Archive for January, 2009

Movie Review – 28 Days Later (2002)

By
Dave
Published: January 30, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , ,

28-days-later

Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Alex Garland
Genre: Horror/Thriller

It’s been quite some time since I watched 28 Days Later. Even after a few viewings I still like it though. The result is that I have one big suggestion. If you have already seen this movie on DVD, there is no reason to watch it on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray version of the film does not look any better I guess because of the cameras it was shot with. For some reason I had forgotten that it was shot with hand held lower quality film. Nevertheless it remains in my good book. Danny Boyle is one of the directors I am really watching out for now; mainly because of this film and then Sunshine.

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28 Days Later is about zombies, but not the classic slow zombies. Instead they are more like people with rabies, fighting for flesh. The two aspects of this film that really got me were Cillian Murphy and the abandoned city scenes. I love movies with abandoned towns or cities that really make you feel like something absolutely horrible has happened; coincidentally it had in this film. The idea of empty city streets has intrigued me in other movies like Devil’s Advocate, Vanilla Sky, and I Am Legend. Often these scenes are what really interests me about the film. 28 Days Later had plenty else to offer though.

28-days-later-2

Along with very capable acting on Murphy’s part, there were decent supporting actors and a reasonable amount of emotion to the film. This is not always true for zombie films and that is something that makes this one stand out. It followed one person mainly and his journey to try and get out alive. The story proved worthy of the screen time even if we were revisiting a genre that had been combed over many times. The real challenge I am sure was trying to make something original felling out of an unoriginal concept. Alex Garland and Danny Boyle achieved that with this zombie thriller.

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Really I am a sucker for zombie films and thrillers along with the empty streets of a large city. All of this in combination with the gitty fast paced directing made 28 Days Later one of my favorite zombie films. There is always the desire to have the slow zombies back, but this film was quite refreshing in its own way. If you are looking for a well made zombie film, then 28 Days Later should be on your list.

Raw Score: 765,002
Sharon Movie? No

Review Blitz #17

By
Dave
Published: January 28, 2009Posted in: Review BlitzTags: , , , , ,

Blitz, blitz, blitz.  It seems like I have done a lot of these lately, but I am just so far behind on reviews as compared to how many movies I have watched that it is going to be impossible to catch up.  The only way I have a chance is with the Review Blitz; so here it goes.

American Teen (2008)american-teen

Although this was more like a docudrama, I did sort of like it.  The comments on the back of the DVD set it up for failure though.  If I recall correctly they were “more heartfelt than Juno, funnier than Napoleon Dynamite, and better than the Breakfast Club.”  In a way I would agree with those statements, but not for the reasons that they intended.  It was not funnier than Napoleon Dynamite, but Napoleon Dynamite wasn’t overly funny when I watched it (however I thought Juno was hilarious).  I was possibly more heartfelt than Juno since it was actually true (mostly at least), but saying a movie is better than The Breakfast Club is just stupid.  I never really thought the Breakfast Club was that great, maybe because it was played four thousand times on TBS, but it is definitely a classic and comparing a docudrama to a movie with Emilio Estevez in it makes no sense.  Anyway, American Teen was worth the watch, but try not to think about the DVD comments or it will really ruin it for you.

Raw Score: 704,878
Sharon Movie? No

The Lazarus Project (2008)the-lazarus-project

Paul Walker is probably not going to get very far with movies like this one, which is sad since I think he really does have some talent. Although it was fairly good, it had a lot of gaps and felt borderline incoherent at times. I did like how it turned out in the end, but it was somewhat weak throughout the process. I would like to have seem some stronger acting and a little more substance. In addition it was a little slow and dark considering the quality. Slow and dark are actually good if the movie is really good. Worth watching for mild entertainment, but don’t expect greatness

Raw Score: 600,384
Sharon Movie? No

Sal De Ti

Not only am I having a hard time remembering this film, but I can not even find it on imdb. The truth is, I really can not give this movie a fair review since I do not understand spanish. This film had the worst subtitle job I have ever seen. The sentences did not even make sense most of the time and a lot of the words were misspelled. I feel bad giving this movie a review since I probably would have felt differently if I could have watched it without subtitles. On the other hand, I don’t think the DVD let you watch it without subtitles so I guess I have the right to rip it to shreds.

