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Reviews
Straight from the Heart (2003)
Good visuals, otherwise trite
I enjoy Andrew McCarthy, and he has aged fabulously, but this movie made me cringe nearly the entire time I was watching it-- and I'm a romance buff who has seen and read a lot of pretty saccharine stuff! While one wants to feel sympathy for his character and the troubles he has been through, the tired, trite stoicism makes it difficult to care, and the reactions and lines of some of the supporting characters-- Edward, Laurie, etc.-- are also stock sugar, predictable to the very end.
The conflicts of the movie are sparing at best and ill-resolved, and there's a continued attempt at some sort of suspense that falls horribly flat as it falters toward the end. The backdrop of this movie is beautiful, and Andrew McCarthy has never looked better, but on the whole, the storyline and its boring, yawning turns were not up to par.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Everyone needs brain-candy now and then.
Though this movie has been alternately panned and praised, there are a few things for certain. It will never win any big Oscars, and it is very enjoyable. There's a little bit of everything for everyone in this movie. For those in the audience who love women, Keira Knightley is beautiful and talented, if somewhat a little too close to looking JUST like Natalie Portman. For bad-boy lovers (even if only hormonally), Johnny Depp is a wonderful choice, and for those of you who like the boy next door, Orlando Bloom keeps up his star-power with a pretty face, and he does well with what little he's given to do. Johnny Depp positively steals this movie. For Depp fans, it's been a while since we've seen him stretch his proverbial wings. This role is not only fun, it's quirky, and quirks can be darned hard to portray. He does a fantastic job capturing the audiences' imaginations, not to mention the occasional mind, heart, and oh my yes, set of hormones. I was disappointed in Geoffrey Rush's performance; it seems bizarre that the man who played "twisted" so well in "Quills" could put forth such a mediocre bad-guy in this film. One thing I did find disappointing was the LACK OF CHARACTERIZATION AND PLOT given to Will and Elizabeth. It hardly seems fair that we are told nothing of what happened to them between childhood and adulthood. C'mon... give us at least something. Nonetheless, their respective portrayers did well with what little they had. All in all, it was good entertainment. I recommend it.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Good enough to surprise me
A friend and I went to see this because we thought it would be amusing to see yet another movie under a pop star's belt (Joey Fatone, minor role of Angelo) since we'd seen On the Line and found it to be horrible.
We were surprised that the movie was not only tolerable, but really good and very funny. While it seemed like we were the only people in the theatre that found a few things funny, the crowd for the majority liked it. I thought that the humor was good and not offensive at all, which is always a concern with ethnic comedy. Lainie Kazan was great as the mother, and I think she and Nia Vardalos are good proof that women don't need to be skinny, busty, and blonde to be really beautiful women. It's a good mature movie. Had fun. Worth seeing.