| Ladder 49:
Tells the story of a group of Baltimore fireman and has some exciting action
fire scenes. It is a traditionally told story that centers on a young
firefighter, played by Joachim Phoenix, and his team at the fire station.
Unfortunately, I felt Joachim was rather dull in the center role and I
couldn't warm up to him, so it leaves me giving only a lukewarm review: OK,
but not enthralling. movie seen
10/01/04 RECOMMEND: Backdraft is Ron Howard's own view of firefighting that has an arsonist mystery at the center of the story. The action scenes were great along with some solid acting performances. Exciting, interesting film to watch. |
| The Ladykillers: Is
the Coen Brothers take on a classic British dark comedy. Tom Hanks
brings together a rather strange groups of crooks to rob gambling riverboat,
using an old lady's house as their route in. Tom Hanks is at both
goofy and deceptively charming in this role as he matches wits with the
funny, but wise old lady, amusingly played by Irma P. Hall. It begins
slowly, but the ending is hilarious dark comedy at its best. Frankly,
I don't remember the original film, so will have to see how it matches to
this one. I am giving a limited recommend based solely on the ending
and remember "The cat who laughs last laughs best". movie seen 03/26/04 RECOMMEND: Murder, She Said : brings Margaret Rutherford to the screen as Agatha Cristie's Miss. Marple. She is simply delightful as the wise old bird, solving a classic murder mystery while on a train ride. It was the beginning of a short series of the Miss Marple movies during the early 1960's. |
| The Lake House:
Has charm and a clever story twist, but in the end, it
doesn't totally satisfy. Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves do give it a
good try with sincere performances and the Lake House is wonderful to see
and I fell in love with the adorable dog who helps lock the storyline
together. But, it lacks a certain spark or sparkle to really make it
special. So, lukewarm recommend, as it did keep my interest while I
watched it, but you may want to wait till its on cable to see.
seen
6/22/06 RECOMMEND: Sliding Doors is a fascinating story of what happens with the simple choice a woman can make. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the lead character who begins to live two lives, based on if she had or had not done something. Her two selves keep passing each other in this tightly woven story and comes to a surprisingly logical ending. I really enjoyed it and can highly recommend it. |
| Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: I
had a good time with this movie. There is a tongue-in-cheek humor, good action
amazing sets, and a decent storyline to make a fun film. Angelina Jolie is a perfect
choice to play the confident heroine who is smarter and tougher than any man, but still
has a good heart. Good entertainment. movie
seen 6/20/01 RECOMMEND: I kept thinking of Sigourney Weaver's tougher-than-nails performance as Ripley, especially in her Oscar-nominated role in Aliens. It was an amazing action thriller that keeps you on the end of your seat right to the terrific end. One of the rare cases where the sequel is as good (if not better) than the original. |
| Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life:
Has all the right elements - an interesting storyline,
big special effects, good director and actors, but somehow it just doesn't
make it as a whole. I think it's partly because we've had too many
similar movies this summer and because so many of the pieces seemed to be
taken from the Indiana Jones and Mummy movies - the old "been there, done
that". But, it isn't horrible if there's nothing else to see, just not
very fresh or new. movie seen
8/28/03 RECOMMEND: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is the worst of the three Indiana Jones movies. After a strong start in the nightclub, the movie degenerates into gross out scenes with huge creepy bugs and disgusting villains. (Give me good ole' Nazi's to fight any time!) So even Sondheim can mess up. |
| Lars and the Real Girl: Is a delightful little movie about a very repressed young man touchingly played by Ryan Gosling, who buys a sex doll on line and treats her like a real person to the consternation of his brother and sister-in-low. They are encouraged by the doctor they consult to treat the doll as Lars' girlfriend and the people in the small town eventually come along. Honestly, they take a dumb premise and made it into a bizarre, funny, touching film. I giggled in many places and in others found myself tearing up. One of the best this year I can highly recommend. Seen 10/27/07 |
| THE LAST CASTLE: The
storyline is predictable and rather hokey, but somehow the picture works. I was
expecting a "Dirty Dozen" type of film, but it turned out to be the "bad
prison warden, poor prisoners" story. Robert Redford has aged, but that helps
him effectively play a respected general sentenced to 10 years at the prison.
