Returned 45 results for 'Category: Hollywood Movie Reviews'
Hugh Grant’s single life exemplified nicely in - About a Boy
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
Movie: About a Boy
Year: 2002
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Directors: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Stars: Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette
Snapshot of Story:
An unlikely boy enters the life of a single man (Hugh Grant) derailing his normal lifestyle and changes all that he knew about living.
Moview Reviews and Ratings
Storyline:
This is a heart-warming story that hones the acting skills of Hugh Grant and equally good performances by the other cast members to make it a very entertaining movie to watch. Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) is living the life of a single man that others can only dream of. He has income coming in the way of royalties from a one-hit Christmas song that his father produced and recorded. The money is sufficient for him not to work and to pursue his carnal desires for women and other frivolous day to day activities.
There are amusing moments where he signs up to a single mums evening class where he is able to pursue women in the guise of being a father of a single child. Things take a different and interesting turn when Will meets the boy Marcus Brewer who becomes his ‘virtual’ son. However, not everything is easy as it seems and Will and Marcus start developing a complicated relationship with Marcus’s mother Christine residing on the side.
Marcus’s often immature demands soon leads to Will pursuing the life that he had not intended and becomes more embroiled in the family affairs including Christine’s suicidal tendencies. The charming part of the story is when Will begins to almost enjoy the daily ritual of having Marcus coming to his house and having him around for company. Both Marcus and Will start to form a strong bond with each other and Will now finds himself almost impossible to hold on to the life he previously had. At one point he almost throws in the towel but Christine tries to kill herself and Will is again drawn to the family that he cannot shake.
Towards the end, Will, Marcus and other friends find a comfortable fit together and the movie ends with all of them sharing the Christmas day together.
Final Thoughts:
Hugh Grant always appears to have one persona in his representation of the movies he appears in but this is not a bad thing. His boyish British charm and innocence are well deployed in the movies he appears in and make it very entertaining to watch. In the same manner that Bruce Willis has a distinct persona in whatever films that he makes the end result is usually positive. About a boy is a funny and entertaining movie to watch especially around the Christmas and New Year’s festivities with your date or loved one.
Ratings:
7/10
Tags: Hugh Grant's single life exemplified nicely in - About a Boy, Nicholas Hoult, review of About a Boy, Toni Collette, ugh Grant
Son looks for a Dating Partner for his Father in Sleepless in Seattle
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Movie: Sleepless in Seattle
Year: 1993
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Nora Ephron
Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and Ross Malinger
Snapshot of Story:
‘Sleepless in Seattle’ is an enchanting romantic story about a man who had lost his wife through cancer and has a young boy who calls a popular radio show requesting a wife for his dad.
Review of Sleepless in Seattle
Storyline:
The story was a big hit at its time due to the simple charming story and the screen presence of both stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. In fact the two went onto make another hit movie called ‘You Got Mail’.
Meg Ryan in her usual boyish but feminine way plays Annie Reed who is engaged to Walter (Bill Pullman) but is desperately looking for more in their relationship. She overhears the radio broadcast of Sam Baldwin and his son while driving back from New York and is captivated by the sad story of the father and son. The entire event is instilled in her mind and she discusses this with her best friend Suzy the next day. In the meantime, the radio show stirred up much interest from all of the Seattle folks in particular from women who sent invitations for marriage.
Annie is unable to shake the strange fascination and attraction for Sam and at one time continues to write a letter to Sam in front of her best friend in which she crumples it up and throws it into the garbage bin. Back in Seattle, Sam is inundated with letters that are now coming in sacks and while Sam refuses to read them, the boy Jonah Baldwin reads some of them with great excitement. Sam insists that the traditional approach to dating where couples meet and have drinks and dinner are the best form of attaining a partner. However, the recent event of the radio show spurs him to pull out his old telephone book and call some of his past female friends to see if he can rekindle some of the lost romanticism since the loss of his wife.
It was clear that Sam could not forget his wife who was shown appearing in one of the scenes where he was laying down to sleep. Despite his bereavement and lack of sleep, Sam continues to do his daily job as an architect and comes to learn that all his friends and colleagues have come to know about the radio show.
Jonah and his school friend come across one letter and talks about a rendezvous in the Empire State building during Valentine’s day. He is taken back by this letter and believes that this is the woman for his father and shows this to him who dismisses it as nothing important.
Sam continues to receive words of encouragement from his colleagues and friends as they learn of the radio show. One evening where Sam meets up with a good friend and his wife for dinner, he mentions the letter that his son spoke of and the wife is able to relate the meeting in the empire state building to an old movie by Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr called ‘An Affair to Remember’. This sets the tone for the remainder of the movie.
