Reviews

I like Redford and Spacek, but this film kept putting me to sleep. What a disappointment; save your money and time.

Probably the worst firm I've seen in years.

Stupid story; ridiculous characters and a complete waste of two hours.

Better to watch "Sixth Sense" again. I'm at a complete loss for words to describe just how bad this film is. I wish there were negative votes allowed.

While the acting in Beginners was certainly excellent and Mélanie Laurent (Anna) is lovely to look at, I had a hard time staying awake during what seemed like an interminable two hours.

Another comment said the dog (Arthur) has the best lines; he may be right! Arthur was in almost every scene and did a great job.

I left the theater asking myself, "What the hell was that film all about?" Have you ever watched a film to its completion and simply said "so what?" Well Beginners, for me, was one of those films.

Perhaps some may find redeeming qualities here, I did not.

The 5/10 is for the dog! Good job, Arthur (Cosmo).

Black Swan is simply brilliant.

In spite of my own deep appreciation of the screenplay, directing and superb acting, I did not get the full impact of the real underlying issue until I watched Stefan Molyneux's video (http://blip.tv/file/4616227) and the text of that video(http://freedomainradio.com/BOARD/forums/t/28984.aspx).

The performances are all superb, but Natalie Portman is at her all time best. Darren Aronofsky's direction is stunning. Do not miss this film!

Black Swan is my unquestionable favorite film of 2010. See it! Please do not visit the aforementioned web-sites until you have seen the film. They will spoil your full appreciation of Black Swan.

This film is in a class by itself! Good actors, good direction and a totally worthless script.

The action was provocative; it will keep you on the edge of your seat with promises. Unfortunately, those promises will never be kept.

"Vacancy" was aired on Lifetime this past Saturday. As always, I had the good sense to digitally record it so I didn't have to watch the mindless commercials for which Lifetime is known.

Well, on Sunday I sat down to watch this worthless crap. I waited, and I waited, and when it was all over I felt like I had been conned-- sort of like those senators and congressmen in Washington!

Lifetime sucks and so does "Vacancy." I cannot waste another English word on this comment! A word to the wise should be sufficient!

Stay away from this one!

I rented this film mostly because of Anne Hathaway's Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Unfortunately, "Rachel Getting Married" is quite possibly the very worst film I've seen in years. Admittedly, I was surprised when one considers the other works of director Jonathan Demme.

The criticism is that "Rachel Getting Married" is just plain boring. There is really no story. While the acting may be good, who cares? It takes more than skilled acting and direction to make a successful film. You need a good screenplay, and there is the lack! I suspect first time screenwriter Jenny Lumet would not have had an opportunity of having her screenplay produced were she not the daughter of the very accomplished and five time Oscar-nominated director Sidney Lumet.

I am a patient fellow so I watched about half the film and simply had to shut it off. The bright side is that I had spent only one dollar to rent the DVD.

Be careful, this one will put you to sleep.

A previous comment was titled "Neeson is the vodka of James Bond's martini." Truer words could not be spoken. I can't think of any Bond film that was more satisfying, and I love Bond (the Connery originals).

Taken is a superb action film with substance. Every scene will keep you riveted to your seat. Some of the scenes are literally breathtaking. The screenplay was expertly written, beautifully filmed and superbly edited.

Lian Neeson is in usual top form and was a perfect choice. This is the same actor who gave us Schindler and Ethan Frome. I won't waste words on plot -- other comments have already made that clear.

The high votes for this very satisfying film are more than well-deserved. One of the best I've seen in a while. Not to be missed.

The Two Mr. Kissels is quite possibly the worst TV movie I have ever seen. Without a doubt, the commercial interruptions were the high points of the experience.

The script was ridiculous, the acting flat and the direction useless. I waited and listened to useless dialog hoping for the film to take some direction. It never happened.

I wish I could cite some worthwhile attribute of this film. Unfortunately there was none

In spite of the boredom, I hung in for the entire horrid experience. The only relief came when the end titles appeared! This trash is not worth one moment of anyone's time!

1/10

I've seen a multitude of films in my 68 years. Cloverfield stands out as the worst film I have every seen - an all time low in movie-making! Be warned. Every moment of this film is boring and pointless. There is no beginning - there is no middle or ending. There is simply no story! It is little more than a hodgepodge of senseless images and meaningless chatter. Cloverfield is a film devoid of any value. It is quite simply a pointless piece of trash and a waste of anyone's time. I find it incomprehensible that $25,000,000 was spent creating this travesty of cinema. I also find it remarkable that as of this writing 25% of voters rated this film with a 10. It is most likely that this group was either suffering from severe mental retardation or under the influence of powerful psychotropic drugs. Do not waste your time on Cloverfield - I regret the $1 I spend renting the DVD.

