mls4615's stats
- Review count17
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewFebruary 2, 2009
- Last reviewJanuary 20, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.1
Overall rating
5
/
5
Heavy and Hard-Hitting
PostedJanuary 20, 2011
"Blue Valentine" is a story about a couple told in two different parts: how they come together and ultimately how they fall apart. Like the yin and the yang, they complement each other to create a picture of broken marriage with vivid and heartbreaking color. Writer and director Derek Cianfrance uses the broken narrative to provide the story with a harrowing sense of perspective as we observe what once sparked attraction between the two fuels repulsion six years later.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
/
5
I Wish the Movie Knew...
PostedDecember 28, 2010
I sure wish “How Do You Know” knew what it wanted from the beginning. James L. Brooks’ latest comedy is a study of three people uncertain of what they want for their futures. Nervous, frantic, and anxious, they each search for the answer to the questions they pose about their lives. But no one ever seems to find an answer, just a new question to occupy their thoughts. This makes for dynamic and neurotic characters, all portrayed with gusto by the sensational cast, but the movie feels like it’s running in circles around the same issues.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Ehh
PostedJuly 8, 2010
You’ve almost assuredly heard all the bad buzz surrounding “The Last Airbender.” And yes, it’s pretty bad. But don’t let the 9% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes convince you that this some sort of cataclysmic flop. It’s no worse than any of the other mindless, soulless blockbusters that studios engineer to turn our suffering into their profit.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Fun Moviegoing Experience
PostedApril 5, 2010
DreamWorks' latest output, “How to Train Your Dragon,” isn’t quite at a Pixar level. But the bright side is that it is one of Dreamworks’ best animated movies so far. And after my “Clash of the Titans” disaster, this was exactly the movie I needed to see in order to restore my faith in 3D. It’s absolutely worth the extra $3 to amplify the experience of a movie that’s worth the other $10 to see.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Well-Crafted Artistic Acheivement
PostedFebruary 16, 2010
The protagonist of “A Single Man,” George Falconer (Colin Firth), often references moments of clarity, in which he is able to forget the pain of his past and live in the present. Director Tom Ford does an excellent job of highlighting these moments, and it is here where his first film absolutely glitters. He has made a movie that stands as one of the most thoroughly beautiful aesthetic achievements in years. And it isn’t beautiful just to be beautiful – Ford uses all these elements to subtly alert us to the true mood of the scene, but it’s never so subtle that the message is unattainable.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A Return to the Classics
PostedDecember 28, 2009
“The Princess and the Frog” is one of the best movies of the year not because it sets out to revolutionize its craft or because it tries to impress us with its bravura; in fact, it’s such a joy because it does just the opposite. It sticks rather simply to the way animation was done in the good old days, and it has the beautiful charm to make you feel like you did as a child watching the Disney animated classics.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
/
5
Lukewarm, Not Heartwarming
PostedDecember 6, 2009
"The Blind Side" might as well be a Lifetime or Hallmark movie. It trades the sports movie cliches for the inspirational movie cliches. It is able to excel beyond a made-for-TV movie because it has its heart in the right place, yet it still feels like one because the focus doesn't hit similarly. The story should be about Michael Oher and how he rose from poverty to play in the NFL. However, the filmmakers felt it necessary to shift the paramount concern of the movie to Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock), the wealthy woman who made it all possible. It takes the achievement out of the inspiration, and a movie that aims to be heartwarming winds up radiating nothing but lukewarm feelings.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
A Beautiful Movie
PostedNovember 5, 2009
If you want to watch a big, sweeping, 1800’s English romance, perhaps you should curl up with that pint of ice cream and watch “Sense & Sensibility” in bed again because “Bright Star” doesn’t fit the bill. Sure, you have gorgeous countryside and fabulous cinematography, but the romance between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) is much more muted than what one would expect. In fact, director Jane Campion has made a film that portrays more of their heartache than their amorous time together. But the beauty of the movie comes from just that, the budding passion of their love that cannot bloom fully because of societal constraints and unfortunate illness. And according to Keats, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A Different Kind of Horror Movie
PostedOctober 12, 2009
Fear is a common emotion, and filmmakers constantly work to goad it out of us. The horror genre is most likely to instigate the aforementioned sentiment, and directors often resign to employing quick thrills and flashy graphics to force it out of us. But with four actors, one camera, and $10,000, Oren Peli has shown that fear can be found in even the most ordinary places. He conceived “Paranormal Activity” out of his own fear of what happens while you sleep. Peli’s vision of horror is nothing short of brilliant, finding the surreal in the real and the paranormal in the normal. The result is a truly terrifying experience for audiences.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Don't Go With Your Family...
PostedJuly 11, 2009
My review is incomplete because the projector broke, so I did not catch about 20 minutes of the movie. But from what I saw, Sacha Baron Cohen set out to make the most offensive movie ever made, and he succeeded. "Bruno" makes "Borat" look like a Disney movie. It does not single out any specific group but instead offends every single nationality, religious group, and ethnic group. The nudity and sexuality was obscene and over the top, forcing me to shield my eyes many, many times. The only thing that might drive me to see those last 20 minutes of the movie is curiosity to see how he could possibly end it. My suggestion: wait for it to come out on iTunes and go rent it and watch it alone in a closet.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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