Reviews

When Kolchak: The Night Stalker first appeared, I was 10 years-old and VERY impressionable. Every Fright night I would sit at the end of the couch clutching a pillow in my arms while I got scared out of my wits by the various foes that Kolchak faced. I am not kidding. Perhaps if one were an adult, the episodes would have been missing something, but as a child, I was deeply impacted by them. Example: After the vampire episode, I would only go to bed if I had a cross around my desk or within reach so that I could whip it out to ward off any vampires coming for me! As another writer mentioned, I well remember the episode with the electrical currents in a hospital and the aforementioned vampire show. Kolchak's battles with Vincenza and with his co-workers (geeky man reporter and sweet old lady) were always good. Which brings up another episode when one of the "dark creatures" manifests itself as the sweet old lady. This was a great show, which had a real, tangible affect on me, and I hope that the new 2005 TV series does its namesake justice.

I came across "The Hunger" while searching movies on the database of my local library. Seeing that it starred Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon, I immediately checked it out. Big mistake. This film was a waste of time. I think that the only people who would really be fans of the movie would be those who enjoy the "shocking" scenes of lesbian lust. Even though the film is relatively short, it seemed much longer due to some of the extended shots of birds fluttering, fabric blowing, etc. The movie was in no way scary, as a true horror film should be, nor was it enlightening or entertaining in any other way. "Thumbs down" from me.

Last night I saw Clint Eastwood's latest film, "Million Dollar Baby" and it is worthy of a million compliments. As one has come to expect from their past performances, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and Clint Eastwood all deliver dead-on portrayals that should ensure many nominations and, if justice prevails, some awards. Morgan Freeman's ability to keep his voice checked while conveying powerful, searing truths is unmatched. Hilary Swank delivers a combination of raw toughness and undaunted optimism that is incongruously based in pain. Clint Eastwood only gets better with age. This movie had most of the audience sniffling by the end. If you found "Mystic River" heart-wrenching, you will find "Million Dollar Baby" a worthy follow-up.

I finally got around to viewing the much-talked-about "Amelie" and loved it!

I had heard the comments of "the feel good movie of the year" and such, but wasn't really aware of the plot. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised at the impishness (or even nastiness) that she showed since I was prepared for a one-dimensional Pollyanna.

What a great character! What a great actress! And what wonderful supporting characters/actors. This film is definitely worthy of the acclaim it has received. And now I will have to see "No Man's Land" since it beat out "Amelie" for the Foreign Language Oscar in 2001 (i.e., discover what is better than this)!

I had wanted to see "A Mighty Wind" when it was playing in the theater, but missed out so was on the waiting list at the Minneapolis Public Library to view its tape.

The long wait didn't disappoint. I thought the movie was hysterical and very original. I'm always in awe of people who can be so creative in their concepts. The "interviews" with the various singers and folk music historians were completely realistic. The songs were great and will be playing in my head for some time to come.

I especially liked the surprise at the end within the trio, which I won't describe here as to not spoil it.

"A Mighty Wind" certainly deserves all of the acclaim it received.

I have not read the book upon which the movie is based, but I certainly enjoyed the movie and used up half a box of facial tissue as I mourned, grieved, and suffered with the family.

I felt pity for both of the parents as well as the children in Frank's family. From the beginning of the film when the newborn baby Margaret dies, it is obvious to me that the father had a deep love for his children and--as many fathers do, especially when they already have sons--an almost worshipful attitude towards his little girl. (Think of Rhett Butler after his beloved Bonnie died.) I felt very sorry for the father because he did have a lot of pride and it must have killed him as he was aware that he wasn't succeeding. When he came home from England for Christmas and everyone was so cold to him, I could see him thinking, "Well, if this is how they're going to treat me, why should I bother to be here? I came back for this?"

It was simply sad because his wife and children had grievances and were justified in their disappointment with him, but I wished that it could have been a pleasant time and that they would have reconciled rather than giving him the cold shoulder.

I thought that the "bad" people in the movie were the mother's mother and relatives who helped them so little. The grandmother was not just well-fed, she was out-and-out fat. She obviously had plenty to eat. Whereas the father had a disease (acoholism) and could at least be pitied for that, the grandmother didn't provide for her family out of a spite or dislike that she apparently not only held for the father, but also for her daughter for marrying him and for her grandchildren for having the bad luck to be born. The father might have been irresponsible, but he obviously loved his children and enjoyed being with them and telling them stories. The grandmother showed none of that.

While the movie took place in Ireland, one has to remember that during the Great Depression in the U.S. many families were torn asunder when the father left to "look for work" and never returned or took jobs far away or even killed themselves leaving their families destitute and humiliated. The situation was not unique to Ireland.

I grieved with the mother and thought that Emily Watson did an excellent job (as usual) of portraying a downtrodden woman who became more and more beaten down.

