Green Mile Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Green Mile Film Critique

The Green Mile is one of the most emotion movies of all times hands down. This is a true tear jerker that will have you crying not only once but multiple times throughout the movie. What I really liked about this movie was how well written it was. Steven King really out does himself with this script. Not only does The Green Mile have the perfect set of characters needed to successfully pull off the effect intended but it also has the perfect cast to depict these characters. Possibly my favorite actor of all time Tom Hanks, gives yet another great performance from start to finish. However, I have to tip my hat to the man who makes the movie, Michael Clarke Duncan. There is not a more perfect actor who could take on the challenge of the role of John Coffey and blow away everyone’s imagination. This is the greatest performance of Duncan’s ever growing career.

Steven King hits the nail on the head with the traditional role of racism in the south during this point in time. King uses the typical intimidating black man raping and killing two young white females to perfection.

Dude Where’s my Car Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Dude Where’s my Car Film Critique

I have watched this movie at least four times and listen to countless idiots talk about it but I still have yet to figure out what exactly is so funny about Dude, Where’s My Car. What exactly is the point of this movie, to find his car? That might possibly be the dumbest plot I have ever heard of in my entire life. I could have thought this up while I was in 3^rd grade a millionaire today. It’s crazy to think that the two man actors in the movie went on to become serious and big time actors.

How can a movie with the most famous scene be about two idiots talking about tattoos on their backs for a solid 3 minutes be as big of a hit as it was? This is amazing to me. The only way I could ever find this movie funny is if I was drunk or high but then again the idea to watch this movie would never even cross my mind. It is movies like this that make me wonder why I am going to college when apparently all that I have to do is write idiotic and meaningless scripts to be set for the rest of my life. If anyone can find even the most remote meaning for Dude, Where’s My Car please feel free to let know, I’ll be patiently waiting.

Hurt Locker Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Hurt Locker Film Critique

Possibly one of the greatest written Iraq war movies yet, The Hurt Locker, gives you a much greater look into the life style of the war outside of just the typical guns and fighting of war. The movie opens up with a quit stating that war like a drug. When I first read this I didn’t understand until the final scene of the movie when SSgt. Williams, who has disarmed 233 bombs is at home with his family only to tell them he is going back to Iraq after only a 3 week break. While in his son’s room, William tells his kid that while some people are addicted to toys, drugs, or money, he is addicted to war therefore explain that meaning of the opening quote of the movie, that war is addictive like a drug.

While I have never been in a war or let alone a fight, I think this movie does an incredible job as depicting the actual life of soldiers in Iraq today. There are characters that are scared like hell every day walking into the line of fire while there are those who it has just become like second hand nature to them and don’t care. It is amazing the psychological effects that war can put on a person and The Hurt Locker captures that emotion and releases it through every character throughout the movie.

DaVinci Code Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

DaVinci Code Film Critique

Released in 2006, The DaVinci Code raised a lot of questions in the religious world. I consider myself to be a Christian although I do not know very much about the Bible and I was blown away by the majority of the “facts” discussed throughout the movie. As I was walking out of the theatre I was wondering could this information be true. I give whoever gave up with this movie kudos for the amount of research it had to have taken in order to right a nearly full proof script.

Tom Hanks makes a big comeback in The DaVinci Code as he takes on the role professor Langdon. Tom Hanks does a remarkable job of acting throughout this movie as he gives what appears to me a top five performance with Cast Away easily being his all time greatest.

When I compare a movie to the original book normally the book blows away the movie because of the attention to detail there is. However, this may be the first movie that is possibly greater than the book. For years to come this movie will be discussed all over the world as a movie that pushes the religious limits but in today’s world a movie never makes it big unless it pushes the limit.

The Truman Show Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

The Truman Show Film Critique

Easily one of the greatest thought out movies of all time, The Truman Show will forever have me wondering if my life is all staged since everything in my life seems to happen at the worse time like it was planned out. Released in 1998, The Truman Show gives Jim Carrey his first chance to act in a serious role throughout parts of the movie while also allowing him to stay true to his signature role of a comedian. Surprisingly, Carrey plays one of the best roles of his career in this entertaining movie. The writer, Peter Weir, does an excellent job making this movie seem like a TV show in the world today. They talk about how Truman was born on live television showing the devoted fans that have pretty much grown up watching Truman himself grow up.

