Kissing Jessica Stein 2001

5/5

If you don't like movies about gay relationships, read no further. If you think that love is good no matter where it's found, read on.

This adorable little gem of an indie is not what you may think from the title or advance press. I thought it was, basically, about a straight woman who answers a lesbian's woman-looking-for-woman ad and they get together. Nuh-uh. It's about two straight women who are sick of the dating scene in New York and try each other, but with a twist I'm not going to reveal here. And the ending totally blindsided me--I'm usually pretty good at picking out plot twists and seeing things coming, but this one caught me totally unawares in several spots and the ending had my mouth hanging open.

If you liked "Kiss Me Guido" or "Chasing Amy", this movie is a must-see. It's definitely on my must-own list.

The Castle 1997

4/5

This charming--if slow to get going--Australian film is definitely a must-see if you like movies such as "The Full Monty", "The Dish", "Kiss Me Guido", and other great character studies that give you a little slice of someone else's life. There's nothing really exciting in it, no action outside of a single memorable scene ("Y'ought to put those 'round back.") but what an adorable treat!

Now, let me warn you in advance if you're interested: it is slow to get of the ground, unlike the airplanes that come and go over their house. But trust me on this much: it's well worth seeing and the end will have you cheering. There are a few uncomfortable court scenes that may have you wincing for the poor characters, but the movie more than makes up for the slow start. There are lines that will have you guffawing and perhaps, if you're not Australian (like me), others that have you scratching your head but at least you can understand these folks--even the Lebanese immigrant--unlike most of "The Full Monty" (I didn't get ALL of that movie until I bought the DVD and put on the subtitles). But the most important thing, to me, was how much I came to care about the characters and admire each of them for what they were. I want them to adopt me!

At any rate, I highly recommend a viewing if you like a good character-driven movie with a fantastic ending.

The Ring 2002 SPOILERS

3/5

Do not read past the top 2 paragraphs if you have not seen the movie "The Ring" (either version). But if you have, I found some interesting points I'd like to mention. And one note for any horse lovers; if you DO watch this movie, be prepared for a very realistic, very disturbing scene involving a horse getting hurt. I damn near broke out in tears.

We didn't catch this in theaters, but our 18-yr-old son saw it on video at a friend's house recently and highly recommended we watch it. I threw it at the top of our Netflix queue and it arrived tonight. He's pretty good about movies--all except teenage stinkers like "10 Things I Hate About You" and "A Knight's Tale". Still, we both pretty much like the same types of horror movies so I didn't think he'd give us a bum steer on this one. He didn't.

I have rarely jumped and shrieked so much in my life during a movie other than "The Exorcist"! Of course one of the freaky things for me was when I saw that the main character worked at the Seattle P-I newspaper; though I live in Metro Detroit, I read that paper online every morning because they've got the best comics.

But on to the plot. SPOILERS AHEAD, last warning!!

Okay. So it turns out that the teenagers ("those darn kids!") inadvertently made the video in Cabin #12 while trying to tape a football game. Then how did the girl in the beginning know that someone died 7 days after watching the movie--when no one actually died from it until 10:00 that night?

And why did it matter to that creepy kid if Samara came "alive" in the end? He appeared to be the only safe one in the whole movie! She was, at least, "talking" to him and showing him pictures and whatnot. How did he know that she would be dangerous to him?

This movie did remind me of elements of "The Changeling", "The Sixth Sense", and "The Silence of the Lambs" among others. Still, definitely one of the better horror flicks in recent years. Of course, I'm one of those fruitcakes who thinks "The Blair Witch Project" is a masterpiece and George Romero is way under-appreciated...

Rabbit-Proof Fence 2002

5/5

We just saw this movie tonight and all I can say is that it's one of the year's ten best. We caught a preview for it in the theater last year but never did see it hit the cinema. I remembered it, however, and put it in our Netflix queue; the preview had me totally intrigued and since "The Dish" and "The Castle" I have become a huge fan of Oz films. The performance of the three lead girls--and the story--has got to be seen to be believed. Have Kleenex ready at the end unless you're made of stone.

And, I have to say, the documentary "Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence" was damn near as good as the movie--I highly recommend watching it after the movie as it's on the DVD. This is definitely one we'll have to own.

Ghost Ship 2002 SPOILERS

3/5

“Ghost Ship”, I have to say, is one of those movies that missed being a classic horror flick by this < > much. I’d give it about a 3 out of 5, mostly for the opening scene. Good cast, good premise, outstanding effects--but a sadly weak script. IMHO they threw too many plot points at you too fast; I was totally confused until the little ghost-girl (she was truly CREEPY!) showed Epps what had really happened. I kept saying, “But that just doesn’t make sense!” We also guessed a lot of the plot points pretty early on in the movie, which didn’t work until near the end. Also, the characters kept acting out-of-character near the end, making you think that maybe they’d been taken over and then they weren’t. Unlike “The Sixth Sense”, there was no “ahhh, I get it” satisfaction when it was over. Very few good jump scenes, and I’m easy to make jump if I get caught up in the movie enough.

Even worse, we were heckling it, doing a MST3k on it, during certain parts. I think my best shot came when Isaiah Washington’s character was wandering around inside the ship by himself—shortly after being told “stay together”, of course--and I yelled the quote, “I’ve seen this movie--the black dude dies first!” aka Orlando Jones in “Evolution”. Heh.

