don*g

I didn't like the first Matrix movie, but who was I to argue with all those that thought it was great? Well this one just confirmed what I thought before; an overwhelming script pretentiousness (sunglasses anyone?), unattractive characters (good guys & villains), horrible martial arts, ordinary acting and a overall feeling of detachment throughout. On the positive side, an interesting premise and some good FX, but in 10 years we will be laughing at the ridiculous overuse of wirework.

I say to the committe, we're probably not going to enjoy this - it's some arty thing by David Lynch, with questionable plot, lots of 'atmosphere' and no direction. Mulholland Falls starts, and it's set in the Fifties (now, I really don't like the Fifties, bad fashion, hats and ugly cars), but wow, this is so authentic, well, points for that! Suddenly guy gets thrown over a cliff, guy gets wacked with a phone, and there's Jennifer Connelly. I'm thinking, well, this could be OK. A little while later, I realise I've anticipated the wrong movie (duh), but stay for the ride. On reflection we're left to figure out a bit too much in some areas, but others are made a bit too obvious and this detracts from the flow of the plot. One small thing - I haven't crashed in a DC 3 but suspect you'd be a bit shaken up without wearing a seat belt? Overall, Believable acting (maybe not the three stooges), authentic style, but some plotline conclusions need a giant leap of faith.

Too cerebral, and a few 'why' things are left unanswered. There is some clever stuff, Bana does well and the action sequences are put together nicely, but this is not The Ice Storm and Lee would have done well to remember this.