Reviews

I've read dozens of critics reviews of this movie, and I'm still reading dozens of them, but none seem to zero in on some of the story/plot issues that appear so obvious to me. This is a charming film, for sure. J-Lo's magnetism and screen presence is unmistakable, seemingly the best thing the film has to offer. But her character, I wonder about.

She is the titular character who through a series of interesting events ends up in contact with Ralph Fiennes' character, running for Senate or considering a run in New York City. From the moment he meets Marisa, he's entranced, though plays his cards fairly well. Marisa, however, seems to take an interest but then backs away at seemingly the most opportune times. Clearly there's an interest between the two, although whether bounds of chemistry jumps off the screen could be up for debate.

It's strange, though, when Marisa shows up to a ball at the Met, all dolled up and looking spectacular as anyone has ever looked, yet arrives to say she cannot see Chris anymore. She gets these words out, but why? On the surface the reason is that she's been accepted into a management position and supposedly has to cut off contact from this love interest. But that notion is ridiculous for several reasons, not the least of which is that Marisa never desired the position in the first place and it was only her pathetic co-workers, one in particular, that foisted it upon her. And can't this woman, already covering the fact that she's a maid from her new guy friend, also cover that she's romantically involved with someone who has stayed at her hotel and could easily stay elsewhere if necessary? Alas, this plan to break things off doesn't stop Marisa from sleeping with Chris that evening, a point every one of the scores of world-wide critics of this film fail to point out.

A second weird thing. After Chris and Marisa spend the overnight together and it's later revealed that Marisa is indeed a maid at the hotel he frequents, a fact hidden from Chris, everything between the two is...over. Some time later, it's not efforts by Chris or Marisa to re-connect but another funny, sort of serendipitous, situation that brings the two back together.

Who knows, maybe they needed a moment apart to come back again, but why not kindle the flame of love together? Why not dare to reveal oneself and let the love prove itself? Fiennes' character seemed to be up for the moment, but J-Lo was always too hesitant for some reason to give love a chance and be fully open.

"The Big Short" is a film with Steve Carell and some other folks about things in the banking industry that lead to the 2008 recession. Various banking guys discover issues in the industry that could lead to a potential market collapse. At the least, they uncover fraudulent and deceptive practices. A lot of the movie seems to be scenes in which hotshots from Bank A with knowledge about problematic mortgages visit bigwigs from Bank B hoping to cash in or learn more about the problem by shielding themselves from sharing the ultimate issue at hand. "You mean you don't do income verification when giving people mortgages?" "No, we don't." And more questions from the Bank A people follow. Never a desire to set such people straight and tell them that their jobs and lives are at stake, never a desire to wonder if their participation in the banking industry itself should be questioned. Steve Carell's character, always looking to point out and draw out the problem and bringing attention to it without providing a path forward to how to tighten up this practice and prevent it from happening in the future. Sorry, can't identify. Part of the film seems to be a crusade against "big banking capitalists" by noting that the poor and working class will be affected by these sketchy mortgage deals, but then by the end of the movie the main characters appear to cash in themselves on such an industry. You uncovered the problem, brilliant, but then don't have either the moral fortitude or wherewithal about how to lead things forward to a stronger future. I guess, that is, because you are simply bankers. Features a rather strange performance by Christian Bale.

This movie, given its star actor, is what I imagine watching a wrestling match is like. There is nonstop action and movement with breaks taken only due to fatigue. From the opening camera moving across the landscape, to Chris on a moving ferry, to Chris walking for the entire opening credits back home, you don't encounter many, if any, scenes of one setting, with two actors in a one-on-one situation, engaging in dialogue for several long minutes. Maybe that's a drama, and this, to be sure, is certainly no drama movie. So much happens in this movie, which seems to make it so interesting, and a rush. What some people spend their entire lives doing or could take more than one lifetime doing -- weeding out corruption and social rot in a city/town, seems to get accomplished in the span of a couple months. Also in that time-frame Chris wins a small election (details of which aren't shown) which turns in to a good job and gets back with his former girlfriend. Does life happen this quickly for some people, especially somebody who was away for eight years? In "Walking Tall", it did.

If you're coming to this movie as an auto enthusiast interested in the coast-to-coast car race, the real life event that inspired this movie, expect to be mildly disappointed. This film, a decent comedy, doesn't zero in on the cars so much themselves or the geography and distance of the race or the test of endurance the competitors are about to go through. Nope. Instead, this film zeroes in on the bizarre characters undertaking that race. To be sure, there are some rather funny characters in the movie -- and rather brainless ones. But don't expect to come away having witnessed a good race movie; this is standard comedy. I kept wanting to know where the drivers WERE locationally and a good bit in to the movie after the race has begun we find out they are in New Jersey (though you never see a coast). A few minutes later, then, we see The Arch of St. Louis. But parts of the movie are rather refreshing, specifically the fact that individual relations between men and women don't end up in fornication or scenes of gratuitous nudity. In that sense, the men and women are respected for who they are. Made in 1981 and lasting about an hour and a half, this movie operates as something to pass the time, especially in certain quiet days of the year, like those hours of solitude leading up to Christmas Day.

Having seen the other Karate Kids, I was curious about this film, though I had never seen or even heard of it. The usual elements are back. New kid in town that struggles to adjust; a Mr. Miyagi that helps to instill self-confidence in the teen; and the climax of needing to use the recently learned karate in a pivotal fight scene. I was taken in both by Hilary Swank's character, expressing the range of emotions and soon willing to be positively formed (the Karate Kid characters are always so kinetic, aren't they?) and Mr. Miyagi as the walking book of Oriental proverbs. I loved it! Slow in some parts, but some intriguing scenes.

In its opening scene we are introduced to the film's main character, where we witness her at her familiar place, her place of "escape", her location, among others, of communing with God; she returns here at her most broken moments, notably so in one of the film's powerful closing scenes. Celine's quest is one of how to live "avec Dieu" - with God. A student of theology at a local convent, Celine is instructed that life in the world would offer better opportunities to live out her faith than the nunnery since her behavior here is seen as too ascetic. "The convent door will not be barred to you," are some final words from the Mother before Celine departs for holiday, allowing for the possibility of her return. From here, Celine encounters the dynamics of friendship and the potentially deadly reality of Islamic fundamentalism. We are treated to the spiritual depth of our main character and find that she is willing to push her faith to the limits in order to try and live - with God.