Visitors Review

(2012-05-25 00:27)

What a bore!

I was looking forward to seeing this, since it had won Oscar for bestpicture. I was so bored that I couldn't even watch the entire film. Thefirst fifteen minutes is the best part. At least something happenedthen. After that, nothing happens. There is scene after scene ofsoldiers holding weapons, beating up Iraqui civilians and generallydoing very little. I kept hoping a bomb would go off or an Irquicivilian would go crazy or there would be a suicide bomber. Anything torelieve the monotony. Even when I thought there would be a bit of humaninterest when the wife of a killed soldier receives a call, the scenewas abruptly cut off. I finally shut the movie off. How could this havebeen selected for best picture?

(2012-05-24 13:46)

AWESOME

This review is from: The Hurt Locker (DVD) I was even more impressed how fast I received DVD. Great quality and great price and most of all Great movie. I would recommend amazon to anyone. Look forward to many future purchases.

oscargeek83 (2012-05-24 03:56)

I didn't get the hype

The Hurt LockerEvery year we get a couple of Iraq war movies and they always turn outto be flops. The Hurt Locker doesn't star big names but is getting thebest reviews of the year. This movie doesn't display the usualanti-American sentiment. It doesn't treat our soldiers as evil (unlikeAvatar), or as stupid, and drunk hoodlums. It shows the psychologicaleffects on soldiers who know any day could be their last. This providesfor some good drama as most war movies do. Although I thought it waswell directed and well acted, there wasn't enough there for me to callit a good movie.The movie stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty asofficers William, JT, and Owen. They are a bomb squad in Iraq who arecalled on to disable road bombs. If you have watched any news on theIraq war you will probably know, there are a lot of road bombs outthere. William is the bomb specialist in the group that has to get upand close to these bombs and disable them. JT and Owen watch his backand assist him in these missions. William is also the new guy in thegroup and immediately sets himself as a risk taker. JT on the otherhand is cautious and plays everything by the book. This will bringWilliam and JT at odds with each other throughout the movie. Owenagrees with JT and seems so nervous on missions that he is about tohave a mental breakdown at any moment. The movie is filled with several bomb disabling missions and then JTand William arguing back and forth about the missions. JT thinksWilliams's inability to listen to him and follow his commands isputting all their lives in danger. He likes to follow his own instinctsand doesn't seem to work with the team. I think most people would haveto agree with JT it does seem like he is putting himself in danger overand over again instead of doing what is safe. Why does William act thisway? William has such a determination to disable the bombs that itseems that he will die before giving up. Does he have nothing to livefor? That doesn't seem to be the case; he has a family waiting for himback home. It seems that he enjoys risking his life day in and day outmore than going back to the safety of his home. I don't understand whythis is, and it's one of the problems that bothered me throughout thismovie. Critics seem to love this movie for its thrills and intensity. I on theother hand didn't feel tensed or thrilled. Disabling a bomb over andover again isn't really that interesting. It takes about 10 minutes toput on the big suit and walk over to the bomb, and then another 10minutes to disable it. It's actually quite boring to watch and thereare about 5 scenes just like that, that take over most of the movie. Iwas never scared for the characters because I figured hey they can'tdie they are the main actors and I still have an hour left of thismovie. When not disabling bombs JT is constantly getting after Williamwhich gets annoying and in one awkward scene they are fighting for noreason. Other scenes just drag on and seem to have no point to them.What is the goal for these soldiers in this movie? It seems to me thatit is just to survive their round in combat until they get to go backhome. It just doesn't seem like a good enough reason for me to careabout this movie. Grade- DRated R- Lots of cussing and violent images.

katz009-1 (2012-05-23 17:57)

really?

Having seen this film I must say that the only reason it won the toptwo Academy Awards is very simple, the Academy traditionally does notlike to give Best Picture and Best Director to science fiction filmsand their directors. And the other nominees just didn't cut it so HurtLocker and Kathryn Bigelow respectively won. The movie doesn't grab youas Kathryn claims it does, I was insanely bored from the very firstsecond. The only reason I gave this movie a 3/10 is for thecinematography. So maybe Bigelow deserves some credit for that, butreally, how much?? Jeremy Renner was fine, not great, not terrible,fine. Some people say that this is a very fair and realistic depictionof war versus, say, the dramatized Saving Private Ryan. Don't get mewrong, I love Saving Private Ryan, but the actual storyline is one thatwould never actually take place. And maybe that's why people love TheHurt Locker, because it seems like it's so true to life. This isn'tsomething I can accurately comment on having never served in the armedforces; just throwing my thoughts out. While on that topic, however,what is happening with that soldier who said the reporter who wrote thescreenplay stole his life experiences, his story, about his time inIraq? I'm interested to see what happens with that. At any rate though,this movie was not deserving of any Academy Awards, and certain notBest Picture and Best Director. And if you've ever seen Kathryn Bigelowin interviews, she has this very cocky attitude, an undeserved sense ofaccomplishment. Now she has two Oscars that were given to her becauseshe and her film were the lesser of two evils to make her even moreobnoxious. All in all, don't see this film, don't waste your money oryour time.

