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Reviews
Play It Again, Sam (1972)
A fantastic laugh riot...
I get angry when younger people talk about the funniest movies of all-time and mention Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell movies because they have never seen an Allen picture. I understand the appeal of Sandler, but he is no Woody Allen. Their work pales in comparison to almost any Allen film. Woody Allen movies are uproariously funny..especially Play it Again Sam. The first time I saw it, I had checked it out from the local library and almost didn't return it, due to separation anxiety. I truly believe this is as good or better than Annie Hall, Sleeper, or Hannah and Her Sisters. What I like about it is that it's Woody at his most neurotic. He is recently separated and at his most insecure best. Fans of Casablanca will love it too. Not even Bogie can give Woody's character any romantic advice here. There are so many scenes that showcase Woody's comic genius. Simple stuff, but an absolute hoot nonetheless. The blow dryer scene, the scene in the art gallery with the young lady who comments on the Pollack picture and many other classically funny Allen scenes. My favorite scene is when he is in his apartment with Diane Keaton waiting for a blind date to arrive. He starts putting out books and Jr. High track medals to impress her and then when she arrives he can only grunt at her greeting. He then proceeds to fling his jacket across the room and knock over a lamp. He lets an album go flying as well. He has an incident with his turntable too! At the end of the scene he is leaning on a chair and it tips over. If you look closely, you can see that the other three actors in the scene can barely restrain themselves and stay in character. Allen is a nervous wreck and it is painful and hilarious at the same time. Woody allowed Herbert Ross to direct this movie and Ross did a fabulous job. His pacing and timing are perfect. The script is so sharp and witty. Tony Roberts and Diane Keaton are superb in the supporting performances. Plus, it was filmed in LA and has that LA feel about it. This movie is on my top ten list of funniest movies of all time. Nothing with Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler can crack my to ten. Woody Allen is a national treasure and this movie showcases why.
The Upside of Anger (2005)
A movie that moved me....
The upside of Anger is a movie with a lot to say about many things, in addition to anger. So many movies today have nothing to say...and become so easy to forget. This one was memorable. The movie spoke of relationships, emotion, perseverance, humor, tolerance, and of course anger. This movie was a near masterpiece, really. The performances were terrific by all the females, especially Joan Allen. The script was terrific and the directing was top notch too. Kudos to Mike Binder!!
All people have shitty things happen to them...that's a fact. The lesson in the movie is that the important thing is, how do we deal with those shitty things. We can choose alcohol, we can choose anger, we can choose to hurt those we love. But eventually, we will chose happiness, despite all the mayhem life throws our way. Happiness is a relative term. I loved the fact that there were many things about Terry (Joan Allen) that I didn't like, yet, I still liked her enough to be sympathetic towards her. I don't cry that easily during movies, but this one brought the Kleenex out, twice. I am a guy and I am aware that tears are very therapeutic. A good cry is awesome..if it's real. Many things have been said about the ending, but watch it for yourself. I have no problems at all with the ending. See this movie, I dare you not to like it.
Tully (2000)
A Perfect ten...no kidding...a character driven masterpiece
It's official for me...I love character driven movies. Tully is one of the best I 've seen since You Can Count on Me. (Laura Linney was perfection) Give me a great script, thoughtful directing and powerful acting and I am a happy camper. Tully gave me all that and more. Tully blew me away scene after scene. This movie was so well written. The word masterpiece comes to mind. The dialogue rang true due to its simplicity. The characters talked like real people, not the corny diatribe you hear in so many of Hollywood's so called blockbusters. The father of Tully gave a spectacular performance. I ran down to the local video store just to talk about it with Karen, our town movie expert. She took it home that night....I'll get back to you on her thoughts. I guess what I liked about it most was what I said before, it was a simple character driven story of two sons on a farm with their father. Their lives drove the story. The story was told from the oldest son's point of view-Tully. He and his father (Bob Burrus) differed on how to run the family farm. Burrus was simply awesome as the grief stricken, workaholic father. He was an obviously sympathetic character, but he still delivered the goods with amazing intensity and subtle sentiment, scene after scene. The music was effective in its own way. It was SO nice to feel what I wanted to feel, without the soundtrack dictating my emotions. The script moved me as did the terrific ensemble cast. This is one of my favorite movies of the last 10 years and I watch a lot of movies. This movie moved me to tears several times and I am not that big of a softy. Step outside of the box next time you go to rent a movie and give Tully a chance, you will SO glad you did.
The Last Just Man (2002)
Unbelievable story...
