amurphy2 Reviews

Sita Sings the Blues (2008)

OK in parts, but could have been better

[5/10 · 26 April 2009]

I am very mixed on this movie, but I really did not like it more or less. However, there are some really great stuff in the movie as well.

The Good: The animation was done by one person which is not a small feat and she used four kinds of animation to tell the story. Personally, I liked the use of the 20s music for Sita to sing in a kind of music video of her feelings. Very stylish animation, very different, but my favorite. It was also very funny especially the three narriators arguing and acting as a "Peanut Gallery" The Bad: She tried to add too many kinds of animations that take away from the story including a semi biographical bit that was poorly animated about the breakup with her husband. Also some parts were just plain weird.

To improve this movie, I would take out the biographical animation and the breakup rage animation and it would be a pretty interesting and funny movie, but the bad parts ruined it for me!

Earth (2007)

A Visual Wonder

[9/10 · 23 April 2009]

While I understand that this movie takes a lot of its shots from the show Planet Earth, it puts a new fresh face on the stunning footage gathered by these filmmakers. Disney is really showing its roots hearkening back to True Life Adventures of Walt Disney fame. The film is narrated by the excellent James Earl Jones who really shows off the nuances of his voice sounding sometimes worried, powerful, and happy/funny. The film itself will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you lose your breath. The scene with the Himalayas is worth the money of the movie itself. While the promos say they follow three families, its really a mixed bag of many different creatures in various environments. I wish they would have spent a little more time on the Polar Bear family rather than the "father", but its a great use of the footage. Whats even better, which is something they do not sure on Planet Earth is the credits have scenes of how they filmed these magnificent scenes. Very interesting and very cool! If you want to see a movie that is true Disney, meaning its good for everybody, come see Earth. At only 1.5 hours, its the perfect timing for all!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Terrible Bloody Mess

[2/10 · 12 January 2008]

As a usual fan of Burton, I felt that this movie was his absolute worst. The singing, in my opinion, was terrible and the movie was way too gory. I was expecting it to be a movie full of blood (since Sweeney Todd was one of the first Serial Killer), but Burton went WAY overboard with it. It was good that Burton tried his hand at a musical, but he overshadowed it with his usual creepiness and giving his friends (Carter, Depp, etc) roles that were way over their heads. Carter actually impressed me, but Depp was terrible. He really can't sing. If you want to see a movie where you see more blood than a majority of horror movies and disturbing scenes in which you cringe, then see this movie. If you want to see theater, then go see another movie or a play.

We Are Marshall (2006)

Very good!

[8/10 · 26 December 2006]

I really thought that I was not going to like this movie, but when it ended, my entire view of it was completely changed. It is a great sports movie about teamwork and honor. Thought I really do not like Matt Mc, but I really believe that this proformance was Oscar Worthy. He and the others were very believable and quite good. It shows that you do not always need big names to make a movie great. I am so happy that I was so wrong about this movie. It should be shown to every team and group as an inspiration. Certain lessions were in there such as never giving up and if something is impossible, you could always try and ask. It was a really great movie about the human spirit and how people pull together to overcome a tragedy. It really makes you feel that there are people out there that are good.

A Carol Christmas (2003 TV Movie)

Not too shabby!

[7/10 · 5 December 2006]

Though they used a ton of B-List actors, the movie, in my opinion was a pretty decient movie. It was actually a very nice spin on the original and wasn't too sappy. I am also not a very big fan of Tori Spelling, but she was actually pretty good in this movie as the self centered Talk Show Host. Granted, it is not the greatest adaptation of it, but it gets its point across without being too dumb. The acting and adaptation was actually what made it for me!Others include Gary Colman and William Shatner. I know I know, cheesy actors, but their characters of the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present were actually pretty endearing characters. In my opinion, this is a lot better than Vh1's take on the tale in a Diva's Christmas Carol. The movie also stayed close to the main message that the original tale had. This is definitely better than the stars it has right now. I mean, I should have hated this movie, and I actually loved it! Tori Spelling did well!!

Invincible (2006)

Predictable, but still a gem! Disney does it again!

[8/10 · 6 September 2006]

Though Disney has had their ups and downs in the past few years, one thing has remained consistent: Their sports movies. Here comes a movie that is very similar in plot as another Disney sports movie, the Rookie, but this time it is with a football. Even though this movie is full of sports cliques (lets face it, how many really haven't), but can stand on its own quite well! Its a movie about second chances and how important sports play in the lives of regular people. I really do believe that Pro Athletes should watch this movie because it shouldn't be about the money, but rather, the feeling you get that your are indirectly changing people's lives for the better and they actually look up to you. I think this is very clear in this movie and this is what sets it apart a little bit! Another great thing about this movie is that it is univeral and can be watched by anybody of any age and still get the message! This is what Disney does best, making movies that families enjoy on different levels. Also for a sports movie, it has very little swearing so little kids can watch it which is rare with sports movies reciently (Longest Yard, Any Given Sunday?). Is the movie the greatest in the world? Probably not, but it entertains and gives a crutial sports lesson without using nudity, swearing, or excessive violence. This movie is definitely worth your time and money!

