and the story is rescued and revived , just in time , by a delectable cameo from jeff goldblum .",
        "le week-end is a richly realized and exceptionally acted film that 's bursting with humour and humanity .",
        "do n't run away with the idea that this is a film for your parents . there is no reason why people under 40 or pushing 30 should n't see it .",
        "-lsb- video column -rsb- comedy and tragedy wear the same mask in the city that best represents romantic love . just as with paris , you 'll want to revisit `` le week-end . ''",
        "le week-end is not a bleak film , but it delves so frequently into uncomfortable truths and very personal injuries .",
        "an agitated film , one much starker and less forgiving than the cheery trailer promises , but with a few notable fillips of romanticism flashing through .",
        "this film does n't feel obliged to pick a winner or lob easy answers ; it aims to observe , with humor and humanity , with penetration and without oversimplifying .",
        "if you liked the `` before midnight '' movies , i bet you 'll go for this , too .",
        "equally quick-witted and drawing from the same well of low-grade misanthropy -lrb- or perhaps it 's just britishness -rrb- , nick and meg enjoy an easy repartee , tossing cutting remarks with the aplomb and precision of circus knife throwers .",
        "if a movie flirts with brave insight and settles for sweet comfort , that 's still plenty nice .",
        "with michell anchoring proceedings in his usual unfussy manner , what stands out most is kureishi 's perfectly polished diamond of a script .",
        "jim broadbent and lindsay duncan are plummy perfection as a british pair in their 60s who hope to reenergize their marriage with a trip to paris .",
        "all sorts of talent has been chucked away here by the director 's heavy touch and the script 's naked contrivance .",
        "a long slog of marital dysfunction .",
        "broadbent attacks the part with gusto , though , allowing the audience to understand nick without forcing them to necessarily find him sympathetic .",
        "when michell is on his game , as he definitely is with `` le week-end '' , he unearths small , invaluable and even profound truths about the human condition that are often as inspiring as they are devastating .",
        "the journey across the beautiful parisian streets carries with it the pangs of entrenched insecurities and regrets .",
        "for all its honesty , ` le week-end ' still feels in spots lazy . as with ` venus , ' kureishi does n't try to transcend all cliches and sentimentality .",
        "`` le week-end '' is a sour and misanthropic film masquerading as an honest and sensitive romance .",
        "le week-end becomes a wacky battle of the sexes that 's sometimes amusing but more often harrowing .",
        "since it 's broadbent , duncan and goldblum doing the skipping , trashing and mimicking , their second adolescence is great fun to watch .",
        "bittersweet , charming yet often very thorny .",
        "jim broadbent and lindsay duncan are a real delight of a couple struggling to find reasons to still be together but also bonded by a real sense of humour and shared values .",
        "a bickering middle-aged english couple return to paris to celebrate their ill-fated 30th anniversary in this ruefully funny delight from director roger michell and screenwriter hanif kureishi .",
        "corrosive , witty and revealing story of a marriage laid bare during a last-ditch weekend in paris .",
        "make room for the modest but affecting pleasures of veteran actors tearing into the subject of golden-years resignation .",
        "the great insight in director roger michell 's fourth collaboration with writer hanif kureishi is its vision of paris as an arena equally amenable to romantic comedy and sulking tragedy .",
        "smart , substantial and enchanting .",
        "a mellow , playful , slightly melancholy atmosphere pervades much of `` le week-end , '' the latest collaboration between the screenwriter hanif kureishi and the director roger michell .",
        "le week-end is a marital disintegration-reintegration drama that opens with a dose of frost and vinegar and turns believably sweet-and unbelievably marvelous , in light of what had seemed a depressing trajectory .",
        "the thoroughly ordinary melodrama a description suggests-a portrait of former '60s fire-starters who are perfectly happy to settle for embers .",
        "-lsb- ... -rsb- director roger michell -lsb- ... -rsb- maintains a slightly jagged rhythm that proves disarming , and he has two magnificent collaborators in broadbent and duncan -lsb- ... -rsb- .",
        "this is a most beautifully written film , fabulously performed by those two stalwarts of british acting , broadbent and duncan , and directed with sensitivity and restraint by michell .",
        "the black humour here is strangely reassuring . and the cultural nostalgia , with nods to bob dylan and in particular jean-luc godard , allows for a pleasing , if slight , conclusion .",
        "it never quite lightens up enough to connect on a comic level , and the drama derived from the late-life crises of the protagonists is never heavy enough to matter .",
        "an intimate drama with comic undertones that subtly exhibits a long-term marriage with fissures .",
        "kureishi writes well and succeeds in nailing the characters of nick and meg with precision .",
        "le week-end is a sophisticated , elegant , and frequently hilarious account of living with a significant other : love 'em or hate 'em .",
        "though the inevitable emotional fireworks are n't given the three-act treatment they deserve , the great leads perfectly capture the stale air of latter-life malaise .",
        "handsomely photographed - then again , it 's hard to make paris ugly - le week-end is what jesse and celine may have to look forward to in 20 years .",
        "`` i 'm amazed at how mediocre i 've turned out to be , '' says broadbent , one of my beautiful laundrette writer hanif kureishi 's many memorable lines .",
        "such psychological candour gives le week-end gut punch . all three lead characters are brimful of insight .",
        "a finely matched jim broadbent and lindsay duncan explore the wrinkles of marriage with humor and honesty .",
        "while the overall film is more mild , and ends with a somewhat silly deus-ex-goldblumina , the good of seeing senior citizens treated maturely on film far outweighs the bad .",
        "both keenly calculated and flowing with offbeat , naturalistic detail , hanif kureishi 's jewel of a script reflects his sensibilities as a playwright .",
        "a witty and insightful drama about the challenges of a long-lived marriage , including old resentments , wounds , disappointments , secrets , and sexual problems .",
        "delightfully tart ... you can feel elated and sad at the same time .",
        "disarmingly truthful with a bittersweet centre , this highly observant exploration of the complex shades of a long marriage , complete with its tensions , biting barbs , playfulness and loving familiarity weaves an edgy tale",
        "textured , truthful , tart , painful , hilarious , heartbreaking , uplifting and compelling , le week-end is a landmark film , as was roger michell 's notting hill -lrb- 1999 -rrb-",
        "duncan 's summation of her life at age sixtysomething is as staccato as a telegram with bad news : ` dissatisfaction -- fury -- and the clock ticking by . '",
        "... might remind you of john cassavetes ' low-budget , high-resolution dramas - there 's a wince-inducing realness to the often painful interactions between the couple .",
        "charming `` le week-end '' a rare breed",
        "roger michell 's acidic and poignant film is less `` before sunrise '' and more `` before midnight . ''",
        "think before midnight crossed with the out-of-towners and you 're somewhere in the ballpark .",
        "little satisfies more at the movies than the relatively cheap special effect catalyzed by putting together a couple of great actors and letting them -lrb- figuratively speaking -rrb- dance a lengthy pas de deux . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it proves again that films made for grown-ups can be more nimble-footed and fresh-faced than anything aimed at the youth market .",
        "it 's as if the very presence of paris has put a spring in everyone 's step ... leaving its blissful trio of stars to do the rest . and , zut alors , do they ever .",
        "thankfully , roger michell 's film does n't linger on ... banalities for long .",
        "this is a beautifully executed , fearlessly truthful and droll film on the emotional politics of reinvention ."],
    "summary": "topped with bittersweet humor but possessing surprisingly thorny depths , le week-end offers a sophisticated , well-acted portrait of late-life struggles and long-term marriage .",
    "id": "771359557"
  },
  {
    "movie": "aqua_teen_hunger_force_colon_movie_film_for_theatres",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film is very , very funny ; and it is very , very exhausting .",
        "ultimately , the movie will be remembered -lrb- if at all -rrb- for its guerilla marketing campaign , which the city of boston took to be a terrorist threat and cost turner broadcasting $ 2 million , more than the cost of making the film .",
        "certainly original , often funny , and occasionally even inspired .",
        "skip this feature and wait until it makes its way to dvd or television .",
        "i did n't feel like i was watching somebody else 's idea of a joke ; i felt like i was watching somebody else 's idea of a nightmare .",
        "i have never taken an illegal substance ; movies have always been my drug of choice , and aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters was like a big old cinematic acid trip .",
        "there 's ultimately something exhilarating -- and , dare i say , liberating ? -- about the film 's chaotic avant-garde energy .",
        "you know , if you 're not familiar with the television series `` aqua teen hunger force '' then you might as well not waste your time reading about `` aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters . ''",
        "occasional amusement aside , this is a tedious 86-minutes worth of utterly random movie .",
        "while not for the faint of heart , aqua teen hunger force is perfectly suited for the seriously twisted followers -- and new recruits -- of the cartoon network show .",
        "i like `` aqua teen hunger force '' as it 's meant to be taken : in small , under-15-minute spurts .",
        "there is n't ` getting . ' you do n't ` get ' aqua teen hunger force . you either accept its insanity , or it makes your head explode . it 's , you know , a faith thing .",
        "daringly and surprisingly successfully attempts to hold viewers ' interest in the -lrb- barely -rrb- animated triumvirate of frylock , master shake and meatwad for six times the length of a normal episode .",
        "at one point there is a live chicken on fire , running around the room like , well , a chicken on fire , and that 's when i thought : they have no idea what they 're doing here .",
        "to think we laughed at boston . then . they knew a bomb when they saw one .",
        "i found it intermittently funny , often weirdly engaging and utterly incomprehensible .",
        "bottom line : consider the engagingly outlandish aqua teen hunger force as feisty food for incomprehensible thought .",
        "if george w bush could prove that saddam hussein had funded this movie i would reverse my stance on the iraq war and say that every single civilian casualty was justified .",
        "the brains behind cartoon network 's `` aqua teen hunger force '' have stretched their 12-minute plus commercials ` adult swim ' series entry into 86 rather uneven ones .",
        "except for an intriguing opening segment that pits a traditional bunch of movie snacks singing a suggestive jingle pitted against an aggressive punk counterpart , the movie is a bore .",
        "its running time painfully accentuates the premise 's thinness .",
        "its absurdist scenarios serve as little more than a ramshackle frame for bizarre non sequiturs , stoned pop-culture riffing , and some of the weirdest gags ever to make it into a studio-released film .",
        "at heart , it is a stoner comedy for college kids , but it strikes just the right balance between intelligence and infantilism to please almost any viewer who has ever enjoyed adolescence",
        "the brainchild of matt maiellaro and dave willis is n't immune to the problem often faced by supersize cartoons -- namely , what might be effectively clever when doled out in episodic portions tends to get diluted over the course of an expanded format .",
        "in the beginning , the film had me with an absolutely amazing intro song . i was dying laughing , but after that ran out , i was just dying .",
        "absurd , raunchy ` toon tv spin-off is n't for kids .",
        "the most scathing deconstruction of hollywood -lrb- and the culture at large -rrb- this side of robert altman 's the player .",
        "it 's not too hard to imagine that the inspiration for this show came during a late night , cannabis fueled attack of the munchies . it 's no masterpiece but that 's the idea .",
        "offers occasional laughs amid a jumble of pop-culture references . despite its borat-esque title , do n't expect a coherent plot .",
        "works wonderfully when taking potshots at pop culture and not so well when it tries to make sense . luckily , it does n't try do that very often .",
        "this feature-length expansion offers a diverting package of surreal , rude stoner - and pop culture-based humor that will delight youthful viewers while bewildering stray elders .",
        "it gives me no pleasure to report that aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters is fairly excruciating to sit through -- because i 'm writing this as a fan of the tv series that spawned the movie .",
        "-lsb- creators -rsb- willis and maiellaro simply do not have enough material to fill a movie that clocks in at 86 minutes . too much humor falls flat and there are too many stretches where not much happens at all .",
        "boston 's mayor tom ` mumbles ' menino wanted this film banned in boston and this is the first time i would heartily support that puritanical ethic . the end would have justified the means .",
        "if nothing else , it can lay claim to being the only film in memory that had me in tears of hysterical laughter before the studio logos came up .",
        "if you 're in the right frame of mind or if you 've inhaled the right substance i guess you might find this stuff hilarious . i laughed , then i grew restless , then i grew sleepy , then i just wanted it to end .",
        "only die-hard addicts of the cartoon network series will want to sit through the entire film for its amusing moments .",
        "the makers of this film know who their audience is , and it probably is n't you .",
        "for a production that is so dialogue-rich -lrb- and profane -- this is not for kids -rrb- , aqua teen is also visually arresting in its desultory , whatever-sticks-to-the-wall grottiness .",
        "if that does n't sound like your cup of soda , it probably is n't , and even aqua teen aficionados may find that , like fast-food itself , the demented brainchildren of co-creators matt maiellaro and dave willis work best when consumed in small portions .",
        "the animation is pastiche but impudently inventive , with pop culture eating its furry tail after a long lick .",
        "aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters is difficult to recommend , without first knowing the sobriety of the viewer .",
        "if it 's possible for a movie to be almost unwatchable yet completely hilarious , aqua teen hunger force comes close to realizing that dream .",
        "the movie version of aqua offers pretty much the same surreal , gross , half-baked antics as the tv version , and that 's just not enough .",
        "the film cheerfully dispenses with sanity , logic and coherence , but it 's put across with irresistible energy . once you 're aboard this water slide of lunacy , all you can do is surrender to its complete , engulfing weirdness and enjoy yourself .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "by the end , you may feel as if you 've been ballroom dancing with a live , exposed electric guitar cord for an hour and a half . at peak performance , it 's wired , chaotic madness .",
        "if you 're not among the aqua teen hard core , the aggressive dumbness wears out its welcome about five minutes after the lights go down .",
        "aqua teen hunger force tends toward arch silliness more than actual humor , a formula that 's tolerable enough in 15-minute tube installments but deadly dull in this 86-minute feature .",
        "aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters is a work of either a profoundly transgressive genius or a goofball high on pez and patio sealant .",
        "i am tempted to call aqua teen hunger force colon movie film for theaters the most successful full-on surrealist film since bunuel and dali 's 1930 l'age d'or .",
        "the low-rent , patchwork animation wears on the eyes really fast , and most of the comedic dead horses do exactly what dead horses usually do : lie there and rot .",
        "aqua teen hunger force is clearly designed to appeal to fans of the show . for the rest of us , its appeal may be something of a stretch .",
        "i do n't expect those coming in to a feature version of their adventures to understand why i was laughing so hard at times . but i did expect to laugh far more than i actually did .",
        "it 's this close to pure genius",
        "the big question for fans is does aqua teen hunger force have enough gags and giggles to translate to 86 minutes on the big screen ? and the answer is ... yeah , sort of , well , maybe . ...",
        "in short bursts of late-night tv , athf is cramp-inducingly funny . stretched over 87 minutes , it 's too much to bear . fast food cures the munchies but makes for a terrible diet .",
        "i honestly feel that the filmmakers and ted turner owe me , my family and my future descendants for years to come reparations for this cinematic dog turd .",
        "you have to give these guys this much : they remained true to their twisted vision , and that 's exciting to see .",
        "it 's inconsequential , potty-mouthed , extremely silly , and -- the worst sin of all -- dead boring .",
        "... conjures up the surreal adolescent daydreams of stuffy high-school classrooms . you might as well be watching the doodling in some kid 's notebook come to life .",
        "succeed -lsb- s -rsb- enough of the time to make a perversely entertaining movie .",
        "a little of this junk-drawer fusillade goes a long way . it would have been interesting to see maiellaro and willis up the ante for their big-screen outing , rather than simply riffing at greater length .",
        "narrative 's beside the point in a movie created by two guys who gorge on pop culture 's high-fat diet and regurgitate it into something approaching ... art ? close enough .",
        "the boston cops had it wrong : the promotional gizmos put up in public places to advertise this movie were n't bombs , it 's the picture itself that 's one .",
        "a second viewing with a joint in hand awaits to determine if it 's the worst movie ever made or a fierce act of movie-film revolution .",
        "a massive collection of absurdist non sequiturs and deadpan pauses , which , depending on your tastes -lrb- and possibly your affinity for mind-altering drugs -rrb- , are either the stuff of comic genius or proof that the world has stopped making sense entirely .",
        "sure to please its core audience of stoner cartoon enthusiasts .",
        "the plot ca n't be summarized : let 's just say that crazy s -- happens , and occasionally , you laugh .",
        "ultimately , this is just another episode of a tv series that only a small segment of the population knows about . but , hey , at least it 's a funny episode .",
        "athf can seem brilliantly deconstructive one moment and stupefyingly boring the next -- or to provide a more accurate ratio , it can follow five brilliant seconds with five straight minutes of boredom .",
        "crudely animated , tasteless , and totally pointless , which i 'm sure the filmmakers would say is the point .",
        "the most unbearable and unwatchable movie experience i 've had this year .",
        "fans of aqua teen who could n't wait for the next tv season ? you 'll likely love it . the uninitiated ? it would be a lot cheaper to watch five minutes of the cartoon network . save your money for some higher-quality , nonanimated fast food .",
        "fittingly , the sequences when the movie actually tries to tell a story are when things bog down and fall apart . much better is when the movie stops trying to make sense and just lets the pop-art absurdities fly .",
        "aqua teen hunger force , '' the movie is a juiced-up revelry of irreverence and sarcasm that defies description .",
        "the movie is warped , to be sure , but even fans will have to admit that the laughs are stretched pretty thin over nearly 90 minutes .",
        "the writers seem to proceed from the adolescent assumption that anything that crosses their minds is automatically funny . to them , sure .",
        "do n't ask questions . just go with it . what other movie these days delivers characters good enough to eat ?",
        "so insane it approaches a sort of mad brilliance , this full-length cartoon network spinoff must have been made with chemical enhancement in mind . enter with a clear head at your own risk .",
        "it 's all as neurotically juvenile as south park -lrb- though not nearly as sharply written and even less well-animated -rrb- .",
        "it 's one thing to catch aqua teen in 15-minute increments on tv , but sitting through a feature-length onslaught is an endurance test even for devoted viewers .",
        "the big-screen version of the demented cartoon network hit is often hilarious and always surreal ."],
    "summary": "the non sequitur humor of aqua teen hunger force will surely appeal to its built-in fanbase , but for the uninitiated , the premise wears thin .",
    "id": "491975117"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1196077-cloudy_with_a_chance_of_meatballs",
    "reviews":
     [
        "visually imaginative and ethically rich , the apocalypse has never been as tasty as served in MOV .",
        "the humour in MOV is often anarchic , wicked , random and very funny . this is a fun film with a lot of spirit .",
        "spaghetti has never been more terrifying , gummi bears more menacing , nor the pleasures and perils of exploring the frontiers of science more vivid",
        "MOV might not be as charming or heartfelt as anything from pixar film , but bar up , it 's the best animated film of the year so far .",
        "where else can you find the varied likes of bill hader , anna faris , james caan , bruce campbell , and -- yes -- mr. t together and all on their a game ?",
        "there are many funny moments and some pleasing suspense towards the end , but as a cautionary tale about the dangers of overeating and obesity it 's more likely to boost sales at the candy bar . that may be one good reason for watching it at home .",
        "grownups will enjoy the witty dialog and zippy script , especially when it makes playful nods to big sci-fi popcorn romps like twister , the day after tomorrow , armageddon and star wars .",
        "the test for a decent family film is whether the kids want to watch it again , and both of mine were ready for a rerun the very next day .",
        "it 's rare for a family film to deliver the goods with both story and visuals , but this insanely fun and fast-paced flick does n't skimp on either .",
        "it occurs to me that the pace and tone of the comedy is actually pretty sophisticated -- perhaps too much so for its supposed intended audience .",
        "writer-directors phil lord and christopher miller have expanded a 30-page children 's book by judi and ron barrett into a 3d animated feature which boasts intricate design and goofy humour .",
        "the superb thing about MOV is that it never once shies away from its ludicrous premise .",
        "this 3d cartoon based on the popular children 's book is sweet and fun -- not to mention a little trippy .",
        "MOV is visually inventive and exuberant , and has some neat running gags . but its characterisations are a little disappointing .",
        "it all can be swallowed very easily , with the likeable characters , including the policeman earl -lrb- mr t -rrb- , ensuring that the adventure serves up a tasty conclusion .",
        "the story outlined here is engagingly ridiculous , and the visual opportunities suggested by the book and expanded by the screenplay look stunning when seen in 3-d .",
        "humorous , fun and sometimes downright odd family flick , that does n't address some of its thematic implications .",
        "if pixar are the modern equivalent of the sweet artistry of walt disney 's best , then MOV is the slightly-skewy offspring of chuck jones and his warner bros. cartoons .",
        "this slick , computer-animated family flick , in eye-popping digital 3d , not only matches the visual excesses of roland emmerich 's 2012 , but is also much more successful in paying homage to the disaster genre through the use of humour and wit .",
        "the concept might not be as high as alien invasion or mouthy mammoths , nor the art on the level of pixar or miyazaki or selick , but in terms of sheer fun , this is the one to beat in ' 09 .",
        "i loved , loved , loved this movie ! MOV is easily the best non-pixar animated film to come out in our post-pixar world .",
        "parental content review",
        "overstuffed with enough sight gags to delight children while throwing in healthy dollops of wordplay and absurdist humor to keep their adult chaperones entertained as well .",
        "it may not have the heart or subtle artistry of up , but then again , pixar 's 3-d outing did n't feature a mustache-tearing monkey , a manchild encased in a giant cooked chicken , or a beefy , bounding cop voiced by mr. t.",
        "feast your eyes : this delectable animated feature , based on the famed children 's book , crackles with cleverness , dry wit , kinetic slapstick and absurd humor for all ages % u2014and offers possibly the most dimensional 3d yet .",
        "a delicious farce and a backhanded slap at america the obese , it may be the funniest animated film of the year .",
        "an exuberant feast of 3-d visual delights .",
        "a nice turn from mr. t keeps the grade -lrb- barely -rrb- above c level .",
        "it 's rare to find an animated film that has n't come out of pixar 's talented hands which contains so much to gush over , but MOV is something you wo n't regret sinking your teeth into .",
        "it 's not the incredibles , but it has a solid gag ratio and good animation -lrb- the spaghetti tornado is spectacular -rrb- .",
        "meatballs is not just a great family film - it 's a great film full stop , and would even work as a date movie .",
        "MOV is one of the funniest films of the year - a hugely enjoyable , superbly written and brilliantly animated comedy that 'll send you out of the cinema grinning from ear to ear .",
        "no matter what you want from this movie you 're pretty much guaranteed to get it .",
        "easily sony 's best -lsb- animated film -rsb- since monster house .",
        "rollicking , hilarious and whiplash smart , MOV is a sweet , sugar-hyper blast that captures the heart , if not the gentle style of the beloved children 's book .",
        "cloudy takes the basic premise of the book to insane extremes , like a roland emmerich movie with self-awareness and a finely tuned sense of humor .",
        "any movie that has gummi bears fighting to the death will immediately win anyone over . the best animated movie since since wall-e and easily the best of 2009 .",
        "meatballs , steaks , spaghetti , ice cream and candy are falling from the sky . you just described my version of heaven .",
        "even amidst the corny-copia of fast , faster , fastest food falling from the skies , the filmmakers cook up some serious food for thought -- but served on the side , just as we like it .",
        "a very funny slice of cgi whimsy with a perfect voice cast , interesting visual aesthetic , and even a heartwarming message that does n't feel pounded down your throat like a hot-dog eating contest .",
        "age-appropriate food adventure goes down easily .",
        "it flits swiftly between easy-but-funny sight gags involving giant food , send-ups of disaster-film clich\u00e9s , and endearing characters brought vividly to life by a pleasing visual style , plus funny vocal performances .",
        "it 's nice that the film brings some real-world crunch to the story - ethnic characters whose presence make a social point ... and a clear message about the downside of a society where food is overabundant .",
        "... a well-intentioned children 's film that has the unfortunate effect of making food , all food , seem utterly revolting . it 's the gastronomical version of ` scared straight ! ' 3-d .",
        "now a 3d animated film , adapted to the screen by phil lord and chris miller , cloudy looks to work similar magic on a new generation .",
        "delightfully witty , feature-length adaptation of the popular children 's book does n't have the emotional heft to take its place among the great animated classics , but when it rains it soars .",
        "as a hyperbolic expos\u00e9 of unnatural obesity and environmental destruction , in many ways this serves as an unacknowledged prequel to the post-apocalyptic nightmare envisaged in wall-e . chew -lrb- and choke -rrb- on that !",
        "bright , silly and a good shout to entertain the whole family .",
        "all told , this is spirited play , with unlabored lessons about good citizenship and the power of pluck that slide down as easily as the ice cream snowdrifts that blanket swallow falls .",
        "the 3-d effects are wonderful , full of witty sight gags that play out both center-screen and on the periphery , while immensely appealing secondary characters round off a film that plays as well for adults as kids .",
        "does n't soar like up , but it stays afloat long enough to remain a pleasant family treat .",
        "once you get past the ridiculous title and bombardment of moral messages , this is definitely worth a watch . be warned though - you 'll exit the cinema feeling surprisingly full and not wanting to touch spaghetti or hamburgers for a very long time !",
        "this is a sweet morsel that 's good for your health . fight the power and tuck in .",
        "this is a fresh and clever film , with both wit and heart , a family delight , more fun than a hailstorm of jellybeans followed by pizza flurries .",
        "while the mutated food on display is n't always appetizing , the animation is a veritable feast for the eyes .",
        "the animated movie greatly expands on the kids ' book on which it 's based in a clever and engaging first half . but the second half leaves a foul aftertaste . slapdash action scenes play against dreary warnings to fear wealth and beauty .",
        "a veritable buffet of the bland and the bizarre , the sweet and the sour , and all tastes are catered for along the way .",
        "MOV lacks the charm of some other recent offerings in this genre , but it has enough grown-up gags to keep the adults amused and their children will laugh themselves silly .",
        "` MOV ' may not scale the artistic heights of a ` finding nemo ' or ` wall-e ' , but it 's the most satisfying and original non-pixar cg animated movie to hit screens in a while .",
        "throughout , the terrible script and garish , pointlessly 3-d visuals distract -- why do all the women , among them flint 's weather-girl crush -lrb- anna faris -rrb- , look anorectic ?",
        "hungry for some good old family-friendly entertainment ? MOV should fit the bill of fare .",
        "by the end even kids suffering adds will be overwhelmed as flint and the gang take on a gloriously surreal buffet of predatory giant chickens and psychopathic jelly babies . weird but very wonderful .",
        "this colourful animated feature underscores its fantastical story with some intriguingly serious issues . but it never gets preachy , and a stream of warped humour will keep adults chuckling all the way through .",
        "it 's not just clever writing , but the kind of ballsy , caricature-pushing animation that the warner bros. shorts mastered decades ago . chuck jones would probably be proud .",
        "an amusing kidflick that entertains while serving up enlightening food-for-thought .",
        "wonderfully inspired - will probably be anathema only to vegetarians .",
        "the fantastic journey stems from the kids ' housebound daydreaming - dinner time is inescapable , after all .",
        "dine on the 3-d if you can . unlike most three-dimensional productions , the 3-d here enhances the story and the excellent animation but does n't overwhelm them .",
        "MOV is a thoroughly delightful and hilarious 3-d animated comedy that 'll definitely get you craving giant pancakes , gummi bears and yes , said meat .",
        "it 's unlike any animated feature you 're going to see this year or any other . it 's way out there in terms of concept and story , but in a good way .",
        "one of those equal-opportunity exercises that provides as much merriment for adults as for kids .",
        "it 's not only a super cute adventure , perfectly appropriate for kids of all ages , but the vocal talent is a bountiful buffet , to say the least .",
        "while ` MOV ' would probably still be entertaining in a conventional 2d format , the story is a natural for 3d .",
        "so what could be better than an endless supply of jellybeans and ice cream ? only a multiplex permanently stocked with smart , sweetly silly family films like this one .",
        "... co-directors phil lord and chris miller crreate a world that scarcely resembles anything that could or would happen , and manages to be all the more exciting because of it .",
        "it 's not especially filling , but it leaves a pleasant aftertaste .",
        "his sense of unpredictability , coupled with some breathlessly paced and visually stunning action scenes , makes this the animated success of 2009 ... at least until up opens next month .",
        "but it 's fun , it has some good messages and what kid wo n't enjoy seeing pancakes flatten a roof and an ice-cream blizzard that you can eat while you play in it ? especially when it 's presented in colorful 3-d splendor ?",
        "food has never been funnier than it is in the spirited , animated family film MOV .",
        "this film was n't made for you , or me . it was made for dangerously easily distracted 9-year-olds . and at least the never-enough aesthetic extends to its sheer , augustus gloop volume of sight gags .",
        "... pure fun , start to finish . fun . laughing-my-ass-off , it 's - raining-steak-and-gumballs , i-want-steve-the-monkey-for-my-very-own fun . there was no huge life lesson , unless you count `` diving into a giant gumball hill and eating it all makes you barf '' . yeah",
        "it takes an iron stomach to watch this stuff and not feel nauseated .",
        "it 's a veritable moral smorgasbord . not .",
        "lord & miller have found a way to make smart film about our culture of excess without losing the massive pancakes , swimming pools of nacho cheese and tornados of pasta .",
        "no comedy should come bogged down with so many important life lessons .",
        "where pixar would have made a nutritious main course out of the character issues in lord and miller 's script , `` meatballs '' skips them in favor of dessert .",
        "this film is uneven , but it has enough effective humor , good characters and nice 3d animation to make an entertaining movie .",
        "what 's this ? a deliciously witty , wildly imaginative and visually spectacular 3d animated film that 's not by pixar studios !? how did this happen ?",
        "a seriously delicious and imaginative concept takes flight in this whimsical animated film where food , glorious food rains from the heavens and reminds us to believe in yourself and accept who you are .",
        "almost relentlessly energetic and loony , bursting with random sight gags and subtle , whip-smart comedy .",
        "an original and highly recommended outing for animation fans . dads can even take their kids ...",
        "charmless .",
        "-lrb- n -rrb- oodles of good , goofy , family-friendly fun .",
        "after up set a standard for character development , MOV falls short .",
        "one of the year 's better animated movies .",
        "a magnificently executed comic fantasy . after watching a parade of hamburger hail , ice cream snowball fights , and jell-o kingdoms , the film is sure to leave viewers starving upon exit . armageddon never looked so delicious .",
        "when in movie history has the girl ever revealed her true self and become more attractive to the hero by putting on spectacles and pulling back her hair ?",
        "could be interpreted as a commentary on the potential perils of genetically engineered ` frankenfood , ' but this unpretentious movie does n't sweat the message .",
        "... enjoyable kid stuff ...",
        "... parents are advised to flip a coin , with the loser having to take the youngsters to go see it",
        "funny and at times wonderfully weird , and even has a few meaningful things to say",
        "when i dismiss many children 's movies as being insipid and low-brow , i mean they actually insult their young audiences . not this one .",
        "determined to have their cake and eat it too , writer-directors phil lord and chris miller first invite us to revel in ice cream mountains and nacho cheese fountains , then clobber us with ham-handed nutritional moralism .",
        "a fun film but not a funny one . it needed more big laughs to keep the children entertained .",
        "i 'm a sucker for a good kids ' flick and MOV really delivers the goods .",
        "silly and surprisingly funny , meatballs is light on its feet and quick-witted , with a bonus self-awareness that most family flicks confuse with irony .",
        "what 's missing is charm . the book had tons of it , while the movie buries it beneath an avalanche of movement and busy design .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- reat -lsb- s -rsb- the charming nonsense of food falling from the sky like weather with exactly the sort of bouyant nimbleness it deserves ...",
        "it 's raining big food and big laughs in MOV , a hysterically funny and wildly clever new ` toon that could just turn out to be the most purely entertaining and inventive animated comedy of the year .",
        "eye-popping and mouth-watering in one , MOV spins a 30-page children 's book into a 90-minute all-you-can-laugh buffet .",
        "one of the most visually creative movies of the year . the film combines a pinch of morality with a healthy dose of humor to produce a movie that 's entertaining for everyone .",
        "one of the best non-pixar animated titles ever .",
        "a funny , lip-smacking 3d adventure that looks good enough to eat and is n't afraid to tickle your brainy bits too .",
        "the psychedelic-era beatles would have loved this film .",
        "cloudy sets another high watermark for recent animation movies .",
        "it seemed to me the mountains of fudge , ice cream and pancakes overshot the mark and looked silly , and the airborne food cast a pall over the city , but by golly those kids are plucky .",
        "if you ever thought a marshmallow might make a fine crispy torch , or you 've wondered what it would be like to luxuriate in a jell-o palace , or you 've imagined a `` snow day '' with ice-cream snowballs , you 'll find kindred spirits here .",
        "terrific use of 3d , beautiful size perspective , a stunning rendering of the ocean and witty character design make it an eyeful , while the script delights with puns , sight gags and pop culture nudge-winks .",
        "this computer-animated 3d extravaganza is the ultimate food fight , capitalizing on the universal compulsion to play with your food . but like any good food fight , it offers short-lived entertainment .",
        "a film that has nothing more on its mind than making viewers laugh for 90 minutes before sending them back out into the streets sporting goofy grins on their faces",
        "bright -lrb- although that brightness is quite diminished if you see it in 3-d -rrb- , cheery , and at times flat-out hilarious .",
        "directors phil lord and christopher miller have written an engaging and comically absurd story with subtle messages , more sophisticated than what usually is offered in animated fare .",
        "it is often not the case that genuine originality shines through in studio filmmaking , but that feat has been more than achieved here .",
        "writer-directors phil lord and christopher miller , whose television credits include cbs ' how i met your mother , pack each scene with jokes big and small , and the voice cast shines ...",
        "lord and miller know how to play with their food -- they have a hunger for the whimsical detail",
        "second-string animated movie makes it to the finish line .",
        "while the increasingly surreal weather activity could be jarring for some small children , the movie is solid family entertainment all the way -- even while incorporating public enemy 's still-incendiary anthem `` fight the power '' in its soundtrack .",
        "whether you have kids or not , MOV is worth checking out .",
        "what an unexpected treat this turns out to be - as messy and riotous as a kindergarten food - fight , with teacher tied up in the corner .",
        "it has a certain amount of imagination and humor , but it seems as if none of this grew organically ; every time the movie allows a home-grown , funny little moment , that information is then gathered up and used later on as a plot device .",
        "if the filmmakers opt to make only light statements about junk food , obesity and solid waste , they at least leave the audience sated on a single serving of inspired lunacy .",
        "the film continues in meal-monsoon mode for 90 minutes with scant variation .",
        "writer/directors christopher miller and phil lord have fashioned a state of the art kids ' movie primed with old-fashioned values .",
        "a mouth-wateringly magnificent comedy that 's as good as any toon made in the last five years .",
        "MOV serves up a riot of colour , absurdity and fun .",
        "the simple plot is as overextended as a compulsive eater 's waistline - but any movie bold enough to warn popcorn-munching filmgoers about obesity has to be applauded . hell , they might not even finish the bucket ...",
        "it is harmless , entertaining fun for under-12s , and a worthy follow-up to surf 's up from sony pictures animation . it 's not challenging pixar just yet , or even warner brothers , but at least it 's heading in the right direction .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "quirky humor , plucky characters and solid slapstick make this family comedy a frenetically tasty time at the movies .",
    "id": "770803219"
  },
  {
    "movie": "high-tension-switchblade-romance",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a lame exercise , delivering shameless thrills at the expense of logic and genuine suspense .",
        "unfortunately , they squander their white-knuckle goodwill on an 11th-hour about-face so preposterous it undermines everything that preceded it .",
        "you have to give it to the filmmakers for their contempt of convention : no foreplay , no teasing , no steady buildup of dread , just a knock on the door and the slaughterer is there .",
        "director alexandre aja , who wrote this with gregory levasseur , does n't have a gift for horror suspense so much as a compleat geek knowledge of all the superior scare flicks that have preceded high tension .",
        "a humorless , even borderline pretentious exercise in sick scaremongering ...",
        "the movie -lsb- is n't -rsb- scary , suspenseful , thought-provoking or -- heck -- even remotely entertaining .",
        "even a bloody lesbian kiss ca n't save this flick .",
        "see this only if you have a taste for gore .",
        "can a film be undone by its lame twist ending ? in the case of high tension , the answer is yes .",
        "very bloody , sometimes difficult to watch and sometimes just tiresome .",
        "simply relentless in both its butchery and its stupidity . to say nothing of its lack of restraint .",
        "aja takes his time with his film , correctly building tension by letting his camera linger on marie as she hears screams and slashes and rarely letting the air out to give moviegoers a chance to breathe .",
        "high tension thrills you with its bare bones brutality . then it infuriates you when it abandons the purity of the story for a gimmick .",
        "the best slasher flick i 've seen in ... wait ... it might be the best i can remember .",
        "even a blood feast this squalid ca n't get away with chain-sawing all logic .",
        "it 's hard to tell whether it 's really intended to induce chills or merely to serve as a parody of musty tobe hooper cliches .",
        "slasher fans whose fright reflexes are set to hair-trigger mode will jump at high tension 's mathematically precise , fake-out scares . but they 're likely to hate themselves for it even as they tremble .",
        "a nasty , mean , unrelenting movie . i loved it .",
        "alexandre aja is a born filmmaker , but there 's a thin line between toying with your audience and just plain jerking them around . once he finds it , aja will be one to watch .",
        "in gory grand gugnal style , with a grindhouse vibe , ` high tension ' definitely lives up to its name .",
        "a genuinely discomforting , well-executed thriller that turns into a gratuitous , self-contradicting misstep in a heartbeat .",
        "if you like this kind of film , it 's not to be missed .",
        "aja creates a very effective slasher thriller only to light a match and send it up in flames with a third act twist that makes absolutely no sense",
        "high tension fulfills its title promise for a goodly portion of the film but , at the critical moment , the plug gets pulled .",
        "deficits are easy to overlook thanks to high tension 's knowing performances and unnerving combination of ambient sound , fluidly jittery cutting , and sly widescreen setups .",
        "may start a bit shaky and feature an unfortunate-and homophobic-twist , but by its final gruesome and horrific scene it has wrapped itself firmly around the audience 's senses",
        "if only there were some imagination at work here rather than the slash-and-bleed approach splashed across the screen in varying shades of vermillion",
        "who could have guessed that a so-called slasher movie could be as psychologically haunting as this one manages to be ? a new classic of the horror genre has been born .",
        "simply terrifying . a lesson in undulated shock .",
        "a thriller with a twist as remarkable as that shown near the end of ` the village . '",
        "nasty , ghastly french slasher flick 's gut-churning tension is undermined by a head-scratching plot turn .",
        "the language of contemporary hack filmmaking is universal , especially when it comes to the sight of women brutalized by a serial killer .",
        "more terrifying than go fish but less terrifying than the eu constitution .",
        "what a nasty piece of business this movie is .",
        "a formally brilliant thriller ... unfortunately , there 's a third-act revelation that possibly spoils it by tacking on a needless and potentially offensive explanation",
        "questions of ` entertainment ' value aside , high tension boasts an improbability so humbling that a rational person quakes before it .",
        "a brilliantly made , shocking , refreshingly bloody ... disappointment ,",
        "an effective but pointless exercise in style -lrb- and gore -rrb- .",
        "in a remarkable turnaround , the film suddenly lacks the courage to stick with what it does best .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- imply a checklist of familiar gore effects pasted onto an unusually uninvolving story ... miss it , and you miss nothing .",
        "if this film is any indicator , -lsb- aja and levasseur -rsb- know their horror .",
        "i ca n't think of a better review of haute tension than the one given by the guy sitting behind me in the theater . i quote : ` hahahaha ! oh sh ** ! haha ! '",
        "aja 's rip-roaring romp certainly gives horror fans more than their money 's worth .",
        "for those who like gore with their scares , this is a must . but anyone who was frightened by scream be warned : this is an entirely different proposition .",
        "for those who enjoy horror films and do n't mind copious quantities of red-dyed fluids , this one is not to be missed .",
        "sanglant , violent , brutal , divertissant et intelligent . \u0155 voir deux fois plut\u00f4t qu'une .",
        "an example of , if nothing else , the attitudes that keep lesbians a little farther back in the closet .",
        "manages to keep running at around 12 volts , with the attractiveness of de france the main charge .",
        "a gorehound 's delight .",
        "more calamitous , however , was the decision to dub the film in english . and not just dub , but only partially dub .",
        "like the fairly recent cabin fever and like earlier slasher films of that grisly ilk , high tension takes a fairly straightforward approach to its essential reason for being , namely the stagecraft of death .",
        "makes for ghoulish , sick fun .",
        "enough slicing and dicing to satisfy just about anyone 's bloodlust .",
        "a throwback to '70s exploitation flicks ... with such an infuriating twist that some may feel exploited out of 10 bucks",
        "the worst idea to come out of france since the metric system .",
        "deftly juggles gore and suspense .",
        "purely as an exercise in style , this movie has its moments .",
        "it takes a lot of gaul to pass this unsubtle bit of texas chainsaw massacre blunt-force trauma and derivative pyscho mumbo-jumbo off as anything much more than crude and graphic .",
        "... this film is satisfied merely to wallow in women in peril , cinematic sadism and the spectacle of violent death and dismemberment .",
        "a disappointing lapse into old-fashioned narrow-mindedness ... unable to sustain considerable suspense",
        "disturbing , demented , gory and one of the best horror films i 've seen in a while ...",
        "gory european gothic horror does n't come any grittier and weirder than it does when a couple of would-be lesbian college girlfriends retreat to a weekend at the secluded farmhouse of one of their parents to study for their final exams .",
        "haute tension is like a french art-house essay on slasher-movie cliches , and as such is good nasty fun .",
        "the last three fourths of this film are basically like the last five minutes of halloween -- total fear and total suspense .",
        "if you 're going to make a horror film , i 'd recommend ensuring that a -rrb- it makes some logical sense , and b -rrb- it ai n't really % # & * boring .",
        "a cinematically sound but sub-par horror flick readied for the american mass market by the addition of english credits and some truly atrocious dubbing .",
        "it 's a movie that needs to be seen by all horror fans because it serves as a reminder of just how good a `` slasher film '' can be .",
        "in its best moments , the film is reminiscent of such seminal slasher pictures as the texas chainsaw massacre and the hills have eyes .",
        "the french slasher high tension definitely lives up to the promise of its title .",
        "haute bloodbath .",
        "the settings are sparse and deserted , the kills are graphic and grotesque ; there 's a palpable sense of grungy intensity and desperation that helps to seal the deal .",
        "i find myself both enjoying the unapologetic bloodfest of haute tension and extending certain digits at it for trying to be overly clever .",
        "... an ideal companion piece to john carpenter 's halloween .",
        "this unsettling , relentless horror film is so gruesome that it keeps you squirming from start to finish .",
        "this is a slick and sick little movie that will get under your skin and stay there for weeks .",
        "so this is a new challenge of sorts - to find the hidden movie in `` haute tension . ''",
        "spills blood everywhere but has no pulse .",
        "serial killing and other insanity in the french countryside , with ineptly dubbed english dialogue .",
        "the movie is certainly tense , but only from a gut-reaction standpoint . emotionally , psychologically , there 's nothing .",
        "it 's certain that a second viewing would reveal numerous inconsistencies and unanswered questions , but because nobody will want to see it twice , we may never know .",
        "works like a filmic jigsaw puzzle , one that ultimately inverts the genre , and powered by a bloody confection of violence and girls running around in sweat-caked t-shirts .",
        "the philosopher thomas hobbes tells us life can be ` poor , nasty , brutish and short . ' so is this movie .",
        "the film has been partially dubbed into english with the assistance of the world 's worst voice actors . the end product is nearly unbearable to watch .",
        "undoubtedly a stylistic achievement and a complex , troublesome statement on sexual politics .",
        "that outrageous third-act reveal proves to be a major deal-breaker .",
        "high tension packs a sharply focused punch - like the quick stab of a razorblade to the jugular .",
        "for much of its duration the film is a case of intense fare done with an undeniable effectiveness and ingenuity -- until it lurches into a deplorable surprise twist .",
        "-lsb- haute tension -rsb- is as intense as its french title suggests .",
        "you will be terrified or disgusted or both , which is exactly the way it was back in the day .",
        "a french slasher film that strives to be the slasher film to end all slasher films -- and comes close to succeeding .",
        "an alternately shocking , creepy and fiendishly suspenseful ride .",
        "i ca n't say much , except that we 've seen it too many times in the past , and each time half the audience feels cheated .",
        "one of the ugliest movies i 've ever seen .",
        "it gets so frustrating that you wish you had a big , gooey wad of rotting camembert to throw at the screen .",
        "i was annoyed by levasseur and aja 's desertion of their tense , simple plot in favor of tedious ` plot twists ' that could , frankly , use a rest .",
        "a chainsaw-cut above recent entries in the genre : a pure , unapologetic , unironic homage to the likes of friday the 13th that respectfully salutes all the old shtick .",
        "just how bloody far are we supposed to suspend our disbelief for a slice-and-dice horror flick ?",
        "this is sick . and sickening .",
        "it does n't make an iota of sense .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- shocking , provocative , unforgettable movie about how women are too often overlooked , ignored , underestimated , and misunderstood ...",
        "high tension proves to be a dud of a horror film .",
        "is there such a thing as ` art-house gore ' ? why yes ... there is .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- n utterly moronic twist -lsb- ending -rsb- that comes out of left field and makes a hash out of much of what we have already had to endure .",
        "the movie resists granting moral or visceral space .",
        "a roaring splatter flick that effectively makes up for all the pain and suffering caused by the recent wave of faux-horror films the 12 year-olds love these days .",
        "... collapses under the weight of its own supposed cleverness , imploding unlike any film i have ever seen .",
        "-lsb- director aja -rsb- does n't realize that so much is now lost in translation .",
        "it 's a no-frills set-up you 've seen a hundred times , but rarely has it been executed as well .",
        "a disturbingly lurid , sometimes riveting -lrb- dare i say fun ? -rrb- , but often offensive spectacle of violence .",
        "the ultimate rescue , however , comes when the credits roll and the lights come up .",
        "an extremely well-made , very grisly and ultimately dishonest slasher film that 's too clever for its own good .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- stylistically thrilling but ultimately tedious french import .",
        "... -lsb- a -rsb- groundless gorefest ... high tension pounces on the opportunity to swagger in its meaningless artsy shock value",
        "all the inhumanity we endure exists only to titillate for its own sake - the ritualized , sadomasochistic violence is the payoff itself . that 's not art - that 's pornography .",
        "a garden-variety slasher flick that 's been tarted up with a much-discussed trick ending that telegraphs itself from the opening shot .",
        "aja takes the strongest elements from countless influences and weaves them together ... while this is a slightly derivative tactic , it never feels weighted in unoriginality ...",
        "is n't so much a bad movie as it is a despicable one .",
        "finally ! finally we have a horror movie released in 2005 that is worth watching !",
        "gorehounds will undoubtedly eat up these prolonged andcringe-inducing kills , but there 's not much else for the rest of us .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "there is indeed a good amount of tension in this french slasher , but the dubbing is bad and the end twist unbelievable .",
    "id": "15470"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1190296-zack_and_miri_make_a_porno",
    "reviews":
     [
        "zack and miri may be a gross-out movie , but it 's a damn clever one .",
        "this explicit gross-out comedy is so scared of being too naughty , it seeks refuge in a very ` nice ' love story . the result is n't funny or edgy .",
        "while the jokes are admittedly very funny , they 're constantly offset by a tumbling waterfall of schmaltz .",
        "the most dirty-minded date movie of all time .",
        "there remain some scatological touches i am still trying to forget . it 's all done with great glee , yet falls far short of being hilarious .",
        "a well-meaning , foul-mouthed misfire .",
        "in a strangely perverse way -- and thanks to the solid performances of the two leads -- the love story of zack and miri is more touching than you might expect , given the film 's grungy setting and essentially sordid theme .",
        "an r-rated film which is rude , crude and disgusting -- and yet strangely sweet and sentimental .",
        "it 's crude and rude but there 's something endearingly innocent about kevin smith 's aptly titled comedy in which a dabble in porn becomes a mother of a funny set up",
        "does n't represent much movement from where smith had placed himself with clerks ii , which means what you felt about the previous should be about the same as what you 'd feel about the latest .",
        "banks has comedy chops to spare . here she deftly projects miri 's blend of sexiness and insecurity .",
        "it 's all vintage smith -- if you can say that about a 38-year-old -- just pushed a little further .",
        "smith ties the love story to the idea that his leads pull out of their life slump by embracing their creative , industrious sides .",
        "just like good porn , the movie delivers scene after scene of tension and release , and you leave the theater happy . and maybe a little tired .",
        "the laughs are plentiful , the obscene observations witty and well delivered , for two-thirds of the running time . it gets soggy when the relationship becomes the focus .",
        "MOV offers more proof that kevin smith may have lost it . whatever ` it ' that he ever had in the first place .",
        "smith 's new film proves that even though you may be able to take the boy out of jersey , there 's still no chance of sidetracking the filmmaker 's dominant id .",
        "rogen and banks , both terrific , bring out the sweet and spicy best in each other .",
        "this one 's for the smith cultists .",
        "kevin smith borrows seth rogen and a few other actors from the judd apatow stable for MOV , a blend that makes sense .",
        "it 's hard to imagine this film succeeding on any level without mr. rogen and ms. banks as the leads .",
        "if this film were about teenagers , it might seem less like an outrageous comedy and more like a mundane slice of life .",
        "zack and miri ends up as an interesting hybrid : a sweet , feel-good comedy that makes you feel like you need a shower after you 've watched it .",
        "the jokes are forced , almost mechanical , in their crudeness . they 're so carefully placed that they feel a little precious rather than spontaneous , which ends up defying that impulsive , animal thing inside us .",
        "the poster boy for nc-17 language and the poster boy for judd apatow 's man-child humor team up here for the first time , and while the result has its share of laughs , it 's also prey to some of the same weaknesses as their previous , separate work .",
        "there 's a warm boogie nights-style vibe to the little family of oddballs zack and miri recruit to help them .",
        "will this movie offend you ? somehow kevin smith 's very excesses defuse the material .",
        "the sudden sweetness kevin smith tries to force into the film feels especially false considering the nastiness that otherwise defines the movie .",
        "it 's a slow-footed film that confirms that smith may never be able to lift his game to that 40 year old virgin level of heart and romance . he 's just too juvenile to pull it off .",
        "the very r-rated MOV is a compulsively watchable comedy , balls-out -lrb- literally and figuratively -rrb- and kind of adorable , too .",
        "miri is vacuous effort that never soars as high as the plot promises , and soon gives way to rushing flood waters of formula that smith has always been more than ready to slap around before .",
        "everyone on screen seems to be having so much fun .",
        "-lsb- smith -rsb- wrings laughs out of the hazy border shared by love and sex without being prudish or sappy .",
        "seth rogen is totally out of control . he 's been marvelously funny in the past , and will be again , but get that party animal back in his cage .",
        "zack and miri gives the rom-com genre a much deserved spanking .",
        "zack and miri is n't very funny . laugh-out-loud bits here are as rare as real breasts in an adult film .",
        "the better than usual cast offers enough new twists to keep it from being just another kevin smith comedy .",
        "if you 're ok with the explicit stuff , it 's surprisingly sweet .",
        "the audience where i watched the movie laughed so hard that we all probably missed a third of the lines , and it was still one of the funnier movies i 've seen this year .",
        "the picture has a knockabout charm , thanks to the actors ; but its premise seems flawed .",
        "that combination of raunch and heart is n't impossible to achieve -- at his best , apatow can pull it off -- but it requires a nimbler pen and a sweeter soul than kevin smith brings to this movie .",
        "the mood lurches around a bit , and the film itself feels a bit diluted -- as if kevin smith were doing judd apatow doing kevin smith . and smith , and his fans , are far too original to settle for that for long .",
        "leave it to big softie kevin smith to make the cuddliest porno flick of all time .",
        "MOV is crude and raunchy , but it 's also a great date movie . see it with someone you love -- and want to grope .",
        "it 's funnier than anything smith 's done in years , and the humor goes a long way toward distracting from the by-the-numbers plot .",
        "... a nifty tightrope walk between raunch and romance ...",
        "in the hands of the ultra-capable smith , MOV is a tasteful take on the tasteless .",
        "kevin smith is famous for raunchiness . this is what he does best .",
        "rogen and banks make an extremely likable comic pair , even though they 're an unlikely romantic match -lrb- or perhaps because of it -rrb- .",
        "audiences know what to expect from smith , and he does not disappoint .",
        "of course , what zack and miri actually make -- and what rogen and banks power their way through with a cherubic energy above and beyond the call of duty for a premise so inconsequential and puerile -- is another kevin smith comedy .",
        "while zack and miri obviously parallels smith 's own piddling career endeavors , it also exposes his filmmaking inadequacies .",
        "explicit kevin smith comedy is n't sexy or funny .",
        "zack and miri finds a love story in a most unlikely place , which makes the romance that much more romantic while still leaving plenty of room to indulge in the potty mouth . i call that a winner on all sides .",
        "an unwieldy comedy that tries unsuccessfully to weave two contradictory stories into a satisfying whole .",
        "kevin smith may never grow up and from where i sit , that 's perfectly ok .",
        "rogen hops on smith 's shoulders to form a super-mega voltron of humor and heart .",
        "it 's a tangled , messy web , to be sure , but it 's a sweetly romantic one that could n't be further from pornography if it tried .",
        "maybe the funniest movie i 've seen all year . surprisingly smart , raunchy , even sweet .",
        "smith delivers one of the funniest movies of 2008 .",
        "there may not be a special movie rating for this kind of coyness , but it definitely feels like emotional porn .",
        "despite all the waggish raunch-talk , it 's just not especially funny . and despite all the agile intercourse -lrb- originally rated nc-17 -rrb- , it 's frankly kind of a bore .",
        "kevin smith has n't matured enough to actually make a good comedy , but he has accrued enough casting wisdom to elevate his latest homegrown material with the effervescent seth rogan and elizabeth banks .",
        "kevin smith finally has a hit with rogen and porn stars . smith got the ben affleck curse lifted .",
        "if the deed itself is sweet , leave it to smith to fudge the foreplay and drag the afterglow .",
        "celebrates friendship , sexuality , and true love without making them mutually exclusive and by using idioms that raise the highest hackles among the keepers of public morals .",
        "MOV is funny , evenly paced with some good , amusing performances .",
        "it 's a classic love story dressed up as something a bit racier , and not only do we know where it 's going , we know just how it plans to get there . that 's okay , in the end , because smith and his leads make zack and miri a couple worth knowing .",
        "a lovely , naughty little movie that allows writer-director kevin smith to indulge his twin penchants for scatological sex talk and heartfelt slacker romance .",
        "even old dogs can learn new tricks , and kevin smith just directed a good movie .",
        "it does n't hit the emotion of communities formed through grade-z film art in cecil b. demented , ed wood , bowfinger and be kind rewind .",
        "it 's written and directed by kevin smith -- and hats off to him for being savvy enough to go for a piece of the apatow action ! too bad he does n't rise to the occasion .",
        "like a porn star or a filmmaker aiming for more than just a few big chuckles , smith needs to focus not only on what he does best but on how to improve his weaknesses .",
        "i wo n't spoil the twist by revealing it , though you may not want to spoil the film by sitting through it . my suggestion , not wholly frivolous : see the first hour , then go to the pub .",
        "rogen does his man-child-slob shtick dependably , and elizabeth banks is a good sport as well as a decent comedian . one only wishes that the whole thing were funnier .",
        "what i should add is that it 's the funniest one i have seen in ages . and while it does feature an awful lot of swearing and cheerfully bad taste comic moments , it is also engagingly sentimental and sweetly romantic .",
        "there are a couple of laugh-out-loud moments but messy direction means this x-rated romcom should stay under the counter .",
        "put simply , it 's all lube and no spunk .",
        "the only 21st-century aspects of it are the unfunnily vulgar references to sexual and bodily functions along with several hundred uses of the f-word , which those who adore russell brand and jonathan ross may find a thousand times less wearisome than i did",
        "or : kevin smith makes an icky and secretly conservative sex comedy .",
        "the only problem is that hardcore action and a touchy-feely love story do not the best bed-fellows make and the final reel ill-advisedly juxtaposes an over-sweetened romance with a gross-out gag that will having you gulping for clean air .",
        "this is the most soppy and unsexy 18-certificate skin-flick ever made .",
        "this is a very ordinary comedy script , and the presence of smith 's trusty repertory players in minor roles makes this for fans only .",
        "a passably conventional rom-com squishfest decked out with smith 's usual pop-culture references .",
        "if movies were fireworks , smith 's latest effort would be a fuse-moistened bottle rocket that only manages subdued flight .",
        "MOV works best when it 's unrestrained from capital-s storytelling and obligated only to cracking jokes , chronicling mundane experiences and making a few modest observations about human nature .",
        "this raunchy romantic comedy 's glass is half-filled with amusement .",
        "kevin smith tries to redeem a filthy frolic with a late blooming love story",
        "the real reason to see the film though ? craig robinson as delaney . he 's good in ` the office , ' he 's great here .",
        "it 's a companionable enough experience , even though the title should really be `` zack makes a porno -lrb- with miri -rrb- . ''",
        "is there a more honest title for a film than `` MOV '' ?",
        "it 's not as groundbreaking or as true as 1997 's chasing amy , but nails much of the same spirit .",
        "miri is n't as bad as alyssa the light switch lesbian from `` chasing amy , '' but the premise -lsb- ... -rsb- is almost as insultingly unrealistic .",
        "-lsb- rogen 's -rsb- funny , it works .",
        "there are laughs . big , loud laughs . laughs of self-recognition , laughs at social duplicity , laughs at prejudices of all types . lots of laughs about the most basic of human functions . and many , many laughs at our own inhibitions .",
        "feels self-consciously naughty rather than truly edgy , an adolescent exercise that 's not only behind the curve ... but never make -lsb- s -rsb- the tastelessness more than mildly amusing .",
        "there are a number of gut-bustingly funny individual scenes , but the narrative as a whole lacks thematic cohesion .",
        "ainda que smith continue a exibir sua compuls\u0433o em escrever di\u0431logos que usam a escatologia e os palavr\u0445es como forma barata -lrb- e ineficaz -rrb- de humor , o filme \u0439 um grande avan\u0437o em rela\u0437\u0433o aos seus tr\u043as \u044altimos p\u0439ssimos trabalhos .",
        "married , a father and pushing 40 , smith is no longer a trustworthy chronicler of 20-something slackers . he still can devise an impressively gamy set piece , but he 's misplaced the humanity of his best work .",
        "kevin smith has placed a black mark on an otherwise solid filmography by selling himself short in a bid to shock new viewers and win back old ones with MOV .",
        "all in all it 's a modern-day , kevin smith fairytale : a big-screen bearing , perhaps , of his soul at its sincerest and wittiest , if not filthiest .",
        "without the wit , raunchiness tends to feel uncomfortably forced . and the moments when z&m works are , almost without exception , the ones that are more sweet than shocking . all the rest , frankly , feel like apatow lite .",
        "smith 's film is nothing more or less than a routine romantic comedy in an unaccustomed wrapper .",
        "kevin smith 's latest offering provides a constant stream of laughs throughout its duration , but crucially fails to nail the emotional realism it tries so hard to achieve .",
        "smith 's second venture outside the view askewniverse is n't quite the bold leap forward he was hoping to make .",
        "some may tire of smith 's template of toilet humour and tits , but to others , those very same qualities are a guarantee of entertainment . love him or hate him , kevin smith is n't afraid to hit new lows to get new laughs .",
        "after several disappointing films , kevin smith is back on terra ferma with his foul-mouthed , raunchy sex comedy , his best work since chasing amy and almost as funny as his debut clerks , benefiting immensely from seth rogen 's presence .",
        "... would 've fared a whole lot better had the sentimental shenanigans been kept to a minimum .",
        "a film as much about friendship as it is about sex , it 's like he 's teaching his fans how to grow up gracefully .",
        "smith may have pioneered this kind of upfront sex chat , but the apatow team refined it . ` zack and miri ' feels uncomfortably like a gruesome game of filth-talk oneupmanship , and it 's hard to care who comes out on top .",
        "there 's more yakking than screwing , and the result is flaccid and formulaic enough to remind you how mundane porn flicks are when physical stimulation gets taken out of the equation .",
        "believe the hype at least , to a certain extent . zach and miri make a porno is kevin smith 's all-around high score for the current decade .",
        "it is the cozy marriage of sensibilities between the director of clerks and the co-writer/star of superbad that gives this movie its particular go-for-the-groin , land-on-the-heart chemistry .",
        "the funniest movie of smith 's i 've seen since clerks . it 's when harry did sally .",
        "at 38 , kevin smith is still making foul-mouthed adolescent comedies , but a bit of adult sweetness and romance now creeps in .",
        "the bluntly titled MOV is a cheerfully vulgar love story or a sweet-hearted sex farce , however you want to look at it .",
        "enough major jokes that land that i recommend it for anybody who 's not turned off by the premise .",
        "two porn stars and true romance on their , well , first date on camera , and a stud geek worried about man boobs . kevin and seth make a porno that may be too hardcore for the sexually squeamish and too mushy for porniacs .",
        "always likable even if it is n't always inspired .",
        "for all his slacker street cred , -lsb- smith -rsb- is at heart a romantic , and MOV may be the most romantic film smith has ever made .",
        "a surprisingly sweet film from kevin smith .",
        "kevin smith sees homemade porn as the end of the empire .",
        "the movie makes a cleverish joke about the promise of porn , the promise that it tells the truth .",
        "the likable lead actors somehow make the unconvincing premise and occasionally gruesome ` frankness ' work .",
        "there 's something wrong with kevin smith .",
        "effectively merges raunch with romance .",
        "the most offensive aspect of zack and miri is not the language or the subject matter , but the agonizing predictability of the story .",
        "seth rogen is no one 's idea of a porn star . he talks like yogi bear and looks like peter ustinov when he played gladiator trainer lentulus batiatus in spartacus .",
        "it is amazing how the crudest of comedies sometimes have the biggest of hearts .",
        "using a cheesy live song during zack and miri 's porn scene does kevin smith no favors . but the physical-emotional flashpoint seth rogen and elizabeth banks find within it is surprisingly tender , and chemistry triumphs over smith 's worst instincts .",
        "smartly directed , superbly acted and frequently hilarious comedy - this is kevin smith 's best film since jay and silent bob strike back .",
        "i tainia poy kathe skinothetis me alithini agapi gia ton kinimatografo , kanei kapoia stigmi stin kariera toy , an kai synithos poly noritera ap ' oti o smith stin prokeimeni , mono poy i diki toy erotiki eksomologisi sto sinema , ti dimioyrgia toy kai ti dyna",
        "if this is part of our comedy culture , there 's definitely something wrong somewhere .",
        "crude , hilarious , if a little corny , smith 's latest hardcore comedy is right on the money shot .",
        "-lsb- smith -rsb- has gone and made his most mature and romantically affecting film since chasing amy .",
        "with its combination of heart and hilarity , bawdy blackouts and cleverly drawn characters , smith starts out strong and ends up delivering something that 's timeless as well as tasteless .",
        "one of kevin smith 's funniest , dirtiest , most gleefully offensive movies to date .",
        "MOV , in spite of its lewdness , follows a gee-whiz romantic-comedy formula that would not be out of place on the disney channel .",
        "other peoples ' emotional intimacy can be downright embarrassing . here , sadly , it 's also boring .",
        "some great one-liners and another comic crescendo from rogen saves MOV from mere mediocrity .",
        "while i would n't call the role of cheery , foul-mouthed miri nuanced , banks and rogen click in a way that rogen and katherine heigl in knocked up did not .",
        "-lsb- smith -rsb- fails to wring any memorable comedy from shoestring porno filmmakers because his own filmmaking is just as amateurish and slovenly .",
        "porn and true love go ` hand-in-gland ' in this latest , arguably best outing by auteur kevin smith -- making for one dd-cupped hooter of a comedy .",
        "may not be perfect , but it does show a filmmaker reinvigorated by his own writing and the potential of the raunchy comedy to be more than just a niche audience product .",
        "MOV is definitely smith 's filthiest , funniest and most sentimental film to date . there is a scene where you will laugh for 5 minutes straight .",
        "writer-director kevin smith has his mind in the gutter and his heart on his sleeve . the result is hilarious and heart-warming , a raucous farce that 's disarming , date-safe and , yes , sweet .",
        "crude and farcical , it 's a lust cause - yet i must confess a certain amusement when i realized that elizabeth banks was also playing laura bush in oliver stone 's ` w ' on an adjoining screen in the multiplex . now that 's versatility !",
        "often funny , sometimes perceptive , and always offbeat , kevin smith has made a film that 's not for everyone but worthwhile for those tired of the same old romantic comedies .",
        "kevin smith 's MOV pulls off a couple feats that i previously thought were close to impossible : 1 -rrb- it makes elizabeth banks unattractive . 2 -rrb- it makes seth rogen unfunny .",
        "a romantic comedy that 's both as sweet and as obscene as anything you 'll see this year .",
        "this was bound to happen ... i have so far loved every single one of -lsb- kevin smith 's -rsb- films , especially jersey girl . but at some point i was going to have to give something he made a negative review . ''",
        "highlights , besides smith 's wittily offensive dialogue , are the porn scenes themselves .",
        "only in a movie about porn could smith deliver what will perhaps be the biggest sight gag of the year -lrb- sorry - too awful to tell you about , or even hint at -rrb- .",
        "... concentrates on juvenile obsessions with foul language , free sex , and genital humor attempting to reduce american culture to its lowest common denominator .",
        "despite its unquestionably bad manners , it is , at its core , a sweet and innocent tale of two people who discover love in the most profane of situations .",
        "more shocking than funny . have our standards sunk this low ?",
        "for all its outrageousness , this is ultimately an old-fashioned romantic comedy ... take a date , but make sure it 's a very broadminded date .",
        "smith still does n't have a feel for how -- or when -- to mix the sweet with the profane , but the fact that he manages to give the movie an ending that is both wholesome and suitable is not just impressive ; it 's astounding .",
        "take away the trademark raunchy language and subject matter and part-porn-star supporting cast , and what you have is a sentimental and predictable romantic comedy .",
        "justin long has one extended scene as a weirdly low-talking gay porn star . i 'd tell you some of the things he says but they 're too nasty and awesome to repeat here .",
        "the last half hour contains scenes that are almost obscene in their earnestness .",
        "filthy , crass and funny for those who are not easily offended .",
        "more often than not zack & miri will elicit genuine laughs . and it has a lot of heart to go with those laughs .",
        "sweet and raunchy , but it 's rarely funny and that 's pretty fatal for a romantic comedy .",
        "americans should n't have to feel comfortable with the thought of kicking back and having a beer with their president , but it 's not a bad criterion for a comedy filmmaker , and smith is that guy .",
        "smith has a certain vulgar charm that makes most of it work , but sometimes you wish he would ease off the four-lettered harangues and let his actors breathe a bit .",
        "the mildly amusing scenario allows smith ample opportunities for his slightly contrived yet often funny pushing-the-envelope-of-taste humour .",
        "-lsb- kevin -rsb- smith has officially reclaimed the title as the reigning king of romantic raunch .",
        "a sweet-yet-smutty concoction that would feel right at home in the judd apatow sub-section of the video store . i mean that as a compliment .",
        "a romantic comedy that 's both as sweet and as obscene as anything you 'll see this year .",
        "the movie has all of the ingredients to be a great comedy , but smith seems to be stuck and ca n't break free of his amateurish style .",
        "a big enough chunk of the demographic will eat it up -- to make this a winning investment for the real producers . you can take that to the bank .",
        "it 's that when harry met sally thing . can guys and girls be friends without having sex ?",
        "kevin smith turns out to be reverent after all : he wants to separate true love from mere copulating for money , but his story mixes romance and porn so inextricably that he seems confused , and the movie trips over its own conceits .",
        "it 's one thing for a movie to be dirty ; it 's another thing altogether for it to be plain sloppy .",
        "despite the provocative title , the film is actually quite sweet , and more importantly ; it 's -lsb- kevin smith 's -rsb- funniest work in years .",
        "it still packs enough laughs to be worth checking out .",
        "the adult film reenactments are fairly gross and explicit and , worse , humorless .",
        "an extremely rare movie commodity -- a romantic comedy for guys .",
        "i 've never seen a film where people look like they 're having more fun together . if you do n't offend easily , zack and miri is a riot . and seth rogen as a porn star is no worse than ron jeremy , right ?",
        "while this may not top chasing amy as smith 's cinematic high-water mark , it is the most solidly constructed and emotionally mature thing that he has done since that film and it is funny as hell to boot .",
        "zack and miri finds smith more consistent than many of his contemporaries , especially in terms of focus .",
        "seth rogen specializes in comedies where sex comes before love , a practicality that happens far more often on earth than in shiny , starry meet-cute romances .",
        "it 's a funny concept whose execution does not live up to its potential .",
        "at 38 , the grand old man of raunch talk has figured out how to make a movie that 's sweet , funny and -lrb- a little -rrb- sexy .",
        "... filmdom 's everyman geek of a director is a goofy , gooey romantic at heart . emphasis on the gooey .",
        "it 's a pleasant story , but not particularly well-told .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "kevin smith 's ear for raunch is as piquant as ever , but he 's moved beyond his usual unconvincing leads to judd apatow regulars rogen and craig robinson .",
        "nothing about zack and miri feels terribly fresh , much less transgressive .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is a modest success for kevin smith , due in large part to the charm of seth rogen and elizabeth banks .",
    "id": "770771542"
  },
  {
    "movie": "babel",
    "reviews":
     [
        "until -lsb- MOV -rsb- hits overload and short-circuits , it 's often brilliantly cinematic .",
        "i\u044b\u0440rritu and arriaga continue their three-pronged approach with this powerfully moving drama .",
        "the acting is terrific , especially barraza , who manages to carry the entire segment by herself . the moroccan kids are really good too , it 's a bit long , and in the end does n't really work all that well .",
        "MOV suggests that violence forges its own kind of language , a means to forge closeness across distances of experience , location , and time .",
        "provocative elements notwithstanding , there 's less than meets the eye to alejandro gonzalez inarritu and guillermo arriaga 's variations on the theme of miscommunication and devestatingly careless acts .",
        "the ending is cowardly , mawkishly idealistic and , worst of all , panders to the upbeat-ending demands of hollywood -lrb- MOV is the largest financed i\u044b\u0440rritu film -rrb- .",
        "-lsb- many -rsb- will probably find something profound in this beautiful-looking mishmash , but the profundity exists only in the intent , and not in the execution .",
        "for all its apparent scope , the film 's in-your-face fatalism ultimately feels forced . the cumulative effect is more grueling than cathartic , even if it may also be good for the soul .",
        "the biblical themes are reflected in the film 's multilingual dialogue , broad geographic scope and , you could add , its failed ambitions .",
        "... a richly nuanced , at times shattering film that brings inarritu 's death trilogy to a stunning close .",
        "while this might not be for everyone , certainly not for the lazy , it is a brilliant piece of movie-making . it grabs you and does n't let go .",
        "i\u044b\u0440rritu is an exceptionally gifted director who makes each individual scene in MOV work beautifully . however , he runs into trouble as he attempts to pull all the plot strands together .",
        "a film that 's more to be admired than liked , more to be thought about than felt . it 's a good film -- maybe close to a great one -- but one that i have no desire to revisit .",
        "similar in tone to i\u044b\u0440rritu 's earlier film , `` 21 grams , '' but not as effective .",
        "the lethargically paced MOV alternates between being kind of boring to being mildly interesting",
        "it 's a complicated film , and at times a convoluted story , which is held together by its impressive array of performances .",
        "an amazing , disturbing drama , `` MOV '' is a puzzle of film that pieces itself together bit by bit .",
        "if crash drove you to distraction , then thou best stay away from MOV , this year 's towering exercise in socio-political-psycho babble .",
        "throughout the film the unpredictability , different and unique characters and the fast pace fuels the intrigue .",
        "full review in greek",
        "... while the pair 's -lsb- i\u044b\u0440rritu and arriaga -rsb- filmmaking skills can not be denied , the film 's emotional resonance is weakened by a feeling of repetition and cliche ...",
        "MOV is a movie with its heart in the right place , but like its own characters , its message gets lost in translation .",
        "in his latest film , MOV , director alejandro gonzalez intertwines four stories that are overripe with nail-biting potential and then unleashes them on the audience without mercy . and while this may actually rank as the most challenging , difficult ,",
        "satisfies as a story of people thousands of miles apart inextricably intertwined , with the snowball of fate already rolling down the hill .",
        "coincidence can be a heavy burden for a movie ...",
        "the terrorizing of two sets of children a continent apart may strike some viewers -- and does strike this viewer -- as unduly manipulative .",
        "the director interweaves his stories like a symphonic composer , teasing out suspense here , adding foreboding there , bringing in a surge of crushing pathos , but then providing a blessed note of hope and reconciliation .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it 's pretty -- oh , what 's the word ? -- stupid in its dramatization of the silly little connections that unite us , and it 's somewhat selective in its choice of them .",
        "MOV did n't begin to bug me until afterward , when i was thinking about it and realizing there 's less to it than meets the eye . watching it , though , is an often dazzling experience .",
        "it sweeps you along in a tide of cinematic energy and high-voltage drama .",
        "when bad things happen to stupid people , are we supposed to care ?",
        "it may be too slow for some tastes , but MOV remains emotionally bruising but compulsive viewing .",
        "for all its contrivances , MOV offers a gripping treatise on fate , chance and language with an epic sweep that leaves you marvelling at its ambition .",
        "well structured , but rather cold .",
        "the film takes its main characters , spreads them out all over the world , and subjects them to emotionally and physically tortuous situations . think last year 's crash on a global scale .",
        "the idea of the ripple effect of events has been handled by other movies that i somehow was hoping there would be something deeper or more meaningful in the message of MOV .",
        "you ca n't make the same film three times and not expect people to carp . go and see it with politically-minded friends and thrash it out afterwards over coffee .",
        "si alg\u0449n m\u0436rito tiene gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu -lrb- adem\u0440s de la conducci\u0437n de un buen elenco -rrb- es el de haber sido capaz de dar a una pel\u044ccula menor y pretenciosa la forma de un cine supuestamente original e importante .",
        "MOV can be unnecessarily convoluted , ultimately though it 's the stark simplicity of the dilemmas faced by each character that hits home , wherever that may be .",
        "if misery is your pornography , MOV is your holy grail .",
        "MOV has an undeniable power , even -lrb- or perhaps especially -rrb- when it 's at its most contrived and implausible .",
        "if MOV falls an inch or three short of greatness , it 's always a great ride .",
        "the ultimate poor judgment : the decision to put MOV before the camera . that defies comprehension in any language .",
        "succeeds only in making noise .",
        "the problem with MOV is n't that it 's a bad movie . it 's a good movie , or , more accurately , it 's several pieces of good movie , chopped up in service of a pretentious , portentous and slightly silly artistic vision .",
        "MOV possesses unusual aesthetic force , even if it does not seem to be tethered to any coherent idea or narrative logic .",
        "the film explores the ways in which cultural assumptions and biases tend to obscure reality even when reality is plain , and the way our perceived differences keep us from finding a human connection to one other .",
        "how i\u044b\u0440rritu and screenwriter guillermo arriaga seamlessly link these four stories makes for an unconventional film experience that is weighty , thought-provoking and riveting .",
        "unrelentingly , unremittingly sad , excruciatingly painful , all for no valid reason , alejandro gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu 's MOV is a movie to avoid at all costs .",
        "makes crash , another recent film with converging stories and a multicultural cast , look like an undergraduate term paper on race relations .",
        "ambitious and absorbing for nearly all its 2 1/2 - hour running time .",
        "if they really want to appear radical the next time out , my advice is : tell a single story and tell it well . what a concept .",
        "the gimmick-machinery whirrs , but the human beings in it ca n't breath",
        "earnest to a fault and depressing beyond reason , the film is unrelenting in its attempts to wrap the world in a shroud of fatalism .",
        "... harrowing , compelling viewing .",
        "looking back , there are so many moments of beauty in MOV , mostly born of frustration and empathy with these characters . so why does n't it connect ?",
        "an emotionally visceral and empathetic triumph .",
        "i\u044b\u0440rritu not only tries to pull the heart strings with children weeping ; there 's also the completely gratuitous side story about asian teens in short skirts sans panties .",
        "... once again pitt has cast aside the exterior to bring out the character inside . a scene where he breaks down and sobs while talking to his son is heartbreaking .",
        "actions , reactions and consequences are the themes of MOV , an intense and gripping drama that explores the closely connected chain of humanity that links us inextricably to each other .",
        "feelbad experiences abound in modern morality play .",
        "`` MOV '' is a well-intentioned -- and finely acted -- tower of power that might have worked better had its theme of universal communication difficulties been better integrated .",
        "the fact that someone was so inspired by our pathetic and pitiable inability to communicate with our fellow man to craft a film with that message and that message alone is noteworthy .",
        "smart , interesting to look at , and courageous , this is one of the best films of 2006 .",
        "an affecting examination of disconnected lives in an interconnected world .",
        "obviously concerned with the big issues , i\u044b\u0440rritu spends an inordinate amount of time screwing his characters -- and his audience . it does n't serve him well .",
        "weaves its power through , instead of above us , in the effort of its own testament that the inner horrors of our time on earth should be a uniter and not a divider , no matter who the decider might be .",
        "... a feel-good movie for the politically correct that sets up some intriguing characters and premises but resolves them all with a sledgehammer of self-righteousness .",
        "MOV is a beautifully depressing film about responsibility , redemption , and ultimately that there are consequences to people 's actions , regardless of who they are and where they live .",
        "an ensemble cast , low-key drama , and tolerable political commentary make `` MOV '' a gripping success .",
        "director alejandro gonz\u00e1lez i\u00f1\u00e1rritu and writer guillermo arriaga have fashioned their ideas with conviction and obvious care .",
        "... language acts more as a means to distance and isolate us than aid in our understanding of one another .",
        "at the simplest level , the movie is several dramas told effectively , and processing the emotions in its most dramatic moments may be the best reward in watching it .",
        "tension-filled and compelling - it 's one of the best pictures of 2006 !",
        "a lumbering , stitched-together mess .",
        "MOV directed by alejandro gonzalez inarritu is one of the most compelling films to date .",
        "at the end , it does n't really pull together into a seamless vision , but it 's filled with sights and scenes that are uniquely absorbing .",
        "the film 's sympathy for all of its characters is in itself the answer , or at least the beginning of one , to the questions it raises .",
        "except for the rather contrived tokyo link , ` MOV ' is as good as ` crash . ' it is definitely worth seeing , but take a deep breath first .",
        "like the famous biblical tower , MOV is ultimately too much noise and more of a monument to the ego of its creators than an achievement in itself .",
        "has an unwelcome sense of self-importance and heavy-handedness .",
        "it 's a masterful film , the kind you itch to see twice or more , as elliptical as a dream and as direct as the short sharp shock of lead kissing flesh .",
        "gripping , patient and utterly enchanting , it is a marked growth for i\u044b\u0440rritu and arriaga , who have taken a precarious conceit and transformed it into one of the most powerful movies of the year .",
        "how much you enjoy MOV will be based entirely on your degree of cynicism .",
        "one of the most challenging and saddest movies of the year -- and also one of the most memorable .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- is , in short , one of the year 's best movies .",
        "at its best , MOV expresses the emotions that link of all of us , even if we have no way to share them . i just wish it did a better job of communicating them .",
        "MOV ... belongs to an unfortunately proliferating genre that might be called the higher kitsch .",
        "MOV has the very best of intentions , and tries very hard , but can not bring them to life . what i mean is , it left me cold .",
        "comparisons to crash are fair only up to a point , given how MOV is prone to sacrificing character at the altar of the almighty shock tactic , but the film more accurately brings to mind the schematic , globe-trotting syriana .",
        "the connections between the stories develop an underlying sense of irony that works like a last act twist in a crime novel and provides a satisfying feeling of discovery .",
        "the year 's richest , most complex and ultimately most heartbreaking film .",
        "an original ... and on an epic stage .",
        "surpasses crash and syriana in the depiction of a post-9 / 11 world of heightened racial tensions and political turmoil .",
        "i\u044b\u0440rritu has enough talent to shake up conventional moviemaking . but he still has n't figured out how to use it .",
        "the actors -- including -lsb- gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu 's -rsb- two big stars -- are all wonderfully real , seemingly as surprised by the depths and dangers of their circumstances and emotions as we are .",
        "MOV is depressing , long , boring , and if it 's trying to say something important i was n't able to hear it .",
        "the beauty of MOV is how i\u044bn\u0440ritu weaves all these pieces together to create a unified picture of how language , communication barriers and cultural differences divide us , while simultaneously showing us the commonalities ...",
        "... here 's the most important lesson % u2013 if you 're going to a mexican wedding , make plans to spend the night .",
        "like its scriptural model , an impressive structure , but one that does n't reach the intended emotional heights .",
        "no character is on hand to neatly tie up the film 's themes -lrb- like how we all crash into each other -rrb- , and there is an overall feeling of empathy that does not come at the expense of a realistic ending .",
        "at two and a half hours , it 's never boring but has trouble connecting the disparate characters into a cohesive whole . in fact , the japanese story , while providing many beautiful , graceful moments , belongs to another movie entirely .",
        "an unqualified triumph from alejandro gonzalez inarritu . world class filmmaking of the highest order .",
        "through it all is the motif of children at prey in a social order that 's ready to destroy them .",
        "good intentions do n't always make good movies . and this one simply was n't worth their effort .",
        "the filmmakers do n't seem to understand or care much about many of these people , but they use them to unload ideas about violence , communication , and tribal misunderstandings -- trading on suffering as they aim for cosmic wisdom .",
        "if last year 's best-picture oscar winner , `` crash , '' argued , `` ca n't we all just get along ? '' `` MOV '' counters , `` let 's stop traveling and talking to each other . ''",
        "fascinating , sprawling drama ... an ambitious , engrossing piece of work that builds on the promise shown in innaritu 's first two features .",
        "rubbish so pretentious it would make the folks behind crash begin to blush .",
        "alejandro gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu 's latest sprawling , dispersed art-film blockbuster prompts a question : does he just not know how to tell a story ?",
        "an impressive , beautifully acted work with a tragic sense of life . the formality of its structure controls a seething anger .",
        "MOV es m\u0440s que eso , es contradicci\u0437n y ant\u044ctesis , es la obra cumbre y gloriosa de un visionario en un retrato triste y dram\u0440tico de nuestro mundo .",
        "the kind of film that will echo deep in your soul .",
        "there is some hope , in i\u044b\u0440rritu 's world , each of the characters may have a family and love , but this is shown to be , at best , a diversion against the real world , which is a much more intolerable , incomprehensive place .",
        "a better title for this film would have been `` murphy 's law , '' as inarritu has a relentless grip on the banality of its tenets .",
        "alejandro gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu and screenwriter guillermo arriaga cap off the trilogy of films that began with `` amores perros '' and `` 21 grams '' with a rich and engrossing drama .",
        "... a powerful movie that should win all the year 's ensemble acting awards .",
        "acaba trazendo -lsb- seu diretor e seu roteirista -rsb- em um caminho que j\u0440 percorreram duas vezes % u2013 s\u0437 que , aqui , eles o fazem de maneira bem mais esquem\u0440tica , melodram\u0440tica e , conseq\u0447entemente , menos interessante .",
        "well acted and handsomely photographed , but still extraordinarily overpraised and overblown , a middlebrow piece of near-nonsense : the kind of self-conscious arthouse cinema that is custom-tailored and machine-tooled for the dinner-party demographic .",
        "i\u044b\u0440rritu 's spiritual side combines with his insight into human nature to transcend the shakier elements .",
        "a multidimensional story that explores what happens when love is ignored , squandered , or annihilated by anger , alienation , hatred and violence . one of the best films of the year .",
        "... all his films feel overly `` directed '' in the worst sense of the word : the jumbled chronology ... and the plotting feel arbitrary : bad things do n't merely happen to his characters ; gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu inflicts these catastrophes on them .",
        "there is n't a second when i\u044b\u0440rritu 's film feels as if it 's replicating life 's coincidental nature .",
        "unflappable desert village life , pulsing tokyo teen culture , and a vibrant mexican wedding are treated with reverence and delight , in unsubtle contrast to depictions of people lost in cultural wildernesses .",
        "MOV is a brilliant , profound and devastating film that explores the dangers and consequences of what can happen when words fail , communication ceases and all you 've got left are feelings . MOV is a masterpiece .",
        "when -lsb- inarritu -rsb- aims at making any sort of large , loud statement , what mostly comes out is noise . in silence , though , he speaks volumes .",
        "if MOV were a football game , i 'd flag it 15 yards for piling on . others may want to give it an oscar . to each his own .",
        "time perhaps scrambling it 's for alejandro gonz\u0440lez i\u044b\u0440rritu to stop his narratives .",
        "another powerful and unforgettable emotional experience , only slightly marred by its unconventional storytelling technique .",
        "its complex -lrb- yet not mystifying -rrb- storytelling , forceful character development , and superb cinematography make this a candidate for one of 2006 's best offerings .",
        "MOV swept me up , up , up and carried me away .",
        "... settles for being a decent but contrived and unmoving psychological drama .",
        "long , belabored , terminally solemn despite some vigor , and numbingly sentimental under a tough surface , this is a serpentine coiling of three modestly connected and episodic stories .",
        "it 's in the more natural-seeming spurts of joy , rather in the less organic moments of crisis , that MOV makes its best argument for a universal experience .",
        "MOV expresses a great yearning for an understanding that straddles all our borders . it 's among the best films of the year .",
        "it 's a great film made with style and heart and hope , a cautionary parable and an almost certain oscar contender .",
        "there are passages in all of his films -- in MOV they include a wedding in mexico , a car chase in the desert , and a night at a tokyo disco -- that absolutely bristle with inspired energy and dazzling photography , sound and editing .",
        "the experience of watching MOV is undeniably riveting : even if the film does n't really lead anywhere , you still ca n't take your eyes off it .",
        "because of its thematic flaws , MOV is n't the masterpiece some are claiming . yet it remains powerful stuff , a glum but concerned look at how a seemingly isolated event can affect lives on the other side of the globe .",
        "the film is not always successful at doing so , and not all of the plot lines work as well as others . but there are strong performances and an intriguing look at the subject matter .",
        "inarritu is the auteur as puppet master -- a dr. mabuse of the art house .",
        "there 's a dazzling array of faces , languages and imagery that sears into your soul .",
        "linking personal identities and global politics in a thematically compelling and emotionally touching way , MOV is innaritu 's most ambitious and commercial film to date , easily overcoming narrative weaknesses of contrivance and melodramatic excess .",
        "i probably wo n't see a better film this year .",
        "MOV is about lack of communication , per its title , and that theme resonates through inarritu 's four stories on levels both global and personal .",
        "the entire ensemble cast give terrific performances , particularly kikuchi , whose heart-breaking performance is simultaneously shocking , funny and moving .",
        "MOV is arriaga 's finest script yet ... . but , like amores perros and 21 grams , the film feels like a 21-car pile-up of catastrophes .",
        "one of the most dramatic , exciting and moving films of the year .",
        "i would be surprised if , after 140 minutes of grim punishment , any audience member could be truly moved by this everlasting symphony of pain .",
        "individually , the stories are beautifully shot , intimately acted and usually engrossing .",
        "an extension and expansion of 21 grams in every way , and this time proves too much of a mystical thing .",
        "tragedy is so overwhelming in alejandro gonzalez inarritu 's `` MOV '' that my anxiety increased throughout the viewing .",
        "-lsb- inarritu 's -rsb- eloquence of delivery is remarkable .",
        "what unfolds , courtesy of innaritu and the excellent cast , is a commentary on how the 21st century is a constantly upset balance of cultures whose every move has repercussions upon each other .",
        "the world-spanning story has intriguing elements ... but , the overall study falls short of the individual stories .",
        "holds you tightly within its grip through its lengthy running time and forces you to empathize with a large cast of international characters and their individual quests in a visceral way .",
        "finds a tense undercurrent -lrb- that -rrb- keeps us involved through the film 's moderate pace and constant narrative shuffling .",
        "true to its title , MOV hinges on missed and faulty communications of both the personal and the cultural variety . it 's a sweeping movie about characters who often suffer from tunnel vision .",
        "the result is , ultimately , a portrait of the global village being built on a foundation of bad judgments made in good faith on a daily basis , which we barely survive by the skin of our teeth and through the kindness of strangers .",
        "-lsb- i\u044b\u0440rritu -rsb- remains as entranced as ever by fate , loss and the interconnectedness of humankind , and i admire him for it . but MOV is n't the last or best word on that subject . it 's just a lot of talk .",
        "... -lsb- alejandro i\u044b\u0440rritu 's -rsb- plea for improved global communication ... squanders fine performances in a film that is engulfed by the director 's pretentious mindset .",
        "as each story comes to its conclusion , some characters rise above , while others are crushed under the weight of the day 's events . the tales are equal parts miracle and tragedy . and that 's often what life is , which makes MOV ring true .",
        "MOV is the masterful third installment in this trilogy of truth and consequence .",
        "being diplomatic because of inarritu and arriaga 's past success is n't worth it , given the irony that a story about communication breakdown so woefully fails to connect . `` MOV '' is a bore .",
        "from the past to the present to the future , from savagery to civilization to a kind of cybernetic autism . MOV does what a movie can do . it whisks us away .",
        "there 's a lot to chew over in MOV . but because it 's overstuffed , it also means that there 's a lot not worth swallowing .",
        "i was shaken , but not stirred .",
        "MOV feels less like the work of an existential moper and more like the evening news .",
        "the film is something to see . but despite the dynamism of all those individual moments , MOV looks like an empty edifice .",
        "in the end , a film of profound ambition is unmasked as one without real purpose , a misguided attempt to make a serious , important statement despite having nothing , really , to say .",
        "thought-provoking long after its haunting final frame , MOV is a weighty and complex spellbinder .",
        "MOV is supposed to be a cry of humanist anguish that echoes -- in four languages -- around the world . why does it feel as much like an elaborate game of middlebrow post-millennial clue ?",
        "this is one of those movies that would work better at home , where you could pause the tape when you need to take a break or fast forward when things start to slow down too much .",
        "for a movie that insists on the truth of humanity 's mutual dependency , MOV feels disconnected from anything but its own artistic determinism .",
        "dark , sophisticated and challenging , this film is a stunning conclusion to inarritu 's trilogy that began with amores perros and 21 grams .",
        "something of a one-note film , albeit a beautifully played note .",
        "this is not a fear-mongering movie , but it is unpredictable and shocking , with compassion hanging on for dear life .",
        "riveting and eloquent . one of the year 's best .",
        "the film 's ambition , unfortunately , exceeds its reach , let alone its grasp .",
        "MOV does n't snap pieces of a plot puzzle together to satisfy a viewer . it 's not that kind of a film . immediate gratification comes in the form of vibrant , impressionistic scenes .",
        "... gripping nearly all the way .",
        "if you know and love the work of mexican-born director alejandro gonzalez inarritu , you understand going into his films that you must do so armed with a good deal of trust . his latest , `` MOV , '' is no exception .",
        "bleak , edgy , hyper-real . purposely depleted of warm colors . pitt and blanchett only appear intermittently -lrb- and not terribly dynamically -rrb- . an art-type film in three countries .",
        "MOV is the kind of movie i would recommend to a specific audience . if you do n't mind sitting and soaking up the little details and absorbing a theme as deep as it will go , then you may agree that this film is quite rewarding .",
        "a collection of often powerful scenes in search of something grand to say",
        "MOV is arresting thanks to the complexities of the storytelling and inarritu 's deft ability to massage the audience .",
        "this is a moving but very downbeat film . the stories do not add up to much other than to say that bad things happen .",
        "MOV is skillful filmmaking , but the film 's whole is less than its parts . after the drama ends , little has been learned .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "in MOV , there are no villains , only victims of fate and circumstance . director alejandro gonzalez i\u044barritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film .",
    "id": "314388060"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1110236-wash",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a plotless , mostly humorless time-killer that exists primarily as a 90-minute commercial for a star-studded soundtrack . ... the movie has all the earmarks of the `` let 's just make it up as we go along '' school of filmmaking .",
        "a 100 % feeble comedy that exposes the dire acting abilities of two otherwise well respected hip-hop artists .",
        "i was wishing i was sitting through bones a second time .",
        "waterlogged from start to finish",
        "you 've really got to wonder sometimes how talented people end up in hopeless misfires like this film .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- crude and boring movie .",
        "snoop , dre and their buddies take it all in stride -- if they were any more laid-back , they 'd be napping in their trailers .",
        "two roommates start to antagonize each other after one becomes the other 's superior at an la car MOV , and the conflict is played out with grittiness and flippancy .",
