Reviews

This is indeed a Woody Allen Light- but I mean that in a good way. His pairing with Tracey Ullman is delightful, much much more successful than his more recent attempts at coupling with women more than half his age- and the plot is good silly fun. I wish the film had been more about the bunglers and less about the lessons in true love and good taste, but I enjoyed the whole thing from top to bottom. I did find myself wondering what it would be like if he made a film with a composer though, instead of his usual old scratchy record collection

That being said, I enjoyed this film, although 'enjoy' is probably not the right word. It's a bit like watching a car crash, but one where no one dies. Lots of flesh on display, but nothing really hard core. She massages a man to get him aroused, puts him in her mouth. It doesn't work. So she searches elsewhere and has a few 'wild' experiences (rape, bondage, etc.) Shocking I suppose for how it pushes the envelope in the USA- we rarely see anything this sexual, we're just used to guns and bombs and blood- it's an interesting piece, well acted, and made all the more curious for the fact that it was writen and directed by a woman.

And morbid too. I fall somewhere between those who praise this film and those who damn it. Wonderful stunning visuals and your average dark French love-story, well acted and somehow it all comes together. I almost didn't stick with it, but like a good novel it eventually reels you in. Magic realism at its most grim.

I only saw the first few shows of this series, but would like to see it when it all comes out on DVD. The acting was wonderful, the camera work was dark and compelling, and the plot- well, that was where it rose above most television shows. The writing is thorough and complex, and this may be its downfall, as after the third episode I realized it's best to see this show three or four at a time. Thank God for DVD!

Anyway, this is absolutely worth watching. I hope it lasts and kudos to the creative team behind it.

I quite liked this movie, despite the fact that it tried so hard to be likable. The plot is silly, the music very funny, and the 'mockumentary style' always a delight. My only quibble is that instead of getting real actors to play it truthfully (a la the classic "Spinal Tap") the director seems to have chosen comics, and let them go for the laughs, and in the process, they lose believability. Even the real actors that are in it are hamming it up, trying to get us to be amused. That's when it doesn't ring true, and the whole 'mockumentary' becomes an MTV sketch, which is unfortunate. But you can't fault them for having fun I suppose, I just wanted them to really believe what they were doing so that I could have had as much fun as the actors did. But it is undeniably fun!

...but GORY. I enjoyed all the performers and the plots, the music and the cinematography was all top notch. My only small complaint is the amount of blood and gore per episode, it's quite hard to take at times.

One could argue that the characters are a bit thin and that it's all plot, but I don't really mind- what characters there are are all very well acted. Worth watching!

I really really wanted to like this film, having read the play not too long before, but I just didn't enjoy it. There are many many cuts from the play, which isn't bad- but the cuts are replaced with songs that are poorly sung and danced. The one exception being Adrian Lester, who shines brighter than all the other actors who are game and bouyant, but for the most part miscast. It felt a bit like watching my college production- well meaning, and it so wants to be liked that it's hard not to, but still- it's just not very good. Stick with Richard III or Branaghs own Henry V if you want a good film of a Shakespeare film.

This is indeed one of the few tv series that are equal too if not better than the film and play it was based on. Simply shot and perfectly played, the scripts and the acting could not be better. These shows are fun to watch now not only for the style of clothing, but also for the fact that it's about two middle aged men! TV show-makers of today would do well to watch and learn from this classic.

This movie is a muddle, lots of things make no sense, not the least of which is this; why are all the big mean apes afraid of little Tim Roth, jumping about like a gnat? And why is Estelle Warren wearing lipstick? And just how many millions did it take to get good actors to dress up like apes? I won't even address the ludicrous ending, or the waste of Tim Burtons great talent doing drek like this. Please, Mr. Burton, go back to your original films, stop with the Hollywood crap! We your fans miss you!

