http://www.flickrev.com Honest Movie Reviews Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://www.flickrev.com/the-great-gatsby-a-new-take-on-an-old-classic http://www.flickrev.com/the-great-gatsby-a-new-take-on-an-old-classic#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:46 +0000 R. Carnavale http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11894
Baz Luhrmann took on the challenge of revitalizing and modernizing The Great Gatsby to be relevant for today’s audience, and he succeeds with flying colors. Gatsby is one of the most enthralling two-and-a-half hours of film ever to reach theaters and, at times, it even manages to surpass F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic book. Luhrmann’s film ]]>
Baz Luhrmann took on the challenge of revitalizing and modernizing The Great Gatsby to be relevant for today’s audience, and he succeeds with flying colors. Gatsby is one of the most enthralling two-and-a-half hours of film ever to reach theaters and, at times, it even manages to surpass F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic book. Luhrmann’s film demonstrates how a classic can be brought into the modern era, if handled correctly. The plot, if you’ve not yet read the flapper-era book, is a classic tale of heartbreak and the desire to triumph over insurmountable odds. Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) grows up poor, falls in love with a girl named Daisy (Carey Mulligan). He’s called off to fight in WWI before they can be married and she marries the rich Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) instead. When Gatsby returns from the war, he becomes rich and wants to win Daisy back to fulfill the dreams he has for his life. He befriends Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), Daisy’s cousin, who’s recently become his next-door neighbor. The story is narrated by Nick, who serves as a lens through which the viewer can see the story unfold. The casting is perfect: DiCaprio gives a top-notch performance and portrays Gatsby exactly as he should be portrayed — mysterious, endearing, and charming. Tobey Maguire handily portrays Nick Carraway, given his vast experience in playing passive roles. The only performance that left me feeling a little sour was Carey Mulligan’s, whose portrayal of Daisy felt forced and lacked a certain pizzazz that the other performances brought to the table. (Note that Mulligan, in an interview, admitted she was intimidated by the role — it showed in her performance.) Good actors would be nothing without a good movie to be in, and Luhrmann delivers. He creates an over the top, audio-visually loud, 1920’s experience, filled to the brim with warm colors, parties, and 21^st century music. While these ingredients sound like the recipe for a noisy mess, they blend together perfectly and create scenes that are vibrant, amazing, and unforgettable. When the soundtrack was first released to the public, some critics were concerned that it didn’t include enough jazz and big-band music, but instead featured modern hip-hop, rap and dubstep. Miraculously, the music works perfectly with the gargantuan and visually luscious set pieces Luhrmann devised. It was a genius move that no other director could have pulled off, proving that Baz Luhrmann is a master at translating old classics into modern wonders. The Great Gatsby has left critics divided — some praise Luhrmann’s vision of the classic novel and some berate him for taking too many liberties with the original text. Luhrmann couldn’t have done any better at making the tale of Gatsby current and far more entertaining than F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original text. The key to appreciating Luhrmann’s Gatsby: If you go to the movie theater with an open mind — not expecting to see another tame rehash of the book — this cinematic masterpiece will blow your mind away.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/the-great-gatsby-a-new-take-on-an-old-classic/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/star-trek-into-darkness http://www.flickrev.com/star-trek-into-darkness#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:56 +0000 Ronald A. Rowe http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11877
Star Trek Into Darkness is a strange hybrid of a movie. Unlike its predecessor, which was extremely accessible to a general audience, Star Trek Into Darkness is a Star Trek movie for Star Trek fans. Full enjoyment of the film requires at least a passing knowledge and appreciation of the classic Star Trek II: the ]]>
Star Trek Into Darkness is a strange hybrid of a movie. Unlike its predecessor, which was extremely accessible to a general audience, Star Trek Into Darkness is a Star Trek movie for Star Trek fans. Full enjoyment of the film requires at least a passing knowledge and appreciation of the classic Star Trek II: the Wrath of Kahn. Star Trek Into Darkness is so replete with references to, winks at, and juxtapositions against Star Trek II that it is hard for this Trekker to evaluate it apart from its inspiration. If you are a fan of the original series and The Wrath of Kahn then you will love Into Darkness. From beginning to end -- especially end -- the film plays clever homage to the second film in the original series. Filmmakers everywhere should take note. This is how you honor a classic film. Into Darkness