Welcome to pplmoviereviews!
This is our very 1st wiki and we are in the learning stage, so please be patient. Here you will find movie reviews by staff of the Portsmouth Public Library. We are all learning so here goes...
I just finished watching "You, Me and Dupree" and was disappointed. It was kind of boring. Not what I expected. I love Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson and expected more between them since they are a couple in real life (or last I knew they were), which didn't come out in the movie. Kate Hudson played an uptight newlywed, and she's better when she lets her hair down. Owen Wilson was funny, but that just comes naturally to him. Lets just say I wouldn't buy it.... ts
I watched Happy Feet this weekend, it was real cute my Grandson fell asleep and my husband and I finished watching the movie, even Jack thought the movie was good, yeah... there was an environmental message at the end, but that just made it better in my book and all the references... his mom was Norma Jean, sexy like Marilyn Monroe, his Dad sings like Elvis and is named Memphis that continues through out he movie. I give it Thumbs Up
mh
Venus. What can I say? I LOVE Peter O'Toole so this review will be a bit partial, but please don't let that keep you from seeing it. The movie begins with two elderly old friends, Peter O'Toole (as Maurice) and Leslie Phillips (as Ian) tossing their various pills on a cafe table talking about which color pill is best at what effect. They appear to be on the verge of dying at any second, and know it. Ian's niece is scheduled to come live with him to "help out" and he envisions a girl who will be more like a maid/housekeeper. When Jodie Whittaker (as Jessie, Ian's niece) arrives he can clearly see he's wrong. She's a sullen, sometimes rude teenager who can't cook and lays around the house all day. Maurice and Jessie spar at first, but he (as an aging womanizer) wins her over with his kindness and interest in her life. Over time their friendship goes through painful twists and turns and I found some of the scenes painful because of what happened. However, overall the movie was an insight into sexuality, old age and love. ts
Ghostrider. We watched this last weekend and altho decent, certainly not Spiderman or Fantastic Four. But worth it to see Sam Elliott in his recurring role as a cowboy and Nicolas Cage in flames. SHB
The Girl in the Cafe I borrowed this movie because it was filmed mostly in Iceland. It is a made for TV movie done by HBO in England. I liked the movie and much to my surprise so did Jack, it is a semi romantic film with a political message and a lot of spunk. It left me wanting to know more. MH
I Think I Love My Wife This movie was similar to all the other Chris Rock movies, not that funny. Reminded me of "Everybody Hates Chris." Worth the watch for all the cheaters of the world. hw
The Fountain- I would categorize this under Sci-Fi. IMHO, the storyline is a little strange and the whole movie was "dark". It was also very sad. I really like Hugh Jackman and his performance was very, very good. The movie bounces back and forth in time and tries to link the events with a Mayan legend about death and rebirth. I guess it does that to some extent, but somehow it misses the mark.
Ice Age 2: the meltdown - I loved this movie. Kids will too. The "herd", made up of "Manny"' the mammoth, "Diego" the tiger, and "Sid" the sloth, are back in a new adventure in the Ice Age as it is ending. The ice starts to melt and the herd must help all the other animals leave the valley to find higher ground or they will all drown. Along with that danger, Manny thinks he is the last mammoth on Earth, but they run across a female mammoth, Ellie, who thinks she is a possum. (She has issues). Manny helps her to see that she really is a mammoth and she helps him realize he is not a loner. At the end of the movie they find a whole herd of mammoths and it was very touching. Along the way they run across various obstacles, and Ellie's possum "brothers" cause trouble all the way. They are hilarious though. This movie gets a 2 thumbs up from me! ts
Happily N'Ever After - I watched this movie over the weekend and I think kids will really like it. Its not the usual happy ending (or at least it isn't supposed to be), but it turns out happy anyway. I love the graphics, but they are a little choppy at times. Sometimes the characters look like the ones on 2nd life who move awkwardly. Cute overall.
