Tom's Random Reviews

[addicted2dvd]

Thanks Tom... will have to remember to add it to my Ryan Reynolds collection.

[Emma]

Thanks Tom... Ive been thinking about getting this to watch for a while.

[Tom]

Title: The Sixth Sense
Year: 1999
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: FSK-16
Length: 103 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: DTS 5.1
Subtitles: German

Stars:
Bruce Willis
Haley Joel Osment
Toni Collette
Olivia Williams
Trevor Morgan

Plot:
Hollwood superstar Bruce Willis (Armageddon, The Siege) brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller that critics are calling one of the nest movies of 1999. Dr. Malcom Crowe (Willis) is a distinguished child psychologist haunted by the painful memory of a disturbed young patient he was unable to help. So when he meets Cole Sear (Hale Joel Osment - Forrest Gump)... a frightened, confused eight-year-old with a similar condition... Dr. Crowe seeks to redeem himself by doing everthing he can. Nonetheless, Malcolm is unprepared to learn the truth of what haunts Cole: terrifying, unwanted visits from the restless inhabitants of the spirit world. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling and utterly unforgettable, the discovery of Cole's incredible 6th sense leads them both to mysterious and unforeseeable consequences.

Awards:

Academy Award	1999	Nominated	Best Director	M. Night Shyamalan
Academy Award	1999	Nominated	Best Film Editing	Andrew Mondshein
Academy Award	1999	Nominated	Best Picture	Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel (Producers)
Academy Award	1999	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor	Haley Joel Osment
Academy Award	1999	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Toni Collette
Academy Award	1999	Nominated	Best Writing, Original Screenplay	M. Night Shyamalan
AFI	1999	Won	100 Years... 100 Movies (2007)
AFI	1999	Won	100 Years... 100 Quotes (2005)	"Quote": I see dead people.
AFI	1999	Won	100 Years... 100 Thrills (2001)
American Cinema Editors Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Edited Feature Film – Drama	Andrew Mondshein
American Society of Cinematographers Awards	2000	Nominated	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases	Tak Fujimoto
ASCAP Awards	2000	Won	Top Box Office Films	James Newton-Howard
BAFTA	1999	Nominated	Editing	Andrew Mondshein
BAFTA	1999	Nominated	Film	Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel
BAFTA	1999	Nominated	Original Screenplay	M. Night Shyamalan
BAFTA	1999	Nominated	The David Lean Award For Achievement In Direction	M. Night Shyamalan
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	2000	Won	Favorite Actor - Newcomer (Internet Only)	Haley Joel Osment
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	2000	Won	Favorite Actor - Suspense	Bruce Willis
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	2000	Won	Favorite Supporting Actress - Suspense	Toni Collette
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2000	Won	Best Child Performance	Haley Joel Osment
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Picture
Casting Society of America Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Casting for Feature Film – Drama	Avy Kaufman
Cinema Audio Society Awards	2000	Nominated	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film	Reilly Steele, Michael Kirchberger, Allan Byer
Directors Guild of America	2000	Nominated	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	M. Night Shyamalan
Empire Magazine Awards	2000	Won	Best Director	M. Night Shyamalan
Golden Globe	1999	Nominated	Actor in a Supporting Role	Haley Joel Osment
Golden Globe	1999	Nominated	Screenplay	M. Night Shyamalan
Hugo Award	2000	Nominated	Dramatic Presentation
International Horror Guild Awards	1999	Nominated	Best Horror Film
MTV Movie Awards	2000	Won	Best Male Breakthrough Performance	Haley Joel Osment
MTV Movie Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Male Performance	Bruce Willis
MTV Movie Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Movie
MTV Movie Awards	2000	Nominated	Best On-screen Duo	Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Debut	Haley Joel Osment
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Screenplay, Original	M. Night Shyamalan
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2000	Won	Best Supporting Actor	Haley Joel Osment
Satellite Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama	Toni Collette
Satellite Awards	2000	Won	Best Film Editing	Andrew Mondshein
Satellite Awards	2000	Won	Best Screenplay – Original	M. Night Shyamalan
Satellite Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Sound	Allan Byer, Michael Kirchberger
Saturn	1999	Nominated	Best Actor	Bruce Willis
Saturn	1999	Won	Best Horror Film
Saturn	1999	Won	Best Performance by a Younger Actor	Haley Joel Osment
Saturn	1999	Nominated	Best Screenplay	M. Night Shyamalan
Screen Actors Guild Award	1999	Nominated	Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role	Haley Joel Osment
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Won	Film - Choice Breakout Performance	Haley Joel Osment
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Won	Film - Choice Drama
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Nominated	Film - Choice Sleazebag	Trevor Morgan
Writers Guild of America Awards	2000	Nominated	Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen	M. Night Shyamalan
Young Artist Awards	2000	Won	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor	Haley Joel Osment
YoungStar Awards	2000	Won	Best Young Actor/Performance in a Motion Picture Drama	Haley Joel Osment

