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Reviews
Watchers (1988)
A Dog (Possible Spoiler)
I love dogs, and the most interesting character in this movie is a Golden Retriever. He is smarter, better looking and more interesting than any of the human characters. Like many other contributors I have not read the book but I doubt that having done so would change my opinion of the movie. It is predictable from the first five minutes on. No surprises. Mad scientists create a monster that gets loose and a teen age boy and his wonder dog collaborate to destroy it. All in all the movie is a dog. But as I said, I love dogs and will therefore give this movie a 7/10 rating. Watch it if it comes on TV, rent it if you are bored and nothing else catches your eye, but don't buy it unless it is on special.
For Love of the Game (1999)
Greatest Baseball Movie Ever
"Billy, this ain't your day," so said Detroit Tiger catcher Gus Sinski, played by John C. Reilly, to his pitcher Billy Chapel, played by Kevin Costner, in the visitors dressing room of Yankee Stadium while getting ready to play the last game of a losing season. Billy has just been informed by the team owner that he has sold it to a corporate group who intend to trade Billy to the New York Giants. To add to his problems his long time girlfriend Jane Aubrey, played by the beautiful Kelly Preston, told him she is breaking up with him and is taking a job in London.
Billy is devastated by these events but takes the field to play what may be his last game. In spite of a sore shoulder he throws the ball harder than usual and reminisces about events leading up to this day. In flashbacks we see him meeting Jane as he stops to offer help when her car breaks down, and the growth of their relationship through the next five years.
This movie has something for everyone. It is a great baseball story as well as the story of a great love. I give it a 10/10 and highly recommend it for all audiences.
Soapdish (1991)
Funny Funny Funny
Anyone who doesn't laugh all through this movie has been embalmed. I have watched it at least twenty times and I still get tears in my eyes at many of the scenes. Sally Field is absolutely perfect as Celest Talbert, a fading soap star whose supporting cast is trying to get her replaced in hopes that their own star will rise. Fields, at 45, still has that wonderful and beautiful pixie quality and a perfect figure that belies her having had three children. I'm biased, I'm in love with her.
The cast of "Soapdish" is filled with stars who perform their roles to perfection. Kevin Kline is flawless, as are Robert Downey Jr., an ingénue Elizabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher in one of her early roles, Carrie Fisher as the oversexed casting director who auditions an actor for a small part as a waiter without his shirt on. Kathy Najimy is wonderful as the hapless costume designer, and best of all, Cathy Moriarty as Nurse Nan who leads the plot to get Fields character removed from the show is hilarious.
This movie should have won Oscars for best comedy, best leading lady in a comedy, best leading man in a comedy and myriad other bests, including writing, directing and supporting actors and actresses. Get the DVD so you can watch it over and over for the next twenty five years. You will still be laughing at it when the disc wears out.
Carolina (2003)
A Delightful And Entertaining Family Movie.
This was the first time I have seen Julia Stiles and I was impressed with her portrayal of Carolina. She is of course very pretty, and for one so young she has a commanding presence on the screen. Her character is surely foreign to any of her life experiences but she demonstrates her acting abilities by making it totally believable. Shirley MacLaine plays the role of Carolina's grandmother, an irascible, bold and bawdy woman who meets life head on with courage and defiance. No one could perform the part any better, and I really can't imagine anyone else in the role. The tale is a love story involving Carolina, her family and her best friend who adores her.
The tale takes Carolina from childhood through early adulthood as she seeks balance in her life while looking for a "normal" guy. She thinks she has found one in the suave and debonair "Heath" (Edward Atterton), an Englishman, who sweeps her off her feet, only to disappoint her after meeting her eccentric family. Meanwhile, in the background is her best friend Albert (Allesandro Nivola), who is secretly in love with her. The story contains comedy, romance and pathos and will leave you satisfied. I didn't like the ending, it could have been better written, but the story is charming and entertaining and well worth watching, if for no other reason than to enjoy the performance of Julia Stiles.
Unfaithful (2002)
Lane is fantastic and should have gotten the Oscar for this performance.
