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kasilver50
My wife and I are parents of two children (an age 22 college grad (une jeune femme et un ange) and our son is a 19 year old college freshman (le whi est mon clone - ce sont ses conclusions; Je l'aime beaucoup; et il me rendra certainement fou). My wife is the design that our daughter used when becoming an angel (mes deserveds d'�pouse � �tre reated plus comme ange, cependant je suis d�ficient en ces sujets.[giveup]
And so I watch movies. Many, many movies. Seulement. But I work to find peace in my life and to be a good father and husband.
Reviews
Lucky You (2007)
Eric Bana and Robert Duvall make "Lucky You" work, but ...
If it were possible to divide the movie-going public into "poker lovers" and those who - while not "anti-gambling," might pass up a two-hour flick that is being sold as a movie about poker, you'd think there'd have to be two separate reviews of the movie. But you'd be wrong. There's something here for both.
That said, Eric Bana (as "Huck") and Robert Duvall (as J.C. Cheever), with solid, believable performances are the glue that makes this whole movie work. To avoid any "spoilers"... Bana and Duvall - both full-time gamblers, albeit from two different generations - create a chemistry that we've come to expect from Duvall, and prevent this from being "just another lukewarm poker story."
Then we meet Drew Barrymore, as sweet and attractive as ever, as "Billie Offer." Billie's just arrived in Vegas where she plans to stay with her older sister Suzanne (Debra Messing), where she dreams of finally starting a career as a nightclub singer. (Yawwwwn ... I mean, Wow!) When we first meet Billie, it's clear that big-sister Suzanne is intent on protecting Billie from all the "really bad stuff" that Vegas can hand out to the unwary - including Huck. But Barrymore's performance is inconsistent at best, and her character appears to have been poorly written. For example, first consider Billie's dialog and mannerisms in her earliest scenes (for example, when she's first hit on by Huck at a club); then fast-forward to her performance during the last 45 minutes of the movie: How did Billie somehow mature by about 6 years in two days? And how is it that her character is suddenly competing with the Dalai Lama in the world championship "words of wisdom" game show? (My money's on the monk.) I mean, hello-oo? Okay, could another actress have made Billie's character, as written, work better? A qualified "maybe."
Final thoughts: Poker lovers will definitely find a lot to like in "Lucky You." A non-Poker person myself, I actually got into the game itself. The strategies, insights, and portrayal of the game and the lifestyle that surrounds it rang true. And while the tension builds as our story moves toward it's climax - The World Championship of Poker - several of the world's best-known Texas Hold'Em tournament players actually join the cast at the tables.
With those qualifications, a good flick. Go see it.
Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
Truth in Advertising: Great Fun!
The movie's title is "Shoot 'Em Up!" And that's exactly what you get. Non-stop action. And non-stop shooting. Add a great performance by Paul Giammatti (in a rare, but deliciously despicable "bad guy" role as "Hertz") and Clive Owen as "Mr. Smith" playing the guy who'd prefer to just sit on a city bench, mind his own business, and eat his carrot--but is "forced" to intercede when he suspects an "injustice" is about to take place. If you like your flicks flavored "film noir," Owen plays out his "Mr. Smith" character a la Bruce Willis in his "Die Hard" and Tarantino roles. Smith single-handedly overcomes incessant firepower, approximately equal to that of the entire Allied force in Europe in WWII! And when I say "single-handedly," I mean "single-handedly"! In one scene, Owen (with one hand) serves as midwife in a successful childbirth, while simultaneously (this, with his other hand) whacking at least thirty (fifty?) "bad guys" intent on killing him, the pregnant woman--AND the newborn baby. And all this without suffering so much as a flesh wound! Terrific fun!
If you're hoping for an action movie with a Robert Ludlum-esquire (Bourne Trilogy) feel to it, characters who embody characteristics of real people you've known, or if you insist on a plot with even a limited basis in reality - skip this one. But for start-to-end action, a "noir-ish" feel to it, and a couple of good performances (and a *great* one by Giamatti), you just might get a kick out of "Shoot 'Em Up."
It's the kind of movie where you're sure you could slip out to grab a popcorn and catch back up to speed in no time. But, well, you just can't seem to leave! Anyway, I couldn't.