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Princess5363
Reviews
Derailed (2005)
Perfectly unsettling.... so long as you go in with an open mind...
Have you ever seen a movie that you have never before heard about? Maybe you went to a video store and said, "Hmm, that looks interesting" or had a friend insist you see a certain movie? Well, Derailed is one of those movies.
Ruined by those that decided to plaster the ending all around the internet before it ever came out, Derailed was criticized long before the public ever got their fair chance to see and critique it. I remember coming to the message boards here right after I saw it on the first day it came out and reading "The ending was so obvious" and "You're an idiot if you didn't know what was coming." I had decided I didn't want to listen to what anyone was saying about the movie until after I had seen it. And now I am one of the lucky few that actually got to see this movie as it was meant to be seen... without the spoilers running as rampant as an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
On a day that starts out like any other, Charles Schine (Owen) boards his usual train to work in Chicago, escaping his ailing marriage (his wife played by George) and a very ill diabetic daughter, in desperate need of a kidney transplant. The day changes very quickly, however, when he meets Lucinda Harris (Aniston), a woman feeling just as frustrated with her marriage and her one child. The two become friendly and soon enough become "too friendly." After an evening of flirting at a bar, they end up in a hotel room. While getting down to err business a man storms into their room (Cassel). He knocks out Charles and rapes Lucinda. After the incident, Lucinda panics when Charles suggests going to the police, out of fear that the fact that she was having an affair would get back to her abusive husband. They agree to keep it quiet.... until their attacker begins blackmailing them.
The entire movie revolves around Owen, who keeps his audience walking on eggshells just like his character. Aniston does wonders for her performance and Cassel is by far the scariest villain I have come across in a very long time. I left the theater completely horrified simply because I didn't let anyone else ruin the movie for me.
Long story short: Ignore what everyone else has said; just sit back and let the movie run it's course... that's the way it was meant to be seen.
Saving Silverman (2001)
Would've been the perfect slapstick comedy, if Neil Diamond wasn't mentioned every 5 minutes....
Alright, for starters I want to say that I have nothing against Neil Diamond. He's a good singer and all of that but even the good things become tired after being reminded of them constantly.
Darren Silverman (Biggs) has been friends with J.D. (Black) and Wayne (Zahn) since they were in the fifth grade. Each of them have their own quirks, but they remain best buddies through thick and thin for nearly two decades. Then of course, Judith Fessbeggler (Peet) comes into the picture as a romantic interest for Darren, set up together as a joke by Wayne. Soon enough Judith takes control of Darren's life and everything he does and the two remaining friends set out on a mission to replace Judith with Darren's long lost love Sandy Perkus (Detmer). That's when the comedy begins.
If Steve Zahn and Jack Black weren't in this movie, no one would've even bothered making it. They are the source of all laughs in this movie. Jason Biggs could easily be forgotten if it weren't for everything in the movie revolving around his relationships. Amanda Peet is beautiful and at the same time she doesn't revolve around her image enough to prevent her from going crazy for a few laughs. Amanda Detmer is just as forgettable as Biggs. They tried to make her funny with references to a circus mishap, becoming a nun, and dressing her up like a prostitute and yet it's still impossible to think of her as "funny." Another memorable character besides Zahn's and Black's is that of Coach Norton (R. Lee Ermey). With every line, he delivers hysteria. Though he's a minor character, he stays in your mind long after Biggs' Silverman does, as wrong as that sounds.
This movie would've been perfect if only Biggs and Detmer could've broken out of their shell enough to stir about a laugh. Of course the most important fault in this entire movie is the never ending obsession with Neil Diamond! Wow guys, we could've picked up on the fact that Neil Diamond is great with a subtle reference or two, but having the entire movie revolve around him, basically, destroyed the entire movie! This movie would've been perfect minus Neil Diamond.
Moment of Truth: A Child Too Many (1993)
a typical lifetime movie..... until the unusually simple ending
This movie set itself up for drama drama drama and then... nothing. It had potential from the very beginning. The storyline was excellent, the actors seemed prepared for the worst, and then there was an unusually easy ending.
