Home Movie Reviews

Do not wast your time and money. a tigger movie.

This is a cute movie. the conept is great. But the scenes where Randall is using the machine to extract screams from children... Hello>???? Ever heard of torture??? This is not acceptable viewing for kids.

Another reviewer is thrilled that he laughed in 100s more places than his kid... Hmm... Could that be that the movie is over your kids' heads??? Is that appropriate???

Disney is horrid to do this. They put in culture references that our children cannot possibly understand, appreciate, or need to be exposed to.

This is fine fare for you. Questionable for your children. Don't let them watch it without you present.

While the "Toy Story" movies had a fairly simple story, as did "A Bug's Life," "Monsters, Inc." marks real progress for Pixar. While one expects greater technical sophistication with each film (and said expectations are always rewarded), this film also marks the first time where shades of gray creep into the story, and new heights in creativity in the setting, characters and storyline are added to the mix.

The three Pixar films prior to this are mostly kids' stuff, with the fun for adults being the gee whiz technical aspects (and seeing long-ago toys come to life), "Monsters, Inc." slyly plays with adult conventions, making it a delight for audiences of all ages.

For younger viewers, the film may run a little long, but it's still time well-spent. The added features on the DVD are excellent as well, but are arranged in a more kid-friendly format than adult viewers might prefer, although not to the ridiculous extent present on the first Harry Potter DVD.

Recommended for film fans of all ages, including adults who worry that Pixar is already starting to rest on their considerable laurels.

Do not wast your time and money. a tigger movie.

This is a cute movie. the conept is great. But the scenes where Randall is using the machine to extract screams from children... Hello>???? Ever heard of torture??? This is not acceptable viewing for kids.

Another reviewer is thrilled that he laughed in 100s more places than his kid... Hmm... Could that be that the movie is over your kids' heads??? Is that appropriate???

Disney is horrid to do this. They put in culture references that our children cannot possibly understand, appreciate, or need to be exposed to.

This is fine fare for you. Questionable for your children. Don't let them watch it without you present.

While the "Toy Story" movies had a fairly simple story, as did "A Bug's Life," "Monsters, Inc." marks real progress for Pixar. While one expects greater technical sophistication with each film (and said expectations are always rewarded), this film also marks the first time where shades of gray creep into the story, and new heights in creativity in the setting, characters and storyline are added to the mix.

The three Pixar films prior to this are mostly kids' stuff, with the fun for adults being the gee whiz technical aspects (and seeing long-ago toys come to life), "Monsters, Inc." slyly plays with adult conventions, making it a delight for audiences of all ages.

For younger viewers, the film may run a little long, but it's still time well-spent. The added features on the DVD are excellent as well, but are arranged in a more kid-friendly format than adult viewers might prefer, although not to the ridiculous extent present on the first Harry Potter DVD.

Recommended for film fans of all ages, including adults who worry that Pixar is already starting to rest on their considerable laurels.

I still get goosbumps thinking about this movie. I saw it over 3 years ago and every time I see it or hear or read about it, I still get that Oh-what-a-great-movie-that-was feeling....and goosebumps. This is a must see, trust me. Watch it then judge it yourself. Oh and watch it in Italian...it's a LITTLE better. Before you know it, you will be writing your own review and recommending it. DEFENITLY a 5 star movie. PEACE

The jovial Guido arrives in an Italian town with dreams of a new life. His wealthy uncle offers him a job (waiting tables at his restaurant) which this free-spirited optimist graciously accepts. Through a series of highly coincidental and comical events, Guido falls deeply in love with Dora, a school teacher--whom he refers to as "princess." Their sweet romance eventually blooms into marriage and a child of their own. Yet, in the background of this developing romance lurks the atrocities of World War II. As Italian Jews, Guido and Dora soon experience their "fate" under German rule, and are taken to a concentration camp. The two are separated upon arrival, leaving Guido to look after their young son, Giosué, on his own. In an effort to protect the innocent child from the brutal reality of their circumstances, he tells Giosué that it is all a game: the train ride to the camp, the rationed food, the uniforms, the living conditions. Guido works diligently to create this fictitious play-land for his child, enticing him with the ultimate prize--a real army tank of his own

Roberto Benigni is not the first to recount the atrocities of the Holocaust through film. It is a painful piece of history--not soon to be forgotten. While acknowledging and respecting this reality, Benigni manages to do something no other writer has done. He injected this horrific time period with a story of hope, joy and an almost surreal optimism. He captured a love more precious than words. A dedication beyond all expectations. Despite its English subtitles, American audiences are still sure to be drawn in by the underlying brilliance of Life Is Beautiful. Rarely has an Oscar award winning picture been so worthy of such recognition.

