scottyt Reviews

Because I Said So (2007)

This movie is truly awful.

[1/10 · 6 January 2011]

This movie is truly awful. Firstly the plot line and the narrative about a woman needing to find a man, whilst terribly clichéd also comes off as incredibly insulting. To top it off the characters are hardly worth any of viewers sympathy; such is script's and the director's focus on 'trivialising' situations which, in any other type of type of context, would seem appalling. In summary, a girl two-times two lovers, then gets caught, we are expected to 'sympathise' with her, because her 'mum made her do it', then in a truly disturbing chain of events, she ends up with the man of her dreams, after he realises he actually is in love with (despite the fact he was heart-broken only moments before)... Don't even get me started on the plot with the mother, Diane Keaton... she comes off as terribly controlling and desperate, but again we are supposed to 'sympathise' with her as the 'love (of her daughter) made her do it'. As if this wasn't already bad enough, the mother ends up marrying the father of her daughter's lover (both weird and wrong) but this is only after the daughter has tried to set her up with the 'uncle' of her 'other' lover! Confused? Confusion is your only saving grace here. Honestly, one of the worst...

In Good Company (2004)

My Sort of Company

[9/10 · 15 August 2005]

Having worked for some time within the corporate world I have often found myself asking questions, questions about integrity & why so many of us have completely let the need to consume dominate our world. 'In Good Company' certainly brought up these emotions again but it contrasted them with a brilliant & beating heart. The characters are beautifully drawn and the film managers to touch many angles of the subtle warmths within life. Whilst the ensemble casts adds a beautiful touch to this film interjecting some wonderful by-plays the real depth of this picture is the brilliant screenplay, which, by not setting its scope too large has managed to capture wonderfully that delicate act we call human interaction. I disagree with other authors that the film's ending was somewhat of a cop-out, I thought Dan's final speech (and other end results) worked very well with the central theme of the film. There is very often great hollowness surrounding oppressive career pursual and this brilliant film challenges the viewer to believe in what they pursue in life and to place a value on the elements of life.

As mentioned I was moved by this film, the characters & the story, in it I maybe found something I was looking for. Enjoy. Scott Tindall

The Notebook (2004)

Notebook a little disappointing

[6/10 · 23 February 2005]

yes, i'd heard some interesting things about this movie & surprisingly I've always quite enjoyed a romantic tale if done right. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed The Notebook but many issues of the film let me down. The transitions between the flashbacks and the present were messy I couldn't help but feel as though I cared little about the older characters. Such transitions are better suited to a book where there are defined chapters, i would have preferred the director/editor to create a more unique way to link in the two concurrent stories. Also, I couldn't really engage into the older characters, granted the tale of forgotten love and losing one through memory loss is a harrowing and deeply sad situation, I just felt as though for whatever reason, this issue was dealt with kinda cheesily by the film. A lot of this rests, I believe, with the older character of the husband, I found him to be very wooden and a poor fit for the younger character, the relationship between the characters as their younger selves and the older selves felt very forced and not at all as a singular flowing tale. The final issue that griped me was the abrupt end to the younger tale. I would have preferred to see a little more of Annie's transition into her chosen path in life, instead we were left to just leap onto the tale of the older characters which weren't nearly as engaging. That being said however the tale of the young loves carried enough weight for me to suitable engaged and still enjoy the film.

American Pie 2 (2001)

Training yourself to Laugh

[4/10 · 3 July 2002]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first American Pie movie, it was funny, crass and didn't pretend to be anything it wasn't. The follow-up, American Pie 2 seems hell-bent on destroying the good work of its predecessor.

The first 15 minutes are particularly painful and it is almost as if the director has rounded everybody up again and just felt laughs would somehow 'shine through'. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work.

In a smart move American Pie 1 superstar, Stifler is given much more to do here and with the help of Jason Biggs they bring to the screens nearly every laugh. The scenes involving all the other characters are particularly painful and hardly a chuckle do they conjure up. I really do not know what American Pie 2 was trying to be, whatever it was it failed dismally.

Yes I had a few laughs, but I think I was trying way too hard.

Crazy/Beautiful (2001)

don't worry about the end, it practically writes itself

[6/10 · 19 December 2001]

I really enjoyed and got into this movie. I thought both Dunst and Hernandez were brilliant and has undoubtably it has been said before that they both have bright futures. The depiction of what teenagers must go through, understanding each other and their own lives was also particularly blunt. About 15 minutes before the end however, the projector stopped the lights came on and it was a good 5 minutes before the movie returned. After that I didn't know what happened it was like I was watching a different movie. All the sacrifices that had been made were laid to waste and everything was peachy after just one talk between Nicole and her father, it was borderline ridiculous. It showed total contempt for the viewer to end such an intelligent movie in such a way. -a most disappointing end