Cin’s Movie Critiques

Unfortunately, in this case, here is something not worth watching on TV.

Steven Spielberg presents Taken

2002 TV miniseries. Drama/Science Fiction. Cin’s Critique: 1 ½ *

This is the story of three families involved in the Roswell incident, when an alien spaceship crashes on Earth. One family being that of the Air Force captain in charge of the investigation, one family being affected by the escaped alien, and one family being taken by aliens against their will. All three families are followed through four generations up to the outcome of fifty years of experiments, investigations, and very boring stuff in between.

For all the time I invested in watching Taken, I was very disappointed. Over fifteen long hours could have been devoted to watching something I actually enjoyed, but I kept hanging in there hoping it would get better. The story was interesting enough to have the promise of a good build and outstanding ending, but unfortunately, that was not so. I was expecting much more from Steven Spielberg and the all star cast. Don’t waste your time, take it from me, watch Alien instead.

I am starting a new category! Things Worth Watching on TV. Yes, I am a movie lover indeed, but I love TV too. Maybe I’m just a homegrown, buggy eyed, couch/theater seat potato. I love having a show to be devoted to. It makes me happy. And with TV on DVD these days, I have added many series to my “watched every single episode” category.

I LOVE TV on DVD! It’s almost better than the real thing. No commercials! No waiting an entire week between episodes! No postponed episodes because something ridiculous like “The State of the Union” takes precedence over what I am much more interested in watching! Plus, you can watch in peace and quiet after the kids go to bed instead of yelling at them to stop making noise, or to move out of the way of the precious television. And you get all the extras like gag reels, interviews with cast members, and so on.

Now, yes, TV on DVD does have a drawback or two…hardly worth mentioning. If you watch an entire season in one day it’s a little rough. But don’t worry, all humans can go several days without food and water, so you’ll be okay. If you’re ready for the next disc in the series and it hasn’t reached you yet, and the movie store doesn’t have it, extreme anger is a possibility. And one other drawback, when you do get every last episode watched there is a small withdrawal period. No worries, the red eyes and scraggly hair get back to normal within a day or two. The voices of the on screen characters stay a little longer. Outbursts of laughter or tears at irrelevant moments because you relived a particular favorite episode are quite normal, just ignore all the scared looks people give you. Get plenty of sleep to make up for what you lacked, and a week or so to get over the side effects of “Series Addiction”, and you’ll be just fine!

The Fugitive

Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones. Rated PG-13 for violence. 1993, Action/Suspense. Cin’s Critique: 4 ½ *

Based on the TV series, Dr. Richard Kimble is wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife and miraculously escapes execution. He then tries to hunt down the real killer while always running from the relentless Marshal Sam Gerard.

Murder, corruption, unmerciful cops, jumping off dams, narrowly escaping death by train, participating in a St. Patrick’s Day parade, high speed chases, flashbacks, shooting bullets, running on rooftops of very tall buildings, injuries, wow, this movie has every required element to be deemed an action genre film! It truly keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones were perfect for the roles, with Tommy Lee Jones actually taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Rusty’s favorite line of the entire movie was when Marshal Gerard ordered his deputy to get him “a coffee and a chocolate donut with some of those little sprinkles on it”! Yes, that line right there won him the golden statue for sure! My favorite part of the movie was the train/bus collision. Be sure to watch the featurette on the DVD detailing how they used a real train for this scene. Good stuff.

Hard to believe this movie has been out for 14 years now. If you haven’t seen it, don’t consider it an “oldie”, consider it a “must see”.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Foreign film with subtitles. Directed and written by Guillermo del Toro. Rated R for graphic violence and some language. 2006, Fantasy/Drama. Cin’s Critique: 4 ½ *

A young girl goes with her pregnant mother to a remote region of Spain in 1944 to be with her stepfather, a sadistic army general. A fairy visits her in the night and leads her to the center of a labyrinth. Here she meets a faun that tells her she is a princess of the underworld, and must prove her worthiness by completing three tasks. The movie jumps back and forth between this fantastical world she is experiencing, and the world of her stepfather with all its’ brutality.

