Going in to this movie, I wasn't really expecting much, so in that sense the movie delivered on its promise. But the synopsis, while simple enough, made me think it would at least be a bit entertaining. Not so much. It was like painting a room beige: nothing wrong with it exactly, but not really satisfying either. The coffee shop set is actually the best part of the movie, it looks like every coffee shop should look. But there are several things that just made this unsatisfying. The characters were so stereotyped that they looked like they stepped onto the stage of a high school play. The plot was simple to the point of being uninteresting. If so many people would show up for Donovan's fundraiser and tribute then why didn't she have more customers so her shop wouldn't be in financial trouble in the first place? At the tribute supposedly everyone was going on and on about her good qualities as a person, but at no time in the movie were any of these actually displayed through her actions. She was obviously lip-synching during the song, but my real pet peeve about this movie was this: the movie took place in a small town in Alabama (you could read the state name on the top of her foreclosure notice) yet not one single person in the whole movie had a southern accent. Not a single one. It could have just as easily taken place in Iowa except for the oceanfront scenes. That isn't really a small detail, it just fits in with the whole feel of the movie, one that looks like it didn't really try too hard to put any depth into the plot. And there was the kernel of a good plot there, but it was wasted. I would not advise spending time watching this unless you are having trouble falling asleep.
Reviews
3 Reviews
The Jack Bull
(1999 TV Movie)
What message?
20 August 2001
This film does a decent job of creating the feel of the late 1800s in the Wyoming territory and there are some decent performances. Having said that, I have to disagree with the posts that suggest this had some sort of redeeming message. What was it? The "bad guys" won-Cusack's character managed to get his wife killed (very predictable but the whole scenario was not even close to being consistent with the "Old West", or with Cusack's character up to that point) and to get himself hung for a crime he didn't commit, making his young son an orphan. The villain in the movie gets off with only two years in prison. How is that a good message? There were other problems as well. Cusack has a Crow Indian working for him, (eating at the same table with the family in one scene) and is not ostracized by the other people in town. Highly unlikely, given the treatment of Indians by white settlers everywhere (but very PC). There is a black man who is treated as an equal by a powerful rancher and a judge, even more unlikely in 19th century America. All in all, a film to miss.
Planet of the Apes
(2001)
Worth a look
8 August 2001
I went into this movie with no expectations. I loved the original, but understood that this was a re-imagining rather than a remake, so the movie was bound to be at least a bit different. Burton does an excellent job of visualizing what a city built by primates might look like, vaguely jungle-like, but with buildings. The plot is at least as good as the first one-I found that whole humans are mute angle just a bit much in the original. This deals with rights of a stronger group over a weaker, touches on the dangers of allowing military leaders to make political decisions, and in general creates a believable world, especially when it becomes clear just how the apes got there in the first place. (Just a note of science here-genetically altered chimps can only mean mixing DNA with a compatible species and we share 99% of the same DNA as chimps) Carter and Roth are outstanding, details such as the gait of the apes are considered and the special effects are kept to a minimum. I admit I am still undecided about whether or not I like the ending, but let's be honest here-Burton would be less than human if he wasn't planning on a possible sequel. So why the uproar? It's not every day you get to see an interspecies love story either. There are some minor complaints I had, such as why Wahlberg was hell-bent on trying to get all the way back to Earth in what was obviously nothing more than a landing craft, but that hardly detracts from what was an enjoyable and entertaining movie. I recommend it.
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