PedS's stats
- Review count386
- Helpfulness votes92
- First reviewMay 31, 2008
- Last reviewApril 27, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.4
Overall rating
4
/
5
Hilarious!
PostedJuly 29, 2011
Carell nails this role of a recently separated man whose wife cheated on him with a character played by Kevin Bacon. He meets Ryan Gosling at a bar while acting in a pathetic way, cursing his wife and her lover. Together they conquer woman at a local bar and score regularly. The problem is, he's still in love with his wife, even while he hates her. It gets messier still when his son is in love with the babysitter, who ends up loving Carell's character. If only that were the end of it! More and more coincidences ensue and love, and sex, get more complicated and intermingled. It all makes for great fun and I highly recommend it. Perhaps the best part is that each of the cast members perform well and together. I had a blast.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Complex story of French Jews' persecution in FR
PostedJuly 28, 2011
Kristin Scott Thomas does a riveting job of playing an investigative reporter who stumbles on the story of a group of French Jews who end up in camps in France and ultimately get deported to German camps like Auschwitz. As it happens, her French husband's family took over the apartment of one of the Jewish families who were persecuted by the French. The movie switches between the story of Scott Thomas and the story of the little Jewish girl whose family owned the apartment currently owned by her husband's father. There is an intense tragedy involved in this story, but it meshes well with the plight of the little Jewish girl around WWII and the current day story of the investigative reporter played by Scott Thomas. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes tragedy and surprise endings. There's plenty of history in this film, which made it educational as well as enjoyable to watch.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
No much science-fiction
PostedJuly 26, 2011
Unfortunately, this is not a science fiction movie, but rather a heavy drama about coping with tragic loss and trauma. The part about the parallel universe, they call it Earth 2, is consequential and plays a very minor roll to the heavy-to-take drama about a girl who kills a child and pregnant mother while driving recklessly when she's 17, then goes to jail and is released 4 years later. This movie is not for the sci-fi fan looking for an indie take on the TV show Fringe. The total time spent on the sci-fi elements of this movie don't add up to 10 minutes. Furthermore, the movie only runs 92 minutes and it felt longish! I can only recommend this movie to people curious about the plot. There are some interesting surprises, but not enough to save it from being a reck.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Artful Drama
PostedJuly 17, 2011
This movie is about the love of sisterhood, not in the biological sense, but, rather, in the sense of the bond formed by women who get each other, care for each other, and love one another for life. This story is artfully woven and includes several plot layers. First, you get the story in the present about two women who formed a pact when they were schoolgirls too be sisters forever. The second layer involves the same two women when they were schoolgirls, and the events that lead to the pact. The last layer involves the reading of a novel about the story of Snow Flower and Lily, which nicely parallels the story of the present day. This movie is highly dramatic and involves intensely personal moments of caring, love, and commitment. It's well done and worth seeing, but only for those who like high drama.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Magical Adventure Thrill-Ride
PostedJuly 15, 2011
The final Harry Potter is a rip-roaring magical action adventure that will engross you. Even if you haven't seen the previous movies, this one can just about stand on its own and will thrill you from beginning to end. The only thing you have to know is that a "horcrux" is an object used to obtain immortality. Harry & Co. are searching for them to weaken and ultimately kill Lord Voldemort.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
/
5
Hitchcock-inspired spoof
PostedJuly 11, 2011
What a great idea! Terrible bosses and their subordinates are trying to kill them. Enter Jaime Foxx, whom they try to hire to murder their bosses. Unfortunately, Foxx's character has other ideas and instead gives them advice cut from Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" and the latter spoof "Throw Mama From the Train." There are some funny moments in this film, and, more frustratingly, many, many moments that are just not funny. I was in a crowded theater and only a few people would laugh throughout the movie. The rest were very selective about the scenes they laughed. I laughed several times, but I recognize that the movie is full of flaws and not very well thought out.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
Overly simplistic story, lighthearted comedy
PostedJuly 3, 2011
This movie is about a 20-year US Navy veteran who gets fired from his job in a retail store because he doesn't have a college education. As it happens, he has also been through a divorce and is about to have his house foreclosed on. With all this mishmash going on, you'll be surprised to hear that one of this movie's biggest flaws is its overly simplistic plot and dialog. Roberts and Hanks actually nail their parts, as is to be expected with all of their experience. However, the rest of the characters are just going through the motions. Unfortunately, this movie isn't very funny or witty or entertaining.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Troubled teens dealing with tough life
PostedJuly 3, 2011
Life's really complicated for the teens in this movie! The main character, Terri, is a 15-year old kid who lives with his terminally ill uncle and performs the full range of functions of a caregiver. He's typically so overwhelmed with the troubles of those around him, that he's inattentive in school and gets in trouble. He becomes friends with a very funny and somewhat disturbed school administrator played to a tee by John C. Reily. He also befriends a pair of rebellious teen, one a young man who is reckless and the other a young woman who is slutty with a dire need to be wanted. All of these dysfunctionals are funny and endearing and I found the movie to be a very pleasant surprise.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
The fall of printed media
PostedJune 28, 2011
The NY Times has always been my favorite newspaper because of the quality of the writing and the well chosen stories that chronicle our time. It's not news that papers are a dying breed. This movie covers the rough period the NY Times had during The Great Recession, including the period of layoffs, the loan from Carlos Slim, and the slow-to-adopt-new-media philosophy that has made the paper less profitable than it needs to be. The movie is brutally honest and even covers some of the scandals the paper has been caught up in, including when it declared that there were WMDs in Iraq and arguably played a part in justifying the war for the Bush Administration; it also uses the partnership with Wikileaks to highlight the differences between new media and old. The movie is fun to sit through, but it's not for everyone. It's for those who like documentaries and newspapers and history and scandals. It's not for those who like stories.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
/
5
Beau coup Sex and Politics
PostedJune 26, 2011
This movie is all about sex and politics of all types in France. It's also about the many ethnicities that come together in France to form a boiling melting pot. This movie includes poignant observations about the Jewish and Muslim cultures in France, but not in the usual American at-each-other's-throat. there are hippies and liberals galore to counter some of the right-wing radicals. All in all, a good time at the movies and I recommend it to those who like French films, and those who like the political tug-of-way between the left and the right.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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