Curt’s Corner is a periodic movie review written by Curt Burbach of Clackamas, Oregon

  

 

The Pacifier:

    

This is very much a little-kid movie as it is light-hearted and very cheesy. I chuckled several times at the stupidity. The lone comedic bright spot in this film was performed by Emmy-award winning actor Brad Garret of Everybody Loves Raymond fame. Overall, I thought the casting and the acting were very poor and I give it 1½ bones out of four.

 

 

*** (As seen on DVD) ***

 

Ladder 49:

 

I really liked this film. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as a firefighter in present day times and does a very good job of following his life and career. Joaquin Phoenix is another one of those actors who really impress me. I expect he’ll be receiving Oscar nominations before long. This was a darn good movie and turned out to be a sleeper for 2004. I highly recommend you see it. I enthusiastically give it three bones.

 

Wimbledon:

     

I knew this was a chick flick going in, but it was still fairly enjoyable, probably because they did a good job of blending the love story with a sports action drama. The starring actor was Paul Bettany who is another actor that I’m really starting to appreciate. He was with Russell Crowe in both A Beautiful Mind and Master and Commander. I found the movie enjoyable and not too over-the-top romantic. I give it 2 ½ bones and call it decent.

 

The Chronicles of Riddick:

 

This was a sequel (sort of) to another movie that I enjoyed a few years ago called Pitch Black. They have taken the Riddick character and built a saga around him. This has got trilogy written all over it and the complexity of the story falls somewhere between Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. Overall, I thought it was average, but I’m sure another huge moneymaker for actor Vin Diesel. Two bones.

 

Head in the Clouds:

     

Charlize Theron stars as a glamorous woman in the 30’s and WWII years. If you like her, you’ll like this film because she comes across as very glamorous and sexy. The supporting actors also do a fine job. I rate this as above average and award it 2 ½ bones.

 

Radio: 

     

This is actually a true story of how a small town high school football coach befriends a young man in the local area who is mentally handicapped. Overall, it’s your typical feel-good movie, but the story is pleasant and the acting is good. I consider it to be above average and I give it 2 ½ bones out of four.

 

The Clearing:

     

This starred Robert Redford and Willem Defoe, and their acting was pretty good. It wasn’t a very compelling movie, but it was fairly interesting. I’d say it was above average and I give it 2 ½ bones.

 

Saw:

     

Please don’t even waste your time with this one. The acting in this film was poor. Plus, there was something missing in the writing to make this a tasteful blood & guts type of film. Bottom line; it was below average and I give it 1 ½ bones.

 

 

Foreign Films

 

No Man’s Land:

     

This is a satire of the civil war between the Bosnian’s and the Serb’s back in the mid 90’s. It came out in 2001 and won the Golden Globe Award for best foreign film for that year. The setting is a countryside battlefield between enemy lines and it plays on the craziness of the attitudes and actions of the characters. It is spoken in native tongue so look for subtitles through most of the film. I found it to be above average and give it 2 ½ bones.

 

Ridicule:

     

This is another foreign film that came out in 1996 and was nominated for the best foreign film Oscar. It takes place in France just before the French Revolution, and depicts the immature behavior of the French aristocrats. It’s above average and I give it 2 ½ bones.

 

Rabbit-Proof Fence:

     

This foreign film came out in 2004 and describes how inhumane the white Australians were to the native race (the Aborigine’s) during the 1930’s. I guess the Americans weren’t the only group of Caucasians that mistreated natives. This is a true story and make sure you read the graphics at the end because it really brings things into perspective. I give it 2 ½ bones for being above average.

 

Iris:

     

This is yet another foreign film, made in England. It’s the true story of British writer Iris Murdoch (Judy Dench) and her husband (Jim Broadbent). Judy Dench earned an Oscar nomination for best actress, but Broadbent actually won the Oscar for best supporting actor in this 2001 release. This story was no doubt a tribute to the memory of Iris Murdoch, but be prepared to weather the harsh reality of old age. 2 ½ bones for the acting. 

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