cal1946 Reviews

Forever (2014–2015)

Love it

[10 September 2014]

Ever since Hornblower I have really enjoyed Ioan and am delighted to see him on a major TV show. I love the premise, am fascinated by time travel and living through many ages and this is well done. We are informed of his history in bits and pieces of flashbacks so we are never burdened with too much, it comes as the story progresses. I am delighted to see more and more really good movie actors starring in TV shows. It is a good thing. Movies are wonderful, but a TV show can cover the material with much more detail over 8 or 10 or 16 hours and really entertain. And the quality has become so good. I like what I am seeing.

For Love of the Game (1999)

Wonderful character study and baseball movie

[10/10 · 15 December 2013]

I have loved baseball since 1955 when I started to play the game at 8 years old. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio...some pretty great players-people plus too many more to name here. As a female, I would never be allowed to play in the majors so must do it vicariously. Billy Chapel allowed me to do just that. As I watched the movie I was on the mound, in Billy's head, It was I who stared down at the batter and said "it's between you and me, ugly". I found the relationship part of the story believable and worth watching. I love all of Kevin's baseball movies and really enjoy Kelly Preston (What a Girl Wants is one of my favorites) I keep hoping it will be released on Bluray. If you want a love story, you should like this, if you want baseball, you should also like this. It has my highest recommendation.

This Is the End (2013)

Hysterical

[8/10 · 13 June 2013]

I laughed loud and long. This movie is rude, crude, lewd, stupid and very funny. It makes fun of practically everything, nothing is sacred. They made fun of each other, themselves, movies, theirs and others, had the most improbable conversations, the most surprising situations, caught me off guard more than once. When one of the characters came bursting through a window, I screamed, causing double the laughter from the person with whom I was sitting, both at the movie and at me. The finale was really fun, again, so silly I just had to laugh. Do not look for common sense or intelligence from this movie, just watch it to have a rousing laugh fest. I also enjoyed Emma's contribution, it was fun seeing her in a non Hermione role, though I loved her as Hermione.

Smallville (2001–2017)

Awesome, compelling and a whole lot of fun

[10/10 · 26 March 2012]

Nothing in this life is perfect, though the entire 10 seasons come about as close as it is possible. I did not watch this series because I always thought Christopher Reeve was THE Superman and Smallville would not live up to his example. Purely by chance I watched a few of the last season episodes and after watching the finale, I was hooked. I now own ALL ten seasons and have watched every one! What a series. Tom Welling stands tall as the man of steel as he grows from farm boy to hero, his growth was a joy to watch. Sure, some episodes were not exceptional, but they were always watchable and enjoyable. Erica Durance as Lois Lane, marvelous. Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan, perfect. Justin Hartley as Olive Queen, exceptional. The casting was terrific. Only one character bothered me, Lana Lang. I felt like she was kept around too long and I stopped being sure to whom she was loyal. Besides, everyone knows he and Lois are destined for each other so after Lois came on the scene, I was ready to loose Lana.

I have always found the Superman legend compelling, who of us does not enjoy believing that there could be a super Hero out there to protect us from the Luthors of the world.

If you enjoy Superman, I believe you will enjoy Smallville. I loved watching Clark Kent, Kansas farm boy, grow into Clark Kent, super hero, not just a powerful being, a being with a code of Honor, belief in truth and justice and the total inability to take a human life. Good things by which to live.

Hawthorne (2009–2011)

going downhill

[3/10 · 22 June 2011]

The first two seasons were OK, I like Michael Vartan and most of the other actors did credible jobs, portraying what it must be like to work in the frenetic atmosphere of saving lives in a hospital. The new season is quite different. The writers have changed direction and the show feels like what I would expect General Hospital to feel like, all about the personnel and very little about the patients. Christine is attacked and remembers the ring the attacker wore, which the Detective Nick presents to her at the end of the episode, no explanation. The second episode mentions the ring but nothing else is said. Morrissey replaces Christine as CNO and will not tell her what he has done or why he has done so. The show feels disjointed, too many story threads left unfinished, too many characters missing with no explanation and not enough medical and too much angst. Michael buys a gun with no explanation. Camile is changed into a vamp who has to be taught how to pray...Come on. I hope they can get the show back on track.

The Glades (2010–2013)

Good Detective show

[8/10 · 11 June 2011]

How can a person review an entire series by watching just the first episode?! Incredible. After reading the first 30 pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone I was ready to quit when something caught my interest and the rest is history, I love the books and have read them all more than once. Had the previous reviewer stuck around for more episodes he'd have learned that Jim Longworth was not fired, he left the Chicago force with a large settlement because his Capt. shot him in the exterior posterior, where one sits, as a consequence of Jim having an affair with the Capt's wife. I enjoy the character interaction, Carlos, his partner and ME, is great fun and Callie and her son are a nice addition to the story line. The episodes are interesting and the writing good. I am not a detective so I have no first-hand knowledge of solving a case, but when I watch Jim Longworth, he seems to have good instincts and makes it look real. I just finished watching the first episode of the new season, very good. I recommend this series.

