A couple of reviews to end the week- a Dennis Quaid film script, and takes on this week's two big releases:
"Synergy" (script)
"Synergy may seem a little too realistic for some; after all, don't many of us go to the movies to escape from such worries? Then again there is an obvious wish fulfillment to be found in seeing an Everyman take on The System. Since the problems that Dan (and to a lesser extent Tom) faces are ones that most audience members can relate to that makes him an instantly identifiable and sympathetic protagonis..." (<a href="http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/474/474024p1.html" target="_blank">full review</a>)
"The Butterfly Effect"
"'Effect' is a film that I would actually like to see in a theater again and most likely will. The film is full of adult subject matter but I feel if some of the nudity were trimmed and violence toned down, it could have avoided an R rating and reached a wider audience. Maybe those elements are what the dramatic material and Kutcher's career needed to work. In any case, this is a wonderful debut feature with some great work by Kutcher that will go down as the first intelligent film I've seen in 2004..." (full review)
"Win a Date with Tad Hamilton"
"The opening 20 minutes of "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" promise, well, a Hollywood satire experience akin to getting your fingernails torn out slowly. Mercifully, director Robert Luketic finds a warm center to this romantic comedy tale, and "Hamilton" ends up becoming a whole lot more charming, nicely performed, and quietly surprising as it goes..." (full review)
"This won me over, with wonderful performances from its actors, especially Topher Grace, who really makes the film and really makes his part work. Pete really isn't an easy part to play...he has to be likeable while still basically being a jerk (particularly to Tad) for the majority of the film, and he really succeeds. I also give points to Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes who manage to steal every scene they're in as Tad's loyal Manager and obnoxious Publicist who interestingly share the same name..." (full review)
"A fluffy, decent movie. It has a few laughs, but no sidesplitting moments. The acting is good, and really saves this film from being less than average. If a filmmaker would take the plunge and twist an ending on this type of film once, just once, they'd really set themselves apart. Although, I guess the point of this genre is to escape reality..." (full review)
"In all seriousness, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! is an average date movie, at best. It's going to clean up at the box office around Valentine's Day, as long as it has some staying power by then. Luketic's direction is nothing to write about and the script by Levin has a whole lot of clichés, plot holes, and the usual Hollywood fluff. But I guess that happens when you do a movie that has to do directly with Hollywood. Is it just me or should this genre be put out to pasture? It's getting pretty ridiculous, but what do I know?..." (full review)