This film is a puzzlement! It's too violent for children and no mature adult would wish to view it. So, it is actually a film for no one! Folks, this is not cinema -- it is a comic book on film with cardboard characters drenched in blood. And boring as well.

I find it remarkable that so many voters have given this film such high marks. Perhaps this type of trash is what moviegoers are looking for these days and reflects on their desire to view gratuitous violence and bloodshed.

300 is simply a cinematic failure. There are thousands of great films to watch. We really don't need this one so look elsewhere for quality entertainment.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is first-rate film-making! Every woman and "real" man will love it. Macho men beware! You'll hate it because you will find it difficult to deal with the issues it addresses..

Check out the IMDb voting. Men just don't like this film! And it's not because it isn't good cinema. Most men have a hard time with women who are smart and have it together, and this film gets those guys where it hurts.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a film about life, love and forgiveness. It addresses with enormous success what many other films have tried to do but have failed.

The trick is to tell a great story, entertain your audience, and perhaps enrich them by sharing one of life's great lessons by reaching them where they live. Diary of a Mad Black Woman succeeds on every level.

The writing, acting and directing are sensational. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get angry, but you'll love Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Don't miss it.

Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside) is a wonderful and touching film. I have little to add to the very positive comments made by others; however, there is one caution.

This film is spoken in Spanish, and the characters speak very quickly.

To keep up, the English subtitles flash on the screen as quickly, and it is almost impossible to keep up with the dialog.

Because of this it is difficult to experience the full impact of the film when viewed with subtitles.

I must admit this is the first time a subtitled foreign film has presented this problem to me, and unfortunately I know of no solution.

In spite of this drawback, I recommend the film most heartily.

A catharsis for Mel, but a mess for us. Mr. Gibson's well-intentioned effort to find God and save his soul has yielded a film lacking insight and wrought with hyperbole and exaggeration to the point of caricature.

Pontius Pilate, historically known for his excess and brutality, is portrayed as a sympathetic and indifferent soul. This is certain to mislead the naive moviegoer.

The Passion of The Christ exhibits so much physical violence and horror, we are transported to a state of numbness so the full meaning of Jesus' life and his noble mission are lost.

As I left the theatre at the film's end, I watched audience members file out of the auditorium dazed and disturbed instead of being awed, filled with wonder and uplifted.

If you wish to experience a splendid cinematic event and gain insight into the meaning of Jesus' life and the beautiful message he brought us, I urge you to see King of Kings(1961) or the superb Ben-Hur(1959), the winner of no less than 11 well-deserved Academy Awards.

No, The Passion of The Christ is not overtly anti-Semitic; however, those who wish to promote anti-Semitism might just find this film a most useful tool.

Because Mel misses the mark, we are forced to endure a low-grade docudrama laden with brutality. Had Mel hit the nail on the head, we would have witnessed a brilliant cinematic event and left the theatre with our spirit soaring!

Bear in mind this is a very personal film, and what you bring to it will have an enormous effect on how you perceive it.

See it for yourself, and make up your own mind.

Every once in a while, a film comes along which makes you wonder why it was written, why it was produced and how, in God's name, it was financed.

Well, 40 Days and 40 Nights is one of those films. A comedy that is not funny, is incredibly tasteless, is totally pointless and fails to entertain.

After watching this film I felt like the director, Michael Lehmann, and the writer, Rob Perez, had conspired to bore me to death. It surprises me that the featured players would want to participate in such a project. Perhaps they were just desperate for work or had neglected to read the script before agreeing to appear.

Even the worst of films has some saving grace -- this one has none! What's more, it seems like there's a little something in this film to offend everyone, especially Catholics and anyone over the age of 17.

In summary, 40 Days and 40 Nights is a 93 minute dirty joke that fails to entertain or amuse, but will almost certainly offend. Save your time and money!

I love Woody Allen. He used to write and direct great films. It's all over.

This is one of those films where you keep waiting for it to get going or, perhaps, just get better. It never happens!

Tea Leoni is a delight to watch, but this movie will put you to sleep.

