Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Chuck4Ever After BUT NOT FOREVERHad this movie been released in the last few years, it would have swept the Oscars. Most of us were still reeling from 9/11 when it came out...So many factors make it a hidden gem:Spacey's performance -- Great plot and brilliant script -- The entire cast -- Hauntingly beautiful soundtrack -- Breathtaking scenery and cinematography.Watched it for the first time the other day, and gave it 9 out of 10. It has transfixed me so much that I must now give it a 10.Thank goodness I found it on Netflix. Still spellbound.

MartinHafer "The Shipping News" is an exceptionally good film. However, it is so unconventional, so slow and so anti-Hollywood in style that I am pretty sure it's NOT a film that most folks would enjoy. However, if you appreciate a film that accentuates acting and story instead of explosions and breasts, then it may just be the film for you! Kevin Spacey plays a man simply called 'Quoyle'. Quoyle is a sad sort of man--emotionally constricted and bullied by his uncaring father. Inexplicably, he falls for a woman who turns out to be a complete tramp--and this is being very kindly towards the woman to refer to her this way! The woman is simply no good and cheats on Quoyle--right in front of him. But, he's so dependent and thinks so little of herself that he accepts this. He even grieves when the woman dies after she leaves him AND tries to sell her daughter!! Quoyle has no idea what to do with his life when an aunt he doesn't know (Judi Dench) arrives. Together, they both leave the States and move back to the family homestead in VERY rural Newfoundland. What's next? See the film.There is a lot more to the film than this but frankly describing the plot is silly, as it's more a slice of life film where the focus is much more on the characters and acting. In other words, what happens is far less important than seeing it happen. A slow but gentle film--I really liked it and wish there were more films like this. Well worth your time if you are patient and don't mind an unconventional story.

Framescourer On paper this should be a winning romantic matinée - but then, on paper, My Big Fat Greek Wedding should have gone straight to video. It's a rather good yarn this, an outlandishly plotted but nonetheless credible romance set in a modern Newfoundland community. It's well-acted and Lasse Hallström moves the story along briskly. So where's the problem?I think it's to do with Hallström's determination not to fall into the clutches of piratical-style yarn-spinning. Me hearties. There are an awful lot of little stories just waiting in line to reveal themselves. In the context of a superstitious coastal community one is always a bit circumspect about whether tales are about to be debunked as myth or simply manufactured, especially as the central prepubescent is painted as borderline clairvoyant. Consequently, none of the plot threads are given the chance to really take hold and stir the emotions. For a sincere film it's emotionally over-restrained.Neither does it help that Kevin Spacey slightly misjudges his homecoming naïf - he goes from being spectacularly stupid, to sagaciously adult in far too short a space of time. All the others have the developmental mettle of their roles better managed. I enjoyed the film but I get the impression that Proulx's novel isn't meant to be quite as breezy. 6.5/10

pc95 "The Shipping News" is a fairly good movie which starts out strongly, but about halfway through edges into TV drama territory in style. It's the sort of movie that becomes middle of the road despite good performances and here and there shows some solid photography. The problem at the core are the main characters, especially Spacey whose simpleton-type character wears pretty thin over the duration of the movie. Along with that is the run-of-mill romance with Julianne Moore's small town widow. Their development is rather unbelievable and uninteresting as well as Spacey's acting with his character's daughter at times OK, and at other times painful. The movie luckily has some fine supporting cast, particularly Rhys Ivans and the great Pete Postlethwaite as well as Judi Dench. Overall the movie isn't really a disappointment with some great seasonal appeal, but unfortunately runs long.