mrharrypaulson Reviews

I Feel Pretty (2018)

Aren't there writers in Hollywood anymore?

[2/10 · 10 May 2018]

I just couldn't believe it. They are kind of remaking Shallow Hal, Shallow Hal ! Is there a drought in Hollywood? No writers? If this gets the go ahead from a corporation who's in the business of making money, I don't know what they're doing because this is not going to make money and it certainly won't break barriers, or tell us something new. Where are the writers of Barbershop (2002) or The Ref or Death Becomes Her, three examples of very smart & very funny. I Feel Pretty has one saving grace, Michelle Williams. She is completely there for us that's why a 2 and not a 1 - Do I sound pedantic? I'm sorry, I really am.

The Oscars (2018 TV Special)

The Academy Must Decide

[5/10 · 14 April 2018]

Within the first few minutes of the ceremony Jimmy Kimmel, the charming host, reminds us that we're only a few steps away from Hooters. That was the tone and I believe that the Academy must decide if the affair is going to continue lowering its brow or can we recapture what this event should be about. The movies! Film, past, present and future. That's why spending precious time in ambushing unexpected public members at the Chinese Theater was a cringe worthy, Hootters style move. I love when the Academy reminds their multi million audience all around the world about their glorious history. Not surprisingly Eva Marie Saint's presentation was a highlight that everyone spoke about the following day, so was Rita Moreno.

Allied (2016)

Something about Zemeckis

[5/10 · 14 January 2018]

I always thought of Robert Zemeckis as a hit or miss director. I hated Beowulf but I loved Death Becomes Her for instance. Allied falls right in the middle. An old fashion WWII drama and when I say old fashion I mean, musty, tired. Mr and Mrs Smith territory but with the major plus of Marion Cottillard. She is wonderful. Brad Pitt, who I love, looked like a special effect and being in a Robert Zemeckis movie I thought that he might be. Very strange. The simple premise of discovering that your spouse is not who you thought she was, opens a world of dramatic opportunities but there is something about Robert Zemeckis that makes me think he doesn't really care about the human interaction, no. he seems, always, much more focus in the special effects. Allies is no exception and in fact it has a couple of breathtaking visual coups. Unfortunately the actual drama left me completely cold.

Pretty Woman (1990)

Redemption in Rodeo Drive

[6/10 · 20 May 2017]

Look where we were in 1990. No wonder we are were we are in 2017. The movie is charming enough with a splendid Julia Roberts becoming a huge movie star but, I have to say, watching it now gave me shivers. This is not Pygmalion, no, there is no insight, it's all superficial to a cringing degree. She finds redemption through her shopping and his credit cards. Isn't that lovely? It feels so insane that maybe that means we're evolving. - I saw Pretty Woman last night with a group who had never seen it before. Funny thing the young conservative, Christian women loved it - They didn't seem to mind the message of sex and money. The young Liberal women found it absurd, offensive and the charm of the film, dangerously misleading. They left long before the happy ending. Movies become historical documents, don't they.

Frances (1982)

Two Giants Play Mother And Daughter

[8/10 · 10 May 2017]

The spectacular 8 hour limited series "Feud" made me revisit many of Jessica Lange's movies. Her performance is of such perfection that it reminded me how extraordinary she has always been. "Frances" is a shock to the system, unflinchingly so. The beautiful, sad, Francs Farmer in all its contradictions. Jessica Lange is absolutely mesmerizing. The movie suffers from what most biopics suffer from, A chronological succession of events and in the case of Frances Farmer, from bad the worse to much, much worse. The movie will drain you but the performance will keep you alert, alive, transfixed. There is more, Kim Stanley as Frances mother. An acting giant with very few film credits to her name. That alone makes "Frances" a collector's item.

Don't Look Now (1973)

A Venice Of Horrors

[10/10 · 4 May 2017]

When a great artist, and a great artist is what Nicolas Roeg is, tells us a tale of horrors, the results are, usually, unique, overwhelming, unforgettable. "Don't Look Now" redefines the genre. I was paralyzed by fear and totally involved in the bizarre predicament of the protagonists. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are remarkable. A married couple enveloped in the unspeakable sadness provoked by the loss of their young daughter. Then, in Venice, among the rot, the beauty and the darkness, a ray of light. But this is not the kind of light that lets you see, no, this light is terrifying because it will persuade you to follow it. I've seen the film 9 hours ago and it's still with me...I can smell the stench of the most beautiful city in the world and I close my eyes, hoping that it's just a dream. "Don't Look Now" is a masterpiece.