cherylread Reviews

Angels in America (2003)

Phony and bor-r-r-i-n-g, and are Republicans really evil incarnate????

[3/10 · 5 November 2004]

I found this mini-series to be a monumental disappointment. None of the characters rang even the tiniest bit true, the writing was plodding and contrived and the perpetual diatribe against Republicans was tedious. Meryl Streep was miscast in each of her incarnations, and Emma Thompson was unbelievably annoying (although quite fetching in her angel garb.) This seemed to be an overdone bit of Hollywood naval gazing. These folks are so out of touch with reality. I know the gay community. This film did it a disservice. I've known Mormons. This film did them a disservice. And Ethel Rosenberg as some sort of moral authority? Give me a break! I rented it expecting to be entertained. Now I am wondering why this show got ANY good reviews.

The Guns of August (1964)

Awesome footage of the Great War

[9/10 · 19 July 2003]

I was impressed with all the authentic films of World War I. It's a Who's Who of historical figures, and the battle scenes are amazing. They're old and grainy, of course, but I didn't know footage like this existed. There are scenes of soliders going over the top and getting mowed down by gun fire, and a great view of the damage to the French countryside from the air.

I teach history and plan to start showing parts of this regularly in my class.

The Barber (2002)

A waste of Malcolm McDowell's talent

[1/10 · 12 July 2003]

I kept waiting for this film to go somewhere, but it just didn't. There were too many Dumb and Dumber wannabes in it stinking up the action. It was good when McDowell on on screen and lousy the rest of the time. Unfortunately, McDowell wasn't on screen enough. The rest of the cast was very, very amateurish. What a profound disappointment.

An American Rhapsody (2001)

Entertaining---great recreation of the 1950s

[7/10 · 25 November 2002]

The film was entertaining and touching, but what I liked most about it was its faithful recreation of the 1950s. Having grown up in that period, I don't think I've ever seen such a faithful recreation of that era on screen. I kept looking at the screen and sayin, "Oh my God, I remember that."

Beneath Loch Ness (2001)

For Geraldo Rivera fans only --- or people who like bad films

[1/10 · 22 September 2002]

This movie is so bad that my husband still maintains that the Patrick Bergin character was actually played by Donald Pleasance, wearing a wig. This film is so cheap that there's actually one scene where the two stars go monster hunting in a rowboat carrying a hand-help sonar that looks as if you pressed the wrong button, a black-jack game would appear. There are nice shots of Scotland, though, and two of the marine biologists also have their own rock band, which makes the movie more confusing than it already is.

Monster's Ball (2001)

Disappointing, very long and drawn out...

[3/10 · 3 July 2002]

I rented this to see Halle Berry's "Academy Award" performance. I have a hard time believing she won an Oscar for this film. Her character did not ring true at all. Except for Heath Leger, the other performances were equally hollow.

The Legend of 1900 (1998)

Sophomoric writing, poor acting, very disappointing

[1/10 · 22 June 2002]

I rented this based on the blurb on the DVD cover. I found the film tedious and pretentious, and towards the end of it, I was predicting many of the spoken lines and all of the plot twists and turns. The lead actor (Pruitt Taylor Vince) was wooden and unconvincing. There were no likable characters in the film, and the premise was shallow and unconvincing. I want my money back!!