The film definitely gets better as it goes
358974
Even though the language is in Spanish and I needed English Subtitles, it was a really enjoyable film that leaves you in suspense. The main character almost feels natural to us, but stays an enigma throughout. Not quite a Horror film, but definitely creepy. The film definitely gets better as it goes, and I felt a strong desire to see every scene, captivated with the emotion of the actors, as the story progressed.
3307022
I enjoyed this film from beginning to end and recommend it.  I'm not sure exactly why I didn't give it five stars.  Perhaps because it failed to live up to my memory of the book, which I read  many, many years ago and my memory of  the Lawrence Olivier screen version.  Both of those probably formed "my" Heathcliff, which was different from Ralph Fiennes'.  "My Heathcliff" was stockier, more physical, craggier, (looking more like Beethovan!)  Fiennes' is more mental and serpentine.

However all of that is personal and Fiennes' performance is certainly powerful and convincing.  I felt a sympathy for him, too, even in his last, most monstrous days.  The scene in which he grabs Cathy from the coffin is memorable.

I was a little disappointed in the performance of Juliette Binoche.  There was something unconvincing in her Cathy. Another reviewer suggested that she lacked the necessary qualities to play an English country girl. I'm not sure exactly how to define those qualities but I tend to agree with that comment.  Perhaps she was less firey than the original.

I agree with others, too, that the sequences were choppy and somewhat rushed, especially in the second half.  But it's hard to fit all of the novel into two hours.  I did like the ending a lot.

In sum, it's a great story, very well done and certainly worth watching.
1024830
This movie honestly does better justice that the previous entry and this is also quite entertaining, mostly this film is a mess but the best things usually are a mess
2539664
This film does a few things that I found immensly unusual, interesting and praiseworthy.
First off, although the scenes in which the main character, B-Rabbit (Eminem), turns the put-downs of his race to his advantage are both flamboyant and hilarious, the movie itself frames the anti-white racism that working-class whites routinely encounter in the same matter-of-fact style with which most of us working-class whites have learned to handle it.
Secondly, the hero-journey here is just one of the steps along the way to success, not the customary last big push before the talented but poor protaganist makes it out of the ghetto/trailer park. After B-Rabbit walks away from "flippin' the script" on his rap rivals, he's still in the ghetto. But, now, just a little bit better prepared to handle the challenges ahead.
Last, but not least, I enjoyed the portrayal of today's young love. The gritty Gen-Xer kind. The kind that can evolve into a "I-love-you-so-much-that-I-know-when-to-flip-you-off-and-walk-away" type of love. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.
4160380
I remember seeing My Life when it came out ten years ago and thinking that it was a wonderful film.  When I purchased it recently on DVD the film itself had lost none of its poignancy.

The plot of the film has relatively few twists and turns.  At the beginning of the film Bob Jones (played by Michael Keaton) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Jones's wife, Gail (Nicole Kidman) is pregnant with their first child, so Bob decides to start filming a series of videotapes that can be shown to the son he knows he is unlikely to ever see.

Gail eventually also gets Bob to visit a Chinese healer (Hiang Ngor), who apparently is using a mix of traditional remedies and psychology to help Bob.  This is the point where the film could have gotten extremely corny, but director Bruce Joel Rubin does not overdo the mysticism and avoids taking the easy way out by having Bob make a sudden and dramatic recovery.  The healer is essentially just a vehicle to move us into Bob's personal history and conflicts with his siblings and brother and is extremely well done.

This is a superbly acted film.  This film stars Nichole Kidman before she made Nichole Kidman films and a very versitile Michael Keaton, who was coming off of the Batman series.  Their strong performances are buttressed by supporting roles from Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), Queen Latifah (Chicago), Michael Constantine (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and Rebecca Schull (Wings).  It is an extremely deep cast.

This is an emotional film and is, at the end of the day, about someone with cancer, so be prepared to be crying by the end.  However, instead of being two hours of tension, the film is crafted so that after a particularly dramatic sequence you have a section that includes some humor, mostly involving Bob's guidance to his son.  Because the end, when it comes, is not totally unexpected, you don't finish the film feeling drained; instead, the ultimate message behind the plot is one of hope and redemption.

