Simon's Movie Reviews

Despite being a commercial failure when it was first released, Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000) is the kind of movie that can easily please every audience member with its humour and performances. That being said you might find a lot more to enjoy or indentify with if you are either a fan of rock music or have an interest in journalism because the movie focuses on a young reporter imbedded with an up-and-coming rock band in the early 1970s. Since the movie is based on Crowe’s own experiences touring with big name bands in his youth it gives a very accurate behind the scenes look at that unique, entertaining, and sometimes damaging world. The first time I tried to watch the movie was during movie night when I was still living in my mom’s place and it was my older brother’s turn to pick the movie. Unfortunately this was still the days of renting DVDs and some nimrod had scratched the disc so about ten minutes into the movie we gave up because the image kept screwing up. Fast fo...

There is a lot of drama to be pumped out of the oil rush, pardon the pun, but add in the direction of P.T Anderson and the usual method performance of Daniel Day-Lewis and you’ve got yourself a winner. There Will Be Blood (2007) is somewhat of an odd beast, with razor sharp music by Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead, scenery chewing performances, and themes about greed and religion. On paper the story and historical setting might seem a tad dull for some people, but the end result is surprisingly entertaining in large part thanks to Anderson’s screenplay that provides one of the best quotes of the last ten years: “I drink your milkshake!” This was actually one of my first Daniel Day-Lewis movies, despite the fact he has delivered plenty of award-winning performances throughout his career. Upon hearing one of his many great monologues in the trailer I was immediately hooked. Who was this guy and how was he speaking like that? He came off part psychopath, part businessman. How odd ho...

Given that throughout her career Meryl Streep has been nominated for an Oscar 19 times, it would be a tall order to narrow down her best performances. However it would not be too much of a challenge to see the three films for which she has actually won. Her second win in her career was for Sophie’s Choice (1982), a searing drama whose title has become synonymous with making an impossible decision. Also noteworthy, it is the cinematic debut of Kevin Kline who delivers an equally powerful, but much more energetic performance. For years I had heard the expression “Sophie’s Choice” in pop culture as a way to express a decision with no good outcome without fully understanding the reference. Last January the movie became available on Netflix and the answer to the question “what is Sophie’s Choice?” was revealed to me towards the end of Pakula’s and it is a choice that only truly evil people could give. If by any chance you have not yet seen the movie or read the book on which it is ba...