moviefreakgirl
Joined Sep 2005
Welcome to the new profile
Our updates are still in development. While the previous version of the profile is no longer accessible, we're actively working on improvements, and some of the missing features will be returning soon! Stay tuned for their return. In the meantime, the Ratings Analysis is still available on our iOS and Android apps, found on the profile page. To view your Rating Distribution(s) by Year and Genre, please refer to our new Help guide.
Badges2
To learn how to earn badges, go to the badges help page.
Reviews32
moviefreakgirl's rating
The Straight Story is a beautiful, simple movie, a reflection about life and growing old. The story is simple: 73-year-old Alvin Straight makes a 500 km journey in a lawn mower to mend his relationship with his ill brother. During the way, he reflects about growing old, his life and his mistakes. The subtle way this is done is effective and gives the movie beauty, but the story is sometimes too slow, with nothing happening. The dialogs are good, sometimes quotable, even if once or twice I spotted obvious stories that could have been avoided. The characters are all very natural, and you believe them from the first minute you see them on the screen. They are all likable because they are normal people, but always hopeful and with a certain innocence and able to accept life. The ending is, too, very simple but it works extremely well leaving you touched and moved.
The acting is very good. Richard Farnsworth gives a wonderful performance. His character, on paper, isn't very interesting, but he's able to give Alvin dramatic nuances. He creates a man that slowly accepts growing old, ignores his pride and goes in a journey to meet his brother. He is stubborn, with a simple but pure morality. He has an amazing delivery of his lines, slowly, realistically, showing his character's controlled emotions in a touching way. Sissy Spacek gives Rosie vulnerability and barely visible pain, never overacting. All the other cast members that make brief appearances do a good, even if not remarkable job, with good delivery of their lines.
The direction is brilliant. Lynch fills the movie with gorgeous shots and camera angles, that allow you not only to see the meaning of the screenplay and the great work by the actors', but you can see the beautiful roads and vegetation all around. His shots are steady and reflective just the right style for this movie.
The cinematography is very good, capturing the beauty of Lynch's wide shots and the faces in a clear way. The music is beautiful, giving the movie a nostalgic feeling. This is slow moving and sometimes boring; even so, it's technically impressive, beautiful and meaningful.
The acting is very good. Richard Farnsworth gives a wonderful performance. His character, on paper, isn't very interesting, but he's able to give Alvin dramatic nuances. He creates a man that slowly accepts growing old, ignores his pride and goes in a journey to meet his brother. He is stubborn, with a simple but pure morality. He has an amazing delivery of his lines, slowly, realistically, showing his character's controlled emotions in a touching way. Sissy Spacek gives Rosie vulnerability and barely visible pain, never overacting. All the other cast members that make brief appearances do a good, even if not remarkable job, with good delivery of their lines.
The direction is brilliant. Lynch fills the movie with gorgeous shots and camera angles, that allow you not only to see the meaning of the screenplay and the great work by the actors', but you can see the beautiful roads and vegetation all around. His shots are steady and reflective just the right style for this movie.
The cinematography is very good, capturing the beauty of Lynch's wide shots and the faces in a clear way. The music is beautiful, giving the movie a nostalgic feeling. This is slow moving and sometimes boring; even so, it's technically impressive, beautiful and meaningful.
Frida is a beautiful, inspiring movie about the amazing Frida Kahlo and her struggles through life. Not only it gets you to understand her art much better but it's also a story about life and suffering told beautifully. The screenplay is very good, it doesn't have the feeling that most biopics have, like they're rushing to the end and don't really know the person they're talking about. This feels like fiction, because Frida Kahlo feels like a person, she has flaws, a convincing personality, she's not just a victim, and some moments of her life matter more than others. Her reactions have a reason, not like you're supposed to think that, as she's a genius, she's a bit mad. The other characters have a realistic feeling about them too, and Diego Riviera is fascinating. The dialogs are quotable and there are some inspiring lines.
