Julie's Reviews

I don't care if this is as derivative as it is possible to be without making a remake, I loved this movie. I thought it was well acted (considering what they had to work with) and highly entertaining. Love the two tribes, love the ending. Overall, don't expect the best movie ever - it's far from the worst, and overall i enjoyed it far too much!

If you like really dodgy special effects then you will love this one. I thought this was spectacularly bad in the best possible way. Bad acting, even worse haircuts and some of the dodgiest 'alien' lifeforms ever. Run away!

I fell asleep watching this and i guess that just about says all you need to know. What i did see was nothing spectacular, and if you have seen even a couple of Hollywood high school movies you've basically seen this one as well.

Offensive? Yes. Bordering on racist? Yep to that one too. A bit stupid, and ridiculously violent? Of course. However, all that and more is forgiven because above all else this is a very funny movie. Trust me... just watch it.

I was sort of looking forward to seeing this, and also dreading it a bit based on what i had heard about the original and what Naomi Watts had to say. I found it somewhat intriguing, particularly when one of the characters insisted on speaking directly to the audience, thereby breaking through that wall. The violence is for the most part implied, but it is still hard to watch although i think worth the effort. It is a thought provoking insight into privilege and its' abuse; the way the ruling class allows its members to feel justified in going so far as to slap a boy they don't even know; and of course how quickly everything you thought you know to be true and solid can disappear with the knock at the door. Go on... add it to your queue!

A bit of a twist, quite slow and characters that don't always make sense. They don't stay true to what we supposedly know about them but if you can just shut off your brain and stare at the screen it might be ok. Unfortunately, I couldn't and all the plot and characterisation holes drove me a little nutso.

Just like Molder and Scully, I wanted to believe in this but it just wasn't what i wanted it to be. It was all a bit wishy-washy, and nothing felt resolved at the end. I guess if you are a real X-Files fan you'll enjoy it, but otherwise i wouldn't bother.

This is a hard movie to sum up, but I suspect that it was equally as hard for the subjects of the film to watch as it is at times for the audience. If you ever wanted proof that money and fame won't equal happiness then this is it.

I first saw this many years ago at the movies, and nearly chewed my own arm off from the suspense and sheer terror. All these years later it still holds up, and Rutger Hauer gets my vote for the best nasty old psychopath ever.

Better than I expected it to be, although knowing that it is based on real events really does make you feel more than a little despair.

Love the books, hated the movie. They took a wonderful concept and turned it into something boring and banal.

It's strange to see a film that has been plagiarised in bits and pieces by everything and everyone, in particular the shots of the pupil of the eye opening. It clearly has a well deserved place in pop-culture iconography. It's not often that a film about drugs deals with both illicit and legal substances, and hopefully will encourage people to think about what they mean when they talk about 'drug users'. Excellent.

NO!! Don't subject yourself to this! Go for a walk, bath the dog or restump your house if you have to but avoid this at all costs!

Don't expect to come away from this one feeling all sunshine and buttercups. This is a raw, and all too real portrayal of the issues young people in Australia are now dealing with on a far too common basis. Highly recommended.

Films that really on nothing but one character in a room either work beautifully or drag on endlessly. This one sort of fell into the cracks for me in that to begin with it had me, and then it all just got a bit silly. Not terrible, but not great either.

You have to love a movie where they manage to merge civil disobediance, race relations and dance competitions! Everyone in the cast seemed to really throw themselves into the spirit of this one, and just push that envelope almost to the point of caricature and then bring it back a notch. I could happily watch this one again.

Didn't do much for me either... I should read the reviews first before adding to the queue!!

Somewhat predictable and all a bit silly really... why do people insist on returning to the one place in the world that caused them nothing but trauma? Or run UP the stairs when being chased by crazed killers... anyway, there are plenty of better movies out there than this one.

This seemed to be a very long movie... or perhaps it was just a movie where not enough was happening to make me want to fully engage with anyone or anything.

I wasn't expecting great things from this and was plesantly surprised. Spectacular cinematography and casting of non-actors allows you to be swept up in the story, regardless of the language issues.

This is strangely compelling viewing, although i don't think that the central figure of this documentary can possibly feel proud of much that it contains. If nothing else, this should be mandatory viewing for anyone who thinks that domestic violence or drug addiction are only the problems of the working class or the poor. To say that i enjoyed this is not quite right, but it was definitely compelling.

I enjoyed this once i settled into the slow pace and just went with it. DOn't expect everything to happen at once. vincent D'onofrio is unrecognisable from his TV role and it's worth watching for this alone!

Great acting, wonderful script and characters... watch it!