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
DVD-ROM Content
Featurettes
Interviews
Production Notes
Scene Access
Storyboard Comparisons
Trailers

My Thoughts:

I haven't watched this movie in ten years (I cannot believe I have been collecting DVDs for this long now). This movie is still strong. It is still this director's best work. For some reason I enjoy this movie more after I knew the twist. When I first watched it many years ago, I thought it an okay movie until the ending put a new perspective on everything and then watched it a second time. It is fun to watch this movie with that knowledge and notice things which you didn't before.
What the movie really helped is the strong performance by Haley Joel Osment. Imagine they would have had the casting director of Star Wars: Episode I and we would have gotten Jake Llyod for this role (both movies came out around the same time). Shudder!

Rating:

[Jon]

I haven't watched this movie in ten years (I cannot believe I have been collecting DVDs for this long now). This movie is still strong. It is still this director's best work. For some reason I enjoy this movie more after I knew the twist.

Definitely Night's best. In fact even his next two, which are good, start to reveal his weaknesses.

Regards the twist, this is how proper film narrative should work. If anything, a twisty film should be improved by knowing the truth. Planet of the Apes and Seven are I believe. Scream, not so much... 

[Tom]

Planet of the Apes and Seven are I believe. Scream, not so much... 

I have to admit that I haven't seen Seven yet. But I stayed clear of any spoilers about this movie should I ever get the chance to see it. I have put it on my amazon wishlist now. Maybe I will put it in my basket the next time I am ordering.

[Tom]

Title: My Bollywood Bride
Year: 2005
Director: Rajeev Manoj Virani
Rating: 12
Length: 92 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Jason Lewis
Kashmira Shah
Sanjay Suri
Neha Dubey
Gulshan Grover

Plot:
When Alex (Sex and the City's Jason Lewis) and Reena (Bollywood star Kashmera Shah) meet by chance in LA, sparks fly and romance is definitely on the cards. Torn between her blossoming feelings for Alex and her Indian family values and obligations., Reena returns home without saying goodbye. Inspired by her words to 'follow your dreams', Alex decides to follow her to Mumbai and win her back. But Alex's quest is hindered by the fact that Reena has kept something very important about herself from him; she's the hottest film star in Bollywood! However, with help of a rambunctious rickshaw driver and a few of Reena's friends, Alex might just have a chance at winning her back and following his dreams.

In this fish out of water romantic comedy, Jason Lewis finds sex in a totally different city!

Awards:
Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

The story itself, though very simple and unoriginal, could have made a fun little movie. Bad acting all-around and amateurish sound mixing makes this movie very bad though.
The only watchable thing in this movie is the supporting actress Neha Dubey. I see that I got the chance to see her in another (hopefully better) movie I have bought at the same time: "Monsoon Wedding".

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: A.I. - Artificial Intelligence
Year: 2001
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: FSK-12
Length: 140 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Croatian, Czech, Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Stars:
Haley Joel Osment
Frances O'Connor
Sam Robards
Jake Thomas
Jude Law

Plot:
In a future world of runaway global warming and awe-inspiring scientific advances, humans share every aspect of their lives with sophisticated companion robots called Mechas. But when an advanced prototype robot child named David (Haley Joel Osment) is programmed to show unconditional love, his family isn't prepared for the consequences. Suddenly, David is on his own in a strange and dangerous world. Befriended by a streetwise Mecha (Jude Law), David embarks on a spectacular quest to discover the startling secret of his own identity.

