Do you want to see a werewolf-coming of age story that is well done, witty and wise? Then go rent The Company of Wolves. In fact, go rent Teen Wolf. Anything but this depressing and humorless waste of a good concept.
Reviews
26 Reviews
a real Flight by Night
23 February 2003
With Diane Lane's beautiful, astonishing, must-get-the-Oscar turn in Unfaithful (since the last thing I really remember seeing her before that was Lady Beware, and if I were to bother reviewing that, my summary would be Viewer Beware, or more unkindly, Lady Beware The Between-Meal Snacks), I remembered seeing this film on the late lamented Night Flight, when it still showed uncut, uncensored, banned, obscure videos and films relating to rock and roll. Ah the good old days of early cable...
This film is a must-see, not just for Diane Lane fans, but for any rock film fan. It is a bit contrived in some parts, but brutally honest in others, and seemed to confront every '80's rock dream - from Tiffany to MTV to Madonna..and beyond - Britney and Xtina, anyone?
Many other reviews here say all there is to say about the film, since I have only seen it that one time, and can't add anything particularly pithy about it. The fact that I remember it all these years later, after just being reminded of the abysmal failure which was Streets of Fire, makes me want to see the Stains play again.
There are scenes I still remember vividly, and while some of the movie will seem forced and a bit dated even for the time it was released, it has a certain honesty that stayed with me all these years - mostly due to a powerful and honest performance by a very young Diane Lane. The same honesty and power she shows in Unfaithful...
A real shame that this movie is not available for home viewing, and should be released on dvd and vhs at a time when Lane is hopefully going to walk away with an Oscar.
This film is a must-see, not just for Diane Lane fans, but for any rock film fan. It is a bit contrived in some parts, but brutally honest in others, and seemed to confront every '80's rock dream - from Tiffany to MTV to Madonna..and beyond - Britney and Xtina, anyone?
Many other reviews here say all there is to say about the film, since I have only seen it that one time, and can't add anything particularly pithy about it. The fact that I remember it all these years later, after just being reminded of the abysmal failure which was Streets of Fire, makes me want to see the Stains play again.
There are scenes I still remember vividly, and while some of the movie will seem forced and a bit dated even for the time it was released, it has a certain honesty that stayed with me all these years - mostly due to a powerful and honest performance by a very young Diane Lane. The same honesty and power she shows in Unfaithful...
A real shame that this movie is not available for home viewing, and should be released on dvd and vhs at a time when Lane is hopefully going to walk away with an Oscar.
Spider
(2002)
what a tangled web we weave
12 February 2003
I did not like this movie, but I do admire it, for the simple reason that Cronenberg tried something different.
We have the usual tormented protagonist, but this time, instead of our hero trying to figure out *why* something is happening, the audience is led to figure out *what* happened. You could call it the ultimate movie experience, because all you can do is watch.
If this film were made with the expectation of mainstream appreciation, a psychiatrist would pop in at the end to explain it all, and we could all walk away with definite views about the story we had just witnessed. But Cronenberg wants us to feel as trapped as Spider is, so we are forced to simply see what he sees. The saying, "There are two sides to every story" more than applies here, even the old belief that schizophrenia is all about split personality. In this case however it is more like double vision.
A nice try, and I liked the performances very much - Redgrave and Richardson managed to inject some subtle dark humor, and Byrne gave us perfect alternating views of a brutal and loving father. Fiennes was right for the role of Spider, he has become such an empty entity in his recent films that he fit perfectly into this role.
The problem I have with Spider is the fact that it is fairly easy to figure out, and I wish Cronenberg had trusted his audience enough to weave a much tighter and wittier web.
We have the usual tormented protagonist, but this time, instead of our hero trying to figure out *why* something is happening, the audience is led to figure out *what* happened. You could call it the ultimate movie experience, because all you can do is watch.