I picked up this movie from the comedy section. I had absolutely no idea that it'll leave me sobbing after all the laughters I've had by watching it.
Guido, lives in Italy and he's a remarkable man with great sense of humour. He meets his principesa by accident and soon she becomes his wife and gives birth to a very bright boy. Then the bloody Nazis show up - Guido and his son are taken away in the camps and then Guido's wife joins their fate too but she's kept seperate from them.
Guido is a very caring father to his son and from the very beginning he keeps telling him that this is only a game so he wouldn't get scared from this absurd but most of all so his son couldn't get killed by damned Nazis.

I've probably seen hundreds of movies on Jews sufferings. I must have read hundreds of books too - sad ones that would break my heart into zillion pieces but only after I've watched this movie I realised that I lacked the 100% sympathy to Jews for what they've gone through from sadistic Nazis. God damn them.

I know from my own experience that wars and racial hatred are totally wrong but it was only this movie that really taught how bad wars can really be. Just how many nice,remarkable,full of life people like Guido were killed in wars until now?!?
I wonder will they ever stop...and in case they don't I truly hope there'll be wars in which Greed,Hate,Jealousy and Fear would get massacred - not people. Only then Life would have been beautiful.

I didn't think I'd like this movie, especially if one of the actors is part of the bubble gum crop of no talent singers. Of all the singers, Mandy Moore has to be the only one that has potential. She can act and does have a beautiful voice. The movie does work in telling the story about a bad kid who learns to live right with the help of a preacher's daughter. A recommended tearjerker!!

I admit that i didn't have great expectation before i saw the movie. But after i watched the movie, my impression has completely changed. It's much more than just a love story; it teaches us to have faith on our beliefs. We may not be able to create a miracle, but we can simply try. The movie also portrait the beauty of friendship. Real friends can help each other to go through difficult times. The essence of the movie is to portrait the ups and downs of life and we should treasure each moment of it.

This is a really good movie. There's something emotionally wrong with you if it doesn't tug even a little bit at your heart strings!
Mandy Moore gives an incredible preformance as Jamie, the daughter of preacher good girl with a heart of gold who is slowly dying of cancer. Shane West plays the bad boy turned good who falls in love with her and wants to make her final days as memorable as possible.
This isn't like every other teen flick out there. It has more depth, great acting, and a great story. I really enjoyed it. And yeah, it's kind of a girly movie - but even my husband, who isn't really into chick flicks, liked this one! Highly recommended.

This is, without a doubt, a 5 star film. And it should be purchased by one and all, the storytelling and animation are THAT good.

But the diminished rating is due to the scenes from the original Japanese version that Disney removed from the film.

These scenes show Sen changing from an immature girl who can barely wash the floor (which we do see in this version), to an increasingly talented worker.

I know because I watched the original while living in Japan.

I don't know why this part was removed, and I think it's a loss because it's an important part of the narrative.

Disney has made similar errors of judgement with their release of Miyazaki's _My Neighbor Totoro_ without an original Japanese audio track.

So I think that _Spirited Away_ should be purchased. BUY IT NOW. It is a masterpiece. But Disney, while doing a great service by making these titles available, should be encouraged to stop slicing these highly original works of art.

When you allow your imagination free reign the creation that comes from it can be startling and so bizarre that it takes time for your brain to realign itself to the created reality. "Spirited Away" is a fantastic vision of a world close to ours, and yet invisible to our eye, reached only by a portal lost and forgotten. Spirits served by a host of creatures, including witches, all out to make a living, inhabit this world. This world has its own set of rules and past, with sufficient familiarity with our world that you are not completely lost.

Chihiro and her parents are moving to a new home. As with many children her age, Chihiro is not especially happy to be moving away from her friends and the home she has always known. When her father takes a wrong turn and encounters a mysterious building in the deep woods, Chihiro is immediately afraid and tries to warn her parents that they should turn around. Her father and mother press on through the building, believing they have entered an abandoned theme park. When they enter an area filled with restaurants and discover no one around, they pig out to the point where they pork out.

