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The Stars are Singing, a review by addicted2dvd The Stars are SingingA 15-year-old Polish girl attempts to enter the U.S. illegally, setting off a major search by immigration officials. She is befriended by a struggling group of New York performers, who try to get approval for her to remain in the country. My Thoughts:I found this one on Amazon Prime. While entertaining enough I really didn't find anything special here. Just an average...maybe a little above average film. It is worth the time put in to watch it, but I won't be in any hurry to add it to my collection. My Rating: (From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on July 26th, 2016)
Before Sunset, a review by AntaresBefore Sunset (2004) 60/100 - I'm putting on as much body armor as I can, as I await the slings and arrows from those who've proclaimed this a truly great film. For years, I've heard nothing but glowing praise for this sequel, some going as far as to say that it is better than the first film. But everything that was magical, absorbing and beautiful in Before Sunrise, is completely absent in Before Sunset. The first film spoke to me with an accurate portrayal of that special moment we probably all have had at least once, when we meet someone who clicks with us. OK, at times, it could be a bit long winded, but I can remember moments I had like this in my past, and the encounter just seems so right, that you try a bit too hard to impress. But that's OK, because if the other person is responsive, then they too, are laying it on a bit thick. Couple this with the unique spots in Vienna that they pass through and you have a wondrous film that breezes by. But now on the other hand, you move the setting to Paris and instead of having the two sharing moments in other unique spots in the city of romance, you have them in a car, on a boat and finally in her apartment. And what do they do? They whine... and they whine... and they whine some more about how their lives really never became full because they never met six months later, oh so many years ago. And the device used to explain why it never happened was convenient, but really paints Celine as not too quick on her feet. I mean, she was willing to toil around Vienna with a perfect stranger all those years ago, but six months later, because of a death in her family, the intelligent young lass can't be a little creative in getting a message to Jesse at the train station? I know that if it were me and I promised to meet someone at a later date, and the misfortune of losing a loved one occurs the very week of the planned meeting, I would have been a bit more resourceful. She couldn't find a friend and offered to pay for their plane fare, hotel room and a couple of day's worth of meals in Vienna and have that person hold a small sign with Jesse's name on it, and if he showed up, give him a letter explaining what happened? If she really thought he was going to be her true soul mate, I think she just would have found a way to contact him there. Finally, I'd like to comment on the ending, which, once again, has been purported by many as being great. As the film ends, Jesse, who has a wife and a child back in the States, implies that he's going to miss his flight. He's going to grab for that brass ring he never had the chance to reach for after their failed second meeting. Now I will admit, that the way Linklater shot this scene was visually seductive, but when you get down to the core of what's about to take place, he's going to cheat on his wife! Celine, who has a boyfriend who risks his life as a war time photojournalist, is more than likely, grinding her hips to a Nina Simone song, trying to recapture what once made her so attractive to Jesse, in hopes that he will make the first move. Like I said, nicely shot, but at it's core, you should be hating these two at this moment. I know what it's like to find out that someone you were married to, was cheating on you behind your back, and I can never pardon it in anyone. Those who find brilliance in the scene, should scratch the surface a bit and wake up to the reality of what could possibly take place if they decide to go for it. Jesse's child, whom he supposedly loves so much, could become a bargaining chip or a weapon to be bashed upon his head with, in a divorce proceeding. Celine's boyfriend, could make a mental mistake on a battlefield because his thoughts are clouded by her infidelity, and could be killed. I know I'm looking at the most extreme examples, but what made the first film so great was how realistic it was in a positive sense, and this second film tries to be real too, but it doesn't care about potential side effects and that's tragic. What the color coding means... Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is(From Antares' Short Summations on March 19th, 2013)
Tom's TV Finales marathon, a review by Tom| [tom]5051561001703.4f.jpg[/tom] | | Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011/United Kingdom)
IMDb | Wikipedia
 | 2 entertain Video (United Kingdom) | | Length: | 529 min. | | Video: | Widescreen 1.78 | | Audio: | English: DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo | | Subtitles: | English |
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Plot:TorchwoodSeries 4.10 The Blood Line Writer: Russell T Davies (Created By), Jane Espenson (Screenwriter), Russell T Davies (Screenwriter), Russell T Davies (Story By), Visual Effects by Lion Visual Effects) Director: Billy Gierhart, Visual Effects by Lion Visual Effects Cast: John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson), Alexa Havins (Esther Drummond), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Bill Pullman (Oswald Danes), Lauren Ambrose (Jilly Kitzinger), Candace Brown (Sarah Drummond), Sharon Morgan (Mary Cooper), William Thomas (Geraint Cooper), Marina Benedict (Charlotte Wills), Paul James (Noah Vickers), John de Lancie (Allen Shapiro), Tom Price (Sgt. Andy Davidson), Teddy Sears (Blue Eyed Man), Frances Fisher (The Mother), Benito Martinez (Captain Santos), Chris Butler (The Cousin), McKenzie Applegate (Girl), Veronica Diaz (Female Soldier), Noemi Del Rio (Sandra Morales), Fernando Fernandez (Young Male Soldier), Cici Lau (Chinese Woman), Laura Waddell (Cat One Nurse) A not so good conclusion to a good show. This last season has a good premise, but ten episodes was too much for it. They should have done a five episode story arc like in the third season and I think it would have been much better. Also I thought that Jack and Gwen became more and more out of character as this season went on. And to make it worse, it ended on a cliffhanger. (From Tom's TV Finales marathon on January 15th, 2014)
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April 02, 2025, 07:43:39 AM