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More Than a Game
Directed by Kristopher Belman.
2009. Rated PG, 100 minutes.
Cast:
LeBron James
Sian Cotton
Dru Joyce III
Willie McGee
Romeo Travis
Dru Joyce II
Plot: We follow what would become known as "The Akron Fab Five" on their journey from when they played for the same AAU basketball team as middle-schoolers through their senior year together on the St. Vincent-St. Mary high school team.
The Good: It's a well put together documentary that uses LeBron James as the bait to get us in. It does involve him quite a bit, but it also gives us much more. Learning of the relationships between the players with each other and their coaches is a real treat. We really get a feel for the maturation process each of the players underwent. To that end, the filmmakers do a good job not allowing the movie to become all about King James, thus relegating the others to sidekick status. Instead, we really get to know all the guys and understand what makes them tick. Still, LeBron is at the center of one of the most intriguing storylines. That one, details the growing pains he goes through and the way scrutiny around him increases and affects him once his first Sports Illustrated hits the newsstands. The other is a complex struggle between point guard Dru Joyce III and the coach, who happens to be his dad and namesake. Both try to compartmentalize their relationship into two sections: father/son and coach/player. Watching it play out is intriguing and occasionally unsettling. Finally, there is plenty of game footage mixed in.
The Bad: The first thing that jumps out at us is the fact none of the guys are ever interviewed together. It would've been interesting to watch them interact with one another in a current setting and see if that chemistry between them remains. Second, we never meet anyone who's really open to admitting negative reactions about the team in general, or LeBron in particular. After all, not only was he suspended for accepting gifts but it was a high school team that played a schedule that required travel all over the country, often during the school week. No one rode the high horse to warn us of those sorts of evils. Yes, we've heard it all before but it feels strangely absent. Also, let's not forget this is the team that made it okay for regular season high school basketball to show up on national TV. However, not one ESPN personality showed up to comment on how they felt about what was going on. I would love to hear what Dick Vitale or Jay Bilas thought when they were given the assignment of covering these games or how they felt after getting an up close glimpse of the future in a young, unpolished LeBron.
The Ugly: The local reporter shouting at LeBron "Hey, how 'bout a ride in that Hummer?"
Recommendation: I'm pretty sure you already know if you want to see this or not
The Opposite View: Nick Schager, Time Out New York
What the Internet Says: 7.4/10 on imdb.com (2/25/10), 73% on rottentomatoes.com, 59/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 7.5/10Comment
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I swear to God, these reviews just keep getting worse and worse. Giving a movie a demerit because it DOESN'T have Dick Vitale in it? Lemme guess, did you give Blue Chips a 10/10 score?
Here is what Dick Vitale thought..."I just talked to Jon Scheyer, and he said that he liked to eat pizza. Now that I think about it, PIZZA IS AWESOME BABY!!!"Comment
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thanked for In Bruges.Originally posted by RickyComment
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lmao! But no, didn't give Blue Chips a '10' and the "demerit" was much more for the other stuff in that section, not specifically for Dickie V's absence, but point taken on his rambling and way over the top nature. However, you forgot that he would note how Duke is a legit national title contender and Coach K is the best coach to ever roam the sidelines.
Thanx...BTW, I reviewed In Bruges here. See the first post in this thread for a list of & links to all the reviews here.Originally posted by RickyLast edited by dell71; 02-26-2010, 03:35 PM.Comment
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The Proposal
Directed by Anne Fletcher.
2009. Rated PG-13, 108 minutes.
Cast:
Sandra Bullock
Ryan Reynolds
Betty White
Mary Steenburgen
Craig T. Nelson
Denis O'Hare
Malin Akerman
Oscar Nunez
Plot: When book editor Margaret Tate (Bullock) learns she is about to be deported to Canada she forces her assistant Andrew (Reynolds) to marry her so that she may remain in the United States.
The Good: Along the way, there are several gags that are genuinely funny. Usually, these involve either Betty White, as Andrew's "gammie" who is about to turn 90 years old, or the local everything Ramon (Nunez). White exhibits the gift for comic timing that's served her well over the years and is helped by the fact that her character has the best lines. As Ramon, Nunez is over the top as an easily detestable pest of a man. However, he seems to derive such joy from his antics that we occasionally get caught up in the madness.
The Bad: The story is a complete paint-by-numbers rom-com. To say it's easily predictable is an understatement. Nothing that has any bearing on the outcome of the story happens at all. If you don't agree, you've probably never sat through a movie before. There was also one thing we got too much of and another of which we got not enough. The Ramon character falls into the too much category. He's one of those movie characters that holds hundreds of jobs in a small town because, well, it's small and no one else could possibly work there (yes, italicized for sarcasm). True, he has some funny moments but in the end, it's overkill. On the not enough side there is the power struggle between Margaret and a colleague she tries to fire. More of this could've added to her anxiety and gave us some splashy arguments with tension different from the sexual one the rest of the movie is built on.
The Ugly: The "easter-egg" hunt.
Recommendation: It's not quite the blemish on cinematic history some have made it out to be. That said, it's completely unremarkable. Aside from the fact that Sandra Bullock, who has a squeaky clean and bordering on virginal image, does an almost-nude scene, there's nothing to separate it from the thousands of other chick-flicks that have come before. So, if rom-coms are your thing...or your significant other's thing...go for it. If not, don't worry. It's another movie that you've seen, even if you haven't seen it.
The Opposite View: Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times
What the Internet Says: 6.8/10 on imdb.com (2/26/10), 43% on rottentomatoes.com, 48/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 4.5/10Comment
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lol do you watch movies even though you know they're gonna be horrible?Comment
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Hey Dell, have you given a review for Tron? I saw it on TV the other night, and I forgot how weird it was. I believe it was the first Disney movie to have a PG rating.
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