Word: formulaic
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Clearly, this fish-out-of-water romance is a well-worn and somewhat predictable formula, but director Ondrej Trojan and writer Kveta Legatova weave such a captivating and convincing story that it doesn’t matter. If anything, the unsurprising plotline serves to create a sense of comfort as the film delves deeper into the intricacies of life in a small Eastern European village during World War II; everyone knows everyone else and, if it weren’t for the very occasional appearance of Nazi soldiers—often accompanied by violence—it would feel...
...Teen Disney roots, giving an uneven yet charming performance as Terri Fletcher, small-town girl whisked away from commonplace and complacency when she lands admission to the prestigious Bristol Hill School of Music in L.A. You’ve undoubtedly seen Raise Your Voice before: this film is formula-driven, from typical start to predictable finish. But no matter how many times Duff clips her lines or awkwardly over-acts her most intense scenes, the film somehow recovers. Despite its reliance on ham-fisted elements to a garner a reaction, Raise Your Voice pulls off moments where palpable, genuine emotion...
...politics, much post-9/11 TV has been manly and daddy-oriented. The networks have churned out CSI clones that have mostly male leads. After a ratings drop-off among young men last fall, executives blamed new shows starring women (Karen Sisco, Miss Match). Family sitcoms hew to the formula of lumpy guy with hot, smart but secondary wife. Bush's answer to the "strong women" question--that he learned "to listen to them"--was According to Jim politics. He's the likable hubby who needs Laura to point out his foibles, but he's still the star...
...classic anecdotes of Brian Wilson’s move from eccentricity to paranoia. Maybe it was the drug abuse, maybe the pressure of his bandmate and cousin Mike Love to stick to the commercially-proven formula of cars and surf, or maybe it was the added stress of a prolonged contract lawsuit, but Wilson’s behavior became stranger. Fearing his house was bugged, he held business meetings in his swimming pool. He suspected that he was being frightened by Phil Spector-hired “mind gangsters.” Studio musicians donned plastic fire hats while recording...
...Teen Disney roots, giving an uneven yet charming performance as Terri Fletcher, small-town girl whisked away from commonplace and complacency when she lands admission to the prestigious Bristol Hill School of Music in L.A. You’ve undoubtedly seen Raise Your Voice before: this film is formula-driven, from start to finish. But no matter how many times Duff clips her lines or awkwardly overacts her most intense scenes, the film somehow recovers. Despite its reliance on ham-fisted elements to a garner a reaction, Raise Your Voice pulls off moments where palpable, genuine emotion pumps from...