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by Sarah Star

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Archive for November, 2005

30/November/2005 [4:41 PM] -- Walk The Line
Once in a great long while, there is a performance that so far surpasses any other performance you have seen in cinema in a great many years, for me… that performance was Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line. Johnny Cash’s infamous greeting was “Hello my name is Johnny Cash”, and as those words left his mouth, Phoenix completely embodied and became The Man in Black. His eyes showed every hidden sorrowful moment Cash went through in his life. This biographical story begins when Cash was a young boy and his brother, whom he was closer to than anyone else in his life, dies. Throughout the years Cash’s father (Robert Patrick, who gives a very raw and realistic performance) continues to blame Cash for his brother’s death. Now let me stop here for just a moment to tell you that I went into this movie not really knowing anything about Johnny Cash, I knew he was one of the biggest country singers of our time…and that’s about it. I had no idea that he actually started out as rocker touring with Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis (Tyler Hilton, who was cast perfectly as “The King”). This movie really got into the heart and soul of who Johnny Cash was and how he struggled to have his music heard. It shows his very heart-wrenching early addiction to alcohol, his miserable marriage to his first wife and his undeniable love and admiration to June Carter (Reese Witherspoon, who in a word is breathtaking) whom he spent many years of his life trying to woo. This film is beautifully directed by James Mangold (Copland) and has something to offer every moviegoer. It portrays truth, love, addiction, music (all of which is performed by the actors themselves) and some of the best performances you will see in cinema this year. I highly recommend this movie, in fact I will go as far as to say it will most likely take home the Oscar this year. This movie offers a great deal of dialog for the visually impaired and is also available in MoPix to fill the spaces that don’t. I hope everyone has a chance to see this movie at least once in their lives.
- (20th Century Fox)
- Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick and Tyler Hilton
- Rated: PG-13
- Running Time: 133 mins
- This film is currently available in MoPix
Posted in [Drama Reviews]
16/November/2005 [3:55 PM] -- Derailed
It was half way through this movie that I realized I had a knot the size of Texas in my stomach and that I was in fact sitting in a theatre watching a truly suspenseful story unfold and not actually experiencing it first hand! Derailed sucks you right in and doesn’t let go until the very end, twisting and turning and making you second guess yourself at every turn. Charles (Clive Owen, Closer, who is able to pull off sex appeal and your average Joe Shmoe at the same time beautifully) is an average hard working commuter in Chicago when he comes in contact with Lucinda ( Jennifer Aniston, The Good Girl, proving once again she has more talent up her sleeve than just another romantic comedy ala Friends) on a commuter train when he realizes he has not purchased a train ticket and has no cash, she casually offers to pay it for him. Charles is immediately drawn to Lucinda as she is to him, however they are both married, derailment number one, and they decided to get a hotel room together, derailment number two, and before their lustful ways can be satisfied Charles is robbed and Lucinda is raped by a man named LaRoche (Vincent Cassel, Ocean’s Twelve who comes across a bit over the top, his fault or the directors I’m not sure). LaRoche blackmails Charles by threatening Lucinda and his family, derailment number three, which leads this story on an incredible track of twists and turns that continually screws with your mind. Derailed is a very well written movie but I feel that something was still missing, the editing could have been tweaked a little and some of the acting felt a little unnatural, again I feel like perhaps the director dropped the ball a few times throughout the story. It offers much dialogue for the visually impaired, with only a few things needing to actually be seen on the screen. But overall Derailed is an intense movie that will get your heart pounding and mind racing!
- (Weinsten Co.)
- Starring: Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston
- Rated: R
- Running Time: 100 mins
- This film is currently not available in MoPix
Posted in [Drama Reviews]
7/November/2005 [11:43 AM] -- Chicken Little
