TheMovieRhino's stats
- Review count647
- Helpfulness votes412
- First reviewNovember 16, 2008
- Last reviewMay 26, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Overall rating
5
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5
....Phillip Morris Gives it to us "straight"....
PostedDecember 19, 2010
....about one of the more outrageous con men ever. I like movies that make me think, make me a bit uncomfortable and/or surprise the heck out of me. "I Love You Phillip Morris" succeeds in all of these attributes. Carrey and McGregor, in the lead roles, are about as perfect as you can get. The story is fascinating (hard to believe it is a true story). I'm sure the fact that the characters are gay men will turn away many potential movie goers - and that's a shame. True that some of the more sexually explicit scenes were likely unnecessary ... but this is a captivating character study that most adults should enjoy. It's good to see Jim Carrey pushing boundaries, stretching his acting chops and taking some risks. I respect him for it and he is very talented. Hope he keeps trying to do unusual roles. No doubt they will not be everybody's cup of tea .... but I, for one, will enjoy his journey.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
Vision Shows Us All An Extraodinary Life....
PostedDecember 13, 2010
.... the life of Hildegard Von Bingen. There are no big action sequences .... no explosions .... no sex .... no violence .... no foul language in this contemplative film biography of one of histories outstanding women and servants of God. This film will not be for everyone as it is quiet and thoughtful .... and demands a bit of effort on the part of the viewer to meditate along with the story. I knew very little about this amazing woman. Sometimes it is good to be enlightened as well as entertained. This one has limited distribution but will be well worth your efforts to seek out and attend in a theater. Sukowa is a great actress and does admirable work channeling Von Bingen. Very nice cinematography and dialogue. Enjoyed all of the actors as well. Kudos to everyone!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
Black Swan Will Open a Window Into Everyone's ....
PostedDecember 13, 2010
... potential journey to madness. With good reason Aronofsky's Black Swan is quickly becoming the most critically acclaimed movie of the year. Aronofsky and his muse, Natalie Portman, allow us to take a window seat on this compelling, frightening decent by a ballet dancer towards her ultimate destination - insanity and self-destruction. Aronofsky is at his best here and displays a deft touch. It takes a master film-maker to drag the viewer (sometimes kicking and screaming - but certainly fidgeting) into the mind and actions of someone going crazy .... and let us empathize with that person at the same time. We are in suspense and horrified but even more we are feeling the reasons for her detachment from reality. Black Swan is in TheMovieRhino's Top 5 for 2010. This film stands a really good chance of landing Oscars for director Aronofsky, best actress Portman and as the Best Film of 2010. Portman sheds whatever lingering doubts anyone may have had about her acting chops! She has a full set! Kudos to all! Don't miss it in theater.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
Don't Miss "The Last Train Home"....
PostedDecember 5, 2010
A remarkable, eye-opening, educational, real-life thriller about the simultaneous yearly migratory journey that 130+ million Chinese working class people make to return to their rural homes from the large cities where they toil in sparse environments to eke out a living. Anyone in the west who feels sorry for themselves (and I do mean anyone) should see this movie so as to adjust their perception of their circumstances. This film is perfectly shot and edited so that we empathize quickly with the claustrophobic urban working conditions, the limitations found in the rural villages and the stress created from leaving elders and children to fend for themselves while parents commute to the larger cities, living in virtual "shoebox sleeping areas" for virtually the entire year sewing clothes to ship to fat Americans. Guaranteed you will not think the same way about the words "made in China" after seeing "The Last Train Home". Not to be missed.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
The Warrior's Way Will "Wow" You....
PostedDecember 2, 2010
For the genre a near perfect movie! We liked everything about this quirky, stylistic martial arts film. It was engaging from start to end. Geoffrey Rush adds heft to the movie and is an absolute hoot. Kate Bosworth is just the right mix of vulnerability, determination and smoldering-vengefulness. Jang Dong-Kun is the perfect sword-weilding hero - he is a mixture of Clint Eastwood, David Carradine and Uma Thurman! Great music, pacing, script, story, dialogue and gorgeous cinematography in the style and manner of "300". How do you easily explain that this is a martial arts epic that involves sword-wielding Ninjas, a baby, the old wild and woolly west, a quiet-loner Asian hero-assassin, a circus troupe, a drunken long rifle sharp shooter, a black midget with the number 8 on his head, a special sword, a damaged girl-turned-woman seeking ultimate revenge, and just about the nastiest vile old west villain ever seen? You don't! Just see it and soak the whole experience in. Don't miss "The Warrior's Way" on the big screen.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