This was a mesmerizing movie. That is to say, it was fascinating to watch and to try and figure out. It was a little disturbing. It was a little bizarre. There were parts that I went “Eeewwww…..” while covering my eyes, and there were parts that I went “wwhhooooaaaa…” while leaning towards the movie screen. Such evil, such magic, such drama and passion and humanity all poured into one movie, it was a bit overwhelming. Yes, I liked it, but what earned it an extra bump in my rating system is the fact that I have pondered it so much. If you like thought provoking movies, this one is for you. If you’re looking for a fairytale, be warned, you’ll get much more than you’re asking for.

So, I had to include a picture of my favorite character in the movie. This is the pale man. He is involved in one of the tasks the girl has to complete. I liked him so much because he’s very easy on the eyes…ha! As you can see, he cradles his eyes in his hands. What an imaginative character, I loved how frightening he was.

One more note: the official website for this movie, http://www.panslabyrinth.com/is worth checking out. Some cool info on the movie, plus, you can listen to the entire soundtrack online. This is one I bought, it’s absolutely beautiful.

My heart flutters a little every time I pass a guy on the road, all decked out in leather chaps, biker boots, dark sunglasses, and the wind blowing his hair. It is sexy!! Not smart, not wearing a helmet and all, but definitely sexy! Ah, there is nothing like the wind in your face and feeling the speed when you’re on a motorcycle. It’s a rush, and even though it’s been a while since I’ve been on one, I crave the feeling each time I hear the rumble of a hog…

Wild Hogs

Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy, Martin Lawrence. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence. 2007, Comedy. Cin’s Critique: 3 *

Four friends embark on a motorcycle road trip, each with his own set of problems in life, hoping to prove that even though they may not be all that young, they are still young at heart. They encounter several funny mishaps, and ultimately upset a biker gang whose leader is bad boy Ray Liotta.

One of the funniest parts of this movie is the gay cop that follows the group around, hoping to be included. Another is Ray Liotta’s character as a crazy, tough, biker dude. I would say this film has too much adult content for kids to watch, but was mild enough to be funny rather than crude for adults. It was an entertaining watch, and if you’ve ever been on a road trip on a motorcycle, you’ll appreciate the truth and humor in this movie. Be sure to stick around for the end credits, very funny.

City of Angels

Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage. Rated PG-13 for language and sexuality. 1998, Romance. Cin’s Critique: 4 *

Although this movie has Nicolas Cage in it, I really liked it. He plays the part of an angel who falls in love with a doctor who has a passion for life, for mortality. He eventually “falls” to become a mortal man and be with her. This is an unusual love story with little specs of humor and beauty in between the pieces of the plot. A true chick flick in the way of having someone who is willing to do anything to be with you. An incredible build to an ending that I still haven’t decided if I love or hate after seeing the movie many, many times. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the movie. Really, really liked it, this is one I even bought, but the ending, wow, that’s all I can say. You’ll have to watch the movie and decide for yourself I guess. (Let me know what you think by the way!)

Here are some exquisite parts of the movie to notice:

- When the angels gather on the beach at dawn and hear the music that only they can hear with the rising of the sun.

- When he actually falls, the images he sees while falling are ethereal, and emotionally moving.

-The music. This is a soundtrack you must own. The music playing during the two mentioned scenes are what prompted me to buy it, and I love how diverse it is. It ranges from Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited”, to Jimi Hendrix tracks, to instrumental music written for the movie.

This is a romance worth watching, it will leave you pondering the meaning of love, whether or not you like the ending or Nicolas Cage!

The Lakehouse

Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock. Rated PG for language. 2006, Romance. Cin’s Critique: 5 *

A woman who just moved away from a house on the lake exchanges letters with the man who currently lives there. The twist? They exist in two different times, two years apart, and the mailbox at the lake house sends their letters to each other through time.

What impressed me the most was the chemistry Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock had on screen, even though they didn’t have many scenes together (being that they were in different time periods). Yes, it seems odd to have a romantic movie where the characters are never together; it is kind of a contradiction of romance isn’t it? However, in this case, it actually added interest to the plot and helped build to the climax of the movie. The ending scenes of the movie were so intense and agonizing I could feel my own heart pounding! And what an ending it was. Try this one, you’re sure to love it!

