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All reviews by Tia007
9 out of 11 users found this helpful  Action, Action, Action
Posted: 2/23/2008A review of Vantage Point by Tia007
Everyone knows the premise before entering the theater. The President of the United States is shot. . . only it turns out they shot a double. And there are 6 or 8 points of view of the event. And yes, they rewind and make you go through all of them. Yes, the "technique" does get a little tedious toward the end, and I found two of the characters too stupid to live. But that was not enough to put me off the movie! Far from it. Great action, interesting stars, provocative storyline. . . and Dennis Quaid. Even overacting, he's terrific. Can it get any better? And William Hurt is terrific and seeing Sigourney Weaver without makeup was interesting and Forest Whitaker. . . just gotta love that guy. Go see the movie! It's a rock'em, sock'em thrill ride. With Dennis Quaid. sigh.
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Wonderful Movie!
Posted: 5/19/2012A review of Battleship by Tia007
For once the MSN critic got it right! This is the perfect summer shoot-em-up, blow-em-up movie-- precisely because it has heart and real characters and character arcs and a surprisingly realistic sci-fi premise. The storyline-- not subtle or the labyrinthine strum and drang the critics love-- worked and was wonderfully redemptive. The additions of wounded vets and the old guys from previous wars-- still full of vinegar and capability--helped to elevate the story to something bigger and finer than a popcorn extravaganza. Hollywood, I'm proud of you! I LOVED this movie. Ideas to ponder and handsome eye candy and special effects that boggle the mind and characters to cheer for-- plus a soundtrack to keep the blood pumping-- GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Reviewer Spasms
Posted: 6/24/2009A review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by Tia007
Poor Rocchi. I'm sorry he had to watch this movie and go into Reviewer Spasms. . . a well known Tourette's-like syndrome where reviewers get hysterical and start shouting non-sequiteurs and throwing around their thesauruses. A tantrum of sorts. Totally out of control. James, there's medication for that these days. The movie is an action flick with a plot, conflict, character development. . . all the usual and customary. Unfortunately some people get so distracted by the explosions and battles (Are you listening, James?) that they can't see anything else. Educated, mature movie goers know how to hang onto plot lines and characters through all of that action. It was a wonderful, get-away-from-it-all movie that promises "over-the-top" and really delivers. I am thrilled to see Shia coming into his own and I always love to see the solid Josh Duchamel (I fear I may have misspelled his name, sigh) in a role that makes him even more credible as an actor. There's something for everyone in this movie. Enjoy!
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1 out of 3 users found this helpful  The Perfect Sequel Set-Up
Posted: 2/15/2008A review of Jumper by Tia007
Interesting effects and fabulous locations do not a quality movie make. You've got to have characters to care about. The kid at the core of this movie is a self-absorbed twerp. Even when he starts to care about his lost love Millie, he manages to be self-serving and annoying. Lacking conscience, education, and restraint-- he's tough to empathize with. The million questions that didn't get answered (and had plenty of time to be!) will doubtless be put off into the sequel. Because this is obviously a bid for a Jumper series. Still it couldn't have hurt for the main character to ASK a few danged questions! But then again, he's not too bright. . .
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  GRRRREAT Movie!
Posted: 3/5/2010A review of Alice in Wonderland by Tia007
Whimsy, imagination, and the adventure of discovering your true self. . . it's the stuff wonderful movies are made of. And "Alice" is wonderful. Visually exciting and enjoyable and well-acted. I had read the MSN reviewer's review and almost didn't go. I'm so glad I remembered that he's panned (sometimes nastily) several movies I have loved of late, and I went anyway. Maybe critics get jaded because they see too many movies, overthink them all, and get "brain-cramp". . . which we all know makes a person sour and impossible to please. Critics forget that the point of movies for us "great unwashed" is to be entertained. . . to ENJOY. So, go see "Alice." And enjoy.
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Fabulous Family Movie!!
Posted: 6/22/2007A review of Evan Almighty by Tia007
Having read the reviews of the
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Solid and thought provoking
Posted: 10/2/2006A review of The Guardian by Tia007
I didnt expect to be in raptures over this movie. But it was a solid, believable, often moving film that explored a number of ideas seldom touched by Hollywood. What do heroes get out of heroism? Who do you save first-- and why? Intriguing but terrible questions that real people have to deal with every day. It was a jolt when Kevin Costner finally answered the question his protege asked How many? He said 22 and the protege struggled to understand how that could be-- he had expected two or three hundred saves. Then Costners character said 22 was the number he had failed to save. Clearly he carried the memory of each with him and ran through them like worry beads every time he was called out. Really interesting stuff. And clearly hard on him as a man and a husband. His scenes with Sela Ward were marvelous. It also begged the unasked, unanswered question does he keep going out there, at his age, trying to save people to make up for the 22 he lost? Or is he addicted to the rush of pitting himself against the impossible? Or is it something of both? The haunting thing about this movie is. . . the action is basically what real CG men and women go through every day, year in and year out. These are real questions, real conflicts, real moral dilemmas. Something about the films understated and surprising acting and the seeming lack of Hollywood gimickry made that come through for me. And not even the occasional slow place and the distracting furrows of Costners prematurely aged face could spoil it for me. Good movie. Solid. See it.