If this film were made with the expectation of mainstream appreciation, a psychiatrist would pop in at the end to explain it all, and we could all walk away with definite views about the story we had just witnessed. But Cronenberg wants us to feel as trapped as Spider is, so we are forced to simply see what he sees. The saying, "There are two sides to every story" more than applies here, even the old belief that schizophrenia is all about split personality. In this case however it is more like double vision.
A nice try, and I liked the performances very much - Redgrave and Richardson managed to inject some subtle dark humor, and Byrne gave us perfect alternating views of a brutal and loving father. Fiennes was right for the role of Spider, he has become such an empty entity in his recent films that he fit perfectly into this role.
The problem I have with Spider is the fact that it is fairly easy to figure out, and I wish Cronenberg had trusted his audience enough to weave a much tighter and wittier web.
Interstate 60
(2002)
don't go there
13 January 2003
Pretentious pic pretending profundity. I would rather re-read The Monkey's Paw or sit through Wishmaster again than spend a single second on this drivel. Good actors trying very hard to make sense out of a senseless script. No lessons learned, plenty of prices to be paid, and your cinema dollar should not be one of them.
Interstate 60
(2002)
don't go there
11 January 2003
Pretentious pic pretending profundity. I would rather re-read The Monkey's Paw or rent Wishmaster than spend a single second again on this half-assed drivel. Good actors trying very hard to make sense out of a senseless script. No lessons learned, plenty of prices to be paid, and your cinema dollar should not be one of them.
Far from Heaven
(2002)
close to soap heaven
29 December 2002
I absolutely adored this movie - it completely captured the atmosphere of the "women's pictures" I have seen from the 50's and 60's, right down to my wanting to change the channel during some interminably boring stretches that are usually the trademark of those films.
Dennis Haysbert captured the bland nobility of Rock Hudson, and Julianne Moore was Jane Wyman via Lana Turner with a few detours into Eleanor Parker. Dennis Quaid was as cold, stupid and stiff as any character Robert Stack or Leslie Nielsen ever played. I was also impressed with the depiction of the children - reminders of present-day values regarding the raising of children versus the "seen and not heard" background furniture that children usually were in movies of that period was quite amusing. My favorite character, however, was played by Celia Weston - she was the epitome of the small-town society gossip and had me truly believing I was watching an old movie. I was disappointed with Patricia Clarkson's performance; she somehow made me feel I was watching a caricature rather than a characterization.
Much has been made of the colors of this film; they are indeed sumptuous, and during one scene, the vivid and vibrant reds worn by all the women and in all the scenery during their embarrassed and forced candor about their sex lives was so surreally symbolic it almost bordered on hysteria.
This film belongs in any movie buff's collection, but only for the same reason any old soap does - it is an imitation of life, and succeeds solely on that level.
Dennis Haysbert captured the bland nobility of Rock Hudson, and Julianne Moore was Jane Wyman via Lana Turner with a few detours into Eleanor Parker. Dennis Quaid was as cold, stupid and stiff as any character Robert Stack or Leslie Nielsen ever played. I was also impressed with the depiction of the children - reminders of present-day values regarding the raising of children versus the "seen and not heard" background furniture that children usually were in movies of that period was quite amusing. My favorite character, however, was played by Celia Weston - she was the epitome of the small-town society gossip and had me truly believing I was watching an old movie. I was disappointed with Patricia Clarkson's performance; she somehow made me feel I was watching a caricature rather than a characterization.
Much has been made of the colors of this film; they are indeed sumptuous, and during one scene, the vivid and vibrant reds worn by all the women and in all the scenery during their embarrassed and forced candor about their sex lives was so surreally symbolic it almost bordered on hysteria.
This film belongs in any movie buff's collection, but only for the same reason any old soap does - it is an imitation of life, and succeeds solely on that level.
Claudelle Inglish
(1961)
you have not seen anything like this
1 November 2002
This movie starts out appearing to be the usual b-movie shlock morality tale - and that beginning is where any similarity ends. Claudelle Inglish winds up having a place right beside movies like Showgirls and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, just for sheer shock value.