While Vanilla Sky clearly sports some very talented actors, this film is total nonsense.

I find it amazing that money can be raised, actors and crew can be assembled to make a film of such incredibly small worth. It's not entertaining; it's not educational; it's little more than cinematic trash.

So same your time and save your money.

Insomnia is a tough film to comment on. The story and screenplay are OK. Christopher Nolan's direction is excellent and Pacino's performance is dynamite; however, the sum total is still not enough to make this film first-rate.

I saw Insomnia at a matinee and watched Pacino having great difficulty getting some sorely needed sleep. On the other hand I found myself nodding off. Something was missing. I give Insomnia 7/10.

This film isn't worth a lengthy commentary. Like many current films it possesses remarkable special effects to titillate the tots, and Ms. Jolie is a swell looking woman. For adults who seek good cinema, this film is a silly waste of time.

Like so many others, I just loved The Sixth Sense. I saw it shortly after it opened in theatres, and enthusiastically waited for the DVD to be released. Watching The Sixth Sense the second time around was just as rewarding a cinema experience as the first. Perhaps even more so. Subsequent viewings have given me even more insight into this marvelous film.

So when I learned that M. Night Shyamalan was going to write and direct a new movie with Bruce Willis, I anxiously anticipated its release. I couldn't wait to see Unbreakable.

I was very careful to avoid the natural desire to compare Unbreakable with The Sixth Sense. I went out of my way to try to enjoy and evaluate it on its own merits. Furthermore, I admire M. Night Shyamalan and wanted Unbreakable to be a good movie. Alas, it just didn't happen.

Despite my enthusiasm, at one point I found myself nodding off. M. Night Shyamalan is a fine screen writer and director, but Unbreakable simply misses the mark. While Unbreakable is not a terrible film it is terribly disappointing. It simply lacks the depth and sophistication of Shyamalan's earlier effort. When it was all over I said to myself, "So what!"

I rate it 7/10

This heavily hyped film is first rate trash. I'm surprised I had the patience to watch it for an hour.

I cannot recall another film quite this boring. However, if you think you can derive pleasure from watching young men beat one another up for no other reason than they like to beat one another up, this film is for you.

For me, it was a waste of time!

The House of Wax is a true horror classic! I saw it for the first time in 1953 at a local theatre in 3-D.

I have seen it many times since on video. It never ceases to entertain.

While watching it today I noticed something for the very first time: a most interesting anachronism.

This film takes place in old New York circa 1900. Every indoor scene has a gaslight in it, and the fire department responds with a horse-drawn wagon. Well, in one of the early scenes in the film Prof. Jarrod(Vincent Price)is conducting a prospective investor, Sidney Wallace(Paul Cavanagh), on a tour of his wax museum. There are gas lights everywhere. They arrive at an exhibit and Prof. Jarrod flips a wall switch, and presto the exhibit is illuminated in light. Somebody goofed!

If you've never seen The House of Wax, watch it. You'll love it.

One more interesting note. Dabbs Greer who plays Sergeant Jim Shane in this film also plays old Paul Edgecomb in the 1999 thriller The Green Mile.

Scrooge (aka as a Christmas Carol) truly captures the magic of Dickens' story as well as the historic period.

While the two other major efforts, Reginald Owen in 1938 and Seymour Hicks in 1935, have great merit; the Alastair Sim version of 1951 brings together an incredible ensemble of acting talent along with superb casting. Even minor roles are played with perfection. Of particular note is Mervyn Johns (the father of Glynis Johns) as Bob Cratchit, Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber (Scrooge's housekeeper) and Jack Warner as Mr. Jorkins.

Alastair Sim plays Scrooge with incredible skill and perfection. His pre-transformation Scrooge is truly cruel and unabashedly insensitive as depicted early on in a scene with one of his moneylending customers. After the debtor exclaims that he can't take his wife to the poorhouse, Scrooge obligingly replies, "Then leave her home!"

In another early scene with his nephew Fred, Scrooge makes it clear that he is more concerned with Fred's material worth than Fred's happiness as he expresses disfavor at Fred's marriage to the woman he loves.

After his transformation, Scrooge is pure delight. His scene with Mrs. Dilber (Kathleen Harrison), his housekeeper of many years, is sheer perfection as he bursts with kindness and offers her a generous Christmas present to which she incredulously replies, "For me?"

There is little doubt that Alistair Sim's Scrooge would have brought Charles Dickens to his feet with a standing ovation.