Overall, the film is excellent if you like drama - if you are looking for a popcorn film, this may not be for you.  Sadly, there are very few extras on the DVD.  However, if you want to see a well-acted, well-written, well-acted and mostly serious film, you can do far worse than My Life.
438325
That's the thing about whodunnits; once you find out who diddit, the film suffers the next time you watch it.  I do remember though when I first saw this film in the cinema that I was very much involved in it and watching it on the big screen in near total darkness made you feel like YOU were Clarisse and the final scene in the basement stayed with me for a long time after that day too.  It was certainly one of the finest films I had ever seen on the big screen.

Now that I'm viewing this once again but on DVD, I can't help but feel that a lot is lost in viewing this film this way.  It made me realise that perhaps a Demme Director's cut version should be released which incorporates the deleted scenes which I thought were pretty good and that would help aid the story along as well.  The sound quality of this Fullscreen version is advertised as 5.1 Surround and is pretty good sound quality wise although the picture quality does look as if it could be improved upon and here's hoping a proper Blu-ray or standard format 20th anniversary edition will be released in a couple of years time in a director's cut version so as to add some freshness and life to this great film.  An anamorphic widescreen version would also be greatly appreciated.

As it is though, this film is still very, very good but it doesn't reward repeated viewing for me in its current form.  Here's hoping and waiting for a 20th anniversary directors cut version!
1025312
Quvenzhan Wallis makes "Beasts of the Southern Wild" her film. You follow her right from the very beginning and her narration instantly captures the thought process of the average little boy or girl. "Average" isn't the right word for it though. Hushpuppy's life is pretty extraordinary given the circumstances. The way she has to listen to every creature's heartbeat was one of the most interesting aspects of the entire film. Her explanations, quandaries, and conclusions that she makes throughout the film hit you much harder than you expect a six-year-old's demeanor to.

Dwight Henry delivers a great performance, as well. Wink is very selfish, angers easily, and is out of control for most of the picture despite claiming otherwise. He has this tough love thing going on with Hushpuppy and he only wants what's best for his daughter even if his actions in the meantime seem to suggest otherwise. Their chemistry is the foundation of the film.

The score is spectacular, as well. It's so minimal most of the time and is usually just a combination of strings, piano, and a simple drum beat but it throws in banjos, washboards, and whatever else you'd expect from New Orleans type music. It just captured the tone of the film perfectly.

Many of the film's issues seem like they could've been resolved so simply if the characters weren't so stubborn, especially when it comes to whether or not to leave "The Bathtub" and Wink's illness. Obviously that more than likely would've altered the message the film was trying to give, but it's incredibly frustrating seeing characters in a film struggle with something when the solution is lingering right under their noses.

The camera work was also distracting more often than not, especially in the first half of the film. Shots are purposely blurry and out of focus for long periods of time and while it was probably done to add some sort of artistic value to the film, that inner voice of yours will be screaming, "FOCUS!" after the first few times you experience it.

The message the film gives is an incredible one; facing your fears, overcoming difficult odds, accepting death, something along those lines. The way "Beasts of the Southern Wild" goes about portraying that message is a bit off-kilter. The Aurochs mostly come off as unnecessary and their final scene is a bit of a letdown. What they represent is one of the driving factors of the film, but they just feel out of place more often than not. Here's a sequence of people struggling to survive a flooded environment where all their sources of food have died out and here's a contrasting shot where giant, mutant boars are running across the countryside and eating each other.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" features some exceptional, layered characters the likes of which film rarely sees, strong performances from its lead actors, an impressive score, and has a pretty powerful message. The down side is it's portrayed in this really askew and artistic light that you'll either love or hate. Whether or not you enjoyed "The Tree of Life," will probably be a factor. There are definitely things to enjoy in "Beasts of the Southern Wild," but overall it just comes off as bittersweet. It's as if it's too artistic for it's own good.
4005459
I loved this movie. Really, I did. It's a huge improvement from Happythankyoumoreplease (which I also really liked). Jesse's character  is gorgeously flawed, more of an idealist than a romantic. He still lives in a hopeful world of literature and prose, forgetting about the author's real lives that they mostly escaped from through their writing.

He's lost and struggling when he meets Zibby, a much younger college student studying at his Alma Mater. Zibby's intense and decided and everything he's looking for in the world. Her passion for classical music revives the mundane routines in his life and brings back his fervor for living. Their strong feelings for one another, connected mostly through music, letters, and books, is a natural progression that makes sense and doesn't feel awkward to viewers.

It does become awkward once their world's collide and you begin to realize they can't quite fit. When he leaves Zibby, heartbroken and raw, they begin to take their experiences with one another and help build better lives on their own.

