Reviews

I'll let others retell the tale and describe the details point for point, I just want to recapture the mood and relate its effect on the audience of the screening I attended.

What a delightful surprise. Ice Age is loaded with well crafted characters, an excellent accessible script, and great visual slapstick. Inside the theater where I saw the movie, the audience laughed loudly and often. So did I. Everyone left the theater smiling.

Unlike many other recent big budget animation pictures, the voice acting matched the characters personalities perfectly and did not take me out of the movie in the least.

But in the end, it was the simplicity of the movie that make me believe that it will stand the test of time, which is why I gave it a 10.

Excellent!

Yes, my wife and I found about 5 things to laugh at while watching this train wreck of a movie. Most of the time we watched in fascination as to how downright awful this movie was. We couldn't figure out how the makers of one of our favorite movies "Something about Mary" could follow up with such an unfunny movie. Our jaws were agape at the poor joke setup, sloppy editing, and the incomprehinsible plot line.

Stinker!!

Sincerely, johnmoss

I really wish there were more movies created that had the depth and character that "Pay It Forward" has. While there were some unfortunate flaws in the direction of the movie, I can not fault the intent of everyone involved in this meaningful project. "Pay It Forward" has an important and vital message. In my mind, there is nothing wrong with an entertainment that forces the audience to contemplate how the world can be made into a better place. I wish that Hollywood produced more movies like "Pay it forward."

Critics have unfairly criticized the sentimentality of this movie and have called it manipulative. I think they have been frankly over hip in their unfairness. All storytelling is manipulative, especially whenever tugging at heartstrings is involved. So what!

I really appreciate a positive message when characters I can care about, are captured inside a story line that holds my attention for two hours. That's a treat! For me, that is money well spent. At today's high ticket price, audiences shouldn't expect less.

Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt offered tremendous multilayered performances. Young Mr Osmond is an incredible actor. He proved that his performance in "The Sixth Sense" wasn't a fluke.

I can foresee several Oscar nominations including competing Best Actor (twice), Best Actress, and Best Picture. In what has been a weak year for great movies, it's about time we had some contenders.

I can not envision Best Director, because the direction of the movie was confusing where it didn't need to be. Telling a story with two overlaying time lines as if they are simultaneous is risky at best, and weakens the storytelling at worst. If not for this flaw I would have given "Pay It Forward" a perfect 10.

I won't give away the ending. All I can say is that I wish the Director had used a more subtle surgical instrument instead of a sledgehammer. Some members of the audience were practically heaving with tears.

Nonetheless, this is a highly recommended movie. Go see it.

And then please "Pay it forward"

I found Mission Impossible 2 to be a sad disappointment. I enjoyed the first Tom Cruise version of Mission Impossible very much. I gave the original a rating of 8. I thought it was very entertaining. Mission Impossible 2 is a whole different ball of wax.

In spite of the great stunt work and polished visuals, Mission Impossible 2 lacked tension, credible characters, or a believable story line. John Woo's signature is all over the screen, but this time it looked as if he scribbled it to cover for the lack of an interesting screenplay. No matter how spectacular the explosion, it doesn't matter if the audience is bored by paper thin non-existent character motivations.

There was -zero- emotional tension in this movie. All the money went into the gadgetry and none of it went to story development or dialogue. The story and acting get close to a zero, and the stunt work gets an 8. All in all this movie deserved a 5 rating.

I found Mission Impossible 2 to be a sad disappointment. I enjoyed the first Tom Cruise version of Mission Impossible very much. I gave the original a rating of 8. I thought it was very entertaining. Mission Impossible 2 is a whole different ball of wax.

In spite of the great stunt work and polished visuals, Mission Impossible 2 lacked tension, credible characters, or a believable story line. John Woo's signature is all over the screen, but this time it looked as if he scribbled it to cover for the lack of an interesting screenplay. No matter how spectacular the explosion, it doesn't matter if the audience is bored by paper thin non-existent character motivations.

There was -zero- emotional tension in this movie. All the money went into the gadgetry and none of it went to story development or dialogue. The story and acting get close to a zero, and the stunt work gets an 8. All in all this movie deserved a 5 rating.

Were "Miracle Mile" released today it would be an enormously successful movie. Unfortunately, it was released 10 years ahead of its time and had a hard time finding an audience. If you haven't seen "Miracle Mile" you are in for a treat. In fact, "Miracle Mile" is worth scrounging for. Even if it only resides amongst the sun faded boxes of the video bargain bin. It's a gem.

There is an image that I have been holding in my mind since I first saw "Miracle Mile" ten years ago; of the rooftop parties as the end approachs in the last reel of the movie. The scene feels so contemporary that it pre-defines the eve of Y2K in our world today. See the movie and you'll know what I mean.

I remember being wowed by "Runaway Train" back in 1985 when it first came out. Seeing it again on DVD in 1999 reminded me of just how excellent a movie this really was. I recommend "Runaway Train" to anyone who wants a large portion of philosophical meat and meaning mixed in with gripping action and a solid story. In the 15 years since "Runaway Train" was first released, I can't think of a movie other than "The Matrix" that has combined so much action, tension, and a strong philosophy so successfully.

Chances are you've never heard of "Runaway Train." Amazing too. The movie was even based on a Akira Kurosawa screenplay and it shows. Jon Voight and Eric Roberts were at the top of their craft. In fact, both received well deserved Oscar nominations for very powerful performances.

It makes me sad to think that so few have had a chance to actually see this movie due to the sloppy studio backing and licensing turmoil born out of the collapse of the former Golon-Globus production studio. Surprise! Golon-Globus actually made at least one excellent movie outside of the their usual roster of shlock. But their poor reputation might have become so tarnished by that time that audiences didn't get a chance to know what they were missing. As a result, the movie rarely if ever gets airplay or any notice. Since the DVD was one of the very first DVD's to be released when the universe of DVD owners was measured in thousands not millions, it has once again fallen below the radar. Does a tree make a noise if it falls in a forest when there is no one around to hear it happen?

Maybe that was how "Runaway Train" became all but forgotten. If the title were to be reissued today in an SE package, I believe that a whole new generation of DVD viewers would be delighted to have this title in their collection. In the meantime it is worth seeking out for rental or purchase, you won't be disappointed.