Movie Reviews
From 4/27/08 on
Scale from 1 (worst) to 10 (best).
| Can't really give this film too high a score, since this is a remake. There were a lot of spots where the movie could have fallen into laughable territory, but Smith did not allow it that low. However, an underdeveloped story combined with a lackluster supporting cast made this film mediocre. While there was enough to keep things interesting, there was always a feeling that more could have been done, both in the plot development and acting. 5 | |
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You may know this one by its American title, Fistful of Dollars. I give Kurosawa a lot of credit for his original stories. Not since Shakespeare has one author contributed so much to the stories that are too often copied today. While this one drags in comparison to the great Seven Sumarai, I loved the acting in this one. The most striking example of great acting work from Mifune in this one is the scene where he has just been beaten up and imprisoned by one of the warring factions that he pits against the other in order to bring about their mutual destruction. The physical consistency in portraying his disabled form is what actors should strive towards. 7 |
| I was a fan of This Is Spinal Tap, and Waiting for Guffman. While I liked the characters in this one, the storylines given for the characters were weak. There weren't very many funny moments. While I appreciate the improvisational flow of the dialogue, I found a lot of technical errors that surprisingly survived the cutting room floor. I felt that Christopher Guest may have phoned this one in. 4 |  |
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The storyline offers nothing more than some new twists to an already clichéd storyline. Lawyer finds out a dark corporate secret that the company will stop at nothing to keep under wraps. I was impressed by George Clooney's performance, though I felt that this was not the strongest acting performance during this Academy year. While the movie can drag at times, it is certainly worth a look, with a fine performance by a strong ensemble cast. 6 |
| There is only a slight reference to the play, "Waiting for Godot", such as the inspiration for the title of this movie. If you hated This Is Spinal Tap, expect more of the same. Otherwise, it is really funny. I was pleasantly surprised by Parker Posey's performance in this one, as she managed to keep up with such veterans as Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. The plot in Christopher Guest movies usually are not well planned, which leads to a lower score, but they are shining examples of improvisational comedy. This movie is no exception. 6 |  |
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This is definitely a chick flick. If it weren't for the fact that I was working on a scene for an acting class from the play that the movie was drawn from, I would not have even bothered with it. The movie was pretty faithful to the play, with a few notable differences in chronology, but the acting was lackluster at best, with the exception of Anthony Hopkins, who was the sole beacon of good acting in the entire movie. 4 |
| Javier Bardem is downright creepy. His presence is palpable throughout the movie, as the merciless, twisted, and brutal Anton Chigurh. The storyline is captivating throughout. The runtime of the movie just flies by. I was a little disappointed by the development of the storyline, but not enough to wrench me away. 8 |  |
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Finally got around to seeing the movie that garnered such critical acclaim in 2006, since it was such an original take on a love story. While I don't think of the movie as an instant classic, it certainly had its fine points. The specter of Heath Ledger was palpable, as this was one of the best movies that he had done. While Jake Gyllenhaal turned in a fine performance, I felt that Heath Ledger had to carry more of the movie, with a mannerism and accent that was distinctly different from his own, and he managed to pull it off flawlessly. This was definitely an uncomfortable movie to get through at times, and it is definitely not for everybody. I wound up pausing the movie for stretches due to my own discomfort. That is why I lowered the score. 7 |
| The story is stagnant at times. The transformation of Anne Baxter's Eve Harrington is incredible. George Sanders's Addison DeWitt is appropriately venomous. Marilyn Monroe has a small part, but shows some promising acting ability. Celeste Holm delivers a great performance as the conflicted Karen Richards. Bette Davis is pretty lackluster in this one, though. 7 |  |
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This ranks up there with Nosferatu as one of the greatest masterpieces coming from the silent film era. If you've ever seen stock footage of workplace drudgery, you've probably seen parts of this movie interspersed in those images. I lowered the score only because it becomes preachy for stretches in the film. The acting was not quite as captivating as the visuals effects, or the impressively epic storyline that was tackled. The limitations of cinema during this era makes this film even more impressive. 8 |
| The storyline stalls at times, but the acting was fantastic. I was particularly impressed with Paul Dano's ability to match Daniel Day Lewis's intensity in his role as Eli, though performing double duty as brother Paul may not have been a smart choice. The milkshake line in the commercials was hardly a decent cut to advertise the film with, but in the context of the story becomes powerful. 7 |  |
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It's an example of cornball 80's comedy. Watching Leslie Nielsen in this reminds me of how funny he used to be, before phoning it in on those spoof movies (Scary Movie 3 onward, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, etc.). It's sort of like Dumb and Dumber. Not quite a classic, but entertaining for about an hour or two. Definitely would not be something you would want to sit through again for a while. 5 |