(2012-05-17 22:42)

The Hurt Locker

This review is from: The Hurt Locker (DVD) It is difficult for me to review this DVD since it seemed to be damaged -- kept getting the "error messsage" on my player.

docodie (2012-05-17 08:48)

Step backwards for woman's rights

Sadly, this movie was poor at best. It was given the nod as best movieSOLELY because a woman directed it. To rank it above AVATAR is atravesty. Worst of all, when women perform poorly and are lauded, itmakes the world always question whenever a woman is rewarded forexceptional performance - is she getting the 'girl nod'. In this case,a pathetic movie is ranked far above its station, a mediocre directoris revered when she should be let go, and truly outstanding women willsuffer in the future. No good ever comes from falsely praising poorperformance solely because of sex. Hopefully, the academy will ignoresex in the future and chose the best movie for the best movie award.

(2012-05-14 16:10)

Good movie, but some problems

I enjoyed this movie, but after reading some quotes from actual soldiers that served in Iraq, I felt a bit cheated. The movie centers around an Army EOD (bomb disposal)unit serving in Iraq. You follow this unit in their everyday activities such as finding/disarming IED's and other bombs. I commend the film makers for choosing to talk about these soldiers and how dangerous their jobs are. The real soldiers out there doing this job are hero's in my mind. The film does a good job of showing how scary it is in Iraq and how danger can lurk in any window, alley or building. What the film does badly though is portraying the leader of the EOD unit as a cowboy who breaks the rules and puts his team in unnecessary danger over and over again. The character Sgt James is just not believable. That just killed the "authentic" feel of the movie. I'm not a soldier, but even I can figure out that an EOD unit would not just go off on it's own with no support, not telling anyone, and search for insurgents. No way. Sgt James going out alone in a hoodie to find some people? Not. I also read that the characters were not wearing the correct uniforms in the movie. I'm sure the producers wanted to "jazz" up the movie with some "drama", but why? Is the life of one of these soldiers so "boring" that it had to be hammed up like that? I think nonsense like that just takes away from the film. What they did get right though, they did well. The actors are terrific. Sgt James may be a ridiculous character, but Jeremy Renner did a great acting job with him. It's a good movie, to be sure, but it has some flaws.

(2012-05-13 23:29)

Same old Hollywood crap.

This review is from: The Hurt Locker (Amazon Instant Video) First off, I'm not an ex-military, so my criticisms are based on that. I'd heard reviews from some friends that this movie was good, not great, but worth watching. I waited for it to come to Amazon video on demand. Thank God for the 30 second skip on my tivo. I watched the last half hour in about 4 minutes. Booooring!! Well, I liked the beginning and had high hopes. Then walks in the "hot shot" with absoluetly no regard for safety, his or squadmates. It was just like all the typical Hollywood formula, ie: Charlie Sheen in Navy Seals, Tom Cruise in Top Gun, etc. etc., but at least in this movie the "hot shot" didn't get his squadmates killed. (only injured) And what about that moron Dr.? Who didn't foresee him getting blown away the minute he sat in the Humvee? Why didn't one "bomber" get killed? Is it mandatory for soldiers to let the bombers (guys holding the detonation devices) just go along there merry little way? What a piece of garbage! The one break from the formula was not using the "cocky, ignorant, flashy, gangsta thug" black soldier, I think his role was well done. So much potential, pretty good acting, only to be anchored down by following the typical Hollywood formula.

plknowles (2012-05-12 23:12)

