The Interpreter - 8/10
This is the kind of movie I used to love watching on a rainy day: a slick thriller competently made and well acted. It brings nothing new to the genre but offers sleek entertainment for its two hours, intricate but never convoluted. Sydney Pollack is a good director, but the editing was what made the film so good. The screenplay was hit or miss - not a surprise given the many screenwriters - but the majority of the film was well written. The film's final line is perfect. Catherine Keener is underused while Sean Penn is really good and surprisingly seems more movie star than actor. And that Kidman girl ain't too bad, either.
The Amityville Horror (1979) - 3/10
The Amityville Horror (2005) - 3/10
Ugh! Bad bad bad! Having to pick which one to watch again would be like prefering to die by giant snake or mutant spider. The old one is slow and dull, the new is hyped up and dull. The acting in both is pretty bad - Margot Kidder and Melissa George try their best. James Brolin really doesn't have anything to do, while Ryan Reynolds was just a waste of a nice bod. Memo to modern horror makers: cutting scenes very fast and inserting random shots is NOT. SCARY. OR. SUSPENSEFUL. Stop it! I guess you know what you're getting into with any film that ends with the family just leaving.
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner - 10/10
A movie about people dealing with a situation? Wow. Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever seen a Katharine Hepburn movie. (The tar and feathering can commence now.) I was mighty impressed though with her late partner Spencer Tracey, who in his last performance almost moved me to tears with his ending monologue. Its a brave film that stands surprisingly well up to today. Great, great, great writing.
His Girl Friday - 9/10
My interest in this film came about when I was reading reviews of Gilmore Girls and almost all of them compared it to this movie. Seemed odd at first when you consider what each is about - HGF being about a reporter trying to win back his star reporter. Its the fast paced dialogue and back-and-forth nature of it that is what compares the two. The characters seem to be in a tennis match of words. The audience wins. HGF proves why comedy is best when it relies on the writing and not the goofiness or grossness of events in the film. (Hear that, Ben Stiller?) I adored Rosalind Russell in this, and laughed several times. For a movie that's over 60 years old, that's a great accomplishment.
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