Archive for the ‘Movie Critique’ Category

Denver Film Festival

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

Dennis & Clare at Denver Film Festival Denver Film Festival
Dennis & I attended the Denver Film Festival. It was our first time, and we saw 2 movies. We watched the opening night of Slumdog Millionaire (wonderful movie!) and Tokyo!. The movie Tokyo was actually a compilation of three shorts from three different directors. Each short was very unique, and the audience was really reactive to the films. I really enjoyed the talks that took place after the film, as it lent some added insight.

The Court Jester

Wednesday, December 20th, 2006

“The vessel with the pestil has the pellet of the poison, the challice of the pallace is the brew that is true.” One of the best scenes of this 1956 musical spoof, features a court jester who is put up against a fiendish knight. In the first round of mortal combat, they must drink a toast, and this is the mantra he is to remember in order to stay alive.

It is a very entertaining movie, with lots of tongue twisters and clever trickery. Quite a lot of modern comedies mirror this movie. There were a couple slow moments in the film, but for the most part the filmmakers kept us laughing along with the characters. Highly recommended!!!

Fargo

Wednesday, September 27th, 2006

Last night, we had no Netflix movies. So we took a movie out of our VHS collection. It had been awhile since we watched Fargo, and it was great to see it again. One of the best things about Fargo is the character development. The filmmakers kept it simple, Fargo in the wintertime is a blanket of whiteness. The absence of scenery makes the other elements stand out.

Frances McDormand is fantastic, playing a pregnant police chief. She’s brilliant-and is made even more outstanding by the endearing role of her loving artsy hubby. His devotion to her and their future gives the otherwise brutal movie a soft edge, and the viewer a chance to take those deep sighs. The violence of the crimes committed keep escallating, until the fabulously dark yet funny scene with a chipper shredder. By the end of the movie, I am always in awe of this heinous crime, that it actually happened, and how this one woman was able to piece it all together.

Flightplan

Sunday, September 17th, 2006

This is a proposterous plane movie. It reminds me of a sophisticated Con-Air, without the flare. At least Con-Air had all those great huge explosions and out of this world special effects thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer. Throughout the movie, I kept thinking, “No way would this ever happen”.

This movie relies too heavily on the talents of Jodie Foster. No matter how great her acting is, she can’t cover up the holes in the plot, the absurdity of the airplane (one of the decks below looks like the center of the death star), and the weakness of even her own character. (more…)

Good Night and Good Luck

Monday, July 10th, 2006

When we watched the extra footage after the film, it became clear why George Clooney would take on this project. George’s father was an anchorman, who like many other of his time, admired Edward R. Murrows journalism ethics and accomplishments. I did not previously know just how vital a role in broadcast journalism Mr. Murrows played in a time of fear and division during the McCarthy years.

I really enjoyed the screenplay of the film. No fancy production techniques, stick to the basic mentality. It helped to keep the viewer focused on the facts as they unfolded, instead of getting muttled up on an emotional level. At one point, I had a chill down my spine, when Mr.Murrows was talking about how dissent must not be confused with disloyalty. I really love this statement. I feel it is an essential part of what makes us, as Americans, unique.