Reviews

I heard Elegance Bratton's interview on NPR and it was very good. I was intrigued by his story and saw the movie two weeks later. What I thought was a slow start turned into a series of bad acting, no character development, and awful scenes reminiscent of low-budget porn storylines. The homosexual stereotypes were over the top and were shameful and a disservice to all whom serve in the military.

This movie was such a disappointment and did not do his life story justice (and yes, I realize he was both the writer and director). Elegance has a compelling story to share, but this movie completely missed its mark.

I'm surprised by the negative review this movie received. I thought it was a beautiful love story. It is so refreshing to see black people in a positive light. Just a portrayal of everyday life and their family and friends. The music was on point. Really helped the film out and helped set a great tone.

I thought both love stories were beautifully woven and I was just as intrigued by the love story of the past as I was with the current day story. Acting was pretty good and the two main characters had good chemistry.

Yes, it happens to be a love story portrayed by two (actually four) African-American actors, but it is a touching story that can be loved and appreciated by all.

I went in with somewhat low expectations, despite promising reviews. Someone said it was much better than the Shallows, which I really enjoyed, but in my opinion the two movies don't even compare. This movie had promise, but I just could not get past the horrible acting. I am a Mandy Moore fan, but this movie was nothing short of a teenie bopper (even though I know the characters were older than that) wanna be underwater thriller.

Bad writing, bad acting, and totally predictable. I was not entertained, nor scared. The premise was good, but they failed to produce the quality of work that this film had the potential to be.

I went into this movie never before hearing the name Steve Gleason (shame on me), and only knew what I read in the reviews. I figured it would be sad, but I was not at all prepared for what this documentary entailed. From the very beginning, I fell in love with both Steve and his wife Michel. Both were very likable and brutally honest and I appreciate that.

This documentary was one of the most powerful pieces of work I have ever seen on film. From the very beginning, you knew it was going to be a roller coaster, but nothing prepares you for the love, determination, heartbreak, devastation and unthinkable circumstances that Steve and those around him have to endure. It was hard to watch, yet captivating at the same time. I simply can not imagine having a terminal illness such as ALS, or watching someone that I love go through what this man and his family have gone through.

Yet as heartbreaking as it was to watch, I was amazed at how they managed to somehow keep their sense of humor. The movie was laugh out loud at parts and gave you a very up close and personal view of what happens to a human when their body fails them.

I can not say enough about this movie. It was very powerful and will stay with me for a long time. I think it is important to show films such as this to bring education, awareness and support to such important issues. This film managed to show you the real grit of marriages, parenting, health/illnesses, family, faith, and football.

I'm clearly in the minority here, but I absolutely hated this movie. Every character were annoying and not likable at all. I'm not really sure what the point of the movie was. I kept thinking it would get better the longer I stayed, but it didn't. The only redeemable thing about this movie was the lovely Tilda Swinton, and her beautiful wardrobe. Sadly, with no voice in the movie, she was still the most exciting character to watch.

Dakota Johnson (or her character at least) was just horrible. Tried to come off as young and sexy, but was just boring and dull. I don't really know if she is a talented actress because of the roles she has chosen as of late.

Either way, I do not recommend this movie to anyone!

I went into this movie with somewhat low expectations. I saw the original many many years ago, but honestly, can't remember much about it. I went on a random Sunday night and it hit the spot. I thought it was very entertaining, funny, and enjoyable. The characters were likable and you were rooting for them. I have a big Italian family, and many of these character reminded me of my own family. Yes, they are loud and nosy and all up in each others business, but they love hard and have fun. They understand the importance of family and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. I would recommend this movie to all ages and it is family friendly.

I was lucky enough to see this film this weekend, not knowing the writers/producers would be speaking at the end of the film. The film was touching and explored the issues of suicide and how it has a ripple effect in regards to how many lives it affects (not just the victim). The casting was fantastic and Booboo Stewart was amazing! Being personally affected by suicide, it was a moving and thought-provoking film. However, what made this film even better for me was hearing David and Christian Eaton share their personal story and how this film came into existence was nothing short of amazing. With no experience in the film industry and a very minimal budget, they pulled off something that most would never even imagine. They said that they hope high schools and colleges around the country will show this film on their campuses to bring more awareness to suicide and to get the discussion going. I applaud them for their efforts and dedication to this very heartbreaking and important issue.

This movie had a decent cast and a lot of potential that it was never quite able to materialize. It ebbed and flowed with a good combination of drama and comedy, but ultimately it was the crude jokes and scenes that were completely unnecessary that sunk this movie. Jason Bateman was the most redeeming thing/character in this movie, and Tina Fey did a pretty good job too. Other than that, it was lacking in substance and was rather disappointing overall.

I won't include a spoiler, but one of the last scenes (with Jane Fonda) was just plain stupid and completely irrelevant to the film. It was over the top as the writers could have come up with a much better ending to an already mediocre movie.

