Summary: A man rendered stolid by the death of his son splits with his wife but then seizes upon one last chance at happiness after meeting a quirkily persistant animal trainer.
Things I Liked: The masterfully subtle performances of the film's leads.
Things I Didn't Like: The humor and pacing.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
No Country for Old Men (2007) Directed by Ethan and Joel Cohen
Summary: A man stumbles upon a case of money from a drug deal gone awry, then finds himself pursued relentlessly by the former owner of the cash. Meanwhile, an aging sheriff ponders the absurdity of life in these violent times, even as he races to save the man.
Things I Liked: The direction, notably the photography and the composition of the shots. The performances of Javier Bardem and Kelly Macdonald. Except for some muddled dialogue, I felt that the sound design was good.
Things I Didn't Like: The casting of Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson in the roles of three of the film's leads. I also felt that the character played by Beth Grant bordered too closely on caricature.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Things I Liked: The direction, notably the photography and the composition of the shots. The performances of Javier Bardem and Kelly Macdonald. Except for some muddled dialogue, I felt that the sound design was good.
Things I Didn't Like: The casting of Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson in the roles of three of the film's leads. I also felt that the character played by Beth Grant bordered too closely on caricature.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Saturday, January 19, 2008
3:10 to Yuma (2007) Directed by James Mangold
Summary: A modern retelling of the 1957 film. Desperate to pay off his debts, a small-time rancher volunteers to help escort a notoriously brutal outlaw to the nearest train station. As the story progresses, however, the rancher feels himself slowly buckling beneath the criminal's sinister - and prodigious - talent for psychological warfare.
Things I Liked: The brilliantly rendered characters. The direction. The exceptionally lean story structure. The writing.
Things I Didn't Like: The few (admittedly minor) character inconsistencies.
Three and One Half Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Things I Liked: The brilliantly rendered characters. The direction. The exceptionally lean story structure. The writing.
Things I Didn't Like: The few (admittedly minor) character inconsistencies.
Three and One Half Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Sunday, January 13, 2008
La Femme Nikita (1990) Directed by Luc Besson
Summary: A female junkie and cop-killer awakens to learn that the government has faked her execution in order to offer her the chance to train to become a lethal assassin. If she refuses to accept their offer, she dies for real . . .
Things I Liked: The premise of the film. The director's use of color. The camerawork. The small - but potent - appearance by actor Jean Reno.
Things I Didn't Like: The missing story elements needed for me to become fully invested in the film. For some strange reason, LA FEMME NIKITA left me with too many questions and seemed to lack those few tiny details that would allow me to fully empathize with the characters and to maintain my understanding and interest in the plot.
Two Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Things I Liked: The premise of the film. The director's use of color. The camerawork. The small - but potent - appearance by actor Jean Reno.
Things I Didn't Like: The missing story elements needed for me to become fully invested in the film. For some strange reason, LA FEMME NIKITA left me with too many questions and seemed to lack those few tiny details that would allow me to fully empathize with the characters and to maintain my understanding and interest in the plot.
Two Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Superbad (2007) Directed by Greg Mottola
Summary: An inseparable pair of high school guys embark upon a night of chaotic hilarity after promising to acquire alcohol for a graduation party.
Things I Liked: The truthfulness of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera's performances. The authentic feel of much of the dialogue. Also, the seventies-inspired soundtrack works very well with the film.
Things I Didn't Like: The uninteresting, unhumorous and overly long subplot featuring one of the film's writers.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Things I Liked: The truthfulness of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera's performances. The authentic feel of much of the dialogue. Also, the seventies-inspired soundtrack works very well with the film.
Things I Didn't Like: The uninteresting, unhumorous and overly long subplot featuring one of the film's writers.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Frequency (2000) Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Summary: Atmospheric disturbances allow a twenty-something year old in the present day to communicate with his father in in the past via radio.
Things I Liked: The story's heart and the plot, which feature an original twist on the whole "time travel" scenario. The make-up and age progression depicted in the film is very effective.
Things I Didn't Like: The accents of many of the characters. Towards the end, a couple of the plot's developments seem a bit forced.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Things I Liked: The story's heart and the plot, which feature an original twist on the whole "time travel" scenario. The make-up and age progression depicted in the film is very effective.
Things I Didn't Like: The accents of many of the characters. Towards the end, a couple of the plot's developments seem a bit forced.
Three Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007) Directed by Jay Russell
Summary: With his father away at war, a lonely young Scottish boy discovers a strange egg in the nearby loch and befriends the magical creature that hatches from it. Complications arise for both the boy and his new friend, however, when a platoon of soldiers unexpectedly sets up camp in and around his home.
Things I Liked: The above average (and very intelligent) writing and direction. The exceptional casting and solid performances by the fim's leads make an oft-told story fresh and interesting again. The accomplished cinematography, digital animation, effects and lighting.
Things I Didn't Like: The contrived (and wholly unoriginal) manner in which the film utilizes a narrator.
Four Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Things I Liked: The above average (and very intelligent) writing and direction. The exceptional casting and solid performances by the fim's leads make an oft-told story fresh and interesting again. The accomplished cinematography, digital animation, effects and lighting.
Things I Didn't Like: The contrived (and wholly unoriginal) manner in which the film utilizes a narrator.
Four Stars out of Five Stars
FilmWatch Ratings Legend:
One Star: Hated it
Two Stars: Didn't like it
Three Stars: Liked it
Four Stars: Really liked it
Five Stars: Loved it
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)