Last night I saw this film on the big scree for the first time. It was quite awesome. I still remember the first time I saw the movie the whole way through. I hadn't known Derrick (my husband) very long at that point. He brought the videotape over to show me. Seeing it with him on the big screen was really cool. It was funny, romantic and thrilling. I loved it a lot.
My only complaint is that the print was beat to death.
RATING: 4/5
This was excellent. Because of the upcoming release of the new version of War of the Worlds the The Oaks Theater had a special event. They played the radio broadcast of the story that scared the pants off of a hell of a lot of people. I must say that after hearing that I can see how people believed it was "the real thing." It really sounded like honest to goodness news reports. If you missed the program identification in the beginning and the middle of the broadcast it would be really scary. I guess that's why stations identify who they are and what they're playing so often these days.
Another thing I really liked about it was how much you had to use your imagination. You have to do your imagining quickly too. When reading a book you can just sortof flip backwards to clarify things. You can even hit rewind on a book on tape or CD. But this was very different. It was chilling. I know that my imagination took me to scarier places with the radio broadcast than any movie ever could. Orson Welles gave a fantastic performance that night, as did the other members of the Mercury Theater. That type of voice acting is a dying skill.
If you ever have the chance to hear this broadcast in a public setting. Go for it. It was awesome!
My Rating: 5/5
A fantastic gangster-type film. Not heady or overproduced--it's just a lot of fun. It should be out on DVD soon.
MY RATING: 4/5
Wow. This was a weird one. This film consisted of several animated short films. They were all good. There was one called "Ward 13" that I didn't quite understand, but it was entertaining anyway. You should go see this. It's a hoot.
RATING: 3/5
I finally saw this great film on the big screen. It was part of The Oaks Theater's (Oakmont, PA) summer Moonlit Matinee's. I can honestly say that I was shocked at the crappy editing in this film. I guess it just doesn't look as bad on the "small screen." However I laughed so hard. I just couldn't take it. It was definitely one of the best night's out I've had in a long time. I still haven't seen the new Star Wars movie but I'm definitely glad I got to see this again.
RATING: 3/5
This was a very thought provoking look at the rise and fall of Enron. I thought the entire Enron scandal was unbelievable before; but now I'm blown away even more.
I don't want to give anything away here but I was truly and completely shocked by the callousness of the people involved in this whole tragic mess. Enron hurt millions of people. I don't think they care at all.
RATING: 5/5
Since Hollywood has decided that books, radio series and TV miniseries are not enough we now have a feature film based on Douglas Adams' masterpiece. I re-read the book in anticipation of the film so that I would be able to comment and discuss a little better. I must say I enjoyed it a lot and I'm very glad I went to see it. The cast acted very well. I especially liked the way Mos Def played Ford Prefect. He was very good at being otherworldly. I was also very impressed by the way Martin Freeman played Dent. He was a perfect stereotype of a Brit.
Also the trailer shown right before the film surprised the heck out of me.
RATING: 4/5
This is Danny Boyle's latest film and it is different from his previous work. Most of his other films have a very dark tone but this one is more of a family film. The main story surrounds two young brothers whose mother had died recently. They have just moved to a new house in a new neighborhood with their father. They are very different children. The older brother is very pragmatic and knows how to be a con man. He acts tough on the outside but is hurting deeply on the inside. Damien the younger boy is obsessed with the lives of saints. He has their lives and deaths memorized in only the way an absolutely obsessed child can. The story's time period is not known exactly but it takes place in the not too distant future. It's about a week before the UK abandons the Pound Sterling for the Euro.
Their lives seem to be moving along as normally as possible until a bag of money falls from the sky. One boy wants to spend it to buy stuff and friends. The other boy wants to give it to the poor and make good come of it. When the money turns out to be stolen and the owners want it back the plot thickens.
RATING: 3.5/5
I almost didn't go to see this film. I usually go to The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, PA for their Monday night discussions. But I was really tired and the trailer for this film didn't do anything for me. The only reason I went to see this was that the director, writer and star of the film (Michael Pressman) was to be there for the event.
