Reviews
The Russell Girl (2008)
So slow that I could not get past first 30min.
If there was a plot, it took more than 30 min to unfold and I was unable to watch any longer. The acting and production was fine but it was such a shame to waste the talent and money to produce this boring script.
The Russell girl (Tamblyn) comes home to share some bad news, presumably that she is about to die of leukemia, and runs into a brooding next door neighbor harboring some grudge from another time. Sarah's mom (Mastrantonio) is so clueless about listening to Sarah's mood that Sarah starts brooding too. Tamblyn's natural brooding is so over used by this script that the first 30 minutes has enough brooding for three or four movies. As scene after scene goes by without disclosure of the root problems, my snooze level rises.
After 30 minutes or so I was done. I was very BORED, and angry that my time and the talents of this great cast were wasted by this director and producer.
Hand in Hand (1961)
Please Re-make Hand in Hand
I too would like to share this film with my children and grandchildren. I was two or three years older than the characters in the film the first time I saw it. My Mom was Catholic and my Dad was Jewish so I grew up in both houses of worship. There were adults on both sides who did not appreciate my attendance but there were many more who welcomed us. I did not really understand any of that until I saw Hand in Hand. There I was on screen, sharing with my friends. It showed me my own story. This film forged forever my appreciation for real friendship and spirituality, and my disdain for dogma.
If you are a filmmaker looking for a great story to retell, this is it. Hand in Hand deserves to be remade if the original is no longer with us. The world needs it. And each of us deserves to know that "she likes me".
Return to Me (2000)
A fun rent. Great laughs plus romance.(1/2 kleenex)
Put this film on your must rent for a rainy evening list. Bonnie Hunt gets great comedy out of seniors Carroll O'Connor and Robert Loggia and then dresses it with the likes of handsome David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. Take it all to Chicago, throw in a couple of apes (Jim Belushi and Lincoln Park Zoo's Kwan) and you have an outstanding evening of solid entertainment.
The Awful Truth (1999)
Witty, Valuable, Unsustainable
Don't miss that first episode. They get a bit tiresome after that with a few exceptions. The Lucy Cam was an interesting approach to saving the 4th amendment of the Constitution. Repeats are scheduled regularly.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Force is Digital Projection (DLP in this case)
Movie history was made June 18th when TPM (The Phantom Menace) opened in 4 theaters with Digital Projection, bringing us closer than ever to screening perfection! The show was teriffic, a must see for real fans!
On July 5th I drove from Philly to Secaucus, NJ and saw my third screening of TPM. It was actually the first time I saw much of the fine detail in many facial expressions, the matts, and the animations. There are fine lines in Yoda's face, streaks in his hair, and highlights/shadows everywhere that were not noticeable in the film screenings.
The tour de core (of the Naboo planet) is a wonderful tribute to Jules Verne ("20K Leagues" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" all in one scene.) The digital version is much deeper and darker than the film. The range of luminousity seemed much wider and the contrast much sharper than the film.
The pod race really blew me away. The digital projection system appears to preserve much more detail as the background or foreground fly by. I found myself trying to fly the course as we followed Anakin around. It was wonderful.
The digital cut has an extra set of credits for its preparation. I wonder if the DVD release is the same cut. It is awesome to realize that this cut will look the same EVERY time, from the time Rick McCallum approved it to the time my great grandkids see it.
If you have the opportunity to get to North Jersey or to L.A. before the trial is over I highly recommend it as worth while. If not, don't miss the digital version next time around.
DON'T MISS THE LAST SOUND AFTER THE CREDITS.
-F-