Diane's Movie Reviews

(I really should put this page out of its misery since it is so old, but I may update it to be dynamic and bring it back to life). For now, it can serve as a little time capsule...

= great movie! (out of 5)- 1: definitely worth seeing, 2: extra good, 3: i absolutely wouldn't change a thing, 4: wow!, 5: movie of the year

= eh- maybe on video

= it bombed... (out of 5)

Pirates of the Caribbean

for a Disney movie about pirates, this is really enjoyable- johnny depp is funny + charismatic.

Nowhere in Africa

wonderful! original (and wonderful) story, good attention to the characters/relationships, and gorgeous landscapes.

Legally Blonde II

*groans and holds stomach*

Down with Love

what a fun movie! the dialogue, the outfits, the soundtrack, the cinematography- great great great!

Charlie's Angels- Full Throttle

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time- as fun the first one was, this was even better! they've got such a way of making something fun/cool/sexy/goofy/totally-over-the-top all at the same time- great soundtrack too :)

Confidence

this kind of movie isn't my cup of tea, but it was well-made and well-casted

Finding Nemo

pixar rocks- another great one :)

The Life of David Gale

Good acting and an engaging story. Unfortunately they throw in some extra plot twists for the audience's benefit that are no longer realistic once the truth of what happened comes out.

Lord of the Rings II

Great movie- much better than the first! It wasn't in love with itself like the first one, the story was fun, and the computer-generated stuff has really jumped to a new level- amazing!
Just one word of caution: it wouldn't hurt to review the last movie before you go, cause they make no effort to bring you back up to speed on the story; I spent most of the movie with no idea of where people were going or why.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

great cinematography- Confessions is fun to watch (including some great cameos) with an impressive performance by Sam Rockwell. It's hard to fall in love with the main character, so I don't think a lot of people will CONNECT with the movie, but it's a good night out nevertheless.

Far From Heaven

Far From Heaven is worth renting for the characters and for julianne moore's giant 50's dresses- but the slow pace is killer in the theater with not enough strong points to keep you from checking your watch.

Adaptation

Awesome! the story, the performances, the dialog- everything! the ending threw me at the time, but i've since endorsed Larry's explanation that the moment that Donald comes to help, the movie turns into the kind of story HE would tell. That twist does make for a kind of unsatisfying feeling when you leave, but the movie is solid as a whole and really entertaining.

Bowling for Columbine

Definitely worth seeing- this movie gives important info to consider. Unfortunately, while presenting itself as being ultra honest, it is sometimes one-sided and sacrifices some accuracy in favor of shock/effect.

Catch Me If You Can

Fun to look at and well-acted all around.

Solaris

I have no idea why I haven't heard more about this movie (maybe cause i've been locked up studying...) This move is exceptional- I don't want to give too much away, but I definitely recommend seeing Solaris.

The Emperor's Club

Disappointing- the performances were okay but the story was lame. At least it wasn't a pure Dead Poet's Society rip-off (as the previews suggested) but at least then it would have just been unoriginal instead of lousy.

Monsoon Wedding

Okay this one is already on video, but it's playing at the Capital Theater so it's still fair game.... I haven't seen a movie this good in a long time- exceptional characters and story

Comedian

A fun look into stand-up... a bit short though and there wasn't as much actual comedy as I would have liked.

Secretary

Secretary definitely gets points for originality and good performances, but the pace is uneven and they cheese out with a 'happily ever after' ending.

My big fat greek wedding

this movie might be cute if you're on an airplane or home sick with a fever or something- there ARE funny moments. But overall it's simplistic and unoriginal. The characters are just characatures, there is no development, there is no love story, and there are no surprises.

Igby Goes Down

The most noteworthy part of this movie is that culkin kid- he can ACT! The whole ensemble was good (susan sarandon, jeff goldblum, amanda peet, and bill pullman) although clare danes and ryan phillippe didn't add much. For the most part the characters/script/story were unique, but even though things happened throughout the movie, I didn't feel that anything had changed/evolved, so I found it a little unsatisfying overall. Definitely worth checking out though.

