TheMovieRhino's stats
- Review count647
- Helpfulness votes412
- First reviewNovember 16, 2008
- Last reviewMay 26, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Overall rating
5
/
5
Another Year - Not Just Another Movie ....
PostedMarch 13, 2011
.... it's special! This movie is unusual in that it does more with quiet moments and regular doings than many "blockbuster" movies achieve with their 100 million dollar budgets in their most gregarious action sequences! We were transfixed and thoroughly engrossed for the entire 129 minutes. Normally it can be frustrating at the end of a film if all the questions are not answered - clearly and precisely - but this movie ends enigmatically and, yet, perfectly. "Another Year" answers the question: How can a movie centered around a happily long-married, aging couple surrounded by friends and relatives that are not very happy entertain us in a movie theater? No sex .... no violence .... no aliens from outer space (or from across the border) .... almost no foul language ..... no car chases .... no murders .... no mistaken identity intrigue .... and the human relationship plot lines that are ever-present are not concluded and neatly dealt with at the end. How can this be a great movie ... or even a good one (and I believe it is a great movie)? In a nutshell: Fantastic writing, perfect dialogue, great scenic cinematography, exquisite direction and some of the best acting you can find by the likes of Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and the amazing Lesley Manville! We are all up for the sequel - "Just Another Year". Some have called this a depressing movie but I prefer to see it as a reflective, contemplative, intricate character study devoid of the "sugary sweet frosting" that script writer/directors often feel compelled to slather over their finished pieces of work. This is a movie with guts and sheer fortitude. Truth is: if you identify more with Mary than with Tom and Gerri you will probably not like this one - it may hurt too much. If, on the other hand, you tend to identify with Tom and Gerri, there is a good chance you will find it compelling .... perhaps even mesmerizing! A big old rhino horn up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
IP Man 2 Has Action, Heart and A Message!
PostedMarch 13, 2011
This martial arts movie is a whole lot of fun. In many ways it reminded me of the kind of movie I went to see on Saturday afternoons - as a kid - in the one and only single-screen movie theater in the small town in Iowa where I grew up. You are immediately drawn into the story and the main characters. The primary characters are well-defined but remain muti-dimensional (more than just 2D Karate guys). Well-spaced in the film are the fighting sequences ... and they are amazing! From my layman's viewpoint these cinematically gorgeous and perfectly choreographed fights are as good as ( and I really think better) than anything ever seen in martial arts films to this point. The movie has a lot of power and this comes from an intricate eye for detail and continuity. Kudos to director Yip and all of his primary actors and fighters! The audience I was with applauded several times throughout the film and also at the end. I joined them. A very respectful big rhino horn up - seek it out and see it in a theater - IP Man 2 is worth the effort!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Red Riding Hood is a Sheep in Wolf's Clothing ....
PostedMarch 13, 2011
... meaning, from the trailers and promotions, one would have thought the movie to be heavier on the horror and gruesome end of things - than it actually turns out to be. This movie is really a "chick flick" dressed up as a suspense-horror tale. In addition to that disappointment there are many quality actors that are simply wasted. At times it bordered on "campy" and I would have enjoyed it more (I think) if it had just gone there and embraced all of its potential campiness, kitchiness and double entendres. For all of the letdown and missed opportunities Red Riding Hood does succeed with it's visual stylings, cinematography, costuming and scenic interpretations. It is generally a graphically beautiful film - although even here it could have been better. Might give this one a squeaker recommendation for a specific demographic (females in the 13 to 25 age group) but, as for the rest of us, better to stay home and read a well-illustrated anthology of Grimm's Fairy Tales! A silver-plated rhino's horn down.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
You are Right in the Fight in Battle:Los Angeles!
PostedMarch 12, 2011
This frenetic Marines vs. Alien invasion flick held my full attention from start to end. It succeeded in its intentions - dragging myself and the audience into the immediacy of a major world wide war against a devastating alien invasion and holding us there with a small platoon of Marines fighting furiously in Los Angeles - ground zero - in what may well be the last chance to defend humanity and our planet! In a packed theater - at the end of the movie - at least half of the audience stood and applauded (me too)! Not sure why the negative response from so many main stream critics. Many criticized the battle scenes - some the aliens themselves - but I thought that the heart of the movie was a character study of the Staff Sargent - played to perfection by Aaron Eckhart - and the entwined lives of his men and the people they engage with in their battles! I liked the entire movie! Bravo to the film makers and actors! Nice work. One big "nasty ET-piercing" Rhino Horn up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
Take Me Home Tonight .... Maybe....
