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DecemberGirl86
Reviews
Phone Booth (2002)
Colin Farrell
Wow! This is probably the first great movie of 2003. Colin Farrell is spectacular as a sleazy New York publicist named Stu who is trapped inside a phone booth on the phone with an anonymous sniper who says he'll shoot Stu unless he follows his demands. The timing in this movie was really brilliant- the whole thing with the strippers and the poor cop (Forest Whitaker) who tries to negotiate with Stu to find out what is really happening is very interesting and clever. Colin Farrell proves that he is a true star, he is really quite amazing and shows a great range of emotions, going from sly and cocky to his raw, heartwrenching "breakdown" at the end. I think his "breakdown" scene is incredibly powerful. If he doesn't get nominated for an award it would be a shame. Also, Kiefer Sutherland does a great voiceover as the creepy sniper. Go see this when you get the chance, you won't be disappointed! 8/10 stars
Far from Heaven (2002)
Overrated...take it or leave it
I was really excited to see this movie because everybody had said it was so good. I had very high expectations which is maybe part of the reason that 'Far From Heaven' was something of a letdown. I guess the best advice I can give you is: go into this movie cold, knowing nothing about the story or how great everyone says it is. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good movie but it could have been great. Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid are both fantastic, as is the woman who plays Cathy's best friend. However I had a problem with Raymond the black gardener. His character was too convenient and you didn't invest much in him. Another thing was the script which was way too cheesy even if it stayed true to those 50s movies. Parts that were supposed to be powerful and dramatic somtimes came across as just plain laughable. The final thing that could have made it better was more Dennis Quaid. He was so good in the movie and there just wasn't enough of his character. I think it would have been so much better if the movie had based its story on just Frank's "issues" or just Cathy's relationship with the gardener. It tried to take on too much. However there were some really emotional moments that were excellent, I just wish those moments had lasted throughout the whole film instead of switching moods so often. One moment you really felt for the characters and the next you just didn't care because they had another cheesy line. It was a decent movie that was really pretty to look at and had good performances from Dennis Quaid and Julianne Moore. Overall rating: 6.5/10 (but I gave it a 7 on the rating)
Tuck Everlasting (2002)
Sweet and Charming... how can you resist?
Tuck Everlasting is a sweet, deep, and beautiful movie based on the classic American novel. It is hard not to love the characters since you get so involved in their lives. Alexis Bledel and Jonathan Jackson are fantastic as Winnie Foster and Jesse Tuck. They have the most incredible chemistry as two teenagers battling enormous personal struggles while falling in love in a ever changing time. The whole cast is great and it is so pretty to watch too. Though the ending was a little disappointing *I liked the humorous touch that was in the book* it is still nevertheless pretty good. I loved Tuck Everlasting and recommend it 100%! 8/10 stars
Igby Goes Down (2002)
Simply Awful... a complete disappointment
I never comment on movies I don't like because why waste the time? But I'm warning you, DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE! It is one of the worst and most depressing things I've ever seen in my whole entire life . The only reason I didn't rate it a 1 was because Kieran Culkin WAS pretty good... but the rest of the cast and everything else about it was so terrible. I didn't know they could even make movies this horrible and unpleasant. I would never recommend this movie in a million years. Please save yourself the trouble and don't even consider seeing it.
Empire Records (1995)
One of my all time favorites!
Empire Records is a hilarious and moving look into the lives of a group of teenagers during one day at the independent record store where they work. Though they may be very different, they all have the common bond of simply loving music. There's all types of personalities in this wonderful cast: the straight-A perfectionist with more than a few secrets (Liv Tyler), the slut who only acts the way she does to cover up her insecurities (Renee Zellweger), the lovably funny and hyperactive punk-rock kid who dreams of being in his own band (Ethan Embry), the misunderstood suicidal goth whose self-destructive ways only make you like her more (Debi Mazar), the wise father-figure *though he's still their age* who has made his own share of mistakes that have a cost (Rory Cochrane), and finally the hopeless romantic who obsesses over the people he cares about (Johnny Whitworth). This is wildly entertaining, a little bit weird, but overall a great look into 1990's culture. The whole cast is great, but standouts are Ethan Embry and Rory Cochrane who steal the scenes they are in. Also the soundtrack is awesome. Go check this one out, you won't be dissappointed! 9/10
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Don't listen to the negative comments!
Sweet Home Alabama starts off on the wrong note but quickly turns into an adorable movie. The first half hour isn't the best but as you get to know the characters in the south it becomes much better. Reese Witherspoon is a great actress and is very good as Melanie Carmichael, a girl from a small town in Alabama who ditches her redneck husband and family to move to New York City so she can start over and have a successful career as a fashion designer. Well, eventually she's got it all: she has a promising start to her business, and she's engaged *with a Tiffany's proposal* to the son of the Mayor who is as sweet and debonaire as they come. But in order to get married, she has to go back to the south and get a divorce from her current husband Jake who she didn't keep in touch with after she left for NYC. Well of course she goes back and reunites with old friends and realizes that she can't pretend to be someone she's not and still has feelings for her husband but is also convinced she's in love with her New York City fiancee. So she must choose and she's helped along the way by re-discovering her roots in Alabama. One of the standout performances, though small, is Ethan Embry as her sweet, charming, adorable best friend Bobby Ray. Even though she humiliates him at the local bar when she gets drunk by announcing to the whole town that he's gay, he still stands beside her. And though she also humiliates several other people that night they come to forgive her and still want her to stay at home with them. Josh Lucas is also great as her lovable husband Jake who deep down still loves her very much. This is a sweet little movie with some really hilarious moments and others that are just plain touching. I gave it a 7/10 just because I didn't like the beginning
The Four Feathers (2002)
So much better than I thought it would be!
