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NoLittleLamb
Reviews
Premonition (2007)
While she may not have we ALL saw it coming.
Sandra Bullock must be having some sort of intense interest in time travel at the moment seeing as her last two big movies were The Lake House and now Premonition. Maybe it's a midlife crisis thing. Who knows? Any who, Premonition is her newest flick where she lives the days of one very traumatic week out of order, and it (of course) really freaks her out. It takes until the middle of the movie to really understand what is going on, but by the end you don't even really need to finish watching the movie because it so obvious what's going to happen.
The overall flow of the movie I thought worked really well. While there were of course lot's of things that didn't make much sense (a characteristic of almost ANY time traveling movie) there were also a lot of details, and really interesting plot elements that kept the audience interested and that were obviously planned very intricately by the writers and filmmakers. I can certainly say that I was never bored while watching this movie.
While the supporting cast was most certainly lacking, I think Sandra was really good I totally bought her as the mom, and the crazy person. I tend to like her in almost anything. She's not very dynamic as an actress (at least I haven't seen her in any out of the mold roles) but I think she knows that so she stays in her comfort zone and that works for her.
I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed with this movie; unrealistic movies just don't usually awe me much. Although I must say I like the out of chronological order kind of movie because I think they are a tribute to the power of movies. The ability to tell this kind of story in this way is a strictly unique ability of the cinema and that is why it continues to inspire the masses. *steps off the soapbox* It was a pretty silly movie overall, a lot of over dramatics and the ending was WAY too predictable. It takes the same turn as many other time travel movies out there. I prefer to see new things in my movies.
Go ahead and see it. It was entertaining enough, not topping the "greatest movies of all times list" anytime soon but watch able nonetheless. I hope you are able to figure it out.
Black Snake Moan (2006)
Creative story outdone by cheap thrills
A sex addicted Christina Ricci, Samuel L. Jackson with
issues; and a complete ensemble cast where each character comes with their very own unique problems creates this interesting but just short of "good" film. This is the story of a lonely god fearing Lazarus who tries to turn Rae's life around by chaining her up in his house and breaking her of her urges.
I felt this movie had great potential and basis, I think the idea and basic story are really good and could have gone many beautiful places, but I thought they went the cheap route and drug people in to the theater with numerous sex scenes and a naked Christina Ricci. I believe the idea for this movie was really creative and new, but I think it was executed poorly.
Christina and Samuel did pretty well, but I don't think Ricci's accent was very well done, as a matter of fact I think she's done it before and I didn't like it then either, she will never outlive Wednesday for me. However I think both of them probably only took these roles because it gave them a chance to sing, actors like that sort of crap. Jackson was very interesting as an older man; not playing someone with a gun where every other word has four letters and starts with an F is very refreshing. Please don't confuse this at all with Snakes on a Plane, it has almost NOTHING to do with snakes and there is very little gun action, this one was actually respectable.
Which brings we to another point that I think there was a bit too much singing in the movie. I probably should have paid a bit more attention to the words they were singing but I just got distracted. The songs were pretty and showed us a lot about Jackson's character but slowed down the film at parts.
There were some really great parts in this film, the relationship between Lazarus and Angela was touching, and I thought the conversation Laz had with the young boy was really cute, but the sexual nature of this film over powered the grass roots feel I felt this movie could have portrayed quiet well.
Overall, I wouldn't want to watch this again. The beginning middle and end had a depressing cloud hanging over it that was never really resolved and I don't like movies that are depressing the whole time, it just drags me down. If you are fans of Jackson, Ricci or even Justin Timberlake you will probably enjoy this movie more than I, so give it a chance. It does have a really interesting and neat title!
Little Children (2006)
A typical human struggle with an ending that was anything but typical.
Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson star in this film about the constant fight between temptation and duty. This film is a portrait of the never-ending human struggle to do what one knows is right while trying to resist the lure of rebellion.
This film was full of fascinating characters that added many layers to the tale. Sarah the heart broken housewife, Brad the emasculated househusband, Larry the lost and confused ex-cop, and Ronnie the unreformed pedophile trying just trying to please his mother. I found all the actors to be very believable and they were able to convince me of the story they were telling. Kate Winslet was brought back to her Beautiful Creature days, certainly not anything like Rose from Titanic or that character in The Holiday. I also found Jackie Earle Haley the man who played Ronnie to be really creepy in a good way. Just as we began to feel bad for this social outcast, he turned out to be just as creepy as we were hoping he wasn't.
