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Reviews
Beautiful Dreamer (2006)
Simplistic, but touching...
I've seen some very harsh reviews of this movie so far. Although I have to agree with some of the points made, that the flow of the movie doesn't always seem to fit, and that some of the direction and the script could have been much better, I still enjoyed this film.
I was very impressed with some of the production in this film, as I know it was low-budget. The scenery and costumes lend to a very lovely, vintage atmosphere. I enjoyed the acting between the principal characters. Considering that the script and direction left something to be desired I found it very impressive that the leads were able to produce some of the moments that they did.
I was expecting to find this movie ridiculous and uninspiring, and no question, there were some moments where I was watching it thinking "what...?." Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying this movie quite a bit. Another reviewer called this movie "soap opera" but I thought that the emotion was extremely restrained, but poignant at the same time, and I think that's what I liked about it. This movie is a simple, sweet, heartfelt flick. If you're an incurable romantic, you'll probably enjoy it. I only wish that the screenwriters and scriptwriters and directors had given this movie a little more thought, more scenes, more well written scenes, and more time to play out, because the story,settings and characters were lovely.
Dadnapped (2008)
Formulaic Fun!
Keeping in mind that this is a Disney Channel Original Movie, and was not intended as Oscar material, I found this movie very enjoyable.
The plot was actually fairly interesting, several clever twists made it one of the more refreshing made-for-TV, "family" films that I've seen. Aside from the plot, I found the acting in this film better than most of its genre. Although occasionally slapstick, particularly toward the end (what can you expect, it is a DCOM), the acting was generally believable in a crazy/fun sort of way. There was great chemistry between some of the characters as well. I really liked the performances by Osment, Henrie, and Arias.
My least favorite part of this movie was probably just before the end (during the "climax") when the action moved from "expectedly because it's Disney Channel slapstick" to "tortuously unbelievably slapstick." Thankfully, it only lasted a few minutes.
If you're a cynic or a movie critic you'll probably hate this movie. However, if you're looking for a fun, clean, family-friendly movie that teaches some good lessons without being too heavy-handed, and doesn't completely insult your intelligence, you might just enjoy "Dadnapped."
The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend (1991)
Not such a bad movie.
I enjoyed this video. The movie-making quality is not the highest, and the acting is undoubtedly less than stellar. However, I found that this movie had a lot of heart. It is a much better family movie than many others out there, with no profanity and little violence. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in Pete Maravich and his life.
This movie was made to describe the basketball history of Pete Maravich, and shows a special relationship between Pete and his father, which I thought was refreshing. It's a joy to see a parent who did his best to establish common ground with his child so that they could relate to each other. So if you're interested in basketball, go ahead and check this movie out. You may find yourself charmed by the innocence in the story of the young Pete Maravich.