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The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Ashton Kutcher scared me off in the theaters
This movie is about 3000 times better than it ought to be. I regularly read many "big time" critics' reviews and, interestingly, most of them either missed it on this film, or had built-in prejudices about what they were watching and never varied from that brain-trap.
The movie itself is briskly paced (admittedly, sometimes a little too fast) and exciting to watch. The plot, a form of the time travel/altering the future scenario, seems recycled but somehow fresh.
I was also quite surprised at how Ashton Kutcher handled his role. While most of the actors are quite solid, this is his movie (can't believe I wrote that sentence). Finally, the ending packs an emotional impact that is both valid and thought-provoking. Give it a shot if you missed it the first time around.
Sideways (2004)
A Personal Favorite
Alexander Payne has an ability to make all of his films seem like actual snapshots of things that happened to you or to people in your life. As the cliché goes, you forget you are watching a movie. Here, the characters are not people you revere or fantasize about (well maybe Sandra Oh's character, a little); they are people you know and often loathe, but fully understand. The simplest adjectives are the best for this film. It is intelligent, sad, funny, logical and very entertaining.
The plot is straightforward enough: two buddies go on a bachelor party-ish tour through a portion of the California wine country. They meet women, there's much pathos, some extreme hilarity, and the viewer learns enough about wine to be inspired to learn even more. And yet the movie, at its core, is not really about any of this.
I can't recommend this film enough and I will never order Merlot again.
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
The title says it all
This one's an easy one to review. Rather than saying Clooney's usual charm is wasted, Zeta-Jones is not a comedic actress, the script lacks any sort of punch, and the Coen Brothers have sold out, I'll just say that the title is very close to describing the experience of watching this film.
Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story (2002)
Cast Kathleen Robertson, would you please?
Saw this movie on cable, and was surprised at how entertaining it was for a made-for-tv flick. The story was interesting - as far as these true crime stories go - and the performances were actually quite good. Which brings me to my real point: after watching Kathleen Robertson's performance, I wonder why she isn't in more high-profile films. This woman is quite a talent and a very unique beauty to boot. You mean to tell me she wouldn't have been better than the boring Elizabeth Banks was in Seabiscuit? Or Liv Tyler in most anything? Or couldn't have handled Carla Gugino's Spy Kids' Mom? This woman deserves to be a star.
Anyway, the movie is a nice little diversion.