Change Your Image
Ed-217
Reviews
America's Heart & Soul (2004)
The Antithesis of Fahrenheit 9-11
It was a pleasure seeing a movie that makes me proud to be an American....
The LOVE OF AMERICA came through LOUD and CLEAR.
It covered a good cross section of American experiences.
It was worth seeing.
You will leave the theater will a feel good flutter in your heart.
It is the Antithesis of Fahrenheit 9-11.
My friends loved it.
Another Disney classic.
You will want to see it again and again.
The 20 or so stories criss cross our great land....
Chicago (2002)
takes us on a journey through the musical fantasy world of Roxie Hart
CHICAGO Directed by Rob Marshall Starring Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger
This "Golden Globe Award" winning movie takes us on a journey through the musical fantasy world of Roxie Hart during the Chicago of the 1930s where the tabloids made you or broke you. The reality of that world was not as much fun as the musical fantasies that will bring you back to see this movie again and again.
Chicago was nominated for the most academy awards at 13 ... and we will find out if it wins the Oscar for the Best Movie of the Year on March 23rd. Whether it wins or not, one thing is for sure, it is definitely one of the best film musicals in many years.
As Billy Flynn [Richard Gere] tells us: "The world is a circus...." and he is one of the ring leaders as he razzles and dazzles us as lawyer to the celebrity of the moment. He even tap dances.... as well as doing great as a song and dance man. Winning is the principal thing in life to him with ethics, integrity and principles of far less importance. Yes.. Lawyer Flynn would have been very comfortable in our contemporary society. :-)
Now I see why so many people have told me that they have seen it more than once. The first time for the story. The other times to further relish the delightful musical numbers.
Little did our aspiring Roxie Hart ever dream that the actress that portrayed her on the screen one day [Renée Zellweger] would have an excellent chance to win the Oscar for Best Actress of the year. She already has won a Best Actress "Golden Globe Award." She was exceptional in this movie and surely deserves it. The entire cast was terrific!
So if you get a chance soon, come to the Chicago cabaret. Yes, this is another movie that further proves life is a cabaret.
Far from Heaven (2002)
but it turns out to be far from heavenly
The upscale Whitakers live a heavenly life in suburban Connecticut ... or so it seems ... but it turns out to be far from heavenly. This is a fascinating look at 1957 America and I definitely recommend this movie. It was interesting going back to the 1950s because I always recalled it as a great period. I was reminded of the not so pleasant attitudes of people at that time... which I apparently repressed. It is a sad melodrama with mature themes.
Cathy Whitaker's strong need for approval of her friends and failure to face reality was true for many women of her day. Julianne Moore played the role beautifully and deserved her Golden Globe Best Actress Nomination.
The cinematography was beautiful. It takes place in Hartford, CT... and was actually filmed in CT. &N.J.
I do not want to spoil the movie for you but suffice it for me to say that it covers two areas of taboo in the 1950s that do not exist to the same degree today. There were no personal computers, cell phones, PDAs, etc. Wow! Much duller than I recall. :-) :-)
About Schmidt (2002)
I found Schmidt's letters to 6 year old Ndugu of Tanzania of key interest in this film
MOVIE REVIEW: ABOUT SCHMIDT [Rated R]
This movie depicts the lead actor in the best role I have seen him play. Mainly because he played a role that was exactly what Jack Nicholson of Brick, NJ is not. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award with Jack & Kathy also getting acting nominations.
Although it related to a retiree, it is something that our young should also see since it is the story of Warren Schmidt who didn't prepare well enough for his retirement.
As a retired executive of a large company, I should have been able to identify more with him. However; I did not because I have so many interests in life that I did not find retirement so empty and boring as he did. It is very funny ...and at the same time very sad. It will affect people differently depending on their outlook of things but it SURELY will have a profound affect on YOU one way or another.
