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rosegirl
Reviews
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
Quite simply, the most stunning movie I've ever seen
I could probably write a novel here, but I'll keep it fairly short and sweet, since what I have to say about this movie is unequivocal. It took my breath away. Beauty abounds in this film...it wraps all around you and you want to stay in Amelie's world long after the closing credits roll. It is a journey rich in character, color, texture, scenery, human frailty and glory. Audrey Toutou is captivating, and perfect in her role (not to mention impossibly beautiful). The director has created an innovative film in style and substance, a real gem that will stand the test of time. I can hardly imagine loving a movie more than I loved the passionate Amelie.
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Duckie's your man
John Hughes is the quintessential teen movie king. No one does teen angst better than this tried and true director.
Pretty in Pink is a definite classic and among my most-watched films of all time. I can probably recite the whole thing in my sleep. Watching it evokes great 80s nostalgia. I have always loved the music choices in this movie, including New Order, the title song "Pretty in Pink", and Otis Redding's tune Try a Little Tenderness, lip-synched to perfection by Duckie.
I have to agree though with most reviewers here, that I have always felt robbed by the movie's ending. Blane...NO...Duckie...YES YES YES!!! I have always rooted for him...the most beloved underdog in all of film. Each time I watch the movie I get that familiar pang at the end...it's just not right, and I'm sorry to say, but I don't see what Andie could have ever seen in Blane. I, like many viewers, was never convinced that he was right for her.
6/10...great teen classic and the score would be much higher if Hughes hadn't shortchanged us with an ending that belied the film's intended direction.
Office Space (1999)
Ummm...Yeah...I'm gonna need for you to go ahead and read this. Thaaaanks.
I just re-watched this movie last night. It was the third time I've seen it; I needed a good laugh and knew this movie would deliver as always. Is there any film with funnier commentary on office minutae than this one? I think not! This movie elevates slacking off at work to a high art.
The real meat and bones of this movie is not that it has a deep plot or grand filmmaking style...that wasn't necessary here. This is just a simple, straightforward comedy that works and works well.
The central character, Peter, played by Ron Livingston, is decidedly just not interested in working and has a fun time shrugging off responsibility with a smile. He does what any of us who have ever worked at on office dream of....he simply stops going! I love the scene where he tells Jennifer Aniston's character about this decision. "I'm just not gonna go anymore." Hilarious!
When Peter meets with the "two Bobs," his blatant honesty about the fact that he NEVER does any work was a gift to proud slackers everywhere!
His boss Bill Lumbergh is played with dead-on comedic timing by Gary Cole. I was howling with laughter each time he approached an Initech employee with his trademark managerial opening. "Hey...what's happening...yeeeah...I'm gonna need for you to go ahead and..." "If you could do that, that would be greeeeat." I once had a boss like this...
The birthday cake scene is classic. There is not an ounce of energy in anyone's voices as they sing Happy Birthday to Lumbergh...they look numb and office-dazed.
Some other funny points: Milton's constant exasperated mumbling, the whole Chachke's restaurant subplot (15 pieces of flair), and the Hawaiian shirt day announcement.
All in all, a guaranteed laugh-fest for office workers, and anyone who is in the mood for a fun, lighthearted movie.
8/10 for high laugh value and the fact that the movie never stoops to gross out humor, and never takes itself too seriously!
Say Anything... (1989)
Lloyd Dobler is an institution.
***Possible Spoilers***
For over a decade I have watched this movie several times each year. I just can't get enough of it...it is by far my favorite. And it has developed quite a cult following in my circle of female friends. To us, this movie is not just a heartwarming, mature romance about young people. It serves as a model for how love is really supposed to be...and what we want, and deserve, in a relationship.
Lloyd Dobler is an institution. As his best friend Corey would say, in a "world full of guys," Lloyd is "a man." In my little world, the name Lloyd has become synonymous with "the perfect guy" . When a friend dates someone new, I ask, "is he a Lloyd?" And she knows exactly what I mean.
Cameron Crowe's script is phenomenal and his use of music, as always, is jaw-droppingly perfect. Thanks to this movie, "In Your Eyes" is now not just a great song by Peter Gabriel, but an anthem that pleads with you to believe in love for Lloyd's sake.
There are plenty of laughs and well-written scenes in the depiction of Lloyd and Diane's high school peers. Who will ever forget Corey's songs about Joe ("That'll never be me"), or the drunk guy found in the bathroom? ("Look at this gentleman here"), or even the infamous Gas 'n Sip pow-wow with Lloyd's friends ("THAT was a mistake").
The real magic of the movie, though, is in the falling-in-love scenes (and later, in Lloyd's heartbroken despair over their unexpected breakup).
In small gestures, Lloyd, with no ulterior motive other than to love Diane, comes across as a gentleman. The instances are many: the scene where he points out some glass for her to walk around; when he offers her "Bavarian Dutch-Style Pretzels?" in his car; or, sadly, when he pulls over to give her his "full attention" when he knows she has something to say....only to have her break his heart with a teary goodbye that leaves him dumbfounded.
