Reviews

I wish I would have seen this before Robin died. I think a lot of my feelings about this movie were colored by his untimely death. I tried very hard to watch it with an open mind, looking at it from the perspective that he was still alive. I failed miserably.

The concept of the movie was an interesting take on an old question: what would you do if you knew you only had so much time to live? This put a whole new spin on the question, but the outcome was relatively the same.

The cast was an unusual choice, in my opinion. Robin Williams was well known for being able to play a wide array of characters, from the brilliantly funny to the downright broken. This character was oddly complex. But again, maybe that's just me reading into it because of Robin's death.

Ironically, one of the funniest scenes in the movie is the last scene, in which Robin's character is absent. In all, it was a fairly good movie that made me laugh and cry, and not necessarily at the points where you're supposed to laugh or cry. And it really made me miss the genius actor even more.

A shockingly good story! When I first sat down to watch this, I knew nothing about it. I'd never heard of it before Netflix suggested it to me. The first few minutes were really bad. The actors were unknowns, and quite frankly, their acting was pretty bad. I figured I'd give it a few more minutes to see if it improved any, and if not, I was going to shut it off. An hour later, I'd completely forgotten about turning it off. I was engrossed. The acting wasn't any better, but the story was amazing. Yes, I figured out the ending, and usually that irritates me, but this time it added to the story. It was as if Tyler Perry wanted the audience to know what was coming. I gave this 8/10 stars, despite the bad acting, just on the basis of the story itself.

First, let me start off by saying that I had no intention of actually watching this movie any time soon, but the opportunity fell into my lap, and my curiosity got the better of me. Once I made the decision to watch it, I was hoping that I'd like it. I didn't hate it, but "like" might be a little too generous.

It was a stupid comedy that tried very hard to get laughs, but failed miserably. I didn't laugh once during the entire thing. I snickered a couple of times, and snorted a time or two, but there was no genuine laughter.

The first half of it, I was annoyed more than anything. Franco's character was so over-the-top stupid, I was amazed when he said anything remotely intelligent. Rogen's character was at least moderately intelligent and likable.

The plot was as ridiculous as they come. Not one minute of it was the least bit believable. Part of what makes something funny is that you can imagine it really happening. There's just no way to imagine any part of this plot actually happening. Unless you count Kim Jong Un being manipulative and duping a visiting American (because that apparently did really happen to Dennis Rodman). In fact, in some ways, this felt more like a parody of Rodman's ties to Kim Jong Un than an original plot.

Overall, I felt embarrassed for the entire cast. Mostly for Seth Rogen, but also for James Franco, and even for Eminem.

That said, I could see no reason for Kim Jong Un to get his panties in a twist over this. Yes, it was irreverent, but in no way was it anything even remotely worth getting upset over. Maybe he should actually watch it to see how incredibly stupid it was for himself.

This one was a surprise for me. I expect most foreign films to be good, but this one was really different, and make you really engage your brain. First of all, if you don't understand the language, you have to read subtitles, and there's such rapid dialogue, that you have to read fast or you'll miss out. Which means you tend to miss a bit of the visuals, but it can be done without missing too much.

As for the story, it's fascinating, and pretty disturbing, to see the lengths an evangelical family will go to try to keep their daughter from having sex. Let's just say "slut shaming" is taken to an extreme level in this family. You can feel the poor girl's angst; it's not pleasant.

This movie explores the darker side of growing up and trying to find one's place in the world. It's not for prudes or people afraid of human sexuality. 7/10 stars.

If you like foreign films (don't mind reading your movie), can handle severely disturbing scenes, and can wrap your mind around extremely unusual cinematography, then you'll want to see this one. I personally rated it 5/10 stars, but would have rated it higher if not for the camera work in the first 25 minutes.

The story is told in reverse-chronological order. It starts at the very end of the story. The first 16 minutes are almost unbearable. Not only do you not know what's going on, but it's made worse by the camera turning and twisting every which way, making the viewer nauseous at times.

Once you make it through that part, you'll have to hang on just a little bit longer. Each scene gets better, both with comprehension and a steadier camera. At about 41 minutes, you get to the heart of the story. From there, the camera is pretty much steady until the end of the movie.

But be warned, at the 44 minute mark, you'll be witness to a gut-wrenching scene that lasts a horrifying 12 minutes. This is not for the faint of heart.

The rest of movie is pretty mellow in comparison. The movie ends (begins) on a positive note ... until your brain catches up and you remember the beginning (end) of the story.

Absolutely heartbreaking. Ever since watching "Free Willy" back in the 90's, I've known about the problems with keeping killer whales in captivity. I've followed the stories of accidents, injuries and deaths.

I'm torn, however, between wanting to never have another whale put on display, and knowing how much we've learned precisely because of places like Sea World. I'm hoping there's some sort of solution to this.