The basic premise is familiar enough, sweet young thing is seduced and then jilted. However, nobody knows that, since her beau is not a total creep; her shameful secret is still safe from the townspeople who would label her a whore - so here's where the fun starts, since our heroine, literally overnight, decides to transform herself into the town tramp anyway. Why? Uhhh, why not?
Of course it would have made perfect sense for Claudelle to just go ahead and marry the older, unappealing rich man who all but drools on her, but that would be too easy, and it won't happen here. In fact nothing here plays out the way you would expect it to, and that is the brilliance of this film and why it is something you have to see to believe.
This is trash at its very finest, and to tell anything more about what happens after Claudelle creates her own hell would spoil everything.
The basic premise is familiar enough, sweet young thing is seduced and then jilted. However, nobody knows that, since her beau is not a total creep; her shameful secret is still safe from the townspeople who would label her a whore - so here's where the fun starts, since our heroine, literally overnight, decides to transform herself into the town tramp anyway. Why? Uhhh, why not?
Of course it would have made perfect sense for Claudelle to just go ahead and marry the older, unappealing rich man who all but drools on her, but that would be too easy, and it won't happen here. In fact nothing here plays out the way you would expect it to, and that is the brilliance of this film and why it is something you have to see to believe.
This is trash at its very finest, and to tell anything more about what happens after Claudelle creates her own hell would spoil everything.
Ghosts of Mars
(2001)
chemistry set
25 October 2002
I don't have a whole lot to critique about this film. I enjoyed it as I enjoy all of John Carpenter's work, good or not-so-good, and this one stood out for me due to only two factors. One: the on-screen chemistry between Ice Cube and Natasha Henstridge was pure magic, who'da thunk it, a buddy picture with a guy and a girl?? No sexual tension, just pure respect. Great. And the strong female characters, all in power positions, ( aside from Clea Duvall's character, still not sure what she was doing there? ) was refreshing but treated very incidentally, as if it was the norm <sigh>. The story may have been rather weak, but I would look forward to a sequel just to see Natasha and Ice Cube together again.
Red Dragon
(2002)
Let's go to the scoreboard..
6 October 2002
Without any point of reference, Red Dragon the movie is a quite forgettable little thriller that just doesn't quite work.
Taken in context however, since one cannot help but compare it with either the novel Red Dragon, or the movie Manhunter, or both, the movie Red Dragon becomes just an excuse to parade Anthony Hopkins out once again as Hannibal Lector. I can't compare him to Brian Cox, who played Hannibal in Manhunter, since Anthony got some bigger scenes to chew on. Anthony wins by default..
Will Graham, who, as written, and as should be played, is an intense, quiet man almost literally haunted by his preternaturally empathic abilities. Ed Norton plays him as Beaver Cleaver channeling Clarice Starling. William Peterson one, Ed Norton, nothing..
Harvey Keitel and Mary Louise Parker are as forgettable here as the actors who played the same characters in Manhunter. Tie score 0-0..
Emily Watson and Joan Allen? Both fine with what little they had to do, although I know the tiger scene was infinitely sexier, darker and deeper in Manhunter than in Red Dragon...so Manhunter hits the home run while Red Dragon strikes out.
Now on the field, Dolarhyde. As played by Tom Noonan in Manhunter, he was a shy, sensitive, insecure, seemingly sweet big hunk of a lunk who had no clue that women found him attractive. One could feel his growing trust and attachment to Joan Allen's character; one could see that he was tearing himself apart with his old and new agendas.....as played by Ralph Fiennes, Dolarhyde is a cold, imperious, socially impaired, openly hostile snob nobody would ever want to sleep with or talk to, much less deal with in the capacity of the relatively high level job he is supposed to have. Gooooooooooooooooooooooal, Tom.
Philip Seymour Hoffman loses screen time in Red Dragon compared to whoever played the character in Manhunter, thus loses any chance of being memorable, since I did actually forget about him till now.
All in all, a rather lame game played for Lector appeal and little else. And the whole point is that I really didn't like Manhunter all that much to begin with. But Red Dragon has made me realize how good a movie Manhunter was, false ending and all.