Dog Whisperer: the complete first season - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer. This DVD should be a prerequisite for anyone who owns, or is thinking of getting a dog. He truely understands dogs and dog behaviour. He really does "rehabilitate dogs and train people." This DVD encompasses the whole first season of his show where he deals with aggression, fear, dominance and more. Learn how to help your dog get over his fear of walking on bare floors, or keep your dog from attacking the neighbors dog or the mailman. Learn how to become the leader of your pack! TS
My favorite movie Local Hero - Peter Riegert, AKA 'Boon' in Animal House and ‘The Pickle Man’ in Crossing Delancey, slips into the role of Mac, an advance man for Knox Oil in the purchase of any entire Scottish coastal town. What is not to like about a movie with a rabbit named Trudy, an amorous inn keeping couple, a who’s-your-Daddy infant, a Russian merchant seaman and capitalist circa 1983, a demented psychiatrist, an existential motorcycle rider, a British red telephone booth, The Northern Lights, Burt Lancaster, and a mermaid. CCH
Hi, I am adding my favorite movies, one at a time. Most are available from your Portsmouth Public Library. I absolutely adore The Commitments, the story of an Irish Soul Band that misses a meeting with Wilson Pickett and fame by fifteen minutes. The group was "assembled" for the movie, but did tour with moderate success and that story is covered in the bonus disc release. Based on a book by Roddy Doyle, the film is part of a trilogy with Snapper (also available at the library) and The Van which has never been released except for a very pricey VHS. CCH
Two more favorties from Carolyn--I can't really rank them in any order, just movies that stick in my memory and that I don't mind watching again.
The Big Country Gregory Peck as an ex-sea captain who encounters more than he bargained for when he goes to meet his fiancé on her fathers ranch. This is one movie I saw as a child and it was even better than I remembered. Beautiful scenery and a credible villain played by Burl Ives add to the saga. CCH
Shag: The Movie Four girls from Upper South Carolina lie to their parents and go on an adventurous weekend to Myrtle Beach in 1963. Each gets what she wants, sort of. Bridget Fonda’s not-suitable-for-the-public-at-the-time talent act is a show stopper. Get out your dancing shoes! CCH
Pursuit of Happyness - GREAT movie! Will Smith plays Chris Gardner, a single father with determination and hope that just won't quit. Based on the autobiographical book by Chris Gardner, Will Smith does an absolutely SUPERB job of displaying his dogged determination to make life better for his son & himself. Will Smith's real-life son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, who was only 7 when the movie was filmed, plays the part of Chris Gardner's son by the same name. He is adorable and very, very natural in the role. I have a feeling we will see much more of this young man in the future. By the end of the movie I was crying along with Will Smith's character. Smith won an Academy Award for his performance. The movie received 15 award nominations and 7 wins in various Award categories. This is one movie you won't mind watching more than once. Enjoy! TS
Little Children - An adult drama that weaves the lives of two married couples and two other lonesome souls. Quite compelling with an ending you would not expect. hw
Hot Fuzz - Simon Pegg (as Police Officer Nicholas Angel) brings his own brand of Brit wit back in this action/comedy involving a big city cop on assignment in the rural village of Sandford, where the people are just too good to be true. Oh, did I mention that folks have a way of dying in very nasty accidents here? To the eye of an action movie fanatic, the not-so-transparent rips of American cop flicks is an added treat. I enjoyed Pegg in his sleeper hit "Shaun of the Dead, " so "Hot Fuzz" provided a terrific follow up. Not for the timid, "Hot Fuzz" is Rated R for a number of violent scenes (my sons laughed) and language. TE
The Darjeeling Limited - What an unusual movie! Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody & Jason Schwartzman star as 3 estranged brothers who reunite for a spiritual journey across India to find their mother (Anjelica Huston) who is living in a monastery after their father was killed accidentally by being run over by a taxi. Each brother dealt with their father's death in their own way and each suffered from depression as a result. The oldest (Wilson) decides they need to reconnect and gathers them together on the Darjeeling Limited train to find their mother and reconnect. Its very interesting how their journey brings them closer to understanding each other and also come to terms with the loss of their father. I've never seen anything like it! Make sure to watch the making of the film feature to find out more details about how they did the scenery, etc. TS
