September 23, 2010 - #67/100
Clueless (1995)
Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is rich, pretty, blonde, popular and knows how to talk anyone into doing just about anything. When she can't get a teacher to give her a better grade, she and her friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) match him up with another teacher in hopes of making him happier, and ultimately, causing him to become lax on his class expectations. When a girl named Tai (Brittany Murphy) transfers to Cher's school, she and Dion give her a makeover and attempt to find her a boyfriend. Cher soon realizes that she wants a boyfriend herself, but no one seems right. She goes through a spiritual makeover and realizes that there's more to life than clothes and popularity before she finds the boy of her dreams. True, this seems like a cheesy movie, and it is. But, I still thought that it was adorable. This movie reminded me of a modern day Emma (Jane Austen novel). Just like Emma, Cher was trying to help others by playing matchmaker, only to discover that the guy she really wanted was right under her nose the entire time. So, overall, I enjoyed this movie and I wouldn't mind watching it again.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Evening movie review
September 19, 2010 - #66/100
Evening (2007)
While in her deathbed, Ann Lord (Vanessa Redgrave) repeats the name "Harris," and recalls the day in the 50's when she was an aspirant singer. One day, she traveled from New York to be the maid of honor of her wealthy friend Lila Wittenborn's (Mamie Gummer) wedding in Newport. Ann Grant (Claire Dane) is welcomed by Lila's alcoholic and reckless brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) in the Wittenborn's cottage at seaside. He tells Ann that his sister Lila is in love with their friend and servant Harris Arden (Patrick Wilson), who fought in the war and had graduated in medicine. Later the bride-to-be confesses her true feelings about Harris to Ann. However, when Ann meets Harris, she has a crush on him and they have a brief affair. Meanwhile Ann's daughters, the insecure and unstable Nina Mars (Toni Collette) and the happy wife and mother Constance Haverford (Natasha Richardson), are worried that their mother has differences and issues that need to be resolved. Overall, the acting was pretty good. Mamie Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep (who also has a small part in this movie), did a wonderful job. I'd love to see her in other movies. She definitely has her mother's talent. But, even when an all-star cast, the plot definitely isn't the greatest plot ever.
I gave this movie 6/10 stars on imdb.com.
Evening (2007)
While in her deathbed, Ann Lord (Vanessa Redgrave) repeats the name "Harris," and recalls the day in the 50's when she was an aspirant singer. One day, she traveled from New York to be the maid of honor of her wealthy friend Lila Wittenborn's (Mamie Gummer) wedding in Newport. Ann Grant (Claire Dane) is welcomed by Lila's alcoholic and reckless brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) in the Wittenborn's cottage at seaside. He tells Ann that his sister Lila is in love with their friend and servant Harris Arden (Patrick Wilson), who fought in the war and had graduated in medicine. Later the bride-to-be confesses her true feelings about Harris to Ann. However, when Ann meets Harris, she has a crush on him and they have a brief affair. Meanwhile Ann's daughters, the insecure and unstable Nina Mars (Toni Collette) and the happy wife and mother Constance Haverford (Natasha Richardson), are worried that their mother has differences and issues that need to be resolved. Overall, the acting was pretty good. Mamie Gummer, daughter of Meryl Streep (who also has a small part in this movie), did a wonderful job. I'd love to see her in other movies. She definitely has her mother's talent. But, even when an all-star cast, the plot definitely isn't the greatest plot ever.
I gave this movie 6/10 stars on imdb.com.
Easy A movie review
September 17, 2010 - #65/100
Easy A (2010)
High school student Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) finds herself the victim of her school's "rumor mill" when she lies to her best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) about a weekend fling with a fictional college freshman. Word quickly spreads of Olive's promiscuity and, much to her surprise, she welcomes the attention. When she agrees to help out a bullied friend by pretending to sleep with him, her image rapidly degrades to a more lascivious state and her world begins to spin out of control. As she helps more and more of her classmates, and her lies continue to escalate, Olive must find a way to save face before the school's religious fanatic Marianne (Amanda Bynes) gets her expelled, and she loses a shot at attaining her own happiness. Personally, I loved this movie. Emma Stone was absolutely hilarious. The only aspect of the movie that I didn't care about too much was the fact that Olive's parents didn't really seem bothered by what Olive had done, nor did they ever question her when she'd tell them to ignore any rumors that they might hear about her. Normally, parents wouldn't be that lenient. But, other than that, I thought that this was a great movie. I saw it three times, and I'll definitely buy it when it comes out on DVD.
