Apr 15 2011
Broken Trail (2006) Genre: Western Grade: B+ Ah, the beauty of the West, of a herd of wild horses, of a campfire crackling at night, of a group of young Chinese women being driven to a fate worse than death in a rough hewn mining camp – wait, back up, strike that. Let’s start again.(…)
Apr 8 2011
The Lady Eve (1941) Genre: Screwball comedy/romance Grade B For some reason I’d missed watching this movie until recently. Preston Sturges films either work well for me or bomb and after a miss with “Christmas in July,” I hesitated on trying “The Lady Eve.” Now that I’ve seen it, I wish I’d watched it years(…)
Apr 1 2011
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 and a bit of 1925) Genre: Historical Romance/Drama Grade: B+ In honor of Edmund Rostand today’s film review is for Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s swashbuckling, it’s funny, it’s romantic and it’s ultimately tragic. It’s perfect for clearing out the tear ducts by either weeping in a hankie or crying in your(…)
Mar 25 2011
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) Genre: Comedy of manners Grade: A I first saw the 1952 version of “The Importance of Being Earnest” years ago and fell in love with it instantly. It’s funny, it’s got a topnotch cast, the directing is perfect – in short it’s all that it should be. Whenever I(…)
Mar 18 2011
Aanrijding in Moscou (Moscow, Belgium – English title) (2008) Genre: Romance/Drama Grade: B- Here’s a film I took a chance on, not expecting much but which turned out to be surprisingly good. Those interested in older woman/younger man themes take note: the heroine is a full 12 years older than her younger love interest. Matty(…)
Mar 11 2011
Romancing the Stone (1984) Genre: Romance/Action Grade: B+ Way back in the mists of time when I first saw this movie with my college friends, we loved it immediately. Over the intervening 26 years, it’s lost none of its charm for me. Though the sequel is humdrum forgettable, the original is something to see if(…)
Mar 4 2011
Undertaking Betty (aka Plots with a View) (2002) Genre: Romance/Black Comedy Grade: B- I like Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina, Christopher Walken and Robert Pugh and the premise sounded fun so I rented this from Netflix not expecting more than an enjoyable hour and a half of entertainment. That’s about what I got. However it’s a(…)
Feb 25 2011
Something New (2006) Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance Grade: C+ I really wanted to like this movie more than I ultimately did. Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard are favorite actors and the plot promised more than the usual rom-com. But though the acting is good and it did make me think as it kept me entertained, ultimately it(…)
Feb 18 2011
Ella Enchanted (2004) Genre: Fractured Fairy Tale Grade: B I’d been toying with watching this movie for a while, ever since I got in the Cinderella kick, but negative comments about its adaptation from the book always put me off. But then I thought, “Jayne you haven’t read the book so what do you care?”(…)
Feb 11 2011
Brown Sugar (2002) Genre: Romance/Comedy/Drama Grade: B Since I’ve started doing these Friday Film Reviews, I’ve been trying to expand my film horizons. Netflix has helped since it makes it relatively easy to try new-to-me films and actors and “Brown Sugar” is a case in point. I’d seen Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs in other(…)
Feb 4 2011
Kondukondain Kondukondain (I Have Found It) (2000) Genre: Kollywood Family Dramedy Grade: B+ Ever since I fell in love with “Monsoon Wedding” I’ve been looking for more movies from the Indian subcontinent. Kandukondain Kandukondain (I Have Found It) is highly ranked at Netflix so I added it to my queue. And waited. And waited. Until(…)
Jan 28 2011
To Catch a Thief (1955) Genre: Mystery/Crime/Romance Grade: B+ Though not one of Hitchcock’s more suspenseful films, “To Catch a Thief” has always been one of my favorites. With two fantastic leads backed up by a strong supporting cast and exteriors shot in the beautiful south of France – how can you go wrong? There(…)
Jan 21 2011
Les Rivieres Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) 2000 Genre: Action/Thriller/Mystery Grade: B Remember in my review of “Brotherhood of the Wolf” when I said that by the end of the film, the plot has gone to hell in a hand basket? Well, here we go again. But this time, at least most of the actors involved(…)
Jan 14 2011
Moliere (2007) Genre: Period drama/comedy Grade: B I wanted to do something in honor of the birthday of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin but since English language, or even English subtitled editions, of his works aren’t thick on the ground, I chose this imagining of a portion of his life during which he disappears from recorded history and(…)
Jan 7 2011
Tri orÃsky pro Popelku (Three Wishes for Cinderella, aka Three Nuts for Cinderella, aka Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel) (1973) Genre: Fairy Tale Grade: B Estara’s comment about this Czech/East German TV production got me interested in seeing it. But wishing to see it and actually getting my hands on a Region 1 NTSC copy proved(…)
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