Beware this depressing movie that Dallas Intl Film Fest (DIFF) programmed this weekend. Star-filled, Lifetime shlock with a cast going which through the paces blindfolded. The first 15 minutes (which were OK, ultimately did not belong in this "romance"). Nikki Blonsky and her family were OK. Richard Jenkins is on point, per usual, as a Dad who wants to die. So did my friend and I, as viewers. Every other character pouts and is depressed. The main male character is a "charming" stalker who has panic attacks. Matthew Davis bursts onto the screen in an action movie, which is not this one. Kinda funny, in a painful way. We agreed that this would have functioned better as an action movie short, as passing a gun around, and having the characters take turns shooting each other until they were all dead would have made a better movie than this final cut. Good thing this will go wide, most likely. Score, DIFF, score!
Reviews
4 Reviews
Sin ella
(2010)
Absolutely Incredible
11 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
(very tiny spoiler) Saw this gem in Dallas this weekend at DIFF. Might be one of the best films of the year so far. I think it might have been kinda what America was thinking of when they made the "family films" with The Rock, as an audience member from Mexico told me that the main star is in a show & called "The Panther" in their country. Not exactly a family film, in terms of content, but without a doubt, there may not have been anything I've seen in years that compares to it as a "family film". One of the most entertaining and shockingly real (to this American) was the "Shine" character, which is thisclose to our Bret Michaels. Again, absolutely incredible. Come to the US and school our filmmakers, Jorge Colon!!
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
(2010)
Too Good to Not be Marketed Correctly
11 April 2010
An excellent comedy with terrific horror elements, this was a crowd- pleaser tonight at DIFF, here in Dallas. This is what writing is all about, old-school, when writing actually mattered, over special effects. And there are plenty of those. It is rare that I actually praise an American film, only because we no longer care about writing. It's all about star power without chemistry or talent behind the scenes, just what might make a buck. And, clearly, even clear results do not stop "the machine" from producing utter crud. Relativity Media has bought this gem, but apparently has refused to market it ala Bounty Hunter. This is such a funny film that fits into Bromance, Comedy, Horror, maybe even Indie. Did I mention there's chemistry? Talent? Yup. All there. So, get on it, Relativity! This could be incredibly profitable. Wish my blog had more power to get the word out there. Hope this does the trick.
Finding Neverland
(2004)
Here comes an Oscar for Depp!!
19 August 2004
This movie was absolutely amazing in many ways. I was fortunate enough to see it on a sneak preview even though it does not open until November. It really is about believing in yourself and taking things lighter--these are many identifiable themes. This is a movie you could take your grandmother to--really enchanting and thankfully squeaky clean!! A warning: bring the Kleenex--I cried quite a bit!
It is all about J.M. Barrie's life and circumstances leading to his inspirations for writing "Peter Pan" and performing it as a stage play. Look for Hoffman in a rather small role, unfortunately, there is little of Captain Hook and it does not involve him--what a shame! However, his performance is still effective. Kate Winslet is, as always, very good as the mother of the boys. She has a touching subplot. Radha Mitchell is also good, although she plays the traditional "wife role", which gives her little to do more than pout. Julie Christie gives one of the better performances of the movie. You will fall in love with precious Freddie Highmore--easily stealing many scenes, and he is a formidable match with Johnny Depp. No wonder Depp fought for him to play Charlie in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Finally, Johnny Depp is absolutely grand and believable as Barrie, mastering an accent, and using minimal makeup. He adds the perfect blend of childlike twinkle while also handling the adult role. If he is not in the Oscar race for Best Actor, I will be absolutely stunned, and I can usually pick them.
While this sounds like some mush-melon review, it is not really supposed to be anything more than to praise the movie for what it is. I didn't really even want to see this movie, and I ended up loving it, which is rare for me.
Anyway--go see it--you'll be glad you did!!
It is all about J.M. Barrie's life and circumstances leading to his inspirations for writing "Peter Pan" and performing it as a stage play. Look for Hoffman in a rather small role, unfortunately, there is little of Captain Hook and it does not involve him--what a shame! However, his performance is still effective. Kate Winslet is, as always, very good as the mother of the boys. She has a touching subplot. Radha Mitchell is also good, although she plays the traditional "wife role", which gives her little to do more than pout. Julie Christie gives one of the better performances of the movie. You will fall in love with precious Freddie Highmore--easily stealing many scenes, and he is a formidable match with Johnny Depp. No wonder Depp fought for him to play Charlie in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Finally, Johnny Depp is absolutely grand and believable as Barrie, mastering an accent, and using minimal makeup. He adds the perfect blend of childlike twinkle while also handling the adult role. If he is not in the Oscar race for Best Actor, I will be absolutely stunned, and I can usually pick them.
While this sounds like some mush-melon review, it is not really supposed to be anything more than to praise the movie for what it is. I didn't really even want to see this movie, and I ended up loving it, which is rare for me.
Anyway--go see it--you'll be glad you did!!
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