"I gave her my heart and she gave me a....pen," he says, and no more words are needed. We know that he has known love, he has been given a gift that was taken away and it will never be the same for him.
Lucky for Lloyd, Diane realizes how wonderful he is...how rare is the gift that they have found. And they are reunited in the end, because they can't, won't stay apart from each other.
Lloyd Dobler may be a fictional character...but he is also the dream of real love. The underdog who gets the girl. The boy next door who captures your heart. And Lloyd is "a Lloyd," in my humble opinion.
-Rosegirl (Elyse)
Say Anything: 10/10 stars.
Serendipity (2001)
Delightful and enchanting...even my husband loved this one
...and he usually avoids romantic comedies like the plague. ;-) He walked out of the theater and gave me a little half-smile and said, "I really enjoyed that!" Translation? This movie is not just for women. It is for anyone who has an ounce of romance in their soul, an ounce of hope that the right thing does happen sometimes, a smidgen of belief in fate.
I am one of John Cusack's most devoted fans and knew that I had to devour this movie the second it came out.
I got dreamily lost in this beautiful story. Yes, it's predictable and a tad frustrating with all the near-miss meetings between Sara and Jonathan, however this did not take any of the magic away for me.
I knew what was going to happen, but reveled in it, and was so anxious and swept up in the story that I almost wanted the resolution to be stretched out further...
I cried at least three times during this one...not out of sadness, but sheer joy and sentimentality.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!! DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW DETAILS!!!
One of my favorite scenes is when Hallie gives Jonathan the book as the wedding present, and then an almost-speechless, teary-eyed Jonathan shows the book to his best friend Dean. At that moment, they knew that Jonathan would find Sara.
The ending was absolutely breathtaking. The snow, the glove, the slow tear from Jonathan's eye when he sees the vision of Sara, standing in the flesh, finally, before him. Oh man, I wanted to LIVE in that scene!
If you are a Cusack fan, this is a MUST SEE. Wait...if you are a human being, this is a MUST SEE.
Don't get nitpicky on this one, who really cares about predictability. When it works, it works. We know a great love story when we see one, and it's this kind of love-conquers-all sentiment that is the best kind of dream to believe in. So, go, watch the movie, and believe in Serendipity.
You won't be sorry. Unless you're a hopeless cynic, in which case, this movie is not your biggest problem! :-)
The Invisible Circus (2001)
Yikes.
I wanted to love this film so badly...I really did. But it was a horrible disappointment.
I read Jennifer Egan's novel in 1996 and was enthralled by the story. In fact it remains one of my favorite books of all time. Mind you, the book had much more depth than this movie, in plot and emotional resonance. It MADE you care about the characters. It painted a complete picture of Phoebe, unlike the utterly poor characterization of the young girl in the film.
Though beautiful and showing *some* promise in her burgeoning career, Jordana Brewster was as flat and hollow in this performance as was the script. And Christopher Eccleston (Wolf) was just an awful choice for the role of Wolf, both physically and logistically. What an awkward looking couple. Wolf should have been more of a dark brooding character, and more physically alluring, like he was in the book. What's more, the chemistry between the two actors was painfully forced.
Cameron Diaz, however, deserves utmost praise for her performance. She took an impossibly mediocre script and gave her character life, a real spirit. She is simply gorgeous and her careful mannerisms make her very believable as a hippie. It's too bad her talent was squandered on this forgettable film.
In the book-to-movie category, this is a dreadful translation, almost as bad as Message in a Bottle with Kevin Costner. But don't get me started on that one...
I am not usually so harsh in my critiques but I was so disappointed here, because I really cared about the story and wanted to see it told right. It did not deliver...
Almost Famous (2000)
mesmerizing, inspiring, heartbreakingly beautiful
POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!
The unassuming genius who brought us Say Anything, Cameron Crowe, has done it again. Patrick Fugit expertly captures the spirit of the young, eager, slightly timid Rolling Stone writer on his first official assignment. Kate Hudson's Penny Lane is incredibly beautiful and cooler-than-cool, but with a strong and surprising emotional undercurrent running through her performance. And the brilliant Frances McDormand brings the perfect amount of comic understatement to her role as the paranoid mother. ("Don't take drugs!")
Through young William we are granted access into rock's elite backstage world during the time of such legendary bands as the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin. The fictional band Stillwater fits into this world perfectly and its members were such believable rock gods that I found myself wondering how it was possible that this was not a real band!!! Jason Lee and Billy Crudup were mesmerizing and convincing as two talented musicians vying for the coveted role of Stillwater's "golden god"--the fan favorite. The internal struggles facing the band were unapologetically honest and obviously based upon the reality of Cameron Crowe's experience with famous musicians. Crowe's brilliant use of music (for example, Led Zeppelin's "That's the Way" and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer") made the story all the more powerful and engrossing. This seems to be his strong point as a director--(remember Lloyd, the radio, and "In Your Eyes?") Crowe has proclaimed this movie a "valentine" to the music and the bands that provided the soundtrack to his young life. But this is also a valentine to Crowe movie fans everywhere. Thank you, Mr. Crowe, for this beautiful gift. I will cherish it as one of my all-time favorites for years to come.