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HermioneJWeasley
Reviews
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
an odd movie...
This movie had potential - Napoleon could have been a very interesting character with his love for fantasy and his eccentric nature, not to mention his oddball family. (Where are his parents, by the way? They never explained that) However, since he has barely any emotion and a flat affect throughout the entire movie, he is a difficult character to become interested in.
I think the main problem was that the movie had no plot. There was not a sense of connectiveness. Many of the scenes were disjointed, and had no point. There was no time to develop any plots, as the movie lacked any cohesiveness.
Also, the script was very bland and for me, lacked humor and insight, as many of the characters. At parts, the dialogue seemed unrealistic. Also, the high school in the movie is the most unusual high school I've ever seen - it seemed almost surreal.
Napoleon seemed so devoid of any feeling, and I kept wanting him to crack, to get really angry, to become more popular, anything. His character stayed the same throughout the whole movie. The only time he changed was when he danced. I didn't understand his motivation except for maybe wanting to help Pedro with his "skit" that he apparently didn't know about.
Every time something possibly interesting or significant developed, it was abandoned immediately: Napoleon helping out the boy who was being bullied, the time machine, etc. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but nothing did.
Boy Meets Girl (1998)
a romantic comedy with something different
I liked this movie for many reasons, and mostly because it was a romantic comedy that was something different. There is a feel of mystery and magical realism that I found intriguing. It wasn't a standard boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. For me, the magical couple (Il Magnifico and Mrs. Jones) and their apparent affect on Angelina and Mike's romance. was the most interesting part of the movie.
The scenes in which Angelina and Mike were in together were great - I wish that there had been more of them. I like the scene in which Angelina appears to be speaking in English without her Italian accent, and Mike appears to be speaking Italian.
If you like Italy and the Italian language, chances are you will like this movie. If you are Italian, as I am, you will relate to the characters. There was a good amount of Italian in the movie. There is a funny scene in which Mike learns Italian "gestures." and what they mean. He also gets a sort of magical romantic makeover.
I'm not sure where this movie was filmed (Canada, maybe?) but I thought that the scenery was beautiful. It sort of reminded me of the Little Italy in Montreal.
I like the fact that both men and women will enjoy this movie - it's not a typical "chick flick." All in all, a good movie - a must - see for Sean Astin fans or anyone who likes romantic movies.
Dish Dogs (2000)
has potential, but could be a lot better
I'm a fan of Sean Astin's, which was a major reason why I saw this movie. I agree with many of the comments - the movie seemed unbalanced -some scenes were good, some were quite bad, and one was boring (some scenes of Sean Astin's character and his friend, Jason, working, which did not add much to the movie. I thought it had the potential to be a much better movie. The movie seems like it is searching for a plot, but does not quite get there. I liked the bits of philosophy, although they seemed kind of out of place at some times (it was overused in the dialogue at some points) I liked some of the quotes in the movie, and the theme of experiencing something rather than just thinking about it. The scene on the beach with Morgan and his teacher encapsulated this theme of the movie, and which I thought was the best scene in the movie.
What disappointed me is the story had potential. There were some likable characters, and there were some humorous lines and moments in the movie.
I am so used to seeing Sean Astin play nice guys that the Morgan character was a bit jarring. He is so insensitive to his friend Jason, especially at a scene near the end. Jason is clearly the more mature of the two.
Matthew Lillard's character is the most likable and believable character in the movie. He is good - natured and an easygoing guy. In contrast, Sean Astin's character Morgan does show potential of being a nice guy, but he's a very cynical guy who distances himself from women, and doesn't believe in marriage. (a good portion of the movie seems anti - marriage, despite the two marriages in the movie) Some characters (like Mr. Dewitt, Anne's boss) seemed stereotypical and therefore not completely believable.
Since Sean Astin and Shannon Elizabeth's character really didn't have enough screen time, there wasn't enough time to develop chemistry. Plus, her character completely disappears for awhile - she is neither seen nor mentioned. The relationship didn't develop enough to be completely believable.
I thought Sean Astin did a great job as usual. I wish he was given more to work with.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
A must see!
I had to comment after seeing this film. *CONTAINS SPOILERS*
I really enjoyed it. The cinematography was beautiful, and I loved the musical score. I noticed that many of the shots involved nature, and I liked the shots of the Whomping Willow interspersed throughout the movie. The dementors on the train and towards the end of the movie were creepy, just like I imagined the dementors to be.
I am a big fan of the books, and I felt that although some things had to be left out in the interest of time, the movie in general was faithful to the book.
I loved Buckbeak - he was very realistic, and the whole scene involving the Care of Magical Creatures class was one of the best scenes in the movie, in my opinion. I also loved the scene where the class fights the boggarts in the wardrobe, and the " magical animal noises" scene.
As usual, the actors did outstanding jobs I was very impressed with David Thewlis and Gary Oldman, who played Professor Lupin and Sirius Black, respectively, to perfection. I really enjoyed how Harry and Lupin's relationship developed. The movie clearly showed that Lupin, although he was an authority figure, developed a close friendship with Harry. He and Harry were shown to have a genuine connection.
Rupert Grint was so funny as Ron, as usual - he is the perfect Ron, in my opinion, and Emma Watson's talents really shone in this movie. She was funny. I liked the way Ron and Hermione's growing romance was captured in the scene where Hermione "accidentally" brushes his hand during Care of Magical Creatures, and also, as they are watching Buckbeak, when she leans her head against his chest and holds him.
Daniel Radcliffe also did an excellent job as Harry - he seems more angsty and emotional than in the previous two films.
I noticed Sirius got to speak Dumbledore's usual words of wisdom just before he leaves on Buckbeak. His speech was very heartfelt. He captured Sirius' character perfectly.
I would have liked to have seen more of Crookshanks chasing Scabbers and heard more of Hermione and Ron bickering, and also I wish more information on the Marauders was shared for those who haven't read the books but then again, I am sure it will be discussed further in future movies.
All in all, I was very impressed!