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Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
I was Entranced...
First of all, I never read the book. But, I wanted to see the film because from what the trailers told me (and I don't usually judge a film by it's trailers) the plot and scenery looked interesting. Tonight I got a call from some friends who were gonna see it, so I tagged along.
Through the beginning, the movie sets itself up nicely and we are introduced to some of the main characters, and we soon find the story revolving around a quiet boy who is really good at drawing. Then we meet the new girl in town who beats all the other boys in a footrace. Soon we find out that this girl, named Leslie, has quite the imagination, and has a knack for telling stories, which quickly has the two forming a friendship. At this point I was really impressed with the children in this film, especially the two leads. Their performances were wonderful, and at this point the story began to pick up nicely as the two characters began exploring the woods in their backyard, and started to dream up a fantastic kingdom they named Terabithia. I wouldn't have had any other person direct this film other than Gabor Csupo, he really knows how to capture the lively imagination of a child, and I became engrossed in this movie.
Like I said, I never read the book, and when the plot finally revealed the infamous "Terabithia" twist, I was shocked and heartbroken. It took every last bit of my strength to keep from bawling my eyes out right there in the theater. But still, I watched.
The movie kept right on going, never missing a beat. Although the past event was tremendously sad, there is a great lesson and a lovely ending with the boy and his sister, and the continuing magic of Terabithia. This movie will make you laugh, break your heart, and dare you to keep an open mind. I would definitely consider this a family classic, sort of along the lines of E.T., Stand By Me, and My Girl.
Lo strangolatore di Vienna (1971)
A Subpar Italian Black Comedy - work a look... once.
One of the only things this movie has in common with other more well-known Italian horror is the over-dubbed dialog track. Other than that, the movie is pretty much a bore-fest, with no real gore aside from Otto preparing cuts of meat.
To make matters worse, the flick is painfully repetitive. We see the main character serving sausage in the park, the Lady who changes in front of her window and the Journalist, usually on some date, then Otto the Butcher brings his cart back home to his shop, he slaps around his Brother-In-Law, then everything starts all over again. This happens about 3 times in the middle of the movie.
I can see this movie providing entertainment when you are having a few drinks with your friends, and you want to watch something just for laughs. Gorehounds, look elsewhere.
Mercy (1995)
Quite an Intense Flick
This is a movie about a father who is searching for his kidnapped daughter in New York City. First off, I would like to say that the pacing of this movie is incredible. Nothing is too drawn out, nor does it speed up towards the end and wrap everything up in 15 minutes. There is definitely a lot of tension in this movie, I definitely felt it during a few scenes.
This is one of those movies where the story moves between "good guy, bad guy" in terms of John Rubenstein's character. He is introduced as a somewhat snobby lawyer who makes sure he gets what he wants. That quickly changes once he finds out his daughter is missing. From then on, he is depicted as a determined father, who will stop at nothing to get his daughter back. Some scenes even show that his determination somehow ties into his dark past, thinking that he is a powerful person who can have his way if he feels like it, ignoring the risk and danger that may be involved. Yes, there is definitely some great character work in this movie.
I would also like to mention that it is almost ironic that Rick Gomez appears in this movie. He is, of course, the angry man who wants to use the payphone (If you've seen the movie, you will know who I am talking about.) I mention Rick because he and Sam Rockwell look unbelievably alike, so just so you don't get confused, if you think you see one of the kidnappers waiting to use the pay phone, that's not actually Sam Rockwell, it's Rick Gomez. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Ruby's character is also brilliantly developed. Ruby was once a sweet, yet somewhat obsessive teenager, now grown into a twisted kidnapper, seeking revenge for reasons unknown until much later on in the movie. Her shining scene, in my opinion, is when she begins to loose her grip on her own sanity as she is slowly engulfed in her own anger and hatred for the Father, and we as the audience are left with more questions than answers. What in the world could make this young woman so angry, so vengeful, that she would risk everything to commit a crime such as this? The very ending (the elevator scene, I won't say any more) is what could make or break the movie. It is a decision the Father makes, and the viewer is left to agree or disagree with his choice. Would it be his turn to seek revenge, or will he just file it away as another dark spot in his past? If you want to find out, you should see the movie, and I recommend it as a great rental for a rainy Saturday evening. Definitely a popcorn movie as well!