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Showing all reviews beginning with Bu
The Butterfly Effect
Time travel in films can always be a bit of a risky topic, and casting an actor who is most well know for silly teen comedies and being the annoying host of a show on MTV which pulls pranks on celebrities seems like a bad idea.
Before seeing the film, my biggest preconceptions where that Ashton Kutcher was gonna be rubbish, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised as he plays the most serious role I've ever seen him in.
The Butterfly Effect tells the story of Evan, as a child Evan suffers from blackouts at key stages in his life, mainly when bad things are happening around him. He is recommended to keep a journal of his life to help him remember the missing parts of his memory, which he continues to do. As a student, he returns to the town he left when he was a child and speaks to an old friend about her abusive father, she subsequently kills herself. Evan discovers while reading some old journals that he can travel back to the time of the blackout and re-live it, upon doing so he changes the future and when he wakes up, he is in what seems like a perfect alternate reality. However, things soon change and he must try to change history once again to fix the new problems created.
The Butterfly Effect takes the idea that small changes in history can have devastating effects on the course of events.
Kutcher gives a reasonable performance, far removed from his usual comedy style. The story is well told and directed. The films comes to a chilling climax as Evan strives to right his life.
Overall, The Butterfly Effect is a pretty good film, with an interesting plot and a performance from Ashton Kutcher which transforms him from a bad comic actor to someone worth watching.
Buffalo Soldiers
Set in West Germany in 1989 at the height of the cold war, Buffalo soldiers tells the story of Ray Elwood, an American soldier stationed in Germany. He does some dodgy stuff on the side, selling army supplies and cooking Morphine into Heroin for sale to soldiers on the base.
When a new top Sargeant arrives at the base, he doesn't take too kindly to Elwood, even moreso when Elwood begins dating his daughter. Eventually the sargeant discovers Elwoods side business and goes after him.
Ray Elwood is played by Joaquin Phoenix (Signs, Gladiator) and although I find him a bit annoying, he does a reasonable job in this role. The film is quite funny in places as well as having a reasonable plot. Although not amazing, it is reasonably entertaining throughout and a good laugh.
Bulletproof Monk
I didn't have very high hopes of this film from the start even although Sean William Scott's other films have been reasonably humorous (Dude Where's My Car, Roadtrip, American Pie). Starring Sean William Scott as young pickpocket Karl and Chow Yun Fat as a monk (just called monk, he has no name) who must guard a secret scroll which gives whoever reads it ultimate power, the monk meets up with Karl and as he tries to protect the scroll from a Nazi who has been after it since WWII he realises that Karl may be the next keeper of the scroll. This film is pretty poor, there are a couple of humourous moments, but the rest is made up of really cheesy action and dodgy special effects. One to watch only if you are really bored and can't find anything else.
Bunshinsaba
When 3 girls, who are bullied at school try to call up an ancient spirit to attack their bullies, one of the girls becomes possessed by the spirit of a girl from the same village who died 30 years earlier. When the bullies start to die, she begins to get worried and calls on the help of her teacher and the local psychic to help her.
Although there is very little in the film which is original and hasn't been done before, director Byeong-ki Ahn manages to create a film which is genuinely scary. Although not as scary as other Korean or Eastern Asian films, Bunshinsaba did have a couple of shocks and goosebumps in one or two places.
Much like his previous film Phone, in Bunshinsaba, Byeong-ki Ahn takes tried and tested material and rolls it into a slightly scary, watchable horror movie which is worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.
Bullet in the Head
3 friends from 1960's Hong Kong mess about together and get in fights. When a disagreement with a gang leader ends in Fai being hit on the head with a bottle, Ah Bee (Tony Leung) takes Fai to avenge his friends injuries. When they go a little too far, the two friends find themselves in trouble with the law and along with the third member of the trio, Little Wing, they flee to Vietnam where they aim to exploit the war to make a lot of money.
They soon find themselves out of their depths in a country destroyed by war. With strong themes of brotherhood, friendship and the corrupting power of greed, Bullet in the Head offers an intellegent Action movie. Also refreshing is the different perspective on Vietnam that the film portrays as the main characters are in the middle of the war rather than fighting on either side.
The acting from the main three is good and Simon Yam has a good role as a supporting character the trio meet in Vietnam. With more than enough John Woo action to fill the movie, a good plot and a sad ending, Bullet in the Head is an excellent Hong-Kong action movie which offers more than just mindless violence.
Burn After Reading
When CIA Agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is demoted, he quits his job and decides to stay at home and write his Memoirs. This doesn't sit well with his wife (Tilda Swinton who is having an affair with a family friend, Harry (George Clooney). This leads to her investigating into getting a divorce.