Maybe places like Sea World could find a way to allow these whales a MUCH larger space to roam while they're not performing; a more natural habitat like that mentioned at the end of this documentary. Also, the practices need to be changed, like ripping the young away from their mother ... that needs to stop immediately! No matter what, something needs to change. These animals are beautiful, intelligent creatures, and we can learn a lot from them.

I'm just left with the question, wtf was the point of that whole thing? Were we supposed to feel sorry for him/his family? I don't. He lost, so sad too bad. Was it to show that he's somehow more human than any other person who ever ran for president? It failed, if that was the point. The whole family seemed like automatons to me.

With the constant boo-hoo background music, it's obvious the person who made this wants us to feel something, but I just can't figure out what we're supposed to feel. And really, why release this in 2014 when the election was over in 2012? It's not as if he did anything but run for the office of President. I could see making this if he'd won, but after losing? Seriously, what was the point?

Yes, I'm a "Sound of Music" geek. I absolutely love this musical, and I'm so glad I caught the live version on NBC. The actors did a fantastic job with their performances. There were no major mistakes, and only one very tiny mistake with Carrie Underwood who slipped a little with her footing in the first scene.

The only real flaw with this was the arrangement of the scenes. It varied from the movie a great deal sometimes, which was disappointing. I can normally recite this musical almost word for word, so not being able to follow its normal flow had me a bit frustrated. I felt that certain scenes were crucial to the original story, and shouldn't be changed.

Overall, I rate this one a 7/10 stars. Very well done!

If all you know about Jane Goodall is her work with chimps, then you're in for a big surprise when you watch this. Truly an amazing and extraordinary woman! This documentary touches on all aspects of Jane's life, from her childhood, to her work with the chimps, her family, her activism, her work with "Roots and Shoots", and to her current life (as of 2010).

Beautiful photography, heart-warming dialogue, and touching stories. This will keep your interest the entire time. In fact, I didn't want it to end; I wanted to see more of her life, hear more of her stories. She is an inspiration to so many people, myself included.

After continually hearing about this movie, I had to watch it for myself to see what it was all about. I regret every minute I wasted on this pathetic movie. It was nothing more than a propaganda movie for the KKK. Historically inaccurate ... hell, "inaccurate" is putting it mildly. Basically, it was 3 hours of 'oh woe is me, the white man is being subjugated by the big bad black man!'.

Half the movie was spent fighting the urge to put my head through the wall, and the other half was spent laughing at the stupidity. And no, this was NOT a comedy! The author was dead serious(ly a nutjob).

The acting was terrible. The majority of actors were white men in black-face, who did an outstandingly terrible job of acting like black men. There were plenty of times I was left scratching my head, wondering if some of them were even supposed to be black characters.

The women were piteous nitwits, the men pompous simpletons. Not one person in this movie was portrayed as having more intelligence than a pumpkin. But oh boy were they overflowing with bravado! It's sad to know that so many people actually thought like this. Even more sad that in 2013, so many people STILL think like this. We see the evidence of it every day with conservatives - especially southern conservatives. I'm beginning to wonder if this movie is some sort of playbook for racist Republicans (aka Teabaggers). They all seem to love revisionist history, and this movie is rife with it! I don't recommend this movie to anyone, unless you're a glutton for punishment. 1/10 stars (if I could have given fewer, I would have!)

Fans of Leonardo da Vinci will really enjoy this docu-drama. Chronicles his life from birth until death. Conversations with historians, actors playing the roles, and a narrator to explain everything. Subtitles when necessary. I learned a few things I didn't already know about da Vinci, so that made it more than worth the 90 minutes! I am an avid enthusiast of anything Leonardo. Anything written about him, I read. Exhibits that tour the country, I've seen. Movies and TV shows that so much as mention him, I watch. As a fan of the new series "DaVinci's Demons", I found the way this was put together was very helpful in understanding the TV series. If you get a chance to catch this on the History channel, and are a fan of Leonardo da Vinci, you'll really enjoy it.

I saw this at the library, and even though it wasn't on my list of movies to watch, I thought it looked interesting, so I took it home. Let me first say that the description on the box did not do justice to the movie. At all. I figured on it being a feel-good movie. Instead, it was one of the most emotional movies I've ever seen. I don't remember crying as hard at any other movie like I did with this one. Some of the scenes will stay with me for the rest of my life.

This is a powerful movie, to say the least! Nearly 12 years after 9/11, I discovered that the tragedy -- for me -- is still a deep, unhealed wound. I thought it had healed over, and formed scars that weren't painful any more. How wrong I was. One of the scenes was so powerful, I let loose a noise that came from my core, and was crying so hard I couldn't even speak. I had to pause it, because I couldn't see through the tears, or hear through the sobbing.

The child actor who plays the main character was not an actor, but recruited for the movie because they saw him on Jeopardy (he won!) and liked what they saw. If he continues acting, he's definitely someone to keep an eye on, because he will be great!