The Color of Freedom or Goodbye Bafana - This movie is based on the memoirs of a racist white prison guard named James Gregory (played by Joseph Fiennes) whose life was significantly altered by his 20 year guardianship/friendship with his black prisoner, Nelson Mandela (played by the Dennis Haysbert known from the "Are you in good hands" commercials). Dennis Haysbert is too tall to play Nelson Mandela, but if you can look past that, he did a good job of portraying Mandela. For younger audiences who don't know anything about the Apartheid in South Africa, it is an introduction and a heartwarming story. You get to follow the lives of both men over the 20 years that Gregory guarded Mandela and see how Gregory saw the injustices done to black South Africans during that time. He struggles with maintaining his racism while at the same time learning to respect the man who has come to represent the struggle, Nelson Mandela. It is a very moving story. See it for yourself! TS
The Other Boleyn Girl - Based on the novel of the same name by Phillipa Gregory, this BBC film is remake of a television film (also by the same name). If you haven't read the book, or seen the BBC film, check this new DVD out. It is a romanticized version of the historical relationship that existed between sisters Anne (played by Scarlett Johansson) and Mary (Natalie Portman) Boleyn, and King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). We all know what happened to Anne Boleyn, but what I didn't know is that King Henry also had a relationship with Mary Boleyn before Anne. While Mary initially resists the thought of an affair (she and the King are both married), she succumbs and the sisters both vie for the King's affection at one point in the film. What is apparent in this movie is how brutal women were treated back in the 16th century. I loved the setting however, and found the costumes beautiful, but then I love to see how the director uses props to "set the stage" for what that scene is portraying. The film was good enough to make me want to read the novel, and look up more information about Anne Boleyn and her offspring. Well done! TS
Hotel Rwanda (DVD Hotel)- Based on the real events surrounding genocidal upheaval in 1990s Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) relies on connections, his wits, and the love for his family to save over more than 1,200 people in the five-star hotel that he manages. Cheadle was nominated for a lead actor Academy Award for his powerful performance as Rusesabagina, and co-star Sophie Okonedo was likewise nominated for best supporting actress as his wife Tatiana. Ray was a big winner that year, but this reviewer has always maintained that the real Ray Charles' passing contributed to the success of this film. See for yourself! -TE
Cloverfield (DVD Cloverfield) - A new monster movie for a new generation of viewers who were raised on the likes of the Blair Witch Project. The film is seen in its entirety from the angle of a video camera carried around by different characters. If you can make it through a very (very) slow first 15 minutes- where I suppose that we learn about the major characters in the movie- then you may enjoy it as a purely action driven feature that it is. I cannot say that I cared as much for the characters as I would have liked, but determine for yourself. The camera work gave me a little headache, of the sort that I had with Blair Witch... but with much better special effects. -TE
Persepolis (DVD) -
This film won the 2007 Cannes Film Festival Award, and the 2008 Cesar Awards (France) and its easy to see why. The film is a cartoon, mostly in black and white which allows viewers to concentrate on the movie instead of being distracted by color, etc. The film follows the life a young Iranian girl who begins the story being a suporter of the regime that existed during the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s. She goes through the typical changes of an adolescent girl all at the same time as coping with the changes in her country. I love the graphics and think it really added to the film's impact. Check it out! TS
Becoming Jane (DVD) - I loved this movie, but then again, I love Jane Austen. The movie tells the story of Jane Austen as a young woman who falls in love at the same time she is discovering her writing talent. Its a bittersweet romance and everything I thought it was going to be. It shows Jane as she probably really was, a woman with her own mind who knew that women can do whatever men can do. Jane is played by Anne Hathaway and and Tom Lefroy (her love interest) is played by James McAvoy. They look good together and are perfect in their parts. Don't wait, reserve your copy today! TS
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