Reviews

John Hughes tackles adolescent love, and wraps it up in ego, selfishness, prestige, popularity, and cynicism. His writing is crisp, sharp, and surgically precise, rushing headlong to the final Shakespearean climax, which here is self-realization, growth, and mature love. The vehicle is sublime, boy wants girl, girl uses boy, and, finally, boy uses girl while blind to all the love that has been surrounding him his entire life.

The young stars' acting is superb, delivering the message with emotional depth and compassion. If you peruse the line-up, you'll find several future Hollywood stalwarts who gained fame here. I suspect that the film failed to score because everyone was burned out on the preceding run of emotionally challenging coming of age movies of the 1980s: The Big Chill; All the Right Moves; St. Elmo's Fire; The Breakfast Club, etc. Viewers were ready to move on to new genres: Goodfellas; Dances With Wolves; and the beginning of the Marvel Series and Franchise. In essence, Hughes returned one time too many to the well of 80's success.

It's a shame, because this was the best film of that lot. Please enjoy.

"Returning to USA after WWII, Noah goes wandering and angling. He comes to a small town and valley to catch a huge bass. He meets a cute widow and other good people there."

Yep, that's it. Not a synopsis, that's it, in its entirety. If the story had been more compelling than "a stranger comes along and meets some nice people", it could have been a John Barth novel and even memorable. The writers, however, just aren't up to the task. Oh they grasp for straws along the way: Noah Locke as Ahab and even a rather satisfying rehashing of Big Joe and Phantom 309, delivered by Stephen Tobolowski which was nice surprise (Tobolowski is one of those actors that you see once in a while and you slap your head and say, "where have I seen him before"). Just not enough original material to carry the moral, which proved to be a herculean undertaking.

I( would like to say that, all in all, I enjoyed the movie, but I struggled mightily to deal with Klein's North Carolinian accent, which really was just insulting. Still, it's a Hallmark, because it's a wholesome tale with a moral and even a little Christianity thrown in. So, it certainly has its audience.

Timothy Treadwell was an insane narcissist, who should have been institutionalized before he could kill himself and, sadly, Amy Huguenard. The film provides great footage of grizzlies in their natural habitat and other wild creatures like "Spirit" a red fox who has great personality in an anthropomorphic treatment. The most enduring aspect of the film is the effortless insight into Treadwell, his mental illness, his childish and buffoonish behavior and his delusion that the bears had "accepted" him as one of their community. One can easily see that the grizzlies actually tolerated Treadwell for 13 years until the inevitable happened, and one of Treadwell's friends ate him and Amy.

The film makes an honest-enough effort to unpack Treadwell and his antics while living in the midst of bears on the Aleutian Peninsula. His well-publicized efforts to "save" unprotected Grizzly bears no doubt did much more ecological damage to the species than assistance. Anyone truly loving these creatures would leave them alone in their space on Earth, not name them, anthropomorphize them, and turn them into Hollywood celebrities. At least on of these majestic beings actually gave his life for just doing what grizzlies are subject to do.

Throughout the film Treadway unashamedly shares his little boy's fantasy of being a man-bear, dancing through the high grass, chasing down a "friendly bear" and displaying his unbridled enthusiasm of being in grave danger every minute for four months each summer.

The film uses Treadwell's 1000 hours of filming the Alaskan wilderness to tell the story. The wildlife footage is non-pareil and well-worth the watch. Just be aware that Treadwell used his daring proximity to wild Grizzlies to get better and better shots, as he became more and more famous. His enormous and deluded ego was, no doubt, fed by each year's film, and by the 13th year, he, no doubt was incapable of stopping his self-destructive modus operandi.

Someone should have stopped him, but the Alaskan free spirited culture led men to stand aside expecting a deadly conclusion but allowing it to happen.

My first thought watching this film was that Melissa Joan Hart should find a new agent. But, the fact that she's done nothing but schloppy Christmas movies for the past 16 years pretty much makes that point. There are a number of surprises here: 1) that some producer read this script and said, "That's different. It's also cute, quirky, funny, and believable enough the audience will suspend belief to make it so. Turns out the concept is not believable, cute or funny. "Different", standing alone, doesn't make for a good movie. (Hollywood has yet to release "Werewolf meets Rudolph", but watch for it next Christmas if this film is a harbinger of holiday movies to come; 2) that Ron Underwood agreed to try to pull this mess together. It would be like a master mechanic agreeing to try and turn a go-cart into a Rolls Royce: and, 3) that Timothy Bottoms signed onto this thing. He's the one quality actor here who also didn't obviously need the work.

