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Rating:

Synopsis.

Racial tensions turn to tragedy in a Brooklyn neighborhood during a heat wave.

Movie Reaction.

I’ve seen this movie so many times (it is one of my favorites)…and now thanks to my fiancée, I own it. In my opinion, it’s one of the most upsetting, exhausting films I have ever seen, but I still love it. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll keep this pretty vague. There’s a large cast of characters which bring up all kinds of emotions throughout. The one that moves me the most is Da Mayor, an elderly alcoholic, well-meaning man who tries to hold things together. Continue Reading »

Rating:

Synopsis.

An adaptation of Susan Minot’s best-seller. With her two adult daughters by her side, a dying woman recounts an ill-fated romance that took place 50 years ago.

Movie Reaction.

I was excited to see this one….an all-star female cast depicting a death bed recollection! Anyway, while I enjoyed watching it, I didn’t find it all that memorable. That is no fault of the actors. I think it is mostly due to the story. It just didn’t do much for me. Possibly they were trying to fit WAY TOO MANY plots into one package. It did remind me of a few Bergman films (plot-wise), and I can’t help but wonder what he would have done with this one.

An example: Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson play the main (dying) character’s daughters, who both have some issues of their own. Commitment-phobic Toni is now pregnant with her current boyfriend’s baby, and is coming to terms with this. She first shares the information with her mother in a quiet scene, and it feels like it’s supposed to be important, but it just falls flat. Already with a family, Natasha picks at everything Toni does, but for no apparent reason. Maybe the lines are just not drawn at all and you need them to be in this type of film to get the emotional response. Anyway, this isn’t even a big part of the film. Most of it centers on the flashback when the main character as a young woman (played by Claire Danes) has the romantic encounter that has a tragic ending. Continue Reading »

What do you think are the best three? You can go to Wikipedia to get the complete list. Keep in mind, I haven’t seen most of these! (I’d probably win a lot more Scene It games if I had).
Anyway, mine are…

1. 1977 - Annie Hall. This is BY FAR my favorite film on the list, and I would recommend it to anyone. (Though I think a lot of people might not like it). Woody Allen at his finest hour, I think. I don’t understand how it could have won over Star Wars…but I’m glad it did.
2. 1993 - Schindler’s List. I know, another film about the Holocaust, and yes, it’s really long, but I thought it was beautiful and moving. I didn’t even see it until I had to rent it in 2004 when doing a film scoring project while in school at Berklee. I remember watching the show that year and feeling outraged that The Piano didn’t win.
3. 1969 - Midnight Cowboy. Yes, it’s dark and gritty, but it moved me and still haunts me.

I would love to hear you think and what your top 3 would be!

Rating:

Synopsis.

Timmy is the community’s socially awkward, friendless boy. Timmy make a lifelong friend in Fido, the family zombie servant. However, like any boy and his dog story, Fido needs to be put down. But what lengths will Timmy and his family go to for their family’s best friend?

Movie Reaction.

Three weeks ago I came down with some sort of flu, so sitting at home on the couch I was looking for something different to occupy my time convalescing. I saw “Fido” listed on Xbox Live’s Marketplace as a featured download. Seeing Billy Connolly’s mug in the poster, I couldn’t help but decide on renting it. I’m very glad I did.

Fido is definitely not a movie for everyone, but I was amazed at how well-realized the world Andrew Currie creates in this story. Take your typical 1950’s America Cold War Community. Fast forward a few years. An alien element has made it so that whomever dies comes back as a zombie. The “death insurance” business is booming in post-apocalyptic America as consumerism marches proudly on. Anyone who thinks this is wrong is a traitor! Continue Reading »

Here are my Top 10 Films About Music. What are yours? Please respond and share!

1. The Red Violin

2. 32 Short Films about Glen Gould

3. Ray

4. Immortal Beloved

5. The Blues Brothers

6. Coal Miner’s Daughter

7. High Fidelity

8. Mo’ Better Blues

9. Almost Famous

10.A Mighty Wind

Rating:

Synopsis.