Taken in context however, since one cannot help but compare it with either the novel Red Dragon, or the movie Manhunter, or both, the movie Red Dragon becomes just an excuse to parade Anthony Hopkins out once again as Hannibal Lector. I can't compare him to Brian Cox, who played Hannibal in Manhunter, since Anthony got some bigger scenes to chew on. Anthony wins by default..
Will Graham, who, as written, and as should be played, is an intense, quiet man almost literally haunted by his preternaturally empathic abilities. Ed Norton plays him as Beaver Cleaver channeling Clarice Starling. William Peterson one, Ed Norton, nothing..
Harvey Keitel and Mary Louise Parker are as forgettable here as the actors who played the same characters in Manhunter. Tie score 0-0..
Emily Watson and Joan Allen? Both fine with what little they had to do, although I know the tiger scene was infinitely sexier, darker and deeper in Manhunter than in Red Dragon...so Manhunter hits the home run while Red Dragon strikes out.
Now on the field, Dolarhyde. As played by Tom Noonan in Manhunter, he was a shy, sensitive, insecure, seemingly sweet big hunk of a lunk who had no clue that women found him attractive. One could feel his growing trust and attachment to Joan Allen's character; one could see that he was tearing himself apart with his old and new agendas.....as played by Ralph Fiennes, Dolarhyde is a cold, imperious, socially impaired, openly hostile snob nobody would ever want to sleep with or talk to, much less deal with in the capacity of the relatively high level job he is supposed to have. Gooooooooooooooooooooooal, Tom.
Philip Seymour Hoffman loses screen time in Red Dragon compared to whoever played the character in Manhunter, thus loses any chance of being memorable, since I did actually forget about him till now.
All in all, a rather lame game played for Lector appeal and little else. And the whole point is that I really didn't like Manhunter all that much to begin with. But Red Dragon has made me realize how good a movie Manhunter was, false ending and all.
The Sweetest Thing
(2002)
16 or 86, we are all like this, guys!
18 July 2002
Warning: Spoilers
I love this movie. Sure, it is unevenly directed, not very well focused, and I will even take exception with some parts of the ending later on in this little review - but for now all I can say is YESSSSSssss, it is about time someone made a movie just for real women.
Take your Steel Magnolias and your Ya-Yas and your Moonlightings and Crossing Delanceys and Pretty Womans and Kissing Jessica or Jennifer whoevers and every other woman's movie made in the past few decades, especially that let-me-cater-to-every-pseudo-feminist-as-I-see-them fantasy called an Unmarried Woman. (although the only other woman's movie that I have seen that I love, namely Mulholland Drive, will be left out of my recycling bin, because that is a deeper and darker facet of the same jewel, even if men were led to believe that it was a guy thing because of the nude lesbian love scene )and put them where the sun don't shine (and women are all behind Bobby Blake, btw) because this is a real woman's movie.
I don't really care that the direction was pretty poor at times. Who cares? finally we see us, as we really are, going out and partying. At any age. Any place we live. And looking for the real thing any time it may just pop up, which is the whole point of this movie, really. The brilliance of the Sweetest Thing is in how women treat men because of the way they are treated by men. We know when we go out on the town that we are not going to find Mr. Right. We always settle for Mr. Right Now. The problem with men is that they always think they found Miss Right Now who is looking for only Mr. Right. And so on. It is all games and playing until you both know it is something else. And that is what I love about this movie, the fact that it acknowledges the fact that both genders are well aware of this game, regardless of what men want to believe - and what most movies show to the average guy... Women just play it out a bit differently...
Now for my dispute with the ending.. - SPOILER ALERT! - After all the time we get to spend knowing these women, it is incomprehensible that the Christina Applegate character would choose not to sleep with a real Mr. Right. She is too strong and focused a person for that fear and insecurity to intrude on the real Sweetest Thing.