When Patty Nowakowski (Michele Greene) decides to help out a mother in need by becoming a surrogate, she and her husband are surprised by the couple they meet. Bill and Sharon Davis are rich, powerful, and already have a child. Their problem is that they want a girl- and ONLY a girl. They agree to take the baby no matter what defects the baby may have and sign a contract to "seal the deal." Patty becomes pregnant with twins (a boy and a girl). That's when Bill explains that Sharon has a life-threatening illness and she can only take the girl. Patty gives birth to the children and the Davis's only take the girl. The drama builds up big time and lasts up until the last 15 minutes..... and that's when everyone needs to just turn off their TVs because the rest of the movie is far too simple.
The acting is done excellently by all of the actors. Keep an eye out for the Davis's (Stephen Macht and Nancy Stafford) who are so versatile. You don't know whether to hate them or feel bad for them. While Patty and Aaron Nowakowski (Michele Greene and Conor O'Farrell) seem to make this difficult situation so easy. The story would've been much better had Aaron Nowakowski (O'Farrell) been fighting against his wife instead of with her.
When it comes to watching Lifetime movies, you automatically tend to expect drama revolving around women up until the very last minute, with a heavy climax to the story and a "Phew!! An unsettling sigh of relief!" Do not turn to this movie if that's what you're expecting. This movie is over 15 minutes before it actually ends. The only reason you'll watch until the ending is because you'll be waiting for something big to happen and be utterly disappointed. 4 out of 10 for everything up until the ending.
Maid in Manhattan (2002)
For once J-Lo doesn't come off as a diva.... at least in the beginning.
The first time I saw this movie, I bought it on pay-per-view. I had an all day ticket and not once during the day could I actually sit down and watch this thing from start to finish. No, I'm not some ADD child that can't sit still. This movie was just so damn boring it just wasn't worth wasting 2 hours of my life watching it. Now it's been on Starz for a very long time and FINALLY I promised myself I would sit down and actually watch this thing from start to finish no matter how much I wanted to run away.
The absolute only thing that caught my attention was Jennifer Lopez's character. For once in her life she took on a role that makes the audience feel somewhat sympathetic for her, which is rare considering SHE always seems to consider herself as the world's biggest diva. Yes, she's made a lot of money thus far in her career, but for once she actually appears to take on a role that doesn't reinstate in everyone's mind that the only reason she's so famous is because she has a nice ass. Besides Selena, this is the only time I've seen her take on a role as a modest, minimum-wage woman whose only concern in life is the well-being of her young son.
She meets a POORLY cast Ralph Fiennes, who plays Assemblyman Chris Marshall.
As much as I can't stand J-Lo, I can't help but say it was only when he stepped into the movie I truly had to force myself from changing the channel.
As for J-Lo's son, played by Tyler Posey, he's almost believable as a normal child until he starts talking about politics. I'm sorry but any 10 year-old that is able to carry on a conversation with an assemblyman and comes off as smarter than him is most definitely NOT BELIEVABLE!!!
Overall, I really wish I had just stuck with my gut and just left it at the pay-per-view I never wanted to watch. I miss the two hours I gave up watching this. 4 out of 10.
The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004)
the mystery revealed...
The story of Natalie Wood takes the audience from before she was born (when her mother was told by a gypsy that her second daughter would be famous and beautiful, but that she should be weary of water) to the last days of her life (until her mysterious drowning death off of Catalina Island).
Justine Waddell does a wonderful job bringing the adult Natalie back to life. She looks like her and attempts to talk like her. Her role in the movie is more important and brings so much more life to the performance than any of the other characters combined. Her twice husband, Robert Wagner, was portrayed by Michael Weatherly, whose performance was just okay.
The big question of the movie is just how authentic it is. It was produced by Natalie's sister, Lana Wood, but after watching it one wonders just how true it all is, specifically the relationship between Natalie and her mother, Maria.
Many people have complained about the length of the movie (3 hours) but I don't find anything wrong with it. The time is well spent telling in detail all of the events of Natalie's dramatic life. Overall 9/10 for the story and the performance of Justine Waddell.
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
A touching true story...
