All reviews - Movies (88) - TV Shows (1) - Books (29)

Flawless Film

Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago on 4 February 2008 06:53 (A review of Juno)

This is everything I want in a movie. This is a smart persons movie. The movie was written for people who have seen movies before, they didn't belabor all the plot points and lead you around by the nose. Yes, the the witty dialog might be unrealistic, but I would love it if I were that quick on the draw and creative, and those around me were, too. I loved that the people were quirky, but deep, that Juno liked her step-mom...and best of all there were no "villains". People are much more complicated than being "good" or "bad" and the St. Cloud couple were brilliant examples. The movie made me laugh, cry, clap, cheer, sigh, get angry... it had it all. I can't think of a single thing that I would want to change in this film. Flawless.

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Punk Poet Never Has a Chance

Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 16 January 2008 07:12 (A review of Control)

The chances of a poet living into their 30's must only be 50%. And a punk singers chances must also only be 50%. Since Ian Curtis was a poet who turned to punk music his chances of living to a ripe old age were zero. And this movie follows his brief time as an adult. And a good movie it is. The director frequently lets the scene tell the story, rather than having the characters narrate their every move. And the acting was excellent. And Sam Riley was hynotizingly watchable. I was not a fan of the black and white... it gave the movie a very 60's feel to the movie, and it took place in the 70's. And there was nothing B/W about the 70's! But still an excellent movie.

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Proof that the script matters

Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 10 January 2008 08:10 (A review of Missing in America)

Boy, was this proof that even good actors cannot save a bad script. Perhaps a director can, but not the actors. I thought that the acting was well done and that may be the only thing that allowed me to make it through the whole movie. It's the story of an old grumpy guy who ends up having to take care of a child. Just because that story has been done a million times is not an excuse for the pathetic plot devices and inane dialog. The scenery was interesting, the side stories could have been edifying, but no. And the worst transgression of this movie was that there was not one single thing that occurred without it being broadcast before it happened. It was beyond predictable...prediction implies you could guess what would happen. No, you KNEW everything that was going to happen a large time in advance. Please watch your favorite TV show in reruns for the 610th time before you waste a minute on this movie.

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Thin on story, rich in characters

Posted : 8 months ago on 20 December 2007 08:35 (A review of Prodigal Summer)

Prodigal Summer revolves around three separate stories that occur in the same county in West Virginia...an old rigid widower, the new city bride of one of the local farmers and a recently divorced woman working for the park service alone up in the mountains. There is no big climax in the book, no secret plotline to time them all together, no action. But the drama is real, and the characters are all interesting and can be related to. The thing that really ties them all together is their relationship with the land and nature. Her writing is not heavy handed, nor the story overly dramatic. She creates an location that's a nice place to be, and was kinda sad to leave.

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Nothing to Lose and Still Lost

Posted : 8 months, 1 week ago on 16 December 2007 01:25 (A review of Bicentennial Man)

I watched this on a cold, rainy Saturday night and there was nothing on tv. So I had nothing to lose. Except that my head was filled with garbage. It's the story of a robot who had some sort of wiring configuration that made him special. He's sold to a family who eventually realize he's special. But Pinocchio wants to be a real boy. And for two hours you are subjected to drivel. Robin Williams as a robot is a horrible choice. He's way to human, and that's his specialty. Why not use somebody else. It's a marvelous cast wasted on a film that doesn't work.

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Bitterly Disappointing

Posted : 8 months, 2 weeks ago on 8 December 2007 07:59 (A review of The Golden Compass)

I am a fan of the book, but will admit that it is not brilliant writing. But there is something in the book that makes it gripping and intelligent. But it is very complicated. And there was no way that they could stay completely true to the book. But the screen adaptation has lost that "something" completely. The special effects are marvelous, and costuming and stylization was pretty much how I imagined it. They changed the "Church" to the "Magasterium" and never talk about Original Sin, like in the book, but I wasn't surprised by that (being a bit controversial). But I think the thing that bothered me the most is the way they dumbed it down and made it too obvious. Part of the magic of the book is figuring out things, and that never happens here. And maybe the fatal flaw of the movie was there inability to impress on the viewer how important each person's daemon was to them, how sacred that it, how much a part of the person this creature is. My husband (never read the book) thought this may have been one of the worst movies he ever saw. I just know that it broke my heart.

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Fabulous Scenery, Uncomfortable Plot

Posted : 8 months, 3 weeks ago on 27 November 2007 06:38 (A review of Lust, Caution)

Lust, Caution was made by Ang Lee for a Taiwanese company, released in Taiwan and I believe for the Asian market. This film is really beautiful. It's set in Shanghai and Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation of China in World War II. The scenery and costuming is so interesting, which was lucky because the story left me wanting. There are some pretty graphic, and fairly violent sex scenes in this movie, so not for the faint of heart. I found them annoying. I got bored. The story of a bunch of unprepared actors who end up trying to do a big time assassination in the name of patriotism could have been better. And the attraction between the female actor and her target never felt real to me. I just didn't get it. But, the scenery...did I mention the scenery? Awesome.

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Not Entertaining

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 17 November 2007 11:14 (A review of All the Real Girls)

A group of small-towners talk. They're not very bright, not funny and really not interesting. If I wanted to listen to this garbage I'd have stayed in a small town and done nothing with my life, too. At least in "Beautiful Girls" they were funny and interesting, but I'm so glad I never had to spend much time with people like those from this movie. Gave up half way through it, never did find out if there was a point to it all.

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The Frenchest Movie Ever

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 15 November 2007 05:46 (A review of J'aimerais pas crever un dimanche)

This movie is the epitome of a French movie. It's about death, sex, wine, cigarettes, depression and boredom. I knew what I was getting into before seeing this movie, so it wasn't terribly shocking, but this is not for the modest. The plot is really irrelevant, it's a vehicle for the angst, disgust and provocation that the French enjoy in their movies. Afterwards I was asked if I liked it and replied "You aren't supposed to enjoy French movies, they'd be insulted if you did". I think that sums it up precisely.

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Interesting but disjointed

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 11 November 2007 08:51 (A review of Tilt: A Skewed History of the Tower of Pisa)

In preparation for a trip to Tuscany next year I ordered "Tilt". It's a history of the tower we all know as the "Leaning Tower of Pisa". It was built as a bell tower to match the Duomo and Baptistry in the middle of Pisa. The ground underneath began to subside almost immediately after construction began. And thus begins the story of how it was built, and the various attempts to keep it from falling over. Although the history itself is interesting, I found the book to be a little disjointed...but then again history rarely takes a straight line. I'm afraid the book isn't interesting enough to be a good reason to read it, unless you are already interested in the subject.

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