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gemussman
Reviews
Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
Finally done right!
In the various attempts that have been made in making Dr. Seuss stories into movies, finally it seems that they did it right. Certainly, in "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", Jim Carrey was a wise enough choice to play the Grinch; this time, his voice works superbly as Horton.
But the genius of this movie is that it does a terrific job of evening out the playing field. In "Horton", Jim Carrey is equal with Steve Carell and Carol Burnett.
One movie based on a Seuss book that was downright lousy was "The Cat In The Hat". Currently, is only rates 3.3 on IMDb. "Horton" is brilliant by comparison.
"Horton" is as fun as reading one of Dr. Seuss' books. Saying that makes me realize what a compliment that is to this movie.
I really recommend this. It goes after that part of our childhood that still exists in our hearts.
Matinee (1993)
A great thing that may never be again!
This seems to be one of those movies that might be somewhat overlooked. If that is the case for some, that is sad. In fact, this movie evokes a time in movies that simply does not exist anymore.
John Goodman plays a moviemaker that specializes in making cheap garbage movies that only appeal to kids. To build interest in the premiere of his film, he employs actors who are themselves imposters to add to the hysteria.
A real life event that adds to this is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Despite the silliness of what is happening, everything in this movie seems to be something that could have gone on at the time.
The character that John Goodman plays, Lawrence Woolsey, seems to have come from the same mold as Ed Wood or Roger Corman. They were directors who specialized in the cheap. The tricks used by Woolsey, to intensify the interest in his film, are fun to see! I seriously recommend this film. It is a delight of a bygone time!
Lucky You (2007)
Does "dud" mean anything anymore?
I am a big fan of Robert Duvall. That being said, I learned something from this movie: even the best actors in the world can make trash! I enjoy playing cards, but watching a game bores me. If I look at High Stakes Poker on GSN, I fall to sleep. I try to look at expressions of people and in this movie, Eric Bana tries to explain "poker face".
It was totally BORING! Robert Duvall was why I kept watching. I kept asking myself if he was going to do something significant. He had to know this movie was trash. Maybe he got paid well for being in it. I am sure he knows that money cannot be everything.
Avoid this movie, unless you have insomnia and need something to help you fall to sleep! My rating: 1.5 stars
The Bucket List (2007)
Only the best actors could do this!
I was, in a way, very surprised at how good this movie is. Of course, when you have two of the best actors in today's world, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, I figured it would be worth seeing.
Am I recommending this movie? OF COURSE! But, you must be prepared for seeing two guys who only have a short time left in this world. From it, I had to ask myself if I ever wanted to know how much lifetime I had left. It is best to not have the answer to that question.
Since I suffer from Multiple Sclerosis and have a lot of difficulties with it, this movie reminds us to enjoy the time we have left.
Great movie: 3.5 stars out of four!!
Cinderella Man (2005)
It made me really like Russell Crowe!
I finally watched this movie in January 2009. I should have seen it before, it was terrific! Maybe I subconsciously avoided Russell Crowe films. That is an unfair assessment. And this film did a masterful job of showing hardships people went through during the Great Depression.
Renee Zellweger is absolutely amazing in this as well. The relationship she has with Crowe is so believable.
The story is great. I suppose some would compare it to Rocky, but this was a true story. I really recommend it.
Ron Howard's direction is superb. Whenever I see his name as the director of a movie, I instantly know it is going to be good, like something Steven Spielberg does.
Bottom line: SEE THIS MOVIE
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Steve Carell at his best
This movie was a complete surprise for me, and I am glad I found it. In addition to Alan Arkin in his Oscar-winning role, Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell were equally as good! I found this movie on HBO. (Maybe it was Showtime?) I was very surprised that I did not know anything about this movie; as any movie should be, the best way to go into seeing it is to hear almost nothing about it. That way the mind is fresh to accept new things. The biggest surprise in it for me was Steve Carell. He is very talented. As the suicidal member of the family, he always seems to be close to the edge.
One of the great things about it is that there is no reason for a sequel. In the sequel-crazy world, this movie does an excellent job of standing on its own. There are many things to enjoy. You will not be disappointed. I rate this as: ***.5
Along Came Polly (2004)
Stiller is great with Aniston
This was a pleasant enough movie. It would have been released when Aniston was in her final year of "Friends". A pleasure of this is that she holds her own against Ben Stiller.
Hank Azaria is always a laugh! First, he was a boyfriend with Phoebe on "Friends", and this time he did a terrific job with the accent! He has a couple moments in this movie where I laughed myself into tears! I never discovered this film until it was almost four years old, and I wonder why I never saw it before. You will not be disappointed as a fan of Stiller and Aniston.
Great stuff!
I Am Legend (2007)
Will Smith has done better
There are things about this movie that were good, but after a while, the negativity wears thin. I won't say anything about the ending, but it made me wonder why I wasted my time. I do not understand why this movie would get such a high rating. I know that the number is an average of what others voted, but it just was not that great.
Visually, there were plenty of things that were interesting. New York in the future was fantastic. And, since the original story came from Richard Matheson, of course it is terrific. Still, there are moments where it seemed almost anti-religion. I was nearly offended, but as I say, it is mostly dull in long portions.
I use the four star rating system, and I think this movie is 2.5 stars. That means it was okay, but I didn't feel the need to see it again for a long time.