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Reviews
Home Room (2002)
Home Room was...
simply one of the best films I have seen in a very long time.
I never lost interest and the dynamics between the very disparate young ladies was way up there.
No one film is going to appeal to everyone and I am sure this won't but, it is really a gem.
Sort of reminded me of Atom Egoyan's "The Sweet Hereafter" where the lawyer/dad looks for explanations where sometimes stuff just happens and there are no pat answers.
Not everything in life has a logical necessary antecedent and these two movies showcase this.
Shelter Island (2003)
What were they thinking?
By 'they' I mean the people who told the young lady at the video store when I asked her "Do you know anything about this?" and she replied that she hadn't seen it but had heard good things from people. Geesh, I wonder what their standard is? This was pitifully terrible. I very rarely turn off a movie (or put down a book) but my partner and I just could not endure it to care enough about what happened to whom. Actually, "Who cares?" really does hit the nail on the head. Who cares what happened to any of the characters; perhaps it would have been better if they all expired within the first 5 minutes and thus spared the viewer for lame dialog and a tremendously boring story.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Yawn
I cannot believe that this movie has rec'd the accolades it has. I thought was mediocre at best and at worst saccharin, predictable, neatly cathartic and only mildly believable. I think that if it didn't contain the rape scenes, it would have been so sweet that I would have turned it off before I regurgitated. This is not to say that I enjoyed those scenes - I didn't - but it appeared that it was Frank Darabont's sophomoric attempt at instilling some sense of prison reality into an otherwise boring story about male bounding. I personally would not recommend this movie to anyone.
The Business of Strangers (2001)
Wouldn't have been a good movie without Channing
I rated this film a little higher than it warrants simply because Stockard Channing was in it. She has always been so engaging as an actress and this time was no different. Supports what I have always believed... the most enduring of actors/actresses come from the stage (or do stage performances).
Gladiator (2000)
Stunning
I am not usually into these "Ben Hur" grand scale epics but, I have taken exception with Gladiator. I was impressed with everything about this movie from the screenplay, cinematography, acting to the soundtrack. But, in the end, I think the pivotal thing was Russell Crowe's performance. It has been a long time since I have 'believed' a charactor as much as I did his.
Heist (2001)
Awful movie
I was so disappointed in the movie it was a strain to watch it at all. It so lacked any chemistry between the actors that the dialog was not dialog but merely a recitation of there lines. The only line worthy of even a remembrance was when Hackman asks the nephew "What, you wanna cop-shoot your way to stardom?" Now, that's a sad commentary. I think what bothered me more was that I had just recently revisited 'The Unforgiven' and was looking forward to another griping performance by Hackman. Sad to say, I was totally disappointed.
I was also disappointed by Mamet whose 'House of Games' stands out in my mind as a very intriguing and gripping movie. For him to follow with this (and previously, with 'State and Main') well, I've said it enough... disappointing.
Texasville (1990)
form without a soul
I have to say, I was so disappointed with this movie that I actually didn't finish it. Now, I will have to admit that it is a lot easier, for me, to not finish a movie than it is to not finish a novel, nevertheless, I just couldn't get thru this movie. And, I have just this very moment of writing this review that I think I know what it was like for me. It was like watching an extremely long 'Coming Attraction', i.e., a long series of vignettes without really ever knowing what was really going on. Let me say here that I read the trilogy ("Last Picture Show", "Texasville" and "Duane's Depressed") and will admit that I found "Texasville", the novel, frivilous but, the cinematic version took that particular novel to a new level of?, of?, apathetic boredom. I think what I am trying to say is that, while the novel was frivolus, at least I became acquainted with the persona of the characters. I thought that while I might have wished something else was happening *for* them, at least I had a sense of who they were and what their reason d'etres were. The movie was a total disappointment.
It is sad that it is very unlikely that "Duane's Depressed" will never make it to the screen but then again, if the treatment were to be similar to the treatment of "Texasville" I think I am glad. "Duane's Depressed" was by far, the most masterfully crafted of the triology.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Overwhelmed...
By far, one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen - actually, at the moment, probably THE most beautiful movie. I was so overwhelmed that I actually had tears welling up in my eyes at the end, not maudlin tears of sentimentality but rather an expression of something ineffably beautiful. It is wrong to analyze this film, sorta the same way it is wrong to analyze why you love someone - sure, you can come up with a 'laundry list' of things but it is never the individual things but rather a function of the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts. It is the same with CTHD... it is greater than any of it's parts.
Giant (1956)
Sweeping but, not swept
Certainly, this movie is a classic in it's epic-ness, its look at issues just barely coming to the surface at that time and, its length but, by the time it was over, I was glad it was over. I'm sorry, but I never really felt like it delved into any one issue or persona. Perhaps, because it was so colossal in breath, it had to cover many issues but, it felt more like it was an overview than a treatment of any one topic. Still, not a waste of time since it is cinematically historical - and, it is a lot of time to spend watching one movie!
What Happened Was... (1994)
Excellent...
I didn't know what to expect with this movie and, had it not been showing on the Independent Film Channel, a channel I am biased towards, I probably would have continued surfing. But, I hung in there and was amply rewarded. Tom Noonan did an excellent job of presenting these two very lonely people. I was particularly aware of their "real" personalities versus the personalities they presented to the outside world. To me, they seemed like "normal" people whenever they spoke of law firm where they work as opposed to how they were when they were in the now of their "date", there at her house. I thought the cinematography was excellent. I highly recommend this film.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Great Film...
Thoroughly enjoyed this Craven flick even though it is not a genre I enjoy... Literally had me on the "edge of my seat". Certainly not a slick production but well done nevertheless. I think the weakest characters were Bobby and Doug... really couldn't get behind Doug. He was no Dustin Hoffman in "Strawdogs". But despite this, definitely a few bucks well spent.
The Haunting (1999)
A waste of resources
Why can't Hollywood resist the temptation to remake movies simply because it now has the ability to use computers to generate really impressive graphics. Some of the best fright movies are frightening simply because of what they suggest rather than what they visualize.
This movie is a case in point. I remember reading the book upon which this movie is based and remember being very frightened by it. Then, I viewed the 1963 original version and again, found it significantly faithful to the novel as to be chilling and engaging.
This version is, at best, boring. In retrospect, the best scene and the one with the most chance of evolving into a decent flick of any genre is where Eleanor has to deal with her sister and a ruthless brother-in-law. From here on the acting falls flat and character development is non-existent. I remember thinking initially, how massive the house seemed but after a while, realized that it was a technique being employed to compensate for a lack of substance elsewhere.
Totally missing was a really frightening scene found in the book and the original movie which gives credibility to Eleanor's question "Whose hand was I holding?"
If you really want to enjoy "The Haunting of Hill House" read the book. Or, see the original film.