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drjoseph
Reviews
The Narrows (2008)
an intelligent mobster fable
Most of the films of this genre are hackneyed remakes of classics with nothing new to add except a new face here and there. This film is obviously tailored to an intelligent novel and the acting is surprisingly tight. Donofrio is outstanding as the bitter old numbers runner who can't seem to get over the death of is saintly Italian wife; not too many clichés there, huh? But he pulls it off with the panache only he can bring to a role. Huzzah for you, Mr. Vincent, you did it again. But as the lead, Kevin Zegers steals the show. Where has this kid been? He is believable, beautiful and serious. I know that the established critics bombed this film, but that's never swayed me all that much. I watch a lot of films and this one, though far from a ten, is a solid seven.
Moonlight Serenade (2009)
A Beautiful Musical Interlude and Amy Adams too!
I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for romantic jazz standards, I'm a sucker for films about aspiring musicians, and I'm a sucker for Amy Adams. So this little film was a gift straight from heaven for me. The acting was quite good, the plot, though a bit out there, was still believable enough to carry the story to its sweet conclusion, and Amy Adams was Amy Adams and that's enough for me to give it nine stars. This plot line is not new, in fact it's as much of a standard as the songs which permeated the script; boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. If not for the casting, which to my mind was superb, this film could have been a dud. But the lead characters were just understated enough to be lovable and the music was nothing short of divine. No steamy interludes, no weird twists of fate, no ridiculous situations, just a clever little interlude to brighten up your viewing pleasure. Thank you all who brought this little gem to the screen.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes? In name only.
Whoever is responsible for this film should write Arthur Conan Doyle a fervent letter of apology for using his legendary detectives name in vain. Had this film been called the "Marvelous Adventures of Chuckie and his sidekick Frank" it may have passed as something of value; as it is, it is a revisionist trashing of the Holmes brand. Nothing about the character portrayed by Robert Downey even comes close to suggesting the persona of Holmes, except maybe the pipe and that was thrown in, it appears, as an afterthought. The plot is silly, the lines ridiculous and the acting is minimal. When the arch villain asks the Houses of Parliament why they are surprised to see him, when all think him dead, it puts an exclamation point on one of the saddest and silliest movies I have seen in a long time. Sorry, Arthur, better luck, hopefully next time.