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Reviews
Chocolat (2000)
A tasty film that will satisfy all hunger
I enjoyed this film immensely. It has everything (prevailing theme, strong plot, fine acting, pretty cinematography, luscious chocolate, etc.) that encompasses a strong film. The film is a little over 2 hours long and the time just flew by!!
I'm also a huge Juliette Binoche fan. She has filled out from her English Patient days and wow she looks good. In that scene where her and Johnny Depp are on that little boat and she is laid out on the bench, I was like OH MY GOD!!!!
Anyway, I digress.... This is an excellent film. I recommend it to everyone. In my opinion, it's the 2nd best film of 2000 (behind Gladiator).
Dance with Me (1998)
Great choreography & bodies, but too much
I'm not a person who will go to a dance recital for the sheer enjoyment of the choreography and the dancing. Watching dancing doesn't interest me. However, watching FINE Vanessa Williams move her body around the dance floor in tight outfits gets me interested in watching dancing. Therefore, I was interested in this film for about the first 45 minutes. Then, I got tired of watching dancing ALL the time. How about more development of the plot lines? Why were Vanessa and Chayanne in love with each other? There wasn't enough development in their romance to keep non-dance fans like myself interested. The film would have been better if there was more plot line instead of Soul train line.
Deep Impact (1998)
Deep BS
I haven't seen Armageddon but if this film is supposed to be the better of the two disaster films of '98, then Armageddon must really be bad. Deep Impact is not a poor film (Director Mimi Leder, formerly executive producer of ER, is too talented) but is in the same class as ID4, another overly cliched and unrealistic disaster movie that gives the viewer absolutely no intellectual stimulation. There are story lines in this film that don't need to be there. Basically, Tea Leoni's whole character could go and the premise of the film would still be intact.
The film is supposed to be about an asteroid overtaking the earth and killing millions of people. How do we choose who gets to live? How to people deal with that? The film does explore these issues but not in enough detail. Too much time is spent on Tea Leoni's character. The film would have been better if it focused more on what the goverment of the world was trying to do to stop the asteroid and the crew that tried to stop it and failed. I don't have anything against Tea Leoni. She's a fine actress who played her role well in this film. However, her role should have been a lot smaller. Mimi Leder turned the film into a chick-flick instead of a disaster movie. In the end, it made the film more of a disaster than the one that took place in the film.
Doctor Dolittle (1998)
The movie did little for me
Understandably this movie was a box-office hit and why not with the post Nutty
Professor Murphy in the lead talking to a bunch of animals with Chris Rock leading the way. However, if the viewer is looking for an artistic reason why this film was made, forget about it. The movie didn't need to be made at all; the plot was farcical and the wise-cracking animals got old in a hurry. This movie was all about generating green. If you want to see a film about Dr. Dolittle, check out the original 1927 version or Rex Harrison's classic '60's version.
Sophie's Choice (1982)
Character study of two people haunted by demons
I enjoyed this film very much but somehow I felt that something was lacking about it. From the name of the film, a viewer would assume that the film was about a choice that a woman named Sophie made. Indeed, when the final credits roll, a viewer understands how Sophie's present life and subsequent death were affected and brought on by the awful choice that no parent should ever have to make.
However, the film is 2 1/2 hours long. We don't learn of Sophie's choice until the last 15 minutes of the film. In fact, if it wasn't for the title, I wouldn't of thought that the film was about a choice at all. The film was about two people that came together because they share one thing: they're both "haunted" by inner demons. Nathan is haunted by natural causes; he's a paranoid schizophrenic. And of course Sophie is haunted by the "choice" that she had to make years earlier. We see these two "haunted" people through the eyes of a 22 yr old stranger who quickly becomes the couples best friend.
I'm not saying Sophie's Choice was bad or that I didn't like it. It kept my attention for 2 1/2 hours, which is impressive. I just feel that Alan Pakula could have done more w/ the story by directly (instead of indirectly) centering the film around Sophie's Choice. The film would have been a lot more powerful.