Raw Score: 312,902
Sharon Movie? No

Street Kings (2008)street-kings

Keanu Reeves is awesome and this is standard work for him. No, he doesn’t seem to pick very good films, but he forges ahead even against the criticism. After seeing the Devil’s Advocate, I have really appreciated Reeves from an acting stand point. He is not very consistent about giving quality performances, but he can do them if he needs to. I certainly like Forest Whitaker so there is also that to make this film worth the time spent. Street Kings is dark and gritty, but fails to bring home the bacon. I liked the way it flowed, but there were a few times I felt it was lacking.

Raw Score: 684,891
Sharon Movie? No

The Love Guru (2008)the-love-guru

Mike Myers is apparently dead. Every time I see him in a movie I feel like he has gotten worse than before. I used to think he was so funny, but The Love Guru is just plain repulsive. Yes, it made me laugh a few times, but the content I was subjected to was not worth the laughs that I gained. Too much gross humor and too little witty humor. I like humor with at least a hint of maturity. This was all amateur and childish humor. Mike Myers should be ashamed of himself.

Raw Score: 368,989
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – La Dolce Vita (1960)

By
Dave
Published: January 26, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , ,

Director: Federico Fellinila-dolce-vita
Writer: Federico Fellini and Ennio Flaiano
Genre: Drama

Federico Fellini’s masterpiece La Dolce Vita is a film that is hard to give just in a review. On the one hand we have a seemingly disjointed, non-sensical mess of a film, but on the other we have a deeply complex masterpiece which speaks to the heart of human nature. Let’s start with the surface so that we can ease into the deeper aspects. At first glance, La Dolce Vita is simply about a reporter who seems to be lost in his own world trying to figure out what he needs to do next. Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) has all sorts of problems starting even from the beginning of the film. He is found with a famous woman that he just met while he leaves his suicidal girlfriend at there place. When he returns he does everything he can to convince her that he truly cares for her, but right after that he dives right back into the mess. He ends up paying little or no attention to his girlfriend the entire time and rather finds comfort in various famous women and strange parties.

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If you look at the film on the most basic level it feels quite slow and boring with little to offer. However, if you decide to look a little deeper you begin to realize that Fellini has created another great film that can be analyzed over and over to uncover more and more depth and meaning. The film has seven acts which are built with different relationships and scenes that Marcello gets himself involved in. The beginning opens with a statue of Jesus being carried by helicopter across Rome. Marcello is one of the journalists which have decided to follow the story and journey the statue follows. Right from the beginning we see Marcello pursuing a story and he gets sidetracked when they see some girls sunbathing on a roof top. He hovers near them to ask for there number. This sets the stage for the films purpose; revealing the hypocrisy and materialistic atmosphere the modern society has become. People are so focused on being in different groups and a part of the happening crowd that they are unable to find themselves or there place in the mess. Marcello is the poster child in this instance. He goes through these seven acts with an indifference to it all because he does not feel like he fits anywhere, yet he continues to forge ahead with no direction at all.

The film can speak volumes about the need for people to actually be themselves and not follow the masses. More so than that it is a stab at the culture and society as a whole which seems to have lost all moral values in the world Fellini has created to prove a point. Again, there is so much to talk about and so many layers to Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, that it would be impossible to cover in a simple review and after only one viewing. I would love to watch it again sometime and possibly do a Deeper Thoughts post on it. Fellini made many great films in his time; one of which was 81/2 which has been widely praised. He has said himself that all his films are the same and he cannot distinguish between them. That tells us that his films were simply meditations on his life and things that he had experienced throughout his.

