Rating: 
Summary: A thriller, but fails to chill you after the first viewing
Review: With David Fincher's "The Game", the first time you see it, the movie hits you from so many sides, you're not sure what to expect next. The thing is, this movie's thrilling aspects are so detailed that you immediately remember it the next time you see it, and the aspect of a thriller is gone in a flash. Of course Douglas and Penn perform very well here, but Deborah Kara Unger really stands out here. She has sex appeal as well as a constant question mark next to her character's reliability, and plays a very good shady waitress. The colors and shades are excellent, and "The Game" is a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Douglas' best
Review: One of the best movies to come out during this time. It is a movie that will keep you guessing and that has an interesting plot. The acting is fantastic, and it is a must own DVD!!
Rating:
Summary: It will hook you from the beginning.
Review: No messing around with this plot, from the very beginning Michael Douglas, who plays an extremely wealthy divorced man, is intriguing enough with his character alone to keep you watching. When the action begins, which is pretty quick, you can't stop watching. There is plenty of action and adventure in this movie, but around the middle of it you begin to wonder how much Michael Douglas can take, or rather, how much his character will put up with it. Unfortunately, though the plot is very clever and much like "Total Recall", it becomes too improbable to take seriously. I was disappointed in that aspect of it, but that didn't make me leave my seat. I enjoyed it very much, I thought Sean Penn and Michael Douglas did an extraordinary job. Good filler for a late and boring afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: I've enjoyed many movies by the Douglas clan over the years, and this one was no exception. It kept me guessing until the end, and even then I needed to watch it again. Don't let someone tell you the ending! The whole concept being depicted was a new experience to me. I enjoyed the acting, drama, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Play This Game
Review: This is one interesting, thrilling film. It's definitley one of those films that you'll think about afterwards. Michael Douglas stars as a rich man(again?!), who is having his birthday. He's now at the age his father was when he comitted suicide. Sean Penn pops up as his brother, who offers him an interesting birthday present that needs him to play 'the game'. Before Michael knows it, the game is on and he doesn't know what's going on, what to do, or where to go. Along the way he hooks up with a waitress(Deborah Unger)who gets involved with him and this serious 'game'. There are twists and turns in this movie that are set up and executed very, very well. There are things that the audience won't expect. Douglas is very good when he gets to play icy millionaires. You can thank "Wall Street" for that. He is at his best here. Sean Penn does what he can with a pretty small role. Director David Fincher brings a moody, captivating presence to the film. This is a very good movie that will grab hold of your attention and not let it go until the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Is material wealth the be-all-to-end-all in life?
Review: What kind of birthday gift do you get for a guy who has everything? How about something he cannot buy? Like a renewed appreciation for things he has. Not just material things, but his personal relationships--and even his life itself.
Michael Douglas stars as Nicholas Van Orton, a divorced wealthy businessman who has acquired all the material wealth one could ever want, but something is lacking.
Enter The Game.
It is Nicholas's 48th birthday and his rebellious brother, played by Sean Penn, gives as a gift an invitation to play The Game.
Nicholas is not informed of the rules of said game or even when it will start. He is told that it is sort of like a vacation only you don't go to it--it comes to you.
He is thrown into a series of events which at the beginning he is slightly amused. But the stakes increase and when his world is so unpredictable and turned upside down and he thinks he's lost everything, he is convinced that this is no longer a game. It becomes a struggle for his very life.
The ending is emotionally moving and it makes the viewer think about what is really important in life.
Buy it. Rent it. See it at a friends house--whatever. But see this movie!
Rating:
Summary: One of my all time favorite borderline sci-fi flicks
Review: Great, engaging, edge-of-your-seat kind of movie. Loved the location filming in San Francisco. I was terrified right up to the bitter end. Stop reading the reviews before you come across a spoiler. See the movie first!
Rating:
Summary: Deadly Entertainment
Review: The Game: rated R, 1 hour and 28 minutes The incredible Douglas and Penn combo, along with the thrillingly unpredictable action sequences, are what make The Game such a great, 'edge of your seat' experience.
