Change Your Image
Sygourney
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Intransit (2017)
What film was everyone else watching?
The story itself is decent but, I hardly call it a love story because the two characters hardly know each other long enough. When did they fall in love? Was it while shooting targets at the arcade or over fish and chips later that day? Ethan Taylor is excellent despite the flat performance given by Grace St Hill attempting an American accent. In fact, I nearly turned it off until she slipped into her native accent.
There is an editing error when Candra is seen crying at one point, her eyes dry and makeup (why is an alien wearing makeup?) slightly smeared, when we cut to Jack then back again to see her eyes drenched with full raccoon rings.
I saw the other reviews including one that called this a "perfect" short. I just don't see it. Beautiful scenery, pretty costumes, good music, and zero chemistry between the actors in the first 15 minutes of a 25 minute film do not equal "perfect" and they certainly do not earn the 10 stars most reviewers gave. This film needed another 30 minutes to sell me on giving more than four stars.
Mr. Church (2016)
An Unexpected Gem
I watched this film only because it was part of my Amazon Prime membership and I was blown away. Eddie Murphy offers a performance that is so unexpected, so genuine, I forgot he was the same comedian/actor who made such disappointments like "Norbit." If you need a good chick-flick or want a good cry, grab your Kleenex and watch "Mr. Church."
Draft Day (2014)
Not Your Typical Sports Film
On April 11, treat yourself to a nearly perfect film: Draft Day. Ivan Reitman directs a star- studded cast led by Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, and Dennis Leary. I scored tickets to a special pre-screening of the film and I haven't seen Costner this good since 1989's Field of Dreams. Draft Day is an amazing story for anyone who enjoys America's gladiator sport. It is also a brilliant hook for the NFL to use to attract new fans. In particular, those who have never seen the battles fought on the business side of the multibillion dollar franchise will find the story difficult to resist.
Several stories are told through characters who are all connected by one of the sport's holiest of days: NFL Draft Day. We see the worry experienced by a veteran quarterback who may lose his job if the press is right. We see a touching story of a son who wants to join the team his father played for. We see the conflict of a rookie torn between what is right and what is lucrative. We see a love story born from a mutual love and respect for football that clashes with a son's duty to his mother and the memory of his father.
No other film has ever looked so beautiful while capturing the excitement of football without centering on action sequences on the field. The beauty of this film is in the chemistry between Costner and Leary as they fight for control of the destiny of the Cleveland Browns, the looks exchanged and words unsaid between Costner and Garner as he struggles to be the man he wants to become, and in the struggle between Costner and Ellen Burstyn who is struggling to be the mother he needs.
Throughout the film we are privileged to see performances worthy of any prize yet the most surprising is that of Griffin Newman as Rick, the intern. He learns faster and bonds with more characters than any other cast member. He is simply brilliant and is officially on my list of actors to watch in the coming year.
Draft Day is everything we wish American football will be. We want the struggle, the fight, and the triumph of Draft Day. I only hope a sequel is coming soon because after watching what these characters endure just to make it to the draft, I desperately want to see how their first season ends.
The Spectacular Now (2013)
Pass on This Downer
So disappointed in this film! The trailer makes it look so amazing and full of life and hope. If it hadn't been so depressing I would have slept through it. I have to admit that I was tempted to abort this mission very early on but my faith in Miles Teller held me down. I kept waiting for the smart ass we have come to love in his other films to appear but was only offered a watered down, pathetic, alcoholic version. I never cared enough about his character because he was always a self-serving jerk. Where was the realization that usually comes when a character nearly kills someone? Where was the desire to redeem himself?
The film was beautifully shot with perfect use of color and light but that was not enough to make up for a weak script and disappointing characters. That was 95 minutes of my life I will never get back. Do not make the mistake I did. Life is too short to watch bad films.
Jericho (2006)
Why CBS should hire me to choose their Primetime Shows...
My most recent discovery is "Jericho". I originally played the first episode because I am a fan of Skeet Ulrich (Jake Green). Many have referred to Skeet as a poor man's Johnny Depp, but I think Skeet is just a little more relaxed with his performances since he doesn't have so much pressure to be the big Hollywood star. Add Gerald McRaney as Skeet's father (Johnston Green) and mayor of the town and top it with the tough as nails mom who just can't wait to bake you a homemade pie, Pamela Reed (Gail Green), and you have an instant winner.
I can't say enough about this show. I love the fact that Jericho is a speck of a town in the middle of Kansas that chooses not to fall apart during the worst disaster in the history of the United States. The people of Jericho simply "get it". Towns surrounding them have fallen into anarchy while Jericho celebrates Thanksgiving, manages to keep their grocery store in business, and still feels it is important to go out and vote.
This isn't just an apocalyptic tale of death and chaos, it's a family story from the word go. Ulrich's Jake Green has just returned to town from a self-imposed exile when the whole world gets turned upside down. Throughout the first few episodes we see the uncomfortable silences between Jake and his father. We also watch as the friendship between Jake and his brother, Eric (Kenneth Mitchell), slowly rebuilds. Of course, what end of the world tale would be complete without the "boy sees girl he has always loved but now she is engaged to someone else" arc? Buy the boxed set if you want to sit down and have a literal marathon of excellent TV. The soundtrack alone is worth the purchase. My favorite musical finds are Coldplay's "Til Kingdom Come" and Damien Rice's "9 Crimes" which played during the perfectly choreographed final scene of Season 2, episode 4, "Oversight". Of course, this is just my humble opinion.
