Reviews

As action thrillers go, The Italian Job is first rate. This film unfolds in a predictable but interesting way. We have all of the usual characters, the tough guy (Jason Statham, the smart guy (Mark Wahlberg), the nerd (Seth Green), and the quirky guy (Mos Def). All of whom bring their characters expertise to the plot and have their screen moments ala every team film ever made since Mission Impossible. Edward Norton proved that he can play a character the way it's written and still put his own individual stamp on it. While the characters are interesting, the story and the special effects moments it presents are what drives his film. While I'm sure there is some computer manipulation going on, this film does not make its FX as blatant The Matrix. For me there are only a couple of problems. I couldn't figure out why, Handsome Rob didn't make a hit on Stella (His character would have) , why the characters didn't all freeze to death in the mountain lake (except the movie would have been over in twenty minutes) and I never can figure out why Mark Whalberg keeps getting starring roles.

Choosing the more European type of ending, that does not wrap up all of the conflicts nice and neatly, allows the film goer to imagine the endings that this journey could have. This type of ending would not work in all cases, but just like the recent film "In the Bedroom" respect for the audience allows a skillful, satisfying and yet imginative ending. The director got the best performance out of Richard Gere and Diane Lane was simply wonderful. The script was flawless The casting of their son may have been the only mistake in the film. I kept waiting for Malcom to lock him in the closet.

Which one of us hasn't wondered what happened to our first love, unless of course we are still with them. (Hey this is the 21st Century! Nobody does that anymore.) If we are honest we hope they still pine away for us and we wonder what might have been. This romantic tale of the over-powered Wall Street broker who gets a call from his former girl friend and then is given a "glimpse" of what might have been, is entertaining and fun. Enjoy the tale as Cage is first repulsed by the kids, the messy house, the dull friends, boring job and the lack of the aminities he is used to in his real life. But unfortunately the writer couldn't figure out how to end a really good story. The ending of this story is so contrived and hooky as not to be believed and it took place in the real world not the dream world.

My father used to say that a walk on the golf course on Sunday morning was a better way to appreciate what God has given us than going into a church. It's a given that my mother merely thought that was an excuse, but I found out it is true. Golf is game between a player and the golf course. Anyone that thinks differently is confused or doesn't play the game. All mistakes start and end in the mind. When you believe in yourself you play up to your ability. When you don't beleve in yourself, it can be a long day. This is the lesson Bagger is trying to teach young Rannulph. His willingness to listen to Bagger Vance and his desire to please his jilted lover go a long way to completing the trip back from his self inflicted depression, but as in life the last steps must be taken alone. Will Smith and Matt Damon play well off of each other. (I am constantly amazed at the breadth of talent of Will Smith.) I really enjoyed Redfords long lingering look at this time and it's customs. (I have no time for people that say this movie drags. These are the people that would take a motor scooter through the El Prado so they could say they were there.) His casting was brilliant. The photography was stunning. The music was moving. I know the story is somewhat trite and certainly has been told many ways in the past. But the setting and the characters made it fresh and charming all over again. I didn't give this film a high rating only because I think Redford made one huge mistake. In his role in "Out of Africa" he wouldn't try an English accent, because he didn't feel he could do it good enough. I wish he had told Charlzie Theron the same thing. While I think she is a great actress and I have enjoyed her in other films, her over the top depiction of the southern Belle was to much for me.

In the vein of Brass Off, The Full Monty, Waking Ned Devine and other British comedy films, this little gem is set in a memory charm bracelet of films I could watch over and over again.

The people seem real and the situations though often improbable are believable. While I think the ending strained the boundaries of the belevability envelope a bit, it couldn't ruin what was for me an entertaining evening at the movies.

In a spectacular historical drama such as Gladiator, the acting must be on the same scale or the whole thing becomes comical. Russel Crowe brings brings a style that portrayed a character of heroic proportions while at the same time making him accessible to the average person. Crowe has a approach to this role, as he did in "The Insiders" that shows the human foibles of his characters without making them look weak or pathetic, but rather human and vulnerable. This makes the character look all the more heroic in their pursuit of the quest, their meeting of the challenge. A hero is all the more appealing when he disposes of a truly despicable adversary. Meeting the challenge to provide the evil, in this tale of good over evil, is Joaquin Phoenix. This guy gave us a totally corrupt and spineless adversary from frame one. Playing the power hungry, selfish, insecure, lying and witless, son of the Emperor, who kills his own father to gain power and then tries to seduce his own sister to satisfy his warped desires, Joaguin succeeds handily at turning the audience to the side of the out manned and helpless hero. All of this played out on the stage and setting of ancient Roman Empire. The action scenes were spectacular and well thought out. The costuming was interesting, but I think not accurate historically. Except for a couple of incidences of scenery players, guards and line soldiers, chewing gum, I felt that Director Ridly Scott did a good job of taking us back to a time when there was only one ball game in town, The Roman Empire.

It reminds us that while world conflict takes nasty turns and is fraught with danger from the unknown and unknowable, it is equally dangerous to put all of the power into the hands of the few for the convenience of peace.

Norton who first caught my attention as the innocent looking but creepy Aaron in "Primal Fear", and cemented my admiration in his equally brilliant portrayal of the menacing skinhead, Derek, in "American History X", has taken another step by directing and staring in a comedy. I don't know if this was a deliberate attempt to show his versatility as an actor, but it made the point none the less. This guy is a quality talent on the screen and if "Keeping the Faith" is representative, a good director also.

If you look at almost any aspect of this film you have a great film. I do not use the words "great film" easily. The script, cast, music, sets, photography and lighting of this film are all outstanding and contribute to a magnificent film that is more than worth watching; it's worth owning. (To me, suggesting someone own a film is a higher rating than your conventional five stars.) While the film belongs to Cusack, he is surrounded by talent in every aspect of this production.