As night falls, Chihiro discovers that she is trapped in this world. The intervention of Haku saves her life and enables her to survive in this new world. As Chihiro befriends those she encounters a number of characters in this world come to love and help her in her goal of turning her parents back to people and escaping back to the world she knows.

The world Hiyao Miyazaki has created is a fantastic alternate reality. There are demons that eat beings whole. There are bizarre spirit creatures whose purpose can not be guessed, and yet intuitively you have some vague idea of what that purpose might be. There are talking frogs and a giant baby. There are bouncing heads with minimal intelligence. There is an incredible, beautiful and fragile dragon. There is a pair of witches, sisters, whose motivations are typically difficult to understand.

The vision of this movie ranks with the best animation I have ever seen. This movie became the highest grossing film in Japanese history, and for good reason. Few movies have attempted and been successful at achieving the scope of this movie. A required film for fantasy film buffs.

What a glorious, glorious labour of love. After watching it, I felt like hugging myself. Calling this film an 'animation' and thus lumping it together with the childish fantasies turned out by lesser talents doesn't do it justice, for this work of art deserves comparison to the best in any genre.

This is a film that has complex imperfect heroes, no villains, trials more internal than external, a world more vibrant than our own, a spirituality so deep as to reach the metaphysical, and yet will delight a girl of ten as much as a lifelong moviegoer of ninety. It is also surreal in tone, lyrical in composition, invokes tension and suspense without malevolence, and the filmmaker achieves all of this in an animated cartoon. 'Spirited Away' is a work of sheer genius.

This film has pity and compassion, love and redemption, hidden strength and discovered courage, turbulence harnessed to an inner harmony; but it never strikes a false note nor succumbs to maudlin sentiment. Through gentle humour and understated dignity, it shows so much respect for the intelligence of its audience that I wanted to kiss the director's hand.

Calling this film a fairy tale just won't do. Unlike western animation, its magic is deep down, at the very roots of its make-believe world, so deep that it is worked into the very fabric of the story. There is no faerie flying around sprinkling pixie dust, no bubbling cauldrons, no evil-incarnate stepmother and no goodness-personified prince charming; nothing so obvious or so crass. Instead, the world of spirits into which our little heroine lands is as natural as breathing. In this world, humans are the intruders, and as gross material entities, it is we who bring disorder and upset to their realm.

It is not easy describing what makes this film so special, because the reasons range from the very small to the very large. At the small end, the film's eye for detail is simply marvellous. Even the act of a little girl putting on her shoes is given such character that we pause to admire the filmmakers' respect for children. At the large end, this film shares with us a journey of spiritual awakening. Our little heroine grows over the course of the film from a self-pitying self-absorbed little mouse into a loving openhearted daring soul.

But a word of caution: this is not standard cartoon fare. It assumes an intelligent audience and therefore dispenses with a paint-by-numbers plotline. Indeed, it isn't even about plot but about character, places, feelings, moods, and most of all, themes. For example, a recurring theme is that of purging. Various characters throw up throughout the film and this may disturb the fainthearted. But, if one is familiar with oriental thought, expelling poison to cleanse oneself is a common cultural theme and does not provoke the same disgust that it does in occidental cultures. Indeed, after our little heroine replenishes the river spirit, his gift to her is the medicine of purging. Later in the story, she saves a number of her friends by putting it to good use.

Obviously, this is a film that must be approached with some thought. Unlike most western animations, one cannot view it while idling in neutral. It has much that is beautiful and transcendent, but it also has terror and pain, and it demands our most careful consideration. Those unwilling to invest the required effort will get nothing out of it and had best stick with Bambi. Yet, for all its demands, this is a film that remains accessible even to children. Younger viewers may even have an advantage over their parents because they will approach it with open minds unconstrained by western styles and conventions. For them, the film's symbolism may not be apparent, but the filmmakers have applied such symbolism so gracefully that it will still be felt if not noticed, and this will be all that matters.

This film rewards open minds. To fully appreciate it, one must cast away ones preconceptions about animation. Western practice and tradition has sadly fenced animation into a marginal niche by considering it children's fare that is incapable of higher artistic expression. 'Spirited Away' is Hayao Miyazaki's exuberant response. It deserves the same consideration and accolades that we habitually heap on 'real' films and is frankly so far above the excrement endlessly churned out by Hollywood that it inhabits a different plane. This film deserved the Oscar in 2001, not for 'Best Animated Film', but for 'Best Picture'. It really is that good.

