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BlackDog1981
Reviews
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Fun Movie!
I'm not a big fan of Judd Apatow and his recent crop of movies.
That said, I got to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" April 11 at a preview screening with some friends, and I was impressed. It's a joke movie, but it has a story that pulls you along, and the jokes are outrageously funny. I nearly died laughing. It doesn't try to push the envelope of "How immature and disgusting can we be?", which was what I have come to expect from these sorts of movies. It's just funny actors doing a great job of telling a good story that most adults will relate to in some way. It's honest fun, and I wish there were more comedies like this coming out.
All my friends enjoyed the film, too (aged 20-27). It's a good date movie, though certainly NOT one for the kids or younger teenagers.
August Rush (2007)
I Want My Two Hours Back....
This movie has superb actors, beautiful shots, and some beautiful songs. None of those matter, though, because the finished product is terrible. It offends me as a moviegoer that "August Rush" made it to theatrical release.
I saw a preview screening here in Hollywood two weeks ago. I can't imagine what the director, producers, and others responsible for quality-control were thinking. Somehow, they made an entire feature film without once asking, "Wait: does this script have the basic elements of a decent story--or any story--in it?" Any breathing person with a sense for a fun or interesting movie could have spotted that this one needed *ahem* WORK! I don't mean to say "August Rush" is a good story or a bad story. What I mean to say is, it's not a story at all! It's a mish-mash of fairytale clichés and musical sequences that almost distract one well enough to miss questioning, "When do the characters change, or overcome, or surprise us and themselves?" It never happens. The characters don't connected with each other, and none of the characters who could be a hero to us faces any difficulty of interest or meaning. Nope, just "Poof! everything's solved!" and the movie ends. With more sweeping music.
When our preview screening was over, the audience sat in silence for what seemed ages. A few people laughed quietly. It was as though the overwhelming urge to be polite was fighting with the revulsion and hypocrisy of applauding such a film. In the end, a very few people gave a golf clap and everyone escaped into the night. (NOTE: We appreciated these brave souls who sacrificed their honesty for the good of the many.) My friends and I had gotten into the screening for free, but we still felt mugged, and every one of them said so. If I ever meet the director, I'm going to ask for my two hours back, then ask for humanity's sake that she go direct music videos or commercials in which an interesting story isn't a requirement. Women are starting to make inroads as directors in Hollywood. Ms. Sheridan could single-handedly set them back decades.