Tadpole

Enjoyable and well-scripted :)

Goldmember

some funny scenes and great cameos, but nothing that the first two didn't have.

Lilo + Stitch

cute and funny- i wasn't a big fan of that little punk stitch for most of the movie, but the rest of the characters made up for it :)

Road to Perdition

This one was actually just shy of the three googlies, but i'll be the first to admit that googlies and bombs don't always tell the whole story. Road to Perdition is a good movie, and I can't think of anything that wasn't done well. That said, it did lack the sort of intangible movie magic that i would have expected from a movie so good. ah I don't know what I'm talking about anymore- it's time for bed :p

Men In Black II

Powerpuff Girls

cute movie- haven't seen enough of the show to compare to that, but the movie was fun to watch- a few parts dragged but overall a cool flick.

Minority Report

Well done- there are one or two leaps you have to take, but the story/details were handled responsibly (it avoided the mega-futuristic silver suit/spaceship sort of view of the future) and created a believable setting and an exciting story.

The Bourne Identity

Solid movie, and the performances (particularly matt damon's) made it great.

About a Boy

cute movie :)
(how's that for an in-depth review?)

Star Wars- attack of the clones

much much better than phantom menace.... what a relief! not the greatest thing ever, but a lot closer to what I wanted.

Ice Age

amazing what they can do these days! why, when i was a kid... we had claymation... and we liked it that way :p
anyway this wasn't too original (ripped off Shrek over and over again)- but was really cute and fun to watch

Stolen Summer

(project Greenlight winner)
This was well-casted and cute-enough, but the dialogue wasn't far past what you get from an after-school special, and the story was pretty formulaic....

Italian for Beginners

I'm such a sucker for this kind of thing, but them danes make great flicks! charming, fun, sweet- i recommend seeing this one :)

Lord of the Rings

Well done- great movie overall, but (and maybe it's just the genre) story/dialogue/acting was over-the-top or downright cheesy at times, and the movie took itself too seriously to ever have the kind of humble/human feel that can make movies special.

The Royal Tenenbaums

outstanding cast, worthwhile characters, and gorgeous shots- would have been a great movie but the story dragged at times.

Amelie

so charming- highly recommended

Ocean's Eleven

Fun movie- well done for what it was :)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

excellent all around- true to the book, perfectly cast, charming, gorgeous to watch.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

(Kevin Smith's latest)
Awesome- just as great as any of the other ones, and the cameos made it even funnier.

Ghost World

(made from comic book, Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi)
Steve Buscemi made this movie- it's worth seeing for his performance alone.

Anniversary Party

(Jennifer Jason Leigh & Alan Cumming, with Kevin Kline, Gwyneth Paltrow, etc.)
Performances and cast were good and story moved along, but none of it mattered, and no part was exceptional.

A.I.

Exhausting and amazing- the ending is a little cheesy, but by then you've already gotten more than you expected.

Enlightenment Guaranteed

A great movie from Germany- solid characters, quality dialogue, creative story, and killer special effects! (Yes- that last part was a joke)- I highly recommend this movie.

The Claim

(Based on a novel about US settlers and the railroad)
A lot of people wasted a lot of time making this movie. I waited for months to see it and was rewarded with a worthwhile story but NO real characters. Despite what seemed like good casting and believable acting, the characters weren't given the opportunity to communicate anything to each other or to the audience- a big beautiful waste of time.

Bridget Jones' Diary

What a great movie! This was really funny all the way through, with a great balance of characters, story, etc. The biggest strength, aside from how funny it was was that usually the main character in a movie like this is indecisive and tragic, making stupid choices to end up in stupid situations (and that's supposed to make them cute/lovable). Here, though, Bridget Jones takes control where she can and is neither apologetic nor insecure about her weaknesses. This is definately a chick flick- but it's a great one!

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Cool movie- the story was great. After all the hype, it didn't blow me out of the water, but I was totally satisfied- the effects and plot were awesome, and for once I was wishing there could be a sequel...

Chocolat

This was a cute movie- a little bit hokey, but it's sweet and makes you feel good.

