Seducing Doctor Lewis 2003

4/5

This is a charming comedy that loses nothing from being in French-Canadian with English subtitles. The story is basic enough that it isn't difficult to follow despite the unusual twists and turns in the story. The characters are interesting and real enough to become emotionally involved in, especially the self-proclaimed mayor of the town that wants nothing more than to bring in jobs--and will do just about anything to get them. The ending is satisfying without being too pat, and there are a few surprises along the way. Highly recommended if you like indies or "foreign" movies that give an interesting little slice of someone else's life.

Once 2007

4/5

This movie was recommended because I like movies such as "Waking Ned Devine", "Greenfingers", and "Whale Rider". But I really wasn't that interested until I found out that the two main characters are not played by actors, they're played by the musicians who wrote the songs for the movie. At that point my interest was piqued and I had to watch it. And what a good decision--I only wish I'd watched it sooner!

This is not what I expected, and I doubt it's what anyone expects after reading the description or watching the preview. It's so much more than what it sounds like; this movie has so much depth and a few neat surprises that I didn't see coming. It is the quiet and down-to-earth character study of two people, both lost in their own way but knowing what they want while afraid to do it. Together they not only forge an unusual friendship, but encourage each other to do the thing they're afraid of. Although this film didn't turn out the way I thought it would, I unexpectedly found myself in tears as the credits ran. This movie was so finely crafted that I didn't realize the depth of my emotional involvement with the characters until it was over! I'm not a musician, but I am someone who has dreams that they're afraid to act on and that is what made me care so much for these people and their situations.

The only thing I didn't care for was the rough handheld camera work, which at times was distracting as the camera became a character in its own right which took my attention away from the people. That became less distracting as the movie went on, but the first half hour was a bit annoying.

One more note: I had to run this film with the subtitles on because I couldn't understand "the guy's" Irish accent. Once I turned them on, everything became clear and I had no problem following the plot. And if you don't like the "f" word, don't watch this--our "hero" is quite profane if imaginative with its use :-)

Hollywoodland 2007

4/5

I would have given this film 5 stars if not for the ending. It was a wonderful ride right up until the end; without giving anything away, let me say that I felt the movie just stopped rather than ended. Other than that, this film was stunningly acted and filmed.

The late-fifties noir feel was flawless, with no mistakes in the time period that I caught. The acting from everyone involved, especially Lane and Brody, was totally mesmerizing. You just can't take your eyes off Brody when he's on screen, and Affleck did a credible job as the terminally unhappy Reeves. Bob Hoskins clearly enjoyed his role, miniscule as it was, and a quick note of Lois Smith as Reeves' mother--I didn't even recognize her at first!

I'd say give this a try if interested in Reeves or a fan of the actors, just don't hope for too much of an ending.

Cloverfield 2008 (very mild spoilers)

5/5

Regardless of what you may have heard, this is not "Godzilla x Blair Witch Project"--but I can see why those who've only seen the previews and not the entire movie may think so. This is a heckuva lot more, with a very neatly done coherent storyline and a pretty good wrap-up at the end.

Some of the other reviews I've read have said that the beginning is boring and stupid, but at least there's more than just a nod to plot and storyline. Even if you don't care for the people you'll be following for the next hour and a half, you know enough to about them to make them interesting. The person carrying the camera for most of the movie is the best character of all, one that I became really fond of by the end and was more interesting than all the others combined. Not the brightest bulb in the crayon box if you know what I mean, but definitely the steady and trustworthy guy I'd like by my side in a crisis.

The actors, all unknowns, are uniformly good across the board. No one, not even the screaming running hordes or the briefly glimpsed military personnel, did anything to throw me out of the movie. The effects are absolutely awesome, and I drove myself nuts trying to see what the "monster" was in the many brief shots during the first hour. I got so caught up in the story and drama and monster mystery and seeing places that I've been in Manhattan that I didn't even notice the handheld amateur camera work in more than a passing way.

