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Reviews
The Village (2004)
Scary? Not much.
I've read the postings saying this was a scary movie, and sorry, I have to disagree. There were a few scene that were a little tense, but which amounted to nothing. The worse scene for me was the scene when Ivy climbed out of the hole. I wondered how she was going to get all that mud off her clothes. I guess I've seen to many movies, but I had "Sixth Sense" figured out in the first 15 minutes. When I heard "The Village" described as a "Twilight Zone" movie, that secured the ending for me--- I knew what was coming.
Actually there was a plot hole as big as a barn--- SPOILER ALERT! The picture that William Hurt took out of the box was modern, the clothes worn by the people looked about 1980 fashions. Ivy and Lucius looked to be in their 20's, especially him. Where was their memory of their life before they came to the village? How could the elders have mislead so many people who were old enough to remember "real life." Sorry--- I had thought the ending would be a little sharper--- it was like I had expected and seeing the truck was my ah-ha moment. But-- what happened when Ivy got back from town? The movie just stops. I enjoyed the acting, but the ending was a disappointment. Some sort of wrap-up was needed, but none came.
Murder on Flight 502 (1975)
A Bumpy Ride
My husband bought a copy of this movie from a bargain bin for $2.00 so I wasn't expecting much. Actually, it was so campy it was fun. And in today's world, very naive. Danny Bonaduce, one of the passengers, leaves a package in the boarding area and after he gets on the flight the package starts to smoke. Security rushes in, takes a casual look, and pronounces it a practical joke. Times sure have changed ! Bonaduce is in a number of scenes at the beginning of the movie, but although he is in the same section as the rest of the passengers on the plane, he is not seen anymore during the second half of the film. I guess they had to cut the budget.
This film is not about a "terrorist" as we think of them today. It was about one man, planning to kill another man, just a vendetta thing. The acting was awful, for the most part, but like I said, if you don't mind that-- the movie was worth $2.00. Obviously made for TV-- every twenty minutes there was a blackout for commercial insertion. And it was strange that the plane was carrying hundreds of passengers (according to the pilot), but we only saw about a dozen. From scene to scene, the number of extras would change. The cabin would be almost empty in one scene, then the next scene, there would be someone in every seat. Oh, well. It was fun. Not funny--- just fun.
Tough Luck (2003)
Not bad. Not bad at all.
This would definitely not have been my kind of movie, but my husband saw it on TV and said it was really good. So, on his recommendation, I bought a copy, since I didn't know if it would ever be on TV again. I had never heard of anybody in it except Armand Assante. At first I had a hard time getting into the story, because the first part of the movie is a jumble of images-- and it doesn't make much sense. It is only later in the movie that it all comes together. The scene-cutting- if that's what it's called, is a bit jarring-- it sometimes looks as if a few frames have been cut out of each scene, and the scenes are jerky--but I guess that was done to add to the unusualness (if that's a word). The story veers here and there, and just about the time you have it all figured out, everything turns upside down and you have to readjust your thinking as to who is the bad guy and who is not. Or bad woman. The acting is very good-- I kept thinking how much Norman Reedus looks like Leo Decaprio. The ending was a real twist, totally unexpected, which I liked. A good show.
West Side Story (1961)
I didn't like this movie this time around
I saw "West Side Story" when it first came out, and like everyone else I thought it was good. A couple of months ago I decided to buy a copy, since I had just seen "Chicago" and was in a musical movie mode. Maybe it's just me, but after the first great scene- the overhead view of New York, it all went downhill for me. I guess I'm looking at things I didn't see before. From the first fight, I started to realize that the whole thing was unbelievably corny. Well dressed teens hanging around a playground. If they were so bored--- get a job. The Sharks complaining about how badly they were treated in "America." OK-- what were they doing to improve their situation? Gang fighting? Every scene was painful to watch. I watched about an hour, then started fast forwarding. I watched the last scene, then hit the eject button. This movie was good in it's time, but anyone watching it today for the first time would laugh their heads off.
Love Actually (2003)
It left me with a letdown feeling.
The music was great, the ending left me with tears in my eyes. So, what's the problem? First, I hated the Liam Neeson/little boy story line. It sucked the life out of the movie for me. It makes me sad to think an adult would have a conversation with a small child, and use the F-word so casually. At one point, in their kidding around, he called the little boy a Bastard. Do real people talk to kids like that? Another silly story line was the porno stars--- it didn't add anything to the movie, and took up too much time. The movie was too long anyway. The cute girl that captured the heart of the Prime Minister, Hugh Grant, was too fat? Big thighs? Pul-eese--- when she turned sideways she almost disappeared. Thin, very thin. And her character used gutter language when she was first introduced to the P. M. ? Hard to believe. Also, the Nativity scene was totally unnecessary and uncomfortable to watch. The best part of the movie was Kelly Clarkson's voice, and the nice ending. I was glad when it was all over.
Le divorce (2003)
No comedy
Unless the definition of the word 'comedy' has changed, this movie is not a comedy by any stretch. One of my pet peeves is that a movie is advertised as a 'romantic comedy', with cute title credits at the beginning, then turns out to be sad and dramatic, but no laughs, at all. And I mean-- none.
