the_scandal_cha Reviews

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

A few things aside, a pretty good movie!

[8/10 · 17 December 2006]

It's getting to be general knowledge that The Pursuit of Happiness is one of Will Smith's best performances, if not his best of all. Walking into the theatre, I was skeptical. I knew he was up for that Golden Globe nomination, but still I was skeptical. I knew he had some skills, but I didn't know he could bring the emotion out like that! Sometimes the dialogue, especially between Will Smith and Thandie Newton, who plays his wife, Linda, was strained and slightly unbelievable, I have to admit. In fact, I hate to admit it because I liked this movie so much..but just thought I'd warn you.

The Pursuit of Happiness is a cute little movie centering on Chris Gardner, a salesman in the early 80's selling bone scanners. As his sales slow down significantly, he finds himself in huge financial trouble, struggling to live day by day. Trying to take care of his son, also named Chris (played adorably by Smith's real-life son, Jaden) by himself is tough, especially while being an intern for a potential high-paying job he may or may not get. The movie is one of those tearjerker-yet-heartwarming movies that I tend to hate, yet this one was so well acted by both Smiths, I couldn't give it a bad review! All in all, this was a cute little film that I enjoyed very much. If you want to laugh a little, maybe cry a little, or just see Will Smith stretch from his usual groove, then The Pursuit of Happiness (yes, with a y!) is a must-see!

The Nine (2006–2007)

Best new show of the season!

[9/10 · 13 November 2006]

The Nine is a potentially stellar new show that, while still working out a few kinks, is proving itself to be the best new show of the season! With all the junk that is on the television these days, this show is quite refreshing. The show is a critical hit, though not one with the viewers. This is likely because of the misleading previews which made the show look like a new Big City version of Lost. The Nine is not like Lost, and as a fan of both shows, I believe that The Nine definitely brings new things to the table.

The Nine deals, simply put, with a bank robbery. When 2 brothers decide to rob a bank, they are sure that it "will all be over in 5 minutes." However, when things go wrong, the brothers decide to change the plan. 52 hours later, the 9 survivors finally emerge from the bank, changed from their traumatizing hostage ordeal. The show focuses mostly on The Nine's lives after the robbery.

The Nine is definitely character-driven, unlike its comparison show, Lost, which, although character plays a vital role, is driven primarily by some crazy plot line. The Nine leaves the events of the bank robbery a mystery, making the viewer wonder what happened in there, what caused the characters to change situations the way they have, and who was really innocent or guilty. Bonds have been made and broken, but no matter what, The Nine are all connected after what they went through.

The acting is believable and genuine. The actors bring their emotions out fully, and there is not one stand-out performance in comparison to another. They are all fantastic. They make the viewer really feel attached to the characters.

The script is realistic, if not a little cheesy at times, but is heartfelt nonetheless. With time, I know this show could turn out to be something big, if given the chance.

All in all, The Nine is intriguing, and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, so few people are realizing this, so the show is in danger of cancellation. I'm just going to enjoy this rare gem while I can!

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Will Ferrell at his finest!

[8/10 · 13 November 2006]

I had high expectations for this film, I must say. Marc Forster also directed one of my favourites, Finding Neverland, so I was excited to see how he would direct a comedy. I was wrong, however, about the film being a comedy. There are funny scenes, just a few, but if you are expecting the old "Anchorman" Will Ferrell, that's not what you're getting. Will Ferrell shows a new, more mature side in Stranger than Fiction.

I'm not normally a big Will Ferrell fan. And this film does not make me want to go watch "Talladega Nights", or any of his other zany films, because after seeing how versatile an actor he actually can be, Talladega would just disappoint me. I've heard it said that Stranger than Fiction is Will Ferrell's "Eternal Sunshine." This is almost true. I don't know if Will was allowed to show the emotion that would qualify this as his "Eternal Sunshine", but Stranger than Fiction proves to me that Will Ferrell can do drama, and eventually he will be able to star in a film of that caliber.