When her attorney suggests she gets hold of her husband's financial records from his computer this leads to a fragment of his memoirs being left on a CD in a local gym. Gym worker Linda (Frances McDormand) and her bumbling colleage Chad (Brad Pitt) find the disk, mistake it for some "Secret Shit" and decide to try and use this to make a bit of cash from Linda's planned cosmetic surgery.
What follows is a series of mishaps, in a twisty plot where the main characters relationships to each other all mingle together with a touch of humour thrown in. For the most part, Burn after Reading is clever, witty and enjoyable. The cast of major stars are all excellent, especially Clooney and Pitt who are playing complete idiots.
Overall, entertaining and amusing.
Bullitt
San Francisco cop Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is tasked with looking after a witness in an upcoming trial against "The Organisation". Much to Bullitt's dismay, it's not long until the suspect ends up in hospital at the hands of those he was to testify against. Bullitt seeks to get to the bottom of the case, but soon finds out everything is not as it seems.
Bullitt is a movie famous for its car chase scene, which is about the only bit of action in the whole film. The iconic chase through the streets of San Francisco is well shot and looks pretty realistic. Sadly the rest of the film is pretty slowly paced, there is a lot of not all that much happening and this drags out towards the end.
Overall, I would have liked more action, more plot or even more characterisation of Bullitt. The film is an ok watch, but can become tiring as the film goes on.
Bugsy
Ben "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty) is a New York gangster whose calm sophisticated exterior hides a bad temper and a violent streak. When Siegel travels to L.A. on business, he likes the Hollywood lifestyle so much that he buys and house and decides to stay. As his business in the city grows, he soon looks towards the Nevada Desert where he sees the opportunity to create the gambling mecca of Las Vegas.
Based on the story of the real, Ben Siegel, Bugsy is an intresting look at a man who wanted a lot from life and would do many underhand things to get it. Beatty is excellent in his role as Bugsy and moves from charming to scary as required by the situation.
Overall, a great film which revolves around an interesting character.
The Butterfly Effect
Time travel in films can always be a bit of a risky topic, and casting an actor who is most well know for silly teen comedies and being the annoying host of a show on MTV which pulls pranks on celebrities seems like a bad idea.
Before seeing the film, my biggest preconceptions where that Ashton Kutcher was gonna be rubbish, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised as he plays the most serious role I've ever seen him in.
The Butterfly Effect tells the story of Evan, as a child Evan suffers from blackouts at key stages in his life, mainly when bad things are happening around him. He is recommended to keep a journal of his life to help him remember the missing parts of his memory, which he continues to do. As a student, he returns to the town he left when he was a child and speaks to an old friend about her abusive father, she subsequently kills herself. Evan discovers while reading some old journals that he can travel back to the time of the blackout and re-live it, upon doing so he changes the future and when he wakes up, he is in what seems like a perfect alternate reality. However, things soon change and he must try to change history once again to fix the new problems created.
The Butterfly Effect takes the idea that small changes in history can have devastating effects on the course of events.
Kutcher gives a reasonable performance, far removed from his usual comedy style. The story is well told and directed. The films comes to a chilling climax as Evan strives to right his life.
Overall, The Butterfly Effect is a pretty good film, with an interesting plot and a performance from Ashton Kutcher which transforms him from a bad comic actor to someone worth watching.
Dave W - 11th July, 2004 - 23:13
Director:
Gregor Jordan
Year: 2001
Language: English
Country: America
Set in West Germany in 1989 at the height of the cold war, Buffalo soldiers tells the story of Ray Elwood, an American soldier stationed in Germany. He does some dodgy stuff on the side, selling army supplies and cooking Morphine into Heroin for sale to soldiers on the base.
When a new top Sargeant arrives at the base, he doesn't take too kindly to Elwood, even moreso when Elwood begins dating his daughter. Eventually the sargeant discovers Elwoods side business and goes after him.
Ray Elwood is played by Joaquin Phoenix (Signs, Gladiator) and although I find him a bit annoying, he does a reasonable job in this role. The film is quite funny in places as well as having a reasonable plot. Although not amazing, it is reasonably entertaining throughout and a good laugh.
Dave W - 6th June, 2004 - 19:25
Director:
Paul Hunter
Year: 2003
Language: English
Country: America
I didn't have very high hopes of this film from the start even although Sean William Scott's other films have been reasonably humorous (Dude Where's My Car, Roadtrip, American Pie). Starring Sean William Scott as young pickpocket Karl and Chow Yun Fat as a monk (just called monk, he has no name) who must guard a secret scroll which gives whoever reads it ultimate power, the monk meets up with Karl and as he tries to protect the scroll from a Nazi who has been after it since WWII he realises that Karl may be the next keeper of the scroll. This film is pretty poor, there are a couple of humourous moments, but the rest is made up of really cheesy action and dodgy special effects. One to watch only if you are really bored and can't find anything else.