This film is, indeed, utter perfection. For those who quibble over the minor variations from the book, I encourage you to write and produce a better film from this sparkling book. Every change/addition is justified, every scene luminious, every performance practically perfect. This is as close to being a filmed realization of the novel as one could ever hope for.
That being said, the dvd could be better for such a beloved production. Where is the six hour commentary that all of us die-hard fans would love to listen to? Where are deleted scenes or snippets of scenes? Where are bloopers and outtakes or an exhaustive 2 hour making-of documentary? For a Special Edition, many of us have been waiting for this kind of treatment that lesser theatrical films get all the time. I know this is A&E/BBC territory and their resources are not the same as Warner Bros. for instance, but we fans will continue to wish for more features. All in all, though, the series is a sparkling diamond of exquisite cut; the dvd is competent and serviceable until someone produces the "ultimate" special edition.

This film is the best adaptation of Pride and Prejudice! Casting of Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle was brilliance on the director's part. Even though the movie is roughly 5 hours long, it's the best five hours you'll spend on a movie because the film is so close to the book. I'm glad they came out with a DVD version so the movie is now on two discs instead of 6 videos. The DVD extras on the making of the film are worht watching as well. Even if you have never read the book, the film is easy to follow and pulls you into the story that Jane Austen brilliantly tells.

I have the VHS version of this movie and I love it. I have watched it at least 10 times through. I am even considering buying the DVD version as I no longer have a VHS player. I highly recommend it. If you are a Jane Austen fan this is the movie for you (and even if you're not) I wished it would continue on. A sequel.

Personally, I think you'll either love or hate this movie. There is no in between. When I watched this movie, I couldn't stand it, yet I keep telling people to watch it because I cant.. Even describe it.
And it freaked me out.
STILL freaks me out.
::Shiver::

Donnie Darko is a young teen living in Middlesex who tries to keep his nightime sleepwalks private from his friends and family. Then after a jet engine from a plane crashes in his room and he realizes he should have been in his room a new light to life starts to take perspective and chance and choice come into play. Though after hearing what could be the turning events leading up to the end from his imaginary friend Frank, who is a giant bunny rabbit from the future he just thinks its the medicine thats making his head spin rather than reality. After hearing directions from Frank to wrong the right by exposing the truth about many of Middlesex's people Donnie follows with will. This leads to drastic measures which all ends up in him causing damage to many areas of the community. He then ends up falling in love and realizes he has to make everything of the last moments he could spend with her.

I usually review music here at Amazon and not movies but I do so now because this is one of the more interesting flicks to come out of the dream/reality murkiness genre that underlies a lot of cult classics both on celluloid and in print. What makes this flick work is the various meaningful levels it can be viewed from...its open endedness that some critics complain about is really a strength. That Frank is really not developed as a character leaves you wondering who really was in control of time, was time in control of Darko or vice versa, was Darko really mad, does Darko have an alter ego, is madness and time travel always synonymous, and are we bound up in fate or are meetings with fate established randomly (Frank again). There is that whole Borges question about whether the dreamer invents us or do we invent the dreamer (Liebnez's argument that no real interaction occurs within the universe...that everything is already internallly pre-determined and that reality merely reflects a mirrored image of what events have on one another can be argued here as one side of Borges dilemma). Also, there is the question of personal time travel and madness ( somebody must have been reading Doris Lessing). There is the MacClean thing and the triune brain that wars with us, especially in our dream states..that that strange reptillian bunny that Frank creates is what is really what Darko struggles against, sometimes losing, but in the end triumphing over it when he destroys Frank and saves his girlfriend's life rather than giving in to the cold survival of his own being (real meaning of love?). Then there is the whole literalist mentality (James Hillman) thing going on with Cunningham and the gross oversimplification of achieving love and happiness by merely dropping all the complexities of the human soul and mind and becoming part of the "animal realm." Then there is that whole Jungian thing of the shadow side of us, the experienced side (Blakes' Tyger Tyger in the night...)or what Lorca called "the duende"...(the prankster that will lead us through the land of the dead but would just as soon fool and kill us) which forces complexities ( and sometimes evil) on us no matter how much we grasp for simplistic answers to our problems. Then there are minor themes that deal with phychiatry and its role in regulating madness, fate and the truly tragic person ( though Darko's girlfriend's character could have been fleshed out more in her tragic persona), and the nature of education and what education really should and should not be. Finally, the soundtrack is pretty damn good too.

