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| This movie is so good you can
see it instead of going to the beach. Click here to see our Marina pages in case you want to go there after all. |
This movie is so good you can pay full price to see it at night. | Save this movie for a rainy day. It's good enough to go to the theater, but go to a matinee. | This movie is mediocre, but requires a big screen. See it at the Parkway (even better, on two-for-one Wednesday night). Our newest rating. |
Wait for this to come out on
video. Enjoy it from your own couch. Click here for our video rental locations. |
Don't even rent this movie. Do the dishes instead. |
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When you're ready to watch, visit ShopInBerkeley's Movie Theater or Video Store listings. |
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| Laurel | Lee | Title | Notes | Web site | Where & when |
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Dirty Pretty Things | Don't read too much about this movie before you see it. It unfolds best without foreknowledge. Let's just say it demonstrates that immigration is not just a US issue, and that the each "developed country's" INS equivelant may behave in similar manners. | Rotten Tomatoes web site reviews | November 2003, Elmwood |
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Monsoon Wedding | Combining humor and sensitivity, Monsoon Wedding give an unexpected look into life in 21st century India as it unfolds around an arranged wedding. | www.monsoonweddingmovie.com | August 2002, Shattuck |
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Changing Lanes | This movie's previews don't do it justice. They portray it as a thriller in which two guys keep trying to one-up each other with attacks after they are involved in an accident. But it is a film which calls on all of us can reflect on how we get caught up in life without thinking about the consequences of our actions. Lee says: listen carefully to (Samuel Jackson's AA sponsor) William Hurtt's comment about addiction near the end of the movie (as he confronts Jackson). Anyone with addiction problems may value this movie. Remember: it's not just about the drug. | www.changinglanes.com | October 2002 Video, from Five Star |
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About a Boy |
Messages from this film: "Happiness comes from within;" "Grow up;" "Families are more than genetics;" and "You gotta have back up." A great comedy that lets you think. | www.about-a-boy.com | August 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) | "For countless generations, Igloolik elders have kept the legend of Atanarjuat alive to teach young Inuit the danger of setting personal desire above the needs of the group" (from website). A fascinating look into a culture whose history is passed down through storytelling. Inuit produced film. |
www.atanarjuat.comTrailer. | July 2002, Act, Berkeley |
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Bowling for Colombine |
Michael Moore's look
at guns and violence in the US. While it raises some important issues, Moore
makes the mistake of oversimplifying issues, and giving statistics that are
apples and oranges. Some have criticized Moore for confronting Charlton Heston,
but as long as he jumps on stage for the NRA, he opens himself up for interviews.
Don't miss the South Park history of the US! |
www.michaelmoore.org |
Nov 2002, Act, Berkeley |
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Elling |
A great movie about two ex-psychiatric inmates learning to live in freedom in Oslo. |
www.elling.nu
Click on the English "About the movie" link. Trailer in Quicktime format. |
July 2002, Opera Plaza, SF |
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Lovely and Amazing | A
great depiction of body image issues. Four women of different generations
make it through life with their strengths and insecurities. |
www.lovelyandamazing.com |
September 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Tape |
It's
refreshing to see a movie shot in two rooms with only three characters. Dialog
and camerawork become important. This movie carries it off well. While we
give it a "Night," it also plays great in a VCR. |
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0275719 |
Sept 2002 Video, from Five Star |
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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | Growing up and looking back at our perceptions of our families: it's not always what we think or remember. | Yahoo's website | June 2001, SF |
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Italian for Beginners | A great Danish film about strangers meeting in an Italian class. Humorous and touching. | If your Danish is good, try here: www.italienskforbegyndere.dk otherwise go to Yahoo's pages. | June 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Memento | Good movie: Don't let anyone tell you about this one: it's got a completely different style that makes it new and fresh. Any sequel will probably be worn out. | www.otnemem.com |