I'm not sure I have ever given a movie two star, but this movie was just awful. I'm always skeptical when I see other people rating movies as a one or a two, but this one was just worthless and a complete waste of time. I didn't know a whole lot going into this movie, and stayed for more than an hour simply to see if it got better or if there was a plot. The acting was decent as well as the casting, but overall just simply dreadful. Do not waste your money on this movie.

I actually walked out on this movie, when it was evident that nothing good was going to come of it. It was crazy bizarre, and it leaves you sitting there thinking "WTF" the entire movie.

I really can not believe the positive reviews for this movie. I will start by saying I am a Christian (so that aspect of the movie did not bother me one bit) and I work in college athletics, so I love sports. I gave it three stars for the actual story and the ability to bring it to the big screen.

However, the two leads were cast horribly. Jim Caviezel was not a good fit for this lead character and his wife was even worse (no disrespect to her as an actress). She was annoying and the fact that she was encouraging her husband to pursue a college job so he could spent more time with the family is just ridiculous and ignorant, as anyone who knows anything about college sports knows that she would see much less of her husband due to the demands of being a college coach.

The other scene that bothered me was showing how Oregon mailed a whole bunch of gear to two top prospects, which again, anyone who knows anything about college athletics knows that that this is completely illegal. I am not sure if this actually happened, but I would be surprised that Oregon would be okay with putting that scene in the movie.

The acting was pretty horrible overall, and I felt as if I was watching a glorified Lifetime movie. Two thumbs down for me!

I seriously loved this movie. Reviews were really good, but it really was much better than I anticipated. It is filled with love, and conflict, and loss which is all portrait in a perfect combination of comedy and drama. This movie will have you laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. I think it is a beautiful film that was beautifully written and filmed.

Zach Braff hit a home run with this one. The casting was superb. I absolutely loved his character, but his supporting staff was just as good. It think this is his best work to date, as well as the lovely Kate Hudson. The kids really helped make this film as well, and they were perfect for their parts and added a surprise element of pure comedy and the realness that only a child can possess.

I loved, loved, loved it and would highly recommend it.

I'll start by saying I am a woman, and I am pro-life, but I really really liked this film a lot. The main character is quirky, funny, and yet awkward at times...but totally endearing and lovable. You want to root for her. You want to be on her side. She was crass and crude at times, yet I never got the feeling she did this for attention - it was more to speak her authentic truth. Yes, part of this movie is about abortion, but it shows sides of it that many never see and movies certainly don't depict, which is what makes is so "real" and so good.

I thought Slate did an amazing job in this role, and the supporting cast was amazing too...from her family members, to her co-workers, to her love interest. I loved her leading male in this movie and wanted things to work out for them (you'll have to watch the movie to find out).

Overall, I thought this movie was very well done. It will make you laugh, yet tug at your heart strings as well.

The title reflects my demeanor, not the movie. Perhaps I missed something here, but to me the movie was more about a sweet teenage love story than it was about cancer. I am an adult woman, and I really think this movie was geared towards teenagers who clearly got something out of this that I did not. The acting was really good, but unlike every other viewer, this movie did not touch me as it did others. It was not sad until the end, but it still did not rock me or make me cry. I did not think it was an incredibly depressing film, but it also did not pull me in as much as I thought it would. It's more of a 6.5 and it was worth a Saturday night, but did not live up to the hype in my opinion.

I wasn't sure what to expect in this movie, but it was not what I envisioned and certainly exceeded my expectations. It was like no other storyline I have ever seen and Favreau did an amazing job as a writer, director, and actor in this film. I don't think it was so much about his job change, but more of a personal mid-life crisis and his struggles of a his role of a father to his young son.

I have never cared for Scarlett Johansson, yet I really like her in the role of Molly. It refreshing to see the beautiful Sofia Vergara play something outside of her MF role. She was really good in this and it was also good to see a couple be amicable post-divorce, instead of including the normal drama that is usually portrayed. Over, I really liked this film and though it was a good combination of comedy and drama; it takes you on a delicious, heartfelt adventure.

I really love Andy Garcia and love movies surrounding colleges (and colleges campuses - weird, I know), however, this movie was a bust. It was slow and although I wanted to like the two main characters, they did nothing for me. I think that this movie had a lot of potential but ultimately feel short of what could have been.

I could see what they were trying to do with this movie - set up a scenario for two unhappy married adults, who connect while on their children's campus visits. They find love, excitement, understanding, etc. It just didn't do it for me and you are better off watching something else.

I am very surprised by such positive reviews of this movie. Let me start by saying I love football, I love Kevin Costner, and I love Cleveland (although I am not from there). This movie was slow, and the plot was somewhat predictable. I work in athletics (college) and thought that they did a very poor job or portraying the assistant coaches. They made them out to be sexist knuckleheads who were more interested in checking out women than scouting the players. I know men love women, but this was not realistic at all. The female character stories were not interesting at all (although I do like Jennifer Gardner).

