Genres

Visitors Review

Tom Duhamel 2012-05-25 10:55:43

For once, it looks real

For once, a movie about computers where computers look real. Thedisplay on the monitors isn't just some 3D animation that seems toserve no purpose. You can recognize interfaces, or at least can imaginethat on a real computer monitor. The code on screen looks real (it'seither C++ or Java or some kind of C derivative), even though itprobably doesn't do what they pretend it does; they don't show it longenough to figure out what it's suppose to do anyway.Just some things I noticed: All IPs are 10.x.x.x, which is a rangereserved for local networks, it should not be accessible remotely, thuswould not be usable for a global system such as Synapse. But that isprobably done on purpose, just like they do for phone numbers in themovies, all starting in 555-XXXX.The networks seem to be freaking fast. In particular, for the datatransmitted through the satellites with just about zero latency.The CD burner is quite fast, it can burn a CD in just 20 seconds.The server which Synapse is being distributed from seems to be veryeffective, taking millions of hits within hours. In particular,considering that they have never seen that many hits.Beside the technical details presented, good movie, good action, goodplot twists.

2012-05-24 20:04:33

A sleazy slam at a software giant

A one star rating is much too high. I wish I could give this film negative stars, because that's what it deserves. This flick exploits a popular notion that the only way a company can succeed brilliantly is by indulging in nefarious activities. I have news for those who think that's true.My hope is that not too many people will "learn" what the real world of success requires from watching this thing; our country's economy is bad enough as it is.

mehmeteden 2012-05-14 18:02:22

Best Hakers Movie

This movie is best hackers movie. If you liked Hackers 1 and Hackers 2movies you'll love this one. Exceptional. Characters acts very verywell.I'm disappointed because of the votes. This movie must be at least7.0 :((((((. I love this film and it has a lot of fans. We want asequel or prequel. Is good than Social Network. I didn't like it.Antitrust also is directed very well is not a B movie. Ryan Fellipeacts very well. Tim Robbins performance is awesome. He looks like BillGates also his house. The garage reminds me Steve Jobs and Wozniak'sgarage. In movie Gary Winston says "Bill Gates is primitive ".I hopethat will be another one. 10/10

John Sarius 2012-05-14 11:03:37

I like this movie back in 1993...

This movie was better 8 years ago. When it was called The Firm. Replacethe mafia with a Microsoft-like company (which makes sense wince they areprobably looked at as being worse than the mafia these days) and you getAnti-Trust. Between this and the laughable Arlington Road, it is clear TimRobbins needs to stick to drama roles like Shawshank, rather than trying toplay the villain in a thriller. Ironically, in 1995 my friends and I werediscussing Robbins' career and we remarked how he always seems to pickwinners. Unfortunately, he hasn't picked one since Shawshank. He is toogood a talent to waste with movies like this one.

alex-11 2012-05-13 01:43:09

Bad, bad, bad, bad movie

The best thing about this movie was, uh, well, I can't think of anything. This was bad. The script was especially bad. The technical concepts werebad. The "suspenseful" plot was bad. The dialog was bad. Avoid at allcosts. Do not rent. Do not watch. You'll be sorry.

2012-05-12 08:48:50

Nice little enjoyable film

AntiTrust is a film that all cyber geeks can relate to. The film stared a then up and coming Ryan Phillpee as Milo a computer hacker who goes to work for a company that isn't what it seems. The film is fast paced and one of my favorite actors Tim Robbins makes a great villian.

MattTheRaven 2012-05-11 05:44:03

Surprisingly decent.

Seeing as how none of the actors are "seasoned actors" - with Tim Robbinsthe exception, and how the ads made it look like a really cheesy 'thriller,'I wasn't expecting much.So, I was happily surprised.It wasn't GREAT by any stretch of the imagination, don't get me wrong - alot of suspense/thriller cliches were used - but there were a couple ofACTUALLY SUSPENSEFUL MOMENTS.And, to be honest, I adore Rachel Leigh Cooke, no matter her actingfaults.[I gave it a 7.]

Jay 2012-05-10 08:11:53

Anti-Entertainment

As bad as the story is, it pales in comparison to the terrible acting. I can't believe Tim Robbins took on the Bill Gates-like role. This would have made a great made for TV movie. Too bad the public demands more eh, Tim?

