Away from Her (2007)

Away from Her (2007)
Directed By: Sarah Polley
Starring: Gordon Pinsent, Julie Christie






Acting: (7.5) Solid performances all around although I personally feel that Julie Christie's performance was a little overrated. She played the role wonderfully, but I didn't feel it to be Oscar worthy.

Effects / Cinematography: (7) Nothing great, nothing bad

Plot: (8) All in all it hit entirely too close to home, but at the same time I can appreciate the performance of Pinsent and his attempt to live life without his wife (in mind). I think there were some items that were not detailed properly (Pinsent's affair being the main one), but as it is a book adaptation there are certain assumptions that the director can make with the story.

Entertainment: (7.5) An above average movie that takes on a topic very close to my heart. I think it was very effective without being over dramatic.

Cumulative: (7.5)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents.....

I used this week to become aquainted with the work of legendary director, Alfred Hitchcock. The only Hitchcock film I seen previously was The Birds. This week I saw 5 Hitchcock films spanning 3 decades. I also found time for a classic romantic comedy and a few others as well.


Vertigo (1958)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring James Stewart & Kim Novak

Acting: (8.5)
Effects / Cinematography: (8.5)
Plot: (9)
Entertainment: (7.5)

Overall: (8.5)






Other Hitchcock Films:

North by Northwest (1959)
Starring Cary Grant

Acting: (8)
Effects: (7)
Plot: (8.5)
Entertainment: (8)

Marnie (1964)
Starring Tippy Hedren & Sean Connery

Acting: (7.5)
Effects: (6)
Plot: (7.5)
Entertainment: (7)

Overall: (7)

Torn Curtain (1966)
Starring Paul Newman & Julie Andrews

Acting: (8)
Effects: (6.5)
Plot: (8)
Entertainment: (7.5)

Overall: (7.5)

Frenzy (1972)
Starring Jon Finch

Acting: (6.5)
Effects: (6)
Plot: (7)
Entertainment: (6)

Overall: (6)


Other Films from this week:

When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Starring Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan

Acting: (8)
Effects: (7)
Plot: (7)
Entertainment: (7.5)

Overall: (7)

Streek Kings (2008)
Directed by David Ayer
Starring Keanu Reeves & Forrest Whitaker

Acting: (4)
Effects: (6)
Plot: (5)
Entertainment: (3.5)

Overall: (4.5)


Minority Report (2002) - Re Watch
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Tom Cruise

Acting: (7)
Effects: (9)
Plot: (8.5)
Entertainment: (8)

Overall: (8)

The Devil Wears Prada (2005) - Re Watch
Directed by David Frankel
Starring Anne Hathaway & Meryl Streep

Acting: (8.5)
Effects: (7.5)
Plot: (8)
Entertainment: (8.5)

Overall (8)

Week In Reviews 8-11 / 8-17

Despite being captivated by the Olympics most of the week, I still managed to squeeze in 5 movies over the weekend.

Chariots of Fire (1981) * Best Picture Winner

Directed by Hugh Hudson
Starring Ben Cross & Ian Charleson

Acting: (8)
Effects / Cinematography: (7)
Plot: (6)
Experience: (5)

Overall: (6.5)



Smart People (2008)

Directed by Noam Murro
Starring Dennis Quaid & Ellen Page

Acting: (8)
Effects / Cinematography: (6)
Plot: (6.5)
Experience: (7.5)

Overall: (7)


Total Recall (1990)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sharon Stone

Acting: (4.5)
Effects: (7.5)
Plot: (7.5)
Experience: (5.5)

Overall: (6)

Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Directed by Jon Hurwitz
Starring Kal Penn & John Cho

Acting: (4.5)
Effects: (5)
Plot: (4.5)
Entertainment: (4)

Overall: (4.5)

Penelope (2008)

Directed by Mark Palansky
Starring Christina Ricci & James McAvoy

Acting: (6)
Effects: (7)
Plot: (6.5)
Experience: (6)

Overall (6)

Back with a Vengance

No, I didn't completely stop watching movies for 2 months. I've just been a bit lazy about posting my thoughts. I've actually been quite active in terms of movie watching. Because my time still has some value to me, I'm not going to even attempt to post reviews from all the films that I've watched since my last post. Instead, I'll focus on the four films I watched this weekend while my wife was away for a wedding.

Batman Begins (2005)

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale & Katie Holmes

I saw this film when it was first released on DVD. I figured I'd get myself familiar with the story line once again with the anticipation of viewing the Dark Knight soon.

Acting: (8.5) The overall performances from a stellar cast far surpass typical comic book movies. The talentless Holmes and few corny lines of dialouge are the only thing keeping me from giving out a 9.

Effects / Cinematography: (9) This is obviously where most comic book movies focus their efforts. Batman Begins stands alone in terms of cinematography. While the effects aren't quite as big and flashy as Spidy or Hulk, the camera work is superb. Nolan's Gotham is haunting, but familiar.

Plot: (8) Here is where most comic book movies ask the viewer to give up reason and simply enjoy the ride. This is a film about the origin of Batman. Compared to other stories that I've seen, it's pretty good. In fact, it's probably the most plausible story of origin for a super hero that I can remember.

Experience: (8.5) Batman Begins is as good as any comic book movie that I've seen. I hesitate say it's the best only because of Spiderman 2. Either way, it provides solid drama and incredible action.

Cumulative: (8.5)


Others this Weekend:

Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Directed by Michael Gondry
Starring Jack Black & Mos Def

Acting: 5.5
Effects: 5
Plot: 7
Experience: 6

Overall: 5.5


The Bank Job (2008)
Directed by Roger Donaldson
Starring Jason Statham

Acting: 6.5
Effects: 6
Plot: 7.5
Experience: 6

Overall: 6.5

Drillbit Taylor (2008)
Directed by Steven Brill
Starring Owen Wilson & Leslie Mann

Acting: 4.5
Effects: 5
Plot: 4
Experience: 4.5

Overall: 4.5