Dustin Patton

21 May 2012

One of the best inspirational movies that have ever been made.

The movie The Blind Side is a true story about a homeless teenagernamed Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) who is taken in by the Tuohy family.The Tuohy family consists of Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), SeanTuohy (Tim McGraw), Collins Tuohy (Lily Collins), and S.J. Tuohy (JaeHead). Michael Oher goes by the name of "Big Mike" and is from the"projects". He is the son of a drug addicted mother and a father inwhich he does not remember. Michael Oher is a homeless teenager withvery little clothes so he has to spend his nights trying to find aplace to sleep.Towards the beginning he is walking to a gym in which it is warm so hewill be able to sleep. While going to the gym Leigh Anne Tuohy and herfamily are leaving from a play and she sees him walking withoutadequate clothing and in turn stops to ask what he is doing. He tellsher what his plans are about staying in the gym and then she tells himto get in the car as he is able to go and stay with them for the night.That night then turns into days and eventually into him being adoptedby the Tuohys. Michael Oher has no records available and has neverreally done too good in school.The Tuohy family is portrayed as high class republicans and a veryChristian family and they also put on a persona as they might be betterthan everyone else. That is what I thought in the beginning because oftheir BMW's and their huge house but it turns out that they are a niceand loving family that only wants what is best for their kids.Big Mike is enrolled in a private school in which he then begins to geta great education and is later introduced to football. Through footballhe is able to keep his mind right and figure out what he is wanting outof his life. He is so good at football that every college in the nationwants him to come and play for them, but he is hindered by one thingand that is his grades. Over time he gets his grades up way beyond whatwas needed for him to be eligible for scholarships. Acquiring thegrades needed was the first hurdle as the NCAA was doing aninvestigation because he had decided on a school to attend that theTuohys were affiliated with. The NCAA just wanted to make sure that hewas not forced and or paid to choose that school.With the Tuohys allowing Michael to stay at their house for that onenight changed not only his life but theirs as well as they had seenthat they were able to help him to basically get off of the street. Thehard work that Michael and the Tuohy family put into him allowed him toexcel in the classroom as well as on the football field eventuallyleading him to being drafted in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft by theBaltimore Ravens.Two techniques used in The Blind Side are angle and sound. When Imention angle I am talking about how the camera would be angled duringfootball practice as well as the football games themselves. As a viewerof the film it made it seem like I was right on the football field forevery hit and play. The sound inside of The Blind Side quietly helpedin the film especially the background voices of the other students thatwere making fun of "Big Mike" as well as on the football field with thegrunts and the sheer groans of pain.The acting in The Blind Side was very good. I thought that the cast wasa great fit for this film as they all played their intricate roles indeveloping the story and the theme of the movie. The Blind Side is notonly a sports movie but it's an inspirational movie for everyoneshowing that anything is possible just as long as you believe inyourself and others.

20 May 2012

The Blind Side

This review is from: The Blind Side (DVD) Great movie, just like the first time I saw it. However, the DVD did seem to have its problems in stopping and starting during the first 45 minutes of the movie. Otherwise, it was wonderful!

19 May 2012

Above and Beyond!

This review is from: The Blind Side (DVD) What can you say when Sandra Bullock is in ANY movie....it's bound to be wonderful. This one was very special because it was a true story and there is no one that could have done a better job. It was so good, I didn't want it to end. Everything and everyone in the movie were surpurb. It lets you know that there are STILL caring people in this crazy world of ours. I've watched it 3 times now and will do it again.

DarkVulcan29

19 May 2012

A blind man can tell that this is a great film.

Nice to see Sandra Bullock come back after the cinematic travesty,called All About Steve(2009). This was a well made film, perfectlyfilmed,and great performances by everybody.Leigh Ann Tuohy(Sandra Bullock), seems to have the life most womenwould envy, a wonderful supporting husband(Tim Mcgraw), and two greatkids(Lily Collins and Jae Head). But one day while driving home, shesees, a larger then life teenager which everybody calls BigMike(Quinton Aaron), when she tries to talk to him, he comes across asa little withdrawn, and is nearly homeless, she decides to take him in,with her supporting family behind her. Leigh finds out his name isMichael Oher, and tries to dig up things about his past, in hopes ofhelping him, but the question is will she? I really liked this film, it manages to balance humor and dramaperfectly. Sandra Bullock gave quite a strong performance, so QuintonAaron, Lyn Collin, but Jae Head is quite the scene stealer. It also hasa good football scene as well. And Kathy Bates is good in hersupporting role also. I say see The Blind Side.

