A must-see for anyone who likes jazz, or just musical history of the fifties and sixties. The interviews are a cut above, especially by Bennie Golson, Jimmy Heath, the incomparable Sonny Rollins, Coltrane's first daughter, and even, believe it or not, Bill Clinton. The music is superb, somehow finding the time to have excerts from Coltrane's most transcendent work -- Giant Steps, Naima, Alabama, My Favorite Things, All Blues and more. (Only one of my favorites is missing - Afro-Blue.) Intelligent, coherent -- a great introduction to Coltrane if you don't know him, and a wonderful appreciation for those of us who do. Even the animations are beautiful. The film got nit-picked by critics -- "not enough music", "too conventional", etc. But the film intelligently depicts the key moments in his life, sets it in the historical context of his times both musically and politically, all the while celebrating his genius. See it for yourself.
Reviews
14 Reviews
The Appeared
(2007)
A political horror film
2 September 2011
A sincere political horror film -- pretty much one of a kind -- that tries to highlight the tortuous past of Argentina's "missing" period. Unfortunately, the horror elements don't work too well, though there are some scares. The biggest fault is the protagonists acting even more implausibly than in your run of the mill Grade B horror flick. That said, the film effectively conjures the horror of the many disappeared in Argentina in that period. And I guess if you're making a film to condemn the torturers who ran Argentina at the time, having "Saw" like gruesomeness is understandable. The final shot of the film is truly haunting, but it's a long road getting there.
Eagle Eye
(2008)
A Movie By Morons
2 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This film gives plot hole a new definition. It is perhaps the most moronic film I have ever seen. The conceit -- that a government super computer "decides" to eliminate the Executive Branch -- is undermined by the godlike powers the film's creators decided to bestow on the computer. The computer is supposedly so omnipotent that it can manipulate cranes, traffic lights, cell phones, commercial streaming signs, airport baggage machines -- all in split second decisions while cars are careening wildly. The computer can blow up trains, electrocute people in an open field, convince airport screeners to overlook bombs --but it can't simply kill a few executives directly. Of course that would make for a 5 minute movie. So instead we get the most convoluted plot possible, all contingent on inane contrivances. To cite one of about 100, the computer frees our hero by having him jump several stories (more than once), the first time resulting in escaping death by an eyelash from getting run over by a train. Our loss -- the movie could have ended there. These accidental survivals, all beyond the computer's control, occur every five minutes in the film. Yet we're supposed to be awed by the computer's brilliant machinations, including how it "motivates" our heroes by elaborate means. It makes for exciting crashes and chases, but makes no sense given the computer's objective. The film escapes the lowest rating possible only because of the earnest performances of its cast. Spielberg, who executive produced, should be ashamed of himself. Paranoia about government eavesdropping and control of technology could be a decent launch point for an action film. But this idiot's stew isn't it.
Monster's Ball
(2001)
Rings false
6 January 2003
This is a well-intentioned film with great acting, especially by Heath Ledger who communicates internal anguish without the usual verbal explications. But the film ultimately doesn't work. The two protagonists (Thornton and Berry) suffer incredible personal losses, yet their grief lasts about half a second. Thornton's character metamorphoses from about forty years of ingrained history to profound insight in the space of a movie second. And Berry's supposed grief over the loss of a child (not to mention a husband as well) melts away with one shot of Jack Daniels. Nice try -- but it rings hollow.
Training Day
(2001)
Denzels' White Heat
18 October 2002
Ultra-violent, over-the-top flick still worth seeing for the phenomenal performance of Denzel Washington. Reminded me of the great psychotic gangster roles, like Cagney in White Heat and Pacino in Scarface. A tour-de-force for Denzel.
The Royal Tenenbaums
(2001)
Royal Bore
12 October 2002
For a character comedy/drama to work, you have to care about the characters. Here, the characters' eccentricities make them totally unbelievable. So you don't care about them -- it's hard to get emotionally involved with artifices. That could work in a straight out comedy, but this one's too pretentious to just go for laughs, which are few and far between. Skip it.
