Change Your Image
LouieInSeattle
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The Pacifier (2005)
The Navy Seals get their version of Kindergarten Cop
I went to this movie because it was the only thing on within a couple hours when I stopped by the theater. A Navy Seal as a babysitter? Give me a break. I had just seen G.I. Jane on TV a few weeks earlier, and I just couldn't picture any Navy Seal, past, present or future, being a babysitter, even if it was a bodyguard situation. Vin Diesel did a great job of making the movie believable, and it was fun watching Diesel learning to handle kids (something the parents in the audience were laughing hilariously about) and it was interesting to see who the bad guys were, even though it wasn't too hard to figure out. This movie will never be nominated for Best Picture of the Year, but we just need some fun stuff to watch every once in awhile, and this was fun. Really young children might get scared at some of the scenes, but even the violence was enjoyable, a la "Home Alone". Want to see a movie that everyone in your family will enjoy? See this one. I went with my 26-year-old son, and he liked it too. (Can I vote twice?)
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Real life. Sad, gritty, hopeful...
I enjoy movies where you forget you are watching a movie. Maria Full of Grace was such a movie. Usually you think of subtitles as detracting from a movie, but here they actually added to the realism. This was no fancy-smancy Hollywood version of the drug world, but a hard-nosed realistic look at the people (especially women) drawn into the drug trade. Shucks, if I was Maria, I'd have done the same thing. She was awesome. With the R rating, I was surprised not to see the standard Hollywood sex scenes, or nudity, but the story didn't need it, so it wasn't there. I appreciate the lack of gratuitous sex and violence. There is violence, but it is integral to the story, it is true to the story, and it is handled well. Go see this movie, or buy it. You'll be glad you did.
Spanglish (2004)
The best performance I've ever seen from Adam Sandler
I don't much care for Adam Sandler, but I was pleasantly surprised with his performance in Spanglish. He did an excellent job of portraying a dad, a chef/restaurant owner, and husband. The movie seemed very well-balanced and true-to-life, which make a movie charming, and this certainly fits that bill. Sure, there were some parts that seemed contrived, but that's why I gave it only a 10, instead of an 11. All the main characters were believable, the dialog was perfect, and the tension exactly right. Go see this movie, or rent it. Or buy it, and lend it to all your friends and relatives. Their lives will be richer for it.
Jésus de Montréal (1989)
Excellent, thought-provoking film.
During the first half of this movie I was trying to figure out if it was a not-so-subtle spoof of Christianity, or an outright sacrilege. As I got angrier and angrier at what was going on in the film, a sudden chill went down my back as I realized I was thinking just like the Catholic church sponsors in the movie, AND just like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time. I was trying to fit Christ into my own expectations, and I was just as guilty as Jesus' opponents and killers. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that Jesus of Montreal was trying to depict in a very real way exactly what went on in Jesus of Nazareth's time. This is not a movie for the faint of heart. People bleed, they are naked, and they die. But just as Jesus of Montreal died for his followers and his neighbors, so did Jesus of Nazareth.
Instinct (1999)
A touching and thoughtful movie in the vein of "Gorillas in the Mist"
I was amazed, after I saw this movie, to see all the poor ratings it received from "professional" reviewers. If they hadn't included some details, I would have thought they never saw the movie. Maybe they just read a press release and never actually saw the movie. I was very impressed with the thoughtfulness and careful way the study of gorillas was portrayed. If you have ever met a scientist who is intensely passionate about their field of interest, you will have no problem understanding a scientist who becomes "family" to a group of mountain gorillas. Anthony Hopkins' performance is his usual high standard, and makes this movie a great movie. He could easily have been Sigorney Weaver's father in "Gorillas in the Mist". I'd love to see those two in a movie!