donta49001

I just saw "Of Human Bondage" for the first time a few days ago and WOW! What a mysterious and almost spooky film. I loved how the music went with the pace of each step of Philip's feet. It gave me the chills for some reason...

One of the greatest aspects of this film is that you get to see Bette Davis coming into herself right before your eyes. She's great, not necessarily because this is her best work, but because it was so out of the ordinary to be so vicious, gritty, and unflinching as an actress in 1934... Bette was a risk taker, always wanting to be different and this is right about when she started to realize that she could be as nasty and daring as she wanted and people would love her for it. If you're a true lover of film, it's amazing to see...

She just had a way of delivering a line that made the part, and the film for that matter, belong to her. Like "A mass of music and fire. That's me...an old kazoo and some sparklers" or "But you are Blanche, you are in that chair!" or "WITH ALL MY HEART, I STILL LOVE THE MAN I KILLED!!"... Those are from a few of her films, but you get my drift. She was just so brave, sassy, and exotic looking with those beautiful big eyes. After seeing this, I can't believe it was remade twice...

Leslie Howard was gorgeous...so calm and persistent, needing to be loved. I thought he was adorable and couldn't understand how everyone wasn't falling for him, but then again, everyone was...except Mildred. He did a great job...

The only thing that I didn't like was something that was common with the writing in the early films. They'd make a character so hateful that it's almost unbelievable that someone would actually fall for them in the first place. The performances were great, but in real life, Philip would have never been interested in Mildred. That's just the simple truth... See it!!

This is one of the most honest and HAUNTING films that I have ever seen. What a story!! This is the type of film making and the type of performances and the type of writing that you can't really say much about, as it's hard to find the words to describe them...or you just don't know where to start...

All of the performances were great. Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams were definitely on point with very accurate portrayals of women in their situations...but obviously, this is Heath and Jake's film...

They are so amazing as the LEADS (don't know why Jake has been made supporting) as Ennis and Jack. I was just in love with both of the characters for their bravery and, most of all, their love. They both give the performances of their life...and everything they do from now on will be compared to this film. Jake was shamefully snubbed, not receiving a Golden Globe nomination. I hope the same thing doesn't happen come SAG and Oscar time...

Just to let you know, if you don't already, this is a story about love...ridiculous, undying, unabashed, uncompromising, indescribable, REAL love. It is such a revelation and a breath of fresh air for PEOPLE in general today, let alone a gay man like myself. Make sure you are confident in the love that you have for your partner, if you have one, as this will make you think and LONG for that kind of love...

What a heart-breaking and AMAZING film! Thank you, E. Annie Proulx, Larry McMurtry, and Ang Lee!!

It seems to me that, as I read through the reviews for this film, all of the users who enjoyed the film have specific reasons why, but the ones who did not enjoy the film don't give any real reasoning. I don't understand...

I absolutely LOVE this film. As a writer, it is the epitome of what I would want my name associated with in this industry. I can't help but think that most of the bad reviews of this film come from people who live the type of life that it somewhat parodies (i.e. "I live in the perfect town, with a perfect house, and a perfect career, and a perfect child")... I know so many of these "perfect" people and guess what...they don't like "American Beauty". To them it's "weird" or "inaccurate" or "pretentious". Now, I understand that some people just don't like because, well, they just don't like it and that's fine...but most "American Beauty" haters fall into the other category...

Top notch acting, top notch writing, and top notch directing does not make for a bad film. It makes for a MASTERPIECE! Kevin Spacey is outstanding as Lester. I haven't liked him more in anything that he did before or has done after this film... Annette Bening is so brilliant that I don't even know how to describe it in words, my GOODNESS she's good! "and I marvel that you can be so contemptuous of me on the same day that you LOSE YOUR JOB!!" LOL! LOL! She is AMAZING! All of the supporting cast is magnificent, especially Chris Cooper, Wes Bentley, and Allison Janney...