Nicholas Van Ortan (Michael Douglas) is a millionaire tycoon who resides in San Francisco. Soon it becomes obvious that Nick is not the perpetually contented man that the ideal millionaire is thought to be. He is in fact very dissatisfied and bored by life.
On his birthday, he meets with one of his only remaining relatives, Conrad Van Ortan (Sean Penn), at a fancy restaurant. Conrad, Nick's brother, convinces him to spice up his life by calling the latest new corporation, known as Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Nick makes an appointment, in which an odd series of tests are conducted on him, taking up a total of 24 hours.
CRS takes Douglas on a wild thrill ride of implausible, yet fantastic events, as the movie will for you. The Game's lack of realism does not lower its status in any way, as Nick finds himself in deserted hospitals, talking to inanimate objects, driving off piers, jumping off buildings, and much more, with the frequent, brief, and mysterious appearances of Conrad. The Game is sheer fun and excitement as well as a must-see movie for all action/adventure lovers.
Rating:
Summary: ...the Lost Sheep...
Review: What is a "Propaganda Film?" And what does it mean
to boldly proclaim in an opening credit that this is
a "Propaganda Film?" What is the Propaganda...what is
the message? Is the message open and overt? Or is the
message hidden and covert? And since so many films have messages and agendas
and NEVER proclaim that fact but set about to influence
attitudes and values, anyway...it's rather refreshing,
if not startling, to see a film which tells you up
front that it is "up to something" but then leaves it
to you to figure out what it is up to. "It is frustrating to me if you don't pay
attention." The lighting, clarity of imagery, and whole
atmosphere of this film are rich in color and
sharpness...and tone. The lighting and camera
angles...and quality of the image in many scenes
are pure Kubrick...the outer hall in the building
where CRS is located is "2001" style...but the bar
in Nicholas' club is right out of "The Shining." The use of sound is significant and interlocking
with the visual imagery. When Nicholas sets out
his birthday "supper" from the oven where Ilsa
has left it...a sandwich, some fries, a chocolate
cupcake with one small candle on it [how sad...
how alone he is...]and he puts the wine glass
down on the tray...the sound reminded me of
the clinking of the glass by Dave Bowman in the
"hotel room" at the end of "2001" just before he
dies...and is reborn...as the Star Child. "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole
world -- and yet loses his soul?" "Truly, truly, I say to you...unless one is
born again..." Does Nicholas die symbolically
in this film? Is he not even put in a casket?
Is he reborn? Is he transformed? Is he dead to
the old self...the old life...that was him? Does
it have the power to reclaim him with its illusions
and lures? "No one has expressed an opinion about how it will
affect the pampered existence of Nicholas Van Orton." "What does that matter to a bloated fat-cat
millionaire like you?" And what is the t.v. commentator [Daniel Schorr]
talking about...he is talking about the economy...
and how some companies don't want to give health
insurance to their employees...and how 59% of the
people believe that they will lose their jobs
in the next 5 to 7 years. And what do we read in
our nightly newspapers...or hear on t.v. ...if
it is not mostly economic news and how the market
is doing...and only a brief passing note that
some company may have projected that it will not
meet its earnings during the next quarter so
it is going to lay off 5,000 people worldwide
to cut costs. But do we hear anything of those
5,000 people and what their fate is after they
lose their jobs...what devastation or disruption
it is to their lives? Or do we just get
interview after interview with CEO's and
money managers trying to tell everyone how to
be successful and get rich? Part of the illusion of this film is if you get
caught up (particularly in the first viewing) in
trying to make sense of the game...and trying to
figure out who is doing these things...and how
they are capable of pulling it all off so
"perfectly" (as one reviewer commented) -- only
God could know if Nicholas would step the right
way or not...or jump the right distance or not.
