candy_flesh Reviews

Terminator Salvation (2009)

I wish I hadn't bothered

[2/10 · 11 December 2009]

I saw the original Terminator in the theater on a date when I was 13 years old. It was totally not the kind of film I would have chosen on my own, but within a half hour I was totally sucked into the story and by the time the credits rolled it was ranked in my top 3 films. I told everyone I knew how great it was, I even got my mom to buy me the VHS tape when it was available! Terminator 2 blew me away, plain and simple. I bought books and fan magazines, I started working out trying to get guns like Sarah Connor's, I was a die hard fan.

I was worried about T3, but unlike most people, in the end I loved it. I agree that of the trilogy, it is the weakest and sure there's a lot of things wrong with it, but I love the story, I love the end. I was completely gratified by the turnaround from the "no fate but what you make" theme, because I happen to agree with what's shown at the end of T3, you can't escape destiny, even when you think you know what's coming. When the credits on T3 rolled, I was 100% satisfied with the 3 movies as a whole, and happy with the way the franchise had wrapped everything up and put a bow on top.

So, I was not happy to hear about a 4th film, I felt it was unnecessary. However, I was willing to approach it with an open mind after the way T3 had totally exceeded my expectations. What. A. Joke. Aside from the multiple plot points that totally go against the history of the franchise...a heart transplant? Really? Come on, people. You don't even have antibiotics. And then ending it with Connor saying "There's no fate but what you make?" Umm..hello? Did you not learn a hard lesson on judgment day about not being able to change fate? Really the only good thing about this film was lots of whiz bang special effects, but that's not the heart and soul of the Terminator movies. This movie has neither & actually needed someone to give it the stupid heart transplant that Connor gets in the end.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)

Shockingly good & heartwarming

[10/10 · 7 October 2008]

I took my toddler to see this because he loves dogs, and I thought it would be a great chance or him to see his first film. I was not expecting to enjoy the film, but was truly amazed by how well done it was. Sure the dogs were cute & it definitely has appeal to children. But I found the messages (about finding your inner strength, being a good friend, not being stuck up, and about the importance of adopting stray animals & caring for those that are lost or abandoned) very well-executed, they were clear without bludgeoning the viewer on the head repeatedly as so many children's films do.

I have to say the fact that the "coyote" who was meant to smuggle Chloe across the border was actually a Coyote, and the line about "say hello to my little friends" made me laugh long after I had left the theater.

I plan to buy this film on DVD when it comes out & enjoy it with my family for years to come.

Zodiac (2007)

Surprisingly suspenseful

[10/10 · 2 March 2007]

I admit, I was skeptical that a movie could be made about a 10+ year long murder investigation with very few actual murders and no arrests. I was even more skeptical that it could actually be funny, which I'd read in a review was the case.

All my doubts were for nothing, David Fincher has crafted yet another excellent film.

Here's the best way I can convey how good it is. I'm seven and a half months pregnant. I did not go to the bathroom once, in the nearly three hours of running time.

Wonderful acting, a really well done script that is true to the actual events and characters involved, a lot of dry humor which adds a much needed levity to an otherwise intense drama. The authentic dated look of the film serves to heighten the sense that you are watching real events that happened to real people.

If you are at all a fan of true crime, this film is a must see.

World Trade Center (2006)

beautifully non-exploitative

[10/10 · 19 December 2006]

I was truly impressed by the film. It was exceptionally tasteful and done on a small scale, it's the story of these two men and their families, and the men who saved them. Not of 9/11 or the attack on America, or terrorism, just what happened to these individuals, told on an individual scale. I understand why some critics said it was slow in places, but I think it needed to be for the sake of being true to the story. You know it felt a lot slower to the two men trapped in that rubble. It was not over-dramatized, there was no tearjerking, no emotional manipulation. It's just a straightforward story of what happened to these individuals.

I appreciated the fact that there was no footage of the planes hitting the towers, and no political commentary. We all know what happened on 9/11 on the large scale. It's the individual stories that should be shared, and this movie does just that for two men.

And the fact that, unlike the conjecture of United 93, it's entirely true, and the people who survived signed off on everything in the film made it well worth my time.

The only problem with it is that as I get older, I get more claustrophobic, and at first I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep watching, imagining the sheer panic I would feel in their shoes. I was sick to my stomach for a bit. But I took deep breaths and told myself that these men really survived this, and they deserved to have me hear their story.

Hoodwinked! (2005)

Get Hoodwinked! You won't be sorry.

[10/10 · 28 January 2006]

Hoodwinked is awesomely funny. Seriously one of the best animated films I've ever seen. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a movie in the past year. If you have kids, they will enjoy it, and if you like smart animated comedies, you will love it even more, whether you have kids or not.

