Cast: Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette), Jason Schwartzman (Louis XVI), Judy Davis (Comtesse de Noailles)
For complete info, see IMDb's Marie Antoinette page.
Marie Antoinette would have been very disappointing (from the ads I'd seen, the expectations of Kirsten Dunst, etc.) if I hadn't had so many people tell me it was horrible. I think one even described it as painful. Although the movie was definitely too long and dragged in many points, I didn't think it was horrible. Worth watching on a movie channel (which is what I did) or renting it. Not worth devoting all your time and attention to it (I was doing other things while watching the movie and that worked out well), but I did finish watching the movie. It was okay.
The cast is great, the costumes were very interesting, the scenic design is well done, ... Definitely a lot of positives about this movie. I'd say it's worth renting or watching now that it's on TV, but nothing you have to put at the top of your list.
Grade: C
Labels: 2006, biography, drama, history, Kirsten Dunst, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (New Goblin/Harry Osborn), Thomas Haden Church (Sandman/Flint Marko), Topher Grace (Venom/Eddie Brock), Bryce Dallas Howard (Gwen Stacy), Rosemary Harris (May Parker)
For complete info, see IMDb's Spider-Man 3 page.
I liked Spider-Man 2 better than Spider-Man, so I had high hopes for Spider-Man 3 - especially since I always liked Venom. I wasn't disappointed. The special effects were wonderful and the story was great.
I never read the comic books, so I don't know if they stayed in line with that and don't remember Sandman from the cartoon, but they did a great job with the Venom part of the story line. They also did a great job with the Spider-Man/New Goblin, Peter Parker/Harry Osborn dynamics. Having the competition between Eddie Brock and Peter Parker playing off of the Venom & Spider-Man fights was a nice touch. I don't remember much about Eddie Brock from the cartoon, probably because Venom is so much cooler, but in the movie it was a very interesting part of the story.
Definitely catch this one in IMAX if you can, since the special effects are worth seeing on the largest screen possible and in the best quality.
Grade: A
Labels: 2007, action, adventure, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, movie, sci-fi, Thomas Haden Church, Tobey Maguire, Topher Grace
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Orlando Bloom (Drew Baylor), Kirsten Dunst (Claire Colburn), Susan Sarandon (Hollie Baylor), Alec Baldwin (Phil DeVoss)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Elizabethtown page.
The soundtrack alone is worth watching Elizabethtown. Cameron Crowe did a great job selecting music, as always. His story telling in this one wasn't as great as some of his others, but it's still a very sweet story about a young man who's having a lot of problems in his life who finds exactly the right girl on the way to his father's memorial with the family they've been estranged from for years.
I always enjoy Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom and Elizabethtown was no exception. I'm not sure I'd recommend seeing it in the theater like I did, but it's definitely worth renting! There are no special effects, so you won't miss anything on the smaller screen.
I know the reviews trash this movie, but I thought it was a great story with a wonderful soundtrack and definitely recommend it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2005, Alec Baldwin, comedy, drama, Kirsten Dunst, movie, Orlando Bloom, romance, Susan Sarandon
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kirsten Dunst (Lizzie Bradbury), Paul Bettany (Peter Colt)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Wimbledon page.
I'm not at all a fan of tennis or Wimbledon in real life, but I really like Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, so I had to see Wimbledon. And, I loved it. From the moment the opening credits (which are brilliant) started, I loved the movie.
Richard Loncraine directed this movie by Richard Loncraine, Jennifer Flackett, & Mark Levin wonderfully and all the creators got me caring about tennis. The cinematography was amazing. The way everything was edited together really made an emotional impact.
This is definitely a movie we will own. It's a fun romantic comedy that made tennis look interesting. Not an easy thing to accomplish.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2004, comedy, drama, Kirsten Dunst, movie, Paul Bettany, romance, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborn)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Spider-Man 2 page.
I really enjoyed the first movie, so I was looking forward to this movie from the end of Spider-Man. Fortunately, Spider-Man 2 did not disappoint me. In fact, I enjoyed Spider-Man 2 more than Spider-Man, which is very rare for me and sequels. Even more rare, everyone in our group agreed that Spider-Man 2 was better than the first movie.
I can't wait for Spider-Man 3!
Grade: A-
Labels: 2004, action, comics, fantasy, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, movie, sci-fi, Tobey Maguire
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Julia Roberts (Katherine Ann Watson), Kirsten Dunst (Betty Warren), Julia Stiles (joan Brandwyn), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Giselle Levy), Ginnifer Goodwin (Connie Baker)
For complete info, see IMDb's Mona Lisa Smile page.