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
The Greatest Show of 1952
This film goes inside the heart of a circus to unveil to us the dynamics of the circus and who puts The Greatest Show on Earth on. Truly a great film, everything about it is superior. No, the plot isn't the most sophisticated or creative but it is effective. The stunts are thrilling and Jimmy Stewart gave yet another marvelous performance as the Clown/Fugitive/Doctor. I could watch this film over and over and over.....
Sister, Sister (1982)
Powerful saga of a family struggle
Entertaining TV-movie (very playlike) about a family shackled by moralistic beliefs. Diahann Carroll is effective as the protagonist and Rosalind Cash is better as the prodigal daughter. Carroll and Cash light up the screen and make this worth watching. This is isn't a heavyweight drama but it's good. Check it out!!!
The Graduate (1967)
I've just graduated from college, now my real education begins
I've heard many good things about the Graduate before I saw it yesterday and I must confirm them all to be true. The whole cast is magnificent, especially the top 3 characters: the scintillating Anne Baxter, the shy, naive, and ultimately volatile Dustin Hoffman, and the woman in the middle, Katherine Ross. The soundtrack is great too.... Everything about the movie is great.... I loved it!!! What an ending!!!
The Thin Red Line (1998)
How do you deal with death???
Thin Red Line is a very good film. It explores how men come to grips with their own mortality, especially mortality at a young age. How does each man handle it? Does he shriek with fear and panic? Does he get fired up? Does he crack jokes to lighten the tension inside of him? The film is a brilliant character study.... The only thing I didn't like about it was its length.... Guys, this is a real man's movie.... Don't take your women to see it.... They won't understand it... Believe me....
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Great film
One of my favorite films of all-time, it was so good that I read the entire book after seeing the film for the first time. Marvelously acted, written, and produced, it certainly is one of the top 5 greatest films of all time. A TRUE classic.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Yet another David vs. Goliath story
Smith is a film that uses a recurring theme in many stories: the David vs. Goliath theme. This story is set in our nation's capitol and the battlefield is the U.S. Senate. Very well done film (a big-time contributor to why 1939 is the year that produced the most great films). Smith is definitely Best Picture caliber. Unfortunately, as aforementioned, it came out in the year of Gone With the Wind (which won), Stagecoach, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wuthering Heights, etc. Excellent film, though... Don't miss it!!!
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Story of a man who rejects anyone who loves him for no reason
Karen Black is great in this film and well-deserving of The Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She steals the film from her moody and brooding co-star, Jack Nicholson. Put it this way: subtract Black from the film and you don't have a film worth watching. The story would have been better if the film had told us why Nicholson rejected his family and his musical gifts. Why does he hate everyone that loves him? He doesn't love himself. Why? Why should we sympathize with this man? He has a great girlfriend, a rich family that cares for him, and tremendous natural gifts to play the piano. The last scene in the movie is one of the most pathetic scenes ever filmed. Someone needs to slap Jack and tell him to wake up!! Please!!!
Independence Day (1996)
Vastly cliched & unrealistic movie that made millions
ID4 is a B-movie. Although the film has plenty of star power (Smith, Goldblum, Pullman, Fox, Quaid, Hirsch, ...), the real stars of the film are the special effects. If you loved Close Encounters of the Third Kind, this should be your movie. Don't expect a script with great dialogue or a semi-decent plot because you won't find it here. Don't expect everything to make sense either. But who cares? We're stomping some alien ass!!!
Il conformista (1970)
Beautifully filmed, too bad the story wasn't as well taken care of.
Unfortunately, I saw the English version and I'm sure that the original Italian version is superior to the English one. Writer/Director Bertolucci would have better served his audience if he had established the story more. The major theme of the film, duality, was too implied. Half the time I didn't know what was going on. And why should we care about Clerici's need to be "normal?" There was never a moment for us to become emotionally attached to him. And what was the deal with Clerici having sex with the man at age 13 and then shooting him? What about the last scene with Clerici in the alley with his blind friend? What was that about? Bertolucci did an excellent job giving us a feel for 1930's Paris and Rome but his story DEFINITELY could have been more established.