The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

One of the best golf movies (and its made by Disney)

[9/10 · 6 September 2006]

When you think of golf movies, you think of Caddyshack, but what if there are kids around? Go right to this movie! Disney uses is proved formula to make a movie that the adults and the kids will enjoy. The acting in this movie, in my opinion, is quite good and the leading cast, for the most part, is very young! This movie is also suprsingly filmed very well and unique, seeing all the angles of the golf game. I think this movie should be up for some academy awards for film editing or something like that because the entire flow of the film is top notch. Though the ending might be a little predictable, the movie does well on its own! It also shows that you do not need swearing, nudity, or violence to make a great golf movie!

V.I. Warshawski (1991)

Terrible (If you read the book!)

[3/10 · 23 March 2006]

Now I know that reading a book is much better than a movie, but this was the pits! Somehow a smart, independent woman, who would be not found for five minutes in high heels was seen as a sex symbol. Turner was a good idea for the part, but it was played all wrong! Also, Warshawski takes on the corporate part of Chicago, not some hockey player and her stupid kid! If Turner played Warshawski correctly, she would have thrown that little brat on the street. Thay also made Mr. Contraas, her neighbor into a "dirty old man" who fit every sterotype of a Mexican immigrant!Anyway, if you want thrills, read the book instead! This movie was really bad!

King Kong (2005)

Jackson screwed this up!

[4/10 · 26 December 2005]

Tha actors were really great in this version of an old film! Watts makes a great updated woman in distress and Jack Black is actually pretty good, but Peter Jackson, in his smug way, has created an action/love movie into a 3 hour epic! I thought that Lord of the Rings was long because of the books, but it appears that Jackson just loves to make movies to give everybody a bladder infection as they are worried they will miss something! I guess Jackson had no faith in the script since he milked every single part of the movie into a 3 hour ordeal! The story was great, but we do not have to watch King Kong fight Dinos for a solid 15 minutes or his death which took about 10! I thought this was going to be a great movie, but it just was a long mess!

Dogma (1999)

Actually saw this in religion class!

[8/10 · 8 November 2005]

Yes, what I said above is very true, I saw this in my honors religion class and it was great. If you take a step back and see the movie for what it is worth, it is a satire. There is nothing in the movie that puts down Jesus or God unless you find offense to the ideas that God could be a woman or a man and that perhaps Jesus was black. Personally going to Catholic School for 14 years, I do not take offense to that because who cares if Jesus was black or God might be female. It doesn;t change any of the teachings. The satire comes in when speaking about the institution of the church and how corrupt it has been. If anybody knows anything about Church History, the Catholic Church is not the perfect. It is human like the rest of us and that is what makes this movie so great and smart. We analyzed all the scenes and characters and found that this gave us a new idea and outlook of how we can approach religion in the 21st century. It also makes God more personable to us all and, in my opinion, is one of the most important things we need right now in this messed up world. Kevin Smith, a Catholic, is genius when it came to make this movie. Just remember that it is satire, you do not need to take anything personally, but it does speak about morality, religion, and what really counts in the world!

4 a.m.: Open All Night (1999)

Great Drama/Comedy

[8/10 · 23 October 2005]

I am a little bias to this movie because I actually got to play Doc in the play that inspired this film. It is pretty similar to the play and is a little tough to see the comedy in it. The comedy is the irony of these two lonely souls. People would see this more as a drama/sitcom, but it works well as a dark comedy. The one downside to this film is that there is no happy ending. I am not saying that there always needs to be a happy ending, but there is not a bad ending either, just everybody as they were at the beginning of the play. I loved this play when I did it and it looks even better on screen. To quote Doc: "Two Hearts are Better than One"!

War of the Worlds (2005)

The aliens are not the scary things!

[3/10 · 5 July 2005]

I thought this movie was terrible not because of all the aliens killing people, but the way that the characters were completely terrible. OK, I understand that the world is coming to an end and everybody needs to do something to stay alive, but stealing a car and not explaining that it is an emergency and killing a man with your daughter in the next room makes this movie terrible and makes me want Tom Cruise's Character to get eaten up by the aliens. I felt no sympathy for the family running away from the aliens. The only one I felt a little sorry for was the little girl, but the boy and Tom Cruise could be eaten by the aliens for all I cared!