Take your Steel Magnolias and your Ya-Yas and your Moonlightings and Crossing Delanceys and Pretty Womans and Kissing Jessica or Jennifer whoevers and every other woman's movie made in the past few decades, especially that let-me-cater-to-every-pseudo-feminist-as-I-see-them fantasy called an Unmarried Woman. (although the only other woman's movie that I have seen that I love, namely Mulholland Drive, will be left out of my recycling bin, because that is a deeper and darker facet of the same jewel, even if men were led to believe that it was a guy thing because of the nude lesbian love scene )and put them where the sun don't shine (and women are all behind Bobby Blake, btw) because this is a real woman's movie.
I don't really care that the direction was pretty poor at times. Who cares? finally we see us, as we really are, going out and partying. At any age. Any place we live. And looking for the real thing any time it may just pop up, which is the whole point of this movie, really. The brilliance of the Sweetest Thing is in how women treat men because of the way they are treated by men. We know when we go out on the town that we are not going to find Mr. Right. We always settle for Mr. Right Now. The problem with men is that they always think they found Miss Right Now who is looking for only Mr. Right. And so on. It is all games and playing until you both know it is something else. And that is what I love about this movie, the fact that it acknowledges the fact that both genders are well aware of this game, regardless of what men want to believe - and what most movies show to the average guy... Women just play it out a bit differently...
Now for my dispute with the ending.. - SPOILER ALERT! - After all the time we get to spend knowing these women, it is incomprehensible that the Christina Applegate character would choose not to sleep with a real Mr. Right. She is too strong and focused a person for that fear and insecurity to intrude on the real Sweetest Thing.
Black Hawk Down
(2001)
no politics please, this is a movie
10 June 2002
This is a movie, made for entertainment value, and that is all I care to review here.
I enjoyed Black Hawk Down, but also was disappointed - for the same reason that the movie is fresh and atypical, it is also cold and uninvolving. In avoiding the usual archetypal-stereotypical characters always found in war movies,i.e., the valiant sargeant, the newbie lieutenant, the Bronx-Brooklyn-Joisey guy, the Okie from Muskogee, the maniac killer, the sensitive soul, etc. etc. ad nauseum, we wind up with ultimately faceless and nameless figures who congeal into an indistinguishable mass of helmets and guns.
Despite the appearance of individual story-lines, I had trouble figuring out who I was watching after a while; there were characters introduced in the beginning who never seemed to appear again, and there were characters who did pop up whose fates seemed to be left hanging. By the end, I was wondering if I had even seen the character I thought I was watching in almost any given battle scene.
The movie is very well done nonetheless, if all you want to see is a thrilling shoot-em-up. In that respect, Black Hawk Down is great entertainment. However, if you are looking for symbolic characterizations and political commentary, go rent a movie like Platoon.
I enjoyed Black Hawk Down, but also was disappointed - for the same reason that the movie is fresh and atypical, it is also cold and uninvolving. In avoiding the usual archetypal-stereotypical characters always found in war movies,i.e., the valiant sargeant, the newbie lieutenant, the Bronx-Brooklyn-Joisey guy, the Okie from Muskogee, the maniac killer, the sensitive soul, etc. etc. ad nauseum, we wind up with ultimately faceless and nameless figures who congeal into an indistinguishable mass of helmets and guns.
Despite the appearance of individual story-lines, I had trouble figuring out who I was watching after a while; there were characters introduced in the beginning who never seemed to appear again, and there were characters who did pop up whose fates seemed to be left hanging. By the end, I was wondering if I had even seen the character I thought I was watching in almost any given battle scene.
The movie is very well done nonetheless, if all you want to see is a thrilling shoot-em-up. In that respect, Black Hawk Down is great entertainment. However, if you are looking for symbolic characterizations and political commentary, go rent a movie like Platoon.