        "the lame , underdeveloped jokes far outweigh the fresh ones , the women are all chirpy airheads , and the whole thing hangs on a feeble storyline .",
        "some energetic performances from the cast may make this accessible to a wider audience .",
        "hardly anything about this comedy is remotely funny , unless you get a kick out of snoop dogg getting stoned and dropping f-bombs every few words .",
        "it 's intermittently hilarious , though more of a drag .",
        "hilarity ensues . except when it does n't , which is pretty much the entire movie .",
        "boring and desperately unfunny .",
        "the film aims low and scarcely lives up to its own diminished expectations .",
        "this ai n't no friday ; in fact , you 'd be wasting a perfectly good high on it .",
        "-lsb- script -rsb- has all of the signs of being computer generated . the n-word and the f-word are mixed liberally and randomly ...",
        "it 's an excruciatingly lewd , crude and unpolished excuse to get a bunch of rappers some time on the big screen , with a little bit of sex and violence thrown in .",
        "i 'd be shocked if even a totally wasted phish fan could find many laughs .",
        "snoop dogg -lrb- as dee loc -rrb- and dr. dre -lrb- as sean -rrb- let their natural chemistry go completely to waste .",
        "so ramshackle it 's nearly enough to make you forget how tossed-together the 1976 car MOV was .",
        "what could have been a delicious hoot about dysfunctional dynamics in a disillusioned workplace merely ends up as a woeful , clunky comedy of errors .",
        "a depressing , stereotypical affair that can be thanked by the african american community for portraying their race as lazy , drug-addicted , and whorish .",
        "no one will claim it steals that famous old mgm motto : ` more stars than there are in heaven . '",
        "halfhearted and badly edited , the picture itself seems stoned .",
        "basically a dribbled-out home movie about a pair of slop-around l.a. homies .",
        "-lsb- snoop 's -rsb- funny , charismatic , delivers weak material with a look on his face that will still crack you up and has the best hair of any actor working today .",
        "a sloppy , harebrained movie , which looks like it was made on a fraction of the budget of one of their videos .",
        "more of a missed opportunity than a movie .",
        "there is some comic insight here , however unfocused it may be .",
        "the MOV is santo & johnny through a swamp of mounting disinterest .",
        "there 's precious little to listen to , laugh at or ogle .",
        "straight up ... i did n't laugh once during this entire flick !",
        "though the MOV is fairly funny , it 's wholly insignificant .",
        "never comes off as desperate -- because little effort appears to be put forth by writer-director-co-star dj pooh .",
        "if a white filmmaker were behind the wretched ugliness that is the MOV , he 'd be branded the most racist director since d.w. griffith .",
        "manages to rock pretty steady , largely due to the efforts of its huge cast , sprinkled with some real and promising talent .",
        "weak , witless blend of ice cube 's friday and richard pryors 's car wash. .",
        "the MOV appears not to have much at all on its mind .",
        "like gin and juice , -lsb- dre and snoop are -rsb- good together .",
        "a half-baked hack job that 's woefully short on laughs , style , decent performances and discernible signs of technical proficiency .",
        "overall , the phrase ` it is what it is ' has never seemed more appropriate .",
        "do n't even bother renting it on video -- which will be available real soon !",
        "shows not how far we 've come since ' 76 , but how low comic standards have sunk .",
        "just not particularly amusing .",
        "a sloppily edited comedy laden with sub-amateurish acting , a script with less direction than a broken compass , and a sense of humor that never made it out of the junior high bathroom .",
        "a poorly written , directed and performed mishmash of vignettes that the participants apparently thought would be funny .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "sloppily-made , amateurish , and scarce on laughs , the MOV ca n't compare to richard pryor 's 1976 car wash. .",
    "id": "15166"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1007910-fright_night",
    "reviews":
     [
        "its tone is never exactly comedic and its horrific touches are more disgusting than scary .",
        "for my money , chris sarandon makes the best vampire in movie history .",
        "surprisingly cheeky horror film that makes for good repeated viewings",
        "classic vampire movie , goofy scarefest before scream did it .",
        "MOV is not a distinguished movie , but it has a lot of fun being undistinguished .",
        "a darn solid little vampire flick . mixes horror , comedy and affection for the genre into one tasty dish . and roddy 's just great in this one .",
        "MOV is a tidy little contemporary variation on the vampire horror movie .",
        "makes up for a dearth of scares with cheeky self-referentiality .",
        "neatly parodying hitchcock and john hughes movies , writer/director tom holland litters his rattling story with as many laughs as jolts .",
        "MOV dances on a tightwire between satire and terror , glittered by special effects and a with-it nonchalance .",
        "basically this movie was made , a lot better , by roman polanski back in 1967 as the fearless vampire killers .",
        "not just an eighties horror classic , but a horror masterpiece ...",
        "the picture firmly belongs to roddy mcdowall , an absolute delight as a tv horror-show host who 's unwillingly dragged into the whole frightful affair .",
        "-lsb- holland -rsb- serves up the oldest horror-yarn cliches with a straight face , keeping the action good-natured and even humorous until the gory climax .",
        "underrated horror film is modern classic .",
        "it is mcdowall who makes this film better than it should be with his performance as the ham actor .",
        "scar-eeee !",
        "a run-of-the mill vampire film buoyed by sarandon 's tragic villain and mcdowall 's wonderful would-be van helsing",
        "the teen horror that was way before its time in the comedy parody stakes .",
        "a minor classic of the genre , this is a memorable addition to the vampire tradition in the horror film .",
        "chris sarandon is terrific as the vampire , quite affable and debonair until his fingernails start to grow and his eyes get that glow .",
        "tom holland 's directorial debut is a wildly entertaining concoction that perfectly blends horror and comedy . roddy mcdowall steals the show as tv horror host peter vincent .",
        "it should n't even begin to work , and yet , strangely , it does , sort of , thanks to the assured handling of writer/director holland .",
        "you 'll scream , you 'll laugh ... you 'll want to press rewind",
        "decent little horror film with an unusual twist or two .",
        "four words : you 're so cool , brewster ... !"],
    "summary": "MOV deftly combines thrills and humor in this ghostly tale about a man living next to a vampire .",
    "id": "13314"
  },
  {
    "movie": "hitch",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... laugh yourself silly as will smith and kevin james make up the screen 's most unlikely comic duo since schwarzenegger and devito in `` twins '' .",
        "... good date film ...",
        "those who have seen enough of these films - and who know all their tricks - will likely recognize that MOV is nothing special .",
        "the film is largely well-designed fantasy that is fun and entertaining .",
        "dating is difficult . relationships can be tough . `` MOV '' wants to be the band-aid that heals the wound .",
        "i did n't expect much from MOV and , not surprisingly , i did n't get much -- but i was entranced by the film nonetheless , from a historical perspective .",
        "MOV claims to spit on the importance of coded language in relationships . but these are only nice asides ; the film is too comfortable with the rom-com statusquo .",
        "romantic comedy is to cinema what hot dogs are to cuisine - the question is only whether it 's been prepared decently . and this one has .",
        "sometimes cotton candy tastes really yummy , pop songs are fun for the ears , and movies like MOV can make for a breezy good time .",
        "harmless fun for the dating crowd .",
        "smith 's knockout comic performance , with its perfect pitches and pauses , ultimately saves the day .",
        "... MOV asserts that men are simple-minded , oafish , accident-prone , not nearly as smart as women , and freaking adorable !",
        "sure , it has its precious moments -- but MOV has the smarts to defuse them with large doses of slapstick , wit , or outright silliness .",
        "all that 's left is smith 's considerable charm and james 's appealing goofiness - and they 're not enough .",
        "will smith may be on the poster , and he may be the catalyst , but kevin james is the star and heart and soul of this movie .",
        "james comes crashing nervously into the movie like a fat guy who went through the wrong door and ended up on the fashion show catwalk . he 's perfect .",
        "agreeable if not exactly good .",
        "what this comedy lacks in cleverness or originality it more than makes up for with charm .",
        "proves how the occasional tv actor -lrb- or two -rrb- can , indeed , make a smooth transition to motion pictures .",
        "say what you `` will '' , but mr. smith is one entertaining guy",
        "reminds us , sweetly , charmingly , and humorously , what will smith used to be like before he became an overnight action sensation .",
        "while the last act of the film is kind of forced , most of it is just perfect .",
        "MOV is n't a memorable date .",
        "merely cute when it could be affecting , pleasant when it could be relevant .",
        "a full 120 minutes dedicated to the hilarious comic notion that white people ca n't dance -lrb- hee , hee - it 's funny because it 's true , we 're so lame ! -rrb-",
        "james is a gleeful crackup opposite smith .",
        "with it 's share of jerry maguire moments mixed with real romance corn , MOV is well worth the date .",
        "enjoyable romantic comedy that is sharply written and frequently laugh-out-loud funny , thanks to a hilarious performance by supporting actor kevin james .",
        "works as a capsule -- a snapshot -- of what american metropolitan dating has become : a game of social defense .",
        "MOV will make dorky , husky guys like kevin james and myself feel some hope that we too can date women who look like models",
        "for what it is , MOV gets the job done .",
        "does a fine job of staying away from an overage of boredom and sentimentality while providing a good mix of laughter along the way .",
        "fans of movies like the wedding planner and you 've got mail looking for a charming date movie with lots of laughs will fall in love with MOV .",
        "full review in greek",
        "does everyone fall in love after the third date ? in his world , they do .",
        "in a movie where the film 's trailer has spoiled all its best scenes , and the onscreen chemistry between our primary lovebirds is a failed experiment , it 's refreshing that `` MOV '' still provides that rare buoyant romantic lift that the genre promises .",
        "will smith charms again ; best for teens and up .",
        "under - whelming , and predictable cookie cutter romantic comedy fluff ...",
        "very likeable and enjoyable for the most part , even endearing ; the film stumbles a bit in the telling . MOV just barely swings into a b + on charm .",
        "will smith can play a matchmaker , too !"],
    "summary": "despite MOV 's predictability , will smith and kevin james win praise for their solid , warmhearted performances .",
    "id": "11616"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1021112-texas_chainsaw_massacre",
    "reviews":
     [
        "goofy and only occasionally scary",
        "it defies all efforts at criticism . condemning it misses the point , while praising it assumes a proper context in which to place it . it simply is , beyond all notions of taste or judgment .",
        "better than all its atrocious sequels combined ... it certainly deserves a hearty nod . but when it comes to chainsaw-toting movies , just remember : shop smart - shop s-mart !",
        "the picture gets to you more through its intensity than its craft , but hooper does have a talent .",
        "despite the heavy doses of gore in the texas chain saw massacre , tobe hooper 's pic is well-made for an exploiter of its type .",
        "the texas chain saw massacre loses none of its intensity as the years go by .",
        "the violence is outdated by today 's standards , but the original chainsaw still packs a punch with its rough look and disturbing overtones .",
        "a profoundly sensitive look at social prejudices and the toll said prejudices take on the human social organism .",
        "an intelligent , absorbing , and deeply disturbing horror film that is nearly bloodless in its depiction of violence .",
        "the great american horror movie .",
        "the film 's intense final half achieves its unshakable effect through a combination of things aside from graphic gore .",
        "the movie is some kind of weird , off-the-wall achievement . i ca n't imagine why anyone would want to make a movie like this , and yet it 's well-made , well-acted , and all too effective .",
        "in his laughing-outlaw way , hooper pointed a new direction for horror cinema . -lsb- 2-disc ultimate edition reviewed -rsb-",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- horror classic .",
        "this film possesses more true scares than the entire ` horror ' section of your local videostore , or a week of oprah re-runs .",
        "everything about this film is made to enhance its troubling atmosphere , and this is a quality that is enhanced in its age .",
        "almost unbearable tension .",
        "the most purely horrifying horror movie ever made .",
        "few films so truly disturbing ever had such a grip on the popular imagination .",
        "it is not that the movie is particularly graphic , with very little blood actually being spilled on screen . rather , it 's a very disturbing film .",
        "hooper 's unrelenting assault on the senses is one of the most streamlined , sadistic horror movies ever made .",
        "as disgusting , harrowing , and ugly as the 1974 horror classic the texas chain saw massacre is , the film has moments of eerie beauty .",
        "a genuine classic of the genre , a punishing , unrelenting nightmare that never allows viewers even a moment of sanity or security .",
        "morally retrograde it may be , but then so are nightmares . the point is that this one , though often crude and raw , really leads the imagination . what also works in its favour is that it does n't pretend to do anything more than scare the pants off you .",
        "no matter how many filmmakers have attempted to recreate the all-out insanity of `` MOV , '' very few have even come close .",
        "nauseated and shaken , i walked out of the texas chain saw massacre after half an hour of its butchery .",
        "a genuine american nightmare that is not only uncompromisingly ferocious but truly original , and as much an art film in its way as another fact-inspired murder movie shot a year earlier by another texas-connected filmmaker , terrence malick 's ` badlands . '",
        "hooper and his art director bob burns conjured up a picture of hell in rural america ... absolutely essential for fans of the horror genre .",
        "this abattoir of a movie boasts sledgehammers , meathooks and chainsaws , and the result , though not especially visceral , is noisy , relentless , and about as subtle as having your leg sawed off without anaesthetic .",
        "tobe hooper 's grindhouse masterpiece abounds in snuff ambience and cacophonous trauma",
        "... there 's little doubt that the movie remains a must for horror fanatics ...",
        "ao lado de dementia 13 e halloween , este filme representa uma das bases do horror moderno , chocando o espectador com sua edi\u0437\u0433o nervosa , seu sadismo assustador e com a histeria impressionante de marilyn burns .",
        "one of the key films of modern horror .",
        "... the only other film to truly capture that uniquely unsettling promise of romero 's first zombie epic was tobe hooper 's absolutely perverted directorial debut ...",
        "the documentary-style approach is what pushes this flick over the top ; it 's a grim and glorious classic of modern horror .",
        "cultish trash set new low standards for brutality .",
        "seeing this again recently has convinced me that it 's quite a bit better than i initially judged .",
        "this is n't any slick slasher-thriller , this is pure hysteria horror .",
        "a cutthroat , unendingly bleak masterpiece of horror cinema .",
        "all these elements set the stage for some of the most prolonged scenes of sustained panic ever captured by cinema , as hooper infects characters and viewers alike with the thrill of a madness from which there can be no real escape .",
        "artfully documentarylike and shot under conditions that produced genuinely traumatized performances , the original massacre eschews cheap thrills and attacks the psyche .",
        "the MOV does n't try anything funny , there are no winks to the audience . and it 's all the better because of it .",
        "best for older teens and adults only .",
        "still a remarkable and utterly unnerving horror film to this day ...",
        "chainsaw-wielding leatherface remains one of the most disturbing characters in horror .",
        "time has not dimmed the shock value of this seminal classic from director tobe hooper that 's based on the same real-life case that inspired psycho .",
        "it 's a masterpiece , pure and simple . . a smart young director summing up the basest instincts of his species ."],
    "summary": "thanks to a smart script and documentary-style camerawork , the MOV achieves start-to-finish suspense , making it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema .",
    "id": "14466"
  },
  {
    "movie": "airplane",
    "reviews":
     [
        "is it the best comedy ever made ? i do n't know , but it surely is the funniest.i stand by that . and do n't call me shirley .",
        "surely as good as modern comedy gets ? ... and do n't call me shirley .",
        "entering imto mel brooks ' turf , the first lampoon of the disaster-in-the-air subgenre -lrb- such as the prepoterously oscar nominated airport -rrb- is silly but funny , with many good sight gags , campy one-liners and slapstick comedy .",
        "most of the jokes are groan-worthy , and some are downright racist .",
        "the gags are n't exactly clever , but there are a lot of them , and the cutting finds a fast , effective tempo .",
        "the fact that the movie does n't work as well today as it did in 1980 in no way diminishes its importance in recent motion picture history .",
        "surely , this is essential . maybe , but do n't call me shirley , etc. .",
        "although the gags are n't entirely consistent , it 's inspired stuff . and whatever you do do n't switch off during the closing credits .",
        "more laughs per minute than just about anything i can think of .",
        "disaster parody at its finest , ` MOV ! ' is a hilarious comic treat .",
        "loaded with slapstick silliness and schoolboy wordplay , featuring tongue-in-cheek performances by familiar television personalities , and mostly just plain goofy .",
        "from the clever jaws take-off opening to the final , irreverent title card , laughs come thick and fast .",
        "-lrb- no quote available . -rrb-",
        "over two decades later , it 's still funny .",
        "MOV ! is more than a pleasant surprise , in the midst of this dim movie season . as a remedy for the bloated self-importance of too many other current efforts , it 's just what the doctor ordered .",
        "the spoof that launched a thousand parodies -- this is the one that 's 100 % funny .",
        "how can you go wrong with a film that features leave it to beaver 's barbara billingsly as a jive-talking passenger ?",
        "the finest moment in spoof",
        "rapid-fire spoof with sexual jokes and cartoon violence .",
        "a hyper spoof of disaster films .",
        "one of the finest american comedies ever made . ever !",
        "the really great thing about MOV ! is that the jokes undercut your expectations so deftly .",
        "MOV ! is a splendidly tacky , totally tasteless , completely insignificant flight , a gooney bird of a movie that looks as if it could never get off the ground and then surprises and delights with its free-spirited aerobatics .",
        "jim abrahams , david zucker and jerry zucker , who share both writing and directorial credits , become so desperate for laughs that the jokes descend to a much cruder level .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- the film 's mixed bag of cultural references spill out faster than you can catch them .",
        "from takeoff to landing , this whacked-out parody is a loopy flight of fancy .",
        "if you get half of the jokes flung your way , and laugh at half of those you 're still in much better shape than the very best episode of three 's company .",
        "directors abraham and both zuckers create one of the few comedies that can guarantee almost a laugh a minute ...",
        "charmingly dated , but still immeasurably funny .",
        "a comedy classic !",
        "if MOV ! is n't the funniest english-language movie ever made , it could at least get into some spirited comedy fisticuffs",
        "it may run 90 minutes , but it takes me 120 minutes to watch it after rewinding through the jokes i missed because i was laughing too hard at the joke prior to it .",
        "it 's now a familiar formula , but MOV still retains an edge because the audience is credited with intelligence .",
        "it is sophomoric , obvious , predictable , corny , and quite often very funny . and the reason it 's funny is frequently because it 's sophomoric , predictable , corny , etc. .",
        "unprecedented nonsense that -- fashions aside -- will remain timeless comedy cinema . -lsb- new dvd review -rsb-",
        "grabs you from the opening moments and does n't let up for 90 minutes",
        "psycho ground controllers -lrb- stack and bridges -rrb- , laff-a-second pace , and bludgeoning innuendo make this the acceptable face of the locker-room satire .",
        "some of the humor has become very politically incorrect 25-plus years later . and god love it for that .",
        "still the funniest and most inspired of the madcap genre spoofs . for every dumb or tasteless joke that does n't fly , a dozen land directly at laugh central .",
        "brilliant , still funny MOV disaster movie parody . started new comedy career for nielsen .",
        "the definition of ` deadpan ' starts and ends with jim abrahams , david zucker and jerry zucker 's MOV ! .",
        "sustains a single premise for its entire running time , and does so without lagging or going limp .",
        "there 's hardly a second that passes without an assault by a wickedly accurate spoof , cringe-inducing pun or inspired sight gag , and the years have not diminished the film 's dumb appeal .",
        "... a nonstop flurry of slapstick sight gags , puns , innuendoes , exaggerations , and caricatures . a comedy classic ."],
    "summary": "though unabashedly juvenile and silly , MOV ! is nevertheless an uproarious spoof comedy full of quotable lines and slapstick gags that endure to this day .",
    "id": "10421"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dragonslayer",
    "reviews":
     [
        "admirably dark fantasy adventure ... especially considering it was a disney !",
        "in today 's glut of so-called `` effects films '' featuring all cgi and no story , MOV is a reminder that a balance between the two is indeed possible .",
        "while on the surface MOV is an old-fashioned fantasy yarn , it functions also as an interesting political allegory about the nature of sacrifice and what is ultimately best for the populace .",
        "let 's face it -- nothing short of a gorilla suit can make peter macnicol not look like a weenie .",
        "so-so dragon story with an amusing ralph richardson performance .",
        "a fun little fantasy flick .",
        "MOV transports us to a mysterious , exotic , and convincing ancient world .",
        "shot through with a comprehensive pessimism , a feeling of hopelessness complete with corrupt governments , fanatical zealots , and the world falling into darkness unfamiliar .",
        "entertaining adventure",
        "looked far better when released due to tech aspects .",
        "the scenes involving the dragon are first-rate . the beast is one of the meanest , ugliest , most reprehensible creatures i 've ever seen in a film , and when it breathes flames it looks like it 's really breathing flames .",
        "mr. robbins 's overall accomplishment is one of creating a mood , and he does this well enough to make up for the film 's occasional cumbersomeness .",
        "a well intentioned fantasy with some wonderful special effects , MOV falls somewhat short on continuously intriguing adventure .",
        "verges on the nasty for the nippers ; sails close to d\u00e9j\u0155 vu for fantasy fans ; fated , probably , to damnation by faint praise .",
        "it does n't take itself too seriously and benefits from a good cast that includes ralph richardson and john hallam . the effects are n't bad either .",
        "an unknown treasure of a fantasy film and well worth a look for fans of the genre .",
        "this movie has two big things going for it -- the dragon and the man who masterminds its slaying .",
        "an innocent adventure that 's technically slick and lacking in pretense , this film should provide a nice scare for kids , and maybe a few of the grown-ups too .",
        "vintage fantasy epic is great , despite a too-graphic death .",
        "saint george and the '80s",
        "this film has smoky atmosphere , medieval sets , and rugged terrain strange enough to suggest far-off mythic lands ; moreover , its special effects are positively staggering .",
        "the film excels as a visual exercise , as a study in adolescent psychology , and even as astute political analysis ."],
    "summary": "an atypically dark disney adventure , MOV puts a realistic spin -- and some impressive special effects -- on a familiar tale .",
    "id": "10449"
  },
  {
    "movie": "civil_action",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a fine script from director steven zaillian gives all involved plenty to chew .",
        "part of the film 's problem may be in travolta , who is never entirely convincing , and this works against a film that is trying to make the transformation of his character into its centerpiece .",
        "a very nuts-and-bolts look at a MOV against two major corporations as seen through the eyes of the lawyer who brought the action and risked his law firm and his career on the case .",
        "this film 's good enough for the big screen , but save some dough and see an early show .",
        "here is a film not interested in the surprise twists of other courtroom movies , but focuses on the strategy of the law .",
        "worth seeing for robert duvall 's performance alone .",
        "the film is so daring because it features a protagonist that we can not and do not sympathize with .",
        "my only real problem is with the script .",
        "more complex , subtle , perplexing and memorable than the usual courtroom theatrics .",
        "it 's not bad , but with everything else out there , i wo n't recommend it .",
        "just when it seemed the courtroom drama was suffering a fatal case of john grisham , a MOV '' rescues the genre .",
        "though the plot plays largely by the numbers , zaillian treats the material with a welcome level of maturity that manages to sustain interest even when the storyline does n't .",
        "this david versus goliath courtroom drama has just the right mixture of legal debate and emotional vibrancy .",
        "well , i know a movie is not worth seeing if i ca n't work up the energy to write about it for two weeks .",
        "the film is slightly overlong and the ending is anti-cathartic .",
        "... hints at the complex moral issues that vein the story .",
        "while travolta is passable as schlichtmann , it is the outstanding work from duvall , macy and briefly tony shalhoub that drive the story .",
        "i expected a harder hitting indictment against the uncaring power of corporate america . instead , we get a middlin ' courtroom drama that lacks the intensity of such films as the 1982 sidney lumet/paul newman film , the verdict .",
        "based on a true story , this is an intelligent legal thriller , very much in the mode of 1970s issue-oriented films , that may be too subtle and complex for the damands of today 's market .",
        "delivering the verdict two thirds into the movie is anti-climactic , while schlichtmann 's belated atonement feels beside the point .",
        "this is a case in which the material really is better served in book form .",
        "the movie becomes one more david-and-goliath morality play .",
        "like john grisham for grownups .",
        "a slick , shameless job that takes way too long to make its point -lrb- namely , we need the epa -rrb- .",
        "a legal drama that does n't follow the usual hollywood-john grisham formula .",
        "neatly avoids slipping into melodrama , and despite plenty of niggling minor faults along the way the movie finally succeeds . with a more comfortably cast lead actor it could have been even more powerful .",
        "travolta may not be perfectly cast as jaded attorney jan , and does not make this role his own , but still carries the film rather well , and i ca n't complain .",
        "if you want to see a courtroom film with all the trimmings , this is the one .",
        "the story presents both schlichtmann and the civil court system as stubbornly complicated . and it tells a finely nuanced tale of right , wrong and the gray area in between .",
        "travolta captures the complexity of a man whose motives for doing good have as much to do with vanity as anything else .",
        "the lawyers ' posturing , planning and maneuvering is fascinating , but with the human factor pushed so far into the background , the production turns into a clinical , ultimately anticlimactic exercise .",
        "zaillian maintains a taut ambiance throughout , and finds a balance between the courtroom action and the life outside .",
        "a MOV is n't so much about jan 's personal redemption as it is a morality tale for all of us who would hope for a kindly , good-hearted lawyer when faced with an actionable tragedy .",
        "the film begins to lean a little too heavily on melodrama , repeating select flashbacks ...",
        "robert duvall , one of the best actors around , plays the cagey and unconventional defense attorney opposing schlichtmann in the case .",
        "as proficient a job as writer-director steve zaillian and his team do , a MOV has unmistakably unraveled by its close .",
        "the movie simply does not have the spark to kindle much excitement , given the capacities of the film medium .",
        "for all its craftsmanlike sheen , this film is so sketchy , obvious , and idea-poor compared to harr 's book that you ca n't help wishing zaillian had paid more attention to its warnings about biting off more than you can chew .",
        "adapted from jonathan harr 's 1995 non-fiction best-seller , this is a deadly serious legal thriller -- it 's also a deadly bore .",
        "schlichtmann may have gone through this conversion in real life , but i just did n't buy it the way zaillian presents it .",
        "an example of how not to make a courtroom drama , and it certainly did not do justice to the very serious subject matter the film deals with .",
        "it provides an always interesting , and sometimes fascinating , glimpse inside the workings of our courts .",
        "all in all , a mediocre fabrication of law-cinema , offering some points of interest , no real action , and a weak ending ...",
        "a technically proficient but ultimately soulless courtroom drama .",
        "john travolta gives a splendid performance as schlichtmann .",
        "worry not , travolta fans , because he gives what is his second oscar caliber performance of the year in this remarkable film .",
        "zaillian is a good director , but here he 's trying to squeeze himself into a more conventional framework than he 's comfortable with . i hope his next film gives him the chance to follow his muse .",
        "nearly bloodless and somewhat dull , despite the fact that the story seems tailor-made for the big-screen , and that it has a talented supporting cast .",
        "in comparison to the tremendous and intelligent acting of duvall , travolta seems lumbering , sluggish and ill-suited to the role of a scrambling , hard-hitting lawyer .",
        "i 'm all for films that do n't flow from the usual hollywood test tubes , but a MOV is basically the standard formula with a dash of downbeat .",
        "what the film failed to do , is to bring a sense of urgency .",
        "millions of people read harr 's gripping bestseller , but steven zaillian may be the only one who did n't understand it .",
        "the performances are solid and oscar-worthy .",
        "it runs out of gas when it runs out of things to tell us , since it lacks characters to engage us . real law makes the appeal of john grisham-esque courtroom melodrama make a lot more sense .",
        "deserves to be set apart from the parade of legal thrillers , john grisham adaptations et . al. , that hollywood regularly cranks out for our consumption .",
        "zaillian managed to surprise me by crafting a courtroom drama which is sufficiently different and thought-provoking that i can recommend it with a clear conscience ."],
    "summary": "intelligent and unconventional .",
    "id": "10500"
  },
  {
    "movie": "blackfish_2013",
    "reviews":
     [
        "you 'll never look at shamu , and the company that exploits him , the same way again .",
        "important , informative , imperfect .",
        "the film may be depressing . but even with a terrible , watery musical score , it 's also good .",
        "a chilling exploration of the life of an orca in captivity , this documentary forces us to look at zoos and especially aquarium shows in a completely new light .",
        "to analyze real-life tragedy we must understand it so we can prevent it , cowperthwaite justly argues . not so we can sigh and hope it does n't happen again .",
        "while cowperthwaite 's film opens with a simple question about the behavior of a single killer whale , it ends up mounting a persuasive ethical argument against keeping orcas in captivity .",
        "as horribly gripping as a serial-killer thriller , though the real villain is not the ostensible culprit , but its human captors .",
        "`` MOV '' is no trumped up horror story fueled by hollywood brand names and special effects . in this riveting documentary directed by gabriela cowperthwaite , all of the creatures are real , and all seem entitled to the serious chip on their shoulders .",
        "an acclaimed and chastening documentary about what happens to human beings - injury , mutilation , death - when they pen orcas in sea parks .",
        "behavioural experts describe the orca brain 's advanced capacity for emotion , while former trainers reveal the stories spun by seaworld to convince its visitors that the whales enjoy their work .",
        "superbly directed , powerfully emotional documentary that presents a convincing case against keeping orca whales in captivity and is liable to induce righteous anger at the behaviour of a certain marine park .",
        "the frankensteinian rebellion of orcas against their corporate captors turns this doc into a sort of showbiz horror film .",
        "it 's a strong piece of video journalism in which images and the interviews deliver the information , and we reach our own conclusions .",
        "it 's hard to imagine anyone coming out of this movie and not swearing off the next vacation trip to orlando , san antonio or san diego .",
        "damning and disturbing viewing .",
        "it is never less than gripping , and devastatingly undermines the notion of performing whales as wholesome family entertainment .",
        "it not only delivers astonishing , suspenseful footage that makes it a legitimate thriller , but also serves up thoughtful meditations about using wild animals for our own entertainment .",
        "cruelty begets cruelty and whales do n't belong in the circus .",
        "some of the archive footage is exceedingly harrowing , but the case against commercially condoned cruelty is made without sensationalism , and few will be able to watch this without a growing sense of outrage .",
        "MOV marries biography , activism and psycho thriller into a pleasing cinematic shape , starting with a single whale and the trainers who worked with him .",
        "a horrifying , heartbreaking eye-opener about human inhumanity to other intelligent and emotional beings who share our planet .",
        "unfortunately , this feels like a ten-minute news segment blown up to theatrical proportions .",
        "as enlightening and passionate as the picture is , cowperthwaite fails to summon the type of comprehensive journalism this type of story deserves .",
        "the one save-the-whales movie to see when you only have time for one .",
        "its ultimate message is clear : killer whales belong with their families in their natural habitat , not performing for audiences . after listening to this film 's many impassioned voices , it 's hard to argue .",
        "it is gripping and thought-provoking .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- impressive , often gripping documentary ...",
        "engrossing when offers alarming csi-type forensic analysis into the death of a whale trainer -lsb- but -rsb- the narrow focus on seaworld raises more questions that are n't considered .",
        "there are n't too many animal-rights documentaries that could be described as `` metal , '' but MOV , one part horror movie and one part nature film , fits the bill and then some .",
        "cowperthwaite juxtaposes to devastating effect official pr spin with news reports and eye-witness accounts of marine park tragedies .",
        "through interviews with whale scientists and several former sea world trainers , -lsb- cowperthwaite -rsb- paints a disturbing picture of the profit-minded climate of deceit that prevailed at the company .",
        "puts ` killer whales ' into wildlife and humanitarian perspective while giving you all of the dangerous action sequences you could possible want . free willy , it ai n't .",
        "`` MOV '' makes a compelling case that the cruelty of life in captivity is the cause for a rash of fatal attacks by orcas on their trainers , aggressive behavior that no so-called killer whale ever has exhibited in the wild .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an engrossing look at animal behavior .",
        "a repetitive but still compelling piece of activist filmmaking .",
        "MOV is intended to rattle and provoke in the hopes of bringing about change .",
        "informative , earnest , but less than briskly paced .",
        "`` MOV '' is grim . but then again , so is the plight of these magnificent , intelligent whales .",
        "the question that `` MOV '' provokes , viscerally , is whether the education and entertainment for visitors , and profits for the company , are worth it if the animals are mistreated and unhappy . after watching `` MOV , '' the answer is crystal clear .",
        "whatever its flaws , ` MOV ' seems likely to be the rare film that inspires real reform and that helps awaken viewers to their kinship and responsibility to the animal kingdom .",
        "while MOV is n't exactly riveting , it is thought-provoking and leaves you with the urge to admire nature in its natural habitat rather than in a contained environment .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "depressingly unsurprising .",
        "you do n't have to be anything close to a peta loyalist or an anthropomorphist to appreciate the genuine sorrow and eventual psychosis on display in footage of these whales .",
        "`` MOV '' is a disturbing movie , one that will make you rethink parks like seaworld and their value .",
        "likely to never again buy a ticket to a marine theme park again",
        "we have traditionally taken license to do as we will with our fellow creatures , whether that means slaughtering them for food or dressing them up for halloween . perhaps only a god created in our image could sanction ... the ways we exploit the vulnerable .",
        "in many ways , `` MOV '' is a horror film in which we discover that we have met the monster , and the monster is us .",
        "MOV is what happens when human arrogance trumps harsh natural reality .",
        "it does n't go very far out of its way to tell more than one side of the story , but the one side of the story that it does tell is an exceedingly compelling and moving one .",
        "the movie recounts - often with horrifying video - several instances in which trainers are mauled , chomped and otherwise clobbered by killer whales .",
        "MOV is a zoological horror story , a corporate expose and a heartbreaking example of inhumane practices and predictable consequences ignored .",
        "there are few movies that can change the way you see the world in 83 minutes . if MOV is seen by enough people , it has the power to affect attendance at seaworld .",
        "slickly produced but consistently engaging , the film refrains from overstating its case , a wise decision considering the sufficiently emotional material on hand .",
        "MOV does make a pretty strong case that it sucks to be in a cage , even underwater .",
        "an extraordinary , must-see examination of what humans do to killer whales so that these amazing creatures can become one more entertainment .",
        "MOV does an admirable job of preaching without force-feeding , seamlessly blending opinion with reportage , and addressing its central issues from enough angles to make a series of end-runs around dubious viewers .",
        "his gripping film presents a persuasive case against keeping the species -- and by extension any wild animal -- in captivity for the purposes of human entertainment .",
        "like a more obvious underwater twist on herzog 's grizzly man ...",
        "the movie is revealing , wrenching , and important , a reminder that what feels wrong in our gut-the effort to turn free-roaming and unknowable beasts into caged vaudevillians-is always worth investigating .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- remains decidedly one-sided . but when that `` side '' is such a vital , convincing proponent for the greater protection and understanding of such evolved and majestic creatures , it ca n't help but win .",
        "will shake you up and upset you . at a minimum , it might make some people rethink where they 're going on their next vacation .",
        "a riveting and accomplished story of animal cruelty , corporate irresponsibility and nature striking back .",
        "MOV delivers ominous chills not because it documents orca whale attacks , but because it makes a clear , strong case that the attacks are of humankind 's making . it 's more frankenstein than jaws .",
        "plainly , it 's an advocacy film . and it 's a brilliant one -- nail-biting , upsetting , maddening and at times even uplifting ,",
        "save the whale ? after watching this documentary about the mistreatment of killer whales , you 'll never mock that sentiment again .",
        "if you 're not moved and angered by what you see in MOV , your heart is made of harder stuff than mine .",
        "really great documentaries are like zeitgeist napalm ; and MOV carries the torch .",
        "for all it 's artistic shortcomings , though , i really hope that this movie is able to instigate some kind of change in the way we treat orcas , or at least how we think about them .",
        "powerful , heartbreaking , disturbing doc about captive orcas .",
        "perhaps the documentary form does have the potential to effect sweeping social change . only time will tell .",
        "gabriela cowperthwaite 's new documentary MOV is a searing indictment of the entire killer whale-as-entertainment industry .",
        "a troubling expos\u00e9 of sea world 's hazardous entertainment trade .",
        "it 's a riveting tale that will make you rethink where humans and orcas fall in the natural food chain and the corporate one .",
        "although emotionally wrenching and not recommend for young children , ` MOV ' helps us re-think our relationship with nature .",
        "gabriela cowperthwaite 's eye-opening , edge-of-your-seat feature `` MOV '' has it all : an oversized villain , chilling attack footage , corporate malfeasance , and girls in bikinis .",
        "while cowperthwaite 's documentary does n't exactly come up with much of anything new to say on the matter , it remains an intriguing look at the problem .",
        "a blistering critique of the exploitation of performing orcas in marine parks .",
        "taken in sum , MOV is a punishing indictment of a multi-million dollar industry and one of the finest documentaries of the year .",
        "MOV takes an emotional argument and supports it with just enough logic to make it convincing .",
        "it builds a compelling case to show the negative results of capturing and confining such noble creatures as the MOV .",
        "in the wild , orcas live between 50 and a hundred years . in captivity , it 's half that . it 's simply a strong argument to free all the willies .",
        "you do n't have to be an animal-rights activist to appreciate its questioning of the justifications for keeping highly intelligent mammals ... in tanks to perform for our entertainment",
        "very good , very disturbing documentary by director gabriela cowperthwaite about killer whales in captivity and the dangers they present to their trainers ... the film contains some pretty vivid footage .",
        "-lsb- this is -rsb- heart-in-your-throat stuff . i feel bad calling actual footage of a man almost dying as being ` thrilling , ' and yet that 's what it is . we need a new word for MOV 's innately cinematic and all-too-real horror .",
        "an absolutely heartbreaking documentary ...",
        "for animal lovers with fond recollections of visiting seaworld as a child , director gabriela cowperthwaite 's MOV arrives to gatecrash your memories .",
        "` MOV ' proves in our pseudo-reality , entertainment-hungry world that the art of documenting is not lost . docs can still create change - and for seaworld , the perception of the theme park is forever changed .",
        "exp\u0151e nossa cegueira para o fato de que o que julg\u00e1vamos um show era basicamente uma cruel , imperdo\u00e1vel e longa tortura .",
        "MOV is a heartbreaking documentary , forensically constructed by gabriella cowperthwaite , about the extreme psychological distress of killer whales kept in captivity and used to entertain crowds at venues such as seaworld in orlando .",
        "MOV makes an especially strong case for the innate marvel of these animals : that they are smart , social , communicative and loving .",
        "the telling is calm and composed , avoiding any form of sensationalism or heightened anger . it probably wo n't win the oscar for best documentary , as the cove did on ... dolphin slaughter , but MOV is solid , revealing and quietly moving .",
        "if you see this , you wo n't want to ever visit one of these water parks with killer whales again , or work at there either .",
        "after watching `` MOV , '' you come away with a sense of orcas ' singular intelligence , to be sure , even their astonishing playfulness , but most of all their glorious power , and the majesty of their existence in their natural habitat .",
        "through the rueful voices of former trainers and whale experts , a narrative driven by disillusion and regret unfolds as the trainers point to a gap between seaworld 's public image and behind-the-scenes reality .",
        "MOV is enough to make anybody think twice about the wisdom of turning whales into performers .",
        "-lsb- its -rsb- argument never fails to be gripping , its structure perfectly executed to maximize its persuasiveness .",
        "meet a theme-park phenom in the form of the killer whales -lrb- orcas in the trade -rrb- on view in gabriela cowperthwaite 's gripping mindbender of a documentary .",
        "potent stuff but frustratingly one-sided . greater objective balance on the part of -lrb- director -rrb- cowperthwaite would make `` MOV '' a more complex and interesting , less preachy expose .",
        "a double-barreled indictment of seaworld , not only for its untruthful internal and media campaigns , but for the endangerment of its employees performing with the majestic mammals their practices literally drive mad .",
        "MOV , a documentary by gabriela cowperthwaite , puts the `` killer '' back into killer whales by indicting those sea parks that , in her well-chronicled estimation , place profit above safety .",
        "ostensibly the story of tilikum , it 's really a movie about us , an exploration of the inherent human need to reduce nature 's mysteries to modes we can easily process .",
        "the killer whale , one of nature 's most glorious creations for its sheer size , intelligence and emotional depth , is front and center here , along with the horror of its captivity .",
        "what makes gabriela cowperthwaite 's documentary about this particular tragedy so compelling is the way it forces us to re-evaluate our initial perception of the whole narrative , as well as our relationship to the natural world as a whole .",
        "if you 're an animal welfare person -lrb- as we all should be -rrb- , this film will get your dander rising .",
        "sea world 's worst nightmare -- and for good reason .",
        "the film appears to have been spat out of the same auto-outrage documentary generator that gave us the cove and bully .",
        "`` MOV '' is designed to get you angry and , by this standard , it works .",
        "`` MOV '' is less balanced investigation than full-on takedown of a broken system .",
        "this is one of those docs during which audiences gasp and cry out - or just cry - at regular intervals .",
        "i long ago made up my mind that keeping cetaceans in captivity is cruel by definition ... MOV may well convince others who have not given as much thought to the plight of orcas , which have never killed a human in the wild .",
        "tilikum , whose last victim dawn brancheau died in 2010 , is still performing at seaworld - after watching this documentary , you 'll think long and hard about taking your family to see him .",
        "the impression the film leaves is of a deep-pocketed institution that , for all its claims of humane and professional treatment , tolerates practices that are fundamentally at odds with the animals ' well-being ...",
        "it all adds up to a sympathetic profile of a serial killer 's traumatic history , and a compelling picture of humanity 's great inhumanity towards these sensitive , highly socialised beasts ...",
        "avoiding sensationalism it unearths the events in tilikum 's life with a journalistic rigour , expanding the story wider to reveal the dangers of keeping whales in captivity .",
        "... might cause moviegoers to change their perspective on those wholesome sea world marine shows .",
        "once you accept that orcas are intelligent and emotionally complex creatures , it becomes impossible to shrug off the film 's darker factoids as the cost of keeping families entertained .",
        "impassioned and disturbing , this doc matches the cove for marrying cool intellect with real fire .",
        "gabriela cowperthwaite has made a fascinating documentary about the consequences of keeping these large and intelligent animals as tourist attractions .",
        "in some ways a whistleblowers ' tale , in other ways a murder mystery . either way , a deeply affecting indictment of the aquatic theme parks that build tricks-and-splashes family shows around captured and bred orcas .",
        "riveting , alarming , heartbreaking and well-edited . you 'll never look at an orca or seaworld the same way again ."],
    "summary": "MOV is an aggressive , impassioned documentary that will change the way you look at performance killer whales .",
    "id": "771324976"
  },
  {
    "movie": "stir_of_echoes",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a moderately clever genre diversion that wants us to believe it 's something more .",
        "never have i seen reality come crashing down in a film in a more literal -- and disappointing -- way .",
        "an ungainly ghostly potboiler that digs furiously away in the same thematic graveyard as this summer 's most revelatory sleeper hit , but does n't unearth anything that 's worthy of attention .",
        "the more we know , the less we care .",
        "MOV might have worked just fine a few decades ago , but it now seems too simply schematic to spook us as much as it wants to .",
        "there is a definitive moment at which the movie self-destructs , and its sad to see that happen when echoes was shaping up to be an intensely powerful film .",
        "MOV is studded with potent fright scenes and built on a rock-solid performance by the ever - dependable kevin bacon .",
        "this brisk , well-acted supernatural drama can stand on its own as a most effective chiller .",
        "in its own smart , spooky way , MOV , with kevin bacon , is nearly as good as its bruce willis predecessor .",
        "one of the creepiest films to be released since se7en .",
        "it 's good , tense fun from sophomore director david koepp .",
        "koepp has made an interesting but irrelevant parallel between the otherworld and movies .",
        "MOV falls flat during its final third when more prosaic issues of homicide and revenge enter into the story , but right up to that point it manages to sink its chilly fingers deep in the meat of your mind .",
        "echoes is a pretty capable horror/thriller .",
        "MOV gives a classic ghost story extra zip by insisting on the reality of the characters and their place .",
        "koepp keeps MOV stirring for a good hour or so but is unable to sustain the mood throughout .",
        "where the sixth sense makes you feel like you 're enveloped in an atmosphere of the uncanny , MOV makes you feel like you 're being toyed with .",
        "after a compelling first half , the main echoes that this ghost yarn stirs up are of other movies .",
        "MOV feels like just another chapter in a scary yarn that 's somewhat out of touch with reality .",
        "there are moments of pure creepiness mixed in with campy dialogue and just-plain-silly plot lines .",
        "in the wake of the sixth sense , it 's mostly the many weaknesses of MOV that stand out while the movie 's unfilled promises disappear like you-know-what .",
        "koepp relies almost entirely on the isolated shocking images , ignoring the human element at the center in favor of digitalized special effects and rapid-fire editing .",
        "the movie that begins with a disquieting whimper of fear ends in a loud , improbable bang .",
        "as the movie unwinds , it quickly loses its eerie quality and settles in to a rather average who-done-it mystery .",
        "MOV insults the viewers ' intelligence at every turn .",
        "MOV is a canny piece of mature filmmaking that never recovers from a nervous breakdown it suffers halfway through .",
        "an eerie , intriguing early fall chiller !",
        "the story compensates for any discomfort because we are eventually given the light with which to understand , accept , and reconcile what we 've seen .",
        "star kevin bacon is at times wildly exciting , while kathryn erbe , playing his character 's long-suffering wife , delivers an understated but terribly interesting performance .",
        "the real skill koepp shows is that he grounds the scary stuff in a believable reality and delivers a ghost story that does n't lose its grip after the spirits have unambiguously been made manifest .",
        "rivetingly haunting .",
        "the first two-thirds of the movie is engagingly spooky , more so than the sixth sense .",
        "in a taut , grippingly intense performance , bacon captures the frenetic torment of a man driven to extremes by forces he ca n't begin to fathom .",
        "it seems confused and poorly organized , with a lot of dead ends .",
        "kevin bacon stars in one of his best performances !",
        "the kind of film that may give you pause the next time you walk into a dark room by yourself .",
        "vibrant , unsettling .",
        "david koepp 's second outing as director elevates the horror genre with a refreshing intelligence and humor .",
        "sturdy , smart thriller .",
        "playing the confused and trouble wife , kathryn erbe delivers a great performance .",
        "when MOV is focused on the supernatural , it is a scary and technically superior film . however , as it turns into a conventional thriller it becomes ordinary .",
        "solid characters , coherent storytelling and a number of good jolts mark this second directing effort from david koepp , hollywood 's screenwriter du jour of the mid - '90s .",
        "MOV is a ghost story and a pretty darn good one .",
        "sixth sense may have the boffo twist ending , but this is by far the better film on a sustained level , and features what has to be one of the creepiest first half-hours in recent film history !",
        "the audience is moved to stick it out with bacon through the whole ordeal because his take on the character is so genuine and down to earth .",
        "bacon really sizzles !",
        "a creepy thriller that gives bacon his best role yet .",
        "the film itself has a stiff dramatic spine and a canny performance by kevin bacon .",
        "MOV is the rare film that both respects and transcends the limits of its genre . it 's all about the time of life when every day is like every other day , when the paychecks are always too small , and life 's possibilities seem to shrink .",
        "if you are into the horror film genre without all the perfunctory gore , put this one on your must-see list .",
        "it 's the sixth sense with genuine scares .",
        "MOV is much more down and dirty , and the thrills are more visceral .",
        "the film feels like modernized , multi-layered episode from tv 's alfred hitchcock presents . it is a character-driven , suspenseful tale in which rather ordinary people are touched by extraordinary events .",
        "MOV is scarier and more graphic than the sixth sense .",
        "the first scary movie of the year !",
        "kevin 's perfect for this role with his everyday dude quality , and solid acting experience striking all the right chords .",
        "bacon should be working with a more original substance , a subject that would be truly worthy of his highly original character and his responses .",
        "it all falls apart in the final third , which feels particularly sloppy and nearly destroys the entire film .",
        "MOV is an okay psychological thriller , but it plays like a poor man 's sixth sense .",
        "a disappointingly ordinary film .",
        "more of a tv mystery show spirit than that of a powerful feature climax .",
        "initially intriguing , this proceeding turns increasingly erratic and trite .",
        "it offers a stir of an echo of horror , rather than the genuine cathartic article .",
        "what transpires is an okay ghost story ...",
        "many moments in the movie , creepy , funny , or just nifty , may manage a smirk of delight from you",
        "with its jumpy , manipulative shocks , the movie would be a hit in any other year , but coming on the heels of sense , these echoes are faint at best .",
        "although it shares some basic plot points with sixth sense , it is more of a traditional thriller and plows some very different emotional areas .",
        "it has enough smarts to scare us , sixth sense or not .",
        "MOV is one of the year 's best films , is based on a best selling novel , and features kevin bacon in one of his most skilful performances .",
        "the credibility quotient gets its biggest boost from bacon 's shrewdly detailed performance !",
        "it 's a shame that this film got tossed aside in the wake of the sixth sense 's success , because in my mind at least , it 's a more satisfying film .",
        "atmospheric and spooky . bacon is at the top of his game .",
        "works up a convincingly chilly atmosphere and has a few jolting moments . ... bacon is outstanding , and douglas and erbe do wonders with their somewhat sketchy roles .",
        "a spinetinglingly good horror film .",
        "this is pretty good stuff : an entertaining and reasonably frightening thriller that , quite shamelessly , makes you laugh and jump almost at the same time .",
        "this is a tense and atmospheric film .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- serious , atmospheric , character-driven supernatural drama .",
        "the skillful shock cuts will make you jump out of your skin , but it 's the digital visualisation of the ghostly samantha which really makes the flesh crawl .",
        "... a stylish , sporadically gripping thriller that boasts a number of undeniably tense sequences and interludes ...",
        "MOV is a scary , intelligent ghost story and thriller .",
        "the cast is uniformly good , with bacon giving the strongest performance as blue-collar tom .",
        "bacon 's performance is what makes it more than just another dead-person-walking-the-earth story . bacon is truly a man possessed .",
        "i did receive a few chills and some kicks from it .",
        "it 's nice to see he relied on more than heavy-handed filmmaking and a twist ending . i just hope audiences go for a supernatural thriller that 's a little messier and does n't feel the need to claw at their heart for two hours .",
        "ultimately , it is bacon 's blue-collar conflict that resonates .",
        "a psychological thriller about the dark side of having highly developed psychic abilities .",
        "second-time director david koepp steers clear of silly pyrotechnics and empty show as he anchors his supernatural thriller in tom 's daily rituals , employing the racket of city life and intelligent sound edits to crank up the tension .",
        "... might have been a first-rate occult thriller if director koepp had had the confidence to stick with the unearthly side of his tale .",
        "another object lesson in ineptitude .",
        "not too many genre films reach too far below the surface , and MOV is a welcome aberration .",
        "disturbing imagery , great timing , and strong acting by the leads .",
        "a startling film that is exacting and personal and resonant .",
        "even if the ending seems a bit tidy , the film is still effective and nicely creepy -- definitely worth seeing .",
        "most of the echoes are stirred up from earlier , better movies .",
        "stir kept me interested the entire time , but it was bit predictable .",
        "kevin bacon is remarkably effective as the caring father whose skepticism is rudely ruptured ."],
    "summary": "kevin bacon 's acting is so genuine that it 's creepy and director david keopp knows how to create true suspense .",
    "id": "14386"
  },
  {
    "movie": "5050_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a picture with a commercial sensibility and a quippy streak , yet one honest enough to transcend the usual .",
        "a funny , thoughtful film , less about surviving cancer than about the agonizing process of growing up .",
        "the fear , anger , and despair of terminal illness barely pierce the movie 's easygoing vibe , which becomes something of a problem in the second half , but for the most part this is fresh , sincere , and inquisitive .",
        "just like the many bits of advice that are so convincingly strewn throughout 50/50 , it emphatically validates one of the most enduring ones : laughter is indeed the best medicine , especially when the stakes are so high .",
        "the picture could be so much better than it is , and yet it 's also the kind of movie that makes you want to grade on the curve , adding extra points for good intentions .",
        "50/50 is sentimental but never too much . not with this cast . it 's irreverent about cancer and that could be inspirational . and it 's surely one of the most enjoyable movies i 've seen all year .",
        "this ambitious comedy may appear benign on the surface but it 's likely to stay with you and develop into something more than you might have thought . and in this case that 's a good thing .",
        "there 's a better than even chance that you 'll find it both funny and touching .",
        "50/50 is crude and funny , and it demands that you laugh . and you will .",
        "... what makes this `` chuckles n ' chemo '' film so watchable is that it is , at its core , a fish out of water tale .",
        "the gordon-levitt-rogen bromance is one of the most exciting and fun ones in recent comedy history , and the pair have a wonderful natural rift ...",
        "seth rogen might be there to puts bums on seats , but it 's joseph gordon-levitt who will keep you watching .",
        "a rom-com with brains that - at key moments - feels as sly and sweet as annie hall .",
        "it 's not a major landmark on anybody 's r\u00e9sum\u00e9 , but it 's nothing to be ashamed of either .",
        "whether you 're after a comedy-drama about cancer or a rogen laugh-fest with added heart , this does a remarkable job of balancing the odds .",
        "this is the terminal illness weepie for people who do n't watch terminal illness weepies , and it 's much the better for it .",
        "it may be a marketing nightmare , but as examinations of mortality go , few come funnier , wiser or more astutely acted .",
        "50/50 is about right .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a movie that embraces the ugly side of what happens to complicated personal relationships . its quite uncomfortable at times , and the frank exploration of the cancer patient journey makes the comedy even funnier .",
        "it is tough to make a comedy about cancer , since it touches us all . it is not funny . when you have seth rogen in a film , however , anything can be funny .",
        "too much humor and we lose the characters . too little humor and it becomes a lifetime movie . balance is the key and , for the most part , levine finds it .",
        "a tremendously endearing , emotionally complex motion picture that gracefully inspects the stages of grief , worry , and , of course , catharsis , approaching a delicate subject matter with a disarming confidence .",
        "by the end , it does manage to grab hold of your emotions , but it 's a long way to get there and not really worth it in the long run as there have been other films that have dealt with this subject matter in better fashion .",
        "the ever-nimble gordon-levitt sells both sides of the transformation with ease , he 's an ideal leading man for smart , sensitive dramedy .",
        "although `` 50/50 '' is structured with the efficiency of a sitcom , there 's an undercurrent of truth and real feeling .",
        "more interested in healing through laughter than confronting the tough stuff . that 's why the treatment goes down so easy .",
        "an edgy concept , promising director , and a fine cast done in by bromides .",
        "my reaction to everything that happens in 50/50 was `` why do n't they just walk out ? '' but nobody did , so i did it for them .",
        "it 's the rogen-goldberg touch , with the duo 's characteristic superbad mash of the sweet and the bracingly coarse , that sells this unusual downer/upper of a life-and-death comedy .",
        "`` 50/50 '' is a tremendous movie . it 's also a really funny one , which does n't mean it wo n't make you cry .",
        "the picture scores highly for tackling tricky , thought-provoking subject matter and contains some humorous and touching moments .",
        "so well-meaning you want to hug it .",
        "this frequently funny and moving film proves humour can be wrung from tricky subjects , providing it 's done with sufficient thoughtfulness and wit .",
        "the absence of self-pity and sentimentality is something of a change . the women involved , however , are given a rather hard time .",
        "gordon-levitt 's uptight everyman hero fully earns our sympathy and kendrick is superb as the rookie therapist , but the film suffers from an overly strong dose of rogen 's crudity and mawkishness , which must surely be reaching its use-by date soon .",
        "this film leaves a strange taste in the mouth .",
        "to those unfortunate enough to have a potentially terminal illness , it could be inspirational .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- n honest , hilarious , laugh-till-you-cry look at how very much it sucks to get very sick as a young person ... the characters are all uniquely vivid and unforgettable ...",
        "it 's the performances that really make it work , with seth rogen bringing his usual wonderfully loose comic energy to proceedings .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- beautifully played , precisely observed and surprisingly thoughtful buddy movie , which is based on a true story .",
        "this film could use a lot more affliction and a lot less cure .",
        "levine has accomplished a tricky bit of juggling here : he 's made a film about cancer that 's effortlessly affecting .",
        "... delivers some hard-core truths as well as therapeutic humor while treating more than one kind of death .",
        "builds to the confidently sincere movie you hoped it would be , after dithering around in tired cutesiness .",
        "50/50 mostly succeeds as a movie about a young man fighting cancer that does n't give in to sap or sentiment .",
        "unsentimental , smart and funny , this dramatic comedy is the best film about illness i 've ever seen .",
        "the characters and dialogue are so cool and hip and accessible , the movie almost succeeds in making us forget this is terms of endearment with a heavy ladle of testosterone and a smirk .",
        "odds are you 'll find something of substance , a few life lessons in between the laughs in `` 50/50 . ''",
        "it proves that it 's possible to be emotional and thoughtful - and funny - at the same time .",
        "a small winner ; the director , jonathan levine -lrb- `` the wackness '' -rrb- , has a great touch , mordant but light-handed .",
        "you 'll walk out a stronger person than you were when you went in .",
        "50/50 is not just another crude piece of mockery . crude at times , yes , but at its occasionally uneven soul is a very funny and bluntly moving tale of living within the fringes of potential death .",
        "with its excellent cast and emotionally intelligent script , 50/50 is n't necessarily a feel good movie about cancer , but is an exceptional telling of one man 's story , mixed with a perfect balance of sympathy and laughs .",
        "interesting commentary on how we deal with difficult situations , and makes a strong case for our desperate need for each other -- especially when the odds are stacked against us .",
        "... surprisingly funny , while also honestly poignant and dramatic .",
        "... one of the unexpected pleasures of the fall movie season .",
        "`` 50/50 '' is a tear jerker film that has me calling it one of the best films of 2011 .",
        "add 50/50 to your want to see list . and then make an appointment for your annual physical with your doctor .",
        "even with its flaws and age limits , 50/50 is n't half bad .",
        "50/50 is noble in its own way but not especially affecting . in its homey style and jokiness it 's as comfortable as an old shoe , and i do n't know that a movie about cancer should be comfortable .",
        "what a tightrope this movie is .",
        "`` 50/50 '' is a gem .",
        "more than a cut above disease dramas , 50/50 spins eccentric humor out of savage heartbreak . and targets both the sick and supportive with equal opportunity satirical relish , that taunts without trivializing the human condition as universal borrowed time",
        "the most upbeat cancer comedy ever made , 50/50 is effective as brom , romcom , and more .",
        "there 's a vital difference between , say , the trumped-up day-seizing of the bucket list and this , a funny , moving , well-grounded take on a potentially traumatic experience .",
        "... brilliantly manages to blend big laughs with high drama .",
        "a pitch-perfect blend of comedy and tragedy that will leave you with a lump in your throat , and a tear in your eye .",
        "that leaves it to gordon-levitt to take on the emotional weight of the film . and while he 's always convincing , the surrounding story elements make for a less than resonant experience .",
        "i think it navigates some tricky tonal shifts in ways that are impressive and at times quite moving .",
        "will reiser 's semiautobiographical script initially prescribes too artificial a story treatment for its characters but is rescued by a genial , low-key vibe that builds in sensitivity and emotion up through the final reels .",
        "a good movie with a moderate sense of daring that ultimately spends too much time telling the wrong story",
        "a near-great movie made out of the hardest-to-thread , most oxymoronic genre imaginable - `` cancer comedy . ''",
        "nimbly switching gears between heartful drama and uproarious comedy , 50/50 tackles the near-impossible and makes a film about cancer that 'll have you crying like a baby one minute and laughing so hard your sides hurt the next .",
        "there could n't be a more serious subject , yet gordon-levitt and especially rogen -lrb- who co-produced the movie -rrb- make the comedy seem both spontaneous and organic .",
        "tackles a distressing subject with a healthy dose of humour , thanks to a sharply observed script , well-rounded , likeable characters , astute direction and a trio of terrific performances from joseph gordon-levitt , seth rogen and anna kendrick .",
        "the elements of 50/50 that do work are strong enough to carry the film along and affecting enough to bring losers like me to tears in their cinema seats .",
        "life is hard . cancer is hard . relationships are hard . family is hard . ' 50/50 ' managed to find the power in all of those things and give us plenty of laughs so we 're not simply in a ball crying .",
        "films about cancer are n't generally this funny . and while this movie is n't a comedy , beyond its generous dose of realistic humour , it has a smart , personal script that dares to face a difficult situation head on .",
        "yes , cancer can be funny . sort of .",
        "jonathan levine directs a film that may be one of the year 's best but still makes one yearn for the serious and uncompromising films of the 1950s and 1960s .",
        "... a remarkable film . not one single moment rings untrue .",
        "`` 50/50 '' is a low-key , authentic , warm-hearted film ; the cast is one of the best of the year .",
        "a wonderful , cathartic pleasure .",
        "one of the best movies i have seen this year .",
        "it succeeds mostly thanks to stellar work by the wonderful joseph gordon-levitt , who capably handles the dramatic heavy lifting , and seth rogen , who delivers big laughs as his raunchy bud .",
        "the truly outrageous idea , that you can use being gravely ill to get sympathy hookups for yourself and your friends - as underlined in the movie 's original , better title , `` i 'm with cancer '' - is given short shrift .",
        "whatever laughs and tears the film wrings out of you do ultimately feel earned .",
        "`` 50/50 '' takes the hackneyed convention of illness-driven melodrama and reinvigorates it with honesty , clear-eyed compassion and unsentimental wit .",
        "reiser has written his characters with an indelible sweetness and vulnerability , which allows the cast to deliver performances with some depth .",
        "a remarkably tough-minded meditation on mortality , willing to confront the audience with harsh realities and to grapple with difficult , scary questions .",
        "some people might take offense at the movie 's tone . but it is that very attitude that sets `` 50/50 '' apart from your typical movie-of-the-week feature . it actually strengthens its appeal .",
        "50/50 is n't interested in defeatism , except as one inevitable way station of the film 's appealing emotional ramble .",
        "if you want to draw some life lessons from it all , go ahead : that 's your choice , and it 's easy to do . but ' 50/50 ' is n't going to beat you about the head with it .",
        "a good cancer movie should make you both laugh and cry , and 50/50 did exactly that for me .",
        "if you are open to the experience of a ` cancer movie , ' this is a pretty good one . it 's funny where it should be funny , dramatic where it should be dramatic . it does n't try too hard to wring the tears out of you . -lrb- movie review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "50/50 centers around a cancerous presence , and that refers to seth rogen as much as it does to the malignant tumor found on the spine of adam -lrb- joseph gordon-levitt -rrb- . carve rogen out of the picture , and its chances of being a truly moving film increase .",
        "emotionally cathartic serio-comedy , ending on a convincingly upbeat note .",
        "as adam in 50/50 , gordon-levitt is low-key , but very human . his expressive face shines and darkens . director jonathan levine brings him back to simple , expressive humanity .",
        "' 50/50 ' plays cancer for laughs .",
        "even hardened cynics will embrace the clich\u00e9 -- yep , you will laugh , you will cry .",
        "a soft and sweet cancer drama that hits with the force of an ill-timed hug , 50/50 is the winsomely told story of a young man blindsided by his own body and the ways in which his inherently lonely struggle upturns his life .",
        "rises above its difficult subject matter to create a movie that 's warm and poignant but incredibly funny as well .",
        "still , it 's gordon-levitt 's choices that continue to impress . sure , he owned one of the most jaw-dropping sequences in last summer 's blockbuster inception . but the actor remains drawn to profoundly human-scale hurts and quiet triumphs .",
        "gordon-levitt is an agreeably undemonstrative actor who plays well opposite the burbly rogen .",
        "it wrings comedy from cancer and surrounds its saintly protagonist with sickly stereotypes . but the closer it gets to the mortal abyss , the more it feels real and revealing .",
        "director jonathan levine has the ideal approach to the material , which is to stand aside , frame each scene honestly and let the actors drive the story .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the tightrope act of a script by will reiser is elevated in remarkable ways by one of the best ensembles of the year , led ably by the great joseph gordon-levitt , doing career-best , oscar nomination-worthy work .",
        "somehow remains prickly and funny through every moment of its running time .",
        "fact-inspired yet unpersuasive , transforming neurofibrosarcoma into a lucky break -- a short cut to a more purposeful life , complete with an attractive age-appropriate cancer therapist to replace the unfaithful girlfriend .",
        "`` 50/50 '' is an unusual comedy that should be taken seriously .",
        "there are some hearty , mordant laughs to be had in this uneven `` cancer comedy , '' but the best reason to see it is the admirably self-effacing and deeply affecting performance of joseph gordon-levitt .",
        "... it 's a pretty neat trick to blend comedy with a story that 's moving and relevant ; it helps to have a smart screenplay , a strong cast , and an overall good vibe . those qualities make 50/50 one of the bright spots on the fall movie map ...",
        "an everyman tale with plenty of heart and honesty , the serious subject matter is regularly enlivened with jolts of genuine hilarity , some of it in delightfully questionable taste .",
        "what ensues is `` beaches '' meets `` pineapple express . '' which , i 've got to tell you , is pretty much what living with cancer is like .",
        "`` 50/50 '' will be liked and appreciated even by people who ca n't imagine wanting to see it .",
        "it 's an impressive balance between humor and heart .",
        "50/50 nimbly draws humor out of a young man 's illness , walks a tightrope of tragicomedy and touches on all the right points .",
        "50/50 is very entertaining and touching , but rhythm eludes the movie from the very beginning .",
        "an uncompromising gem , the kind of film that hits all the right notes as it navigates from gentle , unforced humor to knowing pathos .",
        "for every caustic one-liner and hip indie-rock song in 50/50 , there are just as many hanky-requiring sentiments and just as many moments of stomach-churning disquiet .",
        "there 's a simple elegance to way -lsb- screenwriter will -rsb- reiser and director jonathan levine tie these bonds .",
        "no one is transformed into saintliness or transcendence but there are lessons learned , losses borne , and hurdles overcome .",
        "i admire the audacity of the script , which was written by will reiser from personal experience , and i laughed in most of the right places , as people in adam 's life struggle , often absurdly , to say or do the right thing .",
        "the movie deepens in the second half . eisner based adam on someone he knew extremely well , so the unsentimental dialogue rings true .",
        "swapping out the usual relationship tangle for a cancer-centric plot , 50/50 feels like this year 's -lrb- 500 -rrb- days of summer .",
        "does n't even quite pull off ` very good , ' but it easily walks off with a solid ` good . ' and in 2011 , good may be good enough .",
        "as honest as -lsb- screenwriter will reiser -rsb- could make it within the parameters of an uplifting crowd-pleaser .",
        "joseph gordon-levitt 's performance is heartbreaking and inspiring .",
        "not the comedy i expected but instead a well acted but depressing film .",
        "-lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- tap into the wonderful complexity of the material : cancer is awful , but it 's instructive and loving and funny , too .",
        "50/50 keeps the highs high . that 's easy . keeping the lows high is much more tricky . the lows are where most dying-of-a-disease movies go to die .",
        "cancer patient questions his life in mature dramedy .",
        "amazingly upbeat and comical despite realistically depicting what it 's like to know you have only a 50/50 chance of surviving a rare cancer .",
        "funny , heartfelt , well-acted and refreshingly honest . it 's one of the best movies of the year .",
        "splitting the difference , 50/50 gets a comparable assessment : not half-bad , but not 100 % either . given the topic of fending off death , it 's surprising that the story never quite sparks to life .",
        "in other hands , adam might well be hard to take . but as the comedy in 50/50 turns darker , gordon-levitt , who 's maybe the most natural , least affected actor of his generation , makes prickly plenty engaging .",
        "without knowing the background of the real story , as will likely be true for most moviegoers , there is real suspense as to the outcome .",
        "cancer is not funny ! and yet , in the hands of seth rogen and his posse the real story of one of his friends , will reiser , who battled and survived cancer , is a tour-de-force tale of love , friendship and triumph !",
        "has humorous moments and heavy ones , and neither half feels forced .",
        "the emotional payday the jonathan levine-directed 50/50 dowels out is hugely rewarding .",
        "scene by scene , 50/50 can be both amusing and moving , with the tightly wound gordon-levitt and the boundaryless rogen forming an oddly complementary pair . but as a whole the movie never quite coheres .",
        "emotional without being cloying , honest and funny and low key .",
        "mixing humor and painful subject matter is , naturally , very difficult . the beauty of this movie is that it does so with ease .",
        "chances are about 90/10 that you 'll enjoy 50/50 .",
        "the movie has an inescapably autumnal quality , but it 's funny throughout ...",
        "emotionally honest even when it 's going for big laughs and filled with lived-in visual detail , it 's raunchy and touching without ever being crude or mawkish , a small , sharp comic jewel with a big heart .",
        "gordon-levitt capitalizes on the best role of his career , one that justifies a potential oscar nomination .",
        "mostly it 's just terribly funny and sad and beautifully acted and terrifically feel-good for being , you know , a cancer comedy .",
        "`` 50/50 '' deftly blends tragedy with comedy - in a way that feels , often effortlessly , like real life .",
        "neither the actor nor the filmmakers can get under adam 's skin , despite all the close-ups and the moodily shot scenes filled with the kind of movie silence that feels more like the groping of an uncertain screenwriter than of a man facing his mortality .",
        "it almost seems as if `` 50/50 '' is leaning too hard on the lighthearted shtick , until the final act , when everything comes together with genuine emotional heft .",
        "... easily the year 's best comedy .",
        "too pat and contrived to be the oscar bell-ringer early reports have claimed , `` 50/50 '' is most affecting when it shows callow young dudes struggling to come to terms with the ultimate party crasher .",
        "i do n't think there has been a movie so far with this many good things going on .",
        "deeply affecting and admirably even-keeled ...",
        "gordon-levitt turns depression and despair into comedy of the edgiest kind , while making his character all the more sympathetic for his occasional outbursts of anger and aggression .",
        "todo est\u00e1 muy bien observado por el guionista will reiser con pinceladas de humor muy efectivo -lrb- casi siempre gentileza de seth rogen , que hace el mismo personaje de siempre y lo hace b\u00e1rbaro -rrb- y tambi\u00e9n con algunas cuotas de emoci\u00f3n esperables .",
        "this film is thin .",
        "the tears are earned , no small thanks to the touching performances .",
        "a powerfully empathetic performance by joseph gordon-levitt saves 50/50 from succumbing to the annoying presence of seth rogen and his hophead propagandizing .",
        "... a gen-y terms of endearment that bullseyes both the existential dilemma and piercing clarity that cancer sufferers experience .",
        "for all of the attention 50/50 has gotten for being the ` cancer comedy ' , it 's received not nearly enough praise for being so moving and emotionally satisfying .",
        "will reiser 's emotionally rich script -- which is based on his own battle with cancer -- never hits a wrong note , and he finds the comedy in adam 's life as easily as the drama .",
        "dark humor , smart characters and a script with a heart make ' 50/50 ' one of the best films of the year . you 'll take some emotions with you when you leave the theater .",
        "refusing to hide from pain or bow to it , 50/50 makes its own rules . joseph gordon-levitt and seth rogen are a dream team .",
        "the result is a story that feels genuinely balanced , that provokes laughter or tears only when they 're earned .",
        "a touching portrait of a courageous young man 's journey with cancer and the varied responses of the people around him .",
        "to the extent that 50/50 works , it because of gordon-levitt , one of my favorite actors .",
        "the movie is more subtle than the trailers indicate .",
        "this nervy film avoids being blatantly `` life-affirming '' or `` feel-good , '' helping it earn its tears and laughs . the premise covers the first of those . joseph gordon-levitt and seth rogen merge it with the second .",
        "sweet but sometimes a little too aggressively normal .",
        "as a comedy about a young man with cancer , it needs to be serious enough to be real as well as light enough to be funny . though it falls off the wagon at times , it maintains its balance remarkably well .",
        "levitt , the definition of nuance , is touching , funny , and fierce - an unusual combination of moods , but deeply affecting .",
        "an amusing , heartfelt , but unexceptional portrait of friendship and survival , 50/50 gets a mostly favorable diagnosis .",
        "an honest , earnest and powerful look at a young person 's battle with cancer .",
        "even with all its faults , it 's pretty difficult not to be won over .",
        "rogen 's vulgar , unexpected decency is quietly moving .",
        "it 's a film about cancer , but it never succumbs to the morose trappings of its cinematic cousins ... it 's done with such a subtle grace that it 's easy to forget your heart is being tugged at by filmmakers .",
        "50/50 is a thoughtful and challenging story , grounded in real world characters , that also manages rewarding and cathartic laughs .",
        "50/50 is smartly written and well acted enough to have you fully invested once it 's time to find out if those titular odds come good .",
        "it 's a brave plan to make a cancer movie that 's moving , uplifting and pant-wettingly funny . but against the odds , it 's definitely a case of remission accomplished .",
        "wonderfully played , with a marvelous humanity about it .",
        "in a world where we are either given silly comedies or serious dramas , jonathan levine manages to bring both together in perfect harmony for 50/50 .",
        "50/50 is funny , sweet , moving , well acted and touching story of friendship .",
        "takes what i believe is one of the most realistic approaches to cancer and cancer treatment you 'll see on screen , but remembers to treat its potentially delicate subject matter with a blunt sense of humor ."],
    "summary": "a good-hearted film about a difficult topic , 50/50 maneuvers between jokes and drama with surprising finesse .",
    "id": "771234468"
  },
  {
    "movie": "tell_them_who_you_are",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the film is an odd hybrid , sort of a family therapy session meshed with a turner classic movies tribute doc , but the combination works in entertaining and poignant ways .",
        "not just a behind-the-scenes history chapter but an insightful father-son comedy-drama .",
        "a hilarious , poignant documentary from mark wexler , son of famous cinematographer haskell wexler , about his irascible , politically headstrong father .",
        "despite a slightly limp finale , this is fascinating stuff and a revelatory experience for filmmaker , subject and , well , anyone with a family .",
        "MOV has a powerful emotional resonance that transcends its hollywood setting .",
        "one of the most clear-eyed and intimate hollywood portraits ever filmed .",
        "a revealing portrait of the artist as irascible autodidact , committed social crusader and deeply flawed father figure .",
        "a remarkable work -- lively , painful , humorous , deeply revealing of both father and son -- that is worthy of one of hollywood 's finest directors of photography .",
        "the subject is a fascinating one , and the film is worth watching just to see how impressive wexler 's career has been .",
        "equal parts fan mail and home video from hell , MOV is a fascinating piece of father-son psychotherapy \u0155 la hollywood .",
        "an opportunity missed",
        "more than a hollywood profile , it becomes a filmmaker 's effort to figure out how he relates , personally and professionally , to his famous father .",
        "a real gem of a film .",
        "unlike countless other bad-dad pictures , tell them moves gradually and elegantly toward a reconciliation that is n't too maudlin or forced .",
        "what emerges is not so much a career biography of the talented dp for who 's afraid of virginia woolf ? , coming home and a number of john sayles films .",
        "anyone who has been either a parent or a child will understand the push-me - pull-you , love-and-hate dynamic the film captures , and the attempt at reconciliation that it represents .",
        "as personally troublesome as they may be , the prickly dynamics keep the docu bobbing along .",
        "an engaging and perceptive documentary .",
        "... touches on some universal truths about paternal relationships .",
        "it 's a welcome , honest assessment of a powerful and industry-connected father and his just-wants - to-be-himself son .",
        "a far more intriguing and moving film than one might expect .",
        "beneath its exploration of fatherly distance , this is really a portrait of why cranks make better artists than earnest nice guys .",
        "absorbing and insightful .",
        "a stunning personal document -- funny , touching , vital .",
        "this poignant documentary rises above the usual uncritical retrospective in that its star is an unbending talent , self-destructively flawed .",
        "a self-reflexive slice of therapeutic documentary filmmaking .",
        "MOV is fascinating for the issues -- ethical , aesthetic , psychoanalytic -- it raises . but it does n't fully come together .",
        "the result is quite moving at times , but ultimately perhaps of interest to only those intimately involved .",
        "not just a biopic about a great cinematography but a sentimental piece about a father-son conflict .",
        "a unique and luminous achievement .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- tremendously moving documentary .",
        "with dad calling junior 's filmmaking skills into question at every turn , this is a fascinating blend of fact and friction .",
        "a desperately sad look at two men whose determination to rebel against their heritage and succeed in their artform has rendered them unable to communicate . compelling stuff , though .",
        "a rare film of startling sincerity",
        "what we really get from son mark 's unusual take is a sterling movie about fathers -lrb- especially famous fathers -rrb- and offspring .",
        "it 's a remarkable documentary , thoroughly enjoyable and one of the most powerful films i 've seen in quite some time .",
        "MOV radiates dignity , the unusual warmth given off by the frustration of trying to know someone .",
        "in the end this is a great movie about a filmmaker . it 's also a great movie about fathers and sons .",
        "it works as a portrait of a father-son relationship that 's awkward , volatile , uneven and always painfully real .",
        "you have to put up with too much family therapy for the few insights into wexler 's brilliant work .",
        "MOV is breezy and informative . it offers a view of the talented , opinionated man that only his son could pull off .",
        "the film 's real appeal is the morbidly fascinating spectacle of a grown man reduced to adolescent sulking and whining by his imperious father : it 's flat-out enthralling , in the rubbernecking tradition of train wrecks and public nervous breakdowns .",
        "it 's a case in which the director should have put his ego and personal issues aside to create a more conventional life story .",
        "a fascinating glimpse of family love and rivalry , if not a deep-digging documentary .",
        "a fully realized , emotionally moving portrait of a difficult , complex subject .",
        "if MOV had been a sunny doc about how great the old man was , it would n't be worth seeing -- and would n't be the kind of film haskell himself makes .",
        "this intimate portrait of the legendary octogenarian cinematographer haskell wexler is the richest documentary of its kind since terry zwigoffs crumb .",
        "the movie gets progressively more candid until , toward the end , the two wexlers , along with mark 's mother , collaborate on one great sequence of family sorrow and togetherness all but redeems the entire movie .",
        "wexler p\u010dre , who turned 80 during filming , is a much more compelling figure than we glimpsed in 1992 's dp essay visions of light .",
        "a compelling portrait of a fascinating man , full of deep love for cinema and political causes , yet unable to express this feeling to his own flesh-and-blood .",
        "... surprisingly poignant ...",
        "mark wexler 's film is the latest success in the blooming genre of therapeutic , first-person , digital essay films exploring the filmmaker 's personal life .",
        "as fascinating as all the film history is , the movie 's core is the dynamic between a famous but distant parent and his child .",
        "a vivid picture of a relationship that , like most , is n't quite picture-perfect .",
        "haskell comes off as a jerk -- but mark somehow looks even worse : not just insincere but weak , vain and vindictive .",
        "MOV achieves greatness in its climax , which goes beyond the many faces haskell wexler shows the world and reveals yet another side , one that seems to surprise even him .",
        "a lively , often hilarious yet profoundly moving experience .",
        "dysfunctional , yes , but the film 's power comes in the gradual lessening of the defenses as the men reach out into devastating honesty .",
        "what makes this movie deeply fascinating is the fight haskell wages . as the semi-willing subject of this movie , he 's determined to gain the upper hand or , at least , come out somewhat sympathetic .",
        "despite merits , this self-reflexive docu about the wexlers , pere et fils , suffers from a streak of sentimentality and therapeutic sensibility",
        "the film holds steady and rarely asks for pity .",
        "part history , part biography , part appreciation , and all therapy , it is a funny , wrenching , profound , and deeply moving film .",
        "the strength of MOV is its honesty in showing how the younger man faces the protean force that sired him , cheated on his mother , called him stupid , despised his politics and yet through it all , somehow , still loved him ."],
    "summary": "the dysfunctional interaction between director and subject is fascinating , poignant , and revealing of both men and of father-son relationships in general .",
    "id": "14006"
  },
  {
    "movie": "star_trek_insurrection",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the problem with insurrection -lsb- is n't -rsb- that it 's like a two-part episode . the problem is that it 's like a one-part episode that was more than doubled in length without having nearly enough drama .",
        "taken as a whole the movie is fun even if it does contain several long , dull passages .",
        "an appealing millennial throwback to the hippie dream that is part and parcel of star trek 's utopian ethos .",
        "you do n't need to be a trekkie to enjoy the trip , as long as you 're young enough at heart to enjoy adventure wherever you find it .",
        "fun for most folks , heaven for trekkers .",
        "stewart looks great as usual and is impeccable in his familiar role , but most of the other principals were seriously underused .",
        "the plot feels like something dug out of an old pile of next generation scripts , with a fuzzy focus on the wonderment of newfound youth .",
        "this is a good deal more than just another sci-fi movie .",
        "there are some nice moments early on .",
        "nothing more than a glorified episode .",
        "most of the television episodes have been smarter .",
        "despite the usual strained stabs at topical social significance , frakes maintains a brisk pace , staging the battle scenes with panache and undercutting the absurd techno gibberish with crass but leavening humour .",
        "not one of the most successful of the `` star trek '' films , it 's always nice to see the cast reunite .",
        "this is really just a pretty good episode of the series , which is not really a bad thing .",
        "you can only play a piano so many times before it finally goes out of tune .",
        "trekkers will eat that stuff up ; others will be looking elsewhere for something engaging , which can not be found in the by-the-numbers story or the incredibly boring villain .",
        "they probably should have completely thrown the script out . that way , they could have come up with a story that at least had a sign of intelligence and freshness .",
        "it just is not sufficiently involving .",
        "when star trek starts to resemble battlestar galactica and babylon 5 , something is amiss .",
        "another extended episode played out with a decided lack of conviction , with nothing ever really at stake , and lazy humor that 's aimed strictly at the disciples .",
        "a sad passing for a once-pioneering series",
        "the only thing i hate more than a bad movie is a movie i ca n't follow .",
        "the movie 's single best feature is its villain ru'afo , played with scornful malevolence by f. murray abraham ; he can take his place alongside alice krige 's borg queen in ` first contact ' and ricardo montalban 's khan as a memorably creepy nemesis .",
        "the quirkiest trek yet , insurrection is breezy , low - key and often humorous .",
        "an enjoyable movie , employing the basics that should endear it to most trekkers .",
        "the film lost points for executing the much-vaunted riker manuever using a bad microsoft force feedback joystick .",
        "a mediocre entry into the series .",
        "lurches clumsily between drama , hammy comedy , and moral lecturing",
        "high-minded and shallow .",
        "there are other good reasons to see this particular film , including some sharply-staged action sequences and plenty of belly laughs .",
        "i saw more creativity and pizzazz in the two-minute star wars trailer than in the 103 minutes of star trek : insurrection that followed .",
        "star trek : insurrection is n't painful to sit through , but it adds nothing to the star trek mythos , and overall is a complete waste of time .",
        "strikes a deft balance of predictable heroics and quirky humor .",
        "like all recipes with too much of this and too little of that , this movie is n't so much bad , as it 's just weak in places .",
        "does n't exactly boldly go where no one has gone before .",
        "this should be review enough for most trekkers : it 's the better of the odd-numbered movies , but it is definitely an odd-numbered movie .",
        "the latest and ninth installment in that line , star trek : insurrection , lacks the adrenalized oomph of its predecessor , but no adventure of the starship enterprise is without its gee-whiz affability .",
        "one of the weaker entries in the series .",
        "if merchant-ivory produced a ` star trek ' film , this would be it .",
        "a respectable and enjoyable , though hardly ground-breaking , adventure .",
        "more of the the same-old - same-old .",
        "an admirable mix of ethics , drama , humor , and outer space dogfights .",
        "insurrection does n't quite gain the mantle of ` worst star trek film ' from star trek v -- but it gets a little too close for comfort .",
        "-lsb- combines the -rsb- idealism , action-adventure , and the requisite special effects with some of the gentle humor and romance that characterized the original television series .",
        "in two outings as director , jonathan frakes has proven that he understands what makes star trek work on the big screen .",
        "a pretty decent movie that even non-trekkies would probably enjoy .",
        "an acceptable movie to trek fans , if disappointing .",
        "a muddled , gimpy mess , filled with the worst sort of trek cliches and ill-timed humorous outbursts . on top of that , the film might as well have been edited by mr. scott in the midst of a romulan ale bender .",
        "the plot just leaves too many questions unanswered in the end .",
        "what starts out as a stroll through an idyllic whole earth catalog-style communal existence resolves into a tightly knit sci-fi action adventure , packed with the verities that generations of trekkies admire and expect .",
        "insurrection is n't nearly as good as first contact . but is a far cry from the first of the next generation movie adventure , generations .",
        "like a long episode of star trek : the next generation .",
        "insurrection offers endless pleasure and inside jokes for the hardcore fans , but it 's less urgent than first contact , the dynamic last installment of the series .",
        "... the lightest and most traditional of the movies , for good or bad .",
        "feels like an overly long , slightly dull episode from the series .",
        "it 's back to boring basics for the gene roddenberry franchise .",
        "it 's like one of those not-quite-favorite episodes from the series that you might enjoy watching again if it happens to air during a marathon , but it comes nowhere near achieving the best that star trek can do ... ''",
        "it 's an interesting story , more accessible to non-trekkers than previous entries .",
        "the extravagant makeup and special effects are actually unobtrusive because they 're demanded by the pleasantly formulaic story , whose conflicts -- and broad , innocuous political allegory -- justify the heartwarming resolution .",
        "genial , well-crafted tribute to the moral values gene roddenberry instilled in his sci-fi series , that suffers from a recurring flaw in the franchise , a lack of real threat and danger .",
        "the story has enough plot switchbacks , space battles and gizmo wizardry to ensure that most viewers wo n't forget the film until at least the next morning .",
        "inert and unconvincing .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "although not terrible , the sluggishly paced insurrection plays like an extended episode of the tv series .",
    "id": "11889"
  },
  {
    "movie": "harry_potter_and_the_goblet_of_fire",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it feels a little rushed , and although it is still a picture worth seeing , it stands as one of the weaker chapters in the potter series .",
        "once again grint , who has grown up to be a talented comic actor , is the scene stealer here . if i had a crystal ball , i 'd say he 's the actor whose post-potter future seems most certain .",
        "the human element is never overshadowed by the flashy stuff .",
        "enjoyable sequel that should please fans of both the books and the films % u2013 it looks as gorgeous as the last one did and this time they 've even tightened up the plot a bit .",
        "the film 's real pleasure is in the connections it makes -lrb- whether intentional or not -rrb- to current ` real world ' questions about the beneficence of institutional authority .",
        "newell proves -- well , wizardly in depicting hogwarts ' inner workings .",
        "a focussed , efficient film that lacks charm but gets the job done .",
        "let the adjectives roll -- this is the most thrilling , exciting , magical kids movie i 've seen since , well , since the last harry potter film .",
        "a film with such fiercely written source material , the best effects money can buy , and the support of j.k. rowling , ca n't be bad .",
        "goblet has some truly stunning moments , especially the pitch black finale .",
        "MOV is yet another solid entry into the harry potter franchise .",
        "think of it as a sort of sixteen wands , and you wo n't be disappointed .",
        "the first -lsb- potter film -rsb- to really get under the skin of these characters . strip away the cg dragons and sweeping vistas and you 'll find goblet of fire has just as much impact .",
        "newell sees to it that the characters who made the 147 minute final cut fully realize rowling 's invention .",
        "MOV is an endurance test for its audience .",
        "it 's hard to resist .",
        "despite the skill and spectacle of the special effects , the prosaic storytelling is never interesting as cinema .",
        "welcome to potter in pg-13 ... hip , heroic , humorous and ... dare i say it ? harry 's a hottie !",
        "what 's amazing about the harry potter franchise is that the films get better and better ! or , as harry puts it , ` i love magic ! '",
        "the best harry potter picture yet .",
        "exactly what fans are looking for , offering eye-boggling spectacle and lots of well-executed action scenes .",
        "now that puberty has struck the harry potter universe , the series ought to move away from the insipid kid stuff .",
        "in his scheme of things , fighting a dragon is nothing compared to the terrors of a first date .",
        "there 's ample reason to stay with this series . when harry says ` i love magic , ' you believe it .",
        "goblet of fire promises fans of both the film franchise and the book series a wonderful time in the theater .",
        "newell 's film , unlike its predecessors , fails to generate fresh wonder ... but on balance rowling 's creative opus -- roiling with hormonal consequences and eye-popping effects -- continues to earn its crowds . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "although last year 's installment , the prisoner of azkaban , was supposed to the be the darkest in the series i daresay goblet of fire is darker still .",
        "another solid chapter in an eminently reliable franchise .",
        "there is a good movie here , but there is too much story for such little time .",
        "flawed and too long , but not bad",
        "a superb , swiftly paced fantasy that cleverly balances its incredible events with plenty of adolescent aches and pains that even muggles can identify with .",
        "for all its small delights and impressive effects ... , there 's no big payoff -- only the promise of more to come in the fifth movie .",
        "without ever losing sight of what makes a potter film truly magical , -lsb- director mike -rsb- newell provides an aura of genuine dramatic gravity .",
        "closer kin to numbers one and two in the series , in both massive running time and playing like more of a book-on-film than the artistic peak achieved by alfonso cuar\u00f3n in the third installment .",
        "newell not only does harry potter right but eclipses the scope , scares and drama of his j.k. rowling source novel .",
        "the most focused potter movie yet ... it 's all about puberty and death .",
        "thankfully we have the increasingly interesting characters and their interactions to provide the bulk of the entertainment .",
        "it emphasizes the emotional development of its characters with dramatic interplay rather than expressionistic , atmospheric gloom .",
        "whenever it hits its stride , it 's a well-acted , vividly executed , full-speed-ahead special-effects extravaganza that puts as much bang as possible into every remaining scene .",
        "newell has always been a capable showman , and he does n't cheat the potter audience . yet i do n't think he wows it , either .",
        "works as a piece of blockbuster entertainment .",
        "an overlong film .",
        "effortlessly sweeps the audience into that enchanted world of hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry , where good and evil are more than just abstract concepts in a dusty old philosophy book",
        "to this viewer and reader , the decade-old juggernaut is as deeply felt as it is flawed , dense and illogical and laudably weird .",
        "not just the best harry potter movie so far . it 's also one of the most entertaining movies of the year .",
        "this overly long reading from the rowling scriptures -lsb- is -rsb- a certain recipe for slumber .",
        "cute no more , goblet of fire enchants with a darker aura of suspense and welcomed menace .",
        "all about how harry completes three difficult challenges and deals with the rollercoaster ride of adolescent emotions and energies .",
        "harry potter has become a rare cinematic constant -- something to be anticipated every year or two .",
        "radcliffe is literally and figuratively growing into his role , while watson shows greater fire and depth . and grint 's rubbery charm is intact .",
        "a first-class adventure story loaded with spectacle , character , and heart .",
        "MOV does have its quota of antic marvels .",
        "the strongest film of the bunch .",
        "goblet of fire is the second-best of the potter films .",
        "MOV is probably the most engaging potter film of the series thus far .",
        "the fourth installment -lrb- yes , it never ends -rrb- in the series about the little wizard with the round glasses grows so violent and ghoulish that it drains the appeal of stories that are best when they stay innocuous .",
        "this is another great movie for mom and dad to watch with the kids , but be warned it is pg-13 this time . i susect the death of a character and the increase of evil acts is the reason for this . if you think your children are prepared for these topics , the",
        "once potter ditches scenes that feel taken from beverly hills 90210 meets scooby-doo , i will approach the series with more than just guarded optimism .",
        "there 's little to feel wonder towards this time , as danger , insecurity , and awkwardness loom large and overshadow any magical discoveries .",
        "harry 's cup ... er goblet ... runneth over with magic , suspense , humor and even a hint of romantic tension",
        "it 's still a lot of fun , but you can sense all of the missing material which makes this harry potter not quite up to par with the other three installments .",
        "it 's the first potter movie in which the student characters and their emotional situation is the equal of the special effects , the elaborate settings and the gallery of brilliant british actors in supporting roles .",
        "cuaron 's film still ranks as the best ... but not by much .",
        "adolescence is no less sticky a situation for multibillion-dollar movie franchises than it is for young witches and wizards , and what is a part 4 if not the cinematic equivalent of those awkward tween years ?",
