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prettyjulie130
Reviews
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Charming!
What a lovely, lovely movie. Don't let the previews spoil it for you, this is a good-quality movie that is absolutely perfect date-night material.
(What this movie is not, however, is a Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler vehicle replete with dumb slapstick humor.)
Waaaaay better than most people think it will be. The movie (and I'm stretching here because IMDb.com won't let me post a comment that is under 10 lines) is well-written, each scene is handled in an appropriate manner, nothing humorous is too far into the toilet. Steve Carell is a very talented performer and he co-wrote the screenplay!
L'anniversaire (2005)
The Big Chill for 45 year olds
It was a cinematic bon bon.
Similar plot devices to The Big Chill, such as one of the gang of 7 having been a famous actor; one of them having an inappropriately young girlfriend; a bunch of illicit smokable substance; one having the desire to share the wealth via a slightly illegal maneuver; the significant others who accompanied the primary invitees leaving before the rest; the dancing to the oldies scene (though the music is American, in the case of L'Anniversaire they pick what is arguably the most horrible of the lot from the early 1980's - Steve Miller's Abracadabra, with lyrics "Abra, abra-ca-dabra; I wanna reach out and grab ya", to end the movie. ::shudder::) Beside the similarities to The Big Chill, the direction is mediocre but the locations are beautiful and beautifully shot.
It's a good date movie.
Syriana (2005)
Plot Plot Plot
Seems to me that there are two types of reviews of this movie shaping up.
1. Didn't like it because of the lack of character development.
2. Liked it because it's plot-driven.
I fall into category 2.
The plot is hard-charging but the movie is not nearly as difficult to follow as some reviews would have you believe. We don't learn much about the characters - only enough to be able to follow the plot.
This is a movie we talked about after it was over, and talked again the next day, and went to see again.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Very well done.
First, this movie does an excellent job of showing you exactly what it's like to be in an Asian country for the first time.
Second, the unexpected friendship that develops between Murray and Johansson is so poignant.
Third, I went to Bangkok this past year and the parallels between Tokyo and Bangkok were stunning. I belly laughed at some of the things that happened in this movie because they hit home so hard.
Fourth, the relationship is representative of what can happen when two people are on the road and open to new experiences.
Very nicely done. I wish I had the talent of Ms. Coppola.