katie-35 Reviews

Ballykissangel (1996–2001)

I can't wait for the next episode to arrive from Netflix today

[10/10 · 16 July 2008]

In 1998, I toured Ireland with a group of Aussies. We stopped in Avoca only because Ballykissangel was filmed there. All the Aussies were excited to see the church, the store, and Fitzgerald's just as seen on their BBC back home. I remembered the cute name for the town (Ballykissangel) when I joined Netflix. The characters are so well developed. No U.S. TV series is ever this good. Only when PBS shows a series of BBC programs is there any quality, and this has never been shown where I have been. The quirky people of BallyK just keep on coming. Some better than others, but each disc always leaves me wanting more. This show could have continued longer that six seasons with Kieran Prendiville back in the helm, but alas, it didn't. I will be sorry when I watch the last disc. Should it ever appear on PBS, I will become an avid watcher again. It is worth seeing again and looking forward to each episode. Ballykissangel wins my highest praise as quality storytelling.

Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983 TV Special)

From SNL to Delirious

[6 October 2007]

I took my son when he was about 12 to see Delirious and we laughed ourselves all the way through it. My son was rolling on the grass at the outdoor pavilion. There was Eddie in that ridiculous orange suit and saying the filthiest, funniest s*** that he had ever heard--at least I thought he hadn't heard all that before. He was mature enough. We laughed driving home and repeated some of his lines. This is going to be my gift to my son for Christmas as a memory, but I will definitely open it and watch it myself with friends. Maybe I will have to keep it and order another for him. Anyone who likes the old SNL Murphey will love him is all his foul-mouthed language you could never think of. He is hilarious. If you are depressed or feeling low, you will laugh so hard it will do you good.

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

A rather confusing MacBeth -- however beautiful

[6 June 2007]

After Kurosawa made his MacBeth with Throne of Blood, Zhang Yimou has chosen the same topic. It is, however, very confusing. As a former cinematographer, his scenery and costumes are stunning. Zhang is best with his outdoor scenery of his country and the contemplative films about the depth of feelings of the his subjects. Those are the films I love. He deviated by doing the martial arts films, House of Flying Daggers and Hero, but I think it was to try to come up with different uses of swords, spears and wire-flying martial artists than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He did them masterfully, but his spirit is in his country and its people and the general stories of the past. I loved Raise the Red Lantern, Qui Ju, Jo Dou, and Red Sorghum. There are a few others I want to see that are in those earlier triumphs. I hope he continues to make films like his next, Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles. Absolutely wonderful. As for this film, I take it as a tribute to Kurosawa andShakespeare, nothing more. Kurosawa did it better. Zhang should stick with his cinematographic and in-depth studies of people. There he shines as a master.

Cool Runnings (1993)

Feel the rhythm...

[12 April 2007]

There was no real coach who committed a breach of character. The four bobsledders in the movie were not the actual people. They were Harris, Stokes, White, and Clayton.

Two Americans with Jamaican business interests got the idea after witnessing a Jamaican pushcart derby. Yes, they decided that these sprinters were perfect for push bobsledding.

There was no sprinter who tripped in the Olympics causing the bobsledding try instead (this was in the movie). The Winter Olympics had already passed and it was now time for the Summer Olympics, so that kicks that premise out.

The names of Yul Brenner (after actor Yul Brynner who was bald), and Sanka (whose last name in the film was Coffie) were inside jokes. Also Sanka means sled in several Slavic languages.

The push bobsled team did enter again in 1992, finishing 14th. They won the Gold Medal in 2000. In 2006 they failed to qualify.

I read so much misinformation, I thought I would correct some. Did I enjoy the spirit of these men and the movie? Absolutely. It has a nice mix of characters and gives one an uplifting spirit. I've watched it more than once. And probably will watch again in a few years. Great inspiration.

Down with Love (2003)

Entertaining spoof with great sets and actors...

[10 June 2006]

DOWN WITH LOVE is best seen after watching PILLOW TALK, even if you saw it years ago. I saw the movie and then rented both and watched them back to back. What a kick! The spoof is dead on. Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger pull off the cleverest and raciest split-screen scenes that the make-over deserves. The sets and costumes are pure '60s and spectacular. That there was no award nomination for either is a crime. The painted backdrops were perfectly pastel ala 60s. Romantic to swoon over back then and appropriate for a movie imitating PILLOW TALK. Orlandi's costumes were paraded as if in a fashion show in the restaurant where the womanizing Catcher Block (McGregor) constantly stands up Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger). The dialog is snappy and catchier than Catch can keep up with at the end. He gets bamboozled but good. And rightly so. The twists and turns are fun and unexpected. Even those that are expected are anticipated. David Hyde Pierce is a favorite of mine. He is one hilarious dude. Tony Randall, in his last role, doesn't miss a beat. He rules the screen when he is on. This is a wonderful film that deserved more attention that it got. I felt sorry for those in the movie theater who left early. Always one to stay for the credits, I was further entertained by the small movie going along with the credits. And watch those credits for a very funny line. This is a very clever script right up through the credits.