This the reality of what some people consider the "good life" and I LOVE that Alan Ball wrote something that spits right in the face of all that phoniness. LOVE THIS FILM!

I saw "Broken Flowers" yesterday at a campus theatre here in Michigan and I loved it. It was a very quiet film, but beautiful....and funny! Bill Murray was amazing as Don Johnston, an over the hill "Don Juan" on a very confusing journey with an unknown destination. I would MUCH MUCH rather him be Oscar nominated for this, rather than "Lost in Translation"...which means the Academy probably wont recognize him. He gives a very affective performance, showing the type of emotion and talent that you rarely see from him on screen...really something to see...

Jeffrey Wright was wonderful as always and all the ex's really hit their marks, the brilliant Tilda Swinton, Frances Conroy, and Jessica Lange especially....not to take anything from Sharon Stone or Chloë Sevigny who were also good.

This was a very interesting look at a man who once "had it all" examining his life and feeling a bit like he's two minutes too late...unfortunate and painful, but true. VERY good film!

I've been reading a lot of the other reviews and simply do not understand the negativity... I saw "Shopgirl" this weekend and it was FANTASTIC!!! I didn't really go in with any particular expectations, but I was pulled in immediately by the atmosphere and reality of the film. I've heard some people talking about the story being unrealistic, but that is what I loved the most....the realness. As a dramatic writer, I am extremely critical of shiny, big budget, unrealistic, rhetoric and jargon being thrown together and called a film.....but this was an honest and true to life film about love, lust, life, ignorance, and loss.

There are Mirabelle's in just about every department store on earth and things like this REALLY DO happen to them. I happen to know a couple Mirabelle's... People just don't write about them because they are looked at as the uninteresting part of life. I personally think that people like that, who DON'T think they have all the answers, make the world go round...

Claire Danes was absolutely amazing in this role. I've always known that she was going to be an Oscar nominated/winning actor and the time has come with this film. I would bet a lot of money that she will get a slew of nominations/awards, including an Oscar nod, for this film. Her performance is subtle and deep...no screaming and really physical stuff, but it is beautifully affective. I simply loved watching her in it! Steve Martin was very good...and interesting in this role, as I have never seen him in anything like this before. His seriousness and emptiness made me hate and love his character at the same time, which is what I'm always looking for a character to do...move me! As did Jason Schwartzman, who was so adorable that I just couldn't take it. I hope that he gets some recognition for his efforts.

All in all, a VERY realistic film, AMAZING performances, and a beautiful soundtrack... Loved this film!!!

It's interesting; when a film is this good, you can't say much without overdoing it... I will say this, as a writer, this is almost the epitome of what I want my name to be associated with...Wow! What a film...what a story...and what PERFORMANCES!! The thing that is so amazing about this film is the performances and writing. The actors do a magnificent job of playing these parts that were written to be performed by physically beautiful people. They portray these characters who know, on some level, that they are beautiful, whether they'd admit it or not, and it shows...

Julia Roberts, who I love, gives the performance of a lifetime, in that this is outside of ANYTHING that she has ever done. She is so human in this role that it cracks you up to see her play with the character of Dan, and then it breaks your heart to see her admit her faults to Larry. What a performance!!

Jude Law's Dan is like so many other silently conceited men in the world. He is basically saying, "I'm not confident...even though I'm leaving this gorgeous woman who needs me for another gorgeous woman who doesn't, knowing that if the new one doesn't work out, I can always have the other one back who is completely infatuated with me." This is why he cannot wrap his brain around losing her in the end. He does this so well. What a performance!!

Clive Owen is just....MY GOSH....he is so sexy and hateful and gritty and nasty.....and I LOVE IT!!! His Oscar nomination was so well deserved. Everything down to his sly smile and posture was perfect. What a performance!!

