delisay_im Reviews

Knocked Up (2007)

Well marketed ... but not funny (actually depressing) and very crass

[2/10 · 17 September 2007]

I had my suspicions from the trailers, but decided to give this movie the benefit of the doubt. I should have trusted my instincts. A very rare event, my husband and I only made it 70% of the way through before being too miserable to continue. Like many reviewers here, we question the "comedy" genre. "Black comedy", perhaps. It raised a smile occasionally, initially, but descended to a pervasive negativity that just soured a great day.

It's based on the extreme improbability of a successful and gorgeous young woman falling for the very worst of maleness. But that isn't the real problem. The first downer is that males are all portrayed as pathetic - drugged up, porn obsessed, unfaithful, perpetually adolescent, scatological losers. A depressing and insulting generalisation.

And all the bickering, yelling and negativity..."Humor"?? How is a father being unfaithful to his family in an extreme strip club scene "funny"? Who's laughing - his seven year-old? His wife? Female roles were dreadful and debased, except Heigl's - only two women had roles which did not involve displaying their breasts.

IMPORTANT: Some reviewers must have seen locally censored versions. I've seen comments here such as, "nice and clean", "sweet" and "Apatow includes little or no sex at all in this film." However, the version that I saw had a great deal of crude sexual content - in fact more full-on female pornography than I have seen in a mainstream movie in a very long time. And it really was in-your-face porn-style, rather than tasteful. So watch out which version you get!

Definitely not recommended for general family viewing, nor if you are considering having a baby and want to stay positive about it.

40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)

Josh Harnett was good but some major concerns!!

[6/10 · 15 December 2006]

WARNING: Major spoiler ahead!

I thought Josh Harnett was good in this...considering. It was an OK movie in some ways, and it's encouraging that people of the level of insight/maturity of the screen writer (=low) can actually succeed in Hollywood(!?!), but...

Is it just me, or was anyone else blown away by the fact that his ex-girlfriend maliciously RAPED him?! She forced herself on him while he was unconscious and tied down... He was upset about it, didn't want it, and it wrecked his life ... but nobody said boo about it. AND then his real girlfriend LEFT him because of it.

Imagine the tables turned: Semi-conscious girl is handcuffed to a bed, ex-boyfriend enters her apartment without permission, forces himself on her as an act of aggression purely to hurt her and damage her life... Then her actual boyfriend leaves her because she got raped ... and nobody reports any of this to the police or even hints that it was, er, bad? Can't we do better than this in this day and age?!

It's also ridiculous the way ordinary girls behave in the movie; all of his office colleagues turn into sex workers, and extremely sexually aggressive ones at that. Real women just don't behave that way (very rarely), so I believe that it all reveals, as usual, something pretty 'interesting' about the psyche of the writer (and director).

Because in other respects it's a 'nice' movie and Josh Harnett is kind of sweet, it's easy for these serious issues to slip under the mental radar of many viewers, especially young ones, so it's a bit of a worry to me...

Closer (I) (2004)

Oh dear... How did such a bad script attract great actors?!

[2/10 · 13 October 2006]

The DVD says "medium level course language"... Well if that's "medium" I'm stumped as to what "high" could be! It's pretty extreme, especially the internet pornography part.

This whole piece seems to be the product of a somewhat unwell mind. The script is awful for being so deeply improbable, and thoroughly depressing. Even part-way decent adolescents - never mind adults - don't behave this way. It's all about compulsive infidelity by all and sundry, and a pathological, repetitive fickleness which becomes exasperating.

All of the characters are drawn almost identically. It's also very disjointed in terms of time-line. Not a polished work.

So...I don't understand how they persuaded such competent actors to be a part of it. Natalie Portman significantly degraded herself too - a terrible shame for such a fine actress who had avoided this trap until now. Oh well..!

Stage Beauty (2004)

Unique, entertaining & invigorating

[9/10 · 11 September 2006]

What a surprising gem! This movie could have been a mainstream hit, but the 'historical theatrical' flavour probably made it difficult to sell to the mass market. Shame, because it's just great!!

It's a very unique production, and entertaining on so many levels: The storyline is quirky and edifying, the characters are rich and humorous, the cinematography/set/costuming have life and colour, and both Billy Crudup and Claire Danes put in high quality performances.

Crudup, in particular, has an extremely challenging role - two characters in one - and handles it most impressively. I was also struck by how Danes is developing into a fine young actress; she sweeps the audience right into her emotional world. And those scenes between the two of them...well!!..(jealous anyone?)...is it any wonder that they ended up together in real life after rehearsals and several takes of that?! (Watch it and you'll see what I mean!)

All of the above, of course, is also a strong reflection of the obviously considerable skills of the director.

In my video store this movie is listed under 'chick flicks'! Yes, the romance is firey and Crudup is primally appealing as the handsome feminine-masculine lead, but it's so much more. The climactic ending left me very energised and uplifted ... so I did what many seem to have done - played it again!

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Superb screen writing - very intelligent and very funny

[10/10 · 30 August 2006]

For me this is a cinematic masterpiece. It oozes intelligence - the elegant script, very well formed characters, some exceptional casting (except for "the American" - oops!), and all stitched together with remarkable skill by the director and production team. It will stand out forever as a true classic.

Just as important is that it's incredibly funny, especially if you are British or close to someone who is. The humour is so genuine, so warm-hearted, so silly, so very...British. And there's lots of it, all the way up to and including the credits.

The setting is somewhat upper class (but not entirely), so panders to the stereotype. (If something is true, is it still a 'stereotype'?) But I loved that this provided a platform for intelligent dialogue - plenty of social insights to take home, and not a trace of dumbing down for 'lowest common denominator' audiences.

