tubasunshine Reviews

De-Lovely (2004)

My 1st introduction to Porter

[9/10 · 20 January 2005]

I rented this movie not knowing quite what to expect from it. I recognized Cole Porter's name, since I am a fan of the old Hollywood musicals, but I knew nothing of the man behind the songs. This movie whet my interest in finding out more about the life & times of Cole Porter. It gave me just enough tidbits of his life to interest me without overwhelming and bogging down the telling of the story.

I really enjoyed the presentation of this story. It may be a bit flawed, but it allows the audience to see how Cole might respond to reliving his past. The music was fantastic, and the aging throughout the movie of both Kevin Klein & Ashley Judd was top notch.

This movie made me laugh and cry. I was seriously keyed into the characters & story, which is very important to me. Since it all came together so well, I gave this film a 9.

Reading Rainbow (1983–2006)

"Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high..."

[26 January 2004]

I used to love this show! I watched it religiously for years, and wish I had time to watch it now. This show really turned me on to reading as a kid, and we need more shows like this to get kids who have 100+ channels, computers and multiple video games back to the basics of reading. While the theme song was trite, it was catchy & easy to remember. And even though some aspects of the program on the overdone side, this show has wonderful "bones", & contributed overwhelmingly to my childhood, and the childhoods of many others as well.

Anything Else (2003)

Possibly the worst movie I've seen

[1/10 · 19 September 2003]

I went into the free preview last night willing to suspend my prejudice against Woody Allen and give Anything Else a fair shot at winning my applause. Unfortunately, the 3 funny 1-liners, & the Billie Holiday songs couldn't make up for the horrid acting and non-existent directing.

The audience it probably supposed to feel sorry for the Jason Biggs character, but I just couldn't. Here's a 21 yr old "man" who has never kicked anyone out of his life. He's shrink doesn't care what his issues are in life, but he keeps returning for 3 years! His girlfriend (played by Ricci) cheats on him at least twice if not three times, and he can't cut her out of his life. Instead, he keeps taking her back...even if he hasn't gotten any in 6 months. And his manager is a complete loser who still lives with his mom, even though he's over 60. UGH! Grow a backbone already.

Enough ranting...I just couldn't stand this flick. The only people I'd recommend this film to are people I can't stand.

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Olivier vs. Firth

[9/10 · 7 August 2003]

As others have said, the 1995 version of P&P is wonderful & priceless. It is the centerpiece of my personal Jane Austen DVD collection. That said, this is a very close 2nd. I like the wit of this version better.

I have a very hard time deciding which Mr. Darcy is my favorite. Laurence Olivier plays the stuck-up rich boy very well, yet he makes both Elizabeth & the viewer fall in love with him. While the same can be said for Colin Firth, he isn't as snooty, nor as graceful. (NOTE: I think Colin Firth is the most attractive & best actor that's out there right now.)

There is something timeless about this story, since there will always be meddling mothers and flirty sisters. I gave this movie a 9 out of 10, and recommend it to all my Austen-fan friends.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Wonderful!

[10/10 · 20 January 2003]

I am so surprised!! I just got back from seeing Catch Me, and I wasn't expecting much from it. I think this one has Oscar written all over it for Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, and maybe even Steven Spielberg.

The storytelling and layout of the film was outstanding. To start with an easily recognizable game show (To Tell the Truth), and to take the movie as many places it did shows that Spielberg has not lost his touch. He needed to direct a winner after so many draws, and he did with this one. In the words of Frank Abagnale himself: "You know why the Yankees always win the World Series? It's because of the pinstripes." The pinstripes really wowwed me!

Oh, and I LOVED the soundtrack. This is one to bring home and listen to over and over again.

Die Another Day (2002)

Darker but just as good!

[9/10 · 22 November 2002]

This is the darkest Bond movie we've seen yet. The opening sequence set the tone and the characters up very well. The villains backgrounds were explained better than I've seen in a while, as were all the special toys and circumstances. I love Pierce Brosnan as Bond (the best as far as I'm concerned, and Hally Berry is one of the best Bond girls I've ever seen. Great chemistry between the characters.

The hover craft chase ranks right up there with the tank chase from GOLDENEYE. I love the creativity that goes into 007 movies. That alone distinguishes it from any other action movie.

Love the story and characters, hope they keep these coming for a long time!!