This reaffirmation of the amount cruelty that only humans can wage on other humans is heart rending and thoughtful. The cast of characters playing prison guards brings to this tale of a mysterious man who is sentenced to death an all too human look at capital punishment, criminal justice and the wages of hate. Because they come to care about their prisoner's, they able to salvage their humanity even though they actually execute these men in the electric chair. The chair is located in a room at the end of a cell block called the Green Mile.

All is well on the Green Mile until the mysterious John Coffey arrives. Coffey is a man that is so big and powerful that the mere sight of him evokes fear. Yet as they get to know him, they all realize that he could not have committed the horrendous crime of which he is accused.

Coffey's miracles start small enough and them elevate to the level of divine intervention. Coffey changes all of their lives by being the kindest and in the end bravest man they had to deal with on the Green Mile. It is the why of this story not the how that makes this movie so compelling.

I only rated this movie an eight (8), because it was so long and it need not be. It took four of us twenty minutes in an ice cream shop after the movie to eliminate 30 minutes.

If there ever was a blueprint for social corruption, the practices and belief systems of the tobacco industry are the quintessential finished product. If there ever was an argument against large corporations owning the media, this is one of the best. If anyone doesn't believe that the boardroom's of corporate America don't operate like this, they more than likely bet on professional wrestling matches too. Cigarettes are a delivery device for nicotine. Does it have to be said any clearer? And yet, we spend millions of public dollars to subsidize this industry, even after the industry admits it lied for years about its knowledge of the effects of smoking. In the future will the producer stand by his principles and be lucky enough to get the truth told or will we continue to live in ignorance of potential danger from products, people and organizations, because of the threat of lawsuits? This film should be mandatory viewing in every junior high school. It should stimulate debate with our young people regarding lessons in health practices, economics, politics and ethics. They will watch with interest because this is pretty well made movie. Russel Crowe performance is outstanding in a group of excellent actors. The script is fairly solid. Although, I think I got a little bit confused toward the end of the film on where Bergman was and what it had to do with the plot. However, this flaw didn't dull the impact of this highly tense and horrific slice of Jeffrey Wegand's life. It will not however show our junior high school audience good film technique. Michael, enough of the extreme wobbly close ups. I get it. You don't have to scream at me. I get it.

Natile Portman and Susan Sarandon play off of each other like a symphony in this coming of age story about a young girl, who is sentenced to life as the daughter of one of the nuttest women you will ever encounter. Sarandon has this ability, call it talent if you will, to play some of the most off-beat characters and bring their humanity to forefront of any film she makes. As the mother of this obviously brilliant and muture beyond her years young girl, Sarandon alternates between being the mom and being the child with the ease of a ballet dancer. More importantly she does it with strength and flare without stomping all over Portman's portrayal of the daughter. The question is always asked when we deconstruct the film plot, who changes? This film is certainly about the daughter, but if you look close at the dreams and sacrifices that Mom makes you come to understand that she changes in step with her daughter. I am willing to bet this makes all of us in the audience change also. The hallmark of fine drama

This saga of turning lemons into lemonade is uplifting and heart rending at the same time. Roberta's, Meryl Streep, life is seemingly a series of bad accidents and inconsequential incidents that turn out benefiting hundreds of kids in what we now term an under-resourced school districts. Roberta turns her own tragedy into a wonderful benefit for her newly adopted community while giving her own life purpose. Her dedication to teaching children the violin in a Harlem school district, gives her pupils not only an appreciation for music, but a wealth of self confidence and an appreciation for discipline and sacrifice. The temptation might be to focus on the editorial glitches and the choppy presentation of Roberta's personal life, However, I think the power of this story rises above those details. And then there is the opportunity to watch Meryl act. Reason enough to see this film.

Bruce and Michelle play the part of almost everyone who has been married. The tug and pull of everyday life separates them from each other, but mostly from their true feelings about each other.

The truth is, based on the Hollywood mythical marriage created for oh so many years now, everyones marriage is terrible. What our couple are able to sort out at the end is that no one is perfect and by looking at yourself through your partners eyes can be a revealing and frightening thing. If you can face it, there is a future in your relationship. If you can not, you may have to move on.

This movie will be mostly lost on the younger crowd, simply because they have not experienced the problems the forty something and above audience have been through. However, it is a film they may go back and see once they have been there and down that. When I think about it, Rob Reiner (aka Meathead) has been expressing the thoughts and concerns of our generation for a number of years now. He is very good at it.

Costner's portrayal of Billy Chapel's conversion from the lone gun slinger major league pitcher to a man who realizes he needs the people around him is masterful and throughly enjoyable. This completes a trifectta of pictures were Costner has portrayed a man who reflects the mythology of baseball in American society. He is the best at it we have ever had. Costner was blessed with a great script and more than adequate supporting actors. Kelly Preston and Jena Malone as the mother daughter who show Billy there is life after baseball where compelling and rich. John Reilly as Gus was the perfect foil, mentor, and companion to the brilliant but aloof hero.

I had no problem in placing myself in the shoes of these people. Like the heroine trying to imagine myself as being blind only made my admiration for the hero grow as we see him not just coping with life as a blind person but really living a very full life. Than through contact with someone he loves realizes that there might even be more for him if he cuts the very safe and loving bounds that tie him to his small town, sister monitored life.

The other side of course, is we, the sighted people, that think that sight is more important than it really is. Our heroine's learning experience shows us that what we are as people is more important than our physical capabilities as humans. This film was very good to those that have an open mind about life and its possibilities.