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All reviews by user Date  Helpful Rating 2 out of 2 users found this helpful  Lions for LambsPosted: 11/20/2007A review of Lions for Lambs by DRF3 I saw this movie after reading numerous critical reviews on this site and consequently went to this movie not expecting to see a very good film. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a movie that treated a serious subject in a thoughtful way. When I left the theater, I felt more like I had just watched a commentary on PBS rather than seeing a movie, a point-counterpoint discussion between Pat Buchanan and Michael Moore presenting the conservative and liberal sides of US’s involvement in Iraq. Rather than being told which side to support leaves it up to the viewer to decide for himself. The movie does not present any new information and anyone the least bit aware of what is going on has already heard most of the arguments before. I was glad to be given a movie that challenged me to think for myself without telling me what to think or believe.
If you like thoughtful movies, I think this movie is worth a look. I enjoyed it, but I can see why others might not. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Amazing GracePosted: 3/5/2007A review of Amazing Grace by DRF3 I could not help but think while watching this movie of the parallels between what was happening in Britain in the early 1800s and what is happening today in the USA. The debate between the House of Lords and the House of Commons regarding slavery is nearly identical to the debate between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party regarding the Iraq War with much of the same arguments and rhetoric being used on both sides. The House of Lords supported the slave trade because of the enormous profits to be made which supported a lavish lifestyle for themselves and their families while the House of Commons opposed the slave trade on moral grounds. The members of the House of Lords even attacked the members of the House of Commons loyalty and patriotism for wanting to abolish the slave trade and with some success. In todays world, the Republican Party supports the War because of the enormous profits to be made and the Democratic Party opposing the War on moral grounds.
It is not often that a movie gets applause at the end from the audience, however that is just what happened when I saw this movie. This movie is not your typical Indiana Jones or James Bond action adventure movie but rather is a movie that is designed to educate and make you think. These types of movies are more often seen on PBS or the history channel however it is great to see movies of this caliber being shown in the theaters and receiving commercial success. Maybe there is hope for the world and mankind after all. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful Shut Up and SingPosted: 2/20/2007A review of Shut Up & Sing by DRF3 It took just a few choice words against the President of the United States by lead singer Natalie Maines in London to land the Dixie Chicks in a lot of hot water back home in a country gearing up for a war in Iraq that its planners had no clue how it was to be won. But three years later, the times have changed, the tables have turned and with that same Presidents popularity ratings in the cellar, the Chicks have since turned all the trouble they went through into a great album--and a great documentary film.
While probably quite a few cynics, particularly on the far-right of the political spectrum, will demean this film as a Chicks pity party, it is nothing of the sort by any means. Nor is it merely about freedom of speech, though that element is unquestionably in there. SHUT UP AND SING, at its heart, is about the purest form of American patriotism there is--love of family love of the best of this great nation of ours, and a willingness to realize our faults. It makes no pretenses at depicting the nasty reaction of Red-State America and the callousness of the Bush administration towards the Chicks as anything less than hypocrisy at its highest both groups come off even worse in many ways here than they did in FAHRENHEIT 9-11, and this without Peck or Kopple ever being known as agent provocateurs like Michael Moore.
The family and musical moments of SHUT UP AND SING are also interspersed with animated conversations between the Chicks, their manager Simon Renshaw, and their album producer Rick Rubin, as well as some incendiary and blackly comic comments made by Natalie about both Bush and Cheney. All of this makes for a ferociously patriotic and all-American film about true American pride where three women from Texas stood up for what they believed in, even when it was wildly unpopular, and came out stronger from the experience. Kudos to the Chicks, Kopple, and Peck for showing us what our country can still be if we fight for what is right! Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful The Good ShepherdPosted: 12/29/2006A review of The Good Shepherd by DRF3 A realistic look at the world of espionage. The movie is slow moving and sometimes boring but that is often how real life unfolds. Matt Damon does an excellent job of presenting his character as a SOB with no sense of humor, a stoic who never laughs or even cracks a smile and is willing to sacrifice the welfare of his family for his work. The movie is inspired by life of the CIA founder, James Angleton. Since Matt Damon is not like that in real life or in other characters he portrays, one can only assume that he is portraying this character as realistically as possible, stays in character throughout the movie and does it very well.
If you want a Hollywood version of the world of espionage you should probably see Casino Royal that is also playing in theaters now. If you want a realistic portrayal of the world of espionage then The Good Shepard is the movie to see. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Snakes On A Plane (SOAP)Posted: 8/24/2006A review of Snakes on a Plane by DRF3 How could the critics have rated this movie four and one-half stars? And all the movie goers giving all those four and five star ratings? And how could Samuel L Jackson have willing stared in this movie?
