casey-99 Reviews

Atonement (2007)

Lovely to Look at

[6/10 · 2 January 2008]

I have mixed feeling about this movie. I tend to be a sentimental person so I enjoyed the love story very much. My husband (the logical one) did not. We both agreed that character development was a bit vague and there were a variety of story lines that never really seemed wrapped up. Joe Wright is brilliant, but he does not yet know how to tell a story clearly. He uses every trick in the movie directors book to dazzle just for the sake of it. Instead, it would be interesting to see him use his talent to really drive the story forward. I did have moments where I felt the director was saying "Look at this gorgeous scene, aren't I brilliant!". Yes, the 5 minute Dunkirk span is unbelievable, but why is it being done. Wright does it because he can. Branagh used this technique to show the actual battlefield sorrow and destruction in Henry V, thus he uses it with purpose. Anyhow, I digress. I give Mr. Wright huge credit for the performances he gets out of his actors. Keira Knightly has real acting chops and James MacAvoy keeps his momentum from Last King of Scotland going. Their scenes together are very strong and carry real tension. Ronan is very good as young Briony, but the real unsung hero of this film is Romola Garai who approaches a difficult portion of the material with real panache and emotion. She is a joy to watch. Even the supporting roles jump out at you. Of course Vanessa Redgrave takes a small part and makes it immensely emotional and powerful. I would see the movie just for the performances. All in all, it is worth seeing.

Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

Refreshing

[7/10 · 27 August 2007]

My husband and I took our two boys (ages 6 and 9) to this movie. We are avid Bean fans and have the DVD set that spans Atkinson's career as Mr. Bean. Is Mr. Bean's Holiday the greatest comedy ever? Probably not. However, as a parent I find it very difficult to take my boys to movies and this was one of the few times where I actually felt we were at a family picture. When was the last time a movie was rated G? My boys had a wonderful time watching the site gags, and they followed along with the subtitles, which I thought was good for them. My husband and I had a fun time and unlike many children's movies, there was no sarcastic attitude, which I find is so prevalent in films right now. Some people have cited that they felt Mr. Bean's relationship to a child in the movie was inappropriate, but I did not get that vibe from the film. Also, Atkinson has used children in his Bean skits for years, always with funny results. I think people may read too much into it. Remember, Bean is pretty much a boy himself. While I think an adult who has no familiarity with Bean may find it all rather ridiculous, this is good family fare that parents can feel comfortable with. As I tell my boys, sometimes it is just fun to be silly.

Chicken Little (2005)

Enjoyable

[7/10 · 29 October 2005]

I took my two sons, 7 and 5 to a preview this morning of Chicken Little. It was good. Not great, not terrible, but good (I'll be a bit naughty and say we enjoyed Wallace and Gromit more). Anyhow, the story is sweet, about children connecting with parents and believing in each other no matter what. There are several characters that the children thought were hilarious such as Runt of the Litter pig and Fish out of Water. The film overall was very funny and I heard my kids giggling throughout. For parents who have children who get scared easily, the aliens may be be a bit much, but in the end they are not as scary as we thought. I do think Pixar did it better, but seeing Chicken Little is a perfectly fine way to spend a weekend afternoon. Enjoy

Madagascar (2005)

A very cute movie

[7/10 · 1 June 2005]

My husband and I just took the kids (2 boys ages 7 and 4) to see this movie and we had a very fun time. I do not think you can rank this movie with the kinds of entertainment coming out of Pixar, but Madagascar has a lot to offer. The story was a little weak, but the quality of the animation was very impressive. The scenes of New York and Madgascar were very intricate in their detail and gave the movie a lot of atmosphere. The kids enjoyed the characters which were voiced very well by various celebrities. We particularly enjoyed the scenes with the penguins, who pretty much steal the movie. Lemurs were very cute also. This movie is not "Finding Nemo", but our family had a very nice afternoon and it is a high quality movie for kids. Have fun!

Romeo and Juliet (1968)

A lovely rendering of Shakespeare

[9 November 2004]

Truly one of the best films ever created of Shakespeare's plays. While in today's MTV - short attention span world this film may seem boring, in 1968 this film was revolutionary (I am not prejudice since I am in the MTV generation). Until this time R&J had been played by much older actors, since it was assumed they could understand Shakespeare's language. In 1968, Franco Z. gives us actors the actual age of Shakespeare's lead characters and they can act. Add to that stunning sets, costumes and music, the result is a moving artistic creation. The performances are superb, my personal favorites being Michael York's Tybalt and Milo O'Shea's the Friar. The language can be difficult and the action plotting, but one has to have patience when devoting attention to Shakespeare's plays, acted or read. Enjoy!

Peter Pan (2003)

Charming

[8/10 · 19 September 2004]

A charming family film that stays pretty close to the feeling the author Barrie was trying to create. The original Peter Pan book is a bit dark compared to the Disney Peter Pan. Hogan manages to capture some of the darker moments and complex themes, but still engage children with visual splendor and wonderful special effects. I love that they went back to the stage version in that the same actor (Jason Isaacs) plays both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. His portrayal of Hook is nothing short of perfect based on the Barrie description. Charm and evil wrapped in the same package. Beautiful musical score also. It is very nice to have a film that you can watch with your children and not feel ashamed about. Getting more rare in this day and age. Happy viewing.