unc66 Reviews

Murphy's Romance (1985)

Good, but not great.....

[6/10 · 27 November 2004]

Slightly better than average romance, well acted by Garner & Fields. Plenty of license taken to allow all these characters to end up inexplicably in BFE Arizona all at one time, but that's just the movies..... Garner and Fields are likable in their roles, and predictably, they end up with each other in the end, overcoming a 27 year old age differential as well as an obnoxious ex-husband who, for some bizarre reason, Fields tolerates living with her in her remote new home that she just crossed half of the country to find following their divorce. Fields' character just never seems to get what's going on, almost inviting, rather than deflecting, antagonism between the two male rivals. However, it's all warm and fuzzy at the conclusion, and it does leave you with a smile. 6/10.

Signs (2002)

Awful.

[3/10 · 7 February 2003]

I think the little boy (Culkin) WROTE the script, not simply portrayed a character in it. The movie premise was unbelievable (aliens capable of transversing billions of miles of space, safely landing on this planet, and abandoning their spacecraft only to be locked up in some country idiot's pantry?????). A little boy reads ONE book from a library, and is the "expert" on alien life????? The movie resurrected up every imaginable cliche, and the acting the script was so juvenile that it spoiled what could have potentially made a decent movie. I overrated this movie with a "3", simply because the photography was pretty good. The movie itself was a "1".

American Beauty (1999)

Outstanding!

[9/10 · 7 February 2003]

It's a tribute to the producers of this movie that it can be such a great movie without my liking any of the characters in it. It is easier to identify with the feelings of the characters moreso than their actions on those feelings. It is the genius of the movie that all of the characters act on those feelings, regardless of the consequences to themselves or others. EVERY character in this movie is disfunctional... it's only a matter of degree. Nonetheless, it is a haunting movie that provokes thought long after the viewer has finished viewing it. The wife especially does an outstanding job of portraying her character, 'though it is difficult to like the character.

Overall, a very good, thought provoking movie, from a person who rarely feels that way about a contemporary film.