cspuria Reviews

Going the Distance (2010)

Textbook RomCom for 2010

[7/10 · 24 September 2012]

If you don't like RomCom, don't bother with this. But if you do, and you don't mind swearing, then you'll find this one worthy. It was better than I thought, given that I had never heard of it before seeing in on the W channel.

To compare, it's on par with "Friends with Benefits" and "Music and Lyrics", and better than "Fever Pitch". Drew scrapes by as an acceptable age intern, but considering she side-tracked her college years chasing boys, it's not too far-fetched. The couple have a believable "meet cute" and then face the dilemma of what to do when they're apart and don't want to be. When it becomes tedious, there is comic relief in Garret's zany buddies and Erin's over-protective, neurotic sister (ya gotta love Christina Applegate in this role).

My biggest problem with this film was watching it on W - commercials ran every 9 minutes, which was too disruptive. Conservative RomCom fans might find it too crass at times, but in this day and age, its flavour of humour is what has become acceptable. If you can role with it, this film is a fun surprise in this genre. RomCom fans - enjoy!

Derailed (I) (2005)

One slow moving train

[6/10 · 22 July 2012]

I'm surprised that over 360 people bothered to review this flick. It's interesting to watch it in 2012, seven years after it was released, to see a younger Aniston. I thought Aniston did a good job and it was refreshing to watch her in a dramatic role like this one after (actually before) she made a number of romantic comedies. Special mention goes to the actor who played Charlie's (Owen's) ex-con acquaintance from work - he gave the film character and his role had a purpose.

I've long since dropped the notion that thrillers need to be completely believable. But when you look at the suspense of movies like Psycho, this one could take some tips from it. Because it drops the suspense aspect too soon, it's about a half hour too long. I got just over mid-way and watched most of the rest on fast forward when I figured what some of the characters were really up to. For all of the other kinds of adrenaline movies out there that are far from believable but quite good, the lack-lustre with this one may have been remedied by better directing and editing. I've read a few reviews calling it "taut" and that would be a misnomer.

The Vow (2012)

Not so wow but okay

[6/10 · 22 July 2012]

After reading the reviews I had low expectations so it was a little better than I thought it would be. At the beginning and the end it indicates that it's based on true events, but it's hard to consider that it would be anywhere close to real life. The cliché of Paige's over-protective and controlling rich parents was trite if not predictable. It all seemed a little bit "Cocktail" to me, especially given that the time line seemed circa late 80s (maybe early nineties - it was hard to tell).

As for the actors, I liked the casting of Canadians Scott Speedman (of Felicity in the 90s) and ? as Lily (from Being Erica). Of the main characters, Channing Tatum is always nice to look at and Sam Neil rarely disappoints. R. McAdams is better in other films so I wasn't thrilled with her Meg Ryanesque performance. And Jessica Lange's plastic surgery seemed a little creepy, although she gives a worthy speech near the end, which was probably the best acting in the whole show. I know others don't, but I liked the way it ended.

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Poor Juliet

[5/10 · 19 July 2012]

I'm not sure who this movie is supposed to appeal to. The idea of finding a lost love is compelling, but there really isn't that much suspense to the storyline. It's obvious that Gran will reunite with her love, how could she not. So the film-makers needed to provide a good build-up through the journey and the developing romance between Charlie and Sophie. The journey part is okay, if you like watching people drive down a dusty road and go in and out of the car. The romance part is weak, super weak. There is no genuine chemistry between Charlie and Sophie. For days he detests her and then all of sudden she's the love of his life. For the record, Charlie sounded Australian, not British, and alas he is Australian. The scenery is the best part. Watch the trailer if you don't plan on watching the whole movie. And if you want to watch the movie, don't watch the trailer because it sums up the movie. So in that case, just watch the trailer and be done with it.

Dear John (I) (2010)

Good Visuals Good Performances

[7/10 · 18 July 2012]

The two leads have chemistry on screen and are attractive, which is why films are made in the first place. The movie does a better job than the book in showing a realistic portrayal of John. His voice in the book seems too similar to that of Wilson Lewis from "The Wedding" and I wasn't convinced that his voice and actions matched - he didn't come across as a soldier to me. The film, however, shows a guy who seems like he would have been a rebel, makes a believable soldier and is a handsome match for his pretty love interest. This may be way too cliché for some, but you would guess that from the movie poster, let alone the trailer. Some of the low ratings are based on not liking these types of films. There are some choppy moments especially at the end. (SPOILER) It's hard to know if they're meeting in Germany and if he's in or out of the service. I like his bicycle, a change from his dad's big, old Lincoln. Speaking of Lincoln, the coin imagery at the beginning was a good tie-in. If you like these kinds of mushy story lines, you won't be disappointed. Now a film like "The Vow" seems more unrealistic than this one.

The Aviator (2004)

Howard, Leo and Oscar

[7/10 · 1 January 2005]

This biopic about an eccentric and influential mogul, Howard Hughes, was more artistic than historically accurate, even though the symbolism was so obvious, it took away from the artistic license. Was Scorsese trying to dumb it down for the general public? I thought I caught a glimpse of a bright, blue Ked's label on Howard's sneakers when he was dancing the Samba with Faith. Did Ked's exist 70 years ago? Was DiCaprio really the right match to play Hughes? I'll get to that later.

The over zealous portrayal of Kate Hepburn by Cate Blanchett was saccharin, i.e. sickly sweet. Cate almost pulled off the great face that Kate was famous for, but I thought she could have gone the extra mile and shed a few more pounds to look more the part. By Contrast, Kate Beckinsdale could have gained a few pounds to play bombshell Ava Garner, (Beckinsdale was all shell and no bomb).

Gwen Stephani, on the other hand, was the perfect face for the era which brings me to what I did like - the music, the costumes (minus the Ked's), the cinematography, the colours, the textures - visually it gets a thumbs up. If you like the 20's, 30's and 40's on film, GO SEE THIS MOVIE. If you're over 50, chances are you will really enjoy it.

I read other comments saying that DiCaprio's performance was infantile and that he didn't have enough talent for mature, deep roles. I disagree. He did a good acting job in "The Aviator" because he went beyond himself, especially in the scene where Hughes cages himself inside his personal cinema. Although his accent was inconsistent, a personal pet peeve, DiCaprio's ability to play a character with penetrating quirks was reminiscent of Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets", Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" and even himself in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". His acting was better than Robert Downey Jr. in "Chaplin", to make a comparison. Leo was on screen so much, all but about two scenes, it won't be surprising if he's matched up with another mogul - Oscar.

Before Sunset (2004)

Low-Cal Romance

[8/10 · 20 December 2004]

This low-cal romance is probably a triumph for Hawke personally, who worked on the script, in terms of its astute commentary on current relationships experienced by Generation X. It's reminiscent of a comment he made in REALITY BITES about life being a random series of events and near escapes - you know the line.

The two actors carry this vignette in an 80 minute running dialog which is so well rehearsed that at time it has a sing-song quality. Speaking of song, one of the film's highlights is Duply's sweetly sung love ballad with notes of dismay, which recaptures her essential beauty and charm in the nick of time before the film ends, (but doesn't really conclude).

Being a chick, I gulped down every moment of this frothy café latte made with skim milk, and would not change a bit of it, even the abrupt ending, except for one small detail. When Celine mistakes Jessie's "merci" for "messy", she sarcastically mocks his French. If I were writing the script, I would have given him a come-back bit, complimenting her improved English skills with, "but you, your English is, how you say, 'tres bien!'".