*****SPOILERS****** It is hard to choose between "Unfaithful" and "A Walk On The Moon" as to which is Diane Lanes greatest performance. She is the consummate unfaithful wife, no one could do it better. "Unfaithful" has three or four scenes that I don't believe anyone else could have played. The train scene is the most remarkable bit of acting I have ever seen. Her facial and body expressions are unbelievably convincing and the first seduction scene, showing her body shuddering, is riveting.
My other favorite scenes are the dry cleaning store when she discovers that her husband is on to her, and the scene in their home when he is making small talk and she is watching him like a trapped animal. However, in both AWOTM and "Unfaithful" the husbands reactions are not realistic. Any man, upon discovering that his wife has been unfaithful would want to know how many other men she has been intimate with and for how long. He would certainly question the paternity of their children. I get the feeling in both these movies that Lyne is trying to make the unfaithful wife a sympathetic character and the husbands the guilty ones.
Connies obsession with the sexual predator (and that is the only way he could be described) is not quite understandable as she descends into behavior that makes her character totally unsympathetic. The restaurant rest room scene and her later query , "did you just **** me across the street", along with the rear ending in the hall, showed her as crass and vulgar. All in all it was an absolutely mesmerizing movie that will be a classic for years to come.
Guilty Hearts (2002)
Interesting movie about betrayal and deceit
I thought that Treat Williams was a poor choice as the philandering doctor but Marcia Gay Harden was good as his love interest, Jenny Moran. The movie deals with a woman in a mid life crisis who leaves her husband and gets involved with a manipulative doctor who takes advantage of her vulnerability. I was impressed with the acting of Neally Glenn who plays the part of the doctors eldest daughter and Katie Boland, the young daughter of Jenny. They were both very convincing in their roles. The movie was poorly put together as it seemed to skip about and show snippets of scenes without fully developing them. However, I did enjoy it and would give it a rating of seven of ten.
Deadly Betrayal (2003)
A Faithless Wife Reaps The Whirlwind
Nicolette Sheridan plays a wife who is disappointed with her husbands dedication to his job that keeps him away from home for long stretches of time. She reacts to it by having sex with her young daughters teacher. When her husband returns home, on the night of her infidelity, she greets him with argument and criticism until he tells her that he is home for good. She thinks she has gotten away with her disloyalty until a video tape of her making love to the teacher arrives at her husbands office and he confronts her with it. He leaves, taking their daughter with him and she is forced to deal with a sadistic and ruthless former lover. The rest of the story is interesting and well acted but the ending is unbelievable.
Donovan's Reef (1963)
A Really Entertaining Movie
Oh gosh, how many times have I watched this truly entertaining movie? Probably fifteen or so, and I still enjoy it as much as the first time. As others have said, this is not John Wayne's best movie but it is enjoyable. My favorite part is the scene near the end when Amelia discovers that she is half sister to Dr. Dedhams three children and that the eldest of them is the reigning Princess of the island culture. It is a very touching scene that is preceded by a bevy of island women performing a stick dance that is absolutely beautiful to watch and listen to. I would rate it 9/10.
Maybe Baby (2000)
Quirky British Humor
Having read the comments I am surprised that this film hasn't gotten a more positive reception. Maybe is is just me but I love British comedy. Actually, I just love the British, dispite their dislike of us. The problem is that I can't understand half of what the characters are saying. It's weird, I love to hear Brits talk but for some reason or other it is like listening to a foreign language. I bought the DVD of "Maybe Baby" just so I can watch it until I get the dialogue down.
The story involves an infertile couple who go to extremes in an attempt to get pregnant though they are both healthy and individually capable of procreating. Joely Richardson is beautiful and talented and the main reason for my attraction to the movie. Much has been said about the bevy of British comedians in the film but I must admit to not being familiar with any of them. I particularly liked the character of the movie director. He cracked me up, though he was the most difficult to understand. I rate it at 7/10 until I get the dialogue down.
Funny About Love (1990)
A waste of time
This movie should not have been made. It is the only thing that I have seen Christine Lahti in that failed to entertain me. All I kept thinking of while viewing it was that it would eventually get to the good part. Mary Stuart Masterson was cute and Lahti was her usual beautiful self but nothing could save this disaster. I will give it 2/10 for effort.