MLDinTN

15 May 2012

the sports feel good movie of the year

This was one of the better movies of the year and Sandra Bullock's bestrole to date. I can see why she was nominated for acting awards, but Ithink she won because she didn't have much competition. The movie isabout family and has some humor thrown in. SJ was the cutest kid andadded some humor. The story is based on a real person, Michael Oher,whom was helped out by a rich white family when he didn't have anyone.They helped him get a college scholarship and he just happened to turnout to be a really good football player. He also became part of theirfamily.FINAL VERDICT: Watch it. It's a good movie and has a happy ending.

15 May 2012

Good Movie!

This review is from: The Blind Side [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I have always enjoyed movies that are based on true stories, this one does not dissapoint. It was very well done.

colinmatts

10 May 2012

how did this win an award?

I think the Acadamy is being very kind to Sandra Bullock by giving herthe best actress award for this movie. Rarely have I seen a moreirritating, feel good fetish. It is so predictable that it would bealmost impossible to include spoilers in the review, but for thebenefit of the mentally deficient I'll try not to give away too much.Basically, its the story of a gentle giant who gets adopted by the mostnauseatingly nice family since the Brady Bunch. Our hero, "Big Mike" isa misfit kid from the projects who gets accepted into a high performinghigh school. One night, as he's making his way to the gym, were hesleeps, the Touhey family take pity on him and take him into theirperfect family home. This is were Sandra Bullock takes control of theplot and of the whole movie. There's no doubt in my mind that DirectorJohn Lee Hancock molded this movie to make Sandra Bullock look like theaward winning actress she isn't. Her husband, Sean, played by TimMcGraw, is the most pointless character in movie history. Even ahenpecked husband would be more humorous than the impotent piece ofpassivity this man represents. Son, S.J., played by Jae Head, is one ofthose annoying child characters who gets way too much screen time anddaughter, Collins, played by Lily Collins has to be the mostunderstanding teenage girl ever to feature in a Hollywood movie.Quinton Aaron, who plays "Big Mike" does as good a job as he's let,given that he dare not steal attention from Sandra Bullock's dominance.There's one good scene when he returns to the bad guys in the projectswere he grew up. It's the only good scene actually, probably becauseSandra Bullock is not in it. I won't bore you with the details of thewhole football plot, you'll guess were its going very early on;especially when Sandra Bullock's character starts telling the coachwhat to do. Apart from the "Boys in the Hood" in Mike's oldneighborhood, there's just one other bad guy, but he's just a loudmouth racist at a football game who Sandra Bullock deals withpredictably. There's shades of "Mr. Holland's Opus" "Good Will Hunting"and even "Shine" in this movie. Sadly though, those shades are quicklyobliterated by Miss Bullocks ego.

joefilmcritic

09 May 2012

This Movie was EXCELLENT!!!!

When I saw this preview I was like oh, this looks good. Then afterawhile I lost interest and I didn't want to see it. I decided to go seeit. This movie was probably one of the best dramas I have seen. I leftthe theater heart-warmed and inspired.The message is good and the movieis pretty clean. It's heavy at times but has a great story and willmake you want to do great things. The acting was also very good. SandraBullock did an awesome job playing a semi-serious role after starringin "The Proposal" and "All About Steve." Tim McGraw played the husbandand also did a good job. This movie is appropriate for most audiencesbut it depends on how well you know your kids. I recommend this movieto everyone because even if it doesn't look like your kind of movie,you will get something out of it. I was happy that Sandra Bullockreceived Best Actress In A Drama for "The Blind Side" but didn't seehow Avatar was a drama and beat The Blind Side and how the Blind Sidewasn't even nominated for Best Drama but was relieved that she stillreceived Best Actress. Just because a film doesn't make millions uponmillions of dollars in the box office doesn't mean it's not a goodfilm. So I say you need to see this movie!