isn’t a remake. It isn’t a reboot. It isn’t a re-imagining. It is a lovingly crafted homage to arguably the greatest of all the Star Trek movies. If you are not familiar with Star Trek II, you may find yourself confused and feeling a little bit alienated by the film. You will probably feel a little lost as the Trekker next to you gasps and oohs upon hearing the introductions of two characters unfamiliar to you. You’ll hear the crowd around you audibly react to lines that will strike you as utterly mundane. The action flies fast and furious (no pun intended on the sixth installment of that franchise releasing next month) throughout the film. The cast from the original (rebooted) Star Trek film returns intact. The casting is superlative. Zachary Quinto is every bit as much Spock as the great Leonard Nimoy ever was. Chris Pine is developing into the image of Captain James T. Kirk that William Shatner seared into the collective consciousness. Zoe Saldana is a lovely and assertive Uhura. Karl Urban delivers a delightful update on Dr. McCoy without ever devolving into a caricature. Simon Pegg reprises his role as Scotty, a role that is expanded to accommodate the character’s spike in popularity after Pegg portrayed him in the last film. Star Trek Into Darkness is rated PG-13. It isn’t a gentle PG-13, like the Avengers, for example. Into Darkness contains language that just shouldn’t be in a film based on a beloved family-friendly franchise. Furthermore, the repeated use of a certain “Sh” word worked against itself by spoiling a gag based on the start of said word and the sound of an automatic door on the Enterprise. Note: The Movie Professor bases his grade on the film as it appeals to general audiences. The Star Trek Professor grade would be higher.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/star-trek-into-darkness/feed 1 http://www.flickrev.com/to-shelley-and-back http://www.flickrev.com/to-shelley-and-back#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 14:02:19 +0000 James Maynard http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11876
The Frankenstein Theory is a new story from the classic legend, brought into modern times. In this telling, the monster is real (and near-immortal), living in the frigid wastes of northernmost Canada, and he is the subject of scrutiny. Professor John Venkenheim (Kris Lemche, Final Destination 3) has spent his life pursuing the idea that ]]>
The Frankenstein Theory is a new story from the classic legend, brought into modern times. In this telling, the monster is real (and near-immortal), living in the frigid wastes of northernmost Canada, and he is the subject of scrutiny. Professor John Venkenheim (Kris Lemche, Final Destination 3) has spent his life pursuing the idea that the Frankenstein legend was, in fact, true, and that the creature is likely still alive somewhere. By the beginning of the film, the professor believes he has collected enough evidence to suggest that the creature has made its home in the frozen tundra up north. Venkenheim is soon suspended from his position due to his ideas, and hires a film crew to travel with him, to track down the creature and save his position and reputation. As they travel north, the scenes and the people become more and more like the movie Fargo, and situations become creepier -- kinda. The group meets their guide for the last step of their journey and they seem shocked when he brings along a rifle for their trip into the wilderness. Let me clarify – these young people were traveling into the deep wilderness, where large wild animals regularly live under starvation conditions, to track down Frankenstein, and they never considered bringing a firearm. In some thrillers/horror movies, you feel sorry for the victims. In other films such as this one, the characters just have it coming. This film never felt real, and did not lead me to believe – even for a second – that it was actually happening. The acting was not especially bad, but the characters felt artificial. At the beginning of the film, for instance, Venkenheim hems and haws when explaining his theory to a listener, using a subordinate, shaky voice that should belong to a 15-year-old admitting that he crashed the family car. If he had been obsessed with the idea since he was a child, as he explained, Venkenheim would be used to explaining his ideas. Since the professor has a film crew along, this movie is shot in the found-footage format, like so many modern thrillers. In some parts of the movie, especially the last 20 minutes or so, it felt like the makers were trying to create a Blair Witch Project on ice. This feel didn't work in this film for a number of reasons. Some scary moments in movies can happen when we don't really see the monster, or do not see it well. Shadows, sounds and off-camera attacks can add to the suspense of a film. But, if it is overdone as it is in The Frankenstein Theory, it can feel lame and formulaic. The Frankenstein Theory was released March 1^st, 2013, and is already available for viewing online. The 87-minute running time is not long for a movie of this sort, but you can probably find several better ways of spending that time. Like, searching for the real-life Dracula ... or the Wolfman. Yes, that's it – Here, Wolfy.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/to-shelley-and-back/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/whales http://www.flickrev.com/whales#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:31 +0000 T Akery http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11865
Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean is a movie that you will find at your local planetarium. You will need to check the dates and times for your local planetarium to find out when this movie is playing. It is playing in the IMAX theater. This is a soft story about some of ]]>
Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean is a movie that you will find at your local planetarium. You will need to check the dates and times for your local planetarium to find out when this movie is playing. It is playing in the IMAX theater. This is a soft story about some of the biggest creatures on Earth. The opening sequence after the title is very breathtaking. It is close up as most of us will ever come to these magnificent creatures. The first whale  featured is the enormous blue whale. One of the things the movie makes abundantly clear is how little is actually known about whales. While their feeding habits are highlighted, their communications and their navigational ability are barely touched on, at least in this movie. Which leads me to one of the biggest complaints, there aren't enough whale songs included. There is a ton of beautiful cinematic backdrops that feature different coastlines where the whales make their yearly gatherings. Near the end, they feature a mother and child that are currently under observation by scientists. While they don't follow the entire journey, they do build up the anticipation for their arrival at the feeding grounds in Alaska. A subject they only touch on very lightly wis the impact of the whaling industry. It's very toned down and they're quite subtle about how they broach the topic. There are no graphic images about the hunting or killing of the whales. Instead, they show some whale skeletons as an emphasis of how dangerous the journey is. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much screen time devoted to the dolphins as there could have been. The dolphins are definitely some of the stars here and you get to hear some of their communications. So if you are only going just to see the dolphin part, you may leave a little bit disappointed. The best part of the entire movie came near the end. The whale dances were quite intriguing. This was a fitting end to a decent movie. This is definitely a family film. Although, young ones may have a hard time if they aren't particularly interested in the subject matter itself.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/whales/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/peeples http://www.flickrev.com/peeples#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 14:02:34 +0000 Ronald A. Rowe http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11864
Dear Abby, I’ve been dating a woman for a year now. We live together and I want to marry her. But she still hasn’t introduced me to her family. What should I do? - Big Daddy Dear Big Daddy, You should dump her and find someone who isn’t ashamed of you ASAP. Really, what else ]]>
Dear Abby, I’ve been dating a woman for a year now. We live together and I want to marry her. But she still hasn’t introduced me to her family. What should I do? - Big Daddy Dear Big Daddy, You should dump her and find someone who isn’t ashamed of you ASAP. Really, what else could you do? Show up unannounced at her father’s house? That would almost certainly cause all sorts of embarrassing situations and most likely expose all the family’s secrets. Unfortunately for theatergoers, Wade Walker (Craig Robinson of The Office fame) did not seek out Dear Abby for advice. Or her sister Ann Landers or anyone else with a shred of common sense. Instead he listened to his unmarried younger brother, Chris, played by Malcom Barrett (The Hurt Locker). Instead of taking the hint that his girlfriend, Grace (Kerry Washington, recently of Django Unchained), has serious daddy issues and a pathological unwillingness to commit, Walker embarks on an uninvited trip to her family’s home. Once there he comes into repeated and highly predictable conflict with the Peeples patriarch Virgil, played by David Alan Grier (best known for his extraordinarily funny recurring role way back when on In Living Color). Peeples is a bland and unoriginal comedy. The film is essentially the black Meet the Parents -- only less funny and more predicable. From the moment Wade arrives on the grounds of the Peeples’ palatial vacation estate, each moment is worse the the one preceding. The screenwriter (Tina Gordon Chism who, as both writer and director, deserves a double dose of the blame for the mess into which Peeples descends) stretches credulity to find increasingly bizarre circumstances to fuel the feud between Wade and Virgil. By the time the final indignity rolls around, viewers are left pining for the situation to come to its obvious happy conclusion just so they can get this over with and get on with their lives. The subplot involving Grace’s obviously gay (obvious to everyone but the Peeples family) sister, Gloria (Kali Hawk) and her “friend” Meg (Kimrie Lewis-Davis) had a promising setup but delivers a clunky, stereotypical, and unsatisfactory payoff. The film ends exactly how you would anticipate, yet the final scene still manages to be sillier and emptier than you expect.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/peeples/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/amazing-universe http://www.flickrev.com/amazing-universe#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 14:00:15 +0000 T Akery http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11850