There are so many words I could use to describe the ending of this film, powerful, shocking, disgusting, depressing, poetically just
I was not at all expecting the violent ends to which Ronnie reacted to his mothers powerful words, I was sad that no one really got what they wanted out of life in the end, but mostly I enjoyed the hidden honorableness to the ending. While it may have been against their will, everyone ended up doing the right thing when it was all said and don. Sarah and Brain stayed with their spouses and their children, Larry got to be the hero he once was, and Ronnie did what he had to do to make sure that he would never hurt anyone again. The right thing was done, no matter how much it hurt.
The whole movie had this weird narration, which I found to be rather annoying, but it added to the "here are some characters in a book" vibe which I think the movie was going for. There were also some sex scenes that I didn't find totally unnecessary, but I do think they took away from a potentially higher level of dignity and class that this movie could have had.
This movie was very interesting to say the least. I prefer my movies to be slightly more upbeat, but this one was thoughtful and suspenseful enough to keep me enjoying it, and the hidden "poetic justness" of it all really made me like it even more. Little Children is certainly not for everyone, but if you're looking for something different, then don't hesitate to take a look at it.
Breach (2007)
People aren't always who they appear to be.
An ultra-conservative turns out to be the biggest spy in the history of the FBI in this suspense movie really that packed a punch, but needed still a bit more oomf. While Breach was certainly not a waste of my time, there was still something lacking in its presentation. I think it didn't have enough of the "love/emotion" part to really appeal to women; neither did it have enough action or ultra-suspense to appeal to men. It was overall just "pretty good" and achieved a "pretty good" response from the audience. The story was good, but I think everyone was either expecting a bigger twist, or more shooting/running/explosions, which there was very little if not none. Overall I liked it, but don't go in to this expecting The Bourne Identity or anything, after all it is based on a true story, and they can only push it so far.
I did find Chris Cooper wonderfully troubling and creepy, his character was a very Christian, straight-laced guy from the outside but was really trading secrets with the Russians underneath it all. Maybe it was because I haven't seen many of his films but I totally believed him as the bible thumping Robert Hanssen. I hated him, but understood him at the same time. The look in his eyes was always convincing and never wavered. He was dead on.
Ryan Philippe on the other hand was
acceptable. He's good to look at, but I felt like he was trying a little too hard. He played the "go get em'" FBI clerk very well, but the troubled husband was less believable. He was good, but I found him a bit boring. Not much else to say.
I was a little upset that they left some things unanswered, like why he was sending tapes of his wife to other people, or what exactly he was telling the Russians, but as far as movies these days go I felt the ending was quite just. They caught the bad guy and the good guy realized what was really important in life. This was a lovely movie with heart and suspense, which almost anyone can enjoy. It wasn't confusing, it wasn't too long, it didn't drag all that much, and it wasn't overly graphic or gruesome, a decent movie that was fun to watch and kept my brain on its toes. Go see it. As Robert Hanseen might say, gosh golly why the heck not?
Music and Lyrics (2007)
Sing Along with this Romantic Comedy (maybe laugh a little less).
Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore take us on the romantically comedic ride of their coincidental meeting and accident-ridden relationship.
I can only describe this movie, and the millions of other films like it, as cute and delightful, but not in an overly enthusiastic way. A cute story with fun characters and an up beat atmosphere, but certainly not cinematic gold. However, I am perfectly aware that this was never the intended goal of the filmmakers, so when reviewing movies such as this I'm always hesitant. Do I look at it completely critically and grade it on par with all other movies ever, in which it would never come close or do I take it for what it was intended to be by the filmmakers, just a fun two hour date movie, and give it a thumbs up for completing it's goal? I don't know. All I know is that I feel much better about myself after watching stupid comedy's than I do after watching some deep meaningful drama, just physically, I don't need an aspirin afterwords. I wont make a definite decision now; I'll just go with the flow I suppose. But I can't ever completely deny the small place the romantic comedy holds in my heart.
