Rating: 
Summary: Ethan, Uma and Bob leave Hollywood
Review: ...in this fascinating movie. Not often can a director pull off an adaptation of a one act off-off Broadway theater piece into a full feature movie yet Linklater manages to do just that. So did the actors; all three roles required intelligence, emotional sensitivity and instinct that one certainly does not expect from Hollywood icons. In some way this film is already (as it should be) a classic. Myself I kept being reminded throughout of Bergman (& Uma certainly made me think of Liv Ullman). I was also reminded of high school, its pressures and bittersweet romances that can never be forgotten and that, for better or worse, defined life paths for many of us. The first love, the first rejection, the first true friendship... Linklater shows that these can coalesce, blend, and differentiate in an elaborate dance of memories and emotions. What is free will? how do we define ourselves? what is self-respect and how does it stand up to emotional revelations? Why would one want to stay and face the demons from one's past rather than flee into the oblivion of worldly "success"? These are all issues Linklater and his actors distill into a bewildering and intoxicating beverage that makes for fidgety yet irresistible viewing. A lot in this movie (like in any good theater) is left unsaid; in other words, it is left to be conveyed by actors' body language and energetic tone of their emotions. They succeed spectacularly. This movie should be a required part of curriculum of every acting school worthy of its designation. I would especially recommend it to European actors (who often seem to miss the best American productions) and directors (who should know better).
Rating:
Summary: Ethan, Uma and Bob leave Hollywood
Review: ...in this fascinating movie. Not often can a director pull off an adaptation of a one act off-off Broadway theater piece into a full feature movie yet Linklater manages to do just that. So did the actors; all three roles required intelligence, emotional sensitivity and instinct that one certainly does not expect from Hollywood icons. In some way this film is already (as it should be) a classic. Myself I kept being reminded throughout of Bergman (& Uma certainly made me think of Liv Ullman). I was also reminded of high school, its pressures and bittersweet romances that can never be forgotten and that, for better or worse, defined life paths for many of us. The first love, the first rejection, the first true friendship... Linklater shows that these can coalesce, blend, and differentiate in an elaborate dance of memories and emotions. What is free will? how do we define ourselves? what is self-respect and how does it stand up to emotional revelations? Why would one want to stay and face the demons from one's past rather than flee into the oblivion of worldly "success"? These are all issues Linklater and his actors distill into a bewildering and intoxicating beverage that makes for fidgety yet irresistible viewing. A lot in this movie (like in any good theater) is left unsaid; in other words, it is left to be conveyed by actors' body language and energetic tone of their emotions. They succeed spectacularly. This movie should be a required part of curriculum of every acting school worthy of its designation. I would especially recommend it to European actors (who often seem to miss the best American productions) and directors (who should know better).
Rating: 
Summary: ACE
Review: A few of my fellow reviewers have stated that nothing happens in this film, their wrong, I'm not sure what they where expecting from based on a stage play with a three man cast. . . a car chase? some gun action? or explosions perhaps?!? If your looking for these sort of things too I suggest you go to your local video store, rent a Chuck Norris Movie and repeatedly beat your self over the head with it! This is a Movie about PEOPLE, its an old fashioned concept I know, but one that still works very well. I don't really want to give away to much about the plot, but I can say its full of twists, at times very funny and never ever boring. The cast are all on top form as is the directing and writing - check this film out as soon as you can!
Rating:
Summary: A suspenseful, superbly acted piece of 'Motel Hell'
Review: Alright, I'll just let it fly right now: I don't think I've seen a movie since Dead Poet's Society in which Ethan Hawke doesn't kinda blow. He's not so believable in Linklater's Before Sunrise, got undeserved acclaim for Training Day, and pretty much destroys the art of acting in Taking Lives. So it was a nice surprise to see him not suck after Linklater's fascinating, superbly acted (holy crap, I just said that about an Ethan Hawke movie) Tape, which needs about 20 minutes to get its look-at-me-I'm-a-badass-indie-film-shot-on-DV-with-cool-angles attitude out of its system. But after that, whoa boy. The film takes place entirely in a low-rent motel room where Hawke is staying; his high school pal, played by the underappreciated Robert Sean Leonard (the guy who blew his brains out in DPS), drops by and before you know it, it's less high school reunion and more Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. You see, Hawke's Vince exposes a secret from Leonard's Jon's past and a cunning game of psychological hot potato begins. What impressed me the most about Tape is how it defied my expectations at every point that the movie turned - there are more twists in it than a Hollywood thriller, and the movie becomes so engrossing at points that interest becomes giddiness. But the best thing about Tape is how well its actors (including Uma Thurman, who drops by in a pivotal role) navigate the facial and verbal expressions that would accompany such an encounter. For a low-budget indie that could have been pretentious and silly, this movie is so well-nuanced and executed it'll have you clamoring for more in its all-too-brief 84 minutes. GRADE: B+
Rating: 
Summary: I wonder what hotel that was!