Some of the characters make decisions during the movie that I not only thought were pretty dumb, but I was almost afraid to watch which added to the suspense and tension, along with several neat misdirections that had me gasping out loud with surprise when something unexpected happened.

For the record (and here's the mild spoiler), you do see the monster in its entirety; they give us the payoff and it's a good one. But I'm not going to tell anymore about it other than to say that Godzilla wishes it could be this badass.

Waitress 2007

5/5

I was a little hesitant regarding this movie as I knew beforehand about the abusive, controlling husband, but just had to see it after reading the reviews--and for Nathan Fillion. And I'm so glad I did! The abusive parts were carefully done, and the rest of the movie just shines in every way possible although the middle does drag just a little with its slow, easy pacing.

Though every character is a cliche, they're also real, honest, imperfect human beings that I felt a real connection with. Though I felt the affair was shown in a better light than it should have been, it was also made clear that the characters involved knew that they were doing wrong--but couldn't help themselves.

The pies are an important part of the story as well, and don't be hungry when you sit down to watch this because you'll be eating everything in sight.

The main character's fears of impending motherhood rang real and true, from her first despair at being pregnant to her declaration of not being mother material even at 9 months along. Best of all was Nathan Fillion, who was as sharp as ever with the perfect expression for every situation and a really outstanding chemistry with Keri Russell. A truly wonderful movie that should not be missed.

Diary of the Dead 2008

5/5

Having been a zombie fan since the original "Night of the Living Dead", I simply had to see this although it wasn't showing in our area and we had to drive a ways to do so. Gas money well spent!

This is not anything like either "Blair Witch Project" or "Cloverfield", but instead footage taken during the outbreak of the zombie attacks which is edited into a coherent movie which is then shown. There is some, but too much, handheld camera movement--it's kept to a minimum as much as possible.

My kudos to the actors in this, and of course to the King of the Zombies George Romero, for a finely acted and overall crafted film. The suspense is done just right, with jump moments not occurring when you think they will and then, when you've forgotten about them, WHAM you're jumping out of your seat. The gore is about standard for a movie of this type, although I found it far less worse than "Land". Last but never least, the whole theater howled at the repeated remarks about fast zombies, that they had to shamble because they were too dead to run. Priceless!

There are many neat new ways to kill a zombie (my favorite was the defib paddles) as well as deft links to all of Romero's other films in redone or similar scenes from them. I didn't see any of George's regular cameos in this one other than a very brief one from himself, and although I heard that Greg Nicotero was in it I didn't catch him.

Definitely one to see in the theater if a zombie lover you are. Next to "Day", I think this is Romero's best, and one fine indie in its own right.

Notting Hill 1999

4/5

This movie came recommended from my adult son who, though he wouldn't admit it anytime soon, is as much a sucker for romances as I am although I won't admit it either). But he also knows my tastes pretty well and after seeing "Music and Lyrics", which I just loved, he told me about this film and I recorded it in HD on our TiVo for later viewing. Do let me add that while I've only seen one other of Hugh Grant's movies, I've seen quite a few of Julia Roberts' so it was mostly on her that I based my interest in this film.

To my surprise, this was not as cookie-cutter or predictable in plot as most romances. As always, there's something "bad" that has to happen to drive our lovers apart that that they can hopefully later reconcile over, which very often feels artificial or contrived (such as in the aforementioned "Music & Lyrics"), but in this case I began to wonder if they would live happily-ever-after since I honestly didn't know how the movie ended. I won't give it away, but do let me say that despite a couple of amusingly done cliches, it's a good ending despite not being what I thought would happen.

The best part of the movie, to me, was the easy and believable chemistry between Grant and Roberts, some of the best I've ever seen on screen. When their eyes lock without them saying a word, you can feel the attraction and have no trouble believing that they're falling in love. The early meeting scenes were amusingly awkward, whereas by the end they're still awkward because of the problems between them yet also comfortable in a way that only people who know each other fairly well can be.