Robert P. Beveridge 2012-05-08 04:19:13

Bill Gates without the geekiness

Antitrust (Peter Howitt, 2001)One reviewer, the day before this opened, called thisthe film where Ryan Phillippe attempts to break out ofthe teen-movie genre and into the big time. Okay,let's think about this for a moment. The film isdirected by Peter Howitt, who made his feature filmdebut with a teen movie that wanted desperately to bea serious flick (Sliding Doors); his co-stars areRachael Leigh Cook (The Babysitters Club, the upcominglive-action Josie and the Pussycats) and ClaireForlani (one word, Mallrats); the movie is based onthe idea that Microsoft will take over the world. So,serious art or teen flick?Tim Robbins plays Gary Winston, very obviously modeledon Bill Gates (check out the house!) without thegeekiness that keeps Bill Gates from looking like theOverlord he really is. Winston is very interested inhiring two wunderkind programmers, Milo Hoffmann(Phillippe) and his best friend Teddy Chin (whose nameis oddly not listed at IMDB). Chin is an idealist whobelieves all code should be open source, and turnsdown the offer; Hoffmann accepts, and soon finds that,of course, the Evil Empire really IS evil. Surprise,surprise.Still, it's not a bad little flick for what it is. Oneexpects more depth and better plot twists from HowardFranklin (The Name of the Rose, Someone to Watch OverMe), but sometimes it's fun to watch even when you cansee it coming, no? It's slick, stylish, has geeksenough to satisfy most gearheads, and as an addedbonus contains a bang-up performance by rising starTyler Labine (if you're an X-Files fanatic, you'llremember him as one of the trio of stoners whofollowed Mulder and Scully around for a couple ofseasons, meeting their demise at the jaws of the samealligator that got Queequeg). Worth a trip to thecheap seats. ***

Reaper Man 2012-05-07 18:22:41

Bane of the 90's

Teen flicks they call them. I turned 13 in the 90's, and I inevitably phasedout of my teens in the 00's. So these films are aimed at me, right? Wrong. I think every 'slasher-flick', 'road movie' and all other patronisingstereotype film-brands are awful, and an insult to the intelligence of meand a good deal of my friends. This is a classic example. Antitrust reallydoesn't know who it's aiming itself at, which is why it comes across ashalf-baked and anodyne. Attempting to marry a conspiracy thriller with aneasy to swallow film, makes for a format that ultimately pleases no-one.Don't get me wrong, I'm not a snob. Hollywood is in the industry ofentertainment, and if turning out safe films with good-looking actors makesthem money, fair enough. If Hollywood went bust, arthouse films wouldn'teven bother. But pick a lane, Goddamnit! Putting pretty boy Ryan Phillippein the lead is an obvious money grabber, but then trying to make wittyobservations of the software market will go right over the head of theaverage viewer. Saying that, the technical details of this film aremoderately accurate, unlike (cough,cough) Swordfish. My girlfriend lent methe DVD, and she bought it, and I quote, "Because it's got Ryan Phillippein, so I don't care". Eye-candy at best, I only bothered watching it becauseof Tim Robbins. A rent paying film, as some actors mightsay.

