ahab1013 Reviews

The Ring (2002)

Disappointment Rings Loudly

[5/10 · 9 November 2002]

I've given up on seeing widely distributed Horror genre films in the first few weekends because frankly the theaters are crammed with the types of people that ruin the movie going experience (talkers, cell phone ringers, teenagers). So I gave it a few weeks to catch "The Ring". Unfortunately my trip was ill timed to correspond with the release of "8 Mile" which, with its numerous sellouts, forced the same type of people into a second choice, my first choice "The Ring". I enjoyed Verbinski's "The Mexican", though I seemed to be in the minority of people who liked it, and now I'm apparently in the minority of people who didn't like this film. I probably suffered from the over hype that many of my friends have given this movie, and went in expecting something creepy, a cross between Sixth Sense and Seven and all the other disturbing movies that stick with you long after the credits roll. However "The Ring" is neither of those films, nor is it on the level of "Urban Legend" or other schlock spook fests. Instead it falls somewhere in between- an art film trying to make it mainstream. Too bad it failed for me miserably. Emily Watts was very wonderful playing the reporter trying to unravel the puzzle of the videotape of death (which I always thought was "Showgirls"). But beyond her performance there was little else for the film to hang its hat on besides some forced eerie footage on the evil tape, and some moody cinematography (which is the only real reason to see the film) with a nice homage to Hitchcock tucked neatly inside. I found the story rather weak, though it didn't completely leave me disinterested (again mainly due to Watts being very alluring). I don't mind a slow paced film either; in fact I rather enjoy it when it adds to the story. However, I thought the pacing was all over the place here. We have a story that should take place over 7 days (or at least the part post-teaser...it did in some respects feel like episodic television after all), yet it's not pace evenly. Either building slowly, with the later days stretching longer, or moving faster to place emphasis on the running out of time would, I think, help.

With all this said, I'd still recommend the film for Watts and for the lushness of the cinematography. Beyond that, if you want to see a well crafted narrative that builds suspense without tricks, check out "Insomnia" instead.

Abandon (2002)

Abandon delivers at it's own pace...

[7/10 · 22 October 2002]

As most good thrillers will, Abandon delivers the suspense at it's own pace- slow and deliberate. Sadly in this day and age the movie going audience doesn't want that opting instead for "fast and furious". If you want a movie at warp speed this isn't for you, however if you like intelligent writing, unique direction, and solid acting then Abandon is definitely worth your attention.

Katie Holmes is Catherine, a senior in college struggling to finish her thesis and move into the post-academic world. Haunted, literally and figuratively, by the disappearance of her boyfriend Embry, a rich artiste with a penchant for elaborate theatrics. Embry's missing persons case falls in the lap of Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) a recovering alcoholic who is equally haunted by something that may (or may not) have happened in a drunken episode.

The beauty of Abandon is the way characters that would normally be cartoonish representations of college students are in fact real people. They speak like actual college students, they party like actual college students, and they have fears like actual college students. The adult characters are likewise fleshed out (though Fred Ward is essentially wasted in the film, appearing in only two scenes).

Most of the criticism of Abandon that I have read picks at the ending. While I did figure out the plot half way through the film (which usually spells trouble), the reveal is done in a way that doesn't cheat the audience.

Topsy-Turvy (1999)

I've no more shots in my locker

[10/10 · 22 October 2002]

Simply put, a brilliant film.

Topsy Turvy captures Gilbert and Sullivan in the midst of a turbulent period in their partnership. Desperate to be taken more seriously as a composer, Arthur Sullivan attempts to renege on the Gilbert and Sullivan contract with the Savoy Theatre. While his partner William S Gilbert struggles to come up with something new to write about. Each man, in a sense, is longing for individual acclaim but they are trapped in an entity neither one can shake. The fame of their collective energies has taken on a life of its own and the theater crowds want more.

The film is mostly the story of a theater production of the Mikado, one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most famous operas. Director Mike Leigh, notorious for writing on the go, has structured a play within a play to a great delight. Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner are brilliant as Gilbert and Sullivan, and Tim Spall has a wonderful turn as one of the actors, Mr. Temple.

Their is more here than just two playwrights. The entire cast is seen as more than just pieces of a production. From choristers to administrative personnel, Topsy Turvy is alive with characters. One of the best is Gilbert's long-suffering wife Kitty. Bereft of children and saddled with a husband who doesn't show outward affection, Kitty (Lucy) could be a two dimensional afterthought. However, her pain at being childless is wonderfully played by Lesley Manville. It is clear they love each other but neither is capable of articulating that love, very odd for a man who writes for a living.