A young "painter" Melissa Joan Hart is working as a waitress to make ends meet when her frustrations with life "cause" her to kidnap a man to take to her parents' Christmas Airbnb family get together - in a house conveniently located 10 miles from the nearest house or gas station. Needless to say, the entire family plays along with the kidnap game, and, it being Christmas, love dust is hanging in the air. And powerful dust it must be, because her victim apparently suffers from some variant of Stockholm Complex, and, although he's engaged to another woman, falls for his kidnapper. Yeah, African Queen, it isn't.

I can't blame the audiences who watched his on TV in 2006, because they didn't know what they were doing. But you can certainly blame yourself for choosing this film to watch out of the 2,000+ movies released each year. It's natural, after investing serious time watching any film, to come away and say, "well, it had some merits". Not here. This movie stands as a monument to what Hollywood is willing to foist on the Holiday-watching crowd.

OK, some of these cookie-cutter (no pun intended) movies are actually sort of charming. This one is just annoying from beginning to end. Some feature some quality acting. Here, cardboard animation would have been an improvement. Some feature some half-decent writing. This treatment must have shown up in crayon, written by a kindergarten class - it's barely even English. Some even present a profound question or two. This one is so vapid and gutter senseless as to just be confusing.

That's the other side of the coin. Sometimes these flimsy romance movies are just plain bad, although even those are not usually as painful and insulting as this. Add to all of that, the cheap production - virtually the entire movie is set in two non-descript boring rooms - and you have a just a painful hour and a half.

OK. I'm a sucker for these quirky Celtic films, but this one is especially endearing. Yet another solid installment by Colin Farrell, and a mesmerizing performance by 11 year-old Allison Barry make the characters sparkle. The writing is a bit contrived trying to bring the mythical elements into play, but for the most part compelling and spritely. The direction is tight and the on-site camera work helps bring the story to life.

The mythical nymph is brought to life after becoming entrapped in a fisherman's (Farrell's) net. After being seen by another, she is condemned to seven years on land. According to legend, her only hope is the love of a landsman. Enter the inevitable romantic angle to the film. The rest is a journey to reconcile myth and reality, wonder and love, the impossible and the miraculous.

A winsome tale confronted by stark truth, but then again..?

Along with the first installment, this mini-series chronicles the life of America's father. It is a loving tribute to the First President, historically correct, and raising questions that ascend the mortal reality of the story.

These two endeavors were the finest work of Barry Bostwick, who excels as the frontiersman, general, president, and arguably the grandest role for Patti Duke. Supporting actors excel, bringing legends to the flesh. The direction is impeccable, and the writing straight and true, largely thanks to the works of John Thomas Flexner.

Only the more recent "John Adams" comes close to replicating this marvelous accomplishment.

Considerable time spent languishing with starving and sick sailors on the decks of leaking ships, along with the occasional gory battle scene. But none of that is gratuitous. It's part of the self-immersion into a tale of extraordinary courage, perseverance, and survival. Despite the opinions of others, I find the film pretty true to known history, at least with a brush just broad enough to embrace good story-telling. For fans of historical drama, this is an excellent past time, with everything a good adventure movie should have: good acting, believable character development, interesting direction, good writing, excellent dialogue, and wide cinematography. All in all, a story told with great emotional depth, and well worth the commitment to six episodes.

How do you judge a Hollywood movie? You could review a film from a classical perspective in terms of direction, acting, cinematography, story, and impact. Or, sometimes, you can judge whether a film achieves what it is wanted to be, even when that may be groveling to the lowest beast. On the latter score, I rate this movie as watchable.

I sat down with this film for something totally different from what I usually watch, and it was definitely different. Cheap sexual arousal, slap stick jokes, crudity, all in a revenge of the nerds schtick is the score du jour. But, within all that groveling to the lowest denominator, it delivers with an underlying, although trite, message. Bennett is interesting in his best Jim Carrey impersonation, and the rest of the cast plays along to his lead. Fuller is a delightful Dean Wormer. In fact, so much of the writing is pulled from Animal House, it sometimes feels like a cheap rip-off. But ultimately the movie finds its own feet and passes some time without feeling cheated.

A charming, sometimes brilliant use of the time travel meme. Tim is left with the biggest decision of anyone's life: embracing the future and saying goodbye to the past, even when it means tremendous loss. Until that fateful moment, it's just been about fixing minor things and reliving good times. But, in the end, a poignant philosophical junction that is as original as it is provocative.

