The Accidental Husband

 

So Netflix currently doesn't have "Accident," which brings us to

The Accidental Husband-2008, starring Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan

He says: Blue-collar guy sets out to get even with talk radio love expert after his fiancee dumps him due to the doc's glib on-the-air advice.  Insipid, aching-to-be-romantic comedy is a waste of talent on all fronts.  Released direct to DVD in the U.S.  1 and a half stars.

I say- While typing up his review, I noticed how often Maltin uses dashes.  "Blue-collar," "on-the-air," and "aching-to-be-romantic."  Noticed these in many reviews, but this is just ridiculous.  Moving on, this movie was semi-watchable.  Not as far-fetched as "Accepted," but still very unbelievable.  Felt that anyone could have predicted this, and Colin Firth was wasted.  2 stars.

Accepted

Accepted-2006, starring Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Lewis Black, the dad from The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and David Daskal.

He says-  A group of teenagers who've been rejected by various colleges start their own in an abandoned mental institution.  Premise is so far-fetched that it keeps you watching just to find out how it's going to resolve itself.  Its message that a college education kills the creative genius that teenagers would otherwise cultivate on their own is hard to swallow after seeing the "self-made students" do nothing but drink and party.  Soundtrack is full of cover songs paying homage to other, better teen-revolution movies.  2 stars.

I say-  This movie was one of the most predictable I have EVER seen.  You know the lines before they're said, and everyone acts so incredibly unrealistically that it plays out like a Nickelodeon sketch comedy from the early 90's.  1 star.

Accattone

 

Accattone-1961, starring a bunch of Italian people

Maltin says- Pasolini's first film is a vivid, unsentimental look at the desperate (and depressing) existence of pimps and thieves living in the slums of Rome.  Bernardo Bertolucci was one of the assistant directors.  Released in the U.S. in 1968.  3 stars.

I say- If the Ac section continues as such, kill me now.  This was unwatchable.  Not a huge amount of plot, more a portrait picture, however, the sound is terrible and the subtitles are not vividly seen, they tend to be hard to read.  BOMB

Sita Sings the Blues

 

Sita Sings the Blues-2008, voices of nobody anybody knows

Maltin says- Animator Nina Paley tells an autobiographical tale of how she was dumped by her husband and contrasts it with the epic Indian saga called the Ramayana.  Three Indian shadow-puppet figures comment on the proceedings (not unlike Mystery Science Theater 3000), all of which is punctuated by the story's Hindu heroine breaking into song-in the appealing voice of 1920's pop singer Annette Hanshaw.  Unusual melage of elements, including highly appealing visual design, makes this a disarming experience, and a unique animated feature.  3 stars.

I say- Had this in my Netflix queue, and it showed up as well as the next alphabetical movie and was happy I could knock another movie out of the book.  I was really surprised by this, and really enjoyed the different animation styles.  This movie, which was not released in theaters, is one of the best animated features I've ever seen.  3 and a half stars.

The Abyss

 

The Abyss-1989, starring Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Directed by James Cameron

Maltin says- Spectacular underwater saga about an oil-rig crew that gets involved in a perilous mission to rescue a sunken nuclear sub.  Better as underwater adventure than futuristic sci-fi with a couple of crises too many, but still a fascinating, one-of-a-kind experience.  Great score by Alan Silvestri; Oscar winner for visual effects.  Special edition includes 27 minutes of extra footage, some of it all-too-obviously cut from theatrical release.  It fleshes out characters, amplifies plot points, and includes some spectacular special effects--but literalizes the other-worldly finale.  3 stars.

I say-This is my last film in the Ab's!  Now to the Ac's!  I own this movie.  This is probably my favorite James Cameron movie, and I feel that the special edition is the only way to watch this movie.  If you watch the regular version, you completely miss the point.  Great acting, great story, and effects that hold up today.  4 stars.

Absurdistan

 

Absurdistan- 2008, German/French, starring a bunch of people who's names you cannot pronounce

Maltin says-  Whimsical comic fable about a boy and girl from a remote Eastern European village who are destined to make love on a night when certain stars are in alignment.  Their plans are threatened when the community's water supply runs dry, and the women stage a sex strike against their lazy menfolk, who refuse to fix the problem.  Fanciful and lightly amusing, if not as good as the same filmmaker's Tuvalu.  2 and a half stars.

I say-  I saw this movie about a year ago or so.  I really enjoyed it, but knew where it was going from the beginning.  You see, I saw the trailer for this movie before a screening of "My name is Bruce," and it's a movie where if you see the trailer, you've seen the whole movie.  Good acting and story, if not a little far fetched.  2 and a half stars.

Absolution

Absolution-1978, British, starring Richard Burton and Billy Connolly

He says- Burton gives a commanding performance as a humorless, by the book priest who teaches at a boys' school, and falls victim to a snowballing practical joke played upon him by his pet student.  Straightforward melodrama loses credibility toward the end.  Written by Anthony Shaffer.  Filmed in 1978, unreleased in the U.S. until 1988, four years after Burton's death.  2 and a half stars.

I say- This was a really bad dvd transfer.  The sound was terrible and it had lots and lots of moments where it looked like the film was skipping vhs style.  Other than that, I felt that the film was very slow but picked up near the end, but I thought the ending was implausible.  Usually there's a reason why movies stay shelved for that long.  1 and a half stars.