RudeRuth Reviews

It's Complicated (2009)

Meryl Streep is a national treasure

[7/10 · 6 January 2010]

We should all own a bakery, we should all live in a great country house, and we should all have to choose between Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. I'm just saying. (By the way, what the heck happened to Martin's face? Can you say Botox?) It was refreshing to watch actors who look like my friends and me, and it was refreshing that the nudity in the film was male-type (a well-fed male-type at that, though disappointingly I read that Alec had a body double). It was refreshing to watch Streep's character do to Baldwin's trophy wife what the trophy wife did to her. My favorite character is the older daughter's fiancée (actor John Kaminski). This guy and the beautiful house (what I wouldn't give to fall asleep by the pool) are the main reasons to see the film.

An Education (2009)

Well made, terrific acting

[7/10 · 6 January 2010]

I was 14 years old in 1961, just a couple of years younger than the girl here. A couple of years later, I too was involved with an older married man. (But not to worry, the next year I entered hippiedom and all was very, very different.) What I'm trying to say is, "Been there, done that" … except in my case it was Evansville, Indiana and not London. Too bad. Anyway, I was not as sophisticated as this 16 year old (neither was he, by the way) but I reveled in the mystery and adventure of the adult world … also the lies and deceit. The thing is, now that I'm an Aging Hippy, Retired, the age difference of the girl/man couple disturbed me. I was also disturbed by the acceptance of the parents. The movie was well made, the actors do a terrific job, and it made me think. My reaction is my own personal bugaboo. Just thought I'd put it out there.

Someone Like You (2001)

movie is a void

[1/10 · 2 January 2010]

Girl meets boy, boy dumps girl, girl meets other boy, other boy and girl are platonic, other boy and girl fall in love. Sterling cast and a proved plot line (if done well). Unfortunately, this movie was not done well. This movie was dull, dull, dull. There was no spark in the dialogue or spark from the stars. There is a marvelous cast, but they were all, everyone one of them, dead on arrival, phoning in their performance, absent without leave. You get my drift. Granted, the dialogue was bad, but it was worse than just bad dialogue. We've all seen good actors deliver bad lines like they were golden. I blame the director. Yeah, that's it. He did it. Then, to add to the wasted time, when I went to rate the movie, I had already seen it, but I had no recollection of it at all. That's when you know the movie is a void

Three Can Play That Game (2007)

nap on

[2/10 · 2 January 2010]

Granted, as a retired aging hippie, I'm not this movie's target audience. It's not that I didn't like it, it's that I put me to sleep after about ten minutes (even the first ten minutes had me checking the clock to see how much more there was to endure) and I have no desire to go back and try to re-watch. There were plenty of beautiful people, nice houses, fast cars, everything nice to watch in an escapist romantic comedy. And I like Vivica A. Fox, but she couldn't carry this movie for me.

This might be a plot problem. I watched "Someone Like You" yesterday, another movie about the war of the sexes. That was dumb too. These movies prove one of my pet theories: if the writing isn't there, get up and go home … or in this case, nap on.

Murder by Decree (1979)

not a favorite movie but not a wasted two hours

[2/10 · 2 January 2010]

I adore Jeremy Brett. I love Basil Rathbone. I like a few of the honorable mentions, especially Rupert Everett. Christopher Plummer, not so much. What they probably told him was a sly grin looks like a smirk to me. And what is with the hair in this movie? The Plummer and Sutherland wigs must be the envy of Trump and Blagojevich, not to mention Gielgud's lower face. It's the small things that gnaw at your cuticles, but when I could tear myself away from the hair, I appreciated the set design, costuming and music. It was beautifully shot and had some refreshing non-Conan Doyle dialog: "You squashed my pea." And what a cast! By the way, the Clark commentary is good. In short, not a favorite movie but not a wasted two hours.

Dance with Me (1998)

wonderful dancing to wonderful music

[24 November 1999]

Yes, Virginia, the plot is cliched but isn't that true of most musicals? What this movie has going for it is dancing, music and stars who are beautiful, charming and talented. The dance scene in the Latin bar is worth the price of admission. If you like the Latin beat and want to watch pros dancing it, this movie is for you. It made this sedentary old broad rock her lounger.

Into the West (1992)

Not a bad way to spend a couple of rainy hours.

[7/10 · 19 November 1999]

Fanciful, charming story ... except for the police violence. The whole police chase could have been cut and more detail of the family's history and the travellers' customs inserted. Now that would have been a wonderful movie. The boys are natural actors, the horse is beautiful, and there's a brooding Irish widower. Not a bad way to spend a couple of rainy hours.

Twelfth Night (1996)

I don't usually like Shakespeare but I liked this ... a lot.

[10/10 · 29 November 1998]

I'm hard of understanding. I hear all of the sounds but I don't hear them clearly. This makes watching Shakespeare difficult because I can't follow the dialogue. But I really enjoyed this movie. It features a wonderful cast, not a ringer among them. There's tragedy, adventure, comedy, romance, slapstick, intrigue, beautiful photography and people and costumes, and best of all you don't need to understand every word. Just sit back and let it roll over you.

Marvin & Tige (1983)

Cassavetes was a powerful actor.

[8/10 · 23 November 1998]

I had forgotten how powerful an actor Cassavetes was until I stumbled on this film on cable. The movie, of course, is a tear jerker and as such manipulative, but that does not detract from the force of his performance. Watching him remove his coat is an acting lesson. As I watched him, I found myself thinking of Pacino. Too bad they couldn't have done a film together.