07 May 2012

Blind Sided

Ok - so I am a Brit and have no clue as to how the American collegiate system works, especially when it comes to sporting scholarships.Also I had not heard of The Blind Side......at all. In fact I was just minding my own business and getting on a flight from London to Mexico City, ready to hanker down for a nice long 10 hour sleep.But the flight attendants were busying themselves to serve the food and the cabin was buzzing, so I thought I would watch the first 1/2 hr or so of a film whilst I waited for everything to calm down and the cabin lights to be dimmed.I picked The Blind Side because I was convinced that the film would hold absoluteley no appeal to me. In hindsight, this turned out to be far from the truth.Firstly, Sandra Bullock is one of those mainstream actresses that is eminantly watchable and likeable. Yes, her films usually won't rattle your life or even leave you with a huge amount to think about, but they are usually fun and enjoyable. In this though, you soon forget that it is Sandra in the role and quickly become immersed in the life and kindness of Leigh Anne.Secondly, even most real-life stores are dramatised for added impact/effect with tensions built for little reason other than viewer entertainment. In this film I found the reflection of a real life family really compelling. It is startingly different to watch a film where you are drawn into the lives of the people on-screen without relying on gimmicks to keep your attention.Thirdly, the courage and fortitude of Michael Oher, born into indifference, poverty and lack of opportunity, and his ability to simply be a decent and kind man, overwhelming the odds, making a life that brings both him and his adopted family such wealth and joy, is simply profoundly moving.Suffice to say, I did not get much sleep on the flight and arrived in Mexico tired but happy. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes to be blind sided once in a while.

07 May 2012

widescreen

Good movie, but it is a real shame that it was not shot in a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.40:1. The aspect ratio this film is shot in (1.85:1) is now the standard for TV shows. In my opinion, all theatrically released movies should now be shot in either 2.35:1 or 2.40:1.

RichHartford

06 May 2012

Michael Oher From Homeless To Becoming An NFL Pro

The Blind Side features Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who playsfor the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. It follows Oher from hisimpoverished upbringing, through his years at Wingate ChristianSchool,a fictional representation of Briarcrest Christian School, inthe suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee; his adoption by Sean and Leigh AnneTuohy; and on to his position as one of the most highly covetedprospects in college football.The film is a semi-biographical drama film that is written and directedby John Lee Hancock.It stars Sandra Bullock.who won the Academy Awardfor Best Actress, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress inthe film.Alongside her,it also features Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher,Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy, and Kathy Bates as Miss Sue.It was based onthe 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis.No question that Sandra Bullock's performance was phenomenal.Aside fromthat,it was an inspiring story about a Christian couple who took careof a homeless person and have taken him into their cudgels and led himto a promising future.Although the story fell into the trap of fallinginto a a Hollywood fable that trades difficult truths for easyclichés,the tale of tale of how Oher left behind a life of poverty,violence and foster- home despair to become a champ on the gridironmakes it entertaining and a must-see for the viewers.

saadaz

06 May 2012

Worst movie of my life

This is the worst movie done by Sandra Bullock. The story is boring.The characters are extremely neutral. There is no action in this movie.Nothing happens. No Story. No scenario. No suspense. Nothing... I justwish this movie was never made. I need my wasted time back. PLEASE! Godgive me my time back, PLEASE!!! This movie is the worst movie I've everseen,,, The idea behind this movie is absolutely terrible. You know themovie "George of the Jungle", it was OK... but WATCHABLE! BLIND SIDE isBLINDINGLY UNWATCHABLE... PLEASE Don't watch it... For the love ofGOD... Sandra Bullock is too annoying in this movie.. Worst charactershe ever acted... Her husband is a weird... The girl has no ROLE in themovie.. but she's good on the eyes... lot of fun... ;) There's reallynothing else to see in this film... Wanna see more? American Pie 2!PLEASE watch Lord of the RINGS... PLEASE This is such a waste oftime...PS: That little kid annoyed me so much, not to mention the HERO of thefilm!! Don't waste your time,,, PLEASEIf you like this comment, please rate it so that other people can knowthe truth!

John Seal

03 May 2012

Which side is the blind one?

