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S1m0ne, a review by Rich

S1m0ne





Intriguing concept exposing the fickleness of Hollywood and stardom, sharply written with the right dose of satire. It is clever and fairly original, but sadly after a bright start it becomes monotonous as it drags for 2 hours. It is too one-paced and never bites, staying in 2nd gear for the last 90 minutes. Pacino is not at his best in an unsuitable role, and the support seem a little resigned to playing second fiddle.
This is a light-hearted distraction, of course far-fetched and fantastical, and will not insult your intelligence
 

**Catherine Keener mini-marathon


(From Riches Random Reviews on August 30th, 2009)

The Men Who Stare At Goats, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Men Who Stare At Goats




Title:The Men Who Stare At Goats
Year: 2009
Director: Grant Heslov
Rating: R
Length: 94 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
George Clooney
Ewan McGregor
Jeff Bridges
Kevin Spacey
Stephen Lang

Plot:
In this comedic look at real life events that are almost too bizarre to believe, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) discovers an experimental top-secret wing of the U.S. military called The New Earth Army, trained to change the ways wars are fought through New Age psychic power. In search of his next big story, Wilton tracks down Lyn Cassady (Academy Award winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be a member of this legion of "Warrior Monks" with unparalled psychic powers who can read the enemy's thoughts, pass through walls, and even kill a goat by staring at it.

Marshall Fine of the Huffington Post states Academy Award nominee "Grant Heslov's wild comedy is a delicious and funny trip through the powers of the mind - and the powers of suggestion."

Inspired by Jon Ronson's non-fiction bestseller of the same name, this is an eye-opening and hilarious story of the government's attempts to harness soldiers' paranormal abilities in order to combat its enemies. Also stars Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and Academy Award nominee Jeff Bridges.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Closed Captioned


Purportedly based on true events, this movie boasts that only the most bizarre facts are true. There were many bizarre and humorous moments but I guess without doing a bit of research it would be hard to garner which ones to believe.

The military looking into psychic and paranormal applications for combat is not unheard of in either fiction or real life. Every nation has at one time or another looked into alternative methods of fighting wars with the superpower nations leading the way I'm sure. If this movie is indicative of their success they obviously have a long way to go as making goats drop dead with a stare and dissipating clouds with your mind can't possibly tip the scales in favor of one side or another. Still, it was an insightful look into the attempt to tap into alternative combat applications brought to life by an excellent cast including George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey. Stephen Lang, trying to run through a wall only to knock himself on his ass was a great, hilarious opening salvo, letting you know right away this movie is going to be a bit off the beaten track. 

Weird but entertaining.

KC


Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011 on April 11th, 2011)

Death Note anime/manga/movies comparison, a review by Tom

07. Overcast

- Light writes down Naomi's name in the death note
- Short scene with L and the detectives. L gets call from Watari
- Naomi doesn't die like Light expects her to, because she didn't tell him her real name
- Watari has shown up and meets the detectives. He has brought new police batches with fake IDs
- Light is trying to think about a way to get Naomi's real name without having to make the trade for the death god's eyes (which would half his life expectancy)
- detectives discuss the fake IDs. Watari gives them belts with tracking devices and emergency pager
- Light tricks Naomi to give him her ID. Light writes down her name for her to commit suicide (in a way that her body won't be found). Light mocks her by telling her that he is Kira


Manga: This episode is covered by chapters 13 and 14

Movies: Detectives also get new fake IDs, but no belt. Light fails to kill Naomi, because she told him a fake name. She then goes on at strongly hinting, that she suspects Light to be Kira. This means, that Light was not able to kill her at this point. Naomi now plays a big part in the first movie's ending, which is completely original to the movie.


(From Death Note anime/manga/movies comparison on June 27th, 2009)