I know a lot of people hated this movie, but I thought it was very endearing. I liked that for a change everything isn't perfectly lined up at the end the way you think it will be at the beginning, since everything doesn't fall in line with the typical Hollywood ending. Besides, Tori Amos was in this, which I didn't even realize before seeing the movie. I guess I haven't been reading her sites much lately. That was a great surprise, since I love her music. She looks great in that era, too!
I thought the cast was amazing, the costumes were very well done, and that the story was a good period piece.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, comedy, drama, Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin/Norman Osborn)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Spider-Man page.
Great adaptation of the comic and cartoon character to the big screen! Tobey Maguire does a great job portraying both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. The casting is amazing and they chose a good villain to start with in the Green Goblin. I look forward to many more Spider-Man movies and hope that (unlike the Batman movies) the original cast will stay for the subsequent movies! I can't imagine anyone else playing Spider-Man or Mary Jane Watson.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2002, action, comics, fantasy, Kirsten Dunst, movie, sci-fi, thriller, Tobey Maguire
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kirsten Dunst (Torrance Shipman), Eliza Dushku (Missy Pantone), Jesse Bradford (Cliff Pantone), Gabrielle Union (Isis)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Bring it On (2000)
I went to see Bring it On for the cast, but was surprised to find a cute and funny movie. This movie is hilarious. The over-the-top cheerleading is great! The story of overcoming the obstacle of finding out that all the routines they've competed with in the past were stolen makes for a good story, too.
My favorite part of the movie was probably the closing credits, though. The clips of the cheering to Mickey is the icing on the cake of a funny movie.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2000, comedy, Eliza Dushku, gymnastics, Kirsten Dunst, movie, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:55 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Dustin Hoffman (Stanley Motss), Robert De Niro (Conrad Brean), Anne Heche (Winifred Ames), Denis Leary (Fad King), Willie Nelson (Johnny Dean), Andrea Martin (Liz Butsky), Kirsten Dunst (Tracy Lime)
For complete info, see IMDb's Wag the Dog page.
This movie about a war that's faked in order to cover up a presidential sex scandal is really good. Wag the Dog really explores the way the government can spin reality to appear however they want to the American public. Of course, like all situations where big lies are told, the "war" gets out of hand. Although Wag the Dog goes over the top at times, I think that's still realistic. In a situation where you're creating an entire war for the public to believe, things would probably get pretty out of hand from time to time.
I definitely recommend renting this movie and watching it again!
Grade: B+
Labels: 1997, comedy, Dustin Hoffman, Kirsten Dunst, movie, Robert DeNiro
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Robin Williams (Alan Parrish), Jonathan Hyde (Samuel Alan Parrish/Hunter Van Pelt), Kirsten Dunst (Judy Shepherd), Bradley Pierce (Peter Shepherd)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Jumanji page.
What an amazing cast! Far from the best Robin Williams movie or family movie out there, but the cast is great and the game the kids find in the house they move into is outrageous. Alan Parrish has been trapped in the game for over 30 years. After the kids free him, they end up releasing all sorts of terrors.
The special effects leave a lot to be desired, but if you can forget that and just enjoy the movie, it's pretty entertaining.
Grade: B
Labels: 1995, action, adventure, comedy, drama, family, fantasy, Kirsten Dunst, movie, Robin Williams
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Cruise (Lestat de Lioncourt), Brad Pitt (Louis de Pointe du Lac), Kirsten Dunst (Claudia), Stephen Rea (Santiago), Antonio Banderas (Armand), Christian Slater (Daniel Malloy)
For complete info, see IMDb's Interview with the Vampire page.
The funniest thing (as a huge Anne Rice fan now, who hadn't read a book until she saw the movie was about to come out and then started reading) about this movie is that so many people complained about the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat and almost no one complained about the casting of Antonio Banderas as Armand. I find this so interesting! I think that Tom Cruise did a wonderful job as Lestat, though he might not have been my first choice.
When I've discussed the casting of Antonio Banderas with friends, they've pointed out that in the first book (which this movie is based on), the reader doesn't know Armand's age. While that is true, since Armand is a vampire, he can't age and when we find out in the second book that he's a young teen when he's made into a vampire, he would have to be a young teen in the first book, and therefore the movie.
That being said, I still think that they did a very good job making Interview with the Vampire a movie. Of course, unlike most movies Anne Rice was allowed to write the screenplay for Interview with the Vampire, which certainly helped!
Grade: B+
Labels: 1994, Antonio Banderas, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, drama, fantasy, horror, Kirsten Dunst, movie, Tom Cruise
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:10 PM show | 0 screams