I am NOT a critic. I'm merely an observer. (Books, movies, plays, musicals etc.)

Home run after home run after home run...NOT! We applauded(a few of us) when the movie was over and it wasn't because we were so bored, but on the contrary.  We were so engrossed with the film and we liked the film as a whole. My mother noticed a lot of flaws, but liked the story anyway. Dad and I agreed with her when she said that the "thing" that happened towards the end needed to happen.  The person that "thing" happened to saw it coming.  He already got what he wanted. What is that? Watch the film to find out.  If you want spoilers, there are links here somewhere.  ;-) There were many hostage taking stories that have been filmed already, but I have yet to check if this is the first one involving someone like Lee Gates(George Clooney).  I vaguely remember something similar, but maybe it was a figment of my imagination or I dreamed of it somehow. OK, everyone did great, but let me mention a few: Caitriona Balfe---not only a sigh...

"Secret in Their Eyes poster" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Secret_in_Their_Eyes_poster.jpg#/media/File:Secret_in_Their_Eyes_poster.jpg The phenomenal hit   El secreto de sus ojos   by Señor Juan José Campanella(who is also one of the producers of the Hollywood film)  was a tough act to follow, so a remake was out of the question, but Billy Ray still dared to recreate it.  It had some of Hollywood's best actors, so what could go wrong, right? Still, when it was shown some weeks ago, it had mixed reviews. Where do I stand? Since I was not able to watch the Argentinian original, I watched the movie with innocent  eyes.  I journeyed with Ray, Claire, Jess and Bumpy.  Journeyed?  It was more like the Anchors Aweigh ride at famous amusement park in the country or a pendulum.  We swung back and forth, back and forth, back and forth in a hypnotic spell(redundant?).   I felt ...

( Source ) Way before Mel Gibson went ballistic and ruined his life, at least according to the fourth estate, I was an avid fan.  I would watch the MAD MAX series, the LETHAL WEAPON series, and almost everything else including THE PATRIOT and BRAVE HEART.  For me, he was not just a sight for sore eyes, he was also a very versatile actor, among other great things.  He could make one laugh, cry, tensed and perhaps bring out all those emotions that one may not have realized that was inside him or her all along. CONSPIRACY THEORY is one of those films of his that became close to my heart, partly because ever since I was a little girl I would sort of think that there's some sort of conspiracy about everything, climate change included. ..yes, even involving the universe , that I have seen this movie countless times.   Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart and the rest of the troop got me involved in everything.  From the first scene until the last,...

If you are a contemporary and you haven't seen this, warning, there are spoilers! (LOL!) 1999?  I could've sworn this was shown much, much earlier.  My brother married my sister-in-law in 1998 and I was sure that the songs during their wedding reception were Shania Twain's songs including one from Notting Hill, except for the song I sang(Chiqui Pineda's HOW DID YOU KNOW?).  Oh well.  I guess my mind's playing tricks on me.  What I'm sure of is that I've seen this several times and I never get tired of watching this from start to finish.  It's like every time is a first time.  I already know how they met and how pure William is.  I also know that Anna is human as human could be. William : I live in Notting Hill. You live in Beverly Hills. Everyone in the world knows who you are, my mother has trouble remembering my name. Anna Scott : I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. Moments later... Bernie : We...

When Marion Dougherty , CSA, chose Julia Roberts and Kyra Sedgwick to be sisters, she knew what she was doing.  If they weren't known actors and I saw them walking together, let's say at the mall, I would probably think they're flesh and blood.  The similarities are just too strong.  Callie Khouri's love for her family and her versatility help her create beautiful endearing stories that touch the hearts of movie goers and couch potatoes.   SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT is the second best story that she weaved(the best is THELMA AND LOUISE, in my opinion). If I didn't know better, I would think that Robert Duvall and Gena Rowlands are really husband and wife. It's a good thing I wasn't the one who cast this film.  I would never imagine pairing Dennis Quaid with Julia Roberts, but Ms. Dougherty saw something  that clicked. Their onscreen partnership worked and since I'm watching this movie again and again, I must say, it still ...