• Finding Neverland (2004)
  • Garden State (2004)
  • Miracle (2004)
  • Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
  • The Notebook (2004)
  • Seabiscuit (2003)
  • The Terminal (2004)

    		 Finding Neverland - December 17, 2004

    Cast: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, & Julie Christie

    [ Official Site ]

    Overall Grade: B

    This film tells how J.M Barrie came up with the idea for Peter Pan. Barrie (Depp) is a playwright whose time writing plays takes away from his relationship with his wife. He seems to put more time into his work than he does with her. Meanwhile, his most recent play fails miserably, causing his producer to look forward to his next project...but Barrie cannot find the inspiration he needs. One day, while at the park with his dog, he sees 4 young boys and their widowed mother, Sylvia. He quickly forms a bond with the Davies family and performs shows, plays cowboys & indians, and invites them to his home for dinner. At first, his wife is happy, due to the fact that Sylvia's mother is connected to some of the most classy & important people around. After a while though, she begins to see even less of her husband as he gains inspiration from the boys to write his next play.

    ----- HOT -----

  • Acting - Johnny Depp turns in another good performance. He is finally getting projects where he is being recognized for his talent. He will be starring in the upcoming Charlie & the Chocolate Factory in 2005...a slight remake of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory...it looks a little odd but could be enjoyable. The other actors also do well, including the children. The little boy who plays Peter is getting high praises for his work in this film.
  • Dustin Hoffman making a negative remark at the name of Captain Hook is a cute jab...as he played the part in Hook, starring Robin Wiliams.
  • Overall - It's a good movie with a lot of emotional moments. It has some great visuals. Not quite as good as I had expected but still entertaining.

    ----- NOT -----

  • At some points, it can be a bit sluggish & boring for some people. A bit overrated as far as my tastes go.
  • Some people have commented that they don't like how it is "Hollywood sugarcoated", ignoring some of the facts of the true story. They say it is inaccurate as far as Barrie's size...he was a shorter & unattractive man. Also, apparently, the father of the Davies was still alive when Barrie met the family. The biggest concern is that Barrie is typically viewed as a pedophile, who some believe had more than a playful interest in the boys. Some mention that is probably a big reason why Michael Jackson named his ranch Neverland. I'm not sure whether it is true or not so I can't comment either way. It's a movie folks! I don't believe it ever claimed to be a true story with all facts intact. It claims to be "inspired by" the actual events. And just as Peter Pan was inspired by real life...most of it didn't really happen that way but it takes a positive outlook on things, which some of the pessimists should do as well.
  • SPOILER ALERT [I read in a review somewhere that this movie dealt with children losing both parents. That ruined the ending for me because I already knew Kate Winslet was going to die.]

    		 Garden State - September 27, 2004

    Cast: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, & Peter Sarsgaard

    [ Official Site - Natalie Portman.com - Garden State - Zach Braff's Blog ]

    Overall Grade: B -

    Scrubs star, Zach Braff, writes, directs, and stars as Andrew Largeman, a man that returns to his hometown in New Jersey for the first time in 9 years to attend his mother's funeral. Due to the tragedy that has kept him away for so long, he has been taking many powerful antidepressants...which he now decides to stop using. He feels disconnected from the rest of the world, numb, and unable to show emotion. So while in Jersey, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, meets up with some old friends, and tries to reconcile with his father. He also meets a unique girl named Samantha who changes his life forever. Her high level of emotion & energy begins to rub off on him. She's a talkative, pathological liar, and yet, a sweet, caring, and loving girl who helps Andrew realize many things about himself.

    ----- HOT -----

  • Acting - Pretty much the only thing that made this movie worth watching for ME was Natalie Portman. I've always thought she was adorable and aside from the disappointing Star Wars prequels, she's been a dramatic actress for most of her career. I love her in this movie. Yes, her character can become rather annoying at times with her constant yapping but overall she made the film much more interesting for me. Some people may not like her or this role & that's fine. For me, however, she was the primary reason I found this movie to be decent. As far as Zach Braff, he didn't really blow me away. I don't watch Scrubs so I don't really know of him. As the movie went on, though, I kept thinking that he reminds me of a young Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond). Peter Sarsgaard was pretty good in a supporting role. I couldn't shake the thought that he reminds me a lot of John Malkovich only to find out later that he did play the son of Malkovich in The Man in the Iron Mask.
  • Overall, this film did end up as a mildly pleasant surprise. I really had no interest in seeing it but once I did, I thought it was pretty decent. It didn't bore me to tears like some other movies have done. The story was OK...nothing special. But I didn't dislike it.