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3 out of 4 users found this helpful  Fun. . . in Places
Posted: 2/11/2008A review of Fool's Gold by Tia007
Matthew and Kate are great together and I really appreciated the shirt-less scenes. Great scenery and some fun action. But there were some dead spots-- not just slow, DEAD. Like the explanation of how they came to find information about the wreck on their honeymoon in Spain. It was so convoluted I gave up trying to figure it out and said to myself: self, they're just goin' after the treasure. What was sad was that the most interesting character, outside of Matthew and Kate (and Kate had some pretty flat moments-- no pun intended), was the gangly Bahamian hit man who failed (twice!) to kill McConaghey's character. Some guys just don't have "killer" in them. He nearly stole the show for me. Sutherland should hang his head in shame over the fake British accent and wooden performance. (His turn in the original Buffy looks brilliant by comparison.) And the girl who played his daughter was much TOO convincing as the bubble-headed heiress. It was entertaining and in places downright fun. Too bad-- it could have been so much better. . . sigh.
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1 out of 1 users found this helpful  Inventive fun
Posted: 8/10/2007A review of Stardust by Tia007
And inventive take on a fairy-tale like story of goodness winning out. The characters are charming, the premise is inventive, and the effects are stunning. Occasionally the acting and dialogue feels forced, but there are enough really clever moments to keep you entertained. Watchng Robert DeNiro dancing in drag and the chorus of dead brothers hanging around and commenting on the action was worth the cost of admission. And Michelle Pfeiffer-- she's become quite the little villainess of late. Deliciously despicable. Clare Danes was almost as luminous as her role. It was predictable in places-- okay a lot of places-- but we still wanted to SEE it all!
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1 out of 1 users found this helpful  High Hopes Dashed
Posted: 8/18/2006A review of Barnyard: The Original Party Animals by Tia007
I awaited this movie with high hopes and was quite disappointed. It was fairly interesting animation-- a very plastic look reminiscent of childrens toy barnyard animals, on which they were undoubtedly based. But the storyline wasnt very original and the characters were straight from stock and not particularly engaging. Much discussion has centered around the boy cows udders. . . well, a COW is FEMALE. Period. Look it up if you dont believe it. Male cattle are called bulls or steers (if cut). Either the people who made this flick are too stupid to know the difference, too lazy to bother to actually look at a real cow and bull, or they defiantly decided to do a little gender bending. I doubt anyone would have entrusted millions of dollars to moviemakers who were that lax or stupid. . . so that leaves the gender bending. Or perhaps they thought the udders lent an air of fantasy. . . as if the audience might not get that from the talking, partying, anthropomorphized animals. Some of my family are dairy farmers, and, frankly, the udder thing was distracting to the point of ruining an otherwise pleasant, if simplistic, story. Interestingly, they did show in the group shots of animals a much larger bull with a ring in his nose. . . a true bull, then. So what were these boy cows with udders, supposed to be? People from dairy and cattle farms must be either snickering or wagging their heads in disbelief. Id love to hear the film makers talk about what was on their minds and why they made such strange decisions for their film. And Im very glad to see that children werent disturbed by the film-- oh, except for the violence and death thing.
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  For Nostalgia Mostly
Posted: 7/25/2008A review of The X-Files: I Want to Believe by Tia007
A competent, well done episode. . . probably would have been perfect as a made-for-TV movie. But as big screen fare, it's just acceptable. The plot was kind of lame for a feature fliick. . . too much ilike just another episode. Scully was shriller than ever and more judgmental. Fox was the wisecracker, as always, but not really wiser. And again they're placing all the crazies in West Virginia. . . which is really British Columbia. . . and the mountains don't look anything like that. . . nor do they get that kind of snows in the old hills. Strains credibility. Really. The set-up with the pedophile priest was a little too manipulative and Scully's reaction to it was too fraught and slightly guilty-- considering that she and Mulder gave up their son. Still, in all, it was good to see them back together and to hear the old music. I wish there had been more Assistant Director Skinner in the film. And the plot could have used more clarity at the end. Had to chuckle at the "finding a new body for my sweetie's head" for a couple married in Mass. And the scene of Scully doing brain surgery (on one day's notice!!) with experimental stem cell methodology was totally laughable. One day she barely knows about it and is Googling it (for gosh sakes!) and the next day she's doing it in an OR!!! Carter et al have slipped a few cogs in the intervening years. Still it was a passable romp down memory lane.
