Epinions Recent Reviews for cyndialu

Blood Work Drips with Mediocrity

Sun, 11 Aug 2002 10:12:51 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Others have commented on the good old days of Clint Eastwood films, including Play Misty for Me (a classic worth owning), In The Line of Fire and his Harry Callahan series being some of the best. I have always enjoyed Eastwood's way of playing a cop as...

Changing Lanes or Testosterone Runs Amok in New York City

Mon, 5 Aug 2002 20:54:22 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - I have seen Changing Lanes not once but twice which is saying something when you consider that most "Dude Feud" films bore the heck out of me and constantly disparage men as big mean fighting machines and little else.

What makes Changing Lanes...

All Signs Point to GO

Sun, 4 Aug 2002 19:58:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - With $61 million already in the bank in its first weekend of release, someone obviously did their marketing homework for M. Night Shyamalan's new film, "Signs". All signs point to "surefire hit" instead of "surprising sleeper" which Sixth Sense was...

A Fun Mamma Mia, but Leave Your Expectations at the Door

Mon, 1 Jul 2002 07:41:31 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - I know I'm not the only diehard ABBA fan out there, so I have a feeling I'm also not the only one who has seen Mamma Mia! and come away feeling more than slightly let down. But, then again, when you build up a show in your mind for nearly a year as...

Even Monsters Have Feelings

Sun, 16 Dec 2001 12:20:06 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Before Monsters, Inc. even began, we were put through a multitude of coming attractions that made me remember why I sometimes loathe going to kiddie movies: every possible commercial angle is used to get little Johnny or Suzie to nudge Mom and Dad and...

Love + Carole King Make Beautiful Music Together

Sun, 9 Dec 2001 21:27:05 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Carole King is a grandmother now. She began her career back when girl singers like Lesley Gore and Shelly Fabares were starting to become the rage (though the Supremes and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were still years away when Carole & Gerry Goffin...

SNET is unexciting but reliable

Tue, 16 Oct 2001 13:40:13 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - I had never even heard of SNET until, of course, I moved into the area they service, so I was immediately dubious about the unrecognizable name. However, a friend told me she had been happy with their Internet service and, once I became a telephone...

Hey, I Can Dig This Groove

Mon, 15 Oct 2001 06:36:23 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - I was a teenager in the '70's who thought it was "cool" to be "in the groove". Now I cringe when I hear it, which is why, when I took my five year old niece to see The Emperor's New Groove last Christmas, I held my breath and thought, "Well, at least...

Rock 'em, Sock 'em Cops in Training Daze

Wed, 10 Oct 2001 17:34:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - By now, we shouldn't be surprised at how the grittier side of police work is portrayed. Such films as "Colors" (with Sean Penn as the "bad" cop and Robert Duvall the "good" cop), "Falling Down" (with yet another Duvall good cop portrayal), and "Internal...

Don't Say You Weren't PrE-Opinioned!

Mon, 8 Oct 2001 13:33:38 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Michael Douglas has impressed me in some of his past work, like Basic Instinct (though his character was repugnant to me), An American President (where his character was utterly charming to me) and, most recently, Traffic. But how/why he ever agreed to...

Who Needs the Death Penalty With Serial Mom Around?

Wed, 26 Sep 2001 07:54:46 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Have you ever privately growled to yourself about the idiot that hasn't rewound the video you just rented, or the environmentally dangerous lunkhead who continues to toss out his plastic milk jugs and metal coffee cans rather than recycle them? Oh, and...

A Rock Star Without A Cause

Sun, 23 Sep 2001 22:05:54 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - How many times have you seen concert footage of a famous band or singing act and chortled in amazement at the "I Have No Life" fans in the front row? These individuals appear to have nothing else to live for but the next two hour gig of their beloved...

A Happy Novice Who Loves Her C-3000

Sat, 22 Sep 2001 14:56:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Right up front, I need to profess to being a photography wanna-be as opposed to others in this category whose reviews were so helpful and informative when I wanted a digital camera. They know a lot more than me about the technical aspects of digital...

The Storm Before the Calm

Fri, 21 Sep 2001 20:43:31 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - The Ice Storm is the kind of movie that makes you cringe in recognition of some of your own family "stuff" while also managing to allow for the "but we weren't this screwed up!" disclaimer. I can imagine the screenwriter(s) sitting at the...

Find Enchantment In This Cottage

Thu, 20 Sep 2001 08:17:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - About ten years ago, a co-worker recommended The Enchanted Cottage to me as "one of the most romantic movies from the 1940's ever made. I can't watch it without crying every time." Already feeling ambivalent about a movie that makes someone cry "every...

Living Through Both the Tears and Terms of Endearment

Sun, 16 Sep 2001 19:53:23 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Here I go again, reviewing a film that is somewhat dated, but I have recently been going through my video collection and realizing I have some awesome stuff that I think others will agree are some of the "Top Ten" (World According to Garp being...

To Know Garp is To Love Him

Fri, 14 Sep 2001 18:18:14 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - It's been nearly twenty years since The World According to Garp was brought to film but, while watching it just last week on one of my ridiculously many pay channels, I felt nothing but a present day connection with it. In other words, it is a timeless...

Bridget Jones is a Hoot!

Tue, 11 Sep 2001 17:02:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - How many times in the course of a normal day do you encounter jerks, morons and people with funny names you secretly giggle over but, to their face, you smile politely and say not a word? Bridget Jones Diary exemplifies the fine art of thinking one...

Captain Corelli: Where's the Beef?

Mon, 10 Sep 2001 08:04:59 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - This review does reveal some "turning points" in the movie but I promise not to give away the ending....promise!

Nicolas Cage has been one of my favorite actors for many years, showing great range by being the clumsy, comical con in Raising...

There's More to Real Love than "Making Love"

Fri, 7 Sep 2001 08:20:36 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Remember Roberta Flack's beautiful ballad from the '70s called Making Love? The final line goes, "There's more to love than making love..." and, at the time, I thought that defined what real love is about. It's not just about sex (I just realized how...

Just Your Ordinary Suburban Family Nightmare

Thu, 6 Sep 2001 08:01:09 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Robert Redford's outstanding directorial debut, Ordinary People, is now twenty years old and yet it still plays as fresh and raw as when I first saw it in the movie theater.

Twenty years ago, Mary Tyler Moore was recuperating from the end of...

Stuart's Family Puts The Fun Back Into Dys-FUNctional

Wed, 5 Sep 2001 07:49:34 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - Al Franken is now a wonderful political satirist whom you might see on CNN or Larry King Live, but, back before he took on Washington, D.C., he was taking on the Recovery Movement, and the "Inner Child" craze amongst other things. Anyone who has ever...

A Bright Spot for Brightman

Tue, 4 Sep 2001 07:47:52 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - As most people know, Sarah Brightman, a talented Broadway diva/actress and recording artist, collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Weber both musically and personally for a number of years before they divorced some time ago. Thankfully for them and us, they...

ABBA-cadabra, the 70's Live On

Mon, 3 Sep 2001 12:05:09 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - This CD collection by ABBA was actually given to me by a blind date about two years ago, something that I admit helped heighten my romantic interest (alas, only temporarily). However, my infatuation with ABBA, their sound, the female vocals in...

1-800-FLOWERS.com: 1800 Flowers is Too Iffy To Recommend

Sun, 2 Sep 2001 17:33:36 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cyndialu - A person's birthday only comes once a year so, in a perfect world, you want your flowers to them to be delivered on that special day, not the one that follows. Goes without saying, right? Well, I will give 1-800-Flowers an "A" for heartfelt...