After watching the original, I had to watch the 2008 remake with Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad. There were additional scenes that weren't in the original, but for the most part it was nearly word for word, which was surprising for a remake. I also thought some of it was better than the original, but a few scenes weren't as good, either. I thought Phylicia Rashad did a better job at Lena than Claudia McNeil did. And Ruby Dee in the original did a better job at Ruth than Audra McDonald did. The part of Beneatha was well played by both actresses.

Overall, if this were the only version I'd ever seen, I'd say they did a fantastic job!

I remember watching this in high school, but never really grasping it to the fullest extent. Watching it again after I've gained some life experience, and it's absolutely heart-wrenching to watch, knowing that this is something that still takes place in 2013. It really saddens me to know that we haven't evolved too far past 1961, in terms of socio-economics, racism, and even in terms of religion. One of the most touching parts of the movie for me personally, was when Beneatha tells her mother that she doesn't believe in god, and her mother's reaction. I hope that when my kids are in their 40's, they can look back at this movie and say that things have changed.

After the horrible time I had getting through the book, I didn't have much hope of the mini-series being much better, but I was pleasantly surprised. The mini-series was at least twice as good as the book! It played out much more like a love story than the book. I have to credit that to not having to worry about Elizabeth's thoughts, which were beyond boring in the book.

The choice of actors for this were pretty good, for the most part. The characters of Elizabeth, Jane, Darcy, Mr. Bennett and a few other supporting characters were perfect! Some of the characters were horribly over-the-top though, especially Mrs. Bennett and Lady deBourgh, both of whom I wanted to strangle every time they were in a scene. Mr. Collins was pretty much exactly what I expected: revolting in both the book and the mini-series.

The only real gripe I have is that the story was still a bit like a gossip rag, or as I've seen it described: "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", Victorian style.

My final verdict ... if you must know the story, the mini-series is the way to go. Forget the book, you won't miss much. The mini-series was faithful to the book, with only a few very minor differences that help condense the story without losing any of the story.

This has to be the most unusual, unique and beautiful movies I've ever seen. I highly recommend it to everyone! 9/10 stars! I kept hearing rave reviews about this movie, and when I finally had the opportunity to watch it, I took it. The moment it started, I knew it was going to be different. I almost turned it off, though, because it's subtitled, and I'm not very fond of having to read a movie I'm watching. I decided to give it a chance, and I'm so glad I did! The story follows a young girl who was starved of attention from her parents, kept home because of a non-existent illness, and spent the majority of her life as a loner. She develops a vivid imagination, and an odd curiosity about life. Something changes her destiny, and that's where the story twists and turns, becomes unpredictable and somewhat magical.

Amelie is an amazing character; full of humor, deviousness, sadness, imagination, compassion, beauty, intelligence, and she also has a keen eye for detail.

There are times when this movie reminds me of "Seinfeld", in which it's a movie about nothing and everything all at once. It's a masterpiece, full of ups and downs, sharp turns, slow interludes and fast paced action. I can't categorize this movie as just a comedy, romance, drama, action, mystery or suspense ... it's all of the above! It's wickedly wonderful!

Oh, to top it all off, I completely forgot that I was reading subtitles after about 15 minutes!

I wish I could remember who told me I had to watch this movie, because I'd like to thank them.

While this movie started off disjointed and massively confusing, it finally settled down into something coherent and mind-blowing. And off-the-charts frightening! No parent wants to think that their child is capable of doing something so horrendous that it defies all comprehension. But it happens. Children do things that destroy lives. But how do the parents of these children, provided they survive with their lives intact, learn to live with what their child has done? This movie examines the point of view of the mother of an insanely disturbed child, not only after his horrendous crime, but his entire life leading up to the crime. We see a mother who is at a loss about what to do with her son, and a father who doesn't even see the signs and thinks the mother is just blowing things out of proportion.

I think of all the parents of headline criminals, and what they must've gone through, and probably still are. Do we take pity on them, or blame them for not seeking help for their child? This movie certainly doesn't answer that question for the viewer! Major kudos to the 2 actors who played Kevin! The young boy (Jasper Newell) is a phenomenal actor for being so young. The older Kevin (Ezra Miller) had just the right mix of sweet and insane to pull off this character perfectly!

Extraordinary movie about an extraordinary president. I would vote for Andrew Shepherd right now if I had the chance.

The writers did a fantastic job of portraying the game of politics, the intricacies of a blossoming new relationship, and the balance between the two. Douglas was phenomenal in this role, as was Annette Benning. I came away from it feeling energized in several ways.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. I would even recommend that it be shown in civics courses in high school and college - not for the love story, which I really felt was secondary to the story about the workings of government. Although, make no mistakes about it, the love story was just as fantastic!

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's a story I haven't seen done before, quite like this. Set in 1961, a 16 year old girl is enchanted by an older man, who whisks her away to show her what life could be like outside of the boring home and life she currently has. Lots of life lessons packed into 100 minutes. The ending fell a little flat for me, but overall, it was worth watching.

The actors were well chosen, though I would have liked to see a couple of the characters a little more fleshed out. The mother's character was very dull, without many lines, but you could read what she was thinking on her face and by her body language.