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MyersDonihoo
Reviews
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
One of the best of 2006
Little Miss Sunshine, starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Steve Carrell, and the absolutely amazing Abigail Breslin is a true gem of a movie. Its funny, witty, intelligent, even has slapstick, pathos, drama and some very touching scenes. Just when you think that the script will divert into National Lampoon territory or the characters become caricatures it pulls back from the precipice and delivers a scene so touching and real and full of heart and soul.
The story involves a family where everyone has some eccentric quirk and they go on a road trip in a beat up 1972 VW bus to a beauty pageant in California. Could be so contrived, so "RV" and yet these people really care about one another and have depth and that's what saves this film.
I'm gushing because it seems like forever since I've enjoyed a movie in the theater so much. I would love for this to become the Sideways of 2006, the little indie that could. I hope that Abigail Breslin receives the accolades she most richly deserves. And Greg Kinnear, fresh from Matador (a wonderfully funny film that's a must see) is great as the motivational dad. And Steve Carrell, who plays this straight, is wonderful as the depressed uncle.
Elizabethtown (2005)
What a mishmash
I'm a true fan of Cameron Crowe's (one of only a handful that would put Vanilla Sky on a Top 20 list!)...but this latest effort is so disjointed and meandering. Its as if there are 3 1/2 movies mushed together. I would have loved to see a movie with Susan Sarandon as a coping widow, I would have loved to see a movie about a boy going back to his father's hometown and learning his roots, I wouldn't mind so much the boy-meets-girl-cute romantic comedy (although NOT with Kirsten Dunst, ugh) and even the idea of the road trip would have been a great movie - but this...no thank you. The script seemed cut and pasted, with lines not matching up to what was said before. Even the music seems to have been forced and not Crowe's usual great selections. And frankly, the Freebird scene in the hotel ballroom was in very poor taste. All I could picture was the news images from the Great White club show in Rhode Island last year. By the way, Orlando Bloom without a sword and costume is no great shakes as an actor.
Valiant (2005)
Worst children's movie
This is beyond bad.
There was no explanation of WWII for small children, and this was made for small children, what with the odor jokes and the hitting and the pratfalls. When they show the German enemies, they're buffoonish, making light of the atrocities that occurred. This was poorly written, edited and even the CGI and animation are terrifically amateurish...STAY AWAY! I can't stress enough what a bad time we had watching this movie. Thank goodness it was a sneak preview and we didn't have to pay for the waste of our 2 hours. What Ewan Macgregor was doing in this film is a puzzle for the ages.
Bewitched (2005)
Worst Remake Ever
Ohmigod, Elizabeth Montgomery and her husband, the director of Bewitched TV series, William Asher, must be rolling with the release of this tripe. Nicole Kidman should be shot for ever making a remake again. Will Ferrell needs to disappear for about 10 years. And Nora Ephron & her sister should not be allowed to make another film for 25 years as punishment. The acting is bad, the script is worse and I couldn't believe that they would actually show scenes from the TV show -what a way to remind the audience about how good the original was. I can't believe that any one of the people involved didn't stop and say - whoa, this smells, can't we fix it. What does Columbia have on these people? Its got to be amazing because no one could be this hard up for money.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Pixar's Best...
I have just returned from the most exciting movie I've seen in a long time! Finding Nemo is Pixar's BEST movie, replacing Toy Story (I know, I know, but its true) as the most visually imaginative animated movie. Its funny, DeGeneres is hilarious - her fish is perfectly animated, Brooks is sooooo much better than in the In-Laws, back to his true form - I loved every minute of this film. The celebrity voices are great; Allison Janney from West Wing is a wonderful starfish, Willem DeFoe, always a seductive voice, is a scar worn Tang, even the movie's creator, Andrew Stanton was greatness as the sea turtle Crush. This is one G rated film that is definitely for everyone, any age, any circumstances - see this alone, on a date, with your family - just go...I was swept away with not knowing what was going to happen next, the colors and visuals and the realisation of the sea - the humour, the storyline (a Dad prevails!) all add up to an A+, #1, Best Picture of the Year achievement. Applause, applause, applause to Pixar once again!