Some parts are miscast, requiring constantly trying to make Rachel McAdams seem frumpy in order for the union with Gleeson seem believable. And McGuire plays like a comedic relief mascot. But, still, the acting is superb, Nighy, Wilson, and Cordery in particular. All in all, a delightful tale reduced to film impeccably.

If I had seen this in the cinema, I would have been standing and applauding. It's hard to find a film today that is so worth watching.

OK, I can suspend belief for a good entertaining story. Virtually no Hollywood movie is true to the history it proclaims. So why not in a rousing pirate tale. I've never heard anyone complain that Captain Jack Sparrow was not an actual pirate in the annals of piracy. Here, we have a good tale told in an action format that kept my interest throughout. A film using Blackbeard only as a pretext, what's wrong with that? Surely a story laden with good vs. Evil, love conquers. And good guys win is not passe. An enjoyable pastime; the writing is not so bad by Hollywood standards. And the sometimes over the top acting is perfectly suited to what the film pretends to be. I say watch and enjoy, maybe after a few beers to open your horizons to pure fantasy.

Yet another installment to prove that Roddenberry's vision and vehicle has been over, around, and inside out. It has nothing more to give. At least the writers of the latest vehicle obviously had a lot of fun. If I got paid to watch the same old same old again, I might have enjoyed it more. But at its end, the writing is droll, staid, and far short of the original or TNG. A couple of the full-length features were fun, but come on man, it's time to lay to rest the formidable engine that powered so much Star Trek lore. Hollywood always chases one more one dollar profit. Is it time yet for Longest Yard 3, or the next installment of The Nutty Professor? Let's hope not - ever. And let's hope that a somber funeral will put Star Trek to rest, leaving us with the good stuff that already exists, not reweaving the same old yarns into something as inferior as this effort.

I didn't expect much from this film, but I watched it, mainly to check out Drew Barrymore's directing ability. What I found was a provocative off-beat story that was both cute and emotional. Page delivers, but really what could go wrong with the supporting cast that showed up here. No doubt, Barrymore persuaded Fallon to be a part of her directorial debut, and most of the other supporting actors added charm and depth. It's not a great sports movie, but then again it's not intended to be. It's more about teenage angst and the sometimes trying relationship between parents and teenagers who are stretching their wings. The message is that those power battles are still infused with love and respect. All in all, a pretty good watch.

Eight straight hours of suspense, action, chills, and drama. The best TV entertainment experience in a long, long time, at least since Justified. Unlike Justified, it is not episodic, but plays more like a self-contained movie. Viewers will be mesmerized by the acting, direction, writing, and casting in this memorable experience. All of the elements of a top-rated film are there, all at the very top of the craft.

The story is LeCarre meets "24". In fact, this show is the closest thing to "24" since, well "24" itself. All of the knock-offs and pretenders be damned. This is the real deal. LeCarre because the premise is plausible and enough detail to make you realize it's an inside job. A hardened war-tested seal is the target of a vendetta designed by a corporate MIC cabal in order to protect its multi-billion dollar contract that has gone awry. And Pratt (Reece) is the only living proof that the priceless medical treatment it has developed is an abysmal failure.

In addition to the action, there are melodramatic elements, raising psycho-philosophical questions of what is the man, perception vs. Reality, and justifiable anger. At least enough to keep the head spinning around the deeper questions raised here.

So, sit tight, and be carried away by a story that is bigger than any of us, and a cast that delivers a supremely crafted vehicle.

I spent two hours slack jawed and open mouthed in front of the screen wondering just what I was watching. This is simply the stupidest, lamest, and most insulting waste of celluloid ever. Two hours of Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash proving they never had any acting ability; two hours of Hollywood writers proving they are all 15 year old boys; two hours of everything wrong with Hollywood on constant display, all add up to two hours I will never get back, much less erase this utter nonsense from my mind's eye. The film stands as a monument to the fact that, if you can't act but have no sense of embarrassment, you just may have a long and storied Hollywood career and live in a beach house in Malibu. Or, in the case of Alicia Silverstone, you don't even have to audition. She's so bad that she was a star before she was born.

All attempts at class satire and adolescent arrogance fall flat in idiotic one-liners. All attempts at humor are inside jokes that tell you the producers, director, and "actors" must have roared through the entire preview of the film. Too bad for the rest of us. Or, if you are failing high school English, drop out and try your hand as a writer in Hollywood. The utterly brain-dead executives who control all the money will think you are hilarious.

