Reviews

I'm surprised so many reviews are saying this movie isn't good. It's exactly what it's billed as: a dark comedy. Jon Hamm and Tina Fey are fantastic in their roles. The other actors are wonderful and don't miss a beat. You never know what's gonna happen next, which is especially gratifying in the current film landscape of sequels and reboots. I enjoyed every strange, off-kilter moment of this, and the ending is pitch-perfect. A delightful film except for the inexcusable outcome for Deputy Reddy. If you like the Coen brothers' movies, you should connect with this - it very much strikes the same notes as Raising Arizona and Fargo - lots of death and deadpan characters.

My expectations were low for this Netflix rom-com, but I was getting pretty fed up around the halfway point - the film was just too saccharine and predictable, though the lush setting and cultural sites elevated the experience and kept me going. Once a little tension was added to the situation, the film became more watchable, and I especially enjoyed the ending. I really like Rachel Leigh Cook and she has made several charming rom-coms since she matured a bit (I highly recommend Love, Guaranteed). Scott Ly is suitably hunky and soulful as the local love interest, and Ben Feldman is always great. The respectful presentation of Vietnam earned the movie an extra star, as did the completely casual and normalized inclusion of a Black lesbian couple. I was interested to read that the story is loosely based on the screenwriter's actual experience of an unexpected breakup before a trip to Vietnam, where she met a free spirit who she realized suited her best. (I wish I had known this before I watched - I might have been a bit more patient with the film.)

I had originally thought this was a flawless film but upon reflection, I changed my mind. It is a magnificient film, with a splendid cast. It makes the science interesting and understandable (which could not have been easy) and it doesn't avoid the provocative politics of the situation. My complaint is that the audience does not necessarily understand why Oppenheimer is so arrogant and so celebrated. The film opens by showing how insecure and troubled he was, and then jumps ahead to the Manhattan Project without showing how he came to be so admired and so impressed with himself. It also shows many contenious relationships he had, leaving one to wonder why the Project scientists supported him decades later despite their dismay over the use of the bombs. I would have liked just a bit more showing his intellectual growth in his earlier years as well as his management of the Project. (I supposed I should read the book.)

I loved the 1st season of this show - Anne Lister was such an interesting character and Suranne Jones was just riveting - I loved the way she broke the 4th wall and gave side eye to the audience. That the show was based on Anne's actual journals made it so much better - that she was a real character in history. The 2nd season was more about what a money grubbing, social climbing, pompous jerk Anne was, who didn't care at all about the working class, especially in the mine she owned and her own household staff. I didn't enjoy the 2nd season nearly as much as the first, even if it was historically accurate. I hated how cruel and manipulative she was to her wife. It just wasn't nearly as fun.

A beautiful film of course and the cast is just pitch perfect. However, it loses its way a little in the middle, when I found myself wondering "what is this movie about"? They try to keep a few too many balls in the air (garden design, budding romance, managing grief, court intrigue, etc) to be completely satisfying, but its well worth watching, especially for some really poignant moments, all of them anchored by the luminous Kate Winslet.

I think if you are not familiar with Jonathan Larson, this story needs a little more context than it's given. It's clearly a labor of love and a love letter to musical theater in general and Broadway in particular. The music is terrific of course, and all the performances and many VIP cameos are delightful.

However, this is a slice of Larson's life before he wrote Rent. References to Rent are clear in the film (AIDS and HIV references abound for example) and the film opens (and closes) by talking about Rent. But I kept waiting for the main character to start writing Rent. He doesn't - the film ends before Larson begins working on Rent. It's kind of confusing and a little disappointing. If I had been clear what this film was (it's mostly a staging of, and exploration of, a show Larson wrote prior to Rent called tick tick boom), I would have enjoyed it more instead of expecting it to be something it wasn't.

Of course marvelous performances and excellent evocation of the time and place. But the story needs a lot more art and more cats. I understand his life was sad, but the movie devotes way too much time to his failures and so little to his triumph and the joy he brought to so many.

I really wanted to love a film that has a woman over 30 years old as the protagonist. And nothing at all against the actors in this movie. But the story is just so improbable and this terrible murder is sort of treated like a way for the main couple to get together, which makes it seem so trivial. I'm not familiar with this author - maybe the book has more substance. If you like this genre, this is a perfectly acceptable addition to it, but it's not my cup of tea.

Like Kamau, I grew up with Cosby. I adored Fat Albert, I laughed until I couldn't breathe listening to his comedy albums. It is incredibly heart wrenching to discover what a terrible person he was. It's also truly horrifiying to confront how many people over the years helped him keep that secret. And it's awesome in the worst possible sense of the word to realize how one person can be two utterly different people, one who does tremendous good in the world and one who is a monster. Thank you, Kamau, for this amazing and heartbreaking retrospective!

This is not for everybody. But if you like smart dialog and delightful performances from beloved actors, then you should take the time to watch this quirky film.

An amazing cast elevates a very predictable story. I have to admit, I expected a little bit more than what this ended up being. Treacle galore but the performances are wonderful.

