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hottiehawke
Reviews
She's Out of My League (2010)
A whole lot better than I expected!
I just got back from seeing this movie, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. Possibly because I wasn't expecting to, but I also wasn't against giving it a chance. To me, the commercials did not look very promising, and when it was compared to the hangover in one ad, I really wasn't expecting much. First of all, when I went to see the hangover, I was ready to laugh like crazy due to how funny everyone said it was. Personally, I didn't find it very funny at all and I always felt the writers/actors were trying too hard make a joke out of everything. The only thing that kept my attention was the semi-interesting plot.
I found the ads for She's Out of My League to be promising a "hangover clone" (in terms of the type of humor). Thankfully this movie is not what it appears to be. Many will disagree, but I felt that there is more reason for watching this than for a constant need to be funny and outrageous. I also liked the character in this movie, and found they added a lot to the story.
Although this movie offers nothing we haven't seen before, I found it at least to be enjoyable. Another reason I liked this movie is because I felt there was a storyline that made up for most of the jokes I didn't find funny.
I know that most will find it to be a pointless movie (and I guess it is to an extent), but I found it to be entertaining and worth seeing. I'm glad I wasn't expecting to be laughing throughout the whole movie, because I didn't, and because I found it to be a little more than what I was expecting from the plot.
Shutter Island (2010)
Works great as an adaptation and as a movie in general!
I really enjoyed Shutter Island. The movie and the book! The movie follows very closely to the novel, and I was glad to see that the story wasn't changed a lot. Of course there are many details and some elements that couldn't be included, as in any movie based on a book, but the movie had the same creepy and tense feeling as the book does.
If you aren't familiar with the story, however, you're not going to see what most think of as a horror movie. That's not what this is, even though the commercials make it seem that way. You're going to have to think, and you're going to have to sit through a 2 hour and 20 min. movie, less than half of it being action. The good part of that, however, is that it's not some cheap and simple movie that is only there to gross you out. It has a good story, well developed characters, and gives a very disturbing look at fictional yet completely realistic events.
There are many jump scenes, but thankfully they aren't all "false alarms" that we can see in just about every movie. There is a reason for pretty much everything that happens in the movie, which is a result of a great book being made into a great movie.
Overall, I'm very happy with how the movie turned out. The colors and depictions of the island and scenery are great. The story flows for the most part. If you let yourself think about what is actually happening, and become involved in the plot, then you could even consider it fast paced. The acting is also very good.
Some people are going to think that the story and twist(s) are predictable, but even if you figure out how it's going to end, I think most would have to admit that it goes so much more in-depth than most movies made these days. So give it a try, and try to be open minded about it. It's not perfect, but no movie is. It is great in my opinion, especially compared to most all of what they're showing in the trailers for upcoming movies. After reading the book last year, I've been waiting a long time for Shutter Island to come to theaters, and it did not let me down!
Avatar (2009)
Avatar is way before it's time. You may never have the chance to experience anything like this again!
First of all, no review can explain what you will experience with Avatar. If you haven't seen it, go and buy your ticket... now! I cannot imagine this movie being experienced on anything other than the big screen and of course in 3-D!! Don't miss this chance because DVD/BR won't do this justice.
I've heard people complain that this story has been done before, that it wouldn't be any big deal without the graphics, and plenty of other absurd statements. Obviously these come from people who want to spark arguments or from those who didn't want to like the movie in the first place. And please realize that I've read these statements on the Message Boards, not from actual Reviews. Of course the graphics and special effects make the movie what it is, but the creativity, imagination, and brilliance that went into this masterpiece are not all in the form of shooting arrows, or intense chase scenes.
James Cameron's masterpiece is like nothing I've ever witnessed in my life. He's created a whole new planet and a whole new species. The Na'vi have a world complete with their own language, culture, beliefs, and other life forms inhabiting their home. For almost any aspects of human life, Cameron has given the natives an equivalent. By doing this, he allows you to really care for the characters, and share their emotions/concerns. (This also helps him to deliver a not so subtle message).