Call me stubborn if you want, but I’m a Blockbuster girl. Now I’ve tried Hollywood Video, with their longer rental periods. I’ve tried Albertsons or Smiths in-store rentals with their lower prices. But even in the phases when Blockbuster was more expensive and I had less time to watch, I’ve always been more satisfied there.

For a while there, I had some silly card that let me rent two movies and get one free. When it expired I cried buckets, and then complained to the manager. After seeing the hundreds of movies I had rented at his store, he graciously reinstated my benefits!

So then Blockbuster came out with this newfangled thing called Blockbuster Online. Oh, I resisted, let me tell you. I liked my Blockbuster store the way it was, and didn’t want to try anything new. The clerk couldn’t even get the whole promotional, memorized sentence out of his mouth before I cut him off with an emphatic “No Thank You!”

But then…I started this Blog, and the movie watching hours increased, if you can believe that! I know, I know, it doesn’t seem at all possible, but it is true. So with much ranting and wailing and gnashing of teeth, I gave in. I tried the online thing.

And once again, Blockbuster has not let me down! Now, when they came up with this crazy idea of unlimited rentals for one low monthly price, they didn’t see me coming! There is no way in hell they could be making money off of me! But, they certainly have come through and kept their end of the bargain, keeping me up to my knees in movies.

Now here is my theory. If they can make me happy, they can make you happy too! I get three rentals at a time for $17.99 a month, with thousand and thousands of movies to choose from! I have a queue online with movies waiting to be shipped to me as soon as they receive one back. It takes one day, ONE DAY, to receive a new movie! How cool is that? PLUS, if I don’t want to wait that one single day, (because I have been known to be impatient, you know) I take the movies into the store and trade them for FREE. So, I am never, NEVER without a movie to watch!

So, if you have even a teeny tiny pinch of my love for movies, I highly recommend Blockbuster Online. (Just click over there on that little icon to your right! You won’t regret it! J ) They have different price plans according to how many movies you have out at a time. Check ‘em out!

Somewhere In Time

Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour. Rated PG for sensuality. 1980, Romance. Cin’s Critique: 5 *

On opening night of his debut play, an old woman gives Richard Collier a pocket watch and says, “Come back to me.” Years later during his stay at the Grand Hotel he sees a photograph of a beautiful young woman who was an actress in 1912. He realizes that she is the woman who gave him the watch and begins his quest to go back in time to be with her.

For almost thirty years now, this movie is the movie all other romances have been compared to. It is so emotionally moving because of many factors: the time and setting of 1912 was very beautiful to watch and was the perfect backdrop for a romantic movie. The actors were also beautiful to watch, I think Jane Seymour has never been more lovely, and Christopher Reeve was at his peak in this film. The substance of the movie is truly romantic, a man reaching through the barriers of time to be with the woman he is meant to love. And last but definitely least, the music. The music was almost a character itself, and has been my favorite piano piece for as long as I can remember.

So there you have it, Somewhere In Time, a movie that gets better every time you watch it.

Dreams are one of my favorite things in life. They have fascinated me since I was very young. The power of the mind is truly awe invoking as it sorts through our days and our feelings, to keep what it needs and discard what it doesn’t.

We all have awoken from dreams so real and intense, that for a moment we are not sure if we are still dreaming. I love that feeling! I often find myself trying to grasp my dreams and hold onto them throughout the day, trying to remember every little detail, trying to feel what it made me feel when I was asleep. If you are like me in this respect, you will love this movie!

Passion of Mind

Demi Moore. Rated PG-13 for sexuality. 2000, Romance/Suspense. Cin’s Critique: 4 *

A mother in France goes to sleep every night and dreams of her life in New York City as a successful businesswoman. The life is so real; every moment so detailed and complete, that she doesn’t know if it is a dream. When she goes to sleep in New York, she wakes up in France.

This movie is fascinating, trying to figure out which world is real and which one is the dream. Both worlds are rich in different ways. The problem comes when she meets a man in both worlds. The reality in both her lives is shaken and she is forced to choose which one she must live in.

I’m not a huge fan of Demi Moore, but she was perfect for this role. This film is a true romance, and the suspense of how it will turn out propels it forward to a very fulfilling ending.