If a scary movie does not scare you, it comes across as rediculous. And this movie is rediculous. This movie will be on cable TV shortly. I recommend waiting until then to see it, if at all.
I give it two stars. Was this review helpful? Sign In 9 out of 16 users found this helpful  Failure to LaunchPosted: 3/10/2006A review of Failure to Launch by DRF3 It is unfortunate there is not some way to screen the crude and vulgar remarks and personal attacks disguised as movie reviews like those posted by Kyliemarie, PeopleAgainstBadActresses, owmeyes, and GuysMystifiedBySarahJes. Like those who distribute pornography and hide behind freedom of the press, those who lie or libel others and hide behind freedom of speech, or those who degrade anothers religion and hide behind freedom of religion. I know that would border on censorship but maybe there should be special rules for the irresponsible jerks who abuse their privileges.
I agree that this movie is formulaic and predictable but well worth your time and money. So I would recommend that you see the movie and make up your own mind.
I give it four stars. Was this review helpful? Sign In 4 out of 4 users found this helpful Something NewPosted: 2/8/2006A review of Something New by DRF3 This is a story of two people who meet, become friends, fall in love and then have to deal not only with societys perceptions and prejudices but also more importantly their own expectations since they are from different races (she is black and he is white) as well as different classes (she is white-collar professional and he is blue-collar working class). Forget about the hidden messages and lessons to be learned and just enjoy this very well done romantic comedy-drama. Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker do a great job of conveying how much their characters really enjoy each others company. I give it five stars.
One would really have to be hard-hearted not to enjoy this movie. Was this review helpful? Sign In 2 out of 2 users found this helpful Highly Recommend.Posted: 1/23/2006A review of Some Hearts by DRF3 This CD is as good as anything Faith Hill, Martina McBride or Shania Twain has ever put out. And Carrie Underwood is has not even began to mature. She has the voice, looks and personality that appeal to country audiences. I predict that over her career, Carrie Underwood will be the biggest star that Country music has ever seen. I would like to see a more traditional country or even a gospel CD in the future.
That being said, Carrie does have an untrained voice and has some difficulties with voice control and occasional misses a note. But with coaching and experience this should correct itself over time. Was this review helpful? Sign In 5 out of 7 users found this helpful The Family StonePosted: 1/2/2006A review of The Family Stone by DRF3 Those who grew up in that 1 in a 1,000 perfect Leave It To Beaver fully functional family probably will not relate well to this movie. As for the other 999 in 1,000 who grew up in dysfunctional families probably had brothers, sisters or parents very much like those depicted in this movie and will see much of their family portrayed on screen. Handicapped siblings or dying parents are not often shown in movies. This movie attempts to portray the more serious side of family within a comedy setting and does it pretty well.
If you are looking for mindless holiday entertainment, I recommend that you rent Bad Santa from last years Christmas. If you want to see a film that addresses the more serious issues that most families have to deal with at some time or the other, I would recommend that you see The Family Stone. Was this review helpful? Sign In 7 out of 23 users found this helpful MunichWhat I found difficult to accept in this film is that anyone who willingly accepts the role of assassin, whether it be CIA, KGB, Stasi, Mossad, Hezbollah, etc., would be conflicted at the completion of his task. In this film, the Palestinian assassins did not exhibit feelings of remorse for their actions or the consequences of their actions. Why would a member of Mossad have such feelings?
Assassins are essentially amoral people that find pleasure in taking the life of another human being. They do not need a reason other a hedonistic pleasure in the feelings of superiority of taking the life of another human being they deem inferior to themselves. A person of bad conscience (a moral person) would not be drawn to the occupation of assassin in the first place.
That being said, this film does ask one very important question. When will this ever end? There has been this cycle of revenge throughout the history of mankind. One need only read ancient history, mythology and most particularly the Bible to see that this is true. This desire for revenge is probably so deeply engrained in the human psyche that it will be around as long as there are human beings walking on this planet. So the answer to the question is NEVER. This endless cycle of revenge will never end as long as there is human life on earth.
What we all have in common is that we are members of the human race and subject to the same basic instincts and drives to which everyone else is subject. Was this review helpful? Sign In 31 out of 42 users found this helpful Highly RecommendI went to this film after reading some rather critical reviews on this site and did not expect to see a very good film. I was surprised to find a very intriguing film about a very serious subject. The way the multinational oil companies treat the Arabic peoples and manipulate the internal affairs of the Middle Eastern countries in the pursuit of oil is truly appalling. Those who think this film is pure fiction need only study the recent history of the Middle East dating back to the British Empire and Americas subsequent involvement. This film reminded me of the film The Constant Gardener and addresses many of the same concerns.
