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Paycheck	RANK=591
Category : SciFi Description : Ben Affleck plays an engineer paid to build a machine of some kind, and whose memory of the work is erased when the job is finished. Suddenly his life is in danger and starting with only a few items he left himself in a safety deposit box he must discover who he is and what he built before somebody kills him. In some ways this is a lot like the Bourne Identity, not surprising since Affleck is friendly with Matt Damon in real life. The final scene seems a bit too lighthearted given everything before it. Overall a big concept executed well. Saw this on a plane going from Tokyo to London.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in 5/2004



The Peacemaker	RANK=96
Category : Action Description : The first movie by the DreamWorks SKG studios. Some nukes are stolen by terrorists. George Clooney and Nicole Kidman go after them. Well, y'know.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in /1997



The Phantom Menace	RANK=857
Star Wars Episode 1 Category : Adventure Description : We all waited a LONG time to see this movie. I heard about it in 1995 and with so much anticipation, NO movie could EVER meet my expectations. I can't say it was as brilliant as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong - I'd have George Lucas' baby - but this movie _is_ different to the first trilogy. This is Episode 1 of Star Wars. What else can I say? ILM have mastered the art of combining live action photography with CGI. Nearly every scene and every shot has something digital in it...to the point that you don't notice it after a while. Nice acting by Liam Neeson, Ewen Macgregor, and some of the synthetic characters too! Probably the best actor is Anakin's mother. Jar Jar Binks really grated my nerves the first time I saw it. The character grows on you, but I would prefer an instantly likable character straight off (it's the irritating voice more than anything else). Scenery (CGI of course) is absolutely faannnntastic. The pod race is actually quite exciting to watch and not as cheesy/glitzy as you might think. Reminds me of (co-oincedence?) the chariot scene in Ben Hur. Check out the moves on Darth Maul ! HE DA MAN!! This movie undoubtedly has the BEST light sabre fight sequence of all the Star Wars movies. Darth Maul was played by the guy who choreographed all the fight scenes...and it shows. This is a very good movie, to say the least. I mean, it's Star Wars isn't it? Yes. A great movie.	Viewing Status #viewings=2 First seen in /1999



Phone Booth	RANK=874
Category : Thriller Description : Colin Farrell absolutely nails his role as the main character in this gripping psycho-thriller about a man who cannot leave a phone booth under threat of being shot by a mystery caller. The first time I saw Farrell in a movie he was The Recruit, but Phone Booth demands a much greater depth of character and performance, and in this sink-or-swim situation, Colin Farrell laps the pool. Excellent performance, twists and turns to keep us guessing. The finale is patently cathartic. If you don't see this movie soon I'm gonna shoot you.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in 6/2003



Pi	RANK=361
Category : Not Sure Description : Weird indie. Intellectual and crazy movie about a mathematician who is.. umm.. trying to unlock the secrets of existence which are hidden in numbers and formulas that underly the natural world. OK, not a new idea, but making a movie about it certainly is - especially with the maths perspective. It's in black and white too, so don't be surprised at that. The techno soundtrack is fairly good. I think what appealed to me was the twisted and raw feel of the movie. I think it adequately communicates the frustration of the main character, because the whole time you are wondering WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?? Update: I had to demote this movie heavily because, in retrospect, what I had assumed was inventive and raw was in fact just messy and thoughtless.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in 9/1999



Pitch Black	RANK=657
Category : SciFi Description : I'm not sure if the makers of this movie were aiming in the direction of Event Horizon, but if they were they didn't quite make it there. Still a decent thriller because of the whole darkness thing. A passenger spaceship crash lands on a planet in a planetary system with three stars. This apparently means that it is always day time on this planet. Well obviously not. There's hordes of flying nasties (that are afraid of the light) just waiting to devour the survivors of the crash. Also on board is the token tough guy - a convicted prisoner who turns out to be their best chance of survival. Gee, like I've never seen that happen before. Actually, this guy acts so tough he's almost wanky, but it's fine line between being buff and being a tosser, as most chicks will tell you. There are some superb CGI scenes depicting the sunset behind a huge Saturn-like planet. Not bad.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in 5/2000



Pleasantville	RANK=670
Category : Comedy Description : Highly original story involving 2 modern teens that get transported into the fiction world of a 1950s soap box drama televisions show. The slightly nerdy young bloke is a fanatic of the this old black-and-white TV show called Pleasantville in which everything is.. pleasant.. in a homogenous, pure, diligent, exceedingly dull 50s manner. His cool and cute sister, played by certified honey Reese Witherspoon, absolutely detests the dull world she finds herself in, and much to her brother's horror, she begins to change the people of Pleasantville by exposing them to attitudes of the year 2000. Things that used to happy in the same way every day (because that's what's in the Pleasantville script) can be done differently. Things that women were not supposed to do, she encourages them to do. Piece by piece, the two teens change Pleasantville in a very inventive way. I love the concept of this movie.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in 11/2001



Powder	RANK=209
Category : Not Sure Description : A boy, whose mother was struck by lightning at birth, has some rather amazing telekinetic powers and intelligence. The film generally tries to make you gape in awe at the boy's powers, and wants you to feel sorry for his isolation. Slightly weird, but curiously elating movie. Update: I suspect that Phenomenon was John Travolta's low quality copycat movie of Powder, but I haven't actually seen Travolta's attempt yet.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in 1/1996



Primal Fear	RANK=370
Category : Thriller Description : Richard Gere is a "hot-shot" attorney who decides to take the case of a boy who is suspected of killing his girlfriend and a priest, but who claims he is innocent. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! A very roundabout search for the truth culminates in an ending that I personally couldn’t have foreseen. Powerful. Surprisingly good movie.	Viewing Status #viewings=1 First seen in /1996



The Professional	RANK=722
aka Leon Category : Not Sure Description : I can't believe I'm still remembering movies that are absolute classics but which I have never entered into this database. The Professional is definitely one tof the classics. Star-studded cast of Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and even a very young Natalie Portman. Leon is a hitman. One day, a little girl who lives in an apartment next to his returns from grocey shopping to find the Mafia has murdered her family. She walks straight past the hit squad knowing that if they knew who she was, she would be killed. In desperation, she rings Leo's doorbell hoping he will let her in.... From that moment, the Mob and two corrupt policemen are after him and the girl. There's some great lines. The relationship between Leon and the girl is cast iron solid. Plenty of action too. This... is for Matilda.	Viewing Status #viewings=3 First seen in /1994

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