    ----- NOT -----

  • As much as I didn't dislike it, there were still some strange or boring parts to this film. The beginning was slow & a bit confusing at first but it is easier understood once you see the rest of the movie. There were also some odd parts near the end. Plus, SPOILER ALERT [the lovey dovey perfect ending disappointed me a little bit. Can't we have a movie where 2 people don't end up happily ever after and are better for it? These two knew each other for 4 days and think they are the "loves of each other's lives". Gag me with a spoon.]

    		 The Terminal - September 17, 2004

    Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, & Stanley Tucci

    [ Official Site ]

    Overall Grade: B +

    Imagine you take a flight to another country but when you are in the air, your country ceases to exist, thus making your passport invalid & you are technically from...nowhere. This is what happens to Viktor Navorski. Navorski (Hanks) comes to NYC from the fictitious Eastern European country of Krakozhia, only to find out that his country became non-existant during his flight. Now, since his paperwork is no good, he is forced to stay inside of the airport until things are straightened out...America is "closed" to him. So he lives in the terminal, making friends, exploring, finding employment, and even stumbling into a bit of romance with a flight attendant.

    ----- HOT -----

  • Story - You would think a story about a man living in an airport would be quite boring but this movie shows there are many interesting things to see and do in a terminal. Navorski is always finding & doing something new, keeping your interest throughout. It's an intriguing and original story loosely based on the life of a real man. The man who it is based on lived in the airport for months, maybe even years (I forget). When he was finally able to leave, he didn't want to because he had become so attached to the place.
  • Acting - Tom Hanks has soared into super-stardom over the past 10 years or so. Once again, he comes out of this as one of the biggest bright spots of the film. Zeta-Jones is OK...didn't really care much for her character.
  • Humor - It's funny to watch Navorski do certain things. Some of his actions just make you laugh.

    ----- NOT -----

  • There are quite a few things that are a little silly. The main parts revolve around the 2 romances in the film. One is ridiculous and the other is kind of dumb. It doesn't hurt the movie too much, though.
  • The ending was a little bit too "happy" and not so much realistic.

    		 Miracle - September 9, 2004

    Cast: Kurt Russell, Eddie Cahill, & Patricia Clarkson

    [ Official Site ]

    Overall Grade: B +

    Miracle is based on the true story about the 1980 U.S. hockey team which, against all odds, defeated an unbeatable Soviet team during the Cold War and went on to win the gold medal. Kurt Russell portrays Herb Brooks, a man who was the last player cut from the USA team before they captured the gold medal in 1960. He is chosen to coach the team that would enter the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. He forms a team of young men, mostly from Minnesota & Boston, who don't get along well at first and are not the best known or most talented players. Yet, he molds them into a unified team full of heart, dedication, and confidence. He pushes them to their physical limits, forcing them to push through pain & overcome all obstacles. They become a "family", giving them the edge they need to accomplish the impossible & perform the "Miracle on Ice".

    ----- HOT -----

  • Acting - Kurt Russell does a good job playing Herb Brooks. In most films, actors have the luxury of playing fictional characters, meaning they can portray them however they want without any real image or standard to live up to or duplicate. That isn't the case with Russell playing Brooks. I'm not quite sure I liked his accent though. The unknown actors who played as the hockey players did fairly well considering they were chosen for the parts more because they could play hockey rather than for their acting.
  • Details - Although I'm sure some of the things that happened in the movie didn't happen the same 24 years ago, most of it was accurately depicted. The filmmakers made sure that they re-created the majority of the plays from the hockey games so that they looked as identical as possible.
  • Emotion - Yeah, you know what is going to happen at the end but you still get that feeling of happiness & excitement when it finally does.

    ----- NOT -----

  • Same Old Story - Some people don't like this movie because it follows the same story as many past films and the ending is predictable. Hmm. It's a true story...not much you can change about that. And yes, the ending is known before the movie begins. So? It's purpose isn't so much about the result but about the journey to get to that famous "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" ending.
  • The Call - I list this as "not" only because of the change in sound. At the end, the play-by-play goes from a loud & clear call back to the famous 1980 Al Michaels call. I don't have a problem with that as it is a call that shouldn't be re-created but it was so low that it was difficult to hear. It was drowned out by the screams of the fans...but maybe that was intended to show just how momentous it was.