The Wedding Date (2005)

Heartpounding chemistry...

[10/10 · 22 December 2005]

Maybe not a great film for scholars, however the perfect match of the two main characters create a spark that does not die. I loved their nuances together. Th supporting characters was diverse and halted this film into being "just another romantic comedy." All of the characters had their own personalities that didn't project the usual formula. Their flaws were there but not on the surface for all to see except Jeffery. The comment about him at the end was perfecto! Messing and Mulroney were perfectly matched. He is one hot dude in my book. Who wouldn't fall in love with him? That is probably what made him so good at his job. Even someone as dedicated to smoothness and perfection as a date was not immune to falling out of his professional persona and making this real.

Yes, I know. Another fairy tale. Joyfully, I love this kind of film that is light, romantic and funny. Just as much as if I wear watching a thought-provoking indie or foreign film that is worthy of being a classic. This is not a movie classic and won't last. It is to be enjoyed now. I give it a 10 for what it is, a well-rafted romantic comedy.

A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

We New Orleanians hate to see our city a jumbled mess. At least this film lacks the usual clichés...

[5/10 · 18 June 2005]

I address New Orleans and comments made by others as well as my film thoughts. Rather than a gay relationship, Bobby and Lawson are in a guild-ridden relationship that culminated in a drinking gig. Lawson showed immediate interest in Pursy when they first met at the door. The house was supposed to be a shotgun and didn't seem arranged that way. I didn't feel the heat and I live in it. The actors didn't sweat, their clothes weren't perspiration wet, and their faces were powder-dry. Without A/C and heat in these old uninsulated homes it is impossible to stay inside much. That is why so many people sit outside most of the time. When it was cold Pursy shared a blanket with Lawson. She was barefooted and he has no shirt on. Cold? Then she went to sleep and Lawson laid beside her, shirtless, with no blanket on them. In the cold no one huddled to keep warm. In the heat no one used used paper or cardboard to fan themselves. This was shot on two banks of the river because you see a levee and someone walks on it, down it and then all of a sudden they are on a small rocky spot near the water. In this city surrounded by levees, there is not one place that anyone can find a spot like that except on the West Bank. The bridge was seen in so many shots you would have thought that there were no highways leading to or ramps going up to the bridge. Just off Magazine Street there is access and the bridge is much closer in view. Since the clouds didn't move, the water didn't move, and the Twin Spans look like one span, this must have been an inaccurate matte background. Most likely there wasn't budget enough to repaint it. No one can walk that long straight, graveled walk anywhere off Magazine St. Then they take a streetcar Uptown. Why? They walk toward the lovely old mansion of the Latter Library. They never enter. There is no purpose. The scene changes rapidly to their home neighborhood. Why do they go to the Camelia Grill that is on Carollton Uptown? Off Magazine Uptown is only the world-class zoo, park, gardens and expensive homes. Drunks don't spend money on streetcars to go eat, especially with no drinks. Eating was not on Bobby's and Lawson's agenda. Pursy isn't anorexic. She eats junk like most teenagers. Drunks spend money on their booze and cigarettes in place of food. Speaking of food, what trailer trash from FL goes into a bar and orders red beans and rice? That her beer she ordered turned out to be a Coke was a mishap. More on beer. When Pursy joins the soirée in the weeds, she has just sat down and is told, "Drink your beer," which she suddenly has in her hands. The walks they take are not for drunks or those in this humidity. All these poor people are supposed to be off Magazine down where the seedier parts are and they take walks way Uptown in beautiful Audubon Park. That is where those beautiful, old live oaks are. The garden keeper tells Pursy the Oak she lies on was her mother, Lorraine's, favorite tree. All the men seemed to have loved Lorraine. There are things about her that make me think she might have had her life together, a singer but still poor. Maybe she did find solace away from the neighborhood Uptown on her tree. I can only assume that the walks past various, painted buildings and then a warehouse is not side by side but meant to be a portfolio of the varied architecture of the city. There are many areas like that and it would be a great move if this were done as if the buildings were part of a longer walk. The same scene is at the first and toward the end of the movie. This would have been a nice way to film the entire movie so it would not appear so disjointed. That style would have made a great indie film. I did buy Bobbie as a broken down drunk some of the time when he could stay in character. Lawson seemed a little too classy to be a drunk. Pursy was good trailer trash. Someone said he tried to have a N'Awlins accent, but he was from AL. This is an inbred movie. Grason Capps who wrote and performed such brilliant music is the son of first-time author, Ronald Everett Capps "Off Magazine Street." One of the producers is Scarlett Johannson's mother. This film didn't have a budget worth a dime; however economy didn't have to mean sloppiness. The cinematography was excellent. I hope shots of the walks past the various colors and types of buildings was New Orleans was not meant to be one after the other but a montage of the city. We are a city of little neighborhoods. From the book's title, it appears to want to dwell on the denizens of the down-trodden, who made up their own neighborhood. Leaving that neighborhood was not in keeping with the characters. If economy was the key, then all shots could have been done on one side of the river and one neighborhood and streets off of it. With some juxtaposition, the filming areas would have had meaning. It has such wonderful possibilities to make a movie in this city that really shows a segment of the city without exploiting the clichés, which this one, to its credit, it does not attempt to do. The cinematography and the musical score make for greatness. The film is so close to being a good indie film, but the director didn't have a handle on the scenes. Too bad. Goodbye Bobbie, Lawson and Pursy. You could have gone down in indie history as a cult film. It was all there (except for those dreary, predictable plot endings), but the director missed the barge.