The supporting cast in the movie is filled with familiar names that do a great job in their individual roles. The one thing that still gets to today about this movie will always be the question to my own self asking if this is a biography about my life and that I am the one on a television show. This is one movie that I must own a copy of and I suggest that everyone else do the game. This is easily a top 100 greatest movie of all time.

Failure to Launch Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Failure to Launch Film Critique

The 2006 hit Failure to Launch may not be an Oscar winning movie but in my eyes it was a great movie. The lead role played by Matthew McConaughey is the ideal person for this movie. Supported by an uprising cast of Sarah Jessica Parker, Dustin Bartha, and Bradley Cooper, this movie starts strong as well as ends strong. Some way say the script is poorly written but that is only because it is a comedy and comedies are notorious for have poor scripts; they are only about the funny until the final few scenes.

Maybe the only reason I like this movie so much is because the three guys are constantly going adventurous activities while driving extremely nice cars and getting all the women, but then that just means the movie affected me in the way that the director intended it too. This is the kind of movie that makes you lose track of time and by the end of the movie you’re thinking to yourself “didn’t this just start?” while looking for clues to see if they are leaving anything open for sequel. Failure to Launch does not fail to entertain by any means of the imagination. This is definitely a must see movie.

Iron Man Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Iron Man Film Critique

The 2008 ticket box hit Iron Man is an action packed movie that does not let the audience down from to finish. The special effects in this movie are so unreal that you honestly can’t distinguish the special effects from the actual footage. Robert Downing Jr. is the perfect actor for the role as Tony Stark. Downing Jr. is both very charming and funny throughout the movie. The story line behind the movie is a little farfetched but then again that’s the reason it is based off a comic book.

Comic books let the reader’s imagination take control over reality and this movie definitely gets the audiences mind into this idea. The action scenes are amazingly thought out and portrayed by the actors and directors both. To the everyday movie fan this movie has all any movie needs to be considered a hit from big names, action sequences, models, and toys. While watching this movie there is very little that I think should be fixed in order to make this movie any better. With that being said I think it is safe to say that this is easily the best so far out of the comic book series movies.

Thank You for Smoking Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Thank You for Smoking Film Critique

Where to start on this widely overlooked masterpiece. The first thing that is amazing about Thank You for Smoking is the silent star studded cast put together by Jason Reitman. Scene by scene as new people are introduced you continue to be amazed that this many well-known actors and actresses are in this movie.

Apart from the cast, the other man thing that sticks out too is how well written this movie is. Maybe it is because I love to argue but the lines in this movie are one of a kind. How can someone make cigarettes actually sound somewhat well to anyone? Well this movie creatively and subconsciously causes you to question who the good guys are and who the bad guys in the battle of cigarettes are. The best example that I have for this movie is in the opening scene when Nick Naylor is before an audience and being pounded by anti-smoking companies and when asked how he feels about a kid drying from lung cancer Nick replies with a stroke of genius, “I would hate for Tommy to die cause we would be losing a customer, however, the lung cancer guys are praying for Tommy to die to give them a reason to get a pay check every week.” This movie is pure brilliant and a must see for everyone.

New Moon Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

New Moon Film Critique

For all the hype over the year after Twilight was released New Moon truly did drop the damn ball. I don’t know which was worse, “Edward” with his cold, pale, scrawny body or “Jacobs” underage overly swole body. This movie was nothing put a PG-13 porno for kids. I never felt so pathetic as I stood in line being forced to listen to girls try and convince their boyfriend’s that this movie was going to be great but we all know what the boyfriends were thinking “HELL NO IT WON’T.”