I agree that this film is dense, the plot is complex and I suspect there were scenes cut because of time constraints but anyone who pays attention should not have difficulty following the plot of this film. There are numerous sub-plots that come together at the end and the viewer needs to pay attention to fully appreciate this film. In particular, the scenes concerning Bob Barness son and Bennett Holidays father deserve explanation. Perhaps scenes that were left on the cutting room floor will be added back in the DVD version of the film. I enjoyed being given a film that treated me like an adult for a change.
If you want to see a film that is purely superficial without any redeeming qualities, I would recommend that you rent Porkys, Bedtime for Bonzo or American Pie. If you want to see a film that treats a serious subject in a thoughtful and provocative way and has the audacity to ask the audience to actually think, I would recommend that you see Syriana. Was this review helpful? Sign In 2 out of 4 users found this helpful  Skip this moviePosted: 12/1/2005A review of The Ice Harvest by DRF3 I did not like any of the characters in this movie. The plot was pointless. One of those movies that was purely superficial without any socially redeaming qualities whatsoever. The movie was billed as a dark comedy but there were no funny scenes, only darkness. Ten dollars and two hours of my life wasted that I can never get back. Skip this movie and the DVD that is sure to follow. Was this review helpful? Sign In 0 out of 3 users found this helpful One Trick PonyI understand the theme of the movie. That men believe that providing financial security in a relationship is all they should have to provide but women often feel alone and lonely in such a relationship wanting instead love and admiration. Or, the ultimate cruelty, men often pursue women that they do not find attractive even at first and when the woman begins to fall for them, the man disappears and then actually thinks he is being a nice guy. These are not unimportant themes. However sitting through a movie nearly two hours long to make such simple observations is a long and tedious experience. This movie is classified as a romantic-comedy, however it is neither romantic nor a comedy. I would have a difficult time recommending this movie to anyone, even diehard Steve Martin fans. Was this review helpful? Sign In 5 out of 6 users found this helpful Highly RecommendPosted: 11/16/2005A review of North Country by DRF3 I would look for North Country at Oscar time to be nominated for best picture, best actress (Charlize Theron), best supporting actress (Francis McDormat) and also best sound track (Bob Dylan is from Hibbing, Minnesota and his music is used extensively on the movie).
This movie is a fictionalize story in a historically accurate setting. This is a must see film for anyone who is a serious thinker about the issues surrounding women in the work place. But do not go when you are in a dark mood and looking for a movie to pick up your spirits. This picture deals with a difficult subject in a graphic way and is at times difficult to watch. It is difficult to imagine that such men actually exist. But if Anita Hill told the truth, we have such a man sitting on the Supreme Court passing judgments on the laws that you and I live under.
If you want to see a movie that is purely superficial without any redeeming qualities, I would recommend that you rent Porkys, Bedtime for Bonzo or American Pie. If you want to see a movie that treats a serious subject in a thoughtful and provocative way and has the audacity to ask the audience to actually think, I would recommend that you see North Country. Was this review helpful? Sign In 21 out of 27 users found this helpful Highly RecommendPosted: 11/15/2005A review of Good Night, and Good Luck. by DRF3 Something that is often missed in the discussion of Joseph McCarthy is that under the guise of fighting against communism and communist sympathizers, his targets for destruction were most often people who were better looking, more creative, better writers and more successful than he was himself. Joseph McCarthy fits perfectly into what Fredrick Nietzsche had in mind when he wrote those rather scathing aphorisms about the envious rabble. McCarthy was himself an alcoholic with self-destructive tendencies who was small, petty, ugly, uncreative, unsuccessful, spiteful and filled with resentment and hatred against the very people who were his opposite.
Good Night and Good Luck is not ultimately about McCarthyism. The movie is about television. Good Night and Good Luck asks whether television should be merely an instrument for entertainment or should television be an instrument for serious journalism, reporting news and shaping public opinion. If television is only an instrument for entertainment and left to market pressures (maximization of profit) it produces shows like Fox News and caricatures like Al Bundy, Bill OReilly and Homer Simpson. Good Night and Good Luck does not answer the question but merely asks it, suggesting that television could be so much more than it was then and is now. Was this review helpful? Sign In 1-15 of 15 Per Page |
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