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By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Official tagline: “First came love…then came Reverend Frank.”
My revision: “First came a good trailer…then came a lousy movie.”
I know that I usually review films on DVD, but I finally got around to going to the movie theater this weekend. I chose to see License to Wed because I am a big […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
The meaning of life, the inevitability of death, and love everlasting is too much for this one film to tackle.
From what I got from the trailer for The Fountain (2006), this film is about two people whose love spans through space and time. It seemed like science fiction, and I’ve been known […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
When you use your imagination, you can achieve anything.
Beatrix Potter is best known for publishing The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902, a beloved children’s book that still sells today. A child obsessed with nature, Beatrix always found solace among animals, seeing them as friends and imagining their inner thoughts. From her imagination […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
The Last King of Scotland (2006) is based on a fictional novel of the same name by British author Giles Foden. It tells an account of the reign of Idi Amin in Uganda from 1971 to 1979. A charismatic man, Idi Amin took over as Uganda’s president with the support of […]
Bu MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Alpha Dog (2006) is based on a true story. The characters’ names have been changed, but the story is what matters. A 15-year-old boy was murdered to settle his brother’s debt to a drug dealer. The mastermind was 21-year-old Jesse James Hollywood (“Johnny Truelove”), who at the time that […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Moms can be a little too concerned sometimes, especially when they disagree with the life choices that their children make. But when a mom lives a life of regret and begins to see her daughter making the same mistakes that she made, her concern becomes a mission that no mother should embark […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
I remember seeing the previews for Smokin’ Aces (2006) on TV and thinking, “That looks like it’ll be a fun movie to watch.” After it came out, though, most of the reviews I read said that it was over the top, too violent and bloody just for the sake of being stylish, […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)gmail.com
Have you ever had that feeling that every possible scenario that can happen in life, even the scenarios that can’t, have been immortalized on film? Movies nowadays are based on old ideas, whether it be comic books that have already been written or continuations of stories that have already been told. […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Set in Franco, Spain, Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) follows the journey of a little girl who is mesmerized by stories of the fairy tale world. While the world around her crumbles, she is put to the test, and if she succeeds, she will retake her throne as the long lost princess of the […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Princess Diana, referred to as the “People’s Princess” by Tony Blair in a speech he made after her death, was a beloved public figure in England and in other parts of the world. She was many things to many people: She was a philanthropist, she was a fashion icon, and above all, […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Alright, so I had a really crappy week at work and the last thing I felt like doing was watching The Queen which I bought specifically to review for today. Tragedy, politics and English people just weren’t going to hold my attention, so I decided on light and fluffy. Yeah…I think […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
An obsession for some, a burden for others… Little Children (2006).
Being a housewife is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Sure, you don’t need to race to work every day or deal with the traffic. You get to sit home, watch soap operas and spend your time at the […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)gmail.com
I was never a big fan of martial arts movies… until I saw House of Flying Daggers (2004). It had everything you could ask for in a movie (no matter what genre you prefer); romance, bloodshed, martial arts, great cinematography, I could go on and on. So when I saw that […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
I know what you’re thinking… with all the Oscar-nominated movies out on DVD now, why am I reviewing Step Up (2006)? Well, I have to say that this weekend, during that nasty nor’easter we had here in Jersey, I wasn’t in the mood to think too hard or […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Based on a memoir by Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors is a coming-of-age story for one young boy. Now usually, “coming-of-age” implies a very formulaic plot and your basic cast of characters. This movie is anything but formulaic, and the cast is definitely a bunch of characters.
Augusten Burroughs is played […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Okay, so I usually start out with some sort of description of the movie, followed by two paragraphs (sometimes three if I’m extra insightful) of what I got out of watching the film. Well, I’m going to do this review a bit differently. The description will not be the bulk of […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Children of Men (2006)
How would mankind react to the possibility of extinction? Some turn to God, some turn to violence, and others just wait to die. Theo (Clive Owen of Closer and King Arthur), a man who was once an activist against injustice, loses his will to fight after “chance” deals […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Casino Royale, the newest edition to the Bond serial, introduces Daniel Craig (of Layer Cake and Munich) as the sixth actor to play the ultimate spy and cultural icon, James Bond. This movie is based on Ian Fleming’s first book of the series, starting off with Bond’s promotion to “double […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
What do you get when you put Dane Cook, Harland Williams, Andy Dick and Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite in one Super Club store? You get a movie that can survive even Jessica Simpson as its leading lady.
Employee of the Month (2006) is a movie about a lovable slacker, Zach (Cook), who strives […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Okay, don’t ask me why but I bought Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006) today. I knew it was a risky move, being that I didn’t watch the movie first, but I thought that my liking the soundtrack (another random buy… I know, I have a problem) meant it couldn’t be […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)gmail.com
When a comedian ventures into the world of drama, the transition can be very painful. When they act serious, it comes off as a caricature. Their silence seems forced, and you can’t help but feel that it’s in need of a laugh just around the corner. Successful transitions can be made, a great […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)gmail.com
I was never a very big fan of magic tricks. Though the tricks can be pretty impressive, you know that the magician is using a clever technique to fool you into thinking that what you see is real. The Prestige is based on the feud between two magicians and how far each of […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Ryan Gosling is a great actor, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a girl and because I cried during The Notebook. Yeah, he’s gorgeous, and if you don’t believe that he is a great actor, watch a movie called The Believer. He plays a young skinhead who because of his intelligence […]
By MICHELLE L.
Satine81(at)aol.com
I was in a horror movie kind of mood last weekend, but unfortunately I’m one of those lame-os who gets nightmares after I watch them, so after some intense searching on Netflix, I found Slither (2006). It sounded like more of a comedy than a horror movie. The plot of the film centers […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
And the Best Picture Goes to… Little Miss Sunshine (2006)!
In the spirit of Oscar season, I wanted to review a movie that is up for several awards. No… it’s not The Departed, and no… it’s not Dreamgirls either. It’s Little Miss Sunshine, an “indie” flick starring Toni Collette (Muriel’s Wedding, In Her Shoes), […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
I picked up The Devil Wears Prada (2006) because I had heard from several people, young and old, that it was very entertaining. And it is in a lot of different ways.
If you are a fashion aficionado, you will love seeing all the outfits that the characters wear. Designer names are mentioned in […]
By MEGAN G. CLOSE
meganclose(at)gmail.com
It actually snowed in Malibu last week. Malibu. California. And, being an East Coast native, I know that it’s much colder on that side of the country. Needless to say, I am ready for winter to end. And what better way to anticipate and celebrate such a great occasion than to plan […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)gmail.com
The Last Kiss (2006), a movie about love and its chaotic consequences, centers around four men in their 30s experiencing the ups and downs of relationships. Directed by Tony Goldwyn (Carl, from Ghost) and adapted from the Italian movie L’ Ultimo Bacio, the main story centers around Michael (Zach Braff) and his live-in […]
By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
L.A. or the Old West? Down in the Valley (2005) asks, “Where would you rather be?”
I’m a big fan of Edward Norton (American History X, Death to Smoochy), so I rented Down in the Valley, also starring Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, The Upside of Anger), David Morse (The Green Mile, The Slaughter Rule) […]
By Megan G. Close
I cringed slightly upon spotting a quote hailing “The Night Listener” as a “Hitchcockian” film. Usually when someone says this, it means that there are shadows and a certain degree of suspense. That term has become a film critic’s cliché. However, while I would compare this film more to M. Night Shyamalan […]