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La Dolce Vita will of course not be for everyone. It is 3 hours long and there is little to no action along with questionable voice dubbing (I noticed that even though I know no Italian and was trying to keep up with the subtitles); often when you watched their mouths when they spoke it did not line up at all. Possibly this was caused by a bad copy of the film, but the point is that all of these imperfections to the surface of the film almost reiterate how little significance they actually have when matched with the purpose of his film.  The film has been one which has certainly made a mark on films that have followed and even became the source for the word “Paparazzi” which came from one of Marcello’s obnoxious journalist friend’s who was always following people with a camera.  The film is slow paced and intricate; one which a lighthearted moviegoer or someone looking for mindless entertainment could absolutely despise while someone who is looking for something deeper will find an endless abundance of meaningful meditation on life itself.  I loved the film and would recommend it to anyone with a passion for great films.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 902,980
Sharon Movie? No

This movie review was requested by Mike.

Review Blitz #16

By
Dave
Published: January 24, 2009Posted in: Review BlitzTags: , , , , ,

Anamorph (2007)anamorph1

Willem Dafoe is usually pretty good, but this is not one of his best movies at all. His character is not very interesting and the story just didn’t flow well. I liked the concept of a murderer which makes art out of his murders, but it got more and more ridiculous as it went on and the ending left a lot to be desired. If they had added a few more good actors and worked a little harder on the scripting then I would have liked a lot more. Still with the poor ending I felt like I had wasted my time.

Raw Score: 614,998
Sharon Movie? No

Charlie Bartlett (2007)charlie-bartlett1

Anton Yelchin (the kid from Hearts in Atlantis), Robert Downey, Jr., and Hope Davis help secure at least mediocre status for this film about a rich kid who can’t seem to behave in school. When he gets kicked out of another expensive private school he decides to go to a public school. He quickly gains popularity by providing advice and drugs (prescription) to the students. He makes a killing off of them and gains a lot of respect, but he finds that popularity and respect is not what life is all about. The story was decent although somewhat unbelievable at times. I don’t remember school ever being close to that bad, but maybe others have had different experiences. The biggest problem is really the somewhat wavering message. In the end it still seemed like it was missing something, but I liked anyway.

Raw Score: 722,991
Sharon Movie? No

Good Time Max (2007)good-time-max

This interesting project from the mind of James Franco turned out fairly good. The only thing I would complain about would be how seemingly dull and sad it was. It was a story about someone addicted to drugs and spiraling out of control. He continues to push out his family and things just get worse and worse. Even though it feels like the denouement ends the film on a positive note, it doesn’t make up for the cold mood throughout most of the film. Even with that mood, the artsy and quirky feel allows the film to be better that Franco’s first writing and directing credit; Fool’s Gold. I will be interested to see more films by Franco and I certainly like his acting. For now I would rather see his talent on the screen in movies such as Pineapple Express.

Raw Score: 718,003
Sharon Movie? No

Married Life (2007)married-life

Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper make an interesting team in this one. I found the film to be entertaining even if a little slow in times. Some of it did not seem to match up, but still it managed to hold my interest. Is Chris Cooper in everything? He seems to be in every movie I see. Anyway, the comedic and romantic aspects were nicely mixed with more dramatic and even thrilling aspects. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a romantic comedy with a little more flavor to it than the average romantic comedy.

Raw Score: 698,334
Sharon Movie? Yes

Priceless (2006)priceless

Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh make a good couple, but this film was constantly on the fence. I have to expect as much from a french film, but I think Audrey Tautou is way too good for this stuff. Every time I see Audrey Tautou in a film I just think of one of my all time favorites; Amelie. Alas, this is not Amelie. I cringed a few times at how repulsive this film was and the morals are just plain absent. The film was still entertaining for the most part.

Raw Score: 602,005
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – Into Great Silence (2005)

By
Dave
Published: January 21, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , ,

into-great-silence-poster

Director: Philip Gröning
Writer: Philip Gröning
Genre: Documentary

Story

A documentary of the life of Carthusian Monks in the head monastery of the Carthusian order; the Grande Chartreuse. The Grande Chartreuse is in the Chartreuse mountains north of Grenoble in France. These monks live a life of silence separated from the outside world as hermits. The Carthusian Order is part of the Roman Catholic religious order. The documentary does very little to tell a story in words and rather relies on images and actual practices of the monks. It simply follows their lives as they are without interviews or interruptions.

