PrettyPuyol Reviews

Mean Girls (2004)

Not the worst movie I've ever seen...

[5/10 · 10 January 2007]

...but it didn't offer anything new or interesting as far as teen movies go where the popular girls are mean and vicious and the ugly, fat and nerdy ones are picked on blah blah blah. Been there, done that. Even if they didn't add anything new or interesting they could have at least made the movie funny or had a leading guy who was actually attractive. Waste of time.

I am 25, born in the early 80s, so my favorite teen movies were Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Sixteen Candles, etc. I'm all for teen movies, even now that I'm not a teen, as long as they're entertaining. This movie, unfortunately, was not.

Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

Dark Comedy with Dark photography

[9/10 · 19 December 2004]

A previous reviewer said that the photography and scenes were dull, but I found them dark to match the theme and the humor in the movie. The music in turn was a bit sinister but also had a comical bounce to it to reflect the no-consequences attitude of the characters doing the dastardly deeds and the joy in which war-loving Sgt. Robert E. Lee inflicted the consequences of their schemes upon them.

I don't think the movie portrayed any kind of ongoing corruption in the military. It was a portrayal of a particular incident at the end of the Cold War and the human nature of "warlike men" who, without a war, will create one amongst themselves to combat the boredom. In the film the war is between Ray Elwood (Phoenix), a man who joined the army to avoid prison time for stealing a car and Sgt. Robert E. Lee (am very fitting name) who took three tours of Vietnam and knows and enjoys the realities of war. Lee can't stand the type of soldier that Elwood is, a soldier with no regard for the army and a smart ass attitude. It's in Lee's blood to be a "warlike man," somethings his colleagues Marshall and Berman, trying to prove embarrassingly via their pathetic stories about their supposed lineage.

Although the message is dark, the film always maintains a somewhat lighthearted view of the situation as we see at the end, after Elwood's heroine manufacturing operation literally blows up beneath his feet. He almost dies and falls five stories (he has a noted fear of heights and nightmares about falling) yet at the end after being awarded a Purple Heart (irony anyone?) he is transferred to Hawaii where he picks up right where he left off, pulling his schemes, broken leg, smirk and all.

I enjoyed it and definitely recommend it for those who like dark comedies.

Going to the Mat (2004 TV Movie)

Surprisingly Good...

[8/10 · 23 March 2004]

I thought it would be cheesy being a Disney channel movie, but it was really good. I think Andrew Lawrence has a bright future as an actor. I was about to write him off as another Lawrence brother, but I think he's the most talented of the three. He played a blind kid very very well. His movements and his affects were very believable and he delivered his lines very well.

The story was pretty entertaining and the portrayal of the blind was pretty original, too. You don't see wrestling featured in high school movies very often, let alone consider it a sport the blind can participate in. And it was nice to see things like beeping backboards in basketball as another way to incorporate the blind into everyday things they usually couldn't have participated in before. I also really loved the music featured in the movie, especially the guitar pieces "Jace" played. It's definitely worth taping if you can catch one of the repeats.

Love Actually (2003)

Really fun movie...

[9/10 · 28 December 2003]

...but I didn't like the constant fat jokes. Natalie wasn't fat at all, what were they talking about? Sailed over my head I guess.

I did love Liam Neeson, Keira Nightley, that little boy who was in love with the American girl, and Colin who went to Wisconsin to show off his really big "knob." I also liked how the movie was about so many different people and couples.

And Hugh Grant was really fun in this one!

Grease (1978)

This was the musical that had it all...

[9/10 · 28 December 2003]

Looks, cool-as-hell music, and awesome clothes. I watched this movie ten times a day when I had the summer off in elementary school and my Grandmother knows all the words now despite her best efforts to get me to watch something else. This is a classic and everyone should have it!

Summer Magic (1963)

Utterly Charming

[10/10 · 30 April 2003]

This is one of the little known Disney films, yet it's rife with the same charm and lovability that many of Disney's other films are. It's set in a quaint little town in Maine where a widow and her three children go to live after they lose their house in Boston due to bad investment advice from a relative. City folk meet country folk with a spoiled brat coming to live with them and a scheming daughter whose heart is in the right place. This is definitely a feel good film with catchy tunes and my favorite part, Tom Hamilton, who I wish they showed more of. Anyway, I highly recommend this film for people who are looking for films for their children or for anyone who loves classic Disney films. This film is hard to find I've found, but it's definitely worth the effort!

Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)

So much potential, so little delivery

[6/10 · 27 April 2003]

Maybe I shouldn't have gone into this thinking that we would get a thorough account of the events of Titanic and the ship itself. I'm not schooled in all things James Cameron, but I do know he was very detail-oriented and extremely prepared for the making of the movie "Titanic" which was why I was so disappointed that he didn't present anything more for us to learn or know about the Titanic that couldn't be presented in the film.

The movie spent more of its scant running time on Bill Paxton's attempts to be clever and his overly dramatic and wordy commentary than it did on discussing the mechanics and science of how the Titanic sank, why it broke in half or anything else that would have been much more interesting for the viewer.

The movie was pure nostalgia on the part of a few lucky stiffs who got the opportunity to visit the Titanic in person. This really should not be considered a documentary. I learned more about the Titanic from the movie itself than from this film.

Two things I can say about this film that I enjoyed:

1. The 3-D effect brought the viewer into the film. It made you feel like you were really there with them while under water with the Titanic.

2. I was grateful to the filmmakers for showing what would have been what if the Titanic hadn't sank because much of the ship is unrecognizable in its sunken state. It really helped us visualize the actual size and grandeur of the Titanic.

Overall I gave it a 6. I care much much more about the science and actual events of the Titanic than I do about Bill Paxton's grunts and groans of awe.