How can I accurately describe Natalie Portman in this film? She was so deliciously good and SEXY in this film that you could just poor gravy all over her and sop her up with a biscuit........and that's coming from a gay man. I came out of theatre after seeing this a knew that if anyone was getting an Oscar nomination, it was her. Her Alice is so honestly and beautifully longing for realness and terrified of it at the same time. Seeing her in this made me realize that this will only be the first in a slew of awards and nominations throughout her career. What a performance!!

I actually saw the stage play of "Closer" last week and didn't realize that Alice gets hit by a car in New York and dies in the end. The movie somewhat hints at this in the end when she walks right into the street while the "Don't Walk" sign is lit, but it's VERY subtle... At any rate the play didn't do much for me... All in all, a fantastic film with brilliant performances. Definitely a love story for adults.

I own this VHS, which I found on eBay for like $5.00... I had no idea what a treasure I was receiving. I was looking for it because I will watch anything with Maggie Smith in it, and also because she won the Best Actress British Academy Award for it.

Maggie is in the top 3 of my favorite actresses. You give her a good role and she will just knock your socks off. She has mastered comedy and drama in a way that I haven't quite seen before. She does not play the role of Judith in this film. She IS Judith Hearne in all her depressing, desperate, lonely, and passionate glory. I could've cried my eyes out at her devastation over the spilling of the whiskey....and that's all I'm giving away. She simply reaches through the screen, grabs your heart, and rips it out of your chest. There is NO WAY you can see this film and not feel SOMETHING. It is one of the best, if not THE BEST performance by a female actor recorded.....and I've seen a lot of films.

I have no idea how this was missed by the Oscars, with practically zero money-making films like "Monster", "Monster's Ball", "Vera Drake", and "Million Dollar Baby" being recognized for the performances and not the commercial success now-a-days. Maggie's performance CRUSHED the nominees that year and the winner (Cher for "Moonstruck")... Find this, buy it, or something. My GOSH if you love a great performance, you just have to see this film!! You won't be sorry.

I feel as if I'm torn....in that I absolutely love Kathy Bates. She is and amazing actor with a superior ability to transform and project emotions. She did this in "Misery" and in "Fried Green Tomatoes" and of course in "Dolores Claiborne". She is very effective as Dolores, a woman whose been hardened over years of work, abuse, and loneliness. You can honestly feel the years of pain coming from her...

I needed to say what I did in that last paragraph because I didn't want to take anything away from Kathy, but the performance that I was most impressed by was that of Judy Parfitt. I COULD NOT take my eyes off of her. She is absolutely OUTSTANDING as Vera Donovan!! It reminds me of Angela Lansbury's performance in the original "The Manchurian Candidate", when you're just waiting for another scene with her in it. Judy dominates every scene that she is in and you're thinking about her when she's not in one. When she is explaining to Dolores how "husbands die every day" after she finds out about Dolores' home life, it is heartbreaking and almost terrifying how convicted she is about the subject. She is really something to see in this film as a younger socialite and as a bitter old woman who is longing to die. How she was not recognized by the Academy with a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination/award is beyond me.

Oddly, Jennifer Jason Leigh, who I usually love, was quite irritating to me in this film....not a bad job necessarily, just not an effective one. On the other hand, David Strathairn was brilliantly disgusting as the abusive, in SO MANY ways, husband and father...

I love this film and just about all the performances, but Judy Parfitt is the reason why I can watch it over and over and over...

I have to start by saying that I absolutely love older movies and this has become one of my favorites. I saw "All About Eve" like 10 years ago, but as I am only 24 years old, well, you do the math. Suffice to say, although I liked it, I didn't quite understand it the way that I do now as an adult.....and I imagine I'll understand it even more in another decade and so on and so on...

Bette Davis is MAGNIFICENT in this film. Though I am a Bette Davis fan, I am also a very tough critic, as I am a writer of screenplays and novels. I cannot say that I agree with all of Bette's Oscar nominations, in that a good few of them were given based on the popularity of the film and, well, because she was Bette Davis. I can't say enough about her performance in this film though...