2012-05-04 21:20:56

A decent tale poorly told

I can't tell a joke well. A bad joke isn't funny no matter who tells it, but a person such as myself can make a good joke bad. A story also has to be told well and, in the case of a movie, filmed well, to be interesting. The problem with AntiTrust is that it's an okay tale that isn't told or filmed very well. It's lovely to look at, yet has neither electricity nor soul.Milo [Ryan Phillippe] is a computer genius. Fresh out of college, he plans to start a business with some friends out of a garage, just like their computer heroes did twenty years ago. They plan to make their mark in cyberspace. One day, seemingly out of the blue, Milo and his best friend are approached by Gary Winston [Tim Robbins], who wants them to come to work for his giant, multinational company. It seems Winston is about to launch a computer program which will revolutionize communications, but he needs a few good geeks to get it operational. The friend, a wise young man, decides to stick to his original plan, but Milo gets sucked in. Along with his girlfriend Alice [Claire Forlani], he packs up and moves to Portland, Oregon, the home of Winston's Nurve Corporation. It isn't long before Milo suspects that Winston will literally kill to get what he wants. Breakthroughs in the programming of the new product always seem to happen just after the mysterious death of some bright programmer. One of the problems in the movie is with some of the casting. Tim Robbins is fine as Winston, making him look and act so much like Bill Gates that it's a bit spooky. Ryan Phillippe, however, I can't buy as any kind of genius. He's done a good job in the past playing such roles as a sociopath [Cruel Intentions], a psychopath [The Way of the Gun] and a party boy [54]. But a computer whiz? I don't think so. Rachael Lee Cook is equally unbelievable as Lisa, a fellow programmer. Claire Forlani, who may be a star one day soon, is fine as Alice, but it's a part that's way beneath her capabilities. AntiTrust belongs to the paranoid thriller genre. That's the one in which only the hero has figured out a diabolical plot. Until the end of the movie, the rest of the characters are almost always blind to the truth and tend to believe that the hero is simply stressed out. Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is a classic example of this kind of film. To succeed, the movie must cause the audience to care about the protagonist. It must relate to him This doesn't happen in AntiTrust. Milo is just too bland and lame to hold our interest. It's one of those cases where, if we relate to anyone at all, it's to the bad guy, Winston. At least he's quick-witted and somehow humorous. You know a movie is in trouble when we start rooting for the villian.

WWWWolf 2012-05-04 08:17:44

Somewhat less hokey bit flinging than the hype said...

AntiTrust had the honor of being the first movie I've ever rented on DVD -mostly because I never had the chance of seeing it in the theater. The factthat it wasn't in theaters here seems to tell something.I had heard some very, very naughty words about the movie, so I decided Ihad to see it. I like turkeyish movies, especially computer-relatedones.Now, after seeing the movie, I have to say I was amazed. It was actuallybetter than I expected! At least the makers had *tried* to get the technicaldetails even some bit close to the real. Which isn't of course to say thateverything was perfect, but it was better than usual in this sort ofmovies.Well, the plot and the rest of the details - The movie kept me thrilled allthe time, which was probably a sign that I didn't exactly waste my money onthis rental. But as for the "content" or message - well, that could havebeen improved a bit. *All* usual conspiracies and things in the same movie -please, my good writers, when you next time want to make a "technothriller", come up with something original...

