karenthomas61's reviews

Delightful premise. Eric Winter does a very good job playing an innocent child-like spirit in an adult body. He plays those scenes with zest and energy. The script has some cute scenes and dialogue based on that premise. Eric Winter and Alyssa Milano have excellent chemistry as best friends.

There are some clichés in this film: The fiancé is a selfish and vain man, who does not appreciate the protagonist's true self. The protagonist gave up on her dreams and took a safe boring path through life. Not every scene works but still a pleasant film.

Stockard Channing is a great performer, but this role does not use her superlative talent.

Alyssa Milano plays down her sexiness to play a regular career girl. She is quite good in this role.

I hate to use those clichés because people say them so often about movies. I saw this movie as a mini-series on a commercial cable station before DVR. Even with commercials, I watched it back to back one long afternoon and found it riveting. I heat that there is an abridged theatrical release, but I strongly recommend the full mini series. I suggest that when a person watches this mini-series, they should turn off their phone and all other distractions. Please pay close attention to this story, because it is worth it. Don't spoil this movie by reading about the protagonist's real life first. Watch to the very end and it will speak to you.

The message is powerful and important at any time. However, in these harsh times, it particularly resonates.

Superlative cast, superlative soundtrack. While this film is comedic, there is a serious underlying message that resonates today. Governments think that they can dictate what the people hear and enjoy. Well meaning government officials think that they have the should legislate what is is best for the people. One character offers,"Government hates people being free". So very true.

If people find music or speech offensive, they can choose not to listen. It is evil for government to legislate away our choices or the opportunity to hear it in the first place.

Hey, if you want to enjoy this film for the good acting, clever dialog, period costumes and brilliant comedy, that is cool also. Sometimes, humor is the best way to deliver a message.

This film starts out slow. It takes time before you care about the main character, but I did come around to liking him immensely.

Give this film time to hit its stride and you will enjoy it. There are some plot points taken directly from Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey". However, this is a well crafted vehicle and I sincerely hope they make a sequel. There were some clever and good twists and I want to see the rest of this hero's story.

I don't want to spoil the film by discussing the developments that made me care and believe in the characters. There are some interesting surprises in this film, so just sit through the obvious parts with patience.

The supporting characters are particularly strong. The lead,Alex Pettyfer, delivers on the love story portion.

You can see that Craig Horner was a very good actor in his first television role. Additionally, Jovita Shaw did a great job as the friend and sidekick. I recommend watching the episodes for the friendship and family story lines and these excellent young actors. The villains were over the top and played exclusively for laughs.

There was one particularly good episode about bullies, that still resonates today.

I did not find the lead actress or lead character interesting. I can't tell if it was the actress or the writing. As I already stated, the science fiction story lines were done very high camp and played for laughs.

I loved the 5 books. I also liked this movie. I knew before I watched it that movies have to trim characters, keep the action moving and simplify plot lines.

I think that the director did a good job of casting the gods and demigods. I cared for the demigods and was cheering for their success. I enjoyed seeing the movie's version of Olympus, Camp Half-Blood, the Underworld and the Lotus Casino. I also liked the way they handled Percy and Annabeth's relationship. I know that Percy and Annabeth disliked each other for the first 3 books. In fact, she remained loyal to Luke and kept hoping to save him. But I understand why a popular movie would have to trim Rachel out and move Percy and Annabeth together to please the audience.

I hope that people will read the books and enjoy them, but judge the movie on its own merits.

Brendan Fehr did a great job of playing the "bad boy", who secretly has a good heart and real character. He was charismatic and interesting in every scene. I thought that the two leads skated well together and that added to their chemistry.

His scene with small girls in the skating class was adorable. Brendan milked a laugh out of very weak scene with the banana and the blender. He was sexy and intense in the one love scene.

Lastly, he looked great in the sport clothes for practice. Kudos to the wardrobe department. I wish that could have come up with something better for his competition outfits.

Yes, the producers are telling the same story as the first 3 movies, so the audience knows exactly what to expect by the final skate/scene.

I strongly recommend this film for James Franco's performance. The supporting cast is quite strong also, but James Franco is compelling on screen. I found myself watching him raptly, regardless of the scene. I have never seen a James Dean film, but I imagine that James Franco has the same on-screen charisma.

Pay particular attention to the scene where King Marke tells Tristan that he loves Isolde; she is not a political marriage to him. While Tristan hides his love for Isolde from Marke, he reveals to the audience that he is tormented now for betraying Marke. Awesome! If Rufus Sewell is in a movie, it is worth watching.

The scenes filmed in Ireland are absolutely breathtaking. Tristan + Isolde is worth watching for them alone.

Do not be daunted by the sensational nature of the crime, depicted in this film. The director did not go for shock value. This film is sensitive and poignant despite the grotesque nature of the crime.

This is not your typical made for TV movie. For Heather Matarazzo's performance alone, put this film on your "must see" list. Since the producers used the real names of several perpetrators, I feel confident that the script must be very accurate. (Some of the guilty were shielded from public exposure due to their status as minors.) Most "based on a true story" movies take great liberties with facts, characters and events to make a more dramatic or cohesive film and I tend to dismiss them as entertainment, not documentary.

If you watch this film, I think you will be haunted by the protagonist long after the final credits.

Even though the title and opening sequence give away the ending, this film is still worth watching. Melissa Joan Hart, Jonathan Brandis, Susan Sullivan and Susan Walters give good performances. There is a lot to learn from this film about leadership and survival.

If the producers would change the name of this film and delete the opening sequence, this would be a truly dramatic film.

Nonetheless, it still worth watching for the performances and lessons taught.

With all due respect to Melissa Joan Hart, Jonathan Brandis gave some truly spirited moments in this film, particularly when the characters are finally rescued. Ms. Hart, who is quite talented, could learn to show strong emotion on screen, when it is appropriate.

The script has some weak spots, but the cast did a superlative job with the material. Luke Mably does come off like a prince, which could seem pretentious to a Midwest farm girl. Julia Stiles has some good barbs. The equerry/butler practically steals the show.

Despite the "girl finds her prince" theme, Paige (the heroine) is still a strong person, who keeps her identity and dreams. I try to choose films that will inspire my teen girls to study hard, work for their goals, be independent and save themselves for marriage.

This movie is about true love not sex. Parents, you can take your daughters to this movie.