Director: Dwight H. Little
One can't help wondering what on earth this movie is doing in movie theaters. If the world were a fairer place it would have gone straight to video. The actors are so unbearable and the movie so unexciting that all you want is for everyone to die in the most gruesome possible way and the movie to end. Sadly, the deaths are unspectacular, and the movie just goes on and on. But at least "Anacondas" is hilarious at times, just for all the wrong reasons. You can only shake your head in disbelief as the actors try to deliver the appalling dialogue as kick-ass one-liners. The film tries to play it straight, but this C-movie could have done with some real humor - especially as the monkey out-acts all the actors.
Julie Vinten
"Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" comes across as a mediocre, unintentionally campy experience. By now we know that life isn't exactly like a box of chocolates, it's more like a barrel of B-movies; or perhaps it's a jungle full of giant boa constrictors. Why not? Unfortunately, despite all their energetic antics, the competent ensemble of actors isn't capable of topping the lead character's pet monkey who somehow steals every scene it's in. As a pleasant time waster this cheesy horror flick is adequately amusing. Unlike some popular chemicals being casually ingested today, this won't leave any permanent damage to your already overtaxed brain. By the end of the reel you'll be cheering for the monster-sized snakes to gulp down anyone who's left on the screen - please!
Laimons Juris G
The Bourne Supremacy
Director: Paul Greengrass
Bourne is back in a solid espionage thriller that certainly gives you your money's worth of cloak-and-dagger thrills. Even though "The Bourne Supremacy" isn't better than "The Bourne Identity," it's not worse either, which pretty much makes it a success as sequels go. What set the first film apart was its almost documentary-style roughness and its wholly European look and locations, which gave it a certain cinematic freshness as a Hollywood production. The style is the same, but obviously it doesn't have the same impact second time around. Still, "The Bourne Supremacy" compensates for this with an incredibly well told story and its extremely well developed characters. The only real weak spot, however, is the action, which is rather messy. Nothing tops the first movie's exhilarating Mini car-chase in Paris.
Julie Vinten
Jason Bourne, the professionally trained CIA assassin with amnesia, is back. Two years ago "The Bourne Identity" was a surprise hit, more than doubling its $75 million budget. Director Paul Greengrass continues Bourne's action-packed adventures with a handheld camera, artsy-fartsy images and (fortunately enough) Oscar-winning Matt Damon in the title role. Not having seen the first film you may end up feeling lost and confused. This sequel finds him in Goa, India, a notorious watering hole for world-weary junkies and hippies. Bourne and his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente) are trying to live a normal life, but he's having flashbacks of a more sinister existence. Damon's superb acting and an impressive car-chase scene in a Moscow tunnel just barely manages to save "The Bourne Supremacy" from being a total loss.
Laimons Juris G
Life is a Miracle
Director: Emir Kusturica
This is a beautiful and passionate tale about the people of a little Bosnian village in 1992, just as the war in Yugoslavia begins. The story is told in a skillfully symbolic language and with all of Emir Kusturica's customary visual flair. The director's love for his country and its people is deeply affecting and the viewer instantly falls in love with the vivid characters, the energy and the turmoil that is so distinctive of all his movies. "Life is a Miracle" has a lot more substance than his previous "Black Cat, White Cat," but while it doesn't ignore the war, Kusturica chooses instead to focus on the good in people and in life. This tragicomic cocktail of joyful singing, dancing and endless drinking makes for a quite wonderful movie.
Julie Vinten
Besides being the bass guitarist in a gypsy-techno-rock band called No Smoking, the forthright Emir Kusturica directs films. He continues to amaze with his own inimitable vision and creative style. However, this time around the Sarajevo-born Kusturica isn't as wacky, wild or wonderful as he was in "Black Cat, White Cat." The cinematography of the Serbian countryside is certainly breathtaking but the story failed to convince this reviewer of its reality. Some tight, objective editing would have done "Life is a Miracle" a world of wonder. This movie plods along ever so slowly at a sluggish narcoleptic pace. For some filmgoers this motion picture will be characterized by a frequent and uncontrollable need for short periods of deep sleep. The overall kookiness of this flick dilutes its intended message.
Laimons Juris G
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