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Everything Else

There is not a lot to say about this near silent film. It was a grand look at the life of these monks and probably will be the closest to capturing the essence of their lives as a film will ever get. It truly brings you into the “silence” and makes you think about how it would be like to live a life of continual prayer without contact to the outside world. The scenery around the monastery is alive and vibrant; starting in the winter, moving through spring and summer, and then ending in winter. Seemly capturing the events of an entire year; although it was filmed over only six months. At first the silence is hard to take, but as it continues you begin to be drawn into the meaning of their devotion.

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The Real Deal

This is not a film to watch late at night as I tried to do many times. I could never seem to get farther than about 15 minutes into it before I would fall asleep. Normally, that would be a bad thing, but Into Great Silence has that slow and quiet flow for a great purpose of accurately portraying the lives of the monks. If you are up for the near three hour challenge of watching this film then you are sure to get a better understanding of the monks and life in the monastery. For the average moviegoer however, I would think this one would be a movie that could be hard to get through. Only check this one out if you are truly interested in learning more about the monks.

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The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 754,990
Sharon movie? No

This movie review was requested by Steve.

Review Blitz #15

By
Dave
Published: January 19, 2009Posted in: Review BlitzTags: , , , , , , ,

Death Race (2008)

This was one I knew wasn’t going to be very good, but I really wanted to see anyway. Honestly, it wasn’t horrible, but it definitely doesn’t deserve any awards. If you are looking for some crazy carnage with your well known mediocre action movie star then this is a decent rainy day lala film. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it will actually be good though. I am kind of interested in seeing the original film this movie was based off of now.

Raw Score: 621,554
Sharon Movie? No

Dead Silence (2007)

Donnie is not the star that Mark is, but Dead Silence was probably just as good as Max Payne. This one is more geared toward a horror film, but isn’t all that scary. It entertains and makes you think a little, but fails to offer anything that feels even remotely original. Don’t feel bad about skipping this one.

Raw Score: 588,445
Sharon Movie? No

Flawless (2007)

Far from it, but still pretty good. I am always a sucker for these heist movies. I just can’t seem to get enough. This isn’t the best one, but it does the job. Things did get a little curious at the end; I was not sure how I felt about how they executed those last few minutes. Certainly worth seeing if you like heist movies, but don’t get too excited about it; I would say this was middle of the road for heist movies.

Raw Score: 702,776
Sharon Movie? Yes

Transsiberian (2008)

Transsiberian actually turned out to be a lot better than I had hoped for. It isn’t a great film, but it was entertaining and had some good performances in it. Interestingly, it also has Ben Kingsley who is in War, Inc. below. He always does a fairly good job and Woody Harrelson is usually top notch as well. I have mixed feelings about Emily Mortimer, but she is certainly proving herself more and more with her recent roles in Match Point, Chaos Theory, Lars and the Real Girl, and Redbelt. Really if you just took the last five movies she has been in, she has really picked winners. Transsiberian gives a few thrills and seems almost believable enough. There are some holes here and there and it got a little far fetched from time to time, but overall it was a fun ride.

Raw Score: 728,998
Sharon Movie? No

War, Inc. (2008)

War, Inc. was a risk from the beginning. I think the biggest disappointment here is Dan Aykroyd who seems to be on a poor downward spiral which this film only served to perpetuate. Honestly, I knew this one was going to be bad, but I like John Cusack and Ben Kingsley so I thought it would be worth a try. Unfortunately I did not find much of it funny at all and the rest was just gross and obnoxious. Cusack seems to have a knack for finding the obscure comedies and dramas these days. He has been in almost 20 movies this decade and only about half I would consider good. Truthfully I miss the Grosse Point Blank, Being John Malkovich, or High Fidelity Days. Actually I would even say Sixteen Candles was better for him that most of his roles these days. It just seems like he strolls onto the set and gives a mediocre performance without even trying to act. Oh well, I guess there are low points in everyone’s career, but it always hurts when it is someone you thought was a great.

