MOVIE REVIEW - John Denver: A Portrait (1994)

This DVD is a wonderful hour spent with John, about 3 years before his death. John hosts and talks about songs he wrote, the stories behind them, the impact they've had, and he reviews some of the TV specials, movies, and highlights of his career. His 40ish ruggedness and calm demeanor was in stark contrast to his bizarre caricatureness of his youthful look. The first half-hour is spellbinding. A calm, mature, reflective John tells his wandering ways until his first drive into Colorado - and how at 27 years old, he immediately found him "home in a place he had never been." The intimacy in his voice, the peace he exudes just saying his "home" state's name, it vividly demonstrates why his songs are so rich and touch such a wide range of people. Talking about "Matthew" - Joy was just the thing that he was raised on… Love was just the way to live and die… ah, the depth of character, of family, the peaceful values of life.

The second half gets a little preachy, as John did in the second half of his career. It's not only that I don't share his politics, but rather that his message and lyrics became too specific - they could no longer apply to the general listener. Still, this hour was a treasure well-spent.

MOVIE REVIEW - Sure Thing, The (1985)

You can see the early signs of Rob Reiner brilliance in this teen romantic dramedy starring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga. But it's not as deep a movie as the creators like to believe it is. It's more than a little dated, and I wish I liked the characters a little more. Daphne was not as cute as I remember her being.

MOVIE REVIEW - Simple Plan, A (1998)

Surprisingly good tale of three small town guys who find $4 million. Bill Paxton stars as the smart one, Billy Bob Thornton as the dimwitted brother. You know where it's going from the very beginning - downward-spiral-city. But it's fascinating to watch it go there. I'm surprised that Billy Bob wasn't totally typecast after this movie and Slingblade as retards… he still can't help but play sleazy, but he did do Stupid really well in both of these films.

MOVIE REVIEW - We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)

Miserable tale of swingers/infidelity, starring Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, Naomi Watts, and Peter Krauss. Nothing pleasant here, nothing even deep. Not even any decent nudity to make the depression worth it.

MOVIE REVIEW - Kissing A Fool (1998)

Lame romantic dramedy starring David Schwimmer and Jason Lee and some cute girl. Schwimmer plays the fool, but I think I'm really the fool for sitting through the whole thing.

MOVIE REVIEW - Donnie Darko (2001)

Cult indie flick starring Jake Gyllenhal as, well, I don't really know what. Bizarre, but not interesting enough to be cool. The time travel elements were pretty lame. I don't think it deserves its cult acclaim, though it was mildly entertaining. But not really recommended.

MOVIE REVIEW - We Were Soldiers (2002)

Extremely gory Mel Gibson movie about the first major battle involving Americans in the Viet Nam war. Based on a true story, based on a novel by one of the soldiers. This is bloody. So very bloody. There were about 200 scenes with a main character talking to his fellow soldier, and the fellow soldier would get blown to smithereens, right in front of the soldier's (and the viewers) eyes. At first, I couldn't tell why they made the movie - it went too quickly into the war, with not enough character development for us to care about the individual soldiers. But on the battlefield, and with the wives back at home, there was such an intensity, such fear, such courage, that I ended up caring a lot. The scenes with Madeline Stowe and Keri Russell bringing the telegrams to the wives was incredibly poignant. The ending credits theme was also a perfect score, emphasizing the majesty and horror of the event. If you get the Special Edition DVD, be sure to watch the first couple of Deleted Scenes, with the Director's commentary. Very emotional, and it displays how much the director cared about the real people he depicted in this moving (but oh so violent) film.