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jazzything
Reviews
Prayers for Bobby (2009)
Required Viewing for All Parents
The movie went off five minutes ago and I'm still sobbing. This movie should be required viewing for every parent. Beyond the powerful subject matter, Prayers for Bobby is ultimately about loving and accepting your children for whoever they are. It's about nurturing their self-esteem, raising them to treat others with respect and praying that they go through life with love in their hearts. Bottom-line, it made me realize that I will always love my son unconditionally. He's four now. And if I'm blessed enough that we are both around when he's 14, 24 or 44, I will stand by and love him for whoever he is as he comes into his own and forever.
The Last House on the Left (2009)
Absolutely Riveting
I don't have anything to add to the great summaries and analysis from some of the users on this thread. But I just have to talk about the scene when the dad is taking care of his daughter. This man is a highly skilled surgeon and you just see him automatically getting into that mode as he works to save his baby girl. I actually cried as he spoke tenderly to her and worked expertly to stabilize her while his heart is absolutely breaking. His hands didn't shake once; he was in perfect control. And I completely broke down when he discovered that his daughter had been raped. Even after that realization, he had a quick moment of grief and anger then expertly got back to work, again comforting his daughter with a gentle, reassuring tone as he undoubtedly did when she was little and fell off her bike, etc. I fell hard for this character from that scene on. And I cried even harder when he broke the news of the rape to his wife--incredible acting in this scene.
This movie was amazingly well done--though it's been haunting me all day (just saw it this morning for the first time.) I recommend it to anyone who loves suspense, can stomach excruciating and gory sequences and appreciates meaningful and well-developed story lines.
Sex and the City (2008)
People are entitled....(SPOILERS HERE)
...to their opinions. But I just happen to think that they're crap.
This movie was excellent! Usually, one can expect to be disappointed with iconic shows turned into movies because they err with over-the-top clichés of what the show became famous for. But in this case, the movie was brilliantly modest on the expected dialogue, characterization and outcomes that fans of the show may have loyally braced themselves to endure.
As a die-hard fan of the show who got hooked in my early thirties when I moved to New York, I was relieved to see that the characters stayed true to the form of the women whom I came to enjoy and admire and with whom I came to find comfort as a single career woman in New York. The show earned its groundbreaking place in television history because of the extent to which it explored and celebrated the very essence of all kinds of women -- from embracing who we are, to fantasizing about what we oft times wish we are to, ultimately, the healthy place of loving who we are as much as what we aspire or just dream to be.
This movie was an extension of that brilliant notion and, technically speaking, it never failed to deliver equal parts expected to surprise -- fantasy to reality. From Samantha's leaving the arguably perfect (to boot much younger man) to continue to live her life at her own terms at 50, to Charlotte's complete fulfillment of all her dreams including motherhood) come true; to Miranda's abandoning her "common-sense" convictions and taking Steve back and to Carrie's no-frills reconciliation and "wedding" to big, we are allowed to see love and life played out as it was meant to be: Without rules and with a healthy dose of fairy tale and reality.
Hats off to the actors, director and producer of this great film (and the series) that celebrates the many dimensions of womanhood.
Night of Dark Shadows (1971)
Ending almost identical to Burnt Offerings
I'm an avid fan of '70's made for t.v. horror movies so it's not surprising that I have both this and Burnt Offerings recorded. It occurred to me watching the end of Night of Dark Shadows that everything about the ending is identical to Burnt Offerings. In fact, you might even think that Burnt Offerings was based on or inspired by this earlier flick. I won't get into details so be sure to check out both films and let me know what you think. Meanwhile, I must say that they simply don't make good films they way they used to. These movies of the 70's and 60's are truly, truly frightening in that they couldn't rely on many camera tricks and other technology. The fear was based on realistic situations and, in many cases, good acting. Case in point: David Selby and Kate Jackson's performances in Night...and Oliver Reed, Bettye Davis and Karen Black's performances in Burnt Offerings. The cinematography of these films is also enjoyable -- often relying on the beauty of natural landscapes, etc. to capture the mood of the films. Anyway, again, please look at these two and share your thoughts!