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Reviews
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Great addition to mob film catalog
Based on real people and events, Donnie Brasco covers territory that I've not seen covered in other mob films. It examines the price that gets paid by those working undercover as well as their families. While unflinching in portraying the brutality of the mob, the film weaves a thread of sympathy into the fabric of mafia life and suggests that what motivates mobsters isn't always money, power or savage instinct. As much as possible, Donnie Brasco humanizes its mafia subjects without excusing their brutal acts and reveals the fundamental trap of gang life.
Pacino and Depp are truly masterful in their performances. I watched the film once again last night, and it's just a pleasure to watch them work. I can't imagine any other pair of actors approaching the verity they bring to the screen. I highly recommend Donnie Brasco.
Snatch (2000)
Near top of genre
For years and years in the 50's and 60's the western was the leading genre in movies. Now, the gangster film currently enjoys that title, and "Snatch" stands as one of the more enjoyable of that lot. "Snatch" sets out to entertain, pure and simple. As you'd expect from a film about Cockney gangsters, the film offers distinct, quirky characters. It helps greatly that skillful actors inhabit each part and clearly relish the opportunities. Add the visual and editing stylishness informed by the director's experience with music videos, good choices in pop music (except for the Madonna stuff), and lots of plot twists, and you get an entertaining film. It's not Oscar-worthy stuff, but it is fun.
A word about Brad Pitt's accent in the film. Many have called it the worst Irish accent they've ever heard. This would be an insult to Pitt's craft but for the fact that it's plainly explained in the film that he's not Irish. He's a "gypo", or gypsy. And while he may have Irish ancestry, his gypsy vocation incents him to muddle his pronunciation and accent to something that sounds vaguely like speaking but is nearly completely unintelligible at first blush (one catches on after a few listens).
Sexy Beast (2000)
Thoroughly enjoyable
The obvious reason to recommend Sexy Beast is Ben Kingsley's stunning, forceful performance. Kingsley plays the Don Logan character with single-minded focus and calculated nastiness. He stuns us not so much with what he does, which is plenty rough, but with what he appears capable of doing. All one can hope for when one encounters a person like this is to survive the encounter and the scrapes and bruises that accompany it.
Kingsley's performance could easily have overpowered the other actors were they not up to the task. But they were, and they make their characters more than the caricatures they easily could have become. Ray Winstone has the most difficult assignment because he has to match Kingsley's intensity but not his power, and in managing that task, Winstone gives the performance of the film.
Sexy Beast is yet another caper film, but the plot has enough twists and the characters enough quirks to keep it interesting. The film is visually stylish, but not overly so. The dialog has a poetic quality. Some great choices were made for music. And then there are moments of genuine quirkiness and humor. In short, the film is serious but doesn't take itself too seriously. Basically, this is a film about people trying to preserve the niche they've carved for themselves when outside forces try to destroy it, and it's thoroughly enjoyable.
Red Dragon (2002)
I like the first ending best
Say what you want about "Hannibal", at least it had an unforeseen and satisfying ending. If "Red Dragon" had aimed for the same target it would be a front runner for the Best Picture Oscar. Instead, "RD" has what amounts to two endings. I haven't read Harris's book and don't know how it ends, but the second ending seems like stock Hollywood stuff.
The fine performances in this film are many, and they're what raise "RD" to a high level. Everyone knows how terrific Hopkins has been as Lecter, and he does not disappoint here. Similarly satisfying is Ralph Fiennes, who creates an almost sympathetic killer, someone for whom we can empathize in spite of his unspeakable deeds. He's paired with the excellent Emily Watson, who plays his blind co-worker. Every scene they have together is intense and moving, but there's a scene near the film's end that is simply fabulous because of their performances. Put any average actors into this scene, and it becomes melodrama. Watson and Fiennes elevate it to a moving, emotional scene. Edward Norton quietly creates a distinct character as the FBI investigator, one who's foremost weapon is his mind. Norton captures the sensitivity that someone with his talents would possess. He matches Hopkins' intensity in their shared scenes and then tones things down just enough in scenes with FBI personnel. Norton convinces us that his character could solve this case in spite of his trepidation.
Even the smaller roles are populated by high-quality actors. Harvey Keitel doesn't mail in his performance, something he could easily do given that it's the kind of role he's played seemingly a thousand times. His FBI Chief is in control but not controlling, demanding but not unreasonable. Phillip Seymour Hoffman avoids playing a caricature in his roll as an Enquirer-type tabloid journalist, and he deftly combines fear with a manipulative character trait in a key scene with Fiennes. Mary-Louise Parker doesn't get much screen time, but she captures both the fear she has for what her husband is about to do with understanding that this is work he needs to do.
