BigEasyFlickerFan's stats
- Review count90
- Helpfulness votes11
- First reviewJune 2, 2008
- Last reviewAugust 2, 2012
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.9
Overall rating
5
/
5
Inspiring true story
PostedFebruary 16, 2009
This movie tells of true events. In WW2, Jewish brothers in Belorussia escape the Nazis, by taking to the nearby forests that they know well. They wind up shepherding hundreds of similar refugees that are accumulated over time. A cohesive society must be formed among these people if they are to survive. And jealousies and rebellion within the ranks must be overcome. That the story is real makes the movie all the more engrossing.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A sad life, well done
PostedFebruary 6, 2009
Mickey Rourke is a pro wrestler once at the top of popularity, but now past his prime and well out of the limelight. He still wrestles but he is tired and getting creakier. Rourke's portrayal is very fine; it is subtle and varied. This wrestler wants to find something still good in life to enjoy. Marisa Tomei plays a stripper, who smiles sweetly for her job and inadvertently attracts more attention from Rourke than she wants. She does not want to be a stripper. This movie is a sad tale, but told with with subtlety and heart. Very fine! You might try the 1999 documentary "Beyond the Mat" for some real wrestlers not so unlike Rourke.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Another good Clint Eastwood movie
PostedJanuary 25, 2009
For someone who started in TV horse operas, Clint Eastwood has shown himself since then, say, starting with Play Misty for Me, to be a really fine cinematic story-teller. This is not his best movie, but it is good and Eastwood fans will certainly enjoy it. He is an embittered widower, freshly offended by his new neighbors, Oriental immigrants who give him Hmong-ous aggravations. Eastwood fans will enjoy his trademark grunts and sneers. This go-round the ethnic put-downs are numerous and funny (and also go on too long). There is sweetness here, too, and, all-in-all, a winner for fans of Clint.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Good history but slow
PostedJanuary 22, 2009
This movie details the series of interviews that Brit talk show host David Frost finagled with the disgraced ex-Pres Nixon. The characterizations by Langella of Nixon and Sheen of Frost are dead-on. But the movie is more about the minutiae of bargaining for the interviews than I cared for. More interesting is Nixon's crafty gamesmanship and sly maneuvering. The resolution in the final interview is riveting, but it sure takes a while to get there.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Good but odd
PostedJanuary 14, 2009
I enjoyed this movie about the love relation in the aftermath of WW2 between a high-school age German boy and an aloof, taciturn woman nearing 40. But the movie has a split personality. What had been a movie about a young male swept away by passion for the woman, his first sexual partner, makes quite a change in direction and mood halfway along, when, several years later, the woman's past catches up with her. The two leads are quite good, playing interesting personalities. But the upending of the story line is jarring.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Pretty good epic
PostedJanuary 6, 2009
This movie has a lot going for it. The leads are attractive. The acting is good. Plenty of "characters". Very scenic. Something of an epic about the spirit of Australia, you might say. But there are negatives. The dialogue is sometimes hard to follow, due to accents, the vocabulary (some peculiar to Down Under), and sometimes the speaking voice is simply too low. And the movie is predictable. You just know the leads are going to spar, separate, rejoin, and love forever; you just know the villains will get their just come-uppance. Altogether, it is enjoyable but holds few surprises.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Offbeat, and super!
PostedJanuary 4, 2009
This is an excellent movie. The plot quirk is that a man is born (tiny but) old, and ages backwards, growing young. It sounds weird, but the movie makes the premise work. Brad Pitt gives a fine, rather restrained performance. Cate Blanchett is excellent, as always. The film is largely shot in New Orleans, and the views of The Big Easy are very attractive. In fact, the movie does a good job of capturing the languid, pleasurable flow-of-life that is a characteristic of New Orleans. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, though towards the end it felt a bit draggy. It is a quirky tale, but a darn good yarn. All characters are interesting to watch, and all in all the movie is a good story well told.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Interesting premise!
PostedDecember 19, 2008
This movie has an interesting premise. In Mumbai (Bombay) a young man raised an orphan in the slums winds up on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". He improbably knows so many quiz answers that he is suspected of cheating. The unfolding of the movie shows how he came to know these factoids. A good and uplifting movie, but the rapid cuts and bombastic score is, frankly, assaultive. And India doesn't look very nice.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A fine biopic
PostedDecember 17, 2008
This is a fine biopic about the San Francisco gay politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man elected to non-trivial office. The movie follows Milk from his relocation into San Francisco, with its tolerance of gays, up through the violent end of Milk's life. Milk was not perfect, and I have the impression director Gus Van Sant didn't show how hard-edged a politician Milk could be. But his was a remarkable life, and most viewers will be inspired by the man's determination and spirit.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Good entertainment!
PostedNovember 30, 2008
The four parents of Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, an unmarried but committed couple, have all divorced and paired up again. Our couple has to visit all four households for Christmas. The two principals are fun to watch, and there is plenty of humor in the dialogues. Worth a trip!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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