Susan's Reviews

The Brothers Bloom - A
A sheer delight. I was slightly worried at the first rhyming flashback scene - worried it'd go into "Quirk Overload" - but it evened out. Well, "evened out" isn't completely accurate, as this was truly something I hadn't seen before. Had a dash of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", but the laughs were more sweet natured, happy laughs rather than belly-laughs. Rachel Weisz - man - I fell in love with her. I really can't think of anything that could've been better - from the soundtrack to the final scene. So satisfying. Thanks, Michael!

The Dinner Game - B
Saw Dinner for Schmucks & HATED it, so this was great just by comparison. The thing is that I really liked everyone in the movie. I liked the guy who was the "inviter" & the guy who was the invitee and the friend and the wife... just everyone was an understandable character. Not a masterpiece, but fun & quick - definitely didn't overstay its welcome.

The Fall - A
A young girl & a man - both recuperating in a hospital - become friends as he weaves an epic tale for her. There's magic as he speaks & we see her interpretation of the words. The little actress is a gem & Lee Pace as the broken-hearted man is perfect. I adore this film & its originality.

Frenemy - D+
The first third was interminable. The rest (Adam Baldwin in the apt onward) was marginally better. The soundtrack was pretty awesome & Callum Blue is beautiful... otherwise it'd be a D-. The whole thing felt self-conscious & long (impressive for a 70m or so run time).
 
Limitless - B
Starts off with such a bang. Fantastic idea & visually stunning. But then...this guy is insanely smart and what he comes up with is... stock market? And politics? Ugh.
You'd think someone with higher intelligence would want more than to simply play games with people who can't compete. But what do I know? Me & my limits.

Moonrise Kingdom - B-
I can see myself giving this movie a B+ or so if I'd seen it before the Royal Tennenbaums. But as it comes AFTER that masterpiece in viewing order, it must inevitably suffer by comparison - especially in regard to the character Suzy (aka imitation- or mini-Margo Tennenbaum). Suzy wore what I'm pretty sure was Margo's RT wardrobe, went for overly made-up eyes, had a hurt hand in flashback (reminiscent of Margo's lost fingertip), had a meaningful romantic encounter in a tent, was depressed and arty.
Basically, Anderson makes good movies, if you only see one or two. After that, he seems to be out of ideas & just keeps reusing his greatest hits. Sure, it worked for Monet and his waterlilies, but movies are closer to books than paintings. I need a completely new experience each time or why bother?

The Talented Mr. Ripley - B-
If this had ended at about the 1:40 mark, I would probably put it a full letter grade higher (A-). But the last act REALLY stretched out to ridiculous lengths. "It's over now" I thought every 5 minutes. Basically, once Dickie was dead, I wanted things to wrap up quickly. That said - acting is superb and I'm extremely interested to read Highsmith's novel. Good story - just needed tightening up.

Wet Hot American Summer - B
This is one of those movies that makes me giggle, but I really have NO idea if it's funny. So much of it is downright silly & only works because 1) I went to camp and 2) I grew up watching Karate Kid & Better Off Dead & lesser-knowns like Moving Violations. Are referential jokes enough? Probably not for people without the reference or for repeat viewings, but works for me once a decade!