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Reviews
The Judge (2014)
Nice Try but Misses the Mark
Why set the film in Indiana, if you're going to film it in Massachusetts. I wasn't buying the Indiana setting. Why cast a mutt from New York City and a giant Italian guy as his brother? I wasn't buying any of them as small town Indiana people.
This was the world's most dysfunctional family. They really stacked the deck. I guess it's possible, but I had trouble believing it. Car accidents, divorce, autism, illegitimate baby, incest, murder, chemo, vomiting, pants-crapping, peeing on someone, reform school, precocious kid, etc.
I didn't buy Ken Howard, Mr. East Coast, as a small town Indiana judge.
Having said all that, Downey delivered as he always does and the frames of cinematography were stunning. There's also some good dialogue.
But this picture was too long, too convoluted, poorly cast, and lacking intrigue. The case itself was boring. Duvall can't remember certain things. Big Deal.
I actually appreciated the idea of a slightly autistic adult brother who films everything with a move camera. That was an original concept. The romance thing fell flat. Totally awkward.
But the movie is worth watching for the physical setting, the Downey intensity, and the dialogue showing family daynamics.
Home of the Brave (2006)
Cliché City
Sorry folks. Iraq was not Vietnam. A jungle in Southeast Asia is very different from an open desert in the middle east. That's not to belittle what our soldiers went through, but I think Vietnam was a bit more unpredictable and freaky, given the terrain.
We have deserts in America. We don't have jungles.
Why not include at least one veteran who adjusts well to life back home? I'm sure there are plenty. It would provide balance.
Other than the one substantial event at the end of their tour, was the rest of their experience over there so terrible? Some reviewers have said that this is not an anti-war movie, but I think it is. You hear so many characters questioning our motives, but not many, if any, effectively defending them.
All the characters do is feel sorry for themselves. It gets tiresome. Why didn't the Director and Writer notice this? Where's the gratitude? For their health, their lovely town and families, and their employment?
Bush laid out at least 17 concrete reasons to go in there, and it all fit the concept of the War on Terror, with or without WMDs. What character says that? Why the hell did you volunteer, if you didn't believe in the cause?
Why do a movie, unless you can offer something unique? A different take on things, a different performance, a different style? Melodramatic music, flashbacks, heaviness, mediocre acting. It's all been done before. Stay away from this one.
Jesse Stone: Night Passage (2006)
Awkward Casting/Unexplained Depression
Tom Selleck is 66 now, and close to that during this series. I like him, but he is too old for this character. At most, it should have been a guy maybe 50 or 55. Although granted, I don't know how old the character is in the book series.
They never tell us why he is so depressed, and why he started drinking. I like a little mystery, but at some point, you have to let us know what the hell is going on, or we can't empathize with the character. O.K., L.A. cops drink. But they can still have a personality.
If I met a guy who gave one word answers, and answered questions with another question, I would want to punch him. Either Selleck is overdoing this stoicism, or the Director is.
As far as girls 30 and 40 years younger, throwing themselves at him, I suppose it's possible. He's tall, rugged, and mysterious, but the guy is a total loser. Rather than have people constantly ask if his lady friends are too young for him, wny not just make the character a little younger?
Having said all that, I do like the atmosphere, the character development of other characters, some of the dialogue, and the plot line. It just could have been so much better, with more background on the main character, and a younger actor, for believability.
North Shore (1987)
Remarkable Innocence
Both the Rick Kane character and Turtle embody a fresh innocence rarely captured on film. This was what made this film truly golden. Gregory Harrison played his character with the gravitas of a veteran actor. Just when you thought he would venture into pomposity, he reeled it in and made you smile. Credit goes to the writers and director for that as well.
This was NOT a surfing movie. This was a coming-of-age film. Rick is green in almost every sense of the word. By the end of the film, he has learned a bit about life, love, and himself.
The crown jewel of the movie, by far, is John Philbin's portrayal of the character of Turtle. He defies any stereotypical characterizations. He is real. He's an underdog from L.A., just trying to make his way and take life day by day. He cares about others and responds to caring from others. How often do you see a surfer portrayed this way? Nia Peeples portrayed the Hawaiian girl-next-door to perfection. She loved her family, loved horses, and her boyfriend too. Like something out of a Tom Petty song.
I loved the movie. Cheesiness is artistic in and of itself. Two thumbs up.