127 Hours "Rocks"! Don't Miss it!
PostedNovember 28, 2010
James Franco has received accolades for playing stoners and this time he achieves his greatest success playing a hiker trapped by a stone - in the movie "127 Hours". James Franco is absolutely perfect in this role and I have a new found respect for his acting chops. No more excuses Mr. Franco - we expect to see many more performances from you that showcase the A+ talent that we all now know you have! Director Danny Boyle also shows his amazing range and talents coming off of Slumdog Millionaire where he uses a cast of thousands to this movie which basically has a cast of one (yes - there is a sprinkling of a few other actors - but 98% of this move is Franco and Franco alone). Boyle sets the stage perfectly and pulls us along for the ride as the trapped hiker realizes his dilemma. We feel the isolation, the desperation, the regrets, the panic, the daydreams and night dreams and at long last the horror and triumph in overcoming an impossible situation! Great cinematography, sound work, split screens, acting, music, dialogue, script and pacing! Easily makes TheMovieRhino's Top 10 for 2010! This one is a "don't miss"!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
Burlesque is perfectly cast & hits the right notes
PostedNovember 27, 2010
Christina Aguilera shows us that she can act as well as she sings and dances in her first major movie role. She, like the movie, are greatly enhanced & supported by Cher and Stanley Tucci. All three are perfectly cast in Burlesque. This is a "cabaret musical" (think "Chicago" or "Cabaret" for comparison) so the movie needs to showcase several music-dance numbers in-between the back-story. Director Antin does this and does it well indeed. The atmosphere, song and dance numbers and the entire story work very well on screen. Hard to believe that Cher is 64 years old! She's amazing! Hard to believe it has taken this long to get Aguilera into a major film role - seeing just how good she is! Kudos to everyone involved.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
3
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5
Well Acted With Something Missing ....
PostedNovember 27, 2010
... and, perhaps, the writer is intentionally leaving out some of these missing parts and/or, perhaps the writer is simply writing from the full extent of his belief system. This is a film about two narcissists that have different lives and interests - have s*x within minutes of meeting each other for the first time - seem to stay together predominately for the s*x - have problems finding other reasons to stay together, and, in the end, appear to really fall in love. We've all been there .... not (are you kidding me?)! As much as I like the on-screen presence of Hathaway and Gyllenhaal I did not relate or empathize with the characters they portray here. For me these two people are disgusting and uninteresting (I'm probably just getting older and falling into fuddy-duddy world). I felt myself yearning for Oliver Platt to re-appear on-screen (love him, his acting and this character was, for me, the best in the film). If you have a lot of extra movie-money laying around it's a "flip of the coin" - but may be best to rent this one later or wait for the dollar theater.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
Lots of Hairy, Well-brushed Humor in Tangled!
PostedNovember 27, 2010
Let your hair down and take the entire family to Tangled. You know how good you feel when you go to your hair stylist or barber and the haircut you expect is the one you get - maybe even better than you hoped for .... and you know how much fun you have when you go to a movie with expectations and those expectations are met and even exceeded? This is how you will feel about Tangled. The 3D version is highly recommended to fully appreciate certain scenes (think hundreds of "luminaria" floating into the night sky, etc.). 3D is put to good use in Tangled - it is not played for "shock and awe" ... it is used effectively to enhance (like a good cream rinse). "Hair today and gone tomorrow" - make sure you see Tangled in a good theater on the big screen. This creative movie is (excuse the cliche) an instant Disney classic! You will one-day soon be "combing" through your home video collection to "snag" Tangled for the kiddos (or maybe even you). That said - don't "brush" this one off - be sure to see it on the big screen to appreciate all of the hairy effects!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
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5
The Rock is the Master of Disaster in Faster!
PostedNovember 24, 2010
This action-packed, revenge, morality tale of redemption rates as high as it gets in the genre. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton absolutely nail their characters and the rest of the primary actors are just as good! My wife (Mrs Rhino) and I were extremely surprised by this movie and completely enjoyed it from start to finish. Before going you should understand the basic type of movie this is going to be. What you do not know is that this movie is very well written with many twists and turns, many surprises and great action sequences. There are also multiple dimensions to each character that are fascinating and add to the textural richness of this film. Considering the genre TheMovieRhino gives this high octane movie and A+! The movie is virtually devoid of the standard action movie cliche crutches such as a billion F bombs, gratuitous s*x and exploitative violent overkill. It is jam-packed with originality, great dialogue, intricate character development, tone-perfect writing and car chase scenes and a near-perfect ending! Don't miss it! Kudos to everyone involved!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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