I found Schmidt's letters to 6 year old Ndugu of Tanzania of key interest in this film in that it gave us the only way to really learn what this colorless guy Warren Schmidt was all about. The letters were also very humorous coming from Mr. Schmidt. As Roger Ebert - who gave it 3 1/2 stars - says in his review: "Most teenagers will probably not be drawn to this movie, but they should attend. Let it be a lesson to them. If they define their lives only in terms of a good job, a good paycheck and a comfortable suburban existence, they could end up like Schmidt, dead in the water." Ed of Aberdeen - who gave it 4 out of 4 stars - says: "You will find it to be two hours of great entertainment and I highly recommend it. I will be surprised if it is not nominated for an OSCAR."
Gangs of New York (2002)
This history about my birth city was entirely new to me.
Little did I know, while working for over 20 years in downtown Manhattan that I was within walking distance of the notorious Five Points neighborhood of NYC. The Foley Square Courthouse was erected on part of the site of the Five Points in the year that I was born in 1933. I was fascinated to learn about the gangs of New York that fought there and about the New York Civil War Draft Riots during July 11-13, 1863.
This history about my birth city was entirely new to me.
That period was dramatically and vividly portrayed in the movie: GANGS OF NEW YORK.
It was the age old story of survival with the newly arrived immigrants threatening to take away the jobs and territories of the old timers. This story has played over and over in lands all over the world but especially in New York City which is a true cauldron of nations. This diversity is one of the reasons that I always felt lucky to have been born and raised in NYC. I always found the various cultures of the many nationalities of great interest because of their similarities as well as their differences. However; thankfully I was not a resident of the Five Points section in Lower Manhattan during the mid 1800s.
Martin Scorsese is the perfect director for this type of film. He pushed the envelope to show us the violence and decadence of those early times in lower Manhattan within walking distance of the site of the World Trade Center. I had to turn away several times because of the viciousness and violence displayed.
I consider the movie Academy Award caliber and give it a rating of 10 out of 10.
I have subsequently learned that it has been chosen as Golden Globe Award Nominees in the following categories: > Best Picture > Best Actor [Daniel Day-Lewis dominated the film] > Best Supporting Actress [Cameron Diaz], > Best Director > Best Original Song [The Hands That Built America by U2].
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
If you love life, people, food, dance, romance, family and a great deal of laughing at ourselves, you will love this movie.
Plot Outline: A young Greek-Canadian woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.
This movie is one of the best ones that I have seen in years. It is not being advertised much in the media but is getting excellent word of mouth reviews. My neighbor loved it so much that I had to go and see it. Their daughter-in-law loved it so much that she took her mother-in-law and saw it a second time.
Here is my word of mouth review: DON'T MISS IT.
You do not have to be Greek to appreciate it. However; if you are Greek, it would be a shame not to see it. :-) It is easy to substitute Italian, Jewish, Spanish or any other culture. We all feel more comfortable with our own people but there is an excitement in expanding our horizons and learning about the many other cultures in our wonderful world. I believe that we all have more in common than we have differences. If you love life, people, food, dance, romance, family and a great deal of laughing at ourselves, you will love this movie. The lead actress wrote the screenplay and the entire cast is outstanding.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
A Great Movie Experience
Hey, I go to movies to be entertained. For new experiences. To temporarily escape from my current realty. To stir up my emotions. To be surprised. To be amazed. To be challenged.
BINGO! This movie did it all.
See it, you will like it.
What a great cast of actors! Great performances by all. Academy Award material in all categories...
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Loved it!
My eyes were wide open throughout Eyes Wide Shut! I rate this film a 10 out of 10. Academy Award caliber. It is Rated R but I would have rated it X. It makes one pause and think about the strong influence of sexuality in our lives. It held my interest from start to finish and I was surprised to see it was 2 hours and 45 minutes long. A fascinating and suspenseful movie that I plan to see again. I will also have fun finding the Christmas tree in each scene. An excellent vehicle for a husband and wife team like Nicole and Tom. They were fabulous.... especially Nicole. {:-) May Director Stanley Kubrick rest in peace. He died at age 70 in March 1999 shortly before the movie was released. Eyes Wide Shut is a fitting finale for this movie making genius. Review by Ed of Aberdeen 8-8-99