Bones: The Change in the Game (2011) Season 6, Episode 23

Totally enjoyable

[10/10 · 20 May 2011]

I found Bones' announcement to Booth and his answering grin of joy a delight. I have been watching this show for six seasons, waiting for Booth and Bones to finally get together and I believe it will add a new dimension to the show (unlike the previous reviewer). I think the writing is marvelous, the situations excellent and the character interaction such fun to watch...it is going to be a long summer waiting for the new season to start. I must admit I will miss Mr. Nigel-Murray but I am sure the writers will come up with a new equally interesting character. After all, the show survived the demise of Zackaroni (I do miss him though). Wonder what will happen with Sweets and Daisy, how about Cam, Wendell, Mr Vaziri, and, of course, we will be watching little Michael Stacatto Vincent Hodgins as he follows in his mother's or father's footsteps...Who knows. I am looking forward to more of my crime fighting friends at the Jeffersonian and their compatriots at the FBI.

Camelot (1982 TV Movie)

Marvelous

[10/10 · 7 May 2011]

I am one on the fortunate ones, I watched this musical on stage in 1962 in New York, William Squire as Arthur, Patricia Breddin as Guenevere, Robert Goulet as Lancelot, Roddy McDowell as Mordred and Robert Coote as Pellinore, I own the original cast recording, this play is part of me. Needless to say, when I watched the movie from 1967, I was devastated, it was nothing like the stage play, it lost all the charm. When I found that this revival was available on DVD, I jumped at it and was not disappointed! Richard Harris was Arthur, a wonderful performance. And yes, it is a filmed stage production so the action seems strange when watching it as a movie until one puts ones self in the audience of the theatre and the odd angles and not looking at each other make sense. I truly enjoy Lerner & Loewe's music, the lyrics are so clever, word play and double entendres, such a joy. I was disappointed that one song was left out of the production, the one in which Guenevere enlists Dunadin, Sagamore and Lionel to "barbeque" Lancelot. I cannot recommend this more highly, it is a marvelous story, a joy to behold. Enjoy

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Awesome

[10/10 · 19 November 2010]

When I first heard that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was to be shot in two movies, I was very glad. There is just too much in the book to condense into one movie, unless one makes a 5 hour movie. I have loved the casting for this series from the beginning, watching Harry, Hermione and Ron grow up has been a treat. I have read, more than once, all the books and Deathly Hallows is my favorite, and the movie I just finished watching is a credit to the book. Yes, there are changes, some threads (minor) missing but the spirit, the atmosphere, is all there. I particularly enjoyed Rhys Ifans portrayal of Xenophilius Lovegood, quite believable. The photography was outstanding and the apparition scenes fantastic. They came across better on screen than they did in my imagination. I keep reviewing the book in my mind, looking for a flaw or an error in the movie and I can't find one. I recommend this movie and am eagerly awaiting the second part.

Charlie St. Cloud (2010)

Moving film, beautifully filmed, well acted

[9/10 · 13 November 2010]

This movie was totally enjoyable. As a sailor myself, the sailing shots were right on, really brought back memories. I loved the rapport between Charlie and Sam, as Charlie was 6 years older than Sam, and their father not part of the family for most of Sam's life, Charlie had to be both brother and father. I thought Zac handled it well. Sam was adorable which makes Charlie putting his life on hold for five years a bit more believable. The one thing about which I am confused is location. They call the town Quincy, so I think Quincy, Mass. until Tess is sailing and she tells Tink she just passed Whidbey Island on Puget sound and when they go to rescue her, they head for Cape Flattery, which is on the western tip of WA, near the Olympic National Park. I loved how Charlie interacted with spirits and we were kept in the dark, such a captivating idea, I like to think it is possible for any one of us, though it has never happened to me. As no one gets out of this alive, we must say goodbye to those we love, some too soon, and go on living, just as Charlie finally does. I recommend this film.