However, the best performance is James Gandolfini as the repressed, frustrated
"warrior" prison warden. Although it wasn't planned that way - it is the
right film for the times, based on its central theme. movie seen 10/20/01 RECOMMEND: Escape from Alcatraz is a terrific prison story based in fact, of the last escape that helped to close Alcatraz. Clint Eastwood plays a convict who duels with a cold-hearted prison warden, played by Patrick McGoohan. Terrifically storytelling mixed with outstanding performances make this a most watchable film. |
| Last Holiday:
only succeeds on the strength of Queen Latifa's personality.
The movie's premise is silly: she plays a store clerk who is told she has
only a few weeks to live based on the diagnosis of her store's doctor, so
she decides to do all the things she had been afraid to do. So she
goes to Europe, does everything she wants to do, and in the process changes
the lives of others she meets. I can neither recommend it highly or
condemn it strongly; its just one of those pleasant pictures that is a means
to pass a couple hours in the theater.
seen
1/20/06 RECOMMEND: Nothing Sacred is the classic Carole Lombard movie about a young woman who is told she has radium poisoning who is taken to New York for one last fling. It is one of the great screw ball comedies and a rare color film of the 1930's. One of the must see's for Lombard fans like myself. |
|
The Last King of Scotland: Is centered by Forest Whittaker's brilliant performance as Ida Imin. He makes a vicious dictator a complex and at times a very human person. There are humorous scenes, but, make no mistake, there are some really brutal scenes that show what he was capable of. The story-telling device is a Scottish doctor who is enticed to become Imin's personal physician and very slowly comes to realize what a viper's nest he is really in. Strangely, his character is much more unsympathetic than that of Imin's. I give this film a high recommend, but be advised it is a very adult film. seen 1/31/07 Hitler is of course the primary dictator of our times - here's a couple of recent excellent movies about his rise and fall : Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003-TV) |
| The Last Samurai:
tells the story of an American soldier, Tom Cruise, who goes
to Japan in the 1880's to train their troops in modern combat. He ends
up being captured by and becoming a comrade of the man, Ken Wantanabe, he
was sent to fight. The fight scenes are done with excitement and I did
enjoy the movie. BUT (you knew that was coming), I find myself being
annoyed when Tom Cruise came on the camera, as his scenes became schmaltzy
with canned emotion, rather than sincere. However Watanabe is
absolutely brilliant as the dignified rebel Samurai leader and steals the
film from Cruise. I think you better be working on that "I want to
thank the Academy" speech, Ken! movie seen
12/5/03 RECOMMEND: Dances With Wolves was a massive ego piece that worked for Kevin Costner, in the story of a soldier who becomes friends with a tribe of Indians. Although I really liked the part of the film with the native Americans, I am not a fan of Costner and found his character so annoying, that spoiled the picture for me. But, it did win a slew of awards, including Best Picture of the Year, so not everyone agreed with me. |
| Laws of Attraction:
Has the benefit of talented actors who overcome a tired
script with few new laughs. The disheveled, but suave charm of Pierce
Brosnan combined with the goofy cuteness of Julianne Moore as divorce
lawyers falling in love is balanced by the hilarious supporting characters
of Parker Posey and Michael Sheen as a rock and role couple getting
divorced. But, Frances Fisher is given the best role as the loving,
but crazy mom of Julianne Moore. (Of course, she isn't old enough to
play the role, since she's really only 8 years older than Julianne.) movie seen 04/30/04 RECOMMEND: Lover Come Back is an amusing Doris Day and Rock Hudson movie about a rivals in advertising who spar and of course end up in love. Tony Randall has his usual wry supporting role as the friend and there is the normal cast of other funny characters. |
| Leatherheads: Is a mildly amusing tribute to the screwball comedies, while telling the story of the beginning of the professional football league. George Clooney stars in and directs and gives a sweet performance, backed up by Renee Zellweger as a sparky young female reporter and John Krasinki as the young college football hero. Krasinki's performance impressed me by giving his character depth as well as charm and humor. The movie's pace is too slow and deliberate to be a true screwball comedy, despite many funny bits (most which are seen in the previews) and that's it's biggest flaw - after a while I just wanted to end already. But, heh, it is a couple hours of looking at Clooney's cute smile - so not all bad and thus give it a partial recommend. Seen 4/4/08 |
| Legally Blond: Reese
Witherspoon's character is dressed so outlandishly as a Barbie doll come to life that I
had doubts in the beginning about the movie. But, she turns out to have brains under all
those blond curls and is such a good hearted sweetie that you find yourself rooting for
her in the end. A really delightful film that put me mind of "My Cousin
Vinnie" with a terrific plot twists at the end. Many nice supporting
performances give able support to Reese in her charming breakout performance. movie seen 7/14/01 RECOMMEND: Working Girl was Melanie Griffith's best performance as a secretary with a head for business deals. Harrison Ford does a sweet turn as the business partner who falls for her and Sigourney Weaver was Oscar-nominated for playing her witchy boss. |