This movie is not at all what I was expecting - I thought it would be a more traditional Western. It's just an astounding character study of several people. It's a little slow getting started, but it's so worth it by the time you get to the end. If Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't get an Oscar, there is no justice in the world. Watch this movie.

I cannot imagine why there are so many negative reviews of this movie. People clearly watched this movie expecting it to be something other than what it was. I thought it was amazing. Sandra Bullock totally delivers. The rest of the cast is just perfect. I cried at the end. What more can you want from a film?

I know this movie meant well. It has some charming moments. It has some funny moments. It has a delightful ending. But the leads have no chemistry. And what is the point of spending the 1st half of the movie insisting that gay men can just be friends when, according to this movie, they cannot. I love a good romantic gay romance. The Broken Heart's Club is literally a top 10 film of mine. This was a wasted opportunity. It could have been better.

Completely winning film: great acting, great story, excellent use of the Seattle location. This rom-com has its heart firmly in the right place and you can't help but cheer for this couple to get over themselves and get together. Charming addition to the genre!

The comparison to Romeo and Juliet is odd because the story plays out quite differently. Leo and Nikki are childhood friends. Their fathers' feud started when they were still kids, but they remained friends. Nikki leaves for culinary school and, when she returns, sparks fly. There's a lot of nice modern touches, such as a side story about an octagenarian love affair, and some colorful secondary characters, including a flaboyant gay bar owner. The Toronto setting is used well and the leads have great chemistry. A charming addition to the rom-com genre.

This is not a perfect movie, but it has a lot going for it. Winning performances by the leads for starters. There are many funny lines and the movie has its heart in the right place. The message about being yourself is always a good one. The rewrite of Baby It's Cold Outside is destined to be a new classic. And yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie!

Also a plus: it has a definite The Truth About Cats and Dogs vibe, which is a top 10 favorite of mine.

I do have to knock it for a few things. Natalie and Josh have almost no chemistry to speak of. Jimmy Yang is handsome, but they could have sexed him up just a little - a better haircut would be a great start. The cringy proposal scene could have been cut completely and does anyone believe Josh and Natalie got every copy of the newspaper in the entire town (what if Tag's family gets home delivery?)

But every rom-com has red herrings and contrivances - you have to be willing to suspend disbelief if you want to enjoy people finding true love in 120 minutes or less. This is not a bad addition to the genre.

Not a perfect movie but a very good movie. It's a bit long - it wouldn't have spoiled any aspect of the film to trim a bit here and there and get the movie in at a more manageable 2 hours. But that's such a minor complaint. The casting is pitch perfect and it's just a master class for everyone watching. The film strikes an excellent balance of traditional western with some modern sensibility thrown in, including terrific music.

I just loved the twist at the end and it allowed Idris a spectacular scene. The women kick ass, which is important for me (as much as I enjoy the male actors). And the kisses - so hot!

There are so many untold or forgotten stories of westward expansion from the perspective of the other people who were there and impacted by it, I hope this is the beginning of a lot more westerns.

I'm kind of stunned at how amateurish this movie is. Syrupy and cliche, and some of the line deliveries are so wooden. If I didn't know it was directed by Clint Eastwood, I would think it was a student film project. The kid is a very good actor, and Clint Eastwood plays the same character he always plays, which is, of course, delightful. But who is the target audience for this movie? It doesn't have enough action for people who want that and it's too precious for people who like his more brooding, later films. I really wanted to like this but I was cringing throughout. Should have stayed home and watched Netflix.

There is hardly any dialog in this movie, which is good, because I missed half of what dialog there was. This is a beautiful movie, but I didn't know what the hell was going on most of the time, nor did I really get the point of most of it. Can anyone explain what the fox symbolized? I love Dev Patel, and any movie that casts the wonderful Alicia Vikander in 2 different roles is not going to be a waste of time. That said, I can't really recommend this unless you enjoy magic just for the sake of it.

A new book analyzing the letters of Ruskin and Gray interpret the story very differently from the one presented in this movie: that Effie and her father tricked John into marrying her for the money and he didn't wish to be intimate with her under false circumstances (his letters prior to their marriage had been full of his "naughty thoughts"). She proceeded to live life as the shameless flirt that she had been her entire life. Ruskin saw Millais as his salvation and threw them together often so that he could eventually have the marriage annulled. This story would have made a much more interesting movie than the one they made! I thought I was going to be seeing a passionate love affair, instead I watched 2 hours of a woman being depressed. It's beautifully filmed with a great cast, but what a bore. It's a shame that Emma Thompson, who is a wonderful talent, didn't see the potential in showing Effie as a more complex person.

With a title like gunpowder milkshake, I expected it to have a lot of action, and it does. The cast is so wonderful. It takes the time for a couple of sincerely emotional scenes, which I appreciated. But the truth is, I'm not that into action movies. I found myself thinking about the old guard, which I enjoyed so much more. Also enjoyed the new Mad Max which also happened to star Charlize Theron. There just wasn't quite enough "there" there for me in this movie. Not a waste of time but not my favorite of the year either.

To be fair, I haven't finished the series yet, but I'm halfway through and I don't understand the glowing reviews on this site. To call this brilliant seems like a vast overstatement. There's tons of plot holes and Gus is a brat.