        "even though goblet of fire clocks in at a robust 157 minutes , newell handles the massive story with seeming ease , keeping the pace taut and intensifying the pervasive menace that lurked more subtly in the previous films .",
        "with the triwizard tournament as the centerpiece , director mike newell fashions an action film for children that may be without any reasonable challengers .",
        "the film 's quick pace and near-constant action carries you along quite nicely .",
        "so bloated and joyless that it makes one pine for the bland mediocrity of chris columbus .",
        "in the book this is a wholly engrossing story -- an epic tale of good and evil and loss and yearning . transported to the screen , however , it has sustained a few dinks and dents .",
        "it 's too episodic , relying on action rather than emotion . the pace is headlong , so that the characterisation suffers .",
        "for me , the best entry in the series -- the sweetest , the most exciting , the most moving , and the most touching .",
        "goblet is deliciously dark , wickedly funny and superbly mounted .",
        "the series is now being treated as it should be , with the right mix of magic , danger , and drama , without watering anything down just so a younger audience can be snagged .",
        "anything but a disappointment . even if it does n't achieve the lyrical enchantment of prisoner of azkaban , it nonetheless makes good on rowling 's darker turn in the series .",
        "there is a level of horror operating here that raises this beyond escapist family fare and into the realm of cutting -- heh -- metaphor for teenhood : the agony of adolescence .",
        "harry potter 's not just for kids anymore . director mike newell has reset the bar for the series and delivered a smashingly dark and dramatic film",
        "does a fine job consolidating all the important elements of j.k. rowling 's book . you get the same arc for every character and it does n't take a month and a half to finish .",
        "the latest entry ... leaves out subplots and entire characters , yet gets it exactly right . it does n't lose what 's crucial to the story ...",
        "marvelously directed and artistically without fault , it 's the series ' most complete and satisfying entry to date on all counts .",
        "the fourth and most boring entry in the franchise .",
        "the part with the dragon is really cool .",
        "these films just keep getting better and better .",
        "`` MOV '' will satisfy the older fans who have read the book :",
        "although the plot of this installment explores ` three unforgivable curses , ' the sequel avoids the ` curse of the fourth film , ' proving there is still a heap of charm left in this young wizard 's tale .",
        "an acceptable but far from challenging adaptation that almost any director could duplicate .",
        "what was a sneaking suspicion after the first three movies has become irrefutable proof -lsb- here -rsb- : if you are not a fan of , and intimately familiar with , the harry potter novels , you 're not welcome here",
        "dark and daring ; the novel takes a shockingly violent turn in its final pages , and the pg-13 rated film does n't shy away .",
        "`` goblet of fire '' is the first film in the series to mark a turning point in terms of quality of direction and storytelling .",
        "a rare film that does it all and never loses itself along the way . successfully blends drama , action , comedy , romance , and mystery to form an almost flawless movie .",
        "the days of cheesy basilisks and house-elves are gone -- things have taken a sharp turn into bleaksville .",
        "the ball is coming . it 's a ` night of well-mannered frivolity , ' as maggie smith puts it , ` much like the splendidly impetuous time i had with harry hamlin in clash of the titans . '",
        "MOV might be the best time you have at the movies all year .",
        "it 's refreshing that potter 4 aspires to be a paranoid thriller rather than yet another detective mystery . house points , too , for the movie 's terrific effects and considerable charm .",
        "newell handles this unfamiliar material competently enough , but the film never picks up any true momentum .",
        "the action in goblet of fire is more exciting and faster-paced than in previous potter films , and visually , it is by far the most splendid .",
        "finally we 're seeing harry -lrb- the character and the series -rrb- grow up .",
        "like a fine wine , harry potter continues to improve with age as each succeeding film version of rowling 's books seemingly surpasses the last .",
        "a solid but mostly uninspired melding of the adventure and fright that have been the benchmarks of the franchise .",
        "the grim tone feels overwrought but , in -lsb- mike -rsb- newell 's hands , and in those of his cast and screenwriter 's , the movie remains dramatically solid",
        "click to read full review -lsb- greek -rsb-",
        "never feels anything other than a single thread of a larger narrative .",
        "this new story starts off as just another adventure , more or less , but by the end , the situation faced by its protagonists has become much darker , and much more dire .",
        "harry potter puts away childish things in goblet of fire .",
        "here , finally , is a harry potter movie that approaches the timelessness of j.k. rowling 's novels .",
        "while -lsb- it -rsb- does n't come close to matching the magic of its predecessor ... it 's slick and exciting enough to satisfy the fans of the series .",
        "the greatest magic of this book - and this film - is that it does n't pretend that growing up wo n't change everything . it 's the first potter film where reality and fantasy are equally fascinating .",
        "has succeeded in doing one big thing that the first three movies completely failed at : for the first time , i 'm actually looking forward to the next in the series .",
        "newell expertly makes the smallest moment of adolescent longing as vivid and meaningful as the wow-worthy special effects .",
        "newell continues to improve on a world that 's enthralling to explore ... in spite of the pouting , cheating little dullard at the center of it all .",
        "-lsb- newell -rsb- balances delicately between whimsy and the ominous , on the uncertain middle ground where harry lives , poised between fun at school , teenage romance and the dark abyss .",
        "offers some of the series ' most magical imagery ... alas , with so much territory to cover , some characters get short shrift .",
        "goblet of fire is easily the most confident of the series , with the production finally comfortable with the demands of the divided audience , and not afraid to please both .",
        "although valdemort is a bad guy , this is a good thing for movie audiences . he 's set up to be the new darth vader of pop culture .",
        "director mike newell has brought majesty and magic back",
        "the first wholly dispensable installment .",
        "true to the form of previous potter films , the busy story tends to lose track of characters , hyperactively vaulting from one plotline to the next without satisfying resolutions or transitions .",
        "as we come to the midpoint of j.k. rowling 's tales , it may have finally turned the page for the better .",
        "what sets this outing apart from the three that have come before it is its darker tone .",
        "a model of exhilarating , economic storytelling .",
        "goblet of fire is indisputably the best movie in the franchise thus far .",
        "goblet shifts effortlessly from dark to light to dark again .",
        "followers of the series will find a more mature harry and a more mature style , less sugary but not actually drier than the previous films .",
        "goblet has enough sense of real kids maturing and believably facing problems to cast some genuine spells .",
        "it balances the exhilaration of independence -- one of the great joys of growing up -- with the sobering realization that being a grown-up means there 's no one around to protect you .",
        "wait a minute . sequels are n't supposed to get better .",
        "it 's downright scary how good this movie is .",
        "a huge cast , plenty of special effects and harry gets a battering -- pretty much as you 'd expect .",
        "a marked disappointment after harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban , this fourth installment in the franchise is a 157-minute holding pattern .",
        "the goblet of fire is a more mature story and its young stars prove they have the acting skills to grow with their characters .",
        "easily the best harry potter film so far .",
        "the story is engrossing , but mike newell 's adaption is a little too dull and by-the-numbers following alfonso cuaron 's visual tour-de-force .",
        "chapter four in the boy-wizard franchise , and still no good scenes , interesting characters , or true imagination",
        "like chris columbus , newell delivers what is essentially an illustrated condensation of rowling 's novel .",
        "there is still some subtle and unexpected levity .",
        "masterful storytell -lsb- ing -rsb- , ceaselessly and effortlessly tantalizing and satisfying",
        "screenwriter kloves deserves a tip of the wizard 's hat for cutting rowling 's immense tome -lrb- 636 pages -rrb- down to size , and for keeping the story moving despite a surfeit of characters and incidents .",
        "not just an efficient babysitter but a wizard of a movie .",
        "with MOV , director mike newell offers a fine addition to the harry potter film franchise without presenting any truly spectacular elements .",
        "swiftly paced and wonderfully atmospheric , MOV will satisfy both the most ardent potter-philes and newcomers to the rowling franchise .",
        "visually exciting and dramatically flaccid , MOV seems destined to separate the faithful from the phonies .",
        "if there 's a harry potter fan at your house , you 're going to this movie regardless of what anybody says about it . fortunately , what most people are saying about MOV is , ` wow ! '",
        "the real hero of the fourth harry potter film is n't the teenage wizard but screenwriter steve kloves , who has magically transformed j.k. rowling 's bloated , 734-page novel into a more swiftly paced , entertaining script .",
        "the special effects blend impeccably with a robust , forward-driving sense of action .",
        "it 's nearly as epic in its scope and deep in its philosophy as the ` lord of the rings ' films were -- the first film in this series to even approach such heights .",
        "for those like me who are outside but sympathetic to the faith , it looks like another handsomely made , good-natured and high-spirited family movie , which is dramatically stymied through being locked within school grounds .",
        "where newell really scores is in taking a leaf out of peter jackson 's book and cranking up the fear factor .",
        "goblet is really just a glorified , 157-minute teaser trailer , an empty epic of proportions that truly stagger .",
        "for the first time , adults might actually enjoy a harry potter film as much as children .",
        "much of the credit goes to radcliffe and his co-stars , who have become better actors with each film . they have become increasingly adept at conveying great emotion as each film demands more of them .",
        "the adolescent subplot is treated sweetly by newell . the awkward dances and dating faux pas at the school ball feel like additions from some other , less mythic series , and form a welcome respite from the intense magic-making of the rest of the film .",
        "in its last third , the goblet of fire builds to a climax of such overpowering dread that you might just forget the rest . harry grows up in an instant , and the film does , too .",
        "i think this is the best potter film yet , for one simple reason : it 's not like a harry potter film .",
        "by demonstrating to us how harry and his friends are budding and changing and struggling , the film demonstrates the progressive richness of rowling 's storytelling skills and oddly haunting allure of her writing .",
        "the acting is stronger than ever in this fourth installment .",
        "-lsb- mike -rsb- newell turns the spine-tingling and well-crafted world j.k. rowling created for the novel into a lump of flat banality .",
        "the most frightening potter film and the best .",
        "newell snags cuar\u00f3n 's cinematic baton and sprints , maintaining the dark tone of azkaban while sprinkling in healthy doses of humor and humanity .",
        "inventive visuals and funny bits abound , but the film 's gritty look and unsentimental characterizations -- harry , hermione and ron are far from golden teens -- ominously foreshadow the truly wicked shape of things to come .",
        "it boasts some strong performances . irish character actor brendan gleeson steals the show as the appropriately named alastor ` mad-eye ' moody , and the three young leads show increasing confidence in front of the camera -lrb- especially grint -rrb- .",
        "this edition advances the potter saga through the presentation of a variety of set pieces , some quite spectacular . and if the movie sometimes loses momentum , it contains enough grand sights and magical mayhem to stir even skeptical imaginations .",
        "newell deftly mixes in sweet teenage angst and lighter moments of physical humor .",
        "... likely will be enjoyed by those who read the 734-page book -- and were smart enough to bring it into the theater with them for quick reference .",
        "mike newell does an exceptional job translating the fourth book to the screen , showing a remarkable flair for cutting-edge visuals .",
        "frankly , the entire film felt like the cinematic version of hamburger helper -- too little meat trying to do too much .",
        "with more melodrama , meatier magic and much malevolence , the latest film foray into j.k. rowling 's wizard world proves the fourth time can be a charm , too .",
        "a brisk , darkly-tinged adventure yarn that boosts the action quota considerably and as such becomes a whirlwind blast of post-summer escapism .",
        "my cup runneth over with tedium during this 2 1/2 - hour supernatural slog .",
        "it 's like this : the book is sensational . the movie is sensationalistic . both are enjoyable . the book is better .",
        "the actors play second fiddle to the special effects , and that 's not how i like my harry potter movies .",
        "you feel the durable franchise -lrb- now on its third director , mike newell -rrb- has a promising future , since its young principals have developed skills .",
        "it 's not until MOV that a film has successfully re-created the sense of stirring magical adventure and engaged , edge-of-your-seat excitement that has made the books such an international phenomenon .",
        "a movie that assures us that the journey we are on will be worth the time and emotion that 's been invested in it .",
        "it 's scarier than the previous three movies and more poignant .",
        "in harry 's world , it turns out that the everyday struggles of adolescence are scarier than anything a dark lord -- even one raised from the dead -- can muster . but then , any teenager could tell you that .",
        "goblet offers its own brew of wondrous chimera combined with the wonders of human nature .",
        "though the special effects in this film are often breathtaking , the real drama is here is exactly where it should be : in a young man 's frightened but resolute eyes .",
        "this is the darkest and most adventurous potter film to date . its 156 minutes fly by .",
        "MOV , fourth in the string , has a heated darkness .",
        "the direction is phenomenal ! seldom does even a 90-min production come along with such a vibrant pace -lrb- this is 150 ! -rrb- . a strong film overall , though the climax is a bit weak .",
        "more impressive than wondrous , it wo n't transform the series , but it moves it along , pushing its charges toward adulthood and the mean sorcery of the grown-up world .",
        "easily the most involving of the movies so far .",
        "childhood ends for the young wizard with the zigzag scar in the happily satisfying film adaptation of the fourth book in j. k. rowling 's series .",
        "it 's always a treat to see what big-studio-franchise cash can produce in the way of top-flight british -lrb- and irish -rrb- actors .",
        "the special effects are first rate but i think it 's always going to be about the characters . and they 're great characters .",
        "one of the best in the impressive potter series .",
        "this is really cool !",
        "as exhilarating as it is daunting , ` goblet of fire ' is all grown up .",
        "it 's sweet , it 's charming , it 's endlessly involving ... the best yet of the potter films .",
        "stylistically , the most stylistically stunning film of the series ceases to be wondrous ... once its characters enter the painfully petty years of adolescence .",
        "what will allow the remaining films to prosper , is the words that we hear at the start , from an elderly caretaker : `` bloody kids . ''",
        "time drags between the feats of abdacadbra .",
        "si dejamos de lado el tratar de forma recalcitrante de hacer una copia del libro , la pel\u00edcula es una buena muestra de diversi\u00f3n y cine de fantas\u00eda .",
        "the latest episode of jk 's wonderful allegory of childhood maturity demands your muggle attention",
        "kloves has successfully streamlined the 734-page novel into a concise adaptation which focuses on the driving dynamic of the story but still feels coherent .",
        "newell vividly conjures up a world fraught with real danger .",
        "with its grand special effects , many small moments of charm , and continuing development of the characters , MOV takes us into a world that , evil or not , makes us reluctant to leave .",
        "goblet again serves up a delicious who 's who of british acting , with hilarious contributions from newcomers brendan gleeson as instructor alastor `` mad-eye '' moody and miranda richardson as nosy reporter rita skeeter .",
        "as young wizard harry potter continues to mature , so too does this exciting fantasy franchise .",
        "kloves has streamlined j. k. rowling 's 700-plus-page opus into cinematic fighting form . and the special effects , which threatened to overwhelm the first two movies , are seamlessly integrated .",
        "all in all , goblet of fire is certainly the best potter yet , with most of the cast doing their roles justice , some great direction and steven kloves ' screenplay makes the core of rowling 's novel into a fast-paced but easily-comprehensible enjoyable movie .",
        "this fourth segment of now-adolescent harry potter 's story , while arguably the best made , is also the most gruesome , and dark .",
        "MOV is mostly satisfying , simply because such technical precision and meaningful special effects are rare in fantasy films today .",
        "very boring , recycled from the previous installments , and immensely underwhelming .",
        "goblet of fire is more effective in these smaller , more intimate moments than in the bloated bombast of its larger set pieces .",
        "harry potter ha crecido y para bien , lo que abre el apetito para la pr\u00f3xima cinta de la serie . encantadora y m\u00e1gica , es sin duda una de las m\u00e1s gratas sorpresas del a\u0144o .",
        "for someone who has read the book , the film is very satisfying ; glosses over important information for the uninitiated .",
        "an overstuffed plot does n't slow down the proceedings as much as convey that there 's much at stake in harry 's increasingly sinister world .",
        "the exhilarating MOV takes the best parts of j.k. rowling 's fourth installment and serves them up in one heck of an action-packed , albeit darker , film . parents , be forewarned -- this is n't kid 's stuff anymore .",
        "goblet of fire is largely about the growing pains as the children inch towards adulthood , including love and all that comes with it , and newell does a strong job of painting adolescent jealousy , crushes , and discomfort .",
        "wondrous to behold .",
        "a sombre and dark entry into the series , but one that is well-worth seeing .",
        "the first potter film to improve on the book",
        "there 's a darkness on the edge of hogwarts , and its name is adolescence .",
        "the best thing about the picture is harry 's new maturity : for the first time , he dominates a picture named for him .",
        "the visual magic of the story , as well as some enormously welcome glimmerings of humor , gives it the solid feel of a well-tended franchise .",
        "as harry , ron and hermione enter the awkward stage , the young people portraying them -- daniel radcliffe , rupert grint , emma watson -- grow ever more confident as professional actors .",
        "the film follows in the fantasy tradition of stretching perceptions of the possible , and it does so in a richly realized and recognizably human universe .",
        "MOV , fourth in the fantasy franchise , is the most fun and the most fraught with conflict .",
        "tenso e envolvente , embora substitua a complexidade psicol\u00f3gica e emocional do filme anterior por uma montagem mais preocupada com a hist\u00f3ria do que com os personagens .",
        "the best part , i think , is that this fourth harry potter film goes further than its predecessors in setting out a moral map that reaffirms the values of human decency , loyalty and selflessness - and does so with great flair and endless entertainment .",
        "of the several strange and thrilling sights in MOV , a noseless ralph fiennes may be the strangest and most thrilling .",
        "the filmmakers keep the narrative screws fastened tight , which gives the goblet of fire an intensity that rarely flags .",
        "the best one yet .",
        "it seems like only yesterday the three wizardy sprigs were battling giant spiders and cracking conspiracies in the girls ' toilets . that knowing comedy keeps this episode sharp .",
        "the first brit to direct harry potter , newell brings a sense of anarchy to the school scenes and centers on the rites of passage of his adolescent protags",
        "this is a good movie , and a fun movie , but not a great movie . i think harry 's fans are pretty happy with mediocre . at least mediocre is n't bad .",
        "newell deftly avoids the mistake of making a kids ' movie in which even the worst threat feels safe .",
        "... to finally watch the key scenes so vividly described by the author realized perfectly onscreen is worth admission alone -lrb- and even a few extra viewings besides -rrb- .",
        "while a must-see for rabid fans , MOV will impress nondevotees only with its seamless special effects and captivating action sequences .",
        "... another year has passed at hogwarts and ron weasley is another year uglier .",
        "the harry potter series just keeps getting better and more interesting .",
        "maybe if i had read one of the books first , seeing it come alive on the big screen would be a more seductive and satisfying experience .",
        "wow ! harry and his pals are back and they are better than ever .",
        "this is the best `` harry potter , '' yet , and should be the benchmark that all the rest , past and future , should be compared",
        "as a whole , -lsb- it -rsb- is the least impressive of the four potter films .",
        "forget battling dragons or dealing with mer-people in the dangerous tournament , goblet of fire is as much about the angst of young love as it is about wizardry .",
        "the billion-dollar franchise continues its reliable mix of youthful wonder , charm , and sense of adventure , all while making it accessible to adults and children alike .",
        "for once , harry potter is pushed to his limits . he does n't just wave his flippin ' wand and win the day .",
        "has the curious distinction of being perhaps the best of the harry potter series , while not being quite the best film in its own right .",
        "once again , the young wizard has audiences enchanted .",
        "... nothing much can dim this material .",
        "hits all the right spots but there 's crucial context missing at times that leaves a vastly different impression with those who have followed the films but not read the books .",
        "harry potter fans will not be disappointed by the happenings at hogwarts . gone are the ` cute ' little wizards and witches-to-be , but it 's still magical .",
        "la srie harry potter ne deviendrait-elle que l'quivalent magique des films de james bond ?",
        "overall , goblet is a feistier , darker and more suspenseful extension of a cherished film franchise that oddly prospers with cinematic age .",
        "MOV is more competent than inspired , but that 's still not bad ."],
    "summary": "the main characters are maturing , and the filmmakers are likewise improving on their craft ; vibrant special effects and assured performances add up to what is the most complex yet of the harry potter films .",
    "id": "9272"
  },
  {
    "movie": "my_brother_the_devil_2012",
    "reviews":
     [
        "el hosaini shows sensitivity to character and has a fresh , fluid style which imbues what could 've been grim reality with optimism .",
        "the radiance of MOV should also work as an audition tape for letitia wright .",
        "a highly promising debut ; if our credulity gets roughed up in places , its warmth , compassion and maturity bring a ray of sunshine to brit-film 's bleakest genre .",
        "sally el hosaini brings sensitivity , distinctive identity and an invigorating adrenaline charge to a story of criminally inclined youth in suburban east london in her dynamic first feature .",
        "an energetic and imaginative tale of siblings at a criminal crossroads .",
        "original drama portrays siblings caught between traditional values and a life of crime .",
        "all in all , it 's a robust debut that demands anticipation for hosaini 's next work .",
        "sharply well-observed , this punchy british drama is packed with rising-star talent , including its gifted first-time writer-director , an engaging young cast and skilled cinematographer david raedeker .",
        "it 's the twists in director and writer sally el hosaini 's plot which set my brother apart from the standard inner-city gang film .",
        "there probably are n't too many welsh-egyptian writer-directors like newcomer sally el hosaini . but she 's clearly representative of a new kind of diversity in modern britain . and one which bodes well for its filmmaking future .",
        "as well as touching upon everything from homophobia to terrorism and the merits of bacon , it delivers a heart-touching degree of optimism that 's all too rare for this genre .",
        "in the busy swirl of london urban dramas which fly in and out of our cinemas this thoughtful and powerful film stands above the crowd .",
        "the performances are uneven , but as the brothers , floyd and elsayed are both rather good .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a new generation reinterpret the classics . james cagney would be proud .",
        "it 's far superior to what usually comes out of the british slums in the genre of gangland thrillers .",
        "even those who are n't well-versed in the - ` hood-always-wins dramas can see what 's coming .",
        "a tender , bracing fraternal drama of london 's gang life , the immigrant experience , and questions no smaller than what `` manhood '' might mean to young men whose traditional cultures are colliding with the worst-and the best-of the secular west .",
        "just when you thought gun crime in london 's east end could n't possibly yield another movie worth seeing , along comes MOV to show us what we 've all been missing .",
        "it 's an athletic , loose-limbed piece of movie-making , not perfect , but bursting with energy and adrenaline .",
        "unsure performances and some decades-old gangster-film stereotypes hamper this acute , beautifully shot portrait of egyptian teenagers fighting to survive in a rough london neighborhood .",
        "an engrossing debut from director sally el hosaini , MOV is as authentic , emotionally complex and powerfully acted as any film you 'll see this year .",
        "nuances of faith , politics and sexual identity enrich what initially presents as a classic good son-bad son tale , and although the film 's melting-pot patois is occasionally too dense to decipher , we get the gist .",
        "for at least part of its length , `` MOV '' brings refreshing changes to a genre badly in need of them .",
        "el housani 's freshman effort is certainly visually accomplished , but there 's precious little meat on its bones .",
        "familiar youth crime/coming-of-age framework , novel setting and focus group .",
        "highly recommended . -lrb- writer-director -rrb- el hosaini handles the various volatile relationships within the film with intelligence and sensitivity .",
        "`` MOV '' is a promising debut that marks el hosaini as a filmmaker to watch , but one still very much in the developmental stages .",
        "a familiar story effectively re-invented , MOV deals heartbreak , suspense and hope in equal measure .",
        "el hosaini 's voice remains crisp , cool and consistently street-smart .",
        "pays real dividends with controversial themes and issues dealt with simply and subtly to provide a genuinely authentic insight into a mob experience that dare not speak its name .",
        "the plotting may be a tad unconvincing at times but the performances are outstanding .",
        "with MOV , writer-director sally el hosaini tells a story both operatic in its implications and quotidian in its sensory , day-to-day details .",
        "el hosaini fights the conventions of the brotherly gangster melodrama , but the conventions win .",
        "it becomes a winning mixture of bullet boy and my beautiful laundrette , and not nearly as dreary or dispiriting as you may fear .",
        "el hosaini 's skill as a director , and her way with an excellent cast , eventually triumphs .",
        "-lsb- el hosaini -rsb- has a devil of a time getting a handle on this complicated story .",
        "when a both a dog and friend of rashid 's are killed in a violent gang encounter , el hosaini frames both of their lifeless bodies on the street in a powerful image that tells of two innocents both bred to fight .",
        "the attention el hosaini gives to the physical structures in this neighbourhood is a poignant reminder of the lack of focus there generally is on the people who live inside them .",
        "an often gripping coming-of-age story involving rival gangs , societal pressures , self-discovery , brotherly affection , and drugs .",
        "MOV brings a fresh and mature perspective to a story of shifting relationships between siblings , clearly marking the egyptian-welsh writer-director as someone on a path to greater things .",
        "it 's an impressive debut by a director blessed with a strong voice and a knack for bringing a specific cultural milieu to vibrant life , defying convention even while working within its strict limits .",
        "a story of brothers that 's both tough and tender .",
        "the film takes an insightful look at subtle cultural and socioeconomic differences , as well as similarities , during troubled economic times .",
        "sally el hosaini shows a deft hand in her story telling and direction belying her inexperience behind the camera .",
        "ultimately feels a little flat , but there 's promise that the director will carry on to stronger work , with several scenes here delivering exceptional grace and texture that all but guarantees a bright cinematic future ."],
    "summary": "a tough , tender tale of familial angst with careful attention to detail , MOV is a strong debut from director sally el hosaini .",
    "id": "771267269"
  },
  {
    "movie": "spirit_stallion_of_the_cimarron",
    "reviews":
     [
        "entertaining for kids -lrb- as long as it does n't scare them -rrb- and thankfully short for adults , the film is by no means an animated classic , but it delivers the goods .",
        "a mishmash that is sometimes moving , sometimes absurd and most of the time just oddly off balance .",
        "a fine , rousing , g-rated family film , aimed mainly at little kids but with plenty of entertainment value to keep grown-ups from squirming in their seats .",
        "adams ' hoarse anthems become a betrayal of this horse opera 's true potential ; fortunately , there is enough fine achievement here to make the film worth seeing .",
        "a robust adventure story , unlike any we 've seen told before by hollywood animators .",
        "a cartoon that 's truly cinematic in scope , and a story that 's compelling and heartfelt -- even if the heart belongs to a big , four-legged herbivore .",
        "it should satisfy the kids it was made for .",
        "refusing to condescend to us with the usual cutesy anthropomorphic qualities often foisted on animated animals , asbury and cook keep matters realistic .",
        "dreamworks animators have done a fine job of making their characters visually expressive , words are extraneous .",
        "the animation is dull , the thought is fuzzy , the storytelling is vague and the music just plain stinks .",
        "the film is an enjoyable family film -- pretty much aimed at any youngster who loves horses .",
        "spirit and little creek 's final declaration of freedom is simply breathtaking",
        "one of the season 's most human films .",
        "spirit 's lesson of bravery is also a worthy one for children -- and adults -- to remember in a troubled world . if only spirit 's filmmakers had found a different way to deliver the message .",
        "as it stands , spirit provides neither the profound human touch of the great disney animation of the past , nor the dazzling , high-tech fun of present-day digital cartooning .",
        "visually , the film is a knockout .",
        "spirit is funny , emotionally involving and suspenseful , even if some of the time your suspense comes from wondering how long of a break you 'll get before you have to sit through another forgettable adams tune .",
        "think the lion king redone for horses , with fewer deliberate laughs , more inadvertent ones and stunningly trite songs by bryan adams , the world 's most generic rock star .",
        "surprisingly dark and -lrb- probably -rrb- unintentionally twisted .",
        "so close to being a great film that it ca n't help but leave you with the bitter aftertaste of what might have been .",
        "plainspoken story about a horse in the old west is simple , sincere and engaging for kids and adults .",
        "the only , and i repeat only , problem in this film is bryan adams . fantastic character animation .",
        "the film meant well in its horse tale about freedom , but was n't able to reach the heart because it was too overbearing .",
        "i really wish i liked spirit better .",
        "... a bland but pleasing animated horse story ...",
        "sappy and manipulative ; it 's further weighed down by an overloaded , over-politically-correct script .",
        "a worthy , if dull addition to the studio 's animated works .",
        "it dares to do things a bit differently , and it does them generally quite well .",
        "one of the most complex and demanding animated films to date .",
        "an exciting and exquisitely rendered film in which the horse goes through as many adventures and perils as indiana jones on a good day .",
        "a good ride for all ages -- and an uplifting one , too .",
        "kids should have a stirring time at this beautifully drawn movie . and adults will at least have a dream image of the west to savor whenever the film 's lamer instincts are in the saddle .",
        "many kids will enjoy this traditionally animated story , but parents may find it overlong even at a running time of less than 90 minutes .",
        "a stirring family film that salutes the joys of freedom and the bounties of an untamed spirit .",
        "for all its striking looks , spirit never rises above the bland . there is n't enough character development or simple plot to carry it along ... spirit is , however , a children 's movie , and kids are going to eat this up .",
        "for decades we 've marveled at disney 's rendering of water , snow , flames and shadows in a hand-drawn animated world . prepare to marvel again .",
        "john fusco 's script is banal , if politically correct , with no barbed humor to amuse adults in the audience .",
        "as simple and innocent a movie as you can imagine . this is a movie you can trust .",
        "a boring , wincingly cute and nauseatingly politically correct cartoon guaranteed to drive anyone much over age 4 screaming from the theater .",
        "this is one that the parents can look forward to when the kids tell 'em they want to see it .",
        "there are genuine moments of beauty in spirit -- visually and emotionally speaking -- but ultimately they are n't worth the price of suffering through the extraneous material that too often sullies the picture .",
        "there 's not much of a story , the whole thing 's a bit superficial , and there 's little to laugh at , but it 's still a refreshing change from the norm .",
        "gorgeous and plenty exciting , but overcooked with corny narration and an endless barrage of bryan adams songs telling us how to feel at every moment .",
        "spirit is smarter than your average cartoon because it does n't try to joke around with a host of annoying talking animals .",
        "there 's nothing thrilling or new about the work here , but accomplished it is .",
        "spirit : stallion of the cimmaron , which and is technically dreamworks ' first animated film since the monster cgi hit shrek , as a hand-drawn film has quite a bit to live up to , but succeeds admirably at finding the heart that is often missing from technica",
        "when the movie wants to look majestic , the colors truly emanate , but when it wants to look grim , it can look very grim and moody ; i was breath taken .",
        "many kids will like this mustang tale .",
        "... -lsb- a -rsb- genuinely thrilling movie that 's appropriate for all ages .",
        "a welcome , entertaining , and fun ride .",
        "unless you 've got kids you 'll probably be putting in calls to the nearest glue factory .",
        "a fine family film that hits all the emotional buttons .",
        "a breathtaking adventure for all ages , spirit tells its poignant and uplifting story in a stunning fusion of music and images .",
        "singer/composer bryan adams contributes a slew of songs - a few potential hits , a few more simply intrusive to the story - but the whole package certainly captures the intended , er , spirit of the piece .",
        "spirit : stallion of the cimarron '' proves traditional animation still can feel its oats when filmmakers have a worthwhile story to draw on .",
        "the animation is breathtakingly beautiful , and the story is n't bad at all . but the film is so infused with its own self-importance that it will annoy adults immediately .",
        "the story is told almost like a silent film with a minimum of narration or dialogue .",
        "call me a wimp , but i cried , not once , but three times in this animated sweet film .",
        "your spirit will soar with this movie , no matter how young or old you are .",
        "spirit gets by on the extreme care that went into giving its central hoofer a vibrant personality -- even if the other characters pale in comparison .",
        "` neigh , neigh and thrice neigh . '",
        "dreamworks is to be commended for attempting to develop a form that , with the inauguration of the oscar for best animated feature , can only benefit from such tinkering .",
        "aside from its nod to silent films , spirit does little to distinguish itself from the scores of straight-to-video movies peddled to kids .",
        "the dismal middleweight power-ballads served up by bryan adams could be described as balls-aching ...",
        "it 's drained of life in an attempt to be sober and educational , and yet it 's so devoid of realism that its lack of whistles and bells just makes it obnoxious and stiff .",
        "a beautiful film that has the look of an oil-painted nature documentary .",
        "a welcome family film that extols noble values and offers first-class animation .",
        "recupera un amor por la animaci\u00f3n convencional y el arte que representa .",
        "the screenplay by john fusco is steeped in simple-minded stereotypes as well as the usual anthropomorphic silliness .",
        "spirit llega directamente al coraz\u00f3n , dejando una inolvidable lecci\u00f3n de libertad y humanidad que simple y sencillamente lo cautivar\u00e1",
        "brimming with the quiet strong spirit of the american west from the viewpoint of a horse .",
        "take away -lrb- the -rrb- gratingly whiney soundtrack anthems by bryan adams , and spirit has the heart of a winning animated mini-epic .",
        "at its most basic , this cartoon adventure is that wind-in-the-hair exhilarating .",
        "stallion of the cimarron has much to offer horse-loving youngsters .",
        "an exceptionally dreary and overwrought bit of work , every bit as imperious as katzenberg 's the prince of egypt from 1998 .",
        "whenever it threatens to get bogged down in earnest dramaturgy , a stirring visual sequence like a surge through swirling rapids or a leap from pinnacle to pinnacle rouses us . if horses could fly , this is surely what they 'd look like .",
        "like shrek , spirit 's visual imagination reminds you of why animation is such a perfect medium for children , because of the way it allows the mind to enter and accept another world .",
        "the story is one-dimensional , but the fact that the horses do n't speak in cutesy disney style elevates the proceedings to a classier level .",
        "spirit : stallion of the cimarron should be destined to remain towards the cream of the crop of family pictures to see .",
        "a solemn neo-bambi that dares to enchant kids without comic relief , spirit is an animated fairy tale made with simple , elegant conviction .",
        "it is perhaps spirit 's greatest achievement that the horses upstage the human actors , but it 's also its greatest weakness . the human characters have no depth or personality , but are rather completely forgettable , stiff stereotypes .",
        "a movie that will touch the hearts of both children and adults , as well as bring audiences to the edge of their seats .",
        "the kid-friendly spirit tries to seriously gallop its way into our hearts , but this well-intentioned film ca n't manage much more than a brisk trot before it , too , disappears into a gorgeous sunset .",
        "the pretty pictures are n't enough to enliven a slow-pokey horse opera that plays like blandly generic kid stuff .",
        "the reasonably brief -lrb- 82 minutes -rrb- but beautifully hand-drawn spirit is worth the ride for small children .",
        "while the visuals may be rich and intimate , the story is a little preachy and characters very simplistic .",
        "a ripping yarn with memorable characters .",
        "the movie 's big action scenes ... make you forget you 're even watching animation .",
        "as animation increasingly emphasizes the computer and the cool , this is a film that takes a stand in favor of tradition and warmth .",
        "the animation is breathtaking , and it 's a shame the script ca n't keep up .",
        "thrilling for kids ; just watchable for the big fry .",
        "spirit can truly claim to be the first animated film to feature a horse as a central character . but it 's an open question whether this is a worthwhile accomplishment .",
        "what saves the movie is the truly dazzling animation .",
        "a strangely grim indoctrination into the politics of victimization .",
        "let me boldly state the obvious , even if most people are reluctant to admit it . please bring back the talking animals and please give the animators computers to produce their drawings .",
        "spirit just does n't know when to call it quits and ride off into the sunset .",
        "as a good old-fashioned adventure for kids , spirit : stallion of the cimarron is a winner .",
        "its technical brilliance goes far to compensate for its rather bland , preachy storyline .",
        "as a ` kids ' movie ' , spirit is a resounding success .",
        "perhaps your love of horses will allow you to look past the utter generic nature of this project , which does n't bring anything funny , cool , exciting or original to the forefront .",
        "offers a morose , pallid account of how the west was lost , straight from the horse 's mouth .",
        "break out the kleenex : spirit 's story is stirring to the point of tears .",
        "this animated family adventure takes the blinders off in its depiction of breaking horses as a grave cruelty .",
        "a straight-shooting family film which awards animals the respect they 've rarely been given .",
        "a beautiful looking movie that suffers a bit due to some lousy bryan adams songs",
        "my 5-year-old niece emily was so thrilled by the first 20 minutes , she announced , `` i 'm gon na try to stay awake through the whole movie ! '' , which she then proceeded to do .",
        "rather exciting , rendered in a bright sunset palette and a mixture of expressive , boldly drawn traditional animation and fluid computer-generated imagery .",
        "a turgid little history lesson , humourless and dull .",
        "unfortunately forgettable and particularly typical .",
        "the sumptuous , hot colors of the frontier are meticulously animated to create breathtaking scenes",
        "sadly , all the wonders of modern animation -- beautifully illustrated here -- have n't moved the hollywood herd one step forward .",
        "a slight and obvious effort , even for one whose target demographic is likely still in the single digits , age-wise .",
        "too much political correctness .",
        "MOV has enough heart , soul and life to endear it to viewers of all ages .",
        "spirit combines the hand-drawn artfulness of 2-d with computer-generated 3-d backdrops and effects so seamlessly that it 's hard to tell what was done by man , what by mouse .",
        "a strange , often intriguing animated film for children and young adults that takes a lot of chances and only occasionally stumbles .",
        "a beautifully rendered but unimaginatively plotted cartoon about settlers , native americans and the horses caught in between .",
        "not quite as miraculous as its dreamworks makers would have you believe , but it more than adequately fills the eyes and stirs the emotions .",
        "individual moments in spirit are better than its whole .",
        "it 's almost too beautiful to be taken in at one sitting , a sort of summation of all our subconscious yearnings for the mythic american west .",
        "uncluttered by comic supporting characters and cute sidekicks , spirit is more pure and direct than most of the stories we see in animation -- a fable i suspect younger viewers will strongly identify with .",
        "the animation merely serves up a predictable , maudlin story that swipes heavily from bambi and the lion king , yet lacks the emotional resonance of either of those movies .",
        "... its solemn pretension prevents us from sharing the awe in which it holds itself .",
        "everything feels extra-maudlin when set to bloodcurdling anthems from bryan adams .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "a visually stunning film that may be too predictable and politically correct for adults , but should serve children well .",
    "id": "9502"
  },
  {
    "movie": "without_a_paddle",
    "reviews":
     [
        "so crude that it leaves a bitter aftertaste .",
        "a consistently amusing , often hilarious outing with surprising heart .",
        "an inept movie that makes even catwoman seem sane .",
        "the film simply is n't funny enough to please the adolescent fans who want pratfalls and will instead have to squirm through agonizingly-penned scenes of '80s nostalgia and male-bonding murk .",
        "never rises above the level of harmless video fare .",
        "there are a few gross-out laughs , but MOV 's gang-written script does n't know what it wants to be .",
        "funny enough , but we 've walked these trails before .",
        "MOV can proudly take its place in the pantheon of perfectly likable stupid movies .",
        "a successfully infantile new spin on deliverance .",
        "inoffensive to a fault , MOV goes by without a memorable ripple .",
        "some tales center on man vs. nature , others on man vs. man . MOV falls within a third category : man vs. poorly conceived script .",
        "extremely dumb , sporadically funny wacky-camping comedy .",
        "the film seems as aimless as a ride down a river without paddles .",
        "a larky , throwaway movie .",
        "this is the kind of comedy in which the aim is to make the audience cringe .",
        "MOV gives us the contemporary comedy 's lazy substitute for a real gag -- the celebrity cameo .",
        "the film loses its way when it tries to impart something close to wisdom -- who are we kidding here ?",
        "MOV wants to fascinate us with our own repulsion , and the wraparound , absurdly sentimental story is there to fill space between obvious and appalling sight gags .",
        "MOV credibly defines the cheap satisfaction you can get from foolish summer distraction .",
        "the first half of the film is enjoyable but hit and miss . after that , it 's just miss .",
        "for a while this buddy comedy sails along smoothly on elements borrowed from the goonies , deliverance and road trip , but the relentlessly unimaginative script eventually leaves it becalmed .",
        "forget being up a raging creek MOV , these poor losers are lost in a wilderness that permits no comedy .",
        "these guys get in way over their heads stuck in the wilderness . the characters are developed so the audience cares for the guys .",
        "director brill makes no stylistic advances from his recent work with adam sandler , and shows no signs of seeking growth or improvement .",
        "... -lsb- a -rsb- warped and water-logged laugher ... MOV is a lazy assault on one 's tolerance for exaggerated cruel goofiness .",
        "director steven brill fails to sustain a steady comedic pace ; the movie lurches rather than flows from scene to scene .",
        "it could have been titled `` without a clue . ''",
        "a faux-sentimental comedy that not only is n't funny , but half the time appears to have forgotten to insert the joke .",
        "it looks like the filmmakers just do n't realize that they 've embarked on the movie making exercise with their comedic tank just barely half full .",
        "think road trip meets city slickers . then dial the humor down a few notches , and you 're left MOV .",
        "helmer steven brill and company owe me two hours",
        "... made me long for the inspired idiocy of ` harold & kumar go to white castle . '",
        "belabored would be too kind a word for it .",
        "how do you siphon the laffs from a surefire gut-busting premise like city slickers stuck in the sticks ? ... you assemble a cut-rate three stooges , inject tired '80s nostalgia and some moralistic goo about carpe-ing the diem .",
        "wholly undignified .",
        "movies do n't get much more disgustingly juvenile than this ...",
        "i 'm not saying MOV should n't be a comedy , but it did n't have to be a stupid comedy .",
        "also without a script , a star , or even some laughs .",
        "cheeky trio keeps MOV afloat - barely",
        "MOV plays like a movie the studio greenlit 25 years ago and only now got around to making .",
        "MOV is a sloppy effort , yet even a clich\u00e9d comedy could be fun if it actually delivered on laughs .",
        "a sloppy , lowest common denominator comedy",
        "average comedy , the acting is fine , but the script is pretty lame and it does n't have a lot of good jokes .",
        "` una de esas pel\u00edculas intrascendentes , de las que da lo mismo que existan o no '",
        "even a paddle ca n't keep this movie from sinking .",
        "shepard , green and lillard have good chemistry , and this bodes well considering there are three characters to play off each other rather than just two",
        "maybe the filmmakers should have called the picture without a laugh .",
        "gets into the male bonding mode with a casual , instinctive flair that breathes more life into the steven brill comedy than it may actually merit .",
        "the cast is pleasant , which is a reasonable adjective to describe the entire project .",
        "that said , the three leads are appealing enough so that the film remains watchable and the whole thing is almost worth seeing just for seth green 's c-3po impressions .",
        "this film has probably got the best action you 'll ever see in a stupid comedy . surprisingly refreshing .",
        "a completely silly but surprisingly funny comedy ... and a real crowd-pleaser .",
        "when anything is this inept , it starts to feel aggressive .",
        "not as horrible as i thought , but still not necessarily worth a trip to the local movie house .",
        "at least harold and kumar were stoned -lrb- and funny -rrb- . when characters are this stupid in a movie , they deserve to be eaten by a bear .",
        "unfortunately , most of the best stuff is in the trailer .",
        "MOV just misses being rip-roarishly funny .",
        "... bad almost by default , as if everyone involved had a few yuks then bailed out mid-stream ... leaving the movie adrift and appropriately titled .",
        "not even a paddle can save this ship from sinking .",
        "may not sink as far into the muck as most movies of its type , but despite its treasure-hunting theme it unearths no comic riches .",
        "-lsb- plays -rsb- like something even john hughes would have left in the drawer .",
        "we 're missing more than just a paddle here .",
        "it programs its cheap laughs efficiently enough to make you think you 're not really wasting your time .",
        "city slickers remade for three stooges fans .",
        "MOV is so bad that it will annoy and/or bore those who have minimal standards and a high tolerance for sewage .",
        "an eye-rolling amalgam of city slickers and a played-for - laughs deliverance .",
        "a guy film that chicks will dig , too .",
        "MOV is also without talent , originality , anything to laugh at , or a reason to buy a ticket",
        "a testosterone comedy that might just as well be titled without a brain cell .",
        "decent performances , slightly smart dumb humor and a dash of thirtysomething nostalgia puts MOV a notch above the movie you 're probably expecting",
        "... this is n't much of a stretch for the creator of the `` mighty ducks '' but at least it 's a step in the right direction .",
        "without has all the freshness of moldering playboys stashed under a mattress , but it evokes what few boys-will-be-boys larks can : chumminess .",
        "more enjoyable than we have any right to reasonably expect .",
        "the inconsistency in tone leaves MOV up a certain unnamed creek .",
        "... one of the few surprises this summer .",
        "imagine deliverance re-delivered as a gen-x comedy , co-starring a hungry bear , two dope-growing rednecks and a mad mountain man -lrb- burt reynolds -rrb- .",
        "MOV is two movies -- one good and one bad -- merged together into a cinematic hodgepodge of hilarity , originality , banality and absurdity .",
        "looks like yet another gross-out farce , but it 's actually a genuinely engaging comic adventure .",
        "this is simply just another in a long line of lazy comedies .",
        "while striving for a bit of liberalism -lrb- ai n't we city types the real stoopid ones -rrb- almost every scene then throws in the towel and falls back on a clutch of unfunny country-livin ' clich\u00e9s .",
        "this is a picture pretty comfortable on the bottom of a video shelf with welcome to mooseport .",
        "MOV lives up to its name ; it sinks .",
        "an unstable -- if mostly painless -- mix of low comedy , stabs at higher silliness , and schmaltz .",
        "charts an uncertain course between wild and mild , eventually running aground in a pile of male-bonding muck .",
        "add steven brill 's MOV to that id-grinding pig-pile that includes sorority boys and the american pie films .",
        "MOV would have been much more entertaining if brill had been less focused on what a bear does in the woods .",
        "buddy wilderness adventure comedy has a big heart , even if it 's a been-there , done-that comedy .",
        "for those who think ` deliverance ' did n't have enough poop humor .",
        "this is the kind of movie where the centerpiece scene involves dropping poop on people 's heads . if that does n't discourage you from seeing it , i ca n't imagine anything will .",
        "imagine you 're watching ` dizzy detectives ' and after moe wallops curly with a two-by-four , he delivers a treacly speech about how much he appreciates his friendship ...",
        "maybe they should have cast ned beatty and ronny cox as dueling banjo players , squealing like pigs .",
        "whether one installs the silent ` up a creek ' preamble to the title depends on how you feel about serious silliness .",
        "without the sense of fun adventure that makes you want to ride along with these guys . i wanted to assume the fetal position and have a giant bear come and take me away .",
        "imagine deliverance as a pg-13 slapstick cartoon for 13-year-old boys . better yet , do n't .",
        "the homosexual panic instilled by deliverance fuels the running joke driving the uneasy laughs evoked by this loathsome comedy .",
        "it 's as if somebody was telling you about a joke , rather than telling you the actual joke .",
        "the movie does have funny moments , and there 's a sweetness unusual in your standard stupid summer comedy .",
        "ca n't decide whether it wants to be a slapstick-y , gross-out comedy , or a heartfelt stand by me-meets-deliverance drama .",
        "the cheesy , unconvincing moments centered on the characters ' serious discussions of life and friendship really seem unnatural and ruin the flow of the physical comedy .",
        "you can lose money and regain it , says a character in MOV , but not so lost time . perhaps this is a subliminal message to moviegoers .",
        "without a joke would be a better title .",
        "they say that still waters run deep . suffice it to say that the waters of MOV are raging ... a soggy embarrassment for all involved .",
        "essentially a long , drawn out comedic take of last year 's texas chainsaw ripoff , wrong turn , except with most of the jokes excised .",
        "despite some agreeably idiotic moments , MOV is also mostly without a rudder .",
        "it 's not that good , but it could be a whole lot worse .",
        "in a shocking deviation from the normal pr drill , bart the bear jr. provides filmstew with a heartfelt and conflicted first-person review .",
        "summer movies do n't get much sillier or more empty-headed than MOV .",
        "MOV never sinks . it just drifts along amiably until it reaches a predictable shore .",
        "what promises to be a comic take on the 1972 thriller deliverance , is actually closer to dude , where 's my car ? as it drifts aimlessly from one dopey situation to another .",
        "you can say of MOV that at least it cares enough to steal from the very best . unfortunately , that 's about all it cares about .",
        "a pleasant end-of-summer diversion that wo n't insult your intelligence . too much , anyway .",
        "overload -lsb- s -rsb- on gross-out gags and deliverance references .",
        "five screenwriters , three stars , maybe two good jokes .",
        "it 's like the goonies on acid .",
        "the only thing that 's remotely impressive about this waste of 99 minutes is that it somehow took five writers to put it together , proving that too many cooks spoil the s'mores",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV has a few laughs , but not enough to sustain its running time .",
    "id": "10946"
  },
  {
    "movie": "to_catch_a_thief",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this enjoyable mixture of wit , low voltage intrigue and highly charged attraction is really about the appeal of its two great stars and the beauty of its seaside setting .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1955 -rrb- is a hitchcock-directed , lush , entertaining comedy/thriller concerning jewel heists on the french riviera . although the polished caper film",
        "the heart of the film hinges on the enjoyable c\u00f4te d'azur romance between kelly and grant .",
        "fluff , but made of spun gold , with grant and kelly at their glittering best .",
        "one of the most lightweight -lrb- and not even particularly deceptively so -rrb- of hitchcock 's comedy-thrillers ; a retreat from the implications of rear window into the realm of private jokes and sunny innuendo .",
        "it 's one of hitchcock 's lightest and most purely enjoyable exercises .",
        "hitchcock and screenwriter john michael hayes posited voyeuristic spectacle as the essence of cinema in rear window ; in MOV they validate their thesis with plenty of spectacle to be voyeuristic over .",
        "a collection of vistavision postcards .",
        "colorful , fun hitchcock pairing grant and kelly .",
        "... has the feel of being made while on a getaway vacation .",
        "grant gives his role his assured style of acting , meaning the dialog and situations benefit . kelly , too , dresses up the sequences in more ways than one .",
        "should keep you guessing while you have a chance to see the veiled sexual relationship between grant and kelly 's characters",
        "a riveting , rollicking hitchcock suspense classic .",
        "lavishly shot in the french riviera , this romantic thriller is vatsly entertaining due to star power of cary grant and grace kelly .",
        "francie finds something inauthentic in robie : `` like an american in an english movie '' . well , yes , perhaps . but grant 's debonair and oddly unlocatable mid-atlantic identity is absolutely right for the part .",
        "grant and kelly are on sparkling form , as is jessie royce landis as the latter 's formidable and smirky mother , and the french riviera is beautifully captured by the oscar-winning cinematography of robert burks .",
        "hitchock-lite , but highly enjoyable for it , MOV is a visually dazzling romantic comedy with two incomparable leads .",
        "a bubbly and effervescent alfred hitchcock romantic-suspenser that finds the master in a relaxed and purely entertaining mood .",
        "it is a significant dud , and grace kelly 's role has the virtue of making clearer the quality which excited so much attention in previous roles .",
        "it 's all slight , charming and fairly forgettable .",
        "the whole thing is really a condensed summer holiday , all hot sun and suavity .",
        "a fun seaside frolic , but does n't sit long in the mind .",
        "grace kelly brings a sometimes-frosty but incredibly radiant charm to her role .",
        "hitchcock at his slick , glossy entertainment best .",
        "vintage hitchcock .",
        "fun light-hearted thrills from grant and hitchcock .",
        "worth a peek .",
        "more romantic than suspenseful , better known for its clever double entendres -lrb- both verbal and visual -rrb- than its hair-raising moments",
        "prototypical hitchcockian tale of stylish intrigue and intensity highlighted by the dashing dimension of the grant/kelly collaboration . a classic cat-and-mouse romance caper that impeccably flourishes",
        "MOV does nothing but give out a good , exciting time . if you 'll settle for that at a movie , you should give it your custom right now .",
        "a wonderfully witty and sexy hitchcok thriller that answers the question , `` why did the chicken cross the road ? ''",
        "alfred hitchcock 's fluffy 1955 exercise in light comedy , minimal mystery , and good-natured eroticism -lrb- the fireworks scene is a classic -rrb- ."],
    "summary": "it may occasionally be guilty of coasting on pure charm , but MOV has it in spades -- as well as a pair of perfectly matched stars in cary grant and grace kelly .",
    "id": "17005"
  },
  {
    "movie": "indiana_jones_and_the_kingdom_of_the_crystal_skull",
    "reviews":
     [
        "crystal skull is the worst in the series with some really bad twists and dull moments , but the action scenes alone save the film and warrants at least one viewing .",
        "ford is vitally and vibrantly present every moment on screen .",
        "awesome production design and death-defying stunts mask the movie 's flaws : uninvolving relationships and narrative hodge-podge .",
        "even with the ponderous dialogue , there is considerable fun , and it 's good to see that indy , though slightly weary , still has the goods .",
        "even in its inflated and creaky fourth incarnation , the indy series retains a certain unassuming quality , at least compared to hollywood 's recent monstrous productions .",
        "a rollicking class reunion that stands as the second best entry in the venerable series .",
        "it is a load of old nonsense , of course , but the journey is worth the price of admission .",
        "the role belongs to ford , and he is his usual sly self , with dry comic delivery and intrepid air , which was always more important than death-defying acrobatics .",
        "it feels as lively and buoyant , as effortlessly entertaining , as you could realistically want in an indiana jones flick .",
        "deft , clever and fast-paced ; it hits all the nostalgic touchstones and introduces memorable , worthwhile new players .",
        "much of it is exciting ; the action sequences , the fights , the stunts are rousing , but they also seem familiar and a bit routine .",
        "what a relief that crystal skull turns out to be a serviceable little nostalgia piece . i 'm not sure there 's any compelling reason for it to exist , but it 's a fun night out at the movies . no more than that -- and certainly no less .",
        "what was i worried about ? steven spielberg and his crew have n't missed a beat .",
        "a wild summer ride you 'll want to take again and again .",
        "let 's get the thumb-orientation , star-quantity business out of the way first : thumbs up firmly but unenthusiastically ; two and a half stars out of four . that is to say ... pretty good .",
        "breathless , popcorn-munching adventure flick perfection .",
        "even as the movie occasionally trips over its nostalgias , it 's still a likable , if unremarkable , entertainment , a pleasant echo of past delights .",
        "crystal skull can be seen as a welcome addition to the franchise , but spielberg , ford and lucas might want to think about hanging up the trusty old fedora before they - dare i say - end up tarnishing indiana jones ' good name .",
        "i 'm happy to admit i 'm up in the air and ready to go back for more .",
        "i sat through two hours of crystal skull and when it was over , my jaw was aching , because i had n't stopped grinning like a little kid the whole time . i love this movie . i love it .",
        "it 's not bad , exactly . it 's not a desecration of the franchise . it 's just ... tired .",
        "nobody can orchestrate this robust silliness better than steven spielberg , who brings effortless visual panache to the proceedings , even when he ca n't entirely hide its mercenary nature .",
        "nearly two decades after the last appearance , indiana jones is back , along with its diminishing returns and its aging principals and their trademark tools .",
        "once again , the indiana jones series is the rare franchise that treasures knowledge and embraces the unknown .",
        "the good news is that harrison has aged gracefully and is up to the challenge of his physically-demanding role .",
        "ultimately , the kingdom of the crystal skull is instant artifact . it 's a vessel with a great deal of pictorial images on its surface . but its contents are long gone .",
        "they just do n't make them like they used to , and depending on which category you fall into , that 's either a bad or good thing .",
        "packed with fights and chases -- but then so were the old tom and jerry cartoons . the worst steven spielberg popcorn flick since 1941 .",
        "MOV plays heavily on the fondness of the audience for the first three films . without that , it 's basically a better-made version of the national treasure series .",
        "give me an aged archaeologist with a whip any day over a gun-toting secret agent sipping martinis under the code-name of 007 .",
        "the thing i loved most about this movie is just how ludicrous the whole thing is .",
        "when it 's good it 's great , and when it 's bad , it 's a typical lucas misfire .",
        "welcome back indiana - the old ford still runs like new !",
        "an iconic film character deserved a better story than this .",
        "a colossal disappointment by any measure , this latest indiana jones film focuses in on the character weaknesses of its creators george lucas and steven spielberg .",
        "normally it 's a terrible thing if a film only gives us one good character ... except when it 's indiana jones , with a whip at his side . a terrible story ca n't totally ruin jones . thank god .",
        "ena dioro ypertheama gemato entasi kai drasi hortastiki , apolaystiki ki aksiomnimoneyti oso tin proti fora , poy dikaionei tin katagogi tis anabionontas tin , kai kerdizei aksia mia thesi stin dipla stin thryliki trilogia tis",
        "MOV gets swamped in a sea of stunts and cgi that are relentless as the scenes and character relationships are charmless .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "spielberg clearly got enormous pleasure employing a lifetime 's worth of skill and turning out wave after wave of smartly done stunts and effects set pieces .",
        "between a series of stunt-driven set-pieces , implausibly linked , the film gets bogged down in wearying talk .",
        "once it gets going , crystal skull delivers smart , robust , familiar entertainment .",
        "despite the genuine excitement , and one blinding flash of the old genius , this new indy film looks like it 's going through the motions .",
        "welcome back indy . lord knows we 've missed you .",
        "MOV may be the slightest , least memorable entry in the franchise , but it 's a franchise with a rather high bar , and the film 's plentiful flaws do not overwhelm its pleasures .",
        "sitting through steven spielberg 's slog down memory lane means waiting for surprise , waiting for delight , waiting for daylight after turgid trudges through peruvian caves , and waiting for an abstract story to coalesce .",
        "at its best , it 's a satisfying shuffle of the deck of famous spielbergian moments that have gone before .",
        "so was it worth the wait ? ... absolutely .",
        "it 's as contrived and convoluted as all the other indiana jones movies , but not as much fun .",
        "this is spielberg at his most pop and most amazing : turning the shiny american quotidian into an authentically numinous and strange experience .",
        "... crystal skull is a fine , rollicking , lightning-paced return to form for all involved ...",
        "you definitely get your money 's worth .",
        "as a continuation of a series that 's captured the hearts of two generations over the last twenty-five odd years , it rocks .",
        "director steven spielberg and star harrison ford have no trouble getting back into the groove with a story and style very much in keeping with what has made the series so perennially popular .",
        "-lsb- george lucas -rsb- and steven spielberg have earned back a lot of goodwill with this one . it 's the only spielberg movie in over a decade that actually ends when it 's supposed to .",
        "despite its many flaws , MOV is an enjoyable romp that does no harm to the character 's legacy .",
        "indiana jones & the kingdom of the crystal skull is , in spite of claims otherwise made , a cg version of an indiana jones movie ... for better or for worse .",
        "to expect any movie to live up to the raiders standard is simply unfair , but crystal skull fits very excellently next to both temple of doom and last crusade .",
        "a sentimental old fool that retreats back into the utterly , dishearteningly familiar",
        "... it 's downright refreshing to witness a movie so fully alive to its own antic sense of humor , without any self-conscious , wise-guy irony to get in the way of the fun .",
        "outlandishly spry and equipped with ford 's deadpan spunk . the formula is daringly familiar because spielberg 's action-packed narrative has n't missed a step .",
        "a swell throwback , and one that was worth the wait .",
        "that 'll do indy , that 'll do .",
        "i enjoyed `` skull '' more the second time because my expectations had been lowered . yours should be , as well .",
        "the gold standard for summer movie fare",
        "from its exciting opening sequence to its clever closing scene , ` crystal skull ' made me grateful to steven spielberg for deciding to film another indy adventure .",
        "indy , it 's great to have you back . when 's the next one ?",
        "it does n't hold a candle to raiders of the lost ark , or even last crusade , but it is n't temple of doom , either . if you can fathom third place in the series , there lies MOV .",
        "an entertaining and inventive ride tailor-made for the summer movie season .",
        "offering fun , excitement , familiar things , new elements and roller coaster-ride adventure , the kingdom of the crystal skull is all it promises to be .",
        "it is the summer blockbuster 's mother ship , built for speed but riding on fumes .",
        "is the whole thing preposterous ? yes . is it a bit familiar and predictable ? possibly . is it corny ? ok , yes , a little bit . but again , it 's fun and does n't require too much thought .",
        "i loved every ridiculous minute of this movie .",
        "spielberg proves once again that no one can direct an old-fashioned rollicking ride like he can .",
        "crystal skull is hit-and-miss like the clunky 1984 sequel , temple of doom . and instead of the elegiac tone that lifted 1989 's presumptive valedictory , the last crusade , director steven spielberg and producer george lucas have gotten sillier .",
        "ford simply is indiana jones , and as this movie proves , he always will be .",
        "when kingdom rears back and delivers the goods , the result will reduce the average indy fan to pudding . the film should offer a new pair of pants with every ticket .",
        "there 's plenty of frantic energy in MOV , lots of noise and money too , but what 's absent is any sense of rediscovery .",
        "MOV ca n't be seen as anything other than a very minor chapter in the adventures of one of cinema 's most beloved action heroes and a disappointment for those who have waited patiently for his return .",
        "the good news for ford fans is that indy may be older and greyer , but there 's still a spark to his repartee .",
        "while there 's fun to be had at this new film , there were moments when i thought , like some of indy 's archaeological finds , it probably should have remained as a museum piece .",
        "even after so much time away , this new film is easily the equivalent of its predecessors and perhaps the second best of the series . i loved watching it , and i ca n't wait to see it again .",
        "indy and his fans everywhere deserved better than this .",
        "indy is n't boning up on babylonian texts ; he 's leafing through the weekly world news .",
        "crystal skull is like bumping into an old friend you said goodbye to years ago and thought you 'd never see again . the reunion is undeniably pleasant but somewhat cheapens the meaningful and eloquent goodbye you once shared .",
        "has the perfect amounts of camp , humor , danger , action and swashbuckling -lrb- lots of swashbuckling -rrb- to keep everyone in the audience entertained .",
        "as much joy as it would give me to praise kingdom of the crystal skull unreservedly , there are some noticeable defects .",
        "despite some things that make you go ` hmmm ' with an unexpected twist of plot events , this is the real indiana jones deal . the spirit is spot on and hollywood this time has fantastically exhumed its venerated roots .",
        "utterly unnecessary , unbelievably uninspired and preposterous beyond all imagination .",
        "the long , go-for-broke opening sequence in the nevada desert is a triumph that announces that spielberg and indiana jones are not just an explosive combination , they 're positively atomic .",
        "crystal skull is a fun ride , but if we have to wait 19 years for the next one , that 's ok by me .",
        "turns out the old man can still take hits to both body and ego and remain as cheer-worthy as the first time he rocked a bullwhip and dusty lid .",
        "... playful and entertaining , even if it looks , deliberately , as though we 've seen it all before . -lrb- blu-ray edition -rrb-",
        "although it carries a certain level of slickness to it , kingdom of the crystal skull shows that although the times have changed - both in the film and for the viewing audience - indiana jones has n't . and that 's a problem .",
        "exhilarating",
        "i 'll answer the most important question first . yes , there is a wilhelm scream in MOV .",
        "MOV -- the fourth movie about henry jones , jr. -- is as comfortable as an old shoe . or an old hat . actually it is old hat . it 's comfortable , but it 's also worn and slack .",
        "ford se jo % u0161 uvijek mo % u017ee nazivati akcijskom zvijezdom",
        "want some real perspective ? ask me in ten years : hindsight has a nasty habit of being right . but for right now , on may 22 , 2008 ? MOV is a movie worth getting excited for .",
        "a perfectly great bout of escapism with indiana jones at his best ...",
        "if anyone was worried that ford was just too old to put the hat back on , crystal skull should lay that to rest . there 's still life in the old franchise yet .",
        "senior citizens ' special of the year , a popcorn movie made from , uh , mature corn .",
        "delivers more or less what one would expect : a reunion with a few old friends amid disposable popcorn entertainment ... enjoy it for what it is , but do n't hope for more .",
        "affectionately aimed at both the aarp crowd and those who grew up with indy . temper comparisons to the trilogy and take it on its own terms as a fun ride with a rejuvenated harrison ford and enough great action to trump a blah finale .",
        "a triumphant return to form .",
        "the overall effect is either exhilarating or exhausting , depending on your emotional investment in the franchise , but credit where credit is due : steven spielberg and george lucas set out to make one for the fans and delivered .",
        "kingdom of the crystal skull is as joyless as its predecessors were blissful .",
        "the worst that can be said of crystal skull is that it wo n't be inspiring any youthful vine-swinging . a shame , really .",
        "the film , which is set in the late '50s , is bathed in a golden glow that instantly transports us to another era , an era when the movies thrilled us with the daring exploits of human beings , not binary codes .",
        "spielberg proves he still knows how to generate high-style thrills , and ford affirms that he can yet deliver both a punch and a wry punchline .",
        "take this nostalgic `` pathway to another dimension '' , and for two hours your mind , like oxley 's , will be blissfully empty .",
        "the swashbuckling swings from the rafters , mad races in dueling jeeps , etc. are , to get right to the point , old fedora .",
        "better than temple of doom , but not as good as raiders or last crusade ...",
        "the magic is still there , only you have to work a little harder to make yourself believe this time .",
        "... there 's ultimately no denying that the film is as thrilling and enthralling as one might 've hoped .",
        "ford and spielberg are all a little older and a little slower . but the film works because they have all retained a sense of fun ... this is n't great art , just great fun .",
        "seeing this latest installment is like meeting a long lost friend and discovering that they have n't lost any of their charm . spielberg , lucas and ford have managed to recapture the magic and brought adventure back to the movies .",
        "crystal skull can be an amusing couple of hours , even if it 's hardly the ` event ' it ought to have been .",
        "crystal skull is n't bad -- there are a few dazzling sequences , and a couple of good performances -- but the unprecedented blend of comedy and action that made the movies so much more fun than any other adventure series is mostly gone .",
        "longtime fans of the series will find the references to past films delightful , and they 'll similarly be pleased to find spielberg once again at his most limber : the director has n't made a film this light and carefree in a long time .",
        "an amusement park ride . kind of fun , but we know there 's no real danger . the film never has an edge -lrb- save for a great hotrod scene -rrb- .",
        "it 's not fair to ask the film to appeal to your somber , jaded adult sensitivities when the reason you fell in love with indiana jones in the first place was because it was the stuff of boyhood daydreams .",
        "even in a poorly written cobbled together mess like this , indy still shines and ford can still bring him to life .",
        "there 's nothing but entertainment value here .",
        "the action is the movie 's raison d'\u0119tre , of course , but the setups are wittier than the payoffs .",
        "ford , like spielberg , is completely in his comfort zone here . that means no risks , but in the case of the crystal skull , that kind of safety can still yield plenty of old-fashioned fun .",
        "the movie 's pretty good , occasionally very good . but i also kind of hope they do n't make another one .",
        "in the end , though , crystal skull feels too much like a retrospective .",
        "while the production values are top-notch , and the action artfully choreographed , in the end -- and quite well before the end -- a sense of tedium sets in .",
        "the fourth chapter of the indiana jones chronicles feels repetitive and a little gassed , but it has too much bravura filmmaking , and just enough wit , to not recommend .",
        "satisfying if not fully electrifying , MOV offers fans all the familiar elements : bullwhip , fedora , ancient texts , hidden clues , obscure maps and cliffhanging moment atop cliffhanging moment .",
        "as with any class reunion , the pleasure of this indiana jones entry is n't so much what happens , as who you 're with .",
        "great to have indy back . wish he had more interesting stuff to do .",
        "it 's crammed full of the dash , filmmaking flair , swashbuckling magic , impossible stunts and tongue-in-cheek humor that made the series such a phenomenon of its time .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- the most ridiculously cartoonish of the four flicks -- but MOV is still a lot of fun anyway .",
        "it 's stupid as all heck in places , but it 's still a lot of fun . ford actually seems excited to be in a movie .",
        "it 's a film well tuned to its own sense of nostalgia and the images of its time .",
        "it 's not a perfect movie , but it 's an indiana jones movie .",
        "a worthy successor to those earlier three films in the series .",
        "karen allen was once famous for drinking men under the table , and from the looks of her it 's there they 'll stay . as for indy , now that he has reached the two-thirds century mark , it 's time to stop using the whip and start using the term ` whippersnapper . '",
        "this entry feels hokey and jokey , mired in nostalgia and strewn with spielbergian and lucasian themes as fake as the cobwebs used on the sound-stagey sets .",
        "this film is a compendium of geographic misinformation as well as solid collection of action sequences .",
        "it 's what we 've been jones-ing for . for 19 years , in fact .",
        "indiana goes about his business shake-rattle-and-rolling around the tropics and cracking secret codes and heads alike , as abracadabra escapades , elvis jive , brainiacs and cold war kgb agents collide . so does indy 4 rock ? da , daddy-o .",
        "whichever way we go , we have to always , always be looking .",
        "harrison ford 's age was anticipated to be the weak point here but he 's more than up to bringing back an older but still spry and wry indy ...",
        "to all of the wannabes , imposters and posers out there - it 's time to go back to school and learn how a real adventure picture is made .",
        "indy 's back in an awesome , thrill-filled roller-coaster ride that you do n't ever want to stop . it 's far-fetched , fast-paced fun .",
        "indy iv may not entirely be the grand return that everyone had hoped for , but it 's still great to see a good old friend come around again .",
        "spielberg has n't gained more skills as a director , and series creator george lucas is a shell of the writer he once was , but kingdom is still an old-fashioned , two-fisted romp through archaeology , the cold war , pseudo-science and film history .",
        "this is a movie you will want to revisit again and again .",
        "everyone joking about harrison ford 's advanced age seems to be forgetting one thing ...",
        "it 's admittedly a pleasure to see harrison ford back in the role . once you get past the initial reintroduction , though , it 's obvious that this fourth film in the indy series really has no idea where to go .",
        "on a satisfaction scale , it lands squarely between the temple of doom , and the last crusade .",
        "two hours of solid and occasionally spectacular entertainment that does n't trash any fondly-held childhood memories along the way .",
        "a slick , fun film that has by no means sacrificed the fast action beats of the first three .",
        "you could smack ` i want to believe ' on the poster and it would sum up the theme nicely . unfortunately , this is just an ok film with a few standout scenes and a terrific ending . it 's not an instant classic by any stretch .",
        "impresses with its ability to revive our fondness for this hero and his improvised way of handling all the dangers , challenges , and surprises that come his way .",
        "MOV is clearly a movie geared toward anyone under the age of 30 who memorized every moment of their raiders vhs .",
        "fourth indy is n't perfect , but it 's fun for series fans .",
        "is n't a perfect film , but it 's far more satisfying as a whole than the sum of it 's parts .",
        "indiana jones offers solid summer entertainment , but where 's the laughter , romance and soul that made the original trilogy so memorable ?",
        "it 's as good as it needs to be to justify its place in the indiana jones canon , and that should be enough .",
        "do n't listen to the haters , MOV is a blast from the past filled with non-stop action , wonderful references to the first three films and an over-the-top plot device that 's ridiculously fun .",
        "the film 's pace is n't quite enough to get our hearts racing , but it 's still great fun .",
        "can all be summed up with the thought the film could have been much better , but it could have been much worse .",
        "-lsb- speilberg -rsb- is no longer a young director , and nowhere is that more apparent than in his approach to this indy .",
        "the pace is a bit lethargic , and the film also suffers from the usual spielberg achilles ' heel of many , many false endings .",
        "harrison ford played a passable indiana jones , but he seemed to have lost his joie de vivre ... although it is an enjoyable fast-moving adventure movie ... i 'd seen it before .",
        "if you want to wonder who built two twin roads through the amazon , or how come indy and his troop survive not one but three trips over the waterfall without a bruise , then go to another movie .",
        "the kingdom of the crystal skull lives up to its hype and offers plenty of classic indy moments .",
        "the energy on display is impressive , even if spielberg 's suggestion that a fifth indie adventure is a distinct possibility is more a cause for concern than celebration .",
        "while we can never go home again completely , ` MOV ' reminds us of why we fell in love with indiana jones in the first place .",
        "i 'm going to get this out of the way first , it 's not as good as the first three . however , it 's a fun , entertaining romp , and there are some classic indy moments in this .",
        "with at least eight screenwriters hired to work on different drafts over the years ... it 's a minor miracle that the finished film works as well as it does .",
        "you sense that if lucas had his way , harrison ford would have measured shia lebeouf 's midiclorian levels .",
        "a lot of the picture veers uneasily between solemnity and slapstick and 47 different genres .",
        "it 's not the years nor the mileage that has made this film a disappointment . it 's the fact that by stepping into the digital era indiana jones has lost his magic .",
        "there is a real delight in the art of action cinema at work here , and the enormous satisfaction of being in a darkened room with someone you know can really kick butt .",
        "the eagerly awaited fourth chapter is not a great film by any standard , but mixing conventions of all 1950s genres -lrb- sci-fi , adventure , and even horror and spy -rrb- , it delivers the goods to the fans in a mass spectacle package that 's good old-fashioned fun .",
        "a movie for the fans . not necessarily the younger fans that grew to love the series on video , but those who remember indy cracking his whip on the big screen .",
        "in spite of an over reliance on cg , and one too many obvious moments of george lucas-involved tomfoolery , this is a great piece of studio-produced escapist entertainment",
        "more magical than narnia and more fun than iron man .",
        "while it definitely had its moments and plenty of nods to the fans , there was also more ridiculousness than we 've ever seen in an indiana jones film .",
        "at its best , sublime . overall , the great moments make up for the mediocre .",
        "if you want to get prepared for this one , do n't go back and watch the other indy movies . pull out the lost world instead . both films are directed by the same steven spielberg - bored , only mildly engaged and seemingly going through the motions .",
        "when indy swings a punch or delivers a biting retort , audiences sit up and listen with looks of adoration and reverence . it 's all one big spectacle , after all - so why begrudge the old guy one last adventure ?",
        "filled with many hairy escapes -lrb- and a few miraculous ones -rrb- , indiana jones ' fourth adventure is as rip roaring as we would expect , dotted with little jokey bits and a dash of close encounters of the third kind kind of thing .",
        "self-aware in the best possible way , kingdom of the crystal skull cultivates a collective sense of nostalgia that carries it past mumbo-jumbo story developments and action scenes that could have used less cgi .",
        "i like things with moving parts . there are plenty of ancient temples with moving contraptions in this one .",
        "the character and plot contrivances are dumber than ever , but this is basically vaudeville , not narrative , and the thrills keep coming .",
        "it 's romantic manliness at its purest , almost but not quite schmaltz , ideally calculated to please true believers and ironic snorters at once .",
        "this time , as spielberg dips into other parts of his canon , the supernatural answer falls maddeningly short of the divine .",
        "spielberg and lucas give fans exactly what they 'd given them before and this time it 's jumbo size .",
        "MOV is probably the worst of the indiana jones movies , but it 's still pretty much a delight , from the beginning almost until the end .",
        "we 're also -lrb- relievedly -rrb- a long way away here from the strenuous self-importance of the bruckheimer-era blockbuster , and one should never look even such modest gift horses in the mouth .",
        "... exactly what you expect from a summer blockbuster : a thrilling amusement park ride .",
        "MOV feels simultaneously self-conscious and self-satisfied , as if a little warm glow of past glory will soothe our bumps and blows from the clumsiness of the script .",
        "with moviegoers facing a grim season of pallid cgi battle-toons ... even the problematic adventures of one indiana jones can feel like a rich banquet in comparison .",
        "... bored me to the point that i really wanted to get up and leave the theater .",
        "indy 's indomitable , of course , charismatic and clever , but he 's surrounded by worn-out emblems and gestures toward a new decade , the cold war and the rise of corporate conformity .",
        "for action fans it 's precious metal with a pedigree .",
        "aside from the sustained invention of the jungle sequences , much of the movie feels like a recreation of something we 've already seen , like the vegas version of the eiffel tower .",
        "they had 19 years since the last indiana jones movie to come up with something truly exciting and fresh , but i feel there 's a certain laziness and cynicism in this latest adventure .",
        "fun , entertaining , genuinely amusing , and made with an abundance of what appears to be honest-to-god warmth , MOV is a worthy addition to one of the great movie franchises .",
        "wry humor , kitchy dialogue , fast-paced action , seamless special f/x , solid acting and homage to its original are all good reasons to see -lsb- it -rsb- . i rate it the best of the sequels",
        "i have to admit this is probably the smartest entry in the series .",
        "true fans looking for nothing more than a piece of old-fashioned entertainment will be glad to see the man with the hat once again .",
        "it 's not that crystal skull does n't deliver the laughs and the thrills ; it 's just that they all feel incredibly calculated , and it 's quite possible that you wo n't remember them after a day or two .",
        "... the dash and derring-do are as kinetic and ebullient as ever ...",
        "tiene todo lo que tiene que tener : excelentes efectos visuales , buen ritmo , sentido del humor y un mont\u00f3n de disparates divertidos . y por supuesto a harrison ford en el papel de su vida .",
        "do n't let the fluff fool you , it may be strictly for fun , but it 's done with wit , charm , and enough wry irascibility to make it a two-hour thrill-ride that never lets up and never lets its audience down",
        "spielberg is an efficient , consummately competent director , and the action sequences deliver exactly what 's promised , if nothing more .",
        "MOV is entertaining , inventive and old-fashioned in the best way .",
        "in MOV , a daring team of professionals risks everything to unearth a valuable artifact . no , not a quartz cranium . the indiana jones series . and the great good news is that they succeed , marvelously .",
        "i can say that if you liked the other indiana jones movies , you will like this one , and that if you did not , there is no talking to you .",
        "its not ocean 's 12 or 13 ! you 'll love it . and ford keeps his shirt on .",
        "the first new chapter in the indiana jones saga for 20 years starts with a bang before the director steven spielberg 's penchant for schmaltz and the supernatural leaves a permanent scar on the franchise .",
        "fans will find themselves more likely to re-watch temple of doom than to revisit this entertaining , yet past its prime indy entry .",
        "set this alongside gun-wielding military bad guys and the expected conspiracy plots and the film looks set to fit easily alongside the other indy films .",
        "all the necessary ingredients are here : ancient riddles , rumbling stone technology , a precious artifact with supernatural powers . and harrison ford , as indiana jones , still looks dashing in a leather bomber jacket or professorial tweed .",
        "grab your popcorn and cue the theme music , this is gon na be a fun ride .",
        "the action sequences are staged and edited sloppily , a far cry from the death-defying stuntman extravaganzas of yore .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "both the good and bad remind us that the most special thing about skull is the man wearing the fedora and the rakish grin . he has never worn out his welcome , and this valedictory -- it can be nothing else -- is a fitting one .",
        "i want a sequel , and i do n't want to wait for it , for 19 years .",
        "i guess the best recommendation i can ultimately offer is this : as i write this review two days after the screening , i 'm still humming the theme song .",
        "that same smile you had as a wide-eyed ten-year-old will be duplicated as you watch this joyous cinematic exercise that cynics may believe is outdated and stale .",
        "the magic is back ! ... director steven spielberg knows how to dazzle us , and he certainly does it here .",
        "at his best , spielberg is certainly capable of tapping , to almost unnerving degree , collective moods and fears and longings , both emotional and cultural .",
        "the scenery is beautiful , the special effects look wonderfully expensive , and the quips are vintage harrison ford .",
        "to counteract its shortcomings , what has the film got ? it 's got indiana freaking jones , that 's what .",
        "expecting brando-esque menace or dreyfus-ian uplift from the indiana jones tetralogy is like going to the candy counter at the mall multiplex and asking for some goat cheese and a nice cabernet .",
        "it stands up just fine to temple of doom and last crusade , and it does not stand up to raiders , and this is all that a sane person would have ever hoped for .",
        "the ` fedora-ble ' indy is back . sort of . with his wry half-smile , still performing many of his own stunts , it 's nice to see an old friend doing so well . but the thrill is gone .",
        "never rocked my boat daddy-o .",
        "after 19 years , spielberg and company have unearthed the best treasure of all - another great indiana jones movie .",
        "the relentless stream of exaggerated action is as taxing as the punchline-laden script .",
        "they 'd done it -- `` they , '' of course , being steven spielberg , george lucas , and harrison ford . they had brought indy back to us , our indy , and they had n't screwed it up .",
        "indy might want to point his whip in a different direction .",
        "skulls and cliffhanging aside , ` MOV ' is a nostalgic reunion for fans . harrison ford , with his quirky -lrb- and often funny -rrb- delivery ... has copyrighted this great , heroic character as his alone .",
        "fortunately , a smart script and great set pieces make this tale of soviet spies , weird artifacts and a lost city a worthy capstone to the series .",
        "not the greatest movie ever , but exactly what it should be : a solid , thrill-packed , immensely entertaining chapter in one of the most enjoyable adventure series in movie history .",
        "although the title is imposingly big , producer george lucas and director steven spielberg 's first installment in the adventure saga since 1989 's the last crusade is , in many respects , disappointingly diminutive .",
        "spielberg and his team simply know how to do this kind of thing better than most of the filmmakers inspired by them who are trying to do it today .",
        "dispelling all fears about age and ability , harrison ford puts on that legendary fedora and becomes indiana jones again , exactly as we remember him .",
        "the first half of kingdom of the crystal skull absolutely captures the tone and spirit of raiders and last crusade .",
        "when spielberg makes an indiana jones movie , you can tell he still loves it . i guess i do , too . for the most part , anyway .",
        "experi\u0119ncia similar a um reencontro com um velho amigo : inicialmente , o prazer da reuni\u0103o \u00e9 contagiante , mas , depois de duas horas , percebemos que n\u0103o h\u00e1 raz\u0103o para mantermos a velha amizade viva no presente .",
        "lucas adopted a new mantra : ` it 's only a movie , it 's only a movie , it 's only a movie . ' and he 's right . it 'll certainly do for a friday night . but to ... fans , the 1980s films are more than movies .",
        "despite all the spit and polish , there 's a slightly stale , musty feel to the movie , as though spielberg were painting by numbers .",
        "after the debacles that were the three star wars prequels , george lucas finally finds a return to form with crystal skull .",
        "in a summertime sea of superheroes , indy emerges once again the coolest crusader of them all ."],
    "summary": "though the plot elements are certainly familiar , MOV still delivers the thrills and harrison ford 's return in the title role is more than welcome .",
    "id": "769964099"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ran",
    "reviews":
     [
        "those who were suspicious of the filmmaker 's unambiguous plotting and westernized approach had to admit to its daunting grandeur .",
        "what 's remarkable about MOV is that the drama enhances the spectacle the same way the spectacle bolsters the drama . few other directors had kurosawa 's ability to convey the intimate as well as the epic , to handle stillness as well as violence .",
        "a stunningly beautiful epic .",
        "visually exciting , includes outstanding acting by a fine cast , and tells a compelling tale about ambition , betrayal and revenge .",
        "a landmark of world cinema , this is a rousing , staggering epic and a haunting drama of timeless significance .",
        "it is a film that already belongs to the ages .",
        "at age 75 , the director has made his most costly epic to date , and it 's a dazzlingly successful addition to his distinguished career .",
        "for aficionados of the war movie , the western , and the period action epic , MOV is necessary viewing .",
        "for his visually sumptuous epic , kurosawa chose the civil wars of sixteenth-century japan as a setting so that he could criticize technological progress and wars of the present .",
        "akira kurosawa 's 1985 film is slightly marred by some too obvious straining toward masterpiece status , yet it 's a stunning achievement in epic cinema .",
        "see a genuine movie epic made before computer-generated special effects made such films look like screen savers .",
        "qualifies as required viewing for for any devoted lover of film .",
        "it has become a cliche to call kurosawa the world 's greatest living filmmaker .",
        "kurosawa spent 10 years trying to bring his epic masterpiece to the screen .",
        "a dazzling , melancholy , entertaining achievement .",
        "but is an eastern drag performer also homosexual ? or are our western minds tingeing other cultures with our need to find gays in every closet ?",
        "run , do n't walk , to MOV .",
        "MOV , which melds an ancient samurai legend with king lear , reaffirms kurosawa 's greatness both as an interpreter of shakespeare and as a master of the medium of film .",
        "kurosawa follows the structure of shakespeare 's play with great care .",
        "extracts the essence of shakespeare 's drama in this study of filial conflict , the lust for power , and the trauma of old age .",
        "MOV is a visually stunning epic , containing some of the most beautiful , colorful , breathtaking imagery ever committed to celluloid .",
        "whether you really are a pretentious film snob or just someone who appreciates seeing something well made , this film is a must-see .",
        "watching MOV , it 's easy to see why kurosawa is so heavily received commercially and critically",
        "it 's a clean , pure 160 minutes of film and a masterpiece .",
        "the tragedy , told with grand opera flourishes , is at once intimate and epic .",
        "nobody can film an epic battle scene like kurosawa .",
        "list any element -- from concept through cinematography , battle action , editing , acting , sound , music , costumes or whatever , right down to makeup -- and kurosawa 's commitment is total .",
        "... screen pictures of arresting beauty that keep the complex storyline hypnotically clear",
        "bloated epic that ranks in the bottom half of kurosawa 's magnificent body of work .",
        "spectacular in presentation and stunning to look at .",
        "the shift and sway of a nation divided is vast , the chaos terrible , the battle scenes the most ghastly ever filmed , and the outcome is even bleaker than shakespeare 's .",
        "an achievement of visual and thematic grandeur .",
        "perfectly paced and beautifully directed with some simply superb acting .",
        "kurosawa 's reworking of shakespeare 's `` king lear '' is an engrossing film that has offers jaw dropping spectacle and genunie dramatic muscle .",
        "kurosawa dares to edit shakespeare 's story lines , adding back stories and deleting major characters , but the motivations and emotions remain true .",
        "a film of the sort of grandeur that brings to mind griffith 's birth of a nation , napoleon vu par abel gance and eisenstein 's ivan the terrible .",
        "the 1985 film is an unqualified masterpiece .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- movie master at his best .",
        "akira kurosawa 's samurai take on king lear is brutal but brilliant , a startling transposition to match his earlier macbeth adap throne of blood .",
        "a film for the ages .",
        "by the time kurosawa 's camera comes to rest on the film 's final , poignant image , a painting of the buddha that one character had promised another would protect him from harm , the movie seemingly has accomplished the impossible : one-upping shakespeare .",
        "ultimately it is this mixture of the grand gesture and the fine touch , the big world and the small people who occupy it , that lingers with us long after MOV is over .",
        "one of the supreme cinematic achievements of the last quarter-century .",
        "MOV is one of the cinema 's greatest works , a film of true tragic vision .",
        "less a director 's return to form than an essay in solipsism and self-pity run amok .",
        "the result is the year 's best foreign film , an action epic to dwarf anything from lucas or spielberg .",
        "what could be more exciting than the prospect of one of the giants of world cinema , his career resuscitated , adapting shakespeare 's most modern play ?",
        "there 's probably more carnage in MOV than there is in rambo and the terminator combined , but the new film substitutes intelligence and emotion for mindlessness and emotionalism . you leave the theater awestruck , not dumbstruck ."],
    "summary": "akira kurosawa 's sprawling , epic take on king lear should be required viewing for fans of westerns , war movies , or period films in general .",
    "id": "15203"
  },
  {
    "movie": "childs_pose",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a dark piece of neorealism - and a searing indictment of eastern europe 's newly moneyed classes ...",
        "a romanian political allegory - in romanian - might sound like tough sledding , but thanks to a searing performance by luminita gheorghiu , `` child 's pose '' is anything but .",
        "not a single character bends for our sympathies or campaigns for our support , and for that reason , child 's pose marks an extremely brave work of remarkable realism .",
        "for those not driven off by a mad libs collection of `` emotional tension , '' `` gloomy plot , '' `` grieving parents '' and `` modern romania , '' `` child 's pose '' is thrilling .",
        "with its claustrophobic , handheld camerawork , child 's pose is almost as suffocating as cornelia -lrb- luminita gheorghiu -rrb- , the well meaning but ultimately meddlesome mother ... a showstopping performance by gheorghiu",
        "a punchy thriller and sweetly bleak tragicomedy . the last shot is as perfectly shaped and beautiful as a freshly forged chisel . bare your heart .",
        "what is so fine about this film is that cornelia is depicted with subtlety , much of that due to the fine performance of luminita gheorghui .",
        "a thriller , but , like the films of asghar farhadi , offers a depth of emotional engagement far beyond your average ... indeed , far beyond your average `` straight drama '' . its thrills are thrilling , but its drama is intense , moving , and extremely rewarding .",
        "it 's well worth seeing , both for its merciless anatomization of the country 's post-ceausescu social order and for gheorghiu 's stupendous central performance as a mother so monstrous she makes medea look like a pushover .",
        "if child 's pose fails to live up to its indie-intellectual veneer , it earns its keep through gheorgiu , whose cornelia is a triumph of subtle performance over crude conception .",
        "in the movie world , most national new waves do n't last long . an exception is the romanian renaissance , which has featured first-class movies now for more than a decade .",
        "`` child 's pose '' sounds like something simple and easy , but do n't be fooled .",
        "writer-director calin peter netzer 's thin yet compelling movie is a family drama with elements of political theater and film noir .",
        "when the stars are aligned-the writing and direction along with the stars in front of the camera-a movie can put the most appalling characters on display and still make them engrossing .",
        "cinema loves its messed up mother-son relationships . but rarely are they handled with the mastery of calin peter netzer 's tale of smotherly love child 's pose .",
        "... both acerbic character study and understated indictment of romania 's justice system and entitled inner circle ... like angela lansbury in ` manchurian candidate , ' gheorghiu 's mother remains oblivious to the damage she has wrought .",
        "netzer offers a bland simulacrum of documentary reality that lines up precisely with his clich\u00e9d prejudices . but in the few moments when spontaneous emotion takes over , surprising moments of grace arise .",
        "deftly examines loss , dependency , and the delicate bonds that hold families together .",
        "there is none of the gallows humor that attracts a certain type of viewer to the romanian new wave . but the empathy is there , for cornelia and for barbu as well , in a film that gets all the way down to the rotten bones .",
        "a tour de force performance by luminita gheorghiu as a controlling mother trying to blast her way back into the life of her thirty-something son .",
        "a technically well-executed but flatly by-the-book and heavy-handed satire on the corruption blighting romania .",
        "sure-footed scripting and a stand-out performance by luminita gheorghiu freshen a potentially pat subject .",
        "while lacking the elegant formal conviction of the best romanian new wave films , calin peter netzer 's child 's pose is nevertheless a work of sophisticated and affecting storytelling , persuasively enmeshing the fate of individuals with that of society .",
        "in our society which prizes families above all else -lrb- especially that mythical and coveted species , the `` decent , hard-working '' sort -rrb- , it is encouraging to find a film that interrogates the pernicious influence that family life can sometimes exert .",
        "a razor-sharp jibe at romania 's nouveau riche -lrb- the type is hardly confined to one country -rrb- , a class adept at massaging truths and ensuring that the world steps aside when conflict arises .",
        "while some of the details are a little heavy-handed , witty touches and rippingly honest acting hold our attention . as does the unusually intimate , urgent filmmaking .",
        "the film , more than the complicated milieu it depicts , is at odds with itself .",
        "child 's pose is simply unforgettable cinema .",
        "of all the great monster mothers in cinema history , cornelia keneres -lrb- luminita gheorghiu , who sets the standard that other performances should be judged by this year -rrb- ranks high on the list .",
        "under the sinuous direction of calin peter netzer , we experience the story as if we were living it .",
        "details are beautifully observed in lengthy , theatrical scenes , which may not have been sustainable without a captivating performance from luminita gheorghiu .",
        "child 's pose , in addition to featuring -lsb- its -rsb- sensational mother-son act , is a fascinating look into a corrupt society that is at times equally jaw-dropping .",
        "despite these effective touches , the film eventually becomes a bit monotonous : it 's clear from very early on that cornelia is a terrible person , but this does n't stop netzer from hammering home the point .",
        "exploring morality and forgiveness , mixed with a curious family dynamic , child 's pose is an involving piece of cinema .",
        "another powerfully observed romanian drama .",
        "razvan radulescu 's screenplay is rich in irony and reversals , highlighting tensions between generations , and between the wealthy elite and the people whose lives are blighted by the elite 's unthinking behaviour and desperation to cling to its status .",
        "what makes cornelia fascinating is not just her rapaciousness and determination , but also the power of her love , albeit a love that smothers . like king lear , she is a monstrous parent , yet pitiable .",
        "a mother 's love outruns her self-delusion in child 's pose , an intense but downbeat entry in what 's being called the `` romanian new wave . ''",
        "the pacing is unyieldingly slow , while also missing that sense of creeping escalation that makes the better films of the romanian art house moment so dreadfully effective",
