Tag: James Woods
video review : Contact
Like observing deep space via satellite, waiting for some sign of intelligent life, this movie is boring for a long time. About a third of its two-and-a-half hours goes by before the catch of the plot finally beams in and things start to get interesting.
Based on a Carl Sagan sci-fi novel, Contact propels itself with a wonderous concept, brilliant visual effects and mind-bending philosophical undertones, but the story, bogged down by extraneous love themes, doesn’t reach good fast enough.
my rating : 3 of 5
1997
video review : Cat’s Eye
This is a trilogy of Stephen King stories. The first, Quitters Inc, about a clinic that goes to extreme measures to get people to stop smoking, is a drag. The Ledge and General; General is the name of the Cat that strings these little movies together; are better.
my rating : 3 of 5
1985
Paul Joseph Watson ranting about James Woods being suspended from Twitter for posting a satirical meme
2018
video review : Independence Day [ Resurgence ]
![video review : Independence Day [ Resurgence ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/59152.jpg)
This isn’t just Independence Day without Will Smith, which would be bad enough. It’s Independence Day without the humor, wit, suspense and entertainment; a sequel so lackluster it feels more like a TV knockoff than a sequel. Most of the main characters are back, but the nostalgia is wasted. Rain, the token Asian, is cute, but the new people are just cardboard cutouts.
The plot, which introduces an ally alien sphere, is surprisingly stupid. Even worse is the dialogue, which goes from just being flat to laughably awkward as it wedges in quick-cut plot points. “Can you believe it,” a hospital worker says to a patient who appears to be sleeping, “You’ve been in a coma for 7300 days.” One more day and he could’ve slept thru this cinematic disaster.
my rating : 2 of 5
2016
video review : Casino
This story takes place in Las Vegas back when most of the dirt wasn’t confined to its surrounding deserts. The Tangiers (Casino) is run by The Mafia, a secret organization of criminals working together for one common goal; to make money, illegally and abundantly. The figurehead boss is a guy named Ace Rothstein. It’s his “love” life, with a woman named Ginger, that stretches thin your suspension of disbelief. As wise as he is when it comes to making money, you’re supposed to believe he’d be stupid enough to fall for (trust/marry) such a leech.
The most interesting character though is his best friend Nicky Santoro, or Joe Pesci playing (basically) the same mobster he played in Goodfellas. With Robert De Niro by his side and Martin Scorsese at the helm, this feels like a sequel; a great one that does an even better job of watching relationships deteriorate over time. Non-diegetic monologues set the tone right from the beginning. Ace Rothstein is, at one point, on top of the world. By the end, it’s the two closest people in his life, and their selfish traits, that set the inevitable downfall into motion.
my rating : 5 of 5
1995