All reviews - Movies (257) - TV Shows (17) - DVDs (35) - Books (224) - Music (9)

drama, comedy, social studies

Posted : 1 week, 5 days ago on 8 November 2009 04:23 (A review of Cranford)

The year is 1842. Cranford is a lovely small town, on the edge of modernization. Discover the lives of its residents with the arrival of the new doctor; with them, you will see their disputes, their tragedies, their loves and mostly their gossip.

This mini-series (part drama, part comedy, part social studies) produced by the BBC gives an incredible insight into the people of the time and into social history.

All actors and actresses were splendidly cast and deliver excellent performances.
The costumes, the sets, the photography - everything is of a top notch quality.

Laughter and tears guaranteed all through, and with every episode.


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injustices

Posted : 1 week, 5 days ago on 8 November 2009 04:13 (A review of

Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House)

Dickens wrote a (little known) masterpiece here, and it has been extremely well adapted by the BBC.
In brief, Bleak House is a tale about the injustices of the nineteenth century British legal system.

It is my opinion that Gillian Anderson is the only actress whose performance is not remarkably good. Everyone else is excellent, and puts on credible performances.
The costumes, the sets, the photography - everything is of a top notch quality.
Although the series' episodes are quite slow at first, each episode is worth watching entirely, if only to see how the story develops up to the very end.

If you enjoy period movies and television series, this should definitely be on your list to watch, if you haven't already.

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fresh and captivating

Posted : 1 month ago on 20 October 2009 02:02 (A review of Flashpoint)

I couldn't agree more with moonsoar's review.

I just watched this show's first season, and found it refreshingly captivating.
I also enjoy the fact that the team members can replace anyone else in the team; so you don't always get Enrico Colantoni as the negotiator (for example).
Emotions, ethics and morals play a big role here. You understand why the characters go through something illegal and unethical; and it makes you wonder what you would do in such situations...
Also true: the cast is excellent.
And this is a Canadian show... FINALLY a great Canadian show I'm proud of!

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premise interesting, movie ridiculous

Posted : 1 month ago on 20 October 2009 01:54 (A review of Lies & Illusions)

The premise is interesting, though certainly not original: author's girlfriend Sam is found dead; following her death, the author, Wes (Slater), is hunted by bad guys (Cuba Gooding Jr. plays one) seeking their belongings, diamonds which Sam stole from them.
The movie's plotline could have been well developed. However, the directing makes it look like a grade-B movie.
The acting is a joke - is that all Slater and Gooding are good to do now, low-ratings and straight-to-dvd films?! They are in my opinion great actors, and have played in wonderfully excellent movies (think True Romance for Slater, and Radio for Gooding, to name only those two). You have to wonder what happened for both these actors to find themselves in such a crappy movie...
The fights, the car chases, the script (filled with idiotic situations - the writer obviously never had a vault in a bank! just that scene was unbelievable) - all this makes the movie useless and unbearable to watch.
Don't bother. Unless you want to laugh/study bad movie directing/scriptwriting.


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better than expected

Posted : 1 year ago on 8 November 2008 06:04 (A review of Sex and the City)

Definitely much better than expected.
Decent acting.
I personally found SJ Parker looking horribly... old, compared to the other 3 main actresses. The make-up could have been better.
The story was obviously... predictable.

After watching this romantic film, I still feel no interest in watching the series, however popular and recommended it may be. But the movie isn't all that bad.


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worth watching

Posted : 1 year ago on 27 October 2008 09:48 (A review of Four Minutes)

Jenny (Hannah Herzsprung) is in prison. Traude (Monica Bleibtreu) teaches piano to four students in the same prison. One day, Traude discovers Jenny's extraordinary talent for the instrument; she enrolls her in a contest, but will Jenny go through with it...

A most excellent casting.
Definitely a fascinating script, that makes sense from start to finish.
Great directing, by the same man who directed _The Lives of Others_ and _The Counterfeiters_, 2 other wonderful movies.

Definitely worth watching.


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funnier than expected

Posted : 1 year ago on 21 October 2008 09:26 (A review of Meet Bill)

I expected a totally lousy, ridiculous and stupid movie. So I was quite surprised to see that, despite the slow beginning, it turned out to be an enjoyable film with some great punchlines. ("You look like a Fruit Loop" has become one of my favorites...) Definitely funnier than I expected.
The acting wasn't really fantastic; no one gave a fabulous performance.
It's just a simple film that doesn't really have a point, but is nonetheless entertaining.
Overall, it's a good comedy worth watching once.


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surprisingly not bad

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 18 October 2008 07:40 (A review of 2 Days in the Valley)

Looking for a decent and funny suspense? With a great cast? And lots of subplots?
This is a good place to start.
The script was well written, even pretty funny at times.
The actors were well cast and deliver good performances.
Recommended to those who enjoy the genre.


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Lost Souls...

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 18 October 2008 07:36 (A review of Stories of Lost Souls)

This film actually consists of several shorts; each title contains the word lost and covers uninteresting lives.

I found this to be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Maybe I just needed a joint or a drink to actually go through this.
Most people will probably find it intellectual, challenging or psychologically interesting. It's not. It's pure boredom.


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a cute romantic comedy

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 12 October 2008 01:52 (A review of Made of Honor)

Tom Bailey (Dempsey) has been friends with Hannah (Monaghan) for several years. By the time he realizes he is in love with her, she is returning from a trip in Scotland during which she met ... the man she's about to marry. After requesting Tom be her maid of honor, Tom decides he will have to win her over.

In my opinion, Dempsey was not particularly well cast, however he still pulled it off. Monaghan is all right and so is the rest of the cast.

Although very cliché, this movie still has hilarious moments and is worth watching once.


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Sam Neill, Kiefer Sutherland, Natalie Portman, Jerry O'Connell, Julia Stiles, Rick Schroder, Lena Olin, Victor Garber, Matt Damon, Vincent Lindon, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Gil Bellows, Will Patton, Katherine Hepburn, Bradley Cooper, Chris O'Donnell, George Clooney, Robert Redford, Brad Garrett, Richard Burgi, Teri Hatcher, Judi Dench, Terry O'Quinn, Sophie Marceau, Jeff Bridges, Charlize Theron, Dennis Quaid, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Madsen, Minnie Driver, Julie LeBreton, Julie Deslauriers, Pierre Gendron, Lauren Graham, Jennifer Connelly, James Brolin, Renée Zellweger

Umberto Eco, Italo Calvino, Noam Chomsky, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Laurent Gaude

U2, Bon Jovi, Depeche Mode, Phil Collins, Smashing Pumpkins, Genesis, Duran Duran, Alannah Myles, Lara Fabian, Nek, Laura Pausini, Marc Lavoine, Pascal Obispo, Nicolas Peyrac