The "Official" Movie review thread! Review ANY movie you want to.

[Papa Deuce]

Pick a movie, new or old, and review it here. Here is your chance to be Siskel, Ebert, Roper......

I'll start with ANCHORMAN. ( Wil Ferrell and Christina Applegate )

I work in TV so I really had an interest in checking this out. Mostly because the TV stations, and TV News, in particular, never get properly portrayed, at least it is never like anywhere I have worked. And this holds true in Anchorman, as well.

Sadly, the best part(s) of the movie occur in the first 10 minutes. In an over the top kind of way, I have know anchors like Ron Burgundy. We had an anchor that we used to refer to as "Dick Vegas".

The "plot" was rather weak, and the really funny stuff was too far apart. And while I can enjoy sophomoric humor, it needs to be funny sophomoric humor... ala the funniest movie of all time... Animal House.

After about 45 minutes into the movie I found myself scanning through the DVD in hopes of finding more funny stuff, or at least seeing Christina Applegate looking exceptionally "HOT". Alas, it was not to be.

I give Anchorman 1* out of 5.

 

[Spaceship Earth]

I just saw "The Aviator" Friday. I don't know if the film was shot the way it was presented or there was something wrong with the projection system because the colors were weird.

Cate Blanchett played Katharine Hepburn. I think she might have been miscast for this roll and her performance was a little too strong unless that's how Hepburn was in her younger years.

The movie was long but it was enjoyable. Not great by any means. Howard was a genius but also turned into a freak (OCD big time) if the portrayal was accurate.

I'll give it a *** out of ***** (mostly because it has Kate Beckinsale in it!)

 

[RyMickey]

PapaDeuce - Great idea for a thread! As a film student in college, this will be loads of fun!

Sideways

There couldn't be anymore Oscar hype for this film. Every time some new award is announced, Sideways is topping the list. So, is it worthy of all the accolades?

Honestly, I don't think so. Director/Writer Alexander Payne, filmmaker behind About Schmidt (a movie that will stay with me forever for the simple image of a naked Kathy Bates) and Election (Reese Witherspoon is so gosh-darn cute), returns with a tale of two middle age guys trekking across California in search of good wine.

Paul Giammatti and Thomas Hayden Church make a good team. Church in particular stands out and is really hilarious (an Oscar for him would not be out of the question). As the two trek across the countryside, they meet two young ladies played by Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. While Madsen is getting much of the buzz for her role as the lovelorn Giammatti's newfound lover, Oh is actually much better. Sandra Oh was truly the only bright point in last year's Under the Tuscan Sun, and she shines here again in a great comedic and surprisingly touching role.

While it's true that the actors are all quite good, the story just drags on forever. I like the idea of simply watching over these two guys as the travel across the land, but oftentimes, I just was waiting for something to happen. The bits of humor came too few and far between.

That being said, I did enjoy the film, I just don't think it's a Best Picture of the Year type film.

The RyMickey Rating: B-

RyMickey

 

[RNMOM]

We went to see "Meet the Fockers" last evening and I was pleasantly surprised. I was not overly fond of "Meet the Parents" but this was much faster paced and very funny. We all enjoyed it and the theater was packed. Lots of laugh out loud moments.

 

[RyMickey]

PapaDeuce - I'm gonna try to keep this thread alive!

CLOSER

As a college aged guy, let me just say that I'm happy I didn't take my mother up on her offer of going to see Mike Nichols' new flick Closer with her. Just a tad too dirty for viewing with the parental units.

I had an incredibly odd experience after watching this film. I truly didn't know how I felt about the flick after it was done. I sat in the seat of the movie theater and turned to my friend and said, "I don't know whether I liked this movie or not."

