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Reviews
Must Love Dogs (2005)
A-okay
I love corny movies, chick flicks, romantic comedies--whatever you want to call them and this was no exception. It was funnier than I expected and I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit more than I usually do. Generally, I more of a *smile* that was kind of funny sort of person.
Sarah (Diane Lane) is a divorcée whose large family is trying to get her back in the dating scene. When she finally decides to take the plunge and answer a personal ad her first date is with her dad!! Her sister then sets up the "Must Love Dogs" personal ad on a website for her and she goes on several dates with less than perfect men. She meets Jake (John Cusak) in a dog park and has her first semi-normal date. Both love dogs, but neither owns one. (Ignore the part of the plot summary on this website that says Sarah hates dogs. She doesn't and ends up adopting her brother's dog.) Sarah and Jake are somewhat-star crossed lovers though and don't get together right away of course--otherwise there wouldn't be a movie. One of the reasons for the delay is Bob (Dermot Mulroney). Bob is a strange character who is called incorrigiblemeaning he likes other womenby his young son, is found with Sarah's much younger co-worker, and is just plain weird. This dude lives in a trailer, calls his son Bubba, and drives a BMW. A weird mismatch that you think would seem stranger to Sarah than Jake's quirky awkwardness, but no, she's not sure which one is the better match for her at first. (BTW, this is not a spoiler as all of this is revealed in the previews. Plus the plot isn't really the point of this type of movie anyway...is it?) It's funny, it's cute, and it's likable. The shots during the credits of the various couples telling how they got together was too corny, but the rest was sweet and funny without being too sweet. This is a great movie for those who enjoy romantic comedies.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Long and trite sprinkled with occasional funny moments
This movie started out well. Then it got long...too long. Plus it tried to go from funny guy movie to sappy chick flick. It didn't work. Owen Wilson's performance was disappointing. He was still much the same guy he is in his other movies, but this time he was also depressed and whinny for part of the movie. Also, there is no way to write a spoiler for this movie. It was totally predictable. If you read any of the summaries about this movie you can guess what's going to happen. There are no big surprises which isn't that surprising when you consider the type of film this is.
Vince Vaughn was hilarious at times though!
Dark Water (2005)
Disappointing
"Dark Water" may be from the same creators, but it fails to terrify like "The Ring." In "Dark Water" evil takes shape in memories of Dahlia's traumatic past, a crooked landlord, and a lazy building superintendent. This makes the movie infinitely less scary than "The Ring" in which evil was embodied in the mysterious and frightening Samara.
Although less scary, since it isn't always clear whether Natasha is real or a product of Dahlia's fears and troubled psyche, this is an interesting twist. Both Natasha and young Dahlia are played by Haney-Jardine, but from the quick glimpses in the beginning of the film it isn't obvious at first that they are same girl. It's also interesting to guess at what is haunting the other charactersgreed, guilt, or the desire to sympathize with a traumatized mother since movie is depicted from Dahlia's perspective.
This movie is definitely different and probably a safe bet for those who like scary movies, but prefer not to get too scared. The suspense in some scenes does offer the opportunity get a little spooked, but wasn't enough that anyone jumped in their seats or screamed.
Those hoping for a serious scare should pass this movie up.