j-willums Reviews

New in Town (2009)

New in Town, Old in Theatres

[4/10 · 28 February 2009]

Although a personal Zellweger fan myself, I did not feel that this was one of her shining moments.

The movie was predictable-one of many romantic comedy plots that have graced the screens of theatres. The characters were rather stale and unoriginal, and the jokes were old enough to have multiple colonies of mould growing on them.

Haivng said that, there were some bright spots in the film (though admittedly not enough to power a small light bulb), they did save the film from making my "Worst Movies of 2009" list. The jokes and quips were cute, and the exaggerations on small town life were amusing.

Both Harry Connick Jr. and Renee Zellweger were just about average in this film; not bad enough to avoid like the plague for the rest of their movie careers, yet not good enough to stand out from a crowd of actors.

Special mention, however, must be given to Siobhan Fallen, who happened to be one of the "bright spots". Her accent and mannerisms were hilarious; one of the few things that saved this movie.

My suggestion? Don't waste your money watching it in theatres when you can do so in the comfort of your own home.

Lions for Lambs (2007)

Very even handed but a little lacking

[6/10 · 18 January 2009]

Firstly, I would like to point out that while I am not a US citizen, nor residing in the US, I do read up on the news about the war and its current state.

Robert Redford is certainly fair in his judgment of the different viewpoints about the war in "lions for lambs", prompting his own audience to come to a conclusion about what they think. The movie is thought-provoking, with a stellar cast providing excellent performances. However, despite some powerful scenes (ie the deaths of the two soldiers -Ernest and Arian, Janine fighting for her truth, etc) I felt that this was largely placated by some of the less interesting scenes containing Andrew Garfield and Robert Redford. Redford himself did well as the professor- It was Garfield that seemed to let the film down with a seemingly whiny and 'loser' portrayal of Todd.

In addition, at the end of the film, I was left with an empty feeling-almost as if the story itself had not been finished.

Indeed, the film was itself excellent, although (unfortunately) the entire though-provoking about it hadn't enough power to carry it through to the end, and what could have left the audience thoughtful ultimately left (i thought) them empty.

Junebug (2005)

Genius...

[8/10 · 29 April 2008]

Amy Adam's Academy Award Nomination was well deserved. I love her role as the sweet and doting daughter in law. I think the scene where she's in the hospital crying about the death of her baby is so sweet, and touching. Raised a lump in my throat, that did. Anyway, I think that the acting was great overall. Obviously Amy Adams was a shining star. All in all this film was great. Really sweet. Every intricate detail of George's family life is portrayed vividly in the film, but enough to leave a little to the imagination. I really don't think I can say it enough. "Junebug" is a wonderfully touching film, well worth the money that you pay to watch it (be it cinema ticket money, movie rental money, or even DVD/vcd money :))