jeansheridan Reviews

Parade's End (2012)

Delightful

[8/10 · 12 October 2014]

No spoilers here at all! I love Rebecca Hall and I enjoy Cumberbatch a lot, so together in a film? Dreamy. This is the same era as the first season of Downton Abbey, but the tone is vastly different. Much funnier and drier, which suits Cumberbatch. What doesn't suit him is the blond hair! Rebecca Hall has the same issue too. What were they thinking? I'm not sure why they wanted Cumberbatch to look like Dan Savage or James Wilby, but there you go. Not a good look. And Rebecca Hall usually has glorious dark hair. The light reddish color doesn't suit at all. I know this is minor complaint because the performances are fantastic, but it was very distracting.

In short, a smart mini-series with a smart writer and smart actors. What's not to love?

Adoration (2013)

Faith adaptation of Doris Lessing's novella

[7/10 · 29 March 2014]

I'm not surprised that mostly male critics panned this movie. Some of them were kind enough to call it well made trash. One reviewer said it had nothing in common with Doris Lessing's story and that reviewer clearly had not read the story in a very long time.

The movie exactly captures the feel of the novella. The beachy, cozy environment, the exclusiveness of these two families, the deep friendship between the women ...it's all in the novella. The sex is in the novella too, just not graphic, but it's clearly there.

This movie is a mood piece just like the novella. A glimpse into a very specific group of people. A bit of a "what if" in my opinion.

The novella has an equally ambivalent ending. I think it's a bit more downbeat than the movie, but still worth a read. She is one of the great feminist writers of the twentieth century. And it's a highly readable story. It's just all so cozy and seductive.

A Buddy Story (2010)

A bit frustrating

[4/10 · 29 May 2012]

The movie starts well and the setting (Tri-State area, I think) was good. It was refreshing to see a movie about working class people that wasn't ABOUT being working class. But the dialog after a while just became too contrived and over written. Elizabeth Moss is good at playing a slightly dim person (spacey might be a better word for her), but the script just gets stereotypical and dull. People start saying wacky things that no one would EVER say in real life, just in movie life. It ruins the realistic vibe. Okay, two more lines! IMDb likes filler apparently. Oksy the two leads have a nice chemistry together and decent singing voices.

Ninja Assassin (2009)

So much fun!

[9/10 · 1 December 2009]

I went in with low expectations and a desire to see Rain, whom I had only seen playing a goof-ball in Full House. I also loved V is for Vendetta, so I had some hope it would look good.

There's an action scene every five minutes and the "plot" pretty much holds together. All the actors were better than I expected other than the girl at the ninja compound who was beyond wooden (and ironically her perfect Valley Girl accent made her sound even worse than Rain's slightly stilted English).

Basically if you like Rain and you like action scenes without a ton of special effects, this is your movie. If you like hot guys who clearly "killed" themselves to get in shape for this movie, you'll like this film. He's a total charmer too, although I think he's got more humor in him. He had a nice comic touch in Full House, but this wasn't the right movie to showcase that side of him.

April Snow (2005)

Very satisfying

[8/10 · 11 November 2008]

Yes, it's a bit like Random Hearts and I guess In the Mood for Love, but I liked the realism of it. I liked that they had a reason to stay near each other because their spouses needed tending (best looking coma victims, ever!). I like a bit of logic in my romances.

I really enjoyed the lead actress. In the few Korean movies I've seen, the lead actresses always seem too done-up (hair, make-up, perfect clothes and shoes). This actress was just a bit messier and a bit more average in her appearance, which made her all the more attractive. I could relate to her numb anger. She's mad, but she also has an ill husband to watch over. I like too that she's the one who approaches the other man first. That she reaches out and doesn't stay all locked up in her grief. I hope I can find more movies she's been in.

My favorite moment at the very beginning is when she spots the condom in the basket and just freezes and knows. She just knows in that instant. And he just grabs it to hide it away.

It was romantic without going over the top. Very cool.

The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

Good movie for fans

[8/10 · 6 August 2008]

I just saw this in a nearly empty theater. There were only three other people at the showing so nobody else did a happy dance with me when I found out how Mulder and Scully have been spending their time these past few years.

As a stand-alone movie, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a good creepy thriller and I was worried about the women who were captured. I think they hit all the (good) familiar notes from the best episodes of the early seasons.

I do think the writers/producers failed to make the movie relevant to nowadays. This was definitely an epilogue to a mostly wonderful show with characters I really did care about. I'm glad everyone involved got to leave on a high-note.

Jane Eyre (1997 TV Movie)

Hinds and Morton lack chemistry

[5/10 · 19 April 2007]

I usually like Samantha Morton, but her blankness didn't serve her well as Jane Eyre. She seemed too passive as well. Hinds just overwhelmed her (and maybe that was their point because the character does do that in the book ...at first).

I really thought they lacked any kind of sexual energy however and Hinds was generally too gruff and wild. Of course I've just seen him in Rome. He's an amazing actor and able to play "big" very well. But when you play a romantic lead, it's the little details that count. He came off more as a bully than a man desperate to find love and redemption.

Of course, any performance is better than William Hurt's! Shudder. Rochester should never, ever be played by a fair-haired man. Unless Daniel Craig decides to play him. Against Keira Knightly! Just teasing.

Brick (2005)

Such a satisfying crime/mystery film!

[10/10 · 21 May 2006]

The lead actor was amazing, but the true genius is the writer/ director. He never falters in his tone. Yeah, there's some purple prose, but it's noir! Wonderful, glorious noir. And it was cool to see Elija Woods looking somewhat healthy again. And he really did make good use of the Southern California setting. Much better than Murder by Numbers.

And if you liked this, really, really liked it, treat yourself to Season One of Veronica Mars. You'll get at least twenty hours of tough-as-nails noir, but not as stylized. And there are a few bad episodes, but you'll like it. It's not Nancy Drew meets Buffy like some critics said.

Swimming (2000)

If you liked "Ruby in Paridise" or "Whatever" see this film.

[7/10 · 14 July 2003]

More coming of age films should be like this one. This is a character study and the screenplay doesn't follow a neat, easy plot. The actors look real (Joelle Carter is gorgeous, but realistically pretty, not glossy) and the dialog sounds like real conversations. Not much happens but the movie isn't that long. And of course Lauren Ambrose is terrific in a pre-SFU role. She still has that watchful quality, but she's not nearly as sarcastic as Claire.

The movie does look cheap unfortunately and sometimes the lighting and sound sucks. That's my only big complaint.

Eyeball Eddie (2001)

Quality film

[8/10 · 6 June 2002]

This is a really well made short film. Good lighting, good sound, excellent performances. The director made the most of her budget. The eyeball make-up looked great (and realistic). And it played out like a really good short story ...no extra padding, every scene had a point. Not all stories need 90 minutes to be told. I just wish more short films were available. Michael Rosenbaum fans will be happy too since he has plenty of shirtless scenes and he gets to play the fratboy ass character he can probably do in his sleep. I sort of wish he had made more little movies like this instead of getting stuck in a Smallville contract. I think the lead actor was in Freaks and Geeks too, but I'm not positive.

Murder by Numbers (2002)

Good actor showcase, okay plot

[7/10 · 30 April 2002]

Ryan Gosling has a ton of charisma. He was excellent in "The Believer" and really charming/sleazy in this film. Michael Pitt generated a lot of sympathy as a squeamish would-be murderer. Sandra Bullock once again plays a closed off woman, which I really enjoy. The script grounds her nastiness and angst with a genuinely creepy back-story. Ben Chaplin is eye-candy (and why is that a bad thing?).