Tom's Random Reviews

[Tom]

Title: Tootsie
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	1982 / United States
Director:	Sydney Pollack
Writing:	Don McGuire (Story By), Larry Gelbart (Story By), Larry Gelbart (Screenwriter), Murray Schisgal (Screenwriter)
Rating:	15
Length:	112 Min.
Video:	Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio:	English: Dolby Digital 5.0, French: Dolby Digital 1, German: Dolby Digital 1, Italian: Dolby Digital 1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 1
Subtitles:	Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Stars:
Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey
Dustin Hoffman as Dorothy Michaels
Jessica Lange as Julie
Teri Garr as Sandy
Dabney Coleman as Ron

Plot:
Desperate, he took a female role and beame a star. If only he could tell the woman he loves.

Two Time Oscar® winner Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man, 1989; Kramer Vs Kramer, 1980) stars as Michael Dorsey, a dedicated actor with a reputation for being difficult. Having antagonised every producer in New York nobody will hire him. But Michael is desperate for work, so desperate he's willing to pretend to be a woman. Passing himself off as 'Dorothy Michaels' he lands himself a part on a TV Soap Opera and soon becomes a national phenomenon. But when he falls for the leading lady of the show things get complicated. How can he tell her he loves her when she thinks he's a woman and so does the rest of America...

Also starring JESSICA LANGE (who won an Oscar® for best supporting actress for her role as Julie Nichols), GEENA DAVIS, BILL MURRAY, SYDNEY POLLACK, CHARLES DURNING and TERI GARR.

Awards:

Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Actor	Dustin Hoffman
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Cinematography	Owen Roizman
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Director	Sydney Pollack
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Film Editing	Fredric Steinkamp, William Steinkamp
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Music, Song	"It Might Be You": Dave Grusin (Music); Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman (Lyrics)
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Picture	Sydney Pollack, Dick Richards (Producers)
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Sound	Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Rick Alexander, Les Lazarowitz
Academy Award	1982	Won	Best Supporting Actress	Jessica Lange
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Teri Garr
Academy Award	1982	Nominated	Best Writing, Original Screenplay	Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal (Screenplay); Don McGuire, Larry Gelbart (Story)
AFI	1982	Won	100 Years... 100 Laughs (2000)
AFI	1982	Won	100 Years... 100 Movies (1998)
AFI	1982	Won	100 Years... 100 Movies (2007)
AFI	1982	Nominated	100 Years... 100 Songs (2004)	"Song": It Might Be You
American Cinema Editors Awards	1983	Nominated	Best Edited Feature Film	Fredric Steinkamp, William Steinkamp
BAFTA	1983	Won	Actor	Dustin Hoffman
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Actress	Jessica Lange
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Adapted Screenplay	Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Costume Design	Ruth Morley
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Direction	Sydney Pollack
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Film	Sydney Pollack, Dick Richards
BAFTA	1983	Won	Make-Up Artist	Dorothy J. Pearl, George Masters, C. Romania Ford, Allen Weisinger
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Original Song Written For A Film	"Tootsie": Dave Grusin, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
BAFTA	1983	Nominated	Supporting Actress	Teri Garr
César	1982	Nominated	Meilleur Film Etranger	Sydney Pollack
Directors Guild of America	1983	Nominated	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	Sydney Pollack
Golden Globe	1982	Won	Actor in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy	Dustin Hoffman
Golden Globe	1982	Won	Actress in a Supporting Role	Jessica Lange
Golden Globe	1982	Nominated	Director	Sydney Pollack
Golden Globe	1982	Won	Picture - Musical or Comedy	Sydney Pollack, Dick Richards
Golden Globe	1982	Nominated	Screenplay	Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal
Grammy Awards	1984	Nominated	Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special	Dave Grusin
Writers Guild of America Awards	1983	Won	Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen	Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

