Titanic

Rating:
Summary: Yuck
Review: Titanic is a stellar example of popular taste sinking into the murky waters of mediocrity. My main qualms are A) A far fetched, unbelievable love story with enough holes in it to make swiss cheese B) Speaking of cheese, the characters are startlingly over acting, reducing themselves to cookie cutter hollywood hero/villain/heart of gold/love at first sight stencils C) The vaunted special effects were not cost effective, i.e. over a hundred million dollars to make a few waves... not impressed, D) The movie is thoroughly predictable and I am not talking about sinking ship (although several historical inaccuracies did add a novelty factor), E) The Titanic song "Heart Going On" is cavity inducing mush, F) You've probably seen the movie and loved it so this review means nothing to you, if you haven't seen it, take a stand against bad cinema and skip it, skip Gladiator, skip every Saturday Night Live Skit to Movie, and settle down with a copy of "Who's Afraid of the Virginia Woolf", a movie with superb acting and superb direction.

Rating:
Summary: Sweeping, gripping love story.
Review: James Cameron (of "Terminator" and "Alien" fame) has directed and written a superbly crafted story that surely wins over critics and general audiences, not because it had promising Leonardo DiCaprio (of "Total Eclipse" and "Growing Pains" fame) as a handsome peniless artist, but it bravely and flawlessly blends a fictional love story with a real-life disaster.

Treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) comes across a rusted safe while exploring the remains of the Titanic. He brings it up, cracks it open, and finds nothing but a perfectly preserved nude portrait of a young lady, drawn the day the Titanic sank. An old woman (Gloria Stuart) recognizes the portrait as her 86 years younger, at the age of 26. She and her grown granddaughter visit Lovett and his friends, and the old woman, known as Rose, recapulates the whole story about her brief love affair on the Titanic with Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) 86 years ago (Kate Winslet as the younger Rose), to the aftermath when she, along with six others (without Jack), were rescued from the icy water.

"Titanic" is a sweeping, gripping romance/drama that takes place against a cataclysmic event, with timeless grace and universal emotions, about love, infidelity, and the true meaning of "treasure." It's one of those rare movies that'll make anyone cry at the end like a girl (I did, despite I'm a boy). Along with a fitting soundtrack, it's a precious and affecting movie to hold on to (considering that it won about 11 Academy Awards).

Rated PG-13 for language, some tasteful nudity by Kate Winslet, and for disaster-related violence.

Rating:
Summary: A sinking ship
Review: First off, there are so many movies out there worse than "Titanic". But as the biggest money maker of all time, "Titanic" is extremely overvalued. Nearly every element in the film, including the love story, is presented in a clichéd and predictable manner. Each character exhibits modes of behavior and personality traits, even facial expressions, which are immediately identifiable and remain unchanged throughout the film. The fate of Titanic was an extraordinary event, full of dramatic possibility. What is one to make of a director so blind that he stages a near-drowning and a gun battle, when thousands of men, women and children face certain death, on a sinking ship? Cameron's lack of imagination has something almost farcical about it. But then again, James Cameron may very well be the most over rated director in Hollywood. There was nothing in Aliens, True Lies, The Abyss or the Terminator movies to suggest that here was an immense artistic talent waiting to blossom. The director is obviously an energetic and able technician and organizer of resources, without any apparent flair for drama or insight into psychology. The praise for Cameron's film contains an element of wishful thinking. Many of the comments at... read like accounts of a film the reviewers would like to see; unfortunately this imaginary work bears little resemblance to Titanic. In this wishful thinking there is, above all, a refusal to take a serious look at the crisis of Hollywood filmmaking and the... it continues to put out. Moreover, the fact that American commercial cinema dominates the world's movie screens so thoroughly has its impact. Force not only conquers, it convinces.

Rating:
Summary: Sweeping love story.
Review: Against the backdrop of the oceanliner disaster we have one of the most incredible motion picture love stories of all time. TITANIC is a breathtaking work of labor for it's director. The notorious budget is at least evident on the screen in spades! Every frame is a work of art - often a terrible picture of the reality of such a disaster. Now you can almost feel like you are there.

The story is also quite good. The social and moral issues addressed will leave you thinking about human nature. Chances are you'll walk away from TITANIC wondering what you would do.

DiCaprio and Winslet are unforgetable! I'm glad to see a full-figured woman in the lead of a major motion picture. Hollywood has painted a picture of beauty in the form of the Kate Moss type for too long. Also, Kathy Bates' Molly Brown is terrific when she declares: "Grab the oars ladies, we're going back!" And Rose's mother wanting to be sure the seating on the lifeboat was separated by class. There's just so much to like about TITANIC I can't see the faults that other people mention. During the last moments of the ship going down I don't think I took a breath. Anything less than 5 stars for the movie itself is inaccurate.