Director Brett Ratner doesn't make a misstep until the very end. The decision he makes there changes the character of the story and to a large extent undermines Fiennes' efforts in creating a complex, sympathetic character. Perhaps Ratner was fearful of being accused of copying the premise behind the ending of "Hannibal", but that risk was worth taking given the benefits.
Scrubs (2001)
Quirky and fun
Scrubs is to ER what Police Squad is to NYPD Blue. While the latter are serious and draining, the former are quirky and fun.
PS had a very short life. Let's hope that because Scrubs finds its humor in reality while PS found its humor in absurdity, Scrubs' life will be a bit longer. What will sink Scrubs' ship, if anything, is its quirkiness, which the average person just doesn't appreciate.
There's a lot to like in this show. Aside from "The Simpsons" it's the one show on network TV I'll watch.
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Musical turned on its ear
Is Lars von Trier mocking Hollywood musicals and their shallow, absurd plots, or is he instead paying homage? One can't ignore that "Dancer in the Dark" contains a pathetically simplistic (even manipulative) plot much like the typical Hollywood musical. What's interesting is that even though the plot's shortcomings are obvious, the film is still moving, particularly the performances of Bjork and Peter Stormare. They brought wonderful purity to their roles, no pretense. They exuded an air of bewilderment, as if they were in survival mode here in America, and this falls in line with their circumstances as immigrants, not to mention Bjork's blindness. Bjork's performance is one of the more truthful performances one will ever see.
I think von Trier neither mocks nor pays homage with "Dancer in the Dark". Instead, he takes the typical simplistic plot of a musical and follows it to a conclusion that's just as reasonable and logical as the usual "happy ending". In that sense, perhaps von Trier mocks America as a whole, an America he seems to view as one out of touch with reality. If Hollywood musicals choose to ignore real life in America, then von Trier has sought to reveal it as he sees it.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Well done fluff
This remake of the Rat Pack original is about what you'd expect out of the material and director. It possesses a good pace, isn't too indulgent and has a certain style to it. That it's almost completely predictable is beside the point.
With Pitt, Clooney and Garcia in this film, my wife couldn't have been happier. The one with whom she's most enamored, Clooney, smirks a lot, can't act and isn't believable. Luckily Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould and Brad Pitt CAN act, and along with Andy Garcia they put on quite a show. Reiner, in particular, hits just the right note, and given that he was hired to replace Alan Arkin just days before they started shooting (Arkin had become unavailable due to illness), it's all the more impressive. Gould, fitted with the perfect wardrobe, was born to play this role. Years ago Pitt met the fork in his career path and chose "actor" over "movie star", and that choice is evident here.
More could have been done with the screenplay, particularly the dialogue. It doesn't percolate the way you'd expect it to in a film like this. Even so, the story telling is tight, and the editing paces the film just right. Soderbergh directs with a sense of style, particularly the post-caper seen in front of the waterfall which is a clever, if incongruous, way to let the actors take a bow. Basically, this film is fluff, but it's well done fluff.
Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
Highly recommended
The cinematography in "Snow Falling on Cedars" blankets the viewer in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and sets up perfectly the mood and rhythm of life there. The cinematography reveals a demanding place to live that's rewarding for those who embrace the hardships, and it's clear that no one who chooses to live here, caucasian or asian, survives long if they try to go it alone or shirk hard work. In that sense, the environs serve as a great equalizer that engenders the citizens with mutual respect.
Against this backdrop "Snow Falling on Cedars" tells a story of prejudice. There are actually several stories that reveal prejudices of different kinds expressed by several people whos lives connect in often difficult and painful ways. Most characters develop clearly through the various stories save one, that of the suspected murderer Kazuo.
Roger Ebert has noted the failure to flesh out Kazuo as a flaw in the movie while admitting that it may not have been possible to develop the courtroom drama had he been fleshed out more. I'd add that because the film focuses on prejudice, it's crucial that Kazuo not be fleshed out not just because it serves the purposes of the courtroom drama but also because prejudice is informed by ignorance. The viewer is meant to be ignorant regarding Kazuo in order that his/her own prejudice might be given opportunity to emerge and the lesson of the film be received more powerfully.
