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Reviews
Stonebrook (1999)
Plot keeps this from being too bad
The plot's twists and turns make the movie interesting to watch, even though a lot of the things that happen are a little hard to believe. The characters are really sketched pretty thin, although an effort was made to make them all interesting. Overall, it felt as though everyone on the production staff of this film was new to making movies, and so they were trying out different things and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. The next couple of films these people make will probably be a lot better, but for this one, they seemed to be trying to find their way, from the director down to the music composer. Overall a good concept for a movie, it just needed a lot more polishing. I rented it for free, so no complaints.
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Great brainless fun
An interesting, realistic plot was never Charlie's Angels' strong suit. The original series was fun to watch because of its style. This movie follows that same tradition. The Angels brush off physical damage that would kill a 300 pound NFL linebacker, never mind a 120 pound female. But the film has very interesting effects and visuals, lots of humor, and enough charm from all the major characters that it's hard to pay attention to the flimsy plot and unrealistic situations. Some of the fight sequences look very impressive (if very reminiscent of John Woo films), and the Angels have just the right combination of ditziness and kick-ass bad-girl toughness to keep the movie rolling right along. A great film if you want to have a fun time.
The Replacements (2000)
Surprisingly funny movie with lots of heart.
This is a surprisingly good movie, with lots of laughs and lots of heart. The ads make this seem like a very dumb jock movie, but there is actually lots of humor, and the core of the story is about these replacement players trying to redeem themselves, gain respect, and attain personal glory. The story is of course predictable, but it's a very enjoyable ride nonetheless.
Magnolia (1999)
Excessive, meandering "art" film
This movie was horrible! It simply never goes anywhere. It's clearly trying to be some "artsy" and "deep" character-driven movie, and in fact it thinks that it has succeeded. Sad to say that after wasting three hours of my life, I discovered that it had failed on all accounts. The characters are not richly developed - they all have these epiphanies that come from out of nowhere at the end, their actions are contrived simply to make things look good, and they act like nice little stereotypes more than anything else. For a three hour movie, you think you'd actually learn a lot about the characters and learn to like them, but instead you just get shells of all these people. There were too many excessive shots that directors like, but have nothing at all to do with advancing the story. You'd think that all these lives would interconnect in some sort of interesting way at the very end, but that never happens. Instead, a couple of insignificant and obscure connections are made to try and unite the story. The ending leaves you dumbstruck as to how you could have wasted three hours of your life. Overall, one of the worst films I have ever seen. Save your money and watch American Beauty instead (even if you've already seen it).
Music from Another Room (1998)
An all-around bad movie
If a movie is going to have a lot of formulaic plot points, then it has to be executed perfectly in order to be enjoyable. "Never Been Kissed" is a good example of a movie which has a very conventional plot, but is thoroughly engaging because of good acting, well-placed comedic moments, and good directing. "Music From Another Room" has none of these, although it's obvious that it's trying for them. The movie starts out as if Jude Law's character will be focal point of the story, but actually it's Gretchen Mol's character that the story revolves around. There are the usual scenes where Mol's character is supposed to grow, but most of them do not work. I'd blame this mostly on the script. I found it awkward and unnatural. It is not always clear what is going on in the characters' minds from the things that they say, although there are plenty of close-ups of the various characters which, I suppose, are meant to make up for this. There is the classic final scene where Mol's character is supposed to realize that she should be with Law's character, but it doesn't resonate in any way. It doesn't ring true because it fails to tie together everything that has been going on in the movie up to that point. Overall, a disappointment, since I thought this movie had the necessary elements to be a good romantic drama/comedy.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Idiotic and annoying
This movie relies on touchy-feelie moments from little children and a good-hearted alien to make up for lack of a smart, involving plot. It's disgusting. The alien does lots of idiotic things, the kids do lots of idiotic things, but because everyone is cute, we're supposed to love the movie. Why did a band of idiots have to find this idiotic alien? Why not smart kids finding a smart alien? Completely formulaic: You have the "bad" adults, and the "good but misunderstood" children and alien, with no real reasons for anyone to be who they are.