2012-05-03 14:56:42

Antitrust

The problem stated up front: the film isn't frightening enough. The film isn't frightening enough mainly because the lead character, Milo--played by Ryan Phillippe--never seems to be in mortal danger. And no matter what sinister mess the star of the show may find him or herself snarled up in--if the stakes aren't high enough, to the point where the hero looks seriously in trouble of surviving, you have what is ultimately a minor-league thriller.This is a story of a computer whiz who signs on as the new Golden Boy of a software company called NURV, owned by Gary Winston (Tim Robbins giving a very strong performance), who has brazenly set a target-date for the unveiling of a revolutionary new communications system for PCs, handhelds, etc.--sort of a Unified Field breakthrough for worldwide chat--that will make him very wealthy. If the system, SYNAPSE, doesn't work on time, Winston is a joke. Milo, boy genius, must get all the worst bugs out of Gary Winston's brain-child before time runs out, but just as he's settling in--and getting the red-carpet treatment from everyone at the firm, including the resident Ice Queen, Lisa (Rachel Leigh Cook)--he's thrown a bit of a curve: Gary Winston keeps providing him with mysterious computer discs, full of radical new code, that will help Milo make the big breakthroughs. Milo can't make sense of it; if he's the big saviour, where's all the brilliant code coming from? His boss's smarmy shell cracks when Milo asks questions, and Milo gets a face full of a Gary Winston paranoid tantrum, his first clue that his ambitious employer is not the nice guy he seems to be.But how far would Gary Winston go to get what he wants? Is he procuring other programmers' code illegally, and if so, how? Milo starts to deduce pieces of the truth that suggest coincidences aren' t always coincidences, and then someone close to him suffers a senseless tragedy. Coincidence? A shocked Milo enlists the aid of his girlfriend Alice (Claire Forlani), and even some old buddies he snubbed earlier in the film merely by going to work for supreme capitalist, to subvert all the cutting-edge security features at NURV, and even in Winston's home, to find out the real truth about the people he works for. Along the way, Milo discovers he may have more hidden enemies than he thought.That's the tense summary of the plot...now let me list all the things that sabotage the thrills:Except for Tim Robbins, none of the bad guys are very scary. Robbins's main henchman is the guy who played Doctor Tom in Ed Wood (friendly face, nerdy-looking (sorry, fella), practically bald, calm throughout).Ryan Phillippe's character always seems to be one step ahead of the bad guys, certainly once he gets a whiff of what's really going on. He pulls various clever tricks that allow him to move about areas of NURV that would normally be off-limits, and even when the bad guys know what he's up to, Milo KNOWS they know, but they allow him some leeway, because of course Gary Winston still needs SYNAPSE completed. This creates a very interesting cat-and-mouse game but it seriously destroys any real threat to Milo, certainly for the bulk of the story. It feels like a game. It doesn't feel like anyone is ever going to just appear out of the shadows and point a gun in Milo's face and get rid of him, or even put a bomb in his desk-drawer.There's no grime in this film. Everything's polished, neat, shiny, pristine, new-looking, sanitized, orderly, whatever. There's no dirt anywhere; even the nightly shadows of NURV seem disinfected. I would argue that, on a psychological level, a thriller needs some dirt, some blurriness, some clutter, a back alley with some piles of rubbish thugs can hide behind. This film's director seems to like things neat and stainless-steely and nonthreatening (see also Johnny English). Thrillers need some dirt, and some unidentified shapes tucked in the shadows.Finally--as I've alluded to already--though there are chase scenes, Milo-hiding scenes, Milo in danger of being deliberately fed Sesame seeds scenes (he's fatally allergic), Milo afraid to trust someone scenes--the truth is, Milo usually knows when he is in danger before danger has a chance to strike. And the one time he's caught totally by surprise, he makes an ally. I think Claire Forlani is a most beautiful actress, and she, along with everyone else in the film, gives a strong performance. This film even features an uncredited appearance by one of my favourite actors, David Clennon (he played the creepy boss in ThirtySomething, appeared as slimey "Radio Doctor" Norris Breeze in an episode of WKRP In Cincinnati, appears in John Carpenter's The Thing and Being There, and, uh, an episode of Sledge Hammer!), but he's barely in it--strange! The whole film is strangely watchable, despite the fact that it is never as thrilling as it could have been.

BA_Harrison 2012-05-03 02:30:34

Surprisingly nifty teen cyber-thriller.

An entertaining high-tech cyber-thriller, Antitrust stars Ryan Philippeas Milo Hoffman, a computer prodigy headhunted by evil Bill Gates-alikeGary Winston Tim Robbins); with his revolutionary communication system,Synapse, behind schedule, Winston needs all the help he can get, butwhen Milo discovers that his new boss is even resorting to murder inorder to get his project up and running, he sets out to upset theapple-cart.Whilst this movie might seem preposterous to some, I do believe thatthere is a lot of truth hidden amongst the hokum of Antitrust's script.This day and age, industrial espionage is rife, particularly in thecomputer industry, and whilst the head honchos at top corporationsmight not actually sanction murder, I expect that they turn a blind eyeto quite a bit of underhand goings-on. If you bear this in mind whenwatching Antistrust, it makes the whole affair more chilling.Ryan Philippe is pretty good as the genius who goes up against themighty corporation and he is ably supported by hotties Claire Forlani(as his girlfriend) and Rachael Leigh Cook (as a fellow nerd). DirectorPeter Howitt manages to create quite a bit of tension as Milo slowlyrealises that no-one can be trusted, and everything ties up nicely in awell paced and exciting ending.

lmlftl_aml 2012-04-25 21:21:16

Young computer programmer discovers inter workings of corporate software giant

This movie is interesting on a surface level. It has lots of action andsuspense to engage even passive viewers. Antitrust contains lots ofideas that are specific to the software industry however. The mostsignificant theme of this movie is not one that seeks to implicatemajor corporations in illegal activities; it is instead one thatblatantly discusses the idea of open source code sharing. For those ofyou who do not know what this is, it is the free sharing of computerprograming code. This movie is designed to entertain though. It makescorporate software companies look like organized crime rings. This issimply Hollywood's appeal to its audiences.This is a good movie for allaudiences; however a Linux user would particularly enjoy it.

