Cast: Elija Wood (Jones), Franka Potente (Jane), Mandy Moore (Lisa)
For complete info see IMDb's Try Seventeen page.
Apparently, this movie was called Try Seventeen in the theatres - that's even a worse title than All I Want. I generally hate when they rename movies (like when they tried to re-sell Satisfaction as a TV movie called Girls of Summer - the original title was so much better and now, you can just say something like "See Julia Roberts & Liam Neeson before they were big stars."); however, this original title was terrible, so I can see why they tried to market it in a different way.
Of course, the movie is as bad as the original title and in spite of the cast, I probably wouldn't have bothered if it'd been called Try Seventeen still. Bad movies should have bad titles, so you know to avoid them. Fortunately, I didn't even wait for the DVD to arrive on Netflix (it was way down on my list). I just chose to watch it in one of the Netflix play instantly movies, since it was one of the shortest movies I could play and I had caught up to live for playoff hockey.
I definitely do not recommend this movie. There are surely over 100 really good movies you've never seen. Rent one of those instead.
Grade: D+
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Diane Keaton (Daphne), Mandy Moore (Milly), Gabriel Macht (Johnny), Tom Everett Scott (Jason), Lauren Graham (Maggie), Piper Perabo (Mae)
For complete info, see IMDb's Because I Said So page.
I expected Because I Said So to be a pretty good chick flick, since the cast was great. I didn't think this movie would be that funny. I also didn't expect so many people to get involved enough in the movie that they were actually talking to the screen. So many people gave advice to Milly during the movie, since her mother drove the audience a little crazy. I can't even imagine dealing with a mother like Daphne.
The opening sequence didn't look like anything I expected of the movie from the previews. I didn't know it was the movie util I noticed Lauren Graham. I definitely don't think this is a movie you need to see in a theatre, but I do recommend renting it when it comes out on DVD. I went with the girls (sparing my husband from the chick flick I thought Because I Said So would be, but I've added it to my Netflix list, since I think my husband will enjoy it, too.
Grade: B
Labels: 2007, comedy, Diane Keaton, drama, Mandy Moore, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Hugh Grant (Martin Tweed), Dennis Quaid (President Stanton), Mandy Moore (Sally Kendoo), Willem Dafoe (Chief of Staff)
For complete cast, see IMDb's American Dreamz page.
American Dreamz is funny and amusing, but probably funnier if you watch American Idol and other "reality" shows that we don't watch. I'm not sorry that we rented the movie, but it's definitely a movie I could have waited a lot longer to see.
I wouldn't avoid it at all costs, but I wouldn't recommend rushing out to rent it, unless you do watch American Idol. If you watch that, you'll probably love American Dreamz.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2006, comedy, Dennis Quaid, Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore, movie, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jena Malone (Mary), Mandy Moore (Hilary Faye), Macaulay Culkin (Roland), Patrick Fugit (Patrick)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Saved! page.
This is a much better movie than I expected given the previews. They marketted it just as a teen movie, but it was very good.
Saved! is about a teenager in the bible belt who's ostracized by her friends when she becomes pregnant. It's a hilarious commentary on life.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2004, comedy, drama, Mandy Moore, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams