JR-59

It was a happy accident to stumble across this movie while channel surfing. The New York setting (a very effective use of locations not always used in the movies) got me, and the characters held on to me. It was a sort of formulaic plot, but that didn't matter so much, as it was a film with people that you could like and emphasize with.

Having been familiar with Natasha Henstridge only with her Science Fiction and TV roles, it was a major revelation to see her in a gentle, likable part. I hope that she gets other roles like this.

What an amazingly clever and witty film. It succeeds as a movie to thoroughly entertain children, but also one that adults will also find extremely funny. The animation and fairy tale story will get to the kids, and the humor, with references to "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", Otis Redding, the Monkees, and the Errol Flynn version of "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and the sendup of a lot of Disney films (do you think that Jeffrey Katzenberg now feels as if he's gotten even with Michael Eisner?) will appeal to the adults.

My wife and I took our kids to see "Shrek" to entertain them. As much as they liked it (and they liked it a lot). We liked it more. It also sounded like the cast of the film had a lot of fun making it.

I would compare "The Golden Bowl" to a restaurant that has beautiful decor and a great server, but lousy food. It is wonderfully photographed. I would probably pay to watch Kate Beckinsale read from the Manhattan phone book. However, it was a struggle to stay awake after awhile. It's boring, slow moving, and filled with characters (except for the one played by Beckinsale), that you feel absolutely nothing for.

As I said, the photography was wonderful, but you'd get the same feeling from going to a library or bookstore, and picking up a fancy book filled with photographs of old English homes and estates.