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Aren't we all a little martian? Why wasn't this wonderfully bizarre film rated higher? John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Amanda Peet, and a fantastic performance by young Bobby Coleman (THE martian child).

"Predictably mushy, Martian Child manages to tug on the heart strings right at all the appropriate beats."

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This movie is a lot better than most critics give it credit for. It is a little slow at the end which lowered it from an 8 to a 7, but I would recommend people see it on video.

Hilltop Review Guy

The Marian Child

Initial Reaction: It's better than the Venusian... um Venuses...er, Venus Child

Main Characters

David: He's a science fiction writer played by John Cusack.

Dennis: He's a kid with a strange quirk played by Bobby Coleman



Plot Summary

It starts off with a decision by David to adopt a kid in an attempt to fill the void in his life when his wife dies. After checking out the kids available, he decides to adopt Dennis, despite the fact that Dennis thinks he's a martian.

The two of them have a rough start -- Dennis wants several things, including wearing a weight belt so he doesn't fly off into space, and eating nothing but Lucky Charms (I have no clue as to why that is.)

But it is clear that David is making more of an impact on Dennis than any other adult, but the adoption agency is wondering if it's a good idea for a single man to raise a kid.



SCORING

Main Characters

These two have such potential to be great. But when they're on screen together, they whisper almost all the time, destroying any hopes for chemistry between them. Dennis doesn't even crack a smile; I wonder if it's a law against smiling on Mars. SCORE: 3



Supporting Cast

We've got a sister who thinks it's a mistake for David to adopt, a close friend who gets very close, and some agent from the adoption agency who asks questions. There's nothing bad about them, but there's nothing great about them, either. SCORE: 5



Plot

There are a lot of scenes where people talk in this film -- between David and Dennis, between David and his best friend, between Dennis and the adoption agency, between the adoption agency and David. Problem is, I found almost nothing gripping in those scenes. SCORE: 3



Originality

The only thing separating this from the sitcom family film is that David is a single father. SCORE: 5



Violence Factor

Not to be seen here; the only physical combat occurs when several kids pick on Dennis for being strange. SCORE: 8



Other Moral Issues

This film is about a man learning to be a father and a boy learning to be a son. But I felt like that message is beaten into me far too many times in this film. SCORE: 4



Final Score (out of 60): 28 % Score: 40%

Dennis and David needed to show a wider range of emotion.

Martian Child is a good premise. Throughout the whole film I saw perfect ways to make this a great film. However the film's director was set to make this a hollywood throwback to previous decades when it comes to style and delivery. In simpiler terms he made it a cheap boring hollywood matinee film. It's a beautiful idea (the trailer made a friend of mine cry), yet it's done in such a way that you know what will happen from the get go. Now if this was an indie character study that spent time with the characters instead of rushing through to get the plot over with as fast as possible, it would be very good. None of the actors are bad. They just don't have any time to shine. Could have been a good flick, oh well.

American Gangster is 157 minutes long. That is a lengthy film. It has two plotlines dividing the film pretty much in half between a drug runner and a cop. Name a gangster classic. Scarface. Ok that film was 170 minutes long and has only one plot line and it's about the drug runner. As you can see this is not gonna be the Harlem Scarface or Godfather for that matter. This film is not really even that epic even for it's length because it's not really one film. It seems like it's 2 films mashed together. So basically it is just the bare plot line for both stories so they can make the run time. And when you do that both of the plots are very familiar so you feel like you are watching a movie you've already seen. Why do you feel this way? Because a crime drama is always the same story basically, but it's the characters and the writing that make it different. You don't really ever feel any emotion to the characters especially all the supporting characters which you barely meet. It doesn't work. Sure it is an entertaining film. But is it a classic? No. Is it a good film? Not really. I don't know it just isn't worthy of such a badass title.

The Kite Runner, I was fortunate enough to see before it came to theaters (it comes out Dec. 21st). I have not read the book, but it is one of the most beautiful films I have seen in awhile. The story is amazing and all the actors are amazing. It is definatley an oscar contender. The cinematography is amazing. And it didn't cower at the idea of subtitles, it fully embraced them which was awesome to see in such a big production. The only problem I had with it was the 2nd act which seemed a little out of place, but I didn't read the book so I don't know how big that part was. I don't know how else to describe it, it was quite good. Definitley check it out.

John Cusack's performance keeps us glued to this fable about a child who may be from Mars, but needs parenting to unearth the truth. Makes strong case that kids are aliens.

Bee Movie
My Grade: C+



Let's talk about the most overrated film of the year called "Michael Clayton". I just found this to be one of the most pointless and tiring films to come along in a long time. Though the acting is great, I just found the movie to be an unnecesary foray into suspense, especially since the movie contains absolutely no suspense. It's neither interesting nor intense... I found it to be a complete flop, though I'm sure the rest of the critics around the world would not agree.

:fresh: I think this is a really good movie. Fun, heartfelt, and very inspirational. I love this kid

Strange film, I did not find it particularly appealing. The cast is great, but I do not think the material was very interesting. It all has a hidden meaning and moral, but after about 30 minutes it was obvious and boredom followed. If you have something to say, just say it, why bother with the silly martian element.

Good afternoon, folks. We got in a new batch of DVD releases this week, and I started watching them last night at about 1AM, heh. So, without further adieu...

MOVIE REVIEW: No Reservations



This little boy, Bobby Coleman, was absolutely BRILLIANT. He was such a fantastic little actor. This story was sad and beautiful, and made you so happy in the end. You can't help but get a little misty, smile a little, and enjoy such stories as these.

Rent it, watch it, and just enjoy. You'll feel good about yourself afterwards. I guarantee it. :-)