Whiteout

[1.5/5 stars] Very slow to get started, mainly because the setup that takes place in 1957 is completely irrelevant. It adds nothing to story except for removing some of the mystery. The shower scene is unnecessary as well. It all just wastes time instead of getting to the meat of the story. Except for the introduction of the inexplicable killer in the first act, who suddenly disappears from the story for the next hour, there is really no conflict, no tension. Another thing that brings this film down is the constant exposition from the P.A. system, telling us everything we need to know. The volume is of a level to make it sound like background, yet the story relies on it to move forward. The ending is completely anticlimactic.

Posted by Lee Gabel - Aug 21, 01:35 AM

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Friday the 13th

[2/5 stars] What does Jason Vorhees do while waiting for people to kill? Tend to his marijuana crop, of course. And if someone gets too close, especially young people who drink and have sex in the forest, it’s off with your head. And there’s no shortage of obnoxious young people. Faster Jason, kill, kill. The characters are so thin you know who will live and who will die from the first time you see them. The brother searching for his missing sister is a mere distraction. Most of the young people here are dumb and do dumb things. The only interesting thing about the film is seeing a glimpse into Jason’s inner sanctum, his catacombs.

Posted by Lee Gabel - Aug 15, 12:10 AM

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The Invention of Lying

[2.5/5 stars] It’s an interesting premise, but the thing that stopped me is you’re not lying if you choose not to say what you’re thinking. Only when you say something that is different to what you are thinking can that be considered lying, and I think that’s the fatal flaw of the film. A better title would be “The Invention of Saying Exactly What’s On Your Mind at All Times”, and that part of the film, that running gag grows tired. However, the message is good and the love story is sweet, but for a romantic comedy, I didn’t laugh nearly as much as I thought I would.

Posted by Lee Gabel - Aug 14, 11:57 PM

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Law Abiding Citizen

[2.5/5 stars] I have to admit, this film kept my interest, even though it was panned by many. It makes sense and everything happens for a reason. I think it could have been an even better film without the “father who lost everything” storyline. Sure we feel sympathetic at the beginning, but when more than the perpetrators of the inciting crime are murdered, it’s hard to feel anything but contempt. It becomes a game of who is the less evil. I guess you could justify that Butler’s character was consumed by hatred, but is that any way to honour your deceased love ones?

Posted by Lee Gabel - Aug 14, 02:24 AM

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2012

[2/5 stars] Get ready, because this film is a great example of excess and not knowing when to stop. More is not always better. Yes, the visuals are astoundingly real, but the antics the characters go through when the “shit hits the fan” is so ludicrous it ends up being funny instead of serious. Last I checked, the end of the world should be a pretty serious scenario. It doesn’t take long before things start to play out like a comedy. Then we’re back to the science for some seriousness, then back to over the top craziness. I wanted to be scared. I wanted to be at the edge of my seat, yet the implausibility of the main characters’ survival betrays all tension the film could ever hope to build. The only scenes that are chill-worthy are the ones showing regular folk battling to try and survive using only their wits and strength. But that in itself is not a compelling enough story. Plus, the filmmakers break the rules of the “film world” they have created. The Earth is self-destructing, yet cellphones work flawlessly, jets can fly through pyroclastic clouds without a hitch, and people can easily hold their breath in frigid waters for minutes on end. Why? Because characters need to talk to one another and go from A to B, of course. Smells like a plot device to me. I never thought that I’d laugh at the destruction of the Earth, until watching this film, and that’s the saddest thing about it.

Posted by Lee Gabel - Aug 12, 03:00 AM

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Mini Movie Review Archives

Beginning in June 2007, for every movie I watched, I wrote a review in approximately 100 words or less. I have certainly seen more movies than this, perhaps thousands. My goal was to try and encapsulate my raw, visceral feelings immediately after watching the film. Some films deserved more than 100 words, most decidedly less. Yes, I am a movie fanatic and have no life. ;)