Raw Score: 531,776
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – Labyrinth (1986)

By
Dave
Published: January 15, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , ,

labyrinth-poster

Director: Jim Henson
Writer: Dennis Lee and Jim Henson
Genre: Adventure/Family/Fantasy/Musical

Story

Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is left at home with her screaming brother while her parents decide to go out. Sarah mistakenly decides to say the secret words that make the goblins from a fantasy world take her brother away. Then the Goblin King (David Bowie) shows up and tells her to forget about her brother, but if she decides to come to the fantasy world to get her brother back she will have to get through the labyrinth in a certain amount of time. She decides to take on the task of course and the rest is a crazy maze filled with weird creatures and even weirder David Bowie songs.

labyrinth-3

Everything Else

There are probably a lot of things to say about Labyrinth, but I can honestly say that I was not a part of the segment of the population that actually liked this movie. I can see its appeal to a younger audience back in the 80s, but seeing it now at my age caused it to seem very amateurish. Not only is it a musical, but it is more of a kids movie that at times seemed a little on the offensive side for kids I would think. This made for an odd mixture of filmmaking. The dialog although never terrible; certainly gets past questionable a few times. In addition to the mediocre scripting, there were a few scenes that were simply lame (go ahead Labyrinth lovers; let me have it).

labyrinth-1

Nevertheless, it was an entertaining film if nothing else. I laughed a lot and if in the right mood I think I might have found it quite hysterical; although I do not believe that was the main goal for Jim Henson on this film. I am not sure how anyone could help from laughing when David Bowie starts singing in this film though. The acting was on par with everything else in the film and was a decent chance for Jennifer Connelly to get a lead role. David Bowie wrote most if not all of the music in the film, but I would not say it made me want to hear any more of his music.

The Real Deal

I can see where the group of people who grew up watching movies like this are coming from. It does have an interesting appeal as that 80s/comedy/fantasy/adventure type film. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t old enough when the film came out to have appreciated it and was too old once I saw to think it was a good film. Everything about the movie is average unless you take into consideration the entertainment you get from realizing how ridiculous it really is. If you have not seen this one then I would not recommend it to you unless you find strange 80s movies funny.

 

this was just plain creepy

this was just plain creepy

The Short Version

Raw Score: 604,865
Sharon Movie? No

Transition to Wordpress

By
Dave
Published: January 4, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

The move to Wordpress has been going well, but there is a lot of work to do. I have started to go through the old posts and retag and link them. This is very tedious work, but I think I will feel a lot better about it in the end. The feedburner feed seems to be broken though; suddenly I have zero subscribers. I hope everyone is still getting the posts. If you are a subscriber, but have not reveived any posts lately please let me known.

Thanks again for all the support.

Movie Review – Seven Pounds (2008)

By
Dave
Published: January 4, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , ,

seven-pounds-3Director: Gabriele Muccino
Writer: Grant Nieporte
Genre: Drama

Story

Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is an IRS agent on a mission to drastically change the lives of seven strangers. While on his quest he meets Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) who is in desperate need of a heart transplant. As he is determined to help the seven strangers that he has determined to be worthy, he begins to fall for Emily. Ben Thomas has a secret all the while that he is keeping from everyone; adding a twist towards the end.

 

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Everything Else

Although I have heard many bad things about Seven Pounds like it is a flop in the box office, it is a rotten tomato, and it was one of Smith’s worst performances, I can honestly say that Seven Pounds was a really good movie. I am not sure why so many people have diminished it. The truth is the directing was quite good. Although at first it seems very disjointed and almost seems a little dizzying; it does begin to level out about half way through and makes you forget what may have seemed odd at the beginning. Possibly one thing that got Seven Pounds low marks is that it set everything up to be a big twist and surprise at the end, but it really isn’t that big of a surprise or twist. The problem with this is that people are expecting it so you get the classic line from critics; “even the dullest of minds could figure out what happens in the first fives minutes of the film.” The problem is that knowing what happens and how it happens are two very different things. Sometimes it is really not about the twist as much as it is about the performances and emotion along the way. Don’t watch Seven Pounds looking for a great twist at the end just like all those people look for a great twist at the end of every M. Night Shayamalan movie.

