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Reviews
Jersey Girl (2004)
Much better than expected
I had seen the reviews and read some comments here on this film before I went (at the behest of my spouse), expecting the worst. I must admit that I enjoyed this film on a superficial level. George Carlin is hilarious as the father, Racquel Castro is a very good child actor and all in all, I would have to say this film is a good addition to the "Spouse dies leaving a single parent" genre of romantic comedies. Some here have commented on the "deeper" meaning of this film, but I don't think that is the point. This movie was designed as light entertainment, and it serve that role admirably. I rate this movie 6/10, nothing earthshattering, but an enjoyable two hours.
50 First Dates (2004)
When Rob Schneider has the best performance in a film, you know you are in trouble
I went to this movie expecting to like it. I usually enjoy Drew Barrymore, and Adam Sandler had good chemistry with her in "The Wedding Singer". 50 First Dates starts with a sad premise (a person with short term memory loss), and then adds a ridiculous idea (that someone would try to meet this person and "reromance" her on a daily basis, after she forgets him) to attempt another "romantic comedy", which, as usual, was not romantic and not funny. Fortunately, Rob Schneider (who is usually weak) is quite hilarious in his sidekick role, to keep the film from being a total waste of time. The rest of the cast seems to realize this film is a lost cause and sleepwalks through the whole affair. I gave this film a 5/10 for Schneider's antics, plus some good performances by the trained animals (and, no, Sandler is not included as one of the animals). Probably best to wait for cable on this one.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Beautiful film, but badly flawed
Watching this film is like taking a 24 hour tour of an art museum. The cinematography, costumes, acting and sets are all absolutely first rate. The battle scenes and sailing sequences are just outstanding. Unfortunately, the plot is paper thin and only about 3 of the characters are developed at all. There is about 30 minutes worth of plot in a 120 minute movie, with the rest being semi-related filler material. A little editing would have made it much better. I rate this movie 6 out of 10 for the craft and beauty. I do recommend that you see this in a theater if you see, because most of the grand effects will be lost on the small screen.
Maze (2000)
A different kind of movie
I kind of liked this movie, but I feel it is not quite as good as the reviews indicate. Good points: Excellent acting all around, good writing and decent direction. Bad points: Very slow pacing (too many dead spots), weak editing, and an annoying cinematography technique of switching to a first person view (and a blurry one at that) when Lyle is having a Tourette's attack. Overall: Good, but not great, 6/10.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Nice spy thriller
I have to say I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. Not the most original storyline, but very good performances, great action sequences, great locations/scenery, and nice cinematography. Admittedly Julia Stiles is somewhat wasted in her role (maybe not the best use of the budget, but that is not my concern), but its not like having a "nobody" in the role would have improved the picture or anything. I do wonder why they decided to film the last book in the series. I think they missed the opportunity to start a series of Bourne movies based on the Ludlum novels. Overall, worth the price of admission....8/10.
Path to War (2002)
Well done technically, but part of the big lie
No question this film was well acted and directed (and cast for that matter), but I had a hard time with this films attempt to exonerate LBJ from the damage he did to the country. The film tends to lay the blame at the feet of McNamara, Rusk and others, where the reality is that the president selected these men as his advisors, and the responsibility for this country's single military loss fall squarely on his shoulders. 6/10.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
A Wonderful Movie
This has got to be the best "wedding" picture ever. If you have ever lived in an immigrant family, be it Greek, Italian, or Chinese, you will see all your friends and family on the screen. This is the truest depiction of the immigrant experience on film today. Additionally, the film is absolutely hilarious. Don't miss it. 10/10
Bone Daddy (1998)
Boy, did this one suck!
This movie wants to be a serial killer suspense movie, but ends up being a bore. Predictable ending, flat characters, wooden acting. Nice photography of Chicago, but really not a good movie. Don't waste your time or money on this junk. Rating: 3/10
Ice Age (2002)
Harmless, lightweight fun
I really wanted to like this movie, but I have to say it did not live up to my expectations. The movie wasn't bad, necessarily, but it wasn't great either. The voice acting was quite good, especially Denis Leary, and most of the jokes were pretty humorous, but thats about where it stops. The plot was quite thin, even for a comedy, with a sickeningly sweet sentimental ending. The movie was pretty slow paced, with long period of not much happening. The animation was average at best, with the human characters looking especially bad. The animation in this film to that of "Monster, Inc." or even "Shrek" and you will see where I am coming from. Rating 5.5 out of 10 for adults, probably about 4 for kids (too sloooow for a young attention span).