Expected more

This film did not disappoint.. What I mean is I was expecting a gun hoAmerican war film and this is what we got. No realism at all. Anyonebehaving in the way that the main character did would be severelydisciplined. Nothing seemed real. You can't just play on the tensionthing (which there was none) and expect to get away with it.This is a poor film. I got bored very quick.I should have known at the start when the wheel (literally) came offthe wagon. Professionals would have checked, checked again and then forgood measure checked again.It was comical seeing it happen. I served in the British army inNorthern Ireland and oversaw many bomb disposal incidents and none wentwith the disfuctionality of what we saw in this film.Then it goes and wins the Oscars and Baftas. Those of you who thinkthis film shows what bomb disposal is all about need a serious realitycheck. This film is an insult to the real people who have to do thisjob. Shameful

mishko-3 (2012-05-12 08:15)

Good Movie battered by critics due to unrealism and over-rating

Now, The Hurt Locker was a good movie... Was it as good as it was hypedto be.... No way. Was it unrealistic? Far too much! The vast chunk ofnegative reviews are from people agitated over the acclaim and Oscarsof this film who tend to rate it far lower than it should be out ofdisdain.Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie, but in no way is it worthy ofall those Oscars and the critical acclaim that accompanied it.It was good, but not great, not excellent. I can't contain anyspoilers, so I will just say it also lacked realism. In many scenes Iwas shaking my head... There were far too many scenes in this moviethat were pure Hollywood for this movie to become a war classic. Manyveterans alluded to this; thinking the average Joe would think this ishow it is in Iraq. I am not in the military but I could see the glaringmis-representations of reality all to easily.Take it as a good action flick. We don't hear people complaining aboutDie Hard being unrealistic do we? The movie is a thumbs up despite thepersistent lack of realism.Also remember, it was far too over rated. Let's face it, Hollywood isout of touch. Oscars and prizes don't mean it has to be great! Look atObama winning a Nobel peace prize after a few months of nothing buttalk, and Al Gore getting an Oscar and a Nobel for Inconvenient Truth.Today its been proved that "Climate Change" is junk science and that AlGore owns that largest carbon emissions trading firm lining his pocketswith more money Mr. Burns.So take it as it is. An okay movie. 7/10

shanebeacham (2012-05-10 04:24)

Many Films Have Been Made About The War in Iraq...Very Few Have Been As Good As The Hurt Locker

I've been reading a lot of the comments on this website from people andI don't understand what they are coming from. Calling it overrated andinaccurate. Don't believe a word. All the awards, honors, #1 spots TheHurt Locker has gotten, it deserves it.The film explores the clichéd "War is hell" approach, but in a totallydifferent way. We explore our characters and they do act like many armymen. Anthony Mackie as Sergeant Sanborn is the normal army man whoshows no emotion until the film ends. Brian Geraghty as SpecialistEldridge is the kind of army man who questions about what's going onthere. The only one different from the pack is Jeremy Renner asSergeant James. He's an adrenaline junkie, and he plays his characterso well. He definitely deserved his Oscar nomination.The direction is so good as well. The way this film was shot is likeyou are there, in the action, experiencing what the characters areexperiencing. The film taps into humanitarianism.I also really enjoyed the cameos from Guy Pearce, David Morse, andRalph Fiennes. I know some people have complained about this, sayingthey didn't have enough time, but they're cameos. That's why they areso short.Many films have been made about the War in Iraq...very few have been asgood as The Hurt Locker. Overall, in my opinion, this was the best filmof the year and one of the best films possibly ever.

(2012-05-09 06:20)

Intense.

I thought this movie was excellent and I would see it again. My father was an EOD man in the AF and I never realized the intensity of his job. This movie kept me in suspense as I felt many emotions - anxiety, sadness, anger. It was too real in some instances as I kept thinking of our military in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't remember this movie coming to the theaters where I live and I go to many. I think sometimes if a movie is too close to home, they don't bring it, or if they do, it is for a very limited time. Even though some have expressed that they don't think it was a very good movie, I disagree totally and like I said, would see it again.

Alan68 (2012-05-09 04:53)

A half-decent war film but hardly one of the greats.

