Narration / Voice-over
Soul Surfer
Good movie, I give it two surfs up! Voice-over While I rarely like them, this movie made the classic mistake of using too many. The one in the beginnng setting up the character would have been enough. The one in the Thailand scene was awkward because it was the first after the beginning which was [...]
Everybody’s Fine
A good little movie. It was nice seeing the father’s issue and character unfold over time. Other writers may have revealed his past and flaw early on and then just dealt with the ramifications. Structure / Plot The latter part of Act I and start of Act II were awkward because, while it was already [...]
My Sister’s Keeper
An okay, but frustrating tear-jerker. Structure / Plot I don’t know why the movie played out of order, jumping back and forth in time from past events to the present. Perhaps the director thought this would convey the feeling of the family splitting apart, but I thought it was confusing and unnecessary for such a [...]
Kick Ass
More like, sick ass, as the movie was full of crap. Premise Though I didn’t laugh or feel any thrills in Act I, I did like the story presented- a puny teenager becoming a superhero in the real world. Instead of continuing that, the movie reversed itself and presented two actual superheroes (albeit the Batman [...]
The Punisher
Yet another- it was okay, but could’ve been great. Structure/plot It was a one-man army set-up and, instead of Tom Jane blowing away everyone, he created these elaborate schemes for the bad guys to kill themselves. Now these under-the-radar tactics were cool in their own right, but not appropriate for the character and mood the [...]
A Bronx Tale
This movie is a good addition to the mob sub-genre. However, there’s one thing… Narration/Voice Over There’s too much (if even a little is sometimes okay). A prime example is the scene in the bar when the biker gang comes in for a beer. They get rowdy and mess up the counter and bartender. Sonny [...]
Boiler Room
Good flick. Casting/Acting All the guys in the boiler room are tough and aggressive, yet the owner of the place, Michael, looks like a sweetheart. Is there meaning to his looks? That as the owner, he doesn’t have to be tough, that he can afford to pay guys like Jim Young (Ben Affleck) to do [...]