Stranger than Fiction concerns Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), an IRS agent, who hears a woman's (Emma Thompson) voice narrating almost everything he does. Just as things start to get interesting for Harold (he falls in love), the narrator declares that Harold's death is imminent. The acting in this film was convincing and intriguing. Dustin Hoffman played the distant literaryprofessor to a tee, and Queen Latifah held her own as the author's assistant. I must say, that Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson's performances were the best of them all. Maggie brought a great depth to her performance as the not-so-typical love interest, and Emma Thompson was fantastic as usual as the author struggling with writer's block, as well as thoughts of suicide. The film was sweet, funny, and at times heartbreaking. One particular quote spoken by Emma Thompson near the end of the film made the film all the more worthwhile. All in all, with a great script, a great plot, great acting, including a surprising performance by Will Ferrell, Marc Forster's Stranger than Fiction does not disappoint!

Lady in the Water (2006)

I know I am in the minority here, but I enjoyed it

[8/10 · 22 July 2006]

First off, I can see why this film is going to be a box-office flop and why critics and audiences alike will not like it. I, who usually disagrees with most audiences, at least, thoroughly enjoyed this film. The storyline itself is rather ridiculous, I must say. Some girl shows up in a pool? She's a what-a narf? I went into the movie thinking I would hate it, but I came out knowing that I had seen a work of art. That's right. It was art.

First of all, it's a good family film, with enough tense moments to keep you watching, and enough laugh-out-loud moments to calm you down. It was refreshing for once to see a film with good, clean humour. The dialogue was not necessarily hilarious, but the actors, especially Paul Giamatti (Cleveland) delivered the lines extremely well.

The acting was tremendously well done also. Paul Giamatti is always fantastic, and while Bryce Dallas Howard seemed to act in the same manner as she did in The Village, she was still convincing. The ensemble cast worked well together. Some might bash M. Night for casting himself in a not-so-cameo role, but he proved that he can actually act! No, his performance will not win him an Oscar, nor should it, but I think there is definite talent there. I hope to see him in bigger roles, in films not his own.

The plot had many twists, maybe too many, but no matter. I kept trying to guess what was going to happen, but it I was always wrong. It was quite interesting.

What most made this film a work of art was the directing. M. Night has a rare talent that will go completely under the radar for this film because no one will see it. The camera angles were inventive-that's right, inventive. I may be one of the few who actually cares about camera angles and how a scene looks, but it looked great. The final product was polished.

I truly believe this film is M. Night's best work. He made the story up himself, wrote a screenplay that made us laugh, smile, cringe, and jump just a little, and directed a great ensemble cast including himself. Quite a feat.

So before everyone starts ranting about how stupid the storyline is or how "so-not-scary" the film is, just appreciate the uniqueness of the film, and remember what makes this film good. Forget the crazy story. It's everything else!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

I appear to be the only one who didn't like this film...

[3/10 · 13 July 2006]

Everyone is going to think I'm crazy, but I really hated this film. I wasn't expecting much going into it, because I also disliked the first Pirates film. This one was worse. And why was it so bad? you may ask. I am a very picky person who does not enjoy most films anyway, so this is quite normal for me. The film simply tried too hard to make people like it. And you know what? For the most part, it worked. The film has lots and lots of action, and lots and lots of yelling. Lots and lots of ugly creatures, and lots and lots of the good-looking stars. There was never a dull moment. Aaaaaand that's why this film bored me so. The whole time I was in the theatre, I was thinking to myself, "Calm down, Pirates movie! It's okay! The audience isn't going to walk out of the theatre if you take a breather!" It was just too much. Too much of everything; trying way way too hard. Therefore, I was completely and utterly bored in the theatre, angry that I had come to see this silly little film. All I know is that at the end of the film, I really didn't care about what happened next...so much of everything went on EXCEPT any reason to like any one of the characters. I hated them all for being so one-dimensional. Action, yes. Likable characters, not to me. Maybe I just prefer the simple things in life, like the quiet.