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ledpenny
Reviews
The Lucky Ones (2008)
excellent and believable acting
Here you have three people, no dramatic problems, stuck in an airport. They, strangers to each other, join in a trip across from the East to the Midwest. Ho hum. Oh, wait, Tim Robbins is in it, OK, give it 6 minutes. Then, this believable trio display the best part of human life...empathy. You fantasize, in somber spirit, that humans are like these three. The movie comes to a quiet, completed end, and you love each character and find yourself hoping they have a good life, because they are no longer Tim Robbins, Mike Pena, and Rachel McAdams, the actors. The "public" that they navigate around seem always insincere with their 'thank you for serving', although in real life, past returning veterans were treated with total disdain. The scene in jail and the phony confession to a robbery seemed...not quite honest or believable, but it was the only weak scene.
The Lovely Bones (2009)
creative and unique way to tell a sad story
Stylish, like studying a Picasso. A lot of symbols used, as in "what dreams may come" with Robin Williams. Main character is haunting in her beauty, her clear blue eyes [ looks like a Cusack ] Plot itself is put together like a mosaic, a puzzle wherein the pieces don't fit exactly, but has to be applauded for a creative way to tell a depressing story. The characters that represent her infatuation and his new interest are barely developed. We don't know if they are good or bad, and their presence as the trunk is being 'tensely' sent to its final destination,is pointless. We never see what is in that trunk. The ending, the falling six inch icicle, feels like an add-on, to satisfy the human need for karma, like the lightning strike ending "the bad seed"...would have been more interesting to imagine...he's still out there.
Arch of Triumph (1948)
script given to two stars who...frankly, don't give a dam
It's a surprise that this film was based on a popular novel, as it seems to be written daily just before the shoot. Bergman looks at times chubby, and Boyer seems forced at being attracted to her. The jack-in-the-box appearances of the Nazi Laughton never seem to influence the movie's direction and 2/3s through the movie my mind was silently screaming for something to happen that was interesting. Two actors had been handed scripts and sent to the set. The director and camera man decided that the whole film should have unvarying dark shadows. Boyer, whose deep tone delivery is a pleasure, seem to be afraid to crack his makeup, as his facial expression, kind of a Clint Eastwood stare, never changed. The Victorian standards of the time made it difficult to determine if these fully clothed people had gone any farther than the steamy though mechanical kissing closeups. Big smooch and then a discreet discussion of their 'relationship'. Boring.
This comment site is too regulated by Dumkovs.
Constantine (2005)
what was the point? Quit smoking?
This movie seems to be a vehicle for a Special Effects company that had all these neat action pixel-artwork toys, and didn't have a script to attach them to... Although the actors have charisma, it didn't shine in this conglomerate of unrelated, disconnected bits and parts of characters and scenes borrowed from Rosemary's baby, Alien, City of Angels and other religious junk. The motives of the characters is never clear, and one wonders who are the good guys or the bad guys.. why did "Satan" cure the lung cancer, then want to take the cured hero to hell? Plot less, pointless, and a unmitigated waste of two & a half hours in which a nap would have been more inspiring.