Solaris

Pros: Photography, Score, Clooney
Cons: Inadequate Context

Science fiction seems an inherently difficult film genre. In order to create a whole world and embe ...

Pros: Terrific design, music, editing.
Cons: Your average sf movie fan won't get this one. That's ok.

Once, long ago, the world of science fiction revolved around ideas instead of special effects. In the old glory days, there were ideas of when we finally met whatever was out there, and just how humanity would react. Other thoughts took on the nature of...

Pros: Acting. Pacing. Mood. Even romance.
Cons: Sometimes sacrifices depth for romance.

My jaw dropped when I heard Steven Soderbergh was filming his own adaptation of Stanislav Lem’s novel Solaris. And it clenched when I heard George Clooney would play Chris. You see, Solaris holds a special place for me. I’m a fan of scien ...

Pros: easily one of the best films of 2002.
Cons: other people in the audience.

These are the kinds of films that us true movie lovers (or geeks, depending on your point of view) simply love writing about. The kind that most people won't like, because they were expecting something else; the kind of film that leaves the young...

Pros: Nuanced performances. A film of ideas, rather than action.
Cons: Occasional glacial pacing can annoy.

The outdoor Christmas decorations I had installed at Chateau Maine are certainly the talk of the neighborhood. There was a little soiree down the street at Liz Taylor's house last night and I heard person after person saying things like 'Have you seen...

Pros: Soderbergh reins it in, Clooney pours it on
Cons: A little slow, skimps on the answers

Sometime in the distant future, Chris Kelvin, a grief-counselor with a history of grief himself, is summoned to a space station located near the planet Solaris. It seems some mysterious weirdness has been going down, and those involved think Kelvin is...

Pros: A sci-fi movie with ideas instead of explosions.
Cons: Ideas ain't worth a lick if the overall result is boring.

There have been movies that I've watched with low expectations and came away pleasantly surprised. There have been movies that I've watched with the expectation bar being set low and wasn't disappointed at all. And there have been movies that had the ...

Pros: The thought-provoking story, the cast and direction
Cons: None

Solaris is one of those movies people are either going to love or hate...there is no in between. I've read some reviews that are hailing it as one of the best psychological dramas of the past 20 years, while others say it is the most...

Pros: Performances by Clooney, McElhone, Davis; Soderbergh's quadruple duties; the pace; Martinez's score
Cons: Negatively partial to performance by Davies

"There are no answers. Only choices."

This is one of the lines of dialogue spoken to Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) by Gibarian (Ulrich Tukur) inside the space station that is hovering near Solaris: a bright, purple-blue, spherical shape out in...

Pros: Poetic, beautiful, well-acted.
Cons: Will likely be written off as being too slow and dense by most audiences.

Solaris is most certain to leave many an audience disappointed. The marketing paints Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's novel as strictly a romantic drama, rather neatly skirting the issue that said love story takes place... in...

Pros: Nice effects, good soundtrack
Cons: no plot, no structure

I am a big movie person. I really, truly am. I just don't write reviews on Epinions because ...

Pros: Dead people are alive, George Clooney gets naked, interesting backstory
Cons: Tedious length, where were the others?

The science fiction novels and movies that I enjoy most contain many futuristic ideals...this one did not have that feel to it. Of course George Clooney is in it showing his nude buttocks so I can't complain...much. Take out the peep show and you get a ...

Pros: Well acted, thought provoking, emotionally satisfying experience.
Cons: Requires thought.

I have fallen into a bad habit of reviewing movies that have been already thoroughly reviewed. That may be due, at least in part, to the fact that I look up the reviews on movies I feel strongly about, and always feel an urge to say at least one more ...

Pros: The story and direction.
Cons: Someone who watched Brad Pitt.

I wrote a rather quick review that wasn't up to scratch, for either the site or the film. So, here is (hopefully), a more appropriate reflection of the film and viewing experience. As I stated in the previous review, I had a funny experience in ...

Pros: Awesome cast, thoughtful, excellent sets, great music, Ok... Clooney's rear.
Cons: Falsely advertised, cut to avoid R rating, "Give me a break, it's only a butt!"

I'll admit that George Clooney was the only reason I went to this movie. I don't care how bad I thi ...