Biographical film of musical legend Bobby Darin.

Movie Reaction.

After watching Beyond the Sea, I would like to stand up and applaud Kevin Spacey. A lifelong fan of Bobby Darin, he co-wrote, directed, and starred in this - and I felt that this as a project of the heart was apparent. I read a review criticizing Spacey for, at the age of 44, attempting to play a man who died at 37. I found that completely irrelevant, and laughed at a comment making reference to that early in the film.

As for the film in general, I can see how it received mediocre reviews. I wanted to see this film because as a music therapist (my profession) I am constantly learning music that was important for my patients, and I am severely lacking in the “crooners who played Copa’” category. I enjoyed learning more about Darin, and as a result of this new knowledge, have respect for what he brought to the music world. However, as each musician’s life can be told in a story, a good film it does not necessarily make. The facts that he wasn’t supposed to live past 16 years old (due to a weak heart) and that until adulthood who he thought was his mother was actually his grandmother are indeed interesting from a psychological standpoint, and Spacey does a great job illustrating that. However, it just wasn’t enough to make this an outstanding film for me. There are attempts at adding interest, such as having Darin as a child follow the adult Darin in various scenes, but I thought it fell a little flat. Continue Reading »

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Synopsis.

A documentary about a pedophile (Father O’Grady) and his victims. The film highlights the church’s role in the continuation of O’Grady’s abuse of children.

Movie Reaction.

I feel that this is a powerful, disturbing, and well-created documentary. The fact that it revolves around the Catholic Church would bias people on how they might feel about this topic. As someone who is not pro-Catholic, and liberal in my opinions as pedophilia being a very serious mental illness, I finish this film furious with the Church.

Father O’Grady is interviewed throughout the film, staying calm, and appearing to answer everything with as much honesty as he could. He clearly states that he is sexually attracted to children and knows that it is wrong, yet is not able to stop. It doesn’t take much to see the severity of this man’s illness. While it seems that he knows what he is doing is “wrong”, he does not appear to be able to understand the damage that he has done, or has the will to get the help he needs.
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Rating:

Synopsis.

Michael Moore documentary on the US Healthcare system focusing on insurance coverage and comparing domestic versus international care and coverage.

Movie Reaction.

People tend to have opinions on Michael Moore. He annoys me, but we seem to have similar views and concerns regarding our country. I kind of felt like I knew what to expect before watching this film, and there were no big surprises for me (though I was a little naïve about the “pre-existing condition” claim denials - something that I have been hit with, and did not realize was such a wide-spread problem).
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Rating:

Synopsis.

The Muppets and Michael Caine take on the Dickens classic - 3 ghosts visit a miser on Christmas Eve and open his eyes to what is important in life.

Movie Reaction.

I have seen this holiday film many times, and always enjoy it. I like the story, and love the Muppets, so it’s only natural it would go down easy. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge, and although it seems like a good enough fit, the obvious nature of his character annoys me. My personal favorite characters in this one are Honeydew and Beaker, who play two charity collectors. As for the DVD extras, there is an “outtakes” section, which includes a scene in which the Cratchits are sitting down to dinner after Tiny Tim has died and Piggy says, “can I have his dinner?” without missing a beat. Only other complaint - the ghost of Christmas past looks like a burn victim. Anyone else agree? Oh well, bottom line - yes, see this movie every December if you have the time!
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Rating:

Synopsis.

Sean Connery is back in his first reprisal of James Bond. Agent 007. Women love him. Men want to be him. Unless, of course, you’re a member of SPECTRE. In which case, you want to kill him.

Movie Reaction.

Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m older and my tastes have changed, but James Bond movies just aren’t doing it for me much any more. Let me say that I really liked this movie and it’s great fun - however there was a time I’d have rated this 5 stars instead of only 3.5.

Connery is in fine form this time out. The writing is pretty sound for a Bond adventure. Bond is set up to meet a Russian defector who fell madly in love with him by reading his file. In exchange for a life in the West, she is willing to bring over a Russian decrypting device.
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