Archive for the Movies Category
I’m not sure why critics (in general) aren’t giving “The Kite Runner” higher ratings. For some reason metacritic.com only rates it at 60. IMDB rates it a little better at 7.6 (out of 10).
We loved this movie. It deals with some very serious and mature topics in the lives of one family - as well as the decline of Afghanistan under communist and Taliban rule. The actors were very well chosen and the adaptation from the novel to screen was handled very well. In fact, one aspect of the original novel’s plot (which I felt was heavy-handed and unnecessary) was dropped from the end of the movie and so maybe I even liked it better.
Another movie (now on DVD) I didn’t hear much about was Stardust. It hit the top of our Netflix queue and I was feeling a bit disappointed initially - until I saw it. This was one of the more creative and fun films I’ve seen in awhile. I’m a little bit surprised it hasn’t gotten more positive mention in the Bloggernacle - maybe I missed something. It reminded me (in a good way) of Princess Bride - but this movie is it’s own creature and in some ways I don’t like even making a comparison.
These are two movies that almost got past me because I paid too much attention to the critics.
It appears this animation movie was released in 2003, but I had never heard of it until this week. It’s probably the most original and unusual animation story-line I’ve ever seen. It’s a French movie, but there’s almost no dialogue. The drawings and animation basically tell the entire story.
If you haven’t seen it, give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
We watched this movie last night.
It’s about Sudanese refugee boys who flee for their lives to Ethiopia and then to Kenya. In Kenya they live in a refugee camp until some of them are given the opportunity to start a new life in the United States. It’s a powerful movie about some of the harsh realities in this world and how some very resilient people courageously make their way through the variety of challenges they face.
Those people you see in the films are not actors. They are actual participants in the events being described. It’s a wonderful film.
We went and saw this movie tonight and we loved it.
While some reviewers say the third film is the best of the series, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to take the step of drawing that conclusion. Each of the three films is excellent and this third one fits very well with the others. If you enjoyed the the Bourne Identity and the Bourne Supremacy, chances are you’ll really like the Bourne Ultimatum as well.
Before seeing the movie I read a bunch of reviews. Five or six critics loved the movie and rated it very highly. Only one was negative and for some reason he said he hated it. I suspect the one negative review had more to do with the critic not liking a certain kind of movie, rather than the movie itself being a problem.
I think this might be my favorite movie of the summer. Quality-wise, the only other summer movie I find comparable is Rescue Dawn. But that’s a different kind of show and the comparison probably isn’t all that helpful - except as a suggestion to go see that movie as well.