The other characters were also wonderfully believable, my favorite being his nutty 'flatmate' who turned out to be more than the simple comic relief he first appeared to be. The location of Notting Hill was also a character in its own right, looking like exactly the type of place I love to wander around and making me determined to make it to London some day.

Overall, definitely a must-see for romance movie aficionados as well as fans of Grant and Roberts, or those who like an uncomplicated, well- told story with good acting and locations.

I'm No Angel 1933

5/5

I hadn't yet seen a Mae West film when this recorded on our TiVo, and I was quite intrigued by the description: "A circus performer/lion tamer sues her ex-fiance for breach of contract". Simple, to the point, and definitely unusual for that time period. I decided to watch it for Cary Grant, but I have to admit that for once I found him overshadowed. Usually he owns any movie he's in no matter how large or small the part, but Mae had him beat hands-down in this one.

In fact, the only thing that I felt didn't work in this movie was the romance between Mae's and Cary's characters--I just didn't buy it. They had a good chemistry as friends, but no spark when things went further between them.

The parts with the lions were interesting; the ones with more than one lion were clearly blue-screened but the scenes with a single lion was really Mae and the animal--not animatronics or puppets or stop-motion. I couldn't find any trivia on this, but I certainly was impressed to really watch her put her head in a lion's mouth!

The most amazing thing about this movie is Mae's looks. Even for the day she was a bit overweight and overblown, but she had such amazing screen presence that you really didn't notice it. Her walk was just mesmerizing, and the one-liners (which she wrote) were absolutely some of the funniest sexual-innuendo dialog I have ever heard in any movie, not just a pre-code. Outside of her trademark phrases, many of which were said in this movie, she tossed off one-liners that even had my eyebrows going up. I'm not surprised that this caused the Hayes Code to be upgraded to the anal level it is to this day. But funny? Holy moly, I laughed til I cried in some scenes, she was so outrageously hilarious.

One thing I noted during the movie was the number of African-Americans in it, none of them played by whites and all with good parts. The main three were her servants, but she was relaxed and joking and very friendly with them beyond what you normally see in movies of this era. Though they spoke in the patois of the time none were portrayed as stupid, mean, or stereotypical in any way. I later found out that it was thought that Mae's father was black, so that could explain a lot.

Overall I really enjoyed this movie and am looking forward to watching more of Mae's films in the future; next up, "She Done Him Wrong" also with Cary Grant.

Juno 2007

5/5

The main reason I wanted to see this film is a personal one; I was in the same situation 28 years ago. I had the same options, but made a different choice and was curious to see how this one played out. To my immense delight and surprise, this is about a lot more than just an unplanned teenage pregnancy although that is, of course, the catalyst for the entire movie. Ellen Page as Juno just steals the film, and Jennifer Garner as the uptight hopeful adoptive mother is just perfect as her foil. Nothing in the movie hits a wrong note; it's one of the most finely crafted films I've ever seen. I also recommend watching it with the commentary by Jason Reitman (director) and Diablo Cody (writer) which is about as good as the movie itself (see my review of the commentary here). Definitely one of my new favorite movies which will be watched over and over in the years to come.

"Good Night, and Good Luck." 2005

5/5

This is one of those amazing little movies that certainly should have won more awards than it did, and it's easy to see why it was nominated for so many. Not only is the acting some of the best I've ever seen, everything else about this movie is damn near flawless. The look and feel of the 1950s is done to perfection, and Clooney's directing is seamless and done with an eye to the older-style black-and-white film technique (in fact he reminds me a lot of George Cukor). I adored the sub-plot about the married couple who weren't supposed to be, and it wasn't until the movie was over that I realized that almost the entire thing had been shown in the CBS offices--very few home and no outdoor shots at all. This is not an exciting movie or one that has you on the edge of your seat, but it is an engrossing and important one. What happened then is so pertinent to what's happening now that it's a good idea to remember the adage "those who forget history are bound to repeat it"--you can see this happening here and now when you watch what happened then and there.