While Jesse's later relationship with the bookkeeper who (surprise) has been under his nose the entire movie feel authentic and logical, I would have liked to see more development. It just never fully registered on the caliber of his relationship with Zibby, which is what left me feeling slightly disappointed.

As a whole, this film is smart, has many clever quotes, and unabashedly honest.
172159
One can't say that this third entry of the Potter series isn't a good film; it's just a little disappointing with its aloofness and a time travel sequence that seems forced and contrived.  But don't blame Alfonso Cuerin; taking over for Chris Columbus, the Latin director infuses his own surrealistic and gothic style and we have some marvelous CGI effects.  The cast of youths continues to grow in their maturity and we have some fine support as always including Michael Gambon taking over for the late Richard Harris; Emma Thompson as a dotty divination teacher; a magical cameo from Julie Christie; David Thewlis, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith et al, do justice to their roles.  The preoccupation with Harry's parents has tended to grow a little redundant and Gary Oldman's character seems programmed and not as much fun as one might have expected.  But, it's enjoyable and I'm sure Potter purists are happier than punch.  I didn't find it quite as good as the previous two films, though.
1070971
This ain't the Malamud novel put on screen.  Yet this movie is very effective in its own right.  While inspired by the book (many scenes are pretty much out of the book), there is a very different sensibility.  The book is a kind of morality tale, with a dark view of the human condition.  The movie, after an elegaic beginning, also gets dark--but then ends with a dramatic moment and a touching, affecting close.

There are mythical moments in the movie that are most catching--the lightning bolt and the cover coming off the baseball, breaking the clock at the stadium, the climactic closing baseball moment in the film.

Roy Hobbs, though, isn't superhuman, although he is less prone to human foibles than his namesake in the novel.  He is human and very talented.  His life went haywire when he went to try out for a major league team early in his life(with a contract in his pocket).  A meeting with a mysterious woman derailed his baseball career for many years.

He comes back in his 30s and has a brief moment of glory, suggesting what could have been if things had worked out differently.

Thus stated, this sounds like a sad movie.  But the ending, bringing a family back together after a dramatic moment in the playoffs, provides an upbeat ending, testifying to the possibilities that our hopes can be realized.

Robert Redford's acting style plays well in this movie. Glenn Close provides an affecting counterpoint to Kim Basinger's Memo Paris and Barbara Hershey's mysterious woman.  Darren McGavin is wonderful as the gambler and Robert Duvall as Max Mercy, the sports writer. Wilford Brimley is terrific as the gruff old manager. Good acting; nice special effects; wonderful cinematography by Caleb Deschanel.

I know, it's a baseball movie.  But it remains powerful for me after too many viewings.
1121848
MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR is about on-par with the first, slightly edging it out due to increased focus on character (even if the plot is about as thin) and bigger, more spectacular stunts.

 This time, the world (or at least Australia) is in the full-on post-apocalypse and looks like a desolate wasteland, for the most part. Biker gangs still roam the countryside, only now they're more vicious and more outlandish as far as their fashion choices go. It looks they got their clothes from an S&M shop sometimes. They also rape and pillage as they hunt for that precious commodity, gasoline. Max has also changed since we last saw him. He's more grizzled and looks almost war-weary, and instead of policing he's been reduced to scavenging like everyone else. The only difference between him and the others is his code. On his travels he meets a group of survivors guarding a treasure trove of gasoline, only they don't have the means to transport it. So they enlist his help, all while being threatened (and eventually attacked) by a vicious gang led by a freak named Humongous.

 Story-wise, the movie was about as thin as the last one. However, this time there are more characters and a smattering of humor as well. The characters that stood out the most to me were the Gyro Captain and one of the gang members with a red mohawk. There was also a feral child who provides some of the film's more endearing moments, and forms somewhat of a bond with Max. Generally speaking, I thought that the ensemble nature of this film is what makes it work. Sure, the stunts and special effects are excellent (and improved), but it was nice that the film didn't just rely on those elements to tell the story.

 Still, I do have a couple minor complaints. First, it looked like some of the action sequences were sped up. This might be too much of a nitpick, but it gave off a silent film vibe that didn't exactly mesh with the overall tone of the film as a whole. Second, it took until about the halfway point for the narrative to really take shape and gain some focus. Not that there wasn't anything to like beforehand, but (and this is where my expectations were a little undercut) I was led to believe that the film would be a little more singular and direct than it actually turned out to be.