What a disappointment this was. I should have learned by now thatcritical acclaim rarely indicates a good film. Some scenes are verygood and some of the tense moments come across well but generally itjust plods along. I'm not a fan of shaky-cam but the cinematography ispretty good and I think being filmed in Jordan helps give a realfeeling of authenticity - which does rescue the film somewhat. However,the hopelessly unrealistic military conditions really let it down -buy, hey, it's only a film. Given the poor script (terrible in places)the acting is passable. The direction isn't bad but hardly worthy of anOscar (yes, I know, she's a woman and that seems to be given undueimportance). It feels like she didn't really have a clear idea of whatsort of film she was making. The success at the Oscars is just anotherindication, should one be needed, of how meaningless the Oscars are -barely an excuse for a fashion show.

alexkolokotronis (2012-05-09 01:17)

A Rare Occurrence of Thought Provoking Action

Over the past three years, give or take, there have been an assortmentof films that have attempted to articulate and illustrate the manycomplexities of the Middle East. Paticuluarly in the aspect of Westerninvolvement in this tense region. The Hurt Locker is that: tense and attimes nerve racking.The generation of such sensations and feelings of anxiousness anddistress should be much accredited to Kathryn Bigelow, the director.Yet the reason for her success which of course is her direction, isquite unorthodox. The most tense and debilitating moments are done soin slow pacing and seemingly tranquil moments rather then rushing intorapid action and quick camera-shots. The screenwriter of the film, MarkBoal continues to rise with The Hurt Locker as only his secondscreenplay, the other being In the Valley of Elah. The two combinedtogether create not just greatly done action sequences but ultimatelythought provoking ones.The performances as well were quite convincing from almost seeminglyupcoming stars in Jeremy Renner, Brian Geraghty and almost certainlyAnthony Mackie considering his powerful résumé. There are also greatlymeaningful quintessential cameos from such well accomplished actorssuch as Guy Pearce, David Morse and Ralph Fiennes.Films on this subject have tried focusing on very focused and specificaspects of this plight and find themselves wandering off intounnecessary and confusing aspects of the story. Others have attemptedto assess the situation broadly but with doing so, most often make themistake of presenting the different facets in a much too mundane orsimplified fashion. With this it is obvious very few films havesucceeded in presenting a thorough, accurate and sensible look at thistense region. The Hurt Locker creates a tension that I last felt fromApocalypse Now. I'm certainly not saying the film is of the status ofApocalypse Now but I certainly advise to watch at the least a very goodwar film.

(2012-05-07 18:14)

an eloquent poetic ballet

wow.just finished watching this film about an hour ago,and i'm still trying to put it into words.it's basically about an elite military bomb squad unit in Iraq,whose job is made tougher because they are still very much in a combat situation.this a very powerful moving experience.riveting right to the last frame.nail biting suspense.great acting.sometimes the quite moments speak louder and more clearly than any words can.the movie is very well constructed.its all so eloquent,like a poem,a ballet.the running time may just be shy of one hundred and thirty minutes,but it sure doesn't feel that long.i could watch this film again without hesitation.war themed movies are not everyone's cup of tea obviously,but if you are a fan of the genre,you owe it to yourself to check this film out.i haven't seen a film this good in a long time.for me,The Hurt Locker is a 5/5

ptb-8 (2012-05-07 13:19)

Bad title, great film.

Well, here's my vote for what might turn out to be the best war or warrelated film so far this century. If you seek an Afhganistan experiencethat humanizes the 'war effort' and its suburban impact there and here,THE HURT LOCKER is it. Jeremy Renner is a strange new-ish actor, I havenever seen him before but felt as though I had. He reminds me of DanielCraig. Or maybe Craig's younger brother. I see today that Renner in inthe running to play Max Rockatansky in MAD MAX 4 FURY ROAD. He is notsuited for that but his suitability for the role of bomb defuse expertin THE HURT LOCKER is truly terrific. Strong guest appearances from GuyPearce and Ralph Feinnes helped raise the budget cash and theinternational sales, I am sure even their roles are tiny but effective.Renner though is spectacular. I am not impressed with Kathryn Bigelow'sprevious directorial efforts but she has presented here with this filma redeeming result. Much of the hand held camera-work mars the qualityand interest in the film, some of it downright irritating. However fora 2 hour war related film about the seductiveness of the adventure ofwar and its impact on one man with a family back home, THE HURT LOCKERis a great film. the scene in the supermarket with him searching forbreakfast cereal is majestic emotional understatement. The title isterrible and will have put potential ticket-buyers off. So take myadvice, and go, and then settle in for an experience in tension andemotion and humanity.

(2012-05-07 08:00)

The Best Movie

This review is from: The Hurt Locker (DVD) I love this movie. My favorite scene is the opening scene, but the whole movie leaves you breathless. There were so many times in the movie that I had to put it on pause and walk away because I had so much anxiety and was so stressed out... you never know what's going to happen. I only wish I had seen it in theatres. And this type of movie is very different from the genre I typically watch, my favorite movie up til now has been Juno! The Hurt Locker and Kathryn Bigelow bring back my respect for filmmaking. Excellent job Ms. Bigelow! Props to you!

qormi (2012-05-06 18:22)

Not so great.

