tom-1104
Joined Dec 2004
Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Reviews3
tom-1104's rating
Liam and Emma are classic opposites as city mouse and country mouse. Emma makes it clear she wants to make partner instead of find a partner. Liam's for the birds, Emma's for the business and when she tries to get in his business, he thinks about getting busy with her. When things get real at the retreat, they both retreat to their own corner. In this remote part of the world it appears the chances of these two getting together is pretty remote... but not zero. A unique setting and many little surprises along the way make this well above average in this genre. A great cast and a very organic plot makes for a wonderful movie.
"Jobs" is a good thing for this country — and mankind. I went into this movie with some trepidation knowing this was a product of a rookie screenwriter (Matt Whiteley) and novice director (Joshua Michael Stern of Swing Vote). And I underestimated them, just like so many people underestimated Steve Jobs.
They take us back to 1974 to get to know Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher of No Strings Attached), the rebel with a wandering eye and no time for the conformity of society. I agreed with him when he said, "The system only produces another system." He tries to break new ground working for Atari and needs help from his buddy Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad of Thanks for Sharing). One Steve is a nerd who loves computers and wants to be cool. The other Steve is cool and wants to make cool things. This bond, driven by the vision and tenacity of Jobs, is enough to get Apple off the ground.
I admit to being seduced by the soundtrack, as I was in college in the '70s and I still have the 8-track tapes to prove it. I applaud the filmmakers for this being their only indulgence into nostalgia.
If the movie has a fault, it's that it has so much ground to cover. It starts in 1974 and takes us to 1996. If I had to tell you what happened to me last weekend, it would take three hours. We get peeks at the man behind the Mac, and it is not pretty. The filmmaker does not spend a lot time on his shortcomings or try to present some kind of simple explanation for why he is the way he is. Sure he was some kind of genius and mega- maniacal technology leader. But the movie does not put him on a pedestal. It shows him as a simple man. Yeah, that's right – a simple man who had a vision and believed that anything was possible. He was not portrayed as Da Vinci, or an Einstein, but just a guy with a sparkle in his eye who would not give up on perfection.
I know it seems I am caught up in the man and not the movie. That is what a good movie does: it shows you the important stuff. I am sure they cut out a million things, but what was left worked for me. I felt his struggle and saw what he sacrificed for his principles, his visions and his dreams.
Kutcher gives a great performance and you sense there are explosions taking place in his mind. That's not easy for a comedic actor to pull off. There is a bunch of other good talent in the movie as well, and we appreciate the characters' challenge of being his friends and co-workers. In the end, he did not seem to have many friends, just people who were with him or against him.
I give this movie 8 stars out of 10. I was expecting a "Lifetime Movie," but what I saw was a movie about an inspiring life. The story of Steve Jobs should be condensed to children's books that we read to our kids at bedtime. Until then, you can see this movie.
They take us back to 1974 to get to know Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher of No Strings Attached), the rebel with a wandering eye and no time for the conformity of society. I agreed with him when he said, "The system only produces another system." He tries to break new ground working for Atari and needs help from his buddy Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad of Thanks for Sharing). One Steve is a nerd who loves computers and wants to be cool. The other Steve is cool and wants to make cool things. This bond, driven by the vision and tenacity of Jobs, is enough to get Apple off the ground.
I admit to being seduced by the soundtrack, as I was in college in the '70s and I still have the 8-track tapes to prove it. I applaud the filmmakers for this being their only indulgence into nostalgia.
If the movie has a fault, it's that it has so much ground to cover. It starts in 1974 and takes us to 1996. If I had to tell you what happened to me last weekend, it would take three hours. We get peeks at the man behind the Mac, and it is not pretty. The filmmaker does not spend a lot time on his shortcomings or try to present some kind of simple explanation for why he is the way he is. Sure he was some kind of genius and mega- maniacal technology leader. But the movie does not put him on a pedestal. It shows him as a simple man. Yeah, that's right – a simple man who had a vision and believed that anything was possible. He was not portrayed as Da Vinci, or an Einstein, but just a guy with a sparkle in his eye who would not give up on perfection.
I know it seems I am caught up in the man and not the movie. That is what a good movie does: it shows you the important stuff. I am sure they cut out a million things, but what was left worked for me. I felt his struggle and saw what he sacrificed for his principles, his visions and his dreams.
Kutcher gives a great performance and you sense there are explosions taking place in his mind. That's not easy for a comedic actor to pull off. There is a bunch of other good talent in the movie as well, and we appreciate the characters' challenge of being his friends and co-workers. In the end, he did not seem to have many friends, just people who were with him or against him.