Awards:
Extras:
Featurettes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this movie in the beginning. Haley Joel Osment does a really great job at portraying this robot child. My problems with this movie start with the beginning of the "mother"'s change of heart. Initially very creeped out by David, she suddenly accepts him.
I could have accepted it for the sake of the story, but the movie really got boring after David was abandoned. Though I got a kick out of Teddy. Partially creepy but somehow cute and believable toy nonetheless.
The ending didn't help matters. Maybe if I had it seen it at the time of release I wouldn't have had such a problem with it. But after Indy 4 I just couldn't help thinking, if this is now the typical Spielberg ending.

I think it would have been more fun to explore the life of the family over the years. Why would anyone get a robot child which (presumably) never ages? How did they think they could have hidden this fact from others?

Rating:

[Jon]

The ending didn't help matters. Maybe if I had it seen it at the time of release I wouldn't have had such a problem with it. But after Indy 4 I just couldn't help thinking, if this is now the typical Spielberg ending.

 

 

I've already said reactions to this ending is one of my pet peeves, because I do think it is a superb, elegant conclusion that works beautifully. However I'm not sure I get the link with Indy 4. Now that's another Spielbergian conclusion to generate much gnashing of teeth and again, I actually like it, but in that case I do at least understand peoples reservations. I can't think of A.I. as typical though.

I think it would have been more fun to explore the life of the family over the years. Why would anyone get a robot child which (presumably) never ages? How did they think they could have hidden this fact from others?

Now I do disagree with you overall and love this film, but that's one of the best critical points I've heard against it.

The film does address it, though not explicitly. Any family that buys one of these robots does so out of their own selfishness, the same reason the professor designed it. In one sense, it's a film about how we deal with grief and how it perverts our sense of right. The professor thinks he's doing a good thing, but the unspoken tragedy is exactly what you say. The child will not grow up, therefore he has to be abandoned or prove his 'parents' insanity.

It's easy to assume that the story could easily have explored that much more, but in fact he gets dumped relatively quickly. It's strictly a narrative about David, so it would have been an entirely different film with him as a rather passive character if they had gone that way, but still, it would have been a valid story.

[Tom]

Title: The Wedding Singer
Year: 1998
Director: Frank Coraci
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 93 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, German

Stars:
Adam Sandler
Drew Barrymore
Christine Taylor
Allen Covert
Matthew Glave

Plot:
You are cordially invited to fall in love with one of the funniest romantic comedies of the year! It's 1985 and Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison) is the ultimate master of ceremonies... until he is left at the altar at his own wedding. Devastated, he becomes a newlywed's worst nightmare - an entertainer who can do nothing but destroy other people's weddings. It's not until he meets a warm-hearted waitress named Julia (Drew Barrymore, Scream), that he starts to pick up the pieces of his heart. The only problem is Julia's about to have a wedding of her own and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a lifetime, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever.

From big hair to Billy Idol (as himself), The Wedding Singer features a hilarious cast and a platinum soundtrack including 80's hits from CULTURE CLUB, DAVID BOWIE and THE POLICE.

Awards:

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	1999	Nominated	Favorite Actress - Comedy	Drew Barrymore
BMI Film & TV Music Awards	1998	Won	BMI Film Music Award	Teddy Castellucci
MTV Movie Awards	1998	Nominated	Best Comedic Performance	Adam Sandler
MTV Movie Awards	1998	Won	Best Kiss	Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore
MTV Movie Awards	1998	Nominated	Best On-screen Duo	Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore

Extras:
Production Notes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

One of my favorite romantic comedies. Strange that this is the first time in six years that I have watched it again. I always loved the songs in this movie. And Drew Barrymore is really cute in this one. This movie and "50 First Dates" have a really good couple in Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Too bad those two didn't do more movies together.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Freaky Friday
Year: 2003
Director: Mark Waters
Rating: FSK-0
Length: 93 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Turkish

Stars:
Jamie Lee Curtis
Lindsay Lohan
Mark Harmon
Harold Gould
Chad Michael Murray

Plot:
In the tradition of 'The Princess Diaries', Disney's 'Freaky Friday' is the extremely funny and heartwarming comedy everyone will love. Dr. Tess Coleman (the hilarious Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (rockin' Lindsay Lohan) have one thing in common - they don't relate to each other on anything. Not clothes or men or Anna's passion to be in a rock band. Nothing. Then one night a little mystic mayhem changes their lives and they wake up to the biggest freak-out ever. Tess and Anna are trapped inside each other's body! But Tess's wedding is Saturday, and the two must find a way to switch back - fast! Literally forced to walk in each other's shoes, will they gain respect and understanding for the other's point of view? Filled with comedy, rock 'n' roll and lots of heart, 'Freaky Friday' is freaking fun everyone can enjoy together.