 Still, I thought that the film and world it established were very well-realized. Also worthy of mention is the rousing score by Brian May (not of Queen). Overall, this post-apocalyptic action film isn't quite what I expected (but closer than what the last one turned out to be), but it's a fun ride that doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator of the audience. Highly recommended.
1582353
This movie starts slow, but is a really good movie.
4885309
This movie pulled me in first with belly laughs. As I watched, the story moved me from its comedic beginning to a point where I cared deeply about the troubled, delusional Les. Every character in this film seems to be perfectly cast. Though the film sometimes slips into underdeveloped ideas, it continues to carry the viewer with some very poignant scenes. The story ends with a superhero-worthy titanic struggle of good vs. evil - Rapaport's personification of Everyman's quest for meaning against Paul Blackthorne's evil. Les tries to live up to his vision, "a villain can launch a missile at a superhero, and the hero just keeps coming... A real superhero is like a force of nature." This film is like a force of nature.
3836737
I enjoyed this film more than any of the other Potter films, with the possible exception of Azkaban. Like that film, it has numerous departures from the book, but viewed as part of the series of films (and NOT as a shoe-in for the book in the series of books), it works very well. I know that Rowling had approved the scripts to these films as they were made, so I'm sure that she always had a clear understanding of the consequences of any omissions (and additions) made to the events in terms of the subsequent films. So far, it has worked just fine. Are the negative Potter diehards worried that all these changes will somehow inevitably add up to a bad movie version of the "Deathly Hallows"?

I very much enjoyed the humor. Scenes such as the tribute to Aragog were hilarious, as well as the little touches - Ron sitting between Harry and Ginny at the Burrow, and Harry being informed of Vane's love potion plans by Hermione, and the brewing of "Living Death"! Hermione's comments about Harry "enjoying his dessert", and her trying to explain to Ron how he split with Lavender during his recovery from poisoning ("I don't believe it was a particularly long conversation") are also hilariously low key. Lavender's attentions to Ron are comical, and deliberately pitched as almost painful. The effects are convincing, and the actors have hit their stride. There are lots of little details to keep the films interesting for multiple viewings.
2764287
I would need to compare this new Director's cut DVD with the originally released version, but it seems as if the fat has been reapplied to a lean steak.  I found my attention wandering often, and imagined I saw the seams where unnecessary elements were reinstated, to the viewer's detriment.
Having said that, the film is still enjoyable, and the humor often works well when it appears.  Large scale production and well-filmed miniatures combine for a spectacular visual feast.  A fun film to watch with a group, so you can chat up the slow parts and magnify your laughter when the slapstick hits the fan.
899421
While I didn't respond quite as strongly to this as to Ms. Arnold's amazing first feature `Red Road',
this is still very strong film making. Unlike `Red Road', the subject has been covered before - a damaged,
angry neglected teenager, acting out against the world, getting in over her head sexually, behaving in ways that
even she would be hard pressed to explain. But if the general terrain is a familiar, the sense of rage and
power is one we rarely see given to a young female character, and - for the most part - there's a sense of raw
honesty and truth that eludes the vast majority of films about teens.

Mild spoilers ahead.

For every moment that the film flirts with clich (e.g. the good boyfriend/bad boyfriend choice - more subtle than
usual here, but still a little too neat), there are others that are original, complex and unique. I just wish the
ending didn't feel like a forced hopeful note, that a few of the symbols along the way (e.g. the White Horse)
weren't so on the nose, and that Katie Jarvis, marvelous most of the time in the lead, but a non-pro, had a
couple more colors and nuances in her performance. But none of those drawbacks, while substantive, keep
this from being an important film by an important young filmmaker.
140917
I loved the adaptation for the screen since the first time I saw it. It is obviously very difficult to make an acceptable movie after such a novel, to avoid almost inevitable traps such as the kitsch, the ridicule, the exaggeration, the pathetic - yet the director managed to avoid these and made a decent film, absolutely watchable, respectful to the novel, with an inspired cinematography and good cast.

Of course, expectations being high, the disappointments are inevitable, but they do not overshadow the beauty and the interest of the movie. Maybe Woland and Pilat are a bit too old and stiff for their role, maybe the acting in general is a bit clumsy and inexpressive (or too restrained, static and austere), also the subtitles are a catastrophe, but the overall impression is, notwithstanding, very good.

Those critics or reviewers who didn't like it at all, who think the film is worthless, maybe they should try to think of a better adaptation themselves. Just try to think. Difficult, eh?