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1 out of 1 users found this helpful  Fascinating. . . worth seeing!
Posted: 11/5/2007A review of American Gangster by Tia007
Very good movie-- fabulous portrayal of an era and a character and a dilemma. Yesterday, however, i saw a documentary on the real Frank Lucas and I have to say, Denzel's portrayal romanticizes him a great deal. It's a testament to Denzel's total likeability and credibility--that during the movie we admire Frank Lucas, while being appalled occasionally by his abrupt and pitiless violence. Interestingly, the movie's portrayal of the effects of heroine and the way it was used back in the day, provided a sobering counterpoint to the subtle glamor of Denzel's Lucas. Complex movie. Not always easy to watch. Eye opening. Russell's character, Richie the cop, didn't feel as well drawn or as complete. . . wasn't as sympathetic. And they didn't meet or get together until the end of the movie. . . which took a startling turn based on real events. . . and stayed out of Hollywood stereotyped finality. It's surprising that Russell Crowe took the role. . . made me expect a mano-a-mano showdown that basically never happened. Very worth seeing!
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Well Done
Posted: 8/30/2006A review of Invincible by Tia007
While not especially original, the movie and the message both work. The regular guy gets a break and comes through to lift the hopes and spirits of all around him. This movie is solid all the way. Im a football fan, but even if I werent, Id still love Wahlbergs performance and the gritty realism of the city and its game. You find yourself cheering for everyone in the film. . . Vince, the girl, his dad, his football buddies, and even his underdog Eagles. You want good things to happen and when they do, you want to pump a fist and yell! Go see it.
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Very Nice Movie!
Posted: 9/29/2006A review of Flyboys by Tia007
A well-done example of a tried-and-true genre. I was surprised and pleased by how involving the characters were, especially James Francos Kansas farmboy portrayal. It was a little contrived in getting the men to France, but afterward was on solid ground with their developing friendship and understanding of the job theyd blithely signed on to do. Even without a background in military history I knew enough to be bothered by all the red tri-wings. I can only think that the moviemakers believed it would make for more colorful aerial battles or that it would be easier to keep track of who was where if all the bad guys (except one) were red. Hmmm. But the scenery and the period feel of the piece outweighed that stubborn bit of inaccuracy. A pleasant surprise was the heartfelt, believable romance between the main character and the lovely French woman. From what my dad told me of his wartime experiences, this meeting of cultures and sexes was repeated over and over during WW I and WW II. It was especially poignant when, at the end, we learn that in real life the hero and the Frenchwoman didnt see each other again. The final punch of the movie came with the display of the photo of the historical Layfatette Esquadrille, complete with lion cub mascot. And it was a delight to learn that some of the men survived the war and went on to have interesting lives. . . even the guy who lost a hand!
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0 out of 0 users found this helpful  A story a little past its prime. . .
Posted: 1/8/2007A review of Children of Men by Tia007
This was a well made, well acted movie. No question. The PD James story it was based on was wonderful as a story, in its prime, but doesnt really make it-- as it is told-- in the contemporary world. The premise of pandemic infertility is a potent one. . . yet theres no explanation, no plausibility, and in reality, no believability. A big premise to suspend disbelief on. . . and since its the heart of the movie, it undermines a great deal here. People these days know more about genetics and reproduction. . . about infertility and its causes. . . and dont blindly accept such premises without plausible explanations. There just arent any for this premise. That said, the acting was great, the photography was marvelous, the ending appropriate. . . and it didnt awe or instruct me. The whole-- Britain as the only sane, civilized place left on the planet was a little laughable. But then, thats the shopworn British conceit (delusion) of their superiority. (For those who didnt get it. . . Britain was the only place left with credible civilization and so people from all over the crumbled and chaotic world were screaming and dodging butllets to get into Britain. . . ironically, to be safe.) Freedom fighters found that offensive and have launched a resistance. The policy and the resistance movement it spawned make no sense in a world with a steep population decline. See, all of this one could suspend disbelief for in a short story some years ago. . . but in a movie made for a modern, scientifically literate society, such a plot has holes the size of the Atlantic Ocean in it. At the risk of being a literary phillistine I say they should have updated the story. . . pushed it further into the future and made infertility the problem and made the girl carrying a twinning gene or something. Hey, it was just a suggestion!
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