| Legally Blond 2: Red, White, & Blond:
The characters aren't fresh, but the sweet humor is still
there along with laughs, especially at the expense of her adorable
Chihuahua, Bruiser. This time Elle is in DC, trying to get protection for
animals from testing. She is sweet and naive and eventually wins over
even the most hard-hearted Washingtonians. I enjoyed it more than I
expected. (And think its hilarious that Barbie now has a Legally Blond
doll!) movie seen
7/2/03 RECOMMEND: Although, they obviously wanted us to think about "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Protocal is the film that reminded me the most of LG2. Goldie Hawn is a sweet goofy waitress who ends up with a job as a diplomat after saving a foreign dignitary's life. It has some funny moments in a very unbelievable plot. |
| THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE: Is
a mystical story that goes from the zen of golf to be the tale of divine
intervention. Will Smith steals the movie as a charming sage, though Charlize
Theron, as a steel magnolia, and J. Michael Moncrief, as an adoring young fan of
Matt Damon's character, are also standouts. A new face, Joel Gretsch, gives a
nice performance as Bobby Jones. Matt Damon's character is the center of the story,
but it seems his job is to react to the other characters. Director Robert
Redford takes his time with this enjoyable movie. It has heart and warmth, combined
with a wise heart at the center. movie seen 11/4/00 RECOMMEND: Maid to Order is an amusing little comedy about an obnoxious rich girl, Ally Sheedy, who learns humility and responsibility. Beverly D'Angelo is a standout in a wickedly funny role as her "fairy godmother". This was sadly the hilarious Dick Shawn's last movie. |
| LETHAL WEAPON 4: This is a formula movie, where
you know you will get lots of action and locker room jokes. But, they consistantly do the
formula well. This one had the audience laughing and being properly on the edge from the
great stunts. Another good popcorn movie. The only surprise was the excellant performance
by Jet Li as the bad guy. He is effectively menacing with an eerie smile as he cooly kills
people. His marshal arts skills are evident, but I do believe his talents as an actor will
give him more work. RECOMMEND: FUZZ was a Burt Reynolds movie from his hey days of the 70's. Never a big hit, or highly regarded, but I have always enjoyed it for its quirky characters and for Yul Brynner's performance as the bad guy annoyed by the ineptitude of the police. |
|
Letters from Iwo Jima: Is a movie that gives a human face to the Japanese troops who fought a losing battle on Iwo Jima. The story centers around a drafted private with a wry sense of humor who writes letters to his beloved wife and child and the General who is sent in to fortify the island to keep the Americans from landing in Japan. The soldiers range from noble to insolent to arrogant to disobedient to terrified - in other words, like real people in war. Despite the sub-titles, I found myself really into the movie, and eventually very moved by the story of the desperate struggle to survive in impossible conditions. I highly recommend, but must caution this movie has brutal war scenes. seen 2/1/07 Some other movies with similar subjects: Tora, Tora, Tora (1970) |
| LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL: Is a romantic, charming
story set in the Holocaust. Roberto Benigni wrote, directed, and stars as an Italian
Jewish waiter who amusingly courts the lovely, Nicoletta Braschi, in 1939. He is
witty and clownish all at the same time. The second half of the film deals with his
imprisonment in a Nazi death camp with his son and wife and how he uses a game to protect
his son and assure his survival. You must suspend belief to watch the movie: no-one
in the camp looks emaciated and the true brutality of the Nazi's is never really
seen. So, as much as the audience obviously enjoyed the film (and I admit I teared
up at the end, too), for me the lingering sense of unreality disturbed me. I fear that the Holocaust may be romanticized in time, such as the Civil War was romanticized by "Gone With the Wind" and that we will forget the true horror of it. The thought that came to me was that my father told me how he was in Europe after W.W.II ended and was near the death camps and couldn't bring himself to tour them as other soldiers did - the reason was the permeating smell that made him sick. For all the things that movies can make us feel, not all our senses are involved. So, I guess in the end, I am saying, we can enjoy the movie for what it is, but never forget that it is only a romantic story that uses the Holocaust, but is not a telling of the Holocaust. movie seen 2/20/99 RECOMMEND: Holocaust was a TV movie that told the story of a well-to-do Jewish family's life during the Holocaust. James Woods played the artistic son of the family and Meryl Streep had one of her first strong performances as his Christian wife. It was very honest for its time in the portrayal of the victims of the Holocaust and I found it very moving. It is available in video and worth-seeing. |
| Lilo & Stitch: Is
one bizarre movie to have the Disney label. A genetically engineered space creature,
Stitch, is chased to earth where it takes protection in the home of an little orphaned
Hawaiian girl, Lilo. She is angry and he is a nasty little beast (reminded me of the
Tasmanian Devil of the Warner Bros. cartoons), but together they forge a little family.
