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Mukanil
Reviews
Click (2006)
Excellent Indeed
OK. I knew I liked Adam Sandler movies, even Spanglish, and yet I never saw Click at the movies. The preview made it seem kinda stupid. Yes, I know it's an Adam Sandler film. Anyway, about 2 years after they make it, I get it from Netflix... and was blown away.
I was truly shocked. This isn't just another funny Adam Sandler film, it's freekin awesome. I'm thinking awesome as in Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction awesome. A serious film whose TV ads/previews didn't do it justice. I saw the movie thinking I was going to see something like Happy Gilmore or Waterboy or maybe even 50 First Dates, but no, it's a movie definitely worthy of 10 stars and better than 99% of the crap that's put out these days. As Siskell and Ebert used to say, "Thumbs up, way up."
50 First Dates (2004)
A Truly Great Movie
It's rare for me to enjoy a movie more than once, so I rarely buy movies. But I've watched this movie probably every time I see it on the TV, and I'm pretty sure I also saw it at the movies when it was out. I saw it yet again over Thanksgiving, and that's it, I'm going to buy it, and I should have bought it a long time ago. Yeah it's a romantic comedy, but hey, it's funny with a good and interesting story. I'm not really sure why I'm not giving it 10 stars, because for what it is, it just might be perfect.
I really like Drew Barrymore, she's hot and is my favorite actress, and Adam Sandler is, strangely enough, probably my favorite actor... seems weird calling him an actor, but he is. Anyway, if you like one or both, you're bound to like this movie a lot. Enjoy!
Marie Antoinette (1938)
Simply Great
I just saw this on Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and from now on, Norma Shearer is the face I will put on Marie Antoinette. Such great acting from such a beautiful woman who truly embodied the role.
These days, it seems that every big movie has to have some cursing, nudity, sexual references of every kind or strong violence, but this old film is better than many of the latest, and it's in black and white, no nudity, or anything else that we have come to expect from movies.
For instance, if this film were made today, we would expect to see the beheading. This film doesn't show it, so it doesn't leave you with the shock or awe of seeing a beheading, but it does leave the cruelty of the situation which is much more enduring and meaningful to the tragedy.
Whether this is historically accurate wasn't a concern with me since all I really remembered from school was that she was beheaded, so this shouldn't be a spoiler. But the story was engrossing and very enjoyable regardless of whether it was historically accurate. Indeed, if anything, it may inspire personal research as to what Marie Antoinette was really like.
Full stars because this film truly is an excellent film and should be watched. I'm really liking some of these old great movies for some of the reasons already stated. Take away color, special effects, gratuitous violence and nudity, and you're pretty much left with having to make a movie with great photography, acting, and writing. Take the cream of that crop, and you're pretty much guaranteed an enjoyable experience.
Forgive me, I just recently became willing to pay for cable TV, and I'm really starting to dig these classics that I would probably never have seen otherwise. It's like finding hidden treasure in a way!
The Spitfire Grill (1996)
An Excellent Character Driven Movie
I first saw Spitfire Grill shortly after it came out on video and today I just saw it again on HBO, and so I've confirmed to myself that this movie truly is excellent. The acting, writing, plot, subplots, editing, cinematography, and sound are all of excellent quality which allows one to become immersed in this story.
I suppose that one may not like it if they are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder or similar ailments, because you really need to just be able to sit down, relax, and enjoy the show. Seeing this movie currently rated near 7, is a little disappointing because this movie is so rich. My guess is that the people who gave it a low score probably didn't watch it, or perhaps think only cool special effects and nonstop action make for a great movie.
This movie is more akin to Shawshank Redemption in the way it presents itself, without the narration. Shawshank is probably my personal favorite movie regardless of category, and I usually prefer comedies and sci-fi action type movies. But like Shawshank, this movie rates pretty high with me too. So if you're able to enjoy Shawshank Redemption, you'll enjoy Spitfire Grill.