After a few missed opportunities and unexpected twists and turns Sam finally ends up at the Empire State building on Valentine’s day and meets Annie during that fateful moment.
Final Thoughts:
Although there were no actual screen romanticism on the part of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in this movie it was nevertheless a good rendition of how two different people portrayed in their independent lifestyles can make a fitting couple. This thought was left to the imagination of the audience and the same technique applied in the later movie by the two stars called ‘You have Mail’. The movie is a one-time viewing that is very heart warming, entertaining and watchable.
Rating:
7.5/10
Tags: Moview Ratings and Reviews, Review of Sleepless in Seattle, Son Look for Dating Partner for His Father in Sleepless in Seattle
Movie Ratings and Reviews Hi-Action Drama, Unforgiven
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
Movie: Unforgiven
Year: 1992
Genre: Western/Action
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman
Snapshot of Story:
A small town in the western front suffers humiliation when a group of thugs enter the town and rape some of the working women. The women setup a bounty to catch the culprits but the sheriff is not pleased and thwarts all attempts to stop them.
Hollywood Movie Ratings and Reviews of Unforgiven
Storyline:
Will Munny played by Clint Eastwood makes a last concerted effort along with his old friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) to claim the bounty setup by the women. They make way to the town along with another person known as ‘The Schofield Kid’ and embark on the journey that would change their lives.
The movie was directed by Clint Eastwood himself who is already credited with a string of successful movies such as ‘Pale Rider’ and not forgetting the dollar trilogy of movies by Sergio which this film was dedicated to.
It is a gritty movie that touches the human emotional perception of death and how it is represented to various people. For Munny who was once a cold blooded killer, the task of killing was easy but for the ‘The Schofield Kid’ who was bent on being a killer himself found it very hard to do so. It perfectly reflected the junction where one can openly see killings taking place and visualize themselves doing it but the actual act of doing it and taking a life opens up deep conflicting moral issues internally.
The director has done well to portray the killings to serve a purpose as in the case of Munny and his left-hand Ned Logan but in the same token the sensitivity of the movie towards humans and their well-being is equally emphasized. At one point Munny saves one of the women from trouble and is offered a ‘free-one’ for his chivalrous act.
There is a brief appearance by Richard Harris who also comes to the town but only to be taken down by the Sheriff played by Gene Hackman to set an example to anyone coming to town for the bounty.
The movie shifts to high gear when Ned Logan is captured by the Sheriff and his gang and is tortured and murdered and then displayed in a casket in front of the bar. Up to now we did not witness the cold-blooded nature of Munny and this becomes evident as he enters the bar. At one point Munny takes a drink of whiskey which he had avoided thus far and symbolizes a turning point where he vowed never to drink or kill. This unleashes almost an evil force within him where he is able to bring down the Sheriff and all of his men.
Final Thoughts:
Many people claim that this was one of the best western movies ever made and there are many reasons for this. The movie does not portray an unknown and mysterious hero as in the dollar trilogy of the 1960s western but the heroism is wrapped up in a very believable story in this movie of ‘Unforgiven’. In fact, for those longing to see the fast gun-slinging action of Clint Eastwood will be better off watching his older western movies. The movie ‘Unforgiven’ has won many awards for its portrayal of a gritty life in the western front that encompasses all of the elements of heroism, moralities and ethics into one.
Rating:
8.5/10
Best Classical Romance, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Movie: Guess who is coming to dinner
Year: 1967
Director: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn
Snapshot of Story:
The movie is about a young white woman coming from a well-to-do family that brings back a black man to get approval from her parents for marriage. The setting of this movie is in the 1960s where race relations were low and nothing like what we see today.
Movie Ratings and Reviews of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Storyline:
Joey Drayton played by Katharine Houghton and John Prentice played by Sidney Poitier come back from Hawaii to tell Joey’s parents of the good news about their imminent marriage to each other. However, John Prentice has some conditions regarding the marriage and needs complete and unequivocal support from both parents in order for the marriage to proceed but does not tell Joey. Joey simply needed some reassurance from both her parents to proceed and as her mother Christina Drayton pointed out later in the movie, she would go along with it even if she did not have approval from the parents.