Amazing Universe is a movie you can find at your local planetarium rather than your local movie theater. The movie utilizes the entire roof screen of the planetarium. You will need to check with your local planetarium to find the running times for this one. One word of warning. If you are susceptible to motion ]]>
Amazing Universe is a movie you can find at your local planetarium rather than your local movie theater. The movie utilizes the entire roof screen of the planetarium. You will need to check with your local planetarium to find the running times for this one. One word of warning. If you are susceptible to motion sickness, you should skip this one. There are some instants where it feels as if you are moving very fast. This happens a couple of times in the movie. The most motion sensation happened at the beginning. Amazing Universe is a look at our night sky and what can be found through the telescopes. It touches on the past and what the ancient people saw when they looked up. It barely mentions some of the controversy that early sky gazers faced when proposing their theories about predicting planetary motion. Then it becomes engaged in telling about the life of a star before heading back into the earth's night sky. So, the big problem with the movie is that it never really goes very much into detail. Most of the history is sanitized and brushed past. There is more emphasis on the telescope itself. While this anemic look at historical astronomy is  a little rushed, the real let down is the explanation of the figures seen in the night sky. There is almost no real look at all the symbols. Instead, the movie tends to zoom past these figures using only a very select few. Yes, the sky is vast. But it is hard to see all of the symbols in just a few momentary glimpses. There are some really good parts about the creation and death of the stars though. Those are quite interesting and engaging. The pictures are also astonishing. They manage to capture the feeling of what it is like to see space up close. Another thing I liked was the graphical representation of the black hole. It almost felt like you were going through one. Fortunately, there was none of this speculation about what would happen on the other side. You get to make this journey in relative peace without the commentary. If your family is really into space, this is a journey that bears traveling. However, some younger kids may become bored during the showing. Those who are prone to motion sickness should avoid this one altogether.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/amazing-universe/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/doomsday-book-the-end-comes-thrice http://www.flickrev.com/doomsday-book-the-end-comes-thrice#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:51 +0000 James Maynard http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11862
Doomsday Book is a South Korean film, which explores the end of the world in three different stories. Shot in the original Korean, the film is presented with English subtitles. The Korean title of the film, pronounced Inryu Myeongmang Bogoseo, translates as “Report on the Destruction of Mankind.” The first of these stories, A Brave ]]>
Doomsday Book is a South Korean film, which explores the end of the world in three different stories. Shot in the original Korean, the film is presented with English subtitles. The Korean title of the film, pronounced Inryu Myeongmang Bogoseo, translates as “Report on the Destruction of Mankind.” The first of these stories, A Brave New World, is a classic zombie tale, in which a combination of ingredients mix in such a way that a new virus is created. This new superbug is virulent and contagious, causing its victims to become zombies. The people killed by these zombies then become zombies themselves. Before long, the world is filled with zombies creating new zombies. All in all, this first third of the movie was the least-imaginative and least exciting. This was pretty much standard zombie fare, and the worst acting in the movie was in the first scene. The second of the three segments was the most original of the trio, and combined classic Korean fare with a sci-fi twist. In The Heavenly Creature, a robot who is assigned to a monastery absorbs the teachings to such a degree that he achieves Nirvana. Soon, he is considered by many followers to have reached the level of Buddha. The head of the company that designed the robot, however, is adamant that a robot reaching enlightenment is a threat to humanity, and that the android should be destroyed. The final part of the trilogy is my favorite, involving a young girl who discovers a mysterious website. By using her parents' credit card, the child orders an 8-ball for her father, who loves to play billiards. Soon afterward, the world learns it is about to be destroyed by a giant asteroid. This segment provides what may be the funniest scene in the film – a newscast presented just 20 minutes before the asteroid is due to hit, aimed