Critical Film Condition

As it usually happens with stories based on Nick Hornby’s source material, the realm of the experience isn’t that large, but it’s overcrowded with characters you want to care about. “An Education” isn’t an unforgettable movie that will live through generations of people, but it is another example of why character-driven storytelling and development make for a great movie-watching experience, even if your story isn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Tim Burton’s most personal movie ends up being his most accessible, probably due to the fact that this is his homage to good storytelling, which “Big Fish” features lots of.

It’s yet another movie built upon Vince Vaughn and Favreau’s witty punchline-filled script, where the parts are good, but don’t make for much of a whole. The third act falls flat when trying to solve every absurd conflict they’ve constructed over the movie in less than ten minutes, but that doesn’t take away from an all-round enjoyable experience. Falls, for me, into rainy-Sunday afternoon movie category, and that’s not bad, it’s just, well, okay.

“The Notebook” is a fantastic movie because it is about love, through and through. It doesn’t try to convince you that you’re watching the greatest love story ever told. It tells a love story like any other, but features the most heartfelt love in its storytelling. It’s a tearjerker that succeeds because it’s emotionally heartwarming, not breaking. If you have to choose a movie to watch with the missus, look no further.