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clydeleon
Reviews
Life of Pi (2012)
Big Screen Yes, Small Screen No!
This film is cinematically stunning. We watched in on the big screen in a small theater in 3D. How many of the scenes were artificially created really doesn't matter, it was artistically phenomenal. Usually I'm not the type that likes lingering scenes in movies as I'm thinking "come on, let's get on with the story." But in this case, the artistry of the scenes make the movie. But the story is not solid enough to engage me on a small 2D screen. At least I don't think so. As an example, it doesn't matter where in the story I pop in on Moneyball on the movie channel, I end up watching it to the end. The acting and the story is great. I think I could listen to it with no picture. Life of Pi requires the picture. I did not read the book, but I suspect the same is true of the book in describing scenes in such a way that eclipses the story. My recommendation is to catch it on a big screen, but not sure I'd recommend it on a small screen.
Bringing Up Bobby (2011)
Farcical but not funny! Serious subject but not poignant.
Synopsis looked promising. But fell terribly flat of all expectations. We only watched it to the end hoping for something redeeming. Listed as a comedy, but not one thing comically amusing. It had the potential to be a realistic touching and poignant movie of a failing mother having to make a choice between staying with her son, or letting foster parents raise him. But her failings are so over the top as to be unbelievable. This can be acceptable if it was farcically funny... but it is not... just painful in the way that she raises her son in a way that he can do no wrong even though that is all he does is wrong. The mother's accent is so fake that I thought it was part of her shtick. The actress, though born in Kiev does not have an accent in interviews, so had to create this one, but it just does not ring true. This is about as low as I'd rate any movie that I watched all the way through.