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Reviews
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
It's official. I'm in love with Summer.
I walked into 500 Days of Summer not entirely sure what I was in for. Ten minutes into the film, I still wasn't quite sure what it was, but I knew I loved it.
This is just the movie I've been waiting for. As the tag-line says, it's not a love story, but a story about love. This couldn't be any truer, and I don't think there's any way I would have improved the movie.
Let's just get this out of the way now: I love quirky movies. I love creativity, I love new techniques, I love seeing something I haven't before. Let me also say that I am a romantic, and as a romantic, this movie gave me a fascinating new perspective.
Zooey Deschnael and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were both incredible, the latter particularly. He was sweet and charming, and it was easy to be swept up into his world.
The soundtrack was also great, and fit the tone of the movie beautifully. The story was awesome and still realistic. The writing was genius; smooth, funny, and cute to boot. There were several severely adorable scenes. (IKEA! for those who've seen it.) And the ending, well.. I'll let you see for yourself.
But most of my praise goes to the director, Mr. Marc Webb. This was his silver-screen debut, and I cannot wait to see where he goes next. The whole movie was absolutely stunning, beautiful but still real.
The way time moved backwards and forwards was very interesting and despite the jumps in time, it was all still easy to follow because the story became my story.
All in all, an amazing movie that comes highly recommended. I cannot wait to see this film again, and even more eagerly await the DVD release, so I can watch it to my heart's content. Because life is not a love story, it's a story about love.
The Notebook (2004)
Severely over-rated.
Now don't get me wrong. I love a gushy, tragic romance as much as the next girl. In fact, I think I love them more than the next girl. And I did enjoy this movie. I would indeed watch it again. There were several scenes that I thought were beautiful. But most of it? I thought a lot of the dialog sounded fake. The acting seemed very flat at times. And between the star-crossed lovers, supposedly young and passionate, there was not enough chemistry. Would I still recommend this film? Yes. I think it's a good movie. It made me laugh, it made me saw awe a couple times, I even teared up a tiny bit. But I really do think people ought to stop gushing about what an incredible, amazing, ground-breaking movie this is.
Casanova (2005)
Highly recommended.
I rented this movie last week and watched it with a friend. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as we started it, but my opinion is now definite; I love this film. It's cute, it's funny, it's romantic. A great film. Great writing, beautiful costumes, the sets, of course, gorgeous. The acting phenomenal. The plot interested me, and I truly cared for the characters. This film had both myself and my friend laughing and crying. I know that there were certainly moments when I was gripping the edge of the couch in fear for the characters as well. I would definitely recommend this movie. Ledger played a charming Casanova that any girl would fall for with wit and elegance. Go rent it, it's worth your 4 bucks.
A Lot Like Love (2005)
Beautiful film, now among my favourites.
I greatly enjoyed watching characters Oliver (Kutcher) and Emily (Peet) grow and change throughout the course of this movie. What I enjoyed even more was watching their relationship blossom. The dialog in this movie is realistic, although perhaps the likelihood of the situations aren't. The characters are deep and easy to care for. I definitely found myself wanting things to work for Oliver and Emily, and was disappointed each time something set them back. This movie is funny, cute, and touching. It's a great love story, acted beautifully. If you liked When Harry Met Sally, I'd definitely recommend this, as there are many similarities between the two movies. In fact, I'd recommend this movie anyways. If you're looking for a slasher movie with lots of blood-shed, this isn't it. If you're looking for the greatest and most ground-breaking film in American history, this isn't it. It is however, an adorable movie that goes well with a Friday night and a tub of ice cream.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Mind-blowing.
Now, first of all, keep in mind that this review is coming from someone who, generally speaking, find action movies dull and pointless. That being said, this movie is now one of my favourites. The plot is interesting, the action sequences incredible, the writing superb, hair, make-up, costumes, all great. And the acting? INCREDIBLE. Christian Bale is a great Batman, and an even better Bruce Wayne. All the supporting actors were great. And Heath Ledger? His Joker was psychotic, terrifying, and gave me chills several times throughout the movie. He played the Joker exactly as he should be played. Without Ledger playing the Joker, the movie, for me, would have been good at best. With Ledger? The movie was incredible. Easily worth the price of admission for Heath's performance alone. If he gets the Oscar, it'll be well-earned.