The writing for Seven Pounds proved to be enough to add mystery, but at the same time peak your interest in what would happen next. You keep wondering if he is going to be able to save all of these people or not. This was also one of Will Smith’s best performances. Although it is very grim and sad the entire time, Smith makes the most of that character’s dynamics by adding some forced smiles and peculiar interactions with the other characters. Rosario Dawson does look awful along side Smith in this one because of her condition, but has enough animation to make for a decent romance between the two. We also get to see good performances by Woody Harrelson and Barry Pepper although they are a bit smaller.

 

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The Real Deal

Don’t expect the best movie and certainly don’t be looking for an uplifting movie. There are some uplifting things in Seven Pounds, but they are swiftly drowned by the sadness and the film flows very slowly along. This movie will not be for everyone and in fact I would say it is for very few people. It is however, a very god film which has been overlooked by many because it is not in the main stream and it doesn’t make you feel good. Personally I am only looking for a good film; not one that is purely entertainment; however this is exactly what most people are looking for in a movie so for those I recommend a pass on this one.

The Short Version

Raw Score: 801,992
Sharon Movie? No

Movie Review – Yes Man (2008)

By
Dave
Published: January 3, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , ,


Director: Peyton Reed
Writer: Nicholas Stoller and Jarrad Paul
Genre: Comedy

Story

The story is fairly well known with this one, but many compare it to Liar Liar and I think there is only two reasons to make that comparison. It has Jim Carrey and it is about a man who seemingly does not have a choice in situations were he has two options. That is really where the similarities stop since in Yes Man Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) decides to say yes to everything after going to some crazy self help seminar. It is not anything that has to be wished by anyone and he absolutely has the choice the whole time to stop what he is doing. Since his wife left him he has been on a downward spiral not paying attention to even his best friends and suddenly one of his old buddies finds him and says he should go to the seminar because it would help him live his life to the fullest. He tries it out and starts saying yes to everything and it seems that everything is working out for the better, but then he has to find out what the real purpose of the Yes Man is and learn to live his life with balance.


Everything Else

The directing and writing are both solid in this one. There is nothing that really makes Yes Man stand out from the crowd of comedies out there other than they did not really miss step in any area. Usually a movie has some area where they really made an error or give the audience something to just accept, but there was not much in this film that needed to be simply accepted (like that a kid made a wish and now someone can no longer say a lie). Most of the things that happen in Yes Man are feasible and overall the message ended up being a good one.

I almost forgot Luis Guzman was in this; everybody loves Luis Guzman

The story flowed well with high and low points and ultimately to a reasonable closure; which is often what people are looking for. This movie also has some good acting talent in it. Jim Carrey is back to his regular antics, but possibly not completely on his “A” game. Still it was good to see him do something more true to his older films. I love his serious acting in movies like the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind though. Anyway, the other actors and actresses did well in Yes Man as well. Notably, Zooey Deschanel does well as the crazy and quirky love interest and Bradley Cooper does well as the good friend that will hang in there even though his friend is ignoring him and mistreating him at every turn.


Peyton Reed is actually a director who I have come to like in more of his recent films (Down With Love and The Break-Up). It is odd that he directed The Weird Al Shows on TV though. I guess you have to start somewhere though.

The Real Deal

I liked Yes Man because it was good clean fun. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but it was surprisingly well written and directed. Even Jim Carrey came back to his normal self. I hear that he has been getting a bad rap in Hollywood for being someone who is very difficult to deal with. Hopefully that changes and he starts mixing serious roles and comedic roles in his future films. Although at first I found that the message seemed a little off in Yes Man it really came out ok in the end. Don’t expect anything really spectacular with message, but at least I can say it was good rather than bad. When you really boil it down, you have to like Jim Carrey to like this film since he is the comedic force in it.


The Short Version

Raw Score: 710,034
Sharon Movie? Yes

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