Finding Forrester

(remake of Good Will Hunting)
I can't say that I was expecting much (it wasn't my choice- sulk, sulk, sulk...) but I was still disappointed. This movie could have been good- (which would then only leave it with the unoriginal-premise complaint)- but it wasn't. The first half of the movie wasn't bad, and the main character was likeable and genuine, but the details and the dialogue of the movie weren't half as charming and intelligent as they pretended to be. The storyline was painfully predictable, and the cameo from my boy Matt Damon just reminds us that it isn't Good Will Hunting. This will be nice to watch on tv later, but don't go out of your way to see it.

Hannibal

(Silence of the Lambs sequel)
eh... there were good performances from Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore, and no obvious weak spots, but there's nothing special or memorable about the movie.

Oh Brother, where art thou?

George Clooney and co. escape from prison and search for treasure (based on the Odyssey)
- A thoroughly entertaining movie- great screenplay and directing. I didn't know how they'd pull off the Odyssey parallel, but it worked pretty well. Go see it. (sorry for the short review- have to get ready for work...)

Cast Away

(Tom Hanks stranded on an island)
I had to give this one a real split-review. The scenes that people go to see are awesome: the plane crash could not have been more real and terrifying, and everything on the island is neat- from the first week of Hanks' character being convincingly freaked out and maladapted to this new place, to later on when he has found ways of providing for himself and the inevitable lunacy that comes with being isolated for 4 years (don't worry- they skip ahead in time...)
But after he gets back to civilization, the movie gets pretty cheesy and unsatisfying (with the exception of a few cool moments and a good job by Hanks). Go see it- but don't expect too much from the ending.

Billy Elliot

(British movie about a kid who loves dancing...)
Enjoyable flick- strong characters, cute story. The dialogue was great, which gave the story enough time to develop without letting it drag. Finally a good movie!

Unbreakable

More like Unwatchable- Bruce Willis is the only survivor of a trainwreck, Samuel L. Jackson knows why...
pretty dumb, unfortunately. I had hopes for this one. The cinematography was cool to watch, but the dialogue was painfully lame, the story dragged, the actors were each more expression-less than the next, and the characters were so intense that they could have played it a little goofier and had a pretty solid comedy going. The only good choice that the writers made was naming Prince's 'Soft and Wet' as one character's favorite song.

Bounce

(Ben Affleck/Gwyneth Paltrow movie)
Well- it sure wasn't a cute little romantic comedy. The movie was heavier than expected, and the characters weren't really strong enough to make it work (after taking the place of their dead father, Ben Affleck wins over Gwyneth's kids by taking them to a waterpark...) Mostly, though, it's one of those unconvincing love stories where you have no idea why the characters fall for each other in the first place (or in this case why this shy, motherly, independent widow would be so inspired by a such a shallow, dishonest sleaze).

Charlie's Angels

(re-make of tv show with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Lui)
This was pretty good! A lot funnier than I thought it would be, this was a lot more entertaining than I expected. Of course it's not exactly Oscar-material, but this was a pretty good flick.

Meet the Parents

(Ben Stiller/Robert DeNiro comedy)
This movie is painful to watch. The plot is a riot, but things continually go from bad to worse for the main character and it actually makes for a pretty uncomfortable time- so much so that I just didn't enjoy being there. It's not a bad movie at all, but I cannot recommend going.

Lost Souls

(creepy movie starring Wynona Ryder and Ben Chaplain)
what you'll get: wild, creative cinematography, good casting, spooky plot, and an overall-cool movie. What you won't get: crazy suspense that makes you jump (okay- there's one great moment like that but that's it)- answers to all of your questions, or any complexity to speak of. You make the call...

The Cell

(crazy sci-fi special-effects movie)
These special-effects are like nothing you've ever seen. The premise is cool and the visuals are nuts. My one complaint: the way that the story is resolved is too simple- they really should have taken the time to think up a solution that was as cool as the problem. But see it- by the time you get to the ending you've more than gotten your money's worth.

X-Men

(movie version of the comic strip)

This movie is completely solid. It's cool like the Matrix (yep- that cool...) but sometimes humble and funny like Star Wars. Go see it.