The movie is interesting in that the viewer needs to detach himself/herself from the element of surprise that the news brings to the Drayton family and the hidden racial element. We go through some interesting exchange of words as well as expressions from each member of the family as they are told of this news. It is this initial reaction that can sometimes define who we really are and underlines our own philosophy of race and whether any of us truly have double standards or not. What follows afterwards are words of justification, reassurance and often disbelief and possibly anger. I felt that movie did well to portray the subtle nuances of race and even addressed the gender separation. The reaction of the black maid was typical and almost amusing in her expression of suspicion towards John as playing some sort of game.
When viewing this movie, one can find some amazingly accurate references to the future of race relations as in one case where Matt Drayton played by Spencer Tracy who blurts ‘we need to be reasonable and we are not going to see any big changes in our lifetime’. A nice touch was when Christiana said to Matt that they had brought their daughter up in exactly the manner they had always wanted which was not to discriminate between whites and negroes. It was funny to see how over the years we have become more accustomed to saying ‘black’ rather than ‘negro’ which would sound a little ridiculous today. This maybe due to the reflection of blacks at that time when there was much turmoil around the country to bring about new reforms for the black community. Perhaps ‘blacks’ was a derogatory word used by people at that time who stood for the racial segregation that was so commonplace.
The movie however does not aim to make a topic of racial discussion but rather the intertwining deep seated philosophy of race itself held within individuals as it pertains to their life and blood ie. their sons and daughters. Apart from the standoffish and disbelief behavior of John Prentice’s father the majority of the family members could overcome their racial prejudices and see the real meaning of their relationship which Matt Drayton eloquently delivered in his final speech to everyone.
The director Stanley Kramer took a big risk with this movie but managed to pull it off very well. It is easy to see why Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn were towering figures of cinema at their time. Sidney Poitier in his usual artistic ability gave a convincing performance as John Prentice with subtle hints of arrogance and air of superiority expected from a person of his standing. Katharine Houghton was charming as the young 23 year old very much in love, head strong and resolute in her decisions.
Rating:
8/10
Tags: Best Classical Romance, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Katharine Hepburn, Movie Ratings and Reviews, Sidney Poitier
Movie Ratings and Reviews, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Movie: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Year: 2011
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis and Freida Pinto
Snapshot of Story:
The Planet of the Apes franchise movies have been with us close to 50 years owing much to it’s unique story and the play of Apes being the closest animal to humans. The version of this new movie goes back to the early times when a few apes come to have the same level of intelligence as humans and lead to the ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’.
Movie Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Storyline:
There have been no references made about the accuracy of the movie in terms of the previous original movie and the version of the story in the original book. Since movies are made to entertain the audience, the issues of accuracy in content does not become significant as say a documentary. However, what is important are the true depictions of events that make up the whole story and stands well on it’s own merits. In this movie of ‘The Planet of the Apes’, the director has done well to capture the meaning and essence of the story in the two hours permissible but the story itself lends to some lack of credibility by the audience.
One of the primary conflicting points in the telling of the story is how ‘Ceaser’ the super intelligent ape is able to communicate effectively with the other normal apes in a humanistic way whereas humans to date have failed miserably to have any effective communication with apes. The director does well to picture Ceaser observing the behavior of his counterparts and have the apes take on his side and follow him to a revolt against the humans. This to me is the most difficult part of the story since Ceaser needed to deploy reasoning at the human level to convey to the other apes of his superior intellect, power and leadership. I particularly liked the ‘gesture’ of the ape in showing their hand face up with their heads bowed to the leader as a means of submission. The leader would swipe the hand with his fingers as a token of acceptance. One could argue that this gesture alone is a very high form of intelligent communication.
Another turning point in the movie is when Ceaser utters his first word ‘No’ that is made more credible by the director by deliberately leaving it late in the movie.
The special effects in this movie are superb and again we are mezmorized at how real the CGI graphics are becoming from year to year. It would only be a matter of time when entire movies are made from CGI graphics and we would not require real actors although this could be an overstatement.
There was another part of the story where I felt that the personality shift was too swift when the researcher Will Rodman played by James Franco who worked on the drug Alzheimer’s drug was quick to administer it to his father but was also adamant later in conducting more trials. However, in most cases the research establishments depicted in movies are often over dramatized to keep the momentum of the story going and hence lacks any substance but always includes more of the emotional content.
The Final Thought
The movie is a fair rendition of ‘what it could be like’ if there ever happened to be a super intelligent ape and the possibility of the ‘rise of the apes’. Although, in reality that would never be the case even if one were to create one intelligent ape since apes would never be able to work as an organized group. However, the movie scores well in portraying a fictitious movie that is both stimulating to watch and highly entertaining.
Score:
7.5/10
Tags: Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, James Franco, Movie Ratings and Reviews, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