PostedMarch 8, 2011
This one gets a slightly up-angled, dusty rhino horn. There is not a whole lot there BUT what is there is done pretty well ... and there are several good laughs. If you are in that niche age group of 17 to 25 you have a decent shot at really liking this movie. For the rest of us we are forced to pick and choose the parts we like: Topher Grace and Dan Fogler are good in these roles. They are both funny and we feel empathy for them (bonus). In a nutshell - this is a teenage/college age angst comedy salted with some "raunch" and "boy humor". There are several very funny "action moments" (the Ball, the stolen car, the dad-cop scene, the bathroom voyeur scene, and some others of lesser impact). For the genre - not bad. Not great - but not bad. Worth at least a rental for the over 17s.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Beastly Might Be A Good Bet - If you are Under 25
PostedMarch 6, 2011
.... if you are over 25/ under 40 it's a toss of a coin .... and if you are over 40 the chance of you really liking "Beastly" is pretty slim. This movie is targeting a teen to 30 female demographic (and I am not in that category). There are a few moments in Beastly that I liked - just not enough to recommend it to everyone. Pettyfer has a future as a mainstream big film actor .... but it would be hard to see that from this movie and performance. For teens and twenty-something females go and check this one out. Everyone else - save your movie bucks, rent later or skip entirely.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
Share:
+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Rango Hits Target! He Doesn't Miss - Don't You!
PostedMarch 5, 2011
The MovieRhino was underwhelmed about seeing Rango. Perhaps these low expectations enhanced the experience. Rango was a complete joy from start to finish! Masterful animation! Best yet! Why would there ever be a need for 3D if the animation and cinematography were this perfect! Amazingly gorgeous animation! Cannot say enough about how good it was! This is a "kitschy" movie throughout. How do you get an old world chameleon into the American southwest desert? How does a below average "thespian lizard" with aspirations of grandeur become the gun toting hero "sheriff lizard"of an "old west" town populated by the most interesting characters this side of the Pecos? How can any of this ..... be happening? What is it with the owl Mariachi quartet? Moles riding bats chasing a wagon-water-bottle hitched to a rat? So much more! The cruncher is that it is all done so very well! Humor, satire, pathos, mystery, drama, romance, suspense, action .... and above all .... splendorous imagination realized in all of it's glory, in animated perfection, on screen. Not sure how well this entertains the under 10 year old kiddies but it sure grabbed hold of this over fifty movie rhino. Rango charges right to the top of the best movies of 2011 (so far)! We've been "Rango'd"! You should too!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Adjust Your Schedule - See The Adjustment Bureau!
PostedMarch 4, 2011
Extra kudos for the general atmospherics in "The Adjustment Bureau". It would have been so easy to make this movie "dark, foreboding and brooding" .... but writer-director Nolfi fights off this oft-used formula and creates something different - a sci-fi romantic suspense thriller with a comedic undertone - and he does it very well indeed. Moviedom's favorite everyman, Matt Damon, brings his considerable acting talents and range to full forbearance and he is perfect in this part! Emily Blunt and the remaining primary actors are also well-cast and are top notch in their performances. This film moves quickly - never a dull moment. I don't want to spoil the ending but, what a nice surprise to not end on a negative note and/or an enigmatic one! Clarity and optimism can be so refreshing sometimes! Great work on the details - doors that open into unexpected locations and the "adjustment ledger-map" that shows where a person is and where they are going! Really nice work. Great score, pacing, dialogue, script, cinematography and sound. My only minor quibble is inherent to the plot really - which is that the main idea is too far-fetched, too many "leaps in logic and connection" , too strained in it's attempt to present itself as "reality". Heck, the whole movie is so well done it just overwhelms this nit-picking regardless. A shiny old rhino horn up.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Biutiful is Beautifully Sad and Poignant....
PostedFebruary 28, 2011
If there were ever doubts about the range and the talents of Javier Bardem, the film Biutiful shatters them. While this film is flawed in places - usually due to leaps in logic - the masterful and emotional performance of Bardem more than compensates. The movie follows the last weeks in the life of a low-level criminal as he tries to create some kind of legacy for his two children and his addicted, bi-polar estranged wife. He does not have much to work with in the limited days left to him and the pressure mounts, bad decisions lead to worse events and the world closes in. At the end he is virtually alone, out of time and options and his last act is to simply show his love to his daughter. The triumph of the character study is in Bardem's complete ownership of the character. Bardem is an A-one class actor and this work fortifies that truth. Not a light, uplifting tale, but Biutiful, none-the-less, is a tale worthy of telling - thanks to Javier Bardem. Bravo!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Gracecard Deals a Winning Hand ... See it!
PostedFebruary 26, 2011
There are so very few well-made movies about Christians and what is at the heart of a Christian's walk. It is a shame! Especially when one considers the "real world", the miracle of grace, unconditional love, the power found in forgiveness and being forgiven and the supernaturally infused healing that comes only by knowing Jesus Christ. Every time a new quality Christian movie is made the genre seems to take a leap forward. Gracecard is another mile marker in quality Christian-themed movies. They just keep getting better! If you are a Christian, thinking about becoming a Christian and/or simply want to understand better the transforming freedom of forgiveness and grace - then do not miss seeing Gracecard in a theater. Your heart will be sure to connect. A Rhino horn up!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
Share:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.