Easy A (2010)
High school student Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) finds herself the victim of her school's "rumor mill" when she lies to her best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) about a weekend fling with a fictional college freshman. Word quickly spreads of Olive's promiscuity and, much to her surprise, she welcomes the attention. When she agrees to help out a bullied friend by pretending to sleep with him, her image rapidly degrades to a more lascivious state and her world begins to spin out of control. As she helps more and more of her classmates, and her lies continue to escalate, Olive must find a way to save face before the school's religious fanatic Marianne (Amanda Bynes) gets her expelled, and she loses a shot at attaining her own happiness. Personally, I loved this movie. Emma Stone was absolutely hilarious. The only aspect of the movie that I didn't care about too much was the fact that Olive's parents didn't really seem bothered by what Olive had done, nor did they ever question her when she'd tell them to ignore any rumors that they might hear about her. Normally, parents wouldn't be that lenient. But, other than that, I thought that this was a great movie. I saw it three times, and I'll definitely buy it when it comes out on DVD.
Duplicity movie review
September 12, 2010 - #64/100
Duplicity (2009)
Ray (Clive Owen) works for MI6, and Claire (Julia Roberts) works for the CIA. She burns him in Dubai. Jump ahead five years: he sees her in Grand Central and confronts her. Both now work in industrial security for corporate giants whose CEOs hate each other. Flashbacks fill us in: is it coincidence that he sees her in Grand Central? In about a week, one of the firms is going to announce a revolutionary product. Under the guise of helping that corporation's rival, can Ray and Claire work their own theft and find an independent buyer? To work together, using the corporate rivalry to their advantage, they would have to trust one another - difficult, if not impossible. Or, is one playing the other? For the most part, the flashbacks confused me, and they seemed to occur often. So, it was hard, at times, to figure out exactly what was going on. To be quite honest, I didn't really care much for this movie. It didn't manage to keep my attention because I found the plot to be somewhat confusing.
I gave this movie 4/10 stars on imdb.com.
Duplicity (2009)
Ray (Clive Owen) works for MI6, and Claire (Julia Roberts) works for the CIA. She burns him in Dubai. Jump ahead five years: he sees her in Grand Central and confronts her. Both now work in industrial security for corporate giants whose CEOs hate each other. Flashbacks fill us in: is it coincidence that he sees her in Grand Central? In about a week, one of the firms is going to announce a revolutionary product. Under the guise of helping that corporation's rival, can Ray and Claire work their own theft and find an independent buyer? To work together, using the corporate rivalry to their advantage, they would have to trust one another - difficult, if not impossible. Or, is one playing the other? For the most part, the flashbacks confused me, and they seemed to occur often. So, it was hard, at times, to figure out exactly what was going on. To be quite honest, I didn't really care much for this movie. It didn't manage to keep my attention because I found the plot to be somewhat confusing.