Point Break (1991)
Awesome Action/Dialogue, But Missing Moral Questions
An amazing concept, and beautifully executed by all involved. The writer and the director used soul and passion to create a memorable experience. Patrick Swayze shined to the point of brilliance as a charismatic surfing guru with a lack of moral compunction.
The chase scene will endure as an example of pure adrenaline, and the battle between one man's obsession with freedom and another's desire to capture him.
I am not exactly sure why they chose a short-haired, flat-chested actress for the female lead. I suppose it may take a tomboy to be a surfer.
I have read opinions that there was some kind of underlying homosexuality related to the Keanu Reeve's character's relationships with both the tomboy, and the Swayze character. I didn't pick up on that. But I think the movie would have been sexier with a more voluptous female lead, who wasn't a surfer.
My one criticism has to do with a lack of dialogue about morality. Swayze gives an impressive and memorable speech about the joys of bank robbing and the corollary feeling of power, but someone should have asked his character if he ever felt guilty about terrorizing innocent people and stealing their money.
The ending was epic, if predictable. I loved this movie despite any comic-book aspects, or perhaps because of them.
When in Rome (2010)
Lack of Subtlety, But Could Be Worse
Wow, the reviews of this one are pretty harsh. I want to congratulate the film makers for not using profanity, sex, or violence. That in itself is refreshing and inspiring. It honors Romantic Comedies of the fifties and early sixties, which entertained without corrupting our souls.
I agree with the many reviewers who said the comedy and antics in this one were forced and didn't work, to a large extent. However, a scene in a unique restaurant was reasonably original, and one in a crowded car was somewhat cute.
Both leads were attractive and performed adequately. I don't think the roles were much of a stretch for either one, but that's o.k. They are who they are, like Doris Day and Rock Hudson were who they were. I'm sure both of these actors will do some more drama in the future.
What the film lacked was subtlety. It was so frenzied, and tried so hard to be cute, that I felt a bit edgy in my seat. I wanted to say, "Just relax and let me find out more about who these people are." Even a few more quiet scenes with heartfelt dialogue would have sufficed.
But I guess the makers were committed to a formulaic approach. The price they'll pay for that is that the movie will quickly fade from your memory. That is not necessarily such a bad thing, as it did entertain, kept clean, and left one feeling some sense of hope about love.
I prefer that to pictures that add to my cynicism.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Time to Retire Woody
I understand that this picture is supposed to be a feel-good fantasy, with some mild intellectual insight. But I wanted to point out that the wildly Liberal Woody Allen doesn't show any minorities in his idealized version of the streets of Paris. Nor do most romantic comedies set in Paris or New York and geared toward an upper middle class, white professional audience.
But given his politics, it seems ironic or telling, that he doesn't show groups of angry, young disaffected North African Muslims roaming the streets,nor images of black ghettos, Asian vendors, etc. To him, European Social Democracy is bliss, and Paris does not suffer from the plagues of urban decay that debase our cities in the U.S. Normally I would call him a liar and a hypocrite. Let's face it, he wants to live in a white, upper middle class world, no matter how virulently he jabs at Tea Party Republicans in this movie.
Yes, he makes sure that his alter-ego, the main character, spews some vicious vitriol at his Republican in-laws-to-be. In addition, he portrays them as condescending, culture-less, materialists throughout.
Owen Wilson does channel Woody Allen's neurotic persona to some degree, but I think that's o.k. It's Woody's film, and he used to play the main character in his films when he was younger. Wilson keeps it fresh, naive, and lovable, without conveying the cynicism of former characters played by Allen. I give both Allen and Wilson credit for this.
The historical characters are over-the-top, comic book-like caricatures. I don't know whether Allen intended this. The plot device of time travel, while not unique, was mildly entertaining. I don't think the cinematography focused on the right images at all. Too many clichés, and not enough subtle hole-in-the-wall beauty.
The dialog was nothing special, but the point made, about the past being overrated and relative, was more profound than what most modern movies serve us.
I found the clarinet music obnoxious and oppressive, but I know that Allen plays the clarinet, and again, it's his movie. Maybe other people liked the music. That's fine with me.
The bottom line is that Woody Allen is a Godless Liberal hypocrite, but he does have an endearing sense of romance and hope mixed in with his fear of death, and his loathing of half the human race.