reelcrazed Reviews

All the Real Girls (2003)

Childbirth is easier to endure than this movie.

[1/10 · 11 October 2003]

In reading the jacket of this movie at my local Blockbuster, I was under the impression that this was the "indie" version of the rebel-boy-meets-innocent-girl-love-ensues-problems-happen genre of film. So many are so sugar coated these days, I thought this one would be different.

Yeah, different in a very bad way!

The flow of this movie is as choppy as Paul's speech patterns. The movie bounces all over the place. It reminded me of when I was first learning to drive a stick shift. FORWARD-->JERK! FORWARD-->JERK! And the notion that Paul is the casanova/scrog-dog of the town is just laughable. How could he possibly sweet-talk all of those girls into having sex if he can't put more than 3 words together at a time? Wouldn't he get stuck at "Hey, how about..."? I don't care how small of a town one one may live in, "Local Idiot" and "Local Womanizer" are not titles bestowed onto just one man.

I thought the "making of" bonus feature on the DVD would give some insight. But alas, the director talks just like his characters and no real clarity is given.

I don't have a problem with movie characters talking in "real life" language, but when they all come off as mildly retarded, it made me wonder if the local mill is dumping something into the water.

The Bank (2001)

A former bank teller says...

[8/10 · 8 October 2003]

Go and rent The Bank!

This movie was a great surprise for me. The contrast between LaPaglia and Wenham is very believable. LaPaglia's Simon in his expensive suits and $100 haircut in stark contrast to Wenham's Jim in a leather jacket and unkempt hair. I found myself talking to the characters, from calling Simon (LaPaglia) a dirty bastard, to rolling my eyes at Jim (Wenham) and calling him a sell-out. The Bank really held my "interest" and gave a nice "payoff" in the end with a great twist.

A great movie if you like the David and Goliath-type of movie.

Better Than Sex (2000)

If you have ever been single and dating--you can relate!

[6/10 · 8 October 2003]

You don't even have to be the type to sleep around to relate to this movie. We have all played the head games, we've doubted ourselves after making a move, we wonder if they really mean to call you, etc. I found myself laughing at the "confessionals" with the characters thinking out loud, I was nodding my head and saying "been there, done that!" many times through the movie. The getting ready to go out part was a bit tedious, but recognizable none the less. There is A LOT OF SEX in this movie, but if you can get past all of the moaning and groaning, it is quite charming.

***SPOILER***

I had to laugh at Josh telling Cin that she'd be good with a snorkel. I guess this is a reference to Wenham's character of Diver Dan on Aussie TV.

***END SPOILER***

Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)

Sacrilege! Reverend Awdry is turning in his grave!

[2/10 · 5 August 2003]

Britt Allcroft should be flogged for desecrating such a treasure!

My kids were first exposed to the Thomas and Friends videos. We then got them the complete treasury storybook with its original illustrations and have truly enjoyed Reverend Awdry's vision.

We stumbled across "The Magic Railroad" in a markdown bin at Wal-Mart and thought we had struck gold.

One word: ECCH!!!

Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda!? Come on! Were they the only two actors that Britt Allcroft could scrounge up to do this movie because everyone else foresaw how awful it was?

If your kids are getting into Thomas, I recommend the Thomas and Friends original series. There is the spinoff (ripoff) show, Shining Time Station, but even that show is full of humans doing and saying a bunch of Mister Rogers-type gobbledygook and showing very little of Thomas.

I'd like to hear what the good Reverend will have to say to Allcroft on other side someday!

DragonHeart (1996)

This movie is 7 years old?! Still looking good!

[7/10 · 1 August 2003]

Saw this movie in the theater back in '96 and was highly impressed by the SFX. Rented it recently for my son who is into swords, knights and dragons and am still pleasantly surprised at how well Drago's animation has held up (especially with the major advancement of CGI and Digital animation these last couple of years). Kudos to Rob Coleman at ILM for his work!

I appreciated the friendship forged between Bowen and Drago. I also find it interesting that Bowen is a dying breed as well, just like Drago being the last of the dragons, even though he doesn't realize it.

Yes, the Americans acting in this movie have British accents that come and go at times, but I found them still pretty believable and real. I also found the humor in Drago's character refreshing and fun.

***SPOILER***

I had totally forgotten the part when he snatches up Dina Myer and is found later serenading her by a waterfall. And the "I only chewed, but I didn't swallow." comment (aimed at the Bill Clinton line about his marijuana use) had me rolling on the floor laughing!

***END SPOILER***

It is also fun to see David Thewlis and Jason Isaacs acting side-by-side, before their rise to notoriety (especially here in the USA) in the Harry Potter films as of late.

Rent this one or if you see it on the markdown shelf, pick it up, it's a definite keeper!

Gattaca (1997)

Surprise! Surprise!

[8/10 · 28 July 2003]

I had no interest in this movie when it was in theaters or sitting on the shelves of the rental store for many a year. Caught this one on late night TV and I have to say that this is a good one!

***SPOILERS*** The spookiness of the kind of engineering that the doctor spoke of when Vincent's parents were trying for their second child sent chills down my spine! The monitor with fertilized embryos on it with a doctor telling parents which ones are male or female, diseased or "clean", and the ability to splice out the "imperfections" has already arrived in many a fertility lab across the country.

I also appreciated the irony in the use of terminology in this film. Jerome was considered "VALID" even though he was an INVALID. Vincent was considered "IN-VALID" even though he possessed all the traits of someone who was VALID.

I give Gattica an 8/10. This one I would own.

Indiscreet (1958)

A good old classic!

[7/10 · 18 July 2003]

I truly enjoyed this movie. So many movies these days get you into the bedroom with the characters as quickly as possible, you've not even been properly introduced!

***SPOILER*** I appreciated the fact that the director gave you time to take in the growing relationship between the main characters. A perfect example is the elevator ride after they return from walking. The doors close and you get to watch them seduce each other with only their eyes for all three floors! No grabbing, necking or groping to spoil the moment or to obviously tell you that Grant is going to be invited in. ***END SPOILER***

Bergman nailed her character right on as a super-star actress who can be just as dramatic in her personal life as she is on stage.

A good "chick flick" for those afternoons, when on the rare occasion, the kids take a nap!

Miracles (2003)

THE biggest casualty of the war in Iraq

[8 July 2003]

My husband picked this show on its premier night. I was hooked! I watch very few shows on the ABC network these days, but this one was definitely a "keeper" in my book.

Each episode slowly peeled back another layer of the very mysterious and complex lives of the main characters. A show with some depth, what a novel idea!

This show reminded me a lot of the first couple of seasons of The X-Files. There was a "WOW! That was good!" followed by "Ooh, I wonder what's coming next week?". Anticipating whether the next episode would either address a personal issue of the main characters (that you actually cared about), or throw you right into the middle of them encountering and dealing with someone else's troubles.

The show was constantly being pre-empted by news break-ins of the war in Iraq with fuzzy images of Ted Koppell in green night vision-o-rama. It's a shame that ABC gave "Miracles" the boot because not enough people were watching it when, in reality, they didn't give us the choice on whether to watch or not.