I found the plot base to definitely be unique, I never knew how people went about writing songs, and after watching this I can at least pretend like I do, even if that's not actually how it happens. Otherwise though, I felt it had the usual romantic comedy plot twists and I didn't find myself ever totally caught off guard, which I must say is something I happen to enjoy in a film once in a while, so no points there for Music & Lyrics.
I found most of the characters to be charmingly entertaining. Kristen Johnson's character as the Popz obsessed fan was great, and I really wish she would do even more acting, I think she's great. Brad Garret also played a perfectly depressing talent agent. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore were there usual romantic comedy-selves. Drew's character was a very small stretch for her and there was absolutely ZERO stretch for Hugh Grant (Playing the stuck-upish character who is brought back down to earth by the love interest
nothing new for Hughie). They were entertaining nonetheless.
I absolutely LOVED the soundtrack for this movie. The songs they made up for the "80's pop group" were perfect and the music video was spot on with the "creepy makes no sense" style of the 80's music videos. The end song I also found to be really cute, and definitely appropriate, it made me feel warm and fuzzy which I suppose is the ultimate goal of any movie like this. I tried to download to some of the songs because they were just that catchy; I'm still working on it. Let me know if you can find them.
Overall a very cute movie, as far as Romantic comedies go it was one of the better ones. Not a complete waste of my time, and if you want an un-depressing, relaxing evening why not check it out, you might get a great song stuck in your head too.
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
A terrifying global issue presented from a terrified individuals perspective.
Uganda is in turmoil and as we follow the life of young Dr. Nicholas Garrigan in his interesting life progression as Idi Amin's personal physician during his stay in the unstable country. We get an insiders look at the brains and brawn behind the corrupt government of the time. Films depicting the chaos in Africa never get old; it's such a drastic change from anything we are used to seeing in the United States that even to begin to fathom that things like this movie showed happened only a few years ago (1970's) automatically leaves the audience enraptured. This movie was astounding and emotionally beautiful. It gave us a look at the complete global devastation going on in Uganda but from an individual perspective, something I believe is often a recipe for success, this film was above and beyond successful.
Forrest Whittaker was brilliant as Idi Amin, he was more than deserving of the Oscar. He was able to capture the personal compassion that Amin clearly believed he possessed, while at the same time showing us the eerily terrifying persona those around him experienced. He certainly scared me, not only in his violence, but also in his uneasy kindness, we never knew what he was thinking, and that can often be the most terrifying thing of all.
While Whittaker was outstanding I don't think the gentleman who played Dr. Garrigan has been given enough credit for this movie. Can you even tell me his name without looking it up? I'll give you a minute
. It's James McAvoy, but either way, it is through his eyes the story is being told and I believe that it is really him that this movie is truly about. However he unfortunately doesn't even appear on the DVD box cover. What is that about? Not only did I find him very attractive (Who wouldn't.) but also I found his acting enticing and very believable and I really felt for him throughout the movie. By the middle of the movie I was earnestly hoping things would turn out good for him, and I winced with every strike he received from the brutal guards of Amin. McAvoy deserves much more credit and recognition from the public for his brilliant portrayal of the young and naïve doctor.
This movie has most certainly been added to my list of favorites. It has all the elements of a fantastic movie. The plot, the characters, the setting were all perfectly mixed together to produce what I believe was cinematic gold. It address social issues, but not in a drab documentary sort of way, sometimes it is necessary to put these sort of statements into narratives such as these in order to be able to reach a larger, sometimes less cultured audience. This is a movie that all people, from everywhere, from all walks of life should see. It can give you a new perspective on global issues and possibly enlighten you to some of the tragedy that has (and still is) occurring in third world countries. While I'm sure much of it may not be historic fact, it is eye opening nonetheless. Make everyone and your mother see this film; I don't think you will regret it.
Freedom Writers (2007)
C+, Needs Improvement.
The true story of a young teacher, Erin Gruwell played by Hillary Swank, in an inner city school who learns to be a better teacher by inspiring her students to be courageous, happy, and to see the error in their violent ways by teaching them to express themselves through writing. A touching and socially important message that has unfortunately been told millions of times before and was unable to bring anything new to the audience watching it. We are only truly touched by this story when we are reminded that it is based on actual events, otherwise it seems like old news that has been pumped out over and over again by Hollywood.