I gave this movie 4/10 stars on imdb.com.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Pelican Brief movie review
September 11, 2010 - #63/100
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed. Now a college professor, who clerked for one of the two men, is given a brief by his girlfriend named Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts). The brief consists of a statement as to who probably wanted to see these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by it. One of the president's men who reads it is afraid that if it ever got out, the president could be smeared. So, he advises the president to tell the director to drop it, which he does. But later the professor is murdered, and Darby then realizes that her brief has agitated some important people. A series of events continue to unfold. Whenever Darby turns to a new person who can help her out, they end up getting murdered. She finally turns to Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), an investigative reporter, who attempts to help her out. Now it's a race against time, basically. They need to figure out exactly what is going on before someone tries to kill them to silence them. Overall, I thought that this movie was pretty good. The acting was wonderful. But, this movie was pretty long. So, parts of it seemed to lag, and I was wondering when it would finally come to an end. But, it was still good, just long.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed. Now a college professor, who clerked for one of the two men, is given a brief by his girlfriend named Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts). The brief consists of a statement as to who probably wanted to see these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by it. One of the president's men who reads it is afraid that if it ever got out, the president could be smeared. So, he advises the president to tell the director to drop it, which he does. But later the professor is murdered, and Darby then realizes that her brief has agitated some important people. A series of events continue to unfold. Whenever Darby turns to a new person who can help her out, they end up getting murdered. She finally turns to Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), an investigative reporter, who attempts to help her out. Now it's a race against time, basically. They need to figure out exactly what is going on before someone tries to kill them to silence them. Overall, I thought that this movie was pretty good. The acting was wonderful. But, this movie was pretty long. So, parts of it seemed to lag, and I was wondering when it would finally come to an end. But, it was still good, just long.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Where the Wild Things Are movie review
September 11, 2010 - #62/100
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
An adolescent named Max (Max Records) has an active imagination, and he will throw fits if others don't go along with what he wants. Max runs away from home after an incident with his sister Claire and her friends, and a tantrum that he throws as a result of his mother paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him. Wearing his wolf costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems. Wow. So, I really didn't like this movie, at all. I thought that it was extremely weird and boring. Max's character got on my nerves because he was such a brat, and the world that he imagined was extremely weird. I think it's safe to say that I'll never watch this movie again.
I gave this movie 3/10 stars on imdb.com.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
An adolescent named Max (Max Records) has an active imagination, and he will throw fits if others don't go along with what he wants. Max runs away from home after an incident with his sister Claire and her friends, and a tantrum that he throws as a result of his mother paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him. Wearing his wolf costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems. Wow. So, I really didn't like this movie, at all. I thought that it was extremely weird and boring. Max's character got on my nerves because he was such a brat, and the world that he imagined was extremely weird. I think it's safe to say that I'll never watch this movie again.
I gave this movie 3/10 stars on imdb.com.
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? movie review
As of April 3, 2010, I have decided to set a goal for myself. By December 31, 2010, I want to have watched 100 movies that I have never seen before. I may not make the goal since I'm already behind, seeing as how I have started in April, but, I still think that this would be fun. I will write a review about each movie that I see.
September 9, 2010 - #61/100
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Everrett Ullysus McGill (George Clooney), a prisoner, is sick of breaking rocks in the heat of a Mississippi summer. So, he decides to escape with his two dim accomplices, Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete (John Turturro). Trying to reclaim a buried treasure before its lost forever underneath a lake, the three make their way to Everett's homestead. Along the way, they meet a one-eyed Bible salesman, a blind prophet, a trio of sexy sirens, and a man who sold his soul to the devil. In their race to reach the treasure before it's flooded, they end up crashing a Ku Klux Klan lynch mob, help a sensitive Baby-Face Nelson rob three banks in two hours, and even have enough time to put out a best selling record as "The Soggy Bottom Boys." Overall, I thought that this movie was decent. I actually got kind of bored during it, and managed to zone out during certain parts. Don't get me wrong, the acting was really good, but the storyline just didn't interest me like I originally thought it would.
I gave this movie 6/10 stars on imdb.com.
September 9, 2010 - #61/100
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Everrett Ullysus McGill (George Clooney), a prisoner, is sick of breaking rocks in the heat of a Mississippi summer. So, he decides to escape with his two dim accomplices, Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete (John Turturro). Trying to reclaim a buried treasure before its lost forever underneath a lake, the three make their way to Everett's homestead. Along the way, they meet a one-eyed Bible salesman, a blind prophet, a trio of sexy sirens, and a man who sold his soul to the devil. In their race to reach the treasure before it's flooded, they end up crashing a Ku Klux Klan lynch mob, help a sensitive Baby-Face Nelson rob three banks in two hours, and even have enough time to put out a best selling record as "The Soggy Bottom Boys." Overall, I thought that this movie was decent. I actually got kind of bored during it, and managed to zone out during certain parts. Don't get me wrong, the acting was really good, but the storyline just didn't interest me like I originally thought it would.
I gave this movie 6/10 stars on imdb.com.
