pnkearns Reviews

Happy Feet (2006)

Children's film with last minute dose of political correctness

[5/10 · 29 August 2007]

All in all, the film was technically well done. The characters were cute. The music was superb. The dialog between characters was good.

I was not that impressed by the "happy feet" dancing. Animated figures dancing...haven't seen that since Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willey (1928)" or classic Bugs Bunny cartoons (30's & 40's).

What was disappointing was the overall plot of this movie. There were so many ways to go to make this an excellent children's movie based on the interaction of the characters, e.g. "Babe", "Toys" or "Ice Age". Instead dark "aliens" were created. While I won't give away the ending, the film's conclusion was wrapped up in a flash forward mode with a heavy dose of political correctness that made it feel bolted on. It was obvious that the makers were searching for a story conclusion when there was none.

All in all, the first 2/3 of the movie were good entertainment. I would take any child to it. The last 1/3 needs to be totally reworked into an ending that matches the rest of the movie. I would have reservations about taking a child to the last 1/3 of the movie.

The Good Shepherd (2006)

Good flick, worth the watch, AJ slightly overkill for her part

[9/10 · 4 June 2007]

At first I thought the film was a little slow at times, but it fed into the feeling that spying is a slow, bureaucratic and mundane world where efforts can span years and decades. Without a doubt, a great film in terms of cinematography, settings, score and the overall acting of the cast.

My only issue was the casting of Angelina Jolie as the Clover Wilson. Angelina gave a good performance as a lonely, frustrated wife shut out of Edward Wilson's (Matt Damon) life of secrets at the CIA. However, this was undercut somewhat because she just outshines the rest of the women cast in the looks department. At times you are suppose to believe Damon/Jolie are in a loveless marriage and have not found each other sexually attractive in years. Yeah... right.. I am sure that casting Angelina was an excellent business decision. She adds marquee value to the film and probably brought in more fans and revenue. However, a slightly less glamorous skilled actress would have been a more believable casting of the part.

The American President (1995)

Mostly Entertaining With Hollywood Bias Thrown In

[7/10 · 3 September 2005]

For the most part the American President has the same positives and negatives as TV's West Wing. You get to see the human side of your leaders as you would hope them to be, hard working, etc. Douglas and Bening make a cute couple that are worthwhile to watch. The major flaw, like the West Wing, is its sanctimonious tone in preaching liberal positions. Douglas's President is suppose to portray a Democrat, so you can overlook this for the most part. It's just that Director Rob Reiner is such a loony Democratic liberal that he can't help himself. Richard Dryfus is unconvincing in his portrayal of a darker GOP opposition. Douglas is constantly trying for the JFK moment. Michael Moore would feel comfortable with this script.