Quick summary: Jude Law is Dan, and as he is walking down the street one day his eye focuses on Alice (Natalie Portman - and, let's be honest, how can one's eyes not focus on Natalie Portman?). Through a rather surprising event, these two meet and fall in love. However, things start going awry when writer Dan meets photographer Anna (Julia Roberts) and seems to immediately fall in love with her. Unsure of what to do, Dan goes home and finds himself in an internet "adults-only" chat room where he converses with Larry (Clive Owen) in a humorous bantering back and forth. Nevertheless, through their internet conversation, Larry meets Anna and they fall in love. Things are not so simple in the world of Closer for there are many entanglements to come between these four characters.

All four actors are truly spectacular. This is Julia Roberts' best performance to date. Her Anna is not a perfect character by any means, and unlike her other roles, I truly did not feel like I was watching "Julia Roberts - Movie Star." Jude Law and Clive Owen are both good as well, each getting moments to shine. The two actors rarely share scenes together, but at the end, something happens that brings the two men together and it is a great scene. And Natalie Portman - Oscar-worthy performance here, without a doubt. This is truly her movie and she carries it wonderfully. And the last scene - wow!

So, as days went by, I finally realized what I thought about this flick. It's not a happy film - quite depressing, actually. But it is superbly written and shockingly intimate. There are only two other actors that speak in this film (and they have the role of "Cab Driver" and "Customs Officer") so you know that the four central actors have to carry the weight of the film. They do so brilliantly.

The RyMickey Rating: A-

 

[chesirekate]

Thanks for the Closer review. I absolutely do not want to see this movie because I already know that I will hate it, but I am hopelessly in love with Clive Owen so of course part of me does want to see it. I will probably have to wait until the DVD comes out and then fast forward through the skin crawling bits.

I agree about Anchorman, it had some funny bits but was very weak overall. Just not funny enough. Of all the SNL alumni, I think Will Ferrell is easily one of the funniest, but this movie just didn't flesh out into anything worthy of more than a long skit.

I haven't seen much in the theater lately, I think The Incredibles was the last one, so I'll review a movie we watched on DVD last week:

Dodsworth (1936)-

They just don't make movies like this anymore. The script is clever, literate, zippy, romantic without being sappy, and the social commentary is wonderful. The script was in part written by author Sinclair Lewis. The story goes a bit like this: Somewhere in middle America during the 30's, an American man (Walter Huston) works hard, builds up his automobile business, turns 50 or so and sells the business for a pretty penny. His children are grown and his wife (Ruth Chatterton) wants to 'do' Europe. So, off they go. The wife feels she's quite the sophisticate and on the cruise over, starts flirting with a debonair Brit played by David Niven. She leads him on terribly and when he gets a bit too fresh, she acts horrified. Well, she pulls the same thing all across Europe, flirting with Europeans and wanting to hit all the parties, leaving her husband far behind to make friends with a laid back American living in Italy, played by a melancholy Mary Astor.

The husband is your typical American in Europe, he wants to see all of the monuments and do all of the touristy activites. If he sees something that he likes, he says so. If something excites him, he's not too blase to say so. He loves history and these things interest him, but bore his wife to tears. As mentioned above, she's a spoiled, vain, arrogant baby and has a great fear of growing old. This allows for some excellent banter between the husband and wife, who, after at least 20 years of marriage, are realizing that they really don't have anything in common.

So, there is some fantastic commentary about Americans in Europe and about this particular type of marriage. The dialogue is brilliant, the acting is stellar, and the direction by William Wyler keeps the film hopping from scene to scene and city to city. And the ending is wonderful and satisfying, if a bit 'Hollywood'. Also, there are some gorgeous costumes typical of 30's films that any vintage collector like myself would find appealing.

This is easily one of the best films of it's era, and one that I don't think gets enough credit. I had never heard of it until my video store started carrying it. It's well worth seeking out if you like intelligent old movies like His Girl Friday and My Man Godfrey.

 

[Papa Deuce]

OK, so I am reviewing another Wil Ferrell movie. Why? I don't know. I'm not a huge fan of his, though I do enjoy him on SNL.