This movie is a ZERO rated piece of something that should be flushed rapidly.

I watched this film for the first time in 40 years for a dose of nostalgia and a few grins, and that's what I got. It's a true time piece, and Paramount's answer to Universal's Animal House (1978). The film is important, however, for ushering in a new era of in-your-face comedy, driven largely by the original SNL crew plus comedians like Sam Kinison, Gary Shandling, Dice Clay, Bolbcat Golthwait, and others.

What I found, however, is that what was funny in the 1980s is sometimes just not funny today. Enter "Meatballs". So, I must grade this film from a 21st Century perspective.

This is a summer camp movie focused on the counselors, while the kids are just paisley wallpaper. But, that is the story, so be it. After all, the film is aimed at a young male adult audience, and delivered plenty of sexual stimulation for all or us young-20s testosterone-laden fellow sitting in the theatre. But, in the end, the movie is mostly a series of sexual hijinks and physical humor, mostly driven by Murray, himself. Even the "underdog gets revenge" plotline gets lost in all the other shenanigans. (Besides which, I never enjoyed the adolescent "revenge" films of the 1980s.)

The film is mostly a hodgepodge of this and that, heavy on early 1980s culture, dress, and hairstyle, with nothing beneath the surface of Hurricane Lake.

This is one of the finest films of the past 40 years. That's a tall statement, but it's true. So many films have tried to match this tale of teenage angst and pure meanness, but none has ever come close. Every attempted remake of this film tries to be a comedy, which doesn't work. Kim Walker and Wynona Ryder are exquisite, but Christian Slater (playing Christian Slater, as JD) happened to find himself in the perfect role. If I ever found that character for me, I'd stay forever in the role, just as Slater did. Every role he ever played after this film, Slater has a bit of JD in his interpretation. So, serendipity helped push this from classic to greatness. The formula becomes magical and Ryder's chemistry with Slater is palpable.

Satire drips in every scene, every line. The film is truly genius of writing, unheard of in Hollywood today. Be on your toes, or you'll miss so much. ("Seven schools in seven states, and the only thing different is my locker combination". (" ..a candy dish, a post card from Joan Crawford, ....") It's just jam-packed hilarious writing from one moment to the next. (Daniel Waters went on to write Batman Returns, Demolition Man, and Happy Campers.)

The film falls into a dark place, played out by Ryder and Slater, and that is the perfect direction for this treatment. Their actions lead to a rash of teen suicides, but the film stays true to its dark comedy outline. One watch is unforgettable, but it's a film that will bring you back time after time to pick up the intricacies of acting, occasional improvisation, directing, and cinematography.

Sure, it's a great film for the student of film-making, but it's also a great chance to sit back and take it in as entertainment, A must-see for everyone. One of the greatest movies ever made.

A very well acted, directed and written film about adolescent bad behavior that comes back to roost. Lohan was such a talent at 19; it's really a shame that she flamed out so young. This movie was the launch pad for Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams. Lacey Chabert, the best actor of the four got essentially blacklisted after this film, Shadow of Fear, and Dirty Deeds, both of the latter movies losing money. She got relegated to Hallmark romances, where she continues to leave her mark. Such a shame, really.

The story of a clique of the beautiful trio at Northside High School becomes a quartet when Lohan becomes a new student in her junior year. But, Lohan has no intention of being "plastic" and, instead, sets off to destroy the girls who have been destroying others' lives for years. Actions have consequences, and their shortcomings become life lessons for these girls.

Essentially, the film is a remake of Heathers, which is oh so much better. This type of film deserves an exploration of the depth of evil, not a story of restoration and forgiveness. Heathers is so much darker and stands still as the non-pareil film of this genre.

Still, one must appreciate the skill on every level that made this film possible. And maybe just sit back, forget Wynona Ryder, and just enjoy in it's own right.

Another Hallmark cookie-cutter romance, but this one is surprisingly touching and satisfying. Aside from Ed Asner's gargoyle stand-in role, the characters are somewhat developed and believable. But, in the end, it's Lacey Chabert that steals the show. After this film, I went back and watched Mean Girls, and saw her amazing acting talent on display. Plus, she must be one of the most beautiful stars in Hollywood. Such a shame that Hollywood blacklisted her because of her religious convictions, but good for her staying true to herself and her beliefs. A truly touching story of inner-city types discovering the peace and joy of living in the country where life is thriving all around you. And through that experience find each other. Brennan Elliot seems just to be along for the ride, but Jenny helps him along into true romance. Strong performances by Daniel Cudmore (Tommy) and Heather Doerksen (Casey), but in the end, it's Chabert's film and she shines.

