Movie review

  • 2005-06-15
A Lot Like Love


Mr. and Mrs. Smith


Philosopher Escaped





A Lot Like Love

British director Nigel Cole did a lot better with "Calendar Girls" than with this unremarkable American romantic comedy. "A Lot Like Love" is a really boring take on the "When Harry Met Sally" formula. Awkwardly unfunny jokes and characters that aren't even close to being believable are what characterize this feature. The Amanda Peet/Ashton Kutcher lineup is a major miscast - they really share no chemistry whatsoever. The reason why the two characters don't get together the first time they meet escapes me. The only reason might be that the producers were hoping to make a movie longer than 15 minutes. And why, exactly, are these two meant for each other? Because the script says so, that's why. I don't believe a word of it.
1/2 ( Julie Vinten )

This movie, directed by Nigel Cole ("Saving Grace," "Calendar Girls"), could easily have been a perfectly awful cliche, but thanks to the likable performances of the lead actors, it actually ends up being an amusingly sweet romantic comedy. Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) first notices Emily (Amanda Peet) at the airport as she noisily breaks up with her boyfriend. While on their flight to New York, the gothic girl and the shy guy have anonymous sex inside the airplane's lavatory -is it really possible to do that in those miniscule spaces? The film follows the pair as they haphazardly develop a relationship over the next seven years. Somehow, Cole manages to capture a bit of the magical essence of falling in love with this film.
( Laimons Juris G )

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

This "True Lies" and "The War of the Roses" mix is, despite a tedious intro, a vibrant and funny shoot-'em-up in the company of lighthearted matrimonial bickering. What a team Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt make! Sparks fly between the two criminally handsome actors 's and the result is pure fireworks. Nicole Kidman was originally cast to play Mrs. Smith, but she could never have looked as good as Jolie does with a giant gun in each hand. The premise is preposterous - and the movie comfortably revels in it. Assassins kill without any scruples and the movie wouldn't dream of adopting a preachy attitude towards it - this is cheerful entertainment above all else. Director Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity") certainly knows his stuff. As summer blockbusters go, it's just right.
( Julie Vinten )

There is no denying it 's Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are definitely two of the most gorgeous people on the face of this wonderful blue and green planet. Jolie plays a vivacious vixen with a mission in this romantic farce, while Pitt plays it cool -by simply turning on his famous charm. Without uttering a single word, the chemistry between the two is enough to burn holes in the film and Jolie and Pitt really do sizzle from frame to frame. Director Doug Liman ("Go," "The Bourne Identity") expertly combines fast-paced action and comic relief with a remarkably appropriate soundtrack. While "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" may be a tad too long and too violent for some viewers, there's still plenty of positive energy flying to make this flick enjoyable entertainment.
( Laimons Juris G )

Philosopher Escaped

Alexander Piatigorsky calls himself a philosopher. After emigrating from the Soviet Union in 1974, he now lives and teaches in London. He has appeared several times in the Latvian magazine "Rigas Laiks," and the magazine's editor, Uldis Tirons, is the director of this documentary about Piatigorsky. The filmmakers' admiration for Piatigorsky is evident, and their enthusiasm makes the doc worth watching. Regrettably, the film doesn't have much of a cinematic structure, which makes Piatigorsky seem chaotic in his thinking, though, in fact, he might not be. I was longing for the filmmakers to show me, a person who knows little about Piatigorsky, just why they felt people had to get to know this man. Unfortunately, from the way he is presented here, he might be just about anybody with a sharp mind and a charming, outgoing personality.
( Julie Vinten )

There are so many genuinely interesting people in this world that it's difficult to understand why this particular documentary was made and for what purpose. Supposedly Alexander Piatigorsky is a philosopher, though this tedious and long-winded waste of celluloid doesn't provide ample proof of this in any form or fashion. The chain-smoking old man, as presented by director Uldis Tirons, seems more senile than profound. Perhaps drinking too much vodka over the years has destroyed an abundance of the poor guy's brain cells. The lady who sells milk in the local market has more poignant things to say than he does, that's for sure. A lack of imagination permeates this bit of meaningless claptrap. "Philosopher Escaped" serves as a perfunctory example of Soviet-style brainwashing pretending to be art.
( Laimons Juris G )

 

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