Going the Distance movie review
September 4, 2010 - #60/100
Going the Distance (2010)
Garrett (Justin Long) has always had a problem with commitment and understanding what women want. He seems to be doing everything right until he learns the hard way that he cannot speak the female language when his girlfriend drops him. That night, his friends attempt to brighten up his spirits by taking him to a bar. He meets Erin (Drew Barrymore) playing a game and ends up buying her a beer, then winning at bar trivia, and having breakfast with her the next morning. Erin is only in New York City for the summer, and will be returning to grad school in San Francisco in six weeks. They start a no-strings-attached summer fling relationship that turns into a seriously meaningful love affair. They realized that they were meant for each other, but when Erin returns home, it is then time to see if their love will survive the distance while Garrett remains in New York City and Erin moves to San Francisco. Overall, I thought that this was a pretty cute movie. Justin and Drew have great on-screen and off-screen chemistry. It wasn't the greatest romantic comedy that I've ever seen, but it managed to keep my interest throughout the entire movie.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Going the Distance (2010)
Garrett (Justin Long) has always had a problem with commitment and understanding what women want. He seems to be doing everything right until he learns the hard way that he cannot speak the female language when his girlfriend drops him. That night, his friends attempt to brighten up his spirits by taking him to a bar. He meets Erin (Drew Barrymore) playing a game and ends up buying her a beer, then winning at bar trivia, and having breakfast with her the next morning. Erin is only in New York City for the summer, and will be returning to grad school in San Francisco in six weeks. They start a no-strings-attached summer fling relationship that turns into a seriously meaningful love affair. They realized that they were meant for each other, but when Erin returns home, it is then time to see if their love will survive the distance while Garrett remains in New York City and Erin moves to San Francisco. Overall, I thought that this was a pretty cute movie. Justin and Drew have great on-screen and off-screen chemistry. It wasn't the greatest romantic comedy that I've ever seen, but it managed to keep my interest throughout the entire movie.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Rush Hour movie review
September 3, 2010 - #59/100
Rush Hour (1998)
Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is a Hong Kong Detective who helps confiscate millions of dollars worth of stolen Chinese artifacts from Crime Lord Juntao. Seeking revenge, Juntao kidnaps the eleven year old daughter of the Chinese consul when he moves to America. Inspector Lee is sent as a diplomatic adviser, and finds himself paired up with a Los Angeles cop by the name of James Carter (Chris Tucker). Carter is generally a man who works alone, and wants it to stay that way. But, now both of the men must work together in order to rescue the eleven year old daughter of the Chinese consul. To be quite honest, I thought that this movie would be funny, but it didn't really make me laugh that much. So, I didn't really think that it was that entertaining. I actually got kind of bored, and wondered when it would end. I think it's safe to say that I don't really intend to watch this movie ever again.
I gave this movie 5/10 stars on imdb.com.
Rush Hour (1998)
Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is a Hong Kong Detective who helps confiscate millions of dollars worth of stolen Chinese artifacts from Crime Lord Juntao. Seeking revenge, Juntao kidnaps the eleven year old daughter of the Chinese consul when he moves to America. Inspector Lee is sent as a diplomatic adviser, and finds himself paired up with a Los Angeles cop by the name of James Carter (Chris Tucker). Carter is generally a man who works alone, and wants it to stay that way. But, now both of the men must work together in order to rescue the eleven year old daughter of the Chinese consul. To be quite honest, I thought that this movie would be funny, but it didn't really make me laugh that much. So, I didn't really think that it was that entertaining. I actually got kind of bored, and wondered when it would end. I think it's safe to say that I don't really intend to watch this movie ever again.
I gave this movie 5/10 stars on imdb.com.