I think that the character of Margo worked so well for her because it hit so close to home. She was 42 and Margo was 40, She was a talented aging actress and so was Margo, etc. etc.... I love that the film is equally dramatic as it is comedic and Bette captured it so well. I don't want to spoil the film by any means, but look for the equally heart-breaking and hilarious scene titled "Coming Unglued" on the DVD. This is still during the time in the film where Margo is the only one that is on to Eve's plan. Just look for Bette, standing on the stage and swinging her purse back & fourth, screaming at the play-write, "You may change this star any time you want, for a new, and fresh, and exciting one, fully equipped with fire and music. Anytime you want, starting with tonight's performance." It is amazing!! Anne Baxter as Eve is amazing as well and I just live for the moment in the film where she stupidly laughs in Addison's (George Sanders) face and he slaps her back into reality...LOVE IT! Celest Holme is also great. Her performance is very real. I don't think that she get the credit that she should, as she never over-acts, but still gets her point across...

It's a wonderful film with wonderful performances, but to me, it's "All about Bette"...

First of all, please don't be turned away by the title of my review, as this was an amazing remake of "The Lion in Winter". For some reason I wasn't even going to comment on the film, which is weird for me and my big mouth, but I had to reply to the first review that I read from "Tom Mack"....who said that in comparison to Katharine Hepburn, Glenn Close is an actor and Hepburn is a "movie star"?? Are you kidding me??? Don't get me wrong, Glenn Close is an amazing performer and her performance in this remake only reiterated that fact. Her emotional depth is always on point and I have never been disappointed in her talent and performance even if the film wasn't that great.

But to compare her to Katarine Hepburn is asinine. A "movie star"?? Maybe you didn't see the original "The Lion in Winter", for which she won the Oscar for, or "Long Day's Journey Into Night" or "Suddenly Last Summer" or "On Golden Pond" for that matter... This is the same actor who NEVER attended a single Academy Award ceremony, just to avoid the "movie star" crap. The same award for which she was only nominated for lead acting roles, has won the most awards in history, and had the most nominations until recently. Please please please give her the credit and respect that she deserves. Glenn Close even stated that she was terrified to play the role because she had to follow-up Katharine's unbelievable performance and has stated on many occasions that Hepburn was/is her biggest inspiration for getting into the industry.

At any rate, the remake was wonderfully made, performances were amazing, especially Glenn Close's. She continues to amaze me....but as for comparisons to Katharine, please don't do that. I mean my gosh, it's Katharine Hepburn for goodness sake... Thanx for reading :o)

Okay so it was definitely no the epic that it was hiped-up to be in all of the months before it's release.....but people are trashing it like it's the worst movie ever made. I honestly don't think it was THAT bad. I don't really think that it was bad at all, just not spectacular.

The performances weren't Oscar worthy, but some of them were good, especially Colin Ferrell and Jared Leto. Those are two damn-good actors and I don't care what ANYONE says. All of their scenes together were very good, whether you can tolerate the "gay" factor or not, you can't deny the realness of their relationship.

I think that Angelina Jolie was pretty good, not as believable as I would expect from such a talented actress, but pretty good. Also, she DID age, to whoever said that she didn't. She sure doesn't have all those crows feet and gray hairs, that she had at the end of the movie, in real life. And as far as her being close in age with Colin, let's not act like Angela Lansbury didn't give a magnificent, Oscar nominated, performance as the mother of Laurence Harvey, who is only 3 years younger than her, in the original "The Manchurian Candidate". Of course Angelina's performance can't even come close to Angela's, but the age thing is doable.

My bottom line is that it wasn't this years best, but it was MOST DEFINITELY not this years worst. I enjoyed it for the most part, with special accolades to Colin Ferrell, Jared Leto, and the always brilliant Anthony Hopkins... Good movie, not great, but Good movie!!