Waltzing Anna

I recently went into a blockbuster looking for a movie to rent. The girl working at the counter would sometimes recommend movies to me if I couldn't decided. She suggested a movie titled WALTZING ANNA. She said it is a small independent film but it seems to be catching interest. So I rented it. I must say I thought that this was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It was a funny emotional film filled with great performances. The 2 leads Emmanuelle Chriqui and Robert Capelli Jr did a wonderful job. Emmanuelle gave a strong performance as a nurse who worked in the nursing home and Robert Capelli Jr. displayed the range and emotion of a solid leading man, giving an unyielding performance. Rounding out the cast was Pat Hingle, who's performance of a broken down man living in the home brought me to tears. It is an inde film so the quality is not as good as a 100 million dollar budget film, but its heart is in the right place and accomplishes to do what movies should do, entertain.

First things: I am one of the last people to comment on this movie, but i also was the one who put up a plot summary and synopsis so that other people can get an idea of the story. All of the previous slams on technical terms are basically true. This is not a finished picture like a Sandler, Ferrell, or Scheider flick. I don't waste my time on those guys. This is a story movie first, and an acting/directing movie second. There are no guns or car chases, and it starts off somewhat slowly. This is a story about a tired old man who loves a woman back to life, and a greedy Harvard doctor who falls from glory and needs to re-order his priorities. It also has some nice piano music in the soundtrack, and as mentioned, a good supporting cast. Yeah, it's a love it/hate it movie. You'll just have to find out for yourself. All I can say is that it keeps showing up enough on my channel guide that someone else somewhere believes in it enough to program it.

While following the tales of local filmmakers, its usually fun to find Jersey films in Jersey theaters. Not this time. I read the "user comments" that have preceded mine and I noticed something odd. The positive reviews all came before the movie opened. Were these privileged viewers part of the "premiere" screening. If so, its likely they were part of the crowd that made this misfire. This film was average at best because of the fantastic, underused supporting cast. The always real Pat Hingle, the subtle Betsy Palmer, the hilarious Grant Shaud, the gorgeous and steady Emmanuelle Chriqui, the rock Marcella Lowery...and the list goes on. You could see the editors trying desperately to hide the blemish - Robert Capelli, Jr. They would obviously cut away from him often, leave him out of focus, dub his lines. Nothing worked. I notice this guy's done 3 movies in which he is the lead! I also notice he is either the producer or director on all of those films. Coincidence? He's either really wealthy, or a really good salesman. Give him credit for continuing to try. I admit I'm jealous. I'd love to have others financing my quest for fame. Hey, don't take our word for it-Check out Village Voice, Daily News, NY Post, Cinematical, etc. Can they all be wrong?

I stumbled on this film while flipping through channels and when I saw Betsy Palmer's name I was interested. The interest ended when I began watching it. The script is awful, the lead actor, terrible, and a complete waste of the talents of Betsy Palmer, Pat Hingle, George Morfogen, and the very talented Emmanuelle Chriqui. Robert Capelli Jr. who stars and wrote the script really needs to think about another line of work. His acting skills are terrible and he suffers from a speech impediment that is very jarring. The dialog is forced and the script is very poorly written. They could have at least done some research on what long-term care facilities really are like. I didn't believe the doctors were doctors, or the nurses were nurses. There was not even care to to the set dressing. There is a hallway with crumbling wall over the floor, and no matter how many shots it is used in it is never cleaned up, despite one scene when you can see a housekeeping person cleaning the floor! But the worst thing is that the storyline is so contrived and unbelievable. Please Mr. Robert Capelli Jr. don't write or appear in any more movies!

It seems Mr Capelli is the lead because he is banking the project. He is perhaps the worst actor living today and I have been unable to find anything about him other than he's from Hobokon and becomes an executive producer out of nowhere. Mob money? who knows? The fact is the movie is really bad and for the most part because of him. I rented the "film" due to the fact that Emmanuelle Chriqui was in it. She's one of the most beautiful actresses working today and generally good in everything she's in - with what she has to work with here she's OK. Artie Lange, in his brief appearance, is good and his acting skills appear godlike compared to the clownish Capelli.