| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training Day - R | Ethan Hawke plays a rookie cop paired up with an experienced, but corrupt, narcotics detective (Denzel Washington). A very good, gritty, intelligent movie. Washington, who won an Oscar for this role, is excellent. | August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Sixth Sense - PG-13 |
Haley Joel Osment plays an eight-year-old boy who is terrified by visions of dead people. He seeks help from psychologist Dr. Crowe (Bruce Willis), who makes a shocking discovery about himself. The pace is a bit too slow-paced and brooding. But I like the way Dr. Crowe helps the little boy to think about ghosts in a different way...and the surprise ending, where the doctor learns he's really -- but I'm not going to give it away! See the movie. |
August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Election - R | A story about a high school election for student council president, and the conflict between a teacher (Matthew Broderick) and a student (Reese Witherspoon). Not a bad movie, but it's needlessly lewd and crude at times. Witherspoon plays a rather irritating character! | August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Deep Impact - PG-13 |
Astronomers discover a giant comet on a collision course with the Earth, so a manned rocket armed with nuclear warheads is sent to intercept it. Tea Leoni plays the reporter who is keeping TV viewers informed of the impending crisis, and coping with a family crisis of her own - her parents have split up, and her Dad is running off with a younger woman! Unfortunately, this is just one of several distracting sub-plots which doesn't really advance the main plot in any way. Furthermore, Leoni's acting is totally flat and uninspired; they could have chosen a much better lead actress. However, Morgan Freeman is convincing as the U.S. President, and Robert Duvall is good as the senior astronaut. There are some very moving scenes as the astronauts say good-bye to their loved ones just before embarking on a suicide mission to save the world, and the special effects are awesome as the comet slams into the Atlantic Ocean, creating a huge tsunami (not a tidal wave!), which engulfs the entire eastern seaboard. Also starring a younger-looking Elijah Wood (Frodo from "Lord of the Rings"). |
August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Da Vinci Code - PG-13 |
Directed by Ron Howard. Based on the novel by Dan Brown. When the curator of the Louvre Museum is murdered, visiting American professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is the prime suspect. But the curator's grand-daughter believes he's innocent, and the two of them try to decode all the clues left by the victim to discover the ancient secret he was protecting. The movie is a blizzard of ideas, theories, and history, with a complex plot. It should be seen several times to be fully appreciated. Some of the sequences are confusing, even for someone who has read the book (which I have.) There is too much cross-cutting between scenes and characters, which adds to the confusion. The movie is 90% faithful to the book, but still a bit disappointing. Also starring Ian McKellen (Gandalf from "Lord of the Rings") |
August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Rainmaker - PG-13 |
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the book by John Grisham. Matt Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a recent law school graduate whose first case is against a big sleazy insurance company that refuses to pay benefits to a young man dying of leukemia. Jon Voight (Angelina Jolie's dad) plays the high-priced lawyer defending the insurance company. Also starring Danny DeVito as Baylor's associate. An eye-opening story about some of the shady practices in the insurance industry. Mostly faithful to Grisham's book. Voight and DeVito give great performances. Matt Damon's acting is rather flat, but he puts on a good southern accent! The movie does drag on a bit too long. |
August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Apocalypse Now - R |
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In the Vietnam war, Martin Sheen plays a U.S. army captain who is ordered to take a boat down the river into Cambodia and kill an American colonel (Marlon Brando) who has gone insane. In some scenes this movie seems very gritty and realistic; in other scenes it is surreal and bizarre! But it is definitely one of a kind. Also starring Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and a very young Harrison Ford. Favourite quote: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" |
August 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - PG |
The four Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) are magically pulled back to Narnia. But they find their old castle in ruins and their kingdom occupied by a foreign race, the Telmarines, and ruled by a usurper, King Miraz. They must help the rightful heir, Prince Caspian, claim his place on the throne. There are spectacular battle scenes resembling those in "The Lord of the Rings", but here the dialog is rather lame and uninspired, and in places, the acting is weak. The children mumble their lines. Some of the best dialogue from the book is gone, and the confusing story line diverges too much from the novel on which it was based. In my review of the first Narnia movie, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", I said that the author C.S. Lewis would be pleased with the movie adaptation. The same cannot be said of this film. |
June 20, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Up - PG | June 5, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Ratatouille - G |
Animated. A rat named Remy with a talent for cooking befriends a garbage boy who works in a gourmet Paris restaurant. They develop a communication system which allows Remy to direct the boy to create inspired culinary dishes. Well, this Disney cartoon requires considerable suspension of disbelief. You have to believe that rats can (1) talk among themselves, (2) understand human speech, (3) become master chefs, and (4) coordinate a boy's movements by standing on his head and pulling his hair. Right! However, the animation is beautiful, the dialog is clever, and the story is charming...so it's worth seeing. |
June 1, 2009 | N/A | |||
| JFK - R | New Orleans Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) investigates the assassination of President Kennedy when he doubts the official conclusion that Oswald acted alone. Although the conspiracy theories in this movie are outrageous, it is great entertainment. And the cast is incredible! Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Ed Asner, Kevin Bacon, John Candy, Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Gary Oldman, Joe Pesci, Donald Sutherland...did I forget anybody? | April 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Ten Commandments - G |
Charlton Heston stars as Moses in this biblical epic filmed in 1956. Moses is adopted and raised as a prince of Egypt until discovering he is actually the son of Hebrew slaves. He is banished from Egypt, but later returns to liberate the Hebrews from bondage. The cast is impressive, featuring Yul Brynner and Ann Baxter, and thousands of extras for the exodus scenes. The dialogue is dignified but a bit formal at times, and the background music is somewhat old-fashioned and melodramatic. However, the special effects (especially the parting of the Red Sea) look quite impressive, considering the movie was made long before the advent of computer-generated imagery. At 4 hours in length, the movie drags on too long, and the story itself takes liberties with the biblical version of events. (According to the bible, Moses fled from Egypt. In this movie version, Rameses banished him.) Also starring Vincent Price (star of numerous horror movies) and Yvonne De Carlo (Lily from "The Munsters"). |
April 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Amazing Grace - PG |
Based on a true story. Ioan Gruffudd (from the "Fantastic Four" movies) plays William Wilberforce, who was a member of the British House of Commons in the 18th century. Wilberforce waged a long and courageous campaign to end the slave trade in the British empire, in the face of strong resistance from other members of the House.
