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Reviews
Living on One Dollar (2013)
Lacking depth
I really felt this could have been powerful, however I felt this was really just a shallow portrayal by a bunch of kids with little to lose. This really could have been very powerful if they had spent a year, rather than eight weeks. I never felt like they were really doing anything more than a peace corps volunteer might have experienced over a much longer period of time.
Frankly it felt like a bunch of rich kids trying to feel better about themselves. If they were really trying to survive they would have taken their radish harvest and seriously tried to sell it to the indigenous culture. Giving it away just proved that in the end they could rely on the bank account set up by their parents. I am not impressed.
It just had no impact with me.
Sorry
Isn't It Romantic? (2013)
Cute Movie Short
I read the script before production (my first script read, so I'm not really skilled in seeing the final product from a piece of paper) and thought this wasn't going to add up to much. However, this is a truly entertaining short film. The message is clear, succinct, and delivered with wit. It is amazing how a talented director and sharp editing can create a work of art. Paul Rothbart did a terrific job with a short theme and a small budget. I particularly liked the casting choices for the wife and the actor. Don't forget to stay for the out-takes at the end ... it really rounds-out the experience and will make you laugh.
Nice job!
The Master (2012)
Tough Movie to Like
I could have liked this movie. The premise was promising. The acting was terrific (especially Phoenix, whom I said to my wife at the beginning, "I really don't like Juaquim Phoenix"). The sad fact is, this movie is about nothing. It goes nowhere and there is no real story. My wife and I wanted desperately to shut it off 80% of the way through this lethargic show. I gave it a "4" for the acting. The screenplay is terrible. This is all I wanted to say about this but IMDb insists I write ten lines. I am not sure I know the value of that. Anyway, I enjoyed "There will be Blood", which is also long and slow, but I understood the sad story of a evil and driven man. Phoenix sort of reminded me of a Billie Bob Thornton character (he could have been cast equally well), but this was surely a great opportunity for Phoenix to show the world he is an acting talent.
Lincoln (2012)
Just Simply Boring
I go to the theatre to see very few movies as I have the patience to wait until I can watch them at home. With anticipation I went to the theatre to see Lincoln. Truth is, this film NEVER got my interest and I know a film is poor, when I am pulled out of the film somewhere in the middle (pulled out mentally). In fact, I contemplated leaving the theatre less than half way through. Had I been on the end of aisle, I probably would have. This movie started with uninteresting dialogue and forces the viewer to sit through hours of the same until the conclusion. Ugh! VERY disappointing. There is clearly room for another film about this great man, because Spielburg told us only about one month of this man's life. I wish I had gone to see Argo instead.