chandlerbing28 Reviews

Goodbye Solo (2008)

best character I have seen in a long time

[10/10 · 3 May 2009]

This movie made me wish there were an Oscar or other award for "Best Character." My friends and I were very impressed with Solo--who was a seamless blend of great writing and amazing acting.

This man can act with his eyes.

I wished I could be the character's friend so that he could experience the love that he gives to others. You won't be able to get him out of your mind.

It was really nice to see a character-driven movie that did not feel like a movie because nothing was artificially pumped up or heightened. The true story occurred during the random ordinary moments of life.

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

excellent drama overshadowed by annoying and unnecessary circus

[3/10 · 12 March 2009]

This movie drove me absolutely insane due to the ridiculous music and multi-culti theme. It was so 'LET'S MAKE THIS SUPER QUIRKY, POLITICALLY CORRECT AND MULTI-CULTI WITH ANNOYING MULTI-INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC!!!!!" Can't they have a normal Asian guy? No, he has to have a shaved head, be some sort of Hari Krishna and wear a tunic, but he has pink sunglasses because he's QUIRKY!!

And of course the black female singer has to have a pink hat and native dress while she strolls around singing!!! I think someone even had war paint on while playing some sort of music. One guy said "Oh, I met Sydney in Jamaica while some island music was playing." So ridiculous!! I was waiting for a Mexican guy with a giant sombrero to ride in on a burro, and then an Irish leprechaun to leap out from under the pews or something.

Lest you think I am racist, let me point out that I am white and have friends who are Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Indian. I have 2 sets of friends in "inter-racial" marriages, and knew people in such relationships all the way back in high school. No one thought anything of it. However, my friends are all professional, they don't walk around in tunics or native dress and don't burst into stereotypical native song at the drop of a hat!!! My Caucasian friend married a guy from India and there were no saris to be seen.

Secondly, I am very much into music and can play some instruments and have been in professional bands and choirs.

However, that being said, I have never seen so much random multi-culti stuff and bad music shoved down our throats in my life. I had to mute the TV a few times as I couldn't take it another second! There was no reason for any of it and it just about ruined the movie for me.

The point of the movie was Kym's relationship with her family and with her addiction. The wedding should have been a backdrop. We should not have had to sit through an hour and a half of random people telling ridiculous stories and singing ridiculous songs just to get that wonderful drama from Kym and her family. And even when that got going, Rachel got tired and went to bed, cutting it short. You don't do that in a drama!!!

Goody, more time for dishwasher stuffing contests accompanied by violins! The best part was when Anna Deavere Smith told the musicians "Give it a rest!!"

And how about the fact that Kim had sex with a guy after 2 minutes of her arrival home and then nothing came of it? Was he the same guy who was at the AA meeting? The movie seemed to ignore opportunities for actual plot and instead fill it with random multi-culti music. Like, perhaps she could have had a private conversation with him about her addiction and the family dynamics since he would be the only one who might get it... Or maybe we can find out how she got started with drugs in the first place.

It is too bad that the wonderful performances by the main actors were so overshadowed by the completely unnecessary and unnatural circus going on. And, even apart from the music and the stereotypical multi-ethnicity going on, the cutesy, "we are such a fun, quirky family" thing was shoved down our throats like in "Dan in Real Life." It was exhausting.

There were wonderful dramatic moments, and issues of forgiveness that were excellent. But rent "Ordinary People" if you would like to see this topic done brilliantly, without an annoying sideshow. That remains one of my favorite movies.

The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (2008 TV Special)

very poorly produced show

[1/10 · 21 September 2008]

This was an amazingly poorly produced show. Even Oprah seemed stilted and her speech was too long. The most outrageously bad part had to do with the five reality show hosts. They killed time in the most ridiculous way, having nothing to say and making that their "bit." It was appalling. Howie Mandel talked way too much, and Tom Bergeron and Heidi Klum said nothing. Then, they pulled off Heidi Klum's clothes because she was wearing a suit instead of a tiny dress!! Then, they dragged out the announcement of the winner, by having them wait for a commercial. Jimmy Kimmel was insulting and not funny, and his "the judges said..." section didn't even make sense on top of not being funny because he was mixing judges from different shows. More time wasting. The winner even apologized for it, that was how bad it was!!! People even referred to their own sections as time wasters.