I’d say see it if:

1. You’re a die-hard fan of movies like “Lake Placid” and “Deep Blue Sea”

2. You don’t have to pay for it (i.e., catch it on cable or rent from Netflix, where it’s all one price)

3. You think “Anaconda” was vastly underrated

Although I can see that this review kind of makes it sound like I didn’t like it, overall I did think it was worth watching and really enjoyed certain parts, esp. the opening scene and the revelation about the little girl ghost. I’ll watch it again if I happen to catch it on cable. The extras on the DVD are definitely worth seeing once you’ve watched the movie; the giant “miniature” of the Antonia Graza (160 feet long) is really cool to see.

Ringu 1998 (vs. "The Ring" 2002)

4/5

This is for those who've seen both movies. I much prefer the Japanese version, though IMHO it was a lot less startling but spookier and with more emotional depth than the American version. I liked the ending a lot better as well. We watched it subtitled, which usually isn’t a good idea with horror films but worked just fine with this one due to the slower pace. I think the Japanese actress, Nanako Matsushima, was far superior to Naomi Watts, especially in the scene where she finds her son watching the movie. Most of all, the music in “Ringu” was outstanding; it really gave me the creeps and had me very tense during the well scene.

The plot made much more sense as long as you could buy that the father and son were psychics, and they did mention right at the beginning that someone had made the tape before the kids who were dying had watched it. Pretty sad that the American version missed these important steps.

Also, is it just me, or does the basic plot seem to be incredibly close to that of the classically chilling “The Changeling” with George C. Scott? “Ringu” was based on a novel, though I don't know what year it came out. Still, “Changeling” was released in 1980, soooo.... Coincidence??

28 Days Later... 2002

5/5

I finally got to see it last night and I have to say, it's probably one of the best horror movies I've seen in a long time. There was really only one small leap of faith they asked you to make--that it takes less than 30 seconds for an infected person to turn lethal--and it was easy enough to do without distracting you from the movie. I'd heard about that beforehand so it wasn't a surprise, anyway.

Despite it being made on digital, the movie didn't have that "low-budget" look or feel. It also might be that it grabbed me and dragged me so deeply into that world that I just didn't notice! The acting was outstanding, the sets were impressive (empty London was creeper than empty Florida in "Day of the Dead, I have to admit), and this particular ending was not bad at all--the alternate endings on the DVD are worth checking out, but I'm glad they picked this one.

Overall, I highly recommend it to any horror movie fans.

Saving Grace 2000

5/5

I could not recommend this movie more. Those who know me know I laugh a lot and easily, but last night I saw a scene so damn funny that I laughed until tears ran down my cheeks, I couldn't see the TV, and I darn near both fell off the couch and pissed myself. Even today, every time I think of it, I start laughing. The only thing I have ever seen which is that outright hysterical is Robin Williams' stand-up, and nothing quite as funny in a movie scene before. I can't recall if someone recommended this movie or if I found it from Netflix recommendations.

What a gem! Despite an ending that seemed like it might have come from a different movie, this was probably one of the best comedies I have ever seen.

Jersey Girl 2004

4/5

I just got back from seeing "Jersey Girl" and all I can say is: Wonderful. What a truly wonderful movie in every sense of the word. This is what I had hoped that Smith would eventually make after I saw "Dogma", which I loved but had a bit much goofiness in it.

Affleck is just amazing, both his acting and his interaction with the adorable girl who plays his daughter. She is also amazing, and no kidding she really DOES look like what you imagine a cross between him and Lopez would look like. George Carlin surprised me; I expected much more mugging and silly faces than there were, but he did a really good and believable job. And the chemistry between Affleck and Tyler was really sparking; trust me, their scenes are even funnier than they look in the trailer. And most of all, the baby Gertie is one of the all-time-great movie babies, up there with Mary from "Three Men and a Baby" and Mikey from "Look Who's Talking". It's so obvious than Smith, like the other two directors, waited until the baby did something he needed, rather than try to get them to do it such as in "Baby's Day Out" (ugh).

I don't see where the critics are getting this "It can't decide what it wants to be, a comedy or a romance or a drama" stuff from. To me, it's a drama with some truly funny moments and a bit of romance thrown in. There were real belly laughs from the entire audience in the funny parts, and I even heard a sob or two in a couple of the really sad parts. Me, I had at least five wet-eye moments and I was sitting next to my son's girlfriend, who probably thinks her boyfriend's mom is a sentimental idiot. Actually, I am (sentimental, not an idiot).

I didn't care for some of the very sudden, unexpected emotional twists and still wonder why Our Hero had such a tough choice to make (people commute from Jersey to NYC all the time) but even with those small problems, I loved this movie.

Ocean's Eleven 1960

4/5

Last night I watched the original 1960 "Ocean's Eleven", which features the Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, & Peter Lawford. Also VERY good were Angie Dickinson, Cesar Romero, and Norman Fell (Mr. Roper from "Three's Company").

This is quite a different movie from the George Clooney remake. Though the base plot is the same (11 men robbing Las Vegas casinos) the rest is totally different. This one is a bunch of old war buddies with a very different way of doing things and a vastly different ending. The shots of Vegas with only one main street, a dozen casinos, and nothing but empty desert around it are jaw-dropping if you've been there recently.

My favorite of the movie was definitely Sammy Davis Jr. He only did one real musical number to Dean Martin's 4 or 5, and I wish that had been reversed! He was clearly the better singer and actor. A few of his scenes just stole the show; I couldn't take my eyes off him when he was on screen. Dean and Frank pretty much waltzed through, but I also kept in mind that these guys filmed the movie between their usual casino gigs in Vegas.

I won't give it away, but the ending is a fun surprise (different from the remake) and I recommend seeing this movie just for the closing shot, though I recommend skipping the long, draggy opening credits.