City by the Sea (2002)

Posted on May 22, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

For a film that’s identified as a bonafide thriller, the concept and entire plot is completely downplayed and low-key. I was never sure which direction it wanted go but it definitely does not become a thriller. It segues into all directions of plots never sure where it’s headed. The film is a story about relationships; the relationship Lemarca has with his ex-wife represents his past, the relationship with his new girlfriend represents his current life, and his son represents the past he abandoned. This could have been some amazing metaphors to mesh into the film, but it’s ultimately ruined.

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Cube²: Hypercube (2002)

Posted on May 19, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

Taking off from the original fan fave, we meet eight people who wake up in a giant cube full of deadly puzzles, obstacles, and rooms that never end. Do they make it out alive? Do they ever make it out? I did not like the first one, so I was curious to see if the second one would be better, and this is basically the same deal. We have a bunch of people, each with unique characters, figuring their way through the constant white rooms and puzzles.

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Rollerball (2002)

Posted on May 18, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

Now, granted, I’ve never seen the original “Rollerball” starring the great James Caan, but I think I can assure you, that it might have been better than this fiasco. The movie force-feeds us predictable and uninspired action scenes of people rolling around on their amped up blades and motorcycles as different growling and hooting players wearing ridiculous costumes and helmets bash each others skulls in etching to grab a hold of the rollerball attempting to score a point for a specific country as different announcers from the countries broadcasting the games holler at us through the screen play-by-play.

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The Tuxedo (2002)

Posted on May 17, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

Jackie Chan seems often bored and detached from this film, never giving the charisma he displays in his movies. It dawned upon me that he might be aging or running out of ideas as he starts using wires to help with most of his stunts. We open with him attempting to ask a sexy art dealer on a date and ultimately screw it up. I found it hard to believe that an art dealer would go out with a creepy stuttering taxi driver, so I wasn’t surprised when she rejected him like a bad habit.

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The Ring (2002)

Posted on May 13, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

After the mysterious death of a loved relative, reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) discovers the source behind the death and begins to investigate. What she begins to discover will be a descent into darkness and evil that will forever change her life. This was based on the original Japanese horror series of movies that took Japan by storm and became a classic. The execs at America took notice and decided to remake it hoping to spawn an equally engrossing hit. What is spawned by it is a truly horrific movie that has the makings of a masterpiece. The one thing that stood out from this movie is the incredible cinematography.

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Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Posted on May 13, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

This is a very disappointing effort from Disney. The entire movie is very pedestrian and nothing entirely stands out within the viewing of this. First off, the plot, though sweet is very contrived and never brings to mind the words innovative, which most Disney movies are known for. The movie is a rip-off of “Extra-Terrestrial”, the only problem is, “E.T.” is a better movie.

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The Sum of All Fears (2002)

Posted on May 10, 2003 by Felix Vasquez

In the fourth of the Jack Ryan series of movies, we rewind back to when Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) was a lowly analyst and historian who watches the world’s current events with awe. He is called upon by DCI William Cabot (Morgan Freeman), a CIA operative for his extensive knowledge of the world. There’s a new ruler in Russia whom the CIA is not happy about. In the background an evil mercenary has seized a nuclear bomb and is constructing it. Now Ryan must stop the bomb’s inevitable activation before Baltimore is destroyed.

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