So there is combination of beautiful drawn backgrounds with maniacal characters and
a true feeling of what can constitute a family, as Lilo's older sister, Nani, tries
desperately to keep custody of Lilo. Combine lots of action, Elvis Presley, and a
real emotional core and you get a picture that many generations can enjoy. (The best
joke for adults is about the mosquito's sanctuary.) Note: I must congratulate
Disney on their hilarious ads tying into other famous cartoons and the well-designed web
site. movie seen 6/25/02 RECOMMEND: Dumbo is the one Disney cartoon that can always make me cry. Dumbo is the little elephant with the huge ears who is tormented by the circus people and animals, until they learn he can fly. But, the scene where he goes to his mother for comforting after she is chained up after trying to protect him, always gets to me. Add to it the wonderfully clever song that goes "I think that I've seen everything, when I see an elephant fly" and you have one unforgettable Disney cartoon. |
| Little Miss Sunshine: is
one of those quirky little comedies that both bemuses and amuses. A
family of miss-fits decides to drive in an old VW van so their daughter can
compete in a beauty contest. There is the gay uncle, the horny
grandfather, the silent suffering son, the dopy loser husband, the
frustrated mother, and the cutesy pie daughter: just a typical American
family. But it did have some very funny and strangely touching
moments. I did enjoy it, but have to admit wouldn't be for everyone's
tastes. seen
8/25/06 RECOMMEND: The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, is the tale of 3 transvestites who travel through Australia meeting up with friend and foe. It is a bit of a shock to see Terrance Stamp and Guy Pearce so gloriously decked out and acting so bitchily fey, but it is fun to watch. But, I must advise, of course, that it won't be to everyone's taste - it is heavy on eccentricity and light on logic. |
| LITTLE VOICE: I found Little
Voice to be throw back to the 1960's British movies (see my recommend to
follow). The plot was rather contrived to show off the mimic singing talents of its
lead performer, Jane Horrocks. She plays an extremely introverted daughter who
surrounds herself with old records and sings to her dead father to protect herself from
her extremely extraverted mother (solidly performed by Brenda Blethyn, in her
Oscar-nominated performance). Michael Caine deserved his Golden Globe award for his
performance as the shady talent manager who persuades Little Voice to sing on stage to
disastrous results. There are very amusing moments in the beginning, which become
sad near the end, but still manages to end with hope for Little Voice. movie seen 2/13/99 RECOMMEND: Little Voice reminded me of the 1960's film A Taste of Honey. The story of a young English girl played by Rita Tushingham, with an overbearing mother, who becomes pregnant in a one day encounter with a sailor and then moves in with a gay man. It was considered a pretty frank movie in its day |
|
Live Free or Die Hard:
Yippey-A, John McClane is back as the Terminator
of law enforcement - no matter what the bad guys throw at him he cannot be
killed and keeps coming atcha. The action is practically non-stop, but
it is an excess of CGA effects not all great stunt work, that made the
original so exciting. On the downside is the bad guy who turns out to
be pissed off programmer, so guess they ran out of terrorists? But,
honestly, despite its many faults, I did enjoy the movie - its rather like
one of those cheesy rides at Disney World - you know its all fake, but still
the experience is fun. So I give it a recommend, but do please check
your brain at the door and just treat it like junk food for your cerebrum.