This one was recommended to me here (I think by Jon). Of course I knew about this movie, but I never considered watching it because I wasn't really keen on watching Dustin Hoffman in drag. But after the recommendation and reading the synopsis I found that this movie could be interesting to me after all. Dustin Hoffman did a great job as Dorothy. Whenever he was on screen as Dorothy, it was real fun to watch. Also I was surprised to see Bill Murray. I didn't know beforehand that he was in this picture.
I am also glad that Dustin Hoffman convinced the director Sydney Pollack to play the role of the agent. These two were great together.
Teri Garr reminded me a lot of Phoebe from Friends. It's a stroke of genius of the producers of Friends to cast her as Phoebe's mother, I think.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	1998 / India
Director:	Anees Bazmee
Writing:	Anees Bazmee (Story By), Anees Bazmee (Screenwriter)
Rating:	PG
Length:	157 Min.
Video:	Widescreen 2.35
Audio:	Hindi: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:	English

Stars:
Ajay Devgan as Shekhar
Kajol as Sanjana
Bijay Anand
Kashmira Shah
Tikku Talsania

Plot:
All alone in paris and all alone in the world. Naturally all Sanjana's Love focused on the one person she can call her own - her fiancee Rahul. And then out of the blue. Rahul - on a business trip to India - calls up Sanjana to tell her he's found someone else. He no longer loves her. Sanjana is shattered but determined to win him back. With this firm resolves in mind she files down to India.
On the flight she meets a charming young man Shekhar. What she doesn't realise is that Shekhar is a crooked, a jewel thief who's stolen a valuable Diamond Necklace. Knowing that the police are watching out for him at the airport, Shekhar does the unexpected. He hides the necklace in Sanjana's luggage. And so begins Pyar To Hona Hi Tha. With a desperate Sanjana running after Rahul to win him back. And an even more desperate Shekhar running after Sanjana to get his necklace back. A crazy, wonderful journey that takes Sanjana and Shekhar from the Neon lit streets of the city to the rustic charms of village. A journey that brings about laughter and tears; adventure and heart-break; sacrifice and realisation.
And above all.........Love !
After all Pyar to Hona Hi Tha.

Awards:

Filmfare Awards	1999	Nominated	Best Actress Award	Kajol
Filmfare Awards	1999	Won	Best Female Playback Award	"Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha": Jaspinder Narula
Filmfare Awards	1999	Nominated	Best Movie Award
Filmfare Awards	1999	Nominated	Best Music Director Award	Jatin-Lalit
Filmfare Awards	1999	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor Award	Om Puri

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Music Videos
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This is a Bollywood remake of Meg Ryan's "French Kiss". I haven't seen "French Kiss" for ages (I will have to get the DVD soon), but as far as I remember the basic plot is identical, though I think the ending is different.
I bought this movie because of Kajol. Sadly she doesn't make many movies anymore, so I am looking to get my hands on some of her old stuff. She makes this movie fun to watch, even though the picture quality is not the best. What is great about her is that she can play serious scenes just as good as silly scenes. The role of Kevin Kline's character is played by Ajay Devgan, whom Kajol married one year after they made this movie.

While searching for this movie on youtube, the first hit was a video with the full movie. Maybe someone is interested to check it out. Though be warned, that the Bollywood movies of that period cannot compete with Hollywood movies in regards of production values. But as a study how an American movie transfers to Bollywood it is interesting to watch. Or you are a fan of Kajol like me



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: The Miracle Worker
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	1962 / United States
Director:	Arthur Penn
Writing:	William Gibson (Screenwriter), William Gibson (Original Material By)
Rating:	PG
Length:	102 Min.
Video:	Widescreen 1.66
Audio:	English: Dolby Digital 1, German: Dolby Digital 1, French: Dolby Digital 1, Italian: Dolby Digital 1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 1
Subtitles:	Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Greek, Romanian

Stars:
Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan
Victor Jory as Captain Arthur Keller
Inga Swenson as Kate Keller
Andrew Prine as James Keller
Kathleen Comegys as Aunt Ev

Plot:
Starring in what is quite possibly the most moving double performance recorded on film, Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke are remarkable in their Oscar-winning portrayals of Annie and Helen. Ennobling and uplifting, this inspirational story of courage and hope is one of the finest works of arts in the history of motion pictures.

