A Cinderella Story (2004)

final verdict for: "A Cinderella Story" (2004): One of the better ones in the genre. 

You all know the story, but the shoe is a mobile phone here. While the main cast (Hilary Duff & Chad Michael Murray) acts rather convincing and with a lot of dignity, the performance of the evil stepmother and her retarded daughters (among which is Madeline Zima) act so over the top it really reduces the over-all performance.

The characters are opacque and stereotypical of course, but rather good in doing their job. The camera work is okay, sometimes a little bit too close, especially in moving shots. A nice thing are the filters used. They have a very warm and ...late 90's, early 2000's feel (which I love) that fits the southern California setting. 
The music is okay too. Forgettable, but fitting. Stilol one of those movies that gets ruined by the end. The majority of problems does not get solved on-screen, but in narration withing the last minutes of the movie, as if they had to rush things to get the movie over with. Would have been nice to see an implementation instead.
 
Overall this was rather okay and fun to watch. At least it was way better than the 2008 remake with Selena Gomez, but we'll come to that at some point. It was fun to watch, but stereotypical and the story is old. Certainly not a game changer though. 

I think this thing deserves a good 6 out of 10.

Unknown (2011)

final verdict for: "Unknown" (2011): This movie really got me trapped in a corner. 

The idea wasn't really bad. It wasn't all new, but the combination was innovative. The storytelling itself however wasn't all that good. Although you buy Liam Neeson's and Bruno Ganz's performance a lot of the other cast member's acting (especially the German actors) was really sloppy.

You see Neeson struggling to regain his memories and can tell by the way he is acting and how he gradually transforms with every bit and piece of information he recovers and the other actor's just stay shallow at best. What's more the movie... has so many inconsistencies and plotholes that it get's really painful to follow, not to mention that the use of Berlin as location is an insult to anyone who knows the city a bit, even as a tourist. 

The constant recurrence of plot elements and storytelling superstructures, like car chases and repeated trashing of taxis is just plain horrible to watch. The score is forgetful, not a single memorable tune. The camera is average, nothing special, a lot of camera trims and bends. The editing uses a lot of rough cuts, distuingishing scenes is very hard. 

Also the image of Berlin this movie conrfonts us with is really saying nothing. It's the mere scene for the movie, nothing more, which also explains the sloppy incorporation of the city's geography. It could be just about any place in the world, even though the use of Hotel Adlon and other landmarks wants us to think different. 

One more or less positive thing, however is the incorporation of unreliable narration which presents us with a couple of surprises and even a big one in the end, although even "Stage Fright" (1950) as one of the pioneers in that field did a lot better.

So, what do we have, let's sum up. An okay story, with a convincing leading act, but sloppy and forgetful side characters, an unimportant score, overuse of schematas and a cardboard-use of Berlin. Even though it was quite okay while it lasted, there's not much that withstands even the sketchiest examination. 

An okay 5 out of 10.