I give this movie 8 stars out of 10. I was expecting a "Lifetime Movie," but what I saw was a movie about an inspiring life. The story of Steve Jobs should be condensed to children's books that we read to our kids at bedtime. Until then, you can see this movie.
"The Way Way Back" is a place I am used to, so this movie was an easy choice. It's a coming-of-age movie written and directed by the team of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. These boys won a screen writing Oscar for "The Descendants," which they penned with Alexander Payne (Sideways). It follows that they would make this their directorial debut, as they are oddballs and that's what this movie is about.
Duncan (Liam James from 2012) has to go with his mom Pam (Toni Collette from Little Miss Sunshine) to her boyfriend's beach house for the summer. It's supposed to be a time for Duncan and Trent (Steve Carell from Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) to bond since Duncan hates him. Many movies veer off into cliché-ville about here, but this movie, like Duncan, chooses it's own path.
Trent has a daughter of his own, who is a hot and popular teenager and also wants nothing to do with Duncan. There is a bunch of great talent in this movie that fill out a nice ensemble. I have to mention Trent's neighbor Betty (Allison Janney from Juno), who is a beautiful mess and the poster child for bad cleavage. Her darling teenage daughter, Susanna (Anna Sophia Robb from Soul Surfer), is also hot and popular, but appreciates that Duncan is different.
Although I like Duncan, and I agree with him that Trent is a jerk, Trent is right when he tells him in the opening scene that Duncan is a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. The truth is, most 14-year-old boys are a 3. I know this, because I was a 1.85. No confidence, no charisma and no game. Add to that divorced parents, and Duncan's life really does suck. Fortunately he gets away from those crazies and meets some new crazies in the form of Owen and Caitlin (Sam Rockwell from Moon and Maya Rudolph from Bridesmaids). Duncan eventually sees that everybody struggles with relationships. People are not perfect and are seldom a perfect match. Though, when a game of Candyland turns into a blood sport that might be a clue you are not with the right person.
I enjoyed this movie. I knew it was a trip to the beach and a coming-of-age movie, but the oddball filmmakers made sure it did not suck and was not something I have seen a hundred times. People in their forties come of age in this movie too, and you get to see Duncan do something in a water slide that is legendary. For that I give this movie 4 stars out of 5, and I consider it a family movie standout. I don't know why it's PG-13 unless it was the bad cleavage. So, if you were once a 3 or less, like me, see this movie. You will come out feeling like a 7.
Duncan (Liam James from 2012) has to go with his mom Pam (Toni Collette from Little Miss Sunshine) to her boyfriend's beach house for the summer. It's supposed to be a time for Duncan and Trent (Steve Carell from Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) to bond since Duncan hates him. Many movies veer off into cliché-ville about here, but this movie, like Duncan, chooses it's own path.
Trent has a daughter of his own, who is a hot and popular teenager and also wants nothing to do with Duncan. There is a bunch of great talent in this movie that fill out a nice ensemble. I have to mention Trent's neighbor Betty (Allison Janney from Juno), who is a beautiful mess and the poster child for bad cleavage. Her darling teenage daughter, Susanna (Anna Sophia Robb from Soul Surfer), is also hot and popular, but appreciates that Duncan is different.
Although I like Duncan, and I agree with him that Trent is a jerk, Trent is right when he tells him in the opening scene that Duncan is a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. The truth is, most 14-year-old boys are a 3. I know this, because I was a 1.85. No confidence, no charisma and no game. Add to that divorced parents, and Duncan's life really does suck. Fortunately he gets away from those crazies and meets some new crazies in the form of Owen and Caitlin (Sam Rockwell from Moon and Maya Rudolph from Bridesmaids). Duncan eventually sees that everybody struggles with relationships. People are not perfect and are seldom a perfect match. Though, when a game of Candyland turns into a blood sport that might be a clue you are not with the right person.
I enjoyed this movie. I knew it was a trip to the beach and a coming-of-age movie, but the oddball filmmakers made sure it did not suck and was not something I have seen a hundred times. People in their forties come of age in this movie too, and you get to see Duncan do something in a water slide that is legendary. For that I give this movie 4 stars out of 5, and I consider it a family movie standout. I don't know why it's PG-13 unless it was the bad cleavage. So, if you were once a 3 or less, like me, see this movie. You will come out feeling like a 7.