Reviews
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Thanks Clint!
I've been a fan for a long time. I've always wanted to shake mister Eastwoods Hand. Now I want to hug his neck. I was moved as much or more by MDB than any movie I have ever seen. Hell, I wanted him to win the Oscar for his acting. In My book its the best he has ever done. Wonderful on all fronts! I was touched so much by the emotional impact of the film it literally stayed with me for days. It is an absolute must-see movie. Somehow he got the actors to give the best of themselves also. Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank also gave monumental performances. Thanks again Clint for ALL the pleasure you have brought into my life. This film and you, Mr. Eastwood are a treasure to me.((((hug))))
If I Should Fall from Grace: The Shane MacGowan Story (2001)
The genius of a madman.
I was so moved when I saw this film it brought me to tears. You see I am an alcoholic too, as is Shane. I saw this after having relapsed after seven years sobriety. I wept openly and still believe he is a genius inspite of his madness. Don't dwell on his interviews which he was incoherent. Listen to the words of the songs he has written and the way in which they were performed. You will see his genious too. In the mean time please pray for both of our recoveries.
Aberdeen (2000)
Every Alcoholic shoud see this one
Not always easy to watch as an alcoholic hits his bottom to go with his daughter to visit her dying mother. I was moved and just knew whoever wrote and or directed this movie knew about alcoholism, as turned out to be the case when I watched an interview after the movie on the independent channel. There is a haunting and very beautiful theme song in this movie. I just wish it was releashed on a sound track!
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
If I understand what?
Other reviewers seem to imply that the only way a person would not like this movie is people who didn't "get" it. Hogwash! I "got" it alright and like the child who told the emperor he was naked, I am here to say Spielberg has a big old smelly maudlin flop on his hands. I am sorry for this too as Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment, doing the best the can with what they had, will likely be lost in the word of mouth that will kill this movie. I, being a movie buff, like many others will go to see it for one reason or the other, but most will come away with the realization that the movie never gets enough throttle to sell it. When it tries, at least for me, it fails. I didn't see one frame in this movie that I haven't already seen Spielberg do and over do before.
Black Robe (1991)
Courage is nothing more than fear that has said it's prayers
This film works on many levels. It is very beautiful just to look at. But I was very moved by the Priest's faith, how it is tested, and how he relied on his God. Being a Priest, he also showed he was human and struggled the same struggles we face today with betrayals, fear and temptation. He showed me that indeed it is true what I had heard in my recovery meetings... "courage is nothing more than fear that has said it's prayers..."
Bless the Child (2000)
If you are a believer you are going to love this...
Having just watched this movie I am very disappointed in the bad reviews it has received. Much has been said about the "rip-off" of the line from the Usual Suspects... "The biggest trick the Devil ever pulled was making people believe he doesn't exist..." My point is this, if that line is true, it might bear repeating. I was totally blown away by the way the "good guys" in this movie were drawn to and relied on prayers, (realizing they needed a higher power) and then we see how God answered those prayers. At certain points in the movie Angels, good Samaritans, appear and offer support with a kind word or a helping hand. Most of the time these looked and acted like regular human beings. I also liked the angle of the bad guy, having found a great deal of material wealth, fame and success selling the notion YOU are the only God, that is the lie God doesn't exist, or something to that effect, being a recovering person I have come to believe in a power greater than myself, and the power of prayers. It is refreshing to see a movie show this power. Hope it works for you too!
Gunshy (1998)
An outstanding forties style tough guy treatment...
Nothing not to love about this movie. Everything, acting, soundtrack and plot of Gunshy is a treasure, especially to those of us who grew up on loving film noir. The tough guy Frankie (Michael Wincott) is wonderful! He is tough as nails with a heart of gold. He feels the need to rescue people in return for someone who had helped him in his past, and feels the need to grow intellectually for the woman he loves, another he has rescued. He feels the need for a tutor to educate him. Enter Jake (William Petersen) a has-been writer who lives in a whiskey bottle in the underbelly of Atlantic City. Jake has lost his job and catches his lover with another man. He tells her he knows a place where a loser like him will fit right in.. So he checks in to a seedy hotel in Atlantic City. He becomes so down and out he becomes self-destructive, picking a fight in a bar and getting his butt kicked. Frankie sees something in him worth using and saving. This is movie-lovers TREASURE!