This is a very re-watchable movie. There's such rich content and so much humour that it's still very entertaining on the third or fourth viewing. Thoroughly endearing, remarkably brilliant movie-making.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Important story; gripping portrayal

[9/10 · 28 August 2006]

This movie kept me on the edge of my seat from go to woh. Not only is it an important story to know about (it's based on real events in our recent history), but it's delivered to the screen with panache.

Those who, like me, feel long since overdosed on screen violence, will be happy with this. Even though he could easily justify a violent portrayal because the horrific events really happened, the director protects the audience from the harshest visuals. Instead the emphasis is much more on the build up of events, and the characters' responses as the drama unfolds.

It left me with the oh so important, but oh so unpleasant understanding that This Could Happen To Me - to you, to us. The way such extreme events crept up on ordinary good people is a precious education for the viewer.

The best thing? Sophie Okonedo. She is nothing less than brilliant. What a classy performance. I sometimes find myself watching actors respond to terrible events thinking, "In real life they would be more upset - they'd be wailing, going out of their mind." Sophie delivers emotional truth in extreme circumstances like no performance I have ever witnessed. Remarkable, unforgettable and incredibly generous.

Angel Eyes (2001)

Not 100% but nonetheless captivating

[7/10 · 28 August 2006]

I found this movie really engaging, even though it's imperfect directorially. Much of my admiration, though, may be because I fell madly in love with Jim Caviezel and his quiet, handsome, troubled but gently noble character (so bear that in mind!)...

Jennifer Lopez did very well - a sparky performance as always. Her police officer role appears to come very naturally to her, and the pairing is interesting with the initially mysterious Caviezel character.

Overall this movie may not win awards, but the lead characters are well drawn and their developing relationship is engaging, unpredictable and endearingly life-like. It's a nice romantic movie which draws you in.

Happy, Texas (1999)

Unexpectedly good - engaging and funny

[8/10 · 28 August 2006]

I wasn't expecting all that much from this movie, but was very pleasantly surprised.

For a 'dumb' genre comedy it's smart and genuinely funny. It doesn't rely on the cheap/mindless/scatological 'humour' of most others in its category.

The characters are well cast and well developed, giving a richness. W H Macy is brilliant (as usual) and his Sheriff character is very unique. Jeremy Northam is charming and inexplicably watchable (as usual), in a role that takes him outside of his previous square.

I liked the casting choice for the leading lady too - less glam and more about personality fit. Steve Zahn is a comic genius - and I don't usually say that about mostly visual comics. He adds a lot of value and drives much of the laughter.

Recommended for a giggle, with deeper satisfaction to offer than most other 'silly' movies.

Safe (1995)

Incredibly slow and empty

[1/10 · 27 August 2006]

I found this insufferable. Perhaps I am missing something and unable to appreciate it for some reason, but depressing movies about the weakness of human nature - fragile, miserable characters who are flailing and failing - never do it for me.

The worst aspect was the pace - slow as s-l-o-w can be, with great expanses of whiteness when I found myself urging something - anything - to happen. It has a disquietingly insipid tone. In the end I set my DVD player to 2x speed...but I STILL found myself perpetually 'waiting'.

I don't like misery movies any more than I like being scared by horror, jarred by violence or brought down by exaltations of mediocrity. If you, like me, prefer substance and inspiration in your movies, you are very unlikely to enjoy this one.

Kate & Leopold (2001)

Utterly charming - quality screen writing, well cast and directed

[10/10 · 27 August 2006]

This is one of my all time favourite movies. I think it's quite a 'chick flick' though, so some guys may think it's just 'fine' while their girlfriends are swooning. Excellent for a girls' night in, or if you need cheering up.

The screenplay is very intelligent, well structured, thought-provoking and truly funny - excellent writing. Whether or not you notice the detail, the overall effect is very entertaining. Hugh Jackman does a grand, grand job - he's an absolute delight and entirely convincing as the wise, noble and charismatic Leopold. A very memorable performance.

Meg Ryan's character is the perfect modern counter to Hugh's. Liev Schreiber is also superb, although his character is in the background for much of the movie so his excellent (comedic) performance is easily overlooked unless you are paying attention.

The movie is also refreshing for its total absence of violence, profanity and overt sex - and proves how unnecessary these 'sensationalist' elements are to true entertainment. This is back to the good old days.

It's also one of those movies that you can watch several times and always find something new - and reliably finish up grinning and buoyed each time.

(I can't comprehend why anyone would care about Meg's haircut or the imperfections in the background time travel plot. That seems to be missing the point. The plot is the vehicle for the real story, rather than the story itself...which is about romance, comedy, and human values largely lost and sorely missed.)

If Only (2004)

Could do better - visual quality is OK but content is weak

[3/10 · 27 August 2006]

Nice enough story if you are a *serious* romance fan, but slow, rather corny and poorly delivered to screen. However, the locations are shot nicely (except for some odd 'trying to be artistic at the expense of realism' moments), and the score is really quite good.

The main problems are it's hard to get past the inadequacies in the script/dialogue and the very poor directing of the performers. (e.g. I couldn't believe that the lead actor's accent flipped between London and Surrey and Northern, and they left it all in!!) JLH did well despite what she had to work with.

Overall, despite the appealing theme, it was quite cringy and hard to watch. The weak/amateur direction lead to some poor, wooden performances, and the screenplay was nowhere near ready to roll. I find it quite baffling, actually, that anyone is raving about it at all - it was quite awful delivery. Perhaps for very young or non-English viewers these issues would not be as apparent, and they may be able to enjoy it anyway.