        "calin peter netzer is a director unafraid to spend a lot of time in one locale to let the crosscurrents of emotion in a complicated scene play out naturally . the editing is almost invisible as tensions tighten .",
        "calin peter netzer 's terrific drama exemplifies many of the traits that have made the new wave of romanian cinema so fecund .",
        "luminita gheorghlu gives a gripping character study of a woman obsessed with keeping barbu by her side . her actions garner both loathing and sympathy , not an easy thing to do .",
        "the film thrives on ambiguity , keeping all things blurry outside its main character 's focused perspective , its myopia sustained by lumini\u021ba gheorghiu 's tough , quietly intense performance .",
        "`` child 's pose '' stares at its characters with such intensity that the ordinary becomes surprising and insightful .",
        "netzer keeps faith with his countrymen 's gritty aesthetic , which remains pure in the spirit of new wave neo-realism ; somehow , international success has not made the romanians crave cgi or encouraged them to pander to hipness .",
        "the hand-held cinematography , gritty and raw , gives the film an immediate and urgent documentary feel , and each moment has a great sense of both the absurd and the poignant .",
        "perversely engrossing thanks to gheorghiu 's performance as the queen of denial .",
        "it 's wonderful to see -lsb- gheorghiu -rsb- in a leading role , especially one as meaty as this .",
        "sporting a blonde dye job and a haughty , impervious manner , gheorghiu makes cornelia a consistently compelling figure , at once monstrous and pathetic .",
        "the drained , exhausted , stifling mood is a frequently punitive experience for the viewer .",
        "a tour-de-force performance from gheorghiu carries this 2013 drama along , but radulescu provides the fine edge , noting how this lioness cloaks her selfish crusade in a plea for humanity .",
        "gheorghiu , who was the essence of compassion in `` lazarescu , '' creates one of the most complex monster mothers in cinema and netzer 's ambiguous , climatic finale unseats expectations , leaving us to ponder whether maternal love or matriarchal ego is at play .",
        "what is a definition of good romanian cinema ? answer : calin peter netzer 's child 's pose .",
        "challenging , intelligent work .",
        "child 's pose treads a delicate line between social horror and comedy-so much so that , as with lazarescu , it 's not always immediately apparent that the comedy is present .",
        "compelling romanian drama with a strong script and a stand-out central performance from luminita gheorghiu , though the film lacks subtlety in the hammering home of its central theme .",
        "a fascinating , troubling and finally controversial portrait of maternal anxiety at its most smotheringly neurotic .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- hrough it all , -lsb- luminita -rsb- gheorghiu finds the perfect pitch between a mother 's love for her child and a kind of pathology .",
        "it all rings horrifically true .",
        "a film as intricate and distressing as a family row .",
        "raw and frighteningly authentic , the feature has a causal immorality that 's fascinating to watch unfold .",
        "it 's through the dysfunctional mother-son relationship at its core that a pointed critique of the corruption bedevilling romanian society emerges .",
        "an awkward title for an excellent film .",
        "a drama with a story as cold , merciless and inevitable as a tomb ...",
        "it 's a chilly story , shot with claustrophobic , close-in cameras , right up to its abrupt ending - in which a mother learns , to her horror , something about the kind of pain that is n't easily swept away .",
        "`` a mother 's love '' has rarely felt more dagger-like or malevolent than in this chilling morality thriller .",
        "a taut modern morality tale from romania with a knock-out lead performance from luminita gheorghiu .",
        "what starts off as broad melodrama becomes , for lack of a better term , more ` real . '",
        "the movie creates its own tightening vice grip .",
        "netzer crafts not only a chilling story of family dysfunction , but also an illuminating look into the corruption and decay of the romanian bourgeoisie - without ever overplaying his hand . it all appears so effortless , when in fact it 's so skillful .",
        "in some ways she may be a monster , but netzer and co-writer radulescu find a path for cornelia that steers clear of outright condemnation . her tragic devotion to her son is so absolute that she retains our pity .",
        "gheorghiu , a truly great actress , is here playing the part of a woman who is herself a great actress , and we ca n't catch either out , and the film goes into its end credits having perfectly preserved this ambivalence .",
        "plays its thematic cards far too early , but it 's sustained by gheorghiu 's compelling central turn as the endlessly self-deluding grande dame .",
        "a series of small scenes imbued with great significance make for a quietly riveting drama that repays multiple viewings ."],
    "summary": "it is n't necessarily an easy watch , but thanks to netzer 's interesting direction and a riveting performance from gheorghiu , child 's pose is rewarding .",
    "id": "771356120"
  },
  {
    "movie": "longest_yard",
    "reviews":
     [
        "viewers who come to see a football movie likely will leave satisfied . but those who want to see an adam sandler movie would do better to rent the waterboy .",
        "a quickly paced , slickly filmed entertainment that 's also as crude and rude as the pg-13 rating will allow .",
        "sexist , homophobic , pointless and overloaded with brain-crushing bigotry ... has an evil and putrid secret agenda that could n't have less to do with football if it tried .",
        "the MOV scores big laughs .",
        "does chris rock even know what year it is ? his tired-for-a-decade references bog down a remake that would be unwatchable were it not for a jazzed-up climactic game .",
        "plagued with product placement .",
        "when adam sandler is n't interesting enough to hold your attention in an adam sandler movie , something is certainly amiss .",
        "the product placement cluttering professional sports also taints ... an otherwise faithful remake .",
        "what 's missing is any real sense of drama .",
        "if only the ethnic-reassigned burt reynolds had stayed naked on that bear rug .",
        "i ca n't help thinking that in this game of remake , points have been shaved .",
        "easy , formula stuff fine-tuned with surefire gags .",
        "people will go see the MOV for all sorts of reasons -- its lively humor , the current of violence that 's just under the surface , its message of underdog racial reconciliation , or the fact that there 's no actual football to watch on tv .",
        "there are occasional guffaws , but none of the jokes are more amusing -lrb- or farfetched -rrb- than the premise that adam sandler ever played in the national football league .",
        "as humorless , lazy and oppressively inane as anything since any one of the witless car chase movies that derailed burt reynolds ' career not long after the original wrapped .",
        "reynolds and , to some degree , chris rock are the only reasons i can think of to see this film - and even their performances are cancelled out by 45 seconds of rob schneider .",
        "when adam sandler throws a long hilarious , no-brainer comedy of a pass into the end zone , you know we are going to be there to catch it .",
        "a testosterone ensemble piece .",
        "no uplifting populism here .",
        "seemingly the perfectly macho end for the traditional happy madison format .",
        "a division iii imitation of the original .",
        "the film 's biggest question is whether sandler 's fans want to see him in a relatively straight role , something he has yet to pull off at the box office .",
        "what you saw in 1974 is pretty much what you get here , an audience pleaser that is n't a particular laugh-riot but will certainly keep you in the game .",
        "a great guys movie full of silly jokes and bonecrushing football action",
        "a predictable , choppy affair at best .",
        "a mean , lean laugh machine .",
        "sandler 's timing is good enough to make the funny scenes come alive . but he has trouble conveying any emotion that could n't just as easily be expressed with a high-five .",
        "the MOV is not a terrible movie , but neither is it one with any value beyond the disposable .",
        "yard is n't bad , although not as funny as sandler 's presence might make you expect .",
        "one of the funniest films i 've seen in years .",
        "the movie is about paul 's journey to find some kind of honor and about seeing big men slam the heck out of each other . it wisely devotes most of its time to the latter .",
        "where the original was a serious film with funny moments , this movie is n't sure if it 's a drama or comedy , too incompetently rendered to be both .",
        "a major summer movie fumble ... it 's mostly the audience that gets sacked .",
        "a genial crowd-pleaser .",
        "the pleasure is entirely like eating cake made from cake mix . it 's not like you do n't know how it 's going to turn out , or how it tasted the last time you ate it .",
        "the longest yarn . a terrible remake of a great dramedy .",
        "it hurts to say this but adam sandler is no burt reynolds",
        "once in prison , who does adam sandler find but the improbably incarcerated chris rock ! what did chris steal , jokes ? who did he kill , the late show at the comedy store ?",
        "sandler has made a stinker . that message is delivered with great sorrow from possibly the hardest-core sandler fan allowed to write about movies for a newspaper .",
        "this new version ignores the inherent edginess of the material . there 's a huge disconnect between the plot 's unassailable darkness and the lightness of the film 's tone .",
        "the film spends too much time on the team 's practice antics and growth-by-montages .",
        "just remember kids : as fun as it all seems , fast food , soda , candy , binge drinking , reckless driving , steroids , dirty ball and , well , yes , adam sandler movies are bad for you .",
        "... hollywood has once again demonstrated its lack of originality -lrb- as if we need further proof -rrb- by serving up another lackluster remake of a sparkling original .",
        "a genial prison-buddy comedy albeit an almost exact script replica of the 1974 version .",
        "the MOV works well enough .",
        "what was already a raucous put-on , a goof on aldrich 's brutal action movies , is now a hyperbolic , gross-out cartoon , with a cast of enormous ex-football stars only adding to the air of facetiousness .",
        "the film does n't shy away from political incorrectness and bad taste .",
        "the new yard is just as slick and rousing as the old yard .",
        "whether it 's the sight of reynolds squeezed painfully into a football uniform or the endless footballs-to-the-crotch and tired gay jokes , the MOV has the feeling of mutton dressed as lamb .",
        "though there 's no drearier trend in current movies than recycling , this modified yard is more smoothly crafted than the 1974 slapstick version .",
        "this is one dreary , formulaic slog through sports-movie cliches .",
        "the rare remake that honors rather than exploits or degrades its source .",
        "thirty years later reynolds still looks fit to play the lead ; sandler still looks like a water boy .",
        "an odd mix of amusing nonsense and nastiness that chugs along , hit and miss , until the last section , which is the best part of the movie and its real reason for being : the game .",
        "if you 're thinking of seeing it , and you 're old enough to drive -lrb- or even read this -rrb- , do yourself a favor and rent the original instead .",
        "weirdly faithful to the original ... but often feels like a child imitating an adult - it gets the motions right , but it never understands any of the meaning .",
        "mucho macho miscasting grinds gridiron grit into flabby humor . it 's sanitized and sentimentalized .",
        "a project devoted entirely to laughs , and money .",
        "both MOV movies employ the same manipulative ways to blend familiar elements of prison flicks and sports movies . the results are modest crowd-pleasers .",
        "enjoyable .",
        "although sandler has occasionally broken the pattern , most recently with spanglish , here he returns to the old , profitable , well-worn rut .",
        "... almost a scene for scene rehash of the original film ...",
        "a definite crowd-pleaser and a perfectly fun night at the movies .",
        "it 's not as good as the 1974 original , or even as good as the 2001 british soccer remake of yard , mean machine . but there are bright spots .",
        "surprisingly respectable .",
        "sad and ugly , the product of sadistic children devoid of moral compasses .",
        "a misguided , miscast remake of the 1974 robert aldrich classic .",
        "the original ... capitalized on the public 's desire to ` fight the power ' and ` stick it to the man ' ; the new version ... seems to be about sticking it to the audience .",
        "watching this remake of the 1974 classic is like watching a high-school production of your favorite musical .",
        "this remake of the 1974 film fails to go all the way by not delivering on the shrewd spirit of the original .",
        "the 1974 version had a sense of realism that 's missing from the comically exaggerated remake . however , i do n't remember the original having as many laugh-out-loud moments .",
        "the new film keeps about 90 % of the original story and even some of the original lines of dialogue , yet the changes it makes are all misguided .",
        "everyone involved with this remake claims the utmost respect for robert aldrich 's raucously funny 1974 original . so you have to wonder why they crapped all over it , starting with the casting .",
        "the ` dumbing ' down of popular media continues .",
        "filme poco pretencioso que no busca otra cosa que no sea entretener . no pasar\u00e1 a la historia , pero por lo menos es mejor de lo que parece .",
        "a film we could live without , inspired by an original that was anything but essential .",
        "peter segal -lrb- `` anger management '' -rrb- successfully helms his third adam sandler project in this funny modernized retooling of robert aldrich 's 1974 original .",
        "this edition of yard has a lighter feel than the original -- well , considering it 's a movie about prison inmates .",
        "yields the dispiriting insight that hollywood ca n't even make credible rabble-rousing junk any more .",
        "somebody needs to throw a flag on this movie for all its penalties ... the worst offense : roughing the audience .",
        "drama that 's not dramatic enough and comedy that 's not funny enough .",
        "if you 're looking for a predictable , unoriginal , mediocre offering from the good folks over at happy madison , rent this puppy ...",
        "even when yard occasionally becomes too hammy for words , or the `` evil '' performances cross into cartoon , the film remains an overwhelmingly infectious experience .",
        "if you like adam sandler , goofy comedy and football , i suggest seeing the waterboy instead .",
        "one of the most obnoxious and least enjoyable movies i 've seen `` are we there yet ? ''",
        "see it if you think adam sandler is joe montana . see it if you like men in team-issued tight pants . see it if you like men in prison-issue tight pants .",
        "an enjoyable , reasonably faithful but over-the-top successor to the original .",
        "the new version is not nearly as convincing or as credible as the old .",
        "when the MOV is about football , it 's not too bad . unfortunately , the rest of the movie is .",
        "unoriginal but confident , it 's the kind of effort that 's just good enough to keep -lsb- sandler 's -rsb- track record going .",
        "obviously aimed at a football audience , but the film 's shortcomings will annoy knowledgeable sports fans even more than other moviegoers .",
        "sandler and director peter segal ` got ' the robert aldrich original , and mostly stayed true to the essential hilarity of a bunch of cons making the most of a wholesome excuse to unleash their repressed violence on some brutal law enforcement goons .",
        "a serviceable bone-cruncher of a sports comedy , just tough enough and funny enough to reach the end zone .",
        "the MOV is packed with many such tiny gifts for insiders , and picking them out is a big part of the movie 's charm .",
        "the MOV plays like nothing less than adam and the boys getting together in new mexico and re-creating something they probably learned to love through steady repeats on basic cable .",
        "seems like it was made by 14-year-old boys , for 14-year-old boys . if that 's you , then go and have a good time . but if you 're post-adolescent , there 's nothing for you here .",
        "hey , did you know there 's a new dvd edition of the 1974 original ?",
        "ranks as perhaps the most violent pg-13 movie i 've seen in years . i began to fear i 'd be sprayed by blood , cartilage or other bodily fluids .",
        "finally , adam sandler returns to the edgy sort of comedy we all love . no more lovey dovey romantic comedies . no more kiddie antics and no more stupid voices .",
        "considerably darker and grittier than most of sandler 's frothy comedies ...",
        "the film primarily replaces its predecessor 's gritty swagger with wwe and mtv-esque posturing .",
        "the MOV seems to be one of those sandler efforts that occupy a middle ground between goofy comedy and quasi-realistic drama .",
        "the year 's most unnecessary movie .",
        "the MOV more or less achieves what most of the people attending it will expect .",
        "sandler and rock are simply two comedians who fancy themselves actors and demonstrate in film after film that they are not",
        "the characters sound like they were dreamed up during the drive to the set .",
        "just because the MOV is sporadically entertaining does n't mean it 's any good .",
        "an utter blank , so weak , gutless , and unsurprising that it may as well not exist .",
        "it 's surprising how much of the movie is flat and how predictable the gags are .",
        "on the downside are sandler 's inability to emote anything besides an anti-authoritarian smirk and his loyalty to colleagues ... who are clearly out of their element .",
        "sets a record of some sort for meaningless celebrity cameos .",
        "adam sandler , of course , is no burt reynolds . but then neither is burt reynolds these days , judging by his performance as the team 's crusty mentor .",
        "homophobia , sexism , racism , ageism and oj-ism pound against genre clich\u0103 -lrb- c -rrb- s as weathered as reynolds ' skin , bludgeoning you into submission .",
        "environmentalists will tell you that recycling is a good thing but the adam sandler vehicle `` the MOV '' goes out of its way to prove otherwise .",
        "the film looks fine , but -lsb- segal -rsb- never even tries to make something out of this thin material .",
        "never have i seen a movie so unashamedly aimed at demographics .",
        "a worthy remake and companion piece to the reynolds film .",
        "a fast-moving treat .",
        "the lesser of two yards .",
        "i was never bored , but i was n't necessarily entertained either . mine was a sociological interest . what 's going on ?",
        "three decades after the original , all the rough edges have been sanded off , and the film has been given the obvious , spoonfed approach of a hollywood summer movie .",
        "good old-fashioned fun from kickoff to the last crossing of the goal line .",
        "laced with crude racial stereotypes and a rash of homophobia that 's akin to a minstrel show , `` the MOV '' makes sandler 's `` the waterboy '' look like an oasis .",
        "it 's a high-spirited romp that nevertheless feels watered down compared to the gritty edge of the burt reynolds vehicle that still holds up pretty well three decades later .",
        "the MOV is an average , enjoyable , undemanding movie , but another in a long line of unwarranted and unnecessary remakes .",
        "the cartoonish way in which the characters are played drains the film of any grittiness the setting is supposed to provide .",
        "a cowardly , pg-13 remake for a more timid era , viewing incarceration as a happy playground of product-placement and jokey homosexual panic .",
        "as a remake it is not trying to achieve anything close to the original , but we are watching it for the same reason burt is doing it : insufficient options .",
        "the violent nature of the penal system is presented in such a cartoonish fashion that when the movie suddenly veers into reality , it is an awkward transition .",
        "after a handful of mcthis and mcthat jokes , it becomes blatantly clear that we have a movie unwilling to take a single risk .",
        "insult comedy can be uproarious in the right hands , but here it 's merely witless .",
        "with a movie like this , only laughter can distract you from the pedestrian plot , and i did n't laugh nearly enough .",
        "instead of the MOV , they should have called it the shortest route to the bank .",
        "softer , louder and cleaner than the 1974 version , the new film sentimentalizes the prisoners and the game , filing down their sharpest edges so that winning becomes a matter of triumph rather than resistance .",
        "provides a few laughs , contact endorphins for the pigskin-deprived , and not much else .",
        "more mirth machine than mean machine , this agreeable remake still manages to go the distance .",
        "sandler smartly balances the script 's mix of cynicism and sentiment in his ingratiating lead performance . -lrb- and he 's physically persuasive as an ex-quarterback . -rrb-",
        "laughs doggedly fail to ensue , and burt reynolds ' wasted presence as an old-timer eager for one more shot at glory only underlines the remake 's weaknesses as comedy and drama .",
        "football fans looking for a stirring reel full of merciless hits will be delighted .",
        "i found the original extraordinarily thin . so if a remake should be in the same mold as the original , this one hits the mark . it flunks the watch test and the laugh test .",
        "sandler is trying to outrun his clownish boy-man past , but since everything about yard is transparently fake , it loses him career yardage .",
        "a much funnier picture than i thought i was going to see .",
        "dreary .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- repulsive celebration of everything that 's sickening and ugly and hideous about america today . ''",
        "painfully unnecessary .",
        "it 's indifferent , charisma-free filmmaking .",
        "returning to the football field of the waterboy , this time out pop warner quarterback sandler just does n't play to his strengths .",
        "yeah , who needs talented actors like burt reynolds , bill fichtner , and james cromwell when you can just hit someone in the crotch for 105 minutes ?",
        "' ... when reynolds appears on screen wearing his familiar # 22 jersey -lrb- he was a football star at florida state -rrb- you just know everything is right with the world . '",
        "... inexplicably faithful to its source : pandering , puzzling and downright idiotic .",
        "segal paces this updated version of aldrich 's playful prison yarn with all the skill of an indecisive coach roaming the sidelines without a playbook to rely on for inspiration",
        "average films do n't improve with time . how ` bout we quit expecting them to .",
        "what was an utterly original blending of popular genres in 1974 has been refashioned as an utterly unoriginal retread of genre clich\u00e9s in 2005 .",
        "the brutal , not funny MOV joins the list of most pointless remakes .",
        "however segal and sandler play to homophobia and sexism , they 've unwittingly teamed up to make maybe the gayest mainstream movie of the year .",
        "kicks goals ... whilst reynolds ' film played it a little ` rougher ' , it 's no less exciting here - it just plays to a more comedic tune .",
        "glossy where the original was gritty and raw , silly where the original was scabrous , cartoonish where the original was dangerous and threatening , it aims only to be a lark .",
        "segal 's version is no sports-film watershed , either , but it is consistently entertaining , athletically brutal , and , more often than not , well-acted ."],
    "summary": "this yard has some laughs but missing from this remake is the edginess of the original .",
    "id": "669"
  },
  {
    "movie": "silver_linings_playbook",
    "reviews":
     [
        "makes the life of a film critic that little bit easier by setting 90 % of the drama , action and dialogue literally in the middle of the road .",
        "while the movie follows the rom-com template overall , the awards-worthy acting of the two principals and the hyper pace of the action make this a must-see .",
        "lawrence goes nicolas cage crazy in her key moments . however , she kind of shows the most when she goes dead eyed .",
        "i love the work that deniro and lawrence do here , but ultimately all they do is prove the old adage that you can cover up a lot of problems with the script by hiring good actors .",
        "jennifer lawrence is the only aspect of the film that truly lives up to the trumped-up awards buzz and hype , but being a perfectly enjoyable light comedy with heaps of heart is no small feat in itself .",
        "MOV looks like your run-of-the-mill wacky family comedy , but it 's an important film and a great one that deserves to sweep the awards it 's nominated for .",
        "`` MOV '' could not be a more awkward love story . but i loved every second of it !",
        "director david o. russell forms a unique and incredible romance dramedy ...",
        "MOV is defined by the positive decisions that are made in the face of imperfection , desperation , and the desolate wasteland of your world in pieces .",
        "director david o. russell is a little too chipper at times - breaking a restraining order is really no joke - but he brings a breeziness to this likeable tale of two misfits trying to make it work .",
        "there is some charm to the story , but the final act is very neat , predictable , contrived , and not up to originality of the first two .",
        "on the surface MOV is a raucous romantic comedy , but its real interests are superstition and delusion .",
        "it may be a hollywood comedy , but it 's one that feels beautifully alive .",
        "a deliriously funny and disarmingly poignant love story that 's sure to brighten the outlook of even the hardest cynic .",
        "only a man with a celebrated history of behind-the-scenes altercations with movie stars and a prominent youtube video of his on-set ravings could possibly mastermind a marvelous feature like MOV .",
        "a man 's bi-polar disorder is supposed to give license to implausible and contrived histrionics .",
        "just the sort of rom-com you 'd expect from a director who once came to blows with george clooney .",
        "just about everybody in the cast of david o. russell 's strange and disturbing and deeply romantic new film has the chance to act with a capital a.",
        "this is a really funny film with some great performances , but sadly the second half shows that russell lost track of what was important in the story . this still balances out to a good movie , -lsb- but -rsb- it could have been great had it stayed on course .",
        "the film is at once heartfelt and funny , farcical and sincere , and packed with performances that pull off that difficult balancing act . in short , it 's a masterpiece .",
        "there 's nothing wrong with the overrated jennifer lawrence that some serious acting lessons could n't improve . the rest of the actors are pretty much on their own .",
        "for a movie that seems at times to have no idea what it 's trying to do , `` MOV '' is compulsively watchable .",
        "unlike typical romantic genre fare , its jagged edges will make the characters and film a challenge for some viewers , which is the reason why others embrace it .",
        "there are times when it does something new with the genre - and it does make you care about the protagonists .",
        "a charming , touching and funny film , which sits near the top end of the rom-com world .",
        "a funny , believable film about the ability of even the damaged and imperfect to earn a little happiness .",
        "a feelgood film that does n't avoid life 's harsh realities , MOV is heartwarming winter treat .",
        "if the fighter , was russell 's take on a sports movie , then MOV is his version of a romantic comedy , and a delightfully twisted one at that .",
        "... a terrific ensemble comedy about mental illness that achieves just the right balance of humor and poignancy without trivializing or exploiting the affliction at its center .",
        "MOV is all things to all moviegoers . please join the queues circling the blocks .",
        "`` MOV '' is a hollywood romantic comedy made to mask the horrific downside of mental illness while still giving the audience a little sense of superiority as they walk out of the cinema .",
        "it should be unwatchable . but in the sure hands of america 's most effervescent humanist director , david o. russell , it 's unmissable .",
        "as its nutty lovebirds , cooper and lawrence save playbook from the director 's surprisingly mundane impulses .",
        "russell handles the shifts in tone extremely effectively , and has sacrificed little of his sardonic edge in crafting something this superficially accessible .",
        "funny without being glib , serious without being pretentious or depressing , this is a mature movie with fully realized characters and fine performances .",
        "cooper gives a fine performance in a difficult role , but the one who really shines is lawrence . beautiful and sexy , she should be up for awards for this one .",
        "MOV is really touching , and more memorable than all the rom-coms of 2012 put together .",
        "with `` the MOV , '' russell picks up the traditional quirky rom-com genre and shakes it around , just to see what happens . where it 's going is fairly predictable ; how it gets there is n't .",
        "a delightfully dysfunctional romantic comedy that 's moving , funny and features just the right amount of crazy love .",
        "a tenderhearted tale about two terribly wounded souls who survive by grudgingly leaning on each other 's shoulder .",
        "your best bet for a movie that will entertain you , make you laugh and maybe even make you tear-up .",
        "the movie itself is bipolar , full of mounting tension and hilarity like a classic screwball comedy , but it 's all just barely skimming above a deep layer of darkness .",
        "pat 's rhyming relationship with pat senior makes the son -lrb- played by bradley cooper -rrb- different from the many other movie manboys you 've seen in the past couple of years .",
        "the title is the only clunky thing in this smart , witty film . cooper & lawrence find the balance between being likable and making us queasy . de niro & weaver are miraculous .",
        "pat and tiffany 's love story may only be possible in the movies , but damned if the actors do n't make it seem real .",
        "david o. russell returns to his distinctive brand of neurotic screwball comedy , and like his early features spanking the monkey and flirting with disaster , this one somersaults giddily from sanity to insanity to sanity again .",
        "it 's lawrence who knocked me sideways . i loved her in winter 's bone and the hunger games but she 's very young - i did n't think she had this kind of deep-toned , layered weirdness in her .",
        "offbeat dramedy mixes light and dark ; some intense moments .",
        "it 's smart , edgy , and filled with some of the best performances of the year",
        "contrived , but beautifully cast and very entertaining .",
        "what starts off as a serious examination of mental illness turns into an entirely different movie , one with nearly the exact same third act as `` high school musical . ''",
        "`` silver linings '' feels different and fresh , also sincere .",
        "consistently funny and , as it builds to its conclusion , also very sweet fun .",
        "a wild mess , but what a mess it is .",
        "david o russell 's movie to love raises the bar on what has become the traditional rom-com .",
        "when one stops to consider how irksomely on the nose so much of this is , the qualities which intend to most readily ingratiate the film with us begin to appear perceptibly disingenuous and false .",
        "it manages to positively bleed compassion while remaining light , sexy , dynamic and thought-provoking .",
        "it 's impossible to shake the sense that what felt thrillingly , cohesively alive in the director 's earlier movies plays here with more laurel-resting creakiness than go-for-broke verve .",
        "`` MOV '' makes comic hay from bipolar illness , early death , sexual adventurism , self-improvement binges , football fanaticism , degenerate gambling and father-son estrangement , as one would expect from latter-day russell movies .",
        "would n't it be great if mental illness really was as adorable as it is in the movies ?",
        "when you make a movie set in philly , you 'd better get it right . knowledgeable eagles ' fans may find russell 's sense of history maddening .",
        "` screwball ' is a slang term for ` crazy , ' and perhaps this is what inspired writer-director david o. russell to literalize as well as update the screwball comedy genre here ...",
        "... recalls the screwball psychiatry of russell 's earlier efforts , only this time the farce has heart .",
        "it 's honest you see ; and honestly , as any fule no , is the bedrock of any successful relationship whether it be between two homo fictives or an audience and their movies .",
        "one hundred percent predictable , yet strangely kind of fun .",
        "loaded with pleasant surprises , this adaptation of matthew quick 's novel combines romantic comedy , dysfunctional family woes and a sense of danger without ever losing its way .",
        "there 's a lot to like here and with strong performances all-around , a fresh script with characters that sound and act real . add this film to your essential oscar viewing game plan .",
        "delivers the kind of sharply timed laughs that sturges and wilder would 've appreciated",
        "but MOV never induces a roll of the eyes , even if it never really surprises .",
        "smart , funny , great performances",
        "writer-director david o. russell 's out-of-control filmmaking style is perfectly suited to a romantic-comedy involving mental illness , and he infuses the film with a sparky unpredictability that 's echoed in the perfectly graded performances of the cast .",
        "unlikely and engaging , this quirky , off-beat romantic dramedy is a cheerfully enjoyable crowd-pleaser .",
        "MOV is cooper and lawrence 's show .",
        "tinged with shadows and ignited by lawrence and cooper , MOV raises the bar on romantic comedy . it 's crazy good .",
        "it 's lopsided and spotty , but it 's alive in a way that suddenly makes you remember to what degree most hollywood movies are n't .",
        "cooper and lawrence have a nice , believable chemistry , and by the time they get to the dance competition it 's surprising how tense it is and much you are rooting for them .",
        "jennifer lawrence is the standout in a tonally uneven , eccentric romantic dramedy that fuses the fisher king with romy and michele 's high school reunion .",
        "russell 's deft writing , and the ensemble cast , keep it light and entertaining .",
        "the ending is a bust , but there 's a wealth of good stuff here .",
        "with MOV , david o. russell has again recalibrated , and achieved the quirky yet poignant balance of his best early work .",
        "david o. russell is screwing with us . he 's seeing how many indie rom-com tropes he can juggle at the same time and still make it work , with one big twist : brad cooper is the manic pixie dream girl with a penis .",
        "the acting is sparky and intelligent , with cooper proving there 's more to him than flashy good looks . as for lawrence , she acts every role like there 's a soulful storm raging inside of her .",
        "a unique dramedy that stands heads and shoulders above most romantic films .",
        "a romantic comedy for people who do n't like what hollywood has been calling ` romantic comedies ' these days .",
        "it finds the gentle balance between traditional romantic comedy and artistic exploration of the laws of attraction .",
        "MOV is a neurotic ode to family dysfunction and accepting the universal screwup in all of us , which is to say it 's maybe the most heartwarming movie you 'll ever see about bipolarity .",
        "MOV is a quirky adult romantic comedy that goes beyond the standard rhythms of the genre .",
        "in an age when the concept of comedies about possible kinships between characters is dominated by sugary devices and contrivance , here at last is a movie about real situations , real people and the natural experiences that evolve from them .",
        "turning frantic relationship problems into breezy entertainment , russell gives MOV the air of a classic romcom , strengthening it with the type of sophisticated insight into human behavior that preston sturges might make today .",
        "a thoroughly annoying and staggeringly laughless quirkfest featuring the most alarmingly miscast role of 2012 .",
        "russell has a way of transforming what should be clich\u00e9d stories into something surprising and insightful . . it earns its feel-good status , rather than manufactures it .",
        "a deft treatment of its delicate subject material and some remarkable performances that give the film both touching , raw , authentic emotion and a certain kinetic humor .",
        "one of the most pleasurably offbeat experiences since the philadelphia eagles last enjoyed a winning season .",
        "director david o. russell , who adapted the novel , and his cast fill the story with engaging , believable characters .",
        "fine mainstream sitcom material .",
        "when lawrence and cooper are together , their chemistry jumps and sparks and their rat-a-tat psycho-banter aims for cary grant and rosalind russell territory .",
        "a cinematic high-wire act that audaciously blends edgy comedy together with genuinely touching drama into one of the most purely and surprisingly entertaining movies of the year .",
        "MOV is the best movie of 2012 and the acting is mind-boggling good . give me the oscar picks , and it wins in every nominated category .",
        "succeeds less on the merits of aesthetics than its willingness to give in to crowd-pleasing effervescence .",
        "writer-director david o. russell keeps the audience guessing . he takes unexpected twists and turns as if defying you to guess what will come next .",
        "consistently engaging , funny , and touching . this is the kind of picture in which two hours of running time whiz by in a flash .",
        "a quirky , dramatic and totally entertaining movie that features someof the best acting of the year .",
        "having gone from unknown actress to oscar nominee to `` the hunger games '' in what seemed like a blink of an eye , lawrence shows herself a master of timing and plays off cooper brilliantly .",
        "to that lost and found actor list you can also add good script choosing robert de niro , who had been kidnapped by aliens 20 years ago and swapped out for awful script choosing robert de niro .",
        "sharp of tongue , generous of spirit , MOV is a jagged , loopy romantic comedy about `` crazy '' people that insists , deep down , we 're all a little nuts .",
        "a bittersweet romantic comedy , plain and simple , and , by the time it has added in subplots involving dance competitions and football superstitions , also rather unwieldy .",
        "... this is a film with its own cadence , its own particular sense of music , and it is a tremendous success for writer/director david o. russell .",
        "the movie does n't break any thematic ground , and in other hands this same material might have made for an insufferable katherine heigl vehicle . but russell and his cast make it sing - and soar , too .",
        "a healing and hopeful dramady about friendship . love , family , and optimism that is one of the best films of 2012 .",
        "silver linings is consistently entertaining , with its scrappy , well-drawn characters , offbeat humor and indefatigable positive outlook .",
        "`` the MOV '' defies categorization : it 's both comedy and drama , without fitting neatly into either genre .",
        "... that rare thing , a top notch comedy orchestrated by a director with a talent for teasing out the unexpected .",
        "dramatic , emotional , even heartbreaking , as well as wickedly funny , it has the gift of going its own way , a complete success from a singular talent .",
        "it should n't work - there 's just too much going on . but it does . spectacularly . go see it .",
        "while the ultimate takeaway from MOV is , as the title suggests , optimistic , it 's not just because the film has two recognizable stars and a cutesy premise .",
        "`` MOV '' is so good , it could almost be a terrific old classic .",
        "it 's not often that a movie can affect you and make you laugh out loud all at once , but `` MOV '' coordinates the task with ease .",
        "a solid cast delivers in a movie that is thoroughly enjoyable if not consistently great .",
        "russell pitches the action at a manic , screwball pace , and the cast is more than up to the task , with cooper and lawrence attracting and repelling each other with equal dynamism .",
        "most of the way , the film 's deficiencies are survivable if only for jennifer lawrence and some fleeting moments of emotional clarity and bracing conflict .",
        "i 'll admit it . i went `` yaaaay ! '' too . but i felt dirty doing it .",
        "`` playbook '' walks a tightrope in how it portrays mental illness -- deriving humor out of its characters ' actions while demonstrating just how deep-rooted their problems are .",
        "manic as it might be stylistically , emotionally MOV maintains too even of a keel .",
        "a razor sharp , unfiltered exploration of recovery and reconciliation .",
        "david o. russell delivers wonderfully left-of-center entertainment time and time again and this is no exception . but this is a film that ultimately belongs to jennifer lawrence , thus solidifying her as one of the best actresses of any age working today .",
        "appealing and enjoyable , david o. russell 's serio comedy is extremely well acted , likely to be embraced by critics , viewers , and oscar voters .",
        "unlike the usual run-of-the-mill rom-com , this film bristles with life from the central core of the love story , to the quirky band of supporting players who add to the fun .",
        "during its rocky road to becoming a fractured love story , MOV and its great ensemble cast run a funny , conflict-mined , even suspenseful path . it 's a total winner .",
        "russell keeps the outcome interesting ; he knows that every silver lining has a cloud .",
        "a crazy beaut of a comedy that brims with generosity and manages to circumvent predictability at every turn .",
        "the plot is clever and a bit unconventional . bradley cooper , jennifer lawrence and robert de niro all turn in wonderful performances in this very funny , very warm comedy .",
        "a feel-good film filled with laughs and memorable performances , david o. russell 's MOV leaves you so ecstatically happy that it might just be the most recommendable movie of 2012 .",
        "it 's a rom-com that succeeds in revitalizing that discredited genre where so many others have failed , injecting it with the grit and emotion of realist drama rather than with amped-up whimsy or social satire or montages of people walking on the beach .",
        "MOV does n't settle for the routine or the clich\u00e9 . it 's a funny drama about imperfect people looking for love . it also happens to be the best romantic comedy in years .",
        "unique , beguiling , and occasionally frustrating : these descriptions equally apply to MOV and its two central characters .",
        "MOV tells us that happily-ever-after may depend on finding people who coexist with our lunacy , not ones who can lead us out of it . in any case , it 's crazy good .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film is just as clumsy about psychological issues as hollywood movies generally are , but jennifer lawrence 's performance makes all that moot .",
        "MOV is , like its protagonist , hopelessly optimistic ... and it 's a sign of the film 's potency that we buy into it with our own sense of hopefulness .",
        "beyond delivering an oscar-worthy screenplay featuring some terrifically penned dialogue , russell gets a great deal of help from his terrific cast . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "it might be contrived that way , but we are willing to forgive and accept because the path to what we expect is rewarding .",
        "cooper gives his most natural , affecting and compelling performance yet ... lawrence makes us forget her dewy youth just minutes into her brittle , biting turn as a woman whose unbalanced rage is even more cleverly concealed ...",
        "because of lawrence , i just ca n't write off this movie .",
        "would that every feel-good movie came by its good feelings so honestly .",
        "it 's tiresome to hear reviewers hyping this or that funny movie as `` the year 's best , '' so i wo n't . but you get the idea .",
        "` MOV ' is fun , sharp and sometimes moving , but it 's not reinventing any kind of wheel .",
        "a determinedly offbeat romance and rather knowing portrait of self-destructive behavior .",
        "like a production of when harry met sally put on by the characters from one flew over the cuckoo 's nest . silver linings uses cliches like a straight-jacket , containing an otherwise nutty film and making it safe for audiences to approach .",
        "MOV is the sort of feel-good claptrap that normally irritates me , but russell plays it with the pitch and verve of a classic screwball comedy .",
        "no matter how grim it 's looking for certain kinds of laughter , as long as there 's david o. russell , things will be ok .",
        "`` MOV , '' the exuberant new movie from david o. russell , does almost everything right .",
        "cooper 's performance meets lawrence 's , beautifully , halfway .",
        "everything comes together brilliantly in `` MOV '' - for the film 's crazed but uncrazy lovers ; for the filmmaker , david o. russell , and best of all for lucky us .",
        "it 's clever and cute and never lets you forget it , winning in spite of how much it insists on it .",
        "cooper 's much better than usual , while the always-great lawrence is particularly fantastic .",
        "MOV is an infectiously rousing crowd-pleaser about psychological damage and emotional healing , which would seem oxymoronic if not for the authentic , insightful atmosphere and marvelous performances .",
        "anyone seeking proof that a movie can transcend its subject should look to MOV .",
        "i say good for russell for risking a protagonist who requires some patience and forgiveness .",
        "it 's the perfect material for russell , who not only deals perceptively with the dizzying swings of manic depression , but makes it the fabric of a big , generous , happy-making ensemble comedy .",
        "MOV is a fine , funny film , and one that should charm viewers who have n't been tricked by all those oscar nominations into anticipating it as some kind of world-changing work of art for the ages .",
        "david o. russell 's latest buzz film straddles a fine line between farce and kitchen-sink drama before settling into a groove that gets under one 's skin .",
        "a volatile mix of familial drama and madcap comedy , infectious optimism and razor-wire wit , it 's one of the most purely enjoyable films released in the past twelve months .",
        "parece desistir de qualquer tra\u00e7o de originalidade em seu cl\u00edmax , quando se entrega a todos os clich\u0119s do g\u0119nero : mal-entendidos , mocinhos obrigados a correr atr\u00e1s da mocinha pela rua e , claro , o insuport\u00e1vel travelling circular do beijo rom\u00e2ntico .",
        "i suppose the phrase ` serious romantic comedy ' sounds like a paradox . but that 's exactly what ` MOV ' is : an intelligent , edgy dark comedy with romance at its core .",
        "this is a rom-com dressed up as an oscar-baiting `` dramedy '' . it 's a good rom-com thanks to it 's edge ... but occasionally has the bad traits of a bad rom-com .",
        "MOV puts the `` fun '' in `` dysfunction . '' and sure , that sounds glib , but actually , it 's a rather extraordinary achievement . especially when you 're skirting on the edges of sanity .",
        "a bittersweet pill that 's a mixture of an endearing family drama and modern romance that 's an absolute delight .",
        "tows the line of conventional , feel-good hollywood rom-com , albeit dressed up in just enough art-house quirk to make it feel like something slightly radical",
        "a reminder that ` sanity ' does n't make your flaws any more orderly .",
        "with bold camera moves and jumps between scenes , there 's an antic quality to `` MOV '' that reaches all the way back to such 1930s screwball comedies as `` bringing up baby . ''",
        "until the characters can take their needs seriously and laugh at themselves , at least a little , they 're not going to be healthy . playbook traces all their journeys from stubborn self-assertion to a fragile connectedness that might lead to lasting bonds .",
        "david o. russell 's latest entertaining ode to lovable characters you should probably be afraid of .",
        "an edgy romantic dramedy that suits our anxious times .",
        "russell crafts a baker act romance playing loose and eccentric with the genre . the banter is spikier , wacky sidekicks have issues , too , and pat and tiffany 's obstacles are n't fluff . the screws are tighter , and the movie is a ball .",
        "an intelligent and well-crafted film that seeks to inspire audiences by finding the humor amid the prevailing bittersweetness of life .",
        "lawrence 's bold performance and her fearlessly sexual character are more than russell knows how to harness .",
        "with leads as winning as cooper and lawrence , and russell 's signature mix of clever and sincere dialogue , the hook is set .",
        "speaking of oscars , the great deniro is great once again here .",
        "lawrence , in her most high-low , sad-comic turn yet , is remarkable .",
        "this meaningful film keeps the laughs , giddy anxiousness and warm butterflies from the trailer and sustains it all through two full hours of a love story .",
        "a delightful romantic comedy with unusually dark underpinnings .",
        "cooper and lawrence radiate off each other as they run both physically and mentally away from -lrb- and towards -rrb- each other .",
        "it 's tough to go wrong when your movie features two of the hottest stars , but director david o. russell does n't stop there .",
        "a well-paced and whip-smart screenplay .",
        "cooper and lawrence shine in linings .",
        "if there 's one reason why you should see this film , it 's to admire the wonderful performances from bradley cooper and jennifer lawrence .",
        "both charming and gritty ... cooper is edgy , while lawrence is dynamite",
        "it starts to fray about halfway through as it shifts into a more conventional mode , taking on the usual trappings of the genre and making its way to a predictable resolution",
        "yes , the marketing presents it as a big broad comedy -- and it certainly is -- but it 's also a unique and involving tale of two outsiders who together find a way to get on with life after it has dealt them some bad hands .",
        "just the sheer number of characters flitting around , each scrambling for plot space , gives an idea of just how frantic this movie can be . but russell expertly uses all of it for maximum emotional -- and sometimes physical -- impact .",
        "writer-director russell is just the guy to bring out -lrb- and then calm -rrb- the manic dysfunction in these folks .",
        "down-to-earth , funnier than you 'd expect , and sympathetic toward its volatile , damaged characters .",
        "now , this is n't your typical rom-com . this does n't have sandra bullock acting like an idiot for 90 minutes . this is a smart , edgy , brutally honest romance that will shake you up , but will have you hoping these characters will end up with each other .",
        "an interesting drama with a wonderful cast -lrb- especially jennifer lawrence -rrb- , though it never quite reaches the depth and richness it strives for .",
        "it 's a strain to care about pat , and it 's impossible to believe in his world .",
        "a hugely enjoyable , warm-hearted romantic comedy-drama with a refreshing honesty towards its subject matter and a pair of terrific performances from bradley cooper and jennifer lawrence .",
        "this is a date movie that does n't offer the sophistication it thinks it does , but is as enjoyable and good-natured as the genre requires .",
        "MOV is always interesting and full of humanity in all its shades . it has plenty of black humour and it 's superbly acted .",
        "might at first look like proper cinema red in tooth and claw , but underneath it 's a bundle of matted fleece and bleating .",
        "with a truly awkward script and no chemistry between the leads this thanksgiving arrival is a turkey .",
        "while one respects the film for trying to juggle disparate tones , it never manages to find the proper balance .",
        "certain movies are sprinkled with pixie dust , an indescribable concoction that infuses scenes with irresistible magic ; MOV is practically hand-rolled and deep-fried in the stuff .",
        "MOV paves a highly entertaining road to recovery for its characters - one you will be glad to have helped sponsor .",
        "in a script that never lapses into mundane or uninteresting language , the scenes between pat and tiffany are sculpted with an almost david mamet-like sharpness .",
        "bradley cooper and jennifer lawrence expand their range in david o. russell 's winning comedy romance about two people struggling to rebuild their lives .",
        "the performances of these actors are reason enough to go .",
        "it 's a crowd-pleaser if i 've ever seen one , and something that will have plenty of mileage come awards season . a best picture nomination seems a lock .",
        "david o. russell has turned matthew quick 's novel into an easily accessible romantic comedy that pulls you in with its immediacy .",
        "a hilarious , romantic and heartfelt crowd pleaser with genuinely great performances makes for one of the first must-see films of the fall .",
        "with great pacing , a great sense of the moment and some of the most entertaining one-liners you 'll find this side of a coen brothers ' film , there 's much to like about MOV .",
        "few films in recent memory have effectively pulled at the heartstrings like this .",
        "an unfussy , rambling crowd-pleaser that recalls elements of the filmmaker 's past work ...",
        "a head-spinning wonder of a movie about love and pain , reclamation and the totemic power of a national football league franchise .",
        "MOV is a rare thing indeed - a romantic comedy that completely delivers on both sides of the equation .",
        "pretty much a miscalculation from beginning to end .",
        "MOV is n't perfect - the ending is untidy - but it may just be the year 's best comedy .",
        "david o. russell has pulled off a tricky feat here , finding just the right tone in crafting a romantic comedy whose sweethearts suffer from bipolar disorder and depression .",
        "some movies are so likable , so naturally charming , that you 'll forgive any dopey idea they throw at you .",
        "going deep without resorting to trick plays , the sure-handed `` MOV '' scores on every possession .",
        "this is a date movie that caters to the needs of both men and women : american football and comedy , ballroom dancing and romance . MOV covers all those bases -- and rises above them too .",
        "seeing it a second time has made me love it even more , not always the case .",
        "-lsb- h -rsb- alf thrilling , as it always is when a movie does well something the movies do n't typically try to do at all , and half uncomfortable , because it 's not always easy to watch .",
        "love is not perfect , but it beats the next best thing",
        "easily overcomes its familiar beats , thanks to a real attention to character detail , a nonjudgmental approach to all the flaws plaguing the players , and a cast that works beautifully together .",
        "laugh out loud funny at times and gut wrenching at others with just the right amount of bleak material to be intriguing and not overly depressing , MOV is one of the most genuine and human films of the year .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "cooper is terrific as a bipolar depressive -lrb- ... -rrb- and jennifer lawrence is quite fearsome as tiffany . unfortunately , there 's also something off-balance about the whole enterprise which repeated american football references will not correct in the uk .",
        "MOV remains a very classy , acceptably funny slice of comic drama . but that eventual cop-out feels deeply unsatisfactory .",
        "indeed the movie does make you feel quite good about humanity as the final credits roll .",
        "... ultimately unable to wholeheartedly become the feel-good romantic comedy that russell has clearly intended ..."],
    "summary": "MOV walks a tricky thematic tightrope , but david o. russell 's sensitive direction and some sharp work from a talented cast gives it true balance .",
    "id": "771253886"
  },
  {
    "movie": "black_nativity",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the singing is terrific , particularly whenever hudson belts out a number -lrb- and there is really no other way to describe her powerhouse vocals -rrb- . but the story is trite and predictable , if heartfelt .",
        "works - as a musical and as a drama . it 's a story that hits a universal chord : that forgiveness is the antidote to anger and the beginning of renewed connection .",
        "seeing MOV is like an early christmas gift . the best thing that to say about this powerful story brought to life by a first-rate cast is hallelujah .",
        "a timeless parable as memorable for its spiritual music as for its moving message about the importance of faith and family .",
        "corny , but well-acted -- with some players showing surprising singing chops -- and heartfelt .",
        "for anyone who prefers their assertive homilies to crust over like a syrupy sweet , this loose adaptation of langston hughes 's beloved holiday tradition will come on like a dream fulfilled .",
        "defiantly simple , like earlier stage pageants based on langston hughes ' christmas play , kasi lemmons ' `` MOV '' gains power through its directness .",
        "to call it preachy is n't necessarily a critique ; the entire film is essentially built around a closing sermon .",
        "this story of seasonal healing ultimately feels too predictable and heavy-handed to bring much uplifting christmas cheer .",
        "jennifer hudson sings like an angel but the movie is not up to that level storywise .",
        "to my eyes , MOV is the cinematic equivalent of a christmas tree ornament : shiny , hollow , sheathed in decorative , artificial linings , mass-produced and , given the cost of today 's movie theater tickets , overpriced .",
        "all of MOV proceeds with sort of clumsy obviousness .",
        "you 'd have to be pretty full of seasonal humbug to resist this ...",
        "by the time the credits rolled , my eyes were sore from all the rolling .",
        "an inept , often ludicrous , take on langston hughes ' 1961 musical-play .",
        "hudson 's singing and whitaker 's acting compensate somewhat , but for a truly inventive and uplifting african-american piece set in new york during the yuletide season , skip MOV and watch run-dmc 's `` christmas in hollis '' music video instead .",
        "there 's no doubting the sincerity and there 's little point in offering up cynical resistance to an all-singing , all-dancing , all-emoting gospel finale .",
        "a family-friendly , hallmark channel-ready musical dramatic fable whose plot more closely resembles spike lee 's `` red hook summer . ''",
        "powered by an infusion of gospel and hip-hop that cleverly bridges gaps between generations and values .",
        "it becomes increasingly clear that the entire movie probably should have been sung .",
        "movies are a secular church , but forest whitaker makes `` MOV '' feel like an actual one .",
        "familiar and worn holiday story saved by most excellent music .",
        "sincerely spiritual and inspirational , turning the movie theater into a church and preaching to the choir .",
        "lemmons adds themes of religious hypocrisy and the cyclical effects of poverty , but marries the two for her resolution , abandoning real answers for a fairy tale climax while her symbolic mary and joseph figures are left out in the cold .",
        "the concluding scenes of redemption and reunion are tender and transcendent .",
        "this modest little feel-good movie wo n't contend for any major awards -lrb- unlike whitaker 's other movie this year , ` the butler ' -rrb- , but its heart is in the right place .",
        "`` MOV '' is such a likable and positive experience that you readily forgive its bumpy moments .",
        "despite the odd rip-roaring tune and some sturdy performances , this yuletide tale is as memorable as last year 's sprouts .",
        "lemmons ' refusal to go for cheap laughs and easy uplift places her at odds with the cliched and predictable aspects of her own screenplay . the movie overall is earnest and respectful but unexciting",
        "points for dogged credulity : whether trying to pass off times square as judea or tyrese `` fast & furious '' gibson as the angel gabriel , it sincerely believes it . you , of course , are at liberty not to .",
        "whitaker 's performance is one of only a few positives , as a film that ends on such an illusory , elaborate and downright absurd finale .",
        "it 's a misguided enterprise all round , and while it 's perfectly possible to applaud everything the film wants to say , you find yourself cringing at the ways it 's saying it .",
        "directed as if it were an after-school special , with listless performances and musical numbers -lrb- mary j. blige shows up as a platinum-wigged congregant -rrb- , `` MOV '' is as simple and condescending as hughes ' work was complex and demanding .",
        "hudson soars -lrb- duh -rrb- on the vocal numbers , and whitaker -lrb- double duh -rrb- is a tower of integrity and crushingly human . but `` MOV '' is n't about stars , it 's about unity , faith and family . as such it shines .",
        "the corny , greeting-card feel of the second half weakens what begins as a creatively rendered take on a holiday film .",
        "almost every beat of langston 's tale , with its absent father figures and heated gun-pointing melodrama , rings false-hardly a fitting contemporary complement to the greatest story ever told .",
        "kasi lemmons ' contemporary adaptation is an uplifting holiday extravaganza with a musical score filled with familiar spiritual standards plus some new songs by raphael saadiq and laura karpman that underscore themes of faith , healing and family .",
        "by the time the film reaches its biblically inspired dreamscape of a climax , `` MOV '' qualifies as equal parts surreal and stirring .",
        "writer/director kasi lemmons ... wants to use hughes to reflect on the modern day black experience , and do without the need to make it palatable for white audiences .",
        "there 's a wealth of talent , most of it poorly used , in this disappointingly misconceived holiday offering .",
        "MOV is ungainly in execution , yet still infused with enough passion and reverence for hughes ' original work to be more success than failure .",
        "the story has its origins in hughes work , but it 's been adapted , expanded and , well , heavily rewritten by director kasi lemmons , who apparently thought she could improve it . yes , that 's right . she thought she could improve langston hughes .",
        "it 's good to see hudson in a major film again . as an actress , she 's still a work in progress , but she has a commanding gift for depicting vulnerability and strength almost simultaneously .",
        "MOV offers a whopping serving of yuletide emotion . and it 's a musical - with plenty of wailing and rapping on the side .",
        "like a made-for-tv holiday special , it 's a hug from a stranger instead of a memorable night with the family .",
        "a first-rate cast enlivens this ambitious but syrupy holiday musical .",
        "kasi lemmon 's MOV tries to be many things at once , and it 's astonishing how well all of the pieces fall together .",
        "a bold but clumsy attempt to bring langston hughes ' popular musical to life onscreen .",
        "vividly staged and refreshingly light on christmas schmaltz , writer-director kasi lemmons ' MOV reinvents poet langston hughes ' sixties play of the same title as an engaging contemporary musical drama .",
        "based on the play by poet/activist hughes , this updated faith-based tale features rousing musical numbers and a well-meaning , if predictable , story , marked by unlikely coincidences .",
        "... mostly involves sermonizing of the stultifying kind .",
        "loud and obnoxious .",
        "MOV is an earnest slice of uplifting holiday drama that benefits from a smartly chosen cast .",
        "had lemmons played more with the fantastical elements as she did in that one scene and included some powerhouse numbers to rouse one 's spirits and emotions , this could have been something . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
        "had the execution been tighter , it would be an easy recommendation , but as is , there 's no need to rush off from thanksgiving leftovers to see it .",
        "the melding of a modern family saga with the nativity is too awkward and hectic to let audiences sit back and appreciate some powerhouse singers and music .",
        "it 's a sweet-natured tale that goes down smoothly , and lemmons -lrb- `` eve 's bayou '' -rrb- has done an admirable job of putting a contemporary spin on the beloved hughes seasonal favorite from the '60s .",
        "the problem is n't that the movie wears its religious intent on its sleeve but that it uses religion as an easy , all-purpose fix to ... every problem that its characters face .",
        "i 'm glad to see -lsb- lemmons -rsb- working , but this tired product wo n't do anything for her reputation .",
        "MOV is a cut-rate musical melodrama that grafts overreaching references to black culture onto a facile family-values narrative .",
        "when the people stop talking and start singing , which is what happens in most of the movie , `` MOV '' is glorious .",
        "`` MOV '' has its heart in the right place , but that 's simply not enough to make it a good movie .",
        "even though its heart is in the right place and it boasts a strong cast , it 's a case of preaching -- and singing -- to the choir .",
        "kasi lemmons ' MOV is a lot like a glazed holiday ham : sticky , sweet , and all too easy to mess up .",
        "it does n't always work as drama , but as a musical , it 's often fantastic .",
        "whitaker 's performance is the rock here . even when the confrontations and evasions get a little ridiculous , he 's neither wholly saint nor sinner , but something like a human being .",
        "`` MOV '' struggles mightily .",
        "`` MOV '' deepens into a rich experience once the scene shifts to the inside of a church , but it 's a long time getting there .",
        "what lingers strongly in the memory and heart is , as it should be , the sweet , celebratory sensation of song .",
        "the bare-bones plot , propped up by redundant r&b tunes , hinges on revelations so obvious , you wo n't need a prophet to call them out .",
        "a bittersweet christmas movie with a strong black cast .",
        "a hybrid of hallmark hall of fame and glee , lemmons ' muddled adaptation is neither fish nor fowl , a filmmaking choice that denies MOV much of its emotional potential .",
        "even the movie 's most wretched characters glow in the harlem lamplight .",
        "earnest , square and proudly evangelical , `` MOV '' is so unusual that its rough aspects are easy to forgive .",
        "takes hughes ' nativity story and shoves it into the far background of a sincere but tritely told modern drama about family , faith , and redemption .",
        "it does n't matter that not all of the songs are memorable or that the performances are of varying success , the warm-hearted MOV feels tailor-made to fit with the good tidings of the season .",
        "the well-worn platitudes and pained moralising are a bit much , but the music is tremendous .",
        "the movie does n't weave religion into the familiar structure of a comedy or melodrama . instead , everything works in service to the sermon at the core .",
        "it 's in moments like that that MOV really sings ; the rest of the time it operates at a familiar hum .",
        "its pastoral ambitions compensate for its lack of finesse .",
        "straightforward but convincing , MOV is refreshingly restrained , making it a nice counterpoint to other , noisier holiday entertainment ."],
    "summary": "it 's sweetly amiable and solidly performed , but MOV suffers from director kasi lemmons ' heavy-handed treatment of its celebrated source material .",
    "id": "771351906"
  },
  {
    "movie": "them_2007",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is more suspenseful than gory ; there 's little blood , but the tension gradually builds to a nail-biting level - an impressive feat , considering the movie is essentially one long chase .",
        "the fright is crafted well enough , but the twist at the end calls for more originality than filmmakers david moreau and xavier palud wield .",
        "a nerve-wracking finale , a 30-minute chase through the house 's catacombs , followed by a closing image that will chill you to the bone .",
        "moreau and palud play on the way our minds fill in the gaps of the unknown and the very primal fear of things going bump in the night .",
        "it 's refreshing to see the french finally producing a worthy entry in the horror genre .",
        "those who do n't need all that graphic content to be jolted and unnerved may find a few things to like here .",
        "there is absolutely no fat on this brief , 74-minute film , but even as you get caught up in the suspense you come to realize that there is n't much meat on it , either .",
        "those who like their horror served up neat , no chaser , can safely belly up to MOV . it is a pared-down french thriller that trades splatter and gore for tense efficiency .",
        "MOV is haneke on training wheels .",
        "a well made , if extremely hollow , technical exercise ... so wafer-thin , i 'm a little wary of calling it a movie . it 's more like a photographed premise .",
        "MOV is n't all that .",
        "not a classic , but as a one-time theatrical experience it should scare the pee out of anyone .",
        "has a terrific slow-burning intensity as it torments its central characters -lrb- and the audience -rrb- . although it waits a bit too long to play its trump card .",
        "if you 're going to imply that a french couple being terrorized in a remote romanian mansion adds up to something more than an arbitrary -lrb- and rather repetitive -rrb- do n't - go-in-the-basement thriller , then you 'd better deliver the goods .",
        "the directors have thoroughly soaked up the best of its countless predecessors , elevating ils to highly effective and atmospheric genre entertainment .",
        "no story-structure , no succession of scary scenes and then ordinary-life scenes to clean the palate . just one long unendurably tense and frightening sequence .",
        "lensed with skill to no particular end .",
        "one of the least understood movie monsters is the pronoun .",
        "it breezes by and slaps you with some ice water and then scurries right out of the room .",
        "this superb horror thriller breaks violently into your consciousness , robbing you of all sense of security .",
        "the essentially nonexistent characterizations do little to help matters .",
        "this freshman effort from the french team of david moreau and xavier palud would rate an a in film school . but that does n't mean it 's worth seeing .",
        "you can always expect a little embellishment for any horror film or thriller that claims to be based on a true story or actual events . this one , however , does n't sell it .",
        "definitely one of the best horror films i 've seen in a while , and plays to the key of terror and our imagination provoking enough imagery without the director having to do much of anything ...",
        "the final 20 minutes contain some of the best , uncontrived twists of any post-sixth sense american suspense film , but there is a good reason for that , as the co-directors reveal with a shocking epilogue .",
        "first-time directors david moreau and xavier palud have crafted a highly effective horror film that combines a plausible narrative with accomplished use of sound and image .",
        "... a sporadically affecting yet undeniably uneven exercise in horror .",
        "lean , mean and will leave your underpants anything but clean .",
        "mostly an exercise in frustration .",
        "a disturbing dv-shot horror thriller .",
        "so skilfully does the film shield its hand that the final `` reveal '' actually comes as a disappointment - the enigma was truly much harder to bear .",
        "plenty of jolts and some pleasingly spooky scenes , with the tension ratcheted up to fever pitch , but then it all falls to pieces with a badly fumbled ending .",
        "the same old stuff served in an admittedly stylish manner .",
        "that it is based on a true story does not compensate for the absence of either suspense or horror .",
        "taut and remorseless , MOV , which is allegedly based on actual events , is the perfect antidote to the stomach-churning gore served up by so many in the current crop of horror films .",
        "it should scare up a bit of boxoffice as it does hearken back to the day when horror meant the imagination gone wild rather than severed body parts . otherwise , the film is all too pointless .",
        "a well-crafted jack-in-the-box toy that is more frightening in its ratcheted apprehension of what is to come than in the ultimate outcome .",
        "its spareness is its strength . there 's no time wasted and no showy effects to detract from the situation -- just sheer tension .",
        "there are moments in MOV that are as powerful as anything in the genre in the last few years .",
        "the movie MOV revels in atmosphere , using long unbroken takes and ambient sound to lull you into complacency before unleashing nerve-jangling shocks .",
        "if you want an hour or so of terror , put your faith in MOV .",
        "77 grueling minutes",
        "effective in an unambitious way , it gives a new meaning to ` boys in the hood ' .",
        "the nature of the couple 's tormentors makes the action scarier than it would have been with , say , a supernatural monster , but it also represents a cheap and nasty move by moreau and palud .",
        "77 minutes of gloriously sustained tension .",
        "a 20-minute calling card short extended to a tolerance-stretching 74 minutes , this is an effectively directed but ultimately pointless wind-up exercise .",
        "claustrophobic and exhausting , MOV fumbles its payoff but reminds us why french chillers are a rare but thrilling treat .",
        "suspenseful , eventually , but the first half 's a snooze ."],
    "summary": "suspenseful and tense from start to finish , the french horror film MOV proves that a lack of gore does n't mean a dearth of scares .",
    "id": "395114916"
  },
  {
    "movie": "devil_in_a_blue_dress",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the role of easy looks as tailor-made for mr. washington as his suit , and it shows off the full effect of this actor 's movie-star dazzle .",
        "monstrously funny and truly scary , cheadle is handed a scene-stealing role and never hesitates to do it justice .",
        "smooth and stylish mystery drama .",
        "another fine example of modern film noir .",
        "totally slick noir throwback .",
        "a fluid , persuasive piece of movie-making graced with the considerable visual sophistication .",
        "the question is not whether the movie will succeed , but whether its success will give tristar a new film franchise .",
        "the film also does a convincing job of re-creating los angeles of 1948 with both specificity and poetry .",
        "the movie simmers with pungent suspense , humor and eroticism .",
        "a bland , workaday detective flick .",
        "taut and gripping .",
        "stick with it and you wo n't be sorry .",
        "while MOV never develops the taut momentum of franklin 's previous effort , one false move , it maintains audience involvement .",
        "washington slipped into the role of easy like it was a suit cut just for him .",
        "while mixing in ample amounts of urban black culture , washington shows a flair for the traditional '40s detective .",
        "a cunning and adroit salute to films of the past .",
        "on the mean streets , devil is okay ; but it 's something special when it gets to easy 's street .",
        "the fascinating bits of racial history that director carl franklin has folded into the vibrant milieu of a post-world war ii los angeles pushes his MOV somewhat beyond the usual nostalgia/noir status .",
        "like the director 's previous films -- most recently , ` one false move ' and ` laurel avenue ' -- this one has a compelling , shrewd rhythm , bolstered by an impressive blues and jump soundtrack , evolved from visual and narrative details , painstakingly rendered .",
        "MOV runs as hot as it does cold . and , when it 's hot , there 's solid stuff bubbling at the core .",
        "franklin 's picture is effortlessly wise beneath its entertaining surface .",
        "first-rate american pulp -- fast , absorbing and substantive .",
        "i liked the movie without quite being caught up in it : i liked the period , tone and look more than the story , which i never really cared much about .",
        "a hoary chinatown knock-off wrapped in a seductively novel black-culture veneer , with a dash of laura added for bad measure .",
        "from the smoky nightclubs to the golden-hued streets , there is a true sense of time and place that permeates this film .",
        "a nice little formula picture .",
        "sheer pleasure .",
        "carl franklin 's unusually creative studio movie , boasting superlative acting from denzel washington and particularly newcomer don cheadle , reinvents a genre and a bygone era , in this case , los angeles circa 1948 .",
        "a very complex and engrossing mystery , filled with wonderful period details .",
        "great , grand piece of modern noir , with a unique twist that rethinks the genre even as it honors its finest elements . great performances all around .",
        "invoking social realism more than pulp fiction , carl franklin 's MOV is an innovative genre film on several counts .",
        "stylish neo-noir .",
        "in the aftermath of the oscars , it now seems clear that MOV was one of the best films of 1995 .",
        "entering the main flow of the story relatively late , don cheadle steals all his scenes as a live-wire , trigger-happy old buddy of easy 's from texas , while sizemore and mel winkler , as colorful underworld figures , make strong impressions .",
        "production design and acting aside , this film is less than one wants it to be .",
        "... a throwback to the gumshoe tales of the thirties and forties ."],
    "summary": "humor , interesting characters , and attention to details make the stylish MOV an above average noir .",
    "id": "13753"
  },
  {
    "movie": "freedom_writers",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is the kind of film that is aimed at young adults but has such quality that it should appeal to more mature audiences , too .",
        "corny ? you bet . and worse when the plot veers into the glitz of a dangerous minds and the sappiness of a tv after school special . but the movie , which swank helped produce by using her clout as a two-time oscar winner , gets to you .",
        "retreading familiar territory is n't so bad when you have hilary swank as your guide .",
        "our eager-beaver heroine suffers the kids ' sarcasm , fails to earn their respect by bringing in a tupac tape , then wins them over in a crucial scene that , fact-based or not , rings as false as anything in dangerous minds .",
        "square , sincere , and proud of it .",
        "despite dubious credibility , it 's an entertaining , if misandristic , movie .",
        "MOV will work for viewers with a penchant for this particular subgenre , but others might well find it too much of the same old thing .",
        "it does n't have a catchy hit tune sung by lulu , but hillary swank does a nice take on a dedicated teacher ala to sir with love in the engaging MOV .",
        "jumps out of it 's formulamatic `` teacher changes lives '' theme more than once to present a pleasing and thought provoking film .",
        "hilary swank delivers as impressive a performance as her oscar-winning outings in boys do n't cry and million dollar baby .",
        "it may seem like a clich\u00e9d mix of dead poet 's society and dangerous minds on the surface , but writer/director lagravenese supplies enough fresh content , well-developed characters , and heart to blindside even the crankiest of moviegoers .",
        "too preachy , too many tears .",
        "involving and touching when it focuses on gruwell 's attempts to inspire the students and rather insipid when it dramatizes gruwell 's predictable battles with policy-conscious school administrators ...",
        "a spirited and awfully engaging rendition of the ancient dangerous minds formula .",
        "there is one great scene as miep gies , the woman who hid the frank family , comes to the classroom to tell them that they are the real heroes . but swank makes gruwell too saintly and the students too generic for us to feel any real connection .",
        "while the makers of MOV may have kept to the facts , they neglected to keep it real .",
        "at once heartfelt , absorbing , and dopey .",
        "the film mixes unbearably hokey `` my badness '' material with something i did n't expect from a picture this threadbare : sensitivity .",
        "it would be easy to write off MOV as another inspirational teacher movie , not to mention one in which the white character saves the minorities , but to do so would be unfair .",
        "does n't add anything new to the formula , no matter how much of a hero erin truly has become .",
        "even earnestness and good intentions ca n't save MOV from feeling overly familiar . we 've already seen this story many times in various forms .",
        "in MOV hilary swank uses neediness to fine effect in a film with a strong emotional tug and smartly laid foundation .",
        "offers a sort of chinese food poignancy , the kind that may seem satisfying at the time but ultimately leaves us hungering for more , for something authentic . maybe that 's why we keep coming back .",
        "try as they might , the kids in MOV ca n't break free from hollywood formula .",
        "erin herself is so unbelievably saintly -- and her fellow teachers so snivellingly evil -- that she 's impossible to believe as anything more than an inspiration-bot .",
        "the story feels like a rehash of movies we 've seen , such as stand and deliver , dangerous minds and take the lead . if swank 's character were n't so saintly , the story might be more convincing .",
        "swank shows that in the right role her unusually disarming talent can elevate routine material .",
        ". . for all the dramatic license that writer/director richard lagravenese takes in his film , -lsb- gruwell 's -rsb- story -- and the stories of her students -- are moving .",
        "proof-positive that a formulaic plot done to death can still work if enough effort and passion is put into it .",
        "MOV takes plenty of shots at the system , too , and makes the quite righteous statement that only through individual effort does anything wrong ever really get changed .",
        "a richly rewarding film experience that rises to the top of its genre .",
        "the movie benefits from an interesting subject and good acting , i just wish it were more focused and deep .",
        "ironically , the film features almost zero teaching . despite much pedagogical posturing , it does n't teach us much , either .",
        "while it is , like its genre brethren , inspiring and uplifting , MOV glosses over so much material that it makes the process look too easy .",
        "is this film formulaic ? yes . does it accomplish what it set out to do ? yes . ... it 's certainly not a perfect movie but it does offer many pleasures .",
        "worthwhile because of its honesty , because it tells a true story that 's worth telling , and because hilary swank and company have done it so well .",
        "the script wo n't win any stars for originality , it 's all put across with enough sincerity to make the corn easy to swallow .",
        "swank 's earthiness is key here , and she consistently rises above the story 's cliches .",
        "yet another feel-good teacher flick that will leave most audiences satisfied",
        "hilary swank is all heart in this uplifting film about kids from the wrong side of the track who become inspired to learn and do the right thing .",
        "for those who see it , the movie has a chance to connect . MOV is superior to what film-goers typically expect from an early january release .",
        "its obvious good intentions ca n't compensate for its utter familiarity ... just a case of old wine in an equally old bottle .",
        "if erin gruwell did n't exist , screenwriters would invent her .",
        "what this movie lacks in originality ... it more than makes up for in true heart and spirit .",
        "you wo n't remember most of the kids ' names , but their stories will leave an impression on you .",
        "richard lagravenese 's film succeeds primarily because , like the classic stand and deliver , it 's about abandoned kids learning to be the best they can possibly be .",
        "swank , who exec produced the film , marches through the story with a curiously inappropriate grin on her face . no teacher in america could possibly smile this often .",
        "although MOV is the latest in a long line of saint-saves-students stories , it takes the bold approach of being earnest , honest and unafraid to be called naive . as a result , it 's extremely affecting .",
        "a movie you 've seen plenty of times before , but never mind .",
        "an inspiring drama about an idealistic teacher who breaks down the walls separating her students from each other and enables them to celebrate their unity in diversity .",
        "the film may be inspired by a true story , but it 's a mishmash of scenes we 've seen before , and for a film about original teaching methods , the storyline is surprisingly derivative and predictable .",
        "despite solid work from the engaging cast , there 's nothing new here to distinguish MOV as anything beyond a c + .",
        "has its inspiring moments - especially given the true story - and some tense , dramatic scenes amid the speedy montages of confusing gang action .",
        "it 's a case of youthful enthusiasm vs. all sorts of cynicism and guess who wins ?",
        "while this film has a terrific story , and strong acting anchored by swank 's superb central performance , it 's also a little slick and gimmicky",
        "this is moving stuff , thoughtfully handled and well performed .",
        "an inspirational teacher movie that is moving , thought-provoking and succeeds in being genuinely inspiring .",
        "you 'll be embarrassed , sad , happy then exhausted .",
        "it may only deserve a c for achievement , but it ranks a b + for effort .",
        "despite occasional moments of inspiration , MOV simplistically focuses on maudlin highlights and glosses over the obstacles to rallying a dangerously disparate group of youths more accustomed to loathe than trust one another .",
        "like the troubled kids , -lsb- MOV -rsb- has the potential to succeed with a little work .",
        "lagravenese has incorporated some of the real students ' piercingly honest diary entries and rounded up an engaging cast of unknowns and young actors -lrb- april hernandez , kristin herrera , hunter parrish -rrb- to channel their anger and hopelessness .",
        "-lsb- swank -rsb- makes erin a very specific person , a woman who risks everything else in her life for these kids , whether it 's taking two extra jobs or charming the school superintendent with her wide smile and boundless energy .",
        "the students are uniformly affecting : r&b singer mario , jason finn and april hernandez stand out as teens about to fall permanently into thug life .",
        "hilary swank gives a powerhouse performance as a maverick high school teacher in MOV , an often gripping and sometimes even inspiring film .",
        "a white teacher takes on a classroom full of nonwhite kids in MOV and proves that old adage : the perkier they are , the harder they fall .",
        "in the hands of writer-director richard lagravenese , MOV turns out to be a superb piece of mainstream entertainment .",
        "completely flat , it 's a well-intentioned dog , but a dog nonetheless .",
        "sure , we 've been here and seen all of this before . but when it 's this well done , we thoroughly enjoy seeing it again .",
        "MOV ' heart is in the right place , and for many that will be enough .",
        "this film fails to earn what erin gruwell earned in real life : credibility .",
        "what makes MOV work is the very thing that makes it seem like a drag : predictable inspiration .",
        "an unashamed heart-tugger , MOV is based on the true story of erin gruwell , a teacher so full of gee-whiz decency she can only be played by hilary swank .",
        "one teacher can make a difference in a troubled student 's life . i learned this from to sir , with love , dangerous minds and van halen 's hot for teacher video .",
        "an educational fantasy that happens to be mostly true .",
        "MOV manages to strike some fresh chords without playing its audience .",
        "never quite succeeds as anything more than dangerous minds redux .",
        "a flawed but engaging mentor-making-a-difference story based on the experiences of a long beach high-school teacher .",
        "these stories can be so trite and predictable . MOV ca n't escape this curse entirely , but it does have an authentic atmosphere that many of its predecessors lack .",
        "at times , MOV invokes genuine emotions , but this derivative teacher-inspires-troubled-kids movie mostly just pries your eyes open and jerks the tears out .",
        "at first glance , it looks like it might be just another one of those films in which a white idealist liberates her non-white pupils , but thankfully , it 's better than that .",
        "what is profoundly different about this based-on-fact film is that although we leave the theater wishing there were more teachers as devoted as the one depicted here .",
        "there 's a straight-ahead spirit to MOV that lifts it above its too-many peers in the ` troubled youth ' category of films .",
        "MOV will follow you right out of the movie theatre and into your own head and heart .",
        "MOV is a tribute to individualism wrapped in the most conformist of packages , one of those pictures where the message of the tale is flatly contradicted by the manner of the telling .",
        "swank 's scenes with the students spark with such energy that the rest of the movie ... reminds you how formulaic it all is .",
        "the kids ' individual triumphs seem satisfyingly hard-won .",
        "MOV , which has a lot to say about education and the flaws in the american public-school system , gets high marks -- for effort and for merit .",
        "MOV gradually finds its place in the cinematic classroom , telling a moving story and boasting a fine performance from hilary swank .",
        "sure , it was less obnoxious than dangerous minds but it was no the substitute .",
        "see the movie , read the book , be inspired .",
        "MOV is another exceptional teacher scenario not so different from the norm .",
        "swank looks properly out of place in this role -lrb- she comes to teaching from another field -rrb- and manages to become convincing as someone who wants to save these lives headed for destruction .",
        "by emphasizing her dazzling , toothy smile and can-do cheerleading style , hilary swank makes her well-intentioned misfit utterly believable .",
        "contrived yet inspirational - about transforming anger and apathy into creativity .",
        "the only aspect of these flicks that 's changed since the days of the blackboard jungle is that the leads have gotten prettier ... and whiter .",
        "gruwell has done more meaningful work than any of the critics who will brush off her story as sentimental and predictable , and lagravenese and swank ... do the story of the real MOV justice .",
        "the plot is predictable , the actors too old to play high school students , and the pacing too slow . but MOV also argues for listening to teenagers . that alone makes it strange and even a little wonderful .",
        "takes to screen w/gritted teeth & edgy determination to teach something worthwhile . strong performances & tear jerking message barrel through its sometimes rickety structure",
        "the stirring MOV earns a place alongside memorable earlier movies about inspirational teachers and their fortunate students .",
        "on its face , it looks like `` dangerous minds 2 '' without a coolio song . it 's not so good that it ca n't wait until it shows up on cbs , but it scribbles sensibly in the margins of the well-worn inspirational-teacher drama notebook .",
        "when MOV does work , it works very well .",
        "the old to sir , with love formula is a surefire winner ...",
        "lagravenese -lrb- `` the horse whisperer '' -rrb- has a tendency to sanitize every scene , and when he hits the audience 's emotional sweet spot and a few tears begin to flow , you have the feeling that the release is unjustified .",
        "gee whiz , if swank taught in the typical american school , there 'd be no child left behind . they 'd all be polishing apples and asking for homework .",
        "considering that i thought this was going to be another badly written piece of january junk , `` MOV '' is surprisingly entertaining .",
        "swank , though she herself has the same number of oscars as kidman and jolie combined , is yet hardly a proven box office draw .",
        "engaging but clich\u00e9d inspirational drama set during the time of the 1992 race riots in los angeles . on some level , just about any movie featuring never-say-die teachers is effective .",
        "the right step taken by MOV , moving it from shameless sentiment to affecting drama , is writer-director richard lagravanese insistence on making it the kids ' story .",
        "thanks to lagravenese 's empathetic writing and direction , and swank 's titanic force of will , MOV ' unabashed earnestness proves unexpectedly powerful .",
        "i 've seen most of this before in other films ... but if you like this kind of movie , it should n't be a waste .",
        "formulaic though it is , the story hits the right emotional buttons and promises that hope and dogged work trump despair .",
        "it 's not a great movie , but at-risk teens could do a lot worse .",
        "it 's a truly inspiring story ; pity the movie does n't live up to it .",
        "MOV confounds its own claims to veracity by coming across as a veritable textbook in itself -- a textbook of earnest , liberal , white-woman-in-the-blackboard jungle clich\u00e9s .",
        "-lsb- director richard -rsb- lagravenese introduces enough original elements and guides swank to another winning performance , putting a fresh face on a familiar genre .",
        "at a time when new year 's resolutions to change already are falling by the wayside , you ca n't help but be moved by a group of young people who followed through on their resolve .",
        "an old-fashioned great-teacher-turns-bad-students-into-scholars story that ranks up there with stand and deliver .",
        "annoying subplots and paper-thin villains ensure that the movie remains mired in mediocrity .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is a frank , formulaic entry in the inspirational inner-city teacher genre , with an energetic hilary swank leading the appealing cast of unknowns .",
    "id": "414820730"
  },
  {
    "movie": "chiavi_di_casa",
    "reviews":
     [
        "i left the cinema feeling rather frustrated because the potential for a great film was so clearly there .",
        "feels as if its being telegraphed from a cosmic fugue state , and means to get -lrb- and stay -rrb- beneath the skin .",
        "the keys to the house is a compelling italian drama about a father-son reunion and the bravery needed to open one 's heart to another .",
        "subtle yet powerfully subversive look into the emotional toll and confusion of dealing with a disabled child .",
        "it takes a story that could be turned into the most florid kind of tear-jerker and instead tells it with an exactness and a restraint that makes it powerfully effective .",
        "both rossi and charlotte rampling , as the mother of another young patient , do fine work . but the only surprises come at the end , too late to move us the way they should .",
        "amelio deals with the sensitive subject in a mature matter , refusing to descend into hollywood-style schmaltz .",
        "a film of quiet , understated power and authentic grace .",
        "we always understand why these people feel the way they do and , remarkably , believe we well might act the same were we in their shoes .",
        "amelio 's camera captures with subtlety and without sentimentality the state of mind of a parent for whom every child running freely in the park is a painful reminder of another 's limitations .",
        "this compelling italian drama will have you weeping before the credits roll .",
        "the kind of quietly unassuming tear-jerker that works its way into your heart despite the occasional cries of protest emanating from your head .",
        "such a minimalist drama that , if not for the actors , we 'd barely care if father and son ever reconcile .",
        "a film that treats a difficult subject with the delicacy of real art .",
        "amelio tells the story with a silent stillness that belies the intense emotions that churn under the surface .",
        "a touching tale .",
        "tough and sensible film , whose heart is in the right place .",
        "full review in greek",
        "takes on the challenge of overcoming the obstacles entailed in working with a handicapped actor .",
        "tackles issues like guilt , shame and compassion with admirable sensitivity .",
        "those who find this kind of material weepy are advised to give it a pass .",
        "amelio , one of the true modern heirs of the great italian neo-realist tradition , is a filmmaker of great subtlety , emotional precision and socio-psychological acumen .",
        "radiates a warm humanity and uplifts the spirit .",
        "amelio intelligently steers clear of lachrymose speeches , swelling orchestral music , and cheap redemption and instead probes away at the ambivalent feelings of parents towards their handicapped off-spring ."],
    "summary": "favoring subtlety over cheap sentimentality , the keys to the house is emotionally honest , compassionate , and a genuine tear-jerker .",
    "id": "19871"
  },
  {
    "movie": "ella_enchanted",
    "reviews":
     [
        "hathaway embodies the movie 's sweet atmosphere , exuding a bubbly charm that will endear her to young viewers , and a girl-next-door wholesomeness that will reassure parents .",
        "it 's glossy , shiny candy that tastes oddly familiar yet lacks sugary punch .",
        "considering its pedigree , this ella could have been a whole lot more enchanting .",
        "a fractured fairy tale as bright and bouncy as an abba song .",
        "the movie is good entertainment for the younger-than-14 set . but it 's not quite inventive or spectacular enough to fully charm anyone older .",
        "its knockabout humor grows on you , as does anne hathaway .",
        "hathaway ... does a classy job of toppling the helpless ` save me ! ' cinderella stereotype .",
        "occasionally fun but too reliant on gimmicks and purloined plotlines to rank alongside the better kids ' movies .",
        "adds too many gimmicks to a story that had plenty going for it already .",
        "the script is a patchwork quilt : sometimes winsome , sometimes wisecracking , sometimes serious , usually just silly .",
        "anne hathaway is charming and magnetic , but her journey across fairyland is laughable , a series of co-incidences and instantaneous edits .",
        "i still liked it , but MOV is not one for the ages",
        "completely owing its body and soul to shrek , this is yet another fractured fairy tale designed for kids living in a postmodern age .",
        "the hoot and giggle of a girl-power fairy tale blended from potions of monty python , queer eye for the straight guy , and shrek .",
        "has plenty of charm -lrb- but -rrb- had o'haver been smarter about its self-awareness and more consistent with its cleverness , the movie might have been able to stand the test of time .",
        "it has just enough wit and humor to make it to the grand ball , but in the end , this fairytale , to those who have seen better , is a clear disappointment .",
        "... mostly works , thanks -lsb- to -rsb- the ... talents of anne hathaway ... -lsb- undermined -rsb- with unnecessary things like ogres showing butt crack .",
        "... does n't forget that the audience is very much in on the joke .",
        "MOV is a delightful fairy tale romp from start to finish with a spunky heroine who has an ardor for justice .",
        "after the first half hour or so , it sinks deeper and deeper into a mediocre self-aware pseudo-hipness .",
        "an artificially flavored movie potion ... audiences may be less than enchanted with the gobbledygook results .",
        "if they ruined ... as badly as they ruined `` MOV '' then we 're going to have to start a revolution or something .",
        "there 's enough attitude here to keep the audience laughing , even when the film tips into stupid spoofery .",
        "wonderfully sweet and thoroughly enjoyable , it 's like a live-action shrek .",
        "it 's sweet , it 's quirky , and the whole family can fall under its spell .",
        "an overcalculated fusion of shrek and the princess bride with all the smarts replaced by smartass .",
        "looks an awful lot like `` shrek , '' down to the funky closing dance sequence .",
        "it looks tiring for a movie to flaunt its sense of irony as eagerly as MOV while remaining so naive .",
        "there 's lots of activity and energy , but no joy nor sense of spontaneity .",
        "i would n't even mind watching it more than once , which is the true test .",
        "veers wildly from juvenile comedy to romance to morality lesson , never quite finds its footing .",
        "MOV is a pleasurable surprise , a superior family film that is destined to entertain both children and adults .",
        "a contemporary fairy tale starring ann hathaway is enchanting , funny and fun for kids and adults .",
        "like the phantom tollbooth and the cult tv series h.r. puffnstuff , this film appears to have convalesced into head-trip allegories for older , pharmaceutically-savvy viewers .",
        "the mentality of the movie seemed to aim a little low , missing its core princess diaries audience and becoming pure disney channel fodder to follow boy meets world reruns .",
        "as one concerned fan of the book wrote on the internet movie database after seeing the trailer , ` the producers are changing too much things in it and making it too stupid . ' exactly .",
        "delightfully subversive .",
        "MOV may be a little too enchanted with itself , but it conjures enough magical moments to keep its target audience entranced .",
        "it had some creative touches , but i thought the special effects were kind of cheesy .",
        "it 's an interesting mix , entertaining and yet so light and familiar that the film seems more of a knockoff than an original .",
        "it 's a high-spirited charmer , a fantasy that sparkles with delights .",
        "the vehicle that carries -lsb- hathaway -rsb- is a bit of a mouldy pumpkin .",
        "artful enough to intrigue adults and far more original than other versions of cinderella portrayed onscreen with alarming regularity .",
        "the film 's lush scenery and sharp modern twists cast a powerful spell .",
        "squanders the comic potential of the source material through poorly timed gags and hit-or-miss one-liners .",
        "ella is under a spell that makes her obey all orders -- will someone please order hathaway to stay pretty in better movies ?",
        "this all makes for good and entertaining fun , from the musical numbers of 1980s pop tunes to the flamboyant fight scenes . for a while . but you 've seen this all before .",
        "in its innocence , sweet heart and abundant wit , it has more going for it , by my accounting , than a dozen more expensive-looking films .",
        "o'haver ... has a great time juggling silly jokes , contemporary tunes and anachronisms like hand-cranked escalators at the medieval mall .",
        "mostly ... the film bubbles along happily .",
        "ella would be a lot more enchanting if it were n't such a pandering piece of product .",
        "it 's ultimately hathaway 's show , and she makes the most of it , showing off her natural knack for physical comedy , her sterling singing voice and her beguiling charm .",
        "anne hathaway 's performance as a cursed maiden in this time-jumbled fantasy is enchanting ... but the movie is not .",
        "what could have been wonderful has been processed into cute but throwaway fluff . it lingers like a half-cast spell .",
        "it 's the mtv , teen beat-lovin ' teenage girls who will sing its praises the loudest .",
        "ella embraces the conventions of the fairy tale ... while simultaneously gently spoofing them .",
        "score one for MOV , an overpowering winner in the realm of smart family entertainment .",
        "if you picked the four dimmest attendees at a renaissance fair and told them to go remake the princess bride , you 'd get something like this cloying stomach-churner .",
        "an enchanting little story that will make you smile .",
        "`` MOV '' is on a par with other such fairytale fantasy adventures as `` the princess bride . ''",
        "from the very beginning , the film 's primary dysfunction is that it ca n't decide exactly how smarmy or adorably postmodern it wants to be .",
        "uses the archetypal story of cinderella to skewer convention with that most deadly and effective of weapons : humor",
        "cheesy and witless .",
        "transpires in a somewhat chintzy fantasy kingdom lousy with more cameos than your typical love boat season .",
        "note well that ella is enchanted , not enchanting ... any charm it might have possessed is buried under reams of cuteness and silly anachronism .",
        "nothing un-beguiles a fairy tale more than forced whimsy and labored magic .",
        "though slightly uneven , this film version of MOV never wavers from the magic of author gail carson levine 's words for girls : the demands of obedience should not be used to chain their souls .",
        "every single attempt at levity or whimsy not only fails but actually melts down with a rancid nuclear tinge .",
        "it 's barely got a laugh in it .",
        "except for these ogre-sized missteps -- the occasional overacting , the self-conscious and over-used '70s dance music -- ella has a lot to recommend it .",
        "MOV simply reinforced for me how much i loved the princess bride . there 's nothing like a pale imitation to stir up affection for a film that really got it right .",
        "hathaway 's sweetly earnest performance makes this ambitious and occasionally downright weird tale work .",
        "this flat-footed , tongue-in-cheek fantasy never really manages to garner more than a chuckle , despite its amusing premise , and at least a couple of promising gags .",
        "it 's a cute idea that has won the hearts of young readers and should have done the same as a film , but it 's not buoyant enough .",
        "talk about enchanting .",
        "enchanted , no , but i would n't begrudge any young girl from thinking so .",
        "a film adults can enjoy with their younger family members or alone , and might not too be embarrassed to recommend to their friends .",
        "... there 's an unabashed charm in hathaway 's sweet and spunky performance and a rejuvenating energy unleashed in a pair of bright musical numbers .",
        "hathaway is gorgeous and goofy -lrb- in a young julia roberts way -rrb- , but the film does n't know if it wants to be postmodern cool or silly fun .",
        "MOV brings clever fairy tale credentials -lrb- including narrator eric idle -rrb- in its energetic pursuit of a finale where ella can have her cake and eat it too .",
        "fractured fairy tale is a delight for younger teens and ` tweens , thanks to charm , heart and star anne hathaway 's enthusiasm .",
        "to watch the witless , ham-fisted attempt at fairy-tale romance that is MOV , you 'd never know the book it 's based on is actually rather clever and charming .",
        "whether audiences find it charming or dreary depends upon their tolerance for cutesy ideas indifferently executed .",
        "it 's the moulin rouge of children 's films ... more magical than harry potter and more human than lord of the rings.ella makes harry potter her b - - ... witch .",
        "hathaway plays ella straight , but appealingly , and is the actor least suspected of being put through photo shop .",
        "an ugly-looking mismash of a fairytale .",
        "avoids a misstep common among girl-empowerment flicks , which often emasculate the male lead to make the heroine truly heroic ... manages to make both leads appealing .",
        "the narrator begins and ends the story talking about how fairy tales transport us to another place , but the sad fact is that ella lets us stay right where we are .",
        "anne hathaway is the cheery spark in this glitzy girl 's fantasy story from screenwriters karen mccullah lutz and kirsten smith -lrb- `` legally blonde '' -rrb- .",
        "endearing , enduring , with just a few bits of crude humor",
        "a thoroughly charming performer with a bracing freshness about her that carries the film , -lsb- hathaway -rsb- establishes credible chemistry with brit thesp dancy .",
        "mesmo pecando por ser convencional demais , este \u00e9 um filme charmoso e bem-intencionado - e certamente far\u00e1 grande sucesso entre as crian\u00e7as .",
        "` el p\u00fablico seguramente quedar\u00e1 encantado por la inocencia , el humor y la magia de una pel\u00edcula a la que seguramente el tiempo dar\u00e1 el lugar que merece . '",
        "the idea of mixing the modern with the medieval is a dubious mulligan 's stew -- and annoys quickly .",
        "someone should tell o'haver and the gaggle of writers it took to write this unenchanted mess that updated does n't have to mean washed-up and dumbed-down .",
        "a sweet little anachronistic musical fairy tale along the lines of ` shrek . '",
        "in its attempt to fuse a fairy-tale fantasy with a modern sensibility , the movie winds up a corny , derivative mishmash .",
        "a nightmarish cross between prime-time wb and a renaissance festival .",
        "though its moral is ` to thine own self be true , ' the filmmakers failed to listen to its spin-doctored cinderella and instead recycle elements of shrek , the lion king , and lizzie mcguire .",
        "the movie is an embarrassment -- another example of hollywood excess overwhelming and sinking an otherwise unassuming story .",
        "the movie works too hard to be entertaining , but hathaway is so radiantly lovable that she could make an atm withdrawal feel like a fairy tale .",
        "leaden , sophomoric , lumpen , MOV belongs in only one place : the cinder bin that spawned it .",
        "one of the smartest films for older children in quite some time , MOV is a funny -lrb- and at times , politically pointed -rrb- take-off on the ancient conventions of fairy tales .",
        "this anachronistic cinderella with a twist displays the same warped humor and fairy tale awareness of shrek .",
        "barely an original moment .",
        "likely to cast its spell primarily on adolescent girls , while their elders might well find it more than a little tedious in its familiarity and artificiality .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "hathaway is a charming heroine , but the simple storyline gets overwhelmed by silly gimmickry .",