Harrison's Flowers (2000)
Great acting and cinematography, but a implausible story
I'm really torn about this one. On one hand, the performances by Andie MacDowell and Adrian Brody are very good, maybe even Oscar quality, and the cinematography is truly excellent, capturing the horror that was Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, the story line is really kind of ridiculous. First, is there ANY mother that would intentionally orphan her children to go to a warzone looking for a likely dead husband? Second, it is VERY unlikely that anyone as naive as she is could make it through to Vodrosnik, regardless of who was helping. Third, the opening scenes in New York/New Jersey are not very watchable, with most of the actors trying too hard. It has a "Lifetime movie" feel to it. Once the film gets to Europe, however, a different sensibility takes over and it becomes riveting cinema, if you can suspend your disbelief of the general concept. Overall, I thought it as a good, but not great movie, certainly worth the price of admission if you can get by the premise. I give it an 8/10.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Sort of enjoyable, but incredibly stupid
This is one of those eye candy type of movies. Great stunts, special effects, sound and cinematography (and lots of cool cars, if you are into that.) But the story was a version of the Point Break story, with extra helpings of stupidity and inplausibility. The characters are VERY thin, which fits right in with the rest of the script. Amazingly, the DVD of this movie is quite well done, with excellent dts sound and a widescreen video. Lots of extras too, although I didn't bother to look at any of them (like I really want the director's commentary on this crap!) I give this one a 3/10 for the eye candy, but don't bother to turn on your brain if you watch it. Just enjoy the show.
No Man's Land (2001)
Scathing
This is a very captivating film. Well acted, well written, well paced and beautifully shot. The film lays bare the farce of "peacekeeping" forces, sent into a war zone without permission to actually fight back. This is a must see. 9/10
Lantana (2001)
Very Slooooooow
While I can appreciate the effort put into this film, it was way too slow for my taste. The acting was great, but so much time was put into developing the characters that little time was available to develop a story. I give it a 5/10.
Swimming with Sharks (1994)
Not bad, but overrated (minor spoiler)
I guess I expected a little more humor in this movie, plus, the movie ran a little too long up to the point where Frank "cracks". The acting was fine, but the story line just didn't grab me the way I thought it would. 6/10.
Spy Game (2001)
Good, but not very likely
Good acting, interesting locations, tension resulting from a time limit, and then......... "lets do an ending that absolutely, positively, would never occur". A little aggravating, to say the least. Also, the cinematography was not really right for this type of movie (strange, MTV style cuts and stop action shots), and additionally, the movie looked a little washed out, colorwise. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the movie, so lets say 6.5 out of 10.
Manhunter (1986)
Interesting
This is a beautifully filmed movie with great acting. Tom Noonan is especially good in this. Unfortunately, the film is marred by extremely slow pacing. It seems that so much craft was used in the filming of each shot made the editor and director less willing to cut out some of the fat from the movie. Incidentally, the DVD transfer on this movie is one of the best I have seen, especially the audio.
The Glass House (2001)
Ugh!
I can't believe this movie is rated as high as a 5.6. A ridiculously stupid plot (Bad guy needs money, so he kills his friends who had nominated him as their kids guardian, with the plan of stealing the kids' inheritance after he adopts them....You gotta be kidding. Can anyone think of a harder way to raise cash?), bored actors (Diane Lane should be ashamed), and generally awful pacing. The music was obnoxious and overbearing as well. Stay away from this drivel! a very generous 3/10 (for nice scenery)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Style over Substance
This was one of those movies that focuses so much on maintaining a style that it forgets its mission of telling a story. Not that this is a bad film, mind you, but the pacing drags. The story is kind of interesting, but the movie takes so long to get there that it is easy to lose interest. On the plus side, the film does an excellent job of capturing the film noir feel of the 40s and 50s. BUT, it does not do it better than the classics of that era. Unless you are a noir fan, I would suggest you rent Sunset Blvd. or The Maltese Falcon instead. My rating: 6/10.
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
Great for its time, but....
I was a little disappointed with this film. Pluses - The camera work was way ahead of its time, with some of the shots looking like scenes from modern horror flicks. The music on the VHS version was amazing. Minuses - Pacing on this film is quite slow, with extended scenes of people traveling. The film is about a 45 minute story stretched over 80 minutes. For some reason, version I watched kept changing color of the black and white, i.e. some sections were reddish, others blue, others brown, and very occasionally grey. Since I don't believe they had the technology to do this in 1922, this looks like the restorers trying to get cute. My rating - 7/10
The Golden Bowl (2000)
Pretty, but slow, with mediocre to poor acting
In this film, Kate Beckensale and Uma Thurman turn in extremely wooden performances. Jeremy Northam is more focused on his accent than his emotions. Only Nolte is convincing in his role. Not a good effort and not worth a video rental.
Intersection (1994)
Bad, Bad, Bad
While the acting in this movie was pretty decent, the plot and storyline were pedestrian, simply showing the results of a bad marriage and the resulting affair, a story we have seen 1000 times. But, to further drop this film into the mire, the story was told as a series of unconnected flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks. Now, sometimes, this technique is needed for a particular or special type of story, but here, it is simply annoying. The minimal plot becomes even more meaningless when told this way. Probably the worst film of Gere's career, but not his worst performance (Sommersby wins that honor.)
Serendipity (2001)
Bleccch!
This is one of those movies that makes you wonder how it could get past the executives at the studio. First, the story is sentimental dreck, approximately 3 rungs below the intellectual level of the average Harlequin Romance. Just what we need, more claptrap about fate bringing couples together. Second, while Eugene Levy and Jeremy Piven turn in creditable performances, John Cusack seems to be sleepwalking through the film, and the rest of the cast seems bored with the whole exercise. Kate Beckinsale, as the female lead, is particularly obnoxious. Save your money and wait for the video on this one, then, when it comes out, rent something else!