But the movie has its flaws. There is a lack of clarity as to why Darko's shrink is trying to call him near the end...there is really no tie in I could find to her knowing what happened to his girlfriend; so the reasoning there is a bit stretched. And where did all those bikes suddenly come from? Also, there is a lack of sophistication in the the time traveling scenarios that I thought had a great opportunity to be addressed through Roberta's book. I would have liked to see a meeting between Darko and the nutty Roberta...or at least some kind of explanation come out of her book that would have tied into Einstein, Hiesenberg, Godel or Bohm (& Aspect's experiemnts of Bohm's theories). For these reasons, I almost dropped it a star, but I would like people to see this one because its "works" at so many levels...again destined to become a cult classic...like Liquid Sky...out of the New Wave era.

I wonder if there is a particular reason this wasn't released in widescreen format. This film is so spectacular especially for it's cinematography. Why waste the money producing an edition that doesn't do the film justice? Five stars for the film, minus one for no widescreen.

Scarlett is so spoiled and Rhett is so pragmatic. Sigh... But he can make me swoon any day. Why Scarlett wants to chase after sissy ole Ashley anyway, I don;t know. When Rhett walks out on her, it breaks our hearts. Just a terrific, terrific film. Today, tomorrow and forever.

I love Gone With The Wind.I think that it's the Best Picture Movie Ever.I like that movie has alot or Drama & Romance in it.That movie made me cry when Scarlett & Rhett's daughter Bonnie died.I'm glad that this movie won a Ammy Award.Viven Leigh,Clark Gable & Olivia De Havilland did a good job playing the charactars is Rhett Butler,Scarlett O'Hara & Melanie Hamilton.All 3 of them are like my favorite actors.

The real star of this Stephen King adaptation is director Frank Darabont, who weaves a powerful, fascinating story that effortlessly eats three hours of the clock. That's no small task, and THE GREEN MILE is no small movie.

There's not anything small about Michael Clark Duncan, either, who is the focal point of this film as John Coffey, a gentle giant sent to "The Green Mile" to await his execution. Duncan literally towers over everything--physically and figuratively--as a soft-spoken man with a miraculous "gift," a gift so selfless the viewer immediately knows John Coffey isn't guilty of the horrible crime he's alleged to have committed. His kindness, his inherent goodness, wins over the hearts of the prison staff assigned to guard him--to eventually execute him.

Nothing quite like compelling conflict and drama, is there?

The cast, led by Tom Hanks as Green Mile guard Paul Edgecomb, is first-rate; Sam Rockwell as inmate "Wild Bill" Wharton almost steals the show, while Doug Hutchison is nauseating as the repulsive Percy Wetmore, the "governor's nephew." THE GREEN MILE is a formidable visual event, which is also its only weakness, as some of its scenes (an electrocution gone awry, Coffey's discharge of pestilent "evil") are over the top, to the point where you're rolling your eyes. But the flaws are dwarfed by the magnificence of the story--by the director's storytelling ability.
--D. Mikels

Oh, my! What a GREAT film!!! Unreal performances. Hanks is as good as I have ever seen him. Bonnie Hunt is delightful. Michael Clarke Duncan was MADE for this role. David Morse is great! Sam Rockwell nearly steals the show! Tremendous plot--compliments of Stephen King. Just beyond words. Terrific film

Great Movie. Great Acting. Great Story.

A refreshing interpretation of the Sleepy Hollow legend. Featuring humor, good special effects, and a great feel for the period portrayed.

Highly recommended.

Depp and Ricci shine in this unusual take on Irving's classic tale. I must admit is was skeptical of the film, but that was quickly dismissed by Burton't genius. The towns' people are very much how I would image them, and the story takes on a more mystical side that Irving gave it. One could almost say it is better than the original story. It is certainly more interesting.

DVD is great so is the movie.

Wow! I have to admit that this adaptation of the classic story by Washington Irving is not completely accurate to the story itself, but is amazing non the least. The story follows Policeman Icabod Crane as he goes to the small town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate strange murders by a supposed Headless Horseman. This movie has everything. Note: This movie is not for the squemish or faint of heart. It is very graphic and should only be watched if you can handle seeing people getting their heads chopped off or sliced bodies. If you can get past that it is still a great movie that is great to watch not just on halloween, but year round!