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JakJam
Reviews
Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling (2009)
A Rating of One Because There's Nothing Lower
Even a bad comedy can be good sometimes. Not this one though - not even close.
Terrible story, terrible cinematography, terrible continuity, terrible casting. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
Oh - and please - was there not one Canadian any where near the shooting of this film to teach the director that Canadians do not talk as though they were portrayed in this movie. The use of the sound "eh" and the 'sayings' (like "Holy Halifax") were contrived and - well, okay, I'm going to use a bad word: stupid. It was so annoying and so ridiculous, it was hard to even get close to the end without eye rolling and chucking popcorn at the screen. Is it really so challenging to portray a Canadian? After all, we are America's closest and largest neighbour and have thousands of Canadians working in Hollywood alone. This wasn't funny, it was lazy writing and unacceptable.
I'll be sure to avoid anything with these actors and directors in the future.
Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
Romantic Drama Missing Conflict
Every great romantic comedy needs conflict between the romantic leads to lend suspense, anticipation and allure to the plot. This story falls completely flat in this area. There is no conflict - at least none that would inhibit the eventual joining of the two lead characters, and so suspense is flat, there is no anticipation, and there really is no allure at all.
The chemistry between Richard Gere and Diane Lane is representative of friendship at best, and with the talent of these two particular actors, I was quite surprised. During the movie, I expected them more to play a game of checkers and chat about the weather than see any moving passion.
While I'm a fan of both actors, I do believe that the casting in this movie was off - or, perhaps the direction was off-base and it impacted their deliveries. The writing was very weak, which also might have impacted the performances; most certainly, the script could have used some help from some Harlequin writers who have real experience putting the heat in romance.
This movie may be worth watching on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but only after it's on the cheap shelf.
(Sorry Diane Ladd and Richard Gere).
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Elizabeth Banks is an outstanding actress
This is a cute romantic comedy. While the plot is a little thin, the concept of two ordinary people making a porno film was quite comical, and they managed to do it with very little nudity (there is some, though - as well as a lot of cursing...not for the kids!). The characters are developed very, very well.
Elizabeth Banks (the female lead) is outstanding. (SPOILER) She manages to deliver a performance convincing in her development of feelings for Zach (Seth Rogan). I think we're going to see great things from her...if she can manage to swing some better scripts!
The secondary characters were also handled well. The show was well acted; and although the ending was a little disappointing, it was a fun movie to watch.