Locked in a frightening, lonely world of silence and darkness since infancy, 7-year-old Helen Keller has never seen the sky, heard her mother's voice or expressed her innermost feelings. Then Annie Sullivan, a 20-year-old teacher from Boston arrives. Having just regained her own sight, the no-nonsense Annie reaches out to Helen through the power of touch - the only tool they have in common - and leads her bold pupil on a miraculous journey from fear and isolation to happiness and light.

Awards:

Academy Award	1962	Won	Best Actress	Anne Bancroft
Academy Award	1962	Nominated	Best Costume Design, Black-and-White	Ruth Morley
Academy Award	1962	Nominated	Best Director	Arthur Penn
Academy Award	1962	Won	Best Supporting Actress	Patty Duke
Academy Award	1962	Nominated	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay	William Gibson
AFI	1962	Won	100 Years... 100 Cheers (2006)
AFI	1962	Nominated	100 Years... 25 Scores (2005)	"Composer": Laurence Rosenthal
BAFTA	1962	Nominated	Film And British Film
BAFTA	1962	Won	Foreign Actress	Anne Bancroft
Directors Guild of America	1963	Nominated	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	Arthur Penn
Golden Globe	1962	Nominated	Actress in a Leading Role - Drama	Anne Bancroft
Golden Globe	1962	Nominated	Actress in a Supporting Role	Patty Duke
Golden Globe	1962	Won	New Star of the Year - Female	Patty Duke
Golden Globe	1962	Nominated	Picture - Drama	Fred Coe
National Board of Review Awards, USA	1962	Won	Best Actress	Anne Bancroft
Writers Guild of America Awards	1963	Nominated	Best Written American Drama	William Gibson

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

I bought this movie to see how much of the movie Black is taken from here. The early scenes in Black with the young Michelle show a lot of similarities to this movie. Though I enjoyed it more in Black. Here it stretches too long. This movie ends with the "water" scene, which in Black is the first big breakthrough and after that follows the life of a now adult Michelle.
I also thought that the teacher-pupil relationship has a much bigger weight in Black.
But in itself, "The Miracle Worker" is a good movie with great performances by its stars. My favorite scene is the ten minutes battle between them when Annie is trying to teach Helen table manners.



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

[KinkyCyborg]

I really enjoyed The Miracle Worker. Much was made of Patty Duke's performance but I believe Anne Bancroft is the real star of this movie. She breaks the hellfire Keller much as a ranch hand would a feral stallion and it's fascinating to watch. I shall have to pick up this 'Black' I have been reading so much about.

[Tom]

I shall have to pick up this 'Black' I have been reading so much about.

 
I am curious to hear your thoughts on it in comparison to "The Miracle Worker".

[Tom]

Title: What's Your Raashee?
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	2009 / India
Director:	Ashutosh Gowariker
Writing:	Naushil Mehta (Screenwriter), Ashutosh Gowariker (Screenwriter), Amit Mistry (Screenwriter), Tagan A. Bhatt (Screenwriter), Madhu Rye (Original Material By)
Rating:	UA
Length:	213 Min.
Video:	Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio:	Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:	Arabic, English

Stars:
Harman Baweja as Yogesh
Priyanka Chopra as Anjali
Priyanka Chopra as Sanjana
Priyanka Chopra as Kajal
Priyanka Chopra as Hansa

Plot:
Never before have the sun and the moon played such an important role in a romance.

What's Your Raashee? is the story of Yogesh Patel, a young man who in his heart has always wanted a love marriage. Till suddenly he is told that he must find his dream girl within 10 days to save his family from utter ruin.

Finding the dream girl is though enough. Finding her in a hurry is even tougher.

His solution is simple; he will meet one girl from each raashee - sun sign, as he feels that is the best way to make sure he finds a suitable wife, while also giving himself 12 chances to fall in love.

Two meetings per day gives him six days to meet them, three days to make a final decision and he can get married on the tenth day, or so he thinks.