Perhaps the answer is that the game is not
being administered by any human agents...but rather is an allegory for life itself...no
one has life, in all of its aspects, under
control either...we might like to think that
we do, like Nicholas...and some of the reviewers
who react so strongly and negatively to the film
here. Does the film disturb their own illusions
that they have life under control...and that life
could not be a threat to them either? We have
programmed illusions of safety and "meaning" and
"purpose" for life...most of them very worldly
and secular...but what happens when life starts
going out of control? When Nicholas returns to
his house and finds it vandalized...and that loud
music of Jefferson Airplane singing about Alice
[in Wonderland] ...or perhaps we should think of
the "The Wizard of Oz"...what if that harmless
children's story full of violence and monsters
and a supposed Wizard who "has everything under
control" is also a hidden allegory...what if the
Wizard is supposed to be a hidden stand-in for God...and what if there is no real Wizard behind
the curtain? The problem comes here, of course, in that the
messengers (the writers, directors, and producers
of this film) suffer the taint of the message...
for they are part of the system too. They are
making money, too. Do they salve their consciences
by believing that they are doing a "good work" for
the salvation of their fellow man? And what of the ending of this film? Does
Nicholas survive? Is the ending also a deception
and an illusion?...what if Nicholas actually dies
in the fall...and the rest is an "after life" ...
or "in flight" fantasy...perhaps like "Vertigo"...
did the detective really survive the fall from
the building at the start of that film...or is
everything after that a "death dream?" What if
the transition between life...and death...is
a transition to a different plane of existence
with no knowledge that one has actually died...
but one is simply moving into another illusion
of reality to replace the one that one has just
left? Where does the soul go...when the body
dies? These are not Christian ideas...but they
are certainly worth KNOWING about...
* * * * * * * * *
Rating:
Summary: A Thought-Provoking Thriller
Review: When watching "The Game" for the first time, one will be pleasantly surprised by the film's continuous twist and turns literally leaving the viewer on the edge of their seat. It's almost impossible to predict the outcome of this mystery/thriller, all the more so because of director David Fincher's penchant for draping his film with ominous shadows and uncomfortable flashbacks dealing with alienation and suicide. "The Game" does not feel like the kind of film headed anywhere near a comfortable resolution. And if one recalls Fincher's previous effort, the dark and thoroughly depressing "Seven," you know he is a director uninhibited when it comes to detailing the demons which haunt his psyche. In "The Game," rarely has the San Francisco locale seemed so dark and dreary. The rain-soaked streets, abandoned skyscrapers and lonely mansions are displayed in an almost gothic fashion, reminding one of the lonely fog-shrouded sets of early Hammer horror films. Drop into this desolate atmosphere the alienated and secluded protagonist played by Michael Douglas, and viewers find themselves in a most uncomfortable motion picture. The tension rarely lets up, as Sean Penn, who plays Douglas' kid brother, appears on the scene to offer a birthday present to his brother -- a game that will have a profound affect on his life. Douglas, out of boredom more than anything else, eventually visits the company which will offer "The Game." He soon discovers that the private and lonely existence he has forged has been violated with eerie mannequin clowns appearing in his driveway and television sets talking to him rather than reporting the stocks. Soon, nothing is what it seems, not even his relationship with his brother, and Douglas finds himself hunted by mysterious men and answering phone calls that play back conversations he's had previously. Throw into this tumultuous mix a wise-cracking waitress (played with silky ease by Deborah Unger) who becomes Douglas' ally, and the viewer is in for a halloween-like rollercoaster ride complete with runaway taxi cabs, blazing machine guns and chases through lonely alley ways. All of this frantic activity eventually leads to the top of a downtown office building, where Douglas is confronted with a desperate choice -- either accept "The Game" as just that, or realize his life is truly in danger, protecting himself at all costs. His decision may not surprise the viewer, but the resolution absolutely will. I'm not sure why I enjoy "The Game" so much, having seen it multiple times. Douglas' performance is fine, if not a bit derivative of his past work. Penn seems to enjoy himself in what is essentially a thankless cameo role. Unger, who steals many of her scenes, is appealing though nothing to write home about. Perhaps what sets "The Game" apart is its atmosphere, undoubtedly fueled by Fincher. This is a director's film if ever there was one, complete with frantic pace, symbolic flashbacks, strategic camera angles and already-mentioned dark vision. While the over-the-top intensity of Fincher's better known efforts "Seven" and "The Fight Club" is definitely in full bloom here, he does hold back just enough of those mischievous demons to make "The Game" his most mature and accessible effort. And thus, it is one of the finest works to date by one of the most interesting directors working today.
|