I went into The Blind Side knowing little about the film, and lessabout its back story. Color me surprised to learn that the film depicts'a remarkable true story', because until the final credit crawl I wasconvinced I was watching a skillfully made racial fantasy designed toassuage some serious liberal white guilt. In fact, until the crawl Iwas convinced the film had seriously overdone matters: who couldpossibly believe not only that an upper-class white family would takein an impoverished African-American youngster, pay his way throughprivate school, and even buy him a truck? Misgivings aside, The BlindSide is an emotionally satisfying drama featuring a bravura performanceby Sandra Bullock as Mama Tuohy and an excellent script by directorJohn Lee Hancock. Quinton Aaron isn't much of an actor (though I shouldprobably watch Be Kind Rewind again before jumping to conclusions), buthe brings a degree of mystery to the character of Michael Oher thatoffers intrigue for the first half of the film--intrigue that isn'tvery satisfactorily resolved by an awkward sub-plot involving his birthmother. I still think The Blind Side was mostly made to make whitepeople feel good and virtuous--perhaps I need to read Michael Lewis'book to convince myself otherwise--but that doesn't mean it isn't agood film. If the story is true, then the worst it's done is humanizerich Republicans--and if it isn't, it still appeals to the betternature in all of us. If we all acted on the kindness exemplified in TheBlind Side, the world might just be a little bit better.

michael_the_nermal

02 May 2012

You Must Take this Movie Literally to Get It

The problem with this film's detractors is that they see this as morethan the literal story of a rich Southern woman who helped a blackyouth with no hope for a bright future rise up and become an NCAAfootball star, and later a player with the Baltimore Ravens. I supposethis movie does fictionalize the true story a great deal and punch itup so that it is a quintessential "Feel-Good Hallmark Movie of theYear" (TM). Still, do not forget that it is based on a true story... itreally happened. I think it is supposed to be an inspirational storyfor those with little hope of achieving big things with their lives; bythe same token, it is also possible that "The Blind Side" became a bookand movie because it was a rare occurrence, something that does notusually happen in this world (Sandra Bullock's character says somethingto this effect towards the end of the film). If you take this movie atface value as an anomalous yet heart-warming true story, you won't readany "sinister" message into it and enjoy it a lot more as a story.Some detractors see this as movie as an example of insidious Southernpaternalism by wealthy whites towards black people. It has been asubject of historical study by luminary historian as C. Vann Woodwardin his book "The Strange Case of Jim Crow" (where paternal racism wasreplaced with the less subtle and toxic version of Jim Crow that was tograb hold of the Deep South in the twentieth century). I suppose it ispossible, but the problem with this argument is that "The Blind Side"is but one example of the benevolence of a wealthy white Tennesseewoman towards a poor black Tennessee boy. Is paternalism a commonattitude, or even a common theme of films set in the contemporarySouth? Is this a trend we see often in movies and literature set withinthe last forty years, and is it a problem sociologists have notedrecently? Unless this film's detractors can use other examples and fit"The Blind Side" into this, I can't help but to see their cases as weakand "The Blind Side" as nothing more than a slightlybetter-than-average heartwarming feel-good movie that is pining forOscar gold, and was released towards the end of the year to get thenotice of any Oscar judges who might wish to nominate it for honors.The acting was pretty decent, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it wasexcellent. Sandra Bullock was pretty good as the wealthy protagonist ofthis story. Her one annoying scene is at the beginning, where shenarrates the football position Michael Oher would take ("oneMississippi...two Mississippi"). The boy actor who played her son doesseem domineering and annoying, but he at least showed a genuine desirefor love and compassion for his adopted brother. Some have criticisedthe actor who played Michael Oher for being taciturn, but I think hedid a good job conveying his character's personality without needing tosay much.A nice story and a fairly-good film, if you take it as a literal taleand not anything with a moral or transcendent theme. Real life does notwork like literature. In spite of the efforts of the filmmakers of "TheBlind Side" to force a true story to take the conventions of fiction,it shows the vagueness of real life, which often time has nodiscernible theme to convey, other than that sometimes some people arepretty damned lucky to have a rich good Samaritan help them achievegreat things.

Andreapworth

02 May 2012

Delightful and thought-provoking

Saw it at the theater, and when it hit DVD release, thought "why not?"And I'm glad I saw it again. Missed a few things the first time around.As other commenter's have said, it is a true story, told well and in atouching manner. You can almost feel Micnael's disbelief when he isasked to spend the night with the Touhey family. And you can definitelyfeel the bonds of the family coming together around him.Perhaps the best scene, and probably what pushed Sandra to the Oscar,is the speech she gives to Michael on the football field, helping himto see his key role on the team. The comparison of the family membersto the football players' slots was so moving and well-scripted. That'sthe scene that I will play over in my head until the next time I rentthe movie! Stay strong Sandra, like you were in this movie!

