Movie Reviews

[Danny]

Just got through watching Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman. Have no problem with the acting except for some mauling and mild chewing of the wine and the Napa scenery. I liked Rickman, Dennis Farina and Freddy Rodriguez but the writing and the production choices, whew! Started well but then descended into a patch work of old reliable hollywood crudola. Kind of dukes of hazzard meets california wine country and throw in some French & Brit wine snobs meets the American hicks.. I 'm sure the wife and I could write a better script with enough cash incentive...we were taking notes... I will be sending letters to Alan Dennis and Freddy acknowledging their efforts in trying to carry the movie and also sending them our treatment of a New Yorker magazine food critic's roadtrip in northern New Mexico, his chance meeting with a Pueblo woman and his subsequent opening of a trading post diner in Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation and his submersion in a skinwalker mystery...

Writing is so critical. Why was Gustavo spit away like spit wine in a tasting? and wasn't Sam impersonating Daisy Dukes in those daisy dukes And Bo sure looked like a knock off of Brad Pitt impersonating Beauregard "Bo" Duke . Why was there a bed conveniently located there in a shack with only one wall overlooking the beautiful wine country so Gustavo and Sam can have a real good conoodle....two hours out of my precious life...

[cantlogin]

I don't have much to contribute but I agree with you. I've been watching lots of Netflix lately and have concluded that most movies aren't very good. It seems that quality is often encountered unpredictably. I've had some really good experiences with movies I anticipated disliking.

[harley]

We've got a few movie channels (Encore, Starz) as part of our signup package at our new(ish) house. We have seen a lot of movies on these channels that we could have absolutely never seen otherwise. Some of them have been really enjoyable. Two that spring to mind are Uncorked and Grosse Point Blank. There have been some chick flicks (The Holiday, Failure to Launch) that we enjoyed too, which we wouldn't usually have seen. I don't usually get a movie unless it involves explosions, space travel, zombies and/or gratuitous nudity (ie. Zombie Strippers had 3 out of 4).

I'm in no way a movie critic, and I freely admit to having very eclectic (if not bizarre) taste in entertainment. And of course we've watched some absolute drek on these channels too. But despite my basic cheap b@st@rdhood, I have to say that for us these channels have been well worth the money. Of course, when they try to jack the price on us they're gone, unless I can talk them back down.

[mickeyd]

Just watched There Will Be Blood for the third time on Showtime and I can't believe how much Daniel Day Lewis sounds like John Huston. Good movie generally, but they somehow screwed it up at the end because it really went south for the last 10-15 minutes...

[Martha]

I recommend Lars and the Real Girl. Good movie, good end. Lars has a delusion that a sex doll is a real girl, he treats her with respect and the communitys treat her as one of their own.

I saw Slum Dog Millionaire a couple of weeks ago. Pretty much liked it. The kids in the movie did a beautiful job. Little too heavy for my general tastes. But at least it ended well. Pretty much.

[Danny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha I recommend Lars and the Real Girl. Good movie, good end. Lars has a delusion that a sex doll is a real girl, he treats her with respect and the communitys treat her as one of their own. I saw Slum Dog Millionaire a couple of weeks ago. Pretty much liked it. The kids in the movie did a beautiful job. Little too heavy for my general tastes. But at least it ended well. Pretty much.

i liked slum dog a lot! - and especially the very end scene in the train station! wow! - don't want to give it away to those that haven't seen it..

lars sounds oddball enough to meet my standards...just netflixed it...

[TromboneAl]

We watched this documentary last night, in which 14 individuals are interviewed every seven years since 1964:

49 Up Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

Very entertaining.

[freebird5825]

Just watched Changeling starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. That movie was phenomenal.
I was not a great fan of hers from her past fluff movies (Tomb Raider etc), but I am now. She gave a performance of a lifetime. Wow!
Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard coproduced with 2 others I didn't recognize. Eastwood composed the music. It is news to me that he was involved in that.
All I will say is that it is an intense movie, and worth watching if you like a true story, well dramatized. Movie time period starts in 1928.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 I was not a great fan of hers from her past fluff movies (Tomb Raider etc), but I am now.

But what about the classics? Hackers, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Gone in 60 Seconds? Huh?

[freebird5825]

I just watched Australia last night. If you like period movies with stunning on-location scenery and "true story" historical basis (like Ghandi), this one is for you. Lots of villians and heroes.
Eye candy (G rated) - Nicole Kidman for the guys, Hugh Jackman for the gals. Cows on stampede for the undecided.

[DangerMouse]

I can't remember the last time I actually went to the movies as the offerings have been so lean that there has been nothing that would induce me to actually pay to see the tripe they put out under the pretence of good viewing. About the only time I watch a movie is when I fly. That said, have just come back from a long haul flight to Australia I did manage to squeeze in a few movies.

Slumdog Millionaire - I really like this one, I thought it was deserving of the awards it received. It did cause me a few tears at the thought of children in 3rd world countries and what they go thru to survive.

BottleShop - agree with most of the criticism. I thought the whole love arc was totally ridiculous and unnecessary. A good story poorly presented.

Australia - talk about bad. I thought the story was weak and poor Nicole Kidman, she must be embarrassed about her performance - not due to her acting skills, but the way the director made her character overact. It makes me ashamed to admit that I am Australian after watching that lame movie. Only cool thing was I was coming back from Darwin where some of the action takes place, including the bombing, so I could identify the places they were referencing.