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Music Videos
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie is directed by Ashutosh Gowarinder. So far I have seen from him "Jodhaa Akbar", "Lagaan" and "Swades". All movies which are rather epic and highly critically acclaimed. So I was surprised that this romantic comedy is one of his latest endeavors. I wasn't expecting him doing this kind of movies. And still he manages to make something rather epic. Clocking in 213 minutes I think it is the longest rom-com in my collection.
In this movie a guy must marry in ten days. He decides to let himself get set up with twelve different girls and will decide then, which one he will marry. The extraordinary thing in this movie is, that all twelve girls are played by the same actress - Priyanka Chopra. That all the girls look similar is addressed by the main character in case you are wondering. It is "explained away" in the movie (i.e. he sees the face of the girl he is looking for in all of their faces). Only for the main character all of the girls look the same.
I enjoyed this movie. I was not bored a minute. The long runtime is needed to give each of the twelve girls their proper screentime. I also enjoyed the song numbers.
Here is an interesting one to watch, where I think they did a great editing work. This is the final song where the main character reflects on all of the girls he met before having to make a decision. All girls appear on the stage with him at once. Remember, all girls are played by the same actress:



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

There were also one or two other instances, where two of the girls appear on-screen at the same time. Also in these instances they did a good job covering it.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Where the Heart Is
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	2000 / United States
Director:	Matt Williams
Writing:	Lowell Ganz (Screenwriter), Babaloo Mandel (Screenwriter), Billie Letts (Original Material By)
Rating:	PG
Length:	115 Min.
Video:	Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio:	English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:	English, French

Stars:
Dylan Bruno as Willy Jack Pickens
Ray Prewitt as Tim
Laura House as Nicki
Karey Green as Rhonda
Natalie Portman as Novalee Nation

Plot:
Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman star in this offbeat, delicious slice of life about a down-on-her-luck southern teen who, after gaining 15 minutes of fame for giving birth to "The Wal-Mart Baby", begins to put her life together with the help of the kind, quirky strangers who become her surrogate family.

Based on the #1 best-selling novel by Billie Letts, this "brilliantly funny, deeply moving, beautifully acted" (KNX/CBS Radio) film co-stars Stockard Channing and Joan Cusack in an inspiring celebration of love and friendship.

Awards:

Teen Choice Awards	2000	Nominated	Film - Choice Actress	Natalie Portman
Young Artist Awards	2001	Nominated	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress	Natalie Portman
YoungStar Awards	2000	Won	Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Comedy	Natalie Portman

Extras:
Music Videos
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

Even though I wouldn't classify it as a must-see, I enjoyed this movie. Natalie Portman did a great job as the likable small-town girl. The two hours ran by fast. Also Ashley Judd did a good job, but it was a little unrealisitic for her character to have five children and still have this great figure.
I wonder from where the cover is. It looks like it is for another movie. Ashley Judd, for example, was blonde in this movie.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Just Married
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	2003 / United States
Director:	Shawn Levy
Writing:	Sam Harper (Writer)
Rating:	12
Length:	91 Min.
Video:	Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio:	English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles:	English

Stars:
Ashton Kutcher as Tom
Brittany Murphy as Sarah
Christian Kane as Peter Prentiss
David Moscow as Kyle
Monet Mazur as Lauren

Plot:
Ashton Kutcher (Dude Where's My Car) and Brittany Murphy (8 Mile) take the cake in this outrageous hit comedy! Sarah is a happy-go-lucky rich girl whose meddling family is as snobbish as it is wealthy. Tom is a hope-I-get-lucky party guy who prefers sports bars over fancy cars. But opposites attract sidesplitting fun when these two young newlyweds embark on their perfectly-planned honeymoon with disastrous – and hilarious results!