There was a very long, unfunny and excruciating "bit" between Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell. This was the only time Steve has ever not been funny or charming, and it was because he had ridiculous material.

Even the new Scorcese/Tina Fey commercial was long and appallingly boring (now he describes the timeshare in Boca). Put it this way--it makes those Seinfeld/Bill Gates commercials seem funny and organized in comparison.

Josh Groban doing a medley of theme songs--I couldn't hit the mute button fast enough. Was he serious? That being said, the actors made the best of it--everyone looked terrific and was in good spirits. The one thing I did like about the show was that they used the sets from the actual shows, but they barely showed them.

It was also nice to see some older actors, like Mary Tyler Moore and Betty White, introduce an award.

Recount (2008 TV Movie)

Excellent movie!

[10/10 · 26 May 2008]

I had no idea how convoluted and poorly-handled the 2000 presidential election in Florida really was until seeing this movie. I remember that there were comments in the news about hanging chads, etc., but did not know about all of the legal and other issues that are revealed in the movie. It makes you wonder about all elections in all counties and states, on any issue.

It was absolutely riveting the entire way through--just when you think it was going one way, there would be a reversal. Fictional movies wish they had this many plot twists. My least favorite topic, normally, is politics, so for this movie to make an election in one state riveting, is saying a lot.

The performances were excellent, particularly by Kevin Spacey. The dialog and performances were so natural, it was almost like a documentary.

Great job by all!

Two for the Money (2005)

Terrific movie

[8/10 · 7 October 2007]

I thought this movie was quite good. Matthew McConaughey did a great job, as did Al Pacino and Rene Russo, as always. The subject matter was interesting, and not something I had seen before. I also enjoyed the character study of Al Pacino, who was clearly not a recovered gambler after all, he just started gambling with his company and with people, rather than his own personal money.

The father father/son, mentor/protégé aspect was also interesting. You could tell that Jeremy Piven's character had been Al's golden boy at some point.

Many have pointed out a lull in the second act. I didn't feel that at all--quite the contrary I was very tense, especially watching the football games where they had taken the "under" and so had to sweat each point.

Breach (2007)

Excellent movie all the way around

[10/10 · 29 June 2007]

This movie is a smart, intense thriller with A+ work all the way around, from the direction to the script to each member of the cast. I already knew Chris Cooper and Laura Linney were top-notch and they definitely proved that again in this film. Ryan Phillippe was the big surprise for me. He was excellent and I often had the eerie sense that he was truly generating the dialog himself, rather than acting.

The film was filled with quiet intensity, with the drama coming from character and well-written scenes. No theatrics, shoot outs or car chases were necessary to keep it interesting.

If you rent or buy the CD, you should also check out the bonus features-all are interesting, especially the the director's and the real Eric O'Neill's play by play commentary.

Something's Gotta Give (2003)

Loved it! A sweet and honest movie about dating at any age...

[19 December 2003]

Some spoilers within:

First of all--I am so happy for Diane Keaton, who looks adorable in this movie!! She has the body of a teenager and an awesome haircut! She is absolutely radiant and her innate warmth and funniness shine through the occasional wrinkle! I also think Frances McDormand looks great--this movie totally celebrated women over 40 without denigrating the younger ones. And, by the way, Jack's butt looked great as well!!! Who knew?! Some of the user comments here are referring to "old people." That is ridiculous! If you want "old people," watch Cocoon!

This was a sweet and honest movie about dating at any age. It does seem to be harder as one gets older, because people have hardened into brittle, jaded, self-protective personalities by then. But that is what makes it all the more interesting and exciting--there is more at stake and more distance to travel to get there.