Hillary Swanks performance could only be described as "meh". Apparently she is only truly talented when it comes to playing boys or socially awkward people. Her performance reminded me a lot of my teachers in high school: ambitious and important but overall pretty boring and dull.
The back-stories and the performances of the students I found to be quite interesting. April Hernandez was beautiful as Eva and I really believed the transformation that her character went through. There were some parts of the plot that bothered me though, I found the situation with her husband predictable in a bad way and I felt like it was an aspect of the story that was not totally seen through by the film-making team. They put it in for the sake of putting it in and it did not get the respect it deserved. They should have left it out completely or better developed the idea and the emotions surrounding it.
It was overall a decent story, but I wasn't thrilled or moved to tears. The acting was good but the characters were way too typical, each one was very classic and had been done before thousands of times. It would definitely be good for children (maybe middle school aged) to watch and it wasn't a total waste of my time so if you feel like being entertained for a little with a good ol' fashion "inner city kids get their lives turned around" movie, then this one should get added to your list of ones to watch.
Notes on a Scandal (2006)
A Brilliantly Disturbing Love Affair
This movie sets itself up as being about a teacher/student sex scandal, a story I was glad to finally see a movie about, but then they entered in a whole new twist that I certainly wasn't expecting. When Barbara (Dench) befriends the new teacher Sheba (Blanchett) they form a friendship but neither one of them were ready for what would happen next.
This film showed you a very creepy and disturbing side of Judi Dench that I was totally not anticipating to see. I was surprised enough to see her Casino Royale and then in a role like this I was totally blown away, she is really redefining the place for older women in Hollywood. She was brilliantly disturbing and I felt like she gave me a breath of fresh air! On the flip side I found Kate Blanchett's performance pretty dull, and not very passionate. I didn't believe that her character would do any of the things she did in this film, most certainly not befriending someone like Barbara. Her "love" for her student was not fully felt by the audience and therefore we had very little feeling for her when her life came crashing down.
I found the plot and story to be very interesting, but I was overall not enraptured with this film. The movie was pretty slow moving with mostly unrealistic emotions and an overall predictable ending. I was glad to see this story portrayed in such a way but was disappointed by becoming kind of bored by it. I did not appreciate that the "sexual preferences" of the main character were kept rather vague, and I think had we know more clearly we could have connected more deeply. I was uncertain if she was a lesbian, or just looking for a really good friend. I suppose this was meant to add to the creepiness of the film but I don't believe it achieved this.
One thing I did love about this movie was the way it made me think more about my "friends". It showed the audience that people aren't always who they seem and everyone can have their secrets that no one may ever know about. Who knows what you're friends are writing about you right now?
Apocalypto (2006)
An Artistic portrayal of those in the beginning.
So let's all just take a moment to forget that that strange, strange man Mel Gibson directed this movie and let's just look at it as a movie shall we...
Ready? Okay.
In a film where the actors are not particularly famous I feel there is even more of a chance for the audience to become connected to the film, where as when one is constantly referring to the main character as "Keanu Reeves" instead of Bill, or Neo, a certain believability is lost. That was on thing that benefited this film. With a very ethnic feel, the film was suspenseful and lively but it really didn't strike me as an awesome piece of cinema.
I found the beginning rather slow paced, and the ending too fast in comparison. I found the "jungle running" very repetitive and thought that the bad guys would have probably given up a long time ago. Although perhaps I am underestimating the Mayans in their thirst for revenge. I found the violence a bit overdone, but nothing we haven't seen before or won't see again. While the beginning was slow, I don't think it took enough time for us to really care about the characters before we were already forced to fear for them.
In the above statement, I am however only assuming they were Mayan because it was never specifically mentioned in the story line. The only reason we knew was because sometimes in the subtitles it would say "Yelling in Mayan" or something like that. If it would have been in English (as many films set in foreign places often are) there would have been nothing in the dialogue to let us know who these people really were, other than jungle natives. But perhaps they planned it that way.
A lot of this film was rather unrealistic, I'm not sure that those are the kind of huts the Mayans really lived in, or that's really what they would have killed for food, but it's unrealistic ness was done in a very artistic way, which made it overall
an okay movie. I did find myself really concerned about the family in the well and hoping they make it out okay, but the ultimate end of the movie was totally unexpected (and not in a good way) and seemed very deus ex machina, something totally unrelated that they just conjured up to end the movie.