Basically? Believe the hype. Go see The Dark Knight.
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Yes, it was stupid, yes I enjoyed it.
Don't walk into this movie expecting anything Oscar-worthy; you won't get it. What you will get is 83 minutes of stupid, teenage-boy type humour. The plot is absurd. The acting is hardly incredible, but Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott both kept me laughing all the way through. Hardly the most thought-provoking film I've ever seen, but would be great as a Friday night pizza and Coke movie with your friends. It's dumb but, in my opinion, quite hilarious. I'd recommend this movie as long as you're not expecting something that will keep on the edge of your seat and bursting with emotion. It doesn't require much attention, or much, if any, thinking. Overall, very funny movie, I know I'll be watching it again.
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and beautiful.
Note; This is a review of the Theatrical Cut.
I'm not going to lie. The only reason that I sat down to watch this movie was because I think Ashton Kutcher is absolutely gorgeous. I think that he's funny too, but I hardly expected Kelso from that 70's show to be a dramatic genius. How wrong I was. Kutcher's depiction of a deeply troubled and serious character was compelling and overall, well done. The rest of the acting was brilliant as well. I thought Amy Smart was great, considering that she was practically playing several completely different characters. The plot was fascinating, and quite literally kept me on the edge of my seat. It was interesting, original, and deep. There were about 10 minutes in the middle where it began to get a teeny bit slow, but the film quickly threw me into another plot twist. My favourite part, of course, was the ending, as it is with almost any movie. One thing I cannot stand is a weak ending, and this movie has one of the strongest endings I have ever seen. It left me with lots to think about, and for days, even weeks after first watching this movie, I was still turning it over in my head, still marveling at the beauty and power of the movie. In case you hadn't guessed yet, I would highly recommend this movie. You'll not regret seeing it.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
HIGHLY Recommended
I waited for this movie for nearly 3 years, and I burst into tears with excitement the first time I saw the trailer. I have shamelessly promoted this movie to anyone who will listen for 2 and 1/2 minutes, and I went to school dressed as Mrs.Lovett for 2 days leading up to the release. When I finally saw Sweeney Todd, I was not let down. This movie is amazing. It is beautiful and dark and perfection at the highest. The songs are beautiful, and sung, while not traditionally, the best I have ever heard them. Johnny Depp is great, but who would expect any less? Helena Bonham Carter was perfect as Mrs.Lovett. This was easily the greatest, goriest movie I have ever seen. Go watch it. Now.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
easily the best Potter film yet.
I have come to despise the Potter films. They were mediocre up until Goblet of Fire, at which point I realized just how awful they were in comparison to the brilliant books.
Needless to say, there were changes.. Aren't there always? But there weren't any incredibly significant changes. The one scene I missed was the scene at St. Mungo's with Neville's parents. That scene was one of my favorites in the book, simply because it was so moving and showed us so much about Neville. The scene at the Ministry seemed rushed, and Sirius' death did not do nearly what it could have. Sirius, being among many people's favorite characters, should have made about half of the sold-out theater cry. But his death was rushed.
At the same time.. other parts were brilliant. I was terrified that Evanna Lynch wouldn't do Luna justice, but she was brilliant. While she didn't get enough screen time, she nailed the character. And Umbridge.. she stole every scene she was in. She was absolutely perfect for the role. The film had many good laughs, and there were at least 3 or 4 moments of triumph at which point the whole theater burst into applause and shouts. All of the actors were strong, and it was quite true to the book.
It's rather funny. Order of the Phoenix is easily my least favorite of the books, as I've read it only 9 times. But its most definitely the best film to date.
Highly recommended.
From Justin to Kelly (2003)
So bad, its good.
This is, without a doubt, the most awful movie I have ever seen. And yet I absolutely love it. The first time I saw any of it, I caught it half way through on TV when I had a friend over. We fell in love with it, and checked 6 video stores for it. We rented it, and laughed ourselves silly. It's stupid, the acting is awful, the music is cheesy, and the whole thing is very clearly a quick attempt at making money. But the awfulness is so laughable, that it's actually worth watching. Don't pop this into your DVD player expecting something amazing. Cause you're not gonna get it. But it's a wonderfully terrible bubblegum movie. If you see it for sale, buy it, it tends to be under $7 and it's a great bad movie to watch. Highly recommended only because of it's awfulness.