OK, so there are quite a few Hollywood "cliches"- the love story of two opposing cultures is obviously apparent. But is it possible to create a movie that is entirely original? ... I personally don't think so. At least not a movie that will appeal to various audiences.
I believe that this movie sets a new standard for what should happen with the movie industry. A film of this quality doesn't come around often. In fact this film is the FIRST of it's kind, and I don't see anything coming close to it for a very, very, very long time!
Even if you watch and don't find Avatar to be your kind of film, you can't deny the thought, talent, and creativity put together to make this movie. And of course, the mind-blowing visuals!! Go to the theaters and pay the full $13 ticket price for Avatar in 3-D, (or I-MAX if you can get to one) because $13 is an extremely small price to pay for witnessing this milestone in cinema history.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
My absolute favorite!
The first time I watched this, it became my favorite movie. But when it ended, I remember saying that either the movie was suppose to teach some big lesson, or it had no point to it. I thought the ending was really weird, but after a while I was able to see all of the little things that were really meaningful. I watched it for a second time last summer, and I picked up on a lot more (not all big lessons, but little touches that made me smile). I just finished watching it again today, and I really took in all of the little ways that this movie comes together to make you laugh, cry, and find more happiness in life. I'm not going to say anything about the plot, or the actual life lessons, because I really think people should watch it for themselves.
I'm not saying it will be for everyone, and I can see some people getting offended by all of the language. However, I've noticed that it's been on TV before (never watched it on there though) and I'm guessing they edit a lot of the r rated content out. So really, I think anyone should watch it (at least on TV).
I'm disappointed to see it getting close to the top of the top 250 movies. I really think this deserves to be in there. So here's my ten stars for a great movie that everyone should give a chance (or two)!!
Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
A big bloody mess that finds a way to clean itself up
Going into this movie I was expecting another Little Miss Sunshine, as well as some laughs. I didn't get either. But I think I would have appreciated it a lot more if I didn't go in with these expectations. I'm not saying that it wasn't as good as Little Miss Sunshine (however, I STRONGLY feel this is the case) but this just isn't like that. I got totally different vibes, messages, and feelings for each one.
The movie starts off with some guy shooting himself (not actually seen) and I think this kind of set the movie up to be rather depressing. Then more unfortunate things happen. Rose, a single mother and main character of the movie, is showed in the middle of having an affair with a married man. We later find out that he and Rose were together in high school, but he ended up getting married to another woman from the same school. On top of that, Rose's sister (Norah) looses her job, Rose's son is found to be trouble at school and she pulls him out, and Rose tries to reassure herself that she is important despite how she is looked at by other people.
Another major issue is that Rose and Norah's mother killed herself when they were young. At one point in the movie, Norah remembers her mother having a role on a movie for TV where she got to actually say one speaking line. The sisters missed the movie, and never got to see her on TV.
Without getting into too much detail, I'll say that as the film goes on, the characters face many issues that sort of make them feel worthless. As you probably know the main theme of the movie is that Rose and Norah get into the business of cleaning up crime scenes and you get the feeling that they are looked down upon by other people with "better" jobs and social statuses. It seems as though they're on their own, without other friends or people who understand them.
But after many other events and issues in their lives, they finally find the support they need in each other (along with the son and the grandpa). At the end, not only are they more confident and satisfied with who they have become, but they have managed to improve on their problems and it appears they are on the road to becoming very happy and successful people.
In a way the film goes a little bit deeper than Little Miss Sunshine. There are lots of symbolic things that happen (the radio in the truck "talking to heaven", Norah seeking a friend who she can relate with, their mother's role in the movie, the son being accepted, ext). There actually seems to be some redeeming value in the movie, and everything seems to fit together at the end. As I mentioned before, I felt the beginning was a little depressing, and even at the end I felt this way too, but I was able to smile and be happy about how far the characters had come in improving themselves.
While I can't say I really liked the movie, I feel it is rather inspirational, and it gave a rather feel good message at the end. I found the meaning of the movie to be better than the actual entertainment level of the movie. Despite this I would recommend it, but just don't go in expecting Little Miss Sunshine.