Becoming Jane (2007)

Delightful, believable, well done

[10/10 · 20 February 2008]

This is a lovely movie, filled with excellent performances. Jane Austen, the woman, is pretty much a mystery. She was not widely recognized as the great writer she was until the 1900s, so after she died in 1817 most of her correspondence, that could have given historians a better feeling for the person that was Jane Austen, was destroyed by well meaning, though shortsighted, relatives. I, personally, like to believe in the story of a great love that, for monetary constraints, was not allowed to be consummated in marriage. How else could Jane write so well about love if she had not experienced it?! Granted, one does not have to be a murderer to write convincingly about murder, after all, I think most of us have been mad enough to murder at some point in time. I believe love is different and I accept the idea that Jane and Tom shared a love that lasted their whole lives. I really enjoyed the way the writers had Jane speak the same sentiments, in the movie, that her written characters speak in her books. Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy handled their roles masterfully, were totally believable--my heart broke for them. I recommend this movie and now have my own copy of it which I will watch many times, just as I watch Pride & Prejudice, again and again. I own the 1940 copy with Greer Garson, the 1995 with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth and the 2005 with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Jane's works are timeless.

Stardust (2007)

Imaginative tale, exceptional movie

[10/10 · 20 February 2008]

I love movies! The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter I watched after I read the books and then re-read the books. Then I listened to all the books on CD. I just finished listening to Neil Gaiman read Stardust-magnificent, but not the same as the movie, there were some changes made, but that is not to say the changes were bad because they were fine, it is just that they filmed a variation of the story Neil wrote. And what a story, such imagination. I cannot fault a single performance. Claire Danes is a favorite of mine and I loved her performance, Robert DeNiro pulled no punches and was delightful, Nathaniel Parker is always worth watching, as Thomas Lynley, Gabriel Oaks, even that nasty character from Bleak House, Charlie Cox grew into a man right before my eyes, an outstanding job, I thought Peter O'Toole's performance, though short, was perfect. I look forward to seeing more of Charlie Cox. I have recommended this movie to everyone who will listen to me. It is a joy! It has it's dark moments, the witches are not very nice, but it is a rollicking good tale, beautifully filmed with an excellent score. Watch it and enjoy it and if you have the chance, listen to Neil read his story on CD, he does a wonderful job.

P.S. I Love You (2007)

Delightful

[8/10 · 9 January 2008]

As I have never read the book, I was not disappointed. I loved the story as it played out on the screen, Gerard Butler was astonishing, a real breath of fresh air, Jeffrey Dean Morgan saw too little screen time but what he had was marvelous, and Harry Connick Jr. was amazing, his character so pitiful yet likable. I loved the idea that someone loved another so much and understood them so well that he was able to set up the whole letter trick and have it work. All in all, it was a very enjoyable film. I am looking forward to more Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The Irish scenery is beautiful and the end excellent. When it is released on DVD, I will be adding this to my collection.

Curious George (2006)

Perfectly Delightful

[10/10 · 29 September 2006]

I bought this the day the DVD was released and have so totally enjoyed it that I have watched it every day since. The animation is superb, all of the emotions George feels are so charmingly exhibited on his wonderful face. If one did not recognize Drew Barrymore's voice, the face of her character would give it away, Miss Maggie's mouth is drawn just like Drew's. The music is marvelous, Jack Johnson has written delightful songs, very much in tune with the actions of the movie. All in all, none of this would work as well if it were not for George, when he is happy, one wants to laugh with him, when he is sad, one wants to hold him and reassure him that all will be OK. I am 59 years old and I am in love with George. I recommend this to kids of all ages--enjoy!!!

Folks! (1992)

hysterically funny MOVIE

[6/10 · 12 June 2006]

Some people have no sense of humor. I laughed until I cried the first time I saw this movie. It is not reality, it is comedy. Real life situations that many of us may face as our loved ones age have been taken to the extreme, so we can laugh. The loss of a testicle is not funny but how it happened and being called one-nut is. I would call it a modern day screw-ball comedy along the lines of "Bringing Up Baby". It should be released on DVD shortly (I will be getting it) just sit back, suspend reality and enjoy--what's not to enjoy about watching Tom Selleck?! I also loved "Blind Date" with Bruce Willis and Kim Bassinger. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves to laugh.

The Wedding Date (2005)

Enjoyable, light, fun, romantic comedy.

[7/10 · 16 August 2005]

I find overly critical critics a bore--this is not rocket science, this is entertainment and I found this movie entertaining. Who does not fantasize about meeting the perfect man or woman?! Where is it written that one cannot fall head over heels after only knowing someone for hours?! I found the characters and situations interesting and I cared about them and what would happen to them. I recommend this movie to those who just want to be entertained, get lost in silly situations and have a smile on their face at the closing credits.

The English countryside was beautiful, the Austin Healy Dermot drove brought back memories for me and the music fit the story well, it was pleasant and easy to listen to without shutting out all else. This movie is not for everyone, it is for those who love movies, watching lovely people do things most of us can only dream about. That's my idea of entertainment.