The Aviator (2004)

A pointless movie that dragged on...

[4/10 · 2 January 2005]

I can never see Leonardo DiCaprio as a man. He will always look like a scrawny, little guy. He just does not come across as an adult in this film any more than he did in Titanic. Young girls like him, which is why Titanic made so much money since all those young girls went to see him over and over. I wonder if it will happen here. Leo, please keep your clothes on. It only makes you look more like a kid. The cinematography is wonderful and very controlled as the film progresses. The Howard Hughes character is not delved into enough in order for the viewer to see the mental breakdown of a very eccentric man. Three hours and his disturbing actions did not seem credible. He is crazed and living behind locked doors. Then he is cleaned up and very lucid before all the flash bulbs at the Senate hearings. For someone who was in such poor emotional condition, it was difficult to buy the transformation. Cate Blanchette was wonderful as Hepburn. She nailed that role with her own twist to it. As an Aussie playing the varied roles she has chosen, she always seems to rise to each. I hope one day she will be recognized for her great talent. Ian Holmes is always good and made a wonderful professor. Kate Bechinsale did a fine piece tender, yet tough, acting the part of Ava Gardner. She didn't mimic the iconic late star, but took on the role in her own tempered manner. Scorcese is a wonderful filmmaker whom I greatly admire. However, this attempt at a very long film led nowhere. I kept wanting the film to give me more depth of the Hughes character and felt squirmy in my seat. Possibly the miscasting of DiCaprio was part of the problem, but the back story and the slow progression into mental illness needed to be explored more deeply. Again, I can't say enough about the cinematography. I do hope that brings in an Oscar.

Dinner with Friends (2001 TV Movie)

MacDowell always seems detached...

[4/10 · 5 February 2004]

The MacDowell/Quaid marriage seems like it is already on the rocks from the beginning. Quaid seems to make an attempt but MacDowell never does give her husband any softness except during the final scene when she asks him to talk to her.

Collet and Kinnear are doomed from the beginning.

The film doesn't seem like the give and take of marriage but a good example of two people, especially MacDowell, who are judgemental.

I hoped the plot would pick up and lead somewhere as suggested, but it failed. MacDowell has always been "cold" in her films. The other three would have a chance to give better performances with a better screenplay. Having Jewison attached made me want to see it more. I was disappointed.

Unfaithful (2002)

Lyne's film deserves recognition on many levels.

[7/10 · 18 January 2003]

"Unfaithful" deserved more attention than it has received. Diane Lane knocks down a superb performance who is caught up in an illicit affair. Her life in the burbs is just too perfect. Gere does not excite her and she seems not to like the life she lives. An older woman being overcome with sexual desire for a younger man in a dank SoHo apartment is so opposite of her life with her husband, Edward (Richard Gere) that I can see how easily she can become so deeply involved in kinky and quite rough sex with this foreigner. Her emotions run the gamut of confusion, lust, glow and guilt. Lane's performance is Oscar-worthy. Gere's performance is amazing. Totally non-Gere. His life is perfection as he sees it and the affair ruins it. The ending is disturbing. Although the tension with Gere and Paul, the lover, is disquieting, so much so, that Edward loses his marbles and commits a crime and covers it up ---except he forgot to rub the door, elevator, etc. clean. Then I wondered why the police, who were so interested in the family being involved in the murder, didn't look in the trunk for evidence that Paul's body had been in it. Gere falling apart, Lane becoming so confused left me wondering if the marriage could be saved. Had Lane gone too far? Is Gere just too much in love with her and his life that he would commit murder and continue a "normal" life? Many questions are left unanswered in the end. Getting away with murder and starting all over in Mexico just left me up in the air. Now, isn't that great material for the police to look further? The house goes up for sale as the the family packs. Tickets are bought for some Mexican coastal resort. Their kid is removed from school. Until the ending, this film had me hooked. I loved the two main actor's performances, the lovely color contrasts, the contrast between suburbia and SoHo, the contrast between Connie's two lives---but that ending left me hanging.