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Patrick-29
Reviews
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
A Wonderfully compelling Film
Very few movies can move moods so subtly and then surprise you at the end, but this one did that for me.
A skillfully evocative piece that shows the rewards of morality and undying faith.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
All it has is a Great Ending
Perhaps careful editing, or a director who's work didn't so resemble a 30 second commercial..there are lots of things that might have made this movie worthy of an exceptional premise, unfortunately - it just ain't here.
I like Bruce Willis - he can play drama, but here, he's given nothing to do but smirk meaningfully while the plot, drags on and on, getting to the point we all know it's going to get to. I actually appreciate movies that cut out all the standard, "coming to believe a fantastic tale", bit. You know the routine - character sees strange things..stranger finally tries to make other character believe strange things..plot creaks along until other character finally be;lives strange things exist. That might have played well the first hundred times it was used, but I'd just as soon get to the meat of the matter and move the damn plot along!
Anyway, several scenes are so obviously staged that I found myself watching the extras in the scene, wondering what the assistant directors had told them to do..For instance, take the scene where Willis is late for dinner in the restaurant...The setting and filming looked so obviously staged that I couldn't pay attention to the leads.
Or - a long shot of Willis and the kid walking up the street, just when an entire little-league team walks across the from of the shot..obvious and clumsy, slice of life touches that distract instead of feeling a natural part of the scene.
But - great ending, serviced by the outline of a great plot that was poorly filled in and poorly directed.
Curtain Call (1998)
Boredom has seldom been so painful
I am a James Spader fan, and based on his being in this film, along with Michael Caine, I went ahead and rented it. Unfortunately, the movie was so lame that I gave up on it half way through.
Spader's acting suggested he had his mind on other things the entire time he was on screen. And the pacing and editing almost seemed random with very little driving the narrative.
As I watched this tripe, I thought of the expression that "nature abhors a vacuum"...well I believe nature would abhor this as well, since a vacuum and this movie both suck.