rollinsband2002 Reviews

Monster (2003)

This movie was incredible!

[10/10 · 19 December 2004]

As a Floridian, I watched Aileen Wuornos' trials and news reports as they were unfolding. She was imprisoned and put to death less than five miles from my house. I didn't see the film until after Charlize Theron won the Oscar, and so much had been made of her gaining weight and becoming unattractive for the role I was downright cynical about why she won the award. That is, until I saw the movie!

Charlize Theron's on screen portrayal of Aileen is so eerily realistic that you forget it's an actress behind some prosthetics: she WAS Aileen for the entire duration of the film. I kept saying,"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh" the whole time, as she had every single mannerism of Aileen's down to a T. It was the most impressive portrayal of a real person that I have ever seen, hands down. This woman deserved that Oscar!

Although several people thought the film was sympathetic to Wuornos, I didn't see this as being the case. We saw that Aileen was manipulative, violent, abusive,and didn't take responsibility for her actions. We also saw her as a human being: vulnerable, traumatized, and lost. Despite the insight into Wuornos' humanity, we still knew she was beyond help.

Christina Ricci also delivered a terrific performance as Shelby, and was a perfect complement to Charlize-as-Aileen's abrasiveness.This was the best film of 2003, IMO.

Maid in Manhattan (2002)

Woefully miscast

[3/10 · 19 December 2004]

The only reason I watched this movie was because I am a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes, and would watch a soap commercial if he were in it. That being said, I was disappointed to find him in such an unrelenting puff piece playing second fiddle to JLo. I was comforted by the fact that at times he even appeared (albeit gracefully)uncomfortable!

This movie had an overall feel of a "let's star JLO in anything and cash in on her megacelebrity quickly before the new hottie comes along." I guess due to her media overexposure,I had a hard time being convinced that she was a single mom working as a maid, and her attempts at acting seemed flat and forced. As I watched the movie, that song "Jenny from the block" kept going over and over in my head. I didn't buy Ralph as an American Senator,either; he would have been better suited to play a Prime Minister, Royalty,member of Parliament, etc.

Natasha Richardson was great though, in her role, and provided much-needed comic relief to the script. The movie is pleasant enough, but not nearly as clever or emoting as "Pretty Woman", which it seems to loosely imitate at times.

White Chicks (2004)

Terry Crews steals the show!

[7/10 · 19 December 2004]

This movie was funnier than I expected, and I have to hand it to the Wayans brothers: who else could pull off such accurately extreme cultural stereotypes? They have as much insight to the 'hood (remember "Don't Be a Menace to South Central"?) as they do the exclusive Hamptons Polo Club set (yes, girls like the Wilson sisters really exist!)

Still, Terry Crews as Latrell Spencer was by far the funniest character, I hope this movie singles him out as a major player...his scenes in the disco and singing in the car alone were worth the price of admission! Although the flatulence and bathroom humor got old and seemed misplaced, it was still an entertaining film, and if you engage suspension of disbelief at times (the Wayans look NOTHING like the Wilsons),you might like it.

Born Rich (2003)

Gives one a refreshing perspective, IMO

[19 November 2004]

Bravo to Jamie Johnson for having the guts to "show the dirt in his own backyard" so to speak. The only think worse than the idle rich is to have them mad at you, and still have to socialize with them!

This movie made me appereciate so much more what I have in my own self-made upper-middle class, graduate school educated life. I earned everything I have, and it's made me a richer, deeper, more spiritual person. I don't live every breathing moment with the fear that I'll upset someone and have my money cushion yanked out from under me.

Still, I shook my head sadly as some of these kids (Weil, Bloomberg, the Europeans, the A&P heiress [wait, does A&P even exist anymore?}) really are clueless. They are so oblivious to their narcissism that would otherwise be laughable if one didn't remember that narcissism is really only a mask for crippled self-esteem and an extraordinarily damaged sense of one's purpose in life.

Some of the others, particularly Ivanka Trump, appeared more grounded and in touch with the way the world really works than the aforementioned kids. Kudos to them!

Although I'm not rich, I have a few friends who are from the Palm Beach-Hamptons-have a place on the Upper East Side-old money clan, and although I sometimes don't "get" their lifestyle (a 3 million dollar beach house with Mercedes as a gift from mommy and daddy when one friend graduated college, another who hops his dad's corporate Gulfstream to Brazil every couple of months to have his suits made because he really likes the tailor), I can honestly say that they have worked hard at their own jobs, and are becoming successful in their own right (my beach house friend is a social worker, and her paycheck is donated to a charity that provides college scholarships for low-income kids).

I would like to see a sequel where these kids have to live for three months with no inheritance in a lower class neighborhood, and see who learns the most from it. That would be interesting to watch!