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richojr
Reviews
Nine (2009)
What a Pretentious waste of time
I am a fan of cinema, and leave a movie until after the credits, and never leave before the movie ends. I left this one after an hour, and cursed myself for staying that long. Comparisons to any Bob Fosse vehicle is an insult. Daniel Day Lewis is a tremendous actor, but his ego let him down here. The movie would have been better served by Fr. Don Guido in the lead role than the mumbling Italian cartoon portrayed by Day Lewis. All of the talented folks involved could have been pursuing better roles. When the main attraction of a movie is to "hear Sophia Loren sing", there is a problem. This movie belongs in the same bin as "Showgirls".
The Garden of Earthly Delights (2004)
Pretentious
What an incredible waste of time. Claudia lived life to the end (albeit in the nude; a LOT of nudity). While her lover Chris began dying the day he heard the diagnosis. As a frequent world traveler, I thought that the scenes of Venice were well done. My wife is an art teacher, and she thought the attempts to bring the art world in general, and the work of Hieronymus Bosch interesting if incomplete. The triptych in question is housed in Madrid, and I somehow missed the journey from there to Italy. As the end nears, Chris's one redeeming act is to illustrate the chemical breakdown of the human body, to put things in perspective for Claudia. I thought the movie simply failed to meet expectations.
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Not too bad; I'd like to see them try again
AS a long time video geek, I thought the premise of this movie was really promising. I admit to not being a big Jack Black fan, but he's already his own no. 1. I thought Mos Def brought real humanity to his role as Mikey, showing admiration for Mr. Fletcher and compassion for the neighborhood. Sigourney Weaver's character was a little too simplistic, being the big bad government agent with an unexplainable vendetta against the store and their new versions of the "classics". A real revelation was Melonie Diaz as Alma. She WAS a girl from the neighborhood. It was interesting to see her transform from the 2nd sister in the dry cleaners to the big thinking heartbreaking part of the sweding team. Not an Oscar winner, but I'd watch it again.
Vacancy (2007)
No Need for Spoilers!
While I am a fan of both Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsdale, as well as the horror/thriller genre, I was very disappointed in Vacancy. Regarding the other comments that have a spoiler alert, there was no need. Absolutely nothing happened in this movie that couldn't been seen coming (many)minutes earlier. A better warning would have been Cliché Alert. Just a few: bickering couple rediscovers love after a life-threatening (if improbable) event; their car breaks down and there is only a single hotel available in the galaxy; the desk clerk is a sleazeball, but they check in anyway; the grimy room includes the stained sheets, static-filled TV, 60s pendant lights and cockroach filled bathroom that we've all grown to know and love. No need to go on. A tremendous waste of a premise, and cast. Anthony Perkins is spinning in his grave.