For anyone thinking about entering the world of standup, or even other areas of entertainment this is a great insight into the psyche of the heckler, the impact of the often vitriolic personal attacks written by 'critics' and more. Well worth watching.

i really enjoyed this, given that i knew it was going to be a genre movie and that's exactly what it was although with enough twists and a good cast to keep me entertained.

I can see why there was such a buzz about this film when it was first released, and it was well deserved. This is a brutally honest look at the machinations of politics and what really drives the military/industrial complex. I have never been a fan of Tom Cruise, but I think that this is the best I have ever seen him, although he is working with a stellar cast including the two young actors who play the soldiers. Highly recommended

Excellent, thought provoking viewing. I enjoyed this, although it is certainly not light entertainment! Turn your brain on before you hit play or you'll lose track.

This is a truly challenging film that really shows the human toll when the state murders one of its own citizens. Although Heath Ledger is only in the film for a short time he certainly leaves a lasting impact. Halle Berry's portrayal of a woman in pain needing to 'feel good' is so raw I almost felt like I was intruding! Highly recommended

Most academic books don't translate well to film but this one works, and manages to cover issues that range from the fate of illegal migrant workers to the horrors that go into those 'all beef patties'.

If you are a true political beast you'll enjoy this, otherwise it's just a lot of talking. It is an eye opener though to see that the American president or even the candidates say absolutely nothing that isn't scripted to the final second.

This is what you want a thriller to be - tense and a bit disturbing. For a film that takes place predominantly in one room there is an awful lot of action! Excellent.

Clever, great acting by all involved and a wonderful script. It's not often you see a movie where you don't think 'this is like that other movie...', but this is one that is hard to compare. I enjoyed it very much.

What a ridiculous, time wasting, nonsensical piece of twaddle this was!! Avoid it at all costs... you've been warned!

Who would have thought that student politics could cause so much drama for an entire community! This is a great documentary, and from the extra footage it is clear that calling the budget 'shoestring' is something of an exaggeration. The debate around 'free speech' that was supposedly at the centre of the conflict becomes less and less important as the real issues force their way through the propaganda speak. I enjoyed this very much.

This is beautifully filmed and all the performances bring the loneliness, isolation and harshness of the Australian bush to life. Extremely moving - and, an amazing performance from a young boy I am positive we will see much more from in the future.

I found this surprisingly moving - the relationship between the Abberton brothers, forged as it has been through shared traumas and joy made me wish for the same kind of love and loyalty in my own family. The hard questions haven't been ignored but if you are looking for an expose of crime or violence you will be disappointed. The footage of huge waves is breathtaking, but this is above all else a film about the bonds between brothers.

This is without a doubt one of the best movies of the year. The cast handle the difficult subject matter beautifully, and the young lead iactor s perfect as the bullied, marginalised and fatherless boy desperate to find acceptance and a male to look up to again. Britain during the Fauklands war is drawn as a place of quietly seething discontent, that occasionally bubbles over in brutal fashion - issues of race, gender, class and subculture all play a part, but it is at the intersection of class and ethnicity that things really get messy. This is a movie that will leave you with much to think about - I've already ordered a ordered my own copy! Move this one to the top of your queue.

This is a deepling moving film - much more so than I expected. Beautifully crafted characters draw you into the story, even when at times you would rather leave. Highly recommended.

While Hertzog's documentaries are now being released en masse in Australia this is the first that I have seen, and I was interested to see how he was going to blend Treadwell's footage with his own observations. I'm not sure if Treadwell really was as loopy as the footage included made him appear, but from the comments of those interviewed it seems he was. I thought it was a great idea that could have been handled better - and from some of the other reviews it is clear that the marketing people need to do a better job of letting viewers know what they are getting!

Sadly for me, this was not as good as I wanted it to be, but that perhaps is not the fault of the film but of my connection with Smith's earlier films. I would still recommend it, but I would say to be clear about you are getting.

Having read the book years ago, and seeing Benning interviewed about her role as Deidre I did have some misgivings. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised at how the director/writer managed to make a film that was true to the book while not being afraid to change things were sticking to the original would have made for terrible viewing. If you want to see what happened to Augusten post- Scissors, read the second part of his autobiography, 'Dry'. This was excellent viewing.

Not laugh out loud funny, no really great lines like 'by the beard of Zuess!', but well worth watching.

Well written and great acting. I thought it was a fairly balanced view of the events.

A brilliant idea, but some of the directors handled the specific instructions relating to the length of time to tell the story better than others. It's worth borrowing just to see Sean Penn's film.

This is a fantastic documentary, broad enough to interest the non-metalhead but with great detail and insightful interviews that the already converted will enjoy even more. It's a shame that the bonus disc isn't available as well - I've bought it now as I enjoyed it so much, and will be showing it to sociology students in the future. A great example of how academic study doesn't have to be deadly dry.