Nat Williams

01 May 2012

An overrated feel-good movie with an overrated Oscar

"The Blind Side" is a decent movie about some decent people who gave adecent young man a chance at life. Unfortunately, that's about asexciting as it gets. As a feel-good movie, it pales in comparison tomany other films I would place in the same category. Take "October Sky"as an example. It has many similarities to "The Blind Side." Both areabout a teen-ager who has had little encouragement in his life and anadult who sees potential and nurtures it. Both have positive outcomes.And both are based on true stories. But "October Sky" gave us a muchmore compelling story and kept us more emotionally involved. The faultmay lie partly on the subject matter, but I believe there it more to itthan that. I, for one, believe Sandra Bullock's Oscar was one of theleast deserved in recent history. I may be no drama expert, like somewho are on the message board claim to be, but to me her performance wasuninspired. All in all, much of the time while I was watching the movieit seemed like something I'd seen a million times on the Hallmark Hallof Fame channel or a Lifetime movie of the week.

corrientes123

29 April 2012

Bullock at her best

Although the plot is depressing at times, the story is positive andheart-warming. Personally I don't like movies circling around sportstoo much and I don't even understand Football, so these parts eludedme. However, Sandra Bullock definitely had a role of her life with anexcellent performance. Because the story is sentimental it would havebeen easy to screw up the movie by a weaker actress. Unfortunately, Iwas a bit unhappy with the performance of Quinton Aaron as MichaelOher. Oher's character comes across as too sluggish so it is difficultto believe that he pulled off his achievements. The whole Tuohy familyalso remains a bit undifferentiated except Jae Head who also plays agreat role as S.J. Overall, it is a very encouraging movie aboutcourage, (white) privilege (or the lack of it), and how to make achange.

hottytoddy10

29 April 2012

History Teacher

I haven't seen the movie yet... going today! But just a fun fact...actress Melody Weintraub who plays the history teacher was an actualteacher at Briarcrest when Mike was there. She actually taught artthough! And as for the comments about Bullock over-dramatizing LeighAnne, she didn't! That is how Leigh Anne really is! She is a veryoutspoken and determined woman. Just FYI. Also, I know some people havebeen commenting on Quinton Aaron being to quiet and unemotional... butthat fits Mike to a T. He is the sweetest guy... always makes a pointto say hi to you, etc... But he was very shy and quiet at first. He hasgotten to be a little more open and sociable throughout the whole"transition" process. But I think anyone criticizing the acting justdoesn't know the personalities of the character's they are playing.Can't wait to see it! Will report back later!

28 April 2012

Phenomenal on all fronts

This is a phenomenal piece of work that has joined a handful of DVDs that I watch repetively on background when doing light work in the office--others include De-Lovely: The Cole Porter Story; Beyond the Sea; and Joyeux Noel (Widescreen). Of course my youngest son--the athlete--and I also love the best of the best in football movies, including Remember the Titans (Director's Cut); Rudy (Special Edition); and Invincible, to name a few.What sets this movie apart, in my view, are the nuanced facial expressions and the deep sincerity that the two main actors bring to the screen. I certainly regard the actor playing the hero of this film, the adopted son, to be in line for best supporting actor, or the other way around. Every time I watch this movie I find something I missed before, and I simply do not tire of that pleasure.It troubles me that a movie as rich as this, telling a true story that is representative of what can be the best of America in a single individual doing the right thing for the right reasons, seems to bring little minds out of the crevices where they have been hiding. This is not a Christian movie, an anti-Christian movie, a bi-racial movie, or anything else. It is an American Story in the grandest possible manner. In no way does that excuse the continuing segregation and abuse of people of color, the really rotten education system for all, the two-party tyranny, the corruption of the US government at all levels--but in one small very real time and space, one family--one mother--got it right.

28 April 2012

youll watch it more than once

This review is from: The Blind Side (DVD) I was very hesitant to watch it.--when movies get panned I watch them to see how wrong the critics are. When they receive dozens of accolades, I fear to watch them because I will be let down:} I wasn't let down, at all. Beautiful direction. Lovely cinematography. Solid supporting cast.Tim McGraw in a quiet role was extremely good. The coach of the high school football team did an excellent job.The script was smart and didn't get too treacly.Sandra was not comedic Sandra at all.Excellent performance. Not really a broad performance. Very contained, as this woman Leann must be. Which I would think would be more difficult to play than broad and big. Ya know? I cried and laughed. Very satisfying.