    "id": "10457"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the-endurance",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the narration by liam neeson is flavorful and ingratiating without ever intruding on the story , and is augmented with quotations by a dozen actors reading from the crew members ' diaries and letters .",
        "`` MOV '' does n't simply care about the facts , it has genuine regard for the people who were involved .",
        "what lifts this film above the usual public television documentary is the copious archival footage .",
        "unless you are a penguin or a seal , you are likely to find something dramatic in this testament to our survivability .",
        "footage from a remarkable silent documentary has been combined with new photography , music and a narration to produce an even more remarkable sound documentary .",
        "the great strength of this documentary is that when it 's all over , you half feel you 've been to the south pole , too .",
        "much of the power of `` MOV '' derives from the artistic images captured during the voyage by pioneer australian documentary photographer frank hurley -lrb- 1885-1962 -rrb- .",
        "most of all , it is a salute to shackleton himself , whose calm and grace under extreme pressure helped guarantee that not a single crew member would be lost .",
        "better than the book it 's based on .",
        "the overriding picture that comes into focus is of a man who probably was n't a very good explorer , but proved to be as superb a leader as the british empire has ever produced .",
        "the footage -- all hand-cranked by hurley -- of MOV buckling under the pressure of the shifting ice is an image one will not soon forget .",
        "the sense of scale inherent in both hurley 's ancient film clips and butler 's more recent shots is greatly enhanced on the big screen .",
        "a documentary that instructs as it entertains .",
        "while he uses hurley 's -lrb- `` south '' -rrb- footage and photos , butler 's documentary is a far richer , more emotional work .",
        "sinks under the weight of too many details .",
        "a testimony to the triumph of the human spirit , and a reminder that , under the right leadership , humankind is capable of virtually anything .",
        "should move you even if you 're not familiar with the extensive literature and museum exhibition on the subject produced over the past few years .",
        "it 's an amazing story .",
        "the documentary , which does n't have a slack moment , will have you on the edge of your seat .",
        "recounts their death-defying ordeal in vivid , shiver-me-timbers detail .",
        "the film captures superbly the agony of waiting .",
        "a gripping documentary tells the wrenching story of a 1914 polar expedition that was hell on ice .",
        "essential viewing not just for those fascinated by adventure , exploration and survival , but for anyone interested in the magic of leadership .",
        "even knowing the happy outcome , butler masterfully keeps us on the edge of our seats .",
        "the added material does little to diminish the story 's epic punch and , if anything , magnifies its elegiac grandeur .",
        "you become like a restless child at bedtime stilled and enraptured by the sheer power of narrative , and your skepticism is overwhelmed by a childlike greediness for vicarious adventure .",
        "though narrator and jedi knight liam neeson 's commentary dawdles a bit along the way , trust us , this adventure wo n't leave you cold .",
        "it 's worth seeking out , definitely .",
        "very much the sort of thing that one finds -- and enjoys -- on pbs all the time .",
        "although the juxtaposition -lsb- of old and present-day footage -rsb- is jarring at first , the tale is so compelling that the film soon takes on a seamless quality .",
        "the finest documentary films always entertain while they educate , and george butler 's phenomenal endurance goes even farther than that ; it virtually hypnotizes .",
        "the nail-biting quality of shackleton 's true story outdoes any dramatic fiction on the market .",
        "an engrossing chronicle of the legendary voyage .",
        "those who see endurance , however , are not likely soon to forget what they see , even if they have some difficulty imagining how it could be possibly be true .",
        "anyone interested in great stories should be interested in this one .",
        "a triumph .",
        "a first-rate documentary about an exploit that almost defies belief .",
        "miraculously , the photographs and films of frank hurley survived the ordeal , so viewers can see the destruction of MOV and all the miserable , icy things that follow .",
        "aimed at a more adult audience than adventure , endurance has a haunting , melancholy quality .",
        "this wonderful documentary benefits from the inclusion of unique archival footage that was filmed during the two-year journey .",
        "unimaginable , incredible , and harrowing beyond words .",
        "hands-down , the most stirring and pertinent documentary of 2001 .",
        "the tale is so damn compelling , you could do a documentary hosted by ben stein in boring teacher mode and the audience would still be gnawing on their fingernails .",
        "the story to unfold elegantly , without embellishment , and it is more powerful for that restraint .",
        "... a good choice for a family movie outing .",
        "the key to making this work is to keep the suspense building , which butler does admirably .",
        "beautifully blends interviews with scholars and descendants of that crew , still photos and movie film from the trip and re-creations of the events of the voyage .",
        "fascinatingly evokes not just the gruelling , first-person details of this particular polar expedition , but the waning moments of the entire spirit of romantic , white-european boy 's own adventurism .",
        "the interesting and almost unbelievable subject matter legitimizes the legend of ernest shackleton , even if it is a little slow in the process .",
        "so-so documentary on ill-fated south pole journey .",
        "a compelling story of survival and determination .",
        "butler reaches too hard for profundity and misses the old-fashioned adventure yarn at his story 's core .",
        "i ca n't think of a true-life adventure that shows , better , the triumph of man over seemingly insurmountable odds .",
        "lucidly relates ernest shackleton 's 1914 expedition to cross the antarctic continent by foot .",
        "frank hurley 's images by themselves make ` MOV ' worth seeing .",
        "a full-course meal for those sufficiently hungry to hear the whole story .",
        "the message it imparts about man 's tenacity , his ability to survive against all odds and the loyalty inherent in true leadership , could n't be more timely .",
        "an engrossing documentary .",
        "i guarantee this is more exciting than any fictional adventure movie you 've seen in a while .",
        "as is typical in questing stories , shackleton started out with one objective in mind , but ended up seeking something else entirely .",
        "a remarkable documentary .",
        "sure , the end is a foregone conclusion -lrb- it 's in the history books , kids -rrb- , but the unfolding events are a class-a story of survival , and will keep even the most well-informed viewers glued to their seats ."],
    "summary": "MOV presents exciting footage of an amazing real-life story of survival .",
    "id": "9513"
  },
  {
    "movie": "river_runs_through_it",
    "reviews":
     [
        "director redford also addresses the theme of loving families who do not communicate pain well .",
        "a beautifully made and photographed story of familial bonds .",
        "presents uplifting messages about family , siblings , and the spiritual solace of mastery in a sport .",
        "a truly remarkable film . redford 's direction is unmatching .",
        "a very unusual hollywood movie : it is literary and it has a heart of gold .",
        "here are two things i never thought i 'd say : i like a movie about fly fishing , and robert redford has directed one of the most ambitious , accomplished films of the year .",
        "disappointing drama . some moving moments while fly fishing , but a senseless tear-jerker end just seems desperate .",
        "how exciting is fly-fishing as a metaphor ?",
        "nice to look at but rather dull",
        "brad pitt 's breakthrough ... a nostalgic , fine telling .",
        "a specialist in bringing books to life as movies , redford has a knack for finding what matters in the text and making sure it ends up on screen .",
        "leave your preconceptions about fishing at the door : you 'll be caught hook , line and sinker .",
        "although heart-throb pitt steals the film to some extent , veteran actor skerritt scores highly with his outstanding and heartfelt portrait of the watchful father .",
        "there is too much taste , discretion and detachment in redford 's rendition of maclean 's sprawling family saga , but the scenery and brad pitt are nice to look at due to philippe rousselot 's gorgeous oscar-winning cinematography .",
        "sherritt has been in a lot of movies , but the role of rev. maclean seems like one he was born to play . he owns it , the way that pitt and sheffer own theirs , and as a result it takes no time at all to believe this group as a family and become involved .",
        "moving , powerful movie of two brothers .",
        "a great movie to watch with the family at christmas .",
        "this may work for you if you settle at the outset for a nostalgic , all-american mood piece .",
        "even set against the sierra club beauty of redford 's montana , it 's hard to get excited by fisherman casting their lines into the water .",
        "a skilled , careful adaptation of a much-admired story .",
        "redford 's direction and philippe rousselot 's camera capture the beauty of montana but then fails to make the people upstage the scenery .",
        "redford and his writer , richard friedenberg , understand that most of the events in any life are accidential or arbitrary , especially the crucial ones , and we can exercise little conscious control over our destinies .",
        "do n't be put off by the fact that this is a fishing movie , a MOV is about as absorbing as it gets .",
        "redford 's movie is too little show and too much tell .",
        "it 's pleasant and inoffensive in the nicest possible manner .",
        "what compels robert redford to make movies from seemingly impossible subject matter ? ... whatever the motivation , we are the richer for his labors .",
        "in its determination to emphasize character and thoughtful content over formulas and facile sensationalism , it 's a movie that 's proudly out of step with hollywood trends .",
        "it does n't hurt matters that the story 's set in one of the world 's most beautiful corners -- rendered in pre-twilight glows by cinematographer philippe rousselot .",
        "this is a movie that is not only highly entertaining but will remain etched in the memories of audience members for some time to come .",
        "this has the feel of something genuine : sweet , touching , and sentimental ."],
    "summary": "tasteful to a fault , this period drama combines a talented cast -lrb- including a young brad pitt -rrb- with some stately , beautifully filmed work from director robert redford .",
    "id": "10493"
  },
  {
    "movie": "candyman",
    "reviews":
     [
        "reheats old material and serves it as if it were bold and original .",
        "one of the best sustained horror movies for some years .",
        "MOV is an uppper-register horror item that delivers the requisite shocks and gore but does n't cheat or cop out .",
        "MOV is atmospheric and visually stimulating enough to satisfy gore-hounds as well as being an intelligent social commentary .",
        "like so many post-val lewton horror films , this 1992 feature starts out promisingly while the plot is mainly a matter of suggestion , but gradually turns gross and obvious as the meanings become literal and unambiguous .",
        "serious , straightforward cinematic terror is always hard to come by , but this literate shocker ranks among the best horror movies of the '90s .",
        "... a handsome yet ineffective adaptation ...",
        "the finest american horror film of the 1990s .",
        "sadly enough , with all the things MOV has going for it , it turns out to be not much more enthralling than the last freddy kreuger slash-o-rama .",
        "the film bogs down into ordinariness after its fast start when the myth is literally acted out and all sense of movie magic gets washed down the toilet .",
        "pretty effective , but overlong adaptation of a clive barker short story .",
        "it has more than a few surprises packed up its sleeve , alongside the sharp , disemboweling metal hook .",
        "one of the best of the end-of-the-eighties / start-of-the-nineties body mortification films .",
        "the enduring resonance of MOV , adapted and directed by bernard rose , has to do with its respect for and investment in specific and real events .",
        "very clever , well-made and unpredictable .",
        "the MOV is a svelte , sexual monument , far removed from the silent brutality of your average serial slasher .",
        "a by-the-numbers boogeyman thriller , spiced up by an intriguing concept and tony todd 's sad-eyed title character .",
        "the film 's spooky atmosphere is accentuated by anthony b. richmond 's cinematography and philip glass 's score .",
        "a good , bloody horror film about urban legends from a clive barker story .",
        "a nicely gory urban legend thriller .",
        "truly scary . you 'll never utter this title 's name when alone again .",
        "i was never a big fan of this film . it has its moments , but it is n't worth sitting through 90 minutes to see them .",
        "a very interesting , well made chiller .",
        "gruesome and borderline-great barker adaptation .",
        "it 's the mythic sort of horror / art film combination that is usually referenced in reviews of films that hew too closely to one of those elements to be successful as both .",
        "madsen is a much better actress than is usually found in such a role . however , if you do n't like splashes of blood or bees swarming out of bodies , you may want to think twice about this one .",
        "director rose seems not to know what to show next , and whether this is in an effort to keep his audience guessing or not , it only ends up making what could have been an exceptionally disturbing film exceptionally annoying .",
        "how does this guy choose his victims ? what is his modus operandi ? it 's all pretty random .",
        "at its heart , MOV terrifies because of its ideas . it sinks its horrific foundations very much in the real world of poverty and racial alienation .",
        "what i liked was a horror movie that was scaring me with ideas and gore , instead of simply with gore ."],
    "summary": "though it ultimately sacrifices some mystery in the name of gory thrills , MOV is a nuanced , effectively chilling tale that benefits from an interesting premise and some fine performances .",
    "id": "15135"
  },
  {
    "movie": "source_code",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an exciting and thoughtfully constructed sci-fi thriller .",
        "the star here is jones , who manages to paper over most of the holes in ben ripley 's script with pure adrenaline and keep us guessing - and enthralled - all the while .",
        "give credit to the dashing and romantic gyllenhaal for keeping this effort -lrb- mostly -rrb- on track .",
        "it 'll make your brain hurt -lrb- in a good way -rrb- trying to determine whether it all makes sense -- until it quite obviously and frustratingly does n't make sense anymore .",
        "a slick , cerebral and - most of all - dull as hell sci-fi calamity . as far as excitement is concerned , this is like pitching your parasol on the banks of the sea of tranquillity .",
        "gripping for the duration , and pacier than you might expect from a film where the same eight minutes play out repeatedly ...",
        "MOV deliciously bites off more than it can chew . it is a science fiction thriller foremost , but runs a wide gamut of human emotion .",
        "part of the fun of duncan jones 's frequently clever sci-fi thriller is being as in-the-dark as the film 's protagonist .",
        "you know a movie is amazing when you do n't want to get up to use the restroom in fear that you 'll miss a single frame . i just wish it ended five minutes earlier .",
        "whether you are a fan of science fiction or not , this is a great movie and is - ironically - the best offering in the genre since director duncan jones ' 2009 masterpiece moon .",
        "the problem with `` MOV '' is the idea of `` MOV . ''",
        "jake gyllenhaal and michelle monaghan are fine actors stuck doing routines . they do n't have the chemistry to make MOV more than just a half-assed film formula .",
        "by finding everything but a more universal purpose for all this right-minded rigmarole , we lose at least part of the movie 's motivation .",
        "jones ' brilliant visuals work perfectly with ripley 's story , the scenes playing out like musical variations of an underlying theme . in the land of the one-trick pony , jones is a rare exception .",
        "`` MOV '' is challenging and stimulating , a movie that will keep you guessing and will not disappoint .",
        "a tepid sci-fi thriller .",
        "uma fic\u0437\u0433o cient\u043dfica exemplar : apresenta um conceito interessante , explora-o a fundo e , de quebra , nos apresenta a quest\u0445es de fundo filos\u0443fico-existencial enquanto cria personagens complexos e tocantes .",
        "MOV is genuinely compelling and - whilst not always successful - remains a fine example of an intelligent , modern sci-fi thriller .",
        "holes in logic get swept aside by the brisk pace and stimulating tale .",
        "duncan jones continues to build a rep for heady and ambitious sci-fi .",
        "were it supremely confident of knowing when to show its trump card , the film could have gone even further .",
        "jones ' conception of how the universe works pretty much eliminates the possibility of drama .",
        "in spite of an over-complicated premise , MOV succeeds in offering an above-average thriller -- with interesting sci-fi ideas for genre buffs to debate .",
        "adorably preposterous",
        "`` MOV '' is a fascinating sci-fi action film that works surprisingly well given the scant logic it gets away with .",
        "more like a thinking man 's speed as opposed to a what-were-you-thinking man 's d\u0439j\u0430 vu .",
        "this time , jones has more money and greater studio expectations behind him , so what begins as another existential head trip that puts ideas before spectacle eventually morphs into something trite and compromised -- hard sci-fi gone soft .",
        "this constant state of limbo is scintillating cerebral frustration for the viewer , as it is for the players . this is jones 's triumph .",
        "taut thriller delivers explosive images , sci-fi twists .",
        "my advice : enjoy and appreciate the film for the inventive , well-acted immersive adventure it is -- even if it is about eight minutes too long .",
        "this is the dark side of groundhog day , where each visit to the past helps him learn things but inevitably leads to death .",
        "MOV is one of those infrequent movies that keeps you guessing at each and every turn .",
        "gyllenhaal is a much more sympathetic and attractive figure here than in 2010 's `` prince of persia . ''",
        "fun enough , but do n't think about it .",
        "like the best sci-fi , MOV is both entertaining and thought-provoking .",
        "in `` MOV , '' thinking is doing , which makes it a nice respite from standard action fare with its guys , grunts and guns -lrb- though there 's some of that here too -rrb- .",
        "with a twisty , mind-bending plot that frequently changes direction and occasionally overreaches , `` MOV '' would n't work at all without a cast with the determination and ability to really sell its story .",
        "this is hair-raising , clever and winning entertainment . even if his protagonists are n't entirely what they seem to be or think they are , mr. jones is , it 's increasingly clear , the real thing .",
        "jones ' obvious affinity for a too-often neglected brand of idea-driven science fiction shines through . ben ripley 's script never strays far from familiar genre territory , but that 's no weakness in a film as brilliantly paced and structured as this .",
        "a smart sci-fi thriller that maybe asks a bit more of its audience than the average movie . but the payoff is solid , and really -- how long is eight minutes ?",
        "think of groundhog day morphing from comedy to thriller and you 'll get an idea of the mischief afoot in MOV .",
        "... there are so many parallels between `` MOV '' and `` moon '' that it feels like the earlier film gussied up with a new time travel gimmick .",
        "an exciting , intellectually stimulating science-fiction thriller which also connects emotionally . everyone involved earns a promotion to the premiership .",
        "it 's a crackerjack ride , shot and edited for maximum discombobulation .",
        "smart yet simple enough to work on several levels .",
        "MOV is what might happen if one cross-bred groundhog day with 24 and the matrix .",
        "suspend disbelief and enjoy a sci-fi adventure and romance aboard a chicago-bound train .",
        "a propulsive ride worth your popcorn dollar , not for its preposterous genre tinkering but for its refreshingly humanist take on a high-concept gimmick .",
        "it 's jones ' restrained direction that keeps MOV moving , and confirms him as the rare filmmaker able , or maybe just choosing , to understand that even movies with explosions do n't have to be dumb to entertain .",
        "it 's not nearly as complex and eerily existential as the director 's debut , moon , but in its own way it 's an even more satisfying time slice of identity-scrambled sci-fi .",
        "the movie loses steam before it wraps everything up , but until then it 's a pretty puzzle .",
        "duncan jones ' twisty sci-fi gem knows how to build a mystery , how to parcel out clues , and how to keep an audience guessing until the end .",
        "MOV delivers a marvelous good time , and leaves us with something more than an empty tub of popcorn for our troubles .",
        "sitting through MOV is like watching a chef coax a beautiful souffl\u00e9 into perfect shape for 80 minutes , then drop a bowling ball on it .",
        "years -- months ? -- hence i expect there will be an avalanche of phd theses focusing on these mumbo-jumbo mind-meld melodramas . in the meantime you can pick up your ba at the multiplex today .",
        "none of this makes any sense if you think about it , but the idea is so much fun that thinking about it may be your last impulse .",
        "duncan jones ' swiftly paced and engaging sci-fi thriller is a groundhog day for a post - 9/11 world .",
        "the rare movie that borrows elements from dozens of other films and tv shows , but is so good on its own that it almost does n't matter .",
        "takes its thriller premise and works it into an existential celebration of human determination and the resolute refusal to accept the status quo",
        "duncan jones is the man behind this thing and he 's a name worth getting to know .",
        "the very model of scrupulous , careful storytelling ... where the sometimes wildly loopy plot contortions are always neatly built upon the basis of what comes before .",
        "... a wonderful time warp movie with pace and style .",
        "the surprisingly moving MOV boils down to a simple love story , with complicated strings attached .",
        "jake gyllenhaal is the movie 's great asset . he exhibits an artful ability to humanize his character in a dehumanized world of gamesmanship .",
        "a movie about war that is n't a war movie and a thriller about a terrorist that is n't really about terrorism , but effectively rattling audience nerves with an elaborately wacky , hocus pocus premise . groundhog day with gadgets .",
        "MOV is also cold and clinical , but the emotion tacked on at the end is just that , tacked on . the only lingering thought after seeing it is why you did n't leave the theater at the 80 minute mark .",
        "mixing memorable elements of everything from memento to avatar to the twilight zone to the manchurian candidate , this thought-provoking mindbender even pays homage to ronald ` where 's the rest of me ? ' reagan in king 's row .",
        "when you think back on it not everything makes sense , but when you are in the middle of the ride it is full of excitement .",
        "... like the sci-fi flick alfred hitchcock never made .",
        "at the very least , the film exceeds by several magnitudes the emotional and philosophical intensity of such similar metaphysical amusements as avatar and inception .",
        "just when you think you have a fix on everything , and where exactly it is , you do n't .",
        "a time travel drama with a difference .",
        "slightly anachronistic , yet altogether endearing .",
        "again jones makes us wonder , ` what kind of world are we living in ? ' and ` what kind of world do we think is possible ? '",
        "thoughtful and character-driven , and proof that jones can successfully balance entertainment with ideas .",
        "MOV sticks to its relatively basic -lrb- in sci-fi terms -rrb- setup and plays with it gleefully but with maturity , never ignoring its mass-appeal cinematic duties .",
        "take the logical leap of faith and enjoy this gripping , intelligent , surprisingly moving sci-fi thriller .",
        "a rare popcorn flick that serves up drama you can sink your teeth into , this one confidently opens as a thriller that 's a cut above the rest .",
        "less introspective and ambitious than jones ' first film , but it 's also more mainstream and accessible , in all the best ways .",
        "ben ripley 's script is less interested in its own technical apparatus than in the human condition itself - our desperate search for big answers and satisfying closure , and the mortality that both delimits and perhaps ennobles this very search .",
        "screenwriting teachers will tell you that if you do n't hook your audience in the first 10 minutes , you 've lost them for the full two hours . director duncan jones and writer ben ripley have crafted a thriller that does it in only eight .",
        "patently bigger , faster , slicker and more mainstream than jones 's impressive debut film moon , but it 's a work of similar intelligence , themes and interests .",
        "confounding , exhilarating , challenging -- and the best movie i 've seen so far in 2011 .",
        "clever and quasi-intelligent ... given the fairy tale premise .",
        "with a stronger ending MOV could have been great ; as it stands , it 's still a thrilling entertainment destined for cult status .",
        "2011 \u2032 s action thriller to beat .",
        "the first film in a while to have a decent heart while quickening your pulse .",
        "jones , who worked with somewhat similar material on `` moon , '' does a nice job of setting up the story , but he races to its conclusion so quickly that he misses opportunities along the way to make the themes hit home .",
        "think of it as a sci-fi groundhog day , but do n't ever think jake is cooler than bill murray .",
        "a hitchcockian thriller with a bit of unstoppable and a little unknown .",
        "for the most part , `` MOV '' delivers on its promises with precision and care - all that 's missing is punxsutawney phil and a toast to world peace .",
        "a fun ride of a sci-fi thriller with terrific romantic chemistry between jake gyllenhaal and michelle monaghan .",
        "cool enough to position the movie as the thinking man 's blockbuster , but `` inception '' it is n't .",
        "putting across a premise as fantastical as this film 's requires top-flight acting , as well as a kind of poker face , and that 's precisely what the movie delivers .",
        "slick sci-fi thriller about parallel universes .",
        "spotlights duncan jones ' cinematic muscle , specifically an all-too-rare aptitude for molding classical technique with experimental touches .",
        "unrelenting in its suspense , keeping the level of surprise and uncertainty at a fever pitch until the credits roll",
        "this is a classic film noir amnesia plot , brilliantly handled .",
        "jones mostly succeeds in keeping the momentum going for long enough to prevent questioning minds from taking too much of an issue with the film as it begins to devolve into a goofy , plot-hole-laden riff on the old chicken-and-egg time-travel conundrum .",
        "MOV is a very solid thriller , both entertaining and thought provoking . i look forward to jones ' next film .",
        "this is a well-written , well-acted film that does n't overdo the repetition factor .",
        "they might as well have set MOV at gobbler 's knob and queued up i got you babe every 10 minutes .",
        "jake gyllenhaal delivers one of his best performances to date in this extremely suspenseful sci-fi thriller .",
        "besides the sure-handed directing , masterful script and superb acting , the movie 's other strengths include stupendous visual effects , outstanding cinematography , the suspense-heightening musical score and eye-appealing scenery of the ...",
        "do n't be shocked if it encourages a tear or two along the way . jones has crafted a rounded , weighty thrill ride , and i would n't be surprised if it ends up as one of the best pictures of the year .",
        "a movie with an indie spirit and blockbuster sensibilities , MOV is popcorn entertainment with genuine heft , and proof that the move to tinseltown does n't always mean having to sell your soul to the suits .",
        "`` MOV '' is a contraption , no doubt . but it works .",
        "`` MOV '' is n't as smart or adventurous as it might have been . but as popcorn entertainment , it 's right on schedule .",
        "it 's a fun game for a while : the conceit has the vertiginous appeal of a good quantum leap episode -lrb- right down to another face gazing back at jake in the mirror -rrb- .",
        "the script by ben ripley does n't come up with enough obstacles to throw in the hero 's path , and his budding romance with the doomed christina feels more like a studio mandate than an organic development .",
        "jones may have passed his first real hollywood test with merit , but he has wisely avoided trying to make this his calling card movie . here 's betting he 'll be back with something more personal and profound in 2012 .",
        "there are points of comparison with christopher nolan 's inception . but the world of MOV seems to me more interesting , and more able to incubate real drama , real suspense and even some real humour .",
        "sharply intelligent and also viscerally entertaining .",
        "superbly directed , cleverly written and featuring a terrific central performance from jake gyllenhaal , this is an exciting , thought-provoking and emotionally engaging thriller .",
        "if you ask me , 2011 is really the year of the new sci-fi film , given this and two other terrific `` idea-based '' movies , the adjustment bureau and limitless . and it 's only april !",
        "it 's watchable in spite of itself , and gyllenhaal and monaghan are great together . but it 's not nearly as clever as it thinks it is -- especially in its final minutes .",
        "one of the problems is gyllenhaal 's inability to make his character seem coherent , sympathetic or particularly interesting .",
        "... an unapologetic crowd-pleaser ...",
        "director jones and screenwriter ben ripley also deserve credit for expertly shuffling the plot .",
        "gyllenhaal is quite engaging here , there 's plenty of suspense filled action and you will be intrigued the whole way through .",
        "MOV , written by ben ripley , is directed by duncan jones , who ran similar rings around consciousness in his acclaimed debut , moon . the great gimmick of this new film is its license to thrill .",
        "MOV is one of those movies that i suspect is best appreciated by those who go into it knowing as little about what they are about to see as possible .",
        "the differences each time the eight minutes come around are surprisingly absorbing and there 's a pleasing hitchcockian jokiness at work .",
        "MOV does n't become too bogged down in the science behind the thrills , and while colter is destined to repeat the same journey down the line , each visit is sufficiently different to hold our attention .",
        "ben ripley 's screenplay generally sticks to the rules it establishes until there 's nowhere trippier to go except over the shark . by then , MOV has entertained long enough - with not much running time left - to avert its own disaster .",
        "moon director stays in sci-fi , keeps you in suspense",
        "gyllenhaal brings essential emotional weight to the story and he 's backed by a strong supporting cast .",
        "the film is not a naturalistic drama ; it 's science fiction with a capital f. on its own terms ... MOV is a decent effort",
        "make every second count is the essence of this beguiling sci-fi thriller with parallel realities that plays with time and destiny as it explores a multi-dimensional view of time , life and its possibilities",
        "MOV is an enjoyable hitchcockian thriller with a unique sense of humour that will serve jones well ; it is proof the young director is ready to handle cerebral blockbusters just like fellow londoner christopher nolan .",
        "colter , like deckard before him , has to accept who and where he is , even as these definitions recede before him .",
        "it 's an action film concerned with speaking and thinking , rather than shouting and exploding ; each time the bomb goes off , it becomes less exciting , less of a focal point , until the most striking pyrotechnics on show are of the mental and emotional sort .",
        "jones ' smart handling of the genre is a breath of fresh air , but his messages feel slightly hampered by the bigger studio budget as opposed to his fabulous debut , moon .",
        "does n't it feel like this is a great premiere episode and we should be watching season 1 on fox in a few months ?",
        "after i saw the thoroughly entertaining ` MOV , ' i felt as i did after seeing ` inception . ' my mind had been blown , numerous times . and i wanted to see the movie in a ` know what i know now ' mode .",
        "here 's a movie where you forgive the preposterous because it takes you to the perplexing .",
        "MOV bats around interesting philosophical ideas about the elasticity of time , and the director finds moments of humor in unlikely corners of that train of fools .",
        "a sci-fi thriller in which the playfulness of groundhog day is cannily molded to the paranoia of the manchurian candidate .",
        "i kind of love this movie .",
        "MOV is n't without entertaining moments , but it 's a waste of its intriguing set-up , a bright director and a superior cast .",
        "a lightweight action thriller with a twist in time",
        "MOV will likely go down as the groundhog day of convoluted , mind-bending sci-fi thrillers . and hey , that 's not such a bad thing .",
        "energy alone is n't enough to keep ` MOV ' from feeling thin , repetitive and nowhere near as smart as it wants you to believe it is .",
        "a tight little sci-fi thriller with a nice , knotty premise , and it does its job in a commendable 93 minutes .",
        "there 's just enough pop physics , and more than enough real human psychology , to lend this intriguing popcorn movie some depth .",
        "`` MOV '' is perfectly enjoyable as a swiftly moving thriller , and gyllenhaal is effective as a mystified fellow who eventually engages himself - and us - in putting the pieces of the puzzle together .",
        "an entertaining sci-fi thriller that 's not affraid to invest some emotion into the proceedings - which makes it all the more unique compared to some of the cold blockbusters we 've been getting . duncan jones is a superstar director in the making .",
        "a clever , classy and affecting thriller that never goes off the rails .",
        "a concept that might raise doubts about how well it could work . all the greater reason to praise the skill that shaped it with such brisk force and loving hands .",
        "a complex , compelling story , part groundhog day , part inception .",
        "the movie is a formally disciplined piece of work , a triumph of movie syntax , made with a sense of rhythm and pace , and gyllenhaal , who is always good at conveying anxiety , gives stevens 's desperation a comic edge .",
        "a top-notch time-bending sci-fi thriller that deftly avoids many potential paradoxes .",
        "a taut , immersive ride .",
        "a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that keeps the viewer too busy to realize where the ideas just do not work .",
        "MOV is high concept filmmaking done the way it 's supposed to be .",
        "gyllenhaal has never quite made the quantum leap from dependable actor to superstar leading man , but his ability to engender compassion has always been an asset",
        "` quantum leap ' meets groundhog 's day by way of the matrix ... aside from a few predictabilities , MOV succeeds .",
        "thoughtful and well-made , but undercut by final-act illogic ...",
        "a well-told sci-fi yarn .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- omething roger corman would have made for $ 4.98 in 1974 now given a megabudget and movie-star treatment but not as much thought or sass as corman would have given it ...",
        "rock-solid science-fiction , conceptually brilliant and executed with tightly-wound precision .",
        "a thinking man 's sci-fi film with real mainstream appeal .",
        "intriguing if unbelievable sci-fi piece that quickens the pulse even if you do n't completely buy into the set-up .",
        "`` MOV , '' his second film , deserves to launch him into the ranks of filmmakers who are trusted with big idea popcorn material , smarter than average and populist in its appeal .",
        "the film does n't just drop red herrings . it beats up its red herrings .",
        "the two appealing stars , jake gyllenhaal -lrb- in his best work to date -rrb- and vera farmiga -lrb- always good -rrb- , elevate this intricately plotted , elegantly executed thriller-actioner way above its dramatic shortcomings .",
        "MOV showcases jones ' ability to provide ample entertainment value with sharply drawn characters in a minimalist setting .",
        "while MOV is chugging along it 's a terrifically entertaining puzzle movie . let 's not squander that by thinking too much .",
        "duncan jones hits the sophomore slump with MOV",
        "this is a tale of mistaken identities and mysterious dames , strange agencies and impromptu heroics - an unabashed entertainment , moving , amusing , difficult to resist .",
        "... a well-crafted film on all levels .",
        "gyllenhaal easily gives his best performance since `` brokeback mountain . ''",
        "... a popcorn flick seasoned with just enough smarts and heart to keep us engaged and invested .",
        "an insanely brilliant film that you 'll want to revisit again and again .",
        "the frequently mind-bending plot keeps the viewer engaged , but it 's the sympathetic attention to its characters and their urgent connections with each other that give the audience a reason to care .",
        "as he did in his acclaimed debut film moon , director duncan jones explores science-fiction ideas of identity and surrogate human bodies , but in adding a more suspense-driven , ticking-clock premise , he has made a thriller with much broader appeal .",
        "director duncan jones ' sophomore feature is an exhilarating experience .",
        "jones ... has already mastered pacing , story-telling , and heart . he makes each of the replays vital and engaging and knows just when to lighten things up",
        "the ambitious and sharp code is n't the movie you think it is . it 's better ...",
        "a thriller that takes a science fiction premise and uses it , not for the sake of splashy effects , but as a doorway into the human soul .",
        "zipping along at a speed to match the doomed commuter train aboard which most of its story takes place , MOV is a tense , thrilling and unexpectedly emotional science fiction thriller .",
        "it 's groundhog day meets inception .",
        "travels back in time and borrows liberally from the vaults of rod serling , and does justice to his legacy .",
        "this movie awakened my seasonal urge to buy ice cream treats and turn my brain off for 100 minutes , so get ready for summer , everyone .",
        "this intelligent sci-fi-thriller is a worthy follow-up to moon that marks jones as one of the best new filmmakers around .",
        "duncan jones 's sophomore film , MOV , is an assured second step into the realm of thoughtful science fiction .",
        "a casually brainy and surprisingly thoughtful blockbuster ... that is ultimately as much about saving the day as seizing it .",
        "since MOV is philosophical science fiction and not just ` sci fi , ' there 's something to chew on here about consciousness : when it begins and ends , and that old chestnut of what constitutes reality . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "`` MOV '' is a bullet train of a thriller .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "an entertaining , intelligent puzzle .",
        "even when i thought i had the whole thing figured out early on , the movie allowed me to feel smug for a while before shooting me down . brilliant .",
        "i 'm still not sure what `` MOV '' means here . i suspect the actors , the director , and the screenwriter have n't a clue either . but the thing keeps you watching .",
        "where moon was a marvel of restraint and working within limits , MOV suffers from a scale no one seems able to control .",
        "solid execution and some provocative ideas ca n't save MOV from a fatal hubris , as it thinks itself far more clever than it actually is and assumes it 's earned emotions at which it 's only hinted .",
        "MOV 's groundhog day meets minority report premise is definitely intriguing , but its gaps in logic and arbitrary rules about the MOV ultimately do the film in .",
        "quite deep and affecting on many levels with a premise that never gets dull or predictable or feels gimmicky .",
        "`` MOV '' is electrifying action that is lackluster mid way through but comes back in the end to catapult you to another universal ending .",
        "a thrilling and utterly brilliant mind-twister , which finds the human story amidst the edge-of-your-seat action .",
        "a tremendously enjoyable trip to the movies , one that gets your blood pumping fast enough to keep your brain ticking .",
        "at a nicely paced 93 minutes , MOV is hard to go along with at times but it 's an intriguing thriller that will hold your attention .",
        "great stuff : a film which will repay multiple viewings .",
        "while the end results are not as successful as moon , it is still a decent mystery with intriguing philosophical implications and a fleshed out human drama .",
        "the movie does n't pull its punches , which are deep and lead to a sly kind of nirvana .",
        "a film that moves our brains with even bigger ideas lurking just beneath the surface to give us plenty to think over upon leaving the theater . as long as you do n't think about it too hard .",
        "smart and engaging , MOV is a film that incorporates top class science fiction while debating the ethics of science fact .",
        "director duncan jones , whose last effort was the equally confounding moon , just has a knack for this kind of cinematic mindgame .",
        "do not miss MOV if you can at all help it . as a modern motion picture , this really is the complete package .",
        "MOV is the second feature directed by david bowie 's son , duncan jones , after the excellent moon a couple of years ago , and it confirms him as an astute and talented director of mysterious science fiction .",
        "it 's fresh . it 's novel . it 's original , challenging , fun , and `` deep '' all at the same time .",
        "ripley 's intricate script and jones 's brisk direction invite us to climb aboard and enjoy the ride . but if you want to dig deeper , there is some serious stuff about a guy lost in fragments of time , groping towards a sense of his own identity .",
        "ultimately , MOV makes good on its hitchcockian opening sequence -- it may pale in comparison to the master , but it 's a fun , puzzle-filled ride , with excellent pacing and a mounting uneasiness that recalls the best episodes of the twilight zone .",
        "i 'd rather flirt with michelle monaghan than hunt down a mad bomber , too .",
        "it 's this emotional arc underlying the ticking-time-bomb plot that keeps the movie from succumbing to its flaws .",
        "MOV is a sci-fi thriller that simply should n't work as well as it does .",
        "MOV takes off with some intense performances and an inventive story that pulls you in and makes you work for the payoff .",
        "MOV is a mind-bending minor classic of its type , a sort of groundhog day with terrorism and fewer weather reports . it 's as if the matrix hopped aboard a rapid-transit line and got derailed into the american military bureaucracy .",
        "jones proves with MOV that he understands how to pace a traditional thriller , and gyllenhaal 's display of comedic chops , confident bravado and tender sympathies prove that the 30-year-old actor has arrived at leading-man status .",
        "a thoroughly original , imaginative and fast-flying tale in which the groundhog day aspects are secondary to a story of service , honor and dedication .",
        "fantastic pacing , an excellent performance by gyllenhaal and smart storytelling make this a wonderful film .",
        "jones ... has a light touch of the sort that enlivens the material without trivializing it-think of it as tongue delicately navigating the perimeter of cheek",
        "a sharp and compelling mind-bender that goes easy on the gobbledygook .",
        "the irony of the situation is that it 's the last eight minutes of `` code '' - a movie that hinges on eight-minute intervals - that falter .",
        "duncan jones has done nothing to suggest that his successful debut was a one-off . this is more mainstream , granted , but it still has ideas and is n't afraid to explore them .",
        "MOV has a velocity that helps alleviate nagging questions about the logic of this time-space conundrum .",
        "saddled with cg effects that will only be passable on your smart phone , or from the back seat of a minivan , it 's as if the looniness of the code plot is out to undermine the highly wound , tightly cut beginning -- the camera shakes from too much adrenaline .",
        "-lsb- video -rsb- here 's the first great hollywood action movie of the year .",
        "relies on momentum to keep you hooked on a plot that loops back on itself like a moebius strip . do n't think about it too much .",
        "has the same sure-handed management of fractured chronology as christopher nolan 's `` inception '' and `` memento , '' but with the propulsion of a much more accessible hollywood thriller .",
        "MOV certainly gives the audience a lot to chew on . but very little of it is digestible .",
        "this adrenaline-drenched thriller stars jake gyllenhaal in the performance of his career .",
        "remarkably coherent and weirdly compelling .",
        "think quantum leap meets groundhog day with intense action and nail biting suspense .",
        "you get your money 's worth with excitement , yet when all is said and done , the movie has some actual thematic depth to it .",
        "it is a tremendous downer when the second half of the movie shirks logic , defies its own established principles and raises more questions than it answers .",
        "the rare thriller that engages us with its protagonist and his plight , even if the sci-fi part of the story never really seems to add up .",
        "its limited-time-travel premise offers some knotty pleasures throughout ...",
        "MOV , overall a highly entertaining movie , concludes with what will doubtless remain one of the worst endings of the year .",
        "surreal and suspenseful , geared to appeal to sci-fi fans",
        "a well-paced and structured sci-fi thriller that 's as complex as it is clear-headed .",
        "... an unconventional think piece , impressively helmed by duncan jones . intellectual sci-fi fans will love it . the ` transformers ' and ` battle : los angeles ' visualists will get headaches from thinking too much .",
        "with MOV duncan jones proves he 's sci-fi 's most promising young director .",
        "casting matters hugely in an endeavor like this , and MOV 's quartet of main players is more than up to the task of breathing multi-dimensionality into the material .",
        "with much to absorb in its complicated plot , MOV may require a repeat viewing -- in your own body , of course .",
        "MOV is perfectly agreeable entertainment , so long as you do n't ask too much of it . it has an intriguing science-fiction premise that hints at deeper issues but , in ..."],
    "summary": "finding the human story amidst the action , director duncan jones and charming jake gyllenhaal craft a smart , satisfying sci-fi thriller .",
    "id": "771174105"
  },
  {
    "movie": "killers_2010",
    "reviews":
     [
        "neither action nor romance , MOV will please all those who see it for kutcher , disappoint those in search of a story .",
        "i was tested by MOV ' gaping lack of a single distinguishing characteristic .",
        "bland spy rom-com mines violence , stereotypes for laughs .",
        "perhaps some future social scientist will explain why the traditional romantic comedy transformed during the first decade of the 21st century into the screwball action-comedy , in which bonds of love are strengthened by gunplay , car chases and explosions .",
        "everything has a thrown-together feel , as the characters are tossed from romcom situations to action set-pieces and back again with no thought to applying any sort of grace notes to ease the transition .",
        "robert luketic 's latest flick is a palette cleanser -- a flavourless sorbet if you will -- guaranteed to scrape the flavor of any recent enjoyable film from your sensory memory .",
        "robert luketic 's `` MOV '' takes a worn out premise and somehow manages to make it feel even more tired than before .",
        "a fluffy but harmless action comedy .",
        "a lazy script makes for a cheesy and predictable film that features two crummy performances from stars who are hard to dislike .",
        "a ridiculous and lifeless comedy , this mess of a motion picture is trite and easily-forgettable .",
        "the murderously boring MOV firmly belongs in the dregs of the ever increasing number of rom-com-action movies .",
        "a concept masquerading as a full blown movie , in which the story is undercooked but the delivery is overdone",
        "the storyline and script lack credibility , but more than that , robert luketic 's direction misses the light , crisp fun the situations require , leaving us saddled with a questionable tone in nowhereland",
        "heigl and kutcher 's romance has about as much crackle as a bowl of soggy rice bubbles .",
        "far from the knock out we hope for .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "it 's trying to be funny and it 's trying to be cool but MOV does n't quite get there .",
        "a bloated mess that 's not remotely funny -- or suspenseful .",
        "the script is ludicrously overcooked , with too much unnecessary exposition at the expense of laughs , while heigl 's habitual decision to play each role as a nostril-flaring , wild-eyed , squealing shrew is growing tiresome .",
        "it 's pretty much dead in the water as soon as a shirtless kutcher tries to play suave and utters some terrible french in his first attempt to woo his co-star .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "dull , formulaic , and chemistry-free , MOV is an action/comedy that 's largely bereft of thrills or laughs .",
    "id": "770809889"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_edukators",
    "reviews":
     [
        "sticking it to the man , german-style , is the subject of this smart , kicky little gem that owes as much to guy debord and the situationists of yore .",
        "there 's too much ` growing , ' too much ` sharing ' and way too much dialogue that 's straight out of a freshman poli-sci class .",
        "a kinder , gentler fight club ...",
        "MOV makes clear that everyone plays by rules they did n't make , then excuses themselves for not changing the world .",
        "the romantic triangle at the heart of the story is n't particularly suspenseful , and the all-important politics unfortunately feel facile at best .",
        "intelligent , entertaining and , yes , educational as it looks at the nature of political activism now and then .",
        "it ends interestingly , but it would 've ended better , and played better , had it been half an hour shorter .",
        "like its protagonists , it means well , but gets mixed up . too easily .",
        "a mixed bag of style and ethics fluidly formed into an entertaining and thought-provoking whole .",
        "starts strong , with an ingratiatingly anarchic vibe , but quickly devolves into a hectoring socialist lecture : a cinematic version of kenner 's my first revolution playset .",
        "this year 's most articulate statement on film about the current disillusion with politics among young people everywhere in the western world .",
        "a deft , entertaining story that mixes menace with charm and satire with seriousness .",
        "the shifting dynamics in the group keep the story interesting .",
        "if you can look beyond the simple-minded socratic political discourse , MOV reveals itself as warm , humane and sad .",
        "it 's a rare film that gets smarter as it goes along ...",
        "for a film that points out so much wrong with german society and shows such dubious , dangerous behavior , it leaves the audience with high spirits and a sense of crazy exhilaration .",
        "american movies do n't have the capacity for such delicacy -- nor can they easily present their characters and situations as impartially as this one does .",
        "completely devoid of the usual humor that goes along with such a film , MOV is n't quite funny and is n't quite sad , and unhappily , not quite believable .",
        "weingartner proves too ready to pat his inner rebels on their backs ... -lsb- but asks -rsb- provocative questions about liberal revolt ... and the effect of age on ideology .",
        "there 's an evenhanded humanism flowing through ` MOV that may strike doctrinaire viewers on either side of the divide as mushy , but it 's tough enough for the rest of us to chew on for a long time .",
        "the degree to which one sympathizes with the movie 's protagonists may depend upon the age of the viewer",
        "with greater critical distance on the filmmaker 's part , and a disciplined use of the editing scissors , it might have been something substantial .",
        "ambitious but ultimately lackluster drama about the conflict between extremist politics and selfish human nature .",
        "the whole thing feels messy , painful , funny and believable , just like that hideous circus known as real life .",
        "opts for a bland middle road ... a mixture that comes across as rather a cop-out .",
        "MOV takes an eternity to get past the setup and on to the main conflict .",
        "the surprise ending is gimmicky , but the character study is consistently enthralling . MOV is educational-not intellectually , but emotionally .",
        "it makes its statements on right versus wrong , strong versus weak and capitalism versus democracy without preaching and in an often wryly-amusing , satiric way .",
        "sublimely funny , surprisingly warm-hearted little story about the war between the idealistic young people and the conservative rich folks .",
        "what is interesting to watch are the unexpected turns that occur when a jilted lover , a kidnapped rich capitalist and a pair of new lovers are cooped up in an isolated chalet .",
        "the situations feel real , the injustices believable and the human frailty is all too recognizable .",
        "unless you 're the sort who has a che guevara t-shirt tucked away somewhere in your closet , the needlessly long MOV wears out its welcome .",
        "full review in greek",
        "it 's deeply heartfelt and affecting , filmed with a nervy camera style that lends a vivid immediacy to the action .",
        "it 's as if the symbionese liberation army had nabbed one of the big chill 's weekenders .",
        "much too didactic , obvious and simple-minded in its action story involving a radical act .",
        "although MOV , directed by hans weingartner , is a german-language film , it is set in a global village where all politics are local .",
        "plays out like an ambivalent political tract , full of dissatisfaction but no conclusions .",
        "captures the frustration of those who sense something deeply dysfunctional in the political and economic status quo but feel impotent do anything about it .",
        "this supposedly progressive movie unintentionally delivers a sexist message as old as the garden of eden : do n't let a woman get involved , because she 'll mess things up .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV engagingly plays out the clash between youthful idealism and older pragmaticism .",
    "id": "15399"
  },
  {
    "movie": "the_beauty_academy_of_kabul_2006",
    "reviews":
     [
        "an often touching and always intriguing look at the fall and rebirth of a nation and the resilient spirit of its women .",
        "an example of fascinating material that frequently triumphs over its pedestrian presentation .",
        "mermin is quite skilled at separating the honorable intent of the school from dopey assumptions of several american beauticians .",
        "surprisingly , MOV provides equal insight into both cultures , showing how excessive , self-obsessed disconnect can shape a culture as strongly as a hideously intruding reality .",
        "... a documentary whose superficial image belies its profound impact .",
        "... a light and lively fly-on-the-wall piece that is occasionally aware of its own absurdity ...",
        "where there 's makeup and hairspray , there 's hope . the film draws on your sympathy , but it could play just as easily on pbs as it would on the big screen .",
        "the title is n't a joke . and no , it 's nowhere near as frivolous as you 'd think .",
        "there 's great charm , and also discomfort , in watching these highly motivated , excited women learn the tricks of a trade practiced very differently from their own , and casually swap horror stories of life under the taliban .",
        "... unlike dead poets , this film is actually focused on the students and interested in their attempts to take control of their own destinies .",
        "director liz mermin documents the hilarious , moving and sometimes fractious meeting of diametrically different cultures , one that has suffered unimaginable horrors and one that believes a good perm is the answer to everything .",
        "mermin achieves an easy intimacy with students and instructors alike .",
        "you would be blameless if you thought you had walked into another clever christopher guest mockumentary .",
        "despite ample opportunity to pontificate or draw broad geopolitical conclusions , the focus remains resolutely fixed on the personal portraits of individual women who ultimately confirm the old adage that real beauty comes from within .",
        "mermin vividly explores both the beauty within its walls and the dangers outside .",
        "entertaining but lightweight film , which is better suited to public tv than the big screen .",
        "it may sound a little silly at first , but MOV , a new documentary , illustrates the good sense behind it .",
        "mermin 's straightforward , no-frills account of how a group of american hair stylists taught their craft to afghan women recently emerging from taliban rule is admirably solicitous toward both teachers and students .",
        "the movie carefully obscures its attitude toward these stunning samaritans , or so it would seem .",
        "sometimes hair dye and lipstick speak louder than banners and raised fists .",
        "warm , funny and hugely entertaining .",
        "a touching and gently funny testament to the resilience of the afghan women , many of whom share harrowing stories of life under the taliban .",
        "the teachers have moxie . the students have courage . mermin 's warm , funny , beautiful and deeply humane documentary certainly honors the latter .",
        "any film that raises this many interesting questions is worth seeing , though beauty academy never goes quite deep enough to become essential .",
        "a spiny , puzzling and highly entertaining film , and whatever you go into it thinking , you 're likely to come out thinking something else .",
        "a few of the academy 's students receive personal profiles , and their resilience after years of war and oppression is remarkable . if ever that `` triumph of the human spirit '' clich\u00e9 could be applied to a group of people , this is it .",
        "a skin deep in beauty documentary with hairdressers as healers .",
        "most of the students had suffered or witnessed horrific abuses and crimes under the taliban , yet the film shows two fatuous u.s. instructors who clearly missed the sensitivity training .",
        "captures the essence of americans ' sense of empowerment and innate goodness -- and our cultural myopia .",
        "it is that lack of small-minded judgment which distinguishes MOV and which makes it thoughtful , yet so much fun to watch .",
        "it rather eloquently makes the case that individuals who have confidence and self-worth can build a country with confidence and self-worth .",
        "this movie shows us a small bit of daily life as lived by real people . for that alone , we should be grateful .",
        "audiences will come away having had an authentic encounter with the plight , the hope and the humanity of the women of afghanistan , and that 's more than audiences will ever get just watching the news .",
        "can be a frustrating experience because of representation issues .",
        "like a before and after makeover , the beauty school of kabul should have left us in a different place from where we began , but the film left me with more questions than answers .",
        "the film 's unforgettable stars are the beauty academy 's students , women who have survived tribal warfare , soviet invasion , muslim tyranny , american bombs , patriarchal families and even western good intentions with extraordinary grace and fortitude .",
        "sophomore documakers mermin opens my eyes to the fact that women , everywhere in the world , care about how they look and feel even if no one else ever sees them .",
        "democracy might not really come from a bottle of shampoo , but beauty academy teaches us that , sometimes , mascara really matters .",
        "this quirky documentary about a group of american hairdressers who establish exactly that shows that the power of hair salons should never be underestimated .",
        "it 's that gulf between earnest idealism and beaten-down realism that 's the unexpected drama of beauty academy .",
        "ugly americans try to teach afghans to be pretty .",
        "yes , -lrb- mid -rrb- west is -lrb- mid -rrb- west and -lrb- mid -rrb- east is -lrb- mid -rrb- east , but the twain do meet -- sort of -- in this fascinating , unassuming little film .",
        "it 's a demonstration of the ancient proverb : give a man a fish and you have fed him for today , but teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime .",
        "the interaction between the self-absorbed , oblivious hairdressers and their quiet , stubborn , traditional students runs from the hilarious to the heartbreaking .",
        "without editorializing , mermin raises fascinating questions about the cultural impact of globalization , the allure of the west , and the troubled history of an ancient land .",
        "that the film is even this watchable has to do more with the subjects themselves .",
        "director liz mermin subtly captures both sides of a cultural divide .",
        "mermin 's docu neither makes light of the project nor suggests that it will bring large-scale change , instead it focuses on the moments of camaraderie the develop between women who share commitment to hair despite cultural differences .",
        "-lsb- director liz mermin 's -rsb- focus is sometimes too narrow , as she never touches on the political or social difficulties beauty without borders faces , and she leaves many questions unanswered . but her heart is in the right place , and so is the film 's .",
        "allows cross-cultural conversations about love , relationships , and marriage to convey the beauty school 's potential for cultivating hope in a more progressive future .",
        "beauty of the mind and body conspires to survive under the guns of un troops guarding the fragile peace against the moonscape of war that is kabul ."],
    "summary": "there 's nothing frivolous about beauty school when hearing about the individual lives of these women in afghanistan , and the contrast between them and the idealistic beauticians from america .",
    "id": "126522785"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10011984-last_song",
    "reviews":
     [
        "sinks in its own excessive melodrama .",
        "just because i 'm not a fan of nicholas sparks is n't going to stop me from recommending the MOV to its target audience .",
        "the kind of bathetic and overwrought melodrama that sandra dee might have rejected a half-century ago for being too schmaltzy for its own good .",
        "even for one not averse to some sentimental uplift in romantic movies , it 's all a bit much . in fact , it 's much too much .",
        "the MOV is predictable , exactly what you expect it to be .",
        "it 's understandable why cyrus would want to show she 's capable of more than bubbly effervescence . but by overreaching , she only draws attention to her limitations as an actress while curtailing her own natural appeal .",
        "let 's not be too rough on -lsb- miley cyrus -rsb- : it 's hard to put one 's best foot forward when dealing with a script that 's the literary equivalent of cement shoes .",
        "`` the MOV '' hits the big bong of banality early on , and it never recovers .",
        "any of the novelty in seeing disney 's crowned princess tricked out in combat boots and blue nail polish is negated by the absolute joylessness and lack of charisma cyrus brings to the role .",
        "the MOV is filled with great heart and chemistry but is ultimately destroyed by its cliches and cheesy moments .",
        "the big deal here is cyrus ' first serious -lsb- on-screen -rsb- kiss . the lip locking is about as romantic as two fish gobbling at the same piece of food .",
        "cyrus does not disappoint her fans and makes a smooth transition from comedy to drama . the movie 's main drawback is that it compresses everything , leaving no breathing room in its under two-hour running time . those wishing to spend more time with the cha",
        "` clunky , one paced and mostly off key ' not only describes hemsworth 's intentionally bad singing in the MOV but also the film .",
        "the ending is contrived , it 's true . but i had a good time getting there in nicholas sparks ' ` the MOV . '",
        "movies made from nicholas sparks ' books often have their nice moments and their moments where the sentimentality goes overboard .",
        "watching her graduate into mature roles is like watching a 17-year-old girl graduate from high school : so young , so full of promise , so little idea how to act like a grown-up .",
        "this being a nicholas sparkes ' project you know that there will be sentiment galore , a teary finale , romance and reconciliation . so no surprises here . but there are a couple of elements that add a bit of ballast to this film .",
        "a typical sparks tearjerker but with more depth and emotion ; cyrus is fine in the lead role .",
        "interminable",
        "omg movies are so unfair !",
        "the latest in a growing number of weepy films based on nicholas sparks novels that do n't come anywhere close to the notebook .",
        "this film is kind of a brilliant move on the part of the cyrus corporation .",
        "how do i find thee ridiculous , the MOV ? let me count the ways ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "as a vehicle to extend the miley cyrus $ $ $ billion $ $ $ dollar phenomenon of pre-teen fandom into a young adult starlet of seventeen , no production value was denied . but it ai n't this year 's discovery !",
        "a predictable but sweet old-fashioned teen romance .",
        "cyrus and hemsworth ... represent some kind of theoretical low for how terrible two romantic leads can be , together and separately .",
        "it 's an entire season 's worth of a teen soap opera crammed into a feature film .",
        "here 's the revelation : miley cyrus is a really interesting movie star in the making , with an intriguing echo-of-foghorn speaking voice , and a scuffed-up tomboyish physicality -lrb- in the kristen stewart mode -rrb- that sets her apart from daintier girls .",
        "a melodrama that 's aimed at teen girls , but the cinematography and performances make it palatable for others as well -- if you do n't mind someone toying with your emotions .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "cyrus has the potential to play truly adult roles , but she 'll need a director who 's looking out for an involving story and not just protecting disney 's brown-haired franchise .",
        "the MOV ultimately proves to be a far more engaging piece of work than the viewer might 've initially suspected .",
        "the MOV is a movie that quite deliberately slots together its jigsaw pieces to take its audience on an expected and overly-sentimental ride .",
        "it 's pretty watchable , mainly thanks to strong performances from kinnear and coleman . cyrus , sadly , fails to convey a broken heart .",
        "anyone but cyrus fans will find this one of the more inferior sparks adaptations -- and yes , that includes nights in rodanthe .",
        "honest and disarming , although with the obligatory sparks pathos .",
        "watchable drama that never strays too far from the nicholas sparks formula but succeeds thanks to likeable performances from miley cyrus and greg kinnear .",
        "death ca n't come quickly enough .",
        "the jury is still out on cyrus 's ability to sustain her screen career over the longer term , but this is respectable enough as a first step in that direction .",
        "the MOV , from miley cyrus . if only we lived in a world where movie titles were legally binding .",
        "it 's not one of sparks 's more inventive efforts and cyrus 's extended sulk does n't exactly enhance her acting prospects . not that this means much .",
        "kinnear lends the movie a dignity it does n't deserve and stands as the only cast member whose dramatic moments are n't propped up by soaring musical cues .",
        "it 's not a great film , with some edge sparks put in the novel left out of the script . but there 's real chemistry between the young lovers .",
        "akin to reserving a table at a fancy restaurant so you can order oatmeal",
        "the set-up and the story are as unbelievable as the characters and the way they react with each other",
        "miley cyrus makes a pathetic attempt to demonstrate her non-existent dramatic skills in this latest nicholas sparks-penned story .",
        "the `` MOV '' ? in all conscience , that should really have been billy ray 's achy breaky heart in a brooding minor key . you 'll feel the ache and hear the break .",
        "peddles banal truisms -lrb- `` love is fragile , and we 're not always the best caretakers ! '' -rrb- as if they 're freshly minted .",
        "the georgia locations are handsome and the people are pretty but any resemblance to real life is purely coincidental .",
        "as nicholas sparks adaptations go , this one 's both endearingly join-the-dots and surprisingly un-crass .",
        "novelist sparks turns screenwriter with this film , which combines his usual themes -lrb- beaches , grieving teens , cancer -rrb- as a vehicle for cyrus to put her childhood career behind her . it 's exactly what we expect , but it 's also fairly watchable .",
        "this is piano-key-tinkling melodrama that pulls out just about every clich\u00e9 in the book .",
        "an obvious bid for the teen queen to extend beyond her comfort zone only to then clearly show her limits and need for further development .",
        "disney starlet miley cyrus becomes an early contender for worst actress of the decade in this painful attempt at a romantic tear-jerker .",
        "while it 's quite watchable , the MOV does n't feel like a film that 's been made so much as assembled from standard teen movie clich\u00e9s .",
        "in case you wondered : little girls still scream for miley cyrus . you too may experience the need to scream , albeit for different reasons , should you take one -lrb- or more -rrb- of them to see the MOV ...",
        "teen sensation miley cyrus 's bid for film stardom outside of her hannah montana persona gets off to a rocky start with the MOV .",
        "... about on a par with the mandy moore starring `` a walk to remember ''",
        "the MOV is like one of those annoying tunes you 've heard so many times before that when it comes on the radio , you immediately switch stations .",
        "it ca n't manage to sort through its various issues in any dramatically compelling way , instead falling into a slack , soap-opera rhythm in which potentially catastrophic developments seem to have no lasting emotional effects .",
        "i like miley cyrus . i like her in spite of the fact that she 's been packaged within an inch of her life .",
        "sand dunes at sunset , summer lovin ' -lrb- had me a blast ! -rrb- , a third-act medical crisis and a clutch of letters designed to be read aloud in voice-over : another month , another adaptation of a nicholas sparks romance .",
        "the cyrus machinery repels any believable human connection onscreen , though she 's not helped much by sparks and van wie 's script .",
        "fortunately , the MOV mercifully avoids some of the clich\u00e9s of its genre and will likely provide an unforgettably touching and wonderful film experience for the target teen girl audience that is bound to line up for it in droves .",
        "all the obvious elements combine to manipulate the audience into a weepy time at the movies -- again .",
        "maybe douglas sirk could have made something profound out of the pseudo-ennobling horsepucky .",
        "if you laid all the cliches in ` the MOV ' end to end , they 'd probably circle the globe several times over .",
        "hopefully with this , his second critical flop within two months , sparks will think thrice before hurting us again . this MOV ? a requiem .",
        "you can tell miley cyrus is trying to show her character is filled with dramatic , painful agony because she scrunches up her face like a cabbage patch doll -lrb- or renee zellweger -rrb- .",
        "parental content review",
        "cyrus has a likable , unforced screen presence but does not have the training or focus to show us any change more significant than the disappearance of the nose stud .",
        "miley cyrus must be stopped . her emotional range includes happy and mad and nothing in between .",
        "playing out like a comprehensive checklist of every convention ever touched upon in a romantic melodrama , the picture fails at activating the tear ducts but sure gets the ocular muscles working as the viewer 's eyes roll from one side to the other .",
        "in addition to a knack for corny plot lines and montages of young people making out along the southeastern coastline , sparks has a sixth sense for making audiences cry .",
        "like a band 's greatest hits album , the MOV touches upon just about every character and plot point nicholas sparks in his limited imagination has ever used in his storytelling .",
        "robinson is a sympathetic director of actors , allowing almost everyone their dignity . for the most part , she keeps this emotionally charged story in the schmaltz-free zone .",
        "perhaps feel-good tragedy does n't quite capture it ; feel-good sadism might be more like it .",
        "the predictable plot mechanics are n't what make it insufferable . the big problem is miley cyrus .",
        "cyrus is ghastly in the MOV , bad not just in one or two ways , but in all kinds of ways . it was a disservice to the audience , to the material and to cyrus herself that she was put in this position .",
        "cyrus , alas , has n't yet learned not to act with her eyebrows and overbite . but she does show off her considerable chops as a pianist and remains reasonably likable throughout .",
        "cyrus is game and appealing , but she 's not nearly enough of a natural actress to pull off the emotional whip-cracks the story puts ronnie through .",
        "it 's hard to believe this bland starlet is the same spunky kid who bounced through the hannah montana movie just last year , but it 's only fair to cut cyrus some slack .",
        "it 's the worst of both worlds as disney cash cow miley cyrus makes the most dubious `` dramatic '' debut of any singer since britney spears .",
        "a dramatic showcase for a more grown-up miley cyrus , but not much more .",
        "the director , julie anne robinson , makes sure that any scene that might culminate in thought or reflection instead becomes a montage set to music .",
        "it 's not surprising that in the hands of a first-time director and first-time screenwriter , nobody in this movie behaves like a recognizable human being , but it is surprising that cyrus comes across as such an unlikable sourpuss .",
        "sparks also chips in as screenwriter , so he has no excuse for the messy result , and it does n't help that director julie anne robinson works the material like a pugilist throwing emotional kidney punches .",
        "huffing through the early scenes of the MOV with black leather boots and a frozen pout , miley cyrus plays author nicholas sparks ' idea of a rebel , which is to say ned flanders ' idea of a rebel .",
        "the one person here who does n't embarrass himself is kinnear . but it 's hard to see what he saw in this project , aside from a fairly easy paycheck .",
        "cyrus ' acting ability makes veronica 's emotional make-over work .",
        "the role requires cyrus to spend the first half of the movie glaring , the second half crying . if acting were weeping , she 'd be well on her way to a robust screen career .",
        "for those wondering if the continuing popularity of such exercises might make this one worth the ticket price , the same effect might be achieved by writing names and obstacles -lrb- make some tragic -rrb- on index cards and tossing them in the air .",
        "it might as well wear a ` kick-me ' sign for critics , grouches and internet trolls ... no matter : its intended youngish , girlish audience should like it just fine , satisfied sniffles and all .",
        "the original nicholas sparks romance factory accomplishes its goals . the new miley cyrus acting company falls a bit shorter .",
        "television director julie anne robinson 's big-screen debut makes one thing clear : as likable a performer as she is , cyrus simply ca n't act . even sparks ' formulaic material proves too challenging for her .",
        "while the movie will probably rake in big bucks from her built-in fan base -lrb- and their moms -rrb- , the decision to showcase her dramatic chops may not have been in cyrus ' best long-term interest .",
        "the film is engineered to entice tween female moviegoers and repel everyone else .",
        "sparks has said he wrote this whole shebang for cyrus , so it 's maybe unfair to ask more from a film that 's clearly a vehicle . no need to make a star push the boundaries when you can set up another shot of her pouting into the sun , wind whipping her hair .",
        "the girls who 've grown up adoring miley cyrus as tv 's teenage hannah montana will undoubtedly flock to see their heroine in her first `` adult '' dramatic film .",
        "years on the hannah montana tv series have not adequately prepared miley cyrus for screen acting , even in a vehicle as unchallenging as this adaptation of a nicholas sparks novel .",
        "it seems we 're stuck in the middle with miley . she 's not ready to be a dramatic lead , and her core audience will be bored with this typical sparks story .",
        "this is miley 's vehicle , but the strongest scenes are between kinnear and coleman .",
        "so bad it makes the notebook look like casablanca .",
        "-lsb- cyrus is -rsb- believable as ronnie partly because she , too , is 17 and at a crossroads in her life .",
        "yes , it 's hannah montana as a cynical brooder , and no , the movie does not pull it off .",
        "anything more labored than stolen kisses , paternal resentment , and gorgeous beachside cinematography grinds the whole endeavor to a disappointing halt .",
        "cyrus manages to make you forget the broad slapstick she plays as disney 's poster girl and instead conveys genuine adolescence surliness .",
        "sweet miley cyrus drama depicts first love , family troubles .",
        "it 's like dante and beatrice all over again , with the georgia coast standing in for paradise .",
        "miley cyrus is/too tall to be hannah now , / so she makes sparks fizzle .",
        "the tears are jerked gracelessly and methodically . but this is what you want in a nicholas sparks movie starring miley cyrus , right ?",
        "sadly , without a single note of originality , MOV is an awfully long and tiresome tune .",
        "the movie moves ms. cyrus from where she was to more or less where she and her handlers wanted to be , and mr. kinnear 's musician father , steve , adds a generous measure of grace .",
        "cyrus , with her gruff voice and slightly awkward overbite , dressed like a typical rock chick outsider , plays one ballsy young woman . the film convinced me less .",
        "this is miley 's first dramatic role , and it proves that she should stick with her popular tv character .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "as shamelessly manipulative as any nicholas sparks production , the MOV is done no favors by its miscast and overmatched star , miley cyrus .",
    "id": "770808365"
  },
  {
    "movie": "das_boot",
    "reviews":
     [
        "just as good , some say better , than the original classic .",
        "petersen 's shooting style displays a breathtaking , if impersonal and faintly academic , virtuosity comparable to that of lean or coppola .",
        "still makes compulsive viewing .",
        "everything described in the film is authentic .",
        "gripping and authentic .",
        "the film has no qualities beyond its formal polish .",
        "the execution is second to none ; taut , claustrophobic and overwhelming .",
        "few war films are more potent than MOV ... the ultimate submarine movie . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "it is unlike any other war film in that it confines the audience in a confined submarine where we digest the fear and panic of the human beings on screen . in short , `` MOV '' is a religious experience .",
        "agripping , impressively detailed account of one harrowing voyage by a german u-boat during world war ii .",
        "one of the best war films ever .",
        "MOV is yet another moving testament to the wastefulness of battle .",
        "the submarine movie . no other sub-flick even comes close .",
        "consistently riveting and intensely claustrophobic , the oscar-nominated MOV is one of the most thrilling submarine pictures ever made in any language , and still is wolfgang petersen 's best film by far .",
        "MOV -lrb- the boat -rrb- is a claustrophobic , tense , and dramatically gripping film about life aboard a german u-boat in world war 11 .",
        "the closest thing to being in real submarine combat that the movies will ever present .",
        "the greatest submarine movie ever made .",
        "captures , perfectly , the claustrophobia of u-boat life .",
        "every sub movie owes a debt to MOV for mastering the genre and setting the bar for its contemporaries .",
        "widely imitated , never topped .",
        "petersen says his vision for the film was , ` to show the gritty and terrible reality of war and to combine it with a highly entertaining story and fast-paced action style that would pull audiences into the experience of these young men . ' he succeeds .",
        "set in a german u - boat during world war ii , this claustrophobic suspense drama has n't a weak bolt anywhere .",
        "suspenseful when it needs to be and intelligent in its depiction of the horrors of war and the sweaty claustrophobia of submarine life . on occasion , it 's even -- pardon the pun -- deep .",
        "this film takes all of the drama and suspense inherent in a submarine-based story and delivers it in a near - perfect package , establishing MOV as not just a terrific adrenaline rush , but one of the best movies ever made .",
        "brilliant , moving filmmaking like this deserves a place on your shelf .",
        "one of the greatest war movies seen in the last twenty years .",
        "the film humanizes the germans and shows the cramped conditions that they had to fight under .",
        "you 're drawn in powerfully as the crew members experience a psychologically maddening cycle of lull and storm .",
        "wolfgang petersen 's direction is an exercise in pure craftsmanship .",
        "by far -lsb- petersen 's -rsb- best film .",
        "the film reaches right out to grab us by the neck and squeeze hard .",
        "masterful .",
        "finds itself current again as a metaphor for a great industrial country led blindly into a prolonged war to no good , understandable end but for the dealing of death in an alien place .",
        "unmitigated brilliance . every frame , every word , every ` ping ' is something that will burrow deep into your psyche ."],
    "summary": "taut , breathtakingly thrilling , and devastatingly intelligent , MOV is one of the greatest war films ever made .",
    "id": "17965"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1017699-robin_hood",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a dull and disjointed retelling that spends more time on the buffoonish antics of prince john and sir hiss than on the outlaw archer .",
        "of all the disney movies from the '70s , ` MOV ' had perhaps the most potential , but suffers from a mild case of ` averageitis . '",
        "one of the worst animated films ever produced by disney ...",
        "... owes much of its charm to its precise anthropomorphization .",
        "-lsb- an -rsb- enjoyable animated feature from disney studios .",
        "even at its best , MOV is only mildly diverting .",
        "blatantly caters to a juvenile audience , without making even the slightest attempt to entertain the grown-ups unless it happens that they like saturday morning cartoon-level hijinks .",
        "foxes with bows and arrows . what could be better than that ?",
        "what sinks this one is the utter lack of the childhood insight and sympathy that really give the disney films their staying power .",
        "compared with modern disney films , which are dominated by the self-absorption and eventual self-discovery of their main characters , MOV offers surprisingly stark and interesting social questions .",
        "the nadir in the history of disney animation . simply a disgrace .",
        "disney 's animated musical version of the oft-filmed legend casts animals in the traditional roles and the film consequently flounders in its own cuteness .",
        "it 's good for that time period from which the disney studios were struggling to make good animated pictures .",
        "like many of these old classics , it 's fun to revisit with my own kids",
        "MOV is one of the most lackadaisical disney features of all .",
        "MOV might be something of a mess around the fringes , but there 's a kindness , joviality , and lovely sense of community ingrained in the picture that makes it irresistible .",
        "it 's bright and colorful , to be sure , with an emphasis on cuteness throughout , so tots will probably like it .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "no one makes cultural appropriation as much fun as walt disney .",
        "the visual style is charmingly conventional , as gently reassuring as that of a donald duck cartoon , sometimes as romantically pretty as an old silly symphony .",
        "as post-sleeping beauty disney animated features go , MOV is a fine entry , better than sword in the stone or fox and the hound but not as good as jungle book or the many adventures of winnie the pooh .",
        "not one of disney 's better animated efforts ; it lacks the majesty of earlier works .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "one of the weaker disney adaptations , MOV is cute and colorful but lacks the majesty and excitement of the studio 's earlier efforts .",
    "id": "9392"
  },
  {
    "movie": "pandorum",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV is n't all that bad , it just is n't good either . fans of films like event horizon , alien 3 , and resident evil are sure to get their money worth , but i feel anyone outside of the `` club '' is sure to be disappointed . watch with caution .",
        "as always , foster sells the hell out of his role but non-sci-fi fans may well themselves be driven mad long before the end .",
        "for fans of the genre i ca n't see MOV disappointing .",
        "in space , no one can hear you snore .",
        "it could n't keep my attention for even a nano second .",
        "the script 's twisty , end-of-the-world intrigue saves this otherwise leaden film from total self-destruction .",
        "MOV squanders its excellent premise and the result is a disappointing , barely coherent mess .",
        "cabin fever in space is a durable idea for horror , but the main feeling this one from the resident evil gang is likely to inspire is cosmic d\u00e9j\u0155 vu .",
        "paul ws anderson rains down another cinematic crapstorm with MOV , a confused , unfocused -lrb- sometimes literally -rrb- attempt to make an ideas-driven but mainstream sci-fi flick .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- makes no sense . it does n't really try to by the end but nevertheless , it should be said up front so that nobody has any illusions about the film since its creators certainly did n't .",
        "an appalling script is only one problem with this loud , chaotic sci-fi thriller . it 's also directed in such a deliberately confusing way that it 's not only impossible to follow the action , but it 's impossible to care about the characters .",
        "oddly for something that 's far from original or brilliant , it does make for an absorbing watch .",
        "some scary moments , but its final half-hour is a right old mess , and the title is doomed never to be remembered .",
        "MOV does n't make a whole lot of sense and is shot and edited in a way that only adds to the confusion . in space nobody can hear you scratching your head .",
        "clenches its teeth grimly as it blunders through its overstuffed plot .",
        "too much of the film devolves into hectic action sequences that makes you feel like someone suddenly dropped you into a blender and turned out all the lights",
        "an intensely effective sci-fi chiller , mainly thanks to its canny set and sound design , and its constant , relentless sense of dread and tension .",
        "provides some very intense , memorable chills .",
        "flirts with greatness with an impressive first half filled with thrills and solid pacing but it stumbles in its more action-oriented second half .",
        "MOV is a hodge-podge of familiar sci-fi stuff , which feels as if it were adapted from a computer game .",
        "alvart achieves a strong sense of scale , but characters and ideas are lost amid a mess of fight scenes that , oddly , look like outtakes from ` the descent ' .",
        "MOV 's insistence on action sequence after action sequence , reveal after reveal , tension upon tension deadens the effect any of it might have had in a more gracefully developed narrative .",
        "MOV is less a story than a prolonged bout of paranoid hysterics , exuberantly played out on metal gangplanks and inside stygian tunnels . as such , it works just fine .",
        "murky both literally and figuratively .",
        "probably the film 's only real saving grace is ben foster , who tries hard in the lead , but does n't have a heck of a lot to work with .",
        "lazily derivative .",
        "when nothing else is of interest one can always stare at german actress antje traue 's cleavage ...",
        "the sort of thing that makes you wish you were playing a video game instead .",
        "quaid and foster spend far too much time trying to figure out what 's going on , but audiences are liable to respond only with a dispirited `` who cares ? ''",
        "it 's alien meets the descent in the new film MOV . it 's a case of been there , done that . but does MOV manage to do it better ?",
        "what 's a `` MOV '' ? honestly , they must 've explained that bit while i was at concession getting a pretzel . does n't really matter though .",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "an unusually unpleasant and unwatchable sci-fi endeavor ...",
        "i liked this movie even more on the second viewing . the monsters were trivial , but the plot was intriguing . granted you would have to be a hard-core sci-fi fan to like this . paul chambers , cnn .",
        "veering between alarmist adventure on other planets and assault on viewer senses here at home , the claustrophobic cinematic terrorism seems to come awfully close to wielding a movie as a deadly weapon up on the screen .",
        "a sci-fi scenario far less interested in exploring outer space than human interiors where the only ` aliens ' are our own monstrous selves , just waiting to leap out of the atavistic shadows .",
        "it 's basically a zombie movie set-up on an industrial spaceship , a fast-moving b-movie that throws out lots of theories that do n't stand up to the light of reason ...",
        "a gorgeous production design ca n't save the picture from trying too hard to dazzle with very little inspiration , and while MOV is easy to stare at , it can be a seriously punishing sit .",
        "a little bit ` eden log , ' a little bit ` descent , ' and a whole lot of ` alien , ' ` MOV ' ultimately succeeds as a watchable sci-fi/horror/mystery .",
        "-lsb- MOV -rsb- might seem like a potentially cool movie , but unfortunately the key word is `` potentially '' .",
        "it takes a brilliant concept and stellar performances and buries them in banality and mediocre scares .",
        "unfortunately the explanation is full of holes , and anyway less than interesting .",
        "a grizzled quaid and an intense foster do their best to keep straight faces , but this is not an effort likely to figure prominently on their resumes .",
        "`` MOV '' -- in which astronauts wake up , disoriented , in a craft that is terrorized by violent creatures -- is not original , but i figure any movie as icky as `` MOV '' is doing something right .",
        "if sci-fi is your thing , you could do worse .",
        "action mayhem full of gibbering hominoids , hanging corpses and a few live stars .",
        "do yourself a favour and keep the lid of MOV 's box firmly closed .",
        "by the time one of the creatures tosses a character a pipe and they proceed to martial arts fight , it 's safe to presume that a shark has been jumped and there is no turning things around .",
        "there are some well-executed sequences , but the story makes nothing but a mess of its borrowed ideas .",
        "riffing on alien , sunshine and resident evil , the german director alvart finds an effective balance between action-excitement and psychological chills .",
        "MOV is neither schlocky enough to be an enjoyable genre flick , nor smart enough to provoke any original thoughts .",
        "MOV is dumb , noisy fun . its flaws are inoffensive inasmuch as alvart does n't give off anderson 's noxious vibe of insincerity .",
        "after two hours in the dark with this loud but hollow hybrid , you 'll know `` space madness '' . in a good year for smart sci-fi , MOV lumbers and groans .",
        "it 's a competent if unoriginal adventure but you do wish alvart had had the courage of his convictions to go with the MOV idea rather bowing to the pressure of convention and basically resetting the descent in space .",
        "derivative but mostly just dull , what we have here is an entertainment blackhole able to suck all joy out of a trip to the cinema .",
        "it might make a passable video game . despite expensive production design , as a movie it is pretty much unwatchable .",
        "what does MOV mean ? i think it is latin for stinky movie .",
        "it 's a tight , minimalist alien-esque `` something is loose and hunting people on our space ship '' picture that is as claustrophobic as you 'd expect , if not quite as paranoid as you might hope .",
        "the long middle portion does get tedious , obvious and downright laughable , but sci-fi fans probably wo n't regret the experience .",
        "parental content review",
        "cobbled together from chunks of battlestar galactica , the descent , serenity , cube , resident evil , event horizon and alien ... MOV is an efficient scare machine if you ignore the plot contrivances .",
        "the further bower journeys into the spacecraft 's bowels , with payton providing navigation tips from back in their original sleep chamber , the less MOV unnerves .",
        "director christian alvart and screenwriter travis malloy must have seen aliens in the cradle , for they 've digested it with love and delivered smart thrills that will please more than genre fans .",
        "alvart 's cynicism about the current state of mankind helps make futuristic MOV interesting , but what makes it fun is his evident enthusiasm and talent for exploring the conventions of sci-fi films .",
        "remember the scene in star trek where dr. mccoy talks about all the horrible ways you can die in space ? MOV is basically a visual aid for that speech .",
        "over-acting is endemic . quaid ca n't do much with his very limited role , and foster seems miscast .",
        "MOV is n't all that bad . it 's a perfectly middle-of-the-road genre flick not quite worthwhile enough to wholeheartedly recommend . and the creatures know kung-fu .",
        "so bad it ought to be based on a video game .",
        "the finest interstellar horror in years .",
        "it 's moderately amusing if you 're in the mood , but it 's incredibly lacking in invention .",
        "not without its scuzzy charms and eye-catching creature attacks , `` MOV '' generates all the stylish muster it can . still , it feels like a christopher lambert film that would have gone straight to vhs about 15 years ago .",
        "the earsplitting soundtrack , nauseating camera work , and stroboscopic editing are a high price to pay for little reward .",
        "follows scott 's alien blueprint to a t but turns things up to 11",
        "throughout , some obvious questions pop up immediately .",
        "christian alvart lays on the symbolism in this oppressive , captivating galactic thriller",
        "according to the press notes , MOV means `` orbital dysfunctional syndrome '' ; whatever that is , by the end of the movie i was convinced i had caught it .",
        "take ben foster , have him walk slowly down a dark corridor and see something or someone in the distance , then either have him fall flat on his face , or get a butt-whippin ' . repeat approximately twenty times",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "while it might prove somewhat satisfying for devout sci-fi fans , MOV 's bloated , derivative plot ultimately leaves it drifting in space .",
    "id": "770799661"
  },
  {
    "movie": "10006849-once_in_a_lifetime",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this is not an exercise in fabricated nostalgia , but a raucous chronicle of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory .",
        "a spot-on goal .",
        "through interviews with former players , coaches , and company officials , as well as archival footage , the film traces the club 's amazing rise and ultimate disintegration .",
        "another soccer film ? buy , hey , it 's about a new york soccer team , glorifying the late steve ross , the number one corporate viper ! for those who believe the world ends at the hudson river only .",
        "lively , free-wheeling amusement .",
        "a slick , gossipy documentary that pulses to the strains of james brown , parliament and the love unlimited orchestra as it glosses over facts to make its questionable case for the cosmos .",
        "how that dream was realized and what factors brought it and its league to a horrific crash scarcely a decade later is the intriguing drama that directors paul crowder and john dower are able to reconstruct .",
        "an energetic and often enjoyable documentary , particularly for soccer fans .",
        "MOV does a wonderful job of showing that this collection of foreigners playing a foreign sport forged one of the great american sports stories .",
        "the movie is only so-so , borrowing a little from the vh-1 school of popumentary but lacking the snazzy production values .",
        "... accomplishes the minor miracle of making you mourn a sports team you likely never knew existed in the first place .",
        "... treats its audience like a bunch of attention deficit disorder cases .",
        "well-researched and exuberantly compiled , this is a thoroughly entertaining tribute to america 's first tackle at surgically implanting the beautiful game .",
        "MOV is like a soccer team that plays good defense but lacks offense .",
        "mostly i 'm stricken with nostalgia for '70s fashion and marv albert 's hairdo",
        "not being a soccer fan , the cosmos phenomenon had no impact on me at the time nor does this energetic film change that opinion .",
        "with just a little tweaking ... could be reworked in a christopher guest-style mockumentary of swollen egos and corporate whimsy .",
        "an energetically told tale , with eccentric characters to spare and a nostalgically bittersweet tone .",
        "... the film is bursting with astonishing old footage , hip tunes , vivid interviews and you-couldn ` t - make-it-up anecdotes .",
        "packed with observations and recrimations , many of the latter aimed at or by chinaglia , which makes for some gossipy entertainment .",
        "a colorful time capsule of 1970s new york ... the doc 's jauntiness is enhanced by its many charismatic characters and a funky , wall-to-wall soundtrack ...",
        "crowder and dower 's film is a refreshing reminder that ... without the cosmos ' brief and shining moment in the sun , suburban soccer leagues would be as rare as collegiate boccie tournaments .",
        "about a brief gathering of high-paid superstars slumming it in america at the ego-driven whimsy of one of the world 's most powerful moguls -lrb- who himself had nothing to lose , since the whole venture was on warner 's tab -rrb- .",
        "an entertaining documentary that wo n't change the world , but should leave you spellbound for 90 minutes .",
        "a fun and rowdy take on the new york cosmos , who almost succeeded in bringing soccer into the american mainstream during the late 1970s .",
        "a good yarn well spun , a story so fascinating that you 'll be hooked until the very end .",
        "the film is an uncanny reflection of soccer itself : intermittently engaging but generally a dramatically inert bore .",
        "full of drama and fascinating anecdotes .",
        "an engrossing account of american soccer 's strangest episode -- and you do n't even have to like footie to enjoy it .",
        "such a heady combination of greed , girls and goals , all set to a pulsating funk background , should provide even a hardened football refusenik with 90 minutes -lrb- plus stoppage time -rrb- of entertainment .",
        "a lively 1970s tone that neatly captures soccer 's brief north american heyday .",
        "MOV would have benefited greatly from historical and outside perspective , but the story on screen is such a kick that even monotone narrator matt dillon gets caught up in the excitement .",
        "new york went bust , so did the team , yet scattered seeds for smarter soccer growth later .",
        "a cavalcade of theatrical personalities , juicy war stories , unforgiven grievances and old-school cinema dazzle .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "it has some funny scenes and wild characters who reflect back on the glory years , where the clashes of ego were as legendary as pel\u00e9 's amazing bicycle-kick goals .",
        "MOV is a marvelous primer on this remarkable event in soccer history , most likely never to be seen again .",
        "MOV , which relies on interviews and archival footage , may not be a great documentary , but it certainly gets its points across .",
        "MOV is riveting cinema for at least an hour , after which it starts to feel a bit like thumbing through a scrapbook . but american soccer fans -- and those interested in the business of sports -- will eat it up .",
        "it 's a rags-to-riches story that shows how american money and imagination revolutionized not just a team , but the entire sport of soccer , back then and still to this day .",
        "needless to say , until the unhappy ending , we 've got an entertaining and edifying romp .",
        "whether or not the `` dream '' of a thriving u.s. soccer league might ever be realized , this moment retains a thrilling illogic and undeniable energy .",
        "aptly portrays the country 's brief love affair with soccer and acknowledges that it will continue to thrive , whether we 're paying attention or not .",
        "you do n't need to be a soccer fan to , like cosmos fans , fall for this captivating tale , told in rashomon-like style .",
        "essentially an extended cable special .",
        "anyone who wants to relive this flamboyant but fleeting chapter in america 's uneven soccer history should not miss this .",
        "far more entertaining than it has a right to be .",
        "the movie is ultimately too long and too this-no-name-player - was-traded-for-that - no-name-player detailed for casual viewers .",
        "crowder and dower wonderfully coax the participants to tell us everything and present it in a very entertaining , engaging and informative way that will have fans and non-fans laughing all the way",
        "... a stylish scramble of evocative footage , groovy music , and crazy-candid reminiscences from key players still proud to score .",
        "the perfect mix of style and substance , visuals , music and words ... one of the best sports documentaries ever made .",
        "if nothing else , the energetic documentary MOV proves that an audience once existed for soccer in this country , and could be cultivated again .",
        "this intermittently fascinating documentary chronicles the rise and fall of the cosmos -- which is also the rise and fall of u.s. soccer .",
        "told in a breezy , fast-cut style , and backed by a boisterous soundtrack that ranges from puccini to james brown , lifetime focuses on the players -- on the field and off -- that made the cosmos such a super , if short-lived , team .",
        "giddy , gossipy and endearingly unslick , MOV chronicles the rise and fall of the most famous soccer team in the united states with slapdash glee .",
        "MOV performs a belated autopsy on the cosmos and the north american soccer league and basically concludes that they died of impatience .",
        "an enlightening look back at how `` the world 's sport '' briefly took off in the us .",
        "the documentary offers enough color and depth to hold your interest and leave you keen to see the world cup finals .",
        "no hollywood scriptwriter would dare make up a tale as outrageously unlikely -- but , as it happens , true -- as the one so entertainingly told in the documentary MOV : the extraordinary story of the new york cosmos ."],
    "summary": "you do n't have to be a soccer fan to enjoy this stylish , breezy slice of 1970s sports history .",
    "id": "190815458"
  },
  {
    "movie": "star_trek_v_the_final_frontier",
    "reviews":
     [
        "of all of the star trek movies , this is the worst .",
        "a snoozola of astronomic proportions .",
        "as 1979 's the motion picture courted derision for its cerebral 2001 approach , the final frontier damages it 's own cause with a high-brow ` man 's search for god ' story .",
        "there is no doubt about it - star trek v is a bad movie .",
        "probably the worst film in the series .",
        "bloated , bombastic and maddeningly pretentious .",
        "the worst movie of the franchise . even god could n't save it . an embarrassment to the series .",
        "captain kirk and his crew go where too many film makers have too often gone before .",
        "it 's amazing an entire studio would bend over to make william shatner 's ego trip .",
        "only the most fanatical trekkies would find this dismal entry palatable .",
        "suffice it to say , if you 're a star trek fan , you wo n't be disappointed in this latest entry . if you 're not , consider yourself warned .",
        "the whole point of the movie has something to do with the search for god and eden , but the theme is presented in the most mundane fashion imaginable .",
        "i liked what it seemed to me the film had said .",
        "disappointing production , but always good to visit the old crew .",
        "is n't horrible , but i 'd only recommend to a diehard .",
        "the only thing worse than letting william shatner act in a movie is letting william shatner direct one .",
        "it will likely maintain its long-cemented reputation as the worst film in the series .",
        "proceed with caution .",
        "... delivers all the pleasure of a plucked pubic hair .",
        "the plot , about a quest for the ultimate answer , resembles something douglas adams would have thrown in the bin .",
        "shatner can be funny , but he stinks as a director .",
        "absolutely terrible ... a vanity project for william shatner",
        "a science fiction thriller with the moral message that we should look for god within the human heart and appreciate the moral dimensions of friendship",
        "easily the weakest of the original cast star trek films .",
        "final frontier is a warmly crafted picture only lacking a sophisticated technical and dramatic finesse the earlier features held in abundance . the film is never aggressively odious , just undernourished .",
        "the absolute nadir of the series , a movie so bad in so many ways that the second-worst has to squint and use binoculars to see that far down .",
        "worst in series ; some tricky religious content .",
        "william shatner 's inauspicious feature directing debut is a double letdown .",
        "although the film 's ontological approach may be intriguing , this rather dull entry fails to generate the kind of thoughtful , exciting adventure that made the gene roddenberry tv series so compelling .",
        "did it really take william shatner in the director 's chair to finally give us a decent star trek movie ?",
        "weeeeeak",
        "the worst star trek movie .",
        "-lsb- the -rsb- special effects , despite the hefty budget , look strictly bargain basement .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "filled with dull action sequences and an underdeveloped storyline , this fifth trek movie is probably the worst of the series .",
    "id": "12182"
  },
  {
    "movie": "good_will_hunting",
    "reviews":
     [
        "MOV represents the firmest step into the mainstream yet for director gus van sant .",
        "van sant makes MOV a lot livelier than it might have been .",
        "... a very good film which is well worth your hard-earned time and money .",
        "... a pretty remarkable film ...",
        "the joy of watching the characters come out of their protective shells is worth the bumps along the way .",
        "touching , without being sentimental , and feelgood without appearing contrived , this is one shrink-wrapped drama that 's worth unpacking .",
        "MOV is stuffed -- indeed , overstuffed -- with heart , soul , audacity , and blarney . you may not believe a minute of it , but you do n't necessarily want to stop watching .",
        "MOV is a most accomplished writing debut for two young actors with a solid future as hollywood hyphenates .",
        "between this film and john grisham 's the rainmaker , damon surfaces as one swell addition to the front line of screen actors .",
        "part character study , part redemptive drama , and all cheesy heart , it 's boston-baked melodrama , a little too gooey at times , but still pretty delicious .",
        "as francis ford coppola does with the rainmaker , van sant demonstrates how entertainingly a real pro can direct a strong if not especially groundbreaking story .",
        "even rarer than a breath of fresh air is a breath of fresh hollywood film . brainy and heartfelt and right on target , MOV is such a film .",
        "... a worthwhile sample of entertainment .",
        "almost any viewer will enjoy MOV moment by moment , but many will wake the next morning wondering why , with all that talent on hand , it amounts to so little in the end .",
        "reaffirms the arrival of the star , matt damon -lrb- who also co-wrote the script -rrb- , as the hottest young star in hollywood .",
        "while the charismatic performances of damon and affleck make `` MOV '' a difficult entertainment to resist , doing just that is not as hard as the film would like to think .",