I do recommend you see this film if only to expand, in some ways, your cultural and cinematic horizons. Don't look at it for history project research of course, but watch it to get a better understanding of who was living here before us as well as to expand your list of "not in English films", they really can be quite good.
El laberinto del fauno (2006)
Finding a Fantasy world in the unkind real world.
Not a fan of the no Spanish rule in comments IMDb!
ANYWAY!
Pans Labyrinth was an absolutely hypnotizing film with a spectacular balance of fantasy and reality, brilliant special effects and a powerful story. I loved the little baby plant thing, and when it was burnt it almost made me cry, the screams of pain were heart wrenching.
I can't say I've ever seen a movie that took place in Franco Spain, but for a movie that wasn't really about that, I would say it still gave us a feel for what that time may have been like. It gave historical information in a non-"history channel" kind of way which allowed the viewer to become more a part of the story enchanting story.
In general child actors annoy me, I however found Ivanna Baquero endearing and I thought she was a perfect guide for our journey through the labyrinth (this may have been solely because she wasn't speaking English). I really felt for the poor child throughout the whole movie, she had the misfortune of being brought in to a cruel world and her only salvation was the world in her mind. I wanted to wrap her up and take her home with me, and let her know everything would be all right. In the end it unfortunately was not all all right, but the journey was certainly entertaining! Ah, the ironic world of movies.
Working at a video store in the middle of hick town many people are wary of renting this particular one because quote "I don't liake to hafta read ma movays". I however happen to watch ALL my movies at home, whether in a foreign language or not, with the subtitles on. (That way I make sure I don't miss a thing). This one just also helped me brush up on some of my Spanish! So do not fear the Labrinto! Embrace it!
While reading some other reviews I found that many people did not like this movie because it did not meet their "expectations". No, it is not a movie for children, nor is a pure science fiction movie built on fantasy and special effects. I don't believe it was ever intended to be so. I can easily see where children would be frightened by it, and where a LOTR fan would be disappointed if they thought it would be anything like it. So, go see this movie, it was beautiful, but just expect an interesting movie, with a touching story and nothing else.
My website http://MarysMovieReviews.blogspot.com
The Fountain (2006)
Eternity Indeed
The Fountain
I'm not even really sure I could accurately tell you what this film was about. There was probably all sorts of symbolism in it that went over my head, and while I'm not adverse to symbolism, many movies use it in quiet beautiful and powerful ways, when it's used so
randomly, and seemingly without rhyme or reason as the fountain did, the audience is lost and therefore the movie loses any potential it had to really effect it's viewers. I quickly became bored and confused by this movie. The main idea behind the film is a quest for immortality and trying to find eternal life, which if I'm not mistaken, in the end we realize is never truly possible.
Hugh Jackman's performance was elevated only by the skill at which this films' costume team pulled off some terrific looking outfits. I think he portrayed the part of a hopeless husband rather well; his crying was usually very believable, but the creepy bald guy and the practically mute Spaniard were dull and much too vague to connect with.
While I love Rachel Weisz in many of her films, Constant Gardener is one of my favorites, I however felt that her sickly, present-day character was fake and annoying, but the way she pulled off the Queen of Spain was quite beautiful. Well-spoken and emotionless, much as you would expect a queen to be. While roles such as these I am sure are a dream for any actor it seemed to me that they clearly focused more on one character than another and left us wanting more from their performances all around.
The Fountain just confused me, I feel that the purpose of film, in general, is to connect with the audience, and when filmmakers use their stage only to express their inner thoughts in completely vague and emotionally vacant ways, the audience feels abandoned and that's exactly how I felt. At the end of this film I was confused and bored, no connection was made.
However, this film did achieve one common goal of film. It made me think
just harder than I would like. It raised questions of immortality and eternal life, a common quest of human beings since the dawn of time. It questioned life and death and made me think about them more than I normally would. While the special effects were brilliant, particularly at the end, the substance wasn't there to back it up. Movie history can not be made on special effects alone.
My Website http://MarysMovieReviews.blogspot.com
Transamerica (2005)
Finding America While Finding Yourself.
