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Reviews
April Love (1957)
I'm kind of partial to this one.
This film is one of those clean cut, light hearted, just fun movies. The scenery is beautiful and the plot is simple. Of course watching Pat Boone play a bad boy (I use that term loosely since by today's standards, his behavior would be considered clean cut) is a bit hard to swallow. This movie was quite a bit before my time, but there are 2 reasons why I have a biased liking for this movie. One, it takes place in Kentucky where I happen to have been raised and still live. I think this movie is the best representation for what makes Kentucky such a great place. And 2 I am the grandson of the man that played Ed Hargraves, the horse trainer (Nelson Malone). He only has 2 or 3 lines, but our family looks forward to seeing this film every year and waiting for Nelson Malone to appear and speak his few lines.
Man of the Year (2006)
Wasn't expecting much, and was thoroughly surprised
I've always been a Robin Williams fan even though I have seen some real stinkers lately. RV was way to formulaic (is that a word?) and didn't have any great Williams comedy in it.
I rented this movie mainly because I couldn't find anything else remotely interesting. To my surprise, it was a great film. Whoever marketed this movie was a brainless boob. The Jeffersonian wig on the poster killed the desire to watch it at the theater. If you're not very politically minded, you may not appreciate the message as much as those of us that are. I think this film spoke to the heart of what most concerned Americans are fed up with and it did it with flare and a great story. It wasn't meant to be be preachy or push ideas on anyone, but those of us that feel that may feel a little validated by the messages. Suspense, comedy, and a message. A great combination
The Departed (2006)
You think you know everything, but you will be on the edge of your seat anyway.
I can't remember the last time I watched a movie that could keep me so engrossed from start to finish. This movie is a reminder why Martin Scorsese is a director's director. There no point in this movie that says formula. It is original and packed with incredible acting. This is by far Matt Damon's best performance. I generally like his movies, but I always saw him as one of those actors that looked like they were acting. He sank himself into this part and deserves recognition for great acting. Scorsese knows how to bring out the best in his actors because even the legendary Jack Nicholson out performs himself.
A superb film
Lady in the Water (2006)
Don't give in to the critics
No matter if M. Night Shyamalan completely catches us off guard or you wait for the twist and go "OOOH", he is always entertaining. Anyone who criticizes this movie has put this writer/director in a class and they want him to follow their idea of what he should do next.
I believe Shyamalan is a formula director/writer. I also believe that he knows this. He just happens to have created a new formula that works. If your looking for a Canns or Sundance Film festival winner of a movie then by all means, avoid this one. But if you're a Shyamalan fan, then go see it.
The reason Sixth Sense was so good was because it was a new approach. Throw the audience a curve ball. But how many times can anyone do that? Shyamalan didn't try. He took his skills and used them in a new way.
This movie was thoroughly enjoyable for exactly what it was. If it was marketed as a horror movie and you didn't see it that way, then blame marketing, not the film itself. It contained horror, fantasy, comedy, and drama. Giamatti's acting did make this film for me and Shyamalan knows how to draw the right stuff from his actors.
It's a Shyamalan formula with a unique Shyamalan story. Go see it
Serenity (2005)
Not for the casual movie goer
I have never seen the TV series but have been a Joss Whedon fan from the days of Buffy. I have to say that this being his major motion picture directorial debut, there is a small taste of TV series flavor to Serenity. However, with that said this was a great movie. Within the first 10 minutes, I was so engrossed in the complexity of the characters that I wanted to go buy the short lived series as soon as I left the theater. I love the fact that good guys aren't perfect, nor in this case even completely good guys. But the human frailties to these characters made it more of a movie about people and less of just a cool sci-fi flick with special effects. This is how sci-fi should be made in the 21st century. There have been enough movies that show the latest technologies to woo and amaze us. It's about time a movie was made that uses those effects without making them the meat of the movie. I'm a huge sci-fi fan, but the shock value of explosions and space ships isn't where a great story is told. Gene Roddenberry understood that concept even after he got his million dollar an episode show. I applaud Joss Whedon on not relying on special effects to make a great sci-fi flick.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Best Super Hero Movie of all time!!!!!!!!
First of all, let's look at the realistic viewpoints of a surrealistic character. Marvel comics and Stan Lee have always done a superb job in bringing super heroes close to home. a) They live in real cities, not Metropolis or Gotham City .. and b) They always work with real world issues. What I loved about Spiderman as a kid was that he was the geek who got lucky/cursed. He spends his whole life wrestling with getting and keeping a girlfriend or a job and he's not always happy being who he is. He wrestles with telling family and friends about his alter ego and like anyone in the real world would do, it's impossible to keep that kind of secret, so it gets out. Once you tell someone, it gets easier to tell more people.
Director Sam Raimi (also a childhood Spidey fan) remembered all the things he loved about the character in the comic and truly brought it to the screen. The special effects in this film were much better than the first, yet all of that played second hand to how well the characters kept me on the edge of my seat. It's how CG is supposed to be done. Not for the sake of saying "Wow, that's a cool effect", but to keep the story going.
Spiderman has always been the closest thing to seeing a human side of super heroes as it gets and this movie won't let you down. (10/10)