        "this is the sort of honest and moving story that hollywood does n't put out much anymore .",
        "this performance by matt damon is brilliant , and even when will is as unlikeable as he could possibly be , we stick with him , because we care .",
        "there 's nothing original in this picture , yet it 's intensely likable just the same .",
        "mature teens will appreciate this story , written by its appealing two stars , of a brilliant young man with a troubled past .",
        "this is a film with a serious credibility problem and one which stagnates in the middle act .",
        "it is the touchy-feely enterprise its plot synopsis suggests , but to simply dismiss it as that would be to discount the true emotional chords affleck and damon 's intelligent script touches .",
        "the outcome of the movie is fairly predictable ; so is the whole story , really . it 's the individual moments , not the payoff , that make it so effective .",
        "a good movie allows its characters to learn and grow . it does n't just happen ; it takes a good script , good acting , and good direction . MOV has all three .",
        "an impressive scripting debut for actors matt damon and ben affleck ...",
        "it 's acted and directed with care , and damon is outstanding , his scenes with driver being especially sparky .",
        "the film succeeds not because of an overall arc , but as a chain of smaller moments that glimmer in their minuscule perfection .",
        "the film works as a character-driven narrative because mr. van sant and his co-screenwriters are not afraid to unlock the psychological mysteries of their five major characters with clear and concise dialogue .",
        "can get overly sentimental at times , but gus van sant 's sensitive direction ... and his excellent use of the city make it a hugely entertaining and effective film .",
        "towering performance by matt damon as a troubled working class who needs to address his creative genius elevates this drama way above its therapeutic approach , resulting in a zeitgeist film that may touch chord with young viewers the way the graduate did",
        "despite its coarse exterior , MOV proves to be a rather positive and motivational experience .",
        "a crowd-pleaser , with bags of charm to spare .",
        "most movies about troubled individuals are insulting in the way in which they suddenly wrap things up with insipid developments that cause tumultuous , positive transformations in the protagonist ; this film avoids that pitfall .",
        "the damon-affleck script is jammed with good ideas , strong dialogue and vigorous characters ...",
        "for the first time in his career , van sant is invisible as a filmmaker , simply getting out of the way of the story and his performers . the film is richer for it .",
        "affleck is on my long list for academy notice this year .",
        "MOV may well be the rocky story of the 90s .",
        "despite its schematic layout and predictable outcome , the ensemble acting is of such a high level -- particularly that of robin williams , matt damon and stellan skarsgard -- that the impact on his audience is spellbinding .",
        "MOV is a very nice movie .",
        "this has not been a great year for language in movies , but people are going to be memorizing and reciting some of these lines for years to come .",
        "both believably brilliant and convincingly rough around the edges , damon avoids the too-common actor 's trap of white-washing his character 's dark side .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- very good film .",
        "damon , in a performance sure to establish him solidly as a major star , shows every sensitivity from the angry young man , to the hurt , vulnerable product of his past .",
        "all told , the film has plenty of enjoyable moments , but it 's just not the deep experience the filmmakers want you to believe it is .",
        "... an engrossing , emotional roller coaster with peaks and valleys of perceptive wit , unsettling anger , coarse humor , and touching affection .",
        "at the core of MOV is vivid , succulent dialogue that is emotionally naked , yet remarkably pedestrian at the same time .",
        "damon and affleck show a wisdom beyond their years with some of the dialogue , which is alternately poignant and humorous .",
        "MOV narrowly avoids many sentimental pitfalls thanks to what does n't happen ...",
        "executed with such maximum grace , style and heartfelt emotional realism that it 's almost enough to make the concept of an ` uplifting ' movie not seem like such a big fat cheat any more .",
        "\u00e9 realmente impressionante que dois jovens como matt damon e ben affleck tenham sido capazes de escrever um roteiro t\u0103o complexo quanto o de ` g\u0119nio indom\u00e1vel ' .",
        "three soul friends help a troubled young man to find his place in the world .",
        "cynics may dismiss the film as an overly effusive festival of male-bonding , but for the rest of us , this is just the catharsis we need .",
        "... accomplishes the rarely obtained goal of creating a wide variety of intricate characters , all worth caring about .",
        "intimate , heartfelt and wickedly funny , it 's a movie whose impact lingers .",
        "although celebrating the redemptive power of love , loyalty , sacrifice , and genius , it roots its feel-good message in performances , dialogue , and a locale as pungently authentic as the smell of corned beef and cabbage .",
        "MOV is a confident film with great performances and an authentic look , sound and feel .",
        "will 's relationships with his best friend , chuckie -lrb- affleck -rrb- , and new girlfriend , skylar -lrb- minnie driver -rrb- , resonate with a depth that unfortunately few other movies approach .",
        "... beneath their arrogance and crass behavior , you 'll find a lot of hurt and many defense mechanisms raised against a compassionless , manipulative society .",
        "uno sale del cine y se da cuenta de por qu\u00e9 la pel\u00edcula recibi\u00f3 tanta atenci\u00f3n .",
        "a charming , entertaining and uplifting movie with the title that perfectly fits its quality .",
        "not a work of art or great power , but it has some moving moments .",
        "though the movie tells a straightforward story , there are enough offbeat touches along the way to balance out its more predictable aspects .",
        "reality of story combines with reality of performance to give us some of the most heartfelt emotions currently on the big screen .",
        "MOV is another auspicious sign that the best of young hollywood is not only bringing back respect for the craft of acting , but for the cogent telling of tales as well .",
        "damon ai n't crazy talented like vincent gallo , but he 's still more than a pretty face ."],
    "summary": "it follows a predictable narrative arc , but MOV adds enough quirks to the journey -- and is loaded with enough powerful performances -- that it remains an entertaining , emotionally rich drama .",
    "id": "12887"
  },
  {
    "movie": "usual_suspects",
    "reviews":
     [
        "nothing is what it seems in this layered , velvety movie -lrb- which was shot in handsome wide-screen format -rrb- -- the truth keeps shifting -- and nothing matters either .",
        "there are plenty of twists in the plot to keep you on your toes throughout the film .",
        "once again , my comprehension began to slip , and finally i wrote down : ` to the degree that i do understand , i do n't care . '",
        "as entertainment , the film is a lukewarm experience . but as a piece of construction , the MOV is a slick bit of business .",
        "... an entertaining crime drama ; an intricately conceived puzzle play ; a fragment of gangster mythology ; a parody of cops-and-robbers films ; an outright black comedy ;",
        "one of the most ingenious , unpredictable films in recent memory ... and one of the biggest cheats .",
        "singer creates a classy , thought-provoking mystery that is pleasingly old-fashioned and absolutely modern in the sly , slightly self-conscious play it makes with myth and methods of storytelling .",
        "if ever a movie got extra points for a strong , unexpected conclusion it 's the MOV .",
        "not to be believed for a nyc second .",
        "no one is out of place or out of line here , and that is what makes the final payoff so sweet .",
        "a terrific cast of exciting actors socks over this absorbingly complicated yarn that 's been spun in seductively slick fashion by director bryan singer .",
        "stylishly made but narratively hollow and dramatically derivative , bryan singer 's neo-noir puzzle owes its existence to tarantino .",
        "the MOV is an accomplished synthesis of noir elements and , as such , is an entertaining entry to the genre .",
        "mcquarrie 's script is a scurrying lizard of a yarn , scaly , swift and difficult to follow .",
        "next to the steady diet of hollywood formula , contrived plots and situations a regular moviegoer can spot a mile off , the MOV is something quite different : a movie that 's smarter than you are .",
        "certain ` big twists ' may have hogged the limelight of late , but rarely have they come ` bigger ' or better than in bryan singer 's glorious exercise in taut intrigue , dazzling plotting and criminal psychology .",
        "but like a tale from the arabian nights , told for the sheer pleasure of storytelling , this elegant puzzle not only enjoys showing off , it also has something to show .",
        "lots of fun and a very handsome , widescreen production by director bryan singer , who co-wrote the original script with once-and-future partner -lrb- and ex-private detective -rrb- christopher mcquarrie .",
        "the MOV is the freshest , funniest and scariest crime thriller to come along since pulp fiction .",
        "it 's a real dazzler -- a neo-noir hybrid of a heist and a mystery film that sucks you into a dark world where nothing is what it seems .",
        "the MOV has always kind of sat there , hoping that you 'll love it for its twist ending .",
        "it 's not often that a movie so intriguing comes out of hollywood , but when one does , it should be watched .",
        "it stands up brilliantly to repeat viewing , to the extent that you may never fully solve the riddle . but do n't let that put you off ; it 's the ultimate whodunit .",
        "singer , like tarantino , is less into mining new film themes than in re-inventing old ones . and the way he does so shows full well that there is still a bit of life in the old mob movie yet .",
        "give director bryan singer credit for providing a plot that is not resolved by an exchange of gunfire , but do n't expect the movie 's glib punchline to stay with you for very long .",
        "it 's a film that demands to be watched again and again -- this is good old-fashioned pulp fiction told in the slickest 1990s style .",
        "metaphysical mumbo-jumbo ? of course -- but the thrill of the MOV is that , after years of movie demythologising , it re-mythologises the crime movie .",
        "an imaginative , entertaining crime mystery with plenty of nerve and vigor .",
        "the most attuned devotee of crime mystery will be hard-pressed to guess the outcome of this stylish thriller . it is riddled with machine-gun dialogue and kinky implications at every turn .",
        "if the pleasures of the MOV are the more superficial ones of ingenuity and style , those are abundantly available . the twists and turns of the plot are an awful lot of fun , while the ending is genuinely satisfying and surprising .",
        "the then 27-year-old bryan singer eclipsed most other '90s crime movies with this brilliantly slippery , cerebral thriller .",
        "in a season of fat blockbusters , a picture as brainy , bitter , and compact as this one comes as a shock and a treat .",
        "a little red herring is one thing . but do n't smack me in the face with it , all right ?",
        "dense with plot intricacies , thick with atmosphere , and packed with showy roles for a hip ensemble , the MOV is fun to watch -- a celebration of cool actors having a good time playing sweaty and devious lowlifes .",
        "the MOV is a movie with style to burn , and , initially , that is this crime drama 's most mesmerizing aspect .",
        "the only usual thing about the MOV is the title . all else is a fun , fresh , gritty new take on something you thought was old and familiar .",
        "the twist at the end is a corker , but crucial questions remain unanswered . what 's interesting , though , is how little this intrudes on our enjoyment .",
        "bryan singer 's poker face is worthless at best .",
        "i did n't believe this story for a minute , even in movie terms -- though it 's less offensive than a piece of junk like apt pupil , singer 's subsequent feature .",
        "while it 's fair to call the MOV a gimmick in search of a movie , one could say something similar of , say , an agatha christie mystery . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "a masterpiece of the modern film noir genre , a terrific performance piece for everyone involved and an absolutely outstanding directorial effort .",
        "screenwriter christopher mcquarrie 's tough-guy dialogue and bryan singer 's crisp direction give the ensemble cast every opportunity to shine , and they do .",
        "anything but usual , singer 's movie is pretty damn near untouchable . next to this , most other crime films feel petty .",
        "it may ultimately make sense ; no one could tell without at least four or five viewings . what is totally commanding , however , is the level of ensemble acting -lsb- and -rsb- the adroitness of the storytelling .",
        "it 's a nerve-shredding suspense movie about corruption , a bravura actor 's show full of deliciously twisted cops and robbers , and a complex riddle packed with unexpected turns .",
        "for many true movie fiends , noir is the key american movie type , and the most fun when it 's done right . the MOV is done right .",
        "fantastic ensemble crime thriller with the mystique of an underworld urban legend . a breakout project for both benecio del toro and director bryan singer .",
        "in many ways , the viewers are the mark in this audacious con game ... and its brilliance is all the more impressive for it .",
        "the MOV loses some of its impact with subsequent viewings , but it remains a superior picture with much to enjoy beyond its unforgettable ending .",
        "too predictable . still enthralling enough to watch -lrb- at least twice -rrb- .",
        "good , but ... movies do n't come more overrated .",
        "what a cast , what a script , what a movie . we need some more of these .",
        "to many young film buffs , this is where film history begins and ends .",
        "it is a complex story , but i found it fun .",
        "most of the time i hardly knew what was going on , but i could n't wait to see what happened next .",
        "all the actors nail their parts with ultra-cool finesse , and just listening to del toro mumble his lines is worth the cost of the ticket alone . singer 's direction is also completely on target .",
        "this is a film that looks good , and has good actors , but the writing is really the film 's strongest point .",
        "after following the beckoning twists and turns , you 're left trapped and more than a little disappointed for getting in so deep .",
        "a brilliantly inventive and suspenseful crime drama that is destined to become a classic .",
        "intriguing well made crime drama with a nice twist in the end",
        "after i first saw the film , i recommended it to people as an entertaining and commercial crime thriller ; a standard story done very well . and then i saw it again . the movie is so much better the second time .",
        "this movie finally is n't anything more than an intricate feat of gamesmanship , but it 's still quite something to see .",
        "the MOV is a knockout suspense yarn with so many twists and turns you 're never quite sure where it 's going to wind up . and the trip is enormously satisfying .",
        "director bryan singer works so hard at evoking an air of world-weary fatalism that it 's a shame to find out , at the end , that the little things -- like characters and story -- do n't matter as much as the oh-so-clever denouement .",
        "the interaction of all the characters is both fascinating and unusual .",
        "director bryan singer gives his film enough surface flash to entertain future late-night cable possibilities ."],
    "summary": "expertly shot and edited , the MOV gives the audience a simple plot and then piles on layers of deceit , twists , and violence before pulling out the rug from underneath .",
    "id": "16303"
  },
  {
    "movie": "1121649-anger_management",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a perfectly dreadful affair that makes no sense , has almost no good laughs and finally just sinks like a rock in a beverly hills swimming pool .",
        "there are some good jokes that are well suited for each individual actor , but when brought together their brands of humor clash .",
        "everyone who avoided about schmidt and other recent nicholson movies on the grounds that he was actually playing characters instead of mugging will be happy to know he does no acting here whatsoever .",
        "peter segal directs individual sequences with a steady hand , but slack editing and a meandering and muddled plot make the film seem slow .",
        "to say i hated this is a grandiose understatement .",
        "the concept is inspired . the execution is lame . MOV , a film that might have been one of adam sandler 's best , becomes one of jack nicholson 's worst .",
        "the only thing you 'll be mad about is spending 10 bucks to watch jack nicholson and adam sandler try too hard .",
        "some of the movie is so primitively staged that you can almost hear someone leafing through the book of instructions that came with the camera .",
        "a lazy , tired comedy in which sandler does what he 's done too many times before , and nicholson does ... very little .",
        "what 's most astonishing is that a film populated by two madmen can grow so wearying and dull .",
        "imagine punch drunk love as a happy madison production and that gives you some idea .",
        "blandly unfunny and narratively nonsensical .",
        "one of -lsb- adam -rsb- sandler 's weaker , more slapdash efforts .",
        "irritating characterizations , lame jokes , waste of some top actors .",
        "the strikingly superficial MOV is too callow to warrant anyone getting an enjoyable hissy fit over ... has all the trivial frustration of a brat holding his breath because his parents told him to clean his filthy bedroom .",
        "`` MOV '' is `` punch-drunk 's '' barry egan and `` the witches of eastwick 's '' daryl van horne thrown into a second-rate cross of `` the game '' and a photo negative of `` what about bob ? ''",
        "rest assured , my dude-saying friends , MOV will make you laugh .",
        "there are plenty of laughs and solid surprises in MOV , as well as the sheer pleasure of watching jack nicholson untethered .",
        "funniest when it 's still repressing itself , and only the maniacal nicholson is allowed to let his emotions flow .",
        "-lsb- nicholson 's -rsb- performance here is one long , screechingly furious effort to squeeze laughs out of the cantankerous character of dr. rydell .",
        "adam sandler continues those first few tentative steps he took with ... punch drunk love towards appealing to an audience over the age of eight and other than male .",
        "its overall sweet-natured tone and well-paced material yields a better than average number of laughs .",
        "just as the film 's characters need MOV , so does the movie itself need comedy lessons .",
        "nothing in the film comes close to the glorious potential its poster teases us with , featuring sandler and nicholson , forehead to forehead , screaming at each other .",
        "you wo n't walk away mad .",
        "certainly has moments of pure bliss , yet the overall product has the tainted smell of a man who wants a little more mainstream acceptance .",
        "wide-eyed , wildman nicholson as the yang to sandler 's goofy , man-child yin - one would think watching hollywood 's ultimate odd couple on screen together would be worth the price of admission . but it 's really , really not .",
        "some funny stuff , but the story fizzles out long before the movie does ... worth a rental .",
        "nicholson usually is grouped with such contemporaries as pacino and de niro , but perhaps he should be linked with al lewis in ` the munsters ' and alan hale jr. in ` gilligan 's island . '",
        "-lsb- nicholson and sandler -rsb- put forth fine efforts in this entirely performance-driven film , but save for a few memorable scenes , the oil and vinegar simply do n't mix .",
        "a wildly uneven third act manages to tie the loose ends together with some genuine warmth .",
        "admittedly , the concept of teaming jack nicholson with adam sandler is irresistible , but it 's a premise that 's absolutely stretched to the limit here .",
        "no one in this film exits without some egg on their face .",
        "we 've seen him play this guy all too often .",
        "this is lazy filmmaking , squandering a decent notion solely because no one cared enough to make the effort .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- disaster from the start .",
        "this brilliant ensemble of crazies is sure to make you bust a gut !",
        "`` MOV , '' which could have been a dark , amusing diatribe about our society , was left in the hands of jokesters",
        "the free-associational lurch of the enigmatic nicholson 12-step program is set to a familiar backbeat of juvenile gross-out and homosexual panic ; what 's truly illogical is the blithe conflation of MOV and assertiveness training .",
        "i came away from `` MOV '' with two things : a good MOV tool and a good laugh .",
        "like the fun drunk who loses all his friends when he lapses into self-loathing , the edgy spirit of anarchy in ` MOV ' gets beaten into submission when it develops a conscience .",
        "a comedy as bracing and furiously right for the moment as it is broad and huggable .",
        "sandler is terrific , playing a potentially over-the-top part with an understatement that 's downright minimalist at times .",
        "audiences finally have something this year with which they can use the standard `` a fun night at the movies ''",
        "i 'm going to need MOV courses to get over how upset i am that nicholson and sandler could n't come up with something better than this halfhearted excuse for a comedy .",
        "the jokes are aimed low and delivered with the intensity of a wet paper towel . by the time woody harrelson shows up in drag , you 'll be wondering if you just bought a ticket to the first film ever scripted by mrs. filarksi 's 3rd grade english class .",
        "leave it to sandler and nicholson to make this movie worth more than the price of admission .",
        "with sandler as his simpering straight man , nicholson makes faces shamelessly , rude noises shamefully , but he ca n't make MOV funny .",
        "while a welcome respite from the obnoxiousness of the waterboy and big daddy , this sedate , reasonable sandler is likely to frustrate his fans as much as did his dramatic turn in punch-drunk love .",
        "though MOV does have some amusing moments , it 's too undiscriminating and scattershot to be worth paying attention to .",
        "a happy experience .",
        "with nicholson 's winking , over-the-top performance as the icing on the cake , this is sandler 's funniest movie in years .",
        "... entertaining .",
        "not a classic comedy by any stretch of the imagination , but certainly one of the few adam sandler movies that sent me home feeling good as opposed to feeling ... well , angry .",
        "even a longtime adamophobe has to admit that sandler is an agreeable presence here , and that the film has some funny filigree work to offset the oppressive schematics .",
        "the comedy shifts focus from the character mismatch to sandler alone , and the movie itself transforms into a typical sandler comedy , complete with random jokes and mushy , false sentimentality .",
        "this is a much-needed shot of happiness and euphoria -- an otherwise mediocre film that hits the spot because this country has been far too serious for far too long .",
        "embarrassed and clueless , mr. nicholson is clearly slumming . as a goopy , doofus pet-clothes designer whose only talent is nostril-wiggling , mr. sandler comes closer to playing his real self .",
        "up onscreen , everybody seems to be having a grand old time . unfortunately , it appears that the actors are having more fun than the audience .",
        "both last fall 's punch-drunk love and now MOV demonstrate that sandler can be an engaging presence when he drags himself away from projects aimed at mentally deficient frat boys .",
        "go to it with low expectations and you might have a fairly good time -- just do n't dwell on the movie it might have been .",
        "i like both sandler and nicholson , and they both have a dark edge that one might think would give them decent chemistry . well , it did , and that was part of the problem . their chemistry was only decent . it was n't great .",
        "hold the group therapy . someone should sentence david dorfman to a screenwriting seminar .",
        "nicholson and sandler play exceptionally well off each other",
        "nicholson and sandler 's combined starpower save this mediocre flick from being a real dog .",
        "sandler 's blank , doughy countenance seems duller than ever .",
        "a stoopid movie , front-loaded with infantile shtick .",
        "... a spoof of the contemporary need to pigeonhole people according to their perceived problems .",
        "granted , adam sandler and jack nicholson do not disappoint . but despite all the hype about MOV , you unfortunately walk away feeling only mildly amused .",
        "MOV is not going to go down in history as a comedy classic , but it should generate great box office numbers and its broad approach will appeal to sandler 's loyal fan base .",
        "the ending is so tacked on and moronic , it feels like the work of the dumbest focus group of all time .",
        "there are lots of the half-assed , over-the-top gags that are the weakness of all of sandler 's comedies , but the script has some moments of surreal cleverness .",
        "the results are sporadically hilarious but do n't always hang together .",
        "if not consistently funny , MOV is still unusually mindful of human behavior for an adam sandler vehicle .",
        "it 's nothing short of a comedy catastrophe and a criminal waste of talent .",
        "lower your expectations and you 'll likely have some fun .",
        "underneath the usual puerility are darker intimations .",
        "where punch-drunk love emphasized incongruous romance , this film highlights bizarre comedy much the same way it was achieved in planes , trains & automobiles .",
        "this is the kind of coarse comedy where a fart serves as a punch line .",
        "levity reaches the apex of diminished expectations when adam and jack stop traffic on the queensboro bridge in rush hour so they can sing a duet of i feel pretty . `` i thought it would give the scene more visual interest and tension , '' said director peter s",
        "pinwheels all over the place , moving without warning from drippy pathos to slapstick lunacy to insipid narrative contrivances .",
        "when it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s funny , it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s only because the concept itself has a kind of built-in amusement factor that , even when the machine nearly stalls out , continues to drive the movie forward .",
        "strenuous , spottily amusing .",
        "the plot is a little too thick for a comedy , but the extensive cast of interesting characters , many of them rydell 's anger patients , make it work and the end is definitely worth sticking around for .",
        "MOV : a film that irritated me so profusely i wanted to seek just that .",
        "if you like crude , crass , and stereotypically offensive `` humor '' then you 'll love `` MOV . ''",
        "i 'm not really sure if this is worth viewing , but if you want to actually see great acting , that 's when an actor towers over everything and everyone . see this .",
        "... i f you 're a certain kind of moviegoer , you can ... have a jolly good postmodern time at these movie-like constructions , marveling at the cameo appearances and the energetic commitment to loopiness , forgiving the flat stretches and the inevitable cop-o",
        "it 's always a relief to come out of an adam sandler movie without a case of hives , and you can comfortably attend MOV without prophylactic antihistamines .",
        "comedy is n't a genre that jack tends to visit often , but when he does the result is always brilliant .",
        "-lsb- nicholson and sandler are -rsb- not the most felicitous comedy team ever devised , but they make the mismatchup work , and that 's all the film needed to accomplish .",
        "still pissed about little nicky ? well , this return to classic sandler shtick will calm you down .",
        "MOV virtually defines high-concept filmmaking : it 's a one-note comedy that tries to soar because it 's nicholson and sandler who get to play the note .",
        "MOV is a ragged piece of filmmaking , but the odds are you 'll have as good a time watching it as nicholson and sandler seemed to have making it .",
        "miller time for the funny bone .",
        "while it includes some funny scenes , one senses that the nicholson-sandler pairing could have achieved much more .",
        "if you mix adam sandler , doing his punch-drunk love shtick , with a hammy jack nicholson , would it still be just another bad sandler comedy ? yes .",
        "enduring this film was an experiment in MOV for me .",
        "is n't bad enough to get really furious about , but in view of the talent it wastes , mild irritation is certainly in order .",
        "the bar for popular comedy continues its decline as does the standard for what used to be unacceptable in a pg-13 rated movie .",
        "nothing beyond mediocre here .",
        "it 's not only a step back for nicholson , but it 's so humorless that it even brings sandler down a notch , making him an even more insufferable basket case of nervous tics and self-deprecating humor .",
        "has hell frozen over ? not only is jack nicholson starring in a buddy movie alongside adam sandler , but of the two , sandler 's low-key approach is preferable .",
        "since seeing the movie , the thing i 'm trying most to manage is my anger at not leaving the theater after 20 minutes of this inane drivel . now , if you want to know what i really think of it , read on ...",
        "yes , it 's funny , but it never bothers to make much out of its ingredients .",
        "maybe it 's a guy thing . myself , i did laugh at certain things , but most of the time i was writhing in anxiety .",
        "the film 's not funny , but it is interesting . that 's because this sandler comedy is more like a neil labute film than a frat boy dorm time waster .",
        "some insanely wild ideas and funny moments , but ends up a pretty mediocre and disappointing affair .",
        "i chuckled quite a bit , but when you have adam sandler and jack nicholson teaming up anything less than laugh-out-loud hilarity has to be considered a major disappointment .",
        "filmed with rote banality in every gag setup and visual touch , MOV is not bad enough to make you angry , because inevitably the cast cooks some silly fun .",
        "a comedy that does n't call for a review so much as a prospectus .",
        "everyone would be happier if these films were melted down or buried . or both .",
        "while nothing special , let alone classic , the film offers enough amusing , funny and occasionally hilarious moments and performances to earn a passing grade .",
        "unpredictably funny .",
        "sandler continues to demonstrate a skill at quietly vulnerable characters that are far more appealing -- and amusing -- than his earlier menagerie of wacked-out losers .",
        "has its moments .",
        "it 's the perfect mating of two of the screen 's best ` bad boys . '",
        "throw enough money at a sandler movie and it will look like a decent film -- except when you let middling hack peter segal of nutty professor ii direct .",
        "sandler did angry better in happy gilmore .",
        "the movie is slightly better than just ok and something less than it should have been , given the enticing pairing of adam sandler and jack nicholson ...",
        "an uneven blend of pretty low humor and really low humor on the theme of excrutiating humiliation that is just about saved by the sheer pleasure of watching jack nicholson .",
        "lumpy , bumpy and uneven , but often enjoyably nuts .",
        "freed of any dramatic pretense , nicholson is a riot .",
        "gong show impresario chuck barris would 've gonged it out after ten minutes .",
        "like so many sandler vehicles , the movie is n't actually funny , but keeps feeling as if it should be .",
        "it has its funny moments .",
        "punch-drunk love for the masses .",
        "pretty consistent quotient of laughs throughout .",
        "if you 're going to steal from the odd couple , do it right , man !",
        "it 's not funny to watch sandler being put upon by nicholson , even though their scenes are acted with a nice rhythm , because we 're too frustrated for him .",
        "can it really be true that the latest adam sandler film is , well , quite funny ? ish ? yes -- but only because he 's paired with jack nicholson .",
        "was ` adam sandler 's turn-around performance in punch-drunk love ' good enough to view the same old immature schlock in a new forgiving light ? the answer is a definitive no .",
        "a pretty good idea for a movie that is not particularly well executed .",
        "nicholson is excellent , hamming it up for all he 's worth and clearly having a whale of a time \u00e2 '' - he 's extremely well cast .",
        "the amount of laughs -lsb- here -rsb- is about the same as the number of oscars nicholson has . maybe one less .",
        "... it 's an adam sandler film , not a jack nicholson film ... but if `` mr. deeds '' and `` the waterboy '' makes you forgive -lrb- sandler -rrb- `` little nicky , '' you 're in for a treat .",
        "with free reign to be insane , jack 's at his snaky , screwy best , and sandler again wisely plays the straight man to his insane supporting characters .",
        "the pairing of nicholson and sandler is golden .",
        "by this reviewer 's count , there are at least six good chuckles to the dollar .",
        "a one-joke movie that milks its central conceit long after there 's nothing left .",
        "both jack nicholson and adam sandler are at their most fully idiotic in this lightweight fare .",
        "MOV succeeds as inspired casting and flamboyant fun for nicholson and most of the supporting cast .",
        "folks who loved punch-drunk love wo n't care much for MOV , but cameo appearances by a host of famous names occur frequently enough that we 're forced to stay alert , if only to catch them .",
        "needing the gristle of its title , the film should have been angrier .",
        "coming off of roles in which they both brilliantly played against type , jack nicholson and adam sandler ... return to form with this standard comedy .",
        "the prefabricated nature of MOV , which has jokes but little humor , makes it a comedy the way fish sticks can often be mistaken for seafood .",
        "there 's no clear sense of purpose , no payoff , no building to a clever climax that leaves you weak in the wake of its hilarity .",
        "MOV plays the same tune too much of the time to live up to its potential . still , it 's good for a giggle .",
        "director peter seagal has shown talent for comedy previously -lrb- 1995 's tommy boy -rrb- , but here , his timing is a bit off and the film is paced pretty badly .",
        "though management might be the comedian 's most mainstream effort to date , the end result is still very much an adam sandler comedy .",
        "what can you say about a movie that did fine , but it 's obvious it could have been so much better ? you 'll laugh , but not nearly as often nor as heartily as you want to .",
        "... the star power of the film is n't matched by the material , but it 's to the performers ' credit that the film is as consistently funny as it is .",
        "the majority of the film just lies there waiting for someone to perform cpr .",
        "this film is delightful , funny nonsense that had me laughing out loud .",
        "sometimes even an occasional laugh can be the best medicine .",
        "if this were a student piece , i would have told the makers that they had something here , but it needed further fine-tuning . i 'd have handed it back for revisions with the comment , `` make the whole film sparkle like the bridge scene or the bar scene . ''",
        "as jack ages into a mildly psychotic , sunglasses wearing sasquatch , it 's nice to know that he does n't mind if we laugh .",
        "no , it does n't make much sense , and yes , it 's irredeemably phallocentric -- but that is , perhaps , its saving grace .",
        "the only thing you ca n't get angry at are the adorable animal actors .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- like going to the nba all-star game and seeing a fantastic team take the floor , but when the game begins you realize they left their brains in the locker room .",
        "MOV does not really deserve an actual review .",
        "very raunchy , uneven comedy with great actors .",
        "full-blown ` jack ' -- his face a spectacular special effect of full-blown energy -- remains an irresistible act . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
        "unless you 're 15 at heart , you may need MOV yourself after sitting through this aggressively crass comedy , which alternates between mean-spirited slapstick and arbitrary uplift .",
        "do we really need a fable about corporate guys getting in touch with their inner brats ?",
        "a better script and more attention to other cast members would have helped but , as it stands , this is still the best adam sandler comedy since the wedding singer .",
        "little more than an exercise in frustration , and no amount of chanting the supposedly therapeutic `` goosfraba '' is going to help .",
        "this is a hackneyed , sprawling mess of a comedy , rarely funny and never interesting .",
        "it 's neither as hilarious nor as outrageous as it should be , settling for comfortable contrivance instead of consistent craziness .",
        "nicholson wears his devilish grin from his first scene to last , and one has to assume that 's his reaction to the enormous size of his paycheck and not the material .",
        "-lsb- sandler and nicholson -rsb- are n't doing anything we have n't seen from them before , but it 's an undeniably fun movie .",
        "MOV inspires only limp accolades , but it 's just amusing enough to earn a look on a chilly , rainy april day .",
        "... the first half of the movie was a guys ' flick that was so frustrating and stupid , it make me want to kill somebody .",
        "check your highbrow at the door , laugh-out-loud funny .",
        "scripted like a series of bouts between goofy contenders , and teeming with narrative sucker-punches and wacky left-field cameos .",
        "the laughs here are painfully few and far between .",
        "MOV is in need of script therapy .",
        "it 's not the first time sandler has played this role , or the ninth time . but it 's fairly entertaining .",
        "where are the farrelly brothers when you need them ?",
        "this adam sandler / jack nicholson vehicle spends a long 105 minutes spinning a witless sitcom variation on the game .",
        "the promise of MOV lasts for all of about 15 minutes .",
        "a couple of brakes-off set pieces to the side , the antics here are strained , graceless and tiresomely crude , the sorts of things audiences feel they 're supposed to laugh at rather than well-developed situations that generate genuine amusement .",
        "flimsy follow-through or not , the teaming still works , and so , at times , does the premise .",
        "with this lineup of actors ... they should have conjured up fiery explosions of sidesplitting comic MOV rather than this tepid taste of implausible assertiveness training .",
        "like in most happy madison productions , the delirious supporting cast steals a lot of scenes ."],
    "summary": "thought not without its funny moments , MOV is ultimately stale and disappointingly one-note , especially considering its capable cast .",
    "id": "13525"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dust_to_glory",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie was great fun and a real rush . just do n't try any of this stuff at home .",
        "the cinematography , the interviews , the endurance , the enthusiasm seen in this film are wonderfully entertaining .",
        "brown weaves a fast-flying tapestry but makes the mistake of having nathan furst score the thing to within an inch of its life .",
        "dana brown 's documentaries crackle with passion .",
        "after a while , the digital photography wears out its gritty welcome , and the footage of endless rough roading becomes repetitive .",
        "there is a kind of madness involved in a race like this , and that 's apparently its appeal .",
        "getting all that human race into the film 's 92-minute run time is probably an accomplishment , just not a very involving one .",
        "the film may prove too nerve-racking for casual viewers . it is a racing movie for the inside track .",
        "MOV is part of a new genre film - a type of mass marketing promotional documentary ... it 's better than most films like this .",
        "the documentary resembles the trajectory of the average baja 1000 competitor -- an exciting ride that barely crosses the finish line intact .",
        "using 90 cameras in a variety of formats , he captures the giddy danger of the race with truly visceral force .",
        "as dull as dust for much of its look at the baja 1000 .",
        "if you 're not already hooked on the spectacle of folks driving fast through the desert , this film wo n't necessarily sell you .",
        "aside from the lessened condescension in brown 's voice-over narration , he 's still capable of envisioning a feature-length , theatrical-release doc as nothing more -lrb- or less -rrb- than a segment of abc 's wide world of sports writ large .",
        "seems too infatuated with its subjects yet too detached to be engaging .",
        "brown 's hyperbolic surfer-dude narration ... often undercuts the loopy spectacle of gears , grime and grit he intends to celebrate .",
        "i ca n't say MOV ... qualifies as a great documentary , but it chronicles an event that speaks to the raw instinct to face a challenge and conquer it .",
        "as with step into liquid , brown proves in MOV that the thrill of high-speed racing can be shared by fans and non-fans alike .",
        "MOV needed an editor - or at least a better one ; someone who might have helped this documentary focus on one or two stories rather than trying to tell a dozen or more .",
        "exhilarating .",
        "while accidents are awful -lrb- even when they take place off camera -rrb- , they do clarify the risk involved here .",
        "a fascinating and eye-opening experience unlike anything that has come before it .",
        "you feel so close to the action , you 'll leave the theatre feeling the grit in your teeth -lrb- no wait , that 's popcorn -rrb- ... a non-stop thrill ride .",
        "the race footage certainly gets the adrenaline going , but the effort to dig beneath the surface of the event disappoints .",
        "wildly energetic and exuberantly affectionate .",
        "brown fragments MOV past all continuity , and his relentless gosh-wow ! narration makes you wish he had taken the full leap from fan to filmmaker .",
        "for all MOV 's visceral charge , what lingers most is its hearty embrace of so many varieties of human experience .",
        "it 's nice that filmmaker dana brown feels so revved up about his subject . but the exuberance is confined to his overheated narration and never comes through here .",
        "brown does a very good job of getting across the daredevil thrill of it all .",
        "director dana brown leaves his family 's fascination for surfing literally in the dust to explore the gritty off road race that may be the world 's toughest endurance sport",
        "there is exhilarating footage from more than 50 cameras , many in the vehicles .",
        "although the film features some hair-raising footage and striking location photography , there 's far too much dust and not enough glory in MOV .",
        "speed channel enthusiasts will eat the stuff up , and the film is accessible enough for nonfans to taste the high of legal and illegal speed , dusted with the promise of glory",
        "the movie is monotonous , storyless , and at under 100 minutes , interminable .",
        "if you 've ever wondered about this race , MOV will give you a good idea what it 's all about .",
        "the contest just does n't register that emotionally , with the long sermonizing stretches of the picture taking away from the real life of the baja 1000 party : the race itself .",
        "brown does such a good job of capturing the experience , the audience may find itself brushing imaginary silt from their clothes after a screening .",
        "there might be a good movie somewhere in the subject of the baja 1000 race , but this boring , sloppily made and vaguely insulting mess is far from being that film .",
        "baja off-road race documentary may be weighed down by corny narration , but when the pedal 's down , it moves like a bat out of hell .",
        "the race becomes a metaphor for life , in which finishing builds camaraderie and victory is not the ultimate goal .",
        "too many stories touched upon , none in sufficient depth to really galvanize . so you wind up with a 90-minute baja 1000 commercial , set to music and cliches .",
        "94 minutes ' worth of mind-numbing repetition , complete with a musical score seemingly lifted from reality tv .",
        "brown features so many drivers in so many classes that we lose track of the players after 10 minutes .",
        "exciting and often hauntingly beautiful .",
        "although brown is not interested in dissecting the event ... he is extremely adept at capturing what commentator jim mckay used to refer to as ` the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat . '",
        "the film gives us some amazing footage of seemingly sane people doing crazy things interspersed with a lot of shallow filler that is as illuminating as peering into a cloud of dust .",
        "the baja 1000 is an all-day , all-crazy affair , and the documentary vividly captures it with driver 's - eye views that show how jolting , dangerous and exciting it is .",
        "crackling with the thrill of the chase .",
        "overwrought moments of drama notwithstanding , MOV is just cool to watch .",
        "the swooping helicopter shots , the pov camerawork from the front seat of an 800 hp trophy-truck and the propulsive soundtrack will have your heart racing towards the finishing line along with the drivers .",
        "a proudly rowdy down-home documentary about the 2003 run .",
        "the talk is engaging and the action riveting .",
        "same theme as million dollar baby which fancies itself both realistic and inspirational . MOV is not only more realistic , but also more inspirational .",
        "where there is a natural poetry of motion in surfing movies , off-road racing is a herky-jerky pastime whose appeal is hard to fathom . i guess you had to be there .",
        "the images from this wild race are spectacular at times .",
        "one need n't be an auto racing fan to appreciate the athletes depicted in dana brown 's intriguing documentary about the baja 1000 off-road race .",
        "brown lays the sentimentality on so much that it almost brings the whole production down . luckily there 's lots of tremendous shots and a solid story to keep it going .",
        "`` MOV '' is a satisfying thrill ride that allows the viewer to experience the raw excitement of a race that few people have the stones or mental wherewithal to participate in .",
        "contestants have 32 hours to finish the race , and unless off-road racing is your thing , MOV can sometimes feel like it lasts about that long .",
        "short of attending in person , MOV is the best way to experience what one driver called ` a 24-hour plane crash . '",
        "MOV is a valentine from a committed fan , full of gee-whiz idolizing that -- for this viewer , anyway -- quickly wears thin .",
        "a total hodge-podge of relatively random footage from the baja 1000 .",
        "could be more tightly focused , but its funny , audacious and profoundly exciting moments are abundant enough to keep it running .",
        "director and chief cheerleader dana brown averages almost one hyperbole per mile in his souped-up infomercial .",
        "it 's an adrenaline rush of a film , the closest anyone not inside a power-engine dune buggy will get to the love-hate experience of the unpredictable course ."],
    "summary": "amazing footage from the baja off-road race will give viewers an adrenaline rush .",
    "id": "10039"
  },
  {
    "movie": "13_assassins_2011",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a richly cathartic experience with a wide range of emotional colors .",
        "... a subversive , action-packed , beautifully crafted samurai revenge epic ... climaxes in a 40-minute pitched battle that utilizes sword , arrow , spear , slingshot and here 's a new one burning bull .",
        "`` 13 MOV '' has what many action pictures need , a villain who transcends evil and ascends to a realm of barbaric madness .",
        "the dialectic about duty may not translate to a modern western audience , but the savage sword-fighting is to die for .",
        "does guinness world records have an entry for longest on-screen fight ? if it does n't , takashi miike 's `` 13 MOV '' just set it . and if a record actually exists , miike 's film just broke it .",
        "the final 40-plus minutes are bananas .",
        "it absolutely , undeniably delivers the goods . and those goods are soaked in blood .",
        "the 13th assassin , an uncouth mountain man , offers a critique of his noble companions -- and of the code-of-duty genre he finds himself occupying -- when he comments : ` do only samurai matter in this world ? '",
        "... the main attraction here is the big battle , for both its wild swordplay and the endless variety of clever devices and strategies the samurai come up with to even their odds against -lsb- the villains ' -rsb- overwhelming numeric superiority .",
        "13 MOV is a savage , insane movie - in the best way possible .",
        "a devoutly classical , if not exactly classic , remake of a 1963 period samurai film .",
        "the action is intense , inventive and vastly compelling with enough twists and turns to keep your attention throughout .",
        "`` i thought samurai would be fun but you bore me , '' says one character . i 'm afraid that , after two hours , i agree , though the action is fairly well done if you like that sort of thing .",
        "nearly every image is memorable : it is hard to pick out the most mind-blowing .",
        "a decent historical drama , with one of the best extended battle scenes -lrb- a full half of the movie is the face-off in the ` village of death ' -rrb- in recent memory .",
        "i kind of love this movie .",
        "the 45 minutes of unrelenting carnage that conclude 13 MOV are as crimson-soaked as fans would expect . and yet this tale is also moving .",
        "the film is built as a long crescendo , opening at a level of considered , zen-like reflection and ending with a prolonged cacophony of elaborate , town-wide annihilation .",
        "has a mixture of bloodletting and exultation that would make sam peckinpah sit up in his grave and howl with pleasure .",
        "the two halves of 13 MOV are as finely balanced as one of the samurai swords from its grand , limb-lopping lol-fest of a finale .",
        "`` 13 MOV '' is n't just an action adventure with horror credentials , but a study in criminal pathology .",
        "there will be blood , rivers of it , in point of fact . 13 MOV is miike 's bid for a jewel on akira kurosawa 's crown , and as such , it 's an audacious attempt that turns out to be his most stylistically formal film to date .",
        "a stirring , unexpectedly moving story of love and blood ...",
        "no one who has seen seven samurai will be surprised by the trajectory and outcome of takashi miike 's 13 MOV , but that does n't necessarily mean that there are n't plenty of surprises and enormous thrills to be found within",
        "takashi miike 's samurai adventure 13 MOV is so beautifully made , it could serve as a model for contemporary american action films .",
        "visually spectacular , with wide-screen cinematography from nobuyasu kita , impressive , full-scale sets and special effects and exhausting , immersive action scenes , `` 13 MOV '' is pretty nearly the samurai classic it sets out to become .",
        "if you like movies where tension mounts behind stern scowls and muted cries for justice until the very screen explodes with ballistic force , takashi miike 's 13 MOV is for you .",
        "13 MOV is an epic masterpiece .",
        "once the seven-samurai-style band of brothers is assembled , 13 MOV is pure pleasure : and it culminates in a magnificent 45-minute showdown that has to be the best final battle sequence in cinema since , oh , kill bill at least .",
        "if miike had to make all of his other flicks to get to this brilliant catharsis , it was worth it .",
        "consegue combinar uma abordagem mais cl\u00e1ssica , tradicional , aos toques de viol\u0119ncia bizarra t\u00edpicas da filmografia de miike .",
        "13 MOV evokes a classic filmmaking style sharpened by takashi miike 's modern energy .",
        "entirely too long , but the samurai game of cat and mouse , the strategizing , is fascinating .",
        "... a big movie that will overwhelm you with its scope , and it 's hard to imagine anyone topping it any time soon .",
        "culminates in a riveting , ingeniously plotted , and inventively shot 45-minute battle scene .",
        "miike shows us the absurdity of war by showing us the thrill of war .",
        "mr. miike has done such a remarkable job with the overall saga and the characters that one ca n't help but become emotionally invested .",
        "phenomenally entertaining . a ripping old-school yarn .",
        "a much fresher experience than would seem likely for such a well-trod genre .",
        "miike 's sadistic fetishization of violence and suffering is nowhere in evidence .",
        "the controlled set-up effectively explores notions of honour and servitude in a time when the bushido era was drawing to a close , before giving way to a terrific , 40-minute climax that 's sheer martial artistry in all its mud-and blood-splattered glory .",
        "impressively directed , sharply written and superbly acted , this is an emotionally engaging samurai drama that builds to a thrilling climactic showdown lasting a full 45 minutes .",
        "pays off thrillingly with a virtuoso 45-minute bloodbath you wo n't easily forget .",
        "epic in scope , ambition , and execution , it 's a classic swords-and-samurai film with postmodern blood and guts , and it 's completely satisfying .",
        "miike 's magnificent 13 mark both the end of an era and the boundary of a genre .",
        "it 's a miike film that for once can be recommended without caveats , boldly treading new ground but also taking stock of what 's come before and not rejecting it outright .",
        "what 's special about 13 MOV is a 45-minute battle scene in which 13 heroic warriors take on the vastly superior army of a wickedly sadistic shogun lord .",
        "it takes a while to hit its stride but when 13 MOV finds its groove , this magically turns into one of the most memorable - and shocking - action films in an absolute age .",
        "13 MOV musters nearly twice as many swordsmen as kurosawa 's seven samurai and is about two-thirds as good , although it delivers the requisite genre thrills .",
        "it suffers from an inordinately protracted middle section that should have been half an hour shorter , but turns into the kind of bloodbath you would expect from tarantino .",
        "the great thing , typically , about a takashi miike film is that there 's no such thing as a typical takashi miike film .",
        "13 MOV does n't quite reinvent the wheel , but it certainly reminds us how cool it looks spinning down the highway .",
        "japanese provocateur takashi miike plays it relatively straight in this samurai film , which pits 13 hired warriors against a sadistic aristocrat and his 200-man army .",
        "13 MOV is reliably entertaining , but ultimately it 's too traditional to be a classic .",
        "`` 13 MOV '' is a must-see for miike 's passionate legion of fans . but even action buffs who 've never seen any of his films before will be drawn in by this masterful exercise in cinematic butchery .",
        "'13 MOV ' should attract action fans , but others may find the straightforward plot unexceptional and the lack of impish outr\u00e9 a letdown from miike 's signature work .",
        "the `` town of death '' sequence , which takes up nearly the second half of the film , ranks among the great action set-pieces ever filmed .",
        "try the entire last 40 minutes of the movie . it 's sort of like being on one of those theme park rides that spins you around until you 're dizzy and out of breath , only this one shoots a firehose of blood into your face while you 're on it .",
        "a classic samurai movie , right up there among the finest in the genre .",
        "for all its bloodshed and mayhem , 13 MOV is one of the most joyously energetic and exciting movies i 've seen in the last year , and maybe even the last two years .",
        "it does n't feel like the tour de force it should be .",
        "the sense of loss , of waste , for a society , a culture , is just heartbreaking . that feeling is something special in a 21st century action picture .",
        "a wildly entertaining blockbuster that should appeal outside the extreme asian cinema niche market .",
        "i 've seen enough of these samurai films to be in a position to say this one could be a considered a classic of the genre .",
        "though it might look like a kurosawa film , miike brings to it a subversive edge of greater proportions .",
        "the excessive mind of japanese director takashi miike -lrb- audition ; ichi the killer -rrb- throttles back the gore to deliver a disciplined , refreshingly grounded samurai action film .",
        "miike plays it by the age-old rules , and the result , while undeniably entertaining , is unexpectedly tame , at least by miike standards",
        "the once dormant samurai movie is rejuvenated in 13 MOV , a spirited and violent romp which delves into the honour and savagery of samurai ideology .",
        "13 MOV looks at honour from many angles , without becoming simplistic . ichii has n't lost his edge after all .",
        "i was engrossed by this film because it had tactics , strategy and characterisation .",
        "though 13 MOV ' setup could stand some tightening , it 's all necessary prelude to a spectacular , action-packed final hour where all hell breaks loose and the streets and rooftops flow with blood .",
        "miike 's movie is a creditable attempt at a chanbara and he takes the genre seriously",
        "miike may have classed things up , but he certainly has n't sold out .",
        "epic . unforgettable . relentless . magnificently entertaining .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if you love action or samurai movies you can not miss this film . to adapt spinal tap 's line , this one turns it up to 13 .",
        "if you can handle the blood , it 's a very satisfying tale of vengeance and honor .",
        "this slam-bang remake of a 1963 feature by eichi kudo builds slowly , accumulating characters and themes , then explodes into a prolonged and masterful battle sequence inside a deserted town .",
        "one can pinpoint the exact moment when 13 MOV transforms from vivid samurai drama to insane work of genius .",
        "too much of a good thing - that 's miike 's trademark .",
        "13 MOV may well be the most wholly accomplished and satisfying film to come our way all year .",
        "surprisingly few surprises in this classic samurai costumer from japan 's dark iconoclast takeshi miike .",
        "takashi miike 's masterwork , the type of grand filmmaking we 've always come to expect from him and the film that should get him taken more seriously among cinephiles and mainstream movie fans alike .",
        "there is plenty of blood in 13 MOV , but miike quietly builds his characters and their dilemmas , leading up to a grand spectacle of swordplay that includes a whopping 45 minute action finale .",
        "perhaps something important was spirited away with the 20 minutes of footage shorn for this u.s. release , but the combatants are scarcely distinguishable here even before disappearing under layers of mud and guts .",
        "it shows that takashi could be a great filmmaker if he 'd only slow down .",
        "that tension between a servant 's duty and moral responsibility forms the crux of 13 MOV , and proves a standard dynamic that miike handles without subversive humor or irony .",
        "a perfectly staged orgy of gushing wounds and grunts , allowing miike a chance to storm the screen with visual heft , leaving the picture in a winded , but utterly satisfied state .",
        "13 MOV single-handedly revitalises the samurai film , taking it to new heights with incomparable style and excitement . make all possible haste to see this grand-scale epic on the biggest screen you can find .",
        "thrilling , nightmarish -- and , yes , awesome .",
        "13 MOV raises such provocative questions about duty and honor and violence that it challenges the morality of its own action sequences .",
        "there are many deft touches , a sprinkling of humour and a great deal of grunting and shouting as men clash in hand to hand combat . but the supporting premise that this is a good fight to rid the world of an evil man gives the action moral traction",
        "it pounds with blood-drenched action , but director takashi miike also offers up a thoughtful exploration of honour and loyalty .",
        "while the characterisations are sometimes lacking , the swordplay never is .",
        "filmed with inspiration from akira kurosawa 's seven samurai , takashi miike delves into his nation 's past to create a noble movie that will please fight fans but gives so much more thanks to a compelling story .",
        "this is a gorgeous , technically flawless production , with a subversive bent i was n't expecting .",
        "the action and spectacle in this film is outstanding making it one of miike 's best films to date .",
        "the grandiose concluding sequence is not staged with finesse or subtlety , but with brutal finality . it is the japanese samurai film equivalent of a barroom brawl on an epic scale , and the violence is punishing .",
        "a remake of a classic film that is a classic on its own terms . miike 's battleground choreography in the final 20 minutes or so is cinema at its most sublime , a ballet of cruelty second to none .",
        "familiar though it may be , as samurai movies go , 13 MOV '' is a killer .",
        "it 's an incredibly violent , insanely entertaining movie that features scores of baddies getting killed by sword , arrow , knife , boiling oil , even a stampede of bulls . wait , check that . not just bulls . flaming bulls .",
        "the rousing finale , along with heavy thematic questions about the samurai code of loyalty and moments of levity , make it well worth the wait .",
        "... a kind of outlaw the seven samurai by way of the dirty dozen set at the sunset of the shogunate and the samurai era , is a startlingly traditional samurai action piece ...",
        "... a big movie that will overwhelm you with its scope ...",
        "the last hour is a wildly entertaining orgy of swords , blood , fire and mud that goes on longer than it probably should , and yet never gets tiresome .",
        "wildly kinetic actioner possesses a cool classicism .",
        "it 's a takashi miike movie for people who thought they did n't have the stomach for those , a handsomely mounted samurai adventure that rewards the patient viewer with a rock - 'em - sock - 'em finale worthy of a saturday afternoon matinee .",
        "one suspects the slash-and-burn miike of old might have scoffed at -lsb- 13 MOV -rsb- .",
        "a film , like so many samurai stories -lrb- and american westerns -rrb- about brotherhood , justice and sacrifice , 13 MOV is , at turns , thrilling and funny , visually exquisite and emotionally charged .",
        "miike 's magisterial craftsmanship is beyond doubt as he sets up another complex study of violence and its implications .",
        "13 MOV may look like another classic samurai film in the old-school tradition , but it is to kurosawa 's genre classics what sam peckinpah 's westerns were to john huston 's .",
        "kinetic film-making of a high order .",
        "cuts its way through a familiar samurai story .",
        "it 's as if miike wished to add his name to the list of old-time , classical action directors , alongside the likes of robert aldrich or sam peckinpah .",
        "the film really is n't much like anything else . it 's also likely to land on the shortlist of the year 's best .",
        "underneath the mayhem ? miike 's surprisingly thoughtful critique of the samurai culture and the honor code that gave a society structure and meaning , but not justice , or a way forward .",
        "13 MOV builds into a decent action-fest .",
        "miike directs the `` village of death '' battle with an astonishing relentlessness : just when you think you 've seen the last bout of flesh-skewering , he tips another bloody bucket of slaughter into the mix ."],
    "summary": "takashi miike 's electric remake of eiichi kudo 's 1963 period action film is a wild spectacle executed with killer , dizzying panache .",
    "id": "770820112"
  },
  {
    "movie": "deep_sea_3d",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there is no downtime in the production . you 'll spend every moment oohing and aahing at the delicate balance of nature in the gently swaying deep sea .",
        "after being in something of a rut for a while , the imax 3-d format is back at the top of its game with this fascinating tour of the world 's oceans and the bizarre , alien-looking life forms found there .",
        "and so it goes , for a magical 40 minutes : underwater footage often startlingly beautiful , made more so by the immediacy of 3d .",
        "even though this film does provide some conventional thrills , what 's surprising is how intimate , and almost shiveringly sensitive , it makes the ocean seem",
        "... an all-too-brief but fascinating look at some of our ocean 's irreplaceable treasures .",
        "4 starsyou can just sink into `` MOV , '' a lovely , lush experience that , believe it or not , blends the grandeur of the deep with the violence of nature and the sad state in which humans have left the oceans .",
        "the halls have taken an artistic leap beyond their masterful coral reef adventure -lrb- 2003 -rrb- , stripping away much of the narrative thread and allowing the film to drift to and fro on currents of sheer beauty .",
        "no matter who 's talking , the audience 's attention will be on the images wrapping themselves around them .",
        "forget haunted houses and the mountains of the moon : there 's no better environment to show off the wonder of the immersive imax 3-d experience than the deep blue sea .",
        "fancy a spot of scuba diving ? without getting wet ? and in the company of johnny depp and kate winslet ?",
        "deep sea easily ends up one of the best times i 've ever had inside an imax theater .",
        "imax 3d underwater cinematography is so spectacular that it does n't matter how well the films are assembled .",
        "clocking in at 39 minutes , which may be about all the eyes can handle , MOV transports exotic sea species literally to our noses .",
        "the entire film envelops you in an incredible array of fascinating sea life . the effect is continuous and so successful that you 'll find yourself holding your breath .",
        "deep sea does n't take any chances , does n't tell you anything you do n't know and does n't do anything to allay my fear that imax movies are running out of stories to tell .",
        "it submerges its specialized cameras into some of the coolest underground ` forests ' and ` deserts , ' uncovering a truly bizarre array of sea life .",
        "MOV , like the excellent sharks 3d , has a message about the importance of relationships under the sea and why humans should not upset the delicate balance of nature by depleting ocean species .",
        "hall has chased down a gasp-provoking array of sea creatures that are so extravagantly extraterrestrial , nothing steven spielberg could conjure in his special effects labs could remotely compete .",
        "the movie has little new to offer to conservation .",
        "about as a good as the imax 3-d experience gets .",
        "one of the more solidly entertaining deep-sea documentaries filmed in imax .",
        "MOV really is a marvel of filmmaking .",
        "MOV does n't go any deeper than the ocean floor ... but that 's pretty deep .",
        "if the typical imax offering has a handful of unforgettable shots , this one delivers about 50 .",
        "a vision of nature that even a strip miner would want to conserve .",
        "in sum : many creatures are eaten , but this often-impressive movie left me hungry for more .",
        "imax movies , especially in 3-d , are well suited to take you to another world ... and what a world it is .",
        "take the plunge . this is one instance where it 's totally delightful to feel like you 're swimming with sharks .",
        "when the photography is this gorgeous and the 3-d is this impressive , you can overlook the overly loose structure .",
        "the 3d images are crisp and engrossing . let the field trips begin !",
        "director-lenser howard hall 's return to the depths should have been more urgent than into the deep , but instead , it 's more superficial .",
        "kids will shriek with awe and delight , and grown-ups might join them as they duck the luminous moon jellyfish and shimmering glassy minnows that swim past them in a myriad profusion ."],
    "summary": "viewers will welcome being whisked away to this magical world of exotic sea life .",
    "id": "326300153"
  },
  {
    "movie": "robot_and_frank",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... a delicate , contained dramedywith an understated turn by frank langella .",
        "the chemistry between the leads of robot & frank makes it unique . so what if one lead is a robot -lrb- first-billed -rrb- ? the other is the wonderful frank langella .",
        "a caper film whose biggest thief is actually the inexorable flow of time . . a terrific character study . . the always-captivating frank langella gets to stretch out a little bit .",
        "story of the slowly evolving relationship between a mannered robotic caretaker and a cantankerous old man .",
        "frank langella gives a somber , bittersweet performance in director jake schreier 's odd but ingratiating drama .",
        "a work of power , nuance and daredevil craft , langella 's performance is a reminder that giants still fill the stage , and the screen .",
        "may be somewhat slight in purely narrative terms , but it has a generous and humane spirit and draws real emotional impact from a most unlikely friendship .",
        "frank langella gives a master class in acting in a movie with bracing humor and a dash of heartbreak - just do n't expect to be wrapped up in a warm and fuzzy cinematic blanket .",
        "human and artificial intelligence coexisting in the most meaningful way .",
        "essentially a mediocre character study dipped in sci-fi conventions and social security-age sentimentality .",
        "there 's a warm and poignant interplay between the co-stars .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "langella ... is tremendous .",
        "the movie is sweet and agreeably unambitious , derailed only by an egregious third-act twist .",
        "frank langella gives a terrific performance as the second of the two title characters in this modest but heartfelt science-fiction comedy .",
        "there 's no denying the , err , chemistry between langella and his nameless buddy .",
        "amusing and ingratiating , leaving a bittersweet afterglow",
        "smart and sweet , MOV feels familiar while you 're watching it yet consistently finds ways to catch you off-guard .",
        "further proof that sci-fi need not be high-budget spectacle , and can actually do a good little job exploring the human condition , our characters , and our memories .",
        "frank langella 's presence would be enough to pique my interest in any film . robot & frank offers him a modest starring vehicle with a science-fiction spin , and the result is one of the most enjoyable indie films of the year .",
        "it may not seem like an even playing field pitting an actor as powerfully intense as frank langella opposite a robot , but that 's the game plan behind the waywardly endearing , slightly futuristic fantasy robot & frank .",
        "an endearing movie about a human and his mechanical new buddy .",
        "much of robot & frank is -lrb- frankly -rrb- resistible , including the climactic narrative twist , but there is also a likeable oddness that transcends the sentimental contrivance .",
        "robot & frank settles for what it is , a short , slight story , sweetly told and gently and believably acted .",
        "blessed with artistry bordering on magic , langella carries the film .",
        "turns out to be a hard , funny and realistic movie about the future .",
        "cold-staring with a black , reflective visor , a robot helps a fading old man to see life , and himself , more clearly .",
        "a bittersweet , quietly hilarious buddy caper that deserves to be the sleeper hit of the summer .",
        "just about the time that robot starts to grow on his curmudgeonly client , so may this movie -- a sci-fi fantasia that 's surprisingly sweet and old-fashioned -- win over any skeptics .",
        "the key to making all of this come together is langella , who effortlessly conveys the complexity of frank 's anger and confusion even when playing a scene for laughs .",
        "charming , playful and sly , it makes us believe that a serene automaton and a snappish human being can be best friends forever .",
        "light-fingered and charming .",
        "schreier elicits warm performances from langella and susan sarandon , and even from his robot -lrb- voiced by peter sarsgaard -rrb- .",
        "robot & frank reminds quirk-hardened veterans that an odd premise and big heart do n't have to add up to too-precious awards bait .",
        "a little gem of a movie about aging and obsolescence that is also a very modest sci-fi cautionary tale .",
        "... a marvel of the highest order . MOV manages to seamlessly blend comedy , science fiction and drama into a film that is hilarious , truly original and utterly heartfelt",
        "an hysterically funny , breathlessly paced and moving meditation on old age and existence , topped by an award-worthy turn from frank langella . one of the year 's best .",
        "jake schreier and scriptwriter christopher ford go well beyond the initial fun of the robot conceit to craft a thoughtful film musing on both the ageing process and our relationship with technology .",
        "if miranda july tackled an episode of tales of the unexpected the results might be something close to what 's on offer here .",
        "langella provides a formidable central presence , both stubborn and endearing , while sarsgaard injects warmth and humanity into robot .",
        "simply oozing with charm , this sci-fi buddy movie about a robot and an ageing ex-jewel thief with memory issues has heart when you least expect it , allowing its bittersweet arrow to gently trigger our emotions",
        "deserves credit for bringing comic fantasy close to sensitive reality",
        "a subtle , good-natured ride with a gentle bite . langella gives an exquisite performance as the wily ex-con .",
        "more concerned with the heart than the robotics , robot & frank is a buddy movie in which memory is a prized thing . and it 's certainly memorable",
        "`` robot & frank '' is so endearing it 's easy to forget it 's science fiction .",
        "the chief spectacle here -- and it 's a good one -- is langella in gruff , curdled mode , an underappreciated master actor slipping seamlessly into a bespoke role .",
        "robot & frank is an airy , engaging flight of fancy . it 's also part caper film , part character study , and part allegory about aging . robot & frank should n't work , but it does .",
        "this blend of sentiment and genre fancy is not unlike something ray bradbury might have contrived for the magazine of fantasy & science fiction .",
        "`` robot & frank '' is a study of a man who lives with his past mistakes but ca n't shake how truly alive they made him feel when he was making them , regardless of what they cost him .",
        ". . never hits the easy and obvious beats of a buddy comedy ; there 's no sentimental bonding between man and mecha man . similarly , though it feints toward romance , the relationship ... resolves in an unexpectedly bittersweet way .",
        "they get the robot right , with fluid movement -lrb- by dancer rachael ma -rrb- and canned warmth in its user-friendly voice -lrb- performed by peter sarsgaard -rrb- .",
        "hodgepodge of moods built around an unlikely story of friendship between a man and his service robot , the film carries itself confidently , with occasional moments of significant emotion .",
        "`` robot & frank '' hits all the right notes - romantic , fantastic , tragic and sweet .",
        "what a weird , winning little movie is robot & frank .",
        "christopher d. ford 's film is nothing more than a lifetime movie dolled up in cheap philip k. dick drag .",
        "it 's langella ... who ultimately props up this borderline schmaltzy character study .",
        "a warm drama that drifts into light , goofy comedy , this film is too slight to be a classic , but its subtly sharp-edged script holds our interest and gives the cast something to work with .",
        "the film tries to say something coherent about important issues such as the descending darkness of old age but misses the mark with most of them .",
        "frank & robot is a poignant tale of man and machine",
        "one of the few movies i 've seen where the future is not a dystopic nightmare , 3d-generated phantasmagoria , or otherwise unbelievable peek into a not-too-distant hellworld .",
        "a slightly futuristic treatise on aging , family and the pitfalls of mechanical screenwriting .",
        "while the premise certainly makes it stand out from the sea of dysfunctional family dramas , a cute idea alone does n't quite cut it .",
        "the robot gives an ironic twist to isaac asimov 's `` three laws of robotics '' , and the movie is highly enjoyably for three quarters of the way .",
        "christopher d. ford 's seamless screenplay provides a light-comedy vehicle that langella rides to a satisfyingly original , epiphanic finale .",
        "often moving and deeply personal , robot & frank is a rewarding - if often underdeveloped - antidote to the plethora of loud and overblown movies that tackle the theme of technology 's role in our futures",
        "explores in subtle and heartbreaking ways how memory becomes a defining part of who were are and where we 're going .",
        "just when we think langella 's slowing down , that frost/nixon might have been his last leading role ... along comes this lovely , gentle film , reminding us once again of his extraordinary talent .",
        "debuting helmer jake schreier , screenwriter christopher d. ford and a wry and wily frank langella all shine in a smart , plausible and resonant film .",
        "the film moves beyond a mere concept and delivers an emotionally significant final product .",
        "it 's enough to make you want to hit delete .",
        "it carefully exceeds expectation , helped in no small measure by langella 's wily , wistful lead .",
        "offbeat sci-fi buddy movie is n't likely to attract teens .",
        "one of the ten best films of 2012 .",
        "despite some moments of surprising emotional impact , as we realize the depth of frank 's condition , the movie is too often mechanical .",
        "frank langella plays former cat burglar frank and the 75-year-old actor holds the entire film together with his screen integrity .",
        "an ageing frank langella and a disembodied peter sarsgaard make for an unexpectedly dynamic double act in this refreshingly unsentimental geriatric drama . robust and frank .",
        "jake schreier 's first feature is a slight story - it 's maybe something that could have turned up in an episode of the twilight zone - but it 's also tender and rather charming .",
        "forget the sci-fi trimmings and sentimental pay-off - this is a gleefully subversive character study of a charming but unapologetic rogue .",
        "MOV poses those big sci-fi , existential questions but with the bedside manner of a carer .",
        "its darker elements are handled with a light touch that do n't allow the film 's fantasy structure to become overburdened with self-importance .",
        "the final twist is a little forced , but otherwise the actors ensure that the fanciful plot stays grounded in recognisable emotions -- and langella and sarandon have more romantic chemistry than most screen couples at any age .",
        "there are also some surprising plot developments that eventually turn the comedy into quite a touching human story . robot & frank is a modest but genuinely appealing film .",
        "i thought he was a grumpy old man and i found the film actually quite unpleasant , that resorts to sentimentality in such a cheap way at the end .",
        "may be one of the blandest , mushiest non-rom-com films of the year .",
        "first-time director jake schreier never forces the gentle emotional undertow that explores aging and dementia , the result being a charming , touching ode to elderly people and the humanist potential of technology .",
        "an enjoyable diversion , a lightweight bit of philosophizing that blends humor with the bittersweet .",
        "more humorous than funny , more charming than truly entertaining .",
        "ultimately , it feels as though the filmmakers have settled for the soft option one too many times , and the result is a pleasant but unmemorable watch .",
        "`` robot & frank '' is n't sure whether it 's a comedy or drama , buddy movie or sci-fi fantasy , family melodrama or social satire .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- he movie in general is undercut by the crime high jinks .",
        "a small , sweet character study that affords frank langella another opportunity to shine .",
        "`` robot & frank '' is the sort of undernourished , underpopulated production that indie fans must all too frequently settle for . it 's a theatrical feature hell bent for home video .",
        "robot & frank is the best old-man buddy movie i 've seen since up .",
        "this is a framework that could have benefitted from more irony and complexity , especially with the resources of langella , but at the end , i felt the movie was too easily satisfied .",
        "in a traditionally excellent , subtle performance , langella embodies a man recapturing his purpose .",
        "a gentle comedy that goes far deeper than its cyber odd couple setup implies .",
        "sentimental high-concept fluff that works .",
        "this is langella 's show , and although the story seems slight and straightforward , christopher d. ford 's screenplay finds more complicated shades of emotion for the veteran actor to explore by the end .",
        "this is not just the kind of science fiction that purists always say they want - i.e. , the kind with real ideas that uses technology to talk about the human condition - but it 's also an emotional powerhouse",
        "this role fits frank langella to perfection as he plays away from the obvious comedy in search of greater truths .",
        "when the film allows itself to slack , it slumps almost irrevocably , and it never quite recovers from an unsatisfying and overemotional middle .",
        "one of my favorite films from this year 's sundance . frank langella deserves serious awards buzz .",
        "when frank talks to robot , he is actually talking to robot , not a computer image , and this seems fresh after the cgi extravaganzas of -lsb- the summer -rsb- .",
        "frank langella plays so many variations on cute and crotchety and with such suppleness - he 's by turns a charming codger , a silver fox and a wise graybeard - that his performance comes close to a saving grace .",
        "-lsb- video essay -rsb- ... there 's much to appreciate in frank langella 's artful performance opposite an empathetic robot .",
        "its irresponsibility redeems it -- it 's a raspberry blown against the dying of the light .",
        "it 's an amusing set up for a film , and it 's given some weight by the interplay between the two characters .",
        "unpredictable , smart and sweet , `` robot & frank '' is also entertaining and thought-provoking on multiple levels . i loved it .",
        "you do n't realize how well it works until it 's over .",
        "it 's langella 's crafty , heart-tugging burglar who steals every scene .",
        "robot & frank is very nearly a one-man show , a master interacting with a machine .",
        "... the real heart of the film is the fantastic performance given by langella .",
        "a rueful and funny reflection on aging , death , parenthood , and technology .",
        "the director does his best to infuse emotional weight into this rather light and meandering boy toy bonding misadventure . though with an injection of quite a heartfelt finale that nearly salvages whatever inconsequential escapades preceded it .",
        "here 's a film with a premise that could have played horrendously in the wrong hands .",
        "frank langella forms an engaging double act with a piece of moulded metal alloy in robot & frank .",
        "MOV were electric . the rest ? sheepish .",
        "a fairly cheap trick towards the denouement aside , this is cutely observed , thoughtful work .",
        "the pair 's low-key crime spree provides some gentle suspense , but it 's the developing friendship between the grouchy ex-thief and the robot that will beguile viewers most .",
        "a small but perfectly formed tale with plenty to say about the nature of friendship .",
        "robot & frank does not quite deliver a killer punch , but it 's an engaging , humane fantasy .",
        "despite the amusing premise this is n't funny , moving or eventful enough to merit a trip to the cinema .",
        "frank langella subtly provides the heart and soul as the crafty frank , a game retiree whose disreputable inclinations take the story in a pleasingly unsentimental direction - think wall-e meets the thomas crown affair .",
        "enjoyable , well written and superbly acted comedy drama that cleverly blends buddy movies , sci-fi flicks and caper pictures into an emotionally engaging film about old age ."],
    "summary": "led by a brilliant performance from star frank langella , robot & frank works as both a quirky indie drama and as a smart , thoughtful meditation on aging .",
    "id": "771265601"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dungeons_and_dragons",
    "reviews":
     [
        "really confusing and silly , but sorta cool because of it .",
        "for visual thrills and fairytale themes , this fantasy feature kicks the stuffing out of star wars .",
        "this film 's only hope is to reach an audience too young to recognize its blatant rip-offs .",
        "while d&d obviously has n't set out to redefine a genre , it does n't succeed on its own modest terms , either , offering neither enthralling adventure nor memorable characters .",
        "it 's not so much like stepping into the pages of the hobbit as being thrust into the random action of a video game .",
        "looks cheesy much of the time and smells cheesy -- as in limburger -- all of the time .",
        "viewed strictly as the b-movie it is , d&d is actually more enjoyable as traditional narrative entertainment than the technically dazzling yet dramatically sterile episode i.",
        "a low-rent , half-witted , too-late attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the game .",
        "an out-and-out dog .",
        "it is a diverting adventure .",
        "this convoluted , sloppily made film looks like it was cut down from a four-hour length with a machete .",
        "MOV ? more like dragging dung .",
        "the special effects ... are nothing special , which is as close as this painfully derivative clunker is ever going to get to a ringing endorsement .",
        "the average episode of xena or hercules offers a more compelling and imaginative photoplay .",
        "where is the bubonic plague when you need it ? i wanted them all to die and the sooner , the better .",
        "dungeons & dragons takes itself far too seriously and ends up being just plain stupid .",
        "one of the worst movies released in a year already notorious for bad movies .",
        "it feels like a magic potion that 's nine parts imitation and one part special effects .",
        "consists of a barrage of poorly staged fight scenes and dialogue that not even arnold schwarzeneggar in conan the barbarian could bring himself to utter .",
        "if you do n't like the movie , it 's solely because you 're not a fan of this type of escapism . it could n't possibly be because the movie stinks . well , this one does .",
        "fans of the role-playing game will be distressed as they see their beloved world contorted into a travesty .",
        "longtime opponents of the hobby might be tempted to ask themselves an important question : how could this sort of overblown silliness pose any threat , except as a monumental time-killer ?",
        "a splashy , silly movie that inexplicably stars jeremy irons but will delight 10-year-old boys across the realm .",
        "easily one of the year 's worst films , and there 's a very good chance it could run away with multiple razzie award nominations for its excessive crapulence .",
        "i am certain that this sloppy slice of schlock is hardly what the fandom had in mind .",
        "alas , much of the dialogue is the silliest sort of fantasy mush , and a good deal of the picture appears to have been shot while the lighting guys were out to lunch .",
        "an ambitious spectacle that should enthrall preteens and remind their parents of the innovative daring of the star wars movies .",
        "the story often thrills with its message about the sinister homogeneity of evil and how good can prevail only if diverse types join together to do what 's right .",
        "gamer geeks , i speak your language ! and i warn you : flee !",
        "better luck next turn .",
        "it seems almost too obvious to suggest that d&d actually stands for dumb & dumber , and it would also , in this case , be an understatement .",
        "the special effects range from good to kinda silly . the dialogue , unfortunately , is mostly silly .",
        "an insult , whether you 're familiar with the game or not .",
        "an interesting tale that never bores .",
        "this tacky-looking , incoherent , badly acted and hopelessly directed disaster is easily the dullest adventure film of 2000 .",
        "all the dungeon masters , warriors and illusionists out there who have devoted countless late-night hours to d&d have a right to feel disrespected , if not insulted .",
        "the disconnects are so strange that with a little more effort , they could have become a style .",
        "seems to have been assembled from sword-and-sorcery clich\u00e9s .",
        "much of the physical action has the rushed , one-dimensional feeling of syndicated television .",
        "the wayans role is a total cringe -- a cowardly and stupid nonstop talker who is easily manipulated by and wholly devoted to his mentally superior buddy .",
        "this performance will haunt irons for the rest of his career or put an abrupt end to it .",
        "a mildly entertaining but tepid extravaganza more suited to television than the big screen .",
        "the fight sequences are limp , the pace often drags , and the dramatic moments elicit more laughter than the comic ones .",
        "sinks in a sea of cheesy effects , cheap clich\u00e9s , dispiriting narrative and the one thing an action fantasy ca n't afford : boredom .",
        "bad , often indecipherable to all but the those intimately familiar with it , and certainly less than engaging on nearly any level .",
        "this is a movie of good guys overcoming hordes of indestructible soldiers or conquering devilishly murderous mazes , and then practically gloating with pride at the silliness of it all .",
        "solomon brings absolutely nothing to the party , besides a level of directorial incompetence that one rarely sees in major studio films .",
        "as inept as his direction is , solomon 's script is worse , an awful screenplay that shamelessly swipes some of its characters and scenes from the star wars movies without as much as a simple acknowledgment .",
        "the movie has the cheap software look of something found on the space channel at 4 a.m.",
        "this movie may be the clumsiest , most inept cinematic exploitation of an item with kid appeal that we have yet seen .",
        "spends too much time being a game of MOV instead of telling a story .",
        "dungeons & dragons , a misbegotten exercise in abject incompetence , produces all the magic and fun of a slow root canal .",
        "tv-trained performers yelling at each other , second-rate computer-generated graphics failing to conjure up an enchanted world and marlon wayans doing what can only be called a heartfelt tribute to butterfly mcqueen ...",
        "any dungeon master worth his 20-sided dice could have whipped up a better scenario .",
        "most of the special effects have that vapory digital look that has become very ho-hum by now .",
        "we still like it better than attack of the clones ...",
        "the movie reminded me of a trailer for a fantasy adventure , a highlights reel flashing by in pretty colors .",
        "i doubt anyone will be cosplaying as snails anytime , soon .",
        "maybe i should let a role of the dice determine whether i use a cudgel or a broadsword to put this puppy out of its misery ?",
        "most of the movie is underlit and dank , which serves to minimize the distinct cartoonishness of the many computer-generated digital effects .",
        "decepcionante por donde quiera que se le vea",
        "this film is an all-you-can-eat buffet of bad acting , and jeremy irons is going back for seconds , chewing up the scenery with utter shamelessness .",
        "solomon and his writers fail to establish any sense of time or place -- jeremy irons hams it up like richard iii on speed , while marlon wayans talks like he just came from a rap concert at the la forum .",
        "it will take all the resolve that a child can muster to stay awake during this hellishly putrid piece of filmmaking .",
        "without irons ' hamming , there would n't be much to chew on in this exasperatingly plotted mess .",
        "even with your +2 ring of histrionic resistance , you 're hosed . for the rest of the movie , you will suffer the effects of some of the worst acting in recent memory .",
        "the sad truth is , i can say nothing to recommend this film .",
        "it could have been much worse . now how 's that for being positive ?",
        "the visual spectacle , special effects and action should impress lovers of the fantasy genre .",
        "it 's difficult to imagine either a casual player or a devotee -lrb- let alone someone unfamiliar with the game -rrb- finding much to enjoy in this horribly slapdash affair .",
        "amateurish , unintentionally hilarious , horribly written piece of crap .",
        "the movie makes no apology for its extreme campiness at times , and it blatantly rips off other films .",
        "garish , plodding and virtually incomprehensible to the uninitiated .",
        "MOV is the fantasy genre at its worst and will likely disgruntle even the most die-hard role-playing wonks .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "critics say this movie has a cheap look and is badly directed . despite the presence of talented actors , the performances are really bad , and additionally , some people are offended at marlon wayans ' character , calling it a racist throwback to black stereotypes .",
    "id": "12774"
  },
  {
    "movie": "pay_it_forward",
    "reviews":
     [
        "as trevor , haley joel osment ... is amazing again .",
        "hollywood feel-goodism at its best -lrb- or worst , depending on your patch adams tolerance quotient -rrb- .",
        "right now , hunt 's performance is the strongest of the year . i do n't know how anyone else can top it .",
        "a rich experience , smart , courageous and bracingly powerful .",
        "worth going to see , mainly for osment 's superb thespian abilities .",
        "the movie has a realistic sense of people 's failings ... and it recognizes how hard it is to turn a life around .",
        "the combination of restrained writing and direction and top-of-the-line acting is enough to make even confirmed agnostics want to believe in this unashamed fairy tale .",
        "inspired .",
        "the idea is simple , sweet and catchy , like a pop song , and MOV is almost as irresistible as trevor 's idea .",
        "i figured this movie was going to be a little sappy and it turned out to be a lot sappy , but i forgave it all the same . why ? moving performances and an overwhelmingly earnest quality that dares you to be cynical .",
        "the story weaves together beautifully and you 're left with a film that makes you want to go out and do nice things for other people yourself .",
        "hunt is effective as a single mom stressed by work , poverty and guilt . spacey inhabits simonet 's lonely persona .",
        "has all the elements of a satisfying movie except knowing when to stop . the rest is good enough , however , that it will do .",
        "gutsy when it 's not glossy , MOV is an affirming experience .",
        "tissues or barf bag , take your pick . personally , i was glad i grabbed a handful of concession napkins . judging by the chorus of sniffles , i was n't alone .",
        "good acting combined with the audience 's desire to see good done is enough to warrant a conservative recommendation for MOV .",
        "an excellent film that should be a finalist for the top ten lists of many critics come year 's end .",
        "works beautifully as a figment of someone 's idealism and goodwill .",
        "sure to be a crowd pleaser .",
        "acting from the three leads is solid , and director mimi leder manages to make their problems meaningful , despite the heavy we-can-change - the-world message .",
        "my heart was happily warmed and my tears happily jerked .",
        "an `` attack of total altruism '' embedded in a slightly simplistic movie , fronted with terrific actors .",
        "osment truly is as good as it gets where kid thesps are concerned .",
        "a good movie that could have surely been a great one if the producers had had the guts to present reality as it is .",
        "what ultimately saves it are the performances from its oscar winning & nominated trio of thespians who embody the story 's emotionally injured characters .",
        "we 're carried through MOV by the boy 's emotional development , his concern for people and his innate goodness and growing courage .",
        "we should all challenge ourselves to MOV .",
        "a button-pushing film with terrific acting , an interesting story and a really hokey ending .",
        "it 's carried to an amazing degree by its performances .",
        "you witness the first , testing , tension-packed conversation between spacey and osment , as pregnant in its silences as in its words , and you are ready to go wherever this movie leads you .",
        "an already-flawed motion picture that could have added up to so much more than it ultimately does .",
        "`` MOV '' elicits more emotion than it deserves . still , shedding a tear or two on account of the film is not an unreasonable request .",
        "all three leads are first-rate .",
        "sanctimonious drivel .",
        "few films stoop as low as MOV under the guise of upright seriousness .",
        "some very affecting performances .",
        "both affecting and effective .",
        "it 's not looking to touch us in any meaningful way ; it 's just looking to make us cry so we -lrb- and the academy -rrb- will be fooled into heaping awards on it come next march .",
        "recordatorio de que la humanidad puede ser redimida a trav\u00e9s de las buenas intenciones y la fe en los dem\u00e1s",
        "the acting should please everyone -- including academy voters .",
        "spacey and osment can wrench a few tears out of me anytime they want . being led by the nose was never so pleasant .",
        "optimistic , yet painfully honest , MOV is an excellent film for those who look for hope amidst the world 's seemingly overwhelming bad news .",
        "with its smorgasbord of moralizings , MOV is a confusing welter of sentiment .",
        "less a worthy achievement than a nice try .",
        "sappy , forced , artificial and manipulative -- but really well acted !",
        "overlong , overpriced , overwrought sentimental bucket of slop .",
        "by the end of this movie , i have no desire to change the real world . i would just like to show the writers of this movie what it would be like if they lived in it for one day .",
        "filled with calculated sentiment , this is not a movie but a feature-length shill for academy awards nominations .",
        "even if you do n't buy the idea ... it 's still quite possible to enjoy the movie as a love story involving two badly damaged souls .",
        "... too unfocused , too uninvolving , and ultimately too cloyingly sweet for my taste .",
        "not since gump has there been such a pandering , faux-virtuous package of populist pap for hollywood to shove in the faces of electioneering politicos and say : look , we do n't just market unwholesome swill to families , we market wholesome swill , too .",
        "the three principals have been encouraged to recycle their recently acclaimed performances and , when at a loss for something to do , to fall back on their specialty acts .",
        "as it stands now , MOV winds up making a very good case for never going out of your way to help anybody .",
        "it 's a bit like the class showoff , raising its hand to answer every question . and like the class showoff , it 's admirable , but there 's something about it that makes you roll your eyes .",
        "it 's a pretty nice movie until , like a ponzi plan , it collapses .",
        "the film boxes itself into a simplistic turn of phrase that grows quite annoying as time passes .",
        "toploaded with manipulative schmaltz , star-turn moments , intentionally unflattering makeup , unbelievable plot twists and just plain twaddle .",
        "no wonder arlene keeps a bottle of vodka in the chandelier . you would too with this demonic , passive-aggressive , new age munchkin trying to run your life .",
        "inspirational oscar-bait undermined by bad casting .",
        "has cute , amusing moments and is good-looking for a vegas picture . still , it 's a squish .",
        "hunt and spacey have zero onscreen chemistry , and their extravagantly praised performances seem built on the classic hollywood wisdom that you ca n't go wrong letting yourself look really awful .",
        "an emotional button-pusher that should have the pre-cursing title oprah winfrey presents .",
        "like a smart but lazy student trying to get through school on the strength of his or her personality rather than good study habits , it fails to live up to its promise .",
        "in this job , i witness so much soulless hollywood drivel that i stand prepared to cheer any literate , solidly acted , character-driven film . then i see something like MOV and i change my mind .",
        "those who enjoy good performances , this might be worth a look , but remember , you will probably be disappointed with the film itself .",
        "despite being full of oscar-winning talent , this is still just a better-dressed , drawn-out episode of touched by an angel .",
        "it is uncomfortable and embarrassing to have one 's cynical ass whipped by a huge , hulking hallmark card .",
        "keeps zigging and zagging between plots and subplots that do n't really matter .",
        "it becomes the rare movie that starts well and gets bad as it goes along .",
        "hard-hearted critic that i am , i even found tears welling up near the end . but it 's dishonest in its execution , and a tad dull after a promising beginning .",
        "the result is about as organic as a pink hostess snowball .",
        "stretches to be significant but instead only succeeds in being a very large platter of modern day capra-corn .",
        "this film ultimately fails because it tags convenient situations on to its second half and gives us one of the most uninspiring endings that i have seen in years !",
        "this movie is sappy , unbelievable , and utterly conventional in design .",
        "an odd mix of good acting talent and an under-achieving script that hampers the overall effort .",
        "the movie suffers from mimi leder 's ham-handed direction , a script that takes the novel 's disparate subplots and ties them into a too-tidy bow , and a climactic visual shamelessly ripped-off from field of dreams .",
        "despite the concerted efforts of its oscar pedigree cast to keep it real , kevin spacey , helen hunt and impressive young haley joel osment unfortunately find themselves smothered by the schmaltz .",
        "with oscar recognition under their belts , the cast turns in uniformly lazy performances .",
        "offers more potential than payoff .",
        "unceasingly manipulative .",
        "the year 's most manipulative movie .",
        "spacey and hunt create interestingly layered characters who are hiding parts of themselves from themselves . and come oscar time , osment once again may be saying , ` i see tuxedoed people . '",
        "there is much to like in this film , not least of which is the positive message .",
        "despite a ton of good intentions , the picture is numbingly obvious and crushingly sentimental .",
        "it is a movie that will not only find but charm -- or should we say con ? -- a certain kind of audience .",
        "a fine , honest tale that gives full respect to the pain of yearning and the power of hope .",
        "hopefully , i 've now prevented three people from seeing this film , and now they will each prevent three other people from doing the same .",
        "a bit syrupy , but sentimental teens may enjoy it .",
        "ironic , is n't it , that a film about human decency takes place in vegas ?",
        "the film seems manufactured to furrow a cynic 's brow before bringing up their lunch .",
        "there is a clear-cut difference between ` oscar bait ' and ` oscar worthy , ' which mimi leder 's sentimental crock of a drama illustrates all too well .",
        "director mimi leder becomes such a manipulatively mawkish emotional puppeteer that it feels as if she 's tossing tear gas grenades into the audience .",
        "there 's a fine line between a genuinely emotional drama and a crassly manipulative tearkjerker . MOV does n't just cross that line - it trips over it .",
        "this contrived , even maudlin , drama bludgeons its underlying points home with the subtlety of a sledgehammer smash to the cranium .",
        "sadly , this is a truly excellent story that is told with exceptionally poor ability .",
        "the only thing this film pays forward is the trend of celebrating the bland , ballyhooing empty sentiments and honoring filmmaking by-the-numbers .",
        "instead of nuclear weapons or a deadly comet to blow us away , there 's the world-alteringly scary possibility that -lsb- leder -rsb- might be trying to kill us with a star-studded ` after school special . '",
        "leder -lrb- with an assist from screenwriter leslie dixon -rrb- bulldozes any and all attempts at nuance in favor of unadulterated bathos , proving once again that good intentions do not equal good filmmaking .",
        "wants so badly for us to feel something -- inspired , teary , shocked -- that it leaves us merely numb .",
        "an example of how a movie can emotionally blackmail an audience .",
        "has to be the most oppressive ` feel good ' picture in movie history .",
        "not as good as it wants to be because its trajectory is so obvious from the get-go .",
        "a cheaply manipulative film of constructed sentimentality that left me feeling angry at how it tried to jerk my emotions around .",
        "heavy-handed plot designing and telegraphing makes the film more tedious than rousing .",
        "the heavy-handedness of the direction makes the film a lesser experience than it might otherwise have been .",
        "if a movie can coax tears out of me , touch me in a way that the tears flow naturally , more power to it . but stealing my tears by beating me over the head with manipulated schmaltz is a cheat .",
        "it tells a story that audience members will want to like , but it does n't tell it strongly and cleanly enough ; it puts too many loops into the plot , and its ending is shamelessly soapy for the material .",
        "so enamored of its own upbeat view of human nature that it expects you to overlook its stick-figure characters , its creaky plot machinery and its remorseless assault on your tear ducts .",
        "this inspiring and imaginative film speaks directly to the greatest social problem and character disorder of our times - incivility .",
        "the performances gradually won me over -- and this is due less to the adult cast than to osment , who is riveting and completely believable .",
        "worthwhile for the performances ."],
    "summary": "MOV has strong performances from spacey , hunt , and osment , but the movie itself is too emotionally manipulative and the ending is bad .",
    "id": "10119"
  },
  {
    "movie": "himalaya",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this tale of faith and tradition features breathtaking vistas , a hypnotic soundtrack and impressive performances .",
        "as a travelogue ... this peaceful film by french director eric valli ... is pretty in a respectful , national geographic sort of way .",
        "an especially valuable alternative to standard summer movie fare .",
        "complexity and personality among key figures keeps MOV involving throughout its grueling journey .",
        "builds in dramatic strength and is gorgeously photographed .",
        "that these tibetans can be so relaxed and natural in front of a camera , playing versions of themselves but not themselves , speaks well of the whole culture .",
        "`` himalya '' may not exactly be the most dramatic feature , but it does contain striking images of a lesser-known area of the world .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the film 's plot , fashioned after an american western , is disappointing and predictable .",
        "seeing MOV is to bear witness to a proud and rich people .",
        "compelling fare even if it were merely a travelogue .",
        "an ambitious film with much to admire ; it falls short , however , of delivering the convincing drama that the material suggests it might have been .",
        "maybe with some big hollywood stars the film would seem a bit trite , but , with these honest , straightforward actors , the story is completely engrossing .",
        "as the tenacious tinle and karma war it out for the tribesmen 's hearts , the crystal of their battle keeps turning , showing new allegorical and human depths .",
        "one of the most beautiful movies you 're likely to see this year .",
        "a visually poetic , moving story .",
        "valli never lets the immense rawness of the film oppress the grace found in its gripping character-driven firmament .",
        "you 'll feel as if valli 's friendship with these people has spilled over to encompass you as well .",
        "more than an entertaining ethnographic study . it 's human drama , high and mighty .",
        "scene after scene , shot after shot is so gorgeous that valli is profligate with them .",
        "a work of polite ethnography , a coffee-table book of a film that invites us to behold an exotic world from a comfortable and complacent distance .",
        "the film utilizes nonactors across the board , and they go about their business with the sort of confidence and ease that can only come after a lifetime in this terrain .",
        "a stunning achievement in location cinematography .",
        "cinematographers eric guichard and jean-paul meurisse present a pristine window onto a spectacular , hidden world .",
        "as real as it gets , an appealing , mesmerising portrait of a world that few have visited .",
        "lhondup is a study in grizzled wisdom , and thoroughly merits this fondly poetic tribute .",
        "a film of unusual visual beauty and enormous intrinsic interest .",
        "juxtaposes breathtaking cinematography with an ancient , almost epic story .",
        "valli 's greatest accomplishment on the film is the naturalistic performances he gets from his nonprofessional local cast .",