Awards:

BMI Film & TV Music Awards	2004	Won	BMI Film Music Award	Rolfe Kent
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2004	Nominated	Best Family Film – Live Action
Golden Globe	2003	Nominated	Actress in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy	Jamie Lee Curtis
MTV Movie Awards	2004	Won	Breakthrough Female	Lindsay Lohan
Satellite Awards	2004	Nominated	Best Actress – Comedy or Musical	Jamie Lee Curtis
Saturn	2003	Nominated	Best Actress	Jamie Lee Curtis
Saturn	2003	Nominated	Best Fantasy Film
Saturn	2003	Nominated	Best Writing	Heather Hach, Leslie Dixon
Saturn	2003	Nominated	Best Young Actor	Lindsay Lohan
Teen Choice Awards	2004	Won	Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female	Lindsay Lohan
Teen Choice Awards	2004	Nominated	Choice Movie - Comedy
Teen Choice Awards	2004	Won	Choice Movie Hissy Fit	Lindsay Lohan
Young Artist Awards	2004	Nominated	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress	Lindsay Lohan
Young Artist Awards	2004	Nominated	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actor Age Ten or Younger	Ryan Malgarini

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Outtakes
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

A great body-switch movie. In the beginning it is an okay movie, but after the switch took place the movie is real fun. Both actresses do a great job portraying the other self. And there are some real funny reactions by both of them.

Rating:

[Emma]

I like Freaky Friday.... *sigh* I tried to no avail to get my mum to watch it once  she did not understand my point.

[Tom]

Title: In the Good Old Summertime
Year: 1949
Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Rating: NR
Length: 103 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Judy Garland
Van Johnson
S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall
Spring Byington
Clinton Sundberg

Plot:
IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME -- a tale of squabbling music shop clerks who don't know they're romantic pen pals – shares a celebrated movie lineage that includes James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan in 'The Shop Around the Corner' and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in 'You've Got Mail'. In between those two, Judy Garland and Van Johnson had mail plus 'Gold Old' tunes evoking an era of strawboaters and silvery moons.

Sparked by Garland's comedic zest and musical appeal, this confection is "one of the sweetest, most unpretentious entertainments of 1949" (Clive Hirschhorn, 'The Hollywood Musical'). It's also a nostalgic farewell and a sunny hello. Buster Keaton appears in his final film for the studio he first joined in 1928. And Liza Minnelli, all of 18 months young, makes her debut in the finale.

Awards:

Writers Guild of America Awards

1950

Nominated

Best Written American Musical

Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Ivan Tors

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers
Vintage Traveltalks Shorts

My Thoughts:

A musical remake (though I am not sure if you can really call it a musical if all musical numbers have been worked into the story and are only songs performed by a character on-stage or sung to customers who have asked for it) of "The Shop Around the Corner" (which also was remade as "You've Got Mail").
I also enjoyed this version. The story is about the same as in "The Shop Around the Corner" with only minor changes. Judy Garland and Van Johnson are a good couple.
I just noticed that this is the only movie I have with Buster Keaton in it. He has a supporting role. As I understood it, he got this role because he was the only one they thought to be able to perform the comedy stunt believable were Mr. Oberkugen's violin gets broken.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

You lost me with the first 3 words of your thoughts!   

[Tom]

You lost me with the first 3 words of your thoughts!   

Though I can still recommend to you the original (non-musical) version "The Shop Around the Corner" if you enjoyed "You've Got Mail" (if you haven't already seen it).

[addicted2dvd]

Thanks!... That sounds more my speed! And yes... I did enjoy You've Got Mail. I never seen the original... but until recently I didn't know there was an original version (what with the completely different name).