straight at Korea. The three segments were directed by two different directors, Kim Ji-woon (The Last Stand) and Yim Pil-sung (Antartic Circle). Originally, Han Jae-rim (Rules of Dating) was also supposed to direct one of the stories, but Yim wrote and directed the first and third segments of the film. The film won the top prize at the Fantasia Festival, held in Montreal last year, where the judges noted it for its originality and intelligence. The second and third parts of this 2012 film are certainly worth watching. There are times during Heavenly Creature that were preachy or hard to understand. For those of us not versed in Buddhist end-of-the-world stories, Buddha stated 2,500 years ago that there were three other Buddhas before him, and the arrival of each was marked by all life on Earth being extinguished. Buddha also predicted there would be one more after him, so the next time a Buddha appears, it would mark the end of the world. This movie is well worth a watch, and is available online. Don't let the first story scare you off – it's not the end of the world.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/doomsday-book-the-end-comes-thrice/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/iron-man-3-2 http://www.flickrev.com/iron-man-3-2#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 14:04:09 +0000 Ronald A. Rowe http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11852
Iron Man 3 is an intelligent, funny, and charming take on the Superhero Action genre. The third (and final?) installment in the Iron Man franchise is a worthy — although altogether different — successor to the previous blockbusters. Iron Man 2 was in the rare class of sequels that many considered equal if not superior ]]>
Iron Man 3 is an intelligent, funny, and charming take on the Superhero Action genre. The third (and final?) installment in the Iron Man franchise is a worthy -- although altogether different -- successor to the previous blockbusters. Iron Man 2 was in the rare class of sequels that many considered equal if not superior to the original. Iron Man 3 isn’t better than its predecessors. It isn’t worse, either. It is decidedly different. The main premise of Iron Man 3 is that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) -- not Tony Stark in a super high tech suit of armor -- is Iron Man. It is Tony’s intellect, drive, and altruism that make him a hero. Not that he’s without character flaw. In fact, he’s loaded with them. He’s conceited, self-centered, and pretty darn obnoxious. He’s subject to panic attacks and doesn’t make a very good boyfriend. But despite all that he isn’t, he is a hero at the core of his arc reactor- protected heart. Iron Man 3 picks up some months after the events of The Avengers. The alien attack and subsequent lack of closure have left Stark in a funk. He doesn’t sleep. He has withdrawn from his company. He spends his days and nights cobbling together increasingly more sophisticated Iron Man suits. Meanwhile, everyone else in his social circle has moved on. His erstwhile partner Jim Rhodes (the incomparable Don Cheadle), previously known to the world as War Machine, has taken on a new identity as Iron Patriot in the service of the U.S. Government. His girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), has assumed the responsibility of running the operations of Stark Enterprises. His former bodyguard, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), is now chief of security. In the course of investigating a potential security threat at Stark Enterprises, Happy stumbles into a plot by the evil terrorist known only as the Mandarin (portrayed with great panache by Ben Kingsley). Happy survives the encounter, barely, and soon after, Iron Man is pulled into the conflict. Iron Man 3 gives less screen time to the armor and puts the man front and center. There is still plenty of comic book-y action but this movie is more character-driven, or at least character focused, than either of its predecessors. The acting is solid all around. Downey is great, Kingsley knocks it out of the park, and Guy Pearce delivers a nuanced take on his stock character. With the release of Iron Man 3, this summer movie season has officially begun and the first blockbuster is upon us.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/iron-man-3-2/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/house-hunting-horrors http://www.flickrev.com/house-hunting-horrors#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 14:00:49 +0000 James Maynard http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11846
House Hunting is a new thriller/horror film from director and writer Eric Hurt, making his full-length directorial and writing debut. The film follows two families, who each find themselves drawn to an open house being held at a 70-acre property far out in the country. Once they get there, they find they cannot leave the ]]>