The Prime Gig
(2000)
A mess of a movie
6 October 2002
"The Prime Gig" begins promisingly enough as a comedy about telemarketing with wonderful character actors like Wallace Shawn and George Wendt. Vince Vaughn plays the main character, the "star" marketer at a two-bit storefront telemarketing outfit where the crammed in workers have detailed cue cards posted on the walls to help rebut the customers' objections. The movie quickly throws in a sub-plot -- Vaughn cajoles the boss to hire his bitter handicapped friend. And then, fifteen minutes in, the movie switches gears completely. The first shop closes up, and Shawn, Wendt, et al are never seen again. Instead, we get a corporate expose about a high roller operator (Ed Harris)putting together a team to sell multi-thousand dollar shares in a purported gold mine. Vaughn is skeptical, but is enticed by the prospect of big money, and his attraction for Harris' protege, the beautiful Julia Ormond. The rest of the film alternates between the Vaughn-Ormond tryst, the high pressure goings on at the telemarketing office, and an occasional foray back to the relationship of Vaughn and his handicapped friend. None of the pieces add up. The ending is forced and almost unbelievable in terms of the character development that preceded it. The acting is fine, but wasted. This is a case where the parts are better than the whole.
The Musketeer
(2001)
Pitiful!
21 September 2002
Why was this movie made? This classic story has been filmed so many times before with such superior results. With the exception of Tim Roth as the villain, who displays a consummate professionalism that makes him look like a Shakespearian guest star at his children's grade school play, the acting is uniformly horrible. Justin Chambers, whoever that is, has the looks of D'Artagnan and the acting ability of a statue. Mena Suvari succeeds at being the worst of the worst. The 3 Musketeers are interchangeable and have no personality, but do elicit some sympathy for having to utter some of the most banal dialogue ever written. Stephen Rea just looks lost. But, you say, it's an action film -- who cares about the acting or dialogue. Well, the stunt men work hard, and if the camera stopped jumping around so that you could figure out what was really happening, you might even be impressed. But the hyperkinetic technique -- here's a sword and an arm, who's is anyone's guess -- makes the stunts look like just what they are -- stunts with no relationship to reality. My favorite was a stagecoach scene where villains kept reappearing as if spontaneously generated by the top of the coach. And the ladder finale, hyped in the previews, plays like something out of the Keystone Cops. Can anyone really suspend belief when the chief antagonists are more intent on hopping around like Froggers rather than dueling? Catherine Deneuve, shame on you.
The Emperor and the Assassin
(1998)
Disappointing
4 August 2002
Very disappointing, especially after seeing the director's "Farewell My Concubine", which is a masterpiece. This film is overlong and ultimately tedious. Gong Li delivers a wonderful performance, as always. And some of the battle scenes are original and breathtaking. The actor who plays the Marquis is also riveting, and the film holds your interest during his part of the film. But after a while the film feels like a lecture on what tragedies are committed in the name of noble causes. And the Shakespearian intensity feels forced and pedantic. For a much more cinematic treatment of the same period, see "The Emperor's Shadow". And, of course, "Ran".
Bandits
(2001)
Hilarious!
26 October 2001
This is a wonderful, original film. Billy Bob Thornton should get an Oscar, and Bruce Willis and Cate Blanchett are superb as well. I have not laughed so much in a movie theater in years. Only quibble: a little too many music video cutaways (altho it's hard to argue with 2 Bob Dylan songs and a Mark Knopfler gem); and the Jules and Jim reprise is played a tad too serious. But those are tiny flaws in a delight of a film. One of Barry Levinson's best.
Revenge of the Pink Panther
(1978)
Far surpasses today's comedies
7 October 2001
I had not watched a Pink Panther movie for quite some time. Was genuinely surprised by how hard I laughed at seeing Sellers again. I think this is actually one of the funniest of the series. Sellers' Inspector Clouseau is a brilliant comedic creation, and in this film he gets to do a Godfather impersonation, a Swedish old salt, and a host of other impersonations. Worth seeing.
Get Carter
(2000)
Film Noir meets MTV
1 September 2001
Stallone plays it darker than usual, and pulls it off. Micky Rourke plays it as dark as ever, and he too pulls it off. The rest of the cast is excellent throughout. The direction has a tough, film noir feel, spiced up by MTV touches. I could have done without the overlong, predictable car chases (doesn't Seattle have any traffic cops), and the attempt at portraying a trendy Seattle ambience came off more like a caricature of the city.
Do Not Disturb
(1999)
One of the worst movies ever
27 August 2001
Whatever happened to William Hurt and Jennifer Tilly? The movie's bad enough, but the acting sets new lows. The actors rush through their lines, barely waiting for each other to finish. Hurt's "drawl" is laughable. And the minor actors are just as bad. The film feels like it's dubbed by amateurs. As for the plot ... you've seen it a thousand times before. There's not an original moment in the whole film. And what would an atrocious film be without an endless parade of bad taste wisecracks, none funny, all delivered at incongruous moments that constantly remind the viewer that no-one on this lame project took it seriously.
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