The Patriot

(Mel Gibson in the American Revolution)
What a movie- It's just under 3 hours (so don't get a that large coke for 25 cents more than the medium)- but it was well worth it. It wasn't like the usual big epic (impressive but dumb) movie: it was cool historically (made the war real without beating it into the ground), and it sort of had it all (humor, story, sentiment) without either one of those being overdone. If any part of you is curious to see this movie, go ahead- you won't be disappointed.

The Perfect Storm

(Gloucester fishermen in a really really big storm...)
Well- that was a wicked big storm- too bad that all of the focus was on the making-a-big-freakin-storm budget and not on the making-a-good-movie budget.

Chicken Run

(from the makers of Wallace and Grommit...)
Great movie- just as charming as I'd hoped!

Small Time Crooks

(Woody Allen, Tracy Ulman, etc, plan to rob a bank)
Worth it to go- it was funny, and the cast and the story were great. The very end started to drag a bit, but if you've been wanting to see this movie, you won't be disappointed.

Mission: Impossible, II

(Mission: cheesy and dumb)

I know that this was only meant to be an action/special-effects movie, but the dialogue and story were unusually idiotic (during some of the winning lines, people were actually laughing out loud). Aside from that, the special effects were impressive, but in the tire-screeching/car-crushing/unnecessary-explosion way, rather than in the cool Matrix way... Unless you're an eight year old boy, this movie is lousy.

The Virgin Suicides

(Directorial debut for Sofia Coppola)
There were a lot of positive things about this movie- the cinematography, the story, the casting, and especially the feel of this movie were pretty impressive. The only thing that stopped me from going nuts over this movie was that I thought the character development could have been much stronger. I'm guessing that we're supposed to fill in most of the character questions ourselves based on how they respond to their pretty-surreal environment, but nothing is much of a surprise (or as much of a surprise as it could be) because the whole movie sets the tone of telling us what happens rather than showing us why, which keeps things dramatic but a lot less real... The movie was enjoyable to watch, though, and the whole character issue would not have been so noticeable if the movie hadn't (through the narrator) claimed that that's where its strength was.

28 Days

(Sandra Bullock in rehab)
Well- this movie is exactly what you'll be expecting for a nice, low-key movie afternoon: cute, funny, and forgetable...

Ready to Rumble

(David Arquette movie about professional wrestling).
THIS MIGHT BE THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. (Yes, even worse than my previous lowest-standard, Vampires). As a disclaimer, I must admit that I only saw the first twenty minutes of the movie, but barring a miracle, I am willing to bet that it did not get much better. I wanted to like this movie. Really- I like David Arquette, and the previews looked kind of funny- that's the only thing that kept me there longer than the first five excruciating minutes. I went in with pretty low expectations, but this movie was just painful. (To give you an idea, the highest level of comedy that these guys ever achieved was the image of human feces dripping into their lunch). Do not see this movie.

Return to Me

(Minnie Driver and David Duchovny fall in love).
This movie is wonderful! As romantic comedies go, this movie has it all: nice, sweet story (without being too drippy), and a lovable supporting cast. And even if you're not much of an X-Files expert, David Duchovny will win you over. I really enjoyed this movie!

High Fidelity

(John Cusack- works at a record store- giving dating war-stories).
Really funny- this movie is hysterical and nicely nostalgic-feeling. If you're not feeling too picky, you'll love it. Even if you are picky, you might love it too. But I got mad at the ending- they tried to whip out a happy ending where it just didn't belong. Plus I HATED the girl John Cusack ends up with so it was doubly infuriating. But this movie is really funny- if you're going for a comedy, you won't be disappointed.

The Next Best Thing

(The movie where Madonna has a baby with her gay best friend).
I'm guessing that the only reason that people go to see Madonna movies (or at least the reason I go) is for a no-thought, buttery-popcorn, guilty-pleasure kind of movie night. This is not that kind of movie- or at least the second half isn't. After a cute first half, the movie gets heavy and frustrating, and if you're like me, you won't be in love with the characters enough to have the patience. Don't bother with this one.