Bad films i watched recently
The Tracey Fragments(2008) 5/10
I love Ellen Page and i think she is a fantastic young talent. But even her screen charisma cannot save this film. While the fractured screen style is interesting and the directing is novel, this film feels more like style over substance. There are some films that can use a directing gimmick and craft a masterpiece like Requiem for A Dream, but The Tracey Fragments is not one of them. As a result, the film feels unfocused and way too experimental.
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) 5/10
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival, Dan Karslake’s documentary looks at the relationship between homosexuality and Christianity. In other words, how religion becomes an excuse to hate and discriminate. The film is a well made documentary, but as a film, it is fairly run of the mill. If i critique this as a movie, i have to say that this was an average, unremarkable movie and there are other similarly themed movies which i felt was better made, such as Jesus Camp or Deliver us from Evil. As a documentary however, it tells of an important tale of the malaise (the discrimination, the intolerance) that grips religion.
Dororo (2007) 5/10
This is actually quite a retarded movie, although it can be mindlessly entertaining. Unsurprisingly its based on some kind of manga. Basically there is this guy who is created from magical prosthetic parts who must kill monsters in order to regain his original body parts. While visually beautiful, this does not change the fact that the premise is corny and as a result much of the plot is really over the top.
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) 5/10
Unlike the first film, this second installment is so over the top and ridiculous to the extent that it becomes farcically bad. Apparently, Harold and Kumar have lost their mojo.
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) 5/10
Nice graphics. That’s all that is good about the film. The rest of the movie is an exercise in mediocrity.
The Promotion (2008) 5/10
The film lacks any kind of dramatic tension. You are better off watching episodes of The Office.
Hinokio (2005) 5/10
Hinokio is an interesting movie let down by a terrible subplot involving an addictive video game. If the video game subplot was deleted, then this film could maybe get a 6.
Wings of Desire (1987) 1/10
Numbingly boring. Apparently Berlin is filled with angels in black trench coats who are filled with existential angst. The film is a “mood” film which is another way of saying the film goes nowhere. The plot only begins after 3/4 of the running time has passed. The rest of the time has characters spouting long and boring monologues and the film is almost smothered by an insane amount of self aggrandizing navel-gazing.
Leolo (1993) 1/10
I call this the anti-Amelie. The film felt very alienating to me. It is almost as if the filmmaker wants to create the most dysfunctional family possible. The result is an overindulgent flight of fantasy that is seriously boring.
The Castle (1997) 4/10
This movie is too long. There is content for maybe a 30minute skit but the film-makers drag it into a feature length movie. They fill the rest of the movie by depicting the main characters as idiots and try to draw low-brow humor from that characterisation. Its not funny. The film has some legal humor, but it will possibly only appeal to those with legal knowledge. Plus the film uses a deus ex machina to resolve its central issue, when a queen’s counsel conveniently appears and saves the day. Its like the scriptwriter was so lazy he did not even bother to write a semi-convincing script. Plus, the acting is all round awful because they are trying too hard to potray the “simpleton” persona.