The Hurt Locker won Best Picture, so expectations were high. It was adisappointment. Why Renner was nominated for Best Actor, I'll neverknow. His performance was bland; typical of a CSI episode on TV. StevenSeagal could act circles around him. The film had its suspensefulmoments, like will he get blown up or not? They milked this to thehilt. It should have been nominated for Queasiest Motion Picture. Theplot was boring - just defusing bombs and dealing with snipers. Thepart where they faced a sniper in the desert was dumb. They spent theentire day looking at a stone fortification half a mile away. Inreality, the soldiers would have simply called for an air strike and bedone with it. Th scene where Renner takes off and carjacks an Iraqicivilian to do justice on the streets of Baghdad at night was dumb, aswas his decision to take his crew with him to look for the person wholaid out an IED in narrow alleys in complete darkness. Renner'srecklessness would never have been tolerated because by flagrantlyviolating rules, he put his life in jeopardy as well as others. In theend, the characters were cardboard cut outs and didn't seem real.

(2012-05-06 17:39)

Amazing movie

Really cool! Fictional, but cool. for a great perspective from a REAL solider, see Brothers at War. This is definitely great, though, as a fictional portrayal.

fwomp (2012-05-05 21:15)

That Many Oscars? Really?

I was beginning to hold out some hope (however little) that the Oscarsmight have been steering away from political correctness and socialappeasement when, last year, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE took home 8 of the 10categories it was nominated in, including Best Picture. A "feel-good"movie made on a $15 million budget with no-name actors, it came out ofnowhere and blindsided many viewers and Academy voters. Pleasantlysurprised, I flipped on the Oscars this year (2010) and watched thewho's who for films in 2009.I'm not going to take any large swings as THE HURT LOCKER because itwas a good movie. I enjoyed the action, the tension, the acting. It wasall nicely pulled together. But, out of the ten Best Picture nomineesthis year, was it really the stand-out? I felt that the Academy wasslipping, once again, into the realm of trying to be "significant" and"modern" by voting for something that's on everyone's mind (the war inIraq). Again, the movie was okay. Good. Adequate. Buthead-and-shoulders above such films as INGLORIOUS BASTERDS? DISTRICT 9?UP IN THE AIR? I humbly disagree that it was. And there was nothing init that we haven't seen before: a war movie with internal angst and aman lost amidst society when he returns home. Jeremy Renner (28 WEEKSLATER) did a fine job as the risk-taking Sergeant James but, again, hewas channeling every other warrior brought into a tough situation thatwe've seen on celluloid a gazillion times.From reading what you've read of my review so far, you might think thatI'm being more critical of the Academy than the film. That's partiallycorrect. But when so much attention is heaped upon one film (includingBest Director ...which we'll cover in a moment) and so many peoplethink that this is "the film to watch" and not the other nominees thatwon little or nothing, I believe of informing those who might choose toread this of their folly should they not see something like District 9or — one that didn't even get mentioned — MOON.Let's hit on the Best Director item...No female director has ever won an Oscar before Kathryn Bigelow did forThe Hurt Locker. So what! We never elected a black President beforeObama. Does that mean we should give him every break just because noother black man has ever sat in the White House? No! You win becauseyou deserve to win, not because it's never happened to someone of yourkind before. Was the directing of The Hurt Locker better thanInglorious Basterds? Was it? Sorry, but I completely disagree if youthink it was.I will say that I'm glad AVATAR didn't win Best Picture or BestDirector. But to completely blank out such phenomenal films as DISTRICT9 and other worthy competitors is simply ridiculous.I think it's important for me to say here that I completely support ourtroops in Iraq and Afghanistan; they risk their lives daily so that Ican live the life I do over here in the U.S. They risk they're lives sothat I can write something like this about a film they may care deeplyabout. But caring deeply about a subject like The Hurt Locker andelevating it above other films does a disservice to the art offilm-making and film-makers when you over-rate a movie based on it'ssignificance in the world today and not on its art.For me, the top films of 2009 were DISTRICT 9, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS andMOON. Two got a smidgin of notice and one never saw the light of theOscar ballots. Check those films out before deciding where the awardsshould've landed for movies made in 2009. Please.