Gilda (1946)
Vintage Rita Hayworth At Her Best
I first saw this film in 1946 or 1947 on the weather deck of a submarine, tied up at a pier down in Panama. The west bank. It left the crew mesmerized and it still has some of that effect on me. It is all Rita. Those were the years immediately after WW11 when Rita was at the height of her well deserved popularity. When she did the famous clothed strip tease "Put The Blame On Mame" the crew went wild.
But Rita Hayworth did much more than "Gilda" and the DVD shows bits of her wonderful dancing ability with such stars as Fred Astair. As has been noted by other users the ending is contrived, but the film will remain one of my favorites, if for no other reason than the scene when "Ballin" asks, "are you decent"? Rita flips her hair and replies "me?........Sure, I'm decent". It still curls my toes.
She was the most glamorous and sexiest of all stars and deserved the title of "Sex Goddess". This movie is really all hers. Glenn Ford was perfect in his role and their friendship shows through in this film. They were neighbors in real life and were really great lifelong friends. I will rate it 10/10 and put it in my DVD player and watch it once more....for old times sake.
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
A really Bad Movie
I am sick to death of movies in which women treat their husbands like dirt, are unfaithful to them and put them through hell but in the end are treated like they are the victims and the husband is at fault. In this movie "Alice" (Meg Ryan) puts her children and her husband through a living hell, virtually destroys their lives and in the end says she is sorry and is portrayed as being worthy of forgiveness.
I kept waiting for her husband (Andy Garcia) to throw her out of the house, take the kids and file for a divorce. That is what should have happened after he forgave her for about the nth time and she continued with her bad behavior. He had no idea of what she was doing, or who she was doing it with, during her drinking bouts. She tormented him and her children in the most cruel fashion and showed no true remorse until she had destroyed the family.
In the end she had taken the children and let her long suffering husband leave without even trying to keep him. He betrayed all husbands by his obsequious behavior toward her in the most masochistic fashion. I was holding out some hope for him until the very end when he did the unthinkable. He showed up, apparently having left his job, and begged her forgiveness for her drinking. Unbelievable. When will the movie husbands in films like this, "Unfaithful", "A Walk On The Moon" and others of like genre throw the tramps out and get on with their lives?
Sibling Rivalry (1990)
Not a knee slapper but fun to watch
If you like Kirstie Ally you will enjoy this movie. You wont go away any smarter than you were before, but that isn't what I watch movies for. It is about a repressed wife (Kirstie) of a doctor who is more married to his family than to her. Her irrepressible sister (Jamie Gurtz) convinces her that she should have an affair to spice up her life. When she follows that advice it sets off a chain of events that, if you have any sense of humor at all, will bring on the chuckles. I would recommend this picture to anyone wanting to fill in an hour and a half with some light and uncomplicated entertainment. 6/10 would be about right for the genre.
Something to Talk About (1995)
Another story of infidelity
This time it is the man who is unfaithful but the ending is different. When we watched "A Walk on The Moon", "Unfaithful" and "The Bridges of Madison County" we saw three married women have torrid affairs but who were portrayed as sympathetic characters. They ended up staying with their husbands (though the husband in "Unfaithful" probably ended up in prison) while still in love with the men with whom they committed adultery. The husbands who were aware of their wives unfaithfulness, and the one who didn't, all opted to "stand by their women" and were portrayed as being at fault by virtue of working too hard and not paying enough attention to the wives.
But here the shoe is on the other foot. The husband is the one who strays and he is portrayed as being at fault, even though his wife has become distant and unresponsive to him. The double standard is obvious. Kyra Sedgwick was by far the most enjoyable character in the film. She was outstanding as the protective sister of betrayed Julia Roberts. The b*ll kicking scene is painful, but funny. I really liked her and will be looking for more of her work in the future.
The setting is a horse farm that is ruled over by the patriarch played by Robert Duvall. Grace is his assistant manager and carries much of the load. Her husband (Dennis Quaid) is caught cheating on her and she moves out of their bedroom to her sisters apartment. Though her husband is truly repentant and struggles to get her back she is unrelenting and eventually returns to school and we are left wondering if there is ever a reunion. I enjoyed the movie but was struck by the difference in the treatment of male infidelity versus that of the female. I give it a 7/10.
