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selune13
Reviews
Dan in Real Life (2007)
Made me more uncomfortable than sentimental.
Dan and his daughters travel to his parent's home to meet all their family for a get-together. Right at the beginning of the movie, he meets a woman who he's instantly attracted to, but who turns out to be his brother's girlfriend. Ensuing predictable love story. Juliette Binoche was cast as the love interest, and her acting is okay except her constant loud laughing started to get on my nerves.
There is also a side story about Dan's relationship with his daughters. Since he writes a column on parenting, of course he's going to have to learn some sort of lesson with his own children. One daughter wants to drive, one believes she's in love, and the other just wants attention. The daughter who believes she's in love will probably irritate viewers as her lines are so over the top. There are some genuinely funny moments and some great casting, but it's nothing at all like you'd expect from the previews. It's not really a humorous movie, with very few, if any, laugh-out-loud moments. In fact, there are several times where you just feel uncomfortable at Dan's despicable behavior. He's just creepy and mean and you just want to shove him out the door. When his mother refuses to let him participate in a family game, you applaud. The movie could have been so much better if they'd stuck to romantic comedy instead of stalker creepy.
Overall, a predictable but watchable movie if you can get over Carrell's creepiness in some parts.
Margot at the Wedding (2007)
Characters are well flushed out, but in the end, you really don't care.
Margo, played by Nicole Kidman, and her son, Claude, go to her childhood home to attend the wedding of her sister, Pauline, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. The family has a lot of baggage and Margo is the most neurotic of them all. It's hard to tell whether she's usually this way or if it's because she's leaving her husband or taking drugs.
Margo is disappointed in her sister Pauline's choice of a husband, Malcolm, very well played by Jack Black. She constantly plants seeds of doubt and destruction with her every word, trying to drive a wedge between Pauline and Malcolm. On the way, she verbally abuses practically everyone in the film and you're really sort of watching her self-destruct, even though she never really completes the task.
There is also an entire back story about the weird neighbors who want them to cut down a tree on Pauline's property, but it's a completely useless plot element that just leaves you questioning why it was there in the first place.
The parts are well cast and the characters fleshed out. Jack Black turns in an exceptional performance, as does Nicole Kidman. Ultimately, though, while there are wonderful performances and interesting characters, it's just like a snapshot in time. You're left wondering why this film was made. What was the point? It's entirely forgettable. While it's nice to film interesting characters, it just doesn't make a movie.
Equilibrium (2002)
Watch this movie and see for yourself. Don't pass it up!!
I desperately hope that people stop comparing this to the Matrix movies. This movie, while some elements may be similar to Matrix, is different. It is more complex and broad in it's emotional scope. Despite having a much lower budget than many movies made today, it manages to be slick, well-filmed, and just darned entertaining. Read some of the other, more in-depth reviews for plot structure, as some people really have great descriptions! Bottom line, it is not, nor does it try to be Matrix.
Trust me, give it a watch. I am so surprised that this was not a major box office hit. Sean Bean, regretably few scenes, is amazing as always. I wasn't sure I was going to like Mr. Bale, but warmed up to him quickly as his character developed (probably just the effect the movie was going for as the character's emotions grew deeper). I'm definitely going to buy this one on DVD. I only wish it had some behind the scenes stuff to view - that would have been great.
Two Weeks Notice (2002)
A great little piece of romantic comedy fluff.
OK. Didn't think I would like this based on the previews. I was wrong. Really a funny movie about a social activist lawyer and the corporate suit she finds herself working for (she works for him in order to save a building that would be destroyed - he promises not to destroy it because she gets him the rights to build on the larger site).
Both Ms. Bullock and Mr. Grant pull off the roles very well. If any other actors had been in these roles, they may not have done so well. I'm not normally a Hugh Grant fan, but I found myself smiling at all the right places in this movie. You can just imagine standing next to him and laughing. Ms. Bullock and he perform well together, playing off each others strengths in comedy and sincerity. The comedic moments are well written, the lines don't sound forced or insincere. The comedy blends smoothly with the rest of the dialogue.