Review: First off, I don' rate any movies five. Second, this wouldn't be a 3 but somewhere in between a 3 and 4. This movie mightily kicked booty. Who would have ever thought lying, rape and snorting coke could get anyone into trouble? Let me tell you that Uma Thurman was sick in this movie. She undoubtedly stole the show, because, in essence, this was a show that just happened to be made into a movie. I would rate this movie over any oscar nominated films of that year like A Beautiful mind, even if math musicians smoke cigarettes and are ripped and yet still get to shag beautiful women. Watch this movie. Than watch Waking Life. Don't watch Dazed N Confused. It sucked.
Rating:
Summary: Unsettling
Review: Gotta give this one kudos for doing so much with so little. With one fairly bare set and three leads there's not much room for cover if/when things go wrong. For the most part, things go well. The idea is interesting, and the dialogue sounds pretty true. Leonard and Thurman turn in decent performances. Hawke reaches the most, and for that reason ends with the highest highs and the lowest lows. He occasionally allows menace to metamorphose into whininess, at which point his voice (and the film itself) are difficult to bear. The script also loses its bearing a little toward the finish line. Leonard's reaction to Thurman is difficult to understand or at least fully believe. Be that as it may, Tape is an interesting film, flaws and all.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing.
Review: Honestly, "Tape" blew me away. It happens every once in a while with me. I rent a movie that I know is going to be good, yet I'm still not that excited about it. Then I go home and watch it, and I am intoxicated by it. "Tape" isnt for everyone(!), but for the fans out there who appreciate character-driven stories, go..go now...and check out this film.
Rating:
Summary: Reel Life.
Review: I don't have much of anything witty to say about this film, I can only say that it is one of those rare films where the superb acting just keeps you transfixed. This movie about three high school friends of ten years prior, who have some very unresolved issues, takes place in just one hotel room. It is so real that you feel like an eavesdropper. I really can't stand about 95% of the movies made in the last 15 years, with very few exceptions. I don't "get" the stars. I am SO sick of Tom Cruise's, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson's, and Julia Roberts trademark smirks and quirks (aren't we CUTE?"!) that they have marketed into ridiculously lucrative careers of boring movies that are interchangeable and unmemorable. I tend to put all the actors of today down. Watching Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Robert Sean Leonard, as in this fim, makes me realize that I am sometimes wrong in my summation about the actors of today. They are so astoundingly real, that I can't honestly be objective about the storyline of this film, because I was so impressed by their performances. They are among the best actors of today. I recently discovered Uma Thurman, later than everyone else, in "Hysterical Blindness" on HBO, and was just amazed at her performance. I happened upon that film, as with this one, by accident. That she not only stars in this film, but, co-stars with such an incredible actor, Ethan Hawke, who also happens to be her husband, well, let's just say that it's a most wonderful discovery for me. It drew me in in the first minute, and, never let go until the end. I realize that these actors have all been around for a while, and certainly I am "late" in discovering their talents. I guess I need to open myself up to some more recent flicks. It's just that, when I do, they are almost always just plain lousy. These three actors make this film one of those rare occurrences of being overwhelmed by real, unaffected talent. There is not a hint that they are "acting." What a pleasure to, finally, observe art, not just phony box-office garbage. I could drone on and on, just repeating myself, so, I'll stop. I just highly recommend this movie to anyone who is as hungry as I am for an intelligent, non-special effects, skilled film that totally involves you. I really need to watch it again, as I was so caught up in their portrayals, I'm sure there's some things I missed. I am now a "fan" of these actors, if you want to call me that. But, I don't want to know anything about their personal lives. I don't want to watch them on "Entertainment Tonight" or read about them in "People" magazine. I just want to experience the pleasure of their talent, and I look forward to their future works with anticipation.
Rating:
Summary: Can't get too much Tape
Review: I saw this movie on the Keene State College campus, and being a film major I can be very critical on movies. I thought this film to be very clever. There are only three characters, the film is done in real time (meaning one minute = one minute), and the camera never leaves the motel room that the story takes place in.
Ethan Hawke is a 28 yr old drug dealer and volunteer fire fighter, and is meeting his friend in a small town to view his friend's Independant film the following day. Ethan tape records his friend admitting that he had raped Emu Thurman's character a decade earlier. Ethan then calls and invites Emu to the motel room and the conflicts continue to rise until a decision has to be made, friendship or freedom?
Rating:
Summary: minimalist perfection
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and rate it as being Ethan Hawke's best performance to date. It is amazing to see how well a film set in one room with only three characters can work. The strengths of the film lie in its 'realistic', 'conceptual', and taught dialogue, and its good use of various camera angles. The scenes of Tape will stay in my mind for a while. Definitely recommended.
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