I had to do everything I could to keep myself from laughing when Jacob took off his shirt and I swear for that moment all the oxygen in the room was sucked out as every girl gasped for air. I mean come on, is all that necessary? This was nothing but a poorly written love story with hardly any action. I thought this also has something to do with a war between vampires and werewolves? The most action I saw was two vampires fighting over a girl who is way too ugly to be given the main role in this movie. And last buy not least I must say that is I hear another word about how hot Edward is I will kill myself. The guy wants to suck the blood out of your neck until your dead. Someone please explain to me how this is attractive.

Twilight Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Twilight Film Critique

So after listening to every girl in America talk about how amazing this movie was and how some people were seeing it as many as 10 times I figured that I would give Twilight a chance to win me over. The only character that I liked in the movie was Kellen Lutz who was eventually killed of by the most over-rated guy on the face of the planet, Robert Patterson. The story line is decent but only if you’re a 13 year old pre-puberty girl. If it wasn’t for the action filled baseball scene or the big fight scene at the end I think I would of died during this movie.

I do think that the cast was the perfect fit for this movie since they all are, in their own way, misfits that are allowed to pretty much be themselves. The only bright spot for this movie would have to be the soundtrack. This might possibly be the only reason why I stayed awake. If I had know that the soundtrack was so good I would have saved my money on the ticket and gone and bought the soundtrack and most likely would have better feelings for the movie in general. Hopefully the next three movies will pick up the slack for the failure of the first.

Old Dogs Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Old Dogs Film Critique

Walt Becker’s 2009 comedy Old Dogs probably has let me down the most out of all the movies that I have seen lately. From the previews I had a lot of high hopes that this movie would be good with both John Travolta and Robin Williams leading the way. However, I didn’t like how Robin Williams played the more serious of the two while the wild and funny role was played by John Travolta. Williams has always been the funnier of the two by far and it really hurt the movie that he wasn’t chosen for the role in this movie.

The movie tried to help add to the comedy by adding other comedy stars like Matt Dillon, Bernie Mac, and Seth Green to the cast but the small role playing of the characters couldn’t do enough to help the movie come out of the slumps. Maybe kids like this movie more than I did since it felt like it was directed more towards getting the attention of little kids before the adults but I wasn’t a fan of it. With so much potential this movie is a major let down in every aspect of the movie from the story line to the jokes. One of the biggest disappoints of 2009.

Serendipity Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Serendipity Film Critique

A movie written by Marc Klein in 2001 is the story based on the motto that if something is meant to be that it will happen in time no matter what. Serendipity’s definition is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. I liked how the movie was about the peoples that randomly meet one day while shopping and have an amazing night together only to remember they both have significant others and can’t be together.

I thought it was interested how Sara had always based her life on the idea of serendipity while Jonathon thought it was crazy and then after the two meet their lies completely swap. Sara find the idea to be foolish while Jonathon beings to live by the motto. It was fitting that the movie took place in December during the always romantic time of Christmas. The fact that is takes place in New York helps to add to the amazement that these two people meet by chance in the largest city in the world and who just so happen to be perfect matches for each other.

The cast of not quite established yet very talented actors and actresses significantly helps the movie become believable. The supporting cast helps give this movie the extra little bit that it needs in order to become a great love story.

Love Actually Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Love Actually Film Critique

In the 2003 romance comedy director and writer Randy Curtis does an excellent job bringing together a well balanced cast of actors and actresses to help bring to life the vision he has for his film. This film shows the ugly yet beautiful side of love that most movies don’t show. Love Actually is the story of the lives of 8 different people that in some way all know each other and how all of the find love. The characters go range from young to old, gay to straight, married to widow. I thought the writing of this movie was amazing. The characters went from their normal life to realizing that their life is empty to finding that one person then to doing whatever it takes to making sure that the one person they truly do loves stays in their life.

While being a romance, the movie didn’t forget to add some comedy and parody. Billy-Bob Thorton plays the president of the United States who is married and goes to England to discuss business and future plans. While on the trip the president is seen kissing the Prime Minister’s secretary showing the pathetic tendencies of the American population as a whole. Also, Colin travels to American in search of finding women who find him attractive. At a bar in Wyoming, Colin meets 3 “American beauties” who end up sleeping with him; again poking fun at the American way.

