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Mr.Toad
Reviews
Mystic River (2003)
Good Acting, but
As it is a dark mystery, with character studies, I was left unconvinced by the strange flaws in logic.
Also, I found the plot rather predictable... I guessed the outcome very early in the movie.
Yes, the acting is good. The atmosphere is good, it's well made, well shot and it is a good film.
But I left disappointed. I felt curiously uninvolved. I never really cared about any of the characters. I just don't get it, I guess. Having read many reviews lauding the film as one of the year's best, I look back over the films I've seen this year (a Good Year for film, by the way) and Mystic River would not make my top twenty.
Rock Star (2001)
Awful... rent "Almost Famous" for a good film
Trite, tedious, boring, bad music. Basically a Sunday night "Made
for TV" movie with a few boob flashes to get an 'R' rating. Whoever
wrote this drivel got their facts from a tabloid newspapers' view of
what the rock business was like in the 'hair' days of bad rock
bands.
Really awful...
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Compulsory Viewing for Teenagers?
Brilliant!
A deeply disturbing, gut-wrenching movie. All the actors are
terrific, but Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connolly are stand-outs.
Not a date movie, not even "fun" to watch...but well worthwhile.
I think it should be a field trip for high school seniors, and
should be played whenever possible to anyone with inclinations toward drug abuse.
A very clever, thoughtful film, that will undoubtably shake
you up.
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
Great Documentary
I loved this documentary.
I have been a fan of Lenny Bruce for years, and I was impressed that the film made the point that Bruce was a pioneer, and without him, other comedians such as George Carlin, Richard Pryor (and later, Chris Rock and others) might not have had the careers they did.
After Bruce's conviction in New York for obscenity, no other comedian has been prosecuted. He set the trend, and his suffering smoothed the path for others.
I would have liked a little more archival footage showing more fully why Lenny Bruce was such an innovator, but this is a minor gripe.
All in all, a great film. Should be seen by anyone who is concerned about the the influence of the conservative right wing in the USA, and their attempts to stifle free speech, even to this day.
Under Suspicion (2000)
Thought provoking
Terrific, dark, moody psycho-drama with great performances from Freeman and Hackman.
The end, although it makes sense, is not obvious and led to some discussion after seeing the film.
One of the best films I've seen this year.
Croupier (1998)
Moody, Atmospheric, Taut...well worth finding this movie
Lot of fun...moody, interesting and worth hunting down, as it's only in limited release. Impressed with Clive Owen...he has an ability to imply subtleties in a plot that not always as it would seem.
Hurlyburly (1998)
What a disappointment!
I was looking forward to seeing this movie, but alas, the bubble was truly burst.
The individual performances from a fine cast were wasted in the mire of trite observations on the day-to-day drug preoccupations of the characters. Having been through the excesses of the seventies and eighties, I was looking forward to an insightful view of the sector of society that the film is written about, but instead got a view that consisted of cliché after cliché.
Frankly, in my view the writing and direction were just awful. One of my biggest disappointments in the past year or two.