Memento (2000)
Dark and interesting
Others have noted that if the last thing the main character remembers is his wife dying, then he shouldn't remember that he has short-term memory loss. Some might consider this the fatal flaw of "Memento". I recognize it as a flaw, but I don't find it fatal. "Memento" makes a poignant comment on the role emotion and prejudice play in the construction of memories. By sequencing events in a finish-to-start chronology , "Memento" manages to envelope the audience in the same bewilderment that the main character (Guy Pearce of "L.A. Confidential fame in a terrific performance) experiences while also playing on our emotions and prejudices. We have to struggle to keep the plot straight, and as events prior to the ones we've just seen unfold, the assumptions we've made about the characters get challenged and the characters' actions take on new meaning. We have to reinterpret everything that's happened just as the main character does. Dark, stimulating and stylish.
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
I haven't read the books, but...
I think this movie could have been better. While I loved Grant's portrayal of Daniel as well as Firth's perfectly understated portrayal of Mark Darcy, I couldn't help but think that Zellweger wasn't the best choice for Bridget. Weight gain or not, she's hardly the average-looking woman that I assume Bridget is in the books. The idea that someone this cute would have trouble meeting a companion wasn't particularly convincing.
On top of that, Zellweger's Bridget seemed downright happy-go-lucky, not weighed down by her situation. There was very little bitterness, if any, on display, and Zellweger didn't communicate the kind of desperation you'd expect from this person. While she spoke/wrote of eating and drinking too much, these were usually presented comically and had no dramatic weight. There are real people in the same sorts of predicaments who pacify their disappointment in drink and food, and it's rarely cute or comical. The movie would have benefited greatly from a truer representation of Bridget's disappointment, making the ending that much more satisfying.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Nothing missing? How about a script?
Okay, perhaps I'm guilty of breaking the cardinal rule when it comes to blockbusters: expecting a good script. Most blockbusters concentrate on the effects and action, and the directors and producers hope that these will distract you from realizing that the story is mundane and the plot and dialogue were conceived over lunch at Spago. I expected Star Wars to be different. I was mistaken.
Star Wars is a special case, of course, because we know how the entire thing will eventually end. This kind of viewer foreknowledge poses a special challenge for the writers because for the most part the plot is already established. The writer has less room to work. Even so, the script Lucas wrote for Phantom Menace was especially poor. The dialogue was uninspired and uninteresting, the plot development cliched and predictable. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn I was watching a reproduction of "Star Wars" with a new troop of actors.
The script's shortcomings, as usual, meant that the special effects had to carry the film. Unfortunately, they don't. We've reached a point where special effects are common-place elements in film. It's no longer a matter of WHAT is done, whether it's staging a big starship dogfight or big battlefield scene with computer animation. Everyone can do that now. Now it's a matter of HOW you do it, and that places the onus back on the script-writer to be creative and resourceful. I can think of only two times in Phantom Menace where the special effects impressed me, and in both cases it was because I found the effect clever rather than dazzling. Very few of PH's effects are things you haven't already seen in other films.
Lucas deserves credit for one interesting plot development, depending on how he uses it in the coming installments. That development is the story behind Annakin's birth. With this story Lucas has a real opportunity do something interesting and substantial in the next installments. It remains to be seen if he has the courage and creativity to realize the potential that's there.
Is Phantom Menace a bad film? Not exactly. Is it a good film? Not exactly. What we're dealing with is a mediocre film with some engaging moments spread among many tedious ones. Go see it, but leave your expectations at the door.
Smoke Signals (1998)
Deep, affirming film
Despite Leonard Maltin's comment that Smoke Signals is "basically unexciting film-making," I found this movie deeply spiritual without being heavy-handed. The aspect of the film that captured my interest and has stayed with me is the story-telling of Thomas. The stories mingle simple, real-life recollections with fantasy, and the voice of Thomas subtly gives the movie a transcendent quality. Thomas is a modern-day medicine man, grounded in reality yet open to possibilities. He marvels at the beauty of the creation that surrounds him and dreams of what new wonders the future might bring. He is hope.
I intend to view this film many more times. It deals with tragedy without being tragic. It recognizes the sometimes brutal facts of reality without allowing brutality to define. It reveals sadness but not as an end in and of itself. It asks questions but leaves the answers to the viewer. And it affirms that there are answers and hope.
Simon Birch (1998)
God has big plans for little Simon Birch
An extremely moving film that addresses subjects like God and God's plan without being preachy. Ian Michael Smith's physical appearance (not just his stature but also his thick glasses, hearing aid, etc.) are used to excellent effect. You truly care for Simon as he struggles to maintain a faith in God that defies his life experience. The film raises many intriguing questions. Redemptive is the best single word to describe "Simon Birch". Belongs on your "see it now" list.