jcckidz Reviews

El viaje de Carol (2002)

Beautiful!!

[10/10 · 9 September 2007]

I was deeply moved by this movie in many respects. First of all, I just want to say that Clara Lago was the most precious little thing! Such a pretty little girl. Her acting was superb as well. True to life and very human. Though I don't like the part where she had to smoke; I hope it was only a fake prop. Either way, she was absolutely wonderful and the story was so moving. I found myself immersed in the story and her character.

It's quite interesting how I came to discover this movie actually. I was walking in blockbuster and I just happened to notice her pretty smile on the cover as I was walking by. Luckily I glanced in the downward direction that this movie was in! I thought to myself, 'Awe, look at her!' So I picked it up and saw that this movie was described as such wonderful things as "A Little Gem." I read the plot on the back and then thought that, well, maybe I'd look it up on IMDb first and then come back and rent it at a later time. I'm glad I didn't, because I certainly would have been missing out. After searching for a movie with my friend, I knew that I would end up regretting not renting this film, so I went back to the spot in which I originally found it and snapped it up.

It had been on my dresser for a week, since school started for me this week and I really hadn't any time to watch it, but tonight was the perfect opportunity. I popped it in and was glued to the beautiful cinematography, delightful score and moving plot from beginning to end. I was so captivated and must say, some parts nearly moved me to tears.

I would also like to make a special mention for the young boy in this film, Juan Jose Ballesta. He was remarkable. Also the actor who played Carol's father, who's name is unfortunately not listed on the site. His voice was just so loving and gentle that I could really sense his love for Carol. Even though his appearance is not prominent, I really felt his character's presence.

This is truly a wonderful movie. If you are a person who is moved by light, but emotional films, then this is definitely one for you.

All the King's Men (2006)

Brilliant!! (spoilers)

[30 November 2006]

Hello everyone. When I saw the trailer for this movie (having seen Sean Penn in I am Sam, which is a great movie) I was in awe of his ability to assume character. Everything from his accent, to his movements to the color of the screen (which seemed to fit the time the movie was representing) intrigued me. I finally saw the movie and liked it. I didn't love it but it was really good. I expected it to be a bit different. In the preview it showed Penn's character being very strong for the people. It then shows him turning corrupt, but then again shows him supporting the people. So I thought that he would slowly turn corrupt but then things would happen that would bring his focus back to the people. It didn't quite go that way. In the preview, they took some scenes from the earlier part in the movie (where he was good willed and compassionate) and placed them at the end of the preview. This made it look like he turned back to being a "good guy" at the end. However, I was quite surprised by how it actually turned out. I was able to get into the performances, but wasn't as into the story as I thought I would be. The story, however, was still very well done and did make me think a lot, I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I must say though, that it was a very powerful movie and I did get a bit into the story. Especially the powerful ending. Sean Penn is truly an amazing character actor. I enjoy acting and often portray his character Sam from I am Sam (which I think I do pretty well), however I must say that I have a lot of trouble portraying this one. I can't do the accent nearly as well as he did and when I do the arm movements I look very fake as if I am really forcing it. He made it all come out so naturally, which is why I loved his performance. Jude Law did really good. I did not like his performance as much as I like Penn's for Law's performance seemed a bit more plain. However, that may have just been his character. I thought the guy from The Sopranos was pretty good, but I think he plays his character in The Sopranos a bit better than he did in this movie. He was still good though. Of course Anthony Hopkins did a great job, even though he did not have a large role in this film. I couldn't really get into his character very much, but he still portrayed him to the t. Kate Winslet was great. I did like the small love story between Jude Law's character and her's. I really wanted them to end up getting together in the end, but I was a bit saddened by how they never truly seemed to connect emotionally. The children who played their younger selves were great. Overall I really liked this movie, found the acting to be great and the story (eventhough I didn't love it) to be quite powerful. Having had a tragic ending I did leave the theater feeling a bit depressed and thinking very hard about the movie. It was brilliant in the performances and definitely worth seeing.

Dark Water (2005)

Beautiful Story

[10/10 · 20 March 2006]

NOT NECESSARILY SPOILERS. I put spoilers cuz there is one thing I said in regards to Ceci; however I'm not exactly sure if it qualifies as a spoiler. Anyways, I rented this movie because it looked intriguing and I am a big fan of Jennifer Connelly, yet I also found that the little girl named Ariel Gade, who played Ceci, did an extraordinary job as well. Her performance in that movie was just like a performance Dakota Fanning would have delivered at that age, and if you've seen "I am Sam" you'll know what I mean. Even though Ariel's role wasn't as thorough as Dakota's was, she was amazing in acting it out. As for the story, I loved it. I thought it was really moving. It really showed the relationship between Dahlia and her daughter Ceci; which was an essential part of the story. Another powerful part was the relationship between Dahlia and her mother and Jennifer Connelly delivered a really powerful performance in relation to that. I do not feel that this movie was intended to be a flat out horror flick in any way. Yes, it can be really spooky, but wasn't really intended to have the audience walking away shaking. I feel that this is what separates this movie from "The Ring," which did not really have as much emotional content as "Dark Water" and was meant to leave the audience horrified. When I finished watching "Dark Water" I cried because I could really understand how Ceci felt and the ending was breathtaking for those really emotional viewers. If you could really get into the relationship between Dahlia and Ceci I think you will most likely cry. This is what really put the icing on the cake for me. I gave this movie a ten because any movie that I walk away from with tears in my eyes is completely worth my time.