Intimate Encounters (1986)
A Poorly Cast Movie
****Minor Spoilers****
First of all, I love Donna Mills. She is sweet, beautiful and too good to be true. Especially as an adulterous wife. It would be easier to picture Shirley Temple as a hooker. In this movie Donna plays the part of a childless wife of fifteen years who begins having promiscuous sex with randomly picked strangers. When her husband catches her in bed with one of them she shows no reaction at all. She just lays there looking at him like "what are you doing here"? She goes through the entire movie covered from head to toe in clothes that come close to the concept of the "burkas" of the middle east. How can a woman be promiscuous, adulterous and faithless and never show any skin? But then, how could she be Donna Mills and show any? I stuck it out to the end of the movie but have to give it a rating of 2/10.
Intimate Encounters (1986)
A Poorly Cast Movie
****Minor Spoilers****
First of all, I love Donna Mills. She is sweet, beautiful and too good to be true. Especially as an adulterous wife. It would be easier to picture Shirley Temple as a hooker. In this movie Donna plays the part of a childless wife of fifteen years who begins having promiscuous sex with randomly picked strangers. When her husband catches her in bed with one of them she shows no reaction at all. She just lays there looking at him like "what are you doing here"? She goes through the entire movie covered from head to toe in clothes that come close to the concept of the "burkas" of the middle east. How can a woman be promiscuous, adulterous and faithless and never show any skin? But then, how could she be Donna Mills and show any? I stuck it out to the end of the movie but have to give it a rating of 2/10.
The Cotton Club (1984)
My Kind Of Movie
This is a great movie. I personally don't think the beautiful Diane Lane could be in a bad flick, she would make the worst one good. I was impressed with Richard Geres musical ability as he played his own coronet and sounded as good as anyone I've ever heard. The dancing was superb, the costumes beautiful and the plot authentic. It took me back to the great musicals of the forties and fifties. I was raised in the waning days of the era of this movie, the thirties, and I could almost hear my Dad talking about the evils of the big cities while we listened to the radio news of gangsters and shootouts. I would recommend this movie to anyone. I rate it 10/10.
Unfaithful (2002)
Lane is fantastic and should have gotten the Oscar for this performance.
*****SPOILERS****** It is hard to choose between "Unfaithful" and "A Walk On The Moon" as to which is Diane Lanes greatest performance. She is the consummate unfaithful wife, no one could do it better. "Unfaithful" has three or four scenes that I don't believe anyone else could have played. The train scene is the most remarkable bit of acting I have ever seen. Her facial and body expressions are unbelievably convincing and the first seduction scene, showing her body shuddering, is riveting.
My other favorite scenes are the dry cleaning store when she discovers that her husband is on to her, and the scene in their home when he is making small talk and she is watching him like a trapped animal. However, in both AWOTM and "Unfaithful" the husbands reactions are not realistic. Any man, upon discovering that his wife has been unfaithful would want to know how many other men she has been intimate with and for how long. He would certainly question the paternity of their children. I get the feeling in both these movies that Lyne is trying to make the unfaithful wife a sympathetic character and the husbands the guilty ones.
Connies obsession with the sexual predator (and that is the only way he could be described) is not quite understandable as she descends into behavior that makes her character totally unsympathetic. The restaurant rest room scene and her later query , "did you just **** me across the street", along with the rear ending in the hall, showed her as crass and vulgar. All in all it was an absolutely mesmerizing movie that will be a classic for years to come.
A Walk on the Moon (1999)
A steamy story of betrayal and deceit in the sixties.
****SPOILER**** First of all, I love Diane Lane. She is probably the prettiest, most talented and sexiest actress on the screen today. Here she is cast as a bored thirty two year old wife and mother who decides that the solution to her problems is to begin having sex with other men while her faithful husband is working in the city to support her and the kids. She enters into a week long orgy of sex, drugs and abandoned behavior and seriously considers becoming a thirty-two year old hippie, taking her children with her, to sleep under the stars with an unkempt, unwashed and unshaven salesman of womens blouses.
All that having been said, I loved the movie and will give it 9/10. It was well acted and directed and there were just enough love scenes and nudity to keep it interesting through the more staid and boring sections. The most unbelievable parts were the Woodstock scenes and the ending which I will not reveal in case there is anyone out there who has not seen it. I own the DVD as I do of most Diane Lane films and will watch it many more times.