Amélie
(2001)
cute and clever does not equal art
24 May 2002
I liked Amelie. I enjoyed Amelie. I would even say it's a perfect feel good movie - in a strange kind of vengeful way. Do I think it works? In a clever and cute way, yes. On a frantic, artistic, wow this is an epiphany wow this is teaching me something level, no. Why? It is just too clever and cute. Like I said, I enjoyed it, I even admired it, but understanding what all the fuss was about? Nope, I don't get it. I have seen plenty of tv shows and movies along Amelie's lines. I did enjoy watching it from a detached, sitcom without the usual built-in morality pov...so while Amelie may be France's latest answer to cinema nouveau, it was just too cute and clever and been there done that to convince an old jaded American...
Bruno
(2000)
why couldn't Shirley leave well enough alone??
22 February 2002
What started out, at least for the first two-thirds of the movie, as a very fantastical-enigmatic-true-to-life-at-the-same-time movie about a little boy who just likes to wear women's clothing have to turn into a Shirley comeback vehicle? Never mind that she was driving the car - it was fine when the back seat drivers were guiding her way. As soon as she takes over and dominates the entire movie do we all feel like getting out of this vehicle. The first two-thirds of the movie are fine - you feel for everyone involved, even Shirley. But when it appears that the script went south and Shirley came north, all hell breaks loose. Still, watch it for the great performances by all involved (yah, even Shirley in her crusty matriarch role she seems to ease into so conveniently) and let it make you wonder what could have been.
The Light That Failed
(1939)
the Voice that Lights up the Screen
26 January 2002
In this movie, Colman picks up a little dog, stares into his eyes, and says "I love you." The fur practically melts right off the dog.
This is a shameless old-fashioned love story - but the kind Rudyard Kipling wrote - a strictly for men love story - the women are all heartless or useless, and all that a man really needs to justify his existence is a war, a dog, a horse, a rifle, and his faithful army buddies - but you can forgive all that tripe because of Colman's persuasive persona and performance, Ida Lupino's brave, unsympathetic portrayal, and the trite story that will get to you and leave tears in your eyes, no matter what you believe.
If Colman picked me up and spoke to me the way he spoke to that little dog......
This is a shameless old-fashioned love story - but the kind Rudyard Kipling wrote - a strictly for men love story - the women are all heartless or useless, and all that a man really needs to justify his existence is a war, a dog, a horse, a rifle, and his faithful army buddies - but you can forgive all that tripe because of Colman's persuasive persona and performance, Ida Lupino's brave, unsympathetic portrayal, and the trite story that will get to you and leave tears in your eyes, no matter what you believe.
If Colman picked me up and spoke to me the way he spoke to that little dog......
Iron Monkey
(1993)
crouching dragon, hidden bruce
20 October 2001
This is the movie to end all the martial arts mayhem. I know, I KNOW, it has sequels, but I haven't seen them, so all I can do is comment on this and look forward to the rest. What makes this movie work are all the things that were right about silly martial arts movies in the past - and all the things Jackie Chan used to care about before he had to lug Chris Tucker along behind him - the humour, the pathos, the story, the actors, the acting, the FX, the martial arts and its cinematic offspring - this movie got them all right. A tad overlong, but still immensely enjoyable for action fans and where-is-the-story-there-must-be-a-story afficionados alike.
Year of the Jellyfish
(1984)
Think All About Eve via The Bad Seed..
18 October 2001
..and you will have a good idea of this film. I haven't seen it in years, might have been on Bravo before they went edited and commercial... Anyway, the plot summary doesn't do this film justice. This is an excellent trashy movie about a good little bad girl who does a lot of naked damage for no real reason other than some mommy issues. Truly textbook psych101 stuff but still fun to watch.
Rat Race
(2001)
I should have bought a squirrel..
17 September 2001
.. instead of paying to see this movie.
Some amusing bits worth a chuckle, but no belly laughs.
A good cast left doing much about nothing.
I was sucked in by the promise of Airplane-type humor, but was very disappointed.
Some amusing bits worth a chuckle, but no belly laughs.
A good cast left doing much about nothing.
I was sucked in by the promise of Airplane-type humor, but was very disappointed.