I was just surfing the internet when I came across the rotten
tomatoes website and saw that there were 51 positive reviews and
50 negative ones. The thing about this movie is that it's mainly
meant for women and girls. I'll admit that it's not exactly "Best
Picture" worthy but the performances by all of the actors are
definitely among the best. Angelina Jolie does an amazing job
bringing the character of Lisa to life. I'm just surprised that Winona
Ryder didn't get an Oscar nod as well. This is definitely a movie
that every teenage girl should see.
Chicago (2002)
strangly addictive
Okay, I just got back from the movie after seeing it for the third time.
I saw the original on Broadway and was not impressed with the
movie the first time I saw it. I thought the acts didn't add up to the
genuine talent in the Broadway performance. Weeks went by and I
couldn't get the songs out of my head. I downloaded all the songs
from both the real musical and the movie and compared them. I
must admit that the singing is better in the movie.
The movie is put together in a way that one can actually
understand the plot, whereas the only thing I remember about the
Broadway show was the dancing. The costumes are gorgeous
and I love the Roxie number where she's dancing in front of the
mirrors. True this movie is no Singing in the Rain, but it still
manages to stick in ones mind long after seeing it. The
transitions from the scenes to the different numbers were done
exceptionally well, especially in Cell Block Tango. The movie
definitely deserves the Oscar for Best Cinematography.
As for the acting, I don't know why everyone is panning Renee's
performance saying she was too innocent or cute. I saw the movie
three times and couldn't find an argument to support that.
Catherine Zeta did a very good job playing Velma, but I don't think
it's quite worth the Oscar. Velma doesn't really have a big enough
part or the character depth for that. I liked Richard Gere and
Queen Latifah (even though I can't understand why her gigantic
boobs had to be falling out of her dress during her "When You're
Good to Mama" number. As for John C. Reily, I honestly don't
understand why he's getting an Oscar nomination. Maybe it was
sympathy for his character (he did a really good job making you
feel bad for him, but not worth an Oscar).
My one MAJOR CRITICISM= all of the anorexic dancers. It made
me sick to my stomach a lot of the time to see all those rib cages
protruding out like the dancers hadn't eaten in weeks. I thought it
was really unnecessary and somewhat gross to see all those
bones sticking out, even in a society obsessed with being thin. It
distracted me a lot. The actresses in musicals from the past
weren't that thin (either that or they weren't showing it off so
obviously).
Overall, I strongly recommend you see the movie. You might just
end up like me, going back to see it over and over and over again...
(10/10)
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Eh, it was okay...
It was nice to see all the familiar characters again, but the story bothered me. We loved Ariel in the first movie- so why is the second one centered around her daughter? The new characters were annoying and I didn't like the plot of this. Worst of all, Christopher Daniel Barnes didn't come back as the voice of Eric! Disney, please stop remaking classic movies with these shoddy imitations.
Pocahontas (1995)
A Beautiful Story
Alright, yes this isn't the true story of Pocahontas, but why would Disney make a movie about what really happened? Disney patched it up to make it more appropriate for the audience, just the way it has in other stories. The original story of The Little Mermaid has Ariel's character kill herself in the end because her prince marries someone else. Disney doesn't "do" that crap so stop whining about Disney not including the little part about John Smith raping Pocahontas, etc.
As for this movie, by far my favorite aspect of this movie was the art. The wind blowing the leaves, the mist over the water, everything like that far outweighs any other Disney movie prior to that. Sure this movie didn't exactly have a "happily ever after" ending, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The songs were beautiful and the connection between John Smith and Pocahontas is far more stronger than any other leading characters in a Disney movie. This story has a moral to it and it leaves you thinking afterward. I'm sorry there were no songs like "Under the Sea" or "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" but this story is a lot more deeper than that.
And I disagree with the guy who said the songs took away from the story. If anything, they enhanced it. If you want something simple, go rent the Power Puff Girls movie-- if you're mature enough to want something more, then rent this movie. (10/10)
Signs (2002)
I'm going to bed with the lights on tonight!!!
I just saw the movie tonight and I am so freaked out right now. I seriously am not going to sleep tonight. All the clips that you see in the commercials and in the trailers are all shown at the beginning of the movie so you have no idea what to expect for the remaining 75% of the movie. I found myself screaming and laughing at the same time... something that doesn't often happen at the movies for me :)