        "by its close , MOV has granted us an intimacy with the dolpo region of nepal that is difficult to shake .",
        "valli documents the tremendous beauty of this remote region and of its inhabitants in one of the year 's better films .",
        "real people , facing real dilemmas , would have been more convincing than the contrivances of MOV .",
        "valli 's touch as an artist is too light , and his dramatic sense too timid , to make the film much more than a collection of pretty pictures .",
        "a fascinating and rewarding journey for those willing to take a bit of a risk .",
        "a special film that opens your eyes to exotic people in another part of the world , then shows you that most of their concerns mirror our own .",
        "the story here is kept pleasantly simple .",
        "for all its realism , the movie is too low-keyed for its own good , and audience interest may flag .",
        "valli 's cameras capture one breathtaking image after another .",
        "the story of an old man 's stubbornness and pride in the face of youthful competition is not a new one , but MOV delivers it with extraordinary visual grace .",
        "audiences will leave with the sense of having been a privileged visitor .",
        "an astonishingly beautiful and thematically rich nepalese film that presents many vanishing elements of a faraway tibetan culture .",
        "the camera showcases the beauty of the himalayas as well as telling a moving story of power , pride and cultural change .",
        "a truly magnificent and authentic nepalese film ...",
        "surprisingly involving .",
        "MOV is a film about choices , pride and forgiveness , filled with memorable characters and stunning scenery . and if you like yaks , this is the film for you .",
        "high above the tree line , tinle , karma and norbu act out a universal human drama with only two special effects -- a blinking star and a yak ."],
    "summary": "unlike the overproduced and overbudgeted hollywood blockbusters , MOV is a stunningly photographed movie that offers an intimate look into the lives of a dolpo tribe .",
    "id": "19444"
  },
  {
    "movie": "appropriate_behavior",
    "reviews":
     [
        "a solid , grounded piece of work that approaches its subject with a maturity remarkable for a first feature from a young director .",
        "appropriate behaviour is a confident and witty debut about finding yourself and fitting in that knows exactly what it wants to say . akhavan is undoubtedly one to watch .",
        "akhavan has limbs like miranda hart and , at times , seems as desperate to please . yet she 's got real charisma . when she stops trying so hard , the film soars .",
        "unconventional but rewarding .",
        "the female-fronted confessional comedy is given a middle eastern twist in writer/director desiree akhavan 's sharply penned feature debut , in which she also stars .",
        "akhavan achieves a near-perfect blend of satirical jaundice and naked delight in all things bohemian .",
        "it 's akhavan 's presence that elevates it above a crowded field . her film 's a little bit different from the norm , and that - for now - is promising enough .",
        "appropriate behaviour has an indulgent , slightly precious autobiographical feel - but it is funny , risky and in exhilaratingly bad taste .",
        "with an astute and very funny script , this quirky comedy is packed with entertaining characters and situations that continually catch the audience by surprise ...",
        "an original and charismatically honest new york comedy .",
        "it 's another new york-based coming-of-age comedy/drama , but do n't roll your eyes : desiree akhavan is a fresh new voice in filmmaking .",
        "`` shirin 's pursuit of her true self is n't just a story we 've rarely , if ever , seen on film ; it 's the introduction of a hilarious and essential new voice . ''",
        "for all the brazen charms of this warm , funny debut ... its quieter moments signal a profundity that 's really worth getting excited about .",
        "ultimately , MOV works almost in spite of itself ...",
        "the slender , seemingly autobiographical film has its share of neurotic charms and funny one-liners , but it 's too tentative about digging into its identity conflicts -- sexual or cultural .",
        "desiree akhavan cleverly skewers so much of what makes brooklyn-set indies the subject of derision , but she does it with grace and humor , not with potshots or exaggerated gags .",
        "forget its generic title , its breakup setup , and its indie-standard brooklyn walk-and-talks : writer/director desiree akhavan 's MOV is the freshest comedy of life and love in the city since obvious child .",
        "if this is a familiar kind of film with a familiar setting and a familiar resolution , that intense delicacy makes it clear that its creator is an unusual talent .",
        "MOV is n't a narrative about ethnicity or even lgbt struggles in the traditional sense , but rather a means of exploring the problems that result from reinforcing those very barriers . in the process , it introduces a thoroughly modern voice .",
        "sometimes a film need not totally work in order to win you over . case in point : MOV , which heralds the arrival of a fresh talent in the form of multi-hyphenate desiree akhavan .",
        "a true multicultural comedy , equally at home in its hipster brooklyn and iranian immigrant settings , taking a loving and scornful look at both .",
        "if woody allen were a tall iranian bisexual woman with a gawky sandra-bullockish beauty and an exasperating , egocentric outlook on the world , MOV would have been his annie hall .",
        "akhavan 's most effective resource as a storyteller is her own face , a sometimes chaplinesque blend of farce and pathos . she is a big talent to watch .",
        "funny and specific , it makes you eager to see what this filmmaker does next .",
        "akhavan 's confidently off-kilter approach to basic human interaction makes for an authentically ironic , adorably wistful , smartly observed ride .",
        "... MOV depicts a woman striving to be a quirky indie protagonist and gradually realizing that she 's actually a human being .",
        "there 's a lot to get across here , a lot of information , but the real strength of `` MOV '' is that you can sense , in every scene , that akhavan really has something to say .",
        "for all its disorganization and lack of an ending or even a sense of direction , `` MOV '' is alive .",
        "it seems poised to become a similar cult classic for young urbanites .",
        "desiree akhavan 's tale of queer post-breakup funk shows more nuance , and racial dimension , than its cinematic cousins .",
        "in its a-linear presentation of the story of maxine and shirin 's relationship , the film takes after annie hall , though we spend a fair portion of the film observing shirin in the aftermath of that relationship 's demise .",
        "MOV is the sexy , soulful , snarky directorial debut of writer and star desiree akhavan ... if this is her tiny furniture , expect more great things to come .",
        "it may be a lesbian persian-american ` girls ' knockoff , but writer-director-star desiree akhavan 's debut still packs plenty of punch .",
        "falls into single-girl-in-the-city clich\u00e9s a few too many times for my tastes , but heralds the arrival of someone who seems likely to do impressive things .",
        "the writer-director-star desiree akhavan 's lesbian romcom is well observed and often very witty .",
        "tall , dark and drily funny .",
        "funny , unique , and entirely inappropriate , MOV is a supremely satisfying and irreverent take on the new york rom-com .",
        "there 's an engaging , indie sense of emotional flux in writer-director desiree akhavan 's feature debut ... and a very funny script indeed behind it .",
        "-lsb- akhavan is -rsb- a whiz at writing characters whose life seems to extend beyond their brief screentime .",
        "despite its navel-gazing tendencies , this retains a spicily frank comedic edge , laced with the kind of bitingly quotable epithets you 'll wish you 'd thought of yourself .",
        "there 's no denying that appropriate behaviour is often good fun with a handful of truly great sequences , but as a film it 's anything but consistent .",
        "if the lead character in girls were a bisexual iranian woman trying to navigate modern life in hipsterish brooklyn ... it might come out something like MOV ...",
        "the movie does n't seem to be up to anything larger than an amiable slice of urban life , and it does n't need to be .",
        "it is admittedly another entry into the hip new york twenty-something subgenre . it is also , however , a frank and very funny debut from an interesting new talent .",
        "it 's a film offering us a rare perspective and highlighting why having female , lgbtq , and minority perspectives as a whole are so woefully missed and so entirely necessary ."],
    "summary": "warm , funny , and quietly profound , MOV serves as a thoroughly compelling calling card for writer , director , and star desiree akhavan .",
    "id": "771372066"
  },
  {
    "movie": "equilibrium",
    "reviews":
     [
        "... MOV is one of the better action/sci-fi movies of the year ...",
        "if you were disappointed by recent sci-fi actioners like terminator 3 , then you 'd probably be pleasantly surprised by this underappreciated movie ...",
        "it only adds unneeded celluloid to an increasingly tired genre !",
        "c'est un film qui rivalise avec les plus gros blockbusters hollywoodiens . je l'ai trouv\u0439 beaucoup plus satisfaisant que the matrix reloaded .",
        "who knew that a reunion of metroland stars bale and watson could yield something so downright nutty ?",
        "an engaging ride , with some quicksilver moves .",
        "violent post-nuclear sci-fi is orwellian .",
        "channels the themes of george orwell and the action of john woo wonderfully .",
        "the fun here is not so much in the solid if stolid performances from bale and co-stars taye diggs and emily watson ... or in wimmer 's overpolished plot devices as it is in the production values .",
        "wimmer delivers the already labored story with the subtlety of a sledgehammer .",
        "50 % homage to the classic science fiction touchstones and 50 % damn solid in its own right .",
        "sci-fi rehash , which is more interested in video-game-style violence and a high body count than exploring cool story possibilities or preventing plot inconsistencies .",
        "think fahrenheit 451 meets the matrix meets john woo meets george orwell , and you 'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from MOV .",
        "silly stuff , all mixed up together like a term paper from a kid who ca n't quite distinguish one sci-fi work from another .",
        "what it lacks in originality it makes up for in intelligence and b-grade stylishness .",
        "MOV is what george orwell might have imagined had today 's mood-altering drug therapy been envisioned by chemists in 1949 .",
        "... a cinematic disaster so inadvertently sidesplitting it 's worth the price of admission for the ridicule factor alone .",
        "it 's at once laughable and compulsively watchable , in its committed dumbness .",
        "a flaccid sci-fi opus slavishly modeled on ` fahrenheit 451 ' ... flat and antiseptic .",
        "unapologetic landslide of steaming balderdash .",
        "post 9/11 the philosophical message of `` personal freedom first '' might not be as palatable as intended .",
        "say yes to the war off drugs",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "equlibrium could pass for a thirteen-year-old 's book report on the totalitarian themes of 1984 and farenheit 451 .",
        "superb production values & christian bale 's charisma make up for a derivative plot .",
        "hard to take as seriously as its creators clearly intended .",
        "the self-serious MOV makes its point too well ; a movie , like life , is n't much fun without the highs and lows .",
        "if there was a solitary new idea or actual emotion in MOV , the prozium must have rendered me oblivious .",
        "someone should have arrested wimmer for being a common-sense offender when he first typed the script .",
        "with too much emphasis on the stylishly shot fight and action sequences rather than the sci-fi or even human elements , the film is all flash and little substance , even when it pretends to be interested in the latter .",
        "fails as a dystopian movie , as a retooling of fahrenheit 451 , and even as a rip-off of the matrix .",
        "it 's a long way from orwell 's dark , intelligent warning cry -lsb- 1984 -rsb- to the empty stud knockabout of MOV , and what once was conviction is now affectation .",
        "just because it 's a good idea does n't mean it 's easy to do well .",
        "apesar de obviamente inspirado em matrix -lrb- para n\u0433o citar 1984 e fahrenheit 451 , entre outros -rrb- , o filme convence gra\u0437as ao interessante dilema emocional de seu protagonista e \u0430s intensas coreografias das seq\u044c\u043ancias de a\u0437\u0433o .",
        "an entertaining but unspectacular film . pretty goofy at times - but the slick and gleefully self-indulgent violence will not disappoint the action fan .",
        "enjoyable hogwash .",
        "` MOV ' succeeds primarily because of christian bale 's uncanny ability to project the awakening soul of the character he portrays .",
        "there is something charming in the way it bravely invites derision , like the boy in the high school play who ca n't remember his lines and decides to milk an awkward situation for laughs instead .",
        "naggingly inconsistent and oppressively dumb .",
        "the notion of deleting emotion from people , even in an advanced prozac nation , is so insanely dysfunctional that the rampantly designed MOV becomes a concept doofus .",
        "derivative dystopia is a muddled , maudlin and laughable mess with a few nice fight scenes to break up the failure .",
        "borrows from so many literary and cinematic sources that this future world feels absolutely deja vu .",
        "a moderately entertaining cautionary tale .",
        "an atrocious hodgepodge of dystopian-future clich\u00e9s from wannabe auteur kurt wimmer .",
        "predictable and dispiriting .",
        "it does n't do a lot of deep thinking , but unlike many futuristic combos of sf and f/x , it does make a statement : freedom of opinion is a threat to totalitarian systems .",
        "it 's the funniest american comedy since graffiti bridge .",
        "matrixian , orwellian , and boneheadian .",
        "what you would end up with if you took orwell , bradbury , kafka , george lucas and the wachowski brothers and threw them into a blender . but that 's just the problem with it - the director has n't added enough of his own ingredients .",
        "a lackluster exercise in derivation almost completely free of fresh ideas .",
        "what a dumb , fun , curiously adolescent movie this is .",
        "dour and charmless .",
        "you can practically hear george orwell turning over .",
        "giggling at the absurdities and inconsistencies is part of the fun . but the talented cast alone will keep you watching , as will the fight scenes .",
        "either preston is really good at martial arts , or everyone else is really bad . probably a little of both .",
        "flashy gadgets and whirling fight sequences may look cool , but they ca n't distract from the flawed support structure holding MOV up .",
        "combining elements of 1984 , fahrenheit 451 and the matrix , this ridiculous sci-fi mish-mash sounds appealing , but is nothing more than a poorly designed knockoff .",
        "you could rant at me for hours all the reasons it sucks , and i 'd probably agree with most of them -- but the point is , i had fun .",
        "it 's the action sequences in this movie that sell .",
        "the characters act like robots , and the story unfolds like a computer program .",
        "an unsophisticated sci-fi drama that takes itself all too seriously .",
        "wimmer 's narrative sloppiness makes one think he 's popped a few too many pills , since MOV often feels like a sense offense itself .",
        "` matrix ' - style massacres erupt throughout ... but the movie has a tougher time balancing its violence with kafka-inspired philosophy .",
        "the dumbest view of the future i 've seen -lrb- and , reader , i survived john travolta in battlefield earth -rrb- .",
        "bale makes it all frighteningly real . and lots of fun .",
        "cold , sterile and lacking any color or warmth .",
        "a seriously bad film with seriously warped logic by writer-director kurt wimmer at the screenplay level .",
        "MOV is equal parts video game and gq fashion spread .",
        "outstandingly bad .",
        "a movie that could be stupider only if it were longer .",
        "it 's hard not to feel you 've just watched a feature-length video game with some really heavy back story .",
        "this inventive , low-budget science-fiction movie stands on its own , from its bracing , ingenious fight sequences to its literate roots in dystopian fiction .",
        "it 's super - violent , super-serious and super-stupid .",
        "MOV the movie , as opposed to the manifesto , is really , really stupid .",
        "a dull , somnambulant exercise in pretension whose pervasive quiet is broken by frequent outbursts of violence and noise .",
        "illiterate , often inert sci-fi action thriller .",
        "a science-fiction pastiche so lacking in originality that if you stripped away its inspirations there would be precious little left .",
        "... a preachy parable stylized with a touch of john woo bullet ballet .",
        "the premise is overshadowed by the uberviolence of the clericks as this becomes just another kung-fu sci-fi movie with silly action sequences .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "MOV is a reheated mishmash of other sci-fi movies .",
    "id": "12894"
  },
  {
    "movie": "inside_job_2010",
    "reviews":
     [
        "this eye-opening documentary is critical of both parties in its search for answers about the causes of the 2008 economic collapse .",
        "ferguson is so mad he 's punching at whatever 's in front of him . it 's understandable , but this is more polemic than documentary .",
        "as a documentary , this is a clear-eyed , steadily building prosecution against wall street . but , in the end , ferguson 's film is just a moot trial in which the defendants have already escaped scot-free .",
        "who whacked the economy ?",
        "more entertaining than wall street 2 while saying infinitely more about the iniquities of those that claim to work for us .",
        "this is a powerful and coherent work that will explain where the money has gone . it just ca n't help get restitution against those who did it .",
        "ultimately , MOV will not have much to offer those who follow financial news reports .",
        "this is a compelling documentary that will have you leaving the cinema absolutely seething .",
        "muchos aspectos t\u00e9cnicos probablemente se le escapen a quienes no tengan al menos un conocimiento b\u00e1sico sobre temas econ\u00f3micos y financieros , pero cualquiera podr\u00e1 entender y compartir las conclusiones a las que llega este contundente documental .",
        "MOV offers a concise history in a documentary that speaks to everyone and knows exactly who 's to blame .",
        "overall you 're left knowing money was creamed off all too easily from a system badly in need of improvement , and the uncomfortable knowledge that some of the key perpetrators may still be in positions of power .",
        "this film is as gripping as any thriller . aided by some fascinating interviews , ferguson lays out an awful story .",
        "an insightful and thought-provoking doc that will enrage and frustrate after digestion .",
        "it 's a fascinating but terrifying insight into a very murky world .",
        "ferguson takes a scalpel to the banking industry and peels away the layers to reveal the rot inside . essential viewing .",
        "a shocking and brilliant film .",
        "it depicts with admirable clarity the insanity of the boom that led to bust . if you have ever wanted to understand derivatives , hedge funds and collateralised debt obligation , this movie is for you .",
        "MOV tackles the mess head-on with a kind of bitter pragmatism , reconstructing the system that failed and circling its weak spots .",
        "what sounds like a rather dry box office offering actually turns out to be a frightening , hilarious and ultimately rousing experience .",
        "a good friend summed up MOV best when he called it ` the comedy of the year ' . it 's true .",
        "it 's a scathing examination of the global economic meltdown that began more than two years ago and continues to affect our lives .",
        "the endless skein of talking heads and bar graphs make no attempt to be cinematic and will have even the most excitable viewers struggling to stay alert .",
        "clarity and efficiency may not be the sexiest of cinematic virtues , but in MOV ? charles ferguson 's rip-roaring , wall-street-damning documentary about 2008 's global financial meltdown ? they sure prove powerful tools .",
        "even more than it wants to inform MOV seeks to enrage .",
        "by the end mr. ferguson has summoned the scourging moral force of a pulpit-shaking sermon . that he delivers it with rigor , restraint and good humor makes his case all the more devastating .",
        "for all the people who declined to be interviewed for feruson 's 's film -lrb- alan greenspan , pauling , larry summers ... -rrb- , one of the scariest takeaways of `` MOV '' is that frederic mishkin , the man who was governor of the federal reserve , did n't",
        "indignation is often the most self-deluding of emotions ; this movie has the rare gifts of lucid passion and informed rage .",
        "a clear-eyed , calmly reasoned wake-up call that reveals the 2008 financial collapse to be both a crime of greed and a systemic failure , a de-pantsing of american capitalism to the rest of the world .",
        "charles ferguson cast his acerbic eye and camera over the whole business , demonstrating clearly the conflicts of interest between the worlds of high finance and government .",
        "-lsb- s -rsb- erviceable tutorial on the basics of the global financial crisis -lsb- that -rsb- targets provocative elements - ... the global impact , ... academics -lsb- and -rsb- updates the troubles .",
        "charles ferguson , whose previous film was another cogent account of us failure , is an important contemporary historian . his style may be a little flat , but the material and the arguments are indispensable .",
        "charles ferguson 's documentary - unlike the subject matter he is broaching - makes a virtue of economy .",
        "a straightforward and very shocking account of the meltdown that 's guaranteed to give you a healthy jolt of righteous rage .",
        "you 'll need a clear head to follow this impressive and angry american doc about the financial meltdown ...",
        "a glossy , stylish documentary that 'll make you really , really angry .",
        "by turns riveting , rage-inducing and utterly depressing , this is a well made , superbly written documentary that demands to be seen and thoroughly deserves its oscar nomination .",
        "if you 're not spitting bile by the end of MOV , check your pulse .",
        "it 's a horror movie , in a way , one designed to make you angry and want to do something about it .",
        "this comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis makes for powerful -- if disheartening -- viewing .",
        "MOV , which looks at the causes and consequences of the 2008 economic collapse , is truly terrifying cinema-viewing .",
        "with entertaining clarity , writer-director charles ferguson explains what caused the recession that began september 15 , 2008 .",
        "if no end in sight took on the tone of a tragedy , then MOV becomes dark , despairing comedy .",
        "an angry , well-argued documentary about how the american financial industry set out deliberately to defraud the ordinary american investor .",
        "sickening and perfectly accessible . deconstructs the culture of greed and dishonesty ... that stretched into politics and collectively shot the entire planet in the foot .",
        "this is a work of sustained , nonpartisan rage . its anger is always simmering , never all-consuming . ferguson knows what it is he wants to say , and the movie goes about its point-making with lawyerly precision .",
        "ferguson takes the time to be clear about what he 's arguing , and whom he 's blaming for what . with just two feature-length talking-heads docs , ferguson has done a great deal to restore confidence in the genre .",
        "after watching charles ferguson 's powerhouse documentary about the global economic crisis , you will more than understand what went down -- you will be thunderstruck and boiling with rage .",
        "this is no dry economics lesson ; it is a vital wake-up call .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the clarity and intelligence with which it deals with such tricky concepts as derivatives and leverage make it invaluable .",
        "`` MOV '' is worth seeing just to learn who else refused to be interviewed , including current treasury secretary timothy geithner , former secretaries robert rubin and henry paulson and former federal reserve chairman alan greenspan",
        "f you 've been affected by the bottom dropping out of the economy -- who has n't ? -- but did n't know where to target your disappointment , your frustration , your rage , MOV gives you the answer :",
        "... an excoriating indictment of the investment banking industry .",
        "whether the film 's anatomy and analysis of the crash are accurate , they have n't been rendered in a way that 's genuinely worth paying contemporary movie ticket prices to learn about it .",
        "charles ferguson 's MOV takes a very complex subject -- the story of the global economic collapse triggered by the 2008 failure of several american financial institutions -- and explains it in very simple terms .",
        "with sherlock holmes-like precision , ferguson connects the dots between plans concocted by wall street 's masters of the universe , and the financial catastrophes that ensued as far away as iceland .",
        "it 's not that the film is n't worth its weight in gold -lrb- sadly , much of that gold has since been spent by corporate raiders -rrb- - but a bit of bang with the buck could have increased its worth a hundredfold .",
        "a damning indictment of the individuals and institutions who made money while customers lost their shirts .",
        "MOV joins a growing chorus of voices , left right and center , arguing that big business -lrb- specifically finance -rrb- and big government are not opposing forces .",
        "a trained economist might challenge his analysis , but there 's no question that ferguson , who holds a phd in political science and is a former business consultant , is a formidable interviewer .",
        "it should have you leaving the theatre in the same angry mood that fuelled toronto mayor-elect rob ford 's `` stop the gravy train ! '' mantra .",
        "get ready to get angry , but also squirm with delight .",
        "the definitive screen investigation of the global economic crisis , providing hard evidence of flagrant amorality -- and of a new nonfiction master at work .",
        "powerful takedown of the financial services industry and wall street greed .",
        "ferguson 's message is clear : when no one is minding the store that is the u.s. treasury the fangs of avarice go into hyper-sucking mode .",
        "you say MOV is a bit like a classroom documentary ? its a class you need to take .",
        "a blistering , eye-opening documentary with the potential to change america .",
        "quite simply , the definitive movie on the financial crisis and an implicit call for radical action against the two capitalist parties that are responsible for it .",
        "if you only see one movie this year , charles ferguson 's financial meltdown documentary is the one to see .",
        "occasionally feels like a great courtroom drama ... -lsb- ferguson is -rsb- a bold , relentless prosecutor .",
        "here 's the biggest story of our time , lucidly told .",
        "likely to be one of the most shocking and edifying cinematic experiences of 2011 .",
        "MOV is essential and empowering viewing about institutionalised corporate greed",
        "MOV is far more watchable than it should be .",
        "ferguson is more if stone than michael moore and is genuinely interested in getting answers , keeping himself out of the frame and only allowing his voice to intrude on the talking-head interviews when blatant spin needs to be challenged .",
        "i 've only scratched the surface of this intelligent , riveting and informative film , which i can not commend too highly .",
        "throughout , the interviewer goes beyond standard bland . from off-screen , his barbed questions are relentless in forcing heads to follow dotted lines and confront inconsistencies .",
        "a forceful argument about the dangers of unchecked greed and brazen lack of accountability .",
        "an insightful and very sorry tale of the worst kind of greed , this oscar-winning documentary exposes the people behind the global financial crisis , men & woman who are still wealthy and still running the banking industry .",
        "we want them to go to jail and realize the horror of what they 've done ? is that too much to hope for ? the answer may be too hard to face .",
        "the cerebral side of the great american mortgage meltdown . a classic documentary .",
        "somehow manages to be a breezy look at a catastrophic situation .",
        "it 's the feel-bad film of the year .",
        "-lsb- n -rsb- early everyone ferguson talks to displays an infuriating sense of entitlement ... . the rest of us are set dressing -- barely visible extras -- in the important stories of their lives .",
        "MOV traces the history of the crisis and its implications with exceptional lucidity , rigor and righteous indignation .",
        "who got us into the great recession ? greedy banks , rapacious financiers , paid-off economists , regulation-destroying politicians and government officials , says this outraged but cool-headed doc .",
        "this indispensable film shows us the who , what , when , where , and how of the financial crisis -- a failure of decency , fairness , accountability , and honor .",
        "there 's such a thing as smart angry , and such a thing as stupid angry , and after seeing MOV , audiences will be smart angry .",
        "director charles ferguson ... holds the entire system to an accountability that seems an unattainable goal in the real world .",
        "incredibly complicated but never dry , never confusing , and always riveting .",
        "another fine example of ferguson 's ability to tackle a topic in a way that keeps you riveted to every single word , knowing full well how much better you 'll be by knowing what you 'll learn by paying attention .",
        "compelling , infuriating and comprehensive ... the best kind of lecture , explaining complex ideas with clarity and skill .",
        "my vision was clouded by the steam wafting from my ears .",
        "it makes the great recession intelligible with sass and graphic verve .",
        "the key to MOV 's power is how clearly ferguson maps out each step towards disaster and how he interviews not just those who were prescient enough to sense disaster coming but also the figures who were too busy having a good time to notice",
        "-lsb- charles -rsb- ferguson remains a master at clearly laying out complex information .",
        "MOV is as much crisp , professional journalism as ballsy takedown , and the film 's two sides complement rather than detract from each other .",
        "unless you 're rip van winkle and have been taking a nap for some time , only to awaken and exclaim - what economic crisis ? - you 've been made more than aware of it . which renders this latest doc like the last horse over the finish line in secretariat .",
        "vivid in execution , impeccably produced and downright damning .",
        "there could not be a film more timely or relevant to why the world is in the shape its in right now than this meticulously constructed analysis of the financial mess of the past couple of years .",
        "this scathing expose should be enough to alarm people all over the political spectrum .",
        "essential for every american to see . more revolting than a horror movie .",
        "MOV contains too much hard evidence to be dismissed as a conspiracy theory , and enough bipartisan blame to dodge the `` liberal rant '' label . it is a profoundly important film to see , and when was the last time any movie was that ?",
        "here 's a tip for wall street investment bankers : do n't hang around the lobby after a screening of `` MOV . ''",
        "it 's no accident that the title suggests a cops-and-robbers heist film .",
        "there 's no way that MOV can be described as an enjoyable night at the movies ... not unless unbridled greed , rampant arrogance and eager malfeasance leading to the collapse of the republic is your idea of a good time .",
        "anybody who owns a wallet , a purse , a mattress or combination safe should see `` MOV . ''",
        "probably the angriest and most terrifying documentary i 've ever seen , charles ferguson 's MOV is an experience like no other .",
        "for the hundreds of times that somebody mentions millions earned or billions lost , the weight of those numbers never ceases to overwhelm .",
        "an angry and opinionated documentary . but there 's enough clear-eyed elucidation to balance out the spit-flecked invective - and perhaps even justify some of it .",
        "there have been plenty of books , articles , and movies about the 2007-08 financial meltdown and what led up to it , but if you 're looking for a first-rate all-in-one overview , it does n't get much better than charles ferguson 's MOV .",
        "it 's a lecture , though an earnest and emotional and terrifying lecture .",
        "whether it 's parsing the definition of a derivative or detailing the bad faith of major financial institutions , the new documentary MOV approaches its deconstruction of the financial meltdown with laserlike focus .",
        "you do n't have to know the difference between a credit default swap and a collateralized debt obligation to feel enraged anew by charles ferguson 's thorough dissection of the country 's economic collapse of 2008 .",
        "wall street owns washington . you might think you know this , but `` MOV '' makes you feel the enormity of it .",
        "ferguson 's provocative questioning is one of the greatest lessons of MOV . that and his demonstration that the current economic crisis is definitely not too difficult for us to understand -- and correct .",
        "a valuable educational tool and a bold documentary , the picture cuts right to the bone , bravely switching on the floodlights to find out where all the cockroaches have scattered .",
        "MOV is densely packed with information , charts and graphics , but the film is propelled by an angry , fiery pulse ...",
        "in a clear , intelligent and appropriately caustic fashion ... points the finger of blame at those who well deserve it .",
        "-lsb- ferguson -rsb- can get to a story later but provide so much more context that his film seems definitive .",
        "a must-see for anyone with even the slightest interest in how the planet is run .",
        "MOV really is the movie of the decade , unfortunately .",
        "i 've been angry pretty much since the fall of 2008 . or should i say the fall of 2008 ? i know so many people who have lost jobs , lost their homes , lost their savings ... i wo n't go on and on . all i could think of was : ` did n't someone see this coming ? '",
        "despite leaving you flailing at times with its sheer weight of detail , this superior documentary is packed to the gills with enraging , depressing answers as to what ignited the 2008 recession .",
        "a sharp study of corporate greed for those who felt michael moore pulled too many punches .",
        "praise be for MOV , which crunches the credit crunch into 1 hr 45 mins of easily digestible fact biscuits , fed to you one by one by narrator matt damon .",
        "he names and shames some of america 's most influential financial executives",
        "as gripping as any thriller",
        "a brilliant , scrupulous breakdown of how giant egos and greed led to a disaster that would imperil the american public .",
        "though i ca n't claim it 's a work of cinematic artistry , nor that i would ever want to see it again , MOV is an absolutely crucial work of journalism that every american needs to see .",
        "it may be that MOV 's greatest effect is that , as the interviewees reveal themselves , they become less central to the story .",
        "an exhaustively infuriating recap of the causes and effects of our country 's three decade-commitment to financial deregulation .",
        "the film 's weak points , almost concealed by the tightness of the narrative and graphics charting the flow of money , lie in close proximity to michael moore 's failings as a documentary filmmaker .",
        "... will make you angry . more importantly , it will make you smarter .",
        "impressively incisive and infuriating - one of the best documentaries of the year .",
        "as he goes about his admirably nonpartisan expose , ... ferguson misses the opportunity to hammer home the big-picture problem behind the meltdown .",
        "charles ferguson has done his research and explains the financial crisis in as close to layman 's terms as you 'll ever get . take along antacids you are going to be pissed off .",
        "i want to prank call alan greespan . i want to hire a barista to cold cock a former lehman brothers exec who retired at 42 . put down your plastic forks . pick up your pitchforks . and follow me ! we 're marching on washington , errrr , wall street . same thing ...",
        "as outrage and insight , explanation and excuse , MOV is as fascinating as it is frightening .",
        "this terrific film is fascinating to watch . this 108-minute movie will make audiences smarter and elicit angry reactions ."],
    "summary": "disheartening but essential viewing , charles ferguson 's documentary explores the 2008 global financial crisis with exemplary rigor .",
    "id": "771200415"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wackness",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's an utterly routine picture , but its low-key mood and acting disarm",
        "with a game cast and cool songs from the era ... heartfelt moments battling clumsy ones , the MOV is n't quite dope but , like a good mixtape it is full of highlights .",
        "an exercise in style and wit , two commodities that never go out of fashion .",
        "josh peck and ben kingsley make for an oddly engaging couple in jonathan levine 's audacious comedy about sex , drugs , and unexpected friendships .",
        "if nothing else , it 's probably worth seeing for the kissing scene between kingsley and mary-kate olsen .",
        "it 's an old theme . levine tackles it with gusto and verve , and if ultimately he overdoes it with a hi-end quirky style , i think there 's enough authenticity here to see the film through .",
        "dumb title ? certainly . perfectly proportioned ? nope . true-to-life ? certainly not . an enjoyably quirky indie comedy ? you bet .",
        "parallel yet intertwined older and younger generations , and a real girl , set this above the usual young dudes genre , changing from comic to romantic to poignant and back .",
        "this is a gently humorous and beautifully moving film .",
        "levine 's extended use of sepia-toned cinematography adds to the film 's charmless look , matching the bleakness of the lives of most of the people he presents to the audience .",
        "its story is a familiar one , whatever the decade .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- won the audience award at the sundance film festival this year and has all the variables such an honor implies and demands : naughty topic , quirky performances , hangdog sensibility and hint of redemption .",
        "basically the same as every indie movie ever - but in 1994 !",
        "the most adventuresome element in the MOV is n't its pop-culture skin but the unlikely friendship of luke and squires .",
        "levine , who wrote the film as well as directed it , re-creates 1994 with the painstaking detail usually reserved for period pieces and costume dramas .",
        "whether it 's blowing on nintendo games to get them to work , the music , or the clothes , the production gets the city and the times exactly right .",
        "the MOV is a moderately funny variant of the traditional coming-of-age saga . but it never creates characters likeable enough to care for .",
        "bittersweet coming-of-age pic about a pot dealer .",
        "a minor triumph .",
        "`` i let ben kingsley do whatever the -lsb- bleep -rsb- he wanted -lrb- laughter -rrb- , '' director jonathan levine said in this interview . `` he is very , very smart . as a relatively new director , it was incumbent upon me to just say : ` what do you need ? ' ''",
        "beneath the desperate bad behavior of squires ' aging hippie and luke 's tentative steps to connection is a story that rings with the authenticity of lived experience and earned life lessons .",
        "the MOV is one of those small little movies that come under the radar and sneak up on you .",
        "over-hyped .",
        "the MOV , while no masterpiece , is the kind of film that does n't come to much but is watchable as it saunters along with a provoking sense of meaningful pessimism . the performances are really the thing - levine has n't managed anything better .",
        "the film 's forlorn charm is a little reminiscent of cameron crowe 's adolescent memoir almost famous . it 's a tiny bit soppy , too , but you can forgive that in a teenager .",
        "it muddles through on its period infatuation and on kingsley 's dope-loving turn as a doctor constantly on the verge of another hit .",
        "i 'd stop short of calling levine 's award-winning film pretentious . ... he just made a small coming-of-age film about the time he came of age , and he did it with just enough dopeness .",
        "better than most `` coming of age '' stories due to some fine comic and dramatic performances by a talented cast .",
        "a thoroughly engaging comic drama with absurdist elements % u2013 or is that just real life",
        "while levine works his film-school-grade visual quirks out -lrb- spike lee should call his lawyer -rrb- , the story of MOV is left in a messy bundle .",
        "the MOV marks a step up in ambition , but it is also self-indulgent and needlessly complicated for what it ultimately delivers : a somber john hughes picture scored to a tribe called quest and mary j. blige .",
        "on the downside : there is a MOV to the MOV , a saggy psychic undertow that drags down its lighter and smarter aspects .",
        "the MOV is a teen drama , set in 1994 against a backdrop of laidback hip-hop and a roasting hot new york which tries just a bit too hard to be cool . but it is definitely not wack -lrb- bad -rrb- .",
        "kingsley is likewise on form and hits home with some terrifically world-weary one liners , while director jon levine brings a refreshing inventiveness to the film .",
        "despite interesting performances by kingsley , thirlby and mary-kate olsen as a flower child , peck 's blandly apathetic air becomes contagious .",
        "the characters are sympathetically drawn and the modest wisdom rings true .",
        "the MOV offers more than fuzzy giggles and bongwater-weak characters .",
        "that first sight of ben kingsley sucking down a bowl will burn into your memory . you may be watching the MOV but it 's hard to forget that this is gandhi putting bic to bong in jonathan levine 's silly , sappy and sympathetic coming-of-age memoir .",
        "quite aside from its dramatic ambitions , the MOV does a nifty job of capturing the zeitgeist of manhattan on the eve of rudy giuliani 's big crackdown on drugs , thugs , sex shops and colorful street life .",
        "when all is said and done , it 's not perfect , but it 's strong nonetheless ...",
        "most of the time , peck is cast adrift in an uncertain world , and levine too often conflates his lack of purpose with the movie 's .",
        "the loose plot feels imposed on the offbeat characters , and does n't link the people and incidents together in any satisfying way .",
        "levine has an eye for detail and the germ of what stephen colbert might call a `` truthy '' idea - that it is possible , even through a chemically induced fog of numbness , to genuinely feel for another person .",
        "by doug cooper - it 's a quirky , offbeat affair , meandering at times but honest and amusing too .",
        "an amiable but essentially empty film made enjoyable by a decent soundtrack , funny dialogue and ben kingsley 's mad doctor .",
        "its writer-director , jonathan levine , lavishes the movie with inky black shadows and soft gauzy close-ups , making it mostly feel like a dream , or a half-conjured memory .",
        "an unlikely buddy comedy that comes to life whenever kingsley appears - he does n't so much steal the show as roll it into a fat blunt and smoke it .",
        "the MOV , for all its eccentricities and emotional pain , is really a sweet little film .",
        "it 's not quite da bomb , but this nostalgic throwback to the recent past still has enough phat acting -lrb- especially from sir ben -rrb- and slammin ' scenes to seem both fly and fresh . worth catching ? damn skippy .",
        "it 's a reasonably promising debut , though , and sir ben looks as though he had a lot of fun , not least when he 's deflowering mary-kate olsen , surprisingly funny as the planet 's last remaining hippy .",
        "levine 's film is often showy , clumsy , over-earnest . but then so are its characters . so is late adolescence . the MOV carries out the advice squires gives to luke - make a mess , embrace pain . in doing so , it ends up anything but wack .",
        "there 's nothing really new here , aside from a couple of roughly convincing performances by the younger , less recognizable cast members .",
        "it was applauded at sundance , where coming-of-age movies are inevitably hailed , but its grungy angst offers nothing we need to see anew .",
        "when the MOV is good , it 's good , and when it fails , it 's still clear what levine was trying to do . someday he 'll probably be able to do it .",
        "the performances are all very fine , but the standout is ben kingsley 's squires . it 's so unexpected .",
        "the MOV is a funny , touching mood piece .",
        "stripped of all its summer swelter and hip hip revisionism , the MOV is really just another in a long line of quirky indie character studies .",
        "kingsley 's shamelessly zingy performance adds welcome pep , and a delicate , achingly sincere summertime idyll on fire island offers notice of levine 's evident promise .",
        "jonathan levine is striving for an extreme quirkiness peppered with naturalism , not unlike that of francis ford coppola 's early you 're a big boy now -lrb- 1966 -rrb- , harold and maude -lrb- 1971 -rrb- , or the recent running with scissors .",
        "it 's standard , straight-outta-sundance indie fare , but it 's also a crowd-pleasing portrait of boys-who-will-be-men-who-will-be-boys ."],
    "summary": "sympathetic characters and a clever script help the MOV overcome a familiar plot to make for a charming coming-of-age comedy .",
    "id": "770676625"
  },
  {
    "movie": "cairo_time",
    "reviews":
     [
        "there 's no surprise and very little humor here , and from the hectic , grubby way it 's been shot , even cairo does n't look very alluring .",
        "a more sophisticated slice-of-life than one usually gets on the big screen -- and for fans of clarkson , it 's a must-see .",
        "what emerges is time pleasantly spent with a slice of life that examines a romantic d\u00e9tente between two cultures . like smoke from an egyptian hookah , the melancholia lingers .",
        "an impressive introduction to u.s. audiences for nadda . her storytelling talents are deserving of higher-profile features .",
        "driven by outstanding performances , this beautifully nuanced film captures the allure of the titular city .",
        "in the middle eastern-spiced , new age `` romeo and juliet '' story `` MOV , '' middle-aged actors patricia clarkson and alexander siddig show the youngsters how it 's done .",
        "clarkson proves what her fans have known forever : she 's ready for the spotlight . with luck she 'll stay there for a while .",
        "MOV : take the time to see it .",
        "MOV proves hard to resist , the film 's familiarity gradually giving way to a playfulness that feels new to the impossible-love subset of bourgeois melodrama .",
        "this is a poetic , romantic , emotionally complex film that sneaks up on you , particularly in its final scenes .",
        "a subtle , quiet , slow film that succeeds in not only burrowing under your skin and into your mind during its running time but has a remarkable ability to stay there for days and weeks afterward .",
        "nadda is a fine writer of dialogue , sensitive with her actors -- both of whom give superb performances -- and confident in her decision to slow things down .",
        "nadda 's camera captures it wonderfully ; the simple placement of her lens is how we 'd see it : looking through a crowd at eye level , looking down on a city intersection from a train window .",
        "the breadth of emotions that play across clarkson 's face are too delicate to engage after a whole lot of nothing .",
        "ruba nadda allows clarkson 's fascinating take on juliette to point the way towards a truly beautiful and memorable conclusion .",
        "patricia clarkson 's juliette comes off as so hopelessly na\u010fve that the characterization grates in its lack of credibility .",
        "the film lives and breathes through clarkson . it 's a stunning performance ; clarkson conveys as much in a look as many actresses struggle to reveal with overt histrionics .",
        "the fourth feature from canadian writer-helmer ruba nadda -lrb- `` sabah '' -rrb- has a slightly breathless , old-fashioned feel , calling to mind the cliched fiction found in the type of ladies ' magazine the heroine edits .",
        "love wilts under the egyptian sun in this chemistry-free romantic vehicle .",
        "compared to other platonic film romances , this one comes up lacking , even with the note-perfect performances from clarkson and siddig .",
        "the stakes here remain so doggedly small-scale that they require a patience not everyone will muster -lrb- though they should -rrb- .",
        "middle east meets west with all the complexity and respect that sex and the city 2 lacked .",
        "writer-director ruba nadda 's emphasis on body language ultimately trumps the clumsiness of her script .",
        "nadda unfolds this with a gentle , observant pace , relying on clarkson 's deep , thoughtful performance to help drive things -lrb- and show things down -rrb- .",
        "a gentle , bittersweet love story boasting a picturesque , enchanting travelogue of cairo and a radiant , well-nuanced and engrossing performance by the genuinely beautiful patricia clarkson .",
        "in MOV , juliette means to care , but she seems rather unfit for it .",
        "works simultaneously as a stirring platonic love story , a quietly poignant character study , and a lush , luminescent travelogue . there is scarcely a false or artificial note in all its 90 minutes .",
        "the sense of place in ruba nadda 's low-key love story is so strong that it almost overwhelms the slow dance of these drifting souls and the tranquility of their tentative romance .",
        "MOV lingers in one 's mind long after the end credits have rolled .",
        "an intoxicating mix , less witnessed than inhaled gratefully , like the film itself .",
        "it plays more like a quality cairo travelogue with an element of forbidden romance",
        "patricia clarkson is usually so `` on '' that it 's a surprise to see her play a melancholy , passive woman -- and play her with such airy , elegiac grace .",
        "it 's hard to call MOV a `` romance . '' really , what it is is one of the rare realistic movies about attraction .",
        "clarkson not only anchors nadda 's film , but she lifts it up onto her shoulders , carrying it along and helping it become an emotional and thoughtful story of one woman 's journey of self-discovery .",
        "clarkson , in one of her few leading roles , is the film 's bright spot and reason for seeing the film .",
        "clarkson , as always , is genuine and terrific .",
        "what makes MOV work stems from the playing of the leads and the manner in which nadda presents the setting .",
        "... has at its heart the mildest kind of dalliance , a betrayal so small and excusable it might n't even register .",
        "MOV 's narrative is manna for the menopausal , but , at the very least , worthy for the rest .",
        "not much happens in `` MOV , '' and it doesn?t happen in slow , languid fashion .",
        "the lovely twilit moments in this movie stay with one , and that summoning them up in your mind is like slowing down time .",
        "this is a film where the promise of romance is almost as important as the romance itself . and perceptively gliding through it , clarkson and her intricate yet simple approach is a quiet sensation .",
        "MOV is like dozens of other bittersweet romances about strangers who meet under less-than-ideal circumstances .",
        "it 's a haunting and hypnotic film . and clarkson 's sublimely nuanced performance is in every way transporting .",
        "though the aim is subtlety , MOV often seems to be making too much of too little .",
        "MOV is not a chick flick . of course , it will draw , as it should , femme auds , but the story is so well crafted , the acting so spot on and the locale so spellbinding , this beautifully crafted artwork is a little gem .",
        "the setting and star clarkson were enough to bring me on board , but the real surprise is dashing character actor siddig , who makes for a seriously sexy leading man .",
        "if MOV does not amount to much , it does evoke a wistful state of feeling and a complicated city with enough skill and sensitivity that you wish it had dared more .",
        "a reflective , surprisingly subtle piece about character and about location , when i had expected either a completely anodyne travelogue or a dogmatic , ` yes ' - style disquisition .",
        "this subtle , performance-propelled romance is geared to adult art-house audiences .",
        "the sort of subtle and beautifully sad romance hollywood hardly ever makes . an elegy for the circumstances that get in the way of love .",
        "with echoes of the classic roman holiday , MOV is a must see for armchair travelers and lovers of romantic dramas alike .",
        "nadda has managed to create space for two performances that feel wistful , serious and self-aware .",
        "while slight , it has the texture and mood of a nice short story , and comes as a relief after so many loud , blustery hollywood pictures .",
        "one film that finds a space between the old women 's picture and the new chick flick is MOV . it 's a throwback to the understated simplicity of the british romance a brief encounter .",
        "whilst nadda has crafted a solid musing on life choices and unexpected love , it 's no substitute for the real thing .",
        "the plot does n't really stand up to scrutiny , but MOV works on an emotional level and is a hassle-free way to sample egypt .",
        "the movie is n't sure what , politically or even romantically , it 's about .",
        "flirtation is often sexier than consummation . there 's a constant ` should i or should n't i ' tension that gives a tale some spine .",
        "the picturesque romantic travelogue ... is as obvious but elegant as the bit of symbolism that ends it .",
        "a sumptuous feast for heart , head , eye and ear .",
        "clarkson lights up ruba nadda 's stately drama MOV like the moon on a summer night , making every moment luminous with quiet , resigned longing .",
        "the at-times slow and indulgent pacing of MOV will frustrate a few viewers , even if the egyptian landmarks and scenery is stunning .",
        "between -lsb- clarkson and siddig -rsb- , they make MOV a much more involving , lingering experience than it it probably deserves to be .",
        "what it has going for it , however , is a strong performance from clarkson , who has become one of the more reliable character actors in independent film .",
        "confirms two things that hardly need confirming : the egyptian capital is a breathtaking metropolis , and patricia clarkson is one of the best actors in the world .",
        "it 's a postcard-lovely movie that , in spite of its best intentions , ends up feeling a little touristy .",
        "minus patricia clarkson 's pitch-perfect performance , the lovely to look at but monotonously paced cairo times would wind up less satisfying .",
        "the scenery is enchanting and it 's clear nadda was inspired to make the film from the beauty of cairo . she and cinematographer luc montpellier succeed in fashioning a graceful postcard to the city , but a story , too , would have been nice .",
        "there 's an old-fashioned elegance to what -lsb- director ruba -rsb- nadda is attempting here , but the muted approach flattens any opportunity for passion .",
        "it 's as refreshing as a glass of mint tea .",
        "MOV earns some indulgence for a pace that westerners may find languid .",
        "-lsb- clarkson -rsb- makes yearning palpable . she turns mysterious silences into a language of love .",
        "there may not be quite enough here to make a meal and the many postcard-ready views of cairo reduce the film to a travelogue at times but nadda knows how to make the quiet moments between her leads speak volumes ."],
    "summary": "though potentially too slowly paced for some , MOV lingers long after the closing credits , largely due to a wonderful performance by patricia clarkson .",
    "id": "770817176"
  },
  {
    "movie": "casino-jack",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the movie also hints that it 's ok to be a hypocrite as long as you point out the hypocrisy of others .",
        "abramoff offers spacey his most distinct and galvanic character since his highly entertaining take on lex luthor in superman returns",
        "great fun and strong filmmaking , encapsulating the hubris and self-aggrandizement that marked the career of uber-lobbyist jack abramoff .",
        "if being trapped in the dark with a pair of hopped-up con-artists ... for an hour or so is your idea of fun times , then -lsb- this -rsb- might be the perfect unreality show for you .",
        "hickenlooper and snider are wise to stage abramoff 's story as political satire , but MOV gets so bogged down trying to explain everything that the jokes , when they come , have no snap .",
        "the abramoff affair reads like a hollywood screenplay , but this feature rarely fulfills its promise . kevin spacey is fun to watch playing a man by turns cunning , corny and crazy .",
        "though the film is peppered with one-liners tailor-made for spacey to sling with stinging effect , it does n't so much leave you laughing as just weary , and wishing this were n't a true story at all .",
        "anyone who 's seen gibney 's superior version will immediately be struck by how false this fictionalized account feels .",
        "spacey is the reason to see MOV . this movie will stand alongside the usual suspects and american beauty as examples of what the actor is capable of accomplishing when he is properly motivated .",
        "-lsb- t -rsb- his year 's non-fiction treatment of the jack abramoff story , alex gibney 's MOV and the united states of money , crackles and engages where this docudrama falls flat .",
        "-lsb- h -rsb- ow a bill becomes a law in dc -- a comedy ... spacey gives the full razzle dazzle of a flamboyant , complex idealist-turned-wheeler dealer ... lovitz is hilariously serious .",
        "spacey never transforms into the role . the part is tailored to match spacey 's favorite pastime : playing kevin spacey .",
        "golden globe nominee kevin spacey has a ball and then some playing the devil inside jack abramoff , the corrupt gop lobbyist who ran wild during the w. years .",
        "a refreshing take on the political crime drama .",
        "spacey has a field day as the hyper-energetic abramoff , the former producer of the dolph lundgren epic `` red scorpion '' who observes that `` washington is hollywood with ugly people . ''",
        "... suspended uneasily somewhere between comedy and drama",
        "embellishing jack abramoff 's story with so much humor makes the film feel more like a political parody than a document of what really happened .",
        "if you care about the material , you already saw it done earlier , and better , in the gibney film .",
        "kevin spacey gives such a cynical and calculated perfromance as jack abramoff that he makes the man less interesting than he must have been . for better account , watch gibney 's docu about the same subject , `` MOV and the united states of money . ''",
        "mr. hickenlooper 's oddly apolitical caper film loses itself in the puzzle of its protagonist 's personality .",
        "spatalaei dynameis sto na ypertonizei th mwrothta olwn toys anti na thn afhnei na milaei apo monh ths",
        "spacey and hickenlooper take a sensitive , and possibly quite provocative subject and retell it in a way that is perhaps easier to reach for the not so politically inclined .",
        "hickenlooper 's approach to the subject plus a great performance by kevin spacey make MOV an enjoyable comedy and thought provoking social commentary .",
        "rather flat , but for spacey 's performance alone this is a fine examination of the u.s. political system and its inherent problems .",
        "hickenlooper was a talented director with a clear , passionate love of movies . it 's a shame his last one had to be this one .",
        "-lsb- hickenlooper -rsb- tried to make sense of it all , and then conjured `` a hollywood ending . '' the trouble is , the hollywood/d.c . hustler jack abramoff never actually provided one .",
        "MOV is a funny and enjoyable film with great performances .",
        "too little too late",
        "... an odd and benighted film .",
        "excellent performances by kevin spacey and barry pepper in a movie that does measure up to its real-life story . and jon lovitz nearly steals the movie .",
        "does n't quite take its satire far enough .",
        "a darkly humorous , but uneven cautionary tale that takes too many easy potshots at bush-era religious conservatives",
        "`` MOV '' works as a political film , it works as shakespearian tragedy , and it works on the level of just plain kevin spacey goofiness .",
        "hollywood is getting obsessed with the growing financial porn genre , where white-collar criminals get fluffed by accounting firms and the slow-motion perp walk is the new money shot . they 're exploitative , best watched alone , and let 's admit it ... hot .",
        "setting aside the question of the wisdom of treating the material as comedy , the bigger problem is that MOV simply is n't very funny .",
        "the depiction of abramoff as a rogue and rascal who becomes the fall guy in an assembly of hypocrites seems to be a whitewash at best .",
        "what distinguishes MOV , one version of lobbyist jack abramoff 's story , is that it 's often incomprehensible . that , we hasten to add , is not a good thing .",
        "the film has a complicated political story to tell , and its erratically suspenseful narrative often detracts from its central interest - what makes abramoff tick .",
        "MOV is really two movies : a convoluted tale about the exploits of disgraced washington super-lobbyist jack abramoff , coupled with a zealous-if-misguided performance from kevin spacey in the title role .",
        "there 's a morality tale in here somewhere , but the director fell in love with his subject along the way and lost perspective .",
        "spacey transforms a villain into a mere scoundrel",
        "compounding matters is an ungainly lead perf by kevin spacey , emphasizing superficial cynicism , and george hickenlooper 's direction , which lacks the bravura necessary to bring the most emblematic episode of recent washington corruption fully to life .",
        "` MOV ' does an impressive job of displaying abramoff 's good and bad in an enjoyably matter-of-fact fashion .",
        "spacey 's splendid in this brisk and engaging portrait of the disgraced washington lobbyist .",
        "... a sporadically compelling yet lamentably uneven endeavor ...",
        "an improbably blithe cautionary tale , recounting the rise and fall of d.c. superlobbyist jack abramoff .",
        "there is something fascinating in seeing a really successful criminal mind doing his thing .",
        "spacey seems to think he 's making a comedy -- a good actorly instinct -- but director george hickenlooper makes the offensive decision to treat abramoff 's transgressions as more grist for the bush-grinding mill .",
        "somehow manages to make corruption boring .",
        "a fast-paced and spunky depiction of the power-plays , greed , corruption , and grandiosity of gop lobbyist jack abramoff , a larger-than-life wheeler-dealer .",
        "a revisionist history bio-pic , reminiscent of charlie wilson 's war , which recasts an arrogant influence-peddler behaving like he 's above the law as merely a bad-boy bon vivant with the best of intentions .",
        "the film seems determined to make jack abramoff halfway redeemable , a questionable goal given the real-life damage the man wrought , no matter how much the system may have been to blame .",
        "hickenlooper works in brief , vibrant scenes and happy sunshine -- the movie is meant to be a giddy entertainment more than a morality tale , though the giddiness is trailed by an appropriate tug of unease .",
        "embodies the apathy of all those bad liberals who talk about how terrible things are and continue about their day .",
        "coming just a few months on the heels of alex gibney 's jack abramoff documentary , director george hickenlooper 's feature version shellacs rather than shackles its gop super lobbyist anti-hero .",
        "spacey 's bravura performance really sells the story .",
        "MOV fails at its most critical mission : laying out in clear detail exactly how and when abramoff broke the law .",
        "`` MOV '' is glib , fast-paced entertainment that barely leaves a mark - which , given the subject , is just plain wrong .",
        "MOV is all over the place : exaggerated comedy , cartoonish high jinks , then heavy-handed melodrama ...",
        "spacey , manic as he is , does n't give us insight into abramoff 's personal contradictions .",
        "`` MOV '' is a portrait of a player - a man always dancing , always spinning .",
        "the film is merely irreverent when it should be scathing .",
        "`` MOV '' is more lurid than damning , more splashy than refined .",
        "... hickenlooper never opens up both barrels on abramoff , leaving all character insight to the movie 's star , kevin spacey . bad idea .",
        "if you want to get the real skinny on MOV and his amazing story , see the alex gibney documentary . if you just want to be entertained for a couple of hours , rent the movie .",
        "told largely in flashback , norman snider 's screenplay zips between abramoff 's high-rolling past and his current situation , which will lead to a prison term for fraud and corruption .",
        "spacey grabs attention and sets the tone for all the sarcastic skullduggery from the start , as he 's hauled into jail and demands a private cell and a kosher diet . and zooms into his nonstop rant on auto-spin , between bible classes and golf with bush .",
        "the film tries to encompass all of abramoff 's encyclopedic chicanery and chokes on the sheer volume .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "with any luck , this could have been something like `` charlie wilson 's war , '' but `` MOV '' lacks the wit and elegance of that film .",
        "... as a fact-based narrative it 's a mess while as a character study it 's shallow and unsatisfying . even more fatally , as a comedy it 's not particularly funny .",
        "the film 's biggest fault is that it tackles the whole sordid affair like a comedy ... yet given the real-life tragedies instigated by abramoff and his republican buddies like tom delay , ralph reed and george w. bush , i doubt many people will be laughing .",
        "it 's hard to work up a whole lot of love or sympathy for convicted lobbyist jack abramoff .",
        "spacey has fun doing abramoff doing al pacino , president ronald reagan and sylvester stallone . but the typically strong spacey is n't the only actor doing commanding work here .",
        "hickenlooper and co-conspirator kevin spacey are more successful at entertaining than informing or enraging us , but such a tart souffl\u00e9 may be the best way for a fed-up public to digest this distasteful story .",
        "MOV moves with such manic determination it all but reaches out from the screen and shakes you by the collar : `` see , movies about lobbyists can be fun ! ''",
        "kevin spacey gives a bravura performance as superlobbyist jack abramoff in george hickenlooper 's uneven but often loopily entertaining MOV .",
        "despite some sharp moments , just too messy and uneven to hit the target consistently .",
        "the biggest asset in MOV is spacey , who plays abramoff as the cynical , snappy type of character he made so memorable in american beauty .",
        "hickenlooper offers a one-dimensional portrait of a jacked-up abramoff .",
        "spacey 's portrayal of abramoff gets at the man 's contradictions - his ostensibly devout jewish faith next to an almost sociopathic blindness to his misdeeds - but it never even partly explains them .",
        "it 's a movie of sporadically entertaining scenes that add up to a vaguely unsatisfying whole .",
        "instead of two stars , give it three maalox bottles .",
        "sadly , MOV just does n't measure up to its own yardstick of success .",
        "irreverent and satirical with cocksure brilliant kevin spacey adroitly handling the constantly shifting , darkly absurdist allegiances .",
        "i 'd probably watch a movie like MOV on tv and think , ` yup , that 's pretty much what i thought happened . ' nothing more .",
        "conceptually reminiscent of what robert altman did to skewer hollywood in `` the player , '' hickenlooper adopts an anti-cleverly narrative by using a `` cheesy '' narrative to attack a cheese wis/whiz-zzz-ed -lrb- on -rrb- america .",
        "tonally scattershot and more than a little heavy-footed . but then , so were the real cons from which abramoff profited while the flimflam worked .",
        "it is spacey 's performance that contains most of the movie 's mystery ; although abramoff 's actions left little room for justification , in spacey 's performance , there is some .",
        "tackles the ultimate fall of abramoff with an almost stunning lack of authenticity . sees jack the way jack sees himself , not the way he actually is .",
        "though it 's a showcase for spacey , MOV is a shallow , confused account of the political game at its worst -- also known as business as usual .",
        "kevin spacey contributes a wonderfully flamboyant performance as abramoff .",
        "sometimes MOV seems like a keystone lobbyist comedy ; other times it 's a slick character study . it 's goofy and hit-or-miss .",
        "the tone is too satirically smug , off much in the same way as `` i love you phillip morris , '' with spacey doing everything but tap dancing to garner attention to a character he never makes more than skin deep .",
        "... it 's time to put at least one nasty episode in comic perspective , to reflect on some of the ridiculous realities of american political life .",
        "entertaining , but needs more detail , background and storytelling ."],
    "summary": "kevin spacey turns in one of his stronger performances , but MOV is a disappointingly uneven fictionalized account of a fascinating true story .",
    "id": "770814722"
  },
  {
    "movie": "wag_the_dog",
    "reviews":
     [
        "definitely a labor of love for all involved .",
        "the story is good , the comedy is goofy but still solid .",
        "absurd and convincing at the same time .",
        "MOV could have been a one-joke scenario , but it 's consistently rescued from monotony by a smart script .",
        "wicked , poisonous fun .",
        "one belly laugh after another .",
        "MOV nonetheless makes a perfect bookend piece for network .",
        "as a cautionary tale , MOV may find itself somewhat in the position of preaching to the converted , but the pews will radiate with the sounds of laughter .",
        "hoffman , de niro and heche all seem to have fun with david mamet 's screenplay , as do supporting players denis leary , william h. macy and willie nelson .",
        "a bright idea well realized by director barry levinson .",
        "great acting , great filmmaking , half-realised idea -- but nonetheless entertaining .",
        "the funniest and most refreshingly irreverent black comedy to hit the screen in a long time .",
        "MOV has the confidence to let its own jaded view speak volumes for itself .",
        "barry levinson has always had a wicked sense of humor , but never has it been in fuller flower .",
        "deep down , in the guts of the thing , the film 's tone is as vicious as a junkyard dog , and just as mangy . which is what great political satire is all about .",
        "MOV is satire , no question about it -- the wonderful cast positively revels in the absurdness of it all .",
        "one of the most brilliant satires i have seen in quite a while .",
        "swift , hilarious and impossible to resist .",
        "especially recommended for the politically astute among you , it 's a solid and smart comedy .",
        "a wickedly funny political satire , that , while consistently tickling your funny bone , rings astoundingly true .",
        "provides its audience with a display of technical virtuosity that will amaze even the most jaded , teenage computer hacker .",
        "too glib to be a great political satire , but it 's a sign that barry levinson has n't lost his filmmaking skills .",
        "a very classy act of nose thumbing .",
        "there is one real problem that affects the whole movie , and it is the ending .",
        "funny ? very . original ? nah .",
        "the picture conveys an irresistible pleasure in fakery for its own sake , and that 's its charm .",
        "for many viewers , this will be an argument that there is still a place for the short film -- and perhaps it should be used more often .",
        "all bark and almost no bite .",
        "when the film makes the leap from plausibly outrageous to pure satire , it slips , and the logic goes with it .",
        "between the laughs , there are moments that ring so true they can raise goosebumps .",
        "a film that , for every scene of genuine hilarity , all too often just lies there smirking at itself about how darn clever it is .",
        "very relevant not only for 1990s , but also for generations to come .",
        "hollywood meets washington .",
        "beyond a couple of hilarious zingers , its impact feels smug and minor .",
        "brilliantly scripted and acted to the point where even barry levinson 's typically uninspired direction does n't matter .",
        "levinson has created a surprising quickie that satirically strikes out at our political system , the media -lrb- easy target -rrb- and the whole business of image versus reality .",
        "it is fun when people with hollywood clout decide to do something as fast and loose as this ...",
        "packed full of wickedly amusing details and expertly modulated performances .",
        "the movie is intelligent , but it 's also a lot of fun .",
        "a dazzling , thought-provoking entertainment which alternately tickles you and slaps you in the face .",
        "it is a singular pleasure to see americans give themselves open heart surgery on the world 's screens like this , and to see that they can tell a diseased section is heartening , too .",
        "here 's a delightfully screwball satire that 's as enjoyable as your favorite ice cream on a hot summer day . slick and smooth .",
        "a hilarious , acerbic political satire of a kind rarely seen on american screens .",
        "the most ingenious and wicked political satire since dr. strangelove .",
        "it 's a testament to what happens when all the right ingredients come together .",
        "smart political satire from director barry levinson .",
        "anyone who would be inherently interested in this kind of sendup is unlikely to be surprised by anything in this film -- overall it feels like a trifle , if an entertaining one .",
        "` MOV , ' a movie that 's fun to see more than once , comes across as a bitingly funny satire of politics , the media and show business .",
        "entertaining , creepily resonant political comedy .",
        "feels tossed-off and casual in the best way .",
        "strong performances abound in the film .",
        "hilary henkin and david mamet 's script is gleefully hyperbolic without ever straying from its political target .",
        "twisty and flat-out hilarious .",
        "it 's half a brilliant political satire , half a wacky outrageous comedy of errors . the first half works , the second half does n't .",
        "i doubt it will age as well as network , but it is close to that realm of brilliance .",
        "lazily assembled by director levinson , it slides into a series of soft , extended skits on engineering a media war , not helped by several badly handled leaps in the story .",
        "breezily entertaining , cannily crafted , sociopolitical satire that brandishes razor-sharp teeth .",
        "director barry levinson and writers hilary henkin and david mamet -lrb- no less -rrb- have obviously known their share of stanleys , and we have no trouble believing in him .",
        "... fun , but not very believable .",
        "prepare to laugh yourself silly , and let 's all pray that the film is less true than it seems to be .",
        "with this cast , dog could use a much bigger bite .",
        "this film hits so close to home that it kind of scared me , making me realize that a lot of what i 've heard about politics may be as fabricated as the lies these characters make up .",
        "a wicked smart satire on the interlocking worlds of politics and show business , MOV confirms every awful thought you 've ever had about media manipulation and the gullibility of the american public .",
        "the pacing is crisp , the dialogue quippy and fast , the tone arch but energetic .",
        "very little humour in this script , despite a few moments of cheeky cleverness .",
        "veteran director barry levinson does a great job of keeping the energy level high .",
        "amusing as it is , MOV does what it purports to sat irize -- the bark is real but the teeth are n't .",
        "o filme mostra um grupo de pessoas atuando para conseguir alcan\u0437ar um objetivo sem que nenhuma barreira os impe\u0437a . e se n\u0433o h\u0431 conflito , qual \u0439 a motiva\u0437\u0433o do espectador ?",
        "makes the bold and cynical assertion that truth is completely unimportant -- it 's only what people believe to be true that matters",
        "explores how the deliberate creation of unreality has become one of the most salient aspects of life in our times ."],
    "summary": "smart , well-acted , and uncomfortably prescient political satire from director barry levinson and and all-star cast .",
    "id": "13237"
  },
  {
    "movie": "dr_t_and_the_women",
    "reviews":
     [
        "gere forgoes his notorious hunk reputation to perform his vocationally asexual and nearly celibatory best in this wry , hyperactive comedy .",
        "maybe the film 's ambiguity is its message all along -- that life is what you make of it .",
        "dr. t and the women may put off people who only look for action and a plot-by-numbers storyline , but should be seen by people who crave adventurous filmmaking .",
        "when altman 's ensemble pieces click the effect is invigorating . when they fail we 're left with nothing to do but star-gaze . gere , fawcett , hunt and company turn out to be beautiful ornaments on a dry , bland texas sheet cake .",
        "the ending is so supremely awful that whatever progress had been made up to that point was washed away by the film 's obtrusively climactic storm .",
        "moves at hurricane speed for most of its 122-minute running time , but gere deliberately underplays his character , providing the calm center that the story needs .",
        "much like the inexplicable tornado at the end that causes this film to truly derail ... this blows .",
        "richly enjoyable robert altman . not for kids .",
        "it was a sweet film with some bizarre touches in its satire of the bourgeois .",
        "` dr. t ' is not altman 's best work , but it is far from his worst .",
        "barely manages to stay afloat thanks to its many kooky characters , interesting premise ... and a pretty neat ending .",
        "it 's a terrific showcase for richard gere , shelley long , farrah fawcett and a number of other actors who almost seemed to have been written off .",
        "altman and his congenially matched screenwriter anne rapp wrap some stinging psychological and emotional observations in a beguiling package .",
        "sparkling and wise .",
        "perhaps the most humane movie the kansas city-reared director has ever made .",
        "a pleasant diversion , a seriocomic lark in the mold of last year 's cookie 's fortune .",
        "altman juggles his roster of quirky personalities , eliciting stellar performances from the role players .",
        "for those who do n't mind being whipsawed between rapp 's characters and altman 's caricatures , there is much to enjoy in dr. t.",
        "it 's very strange , but in the best way .",
        "it 's a bummer , it 's got no story arc , the lead is unsympathetic and uninteresting , and the women characters are a wee bit over the top as well .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "the movie is richly enjoyable .",
        "witty , wacky and highly likeable .",
        "anne rapp 's snappy , loquacious and catty script gives the predominantly female ensemble plenty to chew on .",
        "a widely pertinent , richly textured comedy with real resonance .",
        "briskly paced and entertaining throughout .",
        "a shrewd , sideways glance at the incredibly dense -lrb- and darn proud of it -rrb- male of the species .",
        "while it 's impossible to call anything fashioned by a man of altman 's skill unwatchable , there are times when this pedantic and dull effort comes close .",
        "altman and screenwriter annie rapp ... have playfully turned upside down any expectations raised by gere 's normally aloof star persona .",
        "-lsb- altman -rsb- and gere , surrounded by various blondes in extremis , mostly keep it entertainingly rambunctious .",
        "the thing to keep in mind is that when altman is n't great , he still does n't suck .",
        "each actress in this nearly all-female cast brings something unique to her role .",
        "maybe shy of an altman masterpiece , dr. t easily makes up for his last several outings .",
        "loaded with so many keen observations and opposing ideas that it holds interest throughout .",
        "a flirting , funny , deliciously adult comedy .",
        "the slightly anachronistic absurdity of the conceit -- the travails of a lone gentleman in a world of ladies -- gives the actors room to do some wonderful work .",
        "about as much fun as a pap smear .",
        "good god ! are there actually women out there who talk about a speculum as if it 's a sex toy ? dubious . robert altman needs to have a pelvic exam right now and see how fun it is .",
        "after the film wanders for two hours , growing more and more absurd , it ends in an extremely unsatisfying way .",
        "dr. t is n't a dreadful movie , but its spontaneity does feel forced , and we glean very little that is satisfying from the example of dr. t 's confusion .",
        "the picture misses a key component of female nature . chiefly , no woman enjoys going to her gynecologist , especially one who looks like gere .",
        "might have been titled dr. t and the miserable hos .",
        "gere appears to be having such a luscious time surrounded by the film 's fuzzy sketch of genteel , grotesque , distaff texas that he 's forgotten to be smug .",
        "a capricious , celebratory fable about the dichotomy of gender from the marvelously idiosyncratic robert altman .",
        "proven to be one of the great robert altman 's lesser works .",
        "there 's the kernel of an intriguing idea that we can almost grasp , but it 's lost in the morass of expertly staged but irrelevant scenes .",
        "both enjoyable and entertaining in its own right , despite various flaws that run through it .",
        "dr. t is vintage altman , the best movie he 's made since short cuts .",
        "it may aggravate as many moviegoers as it pleases , but it 's likely to live in memory longer than most of the well-behaved fare seen in recent months .",
        "ultimately , dr. t is the cinematic equivalent of shooting well-dressed turkeys in a barrel .",
        "what holds the stories and the characters together is the decency of dr. t , and gere seems wholly comfortable with the role .",
        "any film which opens with an implicit pelvic exam and closes with an explicit live birth is trying to say something , but the stuff in the middle , alas , does n't amount to much of anything .",
        "lighter and less compelling than altman 's best efforts , the new one produces a low-level , but still enjoyable , buzz .",
        "place settings would have been required in order to follow the who 's - who of dr. t , if not for the fact that every character is a shallow stereotype .",
        "we 're stuck , the movie seems to say . men and women : this is simply how we are .",
        "a delightful diversion .",
        "richard gere has never been better cast .",
        "there 's ... plenty here to enjoy .",
        "lacks the resonance of a major altman film ... but it 's a funny and ebullient look at a man in full confusion .",
        "the episodic quality that made cookie 's fortune raggedly charming is unhinged by a less cohesive story that is little more than the sum of its appealingly eccentric characters .",
        "if the film ultimately feels overindulgent and hardly among -lsb- altman 's -rsb- best work ... it 's still a jauntily entertaining ride .",
        "many of -lsb- altman 's -rsb- observations have the strength of truth softened by indulgence and ultimate acceptance .",
        "with its swaying rhythms and brazen sense of storytelling , dr. t & the women is a worthy addition to a great director 's canon .",
        "an unbelievably unfunny comedy that ranks right down there with the very worst films of the year .",
        "it 's so light a small gust of wind could blow it to bits . but that 's part of its deceptive charm .",
        "the movie is a charmer .",
        "a surprisingly spry and funny film with a solidly serious core .",
        "a work in which -lsb- altman 's -rsb- shrewd observation of the human species has never seemed sharper .",
        "offers us one rarely seen delight : richard gere being likable .",
        "it 's too bad that the flitting and unconvincing script and direction gets in the way of our enjoying the acting .",
        "despite yielding to lots of interesting analysis , it is , in the end , minor work at best .",
        "it 's all hub and no bub .",
        "altman leaves little evidence for his screenplay 's contention that ` women are magic . '",
        "this relaxed drama rambles in true altman fashion and boasts some delightful performances .",
        "a flabby farce in which everyone seems to be making it up as they go along .",
        "has hardly any plot at all , or believable characters .",
        "is this the sight the whole world 's been waiting to see ? a latex-gloved richard gere , holding a speculum , with his hands thrust between the legs of an elderly woman ?",
        "hampered by a flighty tone that wears mighty thin by the time the two-hour picture ... takes its final over-the-top turn .",
        "an uneven string of random bits .",
        "not only a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying piece of work , but one of the better , more thought-provoking movies -lsb- altman -rsb- has made .",
        "shows that , after all these years , robert altman has n't changed -- thank god .",
        "an absolute mess .",
        "dr. t raises some seductive questions ... and mixes them up in a madcap and outlandish blender swirl . through the murk , it 's often hard to see the movie 's heart .",
        "without exception , every one of dr. t 's -- and thus altman 's -- women is either neurotic , needy , naked , or a lesbian . in other words , either a male fantasy or a male fear .",
        "on the surface , altman 's film is clearly meant as a paean to the variety and emotional fecundity of women , but scratch the surface , and you realize that underneath , it 's not so pretty .",
        "there is never anything in the film to make you want to keep watching it . not one thing about it is compelling or engaging .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "in terms of quality , dr. t and the women is one of altman 's good-but-not-great films . in typical altman style , it features some great ensemble acting , including a wonderful performance by richard gere .",
    "id": "15142"
  },
  {
    "movie": "terms_of_endearment",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the tragi-comedy never made me reach for my hankie , never tickled my funny bone and it never found a way into my heart .",
        "this hugely successful tear-jerker boasts some magnificent on-screen chemistry between jack nicholson and shirley maclaine .",
        "its soppy story is freed from cheap tear-jerking by brooks ' confident direction , larry mcmurtry 's poignant script and a flawless ensemble .",
        "there 's not enough substance to support the sentiment of this longish comedy-drama .",
        "it takes all of perhaps five minutes to fall in love with the leading characters in MOV and from that point on , the audience is just putty in the extremely capable hands of writer-director james l. brooks .",
        "in his directorial debut , brooks proves himself a master with actors .",
        "glossy , funny , and packs a real emotional wallop .",
        "its quirky rhythms and veering emotional tones are very much its own , and they owe less to movie tradition than they do to a sense of how the law of unintended consequences pushes us ceaselessly through the years , permitting no pause for perspective .",
        "this is american mainstream movie-making at its best .",
        "MOV is about three relationships and students of screenwriting would do well to study the way in which these three stories are told completely and effortlessly in a movie of average length .",
        "you 'll feel like you 're eavesdropping .",
        "it 's a large film with lots of intimate moments , endearing characters and a perfect blend of laughing-out-loud comedy and tearful drama .",
        "MOV -lrb- 1983 -rrb- is a comedy/drama classic , an entertaining film , but also a manipulative , soap-opera tearjerker . .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "while some aspects of the film ... have not aged all that well , it still plays with sincerity and emotional resonance",
        "there 's no doubt in my mind that there is more art to be found in a week 's worth of general hospital re-runs .",
        "a funny , touching , beautifully acted film that covers more territory than it can easily manage .",
        "such a marvellous film . so wonderfully performed .",
        "weepy and melodramatic , but still awfully good .",
        "a cut above the typical chick flick , thanks to its heartfelt performances and genuine frankness .",
        "sad themes , but wonderful ensemble acting .",
        "a heartfelt , sobby , strongly-acted character-driven story , the film is small in scope , but deep in meaning and emotion .",
        "-lsb- writer-director james l. brooks -rsb- has television in his soul : his people are incredibly tiny -lrb- most are defined by a single stroke of obsessive behavior -rrb- , and he chokes out his narrative in ten-minute chunks , separated by aching lacunae .",
        "blending comedy and melodrama , this is basically a tv sitcom , marked by a sentimental tone and traditional view of women .",
        "then the illness strikes , and the film changes gear completely , pulling out all the stops and almost incidentally delivering one of the best-acted , most moving death-bed scenes in recent memory .",
        "the most remarkable achievement of MOV , which is filled with great achievements , is its ability to find the balance between the funny and the sad , between moments of deep truth and other moments of high ridiculousness .",
        "no-wonder jack was so keen to land this role . it was simply perfect for him .",
        "brooks ' dialog is wonderful throughout and all the characters carry off their assignments beautifully , even down to danny de vito and norman bennett as maclaine 's other suffering suitors .",
        "shirley maclaine and debra winger are fantastic as a mother and daughter who individually face life 's challenges and end up stronger because of it .",
        "something for everyone , indeed ."],
    "summary": "a classic tearjerker , MOV is n't shy about reaching for the heartstrings -- but is so well-acted and smartly scripted that it 's almost impossible to resist .",
    "id": "13026"
  },
  {
    "movie": "rock_school",
    "reviews":
     [
        "often hilariously funny , with everyone shamelessly playing up to the cameras . but there 's more to it .",
        "there 's something unsettling and downright dickensian about green 's hard-knocks method and proprietary stance .",
        "paul green 's openness and honesty in front of the camera is a delightfully unexpected treat .",
        "director don argott does a superb job of capturing this unique institution and this great teacher .",
        "i dislike the tyrannical tirades and profanity-laced psychology paul green uses to inspire his prodigal talent .",
        "` dynamo ' does n't begin to describe frank zappa freak green , who brings the cream of his crop to germany to compete in the yearly zappanale and makes believers of us all .",
        "it 's funny and moving to see this eccentric nugget of boomer virtuosity played by a generation that has absolutely no idea how weird it was .",
        "awesomely entertaining ... fitfully self-aware and constantly on , green makes for a fascinating focal point : a stymied performer turned leather-lunged tyrant in the classroom .",
        "rock fans will likely find the cast of characters and its ` \u00fcberlord ' founder compelling .",
        "succeeds as a riveting movie because it does n't try to lead us from verse to an obvious chorus about green , or his uniquely abusive methods .",
        "i do n't know what it means that rock 'n' roll has become a bona fide after-school activity , but MOV definitely kept my attention .",
        "green 's heart , if not his head , seems in the right place . he 's carrying the torch and holding it high , and his students seem to dig it .",
        "has its moments , but unlike the music green wants his students to play , it 's no classic .",
        "dewey finn never suggested his students embrace the ways of satan in order to play black sabbath covers with more gusto , but doing does n't seem at all out of place here .",
        "green is a complicated guy who 's only dimly aware that he surrounds himself with children because he 's not great at dealing with adults .",
        "the relationship between the talent-challenged will and the punishing green makes for one of the film 's meatier dramatic threads .",
        "MOV ends up being a movie about just how little fun rock 'n' roll can be .",
        "as hitchcock once said -lrb- alfred , not robyn -rrb- , audiences will love anyone as long as they are good at their job and this is certainly one teacher you are not likely to forget .",
        "exuberant , offbeat and gut-wrenchingly funny .",
        "in this day of dummying-down and coddling students , it 's refreshing to see a teacher push his students to levels of accomplishment they did n't think was possible .",
        "director don argott works with muddy , low-quality digital video , not compellingly edited , and does n't dig as deep as he should .",
        "a fantastic documentary that shows rock and roll is still very much alive ...",
        "you root for the kids , who are utterly captivating , but green is another story . his shtick -- a combo of insufferable stage-parent and unbearable rock geek -- is exhausting .",
        "the real paul green is even funnier and more entertaining than jack black 's fictionalized version of him",
        "bring back jack black and forget this .",
        "the film -- like green himself -- steps back from the teacher to see the apprentices take center stage and earn their applause .",
        "green is not an angry jerk so much as a guy playing an angry jerk because he loves rock music and wants these kids to play it well .",
        "if ten-year-olds with mohawked hair shriek ozzy osborne songs , what will they do to rebel , sing guy lombardo ?",
        "a frequently hilarious , sometimes galling portrait of one man 's attempts to uphold the flamboyant , ferocious , innovative spirit of classic rock",
        "entertaining portrait of a volatile but effective educator .",
        "docu probes some thorny issues : the proper relationship between teacher and students , the fine line between encouragement and abuse , ambiguity of teachers who are artists",
        "immensely entertaining .",
        "MOV is still a winner , and it 's hard to feel much enmity for mr. green .",
        "while ivy league-educated psychologist green considers himself a natural teacher , his teaching technique involves pitting students against each other and haranguing them with rants .",
        "raw and funny documentary .",
        "do you love dio ? do you love satan ? check out MOV .",
        "irresistibly entertaining and full of unique character portraits .",
        "a reminder of every dedicated teacher who has turned a kid 's life around .",
        "paul green seems more interested in what MOV can do for him than for the kids .",
        "even a couple of zappa 's mothers of invention band alumni acknowledge the band done good -- not just as ` kids ' but as musicians . and so will you .",
        "a school of talented future musicians , but the film is weighted by their blowhard instructor .",
        "a classroom is only as good as its student body , and school spotlights winners .",
        "the movie seems a little too much in love with the overbearing and self-aggrandizing green - almost as much as green is with himself .",
        "even with paul green 's invective echoing in the back of your mind , nothing 's quite so heartwarming as the sight of a young person blossoming .",
        "as a documentary , MOV works just fine . as an advertisement for the paul green school of rock music , it 's considerably less successful .",
        "green is a grim martinet , given to chair-throwing tantrums and fits of temper that look suspiciously choreographed for the camera .",
        "self-loving and foul-mouthed , paul green is the ideal star of his own show .",
        "an intriguing fly-on-the-wall documentary .",
        "where you 'll find a bunch of raucous and talented kids , you 'll find at least one glory-hungry grown-up intent on stealing the spotlight .",
        "engaging , ultimately uplifting documentary that is by turns hilarious and horrifying - but say what you like about green 's methods , he certainly gets results .",
        "it 's like spinal tap , only shorter .",
        "green berates and insults his students to push them to work harder",
        "for all of his questionable methods , paul green gets results that are revealed when he takes a group of students to perform the difficult music of frank zappa at a zappa festival in bad doberon , east germany .",
        "engrossing from its first shot to its final fade .",
        "the documentary studies the different children at the school , some lazy , some brilliant , some sensitive . argott traces their development .",
        "the result is n't pretty -- but it does , on occasion , rock .",
        "not nearly as witty as the jack black version but it 's always good to sit in on a classroom in which the students are never bored .",
        "hail , hail MOV . documentary about teacher the real deal .",
        "so overpowering is green 's outsized , needy , arrested-adolescent personality -lrb- while you initially suspect he 's playing for the camera , the blas\u00e9 attitude of his students suggests he really is like this -rrb- , it throws the movie off-balance .",
        "hilarious , inspired , frenzied .",
        "this flimsy documentary is n't rousing or particularly cute .",
        "it 's unflinching , discomfiting , profane , with an ignoble real-life ` hero ' and children who absorb the full brunt of his rage .",
        "an alternately hilarious and alarming documentary profile of paul green , the extravagantly voluble founder of a music school for pint-sized rockers .",
        "watching the students band together to rock -- and the faces of the audience and participants when they realize what these kids are capable of -- is a joy .",
        "MOV , for all its good intentions , can only manage an entertainingly superficial look at this institution and the man who keeps it going .",
        "paul green is like the crazy uncle that your kids love to be around even if he makes them cry .",
        "exuberant and surprisingly unsettling documentary .",
        "a rousing , garage-band-style documentary .",
        "what makes MOV so compelling is green 's unflinching honesty , both about himself and his students .",
        "with its encomiums to green and its feel-good finale in germany , MOV sometimes threatens to succumb to mad hot ballroom syndrome ... but argott weaves a darker thread into the movie ...",
        "crank it to 11 !",
        "the narrative moves quickly and the characters are so much fun , that there 's little time for inventory of what 's missing .",
        "their playing is terrific , but there 's little doubt the kids are fulfilling green 's fantasy rather than the other way around .",
        "as a portrait of dysfunctional pedagogy , it 's both refreshing and more than a little terrifying ."],
    "summary": "boasting an entertaining and eccentric cast of characters , MOV lives up to its name .",
    "id": "14465"
  },
  {
    "movie": "battle-los-angeles",
    "reviews":
     [
        "it 's a simplistic movie , but there 's something appealing about its simplicity .",
        "battle : los angeles is like watching someone else play call of duty so you 're not very engaged in the action because you 're not the one controlling it ... ''",
        "recently , astrophysicist stephen hawking suggested that if alien life exists , we should n't be in a rush to make first contact . consider battle : los angeles hawking 's cinematic `` i told ya so . ''",
        "neither as serious as black hawk down nor as lightheartedly fun as independence day .",
        "eat some leatherneck lead , e.t. -- and semper fi , space scum !",
        "terminally stupid .",
        "jonathan liebesman 's `` battle : los angeles '' is one of those rare films that fails on just about every level a film can fail on .",
        "just the worst , most clich\u00e9-ridden bunch of faceless cannon fodder you 've ever had the misfortune to watch die .",
        "it 's not new , it 's not novel and it 's not art . but as a popcorn movie a couple of months out of summer season , it 'll have to do .",
        "battle : los angeles misses every mark it aims for . aside from the well done special effects nothing in this movie is worth recommending .",
        "misses every mark it 's aiming at , and then misses countless more .",
        "case in point : battle : los angeles , an alien-invasion disaster piece so loud , ham-fisted and joyless-so aggressively lousy-that its only real usefulness is to make one better appreciate the deft touch of a roland emmerich .",
        "this jacked-up b-movie hybrid of `` black hawk down '' and `` war of the worlds '' is a modest but crafty triumph of tension over good sense and cliche .",
        "-lsb- it -rsb- is n't nearly as good as any of the movies that may have inspired it , or even its own knockout trailer .",
        ". . the real problem with this picture , shaky-cam visuals aside ... is its insistent , talky , unnecessary earnestness , which adds a good fifteen minutes of flab to the picture ...",
        "toting and furious , michelle rodriguez is as game as ever in the michelle rodriguez role ; otherwise it 's personality-free , and hewn from a script of purest monterey jack",
        "it 's like watching other people play a video game",
        "disaster films will really get interesting when they start running out of iconic skylines to destroy . how about `` battle : wichita '' or `` deep impact : albany '' ?",
        "for an alien invasion film , this one is a solid effort , though there 's a bit too much violence and not enough introspection .",
        "not as bad as the other recent invasion movie skyline , but still nothing to be excited about .",
        "for all its -lrb- many -rrb- flaws and derivative story elements , battle : los angeles still has all the mindless fun and excitement of a really good high school food fight .",
        "lower your standards and enjoy the ride .",
        "there 's the standard complement of soldier stereotypes : about-to-be-married guy , twitchy pstd case , stoic african , and the commander who just graduated ocs .",
        "do n't expect too much more than a gritty tour of duty against et 's angry cousins and you 'll be totally satisfied .",
        "an out-of-this-world blast .",
        "only serviceable as a war movie and completely ridiculous as a science-fiction yarn , ` battle : los angeles ' is an average actioner that 's barely one level above the syfy channel 's ` battle of los angeles . '",
        "full review at movies for the masses",
        "one part war of the worlds , one part generic stoic army guy movie from 1957 set during wwii , one part independence day , one part goofy dialogue .",
        "this is a war movie that is dressed up like a sci-fi film to sneak in a message about iraq and afghanistan .",
        "with its clich\u00e9d , one-dimensional characters , the movie fails to engage at an emotional level .",
        "characters walking from one set to another , screaming and shooting , an explosion , and the slightly whittled-down group walks to the next sense , rinse , repeat .",
        "battle : los angeles is the right kind of `` hoorah ! '' that the alien invasion sub-genre needed .",
        "watching this nonsense after seeing tragic television images of the destruction of japan somehow made battle : los angeles appear even more meretricious .",
        "battle : los angeles lapses into that peculiar modern-day rut that leaves an audience feeling as if they are watching a live feed of someone playing a photo-realistic computer game .",
        "too caught up in trying to be a no-nonsense , marine-recruitment war movie than on being an entertainment vehicle .",
        "at times , the film dazzles with its almost seamless spectacle , but not as much can be said for the needless backstory preamble and an overindulgent aural overload that drowns out the best scenes .",
        "aaron eckhart is great in a comedy -lrb- thank you for smoking -rrb- and great in a drama -lrb- rabbit hole -rrb- but he 's not the sort of guy you want leading a sci-fi action film .",
        "more like `` battle : indistinguishable , concrete laden locales . ''",
        "it is a well executed one-violent-trick pony , designed for the 12 year old boy the movie studios hope is still playing with toy soldier figurines inside us all .",
        "eckhart is a refreshing alternative to messrs stallone and schwarzenegger in this movie .",
        "there 's never a doubt who will win in the aliens versus marines battle , but the fact that it 's interesting from the first frame to the last is an achievement .",
        "the writing is atrocious , but battle : los angeles is still a fun ride for action junkies .",
        "except for a change of perspective ... ` battle : los angeles ' is just ` skyline ' with a bigger budget but no more brains .",
        "viewed as a parody , this subpar alien invasion flick is worth a few laughs . if only it were meant that way .",
        "a loud , frenetic , viscerally gripping two-hour tour of duty that mostly plays fair by the rules of the genre and mostly avoids macho posturing .",
        "the film , constructed by people of serious talent , is designed to put you through the wringer , and that 's exactly what it does . this is a total war scenario , people . man up or stand back . hoo-rah !",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "as a narrative , the cartoonish battle : los angeles makes the cartoonish independence day look as nuanced as saving private ryan .",
        "the biggest irony of this project is that it was made by a company that calls itself original film but has produced perhaps the least original movie of the year so far .",
        "ultimately , it 's likely to top exactly nobody 's list of the greatest sci-fi , war , or sci-fi war movies of all time .",
        "battle : los angeles draws entirely on clich\u00e9s ... and they 're all shouted at top volume .",
        "one does n't approach a movie like this expecting shakespearean drama . unlike some films with loftier ambitions , MOV pretty much delivers what it promises :",
        "if the talk had been surgically removed , leaving only the sights and sounds of combat , this could have been a striking , semiabstract display of aggressive energy ; as it is , any viewer over twelve will go for the laughs .",
        "the film constantly blows thick smoke up our a -- s and calls it charity .",
        "a realistic war movie gives way to melodrama and a really poor second half .",
        "se fosse espremido e engarrafado , resultaria num perfume batizado como le phallus .",
        "if the recent slew of apocalyptic invasion pictures teaches us one thing , it 's that they make better trailers than movies . this is a case in point .",
        "... probably better than it has any right to be .",
        "rather than actively fighting the clich\u00e9s inherent in this genre , they have consciously , even joyously , embraced them",
        "the special effects are mediocre and the story is strewn with the type of plot inconsistencies and lazy dialogue all-too-typical of today 's post-content blockbusters .",
        "it 's a top-to-bottom completely typical war film , just one involving aliens . if you can get behind that conceit , it 's not bad at it what it does . if you ca n't , there 's nothing else here for you .",
        "beneath the silly premise is a consistent depiction of military performance , duty and sacrifice that is so unexpected that the film 's genre transforms from fantasy to war movie .",
        "you 'd be forgiven for crying after witnessing it purely out of sadness for the art of cinema .",
        "director jonathan liebsman 's decision to keep things at close-quarters - following solely this band of grunts rather than covering the entire city - could have worked had the film itself felt more elemental .",
        "while there 's no subtlety here , this remains surprisingly gripping throughout and boasts three-dimensional characters and well executed action scenes .",
        "like the aliens themselves , the cliches were coming too fast . unlike the aliens , they are indestructible .",
        "a sturdy alien-invasion flick that focuses almost exclusively on the military response .",
        "i 'm sure there 's an epic battle going on here , but it 's hard to tell when the cameraman is too busy shaking off a swarm of angry bees to capture any of it .",
        "michael bay and tony scott made love to the american flag , birthed a demon spawn and called it MOV .",
        "how many times can we watch marines taking cover and returning fire at barely glimpsed aliens before our eyes glaze over ?",
        "action packed with a solid performance from aaron eckhart and a large dollop of patriotism",
        "for a reasonable while , `` battle : los angeles '' is a credible , low-wattage warfare film ...",
        "you ca n't help but wish there had been a lot more heart in this marine 's story .",
        "from the halls of montezuma to the shores of santa monica , the first and last to fight are u.s. marines in MOV plus an air force pick-up and a few civilian stragglers . this is a disaster movie , you know . even the dog does n't die .",
        "recreates the vibe of the old-fashioned studio wwii programmer by replacing nazis with extraterrestrials .",
        "eckhart performs with laudable conviction , despite the laughable dialogue , but other characters blur into one , and you 'll end up feeling as weary as eckhart 's marine .",
        "battle : los angeles is for american teenagers who found g.i. joe : the rise of cobra too cerebral .",
        "this loud , hollow , kitchen sink popcorn movie looks pretty good , but its script ... is a modern day `` war of the worlds '' with a stupid premise and a mostly interchangeable cast of characters . oh , and this film thinks paris is a coastal city .",
        "see battle : los angeles for the fun and eye candy , but know that you 're in for a slew of stock characters and situations .",