Showgirls
(1995)
The Best Bad Girl Movie Ever Made
1 September 2001
I didn't know how to interpret what I was looking at until Robert Davi said his first line.
Then I said, right out loud, "Oh, now I get it!"
This movie is right there with every B-grade titillation flick about good girls gone bad masquerading as a cautionary tale, with a twist - this film wants to be bad, and succeeds as high art because of that.
Then I said, right out loud, "Oh, now I get it!"
This movie is right there with every B-grade titillation flick about good girls gone bad masquerading as a cautionary tale, with a twist - this film wants to be bad, and succeeds as high art because of that.
The Others
(2001)
A Ghost Story Different from The Others
25 August 2001
At first you may think you have seen this all before, and it can get to be a yawn if you are expecting a typical horror film. Treat this movie like a good book - one written by a Henry James, not a Stephen King.
The performances are all wonderful. The children act like real children, and Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan force you to question their every move while still retaining your sympathies.
A couple of plot points didn't seem to have a satisfactory resolution, but leaving them unaccounted for ultimately adds to the experience.
The Others will leave you thinking - especially since the ending is really a beginning.
The performances are all wonderful. The children act like real children, and Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan force you to question their every move while still retaining your sympathies.
A couple of plot points didn't seem to have a satisfactory resolution, but leaving them unaccounted for ultimately adds to the experience.
The Others will leave you thinking - especially since the ending is really a beginning.
Paradise Lost 2: Revelations
(2000 TV Movie)
This documentary made me very angry
16 August 2001
But not for the right reasons.
The snickering, smug arrogance of the filmmakers, who seem to have more screen time than anyone actually involved in the case, made me see this documentary as just a vanity project. I couldnt even buy the patronizing solicitude they showed towards one defendant (undoubtedly because he is the most photogenic of the three convicted of the crime).
There is a definite travesty of justice here, but getting to the truth seems to have become secondary to the childish delight with which the filmmakers show how much smarter they are than anyone else.
Their hearts may indeed be in the right place, and they truly want to see justice served, but this kind of flagrant self-aggrandizment does not do justice to anyone.
The film offers no real evidence as to the identity of the "real" killer, beyond the filmmakers' own speculation and innuendo - which is precisely what convicted the three boys they are trying to "save" in the first place.
The snickering, smug arrogance of the filmmakers, who seem to have more screen time than anyone actually involved in the case, made me see this documentary as just a vanity project. I couldnt even buy the patronizing solicitude they showed towards one defendant (undoubtedly because he is the most photogenic of the three convicted of the crime).
There is a definite travesty of justice here, but getting to the truth seems to have become secondary to the childish delight with which the filmmakers show how much smarter they are than anyone else.
Their hearts may indeed be in the right place, and they truly want to see justice served, but this kind of flagrant self-aggrandizment does not do justice to anyone.
The film offers no real evidence as to the identity of the "real" killer, beyond the filmmakers' own speculation and innuendo - which is precisely what convicted the three boys they are trying to "save" in the first place.
Brief Encounter
(1945)
The Movie, The Mood, The Music
10 August 2001
Monumental. Minimal. David Lean. Rachmaninoff. Trevor Howard. Celia Johnson. If they can do it, anyone can. Forget Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Forget the time period. This is then, but it is now. In your heart, your soul, your love. If nothing else, this is the ultimate first date movie.
Planet of the Apes
(2001)
you have to do one thing to enjoy this movie
2 August 2001
Do not think.
I managed to forget all about how much I enjoyed the original movie - but that one never inspired me to think anyway.
This movie hits you over the head with such rampant stupidity right from the start that you are forced to think about it. And once you start thinking, you will know after the first fifteen minutes exactly how the story will climax, so you may as well leave for an hour or so since it just gets worse (although you might want to stay just to see Charlton Heston actually giving up a gun), and come back for the last fifteen minutes just to see the non-surprise ending, since it is no surprise at all if you think about it - did you really expect them all to just get along? Then again I told you not to think if you really want to watch this movie, so you have been forewarned.