This film is clearly of it's time, in that almost no one acts

Shakespeare like this anymore. While I found the sound quality quite

poor, I enjoyed the almost amateur style of it. The woman playing

Rosalind, it turns out, was married to the director/producer- but I

still enjoyed her performance. She was lively and fun and always

interesting to watch. Olivier is stuck with the dull as paste role of

Orlando, and acquits himself quite well. This is a 96 minute version of

a 130 minute play, so it's a bit like reading the cliff notes. The

filming style is dated and base, the acting stilted and dated, and yet-

I found the whole thing kind of enjoyable.

Sure, it's a remake, but it's done with great thought and care. I didnt' find it homophobic in the least, but rather touching how the mother accepts the difficult situation she's presented with, with love and care. Tilda Swinton (or is it Eric Stoltz in drag?) is amazing, truly a remarkable actress. She's almost transluscent, but strong at the core. The kid is great too. This movie is made by it's performances, and they are stellar. Definitely worth seeing.

This is clearly one of the best film noir films ever made. Mitchum leaps off the screen into the "A-list", and Kirk Douglas as the bad guy is perfection. The use of the shadows and light, the music, the acting, and best of all the script are all superlative. It's amazing to think that they obviously made this film for no money- it was a "B picture" and yet it's better than most of the 80 million dollar films that are foisted on us today. Rent this film, you'll love it.

I repeat; rent the original. Unless you're looking for a cure for your

insomnia, rent the original. It has actors in it, and a plot you can

follow, and other things that apparently mattered to film makers in

1974. This version is very loud, and poorly scripted and poorly acted

and poorly written too. I guess these actors all needed money, but then-

I thought about all this as I sat through the movie- how much money can

an actor need? I mean, really? If they've already made millions of

dollars, why do they keep doing films like this? These are some of the

existential questions that will nag you once you've given up on this

film, which will happen about ten minutes into it.



Rent the original!

For those of you who haven't seen a Makavejev film, this might be a nice place to start, as it actually has something of a linear plot and familiar actors (Molina, Serbedzija, Stolz, Anwar). Taken (rather loosely) from a short story by Emile Zola, this film is fascinating on a number of levels, not the least of which is that it was shot in what was Yugoslavia before the war. It's a beautiful country, just gorgeous. The plot is great fun- in a small village 'somewhere in eastern Europe', the King is coming for a visit and the secret police arrive to make sure the village is safe- which of course it isn't. Camilla Soeberg as the lead girl is lovely and strong, Alfred Molina as the head of the secret service is hysterical, Rade Serbedzija as the servant having it on with the masters daughter is fiercely sexual, and Eric Stolz as the gentle postman in love is terrific. There's not a weak link in the cast, and it's a joyride from start to finish. Featuring some surprisingly sexy scenes, Gabrielle Anwars first film role, and some wonderful hamming from Simon Callow (for whom 'over the top' is too tame a description) this movie is fun, sexy, and political, which are the hallmarks of Makavejev, one of the best and most original foreign directors around working today.

Olivier vs. Hoffman, that's what this film comes down to, and I'm afraid Olivier triumphs- but just barely. You know the plot, you know what happens, you know the "is it safe?" line- it's basically old guard acting vs. the new guys, and it's as good as Ali vs. Foreman. Hoffman is great, as is Scheider and everyone else in the cast, but the film clearly belongs to Olivier. Imagine if they remade this film now- would it be Hoffman vs. The Cast of Friends? Sad to contemplate the state of the art, but in the 70's it was vital and this film was and is one of the best.

What more could one want from a film? Done right before "Tango", and meant to be a prequel of sorts to The Turn of the Screw, this film is an oddity. The kids performances aren't that great, but Brando and Beachum do the dance enough to make it worthwhile. The director accidentally uses the zoom lens too much- it must have been an accident, there's no other explanation- and the music is a bit broad too, but it's worth it for Brando. He takes a character and turns it on it's ear, but it all makes sense- he doesn't do it to shock or get your attention, like Nicolas Cage does- it all seems to come out of a logical character study, and it's always a joy to watch. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

True, Brando walks away with every scene he's in- but when doesn't he?

The other actors are clearly non-pros, which gives it at times the feel of a documentary, and at times the feel of a bad student film, and yet the depth of the topic rises above these minor quibles. It's a great film that should be seen by every social studies class, it has much to say and it says it well. Highly recommended.