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Sunshine State | A John Sayles film about families & folks living in a once-fashionable resort area and upcoming developments. Good insights into the malling of America. | www.sonyclassics.com/sunshinestate | July 2002, Albany, Albany |
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New Waterford Girl | A quirky movie set in northeastern Canada. Mooney is 15 and would like to get out of her small town to attend high school in NYC. How do you get out of town that only a few seem able to escape? | directory.google.com/.../New_Waterford_Girl | August 2002 Video, from Five Star |
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Bourne Identity | Great European scenery. Action movie without too much blood. |
www.thebourneidentity.com | |
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Insomnia |
Nice
Alaskan scenery, even if shot in Canada. Detective story. Entertaining, but
nothing to write home about. Nice to see Robin Williams in a different
role. |
dontcloseyoureyes.warnerbros.com | July 2002, |
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One Hour Photo | The reviewers don't do a good job on this movie. Lee says it's an entertaining insight into overworked, affluent families. Laurel says it's not worth commenting on. | www.foxsearchlight.com/onehourphoto | Oct 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Marooned | Lee's comments: Interesting SciFi
from 1969, this movie has a nice insite
into the workings of NASA. (One review says "more scienc-fact than science-fiction,"
and this is a good summary.) Can't say how truly realistic it was, but it seemed
decent to me (Lee teaches physics, so through he should check their "it's 284 miles up and orbits every
94 minutes" and math is correct).
The plot: Ironman One's retro-rockets don't fire, so it's stuck in orbit. How does NASA
deal with it. Yes, much of the underlying physics of space flight presented is true,
you can't just decide you want something to happen when you're in space.
This film came out four months before the real Apollo 13 incident. Several of the reviews
listed to the right have incorrect plot details, but they are interesting reading anyway.
Although they don't hold a candle to the computer generated (and often overdone) effects of
today, Marooned won an Oscar for Special Visual Effects in 1969 (Robbie Robertson).
It also was nominated for the Cinematography and Sound Oscars. Laurel says don't watch it unless you're interested in the space flight. It's like it's real time. Rent this if you have insomnia. |
Reviews: A fan web site www.family-movie-review.com Target stores' web site Amazon's web site All Sci Fi |
December 2003 DVD, from Five Star |
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Undercover Brother | Lee saw this with Tony. A fun comedy. You gotta be able to laugh at bad humor at times. Remembering the seventies probably helps. "He's back. He's bad. And he's here to rescue us from The Man." | www.undercover-brother.com | July 2002, Parkway, Oakland | |
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Spider-Man | Don't see this on video. The only place to see this is the Parkway in Oakland. When we saw it, people were laughing at all the right (wrong) lines, and the drunks in the back kept making all the right commments. | spiderman.sonypictures.com | July 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Star Wars II -- Attack of the Clones | This is probably another "Don't see on video" movie. The plot is classic Star Wars, not very deep, and vague enough so you can either say "War is hell," or "War is a necessary evil." But the fans at the Parkway continue to contribute greatly to the enjoyment of the movie. Laurel says that when you have to go to the bathroom with 30 minutes left, go out and keep on going. | www.starwars.com/episode-ii | Sept 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Sum of All Fears |
Laurel: Once I was done with my Na' Cho' Ordinary Nachos, there was nothing to hold my interest. Lee: I would rate it as video, but I think it wouldn't make it on the small screen. At least the message was that we gotta get rid of all these nukes. Both: At least Morgan Freeman knows how to act. | www.sumofallfearsmovie.com | July 2002, Parkway, Oakland |
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Missing | Great cast, but lackluster performance. Just another western, shoot 'em up movie. Why do they insist on showing us they can make blood spurt out of severed limbs and gunshot wounds? | www.missingthemovie.com | Varsity Theater, Ashland, OR |
| we don't live under Normal Conditions | We haven't seen this yet, but it looks great. Let us know if you've seen it, or if you know where to rent the video. | www.depressionculture.com | Played around the Bay Area in '99-'01. |
Email us at: movies@shopinberkeley.com
| Updated October 2002 © ShopInBerkeley |