Here is ELF in a nutshell:

This is a quick review: Very funy and witty for the first 2/3 of the movie, then it slips into mainstream warm and fuzzy and that kills it. Plain and simple.

 

[luvthatduke]

I just rented Open Water tonight.
Ok, let me say that I truly felt like I
could NOT breathe for the last
hour of the film.
Even tho it was low-budget & the sound was poor,
the actors held me.
It was not a great movie, IMO, but worth watching for sure.
Only complaint is the gratuitous nude scene
- could have done without it.

 

[gymmom]

Dodsworth (1936)-
This is easily one of the best films of it's era, and one that I don't think gets enough credit. I had never heard of it until my video store started carrying it. It's well worth seeking out if you like intelligent old movies like His Girl Friday and My Man Godfrey.

How funny that you should mention that movie. I saw it 20 years ago when it came on TV one night. I like old movies, but I'm not a fanatic or anything. I thought it was delightful! I think of it often. Probably moreso that most other movies I've seen, perhaps because it wasn't a well-known film (at least not by the time I saw it!) and yet it was very moving. The acting was superb. I think of all the gifted actors we have now. I think we often think the craft has really evolved and today's actors are somehow better than those of a couple of generations ago, but it's simply not so! Most of all, though, it was a witty, intelligent, poignant piece of screen writing--infintely better than "Anchorman" or "Elf", the only two of the films reviewed here so far that I've seen.

Lisa

 

[Papa Deuce]

I just rented Open Water tonight.
Ok, let me say that I truly felt like I
could NOT breathe for the last
hour of the film.
Even tho it was low-budget & the sound was poor,
the actors held me.
It was not a great movie, IMO, but worth watching for sure.
Only complaint is the gratuitous nude scene
- could have done without it.

Ah, the nudity was the best part! Seriously, I was really disappointed in the movie. I was expecting the same tension I felt with Jaws and it never came. In some ways the acting was very good, though.

 

[Grog]

I haven't got time to reveiw anything right now, but just wanted to subscribe so I can read the others tonight and maybe contribute later.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Thanks for subscribing, Grog or else I never would have seen this thread!

I *finally* had the chance to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tonight. DH2B and I really wanted to see this in the theater and we were just never able to make it happen. We are both in love with Kate Winslet, and we are one of the few that enjoy Jim Carrey in both dramatic and comedic roles. That said, it's quite tricky when Jim Carrey is in a film because he has a tendency to take over no matter the genre. However this time, he was quite subdued, and really quite lovely.

We both went into this movie with the mindset that we were going to like it. At the end, we both LOVED it. The love story is so dysfunctional, but so whimsical at the same time. They are polar opposites, but it just works. I don't want to give too much away for those that haven't seen it, but this is truly a great film. The direction is beautiful, as well as the writing. And the performances are fantastic. We are going out and buying the DVD tomorrow!

If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it. Especially to watch with your SO.

 

[ebaynut31]

Purchased THE VILLAGE.

I will sum it up in one word: STUPID

I can't say much more than that because I will spoil it for those that want to see it.

It is not what it appears to be.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

Purchased THE VILLAGE.

I will sum it up in one word: STUPID

I can't say much more than that because I will spoil it for those that want to see it.

It is not what it appears to be.

Ugh, I hate when that happens! We bought Anchorman before seeing it because we like Will Ferrel. Blech, we couldn't even make it through 20 minutes. It was SO awful! We haven't seen the Village yet. Would you like to do an exchange for Anchorman? Just forget all the bad stuff I just said about it though.

 

[Charade]

I *finally* had the chance to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tonight. DH2B and I really wanted to see this in the theater and we were just never able to make it happen. We are both in love with Kate Winslet, and we are one of the few that enjoy Jim Carrey in both dramatic and comedic roles. That said, it's quite tricky when Jim Carrey is in a film because he has a tendency to take over no matter the genre. However this time, he was quite subdued, and really quite lovely.