House Hunting is a new thriller/horror film from director and writer Eric Hurt, making his full-length directorial and writing debut. The film follows two families, who each find themselves drawn to an open house being held at a 70-acre property far out in the country. Once they get there, they find they cannot leave the yard; each attempt to get away from the house brings them back to where they began. One clan is led by Charlie and Susan Hays, played by Marc Singer (Eagle Eye) and Hayley Dumond (Hello Girls). The other couple who becomes involved are Leslie and Don Thomson, who are portrayed by Victoria Vance (This End Up) and Art LeFleur (Field of Dreams). This basic premise is what I initially found interesting about the film; the idea of finding yourself caught in such a way reminded me of the book The House of Stairs, by William Sleator. In that book, one of my favorites as a child, five youths find themselves unable to escape from endless staircases, and are fed by a machine that produces just enough food to live on. In one of their early escape attempts, the two families try to drive away from the house, but encounter a mysterious young woman (Rebekah Kennedy, Creature) whose tongue has been cut out, rendering her mute. As they try to bring her to the hospital, they wrap back around to the farmhouse. The group decide to stay the night and find that there are just enough cans of beef stew for each of them to eat. As the nights drag on, the consumed food is replaced by some unknown means, with “just enough” food appearing each day to prevent starvation. This was another plot device which harkened back to the earlier book. As the two families and the injured Hannah stay in the house, they begin seeing images of dead people and of events that occurred on the property before they arrived there. This is where things start to become pretty cliché. Worse still, the ending reveals that the group could have left the house at any time. The acting is flat, with only the bright light of Rebeka Kennedy as Hannah, but she didn't have a single line in the entire movie. One of the pitfalls that Hurt's fallen  into while writing this film is that after the initial introductions, the people in the house rarely use each other's names, making it difficult to keep track of the story. In addition, the character's back stories are not filled out well. If we don't get to know and like a character in a story, we don't care if they die. House Hunting is not even close to a great movie. There are several elements to the film which may have worked if applied to other productions. Speaking of which, Zest Productions has bought the rights to create a movie from House of Stairs. Hopefully, that movie, unlike House Hunting, will be better than a can of beef stew.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/house-hunting-horrors/feed 0 http://www.flickrev.com/the-big-wedding http://www.flickrev.com/the-big-wedding#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 14:01:27 +0000 T Akery http://www.flickrev.com/?p=11834
The Big Wedding is about a couple who are trying to tie the knot. Alejandro is the adopted son of a divorced couple. But after he finds out that his birth mother is coming, he panics. His mother is a strict Catholic. So, his divorced parents try and pretend that they are married until after ]]>
The Big Wedding is about a couple who are trying to tie the knot. Alejandro is the adopted son of a divorced couple. But after he finds out that his birth mother is coming, he panics. His mother is a strict Catholic. So, his divorced parents try and pretend that they are married until after the wedding. The other two kids have problems of their own and what ensues is wedding chaos when the person Alejandro's dad has been dating shows up to cater the entire event. The bride's parents aren't so thrilled about the wedding either (although their whole role in the movie is a minor one). While there are some big names  in the movie, it suffers from a lack of visionary substance. In other words, it could have been way funnier than what it was. The part played by Robert De Niro is completely predictable. The father figure could have been pushed so much further. Instead, it feels like he's shifting personalities at times. There's  this back and forth between being a raunchy womanizer and these windy explanations that are supposed to be heart-warming and understanding, which doesn't really work with De Niro's personality. I never really laughed much at his portrayal of the dad. I also had some issue with the two best friends' dynamic. These are two women who've  fallen in love with the same man. I felt like there could have been more dynamics and tension. Instead, there are some awkward moments and too much bland forgiveness. The clashing of these women is supposed to be an interesting plot twist but instead turns into a bland uninteresting fight where both parties totally accept the situation. The reason The Big Wedding doesn't totally tank is because there are some truly funny moments in the film. The producers did manage to throw in a few surprises that generate a laugh. It was just too bad that there were so few of them. The producers really failed to tap into the comedic potential of all of the big names they used. They could have done so much more and pushed the boundaries of a wedding film. Instead, all that they managed to capture was another bland attempt at a wedding comedy that tripped all over itself trying to be funny. Clearly, there was a lack of comedic vision and an under-utilization of the talent that they had at their disposal. Perhaps, that is why the film itself is so disappointing. Everyone knows how funny these actors can be and to see them perform in this type of movie was truly a colossal letdown.]]> http://www.flickrev.com/the-big-wedding/feed 0