This is an incredible documentary. It tells the horrible story of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. I read about it in the papers, but this film is told through a UN commander from Canada. Dellare is his name and I will never forget his story of the battle in Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsi tribes. Tutsis were the
minority group and mainly farmers. 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered, many with machetes. The Hutus were told to kill or be killed. Tutsis actually paid to be shot rather than killed with a machete. Romeo Dallaire is unforgettable as the real life commander who tried to stop this genocide, which was described as
worse than the Holocaust because the rate of murders was even greater in
Rwanda. Dellare had no support from the UN or from the Belgian troops, which pulled out at the worst possible time. Watch this documentary simply because Americans need to know the story of one the atrocities that took place in
Rwanda. How many Americans aren't even aware of this historical event? This is by far the best documentary I have ever seen. The only bright side came at the end when we are told that many of the Hutu leaders are now being
prosecuted as War criminals. A follow up documentary would be fascinating,
but not as poignant or informative as this stunning documentary.
The Last Just Man (2002)
Unbelievable story...
This is an incredible documentary. It tells the horrible story of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. I read about it in the papers, but this film is told through a UN commander from Canada. Dellare is his name and I will never forget his story of the battle in Rwanda between the Hutus and Tutsi tribes. Tutsis were the
minority group and mainly farmers. 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered, many with machetes. The Hutus were told to kill or be killed. Tutsis actually paid to be shot rather than killed with a machete. Romeo Dallaire is unforgettable as the real life commander who tried to stop this genocide, which was described as
worse than the Holocaust because the rate of murders was even greater in
Rwanda. Dellare had no support from the UN or from the Belgian troops, which pulled out at the worst possible time. Watch this documentary simply because Americans need to know the story of one the atrocities that took place in
Rwanda. How many Americans aren't even aware of this historical event? This is by far the best documentary I have ever seen. The only bright side came at the end when we are told that many of the Hutu leaders are now being
prosecuted as War criminals. A follow up documentary would be fascinating,
but not as poignant or informative as this stunning documentary.
Broadcast News (1987)
One of my all-time favorite movies
Movie watchers often say great movies must have 3 memorable
scenes to be considered truly great. Broadcast news doesn't have
three, it has twice that. This movie is extremely well written by
James Brooks. Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks have never been
better. I love this movie for many reasons. It is great because it
makes you laugh and it makes you cry. Albert Brooks has several
great lines and many unforgettable scenes: # 1(laughed) "I can
sing and read, I am singing while I read," with Midnight Train to
Georgia playing in the background. # 2(laughed) Telling the
William Hurt character that "You really blew the lid off of nookie,"
after watching Hurt's report on date-rape. #3 (Cried) When Aaron
(A. Brooks) finally tells Jayne (Hunter) that he loves her and she
can't end up with Hurt's character because he represents
everything about journalism Jayne finds dispicable. Finally, #4 (laughed) who can forget the scene where Aaron
anchors the weekend news....hilarious. This movie should have won an Oscar! It has everything I love in
movies, great acting, intelligent script, and even a Jack Nicholson
cameo!
High Noon (1952)
Great western
I just finished watching a movie I have always meant to see, but never had until today. If you haven't seen High Noon, run to your local video store and rent it today! It is a classic western, but unusual in many ways. Despite being a great action movie, it only has one shoot-out in the entire film. It is very dark and somber, unlike many westerns of the 50's and 60's which were bright and full of shots of the cloudless, sunny sky. The story is a simple one. Will Kane must follow his conscience and do the right thing. It reminded me of a Shakespeare play. Gary Cooper is a wonderful actor. He won an academy award for this performance. All and all the movie collected four statues. Cooper reminds me of Clint Eastwood, because his characters are very mysterious and his acting seems effortless. Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Harry Morgan and Lon Chaney round out the all star cast. You don't have to love westerns to love this timeless classic. By the way, it is one of Leonard Maltin's all time favorites....enough said!!!
Jaws (1975)
Truly terrifying
Martin Scorsese has said that he remembers movies vividly from a period when he hit puberty....back then it was Brando and Bogart, not bad a period in films. I remember Jaws quite well as I saw it when I was 14 and right in the middle of the puberty blues. I watch it now and it still evokes the same fears I had in 1973, my favorite scenes are still the same. This is a classic because it hits on our most basic fears and insecurities. Lovers of scary movies love the rush of being frightened. It is a personal challenge to see if we can handle it. I am a horrible swimmer, so staying out of the water became easier after this one. Spielberg created a masterpiece despite the challenges of working with a mechanical shark. The suspense builds scene after scene, even though we don't even see the shark early on. The movie is just plain scary and this is moving making at its absolute best!!
The Exorcist (1973)
Scariest movie ever
This is it scary movie lovers...THE ONE! I saw it when I was 14 and I can now handle any scary movie because I didn't let this one freak me out. Others weren't so lucky. I love to be scared and was never more terrified than I was by William Friedkin's images here. Anytime the camera zoomed down the hallway to Regan's room, I was horrified. Great music by Mike Oldfield, great book by William Peter Blatty. Fantastic movie, I watch it every Halloween. The TBS version is a complete joke. Buy the DVD.