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The following 4 reviews were written by Erica and myself after seeing these movies together-

LORD OF THE RINGS 3 – reviewed december 26th, 2003

loud orcs trample reality
latent over-reaching theatrical rubbish
long overdramatic tiresome ringing-in-my-ears

ecchhh.

this movie has inspired me to try my hand at – movie critic. if they can make a movie like that and people love it, i can write a movie review.

sappy, interminable, loud, sappy, boring, sappy… did i mention sappy? and how bout that sound track eh? triumphal climactic horn playing – for three solid hours. except for the “celine dion with 5 seconds of reverb” whenever the elves are on screen. was that john williams bastard child i hear screaming?

isn’t there usually a credit at the end for the person who watches over the color processing? i always pictured them carefully checking each days developing, walking around the lab with a thermometer in hand checking to make sure the developer and stop bath temps were within a tenth of a degree of perfect, and checking the test prints with a magnifying glass to ensure they got their moneys worth of color, after all, this is color film we are watching here isn’t’ it? isn’t it? well somebody sure as hell was asleep at the wheel this time? they couldn’t make up their minds whether to shoot in color or black and white so they settled for dribbling developer at random on rolls of exposed film and then throwing them in a washing machine while flashing a strobe light on the whole mess. there are times in this film that try men’s souls… oops, wrong genre.

dialog: i know tolkien had the most stilted dialog of any author since homer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work with it. for god’s sake, it’s a movie not an homage. and while we are on the subject of a movie shot with a huge budget, in a beautiful faraway location, would someone tell me why parts of it look like they have been staged for your typical high school gymnasium that gets used for the occasional rendition of “Oklahoma” or “the Crucible”? “enter legolas, stage left” ….

matthew – thumbs akimbo

*hi* erica here….well excuse my father the harsh critic that he is (i believe we all know that)the movie wasn’t actually as bad as it seems. the music fit nicely, the scenery was beautiful and orlando bloom was there for eye candy. ::yummy:: anyways, what he forgot to mention was that it was dragged out wayyyyy too much and that is all i would change about it. they really could’ve cut it in half and made our lives a bit easier. i will admit that at times i was tempted to throw my drink at the screen or yell “walk a bit faster there frodo!” “we don’t care if sam starts a family!” but other than that i enjoyed myself! thank you!

erica – thumbs…..sideways???

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IN AMERICA – reviewed december 27, 2003

the two sisters, ariel and Christina(??), confront a life in new york that is rougher, richer, and juicier than you might imagine. but ariel shines through it like a small but piercing spotlight. perfect christmas movie – the little child shall lead them through the dark nights of the soul, the dark nights of new york, and into a new day, much like the ones before, but easier to smile at.

-matthew

wow! when my dad stays for the credits in a movie i know that he likes it…and he stayed! ::whew:: definitely a beautiful movie about a poor irish family who travels to new york in the 80’s. and no one who watches it can help but fall in love with ariel and christina two extremely spunky little girls who befriend an angry artist named mateo on halloween night who changes their life. the family has definitely had their share of hardships but they seem to make the best of all of it. it was hard to believe that when i looked up at my father there was a glistening tear on his cheek….enough said…..

-erica

definitely a THUMBS UP

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LOST IN TRANSLATION – reviewed january 4, 2004

This movie certainly moves at its own pace but i didn’t find myself looking at my watch wondering what time it was. A story about an actor named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) who are both americans visiting tokyo for different reasons…whatever those reasons may be they run into each other while staying at the same hotel and venture around tokyo together all the while slowly falling for each other. this movie is much better than return of the king if you enjoy a cute love story better than evil orcs and giant elephants. probably the most memorable scenes are when bill is shooting a whiskey commercial and is getting instructions from a Japanese director who when he speaks it will take him a minute to say turn left, or a little smile… After the movie is over you feel like you have taken a trip to tokyo in about two hours while visiting outrageous night clubs and the beautiful scenery and i personally wanted to stay.

-erica

definitely a THUMBS UP

i have always liked bill murrays work- he seems to have so much fun making movies.

when bob proceeds at his stately pace through the vague and slightly worried care he receives from his japanese hosts and employers, i can both appreciate the fulsome culture he has landed in, and laugh at the way we move through these inscrutable experiences with the armor of a bemused smile.

and bob and charlotte make magic together- not the sweaty, somewhat scary plunge you might expect, but a more measured and zenlike state that gives them both companionship and reassurance that the world is at heart a friendly place. in fact the movies pace is almost disconcerting- the director seems to be showing us all the different paths the story could take, while letting the story unfold in what seems like realtime.

- mattthew

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THIRTEEN-reviewed january, 4, 2004

……….intense……….definitely not something to watch when you’re in the mood for a light-hearted drama…..i walked out of the theatre a little dazed. A story about a thirteen years old road to self destruction and you’re going down right along with her. Tracy [a thirteen year old who is a good student but not the most popular] meets Evie [the prettiest, most popular girl in school] who introduces tracy to the world of drugs, sex, and drinking. I am only thirteen and the thought that this really happens, scares the heck out of me. it’s amazing how easily people will slip into that lifestyle all to fit in. you just keep hoping she will see through evie’s evilness and not get sucked into it, but of course she doesn’t. the acting is superb for two fifteen year olds, better than some adults. slowly as tracy begins to get more and more screwed up the color begins to fade, things get grayer and almost black and white. this movie is quite terrifying to parents and children (i had to reassure my father that i wasn’t THAT bad) but definitely an excellent movie.

-erica (fourteen)

THUMBS UP!!

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