Must Love Dogs?

When I first saw the preview for this movie, "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" came to mind. This fond memory caused me to take my wife on her birthday to see, "Must Love Dogs". Unfortunately, the pet theme was the only thing these two movies had in common.

Diane Lane plays a divorcee who can’t seem to get motivated to “get back on the horse”. Her family, who wants to see he happy again, throws every guy at her including the kitchen sink, I mean, married men. Her sister, Elizabeth Perkins, decides to sign her up with an on-line dating service. Of course, the criteria stipulating, “must love dogs”.

In another parallel universe, John Cusack is, also, struggling with his recent divorce and immerses himself in his wooden, rowing boat building – ironically, part of the reason for the divorce. Unfortunately, John’s character was reminisce of several of the other parts he has played. If I have to listen to him banter on one more time about every little thing, I think I’ll run out of the theater screaming! He was kept under control in “Runaway Jury”, but I get the impression that the dialogue was so weak that it was natural for him to fall into old habits.

However, I can’t blame the problems with this movie on the actors. The scenes seem to be very choppy with their flow. The changes make you slightly jump in your seat. All of the sudden, you are in the next scene. Something is missing!

The only redeeming piece was Christopher Plumber. The scene with he and Diane on the couch was the best one of the movie. No matter how many bad elements make up this movie, Mr. Plumber’s experience shines through. I have been a fan for many years.

There were enough elements that could have made this movie watchable. The ensemble has a long, distinguished list of credits to their names. Many of which are my personal favorites. The title had possibilities. We always like to see animals acting cute. Gary David Goldberg has a resume too good to produce what I refrain from calling anything derogatory.

Wedding Crashers

Unfortunately, this movie is the same old story with a few new jokes thrown in. Ok, so now you have my opinion in a nutshell. What I really wanted to do with this website is talk about being entertained. First of all, when I go to the movies, my previous choices were based off of whether I thought the movie was a "big screen" movie. Meaning that there are scenes that look better on a broader scale.

A movie like this is one is one that I could have waited for the DVD version to come out before I saw it. Of course, that is my opinion. I'm not looking for a movie that I haven't seen to give me an excuse to see my girlfriend. What I will say is that the beginning has enough laughs to carry my interest through most of the movie. I was dissapointed with the ending, because it was the same old tired cliche of the once conman trying to ask forgiveness for all his lying and deceit.

As for the cast, why does Owen Wilson always think that he needs to do these types of movies. I've seen him in one dramatic role, and I think he could pull off another one. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't a big hit andf I'm sure that Owen felt that he needed to go back to his roots to get back in our sightline.

What did surprise me is seeing Jane Seymore take a big leap from her Dr. Quinn days. At least, she did it with class instead of crossing that threshold of "self-expression" like Halle Berry. In my opinion, their personal mystique has been compromised!

I'm not sure if I'm finished with this, but I open this up for discussion...

War of the Worlds

Although I've watched the 1953 version several times, I went into this version with an open mind. I knew that Spielberg would stay true to H.G. Wells' vision and I wasn't disappointed. Although I have not read the book, my experience with other H.G. Wells' stories helps me to recognize the same elements in this movie.

Unlike the '53 version, however, we have to see Tom Cruise's world and how disfunctional it is before the aliens arrive. Did I mine this? Not really! Although the 1950's sci-fi movies always centered around the scientist(s) who discovered the technology to save the planet just in the nick of time, we see an ordinary dockworker wonder what is happening to his world and what he should do with his children who's relationship with him is strained, to say the least. We see a snapshot of how one family deals with the invasion of "their world".

Let's talk about the characters...

Although I have seen Tom Cruise in similar roles before, I thought he really pulled it off for this one. His persona allowed you to like him as the buddy around the corner at the local bar as well as his disfunctionality with his children. We could see as the invasion begins that Tom really doesn't know how to relate to his kids with the next by-product being his feeling that he needs to unload them with his ex-wife as soon as possible. I've got to think that had he had a better relationship that he might of made smarter choices in regards to staying out of the Martians' path. Of course, that would have made for a boring movie! It's worth seeing just to see how Tom struggles as the father.

Dakota Fanning was the real surprise. She plays a smart, precocious daughter who seems to know more than her father. She has great range. I could really see and experience her fear. I couldn't help but think how much therapy this little girl was going to need to go through to keep from waking up every night screaming. In fact, I can see the psychiatric profession becoming very lucrative after an experience like this. I hope the Dakota continues to entertain us. She adds a level of depth to a scene that I enjoy watching.

Justin Chatwin plays the rebellious teenage son who can't identify with his estranged father. What I liked about this character was how the teenage defiance turned into courage in wanting to fight back. Of course, this makes for great conflict when you the parent tries to protect the younger, weaker sibling while trying to control the impulses of a precocious teenager. I, also, liked how he became the "back-up" parent for his sister, which invariably happens while the parents go through their separation.

What I didn't like about the film...

Although I have always liked Tim Robbins, I thought the farmhouse scene dragged on a little too long. Maybe Spielberg wanted us to feel a little while of comfort from the carnage all around. Of course, it did give us a vantage point to witness what the Martians looked like and what their intentions were for their captive humans. I guess that it just seemed to throw off the movies flow.

Second, the ending didn't work for me. After producing a tale that caused me to look into the skies wondering if it could happen in real life, we are reduced to the cliche conclusion where they reach this neighborhood that barely shows that it has been touched by the carnage that has devastated every other city in the world. I'm not sure how I would have ended it, but the reunion could have been set more realistically in relation to the rest of the movie.

Despite these issues, it was definitely worth the price and my time of which I don't take either lightly. Steven Spielberg has delivered again! I like the gritty, raw quality in the cinematography. It reminded me of the baseness of "Saving Private Ryan" which also had that dark quality.

Reviews

In the past, I could disciminate about the type of movies I wanted to see. Obviously, if I am going to be an impartial reviewer, I will need to watch all the new releases. I hope to be able to also see some of the current releases. However, I could go broke trying to get caught up!

I hope to start my first review within the next couple of days. I will, also, be reviewing old releases as time allows...

I love movies

Ever since I was a young boy sitting next to my parents in the movie theater watching "The Jungle Book", I have enjoyed the escapism associated with those couple of hours in front of the "Big screen". Although I have a propensity for action flix, there is no subject that I thought was a waste of my time. Nonetheless, I can't say that I understand, "2001, A Space Odyssey", to this day. (Even with studying it in college almost 20 years ago) It doesn't mean that I can't appreciate Stanley's vision, however.

What I intend to do with this site is to comment on current movie releases as well as reminisce about some of the past achievements. It is important that I make one thing clear. Admittedly, there are good and bad movies out there. (God knows I've seen my share of both) But my comments will be driven with the intention of the celebrating the craft. My hat is off to those who sit in the director's chair, behind the camera, in the editing room, etc. Sometimes, the finished product is a big WOW! Your life feels enhanced in some way. And others, you walk away wondering if you could have better spent the time cleaning the dirt from underneath your toenails. Regardless of the result, it is not my intention to focus on the good or the bad of cinema. I watch movies to be entertained! Anyone who looks at it any other way has bigger issues than making sure that their "review" is timely posted.