Chicken Little is Disney’s first solo attempt at a computer-animated feature. I wouldn’t go as far as to tell you that it is on par with say, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles or even Shrek but that little chicken can certainly hold his own with a little help from the voice talent of Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State) who delivers in my opinion one of the best character voices in Disney history. The movie begins with the classic story of Chicken Little screaming “THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!” and ends with an insanely comical and intense alien invasion. After the embarrassing “acorn” incident Chicken Little is trying to prove himself worthy to his father (Garry Marshall) who just doesn’t know how to have any faith in his son after being publicly humiliated. With a little help from his friends Runt (Steve Zahn, who is absolutely hysterical), Abby (Joan Cusak, grand as always) and Fish, he is able to be seen as a son and not an embarrassment to his father, until… the “sky” has fallen once more on Chicken Little’s head and he is forced to again try to convince the town people and his father that aliens are going to attack the city if something isn’t done right away. This is a first-rate story with strong morals and definitely more than one lesson to be learned. I would recommend this to both visually impaired and non-visually impaired alike. It is great for the kids and also has some adult humor as well which makes it equally enjoyable for both. It has extremely funny dialog that is definitely easy to follow and is also available in MoPix which might come in handy during the alien invasion sequence. It is definitely worth a cluck or two!!
- (Disney)
- Voices by: Zach Braff, Gary Marshall, Steve Zahn and Joan Cusak
- Rated: G
- Running Time: 82 mins
- This film is currently available in MoPix
Posted in [Family Film Reviews]
4/November/2005 [12:14 PM] -- Stay
Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor, who gives a dead on performance ) is a New York psychiatrist who is trying to stop an odd young patient he has taken on, Henry Lethem (Ryan Gosling, who gives an amazingly eerie and raw performance ), from committing suicide at midnight on his 21st birthday. But soon the story becomes twisted and hollow when things begin to meld together you start to wonder, is Henry Sam? Is Sam a figment of Henry’s imagination? (Do I even care?) When Sam starts to loose his grasp on reality it takes a toll on his relationship with his artist girlfriend and former patient Lila (Naomi Watts, who is remarkable as always). Amidst the hard to follow story line the film is beautifully directed by Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball and Finding Neverland). You are visually transported into a dreamlike state with surreal imagery and irrational happenings, such as Sam’s clothes being two sizes too small and the coupling of twins and triplets in the hallways of the school, all of these useless clues build toward the end of the movie which is neither, satisfying or original. I especially wouldn’t recommend this film to the visually impaired, it is very visual, however if you are a die hard fan of our favorite Jedi, Ewan McGregor, than I suggest seeing it in MoPix.
- (20th Century Fox)
- Starring: Ewan McGregor, Namoi Watts, Ryan Gosling
- Rated: R
- Running Time: 99 mins
- This film is available in MoPix descriptions.
Posted in [Drama Reviews]
4/November/2005 [12:10 PM] -- Elizabethtown
I want to first start off by saying that this movie is not for the cynical or jaded. It is intended for an audience with an open mind as well as an open heart. This is a genuine story of romance and self discovery told with warmth and sincerity that is always depicted effortlessly by director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire). Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom, who conveys an honest and heart felt performance) is an up and coming shoe designer who has just watched his new shoe design crash and burn, costing the company an enormous amount of money and costing him his job. When he feels as though he is ready to give up on the world, his sister (Judy Greer, 13 Going on Thirty and The Village) calls telling him that his father has passed away in Kentucky while visiting family and that he has to fly out and bring the body back for burial. Susan Sarandon (who is ever so gracious and always enjoyable) plays Drew’s mother who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and is holding on by a very small string. On Drew’s way to Kentucky he meets a free-spirited flight attendant, Claire (Kirsten Dunst, a hit and miss) who decides to try to mend his heart when hers could use some stitching of its own. We are traveled through Drew’s life, love and family experiencing everything through his eyes and feeling everything through his heart (which is so beautifully captured by Bloom). From the opening make-shift suicide machine to Sarandon’s passionate and tear-jerking monologue at her husband’s memorial to Drew’s moving road trip home, we are transported to this little town and connected to all the people in it. I would absolutely recommend this movie to the visually impaired; it is a character study with a great deal of dialogue and also some narrative by Drew’s character. Crowe captures the very tender art of film making and gently presses it into the core of your heart.
- (Paramount)
- Starring: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer
- Rated: PG-13
- Running Time: 123 mins
- This film is currently not available in MoPix descriptions.
Posted in [Drama Reviews]

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Film reviews to entertain and enlighten sighted and blind movie enthusiasts alike...

by Sarah Star

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