Yes, it's about time travel, and, our protagonist, Aiden, uses a hidden door to yesterday to try and save his lost love, Lauren. While a worthwhile attempt to tell a story outside of the pagan rituals of film making, mediocre acting, poor direction, and a jerky script doom this project. And not helter skelter because of the story line, but because of poor craftmanship. Throw in an annoying soundtrack that is like a George Winston Can't Wait to Die, and you end up with an awful movie to sit through. The truth is that with the attempt to play on the paradox and contradictions of time, the film flattens out into a mind numbing "what if".

Only 1:21 long, I got stuck in the stream waiting and waiting for Aiden to figure out the obvious. It all got tedious, even with Aiden experimenting with yesterday's yesterdays, and meeting his own grandmother as a young woman. A lot of this episodic flashbacks are just plain confusing.

All in all, a boring failed attempt.

This is a remarkable cinematic achievement. Very few directors since John Ford have told a story with such depth, feeling, and sublimity, while staying true to character while not delving into sentimentality. Loosely based on Fitzgerald's short story, the film actually surpasses the original.

That can be said for hardly any movie, ever. While it's a 2 1/2 hour commitment, the film flew by and I can't imagine anything cut out that would have not been essential to the overall production. Great acting, great direction, great set, great cosmetology, great casting, just everything about this film screams a Must See.

The film is not as bad as some have reviewed it. Some pretty good acting from Drew Waters and Chad Halbrook. The rest of the characters, ok, acting is not their A-game. For once some believable sports performance from the actors and stand-ins, with sufficient direction to make it believable. The plot is never staid, but told almost religiously as recited in the New Testament, with a modern spin. Work in David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, and you have a Christian movie working hard to provide some entertainment in a heavy-handed parable. A recommended film for the Christian family on a Saturday night, which will leave plenty of room for discussion afterward. For the rest, better a skip.

This film is not for everyone. It's been listed as a psychological thriller, but it really defies a genre. Call it a drama, and be done with it. But, so original, and so brilliant, that it's a must see. JK Simmons is outstanding, as always. The support cast is passable, to be honest. But, the story and the presentation are just beautiful. An aspiring drummer is pushed to his limits by the jazz orchestra director, Simmons. All in all, the story raises some important questions that are rarely explored. What makes greatness? It is certainly not talent alone. As director and teacher, Fletcher (Simmons) knows that greatness comes form within, and from an abiding and fearless place that is fueled only by desire. Anyone who doesn't have the drive and the confidence will never achieve anything beyond the space he is assigned. And, so, with out protagonist.

A wonderful journey from neophyte to hero, the story is fulfilling and joyful.

This film is not quirky. Harold and Maude is quirky. Local Hero is quirky. By contrast, Braff's character is Ray Barone without Debra to ground him; or, Charlie Babbitt without Raymond to protect him Rather, Braff is just wandering around like an extra from Night of the Living Dead. Add the one-dimensional supporting characters (the great Ian Holm reduced to the puppet from Tales from the Crypt) and the disturbing scenes of pointless drug intoxication, this movie left me buried three feet underground with a straw to breathe through rather than taking me to a weird albeit different space, or uplifting me through a meaningfully odd experience. If not for Natalie Portman who shines as a sort of Tiny Dancer version of Julia Roberts, I would have been left alone wandering through this bizzarro world of nonsense. Thank you, Natalie, for being there for me.

Even the supposed redemption side-line is both buried and contrived and ends only with getting back to even. Why Holm, Dennis O'Hare, Tim Parsons, or the pre-eminent Jean Smart signed onto this project is beyond me. They all had better things to do. Finally, I must mention the sloppy writing filled with trite droppings throughout that left me slack jawed in a constant state of "huh"?

So, go ahead and downvote me for not buying into this slop.

An original comedy featuring a toned down Ron Burgundy who collides with Murphy Brown. Turns out both have a soul and are able to meet in an ethereal satisfying space.

A great cast (Kathryn Heigl is a fine actor, and Nick Searcy and Bree Turner are perfect in their supporting roles) helps make this well-paced film a success. The humor is a mixture of mild slapstick and outrageous situational comedy, which works because that's exactly what the writers were after. The film is true to itself and ends up a pretty good watch.