Monday, August 21, 2006
More movie reviews
Spanglish - 6/10. A very entertaining movie that was unfortunately ruined for me by one IMO unnecessary bedroom scene between Adam Sandler's character & wife--otherwise it would probably be a 9/10. It was very witty, and didn't follow the stereotypical Hollywood script. Paz Vega was outstanding as Flor, and the innate goodness that she exuded was the key to the movie.
Cast Away - 7/10. Tom Hanks on screen by himself for 90% of the movie--wow, how many actors could pull that off? Interesting character study. Well-known movie, so I don't have to say more.
Miracle - 9/10. Doesn't get a 10 because I'm not sure how meaningful it would be for someone that has no interest in hockey (my kids seemed bored at times, for example). Very inspiring to me, though.
Say Anything - 5/10. A very deep movie compared to the typical "high school kids coming of age" film--in this movie, the kids are struggling with very grown-up problems. Interesting screen play, witty dialog, but I can see why it isn't as well-known as some other movies of the genre/era-- what was the target audience? It was likely not interesting/fun enough for the teens, and likely to high-schoolish for adults. Sex became too big a topic about halfway through the movie, and all in all I can't really recommend it. Nicely acted by John Cusack, but I thought the girlfriend's acting was weak.
Cellular - 7/10. Too much "s-word". Interesting setup, but Pauline gave up on the movie after ~30 mins because she felt the "can't hang up" business was getting old. Very suspenseful, though, especially once the cell phone connection was lost (about halfway through the movie; sorry for the spoiler). Well acted by Chris Evans as the initially self-centered guy who catches the call and proceeds to risk everything to save Kim Bassinger and her family. Bassinger does a good job as well.
Angels With Dirty Faces - 7/10. Classic gangster film. James Cagney was very good in the role. What made the movie was the twist at the end where Cagney's priest friend appeals to Cagny to show true courage. How and why the priest does that, and whether Cagney follows through with the request, I'll let you find out for yourself.
Cast Away - 7/10. Tom Hanks on screen by himself for 90% of the movie--wow, how many actors could pull that off? Interesting character study. Well-known movie, so I don't have to say more.
Miracle - 9/10. Doesn't get a 10 because I'm not sure how meaningful it would be for someone that has no interest in hockey (my kids seemed bored at times, for example). Very inspiring to me, though.
Say Anything - 5/10. A very deep movie compared to the typical "high school kids coming of age" film--in this movie, the kids are struggling with very grown-up problems. Interesting screen play, witty dialog, but I can see why it isn't as well-known as some other movies of the genre/era-- what was the target audience? It was likely not interesting/fun enough for the teens, and likely to high-schoolish for adults. Sex became too big a topic about halfway through the movie, and all in all I can't really recommend it. Nicely acted by John Cusack, but I thought the girlfriend's acting was weak.
Cellular - 7/10. Too much "s-word". Interesting setup, but Pauline gave up on the movie after ~30 mins because she felt the "can't hang up" business was getting old. Very suspenseful, though, especially once the cell phone connection was lost (about halfway through the movie; sorry for the spoiler). Well acted by Chris Evans as the initially self-centered guy who catches the call and proceeds to risk everything to save Kim Bassinger and her family. Bassinger does a good job as well.
Angels With Dirty Faces - 7/10. Classic gangster film. James Cagney was very good in the role. What made the movie was the twist at the end where Cagney's priest friend appeals to Cagny to show true courage. How and why the priest does that, and whether Cagney follows through with the request, I'll let you find out for yourself.
# posted by John Colton @ 10:01 AM 