2012-04-25 13:08:13

Antitrust

While maybe not the best of 2001...it certainly deserves 5 stars. The movie gracefully showed many aspects of the modern computer industry, while taking its(the industry's) viciousness to another level. Maybe you have to embrace the future to enjoy this movie. Or maybe you just need an open mind, but i saw this movie 3 times in theaters and every time on the way out, the people around proclaimed the greatness of the cast and the overall entertainment factor of the movie in general.

bturtle_17 2012-04-25 18:08:23

Better than expected

I expected this movie to be another brainless vehicle for cute stars, but itwas more than that. It was like minor Hitchcock in the 21st century; it hadthe suspense, the romance, the crime, as well as a modern-problem based plotwith all of the computer stuff (which you don't have to know a lot about toenjoy the movie). 3 stars out of 4.

2012-04-25 03:51:18

AntiTrust

This review is from: Antitrust (DVD) Just another awesome movie sent to the turmoil of being completely underrated. Awesome acting and amazing plot. Tim Robbins as usual giving his very best. This adrenaline pumping movie will have you on edge as it comes to it's finish. A must watch. Some critic reviews just have to be IGNORED. See it and find out for yourself. A keeper!

2012-04-20 22:11:54

Anti Trust

I think this was a solid movie, if not a bit campy with the Bill Gates look-alike. All irony aside, Tim Robbins plays the part well of a lumbering computer dweeb who lost the meaning of chips and dips on a Saturday night; it seems his character, in the whirlwind of multi-billion dollar success, was more misled by bad buisiness partners than he was diabolical. In fact, the way he played it at the end (albeit, a bit contrived) made it seem that he didn't have the where-with-all to actually order a man to murder someone else. In deed, he seemed more driven by the people who surrounded him, which would explain the anger in his character's portrayal.Ryan Phillippe looks the part of a cute, curly-haired kid who just doesn't have a clue...that is until Act III: at which point he runs the show...what a pity the writers made him that way; many of the "Geeks" I know are stupendously intelligent as well as being paranoid to a fault, much like Milo's murdered friend Teddy. Good names, though. However, I thought the Internet hits graph, at the end, in the garage, was a bit of overkill.Considering that the megopolis of the computer industry's brain-child was exclusively geared at surveiling the "Geeks," I thought that the cavalier attitude toward computer genius was overplayed with a sort of in-your-face name calling melieu.Otherwise, the script seemed well put together and the movie paced fairly well...I wasn't bored.

2012-04-20 18:42:03

Cant stop watching it !!

I was 100% pleased with Antitrust.I ran across it late one night on cable or something like that,and well that was enough for me to watch it a record 31 times now.I know EVERY line,seem boring to you?well every time i watch it,i seem to see more n more,only problem is i am dying to find out who the darn artist is when Milo and his "Girlfriend" i wont spoil that one,i AM tempted though cos I saw her in the artist movie "Basquit" -think my spellings off but i dont real much care for her and her performances BUT she did on ok job here with her pouting and crap.Ryan rocked he did a great job it was nice to see him play the "good GUY" for a change also cos all i remember him from is the "summer i told you"-pun big time flick...but i am in love with this movie hate his wife(in real life YUCK MAN!) oh and love him plus Tim Robbins was excellent...a great movie that its actually wantes me to go into the computer science field instead of the graphic one-i AM an artist-although he does like to brag.LOL.my ??? finally is WHO is the artist at Garys house when milo and alice go to Garys "Fundraiser" party.The one who keeps apearing on the screens(dont bill gates have something like that???)if anyone can help Id appreciate since i do tattoo flash comic work and my fav. artist not if it matters is DALI..so i would LOVE to know who did that work that keeps flashing when Milo is getting those IP address's from garys house -party - fundraiser-whatever..oh and i am glad they DIDNT put leigh cook to sleep with him great editing,although watching it enogh you can see where they shopuldve put maybe another little thing to fill it up.one minute-nightime they talking then its morning and there getting gasolie-hmmmm?? BUT besides those teeny blunders -GET THIS MOVIE its way way interesting and ryan i agree puts in his all..i also havent seen cruel intentions-heard its good though but i could get jealous..kidding....and i havent heard NO-ONES mentioned Gosard Park-i own that but never watched the whole thing he was great in what i saw of it....if my spelling is again off i apologize ..anyone e mail me whenever i am lonely cant you tell...lots n lots xo stephanie..enjoy emeninselly...i didnt do ggod in spelling ...xoxooxoxoxox