The acting is very good by all the cast, but Salma Hayek has the most powerful acting and out acts everyone. She looks a lot like Frida Kahlo, but there's a lot more to her performance. She creates an impetuous, sensual, intelligent, able to enjoy life character, someone that suffers but endures everything. You can't take your eyes off her, her performance is just magnetic. She never overacts, and the most emotional scenes are beautifully done and really touching. Alfred Molina gives Diego Rivera an edgy charm and has a good body language, acting subtly and he has a great chemistry with Salma Hayek even if I think she's more responsible for this than him. Geoffrey Rush is great, he creates an humble, intelligent thoughtful character perfectly. Valerie Golino is very good playing a lost, drunk, sad woman and has very expressive eyes. Diego Luna and Edward Norton are very believable and make the most out of their small parts.
The direction is excellent. Julie Taymor gives her movie originality, having perfect control over every aspect of the movie. Not just the camera angles are beautiful and able to express ideas, feeling and thoughts greatly, but the music and the part of the movie in which it is placed is perfect. Besides it sounds beautiful and has a great rhythm. The color of the movie is well chosen and makes it look exotic, warm and involving with all the red, yellow and bright colors, contrasting with the dark themes this movie speaks of but giving you a sense of South America. The editing is often good, but some scenes last too much. It's a matter of seconds, but it can give those scenes an awkward feeling. Overall a great movie I recommend.
The acting is very good by all the cast, but Salma Hayek has the most powerful acting and out acts everyone. She looks a lot like Frida Kahlo, but there's a lot more to her performance. She creates an impetuous, sensual, intelligent, able to enjoy life character, someone that suffers but endures everything. You can't take your eyes off her, her performance is just magnetic. She never overacts, and the most emotional scenes are beautifully done and really touching. Alfred Molina gives Diego Rivera an edgy charm and has a good body language, acting subtly and he has a great chemistry with Salma Hayek even if I think she's more responsible for this than him. Geoffrey Rush is great, he creates an humble, intelligent thoughtful character perfectly. Valerie Golino is very good playing a lost, drunk, sad woman and has very expressive eyes. Diego Luna and Edward Norton are very believable and make the most out of their small parts.
The direction is excellent. Julie Taymor gives her movie originality, having perfect control over every aspect of the movie. Not just the camera angles are beautiful and able to express ideas, feeling and thoughts greatly, but the music and the part of the movie in which it is placed is perfect. Besides it sounds beautiful and has a great rhythm. The color of the movie is well chosen and makes it look exotic, warm and involving with all the red, yellow and bright colors, contrasting with the dark themes this movie speaks of but giving you a sense of South America. The editing is often good, but some scenes last too much. It's a matter of seconds, but it can give those scenes an awkward feeling. Overall a great movie I recommend.
This is another movie about penguins, those lovely, cute, sweet-looking animals. It has gorgeous images, some of the best, most amazing animation I've ever seen. It's a joy to look at and a very enjoyable movie. The story is nice and you can relate to the penguins and feel some empathy towards them. Some of the subplots are very good: the love story is beautiful, the coming-of-age is deliciously innocent, the family/society rejection subplot is intelligent but sometimes a bit forced and the «macho» penguins subplot is laugh-out-loud funny. The worst subplot was the ecological one, it just tries too hard to pass its message. The dialogs are often very funny and intelligent, with a lot of jokes young kids won't get. The pace of the movie is mostly adequate and keeps you entertained, but it gets a bit to slow and forced in the end, which I didn't like.
The cinematography and the animation are beautiful. They create gorgeous images, with a wonderful dimension, cute, lovely penguins, and the humans are the most realistic I've ever seen. The water and the ice look real as do all the other animals. The angles are amazing, they make the images even better. The music sounds great and has beautiful lyrics. Nicole Kidman, Brittany Murphy and Robin Wiliams are good singers especially Kidman, who has the most crystalline, pure voice that fits the part. Overall, it's a fun movie, good to look at but lacking a great story (it's still a good one, but it could have been better).
The cinematography and the animation are beautiful. They create gorgeous images, with a wonderful dimension, cute, lovely penguins, and the humans are the most realistic I've ever seen. The water and the ice look real as do all the other animals. The angles are amazing, they make the images even better. The music sounds great and has beautiful lyrics. Nicole Kidman, Brittany Murphy and Robin Wiliams are good singers especially Kidman, who has the most crystalline, pure voice that fits the part. Overall, it's a fun movie, good to look at but lacking a great story (it's still a good one, but it could have been better).