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Reviews
Dead Poets Society (1989)
My favorite movie- it could change you if you let it!
I don't cry very often in movies, but I cry every time near the end of this one. To show what a profound influence literature and free thought can have on young minds is priceless, and to tie in the passion of Thoreau, Whitman, Shakespeare and others makes this movie invaluable. I have seen it close to 50 times, and always feel as if I have just watched it for the first time. Robin Williams is fantastic, and gives what I still consider the best performance of his career. Don't believe what some of the critics say about this movie (the main message of the movie is to think for yourself and be your own person!); watch it with an open mind and you could be changed forever.
The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
Disappointing movie
I was disappointed in this movie for many reasons. Minute details of the book were crammed into the movie, which would make the movie very hard to follow if the viewer did not read the book. A lot of Irving's books have strange sexual themes, which sometimes do not translate to the big screen, and "Hotel New Hampshire" is one of those books. While it is one of Irving's best books, and gives a lot of history for each character, the movie left the characters shallow and undeveloped. Too bad, because a wonderful acting job by Jodie Foster was wasted on a phrenetic, nonsensical movie. Rob Lowe's performance (or lack thereof) really hurts the movie, but the adaptation of Irving's novel to the big screen (unlike Cider House Rules) left much to be desired.
Sideways (2004)
Fantastic screenplay!!
One of the few films that I laughed out loud in the theatre, and remembered several scenes for days. The screenplay is second-to-none, and the banter between Thomas Hayden-Church and Paul Giamatti is priceless. The neurotic tendencies of Giamatti's character, teamed with the moral bankruptcy of Hayden-Church's character, make for a movie-going experience that I didn't want to end! (speaking of which, the ending of this film is perfect!) Although I am not into wine as much as the characters in Sideways, the surroundings of the California wine country were beautifully captured in this film, and make a wine-tasting trip very attractive! Although this movie is getting tons of Oscar buzz and hype, it is well worth every minute and dollar spent at the theatre.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Give us some credit!!
Without the wonderful special effects of this film, I would have rated it a 2! A silly plot with annoying people, I was almost hoping more of the cast would become dinosaur fodder, so that less time would be spent on badly written dialogue and more time would be spent on dinosaurs!
The ending leaves much to be desired, and many parts of the movie treat the audience as having very little intelligence. The ending was way too "neat", and it seemed as if the movie had run out of funds, and had to make an abrupt ending in order to stay on budget. As much as I loved the original Jurassic Park (JP III makes many references to this movie), I didn't connect with any characters in this movie save Dr. Grant. Sam Neill was good in JP III, but he was unfortunately the only human bright spot.
This is worth seeing just for the effects alone, but don't expect too much more!
Meet the Parents (2000)
Overhyped!
Don't get me wrong; some parts of "Meet the Parents" were very funny, but the movie as a whole seemed like a slow train wreck.
I was waiting throughout the movie for Ben Stiller to be a man and stand up for himself while all of his girlfriend's family dumped on him. I think his girlfriend was the most maddening character of all, not taking up for him and basically setting him up for failure. She also let him sleep late, and wear his pajamas to the breakfast table, when everyone else was dressed and ready to go. I would have drawn the line at the lie detector test, and walked out of the house, never to see any of that family (including his girlfriend) again.
I had heard wonderful things about this movie from almost everyone I know, and to say the least, I was incredibly disappointed.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Smart comedy!
What an unbelievably hilarious movie!! Every time George Clooney opened his mouth and spoke with that unmistakable accent and diction, I cracked up! What a treat to see the respect the Coens had for Homer's classic story.
This was one of the best times I have had in a comedy since "Raising Arizona." Since the Coens seem to recycle actors/actresses in their movies (John Goodman, Holly Hunter), I hope that George Clooney will be in future movies by these great comic directors.
Gun Shy (2000)
My favorite comedy since "Raising Arizona"
What a scream!
Oliver Platt reinforced his greatness with me, perfecting his role as a neurotic Mafia man, and there were so many classic lines in this movie ("I can't even go to the bathroom without getting in a pissing contest.") that I will have to add this to my personal movie collection soon.
I would think that this is a love/hate movie with most people, but I can't imagine anyone not laughing during the newspaper theft scene (with Oliver Platt and his neighbor). I am glad my eye caught this movie at the movie rental place!!
Casablanca (1942)
What a love story!
The best love story of all time. Bogart has a presence in this movie that is unrivaled, and Bergman's angelic visage really adds to the magic of this movie. I will never tire of this movie, as every frame is perfectly shot, every word spoken is magical. The stars and moon were aligned in a way that made this movie one of the best of all time.