Reviews

We all love Melissa and of course the other great actors, but come on,casting crew: Melissa was 44, Alison (her movie mother) 55 and Susan(her movie granny) 68 at the time the movie was made. That is just plain disrespectful to the audience to create family lineage here. From the get-go seeing Susan Sarandon as Melissa's grandmother was plain disturbing. With another cast it would have been a lot more believable and thus funnier. And I really don't understand why one cannot write a short and sweet review here, but one has to fill ten lines. It does not make any sense in the day and age of twitter. Please, stop the insanity.

An unlikely plot, but charming to watch. Best parts of the movie are the sexy "older" ladies and of course the diner where Allen and Turturro meet. Who wouldn't like that New York back? Interesting to find out about the insane lives or Orthodox Jewish women. One thing more: Turturro is unfortunately in his worst role, I mean he doesn't flinch, he doesn't express anything at all. He should have outsourced that role. An "un-pretty man" doesn't have to be that dull. Over all great New York scenes and a good Liev Schreiber as well. Music is great, too, and since one has to write 10 whole lines here, goodness only knows why, I will say that WOody Allen was pretty cute, too. Almost like the old days.

Dustin Hoffman obviously did not want to make this movie! He was so detached, bored, and plane boring: Mr. Hopper was his worst act. And him being crazy for the very lovely, but way-too-old Judy Dench was so unbelievable, it hurt. This movie was made after a children's book, but who was to know? Well, after watching it,I told my mother to NOT see this film. The balcony scenes were crass and studio made, the plants made of plastic. Christ, this movie was so bad, how could all this talent be wasted in such a poor production? Certainly this was not even a good movie for children. Luckily got the DVD from a library, so saved a lot of money. In Europe the movie is called "Mr. Hopper's Secret" by the way.

Jesse Eisenberg's role as naive college nerd who must work played brilliantly. Many funny scenes when you know what life in the 80s was like. Kennywood Park well made use of. Bill Nader hilarious with his fake 80s mustache. Kristen Steward stale and unconvincing as always. She needs to lay off the grabbing her hair bit. Kristen Wiig- even just standing around doing nothing- is funny. And Martin Starr really cute as the lost intellectual Jew.Ryan Reynolds' fans however might be a tad bit disappointed. Nice slap stick-like boys jokes, but overuses stereotypes. (Promotes drug use. Perhaps just the reality).

Nice short entertainment for a rainy afternoon.

No need to watch this one. Despite a magnificent cast, their talents go wasted in a movie that simply will not pick up. We don't get sympathetic to any of the characters, and considering how low real live politicians have fallen these days, what Clooney brings on the governor seems so harmless. There are at least 5 better presidential candidate movies out there shot long before "Ides of March". Forget this one, watch "Damages" or "The Wire" and get a bigger thrill and 10 times more insight into the human psyche. Of course we already know that wanna be candidates give up all their principles for power, no new revelations for the audience here. ANd the "Governor's" speeches were pretty lame too. First thought after the movie ended was "BORING!"

Splendid movie with great acting by everyone. But particularly of interest and delight for anyone who enjoys life without computers, old houses, archives, photography and loves truthfulness. I'll never forget the archive in the basement of the house. Because of the movie, I found the Mary Evans Picture Library in London.

Seeing this movie, my first Poliakoff, led me to all his other gems. I don't know why he is not more famous. And he sure has a gift for choosing the best actor talents.

This movie should be part of your movie library! And while you are buying, get "Perfect Strangers" too.

I love Poliakoff's movies, but this one was unconvincing in bringing across the message, which we get to hear in the interview with Poliakoff as part of the "Special Features" on the DVD. The plot evolves around an older woman who looks back on an event when she met a mysterious man at a party with famous people, who ends up telling her very shocking facts about a lot of very famous people. For some strange reason, which the viewer has to figure out for himself, this man has some hold over the woman because of what he told her at the party. He wants her to have a key to his house but she refuses, and afterward he ruins her writing career but telling influential people not to give her work. That is the plot of the movie, as far as I could see. Telling all this in hindsight to a young man in the house where the party once took place does not really add as much to the movie as one would have hoped for. I could not understand why the young woman could not go on with her life, or why telling shocking secrets to her would have created this mysterious bond with the stranger. I did not get it, or the movie simply didn't cut it this time. During the viewing one waited for the big unraveling of what it really was all about, but it never happened. Sorry, Stephen, you did better work before. Acting was superb though. See for yourself.

The trailer for Inglourious Basterds is misleading, making us believe it is about Brad Pitt's "basterds" seriously going Nazi Hunting. But the star clearly is Christoph Waltz, who not only speaks 4 languages brilliantly, but is up for an Oscar in his role as sweet, yet vicious "Jew hunter". Would Jews feel happy about this movie of REVENGE? I don't think so. Tarantino said before hand that this, his, movie will be the mother of all war movies. Clearly it is not. As always it is glorifying violence and thinking all conversation between men is amusing. Well.... He should have at least made sure, Pitt doesn't stumble over his own words constantly trying to get the Southern accent right. And why was Churchill (nice one there by Rod Taylor) sitting in a room clearly done in Hitler style fascist architecture? And the Paris cinema was really too much just Babelsberg film studios. And in an Indian newspaper I read that Basterds is spelled wrong because that is how Germans would pronounce it. Another big mistakes, Bastards!

I cannot agree with the gentleman from Mannheim finding this movie exploitive and staged. Sure there were many scenes "staged" but certainly the "Truth" of it all spoke for itself. A better title perhaps would have been "Hell on Earth and the human condition", but that's OK. Mumbai, Moscow, Mexcico City and New York City, they all lend themselves for the study of the every day, for the every day poor and wretched. I have lived in Delhi for almost 3 years, but seeing Mumbai in this movie, in this way, was almost worse than being there myself. But in the end, after having seen the madness of the three other places, India seemed almost harmless again. Every viewer brings his own history, prejudices, expectations and stories to a new movie, but I am sure this one will really make a lasting impression.