As for the DVD the sound was excellent 5.1 surround. The picture is a different story. I expected a standard super sharp picture thoughtout; but got one that is often faded, hazy or overly grainy. At times the color was brilliant; other times lacking. It should be better since this picture is only a few years old (1997). On a scale of 1 to 5 I'd give the picture a 4 overall. Still, it's better than my VHS tape copy. But I can't give the DVD presentation a perfect 5 as I'd like to.

The verdict: Okay gentlemen! Here's a love story that'll make you cry like a girl! But you didn't catch me saying that...

Rating:
Summary: Cameron! Sink! Sink!!
Review: "And the Oscar for best actor/actress goes to 'Titanic the Ship.' The rest got the Golden Raspberry Award, respectively..."The fact that I give it a one star is if Cameron could have made this a documantary it would have done justice! I hate fiction and facts mixed together. But here it is used in a tragic historical fact. The very idea is sickening. Well, the wrong ones made the money and we fell for it. Thanx to Hollywood who also fell for it. And to me the best they ever did was putting Ben-hur up there. But now they killed it all. I never believe in awards anywheres, cause the best is always forgotten. But I had given credit to Hollywood, not now. How does this sound - saw the movie "Life is beautiful" when it was released here. We were only 8 of us in the theater! The moment Hollywood / press pumped it up - we all think it's the best. Cameron please stick to reality - you did good with your Terminators & Aliens...

Rating:
Summary: SAD NEWS: A great Director has died.
Review: If you got some respect on Cameron's old work and you haven't seen this (but I'm sure you did as I did) don't see it. Cameron has died. But we got the Terminators, Aliens, The Abyss and other works like the screenplay of Strange Days to remember him.

This is and unfortunatelly unfurgettable movie of an unknown hollywood Director that call himself the King of the World.

What world was his talking about?

Rating:
Summary: Titanic Is Just Great!
Review: After reading most of the reviews of this fantastic movie, I realize how much mainstream society has been corrupted by cynicisim and flat-lined emotionally. The acting was the way society behaved in the post-Victorian era. It would have looked mighty strange for Jack to say something like "Cool!", now, wouldn't it? I like the juxposition of modern time to 1912, because, then, you can see the difference and the contrasts of behavior and mannerisms. I think that Leonardo DiCaprio was just fine as Jack. It would have been totally out of character to try a method technique or a classic Shakesperean approach. Remember, the character was only in his late teens-early twenties,tops. If you look at pictures of some of the real passengers of that general age-group, some even looked younger, so I have no problem with it, myself. It's just that people nowadays seem to perceive life through their own narrow-mindedness and shallow feelings. I absolutely thought this movie gives us a different perspective than most of the idiotic, violence-oriented junk that has de-senseatized society.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Revenge on Action Movies
Review: Generally speaking, I'm not a big romance fan. But this movie was one of the greatest movies of the 90s. For those of you who follow my writing, you know that I abhor (for the most part) Action movies. I am not against violence that has a purpose or is required to tell the story. But I have nothing but contempt for violence when it is used for entertainment. One action movie in particular (which is the object of my soul's hate) turned killing into a joke, took punch shots at people who were a little different, totally distorted history, and pretty much turned a conscience free mass of killing into a big joke. Well, "The Titanic" was a nice dose of reality. Not only does it have historical value, but it allows us to meet several people, and it shows us the true horror of people dying. People getting killed should not be a joke, and it should not be used for entertainment. And certainly the ridicule of different people should not be used for entertainment. (MG would do better to keep his bigotries to himself.) Well, that said, Jack could probably have acted a little better. But he performs his role at least moderately well. Rose is touching in the sorrows she is burdened with, and we may be able to feel her anxieties, and struggle along with her as she makes decisions that will permanently affect her. Molly Brown is really likable in her rough but compassionate role. Calvin may be close to psychotic, but he does carry charm now and then. We certainly won't route for Lovejoy, but there is something to be said for his loyalty to his employer. Thomas Andrews is especially well done. He is a very likable character who carries a voice of reason, and shows a memorable sense of honor and integrity. I could go on and on about the wonderful acting, but there is no need for that. The costumes are beautiful; the scenery is beautiful; the historical characters march along nicely with the fictional characters. I know some people question if the romance plot was required. In my opinion it was. You are free to disagree with me, but the way I see it is that anytime you have a great story, you need some central focus. Moving on, the music is also very well done. Overall, this movie has great scenery, wonderful acting, nice music, a strong story, touching characters, historical value, and a high sense of morality. Along with "My Best Friend's Wedding," "Everafter," and "Sleeping With the Enemy," this movie is an absolute gotta have!

