Change Your Image
gibson-claudia
Reviews
Crush (2001)
Severely Hideous!
Crush is truly a massive waste of talent, location, costumes and any viewer's time. It's that bad.
What could've been an enjoyable romp about a middle-aged woman finding love with a much younger man, despite the disapproval of her friends, and finding the courage to buck tradition and risk clicking tongues and disapproval by marrying the young man, turns into a rank mess.
In what universe would someone's supposed best friend try to seduce their fiancé, in order to prove that said fiancé is a cheat who will break their heart? And then, when the friend tosses out the fiancé, because she thinks he's a cheat, and he gets killed by a truck when he's trying to put on his boots in the middle of the road, a few months go by, they hug and all is forgiven? If someone had done that to me, I would never speak their name again!
This film is ludicrous and horrible. Women don't treat each other like that. This movie could've been charming and heartwarming. Instead, it's just horrible!
My Father's Will (2011)
Poor Ione Skye. She deserves better.
This is a really terrible movie. I was curious about it because I saw Ione Skye's name and I have loved her ever since Say Anything.
It's so atrocious. The leading man isn't bad, but he isn't given much. All the other parts are so terrible. Even the wonderful Talia Shire is reduced to a stereotypical busybody mom role.
The script seems like it was written by someone very untalented, and maybe someone with a lot of money got it made as a vanity project. At least some actors got to work. Oh yes and it's a recycled film I guess.
Aloha (2015)
Its charms far outweigh its flaws!
I had never even heard of Aloha - it apparently bombed and disappeared quickly in 2015 - but searching for a distracting film during this COVID period, I decided to give it a whirl. So glad I did, despite the poor official reviews.
What makes this film worth watching, despite a too-busy plot and some choppy editing, are the performances of this wonderful cast. They wring every possible shred of touching humanity out of the script. I loved watching the evolution of Bradley Cooper's beyond-cynical, ex-soldier defense contractor, from embittered torch-bearing wounded shell, to a man reinvigorated by the possibility of real love with a quirky partner, Emma Stone, who is more than his equal. The chemistry and interactions between all the four main characters feels real and unforced. Yes, they are all ridiculously attractive, but the way each actor thoroughly inhabits their role, and commits to the characters' interactions is what made this film work for me. If Cameron Crowe had abandoned the over-the-top, way too ambitious sub-plot of the evil defense contractor worming his way into the space program (while Bill Murray is always an asset, both he and Alec Baldwin morph into cartoonish caricatures by the film's end, and feel like an intrusion), and focused more on the evolution of the main character's relationships, the film would have been a thorough winner. Lose the "I'm 1/4 Hawaiian" aspect of Emma Stone's character, which is needless and offensive, and focus more on Cooper's evolving redemption as a human, I would have told Crowe. But then again, he didn't ask me. ;-)
I've never been a huge Bradley Cooper fan before, but I fell in love with him a little bit after this movie, due to his fine performance. And Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams and John Krasinski are right there with him, matching him step by step. I plan to watch Aloha again, and savor some very fine acting. Critics aren't always right.
Nappily Ever After (2018)
Really had high hopes, but....
I had high hopes for this film. I've had black female friends tell me about their own lifelong conflict and journey towards making peace with their hair. I thought it was a great premise for a movie and I've enjoyed Miss Latham in other films. She always has a natural quality that is sadly absent from this film. I found the original character before she cuts her hair shrill and unlikable. For a woman in this day and age with a successful career to put that much energy into "getting a ring"? It just seemed false. I think the character as written really needed some therapy. And the way she falls apart when he doesn't give her a ring on her birthday? It just was written and acted way too broadly and was sort of insulting towards women. I thought Ernie Hudson as the dad was wonderful, he always underplays his role and makes it so natural. Brittany Hall as one of the understanding girlfriends was also was also very good, and probably should've been considered for the main role, as she sports beautiful natural hair throughout and has a luminous quality. It's odd that the main character doesn't ask this friend about her own journey with her hair. I thought the character of the mother was atrocious, stereotypical and terrible. I'll give it a five because of the premise that needs more attention, and some wonderful actors. But it really deserved a much better script.