Diane's character was very honest about her emotions, which displayed her lack of dating savvy. The women in the audience recognized those emotions all too well and cringed, knowing that her behavior was the worst thing you can do when faced with a "Permabachelor". And of course, Jack gave the typical male "laid back" reactions. In fact, the movie was more about being honest with one's emotions than about the age issue.

Jack's character's transformation was believable, given his reaction to his health predicament. I also dispute an earlier user's characterization of him "phoning it in." On the contrary, I thought many times during the movie that he not only fit the bill perfectly, but was having a great time playing it to the hilt, e.g., the scene in which he first attempts to climb the beach stairs. One of my favorite scenes was the one between him and Keanu as they discussed people's varying reactions to the type of extreme stress Jack had experienced (I'm trying not to spoil anything). That was very sweet. Keanu was believable both as the doctor, and also as a suitor for Diane.

This is a true feel-good movie, as it really breaks new ground and the person with the vulnerable feelings wins. (Ohmygosh!! The man is not 30 years older than his girlfriend?!! Why, that's blasphemy!) When you see Jack and Diane finally get together on the bridge in Paris, you think, I wish all middle aged people had this passion for each other! That would be a wonderful thing! Love is not just for the "young", and thank God for that!

Love Actually (2003)

mixed bag-revised

[12 November 2003]

SPOILERS INCLUDED WITHIN:

It reminded me of how you feel during the uncertainty stages of falling in love and also when getting the nerve to speak up and take a chance. The first five minutes set in the airport were beautiful and already got me crying! I also really liked how it went from comedy to drama so seamlessly. A lot of the comedy to me was WAYYYYYYYYYY too silly, though and pretty annoying. The drama was very well done and my absolute favorite part was when the friend of the blonde woman confessed his love to her on those cards. Unbelievable, and boy was he good-looking!!

I also liked how it portrayed different types of love--from a crush, to unrequited/impossible love, love of family, sex (but not!), the usual romantic love, and even platonic love between a straight man and his trusty and loyal manager. Ironically, probably the best relationship seemed to happen between the two "porn" stars. That was adorable and of course the irony of how shy and sweet they were, contrasting with what they were doing, was priceless.

Now for the negative side: it was extremely superficial in that that the women were largely model-quality gorgeous and the men "loved" them based on looks only. They didn't actually even know some of them (the kid, for example) That is hardly love! The two women that weren't (at least in this movie) model-quality gorgeous actually got screwed (Emma Thompson and Laura Linney). If the target audience for a romantic comedy is women, that was not a wise move.

None of us women appreciated the fat jokes about Hugh Grant's assistant, Natalie who looked great and was not fat in any way. She was not a stick figure, but looked like a woman is supposed to look! Marilyn Monroe had that body type (actually heavier) and it seemed to work for her! No one called her fat throughout her movies!! Also ticking off the core audience.

Another extremely annoying and ridiculous feature was that the model-quality women were just handing themselves over to the men and they didn't have to use any effort! Like Claudia Schiffer to Liam Neeson, after talking to him for one minute: "I'll make SURE we see each other again." And Alan Rickman's character was not attractive and had no personality. There is no way his secretary, an attractive young girl would throw herself at him, knowing he was married to boot. And the guy going to the US--that was just so ridiculous, (even worse than typical cheesy US movies and any beer commercial, and even Just Shoot Me, where David Spade only ended up with 1 supermodel). I thought it was a dream that he was having on the plane. He should have come back empty handed. Again, ticking off the core audience!!!

Besides, the effort to win the person's heart is the core action in a romantic comedy. To leave it out and have the woman just hand herself to the guy is the same as having an action hero be asleep for 2 hours, the bad guy walks up to him and then has a heart attack and dies at his feet! Kind of defeats the purpose of the movie, in addition to being annoying!!

This was clearly written and directed by a man--it was slanted in that direction. I just wasn't prepared for that type of "Just Shoot Me" style misogyny in a Hugh Grant romantic comedy. There was none of that in Notting Hill, Four Weddings, etc., which were ironically written and directed by the same man. Note: women go to romantic comedies to get AWAY from that crap for 2 short hours!!!