trynity7 Reviews

Sophie's Choice (1982)

I wish I'd never seen this movie...

[26 December 2003]

This was truly a worthy film. Years after I accidentally caught it one sleepless night with no forewarning as to its content I'm still haunted by it. As a mother of four children I can honestly say this is one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. I wish that someone had told me what it was about before I saw it so rawly depicted on the television. The images of it have never dimmed. Odd how the memories we want to hold on to seem to fade over time, but the horrors cling with astonishing clarity.

SPOILER AHEAD

For those of you who have not seen this film and wonder what I'm referring to I'll do you the service that was not done for me. In this film the horrors of German concentration camps was dramatized when Sophie (Meryl Streep) was forced to chose between her two children. She was told that they'd both die if she didn't chose. So she had to let one be taken away by the guard (surely to the child's death).

END SPOILER

The movie honestly had little to do ultimately with this one scene. It was about the complicated relationships between Sophie and two men in her life after the war. It was interesting and rich. But God, I wish I'd never seen this movie.

The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

Probably the worst editing in the history of....

[27 December 2002]

Well, no that is probably hyperbole. I thought this movie was disjointed and difficult to grasp. Whereas Garp was a strange movie, indeed, it at least managed to capture some essence of flow. Hotel New Hampshire was choppy and more like a series of stories than one whole story. The elements that dragged the pieces together, like the Dog Who Would Not Go Away, etc, gave a comical lift to the otherwise tragic and painful story.

On an off note, the ratings for this movie listed its R rating as being caused by Language, Violence, and Nudity. It neglected to mention the rape. For those who have no desire to witness something on those lines, here's your warning should you have not read the book.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

WHAT A WASTE!

[15 June 2001]

I'm typically quite generous with my attitude toward movies and will find SOMETHING to like about them. Well I can honestly say that the CGI in this movie is at times fascinating. The action sequences (which make up approx. 90% of the whole thing - the other 10% are closeups of Angelina Jolie making cute faces and expressing herself in short sentences with a very well trained generic English accent) - the action sequences were somewhat inventive at times. At maybe 2 or 3 times. But otherwise -

THIS MOVIE WAS A TOTAL WASTE OF TALENT!

Angelina Jolie is an immensely talented actress with a bright future ahead of her as long as she stays away from scripts as foolish and empty as this one. Please don't encourage an equally bad sequel by running out to see Lara Croft in the theaters (like I did). Save your money and buy the game - its more fun (unless you're one who gets a big kick out of shredding a very poorly done movie).

What a disappointment.

Pay It Forward (2000)

GRACE! What a concept!

[2 November 2000]

All things included this is a good movie. It is emotionally engaging. I know this b/c my husband was literally asleep when it started and within 10 was totally ingrossed. I recommend it. But there is more...

This is a movie about the concept of grace. Grace is doing something for someone who doesn't deserve it and not expecting anything in return. It may be referred to as altruism, but I think people slamming the movie for having this "streak of unbelievable acts of altruism ce]" are either very cynical (read HURT) or very obtuse.

The basic message I took away from the film is that, in general, life sucks, its not supposed to, so what can anyone do about it? I happen to agree with the idea that life sucks and its not supposed to. Human beings aren't terribly nice by nature(anyone who has small children can attest to this fact). We're inherently selfish. But our makeup includes a part of us that makes goodness and kindness VERY appealing. So we long to feel like we're not really bad. (My personal belief is that God made us to long for goodness, and thus search for Him, because He is all that is good)

This movie appeals to all those inherent things about us as a species. And it does it with decent acting! I've seen Spacey do better, but he's still fabulous. Hunt is growing. She is becoming the actress that I think the Academy saw in their hearts when they awarded her an Oscar. She is delightful and complex. Osmet is so good its scary. How the heck does a little boy understand the complexity of the issues he is facing and then know how to convey them without words? My husband said ,"they probably just tell him to think of something really sad." I laughed heartily at that.

It is not a movie for kids. There were a lot of kids in the theater under 13 and I was uncomfortable with it. Too much language. But for those older than 11 or 12 I would say it is a great movie.

American Beauty (1999)

morally bankrupt

[2 November 2000]

There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this film. The utter lack of moral fiber, the emptiness of it, it all nullified the marvelous acting and cinematograpy. The reason I saw it? I was curious to see what was being lauded such a marvelous film. I see why the Academy found it so appealing. But for me, and many other Christians, it was offensive and, well, just not worth seeing.

(you know, I thought the Academy had lost their minds when they awarded so many Oscars to Titanic...but I see now it is not their minds they've lost - its their sense of absolute right and wrong and the fact that morality is very important)

The Patriot (2000)

I'm so glad I saw this movie!

[10 August 2000]

It took me a while, but I finally got to this movie. I'd had a very unfavorable reaction to Saving Private Ryan and I was a bit cautious about seeing another war-oriented movie, especially one I had heard was true to the nature of its content. By coincidence one afternoon I was at the theater without a movie in mind and on a whim decided on this one. I am so glad I did!!! This movie has to be one of the best movies I've ever seen.