I'm very glad that I saw this film. First of all the film is based on a true story. Michael Pressman and his wife (Lisa Chess) really did finance their own project of a play. They really did do Frankie and Johnny in the Clare de Lune. Both of these fine actors play themselves in the film. Alan Rosenberg also plays a character by his own name though Mr. Pressman insists Rosenberg was not the actor that nearly ruined their project together.
This movie is a romantic comedy that actually works. That's a rarity these days. Most of them are too sappy or just go for the cheap laughs. I highly recommend this film. I know its distribution has been limited but the film will be out on DVD in November. I will be adding it to my shelf.
My Rating: 4/5
This film had an interesting premise. The year is 2142 and the world's environment has been ruined. Some people believed that climate change was coming so they built a living city that could support them. The people left on the outside were not allowed in. They either died or became workers in the mines supplying the great city of "Ecoban." In the film these miners were terribly exploited by the people of Ecoban and the miners finally revolt.
I recommend this film. The animation was well done and I felt like I was being drawn into the story. There were some plot holes and such, but it was still a very fun film.
Rating: 3.5/5
This turned out to be a bit of a dud. The animation was well done but the story was a bit hokey. My sister said it was a bit too Matrix-like. I can definitely see what she was saying there. It seemed that there was a lot of opportunity for a good storytelling in this feature but most of that opportunity was missed.
Rating: 2/5
Not a bad little film. It's a family movie based on a book of the same name. The main characters are 12 year-olds in a small town in Texas. They are thrilled to see that the "World's Fattest Boy" has come to visit their town and their adventure begins.
Everyone in this film loses someone close to them, but they all also gain each other while rising up to their greatest potential.
Hopefully this film will get better distribution soon.
RATING: 3/5
HA HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA! Predictable, yet still very enjoyable. There should be more Danish dark comedy films shown in the US. I wish I had gotten to see it again. In the discussion after the film there was some question as to why it was "green" in the title. Was it a reference to environmentalism or organic products? How about a Soylent Green reference? Or was it just that these two guys were unlikely to be successful business owners? I don't think that "green" would necessarily hold those same figurative meanings in Danish so I'm going with the Soylent Green reference.
RATING: 4/5
This is definitely one of the most outstanding films I have ever seen. This film deserved to win a million Oscars. The cinematography was divine. The score was amazing. The dialogue was mesmerizing. I couldn't believe how well it was done. The whole time I felt like I was being drawn into the screen. Alejandro Amenábar is a fantastic director and Javier Bardem's acting couldn't have been better either. I can't imagine the difficulty in playing the role of a paralyzed man but he pulled it off. Bardem managed to convey emotion with his head face and neck in a way that seemed natural. I don't know how he will ever top this performance, but I'm sure he will. He's got many years of acting ahead of him.
My Rating: 5/5
This film is fantastic. Pedro Almodóvar has done it again! Granted this isn't quite as good as All About My Mother, but it's definitely better than Talk to Her. I really enjoyed everything about this film. The storytelling was wonderful. The costuming was to die for and the cinematography was absolutely genius.
The only reason I feel bad about seeing this film is because I didn't go to The Oaks Theater to see it. I went instead to Pittsburgh Filmmakers Regent Square Theater on a Monday night instead.
My Rating: 5/5
I thought this film was okay, but I didn't think it was all that. I'm glad I saw it, but I wouldn't see it again (at least not for a few years).
My Rating: 3/5
I loved it. And how could I not? It's a Dutch musical comedy! You just can't go wrong. The premise of the movie is entirely silly. The Dutch definitely understand stupid movie style comedy! The songs were fun too. I wanted to get up and sing along, but no one else did so I chickened out. The discussion afterward was a little disappointing because the discussion leaders didn't like it much. They said it wasn't a legitimate musical in the Hollywood style or whatever! BUT IT WASN'T A HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL! GRRR!
Oh well. Go see the movie. It's playing this week only at the The Oaks Theater near Pittsburgh, PA.
My Rating: 4/5