Waitress…
The entire time I watched this film I had one question…Why the fuck did she stay with that deadbeat husband? Do they not have Legal Aid in the south? Can she not rely on her friends and coworkers? Hell she should have just gone Lorena and attacked him. The entire film I’m asking myself this over and over. It was just one of those things that I could not get over.
**
Is it me?
I went through some of my previous reviews and a trend appeared to me. I am one negative bastard. I’ve reviewed 38 totals movies to date, and of them I would only consider 14 of them to be consider positive, which is a 36.84% ratio. Awefully low. Although I reminded myself that I’m not a school and don’t have to lower my standards to that of the masses. No bell curve in my reviewing future.
Curious I crunched the numbers and my average score is 2.12 stars and my median score is 2 stars. Most interesting is that several of my harshest reviews are from movies that are generally considered to be good films (Atonement, Hot Fuzz, Marie Antoinette, etc…). Perhaps the bell curve is relevant after all? Not for my reviews, but how my film tastes compare to the rest of the world?
The Good Night…
I watched this because it was Richard Roeper’s video pick and based on his description it seemed interesting enough. Martin Freeman plays a man who becomes obsessed with dreaming, specifically dreams focusing on Penelope Cruz (sidenote: who wouldn’t become obsessed with dreams starring Penelope Cruz?). This film was trying to be bigger than it ultimately was. Trying to be deeper and more thought provoking than it had any right to be. Where does real life end and the dream world being and all their points of collision? Is he better off getting his wish to forever dream or will real life become the better of two realities. That is what this film builds in the first 95%. Yet, sadly the last 5% is a very unsatisfying ending. They try to give Freeman the best of both worlds, which left me disgusted and annoyed.
This flew under the radar for its theatrical release for a reason. Skip it.
*1/2
Dan in Real Life…
I wanted to like this film, but ultimately it was just too long and run of the mill to do that. They would make their point in the first 2 minutes but the scene would go on for another 3. One or two scenes like that can be tolerable, but an entire film gets annoying. Which when you look further shows how little substance there was to this story. The film was only 98 minutes, if they trimmed all the fat it would probably be less than an hour.
All the characters were likable, and Dane Cook wasn’t annoying. Not much of a comedy, it tries to be a more realistic romantic comedy, which would be fine, except that it went on and on and on.
**
I Am Legend…
So I read the book and did not enjoy it. The book was some what tedious and anti climatic. And the movie was the exact same way. The book had some interesting philosophical ideas at the end. The movie was devoid of any thought. Both where engaging in the beginning but ultimately feel apart in the clutch. Avoid both forms and just go to wikipedia.
*