Filled with humor and grace, Topsy Turvy is one of the best films about acting and a beautiful embrace of all things theatrical.

Rounders (1998)

If you can't tell the sucker in the first 5 minutes...

[8/10 · 22 October 2002]

"If you can't tell the sucker in the first five minutes, you are the sucker"

Rounders is the story of Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), by day a law student, by night a rounder (someone who makes a living playing cards). After a disastrous night in the gambling underground, Mike is forced to re-evaluate his life's ambition of playing in the World Series of Poker.

His retirement is cut short with the release from prison of an old pal, Worm, played with relish by Ed Norton. Worm tempts Mike back into the game, in part to help Worm settle outstanding debts, but also to save Mike from a life he doesn't really want to lead. As Mike learns from his law professor (the wonderful Martin Landau), what others choose for us is not always what we are meant to be.

While Mike struggles to reconcile the failures in his past and his dreams for the future, he and Worm are thrust into a dangerous predicament that isn't helped by Worm's own thirst for the low road. Busted, beaten, and broken, Mike gets a last chance to square with the house.

Road to Perdition (2002)

"Sons are put on this earth to trouble their fathers"

[10/10 · 13 July 2002]

Possible Plot Spoilers!

There is a common theme to most gangster movies- family (more particularly fathers and sons). In `The Godfather', it was Michael Corleone's journey from distancing himself from his father and the family business to finally being overtaken by the power of it, all in the name of protecting the family. In the opening scene of `Road to Perdition' a son reveals the question he is most often asked, `Was your father a good man or an evil man' ? Michael Sullivan, Sr. (Tom Hanks) works as a triggerman for local Capone captain John Rooney (Paul Newman). His son, Michael, Jr. is a twelve year old dabbling in the petty crimes of Depression era life for a preteen – shoplifting and playing dice are as far as young Michael's illegality strays. His father, on the other hand, is so weighted down by his sins, that he literally hunches his way through each day, plodding, never smiling, a pre-techno Terminator with a tommy gun, his face a mask of troubled soul staring Hell in the eye yet unable to break free. He doesn't seem to have distaste for his work instead he evokes a resignation to what must be. `Mr. Rooney has taken care of us', he offers his son when questioned about his `job'. Young Michael, who fancies Lone Ranger novellas, proudly tells his younger brother Peter that their father is a hero, occasionally even working for the President. A child's dreamy fantasy of his father's occupation is shattered when Michael Jr. stows away as his father makes a late night business call for Rooney. What he witnesses, and the reaction of those involved, sets the father and son on the journey down the ‘road to Perdition' (an In-law's seaside town where they might hide). Hunted as much by his past as the figure sent to silence him, Mike Sullivan must protect his son, not just from mob reprisal, but also the future he sees for his son. In a sense, he is protecting his son from himself, or at least what he might become. Michael Jr. is simultaneously horrified and enthralled by his father. As Mike teaches his son to protect himself and aid in their plan to seek revenge, he faces a greater dilemma: how to teach him to be like his father without becoming him. Jude Law plays `the Reporter', the strange and manic hit man sent to kill the Sullivans. In a similar vein as his other assassin character (`Enemy at the Gates'), Law once again buries his good looks and evokes a crazed, shark-like stare as he slowly stalks his prey. Daniel Craig is Connor Rooney, the impatient son of Newman's character, who is the catalyst for all trouble in which the Sullivans find themselves. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Stanley Tucci have small roles as Sullivan's wife and Capone enforcer Frank Nitti respectively. The real star of the film is Hanks of course, but on equal billing is the mood of the film. Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) blends slices of a hypnotic score with patches of silence that casts the gloominess of the film and add to the weighty darkness that threatens to envelop both the characters and later the country in pre-World War II America. Hanks, brilliant yet again, shows the true genius of his talent- selecting great scripts. Based on a comic book/graphic novel, `Road to Perdition' is actually light on dialog with most of the language coming in the looks between characters. The wonderfully designed sets and beautiful cinematography lend more than perhaps words could offer. Mendes draws out the action like a man taking long slow sips from a tumbler of whiskey, and offers just the right amount of humor to effectively give respite from the tension in the film. `Road to Perdition' is a great contrast to the flash and emptiness of summer fluff like `Men in Black 2' and `Mr. Deeds'. An Oscar-worthy film for fans of ‘old-school' cinema, `Perdition' challenges the viewer to stare into the soul of a man with little redeeming qualities and neither forgive, nor condemn him for his sins.