88 Minutes 2007 Movie Review (Drama, Thriller)
88 Minutes - A suspense-thriller that concerns a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI receives a death threat that says he has only 88 minutes to live. To save his life, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down the possible suspects, which include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover and a serial killer on death row.
88 Minutes is a supremely implausible thriller that will probably
Many stupefying scenes abound. As part of the countdown from 88 minutes, such reminders appear in other forms. The amount of remaining minutes appears on an overhead projector. Later, it is written on the back of his car. The killer seems to be not only omniscient, but also impeccable in the timing and nature of Gramm's actions that he would not only notice these things, but that he would do so at just the right time. Although there are several characters that are thrown in to fool us as to who the real culprit is, it won't be much of a mystery to savvy thriller junkies. While a learned professor and forensic psychologist with a knack for putting things together ingeniously is bewildered, you will probably have it figured out an hour before the end of the film. As too many plot holes abound to warrant diligent attention, the only thing left to keep your interest is what will happen at the end of the countdown, and the reason behind it all.
I'm certain I haven't always followed the news when serial killers are about to be executed, but it seems to be that Forster is given an extraordinary amount of freedom on his final day. He gets interviewed live on a national news broadcast for an interminable amount of time, and even takes phone calls. Not that it seems plausible that someone could presumably even get convicted and receive the death penalty based almost solely on one psychologist's testimony on his state of mind when he purportedly committed these heinous acts, but once it's established, at the very least, the media probably wouldn't allow such a reviled man free reign to potentially damage the psyche of the family and friends of the victims one more time by giving him an open forum to the world.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to find that 88 Minutes ends up being substandard fare if you look at the filmography of its writer and director. Screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson's previous work includes such junk food material as The Fast and the Furious, Timecop 2, and K-911 -- not exactly indicative of someone that would pull off the crackerjack thriller of the year. Avnet, who replaces initial director James Foley at the helm, has done slightly better, though his only notable film is Fried Green Tomatoes, which is a pretty far cry from the kind of film that 88 Minutes is. Mediocre films like Red Corner and Up Close and Personal are his others.
One gets the impression that the film was meant to star someone much younger, as the diminutive 66-year-old actor plays a college professor who happens to get a lot of very fine 20-something tail on a frequent basis.
I can see him seducing needy, scholastically-challenged students in exchange for better grades, but when they throw themselves at him without any expectations, it does stretch the credibility of the film. In one incredulous scene, Alicia Witt's character, Kim, decides that in the middle of a stressful chase, she would allure Gramm into talking about the possibility of starting a family with him. My only question is: what magical cologne does Gramm use and how can I get some?
For such a bad, poorly developed movie, I think that 88 Minutes will find an audience among people who will watch any contrived thriller if it contains enough sensationalism and energy to allow for a bit of escapism. To Avnet's credit, there actually is some intrigue generated through wanting to know just what awaits at the end of the countdown, and also the hows and whys behind the death threats to Gramm. With a brisk pacing and a bevy of beautiful actresses, it's not difficult to watch as long as you aren't expecting anything remotely plausible or intelligent to transpire. A Pacino performance, mysterious plot, and eye candy actresses can titillate, even if the vehicle they are in fails to properly stimulate the mind.
Of course, even if the mystery in the film is answered, the bigger one still remains. At this point in Pacino's esteemed career, why does he stoop to making b-grade, straight-to-video caliber schlock? A few more of these and we can start a countdown of our own -- the irrelevancy of his appearances in future films.
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Shawshank Redemption DVD Review
Weighing in with three different versions, the Shawshank Redemption DVD is one that seeks to do the movie proper justice by delivering the same quality in the extras provided as was the quality delivered by the movie itself. Shawshank Redemption can be purchased as a standard, Deluxe Limited, and as a Special Edition. Although the Deluxe Limited and Special Edition’s offer notable extra features, each delivers the powerful movie as it was intended.
Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins deliver powerful roles in this prison film. Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, a man convicted of killing his wife and her lover. He is sent to prison on a life term and there meets up with Red, played by Morgan Freeman. The chemistry between the two characters is simply unmatched by most other prison films and the movie delivers a powerful performance fueled by the superb acting jobs of these two fine actors.
The DVD’s deliver the movie in great clarity and quality. The film has been sharpened and refined when transferred to DVD version and this results in a very high quality film with bright, vibrant colors, great detail, and proper light and shadow settings. Although the movie contains no option for fullscreen viewing, the widescreen presentation was done wonderfully and really delivers the movie superbly.
The sound is delivered in crisp, clear Dolby 5.1. Although the movie was never really epic in terms of its audio component, the music matches the film but doesn’t really leave any lasting impressions, the dialogue is delivered very clearly and the interaction between the two stars is brought even more to life.
In terms of extras, the standard version is pretty light and contains almost nothing in terms of actual package extras. However, the other edition’s are packaged with a lot of extras that are worth a look for fans of Shawshank Redemption. Commentaries, interviews, documentaries, and other special features are all smartly done and worth watching.
The Shawshank Redemption DVD’s present the movie with high quality and the transfer over to DVD format was done very well. Although the standard DVD doesn’t contain many extras, all versions are worth a look and each delivers its own money’s worth. The Shawshank Redemption is an epic film and the DVD’s capture that very well and deliver the movie as it should be seen.
Ярлыки: DVD, Movie Review, Shawshank Redemption
Saw 3 Movie Review
Written by: James Wan, Leigh Whannell
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, Dina Meyer
Distributor: Lionsgate
Budget: $12 Million (estimated)
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Running Time: 101 min
Rating: Rated R for strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity and language.
If it’s Halloween, then it must be Saw. The third of the Saw movies in three years promises even more blood and gore than the last two movies, and they do in fact keep their promise. However they should have promised a better movie with better acting.
Tobin Bell is back as Jigsaw who is now bed-ridden due to his inoperable cancer. Amanda (Shawnee Smith) is there at his side the entire time giving a dull performance.
Jigsaw and Amanda kidnap a doctor to help alleviate his pain and suffering. The “game” this time is that the doctor must keep Jigsaw alive for as long as it takes Jeff (who is playing another game) to finish his game.
Tobin Bell is great as Jigsaw, as he was in the first two movies, it’s just too bad he always has a sub-par supporting cast. Shawnee Smith delivers a lacklustre performance as Amanda, Jigsaw’s apprentice and aid. For Saw veterans, the ending is less surprising than the two previous Saw movies, yet it’s still quite impressive. The traps used this time around aren’t as clever and original as before, but they sure are bloodier and more gruesome. This can be a good or bad thing depending on if you like the Saw movies. The musical score is great once again.
Saw 3 is a decent horror movie for Halloween but fails to live up to the originality and freshness of the two previous instalments. The plot and traps are rather stale and with the exception of Tobin Bell, the acting needs improvement. The door was left open for a potential Saw 4, and let’s just hope writer Leigh Whannell can come up with some fresher ideas.
Ярлыки: Movie Review, Saw 3