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MarvinMange
Reviews
Birth (2004)
Atmospheric fantasy with Nicole Kidman on top of her game.
Nicole Kidman has really risen to the top of her class. After Moulin Rogue, The Others, and The Hours, she really seemed to be one of the most consistent actresses alive- and even though it didn't make much noise, I really believe Birth might be her best performance ever. This is an odd story about a Manhattan widow who begins to believe a young boy is actually the reincarnated soul of her late husband. The story is ultimately kind of sad and cruel, and Kidman's character is required to seem a little naive- but she's never dumb. I marveled at the way Kidman, who's obviously an intelligent, sophisticated woman, could play somebody not nearly as bright as herself without ever reducing her to an airhead. She's wonderfully convincing, and probably the best part of this small, unusual film.
La marche de l'empereur (2005)
Cute story, great photography, but why the wide release?
Caught this movie last night, and while it's definitely a fascinating, great-looking documentary, I must say I'm a little surprised that this is the same movie that cracked into the Box Office Top Ten! It's a great story, and just getting it all on film is an accomplishment, but why penguins? The animal world has hundreds of amazing survival stories happening across the globe at any minute- which makes me wonder, again, how one cute movie about penguins- which isn't much more impressive than your average National Geographic special- could have such a big theatrical audience. Maybe this is just a result of Fahrenheit 9/11's success- maybe studios are pushing docs more than before. These are two very different movies, but the success of Michael Moore's docs might just be opening the door to more non-fiction movies, and in that way, the wide release of March of the Penguins could just be the studio testing the waters with a family-friendly film.
Grace and the Storm (2004)
Very suspenseful with outstanding writing and acting.
Grace and the Storm is one of those movies that makes you feel like you've discovered a diamond in the rough. I had never really heard of this movie and only recognized a few of the supporting actors, but after the first thirty minutes or so I was totally hooked. The main character, Pipe is a powerful New York drug dealer who gets talked into selling this legendary drug called "Grace". I won't go into the details on this drug because that might lead into all sorts of spoilers but the history and the description of the Grace was fascinating. The director did an amazing job of mixing an epic story about this secret, mythological drug with a very human story about the lead characters. There are a couple of huge twists, one in the middle involving the Rich Karma character. That scene was definitely one of the coolest in the whole film, and actually pretty scary. It's safe to say that this will be one of many scenes somebody will be going over in their mind after the credits roll. The last four scenes or so are especially well done. The tension escalates and the stakes just keep getting higher for Pipe, and the conclusion is just flat out incredible, with another great twist. I don't see that many good indies anymore, I basically feel like the filmmaking technology just keeps getting cheaper so you end up with a lot of amateurs putting out amateur stuff. I'm not sure what kind of a budget Grace and the Storm had, I imagine it wasn't even one million, but this is definitely an indie that rivals most Hollywood flicks in terms of story, acting, and entertainment! Very exciting. And Jim Florentine is hysterical!