Change Your Image
divinams
Reviews
Crush (2001)
Didn't Take the Plunge
This is a movie that held great promise but lost the plot somewhere down the line. I would have liked to have given it a 5 because of its sad shortcomings, but decided a 6 would be more fair, given the following things it had going for it:
- The music score fit the film perfectly and it was cleverly used in an engaging manner, both for comedic relief and for drama. - Well picked actors for the roles, the result being a very convincing and beautifully comprised picture of a British small-town. - Pleasant to watch, with delightful attention to detail.
Unfortunately, these redeeming points are not enough. The film left me feeling cheated. Why? It was not brave enough. The movie would have been far more meaningful had Kate (Andie MacDowel) and Jed (Kenny Doughty)been *allowed* to stay together as a couple. By killing Doughty's character, the makers of this movie took the easy way out. They showed the world once again, that yes, it is STILL a taboo for older women to date younger men. (While of course it is perfectly acceptable for old men to date girls barely out of school, a theme prominent in movies for decades now) If Kate and Jed had remained together, in the face of all the adversity that they were having to face in the plot, the movie would have delivered a powerful message. As it stands, by killing Jed off, the movie became a bland, run of the mill movie about... what exactly?
This is not unlike what happened this year with Brokeback Mountain. If the plot of the movie revolves around gay people disaster will follow.. Because Hollywood is not ready to portray happy, normal, healthy gay couples. (Nor an older woman-younger man relationship, apparently) A serious disappointment. Surely, this is not the middle ages?
Les invasions barbares (2003)
Don't do that..
I am not inclined to really comment on the movie itself, I would like to point out though, that the tagline is utterly misleading. The people promoting this movie must be having a good laugh right now: "Oh, we shall promote this movie as a 'Provoking comedy about sex, friendship and other things that invade our lives'. And everyone is going to watch it! And then sit through two miserable hours of watching someone dying from brain cancer! And people doing heroin, yes, actually administering the drug repetitively! Hilarious!" .... NOT. If you are looking for ANY comedic relief, trust me, you won't find it in this movie. If you are looking for any insights, or novel cleverness about things that 'invade' our lives, don't hold your breath either.
Sideways (2004)
A waste of time
I had high hopes for this movie, having been intrigued by the trailer and being a fan of unconventional scripts that do not follow the common Hollywood blueprints. This movie had several major drawbacks however, ones with enough impact to justify the very poor rating I gave it.
The characters were flat and unevolved; at no point are the viewers provided with sufficient information to justify or even understand their erratic behaviors. I will not go as far as some and label them as immoral, they are simply human. Dislikable, but indeed human. What is their story though? Why do they act as they do? What circumstance led to this development of increasingly unpalatable behavior? We never get to find out, especially in the case of Jack. Consequently, we, the viewers, are left with only a bad taste in our mouth, unable to ever sympathize or identify with them. The secondary characters are equally underdeveloped, serving no real purpose but to leave you wondering why they are there...They too are but shadows, tools to further the plot a baby step ahead. We receive no information about their life story, and are left completely baffled about why such people would eagerly socialize and develop any sort of emotions (whether it be friendship, love, concern, lust or whatever positive feeling one might like to replace the above with)for the two main characters - very unsatisfactory.
There was a bit of buzz about the unique camera-work and presentation of this movie as well as it was coming out.. Namely the use of two images at the same time and the distinct 70's style... I cannot warrant the former with even a slight nod of respect, it happens only once in the whole movie, and makes absolutely no sense. Was it supposed to be some unique 'feature'? Please. It did not bother me, but not only was it not unique and original, it was pointless as well. As for the 70s style, it is something I enjoy and it did give some extra 'color' to the movie, but once again, it served absolutely no purpose. Just an inconsequential feature. The photography is poor and not pleasing to the eye either. The scenery was dry and unmoving, but perhaps that was a conscious choice of the director. It lends itself to painting the lives of these men in an even more pitiful and pathetic color. I get the feeling that the movie would have been entirely different if it was shot in a tasteful, picturesque area, like French winecountry instead.
In the end what bothers me most about this movie is that after having watched it I do not feel like I have gained anything. I do not feel my mind broadened. I do not feel like the movie made me think. I did not glean the slightest bit of information, knowledge, wisdom from it. Nor was I moved, made to feel anything..from sadness to joy, from sympathy to anger and detest...the movie left me cold, not having experienced any emotion. This movie did not tease my mind, titillate, provoke, cause me to think or stimulate me. It left me with nothing. How very selfish.