    		 The Notebook - September 3, 2004

    Cast: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, & James Garner

    [ Official Site ]

    Overall Grade: B +

    Nicholas Sparks, writer of past novels which became films such as Message in a Bottle & A Walk to Remember, is also behind The Notebook. The story follows a retired man, played by James Garner, who visits an elderly woman in a nursing home on a regular basis and reads her a love story from a notebook. This story takes place in North Carolina & centers around a young, rich girl named Allie Hamilton. Somehow, she meets Noah Calhoun, a boy from the other side of the tracks who works hard and gets paid little. Her family looks down on him but she doesn't care and spends a summer of romance with him before he heads off to serve in World War II. When he returns, Allie is engaged to another man, leaving Noah alone to restore his dream house. Torn between two men, Allie ends up having to make a decsion that will change her life.

    ----- HOT -----

  • Rachel McAdams/Ryan Gosling - Ahhhh. She was a very hot chick in The Hot Chick but now she strays away from her typical mean high school girl role. This is a very different character for her but she pulls it off beautifully. And to top it all off, she is constantly showing off her sexy legs & showing skin! Woohoo! Hehe. Ryan is a relative newcomer aside from some TV and Murder by Numbers. He also does well. The two have great on-screen chemistry.
  • This is a love story that will tug at your heart-strings. There is a lot of emotion involved. It tells about a true love that is very rare and hard to find in real life.
  • The scenery & visuals are peaceful & beautiful.

    ----- NOT -----

  • It is fairly predictable but if you are into the story, you won't mind.

    		 Seabiscuit - January 7, 2004

    Cast: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, & Chris Cooper

    [ Official Site - DreamWorks Fansite ]

    Overall Grade: A -

    This movie is based on the true story about a small, underestimated horse that showed it had a huge heart. Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), a former bicycle repairman & wealthy automobile salesman, is devastated after the death of his young son and his divorce. He eventually re-marries and becomes the owner of a small, broken down, wild, underachieving horse named Seabiscuit. He hires a horse-loving cowboy to train the horse and a scrappy jockey to ride him. As the United States struggled through the Great Depression, people around the country followed with interest of the Seabiscuit story, leading to his win of the Horse of the Year honors in 1938. The story centers around the relationships between the 3 men (owner, jockey, & trainer) and Seabiscuit on their way to a monumental head-to-head race with the top horse at that time, War Admiral.

    ----- HOT -----

  • Overall - I thought this movie was really good. Maybe I just have a soft spot for movies involving animals. The story was slow-paced so some people may have found it boring or not to their liking. However, the character development was good, showing the paths of all three men leading up to their coming together. The visuals were excellent, allowing you to feel completely involved with each race.
  • Acting - Tobey Maguire leads the way as the fiery jockey that builds a bond with Seabiscuit. The character has to overcome many obstacles in his life, including a horrific leg injury. Tobey brings a good amount of energy to the role. Jeff Bridges, whose character battles through some tragedy in his own life, makes this one of his better roles in a long time.

    ----- NOT -----

  • It's a long movie & at some points, it can be a bit slow, causing some people to lose interest. The final race is also a bit on the unrealistic side.

    		 Mona Lisa Smile - January 7, 2004

    Cast: Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, & Kirsten Dunst

    [ Official Site ]

    Overall Grade: C

    In the early 1950s, Julia Roberts is Katherine Watson, the new art history teacher at Wellesley College, an all-girl school. She realizes rather quickly that the girls are in school to kill time until they can get married. Katherine is amazed at how the girls have been basically programmed to prepare themselves to be a loving wife, caring mother, and happy homemaker. She makes an effort to convince the girls that there is much more to life than society's expectations of them and urges them to think for themselves. In the process, she defies the system and gets herself in trouble.

    ----- HOT -----

  • The younger actresses, including Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Julia Stiles, were the heart and soul of this film.
  • Kirsten Dunst - she wasn't the typical cute, sweet, and perky character that she plays. She was the mean brat of the bunch and I loved it!
  • The funniest scene of the movie involving the shower.

    ----- NOT -----

  • Julia Roberts - she was alright but didn't make it one of her most memorable roles. She just seemed to blend in.
  • This movie was OK at best. It just seemed a bit boring to me and dragged on at certain points. But it wasn't horrible. There were some funny and touching moments.