This is really one of the best movies I have seen in a VERY long time. No matter what your feelings are, on the subject of trans gender and such, I don't think anyone could see this movie and not be touched in some way by the intriguing story this movie tells. Not only did I love the struggle of the main characters which I thought was portrayed very well, but I also enjoyed the little sub-stories of all the people they met along the way. I loved this movie because it simply told a beautiful story beautifully. I don't think it left anything out, or did it give too much away. They could have easily had some really un tasteful sex scenes, but they didn't, and that's what I like. It didn't leave me hanging (well, it did a little, but in a good way) and it didn't go on forever. This was not a money hungry movie made simply for the fact of attracting idiots to the movie theater. It was made to tell a story, and that's what makes great movies. I mean I totally understand the money mind set, and I don't hold anything against anyone for it (I may even find myself working on The 40-year-old Virgin 2 someday. God Forbid). Nor does a low budget and small viewing audience always guarantee a superior movie. But Transamerica hit the nail right on the head. And if you ever get a chance I recommend you ALL see it. This one will most definitely be added to my all time favorites for sure.
The Painted Veil (2006)
Cholera rips through the country while deceit rips apart their marriage.
The Painted Veil depicts a British couple's ups and downs (mostly downs) during a cholera epidemic in China. The beautiful cinematography and shot composition during this film were brilliant enough to distract the audience from Edward Norton's lack luster attempt at an English accent. While it really wasn't very believable, you got used to it as the movie went on. This tragic story fiercely pulled at your emotions from all angles, there were times when I felt that Edward Norton was a complete monster, but by the end, the story gave the audience what we needed to really feel for him and even more so for his desperate and lost wife. The Painted Veil had all the elements of a classic story of adultery, redemption and re-connection with an end that took a turn for the worst just as you thought it was getting better. But the time period and setting in which it took place was really what set this movie off from so many others like it. While I think the film could have used a Chinese perspective to help us feel more from the side of the down trodden Chinese, throughout the film they were portrayed mostly as people who are too superstitious to know what's in their own best interest. The character Colonel Yu, played by Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, was quiet the interesting character, he had a very fascinating background and personality but the director John Curran did not develop this character for its entire potential, and I think more character development for him would have taken The Painted Veil to another level. If you are in the mood for a tragic romance The Painted Veil should most definitely top your list, but if you are easily annoyed by fake accents and think women's rights are for sissy's then perhaps you'd be better off skipping over this one on the shelf. Supported by a brunette Naomi Watts' terrific performance The Painted Veil is an emotionally powerful tragic romance that takes the audience across the world to learn the lesson of forgiveness.
The New World (2005)
Artistic Without Substance.
This was basically about the "true story" of Pocahontas and John Smith. Not your Disney version. Although, I think this is one time I would have preferred the Disney version to whatever sort of artsy drama we would call this. John Smth and Pocahontas meet, they fall in love under bad circumstances, John has to leave, Pochahontas becomes Europeanized and marry's another guy. (They never said this other guy's name OR Pocahontas' name ONCE throughout the whole movie I don't think) Eventually the married couple moves to England where Pocahontas is treated like royalty. John comes to visit her, and they realize that they can never be together. She stays with her husband and son, but soon dies. The End. This whole movie was very predictable I think, and SO VERY SLOW! There were only about 3 lines of actual dialogue the rest of the movie was either in this vague sort of symbolic voice over or just represented visually like in the way she looked or he looked in their eyes. Even though Pocahontas knew English perfectly by the end of the movie you wouldn't have known it, because there was so little speaking. I was really waiting for them to start singing "Paint with all the colors of the wind". But it never happened. It certainly would have brought the beat up a little. This movie had absolutely zero happy/exciting/slightly upbeat parts. In order to feel the lows one must feel the joy, but this movie really did not allow us to do that. I think this movie really had the potential to tell a really awesome story, but it let me down. The movie was beautiful cinematically, the scenery was really great (I don't know how they found some of those beautiful landscapes in today's world) and the camera angels were usually pretty interesting (I had to think of something nice to say) but, I don't know anything more about Pocahontas or John Smith now than I did before. Don't rent it. It will bore you to tears. Unless you are doing a project on the subject for school it is totally not worth it.