I went to see The Four Feathers because I like Heath Ledger and all the ads had people saying it was good. I still didn't think it would be all that great but I was so wrong! For the first half I was half asleep, it wasn't all that good. But the second half got so much better, it definitley paid off. It was such a good movie. The acting was great, Heath Ledger has never been so good. Kate Hudson was good as his love interest, but Wes Bentley was the standout as Jack. He is amazing! I love him! Some of the movie is quite boring but the ending is good and overall the acting is great and the whole thing is very moving. 8/10 stars! Go see it!
Say Anything... (1989)
Absolutley Wonderful! One of the most romantic movies ever!
I'd never heard of this but I watched it with some friends a week ago because it was under the staff favorites part and I like John Cusack. At first I was like "oh, just another John Cusack romantic comedy" but Say Anything is so much more! It is definitley his best role to date as the scruffy but good hearted Lloyd. He may not be the smartest or most talented guy in the world, but he knows how to treat the people he loves with undying respect. The chemistry he had with the girl who played Diane was heartbreaking! The dialouge is great, as is the overall storyline, with wonderful characters and hilarious and sad moments that you'll never forget. Sometimes the looks exchanged between Lloyd and Diane were enough to make the whole experience worth while. This is such a special movie and I'm not sure I've seen anything more romantic set to modern times. 10/10 stars, go see it!
Frailty (2001)
Wow!!
I just rented this movie and watched it w/ some friends last night. It was amazing! It's very very good and very tense. It's not really "scary" but more suspenseful. The 2 child actors, Matt O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter, are totally incredible. They were very convincing and gave some of the best child performances I've ever seen. Bill Paxton was also great. I loved how Dad never really went nuts and just stayed normal and sweet and loving, not wanting to do what he has to do but fearful of what will happen if he doesn't. *minor spoiler* I don't care how some people say they guessed the ending in the first five minutes, they're probably the same people who say they guessed the ending of The Sixth Sense in the first five minutes too, well I just don't want to hear it and neither does anybody else! It's filled with lots of twists and surprises along the way and the acting is just so good that it doesn't matter if you guess a few of them because one thing or another is going to shock you along the way. Frailty is spectacular, one of the best movies of the year so go see it soon when you get the chance, you won't be disappointed!
Just a Dream (2002)
This was such a sweet little story
****Spoilers Ahead**** I watched Just a Dream last night and it was so sweet. It starts out in Dayton Nevada in 1960 where 12 year old Henry Sturbuck has his first summer job at a saloon. He's very shy, innocent, and naive because of his strict upbringing. His dad (a doctor)and Mom (a housewife) are both really strict and in fact his mom is so prudent that she won't even let Henry go to movies. When Henry starts working at the bar however, everything changes. He meets lots of people of different races and befriends them, giving them hope and inspiration to realize their own dreams can happen even if they feel opressed. He also learns much from them, including ways of life, cuss words, and sticking up for yourself. In particular he befriends JM, the Marylin-Monroe-obsessed-mechanic and only black man in the town who takes Henry to his first drive in movie and even teaches him how to drive. One day Henry learns that Marylin Monroe and Clark Gable will be in town shooting a movie called the Misfits (where his Dad will be the set doctor). But through his attempts to arrange a meeting between Marylin and JM, tragic consequences occur. This will defintiley be a summer Henry nor anybody else will ever forget. It was a really good movie and all the actors did a great job, especially Jeremy Sumpter who played the boy Henry, he stole every scene he was in. He's a wonderful actor and not to mention a little cutie! The man who played JM was also a really good actor. It's funny at some parts (Henry calling JM 'Old Yeller' in charades, talking about going to see Pillow Talk, and just the way he looks at everything etc) and sad at others.... ***spoiler ahead*** like when he rushes to get his father in hopes that he can help his friend that has just been shot in the saloon but finds out that his seemingly religious Dad has really been gone not tending to patients but cheating on his wife, the irony of everything is painful. I really recommend this movie, it is very sweet and there are great performances. 8/10
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
This movie is inspiring and spectacular!
This is probably the best movie on schizophrenic mental illness ever made. Russel Crowe is so amazing as a a brilliant, wry-humored, and completely charming genius tortured by schizophrenia throughout his lifetime. When you watch this movie you go through all of his experiences with him in the clever way the movie was directed. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep you guessing, but the movie is not only a suspenseful thriller- there is a heart at all of his struggles and tests of personal strength. I really enjoyed all the performances, from his funny roomate who you can't help but completely adore, to his wife Alicia who stands by him and is so faithful no matter what- and of course John himself. The life of John Forbes Nash Jr. is an amazing one, and after leaving the theater I promise you'll understand what I mean when I say that this movie is nothing short of inspiring and spectacular.