I thought it was a smart move that the movie took place in the month of December leading up to Christmas day which is considered one of the most widely romantic days in the world. This helped to set the mood for the movie from the opening scene with the remake of a classic song.

Independence Day Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Independence Day Film Critique

Released in 1996, Independence Day is one of the most decorated movies of all time with one Oscar, twenty-six other awards, and 21 nominations. From start to finish Independence Day gives a realistic scenario of how the world would react to the invasion of aliens here on earth. I loved how the movie was basically set up to finally end with the defeat of the aliens on Independence Day to signify a world-wide declaration of freedom no longer making it only an American holiday. The movie is well balanced with the little comedy added by Will Smith to help lighten the mood of the movie while still keeping it serious.

This helped to swallow me into the movie to where I felt like my life was depending on the outcome of the final mission. A movie that can capture me into forgetting that I’m just watching is the sign of great writing and acting. The only flaw to the movie was the abilities and the knowledge the aliens were giving. I don’t understand how the aliens could have a force field around every single ship and we still manage to somehow defeat this, this should have been left out or at least tweaked a tad. I also didn’t like how just by watching one the ships sly that Will Smith is capable of flying the ship into outer space with no training. However, I do realize I am just being picky and do admit it amazing and a must see.

Waiting Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Waiting Film Critique

Easily, this is the truest depiction of the life of a server. Since I myself am a server I can relate to this movie without a problem. Waiting is possibly the easiest and cheapest movie to make while still making a hit with the public. The writers do a great job of having a character that is literally in every restaurant in the world. You have your fake female, man whore, black wise man, sex predator manger, and druggy bus boys. I could never stop laughing from the very beginning of this movie. As I think over the movie I can’t think of a scenario that they did not at least partly cover that takes place every day between the co-workers in a restaurant.

I thought it was a brilliant idea for the movie to be about a new guy’s first day on the job with allows every secret and inside joke in the restaurant to be talked about so that he (the audience) is involved. The funniest part is the customers portrayed in the movie. Sad to say but this is really how some people act when they go out to eat and its hilarious to me that the people who are really like this will watch the movie and think those kind of people are annoying when they themselves are annoying. For every person who has ever waited tables or is waiting tables that has wanted to make a movie about their job, this movie is perfect.

Happy Gilmore Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Happy Gilmore Film Critique

In the 1996 master comedy known as Happy Gilmore, director Denis Dugan ties together an ex-hockey scrub into a legendary golf star. Happy, played by Adam Sandler, uses the motivation of his grandmother’s house being sold to fuel him to become the greatest golf player of all time with the most unique golf swings that will never be forgotten. I thought this was one the greatest parts of the movie when you see Happy swing the golf club with the running hockey slap shot to send the ball flying hundreds of yards into the distance.

Like all movies there is always that someone in the way to try and stop Happy from being the best in golf and in this movie that person is Shooter McGavin played Christopher McDonald. This movie is a non-stop comedy that never lets the audience down providing laugh after laugh. This is without a doubt one of Adam Sandler’s greatest movies of all time. Celebrities like Bob Barker make an appearance in the movie only to kick the crap out of Happy after getting into an argument while adding his famous line “the price is right.” This is easily one of the top 50 comedies of all time.

The Soloist Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

The Soloist Film Critique

Soloist, released in early 2009, is one of the most heartfelt movies of the year. Based on the true life of Nathaniel Ayers, a once upon a time musician prodigy who is now homeless playing on broken instruments. I thought that Robert Downing Jr. and Jamie Fox were the perfect actors the play the roles in this movie, although Jamie Fox’s performance blew my mind away. I have never seen Fox act with such meaning, intensity, and emotion that I become lost in his character and felt such emotion for his character on the screen.

The movie went as far as to show the real life of people on the streets in Los Angeles as it took you into the homeless shelters and streets in the poorest of poor parts of the city. This helped to bring even more intensity to the movie. Some might say the speed of this movie was too slow or mellow but that is just what it takes in order for the movie to get its full effect out. If the movie was an action movie or a poorly directed movie then it would have failed miserably in my eyes. Jamie Fox should win numerous awards for his role as Nathaniel in this movie and if he doesn’t then there is something seriously wrong in society today.