I had high hopes for this movie, but it fell short of my expectations.

I saw this movie on opening night and there were only four of us in the theater (which was just fine with me). I will start by saying that I am a Christian, was excited to see this movie, and really like Greg Kinnear. Although I liked the story, I was not impressed with the movie overall. The acting was not great, and it was somewhat slow. Again, I like the story they were trying to tell, it just did not grip me nor did any of the characters pull me in. It does make one think about death and heaven and what happens when we leave this earth. I thought it was a very interesting story and am glad it made it to the big screen, but I also think they could have taken this so much further than they did. Please see for yourself though, do not let this review make you hesitate to watch on the big screen or rental at home when it comes out.

It is so refreshing to read about a movie with such high reviews and then it does not fail to live up to those reviews. This is such a movie. I really got into the story and characters in the first 15 minutes, and thought it was a beautiful love story. It was not quite a "romance" film for me, but simply love between two lonely adults. I thought it was sweet and enduring and makes us question who and how we become attached to others. The beautiful Nimrat Kaur was amazing in this film and I hope to see more of her in the near future.

Side note: I really do not care for Indian food (I've only had it once and it was not a good experience). However, I was fascinated by the cooking and love that went into each recipe and I found myself desiring to taste all the wonderful creations that she was making. I suppose I shall give it another try!

I loved this movie. I wasn't really sure what to expect going into it, but I thought it was very well done. Creative, original, somewhat touching, and yes hysterically funny at the same time. Bateman hit a home-run with this one. He played this part to a tee and pulled it off like no other actor could. Was he offensive? Yes. Was he crude? Yes. Was he crass? Yes. For those reviewers mentioning the audience laughing at specific moments in the movie, it was often because it was so shocking or inappropriate that one couldn't believe that those words would come out of his mouth...and I'm pretty sure that was the intent (not racism).

I liked this movie way more than I ever thought I would and it made me laugh harder than I have laughed in a long time. Kudos to Batemen and Andrew Dodge!

I was unsure going into this movie, but I generally like Tyler Perry so I decided to give it a shot. It had a lot of potential, but fell somewhat short in it's intentions. It was okay overall but he has definitely produced better work. It was filled with stereotypes as another reviewer said, but I also think it is the reality in many situations. Perry also did a good job of showing that every single mom has her own unique story, yet can relate to other women experiencing single parenthood. The best thing about this movie is the beautiful and talented Nia Long. She fit the role well and played it with grace and class as she always does. I think they could have gone in a different direction at some points in the movie, but overall, it was a good heartfelt and somewhat humorous film.

This movie felt like a Lifetime Movie (and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way) --- it just seemed more like a made for TV movie. That being said, I did enjoy it. I think the acting was pretty good; stellar job by Vanessa. It was a true story and it did pull me in, but did not blow me away. I am glad that this movie made it to the big screen and would recommend it to others. As a social worker, I am always interested in stories such as this and enjoy seeing the "underdog" come out on top. I personally didn't see any political agenda with this movie and didn't consider it to have a "pro-life" message. I just think it was the true story of a young girl who was born into a bad situation and struggled to find love and peace.

Hmmm...this movie got really good reviews, but I am going to have to be one of the ones who did not love it. I went based on the positive reviews and went in with high expectations. Like others have said, this movie starts out very very slooooooow. After about 35 minutes, I contemplated walking out of the theater, but decided to stick it out and I am glad that I did. I agree with other reviewers about the beauty of it being shot in black and white; this was a good choice. The acting of the three main characters was good, but I was not drawn to any of them. None of them pulled me in the way a good movie should. Like I said, the movie did get better and I wanted to see what would unfold and how it would end. This movie was clearly about a journey (for both the actors and the viewers) and the movie was redeemed by the end of the 110 minutes.

I will first start by saying that I watch a lot of movies and I don't ever think that I have given a movie a ten before...until now. I simply loved this movie. I didn't hear much about it before it came out, and honestly when I saw the poster last week I wasn't that interested (I know, a bad way to decide whether to watch a movie or not)! I read some of the reviews on IMDb and found out that the writer and director was Nicole Holofcener who also did Lovely and Amazing and Please Give, both of which I really enjoyed. I then also saw that she directed some episodes of Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, and Gilmore Girls all of which I love! Anyway, I went in with high expectations, but I have to say I was blown away. This movie was smart, funny, touching, and a bit sad at moments. The acting and chemistry (although sometimes awkward) was great between Dreyfus and Gandolfini. I believe this is Holofcener's masterpiece, and this was a true blessing that this was Gandolfini's (unknowingly) last role that he would ever play. We saw a different side of him through his character and he was superb. Dreyfus, as always, was funny and right on point. I loved these characters and the plot of this story. I don't know if the actors actually read these reviews, but I hope they do. This film was a true gem in a time when quality movies are hard to come by.

I hope you all take a chance on this movie and I hope you love it as much as I do!