Dave W - 21st September, 2003 - 16:25
Director:
Byeong-ki Ahn
Year: 2004
Language: Korean (English Sub)
Country: South Korea
When 3 girls, who are bullied at school try to call up an ancient spirit to attack their bullies, one of the girls becomes possessed by the spirit of a girl from the same village who died 30 years earlier. When the bullies start to die, she begins to get worried and calls on the help of her teacher and the local psychic to help her.
Although there is very little in the film which is original and hasn't been done before, director Byeong-ki Ahn manages to create a film which is genuinely scary. Although not as scary as other Korean or Eastern Asian films, Bunshinsaba did have a couple of shocks and goosebumps in one or two places.
Much like his previous film Phone, in Bunshinsaba, Byeong-ki Ahn takes tried and tested material and rolls it into a slightly scary, watchable horror movie which is worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.
Dave W - 26th February, 2005 - 16:12
3 friends from 1960's Hong Kong mess about together and get in fights. When a disagreement with a gang leader ends in Fai being hit on the head with a bottle, Ah Bee (Tony Leung) takes Fai to avenge his friends injuries. When they go a little too far, the two friends find themselves in trouble with the law and along with the third member of the trio, Little Wing, they flee to Vietnam where they aim to exploit the war to make a lot of money.
They soon find themselves out of their depths in a country destroyed by war. With strong themes of brotherhood, friendship and the corrupting power of greed, Bullet in the Head offers an intellegent Action movie. Also refreshing is the different perspective on Vietnam that the film portrays as the main characters are in the middle of the war rather than fighting on either side.
The acting from the main three is good and Simon Yam has a good role as a supporting character the trio meet in Vietnam. With more than enough John Woo action to fill the movie, a good plot and a sad ending, Bullet in the Head is an excellent Hong-Kong action movie which offers more than just mindless violence.
Dave W - 19th May, 2007 - 11:21
When CIA Agent Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is demoted, he quits his job and decides to stay at home and write his Memoirs. This doesn't sit well with his wife (Tilda Swinton who is having an affair with a family friend, Harry (George Clooney). This leads to her investigating into getting a divorce.
When her attorney suggests she gets hold of her husband's financial records from his computer this leads to a fragment of his memoirs being left on a CD in a local gym. Gym worker Linda (Frances McDormand) and her bumbling colleage Chad (Brad Pitt) find the disk, mistake it for some "Secret Shit" and decide to try and use this to make a bit of cash from Linda's planned cosmetic surgery.
What follows is a series of mishaps, in a twisty plot where the main characters relationships to each other all mingle together with a touch of humour thrown in. For the most part, Burn after Reading is clever, witty and enjoyable. The cast of major stars are all excellent, especially Clooney and Pitt who are playing complete idiots.
Overall, entertaining and amusing.
Dave W - 28th October, 2008 - 12:14
Director:
Peter Yates
Year: 1968
Language: English
Country: America
San Francisco cop Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is tasked with looking after a witness in an upcoming trial against "The Organisation". Much to Bullitt's dismay, it's not long until the suspect ends up in hospital at the hands of those he was to testify against. Bullitt seeks to get to the bottom of the case, but soon finds out everything is not as it seems.
Bullitt is a movie famous for its car chase scene, which is about the only bit of action in the whole film. The iconic chase through the streets of San Francisco is well shot and looks pretty realistic. Sadly the rest of the film is pretty slowly paced, there is a lot of not all that much happening and this drags out towards the end.
Overall, I would have liked more action, more plot or even more characterisation of Bullitt. The film is an ok watch, but can become tiring as the film goes on.
Dave W - 5th January, 2010 - 12:02
Director:
Barry Levinson
Year: 1991
Language: English
Country: America
Ben "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty) is a New York gangster whose calm sophisticated exterior hides a bad temper and a violent streak. When Siegel travels to L.A. on business, he likes the Hollywood lifestyle so much that he buys and house and decides to stay. As his business in the city grows, he soon looks towards the Nevada Desert where he sees the opportunity to create the gambling mecca of Las Vegas.
Based on the story of the real, Ben Siegel, Bugsy is an intresting look at a man who wanted a lot from life and would do many underhand things to get it. Beatty is excellent in his role as Bugsy and moves from charming to scary as required by the situation.
Overall, a great film which revolves around an interesting character.
Dave W - 17th May, 2010 - 21:28
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