All of the actors did a fine job and, from what I know, the scenes of Ireland during that time period were accurate.

I saw this movie for the first time yesterday and I hated it. Rather than giving this a "one of the best films ever made" label, I would classify it as (noticeably) fairly early science fiction with a confusing plot (if that can truthfully be called a "plot"), an incredibly slow pace, and no characters worth caring about. When people praise a movie like this, I wince. From my perspective, this is like modern art that, to me at least, is not "art" if the definition of "art" is to create something beautiful. If the definition of "art" is to provoke or shock, well then, you can have it.

I thought that the length of time spent on the apes was ridiculous. The phone conversation between the man and his daughter was pointless. The fact that the people of the future looked like the people of the 1960s (when the film was made) showed a complete lack of creativity.

If I'm going to invest time and/or money in watching a film, I want it to entertain me or to educate me or to draw me in so tightly that I lose track of time and of my surroundings and am simply encompassed in the film. This movie had me watching the clock and wondering what the heck was going on, what the point was, and why this movie had received so much lavish praise. I guess the most poignant thing I can say is that I wouldn't want to date any of the people who find THIS the epitome of fine film-making.

I was not familiar with Iris Murdoch's works or with Bayley's writings about her, so I came to the movie with a blank slate and an open mind. I knew that this film had been nominated for several Academy Awards, but I only recently saw it and I was glad that I did. Every performance was certainly deserving of the award nominations received and, in the case of Broadbent, won. "Iris" succeeded in providing an interesting, intelligent, compassionate, realistic portrayal of life-long love between complicated personalities. Having watched elderly relatives struggle to cope with infirmities in those they have been married to for over 60 years, Broadbent's depiction of frustration, pain, regret, bursts of anger, and despair rang very true to me. Kate Winslet's portrayal of the young Iris was very interesting to me although I didn't understand all of Iris' motivations. Judi Dench's rendering of the failing Iris was excruciating to watch. A good film and I recommend it.

Set in Italy, this film has the visual eye candy that travelers enjoy: gorgeous landscapes and fascinating architecture. While other, younger viewers might enjoy peering at some of the actors and actresses in this film, I got more of a kick out of the scenery and artwork. I could sit with a glass of wine and the audio off and dreamily watch this film go by. It's that kind of movie: the kind that simply looks good and the visual stimulation is more gratifying than the plot. However, having said that, I did enjoy the storyline. The tangled relationships portrayed rang true to me, as did the searching that we do at different times in our lives as we try to define and, possibly, reinvent ourselves. This isn't a challenging film, but it is an enjoyable one and one that I would gladly watch again.

Annette Bening has proved again what a versatile actress she is. She positively emanates cruelty and perverseness in this film, but she is the epitome of sweetness in "American President" and fragility in "American Beauty." The pleasure her character takes in causing others' pain makes one easily imagine her reincarnated as a Gestapo torturer. Colin Firth is, as usual, handsome, charming, and believable. Fairuza Balk completely captures the confusion, excitement, and naiveté one would expect of a girl reentering the world after years in a convent. Meg Tilly shows a depth that I hadn't expected and Fabia Drake is wonderful as the hard-of-hearing, elderly, but wise, matron. The costumes and sets were exquisite and evoked the period completely. I highly recommend this for the performances and the ambiance.

I enjoyed this movie about an Italian husband's reaction to the idea that his wife might love another, and thought that most men that I know would go through the same stages of disbelief, anger, escape through drinking, wild accusations, and despair. I liked the close-ups, especially of the female actors, that wordlessly conveyed their confusion, distress, longing, and torment. This isn't a deep or soul-searching movie; it is simply a look at human behavior that made me laugh. Watch this movie at the beginning of a dating relationship and see how your partner reacts to the ideas of homosexuality, infidelity, and emotional connections. I think it would prove insightful to the thinking and beliefs of one's new partner.

This film hit a grand slam by successfully achieving all of the things I hope for in a movie: it entertained me, it educated me, it charmed me, and it provoked me. I have lived in the Netherlands and love the Dutch people, so I was happy to view this film and see many familiar sites and understand some of the Dutch dialogue. It provided me with a sense of deja vu. I also learned things about the Dutch World War II experience that I previously was unaware of. The vast majority of the world only has one thought when it comes to WWII and the Dutch: Anne Frank. It's heartening to watch a film that explores many other facets of the Dutch experience during occupation, and that doesn't promote an all-rosy view wherein everyone is heroic. It is a realistic film that showed the complications of war and occupation, the desire for self-survival, the limits of patriotism, the fragility of war-time romances, and the bravery and sacrifices that some, but not all, are willing to exhibit. My heart was in my throat many times as I wondered what would happen and, although the movie is almost two and a half hours, I was sorry to see it end.