I managed to forget all about how much I enjoyed the original movie - but that one never inspired me to think anyway.
This movie hits you over the head with such rampant stupidity right from the start that you are forced to think about it. And once you start thinking, you will know after the first fifteen minutes exactly how the story will climax, so you may as well leave for an hour or so since it just gets worse (although you might want to stay just to see Charlton Heston actually giving up a gun), and come back for the last fifteen minutes just to see the non-surprise ending, since it is no surprise at all if you think about it - did you really expect them all to just get along? Then again I told you not to think if you really want to watch this movie, so you have been forewarned.
All the Little Animals
(1998)
like roadkill - you don't want to look, but...
6 July 2001
you can't help it.
I found it is better to watch this movie as a spectator rather than as a participant, because if you allow yourself to become involved in the story, the inconsistencies will annoy you to no end.
The whole theme about cruelty to animals holds no weight because we never become involved with any animals - in fact the stepfather seems to be more of a true animal in the sense of doing what is necessary to survive than any other character.
Christian Bale wavers from being profoundly retarded one minute to quite normal the next. John Hurt shows no remorse for his past deed, indeed is rather demented in confiding that he did the right thing in his little fairy tale retelling.
The main thing that will keep you watching is to see what will happen next. Nothing happens as it should - oh, the basic good will triumph over evil theme is there in all its faded glory, but what will keep you watching this movie is because it is exactly like roadkill. You know it's bad, but you just have to see what it is...
I found it is better to watch this movie as a spectator rather than as a participant, because if you allow yourself to become involved in the story, the inconsistencies will annoy you to no end.
The whole theme about cruelty to animals holds no weight because we never become involved with any animals - in fact the stepfather seems to be more of a true animal in the sense of doing what is necessary to survive than any other character.
Christian Bale wavers from being profoundly retarded one minute to quite normal the next. John Hurt shows no remorse for his past deed, indeed is rather demented in confiding that he did the right thing in his little fairy tale retelling.
The main thing that will keep you watching is to see what will happen next. Nothing happens as it should - oh, the basic good will triumph over evil theme is there in all its faded glory, but what will keep you watching this movie is because it is exactly like roadkill. You know it's bad, but you just have to see what it is...
Ravenous
(1999)
this movie is from hunger
21 June 2001
Guy Pearce goes thru the whole movie looking starved for action.
Robert Carlyle runs around chewing up the scenery. In the end it is presumed everyone got their just desserts. However, Ravenous is just an appetizer. I was looking for a movie I could really sink my teeth into.
Robert Carlyle runs around chewing up the scenery. In the end it is presumed everyone got their just desserts. However, Ravenous is just an appetizer. I was looking for a movie I could really sink my teeth into.
Moulin Rouge!
(2001)
incredibly bad
18 June 2001
I was prepared to enjoy this movie, and I wound up hating it. None of the expensive fx, scenery, or interesting characters were given any screen time. There was nothing to take in and gasp at, as much as the director wanted you to go "ooh" and "ahh" - how could you when everything you want to see flies by with so many jumpcuts and camera angles that the only things you are left to see clearly are all the pores on the main characters' faces in interminably long, badly sung scenes?
This was one long boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl again, boy gets girl again and how many more times is this going to go on and so on and so on in mind-numbing tedium.
I started imagining, while watching this movie, how it would have been much better on a Broadway stage, replete with real singers, real dancers, real choreography and imaginative and beautiful set designs.. or even as a movie with a different director that would allow the viewer to be involved in more of the visual fantasy than just how much pancake makeup Nicole and Ewan were wearing.
This was one long boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl again, boy gets girl again and how many more times is this going to go on and so on and so on in mind-numbing tedium.
I started imagining, while watching this movie, how it would have been much better on a Broadway stage, replete with real singers, real dancers, real choreography and imaginative and beautiful set designs.. or even as a movie with a different director that would allow the viewer to be involved in more of the visual fantasy than just how much pancake makeup Nicole and Ewan were wearing.
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