Iron Man (2008)
Robert Downey, as usual, rocks this film!
Robert Downey, Jr. absolutely rocks in this film. Say what you will about his repeat trips to rehab and his "Hollywood Bad Boy" persona, but this is an actor who was truly born to play the title role. You can see just how much he enjoys himself as the playboy rich kid Tony Stark riding in a tank in the middle of a war zone, enjoying a drink and joking with the soldiers. You can't help but wonder how many of the lines were ad-libbed by Downey because the ease with which he delivers his lines is just too perfect. Gwyneth Paltrow is refreshing as Stark's assistant. While Paltrow has presented herself as a serious (dare I say pretentious?) actress in the past, she seems to relax and allow herself to enjoy the film. Her red hair helps to downplay her natural beauty allowing her to carry herself as a slightly mousy woman in comparison to the supermodels her boss usually brings home. Jeff Bridges, as always dominates the screen. He is a powerful actor and a diabolical baddie. I am impatiently awaiting the sequel!
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)
Watch only to save your life from extreme boredom...
If you have nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon, this is a great little DVD to pop in and laugh at. I mean, with Jason Statham (thankfully without a toupée), John Rhys-Davies ("no one tosses a dwarf), and Ron Perlman ("Hellboy") in the cast, you would think this would be a top notch film, right? Don't count on it. I'll even give you the fact that Burt Reynolds plays the King. Good old Burt couldn't even save this one. I think the budget was spent on the cast and special effects so there was little left for a script, let alone to hire a decent director.
The special effects are pretty incredible. The battle scenes are well choreographed and the music isn't half bad but then you find scenes like the one with Kristanna Loken as Elora, a vine swinging tough chick who declares that men are not welcome in her forest and has the screen presence of a stick.
Ray Liotta gets the biggest laughs as he tries desperately to be the insane baddie. I just couldn't take him seriously and I am not sure he could, either. Maybe he needed the money? To my surprise the saving grace of this whole fiasco is Matthew Lillard ("Scream") who shines as the sniveling, traitorous, Duke Fallow. Yes, he plays it over the top, but in a snooze fest of performances, Lillard can't help but shine.
East Is East (1999)
A few laughs between the many bumps in this film...
Let me start by saying that this film is terribly mislabeled as a comedy when it is, in fact, very much a drama. Yes, there are times when I laughed out loud but I chose this film because I was in the mood for a comedy. Had I been in the mood for a drama I am sure I would have scored the film much higher.
"East is East" is the story of a Pakistani father, George Khan, his Caucasian British wife, Ella, and their seven children. The acting is superb, the writing is excellent, and the soundtrack is wonderful. Having said all of that, I do have a few issues with the film. (SPOILER ALERT) First, the oldest son, Nazir, just kind of disappears for a while without any explanation. Did he run away? Did he kill himself? Where did he go? We find out about halfway through the film when his father pronounces that he is dead. This leaves the viewer wondering how one could have missed such an important event, but a few minutes later we realize that Nazir is only dead to him. In fact, we discover, albeit something I guessed in the first ten minutes of the film, that Nazir is gay. This is all the more reason for his Pakistani father to call him dead.
My second issue with the film is that I really liked all of the characters, even the strict and traditional George. Ella is charming the way she can talk him down from almost any argument with typical British humor mixed with a few choice swear words. The kids adore their mother and, although they disagree with him, they love their father. This led me to believe that the film was going to be a "Dad is a strict traditional man, kids and mom are not, so this is the story of how everyone changes Dad." (SPOILER ALERT) Unfortunately, the story became, "Dad is an abusive and closed-minded bastard and starts beating on anyone, including mom, who dares to defy him." I just don't understand why the story had to change this way. I left the film wishing Ella would leave her bastard husband and raise her kids on her own. We went from the tenderness of how Ella would ask George if he would like some tea and he would reply, "just half a cup", to George calling her a "bloody b****" and giving her a black eye. Why? My final issue with the film is the ending. (SPOILER ALERT) We are left with nothing changed in the family other than the children discovering that their father isn't just strict, he is cruel. I just feel incomplete after watching "East is East". I get that the Pakistani culture is very different from British culture and that, particularly in the 1970's, the west was not very open to accepting this new group of immigrants. What else came of this story? I don't feel warm and fuzzy toward this culture if George is a shining of example of how the men truly behave. Why did he choose to marry outside of his own culture if he hates it so much? Why raise children with a mother who is not Muslim and not from Pakistan if you are just going to teach them that it is unacceptable to marry anyone who is not from Pakistan? I feel like I got a glimpse of a very dysfunctional family who will never see a happy ending and that is just not why I choose to watch films. I watch films to learn something new, or to laugh, to perhaps cry a little, but overall, I watch films to have a few hours of enjoyment. I watch films to forget my own problems for a while. After watching this, I just feel like I would have been better off calling my own family back home and hearing about their issues and problems.