Rating:
Summary: .....what a let-down.....
Review: am i the only person who absolutely wants to scream at James Cameron for not putting out a proper DVD of this movie? i mean, he puts out a double disc DVD of "The Abyss" but not "Titanic?" i would have rather he held it back from being released on DVD than release this featureless, pointless waste of money. if i wanted JUST the movie, i'd buy the VHS...DVD isn't about the movie as much as its about the FEATURES....wake up, Jim.....get on the ball here.....i wanna hear just two words from ya: "Special Edition"....snap to it Mr. King-Of-The-World!

Rating:
Summary: Women and Critics First!
Review: It's funny in a way- Titanic became the most popular movie of all time (so far) according to grosses and that's only because teenage girls across the country saw it fourteen and fifteen times apiece! But what a marvelous and equitable exchange. Thanks to James Cameron, girls that weren't around in 1977 now have their own "Star Wars". (Great bit, John, thanks for letting me borrow it.) I won't bore anyone reading this with plot summary or the complete details of the story. Come on. We've all seen it. We all know it. I'll just give you my own personal take on it, okay? Okay. First and foremost, I feel James Cameron o.d.'ed on himself. I realize he's a talented filmmaker and a big mover and shaker in "the biz" (and he couldn't care less that I'm writing this) but the fact that he wrote it, directed it, and produced it, and everything else he had a hand in gives the whole production a kind of one dimensional feel. I read that even the sketches that L. D.'s character "Jack" is supposed to have drawn were done by Cameron himself. And those are his hands doing the picture of "Rose" on the couch. I should have guessed whenever someone in the movie complimented Jack on his work. "These are good, Jack. Very good!" One can smell the self-appraisal all the way to steerage. The rest of the dialogue isn't much better. Don't get me wrong, I like his films "Terminator 1 & 2," "Aliens" and "the Abyss." But these are mainly science-fiction stories with messages about ourselves and each other with regard to the future which give the audience something to think about besides "oh, what a great line!" (I get the impression, J.C. is very anti-nuclear power but loves hydrolic machinery- look for it. End of aside.) However, in "Titanic" I felt like the dialogue was only interested in being clever or obvious and not at all realistic. Such as: "Of course it's unfair- we're women." and not to mention: "Mr. Andrews, I saw the iceberg and I can see it in your eyes...tell me the truth." And lest we forget: "Trust me...you wanna take this call!" followed shortly by, "Told you you wanted to take the call." Ugh! (By the way, how many times did they repeat the line: "This is absurd!") Also, I started to notice the way Cameron "slipped" facts about the ship into the dialogue to show us how much research he had done. The size of the ship, its weight, how many people it took to build, what the lifeboats were capable of, etc. And as far as who spouted off these random statements of trivia... except for the ship's designer/engineer I had no idea the passengers were already so knowledgeable about Titanic on its maiden voyage. At first I thought that this was the first love story that Cameron had ever directed. Until someone pointed out to me that all his films are actually love stories if looked at the right way. "That's true," I said, "but this time it is the main plot instead of a subplot and creates a strange warped twist to the movie." I'm so used to James Cameron being an action film director first and foremost. But there not being much action until the iceberg strikes, I guess the love theme had to bubble to the surface of the story a little earlier than usual. Which brings me to the actual sinking. I'll be the first to admit, the special effects were impressive. And like most of the people who wrote reviews before and after me, I agree that they preceeded the acting and stories on board the ship. Almost paving the way for "Phantom Menace" a few years later. But that's another review. My point is, everyone came to the movie to see the ship sink. That's the whole idea! There wouldn't have been a movie made or anyone who cared about a ship that had a successful humdrum voyage across the sea. Quick lesson: Drama equals conflict. You start a story with everything fine. You create a problem. Now, if you solve the problem, it's a comedy. If you don't, it's a tragedy. Of course I'm vastly overstating. Forgive the generalization, but you people writing reviews about being upset with the film ending so sadly or for sinking the ship at all... And those who wanted the Titanic to arrive in New York and have a Disney-ish happily ever after ending, I'm sorry..., but GET A CLUE!!! Where are you from? Where did you go to school? That's what really happened! The ship hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean! Hundreds of lives were lost! Deal with it! Did you also write reviews on "Gone With the Wind" saying that you wish the South had won the Civil War so poor Scarlett O'Hara would not have had to suffer such hardship?! Please. (Okay, deep breath. I apologize for that. At least I didn't write it in all caps.) Anyway, to sum up: I went with my then girlfriend to see this thing in the theatre and she cried while I analyzed. (Not the most romantic guy that night, I know.) But I helped her fall asleep in my arms later that evening by explaining to her why the movie had to end the way it did. (I won't spoil the ending for the two people left in the western hemisphere who are reading this that haven't seen the flick.) I said: "If it ended happily, that would have been predictable. This way it's poetry."