Ocean's Eleven movie review
September 2, 2010 - #58/100
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is a thief who has just been paroled from prison. He seeks out his partner, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and comes up with a job. The job that Ocean comes up with is the possibility of robbing the vault that houses the cash of three casinos in Las Vegas. Ocean has planned to rob it on a night when there will be 150 million dollars in it. So, Ocean an Rusty recruit nine other guys who all possess different abilities and talents, and they begin to put Ocean's plan in motion. To begin with, everything seems to be going well. But, Rusty discovers that Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), is dating Terry Benedict. terry is the ruthless owner of the casinos. Rusty is afraid that Tess will interfere with the plan, or realize what Ocean is up to. But, Ocean continues to carry out the plan in hopes of stealing the money from the vaults. Overall, I thought that this was a good movie. It wasn't as good as I had originally thought it would be, but it was still entertaining. But, at times, I was slightly confused as to what was going on in the movie. Besides that, I thought that the acting was really good, and it managed to keep my attention.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) is a thief who has just been paroled from prison. He seeks out his partner, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), and comes up with a job. The job that Ocean comes up with is the possibility of robbing the vault that houses the cash of three casinos in Las Vegas. Ocean has planned to rob it on a night when there will be 150 million dollars in it. So, Ocean an Rusty recruit nine other guys who all possess different abilities and talents, and they begin to put Ocean's plan in motion. To begin with, everything seems to be going well. But, Rusty discovers that Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts), is dating Terry Benedict. terry is the ruthless owner of the casinos. Rusty is afraid that Tess will interfere with the plan, or realize what Ocean is up to. But, Ocean continues to carry out the plan in hopes of stealing the money from the vaults. Overall, I thought that this was a good movie. It wasn't as good as I had originally thought it would be, but it was still entertaining. But, at times, I was slightly confused as to what was going on in the movie. Besides that, I thought that the acting was really good, and it managed to keep my attention.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Music and Lyrics movie review
September 1, 2010 - #57/100
Music and Lyrics (2007)
Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), a washed-up pop singer living in New York, is barely getting by in his career. In the 80's, he was a successful singer in the band called POP. But, in present day, he is barely managing to play any gigs by singing his old hits in amusement parks, school reunions, and dinner parties. Alex's manager schedules a meeting with the successful teen singer Cora Corman. If Alex manages to come up with a song that Cora approves of by the end of the week, then he will finally have a chance at being a huge hit once again. The only problem is, Alex generally has trouble putting lyrics into his melody. In comes Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore). Sophie is temporarily watering Alex's plants in his apartment while the regular woman is out for some various reason. While tending to the plants, she proves that she is a sensitive poet and efficient lyricist. So, together, they write a song that is approved by Cora. While they are writing the song, it's obvious that the two definitely have a connection. The only problem is, Cora ends up disagreeing about the interpretation of the song, and slightly changes it. This aggravates Sophie, while Alex is just trying to go with the flow. Therefore, Sophie gets mad at Cora and Alex. And, in the end, Alex realizes that all he wants is Sophie, and he has to figure out a way to in her back. Overall, I thought that this was a cute movie. True, the movie is definitely a cheesy romantic comedy, but I can't help it. I still like it. The acting was good, and there were some funny parts in the movie.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Music and Lyrics (2007)
Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), a washed-up pop singer living in New York, is barely getting by in his career. In the 80's, he was a successful singer in the band called POP. But, in present day, he is barely managing to play any gigs by singing his old hits in amusement parks, school reunions, and dinner parties. Alex's manager schedules a meeting with the successful teen singer Cora Corman. If Alex manages to come up with a song that Cora approves of by the end of the week, then he will finally have a chance at being a huge hit once again. The only problem is, Alex generally has trouble putting lyrics into his melody. In comes Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore). Sophie is temporarily watering Alex's plants in his apartment while the regular woman is out for some various reason. While tending to the plants, she proves that she is a sensitive poet and efficient lyricist. So, together, they write a song that is approved by Cora. While they are writing the song, it's obvious that the two definitely have a connection. The only problem is, Cora ends up disagreeing about the interpretation of the song, and slightly changes it. This aggravates Sophie, while Alex is just trying to go with the flow. Therefore, Sophie gets mad at Cora and Alex. And, in the end, Alex realizes that all he wants is Sophie, and he has to figure out a way to in her back. Overall, I thought that this was a cute movie. True, the movie is definitely a cheesy romantic comedy, but I can't help it. I still like it. The acting was good, and there were some funny parts in the movie.
I gave this movie 7/10 stars on imdb.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