I'd definitely recommend seeing this movie. It has all the elements that make romantic comedies worth seeing.
If you like this movie, I would also recommend a great classic romantic comedy/thriller in Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
The Truth About Charlie (2002)
A pathetic "remake" of a brilliant movie...absolute horror!!
The entire cast and crew should be forced to place formal apologies on Audrey Hepburn's and Cary Grant's graves.
This movie was just awful. The cinematography, the cast, the direction, even the dialogue (some of which was "based" on the original movie's dialogue). --The constant closeup camera angles of the actors (and I use the term loosely), were sickening--literally. --The acting was stilted and uneven. The girl from the Welches Grape Juice commercial is 50 times that actress that Ms. Newton is in this movie. Sure, Ms. Newton is pretty to look at, but none of these actors should feel proud of the acting jobs they've done on this movie. I only hope they get better with practice and a better script. --The plot was disjointed and messy. Even with the original to base the remake on, they managed to fail. --The dialogue was just sad. They tried to make some of the parts sound like the original, but it just didn't fit with what they were trying, and failing, to do with all the other wry dialogue.
Even if I had not seen and loved the original, I still wouldn't like this movie. But, hey, give it a whirl. It will give you an excellent frame of reference for every other bad movie you will ever see. You can say with complete confidence, "Well, at least this movie wasn't as bad as The Truth About Charlie." Oh, and keep your finger hovering over that fast forward button, you'll need it.
The Telephone (1988)
Have you ever said, "Well, at least it's not as bad as..."
Well, this film finished off that sentence. This is the worst movie I have ever seen. Seriously and with no exaggeration. It is just awful. The entire movie is about Whoopi Goldberg's character talking on the phone. It's one of those movies where it starts out bad and you keep watching it saying "It's got to get better sometime, right?" Nope. Imagine talking to a monotone-voiced salesperson on the telephone for 90 minutes....that would be better than watching this film again.
If you want a better combination of Ms. Goldberg and a telephone, check out "Jumpin' Jack Flash," a very funny, if a little silly, comedy.
Or, if you want the second most awful movie ever, give "The Truth About Charlie" a look. The entire cast and crew should be forced to place formal apologies on Audrey Hepburn's and Cary Grant's graves.
The Luzhin Defence (2000)
A little slow, but well worth the effort to watch.
This movie stars Emily Watson, of Breaking the Waves fame. This movie about one man's obsession takes place at a resort where a chess tournament is being held. A chess master arrives and shortly after falls madly in love (at first sight) with a woman, played by Emily Watson. She falls for this oddball of a man, who is obsessed with chess. This is all at the dismay of her mother, who is far more interested in seeing her with another young gentleman; a proper gentleman. Her mother feels that this is just a passing fancy for the young woman, as she has a tendency to take in odd animals and such. What ensues is mostly a journey through the man's psyche. It tells the story of how his past is closely tied with his present. Emily Watson is amazing in this, as well as the actor who plays the main character. It is definitely slow, but is well worth the watching. The ending was even satisfying. :)
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (2000)
Stands just fine all on it's own, regardless of RunLolaRun.
From the producers of Run Lola Run comes this endearing tale of a chance meeting by a young woman, Sissi, and a young man, Bodo. She is working in a mental hospital; he is a would-be thief. On the way to the bank one day to pick up a bequest on behalf of a friend, she is hit by a vehicle. As she lies under the vehicle, Bodo runs by, trying to find a place to hide from the people he has just stolen from, and crawls under the vehicle. He ends up saving her life by performing an emergency tracheotomy. However, after he sees her safely to the hospital, he leaves. Sissi needs to find out if this was not an accident, but a push along a different path for her. The movie is a bit slow, not nearly the pace of RLR, but is well written and you never lose interest throughout the entire movie. The director's style is clearly evident in the way that he does close-ups of the people in his story. The way that so many events are linked to others. It really is a great job at story-telling. If you liked RLR, see this movie. While not as fast paced, you will find it rewarding.