Reviews by nataliegoes

The story of a tailor, his wife and their five children at the beginning of the 20th century. It's a hard life, and they get through the trials and tribulations the best they can. I should have liked this book more, as the characters are shades of grey and not easily pigeonholed. Unfortunately, I didn't like it, although it certainly kept me reading. I'm not sure if it was the mood or the characters themselves, but I was always slightly uneasy with the book, and am now glad it's over.

The truth is I adore this movie. But I'm not sure I recommend this movie. It's the story of a young idealistic writer who falls in love with an actress/courtesan, and trying to keep the rich investor of the show from knowing it. It's quite hokey, but embraces this hokiness with all out abandon. It's melodramatic and absurd, and is definitely not for everyone. But the visuals are wonderful. This was a movie really made for the big screen, and loses something when brought down to fit on your television. However, the actors are excellent, and the music is fun. But be warned, it is exceedingly hokey.

It was quite refreshing to see people you might know in a movie. All the characters were people you would be willing to be friends with, and there were no bad guys. Just people who found themselves in realistic situations that hadn't come out to plan. And as life rarely goes as planned, one can relate. Even the silly people (the E! staff, doctors, her mother) were interesting and reasonable. Although we all know it's going to have a happy ending, you never knew exactly what the next scene was. It was a fun romp through people's lives. Very likable.

Airplane was probably the first Big Budget Spoof, and is still a classic. Many of the spoofs are dated, and probably will make no sense to anyone under the age of 40 (Here to Eternity, Coffee Commercial, etc.), and some of it is very politically incorrect, but the movie is still worth a look. The Saturday Night Fever spoof is way too long, I'll admit. But this movie still gives me the giggles each time I see it. From the opening sequence, to the "Don't call me Shirley" lines there are plenty of cheesy laughs. And Leslie Nielsen did steal the movie with his deadpan delivery, which is why his career skyrocketed after this movie.

This was a movie we couldn't finish. The secondary characters were so two dimensional and unbelievable that we were only able to get a half hour into this movie. Diane Keaton in particular, and the students from the Polytech were so predictably unlikable and unrealistic. Very disappointing.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I this this movie needed to be a little campier. This is an interesting concept, the movie based on the semi-biographical novel by Chuck Barris, interweaves some of the truth about this odd man, with a spy thriller. It just didn't work for me. The best parts were the slightly campy scenes like with Julia Roberts or the annoying couple he chaperoned in Berlin. More of that would have made me happy.

This is a silly bit of fun posing as a romantic comedy. The film is filled with good acting and interesting characters. And when the plot is the most fantastical is when it's best. And the chemistry between the main characters does work. But the film returns to a more realistic slant, and that slows it down and makes the plot holes too huge to overlook. But a good bit of fun and a pleasant way to spend some time.

This story about tragedy that somehow surrounds an average family in an average neighborhood, is filled with some of today's best actors. The story of the family bleeds over into the young men of the neighborhood as well, and gives the viewer a feeling of a (non-sexual) voyeurism. I think it enhances the viewers experience (by listening to the boys thoughts), but it also distances you at the same time. I assume the book is the same way. It was really well done, yet somehow unsatisfying. Perhaps that is the point.

Groundhog Day still stands up well after all these years. And is very re-watchable. The set-up to the premise (i.e. the very first time he lives the day) goes by in good pace. And the repeats of the days can be as short as 30 seconds, or much longer depending on the main character's changing objectives. It's cute, and funny and thought provoking. How often do you get a romantic comedy that does all that?

Love, Ludlow is the coming together of three very different people. Myra, the hard-as-nail secretary; Ludlow, her 24 year old brother with a normal appearance but acts like he's 10 (except for reading all the great authors of the world); and Myra's co-worker Reggie who is extremely timid and completely out of place in NYC. The plot pieces aren't particularly original, but the characters and their reactions are. It's a great movie for those of us who are tired of films filled with all completely despicable characters, and yet this ain't syrupy sweet, either.