A great movie, with an excellent script, impressive cast, and well directed. Gruffudd may have a weird name, but this guy can really act! |
March 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| A View to a Kill - PG | Roger Moore plays James Bond in this 1980s film. Christopher Walken is a great villain, plotting to cause a massive earthquake in Silicon Valley. One of the best Bond flicks. You've just got to love the climax over the Golden Gate Bridge! | March 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Mean Girls - PG-13 |
A teenage girl (Lindsay Lohan), who has recently moved to the U.S. from Africa, must adapt to her new high school with all its social cliques. The best teenage comedy I've seen! I love the bitingly sarcastic humour! But do teenage girls agree with this portrayal of their culture?
Mean Girls vocabulary: Biatch, Coolness, Fetch, Fugly, Grool, Skeez, Word Vomit |
March 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Exorcism of Emily Rose - PG-13 | A lawyer (Laura Linney) reluctantly agrees to defend a priest (Tom Wilkinson) accused of botching an exorcism on a teenage girl, which resulted in her death. One of the few horror movies that I actually liked! It's really a combination of horror and courtroom drama. Intelligent and not too gory. | March 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Insomnia - R |
Al Pacino plays an L.A. detective who is called in to investigate the murder of a teenage girl in a remote Alaska town. Robin Williams is convincing as a bad guy, but Pacino really shines in his role. Favourite quote: "A good cop can't sleep because a piece of the puzzle is missing. A bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him." |
December 5, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Don't Say a Word - R | A New York psychiatrist (Michael Douglas) discovers that his young daughter has been kidnapped by a bitter ex-con (Sean Bean) in this very good suspense thriller. Douglas' disturbed patient is played by Brittany Murphy, whose acting is very impressive. | December 5, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Die Another Day - PG-13 |
Pierce Brosnan plays James Bond for the last time. Bond's mission takes him to North Korea, Cuba, and Iceland, as he tries to stop a madman in control of a deadly satellite weapon. One of the best Bond movies! Good story, snappy dialogue, awesome stunts, exotic locations, and Halle Berry! What more could you ask for? |
December 5, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Beverly Hills Cop - R | One of Eddie Murphy's most outrageously funny movies! Watch Eddie B.S. his way out of every sticky situation he gets himself into. | October 31, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Kill Bill, Volume 2 - R | Uma Thurman plays the Bride, who is out to wreak revenge on the killers (and her ex, played by David Carradine) who ruined her wedding plans! This is much more intelligent than Volume 1, and not as much gory violence. The story and the dialog are clever and original. Carradine's acting was very good. | October 31, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home - PG | The Enterprise crew has to return to the 20th century to find some humpback whales, bring them back to the 23rd century to communicate with an alien probe which is emitting whale noises and threatening to destroy the world....Yeah, right!! However, it's amusing to watch Captain Kirk and the crew in 20th century San Francisco, interacting with the locals, and all the ensuing culture shock. The scene where they rescue Chekov from the "primitive" 20th century hospital is hilarious! I'm always a sucker for these time-travel episodes. | September 20, 2008 | N/A | |||
| King Kong - PG-13 |
A struggling American actress in the Depression era (Naomi Watts) lands a role with moviemaker Jack Black. They sail to a remote island for filming, where they encounter a giant ape, who is affectionate towards the actress. The film crew subdues the ape and brings him back to New York City, but he breaks loose, with disastrous consequences. Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) directed this third version of King Kong, and it's probably the best of the three. The story is moving and the effects are spectacular. Perhaps a bit too long, like most of Jackson's films! |
July 26, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Pulp Fiction - R |
Samuel Jackson and John Travolta star as a couple of hit men who are ordered to kill a boxer (Bruce Willis) who refuses to go down in a fight. This Quentin Tarantino movie had some clever moments, but it mainly just left me disgusted. I really don't want to see homosexual rape scenes, or people getting shot in the groin...not my idea of a good time at the movies. Favourite quote: "Correct-a-mundo! Fonzie was cool. We're gonna be like three little Fonzies, we're gonna be cool." |
July 26, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Scarface - R |
Al Pacino plays "Scarface", a vicious Cuban mobster in Miami. He becomes the powerful leader of a drug-smuggling empire, but is killed by a rival gang. Favourite quote: "So you wanna play games? OK, we play games! Say hello to my little friend!" |
July 26, 2008 | N/A |
148 ratings
58 reviews
