Babylon A.D. review and my number 5 favorite movies!
Now before I start the review I need to tell you something. ::start rant:: For me, when a movie is bad I have to compare it to the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. And this movie is not one of those MST3K movies where the sets suck or there are mistakes abound or the plot goes from A to B to Z to F to C. This movie was made with all intentions of being a great film. It had a top notch cast, a huge budget, and a semi-interesting story. (I will have you note though, at this time I had no real idea of the story and had not learned what Scientology meant.) I unfortunately learned, you can have all this and still make the shittiest movie ever, and that movie is Battlefield Earth. This movie pissed me off. I kept saying to myself "You have got to be kidding me?" How could anyone with any brains whatsoever actually make this crap? Humans de-evolve to act like apes but in 2 or 3 days they can learn how to fly fighter jets? And those jets, in 1000 years, have not rusted or broken? I mean come on! This movie was so bad even Forest Whitaker regetted making this movie! ::end rant:: So again when I see a movie that is supposed to be bad I compare it to this steaming pile.
Babylon A.D. is the newest movie from Mathieu Kassovitz, who starred in Amelie and Munich and directed Halle Berry's Gothika. It stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and French actress Mélanie Thierry and is based on Maurice G. Dantec's French novel Babylon Babies. Now this movie wasn't screened for mainstream critics in the U.S. but some reviews were available from the U.K. and most of those were not very favorable.
Now that usually is a very bad sign, but if I like the director or actors I usually give the movie the benefit of the doubt. So paying my 5 bucks (You gotta love A.M. Cinema at AMC! First showing before noon are $5 each so if the movies stinks, a'la X-Files: I Want to Belive, the dissapointment of paying isn't so bad!) I went in with low expectations. I was mostly hoping just to be entertained. And I must say I was. Very much so. Now on IMDB.com it says tha this film had to be bailed out by the production's insurance company after running over-budget and significantly beyond schedule. I kinda got that feeling in the end but for the most part this movie was good. Really good action, decent acting, decent story. In no way, at least for me, was this the utter crapfest certain critics were saying it was. It was a fun, brainless action flick that was good fun for an hour and a half.
Interesting tidbit: Mathieu Kassovitz said that the studio took over editing the film, removing most of the scenes about genetic manipulation, and has compared this version to a bad episode of 24. Now I don't think that should deter you completely from seeing it, but it makes me hope to see any director's cut that might come out in the future.
I have 5 favorite movies. These aren't the movies you watch when you're sick or if they are on tv you just HAVE to watch them (I'll cover some of those at a later date). These 5 movies for me are just the best and just love them to bits. So here is my And it's a tie! These 2 movies used to be number 3 but the one that used to #5 moved up and these took over that spot. Now I am a sucker for movies based on true stories. Even if it's VERY loosely based, it at least makes me want to read about the real life person or story. So that's where these 2 come in. They are The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington and The Insider starring Russell Crowe. Both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe were nominated for Best Actor in 2000 for their amazing performances in these films (and got toally robbed too!). I won't go into a full review for these movies (I bet you're saying thank God!) but if you do see these movies here are some scenes to check out.
In The Hurricane when Reuben is in solitary after getting to prison and refusing to wear a prison uniform is a great scene. When he hallucinates different parts of his personality (I call it his boxer/rage part and his child/fear part) is just amazing. Vicellous Reon Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber and John Hannah are all great in their supporting roles, ESPECIALLY Vicellous.
Best line:
Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter: Hate put me in prison. Love's gonna bust me out. (I know it's kinda cheesy here but when you see it in the context of the movie it makes me cry every time!!!)
In The Insider my favorite scene is not the big "acting" scene where Pacino is on the beach talking to a suicidal Wigand in a hotel room, but a scene not too long after. It's when 60 Minutes finally decides to air his interview. He's at his apartment and his daughters are visiting and they see the interview. I just love the looks of happiness and pride and his and his daughters faces and how relieved Wigand is to be getting on with his life. Just very touching stuff for such a dramatic thriller. This film also stars Al Pacino (not chewing so much scenery but still very "Al"), Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Phillip Baker Hall, Gina Gershon, and Debi Mazar just to name a few, and I mean few!
Best lines:
Lowell Bergman: You pay me to go get guys like Wigand, to draw him out. To get him to trust us, to get him to go on television. I do. I deliver him. He sits. He talks. He violates his own fucking confidentiality agreement. And he's only the key witness in the biggest public health reform issue, maybe the biggest, most-expensive corporate-malfeasance case in U.S. history. And Jeffrey Wigand, who's out on a limb, does he go on television and tell the truth? Yes. Is it newsworthy? Yes. Are we gonna air it? Of course not. Why? Because he's not telling the truth? No. Because he is telling the truth. That's why we're not going to air it. And the more truth he tells, the worse it gets!
Lowell Bergman: I'm all out of heroes, man. Guys like you are in short supply.
Mike Wallace: And do you wish you hadn't come forward? Do you wish you hadn't blown the whistle?
Jeffrey Wigand: There are times when I wish I hadn't done it. There are times when I feel com... compelled to do it. If you asked me, would I do it again, do I think it's worth it? Yeah I think its worth it.