Nothing in this movie will even bring a smile, unless you happen to catch yourself mirroring Kate Hudson's smile, which is quite cute. Also, I think a scene or two might have been cut out by mistake, because a scene shows the Kate Hudson character meeting a guy for the first time, (one of her sister's in-laws), a wild-haired dude-- not very appealing, dirty looking, and the next scene shows them cuddly in bed. What? How did that happen? Then Kate Hudson gets involved with another of her sister's in-laws, and no clue as to why she does it--- he's not very appealing, either-- his only virtue as far as I could see was that he gave nice gifts. A red purse at the beginning of his affairs, and a scarf along with his kiss-off. And who had the idea of casting Matthew Modine? He is so out of place as to be laughable. Wait--- maybe that's the comedy. But, from the way his character turns out, I guess he's not laughing. But then, neither was I. Not a bad movie, but no comedy.
Russkiy kovcheg (2002)
Weird, and takes a lot of patience, but worth it.
I finally got thru this movie, but it took three tries. I was attracted to it by the cover because I like period movies, but I had never heard of it, so did not know what to expect. The only copy at Blockbuster was VHS, so I didn't have the opportunity to get any background info. The first night I watched about 30 minutes, then switched it off--confused and bored. No idea what the plot was supposed to be. The next night I decided to give it another shot, and watched about 30 more minutes, and began to get interested, and finally (good thing it was a 5 day rental) I finished it, and by that time I was totally engaged, and when it was over I watched the first 30 minutes again.
It is better with the sound off, just reading the sub-titles. I found the chatter irritating, and there was the constant sound of someone grunting or breathing or just making vocal noises. But- the photography was beautiful and it's a cheap way to get a tour of the Hermitage. This movie is definitely not for everyone, but I'm glad I didn't give up after the first half hour.
Meet John Doe (1941)
Propaganda at its best
This movie was made at a time in our history when the US was at war, and patriotism was high. A lot of movies were made at this time with the purpose of keeping spirits up, and presenting what the American ideal was all about.
This movie is full of symbolism. Every scene and every utterance has a message. A common man elevated-- being pulled in both directions. On the one hand, by a beautiful woman, on the other hand, by his old life- represented by Walter Brennan. Almost everyone in the movie praises the goodness of man, as long as man is on the right side and can be manipulated. There is a scene of a crowd in one accord, praising their hero-- the reverse image of a Hitler rally, because these people were good. Suddenly it starts to rain, and everyone has a large black umbrella. As they sing "God Bless America" the overhead shot shows the tops of the umbrellas gently moving in unison-- "huddled masses". Then the mood of the crowd changes-- can anyone say "Crucify him?" The same people who love him, suddenly hate him. Later in the movie Barbara Stanwyck reminds him of the John Doe of 2000 years ago. Christ. A beautiful tall building, glowing in the dark. A symbolism of capitalism. Anyone who wasn't around during the l940's, or have not read the history of that time. will miss all the symbolism- but the symbols are very clear to those in the know. All in all, a pretty good movie, if a bit long and drawn out, and very preachy, even if the preaching was well intended.
Gangs of New York (2002)
Not a film a woman would stomach
Forgive me for sounding sexist. But- there are guy films, and there are girl films. The best films are those that appeal to both sexes, on at least a couple of levels. I enjoy a good drama, maybe a little violence here and there, and a little bit of blood-letting is OK. But I'm not here to dissect the directing, acting, Cameron Diaz's weight, or how wooden Leonaro's acting was.
I'm just here to say- this film is the most violent, long, drawn-out example of carnage I've ever seen. I'm sure there is a good story in there someplace, but I was gagging so bad I must have missed it. Or maybe, I didn't stay with the film long enough to find out. After about 45 minutes in, I didn't care anymore, and hit the eject button. I had seen all the blood, slashing, dirty clothes, ugly people I could stand. There was no snacking during this movie. So-- if any of you females are reading this, be warned. NOT GOOD. If a date takes you to see this one, watch your back. I'm thinking of asking Blockbuster for a refund.
The Four Feathers (2002)
This movie is not PG-13, Surely !!
I can't believe this violent, ugly, bloody, movie has a PG-13 rating. The battles are long and drawn-out, and very graphic. The story is pretty good, but the whole thing is too long. All in all, I wish I'd watched something else.
Ride with the Devil (1999)
Not bad, but not too good, either.
First of all, as a southern girl who now lives north of the Mason-Dixon line, I love movies where people have a southern drawl. However, I had a hard time following the dialogue in this movie because it was beyond southern. More like a whole 'nother language. Actually, that was part of the movie's charm-- the dialogue kept me glued because I was trying to translate it into something I could understand.
The story was slow, but when something happened it was pretty violent- but hey- it was war. I have a habit of watching what extras do in mob scenes and I noticed that during the destruction of Lawrence, Kansas, some of the women extras were strolling along the street almost casually, instead of screaming and yelling like I would have been doing.
It took two nights for me to watch the entire movie. I had to take a break. It was too long by at least 30 minutes. As my husband said, it was a 20 minute story stretched over 2 hours.