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taintedvie
Reviews
Elf (2003)
Shockingly good!
So a few weeks ago my 20-something-year-old male friend mentioned how much he wanted to see this new movie Elf that was coming out and starring Will Ferrell.
Immediately I cringe inwardly, but nod my head and mention that I vaguely recall seeing something about that film on TV somewhere. Wasn't James Caan in it too? Hmm. Maybe it could be good. Heh.. maybe.
A little over a week later and this said friend is giving me a call. We decide to make plans for Friday, but why go out to eat again? After a few seconds of mentally listing the pros and cons of it, I just say it. I say, "Didn't Elf come out today? Why don't we go see it since I know you want to." A few hours later as we walk into the theatre, I'm praying that this movie will at the very least have more entertainment value than From Justin to Kelly. See? Not much in the expectations department.
Okay, so to get to the point of all this.. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It's slightly childish, slightly unbelievable, and very, very funny. I fell in love with it, and I cannot wait to be able to add it to my collection of DVDs so that I can pull it out every year around Christmas and get myself in the mood to start buying strands upon strands of Christmas lights.
Will Ferrell is right at home as he prances across the screen in tights, picks used gum off railings in New York City, bounces across beds in department stores, and naively assumes midgets are elves. This film pays homage to other Christmas classics, it miraculously has a decent plot to it that, while cheesy, is cheesy in a very good way.
In all honesty, I'm kind of hoping at least one of my other 20-something-year-old friends is interested in seeing this movie. Because I wouldn't mind seeing it again.
American Dreams (2002)
A welcome change!
I first heard about this series with the commercials that ran on NBC before the pilot even aired. Frankly, the concept that was presented sounded interesting and fresh (wow! no doctors or lawyers!). Needless to say, the anticipation of this show was killing me, and finally the big day came when I could catch a glimpse as to what this show was about.
Predictable? Pretty much. Overly cute at times? Yes. A lot of flaws that could have been avoided (i.e. the first several episodes when Patty would repeat every other word spoken and s-p-e-l-l them out)? Definitely. However, this show is a fresh idea amidst all of these old and overdone plots! The time period that the show is set in was full of change, and this is the story of a stereotypical family that was simply along for the ride like everyone else. The involvement of American Bandstand also adds a different flavor to the show, along with some great music and guest appearances by various musicians (Nick Carter, Michelle Branch, Usher, etc).
I highly recommend this show for families. Adults may recall some of the historical facts and issues that appear in the shows, and teens and children can relate to the situations that many of the characters are presented with. This is certainly not the best show ever created, but I have to admit that I look forward to watching every Sunday to see what will happen next to each of the characters. :)
The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
The brightest star..
First, I'm a huge Buddy Holly fan. I grew up knowing who he was, and I knew all about that fateful plane ride that extinguished three incredibly bright flames just like that. But I had never truly listened to his music. I had heard much of it, yes, but not until I sat down with the intention of getting something out of it did I truly come to see the real Buddy Holly. And let me tell you that my world is a different one now because of him.
Because of this adoration for such an incredible man, I bought The Buddy Holly Story without ever seeing it previously. I'm torn on my views of this film. Perhaps it's because Buddy feels so alive to me that I just couldn't bear seeing Gary Busey in this role. I'll admit that he did a nice job acting, but his singing sounded so forced. It seemed to me as if he knew he didn't sound a bit like Buddy himself and therefore was using far too much energy to make an attempt at a similar sound. In some parts of the film, he succeeded. But others.. ouch.
The movie spanned a period of several years, but I feel that portraying this time span could have been handled much better. I had a difficult time distinguishing at what point in Buddy's life certain events were happening. I also had a serious problem with some of the historical inaccuracies. I think the worst one was the portrayal of the Crickets. I understand how their real names couldn't be used, and how for simplification there were only two of them in the movie.. and maybe this was a good thing. Because the film's background vocals were cringe-worthy, and I disliked the way they were portrayed as a hindrance to Buddy's career. Something else that really made no difference to the film but irked me was Gary Busey's teeth. They wore me out! Buddy Holly had much better teeth. I don't know why I noticed it.. but I did.
I'll end this review on what I felt was the best part of the movie: Buddy's last performance. His final phone call to Maria, the Big Bopper's performance, bringing him and Richie Valens to the stage, followed by the still frame ending. It startled even me, and I feel that it effectively shows the audience how at one moment Buddy Holly was so alive and energetic, and that his flame was snuffed out in the blink of an eye. It was a beautiful way to portray this horrible tragedy I think.
Good movie, despite the obvious problems.. 7/10.
Some obvious flaws, could use some work... but not bad.
The Wedding Planner (2001)
Charming!
The Wedding Planner isn't the best movie ever made. It has some flaws, the acting isn't always perfect, and we all have a pretty good idea where the story is going to end.
However, it is a charming feel-good type of film that is easy to "aww" over. The story is cute, and there are some truly romantic scenes that make us all wishing we had more of that in our lives. Jennifer Lopez plays her role well (all though some might argue that it's highly unlikely for a girl like her to have not had a date in two years!), and Matthew McConaughey does a great job as Dr. Steve Edison. I was very impressed with him in this movie. The supporting cast seems to hold their own all right. Massimo (Justin Chambers) gets slightly irritating after a while, but that's my only truly large complaint.
Overall, not the best ever made, but great for those days you watch a movie just for the purpose of bringing a smile to your face. :)
Spider-Man (2002)
Shockingly Wonderful
I'm generally not one to bless the internet with movie reviews, but this one was simply too good to pass up. It makes absolutely no sense: the special effects failed to impress me, at points I felt that the story was moving too slow or too fast, the villain seemed more or less a modern rip-off of Jekyll and Hyde, the opening credits dragged a bit, and yet all the same I enjoyed every moment I spent in the theatre. There was something about the story that just made this movie untouchable, regardless of the blatant flaws. Was it Tobey Maguire's wonderful portrayal of a normal, naive guy who suddenly is blessed with something special? The Spider-Man experience as a whole? Or the intricately woven web of superhero action and a portrayal of a common boy in love with the girl next door...
I don't know. It could be all three of those. At any rate, I recommend this movie to both young and old, Spider-man fans and those who haven't ever opened a comic book. It's a worthwhile several hours that will have the audience yearning for the sequel (I, personally, cannot wait), and exiting the theatre with a thoughtful outlook on how and why the events in the film unfolded as they did. 8/10