. Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic | Art, writing, life explained… or at least commented upon…

Beautiful Thing

A bit gritty reality and a bit fantasy, Beautiful Thing is rather aptly named. It is a very sweet coming of age film chock full of South London estate characters you'll learn to love or revile as...

Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

Beautiful Thingtop comments

A bit gritty reality and a bit fantasy, Beautiful Thing is rather aptly named. It is a very sweet coming of age film chock full of South London estate characters you’ll learn to love or revile as appropriate. The dialog …

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Norwegian Woodtop comments

This is a story about true love or obsession, self-realization or self-delusion, the joy of life or existential angst… all depending on your mood or point of view. If you enjoy the stories of Murakami, you’ll enjoy this film. That …

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One For the Moneytop comments

There are two main reasons this film just sits there on the screen. Primarily, the directing makes it feel like a TV movie rather than a big screen flick. The story is there and the dialog isn’t bad, but the …

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Let the Bullets Flytop comments

There are few times I’m really at a complete loss on how to describe a film, but this one falls into that category. It is amusing, fun, strange, fascinating, and ultimately just baffling, though somehow also fulfilling. Perhaps, in keeping with …

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Happy Feet Two

I came perilously close to turning this film off in the first 5 to 10 minutes. It starts off with a collection of song and dance numbers that assault your eyes and ears and come at you without pre-amble nor …

 

The Vow

A perfectly serviceable, predictable story for believers in true love and the idea of soulmates. And, by the way, I really am among those believers, whether I admit it often or not. It was the predictability more than anything else …

 

The Avengers

A huge percentage of folks have probably already seen this film this weekend, based on the record smashing boxoffice it produced. For a change, I honestly feel the earnings are well deserved. And despite the number of reviews and how …

 

The Rundown

Why, you ask, is this rating so low? One word: lost potential. The story and setting for this action/adventure are both top notch. The writing isn’t even all that bad, except for the moments it devolves into juvenile idiocy. These …

 

Dirk Gently

Douglas Adams had a wonderfully twisted and funny brain. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will remain in the culture for a long, long time. But it wasn’t his only contribution to the genre or even entertainment. In addition to his …

 

The Libertine

Since achieving financial independence, Depp has never takes on straight forward characters, or better put: he never takes characters straight on. It is one of the reasons audiences love to go see him… you just never really know what you’re …