We both went into this movie with the mindset that we were going to like it. At the end, we both LOVED it. The love story is so dysfunctional, but so whimsical at the same time. They are polar opposites, but it just works. I don't want to give too much away for those that haven't seen it, but this is truly a great film. The direction is beautiful, as well as the writing. And the performances are fantastic. We are going out and buying the DVD tomorrow!

If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it. Especially to watch with your SO.

I agree. I really enjoyed it myself. An KW isn't hard on the eyes either.

 

[Grumpylittlesis]

Ugh, I hate when that happens! We bought Anchorman before seeing it because we like Will Ferrel. Blech, we couldn't even make it through 20 minutes. It was SO awful! We haven't seen the Village yet. Would you like to do an exchange for Anchorman? Just forget all the bad stuff I just said about it though.

PryncessChrysty, ebaynut is my sister, and if you want to exchange movies, that'd be great. You can pm either her or me, and we'll set it up. I'd rather exchange with someone that spend more money on a movie I might not even like.

 

[DanceBabe16]

The Phantom of the Opera

This was definitely one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen, hands down. The three actors who portray the phantom (Gerard Butler), Christine (Emmy Rossum), and Raoul (Patrick Wilson) do so flawlessly. Their voices are magnificent (especially Emmy's, considering she was only 16/17 years old when they filmed the movie and recorded the music and Gerard's, who balances a flawless singing voice with the occasional phantom's snarl) and they were also extremely believable in their respective roles.
The cinematography in it was breathtaking as well, notably the scene in which the chandelier is raised back up to the ceiling after it fell in the climax of the story. Joel Schumaker did an excellent job bringing the stage show to the big screen.
It is truly a magnificent film. I have seen it twice already and plan to see it again on Monday. I was not familiar with the story or the songs before going to see it the first time, and I was definitely impressed and touched.
Now, I'm patiently waiting for the DVD to come out so I can check out all of those special features!!

 

[JimB.]

"The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou........................"

Is easily the worst movie I have seen in the last few years (with the possible exception of "Kung Pow. Enter the Fist", but that's another story).

It was not:

1. Funny
2. Well-written
3. Well-acted

With Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Angelica Huston, Cate Blanchett & Willem Dafoe appearing, my expectations were high.

With the exception of Willem Dafoe, everyone else' s characters were boring, stilted & acted like they were sleeping through their parts.

I don't care that I wasted $$ to see it, but I DO care that I lost 2 hours out of my life.

If you have a chance to see this movie, run away.

Quickly.

 

[eeyore45]

Phantom of the Opera Two THUMBS UP here...

I have only seen the stage production once, and it wasnt that great to be honest, but I had a friend who was in it in Chicago and I've listened to the music forever!!

The movie does the musical justice, I think having Andrew Lloyd Webber involved enhanced the experience. I think you should be aware it is a musical, and the storyline moves thru music. As stated above the performances, and the quality of the singing was tremendous!! You are wrapped up in the love story, the beauty and the innocence of Christine, you understand that she is an orphan in the 1800's, and her teacher she believes is an "Angel" sent by her father to teach her the craft of the Opera... you learn that the Phantom feels unloveable.. the power of the music carries you thru the scenes, I was moved to tears at times. As I was listening to my CD of this version, and explaining it to dd 8, she immediately fell for the Phantom, comparing him to The Beast of Beauty and the Beast - ah the way he seduces Christine, the way she has compassion for Phantom, but wait, her childhood Love, Raol, he holds her dear, it is not a teacher/student love... but wait.... where does she go? and what about her friend at the Opera??

I too cant wait till the DVD comes out, so my son can enjoy all the nuiances, I just wish the movie theatres could invest in reflective captioning!!

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Anchorman--AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL
The Village--Advertised as a horror movie...it wasn't scary..and it required a lot of thought
Without a Paddle--Hysterical, a must if you like stupid gross humor
Meet the Fockers --YES YES YES YES YES YES GO NOW!!!!