Change Your Image
honkycat97
Reviews
The Hunger Games (2012)
A Terrible Interpretation of What Was an Excellent Book
First of all, whoever was in charge of casting should never work again. Just about everyone cast was wrong for the part--with the exceptions of Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Donald Suthlerland as President Snow, and Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark was all wrong. In the novel, Peeta was handsome, very blonde and blue-eyed. I am sure he was taller than Katniss, too. He was also brave, considerate, strong in deeds as well as heart. Hutcherson plays Peeta as a whiny little (and I mean "little") troll. Jennifer Lawrence was equally offensive as Katniss. Again, all wrong! Katniss was dark, mysterious, attractive, but hollowed from hunger. In fact, hunger seems to be present only in the title here, not in the story line. Why not just call it "The Hollywood Games"?
Well, I thought that I could overlook the casting gaffes, and just watch the movie. "Perhaps it will work anyway," I thought to myself. In this, I was the one who was all wrong. The movie missed all of the important aspects of the book, and dumbed it down drastically to reel in more moviegoers by giving it a PG-13 rating. The book was most definitely not for kids. What a terrible disappointment this movie was.
Mad Men (2007)
If You Are Paying to View Season 6, Don't
Don is a bigger scumbag than ever. Pete is even more annoying and hateful. Peggy is still whining, unhappy, and unfulfilled. By now, all of this is very tiresome. I stopped watching after season 6, episode 3.
The only good thing was Joan's retort after that fat client from Jaguar said to her "I'm sure there's a part of you that misses me." She said, without missing a beat, "And I'm sure there's a part of you that you haven't seen in years." I love Joan. She is the only character worth watching.
Mad Men has gone the way of so many other excellent TV shows before it. I noticed that with "Weeds," "Six Feet Under," "The Sopranos," and others, that they lost excellence after the third season. Guess it's time for me to search around for something else. Any ideas, readers?
Le Hérisson (2009)
Josiane Balasko is a Gem!
This is the very finest movie I have seen in years! Josiane Balasko, as The Hedgehog/Concierge/Mme. Michel was nothing short of magnificent. I loved that the little girl, Paloma, actually "got" Mme. Michel right away, although others did not see her for who she really was. The Hedgehog ends up saving three lives,including that of a goldfish, in the end. Her unconventional looks provided the perfect foil for anyone who thinks a hero must be dashing and handsome.
On another note, I am suffering from advanced, inoperable cancer. This movie took me away from the pain for a while, and transported me back into life again. Thank you, Mme. Balasko, for making me believe in you.
Waging War on Cancer with Paula Zahn: Cancer Pain: Easing the Agony (2008)
A Disgusting Way to Earn a Dollar
Shame on you for charging such outlandish prices for "Waging War on Cancer." Are you aware of the fact that this disease also wages war on one's pocketbook, and that we can no longer afford the luxury of spending $780 for this so-called "help"? I am very sick, and in pain, as are many others suffering from this terrible disease. You should offer these films as a public service, not as profit for your greedy selves. This is a flagrant example of corporate profit at its very worst. Others, who are at a more advanced stage than I, will not be able to express their outrage. I am speaking for all of them. You disgust me!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Definitely the Worst Adaptation of the Book
I really miss director Chris Columbus. This version of the Harry Potter books was a tremendous disappointment. The house elves, important to the story, were left out of the movie altogether. The development of the other Triwizard Champions was severely limited. While I cried over the death of Cedric in the book, the movie version was hardly emotional at all, since Cedric was portrayed as a minor character, and not adequately explained. Same thing with Fleur and Viktor. They were both very minor in this adaptation. We did not get to know them or care about them, at all.
The story, although admittedly dark, did not have to be almost totally shot in the dark. It was hard to see, and rather annoying. Also, the fate of Neville's parents was parenthetical, and easy to miss. And where was Ludo Bagman, who was also an important part of this chapter?
Thumbs way down on this one. I really hope Mike Newell was NOT selected to direct subsequent Harry Potter films. He was a terrible choice for this.
An Intimate Friendship (2000)
Shot Like a Bad Porn Film
This was just a terrible movie. The acting, direction and dialogue was so poor that I expected something pornographic to happen at any second and even that would have been a relief from the tedium of this film. I had hoped, by the title, that this would be a decent lesbian love story. It was more like a bad parody on "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". There was no chemistry between any of the characters and the story just fell flat. In more competent hands, this may have been an OK film, but as the previous user pointed out, it looks as if it was a bad student film project. Avoid this--even if you see it on a bargain shelf, like I did. In the future, I will try to research movies of this nature before I rent them. This was a total waste of time and money.
A Little Night Music (1977)
Absolutely Awful!
I was so excited to see a film adaptation of A Little Night Music, but grew suspicious when I saw that Elizabeth Taylor is in it. Don't get me wrong, I love Elizabeth, but a musical actress she is definitely not. I tried to watch this disastrous movie and then just decided to skip to "Send in the Clowns" which about an hour and 45 minutes into the picture. I thought that, at least, would redeem it. Elizabeth sings this in the absolute worst version (bar none) that I have ever heard.
Please don't waste your money on buying or renting this film. It was worse than the film version of A Chorus Line and, up until now, I thought that was the worst adaptation of a musical.
I am so very disappointed.