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barry-jessiman
Reviews
There Are No Fakes (2019)
A great story well told
I actually went to this movie by accident, getting my dates mixed up. A seemingly small story about forgery in the art world (what else is new) but one that focuses on a renowned indigenous artist who emerged from the morass of a difficult early life to produce some of the finest art of its kind, but then fell back and was seemingly taken advantage of by several small but unscrupulous characters. A great story by itself, but the emergence half way through of another person's story made this a riveting documentary. I can't recommend this enough, and was glad I couldn't read the rep theatre schedule properly.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
I love movies that hold together this well while at the same time being totally unpredictable
Easily one of my favorite movies, by my favorite actor. I've always like Jeff Bridges, but he usually plays someone fairly together and knowing exactly where he's going and how he's going to get there: here, he may be together in a unique sort of way, but he has no idea where he's going and he doesn't care how he gets where ever he's going. Just going' with the flow.
As with so many great movies, every character is a gem, and even actors I don't normally like are excellent.
When I first watched this movie, I was in a room with my extended family (wife, in-laws, my in-laws in-laws) and within 10 minutes, all but three of us had left the room, overwhelmed by the swearing and a bit disgusted with this character with no apparent redeeming features. Besides my brother-in-law and myself, my brother-in-law's 80-year old Jewish mother-in-law stayed. At the end of the movie we had all laughed a lot, but the best line was reserved for "bubby" who said "I've never heard the word f___ used in so many interesting ways".
High Fidelity (2000)
Smart; faithful to the book
This movie cemented my opinion of John Cusack as a favorite and an excellent actor who seemed to always pick great material (he hasn't been so picky lately). As with all really good movies all the characters were interests and well acted: Jack Black in an early Jack Black imitation; Iben Hjelje as the only truly together person in the whole film; Tim Robbins playing a parody and being hilariously assaulted in a great replay scene.
I read the book afterwards and while the Cusack character isn't quite as likable in the book (he's just slightly more of a jerk at times), he's caught almost perfectly and the original sense of the book comes through: the transfer of the plot from England to the U.S. does no damage.
Loved it.
Le Cinquième Élément (1997)
Just a lot of fun with great twists and turns, not to be taken too seriously
A cracked and sometimes goofy movie with a great combination of music, visually fabulous sets, and a lot of people acting out their professional fantasies. Milla Jovovich is very attractive in a lead role, and the Bruce Willis persona sits very nicely into this future world. All the supporting actors overact with just the right amount of panache. It was kind of like a high-speed ride on a bumpy road without any sense you'd ever crash. Fun.
The ending is a bit Hollywood after a movie that doesn't really follow any predictable patterns, but a happy ending was in the cards all along. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.