Bruno Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

Bruno Film Critique

m The movie Bruno and similarly Borat have a certain style of humor that can easily be offensive. Actually I think the only direction for Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy is offensive. I’m not exactly sure how to classify the genre of Bruno. The concept of Bruno is basically Sacha Baron Cohen transforming his entire life as a pathetic star-craved homosexual. He approaches celebrities and other public figures and tries to embarrass them on camera using extremely offensive homosexual humors. M

Personality, I thought the movie was quite clever throughout the first 50 minutes. After that, it was very easy to tell that Cohen ran out of material. After the 50-minute mark, Cohen became straight offensive and the movie fell off extremely fast. I thought Borat was hysterical. And after watching other random Cohen bits, he has a unique place in comedy. However, Bruno was a disappointment and epic failure. There are just some topics that people don’t agree are funny. And if you’re going to attack these points, you should have enough material to complete a 90-minute film. But that’s just my opinion.

The Hangover Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

The Hangover Film Critique

This movie, much like Paranormal Activity, was ruined for me in the basketball locker room before I had a chance to watch it myself. Again this movie was way over hyped before I got a chance to watch it, and therefore a slight let down. However, the more I watch the movie, the more I begin to fall in love with it.

Quite interestedly I’ve noticed all the money this movie’s made with marketers recently. I’ve seen a shampoo brand (I forget which one) and Axe Body Spray, both market themselves using scenes from the Hangover. Giving a message along the lines, “want to live a wild and crazy life, use our shit”. Like I said, something along those lines.

But the movie itself was good. I remember seeing the preview a solid 9-months before it was released, being the first one of my friends to get excited about it. But now I feel as though I jumped the band-wagon with all the other band-wagoners in America.

The idea of three guys working backwards to figure out what they did the night before was an interesting concept in a comedy. I’ve seen it done many times in drama’s but never in a comedy; very nicely done.

The Mask Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

The Mask Film Critique

I went back and watched The Mask for the first time since I was about ten. Man, were there so many jokes I did not understand the first time around. If my parents would have sat me down and explained all the lingo to me when I was ten, I would have become an entirely different person.

Realizing before hand, that this was Cameron Diaz’s first big movie, I paid more attention to her acting in the movie. And I must lie, it wasn’t very good. Maybe it’s the idea that she’s playing the dumb bimbo blonde, but she didn’t impress me at all, in this movie at least; there have many other titles that she’s excelled brilliantly.

This also being Jim Carey’s first big blockbuster hit, he acted as a cartoon to the greatest ability I have ever seen; and did I mention how dirty his humor was in this movie? No? Well it was fitly.

I wish Jim Carey would have come through and did a sequel to this movie. And I’m not talking about the horrible straight to DVD sequel s that actually did come out. But a highly produced, well written studio film; a film done right.

The Jerk Film Critique

Matthew Nichenko

The Jerk Film Critique

Having only hearing about this movie from a fellow film student this semester, I had to find out what all the hype was about. Only recently have I become obsessed with every aspect of the film industry, I was not familiar with Steve Martin’s sarcastic sense of humor. After watching The Jerk, I believe I can pick out a Steve Martin joke a mile away.

Some may find this sense of humor stupid and uninteresting; however, I think the exact opposite. While Martin’s jokes were sarcastic and sometimes over the edge, they were never predictable and kept you guessing. And sense they weren’t hinted at beforehand, it caused the humor to be even better. One of my favorite parts of the movie (and shamefully admit, I didn’t understand the joke at first) was when Steve Martin was working as the gas station and discovered that the gas cans were ‘defective’, only to quickly find out that some redneck was trying to shoot him. “These cans are defective, these cans are defective”, screams Martin; quite possibly been one of the funniest parts of any movie I’ve ever seen. I might just have to give that an homage when I become a famous screenwriter myself.