Erin Brockovich
Rating: B/2 – Is it ever appropriate to sacrifice your family (not just a day here or there, but large chunks of the day, months at a time, perhaps years) in order to achieve a sense of self accomplishment that they feel they need in the work force?
Minority Report
Rating: A/4 – “Most of the major ills of the world have been caused by well-meaning people [not deliberately trying to destroy America] who ignored the principle of individual freedom, except as applied to themselves, and who were obsessed with fanatical zeal to improve the lot of mankind-in-the-mass through some pet formula of their own….THE HARM DONE BY ORDINARY CRIMINALS, MURDERES, GANGSTERS, AND THIEVES IS NEGLIGIBLE IN COMPARISON WITH THE AGONY INFLICTED UPON HUMAN BEINGS BY THE PROFESSIONAL ‘DO-GOODERS’, who attempt to set themselves up as gods on earth and who would ruthlessly force their views on all others – with the abiding assurance that the end justifies the means.”
Alice in Wonderland
Rating: B/3 – There weren’t any real strong messages presented. Alice supposedly realizes who she is and that instead of marrying into a wealthy family, she should become an apprentice to her father’s company. Is this saying that a woman’s potential cannot be fully met in the home as a wife? Or that education is important in a woman’s life?
Inception
Rating: A/5 – This movie was amazing. This is what all directors should aspire to. Occasionally it is nice to be able to sit back and not have to think, but this is more than just a thinking movie; you get totally immersed in the film as if you were dreaming it yourself! Nolan has created a totally unique story so complex and deep that it begs for multiple views. Hans Zimmer does a wonderful job with the score as well. You have to see this in the theater.
Toy Story 3
Rating: A/5 – Great show, probably better than the first two! Read more on the website…
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Rating: B/2 – The one good thing that came out of McMurphy ending up in the asylum was his attempt to get all the patients in the place to pretend like they weren’t there. Anytime the nurses reminded them of their condition/location, McMurphy would rebel and end up lifting the spirits of those around him (a classic scene is the baseball game). McMurphy eventually ended up getting carried away and realized too late that he had gone too far. **Visit the site to read the rest of the review and vote on the poll!**
Secondhand Lions
Rating: B/4 – The whole mother leaving her son bit was rather disappointing. Not that all stories need to be happy, and maybe the “dysfunctionality” of this family is actually a plug for families to stick together so their kids don’t get stuck with crazy old uncles (though the story actually seemed to say that this situation was better, so maybe it’s trying to encourage external family members to step up to the plate to help family members in need.) ***Visit the website to read the rest of the review.***
Where the Wild Things Are
Rating: C/3 – This was an OK show, with potential to be really good. For a kids show, the tone was rather depressing throughout, even the music did nothing to brighten up the film. The colors through out were a drab gray and brown, maybe a little too artsy for its good. The 5 year old behavior in an older kid was a little annoying. The Wild Things were not as wild as I thought they should be, no gnashing teeth or too terrible roars. I guess it is a children’s story and can’t afford to get too out of hand. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch this one. Save your self 96 minutes and read the book again.
Cool Hand Luke
Rating: A/5 – Why is this movie the theme for our blog? For one, it was one of my favorite movies and “Cool Hand Critics” had a nice ring to it. From there, we were able to introduce other elements of the movie into our reviews (World Shakers, Nights In The Box, etc.). Continue reading to see some of the reasons why it is among my favorite movies.
State of Play
Rating: B/3 – Like the Informant! I had a hard time getting drawn into this film. Russell Crowe does a good job as a journalist, but he’s kind of an unbelievable character in that he’s up against all kinds of trained people trying to keep the Senator from falling, and his only weapon he wields is a pen. Maybe this is symbolic because a sub theme of the movie is the difficulty the newspaper industry is having with online news sources, and the juxtaposition of Crowe and these renegades underscores it.