        "as ernest thesiger might have said : oh my dear , the noise , the extraterrestrials .",
        "it 's a gritty , tension-filled story of soldiers fighting their way through extraordinary circumstances . the characters feel like real people . their struggles seem genuine . and los angeles is going up in flames .",
        "the real battle in this duff alien invasion movie is whether the direction is worse than the writing .",
        "really need to watch district 9 again . immediately .",
        "according to a tv commentator , the aliens ` are here for our resources ... we are being colonized . ' but do n't expect any references to chickens coming home to roost . there 's no irony in this particular presentation of doomsday deferred .",
        "after a brief introduction to the cliched characters , the battle of the title is a violent , over-amplified affair ...",
        "entirely derivative , there 's nothing to fear about understanding the film , even though most of the dialogue is an incoherent shouting match",
        "it delivers what it promises , but i could n't help but feeling disappointed the storyline was lacking and the heart was manufactured",
        "the x-box game this film wants to be would be ten times more involving , and would n't feature ne-yo .",
        "` do n't fire until you see the whites of anderson cooper 's hair ! '",
        "it 's as if someone brought their gi joe action figures and mixed them together with the aliens monster figures and threw them at one another in a series of mismatched battles and romps that just enticed the child in me ...",
        "a pro-war movie masquerading as a disaster film ? this is the anti hurt locker .",
        "sure to remain one of the most spiritless cinematic experiences of the year .",
        "destined to be remembered primarily as yet another step toward closing the gap between games and movies , it 's a lot of boom-boom and a bunch of `` hoo-yah . ''",
        "eckhart 's commitment to the movie 's reality , which is as fierce as the sergeant 's commitment to his men , takes what otherwise might merely have been outlandish and makes it believable , and frightening .",
        "if it 's daft action and a gung-ho `` god bless america '' romp you want , then this is for you .",
        "part sci-fi thriller , part computer game , and part marine recruiting video .",
        "battle takes its fight so seriously that it 's hard to get behind the mission .",
        "the entire movie is made from the parts of a dozen other , better movies , and shot in a manner that suggests the cameraman is riding a pogo stick .",
        "as it stands , battle : los angeles is good dumb fun . a little less talking and a little weirder alien and it might have been something more .",
        "the film never quite becomes the `` black alien down '' that it wants to be , but it gets close , and that alone is worth checking out .",
        "like an angry tenant bent on revenge , the movie industry has depicted the destruction of los angeles with staggering consistency if not a wealth of imagination .",
        "a solid popcorn movie , with plenty of action , explosions and low-key mayhem unlikely to scar even the most fragile of psyches .",
        "this is a movie that , when faced with finding a way out of its considerable contrivances , simply cheats",
        "on the whole battle : los angeles is the emptiest form of sci-fi action : just one bloody -lrb- or alien gooey -rrb- thing after another .",
        "as it lurches from act ii to act iii , `` battle : loss angeles '' reveals itself to be a lousy movie .",
        "director jonathan liebesman leaps into the fray with his camera twitching and lurching , capturing more flying metal and concrete dust than actual characters or aliens .",
        "this silly extraterrestrial-invasion epic somehow manages the feat of making the destruction of la la land seem tedious .",
        "h.g. wells did it better . this movie spends so much yawn-inducing time on variations of the same combat scenario that its final showdown feels rushed .",
        "the plot of MOV is only a few dialogue scenes removed from the objective-based narratives of countless video games concerning warfare in modern times .",
        "there 's a solid war film here , as well as the scary thought of what it might be like if we were the ` collateral damage ' instead of people in iraq or afghanistan .",
        "... the bigger , badder brother to `` independence day . ''",
        "it 's the kind of movie that ends with one of those defeat the enemy by blowing up the one magical thing which can hurt them and conveniently is n't guarded scenarios . and even that feels tacked on",
        "MOV does n't bring anything new to the alien attack genre .",
        "for a film that takes inspiration from the same wwii event that helped spawn the screenplay for spielberg 's 1941 , it is one that could have used an attack on hollywood . at least that would have been a little bit of fun .",
        "the weak link is christopher bertolini 's script , which lumbers the flat military characters with hackneyed dialogue and corny sentimentality . not even eckhart can survive such banality , and kick-ass specialist michelle rodriguez is wasted .",
        "packs enough firm-jawed , flag-rippling machismo to make michael bay look like some mumbling pinko pussy .",
        "` battle ' comes off more like a summer action movie with a massive scope and insane visual effects ... ` battle ' is like a wicked mix between the `` call of duty '' and `` gears of war '' video games .",
        "battle : la is perfect cinema for gamers .",
        "not a single arresting image is found amid the sci-fi rubble , though unintentional laughs eventually arrive .",
        "a summer popcorn movie for the spring , this hybrid of a tale blends together elements and characters from numerous sci-fi , thrillers , actioners , combat war films , all placed in one package that aims at mass entertainment",
        "battle : los angeles ends up being ugly , bereft of creative kills , not scary , not entertaining , not thrilling , not bad enough to be funny , and not short enough to suffer through .",
        "the aliens have more engaging dialogue than the humans . the aliens are mute .",
        "imagine black hawk down with ets instead of somalis and you 'll have the measure of an explosive if functional actioner that will do while we 're waiting for summer 's big guns to arrive .",
        "director jonathan liebesman tries to create senses of panic and urgency , but `` battle : los angeles '' generates precious little suspense .",
        "so po-faced that it almost feels like a spoof , this energetic action epic is watchable due to its solid cast and visceral tone . and the story and characters are so thin that you almost admire the filmmakers ' nerve .",
        "excitement ? not so much .",
        "it 's pretty much a running gun battle from jump , which is good .",
        "when the characters are n't spouting ridiculously cliched dialogue , it 's not half-bad .",
        "i do n't know why this movie exists . a completely unoriginal mash-up of every good alien invasion film there 's ever been , resulting in an ugly , uninspired , laughably bad mess that 'll give you motion sickness while making your ears bleed .",
        "tedious , lazy and thoroughly nauseating with no palpable thrills or excitement to be found . the asinine script and excessive use of shaky-cam will make your eyes and ears bleed simultaneously .",
        "we all know a guy who is obsessed with military firepower and who spends way too much time playing first-person shooters on xbox 360 . battle : los angeles is a movie for that guy .",
        "battle : los angeles will delight your inner 8-year-old while your brain cells wither and die .",
        "with his hawklike profile and square jaw , the hyperstalwart eckhart looks like a comic-book hero and acts like one , too . he 's so stalwart he creaks .",
        "the movie 's message is that by working together , us humans can overcome . a shame the film 's makers were not so blessed .",
        "it 's just running , shooting , dodging , killing , not badly done but pretty numbing over two hours .",
        "pretty much cardboard , down to the heroic patriotic speeches , and less distinctive even than last year 's scarcely stellar skyline , which trashed the same city .",
        "it 's all forward momentum , except when it pauses to let aaron eckhart 's world-weary staff sergeant deliver a generic motivational speech . and even that moment is comfortably familiar , simultaneously superficial and satisfying .",
        "smart enough to avoid getting too deep into the personal stories and give you what you want from battle : los angeles . they blow stuff up real good .",
        "if you just want noise and explosions and by-the-numbers war-related action , well , MOV is the product for you .",
        "battle : los angeles might be incredibly depressing in terms of the state of film making in hollywood if you think about it , but you 're not supposed to think about . that 's the mistake : thinking .",
        "battle : los angeles is so inept it 's exhausting .",
        "makes the fatal , conceptual mistake of turning a picture about a mysterious alien attack into a sub-par , propagandistic combat demo reel .",
        "is this the end of the world ? no , it 's the end of my patience with these types of movies .",
        "if you 're the kind of person for whom `` they blowed it up real good '' is a positive review , you 'll love this film .",
        "exactly what you expect it to be and it delivers on that : team of marines all with their personal issues , some civilians for the heart , rah rah patriotism and big explosions .",
        "there are so many missed opportunities for interesting sci-fi elements , but this movie is n't interested in that . it 's a military ground war action film , and even that is n't sustainable .",
        "at least if the aliens win , we wo n't have to sit through any more movies like this one .",
        "the good special effects , at times , make battle : los angeles watchable for short bursts . however , good f/x alone does not make a good movie and they can not save this one .",
        "feels less like a movie than the action scenes clipped out of one .",
        "the pace is fast enough and the goal of victory so seemingly elusive that this is a pretty entertaining ride , despite the total lack of story and character development .",
        "it 's by-the-numbers , big-screen video gaming . hooh-ra !",
        "neuron-rotting brain candy : an empty action exercise made up of empty calories . that 'd be fine , if only it were sweet .",
        "here 's a science-fiction film that 's an insult to the words `` science '' and `` fiction , '' and the hyphen in between them . you want to cut it up to clean under your fingernails .",
        "predictable , obvious , and often corny -- but battle l.a. is also exciting , kinetic , and six kinds of loud , crazy fun .",
        "it delivers on its promises without a lot of excess baggage .",
        "what is an otherwise decent war movie is marred by unforgivably bad writing and even worse acting .",
        "at a time when hollywood is generally too afraid to touch america 's dual wars in iraq and afghanistan , battle : los angeles offers up a safer alternative",
        "battle : los angeles has really intense action scenes . and that 's it .",
        "considering there are so many new ways to tell an alien-invasion story -lrb- found footage , mockumentary , spoof -rrb- , battle : los angeles is almost defiantly old-fashioned .",
        "mostly , this is the cinematic equivalent of a first-person shooter game , one where the marines possess only slightly more personality than the faceless invaders .",
        "the deadening and sometimes laughable litany of shouted military-style dialogue eventually pummels into submission any hope for fresh creative angles on this well-worn format .",
        "it might be different with well-developed characters or a story that offers more depth or breadth , but the movie is predominantly pyrotechnics and , as impressive as some of those are , they do n't warrant two hours worth of screen time .",
        "this film feels so much like a videogame your hands keep reaching for controllers -- shoot the aliens , shoot the aliens , shoot the aliens .",
        "it presents an apocalyptic scenario that ought to be tense and horrifying but is instead unintentionally funny .",
        "MOV is so derivative of superior films that you 'll spend half the running time merely making a list of movies that you 'd rather be watching .",
        "despite plenty of promise , it 's a mirthlessly clich\u00e9d , spasmodic mess of editing and direction . still , look on the bright side ; at least it was n't released in 3d .",
        "this assemble-the-troops sci-fi war flick is all bark and no bite .",
        "it makes you feel like you are watching someone else playing a videogame while another person is operating a jackhammer approximately six inches away from your skull for two solid hours",
        "give props to the filmmakers behind battle : los angeles for manufacturing an otherworldly attack that 's as brutal , relentless and thoroughly unpleasant as the real thing might be .",
        "do n't mean to boast , but i can suspend my disbelief as willingly as any credulous moviegoer . yet not even an industrial crane would have helped here . nope , battle : los angeles completely defeated me .",
        "aliens attack los angeles , and as the title says , it 's a battle . tough , blunt sci-fi flick may not be original , but it delivers the goods .",
        "it has shortcomings , but battle : los angeles tries hard at being a serious alien invasion movie . intense battle scenes & an old fashioned portrayal of the military might win audiences over .",
        "a sci-fi `` black hawk down , '' jonathan liebesman 's `` battle : los angeles '' will satisfy any genre-movie buff jonesing for this generation 's `` independence day . ''",
        "a high-priced , high-tech clone of a video game . the characters move a pixel at a time to this dead-end or that , and each solution presents another , greater challenge .",
        "it 's not a good sign when , at the end of an alien invasion movie , you 're disappointed that the aliens have not emerged victorious .",
        "` battle : los angeles ' is nothing more than another fast paced , clich\u00e9d action / sci-fi film but visually splendid and enjoyable .",
        "alien invasion flick `` battle : los angeles '' is basically a $ 100,000,000 recruitment video for the marines that will help the corps fill its ranks with gawky gamers who like laughably bad movies . semper sigh .",
        "liebesman 's faux-doc , hand-held shooting style comes off as energetic but unfocused , like a 6-year-old trying to write his name in the snow with piss .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- 's not about aliens : it 's about us . this is n't science fiction : it 's a bleak fantasy about karma being a bitch . it 's about collective cultural guilt . looked at from that angle , battle : los angeles is fascinating .",
        "whoever cut together the epic first trailer for battle : la deserves an academy award . there is a reason why we hear no dialogue in that trailer ...",
        "a movie that made me wish , from the first to the last of its 116 minutes -lrb- forewarned is forearmed ! -rrb- , that i were at home watching paul verhoeven 's `` starship troopers '' again instead .",
        "rabidly gung ho action thriller that plays like black hawk down with aliens , though the impressive special effects and decent action sequences are badly let down by a script that ensures no clich\u00e9 gets left behind .",
        "visually bland , unconvincing cgi , an inane script , wooden , one note , cartoonish characters and too much boom , boom , boom ; bang , bang , bang .",
        "should have been titled `` call of duty : martian warfare 2 . ''",
        "war of the worlds meets the hurt locker in director jonathan liebesman 's down-and-dirty alien-invasion flick .",
        "a full metal racket , battle : los angeles is like a michael bay movie without the meatheaded , over-the-top indifference that usually implies . the destruction is spectacular .",
        "when the mothership finally arrives , it 's a clinking , clanking , clattering collection of metallic parts , as if fred sanford 's junkyard suddenly became airborne .",
        "an electrifying film that manages to be engrossing and entertaining in spite of its flaws .",
        "a tiresome fireworks display starring a cast of cardboard cutouts , quick to make a visceral fuss but frustratingly negligent when it comes to providing a reason to care .",
        "me , i would rather have enjoyed a big breakfast .",
        "it 's a decent night out , provided you know what you 're in for .",
        "action packed from beginning to end , `` battle : los angeles '' is the bigger , badder brother to `` independence day . ''",
        "wears its valor and vigor on its sleeve daring to be old-fashioned in its depiction of american heroism . the spirit of `` semper fi '' has n't been this much fun in a long time .",
        "a kind of cross between what i imagine the first person shooter video game experience to be and an episode of the hbo series generation kill",
        "... this humorless film as unimaginative -- and as exhausting -- as you can get .",
        "... MOV fizzles out long before it reaches its tedious , anticlimactic finish .",
        "... looks good but the story lacks soul .",
        "from beginning to end , this thing just keeps jackhammering at your nerves . sure , there are a few moments of comic relief , both intended and not .",
        "... lock-and-load sci-fi - `` full metal jacket '' meets `` war of the worlds .",
        "for all the blazing guns and s *** blowing up , it 's only sporadically thrilling .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "overlong and overly burdened with war movie clich\u00e9s , battle : los angeles will entertain only the most ardent action junkies .",
    "id": "770815449"
  },
  {
    "movie": "shoot_em_up",
    "reviews":
     [
        "shoot 'em up dispenses with plot , character development and coherency , but it 's a blast all the same .",
        "... essentially just one long chase sequence that becomes much too monotonous much too soon .",
        "clive owen is ideally cast as the likeable loner -lrb- with a tragedy in his past , of course -rrb- whose self defence and killing efficiency is declared with deadpan delivery .",
        "... painfully uncool one-liners , a flat performance from clive owen , a disgusting job by paul giamatti and a plot that reveals itself to be idiotic .",
        "say what you will about bugs bunny , at least he never needed a backstory .",
        "... it 's certainly impossible to deny the effectiveness of the three central performances .",
        "far from being a spoof on the genre , shoot 'em up is an action movie with the flab removed - with no more than maybe ten minutes of exposition , you 're left with a series of interconnecting money shots , each one more gooey than the last .",
        "merrily amoral , shamelessly watchable and outlandishly funny , shoot 'em up is not for all tastes , but those with a dark sense of humor will have a ball .",
        "casts aside some of the sillier macho cliches of the genre for an over-the-top action flick full of dark humor and cartoon violence .",
        "getting worked up over shoot 'em up 's excessive bloodshed is playing right into its hands .",
        "the biggest problem i have with a spoof of action / carnage / car chase / gunfire movies is that this genre is a spoof of real life to begin with . what 's with spoofing a spoof ?",
        "terrific , envelope-pushing gun fighting that both parodies and pays homage to sergio leone and john woo .",
        "awesome ! perfect ! surpasses the high-octane genre . should not be missed !",
        "smith , in other words , does exactly what you 'd expect the hero of a bloody , trashy , volcanically depraved action movie to do . he just does it a little bit ... more so , and that 's the rollicking good joke of shoot 'em up",
        "a sometimes hilarious , sometimes eye-goggling reductio ad absurdum of the action flick to its barest kinetic essentials - like one of those porn compilations of money shots , only in a different genre .",
        "after about an hour , though , it all becomes a mind-numbing barrage .",
        "watching shoot 'em up was akin to watching latter-day saturday night live : i could tell what they meant to be going for , but the comedy just fell flat flat flat .",
        "witless misfire .",
        "for the most part , this is strictly kiss kiss , bang bang , yawn yawn .",
        "a deliberately excessive homage to john woo .",
        "while gorehounds and fanboys will line up -lrb- if only to see two examples of death by carrot stick -rrb- , it 's 50-50 as to whether other palates will savor this particular dish .",
        "while it 's easy to curse hollywood after watching this film with grumbling words like ` ridiculous , ' ` oh , come on ! ' and ` utterly unrealistic , ' remember : director michael davis clearly was n't trying to be realistic .",
        "but by the time it 's done with all the `` phallic mumbo jumbo , '' the movie does n't seem to be saying much that 's new .",
        "shoot 'em up is too silly for its glib violence to seem mean , and too dumb to mean anything , or take notes on , but it 's not without wit .",
        "the term ` suspending disbelief ' has n't been this apropos since democrats watched president bush take the oath of office .",
        "the most audacious , implausible , cheerfully offensive , hyperactive action picture i 've seen since , oh , sin city , which in comparison was a chamber drama .",
        "fast-paced , ultra-violent , spectacular and preposterous , shoot 'em up may be the most pleasurable , kinetic , and trashy actioner , a truly cult midnight flick , since rodriguez 's el mariachi and desperado .",
        "good taste is the first fatality in this gonzo thrill-seeker , sure to offend mainstream dispositions , yet too stylistically audacious to dismiss outright .",
        "this swift , rank , enjoyably dark movie presses against so many limits , it achieves the threshold of a new limit .",
        "a depraved b -lrb- ullet -rrb- ovie that may not quite be john woo 's wet dream , but which is good enough to make the maestro shift uncomfortably in his sleep .",
        "it 's great fun ... until it gets tedious .",
        "a big bloody disappointment .",
        "perhaps the most refreshingly creative explosion of pure bad taste to come our way in far too long .",
        "indeed , the entire movie can be seen to exist on the comic ultraviolence spectrum that began with bugs and elmer 's arms race from the rabbit of seville",
        "with a thunderous pace and an outrageous level of violence and mayhem , this film blasts its way onto the screen , as the title suggests , dragging its reluctant hero into a series of increasingly ludicrous set pieces .",
        "for all its absurdity , the action is good enough to keep adrenaline junkies juiced ...",
        "anyone looking for subtlety , character development or layered plotting will be disappointed , but action fans will find plenty to amuse them .",
        "rock out with your **** out !",
        "a one-dimensional cinematic treat best savored with one 's brain on pause .",
        "not only riffing on john woo 's hong kong flicks but cranking up the action until it becomes quite literally a madcap cartoon .",
        "completely retarded and totally awesome ...",
        "works on a kind of stripped-down , pure , gleeful violence , committed by characters who are n't capable of anything else .",
        "bullets through umbilical cords , shootouts during sex and gunfights in gun factories : this is one movie that does exactly what it says on the tin .",
        "this is seedy , morally defunct , low-iq cinema for airheads : it 's toe-curlingly violent and mostly plain nasty , but quite fun in a debauched kind of way .",
        "bang , bang you 're dead : clive owen romps his way through shoot 'em up , an outrageously shoddy , audaciously choreographed exploitation flick that loves the smell of gunpowder in the morning .",
        "a bold , brash blast of a movie that will fade from memory like a puff of gunsmoke but still has the cordite whiff of a future cult hit about it for the leathered-at-2am crowd . just do n't expect plot or much depth .",
        "a film that would be odious were it not realised with such verve and gleeful , inventive ` looney tunes ' audacity , and only a trim 86 minutes long .",
        "the inspired action sequences are brilliantly staged and imaginatively shot , and at 86 minutes it does n't outstay its welcome .",
        "this wet dream for action junkies leaves out logic and motivation -- you know , all the boring stuff .",
        "the real problem is that 80 minutes of essentially non-stop action ... are eventually wearying",
        "`` shoot 'em up '' belongs to the `` transporter '' / `` smokin ' aces '' school of modern western grindhouse cinema .",
        "the smartest stupid movie i 've seen this year .",
        "the sum of the movie 's exploding parts adds up to nothing -- not even just good , sick fun .",
        "within the genre of baffling , what-the-hell-is-this ? movies , shoot 'em up is a fine specimen .",
        "davis rigs his action scenes like intricate and deliciously clever rube goldberg devices that are a delight to see play out .",
        "if john woo had directed a bugs bunny cartoon written by the creators of south park , the result might be something like shoot ` em up , but with a crucial difference : bugs bunny cartoons were always less than 10 minutes long .",
        "jaw-dropping only hints at the reaction to the intricately staged fights , especially a shootout between smith and a dozen or so villains as they step out of a jet and plummet toward earth sans parachutes .",
        "for mainstream audiences , its whiplash pacing , frenetic camera work and offhand manner toward blood spillage probably will be disturbing .",
        "it 's funny without being toothless , adrenaline turbocharged without being mean , and utterly deranged in the best sense of the word .",
        "even more distressing is the presence of owen and paul giamatti . i understand the concept of working as much as possible while you 're hot , but it 's a slippery slope .",
        "that giamatti appears in shoot 'em up is bad enough , but he 's not even good in it , chewing the scenery in service of mostly unfunny lines .",
        "it 's inevitable that a movie this trigger-happy shoots itself in the foot .",
        "bang . bang . bang-bang blood , blood , blood . there , you 've seen the movie .",
        "the ultimate target audience will undoubtedly have the added benefit of libations .",
        "shoot 'em up will become , i suspect , some kind of legend in the murky depths of extreme action .",
        "bang ! an instant cult hit ...",
        "it 's a cocktail made up of three parts testosterone to one part brains .",
        "to approximate the experience , simply record a minute-long tv ad , watch it 86 times , and imagine the profanity , scatology and gore that broadcast censors had to cut out of it .",
        "though it has no real characters and a completely nonsensical plot , it is a welcome respite from other uber-violent movies like 300 that are itself parodies and do n't even realize it .",
        "if you 're a fan of looney tunes live action , it does n't get much better than clive owen juiced up on beta-carotene .",
        "it 's really nothing more than charlie 's angels 2 all over again ... with clive owen and a fetish prostitute instead of three young , hot chicks .",
        "... clunky dialogue , a patchwork plot and a poor turn from sexpot bellucci take the air out of this exercise . a couple of cheesy set pieces may be amusing , but on the whole shoot 'em up is a bore .",
        "the method to the madness behind shoot 'em up is etched in stone from a surreal popcorn perspective drenched in cynicism and silliness .",
        "the movie i 've been waiting for my whole life . michael davis is my soul mate .",
        "a tasteless cartoon that uses the high-minded ideals of satire and social commentary to cloak the fact that it is shamelessly pandering to the most base , juvenile parts of our nature .",
        "a fun , if messy , compilation of the most absurd action scenes ever put on celluloid .",
        "loaded for fun , a trigger-happy full-frontal assualt on our senses that really seems to be winking at a whole macho-movie genre .",
        "there is no wisdom or critical acumen in evidence in shoot 'em up , however . just 100 or so cool scenes masquerading as a movie .",
        "shoot 'em up is a witless , soulless , heartless movie that mistakes noise for bravura and tastelessness for wit .",
        "if there 's a hell , an honest-to-god place of eternal torment , shoot 'em up would make the ideal introductory video , promising a lifetime of anguish to come .",
        "you might be able to say you had a good time watching it -- but felt dirty about it afterwards .",
        "the excessive but wonderfully creative bloodlust in shoot 'em up takes glorified violence to a new level . let 's just say the film lives up to its title .",
        "giamatti plays his villain role with a purring fervency that implies he wishes he had a properly twirlable mustache .",
        "you would n't believe me if i told you how this movie opens .",
        "this movie has got both sex and violence . what more do you want ? a plot that makes sense ?",
        "-lrb- y -rrb- ou got ta love the primal potency of shoot 'em up . it 's been a long time since any movie has made such a strong connection to our cave dweller cravings .",
        "shoot 'em up is filled with ingenious moments . this movie is seriously cool .",
        "ugly , disgusting , revolting , sadistic , and pointless ... if it is intended as a satire , it fails . if it is n't , it is a grotesque disgrace .",
        "bullets fly and bad guys die . the action is non-stop and rather original in this hour-and-a-half burst of testosterone .",
        "offering frenetic , absurdist , over-the-top violence , it 's a silly , smarmy , shell-shocked live-action cartoon .",
        "shoot 'em up contains several ridiculous sequences , all freshly-minted classics , in which physics are bent , exploited , and flat-out flushed down the toilet .",
        "as for a plot , the film is too busy piling up dead bodies to have much of one . and , with dialogue consisting almost entirely of movie poster tag lines , shoot 'em up shoots blanks .",
        "this is likely the fastest-moving intentionally funny action movie ever made .",
        "you know quentin tarantino is probably over the hill when he can be so parodied with such deadly precision in shoot 'em up .",
        "a former storyboard artist , davis orchestrates the film 's nearly wall-to-wall action sequences with breakneck precision and exhilarating verve -- the more outrageous the mayhem , the better .",
        "the actors , unquestionably and predictably , are leagues better than the material deserves .",
        "shoot \u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- em up is like a manual of creative mayhem , a distillation of sergio leone western and john woo hong kong gun-gasm .",
        "over-the-top does n't begin to describe shoot 'em up 's set-pieces , most of which are undeniably entertaining .",
        "there are only so many ways to shoot people , and the movie gets repetitive in its gleeful nihilism and downright boring when the gunfire stops and characters start trying to explain what little plot exists .",
        "fully dedicated to finding newer and more creative ways to annihilate countless bad guys , michael davis ' ultimate guy movie is n't just testosterone-heavy , it 's doused with it , sprayed with diesel , and set ablaze .",
        "like quentin tarantino without the aesthetic posturing , the film is giddy with pop references -- and embraces the sloshy fun of exploitation genre-tweaking ...",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- gloriously deranged orgy of bugs bunny-style action and nonstop gunplay ...",
        "a giddy , deranged , pumped-up theme park ride in bullet land",
        "writer-director michael davis has stripped the action movie down to its essence in a mind-blowing mash-up fueled with testosterone , adrenaline , and weapons-grade explosives .",
        "badass , unabashedly malicious fun .",
        "shoot 'em up is simply wild fun and nothing more , though suspiciously intent on blowing away the whole kick butt genre with a wink , while taking down as many bad guys as possible in sight .",
        "simultaneously declares its love for over-the-top action movies and demonstrates how ridiculous they are .",
        "the best guilty pleasure of the summer ... arriving just a couple of weeks too late .",
        "ludicrous , ridiculous , campy and wildly over the top , which is just the way it should be .",
        "deliriously tasteless and shamelessly entertaining , shoot 'em up is the guiltiest pleasure of the year .",
        "in the end , you care about the characters on screen as much as you do for those in video games , which is not at all .",
        "forget style over substance ; the style is the substance here , and it 's hard to complain when it 's all , quite simply , so much damn fun .",
        "the cast alone makes it worth seeing this semi-serious satire of cowboy diplomacy action flicks .",
        "one can certainly be amused and entertained by writer-director michael davis 's hyperbolic action frolics -- i was -- but not without feeling pretty low and stupid .",
        "... arguably the best-directed movie of the year .",
        "... an affectionate , often very funny simpsons parody of its whole eponymous genre . it 's a live-action mcbane as co-directed by quentin tarantino and chuck jones ... . shoot 'em up is hot fuzz gone to the dark side .",
        "in its essence it 's nothing but a violent live action bugs bunny cartoon and i dug it .",
        "uma vers\u0103o idiota de filhos da esperan\u00e7a .",
        "it 's just gunfights strung together , without a whisper of coherence or meaning .",
        "the whole thing is supposed to be played for laughs , but it is too bloody , too brutal and too sadistic to be remotely amusing .",
        "it is obvious that this is a movie where the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing , which is why i believe this movie will live on much longer than its box office receipts indicate .",
        "maintaining a surprisingly light touch and upbeat tone ... shoot 'em up is one of this year 's best guilty pleasures .",
        "seems in pursuit of being the ultimate ` guy movie , ' but fans of this sort of glamorized killing spree are n't the kind of guy that most guys want to be .",
        "everything about this neo-noir version of an itchy & scratchy marathon is casually ludicrous , right down to its back-handed advocacy of - wait for it - gun control .",
        "the most amoral action film since crank .",
        "really , this thing is pretty rank .",
        "there is not yet an expression to describe how over-the-top this hyperkinetic action comedy is , from its john woo/rube goldberg inspired set pieces to its painful self-awareness of its own darned cleverness .",
        "for those who can stand the nonstop assault on their sensibilities , it 's delightfully trashy , albeit irresponsible .",
        "i get it that as soon as graphic novels or video games are invoked as references in a movie , we 're all supposed to chuckle indulgently at the content . but i refuse to relinquish my right to be repelled by this nasty piece of work .",
        "for sheer audacity and adrenaline-fueled carnage , shoot 'em up hits its target pretty much dead on .",
        "ridiculously violent , comically bloody and so over-the-top that one can only view it as a cartoon that just so happens to be live-action . as for the says-it-all title , it is truth in advertising taken to the extreme .",
        "with its absurd anti-gun `` message , '' the film certainly could be called a satire , yet it remains firmly within the genre it is satirizing .",
        "a high-impact , adrenaline pumping , laugh-out-loud film that is so preposterously over the top that it is almost poetry",
        "the ` best use of a carrot as a weapon award ' goes to clive owen as mr smith",
        "it 's hard to get too worked up about a film whose very title announces its maker 's intent .",
        "a vulgar , smug and willfully stupid movie that 's both a lazy pseudo-parody of action films and a particularly egregious example of the genre itself .",
        "not one second of the film is anything other than ludicrous , which is exactly why it rocks .",
        "simultaneously a spoof , throwback , and tribute to the ballets of violence that precede it , shoot 'em up is the guilty pleasure of the year .",
        "viscerally exciting , but without a brain in its head ... like an outstanding ten-minute audition reel repeated nine times .",
        "if you 're impressed by the way owen takes out bad guys while holding an infant , wait until you see how he manages mid-climax -lrb- yes , i mean that sort of climax -rrb- .",
        "this hyperkinetic , ultra-violent , guns-a-blazin ' actioner from writer-director michael davis can be accused of many things - stupidity , misogyny , the death of american film as we know it - but false advertising is not one of them .",
        "drinking the full adrenaline-with-a-wink cocktail might be too much , but there 's nothing wrong with sampling it .",
        "brit writer/director michael davis deserves top marks for his sharp shooting .",
        "there are laughs in owen 's loathing of various male affectations but it 's ultimately wearyingly crude and calculating .",
        "the film is so fast it is over almost before it begins and so empty-headed it demands little but your inertia . on the way there are moments of weird charm , conjured by the movie 's velocity .",
        "ott action and amoral humour are the entire point .",
        "it pokes fun at the american obsessions of guns , breasts and violence , says the producer . but can we have a proper storyline next time round , mr davis ?",
        "thanks to its sneakily subversive tone -lrb- the plot , with heavy irony , involves gun control -rrb- and grandstand performances , the flashy result mostly hits the target .",
        "michael davis ' new film asks the question , `` what would happen if you took your average action-movie mayhem-a-thon , eliminated all the boring parts -lrb- like motivation and character development -rrb- and then called it what it is : ` shoot 'em up ' ?",
        "impressively directed , frequently silly but nonetheless enjoyable thriller that delivers exactly what the title suggests - 86 minutes of non-stop shoot - 'em - up fun .",
        "a smattering of great one-liners and a sense of its own ridiculousness make this the movie of the week by a mile .",
        "it is utter nonsense and completely reprehensible morally . but it 's an outrageous amount of fun ."],
    "summary": "as preposterous and over-the-top as shoot 'em up may be , its humor and non-stop action make for a very enjoyable film .",
    "id": "753391596"
  },
  {
    "movie": "charlie_wilsons_war",
    "reviews":
     [
        "public policy is played for laughs rather than dissected in spite , and for 90 minutes we bask in escapist entertainment .",
        "a pleasant enough film , but i simply did n't see what all the awards talk is about .",
        "the movie 's energizing strength is intelligence . it is so entertainingly adult .",
        "the political messages come in fits and starts , but the film 's bittersweet final section hints at the far-reaching impact of wilson 's efforts , both positive and negative .",
        "with its rapid pace , smart screenplay , and top-notch acting , this is one of the 2007 oscar season 's most appealing and compelling adult motion pictures .",
        "perhaps a better way to remember these two colorful characters ... is with a little gem by gust : ` what brought us together was chasing pussy and killing communists . '",
        "the big-screen charlie wilson 's war , clocking in at 93 fly-by minutes , is dark and funny and mean and sexy , damned near pitch-black-perfect considering that at the end of this boozy comedy you wind up with , oh , osama bin laden .",
        "there 's a stinger in the tail of the story when the happy ending it reaches is no ending at all , but is instead a step on the road to the present day .",
        "if charlie does n't feel quite real , hanks at least makes him good company .",
        "the film moves along smartly despite being stuffed to bursting with details of arms deals , diplomatic ploys and political maneuvering .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "if the story feels incomplete and a tad abrupt , it may be because only time will tell us how it ends .",
        "it is so much fun watching these actors enjoy bouncing off each other , it 's almost too easy to forget the importance of the story being told .",
        "it 's one of the better flicks of the christmas movie season .",
        "breezy and entertaining .",
        "for a great deal of its relatively brief running time , this is smashing entertainment .",
        "a feel-good comedy about a covert us effort to fund resistance to the soviet invasion of afghanistan ? what will hollywood think of next ?",
        "just because a politically savvy satire has an eloquent tongue in its cheek does n't mean the message wo n't seem painfully obvious .",
        "it 's a sprightly achievement for director mike nichols and screenwriter aaron sorkin and their cast to keep effervescing for 80 minutes of a 97-minute movie .",
        "the final third of charlie wilson 's war is incredibly frustrating , deflating what could have been a perfect comedy into merely a good one .",
        "tells a momentous story -- a story every american should know -- in a boisterous , lickety-split style that makes the history lesson go down easily .",
        "neither -lsb- roberts -rsb- nor her illustrious co-stars can compensate for a facile screenplay without many laughs or insights into our government 's inner workings .",
        "charlie wilson 's war manages to be at once utterly irresponsible and mildly entertaining .",
        "war has rarely been this much fun , but director mike nichols is careful to offset the mischief with a poignant reminder of the days that lay ahead .",
        "slick , sharp and a little sentimental .",
        "extremely enjoyable . although it 's a little tonally unsure , whenever hanks and hoffman are on screen , any misgivings are forgiven .",
        "less than the sum of its a-list parts , nichols ' grown-up satire only catches fire when hoffman 's steamed up .",
        "the performances are likeable and entertaining , while nichols pumps the whole proceedings with a satisfyingly fluid , dramatic energy .",
        "the surreal comedy is that every tense twist of this secret war is horribly true .",
        "the film itself may be uneven , but it 's worth catching for hoffman alone who gets to deliver some of the funniest lines to grace a movie in years .",
        "it all adds up to something very unsatisfying , and less than honest .",
        "philip seymour hoffman provides a wonderful comic foil as the straight-talking cia operative who helps wilson in his covert dealings with the afghan rebels .",
        "sterling entertainment punched across with enough glitz to sell it but not too much to bury it .",
        "mike nichols ' cheeky film about the texas congressman who helped fund the afghan army tells one side of an important story . and it tells it well , thanks to an a-list cast and aaron sorkin 's typically zingy script .",
        "the russians are going , the russians are going",
        "the story of charlie wilson 's war makes an engaging and amusing film . aaron sorkin 's scriptis literate , intelligent , well-written , fast-paced and full of clever and cynical one-liners .",
        "performances from hoffman and hanks are so strong that , almost in spite of itself , charlie wilson 's war is worth a look .",
        "call it afghanishtar . so strange that democrats are shown killing commies -- not calling for sanctions against them or filing motions in the u.n.",
        "the light approach to serious matters -lrb- and real-life figures -rrb- brings out the irony and absurdity of the situations , but it also trivializes them , and in the end has less impact due to sorkin and nichols ' neglect of the broader political context .",
        "charlie wilson 's war ends up following an artistic tack not unlike the political tack it aims to depict -- a well-intentioned and initially successful campaign ultimately undone by short-sightedness and bureaucratic meddling .",
        "charlie wilson 's war is political drama played as comedy and true life as satire . sorkin 's script comes loaded with computable comic lines .",
        "charlie wilson 's war is that rare hollywood commodity these days : a smart , sophisticated entertainment for grownups .",
        "una inteligente s\u00e1tira pol\u00edtica , que se queda corta como cr\u00edtica a la intervenci\u00f3n de eeuu en medio oriente pero funciona muy bien como comedia . tom hanks y philip seymour hoffman est\u00e1n formidables .",
        "smart , sophisticated and stylish , `` charlie wilson 's war '' is a victory for thinking adults .",
        "it 's not a war movie but plays against a backdrop of war ; it 's not a comedy but has plenty of humour ; it 's not a romance romantic relationships matter ; it 's not a political story but everything is political .",
        "mike nichols ' fast-talking political comedy says every word but osama bin laden .",
        "bursting with star power , comes off as a smart comedy , economically written and briskly paced while making politics more fun than they have a right to be .",
        "genuinely witty and entertaining .",
        "none of the participants can % u2014or will % u2014anticipate the al-qaeda punchline , of course , but the film includes a coda to ensure you know where their chortling and short-sighted self-interests will lead .",
        "it 's not a war movie but it plays against a backdrop of war ; it 's not a comedy but it has plenty of humour ; it 's not a romance but the romantic relationships matter ; it 's not a political story but everything is political",
        "an extremely entertaining conversation starter of a movie , of the sort earmarked for a better-than-average night out with the folks . depending , of course , on their tolerance for scenes involving talky naked strippers in hot tubs .",
        "from its subject matter , you ;d swear this would have been the most boring film of the year - instead , it 's smart , sassy and endlessly entertaining .",
        "lively and enlightening , this truth-is-stranger-than-fiction caper takes an ironic , satirical , even shallow tone .",
        "another war film , with an exception , this one is entertaining ! i applaud aaron sorkin !!!",
        "this is certainly the most dynamic of the war films that have been choking and dying at the multiplex .",
        "in mike nichols ' smart satire of us engagement with the middle east , history is shown to repeat itself as both tragedy and farce .",
        "charlie wilson 's war is a journalistic satire of realpolitik in which our jerry-rigged alliances , which looked strategic at the time , end up biting the u.s. in unforeseen ways .",
        "the film , adapted from george crile 's book , does n't always work , but it sure offers value for money .",
        "in place of a plot , screenwriter aaron sorkin -lrb- writer of television 's west wing -rrb- supplants a stylistic veneer of dialogue gloss so thick that tom hanks and julia roberts are like giant fleshy insects encased in transparent amber .",
        "some humor , specifically the title character 's womanizing , is dated and no longer shocking . otherwise , the movie is political satire light and amusing enough .",
        "as for the nuts-and-bolts of political strategy , nichols navigates them as prosaically as he did in his last treatment of a sybaritic pol , the trivial primary colors .",
        "a snappy political satire about a texas congressman and his efforts to win the cold war by defeating the russians in afghanistan in the 1980s .",
        "ultimately it 's a film that understands that it 's ok to insert a little t&a into the political discourse .",
        "you may find better films that deal with the precursors of our present blowback in the middle east , but you wo n't find many more entertaining .",
        "alas , for all the down-and-dirty of covert ops and back-channel diplomacy depicted in charlie wilson 's war , the movie feels a little too scrubbed , too sanitized .",
        "for such a serious subject , the film is surprisingly funny .",
        "maybe it was n't his fault those chickens came home to roost in the form of the taliban , but you have to wonder : would nichols have given oliver north such an easy ride ?",
        "it 's a homerun .",
        "it 's a marvel of snappy dialogue and precision timing .",
        "as good as this movie is , i get the sense that charlie wilson himself has some better stories to tell .",
        "what a treat ! charlie wilson 's war is the perfect christmas present for thinking moviegoers .",
        "you wo n't likely be blown away by the film , and it 's not as hard-hitting as it probably ought to be . still , it 's a solid picture with enough good elements to sell it .",
        "hanks brings down the ussr superpower solo , on his down time between snuggling with herds of babes in the buff , snorting coke , and full time boozing . file this one under the pink elephants section .",
        "i did n't believe a bit of it , thanks to the movie 's style , except for some newsreel and documentary footage , and even that felt epoxied on .",
        "director mike nichols , working from sorkin 's terrifically written screenplay and with a cast that 's obviously game and eager to please , pulls it all together and makes it work in an utterly convincing and crowd-pleasing fashion",
        "at a short 93 minutes , it feels as though charlie wilson 's war was hacked up in the editing room , leaving the bare bones of the structure but little of the really juicy meat .",
        "all of the actors clearly relish the film 's fast and busy pace , smart dialog and vivid characterisations .",
        "hanks ' performance as wilson is tone-perfect , capturing both the public-servant seriousness and playboy rakishness of his character . and he does it without breaking a sweat .",
        "charlie wilson 's war is both funny and entertaining . in fact , as far as making political points , you kind of have to look for them .",
        "charlie wilson 's war features two characters who know how government is supposed to work . they also know it does n't work as it is supposed to , so they have to subvert the system and go beyond it .",
        "hanks may at first seem like an unlikely choice to play a seasoned texas playboy bachelor , but he 's so ingratiating that he almost pulls it off .",
        "the satire darkens not into sobering relevance but into wishy-washy ` relevance '",
        "the international intrigue becomes strained satire -- what 's needed is the comic touch of a billy wilder .",
        "set the irony meter at eleven and enjoy .",
        "aaron sorkin has written an acute , hilarious , and informative screenplay which is rich with character , and is perfect fodder for director mike nichols , who has a knack for meshing comedy and drama .",
        "a quartet of oscar-winners got together for charlie wilson 's war and while the result is a decent film , it 's not a spectacular collaboration .",
        "a slick , smart , and subversive look at where america went wrong with its geo-political thinking",
        "nichols and sorkin take the easy way out , promoting the personal tale of the roguish wilson , rather than establishing a real socio-political context within which something insightful might have emerged",
        "without philip seymour hoffman 's gust , this would be a mildly amusing 2-star dramedy . his deadpan punchlines elevate it beyond well-intentioned shlock",
        "it 's too easy a movie not to like it , as a diversion rather than a serious work of art , perhaps .",
        "the emphasis on this war is personalized , and what charlie wilson learns from it could change the world now .",
        "nichols and sorkin have made a cadillac of a movie , a handsome , beautifully designed chassis with a powerful motor and luxurious attention to detail .",
        "a great starting five of film artists % u2014 director mike nichols , writer adam sorkin and actors tom hanks , julia roberts and phillip seymour hoffman % u2014 have put their distinctive spin on the story",
        "adult comedy takes an incisive look at politics .",
        "consider it west wing lite , with some of hollywood 's finest at the helm .",
        "if we learned anything from the da vinci code , it is how you should never under estimate tom hanks with a goofy hair cut .",
        "an often-hilarious political satire that tells a story so bizarre and unlikely that it comes as no surprise to discover that most of it is indeed true",
        "nichol 's and co. 's foreign policy caper puts up a decent fight , but hoffman wins the war .",
        "imagine getting a fascinating , if unsettling history lesson while watching a judd apatow comedy like ` knocked up , ' and that 's how ` charlie wilson 's war ' unfolds .",
        "a smart , funny , sophisticated story for grown-ups that steers clear of iraq-fatigue and instead buries its sardonic message beneath bourbon and bimbos .",
        "out of the rash of socio-political movies this season , this stands as the best ; thanks in large part to the film 's trio of stars and the snarky script from aaron sorkin .",
        "charlie wilson 's war takes a kernel of truth and roasts it into a popcorn movie . there 's terrific fun to be had , and much wry comedy too .",
        "charlie wilson 's war tells its tale briskly , almost merrily . this is not a sober history lesson , but a political comedy laced with sex -lrb- party girls in limos , strippers in hot tubs -rrb- , booze , and even good old-fashioned cocaine .",
        "is is a charming , slight film - a nice little movie . and that 's great . but somehow i think the filmmakers were hoping for something more .",
        "witty , wacky , and wildly inappropriate for our puritan pc times , this story ... breezes of effortless engagement , filled with performances so potent they act like double shots of soothing southern comfort .",
        "nichols has all cylinders cooking with this stuff , especially with the flow of zingers by sporkin delivered in rapid fire exquisiteness of expression .",
        "for a satire to bite , someone has to draw blood .",
        "though pitched as comedy with absurdist flourishes , you ca n't help thinking that charlie wilson 's war accurately captures the less-than-kosher methods by which laws are passed and money dispersed in our nation 's capital .",
        "hoffman brings out the best in hanks -- they riff off each other with delicious comic teamwork .",
        "as a commentary on current events , it 's unconvincing ; but as a rollicking ' `` dallas '' set in washington , ' it 's excellent .",
        "a terrific tale of political wheeling and dealing .",
        "you 'll want to stand up and cheer for charlie wilson , a smart and absolutely irresistable true tale about a guy who dared to make a difference .",
        "it 's a smart political comedy that tackles a solemn situation , but does n't forget that it 's meant to entertain as well .",
        "the movie really snaps when hanks and hoffman are firing screenwriter aaron sorkin 's dialogue back and forth , discussing arms deals with deadpan humor .",
        "it is briskly paced , nimbly acted and crisply directed by mike nichols .",
        "something does n't smell right with charlie wilson 's war . i 'm not particularly concerned with the specific facts it has left out of its telling . but what has been left in feels compromised and dodgy .",
        "a well-intentioned wreck .",
        "only hoffman manages to make a silk purse out of this sow 's ear ... by blustering through his line readings with a raw energy the rest of the film sorely lacks .",
        "a lean and tight insider 's look at the absurdity , deceit , and artifice of politics .",
        "the weight of current events in iraq and afghanistan push at the back of your mind as you watch the film .",
        "sounds like a spy movie but it 's handled as a comedy , and while the whole thing is droll -lrb- there 's more than a few funny exchanges in the film -rrb- , it also feels weightless .",
        "when dealing with larger-than-life personalities , world conflicts , and a future of unspeakable misery , 90 minutes and some sugared patter just does n't satisfy .",
        "offers some pretty good political insight for a 97-minute comedy",
        "charlie wilson 's war is an anachronism , the wrong movie at the wrong time . not only does it tell its tale in a style that feels dated and artificial , the story itself focuses on events that history has overtaken .",
        "under mike nichols 's direction hanks , roberts and hoffman have a great time with sorkin 's dialogue , even if these are n't the sorts of parts that win oscars .",
        "eighty percent of charlie wilson 's war is a dizzyingly satiric and outrageous -- and true -- story .",
        "while the film is of a serious nature , it plays as a comedy and turns out to be well-crafted entertainment .",
        "sorkin is a deft explicator of washington geopolitics for dummies , but he patronizes us with blunt lessons on the mujahideen and afghanistan geography .",
        "director mike nichols and writer aaron sorkin tell the story nimbly and intelligently in charlie wilson 's war , which has been billed as a comedy but contains sobering reminders about modern international affairs .",
        "charlie wilson 's war , a crisp , biting satire that confidently mixes sex and politics , glides along so smartly and smoothly , it makes you wonder how it 's possible that director mike nichols and writer aaron sorkin have never teamed up before .",
        "the lines brought to mind what sportswriter red smith said when asked how he writes , ` i open a vein , ' ... alan sorkin 's seem to come straight from an artery , so labored are they .",
        "a scene-stealing performance from philip seymour hoffman .",
        "as creator and head writer of the west wing , aaron sorkin had a gift for making policy debate seem sexy , but what worked in the context of that liberal fantasy founders badly amid the realpolitik of this cold war drama .",
        "gosh , does this movie have it all or what ? smart dialogue , julia roberts in a bikini and looking grrrrrr-eattttt , and russian helicopters going boom ! it 's also short ! what 's not to love ?",
        "it actually cares about entertaining its audience , about giving them something to laugh at and have fun with before hitting them over the head with how bad things are .",
        "a funny , sprightly tribute to the american can-do spirit , with a bleak ending that suggests that our plucky protagonist may have just dug his own -lrb- or , in this case , his country 's -rrb- grave .",
        "all of a sudden , hoffman is having one of the most spectacular years any movie actor ever had .",
        "i do like the movie . seeing it again will be no chore , on hanks and hoffman alone .",
        "gentle spoof of the behind-the-scenes look at recent history and at the beltway crowd .",
        "purely as popular entertainment , the picture snaps and crackles with colorful characters and droll dialogue , and on that level alone it 's enormous fun .",
        "charlie wilson 's war is interesting , but i want to see charlie murphy 's war . send eddie 's brother to afghanistan to entertain them all with his true hollywood stories .",
        "have you ever hear of congressman charlie wilson who served texas ' 2nd district from 1973 to 1996 ? neither had i , despite the fact that he was virtually single-handedly responsible for toppling the soviet union .",
        "do n't miss this one .",
        "... while movies can and do mark history , to a degree , they 're also entertainment , and `` charlie wilson 's war '' largely succeeds on that front .",
        "... sharp , smart and funny ...",
        "who knew the war on terror began in texas ?",
        "one of the year 's very best films .",
        "a mildly engaging holiday season diversion that will evaporate from many viewers ' memories at a speed so rapid it may put santa 's sleigh to shame .",
        "like grafting the conflict-free pizzazz of ocean 's thirteen onto lions for lambs .",
        "-lsb- it 's -rsb- a satire of the second cold war and clueless american politics , while also celebrating the comparatively loose morals and naivet\u00e9 of the greed decade .",
        "nichols succeeds in spinning an entertaining yarn .",
        "a mostly amusing film that features smart performances and even-smarter dialogue .",
        "entertaining , and that 's about the extent of it .",
        "... serves up u.s. foreign policy like a champagne cocktail - a whole lot of bubbly followed by a dash of bitters .",
        "sorkin 's fast , smart talk perfectly captures the smart , self-aware characters who like to pretend they can hide how much they care .",
        "nichols 's cut , gutted version -lrb- of aaron sorkin 's script -rrb- offers a few cheery , breezy moments of rat-a-tat comedy , but charlie wilson 's war stops being funny when you realize we 're living in the sequel .",
        "a forgettable and too-glossy piffle posing ridiculously as oscar bait , charlie wilson 's war tells a true story that warrants more respect than this lifeless , frivolous drudge of a final product .",
        "so sad nichols has directed it like a sequel to ishtar , softening the script 's poli-sci body blows with broad sight gags and a puzzlingly cartoonish tone .",
        "rather than another of the solemn examinations of american foreign policy charlie wilson 's war is a quip-filled , high-spirited comedy .",
        "a bizarro-world frank capra picture ... though the story deserves more weight ... still a pleasing , unusually smart , consistently witty mass entertainment .",
        "it 's a mystery why reagan did n't stop spinning in his grave long enough to incinerate all prints of this propaganda with his lie-destroying eye lasers .",
        "... comes as a decided relief after a fall of clumsy , heavy-handed iraq war dramas .",
        "-lsb- i -rsb- t 's funny , it 's actually funny ... all rapid-fire snark ... imagine if c-span produced a modern screwball comedy ...",
        "the history that 's here is worth knowing , and hanks , roberts , hoffman and nichols make those beat-the-russkies '80s seem like a party .",
        "when charlie wilson 's war is on target -- pretty much every time tom hanks and philip seymour hoffman appear on-screen together -- it 's a really enjoyable movie .",
        "this entertaining romp , directed by mike nichols , has elegantly turned bluster to burn , and a host of true-blue american types who do n't even pretend to be flesh and blood .",
        "though not great , charlie wilson 's war is definitely worthwhile and entertaining , and clocking in at a modest 98 minutes , it does n't overstay its welcome .",
        "charlie wilson 's war , is a witty , literate , wryly sophisticated parable of american politics : just the kind of movie that hollywood , in its search for the global audience , supposedly does n't make anymore .",
        "the season 's oddest and perhaps most effective war movie .",
        "it 's not a great film , but it 's so swift -lrb- barely 90 minutes -rrb- and fun that you barely notice .",
        "tom hanks delivers another of his patented good-guy roles .",
        "it 's a smart , hugely entertaining romp through the back channels of power that celebrates the power of the determined individual to alter the course of human events . but the implications and consequences of wilson 's crusade are ... troubling .",
        "while not deeply insightful , charlie wilson 's war is an eye-opening and sassy tale of political will making for unlikely bedfellows .",
        "highly entertaining -- and mildly uncomfortable .",
        "crile 's book is a detailed , cautionary tale . nichols and sorkin 's version is n't completely without reflection , but it mostly dodges the ugly in favor of personality .",
        "mr. hanks comes through with an egoless performance -- no movie star is so adept at not acting like a movie star -- and mr. hoffman continues his year of doing no wrong",
        "nichols fills the edges of the screen with unforced humor .",
        "hanks does a great job , brimming with the sort of charisma and charm that the real charlie wilson presumably had in spades .",
        "... succumbs to an overly and relentlessly talky vibe that prevents the viewer from connecting to the film 's story or characters .",
        "the movie never addresses the pressing questions raised in crile 's nonfiction page-turner . it also never encourages the viewer to consider that a solitary congressman appropriated more than $ 40 million of taxpayer money for his cause .",
        "-lsb- philip seymour hoffman 's -rsb- rumpled , cranky spy is hilarious -- george smiley by way of jack black -- but with an edge of quiet ferocity that makes every scene he 's in play a little sharper .",
        "this film may be based on real events but it plays out like a sharp and often absurd political satire .",
        "charlie wilson 's war '' is intelligence to be savored appreciatively .",
        "-lsb- a -rsb- nyone who 's seen , say , michael winterbottom 's welcome to sarajevo or even one of those late-night `` save the children '' tv spots has seen much more gut-punching stuff .",
        "the dialogue zings and pops whether you are trying to keep up with hanks and hoffman as they exchange one-liners or trying to fully understand the foreign affairs ...",
        "suficientemente interessante para figurar entre os diversos trabalhos que fizeram de 2007 um ano t\u0103o forte para o cinema norte-americano .",
        "two vaguely amoral do-gooders do their part to fight commies in a secret hot war during a cold one % u2026you know , the one that installed the taliban in afghanistan and turned it into a place armed to the teeth and crazy pissed at us . then sorkin and nich",
        "contrary to what sorkin and nichols seem to think , the problem is not that topicality and entertainment do n't mix . it 's that audacity and self-congratulation do n't .",
        "it 's quite a yarn , and the filmmakers relate it with clarity and verve .",
        "this is a visually and emotionally soft affair , and the material calls for something with far sharper edges .",
        0
      ]
    ],
    "summary": "charlie wilson 's war manages to entertain and inform audiences , thanks to its witty script and talented cast of power players .",
    "id": "770673565"
  },
  {
    "movie": "surfs_up",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the surprise is that it 's a pretty amusing movie .",
        "the movie has an engaging story ... and some tasty waves . what else do you need in the summertime ?",
        "it still offers 85 minutes of spirited , satirical amusement .",
        "from the beautiful rendering of water imagery to the lively expressions of the characters faces , `` surf 's up '' manages to skirt what could have sunk it -- familiarity .",
        "enjoyable , superbly animated comedy with likeable characters and an original approach to the story .",
        "a charming computer cartoon , lifted by bridges ' lebowski-like performance and a truly funny mockumentary framework .",
        "this is n't an unpleasant experience , and may well appeal to small children , but the first 20 minutes promised much better .",
        "if the summer holidays find you with hatchlings to entertain and time to kill , this is definitely worth checking out ...",
        "basically riding giants meets happy feet : an animated penguin flick with the goofy structure of a mockumentary",
        "best when it maintains the documentary conceit ... brilliant tones and shades of lighting ... the board scenes unfurl in the best surfing movie tradition .",
        "cleverly told from the perspective of a reality-show film crew on hand to tell the story behind the penguin world surfing championships , the film cuts a curl of brisk family fun .",
        "as formulas go , the movie , team-written and - directed , sneaks in more tubular charm than the average adult ticket buyer might expect -- or that very young attendees might appreciate .",
        "a movie made for people who think dogs playing poker is funny .",
        "kids wo n't get surf 's up , and adults -- at least fans of riding giants -- may smell a con .",
        "the kids wo n't know how terrific surf 's up is .",
        "told in a surfer 's laid-back style , surf 's up is an easy to enjoy animated movie .",
        "just when parents managed to calm their tap-dancing tots , along comes another animated penguin pic -- this time featuring south pole fowl who surf .",
        "surfing penguins make for radical fun for young children .",
        "the humor is sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy and , while there 's plenty of cool and cute stuff for the kids , we are thankfully spared any juvenile , obnoxious musical sequences with wisecracking animals bursting into song .",
        "despite , the penguins , it 's different from those other two bird films . surf 's up plays on film techniques , and is shot tongue-in-cheek as a documentary . good humor .",
        "an original take on the material makes it feel surprisingly fresh . until it settles into the standard formula .",
        "penguin lovers , rejoice . your favorite flightless fowl have returned in what just might be one of the more innovative animated films to grace the multiplex in recent years .",
        "it 's probably not the kind of animated adventure that 's going to garner oscar talk , but it 's a good-hearted , old-fashioned , family-friendly tale .",
        "` happy feet ' is a movie about penguins and ` finding nemo ' is a movie about fish , but ` surf 's up ' is about surfers -- the project 's penguinness seems more opportunistic than necessary .",
        "bridges ' vocal performance is delightful , sort of the big lebowski meets goofy -lrb- which is n't much of a stretch , come to think of it -rrb- .",
        "it does n't quite hang ten , but at least it does n't hang itself .",
        "seems like a personal project compromised with the need in the united states for animation to be for children .",
        "packs a lot of wit -lrb- although few big laughs -rrb- and a fair amount of sentiment -lrb- although nothing too gooey -rrb- into 85 minutes that work equally for kids and adults .",
        "too laid-back to really boogie -- as if it prefers sipping pina coladas to catching waves -- and not funny enough to compensate for merely average animation .",
        "a benign but often lifeless mockumentary offering familiar `` be yourself '' platitudes for kids .",
        "as evanescent as sea foam . greater effort has been directed toward its marine visuals , which are truly lovely but should support a stronger story and more memorable characterizations .",
        "takes a swell idea and then wastes it on a forgettable plot and one-dimensional characters .",
        "the central joke - and major appeal - of surf 's up is that the picture does n't seem to realize its stars are penguins .",
        "do n't worry , the laughs make up for the lame premise .",
        "a spry , animated surfing-doc send-up , complete with dull-headed surfer dudes , cannibal birds and a reject from chicken run .",
        "you owe it to yourself to see surf 's up if only to admire the skill with which it has been made .",
        "what 's black and white and brings in the green ?",
        "just a middling entry in the tidal wave of computer-animated pictures that have been engulfing theatres over the last few years .",
        "one of the summer 's most welcome surprises ... bursting with imagination , charm , and a genuine sense of fun .",
        "the mockumentary format of surf 's up proves entertaining and gives the film a savvier spin than if the story had been told in a straightforward manner .",
        "the characters here could just as easily have been cute animated kitty cats , or cute animated amoebas , or cute animated pencils -- or hell , even cute animated homo sapiens -- and this flick would tell the precise same story .",
        "i had a blast watching this light-and-breezy comedy masquerading as an espn-style documentary feature .",
        "visually , the film is stunning in its ability to simulate waves and surfing .",
        "a mildly diverting , mildly entertaining , mildly accomplished little movie you may notice that the operative word here is ` mild . '",
        "there 's a lot of potential in the early scenes , but it 's lost once everyone arrives for the competition .",
        "bops along to its own relaxed rhythm .",
        "it 's refreshing to see a kids ' movie that entertains in an almost classic fashion , although there 's not much to capture the interest of adults .",
        "even if you 've never been on a surfboard , you 'll want to paddle out to this one .",
        "it 's not the best , most original or tightly plotted animated film to come down the pike , but i had an undeniably good time watching it .",
        "the designers behind surf 's up give the film a warmth that 's often missing from today 's computer-dominated animation ; the water sequences are especially impressive and beautiful .",
        "surf 's up shoots you right through the tube .",
        "if you have to see one penguin movie , this is it .",
        "the abundance of schmaltz that plagued happy feet is thankfully missing here , though the movie does make sure to shoehorn in the obligatory flatulence gags .",
        "laid-back and meandering .",
        "... surprise , surf 's up turns out to be a small winner , a cute animal animation that works its surfer world with offbeat humor .",
        "a solid , enjoyable family film ... surf 's up can be enjoyed by kids and grown-ups alike , so long as you are n't sick and tired of penguins by now .",
        "not exactly awash in cleverness , but it is good clean fun for the family .",
        "cowabunga , dudes . summer officially begins and as surfer bird movies go this one hangs a perfect 10 .",
        "surf 's up is actually a pretty funny and sophisticated comedy . it 's relentlessly playful and imaginative in the vein of `` toy story , '' while keenly observant about comic nuances of behavior and bubbling over with neurotic dialogue .",
        "the movie has just as much in common with this is spinal tap or even dogtown and z-boys as the cutesy and formulaic films that typically get churned out this time of year .",
        "cute , good-hearted , occasionally clever , ecofriendly and almost fart-joke-free .",
        "surf 's up is quite surprisingly good , going for the subtle chuckle where happy feet opted for show-stopping spectacle .",
        "it 's cool , man . but do n't be surprised if you wish it was funnier , dude .",
        "the animation is fine , the voice work is well-cast and well-directed -lrb- with a special nod to the always-wonderful bridges -rrb- and surf 's up is modestly entertaining .",
        "cartoonishly surging with liquid color , digital waves and jokes that even include gefilte fish , surf 's up never forgets to have fun .",
        "the faux-documentary angle is pretty nifty . so is the animation .",
        "overly long and often listlessly paced .",
        "surf 's up ! has a jokey-serious tone that engages both children and adults .",
        "if you have to see another penguin blockbuster , you could do worse than this loose-limbed charmer .",
        "it 's an old story , but -lsb- the directors -rsb- infuse it with terrific wit and energy , structuring surf 's up like a mock documentary and doing a remarkable job of approximating vintage film stock . it 's cool but not too cool , and cute but not too cute .",
        "there 's a troubling reliance on flatulence and scatological humor , as well as inside jokes that even some adults may not understand .",
        "it 's harmless fun and a welcome alternative to shrek the third .",
        "the actors broke precedent by recording their scenes side by side , adding an energetic improv vibe missing from most animated features . surf 's up is n't the big kahuna , but it 's far from a wipeout .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "this ride does n't take you anywhere new , but the moves are cool and the waves are impressive .",
        "the film 's vibe could only be described as ` sun-baked . ' some kids ' movies do n't try very hard , and you resent the laziness . this one does n't try too hard , but its offhandedness is a break from the usual manic over the hedge-y attack .",
        "a fairly amusing bit of lightweight family-friendly entertainment .",
        "in addition to being pretty , surf 's up is pretty funny . too often , animated films go for big-name actors instead of actors who are right for their parts , but surf 's up has a great cast .",
        "fresh , funny and full of laid-back charm .",
        "the film 's tubular visuals and sun-struck philosophizing celebrate the sport while spoofing its disciples , mixing b-grade potty humor and totally-like-fried-chicken gags with faux interviews a la christopher guest .",
        "the consistently funny , cg-animated surfing penguins movie surf 's up is certainly offbeat .",
        "many of the riffs in the mock documentary might be lost on little tykes , but the film 's feel-good message of perseverance , friendship and finding your own wave should be enjoyed by all .",
        "maybe the next penguin flick will do more justice to the subject . how about going all grindhouse in lesbian vampire penguins of the ss ?",
        "it has the meticulously hyper-real textures and breathtaking vistas we have come to expect from cgi . but clever use of focus and angles and interaction with the ` documentary ' cameramen make it seem more intimate , less like a bunch of pixels .",
        "the gentle lesson it imparts is similar to last summer 's cars , but it 's delivered with less fuss and more cool . and those beautiful , blue waves ... you could lose yourself and hang 10 on them in an endless summer .",
        "the first delightful surprise among the summer blockbusters . beautifully animated , terrifically acted and edited in a way that hilariously mimics those endless summer surf documentaries , it will amuse kids and flat-out tickle adults .",
        "guess what . it 's pretty good . fast , funny , nicely animated , and -- gasp -- it 's not a sequel ! in fact , you could almost call it original .",
        "the jaunty sports story contains colorful characters , witty wisecracks and kinetic surf scenes . it 's refreshing to see an animated family film that does n't look like it was made on autopilot .",
        "what makes surf 's up stand out is its look and texture .",
        "surf 's up has its own peculiar , loose-knit kind of charm .",
        "it just stands out in a crowded field of tacky also-rans by being a reasonably acceptable , more or less non-obnoxious way to spend an hour and a half .",
        "an overall hodgepodge of good ideas , bad ideas , and hit-and-miss execution .",
        "believe it or not , surfing penguins are much less annoying than you might imagine .",
        "cody 's search for his inner dude has produced a dud",
        "surf 's up delivers the early summer escapist fun that kids and parents are looking for , and that 's all that can really be asked of it .",
        "nothing about the movie marks it as one for the ages , but it 's a pleasant and amusing enough way to spend a ` shrek ' - free afternoon .",
        "it 's the first time in a long time where i felt like i was watching a story unfold instead of a commercial for future sequels and merchandising .",
        "the novelty wears off almost immediately , leaving this a real chore to watch ; there 's something bizarre about low-budget spontaneity being replicated in such a labor-intensive medium .",
        "from the nondescript voices to routine animation to an over-written story , this movie spends much of its time gasping for air .",
        "kids will dive into penguin adventure , dude .",
        "surf 's up belongs to that refreshing group of animated films that suffuse enough adult humor to bypass the children 's radar but hit mom and dad right in the funny bone .",
        "i was prepared to bash another penguin movie for hopping on the bandwagon , but this one adds enough for me to put those worries to rest .",
        "i 'm still waiting for animation to go beyond talking animals and simplistic premises with almost take away value . i guess i 'll have to sit on the fence with this one ...",
        "this is not just another penguin movie .",
        "the -lsb- filmmakers were -rsb- hard-pressed to come up with enough story for even an old-time six-minute cartoon short .",
        "not a comedy tsunami , just consistent ripples of laughs and good vibes .",
        "o estilo mockumentary confere charme a esta anima\u0437\u0433o , que tamb\u0439m se beneficia da dublagem perfeita de bridges e de uma t\u0439cnica impressionante -lrb- a anima\u0437\u0433o de fluidos \u0439 fabulosa -rrb- .",
        "it 's fun for a while , but the script does n't have the structure to sustain 85 minutes .",
        "ena periorismenon dynatotiton kinoymeno , poy kanei ayto akribos poy yposhetai , horis polla-polla",
        "surf 's up is that rarity in a children 's movie , a comedy that 's actually exciting . watching the penguins ride inside the tube of a wave , or plunge under the surface , you may find yourself wanting to cheer .",
        "may be the best penguin movie yet .",
        "marred by sudden dead spots and afflicted with a few alarming fits of double entendre inappropriateness .",
        "if its tale of a teenage penguin who follows his dream of becoming a great surfing champion were n't tired enough , surf 's up compounds its lack of inventiveness by styling itself as a ` mockumentary , ' another gimmick as surfed out as a florida beach .",
        "fresh , funny , inventive and engaging . dang if those dumb little birds did n't find a movie that lets them be cuddly animals with human problems , an animated flick whose anthropomorphism is appealing rather than appalling .",
        "sorry , cynics , surf 's up is a charmer . and if the birds look somewhat familiar , they have something fresh to say about friendship and what winning is all about .",
        "the fact that labeouf can read a line like , ` winners find a way no matter what ' -- and not sound corny -- is emblematic of what makes surf 's up such an enjoyable ride .",
        "the originality of the documentary format coupled with the splendid cgi effects qualifies surf 's up as not just another penguin movie .",
        "between the breezy surfer culture and insider references , surf 's up is the most colorful of the penguin ` toons to date , both figuratively and literally .",
        "there 's nothing really wrong with surf 's up ... but there 's nothing spectacular about it , either .",
        "after potter , spidey , pirates and the simpsons , a small contender surfs in from out of nowhere to steal the title of the family film of 2007 .",
        "yet another preposterous penguin animation .",
        "ntertainingly presented as a mockumentary a la best in show , this cg caper is ideal if you have time to krill .",
        "i commend ash brannon and chris buck 's animated film , especially to those who have not yet reached the age of 10 .",
        "wipeout ! surf 's up is terrific entertainment for all the family .",
        "the american cgi-animated surf 's up is a treat .",
        "the animated super-fluffiness and soppy storyline make surf 's up a film all the family can enjoy .",
        "cranked out to an hour and a half , it had me flapping my arms in irritation .",
        "a happy 85 minutes , although it might have been a teensy bit happier , banishing all hint of repetition , at 75 .",
        "the real reason surf 's up is so aggravating is that it 's more concerned with sucking up to adults than it is to enchanting their children .",
        "easy to look at , yet the storyline and gags are half-baked . whenever things quiet down ... the filmmakers feel obligated to trot out burping , flatulence or jokes about substances that belong in the toilet .",
        "surf 's up is so ingenious and fresh , and features such truly awesome cgi , that another summer with penguins is genuinely welcomed .",
        "not enough wit for parents and not enough action and comedy for kids .",
        "hollywood 's latest attempt to capitalize on penguin appreciation features a forgettable plot , fountains of toilet humor and enough surfing scenarios to make a viewer seasick .",
        "every so often an unpretentious little charmer darts ahead of the pack of big , over-hyped , over-long , resistance-is-futile summer blockbusters lumbering into multiplexes . this one is as refreshing as an ice cream cone after a hot day .",
        "... and there 's that perennial `` winning is n't everything '' theme that runs throughout the picture , which is kind of hypocritical .",
        "a pleasant and entertaining animated film that salutes those who believe that winning is n't all it 's cracked up to be .",
        "but seriously - enough with the penguins already .",
        "surf 's up has a friendly , blue-collar vibe and some sly , low-key humor .",
        "... a good old-fashioned cartoon -- all right , it 's computer animated -- that is primarily interested in making us laugh ."],
    "summary": "surf 's up is a laid back , visually stunning animated movie that brings a fresh twist to some familiar conventions . its witty mockumentary format is fun and inventive , and the cgi is breathtakingly realistic .",
    "id": "414930158"
  },
  {
    "movie": "pineapple_express",
    "reviews":
     [
        "the uneven comedy had its hilarious moments .",
        "this is not just a movie for potheads .",
        "the judd apatow workshop turns its full attention to recreational drugs and the result is an enjoyable case of reefer madness .",
        "MOV pulls off the amazing trick of elevating the stoner comedy into something resembling art .",
        "stoner-based or not , good comedy should n't need any help from the baggie in your pocket .",
        "sidesplitting , high attrition-rate , s&m slapstick where you get to savor the sight of characters getting tortured to death about five times each , if that 's your bag of grass .",
        "there 's a lot less time available to get high than just laying low , for this chemically disoriented pair . MOV , a mixed bag of assorted fruits and nuts , with doper loons on the lam waiting to inhale .",
        "the bromance genre is alive and well and it just gave me a pickle craving .",
        "an odd but intermittently pleasing experiment that might lose stoners with its gore and action fans with its glazed , circular weed chat .",
        "i can live without the drug murders and chases , but sitting around over breakfast with some new friends makes for a primo comedy , and another crowd-friendly hit for judd apatow .",
        "the cast delivers , green 's direction is adequate , and the script is , i suppose , adequate . adequate . that 's a pretty good description for what 's going on here .",
        "MOV draws on stylistic and plot elements from '70s martial arts movies , shock horror films , and tarantino set pieces to generate a new type of irreverent comic cinema in touch with the candid loyalty of a new generation .",
        "invariably , you may find yourself stopping to wonder whether what you just laughed at was actually funny , and that 's a good way to kill any comedy right there .",
        "forget the puff-puff . pass on this protracted , problematic comedy with hot fuzz aspirations in which neither seth rogen nor the grim , leaden violence is much fun at all . james franco , danny mcbride and craig robinson at least salvage the film .",
        "probably the most artful of the apatow factory comedies , but do n't worry : it takes being sweetly dumb just as seriously as the rest .",
        "adding another funny panel to his work , apatow 's wild blend of comedy , action -lrb- and dope -rrb- has other merits , showing that indie helmer green can handle mainstream fare and displaying hilarious facets of mcbride and james franco .",
        "even if you would n't know weed from green wool , MOV works as a fast-paced buddy comedy with lots of laughs and a few hilariously unpleasant surprises .",
        "while its genre-blurring may seem audacious by studio standards , in the end , MOV still feels too safe , too constrained by buddy-comedy uplift , to have any real bite .",
        "if MOV works at all , it 's likely to be for people willing to slip into the diner booth with these fellows and laugh along with them . the rest of us will often feel like we 're merely watching a stoned friend have the time of his life .",
        "... has the slightly seedy look of a low-budget '70s film and an uncanny instinct for the way some people think and behave under the influence .",
        "as appealing as the actors are -- and as much as i rooted for the movie to come through -- too often it did n't . this is n't a bad movie ; it just could have been a lot better .",
        "what do you get when you combine such buddy action movies as lethal weapon , 48 hrs . and midnight run with hilarious stoner flicks like half baked , friday and how high ? the answer is simple - MOV .",
        "you 're in for a mildly entertaining ride through lowbrow slapstick action violence . just do n't ask for a seat in the non-smoking section .",
        "the latest entry in the stoner comedy fray , MOV , is one of the funniest in that line , raucously and riotously celebrating the genre while making it fresh and modern .",
        "MOV is so filled with verve and wit for much of its running time that it 's depressing to watch it devolve into genuine foolishness and borderline incoherence in its final act .",
        "gore and yucks are not an easy combination to pull off and team apatow simply do not have the skills .",
        "the noisier and bloodier it gets , the more you notice how uninspired the movie is . if you 're high , this might not be a problem . but for the rest of us , it 's a bit of a drag .",
        "the biggest surprise in the acting department is james franco , who is very funny as a stoned drug dealer .",
        "the story is designed to meander , but green keeps the pace strong , building to an extended slapstick finale .",
        "the movie is a chaotic mess , but , munchies in hand , go with it .",
        "begins as a been-there-done-that stoner romp before turning into an outlandishly silly and graphically violent action-thriller . the tone may be schizophrenic , but the sheer , unabashed showmanship of the whole thing warrants praising .",
        "at last , a judd apatow production worth memorizing .",
        "spider-man could n't do it , but pe will make a movie star out of james franco . the stoned laurel and hardy of our time are set for a huge franchise .",
        "can stoners alone propel pineapple to box office success ? after all , a couple movie tickets is a few less ounces of that sticky icky .",
        "a stoner film that actually lives up to all the buzz , both in the press and in the audience .",
        "david gordon green 's hilarious stoner comedy is to action movies what the big lebowski was to film noir .",
        "` MOV ' is a stoner comedy for viewers who have n't fried what 's left of their gray cells .",
        "the action and comedy mix has never been an easy one to manage , and unfortunately MOV fails in that respect almost completely .",
        "the result is green 's first watchable movie since george washington -- even if it 's ultimately worthless .",
        "at its sharpest , the script by -lsb- seth -rsb- rogen and evan goldberg , who co-wrote superbad , recalls what made superbad worth seeing : the sidewinding conversational riffs , the why-am-i-laughing ? wordplay .",
        "this is an endearingly slovenly , profane movie with bursts of startling violence , but it 's all played for nyuk-nyuk laughs , and it has been directed with more care than it might initially appear by david gordon green .",
        "the simple storyline plays out as expected in a series of comically violent chase and action scenes skillfully rendered by another independent film director gone mainstream -- david gordon green .",
        "assuredly the best film yet by the judd apatow crew , and probably director david gordon green 's flimsiest .",
        "while one would hardly label MOV a taut action thriller , there are enough fisticuffs , gunplay and explosions to make one suspicious of the film 's dubious parentage .",
        "if god had a vajoojoo , judd apatow and company think it 'd taste something like smoking MOV . there 's no question this is ultimately a stoner film , but the ultimate stoner film ? sorta .",
        "... the movie 's pure energy and flawless comic timing make it a quality late summer diversion .",
        "your love of ` MOV ' will largely depend on how funny you find a movie with 85 percent of the jokes based on smoking marijuana .",
        "the plot is as thin as rolling papers and od 's on graphic violence , but the smokin ' cast lights up the screen and scores lots of laughs .",
        "apatow finally changed up his bathroom humor act and resorted to a violent stoner movie , which works quite well ! mcbride steals the film with his hilarious performance that even outshines franco 's out of whack character .",
        "the result may well be the funniest movie of the year .",
        "MOV is one of the best comedies of the year , an original and creative mix of very dark humor , feel-good `` best friends comedy , '' and stoner movie .",
        "you 'd have to be high to think MOV is anything but a letdown .",
        "MOV is very funny in spots , but the action keeps sending it off the tracks .",
        "the film brings to the fore the tacit assumptions of the buddy movie and winds up offering a useful critique of the genre .",
        "another week , another apatow movie , another story of lame , pot-smoking slackers up to all kinds of hijinks and discovering the true meaning of friendship . sigh .",
        "i ca n't deny that its appeal will increase a hundredfold if you choose to attend in an altered state of some sort .",
        "wonderfully vulgar , brilliantly performed , and accented with action reminiscent of an '80s buddy film , MOV is one late summer success .",
        "... a hit of `` MOV '' is just the cure for the dog days of summer .",
        "divvied up into youtube lengths , it 'd be awesome . seen as a whole , it comes worryingly close to the feature-length equivalent of burt reynolds slapping dom deluise during the end credits to the cannonball run .",
        "much of the silly , half-baked humor is based on the smug idea that watching clumsy stoners being high is amusing but , unless you 're joining them , it is n't .",
        "it 's high-larious .",
        "a beneficiary of low expectations",
        "a wild , raucous , and wacky stoner action-comedy about three losers whose scary encounter with death and danger bonds them together in ways none of them could have ever imagined .",
        "in a sense , this harkens back to the `` buddy flicks '' so rampant in the 1980s , odd-couple outings like 48 hrs . and midnight run .",
        "the rapport between rogen and franco is immediately charming ... more important , it 's pretty funny when they 're high together .",
        "a film that is at once elegant and sublimely silly .",
        "never generates any big laughs , and the chase elements are so intentionally cliched they never take on a life of their own .",
        "imagine superbad , but with fear of drug-related homicide replacing adolescent sexual panic as the excuse for male bonding , and you wo n't be too far off .",
        "usually , the laughs disappear when the violence starts getting heavy , but MOV never ceases to bust the audience 's guts , even when the characters onscreen are getting shot in theirs .",
        "the surprise is what a mess the picture turns into .",
        "wildly funny and completely inappropriate , MOV combines ribald , marijuana-fueled comedy with action and violence .",
        "while this r-rated comedy is oh so lite , it also builds to some endearingly goofball conclusions about friendship and maybe , just maybe , responsibility . though there 's a hazy quality to the latter .",
        "the film tries to fuse elements from the harold & kumar druggie comedies onto the violent buddy comedy-thriller hot fuzz . but it seems like the project was rushed into production before the script was even finished .",
        "the movie 's a crazy quilt of pot jokes , sarcastic put-downs and pop culture references both obvious and obscure .",
        "how much you enjoy MOV may depend on what associations -lrb- or substances -rrb- you bring into the theater with you . as an action comedy , it 's just a bad trip .",
        "james franco 's saul silver can step into the pantheon of iconic movie stoners joining sean penn 's jeff spicoli and jeff bridges 's dude .",
        "MOV presents viewers with an oxymoronic experience : the action stoner film .",
        "here 's yet another excellent argument for the legalization of marijuana ... it will prevent us seeing more movies like this one ...",
        "a drug-fueled caper that does n't stint on chronically loopy characters and ridiculously funny situations .",
        "MOV is just damn funny .",
        "a comedy that brings a nicely deflating note of realism to action-film mayhem , as well as being one of the few drug movies you do n't have to be high to enjoy .",
        "apatow and green are just throwing whatever they can at the screen , to see what will get either a laugh or a grimace . more likely the latter , since you 'll likely leave the theatre wondering if you saw a comedy or a sam peckinpah movie .",
        "judd apatow , who thinks that coarse language can substitute for humor , is lucky he 's got a funny guy in seth rogen . the last ten minutes could be the worst ever filmed .",
        "it 's some of the most hilarious on-screen fight choreography this side of they live , though in this case , the laughs are intentional .",
        "i 'm typically not a fan of the wildly popular judd apatow/seth rogen collaborative efforts but a pitch-perfect performance by james franco temporarily sways me in the other direction .",
        "the swath of destruction these boys leave in their wake seems disproportionate to the prevailing mood of dopey fun .",
        "the film has the same unexpected , unabashed tenderness as superbad , but in the absolute last place anyone would ever think of looking : a fast-paced and extremely bloody crime comedy .",
        "the aesthetic here is n't homaging 80s buddy action movies so much as just making one . it 's midnight run for the 21st century .",
        "this by turns inspired , goofy and finally weirdly hyper-violent celebration of male bonding and chronic peter panism joins such classics as up in smoke and the harold & kumar oeuvre in its sunny , raunchy acceptance of its own idiocy .",
        "what keeps the film so engagingly off-balance is the mix of perfectly pitched stoner humor and the visceral punch of the genre mixing ...",
        "MOV is a highly entertaining , offbeat comedy-thriller that has future cult movie written all over it . recommended .",
        "MOV is funny , but it 's not outrageously funny . such material needs to be outrageously funny to succeed .",
        "more an inconsistent collection of gags and skits than a cohesive feature , but the highs are funny and the lows hard to get worked up about , so we still walk away smiling .",
        "definitely can not be compared to superbad or knocked up , but another secure comedy brought to use by both seth rogen and judd apatow .",
        "this is a class a comedy about class b drugs . it has a rizla-thin plot but camberwell-carrot sized laughs .",
        "the theoretically fail-safe team of the writer/actor seth rogen and co-writer / producer judd apatow - the knocked up duo - deliver a funnybone - clobbering spree with more energy than wit .",
        "the first half-hour floats by on a cloud of mildly funny lines -lrb- `` couscous - the food so nice they named it twice '' -rrb- , but then slumps into a derivative action caper that 's weirdly and unappealingly reminiscent of eighties dross like beverly hills cop .",
        "apatow 's former confidence about not underestimating the intelligence of his audiences seems to have largely disappeared .",
        "though there are funny one-liners early on , the script becomes increasingly lazy , while the violence which takes over the second half feels as if it belongs to a different picture .",
        "MOV descends from patchy comedy to decidedly daft action send-up .",
        "MOV is mostly what you expect : bonding mechanics that are unsurprising and feebly unrebellious .",
        "this is a movie with more stops and starts than a rural train on a milk run . specifically , it 's an action comedy that has a terrific accelerator but a really annoying brake .",
        "you need n't be a pothead to enjoy MOV -- the movie ; i mean the movie .",
        "it is uneven , overly long , makes utterly no sense -- but still manages to work as stoner escapism with a lot of pretty explosions .",
        "this blood-spattered stoner comedy -- the latest from team apatow -- is wildly uneven and at times trying . but even a dea agent would find plenty to laugh at .",
        "as it shifts genre gears and cranks up the noise , becomes disappointingly sober and self-serious .",
        "you want to like it . you want to give it the benefit of the doubt . but the longer it drags on , the less certain its tone becomes , and the more oppressive the bloodshed gets .",
        "the funniest stoner movie ever made -- and , so far , the most hilarious comedy of 2008 .",
        "MOV is a fitfully amusing tale of drugs and crooks and general dilapidation , but the more it goes on , and the loopier it gets , the less it connects with experience . it becomes apatow 's hash-bar version of a cynical action joyride .",
        "got a problem ? get some ganja . light up and we laugh . ha . ha . nothing funnier than a bozo with a bong . and to couch such crap in a comedy and pass these characters and their anti-social antics as cool is unconscionable .",
        "pore judd is daid .",
        "as for gary cole 's menacing bossman , he 's a hemp-ty suit , a walking life lesson that , um , ` people who live in grass houses should not throw stoners . '",
        "it 's empty and formulaic , with plotting that 's lazy even by stoner-comedy standards . without all the yuck-o sight gags , it would be a huge bummer .",
        "green naturally has a sure hand when it comes to the dialogue and the smaller moments -- it 's his big , violent set pieces that lack any discernible pizazz .",
        "bong-breakingly funny and sparkling with tasty one-liners , MOV is another dizzying trip through the shenanigans that solidify friendship between dudes .",
        "an endearingly disjointed film that is funny despite fighting a losing battle with coherence .",
        "even though i think the movie gets bogged down with too many pot smoking scenes , stoners are going to think it 's the holy grail . i laughed quite a bit , but i just wish the film was a little more focused .",
        "MOV is never really focused - that 's not exactly the right word for a drug comedy . but apatow and company certainly ensure it 's a lot of fun .",
        "this is the kind of film that relies on its audience to find four letter words funny . i guess being stoned would help .",
        "you are n't laughing much , but it 's bearable .",
        "it should n't be funny . it has drugs , immature grown men , car chases , guns - even a modern remake of mary poppins would get this lot in nowadays . but you 'll laugh .",
        "another winner from the apatow factory , this is a stoner comedy that soars .",
        "but there 's still time for a gloriously unexpected coda , a moment of quiet reflection and narrative ingenuity that confirms ` MOV ' as the finest comedy of the year .",
        "fans of david gordon green , you may well leave feeling confused . fans of daft laughs and james franco , you 're in for one of the funniest comedies of the year .",
        "the problem about being hopelessly stoned is that you also become hopelessly boring . so it is here .",
        "more half-baked than superbad or knocked up but still solidly entertaining , if unnecessarily violent , and with a great performance from james franco .",
        "MOV has its fair share of laughs , but it 's a fundamentally heartless and unlovable minor work from team apatow .",
        "watching this without having got stoned first is like watching a 3d movie without the special glasses . there are a few moderate laughs -lrb- and a nice jude law gag -rrb- but the full-on gory violence is disconcerting and unfunny .",
        "the freaks and geeks boys prove that weedy action men are where it 's at . MOV sometimes zones out but mostly blows minds and inspires some delirious giggles . like the titular grass , really .",
        "as stoner comedies go , it 's of a high enough grade for even cheech & chong themselves to put it in a rizla and smoke it .",
        "pineapple has less on its mind than more ambitious movies from producer judd apatow 's factory -lrb- superbad , knocked up -rrb- , but it 's an entertaining little empty-calorie snack if you have the movie munchies .",
        "it 's a funny , mostly harmless and entertaining film with a bad case of dry mouth .",
        "the movie is so wayward and fuzzy that , for the unbaked , at least , there 's very little pleasure to be had in trying to follow it . the thing is so desultory and aimless that it seems like work to try to laugh at it .",
        "never much of a scene-stealer before now , the delightful franco runs away with MOV .",
        "the movie 's too long -- and the violence and mayhem are unexpectedly harsh and heavy -- but franco 's inspired , looped performance is right up there in the annals of reefer filmdom with jeff bridges ' the dude in the big lebowski .",
        "this one takes the action comedy to places -- irresponsible , violent , and funny -- that it has never been before .",
        "there are many things to like about MOV , an old-school action-comedy retooled as a stoner goof , but franco 's return to humor is a cause for celebration .",
        "the sloppy script -lrb- which rogen co-wrote -rrb- aspires to nothing more than old cheech and chong routines , built around frustrating , circuitous conversations .",
        "frequently hilarious , occasionally sweet and often graphically violent , MOV may not be the greatest stoner movie ever made , but it will do perfectly well until we get another hit of harold and kumar .",
        "watching good buds riff wears out its welcome after a half hour , and that 's where a story really comes in handy . but when pineapple goes from ganja to genre , it sours .",
        "maybe i 'd have thought this buddy-action-comedy was funnier and more exciting if i were as baked as its two heroes .",
        "this is a mightily strange movie , at times very funny ; i can certainly recommend it to those who are curious about it . those who ca n't stand being around stoners may like it less .",
        "you do n't have to be in an altered state to appreciate the ludicrous humor . the laughs -- mostly crude , profane and drug-addled -- are almost non-stop .",
        "MOV is the answer to the question , ` what would happen if a movie like this was made by a great director ? '",
        "sure , you 'll laugh . it 's funny . but your memories soon will be fuzzy , a little out of whack , and the next thing you 'll know you 'll have eaten an entire bag of doritos . or at least wish you had .",
        "guys , you 're asking us to swallow a pot farce , a buddy thriller , an action parody , and a touching tale of two men on the run ? you must be high .",
        "MOV is the unlikeliest comedy of the summer . it 's also going to be one of the best-loved .",
        -1
      ],
      [
        "murder , marijuana and mayhem . good times to the max , bro .",
        "while the pot comedy genre has strived more on memorable characters -lrb- spicoli , cheech & chong , harold & kumar -rrb- than memorable movies , MOV is the rare exception .",
        "despite its rusty mechanics and hodgepodge of tones , MOV convincingly imitates the mode of midnight run : on-the-run odd-couple comedy with gunplay and car chases .",
        "... if you are going to have a couple of dumb asses running around like total idiots , you could do a lot worse than rogen and franco .",
        "despite the `` smoking pot '' refrain , pe finds a way to charm . these guys really seem to enjoy each others ' company and are happy to welcome you into their little group .",
        "it 's pretty pointless , really , but the characters are so engaging that we ca n't help but fall for them",
        "my companions had varying degrees of a good time -lrb- from `` not '' to `` more than expected '' -rrb- but i think if you can love these guys , you can dig this violent bromantic action-comedy .",
        "one might suggest audience members indulge in a little recreational activity before entering the theatre but i 'm not sure that will increase your laugh intake all that much . so i 'll advise you to just say `` maybe . ''",
        "a rare thing : a stoner comedy where being stoned is n't a requirement to enjoying it .",
        "MOV is a mess , but a wonderful one . it 's not the ultimate movie about pot that i was expecting , instead it 's a great ordinary-man action movie .",
        "a warm and fuzzy sendup of reagan-era action-film iconography , it 's sort of like what might happen if cheech and chong played tango and cash .",
        "cheech and chong meets scarface .",
        "tied together by a performance from franco that has the misfortune of being familiar and human in the middle of a lot of low-aspiring blarney .",
        "the new film is more disciplined and less scattershot than apatow 's previous films -- and slightly less funny , too . but only slightly .",
        "funny enough to make a hardened movie critic fall forward and spit on people sitting in front of him .",
        "franco seizes the opportunity to reinvent himself after a series of bland turns in misbegotten star vehicles .",
        "climaxing with a donneresque sock-em conclusion , complete with massive gunfire , korean hitmen , and daewoo finishing moves , express has just enough gas in the tank to arrive at its final destination with a sufficient level of fogged goodwill",
        "rogen , franco and mcbride are on the march into stoner legend .",
        "MOV is dopey fun with its pot jokes and lowbrow humor , and the film 's target audience should walk away feeling pretty high about this crazy action comedy",
        "not since ` pulp fiction ' plunged a needle in the heart of an overdose victim has drug comedy met drug violence with the pop of ` MOV . '",
        "more tourist than first class ... but the chemistry between rogen and franco insures that , as drug trips go , this one is n't bad .",
        "an uneven but entertaining action-comedy that answers a question you 've probably never asked : what if someone gave cheech and chong a shot of testosterone and a couple of uzis ?",
        "the humor in this movie is smart enough that even a moderate level of intoxication or inebriation is not necessary to enjoy it .",
        "watching MOV is like sitting dead sober in a room with a bunch of stoned people who are laughing uproariously . they 're having a great time . you 're not .",
        "... stoner humor is primarily funny to people who are stoned .",
        "a stoner comedy , an action comedy , an action thriller , a typical apatovian man-boy opus or a male-bonding romance . the problem is it 's not very good at any of these things .",
        "produced by judd apatow and written by seth rogen and evan goldberg , MOV serves up a combination of the big lebowski , true romance , and hot fuzz .",
        "never makes more than a surface impression , albeit a fitfully amusing one .",
        "... an above-average contemporary `` stoner '' comedy .",
        "the guns-blazing , body-count-mounting final act is a wasted opportunity -- and not in a good wasted way .",
        "movie about the high life provides low level of entertainment",
        "long on concept and short on most everything else except kinetic energy .",
        "think of it as lethal weapon if martin riggs dealt pot from their dingy apartment instead of working for the lapd .",
        "i 'm happy anyway to see that green can wield his considerable skill in a completely different form , with the result being such a fun movie .",
        "pretty bad",
        "MOV is good for a few laughs but little more ; it 's low-grade apatow -- i think they used to call it dirt weed .",
        "enjoyable , but probably only as funny as it thinks it is if you 're as high as judd apatow 's salary .",
        "the movie runs red with both blood and cherry slushies ... there 's also more male affection on display here than , well , since ` superbad ' and that cowboy movie that people still complain to me about .",
        "in the end , that feel-good factor overrides occasional moments of discomfort .",
        "this is possibly the first time a blackened , burnt corpse is played for laughs . it all flows by like so much sugar water .",
        "given that cast , crew and audience were and will be baked throughout , MOV just about earns itself a pass .",
        "your love of it will largely depend on how funny you find a movie with 85 percent of the jokes based on smoking weed . for the rest of you a lot of it is going to feel very silly , crammed with potty humor and overly long for such a simple subject matter .",
        "high-ly recommended ."],
    "summary": "both funny and scatter shot , this loose-knit action/buddy/stoner comedy bridges genres and keeps a steady tempo of low ball laughs .",
    "id": "770671939"
  }
]