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chelsea-margaret
Reviews
The Island (2005)
You have to be imaginative.
I saw this movie last night in a sneak preview in Los Angeles. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, it looked like it would be a visual feast, like other Bay films are, but I wasn't sure what it was about. And to be honest, for the first 45 minutes or so I still wasn't sure what it was about. I was more in shock than anything and I was wondering if it was going to start making more sense. But it comes together really well and you totally understand it but appreciate the fact that it stretches your mind. And it has a good dose of comedy, but not just from Steve Buscemi, (who steals every scene he is in) but it offers simplistic and entertaining humor all around. Yes, there are certain "plot holes" and I am sure that the story wasn't as strong as it could be but Ewan and Scarlett have such good chemistry and the movie is just so much fun that you don't notice the mistakes or the weaknesses.
In short, it entertains as it works.
I think the people that will be the biggest critics of this movie are the ones that can't get past the realistic factor. But I guess you could say it is unrealistic in the same way Minority Report was, you have to be able to get into the different world they are creating for you. And it is a bit long at parts, but you don't mind cause it's enjoyable.
I really liked it, and if you are looking for a visual feast and that fun summer action film, skip Fantastic Four and check out The Island.
A Lot Like Love (2005)
A lot like mediocrity
Don't get me wrong! I love a good chick flick. I mean, I'm a chick who loves most flicks! If you look at my personal DVD collection, this is apparent as most of my movies boast taglines of love prevailing all, including cheese and over-played plot points! Furthermore, it's very hard for me to walk away from a movie and not find a few things I like about it. (Recent exceptions to this little policy of mine include "White Noise" and "Matrix Reloaded" for obvious reasons.) But I can generally walk away from a not so hot movie and say "Hey, that wasn't THAT bad". I didn't think I was going to have to do that with A Lot Like Love. I'm a sucker for photo booth pictures of couples and just the posters made me tingle with excitement for this movie. I even was able to get past the fact that it starred Ashton Kutcher and muster up the $10 bucks and the few hours to go see it! It's a romantic comedy for crap's sake and when was the last time I didn't enjoy one of those!
That being said, A Lot Like Love puts you in that warm spot that so many romantic comedies do. It makes you feel that when it comes to dating, miracles do happen and, that hey, look, not all guys are superficial jerks! A Lot Like Love puts you in the warm place, but unfortunately you never get comfortable.
Amanda Peet is beautiful, I will give her that. But half way through the movie, her artsy side reminded me of her role as Rachel in "Igby Goes Down". I didn't like her character then and I sure is hell didn't like it in this movie. It's almost like she is playing dumb, but you know she isn't. And THAT, my friend, is annoying stuff. On the contrary to playing dumb, Peet is countered by someone who I think really IS dumb and can't play intellectual to save his life. Ashton Kutcher never really appealed much to me as an actor outside of stupid but lovable Michael Kelso "That 70's Show", but I always seem to give him a chance. To me, he is so two-dimensional. (And if you ask me, Butterfly Effect was a great movie, but for Ashton, a once in a lifetime, if you will, and it will never happen again). Nonetheless, he plays Oliver, a sweet, reserved, nervous and passionate young man who has a soft side when it comes to watching him interact in Sign language with his deaf older brother (one aspect of the movie, I really did like). His life is so ho-hum and normal until *GASP* he meets the oh-so-unreserved punky, spunky and funky (!) Emily (Peet) in an airplane lavatory on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. They do the dance in the teeny lavatory and well, you guessed it, Oliver will never be the same! You are exposed to Oliver's "6 year plan" in the beginning of the movie and when he is having a conversation in a mid-day bar scene with Peet and it is almost PAINFULLY obvious that this will be a major premise for all of Oliver's defining moments in the rest of the film. Point blank: its unrealistic, predictable and too drawn out. Well, I shouldn't say unrealistic because with segment tags like "3 years later..." "7 years ago..." you really feel like you have been sitting there for that long.
It's one of those movies where you wish you had a fast forward button because some parts of it simply drag. The dialogue is boring and I'm sorry but "Don't... you'll ruin it..." is chicken sh*t compared to the gag-reflex testing, kill me now "let yourself be great" moment in Summer Catch (which by the way, I am still bitter towards Matthew Lillard about). It's almost like you want to say "Don't... say that line again. You'll further ruin the movie. No, really. Stop. Please?" Not to mention every single mildly funny part of the movie is already shown in the previews. (COME ON, how many times can you watch Peet walk into a sliding glass door. I think 25 was my limit). All in all, this movie made me feel single. Like most romantic comedies do, but when I look back at it, I don't understand why I would want to be in a relationship with more cheese than those "happy California cows" can produce and enough nausea to rival how I felt after the last elections.
One very positive side note to this rather negative review is that the soundtrack quite honestly, RULES. Third Eye Blind, Travis, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Chicago, Anna Nalick (a guilty pleasure kind of song for me)and even Butch Walker make the movie more bearable and it at least gives you entertainment even during the some most painful of scenes to watch.
So if you must see Amanda and Ashton half naked, and if you've got 10 bucks to spare and 97 minutes to waste, go see A Lot Like Love. If it gets to the point where you think you're going to vomit, close your eyes, deep breathing usually helps, enjoy "Mint Car" by The Cure and just think, "it will all be over soon". And I'm talking about the movie, not Ashton's career. Or am I?...