December 24, 2008.

A star is born in a wasted movie....

Rating: 3
One of those movies you watch every time it comes on television because it's so cute, yet one of those movies you're almost ashamed to adore because it has almost no redemptive features; `Pretty Woman' has become an instant classic for almost no reasons at all. Sure, it's cute, but so aren't a lot more respectable films.

Oh yeah, I forgot; Julia Roberts is amazing here.

So, that answers all questions doesn't it? Why do we love this movie? We love it because it gave us Julia, our beloved Julia. She is charming and warm and heartbreaking and moving and memorable and sincere and we just want to eat her up in every scene. The problem with `Pretty Woman' is that when you take Roberts' magnetism out of the equation you have a rather empty film that relies on clichés to carry it across the finish line. It works to an extent (in the fact that it is charming in that totally forced kind of way) but it is nothing spectacular.

So Edward, a wealthy businessman, pays Vivian, a streetwalker, a large sum of money to pretend to be his girlfriend over the weekend while he attends some social events. He falls in love with her and visa-versa but this poses a problem because he starts to question his ethics (business-wise) and his partners are furious and attempt to break apart the pair.

Total cliché.

The acting is also hit-or-miss. Like I said, Roberts is luminous. We all know that (she has the Oscar nomination to prove it), but aside from her there are only a few standouts. Jason Alexander is a little overdone, but I'm not a fan of his to begin with. Laura San Giacomo is decent, but underused so she is rather unimportant. Hector Elizondo is wonderful, and totally chews up his few scenes. Then there is the rather boring and uninspired Richard Gere. I have never been blown away by this guy, and here he just kind of sulks there throughout the movie.

Does this guy know how to evoke any emotion?

He just always appears so sullen. Him and Nicolas Cage; like seriously, why are they acting? Gere may be even worse that Cage for me. At least Cage as the perfection that was `Leaving Las Vegas' and `Adaptation' (how he pulled those off is beyond me), and what does Gere have? Chicago? I rest my case.

Anyways, this movie is really all about Roberts. The film is a mess really; plot-wise at least. It doesn't make a lot of sense and it glorifies a profession that is rather insulting and degrading. At least `Leaving Las Vegas' had the decency to create a likable character stuck in a gritty world. `Pretty Woman' is so obsessed with being charming and likable that it insults the audience by expecting us to buy into this Disney World variation of prostitution.

Oh well, the movie is a C- but Roberts is a solid A+.

December 23, 2008.

Fast & Accurate Delivery of what was ordered.

Rating: 5
I needed this is a hurry and that is what I got. It was delivered as promised and was exactly what I ordered.

December 06, 2008.

ROMANTIC COMEDY.

Rating: 5
I have been a fan of this movie from the very first time I viewed it many years ago. I never get tired of this movie because it has so much to offer both male and female viewers. Richard Gere certainly fits the part of business man and reluctant lover while Julia Roberts is bright and bubbly through out and the romantic ending blows me away every time. I consider Prety Woman to be a clasic.

December 28, 2008.

Cinderella Meets King Midas.

Rating: 5
"Pretty Woman" harks back to various well-trodden themes: the Pygmalion legend, the prostitute with a heart of gold, and the poor soul who teaches the wealthy person the true values in life. Julia Roberts is a hooker who is rescued from life on the streets by the wealthy and ruthless business tycoon Richard Gere, and she rescues him from a life of reckless power and greed by teaching him business ethics and morality. The audience, because of the acting, the L.A. setting, and the clever way the film was produced and directed, willingly suspends disbelief and accepts this adult fairy tale with its very suggestive sexual action and dialogue.
The film is well done and was very successful partly because of the romantic chemistry or alchemy that comes across in the love affair between Roberts and Gere. The scene in which Roberts is spellbound by "La Traviata" proves to Gere that she is a sensitive soul. (In that opera a hooker also falls for a wealthy man.) The way the two meet seems far-fetched. Do wealthy people really talk about and show off their wealth the way he does? And are they so lacking in street smarts?
Just scratch below the surface, and this hooker and tycoon are both nice people. It's a very watchable fairy tale. Great if you don't stop to analyze too much. Even the manager of the luxury hotel has a heart of gold. Just enjoy this Cinderella meets King Midas cotton candy of a movie.
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The Daemon in Our Dreams
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Clawed Back from the Dead

December 18, 2008.

Entertaining.

Rating: 4
Movie ratings are always very subjective, with one person's gem being another's trash. That said, I enjoyed the movie, despite it being a bit unrealistic. If your goal is just to be entertained you will likely enjoy this movie. If you are out to play movie critic you will find lots of problems. 4 stars