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The Films I Saw In 2007 Part 3 (From Best To Worst)
By an Amazon.com customer
We Own the NightWe Own the Night
Buy new: $10.49 / Used from: $0.80
*** This late 80s-set crime drama is not much more than genre fodder. Joaquin Phoenix is terrific in the lead, and Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, and Robert Duvall are all sturdy in supporting roles. The story isn't very engrossing, and this is really just 'The Departed' lite, a crime film less epic than that classic. But for what it is, 'We Own The Night' is suitable genre entertainment
Lions For Lambs (Widescreen Edition)Lions For Lambs (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $0.51
*** Robert Redford assembles an A-list cast to deliver another civics lesson. Well-intentioned, ably acted, but too talky about our politics without offering any real solutions. The script intercuts between three stories, each compelling enough but the whole just ends up falling short. Not great cinematic art or literature. A polished, admirable failure
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert FordThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Buy new: $8.49 / Used from: $1.72
*** With a title as long as its running time (160 minutes) this film has the unconventional space and scope of classic epic Westerns. Brad Pitt gives a full-blooded performance in the lead, but the focus isn't really on him. That makes this near-3 hour tone poem feel flat out boring at times. But Pitt and gorgeous photography make this worth sitting through if not savoring
Shooter (Widescreen Edition)Shooter (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $2.04
*** Mark Wahlberg's follow up movie following his Oscar-nominated role in 'The Departed.' He elevates this predictable but watchable thriller, which comes up short in the thrills department. There are some fascinating "how-to-do" bits reminicent of 'MacGuyver,' the violence often shocking, and the whole affair is satisfyingly resolved. Too unevenly paced, dumb, and generic for it's own good
Smokin' Aces (Widescreen Edition)Smokin' Aces (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $1.20
** A bloody, twisty, deliriously demented ride. Can't match its inspiration ('Pulp Fiction') in the slightest, it's too over-plotted and takes itself too seriously in the third act. There are some entertaining moments (both funny and brutal) that hint at the potential the material had, but this is really just another comic-book story, amoral and violent "entertainment" with no soul
Rush Hour 3 (Two-Disc Platinum Series)Rush Hour 3 (Two-Disc Platinum Series)
Buy new: $31.49 / Used from: $1.00
** Not as fresh, fun, funny, or thrilling as the original or even the second entry. Chan and Tucker still have undeniable chemistry and it's a long-awaited pleasure to see them on screen again. It's too bad director Brett Ratner chose a slapdash script with too many plot holes and not enough jaw-dropping acrobatics or big laughs. Watchable, but bearly
Death Sentence (Unrated Edition)Death Sentence (Unrated Edition)
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $1.35
** This vigilante thriller from the director of 'Saw' isn't as chilling, smart, or efficient as that film. Kevin Bacon does what he can in an under-written role from a hollow but ambitious script that tries to add layers to the story but the film plays out like an dumb, empty exploitation flick filled with tons of graphic bloody violence. Very disappointing
Disturbia (Widescreen Edition)Disturbia (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $1.08
** This 'Rear Window'-for-the-digital-generation isn't very novel or scary. Shia LaBeouf and David Morse are wasted in bland parts from a generic script with laughable dialogue and plot "twists." The direction is merely competent and never engrossing. The surveillance elements are interesting and the finale is tense, but this is anything but disturbing
RevolverRevolver
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $1.16
* Guy Ritchie’s worst film. There is no artistic, aesthetic, or entertainment value in a single frame of this highly convoluted and pointlessly stylized "thriller." That's if it had any thrills. Or a single good scene. The writing, acting, camera work, and directing are lazy. Dumb, incoherent and flat-out infuriating, this movie’s completely worth missing. Utterly absurd and boring in the extreme
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Widescreen Edition)I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $1.88
* Utterly offensive, dumb, and UNFUNNY! Adam Sandler returns to his moronic roots with this idiotic farce on gay marriage. The "message" here is labored and uninspired. The film tries to breakdown gay streotypes while simultaneously reinforcing them. A sad, sad excuse for a film
No Country for Old MenNo Country for Old Men
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $2.15
Check out Part 1 of my list at this URL http://www.amazon.com/The-Films-I-ve-Seen-So-Far-In-2007-From-Best-To-Worst/lm/R2X4KU4CSCSV6D/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full/102-2289670-8491354