Seen 6/29/07
Some other movies with similar
storylines:
|
| The Longest Yard:
Is a remake of the very successful 70's Burt Reynolds movie
about a football game between convicts and their guards. Adam Sandler
is the strange choice to play the Reynold's role of the disgraced
quarterback, but shows enough athletic ability to it carry off. There
are the usual bunch of goofy and menacing characters, but seeing Burt
in a supporting role looking so pathetic with his bad face lifts is really
sad. There were the usual laughs, but I didn't feel the audience was
into the movie and it certainly can't hold a candle to the much better
original. However, I will give it an OK recommend for the parts that
do work. seen
5/28/05 RECOMMEND: Victory was a ridiculous knock-off that combines "The Longest Yard" with "The Great Escape". It features Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone as prisoners of war, who use a soccer game with the German guards to hide their escape from the camp. Even Pelé shows up as a POW, so he can play in the game. One of John Huston's last films and sadly, not one of his best. |
| Looney Tunes: Back in Action:
I always enjoyed the smart-alecky quality of Looney Tunes
cartoons and their hilarious gags and characters. I was hoping for the
same in this mix of live action and cartoons, but instead got a dud.
Where-as "Roger Rabbit" was new and fresh, the live characters in "Looney
Tunes" just don't fit (try as the the usually fun Brendan Fraser will).
BUT, when the animations to take over, the inside jokes, and in particular
the scenes where the characters actually enter the paintings @ the Louvre is
a mini-classic (although as a note of fact, many of the shown paintings are
not actually housed there). Neither the children or adults in the
audience were laughing. It's just too sad. movie seen
1/21/03 RECOMMEND: Anchors Aweigh is a delightful Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra musical. I am using it as a recommend because of the terrific dance number Kelly did with the animated Jerry the Mouse. It not the first time animation and live characters were mixed, but it is one of the best and innovative for its time. |
| Lost in Translation:
Has a quiet performance by Bill Murray that saves the picture
from its maddeningly slow pace. He plays an actor picking up a couple
million doing a whiskey commercial in Japan. He finds a companion in a
young bored wife played by Scarlett Johansson and story revolves around
their tentative friendship and small escapades. Murray bring a wry
charm to his performance and the true laughs in the movie revolve around his
character and how he brings her out of the mopes. The most amusing
parts are Murray's gentle handling of the cultural differences between him
and the Japanese. movie seen
10/4/03 RECOMMEND: Teahouse of the August Moon is a very 50's comedy film about the U.S. occupation of Japan and the army's attempts to do business startups. The surprising thing is seeing Marlon Brando playing a wily Japanese. There are some amusing parts, but it is now more of a cultural dinosaur. |
| Love Actually:
is an episodic, very adult movie about all the aspects of love, from puppy
to platonic to carnal to romantic
and run from hilarious to pathos to
sweet to sexy.. The intertwining vignettes feature many stars, who
give nice performances in their little pieces of the movie. One of the
funniest standouts are Hugh Grant rocking away in Number 10 Downing Street
as the Prime Minister, though Bill Nighy as a burnout rocker trying to push
his cheesy Christmas album has the most laughs in the movie. I liked
it a lot more than I thought I would, and judging by the reaction of the
packed audience it is a winner. (But who would have ever thought
they'd make an R-rated Christmas movie?? Those crazy Brits!) movie seen
1/7/03 RECOMMEND: Lovers and Other Strangers is a 1970's multi-storied movie that centers around the marriage of a young couple. I remembered how much I enjoyed it when it first came out, but it has rather disappeared off the radar. The stories were very funny and very sweet and had a terrific cast. Hopefully it will reappear on cable soon. |
| LUCKY NUMBERS: Is a
leaden comedy with a very ugly edge. John Travolta plays a likable
weatherman, who due to financial trouble, listens to the scheme of buddy, Tim Roth, to
cheat on a state lottery. He easily draws in Lisa Kudrow, the lotto girl, in a
particularly non-humorous role, who in turns draws in her cousin, Michael Moore, which is
the sole funny performance in this stinker. movie
seen 10/28/00 RECOMMEND: Hot Millions is a delightful 1968 romp with Peter Ustinov as the wily thief who uses a computer to embezzle. Maggie Smith is adorable as his love interest and on whom the wonderful ending plot twist revolves. |