This is one of the best rock and roll docs ever made, in glorious black and white during the summer of Dylans ascention to icon status. He's not particularly user friendly, that's true, but that's part of what sets him apart from all the rest of the talk-show fly by night rock stars and movie stars- Dylan does it HIS way, and it's clear that it rubs people the wrong way in this film. The music, though, is astounding, and the performances are brilliant. The man is one of the great artist of our time, and this is a great look behind the shades if you will. Worth watching a few times, I love this film.

I won't go into plot or analysis- Miguel seems to have done that quite well, and I wish he'd write more reviews, by the way- I will say though that this film is very very moving. It's funny and touching and quite simply one of the best films ever made. If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat. Don't think twice- go out and buy the DVD.

This is one of the simpler (and I don't mean that as an insult) David

Lean films, but it's beautiful none the less. Based on the play by

Harold Brighouse, but changed up somewhat for the screen, this film

stars Charles Laughton and (Sir) John Mills as two very different

'types' of Englishmen butting up against each other and earning the love

and respect due them. Sort of. Hobson's daughters figure into the mix in

a very interesting pre-feminist (this was 1880) way. This film has

excellent acting, a great story, and is beautifully directed by Lean

before he went 'mega'. Watch it with the whole family, you'll love it.

I don't care that it's "only" a television movie, this movie is really good. Based on a true story, turned into a book and now this film, it stars Heather Matarazzo as an abused retarded high school girl. She just wants people to like her, so she 'goes along' with her rape, in a very disturbing scene, kind of shocking for television, not titalating at all. The supporting cast is wonderful. Ally Sheedy and Eric Stoltz are the adults in the piece, in charge of bringing the teens who did this awful crime to justice, and they are really good. So are the teen jocks who rape her. A good lesson in safety and 'fitting in', well told, good music and direction, overall this is a very good production and all should be proud to have done it.

A neat little story with great acting, music, and camera stuff all supported by a distinct style that spells terrific fun. It's obvious that the actors had a good time making this film, and I had a blast watching it. It brought to mind Pretty in Pink and those delightfully light footed old John Hughes movies that had a big heart (but not a sappy one) at it's centerpiece. This is a very well cast film too, the ads would have you believe that Mimi Rogers and Karen Allen are the leads, but it's really the girl who plays Nick's story, and she holds it together splendidly as a teenager trying to save her parents marriage. The kids don't bitch and moan, they don't hate their parents, they just want to have fun and they do, in spite of all that happens in the story. The supporting roles of Babyface and Mouse and the parents and the great crusty old teacher `Mr. Birdwell' are good too. Only drawbacks of the story involve the slightly tired out "Will my parents get divorced' side plot, but extra points for the main character being a role refreshingly void of any typical pitfalls related to teenage girls of most recent movies- these girls aren't sex kittens or rebelious ‘tough kids'- they are smart and fun and a delight to watch.

Beyond that, this film is also very funny. My brother and I laughed a lot, and each scene flows into the next with ease. I particularly liked that these kids read books and seemed to really care about each other, and look forward to renting it and watching it again.

1. Lousy script. 2. Poorly acted. 3. Bombastic music. 4. It's far too

long. 5. It's not very good. 6. It was shoved down our throats with a

hype not seen since "Gone in 60 Seconds". 6. It was a bad film. 7. Did

I mention that it's not very good? That about sums it up. If you want to

waste three hours of your time seeing a big bad piece of emptiness, this

is your movie. And to Kitkat, the reviewer who loved this and hated

Shrek, I can only say that you must be Michael Eisners mother, because

Pearl Harbor is simply not a good movie, even if you work for Disney.

Very underrated 1950's story, basically about a messed up family. But boy oh boy are they messed up. Featuring outstanding performances by Ellen Barkin and Jon Voight, and nearly stolen by newcomer Annabeth Gish, this is a haunting provocative story of a family in crisis, just as the nation was in crisis. Beautifully done.