After a string of Mission to Mars-like letdowns I was once again reminded just what it is about movies that I love so much. If movie-making is an art, this one is a masterpiece. The story, acting, cinematography, and casting are all magnificent. Mel Gibson gives a stunning performance as a father forced to go to war during the American Revolution. I've heard people say it was "just like Braveheart", but I disagree. Without the added responsibilities of producing and directing, Mr. Gibson was free to concentrate on acting his part, and he did a job beyond expectations. Skye McCole Bartuziak also gave a very moving (and impressive) performance as Martin's (Gibson) youngest daughter traumatized by the losses she'd endured.

All in all, there wasn't anything about this movie that was bad. It was refreshing to see a movie so well made that didn't fear to include God as a positive influence to the characters, as is so often true in many of our lives. It is not for children, but it is a movie I hope all will see eventually.

Pitch Black (2000)

That was FUN!

[8/10 · 17 March 2000]

After the dismal experience with Mission to Mars that I had last night, I was thrilled to see this delightful movie. It was packed from beginning to end with suspense and good acting. I came out of that movie saying, "wow, that was my kind of movie." Being a chick, I will warn - it is not a chick flick. It is not for the faint of heart. And it is not for those easily offended by profanity (had too much for my taste - some that was completely unnecessary).

Vin Deisel was fabulous. I don't remember him from Saving Private Ryan, but after this film I'm not likely to forget him.

If you enjoyed Alien you'll love Pitch Black.

Mission to Mars (2000)

it was a pretty good movie.....and then...

[3/10 · 16 March 2000]

I don't normally agree with professional movie critics. I think they're too hard on movies. After all, aren't we going to have a good time? Well, this time they were right.

This movie started out quite innocently enough. But it was clear from the opening scene that the dialogue was leaving something to be desired. I thought to myself, "ok, its not a dialogue driven movie." I expected the special affects to make up for it. They almost did. The special affects were spectacular. For the caliber of actors cast (Tim Robbins, Gary Sinese) I was quite surprised at the shallow contrived background and the delivery. I guess even Tim Robbins can't save a script this silly. One bright note - Jerry O'Connel - he was believable.

I read where one critic mentioned the over-the-top score and couldn't believe it would be that bad. IT WAS THAT BAD. In fact, it was the worst thing about the movie. It just didn't fit at all. The movie would have been better served without a score at all. In fact, there was one scene where the music cut out altogether and it was very effective. Also, it was a relief.

Once the mission to mars itself got underway it was intense and well done. Some have remarked that it took the astronauts too long to move about in crisis situations. Perhaps they exaggerated the slow movements to give the effect of trying to maneuver in zero g's. I think it was effective in heightening the tension of certain situations. I enjoyed myself. It was a fun movie, and then the last 20 or so minutes happened.

*spoiler for revelation of movie content*

Aliens. Couldn't the writers have thought up something NEW for depiction of alien life? All through the movie you can see concepts "borrowed" from other great science fiction movies such as 2001, The Abyss, and Close Encounters. I guess borrowing the X-Files' idea of the physical appearance of an alien being is consistent. The proposition that Mars lifeforms colonized Earth I've heard before. It was possible to breath new life into these concepts, but the makers of M2M didn't even try. I spent the last 20 minutes rolling my eyes and muttering to my self, "give me a break!"

Final Analysis? If you want to see this movie, the theater experience is the only thing that will make it worthwhile. There is a particularly clever sound technique about mid movie bringing the sound from front to right to back to left to front in sync with the camera shots referencing the sound source. But I recommend the matinee showing so you won't have to pay full price for this movie that offered a lot of promise and fell pretty much flat.

Sliding Doors (1998)

I'm no fan of romantic films - but this one is an exception.

[8/10 · 28 February 2000]

Typically my taste in movies is limited to action and science fiction until my husband prompts me out of my comfort zone. This time I was alone recovering from surgery forced to whatever fare was available on Showtime for the day. What luck! I caught this gem of a movie by accident and am completely thrilled that I did. Realize if you are expecting Shakespeare in Love you are not going to get it. It is a film unto itself. Unfortunately when someone like Ms. Paltrow wins acclaims for one film (in this case SIL) everything that comes after is unfairly compared to work that is unrelated. This film is not SIL. It is, however, a very delightful romantic comedy with a plot that is easy to follow (albeit somewhat contrived) and acting that is equally delightful. Hannah was a clever bloke and seemed to enjoy getting to play a character easily written with great personality and fun dialogue. This movie is not heavy fair. It is light and easy and good for a couple of hours of escapist entertainment.

Even someone who doesn't gravitate to romantic comedies generally will enjoy this film if you don't set your expectations too high. This is not Oscar caliber work, but if all films were we'd all be exhausted every time we see one. Have some fun!