Awards:

Golden Raspberry Awards	2003	Nominated	Worst Actor	Ashton Kutcher
Golden Raspberry Awards	2003	Nominated	Worst Screen Couple	Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy
Golden Raspberry Awards	2003	Nominated	Worst Supporting Actress	Brittany Murphy
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Actor - Comedy	Ashton Kutcher
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Actress - Comedy	Brittany Murphy
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Hissy Fit	Ashton Kutcher
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Liplock	Brittany Murphy, Ashton Kutcher
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice Movie Villain	Christian Kane

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

Stupid and boring movie. This did not keep my interest at all. The only reason one would want to watch this movie is Brittany Murphy. She was not bad.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Defendor
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	2009 / Canada
Director:	Peter Stebbings
Writing:	Peter Stebbings (Writer)
Rating:	FSK-12
Length:	97 Min.
Video:	Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio:	German: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:	Commentary, English, German, Turkish

Stars:
Woody Harrelson as Arthur Poppington/Defendor
Elias Koteas as Dooney
Michael Kelly as Paul Carter
Sandra Oh as Dr. Ellen Park
Kat Dennings as Kat Debrofkowitz

Plot:
Arthur Poppington (2009 Academy Award® Nominee Woody Harrelson - Best Supporting Actor, The Messenger) doesn't need superpowers or fancy toys to fight crime. Armed with only a childlike sense of wonder and his quirky arsenal of cheap, homemade gadgets, he becomes DEFENDOR!

He finds an unexpected partner when he rescues and falls for a local prostitute (Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist). Can the two of them take down the city's most fearsome crime boss without getting killed in the process?

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Outtakes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Woody Harrelson did a good job as a slightly deranged guy who takes it up to himself to fight a crime boss by dressing up in a self-made superhero costume with some self-made gadgets. You could say this is an adult version of the Kick-Ass character. Only this time there are no other superheroes with real fighting skills around. This movie is not a spoof, but a dark comedy/drama.



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Thanks Tom... will have to put that one in my wishlist

[Achim]

Wow, where'd that come from. Seems funny indeed. Wish Listed.

[Jon]

Defendor got lost a little bit in Kick Ass's wake. General opinion seems to be that it's pretty good. Just not as sharp or full-on like KA. It is the Deep Impact to Kick Ass's Armageddon, I think!

[Achim]

Defendor got lost a little bit in Kick Ass's wake. General opinion seems to be that it's pretty good. Just not as sharp or full-on like KA. It is the Deep Impact to Kick Ass's Armageddon, I think!

That would make it a high quality movie in my book

And it would mean you just said that Kick-Ass is a really awful film Thank God I know better.


...obviously I preferred Deep Impact over that other one

[Tom]

Title: Black Lightning
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	2009 / Russia
Director:	Dmitriy Kiselev, Aleksandr Voytinskiy
Writing:	Dmitriy Aleynikov (Writer), Aleksandr Talal (Writer)
Rating:	FSK-12
Length:	106 Min.
Video:	Widescreen 2.35
Audio:	German: DTS 5.1, English: DTS 5.1, French: DTS 5.1, Italian: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Russian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles:	Arabic, Danish, English, Finnish, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish

Stars:
Grigoriy Dobrygin as Dima
Ekaterina Vilkova as Nastya
Viktor Verzhbitskiy as Kuptsov
Valeriy Zolotukhin as Perepelkin
Ekaterina Vasileva as Romantseva

Plot:
A student's life turns upside down when he discovers the battered old car his father gave him can fly...

After his entire world falls apart he makes a choice and shoots from zero to hero as a crime fighter known as 'Black Lightning'. Little does he know that evil forces are watching, they want the incredible car, and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means killing him and destroying the city.

Produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Director of Wanted and Night Watch), this fast-paced action-adventure features the Special Effects Teaam behind Wanted and stuntmen from The Bourne Identity & Quantum of Solace.

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

A russian superhero movie. The title translates to "Black Lightning". I had fun watching it. A guy finds a flying car. It has many similarities with the first Spider-Man movie. His relationship with his father is directly lifted from that film (Uncle Ben). It is almost exactly the same motivation for that guy to use the flying car for good, as it was the motivation for Peter Parker to use his new powers for helping people. Even though it is not a high budget film, I enjoyed the action sequences with the car. It wasn't nearly as ridiculous as the premise would suggest.



[ Watch on Youtube ]  [ Full Screen ]

Rating:

[Achim]

The trailer seems to dig a little deep towards the end of the movie, but it sure was great looking (Timur B. is producer, it seems). Might want to be on the lookout for that one.