Sure, the animation is not the shiny fancy stuff you'd see in a Pixar picture. Home baked cookies aren't as perfectly round and symmetrical as Chips Ahoy! are they? But really, which one tastes better? We actually liked the slightly more amateur look of the film, it gave it more of a hand-made, real feeling than the super slick computer graphics that are taking over. You could tell real human people worked on this.

One thing we really enjoyed was that it's an independent animated feature, so unlike the majority of them, there was no real moral. There was no heartwarming involved. But it's so fun and so amusing and entertaining, it doesn't need to have a "message".

Plus it has a seriously cool indie soundtrack.

It gets two paws way up. I'm so glad that we saw it. You should see it too.

Roll Bounce (2005)

Exactly as Advertised!

[9/10 · 8 October 2005]

We saw Roll Bounce this afternoon. It was exactly what I expected it to be. A predictable, exaggerated, silly, corny, inauthentic 70's nostalgia-fest.

We loved it! Seriously, it's probably in our top five for the year thus far. It was so much fun. Even the dramatic, serious moments were good and not laughable. My husband said afterwards he was thinking how funny it was that an emotional scene in an otherwise fluffy, insubstantial feel-good movie could evoke more feeling in him than all two hours of The Constant Gardener, for example.

Anyhow, we've both been a good mood ever since, we just had a great time at the movies. It was nice to see a good, clean, wholesome family movie that doesn't suck.

The Island (2005)

Best action/sci fi movie I've seen in two years

[10/10 · 24 July 2005]

Despite the critical bashing it's received from reviewers and friend, I figured we'd give it a fair shake anyhow, since the IMDb rated it above our other option for the afternoon, the remake of Bad News Bears.

Oh. My.

When we came out of it, my husband & I pretty much looked at each other and said "What the h*ll is everyone complaining about? That movie rocked!"

We seriously loved it. Both of us agree that it's the best action movie we've seen all year. Maybe in two years. It was fantastic! The story was actually based on a premise we find plausible, the acting was good, the stars are gorgeous. Steve Buscemi was great, of course. There were funny moments without overplaying the jokes. There were some silly action sequences, but you know what? If I am having a good time, I am willing to believe that someone could fall 70 stories holding on to a piece of scaffolding, and somehow get caught in a net and not be injured. There was never a point where there were so many bullets flying around it was ridiculous that they hadn't been shot. No one flew through the air in slow motion. Sure, there was cheesy dialogue, but I don't go to a movie like this for the script, that's what Cameron Crowe movies are for.

Also, the female lead was not a) too tough to be believed or b) all bimboed up with mass cleavage and tiny skirts. She was modestly dressed the whole time, and was competent without being over the top action hero girl. There was one sex scene, it fit with the plot, and was tastefully filmed.

Seriously, I wish I understood why people don't like it. I thought it was bloody terrific. I've been in a good mood all day just because I had such a great time at the movies!

I give it two paws up.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

A total disappointment

[1/10 · 26 June 2004]

Normally, regardless of whether I agree with Michael Moore's views or not, I

always am interested listening to what he has to say, and like his style.

This movie has none of that style, it is just a flat-out heavy-handed vitreous attack. I have no problem at all with the topic, I'm not Pro-Bush by any means, but I know what Moore is capable of, and I know he could have made an

insightful, informative film on the same topic. Instead he chose to just make this exploitative, vicious, venomous, so-slanted-it's-near-horizontal piece of

propaganda.

It has its moments, and certainly there was some interesting information. But the overall message is ruined by the relentless hammering it home with a blunt

heavy object to the viewer's skull.

Secondhand Lions (2003)

a delightful surprise

[5 February 2004]

I was initially put off by this film's trailer, thinking it was going to be one of those movies that tries too hard to be TOUCHING and HEARTWARMING. You know, the kind of movie that basically pours the treacle down your throat while shoving you down the feel-good path with all the subtlety of a boot to your rear end. Needless to say, I settled down to watch it with quite a skeptical eye.

I will happily admit to being wrong!

First off, Secondhand Lions is not a movie that takes itself seriously. It's meant to be fun and silly and over the top. I think some of the poor reviews must have come from people who thought it was meant to be a realistic movie. It's a comic book tall tale of a film. Not a really tall tale, not like Big Fish or anything. Just taller than average.

It reminds me most of The Princess Bride, not in story, but in overall exuberance and enjoyment of `a good yarn'. Michael Caine and especially Robert Duvall are having the time of their lives chewing up the scenery, and it works. Kyra Sedgewick as the stereotypical floozy mom and Nicky Katt as the bad mean boyfriend straight out of a paperback ham it up and are perfect. Even Little Forrest er... Haley Joel does a good job, and normally he irritates the living carp out of me.

Also, cool how he grows up to be Josh Lucas.

In the end, yes it is a `feel good' movie. But I felt good because it was fun and it was nice and I liked it. Not because they manipulated me into it.

A great movie for kids, a great movie for adults, I give it...and I can hardly believe it myself...two paws up!