Well next weekend all we have coming out in theaters is Bangkok Dangerous. I feel so "whatever" about this movie I don't even want to link it to it's IMDB page. The biggest movie releases that are cmoing out Tuesday on DVD are the independent films Married Life, The Promotion and Then She Found Me. We also have a BUNCH of tv show season releases on DVD such as the firs seasons of Life and Eli Stone, the third seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ghost Whisperer and Supernatural, and fourth seasons of The Office and Desperate Housewives.
Babylon A.D. is the newest movie from Mathieu Kassovitz, who starred in Amelie and Munich and directed Halle Berry's Gothika. It stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and French actress Mélanie Thierry and is based on Maurice G. Dantec's French novel Babylon Babies. Now this movie wasn't screened for mainstream critics in the U.S. but some reviews were available from the U.K. and most of those were not very favorable.
Now that usually is a very bad sign, but if I like the director or actors I usually give the movie the benefit of the doubt. So paying my 5 bucks (You gotta love A.M. Cinema at AMC! First showing before noon are $5 each so if the movies stinks, a'la X-Files: I Want to Belive, the dissapointment of paying isn't so bad!) I went in with low expectations. I was mostly hoping just to be entertained. And I must say I was. Very much so. Now on IMDB.com it says tha this film had to be bailed out by the production's insurance company after running over-budget and significantly beyond schedule. I kinda got that feeling in the end but for the most part this movie was good. Really good action, decent acting, decent story. In no way, at least for me, was this the utter crapfest certain critics were saying it was. It was a fun, brainless action flick that was good fun for an hour and a half.
Interesting tidbit: Mathieu Kassovitz said that the studio took over editing the film, removing most of the scenes about genetic manipulation, and has compared this version to a bad episode of 24. Now I don't think that should deter you completely from seeing it, but it makes me hope to see any director's cut that might come out in the future.
I have 5 favorite movies. These aren't the movies you watch when you're sick or if they are on tv you just HAVE to watch them (I'll cover some of those at a later date). These 5 movies for me are just the best and just love them to bits. So here is my And it's a tie! These 2 movies used to be number 3 but the one that used to #5 moved up and these took over that spot. Now I am a sucker for movies based on true stories. Even if it's VERY loosely based, it at least makes me want to read about the real life person or story. So that's where these 2 come in. They are The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington and The Insider starring Russell Crowe. Both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe were nominated for Best Actor in 2000 for their amazing performances in these films (and got toally robbed too!). I won't go into a full review for these movies (I bet you're saying thank God!) but if you do see these movies here are some scenes to check out.
In The Hurricane when Reuben is in solitary after getting to prison and refusing to wear a prison uniform is a great scene. When he hallucinates different parts of his personality (I call it his boxer/rage part and his child/fear part) is just amazing. Vicellous Reon Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber and John Hannah are all great in their supporting roles, ESPECIALLY Vicellous.
Best line:
Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter: Hate put me in prison. Love's gonna bust me out. (I know it's kinda cheesy here but when you see it in the context of the movie it makes me cry every time!!!)
In The Insider my favorite scene is not the big "acting" scene where Pacino is on the beach talking to a suicidal Wigand in a hotel room, but a scene not too long after. It's when 60 Minutes finally decides to air his interview. He's at his apartment and his daughters are visiting and they see the interview. I just love the looks of happiness and pride and his and his daughters faces and how relieved Wigand is to be getting on with his life. Just very touching stuff for such a dramatic thriller. This film also stars Al Pacino (not chewing so much scenery but still very "Al"), Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Phillip Baker Hall, Gina Gershon, and Debi Mazar just to name a few, and I mean few!
Best lines:
Lowell Bergman: You pay me to go get guys like Wigand, to draw him out. To get him to trust us, to get him to go on television. I do. I deliver him. He sits. He talks. He violates his own fucking confidentiality agreement. And he's only the key witness in the biggest public health reform issue, maybe the biggest, most-expensive corporate-malfeasance case in U.S. history. And Jeffrey Wigand, who's out on a limb, does he go on television and tell the truth? Yes. Is it newsworthy? Yes. Are we gonna air it? Of course not. Why? Because he's not telling the truth? No. Because he is telling the truth. That's why we're not going to air it. And the more truth he tells, the worse it gets!
Lowell Bergman: I'm all out of heroes, man. Guys like you are in short supply.
Mike Wallace: And do you wish you hadn't come forward? Do you wish you hadn't blown the whistle?
Jeffrey Wigand: There are times when I wish I hadn't done it. There are times when I feel com... compelled to do it. If you asked me, would I do it again, do I think it's worth it? Yeah I think its worth it.
Well next weekend all we have coming out in theaters is Bangkok Dangerous. I feel so "whatever" about this movie I don't even want to link it to it's IMDB page. The biggest movie releases that are cmoing out Tuesday on DVD are the independent films Married Life, The Promotion and Then She Found Me. We also have a BUNCH of tv show season releases on DVD such as the firs seasons of Life and Eli Stone, the third seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ghost Whisperer and Supernatural, and fourth seasons of The Office and Desperate Housewives.