The Illusionist - Highly Recommended
Wonderfully intriguing story line with a superb cast (Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell--always a great bad guy!). Kept me hooked from the beginning to the surprising ending twist. Nominated for an Academy Award (cinematography). Described as "drama/suspense/romance/thriller" at Internet Movie Database. Indeed it is all of these!
The Prestige - Highly Recommended
Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Andy Serkis (Golem from Lord of the Rings), and David Bowie (in a surprising role), make this movie one of the best suspense/mysteries I've seen recently. The opening line uttered by Michael Caine: "Are you watching closely?" sets the stage for a twist and turn Victorian era rivalry between master illusionists. Like the other movie about magicians that came out about the same time (The Illusionist), this one is perfectly cast. Nominated for two Oscars: Art Direction and Cinematography.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - NOT RECOMMENDED
Obscene. Crude. Stopped watching less than half way through. I cannot believe that this movie has made the money it has and has become so popular. The movie is a sad commentary on the tastes and morality of today's movie-going public.
Norbit - NOT RECOMMENDED
Obscene. Crude. Heck, just read the above review of Borat
Ghost Rider - Highly Recommended
This movie has all the elements that I look for in entertainment: a super hero, justice, romance, action, Nicolas Cage. I cannot imagine another actor pulling off the role of Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider. Nicolas Cage gives the role the right amount of edge, depth and humor to make the character one with whom the audience can identify. I like it when the devil gets his due. Ghost Rider provides that and more.
2 comments:
A while back a friend told me Borat was really funny and I just *had* to see it. I finally rented the DVD. I had high expectations. Well, I just watched about one hour of Borat before turning it off. I found it far more offensive than funny. Watching someone taken advantage of and offend unsuspecting people who are trying to be friendly/welcoming is not my idea of funny. After turning it off I decided to check online to see what reviewers had to say about it. I am saddened to see how many reviewers thought Borat was funny. I actually had to search for the string "stopped watching" to find a negative review. I'm glad to know I'm not the only person left in the world who isn't completely desensitized to offensive material.
Same thing happened to me -- a friend recommended it, all the magazine reviews said it was the funniest thing ever . . . even the Blockbuster rental guy said "You'll love this!" I was highly disappointed and quite embarrassed to be seen taking the movie back to Blockbuster.
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